So, everyone, do you like it?” Hayate asked as the last contestants went to the backstage, and the audience howled in feverish support to say ‘yes’. “Now we’re done with all the contenders, and while we wait for the judges’ result, let’s give a very loud applause to the Gemini Sisters!”
In an instant the hall erupted in a deafening roar as Aura and Freya returned upstage. Fan boys changed their names in unison, intoxicated by the twin sisters’ charms. Male audience swooned when the girls winked to them, and waved to the performers in unison.
“How are you doing, everyone?” Aura asked through the microphone.
“WE ARE DOING FINE, AURA-CHAMA!” fan boys howled.
“Do you want more from us?” Freya continued.
“HELL YES WE DO!” male audience hooted.
The Gemini Sisters giggled. “Dewa!”
They made a pose that looked very identical to each other, and cameramen immediately turned to them, projecting their image on the huge screen behind them. When the cue started, they danced in perfect synchronization, never missing even a step, shone by colourful spotlights from above.
Freya: “Hitomi no oku, tojikometeta; seizatachi ga odoridasu no; yume no KO-RU, kono tsudzuki ni GOOD LUCK!”
The Gemini Sisters continued dancing, occasionally spinning on their toes as to show off their beauty. This act of self-service made 75 percent of boys and males to bleed their nose.
Aura: “Kizutsuku ko, osorenaide; arinomama no jibun de ii mou; daijoobu…”
They joined their singing force.
Freya: “Furueru RIZUMI…”
Aura: “Setsunai MELODY…”
Both: “kimi ga watashi no kono jikan wo… Ah~ honki ni saseru wa!”
They threw their hands upward.
Freya: “Nagareboshi ni negai kakete, kako mo mirai mo koete; itsumo kimi ni todoku you ni, shining-shining moonlight!”
Aura: “kujikesouna toki wa itsumo, kimi no koto wo omou yo; doko ni itemo hanaretetemo todoiteiru yo…”
Both: “Your gravitation…”
Kay laughed. “What are you talking of, Armstrong? It’s just that I happened to be asked to open a food stall,” she said. “Besides, you just look damn good in this form.”
“I take that as a sarcasm-filled praise,” Armstrong sighed. “Oh, well. Not that I want to complain in the first place, especially when I have alien girls following me around like ducklings.”
Behind them, the intoxicated fan girls and female spectators were squealing like mad as they tried to get close to their adored real men. “Armstrong-sama! Arcas-sama! DAI! SU! KI!!” they hollered and melted into blobs of flesh.
“See? That’s why I’m not a partygoer,” Armstrong said.
“That isn’t a good thought, Armstrong-san,” Mel said and sipped the green tea. (Behind her, fan boys were prying upon the woman’s majestic beauty, being dressed up in expensive and luxurious silk kimono before they were sent into smithereens by a hyper Poseidon.) “Partying for once in a while isn’t a bad idea, right Arcas?”
Arcas just nodded. “To tell you the truth, actually,” he said and took another spoonful of Kay’s Special Fried Rice, “although I disapproved of what he did to Armstrong and Nanoha, I’m wondering whether it was worth the madness he had done.”
“I’d rather not talk about it, my friend,” Armstrong replied and ate the fried rice.
The entrance door was suddenly kicked. Armstrong, Arcas, Poseidon and Mel turned around to the main hall, only to see the receptionist pushed out of the building by a group of angry cosplayers. “I bet those people are mad at the organizers for not inviting them, aren’t they?” Arcas said.
“I think you better reconsider those words,” Armstrong spoke and put down the ceramic glass. “They aren’t your regular cosplayers.”
Both Arcas and Mel blinked. “Huh?”
-
-
“You think you can enjoy the party without inviting us along,” an angry Yuuno, dressed up as King Leonidas of
“But we totally forgot! We’re very sorry!” the receptionist answered.
“You threaten our culture with globalization and death,” Yuuno snarled and prodded the real sword onto the frightened TSAB personnel’s neck. “You insulted my queen. You made fun of
“Blasphemy! This is madness!” the receptionist cried.
“Madness?” Yuuno turned to his 300 Mid-Childans. The warriors, wearing nothing more than leather pants and red capes, nodded and slammed their spears onto their hoplite shields. Then Yuuno glanced at everyone else in the boulevard who nodded as well.
He turned back to the horrified TSAB personnel. “Please, Yuuno, have mercy…”
“Mercy?” Yuuno grinned. “This! IS! COSPLAY!!!!!” He kicked the receptionist into the fountain, and all the people cheered in approval. He later turned to the 300 Mid-Childans. “Mid-Childans!”
“HOWL!” they replied in unison.
“Enjoy yourself as much as you can today!” he bolstered. “Tonight, we cosplay… IN HELL!!!!”
“FOR MID-CHILDA!!!” a Mid-Childan howled.
