1

"Miyuko Sadohara? THE Miyuko Sadohara?"

The red-haired receptionist repeatedly looked at Ms. Sadohara and the registration sheet. He flipped to a page with VIP ACCESS written on it before giving the thumbs up.

"So, you guys missed me after three years?" asked the gray-haired woman.

"And here I was wondering what had happened to one of our top patrons."

"Yeaaaah... I haven't kept in touch with you guys after having my case dropped. Sorry about that, but long story short, I'm merely a humble teacher now, and I'll be entering with these lovely assistants."

The receptionist raised his eyebrows as he examined all four teenagers.

"Nice to have you back, Ms. Sadohara. Hope you have fun!"

"Say hi to the rest of the team for me, sweetie."

Moving past the guards and the welcoming arch, everyone went face-to-face with a giant LED screen that showed a holographic map of Shiroki City. Kazuki, however, noticed the amount of people gathering around the central hub.

Most wore suits or other formal attire. Some, however, were simply wearing polo shirts and having family members with them. A certain subgroup of people were decked in full cosplay.

He noticed Ms. Sadohara giving both Uehara and Kimura a nod, and the girls split from the group. He could only hope that they get along well enough for the sake of the mission.

Just then, the map of Shiroki City shifted to a floor plan of the expo. While the navigator lady, a goggle-wearing woman with a gray uniform, narrated and introduced some of the attractions of the expo, some people were left staring in wonder.

She then floated past her initial location, landing within inches of a young adult. Waving her arms as if she was aware of the presence of the man, she greeted him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, much to the amazement of some watchers.

Amagi herself looked at the female hologram with wide eyes.

"That's some amazing technology they got here," noted Kazuki.

"It's the gathering of the city, no, the country's top scientists in one hall for a once-a-year extravaganza. What did you expect?"

"Probably the more boring things? You know, the serious stuff with math and data and all."

His reaction drew a smile out of Ms. Sadohara. Looking at her phone, she skimmed it for a bit before letting out an audible "Ooooh."

"I presume we won't be here watching this scheduled tour," he continued.

"Why? You wanted to just stay and get a kiss from a hologram?"

Kazuki grumbled at Ms. Sadohara's resulting laugh.

"Normally, I would like to give you two time to roam around and enjoy the fair. You know, explore at your own pace and pick up a few things before the main event, but there's something I really, really want to show you."

"What is it?" asked Amagi, finally looking away from the scene happening in front of her.

"Come with me. It's in..." Ms. Sadohara looked at her phone. "Exhibition Room 3-C. One of the rooms where my type of ID grants private access."

The two of them followed her to one of the paths that branched out of the central hub.

After walking past some crowds, the three of them finally reached a door with way fewer people.

"Special access," sweetly said Ms. Sadohara to one of the ticketing officers. Confidently flashing her ticket at the two, she winked. "Would you let me bring my two assistants in as well?"

It went on without a hitch, and before long, Kazuki and Amagi found themselves staring at a capsule resting on a lower level platform.

With nothing else inside the extremely chilly room, the oval capsule that was roughly as big as two people had all the attention to itself.

Kazuki cannot help but glance back at the door they came from. With the guards outside seemingly having no care towards this contraption, he can only wonder how important this thing that required private access was.

"What is that?" asked both of them. Kazuki did so with snark, while Amagi did so more curiously.

"Ah, the HVM. It's one of the toys I played with back in my days. Think of it as sort of a prototype to the IRIS. However, instead of responding to emotional stimuli and converting them into data, it responded to one's spiritual aura and determines its power."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd be raising eyebrows at you being so interested in the whole magical side of things."

"Officially, that baby is documented as Hormonal Variant Modulator, HVM in short. Real creative, I know. But here's a secret, Arata. Science and what we call magic are not too far apart. I long believed that the spiritual can be explained and applied in scientific terms, and the IRIS and all its cousins like this one are proof of that."

"I feel that I've seen a show that does that before..." pondered Kazuki while putting his hand on his chin. "Had all those pseudoscience terms to make it sound so smart, too."

"One of your favorites when we were in middle school! Oh, oh, it's got that cool protagonist who uses guns and has a sister who's super into him!"

"Thanks for the help, Amagi?" he chuckled, surprised at the out of nowhere eagerness of his childhood friend to mention said show. "But I'm actually more concerned by the name of the machine. Hormonal Variant Modulator. Sets off some red flags if you were to ask me."

