After all the events of the Lost Song incident (Maia was the one that came up with the name), things started to go back to normal for everybody.
…and by back to normal, this meant that they had to catch up on summer homework.
"Summer vacation is just as fun as the rumors say…" Shirabe noted.
"But the rumors didn't say anything about this annoying homework, dess…" Kirika groaned.
"Before opening your mouth, move your hands. Before moving your hands, use your brain," Chris chided. She was laying on some of the beanbag chairs, reading a book.
"...why does Chris-san come to our room every day?" Shirabe whispered to Kirika.
"She's a very lonely person." Kirika said. "She just uses the excuse of "looking over our homework" to come here and play."
Shirabe looked over to see that the novel Chris was reading was a Kamen Rider one.
"Wow, she really misses Rui-san."
Rui sneezed, looking up from the desk in her cell.
"Damn it's cold in here…"
She went back to working on her summer homework. Being detained didn't mean she should get lazy on her studies, after all.
Chris looked through her phone, looking at the programs airing on TV. At 6 PM there was a special 2 hour test of courage program on. Looking at the time, it was 20 past 5.
"Alright, let's take a break in 30 minutes!" Chris announced. "Oh look, there's another ghost special on today! A TV show like that is so bad I could laugh!"
Seeing a few noticeable sweat drops on Chris' face as she fanned herself, Shirabe whispered to Kirika again. "I think I just realized something I shouldn't have."
"Me too, dess." Kirika whispered back. "She didn't come here to look over our homework. She came here to watch a TV show that she wanted to watch, but couldn't on her own, dess!"
Shirabe decided to try asking in a low-key manner. "Chris-senpai, why not watch this with Shuri-senpai?"
Chris grumbled. "Cause she's spending all her time with Maia-senpai… at our apartment."
While Shirabe looked understanding, Kirika was more confused. "Then why not invite her too, dess?"
"Kiri-chan… remember back during the fight against Tesla when the two of them… you know…" She made kissing motions with her hands.
"Yeah, and?"
Shirabe just stared more before Kirika realized it.
"O-Oohhh, I get it now, dess." Kirika said, blushing. "They're all smoochy smoochy now."
"I basically got kicked out of my own apartment…" Chris muttered.
Back at the Yukines' apartment, Maia was sitting on the couch. Shuri was in another room and told her to wait.
"So, you wanna watch TV or something?" Maia called, leaning back. "I saw there was gonna be a test of courage special in about 30 minutes."
"I… actually had a different idea." Shuri called from her room. "Do you mind coming over for a moment?"
Maia stood up and walked over, entering Shuri's room. "What other idea do you have in… mind… oh whoa."
"What do you say?" Shuri asked, sitting on the bed. "Do you… want to…?"
"With the way you're barely dressed, I'd be an idiot not to." Maia started taking off her shirt.
Making her way to the bed, she interlocked fingers with Shuri as they kissed. Breaking for air, Maia noticed Shuri had a few tears in her eyes.
"Hey, you okay?" Maia asked.
"I am. I'm just… so happy that we can be together." Shuri wiped her tears. She held out a finger, gently tracing it across the scar on Maia's shoulder, going diagonally across her chest. Lowering her hand, she touched the smaller scar on her stomach. "Because I thought that… after what happened to you…"
Maia smiled, pulling Shuri into a hug. "I'm here now. I won't ever leave you again. I promise."
Shuri smiled as she hugged Maia, before they kissed again.
"Now let's put that stuff behind us and get to the good stuff." Maia grinned.
"I agree. But first."
Shuri grabbed Maia's wrists and pinned her down to the bed. The older Kazanari was surprised as their faces grew close.
"I'm the one taking charge. Do you understand?" Shuri asked, leaning forward and whispering in her ear.
Maia swallowed, both out of surprise and excitement. "Yes Ma'am."
In London, Ogawa and Jeanne walked down the hall of the hotel they were staying at.
"You ever think we're going back and forth from London way too much nowadays?" Jeanne asked, closing her umbrella. "It seems to be every other week for Tsubasa."
"Such is the life of an idol." Ogawa said as they arrived outside Tsubasa's room. "Though I'm willing to believe that's not the most difficult part of being her manager."
