On Sixth Street, inside a certain Video store, the calm voice of a news broadcaster filled the air.
"We interrupt your regular programming for this breaking news. A Companion Hollow has suddenly appeared on Fourteenth Street and has already breached level-three containment. The Hollow investigative association has dispatched a team to the scene to carry out emergency protocols. Evacuation of residents in nearby blocks is underway-"
A young gray-haired man walked into the room, shooting a glance at a bangboo sitting on the couch.
"Please stay away from the Fourteenth Street area."
"Hey, Eous? Have you seen Belle?"
"Ena~?"
"Yeah, I tried calling her, but she didn't pick up."
"Watta wada~"
"Hah, I guess I'll give it another go."
Taking out his cellphone, Wise sighed.
Clicking on his sister's contact info, he began to call her, but was once again sent straight to voicemail.
"Seriously, what am I gonna do with this girl..."
From the couch, Eous called out again.
"Enn ennen enen nene nen wada~"
Hearing Eous's suggestion, Wise gave the bangboo an emphatic thumbs up.
"You're so right! Gimme a sec."
Wise flipped through his contact list and dialed in a new number.
"Cmon, pick up-"
Thankfully, this time, someone picked up.
"Hey, Wise. What's up?"
A soft, masculine voice was transmitted through the line.
Wise let out a relieved sigh.
"Hey, Illya, is my sister there?"
"..."
The line went quiet.
"Hello? Illya?"
"-Huh? Sorry, I'm kinda in the middle of something right now. Could you repeat that one more time?"
Clearing his throat, Wise spoke a little slower.
"Do you know where Belle-"
Before he could finish, a feral roar threatened to burst his eardrum.
Wise quickly brought the phone away from his ear, but even then, the enraged screams coming from the other side were incredibly clear.
"THAT'S SO STUPID! WHY THE HELL IS HIS 6P FRAME ONE???!!!!"
Not sure if he should be relieved to hear his sister's voice or ashamed of her behavior, a sigh escaped Wise's lips.
"Eous, you were right. Belle was with Illya."
The screams only grew louder.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME??! THAT'S A TRUE COMBO???? ILLYA YOU SWEATY PIECE OF $$$$$$!!!"
Wise covered his mortified expression with his hands as Eous patted him on the back quietly.
Soon, though, the enraged howls coming from the other end subsided.
"Sorry you had to hear that, man."
"Hah~ It's fine... Could you hand the phone over to Belle? I need to talk to her about something real quick."
The line went quiet once more.
"Illya?"
"Uh, Wise? Are you sure you wanna prod the beast? If you couldn't tell, she's pretty heated right now-"
"SHUT IT, ILLYA!"
"... Let me ask again, are you sure you wanna talk to her right now?"
A chuckle escaped Wise's lips.
"As scared as I am for my life, I need to ask her something about the store."
"Oh, for real? Gimme a second."
The sounds of rustling, layered with a few pieces of dialogue too muffled to decipher, were carried over the line.
"What's up, Wise? Illya said you needed to talk to me about... business."
"Did you hear the news?"
"Are you talking about the Companion Hollow on Fourteenth Street? The one that breached level-three controls?"
"Yeah, that one. Pub Sec was conducting a manhunt over there earlier today. Evacuations may not be going as expected."
"So?"
"You should hurry back. Some 'business' will be coming our way soon."
Over the line, Belle let out a sigh.
"Gotcha~ I'll hurry back. Hey Illya? Could you give me a lift back to the store?"
"Oh.... About that.... I may or may not have forgotten to renew my license last week..."
"Seriously?"
"Sorry~ I've been so busy with work that it just slipped my mind."
"Hah... Then, Wise-"
"Wait, wait, wait. Don't bother your brother for something like this. Could you toss me my phone for a sec?"
"Uhm, sure?"
"Illya, I can just go over there and grab my sister, it's fine."
A chuckle was carried over the line.
"Nah, it's all good. I just ordered Belle a taxi."
"Huh? Aren't taxis expensive???"
"Uh, I guess."
"I thought you were broke!"
"Wha- What gave you that idea?!"
"... Are you telling me I've been treating you to lunch and-"
"Hey, isn't that your taxi outside? Bye, Belle, see you next time-
Wise could only smile awkwardly as the call disconnected.
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An hour after Belle left, Illya was lounging around on his apartment's couch, watching a horror flick he had rented from Random Play.
On the floor were a pair of Fight Sticks (Specialized FGC gamepad) and a few empty cans of soda he had been too lazy to pick up earlier, traces of his time with Belle.
