"Thank you for capturing these repeat offenders," an officer from the Pira Attis police department tells us. To my knowledge, they know that we are Keisetsu members, but that's just me. "This time, they will have to do time before getting bailed out. Here's your payment."

"Thank you." Sigka says, taking the money.

This is the second payment we've received today, with the first coming from the Pira Attis hospital. In our last fight, the wagon was practically destroyed, but luckily the antitoxins were safe because they were encased in nearly indestructible dwarven made chests. Using the remaining metal from the axes the other dwarves brought, Vorn-sama was able to make a new wagon using his weld subtone, allowing for us to ship the medicine safely all at once, rather than having to go back and forth carrying a few chests.

Honestly, I'm surprised at how serious Ripperu can get when she's in a hurry. Though the delivery of the antitoxins and the escorting of the thugs to the city prison both took up a good bit of time, we still managed to finish with about a half hour before the concert.

"Alright then," Sigka says, dividing up the money. Well, the money that goes to us. Half of all earnings go into the Keisetsu's business fund.

After all the money is divided up, all of us, including the dwarves, head towards the concert stage on the outer edge of Pira Attis, right next to the sea.

"Come on! Come on, you slowpokes!" Ripperu yells to us.

(Amazing how she can still have this much energy after that fight.)

I look to Sigka in front of us, leading the way to the stage. I see him take out a rhime-less crystal. It's a circular one, much like those used for communication.

"Hey, Hiro." he asks. "Do you mind?"

Hiromu walks up to him, takes the crystal, and channels his rhime into it. Once it begins to glow bright yellow, Hiromu gives it back to Sigka.

"Hello?" Sigka says into it.

"Greetings, Sigka!" the voice of Katsumi says through the crystal. "How'd it go?"

Sigka pauses for a little bit, then sighs.

"Minimal setbacks. The mission was ultimately a success."

"Good to hear. Fill me in on the details later tonight."

"Understood."

The communication crystals themselves can go for about two to three weeks on one electric tone's rhime, which helps, considering that both crystals need the same rhime from the same person. Hiromu charged the other crystal back at the Keisetsu building before he and Sigka took this escort job. I know this isn't as convenient as First Age phones, but we still have yet to excavate and reverse-engineer the technology for them to be mass produced.

After seeing Sigka put away the crystal, I choose to look at the city around me. Pira Attis. This place is a wonder to behold for someone like me. I've lived in the rural town of Terraz as far back as I can remember, I have never seen a city of such splendor. Pira Attis is, in a lot of ways, what New Vegas could have been if its radically extreme economic system didn't throw it into disarray. Pira Attis is considered to be the most technologically advanced city in all of Angelia. A city square with a combination of New York's time square. Skyscrapers that rival the Tokyo cityscape. This city's culture is a blend of only the most advanced cultures of the First Age. Cars. Large TVs decorating many of the larger buildings with advertisements. Beautiful music played around every corner through loudspeakers, including some sung by Diva-de-sama. Shops selling practically anything and everything I could possibly imagine. Walk-in aquariums and botanical gardens between each major street. Planes flying all across the sky. So many people out and about, making it difficult to go somewhere without bumping into somebody else. Especially when so many people are heading to the concert. Surprisingly, there's little pollution compared to New Vegas, though that's probably because this city runs mostly on rhime rather than other natural resources. I can't even picture what the night life is like here.

Also, because Pira Attis is only about a half hour from Tokiport, being that they're both near the sea, this city is considered one of Angelia's greatest attractions.

"Hey, Oren!" I hear Ripperu yell out to me. "Stop gawking! Do that after! We're going to miss getting good spots! You too, Yamiso!"

"Whatever, deputy douchebag!" I hear Yamiso yell back to her. Didn't notice he was next to me this whole time.

"Language!" I hear Crystal yell as Yamiso's mouth freezes over again. At least, if you can call what Crystal did a "yell".

