Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

(Author Note: This story serves more as an experimental type story that I wanted to do. The original characters in this story I had intended for my original story but I had an idea and wanted to translate them into the Zenless Zone Zero world. For anyone who enjoys Raiders of the Storm, I will keep that story up and finish it when I get back to it. Just wanted to let people know that this fanfic will serve as a separate entity with different characters and a different story. Either way, I hope you enjoy this story.)

-Janus Quarter, 30th Street-

10:30pm

Night fell over the city. The sky was lit with many lights brightening the night sky with the moon that was partly covered with black/purple coated on one half of it. 

Down below the city, within a nightclub with its lights blazing loud music. Two muscular men were standing outside the door, looking intimidating. 

But deep within the building, there was an evil scheme going on within the building. A mature man in a business suit sat on the ground with both his knees tucked inward. His hands trembled as sweat poured against his skin, his eyes looking down as he was surrounded by tall muscular men carrying bats over their shoulders. 

Sitting in front of him was a lanky looking man with mohawk style hair, one part is blonde and the other half brown. He wore a purple leather jacket and black pants with holes in them. He sat with one hand over his leg as he looked down at the man with an annoyed look.

Lanky Man: Well, well, well~. Look what the cat dragged in. You come to finally pay up what you owe, dipshit?

The frightened man trembled, but gripped his pants. “W-Where is she!? Where is Molly!?”

The lanky man raised a brow with a grin. “Heh. Are you that damn worried about her?”

The frightened man bit his lips as he glared at the man in front of him. The Lanky Thug lets out a scoff before snapping his finger. 

One of the muscular men went into the back. They waited for a moment. The frightened man felt his heart pounding. 

“You know, Mr. Sharin.” The Lanky Thug spoke as he pokes at his own ear. “You lucky I’m a generous man. Otherwise your fiance would’ve been my property by now.”

Sharin bit his lips as he looked up at the man with an attempted glare. “I…I just want to make sure she’s safe…”

“Hah! Look at you, acting all big and tall.” The Lanky Thug back fell on the cushion seat of the chair. His eyes never leave Sharin. “I’m surprised that you managed to crawl back here though, let’s just hope you have the money to pay back what you owe to us.”

???: SHARIN!

The frightened business man looks up to find a woman with long brown hair, wearing a casual pink shirt with a gray coat over it and gray skirt. She was being dragged and held against her will as the muscular man forcibly grabbed her by the wrists. 

“Molly!” He attempts to get up.

However, his blood ran cold when bats and guns were pointed right at him. His eyes looked at the men that surrounded him, all ready to lay the beat down on him if he were to make a move. His eyes then look back at the Lanky thug who is the supposed one in charge as he looks back at Sharin with a smug grin. 

“Hehe, don’t even try to be a hero, bud.” He said.

“Y-You…”

“Easy, easy. Listen, I’m a reasonable business man, so I’ll give ya one more chance…” He said as he leaned in closer, folding his hand under his chin as his smugness grew. “Give me exactly 500,000 dennies and we’ll call it a day.”

“WHAT!?” Sharin yelled. “500,000! I-I was told only 5,000!” 

“It was? But you were late to pay back on that day. And the next and the next, until I had enough of waiting. You owe me a loooot of money there, buddy. If you can’t pay that much, then your fiance is going to be my future wife~.” 

Molly: NO!

Sharin trembled, his fist clenched. “Y-You…you're a crook, Maddox!!”

“Hah! Not a crook! Just someone who doesn’t like waiting on overdue payments~! You should’ve known what would happen the moment you stepped into the underworld business, pal. If you can’t pay, get lost and never come back.”

Maddox would’ve thought he would’ve left the building now, but to his surprise, Sharin didn’t bother budging. He instead stood his ground, giving Maddox an attempted death glare. With one hand over his heart, possibly trying to calm it down. 

“I…I won’t leave! Not without my fiance!” He yelled.

Muscular Guard(1): Hey, look at bean sprouts over here having a back bone.

Thin Thug: I know, looks like he is finally growing a spin~!

The thugs around him mocked and laughed at him. But Sharin stood tall, despite the sweat against his skin and the heart pounding against his chest, he was not about to back down. He glares at the one in charge who continues to make a face at him.

“I…I’m not alone!”

This silenced the room.

Maddox raised a brow. “Hold up…the hell you mean?”

“I…I managed to get help…I…THE CELESTIAL GHOST WILL TAKE YOU DOWN!” 

…………..

…………..

The silence was deafening. The only sound that was heard was the music filling the room. All the thugs around looked at him in silence. That silence was only broken by Maddox who laughed out loud.

“KEKEKEKEKE~! GET REAL YOU DELUSIONAL FUCK!” He mocked. Prompting the others to laugh with him. “So let me get this straight, you come into MY business! Cause a scene! And saying that you managed to get a hold and contacted the CELESTIAL GHOST! HAHAHAHA! THAT’S IS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING HIRLAROUS!” 

Musclar Thug: Bean Sprout here been dreaming!

Thin Thug: Wake up and come back to the real world, dumbass!

Fat Thug: Hahahaha! What a loser!

Despite the laughter, Sharin only glared at Maddox, his complete focus was only on him. Maddox took notice of his glare. He releases a grin before flinging himself off the chair. Carrying his bat as he points at Sharin.

“Get real, loser~! Everyone in New Eridu knows that the Celestial Ghost is just a myth! An urban legend! There’s no such thing! Get your heads out of the clouds and come back to the real world!”

Sharin bit his lips as he raised his fists up. Getting into a fighting stance, but the thugs could easily see that he was trembling. Maddox only laughed harder. 

“HAHAHA! THE HELL IS THIS!? YOU REALLY WANNA FIGHT ME, BEAN SPROUT!?” Maddox said.

“I…I will…for my fiance, freedom!” Sharin said.

Molly: Darling…

Maddox could only scoff as he turned the bat over his shoulders. “Haah, honestly, you lots are so annoying…it’s such a pain in the ass.”

He stomps on the ground and spins his body around. Swinging his bat as he swung the bat across Sharin face, his body fell to the ground with a violent thud. Molly screamed in horror, trying to break free from her capture. 

Sharin attempts to get up, only to be stomped on the ground by Maddox who kneels down to look at him with a slasher-like smile. “Hehehe…the ground suits you soo much. If you don’t have the money, then get lost. Final warning.”

Sharin breathes through his teeth. Frustration building inside of him. “I…will…not quit…”

Maddox leans closer, mocking him. “Oooh~? Not gonna give up, huh? Think that the Celestial Ghost will come swooping in and save you both.”

*Thwack!*

He stomps on his hand, causing Sharin to jolt in pain. “WELL, WHERE ARE THEY!? HUH!? WHERE IS THIS CELESTIAL GHOST THAT YOU CLAIM TO HAVE CONTACTED WITH! I’M WAITING!”

*Thwack!*

He stomps on his bruised hand again.

Maddox let out a laugh as he looked up in the air with a laugh. “OI! GHOST! WHERE ARE YA, YOU SO CALLED HERO OF NEW ERIDU! YOUR PEOPLE HERE ARE BEING BRUTILIZED! COME ON! I’M RIGHT HERE! COME DOWN HERE AND FACE ME! OH WAIT! YOU CAN’T! YOU KNOW WHY!? BECAUSE YOU. DON’T. EXIST!” 

*Shutter!*

All of a sudden. The lights around them went off. The music stopped playing in the background. All the thugs inside became alarmed. 

Muscular Thug: H-Hey! Who cut the power!?

Thin Thug: W-What’s going on!? Is this a prank!?

Maddox stopped his laughter as he looked around the place. He spun his body around, thoughts rushing through his head before he shot a glare at Sharin who was beneath his feet. 

“You! What’s going on here!?”

“I-I don’t know, maybe you didn’t pay for the electric bill.” He mocked.

“Tch! Cocky little-”

*Thwack!*

Before he could do anything, he found his face punched right into. Blood flew from his nose, his eyes widened in shock and confusion. He went stumbling backward before finding his footing. He grabbed his nose in frustration before looking around.

“W-What the!? Who…”

???: GAAH!

Maddox and his men turn around to find that one of the thugs and Molly are gone. 

“W-What the!?” 

Sharin: MOLLY!?

Maddox clicked his tongue as he swung his bat down at the ground with force. “OI! WHO’S MESSING WITH US, RIGHT NOW!” 

“WAAAH!”

“HEY! WHAT THE!? GAAH!” 

Maddox hears several others screaming behind him. He turns to find all of his men gone, including Sharin. He started to tremble a little as a small bead of sweat dripped against his skin. Holding his bat in front of him as he looks around.

“And only one remain~.” 

Maddox flinched at the voice. He whips his body around to find a figure standing before him. A young looking man with sparkling brown eyes. Red-eye shadow makeup for his eyelids. Medium sized puffy black hair tied in a ponytail that looked like a wild mess. He wore a blue pearl that was clipped to his ear. A metallic face mask over his mouth. A long red scarf around his neck. He wore a shaded black and blue windbreaker jacket that draped over his leg like a skirt as he wore it loose around his shoulders, revealing a black suit underneath that snugged against his tone firm chest. The bottom part was wearing dark shaded red and black parachute cargo pants that had hip windows revealing his hips. 

Maddox raised a brow with a slight tremble. “W-What in the world…”

The rather strikingly young man bows down respectfully. His voice filtered by the mask. “Hello~. You must be Maddox, correct?”

“H-Huh!? Hold up! Who the fuck are you supposed to be!”

“Excuse me, but I believe I asked the question first~,” He said before approaching him before stopping in front of him. He tilted his head with his eyes closed. “Now then, you’re Maddox, right?”

The thug was beyond confused but answered. “Y-Yeah…what’s it too ya?”

The mysterious raider before him tilted his head with his eyes closed, a satisfied chuckle escaped him. “Good. Now then, Mr. Maddox…a client told me about the trouble you caused both him and his fiance.”

“Huh? Client! The hell you…don’t tell me that tattle teller Sharin snitched on me! The hell are you supposed to be anyways? Someone going for a beauty pageant or something?”

The young man crossed his arm across his chest as he looked at him with a raised brow. “Really? You don’t know who I am? Granted I doubt anyone would know me, but you should be honored good sir~! After all, you're in the presence of an urban myth.”

Maddox raised a brow. “The hell are you…wait…that wuss Sharin said something about this…he said he got…”

He looks at the young man in front of him whose eyes were closed as if he was smiling at the criminal. 

“Y-You’re…you’re the…Celestial Ghost.”

“Correct.”

Thwack!

