–+–
Nicole’s mouth fell open in a perfect O, and the box in her hands almost slipped to the ground.
“T-That’s it?”
Anby put away the blade she had just drawn.
Her calm eyes lingered on Pulonia for two extra seconds.
“So strong…” she said in a soft voice.
“That was a one-sided beatdown.”
Billy lowered his guns with some disappointment and scratched his head.
“I thought I’d at least get to fire a few shots… But that was so cool! Pulonia!”
“Enough, enough! Don’t act like you lost out when you got the best deal here!”
Nicole snapped back to herself at once.
The shock on her face flipped into wild joy, and she clapped her hands hard.
“Isn’t this perfect? Zero cost! Zero ammo fees! Now that’s the perfect battle!”
She turned and kept moving, her steps much lighter than before.
“Belle! Where do we go next?” Nicole called to Eous, who had been following at their side.
“Bzzzt—”
Eous’s round body shook all at once, and a burst of strange static came from it.
“Huh? Not moving yet, Belle?” Nicole clapped her hands and looked back, puzzled.
Eous staggered forward two steps, like it had drunk cheap booze.
Then its legs gave out.
With a thud, it fell flat on its face.
“Belle?!” Nicole jumped and hurried to Eous’s side, at a loss.
“Why are you lying down? This is no time to fake an accident for compensation!”
Eous twitched on the ground in a strange way.
A few seconds later, it sprang back up like a puppet yanked by its strings.
“Forward…”
Belle’s voice came through the Bangboo’s speaker, but it sounded warped, as if the signal had met heavy interference.
“Belle, are you sure you’re okay?” Nicole looked at Eous’s clumsy limbs and frowned.
“Why do you look so out of it?”
“I’m… fine…”
The voice cut off.
Eous started walking again.
Its movements were stiff, but at least it seemed to know the direction.
–+–
The group still had doubts, but they continued forward.
Before long, another wave of Ethereals appeared up ahead.
This group was larger than the last.
There were even several huge, heavy-armored ones among them.
Their weighty steps made the ground tremble.
“Pulonia,” Sandrone called softly.
The giant robot charged out once more.
Anby gripped the hilt of her blade without thinking. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Billy also raised his guns on reflex.
Both of them moved as if to help share the pressure.
“You two,” Sandrone said all at once.
Nicole looked back.
“Hm? What is it?”
“This is Pulonia’s battle. It’s also a good chance for me to gather data.”
Sandrone pulled Columbina back a few steps.
“Just watch. Don’t interfere.”
Nicole froze for half a second, then lit up with joy.
They didn’t have to fight?
Even better!
“Of course, of course!” She waved at Anby and Billy at once.
“Anby! Come back! Don’t get in the way!”
Anby nodded, put away her blade, and returned without complaint.
“Billy! Put your guns away! What if they go off and hit an ally?”
“Huh? Boss Nicole, that’s… fine.” Billy stepped back with some regret, though he kept his guns in hand.
It was still a Hollow.
Better to stay careful.
From that point on, the road became Pulonia’s solo show.
It charged into the horde of Ethereals and held the line by itself.
Its huge mechanical arms swung like battering rams, smashing every Ethereal that came close into pieces.
Sandrone stood behind it, eyes fixed on each of Pulonia’s movements.
The corner of her mouth rose.
Good.
“Heh…”
A faint laugh came from beside her.
At some point, Columbina had leaned close to her ear.
That delicate face was almost pressed against the side of her head, and warm breath brushed over her earlobe.
The gesture was far too intimate.
“You look happy…” she said in a low voice.
“My dear… ‘little wife’?”
Sandrone’s smile froze.
She shot Columbina a vicious glare, and an angry blush rose on her cheeks.
“Shut up! Don’t say those two words!”
Just then, Billy cried out, “Boss Nicole! Look! Eous is down again!”
Nicole followed his gaze.
Eous lay stiff in a pile of rubble at the edge of the battlefield.
Its limbs were rigid, and the screen on its face flashed like crazy, making it look like a Bangboo that had broken down for good.
Nicole rushed over and slapped the Bangboo’s head hard.
“Hey! Wake up! Belle, what’s wrong with you today?!”
Her voice rose as she shouted at Eous.
“I know you’ve had a rough few days, but you can’t treat old clients like this!”
No response.
Nicole narrowed her eyes, and her tone took on a hint of threat.
“Belle! If you keep playing dead, I’ll give you a bad review on the Inter-Knot!”
Eous still stood there, blank and lifeless.
At last, Nicole’s brows drew tight.
Pulonia had already finished the fight and was watching their surroundings with care.
Sandrone and Columbina also came over.
Billy leaned in, his voice a little weak.
“Boss Nicole, they’re not really in trouble, are they?”
“Belle!” Nicole sounded tense now.
Some strange gut feeling made unease rise inside her.
“At least make a sound!”
Still no answer.
“Hello? Wise? Belle? Can you hear me?”
Nicole refused to give up.
She kept hitting the Bangboo’s head, and her voice echoed through the empty passage, but no reply came from the video store.
Then Eous stood up with a jerk.
It didn’t look at Nicole.
It didn’t answer any of their calls.
Like a wind-up toy that had been cranked tight again, it moved stiffly and walked straight in a certain direction.
“Hey!” Nicole and the others hurried after it.
“Are you sure this is the right way?”
Billy was starting to panic too.
“What’s going on with Eous? It just keeps walking by itself and won’t say a word. This has never happened before… Phaethon didn’t really run into trouble, did they?”
Anby analyzed it with a flat face.
“Is there a chance she’s angry? Because Nicole tried to haggle earlier?”
Billy froze.
“Huh? Is that what this is?”
“What time do you think this is? You’re still joking?” Nicole snapped back.
“Belle and Wise can be stingy sometimes, but they never mess up when it matters! This is not normal!”
Sandrone strode forward and picked up Eous, which was still marching like a machine.
The Bangboo’s legs kept kicking in the air, as if it was still following some rigid program.
“Something really is wrong with Eous.” Sandrone checked the screen on the Bangboo’s face and frowned.
“Belle isn’t controlling it right now. It should be some kind of preset auto-navigation program.”
Nicole took Eous and slapped it a few more times, unwilling to accept it, but there was still no response.
“Damn it…” Nicole clenched her teeth.
“Were things going too well these past two days, so fate decided to screw us over? They lost connection at a time like this?!”