Welcome to Bugaria: Act 1

By now, Team Snakemouth had more than settled into their daily routine in Ant City. Though there were occasional hiccups, such as that whole incident at Fry's place several days ago, for the most part things were relatively stable.

On the majority of days, the most exciting thing to happen would be the occasional low stakes quest the team would take, helping someone in Ant City with some problem and getting some berries in return. Though it might seem monotonous, Kabbu loved helping everyone he could, no matter how small the problem seemed. It always brought joy to his heart, seeing the look on the bug's face when he fulfilled their request...

And it was a healthy distraction, too- especially from the Calamity Box- BUT aside from that! There were no quests on the board today, but there was something else Team Snakemouth needed to take care of!

Groceries.

They were close to running out at the house, so today was as good a day as any to stock back up. Around morning time, the group of four made their way to the biggest store in Ant City, perfect for all their needs. Team Snakemouth had even built a system for this as well.

Anne would wheel a shopping cart around, Kabbu next to her so he could carefully place in any items they needed. Tossing them in haphazardly wouldn't help anyone, after all.

"Geez, this cart is heavy!" Anne said, wiping some sweat off her forehead before she continued to push the shopping cart forward. "How much stuff did we get?"

"Anne, I've seen you carry more than that!" Kabbu chastised. "This is why you need to have a better diet!"

Vi brought the berries needed, always keeping them in the same place at the house so she could get to them easily. "Oi, hurry up!" Vi called. "Let's get everything we need before everyone else starts pouring in!" It was still early, way before the usual rush of customers arrived.

Leif had Anne's phone, the device on the calculator app. The blue moth was the designated budgeter of the group, making sure they didn't spend too much. He took another glance at the items in the shopping cart before punching some numbers into the device.

"If we don't get anything else after this, then we'll still have enough in our budget to pay for this and next week's rent." Leif explained to the others. "But we still should take a few requests when the quest board opens up again; just so we have a bit extra."

"That's good enough for me!" Anne said. She gripped the shopping cart tightly, about to race it to the checkout- until Kabbu grabbed the side of the cart, stopping Anne in her tracks.

"Anne! We don't need a repeat of that other time you were racing shopping carts." Kabbu lightly scolded. Has he ever needed to reprimand someone this much before?

"Right. Sorry." Anne apologized, before rolling her eyes when Kabbu wasn't looking.

"We have everything we need, I'm pretty sure." Kabbu said, thinking over it for a few moments. "Leif, show Vi how many berries it'll be so we can pay for everything."

Leif turned the phone screen to Vi, showing her how many berries all the groceries would be. Vi huffed; it must've been a lot. However, when she went to get the berries out... She paused, freezing up. The others noticed this immediately, Kabbu wondering what the matter was.

"What's wrong?" Leif spoke up first.

"I... I'm short a bunch of berries!" Vi yelled. ...What? Kabbu was confused, how could this have happened?

Anne gasped, letting go of the shopping cart. "That's impossible! I thought we were budgeting everything perfectly!"

Kabbu thought so too, but... "I'm not too sure what's going on..." What was he supposed to say? His heart began racing, trying to comprehend how such a thing was possible.

"There's no way we messed anything up." Leif defended himself. "Anne's phone is perfect with calculations, and so is our mind." Anne's phone had a bit over 8000% left, a bunch of that being used on 'television shows' that Kabbu didn't understand too well.

"We need to go back to the house!" Anne declared. "Emergency meeting!" Nobody disagreed with her as they rushed out of the store to figure out a possible solution to this conundrum. Kabbu stayed behind for a moment before catching up with the others, hoping that where this ended up going wouldn't be... too bad.

...A few minutes after they left, an employee of the store walked up to the shopping cart full of stuff Team Snakemouth left behind, and let out a loud, exhausted sigh. "Guess I'm gonna have to put all this back, aren't I?"

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

All the lights in the house were off, the door was locked, and Team Snakemouth huddled together in a circle for their 'emergency meeting.' It only took minutes to get back to the house, Kabbu wishing he could've at least gotten a snack beforehand. ...He was still hungry!

"What's the plan?" Vi whispered, looking at Anne.

"Is this really necessary?" Kabbu asked, confused as to why they were doing this in the first place.

"Whisper!" Anne yelled, Kabbu a bit taken aback. "And yes, it is!" Anne whisper-shouted, her face determined. "Dealing with a thief is serious business!"

"We agree." Leif whispered with a nod. "A thief like this must be dealt with immediately and accordingly."

Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Before Kabbu could become even more lost, he sighed, breaking away from the group huddle and turning on the lights, allowing him and everyone else to see properly once again.

