"Feeling better?" Ries asked the younger pinkette after she wiped her tears. She only nodded before opening her mouth.

"Um... about your offer... I'm sorry, but I can't answer it now."

Ries frowned. "May I know why?"

She did not intend to force Juna's hand, but she was honestly curious that her peaceful offer was being hung in the air.

Juna smiled at her. "You see... There are still lots of things the SSS and, by proxy, Crossbell will face. I don't know the scope of your mission, but I think it might end before the problem in Crossbell is resolved. So I can't go away before that."

Juna turned her attention once the honk of the public bus was heard. "That's the bus! Come on, Miss Ries."

She stood up from her seat before turning to her again. "Oh, and Lloyd is relying on me, and I don't want to disappoint him," she finished with a wink before running towards the incoming bus with splashes on each step.

...

Why would she run to the bus when it would stop right here in front of them? Ries shook her head. Fortunately, Juna remembered her umbrella so that she wouldn't be soaked.

Still, at least Juna did not reject her offer outright. But there was one thing that Juna had missed. Her mission was also tied to Crossbell. There was a big chance that it wouldn't end without a big conflict like two years ago.

"..."

Should she disclose her full mission to Juna? With how she could deduce the most likely scenario from just a few loose pieces of information, they might find a solution with the 'Divine Child,' KeA, and the plot that could consume the entirety of Crossbell.

"No," Ries sighed to herself. "I can't just rely on her. If my read of her is correct..."

Then Juna would have just burdened herself further to help her.

Ries was not desperate enough to do something like that to someone she had only known today.

The support requests brought the SSS to an abandoned mine in Mainz. When they checked the inside, Noel caught a whiff of an explosive, causing a landslide that closed the entrance, trapping the four of them inside. They had no choice but to look for another exit, exploring the abandoned mine. For some reason, the higher elements were active inside the mine. A point that Lloyd would note down and think about once they found an exit.

Right now, the four of them were about to enter a narrow passage and-

Hold on.

"Lloyd?"

"What's wrong?"

Noel and Elie asked him in concern from behind.

"Elie. Remember Juna's words about narrow passages back in the Sun Fort?" Lloyd asked the one who was with him back when they busted the cult's secret place.

"...I can't recall it clearly. But Juna did say something about narrow passages, yes." Elie answered hesitantly.

"Another of her advice?" Wazy hummed.

"Even about narrow passages?" Noel asked in confusion.

It was easy to understand why Noel would be confused. The quote itself almost didn't come into his mind. But thankfully, he remembered it in time.

"Lloyd, didn't you note it down?"

"Yes," Lloyd nodded, answering Elie's question. "I had it in my notebook. But I remembered it clearly. Juna said, 'A long passage where you couldn't escape? Or even a big circular area with the focus on the center? You are more inclined to face strong opponents there.'"

"Huh?!" Noel asked, even more confused than before. "What?"

"Oh yeah, I remember now. After that, we immediately faced Garcia and Joachim."

"So it really came true?"

"Yes. Which is why I want us to prepare ourselves before going. Maybe take five minutes to rest and recover our stamina," Lloyd offered the team.

"I see... that's certainly a good idea, considering that it looked like this is the deepest part of the mine," Wazy nodded in agreement.

The four of them then grouped together and sat down to rest, with Lloyd taking the first guard duty.

"Hold on, if what Juna said is also applicable here... then there might be a strong monster at the end of the mine!" Noel realized the implication of Juna's words. "We need to exterminate it for the village's safety!"

Spoken like a true Guardian Force member, Lloyd couldn't help but smile. "Yes."

"Whoever trapped us here probably knew of the strong monster's existence and wanted to pit us against it," Wazy realized. That was also the same conclusion Lloyd reached when he realized the possibility of a strong monster waiting at the end of their exploration.

"That's..." Elie gasped. "Could it be related to those people we saw at the doll studio?"

"I don't deny there was something suspicious about them."

The two people at the doll studio... considering what Juna told him before...

"... Most probably, those two people are connected to the secret society, Ouroboros," Lloyd told the others.

"..."

"What!?"

