In the newly furnished office, now equipped with work desks, meeting sofas, a water dispenser, a tea cabinet, a study desk, oxygen-providing greenery, and other amenities...
Eriri held a skewer of grilled chicken liver, her dead-fish eyes fixed on her colleagues:
"So, you specifically called us here after school at 3:30 just for a dinner party?"
"What else?" Luo Shu, seated at the head of the table, opened a can of herbal tea and handed it to Kisara beside him.
Eriri, upon hearing Luo Shu's response, grumbled with deep resentment:
"What do you mean, 'what else'? You could've at least given us a heads-up about something like this. Suddenly dragging us here for a party without any sense of involvement is just boring, you know?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka picked up a freshly grilled meatball from the electric grill, blew on it, and said with a sidelong glance:
"I thought Sawamura was complaining about something serious, but it's just about lacking a sense of involvement?"
"Of course it is!" Eriri puffed out her chest and declared with righteous indignation. "Unlike you, I actually participate in plenty of club activities, you know."
Utaha, who had been about to eat the meatball, froze mid-action.
Hearing this, Kurumi Tokisaki gave Eriri a surprised look, while Yukino Yukinoshita, across from them, also kept glancing over.
Even Kisara, who was still adjusting to human society, stared at Eriri with a strange expression.
Was this girl... unintentionally mocking Utaha for having no friends?
At this point, Luo Shu, seated at the head of the table, couldn't help but clap his hands and give a thumbs-up:
"When it comes to unconsciously stabbing people in the heart, I hereby declare you the undisputed champion, Eriri."
"What heart-stabbing?"
Eriri responded in confusion before suddenly realising something. With a gasp, she turned to look at Utaha's expressionless face and immediately shrank back:
"Uh, how about I take over the grilling?"
Watching Eriri scramble to take on the task, Utaha sighed:
"Sometimes I genuinely wonder whether you do these things on purpose or not."
If she didn't know Eriri's personality, that earlier comment alone would have been enough to make them sworn enemies.
Hearing Utaha's complaint, Luo Shu burst out laughing:
"Don't worry, it's usually not on purpose. She's genuinely just like that."
Eriri looked up, her face slightly red, and glared at Luo Shu before muttering:
"You should just shut up, harem protagonist."
"Harem protagonist?" Luo Shu was momentarily stunned by this.
"Isn't that what you are?"
Eriri eyed Luo Shu suspiciously, her gaze sweeping over the faces of Kisara, Kurumi Tokisaki, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Utaha Kasumigaoka:
"The department members are all young, beautiful girls. Aside from you, there isn't a single guy here. You dare say this isn't a harem?"
"Uh..." Luo Shu was rendered speechless, utterly unable to formulate a retort.
This girl... actually called him out on it?
"Though I'm reluctant to admit it, given the current situation, it's an undeniable fact."
Yukino Yukinoshita sighed, massaging her temples. During the initial busy period of setting up the department, she hadn't noticed, but now it was clear - the department was entirely composed of young, beautiful women.
This fact alone made Luo Shu, who was responsible for recruitment, completely indefensible.
"My, my, does this mean we'll have to start calling each other sisters?" Kurumi Tokisaki fanned the flames with a mischievous smile, clearly up to no good.
As expected, Kisara immediately reacted with urgency:
"Absolutely not! That's completely unacceptable."
"Hmm?"
Utaha raised an eyebrow at this. 'Unacceptable? Since when was it up to you to decide?'
She subconsciously jiggled her leg, fixing Luo Shu with a stare as she spoke with thinly veiled displeasure:
"I don't recall ever hearing that someone already had a girlfriend?"
Luo Shu blinked rapidly, but before he could explain, Kisara clung to his arm and declared:
"She's not his girlfriend - she's his wife~!"
Sticking her tongue out at Utaha, Kisara's proclamation instantly shifted the atmosphere. Even the usually oblivious Eriri could sense the tension.
"Oh?"
Utaha merely uttered this single syllable before narrowing her eyes into a perfectly composed yet emotionless smile:
"So I take it someone has already registered their marriage at the ward office?"
Luo Shu's expression visibly faltered.
Nearby, Yukino Yukinoshita, positioned closest to Kurumi, whispered:
"Don't you think this is going too far?"
The sharp-witted Miss Yukinoshita immediately recognised Kurumi's instigation as the root of this conflict. Deliberately igniting tensions during a gathering and dragging everyone into the drama was behaviour she found distasteful.
There were better approaches - privately contacting Kisara and Utaha to clarify Luo Shu's situation, for instance. Choosing this moment reeked of ill intent.
Not that Luo Shu was entirely blameless. If he'd been secretly involved with Utaha while stringing Kisara along, he'd instantly become the type of person Yukino despised most.
