Inside the Mall…
Without a care in the world for her purses, Mihina ran towards the two boys and wrapped her arms around them, tears falling from her eyes. "Dachii! Marachii! You're back! I missed you two so much!"
"Aww," Marachii replied. "We missed you too!"
Dachii stood there, unmoving. "Who…who's Dachii. I…don't know a…Dachii."
Mihina stepped back, analyzing him before playfully punching him in the arm. "Idiot! Even if your hair has gotten longer and you're sporting some edgy look, I know that's still you!"
She moved his hair out of the way, allowing herself to clearly see his face.
"Uh. Yeah. You. You got me," he managed to reply.
Mihina wiped her face. "What brings you two back? You didn't answer my phone calls, so I thought something bad had happened to you two! Speaking of which…"
She slapped them both. "Don't ever ignore me like that again!"
"We won't…" Marachii promised.
Dachii just stood there. Mihina pointed at their outfits. "Why are you guys dressed like you're in some military? Are you guys doing a cosplay or something?"
"Something," Marachii said. "It's a long story."
"And what's with the dog?"
She pointed to Luca, who was sitting on the floor, watching the interaction curiously. "Got a new pet from our new home."
"Hmm…" she remarked. "It looks feral."
"That's because it is," Marachii confirmed.
The wolf plopped itself on the ground. Zentaruo and Chiho walked over to the group, laughing with tears and smiles on their faces.
"Man, it's good to see you two!" Zentaruo greeted. "Marachii, still looking as nerdy as ever! Dachii, you've gotten…cooler? Taller? Something's different about you."
Dachii's hair fell back over his face. "Oh. Didn't realize."
"You guys still seem to be pulling pranks, huh?" Marachii asked.
"Of course!" Chiho confirmed. "Ever since you guys left, we've been pulling one prank every day. Sure, it's gotten us some jail time, but it's all in good fun!"
"And done with good intentions too!" Zentaruo added.
"You guys BLEW up a SCHOOL," Mihina pointed out.
"On accident!" they exclaimed.
Mihina rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Do you guys wanna get something to eat with us? I would love to hear about your experiences in your new home!"
She took Dachii's hand in hers. "And I wanna know how you started walking on your own again! I mean, look at you! No limp at all!"
Flashbacks occurred in Dachii's head. The battle with Ravos, the blade piercing Morino's chest, the memories with Ayana, and the memory of her revealing herself as Runea.
"It's a curse…" Dachii muttered.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing," he clarified.
Marachii stepped in. "Well, we don't have much time but we would love to hang out with you guys for a bit!"
"Yay!" Mihina cheered. "Follow us!"
Marachii rubbed the wolf's back. "Come on, dog. Let's go."
Mihina led them to the food courts, where there were various food stores selling items. Chiho and Zentaruo broke off to buy some candy, while Mihina turned towards the two. "So, what do you feel like eating?"
Marachii shrugged. "Anything's fine."
Dachii remained silent, but she nudged him. "What about you, Dachii?"
"I'm not…hungry."
She gave him a confused and slightly suspicious look, but she waved it off. "Okay, how about pizza?"
"Sounds great!" Marachii agreed.
The wolf barked, making Mihina jump. "Ah! Why does it sound like that?"
"Like I said, he's a bit feral," Marachii explained. "Don't mind him."
She smoothed her hair. "Okay, no worries!"
She went over to a nearby pizza shop, ordering three pizzas. While she did so, Marachii leaned in to whisper to Dachii. "Love seeing the old gang, but uh…we can't keep that General waiting long, can we?"
"No," Dachii answered. "No, we cannot."
Luca barked again.
"Is something wrong, Luca?" Marachii asked.
Luca barked again and again, gesturing toward Mihina.
"Hey!" a bystander shouted. "Keep that thing quiet!"
"Sorry!" Marachii apologized. "Luca, what are you trying to say?"
Luca yawned and walked around in a circle, confusing Marachii. "Uh…what?"
"I'm back, guys!" Mihina announced, holding the boxes of pizza. "They work especially fast when they get orders from female customers! I wonder why."
"Oblivious as usual…" Dachii thought. "Hasn't changed a bit…"
She spotted Zentaruo and Chiho at a table far off in the back, waving them over. "There they are. Saved us a spot!"
