Two days before the fated day…

"I'm looking for the person in this photo. Do you know her?"

As Tsubame Kamaya prepared to catch up with the rest of her group, she heard a voice call out from behind. Though they were already running late for their camping trip, Tsubame couldn't resist turning her head to look at who just called out. As her gaze panned over, Tsubame saw a brown-haired teenage girl wearing a navy blue sailor fuku with white ribbon and highlights, who carried a small film camera in her hands.

"What's the matter, Tsubame?" Tomoe Kabe asked from a bit further ahead. While Tomoe was certainly aware Tsubame wasn't the most athletic person, seeing that she suddenly stopped in her tracks was quite unexpected. Being the leader of this motley group of League aides and Trainers from the Subton City Gym, Tomoe couldn't just ignore one of them, especially when they were about to depart for a training trip.

"There's someone she needs to find, and it's someone we know." Gesturing over at the mysterious girl, Tsubame then drew everyone's attention to the photo she was holding. Noticing a look of shock on Tsubame's face, Tomoe then called everyone else over as they crowded around the photo being shown. Surprisingly, it was Masako Sakai who spoke up first.

"Isn't… isn't that Kumiko?" Shocked at how such an unexpected face reappeared right here, Masako's surprise was mirrored by her friend and colleague Junna Inoue. Recognizing Kumiko as well, Takuya Gotou and Riko Nagase were also confused as to why this stranger would be looking for Asuka's kouhai, though their reactions were more subdued. "From what I've heard, I think she's off on a training trip somewhere far-off."

"Yeah, that's about the gist of it." Remembering what Asuka told her about the secrecy they needed to maintain regarding Kumiko's location, Riko decided to conclude the conversation here. As there was a possibility this mysterious girl was part of HTT, a tight lid needed to be kept on Kumiko's current whereabouts, or else Asuka's foresight would be for nothing.

"...I see." Feeling slightly dejected any hopes of her meeting Kumiko in the near future were gone, the mysterious girl hung her head. About to depart for her next destination, the camping gear Tomoe's group were carrying caught the mysterious girl's eye. A suggestion beginning to take shape in her mind, what the mysterious girl was about to propose nearly left her train of thought when she locked eyes with Tsubame.

For some reason, those bespectacled grayish-blue eyes of Tsubame's entranced the mysterious girl, leaving her unable to react as she stared at them for a few seconds. This was strange. Having never felt that way before, the mysterious girl struggled to deal with her feelings as she felt blood rise towards her cheeks, while Tsubame's face also turned red from that prolonged period of eye contact.

"...Apologies for that brief faux-pas." Once she regained her composure, the mysterious girl promptly offered up an excuse. Swiftly recalling what she was about to do, the chiding the mysterious girl kept internally repeating was soon suppressed, replaced with her usual subtle yet assertive drive. "Since you all seem to be heading out on a camping trip, do you mind if I take a picture to commemorate the occasion?"

"Sure. That would be lovely." Handing her phone to the mysterious girl, Tomoe then gathered everyone else around her as they posed for the camera. After the digital shutter clicked several times, it wasn't until the mysterious girl confirmed the photos looked alright that she handed Tomoe's phone back. Glancing at them herself, Tomoe was impressed with how good the photos were. "These look excellent."

"Thank you." Doing a small curtsy upon hearing those words of praise, Mayu Kuroe then prepared to leave again, as she always did so soon upon meeting others. Right before she set out, Tsubame's face caught her eye for the second time. Finding herself caught up in that allure, a stray thought she wanted to keep secret above all else spilled out in that moment of carelessness.

"I hope to see you again."

"Was sending everyone who wasn't busy on a camping trip such a good idea after all?"

Voicing her doubts as to her colleagues' strange spur-of-the-moment decision, Satomi Niiyama nearly let loose a sigh before remembering she was in a meeting with said colleagues. A cursory look around the table revealed the bored expressions indicative of the supposed lack of interest in addressing this issue. Resigning herself to whatever the next topic would be, Niiyama was surprised when Haruka spoke up.

"Well, I believe it's a good opportunity for them to know each other better." Pushing herself up in her chair, Haruka didn't look like the same woman who recently spent the better part of a month stuck in a wheelchair. Though she was still regaining her physical strength, an uncharacteristically fast psychological recovery allowed Haruka to resume most of her Elite Four duties. "That's one area for improvement."