The Celestial Ghost kicks Maddox in the face! His body stumbled backward before regaining his footing. Wiping the blood from his nose, he charges at the Celestial Ghost dragging his bat across the ground. He jumps in the air and slams it down.

The young man simply side steps the incoming attack. Maddox swung his bat again, following a furiously and clumsy swing at the maiden. The Celestial Ghost simply dodges them with little to no effort. With his hand behind his back as he side steps, hops and slides. Practically dancing around Maddox. 

Maddox bit his teeth in frustration as he delivered one more powerful swing. The Celestial Ghost hops back for a moment before using the bat as a springboard and jumps over the thug. Performing a flip in the air before landing a few feet behind Maddox. 

The young man looks over his shoulders, giving Maddox a challenging stare. 

Celestial Ghost: You know, you could try just a little harder, yeah? 

Maddox's eyes twitched as he charged at the Ghost. The Celestial Ghost reaches towards his waist and pulls on the trigger, releasing two small stylish blades (knives) from his case. He springs off his feet and dashes towards Maddox before colliding with his bat. The two entered a stalemate as they looked into each other's eyes.

Maddox looks at the young maiden, stylish dark shaded blue blade. “You…I ain't going down that easy!”

“I wasn’t expecting you to~! Now how about providing me with a challenge, yeah?” 

The Celestial Ghost pushes him off. Maddox goes stumbling back a little before charging at the young maiden. Swinging his bat, The Celestial Ghost blocks the incoming attacks. Colliding with his dual blades, blocking them with his swings. The Celestial Ghost uses the proximity to swing his blades, pushing Maddox off of him. 

Maddox went stumbling back before using his foot to stop himself. He raised his bat high in the air and aimed to slam his bat right down onto the mysterious raider. The Celestial Ghost taps his foot against the ground, a burst of ether energy spurred from underneath before he spun on his one foot and kicked the incoming bat right of Maddox’s hand and spun in the air before it was hit against the ceiling and fell on the ground.

“You little!” Maddox gritted his teeth as he brings out a knife and attempts to stab the Celestial Ghost.

The raider spins his blade in his hands and immediately blocks the swing and forces Maddox to the side before sweeping his foot under Maddox, tripping him as he fell face first to the ground.

Maddox lifted his face from the floor, until his eyes spotted a nearby gun. He quickly crawls for it and aims it at his opponent. Not wasting time as he immediately shoots. 

The Celestial Ghost dodges before turning invisible. Maddox got up from the floor and begin to shoot everywhere frantically. Not caring about property damage (since it’s not his bar). He kept on firing until he was out. 

Maddox panicked as he looked down at his gun. “No! Nonononono!”

“Out of ammo.” 

He turns around, only to be kicked right in the face hard enough that he flies off his feet before falling on the ground unconscious.   

The Celestial Ghost stayed pose for a moment before sighing to himself. He spins his dual knives and shoves them back into his case around his waist. As the area was now clear, he walked over into the back, approached a door and opened it cautiously. He was greeted with a broom stick in his face, not flinching. His eyes look past the stick in his face and at the trembling Sharin, with Molly behind him. 

The Celestial Ghost simply claps his hand together as he closes his eyes. “Don’t worry, you're safe now~!”

“O-Oh…it’s you!” Sharin said with a blush before putting down the broom. “S-Sorry! I thought-”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” The kind hero said before kneeling down, looking at the couple with a kind smile. “I need to do some clean up here, but do you think you can do me a favor…”

Sharin blinked with a baffled expression.

A Few Minutes Later…

The double doors slammed right open. Bursting into the scene, several figures dressed in blue and white come into the scene with their guns pointed forward. 

The two officers looked around, only to look in the middle of the room, they found Maddox and all of his men tied up and were unconscious, barely awake. 

NEPS Officer #1: Huh, they’re already tied up…

NEPS Officer #2: Guess the Celestial Ghost strikes again…

NEPS Officer #1: It’s all clear! And we found the criminals!

Walking into the building, two female officers walked into the scene. A tall mature woman with black and red hair. Wearing standard NEPS uniforms. Walking alongside her was a petite young woman with green hair, causally coming into the scene. 

The mature looking woman's attention was on the group of criminals on the ground. “Are these the criminals?”

The petite green haired woman looks onward, pointing in the air as she was counting before looking at her partner. “Yup. That’s them. 10 criminals. And this man…”

She kneels down to get a better look at Maddox who was still unconscious. 

“I recognize him. He’s Maddox. He’s been on the NEPS wanted list for a while now.”

“Right then…and with them tied up here and the damage of the scene here…I could only guess that-”

“The Celestial Ghost.” The petite woman answered.

The mature woman couldn’t help but groan in annoyance before sighing. “Of course…”

“I don’t see the problem, they are helping us with the crime scene here. Look at this Zhu Yuan, they even left a note…”

Zhu Yuan looks at the note that was handed to her. She reads it:

Hello, Ms. Zhu Yuan and Qingyi,

I have already detained the criminals for you. This is Maddox and his gang who were causing trouble in town for a while now. I managed to take them down and I escorted the hostages out of harm's way. I’ll leave the rest to you and the others. Have a good day~!

• Celestial Ghost

Zhu Yuan sighs to herself with a small smile. “Honestly, they're always one step ahead of us…while I appreciate the help, they should know that capturing criminals is OUR duty.”

“True. But this does make the job easy for us.” Qingyi said. “Though it is a shame that they are on the other side of the law, otherwise we could use them on our side.”

“As doable as the idea sounds…Celestial Ghost is a vigilante, which is something against the code.” She said as she crossed her arm under her chest.

Qingyi sighs before opening one eye at Zhu Yuan. “It’s always by the book with you, is it, Zhu Yuan?”

Zhu Yuan makes a look at her partner. “Don’t start with me…come on, let’s get these guys out of here.”

As the officers were getting Maddox and the others inside the vehicles. Zhu Yuan was giving out the information of what happened. Meanwhile, Qingyi was minding her own business before looking up at the night sky, not really at anything, but pondering to herself with a small smile.

“Still out there, protecting from the shadows, aren’t you, Celestial Ghost…I wonder what type of person you are?”

-Random Play-

9:00am

“MANAGERS! MANAGERS! DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE CELESTIAL GHOST!”

It was another usual day at the small cozy shop at Random Play, being runned by two people. One was a young woman with short blue hair wearing an orange and gray jacket while wearing black shirt and skirt. The other was a male who had short gray hair and wore a light blue jacket, a shirt and pants.

Shoving the phone up in their faces was a tall cyborg with spiky white hair. Wearing a red leather jacket and black pants. His visors were wide and sparkled as he showed the two managers his phone. 

Hanging in the back were three young women.

One with white hair and a green jacket and skirt while eating her burger. Causally listening to the conversation. Sitting on an isolated bench was a young woman with pink hair tying it in twin-tails. Wearing a black jacket with a white shirt and shorts. Listening to the cyborg with an unamused look. The other was a younger looking woman with short black hair and wore a mixed red cybernetic outfit. Her defining feature was the twin tails and cat ears. She was snickering at Billy’s expression.

“Just last night, a criminal known as Maddox was detained by NEPS. They say they were the one who detained him, but if you ask me, I think it was the Celestial Ghost!”

The gray hair manager raised his hand with a nervous chuckle. “Hold on, Billy, calm down. Yes, we did hear the news. We don’t miss anything that goes on around here, you know. But don’t you think you're being a little too enthusiastic about this? Also, I’m sure NEPS were the ones who arrested him.”

“No way! I have proof it was the Celestial Ghost! Look, here’s this video that I found on this post! He said he was around the same street during that time. Check it out!” Billy said as he shoved the phone into his face.

The young man and woman next to him looks at the video provided to them. The video shows a shaky camera showing a figure running along the rooftops. Due to the lack of light source, it was hard to see what they were looking at. The only thing they could find were a bright red scarf that was flown behind the figure and a dust of ether trails behind.

The Blue haired woman couldn’t help but chuckle nervously. “Um…Billy…are you sure this video is legitimate?”

“I mean…it’s not the best video to see, but it’s something!” 

The young man looks into the comment section, many of them were as he expected:

NoodleKing: No way this video is real! 

SoukakuRiduTour: Huh? Is this fake or real then? I’m confused.

ChaoticFriedRice: Of course this is real! It has to be!

ZeroKing: Please, there’s no way that’s the Celestial Ghost. I can see them!

StarlightKnightAlwaysNo1: I think it’s real! Thank you!

The young man couldn’t help but chuckle. “I see the comment section pretty divided on this…”

“Sure it looks…amaturish, but it’s pretty hard on it’s own when it comes to capturing a footage of the Celestial Ghost…” Billy said.

“Now that I think about it, I have been hearing rumors about the Celestial Ghost. A vigilante who protects the citizens of New Eridu. Stopping criminals, saving and escorting citizens out of the hollow, they even save bangboos from what I heard.” Wise said.

The blue-haired young woman ponders for a moment. “This Celestial Ghost sounds pretty impressive. It's kind of cool that we have a vigilante right here in New Eridu~!”

“Oh please, don’t be so naive, you two,” The pink-haired woman spoke up with a roll of her eyes. “I mean, sure, this Celestial Ghost person does sound impressive. But this could be a scam, honestly.”

“HUH!? Nicole!? How could you say that! They’re obviously real! The sightings and clues are all there!” 

The pink-haired (Nicole) crossed her arms. “Billy, you're being too naive. The Celestial Ghost is obviously some loser in tights who is just looking for clouts.” 

“Of course someone like you would know that. Right, Nicole~?” The Blue haired young woman said with a teasing smile.

Nicole pouted. “I don’t scam people! Ugh, whatever, either way, Belle, Wise, don’t listen to Billy. He’s been on this for months now.”

The gray haired young man (Wise) continued. “Sure, rumors or urban legends can be not true or just be exaggerated, but who knows, maybe it can be true…”

Belle thought for a moment. “I’m curious, are there any other things on the Celestial Ghost…”

“There is actually,” The white haired young woman spoke. “There’s been people claiming that they’ve seen the Celestial Ghost not only out in the city, but also inside the hollow. However, they weren’t able to get much aside from the red scarf and a strange trail of ether…”

“Now that I think about it, I think I recall Samurai Fox saying the other day that some of the people from her workplace were trapped in the hollow.” Nicole said.

“Really!? See! The Celestial Ghost is-!”

“However, they were saved by a bangboo who led them out of the hollow. Not the Celestial Ghost.” Nicole interrupted with a smirk, leading Billy to deflate. 

“Really? A bangboo saved them…what was a bangboo doing in the hollow in the first place…” Belle asked.

“Don’t know, but no Celestial Ghost.”

