1

Sayaka Uehara had lost all sense of time.

She did not know how long she and Amagi have been imprisoned here, but things were not likely to change.

She repeatedly kicked her legs, hoping to loosen the bonds that held them together. She had barely made any headway into any of the ropes, and her now aching body only increased the effort in doing so.

It was frustrating. The manager had to be an expert at this. The ease at which she imagined the lavender-haired woman as a dominatrix supported that.

Even with Amagi now helping with the effort, the bonds barely budged.

This is more than annoying!

Uehara grunted and pulled in frustration, but things did not seem to turn for the better.

She cannot reach Amagi's wrist ties, and with them left with wiggling their torsos, getting free will take forever.

Long enough for them to not be able to stop the incoming disaster and maybe even become a victim in the process.

At that moment, a clicking sound caught both girls' attention, and the door opened.

Uehara's heart sank. If the manager or any guard would see them struggling like this, it's all over.

Looking back as far as her head can allow, she can infer that even Amagi's expressions turned sour at the sight of the entrant.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's your favorite idol Yuki-tan's time to shine!"

With a peace sign over her winking eye, the figure of Yuki-tan did not make things any better for the both of them.

Uehara rolled her eyes. Yuki-tan, real name Yui Kimura, was not good news either.

The door shut behind the idol, and she gasped. Putting her hand over her mouth and widening her eyes as much as she can, the idol gave an expression that Uehara found insulting.

"What happened to you two?! When I heard that two people were apprehended, I just had to check it out! To my surprise, it's my two love rivals for Darling right here! This is just horrible!"

Uehara was sure that neither she nor Amagi bought the sarcastic tone of concern from this pest.

Both of the idol's hands went to her hips, and her look of fake concern quickly transformed into an insultingly big smile.

"Nah, just kidding. Enjoying the Manager treatment? Serves you two right. I have to tell you through experience that she's really an expert at that. Soon, she'll dominate you in more ways than one. Hahaha!"

"Mmpphh!" growled the black-haired girl.

"What is it? I can't understand you."

Yuki-tan walked over to the struggling girl. To Uehara's surprise, Yuki-tan untied the bonds holding her together with Amagi and removed the gag just as the captured girls plopped apart. 

"You both looked so pathetic, I can't help it."

"Owww, you're hurting me with that sarcasm. Stop it," replied Uehara. "Maybe I'll be hurt more if you're not wearing those dumb-looking antenna things on your head."

"Hey, these are not dumb-looking things! Call them hair extensions at least! Are you blind? Can't you see that they're a perfect complement to my techy gamer look today?!"

She stomped on the ground and pointed at the two things sticking out of her hair.

Set in a hairband, two antennae stretched out from the idol's head, each ending with a round disc each. The closest thing that they can be compared to would be speakers. The green accessories did complement Yuki-tan's green vest, crop top, and miniskirt. Nevertheless, Uehara felt that the two speakers stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Don't you know? I, Yuki-tan, will make everyone see my greatness! You're not ruining my day, you got that?! Not after I took my sweet time to drop by and give you a visit!"

The conversation drew muffled shouts from the other girl in the room. Hearing Amagi, Yuki-tan also undid the brunette's gag.

"Kimura, we're here to help!" said Amagi while she gasped for air. "Your life is in danger."

Hearing her, the idol then raised her eyebrows.

"Here to help? As if! What do you care about me anyway?"

She then flicked Amagi on the forehead with her index finger.

"You're not getting me with that. People, my biggest fans, mind you, only cared about Yuki-tan, the model of perfection and happiness, so what makes you think that you two girls know better?"

She lightly scratched her cheeks while glancing at the visibly-shocked Amagi.

"Come to think of it, the two of you looked particularly uncomfortable when I was making the moves on Arata," she wheezed with laughter while taking a few steps back. She then towered over the two girls and snickered. "Yeah, I've been getting too close with that person. And if you've read those posts on Yuki-ON!, you would know that we have been getting real intimate with each other. Teehee."

The two girls simultaneously pulled at their bonds at that comment. Uehara kept her eyes on Yuki-tan while continuing to try to maneuver her fingers in a discreet way.

When the idol began a steady approach towards them, she was promptly met by a pair of glares. Kimura, however, just laughed it off.

"Is that all you're here for, Kimura? To mock us? Get lost!"

Leaning near Uehara, Kimura gave an impish grin. "Yep. I came here to laugh at you. You know how I just enjoy eliciting reactions out of people."

"You happy now? Now, shoo. If you are late, you know how merciless your fans can be. I sense death threats and many more."

