Watching Hoshimi Miyabi stare at the honeydew melon with her ears drooped in disappointment, Wise felt a small pang of guilt.
How could he not realize that the last two honeydew melons she'd mentioned were the very ones in his hands?
"I saw there were only two left and they were on sale, so I got both. Hey, how about you take one, Miss Miyabi? My treat. What do you think?"
Hearing that, her face lit up immediately, and even her ears perked up again.
But then she seemed to remember something. Her ears drooped once more, and hesitation showed clearly on her face.
"Thank you for your kindness, but the Hoshimi Family's rules say we can't just accept gifts from others. If Yanagi found out, she would definitely… Hmm!"
She suddenly stopped talking, as if she sensed something wrong. Before Wise could react, she grabbed his arm with her pale hand and quickly pulled him into a small alley nearby.
Still trying to process what was happening, Wise watched as Hoshimi Miyabi leaned against the wall and crouched down in front of him.
"Miss Miyabi, what are you doing?" he asked, confused by her sudden behavior.
"Shh!"
Hoshimi Miyabi raised a finger to her lips, urging him to keep silent, and suddenly Wise caught on to what was happening.
"Hmm? That silhouette... aren't you the investigator I met before?"
At the sound of that voice, Wise glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of a stunning pink-haired woman approaching the alley entrance.
"Ah, Miss Yanagi. What a surprise to see you here."
To avoid any misunderstanding, Wise tried to turn around as he spoke, unaware that Hoshimi Miyabi, desperate not to be discovered, had grabbed the fabric of his pants with one hand.
She didn't mean to pull that hard, but her grip was way stronger than she thought, and the fabric just couldn't take it.
A soft riiip broke the silence. It was super quiet, but they both heard it loud and clear.
Wise's face turned pale in an instant. In front of him, Hoshimi Miyabi remained crouched, her cheeks tinged with pink as she looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
She considered letting go of his pants, only to realize that if she did, they would slide straight down.
[Ding! Target Miyabi: has increased her favorability toward the host by 5. Her current favorability is now 30. Additionally, 500 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 15500 points.]
Even though her favorability had risen unexpectedly, Wise absolutely could not turn around to face Yanagi.
If he did, he would definitely be mistaken for some kind of pervert, wouldn't he?
He wasn't sure whether to blame the poor fabric or Hoshimi Miyabi's surprisingly strong grip, but there was no time to think about it. Yanagi had already come over.
"If I remember correctly, your name is Wise, right? I've been hearing Soukaku mention you quite often lately. She seems to visit your place for meals frequently. Has she been causing you any trouble?"
"Ah, no. Soukaku has always been very well-behaved. She even told me that you, Miss Yanagi, taught her to always be grateful, so she usually helps out whenever I'm cooking."
As he said this with a faint smile, a stray thought crossed his mind.
'Though she can't resist sampling the food when she thinks I'm not looking.'
Naturally, he kept that part to himself. Some details were better left unsaid, just as teachers often choose to highlight only a student's good behavior when speaking to their parents.
Yanagi knew Soukaku far too well to believe Wise's words completely. Still, her favorability toward him rose by another 5 points.
It had already reached 60, and a large part of that came from how kindly he treated Soukaku.
"I'm glad to hear that. Soukaku has always been an obedient and sensible child, just a little gluttonous. Thank you, Wise, for taking care of her. If you don't mind, would you like to come to my house for dinner sometime?"
Since Yanagi cherished Soukaku so much, and Wise frequently cared for her while Soukaku happily spent time at his home, it only made sense for Yanagi to reciprocate his kindness.
"I'll happily accept. But, Miss Yanagi, you didn't come here just to talk about that, right?"
Concerned that she might grow suspicious of the way he stubbornly refused to face her, Wise smoothly steered the conversation elsewhere. She caught on immediately.
"Hmm, that's true. I'm actually here to find Chief."
"Oh, you mean Miss Miyabi, correct?"
While speaking, Wise lowered his gaze toward Hoshimi Miyabi, still crouching at his feet. As soon as she heard her name, realization dawned on her, followed by an unmistakable expression of reluctance.
At this moment, Yanagi didn't seem to notice anything unusual, whether her attention had been diverted or she had simply failed to see what was right in front of her.
"Yes, Chief Miyabi has always shown extreme reluctance toward performance reviews. Earlier today, she left a note on the table that read, 'I'm going to practice not attending performance reviews,' and then she simply disappeared."
Yanagi let out a weary sigh as she explained.
"I've reminded Chief Miyabi countless times that this kind of behavior will only lead to pay cuts and mandatory self-criticism letters."
Seeing how worn out Yanagi looked, Wise couldn't help but think, 'Should I sell out our cute Miss Miyabi?'
But then his gaze dropped to Hoshimi Miyabi below, her ears standing tall and her ruby eyes fixed on him with the most pitiful, pleading look imaginable.
It was like getting hit straight in the chest with an arrow, and just like that, any idea of exposing the little fox vanished completely.
There was no helping it. No one could resist something that cute, not even a man like him, someone who possessed the ability Thiren Hunter.
'I'm sorry, Miss Yanagi, but Miss Miyabi is simply too adorable.'
With that thought, he chose to tell a small lie.
"Now that you mention it, I think I saw Miss Miyabi at the grocery store over there."
"Really? That's wonderful news. Thank you for your help. I still need to find Chief Miyabi, so I'll get going."
After that, Yanagi quickly left. Once she was gone, Hoshimi Miyabi slowly stood up.
Holding her katana, her face a little red, she turned away, refusing to look at Wise, who was stuck holding his pants up with one hand. After a second, she mumbled something.
"Thank you. I won't forget what you did for me today. The Hoshimi Family will make sure to repay this debt in the future."
[Ding! Target Miyabi: has increased her favorability toward the host by 10. Her current favorability is now 40. Additionally, 200 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 15700]
"No problem..." he murmured quietly while thinking, 'Though honestly, what I actually need right now is a pair of pants that aren't falling apart. How am I gonna get back home like this?'
Because of his damaged pants, Wise was forced to keep one hand on them at all times. Unfortunately, that left him unable to carry the groceries and honeydew melons he'd just purchased.
He could put them into his storage space, but Hoshimi Miyabi was still standing right there. Previously, it was because she had been following him that he hadn't wanted to store things away in front of her.
Hoshimi Miyabi, on her end, appeared to have picked up on his dilemma.
She blinked once, then spoke up, "Would you like me to carry those for you?"
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Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
-> Azur Lane: Don't Fight! You're All My Wives! (Translation)
-> Zenless Zone Zero: Death in White. (Original)
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