1

"She did not show up today, either..."

"Anything bothering you, Arata?"

Pulling his gaze away from the window and the bright afternoon sunlight, Kazuki turned to respond to his seatmate.

He stopped when he saw at the look of concern on her face. However, he knew that beyond those eyes now lay another expression.

Was it relief? Was it disdain? He cannot pinpoint it specifically.

"Missing your girlfriend already?" asked a sarcastic female voice.

Placing her bag on top of the empty desk in front of Kazuki, the classmate with long, black hair sat on an adjacent desk with a small frown on her face.

"I-it's not that!" Kazuki furiously shook his hand. "Didn't I tell you last night? No matter what Misawa's blogposts or people say online, it's all fake."

"Well, whatever it is, it sure landed her in deep trouble. You read those comments? Brutal."

"What more do I have to do to convince you two?" sighed Kazuki.

"She deserves it, though."

Kazuki and Uehara both stopped and stared the one who said that in such an unemotional tone. It was a surprise hearing Amagi with such a tone, and Kazuki had to do a double take at the brunette's stoic-looking face.

"Pardon?"

"I think I agree. It's not too obvious, but she hasn't been endearing herself with the people at school, at least those who weren't enamored with her like... 80% of the boys or something."

Kazuki felt that he had to read between the lines for the two girls.

"Anything you found last night?" asked Kazuki to Uehara.

"Just typical Nullities and minor Fragments. Nothing of the sort that you described. In that case..."

"That actually draws more suspicion the possibility of her opening the Fragments or being in cohorts with someone who is. Now, as to whether she's the Dr. Kagami or the Jay Shizaki in the latter scenario..." Rubbing his chin with his hand, Kazuki followed up his own statement.

"She's a devious one, we all know that. Just what could she be planning?"

There was no better time to brainstorm for the three of them, and while Ms. Sadohara had found herself held up in faculty matters, today's afterschool classroom provided a good enough place where they can gather their thoughts and start digging into the mystery.

For a while, at least... until their concentration was interrupted by a loud voice and some obnoxiously noisy footsteps.

"Haah! Haaah! Where is it?"

Shiki came barreling into the classroom, and given his expression, he was in a surprisingly serious mood.

"Where could I have put my prayer beads?" he thought out loud.

"Prayer beads?" asked Kazuki, being as surprised as everyone else.

"Y-yeah, I always had them around, hidden somewhere," continued Shiki as he scoured his desk and the compartment under the table. "Why today, of all days?"

"Woah, take it easy."

Kazuki, with the two girls, approached their friend, who continued to look everywhere with frantic motions. "You know, I want to question the existence of the prayer beads in the first place, but I think knowing the immediate issue is more important."

"Haven't you been looking at your Yuki-ON! apps?!"

"Um... not really."

Kazuki then felt a powerful grip on his uniform and saw Shiki's stare burn through his.

"Yuki-tan's manager just made a post on the app!"

"And? How is that so strange?"

"She said that Yuki-tan has been missing for about an hour, and they can't get a hold of her!" shrieked Shiki.

Speak of the Devil.

Upon hearing the news, Kazuki looked at the two girls, and they all understood each other without any need for words.

"Shiki, do you have any possible ideas where she may have run off to?" asked Uehara. "We're going to look for her."

"There are some possible locations I have in mind..."

Having calmed down a bit, Shiki started counting with his fingers and mouthing some words before the displeased form of Mr. Tsuda appeared behind him.

"Looks like you got lost on your way to remedial classes, Shiki," he said calmly. Pushing his glasses up, the teacher exuded an eerie presence. At least that's how Kazuki would have imagined if he was Shiki, judging from the change in the spiky-haired classmate's facial expression.

Thankfully, Shiki managed to quickly divulge several possible locations before being escorted away.

2

"How long has it been since I've gotten one of these nights?"

Raking her feet across the sands and feeling them sift through her slippers, Yui Kimura gazed at the moon above as the fresh sea breeze gently caressed her green hair. Seeing the moonlight create sparkly ripples on the ocean made her feel at ease.

During daytime, the entire area would have been filled with people, but at eight in the evening, the beach had mostly been cleared out. Few of the maintenance crew remained, and they were all busy, setting things up for the next day probably.

As she looked at the white sands that filled her view, she could hear the noise of the fans and the stage that was once set up in the midst of it all. The sight of her previous beach performance brought her a tinge of nostalgia, but she knew full well that in a couple more days, she could be outdoing herself.

No, she will make it happen.

