Knock knock.
Hearing the knock on the door, Luo Shu quickly placed the empty bamboo basket from the table onto the floor before calling out towards the door:
"Come in."
As his voice faded, the door was pushed open.
Yukino and Takatsuki Izumi walked in.
Seeing the two, Luo Shu wasn't particularly surprised. He merely glanced at Takatsuki Izumi, his gaze lingering slightly as he said:
"So? Any gains?"
Takatsuki Izumi casually made her way to the sofa, kicked off her small leather shoes, lifted her legs and perched on the seat as she replied:
"A little. My Kagune has strengthened somewhat, but not much. At least, not compared to the technique abilities I gained after being reborn as a Vampire."
As she spoke, she twirled a strand of hair around her finger, as if she'd expected this outcome:
"Thinking about it carefully, this is perfectly normal."
"After all, it's not like I've never eaten Ghouls before. This time was just a bit more special, and I only drank blood. Trying to use my Devouring Evolution ability to grow stronger probably isn't that simple."
Hearing this, Luo Shu remained remarkably composed:
"If it were that easy, your ability wouldn't be rated as Excellent Rank."
"Actually, what I wanted to confirm was whether your Devouring Evolution ability could yield any results after consuming those two's blood."
"Now that we've confirmed it, things become simpler."
As he spoke, Luo Shu pulled open a drawer and retrieved an unopened pack of disposable cups along with a fruit knife.
"Director?" Yukino's eyelids twitched at the sight, her expression showing clear astonishment.
Hearing this, Takatsuki Izumi also looked over. Seeing Luo Shu's actions, she immediately asked with uncertainty:
"Hey, you're not planning to..."
At the same moment they turned towards him, Luo Shu had already torn open the packaging of the disposable cups, placing one on the table.
Then he raised his left hand, gripping the fruit knife in his right, and forcefully drew the blade across the pad of his index finger.
The sharp blade made a scraping sound as it passed, leaving behind a white mark on Luo Shu's fingertip.
"Didn't break the skin? That's a bit problematic..."
After muttering this, Luo Shu looked up and met Yukino's gaze.
Yukino immediately snatched the fruit knife from his hand, her tone carrying a hint of reprimand:
"Director, please stop this behaviour. Self-harm isn't just disrespectful to your own body, but also to your parents. Please take better care of yourself."
"What are you thinking?" Luo Shu rolled his eyes, saying exasperatedly: "I just wanted to test what kind of evolution Takatsuki would undergo after drinking my blood."
Hearing this, Yukino frowned slightly, voicing her doubts:
"But if you want to test that, why not just have Takatsuki-san bite you directly?"
"When Vampires drink blood, don't they secrete anaesthetising saliva so you don't feel any pain?"
She had just witnessed Takatsuki Izumi drinking blood in the Hidden Management Zone. If Luo Shu wanted to test whether drinking his blood could trigger evolution, why not just let her bite him? Was there really a need to use a knife on his finger?
Luo Shu rolled his eyes again at this, raising his finger, which now showed no trace of the earlier mark, and said helplessly:
"Do you really think she could bite through this skin of mine?"
"This..." Yukino, who had personally seen Luo Shu forcefully draw the knife across his finger, couldn't help but grab his hand to examine it closely. Stunned, she said: "There's really not even a single mark left?"
"Then..." Yukino turned her head towards Takatsuki Izumi and tilted it slightly. "Shall we try?"
"No, no!" Takatsuki Izumi shook her head frantically, her expression faintly panicked. "If even a fruit knife can't pierce that skin, my fangs would break if I tried to bite."
At the mere mention of broken teeth, Takatsuki Izumi's features scrunched up in pain.
That agony was like stubbing one's toe against a wall corner—so intense it made breathing difficult.
Just talking about it gave Takatsuki Izumi phantom limb pain.
"...Toothache, huh?"
Yukino's expression also stiffened slightly, as if recalling her childhood experiences with cavities.
"Then perhaps we should try another method?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu stroked his chin. "Another method, you say...!"
With that, he gave Yukino a meaningful look.
"Then, Yukino, why don't you try making a tiny cut on your fingertip?"
"Using my blood for the test?" Yukino glanced at Luo Shu with some hesitation before releasing his hand. "Understood."
Taking a deep breath, Yukino picked up the fruit knife she had just snatched from Luo Shu and lightly drew it across the pad of her left index finger.
Her brows furrowed slightly at the sting. She held her finger over a disposable cup, waiting for the blood to drip, but it flowed slowly and sparingly.
Pausing, she set the knife aside and squeezed her finger, forcing out a few drops of blood into the cup.
As she finished and began to withdraw her hand, Luo Shu suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"What's wrong?" Yukino wondered why he had stopped her.
"You've done well. I'll handle the rest."
As he spoke, Luo Shu activated Calamity Absorption, drawing the misfortune of her finger's injury into himself.
Yukino froze at his words. When Luo Shu released her wrist, she lifted her hand and saw the small wound had vanished without a trace.
At that moment, Luo Shu placed his right hand on his chest and extended his left over the disposable cup, murmuring:
"Bestowal!"
