"Help, I've fallen into the Hollows! Someone save me—"
Anby played the role of a distressed young girl, shouting for help as she ran around the ruins.
Then it was Billy's turn to appear as the Ethereals.
Dressed in a monster costume, he leapt into frame and, ignoring the director's murderous glare, struck a dramatic pose.
"Yo, little human Anby, the Ethereals are here—" he said.
Billy bared his fangs and imitated the Ethereals' running stance, charging straight at Anby.
Halfway there, he tripped over a rock with a loud thud.
The director froze. "..."
What kind of actors had he even hired?
He suddenly regretted not trusting the public forum reviews about Hare's House and switching to another agency.
But it was too late now.
There was no use regretting it; he could only grit his teeth and finish filming the planned scenes.
Under the camera's gaze, Billy, still in character as an Ethereals, scrambled to his feet, stretching out two giant claws as he lunged at Anby.
Seeing the Ethereals appear, Anby immediately snapped into action. Instinctively, she reached for her sword—but grabbed nothing. Her equipment had already been removed.
Without thinking, she raised her foot and kicked Billy straight to the ground.
Easily taking down the Ethereals.
Billy was about to cry. "Anby, I'm the Ethereals, why are you hitting me?"
Nicole shook her head helplessly. "..."
Nekomata couldn't hold back a laugh. "Anby's pretty awesome, knocking Billy down in one go."
The director was on the verge of tears, nearly breaking down. "..."
What kind of performance was this?
This wasn't what the script called for at all.
Anby was supposed to act like an ordinary girl, chased by an Ethereals, tripping over a stone and nearly getting killed. Then, at the critical moment, the Star Emblem Knight played by Sam Li would make a dazzling entrance and defeat the Ethereals in a few swift moves.
But now Anby had defeated the Ethereals in a few casual kicks.
How was the Star Emblem Knight supposed to make an entrance now?
Seeing the director about to lose it, Nicole quickly said, "Don't panic. Anby's a slow starter. Give her a few more chances."
The director gritted his teeth. "Fine... I'll trust you one more time."
And so, filming continued.
Learning from the last attempt, Anby didn't attack Billy this time. Instead, she relied on her agility, weaving through the ruins to dodge him.
Billy, burdened by his heavy Ethereals costume, couldn't keep up at all.
The two ended up playing tag in the ruins like children.
The director finally couldn't take it anymore. "Stop, stop, stop! You're supposed to be a normal human girl. What normal girl runs that fast? You're supposed to trip over a stone, remember? And you—robot boy! What are you laughing at? Get serious! You're playing an Ethereals, and you're slower than my eighty-year-old grandma! Run faster and catch the girl!"
The simple script had been completely messed up.
Nicole spoke seriously, "Anby, Billy, did you hear that? Follow the director's instructions."
Anby nodded. "Got it. I'll do it properly."
Billy sighed. "Okay, I'll play the Ethereals properly... Uh, are you sure you don't need me to play the Star Emblem Knight instead?"
The director glared at him. "No. Just focus on being the Ethereals."
Soon, filming restarted.
Under the camera.
Anby played a human girl who had accidentally fallen into the Hollows.
"Help, I've fallen into the Hollows! Someone help me..."
"Oww—"
Billy, mimicking the Ethereals' cry, jumped into frame in full costume and lunged at Anby without hesitation.
"Oww, oww—"
Anby ran.
Billy chased.
"Help! I can't beat the Ethereals! Someone save me—"
"Oww, oww—"
"Help, I tripped over a stone! I'm hurt—"
"Oww—"
Billy ran as hard as he could. After several seconds of chasing, he finally caught up to Anby when she "tripped over a stone."
He lunged at her with his claws.
"Oww—"
Just as Billy's claws were about to strike, the director quickly signaled Sam Li.
The next second, Sam Li, clad in Star Emblem Knight armor, appeared in frame. He sprinted toward Anby and Billy, throwing up his arm to block the attack before Billy could land a hit.
Then—
A handsome flying kick sent Billy sprawling onto the ground.
Billy, weighed down by his heavy costume, lay flat on his back, making a pained face.
"Oww— That hurts... The Star Emblem Knight is so strong! I was defeated!"
Seeing this scene, the director was completely speechless. "..."
The Ethereals didn't look like an Ethereals, and the normal girl wasn't acting normal anymore. Aside from the Star Emblem Knight, none of the actors were remotely qualified.
But there was no helping it.
He had chosen Hare's House, after all.
He could only grit his teeth and finish shooting.
At that moment, Billy had already climbed back to his feet. "Director, what do you think? I did great this time, right? The moment the Star Emblem Knight lifted his foot, I flew out myself! Totally made him look amazing!"
The director didn't even want to respond. "..."
Nicole, however, was delighted. "Good! We've already shot most of it. Let's power through and finish the rest!"
After speaking, Nicole glanced down at the time and smiled happily.
Things were going even better than expected.
They would soon finish the commission and go treasure hunting.
Just as everyone was about to resume filming—
Suddenly.
A loud howl echoed around them.
Nicole sighed helplessly. "Anby, we haven't started shooting yet, no need to rush your performance."
Anby shook his head. "It's not me."
Nekomata seemed to sense something and quickly turned to scan their surroundings.
In the ruins not far away, they spotted a skull peeking out.
Nekomata's face changed immediately. "Nicole, this is bad! Our performance attracted real Ethereals!"
Hearing this, everyone quickly followed Nekomata's gaze—and sure enough, several Ethereals had emerged, with more appearing by the second.
Nicole, Anby, and the others were all professional agents, so they weren't afraid of a few low-level Ethereals.
Just as they were preparing to take action—
The director suddenly screamed, as if scared out of his mind, "Ahhh—real Ethereals! Agents, protect the filming equipment! If anything gets damaged, I'll deduct it from your commission—"
After yelling, the director grabbed a piece of equipment and bolted.
Seeing this, Anby said seriously, "What should we do?"
Nicole took a deep breath. "What else? The client ran off. Of course, we have to chase him. He hasn't paid the rest of our commission yet—we can't let him get away that easily!"