"Chika Fujiwara, you've been quite mischievous lately."
Luo Shu pinched Chika Fujiwara's cheeks, pulling them sideways like kneading slightly stale dough.
"I know I'm wrong..."
Chika Fujiwara whimpered pitifully, resembling a 16-year-old oversized troublemaker being scruffed by the neck.
"Wrong? How could our dear Chika-chan possibly be wrong?"
Luo Shu released Chika's cheeks, smiling as he patted her shoulder:
"If Chika-chan says I deceived you, then I must have deceived you somehow."
"So..."
Luo Shu's expression suddenly darkened as he said with mild intimidation:
"We'll have a thorough review session tonight about all the ways I supposedly deceived you. After all, you wouldn't want me admitting to things I didn't actually do, would you?"
"I'll explain everything to Mr Daichi, so... you understand."
"...Sniff, I understand."
Tears welled up in Chika Fujiwara's eyes as she looked at Luo Shu, attempting to evoke his pity with maidenly tears.
However, this repeatedly used tactic clearly wasn't working anymore.
At the very least, Luo Shu merely glanced at Chika before turning to the other three girls:
"I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. Enjoy yourselves~"
With a wave and a faint smile, Luo Shu exited the office, throwing one last warning glare at Chika before leaving.
Witnessing this, Chika listlessly walked over, picked up a VR headset, and weakly moved towards bed number 27.
"Hayasaka-chan, let's play together."
"Before I die, I want to play team mode one last time..."
Ai Hayasaka blinked blankly before responding:
"Understood, but please don't actually die!"
Seeing the pair like this, Utau Hoshina couldn't help but smirk before turning to Kaguya Shinomiya:
"Shinomiya-san, aren't you joining us?"
"Well..." Kaguya hesitated as she glanced at the doorway.
With Luo Shu gone, was it appropriate for her to stay and play games here?
Wasn't the plan to build closer relationships? And what about Hoshina-san? Didn't she come for matchmaking?
With the main person of interest gone, was she seriously going to play VR games here?
But since Hoshina-san extended the invitation, would it be impolite to refuse?
'Hayasaka! Hayasaka!! Come advise me!!'
Kaguya watched as Hayasaka excitedly asked Chika whether there were any shooting games, her cheerful expression upon receiving confirmation making Kaguya feel her attendant had changed.
She actually wanted to play games like Fujiwara...
With her strategist unavailable, Kaguya had to make the decision herself.
"Since Hoshina-san insists, let's play together!" Kaguya responded with a perfectly practised smile.
Noticing the artificial grin that unsettled her, Utau raised an eyebrow:
"Oh? I thought you'd refuse and go chase after that man instead."
Cold sweat trickled down Kaguya's face. "Why would I do that?"
"Who knows?" Utau casually adjusted her VR headset and beckoned to Kaguya. "Come here, I'll help you with the headset. You're not good with electronic devices, are you?"
...
While the four were busy preparing to launch the virtual game.
In the second-floor dining room.
Luo Shu sat at a seat overlooking the kitchen, watching two figures inside - one golden-haired, the other pink.
The golden-haired one was Erina Nakiri, while the pink-haired figure was Lacus Clyne.
The two stood around the stove, chatting and laughing as they prepared today's lunch.
To be precise, Luo Shu's lunch.
"It's almost two o'clock and you still haven't eaten!"
Koko, wearing a sports T-shirt and denim shorts, plopped down beside Luo Shu and draped an arm around his neck, grinning.
Luo Shu kept his eyes on the kitchen as he replied casually, "Couldn't help it. Got carried away during training and played a bit longer. Then I had to receive some guests, so I missed mealtime."
"Oh? Really?" Koko sounded surprised. "I thought you deliberately skipped mealtime to taste our esteemed Chairwoman's cooking~"
As she spoke, Koko couldn't help glancing at Lacus in the kitchen, adding with some astonishment:
"But come to think of it, I never imagined the Chairwoman would personally cook?"
"What did you expect? Lacus isn't some deity who only needs incense offerings."
