"Yes, we did," Wise answered honestly.
For a moment, Grace seemed taken aback by his blunt honesty, but she quickly regained her stern composure.
"Hmph. So you're honest enough not to dodge the question. I knew my judgment wasn't wrong. Still, don't get too comfortable. Even with my approval, winning sweet pea's heart and truly making her happy won't be easy."
Wise let out a wry smile as he heard her words. Making Koleda happy didn't sound all that difficult to him, and he couldn't help but wonder why Grace would put it that way.
'Isn't this usually the part where someone tells me to take responsibility?'
"Sweet Pea lost her father when she was still very young. You know that. No matter how much love we tried to give her, there were gaps left behind, and those things don't fade away overnight."
She stopped for a second, then added, "So don't think that just because she likes you right now, and kissed you in the moment, you can do whatever you want. You've still got a lot to get through before you can really be together."
"Wait, so when you said I 'did something,' you meant kissing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, isn't it?" she replied plainly.
"No, yeah, that's right."
Wise honestly didn't expect Grace's serious tone earlier to be about a kiss.
Anyone hearing that would have thought 'did something' meant something way more intense. Maybe she felt they hadn't known each other long enough yet.
Or maybe, since she dealt with machines all day, she never quite understood that humans could also 'connect.'
Anyway, seeing that Koleda hadn't told her sister about what they did, he wouldn't say anything either.
Wise remained deep in thought, saying nothing. Grace watched him for a moment, blinked as if she had figured something out, and then spoke earnestly.
"If you're planning to give Sweet Pea a gift, you should choose something she actually likes."
"In that case, Grace, as Koleda's older sister and the one who knows her best, do you have any good suggestions?"
Wise already knew Koleda loved it when people praised her height, something he discovered by accident back then.
"Since Wise is asking, I'll be honest. Sweet Pea may act tough, but she likes cute stuff just like any other girl. Cat or dog dolls work, or anything similar. Just don't give her old-style gold or silver jewelry. She's not into that." Grace said with a soft smile.
Wise listened carefully and nodded.
"Then what about you, Grace? What kind of gift would you like?"
"Eh? Me?" Grace was caught off guard by the question.
"Of course. You've helped me a lot, so just tell me what you want."
Grace paused for a second, then smiled lightly, slipping back into her older sister role. She even reached out and patted Wise's head, as if he were her younger brother.
"I don't really want anything. Just focus on Sweet Pea's gift. I love machinery, so if you're willing to use your special ability and accompany me in experiments, that's more than enough for me."
Despite Grace saying this, Wise had no plans to drop the idea of giving her a gift. Believing such words at face value was how people ended up regretting it later.
"If it's for you, then of course I can."
Regarding the gift, he intended to handcraft a plush toy and a small robot before returning next time. The crafting skills available in the system's store were reasonably priced, so there was no issue.
"Hey, wait a minute. What do you mean 'if it's for you'? Don't say things like that out of nowhere, it's easy to misunderstand!"
Grace shot a quick glance toward the door, worried Koleda might suddenly walk in and overhear everything. If that happened, jealousy would be unavoidable.
'If she gets the wrong idea… Ugh, I really don't want to become the older sister who steals her little sister's man.'
The thought popped into Grace's head, but she pushed it away just as quickly. In the end, Wise was simply someone she could collaborate with during experiments.
After seeing Wise's ability again, Grace felt nothing but admiration.
"This is unbelievable. You don't have any permissions, yet you can directly override the highest-level commands and control intelligent machinery. There isn't even the slightest trace of intrusion left behind."
Grace looked at the machine obediently standing before Wise while rapidly operating her tablet.
"This is just my own special ability. No one else has the technology to infiltrate Belobog Industries system," Wise said as he casually stroked the docile intelligent machinery beside him.
However, the moment his palm touched it, the machine seemed to short-circuit. Its body jerked several times, sparks bursting out as it went out of control and slammed toward Grace.
The collision wasn't severe, but it was enough to knock her balance off. The tablet slipped from her grasp, and she rushed forward to catch it, instinctively protecting it.
She thought she would fall heavily because of this, but Wise, who was beside her, stepped forward at that moment, put his arm around her waist, and steadily held her.
"Wise, you… th-thank you," Grace whispered, her cheeks slightly red.
She got back on her feet, signaling Wise to let her go, then immediately checked the tablet and the machine that had lost control.
Once confirming that everything was fine, she released a relieved sigh. The intelligent machinery remained still, shrinking back obediently, as if aware of its mistake.
"Huh? Grace, you got hurt."
Wise pointed toward the back of her waist. The fair skin there now carried a clear purple bruise.
It probably came from the machine hitting her earlier. Since Grace was busy checking things, she hadn't noticed it at the time.
"Hiss, now that you mention it, it does hurt a little, but it's just a minor injury. There's no need to worry. Let's continue with the experiment," Grace murmured.
"That's not happening!"
He wasn't about to agree after seeing her act like nothing was wrong. His sharp response caught her off guard.
"If you don't treat it, I'm not doing any experiments with you. I'll even tell Koleda," Wise added, his arms crossed.
"Ugh, fine, fine. I lose."
Under his pressure, Grace finally gave in and pulled out an old medical kit from the side, one that looked like it hadn't been touched in ages.
She took out the ointment and prepared to apply it to the wound, but awkwardly, she couldn't see that spot, so she couldn't apply it even if she wanted to.
"I'll help you."
"Oh? I almost forgot you were here. Then I'll trouble you."
She originally didn't want to trouble Wise, but since he offered, she couldn't bring herself to refuse his kindness.
After handing him the ointment, Grace climbed onto a nearby table, making it easier for Wise to apply the medicine.
Wise applied the medicine with care, but the instant he touched the injured spot, Grace felt an unfamiliar sensation.
No man had ever done something like this for her before. Perhaps that was why she couldn't help but let out an odd sound.
"Hm~"
"Does it hurt that much?" Wise asked.
"N-No, it's just... well, please continue," She stammered, her cheeks flushing even deeper.
He continued his work, and the sounds escaping her lips became harder to suppress.
"Nghh... Hm... Ah~"
The suggestive noises left Wise feeling a bit awkward, but his hands never stopped.
Soon enough, he finished applying the ointment and wrapped the bandage around her wound with care.
By then, Grace was completely red from embarrassment.
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