11 PM, in the dead of night.
Luo Shu sat on a wooden bench, gazing at the still-brightly lit Totsuki Resort in the distance and at the half-moon hanging above it.
"Ara ara, I knew I'd find you here, Shu-kun~"
Toyomi Fujiwara walked slowly along the wooden pathway, her geta making light tapping sounds against the boards.
Luo Shu turned his head and immediately saw Toyomi approaching him, dressed in a light blue kimono patterned with camellias.
Luo Shu glanced at Toyomi Fujiwara with slight surprise before smiling: "Can't sleep either, Toyomi-san?"
"Just Toyomi is fine."
Toyomi Fujiwara used the small fan gifted by the resort to cover the lower half of her face, her crescent-moon eyes brimming with mirth:
"Are you disappointed that it's me instead of Erina-san, Shu-kun?"
She took small steps towards Luo Shu, lightly brushed the dust off the wooden chair, then sat down with a smile:
"After all, when the weather forecast clearly said tonight would be good for moon-viewing, Shu-kun deliberately claimed the moon wouldn't be visible. It doesn't take much to realise you were hinting at a moon-viewing spot, right?"
Toyomi Fujiwara tilted her head playfully:
"So seeing me instead of Erina-san... is Shu-kun perhaps a little unhappy?"
At this, Luo Shu gazed at the sky and replied:
"Not at all. In fact, quite the opposite - I'm in rather good spirits."
He added, "After all, watching the moon alone in the forest sounds rather lonely, doesn't it?"
"Eh, is that so?" Toyomi laughed. "Then to prevent Shu-kun from looking lonely, may I sit beside you?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu turned to study Toyomi with a peculiar expression:
"Toyomi, you wouldn't happen to be..."
"Wouldn't happen to what?" Toyomi asked curiously.
Luo Shu's expression turned subtle: "Earlier at the hot springs... was that deliberate?"
Toyomi appeared genuinely surprised: "Eh? Are you talking about when I misled Erina about visiting your room tonight?"
"I meant when you dragged Erina and Alice into bathing together... Wait. What did you just say?"
Luo Shu suddenly sensed something amiss, staring at Toyomi in astonishment:
"You told who to come to my room?"
"Erina, of course." Toyomi hid her crescent-moon smile behind her fan. "Those two clearly aren't used to wordplay, so I simply... interpreted your hint for them."
"Did I misunderstand?"
Luo Shu opened and closed his mouth before sighing:
"Are all Fujiwara women demons?"
Toyomi blinked in surprise: "Eh? Has little Chika teased you, too?"
"Not me." Luo Shu shook his head. "Though I've seen her tease others."
"Ah~" Toyomi nodded understandingly, then smiled sweetly. "Shu-kun seems quite fond of Chika."
Sensing a trap, Luo Shu raised an eyebrow: "Should I take that at face value?"
"You may, but I wouldn't recommend it." Toyomi grinned like a demon. "It's reading comprehension time, Shu-kun. Doesn't Chinese education love these types of questions?"
Luo Shu's mouth twitched: "Those questions depend entirely on the examiner's mood, don't they?"
Toyomi chuckled: "Then can Shu-kun read my current mood?"
At this, Luo Shu paused, studying Toyomi with narrowed eyes.
"No good?" Toyomi tilted her head.
Luo Shu let out a slight sigh before turning his head to watch the fireflies flitting about in the forest. Then he said:
"Even if it's gratitude for saving Chika, toying with a man's emotions like this is practically a crime, Toyomi-san."
Luo Shu was level-headed, so the moment the thought 'she seems to like me' surfaced, he immediately snapped out of it.
After all, this wasn't Kisara, who revolved everything around him and always considered his feelings, nor was it the slightly tsundere Utaha. This was a full-fledged demon raised by the Fujiwara family.
This illusion that she might like him could very well be deliberately crafted by her.
Hearing this, Toyomi Fujiwara couldn't help but laugh:
"Has Shu-kun been emotionally deceived by a Fujiwara woman before? To be so guarded against me."
After saying this, Toyomi paused thoughtfully, then continued with an amused smile:
"Was it little Chika? Or perhaps Moeha?"
'Is this fishing for information? Trying to find out which of the three sisters I like?' Luo Shu suddenly found it rather funny and replied bluntly:
"What if I said I wanted you all?"
"Eh?!"
Toyomi was stunned by this response. She gave Luo Shu an astonished look, then seriously pondered:
"Moeha probably wouldn't mind. In fact, if she could use this to tease Chika and me, she might be the first to agree."
"As for Chika, she's the type who'd only imagine such scenarios in her head but would never act on them in reality."
"And as for me..." Toyomi tilted her head with a smile. "If Shu-kun can convince my family, then I'm game."
'You're actually considering this?!'
Luo Shu was taken aback before asking incredulously: "Do you really think I was being serious just now?"
Toyomi swung her legs playfully, smiling brightly:
"Many jokes actually reveal one's true thoughts, you know~"
"Shu-kun, do you think you're that kind of person?"
"I surrender!" Luo Shu sighed and stood up, extending his hand towards Toyomi. "Shall we head back together?"
"Sure!" Toyomi smiled and took his hand.
The two walked back to the resort in companionable silence, only parting ways at the elevator.
Just before entering, Toyomi whispered a reminder:
"You should really think about how to convince my family about that matter, Shu-kun."
"Enough already."
Rolling his eyes, Luo Shu watched as Toyomi stepped into the elevator with that same cheerful smile before sighing:
"Is that woman a demon or something?"
Yet even as he said this, Luo Shu had to admit - he was shamefully tempted.
That's precisely why she was a demon!
...
8th floor, hallway.
Erina Nakiri stood hesitantly by the elevator in a light red yukata patterned with cherry blossoms.
Recalling their earlier conversation at the hot spring, she shook her head vigorously:
"No way. There's no way he meant for me to go to his room in the middle of the night. That's obviously impossible."
"Right, impossible. What kind of man would invite a woman to his bedroom at such a late hour? And how could he be sure I'd even go?"
"I must have misunderstood. Yes, that's definitely it."
Erina muttered these flustered self-justifications.
Just then, a male voice suddenly spoke up behind her:
"What are you doing standing there?"