"Eh-ne! (Hello there! I'm Pei. You look really down—did something bad happen?)" Pei approached the sad-looking Luckyboo with a cheerful tone.
It was trying to lift the other's spirits, hoping its energy might help—even a Bangboo needed comfort sometimes. But as it turned out, when someone's upset, they don't care how happy you sound. Bangboos were no different.
"Eh-ne... (Pei... my Denny was stolen. I was saving it to buy a battery for my friend. I'm really upset...)" the Luckyboo choked out. Despite how all Bangboos seemed to speak the same way, they actually had a complex language system—oversimplified only by their creators.
Hearing that the Luckyboo had its Denny stolen, Pei froze for a second, then its expression turned furious. "Eh-ne eh-na! (Who did it?! In broad daylight, no less! Let's go—I'll help you teach him a lesson!)"
Pei's outrage left the Luckyboo stunned. Flustered, it pointed toward a nearby convenience store where a bald man was buying ice cream.
"Eh-ne... (It was him. He said he'd give me one Denny if I let him touch me—but after touching, he didn't pay and beat me up instead. Took all the Denny I'd worked so hard to save.)"
The memory clearly hurt, and the Luckyboo looked even more pitiful now.
Pei, seeing this, didn't bother bringing it along and instead charged straight toward the bald man, who had just finished paying and was about to leave the store.
"Eh-ne eh-na! (Stop right there, you scumbag!)"
The sudden shout startled the man. He turned and, upon seeing it was a Bangboo speaking, scoffed in disdain. "Whose Bangboo is this? So mouthy. Careful I don't tear it apart."
Already angry, Pei snapped. It drew two miniature blades from behind its back. "Eh-ne eh-ne! (Give back the Luckyboo's Denny now! Or you'll regret it!)"
Luckyboo? Denny?
The bald man's eyes flicked toward the trembling Bangboo huddled in the corner. Yeah, he'd mugged one earlier. But seriously, it was just a Bangboo. Who charges people to touch them?
For the record, the 100 Denny he stole had already been spent—on the ice cream he was eating.
"It was just some useless Bangboo. I didn't recycle it—that's already mercy. And what, you gonna fight me over this? Don't joke. Bangboos can't harm humans."
He laughed mockingly and took a big bite of his ice cream, clearly enjoying himself.
What he didn't realize, however, was that Pei had been specially modified by the Nin-Village. Unlike regular Bangboos, it wasn't bound by the directive not to harm humans—otherwise, it wouldn't have been classified as a Hollow-exclusive Bangboo.
In fact, the number of Ethereals Pei had taken down might even surpass most Hollow Investigative Agents.
So, faced with a human this repugnant, Pei had no intention of holding back. With a flash of steel from its twin blades, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the street.
Pei had struck the bald man.
Fortunately, Zhong Yan had given it one strict order: Don't kill humans unless absolutely necessary.
So, Pei merely left two bloody gashes on the man's body.
Even so, such an aggressive Bangboo could easily be flagged by the Public Security Bureau and marked for destruction.
Knowing it couldn't stick around, Pei quickly ran back to the Luckyboo, grabbed its arm, and ducked into a nearby alley.
Once they confirmed they weren't being followed, both let out a sigh of relief.
"Eh-no... (Sorry—I couldn't get your Denny back.)" Pei sheathed its blades, apologetic.
It hadn't intended to escalate things, but that guy's smug attitude and utter lack of remorse... There was no way Pei could just let him off the hook.
"Eh-ne (It's okay. It was just 100 Denny. I can save it up again. Thank you for standing up for me today)," the Luckyboo replied with a smile. It was the first time Pei had seen it smile.
But Pei knew that at one Denny per touch, it'd take several days, maybe even half a month, to save that amount again.
After a brief pause, Pei pulled out its wallet and took out a 100-Denny coin.
"Eh-ne! (Here, take this!)"
"Eh-ne eh-ne! (I can't! That's way too valuable—I can't accept it!)" the Luckyboo flailed its arms, trying to refuse.
Little did it know that to Pei, 100 Denny wasn't even worth mentioning.
With Zhong Yan's lifestyle, Pei could earn thousands or even tens of thousands of Denny just from a single chore.
"Eh-ne! (It's fine—think of it as a gift between friends. I don't even know your name yet!)" Pei didn't mind the refusal. It had already made up its mind.
After all, Zhong Yan had taught it—spend when it matters.
"Eh-ne... (My name's One-Denny-Bu. Thank you, Pei. You're a really good Bangboo. I'll remember you forever!)" One-Denny-Bu was clearly moved by Pei's sincerity.
Truth be told, it desperately needed that 100 Denny. So, after some hesitation, it finally accepted the gift.
Then it extended an invitation: "Eh-ne! (Pei, want to come meet my friend? They're over at Lumina Square.)"
Pei hesitated for a moment, then shook its head regretfully. "Eh-ne... (I can't. I still have to shop and cook for my master. Without permission, I'm not allowed to wander off.)"
Pei was a Nin-Village-issued Bangboo. Even though Zhong Yan had modified its appearance slightly, it could still be recognized in an instant—especially by those from the Village.
No one knew Bangboos better than they did.
Still, Zhong Yan wasn't worried about the Village reclaiming Pei—what concerned him more was the Public Security Bureau.
Right now, the Bureau was hunting down all Nin-Village affiliates citywide.
Naturally, that included their Bangboos too.