Naki bowed in appreciation, "Thanks, Habiki."
Her cheeks turned red as she looked away, embarrassed.
As student president and prodigy, people usually shy away from her.
For the first time someone truly needed her, she was having trouble handling the occasion.
"Ehmm, d-don't mention it." She cleared her throat and folded her hands.
"But I have one condition. None of this 'concept of trust' business when I'm around, got it?" she said, leaning forward, pointing at Naki
"Y-yes ma'am!" Naki responded like a recruit
"Good good", she nodded and relaxed her mood
Naki was wrapping cloth around his sigil hand once more
"So, got any ideas?" Naki asked
"Well, the obvious step would be to curry some favor from the devil. We can't risk any movements until those mercy points are down."
"That means..."
"Yes, you'd have to decide a path to take, and fast."
Naki grabbed the cloak from the floor
"A path will not only give us more time, but it'll also reveal the details and hints of the mission," she continued
"Paths were between Merphisto, Lohki, and Grimm, yes?"
"Yes. This should go without saying, but Grimm's path is not an option." Habiki frowned.
"I understand," he said, putting on the cloak. "So we either tempt someone or instigate a crime that promotes chaos."
Habiki nodded, "Those are the devil's rules. Do you have any approach in mind?"
"...the approach will be informed by the plan."
"The plan?" Habiki asked curiously.
With hand to chin, Naki thought for a while, "You know Bisky well, right?"
"I would say so," she nodded, walking to Naki
"You said she'll demand I use my power if I intend to impress her. What kind of demands do you think she'd have?" he asked.
"Ever since Bisky joined Emile's circle, she's more or less been delinquent."
"She rarely shows up for study halls and is prone to reckless behaviors."
Naki smiled, "To impress her, I'll need to compliment that behavior then."
She tensed up, "Compliment her behavior?"
"From what you've described, I'd say Bisky revels in acts of crime."
Naki triggered on the Sigil's interface and swiped over to the Vessel's path
"Lohki, the trickster, would be the best fit to match her actions."
"I see. By implementing the devil's own techniques to crime, you'd both meet and exceed her abilities. As such, she'd have no other choice but to be interested."
"Exactly", Naki turned off the interface.
"The only problem is, what...crime, will I have to commit to unlock this path while recovering some mercy at the same time," Naki contemplated their next move.
Habiki's bell earrings glowed,
"[The devil child is living the persona of another. What if he makes that permanent?]" Keifa whispered to Habiki.
Habiki nodded and turned to Naki.
"What did she propose?" he asked
"A feasible plan. Let's talk more on the way out."
Naki nodded as they began their journey home.
The Facility Corridors
They were discussing their next steps.
"I'm sure you're aware of this, but currently you're impersonating another student-instructor who was scheduled to visit the academy this week."
"Yeah. Samantha confused me with someone else."
Habiki sighed, "His name is Irauki, and she wanted me to be in charge of his onboarding."
"(I know, but you had another child at home didn't you. Divine god's forbid I say this out loud though)" Naki grumbled in silence
"If this Irauki makes it to the headmaster, we run the risk of you getting kicked out of the academy, or worse."
Naki gulped, "not good. The mission will be extremely difficult to achieve in that case."
"Exactly."
Listeria Academy Grounds - Sage TrainingSector
They reached the outside, it was dusk, and most of the students were in groups heading back to their various dorms.
"Something needs to be done about Irauki."
Habiki stopped by the entrance and turned around.
"And it needs to happen before he gets here."
"...How much time do we have left?" Naki asked
"Not much. We only have until midnight," she replied
"You sound certain, why?"
Habiki smiled and resumed walking
"As soon as word reached me the new student-instructor goes by the name 'Naruki' instead of Irauki, I activated my scouting network."
Habiki flicked her finger, then an owl with sun-shaped amber eyes appeared on her left shoulder
Naki was slightly startled by its sudden appearance.
"An owl!?" he asked
Habiki followed that by tossing a wood carving of an owl statue to Naki
"Whoa whoa," he fumbled with his handling before finally catching it. "Hm? A wooden owl carving?"
"I have planted a number of those in areas I frequent outside the academy. One of them includes the pathway to the academy."
Habiki pointed to the owl on her shoulder
"The statues are connected to her eyes. What they see, she sees as well. Then, this information is communicated to me."
"Currently, Irauki's caravan is undergoing maintenance. So he got in a nearby tavern to wait out the repairs."
"Huh, you really are a prodigy", Naki commented, impressed by her foresight.
"I wouldn't say I'm proud of this...spy network. But sometimes these measures are necessary. Like right now, it tells us the caravan will be done soon with their repairs."
"Once that is settled, they'll set off again. Going by estimation, they should arrive here sometime before midnight," she explained.
"I see"
They soon arrived at the girls' dorms.
"I'll be frank, Naki." She stopped walking. "We will have to attack the caravan before it gets here, and we will have to do so discreetly."
"Discreet enough so no one recognizes us-" she said
"And chaotic enough to scare them away while ensuring no one dies," Naki completed her statement
Habiki nodded and commanded her owl.
"*hoot, hoot*" the owl left her shoulder
"Meet me by the gates at lights out. We shall begin the operation then."
The owl made its way to Naki, flapping its wings
"Whoa! What's up with owlie here?" he's moving his head around, trying to avoid the owl
"Follow her. She'll guide you to your room in the instructors' quarters."
Habiki started returning to her room
"You sure I won't get in trouble with this flapping about?"
"Haha, you'll be fine. Go on, use the time to rest and eat something. You'll need the energy tonight."
She waved a brief farewell and entered the female dorms.
Naki stared at the owl hooting
"Huh, guided by an owl. How magical indeed."
Then he thought for a while about catching up with Maya.
"(I could finally get to her...but I can't run the risk of losing sight of the owl)"
Deciding to postpone his meeting with Maya for now, he focused on the owl.
"Well then, my little owl friend, lead the way."
"*hoot hoot*"
The owl took charge, flying steadily ahead.
Naki maintained close proximity
The Instructors' Retreat
The Owl had guided Naki to a well-decorated porch of a mansion that belonged to the instructors of the academy
"Whoa!!" his eyes caught a glimpse of the gardens and the mansion house ahead
The mansion had various arcane spheres floating around, featuring soaring towers and magical emblems on the walls.
Several ephemeral butterflies and fireflies were circumventing the garden flowers, reflecting on the glittering water fountain in the center of the grounds.
The aura around the mansion was magical, and the infrastructure was more fantasy than modern.
The owl made its way to one of the tower's windows and settled
"Over there huh."
Naki confidently made his way towards the room.
Instructors' Retreat - Naki's Room
The room matched the theme on the outside, well ventilated with violet curtains.
Fresh flower jars and spacious enough for meditation activities.
The table ahead had a stockpile of magical books to study and a full bowl of apples.
There was a half-open wardrobe that teased a wide collection of full cloaks and instructor uniforms.
Naki whistled, "Niiiiiicee!!"
He made his way to the table and grabbed an apple. Gave it a small bite
"Hmmm, tastes good."
The owl hooted loudly, drawing his attention. He went to the windows and saw it flapping about
"Heh, you did well, little guy. Why don't you come in and make yourself at home"
"*hoot hoot*" The owl disappeared, leaving just a feather behind.
Naki left his hand hanging as the feather settled on his palm
"Must've returned to Habiki with her mission complete, I suppose."
Naki stared into the distance. The sun had almost set, and nighttime was fast approaching
"Can only wish our mission goes by as smoothly as hers did."
"Come what may, we have to succeed tonight."
He clenches his hand into a fist, reinforcing his resolve to see the mission through