New Eridu City Center, inside Motor City.
Soldier 11 gripped the steering wheel tightly, slammed the gas pedal to the floor, and tore out of Motor City in the newly purchased SUV from Hare's House.
One sharp turn—
They veered into another city center neighborhood.
Suddenly, shouts erupted from inside the SUV:
"Nicole, stop Soldier 11—she's about to crash into the building up ahead!"
"Soldier 11, this is our brand-new SUV! Slow down! If it gets wrecked, I'll have to make the Defense Force pay for it!"
"She's just an intern at Hare's House. The Defense Force won't cover a thing."
"Meow~ are you in such a rush because you're craving bluefish?"
"Nicole, look behind us! A Public Security Bureau patrol car is catching up—uh-oh, we've been spotted by a city officer..."
...
Amid the chaos, Soldier 11 glanced at the side mirror.
Sure enough, a Public Security Bureau patrol car was rapidly closing in behind them.
But her speed was high—far ahead enough that the patrol car wouldn't catch them right away.
"Should I stop?" she asked calmly.
"No way!" Anby cut in immediately. "If we get caught, Nicole's gonna be fined again!"
Just hearing the word "Dennies" snapped Nicole to attention.
They had just bought this SUV—practically drained Hare's House's entire savings. There was no spare cash left for fines.
And if they got caught, the SUV might even get impounded.
That would be a nightmare.
"Soldier 11, floor it!" Nicole shouted. "Get us out of the city center—the patrol won't keep chasing us past the zone!"
Soldier 11 gave a faint smile. "Roger that."
With that, she hit the accelerator again, pushing the SUV to its absolute limit as they sped through the downtown streets.
In raw speed, it was nearly on par with Piper's truck.
And when it came to driving, Soldier 11 was known throughout the Defense Force as a top-tier all-rounder—her skills weren't any less than Piper's.
Billy clung to the armrest for dear life. "Nicole, never let Soldier 11 drive again. Other people burn fuel—she burns lives!"
Nekomata wholeheartedly agreed. "Meow~ never again. I'm done with her driving."
Nicole nodded solemnly. "Don't worry—she's halfway through her internship already…"
In just a few more days, once her leave ended, Soldier 11 would have to return to the Defense Force.
...
While Soldier 11 was blazing through the city with everyone from Hare's House...
On a street nearby in the city center...
Lycaon, Rina, Ellen, and Corin were each holding an ice cream cone, having just wrapped up a job and on their way back to Victoria Housekeeping Co.
Suddenly—
An SUV roared past.
At the same time, a repair ticket flew out of the window, fluttering right toward Ellen.
Just as it was about to land on her ice cream, a shark tail whipped out from behind her, snatching it mid-air.
Ellen frowned, clearly annoyed.
She instinctively crumpled up the ticket and was about to toss it into the trash when Rina quickly stopped her.
"Wait—someone in that SUV looked kind of familiar…"
The vehicle had been moving too fast, even for Rina to see clearly. She could only tell it was packed with people.
Curious, she unfolded the ticket.
Her eyes widened—it was a warranty form from Hare's House General Services, with Nicole's name clearly printed on it.
So that SUV must have been the one Hare's House just bought.
And the warranty form, apparently, had been flung out by accident—likely by Billy.
Rina didn't throw it away. Instead, she smiled and said, "What a coincidence, running into them again. We'll return this next time we see them."
She folded the paper neatly and tucked it away.
They continued walking toward their headquarters when Rina suddenly had an idea.
"There's a market just ahead. Who wants to come buy groceries with me? I'll cook tonight to celebrate finishing this job."
Hearing that Rina was going to cook—
Corin nearly tripped, her electric saw clattering to the ground.
Lycaon's expression twitched. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem…"
Unlike Corin and Lycaon, Ellen's eyes lit up. "I've had enough junk food. Rina, you're finally going to cook again?"
Rina smiled softly. "Come help me shop."
Ellen nodded. "Make sure we buy a lot."
Lycaon: "…"
Corin, looking mildly horrified, quickly followed Lycaon: "…"
She wasn't about to risk eating Rina's cooking.
It could be dangerous.
...
Just after parting ways with Rina and Ellen, Lycaon's phone buzzed.
He opened it to find a file sent by their superior.
It contained data on two Bangboos: one Golden Bangboo, and one Platinum Bangboo.
Lycaon came to a sudden stop.
Behind him, Corin didn't react in time and bumped right into his back. "Ow… Sorry, Lord Lycaon, sorry!"
He remained deep in thought.
Corin peeked at his phone and asked cautiously, "Lord Lycaon, did the master issue a new order?"
Lycaon nodded slightly and put his phone away. "Let's return first. Once everyone's assembled, I'll brief them on the mission."
With that, he turned gracefully, brushed the dust from his sleeve, and continued toward Victoria Housekeeping Co.
Corin scrambled after him.
...
Meanwhile—
On a street in the Janus District, across the other side of New Eridu City.
Soldier 11's SUV screeched to a halt just as they neared the front of Hare's House.
The sudden stop jerked everyone forward. Billy lost his grip on the handrail and nearly flew out of his seat.
A moment later, he staggered out of the vehicle, bracing against the door.
"Soldier 11, that was way too fast—my head nearly came off..."
"Meow~ finally home!"
"Soldier 11, I hereby declare that for the remainder of your internship, your driving privileges are officially revoked."
Nicole had just stepped through the door of Hare's House when she turned to Sam Li.
"Oh right—check your phone. Did the Phaethon siblings message us with anything new?"