After Soukaku agreed, she made a zipping motion across her lips with her fingers, which put Wise slightly at ease.
Still, knowing Soukaku's personality, there was always a chance she might accidentally let something slip.
As long as it wasn't too direct or shocking, though, Wise could probably cover for it somehow.
He quickly sent Yanagi a message, letting her know that Soukaku was safe and would be staying at the video store for the day.
The moment Yanagi read the message, some of the tension finally left her shoulders.
Because of Soukaku's disappearance, she had been distracted at work the entire day.
Then another message from Wise arrived. He was asking if something had happened in the past.
Yanagi's expression immediately stiffened.
'Why is Wise suddenly asking about this? Did Soukaku tell him something?'
Thinking that, Yanagi quietly left her office and walked to a secluded corner before calling him. The call connected almost immediately.
"Wise... did Soukaku tell you something?"
"Yeah. She told me about a dream she had earlier."
Wise then repeated everything Soukaku had told him.
After hearing it, Yanagi fell silent.
Several long seconds passed before a quiet sigh drifted through the other end of the call.
Then Yanagi finally spoke, her voice tinged with complicated emotions.
"I understand... I'll explain everything when I come to pick Soukaku up later."
"Alright. But let me bring Soukaku home instead. I miss you too."
Yanagi's cheeks flushed faintly at his teasing reply.
The heaviness in her heart eased a little, and after a brief pause, she softly answered, "...Mm."
Not wanting to disturb her work any longer, Wise ended the call and went to spend time with Soukaku instead, taking her around Sixth Street for a stroll.
Even though Yanagi hadn't explained anything yet, Wise could already guess a few things from her tone.
For now, the only thing he could do was stay with Soukaku and help distract her from those unpleasant thoughts.
After informing Belle and the others, Wise took Soukaku out to play. They wandered around until Yanagi was nearly done with work before finally heading back.
Soukaku had clearly enjoyed herself all day, but as they neared home, worry gradually crept across her face.
She glanced at Wise beside her before hesitantly asking, "Wise... do you think Yanagi will be angry with me? I made her worry for so long..."
"Don't overthink it. Yanagi loves you way too much to be angry at you," Wise reassured her with a smile.
Besides, she'd already been exposed when Yanagi came to the video store last night, he thought to himself.
Before long, they arrived at Yanagi's residence. Wise skillfully used Soukaku's key to unlock the door.
Yanagi was already home.
The moment she saw them enter, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"You're back. The hot water's ready. Who wants to bathe first?"
Yanagi acted as though nothing had happened, treating them as warmly as always.
Soukaku immediately let out a relieved sigh before energetically raising her hand while saying, "Me! I'll go first!"
She hadn't showered before sleeping at the video store last night, and after spending the entire day running around outside, she was already sweaty and eager for a nice bath.
Without another word, she immediately started peeling off her clothes.
First came her jacket, then her shirt, followed by her skirt. She moved so quickly that Yanagi didn't even have time to stop her.
"Soukaku! Wait! You can't strip here!" Yanagi hurriedly shouted.
Unfortunately, by the time she spoke, Soukaku was already down to the last two pieces of clothing.
Hearing Yanagi's words, she tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh? Why not? Don't worry, Yanagi, I'll pick everything up afterward and put it in the laundry basket."
"That's not the point! Just get into the bathroom already!"
As Yanagi spoke, her eyes instinctively darted toward Wise, who had already politely turned his head away.
Only then did Soukaku realize what Yanagi had actually meant.
"Ohhh, I get it now. You're worried about Wise seeing me? But it's okay. You and Wise are both the people I trust most, so—"
"Soukaku!" Yanagi raised her voice slightly.
"Eek... I-I'm going to bathe now!"
Seeing Yanagi's expression become serious, Soukaku instantly gave in.
She hurriedly gathered the clothes scattered across the floor before rushing into the bathroom.
Only after the bathroom door shut did Wise finally turn back around and meet Yanagi's gaze.
Yanagi didn't say anything. Still, the tension on her face visibly eased the moment Soukaku disappeared into the bathroom.
The gentle warmth in Yanagi's expression slowly faded, giving way to a faint trace of melancholy.
Seeing that, Wise stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. As he held her close, he softly tried to comfort her.
"It's okay. You don't have to worry so much. Soukaku trusts you more than anyone, and she really loves you. Besides..." He smiled lightly. "You still have me, don't you?"
Hearing those words while resting against his chest, the tension in Yanagi's expression slowly eased.
After a moment, she quietly nodded, looking much more relieved than before.
She seemed about to say something when the bathroom door suddenly opened.
Soukaku walked out wearing light blue pajamas, faint steam still clinging to her damp hair. The moment she saw the two standing close together in the living room, she froze slightly, looking awkward.
It seemed like she wanted to say something, but Yanagi quickly spoke first.
"It's already late, Soukaku. Go back to your room and get some sleep."
"Okay..."
Soukaku obediently nodded and headed toward her room.
Only after the bedroom door closed did Yanagi look back at Wise.
"Wise, you should go bathe now too."
However, instead of replying normally, Wise casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"Why don't we just bathe together instead?"
"W-What?!"
Yanagi immediately went rigid with shock.
A second later, her cheeks turned bright red, and she shyly punched him lightly in the chest.
"Y-You really say embarrassing things so casually..."
Wise couldn't help chuckling at her reaction.
"You get especially cute when you're shy. Besides..." He grinned teasingly. "It's not like there's anything I haven't already seen."
"Ugh..."
Hearing him tease her again, Yanagi immediately raised her fist in protest once more.
Wise laughed and raised his hands in surrender before finally heading into the bathroom.
The bathtub was already filled with steaming hot water.
After taking off his clothes, Wise slowly lowered himself into the tub and let out a comfortable sigh.
At home, he usually just took quick showers, so soaking in a bath like this actually felt pretty relaxing.
However, not long after he settled in, he suddenly heard soft footsteps approaching from outside the bathroom.
Then came the faint rustling sound of clothes being removed.
Noticing that, Wise instinctively turned his gaze toward the door.
A moment later, the bathroom door slowly opened.
Yanagi stood there with a deeply embarrassed expression, her cheeks flushed red with shyness.
She tightly held a bath towel against herself, clearly nervous under Wise's gaze, yet she still gathered the courage to step inside barefoot.
"I... thought about it a little," she mumbled softly while avoiding eye contact. "Bathing together would save some time..."
After saying that, Yanagi hurriedly closed the bathroom door behind her before slowly stepping into the bathtub.
But the moment she settled into the warm water, Wise immediately moved closer with a smile, offering to help wash her back.
Caught completely off guard, Yanagi instantly became flustered and couldn't bring herself to refuse.
Warm steam gradually filled the bathroom as the two spent time together in silence, the water in the bathtub occasionally splashing over the edges from their movements.
Only after quite a while did the two finally leave the bathroom side by side.
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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