After filling up their bellies with snacks for the walk back home, Nepgear and Tsunemi went their separate ways. Tsunemi wanted to get back home as soon as possible to finish up the release of a new song for her online music channel. Nepgear had her own channel online, but she did not have such a large fan-base compared to Tsunemi. The only videos Nepgear had on her channel were basically just her dismantling inventions to figure out which part worked with another to function inside the machine she deconstructed. Surprisingly, Nepgear obtained a fairly large amount of viewers herself, but unlike Tsunemi, they just commented on Nepgear's enthusiasm and how they would 'pledge to protect' her smile. The people on the internet could be so strange sometimes, but it wasn't like that was a bad thing either. As long as strangers found common ground and got along together, Nepgear didn't mind being the point of interest that allowed people to become friends.
"Did you see what they posted on Neppit? Monsters that attacked the other town just keeled over for no reason." A woman spoke to her friend as they passed Nepgear, heading in the direction Nepgear came from. "We've never seen that happen before in any of Planeptune's previous battles before our CPU returned."
"Yeah, I saw the video of it too." The woman's friend nodded her head. "I also noticed that the monster's body color changed too before they all died. Now that I think about it, the monsters that usually attack our cities are mostly purple in color, aren't they?"
"Aside from that, they don't look much different from regular monsters out in the wild. Do you think they're possessed or...zombies?"
"I don't know and I'd rather not become a theorist, so can we please stop talking about this and just get drunk like we planned?"
"Hah! I can't disagree with that!"
That was about as much as Nepgear could overhear from them before they were too far away to listen in on. Although Nepgear was curious about the topic, it was not Nepgear's place to try and understand what was going on with the monsters. Nepgear would have her time once she learned the skills she needed to become an engineer. Only then would Nepgear be able to show the Basilicom why the military needs to incorporate power armor and manned mechas into Planeptune's arsenal. Even if Purple Heart found some way to halt the monster attacks before Nepgear's time to shine came, Nepgear would still go through with her goal; it was her dream to see her own creations used to protect other people and their nation, monster threat or not.
"B-Sha? Is that you?"
Nepgear noticed the girl across the street sitting down on a bench near the doors of a convenience store. She knew B-Sha because of their mutual friends: Nisa and Compa. If B-Sha was here, then that meant Nisa was somewhere in Planeptune as well. As for Compa, Nepgear had yet to visit the nurse-in-training since Nepgear's studies have been keeping her busy; she'd have to change that. After looking both ways, Nepgear made her way over to B-Sha who still had yet to look up even after Nepgear sat down beside B-Sha.
"B-Sha? Hey, are you okay?" Nepgear asked, concerned about B-Sha's silence.
"Huh? Wha-?" B-Sha looked up, momentarily confused until her eyes found its way toward Nepgear. "Oh, hey Nepgear. I thought I heard someone calling me. That was you?"
"Yeah, I did." Nepgear nodded as her worry increased further. "What's wrong, B-Sha?"
B-Sha didn't respond right away and looked back down. Nepgear had never seen such a pained expression on B-Sha's face before. She had seen the same kind of look on Nisa's sometimes, but B-Sha always seemed to be the most optimistic of the two. Whatever was bothering B-Sha was serious and as a friend, Nepgear wanted to be there for B-Sha in any way she could. Nepgear wasn't exactly close to B-Sha on the level that B-Sha and Nisa were together, but all the same, Nepgear wanted to do her part. B-Sha pulled out a cup of pudding from her pouch, but it was no ordinary pudding you could buy at a store; that was a homemade version and Nepgear knew who helped B-Sha make those kind.
"I went to the Basilicom and got paid for helping out in the battles." B-Sha spoke as she stared at the custard treat. "After that, I thought I would hang out with Compa. I tried calling her, but she didn't pick up. So I went to her apartment, but when I was there, I saw a bunch of movers taking all of Compa's stuff away."
Now it was Nepgear's turn to lower her head as she realized the implications. It couldn't be a simple notion such as Compa moving to another house or back with her parents. That would not explain B-Sha's defeated tone in her voice and B-Sha was not the prankster type, as far as Nepgear knew. Nepgear placed a hand on B-Sha's shoulder since hugging her might have been too much; they weren't close enough friends for that kind of gesture. Since B-Sha showed no reaction to Nepgear's hand, that told Nepgear it was a smart move on her part. When B-Sha offered the cup of pudding to Nepgear, she refused it with a shake of her head.
