Five minutes later.
In the tidied-up office on the third floor.
The finished lunchboxes still sat on the table, but none of those present retained their earlier casual mood.
"Sorry about the mess, let me clear this up~"
Kisara, having entered the room, smiled brightly as she efficiently cleared the table with the practised ease of a hostess.
"Thieving cat."
A quiet but clearly audible mutter came from someone's lips.
"?!!" Kisara turned her smiling face towards Utaha, and upon seeing the latter's furious glare, her grin only widened further.
Bringing up the rear, Eriri whispered with equal parts fear and excitement:
"Amazing... A real-life love battlefield."
Snap! went a flicked finger.
"Ow!" Eriri hissed in pain, retreating a step.
Luo Shu entered the office with his right hand still in a flicking position, casually eyeing Eriri as he remarked:
"Schadenfreude earns you a flick to the forehead."
Somewhat chastened, Eriri rubbed her forehead before sticking her tongue out at Luo Shu....
At this moment, Luo Shu stepped past Eriri, glanced at Utaha Kasumigaoka's displeased expression, then looked at Kisara, who was cheerfully clearing away the dinner leftovers, before sighing helplessly and walking towards the desk:
"Kisara is the demon I brought back from Chiba Prefecture over the weekend."
Hearing this, Utaha's expression visibly softened, though she still retorted stubbornly:
"What does that have to do with me?"
As she spoke, she entered the office while shooting Kisara a sidelong glance:
"Are you trying to say this stray cat you picked up is being overly clingy?"
Upon hearing this, Kisara—who was using chopsticks to scrape leftovers from a bento box into a plastic bag—smiled cheerfully and said:
"Speaking of which, Shu, should we get a cat at home?"
"A cat?"
Luo Shu, who had just sat down in the office chair, paused before realising Kisara's implication—the so-called 'cat' was referring to herself:
"That's entirely up to you, Kisara. I agree in principle."
Kisara nodded at this response, then continued smiling:
"Is that so? Then if the household cat happens to sleep on your bed, Shu, that should be fine too?"
Clang!
Utaha's chair made a loud scraping noise as she moved it, drawing everyone's attention.
"My apologies. My hand slipped."
Utaha sat down on the high-backed chair, then looked up at Luo Shu:
"By the way, Luo Shu-kun, you left your toiletries at my place last time. Would you like to drop by later to collect them?"
Hearing this, Kisara's expression immediately changed. She couldn't help turning to stare at Luo Shu, as if seeking confirmation.
What situation would lead to a guy leaving toiletries at a girl's place?
Kisara couldn't even begin to imagine the possible scenarios.
Could it be... before she'd even claimed his lips, someone else had already conquered Luo Shu?
Impossible! Miss Mira never mentioned anything like this!
"Toiletries, huh." Luo Shu was exasperated by these two women—why were they bringing up such sensitive topics now?
But judging by Utaha's expression, if he dared say those toiletries actually belonged to Utaha herself, and he'd only borrowed a cup and toothbrush last week, Miss Utaha would probably flip out:
"Just leave them there for now."
In that instant, Kisara's eyes lost focus, while Utaha curled her lips into a smirk and even started bouncing her leg.
Eriri, who had witnessed this verbal sparring match firsthand, gaped at the two women in astonishment.
All this talk about cats, beds and toiletries sounded like everyday conversation, yet Eriri couldn't shake the feeling that this was more like warfare.
Is this what high-level battles look like?
'I feel like unless Mum steps in for me, I'd have no chance competing between these two women... wait, why would Mum need to substitute for me?'
Eriri shook her head vigorously, her ponytail whipping about.
Then she turned to Luo Shu and cautiously asked:
"Um... if there's nothing else, may I leave first?"
That's right—Eriri wanted to retreat.
She couldn't find her footing in this environment.
Seeing Eriri's attempt to withdraw, Luo Shu's eyebrow twitched as he gave her an encouraging look.
'Well done, Eriri! Finally found a chance to break free from these two women's rhythm.'
