Passing through the back kitchen into what appeared to be a residential area, Luo Shu followed Chisato Nishikigi to a staircase that seemed to lead to a basement.
"By the way, Luo Shu, can you use a gun?"
Chisato Nishikigi made a finger-gun gesture, complete with "pewpew" sound effects.
"I don't know how." Luo Shu shook his head. Having grown up under the red flag, how could he have had the opportunity to learn such things?
"You don't... Ah, that won't do..."
Chisato Nishikigi descended the steps, adopting a senior's tone as she advised:
"While superpowers are very convenient and can enable surprise attacks in special situations—even achieving first-encounter kills—in terms of lethality and efficiency, kinetic weapons like firearms are still incredibly powerful."
Chisato walked to a corner, pressed her hand against the wall, and with a click, a small keypad popped out.
She deftly input the code while explaining:
"It's said that even in transnational criminal organisations like Truth Astronomy and Golden Dawn, only a handful of executives can ignore bullets. Each of them is a major figure on the danger list. For everyone else, firearms are the solution. So learning to use guns is still very important."
"And most crucially, in modern society, the deterrent effect of superpowers isn't as immediately obvious as that of guns."
Chisato nodded solemnly, then suddenly shifted gears:
"By the way, Luo Shu, what's your ability?"
"Ah? If it's some kind of secret, don't tell me. I'm just curious, purely curious."
Hearing this, Luo Shu raised an eyebrow.
His guard wasn't particularly high around this heroine. After all, from what he knew, anime heroines were generally decent people, entirely worthy of preliminary trust.
"My ability is wind—the power to manipulate it."
"Wind element? A Wind Adept?!"
Chisato, walking ahead, suddenly widened her eyes, her face lighting up with excitement:
"The legendary ace scout?!"
"Wow~~ Big Sister is amazing! She actually recruited a Wind Adept—a top-tier scout like this?!"
"Ace... scout?" Luo Shu's expression turned awkward. He couldn't fathom why Chisato would say that.
"Luo Shu doesn't know?"
Chisato gave him a puzzled look before explaining:
"Among special individuals like Onmyoji, Taoist priests, priests, and nuns—all collectively referred to as Sorcerers by our SDS in Japan—Wind Adepts are famous for their rapid ability activation, extremely wide range, and expertise in large-scale searches. They're renowned as top-tier scouts."
"I heard there's even an incredibly powerful Wind Adept in China who can monitor an entire city single-handedly."
"Though I've heard Wind Adepts' lethality isn't the strongest among Sorcerers, their convenience is surprisingly rated the highest. Ah~ So nice, I'm so envious of you superpowered people..."
"All I have is marksmanship, barely passable..."
Seeing Chisato's undisguised envy and the cute little gesture of clasping her hands behind her head while kicking the ground, Luo Shu felt rather conflicted.
'So, in the eyes of those in the know, Wind Element Manipulation is just some super scout ability?'
Luo Shu, who'd secretly harboured some grander expectations, sighed but quickly adjusted his mindset.
Scout it is, then. Maybe being a scout was the safest role. After all, his reconnaissance would mostly rely on wind, meaning he wouldn't need to be physically present at the scene. Viewed that way, it was indeed safer than those who had to engage in actual combat.
Under Chisato Nishikigi's guidance, Luo Shu arrived at a certain underground room. Watching this senior rummage through piles of women's clothing, he couldn't help but ask curiously:
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for men's combat uniforms... Ah~~ why are these all Mizuki's and Kurumi's clothes? Did they turn this place into a storage room?"
Amidst complaints and rustling sounds, Chisato suddenly paused and turned her head:
"Oh, I almost forgot, I haven't explained our situation to you yet."
As she spoke, Chisato continued searching through the storage while explaining:
"Our base here is directly under Big Sister's SDS combat division. The café is just our daily cover. Besides me and Mika, there are three other members: Mizuki Nakahara, Takina Inoue, and Kurumi."
"Mika-san is the shop manager, our training instructor, and handles communications with Big Sister as well as logistics. Mizuki is our intelligence officer, responsible for gathering and verifying information. Kurumi is our computer hacker who assists with intelligence and handles equipment maintenance. Takina and I are partners - we're the combat specialists, both skilled with firearms."
"Ah, found it!"
Chisato pulled several suits from the cabinet, smiling happily:
"So that's where they were hidden. Really, made me search everywhere."
"Luo Shu, what's your clothing size?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu paused briefly before stating his size.
Chisato remained completely unfazed:
"Oh~~ in that case, this one should fit you better."
She retrieved a black suit and handed it to Luo Shu:
"Since our missions are conducted secretly, our younger female members usually disguise themselves as high school students. For someone of your height... hmm, you could pass as a fresh-faced office worker."
"The suits are specially made - some kind of bulletproof gear customised by the Onmyou Agency that can even withstand supernatural abilities. They're very expensive, so we only have two sets. If it doesn't fit properly, be sure to say so. Oh, and remember to bring it back to the café for cleaning."
At this point, Chisato suddenly turned to look at Luo Shu, then stopped to carefully examine his youthful face before asking:
"By the way, Luo Shu, do you have a part-time job? If so, you should quit and earn your wages here at the café... Also, Luo Shu, you're not still in school, are you?"
Luo Shu nodded in response: "I am, at nearby Toyogasaki High."
"How nice~~ That means you get paid while studying. You'll still receive your salary during school hours, though emergency missions might be troublesome..."
Chisato spoke with evident envy, then added regretfully:
"I've always wanted to attend school, but never had the chance..."
Hearing this, Luo Shu frowned slightly with a puzzled expression:
"Chisato, you can't be that old... Why haven't you had the chance to study?"
"Well..."
Chisato scratched her cheek thoughtfully before answering honestly:
"Luo Shu, you've heard Big Sister mention 'the Abyss', right?"
"I have," Luo Shu nodded in confirmation.
At this moment, Chisato Nishikigi revealed a complicated expression and said:
"Actually, everyone in our café except Big Sister came from the 'Abyss'."
Luo Shu was stunned.