"Boo! You ruined the group huddle!" Vi complained. The huddle was all but dissolved thanks to Kabbu.

"Friends, why are you immediately jumping to this being because of a thief?!" Kabbu asked in exasperation. "I trust the Ant City community; they would never do something like this!" After all, most of the 'enemies' they've made here have already been pacified/taken care of, and even though there still was Robertius who hated their guts, he was already rich and didn't need to resort to petty theft.

"Dude, you're way too trusting." Anne said, shaking her head.

"No I'm not!" Kabbu argued. "I just..." He looked around, knowing that he always locked the door before he left; there was no way a thief could come in. He then looked at his bed, glancing at the Bug Rangers plushie partially sticking out from under his blanket.

Nervous, Kabbu tried to offer up a different suggestion. "Maybe, uh... maybe one of us just... misplaced the berries?" He shrugged, thinking about how close to the truth that suggestion might be.

"Oi!" Vi yelled, taking that as an insult. "I ALWAYS know where the berries are! I never ever misplace them!" Wow, she was really worked up about this...

"Then where'd you put them?" Anne asked.

"Right where I always do!" Vi said, still agitated. She overdramatically huffed before walking over to a desk by her bed, gesturing for the others to come over. With a smug look on her face, Vi opened the top drawer-

Only for it to be nearly empty, a few berries lone berries left behind. Vi did a double take, refusing to believe this. "W-WHAT?! But I thought..."

"See?" Anne angrily gestured to the open drawer, glaring in Kabbu's direction as the beetle was proven wrong. "Actually, hang on. Vi, wouldn't you have seen this before we went to the store?" ...Anne did have a point there. Was Vi lying, saving berries somewhere else for herself?

"I was in a rush because I was the last one to wake up!" Vi explained, growing more and more frustrated. Kabbu backed up a bit, hoping this wouldn't devolve into a screaming match. "I just opened the drawer and grabbed what I thought would be enough, and yesterday when I looked there was a ton more in there so get off my back about it!"

Beat.

"You can't deny it now, Kabbu." Leif said. And just like that, all eyes were on the beetle; he was the last one of them not believing some random bug could've gotten in and stolen the berries. To be honest... he wasn't 100% sure if he always locked the door to the house. There were a few times he might've forgotten, so... the possibility did exist.

Kabbu let out a long, prolonged sigh, knowing there wasn't any conceivable way he could win this. "I concede... there must've been a thief."

"Of course someone would do this right when we need food most!" Vi yelled, upset. "What if the thief comes back? If they struck once, they'll strike again!"

"Don't worry, maybe we can track this thief down!" Anne reassured, slamming her fist down onto her open palm.

"Right. They might've left some clues outside; we can start our search there." Leif reasoned. ...Did someone leave any clues outside? As much as Kabbu didn't want to accuse anyone he knew... hm.

"Then let's go!" Vi said, already rushing toward the door. "If I find that thief, I'm gonna hit 'em so hard the impact will give us back our berries!" With that ominous declaration, Team Snakemouth went outside, Kabbu making absolute sure that he locked the door this time, pocketing the key afterward.

The four of them split up, searching the general area around the house. Anne took her phone back, using the camera app to zoom in on specific things of interest. Leif and Vi took the investigation seriously as well, talking over specific theories they had and ways to catch the thief. Meanwhile, Kabbu just aimlessly walked around, already having a feeling they wouldn't find anything related to the thief. As the minutes passed, Kabbu became surer of himself, especially since-

He stopped when he stepped on something, a soft crinkling sound under his foot. Kabbu paused, lifting his foot up to see a wrapper of some sort stuck to it. ...Really? He sighed, peeling the wrapper off his foot as he prepared to throw it away. "Litter? Why would someone do that?"

"Wait a second!" Anne yelled, running over before Kabbu could shape the wrapper into a ball to throw it away. "Lemme see, give it to me." Her hand outstretched, Kabbu didn't see a reason not to deny Anne's request, setting the wrapper down in her palm. Just then, Vi and Leif walked over, alerted by the commotion.

"Is it important?" Vi asked. It was just some random wrapper Kabbu found...

Anne seemed to think differently, examining and turning over the wrapper multiples, occasionally saying "hmm" before her eyes lit up in realization. "That's it! This is for one of those products from the store we were just at!" Oh yeah, now that Kabbu took another look at it, he did recognize it after all.

"It is!" Vi said with a gasp. "Then the thief must've dropped this after robbing us! And if we were at that store earlier, then we might've run into the thief without even knowing it, AUGH!"