"Juna told me during her own investigation to look for Renne, she discovered that Rosenberg is connected to Ouroboros, mostly because he harbors Renne, a former member. Meanwhile, we know that Mr. Rosenberg is professional enough to not want to disclose his customer and usually uses intermediaries to sell his dolls. That's why I thought they are probably from Ouroboros," He explained. "Still, whatever they're asking of Mr. Rosenberg, I don't think it has any connection to the one trapping us."

"...I suppose you're right," Elie sighed. "But you need to rein in your surprise delivery, Lloyd!"

"Agreed... it feels like I'm getting more surprises here in just a few days than the entirety of my time in the CGF..." Noel patted her chest with a sigh.

"Fufu, I'd say keep at it, Lloyd. I love seeing all of them flustered," Wazy winked at him.

"A-Ahaha..." Lloyd awkwardly laughed at Wazy's demand.

Seconds later, Wazy stood up to guard and told Lloyd to sit down. The SSS rotated the guard each minute, letting everyone to rest.

"Alright," Lloyd said after they rested. "Everyone ready? Then let's go and exterminate the monster!"

"Yes!"

"Of course!"

"For the villagers!"

The four of them walked in formation past the narrow passage and into a big circular clearing. Their backs were against each other, eyes looking around to spot any threat.

It wasn't long before Wazy noticed something coming from above them. "Watch out!"

The four of them jumped back to see a crystal purple dragon with a pair of red wings descending towards them. Even just a swish of its wing was enough to blow them away. But the four of them stood their feet.

"What is that?"

"Dragon?!"

"Definitely not an average monster. Be on your guard-!"

The dragon roared, and the SSS felt invisible pressure pressing down on their bodies.

"Aaaaahhh!" Elie shouted in pain. It was indeed painful. Lloyd gritted his teeth in frustration. But the worst thing was not the pain.

"I can't move...?!"

"I'm also losing my strength..." Lloyd added to Noel's realization. Yes. The worst thing was not the pain but the strength they were losing and stunning them.

"Th-The vibrations are sapping our energies!" Wazy clicked his tongue. "This is bad!"

Lloyd made a split-second decision.

"Elie, Noel, Run for it!"

"N-No way!"

"Right! We have to get out together!"

Elie and Noel disagreed with his decision. Damn it, this wasn't the time for that!

The dragon roared even louder, putting them under more vibrating pressure. The incoming pain was unbearable as Lloyd gasped.

"Ghhh!"

Even so, Lloyd looked left and right. The SSS was his responsibility. "Haaaaaa!"

He forced himself to stand. Despite the pain accumulating in his entire body, Lloyd forced himself.

And yet, his effort was fruitless because the dragon let out an even bigger roar.

"Gaaaaah!"

Just as all hope was lost, Lloyd heard something that soothed his heart.

A howl.

It wasn't just a normal howl. It was a familiar howl.

"That's..."

From the passage, a figure ran at full speed before he jumped and swung his axe. "Raaaaah!"

It hit the dragon and stopped the vibrations holding the SSS back, freeing their bodies to move.

"Randy?!" Noel shouted in delight at the appearance of the redhead.

"WOOF!"

"And Zeit, too," Lloyd smiled.

"We can talk later! Let's snuff this thing! Strike it with everything you've got!" Randy reminded them of their situation.

Lloyd nodded before brandishing his tonfas. "Understood!"

The five of them then faced against the dragon.

The dragon was defeated. According to the Battle Scope, its name was Fairy Drake. Thankfully, the five of them managed to subdue it before it vanished from the scene. Lloyd noted the strangeness of the scene before he put down his tonfas and exhaled.

"Phew."

"Phew indeed." Wazy chuckled.

"Making me fight some crazy-ass monster my first minute back on the job. I just went through survival training, y'know..." Randy let out a playful sigh before shaking his head. "Well, whatever. Glad we pulled that one out."

"Thanks for the save, Randy."

"How did you know we were here?"

Randy nodded at Elie, who posed the question. "After I wrapped up training and was dismissed, I went straight back to the SSS building. Then I heard you guys were on your way to Mainz. By the time I finally caught up, you were already neck-deep in it down here."

Lloyd and the other three looked at each other with an incredulous look.

