Their search continued. It was still around the noon, so time was to be had. However, the amount of it was little. Still just two days before Chisa Yukizome's fate was decided. Koichi and Suzuha, after having an uncomfortable close call or two, decided to play it more cautiously. Their modus operandi remained the same, but they thought of a way to be more efficient and covert about it. After all, they were operating in the uncharted territory of Zona Daft Capo. Only a small amount of it was known to them, they still got plenty of ways to go.

Moments after their little adventure in the bar, Koichi began to wonder regarding the operation. Traces of Miss Yukizome were still yet to be found.

"Hmm…" Koichi scratched his chin as he observed the Zona around him. All of structures blended in the city, one would have hard time to immediately point out what belongs to Daft Capo just from exterior alone. At the same time, checking every single building would not only be time consuming, but would also raise red flags, potentially throwing the entire operation in the permanent trash bin.

"What's up?" Suzuha glanced at him, wondering what sort of scheme did have in his mind. She hoped that it would be something sensible on the spot.

"I've been thinking of something." Koichi began to discuss about the potential plan.

"Yeah?" Suzuha tilted her head out of curiosity.

"What if we-" Koichi wanted to continue, but right away they spotted a point of interest: a stand, just like the one that MATO FATO had, but instead of being ran by a single Snifit, it was a punkster who was selling the goods. Around four more punksters flocked around him, staring at the stuff with intent.

"Bruh, that's so killer." the first punkster complimented the collection, which it turned out to be games of a first person shooter franchise so famous that it wouldn't even be necessary to name it.

"Yah, we got them Call of Duty games only for four dollars and twenty cents. Dirt cheap!" boasted salesman punkster about his own goods. From Call of Duty, the very first one that still had health bars, up until Black Ops II, were all displayed on the selection. Anything that went further from Ghosts, because those installments received negative reception among punksters. Although the depth of their reviews would usually be summarized in one word: wince inducing but translated under their slang.

"Black Ops is the shit, man!" third punkster immediately took the opportunity to praise his favorite installment, due to its off the rails plot and the bonus mode that endured through test of time. Might have involved the undead, though.

"Naw, Modern Warfare 2 is the real deal!" fourth punkster brought up a different one. It's release was nothing short of a proper event for the consumer base, such was a demand for the franchise that took a footing in the contemporary conflict.

"But Black Ops has the best Zombies mode! You cannot deny that, man!" countered third punkster that such mode was more than enough to put that game over fourth punkster's favorite.

"Two words: Spec Ops. Does Black Ops have that?" fourth punkster argued that Modern Warfare's bonus mode was superior of blasting the walking dead with all sorts of weaponry, from guns of World War 2 to insane fictional "wonder" weapons that fire plasma energy and electricity.

"You all bastards arguing about two inferior games when we know that United Offense is the best one." fifth punkster interjected with a game of the past, before regenerating health was even a thing in the series. Traces of its predecessor, Medal of Honor, were still there.

"Cuz you're a boomer!" fourth punkster called him out for such "out of date" taste, despite being around the same young age as them. Specifically, youngest punksters had to be at least seventeen to be eligible for membership. The oldest known member of Daft Capo was not exactly known to them. In fact, only the aforementioned member, perhaps an Elite Boi, knew about it.

"Your mother is a boomer!" retaliated fifth punkster with a classic verbal attack, not that it affected the target that much. However, their convo regarding what first person shooter of the aforementioned franchise came to an end when one of them accidentally glanced over to "the guests". Soon after, others did the same.

"Hey, look at those guys." salesman punkster pointed at them. Koichi and Suzuha were just listening to their conversation, partially because it amused them.

"Yo, they have killer drip." the second punkster complimented their taste of fashion, since it reminded them of their own. Nothing was to be suspected about them, so they got around casually and cozily.

"Wazzap, dudes?" greeted Suzuha like a wannabe gangster, placing her hand behind her head as she struck a pose.

"Sup, bastards." Koichi just tipped his hat as both of them approached the group of punksters as if they were their friends.

"Hey, guess what? I no scoped that guy's mama, what do you have to say to that?" the fourth punkster suddenly revealed to them as he pointed at salesman punkster. In a way, it was a true story. Salesman punkster's mother did attempt to play Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, but was "no scoped" on the spawn. Needless to say, she never tried it ever again, she just remained in her comfort zone, consisting of Putt-Putt.

"Dayum, boy, that's disrespectful." Koichi wanted to act like as if he cared, but for some reason, the prospect of one's mom being owned in a game was slightly intriguing to him.

"You call that a no scope? I can no scope and quick scope in real life!" Suzuha put her hands around her hips, asserting dominance with her own skills. Whether or not she put those skills in the action was obvious: not.

"For real?" the fifth punkster raised his eyebrow, curious to see such claim to be realized. Other punksters were also quite intrigued by the mentioned capability of such woman.

"For. Real!" Suzuha boastfully nodded, almost believing it herself that she is capable of it, just that it would be hard to justify its practical usage.

"Yo, that's so cool, dude." praised the salesman punkster.

"You guys seem pretty cool. Wanna friendly roast off?" the third punkster was so impressed by her claims, that he invited them to do a tradition among punksters, as old as the very start of Daft Capo: trying to one up each other with better insult game.

