[ Bonus Chapter - 100 P.S ]
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Sometimes, even long after the yellow ribbons tied around the oak trees had faded, the lovers waiting beneath them never saw their beloved return from the Hollow.
At that point, Soldier 11 fell silent for a moment. She turned to look at Wise, her expression clouded with emotions too complicated to describe, and her voice grew noticeably heavier.
Wise immediately understood what she meant.
The officers those people had been waiting for were already gone.
After a brief pause, Soldier 11 continued speaking.
"So unless it's absolutely necessary for work, I won't take you to our station. Do you understand?"
"You don't have to explain it so seriously," Wise replied with a small smile. "It's normal to keep certain boundaries, even with someone you care about."
There was nothing wrong with what he said. After all, Soldier 11 had already been the first to admit her feelings for him.
And from the way she had spoken moments earlier, she had practically confirmed that she already considered him her lover.
Hearing his words, Soldier 11 was briefly stunned before letting out a soft laugh.
The smile on her lips was faint, but the happiness in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"Hm... you truly are the one I've chosen."
While they were talking, General Chop brought over the ramen.
After finishing their meal, Soldier 11 prepared to leave. The two of them walked side by side until they arrived outside the video store.
Since it was already late at night, the streets nearby were nearly empty.
Just as Wise was about to head inside, Soldier 11 suddenly spoke again.
"Oh, right. You kept what happened last time a secret, didn't you?"
The moment she brought it up, Wise immediately thought about their previous kiss.
But soon, a playful thought crossed his mind.
"Last time?" he said deliberately. "Oh, that. Of course I kept it secret. Though... I think I've forgotten exactly what the secret was. Mind reminding me?"
As he spoke, Wise intentionally stepped closer.
Soldier 11 looked briefly startled and instinctively leaned back.
But once she realized what he meant, a faint blush quickly spread across her cheeks.
Still, she nodded seriously.
"It really has been a while since then."
The reason she said that was simple. From observing other officers and their lovers, Soldier 11 had learned that couples usually kissed whenever they reunited after being apart for a long time.
Sometimes more than once. Some couples would even spend the entire night together.
The thought made Soldier 11 unconsciously picture herself and Wise in that kind of situation.
The moment the image formed in her mind, heat rushed to her cheeks. She hurriedly shook away the distracting thoughts before reaching out and wrapping her arms around Wise's neck.
At the same time, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him without hesitation.
The instant their lips met, Soldier 11 shyly parted her lips and offered her tongue.
Wise had no idea where she had learned it, but he certainly wasn't about to complain.
He immediately pulled her into his arms, one hand resting on her waist while the other gently held the back of her head.
Only after a long moment did they finally pull apart.
Soldier 11's cheeks were now completely red. Even so, before leaving, she still remembered to remind him once more.
"Don't tell anyone about this one either."
After saying that, Soldier 11 quickly turned around and walked away.
Wise had no intention of asking her to stay the night at the video store. Not to mention, Anby was still inside.
Besides, considering Soldier 11's position in the Defense Force, they probably wouldn't allow her to stay out all night anyway.
With that thought in mind, Wise quietly watched her figure disappear into the distance before finally turning around and heading back into the video store.
On the first floor, aside from Little 18, there was no one else around. It seemed everyone had already gone upstairs to the second floor.
Seeing that, Wise quickly headed up to take a shower before returning to the large bed in his room.
Of course, he wasn't alone there. Nekomata, Anby, Belle, and even the twins were already waiting for him to "play."
Then, the night passed quietly, and the following days went by without anything particularly eventful happening.
Soon enough, a peaceful afternoon arrived.
Out of nowhere, Wise received a message from Qingyi, telling him to hurry over to Lumina Square because she supposedly needed his help with something "important and beneficial."
Naturally, Wise was confused. He tried asking for more details, but Qingyi stubbornly refused to explain and continued acting mysterious.
Left with no other option, Wise could only head over first and see what was going on in person.
However, the moment he arrived at the meeting spot, he immediately saw Qingyi standing together with Zhu Yuan.
Qingyi was looking at him with an unusually bright smile. The sight instantly filled Wise with a sense of foreboding.
Even so, he still walked over, and Qingyi immediately spoke up the moment he approached.
"Oh my, if it isn't Wise. What a coincidence meeting you here. You've arrived at the perfect time. Would you like to participate in a prize quiz?"
'What do you mean coincidence? You're the one who called me here,' Wise silently complained to himself.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yuan, standing beside Qingyi, clearly sensed that something wasn't right.
"Senior... what exactly are you trying to do?"
Based on her understanding of Qingyi, whenever she wore that kind of smile, it usually meant trouble was coming.
Unfortunately, Qingyi completely ignored Zhu Yuan's question and continued talking directly to Wise.
"Wonderful! Since you're interested, there's an amazing prize waiting for you~"
"Senior..."
Zhu Yuan tried to stop her, but it was completely ineffective.
At that moment, Qingyi suddenly raised three fingers.
"Wise, how many fingers do you see?"
"Uh... three?"
Wise answered with uncertainty in his voice.
There was no way Qingyi would ask something that simple without some hidden meaning behind it... right?
Before he could think any further, Qingyi clapped her hands happily and revealed her signature mischievous grin.
"Correct answer! Congratulations! Your grand prize is PubSec Officer Miss Zhu Yuan. Please take her away immediately."
"I can't believe I got handed over just because of such an easy question. Senior, what happened to our friendship?"
To Wise's surprise, Zhu Yuan actually played along with Qingyi's joke, making the entire misunderstanding sound even worse.
Fortunately, none of the nearby pedestrians seemed to hear them. Otherwise, the strange looks they would receive would probably be unbearable.
'Qingyi... were you actually serious before? You really pushed Zhu Yuan onto me?'
Wise couldn't help thinking that.
Thankfully, Qingyi's next words quickly explained everything.
"It seems Zhu Yuan has finally accepted reality and stopped resisting. Very good. In that case, the important responsibility of supervising her vacation will now be entrusted to you, Wise."
"Vacation? Ah... so that's what this is about."
Having dealt with Yanagi before, Wise immediately understood Zhu Yuan's situation.
She had most likely been working nonstop for too long, causing her unused vacation days to pile up until her superiors finally forced her to take time off.
"Hm, but you should be careful," Qingyi warned seriously. "Zhu Yuan is very cunning. She might pretend to rest while secretly continuing to work behind the scenes. Wise, you'll need to watch her carefully."
"Understood," Wise replied solemnly. "I will complete the mission."
"Excellent. Then I'll leave her to you."
After successfully handing over the still-reluctant Zhu Yuan, Qingyi cheerfully departed to resume her duties elsewhere.
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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