Reiji, knocked out and kidnapped by a mysterious group—what's to become of him?
That Night, Hololive Mansion
"…Isn't Reiji-kun late?" Fubuki asks, voice tinged with worry.
"Master never stays out this late without contact," Roboco adds.
"Maybe he's still with Coco-chan?" Mio suggests.
"But no word at all? That's odd," Kanata says.
Dinner's ready, the Holomems gathered, but Reiji, the house's master, is missing. He always calls if he's delayed. The group grows anxious—did their recent intensity drive him away?
"…Got it, thanks, Coco. I'll let you know if we hear anything." Kanata hangs up.
"Well, Kanata-chan? Did Coco know anything?" Subaru asks.
"Coco said Reiji left Kiryu-kai before evening. No one's seen him since."
"What?! So no one knows where Reiji-san is?!" Noel gasps.
"Seems so. Maybe he's with HimeHina?" Kanata wonders.
"Checked. They haven't seen him. Same with the office and Nijisanji. No one knows," Kanata reports.
"Rei-kun…" Mio murmurs.
No trace of Reiji after leaving Kiryu-kai. An incident? The Holomems' unease spikes.
"We can't wait! We need to find Reiji before something bad happens!" Miko declares.
"Like before—let's hit the streets and ask around!" Sora starts, but—"Wait!!" Roboco interrupts.
Roboco grabs her laptop, opening a page. "Since the HimeHina incident, Master's phone has a GPS tracker. If it's on, we can find him."
"GPS?! Since when? Why didn't you say so?!" Subaru exclaims.
"Sorry, Subaru. I wasn't sure if it was serious enough to track him…" Roboco mumbles.
"Forget that! Find Reiji-san!" Flare urges.
Roboco traces Reiji's phone to an abandoned car factory on the city's outskirts, rumored to be a delinquent hangout.
"Yankees?! They kidnapped Rei-kun?!" Polka gasps.
"Why?!" Okayu asks.
"Doesn't matter! We're saving Rei-kun! To the factory!" Fubuki rallies.
"Let's go!" the Holomems roar, heading out.
Meanwhile
"Ugh… my head…" Reiji groans, waking. "I was… ambushed and knocked out… Where am I?"
A voice cuts through. "Finally awake, huh?"
Reiji looks up. "Fubuki?!" But something's off—her hair and clothes are black, eyes red. Is this really her?
"Sorry, I told them to bring you here with an explanation, not knock you out. They're gone now," she says.
"Are you… Fubuki?" Reiji asks.
"Hm? Been a while, but you remember me? Guess we're fated~" she teases.
Her tone feels off. "It's been 15 years, sure, but we saw each other this morning, didn't we?"
"What? No, it's been 15 years since I saw you," she replies.
The conversation's not clicking. "Who are you? You're not my Fubuki, are you?"
She stands, moonlight streaming through the cracked ceiling, illuminating her shimmering black hair and ruby-red eyes. "I'm Kurokami Fubuki. The woman who'll be your wife."
Outside the Factory
"This is it, right? Where Rei-kun might be?" Fubuki asks.
"Master's phone signal's coming from inside," Roboco confirms.
The Holomems arrive at the dilapidated factory, its "No Entry" sign broken. Signs of recent activity linger.
"Ready, everyone?" Aki asks.
"Combat-ready members go in with me. Non-combatants stay outside. Neutralize any delinquents, confirm Reiji-kun's safety. If we're not out in 30 minutes, call the police," Aki instructs.
Nods all around. At Roboco's signal, the infiltration team moves in.
"Oi, someone's here!" a delinquent barks.
"Huh? A bunch of girls at this hour? Someone order escorts?" another jeers.
About 30 delinquents leer at the Holomems like prey.
"Is Sasaki Reiji here? Did you attack him?" Mio glares.
"Reiji who? Never heard of him," a delinquent smirks.
"Liar! His phone's pinging from this location!" Roboco snaps.
"Tch, shut 'em up. Have some fun if you want," the leader orders.
"Hell yeah!"
"My big magnum's gonna make 'em squeal!" one laughs.
"Big magnum? Compared to Reiji-kun's, yours is like a pinky," Noel scoffs.
"Pfft, Noel, don't!" Okayu giggles.
"A pinky's too generous. Toothpick at best," Okayu adds.
"Pfft, Okayu, that's worse!" Polka laughs.
"You bitches! Kill 'em!" the leader roars.
"Let's go!" the delinquents charge.
The Holomems meet them head-on.
One Minute Later
"Big talk, no strength. You can't beat Mukirose," Aki sighs.
Ding…
The delinquents lie defeated—beaten, skewered with arrows, or frozen solid.
"Eek!" The leader cowers, trembling, a wet stain spreading.
"Gross. Where's Master?" Roboco demands.
"I don't know!" he insists.
"Found Rei-san's phone! But he's not here!" Mio calls.
"Still playing dumb?" Roboco's arm transforms into a giant drill, grazing the leader's nose. "Where's Master? Or I'll ○○ your face, then ○○ your body, and finally ○○○○○."
"Alright, I'll talk! Just don't kill me!" he squeals, spilling Reiji's location.
Outside
"Screams… hope they're not overdoing it," Sora frets.
"As long as they don't go too far and lose Reiji's trail," Kanata adds.