"...So, the thief goes to that store regularly?" Leif inquired. What was Leif thinking right now? From experience, he had a knack for solving mysteries like this.

"Apparently so." Anne nodded. "That narrows down the suspects to anyone who shops there." She explained. "...Though, that's probably still a lot of bugs. And I don't know who they all are."

"T-Then we should go back there to catch the thief, right?" Kabbu asked, by now going along with what everyone else was doing.

"Yeah! The thief might still be there right now!" Vi yelled, antsy to get going.

"Oh, finally! Hundreds of hours of watching trash cop shows is gonna pay off!" Anne exclaimed with her arms outstretched. Vi and Leif gave each other quizzical looks, and Kabbu had no idea what Anne was talking about.

"What?" Kabbu asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion. He obviously knew what police were, but...

"You know, a cop." Anne said as if everyone was already supposed to know. "Po-po, five-oh, donut munchers?"

"I uh..." Kabbu physically could not process any of it. "You're saying words, but they don't actually mean anything." Did everyone have this problem? He knew that Anne was trying to say something, he just... didn't understand. This happened a lot, actually.

"Here, watch this." Anne temporarily pocketed the wrapper before taking out her phone, taking a minute to find a video before turning the phone screen so that the others could see, Kabbu, Vi, and Leif all paying attention as Anne pushed play.

Was this going to be another preview, like the one for Suspicion Island? It appeared to be, as the words COP STOP were onscreen, some sort of emblem behind them. And behind that as well was some kind of human vehicle, red and blue lights flashing as a loud, blaring siren noise played for several seconds. ...Already, it was an assault on Kabbu's senses.

Thankfully, the scene cut to an adult human guy, slamming his fist down onto a desk inside of a building. "I don't care what it takes! Bring him to me, dead or alive!" The human who Kabbu assumed was a police officer commanded, the human pointing at someone off-screen.

That same siren noise played again as the scene shifted, this time to an outside setting, two people who were likely investigators, looking down at a dead body leaning on a building. Kabbu had to remember that these were all actors, and nobody actually died... he made that mistake before on a previous program Anne showed him.

"One knife victim without pants. We've gotta catch this sicko." One of the investigators scowled. Yet again there was an abrupt cut, the same two investigators now inside a building, interrogating what appeared to be a potential suspect.

"So you're a marathon runner, eh?" The second investigator questioned, to which the suspect stayed silent. Leif didn't appear to be too interested in the preview being shown, but Vi's eyes sparkled, the bee practically glued to the phone screen.

"Well maybe this will jog your memory." The first investigator said, taking a moment to reach under the table before bringing out human undergarments, stained with some sort of purple substance. "Jelly-staned boxers, found at the scene of the crime."

A loud BANG nearly startled Kabbu off his feet, and the scene switched again to a close-up of a criminal who held a phone up to his ear, a bewildered and panicked expression on his face. "How'd you get my phone number?"

"Easy." The first investigator said, causing the criminal to gasp in shock and surprise as the camera panned to show both investigators standing behind the criminal, a phone also held up to the first investigator's ear. "I looked up guilty in the phone book."

For about the millionth time the camera cut again (Kabbu was getting lost at this point) to a police officer leaning on a car, munching a... donut, was it? A few seconds later, the officer took his sunglasses off, looking directly at the camera. "Justice is watching you." A narrator spoke ominously, the same logo from the beginning spinning into view.

And thus, it was over.

"Er..." Kabbu got the general gist of it; it was an overdramatization of how police work would usually be conducted. Although... "That was a bit... intense." Kabbu remarked.

"That was AMAZING!" Vi yelled immediately after, throwing her arms up in excitement. "I'm so into this!"

"Who wouldn't be?" Anne agreed, pumped as well. She pointed in the general direction of the store, the human girl beaming with confidence. "Now let's catch our thief!" Hm... Kabbu didn't really have any other ideas, so he may as well go along with this.

"This is nice and all, but..." Leif cut in. "We're going to conduct our own investigation. We have our own... preferred methods." Leif explained. His mind was already made up, it seemed. Just what was Leif thinking...? Uh oh.

"Good idea!" Anne said, immediately on board. "Once we're both finished, we should meet back up and compare notes."

Leif nodded, content with this. "Very well, we'll see you later." With that, he turned around, walking somewhere else on his own. That was a bit... abrupt, but oh well.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

Before Kabbu, Anne, and Vi returned to the store, Anne insisted they get geared up. Why? Kabbu still had no idea why, even as the three of them were now walking to the store.

Anne's hair was slicked back, a pencil resting on her ear as she held an empty cup she found at the house. She and Kabbu wore fake mustaches that Anne just happened to have in her backpack... just how much stuff did she have in there?

