"What happened to the door?" From what Rubis could remember, the two intruders' location were not anywhere near the medical quarter. "Please don't tell me you've bashed it down."

"Eh, it did get bashed down. But it's not me." Dameko said, still snuggled against her. "Rommy found out who you were—I guess Lowee's Candidates are too smart for their own good, ay? She took all her favorite plushies here too, hoping it would make you feel less lonely when you woke up."

"She called you here?"

"No! It's this old guy. The moment the call was over, I got on my robot, and flew all the way here. It's..." Dameko responded to her stare with a sheepish smile. "Not the best idea, now that I think about it."

"Mauve? Isn't that a shade of purple?"

"So what?" Dameko stared at Green Heart. "I dunno what these Planeptune CPUs said to you, but they can't just claim a single color for themselves when it comes to Heart titles! It's not like a jar of paint!"

Green Heart squinted at her. "Well, if you are speaking the truth, then I suppose flatness really runs in the family."

"Really, Vert? Really?" White Heart slapped her forehead. "Out of all the friggin' time, you have to—!"

"Hey! Just because Delph' is a jerk to your first CPU, doesn't make it okay for you to be a jerk to her!"

"Our...first CPU?"

Before Green Heart could ask more questions, two small figures leaped out of the window. In a flash of light, the twins landed on the ground, and started running towards their direction.

"Rom? Ram?" The concern on White Heart's face morphed into a stern glare when she caught sight of them. "I told you to stay and rest in the medical quarter! What are you doing out here?"

"Well, we thought you were in your office..."

"But you weren't, and I saw the giant robot on the lawn!" Ram cut in. "Are we fighting it now?"

"Hell no! Haven't you learned anything?!" White Heart sighed. "Even if we were, I'm not letting you anywhere near the battlefield!"

"The twins had been through such a huge scare, and that's how you are treating them?" Green Heart gave her a disapproving look. "If you need a break from your sister's temper, and wish to seek some quality comfort in someone's warm embrace, I'm always available."

"Shut your mouth and stay the fuck out of this, you—!"

Ram whipped a colorful plastic horn out of her coat pocket. The long, shrill "WOOOO" instantly put an end to the bickering, as everyone covered their ears in unison.

"...I thought I locked that thing up?"

"You haven't hid it very well, big sis." Ram shrugged. "But we aren't just trying to find you for fun! We have made a super important discovery!"

"Miss Tendo, the girl who got hurt really badly last night..." Rom moved to White Heart's side, and grabbed her arm. "We heard someone talking about her outside of the medical quarter. She's a CPU, just like us."

"You are in there with her?" Dameko ran up to them. "She's okay, right, she has to be okay, you know how tough we are—!"

"Wait a second." Green Heart chimed in. "If you are a CPU, can't you just fly here? Why do you need your robot?"

With a flash of light, White Heart reverted to her human form. "She's right. Transform and prove your identity, if your claim is true."

"I can't!"

"Why?"

"I'm retired! Haven't your Oracle told you about what happened during a succession ritual?"

"...Mina said our previous Candidate has disappeared before my birth, and it was too early for—" Blanc muttered to herself, before turning to face her. "What does happen during a succession ritual?"

"We give up our HDD Form, so our Candidate can get a new one and become a true Goddess!"

"That's interesting. But, no offense, you still can't prove that you are telling the truth," Green Heart said. "After dealing with so much trickery from our foes, you can't fault us for being cautious, can you?"

"Ugh..." Dameko groaned. "Oh, ask Histy! She knows both of us, and she's still around, right?"

"My, my." Green Heart sighed. "I hope it won't take her three days this time."

"Whatever! Just let me see her, please?" Dameko's breath was getting shallower, and for a moment, she almost felt like she was about to faint on the spot. "Even if I'm just this...delusional kid with a giant robot, you can't make me stand there, while she's...if what that guy said was true, I-I might not even get to see her for the last time, and..."

"I might have started crying in front of the camera." Dameko scratched her head. "Still, that old guy's being dodgy in a 'I wanna spare you the terrible news' way, and I really thought I was too late."

"Oh, don't blame Mr. Esaka for it. I'm sure he was trying his best."

"Now that I've finished my story, it's your turn! Who beat you up last night?" Dameko asked. "I'm totally not asking this 'cause I'm planning on plummeting them with a giant robot."

"It's—" She paused before she could get the whole sentence out. "Our successors need to hear the story too. Are my cards and revolver still intact? Emphasis on the former?"

"Yeah. But I'm not gonna let you sneak away again while I'm gone."

