he Humvee came to a stop in the parking lot near a sukiyaki restaurant.
As soon as the vehicle halted, Yukino Yukinoshita promptly opened the rear door and got out. It wasn't until her feet touched solid ground that she finally felt some relief.
Just then, Luo Shu stepped out of the driver's seat with a smile and remarked, "My driving can't be that bad, can it?"
"No, senpai. I was simply calming my own sense of unease," Yukino replied flatly, her expression taut with honesty.
It wasn't that Luo Shu had driven recklessly or too fast—it was just that, ever since she learned he was driving without a license, her nerves had been on edge, making her eager to get out of the car.
Luo Shu chuckled at her bluntness, then turned to look at Kisara, who had just stepped out holding his phone. "Kisara, give Chisato a call for me."
But before the words had even settled in the air, a hand suddenly reached out from between two parked mini-trucks nearby.
"Heeey! No need for a call, I'm right here!"
Poking her head out from between the vehicles, Chisato Nishikigi squeezed through the gap and waved, calling out, "I spotted your license plate while I was inside the restaurant, so I came out early to meet you—wait, wait, wait?!"
The moment she laid eyes on Kisara standing beside Luo Shu, Chisato's eyes widened in shock. She instinctively stepped back but found herself wedged between the two vehicles and unable to move.
"Hold on, hold on… Why did you bring a wide-awake Kisara here with you?!"
"Relax," Luo Shu replied casually. "The Section Chief already gave the go-ahead. She made sure it was safe."
With that quick explanation, he turned to Yukino and added, "This is Chisato Nishikigi, an agent with the Tokyo Division—basically our senior."
Hearing the introduction, Yukino bowed politely. "Nice to meet you, Chisato-senpai. I'm Yukino Yukinoshita, soon to be joining the organization."
"Ah, hello, hello—wait, a newbie?" Chisato popped out of the gap in a flash and grabbed Yukino's hand enthusiastically. "Good evening, little Yukino! I'm Chisato—just call me that, okay? Okay?"
Looking at the sparkling-eyed girl in front of her, Yukino hesitated briefly but nodded. "Ah… sure, okay."
Satisfied with her response, Chisato let go of Yukino's hand and clasped the back of her head, sighing nostalgically. "It's so nice. Another newbie!"
"Come to think of it, after Takina and I joined, no one new ever came. But now, right after you join, Luo Shu, we get another recruit. Looks like the boss lady's finally willing to expand."
"Wait, you just joined?" Yukino blinked in surprise and glanced toward Luo Shu.
Noticing her gaze, Luo Shu turned his head slightly and gave her a smile. "I joined about three days before you. So, in a way, we're practically batchmates."
"I see…" Yukino's expression grew faintly awkward.
So that explained the whole driving-without-a-license thing.
She had assumed Luo Shu was some senior veteran in the department and had been extremely cautious around him—only to discover that they were basically at the same starting point. She didn't feel deceived exactly, but now she couldn't help mentally placing herself on equal footing with him.
Still a student, Yukino instinctively reclassified Luo Shu as a peer in her mind—and that changed everything about how she imagined interacting with him in the future.
But wait—he's only been here for three days and already fought a demonic creature like that?
Shouldn't he have gone through formal training or something first?
Is this SDS really an official agency? Why does it feel so… sketchy?
Just as Yukino began to doubt her life decisions, Chisato suddenly grabbed her by the hand and said cheerfully, "Come on, Yukino! Tonight we're celebrating the successful mission. Let's throw in a welcome party for you while we're at it!"
"And Kisara, you're coming too."
"Eh?" Kisara barely had time to react before Chisato hooked her arm as well. Not stopping there, Chisato also linked her arm with Yukino's and said, "Hurry, hurry! Or Mizuki's going to eat everything before we get there!"
"Ah—um…" Yukino stumbled along helplessly, clearly flustered. She'd always struggled with overly enthusiastic people like Chisato and didn't know how to politely shake her off.
"Also, Kisara's coming too," Luo Shu muttered, just about to complain about how no one threw a welcome party for him. But seeing the group already heading inside, he could only sigh and follow.
The four of them—three girls and one guy—stepped into a private dining room in the sukiyaki restaurant. The moment they opened the door, the rich smell of alcohol hit them full-force.
"Let's drink!!" shouted Mizuki Nakahara, who was sitting at the center of the long table, surrounded by food and already lifting her bottle to start a round.
But when the door suddenly opened, she paused in confusion. Just as she was about to scold Chisato for not knocking, she caught sight of Kisara…
Mizuki froze.
For a full second or two, she stared, blinking in disbelief, before blurting out, "Takina, I think I've had too much. I'm hallucinating. I swear the target of today's mission just walked in—totally unrestrained!"
"No, you're not drunk," Takina Inoue said calmly, sipping her barley tea. "The Section Chief just sent word—Kisara will be joining Luo Shu's new unit. She's one of us now."
"Oh… so there really was a message?" Mizuki nodded in sudden realization—and then choked as her drink sprayed out all over the tatami mats.
"What did you say?! She's joining us?!!"
"And what's this about Luo Shu's department?!"
Just then, Luo Shu poked his head out from between Yukino and Chisato. "Did someone call me?"
Spotting the man himself, Mizuki turned away from Takina and pointed her sake cup right at him. "When the hell did you become a department head?!"
Luo Shu looked puzzled and glanced over at Mika, who was seated nearby. "Two hours ago, Chairwoman Lacus approved the formation of a new department under me. Why?"
"Why?!" Mizuki slammed both palms on the table with a thud. "You've been here three days! Three! And now you're a department head?! I've never heard of someone getting promoted that fast. It's insane! I was just starting to enjoy bullying the newbies—now that's already gone!"
Mizuki sniffled, wiping her eyes dramatically. "From now on, I'll be forced to take it out on Takina instead. This is so unfair…"
Takina's face darkened. She looked ready to throw her barley tea in Mizuki's face.
"I don't care. You're treating us all to dinner tonight, you freakishly strong rookie. In fact, I won't rest until I've drunk you under the table!"
So that's your real motive, huh... Luo Shu thought to himself, exasperated.
Yukino, meanwhile, stood in place, stunned by the man right in front of her.
Three days in the job and already a department leader? All due to merit?
It finally hit her.
Maybe the SDS recruitment system wasn't the problem.
Maybe the problem was this man, Luo Shu, himself.
This man, who she had initially thought of as flighty and unreliable… might actually be way too powerful for comfort.