"Nah, got places to be." Koichi initially denied, just wanting to continue his mission and no longer stall for time.

"You're too pussy." the third punkster taunted, provoking him into the duel. Upon hearing such taunt, Koichi knew he had to play along, or else he would have been suspected as someone who was a part of Hope's peak academy. As far as they were concerned, students were generally not amazing at taking insults.

"Fine, let's get the show running." Koichi accepted the challenge as both of them faced each other, like two bandits in the Wild West battling for who shall be in charge of the town. That time, it was about pride instead of towns.

"Kick his ass!" Suzuha rooted for her colleague as she shook her fist. Punksters prepared themselves for it.

The cover of "Flight of the Bumblebee", done predominately by a trumpet, began to play. The music was provided by the nearest speaker.

ROAST OFF

KOICHI KIZAKURA ("LUIGI MARTINI") VERSUS THE RANDOM PUNKSTER

"Jesus Christ, yo face is so ugly, even yo mama couldn't love it! It makes me wanna shove rocks in my asshole, commit a sudoku!" the third punkster immediately fired away his first insult at him, with his mouth flapping like a bird.

"That opening line of yours was so bad, even a stoner wouldn't be laughing at!" Koichi retaliated with a smirk on his face.

The third punkster took a big breath, preparing himself to bring in the big guns.

"You literally made Saddam Hussein resurrect from the debauchery of dead, walk into the furthest bar as his demise was brought by alcohol totaling his liver, no longer being able to cope the fact that he no longer held the title of "The biggest fuckface in the world." the third punkster unleashed verbal destruction that any of Hope's peak students would just crumble to. None of them, even ones with strongest wills, could take it.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" shouted punksters in union from the sheer power of such roast, as if they heard a soul crushing diss from a rapper. Even Suzuha was flabbergasted by the verbal attack he received.

However, unlike most folk present at Hope's peak academy, Koichi Kizakura was a different breed.

"Good for him!" Koichi just scoffed the whole insult as if it were nothing. Everyone around him was baffled at how well he could take such an insult. The third punkster's vein popped, knowing that his "big guns" were just tossed into the bin.

"You are so cringe that even dead memes wince at your sight!" third punkster began reaching for lower "fruits", just to take him down at all means necessary. His verbal attack, however, just bounced off.

"I'm sorry, were you born wrong? As I can see, your mouth has been swapped with your asshole!" Koichi fired back at him like a howitzer. The punkster was starting to get a little infuriated by his lack of success against the Scout Leader.

"You are so stupid, you eat ass for breakfast!" the third punkster started to lose steam, with his insults ever so degrading.

"Only thing that you eat is whatever remains after beating your meat." Koichi delivered one like an underhanded jab below the belt.

"Bruh you're so cringe memelord stupid noob ass motherfucker cringe afafafafaffaffaaaughhh motherfucker dickman schlong bruh!" the third punkster rapidly gnashed his teeth, trying to come up with anything resembling an insult, but it seemed like his own brain was steaming. Not only just from thinking, but from seething too.

"OMG, he's spamming now, wow!" snorted the fifth punkster upon the sight of his amigo getting owned by a guest.

"Get him, Luigi! Booyah!" Suzuha shook her fist like a focused football fan, eagerly awaiting what kind of roast did he have in store. Turned out the following one was also a verbal fatality.

"I've got one more for you: packing small!" Koichi pointed at him, grinning as if he himself were a villain from some kind of cartoon. At that point, the punkster knew the outcome.

"Fine fine fine, you win this one. I'll admit your roasting skills are top tier. Where did you get such mastery, brudda?" the third punkster forfeited as he congratulated Koichi for his victory. There were no hard feelings to be had, at least from his side. There was an odd sense of sportsmanship when it came to "roast off", possibly because those who take their losses like stepping on a LEGO brick are shamed upon.

"Bar experience, that's all I can say!" Koichi revealed his trick, and he wasn't even making it up. All of his adventures with booze did expand his vocabulary colorfully.

"Oh man, a veteran." the salesman punkster was in awe upon learning such "secrets" of insult mastery. The salesman himself has already been to bars, but he was like a little baby compared to Koichi.

"But can you compare to the Master of Insults?" the fourth punkster cautioned him of the true championship of destroying pride, dignity and honor of anyone who dared to challenge him. The man himself was already in the Zona Daft Capo, but has yet to step in the conflict between the syndicate he was part of and the Fellowship of Darkness. Neither Koichi nor Suzuha had any idea who that was, so the question just flew above them.

"Alright, bros. I'll be heading. Gotta enjoy the place, after all." Koichi and Suzuha had to peace out, waving their hand as they continued their mission, exploring the enemy territory. As they went, all of the punksters stared in away, forever remembering the performance of guests. For folk that weren't in Daft Capo, they couldn't help but

"Wear that drip with pride!" the third punkster pumped his fist, wishing them a life of success and glory.

"Man, they're so based…" the fifth punkster still had to process the whole roast off, how his colleague got owned by a guest. It hasn't really happened before, although that was also a first time a roast off happened with someone outside of the mafia. They were even considering making merchandise out of them, made out of genuine respect.

