Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
After arriving at Suntory Hall, the group split up almost immediately. The reason for that was simple, Tatsuo needed to get ready for the performance with Kaori. So, on top of splitting up, the members of the audience in their group had quite a bit of time to kill while make-up and final checks were done.
"Hey, Tio." Tatsuo said as he made his way towards the stage to check the condition of the piano he would be using during the performance. "How many Alpha Clones did they say arrived in Japan?"
"Hmm…?" Tio hummed in response while trying to recall the information she heard from Mai and Kasumi. "IF I'm not mistaken, there should have been nearly a hundred."
"Then I guess they weren't able to get rid of as many as I thought they would." Tatsuo said with a slight frown. "There are almost forty of them here right now."
"Would you like me to deal with them, Master?" Tio asked, her tone turning harsh.
"No, not right now." Tatsuo replied. "Unless you can do it without damaging the building."
In response, Tio only looked away and tried to whistle a little tune.
By now, after spending so much time together, everyone living in Tatsuo's apartment knew that Tio was quite skilled in combat. Especially when it came to using [Wind and Fire Magic]. She was no slouch when it came to physical combat, either.
However, her nature as a dragonman made her fighting style quite destructive. As a result, she was not suited for combat situations that needed to be kept quiet.
The rest of the trip to check the piano occurred in silence, both Tatsuo and Tio pretending that they were unaware of the Alpha Clones lurking around the venue. And just like that time passed.
Not long after Tatsuo finished checking the piano, he ran into Kaori while on his way to his dressing room. However, unlike him, Kaori was not yet dressed in her gown. Instead, she was carrying it over her shoulder while she carried her violin case in her other hand.
"Hey, Miyazono-San." Tatsuo said as he started to release a bit of his [Energy]. "You ready for the show?"
"Yeah, totally!" Kaori replied energetically. "I've been ready for a long time. I'm just glad I was able to find an accompanist before it was too late."
"And it was just your luck that you found such a handsome and talented one like me." Tatsuo said in a joking tone.
"Yeah, yeah." Kaori replied with a fond eye roll. "I admit, you really are good. You're the only person other than… *Cough* Anyway, you never complained about the way I play. So, I guess I really was lucky to find you."
By the time Kaori reached that point, she was blushing slightly. Then, she turned her head away and continued in a small voice.
"Thanks." Kaori said quietly. "You really helped me out a lot by agreeing to be my accompanist for tonight's show."
"Don't worry about it." Tatsuo replied casually as he stepped forward and walked past kaori. He then continued as he patted her on the shoulder and injected a small amount of his [Energy] into her to make sure that she would be fine until it was time to perform. "If you really wanna thank me, then play with everything you have tonight. Then, after you get off stage, do everything you can to be better than that version of you. That's all the thanks I need."
"Yeah, you're really not asking for much, are you?" Kaori asked while rolling her eyes again with a small smile on her face.
"Of course not." Tatsuo replied over his shoulder. "If you're not trying to be better than the past you, then you're not really living."
With that, Tatsuo led Tio towards his dressing room while waving at Kaori from over his shoulder.
"If you're not trying to be better than the past you…" Kaori repeated while watching Tatsuo and Tio go. "Then, you're not really living, huh? I wonder where he heard that from."
Shaking her head, Kaori headed towards her own dressing room. Her manager would be there soon with the makeup artist, after all.
Not long after that meeting, Suntory Hall's doors were opened to allow the audience to enter. And among the first few people to enter was a group of five girls who just stepped out of a limousine.
"Are you sure I look okay?" Suou Mikoto asked while looking over the blue dress her friends picked out for her to wear to the concert.
"Goodness, would you stop asking the same question?" Sawachika Eri replied in an annoyed tone while rolling her eyes. "Do you really think we would let you go out looking a mess? You'd only make the rest of us look bad, too."
"Don't pay Sawachika-San any mind, Suou-San." Takeba Akira said calmly. "You look great. There's nothing to worry about."
"Hell yeah, you do!" Tsukamoto Tenma added energetically. "We all do. Right, Yakumo?"
However, Yakumo did not answer immediately. Instead, it seemed like she was lost in her won owrld while simply following her sister and her friends.
"Yakumo?" Tenma asked, her energy reseeding, replaced by concern. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, Nee-Sama." Yakumo replied, snapping out of her thoughts.
"Are you sure?" Mikoto, also concerned with Yakumo's well-being, asked. "You don't look like you're in the best mood."
"There's nothing to worry about.' Yakumo replied while gently shaking her head. "Just thinking about some stuff."
"If you say so." Eri replied. "But if you're not feeling well, we can always go back. I'm sure Soramoto-Kun would understand if we missed the concert because you were sick."
"Really, I'm fine." Yakumo said.
