Poppy blinked in surprise at the surroundings in front of her. The last thing she remembered was fighting against an unknown Kamen Rider and the minions. 'Where am I?' She asked while looking for someone she knew. "This is... Sports Day!?" The female Bugster yelled in shock as she could see visitors visiting their children to support their games.

She hopped down from the platform and looked panicked. "How? I was in the hospital just now..."

"On your mark!" Poppy turned her head after hearing a familiar voice to reveal Taiga. "Get set!" He lifts the wooden gun.

"Taiga!?" She yelled in shock. 'Since when did Taiga become a referee?' Poppy wailed, having never seen him relax before.

"Bang!" He pretends to shoot and gives them a start signal.

"Bang!?"

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" Poppy's jaw dropped when she saw Kanade as an MC commenter. "This is a 50-meter Rally Race game!" The audience cheered. "We have ten racers competing with each other to win first place! Our current lead is Saiba Nico, who is known to be the fastest girl alive! Will she be able to conquer the game and win the medal? With her red bag as a lucky charm!"

"EH!?"

"Move it! First place's mine!" Nico yelled, determined to get first place.

"Nico-chan with a backpack! Lucky charm!" Poppy screamed in shock, and her head spun around.

"Mama!" A girl named Hoshi Madoka is rushing towards her mother with joy.

"Madoka-chan!" Poppy smiled in relief to see the little girl and approached them but stopped. "How is she so energetic?" She knew her condition weakened her body, and she was unable to do any physical sports activities.

Madoka kneels in front of her mom, Akemi. "It's my turn soon!"

"Do your best, Madoka. Papa and Mama will be cheering for you." Akemi wished her daughter luck. "Right, dear?" She asked her husband to reveal Hiiro.

"Yeah." He raises his hands with a camera and smiles at his family. "There's nothing papa can't photograph." Hiiro assured them.

Poppy's face turned pale after hearing their conversation as Hiiro took pictures of them. "Hiiro is a p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-papa!?" She slaps her cheek in shock. "WHAT ABOUT HIS ENGAGEMENT WITH OPHIE-CHAN!?"

————————————————————

Ophelia regained consciousness after Luna and Emu shook her, seeing her passing out on the ground. She could not apprehend the mysterious man and felt guilty for letting him escape. Emu assured her it would be fine and that they needed to treat their patient's condition. Hiiro, Asuna, Kanade, Nico, and Taiga got infected by Game Syndrome but couldn't determine the causes of their symptoms.

"Emu..." Ophelia called him worriedly while clutching her necklace. "What are we going to do? None of us knew their symptoms. I can't even heal them because their condition is different."

"How different is it?" Emu asked her curiously.

Ophelia licks her lower lips before exhaling softly. "They don't have a virus, but somehow someone or something trapped their mind for a reason."

"But for what, Ophelia-sama?" Luna asked after checking their well-being.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully. "We need to investigate this."

————————————————————

"The patients, hospital staff, Hiiro, and the others..." Haima panics while Kiriya, Kuroto and Sakura are present in the meeting. "Everyone's in a coma. Nothing like this has ever happened before!" He slams his fists on the table.

Kiriya hums and tries to think of their problem. "What do you think about this... Dan... Kuroto."

Kuroto is in prison, trapped inside the game world. "It's God Dan Kuroto." He corrected the coroner.

"Stop spouting nonsense and get us to the point, Kuroto." Sakura scolded him, her eyes flashing gold serpentine.

Haima approached Kuroto. "The Ministry of Health has permitted your temporary release."

"Normally, a Bugster like Poppy Pipopapo couldn't get infected." The former CEO pointed out as he wondered how she got infected in the first place. "There's a high probability that this is a new strain of virus."

Sakura hums in deep thought. "Who knows? Ophelia assumes it could be something or someone who trapped their minds and got stuck in whatever they were dreaming about. Poppy is a Bugster, so there's a chance her consciousness is awake without being controlled but trapped."