“I don’t know, Billy. Both Nicole and Anby are piling this on ya. Guess your new hero isn’t real, nya~.” Nekomata teased.

Billy remains defiant as he strikes a pose. “Say what you will! I will always believe that the Celestial Ghost exists! Out there protecting the good citizens of New Eridu!”

Nicole rolls her eyes. “Whatever…are we done here? We should be meeting up with Rain.”

“Rain?” Belle asked. 

“Yeah. She said she got a commission for us…well, not her, specifically, but a friend of hers got a commission for us.”

“Is that so…and here I thought you were going to drag us into a dangerous commission that might cost us our lives…” Wise joked.

Nicole growled a little. “Don’t make it sound like I put you in danger on purpose! It’s not my fault that these so-called, ‘simple commissions’ are just high-stakes dangerous ones that put us in a life or death situation!” 

“Not only that, we’re trying to ease up on requesting your help due to our bill.” Anby pointed out bluntly.

Nicole: Anby!

Nekomata: But it’s true.

Nicole was about to say something, but her words died in her throat and slid back into her seat on the bench in defeat. 

“Relax, Nicole, we’re just messing with ya, that’s all. No need to get sensitive…” Belle said.

Nicole however was still a little peeved as she looked the other way. “No need to rub the salt in the wound.”

“Nicole,” Belle spoke up. “If you have trouble, just come to us. If you end up getting killed out there in the hollow, we’ll just feel guilty about it.”

“Aww, the managers do care about us!” Billy gushed.

Wise: You make it sound like we’re the bad guys.

Nicole sighs to herself. “Well, it’s not like it’s just you we’re trying to pay off. We have loan sharks to worry about as well…”

“Nya. Those assholes! I swear they're getting more and more aggressive as of late! We keep thinking they’ll come to our apartment and rob us!”

“You still haven’t paid your loan sharks off…” Wise asked.

Nicole didn’t answer as she looked the other way with a blush. “Ugh, don’t remind me. It’s bad enough they’re getting too impatient.”

“Nicole, you really should get that over with. Otherwise it could get worse from there.” Wise said.

“He’s not wrong, Nicole,” Anby spoke up. “Lately they have been becoming more and more persistent.”

The pink haired woman twirled a strand of her hair around with a fluster before shaking her head. “Look, we have things under control. Relax. And of course, we still got you guys as well, I haven’t forgotten. And boy I haven’t if you keep reminding me.” She muttered the last bit. 

Belle and Wise exchanged looks.

“Well, just promise us not to kill yourself over this…” Belle said.

“I won’t. I won’t. Now then,” Nicole rose up from her seat. “Billy, if you're done, we gotta go.”

“Already! But I wanted to see if I could commission them into finding the Celestial Ghost!” 

Nicole rolled her eyes. “And waste MORE of their time and money! Forget it! Besides, we don’t even have any leads on Ghosty, anyways. Let’s just go. We got a commission to take on. You think some urban legend is more important than people's lives. What would Starlight Knight say to that?”

Billy's body reacted. He struck a heroic pose. “NEVER. Alright! Let’s move out! I’ll talk to two later!” 

On that note, Billy rushes out the back. 

Nekomata: And off he goes.

Anby: Bye, Managers.

Nicole: We’ll let you know how the commission goes.

The three members followed after Billy. Leaving the two proxies inside.

“Hm…I do wonder, who is this Celestial Ghost?” Belle asked.

“Don’t tell me Billy got you into this now…” Wise said with a chuckle.

“Think about it! A vigilante who protects New Eridu! How can you not be a little excited~!” Belle said with a smile.

Wise rolled his eyes with a smile. “Okay, okay, I won’t lie, I am ‘a little’ excited. But that’s about it. Aside from him being a vigilante, are there any other things about this Celestial Ghost that he does…”

“Fairy!” 

It didn’t take long before a computerized voice spoke from Belle’s phone. 

Fairy: [I am here, Mistress Belle. While you and Master Wise were speaking with the Cunning Hare, I searched several sites about the Celestial Ghost, however unfortunately, I was not able to find anything aside from the basics. The Celestial Ghost, also known as ‘New Eridu Celestial Guardian’ is a popular vigilante who is trending on Inter-Knot. Here are some answers that many people have come up with, some say that the Celestial Ghost is a guardian god, a proxy, a hollow raider and others are saying it is a powerful intelligent construct.]

Both Wise and Belle shared a look with each other before looking at their AI friend.

“Um…did we hear that right, a guardian god?” Wise asked.

Fairy: [Affirmtive. Of course, these are just people's speculation. There is no concrete answer to who the Celestial Ghost is or what their purposes are. In other words, you are unable to go forward with your potential investigation from there.]

“Aww~! So nothing at all!” Belle complained. 

“I am curious…how does this Celestial Ghost even move around? Like, how do they stop crimes? Do they accept commissions through Inter-Knot or other usages?” Wise asked.

Fairy: [Unfortunately. I am unsure of how they achieve that. However, there is a possible speculation for that. However, I must warn you, this is only one single solution I could calculate.]

Belle became interested. “Shoot away.”

Fairy: [It is possible that the Celestial Ghost goes under a different username on the Inter-Knot and accepts commissions from there. As I said, this is the only solution I could come up with. Apologies, Master Wise and Mistress Belle.]

“Don’t be sad, Fairy. I wasn’t expecting much anyways,” Belle said with a smile before going back to her thoughts. “Ah man, maybe we should’ve accepted Billy’s commission?”

“And risk wasting our time looking for some urban legend and possibly adding more to Nicole bill, forget it, Belle.” Wise said with a chuckle.

“Oh come on, think about it, how could you not be excited about this.” Belle pouted.

“I am interested, but we don’t have a single lead to go on, so for the moment, we’re kind of stuck.”

Belle puffed her cheeks as she looked the other way. Her eyes filled with determination. “Hmph, I’ll get you next time, Celestial Ghost…”

“Why are you acting like he defeated you in a battle…”

-23rd Street-

10:05am

Billy was driving the team down the residential street. With Nicole on the passenger side. Anby and Nekomata in the backseat along with a pink haired young woman wearing a black hoodie who sat in the middle of the seat. 

“So do you know who this client is, Rain?” Nicole asked with a curious thought. 

The hoodie wearing young woman (Rain) pondered for a moment. “You can say that, yeah. I know a person who works there and he introduced her to me.” 

“Really? No wonder you know her. So um, what does she like? I think I should’ve asked this before we took this commission…” Nicole said with a sheepish smile.

“Relax, she’s a kind person. A bit eccentric, but she’s a kind person.” 

“Eccentric, huh? Are we talking about Billy's eccentric level, nya?” Nekomata teased.

“Hey! Can you not use me as an example!” 

Rain chuckled. “No, no, she’s a little more above Billy’s level.”

“Rain!” 

“Calm down, Billy.” Nicole said with a smirk. “I mean, you are your own level of eccentric anyways. So hey, Rain, what’s this commission anyways?”

“I can’t say much, but you're helping her find her missing friend.”

Anby furrowed her brow. “We’re finding a missing person?”

“Yeah, this friend went missing for a while and she’s starting to worry. She was gonna have Jin handle it, but…”

Nicole blinked at the name dropping. “Jin?”

“Oh, right. Jin, the person who introduced the client to me. She was thinking of sending him to find her, but she felt it would be better to have him paired with more people for the job.”

Billy visor went up. “Really! We’re getting a temporary partner! Sweet!” 

“You never mentioned that when you reached out to us.” Nicole stated.

“Sorry, I could go into more details, but I think it would be best if you get the word from the client.”

“Oh! Hey! Since you're here, Rain! I wanna ask you a question! It’s super important!” Billy said.

“Here we go.” Nekomata said with a snicker.

Nicole rolls her eyes as she leans on the windshield with an amused smile. Anby listened carefully to hear Rain answer Billy's question.

“So…do you like…believe in the Celestial Ghost?”

Silence in the car aside from Rain’s reaction. Something that both Anby, Nicole and Nekomata noticed. Her eyes widened and her mouth somewhat parted.

“...I’m sorry…what?”

“The Celestial Ghost! You know them, right?”

“I’ve heard of them, but…that question just came out of the left field.”

“Don’t pay too much mind to him, Rain.” Nicole said with a chuckle. “Billy has been yammering away about the Celestial Ghost all month.”

“And still won’t shut up about them, nya.” Nekomata said.

“Come on, how can you NOT be excited! An actual super hero in our very streets of New Eridu! Stopping crimes, saving people from the hollows! It’s soo awesome~!” 

Nicole leans her head to look over at Rain. “Like I said, he’s been yammering about this ALL months and still can’t let it go.”

“I can see…” 

“Boss! I’m just saying it would be cool if we have someone like that on our team!”

“Billy, don’t be so naive. Like I said, there’s no such thing as the Celestial Ghost. I’m pretty sure it’s just some random loser who dresses up in tights and acts all heroic looking for clouts. You see that a lot nowadays.”

“Then again. There were sightings of the Celestial Ghost within New Eridu and especially in Hollows. But the picture was either blurred or only managed to catch just a small glimpse of them.” Anby stated.

“Like I said, don’t go believing everything you hear or see. They're just rumors.” Nicole said.

“Nya? So you mean like that time when a bangboo tricked you thinking there was buried treasure.” Nekomata stated.

Nicole felt her cheeks go hot before clearing her throat. “L-Look! As I said before, don’t believe anything. The point is, this rumor could be a fake. Don’t listen to him, Rain. It’s just Billy being an idiot.”

Billy: I’m optimistic.

Nicole: Still an idiot!

Rain listens to their banter before looking at Nicole. A small chuckle escaped her lips. “Oh boy, just wait until I tell him…”

“Huh? You said something, Rain?” Nekomata asked as her ear twitched. 

“Nothing. Nothing. We’re almost here…this is the place….”

Billy parked the car on the curbside, the team looked amongst the place. And at a glance, it really looked like nothing special. 

It was like a cafe style home building that looked almost residential or at least a living space. Seemed cozy enough, but nothing grand or spectacular.

“A…cafe?” Nicole asked.

"Well, it's more of a bar, but it's also a cafe..."

Anby looks amongst the place. Her eyes looking amongst the sign that was handing:

Kitsune Mask Bar.

“Hmm…seems like a nice place.”

“I know it’s nothing grand or spectacular that you were imagining, but trust me, this place is actually pretty relaxing.” Rain said. “Come on, she’s waiting for us.” 

Nekomata's nose twitched a little. A pleasing and sweet smell coming from the cafe. “Hmm…something smells good. Nya~.”

“Hey, she’s right! I can smell it too! Good thing I got a sensory module on me!”

“I’m going in!” Nekomata slinks her way towards the building. 

