Rubl Hotel, Top Floor.
"Shinomiya-san, you seem a bit smarter than I imagined."
Led by the female bodyguards to the top floor where Clue was, this was Kaguya's second time here.
Unlike the last time when she was unconscious, she now possessed the world-reset ability, which gave her considerably more confidence.
Forced by the hypnotized female bodyguards, Kaguya and Hayasaka stood before Clue, the mage from the Gaiuslink Family.
Looking at Kaguya with great interest, Clue's gloomy eyes were full of mocking amusement, "How fascinating, Shinomiya-san. It seems you knew I intended something for you, managing to evade so many people and leave that building."
He spoke while smiling faintly, but suddenly, Clue's expression turned grim.
"You wretch! How dare you resist a noble Mage? Do you realize the magnitude of your mistake?"
Seemingly enjoying using words to crush others' spirits before slowly stripping away their pride with actions, Clue didn't make physical contact with Kaguya. Instead, he slowly described what he planned to do to her later, detailing it to an almost twisted degree.
"Clue-san, may I ask a few questions?"
Trying hard to pretend to be trembling with fear, Kaguya remembered her purpose for being here.
She needed to find out why Clue hadn't kidnapped her during the day on the first reset. During her twelfth reset attempt, she had tested it: as long as her behavior remained unchanged from before, the company people would only kidnap her near noon and then wait until late at night to take her away.
Although that time, she escaped midway and failed.
"Questions? How amusing. A mere head of cattle like you dares to ask its master questions?"
It was as if he had heard something laughable, but it was precisely this feeling, this sense of superiority, that excited Clue.
Looking down on the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya Family, it seemed such a gaze satisfied his warped psyche. Indulging in this arrogance, he didn't mind revealing a few small secrets to Kaguya.
After all, dead men tell no tales, even those about to die, right?
"Ask away, Shinomiya-san."
"Then I'll ask. Why kidnap me? Aren't you afraid it will cause problems for our cooperation?"
Probing carefully, Kaguya was prepared to jump to her death and reset at any moment.
"Problems with cooperation? How ridiculous."
"Shinomiya-san, did you assume the Clock Tower's purpose in coming to cooperate with you was to open up the market in Japan and start a conflict with the Three Families?"
Within the vast world of magecraft, the Clock Tower was clearly not the strongest power. Although the Clock Tower itself was a behemoth, there were two other magical organizations of similar stature.
These were the Atlas Institute, a gathering of alchemists located in the Atlas Mountains, and the Wandering Sea, the great mountain range in the North Atlantic itself, also known as the 'Moving Tomb'.
Besides these, there were numerous smaller entities with ancient legacies, such as Japan's Three Families.
Hearing Clue's tone, Kaguya felt she was onto some clue.
"So, your true target isn't our Shinomiya Conglomerate, nor the Three Families?"
"Nonsense."
Affirming Kaguya's counter-question, Clue swirled the red wine in his glass and continued, "The insignificant Shinomiya Conglomerate might seem like a giant in the eyes of ordinary people, but do you know how many corporations like yours worldwide are attached to our Clock Tower?"
"As for the Three Families, the ancestors of the Tohsaka and Matou Families have passed. Only the Einzbern have anything left, but that's it. What threat do those guys who only play with homunculi pose?"
"The reason we came to Japan is primarily because a powerful being, whose strength cannot be fathomed, emerged here about a month ago."
In a world influenced by various supernatural forces, the Clock Tower kept records of various top-tier powerhouses.
For example, those strong enough to be called Magic Users, the Jujutsu Sorcerer Satoru Gojo, the CCG's White Reaper, etc. … all were documented, and ordinary forces wouldn't dare provoke them.
Capable of monitoring magical energy fluctuations and other power levels in cities across various countries, about a month ago, the Clock Tower detected an immense surge of magical energy in Tokyo, Japan.
Its strength was undoubtedly top-tier.
The recorded data was something the Clock Tower had never encountered before. They sent Clue to Japan to strive to build a good relationship with this unknown powerhouse, to bring them into the Clock Tower, or at least avoid making an enemy.
"Shinomiya-san, did you think our Clock Tower only cares about mage bloodlines and completely disregards the lives and deaths of ordinary people? You are mistaken."
Shrugging, Clue's eyes emitted a crimson magical energy, a sign that he had accepted the influence of some other power, "Times have changed. The Clock Tower is evolving too. We understand the terror of the truly powerful and will seriously seek cooperation with them."
"After all, no matter the era, powerful individuals are beautiful and pure existences, aren't they?"
Hearing Clue's explanation, Kaguya understood why he dared to kidnap her so brazenly, 'So, they simply didn't care about offending the Shinomiya Conglomerate or the Einzbern.'
'Their true goal was the top-tier powerhouse that appeared in Tokyo over a month ago. Everything else was just an excuse.'
"I see. I understand now."
"Thank you for the information."
Nodding earnestly, Kaguya stretched her limbs. Because the female bodyguards were monitoring her and Hayasaka was bound nearby, Clue wasn't the least bit afraid that the Shinomiya Heiress would attempt any resistance.
After all, the more something resists, the more beautiful it becomes, doesn't it?
In response to Kaguya's thanks, Clue simply patted the head of a bunny girl beside him, gesturing for Kaguya to see, "Don't worry, Shinomiya-san. As repayment, you just need to serve me well, like them."
"Let me think... how should I play with you? How about using this?"
Pulling out a rather indecent tool, Clue most enjoyed breaking beautiful girls… the sense of achievement was addictive to him.
"Heh..."
Completely unfazed by Clue's actions, Kaguya merely shook her head faintly and turned her gaze to the bound Hayasaka.
"Hayasaka, get ready. Next time... we escape together."
Giving an apologetic look, Kaguya now understood why Clue avoided acting during the day. He was still afraid… afraid that kidnapping her might attract the attention of that certain powerhouse.
If someone like Clue was cautious enough to delay the kidnapping until night, just for a minuscule chance of being discovered, Kaguya knew what she had to do next.
Without hesitation, she leaped from the 28th-floor rooftop. Gazing at Tokyo under the bright daylight, she offered Clue her most sincere 'blessing'.
"Just wait, you Gaiuslink scum. I will make you pay the price you deserve. I definitely will."
Thud... As death assailed, the world reset once more.