Ok! Next chapter is here!
I forgot to credit in my previous chapter, it's still the same editor like in previous chapter of this fiction!
Thank her!
Also, thanks for Reviews/edit/faves/follows!
Otonokizaka High-School—The Real World;
The school bell rings.
While most of the students made their way to wherever they were needed, Honoka and her friends stayed behind in the classroom to discuss what they're going to do in the Digital World...
"...so you made a promise with this someone named Kira Tsubasa?" Umi asked.
"Yep! Hehe..." Honoka replied cheerfully.
"Isn't that a little suspicious? I mean, you...and her...just met like... once? Then she invited you to play together? What if she plans to harm you or something?" Umi asked.
"Uh...I feel like I've heard that name before...something about the Elite Group.. I think she was a leader...or something..." Kotori said.
"Exactly my thought. What if she plans to bully you? Knowing that this girl is...you know...an expert... " Umi said.
"Ehh..? Well...she seems nice..." Honoka replied.
"Don't you, like, always think that everyone is a nice anyway?" Umi crossed her arms.
"She said she is going to pick us up from school today..."
"That's even more suspicious! Who is this Kira Tsubasa , Honoka? She could kidnap us!" Umi said.
"Eh...? W-well I don't think something that extreme will happen..." Honoka replied.
"Now-now, I'm doing a search of her name in my Digivice..." Kotori said.
"And...? What did you get?" Umi asked.
"She is the leader of the A-Rise Elite Group. It may only consist of three people, but...hehe... they're all S-Rank..."
Umi and Honoka moved closer to Kotori and looked into the projected screen.
"I'm interested to get to know one of their members. Anjuu Yuuki? I've been checking out her work in fashion! But I never really buy her stuff because I can't really afford it..."
"Can you check their profile?" Umi asked.
"Uh...I need to add them to be able to see their profile. Hmm...let me do that anyway..."
Kotori added Anjuu Yuuki to her contact list. She thought that she will have to wait a little longer but her request was accepted immediately because…
User Anjuu Yuuki has attempted to add you; therefore, Anjuu Yuki and you are in each other's contact list now.
"Oh..." Kotori raised her eyebrows.
"...never knew she tried... hehe... I often miss my notifications." she continued as she checked Anjuu's profile.
"So how is it...?" Umi asked.
Kotori tilted her screen slightly to let Honoka and Umi see it at a better angle,
It read :
Name : Anjuu Yuuki
Rank : S-Rank (A-Rise)
Tamer Level : 158
Digimon : Lalamon ( Lv. 145/211%)
Job : Student
Profession : Lv. 78 Fashion Supplier, Lv.105 Merchant, Lv.93 Idol
InGameSpouse : -
Biography :
We do not give autographs outside the autograph sessions; we do not offer any sort of service; we do not negotiate. If you're looking for our shop, go to the Tournament Hall—3rd floor, room 231. Sincerely, Erena.
Then a private message suddenly popped up on her screen...
[PM] Anjuu : Is this the person who own Birdramon?! A friend of Honoka?!
Kotori, Umi, and Honoka were flustered. Why does she sound so excited? Is this really her?
[PM] Kotori : Uh, yes?
Kotori replied.
[PM] Anjuu : You're coming with her today, right? Right? We're on the way to your school! A little traffic jam here but we will make it soon! Get yourself in front of school gates, ok?
Kotori, Umi, and Honoka turned to each other and wondered why this person is so hyped up even though they were facing difficulty at the moment.
[PM] Anjuu : Sorry about that… that was Tsubasa's doing. She is so interested in Honoka.
"W-whoaaa?! What?!" Umi, Kotori, and Honoka shouted.
"Interested in me?" Honoka raises her eyebrow in surprise.
"W-what sort of 'interest' she is talking about?" Umi said.
"Uh...let me ask..."
[PM] Kotori : I'm sorry but...interested in Honoka? What kind of 'Interest' is this?"
[PM] Anjuu : Ah, that sounded a little creepy, huh? Well, she has been getting hyped. I'm not sure myself. But maybe it's the same as my interest in you...
Umi slammed her hands on the table when she read it.
"This isn't allowed! I forbid it!" she said clearly as she clenched her fists.
[PM] Anjuu : I want to know more about my favorite fashion designer! I've been purchasing your stuff as well! So, I'm also almost as excited to meet you personally.
"Oh..." Umi calmed down.
"A...ahh...it's that kind of interest..." Kotori smiled, a little embarrassed.
"Hehe...they sound friendly, right?" Honoka said.
"I guess I was wrong to be that cautious..." Umi scratched her cheek shyly.
[PM] Kotori : OK, hehe. Honestly I've been wanting to purchase your stuff too, Anjuu-san, but I never have enough to do that ^^
[PM] Anjuu : I can understand! My stuff and your stuff aren't that farapart in terms of quality, honestly. I just have better materials because I'm S-Ranked and have access to decent quality materials. So, I believe, if you reach my rank, we can be rivals—or partners in crime? ^^
[PM] Kotori : Sounds good to me!
[PM] Anjuu : Good! Hehe! By the way, about our car. We got stuck in a heavy traffic, thanks to an incident that happened a few kilometers away. We could've just met up in the Digital World Terminal but Tsubasa insisted to use the car and pick you girls up so, I suppose, you all will have to wait approximately an hour?
[PM] Kotori : Ok! We'll be waiting!