She cannot afford to let her manager or the Ishida Conglomerate down. It would be a show so big that it will be talked about for years to come.

She walked past the place where she pictured the stage and the crowd. It was not something that the typical person knew, but having performed on this beach a number of times, Kimura knew about that one place where she could get her temporary reprieve from the crowd.

At night, the large storeroom seemed like a place where urban legends were born, and the decrepit aluminum plates that served at its walls did not help matters.

For Kimura, this was a place where she can temporarily find reprieve and gather herself.

Even though the crates and barrels now looked worn down due to neglect, she had always found peace in this area. It did not matter that the tools and the items were now a far cry from the placeholders in the excellent makeshift dressing room she spent time in before.

She solemnly continued her walk and opened her phone. On top of the Yuki-On! icon was an icon that read 99+ in a circle.

That was to be expected.

Her phone kept vibrating an hour or so after she began her journey here. Even now, it vibrated in irregular intervals. She had her calls diverted and her location services disabled, but she still could not get herself to disable notifications.

The lucky draw that will be streamed on Yuki-On! was to be held an hour ago, but she had gone radio silent.

"I messed up again, didn't I?" she said to herself.

There was no doubt that failing to deliver on the stream would have had some profound effects on her popularity. On the flip side, perhaps she could open her app and find a horde of concerned fans ready to give her supportive messages.

Perhaps those fans would get a clue and start pushing back against the haters and do the fighting for her. Then, they would start pampering her, and she can probably start interacting with them more in earnest.

That thought barely lasted a few seconds before its owner shook her head to get it off.

"No, that's too selfish."

Kimura knew by experience the fun and thrill of having people defend you from others, often in hilariously contrived ways. She also knew how exciting it felt to have people ready to stand by you, right or wrong.

However, that was all because the people worshipped the idealized image of Yuki-tan. The people wanted the always happy and super upbeat pop sensation who would give them a wink and lighten up their days.

No one knew about who she was inside, and the moment she let a bit of those out the other day, people had turned on her.

What others said about the idol fandom was proven true.

Those cogs on the machine called the idol industry were merciless.

For as far as they were willing to throw themselves to defend their goddess, so were they quick to turn and deliver harsh judgment on things that they did not like.

She did not know how much time had passed since she lost herself in thought, but the next thing she knew, she was already seated on top of a large container and had tossed her hoodie aside. With nothing but the moonlight and the stacked boxes and crates to keep her company, she stood on top of the container and took a deep breath.

The first note came forth seamlessly. Then, the next one followed.

Her voice resounded around the abandoned storeroom.

One song, then another. The lyrics kept coming, and even though she knew that she was supposed to be tiring out, fatigue never took hold of her hands and vocal chords.

She felt that this was an awkward location for her own rehearsal, but for this moment, she felt a certain kind of focus that was never present in her previous practices with her instructor. It was not under the watch of her manager or her instructor, nor was it in the glamorous soundproof rooms used for recording.

For now, she could feel that she was truly alone and herself.

It was not the rising star along in this storehouse but an honest girl who, for the past years, found herself completely engrossed with the idols and the smiles they brought on the audience on the TV screen.

She smiled, and the moonlight seeping through the cracks on the wall looked like a spotlight made just for her. A shabby-looking spotlight, but one fit for someone of her stature.

She finished her song and struck a pose, visualizing the fans who would be there this Sunday. Would she impress them enough to turn public opinion around?

"And now, for our next song!" she began talking to the imaginary crowd. "Now, this is really special to me because it's one of my first and favorite songs! Everyone ready?!"

She inhaled, and just as she felt her lungs being filled to the brim, she started with the solemn tune and found herself being caught up in emotion.

The words just flowed out, and along with the melody, she found herself in a trance-like state.

One stanza, another one, and another one.

She paused. Abruptly.

Holding her hand out and stifling her facial expression in a solemn, almost crying expression, her voice trailed off in an "aaaaahhhh..."

She had forgotten the next set of lyrics.

She was singing in front of no one, yet she cannot help but feel heat all over her face. She trembled and tried to hold herself still and focus, but no matter what she did, the next lyrics wouldn't come to her.

A dark shadow blanketed over her thoughts, and she felt the same sensation that she had felt two days ago.

It's coming.

I can't afford something like this to happen this Sunday!

Her hair stood up on ends, and she found herself shaking in disappointment.

"Do you believe a world of happy endings?"

Kimura froze up. And just like that, the sensation of dread and darkness was flushed away in an instant. Her thoughts shot back to reality when she heard that male voice.

