Chapter 21:
"So anyway? Where are we?"
"We're in Leanbox!"
"Ah huh…?"
Leanbox looks futuristic. I thought for sure that I was in Planeptune. Although comparing this to Planeptune it does look like Planeptune has an edge on that. The city mainly composes of white buildings with green linings everywhere. The streets are wide. The air is fresher than a hospital's. Plus the cars here, aren't flying nor do they fit the theme of futuristic, they're more retro. Like the Mercedes R107 SL.
From what I read in the 'book', it seems that Leanbox looks fairly more of the same back in our dimension. Of course, I can't confirm it since I'm only going along the descriptions from a book. But still, the descriptions are greatly detailed that you might think you are literally in there.
"Anyway where are we going Jared? Another amusement park?" Neptune asked cheerily.
"Some public lockers first, I need to get my bag. And it's your call anyway"
Hand in hand, the two of us walk along the sideways of the Leanbox. The streets are not that busy, due to that attack earlier on most of them are cowering inside their homes like a scared cat. But there people here and there trying to finish their shopping. We round a corner and enter a small alleyway. I find the public lockers and find my own.
"Here it is…" mumbling to myself, I take out a small key, unlock it, and rid the contents.
"There… now where should we go… Hm?" as my eyes return to Neptune, by the corner of the alley a shadow, I mean, five shadows just moved away.
"*Sigh*…" can I call the police? We're being stalked. And I've also noticed them since the very beginning. By beginning, I mean when the two of us are having our small talk up above some random building.
"Ah, I know! We can go eat at this fancy tancy restaurant! They have all the sweets there!"
"Sounds like a plan…"
With Neptune leading our stride, we reenter the sidewalk. Neptune lightly swings both our arms, and lightly skips in her delight. The girl hums a familiar yet unrecognizable song. Clearly having a blast from the get go. Both of us have a lot of catching up to do, and I don't think that we'd cover all that in our second date.
"…That said though…" the five people that are tailing us clearly need to catch up to us.
In tailing jobs, too many people and too less people both prescribe in being caught. That's because your target are unexpected and may randomly turn back when they feel like it. That's why a pair is the appropriate sweet spot, especially if it's a male and female. Even the best agents use this method.
That goes the same if you have more. More people make more of a bigger conspicuous idiot. Especially if that 'more' people are together. It kinda feels like they're waving a sign that says: "we're tailing you! So don't mind us!".
That goes without saying that one person is also conspicuous. Some people are more wary than others and having a stone aged man glaring at your back even I get the need to look behind and scan my immediate area.
Case in point: Whenever you need to shadow someone, anticipation and perception are keys to success.
"…I'd probably give them an F in this department"
"Hm? You say something?"
"Nothing… You sure we're going the right way?"
"Ahaha! Don't kid me, I know this place like the back of my head!"
"…Do you even know what's at the back of your head?"
"Nope!"
"Helpful…" now I fear that we might get lost in a city that I don't know about.
"Oh there!"
"Oh, that looks fancy indeed"
It's a colorful establishment of sorts. It's small but the design does fit the bill of it being 'fancy'. There's a large list of menu just outside written in a chalkboard. It ranges from cakes, to drinks, to a full time meal. Neptune looks at the menu, thinking what to eat. I take out my phone and pretend to take a call.
*SNAP!*
When I look, there were 5 women, 4 of them looks like Noire, Vert, Blanc and Nepgear and one of them I don't know who. Maybe she's the girl named Plutie? Then again, Neptune does have a tendency to make a nickname out of almost everyone. My gawd they are so bad at this…
"Neptune, want to have some fun first before we eat?"
"Nepu?"
"Hmm…"
"Hmm…"
"Umm…"
"Hmm…"
"Um…"
"Shh!"
This was strange, downright stranger, no ridiculous, preposterous. They've been asking to themselves, 'What is Neptune doing with a man?'. They all know that Neptune is the most idiotic, lazy of the all of them. When you include Plutia into the mix you have yourself a recipe of idiocy. But to think, to think, that Neptune actually has a boyfriend! It was strange, stranger, and ridiculous.
