Hidden Management Department, 2nd Floor.
Inside a private booth at the lounge café.
Luo Shu took a sip of the freshly brewed coffee Tifa had just made, found it too bland, and stirred in another spoonful of sugar:
"Come to think of it, isn't this the first time the second-floor café's being used?"
"Because the renovations took forever~"
To Luo Shu's right, Meer flopped limply onto the glass table, looking utterly drained:
"I heard Yukinoshita and little Kato—oh, and Kisara and Utaha too—all gave their opinions, so the plans kept getting revised until the renovations were finally done now."
Hearing this, Luo Shu took another sip, satisfied with the sweetness this time, before remarking:
"Weren't you the one with the most opinions?"
"I seem to recall Yukino complaining to me that you made a ton of revision requests to the renovation team~"
"That was for confidentiality reasons!"
Meer pouted and lightly smacked the table a few times in protest:
"These lounges are the easiest places for sensitive discussions to happen! We can't risk leaks just because the soundproofing's terrible, right?"
"Isn't that someone else's job?" Kirika Tachibana, seated to Meer's right, remarked coolly while holding her coffee cup. "Besides, if you handle everything, Andrew will have nothing left to do."
"Ah? I don't really mind, though."
Further to Kirika's right, directly across from Luo Shu, Andrew Waltfeld, the Logistics Department head, chuckled awkwardly:
"If little Meer wants to lighten my workload, I'm all for it."
"But don't overdo it. The amount of stamina potions you've been extracting lately is almost double the wartime supply. You're not using them as sleep substitutes, are you?"
"Huh? Really? I had no idea~" Meer feigned ignorance. "Since when?"
Andrew sighed. "Don't push yourself just because you're young."
Meer curled her lip, looking displeased. "Old men should worry about themselves first. Aisha's been complaining to me about your two-month dry spell."
"???"
Andrew froze, especially when Luo Shu, Kirika, and Lacus all turned to stare at him. His head was about to explode.
Why would his wife even share something like that?!
As if the blow wasn't enough, Meer added mischievously, "Uncle Andrew, maybe you should ask Shu for tips. A man can't afford to be lacking in that department."
"Pfft—" Luo Shu, mid-sip, nearly spat out his coffee, managing to only let a bit dribble down his chin.
Lacus quickly grabbed a few tissues from the pack and wiped his mouth for him before turning to Meer with a wry smile:
"Meer, you're being a bit too cheeky today."
Meer shrank her neck slightly and stuck out her tongue, conceding to Lacus.
Luo Shu glanced at Meer and, seeing her reaction, decided to let it go.
It's strange to think that even though Meer is older, whenever she is with Lacus, Luo Shu always gets the impression that Lacus is the older sister.
Beside them, seeing Lacus warning Meer, Andrew merely chuckled and teased, "As expected, it's quite normal for a married man like me to feel excluded in a gathering of young men and women."
"However, speaking of marriage…" Andrew grinned mischievously, turning the heat onto Luo Shu, "Isn't Director Luo Shu still below the legal age?"
At this, Luo Shu's expression stiffened for a moment, especially when Meer and Lacus instinctively looked at him, causing him to glare at Andrew.
This old man, why does he always have to bring up the wrong topic!
At that moment, Kirika Tachibana rested her chin on one hand, leaning on the glass table, and joked, "Those two girls over there—oh no, I suppose they can't be called girls anymore."
"Keep your eyes to yourself; I can see everything!"
Upon hearing this, Lacus calmly picked up her coffee, while Meer shot a glare at Kirika.
Unfazed, Kirika instead picked up a glass of whisky from the table, took a sip, and then said, "But speaking of which, aside from Joan, who has practically half-retired, everyone here is already part of the upper management of our SDS, right?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but remind her, "You're excluding all those councillors and direct personnel with that statement!"
Although Luo Shu didn't know many of the councillors, the upper council of the SDS, which includes Lacus, is the SDS's nominal brain.
Meanwhile, the various department heads, such as Luo Shu, Andrew, and Kirika, are merely branches beneath that brain.
