Walking toward the toy stores was like approaching a child's paradise. Everywhere, windows showed off piles of toys and games. A play area was decorated with giant statues of animals. Children excitedly ran about, eyes wide with amazement. When they saw IA and Yukari coming toward them, some tore themselves away from the stores and bounced up to the Vocaloids. A few asked them to sing a song.

"Sorry, we don't have time right now," IA told the children. "We're just here to find our friend. Did any of you see a girl with long red hair?" She figured that there wouldn't be that many teenagers in this place.

"A girl with red hair?" a little boy pointed towards a store with a pink and white sign over the door. "There's someone like that in there. She's all grown up like you."

IA and Yukari thanked the boy and headed to the store. It turned out to be devoted to Sanrio. As they entered, they were overwhelmed by a tidal wave of pink and white. Nearly everything from the stuffed animals on the shelves down to the tiles on the floor was pink or white. IA, with her pale pink hair, was almost camouflaged. She thought to herself that if Luka had come with them, she would have been invisible.

"They have everything," IA remarked to Yukari. "Look, there's candy, clothes, even a Hello Kitty helmet." She rapped on it with her knuckles. It moved.

"Huh?" The owner of the helmet, who had been kneeling, looked up. "Hey, what are you doing?" The girl, wearing all red, was almost invisible, surrounded as she was by an assortment of Hello Kitty purses, pillows, and shoes. IA noticed three things. This girl had reddish hair. She looked pretty unusual in her cat-eared helmet and Hello Kitty-themed outfit, so she was probably the one Ritsu and the boy had been talking about. She was also someone who IA and Yukari knew.

"Iroha?" Yukari blinked. "What are you doing here?" Iroha Nekomura was another Vocaloid, although IA and Yukari didn't know her very well. When they had met before, IA had seen the helmet and assumed that Iroha liked to play sports.

"You like Hello Kitty?" IA asked.

"Yes!" Iroha beamed. "Don't you? Hello Kitty is adorable! She's so cute, and she's such a nice person too!"

"She is cute, I guess," Yukari said. Iroha reached for a box without looking, pulling out a little rabbit doll.

"I saw your hood," Iroha waved the little rabbit's paw. "Do you like rabbits? This is My Melody." Yukari took My Melody from Iroha as carefully as if it was made of glass. IA rolled her eyes. Once Yukari saw a rabbit, she'd be totally distracted. She spent all her time at home playing with her pet rabbit. IA had even caught her trying to get Mayu to sell her bunny doll, Usano Mimi, which was pretty risky considering Mayu's yandere personality. Yukari was already spinning on the spot, looking all around the store for more rabbits.

"IA, we have enough time to look around a little, right?" Yukari's eyes were shining with excitement. "We can buy just a few things? Please?"

IA sighed and shook her head. "We have to find Miki. We only have an hour now. Sorry." She knew that if she let Yukari "look around a little," they'd never get out of the store.

Yukari deflated. "Okay, I'll just buy this then." She hurried over to the cash register with My Melody. Iroha watched her go and turned to IA.

"You're looking for Miki?" Iroha asked. "Did she disappear again?"

IA nodded. "I tried to call her, but her phone was turned off."

"I saw her going to the candy store."

"You did? Are you sure?" IA didn't want to be sent off on another wild goose chase.

"Yeah," Iroha said. "I remember her from her last concert. She has an astronaut-y dress and doll joints. She's hard to miss."

"You said that she was heading to the candy store?" IA checked. Iroha gave her a thumbs-up.

Yukari rushed back to IA and Iroha, clutching a small paper bag. "I'm done now." She glanced from one girl to the other. IA had a huge grin on her face. "Did something happen?"

"Iroha knows where Miki went!" IA announced happily.