Meanwhile, on Sam Li's side…
After parting ways with Nekomata, he strolled back toward the Hare's House with his birdcage in hand. Along the way, he happened to run into Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, who were just wrapping up their patrol.
From them, he learned that Ether activity in the Dead End Hollow had been rising again—likely due to the frequent movements of the Dead End Butcher.
"If you don't have to go in, then don't," they warned.
Sam Li took note of their advice.
Ten minutes later, he wove through street after street, finally making it back to the Hare's House before nightfall.
The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by Nicole's loud complaints.
"That little sneak! Belle is way too crafty! She barely did anything, and yet she dragged a whole crowd along just to empty my wallet…"
Seeing Sam Li return, she immediately turned to him.
"Sam Li, Anby, Billy—next time, don't forget to remind me! We have to find a way to get even!"
Billy quickly chimed in, "Don't worry, Boss Nicole. Next time, we'll make them treat us at the Star Knight Collab Café."
Anby: "…"
Sam Li: "…"
Hare's House was still broke as ever.
But ever since Sam Li joined, they had been receiving commissions every few days, keeping a steady income and at least making bankruptcy less of a concern.
Sitting down on the couch, Sam Li casually turned on the TV and mentioned, "I picked up a new commission on the way back—some Nekoyashi is looking for a lost family heirloom."
Hearing that, Nicole and Billy immediately stopped bickering and leaned in.
"As expected of Sam Li—the natural-born commission magnet! You even land jobs on your way home…"
"Billy, quit talking and let him explain first."
"I'm just trying to praise Sam Li, give him a little encouragement! That way, he'll never stop searching for more commissions!"
"…"
Once they finally let him speak, Sam Li recounted his encounter with Nekomata—though he made a small adjustment, changing the part where he had startled her by appearing behind her. Instead, he made it seem like she had stopped him in his tracks to request their help.
"That's pretty much it. Supposedly, it's a very valuable heirloom."
After hearing the details, Nicole and Billy exchanged puzzled glances.
"…That's it? Then what? Do you even know where to look? What it looks like? Any deadlines? You didn't ask any of that?"
Sam Li shook his head. "We're meeting tomorrow morning at the Hare's House. She'll explain the details then."
A simple heirloom retrieval job.
Sounded easy—about as straightforward as finding a lost cat or dog.
But…
The real situation wouldn't be clear until tomorrow.
Nicole thought for a moment, then abruptly stood up and walked over to the TV—shutting it off.
Billy panicked. "Boss Nicole! Oh, Sweetheart is about to start! Why'd you turn off the TV?!"
Nicole answered seriously, "We have a commission in the morning. Gotta sleep early and rest up."
Billy was devastated. "But—"
"No buts."
"…"
Nicole had spoken.
Billy, of course, didn't dare argue. He reluctantly grabbed his gun oil and went to his room, preparing his weapons for the next day.
However…
After Nicole, Anby, and Sam Li fell asleep, Billy couldn't stop thinking about Monica, his favorite actress.
So, he snuck into the living room alone, turned the TV back on, and started watching Oh, Sweetheart.
But just a few minutes in—
The screen suddenly went black.
A power outage?
Billy rushed to the window and peeked at the house next door. Their lights were still on.
Instant realization.
He was screwed.
Nicole's secret power siphoning must've finally been discovered. Now, Hare's House didn't even have electricity.
…
The Next Morning
As the sun slowly rose from beneath Hollow Zero, its golden light spread across New Eridu, illuminating the streets—including the one where the Hare's House stood.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Open up! Open up, meow! It's already morning! Why aren't you open yet? You're too lazy, meow!"
Nicole hadn't even fully woken up when she was startled by the frantic knocking and a loud, meowing voice shouting outside.
"Who the hell is making all this noise? And just so you know, we don't take debt collections this early in the morning!"
Grumbling, she got dressed and stomped toward the door.
When she finally opened it, she saw a petite girl with cat ears waiting outside. She didn't look familiar—not a regular client, not a debt collector.
Still half-asleep, Nicole yawned.
The girl introduced herself enthusiastically. "My name is Nekomiya Mana! But you can just call me Nekomata, meow—"
Nicole yawned again. "Nekomiya? Who?"
Her attitude toward customer service left much to be desired.
Nekomata was immediately dissatisfied.
Just as the New Eridu Forum had said—rude, unprofessional, and completely unreliable.
But for the sake of avenging White Boss…
She swallowed her frustration and forced herself to stay polite. "I'm your new client! You must be Sam Li's boss, Mise—ahem I mean, Nicole, right?"
Crap!
She had spent too much time reading complaints about Hare's House on the New Eridu Forum last night. Too many people had called Nicole a miserly old hen.
She almost let it slip.
But luckily…
Cats have seven times the reaction speed of humans, and Nekomata took advantage of Nicole's slow response to quickly change the subject and cover her slip-up.
Hearing that she was a new client, Nicole instinctively ignored whatever Nekomata had been about to say, immediately inviting her inside. She also called for Anby, Billy, and Sam Li to join them.
Might as well get the full details of the commission—and hopefully negotiate a good price.
Sitting on the couch, Nekomata repeated the request she had made the day before.
"A few years ago, Miguel, the leader of the Red Fang Gang, stole my family's heirloom. A few days ago, I heard you took down the Red Fang Gang and killed their leader. Since you've already beaten them once, I believe you can do it again and help me retrieve my heirloom. Once the job is done, I'm willing to pay 30% of its value as compensation."
Ever since the Red Fang Gang lost its leader, they had fallen into complete disarray.
Just two days ago, a couple of their thugs had tried causing trouble at the Hare's House, but Nicole had quietly called the police. Within minutes, a patrol car from the Security Bureau arrived and had the troublemakers arrested without resistance.
A crisis resolved without lifting a finger.
The Red Fang Gang was scattered and weak—certainly much easier to deal with now.
However…
Nicole wasn't about to accept the first offer. If they were going to take the job, they might as well get a better price. So, she deliberately hesitated, pretending to be unsure.
Seeing her reluctance, Nekomata finally played her trump card.
"If 30% isn't enough, I can go up to 70%. And don't underestimate me—I can lead you there and even help deal with the Red Fang Gang members."
Nicole's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Deal."
This was shaping up to be a decent commission.
If that heirloom was as valuable as Nekomata claimed, then completing this job could wipe out all of the Hare's House's debts in one go.
After gathering their gear, the group was just about to set out when Nekomata suddenly stopped and frowned.
"Wait—why are there only three of you? Where's Sam Li?"
Anby answered seriously, "Sam Li's job is to take commissions. The three of us handle completing them."
That had been the arrangement ever since Sam Li joined the Hare's House.
But!
This was not what Nekomata had planned at all.
She wanted to take down all of the so-called "villains" at Hare's House in one fell swoop—to avenge White Boss and rid New Eridu of this so-called criminal syndicate.
She quickly argued, "This might seem like a simple lost item retrieval, but the Red Fang Gang's warehouse is a total mess. Finding a tiny heirloom in all that junk won't be easy. The more hands we have, the better. Let Sam Li come along too—please, this heirloom is really important."
Nicole immediately refused. "No way."
Nekomata sighed in frustration and spread her hands. "Alright, name your price."
Nicole turned to Sam Li, gazing at him with exaggerated affection.
"As everyone knows, Sam Li is my most treasured subordinate—the ace of the Hare's House. He normally doesn't get involved unless…"
"Unless what?"
"Unless you're willing to pay more Dennies."