CB-8 11:41P.M.

Is everybody okay?

Y- yeah. The whole building is gone... what in the world was that...?

How about you? You just passed straight through the center of an active Art, it's pretty wild in there.

Pfft, I just noticed, why did you cut your hair short?

Did you just laugh at me?

Our heads are full of sand. Even short hair needs tender love and care.

I'm fine. Thank you.

Thank you? It's like we're strangers now.

Or it's like I know basic manners.

Heh. Yeah, I guess that's true.

Maybe if you weren't always sleeping during work, playing rock music outside the church, getting the Notarial Hall to chase you three blocks,

until your old school you accidentally blew up unfurls a big banner the day you leave Laterano, 'Good luck in Lungmen, Exusiai!'

Oh? Are we up to the part of our reunion where we pick away at old scars? Okay, my turn.

By all means.

...Nope. Come to think of it, I don't actually know any dirt on you!

Good girls shouldn't know too much.

You playing my big sister now?!

Yeah, pretty much.

......

(These two seem to get along well. Is it because they're both from Laterano?)

(And someone can actually talk over Exusiai...)

Um... Mostima. I've got a little question I need to ask. A teensy weensy tiny little question.

Yes?

Why did you come back now?

Oh, well, lots of reasons. How can I explain it.

First, for work.

Second, Sauin means lots of sales in Lungmen. Things get pretty exciting.

...all those Sauins we had no idea where you were, you decide to come back this year?

Let's get to what you're really asking.

*Sigh*... if you know what it is then just tell me already.

Heh. It's nice to see you all twisted up at a loss for words. Brings back memories.

And it's probably not right to get into all this stuff in front of our guest.

Oh... Don't worry about me. I'll hang back here. You two can say what you need to.

That's no good. There's still a chance we're being followed.

Hey! Don't use Bison as an excuse, you crafty witch!

We should meet up with Texas and the girls first. Who knows how many scary mobsters have eyes on us now.

Are you always getting into this much trouble when I'm not around?

I wouldn't say always. Maybe four days a week? Four or five? Or six or seven or eight?

...Right. Definitely not always.

What about you? Where did you go?

You know, when I saw the boss back there, he told me you already left Lungmen. You know how that made me feel?

All kinds of places. Too many to name.

Down to a tiny village nobody's ever heard of to pick up a letter and then go hiking through a mountain range to chase after a nomadic city. That kind of thing.

Sounds lonely.

But maybe my travelogue will sell well.

Have you been to every country, Mostima?

Most of them. You jealous?

...a little. Most Messengers don't get to do things like that.

You'll get a chance. But don't count on Penguin Logistics. We don't really use common sense.

Yeah, I'm well aware by now...

Sitting in a truck in the middle of the endless desert, staring at the setting sun through the yellow sand... It sounds romantic, but when that romance stretches into hundreds of hours, it starts to wear thin.

I've never seen a yellow sand sunset, but don't you think it's pretty dusty out here today?

Lungmen's air quality has really dropped in the past few years. They need to add some more air purifiers!

Air quality...? Maybe.

Exusiai, Bison, I hate to do this, but you two go on...

Again?

Come on. Don't you think I control my entrances and exits very well?

...Are you serious?

It's just a few hours for you, but for me...

Fine, Mostima! But you better buy me dinner! Really!

I know. I know.

Whew. What a night.

Can we just leave Mostima by herself like that?

Who's leaving her? Even if we didn't let her go, she would just disappear at some point.

...are you upset?

Aaaah! Let's go find Texas already! We'll talk about this another time!

For Exusiai to go missing at a time like this...

Um, are we in trouble here?

We're surrounded. An ambush right in the slums.

Are these fellers with them mafia boys? They look different.

No, I recognize some faces. These are all local Lungmen people.

——

Dai Lo says to teach them a lesson.

Um? Umm... aren't we looking for Texas?

What's going on? Why are these guys surrounding us all of a sudden?

...isn't it you who busted in here?

See! It's just you wandering around without asking for directions!

I'm afraid we can't let you leave.

I'm sorry?

Well, you're a Forte, and you've got a shield...

Huh?

We do it the usual, Me-and-Croissant Style. You clear a path, I'll bring up the rear, but there's no completion bonus this time. Yeehaw!

A pleasant aroma

To enjoy such a lovely al fresco cafe, with a sandwich, by candlelight, as the people go by, with the fragrance of sweet candy,

It would be a truly relaxing experience were it not for this young lady staring daggers into me.

...I just happened to be walking by. But that thing you have in your hand isn't the kind of thing that can be explained by happenstance.

I have explained. Mostima is acting in her capacity as an employee of Penguin Logistics, and I am helping her guard the staff in her absence.

You think I'm going to let some freak who talks to her staff off the hook?

F- freak...? Let's just pretend you didn't see that.

......

She will be fine.

I'm not worried about her.

Nor will she make trouble.

...I hope you're right.

......

......

...... (Perhaps I should just stay in the hotel.)

Oh, here you are. What was that back there?

Just a flight of whimsy.

Your whimsy might have been a little too powerful. You knew Penguin Logistics was there, didn't you?

And as old as you are, you probably shouldn't exert yourself like that. You're not looking to cut it short, are you?