"It's nothing! Just think of how it can show us how well your powers match up with Amagi's. Raids in Mu will be child's play once I get the data."

"Alright, alright. I knew if I refuse, you'd keep insisting anyway."

"That's a good assistant! Amagi, go in after him."

The both of them went down the platform, and Kazuki first sat inside the capsule. There was a soft cushioned surface that gently massaged his back the moment he leaned against the seat.

Indents on the seat allowed him to place his hands and ankles in their proper positions, and with everything set, the machine responded.

Refreshing air also blew from the sides as the numerous lights lining the side of the circular capsule lit up.

"Wait, you said it's for two," he questioned, now feeling the snug fit of the seat.

"Of course she'll sit on your lap! How do you think two people will fit inside otherwise?"

"What?!"

"Come on, it's for the greater good!"

Amagi, who had been quiet all this time, nodded. In spite of her surprised expression, she took a deep breath and suddenly put on a game face.

Kazuki found this surprising, but he had little time to stand up before his childhood friend, somehow all too willingly if he may add, planted her butt on his lap.

He nervously looked at her as the capsule began to close. She then reached out to two indents on the walls and inserted her hands there.

"Oh well. If it will make our jobs easier..."

All the while, he wondered as to why Amagi seemed to be taking this thing super seriously. She had yet to utter a single word.

That did not change when the machine fully activated.

The HVM went to work with its countless beeps and wheezing sounds. Kazuki felt the air inside the capsule fluctuating, with the coolants doing their best to keep the temperature tolerable for the people inside its cramped space.

Meanwhile, shockwaves of energy rocked his contact points with the machine. Instead of hurting, they merely tickled, and it felt more like energy was being drawn from him.

The sensation reminded him of the first time Assimilator's Core activated. He had no idea what it was back then, just that it gave this same free-flowing sensation when his shield clashed with Ms. Sadohara's illusory blades.

The noise abruptly stopped, and after everything winded down, in came a robotic voice.

"Abnormally high change in heart rate detected. Aura readings at peak. Two hearts beating in synchrony. I calculate a perfect match and predict budding potential for romance."

Both he and Amagi found their eyes assaulted by bright flashes coming from everywhere inside the capsule they're stuck in. A whirling sound of printing echoed inside, and looking at the lone interface in front, he knew that the pictures and results were being sent somewhere.

Pictures of their embarrassed faces.

"What does this have to do with what she said?!"

While Kazuki frantically looked around the inside the capsule that continued flashing lights at them, Amagi was trembling. Her lips shook, and Kazuki felt his heart beating even faster upon seeing her blushing face and wide eyes.

The container opened, and facing them was the whistling Ms. Sadohara, who quickly hid her phone inside her dress. In spite of her trying her best to avoid the two's gaze, she continued sneaking in glances at them.

"You knew what this is and just wanted to tease us! I knew that name was suspicious!"

The woman suddenly looked away again. "Oh, I swear I didn't know this is what it had become. But hey, that extra knowledge you learned was super enlightening, right?"

"What does this have to do with Mu or the whole science thing? What's with this thing being stowed away with private access for anyway?"

Kazuki grumbled, and he wanted to get off the contraption, but with a girl on his lap, it's not exactly the easiest task to do. It did not help that Amagi's beet red face was right next to his.

"Weeeell, they wouldn't want couples hogging this thing. Can you imagine how long the lines for this would be?"

"We all know this is bullshit. It's about as accurate as reading horoscopes!" he reprimanded. "Let's get out of here, Amagi."

She stayed quiet.

"Amagi?"

"Arata... when you said—"

Oh crap!

"N-no, Amagi, I did not mean it. I was way ahead of myself with describing the accuracy of this device! I did not mean that our compatibility is bullshit or anything!"

"Eh? I did not say anything about that..." she calmly replied, but it was in how calm and nonchalant she said it that made Kazuki even more nervous.

Ms. Sadohara's resulting laugh was more insulting than anything. That witch got him again.

"I'm sorry, Amagi. Carry on..."

"U-um!" she nodded vigorously before calmly raising herself.

She took her sweet time getting off the contraption, and Kazuki followed suit.

Before he can give Ms. Sadohara an earful when they made their way up to elevated platform, the sound of clapping entered his ears.

"The HVM doesn't lie, for your information. She might just be the girl for you."

Kazuki turned to the side, putting on an irritated look to cover up his embarrassment. "Who?"

A young adult with a gray fade cut marched in. Adjusting his glasses while giving him and Amagi a warm smile, he relaxed his shoulders before extending his hand.

