As Luo Shu was stunned by this unexpected encounter at the door...
Hinami Fueguchi, who had just opened the door, froze briefly before instinctively dropping the plastic bag full of vegetables she was holding, taking a step back to hide behind Ai Haibara.
'Why are you hiding behind me? It's not like I can conceal you back here?'
Ai Haibara was dumbfounded by her companion's action.
Just as Ai Haibara was puzzled, Ryōko Fueguchi's voice came from behind:
"Ah, Lord Luo Shu?"
Hearing this address, Luo Shu slightly raised his gaze to look at Ryōko Fueguchi, who had appeared at the villa entrance, also carrying groceries.
Looking at the gentle woman with that dangerously alluring married woman's hairstyle, Luo Shu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow:
"Ryōko Fueguchi?"
"I'm surprised you know my name." Ryōko Fueguchi bowed slightly in surprise upon hearing Luo Shu's words.
Luo Shu, however, regained his composure and said calmly:
"Even if Yoshimura submitted a whitelist, necessary vetting is still required."
At the mention of the whitelist, Ryōko seemed to shiver slightly.
Meanwhile, Hinami Fueguchi immediately ran from behind Ai Haibara to hide behind Ryōko, peering timidly at Luo Shu.
Seeing Hinami's reaction, Luo Shu glanced at the apologetic Ryōko before joking:
"...Did that old man Yoshimura say bad things about me in front of you?"
"Nothing like that." Ryōko quickly waved her hands in denial.
For Yoshimura, who had sacrificed himself to secure their whitelist, Ryōko naturally wanted to explain.
Luo Shu smiled and asked again: "Then who's been badmouthing me to children?"
"Er..." Ryōko froze, wanting to speak but not daring to.
Instead, Hinami blurted out innocently:
"Touka-nee said it!"
"The moody Black Devil!!"
"Hinami!" Ryōko cried out, torn between laughter and exasperation.
Luo Shu's face twitched, but he couldn't bring himself to scold Hinami.
Arguing with a child would be beneath him.
But Touka Kirishima, was it?
'Very well, I'll remember this...' Luo Shu mentally noted this down before turning to Ai Haibara and casually asking Ryōko:
"And who's this tea-haired little one?"
"She doesn't seem to be on the list."
Hearing Luo Shu's offhand remark, Ryōko immediately answered nervously:
"This child was found by Mr Yoshimura at our doorstep last night. She's not one of us."
"If you'd prefer her not to stay here, Mr Luo, we'll take her to a nearby orphanage."
Seeing Ryōko's reaction, Luo Shu couldn't help but laugh:
"...Did my words just now sound too accusatory?"
He glanced briefly at Ai Haibara, meeting her curious gaze, then said:
"If Yoshimura wants to adopt her, let him. For identification documents, have him contact Mouri."
Then Luo Shu added meaningfully:
"Next time you find such a child, report it first. Otherwise, I might question your motives."
"After all, you're still under surveillance."
At this, Ryōko gasped softly.
Only now did she remember - these villas housed Ghouls.
Adopting a human girl so suddenly would naturally make someone like Luo Shu suspicious.
What else could you expect from man-eating Ghouls?
Just then, Hinami gathered her courage to say:
"We've had the vaccine! We wouldn't eat Ai!"
'Vaccine? Eat?' Ai Haibara looked puzzled at Hinami.
At this moment, Luo Shu, who had been rebutted, smiled and said:
"In that case, do remember your promise. If you break it, the Black Devil really will eat people."
After teasing them with a laugh, Luo Shu turned to introduce Chika Fujiwara and Kei Shirogane, who had already reached the entryway:
"These are the Fueguchi family, currently living in this villa."
"You'll likely be staying with them for the next few days."
Hearing this, Chika Fujiwara quickly bowed and introduced herself: "Ah, apologies for intruding. I'm Fujiwara Chika."
"Shirogane Kei. Pleased to meet you."
"...Pleased to meet you too." Though confused, Ryōko Fueguchi responded politely out of courtesy.
Then, Luo Shu walked past Ai Haibara and headed out the door, saying:
"We have matters to attend to now, so we'll take our leave for the moment. Later, I'll bring these two children here to stay for a day or two."
"Understood." Ryōko Fueguchi replied, watching as Luo Shu led Chika Fujiwara and Kei Shirogane into the open garage. She stood at the doorway, gazing wistfully as the three drove away.
...
Once they had left, Ryōko Fueguchi let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest with lingering fear:
"Touka-chan said someone would be staying over for a while, but she didn't mention that this lord would be coming!"
"This lord?"
Ai Haibara, who had remained silent until Luo Shu and the others departed, finally spoke up:
"Aunt Ryōko, who was that man just now? Why do you all seem so afraid of him?"
Before Ryōko could answer, Hinami Fueguchi couldn't help but interject:
"Ai-chan, that person isn't just scary—he's super scary!"
"According to Touka-nee, he's the kind of Great Demon King who can smile while signing orders for large-scale massacres!"
"Huh?"
Ai Haibara's eyes turned deadpan. Smiling while signing massacre orders? What era was this? People like that didn't exist anymore.
"Is this some kind of game setting?"
"It's not from a game—it's real!" Hinami tried to explain, but suddenly shivered, turning to see Ryōko Fueguchi's gentle yet pointed smile.
Immediately, Hinami shrank back and corrected herself:
"It's from Age of Empires. Luo Shu-sama... er, Luo Shu-nii, is a terrifying Great Demon King who can smile while issuing massacre commands in the game."
Hearing Hinami's awkward explanation, Ai Haibara glanced at Ryōko Fueguchi and nodded as if understanding:
"I see. That does sound terrifying."
Though she said it was terrifying, Ai Haibara only grew more curious about Luo Shu.
After all, Hinami's fear and Ryōko's apprehension clearly indicated that the man had likely done something genuinely frightening.
As for whether he had actually signed execution orders, Ai Haibara found that unlikely.
In modern society, such incidents would have been exposed by social media long ago—things wouldn't be this peaceful.
Unless governments worldwide had conspired to suppress the information, but that was practically impossible.
Thus, though intrigued by the Fueguchi mother and daughter's reactions, Ai Haibara's curiosity stopped there.
Led by Ryōko Fueguchi, the three of them entered the villa together and began preparing for tonight's dinner.
...
Meanwhile, in the car.
Luo Shu lightly pressed the accelerator as he drove through the alley, rolling down the window to glance at the nameplate on the wall outside that read "Agasa Residence."
His eyes gradually narrowed.