Of course, the more obvious signs of Belle's presence were the fist-sized indents in his wall, but he wisely chose to ignore them.
Truly, when it came to fighting games, the usually energetic and happy-go-lucky girl became saltier than the Pacific Ocean.
A sigh escaped Illya's lips as another predictable jump scare filled the TV screen.
"Hah~ This series sucks if you're watching it alone. Maybe I should've watched this with Belle and Wise...."
Recalling the situation that happened last time, however, Illya quickly withdrew that thought.
"Who am I kidding. They'd probably wet their pants if I dragged them to see another one."
He chuckled dryly.
Quickly growing bored with the movie, Illya shut off the TV and stretched out on his couch for a quick nap.
Unfortunately, the familiar sound of his ringtone snatched him away from his blissful respite.
Grasping his phone, wearing an irritated expression, Illya scanned the unrecognized caller ID and let out a sigh as he answered.
"Who is this?"
A very innocent, feminine voice rang in his ears.
"Hi, ho~ Lya, is that you~?"
A pang of irritation gnawed at Illya's conscious as he identified this unknown caller.
"How'd you get my personal cell?"
"Meanie~ You changed numbers so many times, Big sis had to go ask Dan for ur contact info!"
Illya's expression soured.
"Stop lying. Dan's too busy with the Guards to even think of betraying me."
"What~? Big sis would never lie!"
"... Are you being serious right now?"
The sound of this "big sister's" giggling carried over the line.
"Of course! A girl as cute as me could never be dishonest~"
"You're so full of it."
"Awh... Is little Lya angry? Big sister's sorry~"
Suppressing the scream of irritation building in his chest, Illya grit his teeth.
"What do you want, you pink-haired bimbo? Shouldn't you be busy running the Falkenhay Mercenary Troupe?"
The woman on the other side let out a mock sob.
"When did my little Lya become so mean~ I remember just yesterday when you were crying out Big Sister's name in the Hollows... Oh, how time flies~"
"Cut to the chase, bird brain."
A dramatic sigh carried over the line.
"The Mayor needs you to pop by Hollow Zero and go Boom Boom- Just like old times, y'know~?"
This finally got Illya's attention.
His brows furrowed as his irritated expression morphed into something more serious.
"Did the exaltists send out another one of their science projects?"
"No clue~ I just wanted to hear your voice again, little Lya~ Big sis misses you~"
"... I'm changing my number after this."
The voice on the other side hmph'd in mock irritation.
"If you are going to change your number, do it after you get the message with your mission details."
An irritated sigh escaped Illya's mouth.
"Why am I the one who's going? Why couldn't the boss send in Joyous or Sunbringer?
The woman on the call laughed.
"Why do you think? It's cause this mission requires your specialty~"
Illya blinked.
"Wait, seriously? Did a herd of Notorious Etherials start harassing the research crew or something?"
"Something like that~"
An unamused look spread across Illya's face.
"Boss better be paying me well."
The woman giggled again.
"When does the Mayor NOT pay well~"
"... You got me there."
A teasing hum carried over the line.
"Mm~ Maybe you should take that girl you've been seeing out to a nice dinner with the money from this job~"
Illya was taken aback.
"... How do you know about Belle? Wait... Don't tell me..."
"Joyous is unexpectedly gossipy when it comes to relationships~"
A groan escaped Illya's mouth.
"It's not like that.... But uh, who else knows?"
"Call me Big Sis and I'll tell you."
Illya scoffed.
"Tell me then, Big Sis~"
The other line went silent.
"Big Sis?"
"Sorry, little Lya, Big sis was having a moment."
"Are you gonna tell me now?"
'Big Sis' let out another laugh.
"Joyous told all of us old timers~ The newbies have no clue that our little Lya has a crush~"
"THE NEWBIES DON'T EVEN KNOW I EXIST!!! THAT MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!"
The woman's hysterical laughter echoed through the line.
"BWAHAHAHAH~ I knew asking Joyous to tail you would be worth it~"
"WAIT, THIS IS YOUR FAULT?!!!"
"Guilty as charged~ Well, to be fair, Sunbringer and Vyke were also curious what our little Lya was up to... In fact, you could call it a group effort~"
Illya was so enraged that he jumped to his feet.
"I HATE ALL OF YOU!!!!!! GO TO HELL!!!!!"
With that, the eighth Void Hunter of New Eridu hung up.
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(A/N: Hope you guys liked the chapter!
The next chapter will be coming out on Saturday~)