Guess sightseeing will have to wait after all. Even so, this will be the first concert I ever attend, so I'm still excited.

After walking through the streets of Pira Attis for about ten minutes, we finally reach the outskirts of the city where the stage is set up. The overall stage, or rather stages, is a makeshift concert hall with three separate platforms with a connecting ceiling decorated black with a few spotlights to replicate stars. Each of the stages has enough room on them for a whole choir with a good number of steps ascending, all with curtains. The largest stage, being the one in the middle with its back to the sea, has a large TV over it.

As I continue to make my way through the seats, I spot Claire, Yuri, and Seppe waving to us. However, while Crystal goes over there to be with her sister, the rest of us split up to sit wherever we want to. Or rather, this is unofficially decided when Yamiso split away from the group. Sueka and I choose to look for seats closer to the stage, as we agreed that we want our first concert to be as memorable as possible. So, dodging other people with the same idea, we eventually make it to the front rows...

And see that they're mostly filled, save for a few reserved seats.

(Darn.)

As I turn around to look for seats further back, I accidentally bump into somebody, knocking off their glasses.

"Oof!" the person says.

Before the glasses fall to the ground, I grab them and hand them back.

"I'm so sorry!" I say, bowing frantically.

"It's fine. It's fine." the boy says, cleaning his glasses.

Looking at him, he's around the age of 16 and a little scrawny with a height of about 170 centimeters. His attire is solely composed of Diva-de-sama memorabilia, specifically his T-shirt with a few keychains coming out of his jeans pockets. His short black hair is rather messy, but, somehow, he seems to carry this sophisticated air about him, as though he's normally quite formal in spite of his current outfit.

"Don't think I've seen you at one of Diva-de's concerts." he says to me, much to my surprise.

"Um..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make that sound awkward," he says, flustered. "It's just that I have a good memory when it comes to people I've met. And I've helped in managing all of Diva-de's concerts."

"Managing?"

"Well, long story short, I have family connections."

I look to Sueka and the two of us shrug, accepting what we hear.

"Honestly, you're right about us not being recurring attendees. Me llamo Oren Tsurai, and this lovely lady is my sister, Sueka. This is our first concert ever, let alone a Diva-de-sama concert, and I look forward to hearing Diva-de-sama in person for the first time."

"Me too!" Sueka chimes in.

(Sama?) the boy thinks.

He chuckles. Then, he begins to think. I notice some sparks flying around him while he's thinking. Seems he's an electric tone.

"I take it you wanted front row seats?" he asks.

"Um...yeah."

The boy pauses for a second, then smiles.

"Follow me."

As he walks away towards the front row, I look to Sueka, shrug again, then follow. He stops in front of two reserved seats, each with labels stating that the seats are for a certain "Kennedy Wave" and "Tarran Wave". The boy then removes the labels and gestures for us to sit down.

"May your first concert be memorable!" he says cheerfully.

"Que?" I state in confusion, looking back between him and the seats.

"Ah, right," the boy says, blushing. "Guess I didn't introduce myself."

He pulls out what looks like a business card from his pocket and gives it to me. It's a medical card for Wave Medicine with the contact information for Tarran Wave.

"My name is Tarran. Nice to meet you."

(Huh?)

I look up and down between Tarran and the card. It says that he's a pharmacist and a surgeon. But...at his age?

"Guess... this makes you our client," I say, thinking out loud.

"Pardon?"

"Oh, sorry. Nevermind. Just did some medicine shipments earlier today, that's all."

"Oh, really? In that case, then I insist."

"You sure?" Sueka asks.

He nods.

"Again, it's fine."

He looks to the seat that was reserved for Kennedy Wave.

"Besides, my father couldn't make it anyway."

"Oh..." I say. "I'm...sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. This is common. He never makes it to Diva-de's concerts. He's always quite busy with the company. Besides, he purposely chose to take my shift so I could make it."

