Internal dining hall.
"So the meeting was cancelled after all!"
Hearing this, Luo Shu calmly cut into his steak as Kirika Tachibana sat opposite him: "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"
Kirika didn't deny it: "But I never expected you'd use such a method."
"Fainting from excessive self-pleasure... Do you realise this bizarre incident is probably the talk of the entire headquarters right now?"
"I do."
Luo Shu wiped the black pepper sauce from his lips with a napkin before replying calmly:
"But consider this - if we wanted to influence Carlisle without affecting ourselves or Lacus, what options did we really have?"
"It had to be something that wouldn't make people suspect us, while making Carlisle too embarrassed to pursue the matter."
"Just think about it for a moment, and you'll realise this is the only way to make him swallow his pride."
"It does seem he'll have no choice but to swallow it..."
Kirika Tachibana had indeed received news of Hugh Carlisle's awakening.
She'd heard that after regaining consciousness, the old man had calmly asked his subordinates about Chairwoman Lacus's reaction first.
Upon receiving the awkward explanation from his subordinates, Hugh Carlisle had reportedly remained silent for several minutes before stating that it had nothing to do with the Chairwoman and was entirely his own fault.
This could be considered his way of taking responsibility and shouldering the blame.
But truth be told, Kirika harboured some suspicions that the old fox might have noticed something.
Noticing Kirika's hesitation, Luo Shu calmly remarked:
"No need to worry. That old bastard is probably doubting himself right now."
As he spoke, Luo Shu continued cutting his steak with practised ease before chuckling:
"Before coming here, didn't I receive the intelligence your department compiled about this Commerce Department old-timer?"
"I noticed in the report that he'd flown directly to California from a friend's private island."
"No need to guess - the old man was definitely fooling around with women on that private island."
"And given how secretive these private islands are, he must have been up to some particularly wild stuff."
Hearing this, Kirika blinked in surprise before giving Luo Shu a peculiar look.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Luo Shu popped the cut steak into his mouth and glanced up at Kirika.
Kirika sighed deeply before saying, "Had you already planned how to eliminate that old bastard discreetly?"
In response, Luo Shu merely smiled without answering.
Seeing this, Kirika remained silent for a moment before sighing:
"You and Lacus are the real hawks here, aren't you?"
After pausing, she added by way of explanation:
"Still, as despicable as that old bastard is, it's better not to kill him if possible."
"Oh?" Luo Shu raised an eyebrow, inviting further explanation.
Rubbing her temples slightly, Kirika picked up her juice, took a sip through the straw, and said:
"Compared to the other fools in the Commerce Department, while this old man pulls plenty of disgusting little stunts, at least he fully cooperates on major issues."
"If not for that, Lacus would never have allowed him to consolidate the Commerce Department's resources all this time."
Understanding dawned on Luo Shu's face as he remarked:
"So rather than dealing with a disorganised swarm of ants, you'd wait for them to produce a queen before controlling her behaviour?"
Kirika replied with complete composure: "More or less."
"The Commerce Department's interest networks are too complex - consolidating them would require tremendous effort, and neither Lacus nor I currently have the bandwidth to sort through them."
Ultimately, compared to the Commerce Department's internal conflicts, both the former SDS and current SDS faced more pressing external threats.
In the past, it was hostilities with organisations like Truth Astronomy and the constant Abyss incursions that demanded their full attention.
Now, while the Hidden Management Department had added several Demigod Rank combatants, massively increasing their military strength, it had also intensified suppression efforts from the Five Great Powers.
The current environment wasn't exactly favourable - possibly even worse than some outright illegal secret organisations.
Under these circumstances, eliminating Hugh Carlisle would only decapitate the Commerce Department and send it spiralling out of control.
From Kirika Tachibana's perspective, waiting for that old fool to take control before replacing him with one of their own was the most convenient option.
Hearing Kirika's reply, Luo Shu calmly set down his cutlery and chuckled:
"Managing a large organisation really isn't an easy task."
"Fortunately, I only need to manage one big family."
Kirika couldn't help rolling her eyes: "You really do treat your Familia like your personal harem, don't you?"
Luo Shu nodded, then delivered a lethally blunt response:
"Don't worry, I can exclude you from it."
Kirika's face immediately darkened.
But before she could say anything, she instinctively sensed danger and turned towards the doorway.
There, standing at the door, was a pink-haired bundle of cuteness wearing a gentle smile - though her eyes were narrowed to slits.
Lacus stood at the doorway, shifting her gaze as if searching for someone.
The moment she turned her head, she spotted Luo Shu seated on a chair, facing an empty seat across from him.
Empty, that is, if one ignored the half-finished juice on the table.
At the sight, Lacus sighed softly and walked unhurriedly towards Luo Shu. After taking her seat, she gestured to a waiter for a juice before turning to Luo Shu with a faintly reproachful tone:
"So, nothing you'd like to explain to me?"
Luo Shu glanced up impassively. "Why come to me instead of the actual culprit?"
Lacus gave him a resigned look before replying: "Thanks to your interference, the conference had to be postponed by half a day..."
"Half a day seems unnecessary."
Though unsurprised by the delay, Luo Shu found it overly cumbersome: "Just cite an emergency requiring accelerated proceedings and arrange a private discussion with Lord Carlisle to settle matters directly. I doubt he'd want to remain a public spectacle after... recent events."
Lacus shot Luo Shu an odd look.
She didn't voice it, but Hugh Carlisle had indeed requested several days' medical leave. While understandable given the embarrassment, Luo Shu's suggestion amounted to coercing Carlisle into swift compliance under threat of social annihilation...
Admittedly, compared with her original plan of protracted negotiations, this approach would likely prompt Hugh Carlisle to push the proposals through himself.
The realisation left Lacus torn between amusement and exasperation: "So this was all your design?"
Luo Shu raised a finger to his lips in warning.
Noticing the gesture, Lacus immediately stilled, composing herself with picture-perfect elegance as someone approached.
To her surprise, it wasn't the waiter with her juice, but a familiar figure.
"Lacus?"
At the doorway stood a blue-haired young man with a melancholic bearing. Lacus showed faint surprise.
"Athrun Zala?"