Anby sat inside the staff room of the Video Store, pacing around nervously. The second they get out, an entire team of Public Security already surrounded them. It was a miracle they can shake them off and return to the Video Store. They hoped they can get Belle to help, but unfortunately.
"Wh-what's happening to her?" Nicole walked towards Belle who sat unconscious in front of the H.D.D, eyes flickering like static.
"I don't know..." Anby turned to Nekomiya who's barely breathing on the couch. "We..." she bit her lip. "I... you two, help Belle, I think I know how I can save Nekomiya," she grabbed Nekomiya's unconscious body and hauled her up to the second floor.
Anby kicked the door to Wise's room open, revealing the strange laboratory. She then quickly, unceremoniously, shoved Nekomiya into the Static within the TV and simply prayed to the Authors. She has no idea the consequences of doing, or if she should be doing this, but she is desperate.
Golden light started shining on the TV and a voice start singing. The pedestal beside her began to spin and from it, Nekomiya appeared, looking good as new though a bit confused. She hopped off the pedestal, eyeing Anby in confusion.
"Anby? What are you doing here?" she turned around. "Where am I?"
"We... rescued you from the hollow," Anby narrowed her eyes, finding something amiss. "Are you alright?"
Nekomiya twisted her body. "One two, one two," she muttered counting all her appendages. "I'm all good nya~" she grinned. "Whatever it is you did, I feel much better than ever," she grinned brightly. "Thanks for saving me from the Hollow! I don't know what happened, but I think I was about to be minced meat nyaa~"
Something's wrong...
"Nekomiya... what was... the last thing you remember?" Anby asked carefully.
"Hm? We're just in our base... I was playing laser sight with Billy..."
"Our base?" Anby blurted out without thinking.
Nekomiya rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, the Cunning Hares base..." she muttered. "Geez I thought after I..." her words faltered. "Anby... why are you looking at me like that?"
...
Just what is that thing?
Anby stepped towards the pile of TV, wondering what sort of mad god Belle sold her soul to for having that on her room. Something tells her that this thing, it brought far more hope, happiness, fortune, suffering, desperation, than anything she can ever imagine. And something tells her, that this... thing, just... transcends anything she could comprehend.
"Anby?" Nekomiya hopped off the pedestal and looked at the TV. "What is this? Where am I?" she looked around. "Wait..." she sniffed around. "Isn't this Wise's room?"
Anby choked, gazing at Nekomiya in shock. "y-you know Wise?"
Nekomiya narrowed her eyes. "Of course, I know Wise! He's the video store owner, Belle's big bro, treats me mackerel every..." her words become quieter. "Anby... why are you acting so weird..." she stepped closer towards her. "What's going on? Why do you..." she sniffed a bit. "You smell different..." she whispered. "Hey Anby,"
Anby however, couldn't care less. Her mind still swirling with the implication of what she just said. This is beyond what she imagined. This is movie level plot twist that she did not anticipate.
"Nekomiya..." Anby began slowly. "I'm so, so sorry... But... this isn't..." she glanced around frantically. "I don't know what's going on, but you're in a different world..."
"Eh?"
Anby looked back at the TV screen with newfound fear. Whatever that thing is... it's just wrong.
"Oi! What do you mean I'm in a different world!?" Nekomiya narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying you're not my Anby?"
"No," Anby took a deep breath. "I don't know..." she looked down. "You hate us, you've sworn to kill us after we did that... to the Red Fang gang..."
"Wait, wasn't it the Public Security who..."
"Yes, but..." Anby shook her head. "Look, the thing you remember happening didn't happen here," she gritted her teeth. "Wise is dead, Nekomiya... He's been dead for over a week now..."
The cat girl froze, eyes widening. "Y-you're... joking... nyaa..." her eyes darted around. "Th-that can't be! He was just... we were just..." she took a step back. "I saw him yesterday, we..." she bit her lip. "And Belle?"
