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"I just became a full-time officer today."
Kenji spoke with a flicker of pride, but only a small one. After all, his job wasn't one where he could just sit in an office from nine to five and collect a steady paycheck. This was a high-stakes gamble, a desperate business where he put his life on the line every time he clocked in.
"Is that a combat uniform? The kind for the Hollows?"
Belle recognized Kenji's gear. Only those required to enter a Hollow at a moment's notice would wear such a specialized uniform while running errands. Kenji had mentioned his ambition to join the Public Security Bureau during his previous visits to the video store, and it seemed he had finally pulled it off.
"Yes. I was fighting for my life against Ethereals in a Companion Hollow this morning, and I somehow made it back in one piece," Kenji said in a weary, leveled tone.
To him, there was nothing to brag about. He possessed the power of a Kamen Rider; if he started gloating over defeating bottom-tier monsters, he'd have to check himself for brain damage. In Kenji's eyes, even an elite like the Durahan was just a minor hurdle; its power output was laughable compared to a Rider Kick. However, that was actually a relief—encountering a top-tier monster on his first day would have meant the city's stability was decaying faster than anyone realized.
"Amazing! As expected of our local movie buff."
Belle gave Kenji a thumbs-up, but the compliment made his eyebrow twitch. He briefly entertained the thought of giving her a friendly suplex.
"Don't call me that, you film-peddling siblings."
"Pfft, hahaha! You didn't happen to be at the Kritt Companion Hollow, did you?" Belle laughed, seemingly amused by his retort. After a moment, she asked with feigned casualness.
"How do you know that?"
"It's all over the Inter-Knot, haven't you checked? Even the Air Police dispatched armed gunships."
Belle spoke with an exaggerated flair. Kenji felt her explanation was reasonable, so he admitted to the location of his mission. Although PSB operations were technically confidential, he didn't think a pair of struggling video store owners posed much of a security threat.
"I was in the Hollow at the time; I didn't exactly have cell service to check the news," Kenji said.
"Don't look at me like that. I actually respect Security Officers like you," Belle said, nodding slightly in acknowledgment. "If you weren't holding back the Hollows, how could ordinary citizens like us live in peace?"
Kenji was actually quite touched. Although Belle was a mischievous brat most of the time, her words carried a certain weight. Just as he was beginning to feel a sense of professional satisfaction, she added:
"So, next time we get those 'restricted' films in stock, I'll have Wise save them for you."
"You actually have them?! No, wait—forget it. I'm a civil servant now; I can't knowingly break the law. Keep them and watch them yourselves."
Kenji waved his hand dismissively. Before, when he was just a guy looking for those tapes, he wasn't part of the PSB. If he had been caught, he could have played the "accidental rental" card, hired a decent lawyer, and paid a fine to make it go away. But now? If Zhu Yuan found out he was renting contraband, his career would be over before it started. How could he ever hope to share a household with her in the future if his record was stained by illegal Thierren media?
"Hey!"
Belle stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Kenji. What did he mean by "watch them yourselves"? Only the two siblings lived there; was he implying they'd watch that kind of stuff together?
"Anyway, if you ever encounter real danger in the future, come to me for help," Kenji said, his mood recovering after getting one over on her. He waved his hand, took his movies, and prepared to leave. "Security Officers are supposed to protect civilians, after all."
"Okay! From now on, we're people with a Security Officer covering us!" Belle called out, watching him walk toward the door.
Only once the bell chimed and the door closed did Belle slip over to the staircase and peek upward. A gray-haired young man stood there, clearly not resting as she had claimed.
"Confirmed. The unit that dealt with the Durahan was the Criminal Investigation Special Task Force," Belle said, nodding to her older brother.
If Kenji had heard this, he would have been stunned. The only people who knew about the Durahan's presence were the Special Task Force and the Tunnel Raiders involved in the heist. Since Belle wasn't a cop, her hidden identity was starting to leak through the cracks.
"This is difficult. If the Special Task Force is involved, our commission to find the research box will be much harder," Wise said.
They were the helpers who had navigated those survivors out of the Hollow earlier. Their mission was still active; the stolen prototype Zhu Yuan had mentioned was the primary objective for the siblings.
"Fortunately, the space within the Hollow is constantly shifting, and the target's coordinates are moving. The good news is that the Special Task Force members have already clocked out. While they're resting, let Nicole and the Cunning Hares enter the Hollow and take it down in one go," Belle said with a relaxed expression.
She didn't want to cross paths with the PSB, especially Zhu Yuan. In her mind, she assumed Zhu Yuan was the one who had pulverized that Durahan. If they went up against a woman who could kick a monster into powder, they'd be in serious trouble.
Caught up in the moment, Belle shouted their secret family slogan.
"We are the legendary Proxy, Phaethon... Mmm mmm mmm!"
"Don't shout the slogan! Walls have ears!" Wise hissed, helplessly covering his sister's mouth. Although the shop was their safe house, it was still open to the public.
"Everyone on Sixth Street knows we're Proxies, except for the people who just moved here," Belle said, prying his hand off.
Wise suddenly felt as if it wasn't just that walls had ears, but that they had eyes. He turned around toward the front door, only to see Kenji standing there, holding a video cassette box. He had returned at some unknown time, likely having forgotten something.
"Hello, legendary Proxy."
Kenji greeted them with a polite, dry smile. The brother and sister instantly turned to stone. Although they were the legendary Phaethon, the sister was, apparently, a bit of a liability.
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