Wise couldn't understand why his sister had hurried back to her room. Could it be because of what he said earlier? That seemed possible.
As he thought about this, he noticed a section on the system panel showing Belle's inner thoughts.
+ + + + +
Belle's Inner Thoughts:
What's going on? Why does Wise suddenly seem even more handsome? It's like his charm has suddenly increased! He's so good-looking, tall, responsible, and kind, truly a perfect older brother. I really want him to... No, no! Why am I thinking about this again? I'd better go charge Eous to distract myself.
+ + + + +
Belle kept telling herself not to think about it anymore, but it obviously didn't work.
Every time Wise's image popped into her mind, she struggled to stay calm.
She had never felt especially amazed by her brother before, so why was this happening today?
'Could it be that I just never noticed before? Or is it true what they say, that a man can suddenly mature in an instant?'
While Belle was still lost in thought, Wise was on the verge of panicking.
"Is this really what Belle is thinking!?"
Wise felt a bit doubtful, but judging from her behavior just now, it did seem possible.
Although he wasn't sure what the ellipses in her thoughts meant, he had a feeling it wasn't something pure.
Wise took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Belle had grown up, so it was only natural for her to have some unusual thoughts.
Still, this didn't really mean anything, right? At most, it just showed that his higher charm level was affecting Belle more than he expected.
With that thought in mind, he suddenly noticed several system notifications popping up.
[Ding! Target: Belle has generated emotional fluctuations toward the host. Reward has been issued.]
Although the system's mechanical voice sounded cold and emotionless, the news of receiving a reward was still exciting.
Wise decided to focus on the system's reward and forget about everything else for now.
[Bullet Time (B): Temporarily increases the host's awareness and reaction speed by five times (Duration depends on the host's capabilities)]
'Alright, this is a very good ability. But are innate abilities really this easy to acquire? Could it be because Belle has such a high level of affection for me?' Wise thought as he left the room.
Then he went to the room next door, Belle's room, and gently knocked on the door.
He wanted to check on his younger sister. After knocking on the door, a strange noise came from inside, and the door opened shortly afterward.
Belle's cheeks were slightly flushed. When she saw Wise, she deliberately avoided his gaze, her breathing a little ragged, and her thighs pressed together suspiciously.
"O-Oh, it's you, Brother. Do you need something?"
Belle appeared a little uncomfortable, but Wise didn't suspect anything and assumed that his younger sister was acting strangely because her period might be starting.
"It's nothing, I just came to check on you. How are you feeling? Are you okay? Make sure to rest, and don't even think about sneaking any ice cream," his tone was firm but caring.
She felt a little shy at his words and pouted.
"Okay, I get it, Brother. Stop nagging. I'm not a child anymore. Why would I do something like that?" Belle replied, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"Hm, very good. You can go downstairs and watch TV while I get our dinner," As Wise spoke, he reached out and ruffled Belle's hair.
Before she could react, he had already headed downstairs. It was a little mischievous, and of course, Belle noticed.
"You! You messed up my hair!"
But there was no answer from Wise. All she heard was the sound of him rushing down the stairs. Belle sighed, smoothed her hair, and followed him.
'It's been a long time since my brother touched my head like this, and… it feels really nice,' she thought, smiling to herself.
Wise wasn't looking at his system, so he had no idea what his younger sister was thinking. The inner thoughts on the system panel played in real time, and there was no replay function. If you missed them, you couldn't see them again.
When Wise reached the bottom of the stairs, he headed straight outside.
Although the Video Store had a kitchen, Wise usually went to General Chop's ramen shop for meals since it was close to home.
As regular customers, he and his sister often received generous discounts from the friendly shop owner.
"General Chop, two bowls of ramen to go, you know the usual."
- General Chop -[1]
After arriving at Waterfall Soup, Wise casually found a place to sit down. General Chop noticed him and greeted him warmly.
"Oh? Wise, it's you again. Two bowls of ramen, right? Alright, I'll make them for you right away. Please wait a moment."
Wise watched as General Chop moved his two robotic arms, skillfully preparing two bowls of ramen with impressive, almost dazzling precision.
As he handed the ramen to Wise, General Chop motioned for him to come closer and then whispered something.
"I just heard some customers saying that another Hollow has formed on 14th Street. I don't know if it's true, but I wanted to let you know in advance."
Wise froze when he heard this.
'A Hollow appeared on 14th Street? Why does that sound so familiar? Speaking of which, Nicole mentioned yesterday that she had something planned for today. Has the main storyline finally begun?'
He pondered this in his mind while General Chop spoke up again after noticing his reaction.
"I'm not sure if it's true. There hasn't been any official announcement, so it's just a rumor."
"Even if it's not true, thank you for letting me know, General Chop. I'll head back now." Wise said, standing up and giving a casual wave.
"No problem. Come around again when you have the time," General Chop replied with a grin.
Leaving Waterfall Soup, Wise returned to the video store and headed straight for the room on the first floor.
The first thing he saw was his younger sister lying on the sofa, lazily swinging her legs while flipping through TV channels with the remote.
As soon as Belle noticed him come in, she immediately sat up.
"You're back with the ramen, right? Great, I'm really hungry," Belle said as she tried to put on her shoes while walking toward him.
But walking like that was a bad idea. Sure enough, moments later, she tripped, and the loose shoe on her left foot flew off.
"Ah!" Belle couldn't even scream, managing only a small gasp.
"Watch out!"
The moment Wise set down his ramen, he saw the scene, and his face filled with panic and worry. He quickly stepped forward to catch her.
Belle instinctively fell into Wise's arms, and he held her securely, one hand on her wrist and the other supporting her waist.
[1] IMAGE