"When I asked who sent them, I thought maybe it had been the landlord because of something Compa did. They didn't give me an answer, but said their client would be arriving." B-Sha sighed as she stored the custard treat away. "Compa's dad showed up and the look on his face told me all I needed to know; the expression of a man who's barely holding it together."
Nepgear almost didn't want to believe B-Sha; that maybe she was wrong and Compa was fine. But Nepgear knew better than to let her emotions overtake her reasoning and logic. To think that Nepgear's last moments talking with Compa had been about their future careers. Before Nepgear even fully realized it, she had tears running down her face as the realization started to sink in that Nepgear lost a friend she'd never be able to talk to again. B-Sha offered a handkerchief to Nepgear and this time, she accepted the gift to wipe her own face.
"Does Nisa know?" Nepgear asked through her sniffles.
"No, she doesn't." B-Sha pulled out her phone. "And I know I'm gonna have to tell her soon."
B-Sha was taking this loss far better than Nepgear or maybe B-Sha had already shed her share of tears already. Nepgear had only known Compa for a year which paled in comparison to the number of years Nisa and B-Sha knew Compa. Even so, the times Nepgear spent with Compa were always positive; she was that much of a sweetheart. When Nepgear introduced Tsunemi to Compa, the two connected immediately concerning music. One of Tsunemi's songs was inspired by ideas from Compa and certain sections of lyrics were changed per Compa's suggestion. That song had been a walloping success, which increased Tsunemi's popularity even further. Nepgear realized she needed to make a phone call as well when she got home.
"I don't know how she died, but I'm almost certain it was because of monsters." B-Sha said, a hint of anger making itself apparent. "It's always the monsters..."
"That's the norm these days, isn't it?" Nepgear frowned at the unfortunate truth of the matter that their friend was gone. "I can't believe we'll never see her again..."
"I'm still in disbelief, honestly." B-Sha turned to Nepgear with a dismal smile. "Maybe it'll hit me once the funeral happens."
Today had been going so well for Nepgear and then this revelation happened. Nepgear met a new person who seemed pretty scary at first glance, but was actually a nice person. Kurome had an air of mystery about her, which certainly played a part in Nepgear wanting to get to know the girl. Then Nepgear showed off her amazing robot Nepgeardam that she built from scratch right before her judge's very eyes. When Nepgear put her mind into creating a masterpiece, she was speedy like a hedgehog chasing after gold rings. The fact that the school staff didn't look freaked out by Nepgeardam at all meant that Nepgear had a decent shot at being accepted.
"Hey, Nepgear. Do you know those three?"
Nepgear looked at B-Sha who pointed at three individuals talking to each other directly across the street from them. She didn't recognize any of them; all were grown men and wearing normal suits. This only confused Nepgear even further on why B-Sha asked such a question. When Nepgear turned to look at B-Sha, the girl's expression was different. B-Sha's eyes were wary, the sorrow from losing a close friend replaced by caution.
"No, I don't." Nepgear answered B-Sha's question. "Why?"
"...I think we should start walking, Nepgear."
When Neptune could see the main entrance to the Basilicom, she deactivated her HDD when she was close enough to the ground to land safely on her feet. The guards stationed at the doors spotted Neptune running towards them and already began pushing the entrance open. By the time Neptune reached the doors, there was a wide enough gap created to slide right through. Staff members greeted Neptune and while she waved back at some of them, she had somewhere she needed to be at the moment. Neptune sprinted down a corridor leading to an area for elevators where she saw Iris with her back to Neptune. Iris entered the lift and turned around just in time to see Neptune running for the open elevator. Iris immediately pressed a button to stop the doors from closing.
"Right on time, Lady Purple Heart." Iris said as the goddess entered, heavily panting but composed enough to stand beside her general. "Everyone's waiting for us at the meeting room. We're the only ones left not present."
"Then there's no reason to hold up IF's debriefing once we get there." Neptune replied as her breathing slowed down. "I didn't think we'd receive intel this soon on where the monsters are coming from."
"Life's full of surprises." Iris placed a hand on her own hip and chuckled. "I certainly didn't expect to see our goddess return in my time."
"Can't really counter that, now can I?"
"Nope."
