Nicole Demara's Lore

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The leader of the odd-job agency the Cunning Hares, who accept all kinds of Hollow-related commissions.

She's been on the streets for many years, and has a reputation among her peers as being exceedingly cunning.

She's been blacklisted by many clients due to her all-or nothing approach.

She loves money, but is surprisingly bad at managing it, leaving the Cunning Hares constantly on the edge of bankruptcy and owing many debts.
—Her introduction on the Official Website.

Official Introduction[]

Nicole is the founder of the New Eridu Odd-Job Agency the Cunning Hares.

After years on the streets, Nicole's crafty and cunning behavior has earned her a reputation among her peers as "Even more cunning than a hare".

Despite the agency's high commission fee, the Cunning Hares financial situation is constantly in the red...
—Her introduction on HoYoLab.

Time is money — so even if I don't do anything, you better pay well~

178, 179, 180... What am I counting, you ask? My appearance fee, of course, 10 Dennies per second~
—Her introduction on Twitter.

Profile[]

Nicole Demara is the founder and current leader of the Cunning Hares odd-job agency. Despite taking on any and all Hollow-related commissions and typically charging a high commission fee,^[1] she struggles with finances, leading the Cunning Hares to frequently be in debt, sometimes bordering on bankruptcy. Due to this and her all-or nothing approach, the Cunning Hares have become somewhat infamous in the space, with many clients blacklisting her completely and reviews received on Inter-Knot painting her in an unflattering light.^[2]

Although she has a reputation for being exceedingly cunning and infatuated with money, she is also incredibly savvy when it comes to business,^[3] managing to get the Cunning Hares to where they are today, despite her financial misgivings and lack of support.^[4] She is also reliable and caring, as she has gotten her team out of many impossible situations during undertaken commissions.^[5]

Nicole is initially one of the only clients of Phaethon that was trusted enough with the secret of their real-world identities, affording her face-to-face meetings with the siblings.^[6]^[7]

History[]

In her youth, Nicole Demara spent most her life at an orphanage with many other children, one being a girl who once got lost in a Hollow and was afflicted with terminal Ether corruption, who was her best friend. Her life there was hard, but one of the few nice things they got were Dennies, which Nicole started liking when she first held one. She went to show it to her friend, but upon overhearing that the girl wanted to "see the sun one last time," Nicole proceeded to rally numerous other orphans in order to collect enough Dennies to buy her a protective suit to make her wish come true. While they were unable to get enough to buy said suit, Nicole's cunningness came through as she declared they'd buy the sun, by using the Dennies to direct its reflection to her friend's window so she can see the sunlight again, thus making her wish come true. This act of kindness was when Nicole began to love Dennies, as they can even let you buy hope. Her friend would later pass away from her terminal illness.^[8]

Nicole later reached an adoption agreement with a prominent family in New Eridu; however, she would soon be seen on the streets of New Eridu shortly after. She then founded the odd-job agency Gentle House, but due to her cunning reputation, it soon gained the nickname "The Cunning Hares," which Nicole preferred and proceeded to adopt into her company's branding. Whilst running the Cunning Hares, she took in an enigmatic young girl, giving her the name Anby Demara, who would become an employee of her company,^[9] alongside Billy Kid, an Intelligent Construct that wound up with them. Nicole would also become a common client of the Legendary Proxy, Phaethon, which led to her gaining the trust of them to the point she knows their real-world identities and hideout.

Even though she's known for her business acumen, streetwise, and cunning, Nicole is incredibly bad with finances, constantly landing her company in the red and owing many people money. Such financial woes would lead to her taking on a commission she received from Rain, to acquire a strongbox from the Red Fang Gang. This commission would kick off the events of the main story of Zenless Zone Zero.^[10]

Agent Trust[]

Requirements
Obtain the Agent Complete the "Anby's Problem" commission
Trust Rank	Rewards
Familiar	Unlocks DMs from the Agent Agent can be found around the neighborhood	—
Friendly	Agent can be found in more locations Complete the promotion event to receive the below rewards Complete the videotape request to invite Agent to become a video store promoter Enable Quality Time function	Polychrome 20 Advanced Ether Chip 3 Denny 5,000
Close	Unlock Agent-exclusive Resonium Complete the promotion event to receive the below rewards	Polychrome 30 (Affinity) Full Firepower Denny 10,000
Trusted	Unlock Agent Live Wallpaper Complete the promotion event to receive the below rewards	Polychrome 30 Dynamic Wallpaper: Nicole Denny 15,000

