"This is where I live. Thank you for bringing me home."
Wise and Rain stopped in front of a high-end apartment building. When asked why she chose a place on Sixth Street, she'd simply said she preferred to keep a low profile.
"Since that's the case, I'll head back now."
With his task complete, Wise had no plans to stay longer. Belle was waiting at home, and he didn't want her to worry about him being out late.
"Wait a moment..."
Just as Wise turned to leave, Rain called out to him. Under his puzzled gaze, she finally explained the reason.
"Um, are you free tomorrow? If you are, I'd like to invite you to the Carnival being held at Lumina Square."
A faint blush colored Rain's cheeks as she looked at him nervously, waiting for his response.
Seeing her like that made Wise smile. He nodded, and Rain's face instantly brightened. She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, practically bouncing with excitement.
Though she quickly let go, feeling shy about her impulsive action, she still met his gaze firmly.
"Since we've made plans, you can't be late tomorrow."
With that, Rain disappeared through the doorway, her happiness practically radiating from her. The door stayed ajar, waiting until Wise turned to leave before it gently closed.
Her reaction had been sudden, but Wise recognized the sincerity behind it. This pink-haired girl's feelings for him were unmistakably real.
Still, everything happened so fast that he needed to think about it more carefully.
While heading home, his phone lit up with a notification. He opened it and saw a message from Ellen.
| Nom Nom Shark (Ellen): Are you free tomorrow? Want to go to the Carnival with me? |
Wise was slightly stunned. Although he really wanted to agree, he'd already made plans with Rain. He also couldn't help wondering why it had to be tomorrow.
He was about to suggest a different day, but Ellen sent another message before he could finish.
| Nom Nom Shark (Ellen): Because this commission was completed successfully, the boss gave us a few days off. School's on holiday too, and I haven't been out to have fun in forever. Want to go together? If you're busy, don't worry about it. |
Wise's finger stopped right before hitting send.
He couldn't help but think about Ellen's recent frustrations with Rain, Anby, and Nekomata.
Her favorability hadn't dropped yet, but if he turned her down now, he didn't want to imagine what might happen.
| Close Friend (Wise): Sure, let's go in the afternoon then. |
He hit send, strategically picking the afternoon so it wouldn't clash with Rain's invitation.
Meanwhile, Ellen sat in her room, her mood lifting the moment she saw Wise's agreement. She typed back immediately.
| Nom Nom Shark (Ellen): Perfect. See you then. |
After reading her reply, Wise let out a quiet sigh and started mulling over tomorrow's schedule.
Maybe he could ask Rain to reschedule? The Carnival was going to be around for a while anyway.
He grabbed his phone to text Rain, but got a notification before he could even start typing.
| Anby: Are you there? |
Noticing it was from Anby, Wise chose to respond to her first.
| Wise: Yeah, I'm here. You're awake? How are you feeling? |
| Anby: I feel great. Just a bit hungry when I woke up. |
| Wise: Good, get some good rest, okay? Next time I stop by, I'll make you something good to eat. |
At that moment, Anby lay on her bed in her room, wearing a thin nightgown. Seeing Wise's caring words, she felt a warmth spread through her chest.
However, that wasn't the real purpose of her message, so Anby typed again.
| Anby: I heard from Billy that it was thanks to you that we were saved. |
| Wise: It's not that exaggerated. It wasn't just my doing. Everyone helped. |
| Anby: Anyway, thank you for saving me, so... |
At this point, Wise suddenly felt a bad premonition, but it was too late when he saw the second half of the message.
| Anby: Can we go on a date tomorrow? |
Sure enough, as expected, Anby also wanted to go out with him tomorrow. Fortunately, Wise knew how he should reply.
After all, he'd already committed to going out with two girls tomorrow. He couldn't possibly add a third.
Or so Wise initially thought, until he saw Anby's next message, complete with an eager, hopeful emoji.
| Anby: I already planned everything for Lumina Square tomorrow. I've been waiting forever for the hamburger eating contest. It would be amazing to go with you. |
Anby sounded completely confident that Wise would say yes. Even through text, he could feel how excited she was.
| Wise: No problem, it's settled then. |
| Anby: Mm, okay~ |
Anby, who was now lying on her stomach on the bed, blushed slightly and showed a dazed smile after seeing Wise agree.
As for Wise, he was furiously banging on the nearby wall.
'Damn it! I gave in again. How was I supposed to say no to someone as adorable as Anby?! No choice now. I'll just have to reschedule with one of them,' he thought, opening Rain's chat.
Before he could start typing, Rain's message appeared on his screen.
| Genius Hacker Girl (Rain): Wise, thank you for saving me in the Hollow and giving me the chance to keep experiencing this world. |
Wise suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a bit off. Unsure, he decided to read more carefully.
| Genius Hacker Girl (Rain): If you hadn't appeared like a ray of light, I probably would have stayed in that dark room for the rest of my life. So, I've decided to change myself. Thank you very much! |
The girl's heartfelt words made Wise purse his lips. He then silently deleted the message he had originally intended to send and typed another one.
| Crush (Wise): No problem. Have you decided what you want to do first tomorrow? |
After sending it, Wise put his phone away and focused on getting back to the video store.
The second he walked in, Belle immediately noticed her brother's lifeless mood and couldn't help but worry.
"Brother, what's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"
"Don't worry, Belle, I just have something on my mind..."
Wise let out a soft sigh, offering no further explanation. Belle blinked in surprise at first, then her face lit up with a cheerful, mischievous grin.
"Oh? Something on your mind? Sounds pretty serious! Actually, there's this Carnival happening tomorrow. Maybe we could... Wait, brother, what's with that look?"
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