"This may be… my last will…"

A woman in pink hair was writing a will, as she was in the teacher's lounge, all messy and destroyed. This all happened, during the zombie massacre.

"I only have a little time left… and I'm going to spend it, writing this…" She continued, "My name is Megumi Sakura. And before all this, I was a teacher in Megurigaoka Academy." she corrected herself, "No… I still AM. Even… after all this… Even if the school was not the same, what I first saw on the roof, that day, what was coming for us. What had happened… No… I know much earlier than that…"

Megumi Sakura was a teacher in Megurigaoka High School, and during the final hours of her life, she wrote what could be…

"Not sure earlier, but I felt that there were signs that it was coming for some time, by then."

…a possible miracle.

That afternoon, Percival escorted The Gang to MEA headquarters, led by Yamabuki, as she was about to explain the androids of Yozuki & Iori. Peter said, "So, we're finally going to get a confession from Yamabuki…"

Yamabuki barked, "Keep yer traps shut, until we arrive."

Percival asked, "By the way, you did a great job stopping the Gaoka Clan. Peter, nice work on ending Ebisuzawa, and Mizuki, congrats on stopping Takeya. Who stopped Miki?"

Mundy said, "It's me. I was able to stop her, but Iori stepped in and demolished her."

Yamabuki said, "You'll take credit fer this. For now, we should be arriving to meet Carbine."

Cassandra nodded, "Carbine… Was she an android, too?"

Yamabuki said, "No. Kiki Osakabe is our technical researcher in MEA. And she is partnered with Borchardt in R&D (research and development). However, things made a drastic turn for the worse…"

They went to the elevator, and they were in two groups. Yamabuki went with Asahi, Mizuki, Mundy, & Cassandra, and Percival went with Peter, Steven, & Farra.

They walked down the sterile hallways, as Yamabuki remarked, "In any case… AK & Borchardt were assigned to go after the Gaoka Clan. This occurred, months after June Nevins and friends stopped the evil mob boss, Haruhi Suzumiya." They arrived at the room, as Carbine waved, "OH! Agent Glock. AAHHH!" She gasped, "W-w-w-why did you bring them?"

Percival smiled, "Miss Osakabe, my name's Percival Gaynes, FBI. And we'd like to talk to you about the robots you made."

Carbine sobbed, "Okay, but please call me Carbine… The name Kiki Osakabe doesn't exist."

Yamabuki sighed, "She's like that… because she is serious with her job."

Carbine whined, "I AM SERIOUS! And these losers destroyed my duplicates!"

"It's yer own fault fer upgrading their AI! Beretta was upset that she didn't want to tell Derringer!"

"I… I'm so sorry…"

Farra asked, "Wait… YOU did this?"

Carbine confessed, "It was an accident… I tried to upgrade their CPU, and make them more alert and athletic, and focused on the mission. However, I hit a glitch in their drives. And they go out as they please… They were more human than they think…"

Peter said, "They developed sentience, I believe. But why upgrade their programming, just to substitute for the real Noctiflora and Natsume?"

Asahi asked, "Did… Did something happen to them?"

Carbine whimpered, "It was the Gaoka Clan's fault." She sniffled, "Yozuki… Iori… Forgive me…"

Percival asked, "Where are they now? Lost somewhere? It's a vast world."

"No need…" Yamabuki said, "I'm afraid there's more to this story…" She pressed the button, and they gasped in horror, seeing what was behind the wall. It was the real Yozuki and Iori, naked, inside a huge chamber, filled with green liquid, and trapped in suspended animation. They had bandages wrapped around their chests, arms, and legs. Yamabuki replied, "These are the real AK and Borchardt."

Steven growled, as Mizuki whispered, "Oh, my god…"

Yozuki and Iori were victims of the Gaoka Clan's assault.

Episode 3 - Chapter 4: Goodbye, Megu-Nee…
The Gaoka Clan's New Choice…

Yamabuki said, as she was upset, "The Gaoka Clan attacked the city, a while back, while we were doing a mission in America. I had just returned from my injury, from my recent trip to Italy. My boss assigned me to assist AK & Borchardt on a mission. Four mysterious girls appeared on the radar, and each of them were Stand Users. Yozuki & Iori didn't know about it, at the time, as I was once a Stand User. So, I kept it from them. However…"

Kurumi and Miki fought Yozuki and Iori, and the Clan Members defeated the MEA Agents.