The other three followed after her.

-Kitsune Mask Bar-

Inside the cafe was nothing spectacular, but looked like a cozy enough space. With at least one table by the window. Several cushion seats at the counter and a flight of stairs leading upward to the second floor. 

Sitting on the cushioned seats at the bar counter, was a mature looking woman. She had long ebony black hair, red eyeshadow and marks on her cheeks. She was dressed in a beautiful blue kimono that was loose on her shoulders, showing her white suit underneath. Covering her generous chest. Wrapped around her waist was a fashionable obi sash that clung to her hourglass waist. Her kimono flowed outward acting as a skirt that partially covered her legs as she wore white stockings and sandals. She was currently drinking an ice cream soda. 

Behind the counter top was another mature woman who had short black hair tied in a bun on the back of her head. Her most defining feature was her fox ears and tail.

The two were watching the news on the TV.

News Reporter: [In today's story, we got word that the notorious street gang led by Maddox have been detained. During the dead of night, NEPS officers arrived on the scene and managed to capture the criminal on the scene! Another day saved by our protectors of New Eridu!]

The New Reporter turns to Zhu Yuan who looks rather stiff. 

News Reporter: [I’m here today with the Captain of the Investigation, Zhu Yuan. Officer Zhu Yuan, is it true that you’ve been looking into these criminals for a long time now? Would you say that the city is now safe, once more?]

Zhu Yuan: [Ahem. Well, it’s hard to say at the moment for the safety of the city. But we can confirm that Maddox has been on Pubsec's wanted list for a long time now. Aside from the usual being the leader of a gang in Janus Quarter, we believe that he has connections to a widely known criminal in the Janus Quarter, Phantom Menace.]

New Reporter: [T-The…um…P-Phantom Menace…]

Zhu Yuan: [Yes. We believe that Maddox is involved with a hollow raider group known as Phantom Menace. A dangerous hollow raider gang who are still at large. While we can’t share details on how they are connected, we are still currently interrogating Maddox at the moment.]

News Reporter: [I do have to ask though, you said that NEPS were the one who arrested Maddox. But there’s been rumors going around that it was in fact Celestial Ghost who did it. Is this true that the Celestial Ghost was the one who detained Maddox before you…]

Zhu Yuan flinched at that. 

Zhu Yuan: [H-Huh? W-Well…]

Before she could answer. An older male figure like male wearing a standard NEPS outfit with short white and black hair comes in as he rests his hand on Zhu Yuan’s shoulders.

Elder Officer: [I got this, Zhu Yuan.]

Zhu Yuan: [Sir?]

Elder Officer: [I’m sorry to cut this short, but we’re very busy and have no time to answer questions that are based on baseless rumors on some unknown figure who we still do know even exist. Even if they are real, we still don’t have time to answer. We have work to do.]

News Reporter: [B-But, what about-!]

Elder Officer: [We gotta go. Sorry for not answering more questions.]

The officer guided Zhu Yuan back into the building as the news reporter tried to get more info but was blocked by several other officers who were gently escorting him out of the area.

Amongst the seat, the mature woman chuckled. “This Celestial Ghost is making quite the buzz, it even reached out to Pubsec, wouldn’t you say, Yokuzura~.”

The fox thiren rolled her eyes playfully. “You're the one who should know this, after all, you of all people know how he does his side job.”

The mature woman simply smiled. “Well, I can’t wrong you there. On a serious note though, I wonder when Rain will get here? She mentioned that she was going to bring some friends here for the commission.”

“I’m sure she’ll come. Just hang back a little.”

The mature woman couldn’t help but ponder with a frown. She then hears the bell hitting against the door. 

Rain: I’m here.

Yokuzura: Ah. There she is.

Just like that, she appeared through the entrance as she waved at the mature woman with a smile. “Hey Ammy, sorry I’m late.”

“Oh, that’s fine, Rain~. I’m just glad you made it back.”

Behind Rain were the Cunning Hare. Nekomata's eyes sparkled as her twin tail wagged excitedly. Billy was just as fascinated by the place as well.

“Woow! It’s even cozier inside! It’s actually like coming into a warm cozy house, nya~!” Nekomata said.

Anby and Nicole came in last, both with similar reactions.

The white haired young woman took into the place. “Hmm…it’s nice and warm.”

Rain looks over at Ammy. “Ammy. These are my friends that I was talking about. This is Nicole, Anby, Billy and Nekomata. They're known as the Cunning Hare.”

The mature woman gracefully got out of her seat and approached the four. Her smile is not fading as she looks amongst the group. She looked at Nicole who had a rather not trusting look. To Anby who held a neutral expression. To Billy who waved at her with a happy expression and Nekomata who was gazing at her with amazement.

“My, what an interesting bunch~. My name is Amaterasu. But you may call me Ammy for short…”

“Amaterasu…” Anby thought to herself.

Nicole smiled. “Hello, as you already know us, we’re the Cunning Hare! Only the best of New Eridu~!” 

Ammy lips formed into an amused smile. “Ah. The best of New Eridu, I see…then I suppose those rumors online were all fakes, then.”

Nicole flinched at that.

“Nya! Not those rumors again!” Nekomata said.

“Ahem! Ms. Ammy!” Nicole spoke up. “For your information, those rumors you’ve been hearing…well, they do speak the truth, but are not real! There’s a reason behind them! T-There’s just someone out there trying to smear our good name and-”

Ammy lets out a giggle. “Now, now, calm down, Nicole. I’m only joking.”

“H-Huh?”

“Rain told me about you guys. And I will admit, after I looked at the rumors, I must say I had my worries at first. But Rain vouched for you guys, so I wish to see your actions for myself before I judge you.”

“Thank you for your understanding.” Anby bowed. “Usually people would think twice before hiring us on the spot.”

“Anby!” Nicole scolded. 

“Fufu, it’s alright, you should be lucky. I judge people on their actions then hear some baseless rumors. Now then, shall we get down to business. Rain, can you tell Jin to go prepare some cakes and drinks for our guests here.” Ammy said.

“Thanks. Oh! Right, before I go, Ammy…” 

Rain gestured to her to come near her. Curious, the mature woman approached her and leaned her ear near her. Rain whispered into her ear. The others couldn’t hear what she was saying to Ammy. Nekomata tried to listen in, but couldn’t due to how low she was whispering.

Ammy expression changed to a surprised gasp. (Oh my, really now?)

(Yeah…and she doesn’t believe it.) Rain whispered.

Ammy blinked as she looked back at the Hare before chuckling. “Oh my…this day may just get interesting~. Thank you for informing me, Rain.”

Rain nodded as she made her way around the counter and headed into the back.

“The hell was that about…” Nicole thought to herself.

Ammy gestured for the Hare to follow her up the stairs. 

“Oh, by the way. Rain told us that some person named Jin was the one who introduced you to her.” Billy was brought up.

“Ah. Did she now? Well that is true. Jin did save her that time and even brought her here. I was honestly surprised at first, but then again, Jin is a kind-hearted young man. So I wouldn’t put it past me to see him do that.”

Nekomata took notice of how she speaks of Jin. “Sounds like this Jin person is a pretty nice guy…wonder what he’s like…”

The team approaches the table with Ammy sitting on one end and the others on the opposite end. “Now then. Before I begin this, did Rain mention the commission to you all.”

“Well, she only briefed us on it. But she did mention about you wanting us to find a missing person.” Nicole said.

“Ah. Yes, that is true.” She said. “You see, a dear friend of mine went missing and I haven’t seen her in a while. About 3 days now.”

“That long?” Billy asked. 

“I’m afraid so.” Ammy said as she held a worried expression. “I’m very worried about her. I would’ve got NEPS on this, but I can’t…well, exactly get them too involved with me.” Ammy said.

Nicole blinked. “Huh…hold up. You don’t have any criminal records, do you? Because-”

“Oh heavens no! I don’t have any of the sorts…well, aside from maybe one or two…buuut….” She pondered for a moment before glancing at the Hare who were baffled on what she was leading on. A smile crossed her lips. “Perhaps…it would be very rewarding to see your guys' reaction.” 

Nicole raised a brow. “What’s with this woman…”/ “Well, either way, who are we looking for?”

Ammy takes a photo out of her sleeves and slides it towards them on the table. Nicole takes it and looks at the photo. Showing a mature woman with wavy black hair tied in a pony tail wearing a lab coat of sorts. 

“Her name is Kaguya. But I call her Kaggy for short. She’s gone missing for a while now and I don’t know where she is. The other day she sent me several images of where she was taken though, but I couldn’t pin point on where they were exactly. Looks like somewhere downtown. At first I didn’t thought of it as much and thought she went sightseeing…”

“But after she didn’t come back, you started to suspect that she was kidnapped.” Anby said.

“Yes.”

“Do you have those photos?” Nicole asked.

Ammy brought her phone and showed the team four images. One was a photo of what appears to be a building with a giant monitor. The next one shows a construction site. The 3rd one shows a pic of what appears to be an underground subway and the last one appears to be an abandoned area.

Anby pondered for a moment. “Seems like whoever took her, made their way downtown, then down to canvas street…”

Nicole looks closely at the images. “Smart of her taking these photos to give us some clues on where she might’ve been taken…”

Ammy sighs to herself as she holds her own forehead. “I fear that my friend may have gotten herself into trouble…please. Can you help her? I’m willing to pay you a hefty amount if you finish this commission.”

Nicole's eyes lit up. “How much we’re talking about here…”

Ammy brought out her phone and typed in the number before showing Nicole. The young woman's eyes lit up with sparkles, containing a small squeal. Realizing that she almost lost herself, she cleared her throat.

“Say no more, ma’am.” Nicole said with a confident smile. “The Cunning Hares are on the case! We’ll get your friend back.”

Ammy blinked before a soft smile graced her lips. “Thank you very much~.”

“Hey, by the way,” Billy spoke up. “You said you had someone who was going to take this case and team up with us…so who…”

“Hey Ammy! Are you still up there!” 

They hear a young man’s voice that sounds almost melodic to it.

“Ah. Right on time~! Come on up, Jin!” Ammy claps her hands.

Before anyone could answer. Bouncing on his feet up the stairs was a rather striking and stunning young man. He had puffy medium size black hair that was tied in a wild, voluminous ponytail at the end. A small fox mask on the side of his head. Wearing a blue pearl earring clipped to his ear. He wore a dark blue shaded kimono with an apron wrapped around his waist. 

Delicately he carried the tray with food and drinks on it as he rushed over to the table. 

“Oh, good! You’re all still here~! Thought you were already done!” He said with an expressive tone as he grins at the mature woman.

“You caught us right on time, dear~!” 

