Inside the office.
Luo Shu looked surprised at Utau Hoshina's entrance. "What brings you here?"
"Wouldn't it be rude not to bid farewell to my host before leaving?"
Utau casually closed the door behind her, took out her phone, and strode leisurely towards the desk:
"Take out your phone."
"?" Luo Shu blinked in confusion.
"How can we exchange LINE IDs without our phones?" Utau shook her mobile with an exasperated smile. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten what we discussed earlier? It's only been a few hours."
Hearing this, Luo Shu searched his memory before realisation dawned. "You mean the three meetings you mentioned?"
"Exactly." Utau retrieved her phone and shot Luo Shu a pointed look. "Next time, I'll be the one inviting you. My schedule is... rather tricky to rearrange."
Luo Shu's expression turned peculiar at her words. According to Utau's earlier implication, their arranged meetings would conclude after three encounters.
This left Luo Shu uncertain whether to accept.
'Do I sense eagerness to ditch me... or is it just my imagination?'
Mentally sighing, Luo Shu retrieved his phone from the cabinet, opened the LINE app, and exchanged contact details with Utau.
Notably, Utau's profile picture featured cartoonish depictions of angels and demons in an adorable art style – almost like a subtle omen.
Once their LINE connection was established, Luo Shu looked up to find Utau studying him intently. Curious, he asked:
"Was there something else?"
Without preamble, Utau opened her messaging app and inquired: "What are the exact kanji characters for your name?"
Names in Japan could be complicated.
Due to the mix of katakana and kanji usage, many names shared identical pronunciations. For instance, "Yuta", "Yuta", and "Yuta" all sounded the same. Hence, Utau hesitated because she wanted to ensure she had entered Luo Shu's name correctly.
Understanding her concern, Luo Shu extended his hand. "Give me your phone."
After receiving it, he edited his contact name with the proper kanji before returning the device.
Utau took back her phone, glanced at the characters to memorise them, then remarked:
"Though the pronunciation already sounded un-Japanese, you really are from China!"
"Didn't your family provide basic information about me before this matchmaking meeting?" Luo Shu chuckled.
"They did. But the old man's tone pissed me off, so I threw the documents in his face."
Utau delivered this explanation impassively before adding:
"By the way, that was my private LINE account. While I doubt you'd resell it, I'll warn you anyway – never leak it. It would cause me significant trouble."
"The plight of celebrities? Understood. I'll guard this intel with my life." Luo Shu joked lightly.
"Using your life to protect something is far too exaggerated. If you encounter a situation where leaking it could save your life, I'd advise you to just leak it."
Utau Hoshina sighed. Though she found Luo Shu's joke a bit over the top, she didn't dislike it, unexpectedly.
Perhaps it was because she found Luo Shu's face quite pleasing, or maybe conversing with him was simply more relaxed.
In any case, Utau Hoshina had a rather favourable impression of Luo Shu.
"When my schedule clears up, I'll notify you in advance. We can discuss how to meet up on LINE, then?"
As she spoke, Utau Hoshina waved at Luo Shu and said:
"See you next time."
"By the way, your company's virtual game is really quite fun."
"If you like it, you're welcome to play anytime." Luo Shu smiled, watching as Utau Hoshina walked away.
Only after she had left did Luo Shu mutter to himself:
"That girl... did she really come all this way just for my contact details?"
Even though both were technically arranged meetings, Utau Hoshina and Kaguya Shinomiya gave him completely different impressions.
Utau Hoshina was the type of girl who actively responded, made requests, and emphasised equality.
As for Kaguya Shinomiya... well, Luo Shu still had no idea what her stance was even now. Today, they hadn't even exchanged more than a few words.
From his perspective, Kaguya Shinomiya clearly fell short compared to Utau Hoshina—she wasn't even on par with Ai Hayasaka.
At least Ai Hayasaka was genuinely tactical, deliberately creating opportunities for them to be alone.
"Active versus passive, huh?" Luo Shu stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It seems that even among young ladies, there's still a gap between people."
...
By the roadside in front of the Hidden Management Department's first floor.
After waiting for a short while, Kaguya Shinomiya, accompanied by Ai Hayasaka, finally boarded the car driven by her family's chauffeur.
Once the door closed, Kaguya Shinomiya said cheerfully:
"That virtual game was really quite interesting, Ai."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Lady Kaguya." Ai Hayasaka's reply remained as neutral as ever, just like any ordinary daily response.
Noticing this, though sensing something slightly off about Ai Hayasaka, Kaguya Shinomiya still smiled and said:
"It feels like a promising project. I wonder if Director Luo Shu would accept investments."
Upon hearing this, Ai Hayasaka raised an eyebrow slightly before cautioning, "Though you may wish to use this to get closer to Director Luo Shu, a behemoth like the SDS clearly has the capability to monopolise such ventures."
"Moreover, speaking purely from a commercial investment standpoint, the Shinomiya family's status alone likely wouldn't compel Director Luo Shu to concede."
At this point, Ai Hayasaka subtly hinted, "Perhaps only investments from the Five Great Powers' Unions could persuade Director Luo Shu to relinquish a small portion of shares."
Hearing this, Kaguya Shinomiya paused, suddenly realising that Luo Shu wasn't like those students at Shuchi'in Academy who ranked below her in status—he was a figure even her elder brother Oko Shinomiya had to curry favour with.
This realisation left Kaguya Shinomiya silent for a moment before she turned to look out the window.
Just then, Kaguya Shinomiya spotted Utau Hoshina emerging from the first-floor lobby.
From the moving car, Kaguya Shinomiya initially thought she'd mistaken the figure. She stared intently out the window before asking in puzzlement: "Hayasaka, is that Utau-san over there? Why did she come out later than us?"
Kaguya Shinomiya distinctly remembered that Utau Hoshina had been the first to leave, so why was she now behind them?
At this, Ai Hayasaka turned her head to glance at the girl walking by the roadside before suddenly realising:
"Perhaps Utau-san went to see Director Luo Shu just now."
"Eh?" Kaguya was dumbfounded. "She left early just to meet Luo Shu?"
"But why would she go and..."
Before Kaguya could finish, Ai Hayasaka added with a hint of teasing:
"I think Utau-san's intentions were quite clear. She probably went to arrange their next meeting time with the Director just now."
"From that perspective, Utau-san does seem serious about this matchmaking. At least she's taking the initiative."
"Hayasaka."
"...Yes?"
"Tell the driver to turn around."
"Couldn't you just tell the driver yourself..." Ai Hayasaka looked utterly exasperated.
Kaguya immediately blushed and said, "But without you, I'd be too embarrassed to say such things to Luo Shu-san!"
"So you want me to be your mouthpiece..."
Ai Hayasaka couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
Honestly, why was her young mistress so troublesome? So very troublesome!