[You're alone on office duty when someone comes to deliver gifts. A journalist witnesses this, and you can't reach leadership. What do you do?]
"Huh?"
[Uncle One goes to Uncle Two's house to tell Uncle Three that Uncle Four was tricked by Uncle Five into stealing 1000 yuan from Uncle Six's house - money that Uncle Seven placed in Uncle Eight's cabinet, which Uncle Nine borrowed from Uncle Ten to pay Uncle Eleven's salary. Who's the thief?]
[Animal rights activists report intercepting a truck carrying 200 dogs, but the driver's wife threatens suicide. What's your view?]
"Huh?"
"What kind of ridiculous exam questions are these?"
"Ayano, are you sure these are actual exam questions?"
Just as the girls were getting worked up—Snap!—The world fell silent.
Asuna Yuuki, tilting her head as if waking from a deep dream, slowly opened her eyes and stared blankly at the young man opposite her, sipping black tea, her mind completely muddled.
When Asuna opened her eyes, Nanase Kudō beside her instinctively wiped drool from her mouth and mumbled: "Ah? Morning already?"
At the same time, Yukari Shinomiya suddenly shuddered and jolted awake, looking around in confusion.
"All awake now?"
The sudden male voice made all three girls snap to attention, turning towards Luo Shu, who was sitting on the opposite sofa.
Crossing his legs while holding his teacup, Luo Shu smiled and said:
"Shall I remind you what just happened?"
"Just now?" Asuna blinked in confusion, then memories flooded back.
Earlier, led by Yukari Shinomiya, they'd been crouched in a car with a laptop, preparing to help Kannagi Ayano search for answers during her exam...
A sharp intake of breath—in an instant, Asuna remembered everything.
Memories submerged beneath consciousness surfaced in her mind.
From preparing to help cheat, to suddenly losing control of her body, actively leaving the car, circling around the street-front shops to the side, then entering the gate of the residential area at the back, walking past the surprised gazes of women who were clearly staff members, arriving on the 3rd floor, and finally sitting on the sofa where she was now.
Having pieced everything together, Asuna Yuuki's face turned pale, filled with fear, as if she'd seen a ghost.
No, this was literally seeing a ghost.
At least in Asuna Yuuki's view, it was as if she'd been possessed by a spirit just moments ago.
"It's not a ghost, just illusion magic."
Luo Shu seemed able to read Asuna's thoughts from her expression as he said with a smile:
"You should understand this, Asuna? Some games have illusion magic as part of their settings, right?"
"You just fell under Aya's illusion magic and were guided here without realising it."
"I see..." Asuna Yuuki immediately calmed down... or so one might think!
Why had she suddenly been hit by illusion magic and brought before Luo Shu?!
This was really weird!!
At that very moment, Nanase Kudō finally snapped out of her daze and exclaimed in shock:
"Wait a minute... were we just caught cheating?"
'Took you long enough...' Yukari Shinomiya silently complained in her head while sneaking a glance at Luo Shu.
As the one who proposed cheating in the first place, she desperately wanted to minimise her presence, yet she couldn't help asking Luo Shu:
"Um, Director... where's Ryuuya, who was supposed to drive us?"
Hearing this, Asuna Yuuki and Nanase Kudō finally realised the issue.
That's right... where was Ryuuya Kazamaki?
Luo Shu calmly set down his teacup upon hearing the question and lightly tapped the rosewood table twice.
Tap tap.
A tablet-sized projection screen materialised above the table.
On screen, footage of a room was displayed.
Ryuuya Kazamaki appeared in the feed.
Though his current state involved being tied to a chair with limbs bound, eyes blindfolded, and mouth gagged with a ball.
Seeing Ryuuya's pitiful condition, Asuna broke out in a cold sweat; Nanase let out a nervous laugh and fell silent, while Yukari didn't even dare to make a sound, frozen stiff in her seat.
Observing the now thoroughly cowed trio, Luo Shu picked up his black tea again and remarked casually:
"Care for some refreshments?"
"No thank you!" x3
All three girls refused in unison, shaking their heads like rattles.
Amused, Luo Shu smiled: "Since you're not drinking, let's discuss serious matters then."
"Whose idea was it to cheat during an exam under my supervision?"
The moment he finished speaking, three hands shot up simultaneously - yet in a bizarre twist, each girl pointed at herself.
All three froze upon realising this.
'Bloody hell... all three had the same thought about taking the fall?'
This unexpected development made Luo Shu pause briefly before he chuckled:
"So all three were involved?"
Er... Asuna blinked in momentary confusion before hurriedly biting her lip:
"It was my idea! Nanase and Yukari were following orders..."
Nanase opened her mouth to protest, but Asuna elbowed her sharply:
"Nanase only helped because she couldn't refuse me, same with Yukari - I persuaded them. The main responsibility is mine."
Seeing Asuna's obvious attempt to shoulder all blame, Luo Shu nodded:
"In that case, this simplifies matters."
He snapped his fingers.
Nanase and Yukari's eyelids suddenly grew heavy, and they slumped against Asuna in sleep.
Feeling them collapse, Asuna gasped and instinctively wrapped her arms around them, letting them lean on her shoulders before staring wide-eyed at Luo Shu.
Who now regarded her with an amused smile:
"For interrogations, questioning the mastermind alone suffices, no?"
Asuna gulped. Still supporting the unconscious Nanase and Yukari, she could only brace herself and apologise:
"I'll take responsibility."
"You?" Luo Shu narrowed his eyes, regarding Asuna with mocking amusement: "Take responsibility?"
"...C-can't I?" Asuna's voice instantly grew smaller, sounding thoroughly chastened.
She had never been particularly strong-willed to begin with, especially after making mistakes in version 3.0. Facing Luo Shu's judgement, she could barely muster any will to resist.
Having grown up under her parents' oppressive control, she found it nearly impossible to defy authority figures.
And in Asuna Yuuki's eyes now, Luo Shu—the Director of the Hidden Management Department and a prominent figure in the mystic side—was the very embodiment of authority.
Seeing the timid Asuna Yuuki, Luo Shu smiled:
"Of course you can!"
"But since you want to take responsibility, Asuna, you should know what to expect, right?"
His face was filled with meaningful implications as he spoke.
Seeing Luo Shu's suggestive expression, Asuna Yuuki's heart began to sink.
Why did she feel like her innocence was about to be compromised?
No way...
Watching the smile on Luo Shu's face, Asuna Yuuki's heart plummeted to the depths.