She went over there and set the pizza down. "Are you guys coming?"
"Yeah!" Marachii called out. "One sec!"
Marachii managed to get both Dachii and Luca to the table, and Dachii sat down, with Mihina sitting next to him.
"So!" Mihina wondered. "What adventures have you guys gone on over there? What even is the place you guys call home now?"
She looked at Dachii, who attempted to avoid eye contact. Marachii noticed this.
"It's just a city far off from here," Marachii answered. "It's heavily tech-based, and everyone there is super sophisticated."
"Sounds perfect for a guy like you, Marachii!" Zentaruo joked.
"You could say that," Marachii laughed, a bit nervous.
Dachii stared at the pizza, and Mihina couldn't help but notice. "Dachii…are you okay? You don't seem…yourself…"
"Yeah," Chiho pointed out. "Usually you'd have cracked some stupid joke by now."
Dachii sat there, staring. As soon as Mihina went to open her mouth again, she noticed someone else sitting at the table.
"AHHH!"
She nearly fell over, but Dachii caught her with his arm. Zentaruo and Chiho looked over to where she was staring, and they found Luca, who was eating slices of pizza. Marachii slammed his head onto the table. "Darn it."
Luca waved. "Hello, fellow humans."
"Dude," Zentaruo remarked. "Your skin…is GLOWING."
"Where'd the dog go?" Chiho asked.
Luca shrugged. "Who can say, to be honest?"
Mihina stood up. "Ahem…who are you, and why are you at this table? And why are you wearing the same outfit as…my friends?"
"Because we're all a part of the same Squad," Luca pointed out.
"Squad?" Mihina inquired.
"Think of it as their job," Luca clarified. "I'm a part of their team. And we're here on business, so this lunchtime can't last forever. Other…squad members are waiting on us."
"Are you guys like, spies or something?" Chiho asked.
"Dude," Zentaruo gasped. "His skin. It's GLOWING. How do I get my skin to glow?"
"Magic," Luca waved. "Magic."
Mihina sat back down. "Dachii? What's going on here?"
"Then she asks me…" Dachii thought. "Why. Just why?"
He cleared his throat. "We're…umm…"
"Security guards!" Marachii suggested.
"Yeah, that," Dachii agreed. "Security guards that…travel around to cities and make sure they are safe."
Mihina gave him a confused but supportive look. "That's…pretty cool! I never thought you'd be the type to take such an active role! That's…amazing of you!"
"Yeah…" Dachii said. "…Amazing."
Zentaruo stood up. "So do you fight bad guys? Do you have guns? Have you gone on high-speed chases?"
"Eh, heh," Marachii replied. "We've seen a little action or two."
"Or many," Luca added.
"Not helping," Marachii whispered.
Luca scanned Mihina. "You guys didn't tell me your friend looks just like Hikari. Wow. Wait till she gets a load of this!"
"Who's…Hikari?" Mihina wondered.
"Another friend of ours," Luca said. "You act just like her."
"Oh!" Mihina gasped. "I didn't realize."
"WHY ARE YOU GLOWING?" Zentaruo exclaimed.
Marachii stood up. "So actually, we were going to buy outfits for our group, which will help them blend in. So we'll go ahead and do that! We'll be back!"
"Oh, I can help with that!" Mihina offered.
"Us too!" Zentaruo and Chiho stated.
"I don't know if that's necessary—-!"
But before he could protest, Mihina had already grabbed him and Dachii and started pulling them along. Luca stretched and got up. "Yep. Just like Hikari."
Mihina led them into a designer store. "So, how many outfits do you need? 2? 4?"
"30," Marachii replied. "Maybe 35."
"EXCUSE ME?"
"It's a lot of them waiting outside," he admitted.
"Girls or guys?"
"Both."
She put her hands on her hips. "And how were you planning to pay for all these…outfits?"
Marachii laughed awkwardly, unable to answer. Mihina gasped. "Don't tell me you were planning to steal them!"
"No? Yes? Sort of?"
"Marachii, I expected better from you!" she scolded. "You're lucky I love you both, so I'll help."
"Really?"
