"I can understand how you feel, but saying something like this at a time like this... I can only describe you as a pervert."
Utaha came to her senses, glanced at the giant rat slowly approaching as if still testing something, took a deep breath and said:
"The wall isn't too high. If we boost, one of us should be able to escape... So, want to run?"
Utaha adopted a lunge stance, crossing her hands in front with palms upturned.
Seeing this, Luo Shu gave her a surprised look before saying:
"Are you insane?"
"What else? One surviving is better than both dying, right?" Utaha's hands trembled slightly as she added, "By the way, I'm Utaha Kasumigaoka, Class 1-B at Toyogasaki High School. If you get out, could you notify my parents if possible?"
"Utaha Kasumigaoka?!" Luo Shu's eyes widened as he stared at the girl in disbelief.
"What? You know me?" Utaha asked, somewhat startled.
At this moment, Luo Shu studied the girl before him carefully - wearing what he considered her signature white hairband, a white woman's blazer as outerwear over a black satin dress.
Normally, such an outfit would only highlight the girl's elegance and refinement.
However, Utaha's condition could now only be described as wretched.
After all, she'd lost her shoes somewhere, and apart from her still beautiful face, she looked completely like someone in distress - though considering they were fleeing for their lives, this was understandable.
Yet even so, Luo Shu found it absurd.
In his memory, Utaha Kasumigaoka was the name of a current high school girl writer and an important supporting female character in a slice-of-life romance anime.
An anime heroine right beside me?
"Never mind whether you know me or not - or maybe it's better if you do. Hey!! Stop spacing out and get over here."
As she said this, Utaha was still trembling while complaining:
"I can't guarantee I won't regret this the next second."
"To be honest, why is it that just by passing through an alley near the police station, I'd encounter these 'nuclear-mutated animals' that only appear on TV programmes? Didn't the news report that all these monsters had been dealt with?"
'Nuclear-mutated animals?' Luo Shu paused upon hearing this term, then said seriously:
"Though I'm not sure what's going on, let me make this clear - I'm not joking about what I'm going to say next."
"If you agree to let me implant a device into your body, I might gain the power to deal with this monster."
"Hah?" Utaha Kasumigaoka stared at Luo Shu in astonishment, but at that moment, her vision blurred as the giant rat blocking the alleyway took another step forward.
This movement instantly panicked the already emotionally unstable Utaha.
"Fine, fine! I agree, I agree! Happy now?"
As the words left her mouth, Luo Shu heard a prompt in his ear.
[Request received. Energy collection device activated. Bestowal Ritual initiated.]
The next second, under the astonished gazes of both Luo Shu and Utaha, silver-blue arcs of light illuminated the ground beneath their feet.
Immediately after, an intricate circular magic formation took shape at their feet, its central pattern vaguely resembling a sun.
"You..." Witnessing this supernatural phenomenon, Utaha couldn't help but widen her eyes in disbelief as she stared at Luo Shu.
At that very moment, a series of prompt tones flashed through Luo Shu's mind.
[Ability System activated. Life Sequencing System 'Kabbalah' initiated. Emergency Protection Program engaged.]
[Host abilities initialising...]
[Ding! Common ability obtained: Intuition.]
[Ding! Common ability obtained: Combat Potential.]
[Ding! Mental energy conversion complete. Excellent ability obtained: Wind Element Manipulation.]
As these three notifications sounded, the calf-sized rat on the opposite bank seemed unable to wait any longer, charging directly towards Luo Shu.
Yet in that instant, Luo Shu felt as if his eyes had undergone some 'mutation'.
At this moment, he seemed to see illusory threads extending from the rat's body, with the ends of those threads seemingly leading straight to his own neck.
Subconsciously, Luo Shu focused on one of the dotted lines and swung his right hand.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistling of wind erupted.
Immediately after, a translucent Wind Blade materialised out of thin air and swiftly sliced towards the giant rat at incredible speed.
This sudden development startled not only Luo Shu and Utaha Kasumigaoka, but even the rat itself, which instinctively leapt aside.
Yet by sheer coincidence, the direction the rat jumped happened to align perfectly with the Wind Blade's trajectory.
Squelch!
Dark red blood splattered across the walls on both sides of the alley.
Under Luo Shu and Utaha's stunned gazes, the giant rat was cleanly bisected, its corpse splitting into two halves that collapsed onto the ground.
Then, black-red flames abruptly ignited upon the remains, swiftly reducing the carcass to nothingness, leaving only dried bloodstains behind.
Simultaneously, a notification chimed in Luo Shu's mind.
[Energy Collector retrieval successful. Host crisis resolved.]
"What?" Luo Shu froze at the words, but before he could say anything else, his hand was grabbed by Utaha Kasumigaoka beside him.
"What are you standing around for? Want to get arrested by the police?"
Without waiting for Luo Shu's response, Utaha righted the bicycle leaning against the wall and perched herself on the rear seat, shouting at Luo Shu:
"Hurry up! I'll tell you where to go."
Unable to make sense of the situation, Luo Shu could only grit his teeth, mount the bicycle and start pedalling, moving swiftly under Utaha's directions.
As Luo Shu carried Utaha away, a series of notifications began sounding in his mind.
[Rat monster corpse disposal complete. Emergency assistance protocol terminating. As the host is no longer in danger, the Reincarnation System is shutting down. Beep! Shutdown complete.]
[Congratulations to the host for successfully acquiring the first Familia member, obtaining 6188 energy points.]
[Congratulations, host's Familia member 'Utaha Kasumigaoka' has awakened the Common ability 'Mind Reading'.]
[Congratulations to the host for taking the first firm step on the path to becoming 'Master of the Divine Pantheon'.]
Hearing these notifications, despite riding a bicycle with a beautiful girl behind him, Luo Shu's face twisted into an expression of utter frustration, his lips twitching uncontrollably:
'So it was you behind all this from the start!!'