At Luo Shu's words, Kotoko Iwanaga showed sudden understanding:
"The SDS has intelligence on me to this extent?"
"Was it Meer's doing?"
"I never underestimated her information-gathering abilities, but to uncover my Phenex Society alias... it seems I still underestimated her after all."
Luo Shu remained silent, showing no intention of clarifying further.
Raziel's cheat-like search ability was fine to disclose to Familia members, but when it came to outsiders, naturally, the more secrecy the better.
On one hand, the souls of Familia members were protected by the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System, making them unreadable to outsiders. On the other hand, the sense of security brought by their contracts made Luo Shu willing to trust them.
But to outsiders, even someone like Kotoko Iwanaga, who possessed Familia qualifications, Luo Shu had no interest in explaining himself.
After all, a candidate was still just a candidate. Until the day she officially became part of the Familia, Luo Shu would remain wary.
As for Luo Shu's silence at this moment, Kotoko Iwanaga had many thoughts, but none of them escaped her lips.
To address Luo Shu's silence, Kotoko Iwanaga instead flashed a radiant smile:
"You seem to have misunderstood something?"
"I never once admitted that the materials I needed for advancement would be found within the Phenex Society."
"In fact, anyone with even a sliver of understanding about this world's truths would prepare their advancement materials in advance, because..."
Kotoko Iwanaga gazed at Luo Shu with a pleased smile:
"...after all, no one can be certain how long the window for advancement that the world has opened will last."
"It might be half a year, three months, or even just one month—anything is possible. No one would gamble on how long this opportunity will remain."
"So, anyone with even a hint of ambition would prioritise gathering their advancement materials. Those in better positions might even test whether the environment has truly changed."
"Even someone like me, who lacks strong combat abilities, has already collected most of what I need. Only a few particularly hard-to-obtain items remain."
At this point, Kotoko Iwanaga paused, her smile turning playful:
"Speaking of which, the last person who tested the waters was none other than that Great Onmyoji, Hao Asakura. And the mess he caused in Kyoto was ultimately resolved by your SDS~"
Seeing Kotoko Iwanaga distance herself from the matter, Luo Shu responded with a look of disdain:
"Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"Believe it or not, it makes no difference to me. Besides, I never expected you to believe me in the first place. I was just being polite by offering an explanation."
Kotoko Iwanaga spread her hands, shook her head, and then continued:
"By the way, I overheard some of Director Luo Shu's conversation with that inspector earlier."
"From the looks of it, Director Luo Shu seems intent on letting the lower ranks of the Phenex Society off the hook while steering the Metropolitan Police Department's focus onto the higher-ups? All to make it easier for you to take over the Phenex Society's resources?"
"You're not wrong. That is indeed my plan."
Luo Shu picked up his coffee, a faint smile on his lips:
"So, is this your way of asking for my help in extricating yourself from the Phenex Society?"
"'The Princess of Yokai is a member of the Phenex Society'—I imagine you wouldn't want that little fact getting out, would you?"
"I do have a need to leave, but unfortunately, having my identity exposed isn't really a problem for me."
With a flourish, Kotoko Iwanaga produced a blue leather-bound document from an unexpected place beneath her skirt:
"Ta-da!! An undercover certificate issued by a high-ranking Cabinet official!"
"Hmph, I'm actually an official undercover agent planted within the Phenex Society~"
Hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's confident declaration, Luo Shu stared at her with a deeply sceptical expression.
Kotoko Iwanaga leaned back slightly, putting some distance between them:
"What's with that look?"
"Nothing. Just a little surprised, that's all."
Luo Shu stroked his chin, lost in thought as he murmured:
"The Metropolitan Police Department has been frantically hunting down members of the Phenex Society ever since Manager Kuroda fell victim to their terrorist attack, but they've made no progress until my intervention eased the situation."
"Yet a certain Cabinet official planted you as a mole within the Phenex Society, allowing you to infiltrate their upper echelons with ample intelligence sources, yet you've revealed nothing."
"Don't you find that rather intriguing?"
"Oh, so that's what's on your mind~"
Kotoko Iwanaga waved her hand dismissively before casually remarking:
"That's simply because that official would never dare expose my identity without my permission."
"Oh? I can't just let that slide." Luo Shu grinned mischievously as he lifted his coffee cup. "Controlling a Cabinet official is quite the scandal in our circles, you know."
Hearing this, Kotoko maintained her sweet, innocent smile, though her eyes took on a teasing glint:
"And what if I told you this Cabinet member happens to be my father? How would Director Luo Shu respond then?"
"Would you still prepare to report me to the Metropolitan Police Department's higher-ups?"
Luo Shu didn't reply, merely taking a composed sip of coffee as if biding his time for a countermove.
Before he could finish his drink, Kotoko giggled:
"Just kidding~"
"Judging by that handsome face alone, Director Luo Shu clearly isn't the type to tattle, right~"
Luo Shu stroked his chin, smiling wryly. "Who knew my face could vouch for me? How novel."
Though he said this, Luo Shu felt slightly disappointed internally.
He'd thought Kotoko's high-ranking position in the Phenex Society might serve as leverage, only to find her defences watertight with preparations already made.
This dashed Luo Shu's hopes somewhat.
While the Phenex Society affiliation was troublesome, if Kotoko truly was a Cabinet bureaucrat's daughter, the Metropolitan Police Department couldn't pursue her too aggressively.
When even a Celestial Dragon willingly went undercover, simply completing the mission without delivering intelligence still counted as meritorious - what more could the police demand?
Japan's ancient aristocratic systems would silence most higher-ups, while the few dissenters wouldn't risk offending someone with official backing in mystic circles.
Thus, Luo Shu's plan to leverage the Phenex Society connection to recruit Kotoko had effectively collapsed.
Yet letting slip a soon-to-be-promoted Demigod who'd already completed her ritual seemed too great a waste.
Perhaps there was still room for negotiation...
After a pensive moment, Luo Shu exhaled and said:
"...I believe we could afford to be more candid with each other."
"Candid?"
Kotoko eyed Luo Shu suspiciously before hesitantly replying:
"Could it be Director Luo Shu fancies girls like me? Ah, a lolicon~ What an interesting preference~"
Luo Shu paused briefly before forcing a smile:
"...It seems Miss Iwanaga isn't inclined towards cooperation."
Rising from his chair, he took out his wallet and placed money for the coffee on the table:
"My apologies for disturbing you today. Should we meet again, I'll treat you to a proper meal."
Luo Shu made to leave the table, but before he could step away, Kotoko Iwanaga suddenly spoke:
"Multiple high-ranking members of the Phenex Society have claimed there exists a pureblood phoenix in the Abyss near Akihabara!"
"If I recall correctly, Director Luo Shu, your Hidden Management Department's headquarters is located within Akihabara itself, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu turned back, his expression blank as he regarded Kotoko Iwanaga.
At that moment, Kotoko rested her chin on her hands, her smile playful and sly as she said:
"Director Luo, surely you wouldn't want the Phenex Society summoning a pureblood greater demon to wreak havoc in your garrison, would you?"