"Burnice and Piper, why are you both here?"
The moment Wise stepped into the room and saw the two women sitting on his bed, a bad feeling crept into his heart.
Sure enough, as soon as they noticed him, both pairs of eyes turned toward him.
Piper was the first to speak.
"Oh, Wise, you're back."
She let out a lazy yawn.
"What a coincidence. I rarely come looking for you myself, and when I do, I find Burnice sleeping on your bed. Care to explain that?"
She looked slightly tired from waiting.
Burnice, on the other hand, was as energetic as ever.
"Wise, why is Piper here? When I asked her, she wouldn't tell me anything. She just kept saying 'oh' over and over. Is she, like me, also here to—Mmph!"
Before she could finish, Piper quickly covered her mouth.
Watching the scene, Wise couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
Still, he wasn't the same person he had been before. More importantly, Burnice seemed completely unconcerned by the situation.
As for Piper, the only one who might have had a reason to complain, she didn't seem particularly bothered either.
Just as Wise was about to explain himself, Piper beat him to it.
"Sigh... I was worried I might be holding back an outstanding young man like you."
She shook her head with a faint smile.
"Looks like I was being old-fashioned."
Deep down, she couldn't help admiring how bold young people were these days.
To make a girl willingly accept something like this...
Sure, Burnice's personality played a big part in it, but Piper still had to admit that Wise was exceptional.
Well, whatever.
It seemed she didn't need to worry anymore.
Truthfully, Piper had been fairly relaxed about the whole thing from the beginning. Earlier, she'd only acted upset because she wanted to give Wise a little scare.
As for Burnice...
"Exactly!" she said with complete confidence. "Piper's been won over by Wise too, right? I mean, he's strong, handsome, and he can cook."
She nodded as if she had just stated an undeniable truth.
Burnice accepted Piper's presence with remarkable ease.
"Oh, you're really being serious about this."
Piper rubbed her forehead helplessly.
"So, what do we do now?"
Her gaze moved between Burnice and Wise. As the most mature person in the room, she was clearly leaving the decision to them.
Personally, she could go along with whatever they chose.
"What else would we do?" Burnice asked as though the answer were obvious.
"We're all here, so let's do what we came here for! Didn't you come because you wanted Wise to make you feel good too, Piper?"
The bluntness of her words nearly made Piper choke.
"You really don't know how to be subtle, do you?"
Despite the complaint, she didn't object.
The night passed in a fierce battle.
And as expected, Wise emerged victorious.
<<>>
Several days later, under Wise's management, Cheesetopia continued to thrive.
Its growing reputation had become so widespread that even the former Overlord, Pompey, personally brought his subordinates there to eat.
Well, not exactly. The real reason was that the Sons of Calydon's Overlord Banquet was about to begin.
Accompanying him was Big Daddy, an elderly red-skinned Boar Thiren.
"The last time I ate at Cheesetopia, I was surrounded by a bunch of old geezers."
Big Daddy chuckled.
"Wouldn't you agree, Pompey?"
"Indeed."
Pompey nodded.
"This is the age of the younger generation. Just look at Wise. A true hero among today's youth. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to sit down and reminisce with you again."
His words caused Big Daddy's gaze to settle on Wise once more.
It was the sort of appraising look a father-in-law gives a prospective son-in-law.
A surprisingly nostalgic experience. Fortunately, Big Daddy seemed quite pleased with him.
Not only was he exceptionally friendly, but he even affectionately called him "Little Wise."
If Caesar heard that, she would probably explode on the spot.
Fortunately for her, she was too busy stressing over the upcoming Overlord speech to pay attention to what was happening here.
Belle and the others had also arrived, with Wise personally going to pick them up.
Meanwhile, on Caesar's side...
"Why don't you give the speech, Lucy?" Caesar suggested. "Haven't you always wanted to know what it feels like to be the boss?"
Caesar scratched her head with a smile as she spoke. Hearing this, Lucy turned her head away with a huff.
"Hmph... We'll talk about it after I take you down personally. After all, your public speaking skills certainly aren't as impressive as your combat skills."
"Take me down?" Caesar laughed. "If we're talking about handling all those troublesome logistics, then you've got a pretty good chance!"
"I... You—!"
Lucy was furious at Caesar's response, but she couldn't think of a comeback.
Caesar then walked to the center of the restaurant and waved for everyone's attention.
"Everyone! Today, we've gathered here because we've witnessed a story of wildfire, wasteland, and courage together! Haha, that's the opening line of the speech Lucy prepared. It sounds pretty grand, but it's a little hard to follow..."
As she spoke, she lowered the manuscript in her hand.
Lucy, standing beside her, looked slightly surprised by the sudden change, though it wasn't entirely unexpected.
Caesar cleared her throat and continued.
"What I really want to say is that I've been able to come this far with everyone in the Sons of Calydon not just because we drive fast, but because I think it's something genuinely cool! Racing around Fire Lake is cool. Becoming an Overlord is cool too... But honestly, I can't think of anything cooler than riding through the Outer Ring with everyone from the Sons of Calydon!"
As she spoke, Caesar's gaze suddenly shifted to Wise, who was seated not far away. Their eyes met, and her smile widened.
"Of course, along the way, we've also met the coolest friends and comrades in the entire Outer Ring. Maybe even beyond it. Wouldn't you agree, Wise?"
At her words, everyone's gaze immediately turned toward Wise.
Even Piper, who had just lain down for a nap, opened her eyes and looked over.
"Wow, big brother. Everyone's looking at you."
"..."
Clearly, Wise hadn't expected Caesar to be so direct at a moment like this.
Still, he didn't look away. Instead, he returned her smile, and seeing that, Caesar continued.
"Oh, and there's one more cool thing!"
She raised a finger, as if she had suddenly remembered something important, and a grin spread across her face.
"'If I become Overlord, I'll definitely do better than you.' That was the challenge I threw at Pompey. It was also a promise I made to him, to all of you, and to the Outer Ring."
The smile on her face softened slightly.
"At the time, I blurted it out because it sounded cool, but honestly, I have no idea how I'm supposed to keep that promise. That's why I don't just need the Sons of Calydon. I need every single one of you in the Outer Ring too!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the restaurant fell briefly silent. Everyone listened quietly, their eyes fixed on the young Overlord standing before them.
"So let's raise our glasses! To the children of the Outer Ring! To the unextinguished wasteland and the boundless wildfire!"
As Caesar's words rang out, Everyone present raised their glasses high and shouted in unison.
"To the Overlord!"
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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