It didn't take much longer for Illya to finish the rest of his drinks, and after lingering on the rooftop for a little while longer, he decided it would probably be a good idea to freshen up a bit.
After all, he couldn't just walk around smelling like an alcoholic with the entire population of Sixteenth Street in the building.
Illya quietly made his way down the stairs to his room on the thirteenth floor after shoving all the garbage he had left into large black garbage bags.
Entering his apartment, he carefully stashed the record player and headphones before carelessly tossing his shirt and pants into a clothes bin.
Illya didn't take very long in the bathroom, as the habit of taking care of his hygiene within half an hour was thoroughly ingrained in his psyche after years of the same routine.
Before long, the young void hunter was dressed in a black T-shirt and grey sweat pants, trying to decide what leftovers to clean up.
Unfortunately, though, while Illya was rifling through his fridge, the sound of knocks interrupted him during his deliberation.
Knock Knock Knock
'Huh? Did one of the families need something from me?'
Curiosity quickly replaced the mild irritation, and Illya bristled towards the door.
Opening it, the visage of a white haired girl with a large box in hand came into view.
"Delivery."
Illya gave her a friendly smile.
"I've got more than enough supplies here."
"Really?"
Illya nodded his head.
"Ok then."
Illya watched as Anby walked over to a door on his left and rapped her knuckles on the hard wooden surface with mild amusement.
"Oh, employer, you came down?"
Turning to face Nicole, Illya leaned against his doorframe.
"Yeah. I smelled like a poorly managed bar, so I decided to wash up a bit."
Illya's gaze flickered to Anby and Billy, both of whom were currently chatting with a nearby family.
"You guys do good work."
Nicole flashed him a pleasant smile.
"If it's a commission, the Cunning Hares don't cut corners."
Illya glanced at the nearly empty boxes in their hands and let out a faint chuckle.
"Well, then it seems I hired the right people for the job."
The arc playing on Nicole's lips deepened.
"If you're happy with our work, then please leave a good review of us on the interknot... We uh- need more of those."
Illya nodded, strategically choosing to ignore the last part.
"Nicole. We ran out."
Anby walked back over with Billy, two collapsed boxes in their grasp.
The leader of the Cunning Hares sighed.
"Back down the stairs we go..."
Nicole turned around to leave, but Illya stopped her.
"Wait, before you guys go, let's work out the compensation."
"Huh? But we haven't finished the job...?"
Illya shrugged.
"Meh. I trust you guys will finish up eventually."
With the promise of Dennies being waved before her very eyes, Nicole didn't dwell on it.
Illya beckoned the group inside.
"Sit tight for a bit while I get everything together. There's some soda in the fridge and a couple of snacks in the cabinet if you want... though I'd double check the expiration date on the chips if I were you."
He helped the group settle in his living room before retreating to his bedroom.
Anby helped herself to whatever was in the fridge, wisely ignoring the cabinet, while Billy and Nicole sat patiently.
A few minutes later, Illya emerged with a large beat-up briefcase in hand.
Nicole gave him an odd look as he sat across from her and brushed off some dust clinging to the surface of the case.
"I dunno what the standard rates for people like you go for nowadays, but I think this should cover it."
Illya slid the case over to Nicole and watched as she opened it, expecting to see a hint of either satisfaction or disappointment.
"HOLY SHIT-"
What he got instead was a reaction he hadn't quite predicted.
Billy and Nicole shot out of their seats with animated expressions while Anby, though far less expressive, widened her eyes in clear surprise.
Illya tilted his head in confusion.
"Is there a problem?"
"YES!"
Nicole flipped the case back around, showcasing the thick stacks of 50,000 Dennie bills packed tightly inside.
The confusion on Illya's expression remained.
"Is it not enough?"
Nicole rapidly shook her head.
"No, no, no- It's not that! This is WAY too much for the job that we just did!"
Illya glanced at the money.
"50 Million Dennies seems appropriate, no?"
This time, Billy spoke up.
"Appropriate?! 50 Million Dennies is enough to sustain multiple families for years!"
Illya nodded in agreement.
"Sounds about right."
The Cunning Hares felt genuinely baffled.
"Wait, wait, wait- so if you understand how much 50 million is-"
Illya waved his hand dismissively.
"I don't think you guys understand your own value."
He pointed at Anby.
"She's a former member of Silver Squad."
Anby jumped in surprise, unconsciously resting her hand on the pommel of her blade.
He shifted over to Billy.
