Under the catalysis of magic power, the deep, ornate magic circle gradually glowed and turned red. As the magic power continued to flow in, the paper disintegrated, and the black-and-red magic circle hovered in the air, emitting a dazzling light.
Caleb narrowed his eyes, shielding his forehead with his hand, trying to observe the movement of the magic circle. The red glow twisted, and the gorgeous, complex magic circle projected a doorway. A straight, long leg encased in a black, knee-high leather boot stepped out of the portal made of magic power.
Tap, tap, tap~
To the crisp sound of the heel striking the floor, the owner of the long legs gracefully walked out of the portal. Her silky, scarlet hair moved without any breeze. Looking at the exquisite face, Caleb suddenly widened his eyes. "Rias-Buchou?!"
Before he could finish his astonishment, two more familiar figures appeared from behind the door.
"Akeno-senpai, and Koneko?!"
After Koneko Toujou walked out, the magic circle in the air began to dissipate. The glaring red light dimmed until it vanished completely. Caleb stared blankly at the three people before him. So, the so-called use in a moment of crisis was just calling for backup...
"Akira, long time no see." Rias smiled and greeted Caleb. "I just heard from Akeno that you took an emergency support scroll. I didn't expect you to use it right away."
When he saw Souna Shitori return, Caleb guessed Rias might have returned too, but he hadn't expected to meet her under these circumstances.
"Buchou, long time no see." Caleb gave a wry smile. "I'm already causing you trouble as soon as you get back."
"You are my Peerage. Your business is my business. No need to be polite." Rias hugged Caleb tightly. The warm, soft Big Bunnies gave Caleb a face massage.
Rumble~~~
Just as Caleb was irrevocably immersed in the face wash, the ground suddenly trembled, and a dense, dark mass surged toward the gymnasium door.
"Buchou, this doesn't seem like the time for catching up." Akeno Himejima, while using her magic to shock the people rushing at them, reminded Rias, "It seems Akira is indeed in big trouble."
"Mmmph-uuh~~" Caleb struggled to escape the assault of the two large white bunnies, pulling his face out of Rias's chest. "Buchou, Akeno-senpai, and Koneko." His expression was serious. "The specific situation is complicated, but simply put, these ordinary people have been hypnotized. The target to deal with is the person who cast the hypnosis."
Akeno Himejima, zapping the people who pounced on them, said, "To hypnotize so many people at once, it seems Akira has truly encountered a thorny enemy this time."
The white-haired loli expressionlessly threw a tall boy who lunged at her, incidentally knocking down a large group behind him. "Akira, you owe me another ice cream afterward."
"Another?" Rias spread her wings behind her and carried Caleb into the air, ignoring the crimson-eyed crowd below. "Koneko, when did you get an ice cream from Akira?"
The white-haired loli's already expressionless face seemed to stiffen even more. Oops, she let it slip. She refused to answer Rias's question, burying herself in the crowd, trying to distract with fighting.
Caleb wrapped his arm around Rias's slender waist, not having time to enjoy the thrill of flying. He said helplessly, "Buchou, this isn't the time to worry about that."
"Besides, rather than worrying about that, I'm more concerned if you might have a wardrobe malfunction like this." He knew exactly what color panties Rias and Akeno Himejima wore each week, and he naturally knew that neither of them habitually wore safety shorts.
Rias laughed delightfully. "What's wrong? Is Akira jealous?"
"A little." Caleb honestly nodded. More than jealousy, he felt it was possessiveness. Rias looked stunned, caught off guard by Caleb's candid answer. Her older woman aura momentarily deflated, revealing a rare look of shyness.
"Ara ara~~" Akeno Himejima watched the scene, saying sourly, "Buchou-sama, we're busy down here. How can you still have time for flirting?" She was jealous of both Caleb and Rias. Watching the two of them being affectionate felt like her 'girlfriend' was stealing her boyfriend...
Caleb took the opportunity to steer the conversation back to the main topic. "Buchou, the person who cast the hypnosis should still be in the broadcasting room..." He briefly explained the previous events and his suspicion that the glasses were a Sacred Gear. To avoid misleading Rias and the others, he emphasized that the Sacred Gear part was just a conjecture. Caleb felt comfortable being the commentator. With the cooperation of the white-haired loli and Akeno Himejima, all Caleb had to do was hold Rias's soft, fragrant body.
By the time he finished explaining, there were no conscious people left in the gymnasium, but more hypnotized teachers and students who had heard the broadcast were converging from all parts of the campus. The four left the gymnasium, avoiding the surging crowd, and headed toward the broadcasting room.
On the way, Akeno Himejima directed her Lesser Devil Familiar to check other areas, which included Little Kuro. The small familiar hadn't paid any attention to Caleb since Akeno Himejima appeared.
Pushing open the broadcasting room door, the room was empty. Only the messy desk and the open microphone proved that the sleazy fat man had indeed been there.
"Akeno, seal this place off first." Under Rias's instruction, Akeno Himejima prepared a large-scale barrier. A minute later, a pale-yellow, semi-circular dome enveloped the entire Aiho Academy. From a distance, it looked like an eggshell. Many people with supernatural abilities noticed the anomaly here. Just as they planned to investigate, Rias infused her aura and the Gremory family crest into the barrier.
"Tch... It's the Gremory family..."
"Hehe, making such a big fuss. It looks like this trouble is quite significant..." There were expressions of disdain, disappointment, and schadenfreude, but no one approached the area.
"Alright, now we can slowly deal with this incident." Akeno Himejima wiped the sweat from her forehead. Such a large-scale barrier was quite taxing for her.
Caleb supported Akeno Himejima, worried. "I only hope that guy hasn't run out yet..."
"Whether the person who cast the hypnosis is still here or not, the barrier is necessary," Rias explained to Caleb. "Undoing the hypnosis on so many people here is not a simple task." Caleb nodded. Indeed, if this hypnotized crowd went outside and talked nonsense, it could easily cause greater unrest. Even if they remained silent, they couldn't just be left alone.
After a short rest, Akeno Himejima had mostly recovered. She straightened up and nodded slightly to Caleb in thanks. "Buchou, should I search for the target first, or break the hypnosis?"
Rias pondered for a moment. "Let's search first. Although I know spirit-based magic, I'm not particularly proficient."
"I also think we should search for the person first. Maybe once we get the Sacred Gear, the hypnosis will be naturally lifted."
"But the other people on campus pounce on us as soon as they see us. It makes moving around very inconvenient." The white-haired loli looked at her skirt, which had been torn in the close combat, and was not happy.
"That's true..." Just as everyone was undecided, a familiar small black spherical object flew in through the doorway. It circled Akeno Himejima for a bit. Akeno Himejima smiled, clapping her hands. "Ara ara~~ Everyone, no need to worry. The target has been found."
"Good job," Rias praised the small familiar and asked, "Akeno, where is the target hiding?"
Akeno Himejima blinked and revealed the location in three words.
"The girls' locker room."
Caleb subconsciously looked at Little Kuro. So that's where he was hiding. No wonder the little guy found him so quickly. Little Kuro had been monitoring Aiho Academy for so long. Because Caleb instructed it to follow Sakura Miyajima and the Takamine sisters, the most frequented places, aside from the classrooms and gymnasium, were the girls' locker room and the girls' restroom.
Of course, before making this decision, Caleb had confirmed the gender of Little Kuro. The Lesser Familiar currently had no gender, and its gender would only be decided when it was strong enough to take on a human form. Although he didn't know when the little familiar would reach that level of power, Caleb had already warned it which gender to choose. If the little familiar was disobedient, he would have to personally perform a gender reassignment surgery on it.