Chapter 2: Sting Raid
At the ruins

Takeshi and Mizuki watch Viro reacts with Cou and turn herself a large bluish drill-like weapon.

"She..." Mizuki trails off.

"Reacted with Cou." Takeshi finishes.

Marl then starts to attack Cou, but Takeshi deflects Marl's attack with Mizuki in her weapon form.

"Takeshi! Mizuki!" Cou calls. Why are you two here?"

"Now's not the time to asking questions, Cou." Takeshi says. "Once this is over, I ask some questions for Viro."

Takeshi then charges at Marl and slashes him, sending Marl to a pillar. Once Marl gets up, he starts to attack at Cou again, but Viro drags Cou to the sky.

"How's the React with me, Cou-san?" Viro asks. "It feels pretty good, wouldn't you say?"

"H-hey, wait a minute." Cou says as they dives down towards the ground.

"Now, let's hurry and finish him off!" She then charges at Marl as Cou is helplessly being dragged by her. Marl then launches the mace at them, but Viro flies up and she starts to shine. "This is Cou-san and my specialty attack of love!" She fires a purple tornado at Marl, sending him to the pillar, subsequently, three pillars collapse on top of him.

After the fight is over, Cisua, Rowen, and Kuea come in running into the ruins and see Cou React without Ren and Takeshi with Mizuki.

"Who has Cou Reacted with?" Rowen asks.

"Could it be Viro?" Kuea says.

Cisqua looks at the radar and sees two Edel Raids are detected.

"But only three are detected." Cisqua says. Which would mean..."

~Next morning~

Everyone gets back to the cottage and both Viro and Mizuki revert back to their human form and they return to their rooms and sleep for the night. Once everyone wakes up, they all go to the dinner table to eat breakfast.

"Continue eating, but I want you to listen to what I have to say." Cisqua says.

"What's this about?" Kuea asks.

Out out nowhere, Cou starts saying that he didn't deliberately touching Ren's chest and he stretches his arm while squeezing the bread in his hand.

"What are you talking about?" Cisqua asks and she looks at Viro. "I want to talk about you, Viro."

"About me?" Viro asks.

"You're a Sting Raid, aren't you?" Cisqua asks and Cou immediately looks at Viro.

"Well..."

Cisqua puts her radar on the table. "Although you Reacted in last night's battle you didn't appear on this Edel Raid Radar. Its the undisputable proof that you could be nothing other than a Sting Raid."

"Cisqua, you're not trying to say Viro's..." Cou says.

"You're doubting my motives, aren't you?" Viro asks.

"Don't take this the wrong way." Rowen tells her. "It's just that those after us are also Sting Raids."

"But, I have nothing to do with that!" Viro exclaims as she stands up.

"Then why did you hide the fact from us?!" Cisqua questions.

"B-because..." Viro looks down and starts moving closer to Cou. "Because I wanted to React with Cou-san, my idol!"

"Wh-what?!" Cou says.

"Is that the truth?" Cisqua questions again.

"Yes. As Cou-san's fan, I wanted nothing more than the chance to React with him, even once. I therefore decided to become a Sting Raid. However, the people around here thinks of Sting Raids as mere tools. That's why to this day I've lived hiding the fact that I'm a Sting Raid. But yesterday, I was finally able to fulfill my dream! I was able to become one with Cou-san, who I adore so much!"

"Is that story you're telling the truth?" Cou asks.

"Eh? Which story?" Viro asks.

"That the folks of this continent thinks of Sting Raids as mere tools."

"Yes, it is the truth."

"That's absolutely terrible. You've been through great hardship, just because you want to React with me, right?"

Viro takes aback from Cou's honesty and sighs. "Please do not worry for me. I am satisfy that I was able to React with you, Cou-san!"

~Later~

They are in the trailer and enter a desert land while Cou, Ren, Kuea, Viro, Takeshi, and Mizuki are sleeping.

"Everybody's fallen asleep." Cisqua points out.

"Yesterday was a tough day, after all." Rowen says.

"So, what do you think?"

"You're talking about Viro, right?"

"Is she simply a fan of Cou-san's?"

"We'll find out soon enough." Rowen says. "We'll arrive at her village soon. She should be leaving us then. Should she be an enemy assassin, even after we arrive at the village, she'll surely come up with some reason to continue with us on the journey."

After stopping nearby at Viro's village, Viro gets off the trailer.

"It was really great to get to know you all." Viro says and she salutes them. "I pray for your safe journey."

"You take care of yourself too." Kuea says.

"And Cou-san, I look forward to the day when I can see you again!"

"R-right." Cou replies.

"Goodbye." Viro turns around and starts walking towards her village.

"What an anticlimactic goodbye." Kuea points out and looks at Cou. "You were looking forward to a goodbye kiss, weren't you?"

Cou immediately blushes and looks at Kuea. "N-no way!"

"It appears as though we were worrying about nothing." Cisqua says.

"Let's get going." Rowen says and drives the trailer away from the village.

~Later~

As the trailer drives through the desert, they ended up at a crossroad, but one of the roads is closed off with a warning.

"That way seems to be closed off." Cisqua points out. "Let's see, 'Keep out. The habitat area for Desert Eaters.'"

"Desert Eaters?" Kuea asks.

"It's what you have after a meal." Cou explains.

"No, That would be dessert!" Cisqua corrects Cou.

"From its name, I would guess they're a type of monster living in this area." Rowen says and turns to the open path with out the Desert Eaters.

"With her no longer around, it's suddenly become awfully quiet around here." Cisqua points out.

"You're right about that." Kuea agrees.

"Some cheerfulness like that may be necessary on a long journey." Rowen says.

"I wonder is she'll still hide the fact that she's a Sting Raid from people." Cou wonders.

