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Lumina Square, parking lot.
After finishing their shopping, Belle and Wise walked out of the café and got back into their car, then drove back to the video store at a cautious speed.
"Big brother, I have something to tell you, but don't get too excited."
Previously, Arden had invited Belle to Astra Yao's concert and for a photo together, and Wise didn't know anything about it. After all, Arden liked girls—he wouldn't be meeting with a guy.
Belle felt a little guilty hiding it from her brother, but she also worried that Wise would get too excited seeing Astra Yao. She knew Astra Yao was his absolute favorite celebrity.
"So, little sister, did you get yourself into trouble again?"
Every time Wise heard Belle speak like this, it never meant anything good, so he instinctively asked.
"No, I've grown up, okay!"
Belle shot her brother a glare. Although she had lived under Wise's protection since childhood, following Daoist Arden on recent adventures had taught her a lot about handling adult matters.
"You know Astra Yao, right?"
"Uh… are you out of your mind? My favorite celebrity is Astra Yao, didn't you know that?"
Wise looked at Belle in confusion. "Yesterday evening, weren't we watching the anime she voiced together, Gunblade Online?"
As the manager of their video store, the siblings were both very familiar with Astra Yao as a multi-talented singer, actor, and TV personality. They liked her a lot, though Belle wasn't as obsessive about following celebrities as Wise was.
"Ahem! Here's the thing… Miss Astra Yao said she's coming to visit our video store."
After giving him the warning, Belle explained Astra Yao's upcoming visit and waited for Wise's reaction.
…
Not as excited as she expected, Wise just paused for a moment, then a worried expression crossed his face.
"Astra Yao is coming to our house? You haven't been scammed online, have you?"
His first thought was disbelief—Astra Yao was a big name. There was no way she would visit their house. With her fame growing, countless scammers had been pretending to be her. While browsing the Inter-Knot forums, Wise often saw posts about people being conned.
The Astra Yao forum even had pinned anti-scam guides, yet victims kept appearing. There were just too many foolish people, and not enough scammers to go around.
Wise just hoped his little sister wouldn't end up one of them.
"Big brother, do I look like a gullible little girl to you?"
Belle pouted, clearly dissatisfied.
"Ugh…"
Wise scrutinized her for a moment. "Hmm… actually, you kind of do!"
"Big brother, you're bullying me again."
"Alright, alright, I know you won't get scammed. So, what's going on?"
"Here's the thing… remember I said I went shopping with Yiji before? Actually, it was Daoist Arden who invited me…"
Belle explained everything about attending Astra Yao's concert and the photo together, finally showing Wise the photo as proof.
"Wow! Belle, you actually learned to hog all the fun for yourself!?"
Seeing the photo, Wise got instantly excited.
"I'm driving here, don't pull me!"
To prevent him from overreacting, Belle had made sure to take the driver's seat.
"Ah… sorry!"
Wise calmed down a little.
"So… why is Astra Yao coming to our house?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems to be about helping an AI that's gone mentally unstable…"
…
Sigh~!
They parked in the video store's back lot, tidied their clothes, and waited at the store entrance, peering out expectantly.
In Belle's imagination, Astra Yao would probably appear in a trench coat, sunglasses, and a hoodie. But Sixth Street was bustling with people; there was no one resembling her—just busy workers or elderly people strolling in the sun.
"Eh-ne~~ Eh-ne~~!"
Suddenly, Belle felt something bump against her calf. Looking down, she saw a round little Bangboo, dressed in a hip-hop style, wearing a red baseball cap backwards and a red-and-blue vest.
It looked stylish, but nowhere near as cute as their Eous.
"Little guy, what's up?"
Belle crouched and patted the unfamiliar Bangboo on the head.
The Bangboo had decent AI; it wouldn't bump into someone without reason. Bangboos in need of help often sought out Belle, and she didn't mind fixing minor problems. If something serious came up, Uncle Enzo's repair shop was right next door.
"Eh-ne~!" ["Belle, it's me, Astra Yao!"]
Although it was just the Bangboo's "Eh-ne" sound, the meaning was understandable.
This kind of mental-transmission-like communication technology came from the Marcel Group's former CEO, the Bangboo's inventor, and one of the Seven Void Hunters, Lady Sunbringer.
As for how it worked… one could only say that Zenless Zone Zero was a "magical" world full of wonders.
"Astra Yao?"
Belle stared at the Bangboo in disbelief. Rather than believing Astra Yao is the Bangboo, she would rather believe Daoist Arden is the Emperor…
This Bangboo was sent by Astra Yao to scout the situation, and she taught it to say that.
"Eh-ne~ Eh-ne~!" ["Didn't expect this, right? Yiji even taught me the mind-sync technique with Bangboo. Pretty impressive, huh!"]
The Bangboo raised its little arms proudly.
Hearing this, Belle and Wise were silent.
HDD technology was Phaethon's specialty. Yiji learning it was one thing—it proved they were excellent teachers—but Astra Yao, a celebrity, could actually master it?
If Astra Yao wasn't a genius among geniuses, that meant the HDD Deep Dive system was actually something anyone could pick up easily.
"Eh-ne~!" ["Hehe, see… Daoist Arden even called me a genius!"]
The siblings' expressions were transmitted to Astra Yao through the Bangboo. She thought they were amazed by her brilliance and waved her hand.
Every movement and tone was very human-like, something Bangboo could rarely mimic.
"Eh-ne!" ["Don't worry, I'm just borrowing it for a moment. No secrets will be leaked… don't sweat the small stuff."]
"Belle, so this is what you meant… Astra Yao is coming to our house?"
Wise shot her a disapproving look. He had been so excited for Astra Yao's visit, planning to get an autograph and a photo, only to find that who came was just a Bangboo. His mood sank instantly.
"Well… hehe, isn't a Bangboo pretty cute too? Ha… haha!"
Belle gave an awkward laugh and then vented her emotions on the Bangboo.
She picked it up, rubbing and patting it, causing Astra Yao to exclaim in surprise.
"Eh-ne~!"
After all, with the empathic tech, the tactile sensation was also transmitted to Astra Yao.
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