Awkward Meeting (for Raiye-san)

Sindel's happiness made Haruka happy as well. "I'm glad," she whispered. "I'm really glad..."

And so she was saddened when Zera pulled away from her. "Call us if you need help," Masato told the departing girl before listening to Sindel's plan. "So we need to draw Cerbera out," he affirmed. "We need...-" The manager hesitated. "-a bait," he finally said.

Haruka swallowed nervously. She knew what Masato feared. "I-I can call Cerbera out to fight me..."

"No!" Masato immediately scolded her. "It's too dangerous. She'd expect us to try and ambush her..." He trailed off, realizing something. "Or rather, she expects Sindel and the others to ambush her while she's fighting you... but if we reverse the position, if we- you, Haruka- are the one to ambush her while she's fighting, say, Zera... because you've never ambushed anyone before and so she won't think you can do it..."

" That sounds good and all but there are a few flaws in your plan.. " Sindel spoke out quite coldly, also releasing Haruko's hand and rested back against the counter, looking from Haruka to Masato.

" One is that Cerbera is quite strong, it'll be close to impossible to ambush her without her knowing it.. Another thing is that she's never alone, she's the leader after all. " Sindel started to think, with her place in the White Gale and the people she knew, she might just know a thing or two about how to succesfully create an ambush.

" Right now, we have a double agent in the Era of Hell, she told me how fast people backstab eachother and that Cerbera will be betrayed aswell. We just need to seperate Lute from her. Masato, could I leave that up to you? SInce you cannot fight, perhaps you can stall her somewhere while we ambush Cerbera? "

Masato nodded in agreement with Sindel's analysis of his plan. He'd thought it up on the fly, after all, and without all the information he needed. "Haruka?" he asked. "Are you willing to distract Lute?"

"Of course! But how would we do it?" Haruka asked. "If we could do it without having to fight Lute-san... I'm ready to fight, of course," she assured Sindel. "But if there's a way to resolve it without fighting..."

"Is there anything Lute is partial to?" Masato asked. "Something we can use to grab her attention?"

" All I know is that Lute is quite the motherly figure towards everyone.. So I don't know.. Haruka could act hurt for Lute to take care of her. "

Sindel spoke loudly while in her thoughts, Zera returning to take a seat besides Sindel again and simply stare up at the ceiling, in her own thoughts right away, she wasn't sure what to do, she had to protect Sindel, find out about Cerbera and then the whole Era of Hell versus White Gale thing, it seemed quite troubling.

"Motherly..." Masato had a brief image of Lute in his own mother's clothes. He rather fancied the thought. Then he shook his head to clear it. "We can do it," he said aloud, to dispel any notion that he was disagreeing with Sindel. "Right, Haruka?"

"Yup! I'm an idol! I can act!" This Haruka said with almost desperate eagerness.

"Then we'll do that," Masato agreed. "But how do we arrange for Haruka to appear injured? I know she's clumsy at times-"

"I'm not!"

"-but will Lute believe her if she tripped and then pretended to sprain her ankle, say?"

" I'm not sure.. Maybe a wound that is visible could do alot more then that, I'm sure Lute already favors Haruka for alot of things she has done, having Haruka look wounded will have alot of effects may-- " Then another voice quickly interrupted them. " Break her limbs. "

Sindel blinked as she looked at the source of the voice, then widened her eyes when she saw who it was. " ....!! "

Right infront of the door stood Asteria, dressed in her black witch outfit with a red star on the tip of them, looking at all of them with a bright smile and her eyes as yellow as the sun. She did not advance on them, nor retreated, speaking with an innocent smile on her face. " Cut off her finger... Or her ear... Maybe even an eye.. So silly! "

Zera immidiatly jumped infront of all of them to face Asteria, who immidiatly went into a staring contest with her.

" ...Hihi.. Has it really been four years..? "

Zera went silent, decided not to take a offensive stance since they were still in a shop and luckily no one was paying attention to them. " What do you want. " Sindel asked a bit nervously, she had not seen Asteria ever since her fall and now that she is seeing her, she is quite... Shocked in Asteria's change.

" Why.. I want to work together off course! "

Haruka and Masato were making mental notes, and so listed down " Break her limbs. " as the latest suggestion to be investigated. Then the two stopped in mid-note.

"Wait, what?"

"Reh?"

They whirled and found-

"ASTERIA-SAN!"

-but not quite. " Cut off her finger... Or her ear... Maybe even an eye.. So silly! " Such lightly recited torture made Haruka go white and wide-eyed.

"Asteria... -san?"

Masato was less taken aback, though his concern was actually greater. Had the enemy discovered them already? And: "Help us?" Wasn't it supposed to be the opposite? Wasn't Asteria in the hospital?

Asteria casually walked up to Haruka and smiled brightly, Then went tip toes and measured Haruka. " Oh dear me! You're becoming taller and stronger! I'm jealous! "

Zera stepped backwards and protected Sindel, just in case while Asteria gave Haruka a quick hug before she'd move to Masato to stare at him with a serious look. " Well well.. Your plan sounds nice but.. Leave Cerbera to me! I know something you don't! "

Sindel finally started to blink and look over at Asteria, mumbling to herself. " What is going on.. "

Bewilderment froze Haruka in place. She blushed when Asteria praised her growth, did so twice as furiously and happily during the friendly hug. "Etto... thanks, Asteria-san..."

Masato held Asteria's gaze. He wondered if she could put him under a spell this way, wondered if he'd get any warning or a chance to resist. But her words bore thought and asked for his trust.

"Please tell us what you know, then. Perhaps we can help you?" he posed.

" Hmmm.. Should I or should I not.. "

Asteria pondered almost cutely, bringing her hand up to her chin and looked at Masato a little more narrowed, as if she was glaring into his very soul. " It took some time to get Lute out of here but youu... I don't trust that much. " She almost spoke coldly.

Sindel decided to hop off and confronted Asteria with Zera off course. " We demand real answers. "

It was then that Asteria showed something else other then her cheeryness and Masato could see it, the way Asteria suddenly looked, her gaze was like she was going to kill you or that something was going to happen to you, that kind of glare was shifted to Sindel and Asteria spoke out harshly.

" ..You of all people should not demand.. It's because of you this happened.. You could've let Cerbera and Zera stay there with those jewels but in the end you brought this all upon yourself.. Ignorant little vermin. You're not worth my time to speak with. "

She then turned to walk out of the shop, speaking out loudly as she left. " The jewels will become useless within three days, do what you must afterwards. "

Sindel wanted to say someting... Yell.. Curse.. Whatever she could it just simply did not seem to leave her mouth, she could even feel her hands shaking, finally a faint tone came from her, wanting to tell herself the words that she needed to form a resistance against Asteria's words. " ...I did what I thought was right.. "