Early the next morning, Wise received a text message from Koleda, saying that he needed to go to Lumina Square first to get the key before entering the Hollow.
Wise drove to the plaza shortly after. Since it was still early, the area remained mostly empty. With Koleda's distinctive fiery red hair, he spotted her immediately among the sparse crowd.
But the second he got close, Grace practically jumped forward and grabbed his hand.
"Wise, you're here! How's Eous been? Have you been treating it well? I managed to get this amazing lubricant from the Outer Ring that can drip from the chassis and flow right out of its eyes! Want Eous to give it a try?" Her tone brimmed with enthusiasm and concern.
She sounded exactly like a doting mother checking in with the father about their child's wellbeing.
"Hey, Sis, you're supposed to be a teacher now, remember? Did you forget your whole character and that dress back home?" Koleda's voice cut in from the side, tinged with exasperation.
Grace blinked at the reminder.
"I almost forgot! Koleda, students are supposed to address me as 'teacher.' Why don't you help me slip into character?" A mischievous smile played on Grace's lips as her eyes narrowed, perfectly capturing the essence of an older sister teasing her younger one.
Koleda let out an annoyed sound when she heard that, but to everyone's surprise, she switched to a cutesy, childlike voice.
"Reporting to Teacher Grace! Three students are hiding somewhere and sulking. If we can't find them, we won't be able to start the chorus," she said, playing along.
"Oh dear, that won't do. But I, the teacher, have other things to attend to right now. How about I send Student Koleda to find them with this big brother?" Grace paused, seemingly thinking about what reward to give them, before her eyes suddenly lit up with realization.
"If you find them, I'll reward you with the hammer I crafted during my university internship!"
"Huh? Shouldn't the reward be something like a small red flower or extra snacks during recess?" Koleda looked at Grace incredulously, struggling to understand her logic.
What kind of teacher rewards a student with a hammer?
"It's fine. If that's what you want, I'll reward you with either a small red flower or a snack," Wise offered, reaching over to pat Koleda's head.
Her ahoge flattened beneath his palm, which instantly sparked her irritation.
"Hey, hey, it's one thing for Sis to tease me, but why are you joining in and treating me like a child too?" she complained.
"Hmm, aren't we supposed to be acting right now? Naturally, we have to commit to our roles with genuine emotion, so let's go, little Koleda."
Wise extended his hand toward her, gesturing for her to take it. She gritted her teeth when she saw it but ended up taking his hand anyway, even though she was clearly annoyed.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you two."
After Grace said that, Wise and Koleda headed off. As they walked, Koleda let out a tired sigh.
"I've been drowning in company development matters, and now I still have to stay and handle these trivial things just for an extra pineapple bun snack... It's completely beneath me!"
Hearing Koleda complain, Wise immediately pulled out a pineapple bun and handed it to her while trying to cheer her up.
"It's alright, you've got me here, right? Here, have a pineapple bun to feel better."
Koleda didn't question where Wise had pulled the pineapple bun from. Instead, she opened the bag and quietly ate it, muttering as she chewed.
"These days, only pineapple buns bring me any warmth..."
"Huh? So I don't have any warmth then?" Wise asked, putting on a hurt expression as he draped his arm around her shoulder, as though letting her feel his warmth directly.
"No, no, that's not what I meant! Wise is very warm too!" Koleda hurriedly explained.
Seeing how flustered and adorable she looked, Wise had originally planned to keep pretending, but in the end he couldn't keep a straight face.
Koleda then told him about everything she had gone through while infiltrating the school.
She had to speak in a high pitched voice every day, go to the restroom in pairs, exchange stickers, help pass notes, slack off during gym class, and even practice childish chorus songs that made her toes curl with embarrassment.
While Koleda kept complaining, they eventually found the three children who had been hiding.
After asking them what happened, they discovered that the reason was simple. A little girl named Ami was transferring to another school, but she had been too scared to tell her two close friends.
Luckily, the misunderstanding was resolved and the three of them made up. One of the girls, Lixia, even excitedly wished for a dramatic scene where she and Koleda would run into each other at a corner while holding bread.
In the end, the plaza's chorus still took place as planned, and the principal was completely absorbed in the performance. Taking advantage of the moment, Grace quietly approached Wise.
"Wise, I just confirmed it. The principal, he..."
"Already put the key in his pocket, right?" Wise replied with a faint, knowing smile.
"Yes, but how did you know... Hmm?" Grace suddenly stopped mid sentence, her pupils shrinking when she saw the key already resting in Wise's hand. "When did you get that?"
"Just now."
"Eh?"
Grace clearly had no idea when Wise had done it. She hadn't even seen him go near the principal.
But none of that mattered. The key was in hand, and now they needed to discuss their next move with Koleda.
<<>>
Moments later, inside Belobog Heavy Industries' construction site.
"You know, my Sis was complaining to me this morning, saying she'd never done anything like this... But every time she comes to my office, she habitually pockets a few of my pens before leaving. I'm not going to pretend that never happened!"
That habit of snatching pens was just as annoying as people who constantly took lighters.
But Koleda didn't waste time with small talk. After sending the exact coordinates of the Hollow to Wise, she began making preparations.
This time, Wise didn't plan to enter the Hollow with her. Koleda still thought he was just a 'weak' Proxy, someone who would at most run away when facing extremely dangerous Ethereals. Maybe he could even charm a certain pair of twin Ethereals.
Thinking about that reminded him that there hadn't been any news about those two Ethereals in the Ballet Towers building since then.
It was as if they had vanished into thin air.
Earlier, Belle had joked that maybe he took too long delivering the speakers, so the Ethereals ran out of the Hollow to look for him.
Wise only smiled at the idea and didn't take it seriously.
'How could Ethereals possibly leave the Hollow?' he thought.
In any case, he had already asked Lycaon to deliver the speakers later. For now, the current commission deserved his full attention.
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