(Damn it, I originally didn't want to write the last chapter like that. Wise's hand should have been on her thigh.)
Back to the main topic. After coming out of the movie theater, the two of them saw that it was getting late, so Wise suggested he take Anby home first.
"Home? Shouldn't we be going to a hotel?"
"A hotel?"
"Yeah, a hotel." At this moment, Anby looked a bit confused. She then began to explain with a serious expression, "In the movies, at the final moment of a date like this, the two people usually go to a hotel, or to one of their homes."
"Uh, you're right, but our situation is a bit special."
On the way to take Anby home, Wise patiently explained it to her. As for why they did everything a couple on a date should do but skipped the final step, it was because he had a sister with a brother-complex at home. If Belle knew he wanted to bring Anby home for the night, or that he himself wasn't coming home all night, she would definitely do something terrifying.
After taking Anby home, Wise planned to go straight back to the video store. After all, it was already quite late, and besides, the messages from Belle on his phone were coming in one after another. Although she stopped after he replied, it wasn't hard to see that she was very anxious.
"Alright, Belle, I'll be back soon. Also, is there anything you want to eat? I can grab it for you on my way home."
Just as Wise finished sending the message to Belle, he noticed a Shark-person girl in a JK school uniform being surrounded by two drunk men on a street not far away. Upon seeing this situation, Wise didn't think twice and immediately went forward, stepping in front of the girl.
"Ellen, are you okay?"
Before Ellen could speak, one of the more agitated drunk men shouted impatiently at Wise, "Hey! What's with you, huh? Just coming over like that without so much as a hello, do you have any manners?"
"I'd like to ask you two, what do you think you're doing, surrounding a girl here in the middle of the night?" Hearing the other party's words, Wise turned his head with a serious expression and shielded Ellen behind him. The latter seemed a bit surprised by this. It seemed that for Ellen, being protected by others was not a common occurrence, if it ever happened at all.
[Ding! Ellen's favorability has increased by 5 points. Current favorability: 65. 200 Emotion Value obtained. Current Emotion Value: 6200.]
"What's your problem, kid?!" The drunk man seemed to become angry with embarrassment at Wise's words, and one of his hands landed directly on his shoulder.
At this moment, Ellen, who was being shielded behind Wise, frowned slightly upon seeing this. She clenched her fists, ready to make a move at any moment.
"No problem at all. I just think this is inappropriate. If you two have a problem with that, you can wait for the Public Security officers to resolve it. Or..." Wise reached out and grabbed the hand on his shoulder. He easily lifted it up, while also applying a slight pressure that made the other man involuntarily clench his hand. "...you can let me resolve the two of you."
"Ah, that hurts!"
The drunk man cried out in pain. Wise didn't overdo it, just giving him a small lesson—the kind that leaves no trace—before letting go. Ellen, who was behind him, was a bit surprised. She had thought Wise looked a bit skinny, but she didn't expect him to be so capable.
[Ding! Ellen's favorability has increased by 5 points. Current favorability: 70. 200 Emotion Value obtained. Current Emotion Value: 6400.]
"So, what have you two decided?" Wise spoke up again at this moment. Seeing that the situation was not in their favor, the two drunk men didn't dare to linger and immediately fled in disgrace.
After seeing the two of them go far away, Wise finally turned to look at Ellen behind him. She still had an unconcerned look on her face. Seeing this, he could only start to lecture her earnestly. "Ellen, it's very dangerous for a girl like you to be wandering around on a deserted street like this so late at night. What if you run into bad people like just now?"
After being lectured by Wise, Ellen lowered her head, blinked a few times, and then looked up, explaining with some embarrassment, "Uh, actually, I was the one who called them over."
"Huh?"
"Because there's a karaoke bar nearby that sells discounted vouchers late at night, but each person can only buy one. And my friends have been really into singing karaoke recently, so I wanted to ask those two to help me buy some." Hearing Wise's confused sound, Ellen explained. After hearing all this, the former couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.
"So in that case, I actually made you lose out on two discount vouchers? I'm so sorry."
"That doesn't matter. But I didn't expect you to have such a serious side, Wise. 'Let me resolve the two of you' was a really cool line."
"Can I trouble you not to say that anymore? I'll feel very embarrassed..." Although he didn't feel much at the time, after hearing Ellen repeat his own words, Wise really did feel a bit ashamed.
"Hm? I thought it was pretty cool. Very few boys show that kind of side in front of me." (In reality, it had never happened before.)
"Thanks. By the way, do you need my help with the discount vouchers?"
"Hm? If you could, that would be great."
Afterward, the two of them went to the karaoke bar together, and Wise also helped Ellen buy an extra discount voucher. "Thank you."
After putting the discount voucher away, Ellen thanked Wise again and then prepared to go home. However, just then, her stomach let out an uncooperative growl. The sound wasn't loud, but at this moment, it was very audible. She stopped and clutched her stomach.
"Uh, are you hungry, Ellen? Want to go to Chop's place for a bowl of ramen? Coincidentally, I also need to bring a late-night snack home for my sister."
"Well..."
"If you go to bed hungry, you won't be able to sleep well."
"Mmm, alright then."
At Wise's invitation, Ellen ultimately accompanied him to Chop's place. They each ordered a bowl of noodles and then sat down to eat. Just then, a small cat suddenly appeared and jumped onto Wise's lap.
"Meow~"
"Oh? It's Coffee. I'm sorry, I didn't bring anything to eat today."
Wise recognized the little cat's identity at a glance, but even though he said so, Coffee still clung to him and wouldn't let go. At this moment, Ellen, at the side, was staring intently at him, or more accurately, at the Coffee in his lap.
Seeing this, Wise temporarily put down his ramen, then picked up Coffee and held her out in front of Ellen. "Do you want to try holding her, Ellen? Coffee is Chop's cat. She's very well-behaved."
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