As soon as the red laser sights locked onto Luo Shu's chest, a woman's voice rang out.
"Please lower your weapons. I was the one who asked Luo Shu to bring Miss Kisara here."
Hearing that voice, the SDS operatives, who had been on full alert just moments ago, immediately redirected their weapons, no longer aiming at Luo Shu. However, while doing so, they subtly adjusted their formation—surrounding Luo Shu and Kisara and cutting them off from Lacus.
Noticing this tactical shift, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes and felt for the aura of calamity around him. The realization hit him a moment later, and he gave a small sigh of understanding.
So, this is because I brought a demon aboard without prior notice… They're suspicious of me.
This kind of oversight wasn't something Luo Shu should've made, and the fact that it happened now made him wary.
Maybe I've gotten too used to how agreeable Lacus is… started assuming some things don't need to be explained.
He knew that kind of self-centered thinking was dangerous, but before he could reflect too deeply, Lacus's voice came from across the deck.
"Luo Shu-kun, could you bring Miss Kisara over here?"
Hearing her, Luo Shu raised an eyebrow and gave Lacus a strange look.
This woman seriously believes Kisara—a demon—isn't a threat to her?
While quietly roasting her in his mind, Luo Shu still led Kisara forward and brought her over to Lacus.
"You punk, could you maybe give us a heads-up next time before you pull something like this?"
It was then that Kirika Tachibana, leaning casually against the railing beside Lacus, threw Luo Shu a sideways glance and rolled her eyes.
"Lacus is one of the core figures in SDS. If anything happened to her, forget just being targeted by guns—you'd probably be hunted down by this entire crew of overprotective uncles. You really need to learn some restraint."
"Overprotective uncles?" Luo Shu echoed with a weird expression, glancing subtly at the nearby guards.
Lacus herself looked rather troubled by the way Kirika had phrased it.
"Apologies. The First Action Squad members are all uncles from my father's generation. They've watched me grow up, so they tend to be… a little extreme when it comes to my safety."
Uncles, huh... Luo Shu suddenly understood the death glares he'd received earlier. He also finally grasped the full weight behind Kirika's "daughter-con" comment.
So, from their point of view, I'm just a pretty-boy trying to steal their precious little cabbage... No wonder they look like they want to kill me.
While mocking himself inwardly, Luo Shu spoke up, "No need to apologize. This whole situation is my fault for not notifying anyone ahead of time."
Honestly, having these overprotective uncles around isn't such a bad thing.
After all, if they're this vigilant with me, someone trying to sweet-talk their cabbage, they'll be even more cautious with anyone else. In a way, that's a good thing!
"You do realize this is your fault, huh!" Kirika clicked her tongue and glanced over at Kisara, who had been quietly following behind Luo Shu. She squinted in surprise. "According to the report, this little demon girl was supposed to be unconscious for at least five more hours. And yet, here she is, wide awake already. That's pretty unusual."
As she spoke, Kirika shifted her gaze between Lacus and Luo Shu.
"So, tell me—was it an issue with the HQ medicine, or did you pull some kind of trick?"
"That's tied to a special ability of mine. I'm afraid I can't explain it in detail."
Luo Shu smiled politely at her, then cast a sidelong glance at Lacus before adding, "All I can say is—so long as the injury isn't instantly fatal, I can eliminate it completely."
"So, if anything unexpected happens, you guys can go all out to avoid instant death… and then just come find me for healing."
The moment those words left his mouth, Luo Shu noticed the expressions of the nearby security personnel subtly change.
These weren't fools. They immediately understood the subtext behind Luo Shu's words, as well as the significance of his ability.
If before, he was just a pretty-boy trying to flirt with their princess—now he was suddenly the life-saving miracle doctor who could keep them alive in a crisis.
And with that kind of ability… who better to keep by Lacus's side?
That realization made the expressions of the twelve First Squad members twist in discomfort.
The man they had been so eager to beat down to protect Lacus's innocence… was apparently the one most qualified to stay close to her?
Does that mean they'll have to watch this bastard waltz around in front of their beloved princess every day? Maybe even flirt with her?
God… what kind of hellish life would that be?
Compared to the squad, Kirika took it much better. Though inwardly annoyed, she didn't show much emotion and simply asked, "You had that kind of ability and never mentioned it?"
"I didn't have it before. Now I do."
Luo Shu answered confidently and without hesitation. But Kirika found that blunt honesty even more suspicious.
"You little punk, did you do that on purpose?"
Kirika's eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared at Luo Shu. "Keeping it all hush-hush around me, then suddenly flaunting your value in front of Lacus. What, is it because I'm not as young and pretty as she is?"
Lacus, described as "young and pretty," smiled gently, clearly used to such compliments. Still, seeing her friend Kirika look so frustrated made her want to laugh a little.
As for Luo Shu, he didn't bother answering. He just gave Kirika a blank, dead-eyed stare.
Kirika's temper flared. Oh, so he really does think that?!
"Hey! Don't give me that look. Say something!"
"Sorry, Section Chief—no, Miss Tachibana—I'm technically no longer under your command."
"You little—! Getting cocky now, huh? Believe me, once this pink-haired princess leaves, I will trip you up."
"No need to wait. I'll call Chisato and Takina right after this and ask if they want to switch departments for a change of pace."
"You little—!!"
"You two, seriously..." Lacus let out a small sigh watching the two of them bicker, though her tone was more exasperated than angry.
Just then, she suddenly felt someone's gaze. Turning her head, she met Kisara's wide, curious eyes.
Noticing the girl's stare, Lacus smiled gently and asked, "Are you feeling okay?"
"Mm." Kisara gave a shy nod and lowered her head a little, looking almost embarrassed.
"That's good to hear."
Lacus visibly relaxed at that. "I was really worried about you before… but it seems I was overthinking things."
Thanks to the rising popularity of Celestial Astronomy and the influence of various literary works, demons generally had a terrible reputation in this world.
Lacus herself had been worried that Kisara would turn out to be a highly dangerous one. But after looking into this child's eyes, all her concerns vanished.
"Luo Shu-kun, as we discussed earlier, after the routine inspection, I'll leave her in your care. You're okay with that, right?"
Luo Shu turned toward her and nodded. "I don't have much experience taking care of people, but if it's Kisara, I'll manage. However… I will need your help covering up her identity."
"Her identity..." Lacus paused thoughtfully, then glanced around at everyone present.
"I understand. Don't worry—everyone here who knows about Kisara will go through proper confidentiality procedures. I'll also prepare a full identity setup for her."
With that, she turned to Kisara again and gently asked, "Kisara, I hope it's alright if I call you that?"
Kisara nodded and continued to stare silently at Lacus.
"In that case, do you have any preferences for your new identity? Since you'll be living with Luo Shu-kun from now on, I was thinking something like a younger sister might make things easier…"
"Wife!"
Kisara suddenly spoke up—her first words directed at Lacus.
"I want my identity to be Luo Shu's wife!"
She followed that up immediately: "If wife isn't allowed… then I can be his dog instead."
With those words…
Under the intense gazes of Lacus and Kirika, Luo Shu—for the first time—truly experienced what it meant to die a social death.