7:00 AM.
Luo Shu opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, his gaze unfocused as he blankly stared for a moment before sighing.
"There's no going back now..."
It had already been three days since he transmigrated. Fully realizing now that he was no longer part of his original world, Luo Shu patted his cheeks to wake himself up. He got out of bed and looked around his simple bedroom—just a wardrobe, a bed, and a TV—before shaking his head. After putting on his school uniform, he stretched lazily and made his way to the living room.
Just as Luo Shu yawned and stepped into the living room, a woman's voice called out from the direction of the kitchen.
"Ah? Luo Shu-kun, you're already awake?"
Luo Shu blinked and turned his head, only to see a woman in the kitchen wearing a deep-blue apron, her orange-golden hair tied up in a high ponytail. He couldn't help but freeze for a second.
"Breakfast is bacon sandwiches and milk. Due to limited ingredients, you'll have to take care of lunch yourself," Mira Tsubakihara said as she raised her hand and undid the black ribbon holding up her ponytail. With a gentle smile, she looked toward Luo Shu and added, "Next time, please remember to keep the fridge stocked, dear God~"
Hearing her slightly playful "dear God," Luo Shu finally snapped out of his daze and said with an odd look, "...Miss Mira, what's going on?"
"I've recently taken a liking to cooking," Mira replied casually. "And I didn't feel like going to the convenience store this morning, so I grabbed some bread and vegetables from your fridge, added a few ingredients from my place, and threw something together."
As she spoke, Mira let her now-loose hair fall freely and unfastened her apron while stepping out of the kitchen. Tilting her head, she asked, "You don't mind, do you?"
Mind...? Like hell I do... Luo Shu looked at the dazzling woman in front of him, whose presence somehow felt almost blinding this early in the morning. He couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth and sigh. "If I didn't know the actual relationship between us, I'd seriously start wondering if you're my wife..."
At that, Mira couldn't help but giggle. "You shouldn't say things like that to other girls. You'll get laughed at."
So... you're the only one who won't laugh? Luo Shu suddenly felt like he really wasn't cut out to deal with someone like Mira Tsubakihara. She was going to eat him alive.
He sighed again, but barely had time to finish before Mira teased him playfully, "Sighing so early in the morning will ruin your mood for the whole day, you know."
With that, she picked up the sandwich sitting under a transparent food cover to keep it from getting cold too quickly and held it up to his mouth.
"Say ah~~"
Raising an eyebrow, Luo Shu glanced at Mira for a moment before taking a bite.
"How's the taste?" Mira asked eagerly once she saw him swallow.
"Way better than anything from the convenience store," Luo Shu replied honestly.
Granted, it wasn't Michelin-level cooking or anything, but it was at least good enough to open a small bistro. Definitely tastier than those prepackaged sandwiches.
Mira smiled happily at the compliment and handed the sandwich to Luo Shu, motioning for him to hold it himself. Then she pulled out a chair and sat down. "As payment for breakfast, how about I borrow the study for another day?"
"I have an idea I want to try," she added casually.
"The study?" Luo Shu repeated, confused for a second. Then he remembered the space connected to it and immediately understood. "It's fine. Use it as long as you want. Most of the time, no one's there anyway."
That said, Luo Shu's mind drifted to the Astronomy Club room back at school. Because Natsuki Minamiya had repurposed it for her own class, he, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Eriri would probably stop using it as their base for accessing the club's secret realm.
Considering that, it seemed unlikely Mira would run into Utaha or Eriri while in there.
Still... should I mention this now? Telling her I have other retainers—beautiful girl retainers—might be kind of awkward right now...
Luo Shu hesitated for a moment before shaking the thought off. They were all his retainers, after all. Why should Mira get any special treatment?
Raising an eyebrow, he added, "Normally, only retainers can enter that space. So, if you do run into anyone in there, don't worry too much. You won't be harmed."
He paused, then added with quiet certainty, "Because I won't allow it."
Mira blinked in surprise at his words. A moment later, she burst out laughing.
"Yes, yes, my dear God won't allow me to be hurt."
That phrasing is way too flirty... Luo Shu thought awkwardly as he munched on his sandwich, clearly a little embarrassed.
Sitting nearby, Mira looked at Luo Shu thoughtfully, completely ignoring the breakfast she had set out for herself. "Was yesterday's SDS mission really that intense? You came back pretty late..."
"There was a bit of an operation, but it was over pretty quickly. I came back late because of the department dinner afterward."
Luo Shu replied casually, then glanced at Mira's face, only to immediately look away—because it was way too pretty, and he didn't want to stare too long.
"You know about the SDS members, right?"
"...Just their names and basic info," Mira replied, clearly not all that interested in the details. "So, Luo Shu-kun, you have to go over to SDS every day after school?"
"According to the contract, yeah," Luo Shu nodded. Then, eyeing Mira suspiciously, he asked, "You're not thinking of dropping by as a regular customer, are you?"
SDS operated under the guise of a café, so if Mira went there and ordered a coffee... it would technically work.
"Ah, you saw through me," Mira stuck out her tongue, then feigned innocence. "I'm just a little curious about where Luo Shu-kun works."
She even held up her hand and used her thumb and index finger to make a "tiny bit" gesture.
Yeah right, that's not a "little"—it's a whole damn galaxy... Luo Shu mentally grumbled, then said aloud, "If you want to visit, go ahead. It's not exactly a secret location or anything."
"Really?" Mira's eyes lit up, and in that moment, Luo Shu thought he could literally see stars in her gaze.
"...Of course it's real."
Finishing his sandwich and milk, Luo Shu exhaled deeply, stood up, and said, "Time for class."
He walked over to the short table where his backpack was placed, picked it up, and headed toward the entrance. As he did, he turned back and said to Mira, "The sandwich was really good."
He didn't see the gentle smile that Mira gave him as he walked out.
Just before stepping outside, Luo Shu changed his shoes.
Ding!
Suddenly, a notification chime rang in his mind.
A private message had been delivered directly to Luo Shu via the system.
"This is...?"
Glancing at the system's internal forum, Luo Shu's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw Sharon's profile picture flashing brightly.