However...

She was sure that there was no one in this storeroom, and the way it looked, it had been abandoned for quite a while.

Was there a ghost watching the rehearsal?

She was stuck in her pose for a few more seconds before putting both hands over her flat chest and closing her eyes.

Packing up courage in her heart, she relaxed and spoke in a sarcastic tone to the being that completed the lyrics for her.

"That's some terrible singing, you know," she said to the ghost. "Even after death, you couldn't stop being tone deaf?"

She finally looked past her shoulders to confront the thing that intruded onto her activity.

"Can't help it. I told you I'm never into the whole idol stuff."

With calm footsteps and headphones over his neck, Kazuki Arata slowly walked his way towards her.

3

"Geez... Not only did my secret hideout get found out, it was you of all people who had to do it."

Seated beside the grumbling Kimura, Kazuki tried his best to stifle his laugh. He took solace in the fact that she did not seem too aggressive this time around. Yet, a flustered expression remained on her face as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Just imagine... One person discovering the top-secret hideout of Yuki-tan and getting an advanced screening of her encore number, and it had to be an adamant and perverted non-fan like you!"

A brief laugh finally escaped Kazuki's lips. It must be the red face of Kimura. Either that or the mannerisms that reminded him so much of a classic trope he had seen in anime. Whatever it was, he failed to contain it and continued laughing.

"What's so funny?!" said Kimura, getting even more flustered.

"I'm sorry, Kimura."

Kazuki was met with raised eyebrows and a pout before things de-escalated. It was then that Kazuki slightly leaned backward and looked at the spotlight in front of them made by the Moon.

"Why are you getting all worried about a non-fan hearing you? Didn't you just gave an amazing performance in front of a potential fan? That song of yours is awesome."

Kazuki then took out his phone and unplugged the headphone jack, causing a melancholic melody to burst into the storeroom. He immediately turned the volume down and placed it between him and the green-haired girl.

He gently put it on top of the large container that they sat on and started to hum with the music.

"After what happened at South Quinn Street, I also had an encounter of my own which got me thinking about myself."

Now looking a bit calmer, possibly due to her song being played, Kimura listened intently. "W-what do you mean?"

Kazuki scratched his head. "You know, the whole pervert thing, the fake girlfriend thing, and all that, I found it annoying as hell."

"I'm going through a lot, you know?" interrupted Kimura.

"Everything's also your fault. Posting about an affair in public and making it so believable is a death sentence for idols' careers in most cases. Even I know that."

"I was just trying to have fun, and I did not expect it to turn out like this. What do I do?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"You know, it kinda pissed me off, too. I wanted to mess with you and make your life a living hell, but look what happened. You just no-sold it like nothing!"

Kazuki only had an amused expression ready as his immediate response. He then viewed the weathered roof above them and the stars that can be seen through its holes.

"I got some people by my side that I can trust. I know that whenever I find myself in a bind, I have them to count on. It's never about the quantity, but the quality, Kimura."

"I'll never have those, unfortunately," said Kimura with a sigh. "People only care about Yuki-tan. Those fans and those people willing to wage war over their goddess online... They only fight to defend their idol, their princess."

She then closed her eyes and stretched her hands up in an expression with a look of longing all over it.

"Now, even I'm not sure of that anymore. If I mess it up even more, people will stop caring about Yuki-tan altogether, and she will just fall into obscurity."

"Looks like we do have more things in common than I thought, then."

"Come again?" Kimura, who had been broken from her brief stupor, asked.

"Back then, I also had the same doubts that you do. It may not seem so now, but I was once Mr. Popular myself. I was living the life, and people laughed and cheered along with me. It got into my head, and I reached the point where I felt that some people just existed as my stepping stones. You know how school politics work. Some people move up at the expense of others."

"Wow, I can't believe you were really such an asshole. Hah! You deserve everything, then."

Kazuki smiled. "I did. I really did."

"They say that the higher you are, the harder you fall, and I came crashing down at a moment's notice. People got tired of my shit, and when people abandoned me, it got me reflecting. Maybe what people loved was my other persona, not the real me. When the glamor wore off, only a select few stayed. Not a lot of people would find this geeky asshole lovable, after all."

"I feel that I should be laughing at you now, but I can't..."

"Because you're afraid, aren't you? You're afraid that Yuki-tan was the only thing keeping you safe from the pressures of reality. And once she goes, the floodgates open."

Silence.

No one said a word, and it took around fifteen minutes before Kimura hesitantly nodded. As she did, droplets left her eyes and flew straight to the floor.