"Apologies for my rudeness. I should have introduced myself. I'm Yuichiro Ishida, and what you just had is a glimpse of the main event later. Pretty cool, huh?"

He coolly smirked.

2

"Yuichiro Ishida?"

An untoward feeling welled up inside Kazuki the moment he heard that surname.

Yet, he assured himself that it was not hatred. He cannot imagine himself already harboring that strong dislike towards someone he barely knew.

Looking at the person who possibly drove Reijy to the breaking point and created the whole incident during the Fuyusato Grand Festival, he had a sense of apprehension towards this man.

"Have we met before?" Yuichiro asked Kazuki.

"Can't say I'm surprised," interrupted Ms. Sadohara. "Always with the air of swagger like an Ishida."

"Oh, it's Ms. Sadohara. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"No need to be so formal. I'm but a humble counselor and occasional substitute teacher now. In fact, I'm more surprised to see you here and to know that this prototype to the IRIS ended up in your hands. Why though?"

"We at the Ishida Conglomerate are always looking to get our hands on new technology. When the news of the fire at Elysium broke out three years ago, Father and I decided that it's best to procure technology related to the incident. We're always looking for the next big thing to improve, and it would be a shame to have this kind of device snatched away and destroyed."

"How responsible of you," chortled Ms. Sadohara. "Speaking of your dad, any chance he will make an appearance?"

The clanging of charms abruptly cut her off and alerted everyone to the arrival of the imposing figure.

"Speak of the devil..."

Towering over everyone in the room, the patriarch of the Ishidas was a being born of children's nightmares. With his mechanized eye, a necklace of charms, and tall, gruff figure, he looked every bit of intimidating as he could.

"You called, Miyuko?"

This was the first time that Kazuki heard his voice, but the deep, almost growling voice had already sent shivers down his spine.

This is Yoshihiro Ishida?

Back when he and Uehara were assigned to meet with him, they never found him in the ball. He had heard stuff about him from Ms. Sadohara, but nothing could ever prepare him for this.

Yoshihiro Ishida's mechanized eye aimed towards him, and Kazuki held his breath just as Amagi gripped his sleeve.

"Ah, just perfect. I wasn't expecting to see you this soon, but I guess this makes it a lot easier for me."

Kazuki did not want to admit it, but his respect for Ms. Sadohara shot up the moment she continued her overly casual and playful tone when addressing this monster of a man.

"You better not waste my time."

"Oh, I won't ever dream of doing such, despite what these kids might tell you."

"Kids?" asked him.

"Right, I forgot to tell you. These are Kazuki Arata and Miki Amagi. Two of my Fuyusato Academy students, and they're serving as my assistants for today."

Both Ishidas looked in their direction, much to the discomfort of Kazuki and presumably Amagi. Yoshihiro's stoic expression never changed, but Yuichiro's eyes widened for a second before Reijy's brother recomposed himself.

"Shall we go? They'll take care of themselves and enjoy the expo."

In his mind, Kazuki was just happy that she'll be taking this hulking man away from them.

No wonder Reijy Ishida grew up becoming such a bitter man. Imagine living with this monstrous drill sergeant along with all those expectations. The guy was a pompous asshole, and nothing will change that, but meeting Yoshihiro Ishida certainly put things into perspective.

Without another word, the two adults went on their way, past the back door where both Ishidas came from.

With the two of them out of the way, the two assistants were left with only one other person in the room: Yuichiro Ishida.

Kazuki was about to leave with Amagi when a suddenly meek voice called out to them.

"Touring the expo? Mind if I hang out with you?"

With raised eyebrows, Kazuki turned back to see a surprisingly muted expression from the once confident Yuichiro: a look that's apologetic, even.

He wanted nothing to do with the Ishidas, honestly speaking. However, he sensed something beyond those eyes.

"I can grant you access to some of the top attractions in the expo with my exhibitor ID," he hurriedly followed, adjusting his glasses in the process.

It was Amagi who made the first reply.

"Sure thing, but you really don't have to do that."

"Amagi?"

"Arata, it seems like he really wants to talk about something. Won't you give him a chance?" the brunette girl then shifted to a softer tone. "Perhaps he could also tell us more about Reijy and give us info we need."

His childhood friend was someone that Kazuki always had trouble refusing, but the practical application of having Yuichiro join them sold him on the deal. After giving her a single nod, he acknowledged the young man with glasses.

3

Uehara and Kimura found themselves hanging around the lounge inside the convention center.

