Intrude

Sophie's sedan sped through to the hospital with Star strapped in her backseat. Her fully dyed light brown ponytail hair swayed to the side as she accelerated from lane to lane. She unbuttoned the top of her white-collar dress shirt to reduce the heat inside her skin from the car. Despite their excessive speed down the road, Star continued to play with her plush toys and figurines in the back without even budging an inch from all of the strapped seatbelts around her that Sophie deliberately placed for safety.

Sophie exited the highway, made a sharp right turn, and found herself at the Virgo District hospital. She parked her car in one of the open parking slots and exited her door. She unbuckled Star's seatbelts and held her smooth and small hands, carrying her dolphin plush toy with them. After shutting the car door, the two of them made way for the hospital until a sight from the upper floors outside the hospital made them stop.

A shadowy figure leaped from sector to sector until it reached an open window, dragging out with its bare hands a man who appeared to be Ryo Nakai in his nanosuit. Sophie held Star back as the two witnessed them soaring through the skies with Ryo's ignition booster. Star's cyan eyes gleamed with excitement as she witnessed a live dazzling firework dancing in the skies; only, it was the form of Ryo desperately fighting for control over his capture.

"Is that... is that Ryo!?" Sophie shouted, holding her hand to block Star's eyes to avert her gaze.

"So cool!" Star cried, swiftly moving her head to escape Sophie's barricade.

Sophie snatched her smartphone out of her pocket to call for help as Ryo and the unknown figure soared out of sight. Star cheered and sped forward to witness the last of their lingering appearance. Before Sophie called for support, she found Sumire's Yoshimura motorcycle inches away from the hospital's entrance, hoping she could consult her before conducting any hasty judgments about the situation.

She grabbed Star's hand and moved toward the hospital's entrance, only to stop shortly after seeing three overly suspicious individuals through the transparent sliding front door. She slipped Star behind a wide pillar and stayed out of sight. Star copied Sophie's movement by placing the lion plush over her mouth.

The sliding doors opened, and three unknown individuals strolled out with April Springwell held over one's shoulders; one gangster-appearing tall male with black hair, one female with a short two-toned black and white hairstyle, and a quick glimpse at a short child who stood by the pack. He had brown hair with a short fade hairstyle, wearing a yellow T-shirt and baggy brown khaki pants. Sophie and Star eavesdropped on their conversation, hoping to gain information about the incident with Ryo.

"That boy is something else," The tall male stated, crossing his arms and leaning on the opposite side of the pillar. Sophie nearly had a breath escape her system the moment he did so. "What do you think his relation to the girl was?"

"Could be his girlfriend," The slender female rudely pointed out. "Did you see the look on his face as you pricked her? I think he was spazzing out."

"Now, now, be nice," The child spoke in a sophisticated, robust, yet smooth accent. "She and the boy are more important than you realize. Rion Stormfield is out of commission because of him and his sister."

Star released the grip on her mouth, realizing who the child was; the class clown from her school's classroom. Even though he had a sophisticated accent, there were still traces of his original persona. "Goro?" She bleped out before covering her mouth. She had disclosed their location with her reckless and impulsive realization.

"Huh?" The female asked, believing she heard something from Goro.

"Rion Stormfield-" Goro spoke.

"No, I heard that," The female continued, turning to the tall man. "I thought I heard something else. J, you heard that too?"

"Sorry, I'm busy holding Springwell," J said, shrugging his shoulders after carrying April on his back. "I'm tired of holding her. You take her."

"I'd... prefer not to," Seira, the white and black-haired female retorted. She touched April's cheek with her finger, poking her to see if she was still unconscious. "Hmm, she's an interesting one. Well, fine, if I have to take her, then so be it. But I've got an important mission to run right after, and I don't want any of you boys taking the credit."

"Under whose orders?" Goro asked, approaching the center of their miniature debate.

Seira bubbled up from Rose Accel's arrival in the mix, whistling as she walked off with her hands in her black jean pockets. "Under my orders," She played off. "I don't need your jurisdiction here, Akito. It's up to us to decide who does what since we're in separate branches." She turned to J. "Speaking of, what will you be doing, J?"

"I'm a little interested in the boy," J said, hovering his eyes over where Ryo had escaped. "But I'm more interested in the girl who took down Rion. He had some responsibility in it, but she was the one responsible for it all."

"And I wonder who that girl was," Seira said, unsure. "Why don't you go chase after him? Maybe you can get him to say a thing or two about her. They might be close."

While Seira and J were speaking to each other about their mission details, Sophie and Star continued to remain still. Their distracted nature led Sophie to believe that they were safe to escape as long as the pillar continued to obscure their visibility from a distance.

Just as Sophie attempted to take a single step while securely holding Star's hand, Goro, the child in the trio, set his widened suspicious eyes on both of them as he appeared in front of them. He exchanged glances with Star, recognizing her presence in his classroom. Sophie and Star pushed their backs againsInsteadwall again, covering their mouths. Instead of ratting them out, Goro secretly informed them with a subtle quick gesture of his finger to his mouth to hush and remain stealthy.

