Outside Mihina's house…
"WHAT? They're GONE?"
Dachii nodded, while Marachii grabbed his head. "Come on! Every moment we catch a break, it just gets worse and worse! How are we going to explain this to Mihina?"
"Explain what to me?"
Mihina walked up from behind Marachii, who stumbled and attempted to clear his throat "Oh…Mihina!"
"Yes?" she replied, an expectant look on her face.
Marachii tried to find the right words to stay, but when he kept stuttering, Dachii stepped forward. "The whole group's been kidnapped."
"What?"
"Did you HAVE to be so upfront?" Marachii asked.
"Yes."
"Are you talking about your little music group?" Mihina questioned. "What happened?"
Noriko twiddled with her thumbs. "We might have got jumped…and raided."
"They raided the Raiders," Reika joked. "That's a punchline if I ever heard one!"
Noriko shot her a look. "Right, right. Wrong time."
"This is all so confusing," Mihina gripped her head. "Why would someone do this?"
"Long story," Marachii answered. "But they want something from us, and they'll cause havoc until they get it. So we've got to go to the gala tomorrow."
"And dance!" Saori cheered.
"You guys are still gonna perform?" Mihina gasped.
"We have to," Reika pointed out. "It's our mission."
"What mess have you idiots got my friends into?" Mihina demanded. "Kidnappings, attacks, threats?"
Noriko clasped her hands together. "It's not that bad! Honest!"
"Uh-huh. If that's the case, I want to come."
"Wait, what—?" Marachii protested.
She nodded. "Me, Haruta, Zentaruo, and Chiho. Just like old times. We're not staying behind."
"I don't think that's necessary!" Marachii nervously laughed.
"Marachii."
She gave him a stern look. "Okay, okay! Just…don't do anything reckless."
She smiled. "No promises."
Saori looked her up and down. "She's funny! I like her! Can we take her back home?"
"No," Dachii shot down.
Mihina walked inside her house, coming back outside with a box filled with clothes. "If you're going to a gala, you'll need to wear these."
Noriko peeped into the box. "Are these clothes?"
"Not just any clothes, fashion clothes."
One day later, Natsuno City…
Marachii pulled his car up to a large apartment complex, which had a massive penthouse overlooking the massive urban city from above. Noriko peeked out the window.
"Is this the place?"
"Yeah," Marachii confirmed. "The president lives in Natsuno. And this is the most expensive property in the entire capital, so this has gotta be the place."
Everyone got out of the car, dressed in their fancy outfits, and it retracted back inside Marachii's body, with the Armor still inside the trunk. "The entrance seems to be wide open."
"Then let's go," Reika suggested.
As they walked inside, Okuda quickly grabbed Yamato by the shoulder and pulled him back. "You again?"
"Kid, don't go inside that building. It's a trap."
"But our friends are inside!"
"I'm telling you, whatever you're planning to do in there, forget it. Tell Dachii to call this off and get as far away as possible!"
Yamato thought for a moment. "Well, as a soldier, I've gotta take the risk! Otherwise, my general would be really mad!"
"Huh? And hey, what happened to that weird crown you picked up?"
Yamato pointed to the penthouse. "They've got it!"
"See, see? Don't fall for the bait, take Dachii and run—-!"
Yamato had already followed the others inside. "That stupid brat, why won't he listen?"
Okuda noticed Mihina, Haruta, and the twins getting out of a nearby car. "Wow, doesn't she look fine today?"
He tried to approach her, but she immediately backed away. "Okuda? Why the hell are you here?"
"I just came to check out the gala!" he clarified. "That's all!"
"Are you spying on me?" Mihina accused.
"No! Not at all—-!"
Haruta pulled Mihina back. "Ugh. Let's just go inside. He's not even worth the time."
"Come on! I didn't even do anything this time!"
The girls kept walking, while Zentaruo gave Okuda a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Poor guy. Maybe she'll forgive you soon! You should try pranking her!"
"Yeah, pranks are the way to the heart," Chiho agreed.
"You idiots aren't helping," Okuda growled.
They walked inside, leaving Okuda by himself. "Doesn't seem like she knows what's really going on. Is Dachii keeping secrets from her too?"
He shook it off. "Doesn't matter. I gotta go in here and investigate."
He waited for them to take the elevator, then he walked inside as well. On the top floor was a massive hallway leading into the penthouse's living room, where guards were stationed, taking money from guests. Once Okuda got close, they stopped him.
"Do you have a special permit to be here?" one asked.
Okuda shook his head.
"Then you have to pay for the ticket," the other explained.
"How much is it?"
"It's $750."
"Alright," he groaned. "Take it."
He handed them a wad of dollar bills, and after they counted them up, they allowed him to pass, but not before checking him for weapons. "Be on your best behavior, we wouldn't like for anything bad to happen to our President."
"Got it."
Once he was inside, he blended in with the crowd.
Meanwhile, Dachii and the others pushed through the guests, some of whom seemed to recognize them.
"Hey, aren't they the Raiders?"
"I thought there were more of them?"
"That boy's definitely on the roster! I'd recognize that emo look anywhere!"
As they became the focus of attention, a well-dressed man in green and golden robes made his way through the crowd, welcoming them. "I am pleased to see you made it. My name is Renjiro Morita. I'm the librarian of this place. President Blake is waiting for you in the auditorium. Follow me."
The group walked behind him as he navigated the crowd, leading them into the auditorium. Once they were inside, he held up his hand. "Only members of the Raiders can proceed further."
He pointed to Yamato and Marachii. "These two will have to remain behind."
"Alright," Marachii obliged. "Good luck, guys!"
