Soon after, they finally tracked down where Greta, the tunnel-digging smart Machine, was supposed to be. But just as they got close, a loud and clear female voice called out from above.
"Please don't come any closer. This is a private space!"
"Uh, why is there a girl's voice here?"
The group exchanged glances before looking up together, spotting their target standing on a white, unfinished building.
"So it was you! You villains who tried to separate me from Mr. White!"
"Wow! It has only been a few days, and I really didn't expect the tunneling machine to turn into such a pretty young lady! Heh heh~"
Grace ignored the warning completely, smiling in clear delight and looking oddly proud of what she was seeing.
She even closed her eyes as she hugged Wise, who was controlling the Bangboo, showing signs of becoming somewhat unhinged.
"Uh, Grace, could you calm down a bit? I kind of feel..." Wise said, clearly distracted by the softness pressed against him, while the others nearby exchanged confused looks.
"Who exactly is this Mr. White? Another machine? Or... is it the unfinished building under her?"
"What did you say?! You are not allowed to slander Mr. White!"
Before anyone could react, Greta jumped straight down from the building and landed in front of them with a loud thud.
"Hmph, I have already chosen Mr. White and will stay with him forever! Take back those unreasonable words!"
As she spoke, Greta took on the appearance of a girl completely in love, at least according to Grace, while lifting her 1400kg Ether-Electric Hybrid Demolition Saw.
In her attempt to chase away the Ethereal attracted by the massive disturbance and gathering on Mr. White, Greta ended up destroying it by accident along with them.
Even if it was technically her job, the result left her feeling genuinely sad.
Fortunately, Grace, who could uniquely understand and communicate with Greta, offered a string of congratulations and promises to rebuild Mr. White on new land, along with several other outrageous claims.
In the end, Greta agreed to head back with everyone. Absurd as it all sounded, the result was still a positive one.
With that, two-thirds of the commission had been completed. As for the whereabouts of the final smart machine, there was still no information.
Belobog Industries chose to send the two retrieved machines in for inspection first, planning to inform Wise and the others once news about the last one arrived.
"Phew, I am exhausted."
After his consciousness returned, Wise slumped into a chair, feeling tired all over.
"Oh? Is that so? But I think you were enjoying yourself quite a bit, hmph..."
Belle walked over, looking a little unhappy, and started massaging Wise's shoulders. Even without controlling a Bangboo, she could still see everything Wise saw.
So she naturally knew exactly how well he had been treated during the whole mission.
"T-That was just to make things easier, though it really was..."
"Hmm?!"
"Cough, forget I said anything, Belle. So, what do you want for dinner tonight?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Wise tried to change the subject for the moment. However, Belle clearly had no intention of letting him off so easily, her lips curving slightly after hearing his words.
"Hmph, if you're asking that, then obviously I want my favorite food, Brother..."
Belle smiled slyly and looked down at Wise sitting in the chair. He understood right away.
An hour later, with dinner finally ready, Wise sat at the table with her and started eating.
"Mmm, this is amazing, way better than anything from restaurants outside! Having you around really is a blessing, Brother!" Belle said as she took big bites, happily shoveling the fragrant food into her mouth and savoring every bit of it.
"Mmm, as long as you are happy."
"Then can big brother cook for me forever?" she asked, looking at him with hopeful eyes.
"Forever? That sounds kind of heavy," Wise said.
"Huh, so it is not possible?"
"How could it not be? If it is you, Belle, then I do not mind at all."
After dinner, the two watched TV together for a bit like always, then went upstairs to shower and sleep.
But the next morning, Wise had just woken up when he received a message.
The message was from Ray Yersin, someone from the White Star Institute he had worked with before at the outpost. She contacted him because there was a new commission.
For the sake of maintaining his identity as an independent investigator, Wise had no choice but to accept the commission. After preparing breakfast for Belle, he packed his own portion and headed toward the outpost.
"Ugh, I am so hungry... Yanagi said there is a cafeteria around here. Do you know where it is? Oh, right, she also told me to find an uncle named Roland."
Soukaku held her stomach as it growled in protest. Even so, she kept her objective in mind.
"You are probably looking for Commander Roland. He is straight ahead, but if you want to eat, you should head to the right... So, which one are you going to first?"
The guard explained patiently. Soukaku thought about it for a second after hearing that.
"Hmm, yeah, eating is way more important!"
"Huh? Isn't it more important to handle work first?" The guard murmured under her breath. Right then, Soukaku suddenly seemed to sense something.
She sniffed the air, her nose twitching slightly, before her eyes suddenly lit up. The next moment, she dashed straight toward Wise, who had just arrived.
"Wow, you smell really good. Is that food? Can I have a taste?"
Despite her polite tone, the way she leaned closer made it look as if she was ready to bite Wise right away.
"Uh, you are… Soukaku? Wait, please calm down first!"
With a helpless sigh, Wise handed her his breakfast. Soukaku thanked him cheerfully.
She then began eating without hesitation.
"Mmm! This is really delicious! You made this, big brother Wise? It's unbelievably good, I've never had anything like this before!"
[Ding! Target: Soukaku has increased her favorability toward the host by 35. Her current favorability is now 70. Additionally, 1000 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 14000]
"Excuse me, what is going on here?"
A middle-aged man and Ray walked over together after hearing the noise, catching Soukaku happily eating.
Upon noticing the middle-aged man, Soukaku quickly finished the food in her hand, chewed it carefully, swallowed, and then straightened her posture to look at him formally.
"Hollow Special Operations Section 6's Soukaku, reporting for duty! You are Uncle Roland, right? Sorry about that. I could not find the cafeteria and got really hungry. Good thing Wise showed up and even gave me some really tasty food!"