As ti passed since Becan’s barbecue, the scene shifted to the enchanting world of Samposits, where joy resonated in laughter, warm embraces, kisses, and gas. Children chased one another, while the focus panned down to Earth #232, where a girl, her face and body sared with blood, ran in a panic, desperately trying to escape her surroundings.
Girl: (Crying) LEAVE ALONE!!
The girl continued to flee until she reached a dead end. Turning around, she gazed into the distance and saw a shadow with long, nacing hands.
???: (Unsettling voice) Co back... You’re making mad... I just want a hug.
Girl: (Crying) HELP!! HELP!! SOONE PLEASE HELP !!
???: No one can hear you.
Girl: (Crying) PLEASE JUST LEAVE ALONE.
???: I can’t do that; I haven’t gotten my hug.
The girl sobbed, pressing herself against the wall. Suddenly, it cracked and broke, causing her to plunge through.
Girl: Uhhh...
When she opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by lifeless bodies, all with their eyes wide open, staring at her.
Girl: (Scared) AHHHHH!!!!
As she continued to scream, she stopped abruptly when she sensed a presence behind her.
???: Do you like my collection?
The girl slowly turned around and saw the creature looming over her. It seized her by the back of her neck, pinned her to the ground, and pressed its body against hers, producing unsettling noises as she began to scream.
Girl: H.e.l.p.
???: YOU’RE MINE NOW, NAOMI!!!
Gram jolted awake as cold water splashed on him.
Gram: AHHHH!!!
Himitsu and Ohma erupted into laughter, with Himitsu holding a bucket.
Gram: WHAT THE HELL!! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!
Ohma: (Laughing) You’re right, Himitsu, that was hilarious!
Himitsu: (Laughing) I told you it would be.
Gram: I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!
Ohma: (Laughing) Oh, he’s mad now.
Himitsu: (Laughing) Yeah, we should run!
Ohma: Yes, sir!
Himitsu and Ohma dashed out of the room as Gram pursued them. Once outside, they encountered Daru performing one-arm pinky push-ups, Zodiac sharpening his blades, Kono in the kitchen, and Akira against the wall, observing Himitsu and Ohma flee from Gram.
Gram: CO BACK HERE, YOU IDIOTS!
Ohma: (Laughing) Hey Gram, catch if you can!
Himitsu: (Laughing) Yeah! IF!
Gram: WHY YOU!
Gram stops, pulls out his book, and casts a spell that generates large bubbles, trapping Ohma and Himitsu inside one.
Himitsu: Aww! Dammit!
Ohma: (Laughing) Nice one, Gram!
Gram: Yes! How do you like them apples?
Akira: CAN YOU GUYS BE QUIET!!
Everyone turns to look at Akira, who is also trapped in a bubble.
Kono: Oh, this is not going to end well.
Gram: Oh shoot!
Zodiac & Daru: Idiots.
Gram dispels his spell, releasing Himitsu, Ohma, and Akira.
Gram: Akira, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know that would happen.
Akira rises from the ground and strides toward Gram.
Gram: I’m truly sorry, I really—
Akira sidekicks Gram, sending him flying through the main door, landing face-first on the ground.
Gram: It’s always .
The scene shifts to Kono and her team approaching the Association building to comnce their Rift mission.
Gram: Do we have to do this today?
Akira: You’re acting like there’s anything else to do.
Gram: Because there is!
Zodiac: Like what? Sitting at ho doing nothing?
Gram: Well, relaxing doesn’t sound bad.
Daru: Gram, you need to start doing more than just sitting around.
Gram: I do things!
Ohma: Yeah, he does stuff when there’s a fight; he distracts the enemy by running away and hiding.
Daru: Exactly, Ohma.
Gram: You know, sotis you guys really suck.
As they converse, a girl running through Sampostis collides with Gram, causing him to stumble.
Gram: Ah! Hey!
Girl: (Still running) Sorry!
Himitsu: Where’s she rushing off to?
Kono: Maybe she woke up late for sothing.
Ohma assists Gram in getting back on his feet.
Ohma: Are you okay, Gram?
Gram: Yeah... thanks, Ohma.
Ohma: Anyti, sir!
As they continue toward the building, the scene shifts to the girl running to a house and banging on the door.
Girl: Open! AIMI, OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN!
A little girl opens the door, rubbing her eyes; it is the sa girl Kono’s crew rescued from the abandoned mall.
Aimi: Hana? What are you doing here?
Hana: I need your help!