She nodded, looking at Dachii, Marachii, and Luca. "But first, we'll need outfits for the three of you. Come on!"
Against their will, she dragged them into the shop.
Meanwhile, outside the Mall…
Akari impatiently tapped her foot. "Where are they? I can't stay in this…thing anymore!"
Hikari lay on a chair. "They're probably just trying to find something for everyone. We have to look human, remember?"
"Yuck," Akari dismissed.
Saori was busy in the front of the bus with Yamato, who was jamming to music. "Hey, could you turn that down! It hurts my ears!"
"Suck it up, buttercup!"
"That's rude!"
He turned his music up even louder to drown her complaints.
Aoki was outside the bus, pacing back and forth with her sword in her hand. Toru watched her from the top, a cold look in his eye. "What are you doing?"
"Keeping my body in motion," Aoki replied. "Not that it's any of your business."
"Is that so?" Toru remarked. "Look alive, it's a human behind you!"
She jumped. "Where?"
Toru shook his head, a mocking laugh on his face. "Unbelievable."
"Okay, that's it—-!"
They heard a voice calling them. "Everyone! We're back!"
Dachii, Marachii, and Luca all came out of the store in casual jackets and jeans, pushing a cart full of clothes towards the group.
"Finally," Akari sighed, exiting the bus.
"How did you acquire all these?" Toru inquired.
"A friend helped us," Marachii said.
"You should see her," Luca joked. "She's just like Hikari!"
Hikari turned red. "Well! Yeah, Dachii…has said that."
"Hmm? Where is she?" Akari asked.
"Inside…" Dachii said.
Aoki sifted through the pile of clothes, holding up a jacket and some jean shorts. "What…are these?"
"Your outfit," Luca chuckled.
Her eyes turned red. "You're kidding."
Toru examined the clothes himself. "Very…human. Well then, fools! What are you waiting for? Put them on!"
Noriko gulped. "Do we have to?"
Toru glared at her. "Okay! Changing!"
While the soldiers changed, Dachii went back to the entrance of the mall, where Mihina, Zentaruo, and Chiho were caught spying.
"Dachii!" Mihina blurted out. "You—you have a lot of glowing friends!"
"So much glow…" Zentaruo admired. "How do they do it?"
"I bet they take glowsticks and eat them!" Chiho laughed.
"Nah, they probably stick themselves with light bulb juice!" Zentaruo suggested. "Man, I should try that!"
"No, you shouldn't," Mihina pointed out. "That's dangerous."
She straightened up. "Well, how long are they going to be here?"
"I have no clue…" Dachii remarked.
"Well, there's this concert going on," she said. "Me, Zentaruo, and Chiho are going. I kinda would like you and Marachii to come with us too."
Dachii narrowed his eyes. "No Okuda this time?"
Zentaruo and Chiho covered their mouths, almost as if Dachii said something he shouldn't have. Mihina brushed it off. "Umm…we aren't quite…on the best of terms right now, but I'll probably bring him next time! You know?"
"Oh. That's good," Dachii said, his tone never shifting.
"Do you want to come?"
She pulled a paper out of her pocket, showing a poster of a concert. "It's by this singer, his name is Uta Otokura. He started his concert a few days ago and he's already got millions pouring in every day to see him. And he's hosting a challenge soon! The best singers and dancers are invited to participate!"
Dachii gazed at the poster for a moment, recognizing the fair-skinned young man on the cover, who had very familiar white and purple hair.
"I know that guy…!" Dachii realized. "Uta? I thought his name was Masaru? And isn't he Ayana—Runea's friend?"
Dachii shook off the feeling. "Sure. I'll go…"
She hugged him. "Yay! It's gonna be so fun! I promise you'll enjoy it!"
"Yeah. Uh. Can't wait. Can I borrow this?"
He pointed to the poster, which she handed over. "Sure?"
He walked over to Toru, who was now changed into a dress shirt, pants, and shoes. "General."
"What is it?" Toru demanded. "I hope it's not a new outfit. This one is already tight as is."
Dachii showed him a poster. "I think this is where to find the enemy."
"A concert?" Toru remarked.
"Yes," Dachii confirmed. "A concert."
—-