Belle showed her displeasure, but as the younger sister, she couldn't say much. Wise noticed it and felt a little awkward himself.
Still, it was only a little awkward. After all, if he wasn't thick-skinned, how could he be worthy of the Almighty Incubus System?
Trying to change the subject, Belle brought up the hamburger she had eaten and asked with genuine curiosity, "Brother, where did you find the recipe? How can you make something that tastes this amazing?"
"Hmm, judging by the taste alone, this recipe could easily make for a hit hamburger shop," Anby said as she continued eating, following the marks from her earlier bites.
"This? Well, I came across it by chance," Wise replied with a small smile. "I don't plan on opening a hamburger shop, but if you two ever want some, you can always come to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Anby leaned closer with excitement, her bright eyes fixed on him, her small face so close it almost touched his.
"Really?" she asked, her tone carrying a rare hint of joy.
For someone who loved hamburgers that much, Wise's words were nothing short of a dream come true.
"Of course. I'm always happy to cook for important people."
Wise couldn't resist teasing her a little, and Anby's face turned red almost instantly. As for showing more emotion, that was already the limit of her range.
"Thank you…" she murmured softly.
[Ding! Target: Anby has increased her favorability toward the host by 1. Her current favorability is now 92. Additionally, 212 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 1600]
Anby didn't say anything more. She lowered her head and quietly focused on her hamburger, trying to hide her shyness. She didn't even seem to notice how close and intimate their situation appeared.
"Ahem, it's nice to see my brother being all sweet, but could you two please pay attention? There are other people here!"
Belle, having already finished her hamburger, felt completely stuffed. She couldn't hold it in any longer and finally spoke up.
After Belle's reminder, Anby calmly returned to her seat, though the faint flush on her face made it clear her heart was anything but calm.
Once breakfast was over, it was time to begin the day's main task. Wise called Eous over and handed it to Anby, asking her to bring it into the Hollow.
"Today's goal is to complete the toy shop owner's request and also investigate the goods General Chop asked us to look into." Wise went on to explain the exact location of the Hollow, along with the potential dangers and enemies they might encounter.
As for the route inside, that would have to be determined after Eous entered, since the Hollow was constantly shifting and old paths were often unreliable.
"Alright, I'm heading out," Anby said as she took Eous with her and turned to leave.
Wise couldn't help but admire how decisive she was in everything she did.
"Brother, stop staring. Hurry up and connect to the HDD system, or I'll go with Anby and finish the commission myself!"
Naturally, Belle didn't really mean it. It was just her way of giving him a gentle reminder.
"Alright, I'm going now," Wise said before heading back to his room on the first floor.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder why Belle seemed more excited about this than he was.
Well, it was better this way. If she ever got dissatisfied, it would only cause more trouble later.
Seeing that it was almost time, Wise sent Anby a message first. When she replied with a simple "Ok," he began the consciousness synchronization.
After a brief wave of dizziness, Wise found himself once again inside Eous's tiny body.
He moved slightly, noticing that his short legs were dangling and not touching the ground. Looking around, he realized he was still being held in Anby's arms.
Anby's hands were gently wrapped around his small waist. If he wasn't mistaken, the soft thing his head was resting on had to be her slightly rising and falling chest.
Feeling the warmth and softness behind his head, Wise subconsciously rubbed against it.
The sudden movement made Anby tense up, and her hands around him instinctively tightened. Even though Bangboo's body didn't need to breathe, it was still uncomfortably tight, forcing Wise to plead for mercy.
"Um, Anby, it's too tight. Could you loosen up a bit?"
"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't notice…"
Anby quickly relaxed her grip, then half-squatted and placed him on the ground.
She didn't mention Wise rubbing against her earlier, simply assuming it had been an accident caused by the consciousness synchronization.
As for the details, it was better not to dwell on them. The main focus now was to finish the commission as soon as possible.
Upon entering the Hollow, Wise immediately mapped out a safe route and began guiding Anby forward.
"I've done my best to choose a path with fewer Ethereals, but if we still run into them, please be careful," Wise reminded her several times.
He knew she was going in alone this time, with no one there to protect her. Even though Wise's current stats allowed him to control the Eous to some extent in combat, if they ran into a stronger Ethereal, there wouldn't be much they could do.
"Mm, I'll be careful," Anby said as she picked Wise up again.
"Eh? Anby, what are you doing?"
After being lifted up, Wise's face accidentally pressed against Anby's soft chest, which rose and fell gently with her breathing.
She didn't seem to mind at first, but when she realized Wise was fully conscious, a faint blush crossed her face.
"To minimize unnecessary battles, it's better to move quickly. That way, efficiency improves," she said calmly.
Anby paused for a second, as if remembering something, then added, "But you can't move around. If you do, I can't guarantee how strong my grip will be."
Hearing that, Wise stopped resisting and stayed still. With his current attribute points, even in Bangboo's body, his speed wouldn't be slow.
But still, anyone who knew what was happening would well... definitely understand the situation.
Under Anby's swift movements, they drew closer and closer to their destination. Although they still ran into a few Ethereals along the way, none of them posed any real threat.
For Anby, now equipped with her new gear, those encounters were so trivial that she could handle them with one hand to spare.