Chapter 2: The Golden Sun and the Silver Moon Part 1

"Don't you all feel shame at all?"

Inside a large and luxurious room, the black suit men faced a burly and tough looking man with fear. At the left of the black suit men, there was a middle-aged man with overstaffed body sitting on the couch. Behind the overstaffed man, expensive and luxurious decorations were placed at the shelves and tables.

The burly man glared his men with furious. He cursed a several times, shaking his head while looking at his men.

"Do you know how much money I spent just to bail you out? Do you think those Members are easy to handle?"

His voice was bold, enough to shake the mentality of the black suit men. They all lowered their heads, scaring to hell.

"W-We're sorry, Deputy Master…"

"W-We didn't expect there were police at the town…"

"Hmm…[Special Support Section], is it? You two there!"

"Y-Yes!"

"Are they the one beat you last time?"

"Yes, Deputy Master…"

"Hmm…Last time, they were working with those brats at Downtown…"

"I heard that they are just a bunch of newbies grouped by kids…Aren't you ashamed to be professional?"

"W-We will get it back one day! We swear it!"

"T-They're living in the building at the Central Square. I-If Deputy Master agree, we will crush them in no time!"

The black suit men were trembling. Their voices were obviously shaking, but tried to maintain their cool in front of the burly man. They couldn't afford if the burly man went berserk.

"YOU BASTARD!"

"Yeeekkkk…!"

The burly man's voice shook the room.

"What's the threat could the kids be!? Our opponent is [Heiyue]…those eastern little brats!"

"That's…"

"Alright, alright, keep your cool, Garcia." The overstaff man said, making all of them turned their attention to him.

"But, president…"

The president of [Revache & Co.], Marconi raised a smile.

"We did lose a channel in the Republic just a few days ago because of the police, but we have Hartmann Chancellor. Our dominance is impossible to subvert in Crossbell."

"But… 'That Man' is very dangerous!" Garcia retorted. "The man wrapped in black suit…!"

"You mean the assassin that fooling you before? Well, he is impressive though…I never expect he could fight against the former Jaegar…Cao Lee, he did invested money into this.

"President!" Sometimes, Garcia just couldn't stand the leisurely of Marconi.

"Don't worry. I have my way to handle [Heiyue]. Military Canines are settled, we can fight them for sure. What's more important is the [Auction] to be opened next month."

"…I understand." Garcia huffed.

"We can't let anything to affect the [Auction] this year. Let's put the police and Bracer's Guild aside. Neither of them would intervene. Make sure all of you are ready, and never let [Heiyue] and the assassin get in our ways!"

"Understood!"

In the darkness, a purple haired girl was dancing alone. She gave in everything, imagining her paces and danced slowly, swinging her body softly on the stage. Spinning, she held up her hand, and stopped when the music stopped.

She panted heavily, but tried her best not to collapse. Wiping the sweat, she smiled.

"I did it…I finally did it…"

Rixia dressed in the acting costume that exposed most of her body and white veil. She looked sexy and charming, almost as much as Ilya Platière.

"Well, you did well." The blonde walked out from the backstage. Rixia was too concentrated on her practice, that she wasn't aware of Ilya's presence. "The speed and timing are very good. The next step is to master the ups and downs of each chapter. Do not dance with music. Instead, you should use your own dance and acting to dominate the music. Always be calm and clear…that's the majesty of the Moon Princess."

"Y-Yes, Ilya…ah!"

Suddenly, Rixia dropped down to the floor. Her legs were numbed, could no more supported her body weight. Looking at her, Ilya couldn't help but smiled.

"To tell the truth, I am surprised. So far, no one has been able to keep pace with me while practicing. You're really trying your best." Ilya walked closed to Rixia, kneeling beside her.

"Ilya…but still, I feel uneasy. What if I make mistake in the formal performance? I might only end up trouble you…"

"Don't worry. You're talented. You have the possibility of surpass Ilya Platière." Ilya rubbed Rixia's head. "Trust me!"

However, it didn't sound real at all to Rixia. She stared at Ilya's bright smile, simply let out a bitter smile.