"I've got to agree. From what I read about the raid on Houkago Records, it seems that one factor which resulted in our near-defeat back there was the lack of coordination between teams." On account of her being absent during the events she mentioned, the reports Aoi was leafing through told her what she needed to hear. "Hopefully, that'll leave us better prepared should something similar occur again."

"Aggh, I can't understand why you all are still dwelling on the past! Shouldn't we be focusing on the future instead?" Waving around what he was talking about in the air, Masahiro Hashimoto's sonorous voice managed to stop the mounting tension in its tracks. "I mean, along with Miss Asuka, Miss Kaori, and Noboru, you two were invited to the Pokémon World Tournament as our region's representatives! Isn't that exciting?"

"Masahiro, calm down for a moment." As he took a deep breath, chief among Noboru Taki's goals right now was finding a way to balance out the room's mood, lest one side spiral out of control. "While I certainly understand your enthusiasm for our upcoming international debut in two days, we still need to consider the situation back at home. With the challenges we've recently faced, there's a lot of room for reflection."

"However, that doesn't mean taking people away from where they're needed the most will do the trick." Niiyama politely retorted, still baffled as to why Taki had let so many staff do their duties remotely. With Asuka and Kaori also gone, the League was essentially running on a skeleton crew now, at least physically. Knowing Taki's mysterious ways, there was bound to be an explanation for this.

"There's a lot going on we don't know about, so we have to tread carefully." Pushing his glasses up, Taki was aware that also applied to this conversation. After all, anyone could be listening in, including those they least wanted to do that. "I've got my own suspicions that something or someone's been compromised here at the League, which is why I allowed so many off-site excursions in the first place."

"The League? Compromised? When did that happen?" Aoi shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she felt the full effect of Taki's piercing gaze. Seeing as they were all right here next to him, Aoi was certain Taki wouldn't suspect anyone in this room, but she still felt uneasy regardless. Was it because of something she recently did. "Do you have more information-"

Whatever Aoi was about to say next was abruptly interrupted by a knock on the conference room's door. Wondering who it would be, the initial assumption in the room was that one of the few remaining League staff on premises urgently needed their attention. However, that assumption quickly fell through, as everyone quickly realized those reports would most likely go through someone else before reaching them.

"Come in." Not wanting to play the waiting game any longer, Haruka called out from her seat. Once the door clicked and swung open, a brown-haired teenage girl walked in. She was wearing a navy blue sailor fuku with white ribbon and highlights, and carried a small film camera in her hands. With everyone recognizing who it was rather quickly, it was Haruka who gawked out in shock first. "You're-"

"Greetings." Doing a brief curtsy, Mayu Kuroe was relieved she arrived at the right place, even though this was her first time here. As there wasn't any receptionist at the front desk for whatever reason, finding who she wanted to talk to had been quite a challenge. However, as she was short on time, there wasn't any other option for her aside from searching each room individually. "I'm here to tell you about a threat-"

"We already know." Cutting off their guest mid-sentence, Taki's cool voice had an undercurrent of confidence to it, as if he had anticipated this meeting. Even the others were surprised at how Taki was expertly handling this scenario, especially given that the new arrival hadn't finished speaking yet. "There's measures in place to deal with that, though they're kept confidential to prevent the wrong people from knowing."

"...I see." With this tacit confirmation her journey to the League was completely redundant, she felt a mixture of relief and mild annoyance. On one hand, that meant she didn't need to worry that much, but she still felt slighted all this was for naught. Having only one other thing she could do, she dug out the photo she always carried with her. "I'm looking for the person in this photo. Do you know her?"

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about that." Though Taki certainly did know it was Kumiko Oumae being depicted in the photograph, he still had to keep mum in front of their visitor. With the recent revelation that Reina and her were an essential part of HTT's plans, Taki had every reason in the book to keep their identities and location secret, even when he knew who their visitor was.

"That's alright. Thank you for your time." Now that every endeavour of hers had failed to bear results, she could only leave without anything to show for it. Retreating back to the door, a polite bow was all she managed to do as myriad thoughts swam in her mind, chief among them being the hope everything would somehow sort itself out. There wasn't much she could do now.

"Help me, Kumiko Oumae." she prayed. "You're my only hope."

"I'm looking for the person in this photo. Do you know her?"

As Shuichi exited the bathroom, the first thing he saw was a brown-haired teenage girl standing in front of him. Carrying a small film camera in her hands, the mysterious girl wore a navy blue sailor fuku with white ribbon and highlights. This was odd. Shuichi swore up and down this wasn't a unisex bathroom, yet the girl seemed to be fully unaware of the invisible boundary she crossed.

