...

Can you imagine a world that only moves when you do? Your existence is at the epicenter, your actions carry the highest impact on everything that is around you. Those from the Milky Way should have no problem grasping such a concept. A storybook fantasy world is suspended until it turns to the next page. The monsters of classic roleplaying games will not ambush the party if the hero does not move. Pause. One simple command and everything stops. You put the controller down and then proceed to doing something completely different. If nobody picks up the controller to resume play, then everything stays frozen. Nowadays a monitor will get bored and shut down when it decides that nothing is going to move for a long time. Something like that must not happen. The show has to go on no matter what. Understand? There needs to be a solution. The solution is here, standing at the right place, at the right time. This much is certain. And that is why I can say this with the utmost certainty...

"I want to become the next Voice of this World!"

[BGM~koYTdyNjLuQ "Ymir Forest" Tales of Symphonia]

A command center armed to the teeth with panels and dials and buttons. The area where Louis Starsky and Locke Smith did battle reeks of importance. But it's all a ruse. That declaration I just made was the most activity this room has had since all that chaos ten days ago. However, the wait between then and now felt like well over one tortuous year. Such is the agony of a suspended game. Fortunately this trend is ending here and now.

"Who are you..?"

Light particles band together to form a plain young lady with silky brown hair and a white dress. Right off the bat, this Voice reveals her true humanoid form. Isn't this a first for this tale? Might have to backtrack later on just to make sure. But either way, this is a sign not to beat around the bush with introductions.

"They call me the Great Witch of Certainty. My name is Lambdadelta!"

The Voice that actually matters lights up in its giant tube filled with liquid. That's right, the Overseer was revealed to be a giant mechanical heart that powers this useless station. The beeps and clicks in the room intensify as the Overseer tries to examine the stunning beauty before it. Meanwhile the other chick speaks up again.

"In any case Voices are typically chosen, not requested. What is your motive?"

"Does it really matter? It's clear by now that this place is empty without me." This is a cue to make a friendly gesture by offering an unopened bag of M&Ms. "Want some?"

"No thank you."

That's the way to do things here right? Convoluted references here and there, keep the atmosphere lax and amusing as much as humanly possible. Honestly it's an unreasonable amount of work, even for this maiden. But this resolve is absolutely unshakable!

Analysis. "Witch of Certainty Lambdadelta." Aha, the Overseer speaks! "Your peculiar request requires approval from at least one Cardinal Voice of the world dispute."

"Consent from this world's original Voices, so Louis, Lyra, or Yukari huh?" Louis is out of reach and Little Ms. Gensokyo is absolutely out of the question... "Okay, not a problem!"

"Mr. Overseer, are you sure about this? I fear that the natural order may be in jeopardy at this rate."

"You don't pay attention much do you?" Response frowns at her own ineptitude. "Listen good. Ten days of doing nothing may not seem like a big deal on the surface but you have no idea how that affects the stars watching from above, do you? Ten days here can be months - years somewhere else. I've already figured out the whole point of the Maiden game and you're going to need as many stars watching as you can get. You got that?"

"I... should be confused but I am not."

I will admit that Plain-Jane over there is pretty cute when she uses her brain cells properly.

"I know that the whole thing sounds as fishy as it is unexpected. But I can prove my value to all of you in twelve minutes or less guaranteed. I'm so legit it isn't funny!"

I make one more attempt at passing my spare candy around. Response makes a pitiful face that suggests that she does not eat sweets. So I wave the bag towards the Overseer instead.

"Are you.. offering candy to a computer?"

The Overseer shimmers for a moment and then a medium-sized tray opens from a compartment and smacks me on the elbow.

Instruction. "Please insert your offer into the glowing hatch."

"I should open the bag for you huh? I think I'll give you half."

"Now hold on a minute! Are you saying that you can consume food!?"

The Response is somewhat amusing when being responsive. Who knew?

Answer. "It is possible, but not a requirement."

"T-Then that low-pitched humming I always hear when I eat my lunch near you.. is not a coincidence?"

