"It's not that impressive, right? As long as you enjoy it, that's what matters."
"No! It's really amazing. I can't do something like this at all…"
Corin's tone was firm during the first half of her words. Perhaps her own lack of confidence pushed her to encourage others instead.
Wise blinked, surprised by her reaction. When he noticed how serious she looked, he asked, "Do you want to learn cooking? I can teach you if you want."
"Huh? R-Really? But I'm super clumsy. Teaching me would just be a pain, so…" Her voice faded as she looked away, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
"It's fine. I trust you, Corin, and I'll teach you seriously. Sound good?"
Upon hearing Wise's words, Corin was instantly moved, a mix of happiness and excitement welling up inside her.
"In that case, I'll leave it to you. I will study hard!"
[Ding! Target Corin: has increased her favorability toward the host by 10. Her current favorability is now 90. Additionally, 1000 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 15200]
Seeing Corin fall so easily under Wise's influence, Belle, who stood beside them, could only stare in silence, momentarily at a loss for words.
'Brother, didn't you say you had no plans to win her over before? Then why are you helping her with so much energy now?'
On the other side, Ellen felt a subtle sense of unease. She was happy to see Corin growing more confident, but at the same time, she felt she couldn't just stay still.
At that moment, she noticed a small food residue at the corner of Wise's lips. Making up her mind, she stood and approached him.
"Master, there's something on your lips. Let me clean it for you."
With that, Ellen pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped Wise's mouth.
Such an ambiguous action made Corin, who stood beside them, blush deeply. She covered her eyes with both hands, though the gaps between her fingers were noticeably wide.
"…Thank you."
Wise felt a hint of surprise at being treated this way.
'Is this really part of a maid's duties? Or was it something Ellen chose to do on her own?'
Corin watched quietly, faintly recalling Rina once mentioning that actions like that were usually meant for people who shared a close relationship.
Unsure if she had misunderstood, she chose to keep those thoughts to herself.
When she was done, Ellen nodded lightly and went back to her seat, as if nothing strange had happened. But in reality, a closer look would reveal that her ears were already burning red.
Once the short interruption passed, everyone finished eating. Wise naturally went to clean up, but Corin stopped him.
So he ended up resting on the sofa with Belle instead. He didn't seem to care much about staying in the staff room like that.
Wise wasn't particularly worried. Ellen and Corin already trusted him deeply, and a proper maid wouldn't investigate her master's possessions without reason.
Besides, there would be more chances to work together later. That was why, even though Ellen was curious about the electronic devices piled in the room while cleaning, she didn't ask anything.
After finishing the cleaning, Ellen stopped and said, "It's cleaned."
"You worked hard. Sit down and rest for a while."
However, Instead of sitting, Ellen walked over and stood right in front of Wise, her tone serious.
"Master, were you satisfied with my service today?"
As she spoke, her gaze never left Wise's face, clearly concerned about his answer. His evaluation mattered to her more than anything else.
"You did a great job, but there's still one small thing I'm not completely satisfied with."
Wise said this while raising a single finger, causing Ellen to stiffen slightly in surprise.
"What is it?"
Her voice sped up slightly, and her expression showed a faint drop in mood.
"It's a request that requires your approval."
"What do you need me to approve?" Ellen asked, curiosity showing in her voice.
Noticing her reaction, Wise stopped holding back and revealed his intention directly.
"I want to touch your tail."
"What?! No!"
Ellen rejected him instantly, her voice sharp and her expression resolute. Still, Wise showed no sign of backing down.
"Really? Then I guess I can only give a ninety-nine-point evaluation."
He said this while looking genuinely disappointed, and Ellen fell for it.
Not missing the opportunity, Wise continued to tempt her.
"If I could just touch it lightly, I'd definitely be very happy and give the best evaluation. What a pity. I probably won't be able to sleep tonight, thinking about your tail."
While speaking, Wise closely watched every change in her expression. As expected, Ellen ultimately couldn't resist his words.
"Alright, alright, I'll let you touch it…" Ellen said, clearly conflicted before finally giving in
"Really? You can't take it back!"
Wise's gloomy look vanished in an instant, replaced by obvious delight. The moment Ellen saw it, she felt like she had been tricked.
"Let's set the rules first. You're only allowed to touch it briefly, and you must be gentle. Don't use too much force."
"Got it, got it. Thank you, Miss Ellen, for granting such an unreasonable request."
Ellen responded with a quiet hum and slowly turned her back to him.
Seeing her reaction, Wise naturally reached out his hand. When his palm touched the smooth skin of Ellen's tail, he clearly felt her body tremble slightly.
The sensation of a Shark Thiren's tail was cool to the touch, nothing like a real shark's skin. Although the muscle density was extremely high, it felt surprisingly soft at this moment.
'Does the tail only become strong and powerful when entering a combat state?' Wise grew a little curious, while Ellen, on the other side, was already blushing.
This was the first time she had willingly let someone of the opposite gender touch her tail.
It felt strange. She had agreed to just a quick touch, but once Wise's hand rested there, it felt so comfortable that she couldn't bring herself to tell him to stop.
No, it wasn't just comfortable anymore. It even felt a bit hot.
"Has Master already begun the evaluations? Then I should also… Ah!"
After overhearing them talk, Corin jogged over once she finished her task, wanting to ask Wise the same question.
But she slipped along the way and ended up bumping right into Ellen.
The latter instinctively tried to catch her, but was knocked backward instead, losing her balance and almost falling onto the sofa.
At the same time, her tail flicked out from the sudden movement, fanning toward Wise.
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