Crouched down in that alleyway, my palm was placed on the forehead of the man who Layla had attacked. His temperature felt normal, and physically, he seemed unharmed. Beyond that simple checkup, I was still unsure of how to proceed.
When she stared down at him, she had a certain look in her eyes. Without uttering a single word, the air around her shifted in order to reflect her disposition. She was disappointed. I was sure that's what she was feeling in that moment. But as I looked down at this man I just couldn't understand what had disappointed her.
He seemed to be an average working-class man. Judging by the watch on his wrist and his brand name suit he may have even been a kind of high-ranking employee at some company. She did mention that she could read minds... If even a man like this disappointed her then her criteria must be something about the target's mentality.
Mentality... When I think about it, I find myself somewhat ashamed that I couldn't give her a proper answer to her questions. It was just that I—
"Veri! Stop all your meaningless musing at once! This is a direct order from your empress and I won't stand any backtalk regarding the matter. What happened today was nothing to be stressed over. We'll simply deal with it when the time arises.", Cacophony's booming voice negated whatever thoughts had been flowing through my mind.
Sometimes, I do have to wonder how seriously Cacophony takes these deeply serious situations. I mean, given her strength I understand a level of confidence, but this borders on hubris and lethargy.
For some odd reason though, I still found myself smiling at her.
"Fine, if that's the case then I shall allow you just this once to order me around in such a crude and blunt manner. Instead of worrying over the appearance of that rogue agent from the Union of Light, I shall focus my attention on saving this man. Luckily, I noticed an Urgent Care on the way here with Fang. Let's get moving."
Picking the man up off the ground, Cacophony smirked, "Perfect. That brazenness is exactly what makes you such an adorable servant."
-Inside Dragon Mojo a few moments after Cacophony left.
"What? Have you got an upset stomach or something?"
Seated on the floor, Meiying shot a sidelong glance at Farra as she approached. The expression marking Farra's face was some distorted brand of unpleasantness and melancholy. It was as though she'd just gone through every circle of hell and returned.
"You enjoy your chat with that lady? The hell'd she go anyway?", Meiying asked.
Sitting down next to Meiying, Farra grabbed onto her arm like a scared child. In response, Meiying instantly attempted to pull away.
"That woman made me go through all sorts of uncomfortable small talk! That type of useless chatter makes me feel old. It's like I'm a mom at some kind of stupid get-together!"
"Well, we are getting to be around that child having age... And where did she go?", As she spoke Meiying kept attempting to tug her arm free from Farra's fearsome grasp. She pressed the issue regarding Cacophony's disappearance, deep in her gut she simply had an odd feeling.
"In the middle of a sentence, she just bolted. Maybe she had some last-minute arrangement she'd forgotten about. And we? If you ever had a kid, whoever got you pregnant would need a serious investigation. Bet their hard drive would be full of questionable—"
"Right here? In some dusty dojo. This is where you choose to die of all places?"
As they talked, the match between Kana and Fang had just concluded. To the surprise of no one, Fang had lost. The only reason that the match had gone on so long was that Kana was purposely drawing it out. She enjoyed seeing Fang's desperation as she was allowing him to hang on by a thread. Kana and Meiying seemed to have a similar sadistic nature, though Kana only acted that way with Fang.
On the ground, Fang panted heavily, barely catching his breath. Kana marched over to him, extending a hand with a broad grin. "Had fun, didn't you?"
Fang looked up at her and took her hand. "Sorry, I'm not someone who can take pleasure from fighting."
On the sidelines, both Tiana and Master William clapped as they concluded their bout. Tiana in particular seemed like she was deeply invested in watching the match. If I had to guess, she was looking out for weaknesses in Kana that she could later exploit.
-Fang
After being helped to my feet, I shot Meiying and Farra a dirty look.
They still haven't made their move yet. Do they enjoy these childish antics so much that they've forgotten what they came for? Man, I wish that was the case, but I can't sink my teeth into an explanation like that. Getting me to believe something like that is like climbing a tree to catch a fish. If I were to be more serious for a moment, there's only one way out of this situation.
