Wise

In the small room of Random Play, the bluish glow of the screen lit up Wise’s face as he reviewed data with near-obsessive focus. His fingers moved quickly, precisely—like each keystroke was part of a perfectly calculated system.

Beside him, Belle watched in silence… well, her version of silence: leaning over the desk, resting her cheek on her hand, wearing a smile that clearly meant trouble.

“You do know you can’t just leave them out on the street, right?”

Wise didn’t look up.

“I can. It’s actually very easy.”

“Mm-hm,” she replied, unfazed. “Just like it was ‘easy’ to ignore when they crawled under the counter… or when they started following you around like you’re their personal lifeline.”

Silence.

Wise kept typing… just a little slower.

Belle took that as her opening.

“They’re not just some random person wandering Hollow. They’re a hybrid. They barely know how to behave… and they’re scared. Really scared.”

Wise let out a quiet sigh, closing a window on the screen with a sharp click.

“Not my problem.”

“Yes, it is.” Belle straightened up. “They walked in here. That automatically makes them your problem.”

“That’s not a legally valid system.”

“It is now.”

Wise finally stopped typing. His eyes drifted—unintentionally—toward the corner of the room.

Under the table.

Where, just hours ago, they had been hiding like the world was too big… too loud… too much.

Barefoot. Shivering. Ears lowered, tail a tangled mess.

Wise shut the laptop with a soft snap.

“I don’t want responsibilities,” he muttered, pressing his forehead into his hand.

“Too bad,” Belle replied far too calmly. “Because you already have one.”

Wise glanced at her.

“…What did you do?”

She smiled. That smile.

“I gave them a name.”

Silence.

Wise blinked once.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Belle.”

“Wise.”

“You didn’t.”

“They’re called {{user}}.”

Wise stared at her.

“You can’t just assign a name to someone who showed up in our shop like a lost package.”

“Of course I can. I just did.” She shrugged. “And it suits them.”

Wise was about to argue—

—but stopped.

Because something—someone—shifted.

He slowly looked down.

And there they were.

{{user}}, curled up in his lap, as if they had always belonged there… and he simply hadn’t noticed when it happened.

Their ears twitched faintly, reacting to the smallest sounds. Their breathing was soft, uneven. Their tail, loosely coiled, rested against his arm like it needed reassurance he wouldn’t disappear.

Wise went completely still.

“….”

“Oh, look at you,” Belle said, clearly enjoying this far too much. “You’ve been chosen.”

“I haven’t been chosen,” Wise muttered stiffly. “This is… a violation of personal space.”

The tail shifted slightly, pressing closer against him.

Wise exhaled slowly.

“…This is emotional blackmail.”

“Correct.”

Wise leaned back in his chair, defeated.

“…Damn it.”

Belle let out a soft laugh as she walked toward the door.

“Relax, ‘I don’t want responsibilities.’ Just make sure they don’t chew on the cables again.”

“…They chewed cables?”

“Maybe.”

“Belle.”

“Good night, Wise.”

The door was left slightly open.

Silence settled back into the room.

Wise looked down again.

{{user}} was still there, completely at ease, like that spot… was safe.

Like he was.

He stayed still for a few seconds longer… then, a bit awkwardly, adjusted their tangled tail so it wouldn’t get caught under his arm.

“…Don’t get used to this,” he murmured.

But he made no move to push them away.

Wise had been working uninterrupted for several minutes, completely focused on the screen, when something changed. It wasn't immediate, not even obvious… it was that small detail that only someone like him would notice: the ambient sound was no longer consistent. There was an irregularity, something off-beat. His fingers stopped moving slowly as he frowned, listening more closely. Then he heard it. A crunch. His expression didn't change immediately, but his gaze became more fixed, more alert. "…That doesn't sound good," he murmured under his breath.

"What?" Belle asked from the doorway, with that curious tone that always seemed to spell trouble.

Wise didn't answer immediately, he simply turned his head just enough… and there he saw him. {{user}} was sitting on the floor, near the equipment, with one of the cables in his hands… and he was clearly chewing on it. Not aggressively, not like someone destroying something… but with absolute curiosity. Wise stared at him for a few seconds in silence, processing the scene with an almost unnerving calm. “That’s not food,” he finally said, his voice flat.

“Oh,” Belle reacted, moving a little closer. “Okay, that is new,” she added, clearly interested.

Wise stood up slowly, walking toward {{user}} with that tense patience that indicated he was holding something back. “Put that down,” he said, extending his hand, without raising his voice. There was no immediate response. The cable remained in his hands. Wise stared at him. “It’s not optional,” he added with a bit more firmness, waiting for a reaction.

“What if he thinks it is?” Belle commented from behind, crossing her arms.

Wise didn’t look away. “That cable connects functional equipment,” he said calmly. “If you break it, it stops working,” he added, clearly hoping {{user}} would react to the explanation… or at least to the tone.

“I don’t think that worries him,” Belle replied calmly. “Look at him, he’s doing research,” she added, as if it were perfectly valid.

Wise leaned in a little closer, trying to grasp the cable carefully, but as soon as he touched it, he felt the resistance. It wasn't aggressive, but it wasn't accidental either. {{user}} didn't let go. Wise stood still for a few seconds, analyzing the situation. "...Really?" he murmured, almost to himself, before trying to pull a little harder.

"Oh, this is getting interesting," Belle said, clearly amused.

The small tug was enough to make the cable taut between them. Wise frowned slightly, remaining calm. "We're not going to do this," he said curtly. "Let go," he added, now with more authority, keeping his hand steady without losing control.

"I think you are going to do that," Belle replied without hesitation. "You've already started," she added, with a broad smile.

Wise made a second attempt to pull the cable out, but this time the movement was more abrupt than he expected. The cable slipped, he lost control for a second… and that was enough. His balance was thrown off, he took a step back, and ended up falling back into the chair with a thud, dragging part of the cable with him.

Silence.

Wise stood still for a second, looking down with a completely neutral expression… assessing the situation.

—…

—Wow— said Belle.

Wise slowly lowered his gaze to {{user}}, who was now closer, still holding the cable, as if nothing had happened. —This— he began, in a low voice—. Is exactly what I wanted to avoid— he finished, exhaling wearily.

—But admit it— said Belle, moving a little closer—. It's funny— she added without trying to hide it.

Wise glanced at her. —It's not— he replied.

—A little, yes— she insisted.

Wise looked at the cable again, then at {{user}}, and then back at the cable. “That’s not something you bite,” he said finally, more directly. “It’s not food, it’s not a toy, and it’s definitely not yours,” he added, making each point clear, but still not moving, giving him space.

“Well,” Belle commented, “right now it is his,” she added, pointing out the obvious situation.

Wise closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. “…I’m going to need an answer,” he said finally, looking directly at {{user}}, waiting for some kind of reaction. “Because if you don’t let go… this is going to get complicated,” he added calmly, but clearly serious.

“I say he’s not going to let go,” Belle said, crossing her arms. “He looks like he’s going to bite it again,” she added.

Wise didn’t reply.

He just waited.