"Um… this is the men's bathroom." Looking back to confirm there were urinals inside, the sigh of relief coming out of Shuichi's mouth at that revelation still wasn't enough to alleviate his confusion. Just what was this girl doing here? And asking such a strange question, to boot. Unable to make heads or tails of this entire situation, Shuichi was about to leave for good. "Are you sure you're supposed to be here?"

"I think I am." Leaning forwards to clarify what she just said, the mysterious girl's assertive actions also had the unintended side effect of causing her gratuitous assets to bounce. Seeing such a desirable area move around like that, it took all of Shuichi's willpower to remember he was currently on a date with Hazuki. Shifting his focus to other girls right now was definitely the wrong decision.

"Wait, isn't that…" As he pryed his eyes away from where his primal instincts were directing them, Shuichi managed to refocus his attention on the photograph the mysterious girl was holding. Though he quickly recognized who was being depicted, enough inconsistencies were present between the girl he knew and the woman in the picture, making Shuichi confused as to when this photo was taken. "Kumiko?"

"So I assume you know her?" The mysterious girl questioned yet again. At this point, Shuichi was convinced she was trying to seduce him and get whatever information she needed. With the stance she took, it was easy to misinterpret her intentions. A former version of Shuichi may have fallen for her Cute Charms, but everything was different now that he was a girlfriend.

"Yes. She's my childhood friend." Without having to resist any sudden urge to kick himself, Shuichi regained his composure. He knew that if Hazuki caught him so much as trying to steer the conversation in a slightly more intimate direction, he would be a dead man. While he was determined not to let his girlfriend down, Shuichi had no choice but to tell the truth here. "I haven't seen her since…"

'Since?" The mysterious girl seemed to be caught off-guard by Shuichi's response. Briefly wondering what that was all about, it was then Shuichi remembered that aside from Kumiko and himself, no one bore witness to what transpired between them nearly a month ago. A far amount of time had already passed, but Shuichi still regretted not being able to help his friend in her most dire time of need.

"Never mind. I don't know where she is right now." Finally answering the question which had been posed to him, Shuichi could only conclude he had no idea how to respond properly. Still, this entire situation was odd. Just who was this girl? Was she some sort of important figure? Shuichi seemed to recall seeing her face in a Trainer-related magazine somewhere, but that memory was too faint to be reliable.

"I see. Apologies for the inconvenience." Dismayed by the fact not even Kumiko's closest friend knew where she was, Mayu Kuroe was truly out of leads now. The only other option she had was finding Reina Kousaka, which proved to be nigh-impossible as well. It seemed no matter where she looked, Kumiko Oumae genuinely disappeared off the face of the earth. "If you find out where she is, don't let her away from you again."

"And not only for your sake." she thought. "For all of ours, too."

"Hey, Shuichi. What took you so long? Got a really bad case of the runs?"

Waving at him from the table they shared, Hazuki was waiting for him with the food they ordered. While it wasn't anything fancy, it was still the best meal they could get inside an amusement park, or at least that was what Hazuki reasoned. Since it was Midori who helped her plan out this date, Hazuki had to respect her friend's wishes. Doubly so if they were unexpectedly reasonable.

"Nah. I just ran into someone right as I was leaving, and they asked me some questions, so I tried to help them the best I could." Making the truth sound more believable for Hazuki, seeing his girlfriend again was a relief for Shuichi. Finally, there was a sense of normalcy seeping back into his life. Or at least, that was what he would have thought if it wasn't for Midori's influence.

While he and Hazuki were at this amusement park for their date, another purpose of this visit was to provide cover for Midori, who was doing some investigation around this area along with meeting someone here. Knowing full well the significance Midori's work held, Shuichi considered it a fortunate bonus that he and Hazuki were able to come here on a romantic getaway as well.

"Oh, no wonder. Here, have a fry!" Before Shuichi could say anything else, his mouth was stuffed with a sliced potato courtesy of Hazuki. Letting out a grin at her boyfriend's flustered reaction, Hazuki couldn't resist quickly bursting out into a fit of laughter. Once he managed to swallow said fry, it was only natural for Shuichi to join in on his own self-deprecation, before kissing Hazuki on the cheek as payback.

"Did you two have fun so far?" Right as Shuichi and Hazuki were about to dig in and enjoy their meals, they were interrupted by Midori joining them with her own meal in one hand. Setting her food down on the table, Shuichi noticed Midori was also carrying a briefcase. His first impression was that it contained documents pertaining to Midori's mission, but Shuichi knew his only way of knowing was to ask her directly.