"I was forced to retreat, but Yozuki and Iori took major damage. They were badly injured, and they could not retaliate. It was like they were helpless against these girls. They had the strength of MIO, the dexterity of Junko Enoshima, the knowledge of Steven Nevins, and the bloodlust of Haruhi Suzumiya. They were godlike…" Yamabuki continued, "I didn't want to suffer, like back then… as I lost my body and my Stand… but I moved on. I didn't want to leave them behind… so I stalled fer time, and took AK & Borchardt away back to HQ. They suffered terrible injuries…"

Yozuki groaned, as she was badly hurt, "B-Bookie… I'm… sorry… Ow, it hurts…"

"Yozuki, hang in there!" Yamabuki sobbed, "Dammit… Why now? I thought I'd be rid of my problems…"

Yozuki was dying, "You have to help… me… Bookie, I'm… I'm sorry…" She hugged her wounded friend, and Yamabuki whispered, "Even Iori… I'll protect ya both…"

"By the time I arrived, I was too late." She narrated, "And Beretta confirmed that the injuries were fatal. However, Carbine was able to perfect a machine that will slowly recover their injuries. But knowing their wounds, deep and severe, the injuries were longer than I thought it would be. AK & Borchardt were put on an indefinite suspension, to recover their injuries. But it took longer than I expected."

Cassandra asked, "Then, why are they robots?"

Yamabuki said, "They were the same technology as Kiki's robots."

"CARBINE!" Carbine whined, "MY NAME IS CARBINE, NOT KIKI!"

Yamabuki continued, "The robots she made were the same tech… Budo, Ichigo, Momo, and Ringo. They come from different models and shapes. The androids you see here were modeled from the Ringo series. However, they were inaccurate to the android models… Yozuki was very tall, and Iori was very short. Yet they suddenly have the same abilities to be MEA Agents. Not to mention their boobs were too huge, above average. Derringer, our boss, was able to create the patent fer the androids, in case they get severely damaged. Carbine was nice enough to recreate prototypes fer the clones. But instead of makin' them from scratch… They were made from their DNA."

Steven said, "Clones." Peter stated, "And they were subs for Yozuki & Iori."

Carbine nodded, "Using some of the blood from their battle, I was able to recreate AK & Borchardt's exact likeness."

Mundy added, "And that's when you recreated the clones, using their DNA, and they act like normal humans."

Mizuki replied, "But we were shocked that they have superhuman abilities."

Yamabuki said, "Yes, they have. The clones were very durable… Well, until ya destroyed the Yozuki Robot."

"Sorry about that, Yamabuki." Steven said.

"It's alright. They are very durable, strong enough to withstand over a million kilos of power, but they are not invincible. They were not the first we created to make clones."

Carbine said, "Granted, before this idiot destroyed the AK Drone, she was the 5th AK Android that was deployed. AK was a careless and energetic agent, always up for battle. Meanwhile, the Borchardt Drone was only the 8th. She's an expert in explosives and science. More like a Demoman."

Farra said, "That explains the explosive beakers."

Asahi nodded, "And they were destroyed easily… 5 Yozukis and 8 Ioris… Farra and Cassandra destroyed Iori… but we snapped her arm off."

Carbine stated, "Well, that's not how it works. But still, even if they break down and power off, they cannot know who they really are. Meaning they are to be deactivated forever… and when that happens, failing their mission, there's no chance of waking up. They do, however, get replaced by a spare model."

Steven asked, "How many have you built of these agents?"

Carbine said, "I made a couple androids for the warehouse, for AK, and Borchardt, and Glock. I even made androids of myself, in case I needed a holiday."

Yamabuki roared, "Why did ya do that? What if Beretta caught ya slackin' off?"

Carbine moaned, "I can't help it! Stupid androids breaking apart, stupid alternate world missions making no sense, and this stupid global pandemic ruining my bliss! I wanted a vacation, now and then!"

Asahi nodded, "We understand your needs." Mundy replied, "Very interesting. So, you came fully prepared, thanks to your abilities to create an android army, in case anything goes awry."

