To be honest, Airi Sakurajima wasn't entirely convinced that her daughter, who had stayed out all night, hadn't engaged in any 'adults-only' activities.
But hearing Luo Shu repeatedly say things like, 'If she doesn't agree, I won't force her,' and 'This is a very interesting game,' Airi Sakurajima—though cringing hard—suddenly felt that someone like Luo Shu might genuinely accept such terms.
Because of this, Airi Sakurajima found the meal incredibly awkward.
Despite the exquisite kaiseki cuisine and the chef's commendable skills, she spent the entire time fixated on her daughter, who forced smiles while constantly serving Luo Shu dishes and secretly pinched him under the table. Everything else became secondary.
She had far too many questions she wanted to ask, but with Luo Shu present, she had to suppress them.
For the usually domineering Airi Sakurajima, this was the first time she had encountered such a major dilemma regarding her daughter.
Just as Airi Sakurajima was struggling to hold back, Luo Shu—apparently having had a bit too much soup—suddenly murmured an apology, stood up, and approached a nearby waiter. After asking for directions to the restroom, he quickly excused himself.
Seeing Luo Shu leave, Airi Sakurajima immediately exhaled in relief and couldn't help but turn to her daughter, her tone unconsciously slipping into a commanding tone:
"Mai!"
Hearing this familiar tone, Mai Sakurajima felt both nostalgic and irritated.
She sighed softly and said to her mother:
"You just want to know whether this is real or not, right?"
Airi Sakurajima nodded immediately, then hesitated.
Seeing this, though internally grumbling about Luo Shu's recklessness, Mai Sakurajima nodded and said:
"It's pretty much exactly as Luo Shu-kun said."
Then, she added: "He seems to be my fan."
As Mai Sakurajima said this, her face flushed red. It appeared to be shyness, but in truth, she found the statement unbearably awkward to voice.
After all, she knew full well that Luo Shu rarely watched films.
Upon receiving Mai's admission, Airi Sakurajima fell silent for a moment before finally sighing:
"Mai."
"What?" Mai Sakurajima turned to her mother, confused.
It was then that Airi Sakurajima advised:
"You should take the initiative."
Instantly, Mai's face turned deathly pale.
She recalled the days when her mother dragged her between film sets, with her sleeping less than 4 hours a day. She remembered when she'd been forcibly sent to 'spend the night' at a hotel. Most of all, she thought of her mother's relentless ambition to advance the talent agency and increase the value of her shares.
In that moment, Mai suddenly understood why she'd been so preoccupied with the Sword Maiden 'Lucia'. Because fundamentally, they weren't so different.
One was bound by faith, while the other was bound by her mother.
As Mai wallowed in loneliness, Airi wore a complicated expression:
"A man who can resist temptation when it's right in front of him... you'd better hold onto him tight."
"Secure the engagement while he still cares about you. Otherwise, there'll be no shortage of women eyeing that position."
Having said this much, Airi abandoned all restraint and vented her frustrations:
"Even your useless father had women chasing him, let alone a man from a wealthy family like this."
"In our society, whether beautiful or ugly, young or old, there are enough gold-diggers eyeing rich young masters to fill Tokyo Bay."
"Listen to your mother. Get engaged while he still cares. If that fails, at least secure enough independence to live on your own terms."
Airi paused momentarily before adding:
"You can use me as an excuse. Though I'm just a manager, I've seen enough acting to play the role of a greedy prospective mother-in-law convincingly."
Hearing this, Mai suddenly wondered if she'd misunderstood something.
This didn't seem to be about sacrificing herself for career advancement, but rather about securing Luo Shu as a wealthy husband?
Wait...
Mai abruptly realised the situation had taken an unexpected turn for both her and Luo Shu.
This script... wasn't it completely off track?!
"Mai, are you listening?" Airi frowned at her daughter's distracted expression.
"I am," Mai reflexively replied before regarding her mother with hesitation.
Recognising that expression, Airi knew her words hadn't sunk in at all.
Seeing this, she had no choice but to repeat:
"Mai, you're still young. You don't understand - all emotions in this world are unreliable."
"Perhaps you think your father and I divorced because I controlled him too strictly. But during our courtship, that man begged me to manage his life."
Airi's voice dripped with cold laughter:
"What does love matter? What difference do happy marriages make? People change."
"Neither men nor women are reliable. The only person you can truly rely on is yourself."
"So I'll repeat what I said earlier - seize every opportunity you can and build up your own resources. That way, even if you break up or get divorced, you can still live well on your own."
Mai Sakurajima's expression grew increasingly complicated at these words.
She did agree that love couldn't last forever.
After all, she'd witnessed her parents' journey from affection to arguments, infidelity, and finally divorce since childhood.
No matter how much one fantasised about fairytale romance, seeing such things would plant seeds of doubt.
But the problem was - Luo Shu and she didn't have that kind of relationship!
What existed between them was merely the bond of Familia and Chief God, with perhaps some of Luo Shu's personal desire towards her.
None of this was what her mother imagined, right?
Damn it, things were getting more complicated by the minute.
Just then, Airi Sakurajima spotted Luo Shu appearing in the corner and immediately composed herself. She shot Mai a meaningful look and subtly made a fist-pumping gesture.
Seeing this, Mai felt her scalp prickle.
She understood this was her mother's way of telling her to seize the opportunity and not let such a high-quality husband slip away.
But how had things come to this?
At that moment, Luo Shu, who had just sat down, asked with concern:
"Is something wrong? Mai, you don't look too well..."
"I..." Mai opened her mouth to thank Luo Shu for his concern when she suddenly realised something crucial.
With a Demigod's acute senses, even if he'd gone to the restroom, hearing their earlier conversation wouldn't have been difficult at all.
So... Luo Shu had actually heard everything her mother said?
Realising this, Mai immediately looked at Luo Shu.
And on his concerned face, she detected traces of amusement and schadenfreude.
This bastard had definitely heard everything!!
At this moment, Mai felt like her lungs might explode from anger.
Her mother had only spoken out of misunderstanding, but Luo Shu knew the full situation, yet still chose to mess with her? Deliberately enjoying her discomfort?
Thinking this, Mai instantly put on a perfectly polite smile. She stared at Luo Shu with blazing eyes, as if wanting to devour him, and said through gritted teeth:
"Mother was asking when we're getting married."
'If you dare agree, I'll dare wear the wedding dress! Let's see how you explain this to Lacus and the others!'
Faced with Mai's mutually assured destruction tactic, Luo Shu's concerned expression froze.
This girl wasn't playing by the rules!!!
Oh no, the prankster was about to crash and burn!!
However, crashing was absolutely not an option.
Confronted with Mai's direct attack, Luo Shu chose to deepen his 'obsessive pursuer' persona.
At this moment, Luo Shu revealed a meaningful smile and said to Mai with deep affection:
"You know, Mai-san, your mother is quite beautiful too. She's like a grown-up version of you."
Hearing this, Mai was dumbstruck.