Zane stayed calm as well, but unlike Qingyi, it wasn't just intuition—he knew the real situation thanks to his own "advantages," so he was completely at ease.
"Ah, n-nice to meet you, Investigator! I made it through!"
Seeing Nekomata and Eous startled, Corin quickly bowed, speaking earnestly.
Investigator? Where's the investigator?
Qingyi's expression tensed slightly. She glanced between Eous and Nekomata, suspicion rising in her heart.
But rather than thinking about anything as unusual as a "Phaethon" Proxy, she suspected that this Bangboo might have somehow obtained Dead End Hollow's Carrot data.
At that moment, Corin also noticed Zane and Qingyi approaching. She froze briefly when she saw Zane, but her eyes quickly darted nervously to Qingyi.
A Public Security officer!
Nekomata released Eous, glanced at herself, then at Corin, then at Zane and Qingyi.
Isn't this getting complicated, meow?!
She shot a glance at Zane, who happened to meet her gaze. Instantly, Nekomata started signaling frantically with her eyes.
(Zane, what's going on? Why did you bring a Public Security officer with you? Now it's going to be a lot harder, meow!)
Zane raised an eyebrow slightly and replied with a subtle movement of his eyes.
(I didn't have a choice. But this might be a chance. This newcomer's probably leaving the Hollow soon. Let the officer take her out.)
Nekomata's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed as she continued the silent conversation.
(That's amazing. How did you figure that out? But... is that really okay?)
Zane gave a small nod, his gaze steady.
(Trust me.)
The two of them completed an absurdly synchronized "secret" conversation with just a few glances.
"Sir, Corin remembers seeing you before! I didn't expect we'd meet again—Corin is very happy!"
Feeling the strange tension in the air, Corin chose the person she felt slightly more familiar with—Zane—to approach.
But inside, she was panicking.
Their last meeting had been brief, just asking for directions. Would he even remember her? If he didn't, would he think she was being rude...?
"It's definitely a nice surprise to meet you here."
Zane smiled warmly at Corin, immediately easing her worries. Though, the massive chainsaw still standing beside her created a hilarious contrast.
Noticing his glance, Corin quickly grabbed the chainsaw and held it awkwardly. Her mind went blank, but she seized onto the first thing she could think of.
She didn't even consider the situation, and instead said,
"Sir, I noticed your eyes seemed a little tired just now. Corin knows some ways to relieve eye strain!"
Of course, Corin had seen Zane and Nekomata's "eye communication," but she had innocently assumed it was just fatigue.
Qingyi, standing off to the side, had noticed it too—but she couldn't really decipher what they had been signaling. She figured it probably had something to do with her.
"I'm fine, thank you, little Corin. By the way, are you lost?"
Zane's expression stiffened for a split second but quickly smoothed over as he guided the conversation according to the plan he had just worked out with Nekomata.
Huh? How does he know my name?
Corin blinked in confusion, but quickly remembered to answer,
"Yes! There was a very dangerous Ethereal, and Corin got separated from her companions."
Hearing that, Zane's eyes flickered thoughtfully. Companions? Could Lycaon, Ellen, and Rina all be in Dead End Hollow too?
But another issue popped into his mind.
Was Victoria Housekeeping considered an illegal organization?
Was it really okay to hand Corin over to Qingyi?
"Senior... as a law enforcement officer..."
Zane glanced at Qingyi, not saying it aloud, but his meaning was clear.
"No, that's not right. Based on your abilities, Zane, you should take the Carrot and lead them out. That way, I can stay here with your companion and help with the rescue."
Qingyi shook her head and gave her opinion.
A thousand rebuttals flashed through Zane's mind—but instead of arguing, he just blinked.
"Master..."
"I'll leave it to you, then."
Qingyi was momentarily stunned. She looked at Zane, then sighed helplessly, swallowing back her intended words.
"Alright, I'll escort her out. The nearest Hollow exit isn't far. I'll come back for you once I'm done."
Since Dead End Hollow was a companion Hollow linked to the Janus District, the Public Security Bureau strictly regulated Carrot devices—no lending them out freely.
Otherwise, letting the maid Bangboo leave with the Carrot would've been a decent option.
Still, it was almost certain now that Corin had somehow gotten hold of Carrot data for Dead End Hollow—though no one knew how.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Officer!"
"Corin is very grateful!"
Seeing everything settled, Corin bowed deeply to Qingyi and thanked her with great sincerity.
Qingyi nodded and led Corin away.
Before leaving, Corin even gave polite thanks to Zane, Nekomata, and Eous.
Once Qingyi was out of sight, Zane finally let out a relieved breath. Now they could move without any more restrictions.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Zane, I didn't know you could be so adorable."
"Master~"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Belle's voice came from Eous. Of course, she hadn't dared speak earlier with Qingyi around—but she'd seen everything.
"Hey!"
"Zane, what are you doing?!"
"Little Phaethon dares to tease me?"
Zane leaned over and grabbed both sides of Eous' face, rubbing vigorously with a grin.
Since Belle's senses were linked with Eous, she felt it too—and clearly, the Bangboo had no way to fight back against Zane.
Before long, she surrendered and started begging for mercy.
Letting go, Zane stood up and said casually,
"I just learned it from Nekomata after watching some footage. If you're gonna tease someone, tease her."
"Why am I the one getting dragged into this, meow?!"
Nekomata puffed up her cheeks in protest.
"Alright, alright. While we were talking, Fairy finished locking onto the interception point. Let's get moving."
"Before the train arrives, we have to force it into the tunnel!"
Belle quickly regained her serious tone.
Zane and Nekomata didn't waste any more time and followed Eous toward the target location.
...