“…That’s why I’m certain they’re up to no good.”
Mira explained how she had found those three sneaking around in a deserted part of the park. In response, Hattori Nyanzo announced, “Yes, that reeks of evil meow. Something must be afoot,” agreeing with Mira’s assessment.
“That’s where you come in. I want you to get as close as you can without them noticing.”
Mira then outlined her plan, which was nothing complicated. She just wanted Hattori Nyanzo to get close enough to the three to be able to listen in. That was all.
Her side of the plan involved testing out the next step in Sense Sync she had researched in the Tower, being able to receive both visual and aural information. Hattori Nyanzo was specialized in being silent, so he could get much closer to the target than she could, and with him in position, she would use his eyes and ears to gather information.
This made things way more straightforward as she would hear everything herself, instead of having to rely on a report after the fact. And Hattori Nyanzo would be able to ignore their conversation and focus on keeping watch for approaching guards, while Mira did the listening, keeping them even more hidden.
“Go now, Hattori Nyanzo. I’m counting on you.”
“Your wish is my command, meow.”
Mira gave the signal to go, and Hattori Nyanzo vanished into the darkness. He really knew how to sneak around, but after Mira looked around for a bit, she noticed something white swaying amongst the trees.
It was his sign, which currently read “Actively Stealthing”, even though the white rectangle of the sign was almost glowing in the darkness.
Mira informed him of that, and Hattori Nyanzo hurried to bring down the sign, only for it to reappear on his back a few seconds later. This time the sign itself was black, and the letters were white. There did not seem to be an option for the sign to be completely gone.
While that nonsense continued, Hattori Nyanzo had made his way to the three, and was close enough to hear them.
Mira leaned against the hut to remain hidden and focused, activating Sense Sync with Hattori Nyanzo. Thanks to all her training, she was already used to doing that, and it only took her three seconds to activate it. Soon enough, she also heard the three voices.
“…same for you then? At this point, do you think that Oracle is even real?”
“I think we’re in this situation precisely because it’s real.”
“Then why is no one coming after us yet? I don’t get it.”
All three of them had male voices, wary of their surroundings as they spoke in whispers. But Hattori Nyanzo’s ears were sharp and could clearly pick up everything they said, transmitting it to Mira.
Mira had only started listening halfway through, but so far she could guess that the three were searching for someone they referred to as the Oracle.
As they continued to talk, Mira discovered that even those three did not know much about the Oracle, not the name, age, or even whether it was a male or a female, only that the Oracle lived in Nirvana. That meant they had an incredibly broad area to search, making them rather grumpy about it.
“At the very least, they could’ve sent more men with us. This is supposed to be an important mission, right? Then why just us?”
“There was no way around it. The more of us come, the easier it’ll be to notice us. And they’ve increased vigilance because of the whole tournament too.”
“Yeah, and don’t forget that we’re in Nirvana. If they spot us, they’ll sic those Twelve Apostles on us, and they might even track us back to our organization.”
They were making very little progress and just continued complaining. But at least they left a few breadcrumbs relating to who they were.
“Is there really no other way to get rid of that Oracle?”
“They already tried and failed, that’s why they sent us. The Oracle’s powers really are the worst.”
“Something about seeing the future, was it? And that ruined a bunch of business deals for our boss already. I don’t think we’ll be left very alive if we fail either…”
They also lamented the fact that such an annoying mission had been pushed onto their arms.
(I don’t think they’re thieves anymore…)
At first, Mira thought those suspicious men had gathered deep in the forest to discuss a hit on one of the nearby rich mansions, but things went in a different direction. They were assassins sent by some organization.
They had also mentioned some Oracle in Nirvana, who had the ability of seeing the future and had ruined business for their organization, which was why the assassins had been sent out.
But Nirvana was well prepared, and the assassins had no luck tracking down the Oracle, as was evident by their incessant complaining.
(Hmm… That’s interesting. I wonder what that Oracle thing is all about…)
Mira understood why the three men had gathered there now, but she still wondered about that Oracle. She did not remember anyone like that in Nirvana thirty years in the past, making her curious.
But that did not stop her from making up her mind. There were assassins targeting the Oracle, and she would not allow that to happen.
She was getting ready to apprehend the three when one of them finished his grumbling and said something else.
“Anyway, we should probably return and report to the boss at this point. We’ve searched everywhere and haven’t found a trace of the Oracle, so a different approach might be needed.”
Mira could infer from that that they had a hideout somewhere, as well as the existence of a boss. The other two were not so sure, and instead wanted to keep searching for another day. It was clear that they were afraid of upsetting their boss.
(Maybe it’s better if I let them show me the way to their hideout then.)
Rather than capturing the three there, it was better to let them go to find their hideout, and then capture them together with their boss.
Deciding on that, she released Sense Sync and proceeded to deploy a Rosario Summoning Circle to bring out the spirit of stillness Worthramble, to have the best chances of tailing them all the way to their hideout.
“Alright, please activate optical and aural camouflage.”
Mira told him what to do as soon as he was there, quickly reaping yet another fruit of her training and research. Now she could use those two abilities at the same time, enhancing her ability to sneak around, while avoiding the much harsher time limit of Complete Suppression.
“Umm, okay.”
Worthramble quickly did as told, and once they were concealed he asked, “So what exactly is the situation here?” while looking around at the dark park.
“Oh, right, I almost forgot…”