The elevator doors closed and the two remained quiet for the duration of the ride. Neptune could hardly believe IF's search and rescue mission for Compa somehow ended up with IF obtaining information on where the beasts are created. Although Neptune was curious about the details of IF's mission, that interest would have to be put on hold until after the meeting was finished. When the lift chimed that they reached their floor, the pair walked out and made their way to the meeting room. The moment they entered, all eyes in the room were on them; several of Planeptune's commanders saluted Neptune and Iris as the officers moved to stand at the sides of the long table in the room's center. At the other end of the table were Plutia and IF.
"Looks like everyone is present, so let's begin the meeting." Plutia said as she was the first to sit. Everyone followed suit and the Oracle turned to IF. "The floor is all yours."
"Thank you, Miss Plutia." IF nodded her head and grabbed one of her phones from her coat.
IF opened the device and laid the cell phone on the table. She slid it towards the middle of the table where it suddenly stopped and began to float. The phone projected a picture of what looked to be a disc hovering above a pedestal. Neptune was curious about the object and why it seemed to be in some sort of underground cavern. However, the most important question right now was who put that disc there in the first place. When IF forced a cough to grab everyone's attention, Neptune knew she was about to receive her answer.
"I'm IF and I work for the Gamindustri Guild." IF started with introductions for the commanders as she stood up. "My latest mission in Planeptune was a search and rescue mission for a girl named Compa. Her last known location was the Virtua Forest. So with Falcom, a member from my squad, we went to investigate the area."
"Where's your friend if she was involved?" One man asked.
"IF's partner is currently hospitalized and unavailable to attend." Plutia answered and the man accepted the reason with a nod of his head.
"No more questions until IF is finished." Purple Heart said before looking back at IF. "Please continue."
"We found a hole in the ground and decided to explore it under the assumption that Compa could be down there." IF continued before pointing back at the floating picture. "We split up to broaden our search and my exploration led me to the disc. I managed to take a picture of it before the object in question summoned a Guard Vermin along with a few other monsters native to Virtua Forest."
A Guard Vermin was a creature not meant to be found in the area of the Virtua Forest. From what Neptune understood about the monsters, at least the ones in the wilderness, was that they were all drawn to each other by their strength. Any area inhabited by monsters usually share equal strength unless they were the 'boss' or 'alpha' of the region. This was information distributed and shared thanks to the Gamindustri Guild who had a better understanding of monster's habits and whereabouts. Virtua Forest to the Gamindustri Guild was rated at a very low threat level with the monsters capable of being defeated by even regular citizens. As the name implied, a Guard Vermin's purpose was to defend and protect what they believe is of value to them. That only meant that whoever created these discs took that into consideration placing it there.
"I was attacked by a woman named Arfoire who I believe to be the one responsible for the creation of these 'Monster Discs'." IF gave a name of a target which Neptune would have Basilicom staff look into. "I'm sorry to say I couldn't grab a picture of the woman, but if it weren't for another person coming to my rescue, I wouldn't be here to tell you all this. Arfoire has pale skin and red eyes, so that's all I can give on her physical traits."
Neptune saw Plutia writing down the information on their suspect. IF did not mention Falcom's name, so that meant IF hadn't been saved by her friend. That meant somebody had been tailing IF and Falcom since their rescue mission began at Virtua Forest. What their agenda was, it was clearly aligned for Planeptune since without IF, they would still be in the dark about who they were facing other than CFW Judge.
"Kurome Ankokuboshi is the name of the girl that saved me." IF revealed the identity of her protector. "She seemed to know Arfoire, but was completely against her. Anyways, another teammate from my squad, MAGES., arrived to assist me and we fought the Guard Vermin and other monsters while Kurome fought Arfoire on her own. We managed to destroy the disc which killed the monsters it spawned, but Arfoire escaped. After that, we fled the cave because it was collapsing and Kurome disappeared on us once we were out. That's the end of my report."
"If you all have any questions, now is the time to ask them." Plutia spoke up as the commanders started to murmur between each other. "I'll take that as a no..."
"Okay, everyone!" Iris shouted as she stood up. "We all know what we're looking for in our nation now. There are discs out in the wilderness that are spawning these ugly beasts. If you have nothing to ask, then get back to your Divisions so we can work on getting our reconnaissance groups looking for these things and shutting them down for good."
