Third floor, waiting room.
The atmosphere was exceptionally tense, the source being Kirika Tachibana, who sat stiffly on the sofa with a darkened expression.
Ever since Luo Shu had taken Lacus and Kurumi Tokisaki underground, Tachibana had maintained this expression, as if someone owed her billions.
Thanks to this, both Eriri and Utaha sat rigidly on the sofa, not daring to move a muscle.
In contrast, Kisara, who had been ignoring Tachibana the entire time, and Yukino Yukinoshita, who busied herself serving tea, appeared relatively at ease.
As Tachibana sat there grim-faced, Meer, seated in a single armchair, picked up the black tea brought by Yukino and stuck out her tongue:
"Alright, Tachibana, drop the act. Luo Shu isn't even here. You're scaring the colleagues."
At these words, Tachibana's gloomy facade instantly crumbled. Her expression slackened as she rubbed her face to relax the muscles, then leaned lazily against the sofa back and crossed her legs:
"That brat, always coming up with some new trick to annoy me."
As she spoke, Kirika Tachibana lazily stretched her shoulders, giving them a few squeezes to relax her muscles before flopping onto the sofa like some pampered lord.
"Eh?" Eriri was somewhat dumbfounded by Tachibana's behaviour.
"What are you looking at, little girl?"
Kirika Tachibana couldn't help but laugh when she saw Eriri's expression:
"Did you really think I had such a big problem with Luo Shu?"
Hearing this, Utaha caught on and said with a strange expression:
"Were you just acting earlier?"
"What else?"
Kirika rolled her eyes, then said with some exasperation:
"Although it wasn't for long, Luo Shu came from the Operations Department, so he's technically my old subordinate."
"Him recruiting talent indirectly expands my connections, too. How stupid would I have to be to oppose that?"
"But you were just..." Eriri pointed at Kirika, completely baffled.
She'd thought Kirika looked like she wanted to skin Luo Shu alive earlier, but it was all an act?
Kirika gave Eriri a strange look, curious how this naive girl had been recruited by Luo Shu:
"If I didn't express some opposition, how would that Time Angel know how much pressure Luo Shu took on to recruit her?"
"If I don't play the villain, how can Lacus and Luo Shu play the good guys?"
"Learn a thing or two, little girl."
Kirika couldn't help but warn Eriri. Just from her expressions alone, it was obvious the girl had no cunning.
People like her joining the mystic side without proper backing would probably die the earliest and most miserable deaths.
At this moment, Meer, who was holding a cup of black tea nearby, said cheerfully:
"But Kirika, you didn't play the villain very well just now."
"And whose fault do you think that is?"
Kirika rolled her eyes and retorted irritably at Meer:
"I originally wanted to give that Time Angel some psychological pressure while reminding Lacus to pay attention to security issues."
"But then you had to go and say 'if you're sharing a bed, don't leave me out'. How desperate are you to get married?"
Hearing this, Meer blinked and said with an innocent expression:
"But if I don't have children before I'm 30, I'll lose my fertility completely."
"Eh?" The girls present were startled by this revelation.
Kirika could only helplessly explain:
"You've probably taken or heard of the Adjuster Drug, right?"
"Meer received the first-generation Adjuster Drug when the technology was very immature, so the side effects on fertility were quite severe."
She added:
"But don't worry, the latest version doesn't have this side effect anymore. You're all using the newest version."
Kisara had barely listened to the earlier conversation, only catching the fertility issue. Her eyes widened slightly:
"So that Lacus also has fertility problems?"
At this, Kirika and Meer both looked at Kisara with extremely subtle expressions.
While technically true, why did you have to look so triumphant about it?
"Isn't that the case?" Kisara asked somewhat guiltily.
Seeing her expression, Meer couldn't help but complain:
"Little Kisara, truly a demon!"
Kirika snorted and said irritably, "I should have advised Luo Shu to lock you up back then."
Though it was true, Kisara poking at such wounds was genuinely aggravating.
Hearing this, Kisara immediately lowered her head, adopting a posture of admitting fault.
"I see, fertility issues..." Utaha raised her eyebrows slightly, her leg involuntarily bouncing.
Though highly unethical, just like Kisara, she couldn't help feeling a flicker of secret delight upon hearing about the fertility problems.
After all, that Lacus Clyne was clearly deeply connected to Luo Shu, not to mention being his nominal superior and professional helpmeet. Utaha had genuinely worried about him being whisked away.
But now, while concerns remained, they'd at least diminished considerably.
Because she could conceive!!
Meanwhile, Eriri muttered to herself:
"Infertile... so they wouldn't need to buy condoms anymore? How convenient!"
The moment these words left her mouth, numerous pairs of eyes filled with utter bewilderment locked onto Eriri's face.
Under such intense scrutiny, Eriri grew somewhat flustered:
"...Why is everyone staring at me?"
Utaha let out a deep sigh, massaging her temples as she said:
"Sawamura-kun, I now sincerely believe Instructor or Luo Shu needs to conduct a home visit for you."
Just what kind of family could raise such a peculiar child?
As Utaha fretted, a sudden knocking echoed from the door.
Hearing this, Kirika Tachibana, who had been sprawled across the sofa, immediately straightened up, her face stern with an "I'm very angry" demeanour.
The door opened.
Luo Shu stepped through, leading Lacus and Kurumi Tokisaki inside.
Upon entering and seeing everyone properly seated around the U-shaped sofa, Luo Shu blinked in surprise:
"Huh? No one's gone crazy? Everyone's sitting here normally?"
As he spoke, he shot a puzzled glance at Kurumi Tokisaki.
The nearby Kurumi, who had falsely reported the situation, gazed innocently at the ceiling as if completely oblivious.
"What do you mean by 'gone crazy'? What nonsense are you talking about?"
Kirika gave Luo Shu a strange look before asking curiously:
"Speaking of which, what exactly were you discussing downstairs..."
Her words trailed off as she suddenly noticed the silver ring on Lacus's left middle finger - previously absent, now present. Her expression instantly became profoundly complicated.
A ring on the left middle finger typically symbolised engagement or being passionately in love, didn't it?
Just what had you three been doing downstairs!!!