The fact that not only herself, but also her best friend, had been targeted by Evil Spirits was absolutely terrible news for Miko Yotsuya.
Just imagining having to face Evil Spirit attacks every day while commuting to school with Hana Yurikawa made Miko suddenly feel that life wasn't worth living anymore - she might as well just die.
But this kind of thinking was ultimately just a momentary lapse into despair.
Even ants cling to life.
Since her own problem already had hope of being resolved through Luo Shu's intervention, there was no reason Hana's couldn't be solved too.
With this thought, Miko practically walked right into the trap as she asked Luo Shu:
"Why exactly are the Evil Spirits targeting Hana? Is there any way to solve this?"
Seeing Miko's current urgency that far exceeded her concern for her own situation, Luo Shu gave her a strange look. Having seemingly imagined something, his expression turned peculiar as he said:
"It seems you're unaware of Hana Yurikawa's special circumstances."
Luo Shu didn't have the bad habit of leaving explanations half-finished, so he directly explained to both of them:
"Miss Yurikawa has an extremely unique constitution with exceptionally vigorous vitality. To supernatural beings, this constitution is no different from the legendary Tang Monk's flesh in 'Journey to the West'."
"You're aware that Miss Yurikawa has an unusually large appetite, correct?"
"Eh? How did you know that, Mr Luo Shu?" Hana Yurikawa's expression immediately became somewhat awkward.
Her ability to eat a lot was one thing, but having this truth exposed didn't mean he could just say it out loud!
"Miko!"
Hana Yurikawa puffed her cheeks and glared at her best friend.
Understanding that Hana was just embarrassed and looking for a scapegoat, Miko Yotsuya sighed:
"I've been walking with you the whole time. There's no way I could have leaked this information, right?"
Hana pursed her lips, clearly displeased.
Seeing this, Luo Shu simply smiled and explained:
"With your constitution, under normal circumstances, as long as you maintain regular eating habits, you'd be practically immune to all illnesses and repel ghosts and monsters effortlessly."
"But if Evil Spirits approach you, your life energy will be passively consumed to resist and eliminate them, leading to rapid depletion of your internal energy and consequently causing your appetite to increase dramatically."
"Ah?" Hana's eyes widened in shock. "Does that mean every time I eat, there are Evil Spirits watching me?"
"Um... could we please stop talking about this? Considering we basically eat all three meals together outside..."
Miko's face turned green.
Their high school provided breakfast and lunch, and even when they brought homemade bentos, they would eat together in quiet places. Apart from weekends, they would have dinner outside after school before attending cram school together.
Calculating it this way, they essentially shared all three meals together. If there had been Evil Spirits present during those times...
Instantly, Miko's face turned pale, showing signs of nausea.
Regarding this, Luo Shu calmly stated:
"Though you might not want to hear it, the truth is Miss Yurikawa's constitution is coveted by many, including Evil Spirits."
"Evil Spirits or yokai want to devour people with such constitutions, and some rogue sorcerers view them as targets for blood sacrifices or experiments."
"Without protection from an organisation, the outcome is usually extremely tragic."
Hearing this, Miko had already grasped the situation, though discomfort made her cover her pale lips as she said:
"So, Mr Luo Shu, are you suggesting that Hana and I should join your organisation?"
At this, Luo Shu suddenly sighed, his expression carrying both pity and regret:
"This isn't a matter of wanting or not wanting."
"The reality is that if I don't intervene, you two are almost certainly doomed."
"As outsiders, you might not be aware, but Akihabara is actually the centre of the mystic side's black market trade network for all of East Asia, even the entire world."
"So..."
Though Luo Shu didn't finish his sentence, Miko's face turned deathly pale as she clearly realised the implication:
"So... Hana and I have already been targeted?"
Luo Shu sighed again, not answering directly, but his sigh spoke volumes.
"This matter... both Yukino and I are well aware of it."
As for Luo Shu's performance, Miss Yukino Yukinoshita observed coldly from the sidelines, though she didn't mind offering some degree of cooperation:
"Akihabara is currently the world's largest trading hub for Abyss Artefacts. Because of this, both legal and illegal organisations from the mystic side have stationed personnel here, conducting secret transactions under the guise of various anime-related activities."
Yukino Yukinoshita hated lying, but Luo Shu didn't need her to lie.
Because the truth actually served his purposes better.
Yukino knew full well that telling the truth would help Luo Shu achieve his goals, but she saw nothing wrong with that.
She understood perfectly that while Luo Shu's words and actions might contain his own ulterior motives, they were never harmful to those involved – in fact, they were often the best possible choice.
Just like these two girls before them with overly powerful Mystic Eyes and extraordinary vitality. If they didn't accept Luo Shu's invitation to become Familia members, their chances of encountering danger in Akihabara were indeed extremely high.
The reason Yukino remained silent was that she knew she couldn't bring herself to assist Luo Shu in recruiting newcomers, so she chose to speak as little as possible.
Even when she saw Luo Shu withholding information about the Familia to persuade Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa to join, she offered no explanation.
After all, well-intentioned deception was still kindness.
She just felt somewhat averse to the idea that Luo Shu might require her to lie.
Having signed that Familia contract, they were bound together for life – and beyond.
Yukino privately suspected Luo Shu might be concealing certain details about this arrangement.
"So you're saying our only option is to join an organisation for protection?"
Miko Yotsuya sounded resigned. She glanced at Luo Shu, took in his slightly pitying expression, gave a bitter smile and averted her gaze, turning instead to Yukino Yukinoshita – only to be startled by the other woman's icy, expressionless face, wondering if she'd somehow offended her.
It was then that Luo Shu suddenly spoke up:
"However, there's something I should warn you about beforehand. Once you join the organisation, you'll be bound to it – and to me – for life."
"In some ways, joining is akin to becoming family, or even closer than marriage."
"So I'd advise you both to think very carefully about this decision."
"Eh?!"
Hana Yurikawa gasped loudly at this declaration.
Though equally shocked, Miko found herself more intrigued by Yukino Yukinoshita's sudden change in expression – the way her icy demeanour cracked, revealing something almost like embarrassment, as if she wanted to vanish into the ground yet was forcing herself to remain composed.
'What's going on? Is something wrong with Yukinoshita-san? Wait... she reacted like this right after Luo Shu-san mentioned that joining would create a bond closer than marriage... Could it be...?'
Comprehension dawned on Miko, and she stared at Yukino with growing curiosity.
'So Yukino-san is actually embarrassed...'
'Well, that makes sense, considering Luo Shu-san just implied their relationship surpasses marital bonds...'
'Hold on, if Hana and I join, wouldn't that mean we'd also...'
"Eh!!"
At Miko's sudden exclamation, Luo Shu, Yukino and Hana all turned to look at her in unison.
Flustered by the attention, Miko blinked awkwardly before asking:
"Did I... say something strange?"
Hearing this, Hana Yurikawa couldn't help but comment:
"Miko's reaction is so slow."
"I'd already finished screaming ages before you reacted."
"Ah, well... sorry." Miko Yotsuya apologised and lowered her head, remaining silent.
Seeing this, Luo Shu didn't know what to say either and asked the two:
"So, what are your thoughts?"