8:00 AM.
Having settled on his path as a Calamity Bringer, Luo Shu pushed open the door to the Astronomy Club and stepped into the living room, heading for the washroom to freshen up.
For Luo Shu, while increasing his strength was important, daily life had to continue. Having just agreed to branch out and establish a department directly under Lacus, he was well aware of the busy days ahead.
As Luo Shu made his way to the washroom, an unfamiliar yet not entirely strange female voice called out:
"Finished your work already?"
Turning towards the sound, Luo Shu saw Kisara bustling about in the kitchen, clad in a blue apron.
Inside the kitchen, Kisara was washing cookware while speaking in a sweet yet slightly husky voice:
"Since there weren't many ingredients in the fridge, breakfast is bacon and egg sandwiches with milk. You can eat at the table after washing up."
"..."
Seeing Kisara's practised movements, Luo Shu paused momentarily before silently turning away. After washing up, he took his seat at the dining table and glanced at the single serving of breakfast laid out.
Just then, Kisara—now done tidying the kitchen—sat opposite Luo Shu, propping her chin in her hands as she watched him.
"Didn't you make any for yourself?" Luo Shu asked as he picked up a sandwich.
"Already ate," Kisara replied sweetly, though with a hint of mischief in her expression. "With Mira-san."
At this, Luo Shu's mouth twitched. He strongly suspected that while he'd been studying the Fragment of Knowledge Authority, Mira and Kisara had been fighting over who got to make his breakfast in the kitchen.
'Surely not...' he thought to himself.
Just then, Kisara, still cradling her cheeks, inquired:
"Shu, do you have work today?"
Noticing how she'd casually dropped his surname and used only his given name, Luo Shu raised an eyebrow before answering:
"I've already arranged to meet Chief Tachibana today. She'll be advising me on setting up the department."
He was about to add that she could come along when Kisara interjected:
"Ah, it's Tachibana-san? Perfect timing then. Mira-nee invited me to go shopping this afternoon, so can you go by yourself today?"
Mira-nee? Luo Shu felt like he'd missed several episodes. When had Kisara and Mira Tsubakihara become this close?
As Luo Shu puzzled over this, Kisara began counting on her fingers:
"We need to survey the neighbourhood, then go to the supermarket for toiletries, daily necessities, groceries for the next few days, spring and summer clothes, underwear, cosmetics..."
Watching Kisara tally up the items, Luo Shu silently took out his wallet, opened it, and placed a credit card on the table.
"I'll transfer 1 million yen into the card later. That should be enough, right?"
There was a hint of something peculiar in Luo Shu's tone.
Not counting the yet-to-be-received bonus from the Chiba mission (and ignoring small change), he currently had about 1.2 million yen in cash.
While certainly enough for daily life, Luo Shu didn't believe this expense should come from his own pocket.
"Right, remember to get receipts. I'll have the department reimburse it."
Words like "the card has money, just spend freely" would never come from Luo Shu's mouth.
When it came to money, he was particularly cautious—probably scarred by poverty in his past life.
Come to think of it, although Mira Tsubakihara was indeed beautiful and gentle, and had openly expressed her fondness for him, Luo Shu still believed Miss Mira looked most radiant when placing property deeds before him.
He was just that vulgar.
"Can living expenses be reimbursed too?" Kisara blinked upon hearing Luo Shu's words.
"They can."
'After all, looking after you is work...' Luo Shu mentally added the second half.
To him, caring for Kisara fell under SDS work duties, so related expenses could naturally be claimed from superiors.
He just wasn't sure whether Lacus would approve this reimbursement.
At this thought, Luo Shu suddenly clicked his tongue.
"Tch, suddenly feeling like I've tied my own hands here."
If Kirika Tachibana were still his superior, he'd definitely inflate the reimbursement request by fifty per cent.
But now, reporting directly to Lacus made him somewhat reluctant to falsify expense claims.
After all, men have their pride in the strangest places.