Carbine said, "Well, we started the test, since the COVID-19 Pandemic. But when AK & Borchardt were attacked, we expanded production. Trouble was, Beretta and Sten were rejected models… So, we chose Glock, AK, Borchardt, and myself."

Percival said, "That makes sense." Yamabuki laughed, "Beretta couldn't stop crying, knowing that the Beretta-bots were lousy with their work. And the Sten-bots… the real Sten, Ikiru Kokonobi, said NO to the prototype. She was too perfect."

"I, uh, may have tweaked the personalities a bit…" Carbine tittered.

Percival said, "Well, there's the truth. Even so, after the Gaoka Clan destroyed the girls, we were able to stop them. AK, Borchardt, and Yamabuki are not Stand Users (though, Yamabuki used to be), and The Gang now have a full roster of Spirits and Stands. We were able to stop these robots…"

Mizuki said, "We really didn't mean to destroy these androids." She added, "But I know one thing, we avenged Yozuki and Iori."

Carbine bowed, "Well, no harm done. I'm happy that I was able to tweak the AI down a notch. That's the reason I chose you guys to stop them. Yamabuki said something about Stand Users in the vicinity. I had no idea these were real… And you said Yamabuki was a Stand User."

Yamabuki paused and said, "Yes… but only because my original Stand is gone, and my body may have perished by now. But I didn't want my soul to leave this body. Kiki, I am sorry about this…"

Carbine nodded, "It's alright. As long as the Gaoka Clan is finally stopped…"

Percival said, "Well, now that it's done… We need answers about them. Do you know of a Megurigaoka Academy?"

Carbine asked, "Huh? Are they from that place?"

He said, "The Gaoka Clan… We want to know more about them."

Carbine said, "I'm sorry… I don't know."

Yamabuki responded, "While we are successful in defeating these four girls, I'm afraid we do not have the answers… y'all are looking fer. Megurigaoka, the origin of these four mystery ladies." Yamabuki stated, "The only way ya're going to solve it, is by goin' to the source."

XXXXX

They left MEA, after that. Percival decided to travel to Megurigaoka Academy, himself. He said to the others, "Anyways… We're stuck. I'll handle Megurigaoka Academy. For now, we're done here."

Farra asked, "You sure you can handle this?"

"I survived a lot, lately." He said, "I know what I'm doing. Take care, guys. I'll be back soon."

He drove off, by himself, as the rest of The Gang waved goodbye to Percival.

Asahi asked, "Any idea what to accomplish there?"

Steven said, "Who cares? Even so, we're just glad this ordeal is now over."

Peter added, "All that's left is Shion Sonozaki."

The Gang returned home, ending their time in MEA, but their main mission is far from over.

At Steffi's, nearby, Steven and Farra were having coffee. Steven said, "And so far, a dead end… MEA knows what goes on… but not in their memories. But the girl…"

"Yuki Takeya…" Farra said, "She says something about Megu-Nee. Suou says that she knows of a woman named Megumi Sakura."

"That's Megu-nee?"

"Yeah… Unfortunately, it's another dead end. She's dead."

"We're back to page one."

Steffi appeared in her shirt and apron, pouring another cup of coffee, "What's going on?"

Farra said, "Personal stuff."

"Oh, I see. You had a rough day?" Steffi said.

Farra replied, "Long story, but we took it in stride."

A man called for a coffee, and Steffi called, "Sorry, folks. I'll serve you another cup, shortly! Please, excuse me."

She walked off, as Steven said, "So, what now?"

Farra stated, "Well, we have only one task to do. If we're to solve the mystery of the Gaoka Clan, we have to go to Megurigaoka Academy. And find the answers we're-."

SMASH!
Steffi dropped her cup and stammered, "Me-Me-Megurigaoka?" Farra asked, "Steffi? What's wrong?"

Steffi cried, "OH! Sorry! I'll get you a fresh cup! My apologies!" She cleaned up the mess, and nodded to Julie, her friend in red flannel. Julie responded, "I see…"

Steffi whispered, "Meet us tonight. You want to know Megurigaoka?"

Steven asked, "Wait, you were there?"

