Hearing Luo Shu's words, Lacus tapped the table lightly with her finger: "Contact is acceptable, but conflict is not advised."
"As long as they ensure their own safety, there's no issue with letting them stay in Akihabara."
Pondering the suggestion, Luo Shu mused, "High-voltage wires are safest when clearly visible—I see. But what if those Succubi try to forcibly reclaim Kisara?"
At this, Lacus glanced at the Demon Heart in Luo Shu's hand and smiled.
Noticing her look, Luo Shu's expression turned odd: "Wait, can this thing even work on Succubi?"
Lacus shook her head. "It can only restrain them."
Then, tilting her head, she smiled at Luo Shu and said, "But for you, restraint means you can kill them, right?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu understood her meaning and grinned: "...Should I thank the Chairwoman for her confidence in me?"
If they refuse to cooperate, just eliminate them—grasping Lacus's stance, Luo Shu now knew how to proceed.
Watching the two exchange meaningful glances, Kirika's mouth corner twitched as she snapped, "Honestly, you two! Must you be so in sync right in front of us? Natsuki-chan and I are still here!"
Natsuki Minamiya quickly distanced herself: "Speak for yourself. Don't drag me into this."
"Huh?" Kirika blinked, then put on a pitiful act. "Even you're abandoning me now, Natsuki-chan?"
"How tedious."
Natsuki shot the drama queen a sidelong glance, scoffed, and set down her tea: "Back to business. Now that everyone's here, we should address the pressing matters."
"Latest intel on Truth Astronomy and a new individual who demands our attention."
As she spoke, Natsuki waved her right hand, and three paper documents materialised on the table.
"Destroy immediately after reading. Ask questions only after disposing of any excess materials."
Seeing Natsuki Minamiya say this, Luo Shu glanced at her before picking up the two documents—handing one to Lacus while keeping the other for himself.
Yet the moment he flipped through the file, he was stunned by the highly dangerous individual noted on the first page.
"Kurumi Tokisaki? Truth Astronomy's Calamity Faction? This..."
Lacus, who had been reviewing the intel, looked up at Luo Shu upon hearing this: "Someone you know?"
"I'm aware of some details."
Luo Shu continued flipping through the report, his expression growing increasingly grave as he finished reading.
"Desire Faction, Calamity Faction, Destruction Faction, Knowledge Faction... A supreme council composed of one chairman and representatives from twelve factions, headquarters unknown, with core members posing a minimum threat level equivalent to a Grade 3 Abyss Artefact... Main stronghold in Germany..."
"It's somewhat surprising Truth Astronomy hasn't taken over Europe by now."
Kirika Tachibana calmly explained at this point:
"That's because Golden Dawn, also based in Europe, is far larger—though their organisational structure is even more chaotic, of course."
"Hmph. Some powerful branches within Golden Dawn, like the Knights Templar operating in the Mediterranean, are said to rival the entire Truth Astronomy."
"That's why SDS's European branch struggles to develop or even make noise there. Though the enemies are just local factions, they're too strong and too disorganised to achieve the same situation as in America."
After casually explaining Europe's circumstances, Kirika narrowed her eyes, staring at the intelligence in her hands:
"But what's the deal with this so-called 'Eco Angel' pushed by the Calamity Faction of Truth Astronomy? What does 'consuming an entire ballroom's worth of people' even mean?"
"Natsuki-chan, couldn't you have made your spy describe things more accurately?"
Natsuki Minamiya snorted at the question:
"Stop your nagging. The fact that I'm sharing these classified intelligence reports with you at all is already pushing my limits."
"Moreover, the more detailed and accurate the intelligence, the easier it triggers Truth Astronomy's counterintelligence measures."
"Just getting this information out was already that operative's absolute limit."
At that moment, Lacus suddenly asked:
"Why is her designation 'angel'?"
"That sort of question, you're asking me..." Natsuki Minamiya began to reply, then realised Lacus wasn't looking at her, but at Luo Shu beside her.
'What's going on? Could Luo Shu actually know this Eco Angel, this woman called Kurumi Tokisaki?'
'But how? This intelligence came from one of her deepest undercover operatives in Truth Astronomy. How could Luo Shu possibly know details?'
Yet to Natsuki Minamiya's surprise, Luo Shu did seem to know.
"Because, by nature, she is an angel."
Luo Shu spoke with a peculiar tone, sighing before explaining:
"The angel symbolising Binah, the third sephirah of Kabbalah, with power over time."
"Her ability controls time, but the drawback is that using it consumes her own lifespan, hence she typically needs to 'feed' on others' time to compensate."
"When the report mentions 'consuming an entire ballroom's worth of people', it likely means she devoured all those people's time - essentially stockpiling power reserves."
"If I'm not mistaken, most attendees at that ball would have died of old age by now, having had all their time eaten."
"Oh, and the most dangerous aspect is that she can summon versions of herself from alternate timelines as clones. Theoretically, her clones are infinite - encountering her means preparing to face an entire army."
After this explanation, Luo Shu looked up to see Natsuki Minamiya's slightly stunned expression and Kirika Tachibana's deeply suspicious gaze.
Seeing this, Luo Shu shrugged and turned towards Lacus, whose smile had grown somewhat stiff, saying lightly:
"If I recall correctly, Lacus, you promised not to pry into my little secrets. Wasn't that our agreement?"
Lacie blinked, then turned to face Natsuki Minamiya and Kirika Tachibana's scrutinising looks, forcing herself to say:
"That's the situation. So, could you two please refrain from investigating the intelligence source?"
Kirika Tachibana couldn't help rolling her eyes at this:
"You're just spoiling him!"