Doctor Houka Inumuta was in a strange place. Just minutes ago, he was handcuffed and walking to his cell in Honnouji Penitentiary. He lost consciousness and found himself here. The ground was barren and white. The sky was glowing with bright colors.

In front of him was standing a tall humanoid creature. The entity's feet were pointed and flat. Its skin was white. The arms were long, its fingers somewhat longer than a person's. The chest had lines on it like a rib cage. The head was bald and faceless. The strangest thing about it, however, was its clothing. It was wearing a striped shirt and straw hat, much like someone in an old barbershop quartet. It was holding a golden cane in its right hand, with the top resembling an eighth note.

Another unusual thing was that he heard Nelly Furtado's "Maneater" playing from somewhere. After a while, he managed to find his voice.

"Hello," said Inumuta, in his typical calm way. The music stopped as it turned to look at him.

"Oh. Hi!" replied the creature. Its voice was loud, piercing, yet it sometimes changed to a deeper tone. It then returned to the high-pitched, ear-splitting original sound. It was almost like people were fighting over radio stations inside of its throat.

"So..." he began.

"Ye-e-s-s-s?" it said, leaning in towards him.

"I have a question."

"Ye-e-e-e-s-s-s-s-s-s?"

He stepped back. "Where am I?"

"Here."

"I...see. And you are...?"

"I'm the Song and Dance Man," it said, as though that was all the explanation needed.

"Alright. Clearly, I have to be more specific. Exactly what are you?"

"The faithful servant of the Master of Puppets."

"So, you're not in charge?"

"Nope!"

Inumuta felt a bit better. This creature was a mere servant! In all likelihood, it wouldn't have the answers he was seeking. However, he could get it to show him the person who did. It was natural for him, getting the weak to do his bidding.

"I'll only speak to the person in charge," said Inumuta with a confidant smile.

The Song and Dance Man laughed. "No. The Master doesn't go anywhere unless he needs to. So, you're stuck with me. I'm so sorry if that's inconvenient." He laughed. "I mean, come on, I'm a monster and you're nobody!"

The Song and Dance Man's torso extended, wrapping around Inumuta with a nauseating sloshing sound. He whispered into Inumuta's ear, his voice taking on a menacing tone. "I know you. You've killed people, eaten people, I mean, who hasn't these days? You think you're scary?" The Song and Dance Man squeezed tighter around him. "You're not as scary as I am."

He extended a finger and stroked the jagged bits of flesh around Inumuta's exposed gums. "I know I'm just a servant, but I'm a god compared to you." The Song and Dance Man then released his grip on Inumuta as fast as he had ensnared him, leaving Inumuta gasping for air.

"So, anyway, Doc," said the Song and Dance Man, pleased with his situation, "you might be wondering why I brought your soul, or consciousness, or whatever you call it, here."

Inumuta steadied himself. At the moment, he couldn't hope to escape this...thing. Deciding it was best to wait until he had more information, Inumuta replied. "How do you know so much about me?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah, the Master got me this file on you," replied the Song and Dance Man, producing a folder out of thin air. He began flipping through it. "You had a pretty normal childhood, became a psychiatrist, and then you killed and ate thirty people. You then kidnapped and tortured one Detective Ryuko Matoi for three hours, which led to your arrest and incarceration in Honnouji Penitentiary."

Inumuta smiled upon hearing the name. "And why am I here?"

"We're in need of your skills."

"And what do I get in return?"

"It's a surprise," the Song and Dance Man replied.

Inumuta sighed. "Alright, who is it?"

"First, are you familiar with the multiverse?"

"Yes."

"That's good. Anyway, I'm sending you to an alternate universe where you'll find Nui Harime. Obviously, you don't know who that is, so here's her file."

The Song and Dance Man handed him a second folder containing various documents. Certain words stood out to Inumuta as he read them - "psychotic tendencies", "resurrected", and "hybrid", among others.

"Just go there, and tell her that...I dunno...her mom never loved her, something like that."

"Fine."

A blue portal materialized before them. Inumuta stepped inside.