Overjoyed, Soukaku's slender tail swayed from side to side behind her. However, by the time everything had settled, it was late.
"Soukaku, are you coming to my house for dinner today too?" Wise asked.
"Mm! Yes, yes, thank you, Wise!" she replied eagerly.
There was nothing strange about Wise's invitation in Soukaku's eyes. He had always been kind to her, and once he started cooking for her, he secured a place in her heart second only to Yanagi's.
Still, she wasn't ungrateful or unreasonable. She wanted to repay him somehow, but he always refused.
That was exactly why she had come up with the idea of treating him to food. Ultimately, though, she was still the one who constantly received his care.
"Wise, let's head back now. I'm already a little hungry."
"Ah? Didn't you just eat?"
Wise knew full well what Soukaku was like. Her stomach was practically bottomless, yet somehow, he still found himself saying it every single time.
"Really, really! If you don't believe me, touch it! My stomach is already rumbling," she insisted.
Fearing he might doubt her, Soukaku grabbed his hand and pressed it against her flat, soft lower abdomen.
Feeling her stomach faintly vibrating beneath the thin layer of fabric, Wise quickly pulled his hand back. Still, he had no reason to doubt her.
"Alright, I believe you. If we take the subway now, we should make it back in time for dinner."
"Yay!"
Soukaku happily took his hand, and soon the two of them emerged from the Sixth Street metro exit.
Just then, a white-haired girl standing near a toy store caught sight of them.
"Wise?" she called out.
"Eh? Anby and... oh? Nekomata's here too."
Spotting Anby nearby, along with Nekomata, who had just stepped out of the toy store, Wise gave a small wave and walked over, Soukaku following close behind.
"Are you two here to pick something up?" he asked.
"Mm, Nicole said the debt situation had eased up, so she told us to come out and get some new equipment," Anby replied with a nod.
Although she said "us," in truth, only Nekomata was here for gear. Anby still had the new model Wise had given her not long ago.
Right on cue, Nekomata pulled out the W-Engine she had picked, holding it up with barely contained excitement.
"It's this one! Honestly, when Nicole gave us the money, I was totally stunned, nya."
With how bad the Cunning Hares' finances usually were, Nekomata had already accepted that she'd be stuck with her current equipment for at least another year, maybe even longer.
Getting a replacement this soon was something she never expected.
Only Wise knew that Nicole's so-called debt relief came from her own quiet, nonstop hard work.
"By the way..." Anby's eyes drifted down to their linked hands, then back up again. "Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
She knew Soukaku fairly well. The girl stopped by Wise's place for meals often enough that they'd run into each other quite a few times.
Her expression stayed calm, but the three who heard her words each reacted differently. Wise nearly choked, while Nekomata's eyes widened before she leaned in, lowering her voice.
"Anby, that's a bit too direct, don't you think? Besides, little Soukaku is so innocent—how could you even..." she started, trailing off before finishing her sentence.
"Mm, that's right! I'm Wise's girlfriend!" Soukaku said with a bright, innocent smile.
"Eh? Eh!!?" x2
Wise and Nekomata both froze in shock, while Anby looked as if her suspicions had just been confirmed, her gaze calmly shifting to size up Wise.
"Wait, hold on, Soukaku, you can't just say things like that!" Wise said quickly, snapping back to his senses as he turned to her.
Soukaku tilted her head, resting a finger lightly against her lips.
"Why not? I am your girlfriend. Was I not supposed to say that?"
In her mind, it was simple. She was a girl, Wise was a boy, and they were friends, so that naturally made them boyfriend and girlfriend.
'No, no, no. If you keep saying stuff like that, Yanagi is going to drag me somewhere and beat me half to death!' he thought, keeping it firmly to himself.
Taking a breath, Wise carefully explained what "boyfriend and girlfriend" actually meant.
Soukaku listened and nodded. She still looked a bit confused, but then she fixed him with a surprisingly firm gaze.
"So it means someone you like. Then I didn't say anything wrong, right? I really do like you, about as much as I like Yanagi."
"Uh... well... alright. Then Soukaku, please, whatever you do, don't tell Yanagi about this."
Seeing that she hadn't quite grasped the full meaning, Wise decided to let it go for now, telling himself she would understand eventually.
At the same time, he made sure to warn her about speaking too casually, both for his reputation and, more importantly, his safety.
Once Soukaku promised, Wise finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. Anby and Nekomata, now understanding the situation, relaxed as well.
"Then let's head back," Anby said.
She moved to Wise's other side and casually took his hand. Nekomata, just a moment too slow, froze in place.
'Damn it! I totally let my guard down!' she thought, filled with regret.
She wanted to jump onto Wise's back right then and there, just to vent her frustration, but she held herself back.
Walking down the street with two girls already drew enough attention. If she joined in, all of Sixth Street would probably be gossiping about it by morning.
"Brother, welcome back. How's Qingyi doing... Eh? Anby and Nekomata are here too, and wait... why is Soukaku here?"
Back at the video store, Belle blinked in confusion as she saw Soukaku following behind them.
It wasn't common for Soukaku to show up at Wise's place in the evening, but today was different.
Yanagi wasn't home, so there was no one to cook, and around noon, something urgent had come up before any bento could be prepared.
In the end, Soukaku had been given some pocket money and sent out to find something to eat on her own.
Once everything was explained, things fell into place easily. Wise and the siblings started preparing dinner together, and afterward, the plan was to wait for Yanagi to come pick Soukaku up.
The waiting, however, didn't go as smoothly as expected.
While Wise was helping Soukaku look for a videotape she wanted, Anby quietly walked over and, without a word, leaned in to kiss him.
Wise froze for a moment, but before he could say anything, Anby spoke first.
"Wise hasn't been taking very good care of me lately. I'm sad..."
She looked up at him with a faint pout, her soft, almost pleading expression hard to ignore.
"Sorry, sorry. That's my fault. I'll make it up to you properly," he promised as he reached out and gently ran his hand through her hair.
In truth, the so-called "neglect" was only because Anby had been busy with commissions over the past few days, leaving them with less time to talk or see each other. Still, he didn't bother pointing that out.
"Wise, did you find the videotape yet... Eh?"
-+ + +-
-> To have access to more than 40 extra chapters, go to:
[-p -a -t -r -e -o -n . com/DysFiction.]
-> To make a don@tion go to:
[ ko - fi .com /dysfiction ]
-+ + +-
Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
-> Azur Lane: Don't Fight! You're All My Wives! (Translation)
-> Zenless Zone Zero: Death in White. (Original - P@treon Only Until It Reaches 30 Chapters)
-+ + +-