"Ophelia's theory might be right, my Cherry Blossom." Kiriya agreed with Ophelia's theory. "This is a complete mystery." He shoved his hands into his pocket.

"Just who is spreading this virus?" Haima asked Kuroto in a demanding tone, wanting to know who created the new virus or trapped their minds.

Kuroto stood up. "It appears that you should leave this investigation to me—"

"Us, you mean." They turned around and saw Zilar. "I overheard everything and lent you guys a hand."

"Zilar!" Sakura couldn't help but hug her youngest brother. "You came!" She and the others were surprised at his sudden visit.

"I feel uneasy and couldn't help but check on you guys." Zilar answered truthfully. "Trouble is always finding you. You don't have to worry about Kuroto; I'll be with him, Haima-san."

"I trust you, Zilar." Knowing someone could guard Kuroto if he would do anything to cause more chaos reassures Haima. The Director releases Kuroto as he escapes from the game world.

"Your lack of faith never ceases to amaze me, Argent." Kuroto commented with a deadpan before fixing his suit. "As the gamemaster, I won't allow unauthorized Gashats to be made or hurt my little sister."

Kiriya smirked in amusement at Kuroto's redemption to mend his relationship with Ophelia as the half-older brother. "Let's go solve the mystery, shall we?" The coroner asked them.

————————————————————

Hiiro gazed at the next contestants, knowing Madoka was participating in the next rally race. "I will capture this moment precisely." He kneeled while holding the camera, waiting to capture every moment.

"Go, Madoka!" Mrs Hoshi cheered her daughter.

Madoka smiles widely at her parents, who are cheering for her. "On your mark!" Taiga yells while raising his wooden gun. "Get set! Go! Bang!" He signals to them that Madoka is the current leader of the race.

"Now!" Hiiro exclaimed and was about to press the button.

Someone blocked the lenses to reveal Poppy. "Hiiro! You're Madoka-chan's papa!" The female Bugster asked, surprised.

Hiiro lowered his camera and was startled at her appearance. "What's with you? Please move!" He snapped at her.

"You don't recognize me? It's me! Me!" Poppy exclaimed, hoping he could remember her and his fiancée.

"I'm taking pictures! You're in the way!"

"Why are we at a sports day!? What about Ophie-chan!? You're engaged with her!"

"What's with you!?"

"What's going on!?"

"Where are we!?"

"I don't know!"

"It's pipupepopanic!"

"I missed it!"

"The first place goes to... Hoshi Madoka! Congratulations!" Kanade exclaimed as everyone cheered while ignoring Poppy and Hiiro's argument.

"First place, that's awesome!" Nico complimented Madoka with a smile.

"Game Clear!"

Poppy turned her head toward Madoka as she heard the game announcer from the Gashat.

"My photo..." He whimpered and missed out on taking pictures of his daughter's race.

"What was that?" Poppy whispered and saw the glitch of the small screen. 'I heard the final game clear.' The female Bugster thought.

————————————————————

Kuroto stared at the window as it rained heavily. "There aren't many who know how to make Gashats." He breaks the silence. "Only me... and you. Mind explaining what's going on... CEO-san." The former CEO asked the new CEO, Koboshi Tsukuru.

"Do I look like a bioterrorist?" Tsukuru asked Kuroto nervously.

Zilar sensed he wasn't the culprit creating the new strain of virus or trapping their minds. "We wouldn't say you're a bioterrorist, Tsukuru-san." He assured him, while Tsukuru stared at him in relief.

"But you look like you know something." Kiriya pointed out while hugging the burger plush toy.

"Or do you know anyone developing a game company who wants to buy or form a partnership to create another Gashat and Gamer Driver?" The Silver Knight suggested.

"Now that you mentioned it..." Tsukuru remembered something. "A company came to Dan Masamune with a proposal." This caught Kiriya, Sakura, Zilar, and Kuroto's attention.

