"Hello~"
In the open-top sports car, a girl with shoulder-length hair and wine-red eyes leaned against the door, greeting Luo Shu:
"Long time no see, Director Luo. Did you miss me?"
Hearing this, Kisara immediately bristled, glaring fiercely at Haruno Yukinoshita while thinking: 'Another vixen.'
At that moment, Luo Shu saw Haruno's smiling face and tentatively asked:
"Are you visiting the police station tomorrow?"
Haruno seemed momentarily surprised before grinning at Luo Shu:
"Don't worry, I drove perfectly fine. Well... except where the cameras can't see."
Hearing this, Luo Shu immediately understood that this woman had definitely been speeding.
Considering their earlier phone conversation, Luo Shu couldn't resist teasing:
"Haruno really dotes on her little sister."
Haruno showed no embarrassment at this, instead countering:
"If Yukino-chan were Director Luo's sister, wouldn't you do the same?"
"Different." Luo Shu shook his head. "If I were you, Mrs. Yukinoshita would probably break my legs."
"Eh?"
Haruno blinked in surprise before catching Luo Shu's implication, her face flushing slightly.
"A brother who makes moves on his sister? How utterly despicable."
"Which is why you should be glad I'm not your brother."
As he spoke, Luo Shu pinched Kisara's cheek to change the pouting girl's expression.
Then he said to Haruno:
"Need me to provide professional camera equipment later?"
"Ta-da~!"
Haruno waved her Sony camera with a grin:
"I came fully prepared!"
'You're actually serious about this, Haruno...'
Luo Shu sighed before taking Kisara's hand and saying:
"Let's go up together then."
Haruno turned off the engine and stepped out, glancing at the sulking Kisara before chuckling:
"Showing hostility to every potential rival will only make your beloved dislike you."
Kisara paused, eyeing Haruno suspiciously:
"You sound oddly experienced?"
"Could it be..." Kisara suddenly realised something and tentatively asked, "Have you been disliked by someone you cherish?"
Haruno's expression froze instantly.
After all, Yukino Yukinoshita currently despised her elder sister...
"HAHAHA!"
Luo Shu burst out laughing ahead of them:
"Getting countered by Kisara? How lame, Haruno!!"
Haruno's cheek twitched before she huffed:
"How cruel. I was just offering friendly advice."
Quickening her pace to catch up, she added:
"Also, calling a girl by her first name after only two meetings? Director Luo is surprisingly forward."
Hearing this, Luo Shu slightly turned his head to look at Haruno.
At that moment, Haruno Yukinoshita revealed a flawless smile and said:
"However, I don't dislike it at all!!"
Hearing this, Kisara, who had been trotting alongside, muttered:
"Why do I smell a lie?"
Haruno's expression froze for an instant, but quickly returned to normal.
This detail naturally didn't escape Luo Shu's notice.
He glanced at Haruno Yukinoshita with a faint smile, leading her to the elevator. After pressing the button for the third floor, he chuckled softly:
"Deliberately humouring me for Yukino's sake? What a devoted elder sister."
Hearing this, Haruno Yukinoshita replied without changing her expression:
"Oh? Does the director really think everything I say is a lie?"
"Yes!" Luo Shu nodded in admission.
Seeing Luo Shu like this, Haruno could neither laugh nor cry.
"Apologies, but I don't trust a single word from mature women at all."
Having just been teased by Sayuri Sawamura, Luo Shu was currently hypersensitive.
Moreover, his understanding of Haruno Yukinoshita was that she was a politician groomed through elite education - in other words, a professional liar.
He didn't believe half a word she said.
Hearing this, Haruno studied Luo Shu carefully before asking curiously:
"Come to think of it, I've had this feeling before."
"Has the director met me somewhere? Or perhaps... knows me quite well?"
As the elevator doors opened, Luo Shu smiled and said:
"Nothing leaves no trace."
"In this world, there are many ways to understand a person."
Hearing this, Haruno immediately understood:
"The intelligence-gathering capabilities of the mystic side? That's rather terrifying."
No wonder she felt Luo Shu seemed so familiar with her and treated both her and Yukino so well - he'd clearly researched them beforehand.
This realisation also made Haruno suspect whether the previous demon attack had been staged, but she wasn't foolish enough to voice such speculation.
...
The three soon arrived at the room. When the door opened, Haruno, holding the camera, froze in shock.
"Sister?"
Yukino Yukinoshita, sitting on the sofa massaging her temples, looked at the trio at the door in surprise:
"Why are you here? And with the Director?"
