Following the queue, Luo Shu solemnly placed the prepared white flower on the offering table, bowed slightly, then turned towards the ceremony area.
During this, he noticed many people with cameras, press badges around their necks, and masks gathered around the offering table taking photos, along with numerous police officers maintaining order.
"There are many more people now..."
Luo Shu slowed his pace slightly, waiting until Utaha Kasumigaoka caught up and whispered:
"Let's just go. This isn't the right occasion to gather together."
At that moment, Luo Shu felt something brush against his hand. Turning, he saw Utaha handing him a mask.
"I forgot to give you this earlier," Utaha said through her white mask, voice muffled. "I've already handled the photographers' memories. Put this on quickly."
"I was wondering what I'd forgotten."
Luo Shu quickly took the face mask and put it on, then glanced at the white standing plaque piled with flowers nearby, and the steps beside it where people kept coming and going. He muttered:
"So many people... So we actually got in early earlier?"
As he spoke, Luo Shu moved closer to the plaque. When he got near enough, the words "Leonard Spencer Robert Funeral Ceremony" became clearly visible.
"Apparently, it's because of rumours that the crown princess of the Aldegia Kingdom might attend the ceremony. Many journalists and politicians came at short notice. Fortunately, Sensō-ji Temple has experience handling large funerals, so there haven't been any major issues."
Utaha Kasumigaoka explained while turning her head to glance at Luo Shu:
"It seems this responsibility falls on your shoulders, my Director."
"Who knows what those onlookers were thinking?"
As he spoke, Luo Shu stepped onto the stairs, glanced at the crowd ahead, then remarked:
"If Enigma attacks this place, things would get rather interesting."
"If she's not stupid, she probably won't show up today."
Utaha Kasumigaoka followed Luo Shu while subtly observing the patrolling officers without direct eye contact:
"Three teams from the Cabinet Direct Unit are here, half the heads of the Bujin-shū's twelve families have arrived, and some corporate-sponsored martial artists are also present."
"By conservative estimates, at least fifteen individuals rated as Hero Rank by the SDS are here, not counting the direct unit responsible for our Supreme Chairwoman's security, who'll arrive later."
"If that Lady Greed from the Hell Sect really intends to act in such circumstances, I can't imagine how she'd escape afterwards."
Hearing this, Luo Shu glanced at Utaha Kasumigaoka and said calmly as they entered the venue:
"Bringing three Demigods would suffice."
Utaha paused mid-step, then chuckled wryly:
"So you do realise it would take three Demigods!"
With these words, Utaha followed Luo Shu into the ceremony grounds.
Due to the crowded flow, Kisara and Megumi Kato could only watch the pair enter before waiting their turn.
"Outmanoeuvred. We agreed everyone would enter separately, yet someone broke the rules?" Kisara gritted her teeth behind her black mask, irritated.
Beside her, Megumi Kato smiled gently:
"Senior Kasumigaoka is quite impressive. Though she was behind us, she ended up beside the Director."
Kisara snorted disapprovingly: "That woman definitely used mental suggestion on everyone."
Glancing at Aya Natsume being restrained by Maya Natsume in the crowd, Kisara felt somewhat comforted:
"Well, at least she's blocking that size-changing woman from approaching Luo Shu. In a way, that's helpful."
As the Natsume family representative, Maya was nominally attending the funeral while actually providing perimeter security. Bringing her younger sister was merely part of the cover.
Under these circumstances, Maya naturally couldn't let Aya, her cover prop, wander off.
To Kisara, compared to Utaha Kasumigaoka, the unruly Aya Natsume was clearly the more dangerous "thieving cat" requiring strict supervision.
'Senior Kisara is quite skilled at emotional control...' Megumi glanced at Kisara before asking with a smile:
"Senior, shall we go in?"
Kisara shook her head, then looked towards Maya's direction:
"No, I don't feel comfortable inside. Better observe from the perimeter."
Megumi surveyed their surroundings: "Should we find a less crowded spot then?"
"Let's do that." Kisara took Megumi's hand and began moving towards sparser areas.
...
Meanwhile.
At the funeral venue's right corner.
Luo Shu stared at the floor cushion, his mouth twitching slightly:
"Do Japanese funerals require kneeling?"
"Indeed, they do."
Utaha Kasumigaoka was wearing a mask, but the curve of her eyes betrayed the fact that she was definitely smirking:
"The wake ceremony we're about to attend includes a life summary, memorial speeches, sutra chanting, incense offering... Judging by the crowd, it'll probably take over three hours... Brace yourself."
"My legs are going to go numb from sitting," Luo Shu muttered before reluctantly taking a seat in the corner, his gaze drifting towards the main area.
Closest to the coffin, a grief-stricken Eriri stood beside her mother, continuously bowing to thank arriving guests.
As the widow and official chief mourner of the funeral, Sayuri Sawamura maintained a perfectly composed, unbreakable smile as she received each relative. The sheer frequency of these interactions made Luo Shu's scalp tingle just watching. Even without checking the Divine Pantheon's internal chat, he could already imagine how much Eriri would complain later.
If this had been a real death, Eriri might have endured such intensive formalities. But with the coffin containing a fake corpse, the whole situation felt awkwardly performative.
Having attended several funerals back home, Luo Shu clicked his tongue: "Are funerals always this complicated everywhere?"
Utaha replied quietly beside him: "Common people's funerals are much simpler. After all, most can't even afford to die properly."
Luo Shu fell silent, his mind drifting to the funeral company's 'gifts' delivered this month – significantly more generous than last month's offerings.
Come to think of it, common folk truly couldn't afford to die these days.
As he mused, Luo Shu suddenly noticed the crowd near the entrance parting slightly, as if making way for someone. Raising his eyes toward the doorway, he soon spotted a cold-faced, bald man leading a similarly expressionless girl with pinned-up black hair, wearing a school uniform, into the venue.
Luo Shu blinked in surprise, stealing another glance.
'Since when did school uniforms become appropriate funeral attire?'
Noticing his reaction, Utaha casually skimmed the memories of nearby attendees who recognised the newcomers and explained:
"That's a branch family of the Six Houses, currently acknowledged as one of the main lines – members of the Shinomiya conglomerate."
"The man leading appears to be Oko Shinomiya, the eldest son and designated heir of the Shinomiya Group. The girl behind him is Kaguya Shinomiya, the youngest daughter. They're attending as representatives of the Shinomiya family."
"Though one attendee's thoughts suggest the Shinomiyas are only making this appearance to secure medical equipment procurement deals with the Aldegia Kingdom. Otherwise, for a relative like the Sawamura family head's passing, the third son would have sufficed – or just the youngest daughter alone."
Hearing this, Luo Shu gave Kaguya an appraising look:
"Another branch of the Six Houses... meaning they're distant relatives of Eriri's? And Sensō-ji Temple serves as the Shinomiya ancestral shrine, too?"
He couldn't help muttering:
"The upper-class social circle really is remarkably small~"