Steffi shushed him, "Quiet! We cannot let the patrons know… It's a long story… Just meet us at closing time, and come alone."

She walked off with a new cup of coffee. Steven thought, "Julie and Steffi know? I wonder…"

BBBBB

That evening, they stayed at Steffi's place, at around 8pm. They closed, as Steffi gave them some beer. "I kept a supply of cold ones on me… but I don't serve it to customers."

Farra said, "So, you know about the school, Megurigaoka Academy?"

Julie nodded, "We do, yes. In fact, while you were busy, we were cleaning up Megurigaoka. While you went to go train in two years, we had to perform for Percival, cleaning up bizarre missions. That includes Megurigaoka, in general."

Steffi shut the blinds, and Julie pulled out an article. She said, "It all began with Megurigaoka City, and the horrible incident… It started with a huge traffic accident. Six years ago, it was the start of a horrible event… The End of Humanity. Of course, we ended it, before it started… Of course, the trouble started in 2012, but we ended it, three years later."

Steffi nodded, "It was a zombie outbreak." She shivered, as Julie said, "She's right. And we were there."

"A zombie outbreak?" Farra gasped, "How did it happen?"

"A mystery… but we did a little searching… and we relocated to the school, after eliminating the rest of the horde."

Julie and Steffi arrived at the high school, armed with rifles. Julie narrated, "The school was barren, despite the fact that there were a few bodies left behind." Steffi shot down a student in the middle of the field. "After the place was abandoned, it was dirty and dank. There was no power, no heat, no water, and nothing else. And all the rations left behind went bad. We decided to search underground."

They reached the teacher's office and Steffi picked up a key. She whispered, "Sakura?" she called, "Julie, look what I found." Julie gasped, "A key? Hmm, where does this lead to?"

"Steffi and I searched the area, only to find a dead end. However, Steffi found a small safe inside a secret compartment. It was a map to the building, a manual for survival, and a DVD. They were useful, in case of an incident like this. But then…"

Julie read the manual, as Steffi watched the DVD of news reports from 2012, the year that Megurigaoka was overrun by zombies. Julie explained it was a biological weapon that somehow coated the city in toxic weather. This was the result of the outbreak, and months later, the city was quarantined from the outbreak, after a few zombies left the city.

"It wasn't Italy or China… but before all that. Horrifying experience. Steffi and I learned of what happened. And the last words we read out of it were…"

Steffi said, "There is no room for victory in this new world… only survival." She growled, "I don't get it…"

They arrived at the rooftop, and saw rotting vegetables in the garden. It was accompanied by two wooden tombs. One was wrapped in red ribbon, and another was with a red dog collar. Steffi whispered, "So… This is where they died…"

Julie narrated, "After getting the manual, we learned of who was inside the underground chamber. It was her, her decaying corpse, slashed in half, and her head smashed into mulch. Her name was… Megumi Sakura." She held up her hand and whispered, "She was the only person who knew of this outbreak. Sakura always protected her students, upon learning of the horror show. Her last will of testimony was bleak… and sad…" Steffi blew her nose, as Julie prayed to her.

"Megu Sakura always protected her students. Even in the final moments of her life." Julie continued, "She formed a club called the "School Life Club"... and she was the leader of said club. Until… one day…"

Megumi was lying on the door, with a bite mark on her arm. Yuki cried, "Megu-Nee! No! Come on, let's go!"

Megumi yelled, "NO! Get out of here, now!"

She shoved the three girls, Yuki, Kurumi, & Yuuri, out of the room, as they pleaded for her to come back. But Megumi didn't flinch. She sobbed, "Girls… I'm sorry. You understand, right? It's too late for me. Yuki… Listen to me… Don't give up hope! Yuuri… I want you to be in charge of the club. Do it, Miss President…"

Yuuri sobbed, "Megu-nee…"

"Kurumi… Protect them… Okay?" Kurumi protested, "YOU CAN DO IT! I trust in you!"

Kurumi was crying, as Megumi said her final words, "Everyone… I'm so happy to be your teacher…" She locked the door and was trapped inside. The girls pleaded for her, as they were crying.

"MEGU-NEE!"
"No, Megu-Nee!"
"Megu-Nee!"
"Please don't do this, Megu-Nee!"

