While Senzo, Yugiri, and Sophie were enjoying their time exploring the city, Minamoto and Sakaki were busy looking for any clues about the princess.
Now back at the hall where she was kidnapped, they were carefully inspecting every little detail they could find.
"There's no mistaking it. This killer intent is the residual thoughts of someone targeting the princess."
Sakaki said, while holding his hand on the ground, a frown forming on his face.
"Did Hyoubu and the others predict this? And kidnap her to protect her?" Minamoto muttered, trying to make sense of the current situation.
With every new piece of information they found, the mystery kept deepening.
"But why would he, of all people, do that?" It just doesn't make any sense.
Sakaki nodded at his words, and while they kept searching for any other clues to help them out of their current deadlock, they didn't find anything.
"Hah... let's just go back and think it over once more."
"That doesn't sound too bad." Sakaki replied.
Both had gloomy looks on their faces; the higher-ups from the Kingdom refused to cooperate, and they didn't have the slightest idea where Hyoubu was or what his objective was.
Once outside, Minamoto rubbed his temples furiously, trying to come up with any remotely useful intel or idea.
Sakaki, on the other hand, was looking around, hoping to spot some beautiful ladies he could talk to or admire.
"Huh? Uhh, Minamoto! Look over there!" Sakaki suddenly exclaimed as his eyes widened in shock upon seeing the princess.
"What is it? Is it another beautiful woman?" Minamoto asked, rolling his eyes.
But he did turn around to look because maybe, just maybe, Sakaki had found something useful for once.
But what he saw left him speechless; every woman he could see had become Princess Sophie, and the streets were filled with Princess Sophies who were also wearing that same pristine white dress she was wearing during her speech.
"The... The city is filled with Princess Sophies?! What the hell is happening here?!"
They both stared with wide eyes at the strange occurrence happening right in front of their eyes.
"Minamoto, is this...?"
"Yes, I can tell too. A large-scale iconic hypno like this could only come from Hyoubu Kyousuke! Shit, what is he planning now?!"
Both were now on full alert; this was beyond just a mere kidnapping. He was now clearly plotting something else as well.
"Let's go! We don't have any time to lose." Minamoto shouted, rushing away.
Sakaki solemnly nodded and followed right behind him.
***
"Hehehe, now this is worth watching." Hyoubu said, standing on top of the highest building in the whole city; behind him stood a massive statue of a lion sphinx.
He was casually watching the Babel agents run around like headless chickens, clearly enjoying it thoroughly.
After that, his gaze turned toward Senzo and the two girls, and seeing Yugiri smile like that while running around with the princess, he felt his heart warm.
"Yeah, it was a good idea to let her go outside, and with Senzo there, nothing will go wrong." After he had relished enjoyed the sight of the Babel agents and his own members enjoying themselves for a good while, he snapped his fingers and vanished.
***
Inside of his office, the chief of the Kingdom of Monarch was glaring through the window, clenching his teeth and fists tightly.
His aide stood next to him with his mouth agape "Wh-What is this?"
"..."
Silence. The chief also had no idea what was going on; the only thing he did was he kept staring out the window, hoping a miracle would happen.
***
"Yo. How are things going?" Hyoubu stood in an abandoned warehouse at the cape, a smirk on his face.
"Heh. This was a good plan, old man. With all these princesses, the panicked mice are running around, squeaking!" Yo replied; he was clearly enjoying the hunt thoroughly.
"Oh? Nee-san, turn left at that alley."
Momiji quickly finished her opponent with a single punch and followed Yo's instructions. She and Magi had been cleaning up all the mice that had fallen for their trap, but they were getting bored rather quickly.
"Ok! But these guys are weak! They're just normals."
"Tsk, how foolish." Magi muttered, standing over dozens of corpses that had been cut to pieces.
"How is the princess, Momiji?"
The two were having a casual chat surrounded by corpses like it was the most normal thing ever.
"She's fine; with her imprisoned in that abandoned building at the cape, no one will ever find her."
Andy couldn't understand what they were doing; he was panting heavily while trying to keep up with Momiji and Magi.
But when he finally arrived at the spot he was supposed to be, he heard someone rush away after Momiji's statement.
"You let that guy go to catch the rest in one fell swoop?" he asked, between labored breaths.
Momiji and Magi just rolled their eyes; luckily, the mouse had long left and hopefully called his accomplices to rush toward the warehouse; otherwise, this would become a busy afternoon.
"Newbie, please just keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything remotely useful to say." Magi ordered.
"Tsk! You guys never tell me anything and expect me to figure everything out on my own for God's sake!" He grumbled, but Magi and Momiji had left mid-sentence.
"..."
"This is what I mean!"
Yo was chuckling at the complaints and frustrations of the newcomer, but he did have a valid point. Well, that is until he realizes they had also been through the same thing.
"You'll get used to it, newcomer. Just keep up the good work." Yo muttered to himself, then he rushed to rendezvous with Momiji and Magi.
***
Hyoubu stood casually inside the abandoned warehouse, hands in his pockets like he was waiting for his friends to meet up.
Outside there were dozens of people rushing toward the door, all of them armed with machine guns and wearing the same clothes.
"Ready?" one of them asked.
"Yes!" The others shouted in unison, and with that, they broke the door off its hinges.
Guns loaded, they all aimed at the center of the room, but what they saw left them dumbfounded. Instead of seeing the princess bound on a chair or something, they saw a young man wearing an all-black school uniform with white hair and an evil smirk.
"Hey, I've been waiting. Can you scum tell me who's behind this?!"
Hyoubu said while raising his right hand and pointing it straight at the invaders.