Yuuko collapsed on one knee. Her Eudial transformation had come undone; she was too exhausted to keep it up.

"It's over, Arimura-san. It would be in your best interest to surrender," Mars warned.

"And you better tell us everything you're up to with Teruno-san!" Venus added.

Yuuko's breathing was ragged. Now that she wasn't in her witch form she knew the fight was over. But she couldn't stop now, not until… Yuuko was tempted to take a second Daimon Germ, but she had the feeling it would be too much for her body. Plus, she needed that extra pill for something else…

When she thought it might be over for her, Yuuko noticed something coming up at great speed behind the Sailor Senshi and a smirk appeared on her lips.

"Oh, I'm not up to anything with Teruno-san, you idiots!" Yuuko taunted.

"W-what… what are you saying all of a sudden?" Venus reacted.

"Venus, watch out!"

Mars barely had the time to push her companion out of the way of an oncoming car. Not just any car- Eudial's station wagon!

"Huh!? What was that!?" Venus exclaimed.

Much to Mars and Venus' shock, the person at the wheel wasn't the one they thought was Yuuko's accomplice.

"Isn't that…?" Venus began.

"Bidou Yui!?" Mars exclaimed.

Yuuko took advantage of their confusion and made her way to the passenger seat.

"You took your sweet time," Yuuko complained as she sat down, closing the door behind her.

"What a peculiar way to say 'thanks for saving my ass for the second time'," Yui replied with a smug smile.

Mars and Venus snapped out of their confusion when they noticed that there was a third person in the station wagon, lying down on the back seat.

"Ami-chan!?" Mars shouted.

Their friend seemed unconscious.

"What have you done to her!?" Venus cried out.

But it was in vain. The car drove away as quickly as it arrived. They ran after the car until it disappeared into the distance.

Suddenly, they received a call on their transmitters.

"Venus, Mars!" Jupiter's voice came out from the devices. "We got it all wrong. Teruno-san isn't Eudial's accomplice, it's Viluy! And Ami-chan was supposed to hang out with her today-"

"We know that already," Mars interrupted her. "It's too late… they kidnapped Ami-chan!"

"For the last time, I have nothing to do with whatever Arimura-san and Bidou-san are planning!" Lulu insisted.

"Those two were your allies, how can you not be aware of what they're doing!?" Pluto said back.

While Jupiter called her fellow inner senshi and learned what happened, the outers were quick to point fingers at Lulu once again.

"They are not my 'allies'. I am not the person you seem to think I am… not anymore."

"Neither are Arimura Yuuko and Bidou Yui. Just like you, they aren't witches anymore, and yet they aren't acting much different than when they were still Eudial and Viluy. So forgive us if we are a little bit skeptical about you," Neptune replied.

Lulu looked at a loss of words for a moment, clearly taking in perspective what Neptune said.

"... I can't argue with that. I myself am not sure why those two are acting that way," Lulu said. "Well, mostly Arimura-senpai. She was always a kind person… Bidou-san, on the other hand…"

"Are you really going to continue to act like you have no idea what they're up to?" Uranus accused, stepping towards her menacingly.

"Wait, Uranus!"

Jupiter immediately stepped between Uranus and Lulu.

"Are you still going to defend her, Jupiter? After Ami got kidnapped by them!?"

"I'm also worried for Ami-chan, but I still don't think Teruno-san has anything to do with this. Although…" Jupiter turned towards Lulu. "I always had the feeling that there was some tension between you and Bidou-san. Is it related to what's going on?"

Lulu looked hesitant to answer for a moment before she finally opened her mouth.

"It's not… let's just say Bidou-san and I aren't exactly what you'd consider 'good friends'. We weren't on good terms before we got… turned into witches. I had a suspicion that, just like me, she might've gotten her memory back and was hiding it for whatever reason, but, I would have never guessed she'd be up to such nefarious actions… even for her it seems too far."

"So you knew she had her memory back and didn't tell us?" Pluto reacted.

"Why would I? I didn't want you to know I remembered everything, so there was no way for me to tell you without outing myself. And as I said, I couldn't have guessed what Bidou-san was up to. I thought she may have similar reasons as me to hide that fact. Obviously, I was wrong. Still, kidnapping someone… this is just too much. I had no idea she could do such a thing."

"You said you weren't on good terms with Bidou Yui. Is there a reason why?" Jupiter asked.

"... why are you asking? It has nothing to do with whatever is going on…"

"Please. Anything you can tell us about Bidou-san or even Arimura-san could help us figure out what they're up to, and where they could be. We just want to save our friend."

Lulu looked down for a moment, thoughtful.

