The evening had passed surprisingly calmly, despite earlier events as the Planeptune Special Forces slept, exhausted after some time to unwind and relax.

At least, that was the hope…

"Look, nobody has to die!" Koei pleaded, Peace pointed at the masked terrorist keeping IF and Uzume tied up, dynamite tied to the chairs they were bound against. "Just put the detonator away!"

A dark chuckle emanated from the figure. "The only way you're stopping me is if you kill me."

Koei stopped, keeping Peace pointed towards the figure. "We both know that violence begets violence."

They shrugged, not seeming to care either way. "And? I just want to watch the world burn and the easiest method of doing that is breaking you and seeing what happens."

"You don't have to do this!" Koei reasoned, arm shaking from the gun's weight starting to get to him.

"What, are you having a crisis of fate now? Cute." It mocked, its body becoming more akin to a shadow than human. "If you don't stop me now, many more will die. Do you not understand? I cannot be reasoned with. I cannot be stopped with peace. You will kill me or they will die."

Koei's arm started to shake more violently, finger crawling over to the trigger as he pointed to the being's "head". A moment of tense silence came and went. "Very well." Was all he said as a gunshot rang out and the world faded to white.

Koei shot up with a cold sweat, slowly processing that what had just transpired was a dream and he did not have a bodycount… For now.

Checking to make sure IF was still sleeping soundly, Koei got out of bed, clad in simple purple boxers and matching shirt to beat the sudden heatwave that had enveloped Planeptune during the evening.

"To think, I'd wake up in a cold sweat." Koei thought to himself with a forced smile, trying to make light of the situation. "Still, a nightmare like that… It's been a while since something so traumatising has happened."

He had found his way to the bathroom and was just staring at himself in the mirror as he put a hand to his hair covered chin with a sigh. "Man, I do not look professional at all." He distracted himself by looking at his.. Less than classy self. Looking down at the edge of the sink, a razor laid, a little tag attached to it simply reading "From: IF."

Koei chuckled lightly at the gift as he gently took off the tag before examining the hair care tool. It was made out of purple steel, seeming to just be a Planeptune branded razor, but it seemed to be something IF picked up on a whim.

Taking the blade to his scruffy beard, Koei silently slashed at the tangled fibers covering his chin, focusing on not gaining any more scars rather than confronting the rather disturbing nightmare he had awoken from moments ago.

Minutes passed and Koei finally put down the razor and looked at the man who was now in the mirror.

…

…

"Damn, clean-shaven suits me more." He noted with a smile and a stroke of his newly stubbled face. "If I can get my hair cut and styled. I think IF would actually find me attractive!"

He chuckled to himself again, trying not to wake anyone up, his mood improved dramatically at his new look. Walking out of the bathroom with a content sigh, he saw a familiar purple haired tomboy watching TV from behind the sofa.

Creeping up to the sofa, Uzume was awake, a Beer in her hand and a tired look in her eyes, scarcely even reacting to her unexpected guest.

After a few moments of silence, Uzume sighed before taking a drink of Beer. "You had a nightmare, too?" She asked simply, cutting straight to the point.

"How could you tell?" Koei was taken aback by Uzume's sudden question.

"It's 3:30am, you're sitting here with a disturbed look on your face and worst of all, you shaved. Lookin' good by the way."

Koei shot a finger gun at the former goddess. "Thanks." Before his face fell again. "But yeah, had an awful nightmare…"

Uzume gave the ghost of a smile. "Dreams are kind of my thing, Kosy. Divulge if you don't mind."

"I see." Uzume nodded after hearing Koei's harrowing account of his nightmare. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't, I suppose." She reasoned with a thoughtful pose. "You want my honest take on this?"

Koei nodded silently. "Of course, that's why I told you my story."

Uzume smiled. "Well, I think it's your mind trying to process what you saw yesterday. You were faced with a near impossible situation with your current morality. I don't know if a situation like that will happen, but the possibility…"

Koei sighed. "I don't want to take that step Uzume. I showed mercy to everyone I've met along the way and I feel that's the only reason why people think of me like they do… But once I take that step and take another person's life… Will I be able to look at myself in the mirror, knowing what I did?"

Silence reigned between the two for some time. "Koei." Uzume stated simply. "I'm afraid too. I'm afraid I'll relapse down the delusional path, but this time I won't be hurting my citizens… I'd be hurting you and Ifsy. That's what scares me the most, damning the two people I owe my life to."