"Hmm...if that's the case, I wonder if we should do something while waiting?" Umi asked.
"How about we go to the third years' hall?" Kotori asked.
"T-Third years hall?! We would be dead if we accidentally did something wrong!" Honoka said.
"Eh, well...I just want to find someone. I ventured to the first years' hall but could only find some of my new acquaintances so I was wondering if I can find the other one in third years' hall..."
"Oh..what sort of business do you have with this person though?" Umi asked.
"Hnngg...well...I was private messaging her last night..." Kotori said as she searched through her chat history—then clicked on the user name 'Nozomi Toujou'
[PM] Kotori : Nozomi-san! I didn't know you are a Card Dealer, can I take a little look at your collection?
[PM] Nozomi : Ah—are you interested on purchasing?
[PM] Kotori : Maybe not now, I just wanted to browse around...hehe...^^
[PM] Nozomi : That's too bad. But alright, you can take a look… but you have to come to Otonokizaka tomorrow. I got some work to do there until 3 PM.
[PM] Kotori : Otonokizaka? What a coincidence! That's my school too!
[PM] Nozomi : Is that so? Then, you have to look for me afterschool. I'm not telling you where though~
[PM] Kotori : Do I get anything if I manage to find you?
[PM] Nozomi : Maybe? Hehe.
[PM] Kotori : That's a deal! I'll be looking for you!
"Uhm...this sounds a little...you know...tricky?" Umi said.
"What is?" Kotori asked.
"Nothing, I just heard that some merchants are too good at persuading people." Umi said.
"Ahaha— it's ok! I'm firm with my decision. I'm not going to buy any cards for now and focus on upgrading my digivice instead!" Kotori said.
"Upgrading your Digivice...?" Honoka asked.
"Yup, my Digivice! Hehe... I tend to spend too much when it's about Cards and forgot about my Digivice. Biyomon often scolds me about that too..."
"What's the use of this Digivice Upgrade though?" Umi asked.
"Uh...more battery power, more signal, more features, and you can evolve your Digimon to higher stages with extra memory...you don't really need these if you're just going to champion stage though but you usually need the extra memory for the Mega evolution..."
"Ah...I see, so I guess we can think about that later..." Umi said.
"Yup! Hehe...now, we should hurry with searching before Anjuu and the others arrive!"
Meanwhile, in the first year's Hall;
"Maki-chan, didn't Lunamon tell you to challenge Kotori-senpai once you get to meet her again?" Hanayo asked. The three are currently waiting for Rin to finish copying Hanayo's notes. Maki is reading a manual while Hanayo is browsing through her Digivice.
"Heh—honestly, I don't want to... I know she will lose again..." Maki said.
"You're a little too pessimistic about her, aren't you?"
"Nah—I just feel like being able to evolve to champion still means nothing. Besides, I believe Kotori-senpai has already trained her Digimon a lot more than me training Lunamon..." Maki replied again.
"Mmm.. you're right, but...I just think that it's fine for her to try again and see for herself. Lunamon isn't as reckless as she was at first, right?"
Maki sighed,
"This is just for you two to hear but… what Lunamon did kind of reminded me of myself when I was little...that's why, I sort know what she might be thinking right now...and I want her to not do whatever she is thinking..."
"Why?" Hanayo asked again.
"Because she will just be angry and sulk for days. I would rather make her eager to do whatever she wants to do and train until she is strong enough..."
"Hehe, ok then. I guess you know her better..." Hanayo said with a smile.
"...and by the way, thanks for yesterday. I'd never thought I'd be able to evolve my Lalamon into a champion that quick. It's too bad that I didn't get to see the tournament myself but since Lalamon won anyway..."
"I can understand why not many players watch over their Digimon in a rookie tournament...so it's fine. Plus, I was watching over Lalamon and Gaomon too last night, they're doing great on their own..." Maki said.
"You did? Nice! Thanks!" Hanayo said happily.
"Heh–it's not that nice...I'm just watching..." Maki replied with a slight blush coloring her cheeks as she averted her eyes.
"By the way... maybe we should head to the Digital world now. Let's try to train on our own..." she continued.
"Sure! Hehe... but... maybe we can wait for a bit more. Lalamon told me there was an incident in Akihabara so we may not be able to go to the Digital World Terminal until at least an hour"
"Incident? What Incident...?" Maki asked.
"She said that there was a truck that suddenly appeared from the sky and fell on another truck—it's so strange that it feels like the truck has a doppelganger..."
"Is the driver ok?!" Maki asked.
"Yep, he was able to dodge the falling truck. He knew what was about to happen when he saw a shadow on the ground. There's no victim but the truck itself."
"W-Wow...that sounds scary though. A truck falling from the sky... what could possibly have happened before that?"
"I wonder about that too..."
The Third Year hallway;
Honoka, Kotori, and Umi do their best to look polite though, no matter how good they are at it, some eyes were still set on them and, for some reason, it felt like they will soon be bullied— even though the third years were just wondering what the second years were doing in their hallway.
"T-This is really scary for some reason, their eyes are on us..." Honoka said.
"I know, let's keep moving forward, though..." Kotori said.
"I still couldn't find anyone like who matches your description, Kotori... are you sure she is here?" Umi asked.
"I'm pretty sure she is..."
Then, as they're about to reach the end of the hallway, Honoka pointed at someone.
"Ahhh!" Honoka exclaimed.