"We'll be back soon!" Reika assured. "This shouldn't be too hard!"
The man led the group through a door, where they found themselves backstage in a dark room. Before they could figure out what was going on, Morita locked the door behind them, causing Noriko to bang on the door. "Hey! What gives? Let us out!"
"Did that old bat just betray us?" Reika questioned. "Give me a break!"
In the corner of the room, they could hear a tune being strung, and Uta was sitting in a chair, his music lighting up the room. "Humans are so easy to command! That's why I like them!"
He held up a bag of money. "All it took was a generous offer, and he and the president were willing to allow me to use this grand stage!"
"This entire thing, you planned it?" Reika asked.
Uta nodded. "When you guys first came to Estrium, I knew something was off. The timing was a bit suspicious. Wanting to participate in my show while clearly not being human, AND you brought Dachii? Come on, that's like a dead giveaway!"
"Then why let us do it?" Noriko wondered.
"Because I like music, obviously!" he laughed. "Doesn't matter if you're a human, Voltian, or dwarf! If you can jam to a tune or sing a song, you're okay in my book!"
He sighed, placing his head into his hand. "But Vortessia insisted I get to business. So while she was scouting for our artifact, I was keeping you guys distracted, along with the other clueless humans."
"That girl who attacked us!" Noriko recalled.
Uta nodded. "She's not a fan of music. She's what you call a mood killer. But goals are goals, so I bribed these guys in a way you wouldn't suspect, and now you've brought me the last piece of armor I need!"
"The others…" Dachii murmured. "You must have got them already…"
Uta nodded. "Smart one! Of course I did. The leggings and helmet are already in our possession. Along with the crown. My colleague made sure to take them back with her. Now, it's just a matter of getting the chestplate. Which I'm sure you'll want to hand over, right?"
"Nope!" Saori refused. "Not till you give us back our friends!"
Uta stood up, amused. "Right to the point, Saori. I like it!"
He patted her on the head, but she glared at him. "I'm a man of refined art! If you beat me in this music-fest, I shall return your friends."
"And you'll leave without the armor?" Saori inquired.
"That's a different bet. Impress me, and we can decide."
Saori folded her arms. "Fine! Bring out your dancers! We'll whack them all, and make you pay!"
Uta clapped. "Yes! That's what I like to hear! But be warned, I don't need dancers."
"Hmm?" Saori remarked, confused."
With a strum of his tune, three more of him appeared, each sporting different hairstyles and hair colors from red to blue to green.
"I AM the dancer."
With another strum of his tune, the curtains began to draw, and he effortlessly pushed them forward by playing another line on his guitar. As he stepped out to the ground, he held up his guitar. "People! Are you ready for ACTION?"
The crowd cheered. Saori looked down at the crowd, who all had their eyes closed or barely open. "What's wrong with them? It's like they're all drones!"
Dachii noticed Marachii, Mihina, and the others had the same expression on their faces. "The hell…"
Uta turned toward them. "Don't mind them. Certain tunes I play can put the mind in a bit of a relaxed state. My good pal Sirena taught me how!"
"Using music to toy with minds…" Dachii stated. "Just like normal musicians."
Uta's doubles stepped out into the spotlight, and they surrounded him. Uta gave Dachii another guitar, a smile on his face. "Play your best tune, Dachii. Your friends will need it."
"Okay."
"Ready?" he asked.
"Wait, wait!" Noriko protested. "I don't wanna dance! I haven't practiced—-!"
"Go!"
Uta played his tune, and the clone of him with blue hair stepped forward, combing through his hair. "Who intends to face me? I need a challenge!"
Saori cracked her neck. "I'll do it!"
"Good," Uta smirked. "DJ! Hit the music!"
A beat began playing, and Uta rapidly began strumming as his double began to dance across the floor, even surprising Saori.
"What's the matter, Saori?" the double taunted. "Can't keep up?"
He smacked his hair in her face as he vaulted over her, dancing in front of Dachii as he played his guitar.
"And one, and two, and spin!"
He performed a spin on his head before sliding to the middle of the stage, posing as he winked. The beat ended, and women screamed his name as he grinned. "Your turn, Saori!"
Saori clenched her fists and pointed to the DJ. "Start the music!"
The music played, and Dachii started strumming his guitar as Saori got into the face of her opponent, doing a mix of break dancing and a tango.
"Impressive!" Uta clapped.
Saori did an aerial cartwheel before transitioning into a windmill, letting her hair flow as she moved across the stage. Uta watched as she jumped up, balancing on her hair before flipping over.
"Flexible!" Uta admired.
Saori landed, doing a split, before she got up, starting right at Uta, who gave her a round of applause. "Bravo!"
The first double disappeared into thin air, while Uta turned toward the crowd. "You all get to vote on that round! Who wins? Me, or Saori? Press the red button in your seats for Saori, and the blue one for me!"
The audience complied, and the screen above the stage showed that 52% of people voted blue, and 48% voted red. Uta chuckled. "Looks like I win! Onto Round 2! Who's going to volunteer?"
Noriko covered her face with her hands, and Reika briefly looked at her before volunteering. "I'll do it."
Uta gave her an amused look. "Reika, was it? No cheating with your magic, now! We want a fair competition!"
She rolled her eyes. "I don't need to cheat. I'm just that awesome."
"I hope so!" he teased. "Because you're already down a round! You lose this, you lose your friends too! And I don't think they'd be too happy about that, would they? Look!"
He pointed to a large steel cage hanging from the ceiling, which contained the rest of Squads S-1 and S-6, all unconscious and in chains.
"Well, are you ready to dance?"
She yawned. "Totally. Come at me."
—-