"Hey there, lovely lady."
"First time meeting you—mind if I borrow a little of your time for a chat?"
Inside the ancestral home of the Kusanagi clan in the Campione world, a laid-back voice drifted in from outside the door, drawing Hinata's attention.
The speaker approached slowly. Even though he wore dress shoes and walked across the courtyard's fine gravel, his footsteps made no sound at all.
Anyone seeing that gait would instantly understand he was no ordinary person.
"Who are you?"
Hinata stayed perfectly composed. The moment he appeared, she had already assessed him completely.
The young man looked unkempt, dressed in a worn-out suit, somewhere in his mid-twenties—unremarkable at first glance.
But that was only on the surface.
He had trained in movement techniques, practiced martial arts, and possessed magical power—though nothing overwhelming.
If Hinata had to label him, she would call him some kind of operative or agent.
His strength reached the level of a Great Knight, solid mid-tier material on the mystical side.
"Ah, how rude of me."
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Amakasu. It's an honor to meet such a beautiful witch."
Amakasu Touma offered his business card with a casual smile.
"History Compilation Committee?"
Hinata glanced at the title on the card and immediately noted the organization. "Japan's official mystical authority, then?"
"So, what brings you to me?"
Having already learned about Susanoo's existence from Damien, Hinata was being extremely cautious.
Until she successfully summoned Luminas, she had no way to stand against a Heretic God.
Not even a divine ancestor—she doubted she could defeat one of those, either.
Her current projected strength matched the absolute pinnacle of human capability in this world: top-tier, Saint Knight level.
Of course, if she went all-out, she could still trade a couple of blows with a Heretic God.
"Lady Witch, would you mind telling us why you entered the country?"
Amakasu kept his tone light. "After all, we're the official group responsible for maintaining order on Japan's mystical side. For the safety of ordinary people, we have to ask."
"For the safety of ordinary people?"
Hinata's brows drew together slightly. She felt like she was being morally cornered.
And probably not just that.
She suspected Amakasu was also trying to profile her personality—gauging her temperament and how she operated through conversation.
"You're here to rescue him?"
Hinata didn't answer directly. Instead, she turned her gaze to Kusanagi Godou, who sat dazed nearby, and asked pointedly.
"Ah, well, he's an ordinary Japanese citizen, after all!"
To be honest, Amakasu didn't know much about Kusanagi Godou's exact background.
Until today, he hadn't even known the boy existed.
But not long ago, the higher-ups of the History Compilation Committee—specifically the Seishuuin family—had issued an order to protect the teenager named Kusanagi Godou.
The directive had come out of nowhere.
Kusanagi Godou? Who?
And why protect him?
Still, as someone trained in ninja traditions, Amakasu didn't question orders. He simply carried them out.
"Susanoo really has shown up," Luminas muttered, her phantom form standing behind Hinata with arms crossed as she scanned the surroundings. "Be careful, Hinata. He's not the only one watching."
The "not the only one" didn't refer to other spellcasters hidden nearby.
In fact, Amakasu had come alone.
Whether it was confidence in his own ability or reluctance to risk more people before knowing if Hinata was friend or foe, only he had shown himself.
The additional watchers were undoubtedly the gazes peering from the Netherworld.
"Damn it," Luminas growled under her breath. "Spying on my Hinata from the shadows—Susanoo, you've just earned yourself a death sentence!"
"Little Hinata, once I descend, I'll definitely make him pay!"
"Hm…"
Hinata answered Luminas silently in her mind before speaking aloud. "I only came here to retrieve an item. Now that I have it, there's no issue."
"Then, Lady Witch…"
"My name is Hinata. Sakaguchi Hinata."
Hinata didn't hide her real name. Amakasu frowned when he heard it. "Sakaguchi?"
He had never heard of any Sakaguchi family among Japan's spellcaster clans.
Hinata clearly looked Japanese, and her appearance was top-tier even by Campione standards—rivaling divine ancestors.
Her awakened Demon Lord qualities had transformed both her looks and aura dramatically.
That was exactly why Amakasu didn't dare act rashly.
Just standing there, Hinata radiated immense pressure. He almost felt like he was facing a goddess rather than a human.
Meanwhile, inside the Demon Lord Council Chamber.
"Just as you thought," Luminas said, opening her eyes. "Japan's official side has come knocking."
"Mhm."
"Susanoo has noticed Hinata."
"What do we do?"
Even though it was only a projection, Luminas didn't want her own to get hurt. If things went south, she felt she might ignore the world's will, descend in person, and crush Susanoo in the Netherworld regardless of the backlash.
She'd take some damage at worst.
With the recovery ability of a vampire progenitor, she'd be back to full strength in a week at most.
"Don't worry," Damien said calmly, soothing her. "Susanoo focusing on Hinata also means we've got eyes on him now."
The biggest problem with dealing with Susanoo was that he hid in the Netherworld like a turtle in its shell.
Without locating his true body, even Damien couldn't do much.
A god in the Netherworld was like a fish in the ocean. If he really wanted to stay hidden, even combined efforts would struggle to catch him.