Personal barriers are seeing to it that I update as slow as molasses. At times like this, I am especially thankful that my Beta Readers Planeshunter and Kujo are still there with me despite this downtime. And to everyone waiting patiently, I am equally thankful, whether I know who you are or not!


{Uni: The Dimensional Hub}

Today has been very eventful in particular. My morning training felt fruitful, my participation with Komari's Spiral of Happiness has been going well, and I even ran into Marisa not-too-long ago. Despite all of that, today boasts a big problem. It is almost five o'clock in this active day and I have yet to visit the Scarlet Devil Mansion or Patchouli. That is why the mansion is our next destination!

"I think I'll take this opportunity for a small nyap."

As Marisa and I head towards the mansion portal, Chen turns around and heads for this sector's lone house.

"Okay, but aren't you supposed to be watching me? You won't get in trouble, will you?"

Chen shakes her head before replying. "As long as you're in Gensokyo, there's nyo point. My masters will understand. Just wake me up when you're done, okay?"

"All right. See you later Chen."

Chen dashes towards the house with her arms out like an airplane. Despite my predictions, she makes it up the steps and inside the house without tripping. Marisa lets out a relieved sigh once it's just the two of us.

"I don't know why you have to put up with those guys all the time," she says.

"What do you mean? Yukari's another story but the shikigami are fine. Aren't they?"

"That's still no good!"

[BGM ~ "The Poem for Everyone's Souls" (Persona 3&4)]

Marisa and I literally try to see each other eye-to-eye. Our expressions clash confusion versus concern. Her aura shows the red sincerity that she almost always has, so naturally, I want to understand what she means. Her aura eases up after a good moment.

"Look, I'm just saying that that there are less troublesome people that you can be friends with."

"But what if I like troublesome people?"

Marisa smirks before replying. "Then maybe I'm right up your alley!"

"There's no maybe. I do tend to like people like you."

"R-Really now?" It wasn't until Marisa's aura erupted different colors until I realized the nature of what I just said. Marisa retaliates with a forced toothy grin. "I thought you were a little more shy, ze."

"Yeah, me too."

"Me three!" A figure of light forms into a humanoid shape, and then a girl with a brown dress and a tan skin tone develops. "I see what's happening though."

"What do you mean?"

The intruder takes a moment to put her thoughts together. "I want to say it's a reaction to your Empathy Vision. Isn't it way easier to say what you want to someone when you can identify their aura?"

"That's a good point." I'm still not sure if I understand what she's trying to say though.

"I didn't understand a word you just said," says Marisa who is even more lost. "Who are you anyway?"

The one in question faces Marisa and bows. "Nice you meet you. I am Lyra. I once was a drawing on paper conceived by Louis.. Now I am a walking, talking tree!"

"Right." I respond by giving Lyra a micro karate chop to her temple. "A tree doesn't have human body parts, let alone a piece of paper."

"Shi-shi-shi... Anyways, mind if I wander around with you guys for a bit?"

Lyra looks for Marisa's nod of approval since she is certain that I have no objections. And just like that, the quirky maiden joins the rest of us. Lyra... I could even go as far to say that her sense of randomness even rivals Yukari's, as she would show herself to anyone in any world, at any given moment. And for the record, that part of her was never in my script at all!


Killing Time on the Road: Free Spirits Mingle!

LOUIS: So what brings you out here all a sudden?

LYRA: Ah, you know. If you have the choice between staying in one place for eternity and going where you please, the better choice is obvious.

LOUIS: So just because?

LYRA: Pretty much!

MARISA: I can relate to that.

LYRA: Plus, this way, I get to spend more time with you directly. Yay!

MARISA: Sounds like you're pretty attached to the guy.

LYRA: Ahaha.. That sure is one way to put it! How about you? Your total screen time skyrocketed all of a sudden. Are you developing a thing for Louis?

MARISA: Mm. Who knows?

LYRA: You put up a good front. Your aura is flashing all over the place though.

MARISA: Whatever you say, ze.

LYRA: Oh yeah. I'm not any kind of love interest for the record. Our relationship is simply artist-drawing.

LOUIS: ...

MARISA: What does that even mean?