Meanwhile, as intended, Koichi and Suzuha strolled down the Zona once again, still looking for anything remotely suspicious. However, before they could fully dedicate themselves to it again, they had to talk about the roast off. Through out the time, Suzuha couldn't help but be impressed by the wordplay he weaponized against the punkster.

"Mad roast skills, dude! How did you get so good?" Suzuha gave him a compliment in a "hip" way before she wanted to gain the knowledge on how to hurt one's pride most effectively and decisively.

"Like I've said, bar experience. Now where were we…" Koichi gave a rather short answer, since it was everything she needed to know. Suzuha didn't quite have such bar experiences, so she had a bit of a tough time imagining it. Koichi wanted to bring up a topic he had on his mind, but then another distraction came.

Amid the usual structure, there was a building shaped like a black rectangular cuboid. The aforementioned work of architecture resembled a movie theater, but that function was present in another building, a much more generic looking, although as huge as the one that Koichi had his eyes upon. Both of them ceased to walk as they observed the building, wondering if it has anything worth of substance regarding their mission. Koichi put his finger on the chin, having a feeling that there was something in it. Whether was it useful, dangerous, both or none, that had to be found out.

"Hey, SZQ. Should we check this out?" Koichi asked for her permission to inspect the building. Just from a different shape than usual alone, he had an urge to inspect it. Perhaps Daft Capo was hiding something vital there. It was a chance that couldn't be missed, even if it turned out to be ultimately a time waster.

"Uh, this is not like before with the bar, right?" Suzuha wanted to be sure that it was not some kind of time consuming distraction in order to "blend in" the criminal environment. Thankfully, that was not Koichi's intention at the time.

"I'm having a hunch this building will be interesting. Maybe we'll find something cool there, so to say." Koichi elaborated to her in such a way that it wouldn't out them. Suzuha then placed her finger on the chin as she took another look at the building. She hasn't ever seen a building like that before. Her own curiosity got her, wondering what kind of purpose does it have. Perhaps there was something related to Miss Yukizome after all.

"Oh! If that is so, then it's all okey-dokey!" Suzuha gave it a chance as both of them stepped forth, with the intention to see what's inside. The door was opened and soon after both of them went in.

The answer to the question whether the building was relevant was quickly answered by a brief glance downwards.

The entire floor was meant for dancing. Each tile, with their edges covered by black outline, was colored like an unsolved Rubik's cube. The whole ceiling was painted pitch black, just to make the disco ball stand out. The giant disco ball slowly spun on the string, which was taped on the ceiling. Lights from below were pointed right at it, reflecting them across the whole room. There was a bar within the building, everything else was just a giant dance floor. DJ, not Rando that time, was standing behind his table, blasting music fitting of Daft Capo's taste. Rando himself was too busy with Elite Boi shenanigans. The track at the time was called "Temple of Shrooms Disco", an import from Vegas Snifits themselves. Of course, the whole dance floor was occupied by dancing punksters. They were all jamming to the beat. It would have been a sin if the floor remained untouched. Weirdly enough, around the corners of the dance floor, sunloungers were placed in corners. Vegas Snifits were occupying them, chilling as if they were bathing. By Daft Capo terminology, they were "being boneless".

"Brooooo… I'm vibing so hard with this music. It's like I'm totally oblivious to everything else…" Vegas Snifit mused to himself as he was relaxing in his sunlounger. The music put him in some kind of imaginary trance, with mental images of head bobbing birds going through his mind.

Needless to say, both Koichi and Suzuha took some time to process the whole thing. A confident hunch, just being danced upon by reality. They didn't have quite the idea what they just stumbled into, they just stood there like two silly looking statues.

"Um, is this the right place?" Suzuha scratched her head as she still had a baffled expression on her face. However, Koichi regained his composure after some time was used upon a thought as he went back into his character of "Luigi Martini".

"...Let's uh...enjoy our time here." advised Koichi as they began to go deeper, just to see what was happening around them. On their left, the bar had the usual: the bartender, an older looking fella, serving drinks to thirsty punksters. Some of them were already wasted, just succumbing to their own hedonism. Some of punksters had uncertain future when it came to their own livers. On their right, it was just equipment, nothing of their interest. Surroundings started to incite doubts.

"Was my hunch wrong? I swear, this place has something to hide...but I am not sure what exactly, best to just go with the flow." Koichi thought to himself as both of them continued their journey in what it seemed to be a building dedicated solely to partying. A dance house, one could say. All that was in front of him were punksters letting their bodies be controlled by music.

In other words, jack shit worth of anything regarding their mission.

"So...should we stay here?" Koichi asked whether or not should they bother being in the place. Seemed like his hunch was off the mark, perhaps.

"Mmm...nah. For the later time." Suzuha shrugged off, confirming the decision. Both of them began to walk towards the exit, but upon such action, punksters already began to look at them.

"Yo, where you two fellas going? You're missing some mad shit here!" asked punkster as he invited them back, to "vibe", so to say. When both of them heard their voice, they were startled, but luckily, because of the crowd, no one suspected them of anything. Still odd that punksters managed to sniff out those who had no intention to party. Primary reason for that is because everyone who steps in the dance house, be it a punkster or guest, goes to jam. No one has declined it before and fully went with it.

