"Anby, the location marked by the commission is just ahead."
Wise checked the position on the map. Right now, he was in his Bangboo form, resting in Anby's arms, his back pressed against her body.
"Okay."
Anby nodded and picked up her pace. But after walking only a short distance, they ran into a small group of Hollow Raiders.
There weren't many of them, and their gear looked cheap and worn out. Anby's strength alone was more than enough to handle them.
Even with Wise stuck in Bangboo form, the two of them could have dealt with the situation easily. But something about Anby's behavior was strange.
Although the group might be hostile, she didn't set him down. Instead, she looked a little tense, her expression showing a rare hint of embarrassment.
While Wise stayed alert, one of the raiders spoke first, and his tone was oddly hesitant.
"You're... Green Headset!"
The moment he heard that, Wise froze for a second. The person's excited tone made it clear they knew Anby.
Confused, he turned to look at her, and in doing so, his cheek accidentally brushed against the soft curve of her chest.
Anby didn't react right away. She lowered her head slightly, as if trying to hide her face from the people in front of them.
"You've got the wrong person. I'm not Green Headset."
"Eh? But you look all green and always wear a headset when talking to people. Isn't that you?"
The Hollow Raider who spoke looked puzzled when Anby denied it. She continued calmly, trying to brush it off.
"My headset is black."
"Ah, when you put it like that… but it doesn't sound right. Just because you're called Green Headset doesn't mean you actually have to wear a green headset, right?"
'What kind of logic is that?' Wise thought blankly.
He didn't quite understand the other person's thought process, but based on what he knew so far, he managed to deduce a possibility.
"If I'm not mistaken, Green Headset should be Anby's alias. So… Anby, are you taking private jobs?"
Anby stayed silent at his question, while the Hollow Raider across from them looked completely stunned.
"So these are private jobs? I thought she was a mercenary who specialized in handling high-risk Hollow requests."
"Tsk…"
Anby let out a quiet sound of irritation. It was faint, but Wise, still being held in her arms, heard it clearly.
The Hollow Raider, on the other hand, froze when he sensed a terrifying aura coming from her. His expression quickly shifted to one of fear.
"Whoa! You just showed killing intent, didn't you? That was killing intent, right!?"
"No, you're mistaken." Anby denied it flatly, and the Hollow Raider proved to be truly thick-headed.
Since she said no, he actually believed her and kept digging his own grave.
"Is that so? Ah, I remember now! Your main job wouldn't happen to be the boss of that Cunning Hares, right? That's why you said you didn't need money, only good reviews for that all-purpose agency."
Wise was startled again upon hearing this, feeling a little surprised.
"Good reviews for Cunning Hares?"
"Yeah! And posting praise on the Inter-Knot, reporting and deleting posts whenever someone badmouths it… it's such a hassle!"
Hearing Wise's confusion, the Hollow Raider eagerly began explaining, completely unaware of Anby's darkening expression.
"…It's a friendly recommendation and a way to keep the Inter-Knot space clean, not good reviews."
Anby closed her eyes slightly, clearly unwilling to deal with the situation any longer.
Wise, however, suddenly seemed to realize something and spoke up.
"No wonder Nicole said the reputation of Cunning Hares has been improving lately. So someone's been carrying quite the burden here."
Anby stayed silent, while the Hollow Raider finally got to the real reason for his visit.
"By the way, Master Green Headset, are you still taking private jobs? The Ethereals in this Hollow are really tough to handle. My brothers almost got hit just now."
"Not at the moment. I still have things to take care of. Besides, this is the core area of the Hollow, and it's a bit too dangerous for you."
"I see. No wonder there are so many Ethereals around. Looks like we came to the wrong place."
Although it had taken a lot of effort to get in, they weren't willing to risk their lives any further and decided to retreat. Before leaving, the leader turned back and called out.
"Anyway, Master Green Headset, please take care of us when new orders come in! Whether the reward is money or good reviews, it's all fine!"
The Hollow Raider ran off with his subordinates, waving at Anby as they left. Once they were gone, Anby looked down at Wise in her arms, and he looked up, meeting her gaze.
"Are you going to silence me? I knew it…" he said in an overly dramatic tone.
"…It's not that serious, and…"
'I could never do that. Besides, this isn't even your real body. Your main body is still at the Video Store, isn't it?' Anby thought to herself before continuing aloud.
"Anyway, there's something I need your help with."
"Don't worry, I won't tell Nicole. About the private jobs or the good reviews," Wise said reassuringly.
Anby let out a quiet sigh of relief at his words, though she still felt the need to explain herself.
"It's not good reviews, just a friendly recommendation. But it would be really troublesome if Nicole found out, so I'm counting on you. Please treat this as a secret between us."
"Alright, alright, I get it. But keeping a secret isn't free, you know. As for the price, we'll talk about it when we get back to the Video Store. For now, let's focus on the commission."
Anby was startled by his words. Her face turned slightly red as if she had imagined something, but she still nodded and softly hummed, "Hmm."
The task commissioned by the toy store owner and General Chop wasn't difficult, and Anby and Wise finished it in no time.
By the time they returned to the video store, it was already afternoon. Anby had come back from the Hollow, bringing Eous with her.
"Anby, you're back. You really worked hard this time. Give Eous to me, I'll take him to charge."
Belle was still behind the counter serving customers, so Wise naturally went to meet Anby himself.
Anby followed him upstairs to Belle's room, where Eous was placed to recharge.
As Eous began charging, Anby glanced at Wise with a hint of nervousness. When their eyes met by accident, she quickly turned her face away, her cheeks faintly pink.
"Um, about the reward for keeping the secret…" she murmured.
Wise was a little surprised to see Anby bring it up herself. She explained with a faint blush on her cheeks.
"Because Nicole said that if you make a promise, you have to keep it, so..." Her words trailed off as she looked at Wise, her eyes shy and uncertain.
"Alright, since Anby said so, then..."
Wise took a step closer and gently rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Anby, you don't want Nicole to find out about this, right? Then you have to—"
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