"I really didn't expect you to have this kind of face, nya."
Nekomata rolled over on the sofa, half her body hanging off the soft armrest.
"What? Something strange about it?" Ignis glanced at the cat rolling around and suddenly thought of something. "Do you shed fur? If you do, clean it up yourself."
"Clean up? Clean up what, nya?" Nekomata stretched lazily, every joint in her body cracking. "You mean clean myself up a bit so it's easier for you to enjoy, nya?"
Ignis felt a dull throb forming in his head. He began to wonder if letting this cat stay over had been a mistake.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Nekomata sat up. "You're the one who invited me to stay here, nya."
"Miss Nekomiya Mana," Ignis's tone hardened. "I invited you to stay because the matter with Vision Corporation's attempted demolition in the Old Metro District hasn't been resolved yet."
"I need to head to the Proxy tomorrow for the next phase of planning. I can't drive myself, and since you said you don't have a fixed residence, I was being considerate when I offered you a place to stay."
"If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll grab you by the neck and throw you out."
The giant spoke while his hands continued working, slicing beef with a kitchen knife.
He'd planned to make a pot of stewed beef for the cat to try, but now he was starting to regret that decision.
"Come on, nya. I just saw you frowning, looking all gloomy. I only wanted to cheer you up a little."
Nekomata flopped back again, rolling on the couch.
"Didn't expect it, really. I read the Cunning Hares reviews on the public forums—said you guys were obsessed with money, nya. I thought your agency was poor, but this place is so luxurious. Just this sofa must've cost over a million."
Ignis sighed. She wasn't wrong—he couldn't calm down right now.
Nicole and the others, along with hundreds of civilians, were trapped in the demolition zone. Every time he thought about it, his temples throbbed.
He'd just found a place to settle down, met some reliable friends, and now everything might end tomorrow.
And he himself had been made the last trump card. Nicole, Anby, and Billy trusted him so much, yet he couldn't help but wonder if he could really pull it off.
Worse still, there were hundreds of civilians needing rescue.
Under that double weight, Ignis was restless. Here, there was no Chapter to back him up—only Phaethon he could still count on.
And he was up against a megacorporation. From Nekomata's description, they were even in league with the New Eridu Public Security.
Killing them wouldn't be a problem. But the goal now was to save lives—and without resources, pulling hundreds of people out from under a megacorporation's nose was near impossible.
"Vision Corporation's chief representative—this Perlman guy, nya." Nekomata suddenly appeared beside Ignis, stretching her arm to show her phone. "He's going to personally visit the demolition site tomorrow. Even marked the command post location on the map, bold as hell, nya."
"A trap?" Ignis stopped his hand mid-motion, leaning slightly forward.
"Can't you crouch down, nya?" The small catgirl had to stand on tiptoe to show him the screen, looking annoyed. "I don't think it's a trap. They're always that arrogant."
Ignis set down the knife and crouched.
"This Perlman looks really short." He eyed the photo—a middle-aged man with a dwarf-like build, white hair and beard, round like a like Funko pop.
Charles Perlman, Vision Corporation's chief representative. If he managed this metro reconstruction, Vision would join the TOPS Alliance and become one of New Eridu's leading forces.
He promised that all citizens could supervise the project, that no cost-cutting misconduct would occur during construction.
What utter bullshit. Those people trapped inside weren't even counted! Hundreds of real people, with blood, warmth, laughter, futures—reduced to nothing but numbers.
And worse still, they might not even be numbers in the end, not when nothing would remain of them but dust.
The long-suppressed fury within Ignis finally erupted. His wrath burned through his blood like wildfire, his ears ringing until the world went silent. He wanted nothing more than to crawl through that device, through the network itself, and strangle that greedy little goblin with his bare hands—rip out that avaricious heart and see what color it bled.
The blaze in his eyes made Nekomata flinch.
"A-are you okay?" she asked cautiously. The giant was panting heavily, veins bulging, teeth grinding audibly. With his fearsome face, he looked one step away from the demons of legend—just without the fire-breathing.
Her voice brought Ignis back from the brink. Seeing the terrified cat, he forced his rage down.
