Tokyo, Shiba Park under the night sky.
A woman with black hair, crimson eyes, and striking purple lipstick sat by the fountain, gazing at the illuminated Tokyo Tower in the distance.
"It seems you've successfully slipped away from that monster's watchful eyes..."
"Things seem to be going smoothly, Enigma—or should I say, Lady Greed."
A probing voice sounded beside her.
Enigma glanced sideways but found no one there. Unfazed, she lowered her gaze to a small Japanese golden orb-weaver spider lazily waving its forelegs on the seat beside her.
The voice, now tinged with amusement, continued:
"Just escaped the SDS Demigod's surveillance and already reaching out to me? How interesting."
"You're scared too, aren't you, Jealousy?"
Enigma curled her lips into a teasing, sardonic smile:
"After all, in the past, you wouldn't have responded to my contact so quickly."
"It seems the SDS stationing a Demigod in Akihabara has truly rattled you."
"...Did you summon me just to say this?"
Jealousy's voice, emanating from the spider, cooled slightly.
"Of course not." Enigma chuckled delightedly. "I merely wish to remind you that when facing Luo Shu, our interests align."
Jealousy remained silent, tacitly acknowledging the truth in Enigma's words.
The Hell Sect's missions weren't mandatory assignments—but precisely because they weren't, the consequences of failure loomed all the more ominously.
In the current situation, the Hidden Management Department had become a roadblock to the two completing their missions.
Whether it was Greed seizing the Star Gate or Jealousy summoning the Flame Demon, their tasks clearly couldn't avoid the Hidden Management Department or Luo Shu.
Given this, an alliance was indeed the best option.
Though she acknowledged this internally, Jealousy wasn't the type of yokai to admit defeat verbally:
"You seem to have lost all your influence in Japan, haven't you?"
Greed operated mainly in Europe, primarily England. In Japan, her only foothold had been the Sawamura Family, but now that Director Luo had clearly taken over that nest, on the surface, Greed had become isolated in Japan.
Of course, this was what Jealousy knew. As for private arrangements, only Enigma herself was aware.
Facing Jealousy's inquiry, Enigma merely chuckled:
"When seizing the Star Gate, numbers aren't necessarily an advantage."
"So you're saying my people should lead the operation?"
Jealousy recognised Enigma's cunning - trying to use her subordinates to complete her own mission?
If not for knowing this woman's bizarre and complex powers, particularly her skill in infiltration, she wouldn't want to cooperate. No, in fact, she wouldn't want to work with any of the Seven Deadly Sins from the Sin Council. The risks were too high.
"So I need a batch of subordinates," Enigma stated her needs without concealment. "Disposable subordinates."
"Of course, I can prioritise completing your mission first, ensuring you won't be held accountable by the Committee."
"Those Committee members aren't so easily summoned to this world. If they could come, why wouldn't they just conquer it outright?"
"Moreover, even if they could come, would they dare? Don't forget - this is what they call the Abyss!"
Jealousy sneered, clearly having some understanding of the Committee members behind the Sin Council.
As the youngest member of the meeting, Enigma quietly took note of the new knowledge she had just heard.
After letting out a few cold laughs, Jealousy spoke in a lazy tone: "Go on, which batch of my subordinates do you want?"
Hearing this, Enigma curled her lips and said softly:
"Hand over the Hell Girls under your control to me."
"That should be simple for you, right?"
"After all, they're just playthings for your amusement, aren't they... Three-Eyed Spider of Hell?"
Upon hearing this, Jealousy showed no concern about her true identity being exposed. Instead, she laughed:
"How greedy of you. No wonder you inherited Greed's position."
"Fine, since you need them, you can have them."
"I'm curious to see how you'll make the Flame Demon descend upon Akihabara using those slaves."
"Hmm hmm~~"
The spider possessed by Jealousy suddenly began spinning silk, swiftly weaving a ring made of white spiderweb.
Within mere seconds, she completed the white ring and said in an ethereal voice:
"Wearing this ring will make all Hell Girls obey your commands. Consider it a gift for our cooperation this time."
"However, I should warn you—in Japan, my Hell Girls are affiliated with the yokai faction."
"If they take action, that one-eyed princess who's so keen on stopping human-yokai conflicts will likely intervene."
"Hmm hmm, though that one-eyed princess herself isn't particularly powerful, she's served by many Great Yokai."
"Be careful not to capsize your boat!"
"I'm surprised you'd actually warn me?" Enigma gave the small spider beside her a somewhat astonished glance but received no response.
Seeing this, she paused briefly before raising her hand and lightly touching the spider with her fingertip, her eyes flickering.
"No power was absorbed... Seems she left directly."
Shaking her head, Enigma slipped the white spider-silk ring onto her ring finger and gazed at Tokyo Tower in the distance:
"The one-eyed yokai princess? Not much of a concern. It's that Demigod from the Hidden Management Department..."
Enigma suddenly thought of her adorable daughter and said with a hint of regret:
"How mean... Just when it's almost harvest season~"
"I can't help feeling a bit unwilling..."
As she spoke, Enigma's expression grew increasingly delighted, as if she'd thought of something amusing:
"But now it's my turn to lurk in the shadows..."
As her words faded, a gentle breeze rustled the tree branches under the night sky.
Amidst the whispering of leaves, the figure on the bench vanished without a trace.
...
Ikebukuro, an apartment building not far from Sakura's residence.
Ring-ring~ Ring-ring~ The phone's chime echoed loudly.
Amidst the noisy ringing, a hand emerged from under the blankets, grabbed the phone, glanced at it, and answered without hesitation:
"Hello, who's this~"
A low female voice responded.
After the question, the other end of the call seemed to pause briefly, as if processing that the voice answering was female:
[This is Yukinoshita. Is Director Luo Shu there?]
Hearing this, Nia Honjo poked her head out from under the blankets, as if suddenly waking up:
"That flat-chested Yukino Yukinoshita with the amazing siscon sister?"
[...]
"Also, what kind of ridiculous name is Yukino Yukinoshita?!"
On the other end of the phone, Yukino Yukinoshita seemed completely defeated, falling utterly silent.