'What? What did Qingyi tell her? Why did she say it so early? Although I planned to tell Zhu Yuan about this later, it's still too soon… he thought, unease creeping into his chest.
Noticing his reaction, Zhu Yuan seemed to realize something was wrong as well.
"Is something wrong? Qingyi also said that you were trying to figure out how to tell me about this, which is why I haven't brought it up…"
"So... when was it?" Wise asked hesitantly.
"It was that day when I came to your shop."
'So it was then. But it's really unreliable of Qingyi not to tell me anything!'
"Zhu Yuan, I am truly, truly sorry! I absolutely never wanted to hide this from you!" he apologized sincerely.
"Huh…? T-Then why did you keep it a secret…?"
"As I said before, I didn't want to cause you trouble or make you sad! You're a perfect girl, and I was afraid that if you learned the truth, it would drive us apart… or even make you leave me…"
His words came straight from the heart. Zhu Yuan's body trembled involuntarily, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to say anything else.
She respected rules, laws, and order, but she wasn't a rigid dogmatist who followed them blindly.
Even so, how could she possibly accept something like this all at once?
Silence lingered for a moment until her communicator rang.
Startled, she finally seemed to regain her composure and quickly stepped aside to check the message.
"L-Let's talk about this later. We already know the location of the escort vehicles, and we need to leave immediately if we want to catch up to them. We can use Public Security's vehicle to take the express lane!"
She paused briefly before continuing.
"However, there are checkpoints everywhere right now, so it might not be possible to give an ordinary civilian a ride…"
"It's fine. I have a way!" Wise said confidently.
"This... understood. Then let's depart immediately."
After the conversation ended, the two got into the car and set off.
Once they were on the move, he activated the ability he had obtained from Corin but had never used before.
[Fully Captured Target: Corin]
[Reward Generated ⭢ Let Me Disappear in the Dark Corner (S): After activating this talent, it reduces your presence. The degree of reduction is directly proportional to your highest attribute value.]
Some time later, near Fourteenth Street, a police car with its siren blaring sped down the highway.
However, Zhu Yuan soon discovered that the prison transport vehicle's route led directly toward Bringer's speech venue.
By that point, massive crowds had already flooded the area, causing severe traffic congestion.
To arrive as quickly as possible, the two had no choice but to pass through the Hollow.
And so, they began driving a train through the Hollow. Zhu Yuan was surprised that he even knew how to operate one.
"Oh, right, Zhu Yuan. Speaking of which, aren't you quite familiar with Miyabi? Do you know why the enemy would target the Hoshimi Family?" he suddenly asked during their journey.
Zhu Yuan shook her head. She only knew about the Hoshimi Family's reputation and accomplishments.
Still, it wasn't as though there was no way to investigate further.
"I can contact the Hoshimi Family, specifically Hoshimi Miyabi's main household."
A moment later, to verify Zhu Yuan's idea, he found a safe area, stopped the train, and established a communication channel with the outside world.
However, when Zhu Yuan called, it was the Hoshimi Family's butler who answered.
The butler explained that the family patriarch was still occupied with election-related matters at a banquet hall and had not yet returned.
"Tsk, this is troublesome. Right now is the most critical period of the election, and the Hoshimi Family can't quickly contact Hoshimi Miyabi's father…"
After ending the call, Zhu Yuan looked troubled. She wanted to determine the enemy's objective and understand what they hoped to gain by targeting Miyabi.
The only solution she could think of was speaking directly with Miyabi's father, but her usual social connections only extended as far as the family itself.
She had no access to the high-society banquets held in Throne Quarter.
But the moment she mentioned "high-society banquets," a certain keyword came to mind. It was finally time to show off the legendary Proxy's connections.
Then he said, "If it's about contacting people with ties to high society, then I might have a way!"
Not long after Wise said that, a familiar figure appeared on the communication channel.
"Wise, it's been a while. I didn't expect to receive a call from you on a day like this."
"Lycaon! Thank you for taking my call! I have a very important matter that needs your help! Has Victoria Housekeeping ever provided services to the Hoshimi Family?"
After Lycaon greeted him, he immediately explained the situation. Although it was somewhat impolite, there was no time for formalities.
Once they learned that Lycaon had indeed interacted with the Hoshimi Family before, Zhu Yuan quickly explained the situation in detail.
"I understand the circumstances. It sounds like a reasonable act of justice. However... I'm afraid I cannot disclose relevant information to you. Even if you and he are friends, doing so would violate our service agreement. Confidentiality is our most fundamental obligation."
"I understand that, but...!"
Before Zhu Yuan could finish, Lycaon spoke again.
"Although I cannot fulfill your request personally, I can invite someone more suitable for this matter. Please wait. Rina? Please watch the hall for me…"
Lycaon briefly disconnected from the communication line.
A few minutes later, a new connection came through.
"Ahem, hello? Lycaon said you had an urgent matter to discuss with me?"
"That voice... could you be...?!"
Zhu Yuan sounded genuinely surprised, and the person on the other end recognized her as well.
"Oh? Is that Miss Zhu Yuan? It's been quite some time. My daughter thanks you for taking care of her earlier."
"Long time no see, Uncle Souichirou!! Sorry to bother you, but this urgent matter concerns Miyabi! We suspect someone is trying to harm her, and she may already be in danger!"
Zhu Yuan's tone turned extremely serious, but unexpectedly, Souichirou burst into laughter.
Only after realizing the gravity of the situation did he finally stop.
"Oh? So this isn't a joke? Ahem, please continue."
"Uncle Souichirou! Aren't you worried about Hoshimi Miyabi's safety?"
"Of course I'm worried. But honestly, I'm even more worried about the people trying to harm her. I'm not exaggerating when I say my daughter is incredibly strong. Extremely strong. Ridiculously strong. Stronger than 'ridiculously strong.' Even stronger than whatever comes after that! Even...!"
Souichirou's tone was filled with the absolute confidence of a father convinced his daughter was invincible.
"Oh, oh, sorry. I started bragging again. Please forgive this old habit of mine. In short, my daughter has proven through countless experiences that anyone who schemes against her never ends well. Compared to that… leaking information about the Hoshimi Family might actually be the more dangerous matter."
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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