But since Luo Shu was currently choking on the bitter fruits of his own making, Yukino directed her criticism at the obvious provocateur.
For this newest department member, Yukino struggled to comprehend Kurumi's motives.
"But isn't this entertaining?" Kurumi propped her cheek on one hand, smiling sweetly.
Yukino's eyes narrowed in understanding:
"I see. You derive pleasure from tormenting others, is that it?"
Her stern gaze conveyed clear disapproval - 'I won't let you get away with this.'
Kurumi couldn't help muttering at this reaction:
"What are you, some self-appointed morals committee member?"
Meanwhile, Utaha observed Luo Shu's continued silence, her leg jiggling increasingly faster:
"So you plan to stay mute indefinitely?"
Luo Shu's expression turned complicated:
"You really want me to explain here?"
Utaha paused, then frowned:
"Is there something that can't be said openly?"
"Alright then." Luo Shu nodded calmly and said, "I was drugged by Kisara."
The moment these words left his mouth, everyone was stunned.
Eriri was the first to react, exclaiming:
"D-drugged?! No way!!!"
She immediately turned to glare at Kisara, only to see the girl grinning sheepishly as if playing dumb.
Utaha was so shocked she seemed to forget how to stand, staring blankly at Luo Shu:
"You..."
She struggled to find words before finally asking:
"How did you fall for it?"
—How could you possibly fall for it!!!
At this point, Luo Shu reached out, grabbed Kisara by her collar, and lifted her slightly:
"Don't forget, this one's a pureblood demon, a direct descendant of Asmodeus from the Desire lineage. She ambushed me from behind and injected me with demonic aphrodisiac saliva. Well, I didn't resist, so I just went with the flow."
"Shu-kun, you shouldn't say such things in front of everyone. It's so embarrassing~"
Kisara covered her face shyly.
"No way... That's brutal..." Eriri muttered to herself.
She'd previously thought Kisara was just a normal, cute girl. Now she understood what it truly meant to be a demon.
'Forcing herself on someone like that... how utterly shameless!!'
Utaha's expression darkened considerably, her face cycling through various emotions.
'I was here first! I came first!!!'
'To lose to such underhanded tactics—this is unacceptable!!'
Meanwhile, Luo Shu added fuel to the fire:
"Ah, by the way, I didn't put up any resistance. So the responsibility lies with me."
"And one more thing."
Still holding Kisara by her collar, Luo Shu's gaze deepened as he continued:
"I believe I've mentioned privately to you all that this child's human common sense and knowledge were bestowed by me. In a sense, she's like another version of myself."
"It's somewhat shameless to say this myself, but I suspect no one could love me more than... well, myself."
"Oh? You're revealing such secrets to me directly? How improper~" Kurumi Tokisaki looked at Luo Shu with mild surprise.
Wasn't this basically telling her—a potential adversary—about his most loyal subordinate, allowing her to prepare countermeasures?
Beside them, Yukino Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow, giving Kisara a look that hovered between speechless and thoughtful.
If all her common sense and knowledge came from Luo Shu, did that mean her affection for him was also...?
No, simply providing information wouldn't produce such results.
Instead, with this foundation, Kisara had independently concluded that Luo Shu was her most compatible partner.
Because Luo Shu's thought patterns and preferences were entirely transparent to her.
In other words, she'd willingly chosen the husband she understood best—the one who understood her best.
At this moment, Yukino recalled her own mother.
Hadn't her mother's years of testing her father been this method in practice?
'So this... is what a demon truly is?'
In that instant, Yukino comprehended the essence of demons, etching the understanding firmly in her mind.
Meanwhile, after a brief silence, Utaha grew even quieter.
Because she suddenly remembered that night a few days ago when she'd been cleaning the headquarters...
If she hadn't been too embarrassed to refuse Luo Shu, would they have ended up going to a love hotel and doing everything?
Utaha Kasumigaoka thought about it and realised that, given Luo Shu's personality, he probably would have taken advantage of her.
But it was precisely because she'd considered this possibility that she felt even more frustrated.
A single misstep!!
Damn it!!
As Utaha Kasumigaoka fell silent, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Until...
BANG!
The door was flung open with a loud crash as Meer barged in, carrying a bag full of strong liquor, and shouted:
"—Haro~ everyone~ I'm here for the gathering!!"
"One bottle per person today—let's get a head start on adulthood~"
As her words faded, Meer tilted her head, observing the uniformly silent group who barely spared her a glance:
"Eh? Why isn't anyone surprised? Did I not slam the door hard enough?"
"And isn't this a gathering? Why do you all look like you're in a corporate criticism session?"
Meer tilted her head further, sinking into deep suspicion...