LYRA: You sound confused but your aura calmed down a bit after what I said. You see the color, right Louis?

MARISA: ..?

LOUIS: ... Lyra, cut it out already.


The other night, Lyra revealed to me that she became capable of Empathy Vision when I did. She really is like my reflection. Perhaps that is why Lyra made that kind of declaration just moments ago. I feel as though I understand her logic completely, though getting rejected by your own drawing is some kind of experience.

[Fade BGM]

The rest of our short trip was in silence. Once we set foot in the mansion's library, Marisa hops on top of her hovering broom.

"I'm gonna look up some research material while it's on my mind. I'll see you later."

Marisa takes off up and over the shelves. Moments after she is out of sight, Sakuya emerges from the far end of the aisle. I inform her that Marisa is also nearby. Then she eventually lets me know that Remilia is awake and in the library. My priority immediately shifts to seeing her.

[BGM~ek_ReBed57g "Cercospora" (Rewrite)]

Sakuya leads me to a round table with three chairs. Remilia and Koakuma are sitting beside each other with refreshments in hand. The third chair is facing in the opposite direction. Suddenly I remember. This is the exact same layout where I always fail to realize Alice Margatroid's presence until I do or say something embarrassing in front of her. Now is my chance. I rush past Sakuya, towards the table with a newborn Spell Card in hand and a sudden ambition to break the cycle.

"Pattern Breaker: The Noticing Sempai!"

Not all Spell Cards are made for combat. This one just summons a series of watchful eyes that are inspired by Yukari's surveillance ability. This action looks unnecessary on the surface but she and I have a routine of teasing each other the best way we know how.

SLAP!

A thin item suddenly latches onto my face and then my body locks in place. The paralysis feels akin to being frozen in time but the three people in front of me are blinking and staring at me in real time. I take note of the one occupying the third chair; the one who put me in this predicament. Suddenly everything makes sense, but I must wait for Sakuya to catch up to me and pull the Paper Tag off of my forehead before I can comment.

"Oh hey Ms. Hakurei."

"..."

The shrine maiden's stare is clearly asking me what that was all about. Answering that would be tricky.

"Well if it isn't Louis Oliver Starsky!"

"Hey Koa- woah, what?" Koakuma and Remilia grin at my reaction. "When did I tell you my middle name?"

"You'll have to ask Patchouli. She found out somehow."

"I didn't tell her either..."

"Do you not like your middle name?" asks Remilia.

"Eh, it's just a name. I just never think about it enough to tell anyone."

"Oh? Personally, I think it suits you quite well.

"Thanks, I guess." A compliment from Remilia is rare. I'll take it, but I'll have to shoot for something I deserve next time!

"At any rate, you should go see Patchouli. I'm sure she will be very happy to see you!"

"That hopeless goon," Remilia adds while shaking her head.

I excuse myself from the party and head towards Patchouli's room. On my way there I take note of Sakuya and Lyra engaged in conversation; the latter making several weird gestures fit for a game of charades. The My hand-drawn maiden seems to enjoy the people here just as much as I do. In the end, I decide to leave them be.

[Fade BGM]

Faint sounds of shuffling leads me to believe that Patchouli is behind closed doors. I raise my arm to knock on the door, but then a different approach comes to mind. Sometimes I would identify myself outside of a room door by holding an F' note for as long as I can. I have no idea when I started doing that, but it has proven to wake my family up in the mornings faster than knocking.

...

I hold the note in front of Patchouli's door, and before I know it, the single note becomes a duet... Triplet? Quartet? No, a Quintet! Four identical red dresses decided to surround me and sing a note that transformed everything into a proper major chord. Because of this I became driven to hold the note (and moment) for as long as I can. Then Patchouli's indescribable expression upon opening the door gave me more than enough satisfaction to stop.

"I thought I heard an assembly of fools."

The multiple Flandres and I share a good laugh. Once all of Flandre's clones converge together, my train of thought seems to assemble at the same time. That is when I point the finger at Patchouli.

"You! How did you get my middle name!?"

She takes a moment to process my question then grins. "Come inside and I will explain."

[BGM~11276V2sb50 "Locked Girl - Foxtail Grass Studio Ver."]