“FOR YUUNODAS!!!!” another Mid-Childan screamed.
Yuuno lifted his fist. “FOR GLORY!!!!”
The 300 Mid-Childans marched back into the hall. Arcas and Mel gaped in disbelief before they asked Armstrong: “that’s… Yuuno, isn’t it?”
“YUUNODAS HAS RETURNED!” fan boys roared and cried hot-blooded tears of manliness.
“Yuunodas?” Arcas asked.
“It’s a long story, but to shorten it,” Armstrong spoke, “it all began when I invited him to
-x-x-x-x-x-
//
“Sou…”
The Wanderer continued her journey.
Having had arrived at the headquarters two hours earlier, she chose to follow her instinct in finding her way through the main building, despite the bureau’s suggestion to send someone to escort her. It was not the case of deliberately getting lost in the vast complex, because it was what she had intended to do: spending as much time in the complex as she could.
She took the opportunity from the lengthy trip to look around her, noticing how many eyes were fixated upon the oversized anteater doll she was carrying along, and how many eyes were prying upon the attire she wore. She did not take notice of the awkward atmosphere, nor did she care of the people. She was here to look for someone, and she would do what it took to find that person.
(Earlier, on that day, she had stumbled across Amy who was equally surprised to see her presence in the TSAB. Her reaction towards Chrono’s wife was as uncanny as ever as she asked “what’s with the fake fang and long wig you’re wearing?” in which Amy’s only answer was “I thought I could go and smack Chrono on the head-nyoro.”
She batted her eyebrow upward. “Nyoro?”)
“I guess he’s really enjoying himself up to this day,” she pondered and walked down the path that lead to the hall.
“Mai?”
She stopped. She knew that voice, and she recognized the intonation of the speech (despite the awfully feminine sound). She turned around, and was slightly impressed by what she was seeing.
“What are you doing here?” It was Hikari, and standing beside her was Nanoha who was equally shocked not only at her presence but also at the same school uniform she was donning. “You could’ve given me a call, you know.”
“Hikki…” She approached the priestess. She took her hands. “It is time.”
Hikari blinked. “Right now? (Mai nodded.) But what will everyone… Nanoha think of this?”
She smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll come up with something.” She later turned to Nanoha and bowed to her. “Please forgive my husband for all the difficulties he has created before I come here. I’m sure he didn’t really mean to displease you,” she spoke.
“N-no! I’m fine with it,” Nanoha replied.
Hikari sighed. “Oh, well. I guess this will be a parting gift from Hikari Kokurabuji.” So saying she approached Nanoha, bent forward and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “It’s been a pleasure to visit and know you, Nanoha-sama. Please send my regard to everyone,” she spoke in soft voice. “Thank you for everything.”
Mai handed over the anteater doll to Nanoha and approached Hikari. “Anata, I hope you have learned your lesson from this transformation,” she spoke.
Hikari, to Nanoha’s surprise, simply nodded, as if she knew the end would be coming. “Yes, Mai, I understand.”
She stopped. With her face an inch from Hikari’s, she stared into the priestess’ vibrant eyes. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, I am.”
She tipped off her feet. Slowly, she reached for Hikari’s lips and pressed her lips in a soft, passionless kiss that shocked not only Nanoha but also several female TSAB personnel who were walking in the area.
(At the same time, Koji, Yui, Maren and Treize arrived in the area only to be greeted by the romantic scene. Yui had to seize her brother’s eyes; the “kitsune miko” blushed at the thought of kissing her significant one in the public; Treize simply tilted her head in confusion.)
The kiss disengaged. Hikari started glowing in faint bluish aura, but was not surprised by the phenomenon as she signalled at Nanoha to calm down.
“Go change your dresses somewhere else, anata,” Mai said with a chuckle and poked his nose. “You don’t want people to see you with your skins exposed.”
-x-x-x-x-x-
“By the way, Armstrong,” Kay continued. “Have you done with the reports on the excavation? I need to review it before delivering it to the society.”
“With all these parties and activities, do you expect me to complete the assignment on time?” Armstrong chided. “Why don’t you write those paper works yourself?”
Kay grumbled at the lazy reply and prodded her finger onto Armstrong’s shoulder. “Whether you want to complain, it’s not my business, but I need those reports. Besides, it was you who volunteered to do the reports, wasn’t it?”
An explosion shook the entire structure.
“What happened?” Armstrong left the stall and everybody else behind (Arcas was closely following his lead). They arrived at the explosion site, to be greeted by a scene unlike anything they had ever seen.
“Who or what the hell?” Arcas demanded.
Amidst the ruins and chaos, Armstrong could see a person walking into the scene, in all his might and right with a steel ball holstered upon his right shoulder.
He was not amused. So did Arcas.
“Jackson Armstrong!” Baron Daban bellowed. “I challenge you into a rematch!”
