With Tattlecast's equipment destroyed, Katie became free of her control. "Hmm? What happened? Where's Tattlecast? Why am I in front of the stage!?"
"Me-who?" someone from the crowd asked.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"You were just about to tell us who you were in love with, but you just said 'Me' and never finished."
Katie blushed. "Eh!? Why would I tell you all something like tha-" Katie then came to a realization as her eyes turned white with fear. "Oh no! What did that hag make me say!?" she thought to herself. "Um… See… The thing is…"
"Sorry to keep you waiting everyone!" a voice coming from the stage announced, cutting off Katie.
Katie turned around as the crowd cheered loudly to see all the idols from Next HarMEOWny and Pandanoko onstage.
"We had some minor issues, but it's all been resolved so now we're here to make you smile!" The lead singer, Fiona explained. "Are you ready?"
The crowd let out an even louder cheer as the music to Idol Wa Ooh-Nya-Nya-Nya No Ken began to play. Katie put her hand on her chest and let out a sigh of relief as she went back to her friends who were caught up in the excitement of the concert to even notice her return at first. Back by the now unfrozen tour bus, Sailornyan wiped her forehead knowing that everything was okay now.
"Well, needlezzzzzz to zzzay, mission accomplished." Moskevil said over the walkie-talkie.
"Uh huh!" Sailornyan replied. "And the best part is that there were no casualties!"
"Well, I wouldn't zzzay that." Moskevil replied while looking at Whisper who was floating down the river with X's in his eyes and his body resembling a toasted marshmallow and then at the pile of ashes that used to be Tattlecast's equipment. "By the way, that repellant you have. Izzz it really juzzzt zzzalt?"
"I highly doubt Goldenyan would sell me a common everyday mineral in the guise of a Yo-kai repellant… Then again, it wouldn't hurt to check." Sailornyan sprinkled a little of both repellant on her paw and licked it. "Hmm, well it is definitely salt, but it doesn't quite taste like the kind you would ea-" Suddenly, Sailornyan's face turned completely red as her eyes became bloodshot, smoke came out of her ears, and she began sweating profusely.
"HOT!" she exclaimed after jumping up and breathing fire. Afterward, she ran straight for the Everymart in the area, screaming in pain.
"Now there are three cazzzualtiezzz. Perhapzzz I should go home in cazzze of a fourth."
…
As the concert came to a close, Fiona apologized for the group being late once again and made a special announcement. "In order to atone for our tardiness today, everyone in the audience will be able to attend a private handshaking event at the grand opening of Café la Gomme in Shopper's Row tomorrow at noon! Just bring proof of your attendance to tonight's concert and we'll see you there! Goodnight!"
The crowd cheered, even though none of them had heard of such a café getting ready to open. Afterward, everyone started to clear out of the concert area, including Katie and her friends.
"Café la Gomme? Never heard of it." Puzzled Katie.
"Me neither. Not even in my fashion magazines, and they're usually on top of all the latest and upcoming cafes." Sarah added. "You, Alex?"
"Nope, but it sounds fancy!" she replied. "Can't wait to see what kind of food they have."
"That reminds me, Katie while you were telling your stories, you said Alex and I thought you were fat. Where'd you get that from?"
Katie froze in her tracks. The Yo-kai excuse may have worked earlier, but there was no way she could use it now without them thinking she was legitimately insane. "Uh… Well…"
"Because neither of us think you're fat. It's just sometimes we hear girls from other classes talk about how big your… er, posterior is and say how you might get fat by high school."
"But not us. We think you and your butt are fine." Alex chimed in, then blushing and looking the other way after realizing what she said. "Eh, that last part didn't come out right."
Katie giggled. "It's fine. Well I'm glad we cleared that up. Still, I'll try my best to stay fit so they can eat their words by high school!"
"Nah, do it for you, not them. They're probably just jealous, anyway. Besides you'll always have things they never will."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Nerves of steel and amazing creativity! Seriously where'd you come up with that stuff about Yo-kai and Draaagin and all that?"
"How'd you muster up the courage to talk about those embarrassing moments from the past in front of so many people, plus your weight and almost revealing the person you were in love with?" asked Sarah.
Alex gave Katie a doubtful look while getting close to her face. "Are you really friends with Pandanoko?"
"Hey hey, one question at a time." Katie giggled while blushing. After having some time to think, she was able to put together a lie to hide the fact that she really could communicate with Yo-kai. "I just didn't want our night to get ruined by angry people, so I lied about being friends with Pandanoko and used Yo-kai as an excuse for the idols being late so the audience would calm down a bit. My mom used to tell me stories about Yo-kai when I was a little girl so that's how I knew so much about them and was also able to relate them to events that happened to me in the past. Though I started to run out of material after a while, so I began to talk about personal stuff too, even if it was embarrassing. That's all."
