Shouldn't we consider both the merits and demerits before jumping to conclusions?
Soukaku saw the other two open the notice and quickly leaned in, reading along with them.
"Huh? Members of the Hollow Special Operations Unit 6 entered Hollow Zero, assisted the Staff Army in their suppression operation, and severely wounded Nineveh…"
She stared blankly at the notice in Harumasa's hand, then looked up at Hoshimi Miyabi. Could the section chief have acted alone on a secret mission...?
Harumasa frowned. After finishing the notice, he glanced at Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the two exchanged documents.
"It says here... You really kept things under wraps in Hollow Special Operations Unit 6. This guy isn't in any official system at all. That's one thing—but he even joined the Staff Army? How's the internal management so poor that you can't retain your own talent…"
Tsukishiro Yanagi, usually composed, blinked in confusion, a flurry of question marks practically forming above her head.
How could she not know anything about this?
She looked up at Hoshimi Miyabi.
Seeing all three staring at her, Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head in silence, then gently placed her hand down and said softly,
"I didn't."
"Huh? But if it wasn't you, Section Chief…"
Soukaku raised a finger to her lips. If it wasn't Hoshimi Miyabi, then who could've done all this under the name of the Hollow Special Operations Unit 6?
After all, not many could seriously injure Nineveh—especially while claiming that identity.
"Soukaku, that's impossible. If it were really the Section Chief, the notice wouldn't have been issued like this."
Tsukishiro Yanagi smiled and tapped Soukaku lightly on the head with the document.
"The notice is clear. It was someone else—a man, in fact—and he was wearing a mask to hide his identity…"
Harumasa nodded thoughtfully, hand on his chin as he leaned back in his chair.
Did someone like that even exist in their unit?
"Section Chief, you sure you haven't recruited a secret member?"
Harumasa looked up and asked, unable to hold it in.
"Never done anything like that."
Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head firmly. She had no intention of forming any secret squad.
"Then how did the higher-ups confirm that the guy was one of us? They didn't just take his word for it, did they?"
Hearing Harumasa's doubt, Tsukishiro Yanagi clarified,
"You didn't read carefully. It says he was able to operate in Hollow Zero because he had the Section Chief's ID."
"The Section Chief's ID?"
Harumasa instinctively reached for his own ID—still on him—and looked over at Hoshimi Miyabi.
"Section Chief, where's yours?"
Hoshimi Miyabi froze, eyes narrowing as the realization hit. She shot to her feet.
Smack!
Both palms slammed onto the table. Her expression darkened.
That bastard!!!
No wonder someone claiming to be from their unit suddenly showed up, subdued Nineveh, and even drew attention from higher up...
It was him!
"A human form... I knew it."
Her eyes flashed coldly, and the floating orb beside her spun uneasily, sensing her anger.
"Section Chief, what's wrong?"
Soukaku jumped, startled by her outburst, and quickly asked.
The other two also turned to look. None of them had heard her mutter to herself.
"It's… nothing."
"Then, where's your ID?"
Hoshimi Miyabi opened her mouth. Was she supposed to say it was taken?
Back then, she hadn't destroyed it, hoping to recover it one day—but she never imagined he'd just go and use it to act in her name!
How could he do that?!
"No way. Section Chief, have you been hiding this from us all along? We're comrades—don't we deserve to know?"
Harumasa folded his arms and sighed. He'd thought there might be some hidden reason, but from the chief's reaction, she clearly knew something.
"No, I…"
Hoshimi Miyabi raised her hand, trying to say something—but couldn't find the words.
And before she could organize her thoughts, the three of them had already begun strategizing.
Harumasa: "The higher-ups want us to bring our teammate back, so how should we go about it?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi: "Once the Section Chief tells us who he is, we'll talk him into it—reason with him!"
Tsukishiro Yanagi: "He joined Hollow Special Operations Unit 6 for a reason. We just need to find out what it is…"
Soukaku: "I agree! I can bring him tasty food. And when he comes back, we can share lots and lots of things…"
Harumasa: "Makes sense. We're such a great unit—there's no way he won't want to come back."
Harumasa: "But Section Chief, you should be more careful. He was your guy from the start. This can't happen again…"
Off to the side, Hoshimi Miyabi sighed as she listened, holding her forehead in one hand. Everything was getting out of hand.
How was she supposed to explain this whole secret-member situation?
Not only would she need to explain it to the three standing before her, but also to the higher-ups.
Her brows furrowed.
Wait. If his identity got exposed... even if the others believed her—after all, the ID was now irrefutable evidence—it would still be messy.
And if the Firebearer's identity came to light, it would involve far too many complications…
Why did it feel like she'd have to help cover up his identity?
Wait a minute—what even is going on anymore…
...
The weather was perfect—bright skies, warm breeze.
In the Sixth Street video store, customers were enjoying themselves—renting, buying, or chatting about the latest blockbuster…
Everyone's mood seemed to match the sunny day.
Everyone except…
A certain pair of siblings.
"F!"
"A!"
"I!"
"R!"
"Y!"
"Fairy!!!"
Bang!
Belle stormed into the room and slammed a paper down on the table.
Her palm throbbed from the force, making her frown—but right now, she couldn't care less.
Behind her, Wise stepped in, closed the door, and slumped onto the couch with a tired smile.
"Fairy! Explain what's going on!"
Belle gritted her teeth. She was this close to breaking down.
"How is this month's electric bill more than 150 times higher than usual?!"
"All the revenue since the video store reopened is gone—even my secret savings…"