"Well, it's her decision if she wants to tell her secret to the people." Takeshi says.

"Look there!" Rowen exclaims and Kuea, Cou, Takeshi, and Mizuki stand up and look at Edel Garden.

"That's Edel Garden! Ren!" Cou calls and he sees Ren sleeping. She suddenly opens her eyes and looks at Cou. "You're awake, Ren." Ren stands up and walks to the driver side while Cou puts his hand on her shoulder. "Look over there."

Ren sees Edel Garden floating on the sky. Suddenly, the sand explodes, surprising everyone in the trailer, subsequently, Rowen stops it and drives backwards, but three more explosions appears behind the trailer, making the trailer to stop again. Kuea breaks the window and she starts shooting at the ground, causing the trailer to sink.

"Why, we're...!" Rowen exclaims.

"We're being swallowed up by the ground!" Takeshi points out.

"Everybody! I'm here to save you!" Viro shouts, making everyone in the trailer to look at Viro, who standing on the rock pillar and holding a bazooka.

"Viro?" Cou calls.

"What's she doing here?" Kuea asks.

"Suspicious." Cisqua says.

"Upon returning to the village the chief told me that the Desert Eater has moved from it's old feeding grounds. So I came after you, just in case, by chance you encountered this Desert Eater!" Viro explains.

"I understand!" Cou says.

"That long speech to try and explain her point, even more suspicious." Cisqua adds.

Viro then aims the bazooka at the Desert Eater. "Here I go!"

"Oh, no! Is she targeting us?!"

After she presses the trigger, she sees the torpedo is in the wrong direction and it falls out. This isn't happening!" She exclaims as she tries to catch the torpedo, but it falls on the ground, causing it to explode and destroying the rock.

"What did she come all the way out here to do, anyway?!" Kuea questions.

"Such a dimwitted assassin just isn't possible." Cisqua says.

Then the Desert Eater switches its target to Viro and it charges at her. The Desert Eater comes out of the sand and it roars.

"H... h..." Viro stammers and the Desert Eater dives down to eat Viro. "Help!"

Cou then picks up Viro and jumps away from the Desert Eater before it eats her, making it to dive into the sand.

"Cou-san." Viro calls.

"Are you hurt?" Cou asks.

"I-I'm fine." Viro replies

Once the Desert Eater resurfaces, Rowen, Kuea, Takeshi and Mizuki comes out and Cisqua also comes out with her gun in her hand and she fires it to the Desert Eater. Rowen and Takeshi Reacts with their respective Edel Raids and both of them run toward the Desert Eater while Cou is carrying Viro to a safe place to hide and puts her there.

"Thank you." Cou says. "You came to save us, right?"

"U-um..." Viro says. "That was my intention, but I ended us being saved instead. But it's unheard of for a human being to save a Sting Raid."

"Don't say that!" Cou exclaims and Viro looks at him. "Human and Sting Raids are all the same! So... So don't you ever say that again, okay?"

"Cou-san. I've just come to the realization that I truly love..." Viro is cut off from the loud explosion, causing her and Cou to look what is going on. Rowen and Takeshi are being chase by the Desert Eater and he jumps away, but it ended up hitting the trailer which Ren is still on, causing it to tip over more and Ren falls out of the window into the sand.

"Ren!" Cou shout and Ren sees the Dream Eater is going towards her.

"Cou-san, React with me." Viro tells Cou and he nods.

Once Cou Reacts with Viro, Cou dives down and hits the Desert Eater to save Ren from being eaten.

"Are you all right, Ren?" Cou asks her and she nods. The Desert Eater then roars, causing Cou to look at it.

"Its weak point is its mouth." Viro tells him.

"Okay!" Cou says and he charges at the Desert Eater and jumps up to its mouth before he fires the weapon on his arm at its mouth and Cou fires a destructive purple tornado at it. Once the tornado is in the Desert Eater, its body swells up and explodes, causing the remains of his body to fall down. After that, Viro reverts back to her human form and Cou looks at her.

"That's funny. That React went much better than it did yesterday."

"Thank you so much." Viro says.

"But I wonder why things got better, all of a sudden." Cou wonders.

"That's because..." Viro trails off and smiles at him. "Yeah, I wonder why the difference."

As they talk, Ren looks at them as Takeshi and Mizuki, who is already in her human form, walk toward her and Mizuki puts her hand on Ren's shoulder.

~Later; sun down~

"I'm sorry." Cisqua apologizes to Viro. "I had doubted you right to the very end. I apologize."

"It's all right, I'm okay with it." Viro says.

"What do you think? Should we asks her to be our guide for a while?" Rowen asks.

"It's true that if we have a guide like her we won't run into problems like we just did." Kuea says.

"That's true." Takeshi agrees.

"Also, it's been quiet ever since you left, Viro." Cou admits. "How about it? Will you agree to be our guide?"

"Yes, with pleasure!" Viro exclaims.

"But you'll have to do it free of charge." Cisqua adds.

"A moment ago you were apologizing, but when money's involved, it's a different story." Cou says.

"You're right about that." Kuea admits.

They all laugh, except for Ren and Viro looks at Cou.

"Cou-san, I look forward to being with you again from tomorrow." Viro says

"Ah, r-right." Cou stammers.

Then Viro gets her buggy car to help everyone except for Ren and Mizuki getting the trailer out of the sand pit and Cou repeatedly saying, 'One, two'.

"Guys, you can do it!" Viro cheers.

Far away, Ren and Mizuki are sitting on a rock and Ren touches her chest.

"I'm starting to feel a little bit hot. Right here." Ren whispers and Mizuki hears her.

"Don't worry." Mizuki assures. "There will be the time when you know the reason why your chest is hot, Ren."

Ren slowly nods and clutches her hands on top of her chest.