Not long ago, inside the Hollow Special Operations Section 6 office...
"Hello. You must be the HIA representative scheduled to discuss cooperation matters today?"
Yanagi looked at the nervous young woman standing before her and greeted her in a professional yet approachable tone.
Caught off guard, the woman immediately straightened her posture.
"Y-Yes! I must answer loudly and clearly! State my purpose and show my cool, professional side!"
"Hmm... it seems you've said your thoughts out loud."
"Hoo—! I'm sorry!! I am her! Uh, I mean, I am me! No, wait, I mean I'm the HIA representative! Originally, another colleague was supposed to come today, but he got so excited that he couldn't sleep last night and ended up calling in sick this morning!"
The woman bowed repeatedly in a flustered panic.
In truth, she hadn't planned on embarrassing herself like this. She had rehearsed the meeting countless times in her head beforehand.
Unfortunately, the moment she found herself face-to-face with the renowned members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6, all that preparation seemed to vanish.
"Hehe, there's really no need to be nervous. We're not much different from any other Executive Division. Except..."
Yanagi was just about to reassure her further when Miyabi suddenly leaned into the conversation.
"Yanagi, can I skip the Section Chief's performance review next time? I'd like to continue my practice of consistently skipping performance reviews."
"The only results that practice has produced are complaints and deductions from your bonus, Chief. You will be attending."
Yanagi's response was calm, polite, and completely uncompromising.
Miyabi's ears immediately drooped.
At the same time, Soukaku appeared to have discovered something interesting. Holding a small box in her hands, she happily trotted over to Yanagi.
"Yanagi! What kind of food is this? The box says 'barium meal.' Is it an extra snack? Can I eat it?" she asked innocently.
"No, you can't. That's medicine. Harumasa used it as a prop when he took a photo to support his fake stomachache leave request."
"Hm?! How did you know I was faking it?! Uh, I mean... Deputy Chief, how can you make such an accusation?!"
Harumasa, who had somehow become collateral damage in the conversation, hurried over to defend himself.
Yanagi simply adjusted her glasses before delivering her explanation.
"Because your leave application from last week used a photo of this exact box. Your leave application for tonight uses the same photo. Furthermore, on behalf of the Chief, I have already rejected your request, so please remember to report for duty this evening."
Ignoring the chorus of protests behind her, whether they came from childish complaints, calm resistance, or a poorly maintained act of illness, the tall Deputy Chief and intelligence officer maintained her refined smile as she turned back toward the visitor.
The young woman from the association, however, was looking at her somewhat differently now.
The admiration she had felt earlier had changed. It was still admiration, but no longer the distant kind reserved for untouchable figures. Instead, it felt warmer and far more familiar.
She had never expected the members of Section 6 to be so... normal.
"Please don't mind them," Yanagi said with a gentle smile.
"Everyone simply has their own unique personality. Now then, shall we get down to business? What was it you wished to discuss?"
Prompted by Yanagi's question, the young woman finally remembered the reason she had come.
Straightening herself once more, she explained the purpose of her visit.
She had been sent by the association to invite the members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 to participate in a test.
The test was for HIA's newly developed next-generation VR system, and all the necessary procedures had already been completed.
Yanagi had also received a notification from the Director.
"However, I recall the notice stating that participation is voluntary and should respect everyone's personal wishes. Please allow me to ask everyone first..."
Yanagi had barely finished speaking when Miyabi's ears immediately perked up, and she blurted out the thing she cared about most.
"If I participate in this mission, can I skip the performance review? If so, I'm in."
Her unhesitating response made it clear just how badly she wanted to avoid the review.
Soukaku and Harumasa quickly agreed as well, each for their own reasons. One would get snacks, while the other could avoid being on duty.
"...You're always remarkably united when it comes to things like this."
Yanagi let out a quiet sigh before turning back to the HIA representative.
"Well, as you can see, Hollow Special Operations Section 6 is happy to participate in the simulation test. We will head to the designated location ourselves, as stated in the notification. I look forward to a pleasant cooperation."
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
So why did Yanagi feel inexplicably exhausted?
Later that day, the members of Section 6 arrived at HIA, where the young staff member greeted them enthusiastically.
After checking in with her, Yanagi went around gathering everyone who had become entangled with fans.
That included Soukaku, who was currently being fed snacks by a group of admirers.
Harumasa, who was surrounded by female fans.
And Miyabi, who stood calmly answering questions from curious visitors.
After gathering everyone, Yanagi herself was approached by a fan who was about to leave for work.
The fan politely asked for a photo, and Yanagi naturally agreed. Then a few more fans joined in, along with the siblings Wise and Belle, and everyone ended up taking a group picture together.
For such a simple photograph, it had gathered both Section 6 and Phaethon.
It was practically priceless.
Once everything was settled, Yanagi entered the HIA lobby first and found the young staff member waiting there.
"Deputy Chief Yanagi, you're back. Are all the members of Section 6 ready?"
"Yes, they'll be here shortly. There's still some time before we begin, and there are a few interesting things I'd like to ask you about. Would that be alright?"
Yanagi maintained her usual polite and professional demeanor.
The young staff member, however, looked absolutely delighted.
"O-Of course! Where would you like to start? This is my electronic health record. It contains all my physiological information. This is my Knock Knock ID. You can scan it and add me as a friend, no verification questions required. This is my—"
"Ah, wait. You've misunderstood."
Seeing the conversation rapidly heading in a strange direction, Yanagi quickly interrupted.
"I'm not interested in you personally. I'd simply like to ask a few technical questions about the test."
The young staff member froze. Then her heart seemed to shatter into pieces.
"Oh... oh, I see! I'm so sorry! I got too excited and misunderstood! A... hahaha... woo... hahaha..."
'...She's hiding her crying behind laughter? Somehow that makes it even more pitiful.'
Although Yanagi noted this, she offered little comfort.
Meanwhile, the staff member continued answering her questions one by one in an overly cheerful voice that sounded suspiciously close to breaking into tears.
Some time later, after everyone had finally said goodbye to their fans, Yanagi gathered her teammates and gave them a brief explanation of the test mode.
In simple terms, it was an extremely realistic virtual reality system.
All they needed to do was enter the simulation and engage in combat.
"Does anyone have any questions?"
After finishing her explanation, Yanagi looked around the group.
Miyabi immediately stepped forward.
"I have a question."
"I've already convinced the staff to help us submit the mission report after the test, Chief. You'll only need to greet the Director afterward."
"I have no more questions."
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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