"All right, Grandma Shano, let Auntie Mana—!" Smirking, the Ultimate Announcer didn't get to finish her joke before—

"Mana!" The Ultimate Producer threw an arm out in front of the other woman's face.

"Awww, whaaat?" Too late did Mana realize that Shano wasn't playing around, and not just because "overly serious and literal" was her default personality. The reason they were working together was because ever since Shano and Airi returned from Jabberwock, with the power and blessing of Artemis on their side, they were adamant that the clock was ticking on the lives of the rest of their surviving students.

"Wait. Surviving students?" Toka had covered her mouth with her hand, wincing. Airi flinched and nodded, and even Shano's eyes briefly flicked down behind her dark sunglasses. Artemis confirmed with Hades that some of their students were no longer among the land of the living, and even though it was not an unexpected blow, the level of pain it caused the quartet was even worse than they'd ever imagined.

"The girls…" Hand on hip, face and voice flat, Shano had gazed out the window of the Hope's Peak staff breakroom as she recounted the tale.

The next time they were prepared to leave the academy on a mission, Airi was paired with Toka while Shano stayed behind with Mana. Now, they were working side by side at a single laptop, and the screen had suddenly flashed with blinding light. Fearful of a brainwashing attack—Shano didn't believe the rumors of such powerful weaponry, but she did not want to take a chance—she flung her arm out in front of Mana.

As usual, Mana didn't seem to take things as seriously as her unit-mates. Even when Shano first expressed surprise at being switched out with Toka, Mana's tone was playful and joking. "Our dear, beloved, Ultimate Airhead spilled some of her water on our last laptop, and well, we managed to find a spare, but we need your login information again, cuz we're locked out and all out of username/password attempts."

Shano's surprise hadn't lessened, though some of it turned into incredulity. So that was why she was being instructed to stay behind this time? Her login information? She couldn't help but sigh and shake her head, hand on hip, but it was a rather Mana thing to do… But the reason her login info was needed was because of that mysterious contact list she received on the academy's special 4D network a while back.

ShanoP was the account added to the list, even though it was long-inactive by then. And although it was far beyond CoA's understanding, this was because Nozomi was the one who added CoA to the list, and Shano was the member of CoA that she was closest to. The reason she kept Shano from ever meeting AI-buki was to prevent the Ultimate Producer from blaming herself for Ibuki's death.

With another Killing Game nearing its death throes, it was more important now than ever before that someone got in contact with K1-B0.

The second Mana had Shano's credentials, she was speed-typing away on her newest, driest laptop. "Keebo?" she murmured. For some reason, her camera view appeared to be inside the Ultimate Robot, and that was what sparked Shano's earlier alarm. THAT'S an angle I've never seen before…

"Ms. Kase!" he murmured back. His voice even sounded echo-y, as if she was truly inside his hollow, metal shell of a body.

Although, as Mana also noticed… "Keebo… Why do you sound so… static-y? And buzzy? Is your 4D connection bad today?"

"Is that a robophobic remark?" he asked back, and she was surprised to note that rather than sounding irritated, he'd chuckled sadly. As he would explain, the ahoge atop his head was recently blown off, and that was the device that once made him such an excellent signal-channeler.

It connected him to the outside world, and CoA worked with him in the past to secure some of the coding for the Neo World Program for themselves, all on behalf of their secret puppet master, Nozomi Kamukura. Without that ahoge/antennae, K1-B0's communication capacities diminished, but he'd seen, heard, and learned much since the last time he'd contacted any of the professors of the outside world, including his own creator-father, Professor Idabashi.

"If you will allow me, I would like to introduce you to some friends of mine," he said. His robotic voice managed to be so solemn, soft, and sad that even Mana took notice. The friends he introduced them to were Shuichi Saihara, Himiko Yumeno, and Maki Harukawa, the Ultimate Detective, Mage/Magician, and … Undisclosed.

Talent undisclosed? Shano's sunglasses flashed in the light of K1-B0's screen.

"Talent undisclosed?" Mana asked, far less tactful than Shano, who cringed and sighed beside her. "Keebo, what's that mean?"

"Do you want to die? Stop asking!" Maki hissed, red eyes flashing. K1-B0 held up his hands, trying to calm the voices inside and out of his head.

"We… lost another friend recently…" An image flashed on Mana and Shano's screen, a memory image file from K1-B0.

Shano's dark eyes flashed behind her even darker sunglasses as they again flashed in the light of K1-B0's screen. She recognized that face! That boy, immediately! And right as K1-B0's thoughts narrated the name out loud.