I have to do what I'd been hoping I could avoid all this time. Kana, Tiana and I will speak with those ranking officers directly! I'd wished to avoid something like this, but there just isn't anything I can do. With Veri and Cacophony gone, two of the three people they believe to be nonmages have disappeared. Based on my previous visits here, it's likely that Master William will leave soon as well.
Giving a false testimony might seem like the most obvious solution, but there's one distinct reason that I'd wished to avoid it. That girl, Meiying, is known as the Tiny Judge. People say that she has a knack for knowing when people lie to her. She's like a hound dog. Not only that, but her partner is an issue in and of itself. Farra the Mystic Database. The second battalion is centered around gathering information, but even still she's notable for her level of knowledge. When it comes to magic, spells, world events, or even gossip, it's like she has a third eye.
Those two make for a dangerous combination. Together, they're a nightmare of truth-hunting, information-gathering precision. It'll be hard to lie to them, but I'll have to work something out.
Luckily, I doubt that Tiana will have any issues lying. She's so much of an airhead that I doubt she even realizes what's happening right now. She likely is only thinking about all of this on a surface level. God bless her ignorance, it'll allow her to get past Meiying's lie detection and Farra's absurd pool of knowledge.
When it comes to Kana, she acts like a goofball, but I bet she understands the situation by now. Even without me saying anything, today's events should've been more than enough to give away Meiying and Farra's true identities. Meiying showing off all that energy in her fight with Veri was a mistake. Then again, that makes it less likely that Kana will be able to pass the lie detection...
No, she'll be fine. She doesn't know anything about Cacophony yet. When it comes to the important questions she won't even have to lie. The only issue would be if they ask about why we've been avoiding them. When it comes to that question...
I stood tall and took a deep breath. At this moment, what I need to do is steel myself. If this turns into a battle, our chances of winning are basically zero. Beating two ranking officers after going through sparring just doesn't seem realistic. Even if we were at full power I'd have some doubts.
I'll rely on Kana. She has the sense to get through with her own ability. I'm sure she'll figure out a way to just barely get by.
As I came back down to reality, I saw that Kana had a sneaky smirk on her face. It was as though she wished to say 'So you're finally going to make your move?'
Ignoring her, I began walking toward Master William and Tiana. It was then that I started to realize something. I patted my pocket and felt around my neck, but there was no sign of it being there.
'My necklace, my family necklace!'
I hated, no, despise my family, but that necklace is different. Despite it being made as a symbol of my family, I detached it from them and gave it my own meaning. It was a memory, a vulgar memory, one that I refused to allow myself to forget. The materialization of what I never wished to return to. Even though it might seem silly, without it I felt uncomfortable.
"Wait here for a minute," I murmured to Kana. Pivoting, I marched toward the changing room.
On the way, my mind spun with the upcoming conversation. If it came down to a one-on-one with either Meiying or Farra, it could get dicey fast. With Farra, I'd stand a better chance. I felt like I could figure out some method of working around her excessive knowledge. That might only be wishful thinking, but at the very least she was less aggressive compared to Meiying. On top of that, I'd have to lie constantly which makes Meiying's lie detection dangerous.
I reached the changing room and yanked open my locker, fingers brushing through what little stuff I had placed inside. Still, I couldn't find my necklace. It was odd, sweat began to form on my brow as I considered another possibility.
It was at that same moment that my fear was confirmed.
A hand clamped down on my shoulder, it caused me to freeze in place. My heart hammered in my chest and my expression became dark.
A quiet, familiar voice whispered into my ear, "It's time you and I had a little chat. I've got some questions for you, you annoying brat."
I lamented my bad luck. No, I lamented my ignorance. I'd fallen right into their hands. I have to wonder when it was that they took it. I underestimated them by assuming that they'd been passive.
Well, that voice and that stature could only be one person.
Meiying.