"We’re here. It looks like this is the Society of Friends of the Night Assembly Hall."
"Huh, so this is the place... I’d imagined them huddling together in some back-alley ruin, but this is nothing like that."
The day after Raiha had come to him for help, Yugo had arrived at the assembly hall of the Society of Friends of the Night—a gathering for those who worshipped Kurotobari as a hero—alongside his companions.
In Yugo's mind, a cultish gathering like this was supposed to take place under the cover of darkness within the crumbling walls of an abandoned building. The reality of the scene before him was a far cry from those expectations.
Despite it still being relatively early in the day, a steady stream of people was filing into an ordinary, well-maintained building. Seeing just how much Kurotobari was being idolized left the group with a complicated knot of emotions.
"There are so many people here. I'm honestly shocked."
"We can't afford to make any careless moves," Setsuna warned. "If word gets out that we don't share their devotion to Kurotobari, they’ll likely put us through hell."
The crowd didn't consist of just ten or twenty people; it looked like far more had gathered within.
Yugo nodded at Setsuna's words, realizing things would turn disastrous if they managed to provoke the entire mob. Thinking it best to finish their business and retreat as quickly as possible, he turned to Raiha.
"It looks more dangerous than I thought. Let's find Amamiya-san and get out of here."
"Understood. Please leave Sakura-chan's location to me. I've had a Shikigami following her."
As she spoke, Raiha pulled a piece of paper cut into the shape of a person from her coat pocket.
Once she funneled her magic power into it, the slip of paper floated gently into the air and began to drift away of its own accord.
"Whoa! Awesome! You can do stuff like that too!?"
"It’s fairly basic Shrine Maiden Arts. Setsuna-chan and Sakura-chan can do this much, too."
"...Hey, Ann. Is it possible to add a function to the Blaster that lets it launch small reconnaissance familiars like that?"
"It's not impossible," Anhel replied as the group's engineer. "But I think it would be better if you simply learned how to handle a familiar yourself rather than trying to build it into the armor's systems."
Yugo nodded, conceding the point.
He supposed it wasn't wise to try and cram every single feature into a transformation item. He didn't have a familiar of his own, but he did have Skull, so he figured he was doing all right. Still, the idea that a small support mech was an essential piece of hero gear weighed on his mind, prompting him to ask Anhel another question.
"...Hey, it doesn't have to be part of the armor, but could you make me some support mechs like those Seven Detective Tools? Maybe something shaped like fast food items...?"
"Hah? What are you even talking about? Stop saying stupid things and focus on finding Sakura."
"Yes, ma'am..."
In truth, he also wanted support mechs that could be deployed from vending machines around the city, or perhaps animal discs that transformed when struck with a tuning fork, but it seemed such romantic notions were lost on her.
Determined to handle those gadgets himself without relying on Anhel, Yugo felt a tug on his sleeve from Melt, who was walking beside him.
"Hey, Yugo... have you noticed? I’ve spotted several Luminous Academy students in the crowd."
"Wait, seriously...!?"
Naturally, Yugo and his friends had come in civilian clothes to hide their identities.
Because of that—and because Yugo didn't have a particularly wide social circle at the academy—he hadn't noticed. However, the well-connected Melt had realized that several familiar faces were attending the Society of Friends of the Night gathering.
Kurotobari might have been hailed as an emissary of justice, but his actions were undeniably criminal.
Yugo wondered if it was right for Luminous Academy students—youths aspiring to become Magic Knights and protectors of public order—to sympathize with a criminal's ideology. However, he reminded himself that Melt might have been mistaken, or perhaps they were there to observe the group for their own reasons just like he was. He decided to put the matter aside for the moment.
"...! The Shikigami’s reaction is getting stronger. We’re almost there!"
Following the paper doll further into the building, the group scanned their surroundings.
Certain that Sakura was nearby, they searched the crowd until they spotted a familiar figure: a tall girl with long hair tied back. They hurried toward her.
"...Found you, Sakura."
"Eek!? Th-That voice... Setsuna!? R-Raiha, and the rest of the gang too...!? Wh-Why are you here...!?"
"That's my line. Why are you participating in a meeting like this? Surely you haven't actually fallen for Kurotobari’s rhetoric, have you?"
"It—it is a misunderstanding, I say! There is a profound reason for this...!!"
Setsuna gripped the girl's shoulder, interrogating her with a slightly intimidating aura. As the flustered Sakura tried to explain herself, a voice called out to the group—or more specifically, to the cornered Sakura.