Once Patchouli invites me inside she prompts me to sit at the table. There are several books scattered about the surface, as expected. What I did not expect is the fact that I recognize almost all the short stories in front of me. The book closest to my reach has Mami Tomoe, someone we both know on the cover. Patchouli studies my expression in amusement.

"Long story short, your sister Valerie has been very informative towards my most recent research ventures."

"Aren't these my manga? And my books..? But why?"

This can only mean that Patchouli has been to my mirror world one or more times on her own! Patchouli's expression neutralizes before continuing.

"You have the tendency to say several things that would go past my range of knowledge. You make references to many things that I have never heard of. I do not know if you realize this Louis, but that aspect about you has always bugged me to no end. And I have no intention to let such a trend go on without fighting back.

It almost sounds like Patchouli is trying to read her way towards understanding everything that happens to come out of my mouth? "But that's..."

"If you're thinking about convincing Patchouli to stop reading what she wants to, take my advice. Forget it."

Lyra reunites with that statement handy.

"What do you mean?"

"Mm, good question." You do have an answer, right? "Perhaps Flandre has more experience as to what happens if you try to deny Patchouli from finishing a book that she's started."

"-ever again..." Flandre's strange gaze is fixed downward as if she can see the earth's core from where she stands. She snaps out of it when I call her name. "Sorry, did you say something?"

I'm getting the feeling that I should not press for details.

"Don't worry about it. At any rate, Marisa and I came to see if you wanted to hang out with us for a bit."

"Marisa, you say?" Patchouli's aura suddenly shifts to a lime-green color. "The two of you have become much closer lately."

"You sure about that? I mean we went out together a couple times but that's about it."

"And each time, you have made sure that I am not around," Patchouli continues. "I wonder why that is?"

...

[_] What are you trying to say?
[x] It's not like that.
[_] That's not your business.

"You're getting the wrong idea. Things just turned out that way on its own." I glance around the room. Flandre seems to have vanished. "Also I wanted to stop by earlier today but I've been a little busy."

"Is that so?" Patchouli replies in a passive tone. "And here I thought you got bored of me and began to select a different long-term partner."

"Patchouli, that's impossible."

"Is it? Marisa does boast superior stamina. Also her eccentricities can be seen as.. somewhat charming when she is not being a nuisance."

"Ha." Lyra grins at the scenario.

"You have a lot of qualities too! Besides..." This has to be a joke, right? If Patchouli is really calling herself replaceable then I will just have to set her straight. "Patchouli."

But first I have to look Patchouli in the eyes and make sure that someone like her is really that troubled. We lock gazes for a good moment. Suddenly she gets uneasy and breaks contact. "A-Ah Louis, I am only joking! Do not get so worked up."

I don't get the joke. A few seconds later and things may have gotten very awkward!

"Patchouli, what's gotten into you..?"

She sighs and shrugs. "I blame these picture books of yours. Your weird tastes in stories have put me in an equally weird mood."

"That figures."

I would have never anticipated this development with how many books Patchouli has access to. Something tells me that things are still going to get awkward eventually.

[Fade BGM]

Once Patchouli, Lyra and I exit the room, we catch Marisa approaching us with her arms full of various books. She has to peek over the side of the stack to observe us.

"What's the word guys? Is Patchy coming with us or not?"

Patchouli squints at the sight. "Borrowing others' books without permission again, I see. Have you no shame?"

"I don't think you have the right to say that today." I say that while balancing one of my manga on the top of her cap. She grabs the book and looks at the cover before replying.

"You raise a valid point. Ah, speaking of which, this is quite the shameless series. Any author that could conceive such nonsense has several personal issues to boot."

"Hey now! Ken is awesome and so are his issues!"

Patchouli stares at me for a moment then starts going down the hall. I chase after her. Even if it is Patchouli, I will not let anyone diss my Negima series so easily!

"How on earth does any rational person enjoy such things? The entire premise is unnatural on so many levels!"

"Practicality really isn't the appeal of things in that genre. It's the unique characters and their interactions with each other."

We enter the library and start to gather the attention of the fairy maids. Patchouli uses the book to fan herself before continuing.

"I will admit that there was one particular student that grabbed my attention, but it seems to me that the 'appeal' is supposed to be all of the risque scenarios and imagery."