"Tch, you're really annoying, you know?!" replied Kimura. 

"Thank you."

Without warning, Kimura grabbed the cloth that she untied and leaned closer to Uehara, only to get a headbutt for her trouble.

"Ow, that hurt, you know!" she said angrily before starting to pull the gag between the defiant Uehara's teeth.

It was a rough battle between the two, but the victorious Yuki-tan stuck her tongue out at the black-haired girl after she managed to secure the knot.

As it was done out of spite, Uehara felt that the cloth was tied even tighter than before, and she screamed through it as the idol mocked her.

"How pitiful."

Amagi's words interrupted the two's glaring contest, and Kimura turned her attention to the brunette.

"You're an idol right? I know your secrets. You hide behind a fake everything and your fake friends and supporters. It's really pitiful that the only thing people like you can cling to are your followers. Don't have anyone else to turn to or release your frustrations on?"

"What did you just say?"

"Deny it all you want. It won't change a thing, Kimura. Underneath that mask, you're all alone. It's your insecurity that's making you seek attention and do all those outrageous things."

"Oh, you also shut up right now!"

"It feels empty, right? It feels lonely when no one else knows your true self. It feels tiring when you keep putting up a front without being honest with others."

Growing increasingly agitated, Kimura resumed her threatening motion towards Amagi.

It was a scene that amazed Uehara. Despite being in a more precarious position, Amagi seemed to have turned the tides like it was nothing, and she was now the one toying with Kimura's emotions.

She herself was not successful, but it felt like Amagi just as easily became the one suddenly controlling the flow of the confrontation.

I wouldn't want to cross her.

"It doesn't have to be that way, Kimura," said Amagi, shaking her head slowly. "Not too long ago, I felt the same way. Always not being able to be honest, hiding my true feelings for someone and not admitting to them."

The air took a completely different complexion just like that, and Uehara was left amazed.

She's really trying to help Kimura?

"It is only that person who accepts you for who you are who can fill that void in your heart. Someone you showed your everything to, not just what they expect or want to see."

"Easy for you to be honest with yourself and with others!" screamed Kimura with a shaky voice. She raised her hand and opened her palm, but Amagi remained firm. "What do you have to lose anyway? My entire career, my life, everything is dependent on the best lies that I can tell!"

"It doesn't have to be that way, Kimura. Fans, careers, all of those are temporary. What is important is for you to find your true companions. There are people who can accept who you are, and I think that a special someone, a particular person who knows your ins and outs and accepts you for who you are is the most important one in the world."

Kimura's facial expression did not change, and her hand slowly dropped towards Amagi. The brunette closed her eyes, but the anticipated sound of a slap never came.

Her arm just limped down.

"Honest... with... me?"

Uehara did not know what happened as she peered to see the idol stammering in place. Had Amagi triggered a long-lost flashback within her?

The intended slap did not land on Amagi's cheeks, and the idol's hands instead slammed onto her own face at that realization.

"Dammit, now I ruined my makeup! Geez! How am I supposed to fix this in less than 20 minutes?!" she stuttered and started wildly stomping. "I hate the both of you so much!"

She waved her hands wildly like a child throwing a tantrum before collapsing against the wall.

It took a while before she calmed down, and once she did, she got up.

"But... you're right. Amagi, I also believe that I have already found that person."

She fiddled with something on her skirt's pocket before a repulsed facial expression took over.

"I hate the both of you, but I would never, ever want that special person to hate me more. I might regret what I'm about to do, but..."

Uehara's eyes widened at what she saw from the idol's pocket.

Amagi sighed. "You could be more honest next time, you know? Don't worry. I was like that, too."

A smile finally appeared on the brunette's face.

2

Having entered the auditorium roughly half an hour ago, Kazuki and Hikari sat on their upper box seats. He had never been at a concert like this before, much less watching a performance this close, and the clarity on stage just amazed him.

The lighting and effects were perfect, and he could clear see the whole view of the gigantic stage. The stage, several meters wide and stretched several meters back, seemed like it could even fit a sports competition.

For Kazuki, admiring the stage was just a way to temporarily get his mind off the primary concern tugging at him.

What's taking them so long?

He had been expecting contact from Uehara and Amagi, but neither had given the call. At this point, he was very tempted to give them a ring, but he may catch them at the wrong time and cause more complications.

The worst possible scenarios played out in his head, but he refused to give them an audience.

Normally, he would be worried to not have Hikari see the look of concern on his face. Luckily, his sister was busy chatting with her best friend, seated on the very next seat. Otherwise, he would not hear the end of it about his long face or how he should be happy in an idol concert.

