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Although Von Lycaon and the others were striking a pose, Anby still blurted out something rather hurtful: "Victoria Housekeeping Co.? Never heard of it."
It seemed the white-haired girl still held some resentment over Rina suddenly appearing behind her. And although Ignis didn't say it aloud, he agreed with Anby's judgment. If even the Cunning Hares had never heard of their name, then their reputation in New Eridu must not amount to much.
"Hey, hey, Anby!" Nekomata hurried to smooth things over. "I mean, before we met little Corin, I hadn't heard of them either, but if you say it that bluntly, it's really gonna embarrass them."
Rina smiled faintly, the gray-haired maid looking relaxed: "Such a considerate little sister. You don't have to mind it. Victoria Housekeeping Co. mainly serves a small group of high-net-worth clients in New Eridu; we don't seek public recognition."
That only made things even more awkward. She didn't say it outright, but the implication was clear: Compared to us, the Cunning Hares aren't exactly high-tier—so it's only natural you've never heard of us.
The Salamander paid no attention to their bickering. Instead, he helped Corin reinstall the saw blade on her circular cutter, then watched as the fish-tailed girl walked over to retrieve her scissors.
"I'll ask directly—what kind of Thiren are you?" Ignis questioned her.
"Tch." The girl sounded annoyed but still turned around and raised her large tail toward the Salamander.
"Shark Thiren, obviously. Not very common." Her tone was lazy as she pulled a lollipop from beneath her maid skirt and popped it into her mouth. "And you? You're huge."
Her teeth were extremely sharp, the upward-slanted fishtail swaying behind her, its texture resembling the abrasive feel of a shark's dermal denticles. "Gorilla Thiren," Ignis answered without hesitation. With the helmet on, lying came with zero pressure.
Ellen Joe wore a spiked iron accessory on her head and another around her neck. Together, they resembled the jawbone of a shark—clearly chosen with care to look both intimidating and coordinated with her outfit.
"Everyone, please allow me to apologize for my colleague's rudeness. I'm Von Lycaon, the acting supervisor of Victoria Housekeeping Co."
The Wolf Thiren in a butler outfit stepped in to interrupt the idle chatter. "We are here today on behalf of the owner of the Ballet Twins building to perform facility maintenance."
Although he claimed to be hired by the building's owner, Nekomata immediately questioned him: "The owner of the Ballet Twins? But I heard the entrepreneurs who built it—the Bolt Brothers—went bankrupt ages ago."
"You're correct," Lycaon nodded with elegant composure. "[The Ballet Twins] has indeed been mortgaged for a long time. Recently, the Lemnian Hollow's activity decreased, and the government intends to erase the Companion Hollow here. The owner sees potential in the building's future value and has already paid the deposit."
Being able to receive inside information from the city government… their employer was clearly no ordinary person. The Cunning Hares certainly didn't have access to intel like that.
Nekomata sighed, baffled that the wealthy were now investing in Hollow real estate. She simply couldn't understand it.
Such insider intel would never be made public.
"But thanks to that whimsical employer, we got to reunite with little Corin here," Nekomata said as she walked over and patted Corin's head.
Despite their small statures, they looked like children playing around. Yet Corin remained exceptionally polite—Ignis suspected it had less to do with her status as a maid and more with her upbringing.
She bowed to Nekomata, flustering the cat-girl: "Miss Nekomata, Investigator, and Mr. Giant—I'm very happy to see you again."
"But why are you all back here today? The building belongs to the owner now, so the Association shouldn't…" Her voice grew quieter and quieter as she questioned them.
"Ah… that…" Ignis began hastily composing an excuse in his head.
"Corin." Ellen Joe shot Ignis a glare, her reddish irises catching the Salamander's attention. "The answer's obvious. But forget small stuff. Got anything to kill time? My phone's dead."
So, this shark didn't even bother to hide her slacking during work. Ignis glanced at Lycaon, who only shook his head. Teams really are hard to manage these days…
"I don't think I do…" Unlike Ellen, Corin was an honest girl with nothing to use for slacking off. But she did catch the most important part of Ellen's comment.
"Wait… Miss Ellen, when you say the answer is obvious, you mean…"
"It means these guests' true identities are not 'Investigators.'" Rina smoothly finished for her.
