Inside the van parked by the roadside.
With a click, the van door opened, and Chisato Nishikigi climbed in, greeting Kurumi, who was sitting at the computer on the other side:
"Good morning, Kurumi-chan."
"Morning."
Kurumi responded lazily, casually popping a squid tentacle from the nearby bag into her mouth and mumbling:
"Thanks for the hard work on the overnight surveillance."
"Ah!! Speaking of which, I'm so annoyed... If I'd known these guys would be so easy to deal with, I would've just gone up and KO'd them."
Chisato pouted, making punching gestures.
"Even if we knew they were weak, we couldn't have acted."
Takina Inoue, who had followed her into the van, said calmly:
"After all, our goal is to find the high-ranking officials within the Phenex Society who actually ordered the attack on the Aldegian princess."
"And what we found this time were probably just low-level pawns, so to avoid alerting them, we couldn't possibly launch an attack recklessly."
Hearing this, Kurumi nodded understandingly, chewing on a squid tentacle as she said:
"But haven't we already caught them? Doesn't that mean we've already alerted them?"
"That's only because Luo Shu gave the order, saying he wanted to test something..."
As she spoke, Chisato reached out and grabbed a handful of squid tentacles from the bag next to Kurumi:
"After watching them all night, I'm starving. Give me some."
Kurumi stared blankly: "But I didn't agree before you took them! Are you a robber or something?"
"What's the big deal?"
Chisato grinned as she bit into a squid tentacle, her smile exceptionally bright.
"If Minister Luo Shu decided to deal with those cultists, he must have reasons I'm not aware of."
At that moment, Takina, looking at the street surveillance footage and data displayed on the three computer screens in front of Kurumi, asked:
"By the way, has Minister Luo Shu finished testing whatever he wanted to test?"
"No idea. The data's been continuously transmitted to the R&D Department. We'll have to wait for the testers to return to know the specifics. Don't be too surprised when they do."
Hearing Kurumi's words, Chisato grabbed another handful of squid tentacles, nibbling on one as she asked:
"Are the equipment testers some scary people or something?"
Just then, the door opened again, and Luo Shu climbed in. Seeing the three of them crowded around the van's computer, he looked puzzled:
"Why are you all huddled together? Aren't you hot?"
Kurumi turned her head at the sound, picking up the bag of squid tentacles beside her and shaking it:
"Yo~ Newbie! Oh, wait, should I call you Director now? Want some squid tentacles?"
"That bribery's way too obvious." Chisato couldn't help but comment.
"Thanks." Luo Shu took a squid tentacle and popped it into his mouth, chewing as he called out: "Kurumi, did you bring that device I asked for?"
"It's right over there."
Kurumi pointed towards the area near the driver's seat, where an oversized black headset large enough to cover half a face rested atop a suitcase-sized black mainframe.
"What's that? A new model of headphones?" Chisato Nishikigi asked curiously upon seeing the headset.
At that moment, Kurumi calmly explained:
"It's the latest device developed by the R&D Department. Apparently, when worn on the head, it can read brainwaves and convert them into text, images, or even video."
"I don't really understand the specifics, but it can perform these functions. Dr Verde's explanation was too esoteric for me to follow."
Hearing this description, Takina Inoue exclaimed in surprise:
"A new interrogation device?"
Chisato suddenly had an epiphany:
"Oh! So it's equipment for forcibly putting on captives' heads to play truth games?"
"Are we waiting for prisoners to interrogate then?"
At this point, Luo Shu, who had already walked over and picked up the headset, turned his head and said:
"Don't get your hopes up. This is just a prototype that only works when the subject is mentally stable, so it can only be used by our own personnel. Moreover, any intelligent captive could deliberately provide false information, making it essentially a failed product."
As he spoke, Luo Shu smirked playfully:
"However, when paired with someone possessing Mind Reading abilities, it becomes a different story."
"First, our operative reads the captive's mind, then the mind-reader wears this to convert the obtained intelligence into more intuitive data on the computer. Though roundabout, the intelligence gathered would actually be more accurate."
"That's quite the workaround..." Chisato clicked her tongue before asking curiously: "Speaking of which, where's the mind-reader? And who's testing the new equipment?"
In response, Luo Shu glanced towards the rear door: "Outside."