The upbeat instrumental that served as temporary background music stopped, and the bright lights went out in a snap.

The air was quickly filled with the thunderous roar of applause, and as Kazuki looked at the sides, a sea of bright lights filled the auditorium. He could not hear it amidst the sheer power of the crowd's noise, but he can see his little sister wildly swinging her own glowstick while she yelled at the top of her lungs.

The responsible little sister had given way to the fangirl unleashed, and Hikari's other, rarely-seen personality had taken over.

"Everyone looking awesome today! Always smiling, always shining, your favorite idol, Yuki-tan is here!"

From behind a curtain, the idol appeared and with a full tank of adrenaline, went from one end of the stage to the other in a hurry. She began with a dance that Kazuki found difficult to follow.

Woah, what a getup.

He can feel his hair tingle. He cannot help but admire Yuki-tan in her brand-new attire.

A green jacket, a crop top, and twintailed hair. Along with the two hair accessories that floated inches away from her head, her appearance kept reminding him of a certain DJ-slash-idol character in one of the video games he played.

Still, it fit her peppy, high-energy image, and like at the Imperial Tracks event, Kazuki found the energy infectious. He began to bob his head along with the rhythm of the instrumental that reminded him of even more video game music.

Then, the music stopped, and Yuki-tan pointed a finger gun at the crowd.

"Are you guys readyyyyy?!" she yelled onto the mic as the crowd chanted in agreement. She responded in kind: with a warm smile.

"Let's start things off with a bang. Anyone here watched Angelic Phantom Asami-chan?! Here's my first song, Angelic Horizon!"

This time, Kazuki knew all the lyrics and quietly sang along with a satisfied look.

3

Having heavy breaths yet smiling with satisfaction, Yuki-tan gave the crowd a bow to a raucous reception. She clapped along with the crowd after finishing her third straight song.

Grabbing a water bottle, she quenched her thirst before loudly exhaling onto the mic.

"Ahhhh! That's amazing. Everyone's so great and lively. Thank you for coming today! Being the first event that I have held in this kind, your attendance means sooooo much to me. Thank you!"

To the succeeding cheers, Yuki-tan clapped and posed.

"Ah, what am I being so dramatic for?!" she quickly shifted gears while patting herself on the face.

Kazuki was not sure whether she was legitimately flustered or just pretending to do so for that sweet cuteness point with the audience. Having known her, it's probably the latter.

"Anyway, I'll make it up to you with a special attendee-exclusive intermission that I personally prepared for you. Because I love you all soooo much, teehee."

"Now give it up for today's lucky draw!"

With that announcement, the crowd just went silent. It was no longer his first time attending such an event, but Kazuki still found Yuki-tan's control over the crowd amazing.

Considering her real personality, it no longer seemed like a surprise. Still, it was astounding how good at it she was.

You can hear a pin drop with the way the crowd was as a red-haired man walked towards her with a box in hand.

On a more amusing note, Kazuki can now confirm that Yuki-tan really, really loved these lottery type shenanigans. From the Yuki-ON! special segments to live performances, her events always had the suspense of an RNG portion.

"Can you guess what this is, everyone? These are the compiled questions that you have sent over the past few weeks through my app. I will be picking out a lucky winner who would get his question answered. Not only that, the lucky guy would be getting some freebies at the merchandise stall after the show. Now let me hear you shout!"

"Yeaaaaaahhh!"

"I love you!"

"RNG bless me!"

"Yuki-tan, marry me!"

More shouting filled Kazuki's ears, and even Hikari joined in on the fun. In response, Yuki-tan spread her arms out and waved at the crowd in a motion that encouraged them to keep the cheers coming.

She was really relishing the moment.

The moment she put her hand in the box, the crowd quieted down in anticipation.

A person who barely checked the app, Kazuki did not bother submitting a question, so he only passingly listened to the result of the draw. However, his ears perked up when Yuki-tan got to the last part.

".... Seiji Shiki!"

What? Holy... The madman actually did it!

Kazuki was left with a look of genuine shock. He felt happy for his friend and all, but the fact that Shiki actually won something from a lucky draw was still beginning to sink in.

Speaking of, where is Shiki?

"Yes! Yes! Yahoo! That is the power of devotion! I love you, Yuki-tan!"

Kazuki peered in the direction of the front row, and the spiky-haired fan was jumping in place like a madman. His shouts were loud enough to be heard multiple rows back, and all Kazuki can do was chuckle.

Pent-up frustrations finally blossomed into triumph, and what Kazuki was seeing was not even the worst he expected.

