After another loud Nya, Nekomata awkwardly hid her tail behind her. Worried Wise might grab it again and make her look silly, she quickly wrapped it around her waist instead.
'This feels strangely familiar. I think I have seen a strong monkey race (Saiyan) do something like this before...'
Upon noticing Wise paying attention only to Nekomata, Anby felt a flicker of irritation rise within her.
She puffed out her cheeks before calling his name.
"Wise."
The voice wasn't loud, yet it reached him clearly, and he immediately understood what she was trying to say.
"Anby too. You've all been working hard these last few days, helping the Cunning Hares speak up for those residents."
He reached out and rubbed Anby's head as he talked. She closed her eyes, looking completely pleased.
"Oh, right. What were you two choosing earlier?"
"Nya, dinner ingredients, obviously! Anby and I were even thinking of eating at your place. Nicole is still tied up with a commission, and Billy can't really handle food like this."
Hearing Wise's question, Nekomata happily pointed at the tuna in the freezer, something she had been craving for a long time.
But because of its price and her lack of cooking skills, she had never bought it to try.
"Is that so? I'm getting ingredients too. Pick whatever you want, I'll cook."
"Really? That's great, Nya!"
Hearing that, Nekomata got so happy that her two tails slipped out and started swaying again without her noticing.
"Then I want hamburger patties, and also..."
Anby, meanwhile, looked calm as ever, but her slightly red cheeks and the care she put into choosing ingredients clearly showed how excited she was.
One of them went straight for fish, while the other picked more ordinary stuff, though most of it was clearly meant for hamburgers.
Wise felt a little helpless watching them, but he did not bring it up. They were girls he liked, after all, so indulging them felt right.
He quietly grabbed the side dishes he needed and paid for everything in one go.
Anby and Nekomata originally wanted to pay on their own, but Wise flatly refused. He even joked that if they insisted, he would not take care of them that night. In the end, both of them had to give in.
Once they were done shopping, the three returned to the video store together, and Belle was clearly happy to see Anby and Nekomata.
She had been exhausted lately, and with someone helping ease the load, she had no reason to refuse.
A short while later, dinner was done. Wise's cooking was so good that they ended up eating everything without leaving a single bite behind.
"Phew, big brother's cooking is so delicious, I'm a little stuffed," Belle said, patting her round belly.
"Yeah, it's so good my tongue feels like it's melting, Nya!" Nekomata added, clearly satisfied with the tuna he had cooked.
While Belle and Nekomata were talking, Anby suddenly noticed something strange.
"Wise, you didn't eat much."
At her words, the other two turned to look at him. Belle, however, did not appear especially concerned.
"Who knows? Maybe big brother already 'ate' earlier, so he's not hungry now."
Belle put extra emphasis on the word 'ate', and Wise instantly caught onto her meaning.
"Don't worry about me. When you're done, go take a shower. I'll eat later."
Wise ignored his sister's playful teasing. He really had not eaten much at dinner, but he knew he would be full later on.
The three of them failed to understand what he meant, assuming he simply was not hungry and planned to eat later, never realizing they would be the ones getting 'eaten' instead.
Afterward, Wise drifted into a peaceful sleep, holding two girls close as a small catgirl curled up comfortably atop him.
By the following day, Nicole sent a reply, saying she would assist with the contacts. At the same time, another commission arrived.
Inside a coffee shop on Six Street, Wise sat there pretending to look at his phone, while a man in a suit and hat sat not too far behind him.
"Listen, old friend, only you can save me this time... Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have to retire from the industry!"
"Hmm? It's that serious? Tell me what happened."
Wise immediately became interested after hearing the Shepherd's words, as the other party's anxious demeanor was uncommon.
"I'll keep it simple. I took on a big job without caring about offending my peers, but I can't find a suitable Proxy to handle it. The commission is complicated, and the client wants to meet the Proxy face to face. Can you take it?"
The Shepherd's voice sounded almost desperate. Afraid Wise might turn him down, he quickly added, "I already made a solid fake identity for you, so your info is safe."
"Alright, if you're putting it like that…"
Hearing the gratitude in the Shepherd's voice, Wise agreed. They were old friends, and the guy was practically begging at this point.
They agreed to meet at the parking lot behind the video store.
The secret signal for the meeting was 'Flame—Thunder'. Wise had not paid it much attention at first, until he finally met the client in person.
Late at night, as he reached the parking lot behind the video store, his eyes were drawn to a white-haired girl standing quietly in a corner. She wore orange and black clothing, along with a pair of orange goggles.
At that moment, the first person who came to his mind was Anby. The girl in front of him shared far too many similarities with her.
"Brother, why did you stop all of a sudden? Did something happen?"
Belle's concerned voice came through the call. Wise snapped out of his thoughts, calmly replied "nothing," and then walked forward.
"Flame?"
"Mm. Thunder. Two minutes and thirty seconds. You are two minutes and thirty seconds late for the agreed meeting time."
"Huh?"
Wise paused when she said that, but the girl just kept going.
"You know this is a serious violation in the Defense Force, right? Even if you are good-looking, you still need to do one hundred and seventy-five push-ups, or eighty-seven point five with one hand."
'Okay, you really did not need to say that...' Wise thought, though curiosity still pushed him to ask.
"So what if I did one-handed handstand push-ups instead?"
"Hmm?"
Wise's question clearly caught the girl off guard. Unexpectedly, she actually began to seriously think it over.
That reaction alone made Wise feel an even stronger sense of familiarity with her.