Koei's expression gained a grimace to it. "Fighting Iffy once was enough." He stated, no emotion in his voice as he stared at his bare hands. "But knowing I'd be fighting someone because I showed them mercy… Because I did what I felt was right… that would break me." He answered honestly, contemplating his worst fear now that Uzume was his responsibility.

To that, Uzume simply gave a heartfelt smile. "If I start showing signs of falling back into darkness, you have my express permission to kill me right then and there." She put a hand to her heart. "I trust you to do what Histoire couldn't and while I love her with all my heart…"

Koei put a hand on the purple-haired tomboy's shoulder. "I get it, Uzume. Don't worry, I don't hesitate against people who shove swords through my torso." He half-joked, a sudden chest pain causing him to cringe slightly. "A-Anyway… What's the news like?"

Uzume chuckled darkly in response. "About as well as you think." She fumbled for the television remote before switching to a 24-hour news network.

"While the CPUs have not been harmed, the Oracle, one Chika Hakozaki has issued a full lockdown of Leanbox in order to track down the group responsible for this awful attack. While no statement has been provided from Lady Green Heart in response to this, it's assumed that she would approve of this course of action. This is Famitsu, back to you."

Koei took a moment to process what had just been broadcast. "Wow." Was his only response.

"It's not surprising." Uzume laid back with a contemplative grunt. "An attack like this, with military grade hardware? Whoever bankrolled this was pretty damn intent on making an impression… Though that's probably the Beer talking at this point." Her words started to slur as her eyes closed with a cute yawn and just like that, she was out of it.

Koei shook his head with a soft smile, throwing the quilt Uzume slept in over her lap before taking the Beer can out of her hand and placing it into the fridge on his way back to the bedroom, tired but ultimately happier than before and even more determined to follow his heart, no matter what got in his way.

Morning broke over Planeptune and it seemed like another peaceful day…

Then Koei woke up.

"You shaved?" IF looked at the newly clean shaven Koei with a mixture of surprise and mirth, knowing her gag gift finally got some use. "Must say, look a damn sight better than before."

Koei playfully rolled his tired eyes as he prepared his daily ritual of tea and banter. "Well, I had some free time last night, decided I'd put it to use since I couldn't sleep."

IF raised an eyebrow in response, but declined to comment further. "I'm sure he just needed some… alone time."

As the kettle finished boiling, Uzume finally got up from the sofa and headed to the counter where the pair was talking, getting between IF and Koei and shooting him a wink and a knowing grin before preparing a coffee and heading back to the sofa without another word.

This was a typical morning for the trio. A simple cup of tea or coffee, some light small talk if there wasn't anything immediately pressing. If someone was a fly on the wall during a day like this without context, it would have seemed like these three people were just roommates hanging out in an apartment. A humble morning for some humble heroes.

At least, until the news came on and things promptly got much, much worse.

"... And while the mysterious blackout in Leanbox is being investigated by the Guild's top agents, the situation doesn't seem to be resolving any time soon."

A deep groan emanated from Koei, needing to take a long drink of tea to balance his mood out. "That's better." He muttered with a sigh.

Uzume took a sip of her coffee with a contemplative look. "This is a first. There's been periods in the past where Nations have locked down in order to combat a local threat, but they never coincided with a blackout as well."

IF nodded in agreement. "Seems that attack really kicked security into overdrive. Hope you two are ready for what comes next, because it seems like ASIC were after the CPUs…"

"And if our duty is to protect Planeptune, that means we have to step up to the plate?" Koei finished with a sigh, already knowing the answer as he got up to grab his purple Planeptune jacket.

The other two occupants opted to finish their beverages before getting dressed in their jackets before exiting with Koei, ensuring to lock the door behind them.

Stepping out into the Planeptune morning, the wind gently blew at the jackets. This along with Koei standing just ahead of his compatriots made for a striking image.

Feeling the chance for an awesome one-liner, Koei turned with a grin. "Ladies… Let's save the goddamn world."

An awkward silence brewed, before Uzume suddenly burst out laughing. "K-Kosy, you weren't serious, right?"

IF rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well, sounds like a plan, but we should probably check in with Histoire first."

The elevator dinged, the Planeptune Special Forces clomped out in unison, taking time to glance around for the Oracle and their collective boss.

