After Lucy left, Wise quietly grabbed Piper just as she was about to slip away.
"Do you need something from this little old woman? Just so you know, I haven't fully recovered yet..." Piper said in a bit of a panic, glancing down at the hand Wise was holding.
Lucy had woken her up early this morning to talk about all this, and after how exhausted she'd been last night, she was barely holding on.
"I'm very tired, unlike you young people who bounce back so fast. This old trucker just wants to crawl back into bed..."
Wise couldn't help but smile at that, though that wasn't why he stopped her.
"You haven't had the time to clean the driver's seat of Steeltusk, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. When Lucy came to wake me up this morning, she was shocked by the state of it. I could only explain that I accidentally spilled a drink."
Although Piper was confused about why Wise was asking, she still answered honestly.
"In that case, I'll take care of it. You should just go rest."
Honestly, most of that mess was his fault anyway. And looking at Piper now, she really wasn't in any condition to deal with it.
"Huh? No, that's okay. I can clean it myself," Piper said, waving her hand as she refused his kind offer and explained further.
She had already decided to remove the seat cushion and replace it with a new one. As for the old one, she wanted to carefully store it away.
"That seat carries a mark... and the memory of my first time. At my age, you start to value things like that. You don't think it's strange, do you?" Piper looked at Wise as she spoke.
She hadn't mentioned it before because of this. Wise was momentarily stunned, then gave a faint smile.
He didn't expect her to be thinking the same thing he was. In that case, there was no reason to insist on helping.
After parting ways with Piper, Wise took a casual walk around town. Unexpectedly, he came across Caesar preparing for the Tour de Inferno.
"Hmm? Isn't this Wise? You came at the perfect time. Are you free? Want to practice with me?" Caesar asked cheerfully, raising the weapon in her hand.
Then she couldn't help but complain.
"Lately, everyone seems busy with something. Lighter isn't here, Lucy has things to deal with, Burnice is busy with her new special blend, and I can't really ask Piper..."
Training alone was too boring. Now that Wise had shown up, Caesar naturally wanted to get him to spar with her, especially since she still remembered his performance in the Hollow.
Being able to solo a high-level Ethereal so easily wasn't something just anyone could do. She had wanted to spar with him for a long time.
But there was never a good opportunity, and Lucy kept nagging about manners, saying things like, "How can you ask someone for help and then start hitting them?!"
"So, what do you say? Want to give it a try?" Caesar invited again, extending her right hand.
Wise didn't hesitate and placed his hand over hers.
"Alright."
Seeing him agree so easily, Caesar lit up.
The two quickly moved to an open space. There was no one around, which was perfect.
Nothing would distract them. They stood facing each other, Caesar gripping her weapon as she called out to Wise in the distance.
"Ready? I'm coming!"
As she spoke, Caesar charged forward with her weapon raised. Wise tightened his grip on the short sword in his hand, his gaze steady and calm as he watched the incoming attack.
The metal longsword, carrying immense force, clashed against Wise's short sword. The impact made his wrist tingle slightly.
'To reach this level with pure strength... as expected of her.'
Wise thought to himself, then pushed the longsword aside with force, causing Caesar to stumble back a few steps.
"Amazing! In that case, I won't hold back either!"
Even as she said that, this was still just practice, so neither of them would go all out. Still, Caesar couldn't hide her surprise at Wise's strength.
After all, her strength ranked among the very top of the Sons of Calydon. No one had ever beaten her in an arm-wrestling match.
And yet, Wise not only blocked her attacks head-on but even countered and suppressed her. The thrill of it made Caesar even more excited.
The two fought with growing intensity until the spar finally came to an end. They sat down together, both drenched in sweat.
Perhaps feeling a bit stifled, Caesar subconsciously reached up and tugged at the fabric over her chest, trying to let some air in.
As the breeze drifted past, Caesar let out a long breath, her shoulders finally loosening as a sense of relief washed over her.
"Man... it's been a while since I had a fight that good. Thanks for today, Wise."
She turned to him with a bright, carefreesmile. Wise gave a small nod in return, and after a short pause, Caesar spoke again.
"Oh, right... Wise, if you're free later, do you think you could come practice with me again?"
As she said it, she scratched her cheek, looking a little embarrassed. It felt like she was asking too much from a guest.
But the thrill she had just felt... it had been so long since she experienced something like that.
No one else could really keep up with her strength, let alone match it head-on. After hesitating for a while, she finally worked up the courage to ask.
"Alright."
Wise agreed without hesitation.
Caesar blinked, caught off guard, her mind going blank for a second before a thought crossed it.
"Huh? Do you... actually enjoy fighting that much too?"
She was almost sure of her guess, but Wise's answer once again threw her off completely.
"Can I just say I like being with you?"
"Huh?!"
Caesar froze on the spot, completely lost. She stared at the gentle smile on Wise's face, her thoughts spiraling.
'T-This... this has to be a joke, right? Or... when he says he likes being with me, does he mean because I'm strong? Because I can spar with him? Is that it...?'
The confident, heroic presence she had just moments ago was nowhere to be seen. In its place was pure confusion and a growing sense of panic.
Her amber eyes seemed to spin in circles, like her thoughts couldn't settle at all, perfectly showing the mess in her head.
Then suddenly, a scene from a shoujo manga she once read popped into her mind, where the male lead confessed his feelings in a half-joking way.
Back then, she had been frustrated with the female lead for pretending not to understand. But now that she was the one in that position... she finally got it.
It wasn't simple at all.
"T-That's... that's great then. I-I feel the same! L-Let's... let's do it again next time!"
+- - -+
-[ AD ]-
+- - -+
+- - -+
Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
+- - -+
✨ 40+ Advance Chapters • Early Access ✨
📚 Read Ahead Here:
[- p - a - t - r - e - o - n . com / DysFiction -]
💖 Enjoying the Story? Support My Work:
[ ko - fi . com / dysfiction ]
+- - -+
📖 Available Novels
🔹 Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
↳ (Translation)
🔹 Azur Lane: Don't Fight! You're All My Wives!
↳ (Translation)
🔹 Zenless Zone Zero: Death in White
↳ (Original Story — Exclusive Until Chapter 30)
+- - -+