"That really depends on the reader. Believe it or not, that story has a good plot that expands the closer you get to the end. The risque stuff.. is just a little extra."

Sakuya, Koakuma, Remilia, Reimu and Alice (Where was she earlier!?) are all looking towards our passing banter. I wave goodbye to everyone and keep going.

"According to Valerie, the term is fanservice, correct? Perhaps I will inquire Flandre about it some time. She likes the series quite a bit."

Once she says this, she crosses the portal that leads to Uni, leaving me to imagine Flandre having fun with my manga. I fight off the amusing thought and press forward.

"Really!? That proves my point. I'm sure she reads that for the plot too!" The sound of chuckling has me turn towards Marisa. "What's so funny?"

"What do you think? You two have gotten so much closer lately, it's hilarious. I think I might be getting kinda jealous."

With that statement, Marisa sends me a teasing grin coupled with a green aura. How am I supposed to react to this..?

"I'm getting some mad deja vu all of a sudden!"

"Lyra, please don't make this any-"

My plea was halted by a violent rattle that shook the entire area. Patchouli slams into me, I collide with Marisa, and she falls on Lyra who was already on the ground. The shaking only continues for a second longer. No debris in sight - because this hub does not offer much to break. The door to the lone house flies open and Chen staggers onto the porch. Her tails are poofier than usual.

[BGM~I70SMx8iz1E "Just Wondering" (Kingdom Hearts CoM)]

"H-Hey, you okay guys?"

Patchouli rolls off of me before replying. "What.. just happened?"

"Typical eastern karma!"

"Lyra, be serious! How does a place like this even get earthquakes!?"

Marisa frees Lyra, who immediately stands. "Now that you mention it, that really was strange."

"More than strange. This is a dimensional hub! A place void of life and structure!" Everyone looks to me after my sudden outburst. "Am I overthinking this..? I really want an explanation."

Lyra rubs the back of her head before replying. "Sorry, but I'm just as baffled as you are."

Up until now, I have not put much effort into rationalizing Uni's existence, and now a ton of questions are flooding through my mind. Before any of the questions become clear, the portal to the prehistoric Chrono Trigger timeline stirs. Out comes a wheel, followed by a classic vehicle, and then its slender owner in drab gear. Her gaze remains glued to the floor and her breathing is uncharacteristically heavy.

"Kino?" Patchouli identifies. "And Hermes? It has been a while."

"Likewise," says the bike. Kino finally brings herself to look upward.

"What happened to you? You look exhausted."

"I'm.. fine."

Everything about her demeanor suggests otherwise. A moment of silence follows and then Hermes picks up from where Kino left off.

"We were just on our way back to this center when we nearly wiped out towards the exit. It took a lot out of both of us just to keep balance. Other than that, we are okay."

"That's good at least." I note Kino's blank expression before continuing. "You're usually really careful though. Was there a bump on the road?"

"Not a bump," Kino replies. "The earth suddenly started shaking and we were forced to stop."

Marisa's eyes widen. "There was an earthquake somewhere else too!?"

Kino blinks, displaying the smallest hint of curiosity.

"This place shook up a few moments ago," Kino gives a small nod. "But maybe it's just a coincidence!"

"The area that Kino came from does have active volcanoes as part of its landscape."

Just as Patchouli beat me to that fact, my cell phone vibrates and chimes. Checking my phone displays a new text message. It turns out that this message with countless recipients tagged reveals a troublesome fact.

"Scratch that thought Patchouli... Ninon's older sister just posted about it."

"There's just no way! I'm not the smartest girl around, but I know that earthquakes don't work like that!"

Marisa's expression mimics the stressed emotion I had only moments ago. My phone rings again before I can start to process any of this. The caller ID displays my family's house phone number.

[Fade BGM]

"Hold on guys." Don't tell me...

"Onii-chan, daijoubu desu-ka!?"

There's only one person I know who would start a conversation with stock japanese phrases like that. "Why Val, why?"

"Dakara..." Valerie pauses. "Did you feel that earthquake a few minutes ago?"

"You felt it too, huh?"

"Yes! The sites are saying that it had a 5.8 magnitude. That's crazy. We don't get earthquakes over here!"