"Histoire, we're here to our damn job!" Koei shouted to nobody in particular, causing IF to instinctively facepalm as the book fairy made herself apparent.

"Ah, Koei!" Histoire smiled, despite his clear intrusion. "I thought you would require a few more days off after what happened…"

Koei shook his head, a faint sense of dread starting to form as he vaguely recalled his nightmare. "A hero's work is never done, heh."

The slightly pained tone in his voice betrayed his determination, but Histoire simply opted to sigh before continuing. "Well, I was originally intending to let you three have some time off, but if you insist on jumping back into the fray so soon, I suppose you can join C-Sha on the job I assigned to her…"

Said mercenary made herself known, waving at the four as she did so. "Oh hey, it's you guys." She greeted them politely. "I heard about what happened in Leanbox, so I volunteered to take this job by myself."

Koei chuckled nervously in response. "W-well, a hero can't exactly sit around even with the trauma." His face slowly turning to white as he did so.

The assembled group gained worried looks before Koei's face sprang back to his usual state. "Anyhow, we're burning daylight, what's the mission?"

Histoire nodded in a calm manner. "I'm glad your enthusiasm is untouched, Koei. Regardless, your mission will take you to a place named R-18 Island…"

"Ah, the sea breeze! The salty air! I love this!" Koei's eyes sparkled as the ship cut through the ocean like a warm knife through brie.

As it turned out, ASIC troops had been spotted on the resort and thus reported to the Oracle after confirmation it was in fact ASIC that carried out the original attack.

Clad in a purple vest and navy blue trunks with matching sandals along with a pair of sunglasses snugly resting on his head, Koei was looking forward to the change of scenery to say the least.

"We're still here for work, Koei." IF chided, leaning over the railing and shivering slightly as the cool metal touched her bare skin. Instead of her usual attire, she had opted for a swimsuit, but was wearing her work jacket over it for the time being. "B-Besides." She instinctively moved away from the beam. "Even if there isn't anything here, we need to keep our guard up. Something like yesterday happened because we got sloppy."

Koei bit his lip in response, unsure on how to respond. "I don't think it's because we got sloppy." He reasoned more to himself than IF. "I was unaware of people who'd want to hurt the CPUs for their own gain. I was naive and stupid and the fact that I stepped up to someone perfectly willing to kill me to get what they wanted…" His face darkened with a grimace. "To think people like that exist in this world too. I thought I had finally escaped to a utopia where such behaviour was non-existent."

Koei felt a comforting hand on his shoulder as IF had a genuine look of concern on her face. "Well then, I suppose it's up to us to put a stop to that?"

Koei smiled back with a curt nod, feeling a rush of cool air across his face and regaining some of his confidence. "Right, we're Planeptune Special Forces! We're the blade of Neptune's judgement!"

"The fires of Hell, the beautiful fragility of ice and the devastating strikes of lighting will bring ruin to all who dare to challenge Planeptune!" Uzume suddenly cut in, pumping her first determined, purple lighting arcing across her ring covered hand as her jacket flowed with the wind, covering her very revealing two piece swimsuit, baby blue with lighter patches and a yellow ribbon, along with matching arm bands.

"... Did you just call me beautiful?"

"Ice is inherently beautiful!" Uzume snapped back with a pout. "But lightning is better, if that's a shock to you."

"Oh I see, you're giving me the cold shoulder."

"Please, you must be dumbstruck if you think you have any chance with me."

"Nice pun, what did you run out of jokes?"

"Snowflake!"

"Thunder tits!"

"Ladies, ladies!" IF interrupted the pair, who were mere inches from each other's faces now. "You're both wrong. But all's fire in love and war."

The pair turned to the cheekily grinning IF with deadpan stares. "IF, stick to insulting me, it's better for all of us."

She shrugged in response. "I flame to please."

Koei put his head in his hands and screamed at the terrible attempt at punnery as R-18 Island appeared over the horizon, marking the end of the journey for the trio.

"Welcome to R-18 Island!" A robotic voice announced as Koei recognized and groaned at the very airport-security looking scanners that greeted the four.

"Goddesses above, this is a PORN ISLAND, WHERE DO YOU THINK I COULD EVEN HIDE A GUN?" He yelled at nobody at particular, forgetting his very conspicuous hammerspace gloves.

