After the expressionless Megumi was led away by Yukino Yukinoshita,
Eriri couldn't help but complain:
"An invitation where you can only say yes - can that even be called an invitation?"
Luo Shu sipped the tea Yukino had prepared while glancing at Eriri:
"What, feeling sympathetic?"
Eriri's face darkened, seething internally but unable to retort.
After all, her own induction hadn't been much better than Megumi's - refusal would have meant becoming socially dead.
Even now, Eriri still didn't know how Luo Shu had discovered she was the doujin artist Eri Kashiwagi. Hardly anyone knew about that, okay?
Thinking this, Eriri couldn't help but finally ask:
"Speaking of which, how did you know I was Eri Kashiwagi back then?"
Hearing this question, Utaha Kasumigaoka also couldn't resist shifting her gaze from the manga volume to secretly glance at Luo Shu.
She was actually quite curious about this, too.
In response, Luo Shu calmly sipped his black tea and said:
"I knew about such things in my previous life."
Eriri immediately rolled her eyes: "If you don't want to say, then don't. How stingy."
As she muttered, Utaha Kasumigaoka beside her looked thoughtful.
Could it be that Luo Shu was one of those so-called people with memories of past lives?
However, since Luo Shu didn't elaborate, Utaha didn't pursue the matter. Compared to that, she was now more curious about what was going on with Megumi Kato.
But before Utaha could say anything, Kisara nearby asked curiously:
"Shu, what's the deal with that Kato-san?"
Luo Shu turned to Kisara: "What exactly are you asking about, Kisara?"
Kisara frowned and looked at the seat beside her - where Megumi had been sitting just moments ago:
"Just now, Kato-san was sitting next to me, right?"
"Wasn't she next to me?" Utaha blinked in surprise.
"Eh, wasn't she beside..."
Eriri paused, then looked at the single-seater sofas she and Luo Shu were sitting on, and couldn't hold back anymore.
"What's going on here?"
Whether it was her, Utaha or Kisara, they all thought Megumi had been sitting beside them just now? What kind of supernatural phenomenon was this?
By now, Utaha had also caught on. Using her Mind Reading ability to review her own memories, she recalled that Megumi had actually been sitting next to Kisara.
Now this was interesting.
"It seems our classmate here might be somewhat special," Utaha said, narrowing her eyes as she probingly asked Luo Shu:
"One of those rumoured lucky individuals who awakened abilities after coming into contact with an Abyss Artefact?"
"No way," Eriri said, dumbfounded. "I thought people like that only existed in case files. To think there's actually one in my school, even in the class next door?"
At this point, Kisara also asked in confusion: "So what is Kato-san's ability?"
As she finished speaking, all three girls looked at Luo Shu.
Facing their questions, Luo Shu set down his teacup and folded his hands:
"Her ability is probably something like erasing her presence - the power to disappear from others' perceptions."
"Of course, I'm not actually certain whether this ability came from contact with an Abyss Artefact, but judging from its manifestation, that does seem to be the case."
"Disappear from others' perceptions? There's really such an ability?"
As Eriri spoke, she suddenly got inspiration for a doujin plot.
A heroine who couldn't be noticed by others, and the one hero who could see her, then doing some NSFW things during school.
'Haaah!! Seems like such a convenient ability!!'
Eriri swallowed hard, just about to wipe her mouth, when she noticed Luo Shu and Utaha both staring at her.
Her face flushed red as she pouted:
"What are you looking at me for!! I wasn't thinking anything perverted!!"
"Oh~~" x2
Luo Shu and Utaha Kasumigaoka spoke in unison:
"So you were actually thinking about naughty things!!"
"Ahhh!! I'm such an idiot!!" Eriri clutched her head in despair, feeling too embarrassed to face anyone.
At this moment, Kisara asked with a puzzled expression: "How did the topic suddenly turn to naughty things?"
"Ahem."
Luo Shu had no intention of explaining, as he didn't want to corrupt Kisara's innocence - even though he'd already stained it white several times:
"Simply put, regarding Kato's ability, I'm not entirely clear about its exact origin either. So for now, we'll keep her close for observation."
Utaha Kasumigaoka expressed surprise at this:
"So you didn't force her to sign a contract and become Familia just now?"