"You sure you don't wanna wear one of these?" Anne asked Vi, twirling around the third fake mustache she found.

"No way! Absolutely not!" Vi exclaimed, shaking her head multiple times. Kabbu understood why, especially after the day a week or two ago when Anne tried to give her 'girl time,' practically redoing Vi's entire body. "I told you I prefer this coat we bought!"

It was a brown coat... that was way too big on her, but it was the only one in a color Vi liked. The three of them bought it as a compromise for Vi not wearing a fake mustache, and Vi was more than eager to put the brown clothing on instead. Hopefully Vi wouldn't trip on it...

"I still don't know why we're wearing all this." Kabbu said, adjusting the fake mustache on his grey mandibles. It was a bit itchy, but nothing he couldn't handle.

"All the best cops have mustaches and or coats." Anne explained, the store coming into view. "Now, here's how it's gonna go!" Kabbu listened patiently to what Anne would say next, hoping Vi was paying attention as well. "Kabbu, you'll be the good cop," Anne pointed at the beetle. "Vi will be the bad cop," She then pointed at the bee. "And I'll be the overseer, making sure nothing goes wrong." Finally, Anne pointed at herself.

"Uh, what are all these roles for?" Vi asked, not quite getting it.

"It's simple." Anne began. At this point they were right outside the store, so the three stopped walking, Anne turning around to lean against the store wall. "Kabbu, as the good cop you'll butter them up and make them lower their guard." Oh, that explained it. ...He really was perfect for that, huh.

"And then, BAMMO!" Anne exclaimed for emphasis, leaning forward and punching her fist against her open palm. "Vi will come in as the bad cop and get the confession!"

Just like that, Kabbu was having doubts. "I'm not too sure about this..." He really didn't think this would work... for multiple reasons.

"I'm more than ready!" Vi exclaimed. Kabbu let out a sigh as the three walked into the store, the beetle resigned to his role.

Aside, the same employee from before saw the three walk in, the employee immediately groaning. "No, I just finished putting all their stuff away!"

Kabbu, Anne, and Vi found the front counter in seconds, casually walking over. Anne stayed a few feet back, letting Kabbu and Vi take over for now. The beetle became increasingly nervous at how this would go, and almost considered asking Anne to be the good cop instead... but he was already too deep into this. He needed to follow through!

The cicada employee at the front counter (who Kabbu could see her name was 'Sadie') noticed the three as they walked over, straightening up and waving to the trio. "Hello? Can I help you all with anything?" Sadie asked, her smile sweet.

"Hello!" Kabbu waved back. Next to him, Vi casually leaned on the counter. Okay, he couldn't immediately get into the nitty gritty of this, he had to start with small talk, right? "Has business been good?"

"Not really." Sadie said, her smile immediately shifting to a frown. "We're actually kind of having a rough season." Oh no!

"I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am!" Kabbu apologized. He stayed quiet, looking back and forth between Vi and Sadie, hoping either of them would continue the conversation. Thankfully nobody wanted to check out anything right now, but the silence only made things more awkward by the second, Sadie giving him an odd look-

"Ahem!" Anne cleared her throat from behind them, trying to remind them of the point of this without directly saying it.

"O-Oh right!" Kabbu realized, silently cursing himself for getting distracted. So this was why Anne gave him back the wrapper earlier! He took it out, doing his best to uncrinkle it before setting it down on the counter. "We're here about some berries that might've gotten uh... misplaced." Kabbu didn't want to sound too suspicious right off the bat. "Do you recognize this wrapper?" He pointed down at it.

Sadie picked up the small wrapper, examining it for only a few moments. "Oh, this?" She asked. "This is the wrapper for the new limited-edition candy we have, it's only going to be around for the rest of this moon cycle." Kabbu didn't know why it was limited-edition, maybe because it would go out of season?

"AH-HA!" Vi yelled, instantly perking up and slamming a hand on the table, causing Sadie to flinch slightly. "Then that means anyone who bought the candy is a suspect!" Vi declared. Well, that already lowered the suspect list substantially; anyone who came in here recently was a potential suspect. Of course, this also meant there was a chance the wrapper was just a coincidence... no, at this point Kabbu had to chase any lead he got.

"Lady, I demand the receipts!" Vi argued. "Show me everyone who bought that candy!"

"Sorry, store policy." Sadie said, sadly shaking her head. She pointed to a sign on the wall behind her that had two rules listed on it, clear as day. Kabbu hadn't noticed that before; he took a moment to read them.