Meanwhile, as the other three fussed over Yakumo, Akira watched her, feeling that something was definitely weighing on Yakumo's mind. But if Yakumo did not want to talk about it, there was nothing she could do. So, she just decided to watch over her to make sure that she was okay rather than question her about it.
"You've arrived." Mai, standing at the entrance to Suntory Hall, said as she spotted the group of five VIPs. Though, her tone was not particularly friendly. But it was not outright hostile, either. "Please, follow me. Sumire-Sama asked me to escort you to her private box."
With that, Mai turned around and led Yakumo, Tenma, Mikoto, Eri, and Akira through the halls of the venue to the private box booked for Tatsuo's friends and family. However, while walking through the hallways, Akira could not help but furrow her brows minutely.
'There are a lot of people hidden around the whole building from what I can feel.' Akira thought to herself. 'Are they from the organization who abducted Soramoto-Kun? Do they really want him back that badly? Well, if I can help it, I won't let them succeed if they really are here to take him back.'
While Tenma, Mikoto, and Eri did not notice anything different about Akira, both Yakumo and Mai did. Yakumo because of her better control of her psionic abilities, and Mai because she was a trained kunoichi who was always... mostly aware of her surroundings.
'Is this what Tatsuo-Kun meant by there would probably be a fight tonight?' Yakumo asked herself. "I hope no one gets too hurt.'
'So, that's the young agent Sumire-Sama mentioned.' Mai thought to herself as she discreetly stole a glance at Akira. 'She's pretty good for her age. I just hope she doesn't try to do anything unnecessary when things go down tonight.'
At the same time, another limousine pulled up outside of the venue. When the back door of this limousine opened, the first to step out was a young man with nearly shaved light brown hair and dark brown eyes wearing a grey suit, black shirt, and no tie. He then turned back and offered his hand to a woman with copper orange hair and amber colored eyes wearing a white dress. Then, without a word, they headed into the venue, only speaking to each other once they were in the VIP box they booked.
"Is there word about which box that monster is in?" The man, Rig asked as he took a seat. "*Sigh* That old man really is just trying to get rid of me, isn't it? There's no way he didn't find out that her son would be performing in this concert. And I have no doubt that if we try to interrupt it, she'll probably kil everyone involved, including me."
"We have confirmation." The woman, an Alpha clone, replied while ignoring Rig's rant about his father, Victor Donavan. "They are I the box opposite the stage. And there are quite a few people in there with her. And most of them have no formal identification."
"So, she's watching with a bunch of unknowns, huh?" Rig asked rhetorically. "*Sigh* This just keeps getting better and better. Well, I guess the only thing we can do is monitor them. Just make sure we have an escape route. I really don't wanna end up at that woman's mercy If we're caught."
"Understood." The Alpha Clone replied before beginning to communicate with the other Alphas that were hidden around the venue.
Around the same time, the last of Tatsuo's invited guests, Chiho and Sadao arrived outside Suntory Hall. Wearing a pink and white formal dress, Chiho excitedly pulled Sadao, dressed in a simple black suit with a white dress shirt and a black tie, towards the entrance.
"Come on, Maou-San!" Chiho cried excitedly. "If we don't hurry, we'll be late."
"We've still got time." Sadao replied while smiling awkwardly. "There's no need to rush."
Ignoring Sadao, Chiho did not slow down at all. Quickly entering the venue, she looked around, hoping to find directions to Sumire's VIP box. However, before she could locate anything that would show her the way, a voice drew her attention.
"Sasaki-San, Maou-San, please come this way."
"Huh?" Chiho exclaimed in surprise, snapping her head in the direction of the call as she did so.
Like Chiho, Sadao also turned his head in the direction of the voice. Though, he was much calmer when doing so.
Seeing Kasumi at the ends of their lines of sight, Chiho's mouth fell open while Sadao simply nodded at their guide. However, before he could give his greeting, Chiho, with her hand still wrapped around Sadao's wrist, pulled him towards her.
"Wow, Tenshin-San, you look so pretty." Chiho said energetically.
"Thank you very much." Kasumi replied with her usual gentle smile. "The time for the beginning of the concert is drawing near. So, let's hurry to the box."
Nodding in response, Chiho continued to pull Sadao along as she followed Kasumi. Not long later, the trio reached the VIP box where the other guests were waiting.
"Let's go inside." Kasumi said as she reached for the doorknob, her voice slightly more strained than usual.
'Hmm... I wonder why she sounds like that...' Sadao thought to himself as Kasumi opened the door. He then glanced at Chiho before continuing his thoughts. 'Looks like Chi-Chan didn't notice, though.'
As soon as the door was opened, Sadao immediately understood why Kasumi sounded the way she did. Though, he was certain that Chiho had not noticed, despite her ability to feel the mood of the room.