She started with some hiccups before breaking into a soft sob.

Before she can go any further, Kazuki quickly placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her to turn to him.

Their eyes met, and Kazuki saw a girl far different from the petty and egotistic tease that he had known. Instead, it was a frail girl, fearful of what's to come and remorseful. Kazuki felt that silence would be the best option here to let her release her pent-up emotions.

Instead, he just had to open his mouth.

"Honestly speaking, I never gave a damn about Yuki-tan!" he blurted out with a nonchalant tone. "Yeah, I never did."

Kimura stopped crying for a moment to give him a look of surprise. Kazuki felt that he knew what was coming next, but he continued.

"I never ever cared about Yuki-tan. I didn't give a damn when her next CD is released. I didn't give a damn what she wears to the concert. Heck, I didn't give a damn that I won that super special lucky draw at Imperial Tracks."

He then looked at her firmly, eye-to-eye.

"But I can fully get behind Yui Kimura. The honest girl who always tries her best and works super hard, the sly and manipulative girl who is as naïve as girls can get... I can get behind her, and I will cheer for her. I can be her number one fan."

Without warning, Kazuki found the head of a girl buried into his arms. Two powerful hands gripped him by the sleeves, and for a short while, Kazuki just let the girl dry her tears on his clothes.

"Thank you, thank you, Arata!" sobbed Kimura. She finally finished and wipe the last of her tears after pulling herself away from him.

"That.... Came out awkward, didn't it? I didn't know how to really express it, so I just altered a few cool lines I heard from some video game," awkwardly admitted Kazuki. "Heck, this whole setup looks like it would fit right in a video game. Maybe we can expect someone to come in and interrupt us any moment now... or for monsters to appear or something."

However, the girl in front of him did not show any violent reaction. Instead, she snickered and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Not only are you a terrible singer, you're a terrible screenwriter, too. Just how lame could you get, nerd?"

The two of them both laughed in response.

Kimura suddenly stood up and took a couple of steps back.

"Thanks, Arata. As a gift, let me give you an exclusive performance of your favorite song. Let me ask that fateful question again. What's your favorite Yuki-tan song?"

This time, Kazuki had a confident answer up his sleeves. "Mischievous Codex!"

Kimura gave him a wink, and the girl struck a pose that she often did in live shows. They may be in some worn down storehouse, but she shone like a star against the dim moonlit backdrop. She gave him a finger gun and held up an imaginary microphone with her other hand.

"Coming right up, Mischievous Codex!"

She began singing the first stanzas of the energetic pop rock tune, and Kazuki found himself bobbing his head and mouthing some of the lyrics.

It was a surprisingly quick conclusion, but he felt that he could have never done it without the student council members and his friend group. It was everyone's help that allowed Yui Kimura to face her uncertainties and move forward.

Sure, there would be challenges ahead, but Kazuki was confident that he made the slightest difference tonight.

His eyes then suddenly widened in shock.

The creeping sensation, like a jolt of lightning, struck him. He felt his skin going all clammy and cold as the idol in front of him continued belting out lyrics. Looking around, he saw no sign of the one thing that he had been looking for: the veiled portal to that other world.

He had not mentioned it, but it was also that feeling that brought him here. It was a similar reading as energy from Mu that allowed him to locate her.

It was a stroke of luck, but having narrowed down the four possible runaway locations, he took a gamble with the beach at the north of Shiroki City.

"Aaaaahhhhh!!!"

The singing stopped, and the girl in front of him collapsed on her knees. He instinctively held his ground to help her up, but the moment he got up, a force prevented him from taking that next step. It was as if a powerful pressure was pushing him away from the girl.

His body eventually gave way, and he crashed down from the container and tumbled several meters on the ground.

Wasting no time, he got back to his feet, only to experience a sensation that he never felt in the real world before.

A weight began pressing down on his left arm.

He gave it a glance, and to his surprise, his shield materialized in a burst of energy.

"W-what the hell is going on? Why is my Armament...?"

Kimura continued crying out in agony, and he finally saw it behind her.

A naked four-eyed woman with wings that shot out from the sides of the body, a pair of the feathered wings serving as arms. Hair that sprang out and moved independently.

It was the same monstrosity that showed up in the House of Mirrors. Only slightly bigger now, having grown to approximately twice Kimura's dimensions.

"You again? What have you done with Kimura?!" yelled Kazuki.

As a response, he found his world rocked by the supersonic wails of the Nullity.