"76: The Bottom Line of Being Human"

Returning to the apartment building, Luo Shu unlocked the door using the fingerprint scanner and took the elevator to the third floor, quickly arriving at Room 303. As he pressed his finger to the door lock, he took out his phone and glanced at the time.

"11:32 PM. Almost midnight already, huh."

Thinking back over the busy day, Luo Shu couldn't help but sigh. "Going to school during the day was one thing, but I also had to outmaneuver Natsuki Minamiya and get her to tutor me, Eriri and Utaha... and after tutoring, I even took part in the operation against Sharon."

Recalling tonight's inaugural operation involving the SDS division, Luo Shu's mouth twitched slightly. While he did play a central role in the early stages—personally dueling Sharon in the narrow hallway of the villa—the latter part of the mission was entirely the result of a joint manhunt by SDS and the Metropolitan Police.

Of course, thanks to his efforts, the so-called Pure Sharon wasn't captured; in fact, she even counterattacked Ryōko Yakushiji and broke through the encirclement.

Luo Shu grumbled silently in his heart. He didn't particularly regret helping Sharon escape. If the one commanding the operation had been Tachibana Kirika and the ones taking action had been Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue, perhaps he might've stayed out of it.

But because Ryōko Yakushiji had forcibly inserted herself into the operation, the SDS team's position shifted from trying to apprehend Sharon to... something more like wanting to let her go.

Thanks to that, Luo Shu was able to secretly assist Sharon in breaking through the siege. Though his methods were a bit extreme, no one died; at most, a few people suffered gunshot wounds.

Now that he thought about it—the small dose of succubus blood he forced Ryōko Yakushiji to ingest, though minimal, could still establish a link with the Heart of the Demon. But unless the connection was further strengthened, it might only be usable once or twice.

Tsk. Just one use from a major conglomerate heiress? Should I find another chance to deepen the corruption?

As for Ryōko Yakushiji—the woman who made such a poor first impression—Luo Shu certainly wasn't going to show her any kindness. He'd use her however many times he could. After all, Luo Shu had always considered himself to be a petty man. He might not be the type to murder someone over a single arrogant comment and shout "You've dug your own grave," but setting a few traps? He was more than willing.

Should he try having Ryōko Yakushiji investigate the demon sealed away—the one her executive uncle had his eyes on?

...On second thought, maybe not. Sharon was already tracking that lead. Using Ryōko Yakushiji the moment she'd been tainted by succubus blood just felt... wasteful.

With these thoughts in mind, Luo Shu stepped into his apartment, slipped off his shoes at the entrance, and was about to put on his indoor slippers when his eyes caught on a neatly placed pair of purple high heels.

"These shoes... don't tell me..."

A strange feeling crept into his chest as Luo Shu slipped on his slippers and, hearing the light thuds of his footsteps, entered the living room.

When he saw the woman lying on the couch, resting her head on a cushion, her glossy orange hair fanned out behind her, Luo Shu couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"No way... has she been here the whole day?"

Sure enough, the woman fast asleep on his couch was none other than Mira Tsubakihara—his next-door neighbor and also his landlady.

"I mean, sure, coming home to find a beautiful woman asleep in your apartment is kind of a surprise... but not exactly the kind of surprise I wanted."

Luo Shu scratched his head in exasperation.

Obviously, the Tsubakihara family would be keeping an eye on Mira's whereabouts. Not to mention, this apartment building already had several of those young lady bodyguards living here.

Considering that, there was no way Mira's presence here could go unnoticed.

"So now... in the eyes of some big-shot tycoons—or maybe even the Tsubakihara clan—I probably look like some lucky bastard who saved the damsel in distress and is now clinging to her for status, huh?"

Thinking of that possibility, Luo Shu found himself at a loss for words. He couldn't exactly say he was happy about it, but then again... having a beautiful woman get this close to him without reservation—it was hard to deny he felt at least a little flattered.

"You really are something else," he muttered.

Luo Shu sighed, took a few steps forward, crouched down beside the sofa, and then gently slipped his arms beneath Mira's lower back and knees, carefully lifting her up.

He had intended to brace himself at the waist but was surprised at how light she actually was.

"She's... unexpectedly light," he murmured.

He guessed she couldn't weigh much more than 50 kilograms. And yet, despite being so light—

Luo Shu's eyes involuntarily drifted to Mira's chest. Yeah... with a figure like this, you could probably start your own football team.

His gaze swept across her again, catching a familiar scent—the fragrance of the exact same body wash he used.

Wait a minute... she didn't take a bath in my bathroom, did she?

A shiver ran through Luo Shu's spine. He quickly averted his eyes, cursing himself for having indecent thoughts with no guts to act on them, then carried Mira toward the study.

"I'm not afraid to act. I just don't like taking advantage of people," he mumbled defensively, as if trying to rationalize his own restraint.

The study had a single bed and basic amenities. Luo Shu often used it to nap after long hours gaming or working on his computer.

There was no way he was going to let Mira just sleep on the couch. She was one of his own now—a bound retainer—so letting her lie around like that felt like a moral failing.

Using his foot to flip open the blanket, Luo Shu gently laid Mira down on the bed. Since she was already wearing a comfy house dress, he didn't even think about undressing her—he just pulled the covers over her quietly and tiptoed out.

Click.

As the door shut behind him, Mira—lying under the soft, light-blue striped blanket—suddenly opened her eyes. She looked toward the door and let out a few deep breaths before muttering softly:

"That scared the hell out of me."

In truth, Mira had woken up the moment Luo Shu picked her up. But the situation was just too awkward—so she pretended to stay asleep.

On one hand, she didn't know how to explain to Luo Shu why she'd spent the whole day in his apartment. On the other hand, she thought the situation might serve as a good test of Luo Shu's character.

And for now, Luo Shu had passed—with flying colors, even if it was in a way that Mira herself found almost painfully innocent.

Her cheeks flushed pink as she gripped the edge of the blanket and buried half her face into it.

"'Didn't want to take advantage of me'... huh?"

"Ahhhhhh!!"

An embarrassed screech erupted from beneath the blanket.

Outside the study, Luo Shu leaned against the door, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"So, she really was awake..."

"Damn... was she testing me, or was this just a coincidence?"

He suspected it might've been both. Still, he was grateful that his increasingly sharp perception had allowed him to notice she was pretending. Otherwise, if he'd done anything reckless, he might've lost his bottom line as a person.

Thinking of Mira inside the study, Luo Shu let out a long sigh.

"Women, man..."

He shook his head and headed toward his own bedroom.

"Time to brush my teeth, wash up, and crash. I'm exhausted~."