Corin was shocked by that answer—but she was the only one. After all, no official investigator would wear mismatched outfits and bring obviously self-modified weapons into a Hollow.
Lycaon maintained his posture, chest lifted, voice firm: "Victoria Housekeeping Co. answers only to our employer. We hold no prejudice toward non-official individuals active within Hollows—especially since you are Corin's benefactors."
Such polished rhetoric. "Non-official individuals"—a perfectly placed label on the Cunning Hares' Hollow Raiders, and phrased so they couldn't even argue back.
"If you're willing to be honest with us, we will do our best as hosts and aid you however possible."
The Salamander was internally complaining so much that he nearly burst, but for the sake of dignity he held it in. Among the Cunning Hares he could rant freely—among strangers, Ignis had to maintain some authority.
Whether they heard that earlier slip or not… who knows. Better to pretend nothing happened.
Given Lycaon's attitude, Phaethon finally revealed the truth: he was a Proxy—specifically, a legendary Proxy. They came to the Ballet Twins to find Rain, though he kept Rain's identity secret and said they were merely searching for a friend.
Learning that the talking Bangboo was the legendary Proxy Phaethon drastically improved Lycaon's attitude. There was definitely something he wanted.
"I never imagined you were the legendary Proxy Phaethon." But when asked about Rain's whereabouts, Lycaon, surprisingly, shook his head. The Salamander had assumed he always had everything under control—apparently not.
"Unfortunately, I wish I could help, but the official Carrot data is extremely outdated. We do not currently have accurate intel on the building interior."
"Belle—sorry to interrupt, but something came up," Wise's voice cut in. "Nicole just called. When she reached the landing pad, she learned the registered attendees for the hearing included the entire Cunning Hares crew. The Court requires Billy and the others to appear as well. Oh—and Ignis doesn't need to; he was never registered."
Right—The Salamander hadn't wanted any official involvement, so Nicole intentionally left his name off the paperwork.
"Then go. I'll stay and continue searching." Ignis glanced at the three others.
"Everyone, pardon me for overhearing, but I have a proposal." Lycaon stepped forward politely. "The Ballet Twins interior is enormous. Exploring alone will be slow. Why not proceed together?"
"You're looking for someone, and our work is obstructed due to outdated Hollow data. Cooperation benefits both sides."
The Wolf Thiren approached the Salamander. "I will keep everything I witness confidential. I swear it upon my own name."
He had even discerned Ignis's concern—Ignis's gear was clearly out of step with the city's style, which implied secrets.
"Fine. No objections." Ignis nodded.
"Then I'll be counting on your help." Belle's voice was cheerful; after all, Rain was carrying Belobog Heavy Industries data that she had entrusted to Nicole. The sooner they got results, the sooner she could explain back to Koleda and the others.
"You are too polite," Lycaon replied with a smile—though a wolf's smile was inherently eerie. "With the assistance of a legendary Proxy like Phaethon and a skilled non-official individual like you, I believe our work will go smoothly. Our employer will surely be pleased to have such fortune."
"But for now, you should escort your friends out of the Hollow. We will wait for your return before delving deeper."
Although he said only the guests would leave, the team from Victoria Housekeeping Co. accompanied them as well. With a legendary Proxy leading the way, exiting the Hollow was trivial—they jumped into a fissure and arrived at the outer boundary immediately.
Once outside, the sun had not yet set. Warm orange light washed over them, banishing the cold dampness of the Ballet Twins instantly.
Watching the three members of the Cunning Hares board the metro, Ignis returned to the sunken plaza outside the station. The female members of Victoria Housekeeping Co. were resting there, preparing for the upcoming deep-level exploration.
It was the Salamander's first time exploring a Hollow with a group outside the Cunning Hares. Truly a novel experience. Normally, collaboration was common among Hollow Raiders—but the Cunning Hares preferred acting as a group and working alone, rarely cooperating with other organizations.
He looked up to see Lycaon on the upper level, gazing across the bridge toward the Hollow. The wolf nodded to him.
Maybe this won't be a bad experience after all.
The Salamander sat down and began preparing his autocannon.