[Part 3/4]
"T-That's..."
At Shinobu's remark, Suzune displayed a pained expression. Suzune herself was well aware of this fact. Even so...!!
"Even so, hurting the hostage would be aningless, wouldn't it? As a warning, you'd only punish once, right? You've thought it through well, and that's quite a noble determination."
"...!!!?"
Right now, it was as if she had been seen through Suzune. Could she have read her mind? Or had she unconsciously set up so kind of verbal trap? No, what matters now is not that...!!
"Don't move from there. If you do sothing like that, the child above princess' head might get surprised, you know?"
Suzune's prostration and pleading were halted by the threat. Tension, fear, and impatience cornered Suzune. Should she have observed a bit more before acting? However, there hadn't been many opportunities like the previous one. Whatever the case, it's too late now. The current Suzune is like a fish on a chopping block.
"Well then, in light of your spirit, should I grant your wish this ti?"
"T-That is..."
Self-punishnt, perhaps? Suzune braces herself for the impending pain.
"Everyone, let's have so fun tickling the girl until she breaks down, shall we?"
"Yes?"
It was an order from the kidnapper. At the sa ti, she felt a sensation of being grabbed from behind. Suzune turned around and was dragged away by the won. And then... the fingers crawling all over her body began to tickle.
"Ugh, uhiiaaaahh!!?"
Taken by surprise, Suzune let out a wild scream. The geisha continued to rcilessly assault her soft skin, seemingly oblivious to her distress. It's not at all modest over her slip. From under the hem, under the sleeves, and even below the length of her garnt, their arms slip in, launching a relentless offensive.
"Uhya, hya, uhyaahhh!!?"
"S-Suzune-san!!?"
Ezo's princess, eager to rush over and help the agonizing Suzune, hesitated and was perplexed. Watching this scene, the kidnapper laughed gleefully.
"Oh my, is that alright? If you laugh so much, the sparrows might get startled, you know?"
"Hi, hi...nnnn!!?"
Against Shinobu's libertine advice, Suzune desperately tries to stifle her cries. Desperately muffling her moans. Tears fill her eyes, and her face turns bright red. But the geisha continue to tickle her gleefully.
"Awawa... Suzune-san, this..."
"Well then, should I have so fun with this little princess here?"
"Hyau!?"
Observing Suzune's embarrassnt, the kidnapped, Shinobu, grabs Ezo's princess, who had been contemplating how to rescue her. Embracing her, she breathes into her ear.
"Fuh, hiiiaaa...?"
"Such innocent things, and you react with just a breath. How about it? Don't you want to do even better things?"
With just one breath whispered by the ear, she speaks. Her voice is a soft murmur. Murmurs of spells. Invading the mind.
"Better... things?"
"That's right. I can provide you with a sweet, soft, gentle mont that's so tempting it might lt you. Would you like to experience even better things?"
"T-Then..."
"But, before that, there's sothing you need to do, right?"
"...?"
Unnoticed, Shinobu's arm had already circled Tamamo's waist, pulling her close. With swaying eyes that seed drunken, she looked up at the culprit who had kidnapped her. Her cheeks flushed, as if gazing at a lover...
"That little thing you're keeping in your bosom, please? It's not necessary for our little playti from now on. In fact, I wouldn't want to be bothered and have the mood spoiled, you see?"
"Unnecessary...?"
"Yes, unnecessary. Unwanted. Anyway, you were probably at a loss about what to do with it, right? We'll take care of disposing it here. Please, cast everything aside, entrust everything, and let's indulge in so fun monts."
For the princess, the kidnapper's words reverberated in her mind again and again. And each ti, she felt a sensation as if each word was seeping into her. No, in reality, it wasn't a taphor, it was a fact.
It wasn't re word. Rather, as a technique, it was even more basic. It put the opponent in a state where their self-consciousness was recognized, and the fatigue from tension, combined with the lingering scent of alcohol in the room, efficiently amplified the effects of the word.
Half of the reason for this act was exactly that. Putting in a strong form of brainwashing could make the troubleso objects hidden within react. To be exact, they would most likely react. Creatures can sense the subtle shifts in others' feelings. Strong manipulation requires carrying a more intense negativity. The kidnapper definitely wouldn't want her wrist getting torn off the mont she reaches out.
On the other hand, with this kind of mild manipulation and by offering so moderate pleasure... seems like the right move. Seeing this, Shinobu's lips curved into a chilly smile.
But when, Shinobu boldly extending her arm toward the princess's chest like that... she suddenly gazed at the ceiling and whispered.
