"Huh?"
The man turned his head in confusion:
"What's wrong with me being home?"
Kei froze momentarily at this response.
Indeed, her father being in his own house wasn't actually unreasonable.
While Kei remained dumbfounded by the counterquestion, her father had already struck up a conversation with Luo Shu.
"Yo, first meeting. You can call me Shirogane Papa. Kei's Papa is acceptable, too. Or just Shirogane if you prefer."
The elder Shirogane greeted Luo Shu with remarkable composure.
Observing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but point at his bare torso:
"Aren't you going to put on some clothes?"
"Ah? Envious?"
Shirogane struck a pose accentuating his arm muscles:
"Lately, for some reason, my physique keeps improving. Women actually approach me on the street. Honestly, it's quite troublesome for a middle-aged man."
This was blatant boasting, wasn't it? Absolutely shameless bragging.
Luo Shu regarded the deeply lined yet undeniably masculine face with mild exasperation.
"Anyway, while I don't necessarily approve of Kei dating so young... your name?"
"Luo Shu will do."
"Foreigner?" Shirogane remarked evenly: "Cross-border relationships can be quite challenging."
Having regained her senses, Kei's face darkened as she delivered a sharp kick to her father's back:
"Shut up and put some clothes on already, you old fart!"
Shirogane stumbled forward to disperse the impact, muttering:
"Papa's just concerned about your future!"
He then headed to the bathroom to retrieve and don the clothes Kei had previously tossed into the plastic bucket.
Watching this, Luo Shu turned to Kei and carefully observed:
"Your father is unexpectedly... composed."
Trapped by an Abyss Artefact, and the first thing he cares about after being released is his daughter's love life, showing no concern for his previous ordeal at all.
'Are you the veteran of the mystic side, or am I?'
"Talking about this now is pointless." Kei Shirogane crossed her arms, sighing helplessly. "I never expected Dad to..."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at the Lucky Cat on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, then froze.
"Eh? It's fixed?"
Luo Shu turned to look at the Lucky Cat, which had been shattered by him earlier but had now inexplicably restored itself. Raising an eyebrow, he remarked:
"Seems like a reusable artefact!"
Though he wondered about the side effects...
Luo Shu thought for a moment, then grabbed the Lucky Cat and used his Encyclopaedia to appraise it.
[Lucky Cat (Elite Rank)]
[A beckoning cat symbolising wealth and happiness. By offering money through worship, one can accumulate luck, which is then released to counteract calamity when misfortune strikes. Alternatively, one can offer luck in exchange for monetary blessings.]
[Side Effect 1: Continuously consumes the worshipper's financial luck or general luck, converting it into stored luck and wealth.]
[Side Effect 2: If worship continues uninterrupted for seven days, the Lucky Cat will devour all of the worshipper's financial and general luck, digesting it within itself.]
After skimming the Encyclopaedia's findings, Luo Shu couldn't help but glance at Kei's father, now dressed in a shirt, then whispered to Kei:
"I think I understand now why your dad keeps stumbling upon Abyss Artefacts so easily."
Kei looked surprised as she glanced at the Lucky Cat, clearly grasping Luo Shu's implication.
Just then, the now-dressed Shirogane calmly walked over, adjusting his tie as he said flatly:
"Have you two finished discussing?"
"Huh? Finished discussing what?" Kei blinked in confusion.
"Your excuse for lying to me, of course." The old man sighed. "Kei-chan bringing a boy home while Miyuki and I were away—anyone could guess what happened."
"Well, not that I mind becoming a grandfather right now, but considering your studies, Kei-chan, it's better to be cautious."
Kei's expression gradually turned blank as she listened.
She stomped forward, first crushing her father's toes underfoot, then delivering a sharp uppercut to his chin.
After this display of filial piety, she watched as her father curled his toes in pain and awkwardly jutted his chin out before slowly realigning it.
Rubbing his sore neck, the old man grumbled:
"Still, punching your dad right off the bat is a bit too brutal, don't you think?"
Kei took a few steps back, sighed, and turned to Luo Shu:
"Senior, it seems my dad has also been turned into a Vampire."
"I can tell."
Having witnessed Kei's 'filial devotion' firsthand, Luo Shu nodded, then added:
"Next time, I wouldn't recommend this method for identification."
Though she inwardly acknowledged Luo Shu's advice, Kei huffed and said:
"For this loose-lipped old man, this was the gentlest option."
At that moment, Shirogane touched his neck and narrowed his eyes to ask:
"...Did you just mention Vampires, Kei? Would you mind explaining in detail to your father?"
Hearing this, Kei Shirogane glanced at Luo Shu, who nodded in response to her gaze.
Seeing this, Kei let out a relieved sigh before explaining the situation to her father.
...
10 minutes later.
By the dining table, where several cups of warm water were placed.
Shirogane, seated on a chair, stroked his chin and remarked:
"The Abyss... sorcerers... the mystic side... and Abyss Artefacts that can alter one's species... The world never fails to reveal its splendour in the most unexpected ways."
"You're taking this awfully well, old man?" Kei asked in surprise.
"Ah, is this really so hard to accept?"
Shirogane glanced at his daughter calmly:
"A middle-aged man who's been single and struggling financially for years suddenly becomes wildly popular, getting hit on by women and even men, then gets locked up by the Lucky Cat statue worshipped at home. After experiencing all that, even the biggest fool would realise something strange is going on."
"Though compared to all that, there's actually something else I'm more concerned about."
"What is it?" Kei asked curiously.
At this, Shirogane looked at his daughter seriously and inquired:
"You and Luo Shu... are you really not dating?"
The moment these words left his mouth, the corners of Kei's lips twitched upwards as a faint smile appeared on her face.
The next second, she flung the cup of warm water from the table straight into her father's face.
"Go die ten thousand times, you rotten old man!!"