Zenless Zone Zero: I'am a Dullahan!

Chapter 214: Nekomata's Persistence



"It's not convenient to talk outside. Let's go in."

Nekomata nodded eagerly. She hadn't come all the way here in the middle of the night just to hang out—this was serious business!

As soon as she stepped into the cat café, she pulled out a sheet of paper, unfolded it, placed it on the table, and said to Zane across from her,

"Look! This is the latest commission price list from Hare's House!"

"We've got everything under the sun! As long as the client's got enough Dennies, there's nothing Hare's House can't handle!"

Hands on her hips, Nekomata beamed with confidence.

Now that she was part of Hare's House, it was only natural that she was full of enthusiasm saying things like this.

"Anything at all?"

Zane glanced over at Nekomata. The moment their eyes met, she felt a wave of dread. She quickly shook her head and backpedaled on her claim.

"N-No! That was just a bit of an exaggeration. We still have to stay within the handyman service range..."

She was joking, right? Dennies weren't an issue for Zane, but the guy always had some wild ideas—what if he asked for something they couldn't actually do?

Zane shook his head slightly, clearly a little disappointed, and lowered his eyes to the price list with a faint smile.

It was handwritten—probably Nicole's doing to save money. As he scanned the list of services, his eyes paused for a beat.

"Tsk tsk, these prices… I don't know much about Dennies, but this seems a bit steep, doesn't it..."

Raising an eyebrow, he asked,

"Tell me, Nekomata, this price list wasn't specially tailored by Nicole just for me, was it...?"

Nekomata froze for a second, coughed awkwardly, then quickly denied it. There was no way she could admit to that... no, there's no way Nicole would've done that in the first place!

"Then tell me, which commission on this list requires the most Dennies?"

Zane gave her a slight smile.

"The highest-priced one... let me see. It's 'Full escort of a Bangboo through the Hollows,' and the price is..."

Halfway through reading, Nekomata suddenly realized something and clamped a hand over her mouth.

What the heck was Nicole thinking?!

How could she put something like that so plainly on the list?! Couldn't she have phrased it more subtly?!

This was basically laying all their cards on the table!

Ugh, she really should've checked this thing before coming...

"Looks like Nicole's in a real rush to pay off that debt... Hmph, I refuse to let her pay it back."

Zane's interest was clearly piqued. That call earlier had been to Hare's House—he planned to have them protect Panta when he entered Dead End Hollow.

It wasn't a big deal. Dead End Hollow wasn't what it used to be, and with Belobog Heavy Industries having its own issues, they probably wouldn't have the capacity to look after Panta. Hare's House could act as backup while he was gone.

Might as well have Eous included under their protection too.

Zane didn't have the highest opinion of Hare's House's combat abilities, but for something like protecting a Bangboo, they'd do fine.

The truth was, he couldn't reach Soldier 11 or Trigger, the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe was difficult to mobilize, and he didn't have any contact for Victoria Housekeeping...

Nekomata paused, a little stunned by his words. Then she asked hesitantly,

"Pay off a debt? Zane, does Nicole owe you... a lot?"

Zane shook his head and replied quietly,

"Not much."

"Just a billion Dennies."

"Eleven Dennies? That's barely a debt, meow..."

Nekomata waved it off with a shrug, thumped her chest with pride, and said,

"Zane, I'll cover that debt for Nico—"

She stopped mid-sentence as realization hit her.

Wait... Zane didn't say eleven, he said a billion!

She suddenly remembered. Nicole had taken on the debt herself, and she'd assumed Zane had just forgiven it outright…

Thinking it over now, that made more sense—especially with an amount that huge. Zane wouldn't have done something so reckless.

Her thoughts shifted, and she changed her tone.

"I'm proud of Nicole for taking on that debt! She really is the boss of Hare's House—so responsible..."

Then she leaned closer to Zane, asking nervously,

"Zane, is that debt just Nicole's responsibility, or is it tied to the whole of Hare's House...?"

It wasn't that she wanted to dodge responsibility. She just wanted to understand the situation clearly, so she could work hard to repay it.

But... to finally find a home, only to discover it came with crushing debt? That really sucked.

"Relax. I burned that IOU after I left Hare's House. As far as you're concerned, the debt doesn't exist."

Nekomata blinked in disbelief. That was a billion Dennies we're talking about! And he just... let it go?

The more she thought about it, the softer her gaze toward Zane became. In her eyes, he was practically glowing with divine radiance...

"By the way, has Nicole been cutting Hare's House expenses again to pay off the debt?"

Zane didn't even need to guess—he knew exactly what Nicole was doing. She was serious about paying it back, but everyone else was suffering for it.

Foolish girl.

Hearing this, Nekomata couldn't hold back any longer and started venting.

She complained about how she couldn't even afford blue mackerel tails anymore, how Billy was stretching every drop of oil for his maintenance, and how Anby had been rewatching the same few videotapes dozens of times...

"Alright then, let's do this. I'll still pay you guys for the commission, just take the money from the cat café's funds. Don't tell Nicole—she'll just assume I added it to her debt."

Zane smiled and went on,

"Let's keep doing it this way. You take care of the folks at Hare's House, let them live a better life. Nicole can keep working on her debt, and you all can live happily."

"This way, she'll feel at ease, and the debt won't end up cutting into your pay. Win-win."

"But remember, you have to keep it a secret from Nicole."

Nekomata's eyes lit up, but then she shook her head firmly.

"No, no! That's not fair to you. We can't keep taking and giving nothing back... That's just not right."

Zane shrugged.

"But this way, Nekomata could eat all the blue mackerel she wants. Besides, the money's coming from the cat café—it's just a matter of shuffling the names around."

Hearing "blue mackerel," Nekomata instinctively gulped... but then her gaze grew resolute again.

"No! Zane, I know you mean well..."

She shook her head and spoke firmly.

"But this isn't right! I'm sure Billy and Anby feel the same way I do!"

"We can't just keep taking your kindness. The cat café's money is still yours. I'm just helping you hold onto it. Calling it a 'change of name' is just an excuse!"

Zane blinked, a little surprised. Nekomata didn't stop and kept going...


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