"Fufufu ahahahaha!" Wazy was the first one who laughed.

"Really, what are the chances?" Even the usually composed Elie couldn't help but shake her head incredulously.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Randy turned to Lloyd with questions on his face.

"It's just..." Noel hesitated, amusement clear in her expression.

"We realized from Juna's advice that this narrow passage would lead to a strong monster. So we decided to exterminate it and took five minutes of rest. If we took ten minutes rest, we'd probably meet you just outside the passage," Lloyd smiled, answering Randy's question.

"Damn, we could've met in better circumstances, huh?" Randy chuckled, finally understanding the situation.

Five minutes really was just an easy, arbitrary number. And yet, none of them raised a fuss. If only any of them complained that the rest period was too short, then even Lloyd would consider extending it. But none of them did.

Lloyd's mind went back to another of Juna's explanations about the weight. Could it be possible that the weight would be greater if Randy came and saved them instead of meeting them before? But why would that make it weigh more? More things to ask Juna for later.

"And none of you knew the cave-in was done being opened by the Mainz miners either..."

"So Gantz went back and called for his fellow miners..." Lloyd nodded in understanding.

"What about Zeit?" Elie stroked his soft fur.

"The good boy came in after the entrance was open, so he and I rushed here. I don't need Tio-tot to translate that you're in danger. I'm glad I did," Randy explained.

"Woof." There was an undercurrent tone of exasperation in Zeit's woof.

"Haha. Thanks, Zeit."

"Remind me to pick up some meat for him later."

After that, some miners called out to them, and the five of them, plus Zeit, were escorted to safety outside the abandoned mine.

Inside the car, Lloyd briefed Randy about the situation in Crossbell, from meeting Shirley, who turned out to be Randy's cousin, to Juna's conclusion that the West Zemuria Trade Conference would be attacked by the terrorists from the Empire. They also told him about the cave-in, which Noel suspected was done by some explosives.

"We still don't know who was responsible and for what reason they did it," Lloyd finished his retelling with a sigh. There were still a lot of things they didn't know.

"Where could they have found explosives like that? Even the CGF doesn't use those kinds of things regularly," Noel wondered aloud.

Wazy, the ever-skeptic, raised a challenge to the CGF soldier, "Are you sure it couldn't have just been a blast charge that was lying around in their old mine? Granted, I don't know much about explosives, but still..."

"No. It wasn't," Randy quickly disproved Wazy's theory. "Based on the smell of the residue near the entrance... I'd say that was a newer model of explosive. No older than one or two years. And a high-performance one at that."

"I'm shocked you could discern all of that just from the smell..." Noel said in amazement.

"So what does that mean?" Elie questioned, prompting Randy to continue.

"It's not like gunpowder weapons are completely obsolete. They've fallen out with regular armies, but even now, some people prefer 'em. ...Especially jaegers."

The red-haired man ended with a deep sigh.

Hold on. Jaegers?

"Are you saying..."

"It's definitely my cousin and her group," Randy confirmed with a nod and a frown. "I don't know why the Red Constellation would trap you like that. Maybe Shirley feels excited that you caught her off-guard and want to take a jab at you."

Lloyd frowned. While he trusted Randy and weighed his words, Lloyd didn't think the Red Constellation would use their resource to trap them inside an abandoned mine just to poke around. Call it his gut feelings, but there must be something behind it. Something to keep the SSS occupied.

Just as he was wondering about the motive, he got a call from Dudley explaining that Revache's old compound was bought by a new company called Crimson & Co. from Erebonia.

Randy sighed after hearing the name.

"Well, shit."

Now, there were too many things happening at once. Randy confirmed that the Red Constellation trapped the SSS inside the mine. At the same time, Revache's old property was bought by a new company from Erebonia.

As Juna said once, there was no such thing as too much coincidence. Either one thing was a coincidence, and the rest were planned, or all of them were planned since the start.

"Don't tell me..." the metaphorical orbal lamp lit up above Elie's head. It seemed that she also managed to come to the same conclusion as him.

"Oh, so that's it..." Wazy hummed.

"Yeah, you guys' guess is correct. Outwardly, Crimson & Co. is an Erebonian company that manages one of Heimdallr's most poppin' clubs: Neue Blanc. But in reality... they're a front used to fund Red Constellation."

