Beep~ Beep~
The call cut off. Ellen turned her head and handed the phone back to Phaga. Once he took it, she lowered her head and focused on her meal, though her eyes kept drifting toward him. In a faint voice, she asked:
"Were you just about to tell Rina, 'we're fine'?"
"Mhm."
Phaga answered with a single sound, then fell silent. His fingers moved over the keyboard, entering a string of code to access the Inter-Knot.
Beneath his monocle, a line of text flickered across the screen—a message from Fairy, reporting that the earnings from [Carrot] had been transferred into the account Phaga had provided.
It had been a staged spectacle on the Inter-Knot. Hundreds of sock accounts spread enticing but dubious rumors of hidden treasures, luring greedy Hollow raiders to purchase [Carrot] in hopes of exploring the Dead End Hollow.
Whether they actually found anything valuable didn't matter. What mattered was that after splitting the profits with Phaethon, there were still seventy thousand dennies left—a windfall.
When Phaga first logged in, he had also noticed that the current price of [Carrot] in Dead End Hollow had plummeted to just one hundred dennies.
What kind of concept was that?
It was like buying a cup of coffee, paying the vendor one hundred dennies, and then the vendor adding a few more coins to buy a bullet to shoot you with.
"Hey, what's with just saying 'Mhm'? They already tried to murder us—don't treat your own life like it's worthless! Wait, my life was on the line too!"
Ellen was clearly upset. Setting down her empty lunchbox, she turned toward Phaga. The tail draped across his leg twitched restlessly, curling upward to hook his chin and force him to face her.
"We'll talk later. I still have questions... Also, wipe your mouth. There's grease."
At that, Ellen instantly adjusted the rearview mirror toward herself. Seeing a reddish-yellow smear at the corner of her lips, she hurriedly looked around the car for tissues.
But she froze when a warm hand touched the back of her head. Fingers threaded gently through her hair, guiding her face back around.
She met the vampire boy's gaze. Beneath the monocle, his pale skin held a healthy flush, his lips pressed in a slight line.
Suddenly, half her vision was obscured by white. Ellen's pupils trembled faintly as she looked into his lowered eyes, which carried a tenderness and seriousness that made her heart pound. Slowly, that gaze drifted away.
Phaga leaned back, fingers returning to the keyboard. The tissue that had just brushed her lips was now crushed in his palm.
Ellen sat dazed, absentmindedly touching her mouth where warmth lingered, staring blankly at Phaga's moving hands.
[Inter-Knot User: There?]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: Kitty-cat has arrived!]
[Inter-Knot User: Nekomata, what was Canvas Street's revenue this morning?]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: Meow! Who could calculate that so fast, meow!]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: Besides, that sort of thing should only be tallied once a month, meow!]
[Inter-Knot User: Oh, I thought the Cunning Hares might be more diligent.]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: No matter how diligent, I'm the only one here, meow! Have pity, Vampire Lord—this poor kitten can barely make ends meet!]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: We've got Nicole lying unconscious in the hospital upstairs and a busted-up robot downstairs. Even if we make money, please give us two more days, oh wealthy Vampire-sama! Otherwise, you won't have a useful kitty to watch over your business, meow!]
[Inter-Knot User: Fine. Do you at least have a rough estimate of today's foot traffic on Canvas Street?]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: Nope, not that either, meow! Weren't vampires supposed to be clever? Why do you sound like you're just making small talk?]
[Inter-Knot User: ...]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: Meow meow meow! I guessed right, meow!]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: Let me guess again—the Shark-Thiren who's always with you is right there, meow! She asked you something hard to answer, so you're stalling with me, this poor kitty!]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: Ahh, what a pitiful kitty. My internet credit's about to run out. But what can I do? The Red Fang Gang turned bad, the Cunning Hares are broke. Sigh!]
[Inter-Knot User: Are you threatening me? Careful, or next time I'll come collect in person.]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: Meow meow meow! How could that be a threat, meow!]
[Fresh Pepper Mackerel: I'm only doing the right thing. Later, Shark Girl herself will defend this poor Nekomata!]
Ding-dong!
While Phaga was still typing, Nekomata instantly logged off.
The merciful Inter-Knot chimed whenever a chat partner disconnected, sparing its users the indignity of speaking to empty air.
Thus, instead of staring at a cold screen, Phaga found his head yanked aside by a shark's tail.
Beside him, Ellen clasped her hands beneath her chest. Her eyes flickered briefly before firming again. Biting her lower lip, she fixed her gaze on Phaga and said, word by word:
"If you find out who set us up, are you planning to settle it yourself?"
Phaga shifted his eyes away. His gaze swept past the crimson streaks hidden beneath Ellen's dark hair, past the silent construction site in the rearview mirror, past the windshield, and finally fixed on a triangular patch of dust beyond the reach of the wipers.
The thick layer of grime disguised the vehicle, making it look nothing like a Victoria Housekeeping car.
But in the next moment, Ellen's hands clamped onto his face, forcing him to look straight at her.
Ellen—her eyes, red as blood-red jewels.
Unbelievably, as she held his face, the black of Phaga's irises began to fade. A streak of red welled up at the center, spreading outward like ink. His eyes, too, became blood-red gems.
And yet those gems trembled, silently reflecting the scolding of the other pair.
"Rina said you're not allowed to be mean to me, so whatever I say next—you'd better take it!!"
Under Phaga's gaze, Ellen barked what she thought was a fierce rebuke. When his expression flickered slightly, she mistook it for fear and pressed on, her voice growing louder, her face drawing closer.
"You! That's what you get for being a wandering ghost! Serves you right, serves you right, serves you right!"
"For never having friends, for burying yourself in endless part-time jobs, then hiding in dark corners to play games after work!"
"You curse your teammates in-game — but when you log out, look around you. Victoria is right here!"
"You must have pushed me into the sea ten thousand times in a past life! That's why, in this one, I drag you into Victoria!"
"Phaga Kunmutu!"
Ellen suddenly shouted, the force making Phaga's ears ring.
And yet, for some reason, he felt no urge to pull away. Instead, his heart was quietly drifting toward something he couldn't name. By the time Phaga realized it, he was already trapped.
He could only stare at Ellen in a daze, listening to her pour out her heart.
"Remember this, Phaga!"
Her crimson eyes locked on his. Her slender fingers dug into the back of his head, gripping so tightly it hurt.
"You joined Victoria the moment you stepped inside. From that day, we are family—forever family!"
By now, Ellen's forehead pressed against his. She had already removed his monocle and was holding it in her palm, her hands braced against his shoulders.
Whether from shyness or some hidden intent, her crimson hair brushed against his nose as she leaned close, her breath soft against his ear.
"We will never abandon you—just as you have never forgotten us."
And with that, Ellen tugged aside the fabric at his shoulder, bared her sharp teeth like a shark, and bit down!