"Can I be your dog?"
The overly cute, slightly childish-looking beauty repeated those words once more.
Seeing Kisara looking at him with her watery eyes, Luo Shu took a deep breath and said:
"Alright."
"Also, this matter must stay between just you and me from now on. No third person can know, understand?"
In the end, Luo Shu couldn't resist those little thoughts in his heart.
Perhaps this was why, when imparting knowledge, he'd ended up teaching Kisara such... questionable things.
'So, do I actually want to keep a beautiful girl as a pet? Am I really this depraved inside?'
Just as Luo Shu was seriously questioning whether he might be a pervert, Kisara responded to his answer with a bright smile.
Seeing her so happy, the previously troubled Luo Shu couldn't help but sigh. Planting one hand on his hip, he said with a wry expression:
"To think you'd be this pleased..."
After saying this, he shook his head helplessly before asking Kisara:
"Do you know what your name is?"
"Kisara?" She propped herself up from the white hospital bed, tilting her head as she looked at Luo Shu.
"...So apart from the name I gave you, you have no memory of your original name then."
While Luo Shu was quite curious about Kisara's origins, he had no leads whatsoever. The only person who might have known, Ishaha, had already been... dealt with by him, making those who knew Kisara's background even fewer.
"But in a way, having no one know your origins - not even yourself - might actually be good news."
Luo Shu hadn't forgotten how Lacus had gone so far as to collaborate with him to establish another SDS branch in Tokyo just to accommodate Kisara.
With such substantial initial investment, if outsiders were to reap the benefits, Luo Shu knew he wouldn't be able to tolerate it.
Therefore, taking advantage of the current situation where only their side knew the truth, hiding Kisara's identity as a demon and giving her a new appearance might help avoid most troubles.
Thinking this, Luo Shu instinctively glanced at Kisara again, noticing that the naturally emanating black miasma around her seemed significantly reduced.
'Has the misfortune lessened? Because I decided to help conceal Kisara's demon identity?'
'So, even for actions not yet taken, simply having the intention to prevent misfortune can reduce the misfortune encountered? There's something almost karmic about this...'
'But honestly speaking, this Calamity Bringer profession seems quite impressive!'
Having gained new understanding about the Calamity Bringer's abilities, Luo Shu looked at Kisara and said:
"You can stand up now, right?"
"Mm, I can." Hearing this, Kisara shifted on the bed before lightly hopping down, her bare feet touching the floor.
Seeing this, Luo Shu frowned slightly and said:
"Wait a moment."
He looked around and spotted several pairs of dark green Crocs by the door. Picking up one pair, he brought them over and placed them by Kisara's feet.
"Put these on. If I took you out barefoot, people might think I'm mistreating you."
Kisara looked up at Luo Shu, then carefully placed her delicate feet into the shoes as her acquired knowledge instructed.
Once both feet were properly shod, her eyes suddenly widened as she let out an amazed "Wow~", spinning in place and making the shoes squeak noisily.
"Just putting on shoes..."
Seeing the girl's lively demeanour, Luo Shu felt somewhat relieved. Then, he glanced at the stone-like garment on Kisara's body and asked:
"Can you remove that thing on you?"
Kisara blinked in surprise at his words, then placed her hand on her collarbone, grasped the edge of the stone, and tore it off with a forceful motion.
Clatter clatter—the stone fragments fell to the ground.
Along with them fell Luo Shu's wide eyes.
He gazed at Kisara with a calm expression, scrutinising her up and down for a long moment before picking up the hospital gown nearby and handing it to her:
"Change into this. Also, you're quite well-developed."
"???"
Kisara blinked rapidly, then took the blue-and-white striped hospital gown from Luo Shu's hand. After she changed, Luo Shu finally turned around and said:
"Follow me. If you want to stay by my side from now on, it's impossible not to inform Lacus."
To be precise, hiding Kisara's identity as a demon would inevitably present unnecessary difficulties without Lacus's help.
As a relatively cautious person, Luo Shu detested unnecessary trouble.
But thinking of Lacus made him think of Kisara, and thinking of Kisara reminded him of the delicate, snow-white skin he'd just seen. Then, a sudden thought surfaced in his mind:
'Come to think of it, Lacus's figure is even better than Kisara's...'
At this realisation, Luo Shu's footsteps faltered slightly. But he said nothing, pretending nothing had happened as he continued leading Kisara out of the cabin.
Along the way, medical staff in the corridor stared in bewilderment at Luo Shu bringing a patient out, immediately moving to stop them.
But then, they saw Luo Shu press a finger to his lips. Considering his reputation as a frontline operative, the medical staff could only step aside to let them pass.
Luo Shu led Kisara past the medical staff, with Kisara bowing slightly to them and whispering, "Excuse us, coming through."
This move left the medical staff looking utterly flabbergasted.
Soon, Luo Shu brought Kisara to the staircase leading to the deck.
As he stepped onto the deck, he heard the unmistakable sound of action team members chambering rounds all around him.
A faint sense of threat washed over him, and Luo Shu lowered the foot he'd just raised.
Having just stepped onto the stairs, he looked down at the twelve laser sights trained on his chest, then lifted his head to stare blankly at his fully armed colleagues, whose blazing eyes were the only visible feature beneath their gear:
"I know bringing Kisara here carries some risk, but... aren't you aiming at the wrong person?"
Kisara, who now understood the situation thanks to Luo Shu's shared knowledge, nodded thoughtfully in agreement.
Yet, she also felt puzzled.
Because compared to her—a demon who could threaten everyone present—these action team members seemed to dislike Luo Shu even more?
Just who is the real demon here?