That afternoon, once Wise finished his nap, he made his way downstairs to see how the video store was doing. Heddy was already at work, handling customers with her usual calm efficiency.
A moment later, he spotted a Shark Thiren girl and her blonde friend looking around the shop, surprising Wise enough to make him walk over.
"Hey. Ellen, Ruby, you two here to rent videotapes?"
Ellen blinked at him, a bit distracted, while Ruby's face lit up the moment she saw him.
"It's the store manager! Yes, we're here to rent videotapes."
"No, wait, we're actually going to a karaoke place nearby. We were just passing by and decided to stop in for a look."
"Oh, Ellen."
Wise sighed with a helpless smile. Heddy then stepped in and explained everything to him in a low voice.
"I didn't expect the store manager to know these two beautiful young ladies. That's great. I was just recommending the movie City of Ethereal Beasts to them. But this Shark young lady said she doesn't want to watch anything full of Ethereals during her time off."
When Heddy said that, Wise finally understood. It made sense. She already dealt with groups of Ethereals every day, so it was natural she wanted something different after work.
"Alright, leave it to me."
Wise grabbed a videotape from the nearest shelf, something with the classic shoujo romance vibe.
"This one is really popular among girls around Ellen's age. It follows the passionate romance between a Thiren maid and a human boy."
Ellen only gave it a quick glance, clearly not very interested. There was nothing she could do. Luckily, her bestie was the opposite, and Ruby jumped in right away.
"Oh, this one! I've heard about it forever, but I never watched it. Let's take it, Ellen, we can watch together!"
"Ah?" Ellen made a hesitant sound, but eventually nodded.
For the record, Ellen's affection level toward Wise was already at 60, the level of an average friend.
Meanwhile, Heddy looked confused when she saw Ellen and her friend pick up the movie Wise had recommended.
"Why would any girl not like City of Ethereal Beasts?" Heddy murmured, sounding a little down.
"Maybe everyone just has different preferences. Heddy, don't let it bother you, just keep trying."
Wise's soft encouragement made Heddy blush, and she gave a lively nod.
"Thanks, store manager. I still have a lot to work on."
The system displayed Heddy's affection level rising to 80.
After giving a few more instructions, Wise stepped out, leaving Belle and N.º 18 to keep the Video Store running.
Soon after, Wise took the subway to Lumina Square. The moment he stepped out of the station, he spotted Anby already waiting for him.
She immediately walked up to him as soon as she saw him.
"Wise, you're here."
"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
Wise had left early and even arrived ahead of the scheduled time, but surprisingly, Anby had beaten him to it.
"No, I just got here," she said with a small shake of her head.
It was a harmless lie. After agreeing to go on a date with Wise, she had been so excited these last few days that sleep felt impossible.
Now that the day had finally come, she arrived three hours early and even reviewed several dating movies on the way.
She was full of confidence, and Wise smiled at the sight before gently taking Anby's small hand.
"Alright, since I was a little late, I'll cover everything for today."
Anby blinked in surprise at his sudden move. Most of the dating scenes she had studied showed the first date being more hesitant and shy.
Someone as forward as Wise was rare, but it was fine. Anby felt she could still keep up.
After that, the two headed to a tea milk shop. The clerk was a girl with dark circles under her eyes, looking completely drained.
"Hello, welcome to Richard Teamilk. I'm Coco, the clerk. If you two need anything, just let me know."
Coco seemed a little more energetic after noticing Wise, and pointed to the menu on the side, also introducing the contents to the two.
"Well, what flavor do you like, Anby?" Wise asked gently while pointing at the menu.
"For me, I'll have a mint tea milk."
"Okay, then I'll get a chocolate tea milk."
With their tea milk in hand, they headed to the Riverside, found a pair of seats, and enjoyed their drinks while talking.
"Wise."
"Yes, what's wrong, Anby?"
The sudden way she called his name made Wise look over, confused, but before he could react, she moved.
Anby leaned in close, brought her face right up to his, and gave the corner of his mouth a slow, teasing lick.
"You had chocolate foam. It tastes pretty good," She said this while blushing slightly.
"I see."
Wise hadn't expected Anby to tease him like that, but her charm was impossible to resist, so he decided to act as well.
"Anby, can I taste yours too?" he asked with a small smile.
"Hmm? Sure."
Her face was still a little red, and without thinking much about it, she handed him her tea milk.
But that wasn't what Wise meant. He held the hand she used to offer the drink, guiding it gently, and slipped his other arm around her waist.
Then, as he kissed her, he slowly tasted the mint tea milk lingering in her mouth.
"Thanks for the treat. It tastes great," Wise said, licking his lips.
"You like it? That's good," she said softly.
Anby lowered her head, her face completely red as she held the milk tea in her lap with both hands.
Wise found her way too cute and couldn't resist kissing her again before leading her toward the cinema.
Even though he owned a video store, going to an actual cinema was all about the atmosphere. And in that darkened space, it was easy for feelings to grow much faster
In the cinema, watching Anby beside him seriously watching the movie, Wise also moved his hand away from the back of her hand.
Inside, Wise watched Anby focus intently on the movie. He slowly pulled his hand back from hers.
When she shot him a puzzled glance, he simply hugged her instead. She said nothing, only leaning her head on his shoulder.
[Ding! Target: Anby has increased her favorability toward the host by 1. Her current favorability is now 95. Additionally, 500 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 6000]