As Wise approached, Venus noticed him, and the moment she saw his face, her favorability increased.
[Ding! Target Venus has increased her favorability toward the host by 10. Her current favorability is now 30. Additionally, 500 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 4500]
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about the commissions I needed to assign. You must be the new Proxy, right? You're quite a handsome young man. Oh, you can call me Venus."
Venus felt a bit embarrassed for staring at him too long and smiled awkwardly while gesturing for Wise to sit down.
She had the air of a caring older sister from next door, yet Wise's focus lingered elsewhere.
"Do I really look that young?" he questioned, gesturing toward himself.
"Hm? My apologies. How would you prefer I address you?" she asked, while a thought crossed her mind.
'He must be one of those types who dislikes being treated like a child. Most boys his age are the same.'
Wise caught the subtle shift in her expression and felt a twinge of helplessness. Clearly, she'd gotten the wrong idea.
"You can call me Wise."
"Wise? What a pleasant name, Wise~. Before I hand you a commission, would you mind telling me why you want to become a Proxy? It's purely personal curiosity, of course. You don't have to answer if you don't want."
Venus looked kinda nervous, like she was worried Wise might take it the wrong way. She threw in an explanation right after asking, but he wasn't bothered by it.
"Well, partly because I like being a Proxy. But also, there's a reason I need to be one."
"Is that so? That's quite an interesting answer."
Venus was somewhat surprised. Most new Proxies just said they wanted to make tons of Dennies or thought it was cool.
This was the first time she'd encountered an answer quite like Wise's.
Though she made a habit of recording every Proxy who took commissions from her, his response carved out a special place in her memory.
"Alright, let's not waste time. New Proxies like you are usually eager to start. I picked out a few beginner commissions for you."
After she finished explaining them, Wise didn't hesitate and chose the one with the highest fee.
There wasn't any deep reason behind it. They were all easy in his eyes, so he simply went for the one that paid more.
Venus didn't know that, of course. When she noticed his choice, she looked surprised.
"Wise, you shouldn't just look at the reward. This particular commission is extremely difficult. Several new Proxies have tried it before and failed."
She spoke kindly, knowing how newcomers often liked to test themselves. Most of them only learned their limits after failing once or twice.
"I understand, but please let me try, Miss Venus."
Faced with Wise's insistence, Venus could only nod helplessly. He was a new Proxy, after all, and that kind of enthusiasm was only natural.
But what really caught her attention was how confident he looked. Usually, new Proxies showed at least a little nervousness when they heard about this commission.
His composure stirred an unexpected spark of anticipation within Venus.
'Could he really complete this commission?' she wondered.
[Ding! Target Venus: has increased her favorability toward the host by 10. Her current favorability is now 40. Additionally, 500 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 5000]
"Alright, this commission is yours. But remember, don't push yourself. If it becomes dangerous, abandon it immediately. Your life is the most important thing."
Venus continued advising him for quite some time. Only after Wise agreed did she finally relent.
Even if most new Proxies rarely listened, it was still something she had to say.
What she didn't know was that Wise didn't need to enter the Hollow like ordinary Proxies, so her concern was only natural.
After handing over the commission, Wise took his leave while Venus remained seated, finishing the rest of her coffee.
Once he stepped outside, Wise examined the commission in his hand.
It had been quite some time since he had taken such a simple job. Even his newly created alternate accounts had been handling commissions introduced by the Shepherd lately.
Wise saved the commission and dropped by the 141 Convenience Store to grab a few things.
"Hmm? New honeydew melon? And it's on sale? Not bad. There are two left, so I'll just get both."
After purchasing his items, Wise continued on his way home. But ever since he left the store, he felt as if someone was following him.
This wasn't an illusion. With his sharp hearing, he could faintly detect the sound of heels clicking against the ground behind him.
In one swift motion, Wise spun around and caught sight of a shadow slipping hastily into a nearby alley behind him.
Although the other party moved quickly, he still caught a clear glimpse of their face, along with a pair of ears that had accidentally slipped out from behind the wall they were hiding behind.
"Miss Miyabi? What are you doing here?"
At the sound of Wise's voice, the exposed ears twitched noticeably, yet no reply came.
The sight made him smile, and he deliberately added, "Oh, maybe I was mistaken. Alright, I'll head home."
Even so, he didn't actually leave. His footsteps grew lighter as he quietly approached the alley where Hoshimi Miyabi was hiding.
Sure enough, after hearing him, she cautiously peeked her head out, only to realize Wise was no longer on the street.
A trace of confusion flickered in her bright red eyes. Then, without warning, she felt a faint warmth brush past the tip of her ear.
Her body stiffened instantly, and her fluffy ears shot upright, accidentally grazing Wise's face as he leaned closer to observe her.
"It's... you..."
After backing away a few steps, Hoshimi Miyabi could finally see his face clearly.
"Yep, it's me. So why were you following me, Miss Miyabi?"
'Has my identity been exposed? That shouldn't be possible, right?' he thought.
She didn't respond immediately. Her attention had already shifted entirely to the two honeydew melons cradled in his hands.
"You're staring at these, aren't you?"
"No..."
She tried denying it, but the second Wise lifted the melons a little, her eyes locked onto them. She didn't even bother hiding it.
'So she really is after the melons.'
Once she realized how obvious she'd been, a faint blush appeared on her face, and she simply gave up on pretending.
"Mhm. I heard the convenience store received a fresh shipment of honeydew melons. I rushed over the moment I found out, but when I got there, someone had just bought the last two right in front of me."
She deliberately emphasized the final part.
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Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
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