After Fairy's somewhat displeased call, Wise asked about the reason, and she began to explain.
"[|I can't sleep because of my dereliction of duty. As a Type-3 All-Purpose Integrated AI, I failed to defend against attacks on the system. I played no role in the crucial battle and even needed my master to rescue me, making me far inferior to Assistant No. 2 and bringing shame upon myself.|]"
As she spoke, Fairy softly nuzzled into Wise's embrace, her ice-blue twin tails gently swaying.
"[|My self-esteem has fallen, and I need my master to pet me so I can recover.|]"
'Hmm... Did Fairy's personality change a little after recovering?'
Wise wondered with a hint of doubt, but he still reached out to stroke her head before lifting her chin and kissing her rosy lips.
As for what happened next, words were unnecessary.
<<>>
Time quickly moved to the next day.
Early that morning, while planning his schedule for the day, Wise suddenly received a message.
The sender was someone he had met while playing VR, a person named Chaotic Fried Rice.
After discovering that Wise was surprisingly skilled at gaming, Chaotic Fried Rice had started chatting with him frequently. Then, after one particularly strange conversation, the other party suddenly asked for help.
The messages were filled with phrases like "This is urgent!" "This is my last chance!" "I'll regret this forever!" and "You're the only person I can rely on!"
| Chaotic Fried Rice: Where are you right now? Are you near Lumina? Do you have a car? Please come pick me up immediately! I know you'll come! |
| Wise: So many exclamation marks, it looks really urgent! |
| Chaotic Fried Rice: I copied this in advance and was just waiting for your reply! Anyway, hurry to the cinema at Lumina Square, it's seriously urgent! |
| Wise: What happened? Is there some kind of event? |
| Chaotic Fried Rice: What do you mean, "What happened?" Obviously, you're coming to save me! I'm currently trapped by bad guys in black, it's an emergency! |
| Wise: Guys in black... Why would they want to capture a Bangboo? |
| Chaotic Fried Rice: It's not my Bangboo that's trapped, it's me! Just come over and you'll understand. I'll be waiting at the cinema's back entrance wearing a red jacket and red sunglasses! |
| Chaotic Fried Rice: Oh, and when I say "chaotic," you have to reply with "fried rice." Remember the code phrase and stay low-key! |
After sending that final message, the other party stopped replying entirely.
Though confused, Wise still headed toward the cinema at Lumina Station. The moment he arrived, he found a massive crowd gathered at the entrance.
Fans were shouting things like, "Is Astra inside the lobby?!"
Several black-suited bodyguards blocked the entrance, refusing to let anyone through.
Meanwhile, near the cinema's back entrance, someone cautiously peeked outside while observing the crowd from afar.
The woman wore a red jacket and matching sunglasses.
Naturally, she was the person calling herself Chaotic Fried Rice.
The moment she spotted Wise, she began waving exaggerated hand signals that absolutely nobody could understand.
Even so, Wise somehow understood that she wanted him to distract the guards. So he immediately came up with a plan.
"Look! Someone's inside the cinema lobby! I think it's Astra!" Wise shouted deliberately.
The nearby fans instantly erupted into chaos. Driven by excitement, they desperately tried to push their way inside.
The black-suited bodyguards were immediately forced to deal with the commotion.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Wise quickly slipped away toward Chaotic Fried Rice.
When he entered the nearby alley, he saw the woman waiting for him.
The moment she noticed him approaching, she immediately pretended to act casual.
"...Chaotic!"
"Fried rice."
"Yay, perfect rendezvous! Let's high-five! I've always wanted to do that!"
The woman excitedly slapped his hand with surprising enthusiasm. Her energy was honestly a little surprising.
She then lowered her head slightly and pulled down her sunglasses to study Wise more carefully before nodding to herself.
"Hmm, you look even better in person than you did online."
"What?"
"Ah, nothing. Ahem, first of all, let me praise you. You got here really fast! Now that everyone's attention is focused on the front entrance, this is our chance to escape!"
Her voice was filled with excitement, but Wise only looked more puzzled.
"Why do we need to escape? Can't we just walk out normally?"
His question sounded perfectly reasonable, but the woman immediately grew nervous.
"Of course there's a reason we can't just stroll out casually! I'll explain everything after we escape Lumina Square. For now, we need to avoid the crowd, especially the bad guys in black!"
"They just look like bodyguards."
Wise couldn't help pointing that out, but the woman replied playfully.
"Oh, just think of them as bad guys. At least for today, they're the villains trying to capture me. Remember, stay discreet!"
Seeing how serious she was, Wise reluctantly decided to help her to the end.
"I parked my car in the parking lot."
"Fan-tastic! Another point for you! Let's go! I'm counting on you to guide us, hero knight! Once we leave Lumina Square, escaping will be easy!"
After saying that, the two immediately set off.
Following her request, they carefully chose quieter paths to avoid attracting attention.
As they moved, Wise couldn't help wondering, 'Is she some kind of runaway princess from New Eridu?'
With how cautious she was acting, the description honestly fit.
The two continued weaving through quieter paths while staying out of sight, but the bodyguards clearly weren't amateurs.
When they were only one intersection away from the parking lot, several black-suited figures suddenly appeared in the alley ahead.
At the same time, more people appeared behind them.
The net was tightening.
"Oh no... What do we do now...?"
The woman in the red jacket looked visibly anxious, while Wise found himself equally unsure.
He couldn't exactly knock out every bodyguard there.
Or maybe...
Could he carry her across the rooftops?
'Hmm... That might actually be possible.'
But while he was still considering it, the bodyguards from both sides had nearly reached the alley entrance.
Seeing that, the woman gritted her teeth and suddenly acted.
"Sorry, I need your cooperation!"
The instant she spoke, she grabbed Wise by the shoulders with both hands. Then, with a sudden pull, she dragged him against the nearby wall.
However, perhaps because she was too flustered, she used far more force than intended. Their faces closed the distance between them in an instant.
Just as they were about to collide, Wise reacted quickly, raising one hand to brace himself against the wall beside her.
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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