"Why? What's the most difficult part?" Jeanne asked, as they knocked on the door.
"Odd. I notice a high level of hydration inside the hotel room." Aiba commented.
"Ah, a moment, please." They heard Tsubasa, before the door opened… to show that she was drenched. Maria was also inside, equally soaked. The entire room was covered with water stains.
"What the-?!" Jeanne took a step back.
"Sorry about this." Tsubasa apologized.
"She tried using a mosquito repellent coil." Maria explained. "Inside. And it tripped the smoke detectors and set off the sprinklers."
"Ah, right. I believe Yatsuhiro-san was the one that packed it." Ogawa remembered.
"Mon dieu…" Jeanne facepalmed, before looking at Maria.
"I got drenched because of the rain!" Maria raised her hands. "Don't lump me in with her absentmindedness!"
Jeanne turned to Ogawa. "How do you deal with this?"
"I just have a lot of practice." Ogawa said, as he started to help clean up.
"To think that tomorrow is the homework submission deadline already, what kind of hell is this?!" Hibiki whined, face in between piles of books. "Does this mean I won't be able to have fun with everyone?!"
"Even if you can't finish it all, you should still start working on some of it." Miku chided. "Besides, I'll be with you today."
"You haven't finished your homework yet either, Miku?" Hibiki asked.
"Well, something like that." Miku said, holding a cookbook.
"But still…" Hibiki looked over to the bottom bunk, which was empty. "I miss when Oneesan was there too. Usually playing a video game because she finished ahead of us."
"Well, once she finishes everything… it'll be like old times again, right?" Miku asked, also missing her friend. "So let's keep pushing through until she can come back home; it's what she would've wanted."
"Yeah… Yeah, you're right!" Hibiki said, motivated. "Just wait, Oneesan! I'll finish all of this for you!"
"And that's your checkup finished." Elfnein said.
Lala sat up on the table, stretching her joints. "Thank you, Elfnein."
"I have to say, the way your body is composed is nothing short of miraculous." Elfnein complimented. "It is similar in design to a homunculus, being able to age and grow at a slowed rate to keep you in your prime, but there's a more mechanical component to your body that sets it apart."
"Lala believes because Tesla had help from another group when making Lala." She said.
"Another group?" Elfnein asked.
"Yes, they called themselves the…" Lala drew a blank. "Odd. Lala can't seem to find their name in Lala's memory banks."
This other group… could it be the same one that Carol got help from? She never told me their names.
"So how is Lala?" Lala asked. "Is Lala okay?"
"Yes, everything is working well." Elfnein nodded. "And I should be able to fix anything on the off chance there was."
Lala smiled, before hugging Elfnein. A little bit too tightly that she squeaked before Lala let go.
"What about Forte?" Lala asked.
"She has a normal human body, so we had her get a normal checkup." Elfnein said. "She should be finishing up-"
They heard rapid footsteps and screaming, looking out into the hall to see Forte running like crazy.
"I HATE NEEDLES! I HATE NEEDLES! I HATE NEEDLES!" She screamed. "GET IT AWAY FROM ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"...should Lala have mentioned that Forte hates needles?" Lala asked, as she watched her friend run away. "It took Lala, Starlit and Tesla all holding her down when she needed to get an injection."
"That… would've been helpful to know, yes." Elfnein sweatdropped.
Rui was reaching out to Hibiki. She had been impaled trying to protect her younger twin, and blood was dripping down the blade.
"You… Alright… Thank…"
"Gah!"
Back in Rui's containment cell, she shot up in her bed, breathing heavily. She looked around, gripping her covers. She wasn't back there, fighting. She was in the safety of solitary confinement. Walking over to the mirror, she took off her shirt to look at her chest. Most of the skin on her body was unnaturally pale, probably from being recently made. There was a thin line around her collarbone where her old skin was, slightly more tanned. It was almost like she was unnaturally stitched together.
But even with this odd look, she was glad. Glad she had a chance to be completely human again. This wouldn't be a chance she'd waste again. Putting her shirt back on, she fell back on her bed. She looked in the corner of the room. Her stack of summer homework had been finished. She was just waiting for someone to pick it up. She took a nap since she finished early, but that proved to be a bad idea.
Hearing a knock on the door, she walked over with her schoolwork. The window opened, and Genjuro was standing there.
