Setting aside the aspect not included in the True Dragon Legacy, Luo Shu saw Ryōko Yakushiji again after two months.
However, unlike the overbearing arrogance she displayed two months ago, Ryōko Yakushiji's face now held not dominance, but wariness and vigilance.
It was as if a tiger from the mountains had been dragged out of its territory and thrown into the African desert.
Unfamiliarity, unease, vigilance, and a trace of fear.
Reading these emotions on Ryōko Yakushiji's face, Luo Shu felt somewhat amused, but he quickly suppressed his smile.
Though he was secretly gloating, he reminded himself that he was the one who had invited her here, so he should at least save some face for her.
With this thought in mind, Luo Shu was the first to speak to Ryōko Yakushiji:
"You're here? Have a seat."
Hearing this, Ryōko Yakushiji glanced cautiously at Luo Shu before settling on an unoccupied sofa.
Feeling irritable, she instinctively reached into her blazer for her cigarette case.
But just then, Luo Shu cast a casual glance at her hand slipping into her suit.
Immediately, Ryōko Yakushiji froze, reluctantly placing her hands on her lap instead.
A sense of speechless frustration welled up in her heart.
Yet no matter how aggrieved she felt, she knew she had no choice but to endure it.
In contrast, Kuroka was exceptionally lively. The moment she entered, she immediately clung to Luo Shu, sitting on his lap and cooing:
"My dear master~"
"I've completed your task, so could you please not tell Shirone where I am?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu glanced at Kuroka, taking in her exaggeratedly blinking, cute expression, and said with amusement:
"You didn't mention needing a reward before rushing to take on the task?"
Kuroka immediately played dumb:
"But shouldn't obedient kitties get candy as a reward?"
As she spoke, Kuroka pressed closer, gently nibbling Luo Shu's ear and whispering:
"My dear master, please agree to Kuroka's request~"
Being clung to so openly, Luo Shu sighed and pushed Kuroka away:
"Go play somewhere else."
After restraining Kuroka, he added:
"After the Familia contract is signed, just play dead. As long as Shirone doesn't ask me, I won't reveal your whereabouts."
"Understood~ Master is the best~" Kuroka twisted her head free from Luo Shu's hand, planted a kiss on his cheek, then nimbly flipped over the sofa, landing behind it before darting to the window and climbing up.
Shaking his head at the black cat's unconventional antics, Luo Shu turned to Megumi Kato, who was bringing tea:
"Megumi, if Shirone discovers Kuroka and comes to ask you about her situation..."
"Just tell Miss Shirone the truth, right?"
Megumi Kato, carrying the tea, casually finished Luo Shu's sentence:
"The Director always enjoys playing mind games with those who try to be clever~"
As she placed the tea before Ryōko Yakushiji, the latter couldn't help feeling the remark was aimed specifically at her.
Was this a warning not to try any tricks with Luo Shu?
As if she'd dare now...
Ryōko Yakushiji sighed inwardly while thanking Megumi Kato. She then picked up the black tea and took a small sip.
The tea's temperature was just right, and its flavour was above average, though it couldn't compare to the specially sourced tea the Yakushiji family purchased. Still, under these circumstances, Ryōko Yakushiji was simply grateful to have been served tea at all, as the act of offering tea signified that she was a guest, not an enemy.
Just as Ryōko Yakushiji's guard relaxed slightly because of the tea, Luo Shu crossed his legs, propped his right arm on the sofa, and rested his cheek on his hand, saying:
"I suppose this is our first formal meeting, isn't it? Director Yakushiji."
"You may call me Ryōko."
Ryōko Yakushiji corrected the form of address, then lifted her head and looked directly into Luo Shu's eyes as she said:
"Though it may be somewhat presumptuous of me to ask, you aren't planning to deliberately punish me for my previous offence, are you?"
"Of course not."
Luo Shu flatly denied any intention of settling scores after the fact. After all, he still had use for her now, plus he had already taken revenge on Ryōko Yakushiji and even made her take the blame for Oko Shinomiya. Given that he needed her assistance, Luo Shu was naturally quite magnanimous:
"Let bygones be bygones."
Luo Shu urged Ryōko Yakushiji to leave the past behind, then explained:
"The reason I've come is to ask for your help."
Hearing this, Ryōko Yakushiji breathed an inward sigh of relief, then lowered her head and said:
"Please, go ahead. I will do my utmost to assist you with anything within my capabilities."
At that, Luo Shu glanced at the obliging Ryōko Yakushiji and said coolly:
"Monitor the Metropolitan Police Department's operations. If they launch any large-scale arrests of yokai from different races, notify me immediately."
"As compensation, I will remove the demon blood from your system and permit you to formally join the Hidden Management Department."
Upon hearing this, Ryōko Yakushiji's eyes narrowed instinctively, concealing the shift in her expression:
"Might I ask the reason why?"
Luo Shu had no intention of hiding it and stated bluntly:
"To complete the True Dragon Sorcerer Class, one must slay over a hundred different races and absorb their power."
"And among the organisations capable of carrying out such an operation is Japan's government."
In fact, although Japan's species had already been harvested once, with some effort, over a hundred races could still be squeezed out.
After all, this was a land where tales of monsters ran rampant; there was no shortage of miscellaneous beings here.
Gathering 100 species would be an effortless task.
So, to avoid trouble, Luo Shu simply decided to monitor the organisations capable of obtaining and completing the True Dragon Sorcerer Class from the Five Great Powers—namely, Japan's official institutions.
And Ryōko Yakushiji was to be his eyes for monitoring the government.
"I see." Ryōko Yakushiji understood, grasping Luo Shu's meaning.
He wanted her to monitor the government's movements within the Metropolitan Police Department? That should be simple enough.
However...
"I can't be the only one capable of handling this sort of work, can I?"
As she said this, Ryōko Yakushiji glanced at Kotoko Iwanaga sitting opposite her:
"Wouldn't the young lady opposite be a more suitable candidate?"
"After all, she is the princess of the yokai!"
Ryōko Yakushiji's point was pragmatic: if one wanted to monitor changes within the yokai communities, Kotoko Iwanaga, the princess of the yokai, would undoubtedly be more convenient.
To this, Luo Shu's response was straightforward:
"But Kotoko's abilities shouldn't be wasted on such trivial matters."
What a joke - a Hero Rank of Top Tier Class was practically no different from a Demigod when dealing with Heroes and those below that rank.
Deploying such combat power to monitor Japan's official institutions would be a tremendous waste of resources.
Even if Luo Shu were foolish, he wouldn't do something so wasteful.
Though Ryōko Yakushiji found Luo Shu's answer somewhat unpleasant to hear, she understood his perspective:
"If that's all you require, I don't seem to have any reason to refuse."
Truthfully, whether Luo Shu made this request or not, Ryōko Yakushiji had always been monitoring the upper echelons of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The reason she could shoulder the blame for Oko Shinomiya's changed statement without receiving severe punishment from the Cabinet was precisely that she held a stack of blackmail material on government officials.
Now, it was merely adding one more surveillance task. Compared to the benefits and the backing of the Hidden Management Department, this small effort was indeed negligible.
Hearing Ryōko Yakushiji's implied meaning, Luo Shu chuckled lightly:
"Well then, pleasant cooperation~"
"Pleasant cooperation," Ryōko Yakushiji responded: "If you consider this to be cooperation, that is."