This was where people take their breaks from the activities, enjoying catering food and some of the more expensive drinks.

Having singled out someone who looked like an important figure, Uehara had followed him to this place. Alas, she had no luck finding an opening to confront the spiky-haired man wearing a suit.

She dared not admit it back in the elevator, but she had volunteered to look for Guren Izaya for a very specific reason. Yes, he could indeed be up to no good and might pull some stunt when the main attraction got unveiled, but she felt completely uncomfortable revealing the primary one.

She wanted to know more about the Akashic Records, and only one person can give her the knowledge she desired.

In all their encounters, she sensed zero hostility from Guren Izaya. He had his way with annoying her and playing mind games, but she never sensed any direct hatred or resentment.

Had there been resentment, he would have ended them at Tenka Peak. He would have also thrown more than a punch in the Chronodome.

His goals may not be aligned with the rest of the team's, but for now, at least in one specific tangent, her personal goal and his would have a meeting point.

It just sucked that Ms. Sadohara had to saddle her with baggage like that idol... But compromises had to be made. Besides, Kimura did not seem serious about accompanying her, at all.

Having trailed the spiky-haired man, she had decided to just settle into the crowd along with Kimura, eventually following him to the section in the convention for self-published authors and artists.

The hall meant for all the geek hobbies, if the figures and the toy robot kits being sold were any indication.

People passed them by, but they were not getting any leads about the involvement of their target. Soon, the target was lost amidst the crowd of people, and Uehara clicked her tongue in frustration.

Seeing Kimura somewhere in the distance, Uehara walked towards an author's table. His eyes lit up when he saw her walking towards her.

"Hi, how may I help? You would want to check out my new comic series Daybreak Breakers. It's a sci-fi series, and it's got action, comedy, and a lot of the sexy stuff, both male and female, that girl—"

Uehara's outstretched palm stopped him, and his eyes blinked in surprise.

"Sorry." With a now very tame voice, he softly apologized.

That caused her to look at the selection of comics the guy had lined up on his table. Her eyes quickly gravitated to an issue of Daybreak Breakers.

The guy seemed nice enough, and he had been here for a while. He might be able to help, but Uehara also felt that randomly asking for information would be nothing short of rude.

"Don't worry about it," she said nicely, picking up the particular issue and giving it a glance.

This is probably something that Arata would like.

She looked at the cover multiple times, taking note of the focus character. The white-haired girl with a stoic expression seemed to stare through her soul with her blank eyes. On one hand, she had a gun, and on the other, an orb of magical power.

The mechanized suit with a convenient boob window for her flat chest only added to the appeal this could have for Arata. Uehara was sure of it.

Amagi wouldn't lie to her about her childhood friend's preferences, would she?

"Okay, I'm buying one."

The author almost shouted, nearly dropping the cup noodles he was eating before hurriedly reaching to the back of his booth. "Thanks! Here, let me give you some extra merchandise of Mio I have prepared."

Coming out with bookmarks depicting the heroine, he bundled it neatly with the comic book before neatly packaging them into a tote bag.

"Okay, mind if I ask a question, sir?"

Uehara had barely gotten the tote bag after paying when she felt an enthusiastic tapping on her shoulder.

She did not appreciate having her bare shoulders touched and quickly turned to see the smiling face of a man looking a bit older than her.

"Hey, a fellow fan! Daybreak Breakers is awesome, you know?" whistled the guy who had a surprisingly high pitch.

She eyed this man, who was wearing a shirt with a cartoon robot underneath his coat. The rotund man voraciously drank yellow liquid from the bottle he held, having some of it spill onto his shirt.

What a slob.

However, when she moved past the table, she remembered that she had seen this person before.

She had seen him engage in some lengthy conversations with some of the organizers and that particular individual she was trailing. Now, this guy looked like an even better source of information.

"That series is great. Mio's my waifu," said the man who had eagerly followed her.

Uehara held back a laugh of both disgust and amusement when the man opened his phone and started going over his entire gallery of the comic series' main character, a gallery which included a lot of lewd pictures anyone with any sense of dignity wouldn't show off in public.

"She really suits you. You should cosplay her!"

"T-thanks," replied Uehara while not exactly sure how to respond to him touching her shoulders again.

She began walking away, trying to create some distance between this man and herself. Before she can got too far, she suddenly remembered her mission, something she had forgotten out of a distaste from this man.

Swallowing hard, she turned around.

