Hearing that variant of "Surely you wouldn't want..." left Luo Shu feeling rather conflicted.
For a brief moment, he wondered what would happen if he simply walked away.
After all, judging by Kotoko's ridiculous attempt to stop him, there might still be room for negotiation between them.
However, given her current attitude, any further negotiations would undoubtedly involve her trying to seize the upper hand.
With this thought, Luo Shu paused mid-step before turning to leave again.
"Wait!"
Seeing Luo Shu actually preparing to leave, Kotoko could no longer remain seated. She grabbed her nearby cane, gripping it upside-down as she hooked the curved handle towards Luo Shu's direction.
She seemed intent on catching his clothes with the cane's curved end to stop him from leaving.
But Luo Shu simply sidestepped the attempt with ease.
This left Kotoko, who could only properly exert force with one leg, suddenly off-balance when her swing met empty air. She fell back onto the sofa with a thud, her head ringing from the impact.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu stood beside the table, having effortlessly dodged the pull, and looked down at her with an amused smirk:
"Shall I consider that cane swing as an active attack?"
"Unauthorised aggression against an SDS member warrants reasonable retaliation, wouldn't you agree?"
Hearing this, Kotoko placed her cane to her right side, pouting in frustration:
"That obviously doesn't count as an attack, dummy!"
"Honestly, just because negotiations aren't progressing well, you immediately try to leave?"
"Isn't bargaining at the negotiation table supposed to be common sense?"
"At least make a counteroffer! Who just flips the table outright?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu chuckled lightly before returning to the table and sitting down. After signalling the waiter for another coffee, he turned back to Kotoko:
"If it's bargaining you want, then my demand is simple—tell me your true purpose for infiltrating the Phenex Society."
At this, Kotoko hesitated, clearly wanting to refuse, but ultimately chose to explain:
"I need Phoenix Tears!"
"My ascension ritual still lacks this supplementary material, and in this world, the most likely place to find Phoenix Tears is within the Phenex Society, which specifically targets phoenixes."
"Is that reason sufficient?"
'Her ascension material is Ravel's tears?' Luo Shu found this requirement somewhat surprising.
"Although Phoenix Tears have the effect of curing all diseases, as the main material for advancing to Demigod, they're somewhat inadequate, aren't they?"
Luo Shu frowned slightly and asked curiously:
"Forgive my asking, but are there any requirements regarding the phoenix's own strength for these tears?"
"Such as reaching Demigod level or higher?"
Hearing this, Kotoko Iwanaga gave Luo Shu a surprised look, her tone turning peculiar:
"No, a pureblood's Phoenix Tears will suffice. If the target were a Demigod, I wouldn't have come to collaborate with Director Luo, would I?"
"Setting aside the cost of requesting Director Luo Shu's assistance, just considering your status alone, it's not something that could be secured with trivial bargaining chips, is it?"
"I'm quite aware of the situation."
At this point, Kotoko's expression became rather subtle:
"The SDS possessing a Demigod has always been legendary, so in reality, you wouldn't want that Demigod's identity exposed to public scrutiny, would you?"
"Requesting a Demigod who wishes to remain hidden to take action - do you really think I could afford that price?"
Kotoko's implications practically spelt out that Luo Shu was the SDS's hidden Demigod without directly stating it.
Of course, she stopped just short of saying it outright, but otherwise, Kotoko was thoroughly teasing Luo Shu.
Between mentioning unaffordable prices and a Demigod who didn't want their identity revealed...
She might as well have directly said, "Don't use your hidden identity as leverage for higher prices - I won't pay that kind of unreasonable expense."
Yet faced with Kotoko's teasing, Luo Shu was genuinely contemplating the information she'd revealed.
'Only a pureblood phoenix was needed...' Luo Shu paused briefly before saying:
"This might be somewhat impolite, but Miss Iwanaga, aren't you advancing to Hero Rank rather than Demigod?"
"Please don't say such ignorant things."
Kotoko sighed, looking at Luo Shu with some exasperation:
"If the SDS truly has a Demigod, you should understand that only Demigod advancement requires ritual assistance, shouldn't you?"
Luo Shu narrowed his eyes meaningfully upon hearing this:
"But some special Hero Rank Classes with higher quality will also require ritual assistance."
"You should know that such individuals aren't exactly absent within the SDS, either!"
Kotoko Iwanaga fell into silent contemplation, staring fixedly at Luo Shu for a good ten seconds before grabbing her hair in frustration:
"AAAAAH!!"
"Is there something wrong with you?"
"Why must you always dig to the very root of things?"
"Is it really necessary to scrutinise whether I'm advancing to Hero Rank or Demigod so closely?"
"We're just exploring potential cooperation, not matchmaking! If we're collaborating, then let's collaborate - must you interrogate my entire background, too? Are you here to pick a fight?"
As Kotoko vented, Luo Shu snapped his fingers, using his Mist Flame ability to reinforce the illusion within the café, preventing others from witnessing her emotional outburst.
Only after Kotoko finished her tirade did Luo Shu turn back with a smile:
"I believe we can now cooperate with complete transparency!"
"Transparency, my foot,"
Kotoko muttered, crossing her legs irritably:
"Honestly, needing one or two Hero Rank materials when advancing from Hero to Demigod is perfectly normal! Why would you assume it's a special Class?"
"Even if the SDS has similar cases, how could you make that connection so easily... wait?"
Suddenly realising something, Kotoko looked at Luo Shu in shock:
"Don't tell me... you're also...?"
"I've said nothing of the sort."
Luo Shu accepted a second coffee from the waiter, raising his cup in a toast before taking a sip - neither confirming nor denying:
"Perhaps it's simply because I'm quite familiar with those possessing special Classes within the organisation~"
"Quite familiar..." Kotoko chuckled meaningfully: "Familiar enough to see their face every morning when you look in the mirror, yes?"
"I should have realised sooner - only someone with similar experience could so quickly identify me as a special Class preparing for Hero Rank advancement."
"Speaking of which, is revealing this to me really alright? Hiring a Hero Rank and hiring a Demigod command very different prices."
Luo Shu maintained his smile: "I did say transparency, didn't I?"
"Transparency indeed!" Kotoko's eyes lit up with realisation before she couldn't help a soft laugh: "Aside from your face, I've found another reason to like you now."
"Though your earlier interrogation was annoying, you voluntarily lowering your fee is actually super cool."
"But that said..."
Mid-conversation, Kotoko suddenly fixed Luo Shu with a resentful stare:
"How nice for you~ Your Hero Rank ritual must have been simple, right?"
"Not like me - stuck for six whole years of my youth, still without absolute certainty even now..."
"Even though I was among the first to learn about Classes, I still haven't successfully advanced to Hero Rank..."
"Never mind that old fossil Hao Asakura - even Europe's Twin Wings recently succeeded in advancement, and I hear several people from America made it too. Yet here I remain... stuck..."
Luo Shu ignored the resentful remark and instead glanced directly at Kotoko Iwanaga before calmly stating:
"I can assist you, Miss Iwanaga, in completing your ritual for advancement. However, I have one small condition I hope you'll agree to."
Hearing this, Kotoko Iwanaga composed her expression, looking at Luo Shu with earnest seriousness as she quietly awaited his following words.
At this moment, Luo Shu revealed a sincere smile and went straight to the point:
"Miss Kotoko, become mine!"