"Bidou-san… always had a nasty personality. Even before she became a witch. She's not much different than the one you knew as Viluy. Becoming a witch just made her worse. And yet, I still never expected for her to commit an actual crime…"

"What kind of person is Bidou Yui?" Neptune asked.

"She's what you'd call a bully. Maybe not the typical bully who openly brutalizes people, but a bully nonetheless. She's good at pretending to be nice, but she has no problem being cruel to those she looks down on if she thinks she can get away with it. She's a cunning and manipulative person who only knows how to use people she can benefit from, and puts down those she views as useless."

"So she probably always planned to manipulate Ami-chan, she took advantage of her kindness…!" Jupiter let out, clenching her fist.

"That seems to be the case. I'm sorry. I had a feeling she might be using your friend, but I thought this was probably just to benefit from her academic prowess. If I had known or suspected that she might have more sinister intentions, I would have-"

"Well, it's too late for that," Neptune said. "What's done is done."

"What about Arimura-san? You said she used to be a nice person," Jupiter asked.

"She was… honestly even as Eudial she was by far the least horrendous among us."

"She kidnapped Neptune and tried to kill us both," Uranus said.

"That's why I said 'least' horrendous one. Don't get me wrong, I know Eudial was bad. But Arimura-senpai would have never done such a thing-"

"And yet she helped Bidou Yui kidnap Ami-san," Pluto interrupted.

"I know that! That's why I'm telling you I have no idea why she'd do such a thing, this isn't like her…!"

"Earlier you told me you thought that Arimura-san must be manipulated by someone, that she was taken advantage of. Could this person be Bidou-san?" Jupiter asked.

"Bidou-san is one of the people who's most likely to manipulate senpai. These two used to be somewhat close before this whole witches incident. Bidou-san always tended to take advantage of senpai's kindness and patience for her own benefit. She has always been too lenient with people like Bidou-san… Definitely, she has to be the reason why senpai is acting so out of character!"

Jupiter crossed her arms, thinking. "Do you know anything else about Bidou-san that could help us? Like, where does she live…?"

"Oh, I do know her apartment."

"Why haven't you told us sooner!?" Uranus exclaimed.

"... because I highly doubt she'd still be at the very first place people would think of right after kidnapping someone. She's not stupid you know. Far from it."

"Still, there may be some clues about her current whereabouts. Do tell us her address," Neptune asked.

"Hm. Fine."

Lulu pulled out her phone and texted the address to Makoto's number. When she heard the notification, Jupiter pulled out her own phone.

"Alright, I'll be on my way there," Jupiter said. "Are you coming with us?"

Lulu suddenly looked away.

"... no. This has nothing to do with me anymore."

"Huh!? Nothing to do with you? It has everything to do with you!" Uranus exclaimed.

Lulu sighed.

"Should I remind you that I'm an ordinary human now? I told you everything I know. I empathize with what you're struggling with, but there's nothing more I can do to help. And frankly, I'd like to not be involved anymore. This is exactly why I kept my memory returning a secret from you. I don't want to have anything to do with this…"

"This isn't something you can simply walk off from-" Pluto began to say.

"No, it's fine. We shouldn't involve her anymore," Saturn, who had kept quiet all this time, finally spoke.

"What do you mean, Saturn…?" Neptune asked.

"Teruno Lulu is a normal civilian. She got dragged off into this mess against her will by the Death Busters. She isn't Tellu anymore, so it's unfair to treat her as such. She's not any different from other Death Busters' victims, nor is she responsible for Arimura-san and Bidou-san's actions."

"Saturn-" Uranus tried to chime in.

"How is she going through anything different from me and Mistress 9?" Saturn added.

This time, it seemed her words went through the other outer senshi like a blade.

"Mistress 9…?" Lulu reacted, before shaking her head. "Nevermind. If you understand, then I'll take my leave."

As Lulu began to walk away she said one last thing. "Be careful with Bidou-san and… take care."

After Jupiter texted them the address, Venus and Mars had rushed to Yui's apartment complex. They were surprised to see Sailor Moon there already.

"Usagi-chan!?" Venus exclaimed.

"Mako-chan told me everything," Sailor Moon explained. "We have to save Ami-chan!"

They nodded, and all three of them rushed inside the building, taking the elevator to the top floor. They quickly headed to Yui's apartment and were surprised to discover the front door wasn't locked.

"I guess she left in a hurry," Venus said.

"Careful, this might be a trap!" Mars warned.

On their guards, the senshi slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

Just as expected, there was no one.

"Obviously, she wouldn't have come back here," Mars said.

"There may still be some clues left. Let's investigate!" Venus declared.

"Anything that could lead us to Ami-chan," Sailor Moon added.

They nodded in unison and slit up. Sailor Moon went to the living room, Mars to the kitchen while Venus searched for the bedroom.