"Kaito Mamota, Ultimate Astronaut, Luminary of the Stars!" They heard a memory audio file of Kaito play at the same time K1-B0 said the name.

Shano's stomach twisted as she suddenly thought of Saki Izumo, the little one… In the rare time she stayed behind after class or practice to confide shyly and quietly in the Ultimate Producer, if it happened to be about Kaito Mamota, she always spoke about him with such fondness, softness, and admiration. He really was her hero, and she really was his lil sidekick. To realize that he'd been executed in a Killing Game…?

"So… this is… the outside world?" Shuichi seemed dazed as he stared at Mana and Shano through K1-B0, and they back at him.

ooo

"Haruki…" Ryujin sighed compassionately, reaching out to rest a hand on the other man's shoulder.

"Yeah?" Haruki turned around to face Ryujin, Ryujin's hand just barely missing his shoulder. Whether it was intentional or not was unknown to the Ultimate Restaurateur. The Ultimate Negotiator sometimes acted a fool, but one did not possess such a Talent as his and not excel at reading other people. Haruki enjoyed playing dumb, meaning that he no doubt knew how to play other roles as well…

Dennojo's the stonewall, Sho was the shifty-eyed mutterer. Huh! Since when did a bunch of cool young rebels who didn't care what the world thought of them turn into such cowardly old men afraid of everything and everyone, even each other? They were much more raw and real in their younger years. LMO's vocalist couldn't help but close his eyes and smirk at the memories.

Restaurateur though he was, like Haruki, his emotional intelligence was higher than some may have realized. After all, when I would change the music playing in the Hope's Peak café to fit the mood of the students, that shows I had to have been paying attention! (Eavesdropping, more like). But that was why music was Ryujin's next great love behind restaurants. Dinner loved a show, food and song were deeply human arts.

Looking at Haruki, Ryujin could see shades of him in his niece. Now it was clear where her Talent came from, as an Ultimate Announcer and an Ultimate-Social-Media-Influencer-wannabe. Perhaps having to be her uncle helped Haruki grow up a little. Like any good adult, he could put on a smile to protect the young and the innocent. But how was he supposed to smile now that his youngster, his niece, was gone?

Just like Shinobu, Kyoko, and all the others, Michiru was no longer on the grid. Technically, there was no confirmation that she was dead or alive, but for such a social-media-addicted youngster to go so silent for so long so suddenly? Even the portable set of DJ turntables that she and Lumina found and restored—and the device Lumina herself was on—seemed unable to connect back to any of LMO or CoA.

Michiru hadn't told her uncle, or anyone in his unit or CoA, about the truth of Lumina Ichihoshi, but Haruki at least knew that she was a friend and protector of Michiru's, and that she was really good with computers and technology. That was what assuaged Haruki's fears about Michiru running around Towa City for so long. But now, even Lumina had gone dark. Haruki looked like a smaller, younger, blonder Dennojo.

Sho and Ku were gone too, the Ultimate Organizer and Promoter, father and son. Ever since LMO fractured because Sho ran off to pursue his own ambitions, Ku became something of an honorary replacement. In light of the Tragedy, however, and all the missing Ultimates, Ku had since followed in his father's footsteps, literally and metaphorically. He went chasing his own ambition, seeking to know if Sho was truly guilty or not.

"I don't want to suggest that my father would be a… kidnapped or killer, but…" Ku had winced. Even though his father was never present in his own life, his father was ever searching for that perfect someone to be the thing that led him onto glory. The Tragedy was a perfect time to get away with something as big as an Ultimate kidnapping and have it be much harder to trace back to the guilty party…

The last message LMO or CoA had from Ku stated that he'd followed his father all the way to America, to the FF…

What could Sho possibly want with them?! It was a question his three ex-unit mates, and son, wondered day and night. But for better or worse, only Ku had the time and energy to pursue him so intently. The others had to remain in Japan, holding down the crumbling remains of the academies, and their surrounding cities and providences. The others allowed Ku to pursue Sho, understanding how much it meant to the son.

But no matter what they thought, Ku was under no such delusion that his father loved him. No, this hunt was purely and only that. It was a test, Sho leaving clues to guide, lure, and draw his son closer and closer… If the boy was smart and worthy, he would unravel the mystery. If he was unworthy, he would fail. Ku wasn't going to back down from such a bold yet cowardly (his father in a nutshell) challenge like that!

