Takina stared blankly at the ruby with its crimson vertical pupil resting in Luo Shu's palm, then suddenly recalled the intel on the ring.
The demon-class Abyss Artefact Demon Heart, capable of hypnotising women... Realising this, Takina hurriedly averted her gaze from the ruby ring.
In stark contrast, Chisato—whose eyesight far surpassed Takina's—was now gaping at the ruby ring, exclaiming softly, "Eh! Ehh~"
"No way..."
Chisato circled Luo Shu, index finger tapping her chin:
"The real deal?"
"No way..."
Chisato Nishikigi gasped in surprise once more, then looked up and grabbed Luo Shu's shoulders, exclaiming:
"In just one night, not only did you manage to trick someone into joining you, but you even found the ring?"
Luo Shu pondered her words seriously for a moment before responding with a slightly odd expression:
"Though your phrasing is a bit ambiguous, factually speaking, it's not too far off."
Had he obtained the Demon Heart? Yes... Had he tricked someone into joining him? Well, getting her to join the Astronomy Club could count as 'tricking her into joining'...
Thinking about it this way, Luo Shu had really managed to secure both the person and the treasure!
"So impressive! Is this the power of a super rookie?!" Chisato clapped her hands in admiration, her expression a mix of playful and serious.
Meanwhile, Takina Inoue, who had averted her gaze from the ring, looked at Luo Shu with a complicated expression and said:
"In a way, you could indeed call him a super rookie."
Completing the mission in just one night—such efficiency was undeniably talented, even if it was specifically in dealing with women...
Takina felt a chill run down her spine. Because of the Demon Heart's ability, she now found it difficult to look Luo Shu in the eye.
As for Luo Shu managing to win over that young lady in a single night and safely retrieve the Abyss Artefact, Takina silently labelled him as 'potentially specialised in handling women.'
Perhaps, in terms of danger to women, this person in front of her might even surpass the Demon Heart.
Just as Takina was internally complaining, Chisato noticed that Takina seemed hesitant to meet Luo Shu's gaze and suddenly reached out to pull her forward.
"Speaking of which, Luo Shu, you haven't been introduced yet~"
"This is Takina, Takina Inoue, the ace of our SDS!"
"Chisato!" Takina clearly wasn't comfortable with the praise, her face flushing slightly.
"By the way, her height is 160cm, age 16, weight—"
"There's no need to introduce me in such detail!!" Takina hurriedly covered Chisato's mouth with her hand, startling the latter, who struggled to break free.
"Wait, I won't say anymore! Don't get so worked up, Takina, calm down! Calm down!"
Watching the two of them bicker like this, Luo Shu could only grip the ring again and look at them with a resigned expression.
"You two really get along well~~"
"Hey hey, don't just stand there watching~~ Help me out here!" Chisato wailed, still struggling.
At Luo Shu's remark, Takina's face turned even redder. She glared at Chisato before releasing her hold and letting go with a warning:
"Don't talk about things unrelated to work."
"I just wanted to quickly build camaraderie among teammates~" Chisato seemed to have her own set of 'twisted logic.'
Sighing, she walked over to the nearby table, pulled a burger from a KFC bag, and casually tossed it to Luo Shu.
"Catch~"
Luo Shu caught it effortlessly and gave Chisato a puzzled look.
"It's greasy and salty, but it'll do for a quick bite." As she spoke, Chisato glanced out the window and shrugged upon seeing no suspicious figures near the apartment.
"It does seem like there's no surveillance at the moment, and since we've already obtained the 'Demon Heart', there's no need to keep monitoring Miss Mira Tsubakihara anymore."
As she spoke, Chisato Nishikigi packed up the sniper rifle beside her, deftly disassembling it while saying:
"Takina, tidy up. We're withdrawing."
"Understood." Upon hearing this, Takina Inoue immediately began collecting the 'contraband' in the room.
The Swiss army knife hidden under the pillow, the pistol taped beneath the mattress, the thread wound around the door handle... Luo Shu watched as they efficiently gathered these items and stowed them in a 'violin case'.
Observing their actions, Luo Shu's mouth twitched slightly before he held up the ring and asked Chisato:
"Shouldn't this be handed over for side-effect inspection?"
"Ah, you can deal with that after school by coming to Café LycoReco."
Chisato covered her mouth, teasing Luo Shu with a smirk:
"Just don't use this Abyss Artefact at school~~"
"While I'd like to say I won't... are you really sure about letting me take this to school?" Luo Shu shook the ring, looking utterly perplexed.
"No need to worry, it'll be fine."
Chisato zipped up the violin case, then said cheerfully:
"An expert in handling Abyss Artefacts is transferring to Toyogasaki High School today. She'll find an opportunity to contact you on campus. Of course, if that doesn't happen, she'll meet us at Café LycoReco by the latest."
"By the way, that expert will also be your teacher for occult studies~"
Here, Chisato wagged her finger, her smile unusually bright:
"Besides, having you attend school normally helps cover our tracks. Although our upstairs colleagues let us off this time, surface-level formalities are still necessary - someone's got to answer to their superiors, after all~"
After saying this, both Chisato and Takina shouldered their violin cases and handed Luo Shu a small stack of about twelve talismans:
"Here~"
"Restraining charms for Abyss Artefacts. Basic models, but they should keep it sealed for a while. According to the equipment support team, they should last at least two days."
Luo Shu accepted the vermilion-inscribed talismans with visible scepticism: "This feels incredibly unreliable."
"Cut me some slack~"
Chisato Nishikigi cheerfully patted Luo Shu's shoulder, then grabbed the doorknob. Before leaving, she turned to him and said:
"Don't forget to come to the café after school."
"Good work, keep it up!" Takina Inoue whispered encouragement as she passed Luo Shu, then quickly caught up with Chisato's pace.
Soon after, Luo Shu looked at the empty room, sighed in relief, and picked up the counterfeit item he'd exchanged:
"Not sure if I passed or failed this test..."
"And they actually want me to attend school..."
"What a headache..."
Luo Shu, who'd thought he wouldn't need to go to school today, sighed deeply in resignation.