Nicole and the others took note of his expression, his eyes sparkled for a moment before spinning on his feet to put the tray down and serve them their order. The team were presented with strawberry cakes and warm honey milk. 

Nekomata's eyes sparkled at her cake, her nose twitching at the warm honey milk served. A sweet aroma with a mix of vanilla and cinnamon mixed into the drink. 

“Oh wow! This cake looks so good to eat!” Billy said.

“Hey wait a minute! Billy! You can’t even eat!” Nekomata said.

“No. But I can still look at it!”

Anby took her fork and bit into the cake. She was immediately melted away by the flavor. “It’s good.”

“You like it~? Thanks! I think I approve of myself with this batch much more than last time." Jin said with a proud look but just made him look adorable.

Ammy giggled. “Oh~? So they’re not burnt like the last time you attempted it~.” 

Jin pouted in her direction before looking the other way as he puffed his cheeks.

Nicole was too busy looking at the young man before them. Taking note of his rather…interesting look. The red eye shadow makeup on his eye lid, his long lashes and brown eyes that look as if they were sparkling with passion. He stood tall with his hands folded forward holding the tray close to him.  

“Wow…he’s certainly an eye catcher…can’t help but to feel a little jealous.” Nicole complimented in her thoughts.

Jin took notice of Nicole stare. Brushing his hair behind his ear revealing his pearl earring. “Is something wrong, Miss?”

Nicole flinched with a faint. “Oh! Nothing! Sorry, don’t mind me!” 

She tries to ignore the stare from the young man and focus on Ammy. “S-So…um…for that commission?”

“Ah, that's right.” Ammy looks up at Jin. “Jin, this is the Cunning Hare…”

“Cunning Hare?” Jin repeated as he looked back at the Hares. “Oh yeah, that’s right. Rain mentioned you four…”

“Good things I hope…” Nicole muttered with a slight annoyance.

“Said you guys were a really shady company who constantly goes bankrupt~.” 

And there it was. Nicole pouted with her cheeks flush faint pink as she looked the other way.

Jin chuckled with a melodic tone that rang against her ear. Looking at her with a friendly grin. “But she also said that you guys aren’t bad either. So don’t worry, I’m aware of the rumors that circulate on Inter-Knot…”

Nicole could only sigh with relief. “I should really do something about those damn rumors…” 

“Cunning Hare, this is Jin. He’s a dear friend of mine.” Ammy introduced the young man.

Jin bows in respect. “It’s nice to meet you, Cunning Hare.” 

Anby bows in return. “Hello, Jin. My name is Anby.”

“I’m Billy!”

“Nekomata!”

Nicole clears her throat. “And my name is Nicole. Leader of the Cunning Hare~.” 

Jin grins back at the group. “Nice to be in the presence of your grace, Lady Nicole~.”

Nicole couldn’t help but puff her cheeks at the young boy. She could hear Nekomata snickering behind her. “I’m sorry, you making fun of me?”

Jin smirked as he brushed his hair to his side. “Why of course not. I would never make fun of her grace while she’s in my presence.”

Nicole pouted before looking the other way, crossing her arms. “Cheeky little brat…”

“Wonderful, we’re getting acquainted with each other.” Ammy said with a bright smile.

“I’m not liking it.” Nicole thought to herself.

“Now then, Cunning Hare, Jin will be your temporary partner for this commission.”

The room grew silent. 

The Cunning Hare looked between the mature woman and Jin who stood there with a smile before going back to Ammy who was smiling at their reaction. 

“Huh? Hold up…you mean…we have to team up with…THIS GUY!?” Nicole exclaimed. 

Jin pouted a little, feeling a little offended. “Hey, hold on. Why are you making it sound like that’s a bad thing?”

Billy raised his hand in defense. “Whoa, hold on! We don’t mean it like that, buddy. It’s just that…well…you look really innocent. Too innocent actually.” 

“Exactly.” Nicole got up from her sitting position. Her hands on her hip as she looks at Jin. “No offense, pretty boy, but you don’t look remotely strong at all. We’re a serious business and we don’t take people who look like they will just get in the way.”

“H-Hey, Boss, don’t you think that’s going too far…” Billy said. 

“Nothing personal, just saying for your own safety.” 

Jin however, could only respond as his expression shifted to what looked like a ‘smug’ look but the way he made it look made him seem like a mischievous little gremlin. “Hehe, you say that, but I’m actually more capable than you think~!”

Nicole could only look at him with a baffled expression. “You wanna repeat that without looking like that…” 

“I wouldn’t underestimate him, Nicole.” Ammy said after she took a sip from her drink. “Jin here, may not look like it, but he’s actually more capable than you think, as he says it.”

Nekomata got up as she got a good look at Jin. Looking at him all around. “I don’t know, he looks like he’ll be dead in two seconds flat.”

Jin pouted at the cat thiren as he had one fist to his hip. “Come on, I’m not THAT weak. Instead of speculating on me getting eaten by ethereal, how about you test me out by bringing me with you then…”

Nicole was still not entirely convinced by this young man. He just looked way too innocent to be even remotely involved with their line of work. They might go into a hollow, can he even fight at all?

“I say we give him a chance.” 

All eyes were on Anby.

“Huh? Anby!?” Nekomata said.

“Jin is volunteering to come along with us, despite the potential danger. Plus, Ammy seems to have high faith in Jin. He may have hidden potential that you can’t see yet.” 

Nicole blushed for a moment. “I-It’s not that I can’t see it or anything! It’s just…ugh. I don’t want to put someone else in danger over this.”

“Don’t worry, Boss! Even if Jin can’t fight, we got his back!” Billy gave a thumbs up.

Ammy smiled at the two. “Thank you both. So how about it Nicole, Nekomata?”

Nekomata groans for a moment before looking at Jin who inhaled before exhaling through his nostril. Small steam coming out of his nose. “I swear, the more movement he does, it just makes him look more adorable….”

“Nyaaaa, fine. I vouch for him.”

“Ahem!” Nicole gained attention. She looks at her group with an annoyed look. “Don’t just decide without my input!” 

“Sorry Boss. So um…what do you…” Billy said.

Nicole looks back at Jin who smiled at her. She sighs to herself. “No point in crying over spilled milk…fine. You can join…”

She leans in close to him as she pointed at his nose, surprising him for a moment. “Let’s get something straight here, Pretty Boy. You volunteered on your own accord, therefore, whatever happens to you, you have no one to blame but yourself! And I don’t want to hear any sort of complaint from you either!” 

Anby leans her body as she looks directly at Jin. “In other words, glad to be working with you.”

Jin smiled brightly at the pink-haired woman before rushing towards her and clasping his hand into hers. Causing her to blush. 

“Thank you so much! You won’t regret this, Nicole!” Jin said with a beaming smile.

Nicole manages to get her hands out of his and shoves his face away. “DON’T GET YO TOO CLOSE!” 

Amaterasu blinked with a small and soft smile on her face, enjoying Jin interaction with the group. “Watch him closely, Nicole…you may be surprised who your working with~.”

-Lumina Square, Park Area-

10:45am

It was only just a few minutes after the Cunning Hare visited their client, Ammy. Despite accepting the commission, there was something else they were not expecting. 

And that something…or someone in a manner of speaking, happens to be with them at this very moment.

Jin Kanto. The young man who is an employee at Kitsune Mask Bar, was now their temporary member for this commission. 

At first he was wearing a traditional kimono outfit, but now he was wearing casual clothes. He wore a hoodie jacket that had a mixture color of dark blue and light blue with a shirt underneath and wore blue jeans. A red bandana tied to his arm. He was currently sitting on top of the monkey bars, lightly swinging his legs.

The team was having a brief meeting about their objective.

“Right then, let’s go over what's objective so far…” Nicole spoke. 

“Well, our main objective is to find the missing person, Kaguya. She went missing for at least a couple days and has not been heard from since.” Anby said.

“But what we do know is that she did send some clues on where she was. Like landmarks to point out the places she has been too.” Billy said.

“Nya! That’s right! In other words, she should’ve gotten far. We definitely know some of these landmarks.” Nekomata said.

Nicole nodded as she looked at the photos on her phone. “These photos do help, but before we even take them on. I would like to know what we’re dealing with here. Like who kidnapped her, why did they kidnap her and what do they want?”

“Nya? Nicole taking things slow, now? That’s ra-(poink) ow!” Nekomata was interrupted when she felt a flick on the forehead. “WHY!?”

“I don’t need any comments from the peanut gallery.”

Anby paused for a moment before looking at Jin. “I do have a question…for Jin I mean?”

Jin blinked curiously. “Huh? Me? Sure, what is it?”

“Do you personally know who Kaguya is…”

Jin blinked before smiling as he leaned forward. “Sure do. Kaguya is a scientist actually.”

Nicole raised a brow. “A scientist, huh? I wasn’t aware we were looking for such a big shot.”

“I wouldn’t really call her much of a big shot. She’s really a small-time scientist who likes to research on hollows and also likes to invent things as well…”

Nicole became interested. “Do you mind sharing with us what our dear friend, Kaguya makes?”

“Nope~.” Jin simply said with a smile. “Sorry, but I’m not gonna release any more info on her. Kaguya likes to keep her life private.”

“You’re making her sound like some hidden mad scientist!” Billy said with a concerned tone.

Jin chuckled. “No, no. I’m not trying to make her sound like a bad guy, she’s generally a good person…just um…don’t piss her off. Something that Ammy loves to do.”

Nicole flips her hair. “I see, a secret, right? Well, don’t worry about it. Everyone has their secrets, no further explanation needed. Anyways, back to the commission. Outside of knowing where she was possibly taken, we don’t know anything else. Like who kidnapped her and why did they kidnap her…”

“I suggest we gather information if anyone has seen her. That way it gives us a better advantage on who we’re dealing with and gives us clues on who exactly kidnapped her.” Anby said.

“Nya, looks like those detective movies are becoming more and more useful.” Nekomata said with a teasing smile.

Jin looked amongst the group as they were formulating a plan, until he raised his hand. “If you want, I know some of the spots that Kaguya usually goes to.”

The team stops as they look back at him.

“Huh? Really!?” Billy asked.

Jin grins as he sits crisscrossed as he pushes his hand between his legs. “Of course! Sometimes I go out on errands with her. Her favorite places include Dew Gardening Shop and Richard Teamilk!”

“Wow! Then this is gonna be really easier than I thought it was going to be!” Nekomata said with a smile.

Nicole couldn’t help but smirk a little. “Well now. Look at you already pulling your weight around. And here I thought you were not going to be helpful.”