"We'll need two or three weeks to mobilize and organize the troops to scout the lands for these discs." A commander stated and stood up along with several other officers. "Surveying fields and anywhere that might contain these discs will take some time, which is separate from assembling our forces."
"Not to mention our units are in pretty bad shape these last two battles. We're going to need more time for our soldiers in the hospital to recover so we can regain our numbers."
"Settle down, everyone." Neptune said as she got up from her seat. "You're right, we need a moment of respite but we cannot delay locating these discs either. We'll deploy scouts to mark locations where they are, but we are to stay on the defensive until we have recovered. Iris, put a hold on that theft investigation and focus coordinating the reconnaissance first."
"Yes, ma'am." Iris nodded her head and looked to the other commanders. "All right, head back to your bases and we'll discuss this tomorrow through our channels. You're all dismissed!"
The commanders saluted Neptune and Iris one last time before filing out of the room. Once the officers were gone, Plutia jogged over to Iris and gave her big sister a hug. While the sisters talked to each other, Neptune walked over to IF who had turned to the window and gazed out into the city. Something bothered Neptune about the way IF had mentioned the search and rescue mission and then dropped it entirely. Granted, that was probably necessary considering they needed the information first but now Neptune's curiosity had the moment to be sated. Neptune tapped IF on the shoulder, who had been startled before realizing it was Neptune.
"Nice to see you again, IF." Neptune smiled at IF and the adventurer returned the same expression in kind, but something about IF's smile was off. "I want to personally thank you for giving Planeptune the intel that can finally put an end to these attacks on my nation. You have not just my gratitude, but all of Planeptune as well."
"It's what any Gamindustri Guild member would have done, Lady Purple Heart." IF shrugged off the praise. "We're going to share this information to the other nations as well. Giving people a chance to live life without fear of being attacked in their homes is something one nation shouldn't have the luxury of."
"I couldn't agree more." Neptune nodded her head as she looked out into the city. "Can I ask you something, IF?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"It's about the search and rescue for Compa." Neptune said as she thought back to B-Sha and Nisa. No doubt those two would like to know about the status of their friend. "You stopped talking about Compa during your description of the events that lead you to the disc. I know you did that for the sake of getting straight to the point, but now that the meeting is over...How did the mission go? Where's Compa now? I'd really like to meet her."
The way IF's expression changed told Neptune that she wasn't about to like IF's answer. Neptune looked over to the two sisters and saw that Plutia and Iris just exited the meeting room, leaving IF and Neptune alone. This was going to be a more personal conversation, so Neptune was glad to have the privacy. Neptune sat down in Plutia's chair and waited for IF to speak about Compa's status.
"You...won't be able to, Lady Purple Heart." IF spoke solemnly. "Compa and Falcom were ambushed by another Guard Vermin. Falcom came out okay, but Compa didn't survive the encounter."
"Ah...I see." Neptune knew Nisa and B-Sha were not going to take the news of their friend's death well."If the attacks on my nation hadn't happened, maybe things could have played out differently."
"No doubt about it..." IF nodded her head at the possibility of Compa being alive if Neptune had been present. "...But what's done is done. Kurome had likely been following me and Falcom into the cave and had to make the choice on who to tail after Falcom and I separated. It was either going to be me or Compa returning back to Planeptune alive."
"You're right. We can talk all night about what could have happened, but...it still won't change the fact that Compa's dead." Neptune frowned at the loss of one of her citizens. "I'm sorry, I'm holding you up, aren't I?"
"No, not at all." IF shook her head furiously. "If anything, I feel like I'm wasting your time."
"Heh, I would hardly call our conversation a waste of my time." Neptune chuckled before standing up. IF did the same and Neptune offered her hand to shake. "Thank you once again, IF. I owe you a favor, so if you ever want to call that debt in, you know where to find me."
"I'll be sure to remember that, Lady Purple heart." IF shook Neptune's hand.
IF stepped back to bow her head slightly before leaving the room. Once it was just Neptune by herself, she turned to her reflection in the window as she stared out into the city. Although Neptune should have been thinking about the upcoming plans concerning the discs, her thoughts were on Compa. She shouldn't have been feeling this overwhelming sadness, especially when it was nothing compared to how Nisa and B-Sha would feel, and yet she felt like crying. Neptune's eyes widened once she focused on the reflection of herself in the window. Neptune could hardly believe what was happening to her right now.
