Sunshine City, Ikebukuro, tenth floor. Inside the planetarium.
A projector casts a fake starry sky across the domed ceiling, a stark contrast to the blood-red, starless night outside. Right now, Chuka Misumi lies quietly in the center, eyes closed, sleeping soundly.
The sound of hurried footsteps shatters the silence. Chuka doesn't open her eyes, but her voice echoes naturally through the hall. "Go back."
Nero lets out a scoff. Seriously? This chick's kicking them out before they even get a word in?
"I need a way into Shoko Toyokawa's dream," Nero says, her tone hard, like she's issuing an order. "It's for her own good."
"Go back. I won't help you," Chuka repeats.
That "you" clearly means Nero—and Aine, plus the others trailing behind her.
Nyamu had floated an idea: even though Nana's soul has taken full control of this world, Shoko probably hasn't completely vanished. Chuka's been protecting Shoko's personal dreamscape this whole time, and Shoko might be hiding out there.
If they could just get into Shoko's dream, they might have a shot at helping her defeat Nana and take back control of the dreamscape…
Maybe.
Chuka probably thinks the odds of pulling this off are slim to none. But that's exactly why Nero let Shoko's old friends tag along—to boost their chances.
Well, except for Aine and Rakuna. Couldn't exactly leave them behind.
"Misumi-san."
Kairi steps up, calling Chuka by her real name, not her codename "Sorrow." "This is the only way to help her."
A faint sigh escapes into the air. Chuka stops telling them to leave and finally engages. " 'Love,' 'Fear'—why did you come back?"
Kairi has to admit, she'd been ready to give up before. That is, until Rikishi said something that hit her like a punch.
"You giving up already?" Rikishi had asked. "Like how you gave up on talking to me back then?"
To Kairi, her relationship with Shoko was just a partnership—no need to go all in. But to Rikishi, this was Kairi betraying her again.
Because Kairi never tried to fix things. Back when they'd parted ways in a huff, Rikishi stormed off, and Kairi didn't say a single word to stop her.
That's when Kairi realized why her power, her codename, was "Fear." She was scared to reach out, having seen too many things slip through her fingers, knowing that trying to hold on often meant getting hurt worse.
But just giving up like this—could she really live with that? Wouldn't she end up choking on the same regret all over again?
"All I want is for the boss to keep her promise~" Nyamu says with a cheeky grin. "She's the one who took my future, y'know. If she's gone, who's gonna make good on that promise?"
"No other reason," Kairi says steadily. "This time, I just don't want to give up."
She's terrified—scared out of her mind. She knows what she's about to say will hurt, maybe even turn friends into enemies.
But she has to say it—if Chuka won't budge. This time, Kairi can't repeat her past mistakes. Even if it hurts, even if it breaks hearts, she has to—
"I can't help you."
Sure enough, Chuka shuts them down again. "I won't let you into her dream."
"Please!" Hina's voice rises, a rare outburst. "I want to help Shoko!"
"Help her? When even the memories you shared are gone?" Chuka replies. "Right now, I need to keep her at peace…"
Hina clenches her teeth. Kairi takes a deep breath and cuts in, her voice slow but sharp. "That's not true, is it?"
Her hands are trembling, but her tone is cold, resolute, like she's fearless. "That's not it, Misumi-san. You're just—"
God, she's so scared.
Kairi knows she's using her keen insight and understanding to hurt someone.
It's the last thing she ever wanted to do.
But it's also something only she can do.
"—You're just enjoying having her all to yourself, aren't you? You want to keep her locked away for you alone."
"What?" "Huh?" "?!"
The words drop like a bomb. Chuka falls silent. Amid the shocked gasps, she lies there under the fake starry sky, still as stone.
And in this moment, her silence is as good as a confession.
Just as Kairi suspected, Chuka's feelings for Shoko cross a line. Maybe it's some kind of projection from a void in her heart, or maybe something else is influencing her… Doesn't matter. What matters is that Chuka's been relishing this dreamscape where it's just her and Shoko, and she doesn't want that to change.
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Nero furrows her brow. Could this be the work of "Lust's" power? Another one of Little Ace's traps?
After an agonizing silence, Chuka finally speaks. "So what if I am?
"Without me, you can't get into her dream. Which means…"
Kairi cuts her off, her voice like a blade. "Which means she's as good as dead and buried."
Words are weapons. Kairi's always known that but avoided wielding them.
Now, that invisible blade is unsheathed, drawing blood with every strike. And Kairi doesn't stop. "And you're the one who did it."
"…"
Chuka can't argue back. How could she not know Shoko's in dire straits? But she's already lost Shoko once, and those days were like a lightless void. Now, Shoko's right here, sleeping within arm's reach—how could Chuka not be captivated?
"Hurry up. We're running out of time," Nero urges.
"And so is she," Kairi adds.
Chuka sinks deeper into the dream, gazing at the silent, serene Shoko Toyokawa—so close, yet so still. She can't bring herself to decide.
If they don't defeat Nana, Shoko might stay lost in this chaotic dream forever, never waking.
But if she does wake up, she'll only drift further away from Chuka.
In the end, it's Kairi who delivers the final blow, plunging that invisible blade into Chuka's heart.
"Face reality."
Kairi's voice is cold. "What you're chasing was never the real her. Just like you're staring at that projected sky above, pretending you're gazing at the stars."
A chill of shock wakes in Chuka's heart. How did she know? she thinks.
But what shakes her even more is her next realization: her first instinct wasn't How dare she say that?
Only now does Chuka vaguely understand—she's never truly known what she's been chasing.
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