After entering the convenience store, Luo Yu and Yukino Yukinoshita headed straight for the pet supplies aisle. The shelves were lined with various brands of pet food and all kinds of accessories for cats and dogs.
Following Yukino Yukinoshita's recommendations, Luo Yu selected a large bag of premium cat food with the best overall quality—though it was quite expensive—along with two packs of cat treats, a box of canned cat food, several bags of cat litter, and a litter box.
After paying at the register, Luo Yu carried the pile of items outside.
Under Yukino Yukinoshita's watchful gaze, he casually stored everything into his inventory space.
Seeing the surprise in the girl's eyes, Luo Yu chuckled.
"No need to be so shocked. It's just a storage method for carrying items. If you decide to join us, Ranni can give you one as well. Miko Yotsuya has one too—she carries the staff I gave her with her at all times."
Yukino Yukinoshita nodded and continued walking beside him.
After a moment, she asked,
"So… how many evil spirits have you dealt with?"
Luo Yu thought for a moment before replying,
"Quite a lot, I guess. I honestly don't remember the exact number. Counting them doesn't really mean anything."
He shrugged.
"Besides, I haven't encountered anything particularly strong. The same goes for curses. I've met a few, but none were powerful. Most of the time they're dealt with in just a few exchanges."
Listening to him, Yukino Yukinoshita had the faint feeling that he was bragging.
Yet strangely, it didn't feel wrong.
Based on everything she had observed since the start of the school term, Luo Yu didn't seem like the type to exaggerate or boast.
After a brief pause, Luo Yu continued,
"But generally speaking, extremely powerful evil spirits rarely appear in cities. Most of them have already been eliminated by exorcists."
"The same goes for curses. Once one appears, it usually gets targeted quickly. Even a Grade One curse will have an appropriately ranked sorcerer assigned to deal with it."
"As long as you're not reckless—or incredibly unlucky—you won't run into those kinds of things."
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't fully understand the hierarchy of powerful spirits or curses.
But hearing that she probably wouldn't encounter them was reassuring.
As he spoke, however, Luo Yu suddenly remembered the fake Suguru Geto he had seen earlier—and the two Special Grade curses that had been following him.
He silently hoped the battles from the original storyline wouldn't take place in Chiba.
A few minutes later, the two of them arrived at the apartment building where Yukino Yukinoshita lived.
Looking up at the upscale building, Luo Yu thought for a moment and said,
"You didn't bring your keys, right? You also left your phone and wallet behind. Can you still get inside?"
Yukino Yukinoshita nodded.
"Yes. I know the password for the main entrance, and my apartment door uses a fingerprint lock."
She looked at him sincerely.
"Luo Yu, thank you for helping me tonight. I'll head back now."
Luo Yu smiled.
"Alright. Good night. See you at school tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
After Yukino Yukinoshita entered the building, Luo Yu summoned Torrent and rode home.
Meanwhile, Yukino Yukinoshita took the elevator upstairs.
When she opened the door to her apartment and stepped inside, she immediately noticed an unfamiliar pair of shoes at the entrance.
"…."
Sighing softly, she changed into her slippers and walked into the living room.
There, sitting comfortably on the sofa with a gentle smile, was her older sister—Haruno Yukinoshita.
Seeing her younger sister return, Haruno felt immediate relief.
Earlier, when she had checked the apartment's security camera and saw Yukino leaving the house late at night, she had been genuinely startled. After rushing over, she discovered that Yukino had even left behind her phone and wallet.
She had been just about to contact the family and have someone investigate.
Thankfully, Yukino had returned before that became necessary.
Although worried, Haruno kept her usual cheerful smile.
"Oh my, Yukino is finally back. It's the first time I've seen you go out so late at night—and without your phone, too."
She waved Yukino's phone lightly in her hand.
Yukino Yukinoshita remained silent for a moment before walking over to pour herself a glass of water.
After taking a sip, she replied calmly,
"I had something to take care of, so I went out for a bit. Why are you here, Sister?"
Haruno narrowed her eyes and studied her sister for a couple of seconds.
Something about Yukino seemed different tonight.
But she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Hm~ Of course I came because I missed my dear little sister," Haruno said playfully. "I finished work and drove all the way from Tokyo."
"If I had known you had plans tonight, I would have come earlier so we could go out together."
Yukino did not respond.
Instead, she simply picked up her glass and walked toward her bedroom.
Watching her back, Haruno called out,
"Yukino, I'm staying here tonight~"
Without turning around, Yukino replied,
"The guest room has always been yours. If you want to stay, I can't stop you."
With that, she opened the door and went inside.
Bang.
As the bedroom door closed, Haruno tilted her head slightly, still smiling while her mind began racing.
Given her sister's personality, Yukino rarely went out late at night—unless it was for something simple like buying necessities.
But tonight clearly wasn't a shopping trip.
So what exactly had she gone out to do?
No matter how she thought about it, Haruno couldn't figure it out.
Recently, the only major change in Yukino's life was starting high school.
Which meant…
"If that's the case, the answer must be at Sobu High."
Haruno snapped her fingers lightly.
"Decision made. Tomorrow I'll invite Shizuka out for lunch and ask her."
Inside her bedroom, Yukino sat at her desk, staring down at her hands while her thoughts swirled endlessly.
What should she do next?
The issues surrounding the club she had recently formed were already troublesome enough.
Now this had happened as well.
Picking up a nearby mirror, she watched as her eyes slowly shifted—transforming into feline pupils before returning to normal.
Inevitably, her thoughts drifted back to Luo Yu.
"No matter how I think about it… I'll have to ask him."
"There's no one else I can really discuss this with."
Rubbing her temples, the second young lady of the Yukinoshita family realized something ironic.
She had established a club meant to help others solve their problems.
Yet the first person who truly needed help… was herself.
And the only person she could turn to was Luo Yu.
Just then, a knock sounded on the bedroom door.
"Yukino~ I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
"…."
Her expression returned to its usual calm.
Yukino stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.
Looking at her smiling sister, she said flatly,
"Why don't you check the refrigerator yourself? If you want something to eat, cook it."
"Aww~ Yukino, aren't you having a late-night snack?"
"I already ate."
She turned away.
"I'm going to take a shower."
Under Haruno's curious gaze, Yukino opened the wardrobe, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed toward the bathroom.
Already ate?
Haruno's smile slowly widened.
This was becoming more and more interesting.