After organizing everything, Rias tore open a spatial rift and returned directly to Kuoh Academy. Forty minutes later, the teachers and students of Aiho Academy gathered for the second time in the indoor gymnasium today. This time, however, they were all lying down...
Under the hypnotic command, almost everyone had gathered in the indoor gymnasium, which facilitated the white-haired loli's task of knocking them out and Caleb's job of transporting and collecting them. Caleb looked down from the center of the stage. The gymnasium's left side held the boys, and the right side, the girls. Judging by the numbers, the gender ratio at Aiho Academy seemed quite balanced.
Just as Caleb was musing over random thoughts, a spatial rift opened before him, and Rias emerged halfway through.
"Are you all ready?"
"Mhm."
"Then I'll bring the others over."
With that, she was the first to step out of the spatial teleportation channel, followed by a small, unfamiliar girl. The petite girl nodded shyly at Caleb, then bashfully hid behind Rias.
"Mikoto-senpai, no need to pretend here. Also, you're blocking my way." Souna Shitori's cold voice came from the channel. The petite girl pouted, reluctantly moving aside. After the black-haired girl with glasses appeared before Caleb, the spatial channel gradually closed, the narrow rift instantly healing and disappearing. Caleb admired the spatial magic for a moment before turning his attention back to the present.
"Souna-Kaichou, long time no see."
Souna Shitori pushed up the glasses on her delicate nose bridge, chuckling lightly. "Didn't we just see each other at the morning assembly?"
"That's different." Caleb returned the light smile. "I originally planned to visit formally after the assembly, but then this happened."
"Alright, if you want to catch up, you'll have plenty of time later when we return." Rias, feeling a subtle jealousy, stood between the two. "Let's deal with this first. The longer we drag it out, the more troublesome it gets."
Caleb and Souna Shitori exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously.
"Let me be clear. Lifting the hypnosis is no problem, but I cannot modify the memories of this many people all at once." The petite girl, whom Souna Shitori called Mikoto-senpai, suddenly spoke up. Rias's return to Kuoh Academy wasn't just to bring people over, but more importantly, to explain what had happened here. So, Souna Shitori and Mikoto An'in knew the situation before they arrived and understood what they needed to do.
"Mikoto-senpai, you don't need to alter or delete their memories, just make them believe that everything that happened was a dream."
"That's more like it..." The petite girl muttered and began casting her magic. The spirit-based magic was formless and immaterial. Caleb only felt a ripple of magic power in the air, and then the lying students and teachers began to frown tightly, as if having a nightmare.
While Mikoto An'in was lifting the hypnosis, Caleb quietly chatted with Rias and Souna Shitori. "Buchou, Kaichou, who is she? She seems very capable."
"Mikoto An'in, a third-year Senpai who specializes in spirit magic. She was just promoted to a Mid-Class Magician a few days ago," Souna Shitori explained the petite girl's identity, then added, "You should have some memory of her. She was also one of the suspects during the rumor scandal."
"Ah, so it was her. I thought the name sounded familiar." Caleb hadn't paid much attention to the suspect Senpai at the time. With the other two suspects, especially the blonde Yōkai, he hadn't suspected Mikoto An'in at all, immediately dismissing her when he saw her file. It took Souna Shitori's reminder for Caleb to recall her.
"When I investigated and interacted with her, I found that she is very proficient in spirit magic, especially in control-type spirit magic such as hypnosis and manipulation." Rias tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Even after ruling out her suspicion, I maintained communication with her. It was fortunate that I could ask for her help this time."
Caleb asked again, "What did Souna-Kaichou mean by 'no need to pretend' earlier?"
"A magician skilled at manipulating the human mind, do you think she could be as innocent and shy as she appears?" Souna Shitori countered.
"Uh..." Stuttering for a moment, Caleb nodded. "It's certainly unlikely."
While they were chatting, Mikoto An'in had almost finished undoing the hypnosis for everyone, confusing their memories so they believed everything that had happened was a dream.
"Now there's only this girl left..." She let out a weary breath. "Rias, this really exhausted me. Don't forget the compensation you promised."
"Mikoto-senpai, don't worry. The Gremory family keeps its word." Mikoto An'in acknowledged this. The Gremory family's reputation had always been good. She gathered her focus and walked over to the sole victim, concentrating her efforts on lifting the hypnosis and modifying the memory.
The victim had already been cleaned with magic by Akeno Himejima, undergoing magical sterilization both inside and out. The victim, now changed into her uniform, showed an expression of pain as two mental forces continuously clashed in her mind. She had been the most affected of everyone, and modifying her memory also required immense mental pressure. Memory modification was a delicate skill; if the technique was not refined enough, the subject would simply be turned into an idiot.
Five minutes later, Mikoto An'in returned to Rias, rubbing her head. "I can only go this far. As long as she isn't stimulated again, she should never remember this incident for the rest of her life."
"Thank you, Mikoto-senpai." Rias's red hair billowed as she revealed her Devil form. "Now, it's time to find that malicious Sacred Gear. If this situation happens again, I would be too embarrassed to trouble Mikoto-senpai again."
Souna Shitori also revealed her Devil form, standing side-by-side with Rias in the air. "I'll cast the detection magic; the capture is up to you." Souna Shitori hadn't come here just to watch. As Rias's friend, Rias had specifically brought her along to help deal with the 'culprit.'
"Leave it to me. Even if I have to destroy this Sacred Gear, I won't allow it to continue wreaking havoc." Rias's magic power surged throughout her body. The escaping aura was filled with a terrifying destructive quality. Just feeling this aura was enough to startle the heart. Destroying a Sacred Gear was practically impossible unless one's strength reached the level of a Maou. But Rias was different. Her magic's characteristic was destruction. Dealing with a Sacred Gear that had lost its host, she had a strong chance of succeeding.
Souna Shitori's strength was on par with Rias. Under her full-power detection magic, the glasses had absolutely nowhere to hide.
"Rias, it's in the crown of the third cherry blossom tree on the left side of the courtyard..."
Rias spread her wings and flew without hesitation, deep-red magic power condensing into a tangible form in her hand. The Sacred Gear, sensing danger, used its transfer ability again.
"It has moved to the science lab, the middle drawer of the third row of desks," Souna Shitori instantly communicated with Rias.
"Understood." Rias changed direction, flying toward the science lab.
After the same thing happened three times, the culprit finally stayed put. Its instantaneous transfer wasn't without limits, and the energy it had accumulated through its hosts had been completely depleted. Rias picked up the malicious Sacred Gear with a hand enveloped in magic. After a moment of thought, she ultimately decided not to put it on. The best way to learn a Sacred Gear's function, costs, or limitations was to use it. But the thought of the sleazy fat man having worn it made her instinctively reject the idea.
"Forget it, I'll just seal it and take it back." Rias decided not to investigate the Sacred Gear further and would simply seal it and place it in the family vault. Sacred Gears were quite valuable, considered strategic resources. The Gremory family's vault held many Sacred Gears in this condition. Their effects, costs, and limitations varied. But they were excellent choices, whether for trading with other families or serving as temporary combat power amplifiers.
Just as Rias was about to place it into the storage space she had created, the glasses suddenly flashed red again, escaping her grasp.
Buzz—
The red flash impacted the pale-yellow barrier but failed to break it.
"Hmm?" Feeling the barrier wobble, Akeno Himejima hummed in surprise.