"What kind of proposal they're thinking about?" Sakura asked curiously.

"They wanted to use Gamer Driver and the technology behind Kamen Rider Chronicle to develop a new game jointly." He answered truthfully. "But in the end, the talks failed. Then, right after that, someone hacked our servers."

Kiriya waved his finger, pointing. "And a suitcase containing a Gamer Driver and Gashat was stolen." The coroner pointed out while Zilar and Sakura looked worried.

"What's the name of the company that offered the proposal?" Kuroto asked.

Tsukuru clicks one of the files and reads it. "Machina Vision, a foreign game company." He answers, and Sakura recognizes the name and its owner.

"The ones who recently expanded into the Japanese market?" He shoved Tsukuro while the four of them stared at the screen. "If I recall, they focus on VR game development."

"Ophelia's theory is right about their conscious being trapped somewhere." Sakura commented while Zilar nodded.

"It also makes sense why Poppy is infected by it. I wouldn't be surprised if she's still herself, considering Poppy isn't a human." Zilar pointed out.

"So the people who those ninjas attacked had their consciousness sent to the game world?" Kiriya asked them as they searched for the owner of Machina Vision.

It reveals a man in his 50s. "I am God!?" Kuroto read his philosophy in surprise.

"I know him." Sakura recognized the man's face. "Maxima Johnny. He was my patient before and an annoying guy."

"Patient?" Zilar asked.

Sakura nodded. "He broke his left leg and had to treat his injury. Maxima-san is full of himself, and his Kanji are worse. Don't get me started on how he speaks Japanese." She wanted to pull her hair whenever Johnny talked to her incorrectly in Japanese terminology.

The Silver Knight raised his right eyebrow. "Why? It can't be that bad?"

Sakura scoffs. "It is, and I will correct his mistakes. I wouldn't expect him to steal it from us." She knew he was a shady businessman but didn't expect him to play dirty to make his company more popular by stealing the Gamer Driver and Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat.

"Since we defeated Masamune and retrieved the Gamer Driver, Gashats have been confiscated. Maxima thinks it's futile to negotiate with you, Tsukuru— knowing you would reject his proposals. He used this as a last resort by stealing and breaking into the systems." Zilar deduced their problems.

"Why he's interested in it?" Kiriya asked him curiously.

"I'll assume because Kamen Rider Chronicle was more famous than the VR game. Maxima assumes that combining the Gamer Driver, Gashat, and VR would be an unforgettable game to remember." He answered in a grim tone.

Sakura frowned while crossing her arms in deep thought. "Why would they attack them? Trapping them inside the VR?" She could understand stealing the two items, but the thought of attacking civilians didn't sit well with her.

"My thoughts exactly, Sakura." Kiriya agreed with her.

"Who knows." Zilar shrugged his shoulders. "They're using them as guinea pigs for trial and error. Before they start their true main objectives."

"Detective Argent." Tsukuru called him to catch his attention. "There's also something else you need to know."

"What is it, Koboshi-san?"

"He also is interested in Knights and Symphogear." Zilar and Sakura's shoulders became tense, and their expressions hardened at hearing Maxima's interest in their origins. "When he found out Dan Masamune couldn't create Knights or Symphogear, he wanted to know how you gained and obtained it."

"Our abilities and powers are confidential, Koboshi-san. I'm sure you have an idea how we gained them." Zilar pointed out that Tsukuru nodded nervously. The new owner of GENM knew their abilities and skills differed from those of Kamen Riders. "Thank you for keeping our identity secret, Koboshi-san."

Tsukuru waves his hand. "No, no. I should be thanking you guys, and despite that, it isn't your problem... you and the others are always lending us a hand. It's the least I can do."

————————————————————

Maxima Johnny is reading the information he stole from GENM Corp. "Kamen Rider Chronicle was an amazing game. It's a shame I couldn't get any information about the Knights and Symphogear."

"Yes." The mysterious man agreed with him while he left out the fact of Moon Knight's words.

