In the end, Kaguya Shinomiya didn't achieve her goal of turning back to find Luo Shu again.
Unwilling to act as a messenger, Ai Hayasaka had paid a price for her rest.
That price was Luo Shu's work email address.
"Hayasaka, why do you have Luo Shu-san's email?"
After checking the email address in the message several times, Kaguya suddenly looked curiously at Ai Hayasaka.
Ai Hayasaka replied nonchalantly, "I got it when making tea in the tearoom earlier."
This was a lie.
The email address was actually obtained from Megumi Kato, the secretary, through the Divine Pantheon's group chat.
But to placate Kaguya, Ai Hayasaka claimed she got it during the tea session.
"The tearoom? You got his email in that short time while making tea?"
Kaguya was shocked by her maid's efficiency.
She knew Ai Hayasaka was capable, but this was beyond expectations.
The tea session had lasted less than ten minutes - and she'd already secured his email?
Ai Hayasaka, are you some kind of social superhuman?
"Heh."
Faced with Kaguya's astonishment, Ai Hayasaka smiled politely.
In those brief ten minutes in the tearoom, she hadn't just obtained Luo Shu's email - she'd also successfully pledged her entire family's allegiance.
If not for worrying about this idiot's survival in the Shinomiya household, she might have already become someone else's maid by now.
At this thought, Ai Hayasaka couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Just as she was sighing in resignation, a private message from Luo Shu popped up in her consciousness through the system chat group.
[Luo Shu: You're not planning to leave the Shinomiya household soon, are you?]
[Ai Hayasaka: Why do you ask? Has something happened?]
[Luo Shu: I'll send you some materials. You'll understand once you see them.]
[Luo Shu sent the files: Frozen Metropolis Incident - Government Property Damage Report (Cabinet Exclusive), Preliminary Survey of Domestic Zaibatsu Assets (Cabinet General Staff Office), Shinomiya Family History (SDS Internal Exclusive, Clearance Level: B), Special Disaster Incident - Third Cabinet Meeting Minutes.]
After mentally processing this information, Ai Hayasaka felt utterly numb.
The Cabinet, having suffered severe losses from the Frozen Metropolis Incident, had decided to harvest wealth from domestic zaibatsu?
And the Shinomiya family, due to their relatively weak military background, had been placed on the Cabinet's list of fattened livestock?
Was this really intelligence that a mere maid like her should be privy to?
Director, could you please consider the recipient's capacity to handle this?!
[Luo Shu: You've read the files? Then I'll be brief.]
[Luo Shu: According to my private intelligence, Gan'an Shinomiya has already drafted a will, bequeathing 20% of his personal assets to Kaguya Shinomiya as an unconditional donation.]
[Luo Shu: The Cabinet has likely obtained this information already - after all, the law firm Gan'an Shinomiya employed wouldn't withstand Cabinet pressure.]
[Luo Shu: Therefore, I'll soon issue a statement through my channels declaring that Kaguya Shinomiya is currently dating me. Ensure Kaguya cooperates with this narrative.]
[Ai Hayasaka: Understood. I'll have Lady Kaguya comply.]
When it came to Kaguya Shinomiya's safety, Ai Hayasaka - who'd grown up with her as a sister despite not sharing blood - naturally treated the matter with utmost seriousness.
[Ai Hayasaka: But Director, won't Cabinet members potentially disregard your declaration and target Lady Kaguya? We are talking about 20% of the Shinomiya family's assets here.]
[Luo Shu: Heh. While your concern is valid, they wouldn't dare.]
Receiving this news, Ai Hayasaka, who had initially been somewhat flustered, immediately calmed down.
A simple "they wouldn't dare" was enough to reassure her.
Indeed, even if it were two-tenths of the Shinomiya family's assets, would Japan's authorities really risk offending Luo Shu, a Demigod, and the entire Hidden Management Department?
This was a behemoth capable of forcing even the Five Great Powers to concede!
Facing such a titan, losing a bit of wealth was nothing compared to losing one's life, wasn't it?
