Outside the Hollow, near the ruined buildings of Fourteenth Street,
Anby leaned against a crumbling wall to rest, having already taken off the weapon backpack she wore and placed it by her feet.
She lowered her head, looking at the back of her hand, her eyes flashing with an inexplicable brilliance.
Billy’s mechanical joints were still emitting a slight clicking sound; it wasn’t a malfunction, just that his emotion-processing module had not yet recovered from the overload state.
As for Eous, it squatted in the middle of them with its electronic eyes half-squinted, like a large cat that had just finished hissing and didn’t want to deal with anyone right now.
“That person…” Billy finally spoke, his voice carrying a ravaged exhaustion.
“What did she call us again?”
“Chunibyo Android.”
Anby glanced at him.
“Is the shock too big, causing selective amnesia?
Chunibyo Android.”
“…Can you not repeat it?”
The three of them fell into silence once more.
The night wind blew across the ruins of Fourteenth Street, stirring up a few debris fragments.
The neon lights in the distance were still flashing, and the night of New Eridu was as bustling as usual, except that in that unknown little corner, there were three silent artists.
“Actually,” Anby turned her head to look at Eous, “Donkey-eared short legs…
is actually quite fitting.”
Eous’s electronic eyes suddenly widened.
“Anby!
How did you learn to be bad!”
“Eous’s ears really do look like a donkey’s, and its legs are indeed short.
That person observed very carefully,” Anby’s tone was as serious as if she were making a combat summary.
“Besides, when she called you that, she had no malicious intent.”
“How do you know she had no malicious intent!”
“And…
I want to file a complaint!”
Belle’s eyes were earnest and serious.
“I’m going to tell Nicole that you’ve learned to be bad.”
“It’s not like she only gave that nickname to you alone.”
Anby’s eyes carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
“Alright, stop arguing, I’m so tired, let’s hurry back and rest.”
Seeing this situation, Billy on the side hurriedly chimed in to smooth things over.
“Let’s go!
Let’s go!”
“Really, how can a robot like you have the feeling of being tired?” Eous glared at Billy with its eyes feigning fierceness.
“Mechanical fatigue!
Do you understand what mechanical fa…”
The bantering voices left the ruins along with the three of them.
They didn’t know that the black figure had not gone far.
At this moment, Fu Hua was still squatting on the roof of an abandoned apartment not far away.
The shadow knight armor almost completely merged into the darkness in the night.
She watched the receding backs of Anby, Billy, and Eous, the corners of her mouth beneath the mask curving up almost to the skies.
Perfect!
A very perfect initial debut; the stage was finally about to draw back its curtain.
The small window of Fu Hua’s room was silently pushed open.
A black figure flashed past; having completed the mission, Fu Hua returned by climbing through the window, took off the shadow knight armor, and put it back into the metal box.
Putting on Xunyu’s blue fighting uniform again and donning the red-framed glasses, her movements were proficient and quiet, without making a single sound.
She lay back down on the bed, adjusting her breathing to let her heartbeat return to calm.
Hurried footsteps came from downstairs; Belle’s steps today were much heavier than usual.
Immediately following was Nicole’s voice.
“You’re back!
Anby!
Billy!
Thank goodness you’re okay!”
“We almost weren’t,” came Billy’s voice, carrying a ravaged exhaustion.
“Without bringing the ‘Carrot’, we were trapped in the Hollow for several hours.
A huge swarm of Ethereals suddenly appeared inside, our ammunition was running out, and we almost became the spoils of other Cavern Raiders.”
“Fortunately, thanks to the rescue of Lord Phaethon and a mysterious person, we managed to return safely at least.”
“A mysterious person?
Uh…
we don’t need to pay a fee, right?” Nicole’s eyes carried a hint of nervousness.
“She didn’t say we had to,” Belle’s voice sounded, her tone as flat as a road rolled over by a steamroller.
“A person wearing black armor cleared away the vast majority of Ethereals all by herself, escorting us all the way until we safely withdrew.”
“So amazing?” Nicole’s voice pitched higher.
“What kind of person?”
“I don’t know.
She said she was just passing by,” Belle’s tone remained flat.
“She likes giving nicknames to others, but aside from being a bit aggravating, she’s considered friendly.”
“Chunibyo Android, Lord Green Headphones, and Donkey-Eared Short Legs.
Based on deduction, she must be colorblind!”
Nicole was silent for two seconds, then let out a cough that was clearly holding back laughter.
“You’re still laughing!” Belle’s voice finally had fluctuations.
“I’m not laughing!
I really am not laughing!
Pfft—Sorry!
Hahahaha!!!”
