"You seem to have a lot of friends, Dukun," FC Choiseung remarked as we (and in that I mean FC Keisuke, FC Choiseung, Conan, Genki, Steven, Madoka, Rantaro, Dukun and me) entered our balcony-like dining floor, taking up around five levels with the ground level for the stage. Our table, according to our cabin row, was up on the third level, and it was the second-highest level, so I counted us as lucky at first.

That was until we started meeting almost all the AUs kids who had just joined us.

He blushed slightly, "No, not really. I guess that a lot of people did enjoy the series Livy made."

"No kidding," Rantaro laughed. "Tobot Pilot Time! is definitely one of the bestseller stories Livy ever made. Too bad the sequel messed our Dukun up for a while."

Madoka smiled shyly, "Yeah, but it all worked out when Dukun decided to stay as a thirteen-year-old to be able to be with Keisuke. Livy even cancelled the planned sequel due to how unethical it was."

"Yeah, I know. Speaking of that, though, remember what happened when we had to deal with Butch and Cassidy a month ago?" Dukun asked.

"Ah, yeah, the chaos about the Pandora Box, and the crazy Lovable Pixies," Conan pulled an annoyed face. "That was so annoying. Thankfully they were redeemed, but still!"

"Totally, especially when they were insulting Wang-nee and Keita," Genki nodded furiously.

"It just serves to show just how little they know about the world," I sighed. "Bad people can go good, and good people can go bad."

"Reading books all the time doesn't make you better than anyone else. I wasn't there when it happened, but just hearing about it is enough to make me want to scream," Rantaro nodded. "Speaking of that, we've all agreed not to use Butch and Cassidy's original names, right?"

We all nodded, looking a bit solemn, while the FCs looked totally clueless.

"I can't believe that Cassidy's name is Yamato. That's a total insult to our Yamato!" Dukun threw his hands into the air in exasperation. "And then we have Butch's name. Kosaburo."

"They're just horrible people, you know," Conan frowned in annoyance. "Those two hurt poor Shirou by killing her parents, for crying out loud! Not to mention Naegi-nii, Kayano-nee, and Yukimura-nee."

"Let's not forget the guilt they made Kaizo-nii feel," Genki added. "And also Atsuya's death."

"That was just so messed up on so many levels. They wanted to make Rocket Gang proud?" Steven growled. "As if. They just wanted entertainment. I'm glad they're locked away."

"Same here. But I wish I was the one who put them behind bars," Rantaro mumbled.

"That's a statement I can second," a familiarly regal voice agreed.

All our heads swivelled over to the source, and our happiness bubbled furiously in our stomachs.

Conan grinned happily, "You made it, Elsa-nee!"

The current Guardian of the Enchanted Forest laughed, "Course I made it. You guys did help with the entire thing and saved me. Plus, I'm first and foremost a member of the former SRS. Nothing will change that."

"That's so sweet!" FC Keisuke grinned.

"Not as sweet as Chiko, for sure," Dukun grinned after his eyes landed on the former Soul sitting beside Elsa, who waved a bit upon seeing us.

"It's Chiko!" Immediately, Rantaro jogged over and hugged her. "Hey, how's it been?"

"I've been good, Taro-nii," she shyly smiled up at him. "I should be saying that to you, though. You've been going around the world with Madoka-nee, after all."

"Ah, ah, it's cool," he waved it off. "Anyway- Wait, is that Shirou I see with Jinpei over there?"

"You're not dreaming, if that's what you're gonna say," another voice laughed, revealed to be our Keisuke as he walked over. "Shirou-nee actually adopted Jinpei-nii with Leo-nii."

"Woah, no way!" Elsa exclaimed, leaning on the railing a bit so she could see the crimson-haired YSP Club member as he chatted away with his newly adopted mom on their table, his blue-haired boyfriend nearby chatting away with Shico and Esperanza. The rest of the group, including Ranto, Kuuka, and Chiaki, surprisingly, (though he was sticking to his girlfriend, Yujin) were already mingling around. 

"That's so cute!" FC Choiseung smiled gently. "I heard from my Keita that he had refused to open up, right?"

"Yeah, you're not wrong," our Keisuke, who's normally called SukeSuke by the entire group, laughed. "It was crazy, you know."

"It's great that he eventually opened up," FC Keisuke smiled, turning to his alternate counterpart. "But it's even better that I can finally meet you. What do I call you, by the way?"