He inhaled deeply, trying to steady both of his pounding hearts. The little catgirl's twin tails were standing straight up; she trembled all over.
"Sorry you had to see that." Ignis reached out, patting her head—her ears were soft. "Go rest on the couch. I'll… finish dinner."
"Oh…" Nekomata blinked, setting her phone down and sitting numbly on the sofa.
"Didn't mean to scare you." Ignis resumed working over the cutting board. "You know, I thought the first meal I'd cook here would be shared with everyone from the Cunning Hares."
The cat froze.
"Not that you're unwelcome," Ignis added, watching her back. "I can't say where I came from, but I can tell you this—I haven't been with the Cunning Hares for long."
"They didn't care about my past. They forged me an ID, even owed favors just to find a decent place for me to live." His knife kept moving as he spoke.
"We hadn't been comrades for long… and now, they might be gone tomorrow."
"And those residents you mentioned on Canvas Street, trapped by disguised officers—"
"They shouldn't die for someone else's greed."
"I don't know if tomorrow's operation will succeed. I just got a place to belong, and I don't want to lose it already."
As she listened, Nekomata slowly began to understand. The giant wasn't some cruel brute—he was a man who valued loyalty and feeling deeply.
That terrifying look before—truly a wrathful Vajra, one to make ghosts and gods flee.
She sighed, jumped down from the couch, and walked over beside the towering man.
"Let me help," she said, picking up a small knife. "I'm good with blades, nya."
Ignis glanced at the little cat who had snuck up beside him, sighed, and forced a faint smile.
"Alright. Can you peel potatoes?"
"Of course, nya." She puffed out her chest. "But don't force yourself to smile—it looks scarier that way."
Ignis pointed to the corner refrigerator. Nekomata fetched a few potatoes and started peeling them.
She really was a good helper—quick and deft with her hands.
That quiet company soothed Ignis somewhat. He focused on the dinner, letting himself forget what awaited tomorrow.
Even back when he was just a construction worker, he'd loved cooking in his spare time. It made him feel alive beyond mere duty.
During his service to the Emperor, sharing homemade meals with his Battle-Brothers had been one of his few joys.
Nekomata was fascinated by his deft, almost graceful movements in the kitchen—his perfect control of seasoning and flame.
Before long, a full dinner centered around beef stew with potatoes, accompanied by a few small side dishes, was ready.
"It already smells amazing." Nekomata picked up a piece of beef and popped it into her mouth. "Hot, hot, hot—but it tastes even better!"
Watching her antics, Ignis's furrowed brow finally eased a little.
"Nicole once said after we finished her commission, we'd go celebrate with a big meal," Nekomata said between bites. "No need to go out—your cooking beats half the chefs out there."
"If only they were all here." Ignis looked at the empty seats, imagining the others around the table.
Billy would be cracking jokes. Anby would sit quietly, eating fast with tiny motions. Nicole, their boss, would fuss over the cost before digging in heartily.
If only they were all here.
"They'll come back," Nekomata said, locking eyes with him. "They'll all come back safe."
"...Yeah." Ignis sighed and finally picked up his chopsticks. "Want to hear the story of how I met them?"
"Oh?" The cat, mouth stuffed, nodded eagerly.
And so, at the dinner table, Ignis began recounting how he'd gotten lost in the Hollows, met Anby and Billy, and—by accident—nearly smashed Billy flat.
Nekomata was a great listener, always chiming in at the right moments so his words never fell flat.
"We saw a safe on that platform," Ignis said. "And the man they called Silver—Anby's contact."
"Hmm?" Nekomata's ears perked up, her eyes sharpening. "What happened to him?"
"Unfortunately, when we found him, he'd already succumbed to deep Ether corruption." Ignis shook his head. "His body was crystalized, head fused into a core. There was no saving him."
"And in the end… what happened to him?" Her voice grew small.
"In the end," Ignis exhaled, "to reclaim the safe, we had to kill the creature he'd become. Anby disabled it, and I struck the final blow."
"I see…" Nekomata's voice dropped lower. "Thanks. I'm full. I think I'll rest."
"Alright." Ignis nodded, assuming she was just tired after all the help she'd given today.
After all, she really had done a lot.