"Ugh! What should I do today? I could go visit Division 6, or it might be nice to go into town with Kurumi."
It was lunchtime. Lala stretched her body out on the school rooftop.
Normally, she'd be chatting in the classroom, but in a change of pace, Lala, being the free spirit she was, decided to enjoy the wind on the roof today.
"I really want to talk to Shou more, though."
"Princess Lala, are you truly intent on finding a husband here?"
"Yeah. Of course."
Lala answered cheerfully to the question from Pekke, who was now an earring.
"I want to marry someone I love. But since I don't know what 'love' is yet, I thought I'd study it."
"Study, you say..."
"Everyone living at Shou's house, they all love Shou, right? So I want to ask them all sorts of things to understand what my 'love' is."
Pekke fell silent at her answer. He understood her reasoning. However, he was still concerned.
"I understand your thinking... but from what I've seen, all the students at this school are quite boorish and are not a match for a high-born person like yourself. The fact that Shou Yozuki lives with that many women is, frankly, not normal."
"Is that so? Doesn't that just mean that Shou is very charming? ...Wait, what's that?"
Lala noticed something.
"Hey, Pekke, isn't that..."
Lala's super vision caught sight of something.
"That's Shou over there, isn't it? What's he doing?"
It was Shou, standing by the school pool. He seemed to be looking at the surface of the pool alone.
"Indeed. What is that man doing in a place like that...?"
Pekke also voiced his suspicion.
"Maybe he's going to swim?"
"No, I don't think so..."
But once Lala gets curious, she can't sit still.
"Let's go take a look!"
Lala changed her uniform and grew black wings from her back.
"Princess Lala, please don't fly in the sky..."
"Oh, right."
She remembered how Natsuki had scolded her for using her anti-gravity wings before. In fact, she was forbidden from using any of her inventions to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Then let's just run!"
"Princess Lala, please refrain from running, too. The hallways will become a disaster."
"Okay, I will."
Lala opened the rooftop door and began bounding down the stairs.
---------
"Kidnap Lala?"
"That's right! It's simple, isn't it? Forcibly abducting a high-born daughter, son, or relative! Then demanding money and other things in return!"
I know what that means. I don't need you to explain it.
"This time we're abducting a daughter, and what we're demanding is 'something else'."
You're abducting Lala and demanding 'something else'?
"Information on the Deviluke's technology. There are countless people and countries that want this. It's much better than just getting money; it can be used over and over again! It's a fantastic commodity!"
And then, Lala's study abroad happened. Leaving the side of her powerful father, King Gid, and living a school life with only minimal security was a perfect situation for criminals who sought such opportunities.
The environment had become such that they could simply kidnap her and demand a ransom.
"It's a first-come, first-served game. And we were the first ones to make a move."
"...'We'?"
A cold sweat ran down my back at his words. Does that mean one of them is heading towards Lala right now?
"You're working with others? That guy is—"
"More to the point."
Aqua Necklace cut me off.
"Why are you asking me questions? Do you have the wrong idea that you're in a position to ask questions? You have a hostage right now, remember?"
"..."
I thought I could get information from him since he was talking so much, but it seems it won't be that easy.
"And now, you should understand, shouldn't you? That you have no choice but to say yes?"
"..."
I looked at the unconscious Kirin. She didn't seem to have any injuries. But that only applied to the present.
"If you refuse, I'll kill this young lady right here and now. It'll be a treat, won't it? This transparent pool will be dyed with her fresh blood."
"..."
"And that's not all. I've told you this much. If you don't cooperate, I'll kill you and all the women you live with."
"...!!"
If Aqua Necklace went on a rampage at my house, even with Riko's Killer Queen, there would undoubtedly be casualties.
Seeing my face twitch, Aqua Necklace's lips curled up in a smirk.
"It's not a big deal. You're not especially close to her, are you? It's just a troublesome problem that was forced on you by the Deviluke. There's no need to put yourself and the people around you in danger for something like that, is there?"
