Second-floor restaurant, by the window seat.
Luo Shu held a freshly baked durian pizza in one hand and an open letter in the other, silently eating while reading.
"Director, is the pizza not to your liking?"
A soft voice gently sounded.
Luo Shu turned and immediately saw Megumi Kato standing beside him, leaning slightly forward, her calm eyes hinting at curiosity.
Upon seeing Megumi, Luo Shu quickly finished the slice of pizza in his hand and then explained:
"The pizza is delicious, I really like it."
As he spoke, Luo Shu looked at Megumi with a puzzled expression and asked:
"I didn't show any dislike, did I?"
"No, you didn't." Megumi nodded, then pointed towards the kitchen counter: "But your earlier demeanour didn't seem to satisfy Miss Erina..."
Hearing this, Luo Shu followed Megumi's pointing and immediately saw Erina Nakiri in the kitchen, her back to him, wearing a chef's uniform.
At that moment, Erina Nakiri was holding a large rolling pin, pounding the dough as if hammering a wall, thud after thud, occasionally making loud banging noises, as if venting her anger.
Seeing Erina Nakiri like this, Luo Shu was momentarily stunned.
Then Megumi said softly, "Miss Erina has been watching you eat the pizza since earlier, and then she became like this."
"She did say she wanted to make me bite my tongue from the taste earlier."
Luo Shu gave Erina a strange look, somewhat speechless:
"Could she be angry because I was eating absent-mindedly?"
"Well, who knows?" Megumi's words seemed to carry a hint of amusement.
At this, Luo Shu scratched his cheek in frustration and then asked:
"Isn't anyone stopping her?"
Megumi understood Luo Shu's meaning. Erina Nakiri's pounding was indeed making a lot of noise. Logically, given the Familia members' personalities, someone should have tried to calm her down, but...
"Everyone's probably used to it by now."
"After all, Miss Erina often uses special ingredients in the kitchen, so everyone's accustomed to her making such noises..."
"And compared to last time when she was handling the ribs of a boar demon, this is actually much quieter."
Hearing Megumi say this, Luo Shu couldn't argue further.
He secretly opened the Divine Pantheon forum and sent Erina Nakiri a reply: [I really liked the pizza. Make me another one next time.]
Almost the next second.
Thud.
Erina Nakiri hit the dough with the rolling pin, then smoothly turned it, her movements suddenly becoming normal. As she worked, she even began humming softly, leaving Hisako Arato, who had turned pale beside her, utterly bewildered.
Seeing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but cover his face.
He knew Erina Nakiri was easy to placate, but he hadn't expected her to be this easy.
And... did she not realise he could see her back from here?
Most importantly...
Luo Shu turned his head and looked at Megumi beside him, her lips slightly curved, her face full of amusement, and his expression turned helpless:
"As you can see, the noise has lessened now."
"It seems so."
Megumi said softly, then tilted her head slightly and glanced at the envelope in Luo Shu's hand:
"By the way, is this letter from the Union?"
"Yes, it's an invitation from the Union, asking me to attend a meeting tomorrow at 9 am. Tsk tsk, all five ambassadors of the Great Powers in Japan will be there, along with their deputies and some council members. This is practically an inquisition."
Luo Shu scoffed, then turned his head to glance curiously at Megumi Kato:
"How did you know the Union sent it?"
Megumi calmly replied: "I've been watching for a while now."
"Right, my mistake..." Luo Shu's face twitched. So Megumi had been standing beside him for some time without him noticing?
That was indeed his fault, since he'd been ignoring her.
At that moment, Megumi asked curiously:
"So, Director, are you planning to attend the meeting tomorrow?"
"I'll definitely have to go, since all five bullies are gathering together. But how to go, and how many people to bring - those are big questions."
Luo Shu pondered for a moment before saying, somewhat troubled:
"In our Familia, there doesn't seem to be anyone suitable to play the villain role..."
Hearing Luo Shu's dilemma, Megumi suddenly understood: "Director, do you need someone to argue on your behalf?"
Luo Shu thought about it, then nodded in realisation: "...More or less."
This meeting would inevitably involve arguments with the Five Great Powers, but how to argue and who should argue were delicate matters.
Typically, the Union's ambassadors wouldn't personally engage in arguments. As their counterpart, Luo Shu couldn't step into the fray either.
The problem was that if it came down to subordinates arguing, Luo Shu's side was at a disadvantage.
His team was entirely female, most with relatively mild temperaments - hardly anyone specialised in this kind of political bickering.
This was what troubled Luo Shu most.
Thinking this, Luo Shu glanced at Megumi and casually asked:
"Megumi, who do you think I should bring this time?"
Hearing this, Megumi Kato actually paused to think before replying:
"Why don't you try asking Miss Koko, Director?"
At these words, Luo Shu froze.
He honestly hadn't expected Megumi Kato to actually offer a suggestion.
"Koko?"
Koko Hekmatyar.
The daughter of an arms-dealing family operating in illegal territories, an arms dealer he had brought back from America.
He genuinely hadn't considered her before.
But now that Megumi had mentioned it, Luo Shu realised how well suited she actually was.
After all, as someone in the arms trade, she'd naturally be skilled in commercial negotiations and arguments.
More importantly, Koko's face frankly looked quite intimidating - the perfect image of a villainess.
Most crucially, Koko was already a member of the Familia and understood the broader situation, making her trustworthy.
Considering this, Luo Shu stroked his chin thoughtfully:
"That's... not entirely impossible..."
In fact, she might be the best candidate. Luo Shu was just curious why Megumi had suggested Koko.
Before he could ask, Megumi said plainly:
"Actually, I recommended Miss Koko because..."
...
Five minutes later.
Led by Megumi to the rooftop, Luo Shu heard the extremely profanity-laced shouting from afar.
"How many fucking times do I have to tell you? Shove that entire shipment up that bastard's arse! I'm not doing this fucking deal anymore!!"
"!!"
Hearing the rooftop conversation, Luo Shu turned to look at Megumi, who appeared completely unfazed, and asked, oddly:
"So... how long has she been swearing up here?"
Megumi actually took out her phone to check the time. "From after breakfast until now... about an hour? I came up twice midway, and Miss Koko's volume never changed."
Luo Shu: "..."
'So you made three trips here, bringing me along, just to listen to Koko swear?'
'My dear Miss Kato, have you recently developed a taste for eavesdropping on drama?'