Jin smirked with pride. He jumped off of the monkey bars and landed with his feet together. Beaming a playful smug at Nicole. “Mm-mm~! Not so useless to you now, am I?”

Nicole: Pretty sure you only know this because she’s your regular, plus you did help out before so it doesn’t count.

Jin couldn’t help but feel a little peeved at that. With a huff he spins on his heels. “Fine! I’m leading the way!”

“By all means, go right ahead~.” Nicole snickered. 

Jin walks up ahead with a huff, meanwhile, Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction. “This could be fun, actually…”

The team approaches their first destination. A flower shop known as:

Dew Gardening Shop.

Over by the shop tending to the flowers and plants that sat outside. A mature woman with medium dark and light green hair. She wore a light blue dress with a dark green skirt. 

“Ms. Orchidea!” 

The mature woman blinks as she looks up from the flower and spots a familiar young man in her sight. 

“Ah. I thought I heard someone familiar.” She said.

Jin's face beamed as he rushed over and threw himself at Orchidea, who happily returned the hug. “It’s good to see you too, dear.”

Nekomata leaned near Billy. (Never took him to be the sensitive type.)

Billy: (Me neither.)

Orchidea then spotted the Cunning Hare. “Oh! And hello to you four as well. Are you with Jin by any chance?”

“Y-Yeah, you two know each other?” Nicole asked as she pointed at the two.

“Of course I do. Jin usually helps around the shop. Plus, he has helped out with a few…side-gig.”

Anby raised a brow. “Hmm. So commissions then.”

“That’s right.”

Jin leans his body as he looks at Orchidea. “By the way, Ms. Orchidea? Has Kaguya been here since or like…” 

Orchidea eyes widened for a moment. “You mean, Kaguya…sadly she hasn’t. And I haven’t seen her either for a while now. Plus, I’ve been busy with some things on my end as well…”

“Ah really. Damn, guess she wasn’t here as well…” Jin said as he ruffled his hair. “Well, thanks anyways.”

“If I may ask, Jin? Did something happen?”

Before Jin could say anything, Billy beat him to it. “Kaguya has gone missing. So we were tasked to find her along with Jin here.”

“Oh…I didn’t know. Hopefully nothing bad happened to her.”

Nicole brought out her phone to show her the locations. “She sent at least 4 pictures of landmarks. We know for sure she was last seen so we’re trying to see if anyone might’ve seen her.”

“I see, sorry if I wasn’t much help. But perhaps if you keep going around and ask more, perhaps you’ll find some leads.”

“That’s the plan! Thanks for answering our question though, Ms. Orchidea!” Jin said with a beaming smile. 

“Anytime, dear. Tell Ammy I said hi.”

Jin waved back at her as the five walked off. 

“Guess, Ms. Orchidea doesn’t know. Damn it, and I was so certain too…” Jin said with a slight disappointment. 

“I didn’t even know you knew Ms. Orchidea on a personal level?” Billy asked with a slight of interest. 

“Yeah, I used to do commissions for her and helped around the shop when she needed it.”

“What type of commissions?” Anby asked.

“Hmm…just some mundane stuff, honestly…you know, like delivery and all that. Also, she’s a regular at our bar as well…” 

Nicole couldn’t help but stare at the young man. “I feel like he’s being way too secretive. He’s only giving out the bare minimum of information…” 

“What other place are we going to?” Anby asked.

“Richard Teamilk! I know the person there!” Jin beamed with excitement.

Over by the stand across the street, a young woman with short light brown hair with a mix of lime green in it. She wore a pink shirt, green apron and white skirt underneath. 

She was busy organizing the cups on the counter top. Humming to herself as she moves along to the rhythm. 

“Morning, Coco~!” 

“Gaah!” 

Coco flinched at the voice, the two cups she was carrying in her hand flung off in the air before she fumbled around and grabbed them. 

“W-Welcome to Richard Teamilk! How may I-” She stopped when she found out who it was. Jin smiled at her. “Oh! Jin! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry! Couldn’t help myself~!” 

Coco took a few several breaths before looking at Jin. “A-Anyways, are you here for some drinks or…”

“Nah, it’s fine. I had a couple before I left. But we’re here on official business. We’re trying to find Kaguya.”

Nicole brought out the picture of Kaguya and showed it to Coco. 

“O-Oh! Ms. Kaguya! Yeah, I remember, she usually comes by here and orders her favorite drinks. But lately she hasn’t been appearing as of late. Usually she would come, drink to her heart's content and usually vent out on her frustration with Ammy.” 

The Cunning Hare expressions were similar to each other. 

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Billy asked.

“Hm? You don’t know? Usually Kaguya would end up getting annoyed by Ammy constantly meddling or her ‘buddying up’ in her space. Sometimes she throws swear words in there as well. But I think you get the message.”

“Aah~. So it’s like that.” Nekomata said with a flat expression. 

Jin couldn’t help but chuckle for a moment. “Yeah, Ammy can tend to get on Kaguya’s nerves, but try not to let that fool you. They’re good friends.”

“You say that, but from the words of it, she sounds like she truly does get on her nerves.” Nicole said.

Coco pondered. “Um…I mean, sure, Ammy can be eccentric at times, but she’s really friendly. Kaguya sometimes vents out her frustration, but she never bothers to leave her. The two are really close friends…”

Jin grins at the employee before speaking. “So hey, I was wondering if you know what happened? She ended up missing for a couple of days now. You wouldn’t know what happened to her, would ya?”

Coco stopped for a moment as she pondered. “Actually, I think I do recall something…”

This caught their attention. 

All: YOU DO!?

“Eep! Y-Yeah! I do! I was…I was doing some shopping until I saw Kaguya being escorted by two people. They looked like a pair of rough groups to be honest.”

Jin perked at that. “Two men…you…wouldn’t happen to know what they looked like, right?”

“Hmm…give me a moment…ah! I recall. Both were wearing rugged clothes like a pair of hollow raider gangs. One had a somewhat mohawk haircut and the other one had a pampadour hairstyle.

Jin thought for a moment. “Zuko and Bungo…if they're involved…Phantom Menace…”

Nekomata's ear twitched. “Nya? Jin?”

“We got all we need, guys. Thank you for the help Coco!” Jin bowed.

“O-Oh. Pleasure all of mine.”

“Oh wait! Before I go…can I order a drink!”

Nicole: Didn’t you just drink an ice cream soda!?

The team found themselves sitting by a giant statue. Nicole and the others were sitting around by the statue as they started their discussion.

Jin spoke up after he took a sip from his drink. “Right, so we can seemingly confirm what happened…Kagauya was kidnapped. Still though, I wasn’t expecting Zuko and Bungo to be involved in this…”

“That’s right, you mentioned it before. Something about…Phantom Menace.” Nekomata said.

Jin didn’t say anything for a while before looking at the group. “You guys know who they are, right?”

“Who doesn’t know them…” Nicole said as she leaned back. “Phantom Menace are one of the few dangerous hollow raider groups within New Eridu. They even control parts of the territory both inside and outside of Hollows.” 

Jin nodded as he was done taking a sip from his drink. “Zuko and Bungo are some of Phantom Menace’s top lap dogs. They’re more of lieutenants as you want to call them.”

Nicole raised a brow. “Hold up, how do you know so much about them?” 

“I’ve done my research.” Jin simply said.

This only annoyed Nicole further. “Ugh, it’s always so secretive with you.”

“I promise I’m not hiding anything for you to worry about. You make it sound like I’m some drug lord. Anyways, we know who the target is, but the problem is we don’t know where their base of operation is at. If I recall, the Phantom Menace are always a slippery bunch. Always on the move even with NEPS on their butts.” 

Jin sighs to himself in annoyance. “In other words we don’t know more on where they’re even hiding…”

Despite the young man showing disappointment, he soon hears Nicole laughing to herself. He looks up to find Nicole with a smirk on her expression. 

“Um…Nicole?”

Nicole smirked as she raised her chest high with pride. “Mm-mm~! How lucky you must be Pretty Boy to be with me. Lucky for you, I happen to know where their base of operation is at~.”

Jin's eyes widened. “That quick!?”

Nicole smirked. “Of course. I don’t know if you know this, but I know New Eridu inside and out, not a single thing goes under my nose.”

Nekomata: You just want to show off.

Nicole clears her throat. “Based on my reliable sources, I found that their base of operation is Canvas Street. The place where we single handedly took down the Vision scandal!” 

“Nya!? That place!” 

“Oh hey, I remember that place. Brings back memories!” Billy said with a happy expression on his face.

“Guess that makes sense, having a place cut off from the city and hidden beyond the hollow, smart move on their end if they wish to avoid cops.” Anby said.

Jin blinks as he looks back at Nicole. “Where’d you got your information from?”

Nicole could only offer a smug as she pokes his nose, earning a flinch from the young man as he rubs his nose, giving Nicole a pout.

“Sorry~. But this information I don’t give out for free. Especially for temporary partners like you, Pretty Boy~.” 

Jin groans a little. “Well, if your source is right-”

“Which it is, mind you.”

“Guess our next destination is clear…”

Nicole and the others all nodded. 

Jin finishes his drink as he sprung to his leg. “Right, then let’s go.”

The team didn’t move as they just looked at the young man with…stares. Something that didn’t really sit well with Jin. He tilts his head at the team.

“Um…guys…”

“Oh! Sorry, no offense bud, but um…I think you might want to set this one out for now.” Billy said.

“Huh?”

“Come on, do I need to spell it out to you.” Nicole said as she leaned into him. “We’re going inside a hollow, in other words, dangerous and could be trouble for you.”

Jin blinks as he tilts his head as if he was a confused puppy.

“Oh for love, I’m not bringing you into the hollow!” 

“Whaat? Is that it?” Jin said with a slight disappointed look.

“Jin, I’m being serious, the hollow is a nasty place for you to end up wandering into. It’s not safe for you to just go wandering in there. I know I said I would bring you along, but I can’t help the fact that we’ll be stuck protecting you all the time.”

Nicole crossed her arms as she looked the other way.

“Plus, if something happens to you, it would end up bad for us as an agency. I can’t risk getting another bad review.” 

Jin tilts his head at the young woman. “Nicole…you’re a really nice person.”

Nicole raised a brow at him. 

“I can tell from the start. The way you didn’t trust Ammy the moment you walked into the shop worried about your team, then there was you worrying about my wellbeing. You act bossy and all, but it's really easy to pinpoint that you actually care alot.”

“WHA!?” Nicole's face flushed red. “THAT’S NOT IT! I MEAN, YEAH YOUR NOT WRONG! BUT DON’T MAKE IT SOUND LIKE THAT!” 

Anby: Mm. Jin has good intuition.

Billy: He can read the boss so easily!

