The next day.
The three of them went out early to buy discs.
After all, business at their store was growing day by day, and their stock of discs was becoming insufficient.
However, the selection available on Sixth Street was limited, so they bought just one crate's worth and headed back toward the Video Store.
"Shouldn't we buy a more comprehensive variety of videotapes?"
Hoshimi Aya said somewhat quietly; she didn't like any of these tapes. They were all quite high-brow and, to put it simply, lacked character. She didn't like them.
"Exactly. Brother, it seems like these are all things you like, aren't they?"
Rin chimed in. At the same time, her small hand mischievously slipped the car keys out of Wise's pocket and, while he wasn't looking, she waved them at Hoshimi Aya.
As they were about to reach the entrance, a man in a suit was standing there—it was Shepherd, who had visited the store a few days ago.
Rin and Hoshimi Aya backed away in unison, and Wise noticed almost immediately.
"Brother, Aya and I are going elsewhere to source more tapes for the Video Store. We'll make sure to satisfy the customers' needs from all aspects."
"We'll leave the business on your end to you, Brother."
After saying that, Rin laughed and ran off, pulling Hoshimi Aya along.
...
On the sidewalk of Fourteenth Street.
Rin walked with Hoshimi Aya, though the two were mainly focused on having fun.
They looked around here and there, both holding a cup of milk tea.
Finally, as noon approached, the two remembered what they had actually come here for.
Suddenly, they both felt a wave of dizziness. When Hoshimi Aya opened her eyes again, she was in a place both familiar and strange: The Hollow!
"Rin!"
Hoshimi Aya shouted, looking around at the same time, but she saw no one.
"Roar!!!"
Suddenly, the roar of a Etherals echoed nearby.
Hoshimi Aya immediately covered her mouth; she was currently unarmed.
While she could engage in hand-to-hand combat, the difficulty of finishing them off was too high.
Simply put, they were hard to kill, so it wasn't worth it.
Moreover, she wasn't sure if it was a Giant Etherals or a High-Risk Etherals, so it was better to avoid its sharp edges for now.
Hoshimi Aya silently shifted her position, but she felt another bout of vertigo. This time, she ended up on a partially collapsed roof.
Hoshimi Aya:...
"This is so bizarre?!"
Hoshimi Aya muttered, looking at her changed location.
Eventually, she found a suitable spot on the roof and sat down.
"I wonder when Wise will find out."
Hoshimi Aya rested her chin on her hand, speaking quietly.
Wandering aimlessly inside The Hollow usually meant the end, unless one possessed great strength.
She was unarmed now; if she encountered a relatively strong one, she'd have to run. She could fight, but killing them was difficult—a thankless task.
Although this Void had just formed and the state of the Etheralss was unstable, they still had some strength—just not much.
Finally, after waiting for about half an hour, a Bangboo carrying a sword arrived at Hoshimi Aya's location.
"I finally found you, Aya."
"Is my sister not with you?"
Wise's steady voice came from within Eous, though one could sense that his connection with Eous wasn't as smooth as Rin's.
"We were separated right after entering The Hollow."
"I'm not sure where she went, but I knew you'd definitely come looking for us, so I just sat here waiting for you to bring my sword."
After saying that, Hoshimi Aya took the sword.
"Is that so?"
"It's fine, my sister should have found a safe place to hide."
"Fairy should be able to locate her signal, but it's quite unstable. It took me two tries just to find your location."
Wise pondered.
However, Wise used Eous's body to make thinking gestures, which was actually quite cute—though Hoshimi Aya was thinking of Eous.
"Wise, you lead the way, full speed ahead!"
"With me here, not a single Etherals will get near you."
As she spoke, Hoshimi Aya brandished her blade, and Nine-Tails emerged from it, floating behind her shoulder.
"Yeah, with you here, we can save a lot of time."
With that, Wise began to lead the way while Hoshimi Aya followed. Every time a Etherals appeared, Hoshimi Aya would dash ahead and dispatch it.
Meanwhile, Wise and Hoshimi Aya also encountered many people who, like them, had fallen into The Hollow; however, they still had to find Rin's location.
So, they simply marked their positions and left, planning to come back and escort them out once they found Rin. Among them were patrolling Public Security Officers.
After checking the wrong location seven or eight times, the two finally found Rin. When they did, she was protecting another panicked girl, hiding in a relatively concealed corner.
"Aya, you're finally here."
Rin wiped the sweat from her forehead as she watched the two figures—one tall and one short—walking toward her.
"Yeah, Rin, follow behind us."
"We encountered some other people earlier."
"We'll take everyone out together."
Hoshimi Aya nodded. However, because they needed to hide their identities as Proxys, Wise didn't speak, and Rin tactfully didn't speak to Eous either.
After another half-hour of walking and escorting all the rescued personnel out of The Hollow, Hoshimi Aya, Rin, and Wise left through an exit on the other side.
...
Inside the Video Store.
"I didn't expect to run into something like that. It's truly rotten luck."
Back home and sitting on the sofa, Rin complained. Such a low-probability event just had to happen to them.
"Rin, it's okay. Didn't we make it back safely?"
Hoshimi Aya massaged Rin's shoulders to comfort her. Her ether aptitude was likely quite high; after being in and out for so long, she was perfectly fine.
"Exactly. Just think of it as a one-day tour of The Hollow."
"Usually, you wouldn't get to experience it even if you wanted to, Sister."
Wise laughed, though his hands were constantly rubbing his temples.
It seemed that the prolonged connection with Eous was quite taxing; he couldn't do it as effortlessly as Rin.
"Brother, that experience was truly terrible."
"Usually, when using Eous to enter, it doesn't feel like much, but I didn't expect the personal experience to be so awful."
Rin complained while enjoying Hoshimi Aya's massage.
"True, but Sister, do you really not need to go to the hospital for a check-up?"
"Maybe it would be better to go to the hospital and get checked out."
"It would be bad if there were any lingering effects."
Wise pondered.
Rin nodded, indicating her agreement.
After resting for a while, the three of them headed to the hospital.
...
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