"He's a relic of the ancient civilization and an outer ring champion."
Billy's eyes narrowed with seriousness.
Illya shifted once more to Nicole.
"And you're no slouch either. That Etheric weapon you're carrying around is no joke."
Illya casually laid out the secrets of the Cunning Hares.
Nicole's posture straightened as her demenour morphed to match her team members.
"How do you know all this?"
The young Void Hunter shrugged.
"I'm technically a member of the defense force, and a pretty high-ranking one at that. I met one of Anby's team members when she joined the Obol squad, and I vaguely recalled hearing of an ancient civilization battle android wearing a red running around with Calydon back in the day."
His gaze flickered to Billy.
"I wasn't too sure if Billy was the droid I was thinking of, but with the red jacket and the way he reacted, it seems like I was on the money."
Nicole looked at Illya uneasily.
"So then..."
Illya shrugged again.
"I was well aware of who you all really were when you-... busted down my door, and I was willing to pay a price befitting your status when I issued my commission."
Nicole's gaze flickered between the case full of Dennies and Illya, her expression betraying her uncertainty.
"Even still, we just handed out food!"
Illya sighed.
"I have 30 cases just like this in my closet right now. Plus, I have another thing I'd like to ask."
Nicole narrowed her eyes, ignoring the first part.
"That being?"
Scanning the group before him, Illya smiled softly.
"My boss owns a service company that frequently helps him out with a bunch of high-class requests, and since my workload has ramped up recently, I was looking to do something similar."
Illya spread his hands generously.
"My proposal is simple. I'll help you legitimize the shadier parts of your business, use my connections to help you branch out into a market that's better suited for your skill set, and I'll even pay you a couple million Dennies a month. In return, I want my requests to have absolute priority."
With the proposal being so lopsided, Nicole naturally had her suspicions.
"Is that... it?"
Illya thought for a moment.
"Most of the jobs I take are considered high-risk."
Nicole narrowed her eyes.
"High risk?"
Illya nodded.
"Currently, I'm the sole member of the Lapilli division in the defense force, a division specializing in the hunting of extremely dangerous Etheric beasts."
Illya continued.
"Most of the time, I'm called in to execute Ethereal swarms or even quell entire Hollow disasters, so depending on the job, the danger is considerable."
Genuinely skeptical, Nicole was about to reject his offer, but Anby, who had been silent this whole time, spoke up.
"You... I've heard of the Lapilli division before. If you truly are the only member, then you would be-"
Illya waved his hand dismissively.
"Not anymore. My title got stripped after I threatened the dickwads over at TOP and some government nut gargglers after they overstepped their bounds."
Anby drew in a deep breath and locked eyes with her boss.
"Then... Nicole, let me handle this."
Nicole widened her eyes.
"Anby??"
"Trust me."
A hesitant look appeared on Nicole's face, but she decided to place her trust in her team member.
Nicole nodded, and Anby returned her gaze to Illya.
"The terms that you proposed are fine, but I'd like to add a condition."
Illya nodded.
"Sure, let's hear it."
Anby drew in a deep breath.
"You have to be completely transparent about each one of your requests, and we should have the ability to reject any request that we deem too dangerous."
"Yeah, that's fine."
Illya replied almost instantly.
Anby nodded.
"Then we have no further issues."
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After finalizing the contract, the Cunning Hares walked out of Illya's room with a brand new employer and 50 million Dennies.
Understandably, a part of Nicole couldn't quite grasp what had just happened.
"Anby... What just happened?"
"I believe we were just recruited."
Nicole glared at Anby.
"It was a rhetorical question!"
She let out a sigh, her brow furrowing slightly as she replayed the events that had just happened.
"Say, Anby? What's the Lapilli division? I've never heard of it, but you seemed to know what it was."
Anby paused for a moment, her expression betraying her hesitation.
"What he said was true. It's a division of the defense force specializing in hunting Ethereals... but it's famously known for something else."
Billy raised a mechanical eyebrow.
"That being?"
Anby gently brushed her headphones.
"It was known for being the only division in the defense force to have a Void Hunter."
The other two froze.
"Well, a former Void Hunter now, I guess."
It was only then that the rest of the Cunning Hares knew who exactly they had just talked to.
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(A/N: My fault if I was a little late.
I dislocated my wrist during fencing practice again, so I had to rest for a few days.
Add this fic to your collection and comment if you're enjoying it.
Thanks for the support
See you all in the next chapter)