I sit down, continuing to listen. Sueka does the same.

"Though I could wish for a father that would spend more time with his kids, at least he cares."

I smile, then frown as I reflect on Doryoko.

"At least you have a father..." I say, thinking out loud again.

!!

(Crap! Slipped out again!)

Seeing how surprised Tarran-sama is at what I said, I take a deep breath and begin to explain.

"Our father, from the sound of it, was quite similar to yours. We used to live it Terraz, so everybody was always busy. You can say that the majority of our 'family time' was during our work schedule. However, he still put us first and wanted us to be happy. And, in the end, it's that very mindset that caused him to sacrifice himself for us."

...

"I'm...sorry that I brought up such painful memories." Tarran-sama states.

I shake my head.

"While I will admit that I'm envious of you, I know you didn't mean any harm. Word of advice, don't take your family for granted." I turn to Sueka, put my left arm on her shoulder and smile.

Tarran-sama looks at us, then smiles too.

"I'll remember that, Oren."

Tarran-sama leaves and goes backstage, walking past some of the bodyguards without any complications. Guess he wasn't faking his identity, if he's this big a deal. A short while after, I noticed him sitting on some of the balcony seats that some of the VIPs get. Yes, the side stages have balconies.

As soon as Tarran-sama is out of sight, the lights begin to dim, and a giddy voice is heard over the loudspeakers.

"Hey, everyone!" the voice proclaims.

"YYYYYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" the crowd cheers.

This voice sounds a lot like the voice I heard in the streets.

I think...this is Diva-de-sama.

"I want to thank you all for coming to my concert! We have a few minutes before it officially starts, so to show my appreciation for all of you coming here so early, I'll sing a song just for you!"

The crowd once again roars with excitement. However, they quickly quiet down and take their seats.

The crowd goes quiet, and a picture on the TV pops up with the title and original author of a song. "It's Gonna Rain" by Bonnie Pink. As soon as I finish reading these words, the music starts. To my surprise, the instruments sound as though they are changing position, as they technically are heard from all sides, all playing the same song, but one side of the hall has them play louder than the others, as though they're fading and reappearing somewhere else.

And then, I hear Diva-de-sama begin to sing in a rather peaceful tone.

Ashidori mo karukushite chao chao

Torumono mo toriaezu chao chao

Raion ga unaru mitai no raimei ga

Taisan wo unagashite iru

Dou naru no?

Sou...mou sugu ame

With every couple lines in a verse, her voice fades away and reappears somewhere else, usually somewhere different than the instruments. I must say, this type of special effect is quite interesting. Honestly, I can see what makes her singing so special. Seems that all the "front row seats" are the outer most seats, save for the seats in the absolute back of the hall. As she continues to sing, more people come flocking in.

Dai kirai ame nanka chao chao

Mou sukoshi itai noni

Kaikan ga kaisan ni kawaru shunkan wo

Raion ga isogaseta no wa

Meihaku No! Meiwaku

It's gonna rain!

When the song ends, all lights, including the TV, go completely black. A few seconds later, the sound of curtains begins to rise and, when lifted to their highest point, a spotlight lights up over a single woman beneath the TV.

"Thank you for coming, everyone!" the woman says, waving.

Everyone begins to cheer at the top of their lungs.

This woman, in her early 20s with a height of about 180 centimeters, has long straight blonde hair with a pink streak down the middle. She has chosen to wear bright pink and white clothing normally worn by First Age Japanese idols, with a more athletic concept. Well, aside from the fact that the clothing had to be adjusted slightly, and only slightly, for her chest size. Thank goodness it's not another "large" breasted woman. I look a bit more closely and see that she's got a couple blue painted stars around her eyes on her pale skin. Clearly, she's going for more of a cute look.

A few seconds later, all the lights turn back on and, to my surprise, I see...

(Diva-de-samas! Diva-de-samas everywhere!)