"Evening, Rui-kun." Genjuro said. "Are you finished with your summer homework?"
"Yeah, here you go." Rui said, handing him the stack of books and paper.
"Good work." He said. "I'll hand this to your teacher soon."
"So is the cover story still working, then?" Rui asked.
"It is." Genjuro nodded. "You're just on a bit of an overseas trip to look at post-secondary options outside of Japan, and might be a bit late for next semester. A bit out there, but it's very plausible considering your grades. You should count yourself lucky that due to how secret the organization is, that it's technically illegal to put your specific actions under a criminal record as you're still a minor."
"Gotcha."
"Your family knows the truth however. Your parents are looking to scold you once you get back. Your grandmother in particular actually looked a bit scary." Genjuro admitted.
"Ah fucking hell…" Rui cursed, knowing she was gonna be in for more than an earful once she got back home.
"Oh, but before I go, you have had the sessions with the therapist for SONG, right?" Genjuro asked.
"Yeah yeah." Rui dismissed. "She's a bit of a hassle, but… she's been helping."
"Then this might help."
Genjuro lifted a small pet carrier through the window. Opening the gate, he pulled out a small orange cat.
"A kitten?" Rui asked.
"An American Shorthair." He said, putting it into Rui's arms. "Your therapist mentioned you love cats, so we decided to get you a therapy kitten. He's less than a year old and currently doesn't have a name."
"You're… giving him to me?" Rui asked.
"It was a general decision among SONG personnel." Genjuro said. "Also a bit of a reward in a way, with how much you've done for us."
"I… I don't deserve-"
The small cat mewed, looking up at Rui. All the doubts melted away as the adorableness pierced through it.
Ah, dammit! He's so cute!
"You said he needed a name?" Rui asked, as Genjuro put in a few essentials into the pet carrier as he pushed it through.
"That's right."
"How about…" She looked down at the kitten. "Yusuke?"
Genjuro chuckled. "I should've expected that, knowing you."
"I just think it fits." Rui defended. "But… thanks, Commander."
"Don't mention it. There are supplies for him in the carrier. I know you'll take good care of him." Genjuro smiled, before closing the window, leaving Rui with Yusuke. She sat down on the bed, holding him in her arms
"Hey there, little guy." Rui said, holding out a finger. "Guess you're stuck with me, huh?"
Yusuke mewed, licking her finger.
In the ruins of TEC's hideout, a woman with long white hair was looking through the broken computers. She was combing through them to see if there was any information she could take, but there was nothing.
"So all your plans turn up with nothing…" The woman muttered.
"Hey, Saint-Germain!"
Walking in was a smaller girl with glasses, alongside a shapely woman with light blue hair.
"There isn't anything in the other rooms at all." The blue haired woman shrugged. "Place has been totally stripped of everything important."
"So it was a waste of time, then." Said the girl with glasses.
"It appears so." Saint-Germain sighed, as she stepped away from Tesla's desk. "Let's-"
She stopped, glancing at the wall. She noticed something was sticking out. Walking over, she brushed aside some of the dust to reveal a small compartment, with a data chip inside.
"A backup drive… and it appears to have been hidden completely as a failsafe in the chance of all the data being wiped." Saint-Germain said, taking it out of its slot.
"Oh, you found something?" The blue haired woman asked.
"I have." Saint-Germain nodded. "Cagliostro, Prelati, let us head back. We have a lot of work to do if we're to carry out the goal of the Illuminati."
"Understood, Saint-Germain." Prelati said.
"Alright, score!" Cagliostro whooped. "Why don't we celebrate things with a night out!"
"We have to get this back to the director." Saint-Germain reminded her. "But… after that we shall."
"Yes! You're the best, Saint-Germain!" Cagliostro pulled Saint-Germain into a brief hug.
"Fool…" Prelati said with a sigh.
Thank you for your contributions, Nikola Tesla. Saint-Germain looked back at the broken desk and monitors. Your dream will be realized posthumously, though not in a way you expected.
A/N: And with that, Lost Song is wrapped up completely now! Once again, thank you to everyone for sticking by this story for so long. We'll be entering AXZ soon enough, so stay tuned for that.
Feel free to leave a review. I'll see you all next time.