Chapter 375 - 375: Have You Sung Here, or Have You Seen Someone Do It?

( Bonus Chapter - 100 P.S )

---

"But I've already checked it. The record is fine, safe and sound right here! Are you saying the collector is a bad guy?"

"I just want to confirm something," Wise said, seemingly lost in thought.

"Hmm... He seems a bit mysterious. But my gut tells me that he's a good guy. You heard the talk about Hemiola's worth, right?"

Astra's intuition was always sharp, and Wise nodded in agreement.

"Perhaps he's just a weirdo..."

"Hmm... Why isn't Paige back yet? We still don't know the theme for the finals..."

As if on cue, Paige scurried over.

"I'm here! The final theme is... Treasure of New Eridu!"

"This theme is even more vague than before…"

Wise couldn't help but complain after hearing it, and Paige nodded in agreement.

"What a weird theme. Aren't Bangboo the treasures of New Eridu? So, do the contestants just have to stand on the stage?"

"That's only true for you, Paige…" Wise retorted.

It was normal for an ardent Bangboo fan to think this way, but Paige was startled by Wise's words.

"Not again! Was it really that obvious?!"

"When have you ever hidden it...?"

Wise almost wanted to facepalm at how obvious she was.

"I... I should get back to work... Anyway... Good luck in the finals!"

Paige patted her face and ran off. Wise really wanted to tell her that doing so would only make her face redder.

"Well, it's a challenging theme, fitting for the competition. I don't know where to start..."

Astra fell into troubled contemplation, and Wise nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, I can't think of a direction right away."

"Yeah. The most precious things differ for everyone. Including 'New Eridu' in the theme hardly helps... What is 'Treasure of New Eridu'? A thousand people might give you two thousand different answers!"

Astra exaggerated greatly, but there was no use in staying here and giving themselves a headache. So, as before, she decided to go somewhere to find inspiration.

"For this theme, where should we go...?" Astra began to contemplate.

"I have an idea. I want to go to the place where I first met you."

Hearing this, Astra fixed her gaze on him.

"You mean... Lumina Square? Hmm... If it's there, I... have an idea. Wait for me," she said before speaking a few words to Evelyn and heading toward her exclusive lounge.

Afterward, Evelyn came to pick up Wise, and they got in the car. Eventually, they arrived at Lumina Square.

When they met again, Astra had changed into a different outfit, a luxurious black short dress that accentuated her fair skin and made her look exceptionally beautiful.

"Hm hm~ Looks good, right?"

"Yes, very beautiful," Wise said, his gaze scanning her outfit.

"Really? That's great! I originally planned to wear it when I went shopping during my vacation~ You said you wanted to come to Lumina Square, and I suddenly thought... I'd wear it a little early~"

Astra was happy, but also a little shy. His gaze was a bit too intense, though she didn't dislike it.

"Alright! Enough about me! We're here to look for inspiration for the finals! But why do you think we'll find an answer about the Treasure of New Eridu here?"

"Intuition, just like you've taught me," Wise replied with a smile.

"Eh? When did you learn that? So, do you want to secretly learn my singing ability too?"

Astra played along with the joke, while Wise's actual purpose in coming here was to see what people liked.

"You should be much more familiar with Lumina Square than I am, right? After all... I rarely get the chance to shop here. I don't want to trouble Eve and the others... But if it's for the competition today, it should be okay, right? And with you here... How about it? Can you take me to your favorite places?"

Astra pleaded with feigned coyness, and Wise was always unable to refuse such an approach. Besides, there was no reason to refuse.

The two walked together onto a pedestrian overpass. There happened to be no one passing by at the moment, so they simply observed the scene on the street below.

"Is this your favorite place? The atmosphere is indeed very special... Even though it's on the busiest and noisiest main road, it feels a bit quiet standing here..."

"It's very suitable for singing," Wise said as he looked down at the bustling street. "Even with all the noise below, you can sing as freely as you want up here. No one is listening, and no one is judging you. You can simply sing for yourself."

"Eh? Very, very suitable for singing? Here?"

Wise's words made Astra pause.

"If you sing here, your voice... would be completely drowned out, right?"

"But you can sing very happily," he replied.

"Have you sung here, or have you seen someone do it?"

Astra couldn't help but retort, but as she said this, she couldn't help imagining such a scene.

"If someone were to sing while passing by the overpass, they must be overjoyed~ I suddenly really want to hear that kind of singing... It would be quite different from singing on stage, wouldn't it?"

Astra sighed, then looked at Wise beside her with a smile on her face.

"I've noticed... you take life very seriously. Even though you're such an amazing, legendary Proxy, I used to think that this kind of 'big shot in the shadows' would be more... more awe-inspiring and unapproachable. But it turns out you're actually very cute..."

"The most important thing in life is to be happy."

Wise accepted Astra's compliment without changing his expression, and the latter couldn't help but laugh. Still, she couldn't deny that he had a point.

"Pfft... If I could be more like you and learn to relax, Eve would probably worry a little less... So, please, tell me more things like that!"

The two then continued forward, stopping suddenly when they passed a movie theater.

"It's here after all~" Astra said with an expression that seemed to say, 'I knew it.'

"Did you guess? I just said I wanted to come to the place where I first met you."

"...Even though it was not long ago, I'm already starting to feel nostalgic!"

Astra's tone was light, and Wise recalled the scene from that day before speaking again.

"Do you still remember that day in front of the movie theater? It was crowded with your fans. They had all come to see you, and you were surrounded by people everywhere you went."

"Hmm... I've reflected on it since. Even though that day was really unpleasant... I still shouldn't have abandoned my fans. Everyone came because they liked me and wanted to celebrate with me..."

As she said this, Astra suddenly paused and fell silent.

Seeing this, Wise spoke with concern.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking... It's so hard to make everyone happy. Even though that's my job... But sometimes, just for a little while, only for a little while, I also wonder... when I say 'everyone' should be happy, does 'everyone' include me...?"

"If you wish for everyone to be happy, then I will wish for Astra to be happy."

"...Eh..."

Wise's sincere words touched Astra's heart. After a moment of realization, she smiled happily.

"...Hmm, I understand! Then, for your wish, I'll make myself happier!"

+- - -+

-[ AD ]-

+- - -+

+- - -+

Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street

+- - -+

✨ 55+ Advance Chapters • Early Access ✨

📚 Read Ahead Here:**[- p - a - t - r - e - o - n . com / DysFiction -]**

💖 Enjoying the Story? Support My Work With a Donation on:**[ 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)

+- - -+