"Dameko, I need these to track down the attackers." She looked straight into her sister's eyes. "And I promise you, I won't ever leave again, if you...don't want me to."

No one summoned Rei to the Guild hall, but after last night's emergency evacuation and the national security broadcast, it would only be a matter of time. Might as well spare them the trouble of looking for her.

They wouldn't throw her in jail. Or would they? Maybe she should've stayed where she was. If they were out to arrest her now, they must've thought that she was trying to evade capture, which was the last thing she needed...

Rei felt like a duck with its feet stuck inside the frozen pond, who could neither stay nor escape.

The hall was surprisingly empty, now that most agents were out on patrol. The Guild clerk at the front desk barely noticed her presence, and just as he began chewing a new piece of bubblegum, the glass door opened with a ringing sound.

"What can I help you with?" The clerk made a half-hearted nod, as the redhead woman in a military uniform walked up to him.

"Leanbox, SMD." The woman held up a plain ID card. Rei could see the red ring on its shiny white exterior. "I request access to all information regarding the Arakawa District lockdown. Are they available now?"

The clerk raised his eyebrows. There was an almost intentional slowness to his action, as he started typing on the keyboard of his old, bulky computer. "Agent...'Red Storm', is that right?"

The woman nodded.

"That'll take half an hour. Go get yourself some tea, while I dial up our intel folks."

After a simple "Thanks", 'Red Storm' sat down in front of her. Her back was as straight as a board, and the serious formality of her tone had pretty much discouraged any attempts at conversation, before they even made eye contact with one another.

Even foreign special agents were involved now. Rei shuddered at that realization, just as the glass door swung open again.

"—So why are you so stubborn all of a sudden?"

"Aren't you the one trying to be a hero?"

Rei frowned when she saw the woman with reddish orange hair. She must've heard her voice before somewhere.

"Asa girl, there's heroic, and there is suicidal!" The old man in a tattered leather jacket raised his voice, "I know you are concerned about poor Rubis—"

"For the last fucking time, I'm not—"

"C'mon! Why else would you sign up for the wilderness patrol teams? Be honest with your feelings, and let go of your anger! That's the true meaning of the martial spirit."

"That's not what you said last time." Asa rolled her eyes. "If I remember correctly, it's 'charging out there and kicking asses, but with love'."

"It warms my heart that you are actually listening to my teachings, but none of us could take on two CPUs with our bare hands! Leave it to C-gal and the Lady, will ya'?" The man's voice had taken on a pleading tone. "I just don't want to see another one of my best helpers get hurt."

"I won't."

"Rubis said she wouldn't go after the two intruders at the archive. Guess what she did?"

"I'm not her."

"Asa girl, this is not the time! You can do something to help without putting yourself in danger, y'know?"

"Like what?"

The man scratched his head, "Like...tracking down our missing tourist girl! You haven't forgotten 'bout that case, have you?"

The chair behind her creaked. Rei turned back and saw 'Red Storm', who was glancing at the arguing pair with an intense keenness. After a brief pause, she stood up and headed in their direction.

"That has nothing to do with—"

"Do you have a moment?" She asked. "I'm a SMD agent from Leanbox, working on a missing person case. From what I've heard, you seem to have some relevant information."

"Sure thing! What do you—"

"No. Go away."

"Now, Asa girl, don't be rude! " The man made a "tsk" sound. "I'm sure Miss Agent here is here on behalf of that girl's family. She's not after money or anything like that."

He turned back to 'Red Storm'. "Sorry, but yes—K-Mantra the Detective and his uncooperative assistant have been trying to track her down and bring her home, prior to the fiasco last night! How could we be of help?"

"I'm glad. But perhaps we should talk outside."

The man nodded, and followed 'Red Storm' towards the exit. After a low groan, Asa started walking, too. Before long, the trio had disappeared from Rei's view. Seconds later, the door swung open again, revealing C-Sha's blue beret.

Rei gulped. She knew this was coming, but she wasn't ready, not at all—

C-Sha walked past her at a brisk pace, without even looking in her direction.

"Hi there," she waved to the other clerk, who had just emerged out of the backroom door. "You say there's an emergency call from the Gunpei Prefecture branch?"

"Yes, Miss C-Sha!" The old lady bowed. "They're still on the line now."

"Let's not keep them waiting, then."

Rei let out a deep sigh, as the echoes of their footsteps faded away in the distance. She was starting to feel like a complete idiot for coming here in the first place.

