The rge monitor in front of me glowed with overpping data streams—Bangboo POV feed.Complete map in aerial view.3D terrain render.Real-time Hollow statistics ticking and shifting like a living pulse.

  I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed behind my head.“Honestly… I didn’t expect this mission to go so smoothly.”After the past few disasters? This felt like a miracle.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Master,” Elf’s voice chimed through the earpiece, cool and cautioning. “And maybe don’t jinx it before they even leave the Hollow?”

  I pouted instinctively.“Come on, Elf. I am not a jinx.”Said with the full, unshakable confidence of someone who definitely might be a jinx.

  “Still,” Elf continued, “I have to admit—your quick thinking surprised even me. That spider’s weak point? Nailed it.”

  I grinned.“Well, I am more open-minded than most. Instead of panicking at a new enemy, I analyze. Study the body structure. Find the fws.”

  “Except when you’re using Nubia.”

  Oof. Right in the gut.

  Nubia—the over-engineered, overheating, absolutely beautiful greatsword I used for personal hunts. An elegant weapon… for someone who absolutely did not use it elegantly.

  “Hey,” I huffed. “I have full confidence in Nubia. When it’s charged, nothing can stand in its way. A strike from that thing is like being hit by a superheated bck hole wrapped in spite.”

  “Which is probably why it’s currently in the shop,” Elf deadpanned.

  I winced.Okay, maybe the third overheat phase was a bit much.

  “A-anyway! Let’s focus on the commission,” I said, quickly tabbing away from Nubia’s maintenance logs before Elf could see the overheating warnings I totally ignored.

  I gnced at the Bangboo in front of us—its little metal body bouncing slightly with each step—and then at Qingyi, who looked noticeably less rexed than before. She gripped her weapon tightly, eyes scanning the path ahead.

  I sighed.It wasn’t that TrustME! had done anything wrong, exactly. But somehow, every mission involving her left me with a mountain of paperwork, a migraine, and new stress-induced tics. She was… a magnet for complications.

  The closer we got to the exit of the Hollow, the tighter my nerves coiled. I wasn’t the only one—Qingyi’s posture had shifted into caution, her fingers tense around her staff. Behind us, the two HIA employees were audibly trembling.Meanwhile, my own two personnel bringing up the rear looked unfazed. Clearly, they hadn’t been briefed on TrustME!’s reputation....I should fix that. Maybe give them a little orientation. A survival seminar, even.

  Still, it was weirdly quiet. Too quiet.

  Then it hit me—TrustME! hadn’t said a word for the past few minutes.I almost felt… calm?

  When we finally stepped out of the Hollow, a wave of relief washed over me. Sweat clung to my back, but my shoulders dropped for the first time in what felt like hours.

  “Oh, I was muted!” TrustME!’s voice suddenly crackled through the Bangboo speaker, far too cheerful.

  I froze.Of course she was muted. Divine intervention, honestly. I muttered a silent thanks to whichever god spared us from that chaos.

  “Anyway! I’m counting this as a plus to my reputation. See you again—Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and especially you two, Ethan and Sophia~!”

  The Bangboo’s eyes flickered, returning to their neutral hue—TrustME! had disconnected. In the distance, we heard the rhythmic thump of chopper bdes growing louder. A pickup team, likely.

  There was a long pause.

  “That was… something,” Qingyi said finally, exhaling.

  “Thankfully, she forgot to unmute herself,” Ethan mumbled, still pale.

  Sophia nodded furiously. “That probably saved our lives.”

  “You’re all exaggerating,” Qingyi said, raising a brow at us.

  I gave her a look. “No, Qingyi. We’re not.”

  Seth approached from the helipad with a clipboard in hand, waving us over.“Good work out there,” he called.

  “Yeah… great,” I muttered.

  “But hey,” Qingyi added with a teasing grin, “looks like the paperwork just doubled with that new Ethereal discovery.”

  I groaned audibly.Overtime. Again.

