Had enough fun watching?
Hearing this, Mai's eyes widened instantly, a mix of surprise and delight flashing across her face.
She blurted out a foolish question in her eagerness:
"You can see me?"
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow, then gave Mai a strange look.
Simultaneously, Mai realised she'd asked something incredibly stupid.
Luo Shu had already grabbed her hand—asking if he could see her was beyond ridiculous.
Recognising this, Mai took a deep breath, quickly composed herself, then looked up at Luo Shu and said:
"My apologies, that was rude."
"Still, I'd like to confirm—you've been able to see me all along, haven't you?"
Seeing Mai's hopeful expression, Luo Shu paused briefly before replying:
"Shall we talk somewhere else?"
Mai blinked, then seemed to understand. She glanced back at Ai Hoshino, who had already drifted off to sleep, before nodding at Luo Shu with sudden realisation.
Luo Shu looked slightly surprised by Mai's agreement but turned and led her towards the door.
The two left the room directly, entered the corridor, walked to the end, and stopped by the window.
It was Luo Shu who spoke first:
"Let me confirm again—you are Mai Sakurajima, correct?"
"That's me." Mai smiled in response, then suddenly felt awkward.
If Luo Shu recognised her, then he must know she was the girl who should have appeared in that room last night, right?
Realising this, Mai's expression faltered.
She felt like a runaway bride who'd sneaked back to the wedding venue to spy on how the groom would handle the marital crisis, only to watch him walk down the aisle with another girl...
The more she thought about it, the weirder it seemed, but the embarrassment was undeniably real.
Noticing Mai's silence after her brief reply, Luo Shu glanced at her and couldn't help asking:
"Didn't you already run away? Why come back?"
"I..."
Mai was truly at a loss now, but thinking of her circumstances, she explained:
"Because something strange happened to me."
She then described her situation—the demand for a 'pillow business deal', her wish to stop being noticed, and how she'd discovered from Ai Hoshino that she'd vanished from the eyes of ordinary people.
How another person appeared in her rented home, how even her former father couldn't see her when she visited, and how even her agency had no records of her existence anymore.
After saying everything, Mai Sakurajima looked somewhat dejected yet hopeful as she spoke:
"In the end, I suspected the problem with me might be caused by something in this hotel, which is why I rushed here to investigate."
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but ask: "That... how were you able to see me?"
Facing this question, Luo Shu frowned, glanced at Mai Sakurajima hesitantly, then finally sighed:
"It's too troublesome to explain with words."
As he spoke, Luo Shu casually took out a contract scroll, complete with a pen prepared, and handed it directly to Mai Sakurajima.
"Sign this contract, and you should be able to understand some basic information."
Mai Sakurajima's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Luo Shu's hand:
"How did that suddenly appear in your hand?"
"Is it magic?"
"But that can't be right, your sleeping robe shouldn't be able to hide anything..."
"Is now really the time to be curious about this?"
Luo Shu looked at Mai Sakurajima with disdain, though inwardly he was thinking about quickly glossing over the matter of suddenly producing the scroll.
He firmly believed that the Familia's method of imparting common knowledge would be far more effective than his laborious explanations - remarkably effective, in fact.
After all, signing the contract would allow most mystic side knowledge to be understood through this transfer of knowledge.
Even if not fully comprehended, the relevant information would remain in one's mind.
This was common knowledge compiled by the secretaries and knowledge-specialised women in the Familia. Though it caused noticeable headaches as side effects for stronger individuals, the results were undeniably powerful.
"Sorry, it's my first time seeing something like this, so I was a bit surprised."
After her rapid-fire questions, a calmer Mai Sakurajima tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, glanced up at Luo Shu, and said after some thought:
"Could I take a look at this document?"
Luo Shu naturally wouldn't refuse such a small request, immediately handing over the scroll.
Mai Sakurajima accepted the contract document, flipping through it as she remarked:
"After experiencing it myself, I can understand that things like spirits and Onmyoji exist in this world. But I never thought I'd encounter them so soon..."
Had her existence not been erased, perhaps the one who stayed in that room last night wouldn't have been Ai Hoshino, but her, Mai Sakurajima.
And in that case, the one experiencing... that incident would likely have been her... In that situation...
Wait, if that incident hadn't happened, she probably wouldn't have discovered that Luo Shu could see her vanished self, nor would she have learned of his connection to the supernatural.
In some ways, was this a case of blessings and misfortunes being intertwined?
Mai Sakurajima thought with complicated emotions as she quickly scanned the document:
"A standard employment contract... monthly salary of 500,000 yen, social insurance, tax reductions... quite an excellent job offer..."
Though the content seemed rather disconnected from the supernatural...
"The important part is those faint golden threads layered like patterns on the scroll."
Luo Shu pointed out to Mai Sakurajima, indicating the lines on the scroll as he explained:
"A contract witnessed by a god—you understand the meaning of this phrase, don't you?"
"In my view, the credibility of this contract is far more assured than if all the world's political bodies were to unite."
Mai Sakurajima followed Luo Shu's finger to the golden threads on the scroll. At first, she had assumed they were merely decorative, meant to highlight the scroll's value. But now, according to Luo Shu, were these lines the true essence of the contract?
They didn't quite resemble any characters she knew—more like patterns. Were they some kind of ancient script?
"So, by signing this contract, I'll be entering into a pact with you under the witness of a god? And then I'll learn the secret behind my existence erasure?" Mai Sakurajima looked up, her expression earnest as she studied Luo Shu.
In response, Luo Shu curled his lips into a smile, his tone almost teasingly ominous:
"To elaborate, it's a life-and-death kind of contract. As for the secret of your existence erasure, yes, you'll know it immediately after signing."
"Life and death? That does sound terrifying."
Mai Sakurajima recited the words in a flat, emotionless tone, then picked up the pen and decisively signed her name in the designated space.
Watching her resolute actions, Luo Shu couldn't help but murmur in admiration:
"You really are decisive, aren't you?"
Although Ai Hoshino's appearance had been an unexpected interlude, it seemed Luo Shu had still managed to win over Mai Sakurajima in the end.
Had his goal been achieved after all these twists and turns?
Truly, a cause for celebration!