Upon seeing the ethereal girl in a pale blue dress, her pink hair tied up in a single ponytail with a red ribbon, Luo Shu's pupils shrank slightly. But in the next moment, he composed himself and casually wrapped an arm around Kisara's waist as he stepped onto the deck.
"Hello~ Lacus~ Hello~ Lacus~"
A few round, chubby mechanical orbs rolled around Luo Shu, circling him and making it difficult for him to find a place to step.
"You brat… you didn't even secure her before bringing her up here, huh?"
Standing beside Lacus Clyne, Kirika Tachibana clicked her tongue when she saw that Luo Shu had brought the demon girl they were supposed to capture directly onto the ship. She turned and called to the operations team already on board:
"Get a stretcher and tell the medics to prepare suppressants. Make sure the target doesn't wake up."
After giving her orders, Kirika gestured toward Lacus and said, "Look, this is the kid you said I tricked into coming here. And yet, he's managed to bring back a high-ranking demon. Pretty impressive, right?"
Her tone carried a hint of pride.
Though Luo Shu hadn't done it all by himself, the fact remained—capturing a high-level demon was unprecedented in SDS. That accomplishment alone proved his value, and if Luo Shu's skills were worth recognizing, didn't that also mean that Kirika's "recruitment" of him had been a success?
Wearing a grin that stretched wide across her face, Kirika waited expectantly for Lacus to respond, but the pink-haired girl remained quiet. Instead, Kirika turned to Luo Shu—who was now helping to lower Kisara onto the stretcher—and said, "Alright, stop standing there. Come meet our big boss."
"Well, for you, just calling her 'Miss Lacus' is enough," she added with a smirk. "She doesn't really care about titles anyway."
At that remark, not only did Luo Shu glance briefly at Kirika with a complicated expression, but even Lacus herself shot her an amused sideways glance.
Having helped settle Kisara, Luo Shu finally walked over. Just like a regular employee meeting the company's CEO for the first time, he gave a slightly reserved bow and said, "Miss Lacus."
Lacus Clyne seemed a little helpless after hearing Kirika's chatter, but her gaze had never left Luo Shu since he arrived. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Luo Shu-kun," she said.
Her voice was soft and sweet, at once familiar and yet heart-skippingly pleasant to Luo Shu.
"Have we… met before?" she asked curiously.
His expression stiffened slightly as he looked at the pink-haired songstress before him, brimming with curiosity.
"If it's a difficult question to answer, you don't have to," Lacus said gently, sensing his hesitation. She then offered an explanation as if to ease the tension: "It's just—from the moment we met, your gaze hasn't felt like that of someone meeting a stranger."
Luo Shu pondered her words carefully, searching for a way to deflect her suspicions.
But based on her appearance, her voice, and her demeanor, he was almost certain—this girl in front of him was Lacus Clyne. The same Lacus he had once known from an anime series. A genetically-engineered Coordinator born in the world of Gundam, an extremely capable politician and main heroine.
So why was she in this world? Another anomaly caused by the Abyss? His mind buzzed with questions.
Taking into account her intelligence in the original setting—and the nickname she had earned, "the Siren"—Luo Shu hesitated before deciding against using a clumsy lie to brush her off.
He wasn't sure if any falsehood would pass unnoticed by her. After all, genetically enhanced Coordinators like her were said to surpass ordinary humans in all aspects, including intellect and perception.
And Lacus wasn't just any Coordinator—she was among the most exceptional of them all.
So instead of dodging the question, Luo Shu offered a probing response: "PLANT?"
At that word, Lacus's pupils noticeably dilated for a split second. She was briefly stunned, then smiled again—this time more warmly. "I see. That makes sense now."
Her curiosity didn't fade, though. "So, Luo Shu-kun, did you come to know me through television? Or through my music?"
Before being pulled into this world via the Abyss, she had already been a well-known idol in PLANT, and her fame extended far beyond her homeland. So it didn't surprise her that Luo Shu might have recognized her that way.
"Both, I suppose. TV and music," Luo Shu replied honestly. After all, anime could be considered a kind of television, right?
PLANT was the fictional space nation from Lacus's original world—and also her birthplace. There was definitely some guiding intent behind his mention of it, but overall, Luo Shu felt a little relieved that his response had passed her test.
"Ah, I see," Lacus said, her smile unchanging. "It's rather surprising how open you are about it."
"Hey, hey, what are you two talking about?" Kirika interjected, clearly annoyed at being left out of whatever cryptic conversation they were having.
TV? Songs? Sure, Lacus liked singing, but she had never released any records—or appeared on any TV shows. Her intel was sealed tighter than military black ops. She might have photos in MI6 or FBI files, but public broadcasts? What was this guy talking about?
Noticing Kirika's confusion, Lacus giggled softly but didn't offer any clarification. Instead, with a slightly wicked smile, she said, "Let's just say it's a little secret you don't need to know, Kirika."
"What do you mean a little secret?! You two only just met today, didn't you?"
Kirika clearly wasn't buying it. "Don't tell me Luo Shu is your long-lost childhood friend or something. I'm not falling for that trope."
Lacus kept her smile, her expression playful as she teased, "Well, if that's how you want to interpret it, I won't stop you."
Kirika's face immediately froze. Wait, are you seriously going with that angle?
While she stood there in speechless disbelief, Lacus tilted her head slightly and said, "Then, Kirika, would you mind giving these long-lost childhood friends a little time to catch up?"
Kirika's mouth twitched, her eyes filled with the kind of dread one has when watching their cherished cabbage run straight into the arms of a pig.
She gave Lacus a long, hard look, then glanced over at Luo Shu as well. With a helpless scoff, she muttered, "Do whatever you want."
Crossing her arms, she stepped aside voluntarily.
At that moment, Lacus turned and looked at Luo Shu. "Would you come with me for a bit, Luo Shu-kun?"
Luo Shu's eyes flickered with thought, but then he nodded. "Alright."