Yesterday at dinner, Ignis, as promised, handed over half of the earnings from selling the dagger he forged at the Blacksmith's Association to Nicole.
Nicole counted the numbers several times, her hands visibly trembling—she looked so excited she might actually faint.
Nekomata leaned over to take a peek, her face showing the same what the hell am I looking at expression.
"You're saying just one dagger, nya? And you made it on a whim, nya?"
"Yeah. I added a few designs that look fancy but aren't exactly practical." Ignis didn't think much of it; having finished his meal, he was now gnawing on a steel bar like a snack. "It looks intimidating, but the actual combat efficiency is low."
"My short blades... can I get an internal discount, nya?" Nekomata's ears drooped. She figured it would take her forever to save up enough for a matching pair of blades.
"Come on. We're family—forget about the money. I'll make you one when I have time." Ignis didn't seem to care in the slightest.
The next morning, Nekomata woke him up. That was unusual—the cat was normally pretty lazy.
"You're in that much of a hurry?" For a Space Marine, sleep wasn't exactly necessary, but ever since coming to New Eridu, sleeping had become a small daily pleasure.
"In a hurry? Huh?" Nekomata blinked, then realized what he meant. "Not here to rush your forging, I've got a side job lined up—want in?"
"You're taking a private commission... without telling Nicole?" Ignis immediately understood.
"If I tell her, she'll just start auditing every step again." Nekomata pouted. "I know she's only worried we'll accept risky requests, but that also means we'll miss the big spenders. Of course, I'll still give the Cunning Hares their cut."
"So, you called me along as insurance, huh?" Ignis nodded. "Trying to earn extra to support the Cunning Hares... that's a good cat."
"Hehe, well, that's why they call us lucky cats, right?" Nekomata smirked, heading for the door. "Come on, hurry up. I've already asked Phaethon to lead the way."
Only when she turned to leave did Ignis notice she was already geared up. Even with her high heels on, she still looked small compared to him.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Nekomata looked down at her outfit, checking every strap. "Something wrong?"
Ignis stroked his chin, frowning seriously. Nekomata glanced over herself again but couldn't find an issue.
"I just realized," he said, "your outfit shows quite a bit of skin. That undersuit of yours—kind of like a swimsuit or gym wear—really highlights your figure."
Nekomata's dark face flushed crimson. She instantly covered her chest and hips with her hands, tail stiffening in panic. "So that's how you see me?!"
"Look, Nicole's outfit isn't exactly modest either—cropped vest, hot pants. And Anby's battle suit looks proper, but it actually doesn't cover that much. The three ladies of the Cunning Hares are all beautiful, I'll admit. From an aesthetic standpoint, it's... pleasing."
"But in combat, going in with almost no armor is dangerous." Ignis shifted the topic, voice calm. "I'm used to fighting under armor. Seeing you fight Ethereal creatures with no protection... it worries me."
"Oh, that's what you meant?" Nekomata relaxed, lowering her guard. "Anby and I are fast enough—we rarely even get hit. As for Nicole, well... I think her main reason for not wearing protection is simple—no money."
Honestly, with the materials on hand, making a light armor similar to chitin plating wouldn't be difficult. But knowing Nicole, she'd probably sell it before wearing it.
"I've got another question." Ignis' eyes fell to Nekomata's legs—her boots, or rather, her paws, complete with feline pads. "So, are those feet of yours human... or cat?"
Nekomata grinned mischievously. She lifted her right foot and wiggled her toes—each one fully articulated, the soft pink pads visible. "You guess~ I'm not telling."
She let out a soft laugh and slipped out of the room, reminding Ignis to get his gear ready and meet up with Phaethon soon.
The winds were strong in New Eridu today—the forecast said level seven gusts. For someone like Ignis, it was nothing. But for a lightweight like Nekomata, it was an absolute nuisance.
As soon as they got out of the vehicle, Ignis positioned himself upwind, his massive frame blocking almost all the gusts.