"What kind of man comes at the dance party and doesn't rock his cock off?" Vegas Snifit raised another point regarding the character and nature of a person who goes to a party to not party.

"A pussy, that's who!" another punkster fired away an answer regarding Snifit's pondering. At that point they knew what the choice was. The alternative would end up in the chase.

"...Well, that answers it." Koichi decided to return back to the dance floor. Suzuha followed as well, still keeping a smile on her face, although it was just a cover. Deep down, the sudden development of the situation was not appreciated by her.

"Dang it! Just when we were about to go!...But at the very least we're still undercover. That big dude got close to uncovering us though, so...yeah, I have to be patient here." Suzuha thought to herself, knowing that she had to play along, or else the fate of Miss Yukizome would have been sealed. Both of them stepped right on the dance floor, joining punksters in their "vibing", so to say.

"So, you two with us or guests?" asked the punkster nearby.

"Guests." quickly answered Koichi as he tipped his hat.

"Ayy, wanna show some moves? Don't worry about the price, vibing is one of those things that's fully free in Zona." the punkster gave him an offer while also revealing quite a shocking fact: a free thing in the zone full of needlessly expensive goods. Considering how punksters reacted upon declining to dance, both of them knew they had to play along.

"Hah, let's give it a shot!" Koichi snapped with his fingers. His colleague approached DJ's table and began to look for a song. She saw plenty of discs, all of them being of various genres, from techno, house, dubstep, you name it. Only one genre was forbidden, not because punksters disliked it, but listening to it leaves cataclysmic effects upon one's state of mind, if they have a weak one at that. The forbidden genre was listened by the pigeons.

"Give us….hmmm…." Suzuha observed discs, wondering which one to pick. None of song titles were particularly familiar to her, so she had to randomly choose one. By going through "eenie meenie miny moe", she finally made the decision.

"...Thrills at Night!" Suzuha picked the aforementioned tune, belonging to the genre of disco. Just like with "Temple of Shrooms Disco", "Thrills at Night" was also imported from Vegas Snifits. Rumors has it that a sentient hole punch loves that song, if there was such universe where stationery had autonomy, sapience and free will. Such rumor also originated from where Vegas Snifits originally truly came from.

"Oh, Thrills at Night? That one is for big shots! You sure you wanna try that out?" the DJ punkster raised his eyebrow, wondering regarding her choice. Usually, someone of higher position among punksters chose that song to celebrate a successful mission or an action of similar importance.

"Yah!" happily nodded Suzuha.

"Why not?" questioned Koichi on what exactly was so strange about her decision. For the punkster, it was just a little bit unusual that a guest would have picked that one. However, it was her wish, she was bold about it, no further arguments. It would have been disrespectful if one's music wish was just ignored.

"..Alright then. Give us a good one." the DJ punkster accepted her music wish as he began playing it. Upon hearing the song, punksters stepped away from the center of the dancing floor, letting Koichi and Suzuha have the spotlight.

Thus, their performance began.

Both of them tapped with their feet, just for a little warm up. Finger snapping accompanied the taps as the song began to build up. Punksters around them observed their every move, waiting for how will they make them fall on the floor from awe. Meanwhile, Snifits in sunloungers kept chilling behind, not even batting an eye. One of them even had sunglasses on. Koichi and Suzuha's movements remained on the small side, tapping and snapping. The song continued to build up.

Suddenly, the beat dropped. Both of them spun like two simultaneous tornadoes before stopping, facing left relative to the entrance. Two guests performed something that threw every punkster, including Snifits on sunloungers, off their feet:

Moonwalking.

There was no assistance to be had. There was no "magic trick" beneath the curtain. They simply moonwalked as they intended and as they wished. Simply as they felt like it. The music took authority over their moves. An event which all of those present in it saw for the first time. Not many were capable of it.

"HOLY FUCK!" shouted punkster as he fell on the floor from sheer awe. He wasn't the only one who could not contain the hype behind moonwalking. Even Snifits on sunloungers were taken a back. They all sprung up from them as they laid their eyes upon the moonwalking duo, who were getting ever closer to the wall.

"T-they're….they're….they're BASED!" the Vegas Snifit threw his sunglasses away from the shock. He had to see the whole thing unobstructed. However, it did not just end there. Just when they were about to crash into the wall, they jumped and used the wall as a springboard like two ninjas. Both of them performed a sommersault in the air, once again making punksters around cheer for them.

"No...they're not just based….they're GODS!" the other Vegas Snifit knelt, knowing that such power should be respected. Both Koichi and Suzuha just went with the flow, twisting their bodies without a care. In a way, the thought of Daft Capo started to creep into their minds. They kind of understood their mentality. Why be constrained by the law or your own principles when you could enjoy your own life to the fullest, without even a pinch of worry or care?

However, despite understanding it, the possibility of them joining Daft Capo was none. To say that kidnapping of Chisa Yukizome soured up any good impressions of them would have been an understatement.