Luo Shu chuckled at his own joke before defending Lacus: "Actually, her cooking is quite good. At least in my opinion, it's restaurant-quality Western cuisine."
Of course, it couldn't compare to Erina Nakiri's professional culinary skills, but there was no need to mention that.
Koko's eyes widened slightly as she gazed curiously at the kitchen. "Restaurant quality? That high? Can I mooch a meal then?"
In response, Luo Shu calmly raised his hand and pointed at the door. "The exit's over there."
"You might as well just say 'get lost.'"
Koko rolled her eyes before sighing and retrieving a document from her ring, handing it to Luo Shu:
"Here. That white-haired succubus asked me to pass this to you."
'White-haired succubus? Maria Naruse?'
Luo Shu accepted the file and began flipping through it.
Meanwhile, Koko continued:
"Meer told me that the little white-haired succubus is actually a high-ranking member of the Desire Faction. I'm amazed you managed to recruit someone like that."
"Heh. Those witches who never act without first casting divination hexes probably never imagined the most legitimate succubus princess of the Desire Faction would betray them, did they?"
As he scanned the documents, Luo Shu remarked offhandedly, "You can't survive in Akihabara without backing. And just because she's a succubus princess doesn't mean her interests align with other witches."
Suddenly, Luo Shu stopped mid-page with a strange expression:
"The witches made contact with the Shinomiya family?"
Having already read the document, Koko grinned mischievously:
"More than that. Before coming, I asked Meer to investigate the Shinomiya family. Turns out quite a few parties are watching them."
"Shinto Priests from shrine factions in Japan, Divine Generals from the Onmyou Agency, high-ranking members of Bujin-shū, and some zaibatsu backed by major families..."
"According to Meer, there seem to be top-level government figures behind these forces."
"Top level?" Luo Shu looked surprised. "Cabinet directives?"
"Could even be the Prime Minister." Koko whistled. "As for whether the intel's accurate, we'll have to ask Tifa. She's the one helping sort through this information."
Luo Shu found this rather odd. "Why would the Prime Minister be targeting the Shinomiya family?"
His curiosity piqued, Luo Shu activated Son of Heaven for a prophetic divination, receiving a peculiar image—a massive city frozen in ice.
Upon seeing the frozen metropolis, Luo Shu instantly understood. Yet precisely because he understood, his expression turned peculiar:
"...The losses from the ice disaster!"
Several days prior, Serafall had created the frozen city in Tokyo to escape Aya Tokoyogi's pursuit. Although Serafall had ultimately resolved it herself for her Demigod Ascension Ritual, during that resolution, only civilians affected by the disaster had been 'erased' for the ritual's sake.
Meanwhile, official government agencies and certain zaibatsu were affected by the ice disaster.
Luo Shu hadn't lifted a finger.
Whether due to Luo Shu's subconscious hostility towards Japan's government or Serafall's carefree attitude, the fact remained: Japan's official institutions had suffered astronomical losses measured in the trillions.
And to compensate for these losses...
The Shinomiya zaibatsu, a modern-era conglomerate with no mystic-side backing and only American connections...
The Prime Minister must be drooling in his dreams!
This was a 200-trillion-yen golden goose—enough to cover the government's losses and still leave a massive profit!
"Come to think of it, when La Folia left earlier, she mentioned complications in negotiations with Japan. Could it be related to this?"
Hearing this, Lacus approached, wearing an apron and holding a bowl of knife-cut noodles:
"Luo Shu, are you referring to Aldegia's negotiations with Japan over magi-tech industrial equipment? Those seem to have reached an impasse on Japan's side."
Luo Shu immediately grasped the reason and scoffed:
"The medical equipment portion is the sticking point, right? After all, the Shinomiya family's patriarch, Gan'an, apparently needs those devices to treat his cerebral thrombosis!"
"I'm seriously starting to suspect Japan's government is deliberately reducing Gan'an Shinomiya's chances of recovery..."
At this point, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes.
"Seems I really should meet with Oko Shinomiya."
As the Director of the Hidden Management Department headquartered in Japan, how could Luo Shu be so unsociable?
Therefore.
He absolutely must take a bite of this juicy steak!