"Hey, little con man over there, are you ready to die yet?" Ayano Kannagi's hands were ablaze with orange-red flames, the rapidly rising heat distorting the air around her, creating visible waves as the temperature surged.
"We're screwed… this is definitely about to turn into a fight..." Chisato Nishikigi, who had just gotten out of the car, instinctively reached for the grip of her gun at her waist, and turned to Takina Inoue beside her, asking in a hurry, "What exactly did Luo Shu do to get called a con man by her?"
"Uh..." Takina looked a little guilty as she leaned closer to Chisato, whispering the full explanation into her ear.
"Oh~ so that's how it is… yeah, that's a bit awkward..." Once Chisato understood it was all about the division of spoils, she immediately grasped the situation. After all, that was one of Kirika Tachibana's infamous bad habits.
Because of that, her gaze toward Ayano grew sympathetic, while her glance at Luo Shu was full of mixed feelings. Not everyone could keep up with Kirika's overbearing and greedy way of thinking. The fact that Luo Shu could match her wavelength clearly marked him as the kind of talent SDS desperately needed.
Of course, to become that kind of talent, one had to accept a certain amount of risk—and right now, Ayano Kannagi was clearly that risk.
He's probably going to get beaten up... Chisato hesitated as she looked at Luo Shu. She was tempted to step in and help, but she understood clearly that if they didn't let the heiress vent her anger, any future cooperation would likely fall apart.
So—
"Sorry, Luo Shu-kun, but Takina, we should just stand back and watch."
Takina fell silent for a moment before replying quietly, "I'll go prepare the first-aid kit."
Clearly, both Chisato and Takina were now convinced that Luo Shu was about to get hurt.
But to their surprise, Luo Shu showed no sign of panic in the face of Ayano's overwhelming aggression. Instead, he put on a serious expression and said sternly, "Miss Kannagi, why did you run away just now?"
"Huh?" Still wreathed in flames, Ayano blinked in confusion. Then, realizing what he had said, she couldn't help but laugh incredulously. "I ran away? When did I run away?"
Luo Shu didn't answer her question. His expression remained cold and serious as he pressed further, "Do you have any idea what kind of consequences your actions just caused?"
Two consecutive questions left Ayano completely bewildered. Did I really do something wrong just now?
But no, that couldn't be right. She had eliminated the dangerous demon, yet Luo Shu had tricked her into leaving without even getting her share of the spoils. How could she be at fault?
"Stop babbling! Then tell me—what consequences did I supposedly cause?!"
At this point, Luo Shu dropped the questioning tone and explained with grave seriousness, "Do you realize that the demon you killed was just a decoy?"
"What?" Ayano's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that.
The demon she killed... was only a decoy? How was that possible?
Which meant... the real culprit hadn't been killed at all and was still out there threatening innocent civilians?
This—
Her composure shaken, Ayano hesitated and asked nervously, "Just because you say it was a decoy doesn't make it true! How can you prove what you're saying?"
At this moment, her mind had completely abandoned thoughts of spoils. If the real culprit wasn't even dead, what spoils were there to argue over?
Standing beside Ayano, Kazamaki Ryuya felt increasingly that something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint what, leaving his expression awkwardly twisted in confusion.
But Luo Shu didn't give either of them time to think. He swiftly pulled a few documents from his briefcase and stepped forward, handing them directly to Ayano as he said, "Before I explain, take a look at this intel."
"Oh… okay..." Ayano dispelled the flames in her hands, took the documents, and scanned them quickly. As she finished reading, her face filled with shock. "What? There are demons that can seize other people's bodies? That's impossible!"
"Reality doesn't care about logic, Miss Ayano." Luo Shu's tone softened slightly as he pointed her toward a particular section. "I recommend you read the sixth line of the third page's remarks. That part contains analysis from our SDS official advisors, and as of now, multiple confirmations suggest the likelihood is over ninety percent."
As for those so-called official advisors, well—that was Luo Shu himself. And 'multiple confirmations'? Three people counted as multiple, didn't they? Himself, Chisato, and Takina—that was plenty of people.
Of course, that was a little conceptual sleight of hand. But with Luo Shu's access to privileged information channels, he knew full well that what was written in the documents was the actual truth.
Ayano, unaware of the subtle manipulation, immediately followed Luo Shu's instructions and skimmed the specified section. And just that glance made her expression turn sour.
"'A cadre of the secret European organization, Celestial Astronomy, used a staged death to deceive national-level sorcerers and foreign agencies, successfully seized the body of Katsuhiko Yakushiji, and then continued to use fake deaths to evade attention, with the ultimate goal of seizing the body of a high-level demon'... Wha—what? How could this be real?!"
Her face full of disbelief, Ayano looked up at Luo Shu and asked, "Is everything written here true?"
"Miss Ayano, you know official reports have to be written under strict verification," Luo Shu said without saying whether it was true or false, leaving her to reach her own conclusions.
"This report even credits you with a contribution. After all, one of the key data sources—the corpse—is your handiwork. Unfortunately, you left before we could compile the data, which forced us to contact you through alternative channels."
Then Luo Shu casually added, "Oh, and your father's already been informed."
He had called to notify her father while they were driving earlier. Luo Shu had to admit, the old man was quite accommodating—after receiving the request for assistance, he'd immediately agreed to let his daughter step into danger.
If it were Luo Shu, no way would he let his daughter take such risks. Of course, he didn't actually have a daughter... yet.
The young fire mage immediately accepted Luo Shu's words as fact. Even her father had been notified—how could this be fake?
"My father already knows? Damn it, that means he's found out I was tricked by the enemy's fake death too?" Ayano clutched her head in despair. "No way! Anything but this!!"
Watching the devastated heiress before him, Luo Shu's lips curled slightly in satisfaction before he quickly restrained his expression and spoke gently, "Miss Ayano, now's not the time to worry about that. After all, there's still a chance to turn things around, isn't there?"
"A chance? Right, the culprit's still out there. I still have a chance!" Ayano snapped back to reality, realizing things weren't over yet. Her father didn't need to be disappointed in her just yet.
With that thought, she immediately locked eyes with Luo Shu and asked, "Is that why you came to find me?"
Luo Shu shook his head quickly and smiled. "No, no, no. Isn't this your unfinished business, Miss Ayano? We at SDS are merely here to offer assistance."
"Assistance?" Ayano hesitated. "What kind of assistance?"
Luo Shu placed one hand behind his back, raised his other hand, and held up a single finger. "A plan. One that will force the target—that demon sorcerer—to reveal himself. A plan that will end the crisis in Chiba once and for all."
"A plan to end it once and for all?" Ayano's eyes immediately lit up. She stepped forward and grabbed Luo Shu's shoulder directly, saying, "Hurry! Tell me this plan!"
Seeing Ayano fall for it so easily, Luo Shu silently flashed an 'OK' hand signal behind his back to Chisato and Takina.
Takina stared in disbelief, feeling as if she'd just witnessed magic. That… that worked? Just like that?
"Wow..." Chisato's mouth opened slightly as she discreetly gave Luo Shu a thumbs-up, then turned her head toward Takina and said softly, "Takina, maybe we should keep our distance from Luo Shu-kun from now on. I get the feeling that if we're not careful, he'll swindle us out of our money and we'll be happily counting it for him."
Takina paused for a moment, then said quietly, "...Couldn't agree more."