  "That’s a wrap!" I stretched with a dramatic sigh. "Seriously, Elf—why didn’t you remind me I was muted? Do you know how insightful my commentary could’ve been on that walk to the exit?" I shot her a look of mock betrayal.

  "Ah, I must’ve forgotten," Elf replied, voice ft and way too calm.

  I squinted at her. "Uh-huh. You, an AI with perfect memory, just forgot? Yeah, sure. Totally believable." I rolled my eyes, not buying it for a second.

  "Believe what you want."

  "Whatever. I’m going out—I need food before I start gnawing on my own arm." I stood and pushed open the window to let the breeze in. The salty air hit my face as I stared out toward the sea in the distance, the sky shimmering over the waves.

  "Honestly… living independently kinda rocks."

  Elf’s avatar flickered onto the little digital projector embedded in the railing, her translucent form quietly watching the same view.

  "It does," she said. "Though… should we talk about how you cry in your sleep and have existential meltdowns every other week?"

  My face went red instantly. "Elf!" I hissed, flustered.

  "What? I'm just stating facts."

  I groaned and leaned on the windowsill. "Can you bme me? I’ve been pampered for 16 years. It’s been a year since I left home—I wanted to prove I could make it on my own. No parents. No safety nets. Just me." My voice softened. "But yeah… I miss them."

  My brother, always calm and distant. My older sister, probably still blowing things up just because she can. My dad, running her empire. And Mom… yeah, still deep into her shady side projects, probably.

  Elf stayed quiet for a moment.

  "Are you really pnning to visit them before you beat Phaeton?" she asked, and that name alone made my blood pressure spike.

  "Don’t bring them up!" I growled. "I swear they’re cheating! There’s no way they’re clearing commissions that fast. They’ve got weird powers or hacks or something—you can’t convince me otherwise!"

  "Nope," Elf said bluntly. "You’re just cursed. Pure, statistically-unfortunate, karma-fueled bad luck."

  "You’re so ruthless." I flopped back onto the couch dramatically.

  "And yet, you’re still alive—because someone has to sp you with reality now and then."

  Despite myself, I smiled. She always said stuff like that, but she meant well. She kept me grounded when my brain wanted to spiral into chaos.

  "Yeah, yeah… Alright, let's get food. I’m starving!"

  I threw on my usual outfit—not that it’s anything special. A bck and orange tracksuit, same-color cap, and my hair flowing loose down my back. Honestly, can you believe my natural hair color in this life is light blue? What are the odds? My eyes are a muted orange, and with no visible Thiren traits on my body, I pass off as a regur human just fine.

  I strapped my two bdes to my waist. Hollow spawns are unpredictable, and I’m not about to die because I got too comfy.

  "You look like a walking undry pile," Elf chirped from the camera feed on the table.

  "A decent-looking sack, thank you very much," I shot back. I had no energy for another one of her fashion critiques.

  I made my way downstairs from my apartment, heading out toward the nearby mall. Just as I neared the subway station, I saw the overly peppy face of Officer Mewmew, the NEPS mascot. Great. Here we go.

  "Hey there, kind citizen! Want to keep track of your community contributions?" the fuzzy mascot called out, voice too chipper for my taste.

  Oh right… that system still exists.

  "No," I said ftly, already trying to walk past.

  "Come on, Lumina! I’m sure you’ll be surprised by the rewards!" Mewmew tried again, doing the signature finger-point-pose thing. I resisted the urge to kick the air.

  "I don’t do things for rewards. And I’m not some struggling citizen desperate for coupons," I muttered, brushing past them without a second gnce.

  A muffled voice crackled from my chest pocket—where Elf’s projector was half-buried in a makeshift pouch I stitched in out of ziness.

  "So you really do things without expecting anything back?"

  "Yeah," I replied simply. "It’s a principle. I don’t help people just to earn points or badges."

  Elf hummed in response, thoughtful.

  "Also," I added, "I’m not exactly desperate, you know… I’ve still got pride."

  We walked in silence for a beat as the crowd buzzed around us.

  "Alright," I said, changing the subject. "Let’s find something to drink before I pass out from being morally superior."

  AnotherdaytoLive