Standing on stage, Natsumi’s eyes scanned the cheering crowd as she performed with her team, only to see that her bodyguard was nowhere to be found. She felt a tinge of sadness in her chest, yet her expression remained the same, knowing that Felix was still doing his job protecting her.

But as she distractedly looked around, she nearly tripped over her own two feet, only for one of her fellow idols, Ayame to pick her up before she could fall. The two shared a smile that was not noticeable to the large audience, and continued their dance.

Though the cold wind pushed against Felix, his face began to sweat as he glided through the buildings once again, headed to return to the stadium with one of the suspects in his arms.

As he rushed to get back to the stadium, a voice suddenly came through the earpiece; “Boss, you there?”

“Three, status report?” Felix asked with anxiety behind his voice.

“The performance is halfway through. Nothing to report.”

“Keep vigilant.” He instructed as he landed on the next roof, his eyes widening as his body stuttered over and fell to the dry concrete rooftop.

All of those people… but who could possibly?

His thoughts had turned into a frantic mess as he remembered the sight of the crowd.

“Boss? Are you okay?” Asked one of the robins.

“I…” ‘The smoke’ Felix thought as he pushed himself back up. ‘It still taking effect?’

“It’s nothing… I might take a while to get back.” He replied.

“Understood.”

Felix ran out and fired his grappling hook once again, but as he was on his way back to the stadium, his grappling hook snapped.

“Aghk!” He yelled as he plopped straight down on bags of garbage between the alley.

Bruised, burned and battered, he limped onward to the streets and hid his mask into the back of his coat, and raised his hand for a taxi.

“Stadium, floor it.” He said to the driver in labored breathing.

“Aye, sir.” The driver replied and drove at a high speed, cruising through the traffic.

Felix’s eyes furrowed as he screamed internally, “Why does this driver speak English?!” Was added to his already cluttered thoughts.

“Robins, report.”

“Nothing so far, sir.”

“Tch.” He clicked his tongue in response.

“Did something happen on your end?”

“They had a back-up plan. Guard the heiress.” He ordered, pulling out a small bottle marked with a red cross.

“Guard the—” She gulped, “Sir, I probably don’t need to remind you that robins are non-combatants.”

“I know, I just… keep me updated and watch over her, okay?”

“Roger that. It looks like she’s about to dedicate a song just for you.”

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“Right. I’m almost there.” He answered as he popped a pill into his mouth.

A figure sat backstage. It was a woman with black hair and glasses, loading a pistol with gloved hands. As she did, there was a sudden knock on the door before it was opened. A young woman with peach hair with a red pin on her chest, a red bird crossed out with an x. It was the third robin.

“Huh?” The figure muttered out as a sweat dripped on their face.

“Hello, I’m sorry to disturb you, but—” Said the third robin.

“Please leave immediately.”

“I would, but I’m kind of lost and don’t know where the bathroom is…”

“It’s not here. Now get out before I call security.” The figure grew increasingly irritated and threatened the robin.

“What’s that?” Asked the robin as she eyed down what the black-haired woman tried to hide.

“It’s—”

“A pistol…” The robin pressed into her earpiece and spoke, “Boss, I’m in the backstage, I think I found their “back-up plan”

“What?” The woman replied.

“So glad I bought backstage passes.” The robin jested to herself, dreading for what’s to come.

When the song had ended, the Starry Sweethearts had taken a bow, and left the stage. Cheers ran wild, voices of excitement rang loud. Felix sat and shook his leg as he was stuck in traffic, while the stadium stood straight ahead of him. He gave the driver his black card, and waited for it to be returned.

As he ran out to the back of the stadium, the guards stopped him from entering.

“Hey you, stop!” The guards yelled out in Japanese.

Felix, who was struggling to stand, showed his ID.

“Please wait here while we get this verified.” The guard requested as he walked into the building, pinching his nose.

“I can’t wait!” Felix growled as he knocked one of the guards out of the way. One by one, he fired his energy gun at them, knocking them all down.

As the small-time pop idol group returned to the backstage, they were shocked to see their financial manager tussling with an unknown woman on the pale tile floor, scrambling to reach for the pistol on the ground.

Felix rushed to the backstage despite his exhaustion, taking out one guard after the other until his energy gun had nothing left to shoot out.

As the two struggled, the idol group all took a step back in fright, except for Natsumi.

“Miss Yoko?” Natsumi asked.

“H-help me!” Yoko replied.

“No, wait—!” The third robin pleaded.

Natsumi rushed to her manager’s aid and pulled away the unknown woman.

“I’m with Blue Phantom! This woman is—!”

“Blue—?” Before Natsumi could even finish her thought, her eyes widened as she realized that the gun was aimed at her face.

But as the financial manager was about to pull the trigger, she was pushed out of the way by the woman whom she had hindered.

Felix, who had just made it to the door, watched one of the robins fall to the ground. Robin Three had been shot in the gut.

At the sight of this, the clutter of thoughts that filled Felix’s mind all faded away one by one, until a single thread of memory remained. His sister, Luna, clutched both of his hands tightly, and gazed intently at him with her bright amber eyes. She opened her lips and asked him, “If you ever meet again, will you be able to protect them?”

A puddle of blood formed around his subordinate.

Yoko aimed once more. This time, at the heiress for sure.

Exhausted and out of options, all Felix could do was reach out his arm, “NO!”

“Will you be able to take their hand if they reach out to you?”

A loud crack filled the room, Yoko had fired gun at her true target this time.

“Because if your hands can’t reach theirs…”

Natsumi turned her head downwards, taking notice of the red mark that stained her white dress. “Black… Cat?”

Blood leaked out of the Obsidian idol’s mouth as she took a shaky step back. Her expression was a mix of shock and fear, and her own legs gave out on her.

“Then that’s fine.”

On the floor, she gazed at the piece of metal hanging above her own head. The bullet that would have taken her life floated in the air, coated in a small, spiraling blue shroud.

Felix’s his face gradually grew hollow, as his focus shifted from the idol, to his hand that was reaching out to her.

“Because your soul will.”

His hand radiated with the same crystalline blue glow that halted the bullet mid-air, “It worked…” he muttered in the smallest voice he could make. Though his expression remained the same, there was enough excitement welling inside him to form a small smile.

Barely a few seconds passed, but there was a stifling atmosphere. At least, until a cough broke the stiff silence.

The agent’s attention was again pulled towards the idol, who was bleeding from the mouth.

He lowered his hand, and the blue glow dissipated.

“Fe…” Natsumi eyes silently screamed how afraid she was, before collapsing into the floor completely.

The shroud of blue light that bounded the bullet to the air dimmed and dissipated immediately after, letting out a metallic chime as it rolled on the floor, drawing a blood-stained circle on the concrete.

“Natsumi?”

~