"Alright, alright... you're right." Piper didn't argue with Wise's suggestion any further.
After all, she was an adult who worked hard. If she could get some decent rest before work, she'd probably have a little more energy afterward.
Not long after, Piper stepped out of the restaurant looking thoroughly satisfied, her stomach slightly rounded from the meal.
"Phew... Steeltusk's fuel tank is officially full."
She rubbed her belly with a pleased grin before glancing sideways at Wise.
"Still got an empty passenger seat too. So, what do you say? Want to go for a drive with me, Wise?"
Wise nodded, then casually added, "Mind if I drive this time?"
The request caught Piper off guard. Steeltusk was practically her personal treasure, and she almost never let anyone else behind the wheel.
But after thinking about it for a moment, she realized she'd somehow become Wise's "ride" too.
So she accepted.
"Alright, fine. But be careful, okay? Steeltusk isn't exactly easy to handle."
Wise acknowledged the warning with a calm nod, yet the moment he slid into the driver's seat, his movements carried an unexpected sense of familiarity.
After a quick inspection, he started the engine with practiced precision. Then he pulled out of town at a steady pace before suddenly slamming down on the accelerator.
Piper, sitting in the passenger seat, immediately widened her eyes.
Because Steeltusk was bursting forward at a speed it had never reached before.
The distant scenery rushed toward them while everything around them blurred into streaks of color.
'Since when was Steeltusk this powerful...?'
The thought flashed through Piper's mind, but the moment Wise drifted around a corner and accelerated again, it was shoved straight to the back of it.
Despite her usual lazy demeanor, Piper took racing seriously.
And she had never expected Wise's driving skills to be this good.
[Ding! Target Piper: has increased her favorability toward the host by 2. Her current favorability is now 91. Additionally, 600 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 35,600]
As for why Steeltusk had suddenly gained such absurd performance, the answer was naturally Fairy.
While Piper had been busy eating at the restaurant, Wise had already arranged for Fairy to slip into the vehicle unnoticed.
So, with Wise steadily pushing the speed higher along the way, the two of them arrived at the designated Hollow faster than expected to search for the so-called Secret Sunset Cuisine Recipe.
The moment they stepped out of the car, however, Piper immediately began circling Steeltusk in disbelief, inspecting every inch of it like she was seeing it for the first time.
"That's weird... everything looks exactly the same, so why..."
"Wondering how Steeltusk managed to go that fast?" Wise asked with a faint smile.
"Exactly!" Piper nodded. "I've slammed the accelerator plenty of times before, but it never pulled speed like that. Not even close."
Seeing her genuinely puzzled expression, Wise couldn't help smiling wider. He stepped closer, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and leaned down to whisper near her ear.
"If you're willing to cooperate with me later... then once we get back, I'll tell you the secret. Deal?"
"Huh? Seriously?" Piper's eyes lit up instantly.
Compared to Wise's little condition, she was obviously far more interested in finding out what had happened to Steeltusk.
Besides, it wasn't as if she'd never done that sort of thing before. The only real difference this time was where it would happen.
And anyway... this probably still counted as perfectly reasonable behavior between friends.
Probably.
'The complicated parts could wait until later.'
With that thought, Piper followed Wise deeper into the Hollow.
Not long after entering, she suddenly stopped walking.
"Wise, be careful up ahead. There are dangerous Ethereal around here, and the anti-Ethereal defense mechanisms aren't exactly safe either."
"Got it. You watch yourself too, Piper."
Naturally, Wise was far more concerned about her safety than his own.
Even though he knew there was an unexpectedly terrifying strength hidden inside her small body, he still couldn't help staying cautious.
Piper shook her head before flashing him a mischievous grin.
"Safety can come second for now. Wise, wanna make work a little more interesting?"
Wise raised an eyebrow curiously.
"You know how I like buying scratch-offs and betting on Bangboo races, right?" Piper said proudly.
"So how about this? Let's make a bet. Between you and the Hollow's defense systems, who can take down more Ethereal?"
Her proposal immediately caught Wise's interest.
Thinking about it, Piper had barely seen him fight before, so it made sense that she'd compare him to the automated extermination systems.
"Alright," Wise agreed easily. "But if I win, what do I get?"
"The prize is... my admiring gaze!" Piper declared dramatically, before coughing into her fist a second later. "Ahem. Okay, okay, I was joking. So what do you actually want, Wise?"
Seeing that he wasn't particularly impressed by her answer, she hurriedly corrected herself.
Only then did Wise finally nod.
He stepped closer, gently pulled Piper into his arms, and looked down at her with unusual seriousness.
"Then promise me something. After this, stop avoiding me and hiding from me like that."
"Eh...? Alright, alright, I got it."
Piper had already been wavering for quite a while, so the agreement slipped out almost instinctively.
Still, part of her worried Wise might push himself too hard just to win the bet.
The thought left her unexpectedly uneasy.
So after the wager was settled and they prepared to move forward again, Piper couldn't help reminding him one more time.
"Wise, don't overdo it. Even if you lose, I still... huh?"
Before she could finish, Wise had already rushed ahead.
Several Ethereal dropped almost instantly. Then more followed.
His movements grew faster and sharper with every step, so efficient they barely resembled combat anymore. It looked less like combat and more like someone harvesting wheat in a field.
Every motion brought down another Ethereal. Sometimes two.
Compared to him, even the Hollow's automated extermination systems seemed sluggish and clumsy.
At this rate, Piper was practically guaranteed to lose the bet.
Strangely enough, she found herself completely happy about it.
After clearing out the surrounding Ethereal, the two of them quickly located the legendary lost recipe for Secret Sunset Cuisine.
Piper leaned over curiously to read through it, but before long, her expression turned complicated.
"I... honestly don't even know if this qualifies as food people are supposed to eat," she muttered. "But hey, at least the mission's finished."
Then she glanced awkwardly toward Wise.
"And about the bet... I promised, so I won't avoid you anymore. Not that I was deliberately hiding from you before, okay?"
Piper tried to defend herself, though at this point it hardly mattered anymore.
On the way back, Wise unexpectedly handed the driver's seat over to her again.
That caught Piper slightly off guard.
After all, she'd already agreed to "help" him once they returned.
But if she was the one driving, wouldn't that make keeping her promise impossible?
Or... had Wise suddenly lost interest in telling her Steeltusk's secret?
The thought left Piper feeling oddly conflicted. Not upset exactly, just a little disappointed.
At that moment, however, Wise reached over and gently patted her head.
"Even if you don't keep your promise, I'll still tell you."
After all, back in the Hollow, Piper had already practically melted in his arms.
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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