Here we are at the Shibu Department Store. It's about time for me to tell this interesting story to Shiki.

"Tell me, right after you saw me, you just moved on to the next day?" I asked to know if she saw what I'm doing after talking to Mina.

"Yes," was her reply.

"It's about time I tell you of what I've been doing after I talked to Mina on that day," my story starts.

Flashback begins.

Right after talking to Mina, I decided to go to my best friend's grave. Good thing I got my paying money for doing activist work. So I buy a bouquet of red roses. As I headed to the gravestone I'm supposed to go, I placed the flowers on the ground and I prayed that Shiki heard those words in the afterlife. Just then, trouble has come to me as four criminals came by in motorcycles trying to run past me. I jumped past them, but as I landed, the bouquet of roses is ruined. I picked up one of the red roses, but it just broke down. This really made me mad. Those people are ruining my visit and Shiki can't rest peacefully from that.

As I decided to get payback on those people, I don't seemed to know where are they going. Because of that, I'm gonna have to go into the police station to get some answers. Too bad I'm not allowed to go to the offices, only in the waiting room. As a result, I activated a fire alarm in order to let them out for a while. As they left, I sneak into an office to see if I could get a file to find out those people who have ruined my visit to Shiki's grave. I locked the door so they police wouldn't try to get in. I know it's going yo be for a while as some would try to break it open. As I searched the file, I found out who are those people. It's the same thief who tries to rob Funky Fashion. This time, she had two goons helping her. That is so outrageous. I know that a police officer would come here, so I escape from the window. Luckily, I found where the location is: a subway.

I walked in there not looking in the eye of those three. I knew they would follow me to the ladies' restroom so I let them. I washed my hands inside.

"Hey, is that some new hat?" the thief started asking me.

"Oh, is it?" I turned around to see her. As she looked at me, she had fear in her eyes.

"It's you! You're that crazy girl I encountered in Funky Fashion!" she pulls out a gun and points it at my direction.

"Yeah, that's right," I replied calmly. "So, does that gun have real bullets?"

"Huh?"

Suddenly, I managed to land a punch on her face as I grab her gun and toss it aside.

"Now let's see if you can fight without your gun."

"So you want to see that, huh? Okay!" the woman is about to make a punch before me, but I just grab her wrist and pin her down to the ground. While I do this, her goons started calling me crazy for such act.

"Okay, listen to me, you dirt bags," I put my foot on the bad girl's back as I pulled out a bouquet of flowers they ruined at my visit to Shiki's grave. "What is this? What happened to my bouquet? Do you know why my bouquet is place on some grave? Answer me!"

The goon on my left answers in cowardice. "I'm not sure how to put it, but it's for some girl who died in some accident."

"That's right!" I kick her in the face and she fell to the ground. Only the one on my right is standing. "Since you know about it, tell me why my bouquet is ruined, huh?"

"Well, we were riding out motorcycles because we thought it might be fun to ruin it, right?" was her reply as she looks scared. I can't believe that kind of thing. That's so atrocious.

"Exactly," I said as I extend my hand and try to make it look like Shiki is on my side. "That's why you goons owe this girl an apology."

"We do?" the goon in my right asked. As soon as she and the others look at me, they can't seem confused. "How? Apologize to who?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said, apologize!" I yell in anger.

The three said it altogether, "We're sorry! We'll never do it again! Just don't hurt us, please!"

That feels better for me. Hey, I even stomp on my foot in anger so that they could run away from me, finally getting their comeuppance for ruining my visit to Shiki's grave.

Then the flashback ends.

"That's quite a story, Eri," Shiki complements my story.

"Yeah," I replied. "I couldn't let anyone ruin that moment, so I decided to do something about it."

"Oh..." my friend complements.

I changed the subject. "Now that we're in Shibu Department Store, I'm thinking of getting something."

We entered the store. The only I'm buying in there is a pink ribbon. As we walked off, we see Neku and Joshua have entered as well. Just as I expected.

"Shiki," I started. "Can you hide somewhere where those two can't find you?"

"Why? Are you going to have a private conversation with any of them?" she asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you about there is something's definitely wrong with that kid Neku's been partnered with," was my reply. Now that Shiki goes into hiding, it's time for the conversation to begin. I approached to the two boys. "Hello there, Neku, and Joshua."

As they look at me, they look nervous. Or maybe curious about me since the last time I met them.

"Hi, Neku, Joshua," I talked with happiness, but at the same disdain to those two. I already know Neku won't do something bad to Shiki again, and I take focus on Joshua. I gotta say, he's a snotty kid.

"Hi, Eri," Neku said in cowardice.

"Same here," Joshua said in not only in a snotty tone, but also in a disdain tone.

I said, "So, can I talk to you privately, Joshua?"

He replied, "Well, considering you want to do so, okay."

I decided to take him to some place private where Neku won't see what I'm going to do to him.

