At the ceremony's conclusion, Luo Shu queued up and retrieved his long-unused wallet from his jacket pocket.
Similar to Chinese customs, Japan also uses new bills for happy occasions and old bills for funerals.
So Luo Shu directly took a used 50,000 yen note from his wallet and slipped it into the prepared white envelope.
The envelope had been prepared beforehand by Yukino Yukinoshita and looked quite elegant.
After glancing at it, Luo Shu sealed the condolence money inside. When his turn came, he dropped the envelope into the wooden box before him and silently paid his final respects to the deceased.
After several seconds of silent prayer, Luo Shu turned left and, within a few steps, encountered Sayuri Sawamura and Eriri in full mourning attire.
The widowed Sayuri was distributing return gifts to attendees.
When Luo Shu's turn came, he approached Sayuri with solemn demeanour, blending perfectly as he said:
"Madam, please accept my condolences. Though this was sudden, I'm certain Mr Robert wouldn't wish for your continued grief. Please strive to move forward tomorrow!"
Upon hearing this, Eriri in mourning attire nearly lost her composure, while Sayuri Sawamura couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him.
'Couldn't you just stay silent at inappropriate times? Take the return gift and leave quietly, is that so hard?'
Under Sayuri's reproachful gaze, Luo Shu reached out to accept the return gift, only for Sayuri to deliberately scratch his palm, causing him to jolt with an extremely unnatural expression. He glared at her indignantly.
'A flirtatious suggestion like scratching palms? At this time, in this setting? Aren't you afraid of being caught?'
Having been paid back in kind, Luo Shu dared not misbehave further. He hastily took the gift and left, fearing Sayuri might pull another stunt.
After walking a few paces, Luo Shu slowed his steps, allowing Utaha Kasumigaoka to catch up, maintaining half a step behind him as they headed towards the gate together.
At the entrance, several temple monks were directing guests to the evening reception venue.
Once this farewell meal concluded, the funeral proceedings for outsiders would essentially be over - the remaining burial, cremation and interment being matters for immediate family.
Seeing this, Luo Shu didn't linger but followed the monks' directions towards the banquet hall.
Only after leaving the monks' sight did Utaha, following behind, finally remark:
"Finally, it's over!"
Hearing this, Luo Shu turned to look at her with a slightly odd expression.
To which Utaha rolled her eyes: "What? Expecting me to lecture you again about Mrs Sawamura?"
"Keeping track of your sordid affairs every day - do you think I have that kind of energy to spare?"
Luo Shu gave an embarrassed chuckle before explaining:
"Chika and Kaguya Shinomiya seem to be behind us. Should we wait for them?"
"Wait for what? So you can continue those awkward conversations with the Shinomiya heiress?"
Utaha couldn't help but smile as she added:
"Dragging that young lady into discussions about national politics, tax complaints, and lamenting the suffering of the American people, for nearly an hour, no less."
"Why didn't you talk to Miss Shinomiya about light novels or anime series instead?"
"Couldn't you see her responding with complete stiffness by the end?"
Faced with this teasing, Luo Shu remained unperturbed, simply laughing good-naturedly:
"Speaking too deeply when the acquaintance is shallow is a major taboo. For a first meeting with Kaguya Shinomiya, keeping the conversation trivial is just fine."
"Rather than the content of our chat, what I'm more interested in is what you read from her mind while we were talking."
"That's the truly important thing, after all – these would be Kaguya Shinomiya's firsthand inner thoughts."
Hearing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka paused briefly before sighing lightly:
"What else would she be thinking? From the start, her intention was to establish connections. Otherwise, would she have patiently listened to your rambling for a full hour?"
"Beyond that... Kaguya Shinomiya's mind was occupied with how to leverage knowing you to gain sufficient benefits within the Shinomiya family..."
"Though what's rather amusing is that she plans to use your reputation as leverage with her elder brother to bargain for some degree of personal freedom. That's why she didn't show the slightest impatience despite enduring an hour of your monologue."
As she spoke, Utaha offered her assessment of Kaguya Shinomiya:
"A canary that weighs everything on scales, acting purely based on benefit, yet fundamentally despises this way of life while yearning for freedom..."
"Kaguya Shinomiya is precisely such a caged bird."
"Her icy demeanour, noble bearing – all are marks left by the cage upon her."
"A rather pitiable little girl."
"Now I understand why Chika Fujiwara insisted on bringing her before you after discovering she was also a Familia candidate."
Hearing Utaha's words, Luo Shu smiled and said:
"During our conversation, Chika kept messaging me through internal channels. Though she didn't state it outright, the implication was clear – she wanted me to help Kaguya Shinomiya."
"Chika cares deeply about this friend."
"Oh?" Utaha glanced at Luo Shu with mild surprise. "She messaged you, too?"
At this, Utaha couldn't help but chuckle:
"That girl truly considers Kaguya Shinomiya a friend!"
"Isn't it mutual?" Luo Shu said with a smile. "Though she'd never admit it mentally, in her actions, Kaguya Shinomiya also treats her as her only friend."
"Though ordinarily, Kaguya probably spends most of her time mentally mocking Chika Fujiwara's foolishness."
"The very definition of saying one thing while meaning another."
Utaha shook her head: "The crux is, despite meaning another, she never voices it."
"Perhaps if one day Kaguya Shinomiya dares to voice her criticisms of Chika Fujiwara directly to her face, Chika would actually be happier?"
"Because that would mean Kaguya Shinomiya has finally begun breaking free from her family's constraints, daring to speak her mind..."
Luo Shu looked surprised: "You seem rather fond of Kaguya Shinomiya?"
"I can empathise somewhat..." Utaha sighed softly. "Had I been born into such a prominent family, I might have become a woman much like her."
Understanding dawned on Luo Shu, who then murmured:
"That would have been a true disaster for you..."
As he spoke, Luo Shu glanced at the banquet venue they were approaching and calmly remarked:
"Let's go. After dinner, it'll be time to get down to business with that Silver Princess!"
Utaha Kasumigaoka remained silent, then followed Luo Shu into the venue.