However, deep down, she did not quite believe it, but since Belle had said so, Nekomata had no other choice.
She knew she couldn't just rudely walk in and search for Wise. She had to respect the boundaries of the household.
'Oh, wait, if Wise isn't here, is he out looking for Anby?' This thought stirred an odd wave of displeasure in the Nekomata.
It had been so long since anyone had stroked her chin. No, only Wise ever had.
"Uh, w-well, perhaps. Why don't you try visiting the Box Galaxy? Or just return home and wait. I'll let Brother know you stopped by once he's available."
"Ugh, fine, whatever... Hmm?"
The Nekomata sighed but then caught another sound, causing her ears to twitch a few times.
"What's wrong?"
Belle looked at her, asking with some confusion, while Nekomata frowned, continuing to listen carefully.
"Belle, did you hear any strange noises? It sounded like... a muffled voice."
"Ah, no, no, you must have misheard. Why don't you go home and wait for news? My Brother probably won't be back for a while."
"Oh, okay."
Nekomata nodded, no longer hesitating, and turned to leave the video store. A closer look would have revealed her face was slightly flushed at that moment.
The sound she had heard had clearly made her think of something inappropriate.
'Phew, good thing I managed to fool her. Big Brother really is something else.'
Watching Nekomata depart, Belle also let out a sigh of relief. She glanced toward the closed door one last time before continuing to greet customers.
After what seemed like forever, the sounds from the back room finally ceased. Anby lay on Wise's body, covered only by a blanket, her expression etched with pure enjoyment.
Since the sofa was too small for two people, Wise let Anby sleep on him.
"Wise..."
"Hmm? Is something wrong?" Wise answered softly after Anby called his name.
She got a little shy, buried her face in his chest, and then added, "I like you..."
Wise couldn't help but smile. He tightened his embrace slightly and whispered into her ear, "Me too."
He held Anby, preparing to rest for a while longer.
[Ding, detecting that the Host has completely conquered the target: Anby, granting 10 Charm attribute points, 4000 Emotional Value, the talent Top-tier Cooking and an update to the items on the System Store.]
[Top-tier Cooking (A): All meals made by the Host become exceptionally delicious and appealing, generating a strong craving for more.]
[Hidden effect: Eating it regularly can give you a small boost to your physical strength and Ether resistance.]
The Charisma attribute points, obviously, went straight into his stat, bringing his Charisma value up to one hundred sixty.
After a bit more time, Wise and Anby got dressed and left the room. The ventilation had kicked on sometime during their session.
"Brother, you finally showed up! It's almost nighttime already."
Belle approached, looking a little annoyed, thinking, 'He didn't spend this much time with me last night, so why is he taking so long with Anby? The air in here smells terrible, too.'
Seeing that, Wise felt a bit wronged. It wasn't like he was picking favorites.
It was simply that Belle couldn't compare to Anby in terms of physical fitness and stamina. He had only stopped yesterday because Belle had completely fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Wise truly wished he could explain that to her, but he knew he couldn't.
Anby's face looked a little awkward when she heard Belle. She had just hooked up with her friend's brother while staying at her friend's house. She hoped Belle wouldn't hate her for it.
"My bad. I'll go prepare dinner now. Anby, why don't you go take a shower? Belle, please prepare the bathing supplies," Wise said, trying to ease the awkwardness.
Anby simply nodded without a word, then obediently made her way up to the second floor. Belle watched her leave, then followed behind.
While walking, Anby moved a little strangely, which made Belle sigh and think Wise was a real animal.
But just as the two headed upstairs, and Wise was about to head to the kitchen to prepare dinner, another gorgeous girl showed up at the video store.
"Huh? Ellen?"
Wise saw her right away. Ellen, seeing him, walked straight toward him, holding two bags.
She got close to Wise and gave him the bags.
"Thank you for last time, and here's this for you," Ellen said, feeling a little embarrassed about what happened.
"Oh? What is this?"
"The clothes I borrowed from you, I've already washed them. And these are donuts as a thank-you gift. Since I come by here after school anyway, I decided to bring them."
Wise took the bags, and his fingers grazed hers by accident. Ellen felt a sudden jolt, but Wise kept talking.
"Are these the donuts from that new dessert shop nearby? I heard they're really delicious. Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it, you've helped me a lot too."
Ellen's face inexplicably went pink, and she nervously rubbed the spot Wise had touched, trying to dispel the strange, lingering sensation on her fingers.
Wise noticed Ellen's unusual reaction.
'No way? I just touched her finger, and her reaction is that strong?' He thought, a little surprised.
[Of course, Host. After all, the target: Ellen's race is Shark Thiren, not a pure human, so she is more easily aroused by primal desires.]
'So that's how it is... system, please tell me such important things in advance next time, okay?'
Wise was speechless. If the system didn't warn him, what if he accidentally touched another Thiren of a different race in public?
That would certainly lead to an awkward situation. He realized he needed to be more careful.
[Understood, Host. Also, the System has detected an un-fully conquered Affection Target. Would you like to activate full Charisma for conquest?]
Hearing this, Wise instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he wondered what Ellen would be like if that happened.
'Huh, I'm kind of curious...'
[Host, if you don't decide soon, it will be activated by default.]
'No! Absolutely not! If you're going to activate it, wait until it's just Ellen and me,' he firmly rejected.
He reasoned that there were still customers in the store, and Belle and Anby were upstairs.
If he activated it, wouldn't something disastrous happen?
[Understood, keywords saved..]
Wise sensed trouble when he heard the System's response. Noticing his strange expression, Ellen asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"No, nothing..."
Before Wise could offer any further explanation, the final customer in the video store made their exit.
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