The zombies roared inside, and Kurumi cried, "Crap! RUN!"

Yuki screeched, as she reached for the door, "MEGU-NEE!" She ran to the door, but the others stopped her.

"COME ON! YUKI, LET'S GO!"

"LEMME GO!"

"Stop it, Yuki! NO!" Yuuri cried.

"BUT SHE'S STILL IN THERE! SHE NEEDS US!" She ran off, "MEGU-NEE!"

"YOU CAN'T GO BACK!" Kurumi yelled.

"MEGU-NEE! MEGU-NEE!"

Megumi was crying, as she was holding her arm, and about to be eaten… all while Yuki's cries echoed to her. Yuki broke free and ran to the door.

"MEGU-NEE! OPEN THE DOOR!" Yuki hollered, trying to open it, "COME ON! MEGU-NEE!"

Julie said to them, "They were eventually freed from their prison of hell… with so many zombies… But from what we read, they lost their teacher… and a dog… Megumi Sakura protected her students to the very end. Even still, the girls you mentioned were sole survivors of an Armageddon that almost ended… thanks to us. Steffi and I had backup, and were able to stop the zombie spread. The four girls that survived… disappeared from the city, and were never seen again."

Steven whispered, "Until now. We met them, and they were loyal to the vampire, MIO… even in death. They now served Shion Sonozaki, one of the Stand Users."

Julie said, "Then, it's obvious that they didn't recall all the memories… but it felt like their past memories, since the AU Mind Fuck came along… It happened during this horror show. It lasted three years, and we were able to slow down this zombie epidemic… but even in a pandemic, we were useless to the cause."

She bowed her head, as Farra sniffled, "So… The memories of their past lives resurfaced. And they produced Stands to rekindle their former lives… Former high school students… survivors of a zombie attack… and their teacher sacrificed herself to save the girls."

Steven nodded, "Exactly. Ebisuzawa and Takeya suffered those memories again… and the others were quiet… But still, why did they come here?"

Julie said, "I don't know… and don't care. But as far as we know, even if they have forgotten the despair they suffered, deep memories cannot be erased forever. There are some things in this world you do not understand."

Farra whispered, "Megu-nee…" She then said, "Steven, I have an idea… Where is the DVD?"

Steffi smiled, "We have it. You wanna borrow it?"

Farra nodded, "Sure. The girls we met are in the Speedwagon Foundation. After that, they must tell us of the evil Shion's whereabouts. If they refuse…"

Steven said, "Then they suffer the trauma, forever…"

Julie said, "Good. You have to bring them back to their joyful selves again. If you fail, do what you can to repress their despair. Once you're done, we'll need it back. It belongs to the World Government. And we needed to have this evidence locked away, in case something like this happens again."

Steven replied, "Yeah… We should return it, once we're done."

They took the DVD, and they returned to base. Two days later, they set up a meeting with the Gaoka Clan.

XXXXX

Two days later, the girls meet in a small room, near a store. Yuuri asked, "Interesting… The Gang offered to help us?"

Kurumi sighed, "Sheesh… How long do we have to wait?"

Miki whispered, "We failed, but… But we are upset that everything was a blur."

Yuki was excited, as Cassandra appeared. Yuuri gasped, as Kurumi whispered, "The android…"

Earlier, Farra spoke with Cassandra, "These girls, the School Life Club… They're in your hands now. If they refuse, you know what to do. Contact us, if any information."

"Si, senora. I'll do my best." Cassandra nodded, "Even if I fail… I want to help these girls. Luther will understand."

Cassandra said to them, "Chicas… My name is Cassandra Martinez… I was hired by The Gang to offer help. Before you ask, we would like to ask you questions about your past. However, I have a favor to ask…" She cleared her throat and said, "Do you remember Shion Sonozaki? You work for her, right?"

The girls paused, and Yuuri said, "We refuse to talk…" Kurumi said, "We're sorry. We cannot say where she is now…"

"You mean, like, you want her whereabouts?" Miki asked.

Cassandra said, "Well, two convicts escaped Fort Rawls, in North Carolina… One was Mister, but he was long gone. The other was your boss, your leader… A fellow Stand User."