There are also some branches, such as the Head-Captain of the Direct Action Team and the Chief of Staff, who report directly to Lacus but are absent.
This collective is what the outside world considers to be the upper echelon of the SDS.
Of course, what Kirika said wasn't entirely wrong; the decisions are indeed being made by the people present.
But it's like an unspoken rule; it shouldn't be stated openly.
If it were anyone else, Kirika's words could cause unrest if they were to get out.
At this sensitive time, right after the Five Great Powers and the SDS had just conducted a deterrent operation, such statements should not be made.
However, in response to Luo Shu's reminder, Kirika seemed to have no intention of holding back, instead sneering, "Those little ones are fine, but what are the councillors worth?"
"Ahem!" Lacus lightly coughed, seemingly trying to remind her.
In an instant, Kirika's face twitched, and she added, "Uncle Siegel doesn't count."
Although Siegel Clyne, Lacus's father, has retired, he still holds the title of Honorary Chairman, so Kirika's broadside had hit him, too.
"It seems those councillors have been giving you quite a bit of trouble lately, Kirika."
Andrew laughed heartily, a hint of schadenfreude on his face.
In a normal organisation or company, it's usually the Logistics Department that gets targeted for being well-funded and less busy, but the outside world, or rather the Five Great Powers, covets the strength and technology of the SDS.
So, the Research Department, temporarily overseen by Lacus and the Operations Department, led by Kirika Tachibana, naturally became the Union's targets.
Those acting councillors were merely the claws extended by the Five Great Powers.
Rather than resenting the councillors, Kirika Tachibana was more disgusted by the Five Great Powers' underhanded manoeuvres beginning to surface.
This was what truly vexed Kirika at the moment.
Having her concerns laid bare, Kirika merely glanced at Andrew without comment before turning to Luo Shu to address the main issue:
"Though it may sound absurd, if we genuinely wish to internally implement the Class system, the Operations Department currently lacks the capacity to accomplish such a task."
Here, Kirika couldn't help but sigh:
"Even though what the Operations Department needs most right now is strength."
Frontline combat personnel being denied opportunities to grow stronger was admittedly frustrating, but considering the implications of Class information leakage, the department had no choice but to endure.
At Kirika's concerns, Luo Shu raised an eyebrow before calmly stating:
"You're absolutely right."
Kirika sighed helplessly, only for Luo Shu's next words to make her facial muscles twitch.
"However, I refuse."
Luo Shu's lips curled as he addressed the visibly unsettled Kirika:
"When something benefits everyone while harming only a minority, letting the perfect be the enemy of the good is hardly wise."
These words made everyone present simultaneously turn questioning gazes towards Luo Shu.
Before Luo Shu could wonder why, Andrew spoke directly:
"If I recall correctly, this meeting was convened because you'd obtained a universal Class system, Luo Shu?"
"So... does this system perhaps have some major flaw?"
To this, Kirika Tachibana nodded in deep agreement: "It seems the Class we're discussing this time must be one with a rather large backdoor."
Meer's eyes sparkled mischievously: "In that case, should we consider selling a batch to the Five Great Powers? Or perhaps leaking it discreetly?"
"Don't make it too obvious." Lacus tried her best to remind Luo Shu.
The reactions of the four made Luo Shu's mouth twitch: "Do I really seem like someone who enjoys tricking others in your eyes?"
"..."
Silence fell instantly after his words.
Whether it was Lacus, Meer, or Kirika Tachibana, they all stared at Luo Shu, while Andrew calmly sipped his coffee without saying a word.
This reaction made Luo Shu's face flush slightly.
He didn't usually trick people that often, so why were they reacting like this?
Thinking about it, Luo Shu couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. After all, he did enjoy scheming from behind the scenes in his daily life... Having done too many shady things, even he felt uneasy now.
With this in mind, he raised a fist to his mouth and coughed dryly twice: "Ahem! Ahem!"
"Perhaps we should first understand the Class Template we've obtained this time?"
Seeing Luo Shu's cautious demeanour, Lacus suppressed a laugh and changed the subject: "Then let's study it first."