On the third floor, in the reception room, separated by just a wall.
Four girls sat on the U-shaped sofa, their expressions varied, eyeing each other.
Among them, Nia Honjo, dressed casually in a deep purple wool sweater and white trousers, grinned at everyone:
"My oh my, aside from little Kotori, who hasn't recovered yet, it seems all the Spirits in the Familia are gathered here~"
As she spoke, her gaze swept over the expressionless Origami Tobiichi, then Mukuro Hoshimiya, who was munching on cookie sticks, before finally settling on Kurumi Tokisaki, who looked slightly odd.
Noticing something, Nia said playfully to Kurumi:
"Little Kurumi's being sneaky, using a clone to peek at Luo Shu over there."
"Peeking?" Origami immediately became alert, turning to stare at Kurumi.
Kurumi's expression changed slightly before she smiled and said:
"My, my, how strange. Why would Honjo-san know I was peeking? Unless you also..."
"Yes, I installed surveillance in Luo Shu's office!"
Nia puffed out her chest and declared without shame.
With a slap.
Nia and Kurumi turned to see Origami pressing a stack of dollar bills onto the table and pushing them forward with both hands.
"Please send me the footage without fail!" Origami said with utmost seriousness, holding the wad of cash.
Mukuro, completely lost, scratched her head in confusion.
'There's surveillance in Big Brother's office? And the white-haired one wants the footage sent to her?'
Mukuro felt utterly bewildered, wondering whether to ask Luo Shu about it later.
Faced with Origami's monetary assault, Nia fell silent for a moment before quietly taking the money. She then tore a page from Raziel and said:
"Normally, at 7:30 in the morning, a certain someone wakes up and heads straight for the shower. With this, just chant silently in your heart to watch... Eh? Why are you getting a nosebleed...?"
Beside them, Kurumi watched Origami's nosebleed, her eyelid twitching involuntarily.
What's wrong with this new companion?
Hadn't her clones reported that this woman had entered Luo Shu's room and stayed all night?
After doing far more outrageous things, why is she getting more excited over something so trivial?
At that moment, Origami Tobiichi wiped her nose with the back of her hand and said expressionlessly to Kurumi Tokisaki:
"There's a big difference between peeping and looking directly."
'How can you even know what I'm thinking?' Kurumi immediately made a face.
Meanwhile, Nia Honjo, who had just received payment for delivering the goods, calmly remarked:
"Remember not to peep too much. Although Luo Shu gave some permissions, I really don't want it discovered that I've been watching him bathe."
Origami then carefully stored the book page and asked seriously:
"Is there any Abyss Artefact that can turn someone into shower gel?"
Nia Honjo: "..."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "..."
'Good grief, this companion is a bit perverted!!'
'And what exactly do you plan to do after turning into Luo Shu's shower gel?!'
Seeing their stunned reactions, Origami tilted her head slightly in confusion:
"Don't you two want full-body contact with Luo Shu?"
Hearing this, Kurumi covered her forehead and sighed:
"Just contact La Folia-san and tell her that you'll go straight to Luo Shu's room tonight. He won't refuse you."
"Or rather, he's never shown any intention of refusing."
'With such a simple method available, why resort to something so perverted?'
Origami frowned slightly at this:
"But if there's no resistance at all, will Luo Shu even enjoy it?"
'That's enough...' Kurumi sighed inwardly. She was starting to think that agreeing to Nia's suggestion to meet their fellow Spirits here had been a terrible mistake.
Meanwhile, Nia looked on with fascination:
"I'm rather curious how you developed this kind of personality."
Nia had always considered her own tastes quite strange and perverted, but seeing Origami now, she suddenly felt remarkably normal.
'Is this what they mean by the gold standard of the First Spirit?'
Compared to Origami, Nia now felt her own kinks and even Mukuro Hoshimiya's yandere tendencies paled in comparison.
"If you think it wouldn't be fun alone, you could bring Mukuro along too. Mm, it would be quite stimulating."
'Bringing a possessive yandere to share the experience...' Kurumi felt her scalp tingle at the suggestion. She glanced at Mukuro, who still looked completely clueless, and sighed again.
'Honestly, this girl might be the purest among all the Spirits.'
Even Kotori Itsuka, still in her sealed child-like state, had been full of suggestive remarks when Kurumi last saw her.
'Are there any normal people among the Spirits at all?'
Just as Kurumi was pondering this, Nia finally broached the main topic:
"Well, let's discuss serious matters now."
"Simply put, Truth Astronomy operatives embedded in the government have reported Kisara's information to the Witch of the Notaria."
"Her subordinates have been surveilling for a long time, but Kisara's excessively normal routine gave them no opportunity. It wasn't until today, when Kisara went with Yukino to pick up Luo Shu, that they notified the Witch of the Notaria to act. Then they coincidentally encountered rogue Patch Tribe priests, leading to an unexpected incident..."
Hearing this, Kurumi shot a glance at Nia.
Before she could say anything, Nia admitted:
"Yes, I may have slightly influenced those Patch Tribe priests to make them come here voluntarily!"
"Whatever you do, don't tell Luo Shu. Otherwise, he'll find out I've been forgetting to use Raziel to check the Familia's perimeter security lately."
"But you can't really blame me, right?"
"When a Demigod appears nearby, and my Spiritual Power warns me, it's only natural to avoid investigating them instinctively, isn't it?"
"Besides, that Witch of the Notaria has many troublesome techniques. Probing her carelessly could lead to backlash – like stubbing your toe on a nail, the pain lingers for ages."
Watching Nia Honjo's expression of phantom pain, Kurumi Tokisaki looked rather surprised:
"Does Raziel actively avoid investigating dangerous individuals?"
Nia spread her hands with a helpless expression:
"It has that function!"
"Honestly, my Angel is such a hassle, completely unlike yours, which are so straightforward."
Kurumi then grew curious: "But what if Kisara gets captured by that Witch of the Notaria..."
"Actually, that might be for the best."
Nia made this shocking declaration:
"Though I've only pieced together fragments of information, it seems that Witch of the Notaria is currently desperate for combat strength due to certain circumstances. If she abducts Kisara, there's an 80% chance that Demon Class she possesses will end up in Kisara's hands."
"In fact, based on my analysis of the intelligence, the Witch of the Notaria probably came to Japan this time to form an alliance with Natsuki Minamiya."
"You mean...?" Kurumi finally grasped the implication.
At this moment, Nia grinned mischievously:
"They should be making contact around now, shouldn't they?"
"That pair of obsessive, resentful women!"
...
Minato Ward, Central Library.
Natsuki Minamiya sat in a chair, absentmindedly flipping through a fashion magazine.
Just then, a cool female voice sounded in her ear:
"Such reading material hardly provides proper intellectual nourishment."
Hearing this, Natsuki calmed visibly. She turned to face the speaker – a woman with crimson eyes wearing a black dress, her expression detached – and murmured the name like a sigh:
"Aya..."