Yuki sobbed, "Sorry… We don't know…"

Yuuri said, "Well, we cannot say. We obey only Lord MIO… until her death. But Shion was nice enough to recruit us, after our recent trip to Egypt."

Cassandra asked, "You were in Egypt. Any reason why you were there?"

"A field trip…" Yuuri whispered, "Yuki gave us the idea to travel the world… We stopped by Egypt, and we ran into The Gang. Miki had a job at a local outdoor diner, and she witnessed Chazz Princeton defeat Sawako Yamanaka… Kurumi saw the fate of Birch Small, after she failed to oust the others, with the aid of Thoth. And Yuki saw the bird and cat fight Obsidian…"

Cassandra nodded, "I see… I was there when it happened. I was injured. And you, Miss Wakasa?"

Yuuri said, "I saw the battle with Anubis. We had no idea at the time… but it started when we appeared in Egypt. Something inside us started to evolve inside us… and when we woke up, we pledged our loyalty to MIO… no… rather Enyama the Hag…"

Cassandra gasped, as Kurumi continued, "We were introduced to the vampire… and she gave us our new abilities." Yuki was sad, as Yuuri added, "and to make matters worse… Z Country revived her love for Megu-nee…"

"I heard… Megu Sakura… You remember her?" Cassandra whispered.

Miki said, "Only Yuki-senpai…"

Yuki whimpered, "I wish I remembered… We were given cool powers… but Z Country… She was Megu-nee…"

They were sad, as Yuuri said, "I'm sorry, Miss Martinez… We cannot tell you… everything. When MIO died, we thought we'd be finished, but we stayed in Egypt, until the time was right. It took us six years…"

Kurumi concluded, "We were underestimated by you… We were sworn revenge on The Gang. But we were proven the truth, and how you saved the world. Something inside us suddenly woke up."

Cassandra nodded, as she said, "Girls… There's something I wanted to show you… Maybe this will change your minds." She played the DVD, and it showed moments of Megurigaoka. They suddenly saw everything, including their former lives as students/survivors.

The girls were shocked, as they started to remember. Even Yuki.

"Do you like school? I love it so much…" Yuki announced on the PA, during the final moments of the zombie attack, "And I know people will say I am weird, but this place has everything!"

Yuki's tears swelled up, as she whimpered, "Megu-Nee…"

"The Science Room has all kinds of weird devices… The Music Room has lots of pretty instruments and spooky portraits… The Broadcasting Room makes the whole school your stage… I think it's… like its very own country. Like a little world inside a very big building. I think it's awesome… I wanna live in school, forever… but…"

Yuki wept, "All good things must come to an end…"

Miki sobbed, "Taromaru… Kei…"

Kurumi was stunned, as Yuuri was crying.

"School is over. Everyone can go home… We're all here, and we're together. Sometimes, you have to be happy, and sometimes you have to be sad… And that's why I love the school so much.
I hope we can meet again. But today, it's all done… So, everyone, hello… See you tomorrow… Thank you… Goodbye…"

All the girls were crying, as Cassandra was in tears. She sniffled, "All good things… must come to an end… These girls… They were heroes. Legends… Sole survivors of a future, where humanity ended. But… They survived, just the four of them… Their story was lost in time… until now…"

Yuki hugged Miki, as she was bawling. They stopped, as Cassandra said, "Girls… I know you remembered so much… but I want to help you." she prayed and thought, "It has to be…"

The Gaoka Clan, formerly the School Life Club, remembered everything now.

"We were survivors of a horrible moment…" Yuuri said, "And we tried to protect ourselves…"

Miki whispered, "We lost so many… Even our friends and families…"

Kurumi sniffled, "We did it as a team… only it felt bittersweet… Six years… Why did it have to be this long?"

Yuki sobbed, "Taromaru… Megu-nee… Everyone… We're all alone…"

Yuki cried again, as they comforted her.

"A lot of people lost their lives that day…" Megumi continued, "We lost students, teachers, friends, and families… Those girls here will be the only ones left, soon. But I believe that someone will come and save them. As long as I am alive… I will protect them. I was meant to be their teacher…"

The final words of Megu Sakura. The School Life Club remembered everything. They survived the outbreak, but in the process, they lost everything, as well. Their school, their friends, their peace of mind… It hurts so much.