Footsteps of Nicole being chased and beaten came from upstairs, along with that unstoppable and growing laughter.
Fu Hua lay on the bed, listening to the commotion downstairs, the corners of her mouth slowly curving up.
“Fu Hua!”
Suddenly, Belle’s voice came from the top of the stairs.
“Are you awake?”
Fu Hua took off her glasses, half-opened her eyes, rubbed the corners of her eyes, and her voice carried a bit of dazed fogginess.
“Mm…
What’s wrong?” Her voice carried the softness unique to just waking up, warm and gentle.
Belle’s head poked in through the crack of the door, her light blue short hair somewhat messy, and her cheeks still bearing a cute flush.
“The commission was successful!
Anby and Billy are back safely!”
“That’s great,” Fu Hua sat up, pushed her red-framed glasses, and carefully looked at Belle’s complexion.
“Your complexion is very ruddy; have you been getting too much internal heat lately?
I’ll brew some hot tea for you.”
Fu Hua before her was wearing the blue fighting uniform and red-framed glasses, her hair slightly messy from lying down.
Her voice was gentle and friendly, and her eyes carried genuine care and the haziness of just waking up, instantly calming the anger in Belle’s heart caused by a certain mysterious person.
“No need, A-Hua, I just came to chat with you,” Belle’s tone unconsciously softened.
“It’s just that I encountered a…
very strange fellow in the Hollow just now.”
“A strange person?”
Belle walked in, sat down by the bed, and started complaining endlessly and with exaggerated details, as if some switch in her mouth had been flipped.
Saying that person wore black armor thinking she looked cool, saying her tone was awful and her words extremely aggravating, saying that person called Billy a Chunibyo Android, and saying that person clearly saved everyone yet still mocked them right before leaving…
“Don’t you think she was going too far!” Belle waved her hands, her cheeks puffed up.
“Donkey-eared short legs!
How does Eous look like a donkey at all!”
Fu Hua thought about it seriously.
“Eous’s ears…
are indeed a bit long.”
“Those are rabbit ears too!
Rabbit ears!
Why are you speaking up for an outsider!”
“I am not,” Fu Hua’s voice remained gentle as she reached out to gently pat Belle’s arm.
“I just feel that person shouldn’t have any malicious intent; she helped you guys, right?”
Belle opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but ultimately just let her shoulders drop in a deflated manner.
“…Mn, she helped us.
She escorted us all the way and saved everyone without missing a single one.
Anby said that while she was giving out nicknames, she was also saving people, moving very quickly and without hesitation.”
“That’s good,” Fu Hua’s eyes were tender as she reached out to gently stroke Belle’s head.
“In my view, as long as you all are safe, that’s enough.”
Belle looked at Fu Hua earnestly, rubbing her head hard against Fu Hua’s palm, as if confirming something with this action.
“Fu Hua-Hua~”
“Mm?”
“You’re so nice!” Belle’s tone carried joy and attachment.
“You’ve always been so gentle.
Even though you’re younger than me, you always comfort me like an older sister.”
Fu Hua lowered her head, her hair covering her eyes as if feeling embarrassed, her shoulders trembling slightly as if moved to tears by the emotion.
[Old Silver Bear: Belle: You are so nice~ Fu Hua: Mm mm mm, you are right]
[Warship Janitor: This wave of contrast cracked me up]
After a while, Belle, having gathered her emotions, stood up.
“Nicole says she’s treating us tonight to celebrate the success of the commission.
Are you coming or not?”
“Okay, but do you want to rest for a bit first?
There are some dark circles under your eyes.”
Belle instinctively touched her eye sockets and nodded obediently.
“Got it, you get ready too, we’ll set out together in a moment.”
She turned and left, her footsteps much lighter than before.
Fu Hua lay back down on the bed, listening to the footsteps gradually fade away.
Closing her eyes, deep within her mind, the system interface flashed with new prompts.
[Popularity Points: 388.
112 more points needed to activate the Shadow Knight Yuelun Eclipse Form]
[Current Quest Progress: Establish personal reputation on Inter-Knot (1/3)—Initial contact has been established with all members of the Cunning Hares.
New Trust Level: Anby (+20), Billy (+35), Belle (+25)]
388 points, only 12 points away from activating Shadow Knight Yuelun; next time entering the storyline, the Eclipse Form should be able to be officially activated.
She tossed and turned on the bed, her eyes shining slightly through the lenses of her red-framed glasses in the darkness.
How should we make it fun next time we meet~
Seeking comments.
Seeking chapter updates.
Asking for a few small gifts wouldn’t be too much, right~~ Hehe.
Writing and signing a book for the first time, I don’t know how it will turn out, please bless me~