Impressions[]

Nicole's afraid of ghosts... Perhaps because of a guilty conscience?
The usually stingy Nicole is generous when treating the orphanage kids.
Nicole is a genius when it comes to business. No matter how poor she may be, she is still a genius

Agent Intel[]

Agent Details

Database search: Nicole. Returned results:
"Boss of the odd-job agency, the Cunning Hares," "Streetwise," "Orphan, parents unknown."
Nicole's agency was originally called Gentle House, but due to her reputation of being cunning, it gained the nickname the Cunning Hares.
"She's really into money! I don't know what she's doing with it all though, seems like she's doing nothing."
— The above is a quote from a popular post on Inter-Knot: "Her odd-job agency is outrageous. I've never encountered a boss who knows how to turn everything into profit!"
The individual involved responded, "This, this is a false accusation! I, Nicole, have never been skilled at making money — mainly because I don't have any money to begin with!"
According to reliable sources, the Cunning Hares are constantly in debt, and their "careful budgeting" seems to have no effect on the organization.

Agent Intel 1

Trust Rank: Close

During her early years, Nicole spent a good amount of time in an orphanage.
There are rumors that Nicole once reached an adoption agreement with a prominent family. Yet, shortly afterward, she reappeared by herself somewhere in New Eridu, and has been out around the streets ever since.

Cooperation Notes[]

	Belle
	Turns out Nicole is more famous in the biz than I thought huh!
	Wise
	Instead of these astute comments, I'm more interested in seeing a comprehensive list of everything Nicole owes us.

Video Store Promotion[]

Promoter	Unlock Requirement	Daily Bonus	Promotion Style	Promotion Comment
Nicole Demara Nicole Demara	First Piece of Soil First Piece of Soil	Basic Ether Chip Basic Ether Chip x2	Business Acumen Nicole fully utilizes her business acumen to make customers believe things like "getting videotapes is far more affordable than going to the cinema."	When it comes to business, no one is better than me. Let me show you the versatile business skills of the Cunning Hares!

Commissions and Events[]

Events

Character Mentions[]

Agent Intel

Agent	Intel
Anby Demara	Agent Details Agent Intel 1

Enemy Intel

DMs

Dialogue

Trivia[]

Nicole's design aesthetic bears a resemblance to the Gyaru subculture of Japanese fashion.
According to Venus, Nicole's moniker is "the Gravity Warden."^[11]

HoYoverse Shared VA[]

Nicole Demara shares the same Chinese voice actor, Chen Tingting (陈婷婷), with:
- Mona in Genshin Impact
- Stelle and Sushang in Honkai Star Rail
- Li Sushang and Ana Schariac in Honkai Impact 3rd
Nicole Demara shares the same Japanese voice actor, Serizawa Yū (芹澤優), with Liliya Olenyeva in Honkai Impact 3rd.
Nicole Demara shares the same Korean voice actor, Shin Na-ri (신나리), with Clorinde, Lisa, Fischl, and Katheryne in Genshin Impact.

References[]

↑ Nicole Demara's Official Introduction
↑ Trust Event: Nicole Demara
↑ Knock Knock: Impressions of Nicole
↑ Nicole Demara Mindscape 3: A Hare's Cunning
↑ Nicole Demara Mindscape 5: Industry Star
↑ Story Commission: The Hare and the Proxy
↑ A Call From the Hollow's Heart (A)
↑ Youtube: Nicole Character Teaser - "Price of Hope" | Zenless Zone Zero
↑ Anby Demara/Lore
↑ Zenless Zone Zero (November 26, 2023). Here's What You Missed - Zenless Zone Zero Anby Character Teaser. YouTube.
↑ Combat Commission: The Trust of the Stars (II)

Navigation[]

[1] Nicole Demara's Official Introduction

[2] Trust Event: Nicole Demara

[3] Knock Knock: Impressions of Nicole

[4] Nicole Demara Mindscape 3: A Hare's Cunning

[5] Nicole Demara Mindscape 5: Industry Star

[6] Story Commission: The Hare and the Proxy

[7] A Call From the Hollow's Heart (A)

[8] Youtube: Nicole Character Teaser - "Price of Hope" | Zenless Zone Zero

[9] Anby Demara/Lore

[10] Zenless Zone Zero (November 26, 2023). Here's What You Missed - Zenless Zone Zero Anby Character Teaser. YouTube.

[11] Combat Commission: The Trust of the Stars (II)

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