"W-what's wrong, Honoka-chan?" Kotori asked.
"That girl!" she said, her finger is pointing to a black-haired little girl.
"Oh...uh...who is that?" Kotori asked.
"This person..." Honoka said, taking out her digivice and tinkered with it before showing a profile to Kotori and Umi
Name : Niko Yazawa
Rank : Champion Rank
Tamer Level : 78
Digimon : DemiDevimon ( Lv. 61/68%)
Job : Student
Profession : Lv. 14 idol, Lv. 52 Merchant
InGameSpouse : -
Biography :
Stop talking about my size and my Digimon's size!
"H-her Digimon size is terrible..." Kotori whispered to Umi.
"You're right... 68%... I wonder how could she get that low?" Umi replied.
"Bad luck perhaps? But anyway...we shouldn't mention that... she said here that she doesn't like talking about it..." Kotori replied.
"Should we ask her?!" Honoka asked, somewhat enthusiastically.
"E-Eh...well..sure...maybe she is her classmate..." Kotori said.
"ok!"
Honoka approached the little girl.
"Niko-chan!" Honoka said.
"N-Niko-chan?!" Kotori and Umi were close to screaming. They swear their heartbeat began to race—they know that she shouldn't call a senior with such familiarity.
"Oh—it's you. What's up?" the little girl replied.
"Hehe, I wonder if you know anyone named Nozomi Toujou..." Honoka said.
"Sure. She is my classmate. Are you looking for her?"
"Yup! Hehe. Actually, my friends here is the one who's looking for her..." Honoka gestured to Kotori.
"H-Hello..." Kotori waved to the little girl awkwardly.
"At this hour, Nozomi is probably in the council room with her girlfriend..."
"G-Girl-Girlfriend...?!" Umi exclaimed.
"C-C-Council room?!" Kotori exclaimed.
"Yea-uh? They probably are just 'a pair of best friends who get along with each other' as what they say to everyone but they look more like girlfriends to me since—you know, when they hole up in their apartment all weekend, giggling and moaning but never answering anyone's call, you just know that something is happening inside... worst case is to find used underwear under the bed."
"D-Do I look like I wanted to hear about that?!" Umi stated.
"That sounds like a serious scandal though..." Kotori said.
"I'm just messing with you. Nothing like that happened...maybe..." Niko said.
"The 'maybe' sounds very assuring..." Umi smirked wryly.
"Anyhow, you're looking for her, right? Do you need me to accompany you all?" Niko asked.
"Sure! That would be nice!" Honoka said.
Kotori and Umi couldn't burst her bubble but, the way Honoka talks to this senior is just too...friendly. They're afraid she would go too far and people around them will talk.
"Alright, then just follow me..." Niko said.
"W-wait a minute..." Kotori said.
"Yes?" Niko replied.
"C-Council room, right? Doesn't that mean...she is in the council?" Kotori asked.
"She is the vice president..." Niko replied.
"T-the vice president?! Then it's true...she is the president's girlfriend!" Kotori said.
"Well, alright, you can say it like that...but what do you know about the president anyway..."
"Isn't your mother the Principal, though?" Honoka asked.
"Yes, I know...but...there was this... back in my first year...I returned from my class to the Principal's room—I didn't pay attention to my shirt that time but I wore it messily. I was so occupied with the thought that its summer and I need to get rid of any possible piece of cloth..." Kotori cringed,
"...let me guess, you met Eli and she scolded you in front of your mother?"
"Yes—and worse, my mother supported her! She said I should be the role model so I shouldn't wear my uniform messily while I'm in this school..."
"Nah—that just something common, really... Eli could scold everyone in this school if she feels like it. Thing is, as long as you're not ticking her off, you won't get scolded...which is only possible if you don't have any business with her..." Niko said.
"W-Well...now I feel like I shouldn't go to the council room..." Kotori replied.
"What's your business with Nozomi though? That might change everything, you know..."
"Uh...it's not...that important..it's just...uh...Digimon Online stuff..." Kotori replied again.
"Really? Then you shouldn't go there after all..." Niko said.
"Ahahaha..." Kotori laughed awkwardly. She looked somewhat a little disappointed. Umi and Honoka were concerned and Niko could see the gloom on their faces.
"Actually, there's still a way...All you need to do is to summon her out of the council room. Try sending her a private message. Tell her that you know where she is but you're not brave enough to enter the council room..." Niko said—which made Honoka's face light up.
"Aaah! That's right! We can try to call her out instead!" Honoka said.
"H-how would this go, exactly?" Kotori asked.
"Wait for her on a spot then tell her that you've seen her in the council room but are scared to enter because of Eli. She should come out of the council room and you can do whatever you need to do." Niko said.
"Ok...then...uh... would the rooftop work?"
"Probably... try it out anyway."
"Ok!" Kotori said.
Meanwhile, the council room;
"A maze of dreams..."
"A maze of Lilies!"
An acoustic guitar was being played by the beautiful blonde who sat on top of the table. The president and the vice president were singing when they finished their task for today and enjoyed the rhythm and being intimate with each other...
The song plays for a while—and it feels like no one could disturb them from this, not even the purple Digivice that rang for the 10th time. When the song reached its end, the President and Vice president pressed their lips against each other's—with the guitar still on the blonde's lap and the purplenette leaning close, they finally heard the call.
Their lips parted and Nozomi finally moved to where she kept her digivice.