"Yup. Thanks for setting up all this for us. By the way, what's in your case?" As those words left his mouth, it was then Shuichi realized he asked this question at the wrong time. Without any delay, Midori had already begun eating her meal, leaving both Shuichi and Hazuki in the dust. Not wanting to interrupt Midori in the middle of her enjoyment, Shuichi was about to wait and ask her again when she suddenly answered.

"Oh, it's just a few documents I got from someone I know." Having finished swallowing her first bite rather quickly, the normal way Midori spoke clued Shuichi in to how she was currently thinking. Since she wasn't putting in the effort to disguise her way of speaking, it was clear to Shuichi that Midori was deep in thought, most likely about what was in the briefcase.

"Mind sharing with us what they're about?" Being one of the few people completely in the know about Midori's machinations, Shuichi wanted to help her any way he could. After hearing the truth about what Midori's investigations entailed and their potential consequences, it was only natural Shuichi would want to prevent the worst from happening. These findings had the potential to change the region's fate.

"It seems we finally know who we've got to face at last." Taking out several papers from her briefcase, Midori's expression was resolute. "While every sign was pointing towards them from the beginning, what we found out along the way revealed that this goes much deeper than we think. Ultimately, we've still got to pursue those other leads, but our sights are now set on taking down the ringleader: HTT."

As if on cue, Shuichi, Hazuki, and Midori's phones all chimed with a notification sound simultaneously. Wondering if this was some kind of emergency alert, the three of them checked to see what kind of notification they had received. Rather than the dire message they expected, their screens were emblazoned with identical text messages, sent from the same phone number. Confused as to if this was an elaborate prank or something else entirely, Shuichi began to read out the message.

"Meet us at the base of Eigve Mountain tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. We've missed you." For some reason, the tone of this message seemed oddly familiar to Shuichi, but his danger sense was still on high alert. With what Midori just said about HTT, Shuichi knew there was a good chance they sent this message as bait for a trap. Was their inevitable showdown going to happen this quickly?

"If HTT proves themselves to be behind this, then it looks like we've got our work cut out for us." Midori concluded, her gaze shifting between her documents and her phone. "Since they're on the move so quickly after I obtained documents about them, that means we've got some sensitive information about them on our hands. If we managed to get out unscathed tomorrow, we've basically won against them."

"Yeah, but I can't shake the nagging feeling it's actually someone else who sent this message." Looking at it over and over again, Hazuki thought there was something strange about the message's last sentence. Why would HTT miss them? Of the three of them, only Shuichi had encountered HTT before, and he wasn't the main target back then… wait, missing? "Midori, I think I know who sent this message! It's actually-"

"Not now, Hazuki." Quieting her friend with a simple hand gesture, Midori was aware of what Hazuki was about to say. Though she harboured the same suspicion as to who the true sender was, there was simply no room for error. On the off chance she made a wrong assumption and it was HTT who greeted them there, things would surely go from bad to worse. Making up her mind, Midori told Shuichi and Hazuki what to do.

"We must be prepared for every eventuality. Get a good rest tonight, because once we wake up tomorrow morning, nothing stands between us and our destiny anymore."

"So, I guess we really are sharing a room, huh?"

His gaze meeting Hazuki's, Shuichi felt a blush creep up on his face as he saw a tinge of red on Hazuki's cheeks as well. This had certainly been an unexpected turn of events. Continuing on with their date after their lunch with Midori ended, Hazuki and Shuichi ended up in the amusement park's accompanying hotel that night, all expenses paid by their friend as part of their getaway.

"Good night!" Those were the last words Midori said to them as she retreated back into the room she shared with Hazuki. Since Hazuki wanted to spend a bit more time with Shuichi before she went to bed, she let Midori take her room's key card. Unfortunately, Hazuki soon realized the only other copy of the key card was stuck in their room. In short, aside from disturbing Midori, she had no way back in.

"Yeah, I think…" With nowhere else to go, Hazuki could only accompany Shuichi to his room. This was obviously awkward on its own, but the fact a single bed was all the room offered in terms of places she could sleep made it worse. Without mincing words, that meant she had to share it with Shuichi when they slept, and Hazuki thought she wasn't ready to do that yet. "Midori doesn't like her sleep being interrupted."