Explanation. "The humming noise is an unavoidable reaction to observing your consumption process. The study is interesting, especially the series of chemical events that trigger burping and f-"

"Enough, enough, enough you weirdo!"

The timid Voice starts flinging her arms, pounding on any and every button in her reach.

"Minesweeper program activated. Ventilation fan #3 shut down. Background music stopped."

[Fade BGM]

"Well this is one pairing that didn't cross my mind until now." Response sighs passively. "Anyways you two hang tight and I'll be back in a jiffy!"

It should not come as a surprise that every member of this world has it in them to be informal. When you're someone like me who can see the big picture from the outside, the core principles that shape everything in this world are so simple it's mind blowing. Its structure speaks to me just like that fool did... That is one of many reasons why this story must continue at any cost!

{Uni: Lone House Living Room}

Thankfully I know where everyone went once the act ended. In Lyra's case, she held still until everyone left and the stage went silent for an hour. Desperate to exist in a place where there was movement, she fled to the closest location in her memories. That place is here, inside this lone house in the middle of a hub world. However, the movement Lyra chose to cling to is just as minimal as herself. This girl slumped over a kotatsu.. Hata no Kokoro is her name, I believe? Yes. This Youkai was plucked from her element to serve a minor purpose, only to be left behind and forgotten once goals were met. That shows how responsible the Yakumos really are huh?

[BGM~Yt1RFzHOwkc "Enchantment by Yanni"]

This scenario hurts to watch quite a bit. Everything about this girl resting her head looks like a peaceful slumber on the surface, but the truth is much more unsettling. A Youkai without a true environment filled with life is doomed to slip into dormancy. Once this happens the chance of reanimating will always be there. But until then, that chance becomes a lingering thought that will last anywhere from no-time to infinity. Graphic deaths are far more beautiful in comparison. Personal experiences have hardened this belief.

What would Louis do under the given circumstance? This Youkai is in a stasis and barely breathing. Waking her now would only be an empty gesture with short-lived effects. There has to be something that can be done until the Judge comes back. Perhaps the answer is somewhere in the bag of masks by her side. Upon searching the bag, there is an interesting mask of a red, faceless piranha plant with white spots. Intuition says that there is no better answer!

"Zzz... "

Kokoro starts snoring moments after the mask is applied. The noise is soothing, contrary to its usual reputation. Now then, the real destination lies upstairs!

{Uni: Lone House Upstairs Bedroom}

What an amusing sight. A tan figure with an earthy brown dress sits at the side of the unoccupied bed just like a lifeless doll. Her eyes are open but she clearly sees nothing in front of her. Poor thing. Ever since that day the Mystic pulled Louis away from the game, that intense connection that Lyra and Louis shared has severed. How much more is there to the Wish without that aspect? This pathetic position is the best possible answer; just another insignificant life force in a huge world. What would Louis do if he understood this? Would it be an unfair burden placed on him? Then again, you can't get anywhere in life without being just a little selfish.

"Let's continue the game, okay?"

Lyra has enough energy to look this way, but not enough to function normally. This is who has to be retrieved, but getting her to move is going to be a chore. Piggyback rides are time-consuming and awkward, so you're just going to have to be brought to the Overseer by the essence. First use some energy to disperse your humanoid form then carry the the spirit back to Echoed Voices.

SHIMMER...

Heh, this process sort of looks like a mercy kill. Was Yukari excited when she did this to Louis?

[Replay "Ymir Forest]

Messing with that Youkai made me thirty seconds late but no one seems to mind. So without further ado I restore her body onto a vacant chair.

"Here's Cardinal Voice Lyra! Check the aura for proof. The violet part can't be helped because loneliness does that to you. But there is still a sliver of red truth in there - all because the game has not ended yet."

Response tugs at her white dress with a look of worry, but if she really cared about what she sees then I would not have been the first to find Lyra.

Observation. Witch of Certainty Lambdadelta. Previous records have proven that you were invited to Uni as a Maiden candidate since the beginning. You have given no response and additional contact attempts have not been made.