Just how much of my power do you think I expended?

...right.

Well how about you take your murderous aura down a notch? I've had just about all the ominous energy I can take.

So what happened?

I may have underestimated the vigilance of the youth. Lungmen's young people never fail to impress me.

It is nothing major, but a few out of control puppets have injured a remarkably dedicated finball master. That is all.

'That is all?' I think you need to work on your expressions before you go saying things like that.

The one who always smiles never truly smiles. Compared to you, I am very relaxed.

Isn't this something you planned for?

Like, in order to prevent this conflict between Penguin Logistics and the mob from turning sour, you went looking for an excuse to punish them? Something like that?

Look at you, girl. It's such a waste to have you scrounging around with that penguin.

I'll take that as a compliment.

...But I did not permit them to go trampling the slums. I would never permit that.

I have reached the end of my patience for their constant oversteps, and yet they still continue to disregard the rules.

I had assumed that if they maintained even a faint connection to Siracusa, they might be of some miniscule, interesting benefit to Lungmen... I am very disappointed.

Wait a second... why are you telling me all of this? This isn't like a 'reveal your whole plan before killing me to keep your secrets' sort of thing, is it?

Old people need to complain.

Oh yeah? Then I'll just treat it like a Sauin Carnival. I didn't hear a word you just said.

The more trouble the mafia stirs up, the bigger the balance I'm due on the other side.

And after you have that money?

The first thing I'll do is buy that candy shop.

Heh. You really are attached.

Fine. Aside from the cellar, everything else is yours.

There's a cellar...? Can't you try to protect my sweet memories, even a little bit?

It's my shop.

That's too bad. I really thought you'd retire as something more like a grocer.

Maybe. If I'm still alive by the time I retire.

Time grows short. The Carnival is about to begin. The players in this show are already in position.

You're not watching from the sidelines anymore?

...the scenery here is lovely, isn't it?

Sauin is all about honoring the dead. And Lungmen is our city, after all.

When the living enjoy their lively carousing, only then may the souls of the dead depart without regret.

And if we have a rat with one foot in a coffin, unless it moves, one might mistake it for a deceased soul ready to depart.

How are we supposed to do 'lively carousing?'

Just like this.

Oh... I see.

Then this Sauin's expenses must be pretty high. Wasteful, even.

Smart girl.

Otherwise, Chief Wei would've come after you a long time ago.

Let's not speak of such matters. I certainly don't want to talk to the LGD again. So annoying.

But the key to a good show is when the actors foot the bill themselves.

*Pant* *pant* Are those guys mobsters too? How much farther do we have to run?

Definitely not. They might be some of those thugs we ran into before. There's too many of them. Don't want to think about it. Just run. We can lose them.

But I just saw a guy running at us with a rolling pin...

That's how these fights usually go. You don't come to the slums often?

Sometimes they end up rolling some blood or teeth into the dough, and then a customer gets all pissed off when he bites into somebody else's tooth.

I really didn't need such a detailed explanation.

...Have you known Mostima for a long time?

You're getting pretty friendly with me now.

Mostima said she was testing me...

Oh? I never heard about that.

...I guess I didn't either.

Why do you look up to her so much? It's really different from the way you treat the rest of us.

She's kind of like... everything I ever hoped to be as a Messenger. She's done everything I ever hoped to do.

...I really envy her.

Even though I don't really get what's going on in her head.

That's how it goes. I chased her from Laterano to Lungmen, then I met the boss, and all the way up to today, I still don't know what's going on in her head.

I've since given up. It's easier to just wait until she pops up right behind me.

Don't be so gloomy... Wait, did you say from Laterano to Lungmen?

Uh huh. You caught that, did you? Don't give me that look. I'm just as good as Mostima. Maybe she's a little bit ahead, but...

No, it really doesn't matter to me. We should focus on meeting up with Texas.

Hrm.

Hm.

Wasn't that a little too hard?

That's justified self-defense. Don't sweat it.

Hey! Texas~

You're okay. But where's Mostima?

Do you really have to ask? She Mostima'd.

Oh. Sorry.

What are you sorry about? And what are you all looking at me for?

Ahaha... Mostima came back. We'll see her again sooner or later.

But first, we should probably deal with these new bad guys...

So what's this all about?

Some kinda revenge for us bein' too rowdy?

Maybe.

Maybe?! Are the slums always this violent?!

Can't make friends if you don't throw down. Talkin' with yer fists is the oldest form of communication!

Got a call. It's the boss.

What's crackin'?

You ladies havin' fun? Feel like you're missing something?

No? Good. Listen up.

Mr. Emperor... did you happen to buy a lot of insurance?

There's a big Carnival Gala down on Luk Low Street for Sauin tonight. They got some no-name marketing thing going on.

But I decided I'm gonna make an appearance there as your big time rap god.

We'll bring some fire beats to Lungmen. They break down in tears, and bow down all nice and tidy.

As for you, you're gonna watch my back. Then you scoop up all these wannabes chasin' us in one fell swoop.

Got it? Got it. Good. Make it happen.

...He hung up.

Feels like deja vu all over again.

So I guess we have to go to that party thing too?

Yep. Let's hit the road!