"Huh? Why'd you stop talking?"
Staring at the silent phone, Nia Honjo grew puzzled. She even checked the screen again to confirm the call was still connected before putting it back to her ear:
"Ahem, this is the Honjo residence. May I ask what you're inquiring about?"
[...Setting aside who you are for now, why do you have the Director's phone? I just want to know—is he available to take calls right now?]
Hearing Yukino Yukinoshita's voice so cold it practically transmitted frost through the receiver, Nia Honjo shivered and muttered "so chilly" before replying bluntly:
"Oh, Luo Shu? He's probably showering. Got all sweaty last night, you see. But why do you sound so cold? Did I forget to turn off the AC?"
"Oh, by the way, he slept in my bed last night."
Nia Honjo's expression was thoroughly amused as she spoke, clearly anticipating some dramatic reaction.
However, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't give her the satisfaction:
[...Understood. Please have him call me back immediately after his shower. I'll only conceal his whereabouts for one hour.]
Click.
The dial tone sounded as the call ended abruptly, dashing Nia Honjo's hopes for entertainment:
"My my, she's far more interesting than the written reports suggested."
Narrowing her eyes with a faint smile, she added:
"Didn't believe a word I said, nor did she trust Luo Shu's self-restraint. What a fascinating child."
As she mused aloud, Luo Shu—now wearing fresh clothes compared to last night—pushed the door open and entered the room. Spotting Nia Honjo holding his phone, he raised an eyebrow:
"Who called?"
"Your little secretary, Yukino Yukinoshita. She wants you to call back within an hour."
Nia Honjo answered cheerfully while glancing at the plastic bag in Luo Shu's hand, her eyes widening slightly:
"Oh? Did you bring me breakfast?"
"Just some convenience store bento I grabbed nearby."
As he spoke, Luo Shu walked to the bedside, placed the bag on the nightstand, and sat down to unpack it while asking:
"Did Yukino mention why she was calling?"
"Hold on, let me check..."
Nia Honjo waved her right hand through the air, summoning the black-bound, cross-patterned Raziel that resembled a bible. After flipping through its pages, she exclaimed in surprise:
"Well, well, it seems she wanted to consult you about how to handle that detained Reaper Elementary School student from yesterday~"
"She's trying to report the situation to Chairwoman Clyne, but got stuck in procedural limbo without your approval?"
"Oh? There's even something about Miss Eriri... After learning what happened to the Sawamura Family yesterday, she's worried about how to upgrade their security? How adorable Miss Yukino is~"
Listening to Nia Honjo's explanation, Luo Shu unwrapped the disposable chopsticks and set them beside the bento before turning his head:
"You use Raziel for this sort of thing every day?"
"What else would I use it for?"
Nia Honjo rolled onto her side on the bed, propping her cheek on one hand as she spoke with lazy amusement:
"Don't you think it's fascinating?"
"Getting to see all the world's gossip without leaving home, even things people desperately want to keep private, feasting on scandals others can't even dream of touching – isn't that fun?"
Luo Shu nodded at this, then remarked with perfect calm:
"I'm starting to understand why your physical stamina is so abysmal."
Nia blinked, then flushed crimson as the insult registered, spluttering:
"That's an attack! A blatant personal attack!!"
"For your information, I lasted a whole hour last night! And I could've gone longer if you hadn't refused to absorb those debuffs from me~"
Muttering under her breath, she added: "Besides, who knew prolonged training like that could actually hurt..."
Luo Shu ignored her complaints, simply opening a bento box and stuffing a pork cutlet into Nia's mouth before stating evenly:
"Recover your stamina first. Then we'll talk business."
"Mmph." Nia chewed obediently, then glanced at Luo Shu – only to remember something that turned her cheeks scarlet again.
Luo Shu observed this silently before asking:
"The Hell Sect's objectives. Are you ready to explain now?"
"I could tell you... but~" Nia opened her mouth expectantly with an "ah~"
Expression unchanging, Luo Shu fed her a tamagoyaki.
"Hehe~"
Nia savoured the offering between words:
"This time, the Hell Sect came to Japan for two things."
"First is the Star Gate held by SDS – apparently, some Grand Duke of Hell has taken interest in it."
"The second is that Flame Demon summoning plan I mentioned before."
"That scheme was proposed by a Hell Viscount."
"Most details are obscured by the Viscount's protections, but it boils down to using faith-based methods to drag the Flame Demon from the chaotic Abyss into reality, then suppressing its immortality via Akihabara's grand barrier to create an opportunity for capture or execution."
Here, Nia glanced up, clearly expecting questions.
Luo Shu obliged without delay:
"The Flame Demon – that's Kotori Itsuka, correct?"
"Bingo~ Correct answer."
Nia snapped her fingers, beaming at Luo Shu:
"As expected, once I hinted at Kotori Itsuka's existence in this world, you connected the dots immediately."
"Now, care to guess why that Viscount from True Hell wants little Kotori so badly?"
Luo Shu's brow furrowed as he asked gravely:
"Is it... for a ritual?"