"Long story short, I was waiting for Louis somewhere else and missed the boat. That was completely my fault!"

"You were waiting somewhere else?" Response asks even though I literally just said so.

"Uh-huh. I'm a super-special-awesome case who wasn't going to depend on some random world creation just to find Louis, so I moved on my own terms.. then dozed off after waiting a good while."

"A statement like that raises many questions."

"Oh really?" Somehow I doubt that you have the capacity to ask the right ones...

Transition. "Your request to become a Voice has been approved. You are now Echoed Voice #5 - Truth. Your right to raise Volume begins immediately. As for your initial ability... Apologies. The ability description seems to be flawed. The logic does not compute."

"Hmm, spit it out anyways."

Truthfully, I was moments from squealing away my tough cookie facade.

[Fade BGM]

Obedience. "Your ability is Theorycraft: The power to allow yourself and others to speak in Red and Blue."

[BGM~uBKJdlFLtFU "Eterna Forest" Pokemon D/P]

"Get out of here..."

Response. "I cannot comply with that request."

"No-no, I meant that's perfect! You guys are so generous it's crazy!"

"An ability that lets you speak in colors?" Response tilts her average head. "I do not understand."

"I'll run it by you some time. But for now, I need a base of operations to get the ball rolling."

One obvious locale comes to mind, but simply put, I'd rather not.

Suggestion. "There is a wooden cabin that exists in area Clannad. Response and Truth can cohabitate this way."

Overseer with the hard reads! Response seems shocked at the idea.

"What!? B-But there's a much bigger house in the middle of the Hub World! Isn't that much better?"

"No, the darkness and silence out there would eat me alive. I'd choose a cute roommate over a fancy place any day."

"Is that the truth..?" (At least for the sake of concentration.) "Then perhaps I can allow it tempor-"

"Great! I'll grab my stuff!"

Before Response comes up with anything to say I present her with a large and pretty bag, pulled directly from hammerspace. Then she makes a face like she is not used to the world moving around her. Well, sucks to be her. I'm only part couch potato!

"You're not a bully are you..?"

"My role in this story is to make friends just like any other Maiden. If that means that I have to push you around in the process, then so be it!"

[Fade BGM]

Fufu, there's the slightest hint of aggravation in Response's expression. Now that I think about it... Huh, this girl is like the polar opposite of a dear friend of mine in all sorts of ways! That settles it Miss goody-goody angel wannabe. My harem starts with you.

{The Road Paved in Concepts: To a Dozen and Beyond!}

"Why are you licking your lips like that..?"

...

{Empty World - Lone Cabin}

A small cabin that only remains clean because barely anything is done in here. And the concept of time goes at a much slower pace than most places. It feels like a couple thousand loved ones are fading away by the time it takes me to set up a table and pull up a chair. My new roomate watches me like an unwanted guest making themselves at home.

"Nobody needs to be alone in a place that's literally called Uni anyways. This is for the better even if do you hate my guts."

"I have no reason to hate you, I just do not know you very well. It is difficult to tell what your motives are."

"Let me guess, intuition had you suspect that I'm secretly evil, right?"

The brunette shrinks from my blunt guess. "Something like that..."

"Someone like me being secretly evil..?" Just the thought of it gives me a good chuckle. "Ha, it should have been completely obvious. I seriously can't believe how easy it is to rise to god tier around here! Oh just wait until I become Maiden number twelve. All hell will really break loose then!"

"Evicted."

{Empty World - Desolate Valley}

Huh, the Response's power sure is impressive. The ability to warp people in an instant has tons of potential, just like how she kicked me out off her house before I could even blink once. Very impressive indeed! Unfortunately for her I will certainly have to contest the area if I'm going to get anything done. Hmhm, nothing personal kid.

[BGM~7hCuKthTcXY "Hidden Land (PMD2)"]

BANG-BANG-BANG

"Hey c'mon, open up! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was just kidding! Can't you take a joke!?"

Ushio flings the banging door open after only three minutes. "You are noisy."