"Yup-yup, who's calling now...?" she said.
The blonde remained silent as she started to tidy all the stuff that they used.
"Ah...Lady and Angel..." Nozomi said as she accepted the video-call.
"Haaa—Finally I reached you..." Lady said. She sat in front of the camera while Angel is sitting behind her and both of them are in their ultimate form—LadyDevimon and Angewomon.
"What's up, you two?" Nozomi asjed.
"I just got some news from today's Digi-Journal. There's an incident that happened in the real world and I was worried so I tried to call you but you didn't even answer my calls!"
"Oh...? You're worried about me? That's kind of you but what is this incident you're talking about now?"
"It's about this, Nozomi-chan!" Angel said as she held up a newspaper to the camera. Nozomi could see in her screen that there's a picture of a truck squished by a similar truck.
"Hmmm...this looks...terrible..." Nozomi said.
"Yes, and it happened in a few parts of the real world, not only in Akihabara..." Lady said as Angel showed a few more articles from the same newspaper.
Eli raised her eyebrows and curiously peeked at Nozomi's digivice screen. When she stopped, she embraced her girlfriend lovingly and placed a kiss on her neck. The Digimon in front of them don't seem to care about that—or perhaps they are just used to it.
"...Buildings, vehicles, and a few people suddenly doubled?" Nozomi tilts her head slightly,
"Hmm...could this be caused by the Digital Shift?" Eli said.
"You know about the Digital Shift?" Lady asked.
"What is this... Digital Shift?" Nozomi added.
"Yes, I was researching about... a few things. Digital Shift could mean anything but, in this case, Digital Shift means that the Digital world is shifting itself to the real world. It's not the first time for this to happen, alas, it because Digital Shift happened—the Digimon Online today exist..." Eli explained.
"Hmm... I've never thought to question it when playing Digimon Online. I simply thought that humans just found a way for technology to create a living AI which creates these Digimon..." Nozomi said.
"What's an...AI?" Angel asked.
"That's like a brain, Angel... it's from Artificial Intelligence..." Lady said.
"So...are we made from AI?" Angel asked again.
"We are definitely not. We are alive the same way humans are, except theories say that we're made of what humans call 'data' and we live in a Digital World. That's why we're called 'Digital Monster' or 'Digimon.'" Lady replied.
"Ahh—I see..." Angel nods.
"So what does the Digital Shift have to do with Digimon Online?" Nozomi asked.
"Digimon Online's basic concept is made from that phenomenon, except that it's the human that is partially digitalized in order for the Digital World systems to have an effect on them. If you don't know what the systems have for us, I'll give you some examples...it's basically the energy relief items, fashion effect, teleport, and much more..."
"I see... then, tell me why you think this case is related to the Digital Shift?"
"Because humans make errors and there's a big chance that they messed up in yesterday's maintenance..." Eli replied.
"I still don't really get the idea, Ericchi. Can you please tell me in much better detail?"
"Easy, Digital World is actually a universe where Digimon came from—a parallel universe of the earth. You may see them differently right now because they're made of data, which is easily modified by either the Digimon or humans. The Digimon Online used the Digital Shift phenomenon to bridge the two worlds and, if not tended properly, it become buggy at some point..."
"That sounds dangerous..." Nozomi said.
"It is very dangerous. That's why Digital World's staff aren't just random technicians… most of them are highly skilled. This small mistake might happen, but I'm very sure that they're trying their best to avoid this in the future... unless..." Eli pauses.
"Unless...?" Lady and Angel said as they also waited for Eli to finish her speech.
"...there's someone smarter than them, someone who's capable of hacking through the system for whatever purpose..."
"That's unforgiveable! Putting people in danger for the sake of his own plans!" Angel said.
"I knew you will say that, Angel. As a Vaccine Digimon, you tend to have an innate sense of justice..." Eli said.
"Really? I'm flattered!" Angel said.
"Hey-Hey, now, Angel, don't be too happy. What if this person is actually planning for something that could benefit us all?" Lady said.
"...and that is precisely what you would say, Lady..." Eli continued.
"Huh? You've expected that too? Are you a mind-reader like Nozomi-chan?" Lady asked.
"Now-now, I believe it's not mind-reading like what I usually do. It's more like the theories within the Digital World Concept. This is just the understanding I reached after listening to Ericchi's explanation." Nozomi said as she placed her fingers on her chin.
"Vaccine, Data, Virus and Free-Type: Those are reflections of the real world. Some people are born as Vaccine—they always have an innate sense of justice. They're not always the kindest among people, though, and there's still a chance that they to act offensively towards others. Those who are born as data happen to live and think neutrally, which may make them look passive even though, sometimes, they are very curious—attempting to do this and that to satisfy their curiosity which may sometimes appear offensive for others. Those who are born as Virus have a mischievous side and demonstrate aggressiveness, though not all of them will act like a villain. Free Types are just those who demonstrate free-will."
"A good thinking, Nozomi. That's exactly how the concept is..." Eli appreciated.
"So you're saying that... I was born evil?" Lady asked to confirm.
"Being Evil and being mischievous are different, you know. Pulling a prank is mischievous, but it's purpose is not always harm. Sometimes people prank others to show that they want to be friends with them..." Nozomi replied.
"Putting that aside, what do you think about yourself, Lady?" Eli asked.