Instantly, a cut appeared on his previously unharmed left index finger, blood slowly welling up.
The drops fell, mingling with Yukino's in the cup. Observing this, Luo Shu remarked in surprise:
"Oh? Looks like we share the same blood type."
Yukino sighed in mild exasperation. "That's what you're focusing on?"
She glanced at the wound on Luo Shu's hand, subtly rubbing her own index finger before asking:
"What about your injury now?"
"Don't worry, I'll just reabsorb the Calamity Endowment."
With that, Luo Shu mentally invoked absorption, and his finger healed instantly, the wound disappearing completely.
Yukino stared blankly, lost in thought.
Then Luo Shu reminded her:
"Don't overthink it. This is a conceptual-level application. Essentially, I absorbed the concept of your finger being cut by the blade and bestowed it upon myself, hence the wound appearing on my hand."
Yukino fell silent for a moment, recalling Kurumi Tokisaki's breakdown during yesterday's gathering.
'So, Director, you used this ability to absorb Kisara-san's pain of losing her virginity and bestowed it upon Tokisaki-san?'
"...Quite a unique ability."
What Yukino Yukinoshita really wanted to say was that the Director was truly a genius.
To develop such an unorthodox application from a perfectly good ability—no wonder Tokisaki-san had so many complaints about him.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu shook the disposable cup in his hand. The combined blood from him and Yukino Yukinoshita amounted to a tiny amount, probably gone in one sip if Takatsuki Izumi had drunk it.
Yet Luo Shu still handed the cup to Yukino Yukinoshita and said:
"Let Takatsuki Izumi try it."
Yukinoshita took the cup, walked over, and handed it to Takatsuki Izumi, saying:
"Give it a try."
Hearing this, Takatsuki Izumi gave Yukino Yukinoshita and Luo Shu a strange look before staring at the mixed blood in the cup, feeling somewhat peculiar.
'Why do I feel like I've become some kind of pet you two are jointly feeding?'
Though she mentally complained, Takatsuki Izumi still took the cup and, while the blood was still warm, downed it in one go. She even licked the rim a few times, smacking her lips.
Soon after, her eyes turned a drunken red like wine, but the phenomenon quickly faded.
Seeing this, Luo Shu remarked with some curiosity: "Seems the Devouring Evolution ability activated."
The conditions for Takatsuki Izumi's Devouring Evolution were simple—it only required ingesting living genetic material.
Blood clearly met this requirement, though whether it would trigger evolution was a matter of probability.
Before long, Takatsuki Izumi reopened her eyes, her gaze at Luo Shu carrying a faint hint of desire.
Unfazed, Luo Shu calmly asked:
"What ability did you gain?"
"A technique that activates upon eye contact—it temporarily increases the target's misfortune. Other than that, my memory seems slightly improved. I can recall things from the past more clearly now."
Luo Shu stroked his chin, pondering:
"So, you mainly absorbed my blood, with only a trace of Yukino's?"
"It seems this Devouring Evolution ability is also target-dependent. The stronger the target, the better the evolutionary nutrients obtained, even granting abilities resembling spells..."
Having reached this conclusion, Luo Shu temporarily set aside further analysis:
"A decent ability, though the detailed analysis should naturally be left to the research department."
As he spoke, Luo Shu opened a drawer containing documents, rummaged briefly, and placed a contract on the table:
"I believe I mentioned earlier that I had a task for you."
Takatsuki Izumi glanced curiously at the document Luo Shu had placed on the table, recognising it as the contract she had signed.
At this point, Luo Shu pushed the document forward and said:
"Here. Take this back and give it to Shizuka Hio. Have her sign it. If she refuses... eliminate her."
A dangerous smile crept onto Luo Shu's face:
"You should be capable of that now, shouldn't you?"
Hearing this, Takatsuki Izumi hopped off the sofa and approached Luo Shu's desk barefoot. After a brief pause, she picked up the contract and said:
"Just became a Vampire and already opposing my own Lord?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu merely smiled and said:
"The term 'Lord' is somewhat inappropriate here."
Takatsuki Izumi froze momentarily before chuckling wryly:
"True. After signing the contract with you, my connection with that was severed."
As she spoke, Takatsuki Izumi put away the contract and turned:
"Well then, await my good news, my new Lord."
With those words, Takatsuki Izumi departed directly.
After watching the door close, Luo Shu began clearing the table while saying:
"Yukino, I'm stepping out for a bit. Leave this place to you. If anyone from other departments comes looking, contact me by phone. If unreachable, use the internal comms system."
"I know." Standing nearby, Yukino Yukinoshita acknowledged before asking curiously: "Does the Director have another mission today?"
Luo Shu paused briefly before replying:
"No, I'm just going out to buy lunch bento, while taking some unauthorised leave to relax."
"Oh, and also to avoid Kurumi Tokisaki's main body so she can properly inspect our base. Well, just pretend you didn't hear that last part."
Yukino Yukinoshita was speechless.
'Buying lunch, skipping work, while letting enemy organisation members inspect the base...'
'What a truly exemplary Director you are...'