"Hey there, Mr. Con Artist—are you ready to die?"
Orange flames flickered to life in Ayano Kannagi's palms, the rapidly intensifying heat causing visible air distortion around her.
"Oh crap, she's about to attack..." Chisato Nishikigi, who'd just stepped out of the car, immediately rested her hand on her holstered gun while whispering to Takina Inoue beside her: "By the way, what exactly did Luo do to get called a con artist?"
"This..." Takina Inoue looked somewhat guilty as she quickly leaned in, whispering the specific reason into Chisato Nishikigi's ear.
"Oh~ So that's how it is... This is a bit awkward..."
Understanding it was an issue with loot distribution, Chisato immediately grasped the situation—after all, it was one of Tachibana's old habits.
This made her gaze at Ayano Kannagi with a hint of pity, while her eyes, when looking at Luo Shu, were filled with admiration.
After all, not everyone could quickly keep up with Tachibana's domineering and greedy thought process. The fact that Luo Shu could match her wavelength naturally made him a talent their SDS desperately needed.
However, such talents inevitably faced risks, and right now, Ayano Kannagi seemed to be one such risk.
'He'll probably get beaten up...' Chisato hesitated as she looked at Luo Shu. Though she had some thoughts of intervening, she also knew that if the young lady wasn't allowed to vent, it could easily ruin their future cooperation.
So...
"Though I feel a bit sorry for Luo Shu, Takina, let's just stand back and watch."
Hearing this, Takina fell silent for a moment before whispering, "I'll go prepare the first aid kit."
Clearly, both Chisato and Takina were now certain that Luo Shu would get hurt.
Yet, to their surprise, Luo Shu remained completely unfazed in the face of Ayano's aggressive stance. Instead, he straightened his expression and spoke with utmost seriousness:
"Miss Kannagi, why did you run away earlier?"
"Huh?" Ayano, bathed in flames, froze momentarily before bursting into laughter upon realisation. "Me? Run away? When did I ever run away?"
Luo Shu didn't answer her question, instead pressing on with a stern face:
"Do you have any idea how severe the consequences of your actions just were?"
The two rapid-fire questions left Ayano utterly bewildered. Had she actually done something wrong?
But no, right? Wasn't she the unlucky one who had dutifully eliminated a dangerous demon, only to be tricked by Luo Shu into leaving without a share of the spoils? How had this suddenly become her fault?
"Enough nonsense! Then tell me, what exactly were the consequences?!"
This time, Luo Shu didn't pose another question. Instead, he explained with grave seriousness:
"Did you know the demon you killed was just a decoy?"
"What?" Ayano's heart skipped a beat at these words.
The demon she killed was just a decoy? How was that possible?
That would mean the real culprit was still at large, potentially harming civilians?
This...
At this thought, Ayano asked somewhat guiltily, "You say it's a decoy, but how can you prove that's true?"
Ayano had already stopped caring about the loot issue—if the target wasn't even dealt with, what loot could there be?
Meanwhile, standing beside Ayano, Ryuuya Kazamaki felt that something was off about the situation, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, leaving his expression twisted in confusion.
Yet Luo Shu gave them no time to think. He swiftly pulled several documents from his briefcase, stepped forward, and handed them to Ayano, saying:
"Before explaining further, take a look at this intel first."
"Oh... okay..."
Ayano Kannagi dispersed the flames in her hand and took the document, quickly scanning its contents. After reading it, she looked up in shock and asked:
"What? There are actually demons that can steal others' bodies? How is that possible?"
"Reality doesn't care about logic, Miss Kannagi."
Luo Shu's tone softened considerably as he guided her:
"I suggest you look at the note on the sixth line of the third page. That contains our SDS official advisor's speculation, which has now been confirmed by multiple sources with 90% probability."
As for the 'official advisor', that was naturally Luo Shu himself.
'Multiple sources'? Three people counted as multiple—himself, Chisato Nishikigi, and Takina Inoue were enough, right?
Of course, this was just a slight play on words. With his additional intelligence channels, Luo Shu knew the document's contents were indeed the truth.
Unaware of this verbal sleight of hand, Ayano Kannagi quickly followed Luo Shu's suggestion and glanced at the indicated section.
One look was all it took for her expression to darken:
"A cadre from the European secret organisation Truth Astronomy faked their death to deceive National-Level Sorcerers and foreign organisations, successfully stealing Katsuhiko Yakushiji's body, then used another fake death to evade attention, all to eventually possess a High-Rank Demon's body? This... this can't be!"
Ayano Kannagi looked up at Luo Shu with disbelief. "Is everything written here true?"
"Miss Kannagi, document compilation must be strictly factual."
Luo Shu neither confirmed nor denied, leaving Ayano Kannagi to draw her own conclusions.
"This report even owes part of its data to you, Miss Kannagi. After all, one of the key specimens—a corpse—was obtained through your efforts. However, you left abruptly before the statistical results came in, forcing us to contact you through alternative means."
At this point, Luo Shu added, "Oh, and your father already knows about this."
He'd called to inform him while driving earlier. The old man was quite considerate, immediately agreeing to let his daughter walk into danger after receiving the assistance request.
If it were Luo Shu, he'd never let his daughter take such risks. Of course, he didn't actually have a daughter to begin with.
The young Flame Arts sorceress instantly accepted the truth in Luo Shu's words. If even her father had been notified, how could it be false?
"Father already knows? Damn it, does that mean he's aware I was tricked by a fake death?"
Ayano Kannagi clutched her head in despair:
"Anything but this!!"
Seeing the young mistress's despair, Luo Shu's lips quirked upwards briefly before he schooled his expression and comforted her gently:
"Miss Kannagi, now isn't the time to worry about that. There's still room to turn things around, isn't there?"
"Turn things around? You're right—the culprit hasn't been caught yet. I still have a chance." Ayano Kannagi suddenly realised the matter wasn't over. She hadn't yet reached the point of disappointing her father.
With this thought, she turned to Luo Shu and pressed:
"So this is why you came looking for me?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu quickly shook his head and denied with a smile:
"No no no, isn't this something you haven't completed yet, Miss Ayano? Our SDS merely wishes to offer assistance."
"Assistance?" Ayano Kannagi hesitated. "What kind of assistance can you provide?"
Luo Shu placed one hand behind his back while raising the other, extending a single finger:
"A plan to force the target - that Demon Warlock - to reveal themselves. A permanent solution to the crisis in Chiba Prefecture."
"A permanent solution?"
Ayano Kannagi's eyes immediately lit up as she grabbed Luo Shu's shoulder:
"Quick, tell me this plan!"
Seeing how easily Ayano had been convinced, Luo Shu made an OK sign behind his back to Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue.
Takina Inoue stared dumbfounded at the scene, finding it utterly surreal. 'This... this was all it took?'
"Wow..."
Chisato Nishikigi's mouth hung slightly open as she discreetly gave Luo Shu a thumbs up before turning to Takina:
"Takina, I think we should keep our distance from Luo Shu from now on. If we're not careful, we might end up happily counting money for him after he's scammed us."
Takina Inoue fell silent before replying: "...I couldn't agree more."