Senzaemon Nakiri looked at Erina Nakiri on the bench with complex emotions. Seeing her flustered state, he sighed slightly:
"The staff on the first floor told me you sneaked out late at night. I was a bit worried, so I followed you."
Senzaemon Nakiri explained his presence, though the explanation wasn't really meant for Erina, but rather for Luo Shu.
Luo Shu wasn't surprised by this. After all, it was only natural for Senzaemon to worry after his granddaughter was sent away in the middle of the night.
If Luo Shu had truly intended anything untoward, the bear spray Erina had prepared in advance would have been utterly useless.
At this moment, Senzaemon Nakiri hesitated:
"Originally, I wasn't planning to reveal myself."
"Did you sense the Demon Power?" Luo Shu gave Senzaemon face—after all, this was his future grandfather-in-law, who'd be seated at the head table during the wedding.
"Demon Power? Something like that."
Truthfully, Senzaemon wasn't concerned about the Demon Power. With Luo Shu present, he didn't believe some weak yokai could harm Erina.
What truly unsettled him was Luo Shu's intention to introduce Erina to the mystic side.
Deep down, Senzaemon was willing for Erina to know about the mystic side, but he wasn't keen on her joining it.
After all, as an old man, he understood the dangers of the mystic side all too well.
Otherwise, his prized disciple Gin Dōjima wouldn't have trained his body to near-Master Level without ever having killed anyone.
Senzaemon had his disciples learn martial arts merely for self-defence—an extra means of protection. Similarly, he was content for Erina to acquire some self-defence skills.
But joining a major organisation like the SDS as a core member seemed far beyond just learning survival skills.
Faced with Luo Shu's invitation to Erina, Senzaemon fell silent.
Erina also remained quiet.
However, while Senzaemon worried about his granddaughter's future, Erina was anxious about her grandfather's opposition.
"Grandfather!"
Erina called out, but said nothing more.
Yet Senzaemon already understood her meaning. He sighed deeply before asking Luo Shu:
"Though it may be an old man meddling in others' affairs, I must ask—if Erina joins, will she be assigned to frontline operations?"
"No." Luo Shu answered without hesitation, even giving Senzaemon a slightly disdainful look: "Would you send a chef into battle with a kitchen knife?"
"Or do you believe Erina's value lies not in her culinary skills, but in life-or-death combat?"
Senzaemon was taken aback, then burst into laughter:
"Hahaha! It seems this old man overthought matters!"
Senzaemon admitted he'd worried unnecessarily. From the looks of it, while Luo Shu might have ulterior motives for recruiting Erina, he clearly also cared about her safety.
If that were the case, then Erina Nakiri's risk level would be equivalent to that of an army cook. While there was still some danger involved, it had reached a level that Senzaemon Nakiri could tolerate.
With this thought, Senzaemon Nakiri's mood lightened considerably:
"In that case, there's no need for this old man to interfere."
As he spoke, Senzaemon turned around and began walking back towards the resort. With his back to Erina, he said:
"Erina."
"Yes!" Erina Nakiri responded promptly.
"No matter what you choose to do in the future, your grandfather will always support you from behind the scenes." Senzaemon Nakiri said slowly. "Don't do anything dangerous, and don't do anything you'll regret."
"Yes!" Erina quickly stood up to acknowledge his words.
Hearing this, Senzaemon Nakiri grinned mischievously like a naughty child:
"Of course, if you really must do something dangerous, you'll have to give me a great-grandchild at least one year in advance. Otherwise, this grandfather absolutely won't agree to it."
"Oh, and having a great-grandchild doesn't count as something dangerous!"
"Shut up, you horrible grandfather!" A blushing Erina Nakiri threw her handbag at him, but Senzaemon nimbly dodged it.
"You'll need another ten thousand years of practice to hit your grandfather, little girl!!"
Senzaemon Nakiri's figure instantly became a blur of afterimages as he left, laughing heartily.
Witnessing this, Erina Nakiri was dumbfounded:
"How did grandfather suddenly disappear?"
Erina merely blinked, and her grandfather was gone. The abrupt change made her wonder if she'd just seen a ghost!
Hearing this, Luo Shu glanced at Erina Nakiri:
"Erina, do you really think an ordinary person could have developed the Nakiri family—originally just a family of chefs—into the corporate group it is today?"
Erina Nakiri froze at these words, then covered her face and sat back down beside Luo Shu:
"I'm so stupid, really..."
"No wonder Alice keeps calling him that horrible old man. How could he be so awful, keeping secrets from his own granddaughter..."
Hearing this, Luo Shu laughed.
After laughing for a while, he got back to business:
"So, returning to our earlier discussion, Erina, I have an SDS position available. Would you like to join?"
Erina Nakiri immediately replied:
"Of course I would! Grandfather has already given his approval anyway."
As soon as she finished speaking, Erina Nakiri suddenly thought of something and blushed while looking at Luo Shu.
When grandfather had deliberately mentioned children earlier, was he referring to her and him?
The thought that Luo Shu might have guessed this, too, made Erina so embarrassed that she wanted to die.
'That damn old man, spouting nonsense!!'
Meanwhile, seeing Erina Nakiri's agreement, Luo Shu snapped his fingers, and a contract document with a pen instantly appeared in his hand.
He shook the document, then handed both the paper and pen to Erina Nakiri, saying seriously:
"This is the document symbolising the position."
"Let me be clear—once you sign this, Erina, there's no turning back."
"Stop nagging." Blushing, Erina snatched the pen and paper without hesitation, immediately writing her name on it.
The moment her name was signed, the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System's notification sounded in Luo Shu's mind.
[Ding—!].