In the SDS-exclusive office at Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department headquarters.
Kirika Tachibana, wearing glasses, skimmed through documents while cradling a secure phone between her shoulder and ear, smiling as she spoke:
"To think you actually managed to recruit that occult expert from Kyoto to teach Luo Shu... You've really outdone yourself."
A gentle voice responded from the other end:
"It's just providing necessary educational resources. After all, that boy is the first sorcerer we've recruited in Japan."
The voice then softened, as if muttering: "Besides, it was practically forced by you, Kirika."
"He's not angry about it now, is he?"
The speaker on the phone sounded somewhat resigned.
Hearing her friend's teasing, Kirika laughed heartily:
"Don't lecture me! You know how I am—when I see wild treasure popping up, how could I resist grabbing it?"
"Plus, with such a helpful mentor like me guiding him into the adult world~ If he doesn't gift me limited-edition bags, that's one thing, but getting angry? What's there to be angry about?"
"That's such a you thing to say, Kirika."
The woman on the phone sounded both exasperated and fond:
"While our need for sorcerers is indeed urgent, recruiting newcomers through coercion rather than ideals... Kirika, you're being wilful this time."
"The wilful young lady who acts more recklessly than me has no right to talk. Who was it that suddenly decided to establish the SDS one day? I'm working for you here, young lady."
Kirika retorted before adding irritably:
"Besides, that kid joined us because he saw benefits and went with the flow—how is that coercion?"
"At most, I just informed him about the Metropolitan Police Department's stance towards special individuals like him! I didn't say anything else!"
"Read the reports more carefully, you who's even more wilful than me!"
With that, Kirika continued reviewing documents as she said:
"Alright, enough digressing."
"With a sorcerer recruited, if nurtured properly, Japan's SDS branch will have a decent start."
"And those Abyss Artefacts we have—the ones ordinary people can't use—finally have a suitable wielder."
At this point, Kirika held the phone properly, slightly raised her head, and her expression gradually turned solemn:
"'The cornerstone maintaining peace and order' is visibly stabilising... I must admit, my feelings about this are rather complicated now."
"Lacus Clyne~ my dearest friend~ don't you have anything to say to someone as hardworking as me right now?"
Upon hearing this, the other end of the phone seemed to chuckle softly before a soothing, melodious voice came through:
"You've worked hard, my dearest friend~"
"Well..."
Kirika Tachibana removed her glasses, pinched the bridge of her nose, then sighed:
"Even if it's just the two of us indulging in delusions, I still hope this world can continue peacefully."
"Even if the ever-approaching Abyss is swallowing us."
With these words, Tachibana hung up the phone, put her glasses back on, and silently stared at the report title before her:
[Conjectures on the Countdown to the Apocalypse.]
"Another one of these clichéd reports..." Tachibana twirled a pen irritably before sighing.
Just then, her encrypted phone on the side rang.
"Hello~ it's me. Chisato? Has Luo Shu finally made progress? No, it's fine if he failed. This was just practice for him anyway..."
"What? He found it in one night?"
Listening to Chisato Nishikigi's report, Tachibana froze.
...
The park near Toyogasaki High School.
By the fountain.
A tall, elegant high school girl with long black hair stood holding her schoolbag, expressionlessly addressing the belated Luo Shu:
"Not a single LINE message all night, then right before class starts, you say 'meet at the park.' So Luo Shu-kun is the type who disappears into club life after dark, is he?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu blinked in surprise before glancing at her curiously and explaining:
"There really was an unexpected situation last night. When I tried contacting you, the internal network showed you'd already gone to bed early."
His tone then shifted teasingly: "Speaking of which, did you actually listen to me about early nights? Who knew Utaha-senpai was such an obedient good girl?"
"..." Kasumigaoka Utaha fell silent before replying with a complicated expression: "My neck hurts."
"My foot too."
"?"
Luo Shu was baffled. Where had this sudden topic shift come from?
Seeing his confusion, Utaha sighed and explained helplessly:
"I stayed up too late the night before yesterday. Then yesterday morning, I couldn't nap in class because I was messaging you. So when I got home, I collapsed on the sofa and slept straight through till morning."
"When I finally woke up and saw the clock, I panicked, thinking I'd missed your LINE messages. I twisted my ankle scrambling for my phone, plus I got a stiff neck from sofa-sleeping..."
"Am I an idiot..."
Utaha deeply despised herself.
She'd completely forgotten about using the internal network to check Luo Shu's status yesterday - she must have gotten stupider, failing to realise she was now 'different.'
"So this is why you decided to snipe at me first thing in the morning?"
Luo Shu looked at the girl before him with amused exasperation, thinking today her 'intelligence' seemed far below what her 'appearance' would suggest.
"'System' treatments can only be done at the base, and teleporting requires points, but you could've just gone to the clubroom for treatment first. Why wait here for me?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka stared expressionlessly at Luo Shu. "Please don't overestimate someone who was just an ordinary person until yesterday."
Having said that, she deliberately changed the subject:
"Speaking of which, what happened last night that kept you from even sending a single message?"
"My identity as an ability user was discovered by what's probably a semi-official organisation. Been busy dealing with that."
Hearing this, Utaha froze, looking incredulous:
"The same officials who are constantly overwhelmed by cases actually have that kind of capability?"
Luo Shu's expression turned slightly odd at her words, seemingly surprised by Utaha's 'perception':
"This organisation is backed by arms dealers connected to the stationed forces. Japan's officials only seem to provide funding and limited support."
"I see, so not the officials I imagined? That explains the efficiency then."
Utaha said something that would undoubtedly infuriate Japan's Metropolitan Police Department, then remarked with playful sarcasm:
"It seems a certain deity went through quite some trouble yesterday to cover for their Familia."