"I believe you."
Sharon smiled at Luo Shu while watching Mahiru Shiina's retreating figure.
"I saw that girl earlier at the convenience store, getting soaked in the rain."
"Hmm?" Luo Shu looked genuinely surprised at this.
He glanced down at the transparent umbrella in his hand, then up again to see Sharon holding an identical one.
"How so?" Luo Shu asked curiously.
"After seeing her, the eyes you bestowed alerted me to her uniqueness, so I deliberately struck up a conversation and suggested she could borrow an umbrella from the store."
"Oh, and at that convenience store, these umbrellas are provided free of charge - they just need to be returned afterwards."
Sharon swayed the transparent umbrella in her hand and smiled at Luo Shu as she said:
"That child will probably come back for the umbrella, right? Or maybe buy an identical one nearby to return instead?"
"How about it? Shall we bet on a fateful encounter?"
Luo Shu rolled his eyes at these words:
"Alright, alright, I remember promising to go shopping with you, so no need to remind me again."
The part about coming back for the umbrella was somewhat reasonable, but the latter was clearly half-guessing, half-reminding him.
'So what if I had to handle some business at the park when I'd promised to go shopping with you?'
'Petty woman.'
"You could have forgotten." Though Sharon said this, her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Sigh."
Luo Shu exhaled as he rose from the sofa, saying:
"Next is buying daily necessities, right?"
He asked because Sakura Apartments had standard furnishings—fridge, washing machine, air conditioning—so personal purchases would mainly be daily essentials and clothes, plus kitchenware and seasonings if one cooked.
"Let me see, which chain store is nearest..."
Luo Shu stood up, opened his umbrella, and took out his phone to search for nearby shops selling daily goods.
Meanwhile, Sharon watched him holding the umbrella, hesitated, then folded her own and squeezed beside him, saying:
"You should place your hand here."
She pointed to her right shoulder with a playful smile:
"As the girl about to share an umbrella with you, surely you won't deny me this small privilege?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu's gaze wavered slightly. After a silent pause, he glanced around to confirm their surroundings, then wordlessly slipped his arm behind Sharon's back, resting it on her shoulder to pull her close.
"By the way, are you planning to cook at home?"
Luo Shu tried diverting Sharon's attention from his hand.
"Want to taste my cooking?" Sharon arched her willow-leaf brows, smiling: "If you don't mind emergency field rations, I wouldn't mind giving it a try."
'Ah, so she can't cook.'
Luo Shu instantly understood, continuing the topic shift as he guided her toward Shiba Park's exit:
"Speaking of which, the Familia base has added a new Dream Simulation Chamber. It can theoretically create versions of ourselves performing at peak ability—quite handy for mastering Class abilities."
"I see, so this was why you claimed earlier you needed some alone time?"
Sharon quickly pieced things together:
"The Time Angel's addition to the Familia brought this change?"
"That one must be quite special indeed."
Hearing this, Luo Shu recalled that Sharon's faith wasn't in Europe's Christian system but in another world's Star Church—now redirected to him—so he explained:
"Kurumi Tokisaki's ability is fundamentally high-tier, approaching the power of the Christian God."
He couldn't elaborate further, as that involved Kurumi's secrets.
"The Christian God?"
Sharon showed sudden understanding:
"Her abilities seem to involve time manipulation... no wonder they're so troublesome."
Despite her composed tone, Sharon's emotions were far from calm.
After Kurumi Tokisaki became a Familia member, the stronger she grew, the more difficult it would be for Sharon to repay that arrow of vengeance. In a way, this was somewhat unfortunate news for Sharon.
The two of them shared an umbrella as they arrived at the nearest supermarket.
After hanging both umbrellas at the entrance, Luo Shu calmly asked as they entered the store:
"Quilts, sheets, duvet covers, pillows – these are all essentials. If we use the Astronomy Club as a middleman, buying them here and having them delivered to my place before bringing them downstairs to you shouldn't be too troublesome."
"So don't worry about bulky items when shopping."
"As for toiletries, what brands do you use? Are you used to electric toothbrushes? Oh, and which toothpaste brand do you normally use?"
"What about cosmetics? Any preferred brands or allergies to be aware of?"
"Hmm..." Sharon pondered for a moment before tilting her head: "I usually just grab whatever brand catches my eye first."
"..."
Luo Shu stared at Sharon speechlessly before finally asking: "If I may ask... who taught you about daily necessities..."
"The nuns at the church, though the lessons often devolved into discussions about how to use items like toothbrushes as lethal weapons."
Sharon answered cheerfully, but Luo Shu found her response rather unsettling.
"Then if I may ask... about sanitary pads..."
Sharon placed a hand on her hip, giving him a look that said, 'What do you take me for?'
"I do have proper knowledge about those things."
"Alright, I understand."
Luo Shu didn't believe a single word of it and had already decided to ask Mira to guide this nun after she moved into Sakura Apartments. After all, there were some things he, as a guy, genuinely didn't understand.
'Though come to think of it, living a rougher life than most guys yet still looking this beautiful... superpowers really were convenient, weren't they?'
As Luo Shu mentally complained about this, he led Sharon around a corner of the store – only to lock eyes with a flaxen-haired girl browsing umbrellas there.
"You've got to be kidding me." Luo Shu couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"Well, well!"
Sharon's lips curled slightly as she looked amusedly at the surprised Mahiru Shiina:
"Seems I guessed correctly."