Everybody in the car went silent. All of them managed to deduce that they were trapped to prevent them from interfering with the transaction. If the SSS caught a whiff of it, Lloyd was sure that they would do their best to stop it. But the Red Constellation went out of its way to distract the SSS away from the city proper.

One name came into his mind.

"Lechter Arundel. He's the one behind our cave-in. He probably told the Red Constellation to distract us from the city to make a smooth transaction."

"...Yeah, I can see that," Elie chimed with a sigh.

"Damn it... Noel. When we get back to the city, would you mind taking us to the Entertainment District? Park her right by the Back Alley entrance." Randy asked the driver.

"S-Sure..."

Lloyd looked outside the window. The car passed a bridge above them, and his eyes caught two figures standing there.

That was...

One of the two figures met his eyes, and they smiled. The car had already passed the bridge before Lloyd could take a proper look. He turned his head to look from the rear window, but the car moved too fast for him to see the figures after they passed the overhead bridge.

"Lloyd?" Elie asked him after she saw him moving his head fast.

"...No, it's nothing."

The car continued its way to Crossbell.

"Well now, that was interesting," An androgynous youth in a pink suit and bright green hair smiled as he saw a car that had just passed him and his associate go away in the horizon.

"What's so interesting about that 'car?' I have more useful models in my labs." The youth associate, an elderly man with blonde bowl-cut hair, scoffed at his observation.

"I'm paying attention to inside the car. Judging by who they were, I guess this is my stage for now, then," the youth couldn't help but feel giddy at the one his eyes just met a few moments ago.

"I see. If so, then I shall head back first. Then again, stopping by the deserted mine could be interesting."

"If that's where you're going, then be careful. In the meantime, the Fool is needed elsewhere."

"Heh. Do your worst. Ah, that reminds me. Our assignments for this plan have been decided. You, the Seventh Anguis, and I are going to be in charge," the elderly man in a lab coat remembered a point he had to say.

The one who called himself the Fool then looked up at the sky.

"Really, now? Whipping out the big guns, are we? I suppose it makes sense. There are going to be some...tricky pieces on the board. Maybe it's for the best," the Fool grinned in mischief.

"That was my thought exactly. Before I forget, I think I'll leave the operational report on the Astral Code in your hands. I'm quite excited to see how it fares in a low-level network environment."

The Fool grinned even further after hearing his older colleague's words. "Yeah, yeah. I'll take care of that when I've got free time. Well, then... For the sake of our Grandmaster."

"Indeed. For the sake of the Grandmaster."

The man in the lab coat then went away, leaving the Fool alone on the bridge.

"...Haha, there may not be an audience, but there's probably no harm in making a declaration."

He then glanced at the sky again, eyes twinkling in mischief as if he were staring at something or someone.

"I, Enforcer No. 0, Campanella the Fool..." he started saying confidently, still looking at the sky. "...as the Grandmaster's representative, hereby declare the Phantasmal Blaze Plan as now in motion."

Mainz's weather was clear, but when they arrived back in Crossbell, it was still raining. When they stopped the car near the Back Alley, Randy immediately hurried towards the former Revache compound. Lloyd had to leave the others behind to catch up with Randy, who was now standing in front of the new Crimson & Co. building. On the opposite side were Shirley and Sigmund Orlando, Randy's apparent relatives.

"Uncle... Shirley..."

Lloyd kept silent as Randy greeted his relatives.

"Ahaha. Long time no see, Dolphy!"

"It's been two years, but you haven't changed a bit."

Aside from them, there was also Lechter standing there.

The other SSS members finally arrived, and Lloyd raised his hand to keep their silence.

As Randy and the two from Red Constellation were having a stare-off, Lloyd looked at Lecther, who was muttering something under her breath. He wanted to ask what the man was doing, but he held back.

"Lechter... are you involved with the purchase?" Elie seized the silence to questioned the Imperial. Good one, it was also one he wanted to know.

"Maybe a little bit. Maaaaaan. It's a good thing we beat Heiyue and the Four-Eyed Lily Dragon or whatever to the punch," Lechter casually answered.