Aimi: Okay, calm down. What do you need help with?
Hana: Lisa... Sothing has happened to Lisa.
Aimi: No, no, not Lisa!
Hana: Yes, I need your help to find out what’s going on. People just aren’t acting the sa anymore.
Aimi: Well, I can’t do anything; plus, I’m on house arrest.
Hana: Did you go back to that stupid mall again?
Aimi: It doesn’t matter.
Hana: Yes, it does! How long were you there this ti?
Aimi: (sighs) A few days...
Hana: Oh my gosh, Aimi, you need to stop going back there! He’s not coming back!
Aimi: You don’t know that!
Hana: Yes, I do!
Both take a mont to breathe and regain their composure.
Hana: Listen, I didn’t co here to argue. I ca to see if you could help, but if you can’t, I’ll do it myself.
Hana begins to walk away.
Aimi: Wait!
Hana turns around.
Hana: What?
Aimi: I think I know so people who can help you.
Hana: Really? Who?
Kono and her crew enter the building, heading toward Fin at the front table.
Fin: Hey, guys!
Kono: Hi, Fin! How’s it going?
Fin: Oh, you know, just sitting here all day, so it’s okay.
Akira: Listen, you know why we’re here, so just hurry up and give us the mission.
Fin: Oh right! You guys are going to be starting your—
Fin gets cut off as Hana bursts through the doors and yells.
Hana: IS THE MAIVLANCE CREW HERE?
Everyone in the establishnt looks at her, startled, as she catches her breath.
Gram: Did she just say our crew na?
Kono: I think she did.
Daru: It’s always sothing.
Everyone turns to Kono and her crew.
Kono: Umm... yeah, we’re the Maivlance Crew.
Hana rushes toward them.
Kono: Uh...
Hana reaches them and drops to her knees.
Hana: Please, Maivlance Crew, I need your help! Please!
Zodiac: What is happening?
Akira: I don’t know.
Akira approaches Hana and lifts her by her shirt.
Hana: Ugh!
Akira: What do you want!? Speak, or I’ll fry you!?
Daru: Akira, put her down and allow her to speak.
Frustrated, Akira releases her to the ground.
Hana: Uh... thank you.
Himitsu extends his hand, and Hana accepts it as he helps her to her feet.
Himitsu: Are you alright?
Hana: Yeah, I’m okay, thank you.
Himitsu: Don’t ntion it.
Ohma approaches her.
Ohma: Hi! I’m Ohma, ma’am. What’s your na?
Hana: Um... my na is Ha—
Gram pushes Ohma aside.
Ohma: Ah!
Gram: (chuckles) Hey... wait! You are the girl who bumped into !
Hana: Oh yeah... sorry about that.
Gram: Hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. The na is Gram... Gram the Great.
Hana: Umm... I’m Hana, Hana Ying!
Zodiac: What do you want? We were in the middle of sothing.
Hana: Right! I require your assistance!
Daru: With what?
Hana: I’d prefer to discuss this sowhere else.
Daru: Ugh... fine.
Hana: Okay, please follow !
Kono: Hey, Fin. The Rift mission will have to be postponed.
Fin: No worries, it’ll always be here.
Kono: Okay, bye!
Fin: See you!
They all follow Hana back to Aimi’s house as they enter.
Hana: Aimi! They’re here.
Himitsu: Oh, soone else lives here with you?
Hana: Uhh... not exactly, but she is my sister.
Aimi cos down the stairs, and everyone realizes she is the sa girl from the abandoned mall.
Gram: HUH!?
Ohma: It’s that girl!
Akira: I’m so confused.
Kono: Yeah, it’s a long story. I’ll explain later.
Zodiac: She’s your sister?
Hana: Yeah... she’s my sister.
Daru: (Sarcastically) Oh great, she’s your sister... What do you need from us?
Aimi: Rude.
Daru: I can be really rude if you want.
Hana: Okay, okay... I need your help because sothing is happening at my school, and people are behaving very differently. I didn’t notice it until last year, and recently, Aimi’s best friend, Lisa, has started exhibiting the sa behavior.
Kono: When you say they’re acting differently, what do you an?
Hana: Umm... it’s as if they’ve had their energy drained or sothing. Lisa is usually very happy and active, but when I visited her yesterday, she didn’t even acknowledge or say hello. She even missed practice for the volleyball team!
Daru: Did you do sothing to upset her?
Hana: What? No!
Daru: Hey, I’m just asking if you two had a fight.
