"I suddenly think we should take smaller steps."
After hearing Luo Shu's suggestion, Kasumigaoka Shiwa backed down, just as he expected.
She was a girl raised under universal values, after all. Asking her to dabble in anything illegal would naturally spark resistance.
Luo Shu had anticipated her lack of guts, which was why he'd made the proposal in the first place.
Her excitement upon encountering the 'supernatural' had struck him as off, so he'd quickly devised a way to curb this curious girl's enthusiasm.
If she'd eagerly built on his words just now, he wouldn't have minded subtly showing her the tragic fates of those 'poisoned by religion.'
Turning an ordinary person into a comfortable perpetrator required qualifications not found in schools, but in prisons.
And from what he could tell, Kasumigaoka Shiwa clearly didn't have those 'qualifications.'
In short, Luo Shu had plenty of ways to make her back off.
So, seeing her retreat and lose her earlier 'aggressiveness,' Luo Shu abruptly changed his tune:
"I personally hate that approach too. After all, I'm just a fallen god without even faith anymore~~"
Kasumigaoka Shiwa couldn't help but chuckle at his self-mocking tone, but she quickly felt it was immoral to laugh at him and said awkwardly:
"Sorry, I didn't mean to mock you."
Luo Shu quipped back: "Wanna bet my next line is 'So it was on purpose, huh?'"
Pfft! Kasumigaoka Shiwa covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she steadied her breathing, then asked:
"So, what's your actual plan?"
With that, the initiative perfectly shifted to Luo Shu.
Facing her question, he pondered for a moment before replying:
"Your initial suggestion isn't without merit."
"My initial one?" Kasumigaoka Shiwa blinked, then recalled her earlier idea of turning big shots into Clan members. "But most big shots don't have the qualifications, do they?"
"No problem." Luo Shu wagged his index finger. "A small portion is enough. And even without that, by contacting the people around them, we can influence them indirectly."
"Parties, cliques, alumni groups, peer circles, hobby clubs—aren't they all built up bit by bit like that?"
Hearing this, Kasumigaoka Shiwa instinctively thought of the 'Mind Reading' ability she'd just gained.
Realization dawned: Use Mind Reading to connect with those around the big shots, thereby influencing the big shots themselves?
Given her age, she could reach their offspring—and Toyonozaki Academy had plenty of those second-generation types.
"Are you basing this on my Mind Reading ability...?"
Before she could finish, Luo Shu interjected:
"Famous female author or skilled psychologist—which identity do you think suits you better?"
'He's already mapped out my role...' Kasumigaoka Shiwa muttered inwardly, then went with her gut: "I think the first one. Famous female author—yeah, I like that."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a pang of guilt.
She'd forgotten to tell Luo Shu that she was actually just a flop light novel writer.
And she'd bragged so much earlier—about signings, calling her 'Sensei,' and all that.
If she admitted now that she wrote light novels shunned by mainstream society, ones that barely sold 20,000 copies per volume, wouldn't that be mortifying?
But if they went through with Luo Shu's plan, her secret would come out anyway— even more embarrassing!
For a moment, Kasumigaoka Shiwa was caught in a dilemma.
"Famous female author, huh?"
Luo Shu gave her a knowing look, noticing her evasive eyes and her guilt clear as day:
"It's not impossible. Psychologists need 'professional certifications,' which we can't get in a short time anyway."
"And conveniently, you're already a writer who's held signings. That makes things a lot easier."
Kasumigaoka Shiwa's heart pounded with every word from Luo Shu, thumping wildly.
'I'm done for, done for, done for!!'
'No way I can keep this up. Forget deceiving what might be a god— I can't even stomach accepting praise so shamelessly...'
Just as the guilty Kasumigaoka Shiwa was about to confess, Luo Shu suddenly said:
"But considering you're still young, we can push this back a bit. Wait until your fame grows."
"After all, something like *Love Metronome* doesn't sound like serious literature, does it?"
Kasumigaoka Shiwa froze.
She stared blankly at Luo Shu, her gaze unfocused for a long moment before she snapped back to reality. Gritting her teeth at his smiling face, she said:
"You knew about my work and pen name from the start?"
"What else?" Luo Shu looked at her oddly. "Did you forget where I work?"
Where did he work? A bookstore... the one I go to often... Oh... As the realization hit, Kasumigaoka Shiwa wished she could burrow into the floor with her toes.
So he knew everything!!
This is so embarrassing!!
Oblivious—or pretending to be—to her flushed ears as she bowed her head, Luo Shu continued calmly:
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For an organization that needs to stay hidden and ensure our safety, we can't start big to avoid leaks. Since we're both students right now... a club seems fitting."
Kasumigaoka Shiwa, fighting her shame and desperate not to let on, murmured with her head down:
"What kind of club do you plan to start?"
Head still lowered, she missed the sly smile on Luo Shu's face:
"A club that secretly studies the occult. As for the name..."
"How about: Astronomy Club."
"Of course, if the school won't allow 'club' and we have to use 'department,' then Servant Club works too?"