A few passersby glanced at their interaction before losing interest and continuing on their way.
To them, it looked like nothing more than a couple's playful banter.
"Hmph, I'll forgive you since you brought something delicious," Nekomata said while nibbling a few pieces of the dried fish.
When Wise saw that she was no longer bothered by his earlier prank, he immediately began executing his date plan.
"Thank you very much for your generosity, Miss Neko. How about we visit the Aquarium next?"
Knowing that she couldn't possibly be interested in engineering machinery, this arrangement would also keep her from running into Koleda.
As for the Aquarium itself, Wise suspected the visit would only increase Nekomata's appetite, but at least it would make her happy.
She agreed with his idea, and just like he predicted, the second she walked into the Aquarium, before she even got a good look at a few tanks, Nekomata was already drooling and chomping away on her dried fish.
Although the portion was generous, it couldn't last long against her appetite.
Seeing his chance to visit the other girl, Wise made an excuse.
"Neko, it looks like your dried fish is almost gone. Should I go buy some more?"
"Eh, but..." Nekomata seemed a little hesitant.
Though the food was delicious, her main purpose was still to go on a date with Wise.
"Don't worry, it's not far from here. I'll be back very soon. Just wait a moment."
"Mhm, okay... but come back quick, nya," she said.
With her approval secured, Wise slipped away before she could reconsider.
After he left, Nekomata didn't continue looking at the fish in the Aquarium. Instead, she took out her phone and started scrolling through what appeared to be a post.
Meanwhile, Wise cut through a shortcut straight to Zone 6, where Rain was waiting.
She sat at a roadside shop wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, occasionally swiping across the cellphone in her hands, absorbed in whatever she was reading.
The moment she noticed Wise approaching, Rain quickly closed her phone and rose to her feet with a welcoming smile.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"Not at all, you're right on time."
Rain's voice was gentle as she shook her head. She'd just finished going over their date route.
Had he arrived any earlier, before she could prepare herself mentally, she wouldn't have been nearly as composed.
"Alright, shall we go then?" he asked with a gentle smile.
"Mhm."
Rain nodded before suddenly reaching up to pull down her hood. The gesture caught Wise off guard, and without thinking, he reached out to fix her disheveled hair.
"Very cute."
"Th-thank you..." Rain got a little flustered.
Aside from that accidental kiss in the Hollow, they'd never been this close before, and this time Wise had made the first move.
Afterward, Wise also took the initiative to suggest taking Rain to a clothing store not far away. During their conversation, he'd learned that she didn't seem to care much about her clothes.
This could be seen from the fact that she was wearing a sweatshirt on their date. So Wise thought about buying Rain new clothes while also helping her change her style.
She naturally agreed to this, and after entering the clothing store, Wise selected many different styles of clothing.
Rain seemed very interested in this as well, expressing that she wanted to try on all of them, to which Wise said that it was completely fine.
Anyone who has gone shopping with a girl knows that the process of choosing clothes can be very slow. Fortunately, Rain didn't have this problem.
After picking a few clothes that were both good-looking and comfortable to wear, she directly paid and left.
Wise tried to pay for her, but Rain brushed him off, saying she had money. Then she spotted a game PvP arena nearby.
She walked over with great interest, and Wise, seeing that it was almost time, took the opportunity to leave with a quick word as she stepped onto the stage to challenge someone.
He rushed back to Zone 1 and spotted Belle right where he left her, holding a plastic bag full of videotapes.
"Brother, you're so slow! Why did it take you so long to buy breakfast?!"
Belle's displeasure was obvious. Wise could only offer repeated apologies as he handed over the food to his starving sister.
Thankfully, Belle didn't dwell on it. She simply shoved the bag of videotapes into his arms as punishment for making her wait.
Earlier, she'd been too nervous to explore, afraid Wise wouldn't be able to find her. But now she could finally check out the trinket stalls she'd been eyeing.
Wise stayed by her side as she debated between bracelets and pendants, all while discreetly checking the time. When the moment felt right, he made another excuse and slipped away.
This time he headed to Zone 14. It was just past Zone 15 from Zone 1, so he could get there fast with a little shortcut.
When he arrived at Zone 14, he found Anby standing beside a fountain, casually munching on a hamburger.
Just then, a pigeon suddenly landed on her left shoulder. Anby felt it, turned her head, and met its gaze.
After thinking about it for a second, she tore off a little piece of bread from her burger and fed it to the pigeon, which seemed pretty happy about it.
But then another pigeon landed on her right shoulder, eyeing her hamburger.
Those expectant eyes were impossible to ignore. Anby sighed and tore off another piece.
By the time Wise arrived, the scene before him was almost surreal.
Anby was surrounded by pigeons on her head, shoulders, arms, and all around her by the fountain, while she broke off small pieces of the hamburger in her hand.
The moment she spotted Wise, Anby tossed the remaining hamburger aside, and the pigeons immediately followed suit.
She then quickly walked over to Wise's side.
"Uh, sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
Although Wise had said this many times today, this time he genuinely had to say it, as he was indeed a bit too late.
However, Anby didn't mind. She shook her head, indicating it was fine, then pointed to the hamburger eating contest about to start nearby.
Wise caught on immediately. As much as he would've loved to watch Anby devour hamburgers in single bites, time wasn't on his side.
Once Anby stepped onto the stage, Wise had no choice but to slip away. At least the competition was being recorded. He could always watch it later.
Immediately, he rushed to the meeting point with Ellen that was in Zone 12. Upon arriving at the location, he noticed something surprising.
She wasn't in her work clothes or her regular school uniform. Instead, she wore a cute dress adorned with a bow on the chest.
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