On each stage, I can count at least 30 Diva-des! Most of them don't have instruments, and those with instruments have some strange contraption that has electric rhime coursing through them. Upon closer inspection, all the Diva-de-samas, save for the one originally under the spotlight, are see-through, as though they were holograms, and the instruments look more electronic than the average instrument. I guess this is what Ripperu meant when she said Diva-de-sama could create clones of herself. Though I must admit, creating technology that can allow rhime alone to hold and function is quite impressive.

"ARE YOU READY!?" the real Diva-de-sama yells.

"YYYYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

"I can't hear you!" all the Diva-de-samas say simultaneously.

"YYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"Alright!" she yells. Then, she pauses to think.

"Now, which song to sing..."

She then looks at some of her clones.

"What do you girls think?"

Clearly, even if it's not funny to you, this is more of a comedy act.

"Well, I don't know about you girls..." one clone replies. "But I know what I want to sing! HIT IT!"

A few of the clones begin to play their instruments, while some on the largest stage emit small quantities of electric rhime.

The screen then gives the title of the song. "Reincarnation", originally sung by Yoshino Nanjo.

Kowashitai daijisou ni kakaeta

watashi wo zenbu

Kimi ga kono kodoku wo itami wo

iyasu no

In perfect unison, the first song words are sung by nearly all of the clones on the largest stage, with the clones originally emitting smaller rhime amounts, creating pillars of electricity for special effects.

Reincarnation

Realization

Reincarnation kiete shimaitai

Whenever the "reincarnation, realization, reincarnation" section of the refrain comes around, the clones on different stages alternate to create an echoing effect.

Half of the first verse is then sung by the clones on the stage to my right, with the remaining half being sung by the clones to my left. From the next refrain onwards, some of the clones envelop themselves in electric rhime and dash between the walls and stages to create streaks of lightning to draw shapes and spell out words. Pictures of pegai , dragons, and angels with words like "destruction" followed by "hope". Many things connected either to fantasy or the lyrics. The further into the song they go, the more the clones on different stages alternate between singing and creating a visual display and, for the last refrain up to the end of the song, all the clones, as well as the original Diva-de-sama, sing in perfect unison.

When the song ends, the crowd cheers in full force, myself included. All the Diva-de-samas bow, then signal for the audience to calm down as some of the clones emit more electric rhime.

The next song she sings is "Beginner", originally sung by AKB48. While the pictures and spelled out words are different, the overall display and echoing procedure remains consistent.

In your position! Set!

Kinou made no keiken to ka

Chishiki nanka nimotsu na dake

Kaze wa itsumo toorisugite

Ato ni nani mo nokosanai yo

What makes this song unique is how the clones sing with their voices altered to make them sound more electronic. Guess this is how they sing electronica.

Atarashii michi wo sagase!

Hito no chizu wo hirogeru na!

Fuseta me wo ageta toki ni zero ni narunda

For this one, the clones that aren't playing instruments or performing visual displays dance with each other, occasionally making gestures to mimic what the lyrics imply.

Bokura wa yume miteru ka?

Mirai wo shinjiteiru ka?

Kowai mono shirazu mi no hodo shirazu

Muteppou na mama

Ima bokura wa yume miteru ka?

Kodomo no youni massara ni...

Shipai sareta kusari wa hikichigirou

Ch-ch-ch-ch-change your mind

Ch-change your mind

Nani mo shiranakute ii Beginner!

When the song finishes, everybody once again roars with applause. And again, the Diva-de-samas bow. The real Diva-de-sama then taps on her microphone.

"Thank you for all of your support! Before getting to my final song, I would like to thank all of you for coming today. And I hope you will continue to support me in the future. For every concert I do will have much of its earnings go towards medicine to make the world a better place!"

(Medicine? As in Wave Medicine?)

It's nice to see that she's supportive of what her family does.

