Standing at the door, Luo Shu glanced at the three girls seated around the square-shaped sofa in the center of the room, raising an eyebrow slightly. "At times like this, isn't it customary to say, 'I've arrived at just the right moment?'"
"Uh… sorry to intrude..." Kisara peeked her head cautiously in from the hallway before quickly slipping inside and quietly closing the door behind her.
"You are..." Shirayuki Hotogi instinctively moved her hand to her waist, seemingly ready to react, but stopped when she saw the official identification Luo Shu was holding.
Seeing this, Shirayuki fell silent for a moment before pulling out a matching ID from somewhere on her person.
"Oh? Looks like we're on the same side then," Luo Shu chuckled, then led Kisara to an empty spot on the long sofa and sat down before asking, "Mind if I join the conversation?"
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't say a word but turned her gaze toward Shirayuki.
"…I don't mind," Shirayuki replied after a brief pause, then followed up with a question of her own. "Which SDS division?"
"Luo Shu, Secret Management Division," he said with a smile, introducing his newly confirmed department title.
Shirayuki frowned slightly. "I've never heard of any Secret Management Division under SDS."
"Well, now you have," Luo Shu replied, still smiling. "By the way, you're Miss Shirayuki Hotogi, correct?"
"…That's me." Shirayuki's expression turned a little awkward. She had a strange feeling that Luo Shu knew her quite well, yet she couldn't recall meeting him at all.
"Top-class Onmyoji of the Onmyoji Bureau, Suzaku of the Twelve Divine Generals, national sorcerer candidate. Specializes in fire-based arts and divination. Real name: Himiko. A descendant of Queen Himiko of ancient Yamatai."
"Can't believe I'm seeing the real deal in person today…"
Shirayuki's hair practically stood on end as she listened. She barely managed to suppress the instinct to reach for her weapon and instead said, "...Your intel network is impressive."
The fact that the Hotogi Shrine's bloodline descended from Himiko, and that she had inherited the name, was known only to her parents. How on earth had SDS found out?
Luo Shu crossed his legs, still smiling. "You're one of the Twelve Divine Generals and a national-level sorcerer candidate. It's only natural for us to keep more detailed intel on people like you."
"Oh, and you're also a student of 'Natsuki-chan,' aren't you?"
"Huh… you mean Professor Natsuki? No, I only attend her spell theory classes..." Shirayuki instinctively responded, but then a strange expression crossed her face.
"Natsuki-chan? You're one of her students too?"
"I'm currently studying under her," Luo Shu confirmed, seizing the opportunity to deepen their rapport.
Shirayuki looked visibly relieved, even dropping much of her earlier guardedness.
"I don't think I've seen you around. You must be one of her students from the SDS side then?"
"Exactly," Luo Shu nodded. "Though it may be abrupt, I overheard your earlier conversation."
"But I clearly set up a soundproof barrier… Oh right. I get it now." Shirayuki sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "Natsuki's first lesson is always about deconstructing and analyzing spells... I've failed as her student."
Wait, wasn't the first lesson supposed to be common-sense orientation? Luo Shu stared, dumbfounded at the now-sullen Shirayuki. Then he remembered—right, their group got the crash course on common sense because their foundations were so weak.
This… was awkward. Luo Shu's cheek twitched a little before he finally said,
"If I'm not wrong, what you're proposing is for the Yukinoshita family to send someone to join Hotogi Shrine, thus bypassing the Onmyoji Bureau's secrecy rules and avoiding memory erasure, correct?"
Luo Shu deliberately referred to Shirayuki as "senpai" to foster familiarity while diving straight into the core issue.
"Yes. Memory sealing ultimately affects the brain, so my mother assigned me to handle this situation partly because she didn't trust others with Yukinoshita-san being directly involved in the incident…" Shirayuki's explanation made Yukino lower her gaze, her expression falling.
She didn't know Shirayuki, nor did she know this "Hotogi Madam" who would send her daughter to help just because Yukino's mother had been caught up in an incident.
She'd always assumed she was the child their family had given up on—but now, for the first time, she understood what it truly meant to be abandoned.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu tilted his head slightly in curiosity. "So, your mother insists on the memory sealing?"
"Yes." Shirayuki turned her attention toward Haruno. "Since the Yukinoshita family is set on a political path, direct involvement with the mystic side is strictly prohibited."
"Political families are not allowed to become professional mystics. That's a rule dating back to the Showa era."
Luo Shu kept a calm expression. Those in power being denied even greater power was par for the course in this island nation, where political puppets were often backed by remote-controlled conglomerates.
According to what he'd heard from Tachibana, most elected officials—city councilors, prefectural representatives, even many cabinet ministers—were entirely excluded from the mystic circles.
The reason was simple: becoming a proper sorcerer required a "legacy-class abyssal artifact." These artifacts were exceedingly rare.
And with over 600 members across both houses of the Diet, plus tens of thousands more prefectural and city representatives, it would be impossible to equip each of them with such resources.
Even bleeding the nation dry wouldn't suffice.
To make matters worse, these politicians were elected (often due to nepotism), meaning they were constantly changing. Their competence—let alone intelligence—was often questionable.
It was no surprise then that the true decision-makers—the bureaucrats—wanted nothing to do with granting such people mystical powers.
That's why the government had worked hard to tightly seal off information about the mystic world. Onmyoji Bureau, the police department, and even the JSDF all required sorcerers to register with authorities.
In this resource-scarce environment, factions with access to the mystic realm had every reason to minimize leaks.
Based on his guess, Luo Shu figured that the Hotogi family's means of passing down sorcery probably involved some form of colored gold, a rare abyssal artifact.
"So, Miss Shirayuki, are you suggesting your mother wants to negotiate a deal—allowing someone from the Yukinoshita family to inherit the Hotogi Shrine's legacy and thereby avoid scrutiny under the secrecy rules?"
Shirayuki paused before responding, "One hundred million dollars. My mother said if the Yukinoshita family is willing to pay that price, we'll allow one of their children to be adopted into the Hotogi family and granted access to our legacy. She'll also block any opposition from Onmyoji Bureau or the Diet."
At that amount, even Haruno and Yukino were stunned speechless.
Sure, the Yukinoshita family had that kind of wealth, but they'd have to liquidate most of their real estate to do it. That kind of price might as well be a rejection.
And adopting a child? Becoming the Hotogi family's foster daughter? That…
Was Madam Hotogi really that ruthless? No—Haruno suddenly realized—this wasn't just a financial demand. It was a power play to force Yukinoshita Madam to bow her head.
The Hotogi and Yukinoshita families were both prominent in the region—one a shrine powerhouse, the other a political dynasty. Their matriarchs were likely childhood friends.
But that closeness made status even more important.
Among middle-aged women, the points of competition were inevitably husbands and children.
At present, Yukinoshita Madam had clearly "tamed" her husband more effectively and had more children as well. No wonder Madam Hotogi was frustrated enough to make life difficult for her "dear friend."
Haruno understood perfectly.
The only two who didn't were Luo Shu and Yukino.
Wait, what is this? A "friendly" shakedown? Adopt a daughter—so are we talking "Shirayuki Yukino"? Or "Shirayuki Haruno"?
Luo Shu muttered inwardly and looked around at the roomful of people with varying expressions before tapping gently on the table in front of him.
"While I don't fully understand Madam Hotogi's reasoning, I do have another option to offer."
As he spoke, Luo Shu got straight to the point. "I have a vacant SDS appointment under my name."