"𝚆𝚑𝚘...𝚊𝚛𝚎...𝚢𝚘𝚞? 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛...𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚊...𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛...𝚊𝚛𝚎..." It echoes in his mind, and he ignores it.

"But you improved it even further." Johnny complimented his work while holding the Hurricane NInja Gashat. "People in the VR perform their given roles. Tell me, how did it go with Moon Knight? Did you manage to retrieve it and Symphogear?"

The mysterious man shook his head. "Moon Knight is a formidable foe; however, I couldn't see any strange items that would allow her to transform."

Johnny pursed his lips in displeased. "We'll take them by force."

————————————————————

Poppy is observing them from afar as they're currently on lunch break. 'He couldn't remember me or Ophie-chan at all! What's going on here!?' The female Bugster wailed while observing them.

Hiiro cuts the pizza accurately, which doesn't surprise Poppy since he likes to cut anything and refers to sharp objects as scalpels. "Pizza... in a bento box?" Poppy muttered, and it didn't make sense to her.

"Game Clear!"

Poppy saw it again. "Again?" She stood in surprise, ignoring Nico's teasing of Taiga behind her back.

"I wonder if this will make him happy." Madoka commented after eating her pizza.

'I wonder what she means? I wish Ophie-chan and Emu were here.' Poppy thought, hoping the others would solve their problem.

————————————————————

"Madoka-chan..." Emu muttered while he and Ophelia were staying at Madoka's side. "Taiga-san and the others were attacked at Madoka-chan's school too."

"Emu..." Ophelia called his name while he hummed. "The guy who attacked us... he and Madoka have the same aura."

"The same aura?" He asked her curiously.

"Yeah..." She nodded her head. "I believe that guy is Madoka-chan's—"

————————————————————

"What a fearsome man you are!" Johnny complimented him. "...using your daughter as the player."

The mysterious man is the father of Hoshi Madoka, Nagumo Kagenari. He used his daughter, Madoka, to be the first player of the VR game to create a world for her to have a happy life. "Everything is going according to my scenario."

"I see..." Johnny turned his head to reveal two unexpected guests, Ena Sakura and Kujou Kiriya. "So that's what this is about."

"It makes sense why you attacked the hospital along with our comrades." Sakura pointed out while she masked her anger at them. "Why would you create a false scenario for your daughter?" Kagenari masked his shudder and felt the stare behind his back.

"A Kamen Rider? Are you a Symphogear or Knights?" Johnny asked in wonder at Sakura.

"Perhaps or perhaps not." Sakura answered with a smirk while Johnny glared at her response.

"You love ninjas, CEO-san?" Kiriya changed the subject before Sakura could taunt Johnny.

Johnny nodded smugly. "Yes, I love Japan. Especially, umm, ninjas." He laughed in amusement. "Awesome. Cool." He opened the fan with pictures of ninjas and the Kanji writing of green onion.

Sakura snorts in amusement at his error in writing. "You need to work on your Kanji." she comments bluntly, while Kiriya hides his chuckling.

"If you love Japan, learn your kanji, as my Cherry Blossom mentioned." Kiriya pointed out while he stood and twisted the fan. "That's not Shinobi. But Negi (green onion) Got it?" He handed it back.

"What's Negi?" Johnny asked the reincarnation priestess.

"Green onion." Sakura said in a blunt tone before facing Kagenari. "What's your true agenda here? Why did you create a scenario for your daughter? To get a happy ending or a sad ending?"

"A happy ending." Kagenari answered before using his driver on them.

As Game Syndrome caught them, Sakura didn't create a force field alone. She coughs while holding her neck. "A happy ending, but giving your daughter a false ending?" Kiriya and Sakura collapse unconsciously.

"So, Mr CEO..." Kagenari ignored her accusations of his right to make Madoka happy. "You will play out my scenario."

"Impressive..." Johnny grunted before he collapsed.

"No one will get in my way." He smirked darkly.