As the song came to its conclusion, so did their dance, ended with a dramatic pose akin to one a true King of Pop would have done.

"Brooooo!" punksters all around them cheered for the duo. Some of them wanted an encore, but that was a wish that could not be granted by them. As they finished their dance, they began to strut towards the exit. Punksters surrounded them like paparazzi, wanting to know every secret they had.

"Bruh, that was epic! How did you get those mad skills?!" asked one random punkster. If he had a microphone, he'd just shove it in their faces.

"Simply because we can!" stated Koichi, refusing to elaborate further as they were getting ever closer to the exit.

"Yah! Take notes, madafakas!" Suzuha did a double finger gun gesture, saying their last words to them as they left the dance house. None of the punksters followed them, not only because they felt like they were only a zilch to their worth in terms of "being based", but also because it was rude to stalk, unless if it were for operational needs.

"Woahh!" all of punksters in the dance house forever remembered their performance. It was the first time a guest managed to display "these sick skills" to them. Usually, it was a norm that the guests would be amateurs, but these were professionals they were dealing with.

"If only I could learn from these masters…" pondered another punkster as he shook his fist, promising himself that one day, he will also have the capability to moonwalk so smoothly as they did. He was far from the only one who had such ambitions awakened in the dance house.

Meanwhile, their search continued. However, they were in a condition similar to being intoxicated by alcohol, except that no actual substance was taken. Fun they had amid their performance has influenced their minds, as they couldn't stop thinking about how much they impressed random punksters.

"Hahaha, that was great!" Koichi laughed like a stoner after smoking a fat one.

"We went real "Booyah" on them, didn't we?" rambled Suzuha as she made boastful gestures with her hands, like a true rapper. In a way, they were the closest to actual behavior of Daft Capo punksters, without even trying too much. The adrenaline and hype was doing the job for them.

"Ohohoho, yeah! And they were like "no way!" and we were like "for real!", hahaha! Oh man, we could do this together." Koichi joined in boasting as well, not even having the slightest idea where they were even going.

"And then, we'd be like "we're so cool, too for school!" and they'd all faint!" Suzuha struck another pose with double V shaped gestures, done by her fingers. All that talk, and no punkster nearby batted an eye. Probably because that was normal behavior for them.

"Hahaha, yes indee-" Koichi wanted to continue boasting, but all of feeling, similar to being drunk, disappeared when they just stumbled themselves in front of a building that they would have never imagined seeing it with their own eyes, let alone in Japan.

The building itself was unlike any other in the city. The concrete walls were dull gray, sticking out like a sore thumb amid the colorful city. It also looked straight out of Pointe de Hoc, set in 1944. The influence of bunkers regarding the structure was unambiguous. They were still in the safe distance of the building, but it has certainly raised interest in them. It was a needed wake up call, since they were close to losing focus. The bunker like building reminded them of their true purpose.

"...What...is….that?" wondered Suzuha as her gaze was locked on the bunker like building. It looked oddly familiar to her.

"You tell me, SZQ. You tell me." Koichi knew as much as she did. They decided for further inspection by getting closer to the building. As the building seemed larger and larger, both of them spotted not only just an oddity but a warning as well.

The bunker like building had punksters patrolling around it. Each corner of it had those punch glove armed rockets on launchers, also in control by those grunts. Inside the building, more of punksters were watching like snipers, waiting for any "scrub" to step closer. The one in charge of the security was the guard, same one that guarded Tsurihito Warehouse and beat the living daylights out of a former student. Although they haven't seen them, there were also spring traps sporadically placed around it. Any of Hope's peak students who'd be unaware of it would have been launched in the air. Luckily, they have been away from those traps and none of them seemed to suspect them. From such distance, they could observe it. Oddly enough, none of the security had any firearms. It likely had to do with Daft Capo's protocol, forbidding firearm usage unless the adversary wields them themselves. Part of the reason why was that the presence of firearms could potentially dwarf them into a bigger catastrophe. They are high profile weapons after all, especially in the docile world of civilians.

"Huh...no other building was like this. Anywhere else is free game, but this…. Isn't…." Koichi began to think about. Only thing else that was guarded were streets themselves, although they were pretty much everywhere. However, they weren't as grouped up as they were around the bunker-like building.

Then Koichi began to connect the dots.

Why would they guard something in the first place, if everything else was so lax with security?

"Wait a minute….this must be it!" Koichi figured it out. Without explicitly saying, he just poked Suzuha's shoulders, gaining her attention.

"Oi, Suzuha." Koichi glanced at her, with confidence being present in his voice.

"Yah?" Suzuha tilted her head at him.

"What do you think?" Koichi pointed at the bunker-like building, giving her hints. Even though he was just implying, he was still on thin ice, especially since they were kind of close to the building's security.

"Think of what...exactly?" Suzuha further asked. Koichi just winked at her, along with a small smirk for a moment. Suzuha remained confused on what he meant, until she took another look at the building herself. She made the same observations as Koichi did and came to the same conclusion as well.

"...Oh! So...bingo?" Suzuha just wanted to be sure whether or not Koichi's hunch was correct that time.

"Bullseye. Delivery found." Koichi had no doubt about it. They were just about to head back, but they quickly noticed a person approaching them.

