"Corin? What are you doing here?!"
Wise didn't even get the chance to speak before Ellen noticed Corin sitting nearby, looking unusually obedient.
Almost immediately, Ellen froze as she recalled Corin rushing off earlier that day after finishing her assignment, claiming she needed to repay a benefactor during her break.
When Lycaon and Rina heard about it, they even praised Corin for knowing how to return kindness. Still, Ellen never expected to run into her here.
At the same time, Corin finally noticed them. She smiled as soon as she saw Wise, but that smile froze when her gaze shifted to Ellen.
"M-Miss Ellen…"
It was like bumping into a good friend at work while doing something you weren't supposed to be doing.
In Corin's case, it almost felt like she had picked up a side job.
No, that didn't sound right either. She was just doing this out of gratitude, not because she wanted anything back.
"So the benefactor you talked about is Wise?"
"Yes, he… he helped me when I was in trouble."
Corin nearly mentioned their first encounter in the Hollow, but she caught herself in time. That topic wasn't something she could talk about openly.
Ellen didn't notice anything strange and simply looked over at Wise. He did seem like the type who liked helping people.
However, a young girl like Corin would inevitably stir a protective instinct in others whenever she ran into trouble.
"I never thought Corin's benefactor would turn out to be you. Lycaon and Rina even wanted to come thank you personally, but since they're tied up right now, I'll thank you for them."
Ellen felt sincerely grateful toward Wise. If not for his help, the situation afterward might have spiraled into something much worse.
"There's no need for that. Everyone encounters trouble sooner or later. I just didn't expect Ellen and Corin to already know each other, much less work together."
In truth, Wise already knew. Even if he couldn't remember every detail anymore, he still remembered how some of the characters were connected.
For example, if he wanted to get closer to Yanagi, he first had to take good care of Soukaku. Because of that, whenever he had free time over the past few days, he would go feed her.
Now, her favorability had already climbed to 90. Being able to raise favorability just by feeding someone could only be described as absurdly effective.
The other party would occasionally show up to freeload meals as well, which slowly brought Belle and Soukaku closer together.
Anyway, once Ellen learned that Corin had been cleaning the video store in her spare time to repay Wise, she was left feeling a bit conflicted.
But if that was true, wouldn't her coming today mess with her plan to be Wise's maid for the whole day?
Ellen knew Corin well. Once Corin became serious, she would take the initiative and handle everything on her own.
However, cleaning wasn't the only thing left to do.
"Then I'll go make lunch. Corin, stay and eat with us today. Don't refuse. It's part of repaying kindness," Wise said, lightly patting her head.
"Huh? O-okay, thanks."
After Wise went into the kitchen, Corin started moving again.
Worried she might do something inappropriate, she deliberately asked what she should pay attention to before starting.
When Belle learned that the other party's idea of "doing" meant handling housework, she replied that anywhere was fine except for the staff room on the first floor.
At first, she was concerned about whether Corin could manage it properly, but after witnessing her skills, she relaxed.
It could only be said that Corin truly lived up to her reputation as a professional maid from Victoria Housekeeping.
Ellen initially wanted to lend a hand, but Corin explained that this was her own way of repaying kindness and that she wanted to do it herself, asking Ellen not to interfere.
With that, Ellen could only give up and head to the kitchen instead, checking if there was anything she could help with there. [1]
Wise naturally didn't refuse. With Ellen's help, a table full of dishes was quickly prepared, and on the other side, Corin had already finished cleaning the entire second floor.
But when it was time to eat, neither Corin nor Ellen went to sit down. Instead, they both came over to Wise.
"Uh, what are you two doing?"
While Wise was still confused, they pushed him into a chair. One told him to sit, while the other moved the chair in, letting him sit comfortably at the table.
"Master, please enjoy your meal."
Ellen placed the dishes in front of him, then picked up a bowl, clearly planning to feed Wise, leaving him completely stunned.
"W-Wait a minute, this…"
"Ah, right. I almost forgot."
Wise's sudden interruption seemed to remind Ellen of something, and she slowly set the bowl down, her expression growing complicated.
He thought she had understood what he meant, but to his surprise, Ellen clasped her hands together and formed a heart shape, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"Moe Moe Kyun..."
The words came out a little clumsy, but she still finished the chant in a soft, gentle tone.
Standing beside her, Belle couldn't help but think, 'I'm really jealous. Next time, it'll be my turn to chant it. I wonder if he'll hate it. Oh, right. As a reward, I'll make him do it for me too.'
"H-How amazing… as expected of Miss Ellen. I would be too embarrassed to do it…"
Corin's comment landed like a critical hit, leaving Ellen struggling to maintain her composure. To be honest, she was already extremely embarrassed.
After all, this wasn't something she normally did.
"Mm, thank you. With Ellen's magic, it really does taste much better."
Wise's words of praise, spoken after another bite, made Ellen lower her head even further. She had expected this reaction because of his personality, but it still affected her more than she'd like to admit.
Still, it was way too embarrassing for her.
"Y-You're welcome, Master. Please enjoy your meal."
"Of course I will. But Ellen, Corin, stop standing there and sit down to eat first. The maid work can wait. Consider this an order."
Afraid they might still refuse, Wise deliberately hardened his tone at the end.
In the end, Ellen and Corin didn't argue and sat down obediently.
"Mmm! It's so good! I really didn't expect your cooking to be this amazing, Master. I'm honestly ashamed!"
The moment she tasted the food, Corin's eyes lit up. At Victoria Housekeeping, Lycaon was normally in charge of cooking, with Rina stepping in from time to time to show off her 'skills.'
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[1] - There's no kitchen in the video store, but just think of it as a bigger place with a kitchen.
(A/N: The protagonist's knowledge of the plot only reaches the Ballet Twins Tower and does not go beyond the Outer Ring.)
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