"…There's no way I can surpass you."

"Of course I have no intention to let you surpass me so easily." Chuckling, Ilya said. "That's why, you have to catch up with me, at least to be my opponent in the future!"

"…Please don't suggest such impossible request…" Rixia face palmed. She shook her head. "Anyway…why am I here? I was supposed to leave Crossbell City…"

Hearing that, Ilya laughed. "You luck is over when you come to watch my practice, you know. I'm not letting you go~"

Rixia almost wanted to cry. It's such a mistake that time. She should have left immediately…

Rixia sank into deep silence. Smile disappeared from her face.

"Rixia? Are you feeling tired?"

"No…I'm alright. My lack of strength makes me uneasy…but by contrast, that letter is more…"

"Letter? What letter?"

"The letter! The one attended to your name, signature by [Yin]!"

"Oh~ that letter, huh? That's just a prank." Ilya shrugged. "If you care about these little tiny things, you can't be a star."

"B-But…"

"You'll get mountain of letters when you make your debut in the premiere. There must be weird things mix inside. Just let it goes. Especially you, you big breast sure will catch the men's eyes!" Out of the blue, Ilya grabbed Rixia's breast and started to rub it. Rixia screamed, quickly pushing her hands away and covered her poor breast.

"S-Stop it, Ilya…!"

"Sorry, I feel quite excited. Hey, Rixia…can you let me rub for a while?"

"N-Nooooooo~~~~~"

A cough saved Rixia from Ilya's clutches. An old man walked out from the backstage with embarrassment showed on his face.

"Deputy Head…"

"Oh my, you are here?" Acting innocently, Ilya pretended nothing happened.

"Hmph…it's good to practice, but you should really stop toying with her, Ilya."

"That's not toying. I am teaching her some acting skills. Oh yes, it's pretty late now, Rixia, just stay at my place today." Ignoring Deputy Head, Ilya turned to Rixia. "It's late. I can't let you go back to such a dangerous place."

"That's not dangerous place…they're very kind. They really take care of me a lot."

"That place is full of hot-blooded kids…who knows what they will do if they see such a seductive body in the late? Yes, they will sure attack you!"

Deputy Head knocked Ilya's head.

"That's you!" The old man shook his head. "Anyway Ilya, there's your phone."

"Oh my, is it from her?"

"Yes. Do you want to pick the phone?"

"Of course I want!" Ilya giggled, and turned to Rixia. "Sorry, I have to answer the phone." And then, she left the stage.

"…I thought the letter will somehow shock her…but looks like, she's still the same." The old man shrugged.

"…I guess, that's just her…like the golden sun, let the light shine." Rixia smiled, closing her eyes. "But…she has to be more wary of others…"

… …

"Sorry for being late." Ilya picked up the phone.

"It's alright. You're probably late for rehearsal with the new girl, right? Ilya, don't be too sticky, or else you will scare her."

Hearing the teasing from the other side, Ilya sweat dropped. How did she know everything while she's not even here?

"I…hmm…I'm not sticky at all…" Sighing, Ilya quickly changed the topic. "B-By the way Cecil, why are you calling me?"

"…I received the ticket you sent to me, so I think I should say thank you…"

"Well, it's fine. Although we're all busy, but you must come and watch my show. At least you can get rest day on the first day of the Memorial Festival, right?"

"Don't worry, I'll get it for sure." Chuckling, Cecil assured her. "But…I feel embarrassed. Can I really get the S seat tickets?"

"What are you talking about? This is the privilege of the signature actress. If you come to my show, I'll be more motivated. After all, there's no way I'll act poorly in front of my best friend."

"You're always like that. How should I put it…the more you're in adversity, the more aggressive type."

"Heh…I won't deny it. Cecil, get a man and come to my show, alright? Although you're busy, but there're still a lot of promising men out there."

"…Well, you're right…"

Hearing the depressing voice of Cecil, Ilya's smile faded. She knew deeply how much Cecil loved her fiancé, but…

"…Sorry…"

"Don't worry about that. It's been so long, I should get out of that."