"This isn't a weapon detection rig." C-Sha put a hand to her chin as her assets jiggled with her movement. "After some… Controversies involving technically legal patrons being denied due to their bodies, they just opted to invest in a bioscanner. Fascinating science, but I stopped messing with science since a certain incident with a certain chemical maybe kind of sort of causing a zombie apocalypse… Twice."

Silence.

"Right, so we just walk through the things?" Koei eventually spoke up, doing just that before a horrific noise started to ring out.

"TOO MANY CLOTHES. PLEASE STRIP." A shrill voice rang out as Koei instinctively stepped back.

"Also… You can't exactly wear normal clothes." C-Sha pointed out, gesturing to a set of lockers. "Thankfully, they had this insanity in mind, so you have biometrically activated lockers to store your excess clothes in."

Koei rolled his eyes at the late explanation, throwing his jacket into a locker and closing it with a sigh before using his free hand to "lock" it. "Any other surprises?"

"You're pretty toned?" IF piped up, to which Koei just stopped dead in his tracks.

"That's just the back." Koei replied dejectedly before turning around, revealing his flat chest complete with scar. "Behold."

The assembled girls stared at the skinny body, "Gnarly." Was all that C-Sha said as he rolled his eyes and passed through the scanner with no issue. "I have to admit, of all the people who had to save the world… He's one of them alright." C-Sha thought with a chuckle.

"This is the life." Koei muttered with a relaxed and content sigh, laying on a purple and white-striped sunchair, umbrella lazily hanging over him and shielding his eyes and pasty skin from the blazing sun up above. "But don't we have a job to do?" He asked again to nobody in particular, lifting up his sunglasses as he did so.

"If we go snooping, we'll inevitably blow our cover as hapless tourists." C-Sha reasoned, not even turning towards him as she did so. "The last thing ASIC will be expecting is for some civilians to be undercover, no?"

"... Wouldn't that be the first thing they expect?" Koei questioned, putting a hand to his newly stubbled chin and rubbing it thoughtfully. "I mean, the dress code is pretty strict here, so it's not hard to blend in."

"See? We blend in." C-Sha replied. "But if you really want to stretch your legs, there's a bar a few minutes away from here. I'll have an iced tea."

"I'll have a Pile Driver." Uzume commanded without any hesitation.

"See if they do Beers here." IF said with a verbal shrug.

Koei's eyes lidded instinctively. "I cannot believe you people." He stated with no joking intent before leaving anyway.

As the sound of sandy steps faded, C-Sha let out a sigh of relief herself. "Finally, we can talk."

To this, IF learned up from her sunchair, taking her own sunglasses off. "Eh?"

"Do you really think ASIC would be stupid enough to set up operations here, on a resort only reachable via ferry and an infamously strict dress code?" C-Sha noted with a certain smugness in her voice. "The mission Histoire gave me was a ruse, a facade, a false flag."

"Yeah, I had my suspicions." Uzume continued to soak up the rays of sunshine without moving a muscle. "The vague wording she gave was very unlike Histoire. Usually she'd have a plan of attack for us. 'Escort this batch of weapons to Lastation.', 'Protect VIP from fans.', 'Gather twenty bear asses.', that sort of thing. This time it was odd that she just said 'Head to R-18 Island, I think there may be ASIC goons.' and it seemed dubious, as if we were walking into a trap."

"Observant. I can see why you and Histoire got on so well." C-Sha said with a chuckle, before her tone turned more serious. "However, this is still pretty serious. Histoire's worried about Koei's wellbeing."

Uzume raised an eyebrow, though it was impossible to tell with her oversized sunglasses on as she thought back to the early morning and the frank talk they shared. "Is that so?" She stated with deadly seriousness. "I don't think she's the only one, though."

A tense silence hung above the trio.

"I think we're all in agreement that the state of affairs in Gamindustri is… Bad." C-Sha continued, cutting through the silence. "But until Histoire gets word from the Leanbox Oracle, our hands are tied. That's why Histoire sent me on this decoy mission, knowing full well that Koei would jump on board on any chance to investigate ASIC with nary a day off."

"It's an admirable trait to be sure." IF commented with a blush. "But I have to agree, he does need some time to compose himself and get to grips with his true feelings before trying to stop a terrorist organization."

