Inside the black stretch limousine.
Serafall lay sideways on the seat, her entire body resembling a wind-dried salted fish:
"Ugh, I feel awful... like my stomach's been hollowed out..."
"Is it really that bad?" Luo Shu, sitting opposite her, couldn't help but deadpan. "It's already the second day, and you're still feeling this terrible?"
"Because all my magic power's been drained..." Serafall said weakly.
Hearing this, Luo Shu looked somewhat surprised. "But right now, you basically have no magic power left in your body, do you?"
"That's exactly why I feel terrible."
Pouting angrily at these words, Serafall grumbled:
"I've never been without magic power since I was born! Of course, it feels awful to suddenly lose it now!"
"Oh, so you're really struggling to adjust." Luo Shu responded half-heartedly before suggesting, "So, do you want to sit up and try to recover a bit?"
"No way!!" Serafall widened her eyes indignantly.
To this, Luo Shu simply replied calmly:
"Because it's a bit too crowded over here."
Serafall blinked in confusion, then glanced at Natsuki Minamiya on Luo Shu's left, then at Aya Tokoyogi on his right—who was coldly reading a book—and finally at Koko, who was leaning against the window in a daze beside Aya. She then rolled over and continued lying sideways on the seat:
"This seems perfectly fine to me!"
"Heh."
Luo Shu scoffed. From his perspective, four people were crammed into three seats, while Serafall had an entire three seats to herself—of course, it seemed "perfectly fine" to her!
Hearing Luo Shu's sarcastic tone, Serafall blinked and said cheerfully:
"But Luo Shu, don't you love getting close to beautiful girls?"
"I'm just creating opportunities for you!"
"Except there are two iceboxes sitting here right now."
At these words, Icebox No. 1—Aya Tokoyogi—turned her gaze toward him, while Icebox No. 2—Natsuki Minamiya—also glanced over. Koko, leaning against the window, merely yawned.
Ignoring Serafall's blunt remark, Aya Tokoyogi said coldly:
"After all these years, your skin has certainly grown thicker, Natsuki Minamiya."
"I'm not the only one with thick skin, am I?"
Natsuki leaned against the window, glancing sideways:
"Some people violated the rules by leaving the garrison, yet they shamelessly pretend nothing happened and refuse to accept punishment, don't they?"
Hearing this, Aya—who had previously been outmanoeuvred by Natsuki—raised an eyebrow and sneered:
"All you're capable of are petty tricks."
"Your mind is just like your figure—completely unchanged from before."
Natsuki smiled at this. "I'd love to improve, but if 'improving' means ending up as a prisoner, then I'd rather stay as I am. Wouldn't you agree, Aya?"
Listening to their verbal sparring, Luo Shu dug a finger into his ear, then blew on it nonchalantly before asking:
"Hey, Natsuki, did you tag along this time because you're worried I might sell Aya off?"
The moment he said this, Natsuki's expression froze, while Aya beside her raised an eyebrow.
The two of them glanced at Luo Shu simultaneously, then looked away in perfect sync, choosing to ignore him.
Unfazed, Luo Shu remained perfectly calm and even had the mood to joke:
"Speaking of which, Aya only left the garrison last night because Natsuki tricked her, right?"
"Natsuki, do you really want me to dirty your bed that badly?"
Natsuki Minamiya raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly displeased as she pulled out a fan and tapped Luo Shu's forehead:
"Don't make that sort of joke with your teacher."
Hearing this, Luo Shu smiled cheerfully: "Then I'll just drop out, sneak into your room to steal your ID, and register at the marriage bureau. That way I can joke around freely, right?"
Natsuki Minamiya's face darkened, but before she could respond, Aya Tokoyogi murmured:
"To steal Natsuki Minamiya's ID, you'd need to enter the Prison Barrier through her dreams."
"Below the first hall of the Prison Barrier, there's a hidden room. The sixth wall-mounted candle holder from the left is the switch."
"Enough already!!" The black-faced Natsuki Minamiya was utterly exasperated.
This damned Aya Tokoyogi was actually teaching Luo Shu how to break into her treasure vault to steal things - specifically ID documents! Have you no shame?
"So that's where it's hidden." Luo Shu looked enlightened, then smiled at Aya Tokoyogi: "Remember to DM me the technique for entering dreams."
Aya Tokoyogi raised an eyebrow without speaking, but Luo Shu felt what seemed like a pen materialise in his palm, gently writing something unimportant.
Noticing their covert exchange, Natsuki Minamiya's eyelid twitched violently:
"You two bastards..."
Were these two seriously not even trying to hide their message-passing? Did they think she wouldn't notice such obvious technique fluctuations?
Just as Natsuki Minamiya was suppressing her anger, Luo Shu suddenly said:
"Chisato, it's past 9 o'clock, isn't it?"
Chisato Nishikigi, who was driving, glanced at the car's display and, seeing that the time had indeed passed 9, said somewhat apologetically:
"Sorry, I'm not used to driving this car, so..."
"No, you misunderstand. I meant we should take a few more laps."
Luo Shu thumbed towards the window, indicating the imposing grey-white building with modernist architecture featuring a central pyramidal spire, then said cheerfully:
"Let them wait a bit longer."
"Make it half an hour."
"We'll enter the assembly hall at 9:30."
"Ah, but the Union's leadership..." Chisato Nishikigi paused, then seemed to understand something, suppressing a chuckle as she said: "Right, understood. I'll take the scenic route."
As Chisato Nishikigi slowed the car and began circling the assembly hall with evident pleasure.
...
Inside the assembly hall.
The representatives of the Five Great Powers wore grave expressions.
The bear-like Russian representative Nikolai Popov Ivanovich sat stiffly, emanating such cold fury that no one dared speak around him.
The tall, gaunt French representative Eric silently polished his monocle with a handkerchief, having done so for who knows how long.
Though the English representative, Anthony Eden, tried to maintain his dignified posture, as time passed, his back inevitably bent from fatigue.
The three men sat in silence, with only the neatly dressed, bespectacled Chinese representative, Li Yizhou, engaging the American representative, Iman, in conversation about which restaurant in Chiyoda Ward served the best cuisine.
When the clock passed 9:25, Nikolai was the first to lose patience. He gestured to the side, prompting a Russian military attaché to swiftly approach:
"Check where the Director of the Hidden Management Department is currently located."
The attaché nodded, then moved to the observers' gallery where he consulted the clerk. After briefly operating the meeting minutes computer, he hurried back and whispered a report.
"What? Circling the Diet building?"
Nikolai's face darkened with anger as he spat:
"Is that brat playing games with me?"
Hearing this, Anthony's expression shifted unpleasantly as he remarked:
"It appears our young Eastern friend isn't showing much sincerity..."
Erik, however, smiled and suggested, "Perhaps Director Luo Shu simply misremembered the meeting time? Maybe he's waiting for the scheduled hour."
At this point, the mild-mannered Li Yizhou chuckled:
"Young people often have fiery tempers."
"But keeping everyone waiting isn't proper. Perhaps one of us should go fetch him inside."
As Li Yizhou spoke, his gaze drifted toward Iman, and the other Union representatives similarly turned their attention her way.
"If you're all saying that, then I'll make the call."
Under the collective gaze of the four nations' representatives, Iman cursed inwardly but still took out his phone and dialled the number he'd obtained earlier.
Before Iman could speak, Luo Shu's irritated voice came through from the other end:
[Stop rushing me! My curse technique is almost set up. I guarantee none of the trash inside will survive, and no one will even know how they died!]
[Oh, right, who are you again? How did you get my number?]
The representatives of the Five Great Powers: "..."