Soldier 11 exited the Hollow on her own, and Wise cut the connection soon after. Turning his head, he noticed Belle staring at him with a playful look in her eyes.
"Belle? What is wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Belle ignored Wise and shifted her gaze toward Fairy instead.
"See Fairy? I told you I was right. Brother is doing it again. Based on our agreement, should you not..."
[|Negative. This... may definitely be what Master said to prove his friendship with Soldier 11.|]
"Heh, you are really good at defending my Brother!" Belle complained, puffing her cheeks at the clearly biased AI.
Listening to the two of them, Wise could only feel helpless.
"You two, stop using other people's matters to gamble."
Even if it did include a bit of male selfishness.
"Anyway, I am going to meet the client first. Take care of the house."
With that said, Wise left for the meeting point. After waiting briefly, Soldier 11 arrived in a rush.
"I finally got out without any trouble," Soldier 11 said, brushing the sweat off her brow.
"Yes, thank you for your effort. To be honest, this was my first time pretending to be Phaethon. I really did not expect fans like that to exist. It's kind of scary..."
Wise could only feel relieved that he had kept his identity concealed. If those overly devoted fans ever tracked down his address, his peaceful life would likely be over.
"Things went far better than expected. I did not even use half of the prepared lines meant to gain trust. It was all because of you. How did you pull that off back then?"
Soldier 11 could feel that her thoughts toward Wise back then had been off, similar to how she usually felt around kittens.
But it was more complicated than that. The feeling was still there, just not as strong as before.
"Uh, well, it is kind of hard to explain."
"If you do not want to talk about it, then forget it. Everyone has their own secrets. When Shepherd endorsed you, I was concerned, but now I can see that your strength is solid. You did well, Proxy. I will contact you again when I need you."
After saying that, Soldier 11 was about to leave when a sound suddenly came from nearby.
"Meow~"
"Hmm? That sounds like... a kitten?" Soldier 11 asked, scanning her surroundings with curiosity.
"Oh, that is Inky," Wise said, recognizing her immediately.
"Inky?"
"Yes. She is a stray cat that stays nearby. I feed her from time to time, so she has become pretty attached to me."
As he spoke, Wise squatted down and reached out to touch Inky's black fur. Even though she was a stray, she looked surprisingly clean, her fur smooth and glossy.
"What do you think, Soldier 11? Want to give her a pat?" Wise asked, noticing the eagerness on her face.
Soldier 11 nodded at his words, then squatted down beside him, joining Wise as they gently petted Inky together.
"Meow~"
"Inky seems to like you too. Do you like cats, Soldier 11?"
"Yes."
Soldier 11 nodded calmly, not bothering to deny it. Her eyes flickered between Wise and Inky several times, as though she was quietly comparing the feelings she had for each of them.
But comparing a human and a cat made no sense. They were nothing alike.
"Proxy, do you want to take her home?"
"Huh?"
After feeding Inky each time, Wise would always leave without a second thought, completely forgetting that adopting her was an option. It was Soldier 11's reminder that finally made him realize it.
'If I bring Inky home, Nekomata will definitely bristle when she sees her, right?'
Thinking about that scene made Wise feel like it could actually be pretty fun.
Seeing the look on his face, Soldier 11 continued, "The Defense Force does not allow keeping cats, so I cannot take her with me..."
She clearly wanted to take care of Inky herself, but she was not allowed to. At the same time, she could not stand the idea of leaving her outside, which was why she wanted to entrust her to someone else.
"Then leave her to me," Wise said, giving a calm nod.
"Really? That's great!"
[Ding! Target: Soldier 11 has increased her favorability toward the host by 35. Her current favorability is now 60. Additionally, 800 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 10800]
+ + + + +
Soldier 11's Inner Thoughts:
It seems Wise really likes cats, and someone who is kind to cats definitely is not a bad person.
+ + + + +
The increase in favorability happened incredibly fast. While Soldier 11 gave off the impression of being hard to approach, she turned out to be someone much simpler to get along with.
"Inky, do you want to come home with me?" Wise asked the little cat.
"Meow~"
Her response was bright and cheerful, and in the next moment, Inky jumped into his arms, letting out a content purr as she settled in.
"That is good. Now I can head back with peace of mind," Soldier 11 said, a faint smile on her face.
"Well, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
With that, Soldier 11 left first. Not long after, Wise returned to the video store, where Belle promptly blocked his way.
"Brother, you were out for quite a while. Don't tell me you already got along with Soldier 11?"
Wise rubbed his temples and answered under her intense stare.
"If that had happened, you would not be waiting here so patiently. You know that very well."
"Fair point… huh? Wait, is not that the kitten that hangs around near our house? Why did you bring her back?"
Only then did Belle notice Inky in Wise's arms. Wise quickly explained what had happened.
"I see. Well then, Inky, welcome to the family. Though… a certain person might not be very happy to see you."
The one Belle was talking about was obviously Nekomata, but Inky did not seem bothered at all. After feeling Belle's kindness, she jumped onto the table and answered happily with a cheerful meow.
Since Inky was a new addition to the family, giving her a bath after getting home was only natural, considering she had lived as a stray before.
Surprisingly, Inky was extremely cooperative. Wise managed to wash her smoothly, finishing the whole process very quickly.
That night, when it was time to sleep, Inky carefully hopped onto the bed and lay down on Wise, taking the same spot Nekomata usually slept in.
"Brother… if Nekomata finds out about this, we are finished," Belle whispered while lying next to him, already sensing the disaster coming.
"Then let us keep it hidden for now. Do not tell her," Wise said quietly.
Belle nodded. She did feel a bit guilty toward Nekomata, but for now, there was no better option.
Things stayed that way until the following day, when Nekomata showed up.
"Nya! What is the meaning of this?! Who is this cat? An illegal intruder? Then I am throwing her out!" Nekomata shouted in anger.
"Hold on, Nekomata! Inky is a new cat my brother adopted," Belle quickly stepped in when she saw Nekomata actually moving to toss Inky away.
The moment Belle finished explaining, Nekomata became visibly flustered.
"Adopted?! What are you talking about? Is having me not enough? Anything she can do, I can do too. And even things she cannot do, I can still do!"
She spun around and raised her voice.
"Wise, get out here and explain yourself right now! Nya!"