"Is everyone okay?"

"Everything looks fine on our block. I don't know about-" Valerie's voice suddenly cuts off. I inspect my phone and notice that someone else is trying to reach me.

"Val, let me call you back."

The number looks familiar but I cannot remember who it belongs to.

"Hello?"

"Is this Louis?" It's another familiar female voice.

"Yeah. Is this Rose?"

"Yes." Rosalie is the one female member of the Five Riders.

"Even you're calling me now. You must be real.. shaken up!"

"This isn't the time for jokes." In my case, it really is to avoid going crazy. "Have you seen Locke?"

"Not today. What's up?"

"Oh my god Louis... Our headquarters is gone!"

"Gone? What do you mean gone!?"

"The freaking earthquake, Louis!" Rose shouts. "Locke's house completely fell apart! What if he- oh my god..!"

"Calm down Rose, there's no..!" Suddenly my call drops. More accurately, my touch-screen did not agree with my face.

I turn to the concerned expressions of everyone that wound up listening in. I inhale and exhale deeply.

"There's been a change in plans."

My statement sounded calm on the outside but Rosalie's sudden call has me on edge for multiple reasons. As for one of them, Locke better be somewhere safe and sound right now or else...

The Road Paved in Concepts: An Emergency Detour!

{Mirror Hometown: Outside Home}

The plan is to rush to Locke's house and investigate the area. As I take the first few steps down the sidewalk, Lyra hesitates and faces the other side of the street.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna go to Val," says Lyra.

I wave at Lyra before replying. "Got it. Let's get a-"

"Hold it!" Lyra shouts. She points at Marisa before continuing. "The cat and the hat are coming with me!"

Marisa defensively grabs the rim of her headgear. "Huh? My hat..?"

I glance at Marisa then down to Chen who transformed into a cat since we got here. Suddenly I understand. "Good point Lyra. Marisa, your hat would stand out a lot in this world. So would a two-tailed cat."

Chen meows in response and Marisa frowns.

"But what if I wanna stand out?"

"You can if you want to," Patchouli replies. "But if anyone participating in this world's Witch Hunt captures you here, neither of us will have any power to help you."

"Seriously!?" Marisa gulps loud enough to point out that she's having second thoughts. I decide to follow-up Patchouli's lie with truth.

"Just so you know, any magic powers that me or you guys have are disabled in this world."

"What..?" Marisa pulls out her mini-hakkero and examines at it for a moment. Then she sighs and removes her hat. "Okay fine. You better be real careful with this."

Lyra gives Marisa a thumbs up. "I'll keep it in mint condition!"

"I doubt that. It's a little worn."

Lyra turns the witch hat upside-down and Chen hops inside. The two of them head towards my house together. I catch myself nodding at no one in particular..

"Okay, now we can get g-"

"Wow, who are you!?"

"What now..?" I turn around to see what Marisa is talking about. She is staring Patchouli down. "Oh right..."

"I am Patricia Knoll. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

The wardrobe and hair makeover that my sister gave to Patchouli a while back became her appearance like always. No wonder the black-haired beauty in glasses has Marisa in shock right now.

"I'll explain on the way, but I really want to get to the headquarters now."

"O-Okay.."


Killing Time on the Road: Patricia = Patchouli?

MARISA: So let me get this straight. Your sister dressed up Patchy like that one day, and because of that, she always looks like this when she comes here?

LOUIS: That's about it. Flip it the other way around and it's also why I'm back in my old hoodie.

MARISA: I thought you guys said that this world has no magic. A full-blown transformation is totally mysterious, ze!

KNOLL: Not necessarily. Valerie's process of making me look like this took a lot of time and honest effort. The transformation aspect only began as I left this world.

MARISA: I see. I kind of want to try that myself. Your sister sounds interesting.

KNOLL: She truly is. Louis, you really should see her more often!

LOUIS: Maybe. I've been busy lately.

KNOLL: No good! No good I tell you! Thou must dedicate at least one hour every other day to your precious little sister!

LOUIS: R-Right...

MARISA: (Hey Louis.. are you sure Patchy's looks are all that changes when she comes here?)

LOUIS: I think you're onto something, Marisa. This requires further investigation!