"That's a funny way to say diplomatic." Ushio goes silent again. "Look, I'm a good guy okay? You heard it from the Overseer yourself. I was supposed to be with Louis much earlier."

"That much is undeniable."

"I guarantee you, with my epic title of certainty no less! Once Louis and I lay eyes on each other everything should be crystal clear to you, in a good way."

"If you say so." And with that we make our way back into the main room and my work table. "I like this bottle decoration."

"Careful with that! It's more than just decoration, that's my driving force."

The Response ogles the item for another hour. "What do you mean?"

"You asked if I had a motive earlier right? That bottle is probably the closest thing you're getting to an answer."

"Then the letter inside the bottle has something written on it?"

"Mhm."

Though now is not the time to pry any further. There is a lot of work that needs to be done! The main objective is to forge a path through Yukari's security and into Gensokyo. And the means to crack the code is in the form of this magical artifact. It is a rigid chessboard with a complete set of chess pieces. Once the board is set up the next step is to power it up with a trace of my opponent's magical energy. This was something most accessible near Hata no Kokoro. This stray energy is harnessed to become the black team AI for this game. And no, playing chess by the book will not get us anywhere. This AI will certainly make lots of illegal moves, as will I. The goal remains relatively the same however. Download my opponent's unique patterns and then box them into a corner with no escape!

It will take several tries to discover common abnormalities in the black team's pattern though. This is fine because there is no consequence to losing, much like playing a videogame for the sake of making an encyclopedia. The goal here is to study my opponent's meta. So what kinds of things are happening?

...

By the looks of things the name of the game is Chess at its core, but with several extra abilities tacked into the game. The King can warp to a space adjacent to an ally pawn, even if he can be captured right afterwards. Ally pawns adjacent to the King may assume the unique movement patterns of the knight. The game continues even if the King is knocked out, though he can respawn on a space next to the ally Queen. This takes your turn but the King can capture an enemy unit by respawning on top of them. Apparently the game ends when both the King and Queen fall. Bloodshed, rags-to-riches success stories, trial-and-error, faith, determination. The altered game has many intense themes and elements that make it fun to play. But at the same time the format is flawed and very prone to stalemate. Our bouts go back and forth. I have pulled off a couple of victories but only after heavy casualties. Breaking the barrier this game represents demands total annihilation, but the modified rules do not make it easy.

"You are much quieter than expected."

"Make up your mind, which do you prefer?" I lashed out on impulse but then take note of the empty food trays and coffee cups that were served to me some time ago. "I'm trying to concentrate but it's not helping much. I need to be a Maiden already but it's very difficult with Louis being where he is. There's just no cracks in the barriers that Yukari set up. Well there are but another barrier underneath makes up for them; and another and another. A worthy rival perfectionist."

"So that game is the barrier after all," she replies. What, did she think that I was goofing off the whole time? "Perhaps you should take a break. Recollect and continue later."

"A break huh..?" Ushio nods and I sigh. "That's no fun, I wanted my big debut to be full of impact! But maybe I really do have to pace myself a little more."

The plain white dress walks over and pats me on the back. It sure didn't take much to win her over huh? No separate arc necessary!

"Your primary objective is to become a Maiden, is it not? I have an idea. Please follow me."

[Fade BGM]

The two of us venture back outside into the empty world. As serene as the area is the scent is no better than a plain wheat field.

"Why out here?"

"Space will be necessary just like before."

I watch Ushio as she clasps her hands to her chest and sends an energy pulse that travels faster than the chime noise that sounded from it. Moments later many beams of light descend from the sky and surround the area. The beams of light reach the ground and take shape into familiar figures. That's right, Ushio's ability as the Response Voice is..!

[BGM~eIqxHpK97m4 "Daisy (Rewrite)"]

"A summoning..?"

Eleven distinct people unite with the two of us to form a nice circle around me. Ushio is to the north of everyone as if representing twelve-o-clock.

"Nice! When was the last time this happened huh?" The glasses maiden named Lucca asks this.

"I apologize if this was inconvenient," says the soft-spoken Voice. "I have gathered everyone here to introduce someone."