"Hence our true mission; Stop Koei from doing something stupid and endangering himself or Goddesses forbid, all of Gamindustri." C-Sha responded, no emotion in her voice, before her tone picked up some positivity again. "Figured the best way to do that while acting like we're doing something was to head here, a beachside resort where we can all take a load off. I know you two must be stressed as well."

Murmurs of agreement solidified her reasoning. "How are you liking working for Histoire, anyway?" IF asked, wanting to change the topic as soon as possible.

"Good. Makes a change from unpaid monster hunting, street fighting and making devils cry." C-Sha answered with a wry smile. "I do hope the rest of Gold Third enjoy this work as much as I do, because they're like family, y'know? It is a bit of a shame that they couldn't come along, but I'm sure they understand."

"S-Sha looked pretty legal to me." Uzume said with a shrug, to which the busty brunette giggled.

"You think she'd come here willingly?"

"Ehh, I can see why she wouldn't like the beach." IF finally spoke up again. "I mean, I'm only here because it's "work", but I'd always hate it when Compa dragged me to Powerlevel Island during her breaks from medical school."

"Is it because she's got massive tits and you're as flat as a board?" Uzume jokingly asked, to which she was rewarded with a pair of sunglasses being thrown at her."

"S-SHADDUP!"

"Eh." C-Sha sighed uncharacteristically. "They're not all cracked up to be." She noted with some hesitation as she jiggled for emphasis. "The weight, the inconvenience of finding good looking clothing that fits, the occasional groping pervert…"

"Girl problems, am I right?" Uzume held out an arm for C-Sha to fistbump. After a moment, she remembered what her actual objective was. "Wait, where the Hell's Koei? And my damn Pile Driver?"

"What am I, a skivvy?" Koei somewhat sarcastically thought to himself as he trudged across the beach, mind clouded by anger. "We have a job to do, and here I am fetching drinks like a butler."

As he walked, the sound of the ocean and his footsteps were the only thing around to listen to, somewhat pacifying his anger as he let out a frustrated sigh. "Maybe I should ease up a bit." He thought to himself, his muscles starting to become sore with how tense they were. "After all, I might blow my cover if I'm too angry."

The crashing waves continued to help him ease up, so much so that he nearly walked into a cabana. Humbly it stood, nary a damn to be given as the hexagonal wooden building just waiting to be explored.

With a mental shrug, Koei opened the door and walked in. The inside matched the wooden exterior well, though with some neon lights for decoration and lighting, giving a contrast to the sunny beach. Tending to the bar was a tomboyish looking woman with white hair, styled similarly to White Heart's, minus the sideburns, wearing a simple shirt and tie combo, though tied up to reveal her midriff. The most striking thing about her was her robotic left arm, currently being used to clean out a glass.

"Hey, stranger." She greeted warmly with a wry grin. "If you're looking for a drink, I'm your woman."

Koei blinked, before remembering why he was here in the place. "Yeah, can I have a look at your menu?"

WIth a curt nod, the white-haired mystery woman grabbed a menu from behind the metal bar and handed it over with her robotic arm.

As Koei scanned the menu, several familiar names leapt out to him. "Pile Driver, Crevice Spike, Bad Touch-" He took a moment to snicker like a schoolboy. "C-Cobalt Velvet… These are all drinks from Celestia!"

"Familiar with the BTC?" She said, her smirk widening. "Rare to see that outside of Glitch City, but it means you're someone I'd like to get to know." She held out her robotic arm. "Dana Zane, former owner of VA11-HALL-A and current owner of R-18 Island and all its intricacies, including this little B3ACH-51DE RE5-0RT."

"Koei Tech… I have a rented apartment in Planeptune." He awkwardly replied. "But yeah, I wouldn't mind a Beer right about now, it's a scorcher."

Dana's eyebrow raised as she started to pour out the ingredients needed. "That Koei, huh? I've heard a lot about you."

Koei sighed in response, putting his head down onto the table. "Please don't tell me you're a fangirl, I don't need this today."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I'm certainly a fan of your attitude." Dana jovially retorted with a chuckle. "I've heard of your exploits of rushing in head first with nary a damn in the world, breaking faces and only sometimes falling into comas. Reminds me of my days as the Red Comet." She tapped her metallic arm with her free arm as she served the drink. "Needless to say, you and I are kin in this cold, unfeeling world and you can have a drink here any time."