{Mirror Hometown: Headquarter Ruins}

[BGM~Xkun-83JvF8 "Voiceless - Umineko"]

The site is just as I feared. Not only is Locke's house totaled, but the wreckage site looks exactly like I thought it would. Police tape surrounding the property, the distinct four-foot town sheriff... Among the crowd of bystanders, all of the Five Riders are here standing together minus Locke. I walk ahead and approach the lot of them.

"The earthquake caused this huh?" I ask everyone this even though the answer is all but obvious. The two other male Riders nod in response. Rosalie's eyes are not turning from her phone.

"Let's be honest. We're all surprised the old fort held together this long."

That was Peter's attempt to lighten up the mood a bit. That was usually my job out of the five, making Peter the backup clown. With that being said, there is much truth to his words. Locke's house was not what one would call decent. A place like that would have been condemned long ago if it were not inhabited. But something like that did not prevent either of us from coming here every week to see Locke and the rest of the gang. Now the lot of us are here looking at its remains, with the exception of one of us.

"Any luck calling Locke, Rose?"

I figure I'd ask since she's been at it since we got here. Rosalie shakes her head in response.

"It's ringing but he's not answering."

"That's a good sign if the phone is still working," says Peter. "The cops haven't found anything important yet either, so I'd say keep at it. Try leaving a text too."

Rosalie nods and obeys.

"Did anyone try reaching Geo?"

I ask because there is a chance that Locke's older brother was the last to see him.

"No, you're the only one that has his number."

"What are you waiting for Louis? Call him!"

"I'm on it Rose, calm down."

I distinctly recall deleting Geo's number in my original world a while after he passed away. Luckily checking this version of my phone for Geo's number bears fruit. However, calling him only leads to an answering machine.

"No good. Geo is probably still at work."

I look over to Marisa and Patchouli. None of my friends questioned their existence; probably because of the situation and the fact that they somewhat blend in with the crowd of onlookers. Both of the girls are wearing awkward expressions. There would probably be yellow auras of uncertainty surrounding them now. Of course, I have no real Empathy Vision while I am in this world.

"Guys, he's okay! Locke just texted me back!"

Rosalie immediately starts dialing his number one more time. I hear the dial tone stop after one ring.

"Locke!" Rosalie activates speakerphone before continuing. "What took you so long to answer!?"

"That was my bad. Apparently, Roundabout makes a crappy ringtone unless I clip off the intro."

"You idiot..." Rosalie's voice chokes and her eyes start to water.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Got some bad news for you Locke," Xavier replies. "Did you feel that earthquake earlier? It completely took your pad down.

"Earthquake..?" Locke falls silent for a long moment. "Oh, I get it. The hideout collapsed huh? Man.. guess that's fate."

Rosalie frowns. "Locke, this is no time to be acting cool. Where are you?"

"I'm.. a bit far out of town right now." Locke's tone leads me to believe that he is somewhere in Uni. "I'm fine. But it sounds like the Five Riders is disbanding starting today."

"Calm down Locke," says Xavier.

"We can have the meetings at my place," Peter adds. "There's no need to disband."

"Maybe not, but I think I still want to."

"What? Why!?" Rosalie shouts while tightening her grip on the phone.

"Well... I feel like there's more important things that I should be doing than just sitting on my ass all day. Kinda like how some people believe that they were sent to this world to do something special. It's like that. Except in my case, it's way more than just a belief by now. Don't you feel the same way, old buddy?"

Old buddy..? That's a title I never heard before. No one else here fits that description but me, but I haven't said a word since the call started!

"Locke you're acting strange," says Rosalie. "You should come back to us."

"Sorry but I'm gonna be out of town for a good while."

"Locke, come on."

"Don't worry, I'll keep in touch with you all unlike some people." Yeah, Locke really does know I'm here... "I just need time to figure stuff out and then I'll be back before you know it."

Xavier lets out a sigh of resignation. "Alright man, take care of yourself. Just call us if you need anything. Anything."

"Will do. Later."

A tense silence falls between us until more sirens approach the site. Eventually, I give the Gensokyo mages the signal that it's time to go. I turn around to take one last look at my friends and the site. Only Rosalie is still watching me. I nod to her once and turn around. The peculiar expression she wore still lingers in my mind. I wouldn't be surprised if she's getting suspicious with her sense of perception. I just hope things don't go any further than that.

[BGM~oLCYO6DRQcY "Remembrance - Rewrite"]

"Louis, are you going to be alright?" asks Patchouli.

"Locke's fine right?" Marisa replies. "That means there's nothing to worry about."

"It's a little more complicated than that."

"Would you care to explain?"

It's true that Locke is not in the danger everyone suspected, but this just might be the beginning."For starters, I've seen the headquarters in that exact state before."

"What do you mean, ze? Did you see it in a dream or something?"

"Something like that." That's no good. I owe it to Marisa to be more clear. "... Better yet, think of it like a parallel world; a world where Locke is dead."

Patchouli stirs as if she understands. Marisa is still trying.

"Err, okay... If you put it that way, then how is Locke dead in the other world?"

She asks the proper question right away. I try to avoid talking about things like this, but I got everyone involved without thinking. No choice but to be thorough.

"That group of friends that you saw plus Locke used to gather at that destroyed house almost daily. But in the parallel world, we all disbanded. Locke's older brother Geoffrey then found a place closer to his work and our former hideout was abandoned. Not too long after that, Geoffrey died to a heart attack and Locke's living situation took a sudden turn for the worse. In that world, Locke had become homeless without any family to turn to. One day, he resorted to sneaking back to that old house to sleep for just one night. As luck would have it, the following morning was the day that house was scheduled to be demolished. No one on the wrecking crew wound up checking the house before doing their job so he didn't have a chance to escape before it was too late. After the demolition, Locke's body was found in the remains roughly eight hours later."

"Did that really..?" Marisa grows uneasy. Somehow, she does not seem nearly as confused. "That's... I don't know what to say."

Who would?

"Don't worry about it. Anyways the point I'm trying to make is that I was afraid that history just tried to repeat itself - that Drosselmeyer willed the earthquake just because he has the power to do it. Things like this are just going to keep happening if someone doesn't do anything about it. That is why I will do whatever it takes to stop him. Who knows? Maybe that is what I was sent here to do since the beginning."

"I do not know about that. However, I fully understand your concern now." Patchouli paces ahead and faces me directly. "Louis, I want you to know that I am willing to assist you in any way that I can."

"Same here ze," Marisa adds. "There's a thin line between showing off your power and just plain abusing it. That old man crossed it and somebody has to put him in his place."

There are reassuring words, and then there are words from people that really have the power to back them up. Moments like this reminds me of how lucky I truly have been.

"Thanks everyone. With you guys and Yukari in on this, I'd say the Doombringer ship is as good as sunk."

[Fade BGM]

That sudden event was enough to tire me out for the rest of the evening. For once, I developed a notion to spend the night with my parallel family, so I assigned Lyra with escorting everyone else back to Gensokyo. On that note I walk to my old room, kick my sister out and lie down for a minute. After that minute, An unknown caller tries to reach me."

"Hello?"

"Hello Louis. Are you busy?"

"Not really, but who is this?"

"This is Yukari. Please record this number."

"Sure thing," I reply without thinking. "But how did you- I mean, why are you calling me?"

"Forgive me. The use of my gaps is impossible where you are." So even Yukari is not immune to such rules? On another note, why does she sound so formal over the phone? "What are you doing now?"

"I've been investigating the mass earthquake ever since it happened."

"What are you talking about?" Is Yukari not yet aware..? "Anyway, when you get done, someone just replied to our form. Please report to the Little Busters Plaza as soon as possible. That is all."

The call ends on that note causing my mind to start thinking about various secret agents.

"Man, what a busy day."


[BGM~rO2x1OqvOog "Melody of Profits"]

A is for Antihero, B is for Birdy, C is for c-c-c-c-combo breaker! Eden Colosseum will have have to wait now that someone is waiting for Louis elsewhere. Don't quote me on this, but I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that the last maiden of this season is upon us. If that's the case, then cross your fingers and hope that she's not a dud! Next time on Project Concept Road: Fowl Play is the Best Solution! Even at a snail's pace, we will eventually make it to the season's end. Stay tuned and keep the feedback coming until then!