"Wait a moment, Eriri. Before we leave, there are some things I need to discuss with you both."
"No, that's not the point right now. The key issue is why your toiletries are—"
While Kisara was still speaking, Luo Shu bluntly continued with his own topic.
The easiest way to interrupt someone is to talk over them.
Well-versed in this tactic, Luo Shu carried on regardless:
"Due to the agreement we've reached with the SDS Supreme Chairwoman, the Hidden Management Department within SDS has now become my direct jurisdiction."
Seeing that Luo Shu wasn't listening to her at all, Kisara could only sigh and resume cleaning up.
"In a sense, the Hidden Management Department can basically be considered another name for the Astronomy Club, given that the SDS Chairwoman has granted me autonomy second only to hers."
"Therefore, personnel transfers, promotions, finances, and data management are all under my direct responsibility."
"Considering this, I plan to connect the Astronomy Club's space to this location. That is to say, apart from linking to the school's club activity room, the Astronomy Club will also be connected to this space."
"Given that I'll be spending considerable time at the Hidden Management Department handling affairs, and since you're both founding members of the Astronomy Club who'll inevitably be active here, I'll register your information in the department's management system for security reasons."
"However, this registration might pose... a slight inconvenience for certain individuals."
At this point, Luo Shu glanced meaningfully at Eriri, making it abundantly clear who he was referring to.
Noticing this, Eriri raised her hand hesitantly and asked:
"Um... Luo Shu, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Luo Shu narrowed his eyes with an ambiguous smile:
"I'm merely pointing out that once your information is registered, your father might gain access to these records."
"No! Absolutely not!" Eriri jumped up in alarm. "Dad must never find out about this!"
"Understood. Your objection is noted."
After saying this, Luo Shu casually pulled open his desk drawer, retrieved some stationery, and began writing while remarking:
"While I doubt Mr Spencer, as England's Consul to Japan, could access SDS internal records, we'll proceed under the assumption he's privy to the supernatural side of things."
The English Ambassador to Japan couldn't possibly marry into the local aristocracy; hence, Eriri's father actually served as the embassy's consul, primarily responsible for protecting expatriates' rights and handling their affairs in Japan.
Regarding Japan's current crucial role as a trading hub for Abyss Artefacts, Luo Shu knew that only the English Ambassador and Consul-General in Japan were informed.
However, they were merely aware; the actual handling of supernatural matters fell to MI6, the legendary British Secret Intelligence Service.
"So, shall we suppress the information?"
Luo Shu's cheerful expression as he said this made Eriri bristle:
"Of course, we should suppress it!"
"If Dad finds out..." Eriri didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.
Seeing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had initially intended to spar with Kisara, lost her mood for it. Like a worried mother hen, she expressed her concern for Eriri:
"Sawamura, if you keep being half-hearted like this, something bad will really happen."
Both she and Luo Shu understood that since the supernatural world existed, danger would inevitably come knocking sooner or later.
In a situation where danger could strike at any moment, the only way to avoid it was to gain the power to protect oneself and one's family.
And from the looks of it, Eriri still hadn't adjusted her mindset properly.
She didn't even consider discussing things with her father, who might have some connection to the supernatural world. Instead, her first thought was to hide everything.
Observing this, Luo Shu calmly sent Utaha a teasing message through their internal system communication:
'Looks like I won't be visiting the Sawamura household anytime soon.'
'Consider this your lucky escape.' Utaha raised an eyebrow as she replied.
After exchanging a covert glance with Utaha Kasumigaoka, Luo Shu, noticing the frequent gazes directed their way, promptly continued:
"So, regarding the information being incorporated into the Hidden Management Department, neither of you has any objections?"
Hearing this, Utaha glanced at Eriri and said softly, "I have no objections."
"As long as my family doesn't find out, I... I don't mind," Eriri replied, her tone lacking confidence.
"Then this matter is temporarily resolved. Now, let's discuss other important issues."
At this point, Luo Shu's expression turned serious for the first time as he looked earnestly at Utaha and Eriri:
"It's about the issues concerning our abilities."