But that made it hard for Ryujin, who was one of the ones who had to stay behind in Japan. With his other companions so spread out—or carrying burdens of their own too big to share another's—that left the Ultimate Restaurateur with few companions to interact with. Hadn't he said before how much he valued the art and beauty of humanity and emotion? Connection? It was hard being so alone, especially in times like this.

He physically had Haruki and Dennojo, yes, but with Haruki acting like Dennojo and Dennojo acting like the perfect stereotype of his Talent (Ultimate Martial Arts Instructor), Ryujin's options were rather limited. And then with CoA… Well, his coworker, Airi Amano, fellow vocalist of a DJ quartet, was still away on Jabberwock Island with her unit-mates. Or some of them, at least.

Much like LMO, CoA experienced a divide over the years, though theirs was not quite so intense, fiery, and singular as Sho's falling out with his unit. Now, even though they were all back together in name, they were still so far apart in body. Neither unit was completely whole yet, especially not with so many family, friends, and young Ultimates missing.

Can it be? Was Hope's Peak really the academy we attended only a few years prior? It felt like so many lifetimes now.

ooo

"Thanks for being here, Toka," Airi murmured, resting her cheek on the other woman's shoulder.

"Of course, Airi!" Toka said, handing her a glass of water. She remembered the vocalist-turned-barista/vocal coach, and how much time they'd spent together, both as CoA, and later as brief "business partners" when Toka sold water out of Airi's Hope's Peak's café. It was what led to her, and later the rest of their unit, to befriending LMO. Of course, many of them had known of Dennojo, and some of them Sho, and maybe even Haruki, but Ryujin was the most likely to be seen on a daily basis. The same went for his vocalist CoA counterpart, Toka's current companion.

Shano and Mana were also beloved friends of the Ultimate Voice Teacher and Hydrologist, but they weren't always quite as… emotionally subtle or sensitive the way Airi and Toka were. Shano was a little too blunt because she was direct and straightforward, overly-literal. Mana, meanwhile, was blunt because she was aggressive, passionate, and quick. By contrast, Airi had a gentle streak that made her an excellent teacher. And Toka just got confused easily, which meant she didn't always say much, but she could listen well (sometimes). Though her absentminded nature worked against her, Airi had to admit. Guess that means I'M the most emotionally mature one? Scary… heheh.

But it was hard to find humor in much, for although summoning and convening with Artemis had been a success, a literal dream come true, and the ultimate trip down memory lane, there was still a bittersweetness to it because of how many students were now confirmed dead.

And it's not even just the students of Hope's Peak, Pinnacle, or the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. It's the American campus too…

It was a secret only they knew, but Aria, that American singer Airi befriended so long ago, was Artemis, the same goddess she and her three future unit-mates once dared each other to summon, their ultimate wish being to create a band together, which they named in Artemis' honor. But goddess though she was, Artemis could not always have her way, and was taken from the world, forced to "die" as Aria, leaving Airi for many years.

Even now, she did not linger long, and things were not the same between them as they once were. But Artemis had not left Airi entirely alone. She would always have CoA, even if they were disbanded. And Artemis had also partially left Airi a child, a daughter. Alas, she was now dead as well, life ended by her own hand in a fit of almost literal blind madness.

I never wanted for the course of your fates to… proceed in this manner… Artemis-Aria had said upon reuniting with Airi after the Tragedy. She could feel her demigod daughter's soul also somewhere in Hades, but… the strangest thing… There was another trace of her still on the surface world. In Japan… Alas, Artemis could not reach it.

And it was not as if Airi could be expected to track a small, magical trace to one specific location in all of Japan, especially in a post-Tragedy world. But even though Airi felt as though all Hope had been lost, their shattered and fractured bonds tossed to the wind, Toka absentmindedly put a more positive spin on the entire thing.

"At least we're not all alone in all of this," she said quietly, and without thinking. It was perhaps not as deep as Airi took it, but in the end, it became exactly what she needed to hear. Perhaps that other girl, all the way over in America, was dead. Perhaps Artemis could not reach her, or any of the other dead students, or even the living ones, including the strange traces in Japan. But not everyone, not every Hope, was dead.

LMO and CoA may not be fully reunited, per se. We may each still be divided in our own separate ways. But… at least we are still able to interact and trade places with each other if we need to! Cliché as it may be, we have each other. We have our LOVE for each other, and we are all friends, living or dead, here or there. It would not be enough forever, but it would be enough for now, and that was perfectly all right.