On the question of Lucas Reeve's "ownership."
No one was willing to back down.
At this moment, inside the massive Host club, the air conditioner was clearly set very, very low. But for some reason, it felt like a boiling steamer. Waves of scorching heat annihilated the cool air pouring from the vents and swept through the entire establishment.
Many customers looked around, confused. Some of the heavier patrons, unable to stand it, were already drenched in sweat and shouting.
"Is this damn place going broke? You can't even afford to turn on the AC?"
The staff, frightened, hurried around to check the air conditioning. However, the central control panel showed no problems; it clearly indicated it was cooling.
Surtr's body was constantly emitting heat. It was precisely Surtr's power that had turned the entire club into a giant steamer. Crimson flames burned on her palms, and the hard synthetic glass table she was pressing on was gradually melting.
Surtr didn't submit to anyone—except Jessica.
After all...
Jessica was here first, and Jessica took care of her food, clothing, and shelter.
"Oho~"
"Miss Surtr, you like Mr. Reeve too? My apologies, I actually failed to notice before. Of course, when you like someone, you have to say it right away. If you don't say it, how will Mr. Reeve ever know what's in your heart?"
A sly smile lifted the corners of Laurentina's lips.
She had just said the words Surtr had been holding back, wanting to say but not daring to.
Instantly.
Surtr's face turned red.
Her eyes gradually turned a deep, crimson gold, and her body temperature climbed even higher.
"Hmm~"
Laurentina hmm'd, releasing the power within her body. Like a mountain flood bursting through a dam, the faint phantom of a deep blue shark roamed behind her.
Seawater and flames clashed, and only then did the temperature in the hall begin to drop.
"I just spoke the truth. Why are you angry, Miss Surtr? Or could it be... you don't like Mr. Reeve?"
Laurentina said this deliberately.
In reality, having lived at Jessica's house for so long, although she seemed carefree and even a bit neurotic, she was incredibly perceptive. She knew exactly who liked Lucas Reeve.
Jessica liked him, no doubt about that. And of course, no one posed any threat to Jessica.
Franka seemed to like him too, but she didn't show it much. Instead, she deliberately got close to Lucas Reeve under the guise of a "buddy" relationship. This was not a good sign.
Ceobe?
Ceobe probably couldn't even tell the difference between romantic love and familial affection, so she was ignored. The other children were also ignored. As for the girls from the Reunion Movement, Laurentina had only heard Jessica and Lucas Reeve mention them; she'd never met them, so she couldn't comment.
Then there was Surtr...
Anyone could see that Surtr liked Lucas Reeve.
However...
No matter where they were, Surtr's presence was too low, so low it was almost pitiful.
In the villa.
Surtr was more like a shadow. Wherever Lucas Reeve was, she would follow. But she never said much, unlike Ceobe who would act spoiled in Lucas Reeve's arms, or Jessica who would openly hold his hand, or Franka who would pretend to be 'bros' and sling an arm over his shoulder.
Even a Divine Fragment like Nian often took the initiative to find Lucas Reeve to discuss scripts or drag him out for hot pot.
Even a shut-in like Dusk would sometimes come downstairs and invite Lucas Reeve to play games.
Only Surtr had almost no interaction with Lucas Reeve on a daily basis. She followed him like a shadow, but she wasn't conspicuous and was easily overlooked.
Laurentina, naturally, saw all of this.
She looked at Surtr slyly. She was forcing Surtr to say it out loud.
"I... you..."
Right now.
Surtr's brain seemed to have crashed. If they were in an open area, she would have already summoned Laevatain and struck Laurentina. But with Surtr's current power, one strike would completely destroy this Host club.
"Silly girl, how can you not say it? If you don't, who will know your feelings? If you still refuse to say it, be careful, or I might just steal Mr. Reeve away~"
Laurentina licked her ruby lips, looking incredibly alluring.
The battle seemed to intensify. Divine power and the power of the deep sea clashed. The pressure instantly shattered everyone's wine glasses on the table with several *bangs*. The bottle of wine, worth over two hundred thousand, also exploded, splashing alcohol everywhere.
Tsukimiyo, who hadn't left immediately and was watching the show from the side, now stared wide-eyed.
"!!!!"
My!!
My wine!!
However, the wine didn't matter. Although expensive, with Tsukimiyo's current income, it was nothing.
What shocked him most was that these two beautiful girls were actually confronting each other over this man.
