...
"Zane! Why are you so late..."
At the entrance of a newly opened restaurant near Lumina Square, Belle lifted her wrist to check the time before fixing her gaze on Zane with a look of mild irritation.
"Something came up. Did I make you wait long?"
Zane shrugged as he walked toward her, smiling lightly.
"It's fine, really. It's just that everyone else is already here—only you were missing..."
"Oh, right. Koleda and the others had something to take care of, so they couldn't make it."
Belle sighed, placing her hands on her hips as her cheeks puffed slightly.
He was the one who suggested getting together, and yet after she organized everyone, he turned out to be the last to arrive—the most delayed of them all.
Well, Nicole and Billy had been late too, but compared to Zane, they were practically on time.
Just as Zane was about to say something, a head popped out from the restaurant doorway. The moment the eyes caught sight of him, they lit up with joy.
"Zane!!!"
A broad grin spread across Nekomata's face—but before she could get another word out, a hand reached from behind and grabbed her by the back of the collar.
Nekomata was instantly seized by the scruff of her neck, her "fate's weak point."
She froze, and before she could react, she was pulled backward, her cry for help echoing through the restaurant.
Hearing Nekomata's voice, Belle sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.
This girl...
Zane raised an eyebrow, about to follow Belle into the restaurant, when Nekomata's voice abruptly cut off. Entering the door, he glanced up to see her clutching her head, clearly having just taken a smack.
Her gaze shifted toward Nicole, who stood beside her with hands on her hips and an unimpressed frown. It wasn't hard to guess who had done it.
"This is a public place. Why are you shouting? What if you disturb someone? We're public figures now—what if someone with an agenda sees us?"
"I just got excited when I heard Zane was here! Besides, didn't we rent out the entire place? How's that public?"
Nekomata muttered under her breath, her bright eyes flicking toward Zane as she sent him a silent SOS.
(Zane! Help me! If you don't step in soon, Nicole's gonna—)
Zane and Belle made their way toward their seats, and when his gaze met Nekomata's pleading one, he tilted his head slightly in curiosity.
(What did you do this time? You must've done something to tick Nicole off again, right?)
From the look of it, Nicole's scolding clearly wasn't just about Nekomata's earlier outburst.
Nekomata lowered her gaze, pouting as she gave him a guilty little wink.
(I didn't do anything! Really! Just help me out—if you say something, Nicole will calm down.)
(Come on, after all we've been through running the cat café together, you can't just watch me get punished, right?)
Zane's gaze shifted to the dining table, where Qingyi and Zhu Yuan were already seated. Nearby, Jane leaned against the wall, idly spinning a blade between her fingers, while Wise and Seth were being pulled by Billy into an animated debate about the Starlight Knight.
"Nekomata, you ordered this yourself. Today, you're finishing it—alone."
Nicole shot Zane a quick glance before turning back to Nekomata, pointing to the massive ice cream on the table.
Nekomata looked at the towering "super-sized" dessert that was nearly as big as her head, on the verge of tears.
"I didn't know 'super-sized' meant this big! I can't eat all that! There's no way!"
"No excuses. No waste."
Nicole waved a hand, her tone making it clear she wouldn't hear any protests.
Seeing her resolve, Nekomata slumped her shoulders dramatically.
"Ugh... come on, why are you like this..."
"If I eat all that, I won't have room for even one bite of mackerel later."
"Your mess, your responsibility."
Crossing her arms, Nicole sat down on the sofa, tapped her fingers against it, and spoke again.
"Zane, what do you think?"
She looked over at him as he approached, clearly waiting for him to take a side.
Feeling both pairs of eyes on him, Zane could only shrug helplessly and stay silent.
"Alright, alright! Since Zane's finally here, let's get started! We still have to catch the fireworks festival by the river after dinner!"
Belle waved her hand cheerfully, smiling as she spoke.
In truth, Zane had picked the perfect time. Belle had originally planned to go to the fireworks festival with her brother, but with everyone gathered now, it was bound to be more lively.
"Hmm... fireworks, huh? I'm looking forward to it too."
Qingyi sat casually on the sofa, one arm resting on her knee as her eyes curved with amusement.
"Aren't you coming over to sit?"
She patted the open spot beside her—an obvious seat saved for Zane.
Seeing that, Zane couldn't refuse. After sitting down, Qingyi leaned slightly toward him.
"So, how did the meeting go today?"
Everyone present already knew who Zane really was, so there was no need for secrecy. Besides, she was only asking about his "Masked Fool" persona at the talks.
"Thanks to the two from Victoria Housekeeping and Miss Hoshimi Miyabi, things went quite smoothly."
Zane smiled lightly as he briefly summarized the meeting. It was clear to him that Rina, Ellen, and Hoshimi Miyabi had all gone out of their way to help.
As he spoke, the group who had been chatting about the Starlight Knight turned their attention toward him. Billy, ever the excitable one, fired off one question after another.
Nearby, Jane's gaze lingered on Zane. Not long ago, she had confided in Qingyi that she knew his true identity—hence why Qingyi hadn't avoided her earlier.
She didn't have much of a bond with the others here. Her reason for coming was simple—Zane.
"So, you've got a big plan now?"
"As big as the final battle with the Starlight Knight?"
Billy's eyes sparkled with excitement. He'd always been a thrill-seeker. Beside him, Seth raised an eyebrow.
"I thought that final battle was just 'go in and get it done.' Since when was there a plan?"
"Hey, even a simple plan is still a plan, right?"
"As long as it's big, that's what matters!"
After a bit more chatter, Billy wisely stopped pressing for details. He knew some things weren't meant to be discussed openly.
"Come to think of it, it feels like it's been ages since we last spent time with Zane..."
Anby sat quietly in her seat, her gaze warm as it fell on him.
Lately, both Hare's House and Zane had been busy with their own matters.
"Once everything's settled, we'll have plenty of time."
Zane waved a hand casually, his tone light and easy.