Aqua Necklace spoke slowly, lecturing me.
"I'm not asking for anything difficult. Just bring her to a place that's good for me. And then... maybe distract Princess Lala a little when I attack."
"Do you know Lala's strength? I don't think it'll go as well as it did with Kirin. Besides, even if I help you, Lala has other bodyguards."
Even their physical abilities far surpass ours. For a weakling like Aqua Necklace, the possibility of failure is higher, no matter how much they take by surprise.
And outside of school, there's Zastin. Even if they successfully kidnap her, they won't be able to get away. Those guys will chase them to the ends of the earth.
"In that case, you'll have to cooperate with me. Your safety isn't guaranteed unless Princess Lala's kidnapping is successful. And the royal guard should be fine. We've already taken care of them."
Then it's not a 'simple thing' at all. You're trying to make me a full-fledged accomplice in Lala's kidnapping!
And from the outside, I'll look like the perpetrator. Why would I kidnap her? It would be hard to deny it if someone concluded it was "for my sexual desires."
Wait, I really wouldn't be able to deny it if they found out about my relationships!
"A good deduction. I chose you precisely because of that. Well, you can curse your bad luck. Why do you think I've talked this much? To make sure you have no escape, that's why—So? What's your answer?"
Aqua Necklace laughed, as if the answer was already decided.
Is this it? I really wanted to buy a little more time.
"Yeah, it's decided."
"That's good. Saves me a lot of time. Let's start today—"
"Of course, I refuse."
"...Huh?"
My answer made Aqua Necklace let out a stupid sound.
---------
"Princess Lala, this is..."
"Yeah..."
Lala and Pekke were listening to the conversation between Shou and Aqua Necklace. Lala had been about to go out without a second thought, but Pekke, noticing the unusual atmosphere, told her to hide.
Pekke's hunch was right.
What unfolded before them was a negotiation for Princess Lala's kidnapping.
To be precise, it was a scene of Shou being blackmailed, but with this content, he would probably be coerced into cooperating.
"Pekke, what's Shou going to do...?"
Lala's voice was unusually anxious.
"...No, more importantly, we must contact Zastin. That man is no longer reliable."
"Ah, about that... Zastin contacted me this morning. He said everyone got sick."
"What?! Damn it, at a time like this...!!"
This was Aqua Necklace's 'preparation'. They had secretly mixed poison into the water supply of the facility where Zastin and the royal guard were staying.
Zastin and the others who drank it were all taken down. Normally, they would have been hospitalized for two or three days, but being Devilukian, they only suffered from diarrhea.
A few were fine, but they were far from being in perfect condition.
"In any case, we must gather everyone who can move immediately! And Natsuki Minamiya. I've heard she is also very capable! We should ask her for help!"
"O-okay, but we don't know if Shou will accept..."
"Don't be ridiculous!! There is no one who wouldn't accept these conditions! At the very least, he is bound to say yes right now!!"
There was no need to defy the opponent in this place and put the hostage in danger. The most rational course of action would be to pretend to obey and wait for an opportunity to strike back.
However, a person who betrayed them once could not be entrusted with being a bodyguard again. Lala's mother, who had been in favor of this study abroad, would have to reconsider her position after this incident.
If that happened, this short study abroad would likely end. But for now, they had to think about getting through this situation safely.
"—So? What's your answer?"
While they were talking, the conversation between Shou and Aqua Necklace was reaching its final stage.
"Princess Lala, there isn't much time! We must notify the school teachers! And contact Zastin, even if he can't move!"
"O-okay."
Seeing Pekke's anger she had never seen before, Lala obediently took out her special device, the 'D-Dial.'
"Yeah, it's decided."
"That's good. It saves a lot of time. Let's start today—"
"Of course, I refuse."
"...Huh?"
"...Huh?"
"Pe-Pekke?"
Aqua Necklace and Pekke's lines overlapped. Lala's finger, which was fumbling with the device, stopped.