All eyes focus on me within seconds. I clear my throat to disguise my lack of mental preparation.

"Hey guys. Name's Lambdadelta. I'll be the next Maiden to join you guys so consider this an introduction in advance."

The crowd spends time murmuring to each other. Then idol maiden named Teto Kasane veers closer.

"That is one pretty custom dress!"

"Why thank you. I made it myself."

"Did you say you're a Maiden in Advance?" the bobcut brawler named Ninon Beart asks. "Why the hell would you volunteer?"

"I am also curious," confesses the maiden with the boobs named Mami Tomoe. "Do you have something to gain by contracting with Louis? Wait, your attire..!"

"Hold it. I'm a Witch, not a Magical Girl."

My statement shocks both Mami and the little rabbit maiden next to her named Cream.

"B-But that would make you and Ms. Tomoe enemies!"

Mami blinks twice. "Can you please explain further?"

"Certainly! Where should I begin?"

Ushio pops the first question with surprising assertion. "Where did you come from?"

"Sorry, that question won't get you far."

"How come!?" Upsetting this girl just to watch her expression may be entertaining enough to hold me over until uniting with the main character.

"It takes a certain mood for me to get into topics that the audience will certainly not comprehend. Ask again later."

There is small chatter again. The mute artist maiden named Adeleine narrows her eyes. Her abstract self is clearly the most curious of my history out of everyone.

"Why aren't you one of us already?" asks Lucca.

"Yeah, How hard can it be?" Ninon adds. "Just find Louis and make contact."

"Hold his hand, hug him," Teto adds. "Or make like Ms. Tomoe over there and go completely overboard.

"H-Hey! If you guys were in my shoes then..."

"I know, I know. You're just so fun to tease."

That's right, Mami Tomoe was the only girl out of the bundle and go full Pactio by kissing Louis on the lips. So she's embarrassed by that huh?

"Trust me. If I can be where Louis is right now I would have already topped Mami's World Record."

"Please don't call it that."

I barely catch the rabbit cracking a smile from our exchange.

"Anyways, Louis is in a bit of a bind as we speak. I intended to bail him out on my own but that is not working out so well. The opponent is by no means a pushover, and the forces of this world revolve around teamwork anyway."

Teto Kasane hums. "But what can we do about it? None of us have even seen Louis in a while."

"The answer is a lot less complex as you'd think. Actually, we're off to a good start already."

"What do you mean by that?" Everyone else along with Teto is curious as well.

"I could just tell you all, but this place gives us a much better option."

"This place does..?" Ushio asks while looking up towards the atmosphere filled with warm light orbs.

"Did you know? The orbs of light scattered around these fields are more than just a pretty aesthetic. They're fragments. They're memories of things that are important. They're links to timelines of every possibility that you can imagine. But most importantly, they have answers to the questions that we want to solve.

"That sounds perfect for my history test coming soon," Mami jokes.

"It really would be if you knew how to use fragments."

"Do you know how to use fragments?" Ushio asks while hugging one of them like a teddy bear.

"Sure do. Check this out."

[BGM~WCAnj_7hJAg "Stickerbrush Symphony (DKC2)"]

The upper limits of my power allow me to gather the orbs as if they were my own. The fact that plain maiden can hold them like tangible objects proves that she too is capable if she had any real interest in it. It's not like there's anything better to do in this world. Why not pull the possibilities closer just to learn more, or at least show off a little? Actually, how about we have some real fun with these right now? Let's give these orbs a certain command and have them surround the cast like so...

"That's so cool, Louie does stuff like that too!" exclaims the cute Garden Gnome maiden named Lulu.

"This technique is called grouping. I just gave these orbs a common parameter for all of you guys, and the amount of orbs surrounding you guys represents the value of that parameter. Tee-hee~"

"Oh, interesting." Lens flare gets to Lucca's eyes so she rubs the underneath her specs. "So what is the parameter that you set it to?"

"Take a wild guess."

Each maiden has a different number of light orbs orbiting them with the exception of Ushio the Response, myself, and the tan maiden still stuck on blue-screen named Lyra.