"Whoa. Shiki won, congrats! Look, Sana, that's a friend!"

Even Hikari joined in the celebration, and she was urging her friend to do so.

"For his question..." Yuki-tan stopped. With furrowed eyebrows, she seemed to stare a hole through the question that she's reading. "H-h-hey, what gives?!"

"E-e-erm... Dearest Yuki-tan..." She began reading anyway.

A wave of "Oooooohhhh" swept through the crowd as the idol finished reading the question which contained... rather taboo topics.

"What gives? Manager, come take a look at this!" Yuki-tan stomped on the ground and looked to the far right of the stage.

Seconds passed.

When no one emerged from beyond the stage, Yuki-tan turned to her audience and shrugged.

"Right. I forgot. Manager is not here today. Hmph! Explains the lack of quality control for these questions."

Winking, Yuki-tan then put a finger on her lips. "On the bright side, at least I'll be free from that killjoy today."

The crowd laughed along with the joke.

"Shhh, don't tell her I said that, okay?" she mischievously whispered to the crowd, with the people responding with clapping and cheers. She then gave a bow and returned the box to her attendant.

With the MC segment seemingly finished, the idol snapped her knuckles and struck an action pose, pointing at the dead center of the crowd while putting on a fierce expression.

"Don't go anywhere because we'll have some more fun tonight!"

"Yeeaaaaaah!" roared the audience.

"Music, start!"

The lights flickered and switched colors, and a multi-colored spotlight lit up the stage. Music began to play, preceding the infectious wave of enthusiasm that the audience brought with them.

"Our next song is the opening to the hit TV drama Moonlit Break. Give it up for Lunaria! One, two, three!"

Lunaria was a poppy rock song that started out with a chorus that can be easily sung along with, and the audience naturally responded, shouting the lyrics at the top of their lungs in a breathtaking display of synchronization.

Kazuki opted to instead clap along and silently sing.

The music was about to reach its first chorus when everything seemed to stop.

The bright scenery in Kazuki's vision faded into one of grayscale, and the music abruptly ended. The people still moved around in a frenzy, yet none of those registered to the teenager's mind.

For that moment, the energy of the crowd and the idol in front of him stopped mattering. Instead, everything was replaced with the sensation that Kazuki expected yet found himself averse to.

The Nullity. The Render of Bounds.

It began welling up from the stage, and he found himself at a loss with what to do. He sat frozen, staring blankly at the dancing idol in front of him. Everywhere else, he saw people dancing and cheering the idol on with their glowsticks, completely oblivious as to what was about to happen.

"Watch out!"

The world's color returned, and Kazuki snapped out of his trance. Just as he did so, shadowy particles began forming behind Yuki-tan. Still, the people, including Yuki-tan, continued their rave with absolute ignorance.

Reaching the bridge of the song gave the exhausted crowd their much-awaited reprieve.

"That's more like it. Okay, let's gear up for the last chorus! Everyone, on the count of three!" commanded Yuki-tan, who seemed to be on cloud nine.

"One! Two!"

Yuki-tan finished the countdown with a jump. "Three!"

Then, disaster struck.

Instead of landing feet first, Yuki-tan had lost her balance mid-jump and planted her face onto the stage to a chorus of gasps.

She clutched her chest and filled the air with the sound of her agonized scream. From behind her, a shadowy figure began forming.

Instead of revealing itself, however, the Nullity opted to release a radiating wave of energy from it.

Shit!

Kazuki smacked his seat, and it looked like he was not alone. Gasps, groans, and other sounds of displeasure filled the right as the backing instrumental abruptly stopped. The ground shook, and some lights fell from the ceiling. Intermittent power outages threatened to unleash hell.

In a span of just one moment, the whole auditorium had turned into pandemonium.

The remaining lights flickered on and on, and with a sound of a thud, part of the stage collapsed, just barely missing the downed idol.

Loud, piercing sound filled the air, threatening to drown the panicked yells of the audience. With the piercing sound came a powerful wave that took the air out of Kazuki's lungs.

His back radiated pain as if made contact against the back of his seat, violently. He could tell that it was not an exclusive thing to him, as hordes of people who got up all found themselves knocked down to the ground.

Narrowing his eyes, he peered past the seats and towards Yuki-tan's direction. Just like what happened at the beach, she lay prone and struggled to crawl over. He failed to see more specific details, but he can tell from the twisted expression on her face that she was in the midst of fighting for control.

Not for long.

She got onto her feet and let out a scream of pain. It certainly did not help calm the situation down, with her scream being projected throughout the hall with the still-attached mic.