When she first saw Luo Shu inviting Megumi Kato, she thought he would directly sign the contract. Yet in the end, he only had Megumi give a verbal agreement, which truly took her by surprise.
However, if it were about investigating the source of her ability, she could understand that.
Luo Shu shook his head and then said:
"It's not just about investigating the ability's origin. Beyond that, it's also an experiment regarding Familia's awakened abilities."
"Before becoming Familia, does the enhancement of a candidate's individual attributes affect their awakened abilities and point acquisition?"
"For candidates who already possess abilities, what changes occur to their awakened abilities after becoming Familia?"
"These are all factors I want to understand."
"Therefore, I plan to have Megumi Kato first undergo enhancement with the Adjuster Drug, followed by some level of mystic side training. Only after she's grasped the basics of her ability to erase her presence will I have her become Familia."
"So that's what you were thinking..."
Utaha Kasumigaoka now understood Luo Shu's intentions.
Simply put, it was about having potential Familia members first undergo the SDS's standard newcomer enhancement procedures before recruiting them into the Familia. This way, they could test whether the upper limits could be further pushed, thus determining whether the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System assists Familia in awakening powers based on their pre-enhancement or post-enhancement state.
If it's the latter, then weaker Familia candidates could first be enhanced through existing methods before undergoing the Familia ritual, maximising the potential of the ritual's power-awakening capabilities.
Seeing Utaha Kasumigaoka had grasped his meaning, Luo Shu smiled:
"This method actually came to me after observing Kisara and Hagoromo Gitsune."
Luo Shu explained some of his theories to the group.
After becoming Familia, Kisara awakened the ability Kiss of Oath (Hero Rank), which grants comprehensive baseline performance enhancement after kissing her lover, temporarily elevating her physical capabilities beyond Hero Rank.
Hagoromo Gitsune's awakened ability, Mother of Darkness (Demigod Rank), was even more extraordinary, allowing offspring she conceived to inherit their parents' talents relatively perfectly, thereby granting them greater growth potential.
Additionally, when Sharon awakened her ability, she obtained the Elite Rank Holy Maiden Class, directly acquiring a wide array of holy-type skills.
As an exception, Kurumi Tokisaki awakened Supreme Mother, a Demigod Rank Class that immediately elevated her to the Demigod level.
Compared to these individuals, Utaha Kasumigaoka's Mind Reading, Eriri's Transformation, and Mira Tsubakihara's Alchemy-related abilities seemed considerably weaker.
This made Luo Shu suspect whether stronger pre-Familia capabilities led to more powerful awakened abilities.
Hence, after ensuring Megumi Kato couldn't easily escape, he conceived the idea of rapid training before Familia recruitment.
"I see... so the Familia's foundational attributes influence awakened abilities?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka couldn't help biting her fingernail:
"I suddenly feel like I got the short end of the stick!!"
"But we didn't have these conditions back then, did we?"
Though frustrated, Eriri could still accept it.
Hearing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka chuckled:
"How rare for you to say something intelligent, Sawamura."
"Stop attacking me at a time like this."
Eriri let out a dissatisfied hum, then, after some thought, turned to Luo Shu and said:
"But speaking of which, that Kato girl seems quite soft-spoken, but she appears to have a strong will of her own. Aren't you worried she might ultimately refuse to become a Familia member?"
"There's no need for that concern."
Luo Shu leaned back on the sofa, resting his cheek on his hand as he propped it against the armrest, exuding confidence:
"The documents Yukino handles will make her see reality clearly."
Hearing this, Utaha glanced at Eriri before remarking:
"In this world where Abyss Descents are becoming increasingly frequent, possessing the power to resist and lacking it are two entirely different realities."
Upon hearing these words, Eriri finally couldn't maintain her composure and grumbled in frustration:
"Alright, alright! I'll study properly under Kurumi Tokisaki's guidance!!"
She wasn't ignorant of the principle that strength was necessary for resistance.
But her Transformation ability only allowed her to alter her appearance—how exactly was she supposed to rely on this power to become stronger?!
Upon reflection, her ability wasn't even as useful as Megumi Kato's presence concealment—at least that one was better suited for escaping!
So why was she among the first batch of Familia members?!