Looking at Wise, who was currently being attended to by Odile and Odette, Belle didn't know what to say.
She was no longer surprised by the unique abilities her brother displayed.
Every time she thought she had finally seen his limit, he would do something even more astonishing. Especially this time, with a power akin to teleportation, and before that, the ability to alter perception and appearance.
By now, Belle had already learned to accept it. After all, she had never imagined her brother would end up finding her so many sisters-in-law, or rather, future sisters.
<<>>
Several days later, outside a conference room at the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team of the New Eridu Public Security.
"Hoo-ahh~" Qingyi narrowed her eyes and let out a long yawn.
After waiting here for so long, she was truly bored. Worse still, she wasn't even allowed to drink tea yet.
"Eh? Senior Qingyi, can you yawn too? Aren't you an Intelligent Construct?"
Seth, standing beside her, looked at Qingyi with curiosity, but she remained completely indifferent.
"That's not quite right. Fatigue is a state of mind, unrelated to the body. In other words, a yawn is the soul's belch from consuming too much boredom. And it's contagious too, you know."
Qingyi raised a hand, extended one finger, closed one eye, and looked at Seth with a playful smile.
"How is that possible? Before the Captain comes out of the commendation ceremony, I absolutely won't... Hoo-ahh~ Damn it!"
Seth couldn't hold it back and yawned before finishing his sentence, immediately proving her point.
"Hmph hmph, young man, you should listen to your senior. Oh, since we're just idling around anyway, Seth, can you do that again?"
"What? I... I won't!"
Seth froze for a moment, then, as if recalling something embarrassing, quickly turned his head away.
"Eh~ Don't be shy. I'll start for you. Ahem... Captain, please listen to me. The person beside me is Jane, a personal guard of the Mountain Lion Gang. Although she is a target of this arrest, I have persuaded her to turn over a new leaf! I guarantee on my honor that she can mend her ways. Captain, please believe me!"
Qingyi's imitation was so vivid that Seth, who had been trying to ignore her teasing, could no longer endure it.
"Senior Qingyi... stop it!"
"Hmph~ And then, Zhu Yuan replied—"
"Seth, let me introduce you. This is Jane Doe, a criminal behavior expert who has been cooperating with us. She directly participated in the operation as an insider... I'm sorry, things became complicated this time. I'll explain the details later," Zhu Yuan, who had arrived at some point, said with a smile, smoothly picking up where Qingyi left off.
From her cheerful tone, it was clear she was in a very good mood. Some people, however, were far less cheerful.
"Captain?! Are you already out? And why do you remember it so clearly, too..." Seth felt like crying, yet no tears came.
Would this moment become his most widely circulated dark history? Surely not... right?
"Hehe, because your expression back then was truly priceless, Seth. Don't be discouraged. This operation's success was also thanks to your efforts, Jane's help, and Phaethon's contribution. In short, cheer up."
After Zhu Yuan finished speaking, Qingyi glanced around and added, "Speaking of which, where is Jane? Why isn't she here to receive her secret commendation?"
Phaethon's absence was understandable. Under Public Security law, he wasn't a legal citizen, so coming here would naturally be out of the question.
Otherwise, wouldn't he just be walking into a trap?
"It seems a new case came up requiring her as a consultant. She had already left to prepare and mentioned she had a favor to repay first."
Zhu Yuan pondered quietly, pinching her chin.
Meanwhile, over at Janus District, Six Street, at the Random Play Video Store.
"Is it still crooked?"
"Hmm...? Maybe a little to the left? No, wait, a bit to the right?"
"How about moving it slightly higher, Master?"
"I think it looks fine already."
Listening to the noisy back-and-forth of the three women beside him, Wise felt a headache forming, his expression turning helpless.
"...We've had this same discussion three times already. Give me a clear answer so I can properly hang up the business license. If none of you can tell, just ask Fairy."
Hearing that Wise needed her assistance, Fairy immediately connected to his communication channel and, in an instant, calculated the exact position.
"Ah, it's finally up. That's great..."
"Really~? You don't seem all that happy about it, though."
A sudden, unfamiliar voice made everyone turn. The two sisters, playing the role of store employees, froze for a moment.
"Eh?! You're the lady who rented the movie 'Porter Mountain' last time!"
Belle recognized her instantly, her face lighting up with surprise. Although their previous meeting had technically taken place inside the Hollow, that was hardly something she could mention out loud.
Jane didn't mind. She simply chuckled softly and replied, "I'm glad you still remember me. But didn't your brother mention my name? He even added my contact after running into me on the road not long ago."
As she spoke, she cast a mischievous glance at Wise, who was just stepping down off the ladder. Surprisingly, her words didn't unsettle him at all.
"I did, though it seems I forgot to mention Miss Jane's name specifically. By the way, are you here to return the tape this time?"
Jane had half-expected that one of the two women standing beside Belle might have feelings for Wise, but their calm reactions were beyond anything she anticipated.
'Could it be that they aren't rivals in love after all?'
She kept the thought to herself, maintaining her easy smile while resisting the urge to tease him again.
"Oh my, it seems our little shop owner, Wise, isn't very confident in his own charm. What if I came here specifically to ask you out? Just kidding~ here's your videotape, please take it."
As she spoke, Jane took a videotape from her pocket. After Wise accepted it, he couldn't shake the faint feeling that her words might not have been a joke at all.
"If Miss Jane really came to invite me, then I would genuinely accept," Wise replied, turning the tape over in his hands.
He was quietly impressed by how well-preserved it was, though he said nothing and moved to settle the deposit.
It was then that Belle suddenly spoke up.
"My brother has been quite popular lately, you know. If you want to ask him out, you should at least register as a member of our store first."
"Belle, since when did I become a membership benefit?" Wise shot her a flat look.
"Oh? Is that so? Then sign me up for the highest-tier membership, and load the highest value card while you're at it, would you?"
"Miss Jane, even you..."
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