"Halt!".

It was the head honcho of building's security himself, the guard. He was just walking quickly to them. As long as he wasn't running like a Terminator, there was a chance to walk out of the encounter unscathed.

"...Awww, shit." Koichi wanted to frown, but he kept his smile. If he showed frustrations, that could have given away his role. Instead, he just chose to talk with the guard normally, as if he were crossing a border. "Ahem, yes?".

"You are treading on restricted area. Remove your presence immediately." the guard cautioned them for the next time. Since they were guests, he was not allowed to utilize (non-lethal) force, which meant his own fists and a plunger.

"Oh right. Sorry about that, we just didn't know." apologized Koichi, still remaining in position, even though he wanted to go away as quickly as possible. Suzuha followed his actions as well.

However, he did not realize he just made a potential mistake.

"Hold it. Are you sure you two just didn't know?" the guard began questioning them regarding their presence. His alertness was raised, prepared to strike them in case of any suspicious behavior.

"Yes, because we were just taking a stroll through out the city. You know, gotta be fit." Koichi elaborated that they had no further ulterior motives, that the whole trip to the Zona was just a random corner city to explore. The guard raised his eyebrow in response. However, his eyes were still not shining red.

"It's true. We went where our noses pointed at." Suzuha supported Koichi's claim, but that was not enough to convince the guard.

"Is there a purpose to your visit here?" the guard continued to challenge them by further questioning.

"Just to have fun, that's all. We intend to get outta here anyway. Like this is a restricted place, and all." Koichi kept insisting that there was nothing to be wary about them, it was all just a friendly visit. Of course, it was a lie, but a lie that the guard hasn't fell for. However, a kernel of truth was that they had no intention breaking in the bunker-like building. They were outmatched and there was presence of Elite Bois there.

"Having fun, huh? Any other motives, per say?" the guard kept firing question after question, just to be one hundred percent sure. He couldn't let any of adversaries just slide in and potentially undermine their efforts.

"What exactly do you suspect us of? We're just citizens, nothing else." Suzuha suddenly raised a question, since it seemed rather strange to her that he acted so wary of them.

"Perhaps you two are spies." the guard did not hesitate to reveal the reason for it. From his perspective, it was reasonable enough. Real espionage was quite contrary to the common depiction in media. It wasn't about looking sharp in the suit and using all fancy schmancy explosive gadgets, it was about seamlessly blending in. The exact thing Koichi and Suzuha were doing.

"Spies for….who?" Koichi raised his eyebrow, acting like he had no idea what the guard was talking about. He kept his cool, but it was starting to unnerve him. Perhaps Daft Capo had sharper eyes than imagined.

"That question has an obvious answer." the guard wanted to corner them with their statement. Koichi certainly knew, but acted oblivious to the conflict. However, it wasn't immediately clear to his colleague.

"No, seriously. Who exactly do you have in mind?" Suzuha asked, genuinely puzzled about who exactly did the guard have in his mind. Even the guard was surprised by how sincere she sounded.

"Currently, rival gangsters like that Peugeot Mafia, but our biggest concern comes from Hope's peak academy." the guard concisely gave out names of their adversaries, with one of them being blatantly familiar. Although considering what he heard from Elite Bois, it was less of Hope's peak academy itself, which is probably still arguing within itself what were they supposed to do, and more about "The Fellowship of Darkness", but Daft Capo did not recognize the legitimacy of that group. Solely out of disrespect. They were, however, aware of it. Both Koichi and Suzuha winced upon hearing the academy's name.

"Oh, those guys. Yeah, those are rough." Koichi stated his opinion, although despite being among the higher ups in Hope's peak academy, he wasn't exactly lying about his feelings. Chisa was pretty much one of the few ones he not only had respect, but friends with. Other one was Jin Kirigiri. Rest of them, he could care less.

"We've heard some pretty bad things about them." added Suzuha as well. The guard did not question why did they have such opinions. Even though Hope's peak itself was still popular in Japan, it was a matter of time when would it start declining. Only few knew the true nature of it, those being higher ups and Daft Capo itself.

"Any connections with either?" asked the guard.

"Nah." Koichi and Suzuha calmly, but immediately denied any connection with Hope's peak academy. Technically speaking, Suzuha wasn't lying about it. Officially, she didn't have any bond with Hope's peak itself.

However, that still wasn't enough.

"Hmm...do you perhaps have any phones with you? Make sure you unlock it first." the guard demanded them to show them their phones.

"Oh, sure." Koichi still remained cool, even under pressure, as he reached out for his phone in the pocket. He had a back up phone, acting as a decoy. If he had a real one with him, the mission would have failed.

"Damn it...he can't just stop sticking his nose in places, can he?" Koichi's facade started to slowly break, as he felt heat in his head. He unlocked the phone with his password and gave it to the guard. The head of building's security inspected the phone, looking through his contacts. There was only one number, which he called upon. As he did, the phone in Suzuha's pocket began to vibrate. She also gave his phone to him and the guard did the same. There was only Koichi's (fake) number on it. Already, he began to suspect them.

