Inside the main hall of Tenshukaku.
Lu Heng—who a moment ago was described in Kujou Sara’s memories as “strategic, calm, and composed”—was currently kneeling with his knees together on the mirror-polished floor in an extremely awkward posture.
Cold sweat pooled on his forehead and dripped down his chin.
And the exalted Raiden Shogun had already stepped down from her throne.
Her emotionless purple eyes glowing softly, she stopped less than half a meter away from him, looking down at him from above.
Immediately after, the deity’s fair, exquisite nose twitched slightly, as if sniffing something.
“Sobayonin Lu Heng…”
Her voice was ethereal and cold, yet steeped in suffocating pressure as she slowly uttered a sentence that nearly stopped Lu Heng’s heart.
“Why do you have the scent of Yae Miko on you?”
In Lu Heng’s mind, ten thousand slimes seemed to be stampeding past.
*Oh no!
The current Raiden Shogun views Yae Miko as the biggest variable interfering with Eternity!
If I say the wrong thing, I’ll be thrown out of Tenshukaku!*
*Damn it, why is that fox so fragrant?!
No, I have to distance myself from her immediately!*
Complaints aside, he still had to find a way out.
Lu Heng’s eyes shifted, an idea striking him.
He pinched his own thigh hard.
“Reporting to Your Excellency!”
Lu Heng abruptly lifted his head, meeting those terrifying purple eyes, his eyes slightly red.
“While conducting field research on the people’s livelihoods in Hanamizaka, I unexpectedly encountered Guuji Yae. Knowing that Guuji Yae has always been unpredictable and unconventional, I feared she would disrupt the progress of today’s investigation. However, being a mere mortal, I was truly unable to break free from her forcible restraint!”
Saying this, Lu Heng decisively reached into his robes, pulled out the pink omamori wafting a rich cherry blossom scent, and raised it high above his head with both hands.
“Knowing your relationship with Guuji Yae, I did not dare to dispose of it recklessly. I intended to ask Your Excellency how to handle it upon my return… but the scent was too strong along the way to dissipate, leading to this offense against Your Excellency!” Lu Heng said respectfully.
Looking at Lu Heng’s expression—which practically shrieked, *I am your loyal worker, it was that wild fox outside who insisted on seducing me*—the Raiden Shogun’s cold gaze fell upon the pink omamori.
She pinched it lightly with her fingertips, purple lightning sweeping across its surface.
Confirming it was merely a common eavesdropping trick that carried no dangerous “variables,” the Shogun’s tense jaw finally relaxed by an imperceptible fraction.
“Bringing such an object into Tenshukaku is indeed a lack of rigor.”
The Raiden Shogun casually tossed the omamori back into Lu Heng’s hands and dropped a cold sentence.
“Stand up. Do not let Miko delay your official duties in pursuing Eternity.”
“Thank you for your grace, Your Excellency!”
The Raiden Shogun’s gaze then naturally fell upon the paper bag.
“What is inside there?”
Looking at Her Excellency the Ogosho’s seemingly indifferent yet completely locked-on gaze, Lu Heng suppressed the urge to smile and naturally switched to “loyal minister presenting treasure” mode.
“In response to Your Excellency: while conducting research in Hanamizaka, I discovered a bustling new-style dessert shop.”
He gently opened the paper bag, revealing the enticing Tricolor Dango inside, still emanating the warm aroma of glutinous rice.
“To thoroughly inspect the downgraded consumer spending on food among Inazuma’s populace, I specially queued and purchased a portion at my own expense. I wished to take this opportunity to present it for Your Excellency’s tasting, and incidentally report on the subsequent plans!”
One minute later.
An extremely bizarre yet strangely harmonious scene took place inside Tenshukaku.
The Raiden Shogun sat back on her high throne.
Her stunningly beautiful face maintained an absolute, icy divine majesty, but her fair hand sent the Tricolor Dango on the bamboo skewer to her lips with extremely precise and efficient frequency.
Without making a single sound, her movements were supremely elegant, yet the speed at which the skewer of dango disappeared left behind actual motion blurs.
Meanwhile, inside the Plane of Euthymia…
In that desolate, dark-red void, Raiden Ei licked her lips in satisfaction.
She looked at the mortal outside who had his head bowed, his mouth full of reverence and work matters.
*This Lu Heng is truly interesting…*
He clearly committed a presumption by pushing street snacks right in front of a deity. Get faster updates on g.com.
Yet he managed to weave excuses so full of righteousness that no fault could be found.
*In five hundred years, he is the very first mortal to dare do such a thing…*
Yae Miko naturally didn’t count; she was a fox.
However, Ei did not dislike it; on the contrary, it brought her a touch of joy…
Ei’s lips curved slightly upward.
On that exquisite, cold face, a rare trace of gentleness bloomed, the beauty mark below the corner of her eye sparkling in the flowing light of Euthymia.
This feeling, unexpressed for so long, felt somewhat unfamiliar even to her.
Though inside this Plane of Euthymia, no one could see her current expression anyway, could they?
In the hall outside, seeing his boss enjoying her food, Lu Heng knew the time had come.
His expression turned solemn as he dropped his true objective:
“Your Excellency, after my field research over the past two days, I have found that the current approval process of the Tri-Commission is far too cumbersome, severely dragging down the progress of the Eternal Paradise Project.”
“Therefore, I propose jumping directly out of the existing administrative framework! I request special permission to establish an [Eternal Paradise Construction Bureau] directly under Tenshukaku.”
Lu Heng cupped his hands in a respectful salute, his voice ringing out clearly:
“This department will be directly under your command. Not only will it operate without interfering with the existing Tri-Commission system—thereby ensuring the stability of grass-roots operations—but its ‘flat’ architecture will eliminate all administrative friction, ensuring Your Excellency’s will descends upon the land of Inazuma at maximum speed!”
Inside the Plane of Euthymia, Raiden Ei was still savoring the sweet aroma of condensed milk.
Listening to Lu Heng’s seamless logic of “safeguarding Eternity” that left zero room for critique, she felt deep admiration in her heart.
*To possess such bold talent while harboring such pure feelings toward me…
Lu Heng, you are truly special.*
Aboard the throne, the purple silhouette straightened her posture slightly.
The Raiden Shogun swallowed the last bite of soft dango, her expression instantly returning to thunderous solemnity and majesty, as if the person who had just vacuumed down sweets wasn’t her at all.
“‘Flat architecture’… that term is indeed very apt. The cumbersome procedures of the Tri-Commission do breed far too many uncontrollable variables. Request granted.”
“Original matters regarding the respective commissions shall still be submitted according to law. However, if it pertains to special affairs of ‘Eternal Paradise,’ you possess sole discretionary power without needing to go through the Tri-Commission.”
Her purple eyes locked down on Lu Heng, whose eyes were filled with delight.
“From this day forth, any progress on ‘Eternal Paradise’ shall be reported by you directly to me.”