When Hoshimi Miyabi went to Hare's House looking for Keqing, Xiao, and the others...

At that moment, Keqing and Xiao weren't there at all. They had accepted Nicole's invitation and were enjoying a big meal at a restaurant in Lumina Square.

During the meal, Nicole took the initiative to ask how things had gone that day.

"How was it? I heard you went into the Hollows again. Did you run into any high-level Ethereals?"

Keqing nodded. "We did."

Paimon chimed in excitedly, "There were tons of them! Xiao took them down one by one with his spear—each strike dropped a monster!"

Xiao: "..."

Traveler: "..."

But Paimon wasn't wrong—they had indeed encountered a lot.

After parting with Hoshimi Miyabi, they continued deeper into the Hollows and eliminated every high-level Ethereal inside.

That marked the official decline of the A37 Hollow.

After spending the whole day in the Hollows, Paimon was in no mood to talk about monsters anymore.

She turned happily to Arataki Itto, Kuki Shinobu, and the others nearby and smiled.

"Itto, I never expected to run into you guys here!"

Seeing the Traveler and Paimon again, Arataki Itto was just as happy.

"Before I came here, I actually stopped by Liyue to look for you. Ningguang said you had already set out, so I figured I'd bump into you here. Oh right—Paimon, Traveler—I already talked it over with Billy. We're heading to the arcade tomorrow. You guys should come too!"

Paimon looked confused. "What's an arcade?"

Arataki Itto explained, "It's a place just for playing games! I haven't been myself, but Brother Billy said it's really fun. Let's check it out tomorrow!"

With something fun in the works, Paimon didn't hesitate and agreed right away.

After dinner, Paimon patted her full belly and floated in the air, wobbling like she might drop out of the sky at any moment.

"I'm so full... It's been ages since I've eaten something this good!"

Nicole smiled softly.

"Every time we finish a commission at Hare's House, we come here to celebrate. If you're willing to join Hare's House, you'll never run out of feasts."

Hearing that, Paimon's eyes lit up. "Great idea!"

Hu Tao chuckled.

"What's so great about it? Once you join Hare's House, you can't leave."

Paimon quickly shook her head. "Then no thanks..."

By the time they finished eating, night had fallen.

The group returned to Hare's House together.

Before they even reached the door, Billy was surprised to see lights on—and what looked like a vehicle parked outside.

Was it the Public Security Bureau again?

Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, the two officers, practically visited Hare's House every day.

But as they got closer, Billy realized, surprised, that it wasn't the PSB this time.

It was Hoshimi Miyabi, the H.A.N.D. operative they had met once before.

What were they doing at Hare's House?

As soon as they met, Hoshimi Miyabi went straight to Keqing.

"Miss Keqing, after headquarters learned that you suppressed the A37 Hollow, the commander would like to meet you in person to express his thanks. Would you come with me to headquarters?"

Keqing didn't look the least bit surprised, as if she had already expected this.

Without hesitation, she agreed.

Her prompt response even caught Hoshimi Miyabi off guard—she had assumed it would take some convincing.

However...

They couldn't go tonight.

Keqing said seriously, "Let's go tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting at Hare's House."

This visit to H.A.N.D. headquarters, where she would meet New Eridu's top officials, would mark Keqing's first official interaction with this world's government.

It was an invitation Hoshimi Miyabi naturally wouldn't refuse. She immediately agreed.

Still, facing Keqing and Xiao, she couldn't hold back her curiosity.

"I've never seen you two in New Eridu before. Are you from the Outer Ring?"

Keqing paused briefly. "The Outer Ring... you could say that."

She had heard Sam Li mention it before.

In short, according to New Eridu's definitions, anything outside the city was considered the Outer Ring.

Liyue Harbor, being far from New Eridu, definitely fit that description. So saying they were from the Outer Ring wasn't wrong.

Keqing added,

"But the area we live in isn't a wasteland, so it might not be quite the same as what you think of as the Outer Ring."

At that, Hoshimi Miyabi raised an eyebrow, surprised.

Could it be... that there were other human cities besides New Eridu, humanity's last refuge?

After a brief hesitation, she asked,

"Are you from another city?"

Keqing was momentarily caught off guard. It was a strange question.

From New Eridu's perspective, Liyue Harbor certainly was another city—but something about the phrasing just felt off.

"We're from Liyue Harbor. As for the rest, let's talk in detail tomorrow."

"Alright. I'll come pick you up on time."

Hoshimi Miyabi quietly committed the name Liyue Harbor to memory. It seemed her hunch was right—there really were other cities besides New Eridu.

And Sam Li, Keqing, Xiao, and the others were powerful individuals from one of them.

The thought made her gaze grow more serious.

This discovery could have a major impact—not just on New Eridu, but on all of humanity living in both the Inner and Outer Rings.

On the way back to headquarters, Hoshimi Miyabi sat in the passenger seat, took a deep breath, and said,

"If things are really as I think, then maybe if the two cities join forces, we'll finally find a way to solve the Hollows crisis..."

Tsukishiro Yanagi smiled.

"It'd be great if we could suppress Hollow Zero."

Hollow Zero was the source of all Hollow disasters.

As long as Hollow Zero remained, smaller Hollows would keep emerging, and the disasters would never stop.

If this continued, the Hollows would eventually consume the world—and humanity would be wiped out.

...

That night, Keqing, the Traveler, Arataki Itto, Kazuha, and the others all temporarily stayed at Hare's House.

It was clear there weren't enough rooms.

So everyone had to squeeze in. Keqing shared a room with Anby, Hu Tao roomed with Nicole, the Traveler stayed with Nekomata and Sayu, and Billy bunked with Kazuha and Arataki Itto...

As for Xiao, he chose to room with Sam Li.

The next morning, just as planned, Billy took Arataki Itto, Kazuha, Kuki Shinobu, the Traveler, and Paimon to the arcade.

He had thought about bringing Sayu, but she was still fast asleep—so he let her be.

Meanwhile, Keqing and Xiao headed to H.A.N.D. to begin their official talks with the city's authorities.