Yet the proof was right there in front of her; the tears falling from Neptune's eyes for a person she didn't get to meet or know.
"Wish we could have been friends, Compa."
Neptune wiped the running droplets from her face with the sleeve of her parka before transforming. She turned around and headed out, ridding herself of this strange sorrow. Neptune had a nation to run and if she stopped working now for a safer Planeptune, more people like Compa would die.
"...Maybe next time."
The initial fear Falcom had when MAGES. said that using her Awakening power would kill her faded. Now what was left in its place was confusion on why the Awakening ability was a 'kill switch' as MAGES. had put it. As far as Falcom could see, Falcom felt physically fine. Marvy eventually calmed down and pulled away from Falcom, but Marvy remained quiet. Falcom looked to MAGES., who looked like she was trying to gather her thoughts together for the explanation she had to give to Falcom. A few minutes passed and MAGES. nodded her head, signalling for Falcom that it was time to listen closely.
"Back when the Gamindustri Guild was once known as just the 'Guild' to the Basilicom, the people of that generation were taught certain powers and abilities. These particular skills offered the edge needed to combat monsters, giving the user incredible amounts of power." MAGES. began a history lesson on their organization. "However, the cost of such strength came at an incredibly severe trade-off...the user's life. You see, humans have a certain amount of life force that allows us to use magic. The spells we commonly use to this day do drain our bodies, but they don't take much out of us and we regenerate our life force faster than we can dish out magic."
"Wait, I remember reading about an infamous incident a long time ago." Falcom responded back, remembering an archived report that IF had given her once to look at. "Back during the Guild days, there was this massive herd of monsters in Lastation that appeared in the city through underground networks. The only thing that stood between those monsters and the Basilicom was a large group of Guild members."
"Indeed and it was known as the greatest tragedy Lastation's Guild ever recorded." MAGES. shook her head as she frowned. "All of those Guild members activated their Awakening ability at the same time and wiped out the monsters from Lastation. But when it was all said and done, the Guild members all dropped dead. Every man and woman, old veteran and rookie alike, all died at the same time. The civilians were furious and riots erupted in the streets, protesting against the use of such powers."
"So when the Guild was reformed into the Gamindustri Guild, they've kept away the old teachings of the 'Guild' to avoid further controversy." Marvy broke her silence to speak up. "These forbidden abilities are not usually known to the newest generation of Gamindustri Guild members. In fact, that brings up another question: Where did you learn it?"
"IF showed me how to activate it." Falcom answered honestly under the piercing gaze of Marvy's eyes. "Gave me a bunch of old scrolls to study and then took them away from me once I figured out how to activate Awakening."
Falcom and MAGES. recoiled when Marvy suddenly stood up. A smile was plastered on Marvy's face, but it was the total opposite of comforting. Marvy's hands were constantly tightening up into fists too; the ninja of their group was absolutely furious. Said kunoichi pulled out her phone and dialed in a number and held it to her ear. The other two knew not to say anything when Marvy got like this. Marvy was the team's heart, but when she was the one that was mad, even Cybercon's moments of rage would dissipate at the sight of Marvy's anger.
"Hello, IF?" Marvy spoke in a disturbingly sincere, but very fake happy voice. "Oh, you just got out of the Basilicom? Please wait there, I actually want to speak to you in person right now. Falcom woke up a while ago and she told me something very interesting."
Marvy turned and made her way out the room. MAGES. donned her hat and started to clean up Marvy's and her own share of the food they ate. Even though MAGES. finished quickly tidying up, the ninja was already out the door.
"I better go stop Marvy before she tries to kill IF." MAGES. said as Falcom forced another chuckle that gave away her worry. "Get some rest, Falcom. We'll see you again in the morning...hopefully with IF still intact."
Falcom waved goodbye as MAGES. quickly hurried out to catch up with Marvy. Now alone, Falcom only had her thoughts to keep her company. Falcom had been so eager to quit and run away from her first failure; she actually felt quite ashamed of herself. If Marvy hadn't pulled Falcom out of her despair, Falcom was sure she would regret her decision to leave in the years to follow. The bonds she created with IF, Marvy, MAGES., and Cybercon would have been for nothing. They were all special to Falcom and she cared about them just as much as they returned the same in kind. Falcom would rather die than throw away her friendships so carelessly. Besides that reason, Falcom's will to fight on wasn't her own anymore.
