Anime Multiverse: Building a Pantheon from Scratch

After Natsuki Minamiya left, Luo Shu revealed a subtly amused smile. "As expected, spending 5,000 points to temporarily enhance that bracelet was worth it. Even someone of Hero-rank like her couldn't see through it right away."

He confirmed this not by her reaction to him, but by the fact that neither Kasumigaoka Utaha nor Eriri had their abilities exposed. That alone was proof enough.

"That would mean Natsuki Minamiya probably hasn't reached the Demigod level… Hero-rank, maybe? Or just Elite? Most likely Hero-rank." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "If she really is the same Void Witch capable of contending with a Primogenitor-level vampire..."

Luo Shu wasn't surprised about her strength, as Natsuki Minamiya was a witch who could contend with Primogenitor of vampires. If anything, he was more shocked that such a person would be his teacher.

"To bring in someone of her caliber… Chief Tachibana must've pulled some serious strings."

Though Natsuki's tone hadn't been especially friendly, Luo Shu—who knew who she really was—understood better than most that she took her role as a "teacher" seriously, perhaps to an obsessive degree.

That was precisely why he wasn't too worried even if Utaha and Eriri had been discovered. He instinctively prepared a few safeguards anyway, enhancing the bracelet's concealment power and purposefully acting overly familiar with both girls.

After all, in Japanese high schools, three students—one boy and two girls—having lunch together on the rooftop practically screamed love triangle. His casual closeness with them was an intentional mislead. People wouldn't think "classmates"—they'd assume "dating."

And with his identity as a warlock combined with his relatively young age, it was easy to make him look like a two-timing playboy. Luo Shu suspected that someone like Natsuki, who took her duties seriously, would instinctively want to "correct" students with poor moral foundations. And a teacher like her would naturally pay extra attention to students' romantic entanglements.

That, in fact, was the exact reason he'd invited Utaha and Eriri to have lunch with him on the rooftop today—to make Natsuki misunderstand. To drag the two girls into her attention and into her awareness.

Better that than letting them get unexpectedly exposed in a far worse situation down the line. As the saying goes: the dangerous part of the iceberg isn't the part you can see—it's the part below the surface. By letting Natsuki believe Utaha and Eriri were simply his girlfriends, he could better hide their real secrets.

"In her mind, I'm probably the kind of guy who got a taste of power and instantly started building a harem. A scumbag dragging two innocent girlfriends into a dangerous world they know nothing about."

"Which is why she gave that veiled warning—'either come clean with them or cut ties.' She's surprisingly considerate."

Recalling Natsuki's final remarks before leaving, Luo Shu's expression became complicated—like a fox who'd successfully stolen a chicken and was still savoring its cunning.

'People in love tend to let things slip. That's probably what she thinks. So, she just assumed Utaha and Eriri are "aware" to some extent.'

And what had convinced her most wasn't just the setup—it was the power of his "Lucky Wallet."

Luo Shu silently pulled the faded wallet from his pocket, opened it, and looked down at the shattered remnants of a 100-yen coin, now in four pieces, along with the vanished stack of ¥10,000 bills—about thirty of them. He winced.

"Triggering one forced 'luck' event cost that much? Damn, that stings. But at least the goal was achieved."

Yes, it was the wallet's ability—enhanced by a one-time demigod-tier luck boost—that made Natsuki believe his performance. That was what swayed her.

Thanks to his special status, Luo Shu could forcibly activate certain Abyssal Artifacts' powers once, bypassing their usual costs—provided he bore the consequences afterward. He had confirmed this with both the system and the artifact itself.

Still, the price was steep. First, he had to pay an additional cost after using it. Second, the artifact had to be "fed" with something of value.

This time, it had taken a hefty sum of cash and a 3,000-point item—an ancient snake's shed skin—to satisfy the Lucky Wallet. With that, he made the implausible seem plausible.

It worked—but it was expensive. Whether in terms of money or points, the cost of activating this shortcut was always painfully high.

Shaking his head, Luo Shu stepped out from the stairwell corner and spotted Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri waiting further down. He greeted them with a sly grin.

"Good news. Looks like the Astronomy Club just scored a top-tier teacher—for free."

Today, they kept their status a secret while receiving instruction in private. Tomorrow, they'd begin spreading false information on purpose. The day after that, they'd bring Natsuki into the club officially.

In a way, Luo Shu was carefully maneuvering Natsuki Minamiya onto the chessboard—piece by piece, step by step.

Kasumigaoka, who was aware of the plan, gave Luo Shu a slightly exasperated look. "So, you went through all that just so we could study magic under her without being suspected? Isn't that too much of a sacrifice?"

But Luo Shu simply shook his head. "No. The main purpose was to give us a strong ally—just in case."

"Don't be fooled by how small and cute she looks. Right now, she's probably the most powerful mage I've met."

"...If you say so," Utaha replied with a faintly skeptical expression that said: Well, if you insist, I'll believe you.

"???" Eriri looked back and forth between the two, confused by their reactions. Her eyebrows twitched, and she pouted. "Here we go again. That feeling where I'm the only one being left out."

"You're not being excluded." Luo Shu turned to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "To put it simply, because of a few small tricks on my end, Natsuki Minamiya is now going to be our instructor in mysticism—and also the Astronomy Club's official advisor."

He paused, then added, "And if something serious ever happens, something I alone can't handle… you'll have someone besides me to rely on."

Even though only two days had passed since his arrival in this world, Luo Shu had already formed the habit of preparing contingencies. Securing allies now was better than waiting until he was cornered with no escape.

Because Luo Shu was not the type to walk into a dead end without a plan.

Just then—Ding-dong! The long chime of the warning bell for the next class echoed through the school.

Luo Shu glanced at the windows, then turned to the two girls in front of him. "In short, just treat Natsuki like a real teacher. Don't worry about anything else."

"And don't forget—after school, Astronomy Club meeting."

"Got it," Kasumigaoka nodded slightly.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Eriri nodded firmly.

And with that, the three parted ways at the stairwell, each heading back to class.