"Belle, what are you doing?"
Wise looked at the things his sister was fiddling with and felt a bit speechless. He could already guess why she was acting like this.
"What else could I be doing? I am making sure that AI Fairy does not hear our conversation." Belle's tone carried clear displeasure, and it was obvious her frustration was aimed at Fairy, since the two of them had not been getting along lately.
"So what are we doing here? Talking bad about her? It is not like we have that habit."
"No, Big Brother! That is not what I mean."
"Alright, alright, I am just joking. Go on."
When Wise noticed that Belle was getting upset, he stopped teasing her. He understood very well what she was worried about.
It was normal. With Fairy being an unstable factor, the two siblings would likely be pulled into a conflict sooner or later.
But since everything was already settled, they could only accept it.
However, Belle clearly did not think the same way. For her, no matter how helpful Fairy might be, nothing was more important than her brother's safety.
She was also worried about the dangers that Fairy's highly coveted data acquisition and processing abilities could bring to them.
Even the phrase she had said earlier, 'waiting for the right time and completing the agreement', sounded suspicious, and she refused to explain anything about that agreement.
Hearing his sister speak with so much concern, Wise felt a warm ache in his chest and gently reached out to pat Belle's head.
Belle blinked in confusion. They had been discussing serious matters, so why was her brother suddenly patting her head?
"Belle, I understand what you are worried about. But since Fairy is already in our home and we have used her abilities, we have to take responsibility for whatever happens next."
What Wise meant was that things had already gone too far to turn back. Hearing that, Belle nodded quietly.
"Oh, by the way, what do you want for dinner?"
"Hmm... no burgers today. I want some of my favorite dishes."
"Alright then, let's go. You can tell me on the way."
With that, the two of them headed back to the Video Store together, walking side by side.
><
A few days later, in a familiar environment and a familiar scene, Wise and Belle were watching the latest news in the room on the first floor.
The broadcast was about the renovation of the Old Capital Metro. The reporter on TV was the same one from before, the one who kept getting censored over and over.
But the renovation of the Old Capital Metro?
He vaguely remembered that part of the plot, and now that he thought about it, Anby and the others seemed to have gone out to handle a commission.
Looking at the person speaking on the TV, Wise focused on a chubby old man named Charles Perlman. No one knew his exact age, but his hair was already completely white.
Wise paused for a moment. If his memory was right, this man had once picked construction sites in crowded areas and then abandoned the civilians living there just to avoid paying the cost of relocating them.
He never hesitated to sacrifice innocent lives for profit. Someone like that could never be called a good person.
Wise was still fuming over it when Fairy suddenly issued a warning.
[|Alert! A street camera detected an unknown individual approaching this store at high speed.|]
[|Speculation. She needs to use the restroom, her rented videotape is about to expire, or she harbors ill intentions toward this store.|]
"Ill intentions? Would anyone really try to rob a video store that looks like it barely makes any money?"
For some reason, Belle's complaint sounded a little pitiful, even though everyone knew their real income did not come from the Video Store at all.
"Alright, stop thinking too much about it. It's probably just a normal customer. I will go check."
"Hmph, I was not overthinking. It is Fairy's fault for making it sound like something strange was happening."
Belle followed Wise toward the entrance, curious to see who had arrived. But the moment they turned the doorknob, the door burst open on its own.
A Cat Thiren girl, looking panicked, flew in from outside the door and jumped straight onto Wise.
Almost by instinct, she wrapped herself around him with all four limbs like an octopus, clinging to him like a frightened kitten.
A green Bangboo followed right behind her. After a closer look, was this not Nicole's Bangboo?
"Hey, who are you? Why did you suddenly barge in? Do you not know this area is off limits? And get off my brother right now!" Belle shouted, her voice filled with anger for reasons only she understood, while she pointed at the girl who still clung to Wise and refused to come down.
Hearing this, the girl finally reacted. When she noticed Wise's handsome face so close, her own face turned bright red in an instant.
Actually, It was not that she wanted to keep holding on, but the moment she jumped on Wise, his scent felt incredibly comforting, leaving her momentarily dazed.
It was like a cat catching the scent of catnip, soft and overwhelming. Come to think of it, this had to be one of the effects of his boosted charisma.
Only when Belle's voice rang out again did the Cat Thiren girl fully snap back to her senses.
In her panic, she immediately released her grip, which made her fall back and land with a soft thud in front of Wise. The sudden sound startled him a little.
Since this posture was far from ideal, he quickly stepped back as soon as he realized what had happened.
Meanwhile, the girl rubbed her little bottom and slowly pushed herself up.
"Ouch!"
Even though her bottom was still a little numb, she pointed straight at the TV the moment she got back on her feet.
More precisely, she pointed at the short, chubby man speaking on the screen.
"Do not believe that short, fat uncle, he's lying!"
Seeing how anxious she was, Wise decided he should calm her down before anything else.
"What do you mean? Take your time and speak clearly." He spoke slowy tryng calmng her down
The Nekomata girl breathed slowly and gathered her thoughts before she spoke.
"My name is Nekomiya Mana, you can call me Nekomata and I know you are Phaethon. I am here because I have a commission for you. Oh, and Nicole sent me."
- Nekomata[1] -
Originally, he would have pretended not to know anything, but Wise had already noticed the Bangboo beside Nekomata. Since she arrived with an introduction from an acquaintance, there was no need for any extra twists.
"Nicole sent you? Where is she now?"
Nekomata became agitated again the moment he mentioned her.
"It's the place they talked about in the news. That uncle said no one was there, but that is not true at all."
"Heh, why am I not surprised?"
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