Silence fell over Luo Shu's face. He studied Utaha deeply before saying:
"Though I'm currently a half-baked god, I don't collect 'first times' as tribute."
Utaha's face twitched at these words, and she sighed in exasperation:
"Then should I thank you for that, my lord god?"
"No need for thanks. Just give me a reason to stay." Luo Shu spoke as he settled back onto the sofa, his actions clearly conveying his thoughts.
What a joke. If he refused when a stunning beauty who perfectly matched his aesthetic preferences invited him to stay overnight, he'd have to get his lower body checked at the hospital the next day to see if it was still functioning properly.
Facing Luo Shu's actions, although Utaha Kasumigaoka also felt he shouldn't stay, she couldn't overcome her current panic:
"You mentioned earlier that you wanted to investigate those monsters chasing us, right?"
"Does that mean those creatures aren't rare isolated cases?"
Hearing Utaha mention the giant rat-like monster, Luo Shu gave her a knowing look before explaining:
"Wasn't it you who reminded me about this?"
"Me?" Utaha froze momentarily, then frowned as she racked her brain trying to recall their conversation.
At this moment, Luo Shu bluntly reminded her:
"When we were cornered in the alley, you said that monster was 'one of those nuclear radiation mutated animals mentioned on the news'. Do you remember that?"
"Ah, the 8 am Asahi News broadcast..."
Utaha suddenly remembered something. She took out her phone to search for the news and quickly found the morning report from Asahi TV. Placing the phone on the low table between them, they both saw the small screen displaying the headline: 'All nuclear-radiated animals from certain islands entering Tokyo have been captured by police'.
Luo Shu looked up and met Utaha's gaze.
Then Utaha said with a highly unnatural expression:
"So... there are actually many of those monsters, and they haven't all been caught?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Luo Shu spoke as if stating the obvious, explaining to Utaha: "First rule of politics - official emergency denials should be viewed from the completely opposite perspective."
"So what this really means is 'the radiated animals haven't all been captured, but we want citizens to think they have been'." Having said this, Utaha grabbed Luo Shu's hand.
Luo Shu looked down at his captured hand and made a half-hearted attempt to pull away, but without much force.
When he unsurprisingly failed to free his hand, he sighed and looked up at Utaha's tense face:
"I won't sleep on the sofa."
"My flat has two bedrooms... No, I'm worried if I encounter those monsters, you wouldn't make it in time from next door."
Having been chased by giant rats through several streets at night, Utaha really didn't want to face those creatures again. Gritting her teeth, she said:
"You take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."
"Deal."
Luo Shu patted Utaha's hand before withdrawing his own, adding:
"By the way, I'm quite particular about accommodation. Things like midnight snacks, bathing needs, toiletries, breakfast and tomorrow's lunch bento..."
Hearing these conditions, Utaha felt like she'd invited home a demanding ancestor - no, this man literally was an 'ancestor':
"Understood. I'll provide all those things."
"Good." Luo Shu wore an expression that said 'I didn't force you' as he cheerfully smiled.
He glanced at the wall clock pointing to ten o'clock, before turning back and saying:
"By my calculations, you should start preparing the futon now."
"Really?" Utaha Kasumigaoka looked at the wall and blinked. "But it's only 10 pm?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu immediately recognised Utaha's night owl tendencies and solemnly warned:
"Going to bed around 10 pm is a healthy routine."
"...Fine, I get it." Utaha sighed as she stood up, heading towards the wardrobe to fetch bedding while curiously asking: "By the way, what exactly is this 'energy' your God's Servant mentioned?"
'How would I know when I've never used it myself...' Luo Shu mentally grumbled before adopting a serious tone:
"I don't want to explain this twice to different people tomorrow, so we'll discuss it then."
"Stingy." Utaha pouted, shot Luo Shu a glance, then turned on her heel and disappeared into the bedroom.
Watching her distant figure preparing the bedding, Luo Shu stared for a moment before turning to gaze at the night sky outside the window:
"I've got this feeling... a storm is coming."
...
In an alleyway near a police station in Nerima Ward.
Officers in Japan's public security uniforms were setting up cordon tape while meticulously examining traces on the ground.
At this moment, a woman in a purple ladies' suit with pinned-up blonde hair stepped into the scene in high heels.
Seeing her arrival, the officers immediately bowed:
"Chief Tachibana."
"Section Chief."
"You've all worked hard."
Kirika Tachibana nodded stiffly in acknowledgement before walking to the centre of the alley. Frowning at the bloodstains splattered on both walls, she addressed a staff member carrying a computer in a makeshift case:
"Have you identified who was present at the scene?"
"Apologies, but no such individuals appear in the surveillance records. We haven't even found traces of the demonic creature mentioned in eyewitness accounts. It's almost like..."
"Almost like what?" Kirika pressed with a frown.
The officer hesitated before mustering his courage: "Almost like neither the demon nor the person it was chasing ever existed."
"I see..."
Kirika suddenly understood, then retrieved a pack of ladies' cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket. She shook the pack, placed a cigarette between her red lips and lit it:
"It seems the Abyss is becoming restless again..."
With a sigh, Kirika Tachibana calmly ordered:
"Seal the materials and send them to the 'Special Archives Room' for classification as B-level records."
"Yes, Director!" The agent quickly saluted before returning to work at the computer.
Meanwhile, Kirika frowned at the monster's residual blood samples divided into two test tubes, imagining what kind of power could have caused such damage.
After a moment's thought, she murmured to herself:
"A Sorcerer who manipulates wind elements, perhaps?"
No one present could answer.