Watching Hoshimi Miyabi's undisguised gaze, and the sense of loss from having missed out on the melons that made her ears droop, Wise felt a strange pang of guilt. How could he not know that the last two melons she was talking about were the ones in his hands?
"I saw there were only two left and they were on sale, so I bought them both. How about this, Miss Miyabi, you pick one as a gift from me. What do you think?"
Hearing Wise's words, Hoshimi Miyabi's happiness was visible to the naked eye; even her previously drooping ears perked up. But then she seemed to remember something, and her ears drooped again with a sense of reluctance.
"Thank you for your kindness, but the Hoshimi family rules forbid us from easily accepting gifts from others. And if Liu knew, she would definitely..."
Halfway through her sentence, Hoshimi Miyabi seemed to sense something. Her eyes widened slightly as she reacted quickly. She reached out with her fair hand, grabbed Wise's arm, and before he could react, pulled him into the small alley. Before Wise could understand what was happening, he saw Hoshimi Miyabi lean against the wall and crouch down in front of him.
"Miss Miyabi, what are you doing?"
"Shh!" Hoshimi Miyabi placed a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. Wise quickly understood why she was doing this.
"Hm? That silhouette... are you that investigator from before?"
Hearing the voice, Wise turned his head and saw a beautiful, pink-haired woman walking towards the alley.
"Ah, it's Miss Liu. I didn't expect to meet you here."
To avoid any misunderstanding, Wise started to turn his body as he spoke, completely oblivious to the fact that Hoshimi Miyabi, worried about being discovered, was gripping his pants with one hand. Although it was unintentional on her part, the force she used was not insignificant, which resulted in...
Rrrrrip!
A faint sound, like fabric tearing, was soft but clearly audible to both of them.
Wise's face instantly changed. In front of him, Hoshimi Miyabi also blushed, slowly turning her face away to avoid looking. She wanted to retract the hand that was clutching his pants, but she felt that if she did, his pants would fall down.
[Hoshimi Miyabi's Affection increased by 5 points. Current Affection: 30 points. Obtained 500 Emotional Value. Current Emotional Value: 15,500 points.]
Although Miyabi's affection had unexpectedly increased, Wise now absolutely did not dare to turn around and face Tsukishiro Liu. He'd be mistaken for a pervert, wouldn't he? He didn't know whether to blame the poor quality of his pants or Miyabi's strong grip, but it was too late to think about that now, because Tsukishiro Liu had already walked over.
"If I remember correctly, your name is Wise, right? Soukaku has been mentioning you a lot lately. It seems she often goes to your place to freeload. I hope she hasn't caused you any trouble?"
"Ah, not at all. Soukaku is always very well-behaved. She even said that Miss Liu taught her to repay kindness, so she often helps me when I'm cooking." Although she also steals food every time I cook,Wise thought. But facing Tsukishiro Liu, he didn't plan on revealing this, much like how some teachers prefer to only tell parents about their children's obedient and sensible side.
But Tsukishiro Liu obviously knew Soukaku very well and knew that what Wise said wasn't entirely true. Yet, her affection still rose by 5 points. Tsukishiro Liu's affection for Wise had now reached 60 points, a significant portion of which was because of Soukaku.
"That's good. Soukaku has always been a well-behaved, sensible child, just a little gluttonous. Thank you so much for taking care of her, Wise. If you don't mind, how about coming over to my place for a meal another day?"
Tsukishiro Liu cared deeply for Soukaku. Since Wise often took care of Soukaku, and Soukaku liked him and frequently ate at his place, it was only natural for her to return the favor.
"Of course, it would be my pleasure. But speaking of which, Miss Liu, you probably didn't come here just for this, right?" Wise, worried that Tsukishiro Liu would notice his strange posture of keeping his back to her, quickly changed the subject. The latter clearly fell for it.
"Mhm, I'm actually here looking for the Section Chief."
"Oh, you mean Miss Miyabi, right?" As Wise spoke, he glanced down at Hoshimi Miyabi in front of him. Hearing them mention her, she seemed to remember something and immediately showed a look of resistance. Tsukishiro Liu didn't notice this, either because her attention was diverted or her eyesight just happened to be poor at that moment.
"Yes. Section Chief Miyabi has always been very resistant to debriefing meetings. Today, she left a note on her desk that said, 'I am going on a spiritual journey to avoid attending the debriefing meeting,' and then disappeared." Tsukishiro Liu sighed helplessly. "But I've told the Section Chief more than once that such a spiritual journey will only result in a pay cut and having to write a self-criticism report."
Seeing Tsukishiro Liu's exhausted expression, Wise couldn't help but think, Should I sell out our dear Miss Miyabi?
Then he turned his head and saw Hoshimi Miyabi with her ears perked up, her ruby-red eyes looking at him with a pleading expression. In that instant, Wise felt as if an arrow had struck his heart, and he immediately abandoned the idea of exposing the little fox. He couldn't help it; no one can resist something so cute, not even with his Neko Hunter talent.
Sorry, Miss Liu. Who could blame me when Miss Miyabi is just too cute?
"Speaking of which, I think I saw Miss Miyabi over at the general store."
"Really? That's great! Thank you so much for your help. I still need to find the Section Chief, so I'll be on my way."
After saying this, Tsukishiro Liu hurried off. Not long after she left, Hoshimi Miyabi stood up. Holding her katana, she turned to the side with a blush, not daring to look directly at Wise, who was holding up his pants with his hands. She then slowly uttered a sentence.
"Thank you. I will remember today's kindness. The Hoshimi family will surely repay you handsomely in the future."
[Hoshimi Miyabi's Affection increased by 10 points. Current Affection: 40 points. Obtained 200 Emotional Value. Current Emotional Value: 15,700 points.]
"You're welcome..." More than that, I'd rather have an intact pair of pants right now. How am I supposed to go back like this?
Because of his damaged pants, Wise had to hold them up with his hands, which meant he couldn't carry the groceries and melons he had bought. He could put them in his storage space, but Hoshimi Miyabi was still here. It was because she had been following him earlier that he couldn't put things away.
Hoshimi Miyabi seemed to notice his predicament. She blinked her eyes and then suggested, "Do you need me to carry them for you?"
-------
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