"Hmm...what do I think about myself, huh? I'm sure I always have this side of me that thinks of something mischievous, something that I think is evil but makes me happy. Or maybe, I should've said that I'm happy because I'm being bad to others but, at the same time, I'd like to see people smile...it's a little too complicated to explain I guess..." Lady tried to explain.
"Maybe those feeling are created because you hang out with your sister?" Nozomi asked.
Lady turns to Angel and gazed at her deeply as she thought about it.
"Hehe...Do you think I'm a good influence on you?" Angel asked innocently.
"You probably are, huh?" Lady replied.
"I'm glad! But I don't think so. Hehe... you're always the one to step up whenever Kuzunoha is too strict on us. It's like you know when I feel tired and, even though you know you'll be in trouble, you stand your ground and insist on getting a few minutes of break for both of us..." Angel replied.
"So...you're saying...?" Lady tried to confirm.
"You are good inside. There's no denying that." Angel said with her soft smile.
"You're so straight forward sometimes, it makes me blush..." Lady said.
"Hehe...blushing isn't a crime anyway! All good!" Angel replied sweetly.
"Is Kuzunoha that hard to deal with...?" Eli asked.
"Ah—No! I forgot...!" Angel covered her mouth.
"Oh—right, we're... sorry about mentioning her. We should not have..." Lady added.
"It's fine but… I want you two to tell me whatever you think of her..." Eli said.
Lady and Angel were silent for a while and they gestured a confirmation to each other. They also look towards Nozomi who seems to approve of what they are going to speak about.
"If that's the case then..." Lady pauses.
"If we have to say… we both really like her, even though she was too strict sometimes. I still remember the time she dragged both of us into the training room. It was so hard to reject her..." Angel continued.
"But we don't hate her for that. We are who we are right now because of her and we're really glad. We wish that we could train with her again..." Lady said.
Eli smiled faintly at them.
"I see... thank you..." she said.
"Actually, there's a chat history that we saved in our room. We have never shown this to anyone, not even Nozomi-chan..." Angel said.
"Angel...are you sure about this?" Lady asked.
"There's something that bothers me from last night. Something that I really want Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan to see..." Angel replied.
"Ah, you mean that, huh? If you're sure that you can talk about this, then go on. I won't stop you..."
"What is this chat you want us to see?" Nozomi asked.
"Hmm...I'll send it to your Digivice. Hold on..." Angel stood up and began to search.
They had to wait for a while...
"Honestly, I feel like there may not be that much meaning at all...but since Angel was sure then..." Lady said.
"Just show it." Eli said.
"Alright, here we go!" Angel said.
Eli's digivice received a message notification.
Angel :
Kuzunoha : Tomorrow, you two will have to do some running exercise with me.
Lady : Aahhh... why can't we just sleep?
Angel : Kuzu-chan is on it again! Nooo!
Kuzunoha : I don't really have that much time, you know. I got an S-Rank Tournament tomorrow. I'll make sure Eli will get her S-Rank, that's why I need a lot of exercise—a pair of pretty companions would be nice.
Angel : Ok! Then we're definitely meet your requirement!
Lady : Angel, you're too innocent. She didn't call you 'pretty' for nothing.
Angel : Hey, it's a compliment though!
Lady : Still! But anyway… alright, I'll be awake tomorrow morning.
Kuzunoha : You're a pretty strange Virus Digimon. Are you sure you're a Virus?
Lady : Well, are you sure you are a Data?!
Kuzunoha : Last time I checked in the mirror, I'm still beautiful.
Lady : Oh Shut up! That's not even related to what I said!
Angel : By the way! By The way! I heard that Kuzuhamon like Kuzu-chan can predict the future. Are you able to do that?
Kuzunoha : Maybe?
Angel : Then-then, will we both become good Mega Digimon like you?!
Kuzunoha : Hmm...
Lady : I don't like where this is going...
Angel : I'm excited!
Angel : Kuzu-chan?
Lady : Did she fall asleep? It's pretty late after all...
Angel : Kuzu-chaaan! Don't leave us hanging like this!
Lady : She definitely fell asleep...
Kuzunoha : Sorry, was a little occupied with something...
Angel : Did you try to predict our future?
Kuzunoha : I definitely did.
Angel : How was iiittt?
Kuzunoha : I see a lot of wings there, dark ones and bright ones. You two will definitely become a pair of great mega Digimon! You might even be better than I am!
Angel : Really? Woooo! I'm happy!
Lady : Huh? What is this? Why do we suddenly get 'Might even be better than I am' from the snobby Kuzu-chan?
Kuzunoha : Haha! By the way, plans changed. I think you two can take a break tomorrow. I'm going to meditate instead.
Angel : ok! Do you need us both stand around you and be pretty?
Kuzunoha : I'm afraid not. That will only distract me.
Angel : ok! Then we stand behind you!
Kuzunoha : Haha, Angel, forget what I said. Maybe you do need to run, after all.
Lady : Good Job Angel.
Angel : Eh? Did I do something wrong?
Kuzunoha : Joking! But yes, forget about accompanying me in my morning training. I'm going to meditate to raise my magic.
Lady : Ooohhh...I see! You're looking at your flaws in the future and hurrying to fix what you might do wrong, huh? Clever.
Angel : Ahh! You predicted your own future as well? Are you going to win?
Kuzunoha : Winning or Losing is not my concern right now. All I care about is to taking Eli to the S-Rank.
Lady : But you need to win to take her to the S-Rank...