Feeling like he'd lost out on a significant sum, Luo Shu watched as Kisara accepted the credit card with perfect nonchalance upon hearing it could be reimbursed, his eyelid twitching slightly.
This natural attitude of taking the card as a given once reimbursement was mentioned... Had he imparted too much unnecessary knowledge?
Did he pass on the money-grubbing trait, too?
Shaking his head, Luo Shu finished his sandwich in a few bites, drained his milk, and stood up:
"Alright, since you have plans with Mira today, I'll head off first."
"Ah, please wait a moment."
Hearing this, Kisara quickly produced a woman's wallet—from the logo, Luo Shu vaguely recognised it as some luxury brand.
'Where did that come from?'
Then Kisara took out a 500-yen coin and three 10,000-yen notes from the wallet, placing them on the table as she smiled at Luo Shu:
"Shu's going to Chiyoda Ward, right? This is for round-trip fare and today's lunch expenses."
Hearing this, Luo Shu looked down at the money on the table, blinked in surprise, then asked suspiciously:
"This kind of behaviour definitely wasn't in the common sense I gave you, was it?"
He paused, then asked hesitantly: "Kisara, have you regained your memories?"
Kisara shook her head, then said, somewhat confused:
"Not yet. However, the knowledge that one should give one's husband spending money every morning before he leaves was taught to me by Mira-nee. The wallet, too."
"Did I do it wrong?"
Here, Kisara hesitated—could Mira Tsubakana have deliberately given wrong information to drive a wedge between her and Luo Shu? Surely she wouldn't be that underhanded?
Hearing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but retort: "The knowledge point isn't wrong, but this is housewife knowledge from Japan. I'm from China, so it's a bit culturally incompatible..."
"Never mind, I'll teach you modern women's knowledge when I get back... Wait, on second thought, maybe not. Might as well let Mira teach you that stuff."
Luo Shu muttered to himself and was about to leave when he caught sight of Kisara's expectant gaze.
Pausing mid-step, he shot Kisara an exasperated look, scooped up the paper bills and coins from the table, then said:
"Happy now?"
"Mhm!"
Kisara nodded vigorously before standing up and trotting over to Luo Shu. Rising on tiptoes, she planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Be careful out there~~"
Watching Kisara wave at him, Luo Shu seemed to want to say something, but ultimately turned towards the entryway instead. After changing shoes, he left without another word.
Once Luo Shu was gone, Kisara stopped waving and glanced around the living room thoughtfully:
"Before going shopping with Mira this afternoon, maybe I should do some cleaning~"
Just as Kisara began busying herself with housework...
Luo Shu, who'd just exited the apartment building, immediately spotted the blue Lexus parked roadside.
"Yo!"
Kirika Tachibana leaned out of the open car window, cigarette dangling from her lips:
"Pretty quick on your feet."
"Likewise."
Luo Shu circled the car and slid into the passenger seat without ceremony.
No sooner had he sat down than Kirika tossed a file folder at him.
"Your department's officially confirmed."
"Hidden Management Department."
"Specialises in hazardous materials and the control of harmful organisms. When necessary, you'll conduct targeted eliminations of special threats and hazardous material recovery."
"Efficient as always!"
Luo Shu flipped through the folder briefly before setting it aside and asking:
"So what's next? Touring my new department headquarters?"
"More or less. Besides showing you your new digs, there's also the matter of department benefits."
"But before that..."
Kirika reached into the car's armrest compartment, pulled out two tissues from the pack atop it, and tossed them to Luo Shu with a smirk:
"...might want to wipe that kiss mark off first."
"Youth these days~ Not embarrassed walking around with that on your face?"
At Kirika's teasing, Luo Shu stiffened. He hastily rubbed his cheek and looked down to see faint lipstick residue on his fingers. His mouth twitched.
"Should've expected as much from a demon..."
Purposely leaving evidence so he'd suffer social death with this mark? That pink-haired Kisara was definitely black-hearted underneath!