"If you even plan on finding the Jester, you need to make sure you have a good squad that'll support you. Don't have anyone cutting slack and dragging you down," Seira suggested, speaking to J. She held April by her shoulders and placed her on the pillar that Sophie and Star were hiding behind. She placed her left hand on her hip, looking at Goro from beside her. "Rose'll come and get her soon. Goro, why don't you go with J? I'm sure he'll need your brains and expertise."

Goro continued to gesture to Sophie and Star for them to be quiet.

"Goro?" Seira called. "Hey, Akito! Zoning out again, are we?"

"Apologies," Goro lowered his eyes, appearing neutral and unexpressive. "I have some errands to run. Jinrai can go without me, and you can head to that suspicious prison you were scoping out earlier. Your informants and backup have arrived there, after all."

Seira sighed and shrugged. "Well, whatever you say," She reluctantly stated. "Still an arrogant daydreamer as always. You can go then, J. See if that boy-"

Jinrai's lightning speed flashed himself out of the area before Seira could finish her sentence. An assortment of vividly raked autumn leaves, rocks, and pebbles, and a huge gust of wind dusted across Seira's figure. Leaves rained on her chromatic hair and top, enraging her to crumble the leaves on her hair one by one by crushing them with her palm. "Damn it, he always does that," She scoffed behind his back. "I'm gone then. Doubt you'll need me, but if you do, ring me. See you later and good luck with your errands." She leaped into the air and dashed away, vanishing from the scene.

Sophie exhaled a breath of intense relief, checking on April's unconscious status. Just as she slipped around the pillar, Goro stole Star's dolphin plush and began sprinting across the parking lot.

"Hey! That's mine!" Star cried, chasing after Goro.

"Star?" Sophie turned her sight back toward Star and Goro, watching her run after her down the street. "STAR!" She screamed, sprinting after them.

Incoming traffic on the street braked hard, forcing their cars to stall just as Goro sprinted across. Using his superior mobility skills, similar to the time when he had stolen Star's aquarium tickets, Goro jumped on the roof of a civilian's sedan and hopped roof to roof to escape Star. He nestled himself in between a moving crowd on a busy street, hiding from the two.

Star frustratingly used her mind to call her twin robots, Solo and Duo. Her eyes shimmered in a brighter cyan and magenta color, sparking to command the pair. Solo sprinted faster than Star and picked her up, placing her on its back. Its robotic legs and core did not need to worry about stamina. Duo, on the other hand, ascended the buildings and utilized a radar to lock on and locate Goro's position.

"Star?" Sophie called, slipping through the crowd of people moving against her. Many of them bumped shoulders with Sophie, crankily calling her out for her impetuous behavior. "Sorry, sorry! Excuse me, please, sorry!" She murmured as she began to sweat buckets over Star's safety. The pathway to the sidewalk was becoming more obscure. "Star!? Where are you?

Meanwhile, Goro had cut across an arcade through a Virgo District plaza, entering without a purchased pass. Star, Solo, and Duo chased after him through the arcade, bumping into customers with buckets of popcorn and groups of individuals bunched together for photos. Star held onto Solo's shoulders with one hand as she began munching on popcorn that was stuck in her hair from their collision.

Noticing that Star enjoyed the popcorn, Solo snatched several other snacks from other arcade customers; it stole a young boy's strawberry lollipop with a swift swipe, followed by two toffee treats that one of the children customers tossed in the air for their friend. It was caught in midair, swift as a lightning strike.

Just as Goro bolted out the emergency exit, ringing alarms blared to notify security guards in the establishment. Customers quickly dispersed, creating a mini blockade for Star. But it was nothing for her psychic powers. With the blink of an eye, magenta energies radiated in front of Star, spreading the wave of customers like parting the red sea. Solo rushed through the emergency exit, climbing the building above to gain a vantage point.

In the alleyway beneath Star, Goro slid and leaped on top of a dumpster. He sprinted shortly after to gain momentum, wall running against a graffiti-riddled brick wall over a fence. Before he could touch down, Solo snatched Star's lollipop before she could lick it, tossing it like a projectile toward Goro's head. The lollipop tapped Goro in the head, sending him falling toward a light puddle.

Solo landed in front of Goro and towered over the young child. Its footsteps boomed and echoed in the alleyway, approaching him without sympathy. Goro covered his face with Star's dolphin plushie, regretting the chase.

"Waaah! Please don't hurt me!" Goro pleaded, pretending to act like a child to appease Star and her machines' feelings.

"Give me back my dolphin!" Star forced, reaching out with her arm to gesture at Goro.

Instead of complying, Goro smirked and pressed a glowing blue button on his hip. An EMP discharge of energy expanded around him, shocking Solo and deactivating him immediately. Duo, who ascended the walls behind Goro to attack from behind, was also impacted by the EMP; he collapsed on top of a nearby fire extinguisher. Star toppled over with Solo, scratching her right hand as she attempted to land without hurting herself.

"It was for your own good," Goro said, holding onto her dolphin. "Now you know too much."