"You've been harboring our...escaped tourist for the past week?" C-Sha frowned at the anxious, heavily-accented voice coming out of the speaker. No wonder their searches had been fruitless so far. She wasn't even inside the city.

"Je suis désolé!" The young man yelled. "In my defense, I owe her one, and—"

He let out a deep sigh. "That's not enough to justify my actions, of course. I'm willing to take whatever punishments you throw at me, but please listen to what I have to say!"

"Okay, what happened to her?"

"Well, there's a storm alert. My sister and uncle had to spend the night on Sunshine Isle, and they made a radio call yesterday." He took a deep breath. "I have no idea what they said to her, I'm still trying to contact them now, but she just jumped onto our hovercraft, and charged straight into the storm after hearing it!"

"Oh my. Are your local Guild agents available now?"

"Not really. Our coast guard's trying to get the imported drones working, but so far, we hadn't found anything. Also, she yelled something about a dangerous criminal lurking around my sister and uncle, before she left! We need reinforcement. Quick."

"I'll see what I can do. If you find anything, please, update us at once."

C-Sha put a hand to her forehead, after putting down the speaker. Had she received this call any earlier, she'd have gone to the scene herself, but with how chaotic the city had been after last night's attack, she doubted she could squeeze out another search party now.

Wait. Mr. Esaka and Asa. They'd been looking for her, right? She hadn't heard from these two in a while, but Asa was amongst the first batch of Guild members that arrived at the Basilicom. Perhaps they'd be—

When C-Sha glanced up from the floor, she had already walked into the main hall. Only then did she notice Rei, sitting on one of the chairs and sneaking fearful glances at her.

"Uh, hello." Rei immediately averted her gaze, when C-Sha turned to her. "You...don't need me for anything, and I'm not going to be in trouble for...what happened last night, right? Just asking."

The dull pain washed over her chest in waves, just like the footsteps that were getting closer to the medical quarter (now minus the door). Despite that, Rubis put on her regular smile and straightened her back. When Blanc entered the room, the twins holding her hands, there was a long silence, before she squeezed out a small "hello" and looked away.

"Greetings. I wish we could've met under better circumstances." She made a small nod. "But my defeat must've left a bad impression. Sorry for not telling you the truth, Rom—I've made a lot of misjudgments in the past few days."

"It's alright." Rom tugged at Blanc's sleeves, and added, "S-She helped me find Ram, after we got separated."

Behind her, Ram made a weird face. "You haven't even told me how you met her! I mean, she sounds a lot less fun, compared to her little sis, but—"

"Enough," Blanc shushed her, before turning to Rubis. "I...apologize for my late arrival. Dameko had told me about what happened to retired CPUs, and you shouldn't blame yourself for losing. What do you need from me?"

"Just some spare time to talk about last night's event."

"Alright. I'm listening."

Rubis took a deep breath. "So, I headed straight for the Basilicom after that light explosion. I didn't know what they are after, but Lowee's Sharecite must be protected during an emergency. Upon entering the chapel, I found the first intruder in her HDD Form, alongside three phantoms—"

"The exploding ones? What was she trying to blow up in there?"

"Ram!" Blanc gave her a stern look. "Don't you cut her off again."

"That's a good question. I have my weapon out, but she threatened to detonate the phantoms around Lowee's Sharecite if I didn't put it down. So I did as she said."

"Why? These are just...rocks. Mina can make a new one with Shares at any time." Ram frowned, and added, "Before you start scolding me, big sis, I raised my hand this time!"

"The smaller crystals can be replaced. But the big one, the first piece of Sharecite to materialize on the soil of a nation?" She shook her head. "If anything happened to it, no new CPUs or Candidates would ever come into existence again. And that girl seemed to know me well. The alternate version of me, at least. She knew I wouldn't let Lowee's future end on that night."

"What do you mean?"

"She mentioned that I killed her older sister, back in her world." Rubis said. "But she also told me she had no interest in avenging Tari, and she was doing this for someone dear to her. Forgive me if my memory is faulty, but the culprit behind the CPU clone attacks called herself the CPU of Tari, didn't she?"

"Yes. She had been assisting that girl, Lynka, before the break-in at the archive. But I don't think she has anything to do with Ultradimension's Tari..." Blanc put a hand to her chin. "I should really bring Rei here, now that I think about it."

"Back to my story. She blew a hole in the wall with her phantom, and tried to fly away. I casted a spell from my metal cards, knocking her unconscious, before her accomplice showed up. I'm sure you know what happened next." She pointed to the bandages around her neck.