The ground shook once more, and Kazuki could see the build-up of magical energy emanating from her. Anticipating what's coming, he turned around and covered Hikari and Sana with his body.

The shockwave struck again, but this time, he was completely prepared for it.

"B-big Bro..."

He felt every word that wanted to leave his mouth evaporate when he saw the shocked and anxious expression on his little sister's face. Rarely did he see his sister with wide eyes and a genuinely petrified look.

He heaved a relieved sigh to see that besides the emotional distress that she's in, Hikari, and to an extension Sana, was not hurt by the first wave.

Not for long.

Kazuki felt malicious magical energy all over him that threatened to crush him. From the stage, those black, shadowy tendrils shot out from the idol's direction, with four of them headed his way.

With a wave of his hand, he fought off one of them, only to realize too late something he neglected.

Dammit!

One such tendril hit Hikari and embedded itself deep onto her. The same happened for Sana and all the other people near him.

Fear gripped Kazuki as he saw his sister's eyes widen and roll back, and she let out a heartbreaking scream. The tendril retracted and dissipated before she dropped down in a heap, right onto his awaiting arms.

"Hikari! Hikari!"

He yelled in desperation, but the little sister's eyes remained shut. The shouts turned into him poking the girl's face and shaking her body.

"Hikari!"

"Aaaarrrggghh!"

Kazuki lost control of his body to the trembling and the emotions inside him that threatened to burst. With another shout, the shield on his left arm materialized.

"Assimilator's Core!"

He turned around to see the loathsome form of the Nullity and immediately aimed his Armament, now in its bladed form, at the enemy on the stage. He briefly scanned the surroundings to see that literally everyone was unconscious, no doubt having fallen victim to the siphoning ability of the Render of Bounds.

Nobody else was left standing. No one, except for him and the idol, who now faced him with an empty expression. She raised her hand, and with a chant that resounded throughout the auditorium, called upon her staff.

An Armament of her own.

"You'll pay for this! I'll send you back to where you belong and destroy you, down to the last bits!"

Throwing away all caution in the world, Kazuki leaped over the sets of seats in front. One after the other, the seats and the unconscious bodies flew by his peripheral vision with every leap.

He would get close and personal.

Dashing past whatever Kimura can toss at him should be easy.

It did not matter what Kimura's Armament can do. It did not matter what projectile attacks the Nullity would attempt.

He wanted to kill that thing.

He wanted to stab and slash through the Render of Bounds with his own hands, even if such a thing might not be possible.

He wanted to completely crush it and destroy it after it had been defeated.

Lost in those thoughts, Kazuki realized that he had almost made it to the front row seats in no time at all.

Locking his eyes on the Nullity, he determined the path he would take before driving the bladed portion of his shield into it.

Bzzt

"What?!"

His feet screeched to a halt, nearly making him slip forward. More buzzing sounds followed, and they multiplied in magnitude. They came from everywhere, and while Kazuki tried to avoid the purple bolts that headed his way, they were ultimately not aimed at him.

A vortex of lightning energy had formed on the stage. Purple lightning had created a spherical cage.

A cage that engulfed the Nullity and Yuki-tan, and the visual of the two roaring in unison admittedly chilled Kazuki to his core. He fought his instincts and kept his focus on the scene happening in front of him.

"Kimura!" he yelled, banking on the extremely slim chance that this distraction can help the idol free herself or subdue the Nullity.

He did not have to wait for his answer.

Black wings burst out of the lightning walls as the cage of lightning exploded in a violent burst. The Render of Bounds, finally appearing in full form, roared, and behind it appeared a gigantic sphere that framed the entire stage.

Mass of dark energy swirled within, and the Nullity retracted its wings before diving back first into the sphere, disappearing into it.

"Kimura!" shouted Kazuki, having reached the stage at long last. With his hands, he supported the unconscious idol before placing her on his lap. "Hang in there, Kimura!"

He firmly gripped the arms of the idol as he surveyed the damage the Nullity had done in such a short time. Seeing many unconscious bodies lying all over the stage was a sight that he hoped he can erase from his memory.

Then, he set his sight on the portal in front of him. It looked completely different from the ones he had been seeing for the past months, but he was sure that it will nevertheless lead to a fight to the finish. The Render of Bounds, having taken the lightning attack that came out of nowhere, was forced to retreat.

The thought of the Nullity escaping renewed the rage within him.

His heart was on the verge of bursting when he felt something stir.

With renewed spirits, he looked over the unconscious idol before smiling at what he saw.

The idol's eyes slowly opened.