[Luo Shu: By the way, Ai Hayasaka, you seem to have misunderstood something. These two-tenths are from Gan'an Shinomiya's personal assets, not the Shinomiya conglomerate's.]
Reading this, Ai Hayasaka paused, realising she had indeed confused the relationship between the two.
After all, the Shinomiya conglomerate's assets and Gan'an Shinomiya's personal wealth couldn't be equated.
As a zaibatsu, the Shinomiya conglomerate's shares were highly dispersed. Entities such as the American zaibatsu, the Japanese zaibatsu, the Japanese government, and various institutions held stakes in Shinomiya-affiliated companies.
What the Shinomiya family truly controlled was the right to utilise these assets—things like equity.
So while Gan'an Shinomiya could command the Shinomiya zaibatsu with absolute authority, the liquid assets he personally controlled were minuscule compared to the conglomerate's total worth.
Still, even two-tenths of these private funds amounted to an astronomical sum—easily billions of US dollars.
If Kaguya Shinomiya could obtain this wealth, she'd instantly become Japan's most eligible bachelorette.
At this thought, Ai Hayasaka couldn't help glancing at Kaguya beside her.
'Did this silly girl save the world in a past life to deserve a sugar daddy like Gan'an Shinomiya?'
'Despite no blood relation, simply because she was the child of a woman he loved, he was gifting her billions.'
'Gan'an Shinomiya must be the world's number one simp!'
'Come to think of it, the third tenet of the Shinomiya family creed was supposedly about not falling in love... wasn't it?'
Now Ai Hayasaka understood why such a rule existed—it was precisely to prevent love-struck family heads like Gan'an from emerging!
'The Shinomiya ancestors were remarkably prescient!'
"What's wrong, Hayasaka? Why are you looking at me like that?" Kaguya asked, puzzled.
Ai Hayasaka responded with perfect composure:
"I just remembered that Director Luo Shu and I exchanged LINE contacts."
"And I've heard the Director frequently uses LINE for communications. But your flip phone doesn't support such smartphone apps, does it, Lady Kaguya?"
Kaguya instantly froze.
Satisfied with this reaction, Ai Hayasaka refocused on the messages Luo Shu was sending through their mental link.
Several had already arrived:
[Luo Shu: The authorities seem determined to slaughter the pig this time. As a precaution, I'll publicly process the Hayasaka family's transfer in the coming days. Have your relatives sever ties with the Shinomiyas immediately—I'll arrange their transfer to my virtual tech firm.]
[Ai Hayasaka: Understood, Director. Love you~]
[Luo Shu: ...]
[Luo Shu: Be extra careful recently. Take tomorrow off and go to Kamijo Hospital for a genetic test. I'll arrange for someone to expedite your Adjuster Drug pairing.]
[Luo Shu: Though I can't guarantee there won't be accidents, as long as you properly undergo the adjustment, you'll at least have some self-defence capabilities if danger arises.]
[Ai Hayasaka: Got it, got it~ Mwah~]
[Luo Shu: I'll gift you some points to purchase the Divine Pantheon's teleportation function, ensuring you can escape immediately if threatened.]
[Luo Shu: Anyway, do your best to protect yourself.]
Ai Hayasaka read Luo Shu's long-winded reminders and struggled to suppress her laughter, forced to hold it in due to Kaguya Shinomiya's presence.
Feeling stifled, she turned to Kaguya, who was staring at her flip phone with a complicated expression, and remarked:
"It seems you still haven't made a decision, young mistress."
The small jab carried a hint of Ai's resentment, as if slapping Kaguya across the face with it.
After a long silence, Kaguya finally sighed and said:
"Hayasaka, let's go buy a mobile phone."
Ai blinked in surprise before immediately quipping:
"You should've done that ages ago."
"Don't make it sound like I'm some outdated relic."
"I didn't say anything~"
"Hayasaka!!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Anything else, Lady Kaguya?"
Amidst the girls' bickering, the car drove towards the nearest phone store.