What Sailor Moon first noticed were the cups of tea on the coffee table, as well as two mathematics books. One of the cups was empty while the other was half-filled.

"Sailor Moon!"

Jupiter entered the living room, followed by the outer senshi.

"Jupiter, everyone!" Sailor Moon replied. "Mars and Venus are investigating the rest of the apartment."

"Have you found anything yet?" Pluto asked.

Sailor Moon shook her head.

"Nothing relevant. Ami-chan wasn't here when we arrived, unfortunately," Sailor Moon replied before she gestured at the coffee table. "It seems like she was having tea with Bidou-san."

"Ami-chan did say she'd be studying at Bidou-san's place today," Jupiter confirmed.

Neptune took a better look at the two cups.

"One is empty while the other still has some tea in it," Neptune remarked as she took the half-filled cup to examine it further. "It's still somewhat lukewarm. They probably left not too long ago."

Mars suddenly burst into the living room.

"Look what I found in the kitchen- oh, you're here too!"

Mars was holding what seemed to be a bottle of pills.

"What are these?" Uranus asked.

"Sleeping pills," Mars replied as she handed her the bottle. "I found it strange that they were in the kitchen. Normally those would be in the bathroom…"

Mars then noticed the cup of tea Neptune was holding.

"Of course!" Mars exclaimed. "She must have drugged Ami-chan's drink with those! That's why she was unconscious in the car."

"What!? How despicable!" Jupiter let out.

"That would explain why this one isn't finished. Ami-chan must have fallen asleep half through it," Neptune concurred.

"Oh, great, you're all here!"

Venus entered the living room, holding some pieces of paper.

"What's that?" Mars asked.

"Newspaper clips I found in Bidou-san's bedroom," Venus replied. "There wasn't anything interesting there other than these. Quite the boring room. Feels like all she does there is sleep."

"Well, this is the point of a bedroom," Jupiter replied.

"I know! But you understand what I mean. There wasn't any personality, nothing making the room feel unique, no decoration. There was literally just a bed, clothes, and a computer."

"This apartment overall feels empty, like there are only the essentials," Mars added.

"She probably knew we'd find this place so she made sure to have nothing that could incriminate her," Neptune concluded. "She's also unlikely to come back here now that we know she's up to no good."

"What are those newspapers about?" Pluto asked.

"They're about incidents related to Professor Tomoe and Mugen Academy," Venus replied.

"About my father…?" Saturn reacted.

"More specifically, the accident that occurred in his laboratory years ago, as well as the destruction of Mugen Academy."

"May I see?" Neptune asked

Venus handed the newspapers to Neptune.

"Hm… this is a list of the people involved in the accident," Neptune began. "It lists the survivors, the victims, as well as the people who weren't found. Those were declared missing and eventually added to the list of victims."

"Who are they?" Uranus asked.

"Kuromine Kaori and Shibuichi Rin," Neptune answered. "Kuromine-san was Professor Tomoe's secretary and assistant, while Shibuichi-san was a student and an intern working as an assistant for Kuromine-san."

"Kuromine… Kaori?" Sailor Moon said. "Kaori… wait-"

"Yes, it must be Kaori-san… or rather, Kaolinite!" Saturn revealed. "So she was supposed to have died during that accident…"

"Well, obviously she didn't," Uranus said. "I guess that's why they never found her body."

"Hm, I wonder… maybe she did die and was brought back as Kaolinite," Neptune theorized. "It wouldn't be the first time she died only to come back."

"What about this Shibuichi Rin? Did they ever find her body?" Mars asked.

"No, it seems she is still missing to this day," Neptune replied.

"Shibuichi Rin… I don't think I ever heard this name before, yet it somehow sounds familiar…" Jupiter said.

"What about the other newspapers?" Pluto asked.

"It's about the fall of Mugen Academy. Once again, it lists the name of those who disappeared," Neptune replied.

"But I thought… that there were no casualties when the school was destroyed…" Sailor Moon reacted.

"Officially, there were none. They didn't find any bodies. But there were still a few students that went missing after the incident," Neptune explained. "Arimura Yuuko, Hanyuu Mimi, Teruno Lulu and Bidou Yui were all declared missing."

"Oh, right…"

"Hmm… it mentions Bidou-san's family. Looks like they're very influential," Neptune added. "It seems her parents are the owners of Bidou Corps, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation. I guess they were mentioned in the article since their daughter went missing."

"Bidou Corps, huh… I heard about it. They're rumoured to not respect health regulations, and be cutthroat in how they handle their many scandals," Pluto said.

"Well, I guess it's no wonder Bidou-san would be this messed up, given her parents," Venus said.

"People are more than their parents, but sometimes, that can explain a lot," Mars added.

