Late at night, inside a military camp, Number 11, who had just finished her training, returned to her dormitory. Sweat drenched her training uniform, making the fabric stick to her skin.
"Number 11, we have a day off tomorrow! Want to go out and have some fun?"
Just as Number 11 was about to take a shower, a woman lying on a nearby bed suddenly spoke to her, holding a flyer in her hand.
If Wise were here, he would instantly recognize the flyer as belonging to that damned Carnival.
"Go out and have fun, huh?"
As she thought about it, Wise's image involuntarily appeared in her mind, and she secretly wondered if she should invite him to join them so he could meet her teammates.
But after thinking it over, she scratched the idea. It was pretty late already, and he was probably sleeping.
Plus, asking him out of nowhere like that wouldn't give him any time to get ready. So she decided to ask him another time.
Number 11, having made her decision, accepted her teammate's invitation and headed into the bathroom to take a bath.
<<>>
The next day, Belle was pulled out of bed by Wise early in the morning. She could barely keep her eyes open, and her mood matched her exhaustion.
"Brother, even though we're going out to have fun, why do we have to get up so early?" She rubbed her blurry eyes and couldn't help but yawn.
Although Belle had gone to bed relatively early the night before, she'd developed a habit of staying up late and waking up late recently.
She still felt drowsy, especially since she'd stayed up reading online guides for the Carnival.
'Are you kidding? If we don't go early, how will we have enough time?' Wise thought to himself, but he spoke kindly to Belle.
"So many people will be at the Carnival today. If we don't leave early, we'll end up parking far away again, just like last time."
His words made sense and successfully convinced her. As the two got into the car and set off, Belle's dissatisfaction gradually gave way to anticipation for the Carnival.
Now Operation Six Dates was officially starting.
[|Master, turn left up ahead and park. First, take Assistant 2 to Zone 1 of the Carnival. Then head to Zone 3 to meet Miss Koleda while pretending to buy breakfast.|]
Wise gave a slight nod at Fairy's instructions, then glanced at Belle.
"Belle, are you hungry? How about I go buy us something to eat?"
"Yeah, sure. I haven't eaten anything since waking up this morning, so I'm a bit hungry. How about I come with you?"
Belle's request was naturally rejected by Wise.
"No need. Why don't you check out those stalls over there? Looks like a bunch of people are crowding around that one selling videotapes. Maybe you can find something new for our collection.
After hearing his words, Belle didn't insist on accompanying him and instead walked toward the small stall nearby.
Though she ran a video store, Belle could still find some rare videotapes here. Whether she wanted to watch them herself or rent them out, they'd be great to have.
Seeing this, Wise breathed a sigh of relief, hoping the rest of the day would go as smoothly as it had started.
Thinking that, he rushed out and activated the skill he'd purchased from the system store yesterday.
[Ghostly Concealment (A): When running at extreme speed, one can conceal their figure and increase movement speed. Ordinary humans can only feel the flow of wind. The concealment effect weakens based on the opponent's observation ability and reaction speed.]
The A-rank skill had cost him 5000 Emotional Value, leaving him with just 11,700 remaining, but it was completely worth it.
With the help of Ghostly Concealment, he arrived at Zone 3 in under a minute.
He spotted Koleda in casual clothes waiting nearby. Slowing down, he caught his breath and jogged over to her.
She noticed him at that moment and immediately raised her hand to wave.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"No, I just arrived a bit early," Koleda said, flashing a big smile.
In truth, she likely hadn't arrived just a bit early. Scheduling her as his second date was the right call, especially since she started work at 5 AM.
However, the girl had no idea what Wise was thinking. Instead, she shyly took his hand.
"Um, where should we go first?"
"Your choice, but I'm guessing you'd like to check out the construction machinery exhibition."
"Eh? How did you know?"
Koleda looked slightly surprised, but Wise acted as if it were obvious.
"Because I know what you like."
The smile accompanying his words made Koleda's cheeks burn brighter.
Before she could respond, Wise took her hand and led her straight to the exhibition hall.
But despite his calm demeanor, he kept constantly checking the time.
With so many dates to juggle, he hadn't given anyone much time. They'd barely looked at two machinery models before he was already running late.
"Uh, Koleda, my stomach feels kinda weird. Can I go to the bathroom real quick?"
"What's wrong? Did you eat something bad?"
Koleda looked worried seeing him hold his stomach. With barely any time left, he couldn't stick around.
"It's nothing. You keep looking around. I'll be right back!"
After saying this, Wise immediately ran off. Koleda watched him go, feeling both puzzled and worried, but after seeing him disappear into the exhibition hall's restroom, she didn't think much more of it.
Instead, she pulled out her phone and started looking at something.
Meanwhile, Wise managed to get away from Koleda, climbed out the window, and headed to Zone 4.
At that moment in Zone 4, Nekomata stood by the greenery, licking her paws to wash her face while occasionally glancing around.
Suddenly, she felt her tail being grabbed from behind, and then her eyes were covered. The surprise scared her into instinctively letting out a cry.
"Nyaaa!"
However, the familiar scent gave him away immediately. Nekomata swatted the hand aside and spun around to confirm her suspicion.
"I knew it was you! Pulling pranks like this in public again. You nearly gave this kitty a heart attack, nya!" She pouted indignantly, prompting an apologetic grin from Wise.
"Sorry, I just thought it'd be fun to say hi like that. But hey, I got you a present." He pulled something out from behind him, and Nekomata's eyes immediately lit up.
"Nya! Is this the limited-edition dried grilled fish?"
Nekomata snatched the treat from Wise's hand and began munching on it eagerly. The savory taste made her expression melt into pure bliss.
He'd actually bought it from the system store, knowing he wouldn't have had time to pick one up on the way. Thank goodness for that almighty convenience.
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