"Billy, don't be ridiculous. Sam Li and Anby just saved her. Why would she target us? Right, Soldier 11...?"
"Cunning hare, you're right."
"My name is Nicole..."
Nicole was at a loss for words.
She glanced at Sam Li, then at Soldier 11, and finally accepted that they were both serious—Hare's House had just gained a new member.
Clearing her throat, Nicole said seriously, "Let's be clear—interns get free meals and a place to stay, but absolutely no salary."
Soldier 11 nodded. "That's fine."
It was just seven days. She didn't care about getting paid.
At that moment, Nekomata leaned in close to Nicole and whispered, "She's an elite officer in the Defense Force... are we really letting her join Hare's House?"
Nicole gave a sly smile. "Who cares if she's elite? It's just a seven-day internship. She's working for free. We'd be stupid not to take her. And after that, maybe we can sweet-talk her into sticking around longer."
Nekomata instantly gave her a thumbs-up. "You're amazing, Boss Nicole."
Anby sighed. "..."
Billy buried his face in his hands. "..."
Soldier 11 looked exasperated. "Cunning hare, I heard all of that. Just so we're clear, I've only got seven days of leave. After that, I'm going back to the Defense Force."
Nicole looked a little embarrassed but still smiled. "Right, right. Welcome aboard, and enjoy your internship at Hare's House."
Seeing the smirk on Nicole's face, Soldier 11 suddenly regretted agreeing to this.
...
With the internship sorted, Sam Li shared the message Caesar had sent:
"The Sons of Calydon have tracked down Perlman's location. They've invited us to the Outer Ring to help capture him."
Hearing the news, Nicole jumped with excitement. "That's what I call efficiency! The Outer Ring gangs really don't mess around."
Billy cheered, dancing in place. "Once we catch Perlman, that's another two million Dennies coming our way!"
Nekomata mumbled, "I still feel like a million Dennies isn't that much, meow..."
Before joining Hare's House, she'd worried about how to pay off her debt. After joining, she realized Hare's House made money faster than she ever imagined. Just this past month, they'd brought in several million.
She looked up. "Nicole, how much do I still owe Hare's House?"
Nicole was caught off guard by the question.
After a moment of thought, she replied slowly, "You probably still owe... about 990,000 Dennies."
Nekomata's eyes widened. "What?! I've been working here over a month and only paid off 10,000?!"
Nicole shrugged, completely unbothered. "Think about how many big meals we've had lately. How much bluefish I bought you. All that costs Dennies."
Nekomata was stunned. "..."
At this rate, she'd need to work at Hare's House for at least ten years—maybe longer—just to pay off her debt.
Seeing her sigh in defeat, Nicole tried to comfort her.
"Don't worry. Once we start pulling in more Dennies, you'll pay off the debt faster."
Nekomata didn't buy it for a second.
Nicole went on, "To celebrate the operation, I've decided we're going out tonight—for bluefish."
Nekomata's eyes lit up. "Really?! Nicole, you're the best!"
Anby remained silent. "..."
Billy chimed in excitedly, "Let's go to the Starlight Knights' collab restaurant! I heard they released a new poster."
Nekomata immediately countered, "No way. Nicole just promised me we'd have bluefish."
Nicole quickly cut off the argument. "We're eating bluefish."
Then she turned to Soldier 11.
"You're officially an intern now, so you're coming too."
Soldier 11 hesitated for a moment, but agreed.
...
That evening, Nicole kept her word. She took Sam Li, Anby, Billy, Nekomata, and their newest member, Soldier 11, out for a feast.
They even ran into Zhu Yuan and Qingyi at Lumina Square.
As soon as they met, Qingyi warned them, "Things haven't been stable in and around New Eridu lately. A lot has been going on. Be extra careful while you're out on missions."
Inside the city, mysterious Hollows had appeared. A golden statue had drawn several powerful factions into the Federer District...
Outside the city, strange Bangboo gangs had surfaced, and clues had emerged about the mastermind behind the chaos in Federer...
Qingyi had even uncovered leads on the fugitive Perlman's whereabouts.
Over the past few days, she and Zhu Yuan had made multiple trips to the Outer Ring for the investigation.
Hearing this, Nicole and the others nodded quickly, promising to be extra cautious.
...
The night passed without incident.
At dawn, just as the sun peeked over the Zero Hollow, a series of loud knocks echoed at the front door of Hare's House.
Nicole had just gotten out of bed.
Yawning, she slowly opened the door. "Who's banging on the door this early?"
Soldier 11's voice came from outside. "According to Defense Force protocol, morning training's already over. You're all still asleep?"
Nicole yawned again. "If you're interning at Hare's House, you follow Hare's House hours."
Once everyone was up, Nicole sent Anby out to buy some burgers for breakfast. After a quick cleanup, they set off for the Outer Ring.
Even before Soldier 11 joined, the truck had been cramped.
Now, with one more person, it was packed.
Nicole paused for a moment, then pointed at the truck roof. "Billy. Up there."
Billy blinked. "Where?"
"The roof, of course," Nicole said seriously. "Unless you want to run all the way to the Outer Ring."
Billy was speechless. "..."
Left with no choice, he climbed onto the roof and sat down with a sigh, resting his chin in one hand and staring wistfully into the distance.
"So this... is the view from the top..."
Suddenly, the truck lurched forward and sped off toward the edge of town.
Billy hadn't secured himself and nearly fell off. "Nicole! Slow down! I'm gonna fall—Nicole, I'm getting motion sickness up here!"
Nicole's voice came from inside the truck. "Quit whining. Hold on—we'll be at the Outer Ring soon."
Nekomata called out, "Billy, grab the luggage rack! Don't fall!"
Soldier 11 added, "Step on it. I don't want to waste time on the road. Or let me drive."
Billy screamed the whole way. "Why am I the one riding on the roof?!"