Nekomata: Lucky you, Nicole, nya~.

“UUUUGGGGH! ENOUGH ALREADY!” Nicole blushes as she glares at Jin. “And you! Don’t talk to me as if you know me! Got it!” 

Jin could only smirk. “It’s not my fault that you're pretty easy to read…”

“This little…” 

“Nicole.” Anby spoke to get her attention. “Since we’re going inside the hollow, what should we use?”

“Use…oh! That’s right!” Nicole realized something. “Since we’re going inside the hollow…ugh…that would mean we have to get a carrot…”

“Nya? Not gonna bother using the good old Nicole charm on the managers?” Nekomata said.

“Don’t call it that! And using the charm on them would be something I COULD use, but we’re already treading thin ice with them, especially with our bill. I can’t add more to it…” 

“Don’t sweat it boss, we’ll just use-”

“There won't be any need for any of that.”

All eyes turned to Jin who was smiling at the group. 

“Um…don’t know if you know this, Pretty Boy. But we’re going inside the hollow. So we’re-” Nicole only stopped when Jin leaned near her face.

“Like I said. Won’t be in need of any of that. Because you're in luck, My Lady~. I know a proxy who can work for us for free.”

That perked Nicole's attention. “Free? Really?”

Jin grinned. “You bet! Meet you guys later on Canvas street!”

Jin turns to leave only to be stopped by Nicole. “Hold up! What do you mean by that? Do you actually know a proxy or are you just saying that to say some cool words!” 

Nicole was waiting for an answer, only for Jin to smile at the young woman. “Just trust me on this. Because you’re gonna be in for a surprise for this one~!” 

Jin manages to slip out of her grasp as he runs in the opposite direction. Leaving the team confused. 

“Um…does he…actually know a proxy?” Billy asked.

“He possibly just ditched us.” Nekomata bluntly said.

“...I say we wait for him on Canvas street.” 

The team looks at the silvered haired young woman. “I believe he’s telling the truth.” 

“Ugh, you're being too trusting…” Nicole said. “Well…let’s go ahead and humor him and wait for him then…hope he’s telling the truth…”

-Canvas Street, Hollow Entrance-

12:30pm

“Ugh, where is he?” Nicole said.

The team were currently parked near an alley way, down the narrow pathway was the entrance towards the hollow. Anby back was against the car door, eating a burger. Nekomata was stretched out on top of the car and Billy was inside the driver seat looking up on his phone.

Meanwhile, Nicole was pacing back and forth. Clearly stressed out. 

“Ugh…just where is that idiot!? He was supposed to meet up with us here as he promised, but it’s going past at least 45 minutes now…”

“Relax, Nicole…” Anby said between her burgers. 

“Anby! It’s been almost an hour now and he’s still not here yet!”

“Possibly must have run into a few snags along the way. Then again it should be traffic hour now. Please don’t be too concerned.”

Nicole huffs as she crosses her arm. “Really hope Ammy didn’t scam us with this. The last thing I need is for some commission to go south and WE get the short end of the stick…AGAIN!”

“Relax, Boss!” Billy said in his usual peppy tone. “Jin will be here. Remember public transportation especially during this hour can be a real pain. So chances of Jin being here late is a chance.”

“Nya…too bad we don’t have his contact info, then we could easily call him…” Nekomata brought up.

Nicole could only curse herself with frustration, she was about to call him, but after what Nekomata said, it was clear that was NOT an option for the moment. 

“You’re worried. I can tell.” Anby said with a sympathetic frown.

“...fine. I’ll admit. I am worried. Ugh, this brat! Already making unnecessary troubles for me. If he shows up, I’m gonna make him regret making me worried!” 

Anby finished her burger. “Just wait a little longer, he’ll be here.”

“NO WAY!?” 

The sound of Billy’s scream put everyone on edge. Nekomata jumped a little from her nap.

“NYA!? WHAT BILLY!?”

“There’s no way! That explains everything!”

“Billy! What’s wrong!?” Anby said as her brows furrowed.

“THE CELESTIAL GHOST CAN TURN INVISIBLE!?"

………………

………………

………………

“No wonder no one can find or catch them! The Celestial Ghost turns invisible! So if PubSec were to find him, he turns invisible…now that I think about it, invisible…ghost…NO WONDER HE’S CALLED-!”

*Bonk!*

He stopped talking the moment Nicole hit him on the head. Nicole hissed in pain a little from hitting him, but her glare didn’t falter.

“H-Hey! Boss! What was that for!?”

“For giving me a heart attack you bolts-for-brain!” 

“You know boss, you certainly warmed up towards him pretty fast…could it be that he finally won you over.” Billy thought out loud.

Nicole felt her cheeks heat up for a moment as she crossed her arms. “Don’t be stupid. He still has to prove himself as a valuable ally. If he’s just nothing but deadweight, then what’s the point of bringing him along. If anything, I’m more curious about what he meant by not bothering to buy a carrot. Even though I’m glad we wouldn’t be wasting our money on it…”

“Maybe he knows a proxy…” Nekomata said. 

“That would be the most sufficient idea…” Anby said. 

“You think someone like him knows a proxy…then again, he does know Rain…” Nicole then thought to herself for a moment. 

“Now that I think about it. He seems totally innocent and yet he seems to know more than he lets on. Why would Ammy leave us with someone like him…there’s gotta be more to it, right…” 

“Hmm…he is taking a while. I’ll see if I can call Rain and-”

*Clunk!*

They all stopped as they heard the sound of a can being kicked. They turned to find no one around them. Silence around them save for the cars in the distance and the hollow entrance. 

Anby gripped the handle of her blade. “I…could’ve sworn I heard something…” 

“Maybe it was just the wind…” Billy said.

“KYA!” 

This time they were all alarmed. They turn to see Nicole who looked completely startled. She whips around, scanning her surroundings before stomping her foot. She turns to face her friends. 

“A-Alright! Real funny Nekomata!”

“Nya?”

“Don’t you ‘nya’ me! I know it was you who poked my shoulders!”

“Nya? But it wasn’t. I was over here the entire time…” 

Nicole's lips trembled a little before facing Anby.

“It wasn’t me.”

“N-Nor me! Honest!” Billy had his hand up. 

“T-Then who-”

*Clunk!* *Clang!*

They all were startled. Looking down the alleyway where the noise was coming from. Anby narrowed her brows as she looked down. Nicole slightly approaching Anby from behind as she clenched her suitcase and Anby’s shoulders. 

Nekomata hugs the wall and pokes her head out. Billy followed suit as he got out of the car and looked down. The hallway was completely empty save for the hollow entrance up ahead. 

“Stay close…” Anby said.

“W-What? What is it?” Nicole stuttered.

Anby didn’t say as she walked down the alleyway. Billy followed after. Nicole however grabbed her own shoulders as she began to shake a little. 

“Nya? What’s wrong, Nicole~? Scared~?” Nekomata teased. 

“Ugh! Put a sock in it, Nekomata!” Nicole yelled as Nekomata snickered and followed the group.

Nicole sighs to herself as she grips her suit case, the case opened to reveal a cannon inside. Slowly following from behind. 

The alley way was too quiet. They scanned the entire area from top to bottom. Wondering what they just heard. 

“Maybe it was just some cat?” Billy said.

“Nya! Why a cat!?” Nekomata said a little offended. 

“What? I wasn’t saying that just to tick you off or something…” 

“Shh!” Anby shushed them so she could hear out for any noise. 

Meanwhile, Nicole was still behind. Slightly scared. 

“C-Calm down, Nicole. M-Maybe it was a cat…yeah. T-There’s no such thing as Ghost. Hell, for all we know it could be the Celestial Ghost…r-right? No! What am I thinking! The Celestial Ghost turning invisible! Please, they’re not even real! There’s no such-” 

Her train of thoughts stopped when she felt something, a soft touch gently lifting her hair. Causing her to make a full stop as her body froze. She trembled as she felt her heart racing fast. She looked ahead and took notice of the group who were ahead of her. 

“T-There’s no such thing as a ghost! There’s no such thing! It’s all in my imagination! All-!”

Her train of thoughts died. Her body froze when a pair of hands rose from the spot and covered her vision. She could feel the softest touch with a hint of vanilla in it. 

???: Who’s that behind you~?

“UWAAAAH!!!!!” 

Anby: NICOLE!

Anby and the others turned around to face Nicole who was currently in the arms of a young maiden like man.  The young looking man with sparkling brown eyes. Medium sized puffy black hair with a ponytail at the end that was just a bundled mess as well. He wore a blue pearl that was clipped to his ear. A metallic face mask over his mouth. A long red scarf around his neck. A shaded black and blue windbreaker like hoodie that was loose around his shoulders, revealing his porcelain like skin. A tight black suit on his torso and parachute cargo pants. 

Nicole breathed heavily with her cheeks flushed red. Looking up at the rather beautiful young man who got her wrapped in the softest of hugs. 

The young man looks down at the Cunning Hare leader as he closes his eyes. A filtered melodic chuckle from his mask.

“Heh…got you scared. Didn’t I…”

Nicole didn’t say anything as she just looked up at the young man. 

The young man looks back at the team who were still on edge. “Ah. Relax guys. It’s only me…”

“Huh? Do we…know you…wait a minute…that hair…” Billy dropped his guard for a moment. 

“Hold on…” Nekomata sniffed the air. “That sweet smell…it’s the same as Happy Fox Bar! You’re!” 

Jin chuckled as he removed his own mask. Revealing himself. Jin smiled at the group as they finally dropped their guards, completely shocked by his appearance. 

“Heh. Hey, finally noticed me~!” Jin said with a bright smile. 

“No way! Jin!? It’s really you! And not some random person!” Billy said he was excited to see Jin again. 

“Nya! Don’t scare us like that! We almost…wait? Were you the one…” Nekomata asked.

“You mean scaring you, yeah. That was me alright.” Jin said nonchalantly. 

“HUH!? HOW!?” 

Jin raises his hand and shows the team a ring he had on his hand. “I have a device that turns me invisible to my enemies of course…” 

“You can turn invisible! No way! Just like the Celestial Ghost!” Billy said. 

Anby sighs softly as she puts her sword away. “That scared me for a moment. But still…to think he was able to do that without us noticing…he seems more skilled than I thought…” 

Jin smiled. “Thanks. It really does come in handy when I’m doing work. Oh! Right, you possibly didn’t know, but I-”

“Ahem.”

Jin stops when he looks down at a blushing Nicole who was giving him a deadpan look with a hint of annoyance. 

“You wanna let go of me, now?”