And...
It's so hot!!
Tsukimiyo looked fearfully at the red-haired girl and the alluring silver-haired girl. The aura from these two made his legs tremble; he was, after all, just an ordinary person.
He could feel it.
The rise in temperature throughout the club was caused by this red-haired girl.
Originium Arts???
Are there Originium Arts this ridiculous?
What kind of monster... And the other silver-haired girl was a monster too, with a shark phantom behind her! Except for the two girls huddled in the corner watching the show, the others were all perfectly calm, meaning their strength wasn't inferior at all, perhaps even greater.
F***!!
Tsukimiyo's expression as he looked at Lucas Reeve completely changed.
Before, he thought this guy was just some gigolo bigshot.
Now, it looked like...
This guy was the founding patriarch of all gigolos!!
Surtr stared intently at Laurentina.
Magallan and Angelina, the two ordinary people, hid silently to the side. They couldn't get involved in this kind of divine showdown. Nian watched the show, while Skadi was inwardly displeased and really wanted to join the fight, but was held back by Nian, standing there blankly and watching the drama. As the man in the middle, Lucas Reeve sat silently, not speaking, not moving, not even breathing, trying his best to reduce his presence.
After all, in this kind of situation, the best strategy was to say nothing.
Any well-intentioned comment could be misunderstood and draw fire upon himself. It was just like on certain social media apps—when something big happens, never say anything. Play dead. Even if you speak reasonably, remain neutral, and stack your comment full of disclaimers, your meaning can be twisted, attracting the flame artists.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Surtr kept taking deep breaths. For someone like her, who wasn't good with words and was incredibly *tsundere*, Laurentina was a natural predator.
"If you don't say anything, I'll just assume you don't like him~"
Laurentina's lips curled up.
Surtr finally snapped. She gave a cold hmph.
"I like him, alright!"
It was as if those few words used up all of Surtr's remaining patience and sense of shame.
After speaking, Surtr's flaming fist was already in front of Laurentina's face.
For an honest, *tsundere* person who isn't good with words, trying to verbally counter a silver-tongued, black-bellied person is a bad idea. You're 100% not their match and will just give yourself high blood pressure. The best way...
Is to punch them in the f***ing face!!
Surtr seemed to put her full strength into this punch. After all, with her personality, she would never have said something so direct. But forced by Laurentina's words into saying something so embarrassing, the mortified Surtr lashed out directly at Laurentina.
Surtr was different from other girls.
Other girls, when "socially dead", would at most cover their faces and hide. But Surtr... she would actually throw hands.
This punch carried immense power.
But the moment the punch was thrown...
The whistling wind of the fist exploded throughout the Host club. Many of the customers, who were already sweaty and hormonal from the heat, were terrified by the bomb-like shockwave, scrambling to their feet and running for the exit.
Tsukimiyo quickly shrank to the side, watching silently.
*BOOM!!*
Laurentina used all her strength to block Surtr's flame fist with her palm.
In an instant.
Laurentina was pushed back half a step, and the clean, smooth tile floor *crunched* and caved in, cracking apart.
As for the club's owner, he and Tsukimiyo hid to the side, terrified these two deities fighting would demolish his poor little shop.
Outside the club.
An ugly evil spirit hid its body in the night, then transformed into a handsome man in a corner and walked out.
The evil spirit's lips curled in a sly smile. It looked at the Host club; today, it would feast again.
It fed on the sorrowful emotions of women and had lived in this city for many, many years. Because it only fed on emotions and never harmed people, it naturally hadn't attracted the attention of the Onmyōji. It chose Host clubs because many of the women who came were emotionally frustrated and looking for comfort. So, it disguised itself as a handsome man, mingling in various Host clubs to find targets and strengthen itself.
"My food, I have arrived."
The evil spirit strutted toward the Host club. However, just as it was about to open the door, before its hand even touched the handle, the main door burst open. Countless customers and hosts fled from inside like a school of escaping fish, colliding with the evil spirit and knocking it staggering to the ground.
The evil spirit got up confused, dusted off its clothes, and frowned slightly.
What's the situation today?
Why are so many people coming out at once? Is there an event today?
As one of the top Hosts in this club, second only to Tsukimiyo, how could he not know about an event?
Did something happen?
Everyone else was running out, but this evil spirit walked right in.
Afraid?
How could that be.
