Ouma's POV:

"No the back entrance has security agents surrounding it, and I can't tell if they're the ones working with Ace or just the actual clubs security" Shuichi told me as we leaned over a map of the blue print to the photo location Ace had given me.

"I still don't understand why we can't just break them out the night before" I urged him, my throat hurt so badly right now.

Shuichi shook his head,"they aren't scheduled to arrive till three hours before, also if we do try and break them out at that time we run the risk of them just setting the collars off, Ace also might not be there till after they arrive" He argued.

I sighed.

It's been a few long weeks since the break up and we had been painfully making plans every moment since.

Shuichi revealed to me how he had been tracking DICE's movements like I had been and how Ace had blackmailed them. But also revealed that in addition to being forced to becoming the new J-POP idols Ace had installed collars on them.

Apparently these collars were connected to some sort of device Ace likely had, so if they wandered to far away from them or if they enraged Ace enough the collar could be set off to explode and leave them dead.

"DICE already attempted to escape it seems, a few months ago a strange tunnel was found underneath a manhole. They found lilac hair left behind and it made me think that was Otome. I tracked down where the tunnel came from but by then they had already been relocated"

"So what should we do then? Just go in?" I asked sarcastically, "actually, yes" Shuichi said.

....

"What?" I asked dumbfounded, "well if Ace is there to see you then while Ace is distracted searching for you, back up will arrive and swarm the place. Afterwards you can swipe the item for detonating the collars and leave the building before they even realized what has happened" Shuichi proposed.

"Ace only seems to have intents to work with you, not kill you. But just in case I and some other agents will be in disguise to protect you. I don't really want to send you into the front lines like this but...well it's the most likely way we can get this done without DICE being hurt further" Shuichi admitted.

That...doesn't sound that bad.

...

Ace...wait...

"I need you to comply with this back up plan I made, in case I can't steal the device" I told him. He raised an eyebrow.

....
...
...

"No- I won't. I'm sorry but Kokichi I know we broke up and all but I still want you to be safe. And what you're asking of me- what you're risking with that plan B is-"

"Trust me" I told him. He lingered for a while, when was it again when these roles reversed?

"I...Kokichi..." Shuichi stammered but he seemed to know he was fighting a losing battle, "DICE come first alright, not me. If you care about me, they're always the first priority...alright? Don't worry I can handle this...I wasn't joking when I said I was a supreme leader back when we were kids." I joked poorly.

Shuichi just shook his head before sighing, "fine"