In the end, Natsuki Minamiya still couldn't bring herself to hit Luo Shu, but she did successfully push him out.
'If I can't hit him, I can at least kick him out, right?'
After pushing Luo Shu out the door, Natsuki Minamiya slammed it shut with a bang, locked it securely, and, for good measure, blocked the entrance with layer upon layer of Chains of Discipline.
Having done all this, she snorted coldly, clapped her hands, and turned back to the living room.
As soon as she stepped out of the entryway, she saw Aya Tokoyogi, who had freed herself from the chains, eating her biscuits, drinking her pre-warmed black tea, and fiddling with her phone, sending who-knows-what.
Seeing Aya Tokoyogi like this, Natsuki Minamiya's expression became utterly exasperated.
Noticing Natsuki's return, Aya Tokoyogi looked up at her and, unusually for her, teased:
"Have you finished dealing with your little man, Miss Nasty Natsuki?"
"You!!"
Natsuki Minamiya's lungs began aching again. She glared at Aya Tokoyogi and said irritably:
"Why are you copying Luo Shu's mannerisms too?"
"Isn't this the manner you like?" Aya Tokoyogi curled her lips, clearly in good spirits. "Though I must say, I never expected you'd fancy a man with that kind of personality."
"Fancy him?" Natsuki Minamiya barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes, gritting her teeth as she spoke. "He's just my work superior, stop exaggerating."
"Work superior?" Aya Tokoyogi seemed somewhat surprised. "So you like that kind of relationship?"
Natsuki Minamiya raised an eyebrow, her face cold:
"It seems you want me to send you to the Hidden Management Zone right now, Aya?"
Faced with Natsuki's threat, Aya Tokoyogi merely lifted her sleeve to cover her lips, smiling with narrowed eyes:
"Getting this worked up isn't like you, Natsuki Minamiya."
"Given your past habits, if there really was nothing between you, you wouldn't have responded at all, let alone threatened me."
If there really was nothing to it, given Natsuki Minamiya's personality, she should have just scoffed coldly and not responded at all.
But now, she was actually resorting to threats.
This clearly showed she believed her relationship with Luo Shu could indeed develop that way, hence the direct threat.
She knew Natsuki Minamiya all too well.
From the moment of her birth to her growth, every step of Natsuki Minamiya's journey had unfolded under her watchful gaze.
Thus, Aya Tokoyogi naturally knew that when this woman felt shy, she would always first act like a hedgehog, attacking her opponent.
Thinking this, Aya Tokoyogi nodded in understanding and said:
"So it seems that man really does fancy you, at least enough to make you believe he wouldn't mind your childlike physique."
"AYA! TOKO! YOGI!" Natsuki spluttered furiously. "What's wrong with my physique? I'm not a witch anymore, my body can grow properly now!!"
Hearing this, Aya Tokoyogi feigned surprise:
"Oh? Can you guarantee you'll grow into the mature figure from your dreams?"
"Or perhaps you feel your current figure lacks appeal and want to change it?"
"Heh, can you even be sure Luo Shu will still fancy you if you grow up?"
Instantly, Natsuki's face flushed crimson. She raised a trembling finger to point at Aya Tokoyogi:
"You! You!!"
"Get out! Go to the underground zone by yourself!!"
"Now, immediately, get out!!"
Aya Tokoyogi looked amused, but before she could finish laughing, Natsuki teleported her away via spatial manipulation.
By the time Aya Tokoyogi regained her bearings, she was standing in the sixth-floor corridor.
Beside her were Luo Shu and Mukuro Hoshimiya, the former munching on a cookie stick.
Seeing Aya Tokoyogi suddenly appear, Luo Shu blinked in surprise, quickly finished the cookie, then dusted crumbs off his hands:
"What a coincidence, you got kicked out too?"
Aya Tokoyogi paused, seemingly surprised she'd actually been ejected, then remarked with an odd expression:
"Is she really that easily provoked now?"
Hearing this without context, Luo Shu nodded solemnly:
"Tell me about it! Today I just made some sarcastic remarks and she kicked me out - and I'm her direct superior!"
Aya Tokoyogi turned to give Luo Shu a deeply peculiar look.
'Served you right for getting kicked out, didn't it?'
As Aya Tokoyogi thought this, Luo Shu curiously eyed the phone in her hand:
"Speaking of which, why do you have Natsuki's phone?"
Aya Tokoyogi replied impassively:
"Just notifying my subordinates to withdraw."
"Huh?"
Luo Shu was dumbfounded. Using Natsuki's phone to order Truth Astronomy's retreat? What kind of absurd move was this?
Before he could process this, Aya Tokoyogi asked matter-of-factly:
"How many people did you send to hunt down Truth Astronomy members?"
After a beat of silence, Luo Shu answered:
"Remember those two who ambushed you? The one in white robes and the red gothic dress?"
"I had them assist with intelligence and deal with the Truth Astronomy members across Tokyo, along with some dangerous cultists."
"Oh, I see." Aya Tokoyogi's reaction was somewhat indifferent. "Then it seems there's no need to send any more messages."
With two Demigods personally taking action, Aya couldn't imagine any hope for her subordinates to escape unscathed.
Fortunately, she hadn't brought many people from Europe this time—just three or four. The other Truth Astronomy members belonged to different factions, so the losses weren't significant.
Aya didn't feel particularly regretful about this. Instead, she asked about someone far more important:
"Did you kill C.C.?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu raised his eyelids and glanced at Aya:
"C.C., like you, holds special value for the Hidden Management Department."
"Is it because of her immortality?"
Aya seemed to know something, her smile laced with amusement:
"That ability isn't something easy to study. Without equivalent conditions, you'd have to resort to alternative methods."
"Her immortality comes from backing up her state in the collective unconscious. By recreating her past self after death, she achieves resurrection."
"So the best way to simulate her immortality is still like what I did—cloning myself and using a specific technique to mimic a similar effect."
Hearing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but say to Aya:
"Are we on such good terms that you'd share this with me?"
In response, Aya tilted her head slightly and countered:
"Aren't you bullying Natsuki like that precisely to make me let my guard down?"
In an instant, Luo Shu fell silent.
His silence stemmed from both the awkwardness of having his intentions exposed and his discomfort with Aya's current demeanour.
But regardless, his goal seemed... achieved?