Belle's arrival brought a much livelier atmosphere to Zhong Yan's home.
As the universally acknowledged ball of energy in the game, Belle had a natural knack for brightening the mood—almost as if her words alone could sway someone's emotions.
That said, she still tried to maintain a bit of modesty in front of Zhong Yan. After all, everyone had burdens they couldn't easily cast off, and she was no exception.
"A legendary Hollow Raider like you, Uchiha... hiding out here writing novels instead of making a name for yourself in Hollow Zero? What a waste of talent." Belle teased as she looked at the comments page on Zhong Yan's screen.
At that, the corner of Zhong Yan's mouth twitched. "It's not that simple. You should know better than anyone how dangerous Hollow Zero is. That place makes most other Hollows look like playgrounds."
Seeing his exasperated look, Belle giggled and said, "Relax, I was only joking. Sorry for barging in like this—please allow me to rest at your place today, Mr. Zhong Yan."
She even clasped her hands together, making a mock pleading gesture.
Zhong Yan was even more speechless at that, but ultimately said nothing. He silently walked over to the charging dock and woke Pei, who was almost fully recharged.
It was still morning, with about three hours left until noon. Since Belle had made the effort to visit, Zhong Yan figured Pei could whip up a proper lunch for her.
"By the way, where's Wise? Don't tell me he's immune to heat?" Zhong Yan suddenly remembered Belle's older brother. If she came to cool off, it would've made sense to bring him along too.
The moment he asked, Belle's expression stiffened. She glanced at him, then hesitated for a moment before replying, "Well... someone has to watch over the video store, right? If we both left, who'd manage the place? So, my brother stayed back to hold the fort."
That was her explanation—but reality was quite different.
...
A few hours earlier, the sibling duo had just opened up shop when their air conditioner broke down, prompting an intense debate.
The repairman needed time to arrive, and the repair itself would take even longer. Realistically, they wouldn't have any AC until nightfall.
That's when Belle had the idea to escape to Zhong Yan's for relief.
Wise: "So... you're saying you'll go cool off at Zhong Yan's place and leave me here in this furnace of a home? Come on, at least take me with you, sis."
Belle: "Please, please, pretty please! This is one of my rare chances to be alone with him! If I can't beat Anby and that shark girl, your poor sister will be heartbroken!"
Wise: "Yeah, I get it, but I'm your brother! Can't you cut me a little slack?"
Wise: "Fine, fine, go. I'll head to a café on Sixth Street and camp out there all day. What a wonderful little sister I have..."
And so, carrying both excitement and guilt, Belle made her way to Zhong Yan's.
At that very moment, Wise was sitting inside Coff Café, enjoying the rare blessing of air conditioning. Though he felt it was a bit too cold, he'd ordered a New Eridu special blend and was savoring it slowly.
Whether that one cup could last him the whole day remained to be seen.
...
Back at Zhong Yan's home—
Belle skillfully diverted the conversation away from her brother. She had no intention of bringing him up now—all she wanted was more time alone with Zhong Yan.
That way, her odds would improve—if only slightly. At the very least, she wouldn't feel so helpless compared to the other two.
Though truthfully, her pace was already far behind Ellen and Anby. She just didn't know it yet.
"Eh-ne! (Welcome, Miss Belle!)" Pei, now awake, walked over to greet Belle with its usual enthusiasm.
Without hesitation, Belle scooped Pei into her arms and gave it a rough cuddle. "Ahh, you're so cute, Pei! Almost as adorable as my Eous! I wish I could take you home."
Clearly, Belle had a soft spot for cute things. Whether it was cats or Bangboos, she absolutely adored them.
It wasn't unusual—girls loving cute things was totally understandable, especially someone as spirited as Belle.
"Eh-ne, eh-ne! (Zhong Yan, help meee!)" Pei cried out as it was treated like a plush toy.
Realizing she may have gone too far, Belle quickly let go and tidied up Pei's outfit.
"Eh-ne eh-na! (Please don't do that again, Miss Belle!)" Pei scolded her, tiny hands on its hips, radiating indignation.
But to Belle, that made it look even more adorable.
To protect Pei from further "damage," Zhong Yan had no choice but to send it out to do the grocery shopping and prepare lunch for them.
As a domestic Bangboo, it was Pei's job to handle chores and look after Zhong Yan, so it took the task with no complaints—actually, it looked pretty excited as it left.
By the way, whenever Pei helped out with chores, Zhong Yan always paid it in Denny.
With that money, Pei could buy toys it liked. Bangboos had the minds of children, after all, so they needed spending money too.
...
Out on the street, Pei walked down nearly half the block toward the market. But just before it arrived, it spotted another Bangboo standing sadly by the roadside.
"Eh-ne eh-no? (It looks kind of... down?)" Pei stopped and stared curiously at the figure.
From its white exterior, it was clearly a Luckyboo.
Luckyboo models were among the most common types of Bangboos—Pei had a few of them among its acquaintances.
But it had never seen a Luckyboo look this dejected. Given that they were symbols of wealth, they were usually pretty upbeat.
Curious and sympathetic, Pei stepped closer. Just as it was about to make contact, it overheard the other Bangboo muttering to itself.
"Eh...ne... eh...ne... (Waaah... It got stolen again... my Denny...)"
Hearing the soft, pitiful murmuring, Pei couldn't help but sigh.
As expected of a Luckyboo—only Denny could make one this heartbroken.