Everyone who's ever done under-the-table work knows the first rule—never get caught by the boss. Unfortunately for Ignis, the Cunning Hares wasn't just any errand agency; intelligence gathering and analysis were part of its trade.
So when Ignis came back from the Blacksmith Association and saw Anby and Nekomata standing on each side of the doorway like two guardian deities—with cardboard signs hanging from their necks—he immediately sensed trouble.
"I took on a dangerous side job."
"Me too."
Ignis froze. The sight of the two of them obediently standing at the door, silent as statues, could only mean one thing—Nicole was really angry this time.
"How'd you get exposed?" Ignis asked in a low voice.
"Ollie, that idiot, nya…" Nekomata lowered her head, staring at her toes. "He got ambushed during a mission. To save the others, he used himself as bait so the rest could escape, nya. I helped him take down the gang and finish the job. Since he's from an orphanage and wanted to set a good example for his younger siblings, I didn't take his payment, nya. But then, to thank me, he got all the kids at the orphanage to catch a lot of fish for me. I didn't want them to spoil, so I stashed them secretly in the fridge… and Nicole saw them. I then tried to lie my way out of it, which failed, nya."
Given this sly cat's usual agility, for her to be caught red-handed like that… Ignis could already imagine the scene—that smug grin of hers as she stuffed fish into the fridge.
"I accepted several commissions from the same block," said Anby, meeting Ignis's eyes. "When the clients were chatting, they realized they'd all been helped by the Cunning Hares. They decided to send over a banner of gratitude… but I wasn't around when it arrived."
"So that means I've been found out too?" Ignis asked cautiously. "Is the boss really angry?"
When both women nodded at the same time—something that almost never happened—Ignis knew there was no escape. He'd be standing in the hallway too, soon enough.
"Very angry. First time I've ever seen her like this," Nekomata groaned. "She cut off my mackerel ration for a week."
"Be careful," Anby said simply.
Following their warnings, Ignis opened the door—and found Nicole standing in the entryway, as imposing as a temple guardian.
"Yo, boss. Want your cut transferred to your account or in cash?" Ignis led with money, straight and to the point.
"Transfer's fine!" Nicole's eyes lit up for all of two seconds before she caught herself, putting on her stern face again.
"Almost let myself be fooled." Arms crossed, brows knit, the leader of the Cunning Hares gave a sharp look. "Anby, Nekomata—stop eavesdropping and get in here."
The two crept in from behind the door, taking their places behind Ignis.
"You three…" Nicole sighed. "I know expenses have been tight, and the Cunning Hares' finances aren't exactly rosy. You meant well—that, I'll admit."
Her tone softened, and Nekomata's eyes brightened immediately—until Anby tugged her sleeve, warning her not to celebrate too soon.
"I've told you before—every time you take a job, report it to me. At least let me know where you are and what you're doing. If something happens, I can send someone to back you up."
"But no—the three of you, two went to Hollow Zero of all places, and one joined the Public Security in a gang bust, pretending to be an officer!"
Nicole rubbed her temple, clearly exasperated.
"Especially you, Ignis."
At the sound of his name, Ignis stiffened and instinctively stood at attention.
"I talked to Phaethon—you even showed signs of corruption inside the Hollow, refused to withdraw, and still forced the mission through."
Nicole's tone was more worried than angry. Ignis felt a pang of guilt. The last person to show that kind of concern for him… had been one of his battle-brothers, long ago.
"I'm fine, really. The White Star Institute people at Scott Outpost gave me some medicine. After I took it, I was mostly back to normal."
He tried to sound casual, but that only made Nicole angrier.
"You keep throwing yourself into danger just because you're strong! Do you really not care about us? Don't you care that we worry about you—that we might lose you?"
Nicole jabbed a finger into his abdomen—it tickled slightly.
"I know you're tough. Stronger than any of us. But that doesn't make you invincible. What if you get lost in the Hollow? Or ambushed? Can you guarantee you'd walk out alive every time?"
"As your boss, your foster mother, and your friend—I'm asking you to think about how we'd feel before you make these reckless calls. None of us want to lose a friend who's fought beside us."
