Outside the Mall…
"Wow! Girls, you look SUPER cute!"
Reika, now dressed in a blouse and shorts, held out her watch, taking pictures of Akari, Aoki, Hikari, and Saori, respectively, who were in new outfits complete with handbags as well.
"Akari, that crop top and skirt combo fits you! Aoki, loving the leather jacket and shorts! Hikari, you were totally MADE for that mall dress! Saori, looking like a real princess over there!"
Saori admired her outfit. "I love this cute pink dress! Does it come in rainbow?"
Reika pointed her camera at Noriko, who was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. "Look at you, Noriko! All cool and casual!"
"Please…get that camera off me…" she begged.
"You better delete that footage," Aoki demanded, embarrassed. "I mean it!"
Luca scanned what he was watching, trying to contain his laugh. "My goodness. First with Fujii now with Toru? The Generals are just blessing me with laughs!"
Akari shivered. "Why do I look so…street-level?"
Hikari looked at her outfit. "Mine's not…too bad!"
Yamato walked out of the bus, wearing a tuxedo and shades. "Look at me, peasants. Riding in style."
Luca examined Aoki. "You know, to really pull off the look, you should let your hair down! Let me help with that!"
He broke into a laugh, and Aoki's eyes turned red. "Try it and see what happens, wolf."
Luca patted Dachii on the back, coughing to hold back more laughs. "Go ahead, pal. She won't kill you. Maybe."
"Okay…" Dachii replied, not even paying attention. He walked over to Aoki, who looked at him and folded her arms. He pointed to the band in her hair.
"Can I…"
She tilted her head, scoffing. "Hmph."
He took that as a sign to take it off, and when she didn't attack him, he reached and pulled it off, placing it in her pocket. "There. That…looks better."
"Don't encourage this," she said. "I'm going to murder that wolf."
Akari looked at Aoki's hair. "Since when did you actually have hair?"
"I've always had hair, idiot! I'm not bald!"
"You look like it."
"What'd you say?"
Toru dropped down from on top of the bus. "Enough chit-chat. Dachii here has located a potential clue for us. The enemy might have something to do with this concert."
He held up Uta's poster.
"A concert named Soundwave?" Akari wondered. "How can that help?"
"This man is a friend of the Tenth Rank of the Order, Runea," Toru explained. "Thus, either he has some connection to their plans, or he knows about them. We shall infiltrate this concert, monitor him, and turn his own venue against him."
"Ooh!" Saori cheered. "I see singing and dancing! I love singing and dancing!"
"No goofing off!" Toru ordered.
"Sorry…" Saori apologized.
"Now then, the location of this concert is in a city called Sanbu. I assume that you two know where that is?"
Marachii nodded. "It's a city of higher reputation. And it's more populated. Perfect for a large event like a concert."
"Good," Toru said. "The time begins at 8 pm. In the meantime, we shall go and scout out the area. My squad, to me!"
Toru motioned them inside the bus.
"Wait, are we not coming?" Marachii asked.
Toru shook his head. "This is a low-profile job. The more of you caught snooping around, the more suspicious he'll be. Besides, your squad's recklessness would be best served for the big stage tonight, not a preliminary surveillance operation. We shall meet back here by 7. Do not be a single second late!"
Yamato revved the engine. "Later!"
And then the bus took off, leaving Dachii alone with his squadmates.
"And they're gone," Marachii noted.
"Good," Aoki remarked. "All those stuck-ups and their over-zealous leader. Finally can breathe."
Dachii turned toward the mall, and Marachii noticed. "Marachii…come with me."
"Where are you going?"
"Inside," he pointed.
He walked into the mall, where Mihina, Zentaruo, and Chiho were waiting by the entrance.
"Dachii!" Zentaruo greeted. "Where did all your glowing friends go?"
"They left…"
Chiho snuck a glance at the ones still left. "The remaining ones are pretty fine! That pink-haired girl, she's got a shred of Mihina in her, and those two white-haired gals arguing, look at them!"
Mihina whacked him across the head. "Don't stare at them. They give off strange vibes. Dachii, Marachii, are you sure they are friendly?"
"They're friends," Dachii clarified. "Not friendly."
"Are they coming to the concert tonight?" Mihina asked.
"Sadly, yes…"
"Crap!" Zentaruo realized. "Duck! They're coming this way!"
He pulled Chiho into the bathroom nearby, while Mihina just stood there, hands on her hips. "Really, you two? What's the worst they could do to you in a public place like this?"
