A moment of silence passed as Luo Shu stared deeply at Kasumigaoka Utaha before replying, "Even if I'm only a half-baked god right now, something like a 'first time' is still off limits. I won't take it."
Utaha's expression twitched slightly, and she let out a helpless sigh. "So should I be thanking you, my dear Lord God?"
"No need for thanks—just give me a reason to stay." Luo Shu said as he sat back down on the couch, his actions speaking louder than his words.
Seriously now, if a beautiful girl whose looks were entirely his type invited him to stay the night at her house and he refused, he'd have to go to the hospital the next day to check whether anything was wrong with his lower half.
Even though Utaha knew deep down that she probably shouldn't let him stay, she couldn't help how rattled she felt right now. "You mentioned it earlier—about investigating the monster that's been chasing us, right?" She paused, then asked cautiously, "So… that thing isn't some rare, one-off case?"
When she brought up the monstrous rat-like creature, Luo Shu immediately caught on and nodded, then explained, "You're the one who reminded me of that, actually."
"I reminded you?" Utaha blinked in confusion, frowning as she tried to recall their earlier conversations.
"That time when we were trapped in the alley," Luo Shu prompted bluntly, "you mentioned how the monster looked like one of those radiation-mutated animals featured on TV programs. Remember?"
"Oh—right, the morning Asahi News..." Utaha suddenly recalled something, quickly pulled out her phone, and searched the news archives. Soon, she brought up a broadcast from TV Asahi's morning report and placed her phone on the table between them.
Displayed on the small screen was a headline: 'All Radiation-Mutated Creatures from the Outlying Islands Around Tokyo Have Been Captured, Says Police.'
Luo Shu looked up and met her gaze.
Utaha's expression turned uneasy. "So, there were a lot of those creatures... and they haven't all been captured, have they?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Luo Shu replied with a smirk, as if he were explaining common sense. "Rule number one of politics: any official denial in an emergency should always be interpreted from the opposite angle."
"So, what they really meant was, 'They haven't captured all the mutated creatures—but we want the public to think we did.'" Utaha summarized sharply, and then, without thinking, grabbed Luo Shu's hand.
He glanced down at her hand holding his and gave it a gentle tug—not really trying to break free. Sure enough, she held on tightly.
With a sigh, Luo Shu looked up and said, "I'm not sleeping on the couch."
"There are two rooms in my house... but no, if one of those monsters shows up again, and you're in the next room, I'm not sure you'll make it in time." The memory of being chased for blocks by that rat-beast still haunted her. Utaha gritted her teeth and said, "You take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."
"Deal." Luo Shu gently patted her hand and then finally let go.
"By the way," he added, "I'm kind of picky when it comes to accommodations. I'll need a midnight snack, a hot shower, toiletries, breakfast—and a bento for lunch tomorrow."
Hearing this list of demands, Utaha felt like she'd invited a living god into her home... which, technically, she had. "Fine, I'll take care of all of that," she muttered.
"Excellent," Luo Shu replied with a radiant smile, like someone who hadn't made any unreasonable requests at all.
He glanced at the wall clock, which now pointed to 10 PM, and turned back to Utaha. "Looks like it's time. You should get started on preparing the bedding."
"Seriously?" Utaha looked at the clock too and frowned. "It's only 10 PM."
Luo Shu's expression grew stern. "Going to bed around 10 is essential for a healthy routine."
"...Fine, I get it," Utaha sighed again and stood up. As she walked to the closet to grab extra bedding, she asked curiously, "By the way, that 'energy' your follower mentioned—what exactly does it do?"
How would I know? I haven't even used it myself... Luo Shu complained inwardly but answered seriously, "That's something I don't want to explain twice to different people. I'll go over it tomorrow."
"So stingy." Utaha pouted, shot him a side-eye, and twisted her waist as she disappeared into the bedroom.
Luo Shu watched her back as she pulled out the futon, then turned toward the window and gazed up at the night sky.
"I've got a bad feeling... like a storm's coming."
———
Nerima Ward, in an alley behind a local police station.
A team of officers in Japanese police uniforms cordoned off the area, carefully inspecting every trace and clue on the ground.
Then, a woman in a purple business suit with golden-blonde hair, neatly pinned up, stepped into the scene in high heels.
As soon as she appeared, the officers straightened up and saluted. "Chief Tachibana!"
"Chief," they echoed.
"You've all worked hard," Tachibana Kirika responded with a stiff nod. She walked to the centre of the alley, examining the blood splattered on both sides of the walls. Frowning, she turned to a staffer dragging a laptop in a portable case and asked, "Any footage of who was present here at the time?"
"Apologies, Chief," the technician said nervously. "So far, we haven't found anyone matching that description in the surveillance footage. And the monster spotted earlier by witnesses hasn't shown up either. It's almost as if..."
"As if what?" she pressed.
The staffer hesitated, then forced himself to reply, "As if the monster—and the person it was chasing—never existed in the first place."
"I see..." Kirika murmured. She pulled out a pack of ladies' cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket. With practiced ease, she flicked one out with her lips and lit it. After taking a drag, she exhaled slowly and muttered, "Looks like the Abyss is getting restless again..."
With a calm but firm tone, she issued her command: "Seal this case. Send the file to the Special Records Department. Label it as a Class B anomaly."
"Yes, Chief!" The officer snapped to attention and went back to typing furiously on his laptop.
Meanwhile, Kirika kept her frown as she stared at the divided splashes of blood on the walls. She quietly visualized what kind of power would be capable of causing such damage.
After a long pause, she murmured, "A wind-element sorcerer, maybe?"
No one on the scene had an answer.