So, while her motives might not have been entirely pure, Heth's willingness to help publicize the video store was something they couldn't complain about. After all, having temporarily lost the high-paying Phaethon account, they could only rely on the video store's income until their new, smaller account was up and running.
There wasn't much to do in the shop at the moment. Just as Wise was about to step out for a bit, he suddenly received a message.
"Hm? What's wrong, brother? You look so serious. Is it something important?" Belle asked with some concern upon seeing Wise's expression. He just shook his head to indicate it was nothing and then replied, "It's a message from 'Shepherd.' He wants to meet me at the café. I don't know where he got his information from. Anyway, I'm heading out for a bit. You watch the shop."
"Understood. Oh, right, brother, remember to bring me back something nice to eat!"
"Alright, alright. I don't know what to do with you."
"Yay! Be careful on your way."
Wise nodded and then headed straight out the door, while Belle happily waved goodbye to him from behind. On his way to the café, Wise noticed a familiar figure on the side of the road.
Hm? Isn't that Ellen? Are those girls with her, her classmates? Should I go say hello in this situation?
Wise's thought was that he still wasn't very familiar with Ellen, and approaching her rashly at a time like this might lead to her being teased by her friends. Although it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, if it made her feel uncomfortable, that would be terrible.
Just as Wise was about to pretend he hadn't seen her and go straight to the café, Ellen spotted him and waved for him to come over. In this situation, Wise definitely couldn't ignore her anymore. After he walked over, Ellen was the one to speak first. "Hello, Wise. What a coincidence to run into you here again. Oh, right, these are the friends I told you about before, the ones who are interested in videotapes."
Ellen's tone was calm, and she still looked as listless as ever, but there were no dark circles under her beautiful eyes. It couldn't be helped. She had school during the day, work at night, and still had to go shopping with her best friends in her spare time. If she could still be energetic with a schedule like that, she wouldn't be a normal person, would she? Although, a Shark-person couldn't really be considered a "normal person."
"Yes, it really is fate to meet like this. And to Ellen's friends, if you're interested in videotapes, you can come to our video store anytime. We can satisfy any needs you have." Although Wise lived nearby, so running into them was normal, he certainly couldn't say that when speaking to them.
Ellen's friends were clearly still a bit surprised. In fact, they had already noticed him before he had even walked over. The handsome young man had sparked a discussion among them, which was one of the reasons Ellen had called him over. She figured since her friends were interested, she might as well call him over, especially since they were also interested in videotapes, right? So that's what Ellen did. And when her friends saw Wise walk over and start talking with Ellen, they immediately began to speculate about the relationship between the two, countless scenarios flashing through their minds as they exchanged glances.
They only stopped when Wise spoke to them. One of them then took the initiative to speak to him. "Hey there, handsome little brother. Are you and Little Dried Fish... uh, Ellen, friends? When did you meet?" The yellow-haired girl, who looked cheerful at a glance, looked at Wise curiously, as if hoping he would say something interesting.
However, the result was bound to disappoint her. Wise just very normally explained the process of meeting Ellen at the arcade.
"Oh, so that's how it is. I thought our Little Dried Fish had finally gotten a clue and was planning to betray our organization," a girl with a pair of horns, who looked like she might be a Bull-person, said with a sigh as she stood next to Ellen. As for the "organization" she mentioned, considering they were all single female students, it wasn't hard to guess what it was.
At this point, Ellen looked helpless and spoke with some embarrassment, "What are you guys thinking about all day? Weren't you the ones who said you were interested in videotapes?"
"Well, that's true, but if I had known the owner of that video store was such a handsome boy, I would have definitely gone by myself. But in this situation, we can only leave him to you, Ellen. Although we don't have any experience, don't worry, our theoretical knowledge is plentiful." The black-haired girl with glasses whispered this quietly to Ellen, while also giving her a knowing look and an "OK" gesture. But all she got in return was Ellen's flat response. "Thanks so much for your kindness..."
Looking at her best friends beside her, Ellen sighed helplessly. At the same time, she also noticed Wise looking a bit awkward on the other side. Mmm, he is pretty handsome, but that's not the point.If this continues, the situation might get worse. It's better to find an excuse to leave quickly.
Just as Ellen was thinking this, Wise, on the other side, seemed to have noticed her predicament and took the initiative to speak. "Sorry, ladies. Although I'd love to chat with you more, I have something else to attend to in a bit, so..."
With him having said that much, the reasonable girls knew when to stop. Afterward, they all exchanged contact information. After Wise left, Ellen watched his departing figure, thinking that he really was a good person.
[Ding! Ellen's favorability has increased by 20 points. Current favorability: 40. 500 Emotion Value obtained. Current Emotion Value: 3500.]
"Hey, Ellen, stop looking. He's already long gone."
Reminded by her friend, Ellen finally snapped back to reality, only to be met with the three of them wearing mischievous smiles. "Although you acted like you didn't care, your body was very honest, Ellen~"
"It looked like you were really reluctant to see that store owner leave. If we had known, we should have left first to let you two be alone."
"Oh, right! I know an outfit that would look great on Ellen, the kind that no boy could possibly refuse!" The girl with glasses who had previously offered to help Ellen with a plan now took out her phone and pulled up a picture. On it was a very cute maid outfit. Seeing it, Ellen's expression tensed, while her other two friends praised the cuteness of the outfit in unison. It seemed they were trying to tempt Ellen into wearing it, but unfortunately for them, she had already worn one many times before. Although wearing it one more time wouldn't hurt, Ellen refused.
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