It was Compa's as well.
"Hold up, I think I must be going deaf or something."
Linda stuck a finger in her ear, pretending to clean it out. Truthfully, she was in full denial at the moment of what had just been asked of her. When Linda looked back at Magic on her computer screen, Magic's face showed no signs of being amused. As for Warechu, he kept his mouth shut. Linda looked at her own arm and pinched it to confirm what was happening was real and that she hadn't just fallen asleep on the couch.
"You're not deaf and you are awake." Magic answered, much to Linda's displeasure. "Do I have to repeat myself?"
"You might have to, yeah."
Another window popped up below Magic's screen. Judging from the angle of the video feed shown, it had to be one of the city's public camera Linda was looking through. Linda knew the street which was less than twenty minutes away from her apartment if she ran fast enough. On one side of the street, there were two girls sitting on a bench in front of a store. The other sidewalk had three guys dressed in suits seemingly talking to each other, but from the perspective of the camera, Linda could see they were just faking dialogue. It took a few seconds for the realization to kick in, but one of the girls sitting on the bench was Nepgear. The name and picture she saw back at the school was still fresh in her mind when she met that girl with the creepy looking dark eyes.
"The three men are associates of my organization." Magic explained to Linda, though she looked to be losing her patient facade. "Their objective is to eliminate someone my leader believes to be a potential threat in the future."
The two girls stood up and started walking away and the men mimicked the girls, following Nepgear and her friend while continuing to pretend they were buddies and joking with each other. Nepgear's friend must have had her suspicions about the trio as she chose to walk beside Nepgear as if she were Nepgear's shield. Linda assumed that Nepgear's friend wanted to get them to a crowded area in Planeptune and lose the stalkers that Nepgear was unaware of.
"The target is Nepgear, the one in the school uniform." Magic stated before pointing at Linda. "In order to prove your loyalty and willingness to do what has to be done for our goals, you must kill Nepgear. Warechu, if you wish to join, then I have another target in mind for you in Lastation."
"Hell no." Warechu responded curtly. "You're not the Magic I know. You can fuck off, chu."
Warechu didn't even wait for Magic's response as he promptly ended his line in the call. Linda blinked a few times before she started to snicker. Linda turned back to Magic and smiled cheekily at the woman. Magic's expression turned from being mildly frustrated to calmly indifferent.
"He's right, you know." Linda spoke as she pulled the hood of her jacket over her head. "About you not being Magic. I had been so shocked seeing you after being gone for so long that I hadn't even considered that you could be a fake."
"I am Magic!"
"You keep telling yourself that." Linda shook her head, her cheeky smile swapped out for a scowl. "The Magic I knew taught me how to sneak, steal, and kill only when my life is at stake. Now here's a question for you, Magic: What was I to you back then?"
"An...old friend?"
"Wrong."
Linda ended Magic's call, but the video feed of the city camera was still going. One of the men stopped and raised a hand up to the earpiece that must have been on him. The three pulled out pistols with silencer barrels on them and aimed their firearms at Nepgear and her friend. However, Nepgear's companion threw something in the middle of the road. What Nepgear's friend threw turned out to be a smoke bomb, which gave the two plenty of time to start running as the assassins gave chase and opened fire on the pair of girls. Linda rushed out of her room, reaching for her phone when it started ringing.
"I'd like to believe that wasn't Magic, but what if it was?" Warechu's voice spoke on the other end. "What are you going to do if that really was her? She's had time to change, chu."
"There's change and then there's being controlled." Linda replied as she sprinted down the stairs and through the reception room. "If that really was Magic, I'm going to find her and beat the sense back into her; get the Magic we know back."
"No ifs or buts about it, huh?" Warechu laughed at Linda's confidence, but it wasn't mockingly. "I'd say good luck, but you don't believe in that, chu."
"Damn straight." Linda closed her phone and put it away so she could put more focus into running.
Linda was going to get her Magic back, there was no mistaking that. But first, she had a kid she needed to save. To lure out Magic, Linda needed to be the thorn in Magic's schemes. Saving Nepgear from being assassinated was a step in the right direction.
"Honestly...How do you forget your own girlfriend?"
That and Linda really wanted to piss off Magic by doing this.