Even though you say that...

Outside the door to Room 303.

Luo Shu put on Toyogasaki Academy's dark blue uniform with its row of buttons. After changing his shoes in the entryway, he opened the door and turned back to Mira Tsubakihara inside.

"I don't mind, but are you sure you're just going to stay here?"

Mira Tsubakihara smiled, made an okay sign, then stretched.

"The freedom to decide whether to go to work is a special privilege of working adults, you know."

No, I just meant, isn't it a little questionable for a girl to stay in a man's home... Also, working adults don't have the freedom to decide whether to go to work. That's clearly a boss's privilege... Luo Shu silently rattled off several complaints before looking up at Mira Tsubakihara.

"Don't get too carried away."

He could understand, to some extent, how eager Mira Tsubakihara was to use an ability she had just acquired.

And naturally, the Astronomy Club's base was the best place to use that ability, so her reason for staying in Luo Shu's apartment was actually quite obvious.

That may be true, but knowing a gorgeous, utterly charming woman is staying at my place... huh, will I even be able to focus in class?

With that thought, Luo Shu stepped outside. Before he closed the door, a lively female voice came from within.

"Have a good trip~~"

"This feels really strange..." Luo Shu paused outside the door for a moment, then casually picked up his schoolbag and headed toward the elevator.

"He's out."

In a hotel room not far away, Takina Inoue lowered her binoculars, her tone calm and rational.

"Should we try making contact now?"

"What, what? Let me see..." Chisato Nishikigi, who had been eating a hamburger nearby, walked over while chewing, took the binoculars, and looked toward the apartment building.

Less than a minute later, Luo Shu appeared at the apartment entrance, pushed open the glass door, and walked outside. He glanced around as though checking for something.

"Oh~~" Chisato Nishikigi drew out the sound, then took another bite of her hamburger. "He's being really obvious. If anyone else were watching him, they'd probably have noticed already."

Hearing that, Takina Inoue sighed beside her. "You know he's a rookie. So why make him carry out such a dangerous mission?"

"Because it's not that dangerous. That's what the boss said."

Chisato Nishikigi explained in a relaxed tone.

"An Abyssal Artifact like the Demon Heart would be dangerous for women like me and Takina, right?"

"That's why the boss had Luo Shu handle this mission. He's a man, and he saved that young lady."

Takina Inoue fell silent for a moment, then said:

"...I'm not denying the director's assessment, but I still think this mission is more dangerous than a rookie can handle."

"The person sent on this mission should have been a veteran with extensive infiltration experience, someone capable of properly dealing with any potential observers, not a newcomer who only just joined. It's irresponsible to put a rookie through this..."

Chisato Nishikigi wasn't surprised by Takina Inoue's opinion. She merely reminded her:

"But SDS doesn't have any of those veterans you're talking about, Takina..."

"Ugh..." Takina Inoue's expression stiffened. After a moment of silence, she could only sigh in the face of reality.

Seeing Takina sigh, Chisato Nishikigi quickly waved her hands to reassure her.

"Okay, okay, Luo Shu's fine right now, isn't he~? To a certain extent, things are still under control... Oh, he spotted us. Impressive, considering how far away we are..."

With that, Chisato Nishikigi lowered the binoculars and waved toward Luo Shu.

"Hey, over here, over here~~"

"Wait~ Chisato..." Takina Inoue froze at Chisato Nishikigi's bold behavior. "Doing that could alert anyone secretly watching him!"

Meanwhile, noticing that Luo Shu was already looking their way, Chisato Nishikigi said casually:

"No, my instincts tell me there aren't any observers like that. Of course, that's excluding our colleague upstairs."

"But considering that young lady's relationship with Luo Shu, we can cross our colleague upstairs off the list of dangerous people too."

As she spoke, Chisato Nishikigi tilted her head slightly. Looking at Mira Tsubakihara leaning against the railing in the apartment building's third-floor corridor, watching Luo Shu walk away, she couldn't help chuckling.

"Pretty impressive, Luo Shu. That much progress in one night? Did he get to third base? Or second? Surely it couldn't just be first?"

Takina Inoue immediately blushed at those words and covered Chisato Nishikigi's mouth. "That's far too indecent!!"

"Mmph, mmph, mmph!!" With her mouth being smothered, Chisato Nishikigi quickly raised her hands in surrender.

The two tumbled off to one side as they tussled.

Ten minutes later.

Luo Shu looked at the hotel room door before him, raised his hand, and knocked twice.

"Just a second, coming right up..."

Chisato Nishikigi's reply came from inside, followed by another, calmer female voice:

"I'll get the door."

But as soon as she said that, Chisato Nishikigi suddenly cried out from inside.

"Takina~~ Your clothes, your clothes~~"

"Ah, oh no-

~~" The previously calm female voice now sounded distinctly flustered.

Outside the door, Luo Shu, who had heard the entire exchange, wore a very strange expression. With his hand still raised, he couldn't decide whether to keep knocking or stop.

Say, you two, what are you doing in there? Can I take a look?!

Before long, the door opened, and Chisato Nishikigi's grinning face appeared before Luo Shu.

"Sorry for the wait, partner~~"

"Never mind that. What were you two..." Luo Shu tilted his head, looking past Chisato Nishikigi into the room.

There, he saw a purple-eyed girl with black hair past her shoulders standing beside the television, vigorously wiping her uniform skirt with tissues.

Beneath the skirt, her mood-killing black safety shorts were particularly conspicuous.

"Ah~~ You mean this..." Chisato Nishikigi waved helplessly. "Some ketchup from the hamburger got on her skirt. Honestly, Takina never thinks about where she is. And now look-the hamburger's on the floor, and her skirt's dirty. Sigh~~"

Life was hard. Chisato sighed.

Meanwhile, Takina Inoue spoke from inside the room, dissatisfaction coloring her voice.

"This only happened because of your indecent words and behavior, Chisato."

"Indecent?" Luo Shu gave Chisato Nishikigi a surprised look.

Chisato Nishikigi puffed out her cheeks like a steamed bun. Sticking out her tongue, she accused, "It was clearly Takina's fault. You got physical first."

Takina Inoue bit her lip and stared at Chisato Nishikigi without saying another word.

Seeing that, Chisato Nishikigi gave an awkward laugh, then hurriedly pulled Luo Shu into the room.

"Okay, okay, now's not the time to worry about little things like that. Come on, Luo Shu, get in here."

Chisato Nishikigi pulled Luo Shu into the room, and the door shut with a bang.

Chisato Nishikigi let go of Luo Shu and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks for all your hard work, partner~"

"Last night must have been rough."

"You not only had to approach that young lady right under her bodyguards' noses, you also had to search her personal belongings for the Abyssal Artifact without her noticing."

"You really did well to make it through until morning without getting caught."

Chisato Nishikigi patted Luo Shu's shoulder with audible thumps, her voice brimming with sympathy.

Beside them, Takina Inoue also offered some comfort. "Although the mission failed, you don't need to worry. The director's assignment was unreasonable to begin with. The responsibility lies with her, not you."

"Even though you say that..."

Looking at his colleagues as they tried to comfort him, Luo Shu wore an odd expression as he took a "ruby ring" out of his pocket.

"But I got the 'target,' you know?"

As his words fell, the room went silent.