Akari stopped at the entrance. "Dachii, where do we go now—-?"
She noticed Mihina, pausing for a moment. "Is she—-?"
"A friend," Dachii explained. "Childhood friend."
Akari narrowed her eyes at her. "I see. Luca wasn't lying…"
Hikari walked in next. "Guys, I think we should go check out…the area…"
She stopped, noticing Mihina. "Oh! Hello there, ma'am! Sorry, didn't know you guys were talking! I'll just step off to the side now!"
Luca shook Hikari back and forth. "See? You have the same hair. Isn't it great? It's Hikari as a human! Beautiful!"
"Luca!"
Mihina watched all of this, confused. "What the hell am I looking at?"
"Our daily life," Marachii groaned.
Aoki slowly walked in, almost as if she wasn't trying to be seen. "Can we please leave? It's too many people here. I want to go."
Zentaruo and Chiho came out of the bathroom, and Zentaruo grabbed Mihina's arm. "I've heard stories about the glowing humans! If you stare at them too long, you lose your mind! Run, Mihina! Run!"
"Glowing human?" Aoki questioned. "What the hell is a—-?"
"Yeah, we're glowy humans alright!" Hikari interrupted. "Glowing skin for the win!"
Mihina stepped up to examine Hikari, poking her face with her finger. "Your skin seems warm. Is this some sort of mutation? And how can your eyes be golden? I have never seen that color before. And your hair, is it dyed?"
Hikari struggled to find the right words to say, so Marachii whispered something in her ear.
"I'm…just special! That's all! A very special child! That uses a lot of cosmetics!"
She whispered back to Marachii. "What are cosmetics?"
"Makeup."
Mihina sized her up. "Hmm…"
Saori pointed to her hair. "Is that your sister, Hikari?"
"No, Saori, no."
Zentaruo grabbed Dachii by the arm. "They've got Mihina in their spell! Now she's trapped forever!"
Dachii just watched the drama.
"I don't think we should stay here long," Marachii remarked. "Mihina, do you mind if we catch you guys later?"
"Yeah, no problem!" she obliged. "After all, these things…"
She motioned to the others. "They're messy."
"Messy?" Akari gasped. "Messy? Excuse you, I am not messy—-!"
"Bye, Dachii! Bye, Marachii!" she said, hugging them. "See you tonight!"
Zentaruo and Chiho also waved them goodbye. "Don't let the glowing girls kidnap you!"
"We won't!" Marachii shouted back.
They walked down the mall, leaving the boys alone with their squad. Luca popped out some beef jerky. "Well. They seem like good folk."
"Humans," Akari scoffed. "So ridiculous."
Aoki shifted back and forth on her feet. "Yes, and there are more of them staring this way. By my power as Vice-General, I order that we leave this place IMMEDIATELY!"
Hikari stared at her. "Do you even know where you're going?"
"…No. Anywhere but here!"
Marachii sighed. "Dachii, is there any way we can kill time until the concert starts?"
"Sure…" Dachii replied. "We all sit and don't talk to each other for the next 6 hours."
"That's not what I meant," Marachii stated. "I mean activities."
"That IS an activity…"
Marachii slapped his forehead. "Follow me, everyone."
He led them outside and onto the busy streets of Yuara, where kids were racing each other on bikes and underground music groups were rapping. Cars drove past every second, a few honking at the group.
"Are they honking at you guys or us?" Akari asked.
"I have no clue," Marachii answered. "Come on, we have to cross the road in a line. If we don't, they'll hit us."
"Why?" Hikari questioned. "We didn't do anything to them!"
"They're drunk. Now hurry, everyone!"
Once there was a gap in the cars, Marachii led them across the street. Dachii was on the other side of the road, left with Saori.
"Do we go now, Mister Dachii?" Saori asked.
"Huh…oh…yeah…one second."
Dachii picked Saori up and jumped over a car that came zooming down the road, before evading the next two on the opposite side. He placed Saori on the sidewalk.
"You know that's illegal, right?" Marachii warned.
"A lot of things are," Dachii replied.
"Now where do we go?" Aoki asked. "It's too many humans…they're looking…"
She gestured to the other side of the road, where groups of humans stared at the squad. Aoki fumbled around her bag, looking for her sword. "I'll go silence them."
"No, no!" Marachii protested. "Just…mind your own business and they'll eventually have to leave."
"I want them to leave NOW."
Akari stared at her outfit. "These sandals hurt my feet. Don't you have anything else?"