They've been following the two since they've flown of from the battle earlier. And their thoughts about the battle earlier was just… well, they were perplexed. How in the world does one man able to drive out two of the seven sages. That was just impossible. Plus he doesn't feel like to be a CPU of any sort.
"He's crazy strong…" Vert mumbled…
"…but he did give you a favor…" Blanc added.
"So Nepgear, who's the guy that Neptune's with?" Noire asked.
"Um… That would be Sis's boyfriend"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"How nice… Neppy's so adult!" Plutia said.
Ignoring what Plutia said. They still could not believe it. A strong guy, capable of standing on his own, is Neptune's boyfriend. For all they know all those gibberish that they talked about on top of that random building might have been scripted. Or he might be a gigolo that's able to swing in any women.
"…C'mon you guys, can't we just leave those two alone…They've been apart for years now…" Nepgear pleads, knowing that she doesn't want to ruin her sister's fun.
"Don't you think that this is strange as well, my Nepgear?" Vert of this dimension said.
"…We don't know who he is and yet he's acting so familiarly to Neptune"
"He might even be an imposter of what you're saying" Blanc and Noire of this dimension respectively added.
"Fueeeeh? So he's a fake?" Plutia said.
"Um… I don't think he is one… probably"
"…If you're uncertain then that means he's a fake…" Blanc concluded as such…
"Aren't we getting those children missing cases lately?" Noire asked.
"Th-Then!? He's a kidnapper" Vert concluded.
"Eeeeeh!? Neppy is going to get kidnapped!" Plutia said.
"I-I don't think he's a kidnapper of sorts… probably…"
"...He's probably nabbing clumsy little girls like Neptune and says cute stuff to them…"
"And when the children's defenses are down, he quickly pulls out his handkerchief…"
"And smudges against their face. Making them fall asleep…"
"…A white van will drive by…"
"And the kidnapping is complete"
"Noooooo! Neppy's been kidnapped!"
"Um…"
"Ssh! They're on the move…!" Noire hushed the concerned little sister.
Jared and Neptune moves through a thin crowd of people while the five of followed suit. They move cover from cover from what little the city of Leanbox can offer. The two couple waited for by the intersection until the green light to cross the road comes. The five hid themselves amongst the crowd of people by the flower shop, which was a 2 lots away.
"Um… Don't you think this is getting ridiculous…?" Nepgear asked in concern. She really, really wants to let those two go.
"After coming this far? We can't let this pursuit end" Vert said.
"…She's right for once…" Blanc agreed.
"If anything, we need to make sure the Neptune's safe. Not like I'm interested what happens to the two of them"
"Uwaaa… Noire's acting like a tsundere!" Plutia said.
"Don't call me that!"
"…*Sigh*… Sorry, Sis, Jared…"
"They're crossing the street…!"
True to what Vert said, it seems they were allowed to cross the street. The five followed continuing on this pursuit until the end. Until a truck driver rounded the corner clearly beating the red light.
"Hey, watch it asshole!" a bystander said as he clicked his tongue. With that they continue to cross the street…!
"They're gone!"
"Neptune's been kidnapped!"
The five crossed the street in a panic and searches the last known location of where they've gone. There was none of the two in sight. They dart their eyes from one location to the next looking for any signs of that purple haired girl.
"What are we going to do? Neppy's been kidnapped"
"Worrying won't help, Plutie. We just need to find them…" Vert reassuringly said.
"…In this scenario, wouldn't kidnappers make demands?" Blanc asked.
"That's true. Most kidnappers do it for the money. And a smart kidnapper would use the kidnapped person as bargaining chip to get what they want. Some would even go as far as to give them meals three times a day…"
"Yeah, that's it. So what's your demand Mr. Kidnapper?" Noire asked.
"That you don't follow us all over the damn place"
"What? That's an easy one… Eh…?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?"