<Rin's pov>

"Alright, are you guys ready?" Eli asked as soon as she's done peeking over at the mansion.

"Roger, nya!"

"Are you sure about this?" Umi asked, taking out her trusty bow from it's bag.

"Of course. The plan is simple; First, Rin will sneak into the mansion and look out for the guards." Eli then turned to face me. "Once you're in, use that rope to let us in. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" I gave her a quick salute.

"Once we get in, we will carefully break into the room where Maki is in with this." Eli held out a mini saw.

"Then why do we need the bow?" Umi questioned, looking at Eli in confusion.

"You will keep my back while I cut the door open. Clear?"

"Right..."

"Alright let's go."
________________________________

Eli gave me the signal that the area is clear of guards. I gave her a quick nod before climbing over the fence. I crept quiety across what should be a front yard. The front yard is as huge as a football field, and fully decorated with a variety of colorful flowers and plants. There's even a huge fountain displayed in the middle of the garden.

For a kidnapper, he sure knows how to keep things nice....

I hid behind a bush and threw a grenade-like toy across the yard, letting it distract the guards. As according to plan, the guards went after the decoy to check it out. Once they are away from the door, I sneaked into the mansion.

Once I was in, I couldn't help but to stare at the place in awe. The mansion looks bigger inside. A huge chandelier is proudly hanged in the lobby. There's a bunch of furniture coated with gold. Everything looks so grand. To make matters worse, there's practically a hundred rooms. This might take some time for us to find Maki....

I carefully climbed up the stairs, making sure I wasn't caught, and approached an open window. I tied an end of the rope to the railing and tossed the rest out the window. I looked down to find Eli and Umi who was scanning the mansion. I gave them the signal to climb up the rope.

Eli went first, grabbing the rope and climbing it. Her job as a gymnast must have paid off as she climbed up the wall with ease.

"Good job, Rin." Eli praised as I helped her to get through the window.

"Okay, now Umi, climb up." Eli leaned over the window, calling Umi up.

Unlike Eli, Umi had a bit of trouble climbing since she had to carry her bow. Her climb was a bit shaky. Halfway through, she grabbed her bow by her teeth and continued climbing. She was almost there when one of her hands slipped and that left her hanging by a hand.

"Umi-chan, grab my hand, nya." I leaned over the window and held out my hand.

Umi then grabbed my hand tight, pulling herself up. Eli came over to help her get through the window. Once she's through, I untied the rope and carry it over my shoulder.

"Eli, do you know which room Maki's in?" Umi questioned as we're running through the hall of endless doors.

"Exactly, nya!"

"She's probably in the room furthest from the main lobby, since it's kinda common sense to do so-" Eli was cut off by a loud "Ehem" behind us.

Before we could turn around to see who it was, everything turned black.
________________________________

<Nico's pov>

"....and that's the last of us." Tsubasa announced as soon as Hanayo climbed into the van.

Nozomi, Kotori and Hanayo is seated at the back along with our necessary equipments while Honoka is waiting at the driver's seat.

"Thanks for your help, Tsubasa." I smiled. "It's always nice to have an extra pair of hands to help us out."

"No problem. Now, let's get in."

I ended up sitting in between Tsubasa and Honoka as though I'm their child.

"Alright, Honoka, step on it!"

"Roger!"

With that, we sped through the town, heading towards the mansion where Maki is held captive.
________________________________

<Maki's pov>

I sat at the corner of the room. The feeling of hopelessness is consuming me. I don't think anyone's coming to save me from this hell. Especially Nico, since I caused her more than enough trouble lately...

Knock knock!

Ugh... What now?

I remained seated on the bed as the door swung open. Papa walked in with a smug look on his face.

"Who knows you have brought in more company. " He said, snapping his fingers.

What did he mean?

A couple guards entered the room and tossed three lifeless bodies in front of me.

"Rin! Umi! Eli!" I approached their bodies and lifted Rin's head up. "What have you done to them!?"

"Nothing much, really. We found them poking around my house and they'll soon end up just like you." He gave me a sinister grin.

Oh no...

"They must be from that idol group you're in back in highschool, right? I mean, look at them. they're nothing like us. They're a bunch of lowlanders."

"Seeing how much they've sacrificed for someone like you, I can see that they really cared about you." He paused. "How many members were there? Nine? Since they loved you so much, I might as well take the rest down."

No.... Nico...

He gave me yet another hideous smile before leaving the room.
________________________________

<Nico's pov>

"So... This is the place?" I asked, getting out of the van.

"Mhmm... It's surprisingly huge." Honoka stared at it as her jaws practically dropped onto the floor.

"Well, let's not waste any more time and go"
________________________________

Nozomi stepped out of the van in her disguise; a pair of glasses, a partly unbuttoned blouse beneath a navy blue suit, a tight leather skirt and a pair of violet heels. As planned, she told the guards that she's there for an important business.

"Are you sure? You don't look familiar though" One of the guards stated.

"I was sent here by the Yamada company." Nozomi claimed as she showed her fake identity card.

The guards squinted a bit before two of the four guards led her in.

"Hmm perfect. Now Nozomi is in." I took the binoculars off my eyes. "Honoka, Tsubasa, you two wait here. Hanayo, Kotori, let's go." I instructed before we each took a weapon and hopped out of the van.

Nozomi and the guards went into the mansion, where Nozomi was lead into a guest room while the guards waited outside the door.

"Wait for it...." Kotori, Hanayo and I waited behind a bush for the signal Nozomi is gonna give.

After a while, my phone displayed a message from Nozomi.

"All clear ✌"

"Kotori?" I looked at her, exchanging glances before she sneaked up behind the guards, taking out her tazer...

Zap!

The two guards fell onto the floor with a loud thud, allowing us to enter the mansion with ease.

Once we've entered the mansion, we saw Nozomi dragging two bodies into a room before locking the door.

"Okay I've found out where they've hidden Maki-chan." Nozomi claimed, taking the glasses off.

"Wha- how?" I was in disbelief. Nozomi somehow stopped the guards AND found where Maki is? All within minutes?!

"I overheard things. Looks like Elicchi and the others got caught..."

"There's no time for explanation, we have to save them now!" Hanayo, who's always been the quiet one spoke up.

"Nozomi, lead the way!"

Nozomi nodded and led us through a hallway of a hundred rooms. We ran through the hallway, making sure that our footsteps won't attract any attention.

"This room." Nozomi stopped in front of a door with the number 802 displayed next to it.

Weird... There's lesser guards than I expected...

Wait....

What if...

Hanayo broke the lock and kicked the door open just to reveal a well dressed man standing in between two guards.

"Get them." He smirked evilly as the guards paced forward.

Kotori stepped forward, pointing her tazer at them. "Don't you dare try to hurt my friends!" Kotori yelled. "I have a tazer and I'm not afraid to use it!" Before she could taze them, she got apprehended and knocked out.

"Kotori-chan!" Hanayo and Nozomi stepped forward, with their weapon of choice firmly gripped in hand.

Everything's happening so fast... They both got apprehended and knocked out by the guards within seconds.

"So, what are you gonna do, kid? Face it. You've lost!" That's the last thing I've heard from that man before everything goes black... 
________________________________
A/N

Harro it's me again. So yea.. hope you've enjoyed this new update after waiting for so long. Who am I kidding there's another cliffhanger xD

The next chapter might be the last one for this book before it gets completed ^^

Look forward to that ^^