"I might consider it, and I'll look into this series and talk it with you," she said with a smile.

"Awesome! Here's my number..."

"W-wait. Don't be in such a hurry!" the black-haired girl replied. "I need you to answer something first."

"I don't know anything about the convention. Not really too interested in the whole science thing, but I came here for the video game section."

He continued drinking the yellow liquid from his bottle before loudly exhaling.

"It's my little brother who's here for his science project thing."

"But I've seen you talk to... is he an organizer? Suit and spiky hair guy."

"Oh, that's just my little brother's teacher. He's a pretty cool dude. Very popular with the ladies, too."

"Okay, so I'm actually here for a meetup, and—Eep!"

She can't help but flinch when the creepy man placed his face near hers while rubbing his rough hand against her arm.

"Oohh... Smooth," he said while sniffing her. "Sweetie, your number? We can talk about Daybreak Breakers all day, and afterwards, we'll meet and have fun at my sister's hotel."

"Sorry, but no," Uehara apologized, pushing herself away from the conversation that had taken an uncomfortable turn.

She felt an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, and she tried her hardest not to throw up on the spot.

"Come on, don't be shy. I may look like this, but you know the big guns come to play on the bed."

"Enough!"

The black-haired girl swatted away the incoming hand, the recoil causing the man's drink to spill in the process.

"Oh crap!"

He turned to her with anger, but that expression quickly turned into one of pain when Uehara grabbed his attacking arm and twisted it by the wrist, holding it behind his back.

"Stop if you want to know what's good for you," she whispered, a killer glare staring down on the creepy man when he glanced over his shoulder.

"I yield! I yield!"

Uehara let go of the hand, causing him to sigh as her grip had threatened to twist his wrist off. The small commotion had attracted a few prying eyes, but as soon as she let go of the hand, even the nosiest spectators went back to business.

Geez! To think there are creeps like that in a science expo of all things. I'd expect that in a cosplay convention, not here!

She dusted her black dress before walking off before an all-so recognizable voice caught her attention. It was high-pitched enough to further annoy her.

Oh, what's she up to now?

Stomping her way towards the other end of the lounge, she stopped mere inches away from her partner.

"...Tall guy, about this tall, and wearing some cool longcoat. Seen that guy anywhere?"

Yui Kimura's loud voice complimented her very animated hand motions, and she was keeping herself busy with a foreign-looking woman, who shook her head, looking every bit confused.

"Excuse me," the woman with long, blonde hair said in her heavy accent, pointing at a small pamphlet on her hand. "Hall 2-D. Talk starts?"

"Yeah, but have you seen the guy?" continued Kimura, putting her hands on her hips. "You won't miss him! Long, silver hair, too. Plus, he talks in some complicated language, so you should not entertain him."

"Come again?"

The blonde's eyes blinked repeatedly as she put her hands above her head, trying to emulate Kimura's actions. She then motioned down her long hair, trying to figure out what the other person was saying.

It's obvious that she's having a bit of difficulty understanding the language, and the ex-idol's words were clearly startling this adult woman.

"Apologies. I not understand."

She waved her hands repeatedly, but Kimura only motioned for more.

It looked like the blind leading the blind, and their conversation was going nowhere. Finally giving up, Kimura sighed and gave a bow.

"Oh well... Thanks for the help! Name's Yui, how about you?"

For the first time, the blonde woman seemed to understand something that Kimura's loud mouth spouted. Her blue eyes widened and sparkled with a passionate gleam she waved right back.

"Yui? Wait... Yui... Kimura?! Yuki-tan?!"

"Yiiiii!" Kimura exclaimed excitedly, having been put on cloud nine. Her reaction seemed to trigger yet another response in the form of a fangirl squeal.

"Kyaaaa! She's here! She's here, Yuki-tan in the flesh! I'm a big fan from overseas! I-I-I-I'm Ellie-sama!" she shouted.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Kimura and Ellie hurriedly held hands and danced in place, more than creating a scene.

More than anything, Uehara felt a sweat drop trickle down her head at how grandiose "Ellie-sama" was said, all in the thick foreigner accent. Obviously someone who traveled here from a foreign land, only knowing the culture from the cool gadgets, the video games, or the anime.

Without wasting any more time, Uehara pulled the plug, freeing the foreign woman from the ex-idol. "Conversation's over!"

Kimura grumbled as she was dragged away. She just waved goodbye at the foreigner, and the foreigner waved right back with double the energy.

With them in the clear and back in a slightly less congested section of the welcoming hall, Uehara let Kimura go.