"It looks like I have the most," Ninon says. "Followed by Teto then Yuyuko. Is it Power Level..?"

The enchanting ghost maiden named Yuyuko Saigyouji looks to Teto and smirks. "That would be very interesting if so."

Teto chuckles nervously.

"It is definitely a measurement of sorts, but it is not a measurement of strength."

"Then what is it?" asks Mami who is rank four-out-of-ten.

"This is a measurement of affection. The orbs hovering around you now.. they represent Louis's attraction for every official maiden except for Lyra due to complications."

Ninon takes several moments to process this, then she steps away from the orbitals only for them to follow her. "Okay, but why though..?"

The rank six-out-of-ten rabbit's eyes narrow. "Isn't this kind of cheating?"

"To be honest, I wasn't sure whether or not Louis even liked girls that way."

Ninon turns to Teto and shakes her head. "Oh I know that one. Apparently thighs make him turn to jelly."

"Hips too," I add. Cream seems to get more annoyed as we go on.

"Hips too? That's not surprising."

"Where are you all getting this information..?" Mami asks. Ninon thinks back and looks away from everyone.

"Louis pretty much blurted it out to me a while back. I punished him for it of course."

"He'll play the gentleman most of the time but bits of his true self will leak out if you play close enough attention."

Ninon nods while agreeing with me. "The look on his face when he gets caught is priceless."

Teto Kasane chuckles from everything being said. "That's funny. I'll have to try that some time."

"I almost feel sorry for the poor guy," says the rank five scientist.

"Lucca baby, you could join the fun too if you played with your appearance just a tiny bit. You got great proportions just like we do."

Lucca tugs on the hem of her unflattering explorer vest. "Mother says the same thing to me all the time. Perhaps some day I will experiment."

"Speaking of experiments, let's play with these fragments some more. Who else is really high on Louis's radar right now?"

"There's at least a hundred better questions we could be asking..."

Ninon has a point but there's a deeper meaning behind this approach. Thoughts like these coursing through the Maidens' minds serve as fuel that brings him closer to us; at least it is the case if I have already deciphered the patterns that this world Uni follows. And besides, getting these fragments accustomed to the worlds around them will come in handy later on. This new instruction has the orbs recall every girl that Louis has met on this adventure so far then order them from the strongest-to-weakest current affection level. Telling them apart is just a matter of peering into the fragments and viewing a clipshow of the memories tied to each girl. Once again Lyra cannot participate due to her spiritual energy plummeting ever since Yukari pried the Judge from her reach. My epic encounter with Louis is still a work in progress. But everyone else is on display for the Maidens to see!

"Come one, come all to the Starsky Bowl! Don't cry if you're placing low here. Remember that humans are fickle and something like this can change in a day. Just check it out for fun, and tell me if you find anything interesting!"

"I'll pass, thank you."

Cream the Rabbit hasn't been in a good mood during this segment at all, not that it matters much. Lyra budges only an inch as she continues to sit out the activities. Everyone else wanders about, though not all of them are as interested in the fragment show as others.

"Huh, Miku isn't that high up," Teto says looking towards the middle of the fragment line.

"Looks like he wasn't kidding when he said that he liked you more."

Despite the floating list gaining tons of characters, the fragment representing Teto and their memories still hover really close to the top of the ranks.

"No way, I'm even higher than Luka?" Teto continues.

"This list is full of surprises. Look here. Looks like Rin Kagamine is the second place girl from your world. And look at that! The little rabbit is at the top of her world, even compared to that white bat and her mother."

"..?" Those huge manilla ears picked up my last sentence for sure.

"Surprised? Personality matters to Louis even more than looks do. Don't assume the worst just because of some dumb gap!"

"..."

The rabbit holds still while her heart rhythm elevates. Fufu.. These people can mask their natures all they want, but nobody from this world will ever deceive my perception. Speaking of which, I'm picking up the most interesting signals from the tall blue-armored Maiden sitting upright named Nephenee.