Kuzunoha : Theoretically, yes.
Lady : So what is this future you're seeing, exactly?
Kuzunoha : Never mind that. Just go to bed, you two. I'd be checking on you two to make sure you go running.
Angel : Good Night!
Lady : Huh? That's weird. Are you sure you don't need to talk about this?
Kuzunoha : I'm fine.
Lady : You don't sound 'fine' you know.
Angel : Are you nervous? I'm going to cheer for you tomorrow, then!
Lady : Angel, please...
Kuzunoha : Just remember this: no matter you struggle, you two have to work the hardest for your tamer, stay united, and be strong. Love your tamer, protect her, and grow with her.
Lady : You sound like you're about to die or something.
Angel : I'll revive!
Lady : You can't die in a tournament...
Angel : Right!
Lady : Kuzu-chan, are you sure you are fine? Are you drunk?
Angel : Kuzu-chan?
Kuzunoha : Please keep these words for me, I know someone will read this.
Kuzunoha : Do not abandon those who love you as much as you love your greatest treasure.
Kuzunoha : It may be hard to move on, but I don't want you to stay in the past.
Kuzunoha : She may not be 'me', but she is 'part of me'...
Kuzunoha : If you raise her, you are giving me a reason to exist in your life again.
And the chat ended there.
"That's pretty much it, we've kept a hold of this chat for a while now, not sure of when the right time is but... last night, Renamon asked both of us to help her with a speech—we couldn't do much for her, but we're touched by her effort..." Angel explained.
Everyone in the room could see how Eli looked so touched by the chat. Her hands slightly trembled and her eyes are watery—she is trying so hard to look fine. Even Nozomi felt somewhat sad, but she was not quite sure of how to describe this situation with words as she isn't quite sure of what was behind those words.
"Hmm...So...Kuzunoha already knew about her death, yet she entered the tournament anyway?" Nozomi tried to confirm.
Lady and Angel nodded
"I think she was too occupied with the idea of taking you to the S-Rank and forgot that she is a lot more important than the S-Rank..." Lady said.
"No...it's not that..." Angel said.
"What is it then?" Lady asked.
"Ah—Angel, you ran into the ring and tried to revive her, right? But it didn't work out?" Nozomi asked.
"Yes, when I revive a Digimon, I'm usually able to recover their consciousness data within them But, that time, I wasn't able to do that because her data was shattered completely...it's like something massive was ruining her data."
"Were you somehow able to read a few memory data, though?"
"Yes... I think I've heard her say, she wanted to stop the tamer that time than let him take more innocent lives."
"Hmm..I see where her idea comes from. The S-Rank Tournament is always exposed to the entire server so, if it happens there, then everyone will see. Plus, the Digimon who used the hacked card was strong enough to beat the rest its opponents in that tournament. Kuzu-chan had to be there to expose this tamer so that he launched his plans..." Lady said.
"Putting that aside, Eli-chan, are we going to train your Renamon now? After you read those...?" Angel asked.
Lady and Nozomi finally realized what Angel actually wanted. Their eyes were set on Eli who is still quiet as she looked over the chat in her Digivice.
"Hehe, I see what you truly intended to do, Angel... we talked about that last night..." Nozomi said.
"Oh...? So I'm a bit late with my attempt, I guess?" Angel asked.
"Not quite, we did plan to work out today, I just haven't really talked to you two about it...so I guess your urge to do this comes at the right time."
"Is that so? Then I'm glad!" Angel replied cheerfully.
Nozomi leaned a little closer to her girlfriend,
"So how about it, Ericchi? Should we head to the Digital World now?"
Eli is still quiet...
"We may have missed this week's champion tournament, but we can try next week if we are confident enough..." Lady said.
"I'm sure Renamon will be able to do it! I'll cheer for her!" Angel said.
The Blonde nodded with a faint smile. As soon as Eli opened her mouth to reveal her decision, a notification popped out from Nozomi's Digivice.
"Eh? Who's this? I see someone sent a private message in the Digivice..." Lady said.
Nozomi immediately opened the Notification...
[PM] Kotori : Nozomi-senpai! Uh...Are you still in the council room? It took a while for me to decide if I should try to visit you there or...uh...meet you somewhere else? Uhm...Actually...Can you help me decide now anyway?
Nozomi took a moment to remember what kind of business she has with her.
"What kind of business do you have with the Principal's daughter, Nozomi?" Eli asked—her mood seemed to change drastically from mellow to cautious.
"Hmm... I'm trying to remember what she was interested on...I remember she was almost a client and..." Nozomi is lost in her thought again.
"Could it be you promised her something if she was able to find you?" Eli asked to help her jog her memory up.
"Ah—right! that was it! She wanted to browse on my cards collection!"
"You need to stop doing that, ok? The last time you challenged a popular girl from UTX in this hide-and-seek game, she also invited a whole bunch of fans and I had trouble keeping them disciplined. Even the Principal complained to me... you should start doing that in Digital world instead..."
"Hehe, it's much more fun to do that in real world... they can't use the digivice to find me." Nozomi replied as she wrote back to Kotori.
Eli sighed at her,
"Ah well, at least the principal's daughter isn't as popular as she looks..."
"You stole all the girls' hearts in this school, Ericchi… don't worry..." Nozomi replied jokingly.
Then, within a minute, someone suddenly opened the council room doors...