"I... I don't know what Belle is like in your world, but... she's... different ever since Wise's death, she's dangerous now..." Anby clenched her fist. "I'm sorry, I was trying to save this world's Nekomiya but... you... appeared instead..."
Nekomiya tapped her foot anxiously, ears drooping down her head. "Anby... Or... whoever you are... I..." she put a hand on her chest. "I don't want to be in a world where Wise is dead..." tears start brimming on her face. "H-how do I get back?" she glanced around and noticed Anby staring at the TV. "Is that it? S-sorry I have to go!"
"Wait, Nekomiya!" Anby exclaimed.
The cat girl already fled back into the portal, disappearing into the static. The pedestal lights up once again and Nekomiya appeared, looking paler than before. "N-no..." she looked down. "No wait... who?" she looked at Anby. "No, no fair... I don't want to..."
The pedestal lights up.
"No... please..." she jumped back.
The pedestal lights up.
"Wake up, it's just a bad dream, wake up..." she jumped back.
The pedestal lights up.
"I'm dreaming, it's just a dream... Please wake up...." she jumped back.
The pedestal lights up.
"Wise..." she jumped back.
The pedestal lights up.
"AAAAAH!!!" she jumped back.
The pedestal lights up.
Nekomiya finally stopped. Sitting curled up on top of the pedestal, clutching her legs as she buried her face behind her arms. "Wh-why did this happen?" she sobbed quietly to herself. "I was finally happy dammit..." she cried to herself.
"Nekomiya..."
"You're not her!!!" Nekomiya snapped at Anby, tears streaming down her face. Her face broke down and she looked down again. "Please... leave me alone..."
Anby left the laboratory, clutching her chest. How is she supposed to process all this? Is it even possible? She rushed down towards the staff room where Nicole and Billy are tending to Belle. Already, her earlier relief is replaced with concern. The girl is jerking erratically on the sofa, muttering strange things about terms of service.
"How is she?"
"I have no clue..." Nicole gulped. "What about Nekomiya?
Anby looked down. "I... I don't know..." her voice cracked. "I really don't know..."
"Is she... alright?"
Anby shook her head, at a loss of words.
The lights on the Video Store flickered as Belle took a sharp breath. She gasped, eyes snapped open for a split second before going limp on the sofa. Nicole pressed her head against her chest, sighing in relief. "Sh-she's alive... okay..." she sat down next to her and look. "Fuck me... I just want a nice commission, just a stroll through the Hollow, in and out, is that too much to ask!?"
"You're a con artist," Anby replied.
"Not the time Anby..." Nicole sighed and stood up. "Anyway, while we're at it, let's get this over with... how's the kitty cat doing?" she started walking up stairs with Anby following from behind.
"She..." Anby paused, not sure how the hell she's supposed to explain it. "I'll let you see for yourself," she said, as Nicole opened the door to Wise's room, revealing an empty lab. "Nevermind, she's gone," Anby commented, looking around. "I hope she managed to make it back."
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Not even a thank you? Some manners that cat got," she muttered before finding a piece paper sticking on the pedestal. "Hmm...? What's this?" she began reading the content out loud. "Sorry Anby, Nicole, Billy, Belle, but there's something really important I must do. If you are the same people who I can call family, then we will meet again, we'll save the day again... even if... Wise isn't here to help us."
Anby paused as Nicole read the content of the paper. Her voice cracked when she read the word Wise. The fact that Nekomiya called them family, she wondered just what kind of paradise she came from. But then again, she used that word 'again' does that mean not only did she came from different reality, she came from different time?
"... Wise..." Nicole muttered to herself.
"I'm having trouble formulating the words to explain it," Anby tried to say.
Nicole looked at the TV thing in front of her. "It has something to do with this, isn't it?"
"...yes,"
Nicole closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I swear, that girl really needs to chill out on her experiments!" she walked back down to the staff room. "I'm gonna have a stern word with her once she woke up Anby, mark my words!"
