Anime Multiverse: Building a Pantheon from Scratch

Clack! The door swung open as Tachibana Kirika strode into the hotel room, casually closing it behind her. She called out toward the Interior, "Takina, what's the situation?"

They were in a business hotel room diagonally across from Luo Shu's apartment. From the window, one could see straight into his building. By the window, beside a sniper rifle mounted on a stand, stood a high school girl with sleek black hair and a soft, rounded face. Wearing a school uniform, Inoue Takina didn't even glance back as she calmly reported, "No unusual activity, Chief."

"No anomalies, huh? Alright, keep watch for two more days. Once Luo Shu gets his hands on the item, we'll call off the surveillance." Kirika approached with a hand on her waist, wearing a helpless expression. "Still, I honestly didn't expect the daughter of Nolan Defense Corporation's second heiress to be living in a place like this. If her mother's side of the family knew about this, losing a rare demonic-class Abyssal Artifact like that would be a serious blow."

Just thinking about Nolan Defense's influence across the Americas made Kirika uneasy. These large weapons dealers played by their own rules, and unless someone kept an eye on things, she wouldn't feel comfortable letting Luo Shu get involved. If that young lady decided to pull the classic marry-the-hero move, Kirika wasn't confident Luo Shu wouldn't defect on the spot.

"Takina, you and Chisato will have to push through the next two days. Assist Luo Shu in retrieving the item. Heh, things have already progressed this far—I, Tachibana Kirika, don't make a habit of returning empty-handed."

"By the way, where's Chisato? Off doing something again?"

Takina calmly answered, "She went out to get coffee. Said it's for an all-nighter. Also, Chief..." She glanced out the window. "Luo Shu has been standing at the entrance this whole time. He hasn't gone inside."

"What?" Kirika rushed to the window and, sure enough, saw Luo Shu still standing at the entrance of his apartment building. At that very moment, Luo Shu turned and looked up at her, flashing a grin and pointing at his phone.

Bzzzz. Kirika picked up her vibrating phone and answered the call.

Luo Shu's magnetic voice came through, "Chief. Shadow protection feels a bit outdated, doesn't it?"

Kirika lifted a hand to her forehead and brushed back her bangs, looking down at him. "If you knew I had someone watching all along, then what are you doing standing there now?"

She stared at him, exasperated. She'd gone through the trouble of entering the hotel through the underground parking lot at the back, specifically to avoid Luo Shu discovering she was monitoring Mira Tsubakihara. Letting him know would risk complications. After all, having a rookie like him approach the daughter of a global arms magnate while aware of surveillance could easily lead to a misstep. And if that young lady kicked up a fuss, accusing SDS of spying, Luo Shu—her supposed savior—might come out fine, but Kirika, as the department head, would be in serious trouble.

Compared to offending the woman's powerful family, she'd rather butt heads with the Japanese government. At least the government had no control over the foreign military presence.

In fact, earlier, if she'd been even a little late to fish Luo Shu out of the local station, the garrison troops—probably acting under the orders of that young lady's family—would've already stormed in to seize him.

While she was still inwardly grumbling, Luo Shu's voice came through the phone again. "I just wanted to remind you—your wallet fell out. Again."

Kirika instinctively checked her pocket. Empty. Her eyes immediately went to Luo Shu.

"When did that happen…?" she muttered.

Down below, Luo Shu lightly tossed the wallet into the air and caught it, repeating the motion twice. Into the phone, he said, "You're not coming to get it?"

A brief silence, and then Kirika sighed. "…Keep it with you for now. Prioritize getting that young lady in your apartment to hand over the artifact. If you can't get it, return the wallet to me tomorrow. If you can, then keep it—it's yours for the time being."

Though it pained her to part with the Lucky Wallet, Kirika knew she couldn't blame Luo Shu. The fault lay entirely with the Abyssal Artifact and its damn side effects. The wallet had been trying to migrate to Luo Shu for a while now—twice already, each time more ridiculous than the last. At this point, she might as well let it go. As long as it stayed "in the family," it wasn't a complete loss.

She hung up with a grumble. "Unbelievable. Is that guy the Goddess of Luck's illegitimate son or something? That damn wallet keeps running to him like a dog—it's shameless."

Of course, complaints aside, she was genuinely unsettled. She hadn't even opened the car door, let alone stepped out, and somehow the wallet had still managed to escape and land at Luo Shu's feet. The implication couldn't be clearer—this artifact had no chill. Losing it felt like a stab to the gut.

——

"So, I'm holding on to the wallet, huh?" Luo Shu muttered as he looked up at the apartment building. He let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "If she can put up with that kind of loss, then I must've saved someone really important."

He sighed, pocketed the wallet, and entered the building. The elevator took him straight to the third floor. From the staircase, he stepped into the hallway and approached unit 302. Raising his hand, he pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong!

After a short pause, the peephole on the door shifted open. Someone peeked out, then the door swung wide.

Wearing a comfortable home dress, the bright-eyed beauty beamed. "Come in, Luo Shu."

"Uh…" Luo Shu blinked, a little caught off guard by her enthusiasm. But quickly, he composed himself. "Then I'll impose."

He stepped past Mira Tsubakihara and into the entranceway. As she gently closed the door behind them, she subtly flashed an "OK" hand signal toward a specific direction.

Back in the hotel across the street, seeing Mira's signal, Inoue Takina immediately tensed. "Chief, we've been made?"

"She didn't spot us. She's signalling the Raijin Security Group to let them know she's safe. It's just to make sure Luo Shu doesn't get sniped," Kirika said, lighting a cigarette with a cool tone. "People who think ladies from powerful families are just airheads… usually end up dead."

Meanwhile, in a higher-floor suite of the hotel, a blonde Caucasian man wearing an eye patch gave a cold order: "Signal received. All non-essential personnel, withdraw according to Plan B."

"YES, SIR!"

"YES, SIR," echoed the fully armed soldiers in Room 301's entryway. Holding their rifles at the ready, they exchanged glances with teammates by the balcony, ready to intervene at a moment's notice.

Back in the apartment, Luo Shu stood in the entryway, a faint chill prickling the back of his neck. With a somewhat stiff expression, he reluctantly slid his feet into a pair of fuzzy bunny-eared slippers.