"I'm not sure, but that's what their assessment says."
Tsukishiro Yanagi shook her head. Hearing that, Hoshimi Miyabi could only let the others move on while she stayed behind to handle any unexpected developments.
Yanagi gave Miyabi a meaningful glance, silently warning her to be careful, before heading off with Harumasa and Soukaku in the direction indicated.
...
At the same time, while Section 6 split up to act, Zane and the others by the riverbank were moving farther away from the hollow that had appeared in the water.
With the orphanage children present, Victoria Housekeeping and Hare's House took responsibility for their evacuation, while the members of the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team immediately began dispersing the crowd.
By the riverbank.
As the crowd gradually thinned, Zane didn't move. He simply stood quietly behind the railing, watching the pitch-black hollow in the river.
Compared to the others, this hollow wasn't large—if anything, it was rather small. But perhaps because of the night's shroud, it appeared darker than any other, its depth seeming as though it could swallow everything whole.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Zane withdrew his gaze and glanced at Pixie, who stood silently beside him. His tone was gentle.
"Not afraid."
Pixie lifted her small face, her starry eyes shining brightly.
"The hollow is really dangerous, you know."
Zane smiled softly as he spoke. He seemed to understand why Pixie wasn't afraid.
"When Father was still here, I wasn't afraid either."
Pixie's eyes remained on the water as her voice grew quiet. So, as long as Brother Zane was here, she wouldn't be afraid either.
Zane paused—not because he didn't understand her meaning, but because he was surprised by her answer.
He knew well that Pixie didn't truly understand his strength. Neither he nor the others ever talked about such things around her. Her sense of safety with him wasn't based on his power, but on a deeper, emotional trust.
Yet now, instead of expressing that in some other way, she had brought up her father. That small, instinctive choice made Zane realize something.
More than trust or comfort, what he saw in her now was a kind of fearlessness that left no room for hesitation.
He shook his head with faint helplessness. From the very start, back at the orphanage, he had noticed this side of her. He just hadn't expected that all the subtle influences over time hadn't changed it much.
Zane reached out and lightly tapped Pixie's forehead.
"It's better to be a little afraid of death," he said softly. "Otherwise, you'll end up losing more than you can imagine."
He opened his palm and gently ruffled her hair.
"We still have a long, long road ahead of us—so many things we haven't experienced yet. That's why you have to grow up well, okay?"
Pixie didn't reply. She turned back toward the hollow, staring at it in silence for a while before nodding firmly.
"Brother Zane, are you going there?"
Her question came quietly. Zane, of course, knew what she meant—the pitch-black hollow still loomed ahead.
He nodded, then looked toward Qingyi not far away and gestured for her to come over.
"I've got something to take care of. Why don't you go back with Sister Qingyi first, little Pixie?"
"Today was a bit of a letdown, huh? We didn't even finish watching the fireworks. Once I'm back, I'll make it up to you."
Zane's brilliant blue eyes shimmered faintly as he looked into the darkness.
After this... maybe everything would finally quiet down. He never asked for much—just a peaceful life with a few ripples. A small Tanuki House, a small video store, a small master, and all those small, familiar things...
But life rarely went as one wished. Still, Zane believed that day would come.
And until it did... every obstacle in his way had to be cut down.
"Brother, you have to keep your word."
Pixie's voice was soft, the way she spoke his name now missing the respectful tone she once used.
"I don't think I've ever broken a promise."
"Then let's pinky swear?"
Zane smiled faintly, raising his little finger. Pixie nodded and hooked her own around his.
One large, one small—their fingers linked before the hollow, sealing a quiet promise.
Qingyi had reached the railing, ready to take Pixie away. She didn't know what Zane intended to do, but given their bond, she didn't worry.
"Actually," Pixie said suddenly as they were leaving, "I don't think that thing looks like a hollow."
Zane's expression didn't change. He chuckled softly.
"Oh? Then what do you think it looks like, little Pixie?"
Pixie gazed at the hollow, her voice calm yet childlike.
"Like an arena. Like the round ones in the picture books."
Hearing her words, Qingyi looked toward the hollow and found herself agreeing. Indeed, given its size, it did look like a black colosseum.
"Brother, you have to keep your word," Pixie repeated.
Zane nodded. "I will."
Watching the two, a faint sense of dread stirred in Qingyi's chest. She looked at Zane steadily.
"Promise me you won't do anything dangerous."
Zane nodded again, and only then did Qingyi finally leave with Pixie.
The riverbank, once bustling with life, was now completely empty. Zane stood quietly, his hair swaying in the faint breeze.
As the seconds passed, he suddenly leapt forward, his toes brushing the still surface of the water.
In that instant, a chill spread from the point of contact, freezing a patch of the river into a pale blue layer of ice.
Step by step, Zane walked toward the hollow. With each step he took, the ice spread outward, extending rapidly across the river's surface and expanding in all directions.
The shimmering ice crystals bore his weight as he drew closer and closer to the void.
Not far away, Hoshimi Miyabi watched the scene silently.
"This scale... it doesn't look like an ordinary hollow disaster."
Even the sheer number of hollows appearing lately was already abnormal. Miyabi could sense it—something was very wrong.
Just like the ice beneath Zane's feet...
No one knew what was truly hidden beneath that thick, frozen surface...