After the dinner party came to an end, Caesar immediately made her way over to Wise.
"Well? How did I do?" she asked, looking at him expectantly.
"Hmm..." Wise pretended to consider it for a moment. "Very well. I can't say whether it matched everyone's image of the great Overlord, but it definitely matched the Caesar in my heart."
"I-Is that so? T-That's good..." Caesar's voice softened as she lowered her gaze, unable to hide her embarrassment.
Aside from finding herself in the climax of a shoujo manga, there was only one person capable of making her react this way.
And that person was standing right in front of her.
Unfortunately, before the atmosphere could develop any further, a loud rumble escaped from her stomach.
"Aha... I guess talking that much all at once made me a little hungry."
She scratched the back of her head and laughed awkwardly.
Seeing her reaction, Wise couldn't help but smile. Naturally, he headed off to prepare a few more dishes for her, all carefully tailored to her preferences.
Although today's feast had already been abundant enough for Belle, Piper, Lucy, Burnice, and others, there was only so much one person could accomplish in a limited amount of time.
Preparing an entire banquet by himself had never been realistic.
As Caesar happily enjoyed the food, she couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh.
"I really wish there were more days like this, when I didn't have to worry about anything except delicious food and Wise's mood!"
What she failed to notice was Lucy watching from nearby. The blonde girl quietly witnessed the entire exchange without interrupting.
Still, no feast lasted forever.
The warm sunlight over the Outer Ring remained unchanged, while the laughter that had filled the air gradually faded into the distance.
Even so, there would always be new friends to meet.
<<>>
"Speaking of which, Brother, what exactly did you gain from this trip?"
On the drive back, Belle finally voiced the question that had been bothering her.
Sitting beside Wise, she wore a mischievous smile.
Before he could even answer, she continued her analysis.
"Let's see... judging by Caesar and Lucy's reactions, probably nothing. As for Burnice..." Belle tilted her head thoughtfully. "She's always Burnice, so I honestly can't tell."
'If you can't tell, then what exactly are you analyzing?' The thought crossed Wise's mind immediately.
After all, not only Belle, but even Odette and Odile from the back seat had leaned forward, clearly interested in the answer.
After returning to Random Play, Wise finally found time to relax.
Compared to spending every day cooking for a large group of people, staying at home and preparing meals only for the people he cared about felt considerably more comfortable.
Several peaceful days passed.
Before long, life returned to its usual rhythm, and Wise and Belle resumed managing the video store.
Although Heddy and Nº18 often helped run the shop, certain responsibilities still fell to the siblings themselves.
Restocking inventory was one of them—or at least, that was the official reason.
The real reason was that Belle constantly found excuses to accompany him because there were countless movies she wanted to watch.
"Get some sleep early tonight," Wise said while organizing a shipment list. "We need to head to the supplier in Lumina Square first thing tomorrow morning."
"As long as you're actually willing to let me sleep early, then sure~"
Belle's playful tone immediately gave away her intentions.
She leaned forward from behind him and rested her cheek against his shoulder, acting as though she had complete confidence that he wouldn't do anything about it.
The result was exactly what one would expect.
Wise found himself needing to discipline his troublesome little sister.
"Ugh..." Belle complained miserably. "Didn't you just tell me to get some sleep early?"
"Yes."
Wise nodded calmly.
"It's still early. Hurry up and rest."
<<>>
The next day, at Lumina Square.
"Why are there so many people here today...?"
The siblings had just parked their car and were on their way to meet a supplier when they found themselves swept into an enormous crowd.
Belle instinctively clasped her hands to her chest as she followed behind Wise.
The flow of people was so dense that neither of them could break free, no matter which direction they tried to move.
Then, suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Phaethon!"
The siblings immediately stiffened. Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm.
The crowd wasn't talking about them at all, but about another Proxy known as Null_Face. Realizing this, both of them quietly let out a breath of relief.
Just as they were about to leave, another wave of excitement rippled through the crowd.
"Look! Miss Miyabi is here!"
"And the executives of Hollow Special Operations Section 6, too!"
Following the voices' direction, the siblings spotted Miyabi, Yanagi, Soukaku, and Harumasa standing amid a sea of enthusiastic fans.
"Miss Miyabi! Please step on me!!"
A passionate Thiren girl wearing a Miyabi pain-shirt and clutching an armful of merchandise screamed with all her might.
Nearby, a muscular man in a Harumasa pain-shirt was shouting just as passionately, while another fan loudly proclaimed his dream of becoming Soukaku's dog.
'Seriously... don't any of you have loved ones waiting for you at home?'
Wise couldn't help but smile wryly.
"No wonder the square is packed," Belle said, finally understanding the situation. "It's a Section 6 fan gathering. They must be here for some kind of event."
Given the Sixth Division's immense popularity, scenes like this were hardly uncommon.
"Brother, shouldn't we slip away while we still can?" Belle lowered her voice.
"This doesn't seem like the best place to run into them. What if we somehow end up becoming one of their achievements, just like Null_Face?"
Wise glanced at her and said, "Belle, what are you saying? We're perfectly law-abiding citizens."
The moment he finished speaking, a familiar voice rang out behind him.
"Ah! It's Wise! Sister Belle, you're here too!"
Soukaku immediately ran over with a bright smile. Her cheeks were still stuffed with food that fans had enthusiastically handed to her.
Naturally, Yanagi followed close behind.
"Wise," Yanagi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and greeted him with a gentle smile. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Wise was about to respond when he suddenly felt countless hostile and envious gazes converge on him from every direction.
"Yeah. Are you all here for an event?" Wise asked calmly.
"I'm afraid I can't say much. There are certain circumstances involved, and for the moment it's confidential."
She paused briefly before lowering her voice.
"But... after work, could you come to my house? Soukaku and I... have missed you a little."
The last part was spoken so softly that only Wise could hear it. After all, if the surrounding fans heard those words, there was no telling what they might do to him.
Perhaps because she understood that very well, Yanagi only exchanged a few words before taking Soukaku and returning to the group.
Seeing this, the siblings wasted no time leaving. The last thing they wanted was to be surrounded by curious fans asking questions about their relationship with Section 6.
"Huh? Isn't that the temporary Hollow investigator from before?"
After returning to the team, Harumasa couldn't help feeling a little curious.
Hearing the question, Yanagi nodded as usual.
"Yes. His name is Wise. Soukaku happened to try his cooking once and found it particularly delicious, so she often went to eat there. Over time, they became fairly familiar with each other."
"I see. I was wondering why Soukaku always rushed off the moment work ended." Harumasa accepted the explanation without much thought.
Miyabi, however, felt that something wasn't quite right.
She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was a subtle inconsistency that bothered her.
As for Yanagi, the lingering unease she had carried for days vanished the moment she saw Wise.
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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