Zenless Zone Zero: I'am a Dullahan!

"Leaving already?"

Belle gave a sheepish laugh. She sounded reluctant, but the smile on her face betrayed how happy she really was.

"What's with that look? You seem pretty pleased."

Zane raised an eyebrow and smirked teasingly.

"Not at all. Why would I be?"

Belle laughed awkwardly and quickly shook her head.

"That's good then. After all, we're teaming up again tomorrow—and we'll have plenty of time together from now on..."

Zane's words floated lightly through the air. Belle's expression froze for a second. It was true—there would be many chances to cross paths again in the future.

Since that was the case... might as well go all in!

With that thought, Belle's expression relaxed. She planted her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, glanced at Zane, and said,

"Tch, who's afraid of you? Just a little ol' fire picker..."

"I could crush you one-handed!"

Then she leaned forward, tugged down her lower eyelid with one finger, and stuck out her tongue.

"Nyeh—!"

"Hahaha..."

Zane couldn't hold back his laughter. Belle, feeling underestimated, immediately scowled.

"What are you laughing at?!"

Zane reached out and gently ruffled her hair, chuckling.

"Honestly, Belle... you're kind of cute."

Belle blinked, stunned. She slapped his hand away, folded her arms, stepped back, and turned her head to the side.

"Cute, my foot... you're just—"

She opened her mouth, but halfway through, she trailed off, unsure how to continue. Her usual fire seemed to fizzle out.

"Confirmed. Master's cuteness level has increased by 27.63% compared to before."

Fairy's voice rang out right on cue, shattering Belle's already fragile composure. Her face turned red. Clenching her fists, she glared at the HDD system.

"Fairy!"

Just as Belle was about to teach Fairy a thing or two about "electronic manners," Zane and Wise were still going over some follow-up plans.

"But there's no need to stress too much. Just be extra cautious. As long as you don't blow your cover, you'll be fine. I'm only worried you might get dragged into my mess."

Zane shrugged and said quietly to Wise,

"My identity hasn't been exposed yet, but at the rate things are going... that day's bound to come."

"There are plenty of sharp minds out there."

"My enemies? They're just gnats trying to shake a tree. I don't play by the rules. But for you and Belle... things could get messy."

Wise nodded. He agreed completely. If he and Belle had real power—heck, even if they were on par with regular Agents—things might be easier.

But the two of them were just ordinary people with no combat ability. If their identities were exposed, they wouldn't just be unable to help Zane—keeping up would already be a blessing.

"I still don't have any leads on your situation... but someday, we'll figure it out."

Zane brought up something they hadn't spoken of since their first meeting. Wise's eyes flickered for a moment, then he smiled and shook his head.

"Thanks."

"No need. After all... we're friends."

Zane gave a light wave and a warm smile. That was the first promise he and Phaethon had made—and one he'd never forgotten.

"Yeah... friends."

Wise smiled in return.

Zane turned and looked over at Panta, who was happily goofing off nearby, and said softly,

"Hey little guy, want to hit the Hollows?"

Come to think of it, it had been a while since they'd gone Hollow-raiding together. He remembered Panta used to shout about how "fighting feels awesome."

Zane didn't underestimate Panta's combat potential—he knew about the Dead End Butcher incident—but technically speaking, Panta was more like a one-time turret.

Even a dozen basic Ethereals would give him trouble. His self-defense was lacking.

And this time's Dead End Hollow mission? A whole different beast. The dangers lurking deep inside were still unknown.

But... if Panta wanted to go, none of that mattered.

"Yeah! (Boss, I'm in!)"

Panta bounced with excitement, waving his little arms. He'd just learned a new set of boxing moves from TV today—he was sure he could scare those Ethereals silly.

"Alright then. If that's what you want, let's head back to the Tanuki House and set out together tomorrow."

"Wise, I'm off."

Zane gave a small smile and waved goodbye before heading out of the video store. Panta scampered after him, trying to keep up.

Before long, the two figures had vanished from view. Belle watched with her hands on her hips, lips pursed slightly.

"Guess he really left..."

"What, you want Zane to stay over or something?"

Wise gave a helpless smile. Belle chuckled.

"Of course not. It just felt like he had something on his mind..."

"Zane's not exactly easy to read, and you picked up on that?"

Wise raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised, and gave her a closer look. Since when did his sister have that kind of perception?

"Just a hunch... Not saying it's right or anything."

Belle rubbed her nose and gave a sheepish grin.

Wise twitched his lips. Right, a "hunch." The classic catch-all when you can't explain something...

"Anyway, Belle—we've got tomorrow's commission to prep for. And there's still dinner to handle..."

"You sit and watch some TV for a bit. I'll cook, then you can eat and rest. Fairy and I still have prep to do for tomorrow..."

"And we've got that 'greeting' from the mystery guy to deal with. You guys really ditched him, huh..."

Wise chuckled helplessly and began listing out tasks. He was just about to head to the kitchen when Belle grabbed his arm and smiled.

"Hehe, leave it to me, big bro. You've already done enough today. I can't just dump everything on you."

"I want to do my part too!"

A gentle smile spread across Wise's face. He reached out to ruffle her hair.

"My little sister's growing up."

"Oh please—don't give me that 'grown-up watching a kid' look! I'm not that much younger than you, you know!"

"Besides, you're my brother. If I don't care about you, who will?"

Belle swatted his hand away and huffed, then rolled up her sleeves and marched toward the kitchen.

Wise smiled and didn't say more. He turned to the HDD system, sat down in front of the computer, and booted it up.

Taking a break was fine, but while he had the time, he might as well get the prep work done now.

That way, they'd both have it easier later.