Hana: No, nothing occurred between us. I just need to understand what is happening... I need your help.
Aimi: Guys, I know what I did to you, and I’m sorry, but please help my sister and help Lisa.
Zodiac: (Sighs) Are we really going to do this?
Kono: Yes, we are!
Hana: Great! But there’s one problem.
Ohma: What’s that?
Hana: The school is not located in Sampostis.
Kono: Where is it?
Hana: It’s on Earth, directly below us.
Zodiac: I don’t see why that’s a problem; we were just down there not long ago.
Hana: Yes, but the school has a no-creature policy, so Kono can’t co.
Kono: What! That’s not fair.
Gram: (Laughing) You can’t go!
Hana: Yeah, and you can’t go either.
Gram: What... why?
Hana: I’m not trying to be rude, but you look too old.
Gram: What! I don’t look ol—wait, what kind of school are we talking about?
Hana: High school, of course.
Gram: AHHHH!!!
Daru: Are you saying we have to go to your school as high school students?
Hana: Yes! And you all look young enough; I can present you as transfer students.
Akira: I hate this already.
Zodiac: Agreed.
Hana: Okay, well, let’s go.
Daru: One more question.
Hana: Huh?
Daru: Why does your sister live up here while you go to school down there? Why not just go to school in Sampostis?
Aimi: I got this, Hana.
Hana: Okay.
Aimi: The reason Hana is not up here is that she’s human and doesn’t have any powers like .
Ohma: Really?
Aimi: Yes, I was born with powers, and she wasn’t. My mom had powers, but she passed away, and my dad didn’t. H-he’s coming back soon.
Hana lowered her head slightly.
Zodiac: Interesting.
Hana: Can we go now?
Akira: Just move and get going.
Hana: Okay, okay!
Kono: I’ll fly you all down.
Hana: Great, thank you!
Hana walks up to Aimi and gives her a hug.
Hana: I’ll see you later, Aimi. I’ll make sure this situation gets resolved.
Aimi: Okay, big sis. Please stay safe!
They all head to the ship dock and board the ship heading to Earth.
Gram: It sucks that I can’t go!
Himitsu: I thought you were complaining about it.
Gram: Yeah, I was, but I don’t want to stay in Sampostis by myself.
Kono: Hey! You have .
Hana: I’m sorry, Gram.
Gram: (sad) It’s okay...
They descend to Earth, landing in a city called Holrez, far from the school.
Kono: Well, this is it.
Hana: Thank you again, Kono, for dropping us off.
Ohma: Gram, I’ll see you soon.
Gram: Send postcards so I know you’re okay.
Daru: Oh my goodness, everyone off the ship!
Everyone disembarks.
Kono: Bye!!
Everyone waves except for Daru, Zodiac, and Akira.
Hana: Alright, if you follow , I’ll get you all settled in.
Akira: Where are you taking us?
Hana: To my house!
Akira: Then hurry up and walk!
Hana: O-okay!
Hana begins walking, and the others follow her through the neighborhood.
Himitsu: Do you live by yourself?
Hana: No, I live with my dad, but I have the house to myself since he’s not here.
Daru: Is your father alright with that?
Hana: I guess so. It’s not a big deal.
As they continue walking, Hana suddenly stops, surprised.
Hana: Oh snap!
Ohma: What’s the issue?
Hana: I forgot you need ID cards to register at the school!
Zodiac: Are you serious...?
Hana: You also need a parent or guardian to register you.
Daru: (Annoyed) So we ca all the way down here just to get screwed over!?
Hana: I-I’m sorry! I totally forgot.
Akira clenches her fist.
Akira: You’ve gotta be kidding —
???: I think I can help.
Everyone turns to see a man in casual clothing smoking a cigarette. Daru looks at him, shocked, as he recognizes him.
Daru: Wait, you look familiar!
???: (Smoking) Haha, you forgot about already?
Himitsu: Do you know him, Daru?
Daru: Yes! I t him at the bar back ho.
Lenz: That’s right. Does the na Lenz ring a bell?
Daru: (Surprised) Lenz! What are you doing here?
Lenz: Just exploring the city, nothing out of the ordinary.
Zodiac: Let’s cut to the chase. How can you help us?
Lenz: I overheard your conversation about needing ID cards and a parent to register at school. I think I can help.
Hana: Really!? You can do that for us!?
Ohma: That sounds great!
Himitsu: Not to be rude, but how old are you?
Lenz: (Laughing) I’m 31.
Hana: 31! You look much younger!