"...Disappointing. I didn't expect them to arrive at this ti."
As she whispered, a large bird-shaped Shikigami burst through the ceiling almost simultaneously...
* * *
After leaving the public bath and changing clothes, Tamaki and the others first recorded the results of the final fortune-telling on the map. And finally, they discovered it. The whereabouts of the captured princess.
However, the situation was much more tense than at the beginning, and they were faced with nurous problems. The biggest concern was the safety of the hostage. Until the incident at the bathhouse, there was no real harm done, and the suspects were seen as troubleso individuals. This led the search team to not take the situation as seriously as they should have. There were even baseless suspicions of mischievous behavior from the young nobleman. But the bloodshed at the bathhouse shattered these assumptions. The incident was far from a joke. If the suspect was indeed the perpetrator, it was a clear act of rebellion. They couldn't expect the suspect to surrender easily.
They might need to be prepared for a more challenging situation than they initially thought. Of course, the safety of the hostage, Tamaki, and the others also needed to be ensured. They inford Ezo's search team and their superior, Onitsuki Sumire, about the situation and the hiding place they had found.
On the other hand, Tamaki wanted to secure her maid's safety first. She knew it was selfish, but capturing Suzune would not only help her but also secure the princess of Ezo. Should they rush in on their own or wait for reinforcents? Tamaki struggled between reason and desire.
Her ntor's response provided a solution. The letter from the quickly returning Onitsuki Sumire granted permission for a preemptive strike, along with a warrant for the suspect's arrest.
Tamaki and the others were surprised but also understood the contents of the letter. If the attack was indeed connected to the kidnappers, it ant the location was known. They needed to act swiftly to avoid the suspects fleeing or causing harm to the hostages. Ordering Tamaki's team to take the lead was a logical decision. Sotis speed was more important than caution.
The last issue was the hiding place itself. It was a corner of the red-light district, a place off-limits for Tamaki's group. Convincing the guards there would be a waste of ti. So, they decided on a surprise attack from above, using a large flying Shikigami controlled by Shirowakamaru. Bursting through the ceiling and confronting the culprit directly seed safer than entering through the front entrance, which could potentially be trapped.
...Shirowakamaru felt relieved by this decision, although nobody noticed. For soone who had been a child once, infiltrating the red-light district in n's clothing was not sothing they would normally accept.
"Cough, well, that's the plan!! You are Miyataka Shinobu, right?"
Amidst the dust stirred up from the ceiling, the youngest daughter of Akō, who had burst through, coughed but quickly stepped forward. Then, while pointing the blade of her yokai sword, she proudly announced.
"You are charged with kidnapping, the use of forbidden arts, unauthorized use of spiritual arts, and treason. Surrender quietly!!"
"Well, well, isn't this the illustrious daughter of the Akō family? Quite an entertaining way to enter a place. ...Your family would be saddened to know you've visited such a place."
In response to Murasaki's demand, the kidnapper mocked with an indifferent attitude. Using the princess as a shield, she moved behind her, arms around her neck, laughing.
"Cough!! Cough, cough!!? Hey, where's Suzune!? Suzune!?"
Continuing after Murasaki, Tamaki descended from the large temporary platform that had been stabbed into the tatami mats. Coughing even more than Murasaki, she looked around, and upon seeing her exhausted friend being surrounded by geisha and almost collapsing, she scread in shock.
"I understand your feelings, but please focus on this situation for now!! ... Geisha over there, don't you dare move? We might have to take you down if necessary!!"
After warning Tamaki, Murasaki turned her attention to the geishas and threatened them. Then she looked back at the front, squinting her eyes.
"'Yosuzu,' is it? What a troubleso thing...!!"
The flamboyantly dressed beauty held the young girl from behind. Murasaki recognized the pitch-black sparrow perched on the girl's head and clicked her tongue. She had expected this, but it seed that there was indeed a difficult situation waiting for them.
"The one on the princess's head is a true shiki, isn't it? How rude... Do you understand the implications of your actions? Do you intend to tarnish the prestigious Miyataka na?"
While facing each other, with her sword pointed forward, Murasaki spat out her words in anger. She berated the kidnapper, condemning her audacity.
"Well, well, what do we have here... Is this cute young lady the princess? Walking around alone like this, dressed like that? Quite daring of her... The White Dog Clan's security asures must be quite lax..."
Though it was of high quality, the kimono wasn't too unusual for commoners to wear. The sash was swiftly untied. At the sa ti, the young princess, who had been jolted back to reality by the shock of the ceiling's collapse, let out an embarrassed scream at her surroundings.
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