"Go for it!" Diva-de-sama yells to the clones with instruments. Or, more specifically, the guitarists. The guitarists starts playing a rather impressive solo before the song title is even given on the screen. But I know this song, and I can tell that much of the audience does to. This is "God knows...", previously sung by Aya Hirano.

kawaita kokoro de kakenukeru

gomen ne nani mo dekinakute

itami wo wakachiau koto sae

anata wa yurushite kurenai

And this time, unlike the other songs where the clones alternated between stages, a select number of clones, including the original, all sing the lyrics simultaneously.

muku ni ikiru tame ni furimukazu

senaka mukete satteshimau

on the lonely rail

For the next verse, all the clones then begin to sing in perfect unison, all performing the same gestures.

watashi tsuiteiku yo

donna tsurai sekai no yami no naka de sae

kitto anata wa kagayaite

koeru mirai no hate

yowasa yue ni tamashii kowasarenu you ni

my way kasanaru yo

ima futari ni God bless...

At the last verse, some of the clones not doing special effects jump off the stage into the audience. Most the originally singing clones, both on an off stage, begin to break dance with moves similar to my combat style, while the remaining ones sing slightly louder to make up for their lack of numbers. When the final guitar solo begins, all the non-instrument playing Diva-de-samas perform an even more intense break dance. When the final note is played, all the Diva-de-samas jump back onto their respective stages and bow before the audience can even applaud.

And this time, the audience applauds even louder than the other times. I then notice that some of the clones fade out and disappear. Seems Diva-de-sama is approaching her limit. While it's possible for practically everybody to sing all day without the risk of losing one's voice, the fact that she's been using so much rhime this whole time means she's probably starting to feel the effects of rhime deficiency. What surprises me is how much she could do for this amount of time. She must have a large quantity of total rhime, though I cannot say why.

"Thank you again, everybody!" the real Diva-de-sama proclaims, waving to the audience.

One of her clones walks up to her and taps her on the shoulder. Well, pretends to anyway, since the clone can't physically touch her.

"I think we can do one more!" the clone says.

"You know...I think so, too. What should it be?"

"How about....'that'."

"You sure about 'that'?"

"Yep."

The real Diva-de-sama looks to the other clones. They all give a thumbs up. Diva-de-sama then smiles.

"As a special treat for all my devoted fans, I will sing one more song tonight. But this song is special, as this one is one of my own songs that will appear in my upcoming CD! Hope you enjoy it!"

She takes a deep breath, then nods to the drummers. The drummers then start their short instrumental before the guitars join in. The clones do simple dance moves, swaying back and forth to the rhythm.

The real Diva-de-sama begins to sing with her voice altered to sound more electric via her rhime.

Please tell me that I'm here.

Is my reflection real?

The clones join in the background.

(Come on, tell me who we are.)

(Come on, tell me who we are.)

Are these emotions my own?

Tell me what I should really feel.

(Come on, show us who we are.)

(Come on, show us who we are.)

Ask my family or my friends

Who can say they know me best?

Am I me, or someone else?

Am I a silhouette among the rest?

Am I one of a kind?

Or am I just like them inside?

Nobody can understand my heart.

But who am I to decide?

For the refrain, many of the clones, no longer echoing in the background, join Diva-de-sama.

We are clones all of one kind,

But what makes this a bad thing?

(We are clones with hearts.)

Though we are the same, our hearts are unique,

And this gives us different reasons to sing.

(We are clones with hearts.)

Dance, sing, show what you feel.

Show what many wish to see.

(We are clones with hearts)

For even with our shared sorrows,

Be unique and set your heart free.

(We are clones with hearts.)

We lie, cheat, don't live pure,

All so we can belong.

But I won't disappear amongst the ranks,

I'll do only what I think isn't wrong.

The path of life is lonely

When one tries to be true.

But when I stand out, I won't disappear,

And have my feelings reach out to you.

Different songs, different races,

What gives us the right to judge?

