After Qingyi reminded her, Zhu Yuan carefully went over the details and soon recognized the suspicious clue.
"Phaethon's words just now…? He said thank you for detecting the crisis of the evidence vehicle through subtle clues, and for coming to protect it no matter what… Wait!"
"That's right, you noticed it too. Logically, Phaethon should have discovered us while monitoring the evidence carrier in the Hollow, but from what he said, it seems like he knew about our actions even outside the Hollow."
Qingyi said this calmly, maintaining her usual composed demeanor.
"Looks like Phaethon himself was at today's Public Security lecture…"
Her suspicions had already been forming, and with the earlier deductions, the conclusion felt almost certain.
Thinking about it, Qingyi let out a quiet sigh. Six Street wasn't a place to take lightly, and even the legendary Proxy Phaethon seemed to be operating here.
After leaving the Hollow and returning to Public Security to hand over the evidence box, the two were, as expected, criticized for acting without authorization.
Still, they were given praise and a commendation, and the requirement to write a self-reflection letter felt like a minor inconvenience.
Meanwhile, Wise had just finished lecturing Belle, ensuring she fully understood the importance of taking her responsibilities seriously.
Belle understood perfectly and apologized, letting Wise have a little more freedom than usual when they slept together.
The next day, as Wise left the video store, he was planning to head to 141 convenience store to buy some ingredients as usual. But then, he noticed a familiar figure standing by the vending machine.
"Ellen? Why are you here… and why are you dressed like that?"
He found himself staring at Ellen, dressed in a maid outfit with black stockings and small leather shoes, giving her an unexpectedly alluring charm.
At first, she didn't seem bothered by his gaze and even felt a strange sense of joy because of it. But when she realized exactly where he was looking, her face immediately flushed red.
The memory of that day came back, making her cheeks burn even more.
Still, Ellen had no intention of talking about the accident. Though she didn't push Wise away, the air between them was definitely awkward.
Fortunately, Wise didn't pry. He just looked at her calmly, which gave Ellen the confidence to finally say something.
"Um… could you help me get a drink from the vending machine? Ah, I've already bought it, but I haven't taken it out yet, so…" Ellen said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
If it were just an ordinary friend, she would have asked directly. But Wise was different.
"Sure, no problem," Wise replied, moving to the vending machine and retrieving the drink.
He handed it to her, and she thanked him.
"Thanks… but you didn't even suspect anything. What if I'd been trying to trick you?"
Ellen paused, holding the drink without taking a sip, and asked, curious.
"Because I know you're not that kind of person," he said with a gentle smile, and she lowered her head slightly.
"I see..."
"And even if you were trying to trick me… I'd still think it's cute[1]," he added, making her cheeks flush.
"Ugh! What are you even saying all of a sudden?"
Wise maintained his smile, already planning how to keep teasing this adorable Nom Nom Shark.
"You really are too cute."
"I told you to stop saying such things!"
At Ellen's firm protest, Wise finally stopped teasing her.
"By the way, why didn't you get it yourself?" he asked.
Ellen hesitated a bit, then explained awkwardly.
"Even though I can handle chewing ice cubes, the tingling sensation when my fingertips touch the soda can… it's still a bit… uncomfortable, you know?"
"I understand," Wise said, nodding. "This should solve it."
Under Ellen's slightly puzzled gaze, he took a tissue from his pocket, wrapped it carefully around the soda can, and handed it back to her.
"This is…?"
"Yeah, this should be better, don't you think?"
"Yes, thank you."
Ellen felt a warmth spread through her chest at his little gesture. Wise noticed her favorability rising by five points, reaching 85, and gaining 200 Emotional Value.
"Hey, Ellen, do you like chewing ice cubes?"
"It's not that I particularly like it, but when I chew hard ice cubes, it makes my teeth feel… comfortable," she said, subconsciously biting the soda can.
The soda can now bore two neat rows of tooth marks. Wise recalled something he had read before about sharks.
Their teeth grow in a special way, and combined with their curiosity and natural foraging instincts, they tend to bite anything they see.
Ellen, as a Shark Thiren, did share some of the same habits, but most of the time she could control the instinct.
Of course, some circumstances were unavoidable, like the last time she had accidentally bitten him.
"Oh, by the way!"
Wise, who had been thinking about that bite, immediately snapped out of it when Ellen suddenly spoke, noticing her putting coins into the vending machine again.
"Since you're here, I'll buy you a can. Which flavor do you want?"
Once Wise had picked his drink, they drank side by side. The fizzy bubbles hit their tongues, and it tasted surprisingly good.
"Thanks for the drink," Wise said softly. "Ellen, are you free today? I'm about to buy some ingredients. If it's okay, why don't you come to my place for dinner too?"
Because of the incident last time, Ellen hadn't been to the video store in a long while. Even though she tried convincing herself that what happened was just a dream, a lingering unease remained.
At Wise's invitation, she hesitated for a moment, but then, after meeting his gaze, she agreed.
"Okay, but you have to promise me that next time you see me in front of the vending machine, you'll come find me too."
"Of course, no problem. But... What do you want to eat, Ellen?" he asked, glancing at her with a smile. "I can cook anything you like."
"Hmm… I'll love anything you make."
As soon as Ellen said it, she froze, realizing something was off.
What she had meant to express was that Wise's cooking was excellent, so anything he made would taste amazing. However the way she had said it, the meaning had completely changed.
Wise, hearing her words, paused for a moment, stunned. Then he chuckled softly and smiled, realizing exactly what she had meant.
"Alright, then no matter what I cook, you have to finish it all, got it?"
"Mm."
Ellen's cheeks still burned from her previous statement, but she nodded in agreement.
Even if Wise's words sounded a bit strange, Ellen reminded herself that she could handle Rina's cooking.
So really, what was there to be afraid of?
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[1] Holy Simp!