"Alright, bro, stop acting. You're scaring Anby and the others."
Belle smiled, turned off the music on her phone, and nudged Wise, who was lost in his performance, to snap him out of it.
Wise immediately stopped his fake crying and first reassured Anby and Soldier 11:
"Don't worry, they weren't particularly valuable. Just some songs I personally enjoy listening to."
Hearing Wise's reassurance, Anby glanced at Andrew. Only after he nodded in confirmation did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I will compensate you."
Although Wise had said it wasn't necessary, Anby's persistence convinced him to take out a pen and paper and write down the names of the shattered vinyl records.
Once he finished writing, Anby solemnly took the paper and walked over to Soldier 11. Although Soldier 11 had made a mistake out of ignorance, Anby would not condone a mistake born purely from impulse.
Besides, as the youngest sister and the one who understood the current situation the least, Anby had a duty to explain things to her.
Nearby, Belle glanced at the list Wise had written, pouted, and muttered under her breath:
"Bro's taste in music is so weird. These ballads are just okay, I guess. Can't hold a candle to the rock music I like."
Hearing Belle's muttering, Wise retorted mercilessly:
"What's wrong with ballads? At least it's better than someone who only plays their own sing-along tracks on their stereo. And that green doll you just had to buy the other day... your taste is certainly... unique."
"You!"
Belle was not happy to hear that.
"Brother! Someone like you who watches documentaries and artsy films all day wouldn't get it! This is designer toy art! Look how cute it is!"
The siblings, mutually disgusted with each other's tastes, were instantly at odds. Feeling like the morning was about to turn into a two-person comedy routine, Andrew redirected their attention.
"Wise, where did you buy these records?"
Getting back to business, Wise stopped arguing with Belle over who had better taste in music. He thought for a moment and said:
"Most of them can actually be bought at the record store across from the video shop, but there's one called 'Lyra'."
Carefully recalling each of the broken records, Wise remembered one exception.
"It's a record from an indie singer I bought about half a year ago. She wasn't famous, so they didn't press many copies back then."
But since he mentioned it specifically, there was surely a solution.
"That singer recently signed with Digo Entertainment, a veteran entertainment company in TOPS. They're planning to hold an autograph session for this record soon, so you can definitely buy it there."
"Say what you will about the others, but your taste with this album is actually pretty good, bro."
Belle chimed in, leaning over to comment approvingly on this particular album.
"It's one of the few albums we both really like."
They were both drawn to it...? That's certainly rare.
Although the siblings had never been particularly diligent about running the video store, they were still its owners.
Especially in a place where even commercials could be turned into popular video tapes, you could say the two had seen countless films.
To get a joint recommendation from both of them, this singer must be incredibly talented.
This piqued Andrew's interest. He made a point to check who the artist was and silently committed the name to memory.
"Astra Yao... huh?"
With a clear path to acquiring all the records, Andrew turned to look at Soldier 11, who was being lectured by Anby.
"...Later, you will write a two-thousand-word self-criticism report to reflect on your mistake. And you will apologize to Shopkeeper Wise. Understood?!"
"Understood, Captain."
Although the lectured Soldier 11 didn't know why she was here, she understood one thing now.
She had wronged a good person and damaged the property of someone who had helped them.
She walked up to Wise, gave him a sincere apology, and then turned to look at Andrew.
"Are you my current commanding officer? What is my mission?"
Her stiff, formal demeanor immediately gave off the impression:
A perfect soldier.
"I am. There are no missions right now. You can go downstairs, get acquainted with the others, and wait for breakfast."
No missions?
Soldier 11 felt a flicker of strangeness. This new commanding officer in front of her really was different, just as the Captain had said.
Receiving her orders, Soldier 11 had no questions. Following her old habits, she nodded and said:
"Understood. Entering standby mode. I will ensure I remain in optimal condition to respond to any deployment orders."
With that, she turned and headed straight downstairs.
Watching the seemingly emotionless Soldier 11, Andrew could only look helplessly at Anby, who had returned to her position behind him.
"Is she always like this?"
Anby watched Soldier 11 go downstairs before explaining in a quiet voice:
"I'm sorry. Soldier 11 is very straightforward and a bit single-minded. She's actually a very good kid."
Seeing Anby's anxious expression, Andrew gently ruffled her hair and comforted her:
"There's no need to apologize. I don't mind."
Feeling the warmth of his hand on her head, Anby couldn't help but feel a sense of peace.
Just then, a crisp, rhythmic knock came from downstairs, making the people upstairs exchange glances.
Belle thought about who it could be and said:
"It's probably General Chop with the noodles. We ordered so many this time, he must've been swamped."
"After all, we did order forty bowls of noodles at once. That's a lot to carry, I'll go give him a hand."
Andrew started downstairs, saying as he went:
"I'll get the door and see what's going on."
"Okay! Then my brother and I will clean up the... corpses of his precious treasures."
Belle nodded obediently and grabbed a trash bag from the room to start cleaning up the record fragments on the floor.
"Sis, calling them 'corpses' is a bit of a stab to your old brother's heart, don't you think?"
Wise took the trash bag and muttered under his breath as he helped clean up.
"Aww, come on, bro. You're broad-minded. A little stab won't hurt. You'll get used to it. If you really can't stand it, how about we call them 'mortal remains' instead?"
"That's still the same thing..."
Andrew was already heading downstairs, and Anby didn't hesitate to follow him.
Anby didn't want Andrew, the man who had saved her and the entire Silver Squad, to run into any danger.
"Creeak—"
As the video store's door creaked open, an unexpected figure appeared at the entrance.
His red eyes were slightly downcast. He first placed his left hand behind his back, then put his right hand over his chest in a bow before speaking like a gentleman:
"Pardon the intrusion, Mr. Andrew. If you have a moment, I would like to discuss something with you. Something concerning—the Aegis Umbrella corporation."
Noticing Anby watching him warily from behind Andrew, the wolf Thiren's lips curled into a polite smile.
"It seems I haven't found the wrong target, then."
____
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