"Oh, right, Belle, I accepted commissions from the toy store owner and Chop. I might be a little busy tomorrow, so I'll need you to look after the shop."
Wise suddenly remembered this during dinner and mentioned it to Belle while eating. Speaking of which, the improvement from his cooking talent was quite significant. At least, he personally felt that the food had become much more delicious.
"Oh, okay. Then leave the shop to me tomorrow. By the way, have you decided who you want as your agent for the Hollow, brother?" Belle took a bite of food as she spoke. The moment the food entered her mouth, she let out a cry of surprise, her eyes sparkling.
"Mmm! So good! Brother, did you add a new recipe? Why does it taste completely different?" Belle looked at the dishes on the table, which didn't look any different from usual, and wondered curiously what had changed.
"Oh, that. It's probably an issue of heat control and seasoning. As for the agent, I already have someone in mind."
"Hm? Is that so? Let me guess, who could it be? It's so hard to guess~ It couldn't possibly be... Anby from the Cunning Hares, could it?" Belle said, her eyes half-closed and a smile on her face, giving her a playfully smug look.
"Ahem, well, we've cooperated so many times, and I'm familiar with Anby's strength and skills. I can rest easy leaving it to her."
"I see. 'Familiar with her skills,' are we~" Belle maintained that same expression, then stood up and, turning her head slightly, continued to stare at Wise. Her words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
"Belle, honestly. Can't you just be a good little sister and be a bit more considerate of your brother?"
"Considerate? You mean like pretending not to know when my brother satisfies his personal hobbies while ordering new stock for the shop?"
Belle's direct exposé made Wise choke a little. "Ahem, ahem! W-when did you find out?"
"I've known from the very beginning. If it weren't for the fact that you also consider my preferences, I wouldn't have let it slide so easily." Belle tapped the table a few times with her left index finger, her right hand propping up her small face, looking as if she were in the middle of a negotiation. "Alright, no more jokes. Brother, you should rest early after you finish eating. I'll take care of the dishes. After all, you have a 'date' tomorrow, don't you?"
As Belle said this, Wise could keenly hear a hint of resentment in her voice, though he didn't know the reason. Could it be that she's worried I'll neglect her if I get a girlfriend? That can't be, right? Belle doesn't seem like such a sensitive girl.
Well, whatever the case, I should find a chance to clear things up later. Otherwise, dragging this out will definitely lead to trouble.
But despite his thoughts, Wise didn't expect trouble to arrive so quickly.
That night, after washing up, Wise lay in bed and sent a message to Anby on his phone.
"Anby, are you free tomorrow?"
"Yes!"
The reply came the instant the message was sent, complete with an exclamation mark. But why was she so fast? Was it a coincidence that she was looking at her phone, or was she waiting by it? It couldn't really be the latter, could it?
On the other side, Anby was lying on her side on her own bed. Her room was filled with sci-fi tapes and books, and the trash can was full of hamburger wrappers. On the bedside table was a half-eaten hamburger, which Anby had clearly been eating just moments ago. But at this moment, she couldn't care less about the hamburger. The young girl stared at her phone, her face flushed red and her heart pounding with excitement, as if she were anticipating something.
Why is Wise messaging me so late? And he specifically asked if I'm free tomorrow. Could it be... he's asking me on a date?
Just then, another message arrived on her phone. Anby hurriedly looked at it, but the content wasn't what she had been imagining.
"I have a couple of commissions, so I was hoping to ask for your help. Is that okay?"
"...Yes, it's okay. But for something like this, shouldn't you be talking to Nicole?" So it was about a commission? I thought it was... Never mind, this is normal. A date... I guess it's still not the right time.
On his end, Wise sensed the disappointment in Anby's reply and hurriedly added a follow-up to soothe her mood. "It's just a small commission, so just the two of us will be enough. As for Nicole, I'll talk to her about it later."
"Just the two of us... Okay. I'll be ready. What time are we leaving tomorrow?" The disappointment in Anby's words vanished, and it was as if she had come back to life.
"Let's set the time for 9 AM. I'll wait for you at the store."
"Mmm, okay. I understand."
Finally, Wise sent Anby one last message. "Okay, goodnight then."
"Mmm, goodnight."
Judging from the fact that his Emotion Value had risen by over two hundred points, it was clear that the young woman was very happy at that moment.
[Current Emotion Value: 996]
Furthermore, because Susie's favorability had reached 88, new Disk Drives were now for sale in the shop, but the prices weren't cheap. A four-star Disk Drive cost 800 Emotion Value, while a five-star one cost a full 1600. However, these weren't things Wise urgently needed right now, so the high prices didn't matter.
Besides those, there were also some snacks and ingredients, as well as things like books, music, and records from the "Old World" era. These were relatively cheap. If needed, he could even source new videotapes for the store from here, as they didn't cost much Emotion Value anyway.
Wise then put down his phone and prepared to sleep. But just then, he suddenly felt something get onto his bed and crawl directly under his covers. Feeling a soft body pressing down on him, Wise sighed helplessly, lifted the blanket, and spoke.
"Belle, why aren't you sleeping at this hour? What are you doing in my room?"
Lying on top of him was none other than Belle, who was sticking her tongue out and making a goofy face. The pressure from her slightly rising and falling chest was causing his own to feel a bit compressed.
"Wuuu, I watched a horror movie today and I'm too scared to sleep alone. I can't fall asleep. I want to sleep with my brother. Can't I?" Belle whined, putting on a cute, coquettish voice as she pleaded with Wise.
"Fine, fine, I get it. You can sleep here, but don't move around, okay?"
"Yay! Brother is the best! I'll just sleep like this then." After saying this, Belle ignored whatever else Wise had to say, lay down directly on top of him, and closed her eyes, refusing to get up no matter how many times he called her.
Helpless, Wise could only let her be. Besides, Belle wasn't heavy, so it was no pressure on him at all.