After returning inside the building, I realized a problem. I seemed unable to reach anyone.
Not only was there no reply on momotalk, even calling directly only gave me a message saying the other party was outside the service area.
Using the authority of [Listener of the Wind], I could hear intense gunfire coming from deeper inside the structure.
This meant the situation was still optimistic. The enemy must have set up a signal jammer or something similar, and everyone from the Festival Operations Department and Inner Discipline Club was so busy steamrolling their opponents that they hadn't noticed yet.
After confirming that, I rubbed my head, slightly dizzy from using my authority, and moved toward the direction of the gunfire.
Soon after, I ran into the second unexpected issue.
The interior layout of the building was far more complicated than I imagined. Countless forks in the path intertwined in a tangled maze, though most of them connected in some way. With the fresh shell casings on the floor serving as a guide, getting lost wasn't a real concern.
I advanced slowly and cautiously, like taking a casual walk, getting closer and closer to the source of the fighting. The gunshots were now audible even without my authority, yet another change occurred.
In the empty corridor, I clearly heard the clacking of wooden sandals on the floor.
I stopped and looked ahead, then turned back, only feeling that encountering something like this wasn't unexpected at all.
Two of Street Mouryo's problem children stood in line, one in front and one behind, blocking any possible retreat.
"It has been a while, Sensei of Schale."
After Shizuko mentioned them before, I remembered these two who wore a Tengu mask and a Noh mask.
And before they became enemies, even without knowing their names, they had also been my students.
I smiled and greeted them. "Hello. Although, we did just see each other earlier, didn't we."
The one in the Tengu mask clicked her tongue. "Hey, I don't want to think about how the fox of calamity we thought was our trump card turned out to be a fake you sent."
The one in the Noh mask spoke more gently. "You are wandering around our base without a single guard by your side. Isn't that dangerous."
The Tengu mask stepped forward. "If you don't want to get hurt, surrender quietly."
The Noh mask added. "Sensei, please don't resist. I don't want to see you get injured."
Their threats didn't bother me in the slightest.
Up to now, through my relentless effort, a bit of arguably insignificant charm, and a shining inner quality as precious as gold, I had successfully won over nearly double digits of girls.
Even if some of my authorities provided no boost to combat power, I was no longer the powerless weakling I had been when I first arrived.
At the very least, handling two delinquents like this would be a breeze.
First, I would pretend to submit so I could approach, then use the Lion's Majesty to intimidate them. When they were momentarily distracted, I would use the SRT style CQC disarming technique from Infinite Master Arts to take their weapons. The Shittim Chest would cover the risk.
And once I had taken their guns.
I would run.
That was the plan to save as much power in the Shittim Chest as possible while waiting for the students to rescue me.
As for why I wouldn't fight back even after disarming them. Between me and a Kivotos student lay two massive gaps. One was called the halo, the other was physical ability.
Without the offensive boost of a halo, bullets had little to no effect on students protected by one. And if the point was to disarm them for hand to hand combat, while CQC did include grappling and subduing techniques, sheer strength alone would overwhelm me.
Of course, that didn't mean I had no way at all to defeat a student. It would just require burning through my life.
Given all that, escaping remained the best option.
Yes, I had already gone from a weakling who couldn't even run away reliably to a weakling who could likely run away and might even resist a little if pushed.
With a calm face, I said, "All right, let's go."
"Eh? You agreed that easily?" The Tengu mask exclaimed. "We haven't even told you where we're taking you."
I raised a brow. "Isn't it to see Date Meowru."
The Noh mask nodded slightly. "As expected of Sensei, that's correct. Then, please follow us."
The Tengu mask also nodded quickly and took several steps to my side. "That's right. Since you're being so cooperative, this will a smooth journey. Let's go."
And so, surrounded by the two of them, I was more or less escorted toward Date Meowru's hideout.
Since I had at least some ability to protect myself, there was no harm in meeting Date Meowru.
During the walk, neither long nor short, I chatted with the two Street Mouryo captains pushed to road duty. They treated me with relative friendliness, but when I asked their names, they absolutely refused to say.
As delinquents hiding their identities while causing trouble throughout Hyakkiyako, it was normal they didn't want to reveal personal information to a Sensei or Instructor.
Even so, I couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
Not long after, our idle chatter came to an end.
The two led me to a plain looking door. They unlocked it and pushed it open.
We brought him as ordered.
"Well done, Street Mouryo. So you can do your job when you want to. But next time, I hope you will work with this attitude before the enemy reaches our doorstep."
With a voice that carried a faint chill, Date Meowru stood in the center of the room, back to us, hands clasped behind him. First he turned his head, then his full body.
Stroking his long beard, he fixed his gaze on me, green eyes flashing coldly.
"An honor to meet you again, Sensei of Schale."
I looked at the shopping district head who had changed to the point of being hard to recognize, and couldn't help but ask,
"Date Meowru, what happened to your eye? Did someone beat you up?"
He was wearing an eyepatch for some reason. I usually recognized cats and dogs by what they wore, and if I ran into Date Meowru dressed like this on the street, I would have just assumed he was someone who looked like him.
After all, it wasn't like Date Meowru was blind.
Date Meowru's voice turned several degrees colder. "How sharp tongued you are, Sensei of Schale. Hmph. My real name is not Date Meowru. My real name is Masamune, the one eyed dragon who hides in Momoyo Hall's shadow and sinks his roots deep into the darkness. Date Masamune, that is who I am."
I paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "So you're wearing an eyepatch to cosplay some famous person."
Date Meowru's expression turned completely sour.