Ilya could hear the sadness within her voice. She knew full well Cecil was doing her best, and all she needed to do was waiting for Cecil to recover. However, seeing Cecil concentrated too much on her work, she'd get worry.

Suddenly, an idea hit her.

"Hey, why not you bring the little brother you keeps talking about? I think he's back to Crossbell, right?"

"Are you talking about Llyod? I wonder if he's busy…but he probably hasn't seen your show. Maybe this is a good chance."

"Okay, it's a deal."

"Oops…Sorry, it's almost my shift. Thanks for the tickets. I'm looking forward to it."

"I won't disappoint you."

Ilya put down the phone, sighing.

It's been three years since then. She guessed, it's still not enough for Cecil to let go such a deep sorrow and unforgettable sadness…

"The main invest list of Erebonia…a list of various invest market of Calvard…the sales volume of the three major pharmaceutical companies of Remiferia…Liberl is…list of new orbal engine orders, huh? Heh…most of the information will go to Crossbell."

A freckles boy with messy golden yellow hair said with a hint of joyous in front of his few big sized terminals.

"Lucky, lucky. This is so easy. I can find any of the important databases by just access into the database. Now that the security consciousness is so weak, lucky lucky~"

Except the big sized terminals, there were sofas and table behind him. This place looked like the secret base to the freckles boy. He took one bite of the pizza he bought earlier, but immediately furrowed his brows.

"Yeakkk…the cold pizza is sucked. No matter pizza or information…it's better to serve hot."

His finger danced on the keyboard, throwing the pizza into the dustbin.

"Alright…now is my personal time. Should I challenge the terminal of IBC, or find out the true identity of [Little Kitten]…?"

Thinking of the [Little Kitten], the freckles boy narrowed his eyes.

"Hmph…what an annoying kitten…Hmm?"

Suddenly, he received an orbal email. He clicked opened the mail and read.

"[To Mr. Jona Sacred, with your talent, we request your help…" Jona scrolled down the mail. "The source of the email is…it doesn't seem to be coming from big terminal. It comes from the Waterfront Area…[Heiyue Trade Company]…"

He stared at the name of the company for a while, before letting out a cheer.

"OH YEAH! It's [Yin]! Well…it's becoming more and more interesting…"

He raised a smirk, continuing his works on the terminal.

On the shiny day at the Central Square, Lloyd and Randy turned the knob and opened the door to the SSS building.

"We're back."

"Oh, welcome back." Elie greeted the guys. It seemed like she and Tio were having lunch.

"You two are fast."

"Well, we're just doing some simple paperwork at HQ. Since we have free time, we decided to prepare lunch."

"Got our share?" Randy asked, tapping his stomach. "I'm hungry."

"Yes…just some simple Macaroni and salad, is it alright?" Tio put the dishes on the table and said.

"It's alright. Thank you."

The guys washed their hands before having lunch.

"…Speaking of which, you two went to manage traffic, right? How is it?" Tio asked after the guys took the seats.

"It's troublesome. We have to push the illegal parked cars to the side of the wall." Thinking of the scene, Lloyd rubbed his head.

"There're so many cars at Entertainment Street. Because of the show, the atmosphere in the street is so lively." Randy chewed the salad in his mouth.

"The show…starts next month, right? The new show of [Arc-en-ciel]."

"You mean the [Golden Sun and Silver Moon]?" Randy said. "I want two tickets too. Unfortunately, even the next month's tickets are sold out. I can only get B seat for next month's show." He said with bitter smile.

"…Is [Arc-en-ciel] that popular…? Although I know their actress Ilya Platière is super popular…" Tio tilted her head.

"Speaking of which…I have watched their show, but I never watched Ilya Platière's show." Now Lloyd recalled.

"I feel you, my bro." Randy sighed. "There are only two types of people in the world. The one have watched Ilya Platière's show, and the one haven't – by Randy Orlando."

"That's…too exaggerated…" Lloyd sweat dropped.

"But it's incredible. How should I put it…once you have seen her performance, you will feel that your soul is deeply attracted. If there's genius in the world, she's definitely one of them." Elie giggled.

