The purple-haired scientist picked up a handheld scanner and aimed it at the Withering One fragments.
Error messages across the board.
The elemental composition of the fragments exceeded the scanner's detection limits.
Even though the device failed to analyze anything, the scientist still logged the results and began her assessment.
"This doesn't match any known attributes."
"It could be an entirely new property… or just a mutation caused by a combination of existing ones."
For now, those were the only two possibilities.
After jotting everything down, she chuckled.
"Based on my experience, this is most likely a result of Ether interference, causing two known attributes to merge and mutate. It's happened before…"
Ten years ago, she might have believed in the discovery of a brand-new attribute.
But now, with the advancement of Hollow Theory, humanity had gradually unraveled the mysteries behind Hollows, Ether, and attribute anomalies.
The five-attribute system was already well-established.
Discovering a sixth attribute?
That was about as likely as touching the sky.
Even if this was just a mutation from mixed elements, it still held immense research value.
Hoshimi Miyabi, however, wasn't convinced.
"I'm familiar with all existing attributes, yet this one feels… completely foreign. It's as solid and unyielding as rock itself. Perhaps there truly is an attribute akin to stone."
With that, she turned and walked away with Soukaku.
The scientist smirked.
"You're the one who brought this back—aren't you curious to uncover its secrets with me?"
Miyabi shook her head. "No need. Just let me know once you have the results."
As she left, a brief flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes.
Just like the other officers had speculated, this mysterious attribute had simply been brought here from space by the meteorite.
Outside the Research Division's lab, Soukaku looked even more dejected than Miyabi.
She clutched her stomach, hunched over, barely able to carry her own weapon.
"Boss… this means we're not getting handmade ramen from Koi Noodle House tonight, huh?"
They had planned to go there after work.
But thanks to the meteorite and this mysterious attribute, they had been tied up until nightfall—missing dinner entirely.
Seeing Soukaku looking so pitiful, Miyabi let out a deep sigh.
"Let's go to Koi Noodle House."
"Huh? At this hour? The place is probably already closed..."
Hearing this, Miyabi glanced at her watch.
It was already 11 PM. At this time of night, most of the shops in the city had shut down.
"There's still time. Before heading to the Hollow today, I reserved a spot with the owner."
"YES! I knew you were the best, Boss! Let's go—right now!"
In an instant, Soukaku's energy was restored.
Her back straightened, her grip tightened around her weapon, and she sprang up from the ground.
Shouldering her greatblade, she bolted ahead.
"After all the work we did today, I'm having three bowls of ramen—no, four! If I eat enough, I won't wake up hungry tonight! Boss, hurry up! The metro to Sixth Street is coming!"
Miyabi and Soukaku boarded the midnight train, speeding through the darkened city.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye—a new day began.
The darkness of the night gradually receded, and the first rays of morning light peeked over the horizon.
The sun slowly climbed higher, casting its glow over the massive Zero Hollow, illuminating all of New Eridu.
As the sun rose over New Eridu, the streets—including the one where the Hare's House was located—gradually came to life.
"Billy, Anby—oh, and Sam Li! Get up!"
As a shrewd boss, the first thing Nicole did after waking up was make sure her employees got up, too.
Then, they'd all brush their teeth together...
Eat breakfast together...
And then head out to scam— no, find clients together...
But something felt off.
"Huh? Someone's missing. Where's Sam Li?"
Nicole looked at Anby, then at Billy—but there was no sign of Sam Li.
A bad feeling crept into her mind.
Did Sam Li wake up in the middle of the night, realize he'd been scammed, and escape over the wall?!
Everything had gone so smoothly yesterday. They had agreed that he wouldn't even take a salary.
He wouldn't have backed out this quickly… would he?
Just as Nicole was about to rush to his room to check—
"Sam Li left early this morning. He said, 'The morning is the key to the day. Whether it's walking birds, drinking tea, or listening to books, it must be done early.'"
Anby, however, was puzzled.
Carrying an empty birdcage… was that really bird-walking?
Hearing this, Nicole let out a huge sigh of relief.
"That scared me. It's so hard to find an employee who doesn't ask for a salary—I thought he'd run off."
Drinking tea? Fine. Walking a non-existent bird? Sure.
As long as it didn't interfere with work, she couldn't care less.
After finishing her morning routine, Nicole swung open the agency's front door.
The workday had begun.
A hamburger shop employee stepped inside.
"Excuse me, is this the Hare's House?"
The employee glanced around, looking left and right.
When she spotted Anby, she smiled, finally confirming she had found the right place.
Nicole, ever the confident businesswoman, greeted her with a bright smile.
"That's right! I'm Nicole, the owner of the Hare's House. Do you have a commission for us?"
The burger shop employee shook her head.
"It's not a commission."
Then, she pulled out a bill and handed it to Nicole.
"One of your employees spent 7,000 Dennies at our shop yesterday. Please settle the payment."
Nicole's eyes widened.
"Huh?! 7,000 Dennies?!"
Some new scam? A shakedown?
New Eridu was a society governed by law.
Nicole snatched the bill from the employee and scanned it carefully.
And then—she saw Anby's name.
Before she could even question it—
Anby calmly admitted.
"This is for the hamburgers I bought for Sam Li yesterday. Since our Dennies got lost in the Hollows, I used this method to record the expense."
Just like that, the Hare's House deficit had grown by another 7,000 Dennies.
"Miss Nicole, Miss Nicole~" The burger shop employee reminded her sweetly.
"7,000 Dennies. Please pay up."
Clearly, she was aware of the agency's financial struggles.
She plopped herself down on the sofa—her stance clear.
No payment, no leaving.
Nicole had no choice.
She reluctantly took out the agency's last grocery funds and scrounged through the drawer until she found a 500 Dennies coin to make up the total.
As she handed over the money, she turned to Anby with a deadpan expression.
"Anby, no more cooking the books—seriously!"
Anby remained perfectly calm.
"...Sam Li was the one who wrote it down."