Yanagi hastily shook her head, her slender fingers rubbing at her forehead as she tried to clear her mind. Instead, it only made her thoughts even more tangled.
Soukaku, who was beside her, immediately grew worried when she saw that.
"Yanagi, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"
As she spoke, she grabbed Yanagi by the shoulders and gave her several anxious shakes. It was proof enough that someone who ate as much as Soukaku also possessed remarkable strength.
Those few shakes nearly made Yanagi pass out, though they did help her calm down somewhat.
"Soukaku, stop shaking me," Yanagi said, letting out a breath. "I'm feeling much better now. Wise should be making lunch, so go help him. I'll rest a little longer."
Soukaku nodded at once and obediently hurried downstairs. Whether she intended to help or secretly sample the food was another matter entirely.
After she left, Yanagi's expression gradually returned to normal, but her thoughts still refused to settle.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Soukaku had already begun "helping" by taste-testing everything. Her verdict, naturally, was that every dish was delicious.
Once lunch was finished, Wise noticed that Yanagi still hadn't come downstairs, so he went to check on her out of concern. Soukaku naturally followed behind him.
Yanagi was sitting on the bed when they entered. The moment she noticed Wise, a small smile appeared on her face unconsciously.
Soukaku then stepped forward excitedly to share the good news.
"Yanagi, how are you feeling now? Let me tell you, Wise's cooking is super delicious~!"
Looking at Soukaku's bright, happy face, Yanagi reached out and gently patted her head.
"I'm much better now. Actually, even if you two had not come, I was just about to head downstairs myself."
The moment she finished speaking, Soukaku suddenly cried out in alarm.
"No! You were clearly feeling bad earlier. How can you get out of bed already? You need to rest properly!"
Soukaku was, of course, talking about Yanagi's strange behavior from before. Yanagi was about to respond when Wise spoke from the side.
"Soukaku's right. You've been pushing yourself for too long without taking proper care of yourself."
With both of them insisting so firmly, Yanagi could only reluctantly agree to eat lunch in bed.
It was the first time something like this had happened to her, especially on someone else's bed.
Given her usual personality, if she did not have time to eat, she would either skip the meal entirely or buy a few red bean buns to fill her stomach on the way.
In truth, Yanagi had nearly recovered already. Still, as had been said before, relying on others once in a while was not such a bad thing.
Soon after, Wise returned with the prepared meal and sat down beside the bed. With practiced ease, he scooped up a spoonful and held it out toward Yanagi.
She clearly hadn't expected that. For a moment, Yanagi froze, staring at the spoon, unsure whether she should accept it.
Wise was just as surprised. Realizing what he had done, he quickly drew back and apologized.
"I'm sorry. When Belle was sick before, I used to feed her like this, so I acted without thinking."
Just then, Soukaku came running upstairs. The moment she saw the scene, her eyes lit up.
"Wow, you're taking care of Yanagi? You're so kind, Wise! Earlier you even asked me what foods she likes. You're really good, just like when Yanagi used to take care of me!"
Soukaku happily rambled on, but when she noticed the two of them still frozen in place, she tilted her head in confusion.
"Yanagi, don't you want to eat it? That's not okay! You told me before that when you're sick, you shouldn't be picky, and you shouldn't turn down someone's kindness!"
Her tone was unusually serious, making Yanagi hesitate.
With her personality, she would never casually allow someone to feed her. But Wise was not an outsider, and Soukaku was watching.
If nothing else, she should accept it in order to set a good example.
After quickly sorting through her thoughts, Yanagi stopped resisting. A faint blush rose to her cheeks as she slowly parted her lips.
Wise was surprised as well, but things had already reached this point. Gently, he brought the spoon to her mouth.
Her soft lips brushed against the smooth porcelain as she accepted the bite.
The moment the food touched her tongue, a fresh, savory flavor spread through her mouth. Yanagi's eyes widened slightly.
Usually, Soukaku was the one who came here for free meals, so Yanagi had never truly tasted Wise's cooking herself.
The few times she had eaten here, Odette and her sisters had been the ones cooking.
Now that she was trying it for the first time, she could not help but be impressed.
'His cooking is really this good...?'
Indeed. It truly was.
No wonder Soukaku liked him so much. To reach this level, he must have invested an incredible amount of time and effort.
She had once assumed the gap between their cooking skills couldn't be that great, but after tasting it herself, she had no choice but to reconsider.
Her own schedule was always packed with work. There was no way she could spare enough time to practice.
Reaching this level would be nearly impossible for her.
Still, seeing how attached Soukaku had become to Wise stirred a strange competitive spirit within Yanagi as Soukaku's older sister figure.
She couldn't just let someone else win Soukaku over so easily.
But if she couldn't compete through cooking... then what could she do?
While Yanagi was lost in thought, Wise brought another spoonful to her lips.
By then, Soukaku was no longer in the room. She had only come upstairs to check on Yanagi, and after seeing everything was fine, she naturally went back downstairs to eat.
There was no longer any need to set an example. Yanagi should have politely refused and taken the spoon herself.
Instead, her body reacted before her mind could. Her lips parted slightly, and Wise fed her another bite.
For the moment, it was only the spoon and the food.
The quiet atmosphere between them gradually became awkward, so Wise spoke first.
"You've always been very gentle with Soukaku."
"Yes," Yanagi replied softly. "Because of certain things in the past, I've always treated her like my real younger sister. Honestly, it wouldn't be wrong to say she already is. I also hoped that by being gentle with her, I could keep her from dwelling on those painful memories... Ah, I'm sorry."
Yanagi had spoken at length about Soukaku while Wise listened quietly, yet she suddenly seemed uneasy.
"Why are you apologizing?" Wise asked, puzzled.
He wondered if Soukaku's past was something she didn't want to discuss with him. But that wasn't the reason.
"Asaba often says I'm most annoying when I start talking like a therapist."
Yanagi looked at him cautiously, her expression slightly tense.
"Do you think it's annoying too?"
"Not at all," he replied. "I don't find it annoying in the slightest... because it's you."
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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