Hikari looked around. "It smells super funny here. Is this how it's supposed to smell?"
"I want candy!" Saori announced.
Luca turned into a wolf and began scratching himself.
Marachii tugged on Dachii's arm, desperate. "I've got them away from the mall. Tell me you have a plan now?"
Dachii was focused on something happening down the street, where a large crowd was gathered and cheering could be heard. Marachii saw him looking at a large field, which appeared to be filled with people.
"What's going on over there?" Marachii wondered.
"It's him…" Dachii muttered. "I know it."
Dachii began walking in the direction of the field, forcing Marachii to walk behind him. "Hey, wait up!"
"Don't leave us here, guys!" Hikari called out.
Akari sighed. "I guess we've got to follow them."
Dachii arrived at the field, noticing a group of kids finishing up a baseball game as a crowd watched them. "That's it, folks! With that home run, Team Hanshiro wins!"
"Hanshiro?" Marachii repeated. "Don't tell me…?"
A sweaty guy took off his shirt, walking over when he saw the two. "The Jones brothers? I thought you two left the city for good!"
He stopped right in front of their faces, and Dachii stared at him with a flat, emotionless expression. "Okuda."
"What? Did you come to watch my awesome baseball skills?"
"No," Dachii replied. "We're leaving…"
He put a hand on Dachii's shoulder as he turned to leave. "I see you're walking just fine now. And your hair's gotten pretty long. Must have been a helluva drug at whatever place they dumped you at. How about you run me in a game of baseball?"
"Actually," Marachii interrupted. "We were just—-!"
"Sure," Dachii agreed, flatly.
Okuda grinned. "Good! I've got my seven! Do you got yours?"
A stack of large men appeared behind Okuda, cracking their necks and sizing up the boys. "I call them Jeff, John, James, Jake, Joe, and Junior!"
"Is that their names?" Marachii asked.
"I dunno," Okuda admitted. "Don't care either. Where's your group? I'd have expected to see my girlfriend, or those two jokesters with you by now."
Dachii shook his head. "They came. They left."
"Well. That's fine."
The others finally caught up to them, breathing hard, except Luca. Aoki stepped forward, using all her energy to grab Dachii. "Don't run off like that again, you hear me? You left us at the mercy of humans! Random, sticky, smelly, gross, humans!"
"Okay…" he said. "Sorry…"
Okuda batted an eye at her. "Who's this chick? She your girl? Why's she glowing? Why are they all glowing?"
"Long story…" Dachii said.
"Cosmetics," Marachii responded.
"Weird…but okay," Okuda shrugged.
Aoki turned to face him. "Great. Another one. And there's more…behind him…"
Okuda gave Dachii a pat on the back. "These your members? Better prep 'em up. They look delicate. Wouldn't wanna break 'em!"
He and his team turned around. "You've got ten minutes, Dachii. Meet me on the field."
"What's he talking about?" Akari asked.
"So, we're playing baseball, because someone decided to AGREE to that."Marachii looked at Dachii.
"It's baseball…" Dachii noted. "It's simple…"
"What's baseball?" Saori wondered.
"Yeah, I've never heard of that," Hikari added.
"It's a sport," Marachii explained. "You hit a ball, run around bases, and try to score a home run before they can get you out."
The entire squad stared at him, confused. Aoki looked to Dachii. "Is this what you were telling me about? One of your 'sports?'"
"Yes…" Dachii confirmed. "But no killing people."
A referee walked up to Dachii. "Hey, kid. Okuda says you're fixing to play a match before we shut down. That true?"
Dachii nodded. "I guess so."
"Right. We've got some spare outfits and gear you can use, but don't break them, alright?"
"Okay…"
"Follow me."
The referee led them into a storage room that had baseball outfits and baseball bats inside. "Make sure you pick a size that fits ya!"
He also took note of the Voltians and their glowing skin. "And am I just losing it, or are they glowing?"
"They're makeup artists," Marachii said. "They use some trick to make their skin glow."
"Some trick. Right! Be on the field in ten!"
Aoki picked up the baseball bat. "You don't crack someone over the head with this?"
"NO," Marachii refuted. "NO."
"Is this like a tournament?" Akari asked. "What's the goal?"
"We're so gonna lose," Marachii groaned.
Dachii watched as Okuda stepped outside into the field only to be showered with praise and cheers as he stretched out his arms. Dachii picked up a baseball bat.
"That's okay…time to batter up…"
—-