The Supreme Chairwoman of the SDS, hypnotised by an Abyss Artefact, was reduced to a controlled slave.
If this news spread to the mystic side, it would undoubtedly cause unimaginable upheaval.
However, this was impossible.
After Utaha Kasumigaoka voiced her conjecture, Luo Shu immediately grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, pinching both sides of her cheeks and tugging hard.
"Ouch! Ouch ouch!!"
"Let go, let go now!!"
"What are you doing?!"
"This is the price for slandering my innocence!!"
Luo Shu released Utaha's cheeks but still kept an arm around her waist, holding her in place as he said:
"What do you mean, I hypnotised Lacus? Am I that kind of person?"
"That's what you think."
Utaha rubbed her cheeks, hissing slightly before speaking with a mix of amusement and irritation:
"No matter how you look at it, the Chairwoman playing along with your antics like this just doesn't seem right, does it?"
"Compared to Lacus indulging your nonsense, I'd rather believe she's been hypnotised by you~"
"See? Being hypnotised would explain why she'd agree to something as outrageous as sharing a bed. Doesn't that make perfect sense?"
Utaha's words left Luo Shu speechless.
If he weren't directly involved, even he might think Lacus had been hypnotised.
But then Luo Shu recalled Lacus's terrifying notion of treating him like a breeding stud and immediately shook his head.
With ideas that frightening, even if he could hypnotise Lacus, he wouldn't dare.
What if she decided she didn't need so many Familia members and could drain him dry all by herself?
At this thought, Luo Shu's face twitched uncontrollably.
He sighed and turned to look at Lacus, who was covering her mouth to stifle giggles:
"Stop laughing. Look at the mess this has become."
He then nudged Kisara and added, "And you, stop pretending to sleep. What time do you think it is?"
Hearing this, Kisara's eyelashes fluttered. After a brief hesitation, she opened her eyes, glanced at Utaha, then immediately looked away, her face full of guilt.
This reaction puzzled Utaha.
While it was true that Kisara had intercepted her before and might behave differently around her, this was beyond reason.
Previously, whenever they met, Kisara had carried herself with something of a victor's attitude, even if she didn't say much. But now, this display of guilt left Utaha completely baffled.
Was guilt some kind of delayed reaction in demons?
Meanwhile, Lacus had stood up, paying little attention to her appearance as she tied her hair into a ponytail before asking:
"What would you all like for breakfast?"
Her demeanour suggested she intended to cook.
Noticing this, Kisara—though still harbouring some hostility towards Lacus—advised:
"For five people, the ingredients in the fridge would work best for chicken cutlet sandwiches."
"Oh, and there's a 2-litre bottle of milk left. It was meant for baking a cake, but we might as well heat it up for breakfast."
"Chicken cutlet sandwiches? Understood."
As Lacus spoke, she walked out of the room, calling back to Utaha:
"We can explain everything after breakfast, alright?"
Utaha didn't object, though she couldn't help feeling somewhat peculiar about the situation.
Why did she get the impression that Lacus acted more like the lady of the house than she did?
Meanwhile, Kisara felt somewhat uncomfortable seeing Utaha appear in the room, along with Mukuro Hoshimiya soundly sleeping.
Thinking to escape the awkwardness, she stood up and said:
"I'll go help out."
After Kisara also hurried out of the room, Utaha Kasumigaoka turned her head to look at Luo Shu. Seeing his helpless face so close to hers, the anger she'd been meaning to vent suddenly dissipated.
"Turns out I'm just another shallow woman swayed by looks."
After quietly mocking herself, Utaha pried open Luo Shu's wrist and said:
"Alright, stop holding me. If you're not embarrassed, I am."
"Fine. But just so we're clear, no more slandering me." As he spoke, Luo Shu released her and even raised his hands in a gesture of innocence.
Once freed, Utaha immediately stood up and straightened her clothes. Finding them relatively undisturbed, she shot Luo Shu a glare.
'What? You want me to publicly 'convince' you through other means?'
Luo Shu was speechless at this reaction.
"Such a reckless man," Utaha muttered before turning to leave the room.
Hearing this, Luo Shu felt his brain short-circuit.
He'd just held her without moving - and that was reckless? Would groping her have been considered proper behaviour then?
But acting inappropriately with Utaha in front of Lacus, Kisara and Mukuro?
Luo Shu didn't think he'd sunk to such perverted levels yet.
With a helpless sigh, he turned to observe Mukuro's sleeping face resting on his shoulder, then muttered wearily:
"Somehow I feel like you're actually the easiest girl to get along with, Mukuro."
"...compliments...wait till...Muku wakes up...zzz~~"
Amused, Luo Shu pinched his nose and remained seated, waiting for breakfast to arrive.
Before long...
Breakfast was ready, though served in the room itself.
Kisara brought in a low table set with sandwiches prepared by Lacus and cups of milk heated by Utaha, who'd just rushed out earlier.
Luo Shu couldn't help but feel exhausted by how even breakfast required contributions from three separate people.
Yet something even more exhausting awaited.
"You explained everything directly through the Divine Pantheon?"
Luo Shu stared dumbfounded at the completely unruffled Lacus, his eyes wide:
"And you transmitted last night's memories directly to her?"
Lacus calmly held her milk cup: "I don't believe there's anything that needs to be hidden from Miss Utaha."
"I think there is!" Luo Shu said through gritted teeth.
Just imagining Utaha knowing about last night's scene - where an unwilling Kisara was pinned down by Lacus and Mukuro while he bullied her - made Luo Shu want to jump from this third floor and die outside.
You call that something that doesn't need hiding?
Madam Chairwoman, if you're not embarrassed, I certainly am!!
Frantically, Luo Shu turned to study Utaha's expression, hoping to discern something from her reaction.
Yet when he saw Utaha's face, he didn't find disgust or revulsion - only a gaze filled with pity.
This... Luo Shu froze momentarily before asking with a complicated expression:
"Utaha, why are you looking at me like that?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka hesitated for a moment, especially after stealing a glance at Lacus. That furtive movement made Luo Shu's heart skip a beat instantly.
Then, as if she'd gleaned something from Lacus's expression, Utaha turned back with a look of pity directed at Luo Shu:
"Luo Shu, you must be aware of Lacus's thoughts, right? From what I recall, didn't you two discuss this yesterday?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu nodded, then looked at Utaha with a puzzled expression, as if asking 'and then?'
Utaha took a deep breath at this point, her expression slightly unnatural as she said:
"Don't you think the Chairwoman is gradually luring you onto a path where you'll have to... comfort tens of thousands of Familia members every day?"
"Look, you're already finding it thrilling to play around with three girls. What's next then, wouldn't it be..."
Utaha didn't finish her sentence, but the implication was clear enough.
In that instant, Luo Shu felt his scalp tingle uncontrollably, cold sweat pouring down his back.
He glanced sideways at Lacus, only to find her still holding her milk glass with that gentle expression. The thousand words swirling in his mind ultimately condensed into just two:
"Bloody hell!"