Dana's hospitality was starting to weird Koei out by the unsure look on his face, to which Dana quickly backed up "Oh right, I forgot we've just met. It's just that Jill's told me a lot about you in emails and phone calls, it was almost like we were already friends."

Koei blinked again, before breathing out a sigh of relief he didn't know he had. "Well, Jill's been a good friend of mine for a while, I'm sure she wouldn't talk smack about me behind my back after I spent so much time getting hammered at her bar."

Dana chuckled again, "Hard to believe she went out on her own after Vallhalla closed down. We spent some time together in Panama afterwards, but I haven't had the time to go see her in Planeptune."

Koei nodded eagerly, placing his stubbled chin on his hand and balancing it on the cool bar. "So, what inspired you to open R-18 Island? Big change from a run-down bar, from what Jill's told me about."

"Got it on the cheap. The last owner's grandfather passed on and well… Needless to say she was not ready to run something like this, so she wanted to get rid of it ASAP. Being a former business owner myself, took her up on it, as I figured it'd be a fun way to spend my retirement."

Koei stared in disbelief. "How is running a massive resort island retirement?"

"After underground wrestling, working for the Neo-San Francisco police force, wrestling bears into submission and running a bar in one of the worst districts in Glitch City and turning a damn fine profit, making some drinks myself in this little cabana while I make gangbusters from this resort is pretty laid back, if you ask me."

Koei chuckled. "Okay, I suppose that's fair enough. Surprised Jill didn't really bring you up more though. I've caught a glimpse of you on her phone wallpaper once or twice, it seemed that you two were close. Because I sure as hell have an embarrassing photo on IF's phone now."

Dana processed the implication before suddenly bursting into a laughing fit. "O-oh, you think we were like that?" She took a few moments to calm herself, before gaining a stern expression. "I don't know how much Jill has told you about her past relationships, but one in particular ended messily. It caught up to her in a bad way and I was privy to all of it, but even aside from that, I think she respected me too much as a boss to think about dating me, even with the crush." She regained a wry smile. "Still the best damn employee I ever had, though. Never failed an order, came in as much as she could even during that December of riots and personal heartbreak and I think by New Year's Day she had grown into an even finer woman."

Koei nodded sombrely. It seemed whatever Jill went through was a story in and of itself and it seemed like a good time to move on. "Oh! I got distracted talking to you!" He suddenly realized, remembering his workmates that he left behind on the beach. "Can I get some drinks to go?"

Dana nodded with a smile. "Of course. This entire island is mine, so it's not like I'm worried about losing glasses."

Koei smiled back. "Then I'll have an iced tea, a large Pile Driver, a large Beer… and a Large Bad Touch." He briefly considered if he wanted another drink after finishing off his Beer.

"You want some wings with that?" Dana joked before starting to prepare the order without another word as Koei waited and contemplated, a lot more composed than when he entered the cabana.

"I suppose I haven't really stopped and thought about things since this morning." He contemplated silently, the sound of flowing liquid and seagulls filling the soundless void. "But seeing as this is work, I should probably ask Dana just in case."

As she finished off the drinks, putting each one in a plastic cup holder to prevent spillage, she saw the curious glint in Koei's eyes.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about ASIC operations here, seeing as you own this resort?"

This question caused Dana to freeze and the air to suddenly drop in temperature. "Believe me Koei." She turned to him with a glare that could freeze the brightest of flames. "I already took care of ASIC here if you're implying I'm in cahoots with them. I don't negotiate with terrorists."

That was the only answer he needed as he waited in silence, shivering at the knowing, withering glare he was given. Before long, four different drinks were now in plastic cups, each given a label to what it was.

As Koei accessed his inventory in order to pay for the bill, a robotic hand cut through the projected screen. "Hey, drinks are on me this time. I can afford a few drinks for my protoge's best customer and his friends as thanks."

Koei stood for a moment, but shrugged and grabbed the tray with a smile before starting the crimson eye cyborg in the face. "Been a pleasure, Dana. Maybe I'll swing by again sometime when I have some time off."

She acknowledged the farewell with a casual salute. "Welcome here anytime, friend."

With their exchange now over, Koei left, leaving the former bar owner alone with her thoughts once again.

"I wonder how Fore's doing." Dana thought to herself, recalling the ball of ebony fur that was also a cat she had looked after in the past for Jill.

