After about seven minutes, Luo Shu saw Mahiru Shiina and Mira Tsubakihara emerge, each carrying a suitcase.
Though compared to Mira, Mahiru was also holding a brown teddy bear.
"Honestly, I never expected you'd still have that little bear, Mahiru."
"Isn't that the one I bought you when we went to the amusement park last year?"
"That's right."
"You've kept it in good condition."
The two chatted while carrying their luggage into the living room.
Then Mira smiled and asked Luo Shu on the sofa:
"Did we keep you waiting long?"
"Not particularly." Luo Shu replied, glancing at their suitcases before saying, "Just these two?"
Mahiru seemed about to explain when Mira swiftly answered:
"Yes, just these two cases. After all, I'd be cross if little Mahiru brought too much luggage."
"Eh?" Mahiru looked at Mira in surprise.
Mira blinked playfully: "I've already prepared a complete set of furniture and appliances, just waiting for Mahiru to come be my little sister."
"Ah, well..." Mahiru suddenly felt embarrassed by this remark.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu realised these two cases might contain all of Mahiru's personal belongings.
Otherwise, Mira wouldn't have answered so decisively on Mahiru's behalf.
Recalling what Sharon had previously revealed, Luo Shu understood that Mahiru wasn't simply moving out to live alone - she likely couldn't stay in her current home any longer.
With this realisation, Luo Shu nodded:
"I see now why you only needed me to drive over."
Then he gave Mira a curious look:
"But come to think of it, couldn't you have handled this much luggage by yourself?"
Mira didn't deny this, though her reason for bringing Luo Shu along involved other considerations:
"That's true... but the main reason for bringing Shu-kun was more as a precaution."
"How so?" Luo Shu raised an eyebrow.
Mira pointed at Mahiru: "This child has been feeling like someone's been following her whenever she comes home recently."
"A stalker?" Luo Shu glanced at Mahiru before nodding seriously: "They've got good taste."
Hearing this, Mahiru Shiina's face instantly turned red.
Mira Tsubakihara couldn't help but chuckle before saying, "See? Someone as cute as Mahiru would definitely attract bad people. That's why she needs Shu-kun's protection, right?"
"Indeed, having an extra man around would make things much safer." Luo Shu nodded, then asked, "Did you check the surveillance footage? The elevator and apartment exit areas?"
"I checked as soon as I got Mahiru's message, but found nothing." Mira Tsubakihara paused before adding, "Absolutely nothing."
"...I see." Luo Shu's expression stiffened momentarily before he nodded. "In any case, let's move her to our place first. At least the security there is proper."
An entire apartment building filled with either Mira Tsubakihara's bodyguards or mystic side practitioners, with alchemical tools soon to be deployed—the safety measures were indeed absurdly high.
Of course, aside from security, other matters needed consideration. Thinking this, Luo Shu immediately turned to Mahiru Shiina and asked:
"Any issues with school?"
"No problems at all." Mahiru Shiina waved her hand in response. "It's just a 10-minute subway ride to the station near school. Compared to Mira-nee's apartment, my current place is actually further away."
"Then it's settled." Luo Shu stood up, brushed off his trousers, then glanced at the luggage in their hands and gestured with his fingers.
Seeing this, Mahiru Shiina hesitated slightly, but Mira Tsubakihara directly took the suitcase from her and handed both to Luo Shu.
After doing so, Mira clasped her hands together and said with a smile:
"Thanks! I'll reward you properly later!"
'Care to elaborate on that reward?'
Luo Shu shot Mira Tsubakihara a glance but said nothing, simply carrying the suitcases out the door.
Taking the elevator down to the parking garage, he located space 606, opened the boot to store the luggage, then drove out with Mira Tsubakihara and Mahiru Shiina onboard, emerging onto the surface streets.
The Mercedes sped down the road, provoking raucous caws from crows perched on telephone poles.
Hearing the rather noisy cries, Mira Tsubakihara—seated beside Mahiru Shiina in the back—peered curiously out the window:
"Even Chiyoda has this many crows now? It's almost as bad as Shinagawa Ward."
Mahiru Shiina also looked outside. Though it was nearly 9 pm, the neon lights revealed numerous crows in the sky:
"There really have been more crows here lately. Several times when returning from the supermarket, I've seen them rummaging through rubbish."
From the driver's seat, Luo Shu couldn't resist some sarcasm: "Ah, yes, the famously clean Tokyo Metropolis."
While central Tokyo was indeed tidy, it produced plenty of waste. Combined with abundant green spaces providing ideal crow habitats, the city had become overrun with them. News of crow attacks on people was already a familiar occurrence in Tokyo.
With this in mind, Luo Shu glanced at the crows keeping pace with the car, narrowed his eyes, and pressed the accelerator.
The Mercedes accelerated sharply down the road. In its wake, crows began dropping from the sky like black raindrops, crashing onto the pavement.
Over a hundred crows plummeted to the ground. Most died on impact, while the remainder writhed weakly, emitting piercing, agonised shrieks.
"How noisy, you harbingers of death."
With a displeased murmur, Sharon, clad in a blue nun's habit with radiant golden hair, stepped into the middle of the road under the night sky. She narrowed her eyes at the crows writhing and shrieking on the ground before her:
"Is this how rowdy yokai in Tokyo usually are?"
Just then, one of the crows—its black feathers tinged with purple—suddenly spoke in human tongue:
"You are..."
Before it could finish, Sharon sneered.
A gust of wind swept through, and in an instant, both Sharon and the crows vanished from the spot.
Approximately ten minutes later.
While driving near Ikebukuro, Luo Shu heard a beeping sound from the system interface. Opening it with a thought, he found a message from Sharon:
[Kyoto, Hagoromo Group.]
Reading the message, Luo Shu gradually narrowed his eyes:
"These out-of-town pests are getting a bit too bold."