"Okay, mind telling me what that was?"

"Trying to help out, what do you think?" answered Kimura with spunk. "She looked suspicious as hell. She stood out so much with that attire. She looks like an executive who might know something!"

Uehara put her palm on her forehead.

"One glance and I can tell she's obviously a foreigner who knew nothing," she sighed. "At least you didn't spill the beans on the whole Mu thing."

"Hey, I'm not that stupid. How about you? Have you made any progress on your end?"

"Don't just go on picking random people to interview. Learn to scout properly!"

"Changing the topic because you got nothing? Hehe, I figured. You know, I'll be a nice girl and give you some tips. Arata's a dense dumbass, so you gotta learn to be more direct with your feelings. Be more passionate. I learned that from him, and it won me his first kiss!"

"S-stop lecturing me and changing the topic yourself!" hurriedly replied a flustered Uehara. "If you're telling me to be more upfront in asking for information, why did you have to bring that kiss in?!"

"Nothing. I just want to say that being more direct allowed me to progress a lot further than you and Amagi did. Must be tiring hiding your feelings behind that ice queen mask, right?"

Uehara found her heart racing at Kimura's smirk before a couple of deep breaths calmed her down.

"Let's just get back to work, okay?" she said in defeat before turning to her phone. "We've got a short while before the show at the main hall."

"Don't be in such a hurry, ladies."

The suave voice sounded like nothing Uehara had heard before.

Led by the spiky-haired man in a suit, a group of four people, one of which was the creepy guy she fought off, advanced towards them.

"You..."

"I never got your name, but I didn't like what you did with Keita. He's a real bro, and you didn't have to do that."

She put on a defensive stance right before the spiky-haired man, apparently the leader of the group, got right in her face.

"So, you're apologizing or not?"

"You should tell that 'bro' of yours some respect."

"It doesn't work that way, little girl. You don't mess with us, and you especially don't mess with me, Yuji Kamiya."

The two stared each other down before a piercing shout interrupted them.

"H-hey, let me go!" complained Kimura, right as one of the men grabbed her arm. The man then roughly slapped her on her behind.

"Brooo, I immediately knew she's got a pretty good ass. This one's a keeper."

"S-stop it or –"

Kimura did not get to say anything before the man forcibly pulled her face mask and shades off and fondled her cheeks.

"Shh... Be a good girl and come with us. We'll be nice."

"You let Kimura go!"

She ran forward, but a force suddenly stopped her kick in its tracks. Yuji Kamiya had his hands on her leg, giving her a revolting smile of satisfaction. He had a lecherous look on his face while he enjoyed holding onto her thighs.

"Don't you worry, girl. You'll learn to love us after a while."

Uehara prepared to fight the man before realizing that the other two had her surrounded. As sweat rolled down her forehead, she only felt annoyance towards the other expo-goers quietly ignoring the scene happening in front of them.

There were a few passing glances here and there, but she can't believe that no one's intervening.

If she could use her momentum and launch herself up, her other leg can strike this guy on the head, and she'll finish the rest of the men off...

She silently watched the other two for silent movements while readying herself.

"Security, arrest those men!"

Just as that powerful voice commanded, numerous security were on top of the four, hurriedly capturing them and escorting them out of the venue.

In this moment of reprieve, both girls let out sighs of relief.

"That's terrible. You okay now?"

The two of them turned to see their savior wearing an open jacket with the collars raised.

After getting off the initial shock, Uehara recognized the student council president, Kenji Saito. His clean cut hair had been combed up into some spikes to the side, giving him a cool, handsome new look. Regardless, the calming expression on his confident face never left.

"What's everyone else doing? Enjoying the show?" sighed Saito before he looked at the onlookers in the lobby. He shook his head, a look of visible disappointment on his face.

"Nice to meet you here, and lots of thanks," said Uehara, bowing in the process.

"No need to be so formal, hahaha."

"Apologies."

"I said no need to be so formal, Uehara!"

Saito grumbled in a slightly affectionate way before turning to Kimura.

"I'm also glad you're doing well," he gave Kimura a toothy grin. "Misawa can't keep talking about you in the student council room. She's just one of the many fans awaiting your return."

After Kimura said her thanks, Saito looked at the time on his phone.

"What brings you two here? Being part of the organizer and marshal team, maybe I can help you in these few minutes before the program at the main hall?"

"Actually," Uehara started. "Perhaps you could help us with something..."

Saito raised his eyebrows in response.