— — — — — —
The doors of the Big Boys Bar swung open.
Ryo stepped out in a suit, his cheeks faintly flushed and a lipstick mark still on his face.
Across the street on the second floor of the café, Leticia saw him and froze for a moment.
But when she saw his next move, her breath eased again.
At the bar entrance, Ryo tugged lightly at his collar, as if fixing his appearance, but he did not put on his tie.
In their coded signals, adjusting one's appearance without tying the tie meant: {The flag wasn't recovered, but the operation continues.}
"Still, just to cover our tracks, did she really have to kiss me that hard?"
After completing the signal, Ryo silently complained to himself. Then he took a wet wipe from his pocket, cleaned the lipstick away, and continued down the street.
As for Rin, she had her own hidden exit to slip out through.
---
Inside the café, Leticia sat still for a moment, then rose, paid her bill, and stepped into the restroom. Her body dissolved into the shadows.
— — —
1:50 AM
After circling the district around Central Street to map the area, Ryo arrived at the park near Building 666 and sat on a bench by the fountain.
From where he sat, he had a clear view of the Gem Tower in the distance.
"Hiding it under a big supermarket. Wonder whose brilliant idea that was."
He sipped casually from a canned coffee he'd bought from a vending machine.
In Little Garden, different cities and different outer gates meant completely different standards of living.
The No Name territory at Gate 2105380, for example, had technology roughly equal to the early 1990s back in Ryo's home world.
The neighboring outer gate was said to still function like a feudal society.
Meanwhile, the Demon Capital's technology was more like early 21st-century Tokyo.
If Ryo were to visit a four-digit outer gate in the North District, there were rumors of full-scale, combat-ready life-size Gundams.
These differences all came from the communities that governed each region and how they structured their industries.
"So what kind of outer gate am I planning to turn 2105380 into? Or should I just take a four-digit gate first and worry about development later?"
His thoughts drifted. Then he subtly narrowed his eyes, glancing at the shadow under his bench.
Just the shadow cast by the streetlight.
Leticia had arrived.
"..." Ryo continued to drink calmly.
About five minutes later, Rin passed by carrying a plastic bag full of snacks.
Ryo met her eyes at just the right moment.
A quiet transmission reached him. "By the way, did you prepare any mental-control gifts?"
Ryo raised a brow, then nodded back through the link. "I did."
In the process of mastering the sixth sense, Saints could generate countless psychic abilities. Many of their strange techniques were simply supernatural abilities fused with Cosmo.
The Phoenix Illusion Demon Fist (Pegasus Suisei Ken) was one such psychic-Cosmo hybrid.
So while Ryo wouldn't claim mastery, he could definitely handle mental interference.
"Control me."
At that, his pupils shifted to a deep, glowing blue. He met her gaze.
Mental link.
The moment their minds connected, her thoughts flowed to him: 'If we do this, the evidence chain will be complete.'
And Ryo understood immediately.
Highness had only fully formed a personality less than a year ago. He was, in truth, like an eight-month-old child.
Naturally, at that age, curiosity was unavoidable.
So every night around 1 AM, Rin would leave the hideout to buy various odd snacks and trinkets to satisfy Highness's curiosity.
This had become routine. The Ouroboros base members were used to it.
Her plan was to make it appear that during one of these habitual outings, she was coincidentally ambushed and mentally controlled by Ryo.
Then all of her actions from now on could be explained under that pretext.
Realizing all this, Ryo couldn't help saying dryly, "You didn't build that habit on purpose, did you?"
"It's just a contingency." She didn't bother denying it.
In fact, even without Ryo, she would have used this errand pattern to cover other activities. The Big Boys Bar safehouse was also established under this cover. Highness had even used his spirit essence to add interference there.
That was how she and Highness managed to hide from everyone.
And Ryo had one thought only: 'I've met a professional sneak artist…'
Then Rin asked, "Do you have a high-level gift that can alter your physical form?"
Ryo nodded. His height changed slightly, his hair lightened from black to brown, and his facial features shifted.
A moment later, Maxwell stood before her.
Rin stared, speechless for a few seconds before she realized she'd taken a step back.
She exhaled, somewhere between laughing and crying, "Why Maxwell?"
Ryo answered with pointed calm. "He's one of your members."
Her eyes flickered. She didn't confirm or deny it, but her guard clearly rose.
He had identified even their watcher. Was it a Thousand Eyes intelligence report? Or Ryo's own information network?
Rationally, she thought the first. Instinct told her the second.
Either way, it meant he was dangerous.
"…Fine. It works. He's His Highness' designated observer." She paused. "And he happens to be off duty today."
"You people get days off?" Ryo blinked.
"Every proper organization does," Rin said, rolling her eyes. "It's only one day a week."
A proper, well-regulated Ouroboros… Ryo's expression twisted.
Rin didn't give him time to dwell.
"When we go in, don't speak. Even if someone asks you something, ignore them."
Ryo frowned. "And you're sure this will fool them?"
"It will." Rin's tone was flat. "Just keep repeating the name 'Willa.' No matter who speaks to you. Only that."
"…."
Ryo was silent.
Rin glanced at the towering Gem Building ahead and said. "Come on. We have around fifteen minutes."
"Got it."
.
.
.