"So do you." Sophie's voice whispered into Goro's ear. Without hesitation, Sophie pulled a taser out of her pockets and was stunned directly in his arm, sending him to the ground. Goro clenched his teeth and shuddered as he collapsed. Sophie grabbed Star's dolphin and tossed it over to her for a quick catch.

"Dolphin!" Star cheered, pressing her cheeks against the plush's snout.

Sophie kneeled on him, wrapping Goro's hands around and pinning them down with her knee. "Okay," She began. "Want me to snap your arms off? Don't play with fire unless you know what's coming."

"So uncivilized, pinning a child by force," Goro said, slowly recovering from the taser's electrocution after effects. "And are you in a position to ask questions, Hiragi? I was trying to lure you away from the hospital to keep you two safe."

"So, you know me," Sophie said, increasing pressure on her knee. "And what exactly are you keeping us safe from?"

"April Springwell is in danger," Goro explained. "You both are in danger. It was only a matter of time before the hospital would be thoroughly searched. I know more than you and the others. Release me and I can explain."

"Hmm, no," Sophie said. "And you aren't exactly the dumbest kid on the block, just like you've been pretending to be in school. I know your kind. You've been watching Star this entire time, waiting for the opportunity to strike, because you know she's important."

"That's a no-brainer!" Goro yelled, struggling to break free. "Starrosa has psychic powers! She's a target."

"I'm a target...?" Star whispered, holding her dolphin plush close out of fear.

"Who were those other people back at the hospital?" Sophie interrogated. "And what does Ryo have to do with any of this?"

"HEY!" A distant shout startled all three of them in the alleyway. A police officer in the district sprinted over, exercising extreme precaution after witnessing Sophie pinning a child by force with her knee. "Get off of the kid right now!"

Star yelped, moving out of the way.

"Officer, it's not what you think!" Sophie voiced out, knowing that the officer was clueless about Goro's background.

"I said, get off of the kid!" The officer shouted back.

"We're playing tag!" Goro babbled in a high-pitched voice. "Mommy was mad at me because I cheated. And I cheated a lot. I'm sowwy, mommy." He turned his head around to look into Sophie's eyes, pulsating them twice after being forced to act like a child.

The police officer's eyebrow wavered, looking at Star with concern. It seemed that he wanted approval for evidence.

"Yeah," Star said, pointing at them with a poker face. "Mommy and little brother are really nice. They always tell the truth."

"Oh, you're their mom," The police officer apologized, removing his hat. "Sorry about that. I was just worried that you were out for some blood or something. Just... upholding my duty."

Sophie tried to blend in as well, releasing her knee from Goro's arms. Goro kicked himself up and swept his T-shirt and baggy shorts. "Thank you, off-ee-shur," Goro said with a bow. "I promish I will never cheat again."

"Yeah... son... never cheat again..." Sophie's voice trailed off into space as her face curled up. As a first-class honor student, the class representative, and the student council president in her high school, Sophie believed lying was the devil's sin. She adopted an authoritarian persona whose main goal was to ridicule and report delinquent students who were mendacious and dishonest. She would even actively pursue after students who tried ditching the school during school hours, using her martial arts and self-defense skills to assist her in pinning them down.

For her to lie was breaking a moral and justice code that she stood for when she protected her school. Yet she did anyway, overly smiling with the corners of her mouth turned up. Her eyes rolled up as she tried her best to contain her lies.

"Mommy is creepy," Star said, rubbing her index fingers together to appear innocent and cute.

"Well, okay," The officer said, turning around and leaving the premises. "Have a good rest of your family time."

Goro turned back toward Sophie. "That was humiliating." He said.

"How do you think I feel!?" Sophie shouted.

"Come," Goro said, deactivating his EMP device to bring Solo and Duo back out of commission. "Don't ask questions until we reach our destination. Otherwise, you both are on your own." He walked out of the alleyway toward an archway leading toward a tunnel system.

Sophie rushed toward Star and gave her a tight squeeze, confirming for herself that she was safe in her arms. She kneeled and peered into Star's eyes, stroking her cheek with the back of her palm. "Don't run off like that again," She said. "You had me worried that I would lose you."

"Sorry, Sophie," Star apologized. She held the dolphin plush up to her face and pretended to speak with a deep, yet still, high-pitched voice to imitate the dolphin. "Uhh, yeah. Star was so fast. You should buy her a treat. Candy. Or cookies." Each time she spoke as the dolphin, she pretended the plush was talking by rocking it back and forth rapidly.

"And you landed on your butt," Sophie laughed. "Okay, I'll buy you candies and cookies later. But for now, we have to catch up to Goro," She looked at Solo and Duo and acknowledged them for protecting Star with a respectful bow. "Thank you. Take Star ahead with Goro. I'll catch up."

Solo picked up Star and wrapped her legs around its metal head. The two of them strolled off toward Goro as Sophie stayed behind, thinking about her current standing as Star's guardian.

The present was no different from when she had an identity as a best friend, a mentor, and a guardian. It took time to apprehend the fact that she believed history was repeating itself. She loved Star, but she knew that as time passed, she could not let herself get too close to her.

Or else, she might alienate herself from her, or even lash out. Just like she did to Ash.