"Well that took a lot of guts and this has certainly been a night to remember." Alex smiled. "This is why I like hanging out with you. You're a real interesting person and life with you is fun." Alex's eyes started to water again as tears rolled down her face while she tried her best to hold them back. "So, I'm sorry that I've been such a burden to you all those times" -her voice choked- "Especially after you said such a nice thing about me back there."
"No no Alex don't cry!" Katie pled as she hugged her weeping friend. "You're not a burden at all! I mean making me buy stuff for you like that is kind of a pain, but if I was that annoyed by it we wouldn't even be standing here right now. We're friends until the end and nothing is going to change that. As long as we all get to spend time with each other, that's what really matters."
Alex sniffed, and her smile returned while she blushed. "Right. Thanks, Katie. I don't ever wanna risk not getting another hug like this again, so I'll stop with the tall orders from now on."
Sarah smiled with her eyes closed as her two friends became closer. Suddenly, her cellphone beeped in her handbag and she pulled it out to see why it did. "Oh no! I'm late for dinner! I gotta run you guys! Talk to you later!"
"See ya!" smiled Alex as she wiped her eyes with her arm.
"Bye!" said Katie
"I better split too, Katie. Thanks for another fun outing!"
"Sure thing, Alex! Can't wait to do it again at the new café next week!"
"Same! Buh-bye!"
"Bye!"
As Katie's human friends left her, her Yo-kai friends showed up by her side.
"Thumi!" Sailornyan exclaimed as she ran towards her holding a carton of milk with her tongue stuck out. "Thank goodneth you're okay! You bon't mow how worrie I wath abou you thacing a Yo-kai like Tattlecath, alone."
"Uh, Sailornyan? Why are you talking like that? I can't really understand what you're saying. Did you bite your tongue or something?"
"Thothe two "thkepticth" mabe me doupt that the repellant I utheduh wath jutht orthinary thalt, tho I mathe the grave mithtake of trying it."
As she talked she would occasionally spit in Katie's direction. "Ew! Could you say it, not spray it please?"
"Bazzzically, she'zzz glad you're zzzafe, Katie and zzzo am I." Moskevil said over her walkie-talkie.
"Yeah I was kind of nervous to be honest. I can't remember the last time I dealt with a Yo-kai without the help of any others since I first got the watch. I was able to resist her until she plugged her second speaker into my neck. I don't know how I got free but I'm glad I did given what my friends said I revealed."
"You're welcome, whis~." A voice from beside Katie said. She and Sailornyan looked to see Whisper with his body resembling a toasted marshmallow, which alarmed them both.
"Kya! What happened to you!?" Katie screamed.
"So apparently you aren't supposed to stay under tanning lights for a long period of time."
"What?"
"He got burned while trying to thaw out the buzzz." Moskevil cleared up. "Really it wazzz Zzzailornyan who did it with her repellant."
Sailornyan smugly nodded with her paws on her hips.
"Um, I helped!" Whisper shouted. "That ice would've never melted as fast as it did if it weren't for my help!"
"But I didn't zzzee the ice melt much when you were doing it."
"Then you must need glasses then, whis~!"
"Hey hey, the bottom line is you all did a great job tonight." Laughed Katie. "If I didn't run out of money I would buy you all treats."
"It wazzz my pleasure, Katie." Moskevil replied over the walkie-talkie. "No reward izzz necezzzzzzary. Bezzzidezzz, I have already had the ultimate treat. I dezzzire nothing elzzze."
"All I want is a cold bath, whis~." Whisper added.
"Anduh all I want ith a goob night thleep." Sailornyan yawned.
"Well at least you three aren't hard to please." Katie chuckled before remembering something important. "However…"
"Heeey guys!" Draaagin greeted while holding a bowl of yakisoba. "Concert's over, sooo let's go eat Everything Ramen now."
"I did make a promise to someone. So where'd you run off to earlier, Draaagin?"
"Well I kiiinda got tired of waiting to go eat Everything Ramen so I settled for Everything Yakisoba. Nooot as satisfying I have to say."
Sailornyan looked at the dragon with disdain. "You thtole thothe, didn't you?"
"Aaactually I got them out of the garbage."
All three friends made sounds of disgust after hearing that.
"The garbage zzztench addzzz potency. You should try it." Moskevil commented.
"You both are disguthting!" yelled Sailornyan.
Katie suddenly spotted Tattlecast walking away, dragging her arms with her head hung low.
"Hey, Tattlecast!" Katie shouted. "Wait up!"
Sailornyan choked on her milk. "Nya~?"
"Katie, w-wait!" Whisper stammered.
"Aww man, It's stiiill not time?" Draaagin whined. "Mmmm, what a draaag."