"Belle, fall back!"
"Huh?"
Belle had just raised her drink for another sip, curious to see how Zane would approach the person, but to her surprise, he turned and walked away without a word.
"Hey, wasn't that the mysterious person we were supposed to meet? You're not planning to talk to her?"
She blurted out without thinking, then glanced back toward Xin, who seemed to have noticed the commotion and was now looking their way.
"Move! Don't get caught up in this."
Zane grabbed Belle's wrist and practically yanked her into the air. Her drink flew out of her hand and landed far away.
"Wait—my drink!"
"Forget it! I'll make sure you drink your fill later!"
The bottle clattered to the ground, spilling its remaining contents. Xin, watching from nearby, blinked in confusion.
What are those two doing?
She didn't sense anything suspicious. As far as she could tell, Zane and Belle were just two friends out for a stroll.
As for the person they were supposed to meet—someone mysterious, surely, or someone who just stood out...
Xin shook her head slightly, walked over to the bottle, picked it up, and tossed it into a trash bin at the corner of the street.
"No manners at all," she muttered softly.
Returning to her original spot, she glanced at the billboard beside her and checked the time.
"The location's right... so why hasn't anyone shown up...?"
"This person is pretty slick at communication. Could they be... late?"
What Xin didn't realize was that the other party wasn't just late—they had no intention of showing up at all...
She lowered her arms and quietly stood where she was, still waiting.
The sky above was a rich blue, streaked with drifting clouds like a giant cream cake. Xin folded her wings slightly, but when the warmth felt too stifling, she spread them open again—pure white, bright under the sunlight.
She'd already connected with the Fire Picker and even gained a powerful new comrade, so her mood was unusually light.
Glancing around, Xin took in the rare moment of calm. Her daily routine often took her back and forth between Hollow Zero and her duties, so even just standing here, doing nothing, felt blissful.
The warm light wrapped around her, her pink hair tips swaying gently in the breeze. She watched the people walking the streets, young boys and girls walking in pairs, couples laughing and chatting inside a café across the road...
A soft smile tugged at her lips, warm and gentle, as peace settled in her heart.
"These peaceful moments... they're truly rare."
She whispered to herself, eyes drifting toward Hollow Zero. It hadn't been long since she'd fought a sizable battle there.
"It was all worth it."
Many had fallen there, and the number was still rising—perhaps yesterday, perhaps tomorrow.
Her nose stung. Xin quickly reined in her emotions. Thankfully, she was good at this—calm returned swiftly.
Though Hollow Zero wasn't in sight, she stared as if it floated before her eyes.
She recalled the order she'd issued: no sending the Obol Squad or logistics teams into danger to recover the fallen's remains.
As a leader, she couldn't afford the so-called mercy or compassion. On the contrary, she often came off as cold and detached.
That order—choosing not to waste resources on symbolic gestures—was a clear example.
But perhaps it aligned with how the Staff Army viewed such things. "The loyal lie buried in every green hill; why wrap them in horsehide and bring them back?"
The Staff Army didn't need that.
Only those with unwavering conviction and a drive for victory could be one of them.
They feared neither death nor hardship. They held no regrets.
Still, Xin wasn't completely heartless.
She had her promises.
She would do everything in her power to bring victory to the Staff Army—to let those who could no longer witness it...
go home.
Not to bring them home—
But to make where they now rest their new home.
Just as she once said:
Let the reclaimed land be their glory, and let humanity's honor build their monument anew.
She slowly closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts. Once her mood had calmed, she looked around again and frowned.
"Where are they... They wouldn't just ditch me after agreeing to meet, would they?"
"They wouldn't be that awful, right?"
With no signal from her communicator, silence all around, and the meeting time already ten minutes overdue, Xin was no longer sure.
"They wouldn't... be that awful..."
"...Right?"
...
"Ah-choo!"
"Whoa—whoa? That's the first time I've seen you look unwell, Zane. You're not sick, are you?"
Belle rubbed her sore wrist. She hadn't felt tired from being dragged along, but her arm did ache a little from the tugging.
Still, when she heard Zane's sudden sneeze, she immediately stopped what she was doing and sidled up to him with a teasing grin.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even I don't get sick that easily, and you—you're a full-fledged Fire Picker! So weak! Wait, what did that video say again...?"
"Oh right—you're what they call a small fry~ Hehehe..."
"Small fry~ Small fry~ Small fry~"
Zane rolled his eyes as Belle poked fun beside him, rubbing the tip of his nose.
"There's no way I'm sick. Probably just someone talking behind my back."
"Really? People say that?"
Belle blinked, curious.
Zane nodded with a smile.
"Of course they do."
"Wait... Belle, were you just secretly talking trash about me? Is that why I..."
He leaned toward her, raising his hand as faint arcs of electricity danced between his fingers.
Startled, Belle took a step back, waving her hands frantically while shaking her head.
"Wasn't me! I didn't! You're making that up!"
Despite her desperate denials, Zane kept smiling, eyes calm.
"Belle, my intuition is very sharp..."
Seeing that sly grin, Belle immediately caught on and pointed at him accusingly.
"You're just trying to get back at me for what I said earlier! You're totally using this as an excuse to strike back! That's not 'intuition' at all!"
"Correct—but sadly, no prize."
"No—wait, there is a prize."
"You get the honor of becoming the Thunder King for a day."
"I don't want it!"