[LINE BREAK]
It was midnight and Belle hasn't woken up yet. Billy has already helped Nicole closing the Video Store for the day while Anby herself spread out some dinner. They're staying there for the night now, pubsec is still roaming the streets and they really don't want to leave Belle alone just like that.
"Black Mushroom Ramen without Mushroom..." Anby gave a bowl to Nicole. "Green Pepper Chicken Ramen..." she handed another bowl to Billy. Then she put another bowl of noodle on a stool next to the sofa, just in case Belle decided to wake up. "Thanks for the meal," Anby said finally, digging into her own bowl of noodles.
As the group enjoyed their noodle, Anby slowly tried to process everything that's happened today. They were tasked by Belle to get something from Red Fang Gang, they fell into the hollow, Silver Tear got corrupted, they met a strange maid girl and helped her out, they survived an encounter against the Dead-End Butcher, then...
Anby swallowed and took a sip of a Bomb Cola. "Nekomiya..." she muttered to herself.
"Still thinking about the kitty?" Nicole asked.
"She... knows who Wise is," Anby replied. "And she also..." she averted her gaze. "Claim to be part of the Cunning Hares," a soft smile graced her face. "She must've come from a really nice world..."
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Well excuse us for living in a cyberpunk lovecraftian dystopia," though despite this, a look of intrigue lingers on her face. "Still... it be nice if she can join us..." she slurped on her ramen. "I know it's impossible to get this world's Nekomiya to join us, but... maybe..."
"Yeah... Maybe..." Anby nodded in agreement.
The computer beside them flickered to life, bright blue screen shows a circular logo. Anby and Nicole looked up.
"Billy?" Nicole said.
"Nope! Didn't touch anything," Billy replied. "Just enjoying tasty ramen,"
Nicole sighed a little. "Can we delay this one for tomorrow?" she asked the computer.
"Negative, I am waiting for my master to return to consciousness," a female robotic voice echoes from the H.D.D.
Anby tilted her head. "Who are you?"
"Designation, Fairy. Artificial Intelligence designed for [REDACTED]," her voice went garbled into static, censoring the important bits.
"Right..." Anby turned to Belle and shook her shoulder. "Belle... wake up, there's a strange... computer thing..."
For once, in the entire day, Belle began to stir. She yawned softly and stretched her arms. "I'm up..." she muttered, looking around. "Ramen..." she found hers on a stool. "Oh thanks..." she grabbed a bowl and start slurping. "Thanks Anby, you're the best..."
Anby blinked a little. "Are you..."
"Still the same me, no dimensional weirdness like Nekomiya,"
"Wait, so you knew?"
"Fairy told me, she was in my head for a while..." Belle gulped her ramen and turned to the monitor. "Anyway, Fairy, welcome to the team!" she grinned brightly. "So, where do we start?" she asked it. "The Janus Headquarters? The Public Security? The Hollow Investigation Association?"
"Negative, master, your first move should be the cat you just dragged in," Fairy replied. "Nekomiya Mana has knowledge of the future as she came from an alternate future, one where most of you are well adjusted individual with normal tendencies."
"Hey!" Nicole exclaimed. "I'm totally normal, thank you very much, it's your master here who got a few dozen screw loose,"
Fairy's avatar blinked. "I will agree on the latter, but not the former," she returned her attention back to Belle. "In any case, finding Nekomiya and helping her in our cause would lead to a better understanding of both our reality."
Belle folded her arms and nodded. "Understood... but after this, we better be going after the TOPS next, aight?"
"Affirmative, Master,"
Belle nodded with a satisfied smile before turning back to her friends. Each one of them looking at her with a look that says 'I have a thousand question and I don't know which one to ask first'. The video store owner simply replied with one sentence.
"The Untouchables killed Wise because he found out about Fairy's existence,"