SukeSuke shrugged, "SukeSuke is cool. Everyone calls me that."

"Sounds cool," FC Keisuke laughed. "Call me FCSuke then."

"Noted," he grinned. "Anyway, gotta go now. You guys should take your seats. We're about to start."

"Ah right," Conan nodded. "Thanks, SukeSuke."

"No problem, as Uju would say," SukeSuke smiled before he walked off to a table a few meters away.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Madoka smiled. "Let's sit down."

We all nodded, and took our seats as fast as we could.

The lights soon dimmed, causing murmurs to spread across the crowd. Well, those were the newbies.

I had to resist rolling my eyes. Geez, Keita could be such a drama queen at times. Wonder if it was Inaho's influence rubbing off him.

From above, we could see the new kids looking like lost puppies in an amusement park, causing me to crack up a bit. This was downright hilarious. The FCs seemed slightly used to this, probably because of their world's Keita, but eh. 

Then, a shadow swooped down on us, landing perfectly on the stage as the wings unfurled to reveal our current leader in all his amazing glory.

"Welcome everyone! I hope none of you have lost any braincells yet on this cruise, if you get what I mean," his tone had mirth in it, and it brought a smile to my face. Even after Shinsuke had returned to dating Phineas and Fei, he was holding up. That was good. It was also good that he had taken the initiative to break up with his twin all by himself. That was Keita, alright.

There were a few snickers from the crowd after that remark.

"Heh, I'm surprised you haven't, Bakamano," Inaho teased from the table in front of the stage, a playful smile on her face.

"I agree, especially after you walked in on my shower!" Sarah yelled, causing more laughter.

Keizou laughed a bit, sitting a few tables away from his wife, "Let's not torment Keita in front of everyone, okay, Naho?"

"But that's no fun," she crossed her arms. 

This was clearly just an act.

I smiled at this. Inaho and Keizou were adorable together.

"Come now, In-aho, you can always do my paperwork for me," Keita's eye lit up, taking her challenge.

"Pah, as if," she scoffed. "I'll let you have this win, Bakamano, but remember that you won't get this next time."

"I doubt it," Keita mocked, laughing all the way. "But anyway, can I finally get on with my speech, dearest Misora?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yep, oh great Leader-sama."

Sarah's mouth went open, about to refute, but Ben closed it again, a face of exasperation clear. 

I facepalmed, "Great. Those two are at it again."

"I don't think our world's Keita and Inaho are that bad..." FC Choiseung mumbled.

"You're selling them short," I rolled my eyes. "Those two have a love-hate relationship. It's a wonder anyone can handle being in the same room with them."

"Aside from Keizou, Shinsuke, and his closest friends, of course," Rantaro nodded solemnly.

"Those guys are a no-brainer," Steven joked.

"Agreed," Dukun grinned.

Our attention was once again diverted as Keita coughed, "I thank you all for coming here. The Tomodachi Tanteisha, more commonly known as our previous group, the SRS, has been standing for 2 years now. I am thrilled to be here with all of you, especially since almost everyone is here. Sadly, our Kin Akino, Rau Maui, Kam Choiseung and Ren Chenhua couldn't make it, due to their duties of hybrid case solvers, but they send their regards and hope to join us in one of our stops in Japan on the fourth day of our cruise. Some others will join us, like Girls Rule Tobot Pilots, the HS kids, and many more. I hope that you guys can get along."

"It is kinda sad, but that works out for me," FC Choiseung shrugged.

FC Keisuke nodded, while Steven just sweatdropped, "They're kinda weird, but they're still family in a way." 

"Agreed," Sachiko smiled, eyes watching Keita as he continued on about the few cases we had solved before, like the Dreamscape case where we met Luo Fei, Hse Tsing/Yan Sheng, and our Ayame.

"Don't worry too much, guys," I laughed. "They'll join us soon. We have a few days to ourselves in this wide ocean. All over the multiverse too. This thing was borrowed from the Grimms, too, so let's just enjoy it." 

Dukun grinned as Keita then stated, "Jya, I hope that these next few days will be the best few days for all of us, so have fun, and remember that we are all family here! Who are we guys?!" 

We all grinned, knowing exactly what to say for this part. 

"We are the Tomodachi Tanteisha!" the entire room boomed with our chorused voices, making us crack in laughter. 

We were clearly taking Keita's words for granted, unaware of the dangers of the next few days.