[ Bonus Chapter - 100 P.S ]
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From Zhu Yuan's perspective, she believed Wise might already have a girl he liked, perhaps someone with whom he had already confirmed a relationship.
If that were true, then what she had done would be disgraceful. It would mean betraying another girl, something Zhu Yuan could never forgive.
That was why she had said those things to Wise. Even if it was unfair to herself, at the very least...
"I can't just leave you to deal with this alone."
"Huh?"
Zhu Yuan looked visibly surprised when she heard that.
"Although it's true that I didn't refuse because you're cute, but..."
"But?"
Wise's words made Zhu Yuan feel deeply embarrassed, yet at the same time, they made her even more curious about what he was about to say.
"If you don't mind, Zhu Yuan... can I take responsibility?"
"Take responsibility? But... but..."
At first, Zhu Yuan felt a surge of excitement upon hearing those words. Then, as though suddenly remembering something, her expression quickly dimmed.
Before she could continue, however, she suddenly found herself pulled into a warm embrace.
The warmth surrounding her came from Wise.
That feeling made Zhu Yuan, whose emotions were already in turmoil, instinctively want to indulge herself for just a moment. Yet in the end, her sense of justice overcame that impulse.
"I feel sorry for..."
Before she could finish speaking, Wise gently pressed a finger against her lips, stopping her from saying anything further.
"Zhu Yuan, don't carry all the pressure on your shoulders. I like you. You're serious, responsible, and also very cute."
"Ugh...! Wise..."
Faced with Wise's sudden confession, Zhu Yuan found herself momentarily at a loss
But she didn't need to think about how to respond. She only needed to answer one question.
"Zhu Yuan, I like you. Do you like me?"
"I like you...!"
Zhu Yuan's reply was practically a shout.
Her face was completely flushed, and her usual heroic demeanor had vanished, leaving behind only a young girl's shyness.
Wise held her gently and comforted her for a while. After some time, Zhu Yuan suddenly seemed to remember her duties and abruptly snapped back to reality.
"Oh no! I almost forgot I still have to report back to the office after finishing my work!"
'Even after something like this, you're still thinking about work? That's so like Zhu Yuan. Serious and responsible as always.'
"Can't you ask for leave?" Wise suggested.
"No. Those videotapes are important evidence and need to be handed over."
Zhu Yuan lowered her gaze toward the pile of videotapes with a conflicted expression. The tape that had been playing earlier had already ended.
"Okay... do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"No."
Zhu Yuan shook her head. In fact, she seemed even more energetic than before.
Seeing that, Wise gave up trying to persuade her to take time off. Continuing would only put her in a difficult position. So after Zhu Yuan finished washing up and stepped out of the bathroom, Wise had already packed both her clothes and the videotapes she needed to bring back.
"Thank you so much. You've really helped me a lot..."
Zhu Yuan didn't quite know what to say. After all, in the span of a single afternoon, her relationship with Wise had completely changed.
Later, despite Wise insisting on escorting her back, Zhu Yuan firmly refused to let him accompany her to the Public Security office.
On the way back, however, she still couldn't calm her racing heart.
That evening, Wise received a call from Qingyi.
The very first thing she said after he answered was:
"Wise, you're amazing!"
"Hmm? Why do you say that, Qingyi?"
"Hmph, don't play dumb with me. Ever since Zhu Yuan came back this afternoon, she's been acting strangely. Other people might not notice, but do you think I, her senior, wouldn't?"
That was technically a lie.
In reality, Qingyi had noticed because Zhu Yuan hadn't completely washed away the lingering scent afterward.
Once Qingyi got close enough, her Intelligent Construct senses easily identified it by comparing it against the scents stored in her database.
Although Wise knew nothing about that, he had indeed done something with Zhu Yuan. Or more accurately, the two of them had done something together.
In any case, he admitted it surprisingly easily, while Qingyi pretended to sound shocked.
"You admitted it so quickly? You're really shameless. Aren't you afraid I'll get angry, jealous, cry, make a scene, and start arguing irrationally?"
Despite her words, Qingyi's tone remained calm, making Wise laugh out loud. He genuinely couldn't imagine her acting like that.
"I don't think Qingyi would do something like that."
"Hm... I truly am defeated by you. Alright, let's get back to the main issue. What exactly are you planning to do about Zhu Yuan? Let me make this clear beforehand. She may seem easygoing, but from what I understand, she probably can't tolerate the existence of other girls. And if you choose to hide it, things will only become worse once she finds out."
Qingyi's tone became noticeably more serious.
Although she had joked before about Wise winning Zhu Yuan over as well, things were different now that it had actually happened.
"Yeah, I know. If I hide it, things will only get worse later. That's why I plan to tell her the truth eventually."
"Ha?"
Qingyi clearly hadn't expected Wise to be so decisive, though she quickly regained her composure.
"Well, good luck then. Hopefully we won't see any headlines about a Public Security officer beating up a civilian in a fit of rage."
"Uh... should I thank you for the blessing?" Wise asked awkwardly.
"You're welcome."
"..."
After hanging up the phone, Wise couldn't help feeling troubled.
Although he had already decided to be honest with Zhu Yuan, figuring out exactly how to explain everything was another matter entirely.
"Brother, don't look so gloomy. Think about it. Besides Zhu Yuan, aren't there still plenty of other girls who don't know yet? So don't worry."
"Yeah, thanks, Belle. Somehow that makes me feel even more uneasy."
Yanagi of Hollow Special Operations Section 6, Jane the undercover Public Security agent, Caesar, leader of the Sons of Calydon and Overlord of the Outer Ring, Lucy of the Montefio Family, Soldier 11 of the Defense Force...
And if he had to name one more, there was Nicole.
None of them knew that Wise already had relationships with other girls.
At this point, the situation had escalated to the point where, if everything exploded at once, the consequences would be absolutely terrifying.
Hopefully, there wouldn't be another disaster on the scale of the Carnival incident.
Otherwise...
No, just to be safe, Wise immediately began thinking about how he would explain everything to them in the future.
After all, not every situation could be resolved perfectly.
[Fully Captured Target: Zhu Yuan]
[Reward Generated ⭢ Shape of Justice (S): Transforms all of the owner's words and actions into a positive image. The specific effects depend on how others perceive the owner.]
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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