7:00 AM.
Luo Shu opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while before muttering:
"There's no going back now..."
Three days had passed since his transmigration. Having fully accepted that he was now a stranger in this world, he patted his cheeks, sat up, and surveyed his sparsely furnished bedroom—just a wardrobe, bed, and TV. Shaking his head, he got up, put on his uniform, stretched, and stepped into the living room.
Just as Luo Shu entered the living room with a yawn, a woman's voice called out from the kitchen.
"Oh? You're already awake, Luo Shu-kun?"
Luo Shu froze, turning to see a woman in a dark blue apron, her golden-orange hair tied into a high ponytail. He stared, momentarily stunned.
"Breakfast is bacon sandwiches and milk. Due to limited ingredients, you'll have to handle lunch on your own."
As she spoke, Mira Tsubakihara reached up to undo the black ribbon holding her ponytail. She smiled at Luo Shu and added:
"Next time, please stock your fridge properly, oh mighty god~~"
Hearing that teasing "mighty god," Luo Shu snapped out of his daze, blinking in bewilderment.
"...Miss Mira, why did you—?"
"I've recently taken a liking to cooking, and today I didn't feel like buying sandwiches from the convenience store. So I just used the bread and vegetables from your fridge, added a few things from my own place, and whipped something up?"
As she spoke, Mira let her hair cascade freely, untying her apron as she stepped out of the kitchen. Tilting her head, she asked:
"You don't mind, do you?"
'Mind? As if...' Luo Shu watched the woman before him, her loose hair making her seem almost radiant. His lips twitched as he sighed:
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were my wife..."
Mira couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Don't go saying that kind of delusional thing to other girls—you'll get laughed at."
Was that her way of saying only she wouldn't laugh at him? Luo Shu suddenly felt that he really wasn't cut out for dealing with women like Mira Tsubakihara. She'd eat him alive.
He sighed, but just as he finished, he heard Mira Tsubakihara teasingly say:
"Sighing first thing in the morning will affect your mood for the whole day."
As she spoke, she picked up the sandwich on the table covered with a transparent lid to keep it from cooling too quickly and brought it to Luo Shu's lips:
"Ah~~"
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow at Mira Tsubakihara, thought for a moment, then took a bite of the sandwich.
"How does it taste?" Mira asked eagerly after seeing him swallow.
"Much better than convenience store food."
This time, Luo Shu was telling the truth.
Of course, it was only slightly better than convenience store fare - certainly not chef-level, but at least good enough to open a small eatery.
Hearing this, Mira couldn't help but smile. She handed the sandwich to Luo Shu, indicating he should take it himself, then pulled out a chair and sat down:
"As payment for breakfast, how about lending me the study for another day today?"
"I've got some ideas I want to try out."
"The study?"
Luo Shu was momentarily taken aback before remembering the space connected to the study and understanding:
"No problem, use it as long as you like. Normally, no one goes there anyway."
As he said this, Luo Shu thought of the Astronomy Club's classroom at school.
Since Natsuki Minamiya had commandeered it as a classroom, it was unlikely he, Utaha or Eriri would be using that room to access the Astronomy Club's base anymore.
Considering this, if Mira stayed there, she probably wouldn't run into Utaha or Eriri.
But should he mention it? Would bringing up that he had other Familia members - beautiful girls at that - be inappropriate in this situation?
Luo Shu hesitated slightly at this thought, but then realised something was off.
They were all his Familia - why should Mira be treated differently?
Thinking this, Luo Shu raised an eyebrow and added:
"Normally, only Familia members can enter that space, so if you encounter anyone else there, don't worry - you won't be harmed in that place."
After a pause, he added:
"Because I won't allow it."
Hearing this, Mira's eyes widened slightly before she burst out laughing:
"Yes, yes, my god won't allow me to be harmed."
'That's getting a bit ambiguous...' Luo Shu ate his sandwich awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
Mira, sitting beside him, watched Luo Shu as if completely ignoring the breakfast in front of her, and asked curiously:
"Was SDS's mission yesterday very demanding? You seemed to return quite late..."
"There was some action, but it was resolved early. The reason I returned late was because of a department gathering."
Luo Shu explained casually, then glanced at Mira's face before closing his eyes to avoid looking - she was too pretty, easy to stare at for too long:
"You know all the SDS members, right?"
"...Just basic information like names."
Mira brushed past the topic, clearly not very interested in SDS members:
"Does Luo Shu-kun have to go busy himself with SDS work every day after class?"
"According to the contract, that should be the case." Luo Shu pondered for a moment before glancing suspiciously at Mira Tsubakihara. "You're not thinking of visiting as an ordinary customer, are you?"
The SDS outpost operated under the guise of a coffee shop. If Mira Tsubakihara really went to order coffee, it would be entirely plausible~
"Ah, you've seen through me." Mira stuck out her tongue playfully before feigning innocence. "I'm just a tiny bit curious about where you work, Luo Shu-kun."
To emphasise her point, Mira pinched her thumb and forefinger together to indicate just how small her curiosity was.
'Are you sure that 'tiny bit' isn't more like a 'gigantic bit'?' Luo Shu mentally sighed before saying aloud:
"If you want to go, then go. It's not exactly a classified location."
"Really?" Mira's eyes widened, and for a moment, Luo Shu thought he saw stars sparkling in her gaze.
"...Of course it's true."
Luo Shu quickly finished his sandwich and milk, exhaled deeply, then stood up.
"It's almost time for class."
He walked over to the low table where his schoolbag lay, picked it up, and headed towards the genkan while saying to Mira:
"The sandwich was delicious."
With those words, Luo Shu strode straight to the entrance without seeing the gentle smile that spread across Mira's face.
As he changed his shoes by the door—
[Ding!]
A notification chimed in his mind.
A private message had been delivered directly to his consciousness via the system.
"This is..."
Noticing Sharon's flashing avatar in the system's internal forum settings, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes.