Fate/Infinity Shuffle: Reshuffled

Chapter 14 – Blocking Bet:

Mizuki's eyes opened in a foreign room. The sensation gave away what was going on: she was in the Room of a Heroic Spirit.

Mizuki wondered how exactly that was possible. The last thing she remembers properly was the dizziness from having Overlapped into the Berserker Class. "I don't remember placing a Card under my pillow…"

"Cut, cut!"

"Ah!" Mizuki was startled. A voice came out of seemingly nowhere. But that's when she actually noticed her surroundings. It wasn't Shiki's simple bedroom, nor Paul Bunyan's forest. It was a makeshift movie studio, seemingly created in a basement deep underneath the surface. The set was low budget, the props were low budget, and the equipment barely did its job.

Approaching the set Mizuki sat at was the Heroic Spirit. By process of elimination, this could only be the Rider Card she got from Ryuusei. And… it was far from what she expected.

"Wrong line, my actress, wrong line! I'm a patient hare, but we're on a tight schedule!" Light pink hair with tips painted blonde, reaching her midback. Her eyes were ever shut. She wore what was commonly called a 'Playboy Bunny Suit', but light pink like her hair, unlike the traditional black. Unconnected stockings, once again light pink. White gloves and unconnected collar, with yellow stars and a yellow bow respectively. And of course, the standout feature: instead of wearing fake ones, she actually had a pair of bunny ears atop her head, with light pink fur until two thirds in, where it turned yellow.

Mizuki couldn't help but feel confused. Why was a movie director wearing such a thing? In fact…

"A-Are you a movie director?" Mizuki grew curious, approaching the bunny girl.

"Of course. I wouldn't be yelling 'Cut' otherwise."

"Which one?" Mizuki showed some slight fascination. "I really like movies, so I want to know which ones are yours."

"A fan of my works? Hmmhmm!" Rider's smirk widened a little. "You've probably heard of my most famous work! Le Voyage dans la Lune! You might know it as 'A trip to the Moon'."

"A Trip? To the… Moon?" Hold on. Something was connecting in her brain. While she didn't know much about the older movies of the industry, there was one that stood out to her when she made some research about it as a younger teen. "Ah! You're that director who gave the moon a freaky face and then stuck a rocket in its eye!"

"I see you like my special effects."

CLASS: Rider

IDENTITY: Georges Méliès (?)

ALIGNMENT: True Neutral

STATS:

- Strength: E

- Endurance: C

- Agility: D

- Mana: B

- Luck: E

- Noble Phantasm: C

CLASS SKILLS:

- Riding: D

- Magic Resistance: C

PERSONAL SKILL:

- SFX: A

- Illusion: A

- Directing: B

NOBLE PHANTASM:

- Le Voyage dans la Lune 'A Trip to the Moon': Anti-Army C

- Theatre Plaisir 'Pleasurable Cinema Hall': Anti-Army C

"I didn't!" Mizuki didn't look happy at all. "That face gave me nightmares!"

"…" Rider stood still for a few seconds. "May I remind you that it was revolutionary for the time?"

"It doesn't stop it from being freaky!" Mizuki pointed out, rather annoyed. "And…" Doubt settled in once again. "Aren't you supposed to be a ma-?"

"There's no such thing s time for trivial questions!" Rider took Mizuki's hand and dragged her back to the set. "We have a three hour-long movie to shoot."

"Three hours?!"

"Test Audiences didn't like the 9-hour-long cut, so I have to film some extra scenes to explain away the missing 6 hours."

"NINE?!"

"I have a very specific vision, you see."

"No one is going to watch a nine-hour long film!"

Rider tuned to Mizuki and her eyes opened with small tears building up on its corners. The ruby red eyes pierced Mizuki's soul. "W-What? Y-You're not assisting the premiere?"

"?!" Mizuki felt as if drills were ripping her heart apart. "…A-Alright, I'll watch the premiere…"

"Marvellous!" Rider was back in the state she had been just a few seconds later.

"W-Wait, those were crocodile tears?!"

"Of course not. I'm a rabbit, not a crocodile. Now, we have at least 20 more scenes to shoot today. Lettuce begin!"

"Puns too?!"

"Eh?"

It was a confusing situation, to say the least.

Mizuki couldn't take it anymore, so she fled Rider's set through the door the moment she was distracted. But other than that, it was Sunday morning, the morning after the fight and victory against Isemi. She remembered the aftereffects the of Mad Enhancement took a much heavier toll on her than Lizzie due to the differing Ranks. While Lizzie's was of the lowest level, hers had been C Rank.

So, she more or less deduced Sayuri would bring her home due to her state. Made sense, that's what happened after her fight against Shinji, when she was yet to get used to the muscle strain and the powers of the Card. And she did bring her home alongside Mongami last time around.

…So why was Lizzie sleeping beneath her? And why were her Cards splattered all around her, with the Rider Card closest to her head?

"Eh? EH?!" Mizuki immediately sat up. The movements shook the bed enough to wake up the pop idol.

Slowly opening her eyes, Lizzie let out a cute, soundless yawn while stretching one arm up.

"Good morning, Mizuki. Anything wrong?"

Mizuki could tell the obliviousness was real. "Anything wrong?! Why did you sleep here?! Under me of all places?!" Her face turned red from the sheer embarrassment and confusion over the situation.

"Hm? But that was because of you."

"Eh?" Granted, memory was hazy. But she couldn't possibly think of a situation where Lizzie sleeping beneath her was her fault.

"The moment you saw your bed, you dropped dead. In fact, you fell so hard that your Cards jumped out of your pocket! I was holding you, so, you fell on top of me. And you were so hard to budge! I couldn't get out…" Lizzie explained, saddened. But it was quickly replaced by a cheerful smile. "So I simply slept here."

"…" Mizuki could not believe the situation. And the embarrassment shifted to another manner. "I'm not that heavy…"

"You're not. But I was tired from the fight too, so I just gave up."

All of Mizuki's blood had officially rushed to her head. "I should offer you breakfast. It must've not been comfortable at all."

"Oh, it was, actually."

"What?!"

"It was really comfortable." Lizzie giggled, casually. Mizuki simply didn't know how to react.

Just as promised, Mizuki prepared breakfast for Lizzie as well. She found it rude to not offer it after the trouble she had put her through.

Miso soup, fried sardines, and side dishes, including bowls of rice.

Lizzie simply stared at them, drooling. "So much food for breakfast…!"

Mizuki got confused. It looked like a regular sized breakfast for the common Japanese person. "You don't eat much for breakfast?"

"Nope. Just a couple loafs of bread."

"W-What…?" Before Mizuki knew it, Lizzie dug in, devouring the meal like a dragon devoured jewels and treasure.

"Sho good!"

She decided to not break the moment of happiness and just let Lizzie eat breakfast, joining in as well.

Shortly after, however, something came across Mizuki's mind. "Lizzie, you want to be an idol, right?" The redhead nodded while shoving rice into her mouth. "But you haven't made a debut concert." Another reply given with the shake of the head. "Then why don't you ask Hakuno to organize a Player exclusive concert?" At that moment, Lizzie simply stopped all movements. Mizuki flinched at this event. Did she say something wrong?

Some relief came over once the idol swallowed the food in her mouth. She placed down the bowl, wearing a somewhat serious expression.

"…This is why I need an agent."

Mizuki slumped forward, hitting her face on the table. "God damn it, Lizzie…"

When he picked up the phone, of all possible things, Hakuno wasn't expecting such a request.

'A concert?'

"Yeah! I know it's a bit of a big request, but this could be my big debut!"

'It's not that big a request, don't worry. In fact, it even helps me out.'

Lizzie couldn't believe it. "Eh? Really?!"

'Yeah. I'm guessing… Wednesday is a good day to do the concert. Don't worry, I have a way to get everybody out of school.'

"REALLY?!" Lizzie's eyes widened. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best, Hakuno!"

'Hey, no need for that sort of thing.' He chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm. 'I'll keep you updated, alright?'

"Alrighty then! Have a nice day!" The two hung up. "He agreed!"

"Really?" Mizuki was surprised. Hakuno would offer a helping hand to any Player, that is for sure, but making a concert for Lizzie? That seemed far too much. Regardless, she was happy for her teammate. "That's amazing!"

"Yup! Quick! We have to hurry!"

"Huh? Where?"

"I need to buy a special dress for the occasion! This is my first concert, I can't just appear with any Lolita outfit!"

Lizzie grabbed Mizuki's hand and rushed towards the front door.

"A-Ah! At least let me shower first!"

Mizuki managed to convince Lizzie to calm down her enthusiasm enough so she could take appropriate measures of hygiene. After Mizuki showered, she offered Lizzie the opportunity to use her bathroom, and even lend a change of clothes. While Lizzie didn't want to walk around the streets without one of her dresses, she gave in.

Mizuki put on her red dress and leather jacket, while Lizzie took a pink hoodie and a pair of white shorts. Mizuki did not want to admit that those clothes were from a couple years ago. But nonetheless, they looked rather cute on Lizzie.

The two girls went to the shopping centre, now closer to lunch time. The two woke up rather late, after all.

"I have to find the perfect dress!"

"But Lizzie, your budge is limited…" Mizuki pointed out. She was trusted with Lizzie's funding for the dress to wear for the concert, and the number wasn't all that impressive when compared to Lizzie's standards.

"I'll make one if I need to!" She had a point. Buying the materials was far cheaper than buying an already made dress.

"You know how to sew?"

"A little."

"I don't think 'a little' will cut it." Mizuki laughed awkwardly. The stubborn idol kept exploring the shops that called her attention.

"Do you know how to sew?"

"No. All my skill is in cooking."

"What about Sayuri?"

"She doesn't know either. I know for a fact that she makes her best not to put holes in her clothing. If you ask nicely enough though, I wouldn't be surprised if she helped you out when it comes to buying a dress."

"I refuse!" Lizzie pointed out, with arms crossed. "I'm already in her debt for the karaoke. And even then, I don't like asking people for their money for MY things." Lizzie thought for a second. "Do you think Mongami and Isemi would know how to make a dress?"

"I don't think Mongami would be interested in something like sewing. And I don't know Isemi all that much. He looks nice, but I don't know if he has a hobby like that." Although, Mizuki admitted to herself that out of the two, Isemi probably looked the better fit for a sewer.

"Hmph!" Lizzie didn't want to give up. "It has to be something that catches the attention! Something that will make everyone stare at me."

Mizuki figured that an idol would want to be the spotlight of the stage, so it made sense what Lizzie was describing. But after giving it some thought, she quickly realised…

"Then why don't you just Install your card?"

"Eh?" The idol blinked twice.

"Your Card's dress is pretty eye-catching. And if you're worried about it not being enough, you still have a dragon tail and horns. I'm sure that will catch everyone's attention."

"…" The pop idol smiled widely like a little kid the moment she realized her team leader was an 'oblivious genius'. "You're right!" The girl leaped and hugged Mizuki. The latter blushed since, well, they were in the middle of a shopping centre. It was somewhat embarrassing to hug people or be hugged in public. "And it's free! I can actually buy groceries this month!"

"Wait, this budget was for the entire money?!" Mizuki was utterly shocked.

Lizzie let go of her. "Of course! Spare no expense when it comes to idol business."

"But you should think about yourself first…"

"I am my dream. If I don't fulfil it, then it's the same as not existing. Starving a little bit is no problem."

"I… guess?" While Mizuki didn't agree with Lizzie's unhealthy way of living, the way she spoke, her conviction, her determination, it made Mizuki think 'it just makes sense when you put it that way'.

"Since we're here, let's have fun! Maybe eat lunch and watch a movie?"

"Is there even anything interesting going on at the cinema?" Mizuki wondered. She might be fond of movies just as much as TV series, but she recognized that, more often than not, movies were ending up being disappointments as of late.

"I think they recently re-released an anime movie that's really popular. What was it again…? 'Kimi no na-'!?" Before Lizzie could finish, there was just a Mizuki-shaped dust cloud standing in front of her. "S-She's fast…!"

Mizuki let out a sigh. "Only at four… it's not even lunchtime yet!"

"You really like that movie, huh?" Lizzie managed to catch up.

"I thought it was overhyped at first, but I gave it a try, and I cried like a baby at the end." Mizuki admitted, without a single shred of regret. "Have you watched it?"

"Not yet."

"Then we're definitely watching it!"

"But… what are we going to do for four hours…?" Lizzie wondered. Sure, the shopping centre was big, but there was only so much they could do in an hour or two, let alone four.

"We can eat lunch? And maybe invite the others later?" It didn't sound like a bad plan. But before Lizzie could respond, Mizuki froze in place.

"Hm?" Lizzie noticed this and looked at whatever Mizuki's eyes glued themselves to. She spotted a boy with orange-red hair and golden eyes, leaning against a wall. He wore a black and white jersey alongside blue trousers. "Who is he?"

Mizuki suddenly covered Lizzie's mouth and pulled her into a makeshift hideout. It was just a fake plant the nearby shop put on display

"HMPH?!"

"Calm down!" The leader whispered. "That's a classmate of mine! His name is Shirou."

After Mizuki let go of Lizzie's face, the shorter girl managed to breath properly. "And?" She asked, confused. "Do you like him?"

"What? No! Not in that way, at least. I don't know him all that much." She admitted. "Like, we get along, but we don't actively speak to one another."

"Then… why are you hiding?"

"…He's clearly waiting for someone."

Lizzie tilted her head, not understanding. "And…?"

"And?!" Mizuki remembered that Lizzie wasn't part of her school, so she wasn't aware. "Everybody knows Shirou is denser than metal! For him to be here, waiting for someone… it could be a date! We can find out who he is interested in!"

"…" Lizzie was somewhat confused towards the idea, but part of her realized that since they had four hours to waste, it wasn't a bad idea. As long as they didn't get caught, of course. "Alright. I'll play."

The two girls popped out their heads discretely and observed the boy. He looked side to side, as if searching for someone.

"It's definitely a date!" Mizuki was sure of it! There couldn't be a mistake. There were some rumours circling around that he was dating Shinji's sister, Matou Sakura, but no evidence ever came to fruition.

"Hm? Oh! Hey!" Shirou noticed the person he agreed to meet up with and raised a hand while greeting.

Who was it? Matou Sakura? A genius clad in red? A beautiful blonde?

As it turned out, none of the above.

"Yo, Shirou." It was another man. He was probably a year or more older than Shirou and the girls.

"Long time no see." The two shook hands like old friends. "Shirou."

Mizuki was shocked at the result. It wasn't a date between a boy and his girlfriend, but just a meeting of two old friends. She sighed in disappointment, ready to give up on the plan of following Shirou around… until she noticed Lizzie's shock.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"T-T-That's Kotomine Shirou!"

"Who?"

"He's one of the five Rulers!"

"What?!" Mizuki looked again at the man. Darkened skin, golden eyes, spiky white hair, black clothes, and a pendant with a catholic cross. "That's a Ruler?!" While she had only seen one Ruler before, she knew they were a big deal in the Class Card Game's context.

"We definitely have to follow them."

Just as Lizzie finished, the two began to move.

"After them!" Mizuki and her friend moved discretely, following the two boys in the crowd.

The two men moved to a tea house. Of course, Mizuki and Lizzie managed to follow them in and 'hide' with the simple method of 'hiding in plain sight'. They sat on a table close to theirs, luckily divided by potted plants. Neither one of the boys would notice the eavesdropping girls.

Lizzie took care of an order, while Mizuki focused on their exchanging dialogue.

Kotomine took a sip from his black tea. "Quite good. But I admit, I'm not a fan of tea."

"Sorry, sorry. I got used to it." Emiya drank from his oolong tea, showing greater appreciation.

"Used to? So you come here often."

"You like to show off your detective skills, don't you?" Emiya narrowed his eyes with a smirk towards his friend.

"Perhaps. But regardless, how've you been?"

"Just fine. School is the same as usual."

"How's your father? I haven't seen Kiritsugu ever since he butted heads with my brother." Kotomine chuckled before sipping the tea again.

"I'll never get along with Kirei either." Shirou took his father's side.

"I can't blame you. I'm glad the only thing we share is a last name."

"As for my mom, she's fine too. She keeps pushing my dad to go on vacation to foreign countries, but the timing is never the right one."

"That sounds like Iri, yes. How's Illya? I'm guessing her and Miyu are still close friends."

"Illya's been struggling a little with science and math, but other than that, nothing's wrong with her. And yeah, they're still close. Maybe a little too close." Emiya sipped his tea. "The other day, I walked into Illya's room to offer them tea, since they were supposedly studying, and I found Miyu in a maid outfit."

Kotomine's eyes narrowed slightly, as if about to pry on something. "Oh? Are you close minded, little Shirou?"

"What? Of course not!" Emiya looked away with a slight blush. "If Illya and Miyu are into that sort of thing and like that kind of people, I'm not going to say it's wrong or anything. I'm just concerned because it's way too early for them. Not to mention that they should be focusing on school."

"I'm glad you think so. For a moment, I thought my friend had a rather odd flaw."

Emiya's eyebrow twitched as he smirked at Kotomine. "Odd coming from the devout Christian."

"My belief in God has nothing to do with whether or not I'm against people of the same gender liking each other."

"Maid outfits, on the other hand." Emiya chuckled a little. "But seriously, I'm just worried about her grades. Miyu is already a prodigy, but I don't want my sister's grades to decline because she is focused on something else."

"I can't argue with that, no."

"What about your father and Kirei?"

"Kirei is doing what he always does, running the restaurant. As for my father, he might be old, but he's still as strong as a bull. I wouldn't be surprised if he lived until he was five hundred years old."

"Whoa, we already have a geezer way too old for his own good in this town, we don't need two."

"Hmm? Oh!" Kotomine didn't know who Shirou was referring to right away, but quickly connected the dots. "Old man Matou? He's still around?"

"I'm surprised every day Sakura doesn't mention his passing." Emiya admitted. "I'm always glad when people don't die, but there is such a thing as living for too long."

"A sensitive subject, I believe. But speaking of him, how are his grandchildren?"

"Sakura is the same as always. She practically lives with me."

"I still don't get how you got a house of your own at the age of 14."

"My father already had it and me and Illya used to stay there when both parents were out for nosiness. It became a gathering place of sorts for the group. Sakura is sleeping there more and more often though."

"I deduce her brother isn't being the best person in the world towards her, is he?"

"Shinji has actually calmed down. Don't know what happened recently, but he's been in his own little corner as of late."

Mizuki could only chuckle awkwardly as she recalled Shinji's defeat in the battle against Hakuno.

"I suppose that's good news. No troubles at school for him?"

"A couple weeks back, he tried to punch a classmate of mine, but I stopped him. After that, I know as much as you do."

Mizuki found it funny how Shirou recalled that event. At that moment, the waitress brought the two girls a cup of tea for each.

"I guess your classmate isn't a Player." Lizzie whispered. "I mean, they're not talking about the Game in any way."

"Actually, if I think someone is oblivious enough to never see anything related to the Game at all, it would be Shirou." Mizuki admitted, taking a sip. Never mind the fact she wasn't aware of the Game herself until a few weeks prior.

"So the fact that they know each other is just a coincidence?"

"Those two are an odd pair. Both have the name Shirou and, from the looks of it, both are adopted."

"Hm?" Lizzie blinked. "Your classmate is adopted?"

"It's no mystery at the school. Anyone that looks at his mom or sister could tell something wasn't right." Mizuki explained. "I remember they once picked him up after he sustained a shoulder injury at club activities. Pure white hair. I asked about it, and people confirmed it."

"I'm guessing that covers everything." Kotomine placed down his empty cup. Emiya had finished as well, and the two stood up, ready to leave. Lizzie and Mizuki looked at one another and shrugged at the same time. While at first they could excuse with curiosity and fascination towards the situation, taking into account one of them was a Ruler, they figured they shouldn't be following the two boys after this.

The two girls both began to sip their tea.

"By the way, Emiya."

"Hm?"

"How's your girlfriend?"

"PFFFF!" Mizuki immediately spat out the tea inside her mouth, shocked by those words. Unfortunately, it landed on Lizzie, drenching part of her upper body.

"…Was that necessary?"

"You have no idea." Mizuki answered seriously.

"She's great. It feels odd not to see her at school every day like we used to, but that's prodigies for you." Shirou laughed, as they exited the tea parlour.

Lizzie cleaned herself with a napkin, as Mizuki helped.

She never thought she would hear Shirou admit he had a girlfriend.

"Sold out?!" Mizuki couldn't believe it. "But we were gone for half an hour, tops!"

"Let it go, Mizuki." Lizzie pulled the girl away from the establishment.

"But I wanted to see it on the big screen…"

"We still have the rest of the day to go through though." Lizzie pointed out. "Anything you want to do?"

"Hmm…" Mizuki thought for a few seconds. "Do you want to go to my place and hang out!"

"Sure! We can even make a sleep over!"

"I think we already did that, technically." Mizuki pointed out in a giggle. "I think I have some ice cream too. I guess this is as special an occasion as any other."

"Do you have strawberry ice cream?"

"Yup!"

"Count me in!"

Later that night, a knock hit Hakuno's door. "Come in." He allowed, not looking away from his computer screen until the voice spoke.

"So, so, so. I heard you're making a concert?"

Hakuno turned, finding a familiar face by his door. The eyes of sapphire and long white hair with black highlights, strands and bangs that belonged to the slim girl would catch anyone's attention.

"Oh. You." He didn't exactly sound like they were on good terms. "Where's your sister, Mimi?"

"We're taking care of a little case. But I wanted to make this little detour to talk with you." Wearing a cocky smirk and arms crossed, Mimi leaned against the wall. "You know we're aware of what's happening, right?"

Hakuno's eyes narrowed. "And?"

"We might be No Rankers, but that's due to the differences between us. If you'd like to, my sister and I can help you."

"I thank you for the offer, but I'll face that thing alone."

Mimi's eyebrow raised. "Why?"

"what do you mean why? It's my job. Of course I'm going to stop it."

"No, I mean 'Why alone'. I understand turning our help away, but none of your little friends are going to chip in?"

"It's my job. Mine and mine alone. I'm not putting other Players in this sort of business for no reason."

"…" Mimi let out a sigh and moved away from the wall. "Do whatever you want. But don't say nobody tried to help you."

"I'll keep that in mind." Hakuno turned back to his computer. It was somewhat unnatural to see him serious to such an extent.

Before leaving, Mimi asked one last question.

"…Do you know what Class that thing belongs to?"

"…No. And you?"

"…Me neither." She shut the door behind her.

Wednesday.

A light breeze ran through the roof of Mizuki's school, where her, Sayuri, and Lizzie stayed in during a break, the latter practicing dance steps.

After all, it was the big day. Her debut concert was close to happen.

"One, two, three, one, two, three…!"

"Hey, Lizzie." Sayuri called. "Only now did I realize this, but if you're going to perform while Installed, aren't you worried someone might figure out the identity of your Card?"

"Oh, don't worry, people won't be able to."

"Hmm?" Mizuki tilted her head. "Why not?"

"What do you think my Card is?"

"…" Lizzie got them there. All they really knew was that the Card was a Lancer, had dragon features, and a gothic-cyber Lolita dress. But they couldn't really fit a 'historical figure' or even mythological for that matter.

Curiosity struck. "…Lizzie, what is your Card?"

"Elizabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess of Hungary."

Sayuri and Mizuki had rather different reactions.

While Sayuri asked "One of the most feared rulers is a pop idol who's also part dragon?!"

Mizuki just had to ask "Your name is Lizzie and your Card is Elizabeth?" After seeing her strange roster of cards, she would believe anything. If Berserker, Assassin and Rider were women, anything was possible. But the name similarity was a bit too much of a coincidence.

And both questions got the exact same answer. "Yes." And a nod of the head.

"How?!" Only Sayuri asked, since Mizuki knew that, if she asked the same, the answer would simply be 'it's just a coincidence'.

"The Elizabeth Bathory in my Card is a younger version, being only 14 years old. She's yet to turn into the monster she became later in life, the inspiration for the vampiric character Carmilla. So while she is strong, she isn't a bad person per se, and the Innocent Monster Skill instead of associating her with Vampires, does so with Dragons. It was apparently some sort of folk tale or legend that she was descendant of a dragon."

"…But why the dress?"

"Oh, that. She's a pop idol too." Sayuri fell forward in disbelief. "I don't know how she heard about it, but she decided to become a pop idol. Needless to say, she's super compatible with me."

"Wow… just wow." Sayuri stood back up. "Some Heroic Spirits are… really weird."

"You think THAT's weird?!" Mizuki did not sound happy. "I have a giant lumberjack, an FBI director, and a legendary movie maker, all of them women and the last one a bunny girl!"

Sayuri and Lizzie could feel some repressed rage present within Mizuki's soul.

"I-I'm pretty sure no one will be able to tell." Lizzie pointed out, changing the subject. "After all, I'll be the only one Installed, so no one will even be able to see my stats. Wasn't that on Hakuno's email to begin with?"

On Monday, Hakuno spread the news to all interested Players. It was informing how, on Wednesday, Lizzie would perform at an underground theatre, usually used for streaming Rank A battles. Of course, it was large enough to hold a large number of Players, even if many wouldn't be going to begin with. It was going to take place shortly after lunchbreak began, giving everyone in the surrounding area enough time to move. Of course, Hakuno would take care of the last period of class through a certain 'method' to keep the teachers busy. And of course, since this was an entertainment event, he warned everybody that if someone were to be caught attempting to attack or fight Lizzie, they would be penalized. Some would laugh it off, but after the battle against Shinji was streamed, no one would make fun of the threat.

The break was almost over. It was almost time. Lizzie took a deep breath and was ready to march towards the concert hall Hakuno had prepared.

Before she walked out the rooftop, Mizuki stopped her.

"Hey, Lizzie!"

"Hm?"

"Are you nervous?"

The question somewhat took her by surprise, and after a two second silence, she showed saddened smile. "A bit, yeah. Maybe more than just a bit…"

"Lizzie."

"Hm?" She looked to the smiling team leader, who raised a thumbs up and winked.

"Go kill it."

Lizzie took the words of encouragement and brightened her smile. With a strong nod and a "Hn! As my number 1 fan, you better be on the front row!", she made her way out, ready to go to the concert hall.

Mizuki let out a short giggle and Sayuri narrowed her eyes at the team leader.

"Hmm…"

"What?"

"When did you two get all buddy-buds?"

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"Heh." Sayuri's smirk curled lightly. "You two sound closer."

"E-Eh? Eh?! What do you mean by that?"