"I wonder why Bidou-san had those articles," Jupiter said. "She clearly didn't mind leaving them here so she probably didn't intend to keep them."

"She was probably doing some research and discarded them once she learned what she was looking for," Neptune said. "She probably didn't think they'd be incriminating information on her either."

"Well, she was kind of right. I don't think these really help us. It's nothing we didn't know already or could have found on our own," Uranus said.

"Except for this Shibuichi girl… it's the first time I've heard of her," Pluto said.

"I doubt she's relevant. Probably just another poor victim of that accident," Venus added.

"I guess we won't find any more clues here," Mars said. "Let's go back to our hideout and see if we can locate Ami-chan another way."

"At last, I finally have her- this perfect body of hers and her pure heart are mine!"

Yuuko raised an eyebrow at Yui's rather suspicious comment. Mizuno Ami was currently lying on a metallic table, still unconscious, while Yui was now wearing her lab coat. After they'd successfully kidnapped Ami, they took refuge in one of Eudial's secret laboratories.

"What do you mean by 'perfect body'?"

Yui didn't reply, her hand gently brushing Ami's cheek.

"Bidou-san?"

"Hm? Oh, you know… her body would be a perfect host for a Daimon Egg," Yui replied nonchalantly. "Mizuno-san is the kind of genius that could give birth to a powerful and perfect Daimon."

"Great, great… But how does that benefit us? We don't even have Daimon Eggs anymore… I hope you have a good reason for going through all that trouble to kidnap that girl. I put my life on the line for this plan of yours!"

"Do not underestimate me. It worked, didn't it? These idiots completely thought Teruno-san was working with you- if we're lucky they probably still think so… Anyway, do you have what I asked for?"

Yuuko nodded and handed her the Daimon Germ she had left. Yui examined the pill with great interest.

"Fascinating… where did you get these?" Yui asked.

"Oh, uh… those are made from the energy left of a Daimon Egg. Given we don't have any of those anymore, the number of Daimon Germs is pretty limited… I only have a few left from Kaolinite-sama."

Yui glared at her. "What about that old hag?"

Yuuko winced. Yui still didn't know that Kaolinite was alive, and she had no intention of telling her. They didn't seem to be on good terms in the past, so it was in her best interest to not mention she was working for her.

"As I said, I got these pills from her, before she… you know…"

"Finally bit the dust?" Yui finished with a grin. "Good riddance. Well, I guess we'll have to settle for what we have left."

Yuuko quietly sighed, relieved that Yui didn't insist. After Yui rescued her once, Yuuko hesitated to team up with her. After all, she was loyal to Kaolinite. But upon realizing she couldn't handle the power given by the Daimon Germ very well, she decided it was for the best to accept Yui's proposal. The latter claimed she could stabilize the pills and make them safer to use.

"Will you be able to make the Daimon Germs more efficient? They don't last long and they take a rather heavy toll on the body," Yuuko said.

"I think I could do even better than that," Yui replied. "I should be able to use this and create new Daimon Eggs."

"Huh!? Really?!"

"Mhm. Or at least, an artificial equivalent. Something that could greatly extend how long we can use the powers while diminishing the risk to the body."

Yuuko was surprised. She didn't think it was possible, given Kaolinite herself said they could no longer have more eggs. It seemed like Yui could be more useful than she initially thought.

"That would be great!" Yuuko said before glancing at the unconscious Ami. "But… how is it related to kidnapping this girl?"

"I'll need a lot of energy in order to create new Daimon Eggs. The best kind of energy is within a pure heart crystal," Yui replied, her hand wandering on Ami's chest. "And there's no stronger heart crystal than the one belonging to a Sailor Senshi. Especially this one. She has such a pure heart…"

Yui's smile turned sinister. Yuuko somehow felt uneasy.

"Still, drugging and kidnapping a girl feels… tasteless."

"Hm? Are you feeling some remorse, Arimura-san? It's not like you ever felt guilty for such actions before… at least as Eudial."

Yuuko clenched her fist.

"Are you implying that I'm not Eudial anymore!?"

"My my, there's no need to get angry. I can call you whatever you want if that's what you'd prefer. You can also call me Viluy if you like. It's not like I'm much different as a witch or a human."

Yuuko didn't add anything to that statement. She was having so many conflicting feelings that she couldn't think straight anymore.

"... Anyway, just do what you have to do with this girl. Just don't do anything weird or suspicious," Yuuko said.

Yui chuckled at that. "Just leave everything to me, senpai."

Yuuko nodded and walked away, rubbing her temples, trying to get a hold of herself.

"I am Eudial, I am Eudial, I am Eudial, I am Eudial-" she kept telling herself like it was a mantra.