"Heehee, that's right! I had to back off in the Eastern Quarter, but this time, I'll get to play with them all I want," Shirley continued. Lloyd noted the information in his mind.

"You mean that war you guys waged with Heiyue last year in Calvard?" Randy retorted, but neither Shirley nor Sigmund answered. "So, tell me, Uncle. What are you doing in Crossbell? What the hell are you planning?"

"Haha. We're here for business, obviously," Sigmund gave a non-answer. "More importantly, I've got something to tell you, Randolph. My brother finally bit the dust."

He tried to distract Randy. So Juna's prediction was most likely correct. Lechter helped them establish a front in Crossbell. Maybe it was part of the parcel for the protection they'd give for the conference.

"Wha...?" Randy seemed to not expect that.

"Happened last year while you were MIA. He and Zephyr's boss ended up offin' each other," Sigmund continued before Shirley followed with a deranged grin.

"A battle to the death between the War God and his bitter rival, the Jaeger King! You shoulda seen it! It was awesome!"

"..." Randy had a forlorn look before it instantly turned into a bitter smile. "Haha... That so? Stupid old man... He died doin' what he loved. Bet he had a real satisfied look on his smug-ass face, didn't he?"

Randy...

"Yep! He looked like he had the time of his life! Lucky old man. I wish I could find a rival like that," Shirley answered Randy's question.

"If nothing else, he went down with no regrets. Aside from having a worthless deserter of a son."

Randy's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Lloyd intervened.

"There is nothing worthless about Randy."

Sigmund and Shirley turned their attention to him. He ignored the small whistle from Lechter, who looked surprised at what he was doing.

"You're the one from yesterday."

Lloyd nodded. "Lloyd Bannings. Special Support Section of Crossbell Police Department. I have to thank you, Red Constellation, for notifying us about the monster in the abandoned mine. Without your intervention, the people in Mainz could be in great danger."

Sigmund grinned, showing his teeth.

"What notification?"

Lloyd looked at him with a smile.

"The one you did with some explosives."

"Ahahahahahaha!" Shirley guffawed. "I thought you were a prude after trying to stop me from feeling your lady friend's bouncy tits. But you're actually fun!"

"What the heck, Shirley! You did what to Mademois-Elie?!"

"Oh, you should've seen it, Randy! She let out such a cute squeak!"

Lloyd ignored the bickering relatives and focused back on the older man.

"You're welcome. Was it strong?"

Lloyd closed his eyes. So Sigmund had admitted that it was them. Probably as he suspected before, then. They wanted to acquire the building without any interruptions. Now the question became what the Red Constellation aimed for doing that, even helped by Lechter.

...Would Juna's prediction about the SSS facing the Red Constellation also come true?

"Yes. Yes, it was. Without Randy coming to our rescue, we would struggle to win against that monster. That's why..." Lloyd opened his eyes and stared down the Ogre Rosso in the eyes. "Randy is not worthless."

"Ha! Hear that, Randolph? Seems like you know someone with fangs," Sigmund laughed. "Keep your schedule open, Randolph. We'll be in touch."

"Later, Dolphy!"

"Catch ya guys later!"

The three of them then entered their new building. Leaving the SSS alone under the rain.

"Randy..."

"Heh..." Randy snorted. "I think I'm beginning to see what she meant back then."

"Huh?"

"Our cute informant, I mean."

Juna?

"Never mind that. Let's go home," Randy ignored their confused look and started walking away from the Back Alley.

A/N: That's it for a while. Now I'm going back to Buggy CS writing my hardest part yet (making up entire dialogues for the Branch Campus from nothing.) Anyway, some of the points from the Zero arc made a comeback! The narrow passage is definitely boss fight, and the narrative weight behind the tapestry of fate. But of course without Juna there, even Lloyd can't understand the intricacy behind the narrative weight. He just saw and realized that somehow, Randy was late even though one of them could've ask for more time to rest so Randy would arrive before they entered the boss room. This is Max DP Lloyd, after all. And Max DP Lloyd sees all, including Campanella, who was overjoyed and recognized that it was his time to mysteriously expose things, especially after Novartis said some unnecessary things that he could've not said.