C-Sha, IF and Uzume laid in silence, letting the natural sounds of the ocean soothe their troubled souls, letting their tired muscles relax in the comforting sunshine.

This was until Uzume opened her mouth. "You know, this would be better with a drink."

The other two present sighed simultaneously, before the sound of sandy footsteps notified them of the oddly perfect timing.

"Sorry I'm late, met a new friend and didn't know long I was held up with running my mouth." Koei apologised profusely as he set the tray down on a conveniently placed table. "Side note, this place is owned by Jill's former boss, so basically we drink for free."

As Uzume's eyes lit up, Koei immediately regretted saying that. "Free drinks, you say?"

The gathered party deeply sighed. "Just take the damn Pile Driver." Koei handed the labelled cup to the thirsty former goddess. "Also, turns out whatever rumor mill talked about ASIC being here was a red herring, Dana told me so in no uncertain terms." He reported with an odd shiver as he laid back down and took his green concoction.

"Well, that solves that!" IF said, knowing the truth already. "But since we're already here, might as well enjoy our time here, right?"

Koei hmm'd for a minute, briefly scanning IF's face. "Even if this is a ruse…" He smiled to himself, causing IF to smile back. "I'm thankful everyone's so worried about me, but it feels unnecessary, right?"

He laid down further, taking a pair of sunglasses from the table and relaxing even more. "I guess until something pops up we can relax here for the day… Which I realize now was your intentions the whole time, I hate you all."

"Hate you too." IF replied without any hesitation, taking a drink of Beer.

"On a more serious note, we really can't do anything." C-Sha admitted with a sigh. "I checked in with K-Sha and she cannot get in contact with Leanbox's Guild at all."

"You gotta ruin the tone with work talk." IF rolled her eyes, but checked out her phone anyway. "Yup, no response here either. Service really must be down over there."

A sudden alert from IF's phone started everyone there. "Maybe… Nope, just Compa." The Agent sighed. "I asked her to keep me posted on the tests she and Gear were doing on Nep."

"And?" Koei asked.

"Well, they just finished up testing and awaiting the results. According to Compa, Gear theorized that it might be some form of chemical agent that messes with a CPU's Share Energy, hence why they're in the state they are." She exposited with a grim look. "She says it couldn't have been lethal, otherwise Koei wouldn't be with us, but it's still being treated as an attempt to kill the CPUs, which is probably why Leanbox shut down their communications grid…"

"You mean the thing that would allow Chika to update the other Nations on the fly?" Koei reasoned logically with a pained look on his face.

Silence.

"Oh."

"Yeah, I think it'd be best if we cut this beach trip short if the service is still down." C-Sha shot a worried look at the two before finishing off her iced tea and promptly getting up to leave. "I'll be waiting at the dock… It seems Uzume got a little too cosy there."

She pointed to the now sleeping Uzume, sunglasses partially down her face to reveal her closed eyes and quiet snoring.

"It's oddly adorable." Koei commented, before performing a straight punch to Uzume's exposed gut, causing her to jolt awake in pain and fall off her chair. "Come on Sleeping Beauty, vacation's over."

"Did you have to punch me in the gut?" Uzume groaned as she got up from the sand.

"Time's a wastin'! If you have time to groan, you have time to haul ass." Koei barked before starting to jog after C-Sha, leaving IF and Uzume in shock.

"You know, I never thought I'd say this…" IF admitted with some concern. "But I preferred him as the aloof, drunken idiot."

"You and me both." Uzume continued to moan and writhe in agony. "He's finally taking things seriously, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing, if this is his first response."

IF nodded, worry clear in her face as she started to head to the dock herself, leaving Uzume to take care of her stomach pain.

"Kopey… I hope this is just a temporary thing." IF thought to herself, the crunching of sand and crashing of waves filling her silent world. "I'd hate to lose the lovable idiot I knew and truly cared for, flaws and all." She gained a sad smile as memories of them spending time together flooded her mind, but one stood out in particular.

The time Koei threatened the life of Helena, while live on stage after the Uzume situation was resolved. It was the most romantic and stupid stunt she had ever saw, and the fact he put himself on the line like that…

"Look at me getting all sad over this." She chuckled weakly. "He's just some idiot who happened to land in this world, everything's gone by so fast since we met. Maybe… Maybe this was a bit too fast."