Haruno stood dejectedly with the camera, gazing pitifully at Luo Shu.
She'd specifically gone to buy this camera at a store before rushing over, only to find Yukino already awake?
"This is just bullying!"
Luo Shu's lips twitched in equal surprise. He couldn't help looking at Yukino:
"When I returned earlier and found you all drunk on the floor, I used your phones to call your families."
"That's why Haruno came."
As he spoke, Luo Shu shot Haruno a meaningful glance.
While Haruno didn't fully grasp the implications, she at least understood that there would be compensation.
Though excited at the prospect of getting drunk photos of Yukino, Haruno simultaneously became more guarded.
Wanting the photos herself yet wary of Luo Shu's actions - such was the contradictory nature of this devoted elder sister.
"So that's what happened... but the alcohol..."
Yukino looked at the now clean table. The remnants of their gathering had been cleared away by Kisara and Luo Shu, though she still remembered:
Yukino rubbed her chin suspiciously:
"Could it have been that amazake? No wonder we got drunk."
"Fortunately, because it was quite sweet, I didn't drink much. Otherwise..."
Yukino Yukinoshita glanced warily at Haruno. Just as Haruno knew what Yukino would do when drunk, Yukino was equally aware that if Haruno caught her in that state, something unpleasant would inevitably happen.
Haruno Yukinoshita had no shortage of blackmail material on Yukino.
"Thankfully, I woke up in time."
Muttering softly, Yukino Yukinoshita surveyed the room and was surprised to find only herself and the unconscious Utaha remaining:
"Has Eriri-san already been picked up by her family?"
"Yeah, her mother came by earlier," Luo Shu explained as he approached Yukino. "How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"
"Rather than discomfort... It's more like an unexpected lightness?"
Yukino Yukinoshita described her sensations with precision:
"It's like waking from a deep sleep to birds singing outside the window—that kind of refreshing ease."
Luo Shu chuckled at her response. "No need to describe it so accurately."
'Wasn't it you who asked?' Though Yukino didn't voice it, her eyes conveyed the sentiment clearly.
At that moment, Luo Shu gestured towards Haruno Yukinoshita with a smile:
"No problem going home with your sister, right?"
Haruno immediately put on a pitiful expression upon hearing this.
Yukino could only sigh in exasperation.
They were sisters—who knew each other better than family?
Yet faced with Haruno's pleading look, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. It was a reasonable request after all.
Truth be told, Yukino felt somewhat embarrassed about getting drunk at headquarters. Since Luo Shu had given permission to leave, it was best to depart now.
"I understand."
As Yukino stood up, Luo Shu suddenly remembered something:
"Remember to come by at 9 AM tomorrow. The recent Abyss expedition yielded good results—lots of data needs recording."
"...Understood." Yukino glanced at Haruno, hesitated briefly, then nodded.
After the sisters left one after another, Luo Shu scratched his head and opened his phone. He sent Haruno a few sleeping photos of Yukino he'd taken earlier, muttering:
"Wouldn't have taken these if Haruno hadn't mentioned it. Though if Yukino found out, she'd probably hate me, right?"
Nearby, Kisara seemed to struggle with whether to speak.
She wanted to say being hated would be ideal, but the thought of Luo Shu being disliked by Yukino Yukinoshita made her indignant—why should he be the one disliked? Shouldn't it be Luo Shu who got to dislike her instead?
Just then, Kisara heard two crisp clicks of the camera shutter.
"Eh?"
Blinking in surprise, she looked up to see Luo Shu photographing her with his phone.
"Not bad at all—that adorable conflicted expression just now."
Smiling, Luo Shu set the new photo as his wallpaper. "My collection thanks you for the contribution!"
"Mmm!!"
Kisara puffed her cheeks in irritation, shooting Luo Shu a coquettish glare:
"Shu-kun, really! You didn't give me any warning at all."
"Wouldn't have captured that expression if I had."
Luo Shu grinned and took Kisara's hand.
"Alright, let's set that aside for now. It's time to deal with the spoils from this Abyss expedition. We need to inspect and store everything in the management area properly."
"Understood. I'll do my best to assist."
Utaha, lying on the sofa, suddenly furrowed her brows before gradually relaxing them and sinking into a deep sleep.
...
Early morning.
On a large white Simmons bed.
Eriri let out a soft groan as she slowly opened her eyes, only to be met with Sayuri Sawamura's gentle smile lying beside her.
Eriri blinked in confusion, then yawned sleepily:
"Good morning, Mum!"
"Good morning, Eriri!"
Sayuri's smile gradually brightened, becoming radiant.