For the next few hours, the trio explored everything the amusement park had to offer. Yugiri's delighted squeals on the merry-go-round made even Andy crack a smile, and Senzo was going overboard all the time, almost getting them kicked out multiple times.
After they enjoyed all the rides and attractions, they decided to visit the merchandise stores, and inside they had even more fun running around being followed by Yugiri, who was holding a toy gun and wearing a massive smile on her face.
Andy and Senzo were also having a blast, but as the hours swiftly passed, Andy was wondering what they were even doing here at this point.
"So, Senzo, Why are we just having fun here instead of going back to the others?"
"..."
Senzo just shrugged with a smirk.
"Why not? They pushed the task of finding Yugiri on us, so why not take advantage of it?"
Andy's mouth was wide open for a moment, and he took a good deep look at the young man standing next to him.
But he just sighed with a slight smile on his face.
"That is pretty smart. You know."
"Heh, of course it is, and it's on their dime as well. So just ask for them to pay you back after we return to the Catastrophe." Senzo remarked, not meeting Andy's eyes.
Even though Andy felt like something was wrong, he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly, and with a shrug he nodded.
That's when Yugiri finally emerged from the shop with a massive smile.
"Hehe."
Andy felt all his worries melt away when seeing that little bundle of joy in the form of a little girl in front of him.
But before he could ask where to next, something caught Yugiri's eye: in front of one of the shops, multiple people dressed up as clowns were doing a performance.
Yugiri couldn't help but stare, not even noticing that Senzo had picked her up and put her on his shoulder while approaching the performance.
"Can you buy some drinks, Andy?"
But to Andy it sounded more like an order, and while he rolled his eyes, he didn't refuse.
After all, it was finally time to confront the rats that were following them around the whole time within the amusement park.
***
Andy leisurely walked away toward a remote corner where the bathroom was, but right before entering the building, he went into an alley where someone was standing.
"Quietly following me around, do you have some kind of business with me? Mr. Babel."
He said while leaning against the wall of the building, a confident smirk on his face.
"I've come to have a chat with you, Usei investigator."
"Huh?!"
Andy was rather taken aback by Minamoto's declaration, but before he could inquire further, Minamoto entered a secret door in the side of the building.
And without hesitation, Andy decided to follow him as well; after all, if they knew his true identity, it could be disastrous to let them go without having a proper conversation.
Once the two were inside, they walked through a long empty corridor in silence, but Andy was staring daggers into Minamoto's back.
All kinds of thoughts were running rampant in his mind, but the most dominant one was when one of the children had read his mind.
It must be then...
"Me, an investigator from Usei? What are you basing that on?"
"Do you not remember one of the children with psychometry touching you before? We learned everything from her." Minamoto casually stated.
"Tsk."
Andy's earlier relaxed attitude was now gone, and instead he was carefully inspecting his surroundings, ready to face anything they could possibly throw at him.
"Hi~"
He suddenly heard, and in front of him stood another prominent member of Babel, Fujiko, one of the strongest espers in all of Babel.
"Yo..."
Was the only thing that came out of Andy's mouth, but he didn't let his guard down even if she acted so nonchalantly.
"Hehe, I quite like you. And unlike that brute, you're quite cute," she stated with a smirk on her face.
"Brute...?" Andy muttered, raising an eyebrow at her statement.
"Don't worry about it, but are you still going to play dumb? Or can we have an actual conversation now?"
"Alright, but I can't be away for too long, or Senzo might sense that something is wrong."
"We know; we have worked with him in the past and know very well just how perceptive he is." Fujiko replied, her relaxed attitude disappearing without a trace.
Minamoto and Fujiko locked eyes, and Fujiko gave a firm nod.
After clearing his throat, Minamoto stared straight at Andy and finally dared to say why they contacted him like this.
"We at Babel intend to simultaneously arrest all of Pandra, and we'd like you to cooperate with us from the inside."
"Oh? But you do know if I give this info to Hyoubu, he will only trust me more, right?" Andy immediately countered, a smirk on his face.
But the ones from Babel weren't impressed at all; instead, Fujiko gave him a disapproving look.
"Well, if you're going to do something so mean, then as a punishment we'll blow your cover, too."
Then she gave him a thumbs up and an innocent smile.
"For everyone's sake, Onee-san suggests we cooperate with each other~"
"Tch!"
Andy had a sour look on his face; they had him checkmated, basically.
If only they didn't know about my secret identity. But would they have even contacted me like this if they didn't? Then something dawned on him.
The only reason they told him this is because he was a mole...
"Well, you got me, but there is one thing I don't understand: why are you so focused on Pandra? To put in so much effort just to capture them time and time again."
"Oh, and if you don't tell me, I will refuse to help. So think carefully."
This was Andy's bottom line; he had his own mission, and gathering more intel was always helpful.