Hearing Luo Shu's words, Miko Yotsuya stood frozen in shock, unable to regain her composure for a long time.
It wasn't until Yukino Yukinoshita handed her a cup of warm water and touched her cheek with the heated rim that Miko Yotsuya snapped out of her daze.
"Have some water to calm your nerves."
"Thank you."
Miko opened her mouth slightly, murmured her thanks, took the cup, sipped a little, then glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita's unusually gentle expression before falling silent again.
While Miko struggled to think clearly, Hana Yurikawa bombarded Luo Shu with questions:
"So basically, as long as Miko can't see those Evil Spirits, they can't connect with reality or enter our world, right?"
"That's the current hypothesis." Luo Shu nodded in confirmation.
"Then the key is how to seal Miko's eyes..."
Hana stroked her chin thoughtfully before suddenly hitting upon an idea:
"Couldn't we modify glasses to work like watching videos or CCTV? You know, like those head-mounted camera setups?"
She gestured enthusiastically to illustrate her concept.
Luo Shu simply raised an eyebrow: "You mean something like AI glasses?"
"Electronic software would capture the surroundings in real-time, transmit the footage to the glasses, letting Miko observe the world through them."
"Essentially letting electronic devices filter her vision first to avoid direct sightings of Evil Spirits."
"Yes, yes, yes, exactly that!" Hana nodded vigorously before sighing in relief. "Just what I was thinking."
"Would... would that actually work?" Miko finally chimed in hesitantly.
"Theoretically feasible."
As Yukino Yukinoshita placed a freshly brewed cup of black tea on the glass table before Luo Shu, he explained after some thought:
"Current technology can't detect Evil Spirits yet. So if electronic devices process the information first, making your eyes receive secondary-processed data, it should indeed avoid direct sightings."
"But... do such glasses exist?" Miko looked doubtful. "Even if they could be made, wouldn't they look like helmets or something?"
"Walking around wearing a helmet..."
Hana, beside her, imagined the scenario before bursting into giggles:
"Sounds hilarious~~"
"Not funny at all, just embarrassing." Miko flushed pink, clicking her tongue before muttering:
"Though if it means not seeing Evil Spirits, I suppose I could live with it."
Compared to being devoured by Evil Spirits, Miko would rather wear an iron helmet daily.
At worst, she'd endure some mockery - better than losing her life.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu shook his head:
"No need for such hassle. The SDS has the capability to produce suitable glasses."
"However, nothing comes free in this world. Such support would require appropriate compensation."
Miko thought this reasonable. Getting high-tech glasses to solve her problems out of sheer kindness seemed too good to be true.
In fact, Luo Shu's offer of conditional assistance paradoxically made her feel more at ease.
After all, interpersonal relationships in Japan are extremely indifferent, and not causing trouble for others is almost a universal consensus.
Thus, even after nearly a month of possessing these Mystic Eyes, Miko Yotsuya still hadn't told her family about it—not even her best friend Hana.
On one hand, such things were difficult to explain, and on the other, explaining would be pointless. It would only worry her family and friends, causing them unnecessary trouble without any benefit.
It was precisely because of this mindset that Miko Yotsuya had been secretly searching for a solution while silently enduring the distorted world she now saw.
For instance, Evil Spirits needed to repeat "You can see me" several times before showing any intent to attack.
Or how the Akihabara area had relatively fewer Evil Spirits, likely because someone capable of solving her problem resided there.
These were things Miko had figured out, whether actively or passively.
Fortunately, her probing eventually led her to Luo Shu.
Though the problem wasn't fully resolved yet, at least there was now a way to alleviate it.
"So... what exactly would I need to pay as compensation?"
Miko mentally calculated her pocket money and other miscellaneous things she could offer, even considering staying by Luo Shu's side as a secretary like Yukinoshita-san. Finally, she looked at Luo Shu nervously.
Seeing this, Luo Shu and Yukino Yukinoshita exchanged glances, as if communicating wordlessly.
In reality, the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System's internal communication channel was buzzing with activity.
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Seems you've successfully tricked one. What about the other girl?"
Luo Shu: "How is this tricking? This is a perfectly reasonable and legal recruitment~"
Yukino Yukinoshita: "So, should I prepare a Familia contract or a regular employment contract?"
Luo Shu: "Are you joking? Of course, prepare the Familia contract—two copies."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "And the other girl?"
Luo Shu: "Follow my lead!"
'Follow his lead...'
Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at Luo Shu's eyes and found nothing but darkness—no other clues.
'Mm, definitely a black-hearted guy...'
Yukino silently complained.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu had already spoken up again:
"Let's set aside the compensation for now. We'll deal with it later."
After saying this, Luo Shu turned his gaze towards Hana Yurikawa:
"Let's talk about another matter first."
"Eh?" Miko was taken aback, but then, noticing Luo Shu's line of sight, she instinctively looked at Hana.
The girl blinked in confusion before suddenly realising something, her expression changing:
"Mr. Luo Shu... don't tell me there's something wrong with Hana too?"
Luo Shu didn't deny it, merely smiling cryptically as he countered:
"Do you really think that Evil Spirit was targeting you earlier?"
In an instant, Miko understood.
She suddenly realised that the direction of the Evil Spirit's attack had been aimed squarely at Hana Yurikawa.
Miko's heart trembled as she said:
"That Evil Spirit was after Hana?!"
Hana, belatedly catching on, was equally stunned:
"Eh... so I was being targeted by an Evil Spirit too?"
With that, Hana cheerfully linked arms with Miko and grinned:
"It seems Miko and I really are best friends, even getting targeted by Evil Spirits together."
Miko Yotsuya responded with a forced smile:
"...This isn't something to be happy about, Hana."