Early morning, high-end apartment near Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
Luo Shu pressed his index finger against the fingerprint lock of unit 303 while glancing back at Kisara, who looked on curiously behind him.
"Is something wrong?"
Hearing his voice, Kisara turned her head towards him with a smile: "Is this going to be our home from now on?"
'Our home...' Luo Shu gave Kisara a meaningful look at these words:
"You could say that."
'Is this the hypnosis's effect, or her genuine thoughts...' Luo Shu wondered silently.
"Speaking of which, the culinary knowledge you gave me in my memories was all about Chinese cuisine."
Kisara clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head as she regarded Luo Shu curiously:
"Do you want me to cook for you?"
"Well, that's..." Luo Shu pushed open the door, his tone becoming hesitant.
He'd never really adapted to Japanese cuisine.
It was either unbearably bland or overly greasy and salty, like pork cutlet rice or ramen. The convenience store bento boxes were far from the refined Japanese cuisine portrayed online.
The Japanese food shown online was high-end even in Japan - not something normal people ate daily.
If there was someone who understood his tastes perfectly and cooked for him every day, then...
At this moment, Luo Shu shamefully compromised:
"Personally, I wouldn't mind, but Kisara, do you think you could manage it?"
"People should always try new things, shouldn't they?" Kisara stuck out her tongue with a mischievous grin.
"You're not wrong there."
As he spoke, Luo Shu thought: 'She's definitely a demon - she really knows how to play with people's hearts.'
He was genuinely curious now - how exactly had such an understanding and obedient demon girl gotten herself sealed away?
If it were him, he probably wouldn't have had the heart to do it.
"Anyway, let's go inside first."
As the words left his mouth, Luo Shu was about to push the door open when it swung inward on its own.
Noticing this, Luo Shu immediately released the door and saw a flash of bright orange hair fluttering in his vision.
"Welcome home."
Wearing a white, slightly translucent silk nightgown with her orange hair loose, Mira Tsubakihara rubbed her eyes before clasping her hands together apologetically:
"Sorry, I was working at the alchemy bench for too long and ended up falling asleep in the study. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"
"Disturbing isn't the issue, it's just..."
Luo Shu glanced sideways to see Kisara staring expressionlessly at Mira Tsubakihara, her eyes scanning the other woman's figure up and down before clicking her tongue when they reached the chest and hips.
"And this is...?"
Naturally, Mira had noticed Kisara. Her heart skipped a beat at seeing Luo Shu bringing home a high school girl in the middle of the night.
Luo Shu was just about to answer when Kisara stepped forward, squeezing in front of him with a smile:
"I'm Kisara. You must be Luo Shu's older sister?"
"No, I'm not."
Mira Tsubakihara had barely finished responding when she caught a whiff of something sour, prompting her to amend quickly:
"Well, not his biological sister."
In an instant, Mira Tsubakihara embraced the role of adoptive sister, then smiled at Kisara as she asked:
"Miss Kisara, are you Luo Shu's girlfriend?"
Hearing this, Kisara immediately replied with a smile: "We have a promise for the future."
"A promise for the future, huh..."
Mira Tsubakihara felt uncertain. According to her previous investigations, the girl who posed any real threat should have been that black-haired high schooler, Utaha Kasumigaoka.
Where had this pink-haired one come from?
"Yes, a promise for the future," Kisara emphasised again, her tone laden with implication.
Then her head got a light knock from Luo Shu.
"Ow!"
Watching Kisara crouch down with her head in her hands, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, Luo Shu said helplessly:
"You got all worked up without even knowing what's going on. What the hell are you doing?"
"But..." Kisara pointed pitifully at Mira Tsubakihara from her crouched position, specifically at her nearly transparent nightwear. "Look at what she's wearing."
Luo Shu turned his gaze and openly scrutinised Mira's sleepwear, then shamefully had an involuntary physical reaction.
At this, Kisara jumped up and tried to cover Luo Shu's eyes with her hands, saying:
"My common sense tells me any girl who sleeps in a boy's house dressed like that definitely has ulterior motives."
'How utterly irritating...' Mira continued smiling at Kisara while mentally marking her with an X.
'Where did this food-stealing cat come from?'
Meanwhile, Luo Shu pried Kisara's hands away from his eyes and addressed Mira:
"It might be a bit late to mention this, but she's actually Ishaha's target."
"Eh?" Mira's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Kisara. "Her? A demon?!"
"Indeed." Kisara immediately puffed out her chest and declared aggressively, "If you don't want to be eaten by me, please leave immediately."
"Eaten?"
Mira saw through Kisara's bluff instantly and couldn't help laughing:
"I wondered what kind of person would be targeted by that monster. Turns out it's such an adorable child."
Hearing Mira's tone that automatically elevated her to an elder's status, Kisara's expression became visibly uncomfortable.
"Even adorable children can bite."
Mira kept smiling, completely unfazed.
Human girls might worry her, but demons?
Hah. No matter how human-like you look, can you even bear children? And even if you could, wouldn't your half-demon offspring face discrimination? Wouldn't mixed-blood children be targeted?
Until you solve these issues, how dare a mere demon try to climb up?
Go back to hell where you belong.
Mira's aura intensified as she cheerfully said to Luo Shu, "Shall I prepare accommodation for this child? The room next door would do."
"No need, I'll live here."
Before Luo Shu could respond, Kisara attempted to walk past them into the house.
As she entered the entryway, Mira casually remarked:
"That's fine, but shouldn't we wait for Luo Shu's approval?"
Hearing this, Kisara turned back to look pleadingly at Luo Shu.
Sighing, Luo Shu turned to Mira and explained:
"It's complicated, but essentially I'll be responsible for her guardianship from now on, so her living here is necessary."
'Wait, why am I explaining myself to you...' Luo Shu's expression suddenly took on an odd look.
Upon hearing this, Kisara turned triumphantly and puffed out her chest.
"See? My living here is necessary!"
Unfazed, Mira smiled and said:
"So we'll arrange the spare room for Kisara? In that case, I'll borrow the study then."
"The study? Wait, does that mean you're moving in too...?"
Before Luo Shu could finish speaking, a single finger pressed against his lips, silencing his following words.
Mira Tsubakihara, who had acted this way, smiled and said:
"There are some things that absolutely must not be spoken aloud when they can't be said."
Just by agreeing, they'd be living together from now on? Luo Shu seemed to understand the look in Mira Tsubakihara's eyes.
'This...'
Suddenly, Luo Shu felt that having Kisara move in might have both advantages and disadvantages.
The good part was that he finally understood Mira Tsubakihara's meaning - plainly speaking, without Kisara's provocation, Mira wouldn't have behaved this way.
But the bad part was that with Kisara around, it would be somewhat inconvenient if he wanted to do anything.
Then why not... both?
A bold idea gradually took shape in Luo Shu's mind.
But this would still require assessing the situation and considering whether feasible conditions existed.
After all, any man would want to if given the chance.
However, just as Luo Shu's thoughts began to wander, Mira Tsubakihara and Kisara had already walked together into the living room:
"Do you need help with the bedding?"
"No need, I know where Luo Shu keeps his quilts."
"Oh, Kisara has such a good memory."
"That's not a matter of memory!!"
Looking at their backs - nearly identical in height but one youthful, the other mature - Luo Shu took a deep breath, then scratched his head:
"I'll take a cold shower and go to bed."
A man who's too greedy always needs to exercise more patience.
'Sooner or later, I'll definitely have to...'
Luo Shu didn't dare continue that thought; otherwise, he really wouldn't sleep tonight.