"I suddenly feel like… maybe we should slow down a little."
As expected, Kasumigaoka Utaha chickened out the moment she heard Luo Shu's proposal. No surprise there—after all, she was a girl raised under normal social values. The moment things touched on anything even remotely illegal, resistance was bound to kick in.
Luo Shu had counted on exactly that when he made the suggestion.
The kind of thrill and excitement Utaha showed when she was first introduced to the "supernatural" had been a bit too enthusiastic for his liking, and he immediately knew he had to pour some cold water on her curiosity. If she had started running with his suggestion earlier and tried to expand on it herself, he wouldn't have hesitated to "accidentally" let her witness one of those tragedies where people ruined by religion fell into madness.
If someone had the makings of a monster capable of calmly becoming the aggressor, that kind of person didn't belong in a school—they belonged behind bars.
And as far as Luo Shu could tell, Kasumigaoka Utaha clearly wasn't that kind of "qualified" person.
In short, he had plenty of ways to make her back down.
So, when he saw her withdrawing and losing the boldness she showed just moments ago, Luo Shu quickly changed his tone and said casually, "Honestly, I don't like that approach either. After all, I'm a down-and-out god who doesn't even have faith anymore~~"
Hearing the self-mocking tone in his voice, Utaha couldn't help but laugh—but then immediately caught herself, feeling a bit guilty. "Sorry… I wasn't trying to make fun of you."
Luo Shu smirked. "Careful, or my next line's gonna be: 'So you were doing it on purpose, huh?'"
Utaha choked back another laugh, covering her mouth as her shoulders trembled. She took a moment to collect herself, then asked seriously, "So? What's your actual plan?"
And with that, the initiative landed neatly in Luo Shu's hands.
He paused for a moment, thinking it over, then said, "Your original suggestion actually wasn't without merit."
"My original…?" Utaha blinked in confusion, then remembered the idea she'd floated earlier about recruiting important public figures as followers. "But didn't we just establish that most of them don't even have the required 'aptitude'?"
"True," Luo Shu said, wagging his finger, "but even if only a small number of them qualify, that's more than enough. And even if none of them did, we could always influence them indirectly—through the people around them."
"Think about it. Political factions, hometown connections, school cliques, hobby circles—aren't they all built exactly like that? Bit by bit, layer by layer."
That made something click in Utaha's mind. She thought back to the ability she had just awakened—Mind Reading. If she used it to approach the people surrounding those powerful individuals, influencing them from within their circles...
And considering her age, she had the best access to their sons and daughters—the second-generation elites. And wasn't Toyosaki Academy crawling with that exact crowd?
"Wait… are you basing this whole strategy around the ability I got—?"
Before she could even finish, Luo Shu interrupted with a perfectly timed diversion. "So, tell me, which identity do you think is more suitable? A famous female author, or a respected psychologist?"
He's already figured out how to position me? Utaha muttered silently, then said aloud, "I think… the first one. A famous female author. I quite like that."
But the moment the words left her mouth, she panicked.
Only now did she realize—she hadn't told Luo Shu that she was just a low-tier light novel author with miserable sales. Yet earlier, she had acted all confident—talking about book signings and having him address her as Sensei…
If she admitted now that she wrote niche light novels, and the kind that couldn't even sell 20,000 copies per volume, wouldn't that just be utterly humiliating?
But if she didn't confess and Luo Shu's plan was carried out… wouldn't the truth eventually come out anyway? The embarrassment would be ten times worse!
She was caught in a painful dilemma.
"A famous female author, huh?"
Luo Shu gave her a peculiar look. Noticing how her gaze was darting away, he knew exactly what was going on in her head.
"Well, it's not a bad option," he said. "Becoming a licensed psychologist would require credentials we can't get quickly. But as it happens, you already write books, and you've even held signings. That makes things much easier."
Utaha's heart began thudding wildly. Every single one of Luo Shu's calm statements hit her like a hammer.
I'm going to die from shame!!
There's no way I can keep up this lie any longer. Forget trying to deceive a god—just accepting compliments like that is unbearable…
Just as she was about to confess, Luo Shu suddenly added, "Though considering you're still quite young, we can push all that stuff to later. Once your name is a bit bigger, we'll make a move."
"After all, a book like Love Metronome doesn't exactly scream 'serious literature,' does it?"
Utaha froze in place.
She stared at him blankly, her pupils losing focus. It took her several long moments to snap out of it. Gritting her teeth, she asked, "You knew about my pen name and my books from the start?"
"What, you thought I didn't?" Luo Shu said, giving her a look like she'd asked the dumbest question in the world. "Did you forget where I work?"
Where did he work again?
Oh, right… the bookstore.
The same bookstore I always go to.
...Crap.
Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly wanted to slam her foot into the floor and dig a tunnel straight to the Pacific Ocean.
So he'd known everything from the very beginning?!
Absolutely mortifying.
Luo Shu, meanwhile, carried on as if her burning ears and lowered head didn't exist.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For now, we need a discreet, safe environment. Something small in scale that doesn't attract attention. Since we're both students, a school club seems appropriate."
Utaha swallowed her pride, still desperately trying to pretend nothing was wrong. She lowered her head and asked quietly, "What kind of club do you plan to start?"
Of course, she didn't see the mischievous grin forming on Luo Shu's face.
"A club that secretly researches mysticism," he replied. "As for the name... let's call it the 'Occult Research Club.'"
"And if the school insists on not naming it Occult Research Club, then instead how about the 'Service Club?"