"If you are wondering why I have so little numbers, it's because my old one went haywire, including the SIM card. It's a very recent one. She also just got a new one too, we intend to get more numbers later on." Koichi elaborated about what exactly happened for them to have such phones. It was, of course, a fake story, but not exactly an unfeasible one. Perhaps Luigi Martini and SZQ BBQ, fake as they might have been, were the only friends between each other, maybe even losing contact with their parents.

Unlike before, the story was believable enough for the guard for fall for it, even just so slightly.

"I see...there doesn't seem to be any sign of connections." commented the guard before he returned their phones, relieving them of worry for the moment.

"Can we go now? Pretty sure there's nothing to worry about." Koichi expressed his desire to get the hell out of here. The guard got a little too close to the truth and they needed to bail out.

"One more thing before you go. Show me your ID's." the guard still wasn't convinced, despite investigating their phones. It was the lack check needed for them to not only decide the fate of the Operation Loki, but also the very fate of Miss Yukizome herself.

"Fine then. Have it." Koichi quickly gave out his fake ID card, although it was not a counterfeit one. It was a legitimate, registered ID, just under false identity. The guard took a look at it and then pulled out his phone, using the good old internet for further inspection.

"Luigi Martini, is that right?" the guard asked for confirmation.

"Yes it is. It is indeed." nodded Koichi. Then the guard typed out Koichi's fake name in the phone and he immediately got results. The man himself, so called Luigi Martini, was on pictures of grape harvests around Europe, in order to obtain the finest alcoholic beverages possible. He didn't cause much trouble there, even if he got drunk often. Just that his presence was common in grape harvests.

"Luigi Martini, an explorer from America. Italian origin, apparently. Traveled to places like Lendava, Vosne-Romanée and Naousa. Do you really like wine that much or something?" the guard questioned him, just out of curiosity.

"Hell. Yeah!" sincerely grinned Koichi. It was the one aspect of his personality that he could not hide.

"Understandable….now lets check yours." the guard did not judge him for it, since he also enjoyed the taste of alcoholic beverages before he focused on Suzuha herself.

"Okey-dokey." Suzuha reached for the pocket, pulling out a few different cards, such as her debit card, travel card meant for metro and her ID. However, the last card was her actual one.

"...Shit! I don't think I have any fakes with me. This is my real one!" Suzuha, although still keeping cool, realized that her true identity could jeopardize their whole mission. The guard already made a gesture with his hand, demanding her to already give it to him.

"Ah, just a sec, I have to sure its a right one." Suzuha hesitated for a moment, pondering whether or not she should use her actual identity, despite the risk.

"The right one?" the guard immediately raised his eyebrow as he began suspecting her.

"Well, I can't give a loyalty card for my ID, can I? Just one moment." Suzuha put her hand around her hip, pouting at his impatience. Her explanation seemed reasonable enough, one can't just use any card for identification.

"But at the same time...I don't think these gangsters know of me, so….what other choice do I have but to risk it?" Suzuha was still stuck whether or not would it be worth it to use her real one. On one hand, she has yet to openly oppose Daft Capo, like how Class 77-B and Class 78th did. On other hand, she was already working for them. Daft Capo was not aware of her existence and role, but any wrong move and that would change dramatically.

Despite the conundrum, she went with her decision.

"Here ya go!" Suzuha gave her card to him, as he did the same procedure as he did with Koichi, or as he went by, Luigi Martini. Unlike before, there wasn't much to be found about Suzuha herself. Not even Hope's peak's own website had any mentions of her.

"Hmmm….Suzuha Amane, is that right?" the guard asked for confirmation.

"Suzuha, what are you doing?!" Koichi began to be distressed, even though he wasn't showing it off. The risk she took was an alarming one, although things seemed to go smooth for them for the moment.

"That's right. That is my real name, though nowadays I go with SZQ BBQ. I still yet to hit off with the public, but I'm doing my best!" Suzuha further elaborated, making up a story that she's a beginner in rapping industry. Her initial plan was to use the internet to reach to the hearts of people with her skills, then become an industry staple. Of course, Suzuha didn't actually have such ambitions, but it was an enough of a cover up story to let it slide.

"Hmmm...there isn't much of you out there. Be grateful for your irrelevance." the guard warned them about the dangers of being known. Both of them felt chills down their spine upon hearing those words.

"Can we go now?" Koichi asked one last time. At that point, the guard was convinced. There was no further questioning to be had.

"You have permission to leave….but watch yourselves" the guard allowed them to go away, and so they did. They haven't said a word with each other after it, they just walked as naturally as they could. Both of them wanted to just dash off, but that would have revealed the truth. Both of them even took a longer route, just to blend in more.

Despite the encounter, they got out of the Zona safely and successfully.

Operation Loki, concluded at 13:00, was successful. Once they were in safety, they began to talk. However, any mentions of the Zona and such were not allowed, since they were still under surveillance. Luckily, pigeons still haven't suspected them.

"Say, we should probably check that cafe, right?" Koichi hinted at their next destination, no longer located within the enemy territory.

"What ca-…" Suzuha was just about to ask, then she remembered the exact kind of cafe he had on his mind. She felt a bit silly for forgetting about it. "..oooh! Sure, sure!".