Loud footsteps suddenly rang through the corridor. Seconds later, Dameko barged in, with two Ziploc bags in hand.

"There!" She held them up. "What do you need it for? And what did I miss?"

"How come she can run in the corridor and I can't?" Ram mumbled. "Not fair, Financier. Not fair."

"...Mauve Heart forged Lowee's Golden Age, and you haven't." Blanc's deadpan expression was even more amusing than her reply.

"Eh, I might've also ended Lowee's Golden Age, with the whole Lastation—" Dameko shrugged, "But I agree with Rammy! Kids should have the rights to run in the corridors without being nagged at!"

"Dameko. Please." She put a hand to her forehead. Oh, how the chiding tone came to her so naturally at such moments. "You don't happen to know if these cards had been cleaned after their discovery, do you?"

"Nah." Dameko tossed the Ziploc bags in her direction. She mentally heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the dirt and dust on the metal surface through the thin plastic sheet, before opening it and removing the card. The tiny dark spots on the razor-sharp edge of one of the cards brought a smile to her face.

So her last attack had drawn blood, after all.

"I have a way to track that Candidate down." She held up the card, as it began to glow a faint red. "Not to the exact position. Just her general directions. But my magic can't last for long, and we should hurry up."

"...Are you fit to travel yet?"

"Nope. Lay back and rest! Leave it to someone more responsible." Dameko gave her a comically serious look. "I can use your cards just alright."

"You blew four of them up in a row, last time you tried to cast something with my cards. It took me months to replace them." She sighed. "I won't charge into the midst of action again, I promise. I'll just stay inside your robot like the sad old dummy I am. Please?"

"Hey! If she's going, then we are coming, too!" Ram cheered, before turning to Dameko. "Can I drive your robot too?"

"Sure thing! It's gonna get a little crowded in there, but—"

"No. I've already told you once, and I'm not changing my mind." Blanc shook her head. "I won't let you get injured again."

"Come on!" Ram and Dameko protested, almost in perfect unison with each other. Blanc's stern look caused the former to look away, pouting, but hers was much less effective against Dameko.

"What? I'm like, a senior to them, so I can totally override Blanny's decision and take them along!"

"We've given up that power long ago. You..." She lowered her head. "Weren't happy when I was meddling in your decisions, right?"

That silenced Dameko. She nodded in Rubis's direction, and walked towards the exit.

"Wait!" Ram turned to yell at her. "Why are you leaving? Don't you wanna take us along?"

"It's alright. She's right. I'll go warm up my robot." The hurt in her voice was enough to make Rubis flinch, as she clenched her fists together and disappeared into the corridor.

"Ruby Heart?" C-Sha turned away towards the small girl standing next to Blanc. "That sounds like a cool name for a pirate."

"Not the lame kind that copies games, of course!" Seeing Blanc's frown, she added, "The stylish kind that roams the sea, searching for magical treasures? It'd be amazing if she has powerful water magic too."

"Oh, I'm afraid I've only dabbled in the water elemental studies. But one of my successors—" The retired CPU paused, with a wistful look in her eyes. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I ran into Rei at the Guild," C-Sha pointed to Rei, who quickly covered her face, "I don't think you need her for anything, Blanny. But she's about to have a nervous breakdown if she sat in there any longer, so I may as well take her here, just to ease her worries."

"I do need her for something. Not right now."

Rei took several steps back when Blanc moved in her direction. She was sneaking fearful glances at both CPUs, but she was trembling much harder while her gaze was focused on Rubis.

"My predecessor has a tracking spell that allowed her to sense Lynka's general direction, after their brief battle." Blanc turned to C-Sha. "She'll fly there in her sister's robot. I'll follow them. Once we find a good place to stop, I'm going to call you, and—"

"Rei. C-Sha is going to take you there. If we ran into her any time soon, this is your last chance to persuade her to surrender," Blanc stared straight into Rei's eyes, "And considering what her accomplice had done, I'm being lenient enough already."

Rei nodded meekly, without a word. As Blanc and Rubis walked past them, her gaze was glued to the floor, and only when they almost disappeared in her view did Rei look up again. There was a disapproving, almost resentful look in her eyes, before C-Sha patted her on the shoulder.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I..."

"Hey. It's fine," C-Sha said. "Blanny's a bit on edge today, and I think she doesn't quite know how to deal with that Rubis girl. But she's not mad at you, and even if she's angry at...them, she won't take it out on you. You have nothing to fear."

Rei didn't utter a word, as she went back to trailing behind C-Sha, shoulders slouched.