Cassandra said, "I have a solution for you girls." She showed them four brooches. They were shaped like dogs. Miki whispered, "Taromaru…"

"I had them specially designed for you." She said, "It's a little gift. Wear them…"

Yuuri asked, "What are they?"

She explained, "These are brooches for your skin. Wear them, and your souls will be cleansed in pure bliss. In other words, I want to give you pure hope… now that you have nowhere else to go. Wear them, and I want you to be happy."

Kurumi asked, "Is this a joke? These pieces of tin are useless."

Miki said, "But it may sting our skins, or rip out a spot."

"It's stick-on." Cassandra said, "So, it's no problemo. But there is one thing from you… We want you to help us. That's all. You have a choice. Wear them, and be in pure happiness, forever. Refuse, and you can stay here, and withstand the tragedies that will befall you, including right now. And no, not just because of the pandemic." Cassandra offered, "If you act now and obey my word, I promise you… you will experience happiness and peace of mind, for the rest of your lives. Back down, and then… Well… You don't want to experience Megurigaoka Academy, all over again. Do you?"

They were conflicted, as Yuuri nodded, "Thank you… I appreciate the offer… except…"

"Then, how's this? If you don't want to do it, leave now." Cassandra said.

Kurumi gasped, "Huh? You think so?"

"It's up to you. If you refuse, put the brooch down, and leave the room."

They paused, and one brooch went down. Miki stood up and said, "No…" She walked off, as Yuki sobbed, "Mi-kun?"

Kurumi looked at the brooch, and then nodded, "She's out. So, I'm in…"

Yuuri smiled, "Me, too. I want a happy ending…"

Yuki paused and thought, "Bliss or despair? If I refuse, I get to stay with Mi-kun… but then I remember Taromaru and Megu-nee… But if I say yes, will I see Megu-nee, again?"

Yuki nodded, "It matters not to me… Megu-nee, you will always be in my heart…"

Yuuri put the brooch on, as Kurumi smiled, "Well, let's do it."

They put the brooches on, as Cassandra left the room, "Bueno."

Minutes later, Miki was outside, as Cassandra said, "It should be done. Soon."

"Where are the others? They should've joined me!"

"They chose the right decision…" She said, "They escaped despair."

Miki smiled, "Yeah? Can I see them?!" She ran into the room, and cheered, "Miss Yuki!" She stopped and gasped in horror, "N-No… Yuki-senpai? Ri-san? Kurumi?"

Yuki was standing in place, with her eyes gone, and her skin yellowish and shiny. She was a mannequin, like Yuuri and Kurumi. Miki cringed, "No… My friends… They…" She yelled, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?"

"They chose that path, Miki Naoki." Cassandra said, "If you chose the brooch, then you'd suffer, anyways… Even so, you're not alone."

"But why? Why did you turn them into statues?"

"Well, I believe that this was the only way to assure their peace of mind. Years they suffered despair… inside a high school, surrounded by zombies. And I know it's very tough, but… If you chose to stay, you'd get a piece of hope inside you. You were there, when it happened… You mentioned Kei… and on that day…"

"Most horrible moment of my life…" Miki sobbed, "I didn't even… I didn't even say goodbye to them! They're gone… Miss Yuki… Ri-san… Kurumi… Gone…" she sniffled and sobbed, as Cassandra said, "Miki… You were given a second chance in life. These girls, they chose to stay here… as my mannequins. It's a power that my mother gave me, but I don't deserve it. But deep down, they still live inside…"

"They're mannequins now! They're gone!"

"Not exactly." She held her hands out at the Yuuri Mannequin. "I can hear their voices…"

Pollyanna Martinez, Cassandra's late mother, spoke to her, "Cassandra, my daughter… You have my skills. I know it's evil, but I hear you're for good. So, use my own magic, wisely… And do not fall to despair."

Cassandra closed her eyes and nodded, "Yes, mother…"

Miki whispered, "What are you whispering about?"

"Miki… Can you hear them?"

"Mi-kun!" Yuki cheered, from inside the mannequin. Miki was in tears, as she whispered, "Y-Yuki… I… I can hear it…"

She showed the Yuuri Mannequin. She said, "We're all members of the School Life Club. You're not alone in this world…" the Kurumi Mannequin said, "We are all in this together. We're your friends." The Yuki Mannequin concluded, "We're so happy to be with you, Mi-kun."

