"80: Two Minds with Different Thoughts"

Two droplets of red blood trembled slightly inside the glass, each distinct and mutually incompatible. One was a bright crimson, gleaming like a ruby, while the other was duller in color, clearly lacking the vitality of the first. But after hearing Luo Shu explain how he had used a single drop of succubus blood to outmaneuver Ryoko Yakushiji, Kasumigaoka Utaha had a better grasp of the difference between the two.

She looked at the two drops of succubus blood in the cup, paused, and as she poured in hot water from the kettle, raised her head and asked, "Taking it with water should be fine, right?"

From Luo Shu's earlier explanation, Utaha already knew that the two drops of succubus blood were the key materials needed to upgrade her mind-reading ability—from a basic version to a more advanced hypnotic form. According to him, the one drop that had already been partially used wouldn't negatively affect her evolution; in fact, it might even make it easier for her to control the power.

Apparently, the rationale was that consumed or diminished energy was more easily assimilated.

Of course, Utaha had a natural level of trust in Luo Shu. Still, as an avid ACGN (Anime, Comics, Games, Novels) fan, she couldn't help but feel slightly concerned. After all, it was succubus blood. What if the power-up came with certain... desires?

Luo Shu noticed her hesitation and gently reassured her, "Don't worry, I triple-checked it. It won't affect you negatively. Besides, I'm right here, aren't I?"

His tone was calm and soothing, just like a seasoned pro who regularly sweet-talks girls—gentle and full of confidence.

Hearing that kind of almost cheat-like reassurance, and seeing Luo Shu's sincere face, Kasumigaoka Utaha softened her voice and replied, "If anything weird happens, I'm holding you fully accountable."

Luo Shu smiled. "It would be my honor."

Utaha stared at him for a long moment, then lifted the cup, closed her eyes, and downed the water along with the two unmixed drops of blood in one go.

Gulp, gulp! The sound of water rushing down her throat echoed in her mind.

She drank it a bit too quickly, and even though it was a mental hurdle to swallow something with succubus blood, she forced herself through the gag reflex and gulped it all down.

"Cough cough!!"

The moment she finished, Utaha choked violently and began coughing uncontrollably.

Just then, Luo Shu extended two tissues toward her.

Utaha looked up through watery eyes, took the tissues, wiped the corners of her mouth, patted her chest to settle herself, and then concentrated for a moment. "Hmm… I don't feel any different?"

She looked at Luo Shu with a puzzled expression. In response, Luo Shu, who was staring at her with an odd look, cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "You might want to take a look in the mirror."

Hearing that, Utaha reached into her school bag and pulled out a compact mirror. The moment she looked into it...

A delicate and dazzlingly beautiful face appeared, bright lips, pearly teeth, and an almost unnatural allure radiating from every feature.

Though her face hadn't changed much, something about it had become noticeably more seductive—so much so that even she felt like her own reflection was someone else. She covered her face with her hand and exclaimed in disbelief, "Are you sure this is an ability evolution material?"

If she didn't see her face every day, she might've questioned whether the person in the mirror was some kind of seductive spirit (or foxy seductress).

The charm in that expression far surpassed any airbrushed celebrity photo she'd ever seen.

Though reluctant to admit it, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt that if she were to show up in ancient times like this, she could easily ruin a kingdom—or at the very least, become one of history's most notorious femme fatales.

Luo Shu tapped his temple meaningfully and said, "I think the relevant ability knowledge should already be appearing in your mind."

Though the mechanism wasn't fully understood, it was true that when one used materials to level up a skill, they would subconsciously receive related knowledge.

According to what Luo Shu had learned from the system, this was due to the interaction between human inspiration and the world itself.

Utaha didn't respond immediately. Her eyes glazed over slightly as she muttered to herself, "Deep mental access… suggestion… hypnosis… suppression… manipulation…"

Bit by bit, the knowledge of how to safely hypnotize a person and influence their mental state using her own spiritual force began to flow into her mind.

Using Natsuki Minamiya's "Essence, Energy, Spirit" framework as a metaphor, Utaha had advanced from a clueless beginner to someone who could now touch the divine blue flame above people's heads—the symbol of the gods.

In other words, Kasumigaoka Utaha had now become a full-fledged enchantress.

When her eyes finally refocused, Luo Shu immediately asked with curiosity, "So, how do you feel now?"

"Pretty great," Utaha replied with a small smirk as she narrowed her eyes and studied Luo Shu's face.

Although she couldn't fully hypnotize him—his blue flame, representing his spiritual strength, was far too stable—she could still pick up on small cues in his gaze and expressions.

His eyes kept flickering, and his line of sight alternated between her face, chest, and legs.

Oh? His pupils contracted ever so slightly just now before he deliberately looked away. Was he regretting sneaking a peek at me?

Heh. Just as I thought—this guy is absolutely not honest.

Utaha laughed inwardly but kept her face composed, acting as if she hadn't noticed anything strange. She even crossed her legs with a slightly exaggerated motion and said casually, "It seems like my ability only interferes with people on a similar spiritual level. But if our target is just an ordinary person like you said, I think I can definitely extract the information we need."

She deliberately omitted the part where, even without using hypnosis, she could now assess someone's mental state just from reading their micro-expressions and spiritual fluctuations.

It felt a bit dishonest, but she didn't want Luo Shu to become wary of her because of this.

However, what Utaha didn't know was that the moment she tried to hide something, Luo Shu's instincts had already picked up on the shift.

She's hiding something… Her hypnosis ability might not be as limited as she's letting on.

Luo Shu glanced at her again. He couldn't deny it—after taking the succubus blood, Utaha had undergone a noticeable transformation. Although the power-up was the main goal, her newfound charm made his heart stir.

Still, Luo Shu reminded himself that they hadn't known each other for long. Being too straightforward might lead to unwanted consequences. And with Mira Tsubakihara also making moves lately, he had a bit of a "we'll see" attitude.

After all… no man dreams of not having a harem.

As that thought passed through his mind, Luo Shu took a deep breath and said to Utaha, "In that case, let's see if you can extract any intel from the target."

Utaha narrowed her eyes, then smiled sweetly. "Sure~"