Chapter 8: How would you react?

The story of how Zhong Yan met Anby began shortly after he first arrived in this world.

At that time, as Uchiha, he had yet to make his name known. During one mission near the outskirts of Old Eridu, he stumbled upon Anby in a Hollow.

Due to her severe lack of common sense, Anby would blindly trust anyone who approached her.

Zhong Yan, seeing the opportunity, chose to shed his Uchiha disguise and approached her as his "true" identity—Zhong Yan. They crossed paths in the Hollow by "coincidence" and quickly came to an understanding before escaping together.

Once out, knowing Anby would come to love hamburgers in the future, he took her to a shop and bought her a huge bag of them.

He thought that would be enough to fill her stomach.

It wasn't.

When she finished eating, she simply said she still wanted more.

Helpless, Zhong Yan had no choice but to dip into his own dwindling wallet and buy her another pile of hamburgers.

Keep in mind—back then, he had only just arrived in this world. His savings were meager. After feeding Anby that day, he was basically broke.

Raising an Anby, he soon realized, was far too expensive. So, following the game's original storyline, he orchestrated a casual encounter that led her to join the Cunning Hares.

But, diverging from the game, Anby had met him first. As a result, her affection and trust toward Zhong Yan were far stronger than toward Nicole.

At first, she simply viewed Nicole as the boss who inconsistently handed out her paychecks.

Later on, as time passed, she came to appreciate Nicole's charisma and began to regard her as a genuine friend—not just a boss.

Once part of the Cunning Hares, Anby and Zhong Yan developed a habit of meeting at this very street. Their conversations often stretched through entire afternoons. And every time, Zhong Yan had to bring mountains of burgers just to keep up with her appetite.

But this time was different.

Anby had specifically told him not to bring food. Thanks to their recent reward from the Hollow Investigation Association, she had a little spending power of her own now.

As for Zhong Yan's true identity as Uchiha? She had absolutely no idea.

Even though he had appeared before her last night as Uchiha, she hadn't sensed a thing.

"Yeah, I heard the Cunning Hares accepted a commission to eliminate a giant Ethereal. Sounds risky," Zhong Yan said, trying to ease her mood. "But it's good it worked out in the end."

Anby didn't respond to the comfort. She simply looked up at the sky.

Dusk had begun to fall. A bright full moon now hung overhead. Below them, voices echoed from the busy street, the lights flickering on as New Eridu entered its most vibrant hours.

"It's so weird. When Nicole decided to fight to the death, all I could think about... was you," she said quietly. "I kept wondering how you'd react if I died. Would you be sad? Would you cry? Or would you just keep living like nothing happened?"

"I hoped you'd cry and swear revenge for me... but I also worried," she added. "You'd be no match for that giant Ethereal. You'd just end up dying too."

She turned her gaze back to him, leaning in close until their faces were only inches apart.

"So, tell me—what would you have done?"

It was a loaded question—a soul-deep test.

Zhong Yan froze.

He knew where this was coming from. Anby was a huge film buff, and often blurred the lines between cinematic tropes and real life.

That's why, when she was nearly killed, her mind automatically filled in the blanks with some grand, movie-style tragedy.

He had to respond like a film character—otherwise, she'd only be disappointed.

So, Zhong Yan decided to go for it.

He reached out and gently ruffled her hair. The silky-soft sensation traveled up through his fingers and directly into his brain, leaving him a little dazed.

Anby didn't resist—she simply stared at him with serious eyes.

Before things went too far, Zhong Yan pulled his hand back.

"If you died... I'd definitely be really sad," he said, still catching his breath. "As for revenge... most people piss themselves just hearing the words 'giant Ethereal.' What would I even do? I'd just be heartbroken quietly and keep going on with life."

A realistic, almost too-real answer.

He expected disappointment—but instead, Anby nodded in satisfaction.

"That's the best outcome. With your level of strength, trying to avenge me would just get you killed too."

"I don't want anything to happen to you. Even if I'm gone, I still want you to live well. But if you cry for me in the middle of the night from time to time—that's okay."

Her words were starting to get... a little too dark.

Zhong Yan felt a chill.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. Why do you sound like you're actually not coming back? Did the Cunning Hares take another crazy-difficult commission? If so, you're not going."

He quickly cut her off before she went full dramatics. Left unchecked, she'd dive headfirst into some make-believe plot and drag him along for the ride.

Last time she did that, someone across the street was airing out laundry, and she accused them of being a secret agent eavesdropping on their conversation. She even demanded the name of their "handler."

It took Zhong Yan's money—and a lot of fast talking—to avoid a trip to the Security Bureau.

"Sorry... I guess I was rambling again," Anby said, lowering her head. "Guess I'll punish myself with two extra bags of burgers when I get home."

...Was that really a punishment?

Zhong Yan sighed. "Cunning Hares is probably going to get flooded with high-level jobs soon. Be careful. Don't overdo it. I'll talk to Nicole too."

As he spoke, he placed a hand back on her head, his tone turning gentle.

"And stop saying things like you're going to die. That's bad luck—especially for a Hollow Raider like you."

"...And also," he added after a beat, "cut back on the burgers. They're really not good for you."

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