"Um, since there's only one bed here, I can give it to you and sleep on the floor." Shuichi offered, having no idea what else he was supposed to do in this situation. Upon hearing that, Hazuki knew she didn't want Shuichi to give up his rest just for her sake. Letting her boyfriend be taken advantage of wasn't what Hazuki would do under any circumstances, especially when she was the root cause of it.

"...You can sleep with me." Hazuki mumbled, now aware there weren't any other options left. As Shuichi's eyes widened in shock, Hazuki's face turned even more red as well. The night had suddenly become far more intimate than she expected, and it was surprisingly her who proposed that. Her mind processing what she just said, Hazuki then realized her statement could be wrongly interpreted. "Uh, not literally, of course!"

"Oh, alright then." Shuichi certainly wasn't considering the other meaning of Hazuki's words, but he felt disappointed for some reason when his girlfriend shot that down. Briefly wondering if it was his libido talking, Shuichi decided to shift the topic to something more innocent instead. "Since we're going to be sharing a bed, we should take baths first. Do you want to do that now, or…"

"Yeah, sure." Her body temperature rapidly rising in response to what happened in the previous few minutes, Hazuki thought the best way to cool herself down both figuratively and literally was with a shower. Getting up from the bedside, taking out a change of clothes was the only action separating Hazuki from her refuge inside the bathroom, and she quickly darted inside once that was done with.

Panting at how tense those moments with Shuichi were, the sounds of her clothes being removed and water flowing through the showerhead were all Hazuki's mind could hear as she began to introspect about her relationship with Shuichi. That was the main reason Hazuki held such reservations about sharing a bed with him, and so her thoughts naturally drifted that way.

Their first meeting way back in Edian City two months ago was one of chance, but that encounter somehow managed to spiral into something special. Despite swapping phone numbers with Shuichi after he rescued her, Hazuki never anticipated a reply until a few days later, where a casual attempt from him at reaching out turned into an enthusiastic conversation, which eventually led to them going to an amusement park.

Hazuki quietly laughed to herself. By sheer coincidence, the place where they had their first date was also an amusement park. Though the actual date itself was largely uneventful, it still marked the beginning of Hazuki and Shuichi's relationship. And now, at another amusement park, their bond was about to take the next step forwards. However, was she ready to do that? Even Hazuki didn't know.

The next two times she met Shuichi, it was always under extraordinary circumstances, and Hazuki wound up needing to save him. First was from an Ultra Beast, and next… Hazuki didn't want to think about that traumatic incident more than the bare minimum. Shaking her head, Hazuki felt stray water droplets fly off from her short hair before she continued to reflect.

After that scuffle in the hospital, she and Shuichi realized the true extent of their feelings towards each other, and began dating once he was discharged a few days later. Challenging and defeating the sixth and seventh Gyms on their journey side-by-side, they soon found each other to be irreplaceable. From what he told Hazuki, Shuichi considered her to be his saving grace. However, what was the reverse?

Just what did Shuichi mean to her?

Was there even an answer to this question? Hazuki wanted to think the basis for her relationship with Shuichi was pure romance, but she knew that rarely was the case in reality. There was always an element anchoring the bond between two people, yet Hazuki wasn't sure what hers was with Shuichi. Trying to find something in common between the times her feelings blossomed, it was then Hazuki came to a revelation.

Of everything she liked about him, Hazuki found the emotional stability and support Shuichi offered her to be what she valued the most. Whenever she felt unsure or in doubt, the reassuring presence Shuichi gave her always calmed Hazuki down, even in the most dire of situations. If it wasn't for him, there was no telling how much more her mental health could take.

She didn't realize it back then, but it wasn't only Shuichi that had been rescued from the Ultra Beasts. Being one of the few people in Dacap Town at the time who knew how to fight them off, Hazuki ran herself ragged trying to save the medium-sized borough from this invasion. Aside from Midori, Shuichi was the first familiar face she saw in a long while, and meeting him there gave Hazuki the kick she needed to push on.

After holding off the Ultra Beasts until more Trainers from the League and Rikka came to handle the situation, Hazuki found herself in the hospital together alongside Shuichi. With nothing else to do, she spilled her thoughts to Shuichi, and he wholeheartedly accepted them all. Through talking with him, the stress which Hazuki had been holding in was steadily dismantled by Shuichi's efforts to connect with her.

Even when Shuichi had been hospitalized himself a short while later, he was the one who stepped in to defuse the anxiety this situation caused them, rather than the unharmed Hazuki. His way of doing so being their mutual first kiss, Hazuki continued to be soothed by Shuichi's comforting words and gestures as she waited by his bedside. There was no doubting it now. That was when her feelings for him finally bloomed.