He was an evil spirit!
An evil spirit that had cultivated for many years, possessing full self-awareness and great power. He had hidden in Higashi for decades... not daring to kill a single person, only daring to devour emotions, terrified of attracting the attention of the Onmyōji. Now, his power was at the pinnacle among evil spirits; ordinary Onmyōji were no match for him.
In his opinion.
There were few places left in this world for him to fear. His power was unimaginable to mortals.
Hmph!
The evil spirit slowly pushed open the door. Others ran out, he walked in—against the tide, he entered the club.
The moment he opened the door.
A scorching heat wave washed over him, making his spirit-body scream.
Evil spirits can see forces mortals cannot.
When he saw clearly...
He saw a giant flame-titan phantom and a massive shark phantom wrestling for dominance.
And beside them, a giant orca phantom and a giant dragon phantom were watching the show.
And in the center, a humanoid phantom flickering with golden light sat silently, not saying a word.
"!!!!"
F***!!
"Farewell!!"
The evil spirit's defenses shattered instantly. The foot that had just stepped inside quietly retracted. He closed the door and fled, running so fast he could have carried a train.
Surtr, naturally, wasn't going to *really* fight Laurentina.
Surtr might be quiet, but she wasn't stupid. She knew the other woman was helping her.
It was just that this method of "helping" was far too embarrassing.
After exchanging two blows, the power radiating from their bodies slowly receded. The Host club, which had resembled an ancient battlefield, returned to normal. The owner and Tsukimiyo, shivering in a distant stairwell, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
One was the owner, heartbroken; the other was a shareholder, also a bit heartbroken.
"Hehe, you finally admitted it."
Laurentina retracted her power and sidled up to Surtr. "You were playing tough before."
"Hmph!"
Surtr snorted. "None of your business!"
However, when she looked at Lucas Reeve, she remembered what she'd just said and blushed again.
Lucas Reeve looked around, mentally calculating how much compensation he owed.
Luckily, they hadn't truly fought, or this club would have been 100% destroyed. Just one exchanged blow had shattered and buckled the floor, melted a table, burned a sofa, and left scorch marks on the decorative wooden pillars. Calculating it all... he'd probably have to pay several hundred thousand.
"Who's the owner?"
Lucas Reeve looked toward the two people peeking their heads out from the stairwell.
Tsukimiyo looked at the owner beside him, but the owner didn't dare come out. He nudged Tsukimiyo with his elbow. To open this kind of Host club, the owner had to be a tough guy, connected to both high society and the underworld. But... no matter how tough, he was still just human!!
Those people opposite him were deities...
Finally.
The owner and Tsukimiyo walked out together.
"Sorry, my companions got a little excited just now... had a small fight... How much is the total compensation?"
Lucas Reeve said apologetically.
The owner glanced at the shattered floor, the melted table and sofa, and the wooden pillars that were smoldering from within. He swallowed, trembling.
"How could we possibly ask you to pay! It was our poor hospitality."
Tsukimiyo nodded beside him. His gaze toward Lucas Reeve had changed. Before, it was admiration; now, it was worship.
This guy's gigolo game!!
It's too strong!
If he had been in the middle of that, he'd have collapsed to the floor in terror. But this guy was so calm and collected.
Strong!!
"Hey! Boss, what are you saying? I'm not short on money. Tell me the actual cost."
"Err... in total... sixty... oh no, sixty thousand."
"Fine."
Lucas Reeve made an awkward phone call. Because he had no money at all. Between all of them, these gods couldn't scrounge up ten bucks.
A little while later.
The manager of the Raythean Industries Higashi branch, woken from his sleep by a call from headquarters, rushed over, bringing a neat stack of one million in cash to Lucas Reeve. Lucas Reeve generously paid the one million, with the extra as compensation for emotional distress.
Before, Lucas Reeve felt a bit embarrassed using Jessica's money.
But now...
He was used to it...
Besides, he had given Raythean Industries and Raythean Medica invaluable technology, worth well over a hundred billion. Using a little money seemed fine.
Wait?
Raythean Industries!!
Tsukimiyo suddenly recalled hearing that man make a call to someone named Jessica, and then someone from Raythean Industries showed up!!
F***!!
Not only does he have a bunch of powerful monster-women, he's also connected to bigwigs at Raythean Industries!!
The true founding patriarch of gigolos!!
Compared to him, I'm nothing.