"Okay, Eri, what do you want to talk about?" Joshua wonders. Before he knows it, I swing my ribbon in circles 6 times before I use it to trap him. "What's this all about?" he asks in an angry manner.

"I'm sorry, but I know fully well you don't want to discuss this topic with me, so I'm gonna have to pin you down," I reply.

"What do you want to talk about?"

This is the moment he'll never forget of. I explained, "You know, when I first met you, I have suspicious about you. You're a smart individual, but at the same time, you're arrogant. I have a gut feeling that there's something's not right with you. Before you know it, my suspicions about you could be right or wrong. However, I'm sure my suspicions about you is right, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Joshua asks me. He sure wants to know what I'm really saying to him.

"You're the Composer," was my answer.

"Do you have proof?" Joshua asked me in a sly manner. How cunning that guy really is.

"No proof," I replied calmly. "But you know, people don't pay me to crack cases like this for nothing."

Joshua can't fight a way out of this one. "What do you want, Eri?"

"Let it go. You got to forget about destroying Shibuya," I said this as the topic I wanted to talk about.

"What?" Joshua really looks angry when I said it. Just as I thought.

"Believe me, when I was alive, I watched movies to see some characters who feel the same way you do," my explanation starts. "Trust me, for those who wanted to destroy a country because of thinking there's a corrupt influence that could spread around the world, it never ends well. For those people who wanted to do something like that is an extremist and happens to be the real villain of the story. I know how the story between a hero and villain works, Joshua. The hero always wins over the villain. Looks like I found something very interesting around here and it's Neku versus you. You're just gonna lose anyway. Even if you succeed in "erasing" Shibuya, what would you have then? Nothing. Emptiness."

As I looked at Joshua, he looks angry at this. It's nice to see his smug smile off his face for a while as this is really an annoyance to me.

"Shut up! What makes you know anything about it?! You're all just talk so you have no idea!"

I said calmly, "Why don't take it easy? Try to calm down, would you?"

Before I know it, Joshua is making an evil smile on his face as he tries counteract my statement. It's as if he's going to threaten me. "You know what, Eri? Maybe if I was to erase the most important people in your life, the people who meant anything to you. That's the time when I'm going to listen to you because you know how I feel."

"Hmm," I pondered as I looked calm. "That's a very interesting theory, but you're a little late to make something like that. The people that you are talking is already erased, you know."

I looked at Joshua's reaction to this statement and he gasps in shock. Looks like he can't fight back anymore.

"You know, I've seen my share of troubles. The truth is, you're not the only who knows what people are like in this country. I just wish people would change their ways. Besides, Joshua, there are people out there who disagree with what you're doing and I think Mr. H is one of those examples. Tell me, does he disagree?"

Joshua has answered this question truthfully. "Yes, Eri. He disagrees."

I continued as I keep my eyes on Joshua. This statement I said to him really made his anger disappear. "So, it looks like neither of us lead a charmed life, have we? Besides, my life went into chaos after my best friend died and sent here."

"What do you mean?" Joshua wants to know this story.

"Well, after Shiki's death, I don't have a reason to live anymore so I become an activist just to try and find my death wish," I told him. "Unfortunately, I was foiled in getting my way. I don't know who or what it is but I'm not giving up on my death wish. I did all this so that I can see Shiki again. Last week, I found it already and I'm in the Game. Before you know it, I meet Shiki again and I did it. I looked happy. My story has meaning. Do you know what that is?"

"It means we have friends to help us fill the void," Joshua is about to find and learn his lesson in a very good way.

"Exactly," I let him go from the grip of the ribbon. "Anyway, I do know how you feel. I know why you are doing all this, I know you're just trying to get all of us to change our ways. Then again, if I know something about human beings, they can either be good or evil by nature. Just so you know, not everybody is born evil. You are a god, therefore you got awesome power. Have you ever heard the phrase, 'with great power comes great responsibility'?"

"Yeah, I know what that means," Joshua replied back.

I continued my explanation. "So you know, huh? Looks like you're not your power responsibly. You just waste on manipulate others for your needs in destroying Shibuya. Well, it's not a power to be used against comrades or to destroy something. I think in your heart of hearts, you should know what it can be used for. Besides, if you need to find someone who can change so that you can see that Shibuya can change, it's Neku. On his first week, he is antisocial, but before you know it at the end of the week, he's slowly went to good. Okay, end of discussion. It's up to you to decide which is right."

As I left, I saw how Joshua is really having the words I said come into his mind. With Neku around, I'm sure he'll change his mind and let my words sink deeper in him. Besides, he's proof that he can change Shibuya for the better. I walk off with Shiki.

"Did you have to do that Joshua?" she asks me.

"Well, yeah," I answered smoothly.

"And you still think he's the Composer?"

"I'm sure am," I replied back to my friend. It looks like she has doubts about it so I decided to cheer her up. "Look, you don't have to believe me. Just see this to the end and you'll know I'm right."

"Okay," Shiki said smiling.

So off to our destination...