Both of them gave up thinking and began to seriously observe Shou's behavior.
---------
"You refuse... Hey, are you kidding me?"
"Kidding? About what? Don't worry, I understand that you're completely serious about all of this."
"Refusing means that you're okay with this young lady getting killed, you know!?"
Aqua Necklace ostentatiously showed me his sharp-looking nails. They seemed sharp, but his power was only enough to make a scratch on a person.
Seeing that I wasn't intimidated by his bluster, Aqua Necklace continued.
"You were having a good time with this girl yesterday!! That means you have a somewhat deep relationship, doesn't it!? She's a lot more important than that Princess Lala who was forced upon you, isn't she!? Her life is right in front of you!!"
It was true. If you asked me who I was closer to, it was undoubtedly Kirin. I had only known Lala for less than half a month. And since we were in different grades, we were hardly ever together at school.
"Then—"
"But..."
I cut off Aqua Necklace's words.
"That's no reason to abandon Lala."
"Huh—?"
"Yeah, I admit there are times I think of her as a selfish princess. But that doesn't mean a villain like you gets to use her however you want!! I have no intention of letting Lala's selfish wish, which she finally got, end in a place like this."
"(What is this guy...? He's resisting in this situation!? What's he planning? I've confirmed with my sensors that he came to the pool alone! Even if he's working with someone else, even if his allies are watching from here!! My Stand can't be hurt by attacks! And this guy, as a fellow Stand user, should understand that best!!)"
Aqua Necklace stared at me, saying nothing.
"(But I get it now. I understand this one thing. This guy is 'dangerous'!! I must not let him get away. He's an enemy I have to take down right here!!)"
I glanced at the surface of the water. Not at Aqua Necklace, but at "something else."
"...I see. I understand perfectly."
Aqua Necklace's tone of voice changed. He switched his plan. From making me an ally to a different approach.
"Admirable. That's a determination you don't see these days. A real stand-up guy, you could say. That part was an unexpected variable. If you were my ally, I couldn't ask for a stronger one. But as an enemy, you're just a pain in the ass. I can see why you messed up that 'Professor's' deductions."
"..."
He knows about that, too? I'll have to ask him a lot of questions once I take care of everything.
"But that determination is what's going to kill this young lady!! Your fate has been sealed!! Die—!!"
Aqua Necklace tried to enter Kirin's body.
Reading his move, I launched a steel ball before he could.
"Gulp!?"
The steel ball passed through the water and disappeared behind Aqua Necklace. But its spin remained in the water. The vortex it created in his body scattered the water that made up Aqua Necklace.
But it didn't seem to have taken any damage.
"Are you getting scared now? But it's too late!! The moment you turned down my offer, your fate was sealed!!"
Aqua Necklace tried to enter Kirin again. Yeah, the result is already decided.
"Yami, the 'scream'!!"
"Shou!!"
"La-Lala!? Why are you here!?"
"P-Princess Lala!? Wh-why are you here!?"
Lala effortlessly leaped over the fence by the poolside and landed next to me.
My and Aqua Necklace's eyes widened in surprise at Lala's sudden appearance. We were having this kidnapping conference at school, and the person we were talking about had just shown up.
But I had already given the signal.
"Lala!!"
"Whoa!?"
"Y-you, what are—!!"
"Shut up and cover your ears!!"
Pekke had an angry mark, but there was no time to care about that.
Immediately after.
WHOOSH!!!!
"!!?"
Something sliced through the surface of the water and flew out. It wasn't a person. Spreading its wings, it was a bat of an impossible size.
A Mirror Monster, 'Darkwing'.
"Huh? Hey, what is that—"
Aqua Necklace couldn't keep up with the rapidly changing situation. He was just dumbfounded, staring at Darkwing flying over the pool.
We covered our ears.
NASTY VENT
"—!!!!"
Darkwing unleashed a disgusting supersonic scream.
--------------------------------------------
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