Currently, the VIP box was filled with a large number of people. That was not what made Sadao understand the situation, however. Instead, it was the way that some of the people, namely a group of women, were talking to each other.
'Looks like Tatsuo-Kun is gonnna have a lot of trouble in the future.' Sadao thought to himself.
The reason for Sadao's thought was simple. The first thing he noticed when stepping into the VIP box was the group of women, Mai, Yakumo, Violet, Aletia, Shea, Tio, and Lilith, talking animatedly. However, although their conversation seemed harmonious on the surface, Sadao, with his centuries of experience, noticed that there was a lot of tension in the air around the group.
Deciding he would not be getting involved in whatever was going on, he turned his attention to what really caught his attention.
'Why are there so many strong people here?' Sadao asked himself in shock. 'On top of that, most of them aren't even human. Some of them even feel like demons. But something feels different, too. How did they manage to maintain so much magic in this world? Honestly, I'm not even sure if I could defeat most of them in my current state. Then again, I'm not sure if I could contend with those two even at my full strength.'
The two Sadao was referring to were naturally James and Scáthach, the strongest people on the surface. Though, if Sadao had the ability to sense Sumire's power, he might piss himself on the spot.
Meanwhile, as Sadao thought about the situation he found himself in, Chiho had already released his wrist and rushed over to Yakumo, completely unaware of the strained situation between all the women with feelings for Tatsuo, and greeted her energetically.
Like that, nearly twenty minutes passed in this harmonious, yet tense, atmosphere. However, when the lights in the concert hall dimmed, all the chatter came to a stop, and the group turned their attention towards the stage.
{BGM: "Salut d'Amour, Op. 12" -- Edward Elgar, Sueye Park, Love Derwinger}
A few seconds later, the sound of a piano echoed throughout the venue, followed quickly by a violin. Yet, the lights on the stage had still yet to be turned on. Luckily, the audience did not have to wait long.
*Flash!*
When the lights did come on, however, those who were unfamiliar with the performance were surprised, as there was a hole in the center of the stage. Though, they had an idea of what was going on, as the music being played was originating from beneath the hole.
And their suspicions were confirmed when they saw a platform holding Tatsuo, Kaori, and the grand piano Tatsuo was playing rise up to fill the hole and complete the stage.
"Impressive." Sadao muttered quietly. "There seems to be magic in every note coming from the piano."
"Indeed." Venelana replied while listening to the music with a serene smile on her face. "Tatsuo is so multi-talented. It makes me want to have him for myself even more."
Hearing that, Sadao shot a glance in the unfamiliar woman's direction. Though, his gaze did not linger on her for long. Instead, he could only shake his head at all the trouble with women he could see in Tatsuo's future.
Despite Tatsuo's magical notes, he still managed to play his role perfectly. He was only there to accompany Kaori. So, while matching Kaori's unorthodox playstyle, he played in a way that highlighted her abilities. And because of that, most people's attention was firmly fixed on Kaori while marveling at her skill with a violin.
"I want her, too." Venelana muttered when she managed to tear her eyes away from Tatsuo. "*Sigh* If I could have them both, life would be so wonderful."
Once again, Sadao shot a glance at Venelana, marveling at just how open she was with her tastes.
Meanwhile, in another VIP box, Rig sat with his eyes closed while enjoying the music.
"*Sigh* I'm actually having seconds thoughts about interrupting such talented musicians." Rig said quietly. "Well, at least the plan is to wait until they are near the end of their performance before acting. At least I'll be able to enjoy most of the show."
"Sir, since Subject 47 is here, should we act to reclaim him, as well?" The Alpha Clone asked.
"Are you crazy?" Rig asked without opening his eyes. "Our only objective is to cause chaos. Simply causing a hit to her reputation is enough. Don't concern yourself with anything other than that. Unless you'd rather not make it back to base in one piece. If that's the case. Then, please wait for me to leave. After that, you're free to do as you wish."
"Understood." The Alpha Clone replied.
With that, the concert continued smoothly. And for the next two hours the audience was enthralled by the music. However, it was clear to everyone at the venue that the violinist, Kaori, was fatigued and close to her limit. So, they all knew that the show would be ending soon.
And at that moment, when the audience as looking forward to what they thought was the final song of the evening, a number of small, black pellets fell from above. And when these pellets hit the floor, they all released a large amount of dense smoke into the auditorium, causing the crowd to go into an immediate panic.
*Voom~~~~~~~!*
"Unforgiveable!" A woman's voice echoed through the venue a moment after the smoke engulfed the surroundings.
Along with the voice, an intangible wave spread out, as well, rendering almost everyone present completely immobile. In fact, most of those who were washed over by this wave fell unconscious.
At the same time, Rig could not help cursing his father for sending him on such a suicide mission.