"Silly games like this really don't interest you that much huh Neph?"

Nephenee seems caught off-guard that I noticed her. "You're a mighty strange one, and you already know our names too?"

"Don't worry about it too much, I just did a little research is all. Though I think that I overlooked something very interesting."

"Like what?"

"Heheh. You've been paying attention to me more than you have for anyone else in the story so far. What gives?"

The rhythm inside of Nephenee goes offbeat a bit. "Oh I dunno... Y-You just really know how to stand out a lot, with your powers and persona you know? I think it's interesting."

"Well isn't that sweet of you..?"

Well now I have to look up my notes to remember what I wrote down about this maiden soldier! Let's see here... Shy yet powerful, she's only shown interest in two people from her world. One is a friendly and reliable village resident who is married. The other is is an eccentric and confident magician with lovely blonde hair. Woah, is that what's going on here!? "This world just got at least ten times as interesting. Oh Louis, you're so thoughtful!"

For now let's leave her imagination to wonder what I meant by that. There are other people to check up on after all.

"Kyoko-chan huh? That's fair."

Mami Tomoe winds up second place in her world, barely losing to her redhead friend Kyoko Sakura. Though something about that listing seems off. I tell her that it will likely not stay that way for long.

"Quack..? Quack!"

Duck's universe is very diverging for this list. The little munchkin Uzura is near the bottom end and her tan friend named Pike is towards the top. And Duck herself is in the middle, falling behind Rue, yet having a significant lead on Lillie.

"It's not fair Addie..."

The way that Adeleine and Lulu are joining Uzura towards the bottom of the list shows that the nature of this list gears towards attraction over affinity. This has Lulu bummed out but Adeleine shrugs as if she doesn't mind as much.

"Aye, the smaller people are at a disadvantage crush-wise. Not much you can do about that without transformation magic."

"Then explain this over here."

Ninon Beart then directs everyone to the fragments' top ten section, but not before pausing to grin at her sister Mignon's fragment at the dead center of middle-tier.

"Guess she really is overrated huh?"

"Either that or Louis's tastes are very questionable," Ninon replies. "For example, look at this."

Ninon's new placement on the expanded leaderboard is rank three. Rank four is a Little Busters Plaza resident named Noumi Kudryavka, and rank two, from the looks of it, are both versions of Ushio; the Response and the cheerful kid that visits the plaza.

"Just so you know, the tiny blondie on the right is twenty or so years old."

"Okay, and what about her?" she asks with more enthusiasm. "Who even is this kid?"

"Good question." I take a half-step backwards and bump into the rabbit who crept up behind me within the last three seconds. "Ushio has two separate entities who the fragments decided to merge for the sake of this game. One of the forms is none other than our host over there. Whether he has feelings for the Voice that saved his friend's life or the young daughter from the plaza is left up to interpretation. What do you think!?"

I raised my voice loud enough for Ushio to hear.

"N-Neither answer makes any sense. I do not stand out at all!"

"Of course, how could I forget? Louis always did have a thing for underdogs. Everything starts adding up when I remember that!"

"Oh, is that why I have no idea who the number one fragment is?"

"Eh, is it that anti-climactic?" Sure enough, it takes a moment of me staring at the number one fragment before I remember her name. "Oh that's Komari Kamikita, another Little Buster. Come to think of it, all of those guys have a big advantage because of where they come from."

"Well that's random!" Lulu shouts in protest. "Where's Patchouli? I didn't see her anywhere!"

The chatter increases once Lulu brings this up.

"Yeah.. that can't be helped. No one from Gensokyo except for Yuyuko can be listed because of the barriers that are set there."

"Ara-ara, so the list is incomplete then?" Yuyuko asks while tilting her head.

"Yeah but don't worry, I'll make sure everyone gets to see what they want to in due time."

"In that case there is something that I would like to know right now," says Ushio.

"Ooh, what's up number two? Geh..!"

[Fade BGM]

My bottle... When did Ms. Plain Vanilla go and grab my bottle? Or was she lazy enough to warp it with her ability..?