When we are asked the same insulting questions,

Do you really think you'll budge?

We're all the same, deep down inside,

As we all share the feeling of pain.

But don't settle for anything less,

Uniqueness is still something to gain.

We are clones all of one kind,

But what makes this a bad thing?

(We are clones with hearts.)

Though we are the same, our hearts are unique,

And this gives us different reasons to sing.

(We are clones with hearts.)

Dance, sing, show what you feel.

Show what many wish to see.

(We are clones with hearts)

For even with our shared sorrows,

Be unique and set your heart free.

(We are clones with hearts.)

The guitarists then go into a fast-paced solo on all stages, giving the singers time to perform more break dance moves similar to those of the previous song. To think she can still keep going. I'm impressed! Not to mention the song is quite good, and she's still got time to make corrections, should she feel like it.

She's got herself a new fan.

As soon as the guitar finishes, all the clones and the original Diva-de-sama begin to sing in unison.

We are clones all of one kind,

But what makes this a bad thing?

(We are clones with hearts.)

Though we are the same, our hearts are unique,

And this gives us different reasons to sing.

(We are clones with hearts.)

Dance, sing, show what you feel.

Show what many wish to see.

(We are clones with hearts)

For even with our shared sorrows,

Be unique and set your heart free.

WE ARE CLONES WITH HEARTS!

As the last words are sung, all the clones other than the ones holding instruments disappear. Diva-de-sama smiles and gives her victory pose.

Resulting in the audience roaring in applause as they stand up. Yes, myself included.

Diva-de-sama continues to bow while the curtains close. When she's finally out of sight, Sueka and I regroup with the rest of the Keisetsu members. Seems everyone had a good time, even Yamiso. Not to mention this is the first time in a while I've seen Crystal this energetic.

"Seppe thinks that was AMAZING!" Seppe proclaims.

"You said it!" Sueka and Yuri reply simultaneously.

"What a nice way to relax after a job!" Sigka proclaims.

I don't even need to ask what Ripperu and Hiromu thought, given the fact that they're completely covered in memorabilia, to the point that I can barely recognize them. I look over to Yamiso. It's been a while since he's cracked a smile for any reason. The dwarves don't say anything, but their smiles say enough, though they won't admit that it was hard for them to appreciate all the special effects given their height.

"Puts me in the mood to sing as well!" Claire proclaims.

We look to her, then unanimously agree.

"How about this," Sigka suggests. "We've got time, as well as extra cash from bringing in those thugs, so why don't we enjoy the rest of the day and head back home tomorrow. I can book us a hotel for one night here. In the meantime, how about we split up and enjoy Pira Attis in all its glory, then meet up at a karaoke place we passed getting here in a couple hours?"

We all give him a thumbs up.

As we head out, I see a familiar face.

"So," Tarran-sama asks. "What do you think?"

"Honestly, it exceeded my expectations."

"Oren, who's this?" Ripperu asks.

"Ah yes. Meet Tarran Wave-sama, the man kind enough to give Sueka and me front row seats."

(Again with the sama...) Tarran-sama thinks.

"TARRAN WAVE!?" all the girls scream.

"OH SHIT!!" Sigka yells out in English. I think he was attempting a JoJo reference. Normally, he's one of the Keisetsu's most levelheaded members, but being around Hiromu for so long has resulted in a few...side effects.

"Huh?" I state in confusion.

"This is Tarran Wave!?" Ripperu questions.

"Yep." Tarran-sama confirms.

"As in Diva-de's younger brother!?" Crystal asks.

(Brother?) I think.

"Yep." he repeats.

"OH NO!!!" Sigka yells, again in English.

Tarran-sama chuckles.

"Quite the colorful group you've got," he says.

"You don't know the half of it," I state.

The two of us then snicker in unison.

"Hey!" Tarran-sama begins to say. "Hey. You guys want to meet my sister?"

...

......

"SERIOUSLY!?" all of us shout together.