"Senior, are you sure it's okay to shop while we're on duty?" Zhu Yuan asked, staring helplessly at Qingyi, who had crouched down in front of a vendor's stall
Qingyi simply waved her hand in dismissal.
"Zhu Yuan, don't be so rigid. Besides, I'm just checking if the goods are up to standard," Qingyi said, lifting a finger in a lecturing manner. "Boss, this ceramic teacup looks good. Pack it up for me."
Zhu Yuan let out a quiet sigh, massaging her temples as she observed Qingyi inspecting the teacup with intense focus.
She really didn't know what to say, but her attention was suddenly drawn to a figure in the distance.
"Senior, look over there! Isn't that Belle?"
"Hmm, it is her. But why is she here alone? Shouldn't Wise have accompanied her?"
Both of them were a bit confused, but since they spotted her, they naturally went over to say hello.
As they got closer, Belle, who'd been looking around now and then, spotted them right away.
"Eh? Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, what a coincidence! Are you two also here to enjoy the Carnival?"
Recognizing the familiar faces, Belle lowered her phone and waved cheerfully.
"Actually, no. With so many visitors at the Carnival, my senior and I were dispatched to help keep order."
"I see. You two must be working hard."
After chatting for a bit, Qingyi asked about Wise.
"Speaking of which, Belle, are you here alone? Didn't your brother come with you?"
"Huh? My brother? Oh, he said he had to take care of something and would be back soon."
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yuan touched her chin thoughtfully.
"Is that so? Your brother has been gone for quite a while and hasn't returned. Could he be lost? How about we help you look for him during our patrol later?" she suggested.
"Really? That would be amazing! I really appreciate it!"
Having grown increasingly worried from the wait, Belle gladly accepted Zhu Yuan's generous offer.
Since they were still on duty, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi didn't stick around long and headed off to check the next area.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad."
"Senior, what's 'not bad'?"
Zhu Yuan glanced at Qingyi, who had already pulled out her teacup and begun sipping tea.
"Naturally, I'm talking about Wise. At a place like the Carnival, he only brought his sister along. That probably means he's single, which gives you, Zhu Yuan, a chance."
"S-Senior, what kind of nonsense are you spouting! What opportunity?! I don't think of him that way, and romance is..." Zhu Yuan protested, her face turning red, but she trailed off when she noticed Qingyi wasn't even paying attention to her.
Taking a breath to compose herself, she followed Qingyi's gaze and asked, "Senior, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Indeed, quite urgent, but... see for yourself."
Qingyi gestured toward a spot nearby, and when Zhu Yuan followed her line of sight, she immediately understood.
"That's... Wise? What's he doing here? And that red-haired woman beside him, isn't she the president of Belobog Heavy Industries?"
"Well then, I retract my previous statement. The odds don't look too favorable anymore," Qingyi remarked, shaking her head.
"Senior, what do you mean by that?"
Zhu Yuan was still lost on what Qingyi meant.
"Hard to say right now, and you're better off not knowing for the moment. Either way, it's their business. Maybe they just ran into each other and stopped for a chat. Come on, let's head to the next patrol zone."
While speaking, Qingyi gave a subtle wink toward Wise's location, and following a soft click, she stepped forward.
"Wait, Senior, didn't we promise Belle we'd help find her brother? Shouldn't we at least inform her?"
"There's no need. He'll return once their conversation ends, assuming it does end."
Zhu Yuan followed Qingyi, only half-understanding her words.
However, after walking for only a short while, Qingyi suddenly froze in place. She frowned slightly and looked somewhat puzzled.
At that same moment, Zhu Yuan, walking beside her, noticed something unusual ahead as well.
"Senior, is that Wise? But he just…" Zhu Yuan couldn't finish her sentence.
Logically speaking, he should still be in Zone 3, so why was he suddenly standing right in front of them?
And most importantly, the person beside him was not Koleda but a Cat Thiren girl.
"Interesting, it seems things are more complicated than imagined."
Qingyi displayed a mischievous, curious smile before winking once more. The gesture served as a discrete way to capture a photograph for her records.
The earlier photo she'd snapped of him with Belobog Heavy Industries' president had been meant for Belle. However, given these new developments, certain doubts had begun forming in her mind.
[|Warning. Targets Ellen and Anby are in extremely proximity. It is recommended that the Master temporarily set this matter aside.|]
Upon hearing Fairy's alert, Wise's expression shifted slightly. Ever since learning that Anby had departed from Zone 14, he'd suspected something like this might happen.
For now, all he could do was hope they'd part ways soon so he could check on Rain first.
"Senior, Wise has left again."
"Hmm? That direction isn't towards Belle. Let's follow him and see."
Watching Wise dash off in a particular direction, Qingyi immediately suggested following him. Zhu Yuan, behind her, could only accompany her.
But after just a few steps, Wise seemed to have totally disappeared without a trace.
"Senior, what should we do..." Zhu Yuan asked nervously.
"He went this direction. We'll continue tracking him. There's no way we won't find him," Qingyi declared, leading Zhu Yuan toward Zone 6 while constantly scanning their surroundings.
At last, after searching for some time, she located him. Just as expected, Wise was there, now accompanied by a girl with pink hair.
"Interesting. Is he juggling three or even four relationships at once?"
While speaking, Qingyi made sure to capture the moment on camera, then forwarded it to Belle alongside the two earlier photos.
Honestly, she was kind of impressed by Wise.
He was trying to have a date with four different girls at the same Carnival while keeping them from finding out about each other—that was really impressive.
Too bad his whole plan was about to collapse. Anyway, this wasn't her business, but she had maintained her word and helped Belle track him down.
Wise, for some reason, felt a chill down his spine, but he didn't know where it came from. He couldn't help but think of Ellen and Anby.
'Wait, did something go wrong?' he wondered nervously.
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