Beep! "Roboco's email! 'Found Master's location. Map attached. Head there,'" Sora reads.
"Let's move!" The Holomems rush to the new location, leaving the cleanup to the others.
Back to Reiji
"Kurokami… Fubuki? Not Shirakami?" Reiji repeats.
"Right. Remember 15 years ago, at the park? You cheered me up when I was lonely," Kurokami says, blushing.
Fifteen years ago, when Reiji was 10 and Fubuki was 5… Wait, Fubuki's hair was black briefly back then. "So, the black-haired girl I played with… that was you, not Fubuki?!"
"Finally got it! Had me worried when we weren't syncing," she laughs.
"Sorry… So, Kuro—why bring me here, using those delinquents?"
"Call me Kuro. My close friends do. I told them to bring you, but not with a stun gun. Shouldn't have trusted those punks."
"They're not your crew?"
"Hell no. They attacked me once, I beat 'em down, and they started calling me 'Boss.' Annoying."
She's strong?! "I saw you in town recently, wanted to reconnect. They offered to help, but I didn't mean for this. Sorry."
"It's fine, but… your wife? What was that about?"
"Isn't it normal to marry someone you love?" Kuro says.
Her logic's wild—like Lamy's. "Here's the marriage license. Sign it. We'll file it tomorrow. Wedding date? Honeymoon—Hawaii's nice, but maybe Amami Oshima domestically. Ten kids, at least."
"Ten kids?! Slow down!" Reiji protests.
BOOM! The door flies open. "Rei-kun, we're here!" Fubuki shouts, Holomems pouring in.
"Fubuki!" Reiji sighs in relief.
"Who're you lot?" Kuro asks.
"Look! Another Fubuki?!" Polka gasps.
"The culprit's Fubuki?!" Okayu exclaims.
"No way, I didn't do it!" Fubuki protests.
"Noisy bunch," Kuro mutters.
"They're… like that," Reiji sighs. Time to calm them down.
Thirty Minutes Later
"So that's the story," Reiji finishes explaining.
"Wow, what a mix-up," Fubuki says, relieved he's safe.
"It's weird, right? Two Fubukis," Okayu notes.
"Are you twins?!" Polka asks.
"Twins with that dumb face? No way," Kuro snaps.
"Dumb face?! You've got the same one!" Fubuki retorts.
Side by side, they're identical—save for Kuro's black hair, red eyes, and "Kurokami" name. Too close to be strangers.
"Um… are you the Kurokami Fubuki? The pro modeler?" Azki asks, eyes sparkling.
"Huh? You know me?" Kuro replies.
"Yes! Your dioramas are in magazines, always placing high in contests! Your 'World in a Hundred Years' was amazing!" Azki gushes, grabbing Kuro's hands.
Whoa, Azki's intense. A pro modeler? Wait, that magazine Azki showed me… the creator's name did seem familiar.
"Didn't expect a fan. Let go already," Kuro says.
"Sorry!" Azki releases her, flustered.
"Anyway, Reiji, sign the license—" Kuro starts.
"Wait!" Fubuki interrupts. "Why're you marrying Rei-kun?!"
"It's my thing!" Lamy protests.
"Not helping, Lamy!" Okayu sighs.
"Noisy," Kuro grumbles.
"You started this, Kuro," Reiji says. "Like Fubuki said, I live with them. We barely know each other after reconnecting. I'm flattered, but I can't accept."
"…Fine," Kuro says, pocketing the license and heading out. "I'm leaving for now, but I'm not giving up on you, Reiji."
She storms off like a hurricane.
"What a wild girl," Okayu says.
"Like Fubuki on a rampage," Polka teases.
"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Fubuki protests.
They're both a handful. Time to head home.
The Holomems, having rescued Reiji, return to the mansion together.
Next Morning
"So, I'm moving in," Kuro announces, surrounded by boxes, casually eating breakfast.
"Wait, what?!" everyone shouts.
"Didn't you give up?!" Fubuki yells.
"I said 'for now.' It's a new day, so here I am," Kuro says, sipping miso soup.
"You did say that, but moving in?!" Reiji exclaims.
"Reiji, you said we don't know each other. Best way to fix that? Live together," Kuro explains. "I tracked your place with a transmitter."
"A transmitter?! That's illegal!" Reiji groans. Why's everyone around me so extreme?
"I'll pull my weight—chores, whatever. I'll pay rent. I make good money," Kuro says, washing dishes with surprising speed.
"…What do we do? Let her stay?" Mio whispers.
"No way! More competition for Master?!" Lamy protests.
"But her dishwashing skills… she's useful," Okayu notes.
"Let's watch her. If she tries anything with Rei-kun, we kick her out. Her chores are a bonus," Fubuki decides.
What're they scheming over there?
After debate, the Holomems agree: Kuro can stay for 80,000 yen rent and weekly chores.
"Reiji, we're housemates now," Kuro says.
"Just… get along with everyone," Reiji replies, patting her head.
"I'll think about it," she mumbles, blushing.
A new member joins the Hololive mansion. Things are about to get livelier.
Author's Note Kurokami Fubuki's debut and move-in! Her live appearance with Shirakami was awesome, right? Next, a nostalgic girl returns. Stay tuned!