The next morning, Wise was about to get out of bed when he felt something fluffy covering his face. At the same time, two soft lips pressed gently against his cheek.
Feeling puzzled, he slowly opened his eyes and quickly realized what was covering him. It was Koleda's hair.
That was right. After dinner last night, she hadn't gone home. Instead, she had chosen to stay overnight at the video store.
Of course, the main reason was that he had asked her to stay.
And now she was lying on top of him. Even though she swung a giant hammer every day, she was still a young girl, and her body was light enough that her weight didn't burden him at all.
Fortunately, she also didn't drool in her sleep, so there was absolutely no problem letting her remain in that position.
After lying there for a while, reluctant to disturb the moment, Wise finally got up and left the room. Not long after, Koleda also woke up.
Wise began preparing breakfast while Koleda watched him with a quiet smile. As for Belle, she was already sitting at the table, patiently waiting for the food.
A few moments later, Wise went downstairs and opened the store door, only to see Heddy standing outside as if she had been waiting for quite some time.
The moment the door opened, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Manager, the store opened much later than usual today," Heddy said, a strange glint flashing through her amber eyes.
As an employee of the video store, how could she possibly not know about her manager's complicated relationship with Anby, Nekomata, and Ellen?
She couldn't help wondering if he really was that incredible, juggling three relationships while still managing to satisfy each girl's needs at the same time.
With that thought, Heddy sighed inwardly as she walked into the store. Then she suddenly saw Koleda, fully dressed, coming downstairs.
She froze on the spot.
Koleda, however, showed no reaction. After briefly telling Wise that she had something to deal with at the company, she left without enjoying much of the breakfast.
Her sudden departure made Heddy glance at Wise in clear surprise, her expression practically saying, "I underestimated you, Manager. I didn't expect you to be juggling four relationships!"
Wise had no idea what she was thinking. If he did, he probably would have smiled calmly and shown her the group photo he had taken with a whole group of girls.
Although such behavior was unlikely. After all, he had secretly taken that photo before and couldn't let anyone else know about it.
"Heddy, did you have breakfast before coming here? Would you like to eat something with us? Consider it compensation for making you wait so long," Wise spoke gently.
The moment Heddy heard those words, her body trembled slightly, and she swallowed without thinking.
'The Manager... is he finally planning to make a move on me?! I'm so ha... no, no, calm down!'
She forced that thought out of her head and remembered the girl who had just come down from the second floor.
From her perspective, that kind of shameless behavior was hard to understand.
'Does he think I'm easygoing, so he's testing his luck with me? Even if that's the case, I can't just accept being a mistress.'
Her thoughts were tangled with conflict, yet before she realized it, her head had already nodded.
"Hmm, is there anything you'd like to eat?"
After seeing her agree, Wise asked as he headed toward the kitchen.
'Why did I agree? I clearly...'
On the surface, she had agreed, yet her heart was still resisting. Even so, she replied, "I'm not picky. Manager, just make whatever you like."
To comfort herself, she convinced herself that refusing his kindness would be impolite.
Belle was already eating at the table. When she saw the two of them, she simply nodded. For some reason, however, the scene felt strangely familiar to her.
It seemed that every girl who had fallen into her brother's perverted claws had gone through something similar.
Belle looked at Heddy with a slightly strange gaze. Although it only lasted a moment before she looked away, Heddy noticed it immediately.
'Oh no, oh no, the Manager's sister seems to dislike me. She must know everything, too. Does she think I'm not as good as the Manager's other women, so she doesn't approve of me being a mistress?'
Thinking about this, Heddy immediately looked toward Wise, who was sitting beside Belle.
His expression remained calm. Aside from eating breakfast with one hand, there was nothing unusual.
What she didn't realize was that something else was happening beneath the table.
But with her mind already in chaos, she failed to notice any of it.
Even after finishing breakfast, Heddy still felt conflicted. Yet the Manager she had been secretly thinking about didn't make any move on her afterward.
There was no deliberate pressure when she made mistakes, no hints about unspoken workplace rules, and nothing inappropriate at all.
After giving a few instructions, Wise returned to the room on the first floor. Apart from Belle occasionally going in and out, no one else appeared again.
For some reason, that left Heddy feeling a bit disappointed.
It wasn't until the afternoon that Wise finally came out of the room downstairs. Just as she was about to speak with him, the store door suddenly opened.
Because of her responsibilities, Heddy could only turn and greet the customer first.
However, the moment she saw who had walked in, the smile on her face froze.
Beside her, Wise greeted the visitor with a relaxed smile.
"Ellen, it's been a few days. How come you suddenly have time to come by the store?"
The person who had entered was Ellen, still dressed in her school uniform.
After hearing his words, she hesitated for a moment before replying.
"The past few days were busy. I had school, a lot of homework, and work assignments too. But after the commission was finished, Lycaon gave me a short break."
While speaking, Ellen's eyes shifted slightly, avoiding Wise's steady gaze.
Her meaning was obvious. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to see him before. She simply hadn't had the time.
Now that she finally had some free time, she came straight to the video store. She didn't want him to think she had been ignoring him.
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