The moment their eyes met, Luo Shu paused briefly before resuming his stride amidst the officers' salutes.
It wasn't that Luo Shu didn't want to approach these two potential Familia candidates who had triggered the Divine Pantheon's reaction.
Rather, he believed it would be safer and more effective to first obtain their registration details from the police box, conduct some divination and investigation, and then approach them later under the pretext of memory erasure.
Yet just as this thought crossed his mind, the strikingly beautiful black-haired girl with golden eyes proactively stepped forward, raising her hand to stop him:
"Um... could you wait a moment?"
Luo Shu's footsteps halted abruptly. Turning with mild surprise, he regarded the girl:
"Is there something you need?"
The girl opened her mouth but seemed suddenly tongue-tied, her gaze darting about nervously as she avoided direct eye contact.
In contrast, her companion, called Hana, proved more outgoing. Seeing her friend intercept Luo Shu, she immediately perked up with curiosity:
"Miko, is this the gentleman you mentioned earlier who advised us to call the police?"
"Huh~~ He looks so young... and somehow familiar..."
Hearing this, Luo Shu's mouth twitched involuntarily:
"...We literally met in that alley ten minutes ago."
"Ah, I suppose that's true."
Witnessing Hana's airheaded response, Miko covered her face in apparent secondhand embarrassment for her friend.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu's gaze lingered on the black-haired girl with golden eyes.
Miko? This appearance and face... seems a bit familiar.
Luo Shu guessed that the girl before him was likely from some anime he knew, which was why she gave him such a sense of familiarity.
Unfortunately, since he rarely watched anime after reaching adulthood, combined with having transmigrated once already, his memories of certain shows had faded. If he really wanted to recall, he'd probably need to use his spirituality to dig up those buried memories.
But the current situation clearly didn't allow him the time to excavate his memories quietly.
Since she'd come to him, it would be rude not to greet her...
With that thought, Luo Shu pointed to a proper coffee shop nearby and said:
"How about a coffee as thanks?"
"Eh?"
Miko looked startled by the offer, while Hana beside her brightened up excitedly:
"Desserts? Yay, yay~~"
...
A few minutes later, the two were seated at the third window-side table in the café.
By then, Luo Shu had learned their names from their self-introductions.
Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa.
Upon hearing their full names, he secretly used the Mysticism Encyclopaedia to divine their backgrounds. Finding no issues, the information he obtained also triggered a spiritual enlightenment, reminding him of their identities.
The female protagonist from the anime "The Girl Who Can See Them, or Mieruko-chan"—possessing incredibly powerful Mystic Eyes but utterly lacking self-defence abilities, forced to pretend she couldn't see anything in a world teeming with ghosts and monsters.
A real unlucky one.
After recalling who Miko Yotsuya was, Luo Shu understood why she seemed so familiar.
He had watched that anime purely for the tearful expressions of the female lead when frightened by ghosts. Since Yotsuya hadn't cried, he genuinely hadn't recognised her at first.
Moreover, judging by the black-haired maid's reaction earlier, Miko Yotsuya seemed unexpectedly composed...
Perhaps she hadn't cried because it involved human-related matters? Should he try testing her with a ghost next time?
As Luo Shu pondered this, Hana Yurikawa, opposite him, happily scooped up a spoonful of strawberry cream cake and popped it into her mouth with an "Aah~".
"This cake is so delicious~~"
"Hana-chan."
Miko Yotsuya gave her childish companion a resigned look.
Thanks to Hana's antics, she'd finally managed to create an environment for private conversation with the rather special gentleman opposite them.
Yet from the current situation, it didn't seem much different from an ordinary thank-you dinner.
This completely failed to achieve her objective!!
Just as Miko was inwardly sighing, Luo Shu unexpectedly asked:
"Miss Yotsuya, was there something specific you wanted to ask about when you stopped me?"
After speaking, Luo Shu paused, giving Miko a strange look as she appeared moved, her expression practically screaming, 'I've seen an angel.'
"Yes, there are some things I'd like to understand." Miko nodded repeatedly, touched by Luo Shu's perceptiveness.
Noticing Miko seemed to want to inquire about something specific, Luo Shu smiled and said:
"Was it about the power that the maid used to manipulate you earlier?"
"No, not just that."
Miko hesitated, as if wanting to say something but holding back.
Seeing this, Luo Shu immediately explained with a smile:
"If it's something confidential, please don't worry. When it comes to keeping secrets, I consider myself exceptionally qualified."
"Is that so..."
Miko clearly wanted to complain about someone proclaiming themselves good at keeping secrets, but Luo Shu's words seemed to sway her regardless.
After several seconds of contemplation, she took a sip of coffee, drew a deep breath, and appeared to reach a decision:
"Mr Luo, I have a friend who, since last month, has been able to see... very frightening things that ordinary people can't see."
"Could you tell me... how my friend might stop seeing those strange things?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Miko carefully.
This immediately made Miko realise her 'I have a friend' tactic was entirely transparent for him.
But having come this far, Miko could only stubbornly maintain the pretence.
Fortunately, the kind gentleman who'd saved her - seemingly a high-ranking police official - didn't expose her lie, instead explaining with a smile:
"This situation... makes me think of many possibilities."
"What possibilities?" Miko's face clearly showed delight before she quickly suppressed it, asking with restrained excitement.
At this, Luo Shu picked up his coffee, took a small sip, and explained:
"Your description reminds me of several related phenomena."
"For example, the Taoist Mystic Eyes, the Celestial Eye from Buddhism's Five Eyes, Spirit Sight in Western mysticism, and in popular folk culture, there's also a type of Mystic Eyes that can see through ghosts and monsters."
"All these types of eyes possess the ability to see through illusions and perceive things ordinary people cannot."
"Yes, yes, that's exactly it, those are the ones."
Tears welled up in Miko Yotsuya's eyes, her face filled with emotion, as if her illness had finally found a cure:
"Can these eyes be turned off?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu paused, smiling at Miko Yotsuya. Under the girl's hopeful gaze, his smile gradually turned mischievous:
"Sorry, but this type of Mystic Eyes actually can't be turned off!"
—Miko Yotsuya's hope died on her face.