Lenz: I’m flattered. I thought I looked my age.
Akira: So, are you going to pretend to be our parent?
Lenz: If you’re comfortable with it, then yes.
Zodiac: (Pulls out his katana) What makes you think we can trust you? There must be a catch.
Lenz: (Waving his hands) No, no! There’s no catch. I simply want to help those in need.
Zodiac looks at Daru.
Zodiac: Can we trust this guy?
Daru: I don’t sense any malicious intent, so yeah.
Zodiac: (Puts his katana away) You better be right.
Lenz: Excellent! I’m glad you’re willing to accept my help.
Hana: This is good, but we still have one issue: the ID cards. You won’t be able to enter the school without them.
Akira: (Upset) Perfect! Just fantastic!
Himitsu: Maybe Kono can help us with that.
Hana: You think so? How?
Himitsu: Sampostis has advanced technology; maybe that can help us.
Hana: Alright, but let’s head to my house first.
As everyone walks, Daru observes Lenz thoughtfully.
Lenz: Sothing on your mind, kid?
Daru: Yes, just one thing.
Lenz: Go ahead.
Daru: How did you manage to survive in the village?
Lenz: Huh? Survive in the village?
Daru: Yeah... how did you get out?
Lenz: It’s Daru, right?
Daru: Yes.
Lenz: Daru, I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Daru: So you don’t know our village was destroyed?
Lenz appears shocked.
Lenz: What do you an it was destroyed!?
Daru: You genuinely don’t know?
Lenz: Are you telling that the entire village has been lost?
Daru: Yes... I returned to check on Zenshi and Rito, but when we arrived, everything was burnt down, and there were dead bodies everywhere.
Lenz begins to panic.
Lenz: No, no, that cannot be my house! M-my BAR!
Daru: I’m sorry, Lenz, I thought you knew.
Lenz: No, I didn’t. I left the village a few days after our eting. I intended to explore and expand my business by opening bars across the dinsions, so I would be recognized everywhere.
Daru: Well, don’t give up; you can still start over.
Lenz: (Smiling) You’re right! Maybe it’s ti to start from scratch again. Thanks, Daru.
Daru: Yeah, no problem.
Lenz: You ntioned you returned to see so friends? Are they de—
Daru: No, they are alive... sowhere.
Lenz: I see. Well, I’m sure you’ll find them.
Daru: Yes... I hope so as well.
Everyone, including Lenz, follows Hana to her beautiful house.
Ohma: Your house looks aweso, Hana! Way better than Kono’s.
Hana: Why, thank you!
Himitsu begins to smile and laugh.
Ohma: (Confused) Did I say sothing wrong?
Daru: No, you’re right; just don’t let Kono hear you say that.
Hana: Well, please, co on in, everyone!
Hana approaches the front door, retrieves her house key, unlocks it, and opens the door. Everyone enters, admiring the tidiness of Hana’s ho.
Lenz: You have a delightful ho, Hana.
Himitsu: Alright, let quickly contact Kono.
Himitsu takes out his Jump Watch, accesses his contacts, and calls Kono. After a few monts, Kono answers.
Kono: Hey, Himitsu, what’s up?
Himitsu: We find ourselves in a bit of a predicant, Kono. Apparently, we require an ID card to register at Hana’s school, but none of us possess one. Can you assist us?
Kono: So you need an ID card? Of course! We can create a fake replica that will allow you to register.
Hana: Really? Can you do that?
Kono: Certainly! We can also enter you into the system in case of any verification checks.
Daru: Then I need you to get us all ID cards, including one for an additional person.
Kono: An additional person?
Himitsu: Yeah. We also need a parent to register us, and we found soone who can help.
Lenz: Greetings.
Kono: Oh, uh, hi! I’ll need so information from you to send to Fin.
Lenz: No problem.
Lenz shares his details with Kono.
Kono: Great! I’ll contact Fin right now to help create the cards. Until then, you’ll likely have to wait until tomorrow, as it will take so ti.
Daru: What?!
Zodiac: (Shaking his head) Of course...
Kono: I’m sorry, guys! It’s just going to—
Gram steps in front of Kono, speaking into her Jump Watch.
Gram: You guys suck!
Daru: Gram, how about you shut up!
Gram: Nah, I won’t! I’m happy you guys are getting screwed over, hahahahaha!
Akira: (Serious) If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll fly over there to beat your ass!
Gram: (Scared) Alright, alright!
Daru: (Shaking his head) What an idiot.
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