"Mmm, the location marked for the commission is just ahead."
Wise looked at the position displayed on the map. He was currently in his Bangboo form, being held in one of Anby's arms, which meant his back was pressed against her body.
"Okay, got it."
Anby nodded and quickened her pace. However, after moving forward for just a short while, they ran into a group of Hollow-raiders. There weren't many of them, just a few people, and their equipment didn't look very impressive. For someone with Anby's strength, dealing with them would be more than easy. Wise could have even handled them himself in his Bangboo body. But at this moment, Anby was acting a bit strange.
Even though it was possible the newcomers were hostile, Anby didn't put him down. Instead, she exuded a sense of nervousness and awkwardness. Just as he was bracing himself, one of the raiders spoke first, and his tone was not what he expected.
"You're... [Green Earmuffs]!"
Hearing this, Wise was momentarily stunned. The person's excited demeanor clearly indicated that they knew Anby. Confused, Wise turned his head to look at Anby, accidentally brushing his cheek against the swell of her chest in the process.
Anby didn't explain right away. Instead, she lowered and turned her head, as if trying to prevent the people opposite from seeing her face. "You have the wrong person. I'm not [Green Earmuffs]."
"Eh? You look kinda greenish, and you always wear headphones when you talk to people. Isn't that you?" the Hollow-raider asked, equally confused by Anby's denial. Anby, however, continued to argue.
"My headphones are black."
"Ah, now that you mention it, that seems... wait, that's not right! Who says [Green Earmuffs] has to wear green headphones?"
Uh, what kind of logic is that? Wise didn't quite understand the man's thought process, but based on the current information, he had already deduced a possibility. "If I'm not mistaken, [Green Earmuffs] must be your alias, Anby. Are you... taking on side jobs?"
Anby chose to remain silent at his question, while the Hollow-raiders on the other side looked completely shocked. "So this is a side job? I thought she was a mercenary who specialized in all sorts of high-risk Hollow requests!"
"Tsk..." Anby let out a soft 'tsk' upon hearing the Hollow-raider's words. Although the sound was quiet, Wise, being held in her arms, heard it clearly. The raiders, however, were terrified by it.
"Whoa! Did you just show some killing intent? That was killing intent, right?"
"No, you're mistaken."
Anby flatly denied it. And the Hollow-raiders were truly simple-minded; when Anby said no, they really believed her. Then, they continued to dig the hole deeper. "Is that so? Ah, I remember now! Your main job must be being the boss of that [Cunning Hares] agency, right? That's why you said you didn't want money back then, just for us to give that odd-job agency good reviews."
Hearing this, Wise was stunned again and couldn't help but feel surprised. "Good reviews for [Cunning Hares]?"
"Yeah! And posting praise for them on the Rope-Net, reporting and deleting posts when we see people slandering them... It's so much trouble!" Hearing Wise's confusion, the Hollow-raider explained enthusiastically, completely oblivious to Anby's darkening expression at his side.
"...It's friendly recommendations and maintaining a clean Rope-Net space, not farming good reviews." Anby closed her eyes slightly at this point, as if unwilling to face the current situation.
But Wise suddenly seemed to think of something, and a look of realization dawned on his face. "No wonder Nicole said the [Cunning Hares'] reputation has been improving lately. So someone has been carrying the weight behind the scenes..."
Anby chose to continue her silence, while the Hollow-raider opposite finally stated his main purpose for being here. "By the way, Ms. [Green Earmuffs], are you still taking side jobs? The Ethereal in this Hollow are pretty tough to deal with. My buddies and I almost got taken out just now..."
"Not right now. I have something else I'm working on. Besides, this is the core area of the Hollow. It's still a bit too dangerous for you guys."
"I see! No wonder there were an abnormal number of Ethereal around. So we came to the wrong place. It took a lot of effort to get in here, but our lives are more important. We'll leave right now. Anyway, Ms. Green Earmuffs, please help us out when we have new jobs in the future! Payment in money or good reviews is fine!"
The Hollow-raider shouted to Anby as he ran off with his little brothers. After the group of raiders had left, Anby lowered her head to look at Wise in her arms, and Wise looked up to meet her gaze.
"Are you going to silence me? I knew it..."
"...It's not that dramatic. Besides..." Besides, I couldn't bear to. And this isn't even your real body. Isn't the real Wise still at the video store right now? Anby thought to herself, then continued to speak. "Anyway, there's something I need to ask your help with."
"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret from Nicole. Both the side jobs and the review farming."
Anby breathed a sigh of relief at Wise's words but didn't forget to argue her point. "...It's not review farming, it's friendly recommendations. But it would be very troublesome if Nicole found out, so... please. Please let this be a [secret] just between the two of us."
"Alright, alright, I get it. But keeping a secret isn't free, you know. As for what the specific fee is, let's talk about it when you get back to the video store, Anby. For now, let's focus on the commission."
Anby was stunned for a moment by his words, then her face turned slightly red as if she had realized something. Still, she nodded and gave a soft "Mmm."
The commission from the toy store owner wasn't difficult, and Wise and Anby completed it together in no time.
The perspective then shifted back to the video store. It was now afternoon, and Anby had returned from the Hollow, bringing Eous back with her.
"Anby, you're back. Thank you for your hard work. Give Eous to me, I'll take her to charge." Belle was still busy with customers at the front counter, so it was naturally Wise who greeted Anby.
Anby then followed Wise up to Belle's room on the second floor to charge Eous. Seeing that it was now plugged in and charging, Anby looked at Wise nervously. When their eyes accidentally met, she shyly turned her face away.
"Um, about the payment for keeping the secret..."