"Huh? What do you mean you met a girl playing a game on your way to buy groceries, and then you just went over and played with her?"
On the first floor of the Video Store, Belle sat on the sofa, glaring at Wise, who was standing in front of her. It was clear she wasn't satisfied with his explanation.
"But that's exactly what happened. I thought I could grab some discounted ingredients a little later, so—" Wise tried to continue explaining, but was interrupted.
"So you were hitting on her?"
Belle went straight to the point, though admitting it was impossible, especially since he hadn't actually done anything.
"No! How can you call it hitting on her? Besides, Ellen had no such intentions."
"Ha~ So that girl's name is Ellen, huh? You already know her name. I suppose you even have her contact."
Wise felt a bit awkward hearing that. He hadn't actively asked for it, but he did indeed have her contact.
Belle, however, immediately sensed something was off.
"What? You actually have her contact, Big Brother? Hmph, I knew you were hitting on her! And with someone so much younger than you..."
"Wait, Belle, you're making it sound like—"
[|Indeed, Master, your behavior can definitely be called hitting on someone, and a very successful case at that.|]
"Fairy, don't forget who's paying your electricity bill at five times the usual rate."
[|…Actually, just adding someone's contact information can't really be called hitting on them. From what I know about Master, it's more like a gaming friend relationship.|]
Fairy's tactful explanation made Belle unable to resist complaining.
"Fairy, you're way too human for an AI. And how long have you and Brother known each other? How can you already say 'from what I know'?"
Fairy chose to remain silent, and Belle turned her attention to Wise, giving him the chance to explain.
After learning that Ellen had only added his contact to borrow videos later, Belle reluctantly accepted it. Then she looked at him seriously.
"Brother, if you ever thought about cheating, I wouldn't approve as your sister. But if it really happened, I wouldn't tell Anby. Still, as a friend, I hope you never do anything to let her down."
Hearing Belle speak so earnestly on Anby's behalf, Wise felt compelled to make a promise.
"Don't worry, Belle. I will absolutely not let Anby down."
And he would make sure he never let any good girl down.
Wise thought this firmly to himself. Before he could say anything more, Belle suddenly pointed at his nose, as if she had known it all along.
"Aha, Big Brother, you really thought about cheating! That's unforgivable!"
'Damn it, I was careless!'
Wise couldn't help but feel he was in trouble, but he reasoned it would be fine. As long as he insisted he had no such intentions, nothing serious would happen.
In the end, he managed to get through the situation. Dinner hadn't been eaten yet, and Belle, being hungry, didn't press the matter further.
Even though she had said those things out loud, Wise felt that Belle was subtly supporting him in her own way.
Whether it was just his imagination or not, he thought he should apologize to her in advance.
After all, as a normal man, wanting to be with many beautiful girls was perfectly natural, especially given the system he had.
So what he needed to do was take responsibility for the girls he liked and who liked him.
As it got late, the siblings took showers and went to their rooms to sleep.
It's worth noting that Belle found another clumsy excuse to share the bed with Wise this time. Seeing her insistence, he could only reluctantly agree.
Belle, delighted, climbed onto the bed first and patted the pillow beside her, signaling for Wise to join her quickly.
'Well, sleeping together isn't really a big deal,' Wise thought, letting out a quiet sigh as he lay down.
Immediately, she clung to him like an octopus, making the night feel long and restless.
The next morning arrived. With Phaethon's account lost and Fairy consuming five times the usual electricity, Wise had plenty to deal with right away.
With these changes, the siblings had no choice but to start running the Video Store seriously. Since no new videos had been purchased for a long time, Wise and Belle began discussing a plan for restocking.
Just then, a somewhat familiar young girl, who seemed to have overheard their conversation, suddenly approached.
"What? Are you getting new stock? That's great! I've already watched every single video in the Video Store at least ten times."
"Ten times…" Belle thought, feeling that sounded a bit exaggerated.
What kind of motivation could make someone watch them that many times?
"That's right, my name is Heddy, and I'm your super loyal customer. I do complain sometimes, saying things like, 'This store only has the same few videos, do they even want to stay open?' But the owner's taste matches mine perfectly, so I can't help coming back."
- Heddy[1] -
As Heddy spoke, her eyes flicked toward Wise, which immediately drew Belle's attention and made her unable to resist speaking up.
"Is it really just because your tastes match his?"
"Ahem, well… of course it is," Heddy replied, her tone trying to sound convincing.
[Ding! New favorability target detected.]
[Name: Heddy]
[Gender: Female]
[Charm Value: 88]
[Unique Traits: (Omitted)]
[Hobbies: Loves watching videotapes.]
[Current Favorability toward Host: 80]
[Evaluation: A warm-hearted girl, though she can be sharp-tongued at times.]
[Inner Thoughts: This store manager seems to have become much more handsome recently. Perfect for feasting my eyes when I come to borrow videos. Oh, it would be great if I could get his contact.]
The data provided by the system explained a lot, but it was still clear that the other person genuinely loved watching videos.
"Looks like you're finally planning a comeback," Heddy said with a warm smile.
Belle thought to herself that it was really just that they finally had the time to run the Video Store properly, though, of course, she wouldn't say it out loud.
"Yes, we used to run it casually, but now we're taking it seriously. To keep the Video Store running smoothly, we'll need a solid plan," Wise said.
"Is that so? Do you need my help? I can help promote the store!" Heddy offered enthusiastically, eager to contribute.
When it came to promotion, naturally, the previously responsible Little 18 had to be mentioned.
"Ehn-nu, ehn-na! (If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me.)"
"Thank you so much, Little 18… oh no, Senior 18," Heddy said, still excitedly petting Little 18 as if she were a cat while sneaking glances at Wise.
'Wait, could this be your real intention?' Belle's eyes twitched.
She had already realized the true reason behind Heddy's eagerness to help.
[1] IMAGE