"Hey, Eli, Nozomi, you have guests..." a black haired little girl said as she entered the room like she is used to coming over to the council room.
Eli and Nozomi turn to face the door—Lady and Angel inside the digivice screen also gave their attention to the guests.
"E-Excuse me?" Kotori said a little nervously as she entered the room followed by Umi and Honoka.
"Ah, welcome..." Nozomi said.
"Ehehe...t-thanks?" Kotori replied. Her eyes stayed on the Blonde's penetrating cold eyes.
"U-Umi Sonoda! Please take care of me!" Umi suddenly introduced herself as she bowed.
"W-wah—Umi-chan! D-Don't act like that. Y-you make me feel nervous!" Kotori said.
"I'm Honoka Kousaka! Nice to meet you!" Honoka said a little stiffly before she bowed as well...
"H-Honoka-chan! Not you too!" Kotori said—before suddenly the cold stare made her shiver too and...
"K-Kotori Minami! I'm sorry for interrupting your activity!" she bowed.
Niko rolled her eyes, Eli doesn't seem to be welcoming while Nozomi cringed a little .
"Oi-oi, Eli isn't that scary, ok? It's just her face..." Niko said.
"What's with my face?" Eli asked.
"Nothing, I just think they're scared to look at your face. You never smile..." Niko said.
"I don't understand the point of smiling when it's not necessary..." Eli replied.
"Putting that aside, Nikocchi, Ericchi… They're my clients, so let's get down to business, shall we?"
"A-Aah...r-right...we have business..." Kotori said.
Eli didn't respond and Niko sighed weakly at them...
"So, Kotori-chan, since you have found me anyway, what kind of item would you like to have right now?"
"E-Eh...? I get to choose what I want?" Kotori asked.
"Yep, don't worry about the price. Even if it's too expensive, Ericchi can pay for them." Nozomi said.
"Oi-oi, that's a bad example! If you want to give something away, then use your own money..." Niko said.
"I honestly don't mind. Nozomi can take anything from me..." Eli said.
"Huh? Now you act like you're her husband or something..." Niko said.
"I've always shared everything with her...it's not that weird" Eli replied.
"That's still a bad example, ok? You two should have some more privacy..." Niko said.
"Don't worry about that, Nikocchi...what we do privately is our business." Nozomi said.
Niko sighed heavily
"Alright..." she said with a smirk.
"So..back to you, Kotori-chan. Have you got any request?" Nozomi asked again
"Uh...alright...mm... I...I want to upgrade my digivice? Would that be possible?"
"Which upgrade are you after?" Nozomi asked.
"Aaaah—uuhhh...I'm conflicted about that too!" the ash brunette replied nervously.
"Umi-chan! Honoka-chan! Help me out!" she said as she turned to her friends.
"H-Honestly, we don't know about Digivice Upgrades that much... Are they different from each other?" Umi asked.
"Uh...and maybe, what do you need it for?" Honoka added.
"Aaah—That's what I've been wondering too! I don't know what I need!" Kotori said.
Honoka and Umi scratched their head awkwardly. Nozomi smiled at them while Eli sighed and Niko just looked at them tiredly.
"Maybe you can hand over your digivice to Ericchi and she can help you decide?" Nozomi suggested.
"I-is it ok to do that?!" Kotori asked.
"Yeah, just hand her your Digivice, she will take a good look at it..." Nozomi said.
"O...ok..." Kotori replied before she took out her digivice and handed it over to the blonde.
It made her heart beat so fast—she knew she could be lectured again if she happened to mess up.
Waiting for her to make a comment is like waiting for a time bomb to explode. Kotori hid her hands behind her with fingers crossed. Umi and Honoka are curiously looking at what exactly Eli is checking, though her hands are agile, and they barely understand what this and that are for.
"This is pretty good..." Eli said.
Kotori breathed out in relief.
"But..."
She is tensed up once again when she heard the blonde's emphasized word.
"Very bad for anyone who's planning to evolve Biyomon to Phoenixmon..."
"E-Eehh? How do you know that I'm planning to make Phoenixmon?"
"Who else are you after if not Phoenixmon? That's the only possible line when you pick Birdramon along with all these support cards you collected. If you're after Parrotmon, then you probably need to sell all these worthless support cards or exchange them with more offense cards."
"Aaah...ahaha..is it about her status...?"
"Exactly. It's true that you are raising from Biyomon, who bases her attack from Physical Attack Power, but you should've focused on Magic Attack Power since, later on, all your supportive skills and attacks will be based on that. Then, you could focus on raising her speed, but it's better if you spend your time training her on Health and Stamina. You can always get extra speed from Digivice Upgrades and cards which are enough for you to stall any type of enemy on your own. The best support is the one who could survive longer in the battle field."
"W-waah... You really are an expert!" Kotori appreciated
Eli doesn't seem to be pleased by the compliment—or perhaps she just doesn't care enough to respond to it. Either way, Kotori really appreciate what Eli told her and while Umi seems to be somewhat fired up from listening to such an expert speaking to her friend.
Suddenly, the door of the council room opened wide—smacking Honoka who had been standing near it...
"Council! This is an emergency!" shouted a familiar person—very familiar to the third years...
"Tsubasa...?" Eli and Nozomi raised their eyebrows and Niko's jaw dropped.
"Council! I triggered the mob! Now they're after me! Please calm them down before my companions fall!" Tsubasa said.
"Huh? Why are you here anyway?" Eli asked.