And now, as she faced the reality of all that happened, Hazuki was truly aware of the extent Shuichi meant to her.

"Hazuki, are you done yet?"

Waiting for his turn to take a bath, Shuichi wondered why she was taking so long in there. Was it a girl thing? As he sighed to himself, the sound of water gushing out from the showerhead suddenly disappearing caused Shuichi's eyes to perk up. About to pick up a change of clothes, hearing the bathroom's door open made Shuichi momentarily peer in that direction. However, his gaze there lingered for far longer.

Her body wrapped only in a towel, Hazuki emerged from the bathroom with a blush on her face, seemingly hesitant about something. Unsure of what his girlfriend was thinking, the first thought which came to Shuichi's mind was that Hazuki forgot to bring an article of clothing before going in. Standing up and eager to help his girlfriend no matter what she needed, Shuichi was surprised by what she did next.

"Shuichi, there's no denying it anymore. I… I love you." Hazuki stammered out, catching Shuichi by surprise as she approached him. Just where had that come from? "You… you mean a lot to me. Ever since I've met you, you've always been the emotional support I needed to stand up again, no matter how much I've been through. Even when I'm on the brink of despair, you're the one who steps up to rescue me."

"Hazuki, I'm… I'm not sure what to say here." Despite knowing he was walking on Eggshells now, Shuichi let his mind run its course. "You also mean a lot to me. Every time I'm caught in a sticky situation, it's you who bails me out. You're like a guardian angel standing by my side, watching over me. If it wasn't for you, I don't know where I'd be. Because of everything you've done for my sake… there's no denying I love you."

"Thank goodness… I was a bit worried you'd say no there." Hazuki breathed out a sigh of relief as her cheeks turned even more red. Now that she confirmed their feelings were mutual, there was no going back. Her mind already decided this course of action back in the shower, and Shuichi's own confession of love sealed the deal. Besides, there was also his other… reaction. "Then let me show you how much I love you."

Tugging on her towel, Hazuki didn't let the embarrassment of being completely unclothed in front of Shuichi stop her from tackling him down onto the bed. As Shuichi reflexively leaned in for a kiss, his shirt was Hazuki's next target as she unbuttoned it, exposing his bare chest. Knowing what they would soon do, Hazuki was about to get rid of Shuichi's remaining clothes when his eyes shot open. "Hazuki, protection!"

"Oh, yeah. Right…" Rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment, Hazuki got up and let Shuichi lean over to the bedside desk. Grabbing a packet of what he needed from one of the drawers, it was now time for Shuichi's revenge. Using his larger frame and greater strength to his advantage, Shuichi pinned Hazuki down with one hand while undoing his pants with the other. Once he put on what he needed, Shuichi was ready.

For the rest of the night, Hazuki and Shuichi made each other feel loved over and over again.

"Wake up. We've got a rock band to take down."

Still groggy after everything she did last night with Shuichi, Hazuki begrudgingly opened her eyes to see Midori standing in front of her. Looking down to check that yes, she wasn't wearing anything at all, the only reason Hazuki's entire body didn't immediately turn bright red was because she only saw Midori as a friend. However, Hazuki remained confused as to why Midori was in their room. "Ehh, what?"

"Since there's a chance we're going to fail horrendously when confronting HTT, I took the liberty of taking both of our room's key cards, so you would be forced to share a bed with Shuichi." Midori explained . "Considering the feelings you two harbour towards each other, I decided to nudge you two closer right before we set out. From what I see, that appears to have turned out quite well."

"Midori…" Her mind still struggling to process that her best friend was behind all this, Hazuki gazed over at Shuichi, who was beginning to stir from his sleep. Carefully observing the contours of Shuichi's face, everything that happened before she fell asleep almost felt like a dream to Hazuki, but this was now her new reality. And it was a reality she liked. "I can't thank you enough for this!"

"You can thank me once HTT's been dealt with." Midori replied. "But for now, put your clothes on and get ready, because we're going in for the fight of our lives."

A/N: And so we reach the end of the 'interlude' chapters. Apologies if the ending with Shuichi and Hazuki was a bit explicit. Since this is the turning point in their character arcs, I decided to push the bounds of their relationship further than usual.

Now that everyone is in place for events to unfold, the third and final saga of To Be A Solister will begin next chapter, wrapping up this story once and for all with three exciting arcs. However, as I am taking a break next week, the next chapter will release on June 2nd.

Until then, stay tuned!