Under the sharp gazes of Tachibana Kirika and the many members of the operations team, Luo Shu followed behind Lacus, stepping into the ship's cabin amid a chorus of cheerful "Hello~"s from the round HALO robots bouncing around him.
After walking down the corridor, the two soon arrived at a room. As they entered, Luo Shu's brows raised slightly—he saw Kisara being gently placed onto a white hospital bed by several female nurses.
Just as the nurses were about to fasten black restraints onto Kisara, Lacus stopped them with a calm but firm voice.
"Hold on a moment. There's no need for such measures right now," she said. "Also, could I trouble you all to leave the room for a bit?"
The nurses hesitated momentarily at Lacus's request but then nodded and filed out of the room in an orderly fashion, closing the door behind them.
Now that only Luo Shu, Lacus, and the unconscious Kisara remained in the room, Lacus finally turned slightly toward Luo Shu and spoke.
"Luo Shu-kun, you must be from a different world than mine, aren't you?"
Though phrased as a question, her gaze made it clear she already considered it a fact.
Luo Shu opened his mouth but ended up giving a helpless smile. "That's a little too fast for a reveal, don't you think?"
"It's not that I figured it out quickly," Lacus said as she walked over and sat on a stool beside Kisara's bed, gently catching a pink HALO robot that bounced onto her lap. "It's just that your act doesn't align with my understanding."
"In my original world, genetically modified Coordinators and naturally born Naturals have been locked in conflict—almost like racial hostility—for all sorts of reasons," she explained, stroking the HALO's round shell. "So if you came from the same world as me, and if you were a Natural, your gaze would hold a trace of fear. And if you were a Coordinator…"
She chuckled behind a raised hand, her tone playful. "Well, this might be a little much to say, but back when I came to this world through the Abyss, my debut single was still in production."
This witch… Luo Shu couldn't help but curse silently.
So that whole question earlier—whether he knew her from TV or from music—it had been a trap. If her debut song hadn't even been released yet, that meant the Lacus Clyne standing before him came from a time long before she had become PLANT's number-one songstress—possibly even from her childhood. And as far as he remembered, she was never portrayed as a child star.
"Alright, you got me," he muttered, letting out a sigh as he pulled over a chair and sat down casually, looking up at her. "So, what's this private meeting for? Planning to imprison me, your fellow isekai visitor? Or maybe hand me over to some lab?"
Hearing his sarcastic guesses, Lacus looked visibly stunned, then sighed in a rather exasperated tone.
"I don't know what kind of sources you used to learn about me, but… am I really portrayed as that cruel?"
"Not exactly cruel," Luo Shu replied with a shrug. "At worst, you're called calculating or manipulative. The kind who orchestrated the deaths of PLANT's two chairmen and then rose to power to become the leader herself. That's all."
At that, Lacus's face finally cracked.
"Calculating and manipulative—I can accept that. But orchestrating the deaths of PLANT's two chairmen…? The first chairman of PLANT was my father, you know?"
You're telling me I killed my own father? Lacus looked like she couldn't decide whether to be angry or just baffled.
Luo Shu waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, right. Not your dad. The two after him—Patrick Zala and Gilbert Durandal, I think."
"Uncle Patrick and Dr. Gilbert Durandal?" she muttered, blinking in surprise. She remembered both names clearly—one her father's close friend, the other a loyal follower. She really couldn't fathom why she'd ever kill either of them.
Could it be that Luo Shu came from a parallel version of her world where she became a dangerous megalomaniac?
The sheer information overload made Lacus sigh for the first time in their conversation, an expression of rare frustration on her face.
"I think we should drop that topic for now."
"Then let's talk about what you plan to do with me," Luo Shu said, leaning back in his chair casually. "You're not gonna say you'll just let me go, are you? No observation, no research?"
"I won't be doing anything like that," Lacus replied firmly. "I will never issue an order that would bring harm to an innocent civilian—absolutely never."
Then, with a thoughtful frown, she asked, "Still, I can't help but feel you're unusually anxious, Luo Shu-kun."
"Anxious?" Luo Shu raised an eyebrow, then gave her a strange look. "Do I look like someone who's anxious?"
Honestly, it felt a bit shameful to admit, but he was confident that he could escape from Lacus Clyne at any moment if necessary. And judging by her personality, he figured there was a good chance she wouldn't even stop him.
With that kind of double insurance, what was there to be anxious about?
But Lacus looked at him with certainty in her eyes.
"Not because of me—but a deeper kind of anxiety. The kind you feel when you're thrown into an unfamiliar world, unsure whether the next step will bring danger or safety."
That was the conclusion she'd come to after reading the report Kirika had submitted about Luo Shu and seeing him in person. The report painted him as someone transactional—driven by benefits, only willing to offer effort in return for fair compensation. But Lacus had come to interpret it differently.
She believed it was Luo Shu's way of keeping a safe distance. Someone who constantly reminded others that everything was just a trade, so that if he ever had to cut ties—if they became enemies—he wouldn't hesitate.
(That's why) Lacus had concluded, Luo Shu has no real sense of security.
Faced with her unwavering gaze, Luo Shu opened his mouth as if to reply, but eventually chose to stay silent.
Sensing that she'd struck a nerve, Lacus tactfully switched topics.
"Although you might find it hard to believe, SDS actually allows its members to resign."
Hearing that, Luo Shu's expression turned odd.
"Are you sure that's not just a prelude to being disposed of once you're no longer useful?"
"I'm sure," Lacus said with a gentle smile.
"No hidden conditions?" Luo Shu pressed again.
"Well… obeying the laws of the nation you're in—is that too much to ask?" she replied, a bit playfully.
"..." Luo Shu went quiet, then suddenly crossed his legs and declared with mock seriousness, "Apologies. I refuse to resign from SDS now."
"..." Lacus's face froze. After a beat, she gave a helpless smile.
"And that's exactly why I say, Luo Shu-kun… you really don't have a sense of security."