"…I feel interested." Tio nodded. "But…don't you think the jobs have increased recently?"

"Crossbell Creation Memorial and the new show of [Arc-en-ciel] fall on the same day. No doubt the police are busier than usual."

"Those are just simple errands." Randy complained.

"Well, our jobs are increased a lot compared with before. Even [Crossbell Times Magazine] is not cynical about us anymore."

"…Still, we're still often being compared with Bracer's Guild, especially Estelle and Joshua."

"Hmm…that's…"

"Why are they so active with just the two of them?"

"…Maybe they can take effective action by working with other bracers." Elie said, sighing. "Although we have four people, but we can't get any help from other colleagues."

"In my opinion, the key person is the guy named Joshua." Randy said. "He does an effective support job for Estelle's impulsive personality. In this case, they must understand each other very well. Plus, they're experienced."

"…You mean, we still have a long way to go, right?"

The atmosphere turned heavy in short time. Lloyd could feel the tense in the air. He quickly cleared his throat and coughed.

"Umm…anyway, we'll just have to follow our pace. See, we have reliable support too…where is Zeit?"

"I didn't see him today, either…yesterday seems to be lying on the roof all day…"

"It will be better if he can help during the fight with monster…" Randy sighed. "What is he doing usually?"

"…His self-esteem is strong. I don't think our human common sense can chain him." Tio explained.

"Since we have registered him as police dog, I hope he can do his job…" Lloyd shrugged. "For first, I thought people around will be scared…"

"Who knows he rescued the kids during the accident." Randy chuckled.

"The steering wheel of the track was broken and hit the railing, right?"

"And then we found Zeit saved the kids from being hit."

"Since then, Zeit is so famous at West Street. The kids seem to close to him as well." Elie chuckled.

"Yeah, we can't rely on Zeit too much. We have to do our best as well."

"…Agree."

"Then, we should settle the delegates after lunch."

One of the delegates was from the chief of Armorica Village. It seemed there were monsters intruded into the private place of the village. Their job was eliminating those monsters. After taking care of the minor delegates on hand, they immediately headed to Armorica Village. Those monsters weren't strong, but the number of enemies was far above them. They had to be very careful to avoid being surrounded by enemies. This was a job far more strenuous than they thought. But they managed to eliminate all the monsters before the monsters caused more damages.

Then, they went back to Crossbell City. By the time they stepped into East Street, Lloyd's orbment rang.

"Hello, Lloyd Bannings from SSS."

"Oh Lloyd. I finally reach you." The other side of the phone appeared to be Fran.

"Fran? It's rare for you to call me. What is it?"

"Hmm, well…actually, a citizen wants to discuss something to SSS…can I ask her to come straight to you?"

"I don't think there's any problem. Is this matter different than usual that you can't explain on the terminal?"

"Yes…it seems quite serious." Fran's voice sounded worried and confused. "She pointed out that you must deal with this. It sounds rare. So it's better I have her to go straight to you."

"Alright, understood. We will head back to the section immediately."

"Okay~ how long you will take to be there?"

"Please tell her we may be late. She can wait us inside."

"Alright, I'll tell her. Thanks, Lloyd~"

After Lloyd put down the orbment, the others asked.

"Is there an urgent delegate?"

"Yes…it seems quite serious. We have to handle this first. Let's return to SSS."

"…Alright."

When they headed back to SSS, a girl with purple hair was standing there. She seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"It seems she's here."

"Ah…" The girl turned back to find the team. Her face show shock for a moment. "I-I'm sorry. I came in without informing…"

"Please don't mind it. We're informed." Lloyd smiled. "Welcome to Special Support Section."

"Well…my name is Rixia Mao. Thank you for meeting me…"

Everyone was shocked by her beauty and the shape of her body for a while. Randy opened his mouth but quickly covered up.

("Oh my…this is…")

("...What a beautiful shape of body.") Tio examined Rixia's breast and waist with sharp eyes.

("Ahem…stop staring at her like that. Hey Lloyd?") Elie shot Lloyd a cold glare and pinched his back.