"You are offering to reveal personal things about Louis without his say are you not? It is only fair to reveal this letter if it is your motivation for all of this."

The most surprising element to all of this is Ushio's assertion. Perhaps she is more adaptable to situations than I assumed. Geez...

"Fine, just read it already."

Once the fragments turn back into normal balls of light I realize that there will be quite the audience tuning in to the letter. This was not according to plan! It doesn't necessarily ruin anything either, but still!

Dear Lambdadelta,
Nice job on bringing peace to the Sealed Island. It was a world filled with many answers, but you were always my answer. Now I just hope that one day you will find yours. Love,
Louis

I must say, three sentences never felt so tough to hear read aloud.

"Brief yet somewhat complex," Lucca analyzes. "I take it that Louis already knows who you are and what you're capable of?"

"More or less." It is likely that he knows me well but there are tricks up my sleeve that not even Bern knows about.

"The contents were more cryptic than anything else. I'm a bit disappointed."

"You're missing the point Mami!" Heh, look at me getting all defensive. "The topic doesn't matter that much, it's the timing. Louis wrote that letter from his original world, where I'm as much of a concept to Louis as Lyra and any of you guys. And to send such a thing down the Pacific Ocean at the mature age of eighteen..."

Mami visually starts piecing everything together. "When you put it that way..."

[BGM~Rd5Vt_qct0s "Far" Umineko]

"Someone like that.. is completely out of his mind! Ahaha, seriously! Who just gets up and writes a letter to someone from a different world!? Kids write to Santa not knowing any better, but Louis didn't just half-ass this either. The purposely aged texture of the paper, the classic ink for authenticity... When you go all out like that it would be a crime to not reply, you know?"

Teto smirks. "Louis going out of his way to impress someone sounds awfully familiar."

"What's wrong with writing to Santa..?" Cream asks while looking lost.

"Ahem, anyways..! Everyday people will be quick to judge such mindsets negatively. But deities, gods, witches like moi, high-ranking youkai.. we all know well enough the potential. That is exactly why Yukari wants to keep Louis all to herself - her world to be precise. But Yukari's game plan for him is too narrow. It's a total waste of potential!" Not everyone can fully grasp what I'm getting at, but everyone can agree on one thing. Louis has to come back. "Ten more maidens. That goal is on the verge of stopping halfway through, but something like that absolutely cannot happen."

"Can't happen..."

A voice that was almost a whisper managed to gather everyone's attention. And judging by where everyone is looking, it is because it is the first thing she's said this entire time.

"Lyra..?"

"21 Maidens.. Must complete the deck." She rises her head to a neutral position and a few tears slip down in the process. "Louis.. has to complete the deck."

Almost everyone gets closer to her for comfort. Good grief, why couldn't this world be more dark in theme? My cool image is at risk if this gets to me any further! Just stay cool and use this development to move things along...

"You heard it live folks. This is one wish that needs to go fulfilled no matter what!"

As the old saying goes, where there's a will there's a way. And the will of many creates a path that is much brighter. So this was Ushio's plan...

"Ms. Lambdadelta. What would you do if I told you that I know how to find Louis?"

Yuyuko... of course she would be our best bet!

"I would give you two bags of candy, one for you and one for Louis. If you could do just that for me you wouldn't have to betray your friend any further."

Yuyuko giggles. "No worries. I do as I please just as much as Yukari does. And I must say that your angle is very intriguing."

"Works for me!"

Things just went from a pain in the neck to hopeful fast. It's almost as if this world's Judge planned things out this way all along.

"Is there anything the rest of us can do to help?"

I did not catch exactly who asked me, but most of the girls' expressions look as if they are asking just the same.

"Just do what you do best and stay in touch with one another. When it's time to take some direct action, it's better if everyone is on the same page."

"Everyone together..." Lyra whimpers.

"And you there, no more breaking down! Another hiatus stunt like that can be fatal, got it?"

"Understood."

With everything that's going on, it almost feels like the world is moving again. Am I still your answer now Louis? Be brave and let me know on that day that will most certainly come.