Miki was sniffling, as she said, "Guys…" She asked, "How long?"

"Eh?"

"How long will you leave them like this?"

"Maybe forever… but that was the plan. Once they are happy again, freed of all sadness, they are free to go. Think of it as jail time… only… rehabilitation. Miki, you're the only one that wanted to live, so you were spared this fate. While you saved yourselves, it didn't bring everyone in Megurigaoka back."

Yuki spoke, "I want you to stay with us… Forever…"

The mannequins echoed, "We love you… Miki…"

Miki sniffled, as she said, "Please… Let me stay with them… I won't be a mannequin, but… Let me take care of them, in your shop. I want to remember their memories, too… And… And I hope that I can erase all the bad times, including how I lost Taromaru… Kei… and Megu-nee… For them…" She bawled, "Please… Let me stay with them."

Cassandra smiled and said, "It is done. Welcome to Casa de Munecas. Senora Naoki."

"Please, call me Mi-kun."

"No. My Japanese is rusty." they giggled, as Cassandra held her shoulder, "But… I want to ask you, one final time…" She glared at her, "Where is… Shion Sonozaki?"

XXXXX

After that, Cassandra left the room, as Miki looked on, one final time.

Cassandra shut the door and nodded, "It is done. Order there must be."

Farra appeared and asked, "So, how did it go?" Cassandra gave the thumbs up and nodded.

Miki whispered, "Guys… I'm sorry…" She prayed to her friends and said, "I'm just happy… that you're safe and sound. Yuki-senpai… You were right…"

The last fleeting image in her past was a girl with brown hair, walking to school, dead and deformed. It was her former friend, Kei. Miki whispered, "I'm so happy to be alive… and that we used to love this school… And yes… I still do…"

[Gaoka Clan (aka School Life Club) - Reformed (Miki Naoki spared of her fate, as the rest were turned into mannequins); currently under the watch of Cassandra & Luther Martinez]
[Shion Sonozaki's whereabouts have been discovered]

Two nights later…

"This is as far as I'll go." Mizuki said, behind the wheel, "You two got this. Contact me, when you're finished."

"Right, love."
"Thanks."

In a forest, Peter & Mundy stepped out of the BattleVan, and Peter signaled Mizuki to leave. Peter said, "Shion is nearby. We go in stealth… at night."

Mundy nodded, "Right, mate. Follow me. We'll take the hard-to-see route." He viewed the scope and spotted Shion's hideout. He said, "It's 20 kilometers ahead. This way."

Peter thought, "Finally, almost done with this mission. Soon, Shion Sonozaki will be ours."

He said, "If we show ourselves, we may let her escape. It's best if we use the element of surprise."

Mundy responded, "Camouflage is my specialty. You leave this to me, mate. I'll bag me that green-haired wanker, and I'll tag her back to North Carolina… The End."

He signaled, "This way… Avoid contact."

They split up, and they were heading closer to Shion's house. After the Gaoka Clan was turned into mannequins, Miki Naoki told Cassandra of Shion's whereabouts. And it was helpful to the cause.
Finally, things were about to be normal, as The Gang was about to wrap up their hardest mission ever.

Or so we thought…

Episode 3 - The End

One Day Earlier…

Meanwhile, in Egypt, a man in a black suit left the jail. He walked through the gate, and the prison guard said, "Well, you're free to go, sir." The man responded, "Thank you."

"Your sentence has ended, but they are giving you parole. Don't do anything like before."

The man said, "Oh, I won't." he smirked, as the guard cried, "H-Hey! Try not to cause too much trouble, like five years ago!"

He tipped his hat and sighed in relief. He was a tall man with brown hair and a beard. He whispered, "Free at last…"

The man was Steven Nevins, The Gang's founder and traitor to the team. He was serving a long sentence for his role with MIO, long ago. His sentence was now over.

Mr. Nevins chartered a taxi and said, "Cairo Airport. And hurry."

The driver said, "Yes, sir. Cairo International."

The cab drove away, as Steven Nevins was returning home… to America.

To be continued…