After some time, they have finally reached MayQueen. Without hesitation, both of them went inside and sat behind some random table. Finally, they could take a breath.

"Phew….that's done for now. What a place it was." sighed Suzuha as she eased up, taking some time to just relax. However, there was another familiar presence in the cafe. One that Suzuha knew quite well.

"Oi, Suzu!" Itaru, who was sitting few tables away from them, called out for her name. The Part-Time Warrior was a little surprised by hearing his voice, but it was a welcome one at that. His presence confirmed that they were in a safe place.

"Daru?" perplexed Suzuha, not quite expecting him to be there. In reality, he arrived there quite early, as he expected for them to return there. He was worried the entire day for her.

"Come over here!" Itaru invited them to get closer, and so they did. Koichi allowed Suzuha to take the chair as he stood nearby.

"How's it going? Is everything alright?" Itaru immediately asked how was Suzuha feeling.

"It's all good, Daru! All good!" Suzuha gave him a thumbs up, quickly reassuring him. It was true too, there were no battles involving them and punksters. More than enough to make the situation much easier to digest.

"There were few close calls, but we sneaked in with results that did not end up in chase sequences. Not to mention, we found it." Koichi further added while also "spoiling" him the surprise. Not that he minded that much, Itaru was glad to be showered with good news.

"Phew, that's all relieving to hear. Very good job, both of you!" Itaru crossed his arms as he happily nodded.

"We'll tell everything we found out in a more hidden place. We've got some real juicy info regarding them." Koichi advised them to share further information somewhere no hidden, even though no punkster would go into MayQueen with benevolent and legal intention. All that talk certainly got a maid cat girl curious.

"So, my warehouse, nya?" Faris asked them if they should just move there.

"Oh! Faris-tan!" Itaru greeted her like a fanboy, or in his words, a "moe maid cat girl enjoyer".

"Yep, just like we made a deal before. I think we should go there now." Koichi approved of the plan as all of them stood up and went inside the aforementioned place. Just like Koichi and Suzuha used it as a hideout for Operation Loki, so will everyone else when the time for rescue would come. They gathered around in the circle and began talking about it.

"Alright so...I think it's time to bring everyone else in, but not all at once." suggested Koichi that it would be best for every participant to hear what they found out. In such way, the information would spread the quickest, in the most believable form.

"Considering that we're being under surveillance, that's a good idea. Otherwise, they'd might make a surprise attack on MayQueen Nyannyan again." Itaru agreed with his proposal while also reminding them a certainly real possibility.

"One was already enough, nya!" shivered Faris as she remembered the whole incident as if it were yesterday. Every day that followed her own rescue, she feared for their return.

"Indeed, those bastards better not touch it!" Itaru scowled, cursing his enemies for doing such a crime.

"Yeah that'd be….not great, but now we have to consider few things. Who should we call first?" Koichi inquired them about the initial logistics of the plan.

"Probably Kuzuryu's, if I'm honest. They do represent a big bulk of our forces for this operation." suggested Suzuha, since they had resources that the Fellowship of Darkness desperately needed in their rescue.

"Mmmm….from a practical standpoint sure, but….I think someone else needs to hear it first. You know." Itaru hesitated as he reminded them that there was a person who absolutely needed to hear it. A certain girl most affected by the whole situation. They immediately knew who was he talking about.

"That's right, Daru. We should probably call Chiaki first, so that she knows. However, she doesn't have to come here first. I wonder how's she doing right now…" Faris approved Itaru's suggestion while cautioning them to not pressuring her. Even though she just heard most things, she had a feeling that at the moment, one had to be really patient with Chiaki.

"Okarin told me that she's recovering, but I don't think we should pressure her about it. She should take it at her own pace." answered Itaru while feeling like that was arguably the best thing to do for her.

"Actually, this conversation implies that we'll call them one by one, despite the fact there's about four of us here." Koichi pointed out a possible, if unintentionally implied flaw regarding their strategy of calling everyone in.

"...Good point there. I mean, we can call many people simultaneously." Suzuha concurred with his point as she remembered that both of them put their actual phones somewhere in the warehouse. They were found pretty quickly, so there was no worry about it.

"I'll inform her, if anyone doesn't mind." Itaru volunteered himself to be the one to inform Chiaki as he pulled out his phone, beginning the call.

"I'll go with Kuzuryu's….hold on, let me check something." Suzuha used her actual phone, but quickly found out a problem. "Aw...don't have their number.".

"You should call Hououin Kyouma, nya! Pretty much most of them are at Hope's peak." Faris recommended her to just use Rintaro's number instead.

"Oh, okey-dokey! Will do right now!" Suzuha did as instructed and put her phone near her ear.

"I'll call the remaining ones, just in case." Koichi just waited for any cases where members of The Fellowship weren't informed.

"I think we're pretty much set, nya. Let us begin!" Faris brought up her phone and called in the penguins.

Thus, first steps of rescuing Chisa Yukizome began to formulate. Despite the odds, they finally located there. Now, the only thing that remained was the rescue itself. It had to be done, despite the uncertainties. There were only hours before the decisive night and they only had one chance.

Only once they could do it. If they fail, they would never see her again.