"You heard me. Come on, let's go to class."

"H-Hey! Elaborate!"

The fated hour was close. After the lunchbreak took place, all students left the school. But only because all teachers received a message saying they won the lottery, all at the same time. All of them left the facilities in a burst of joy. A rather strange trick to say the least, but it allowed all students, those that are Players, to go to the concert hall. Mizuki and Sayuri first met up with Isemi and then crossed paths with Mongami. Needless to say, they were surprised by some of the people that turned out to be Players. Not that they were super close friends or anything of the sort, but to see how many people were included in the Game, especially when they've crossed paths at school many times before? It gave an odd sensation.

Guarding the door was the same bouncer Mizuki saw on the night Hakuno showed her the battle between the Red Oaths and the Black Yggdrasil. Still doing good work as always!

The four presented their Cards and entered the hall. Due to being members of Lizzie's team, of course, they got the right to go to the front row, and even backstage.

Everybody was settling in the seats. Mizuki even spotted Ibuki and Ryuusei in the midst of the crowd on the way to her seat.

About five minutes after everybody had settled in, light music began to play from the speakers, and the cute pop idol Lancer leapt into the stage from the side. She landed with a twirl and used her spear as a microphone stand.

The cuteness of the clothes and the exotic element of her dragon features immediately got a cheer from the crowd.

"Hello everyone!" The public was quick to clap. It wasn't the same as an applause, as there weren't THAT many people present, but nevertheless, it made Lizzie's heart pound rather hard. In a fit of nervousness, she was about to step back, but with a fast glance to the front row, she caught a glimpse of her 'Number 1 fan' and gathered her courage. "I'm so glad you all could come! I'm an aspiring pop idol, and this is my debut! Please accept my songs!"

The many large screens behind her showed her face at first, a camera giving direct feed to it. It was then replaced with multiple images like hearts and stars, and even a cute image of a little dragon. Hakuno only really booked her the location, time, and gave invitations. The equipment was already set, it wasn't complicated to put the video on and turn the extra camera on. All of the imagery had been designed by Lizzie herself, when not rehearsing her dance choreography and singing. Or sleeping.

"I have a ton of songs ready, but if you have requests, I'll be happy to do them if we have the time! But for now, I hope you enjoy!" After winking at the audience, she began to sing the moment the music started. Once again, like in the Karaoke day, she sung 'AKOGARE-TION'. And the moment she began to sing with her clear, sweet voice, the public became entranced and couldn't even think of not paying attention to her singing. The crowd applauded.

The cheers at first threw her off, but she didn't let that stop her, not for one second.

She kept singing. The enjoyment from this moment of life fulfilment ran through her entire body. She wanted to keep singing! This feeling of singing to a crowd, with all the strength in her lungs and heart…

Mizuki could see how happy she was.

"Next song!"

Entering the empty room, an unknown figure approached Hakuno's laptop. Turned on and already logged in, it was left like so to finish a download while he was out.

Saved work, they thought. And as so, with some keystrokes and quick reading, they ran a streaming program…

"Encore, encore!" The public demanded Lizzie to sing more, and she was ready to restart!

However, all of a sudden, the images on the screens began to glitch. "Huh?" Lizzie turned around after listening to the strange sounds. Everyone's gaze fixated on the giant screen above her.

Everybody questioned the same thing as it began to show static. What's wrong? Did something happen? Was there a connectivity issue?

But it then loaded a stream.

"Ah!" A familiar face appeared on the screen. There wasn't a single person who didn't recognise the Ranker, Hakuno Kishinami.

With no Card installed, he rolled over the floor of an unknown location and hid behind a wall, hiding from an attack.

"Ranker?"

"What's going on?"

"Where is he?"

None of these questions were answered, however.

Hakuno peered from the corner of his eye, looking at the strange opponent that tried to attack him.

The image of the enemy appeared on the screen, with a smile full of innocence.

"Let's play together... Onii-chan!"

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