"I'm here to pick up my crush!"
"You have a crush here? I'm surprised. I thought you got all the cute girls already..."
"That is not the concern right now, Council! Just come and help us!" Tsubasa said before she pulled Eli away with her.
"W-wait! Hey!"
Kotori, Umi and Nozomi remained silent. Niko's mouth still hung open while Angel and Lady, who had been watching them, blinked their eyes, wondering what exactly was happening there.
The door closed again slowly—and it took a while for them to realize that Honoka was right behind the door and was probably dizzy from the hit.
"H-Honoka-chan!" They shouted together before they finally rushed to help her.
The Otonokizaka Health Center Room;
Honoka finally woke up. She had no idea that she was in the health center room but, as her brain finally processed the situation...
"Wwaaahh!" she exclaimed.
"W-what's wrong, Honoka-chan?!" Kotori who was sitting next to her asked.
"Why am I in the health center?"
"Uh... you got hit... by a door..." Kotori replied.
"A door? Hmmm..." she tried to remember...
"Aaah! You're right! I got hit by a door!" she continued.
"But who opened the door?" Honoka asked.
"It was Tsubasa-san..." Kotori said
"Eeeeh!? Ok...I guess she didn't see me?"
"Well..." Kotori laughed awkwardly,
"She didn't. She came all the way here along with her fans—and dragged a few fans from Otonokizaka too...it was a big mess until the council worked it out…"
"Oh..."
"But after that, she finally realized that you were hit. She overreacted a bit but Umi-chan was able to handle that. Nozomi-senpai also helped them out but, apparently, no one can stop Tsubasa-chan from trying to do what she was trying to do..."
"E-Eh? Ok...uhm..what was she trying to do?"
"She said she wanted to apologize to you so she is now attempting to buy everything you like..."
"W-what? Everything I like? Uh...how does she even know?"
"I have no idea too! We just met but it feels like she knows everything about you..."
"Ooh...ok..."
"There's also something else that bothers me...but...I guess you shouldn't know..."
"Why?"
"Uhm...it's kind of private, I mean... maybe you should hear it out from her instead of from me..."
Honoka remained silent, still wondering about what exactly she shouldn't hear from Kotori...
Meanwhile, in Shops near school;
"So, she likes this as well?" Tsubasa asked the bluenette as she looked at a big box of bread.
"She certainly eats this too—but for real, this is already too much!" Umi stated.
"She is right, Tsubasa. Just...stop...buying her... stuff..." Erena said.
"My-my, isn't this romantic?" Anjuu said.
"It certainly is. Ericchi also often buys me a lot of things—I just need to ask and she will get it in a second!" Nozomi replied.
"Don't you just feel...ashamed...for asking this sort of thing from someone?!" Niko complained.
"I'll be honest. I always feel proud to be able to buy something for someone I'm very close with." Eli said.
"See? That's why I made sure to have a wish list every month...except, sometimes, Ericchi is a little too stingy..." Nozomi said.
"That's because you're asking for the impossible, silly. It's true that I have plenty of income from Digimon Online—but for real, I still wouldn't be able to purchase a house or a truck... We're not even of legal age!" Eli said.
"You would've been a billionaire if you didn't spend too much on expensive chocolate." Nozomi said.
"Well—there's nothing wrong with spoiling myself..." Eli replied.
"Three hundred thousand yen for a pound of Chocolate ball is crazy!" Nozomi said.
"W-what?! T-Three Hundred thousand yen?!" Niko exclaimed.
"Ahh...could it be... Chocopologie?" Anjuu asked.
"I don't care about the name...it's an imported good. She didn't buy it on a daily basis, thank god...but it's too expensive even though it truly is delicious." Nozomi replied.
"Doesn't anyone think it's worth mentioning that Nozomi-san asked for a truck?" Erena asked
"Yes...what is the truck for..." Umi smirked.
"I didn't really ask for a truck, I was asking for the Mobile Home. Ericchi called it a truck. She is that dense."
"Mobile Home? You mean, a car with a living area? A trailer?" Anjuu asked.
"Yep, whatever it is called..." Nozomi said.
"It sounds fun!" Anjuu said.
"I agree! That sounds fun! We should change our limousine..." Tsubasa said.
"That's not even yours! That's our agency's car!" Erena said.
"We can always...you know...ask..." Tsubasa said.
"We're not going to do that, Tsubasa!" Erena said.
"Maybe we should ask Honoka..." Tsubasa said again.
"You're not going to do that! Let's just go back to Otonokizaka and actually pick her up instead of spending your money for everything! Also, we may need to Log in soon! I promised my Ryuudamon to hunt some extra meat in the market today!" Erena said as she pulled Tsubasa away.
"W-waiiitt! Erennnaaaa! I want to buy that box of bread too!"
Umi sighed as she followed them.
"Tch...I don't even know how Honoka could attract someone like Tsubasa..." Niko said.
"Are you jealous?" Anjuu asked.
"Huh? No way... maybe... but eh—for real, what did she do to make Tsubasa that interested?"
"I wouldn't know about that, why don't you ask them yourself?" Anjuu said.
"Could it be... Love at the first sight?" Nozomi said.
"Maybe? I don't know. All I know is that Tsubasa has been obsessed about getting to know this Honoka..."
"Huh? Ok... guess I'd have to find out myself..." Niko said.
That's all for now! Thanks for reading!