At 7 p.m., in the Akihabara district, Tokyo, the headquarters of the Hidden Management Department.
Luo Shu, who had driven over, parked his car in the first-floor garage before carrying a gift box and a plastic bag containing the goldfish to the elevator, where he pressed the call button.
The elevator button lit up, and the doors soon slid open.
Just as Luo Shu was about to step inside, he froze in surprise at the sight of Yukino Yukinoshita, holding her bag and about to exit.
"Yukino?"
"Minister?"
Yukino Yukinoshita was surprised to see Luo Shu. After briefly scanning him and noticing what he was holding, she asked in astonishment:
"Has something urgent come up?"
"Not really." Luo Shu responded before glancing at Yukino's casual attire and raising his own eyebrows: "You've been working overtime until now?"
"Yes."
Yukino stepped out of the elevator as she calmly explained:
"The Research Department delivered many pieces of equipment today, which took some time to receive. Additionally, there was the documentation for special items being stored in the management area... Before I knew it, I'd worked until 8:37."
Hearing this, Luo Shu nodded in understanding while lifting the wooden box in his hand:
"Hungry? Want some dessert?"
"I've had my bento." Yukino glanced at the box, noticing its different style from the ones Kisara usually prepared, and slightly raised an eyebrow: "Where did you buy this lunchbox, Minister?"
Luo Shu replied carelessly:
"My blind date gave it to me. The kind you can't refuse even if you wanted to."
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Luo Shu asked curiously, touching his cheek.
Yukino sighed helplessly and took out her notebook and pen:
"The itinerary you asked me to report - if you want to make changes, please inform me promptly. Otherwise, it will be troublesome to verify with headquarters."
"By the way, submitting the schedule on the same day generally doesn't count as a violation, so..."
Seeing this, Luo Shu teased: "You adapt to this temporary secretary role quite quickly, don't you?"
Yukino paused momentarily before realising what he meant, her expression turning to surprise:
"A family dinner with the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries?"
"Yeah." Luo Shu sighed and complained, "Met all three of Minister Fujiwara's daughters at once. Even this dessert was a gift from the eldest daughter. Funny, isn't it?"
Yukino gave Luo Shu a look that spoke volumes. She had initially thought he'd gone on a blind date despite his ambiguous relationships with Miss Kasumigaoka and Miss Kisara - truly scummy behaviour. But it turned out he'd been tricked into it?
While she felt some sympathy for Luo Shu, she couldn't help finding it somewhat amusing:
"Miss Kisara would probably be furious if she found out?"
Luo Shu glared at Yukino - this girl really knew how to hit where it hurt:
"She didn't know it would turn out like this. And you'd better not mention it either."
Without waiting for Yukino's response, he continued:
"Given Kisara's personality, if she knew about this, she'd definitely suspect I'm keeping a dozen women on the side."
"...In a way, that's completely undeniable." Yukino only needed to consider Kisara's jealous nature briefly to know Luo Shu wasn't exaggerating.
Of course, based on her recent observations of Kisara, the demon's eventual reaction would probably be some melodramatic soap opera logic, such as 'As long as he doesn't bring them home and doesn't divorce me, Shu-kun still loves me.'
That demon's head probably only contained the word 'romance', didn't it?
Yukino's gaze swept over what Luo Shu was holding. The dessert box was understandable, but why was there also a bag of goldfish?
Hearing this, a smile immediately appeared on Luo Shu's face:
"If you're not having dessert, I'll enjoy it myself. As for the fish, I suppose I'll need you to register it."
Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita's expression shifted slightly. As the sole clerical staff of the Hidden Management Department, there was only one type of item worth mentioning by Luo Shu for registration.
Did the goldfish in Luo Shu's hand require registration and storage? Was it a living Abyss Artefact? Or perhaps a non-human entity that needed confinement in the Hidden Management Zone?
Why would the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have such restricted items in his home?
With these thoughts, Yukino couldn't help but ask:
"Is Minister Fujiwara unwell?"
Luo Shu, however, wore an amused smile as he replied:
"I went over and took a quick look—naturally, he's fine."
"Of course, under normal circumstances, Mr. Fujiwara would probably clean out the miscellaneous items in his house... unless he's got a donkey for brains."
"Understood."
With that, she turned around, pressed the elevator button again, and stepped inside, asking:
"Do you need me to accompany you for the storage procedure?"
Luo Shu considered for a moment before nodding:
"Sure, you might as well get used to it."
The two then boarded the elevator, headed to the third floor, and transferred to another elevator that took them down to the underground Hidden Management Zone.
"Now then, Mr. Fish Demon, would you mind stepping forward and explaining yourself?"
As the words fell.
Inside the plastic bag, a goldfish blew a few bubbles.
Under Luo Shu's patient waiting and Yukino Yukinoshita's watchful gaze, the atmosphere froze at that moment.