"Oh, no, it's fine. I included you in the first place, but I saw you chatting with Qingyi, so I didn't want to bother you..."
She was telling the truth.
Well, at least that was what she thought in her heart.
"Really?"
Nicole immediately patted her chest.
"Absolutely true. If you don't believe me, ask Anby."
Anby blinked. She hadn't heard Nicole say a word about Zane earlier—all she had talked about was getting compensation from Vision Industry.
But after seeing Nicole constantly winking at her, Anby went against her better judgment and nodded.
Lying was wrong.
But if telling the truth meant Nicole was doomed...
Then maybe lying wasn't so bad.
"Huh? What's with your reaction? Do I really seem that scary?"
Zane raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when Nicole quickly pushed him forward.
"Come on, time's precious. No need to talk so much."
"Billy, get moving! We're going to the buffet!"
...
Behind them, Billy—who felt like his parts were about to fall apart—struggled to stand and glanced at Eous before sighing.
The Ether explosives had been moved... but he couldn't feel happy at all.
None of what the store manager had said made any sense to him now.
And now, seeing the cheerful group ahead, Billy just felt... alone.
What did a buffet have to do with robots, anyway?
Were they expecting him to drink machine oil?
Well... if they had that, he wouldn't say no.
Actually, he had really wanted to go to the Starlight Knight-themed restaurant. They could do knightly flying kicks together and everything.
Oh right, and there was that sheriff named Seth. When he got back to Hare's House, he had to look for the first Starlight Knight movie.
Once he turned Seth into a fan, he could finally buy merch without feeling like he was the only one.
...
"Hey, Zane, are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"
"Join Hare's House! Become famous in New Eridu! Earn mountains of Dennies! Just imagine that future..."
Nicole had one arm slung around Zane's shoulder and a wine bottle in the other. Her cheeks were flushed as she rambled on dreamily about her imagined future.
She glanced over at Nekomata, who was happily chomping on a mackerel.
To Nicole, Nekomata was already a done deal—practically signed and sealed for Hare's House.
That's your beautiful future, not mine...
Zane sighed and looked at Nekomata. Poor girl—just found a place to belong, and already knee-deep in debt.
Nekomata, noticing someone looking at her, looked up and gave Zane a goofy smile—mouth still stuffed with half a fish, cheeks puffed out like a balloon.
She clearly had no idea what she was in for.
"Come on, Zane, just say yes…"
"If it helps, I'll make sure Hare's House income goes to you first, okay?"
Priority for income… and priority for the debt, too, huh...
Zane sighed again and gently pushed Nicole's face aside—but it had no effect.
Wine swirled in the bottle with a pleasant clink. Nicole's breath carried the sweet scent of alcohol, and she giggled, lost in thought.
Case closed. Nicole's 100% a wine-drunk fool.
Talented? Not really. Loves messing around? Absolutely.
...
"Oh, Seth, you don't even know—this buffet has a free gift for big spenders! Hahaha, look! I picked out this special Starlight Knight chibi figurine!"
"My collection was missing this exact one!"
Nearby, Billy proudly sent over a photo and excitedly spoke to Seth over the phone.
He looked nothing like the dejected robot who first arrived. Now he was fully recharged.
He hadn't even eaten anything, but it was clear—Billy was loving every minute of this outing.
At that moment, Seth was lying in bed, completely exhausted after a long day.
But he still listened seriously and responded sincerely.
Even though he could fall asleep instantly.
Even though he'd only known Billy for a short while.
Even though they were barely more than acquaintances.
But Seth couldn't brush off a friend.
Friends deserved real attention.
...
On the restaurant sofa, Belle was calmly eating her food.
Wise glanced at Billy, then leaned toward Belle and whispered with concern.
"Are you sure this is okay?"
"If we get exposed, won't it cause trouble?"
Belle shook her head with a smile.
"Don't worry, big bro. Billy's so easy to read. We can't let him be gloomy during a fun time like this."
"Sure, I bought the figurine from a street stall, but the craftsmanship's solid."
"The seller said it was from his kid's collection. Looks legit enough. Even if Billy finds out, I think he'll still love it."
Wise nodded. Belle had thought of everything.
And honestly... Billy's feelings were easy to predict.
...
"Belle, help me out here…"
Zane's voice came from beside her. Belle looked up and quickly reached out.
"Tch. Nicole's heavy."
After handing Nicole over, Zane rotated his shoulder. It had gone numb from supporting her weight for so long.
Who knew why she was so obsessed with dragging him into Hare's House?
"Whew, good thing we already got our group photo."
Belle sighed as Nicole snoozed against her shoulder.
Eous had gone into the Hollow earlier, so she hadn't burned much energy. She still had stamina left.
Billy was a robot—once his mind was back online, his body didn't need rest.
Anby had great endurance too.
But Nicole was different.
She'd kept pushing herself through countless stressful situations. But the truth was—she'd reached her limit.
So now, she finally let herself rest. It was natural.
...
Around the table, Billy was still talking to Seth.
Nicole was passed out on Belle's lap.
Wise was chatting with Nekomata.
And Anby sat quietly, eating a hamburger all by herself.
Yep. Out of the dozens of buffet options, she still went for a burger.
Seeing Zane glance over, Anby paused, then picked up another untouched burger and held it out to him.
"Do you want one?"
Zane had just been curious about what she was humming—but now she was offering food?
Seeing the faint look of anticipation in her eyes, he accepted it.
He took a bite. It was surprisingly good.
Definitely better than the pre-made junk he had imagined.
Anby took another bite herself, cheeks puffed out again. She looked up, ready to ask what he thought—
Only to see that he had already finished the entire thing.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
The best compliment for food… is finishing it.
Clearly, Zane had done just that.
With that thought, Anby suddenly realized—Zane wasn't that hard to get along with.
Actually, he was a pretty good person.
Yes. A really good person.
And Zane… had no idea she was thinking that at all.