Erina Nakiri understood for the first time what it truly meant to be frozen stiff.
At least when that voice sounded behind her, Erina Nakiri felt as if she had lost all control over her body, stiffening on the spot.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu was staring at Erina Nakiri with a strange expression as she stood not far from the elevator doors.
The girl was dressed in a light red kimono with cherry blossom patterns, a black handbag hanging from her arm, looking every bit like a young maiden returning from a temple festival or moon-viewing outing.
Yet, the thought of Erina Nakiri being tricked by Toyomi Fujiwara into wearing this outfit to sneak into his room in the middle of the night made Luo Shu stifle a laugh:
"Miss Erina, blocking the way like this—do you have something to discuss with me?"
Hearing this, Erina Nakiri instinctively replied:
"Ah, yes, there is something I need to talk to you about."
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
She should have just said it was a coincidence and left immediately. What was this nonsense about having something to discuss with Luo Shu?
Was she really going to enter his room now?
Luo Shu, however, found her conflicted expression highly amusing.
Having just been teased by Toyomi Fujiwara, he couldn't help but feel the urge to tease Erina in return. Fortunately, he managed to suppress the impulse and asked instead:
"It's not convenient to talk here. How about you pick a place?"
"Your room? No, that won't do—I'm not prepared at all!"
Only after she finished speaking did Erina realise something was off. She blinked in confusion.
"Wait, what did you just say? That I should pick a place?"
"Obviously?" Luo Shu raised an eyebrow, barely holding back his laughter. "Or did you really think we'd have to go to my room to talk?"
"Erina, aren't you afraid I might let my lower brain take over and do something unspeakable to you?"
Erina stared blankly for a moment before asking:
"What do you mean by 'lower brain taking over'?"
"..."
'That's what you're stuck on after all this time?' Luo Shu gave her a deadpan look.
Finally, Erina realised she'd asked a foolish question. Her face flushed as she stammered:
"That's not what I meant, it's just... ugh, never mind. So... I get to choose the location, right?"
Her mind raced before she blurted out: "How about the firefly forest near the resort? We can see fireflies, and if the weather's clear, we could even view the moon there... Wait. Moon-viewing..."
Suddenly, it dawned on her. She whipped her head around to stare at Luo Shu in shock.
"You... didn't just come back from there, did you?"
"Took you long enough to figure it out!" Luo Shu nodded.
"Ahhh!!" Erina covered her face and crouched down, letting out a muffled scream. "What on earth was I thinking?!"
The realisation that Luo Shu had intended to invite her to the forest for their talk—while she had instead come straight to his suite—filled her with an overwhelming urge to disappear.
'You weren't thinking anything, you were just misled...'
Luo Shu almost said it aloud, but considering the vast difference in combat prowess between Erina and Toyomi Fujiwara, he decided against it.
No point sending Erina straight into Toyomi's clutches as a plaything, right?
With a sigh, Luo Shu turned back and pressed the elevator's down button again. As the doors slid open, he glanced at Erina and asked:
"Care to join me for a walk?"
"Oh." Blushing, Erina Nakiri stood up and followed behind Luo Shu with small steps, her head lowered as she entered the elevator.
The two arrived at the lobby on the first floor and, under the watchful eyes of the reception staff, left the hotel heading towards the forest.
As they gradually approached the forest, Luo Shu suddenly remarked:
"Actually, Erina, have you ever considered that the forest might be slightly more dangerous than the room?"
"Ah?" Erina Nakiri looked up at Luo Shu in confusion. After a moment's thought, she hesitantly replied: "That's true, I suppose. The resort's forest has lots of mosquitoes and insects. Every time I come here, I have to spray loads of insect repellent on myself. And because it's near the wild forest, you occasionally spot traces of snakes too."
"That's not the kind of danger I meant." Luo Shu's mouth twitched slightly.
"Then what kind?" Erina asked blankly.
Luo Shu sighed. "Never mind."
'Is this child really that innocent?' Luo Shu shook his head, finding it somewhat amusing.
Meanwhile, Erina Nakiri lowered her head slightly, her heart pounding wildly.
'This is bad, this is really bad. Is he planning to push me down in the forest? Isn't this place way too intense for that? Wait, why am I even going along with this?'
Where was the anti-bear spray in her bag? Erina Nakiri stealthily slipped her hand inside and, upon touching the canister, immediately heaved a sigh of relief.
Just then, Luo Shu arrived at the bench where she'd been sitting earlier and casually took a seat, one hand in his pocket as he gazed at the crescent moon still hanging in the sky.
"Feels a bit ridiculous to see this twice in one night," he remarked.
"What?" Erina replied blankly. When she realised Luo Shu had already sat down, her eyelid twitched violently at the sight of the wooden bench clearly designed for only two people.
'This is obviously seating meant for couples...' Erina tried to calm herself. After a moment's hesitation, she gingerly sat down at the very edge beside Luo Shu.
Yet her stiff movements made her nervousness immediately apparent to Luo Shu.
Seeing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but burst out laughing. "What are you afraid of? I'm not some yokai who's going to eat you here."
"Ah, yes, you're right," Erina forced a smile while internally grumbling, 'If you were a yokai, I'd have run away immediately instead of staying here with you.'
Noticing Erina's insincerity, Luo Shu shook his head and said, "You came because you wanted to know how to solve your God's Tongue issue, right?"
"Huh?" Erina's mouth fell slightly open.
"What do you mean by 'huh'?" Luo Shu looked puzzled. "Isn't that why you're here?"
"No, it's just..." Erina hesitated, looking slightly conflicted. "You're bringing this up right away?"
"Well, what else?" Luo Shu seemed amused. "Were you planning to follow me around all night if I didn't mention it? What if I never brought it up? Would you have stayed with me the whole time?"
"I... I definitely wouldn't stay here all night." Erina immediately clammed up, her sulky expression making Luo Shu chuckle.
"Am I really that scary?"
Laughing, Luo Shu shook his head again. Before Erina could respond, his gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked towards the forest ahead, his voice calm but firm:
"Erina."
"Yes?" Erina answered promptly.
"No matter what you see later, don't make a sound. I'll protect you. Understood?"
Hearing Luo Shu say this, Erina's mind went completely blank except for the phrase 'I'll protect you'.
'Was I just confessed to?! Wait, wait! Isn't this way too sudden? I'm not mentally prepared at all!!'
Just as Erina's thoughts descended into complete chaos, Luo Shu's previously gentle tone turned ice-cold:
"Who sent you to find me, yokai?"
As he spoke, rustling sounds emerged from the bushes. A timid tanuki slowly crept out, trembling as it addressed Luo Shu:
"G-great one... I'm Hagoromo Gitsune's messenger..."
Beside them, Erina blinked rapidly in shock. "The tanuki... it talked..."