“Oh! Sorry!” Jin said as he gently stood Nicole up. The woman crosses her arm while giving him the stare. Jin could  only ruffle his own hair with a smile. “Hehe…I’m sorry about that…”

“Hmph. You sure did take your sweet time getting here.” Nicole said as she scanned her surroundings, noticing how it’s only him. “And?”

“And what?”

“Where is this so-called Proxy you promised…the one you said who would work with us for free? The one who you specifically promised before running off on your own…did you lie to us?” Nicole said her tone was getting more dangerously low.

Jin quickly raised his hand. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down! I have our proxy with us right now!”

“Do I look stupid to you? All I see is one and that is you…” 

“Please Nicole, just let me show you while we’re inside the hollow. I promise you, it’s not a trap or anything, just let me show you…”

Nicole growls low before sighing. “Fine…but I got my eyes on you, Pretty Boy…”

“Thanks…” He turns around to face the end of the alleyway. “Boochi. Are you there?”

The Hare turns to find a small bangboo waddling towards them. It was painted with a beautiful shaded midnight blue color that had sparkling white stars decorated on its body. A blue pearl earring on its ear, similar to Jin’s. It wore a red bandana around its neck and had a small gun on its back.

“You have a bangboo…” Anby said.

Jin nodded with a smile. “This is Boochi.”

“Ehna-naa!/ Hello! My name is Boochi! Nice to meet you all!” Boochi said as he waved at them with a smile.

“Aww, he looks adorable~.” Nekomata said. “Is he coming with us?”

“Yeah, we’ll possibly be needing him for this commission.”

Boochi waddles forward a little before bowing and puffing his chest. “Ehnana-naa-nuh-nanaa!/ It’s nice to finally meet you guys! I will do my best to meet your guys' expectations!” 

Nicole chuckled a little. “Heh, kind of brave little one, isn’t he?”

Jin could only roll his eyes. “Try not to inflate his ego, he tends to show off a lot. And has a bit of an attitude.”

This only caused the bangboo to silently glare at Jin. “Ehnana-nee-nuh-nana-ehnana!/ Oh you’re any better! You like to show off just as much. Just now you called me to ‘gear up we’re about to show off our skill to my new friends’!” 

The team blinked as they looked at Jin who blushed a little as he looked the other way. “I don’t recall that.”

“Ehnaa-nee!/Liar, you did too!”

Nicole smirked. “Wow, he called you out, Pretty Boy~.”

Jin clears his throat. “Anyways, how about we go inside the hollow now and get this mission over with, shall we!” 

Jin was trying anything to steer the conversation away from his fumble, despite the snickering he was getting. The team then walks into the hollow.

-Inside the Hollow-

The group find themselves within some sort of pocket dimension. Despite the construction sites like buildings and streets around them, there were crystallized rock formations sprouting from the ground.

Upon entering inside the hollow, Billy was the first to point his gun in direction to make sure the close was clear. Anby had her hand on the handle of her blade. 

“No signs of ethereals or any surprise ambush.” Billy said before scanning his surroundings. “Man, can’t believe we found our way back to Canvas street after all these months…” 

“It’s like old memories when Nekomata tricked us and tried to kill us.” Anby said.

“Nya! Hey! Come on, that was ages ago, why bring up old memories all of a sudden…” Nekomata pouted at Anby. 

“But it was true though.”

Before Nekomata could lash out, Nicole patted her on the head. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. Both of you. What happened in the past is all buried under the water, right? Let’s just get this over with…”

Nicole looks over at Jin who stretched his arm out. Nicole took note of the way he is dressed. From the way his jacket loose around his shoulders showing his porcelain like shoulders. His black suit that hugs his stomach, the cargo pants and could see the hip windows through his jacket. Not only that, his red eye shadows that he wore as makeup.

“I will admit, I was a little shocked to find out that he was a hollow raider. He never struck me as one from his causal gear and yet here he is now with us in the hollow…”

Nicole even looks at the scarf that flowed in the wind. 

“Now that I think about it…didn’t the Celestial Ghost…” Nicole thought hard before a small gasp escaped her lips. “Gah! No! Nicole! What are you doing! There’s no such thing as the Celestial Ghost! And no way that this kid is anything like the Celestial Ghost. Too innocent and…way too pretty…” 

“Is something wrong?” 

Nicole noticed that Jin was looking at her with a concerned expression. Despite the mask over his mouth his eyes and body language says all.

“Ahem. Nothing, nothing. Anyways, we’re inside the hollow, so where’s our proxy?” Nicole said with a skeptical look.

Jin releases a soft chuckle. “Watch closely, My Lady~.”

Boochi could only roll his eyes with a sigh. Jin walks a little ahead of the group. Unsure of what he was doing, but stayed close to see what he was doing. 

The young man walks confidently in front as he raises his hand to his ear and taps on the pearl earring. “You’re up, Ammy~.”

A small flicker activated before a 3D hologram map appears before the team. 

Nicole and the Hares were caught off guard at first, but were immediately taken back by the sudden hologram map that appeared before them. Showing them a map of what appears to be the hollow they are in. Tall square shape buildings all over, stardust scattered about giving off a rather cosmic vibe to it.

The Hare eyes sparkled at the sight. 

Anby: A hologram map…

Billy: Whoa! This is so hi-tech!

Nekomata: Nya! This is really amazing!

Nicole scans the map, the way it is laid out in front of them, the blinking beacons, she looks up at the young man with a small gasp. 

“No way…you’re…you mean to tell me that you’re actually a…” Nicole stumbled on her words.

Jin slightly removes the mask as he gives the team a wink. “Jin Kanto, certified proxy at your service~!”

Billy visors widened with absolute glee before he literally rushed through the hologram map and leaned towards Jin. “YOU’RE A PRO-!” 

???: [Ahem. Excuse me, young man. But I believe your credit is way too overdone.]

The group hears another voice just now. But this voice sounded familiar. 

“Nya? Who was that?” Nekomata asked.

“Ehnaaa./Busted.” Boochi simply said.

Jin lets out a chuckle. “Just kidding~. Technically, I’m not a proxy. But the work is actually being done by Ammy.”

Nicole blinked. “Ammy?”

Ammy: [Yes~. It’s me!]

Jin leans a little to reveal his pearl earring. 

Ammy: [Hello again, everyone~!]

Billy's visors widened as he zips towards Jin looking at the pearl. “No way! Ammy! You’re in there!?”

Ammy: [Fufu~. Technically yes and no. You see, I’m linking myself to Jin’s earring to offer my assistance as his navigator. Or proxy as you call it~.]

Nicole had her hand to lips. “Really? Huh? Color me impressed…”

She looked towards Jin who had a beaming smile, but she crossed her arm rather peeved. 

“Certified proxy, huh? As if. You definitely had me fooled there, Pretty Boy.”

“Ehnana-nee-nana./And you say I like to show off. Like I said, look who’s talking.” Boochi said with a flat stare.

Jin couldn’t help but grin. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist it.”

Anby was looking at the map along with Nekomata (who was swiping at the hologram before her with a curious expression). Anby took note of a strange stream flow on the map. 

“This stream…is this ether energy by any chance…” Anby asked.

“Yeah. That would be it.” Jin said as he came over and observed the map with them. “My Wayfinder or Ammy, really, can detect ether energy, where it flows towards and points us towards the exit.” 

“Nya? Really, that’s pretty neat!” Nekomata said. 

“I know right! It’s like we’re in a sci-fi movie or something!” Billy said.

Ammy: [Fufu~. I will be your assistance on navigating while Jin here provides the muscles. I took the liberty of scanning the area and provided the safest route for you all. So please do be careful.]

The team looks at the map that was provided for them to see. Nicole in the meantime was looking at Jin with wonders in her eyes. 

“So not only a hollow raider…but Ammy being a proxy. In this world, that’s absolutely a perfect combo.” Nicole thought to herself. “Maybe I gave him less credit than I initially thought…” 

Jin leans close to Nicole as he brushes his hair behind his ear. Giving Nicole a smile. “So, did I impress the Queen, finally?”

Nicole felt her cheeks heat up from the proximity before clearing her throat. Looking the other way with an annoyed look. But anything to hide her face. “Hmph. I was impressed. Sure. But I wouldn’t call it too impressive.”

“I’m impressed!” Billy enthusiastically waved his hands.

“Good for you, Billy. But this isn’t about you.” Nicole said before looking at Jin with a pout. “Just because you came here dressing up fancy and bringing Ammy here as our proxy, I say you manage to get my attention. But that’s it.”

Jin grins behind his mask. “Oh yeah, well, hope you watch me closely then, My Lady.”

He taps his pearl earring as the hologram map is reduced to size and pinned in front of him. He gives Nicole a challenging smirk expression, his eyes looking directly into hers. 

“Because I’m not gonna stop until I’ve pierced right through your heart, so you're unable to take your eyes off of me~!”

Nicole felt her cheeks heat up for a moment at his words.

…….

And that’s a wrap.

Hope you all enjoy this version of my Zenless Zone Zero fanfic. So this was something I wanted to do for a while. These original characters (Jin, Ammy and the others) were actually my very own original characters that I have made for their own original story purposes. But I wanted to test out how they would translate into the Zenless Zone Zero world. So far, it’s actually a fun project, it's also a way to test out how they play and how I can use that for my own original projects. Plus, I just love the idea of having them interact with the ZZZ characters.

Initially, Jin was going to be a field proxy who dives into the hollow by himself and defends himself. But after some suggestion from a friend, I decided to have him as a hollow raider and Ammy will be the proxy who guides him. Unlike Cassidy (OC from Raiders of the Storm) who is a treasure hunter, Jin will be more of a vigilante type who protects New Eridu from the shadows. Also in contrast to Raider of the Storm, I wanted this story to be more straightforward. Something I note about my other story is that it’s kind of all over the place, so I want to be a little more simple with this one.

As I mentioned before, this story will be a completely different entity from Raiders of the Storm, so they are not connected in any way, but I do plan on Cassidy and gang to appear in this story. So be on the look out for them. XD

Also, Raiders of the Storm will stay up for those who are still interested in reading that story so it won’t be going anywhere. The next chapter is still being made but I have run into some roadblocks so it will be a while before it comes out. I just wanted to get this story out because I had an idea I had to write.

Bet you guys noticed this, call me bias however you want, but I’ve been using the Cunning Hare a lot . Well, it’s mainly because they are amongst my favorite scrappy factions of the game. Plus, their faction pretty much fits almost anywhere in the story so they're not bound to one specific thing unlike others like Section 6 or Victoria Housekeeping. 

Before I go, I just want to say that this story will be available to read on Fanfic, A03 and even Wattpad. Under the same username.

That’s all for now, hope you all enjoy this story and I will see you all next time!