"Uh…sorry, please take your seat."

… …

"Threatening letter!?"

The team and Rixia sat on the sofa of the small lounge.

"Yes…it happened a week ago." Rixia sighed, looked worried. "Ilya received a letter from unknown…hmm, you know who is Ilya?"

"The [Fiery Princess], right? An internationally renowned star actress and artist. We never thought that you came to us for her, the Ilya Platière." Randy laughed, seemed high tension.

"…Randy, calm down." Tio slight stepped on his feet.

"We all know her. She is famous, after all." Lloyd scratched his head. "But, a threatening letter, huh?"

"Yes…although she said the letter is merely some prank. But the content is creepy. It's hard to imagine it as a mere prank." Rixia slightly lifted her head. "After some discussion with Deputy Head, we decided to look help from police."

"May I know where the letter is?" Elie asked.

"The letter is with Ilya right now. I managed to stop her from throwing the letter away…"

"…It's necessary to read the letter first." Lloyd rubbed his chin and then looked to Rixia. "Are you the staff of [Arc-en-ciel]?"

"Yes, I am one of the actress. But…I'm new, though." Rixia smiled sheepishly.

"AH, AHAH!" Suddenly, Randy let out some scream, shocking the girls sat beside him.

"W-What happened? Why are you screamed like that?" Even Lloyd who sat opposite him was shocked.

"I have seen you on the special article of the new show! You're the one going to act as the Moon Princess, a new star recommended by Ilya Platière!" Randy pointed to the purple haired girl.

"Uh…Um…that's…I'm still far from good. Actually, I feel it's still too early to debut."

"I think you're great." Elie chuckled. "Because you're hired by [Arc-en-ciel] and get a chance to debut. Doesn't it sound great?"

"Y-Yeah…I think so…?" Rixia smiled bitterly.

"Alright, we understand the matter. But Miss Ilya doesn't seem to care about the letter?"

"Yes…now she's focused on improving the performance, so she doesn't want outsider to bother. And she said…it's ridiculous to look for police…" Her voice trailed off at the end.

"Err…"

Everyone sweat dropped. Tio's face deadpanned.

"…So, we don't have to deal with it?"

"B-But, you're SSS, right? From the articles and reports, you seem to be kinder than normal police. That's why I think maybe Ilya would accept you all…"

"Maybe I shouldn't say this way, but have you considered looking for Bracer's Guild?" Elie asked softly. "Miss Ilya is normal citizen. They will protect her for sure."

"That's because…Bracer's Guild is too popular in Crossbell. If they get in and out before the premiere, it's likely to be rumored… From this point, I think you're better."

Hearing that, the team let out a sigh in unison. Rixia looked back and forth, but quickly understood that she had said something wrong.

"I-I'm sorry…!" She gasped.

"It's okay, we don't mind…" Lloyd smiled bitterly. "Anyway, we understand most of the situation. I intend to take this delegate. How about you all?" He looked to his team.

"Agree."

"…Agree."

"There's no way to refuse such a good job!"

"Alright, Rixia, please leave the matter to us."

"T-Thank you, everyone." For the first time, Rixia smiled like a child. "Then, I'm going back. I will tell Deputy Head and Ilya so you can come to us at anytime."

"See you, Rixia!"

After they girl disappeared behind the door. Lloyd said.

"Alright, we should head to the theatre. We can't start any investigation before taking a look of the letter."

"…Yes, it maybe just some prank, too."

"Oh my…we can get into the theatre before the show start and meet Ilya Platière! It's like a dream!"

"I feel nervous to meet her." Elie patted her chest, smiling bitterly.

Hearing that, Lloyd started to feel the same way.

I'm sorry this chapter is short, but there are many information in this chapter. These information will link to future chapters.

By the way, I'm so excited of the news of CS3 new characters! Tio and Randy make appearances in CS3, finally! For now, we all know Fie and Eliot are going to show up for sure, quite wonder how are the others. And Lloyd! Elie! I hope they will show up as well, since the story link to Crossbell. I'm really looking forward to the news of CS3!^^