"It's honestly amazing. Wise, your cooking is already this good, and with such a gentle personality, it's no wonder so many girls end up devoted to you."
Sitting at the dining table, Qingyi let out a quiet sigh of admiration.
As she spoke, however, her gaze drifted toward Odile and Odette, as well as Anby and Nekomata, who had coincidentally stopped by for dinner.
"Hey... why's there a PubSec officer here?" Nekomata whispered, covering her mouth with one hand as she leaned quietly toward Wise.
"Wise, don't tell me you've already started infiltrating Public Security, nya?"
Both she and Anby had immediately identified Qingyi as a Public Security officer from her uniform.
And judging by how familiar she seemed with Wise, it was only natural for their imaginations to run wild.
"No, and doing something like that would literally be a crime," Wise replied in a deadpan tone. "If I actually tried it, I'd get arrested immediately."
"Huh? But even if you don't, wouldn't you still get arrested if your identity was exposed anyway...?"
"Ahem, Nekomata..."
"Nya?! S-sorry, nya!"
After Anby's quiet reminder, Nekomata instantly realized she had nearly let something slip and hurriedly corrected herself.
Watching the exchange, Qingyi's lips slowly curled into a faint smile.
"Oh? And what exactly did Miss Nekomata mean by that just now?"
"T-That...? It was just a joke, nya~"
Nekomata hurriedly tried to brush it off, but Qingyi deliberately hid her smile and continued speaking in an unusually serious tone.
"A joke, hm? Strange... I can't help feeling like something suspicious is going on here. Perhaps I should have Public Security conduct a proper investigation."
"Nya-aah?! T-There's really no need for that!" Nekomata nearly jumped out of her seat in panic.
"Nothing suspicious is happening here at all! No need to waste Public Security manpower on us, nya!"
Her expression immediately became tense as she desperately looked toward Anby for help.
Only to discover that Anby looked completely calm.
In fact, she was casually picking up food and attempting to feed Wise as though none of this concerned her in the slightest.
Only then did Nekomata finally notice that Wise and Belle, the people directly involved, also looked far too relaxed.
There were even faint smiles on their faces.
At that moment, Nekomata finally realized she had been teased from the very beginning.
Still, because Qingyi truly was a Public Security officer, Nekomata couldn't fully tell whether she had been joking or not.
Seeing Nekomata trapped between panic and confusion, Wise finally couldn't bear teasing her any longer and helplessly waved toward Qingyi.
"Alright, Qingyi. If you keep going, she's really going to cry."
"Haha, you're right."
Qingyi let out a soft laugh before nodding apologetically toward Nekomata.
"I suppose I may have gone a little too far. My apologies, Miss Nekomata."
"Nya...?"
Hearing that exchange, Nekomata finally confirmed her suspicion. This Qingyi was clearly on their side too.
And Anby had obviously realized it ages ago but deliberately chose not to tell her.
'So mean, nya!'
Afterward, Wise briefly explained his relationship with Qingyi.
Qingyi openly admitted it as well while quietly observing Anby and Nekomata's reactions.
Surprisingly, she sensed neither rejection nor discomfort from either of them.
If anything, there was only curiosity and...
"Hmm... so does this mean we now technically have connections inside Public Security?" Anby calmly analyzed while turning to look at Qingyi.
However, Qingyi simply shook her head.
"That wouldn't do. Even if I like Wise, public duty still comes before personal feelings. Right now, things are only peaceful because there isn't any evidence against him."
"No evidence?" Anby asked in her usual calm tone.
"Correct. At the very least, none of my visual records contain anything incriminating toward Wise."
As Qingyi spoke, she once again made her signature gesture, closing one eye while raising the index finger of her right hand.
"I see... understood."
Anby nodded slightly after hearing the explanation.
She had originally been worried about Qingyi's identity, but this answer couldn't have reassured her more.
The group soon finished dinner together.
Afterward, Wise planned to walk Qingyi to the station, while Anby and Nekomata decided to stay overnight at the video store.
As they walked side by side toward the subway station, Qingyi suddenly spoke.
"A life like this honestly sounds pretty nice. If I ever leave Public Security someday, maybe I'll come join all of you instead."
"...Is that really something a Public Security officer should be saying?"
"It's just a joke, no need to worry."
Qingyi smiled faintly.
"Besides, as a high-grade Intelligent Construct, my value is extremely high. Even if Wise somehow had enough money to buy me, Public Security would never agree to sell me."
Hearing that, Wise unconsciously tightened his grip around her small hand.
Qingyi seemed to misunderstand his reaction at first, but soon returned to her usual indifferent expression.
"Are you worried about accidentally breaking me?" she asked calmly.
"Don't worry. Being high-value also means I'm built to last. Of course, that's assuming none of my parts go missing. Otherwise, repairs can become quite troublesome."
As she spoke, Qingyi casually adjusted the nano electrostatic eliminators attached to her head, better known as her twin-tails.
The sight immediately made Wise feel awkward.
After all, not long ago, in the middle of their intimacy, he had accidentally pulled one of them off.
The moment had genuinely terrified him. Fortunately, Qingyi had simply reattached it herself as though nothing had happened.
"...Alright. I'll be more careful next time."
"You don't really have to." Qingyi replied casually. "As long as it falls somewhere inside the room, it's easy enough to find again."
At that point, Wise had no idea how he was supposed to continue the conversation.
Thankfully, Qingyi noticed how late it had become.
After quietly saying goodbye, she turned and entered the subway station. Once she disappeared from sight, Wise also began heading back toward the video store.
However, while passing by the ramen shop, he unexpectedly ran into someone.
"Hm? Wise, meeting you here at this hour... perhaps we really are connected by fate."
The person who spoke was naturally Soldier 11.
At the moment, she was seated inside Waterfall Soup with a bowl of ramen filled with fiery red broth sitting in front of her.
Compared to her usual cold demeanor, she seemed noticeably more enthusiastic tonight. There was even a faint smile on her normally expressionless face.
To be precise, Soldier 11's affection level had already reached 90.
She was the type to remain extremely distant toward strangers, yet once she grew attached to someone, she could practically marry them on the spot.
Naturally, Wise had already realized as much. In some ways, she was surprisingly similar to Anby.
"I already had dinner, so I'm not really hungry right now..."
"Hm..."
Seeing the disappointment immediately appear on Soldier 11's face, Wise instantly corrected himself.
"...Although I guess having another bowl of ramen isn't impossible."
"Good."
The faint disappointment on Soldier 11's face vanished instantly.
"This ramen shop is one of the main reasons I come to Sixth Street," she said calmly before quietly adding, "Of course... you're one of the reasons too."
"Am I really that important to you?"
"I thought you already knew."
A faint blush appeared across Soldier 11's usually stoic face.
"You're far more important to me than you realize."
Ironically, that expression hadn't even appeared when she was eating extra-spicy ramen earlier.
"A district where people I care about are active always feels different somehow," Soldier 11 said quietly.
"I even know officers who openly drive their lovers around the base in military vehicles. That kind of undisciplined behavior only weakens military discipline and combat readiness."
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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