The water had been thrown. Though regret was eating her alive inside, Kei stubbornly maintained her defiant expression:
"You'd better explain yourself today, old man. Why are you so insistent that Senior and I are dating?"
Meanwhile, Shirogane calmly wiped the water from his face, slowly narrowing his eyes. When they reopened, his pupils had turned blood-red:
"Kei, your hostility towards your father today is quite severe..."
"I..." Kei immediately felt guilty upon hearing this. Normally, while she didn't get along with her father, their arguments never went beyond verbal sparring, and she did care about him deep down.
Yet for some reason, every word and action from her father today seemed to provoke her uncontrollably.
'What's wrong with me?'
As Kei was lost in self-reproach, her father suddenly said:
"Coincidentally, your father feels equally hostile towards you."
Having said this, Shirogane turned to Luo Shu and said:
"I imagine Luo Shu might have some insight into this change?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu looked up at the father and daughter before him and replied:
"The full picture would require locating that Abyss Artefact to confirm."
"But based on current observations, the reason is likely because you've both been transformed into the same species of Vampire by the same artefact."
Here, Luo Shu paused before adding:
"From what I understand, some non-human races transformed by such artefacts develop strong tendencies to consume one another."
"This tendency typically manifests as hostility towards others who underwent the same transformation, as well as an intense craving for the Abyss Artefact that changed them."
"Simply put, Abyss Artefacts that cause race transformation create a magnetic-like effect after altering individuals, making all transformed people subconsciously desire to consume others."
"I believe Kei and Ms Shirogane are likely experiencing something similar."
"I see." Shirogane suddenly understood upon hearing Luo Shu's words, finally realising why he had been feeling hostile towards her own daughter.
Unlike Kei Shirogane, who struggled to control her emotions, Papa Shirogane, being an adult, had better emotional regulation. Though his hostility kept rising internally, he could still restrain himself.
In contrast, Kei Shirogane was different.
"How could this be..." Kei Shirogane paled upon hearing Luo Shu's explanation.
Just then, Shirogane sighed:
"The one most at fault in this matter is still me, for bringing that Abyss Artefact home."
Hearing this, Luo Shu raised an eyebrow and said:
"Rather than that, Shirogane-san, where did you put that cross? From what I can see, you don't seem to have any intention of retrieving it after explaining the situation earlier?"
When Luo Shu asked this, Shirogane sighed and pointed at himself:
"This morning, I accidentally ate that cross like it was bread!"
At these words, not only Kei Shirogane but even Luo Shu was stunned.
Luo Shu's expression became somewhat unnatural as he asked:
"When you say 'ate'...?"
Shirogane nodded. "Ah, it was like chewing chocolate. A very sweet taste."
'No one asked about the taste...' Luo Shu's lips twitched slightly.
Meanwhile, Kei Shirogane clutched her head, repeating in bewilderment:
"No, an ambulance—yes, we need to call an ambulance. But which department handles metal ingestion? Gastroenterology? Wait, we also need to prepare cash for the hospital visit..."
"Kei." Luo Shu raised his hand and patted Kei's head, teasing her with a smile. "You seem to have forgotten your father is already a Vampire now!"
"Ah, right..." Kei didn't know how to respond to that.
She hesitated for a moment before finally blurting out:
"Dad, why on earth would you think of eating that thing?!"
"Because I acted on impulse!" Shirogane replied calmly. "Thinking about it, items that can alter one's race probably have a strong allure for someone who's been transformed into a Vampire, don't they?"
"Theoretically, yes." Luo Shu had already realised that once he heard the Abyss Artefact had been swallowed by Shirogane, there was little chance of recovering it.
"Race Transformation-type Abyss Artefacts are usually one-time use. Reusable ones are extremely rare—so rare that the SDS records only two cases worldwide."
That was why Luo Shu had been surprised earlier when Kei mentioned the cross still existed, thinking it might be a rare reusable variant.
But now it seemed this Abyss Artefact could only transform one person, and Shirogane was the target. As for why Kei was also affected, Luo Shu wasn't entirely sure of the specifics.
He could only speculate:
"Considering the hostility issue you mentioned, Kei, I suspect your father's transformation might not be complete yet. He might need to... consume you to fully become a true Vampire."
Hearing this, Kei's face flushed red, and she couldn't hold back her retort:
"I'm not Metis! How could I just be eaten?!"
"What Luo Shu says is indeed very plausible." Shirogane nodded with a grave expression.
'Plausible? It's practically the truth already.'
While mentally complaining, Luo Shu checked Shirogane's status using his encyclopaedia ability.
[Shirogane (Silver-Eyed Earl Bloodline, Elite Rank Ascending)]
[A human transformed by a cross containing the Heart's Blood of a Vampire Earl. Due to sheer luck, his mind wasn't corrupted by the blood, but as a result, his bloodline became incomplete.]
Without direct access to Shirogane's DNA material, this was all the information Luo Shu could currently see.
However, Luo Shu was currently holding Kei Shirogane's hair, making it easy to check the girl's information.
[Kei Shirogane (Pure-Blooded Vampire Family, Descendant of the Silver-Eyed Earl Bloodline, Common Rank)]
[Due to the influence of the Abyss Artefact Lucky Cat, she accidentally intruded when her father was about to be transformed into an out-of-control Vampire, seizing part of the Silver-Eyed Earl's bloodline and becoming a juvenile Pure-Blood Vampire. Her body is currently in development.]
Seeing this information, Luo Shu pieced together the situation.
Kei's father had been working multiple jobs when he unexpectedly obtained the Lucky Cat, brought it home to worship, and received its blessing of luck. Later, he fortuitously acquired a Race Transformation-type Abyss Artefact for Pure-Blood Vampires and, by sheer luck, activated it.
At the same time, due to this luck, just as Kei's father was about to ascend by activating his vampire lineage, his daughter accidentally stumbled upon the ritual and stole part of its essence.
Thus, Kei's father, who should have lost control, survived thanks to the Lucky Cat's blessing. Meanwhile, Kei, who should have died during her father's rampage, escaped death by having worshipped the Lucky Cat and successfully transformed into a Vampire.
In a way, this was an accidental incident triggered by picking up an Abyss Artefact.
Having understood the sequence of events, both Kei and her father wore complicated expressions.
To say they were unlucky—they'd become vampires, instantly transforming from ordinary people into superhumans.
Yet to say they were lucky—given their bloodline relationship, the possibility of father and daughter turning against each other couldn't be ruled out.
This left them in a rather precarious situation.
"At this point, we can only focus on solving the problem," Kei's father sighed, then looked solemnly at Luo Shu:
"Luo Shu, I may have to trouble you with Kei!"
"Eh???"
Luo Shu froze upon hearing this.
Something felt off about those words. This didn't sound like a path to Children's Day—more like a road leading to a wedding chapel!