"So, it's this job, huh." Belle sounded a bit disappointed. "I thought Nekomata was coming to work part-time with us to help Nicole pay off debts. I even prepared a uniform."
"Can I ask what kind of uniform?" Ignis raised an eyebrow.
Belle's eyes darted side to side, avoiding his gaze. "N-nothing special, just... you know, a cute maid outfit or something."
"When I said work together, this isn't exactly what I meant." Nekomata facepalmed, unable to hold back a laugh. "I was talking about the kind of business that happens inside a Hollow!"
"Though I'll admit," she continued, "Nicole may have her... unique financial priorities, but she's still good to us."
"How should I put it..." Nekomata scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Back when that Vision Corporation incident happened, I caused the Cunning Hares a lot of trouble. I even thought about faking my death at the hands of an Ethereal... but Nicole still invited me back."
"Now that the Cunning Hares are in debt, I think it's time I did my part!"
"Boss can't pay salaries; employees take private jobs to cover the deficit—now that's admirable." Wise looked at Nekomata, then at his sister Belle.
"I sold a blade yesterday," Ignis added coolly. "Split half of it with the Cunning Hares, just like we agreed. And sent Nicole six figures worth."
"Sounds like the Cunning Hares are stronger than ever," Belle smiled. "Won't be long before they're out of debt."
"Alright, let's talk details," Wise said, steering the conversation back.
"Right." Nekomata nodded. "So, here's the deal—a corporation recently lost a shipment of Ether resources inside a Hollow. They've been recruiting skilled agents and Proxies through the Inter-Knot to perform an initial field survey before organizing full-scale recovery."
"Sounds simple enough," Wise analyzed calmly, "but doesn't seem all that profitable."
"Patience—that's just the first step." Nekomata's grin grew wider. "If they're hiring outsiders just for a preliminary survey, then when the actual recovery starts, they'll definitely need more help."
"So, you're planning ahead, huh?" Wise crossed his arms. "The recovery jobs usually pay big. Lots of people will fight for that chance."
"Exactly," Nekomata said proudly. "This cooperation gives us priority access when the main contract opens."
"Well said, Phaethon. You get it. My plan is to cast a long line to catch a big fish."
"So, what's our cut?" Belle asked. "That's kind of important."
"Standard rate—fifty-fifty split. Sound good?"
Wise and Belle exchanged glances. The offer was fair. They both nodded in agreement.
After loading Eous onto the transport, they prepared to enter the Hollow with their client—just like last time.
"By the way, Eous moves around a lot—very expressive for a Bangboo." Ignis placed the small unit, marked with a '01' on its scarf, into the cargo bay. "Belle, are you the one controlling it?"
"Eh? Oh, no," Belle blinked. "That's all Eous. Most of the time I just use its body to speak and handle real-time route calculations inside the Hollow."
Ignis recalled all the expressive gestures Eous had made during their previous dive. Clearly, the Bangboo's emotional intelligence module was exceptionally advanced.
Nekomata drove them to the target Hollow, which turned out to be an abandoned construction site cluster.
Scattered tools, loose cables, missing safety barriers—the sight triggered Ignis' old instincts.
He had to remind himself over and over: You're not a construction safety officer anymore. You're a Space Marine now.
Then again... the latter wasn't necessarily an improvement. If anything, it was worse—Space Marines didn't retire. Their only end was serving the Emperor until death.
While Ignis was lost in thought, Eous had already led them to the client.
The man wore a crumpled brown trench coat and thick glasses. Stubble covered his jaw—it looked like he hadn't shaved in days. When he saw Ignis towering over him, he visibly flinched.
"H-hello," the man stammered, quickly turning to Nekomata. "You must be Miss Nekomata, correct? Allow me to introduce myself—I'm Ollie, the person in charge of this operation."
Operation? Ignis frowned. That phrasing felt a little too formal.
"'Operation'? For a simple survey contract? Are companies using that kind of language now?" Even Nekomata raised an eyebrow.