Zenless Zone Zero: I'am a Dullahan!

Back in her room, Nicole carefully tucked the card into a hidden compartment in her suitcase.

Even if someone else got their hands on it, without the password Zane gave her, it was useless.

Still, she treated it with the seriousness it deserved.

After all, there were hundreds of millions of Dennies on that card—enough to crush her if someone threw it at her.

Once everything was packed away, Nicole stood up, turned to Zane, and her gaze softened. She couldn't help but say,

"Zane... thank you."

She knew exactly what those Dennies could do for the orphanage.

"Zane... you're a really kind person."

Zane simply shook his head at that.

If anyone who'd died by his hand could hear her now, they'd probably be rattling the lids of their coffins.

"Kind? Maybe. I don't think of myself as a good person, but I don't think I'm a bad one either. I just follow what my heart tells me."

"If my heart told me to ignore the children at the orphanage, I wouldn't go out of my way to help them either."

Nicole listened to his blunt words, then just smiled gently and replied,

"But you did help."

"And you helped a lot."

"Didn't you?"

It didn't matter what Zane said or what he thought—what mattered was what he actually did. And he had done something. That was enough.

A person should be judged by their actions, not their thoughts—no one's perfect inside.

Besides, Zane always aligned his words and deeds. What he was saying now was just a hypothetical.

"Hmph, you're just being stubborn."

Nicole shook her head. It felt like she was understanding him a little better now.

"How is that being stubborn?"

Zane chuckled softly.

"I think it's more like... something about Nicole affected me deeply."

"If you hadn't brought me here, if you hadn't influenced me, none of this would've happened."

"What kind of nonsense is that? Weren't you just saying it had nothing to do with me?"

Hearing him try to give her all the credit, Nicole pouted, her nose tingled, and she instinctively turned her head away.

"It's not the same thing, okay?"

Zane looked at her turned-away face with amusement and asked softly,

"What's wrong?"

"Got sand in my eyes."

Nicole muttered and quickly tried to pull her emotions back in.

As her mood settled, she realized something:

Crying from sadness and crying from happiness... felt completely different.

"There's no wind outside, and we're indoors. Where would the sand come from?"

"I said there is, so there is!"

"Okay, okay. Zane, just go get some rest already."

Nicole cut things off decisively, then waved him away. Seeing him still smiling, she huffed with a hint of embarrassment.

"What, you planning to sleep in my room?"

"Alright, alright. I'll go."

Zane shook his head with a smile and left her room.

Once he was gone, Nicole closed the door, leaned back against it, and let her thoughts wander.

"Jerk..."

She whispered softly—but the smile on her face was warm.

Something must've crossed her mind, because her cheeks flushed, and she instinctively touched them—they were hot.

No no no—bed.

Sleep now!

...

The next day, the kids didn't wake up until noon. When they found out this was their new orphanage, they were thrilled.

At Zane's request, Nicole didn't tell them he was behind it. She kept it to herself, and the kids never asked.

Only Siena and the precocious Pixie seemed to catch on, but neither said anything.

After eating, the children helped Siena begin renovations. It needed to feel more like an orphanage—it wasn't quite there yet.

Zane and Nicole stayed to help too. They weren't in a rush to leave.

For some reason, Zane became increasingly popular with the kids. By evening, Nicole found herself "left out."

And she was... slightly jealous.

But jealous or not, she was happy.

Because Zane deserved it.

...

On the morning of the third day, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

At the entrance of the temporary orphanage, the kids gathered to see Nicole and Zane off, forming a noisy, cheerful circle.

After saying their goodbyes one by one, the two of them headed out.

"Hey, Zane—after everything that happened these past two days, has your opinion of me changed?"

"I mean from the beginning... until now."

Walking beside him, Nicole wore a proud little grin, curious to hear what he thought.

She didn't realize the quiet hope, the desire, and the flicker of complicated emotion tucked behind her words.

"Changed my opinion, huh..."

Zane thought for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"Let me show you a magic trick, Nicole."

He took out a small, colorful candy. With a flick of his fingers, it bounced into the air.

Before it could fall, he snatched it from the air and held out his hand to Nicole—still closed.

"Hehe, I saw that~"

"It's Dennies, right?"

To his surprise, Nicole laughed and gave him a mischievous look, clearly seeing through the trick.

"The moment you grabbed the candy, I saw you switch it for a Dennies coin."

She grinned, proud of herself.

"Other things might fool me, but something like Dennies? There's no way I'd miss that."

Back in the Hollows, whenever she was doing commission work, she had an uncanny ability to spot dropped Dennies—no matter how well they were hidden.

It was one of her little superpowers.

As the morning light grew stronger, Nicole turned her head away, no longer looking at Zane's hand.

"If it's Dennies... then I already know what you think of me."

She folded her arms, looking a bit downcast, and spoke softly.

"I didn't expect... you still see me the same way."

"Nicole, I—"

"Hahahaha!"

Zane had just started speaking when Nicole cut him off, waving it away with a breezy laugh.

"Oh, come on. You're not wrong—I do love Dennies. I'm totally greedy."

"Sure, the kids are a reason. But even without them, I'd still love money. Maybe... I'd use it to pay wages. Pay off some debts..."

"That's just who I am. And let's be honest—I wasn't putting on some fake act in front of you before."

Nicole smiled brightly, completely unbothered. She put her hands behind her back and flashed him a grin.

"Actually... thank you, Zane."

"Even though what you said that first night was a bit hard to understand, I get it now. You being willing to come with me this time—that was my luck."

Then, afraid he'd take it the wrong way, she quickly added,

"Even without the money. That doesn't matter."

"Just having you with me—I was already happy."

Her expression was sincere. When it came to things like this, Nicole didn't joke. Everything she said came from the heart.

Back then, even though she and Zane were acquaintances, they weren't close enough for her to ask directly.

That's why she'd asked Nekomata to speak on her behalf.

She had fully expected him to say no...

After all, tagging along with a girl and her cats to visit orphanage kids? That really didn't seem like something a high-level "Fire Picker" would do.

But now, looking back—it felt right.

Zane wasn't some untouchable, aloof figure.

If anything, he was more approachable than most people.

...