Kyoto, inside the safe house Luo Shu had prepared beforehand.
Upon arriving, Luo Shu encountered Sharon, who had retreated earlier.
However, Sharon's current condition wasn't great.
Looking at her lying in the corner, her entire body wrapped in white bandages—just a head shy of being a mummy—Luo Shu couldn't help but chuckle.
"You've worked hard, Sharon. It seems your promotion went rather smoothly!"
At his words, Sharon's unbandaged face twisted into a resentful glare:
"Do I look like it went smoothly to you?"
Luo Shu stifled a laugh, then tore open the bread he had bought on the way and held it to Sharon's lips:
"Don't worry. For special Classes like ours, though the promotion is tougher, the benefits are substantial once we succeed."
"You must have already touched upon it, right? That power known as 'concepts'."
Hearing this, Sharon felt slightly comforted. She parted her cherry lips, biting into the bread and tearing off a piece. Chewing slowly, she replied:
"Even though my whole body hurts like I've been mauled by a bear... after the promotion, I did grasp a peculiar power. Though it's not one I particularly like."
Kneeling before her, Luo Shu grew curious:
"You don't like it? What's the issue with the concept your Hero Class, Sanctuary Guardian, manifested?"
Sharon lifted her head, her gaze dark and penetrating as she stared at Luo Shu:
"The concept the Sanctuary Guardian embodies... is right in the Class's name."
"In the name? Sanctuary Guardian... Guardian?" Luo Shu gave her an odd look, then forced a dry laugh. "Well, that does make sense. You're personality is not exactly the defensive type."
Sharon didn't refute it. Leaning against the wall, she simply looked at Luo Shu and said:
"Due to the side effects of the promotion—which include physical reinforcement—I can't move right now."
Luo Shu raised a brow and immediately offered: "I can stay and take care of you for a few days."
"No, the physical transformation should be over in about three hours. It's not worth troubling you over."
Sharon shook her head, then gestured with her chin toward a nearby door:
"Besides, right now, I'm not the one who needs your care."
Following her gaze, Luo Shu turned to the tightly shut door.
Then, he looked back at Sharon and asked:
"Is Hagoromo Gitsune in there?"
During their retreat from Nue's meteor attack, Luo Shu had used illusion techniques to disrupt Nue's judgment. It was then that Sharon had withdrawn with Hagoromo Gitsune in tow.
Now, Sharon's words clearly hinted that Hagoromo Gitsune's condition was far more severe.
"She's been in there ever since we brought her back."
Sharon spoke while raising her bandage-wrapped right hand to grab the bread Luo Shu was holding, simultaneously picking up the plastic bag filled with various high-calorie foods he'd bought to replenish her energy.
Finding several Snickers bars in the bag, she bit open the packaging while saying to Luo Shu:
"That fox hasn't killed herself yet, but I feel she's close."
"While I don't particularly mind, she's supposed to be a potential Familia you've got your eye on, right?"
Luo Shu nodded, not denying his interest in Hagoromo Gitsune. However, he remained standing before Sharon and said:
"Compared to tending to her emotions, I think taking care of you first is more important."
Sharon paused mid-action, glancing up at Luo Shu before replying:
"I see. So you're interested in my body as well?"
"What do you think, Miss Mummy?"
Luo Shu looked at her helplessly. While he did have thoughts about Sharon, he wasn't the type to ignore the situation or others' feelings.
Was she making it seem like he was desperate to have her right then and there?
"Isn't it natural for a nun to serve her god?"
Sharon pursed her lips, giving Luo Shu a teasing sidelong glance:
"So if you have needs, you can just give the order."
Faced with such provocation, Luo Shu scoffed and simply replied:
"Oh."
After a while, Luo Shu straightened himself and watched as Sharon continued eating her bread. He took a bottle of water from the bag, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her:
"Have some water."
Sharon eyed the bottle before accepting it and saying:
"In my opinion, that black fox might not agree to your recruitment in her current state."
Luo Shu shrugged. "No harm in trying. Since we're already here, might as well give it a shot. What if my idea works?"
Seeing his determination, Sharon didn't stop him. Her lips still sore, she quickly finished the bread in small bites before calmly stating:
"In that case, you go ahead inside. Oh, and please don't make too much noise—I need some rest."
"Shouldn't I carry you to the sofa?" Luo Shu pointed to the couch in the living room nearby.
Sharon shook her head. "No need. I always sleep against the wall."
Luo Shu gave an OK sign, then stood up and turned towards the nearby door. As he gripped the handle, he glanced back at Sharon, seeing her leaning against the wall with closed eyes, ready to rest. He turned the knob and entered.
Inside the room, darkness enveloped everything.
Though the tightly shut windows and fully drawn curtains blocked outside light, the true source of the darkness was the porcelain-like black girl crouching beneath the window.
Fear, saturated with darkness, permeated the entire room, and at its centre sat the hollow-eyed, expressionless girl.
Taking in the scene, Luo Shu closed the door behind him and sighed:
"...You're in worse shape than I imagined."
Hagoromo Gitsune, beneath the window, didn't respond, her empty gaze numb, like a broken doll.
Seeing her reaction, Luo Shu stepped forward slowly, crouched down, lifted her chin, and stared into those lifeless black eyes:
"I'm not good at persuasion, nor do I know how one would feel upon discovering their entire past was fabricated."
"I just wanted to ask you something."
"Would you be interested in bearing my child?"
Hagoromo Gitsune's eyes flickered slightly as she gazed silently at Luo Shu, showing no reaction.
Luo Shu, who'd been watching her closely, noticed this and tentatively asked:
"You don't agree?"
"If you don't, then I'll just leave..."
As Luo Shu made to stand up, golden fox tails suddenly surged from all directions, instantly wrapping tightly around his limbs.
The abrupt change startled Luo Shu, though he didn't resist, merely looking at Hagoromo Gitsune with confusion:
"Hey now, even if we can't reach an agreement, there's no need for violence—"
Hagoromo Gitsune didn't respond. Instead, she slowly rose to her feet, hands gradually moving closer as her hollow eyes fixed unblinkingly on Luo Shu:
"You were just saying... you'd give me a child, correct?"
"Uh... yes." Luo Shu's expression froze slightly under Hagoromo Gitsune's devouring gaze.
Hagoromo Gitsune stepped forward, gently cradling Luo Shu's face before whispering:
"Now... give me everything. Until I'm with child."
"Miss Hagoromo Gitsune, I think for this sort of thing you should first put me down and let me prepare... wait, don't— holy shit, are you insane?!"
"—Sharon, save me!!"