As he finished speaking, Kurumi operated something nearby, causing the rear door to rise slowly.
There, La Folia appeared in the vehicle's interior, still adjusting her wristband.
Seeing this, La Folia expressed mild surprise:
"My, what's with the sudden door opening?"
Upon noticing La Folia, Chisato's eyes widened.
"Ah! It's the Princess of Aldegia from yesterday!!"
Beside her, Takina also gasped in astonishment.
"Your Highness La Folia?"
"Oh, it's you two!"
La Folia didn't seem overly surprised to see Chisato and Takina, but upon noticing Luo Shu adjusting the headset nearby, she suddenly adopted an affected manner, complaining like a jilted lover:
"So this is why Shu-kun suddenly left my side - to come find you all?"
"Tsk... that thick scent of vinegar... something's off. Their relationship is definitely not normal!" Chisato stammered as if her tongue had tied itself in knots.
Meanwhile, Takina looked surprised: "Your Highness knows Minister Luo Shu?"
La Folia immediately fixed Luo Shu with a resentful gaze:
"How cruel, not even telling your subordinates about my existence. Is this how few rights a lover has?"
"Lover?" Chisato repeated, dumbfounded, before letting out an "Ehh!!" of shock.
"--No way!"
Beside them, Takina Inoue nodded and said, "Looking at Her Highness La Folia's expression, this is definitely a lie."
"Though I don't know why you came here, those words just now were meant to cause trouble, weren't they?"
Hearing Takina's words, La Folia removed her gloves, deactivated the devices on her hands, swiftly boarded the vehicle, and asked Luo Shu:
"Whether it's trouble or not depends on Luo Shu-kun~"
"So, Luo Shu-kun, who am I to you?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu, who was adjusting the equipment, turned his head and tossed a headset to La Folia while saying:
"You're my mistress!"
La Folia laughed cheerfully at his words: "What a delightful answer."
"No way! He actually admitted it!! And the woman is happy about it!!"
Chisato Nishikigi stared blankly at the scene before her, muttering:
"Am I dreaming?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Chisato suddenly yelped in pain and turned to look at Takina, who had pinched her arm:
"Ouch!! Takina, why did you pinch me?"
"Testing if we're dreaming." Takina then gave Luo Shu a strange look and asked directly, "Are you two pulling some kind of prank?"
"That's right~" La Folia said with a sweet smile. "Isn't it fun?"
"Not at all."
Luo Shu glanced at La Folia and said:
"Hurry up and organise the intel you got from mind-reading those cult members. See if there's anything that needs handling."
"Oh, right, the people who were knocked out are still where we left them, right?"
"As per your request, they've been left in place."
La Folia suddenly turned her head and, through the car window, spotted police cars rushing past with sirens blaring:
"The Metropolitan Police Department is mobilised already? That was fast."
"Because I called them." Luo Shu explained, "After all, we should let the remaining Phenex Society members know who captured their comrades, shouldn't we?"
"I see. Let the Metropolitan Police Department take the blame to conceal the Hidden Management Department's involvement?" La Folia said in sudden understanding.
To this, Luo Shu added: "And to make the Metropolitan Police Department owe me a favour. It'd be quite a headache for them if they kept failing to catch the criminals who attacked a princess."
La Folia chuckled: "Should I have my family pressure Japan's government? That way, the favour might be worth more."
"If it's no trouble, go ahead." Luo Shu said this casually before adding, "Put on the headset, adjust your mood, and compile everything the Phenex Society members knew."
"Understood. But can I sit on your lap while recording?"
"If you like."
Watching the two cuddle without any regard for their surroundings, Chisato muttered blankly:
"At this point, if anyone says they're not involved, I wouldn't believe a single word."
Beside her, Takina also looked hesitant:
"But from what I know, they shouldn't have met before yesterday..."
"To win over a princess in just one day... Wow... Is this Director-level capability?"
"This has nothing to do with Director-level capability at all!!"
...
While the two girls were performing their comedy routine...
In an old apartment building.
Juzo Megure, clad in a tan trench coat, clicked his tongue as he looked at the eight unconscious Phenex Society members sprawled on the floor.
"What a generous gift... I suppose I'll be 'Megure boy' for life now?"