"84: You’re the One Acting Strange!"

Looking at the file in his hands, Luo Shu couldn't help but wonder—had his Luck skill completely derailed?

Otherwise, how could it be that just this morning he was telling Kasumigaoka Utaha he wouldn't get involved in this matter, and by noon, Natsuki Minamiya had already roped him into it?

This just didn't make sense.

Turning his head, Luo Shu glanced over at the bench nearby, where Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Spencer Eriri were sitting.

Noticing Luo Shu's gaze, Utaha, who had her lunchbox on her lap, casually flipped her hair and smirked mischievously. "What? Can't I enjoy the show?"

"Tch." Luo Shu clicked his tongue in annoyance.

At that moment, Natsuki, fanning herself with a black lace folding fan, tapped her shoulder rhythmically and also let out a "tch" of her own before saying, "Do you think I wanted to assign this to that woman Tachibana Kirika?"

"Given the situation, SDS was the only viable option."

"And besides, it's just delivering a document. Is that enough for you to complain this much? At least show some respect for your elders!"

Hearing her say that Luo Shu looked down at the document in his hand, the corners of his mouth twitching. "You're asking me to give this to Director Tachibana. How is that any different from having me personally handle the matter?"

He had pride, too, okay?! Miss Utaha was still watching from the side!!

"Hah?" Natsuki tilted her head with a slightly baffled expression, then looked at Luo Shu strangely. "Wait, don't tell me... you actually thought you were going to be deployed to handle the case?"

She snorted and gave Luo Shu an amused look. "Who would've thought? You, who looked so responsible, turn out to be just another lazy schemer~"

It was as if she had discovered something oddly familiar and nostalgic. Chuckling to herself, she added, "Relax. When it comes to demons, there's no way we'd send out a rookie like you. Normally, this kind of operation would involve that heiress above your Director sending out an official strike team."

"Of course, you'll probably be placed on the perimeter for reconnaissance. You'll still walk away with a pretty generous bonus."

Reminded of how Luo Shu was clearly trying to avoid doing work, Natsuki couldn't help but recall a few paycheck-leeching juniors from her world and ended up throwing in a few more words of unsolicited advice.

"Even if it's low-risk on the perimeter, I'd still suggest you move with Tachibana Kirika. That woman may be reckless, but her luck's always been oddly good."

The reason for Director Tachibana's good luck is literally in my hands right now... Luo Shu sighed internally but still silently accepted the job of message courier.

Of course, it wasn't because Luo Shu was curious about the specific amount of that generous bonus. He, Luo Shu, was a man of principle. He never cared about money—he merely helped it find its rightful destination.

He picked up the lunch bag from the bench and casually stuffed the document inside before saying, "Actually, I'm curious about one thing."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "Ask."

Seeing her so straightforward, Luo Shu didn't hesitate. "Why did you choose SDS to handle the demon situation?"

Upon hearing this, Natsuki gave Luo Shu a long, almost baffled look, like he was some sort of anomaly.

Just as Luo Shu started to wonder if he had said something wrong, Natsukii replied, "The reason is simple."

"Because your organization—SDS—is the only one with a decent chance of not trying to exploit the demon for profit."

...What?

Luo Shu was completely thrown off. What did she mean by only SDS wouldn't try to misuse a captured demon?

But Natsuki had no intention of explaining further. Instead, she turned toward the stairs, her back to Luo Shu, and said, "This afternoon's classes are cancelled. I'll excuse you. And since tomorrow and the day after are the weekend, you have two and a half days. With your department's efficiency, that should be more than enough to handle it."

Turning slightly, she looked back at Luo Shu and added, "If Tachibana Kirika asks where I've been these few days, just tell her I've been advocating for SDS's funding."

"Thanks to the big promises she made during the Sharon incident, your department's budget is likely going to get a thirty percent increase."

"As a reward for delivering that message, make sure you apply for a raise. As long as it's under fifty percent, it should get approved."

With those words, Natsuki waved her hand and disappeared down the stairs, out of Luo Shu's sight.

Standing there, Luo Shu stared at the stairwell and muttered under his breath, "Why do you keep reminding me about money? Was I really that obvious?"

"Hehe~"

Hearing a chuckle, Luo Shu turned around to see Kasumigaoka Utaha covering her mouth, laughing lightly. He shot her a glare and grumbled, "What's so funny? Your dear superior just got dragged into a demon-related incident, and you're laughing?"

"Isn't that perfect?" Utaha smiled, lips curled playfully. "Now you have a perfectly reasonable excuse to get involved, don't you?"

"Not to mention—you'll make some nice bonus cash."

Her eyes twinkled mischievously. She suddenly realized that Luo Shu's salary was already higher than what many middle-aged salarymen in their 40s and 50s ever reached. In fact, it had already surpassed her father's lifetime peak.

With such a legitimate and well-paying job, even bringing Luo Shu home one day... might not be so far-fetched.

Wait—what am I thinking?

Suddenly aware of the direction of her thoughts, Utaha's face flushed red. She quickly turned to Eriri and said, "I'm right, aren't I, Sawamura-san?"

She tried to shift the attention and dodge the embarrassment.

"Huh? What did you say?" Eriri blinked, like waking from a dream, and looked up blankly.

Seeing this, Utaha gave her a slightly puzzled look. "Sawamura-san, you've been spacing out this whole time. Did something happen?"

"Of course not!!" Eriri's voice spiked in pitch instinctively—but it was so obvious that even Luo Shu looked over.

Under the watchful gaze of the "High God" himself, Eriri immediately began to panic. "Well... it's not nothing exactly... it's just…"

"Hm?" Luo Shu frowned, lifting the bag as he walked toward her, ready to hear what was wrong.

If anything serious had happened that might affect Eriri, he—as the head of the household—naturally couldn't sit back and ignore it.

But when Luo Shu finally got close, Eriri squeezed out just one sentence:

"It's just... yesterday, I used my ability to transform into my mom, and then she saw me..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression froze with a visible "???" written all over her face. She could barely hold it in.

What confused her even more—

After hearing that, Luo Shu suddenly burst out, "Can you show me!?"

"What?" Eriri responded blankly, dumbfounded.

Luo Shu's eyes were practically gleaming with anticipation. "I mean, can you perform it? Turn into Ms. Sayuri for me, just once?"

Eriri stood there stunned.

Is there something wrong with you!!