"Belle, what are you doing?"
Wise felt a bit speechless as he watched his sister fiddle with these things, although he had a rough idea of what she was doing it for.
"What else could I be doing? Obviously, it's to stop that artificial intelligence, Fairy, from hearing our conversation!" Belle's tone was quite dissatisfied. It was clear her emotions were directed at Fairy, as their interactions lately hadn't been very pleasant.
"So what are we doing? Talking bad about her? I don't think we have that kind of tradition here."
"That's not it, brother! I'm not talking about that!"
"Alright, alright, I was just joking. Please continue." Seeing that Belle seemed a bit angry, Wise immediately stopped joking. He, of course, understood what his sister was worried about. It was a normal reaction. After all, with an unstable factor like Fairy around, the two of them would definitely be dragged into some kind of conflict in the future. But since what's done is done, they could only accept it.
But Belle clearly didn't think so. To her, no matter how much convenience Fairy could provide, it was not more important than her brother's safety. Not to mention the huge hidden dangers that Fairy's coveted data acquisition and processing capabilities would bring them, the part where she previously said 'wait for the right time to complete the protocol' was highly suspicious, and she was completely unwilling to reveal any details about said protocol.
Listening to the concern for him that was revealed in every sentence his sister spoke, Wise couldn't help but feel touched. He reached out and patted Belle's head. The latter was clearly a bit stunned by this. After all, they were just discussing important matters, why was her brother suddenly patting her head?
"Belle, I know what you're worried about. But since Fairy has already come to our home and we've borrowed her abilities, we must take responsibility." Wise's meaning was that since things had come to this, they should just go with the flow for now. Belle nodded after hearing his words.
"Oh right, speaking of which, what do you want for dinner?"
"Mmm... no hamburgers today. Let's have some of my favorite dishes."
"Sure. What would you like to eat, Belle?"
The two of them then returned to the video store together.
...
A few days later, in a familiar setting, a familiar scene: Wise and Belle were in the room on the first floor, watching the latest news. The content was about the renovation of the Old Capital subway. The reporter on TV was still the same one who was constantly being bleeped out.
But, the Old Capital subway renovation? I seem to recall there was a plot point about this in the story. And speaking of which, Anby and her team should be out on a commission right now.
Looking at the person in charge appearing on the TV, a short, fat old man named Charles Perlman, his exact age was unknown, but his hair was completely white. Wise recalled for a moment. If he remembered correctly, this guy, while carrying out the construction, had chosen to abandon the civilians to avoid the costs associated with relocating a large number of people. He's really not a good person.
Just as Wise was fuming, Fairy's voice suddenly came through with a notification.
[Alert. Street camera has detected an unidentified person approaching the shop at high speed. Hypotheses: she needs to use the restroom, her rented videotape is about to expire, she has ill intentions towards this shop.]
"Ill intentions? Would anyone really want to rob a video store that looks like it has no income?" For some reason, Belle's complaint was a little heartbreaking, even though their main income wasn't actually from the video store.
"Alright, don't let your imagination run wild. It's probably just a regular customer. I'll get the door."
"Hmph, my imagination is not running wild. It's all Fairy's fault for making a customer's arrival sound so strange." As she spoke, Belle followed Wise, preparing to see which customer it was. However, just as they twisted the doorknob, the door was pushed open from the outside.
A Nekomata girl with a panicked expression on her face flew in from outside the door, crashing right into Wise. In an almost subconscious reaction, the girl clung to Wise's body with all four limbs like an octopus, looking like a frightened kitten about to fall from a tree. And coming in with her was a green Bangboo. Upon closer inspection, wasn't that Nicole's?
"Hey, who are you? Why did you suddenly barge in? Don't you know this area is off-limits? And get off my brother, right now!" For some reason, Belle spoke loudly with a hint of anger, pointing at the girl who was still clinging to Wise and refusing to get down.
Hearing this, the girl finally came to her senses. Looking at Wise's handsome face so close to hers, her own small face instantly turned red. It wasn't that she didn't want to let go, but when she had crashed into him just now, she felt that he smelled very nice, which made her dazed for a moment. That feeling was like a cat encountering catnip. Speaking of which, this should also be one of the benefits of his increased charm value.
Now, hearing Belle's reminder, the Nekomata girl finally snapped out of it. In a flurry, she let go of her arms and legs, causing her to fall and land on her butt right in front of Wise. This startled Wise a little, as this posture was not very good. Realizing this, he immediately took a step back. The girl, on the other hand, rubbed her sore little butt as she slowly stood up. "Oww, that hurts!"
Although her little butt was still a bit numb, the first thing the girl did after getting up was point at the TV that was still playing the news. To be precise, she was pointing at the short, fat man who was speaking on the TV.
"Don't believe this short, fat old man! He's lying!"
Seeing the girl looking so anxious, Wise thought he should calm her down first. "What do you mean? Don't be anxious, speak slowly."
Hearing Wise's words, the Nekomata girl took a moment to calm down. After catching her breath, she finally continued, "My name is Koma. I know you are 'Phaethon.' I came here because I have a commission for you! Oh, right, Nicole told me to come."
Normally, he should pretend not to know and pad out the word count (crossed out). But Wise had already noticed the Bangboo next to Koma. Since it was an acquaintance's referral, there was no need for so many twists and turns.
"Nicole sent you? Then where is she now?"
The moment this was mentioned, Koma instantly became agitated again. "It's the place they're talking about on the news—the blast zone in the distance! That old man said there's no one in there, but that's not true!"
"Heh, why am I not surprised at all?"
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