"Something seems to be bothering you. Is it really that difficult?"
The moment Wise noticed her reaction, disappointment immediately crossed his face.
Seeing that, Venus quickly waved her hands in denial.
"No, that's not it," she said hurriedly. "It's just... I'm not very good at cooking. I hope you won't mind."
Naturally, Wise didn't mind in the slightest. In fact, after Venus stood up, he followed her toward the small kitchen area in the corner of the rented apartment.
It was a simple setup, separated from the rest of the room by a clean curtain.
Judging by the neatly arranged kitchenware, it was obvious Venus rarely used the space.
"I think there should still be some ingredients in the fridge. Let me check..."
Venus opened the refrigerator, but the moment she looked inside, she couldn't help frowning slightly.
The ingredients were still fresh, but there wasn't much left, and she had no idea what she could make with them.
After staring into the refrigerator for a while, she could only grit her teeth and take everything out.
Seeing her troubled expression, Wise really couldn't just stand there and watch any longer, so he took the initiative to help.
Although the ingredients were limited, they were more than enough for someone with Wise's level of cooking skill.
Not long after, several delicious-looking dishes were neatly arranged on the table.
However, seeing the finished dishes only made Venus feel even more embarrassed.
"I'm sorry..." she said softly. "I invited you over for dinner, but in the end, you were the one who did all the work again."
Wise shook his head with a smile.
"Don't say that. You've already helped me a lot."
He looked at her gently before continuing, "Besides, you've been busy this whole time. You must be starving by now, right? Let's eat first."
His modest attitude only made the warmth in Venus's heart deepen further.
At his suggestion, she quietly nodded and sat down across from him at the dining table.
The moment she tasted the food, her eyes widened slightly.
Just as expected, the dishes completely captured her taste buds.
When she looked at Wise again, the feelings hidden in her gaze became even harder to conceal.
After all, what girl wouldn't be moved by a man who was dependable, gentle, and capable in every way?
Venus was no exception. It was just that she still didn't have the courage to openly express those feelings.
Though honestly... if Wise confessed to her right then, she felt she would probably agree without hesitation.
Still, now wasn't the right time for that.
After dinner, Wise said goodbye to Venus, and the two agreed to go out together again sometime later.
On the way home, Wise was still debating whether he should visit Koleda afterward when his phone suddenly vibrated with a new message.
He took out his phone and saw that the sender was Soukaku.
| Soukaku: Wise, can I stay at your place tonight? |
Wise paused for a moment after reading the message, but he didn't agree immediately.
Instead, he asked whether she had gotten Yanagi's permission first.
Not long after, Soukaku replied with a crying emoji.
| Soukaku: (╥_╥) |
| Soukaku: Can I come over tonight... so we can talk? |
The moment he saw that message, Wise immediately realized there was more to Soukaku's request than simply wanting a place to stay.
And whatever it was, it was probably related to Yanagi.
After thinking for a moment, he sent back a reply agreeing to let her come over.
At the same time, he chose not to inform Yanagi about it. After all, the fact that Soukaku had intentionally avoided mentioning it to her made it obvious that she didn't want her to know yet.
So Wise decided it would be better to talk to Soukaku himself first.
Not long after, Wise closed the video store early to wait for Soukaku's arrival.
When she finally showed up, she looked unusually nervous.
"Wise..."
"What's wrong, Soukaku? You don't have to be so anxious. Did something happen?" he asked with concern.
"Ugh... I don't really know how to say it..." Soukaku lowered her head and nervously rubbed her index fingers together, looking extremely uneasy.
Seeing her like this only made Wise more confused.
Aside from food, what else could make the usually cheerful and energetic Soukaku act this troubled?
"Don't tell me you're going through a rebellious phase and got into a fight with Yanagi?"
"N-No! It's not like that at all!"
Before Wise could even finish speaking, Soukaku hurriedly denied it in a panic. But after blurting that out, she immediately returned to her hesitant silence.
She looked conflicted and anxious, mumbling under her breath for a long time without managing to explain anything clearly.
Just as Wise was about to comfort her, someone suddenly knocked on the door of the video store.
At the same time, Yanagi's voice came from outside.
"Wise, are you there?"
"Oh no... it's Yanagi!" Soukaku instantly panicked.
Seeing her panic, Wise quickly told her to go upstairs and hide first.
As for Yanagi... he would handle things downstairs himself.
After opening the door, Yanagi, who had clearly been worried the entire time, visibly relaxed the moment she saw Wise standing there.
"Wise, thank goodness you're here..." She paused briefly before asking, "Is Soukaku with you? Or have you seen her?"
"Yanagi, calm down first," Wise said gently, trying to soothe her emotions. "Tell me what happened."
Hearing his calm voice, Yanagi took a deep breath and finally managed to settle down a little before explaining everything.
"I got off work late tonight. Usually, Soukaku goes home first and waits for me..." Yanagi crossed her arms lightly as she spoke. "But when I came home today, the entire house was dark."
Her expression gradually became more serious.
"When I turned on the lights, I found a note she left on the refrigerator. I spent forever trying to figure out what it said, and in the end, it turned out to read..."
Yanagi paused helplessly before continuing, "'Goodbye, Yanagi. Don't worry about me. I'm going somewhere safe.'"
The more she spoke, the more obvious the concern in her eyes became.
"How could I possibly not worry after reading something like that?"
Then she looked straight at Wise.
"Soukaku trusts you a lot, Wise. The 'safe place' she mentioned... I think the most likely place would be here. So, has she come to see you? Or did she tell you where she went?"
Looking at Yanagi standing so close that he could almost feel her breath against his skin, Wise hesitated for a moment.
'As expected of the sister who's been with her all these years... she figured it out almost immediately. But judging from Soukaku's reaction, she clearly doesn't want to face Yanagi right now...'
After thinking it over, Wise quickly made a decision.
He gently took one of Yanagi's hands and began tracing words onto her soft palm with his finger while speaking out loud at the same time.
"No, I haven't seen her," he said naturally.
"But Soukaku still isn't very good at writing, right? Maybe we misunderstood what she meant. Perhaps she just went out for a late-night snack or something. She'll probably come back tomorrow."
Those words were intentionally spoken loud enough for Soukaku upstairs to hear, so she could relax a little.
Meanwhile, Yanagi silently felt the hidden message Wise was writing into her palm.
Her eyes subtly drifted toward the staircase leading to the second floor before she quietly nodded in understanding.
"...You're right. Maybe I really was overthinking things."
After a short pause, she added softly, "But if Soukaku contacts you... or comes to see you... let me know when you think the time is right."
After saying that, Yanagi finally left the video store.
Now that she knew Soukaku was safe with Wise, most of her worries had faded.
Although she still couldn't understand why Soukaku was suddenly avoiding her, Yanagi trusted Wise to handle the situation properly.
Once Yanagi was gone, Wise locked the door and headed upstairs to his room on the second floor.
The moment he entered, he found Soukaku sitting restlessly on his bed.
As soon as she noticed him, she immediately stood up and asked nervously,
"Wise... how did it go? Was Yanagi... angry?"
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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