Though she was the one lecturing, Nicole's voice started to tremble, tears welling up as she spoke.
"I really don't want to lose any of you…"
Now this was a situation Ignis had never faced before. He'd fought Chaos daemons, traded blows with Orks, and battled the Tyranid swarm for biomass—but comforting a crying woman because of his actions? Never.
"…Sorry." Ignis's voice was low, awkward. He knew Nicole wasn't scolding him out of anger—it was hurt, and fear. Three of them had gone behind her back. That had to sting.
"If it's just about money, I have ways," Nicole said, wiping her tears. Her makeup had smudged slightly. "But no more of this. Even if you do take side jobs, you report them to me first. Once I know you're safe, I'll pull strings if something goes wrong."
"Got it." The two women and one lizard nodded meekly.
"Ignis, my makeup's ruined. You'll buy me a new set—deduct it from your cut," she said as she turned to go inside. "Get me the newest Caliste collection."
"Uh… okay." Ignis nodded, then turned to the others. "This Caliste thing… expensive?"
"No idea, never used it," Anby replied. She didn't know much about cosmetics—Nicole usually handled that for her.
"It's pretty expensive," Nekomata said. "The Red Fang Gang used to sell fake ones under that brand name. They made a ton before the company found out, who then sent people to smash Silver's workshop, and made him pay through the nose. He didn't even dare fight back."
Ignis sighed. He'd never seen that brand in the 141 Convenience Store—probably only in big malls like Lumina Square.
"Ignis!" Nicole called from inside. "Nekomata brought back a lot of fish—cook them soon! Fresh catch like that's rare!"
"No problem, boss!" Ignis answered instantly. Fish? Easy.
Or so he thought—until he saw the mountain of fish waiting to be cleaned.
Emperor above… how many did they catch?
From tiny feeders to giant predators, the haul spanned an entire food chain.
"Ollie must be a fishing prodigy. Maybe I should ask him for lessons…" Ignis muttered as he scraped scales with his knife.
"He got the whole orphanage to help. Hundreds of kids, all fishing together," Nekomata explained while gutting the fish with surprising skill—though Ignis wished she wasn't using her claw-like W-Engine for it.
The little ones were battered and fried, the medium-sized ones braised, the bigger ones steamed, and the dark-scaled ones turned into spicy numbing fillets.
While planning the grand fish feast, Ignis worked steadily, hands never stopping.
"Seeing Nicole like that… makes me think the Cunning Hares is home, you know?" Nekomata said suddenly. "She really cares about us. Everyone here's been good to me—you too."
"Even Anby? You're always butting heads with her," Ignis teased, glancing at her.
"She's more honest than I thought," Nekomata said, her ears drooping. "Honestly, I took Ollie's job partly to compete with her—to prove I'm the model member of the Cunning Hares."
"But when we were standing outside earlier, she admitted it without hesitation." Nekomata mimicked Anby's flat tone: 'Nekomata is the model employee of the Cunning Hares.' Then she wailed, "Aaaaah! Why did I even start this stupid rivalry!?"
Ignis couldn't help laughing, rinsed his hands, and ruffled her hair.
"Yeah… being cared for feels pretty good," he said quietly.
He truly did cherish everyone at the Cunning Hares. But could he really let them into the part of his world that dealt with Chaos?
He didn't know how resistant they'd be to its corruption. Sure, he could wipe their memories—but what if they were tainted before that? What if exposure turned them into something else?
And he dared not reveal the truth about the Chaos Gods. He feared their gaze might fall upon these people. Especially the Prince of Pleasure—that vile, insidious being who had long coveted him. Targeting those close to him to breach his resolve was not impossible.
Don't keep me waiting too long…
The voice of that Slaaneshi hallucination echoed unbidden in his mind—that illusory Nekomata had been too perfect, too tempting.
Feeling uneasy, Ignis withdrew his hand and refocused on cleaning fish—while the real Nekomata suddenly sneezed so hard both her tails stiffened straight.
"Someone must be talking bad about me behind my back!" she huffed, slicing open another small fish and scooping out the guts in one swift motion.