Rule 1: Customer Confidentiality is the key to success! If we show shoppers we trust them, there's no reason not to come back!

Rule 2: The Customer Is Always Right! However, you may have one exception per day, for any customers you feel may violate the sanctity of what our store stands for.

"I must always keep customer confidentiality in mind, I apologize!" Sadie said after Kabbu and the others had a chance to read the rules. "I do hope you manage to find your berries! I can't imagine what I would do if I lost one of my paychecks... Anyway! Thank you for shopping here, I hope you'll choose this place to shop again!" Why did Sadie sound so... dead inside?

At this news, Vi deflated, seemingly giving up. "Oh. Ok then." She said. If there weren't any leads here, then what now?

From behind them, Anne groaned, facepalming before shaking her head. "Vi, Kabbu, can I speak to you two for a moment?" Not even waiting for an answer, Anne grabbed the two bugs by their arms, pulling them away from the counter out of Sadie's earshot, over near one of the aisles.

"So, how'd I do?" Vi asked, re-adjusting her coat after Anne had pulled on it.

"Dude, that wasn't good cop or bad cop!" Anne said in exasperation, her frustration evident. "Both of you were sad cop!"

Sad cop?! "Anne, I thought I did a great job at being a good cop!" Kabbu argued. In fact, he should be a great cop! He's already an explorer, so he's pretty much already halfway there, right?

"No! No no no!" Anne shook her head multiple times. "You have to get real! Get passionate! Get angry!"

"Normally I'd agree with you Anne, but I don't want to end up getting kicked out of every store in Ant City." Vi sighed. Right, the bee still wasn't allowed back in that one clothing store anymore without at least two bugs supervising her... and she was eventually banned from that salon entirely, but maybe that was for the better.

"I concur." Kabbu nodded. "I'm... generally not a mad beetle." Generally.

"Well, glad beetles aren't the ones who'll get their stolen berries back!" Anne countered, destroying his argument completely. "Think about what that thief took! The berries that we rightfully earned! Without them we might not be able to buy food, or we could even go homeless!"

Though Vi stayed silent during Anne's speech, Kabbu couldn't help but think. It was true, he did earn those berries, fair and square! He earned them, so he should be able to spend them however he wants! However... maybe the issue wasn't the berries themselves.

It was how Kabbu knew for a fact now that there could've been an opportunity for someone to swipe some berries last night. Feelings of anxiety, fear, and yet also hopefulness mixed deep within him, bubbling up into almost... dangerous urges to protect his friends; a primal need for it lest he stray down the wrong path. There was the time where Domino 2 almost killed Leif, and Kabbu wasn't fast enough to save him. And then there was all the way back in Snakemouth Den, when he thought he'd failed his friends for the final time, unable to save them in their time of need. ...And finally, there was the pressing issue of the Calamity Box, which Kabbu still had no idea how to save his friends from.

...But right here, right now, he could save them and get the berries back.

"All right!" Vi cheered, pumped up from Anne's speech. Inspired, she turned to walk back toward the counter-

Only for Kabbu to shove her aside, a new fire in the beetle's eye as he stormed to the counter himself. Vi said something to him, but Kabbu wasn't listening. He only focused on his goal; nothing else. Sadie was still at the counter, but she was turned around, focusing on something behind her.

Whatever it was, Kabbu didn't care. He slammed his fists on the counter, causing stuff to go flying in the air- and Sadie to yelp, jumping in fright before swiveling back around in an instant.

"Whoa!" Anne yelled from behind him, her eyes wide at this display. She froze, unsure if she should walk back to the counter or not.

"I don't care what your store policy says!" Kabbu yelled, the words out of his mouth before he even realized it. "I demand an accurate list of EVERYONE who bought that candy, or else!" His fists clenched tightly, she glared right into Sadie's eyes, the cicada practically shaking from fright.

"Or... or else?" Sadie asked, her voice at a near whisper. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find a way out of this. As if she could ever hope to outrun him!

Vi darted over to Kabbu, roughly putting her hand on his shoulder to try and get his attention. "Hey, maybe tone it down a bit, will ya?" She yelled, but her words flew over him, Kabbu already knowing how he could get Sadie to submit. Nothing could stop him now.

Kabbu slammed his fists on the counter again, causing Vi to flinch and let go of him. "Or else I'll report you to Queen Elizant herself for aiding and abetting a criminal!" He might've caused the counter to crack by now, but he didn't care. If he didn't get that list, then the thief would run free, his only lead lost forever.

Anne and Vi gasped, both of them taken aback. Kabbu meant what he said, he was this close to dragging Sadie out of the store and up to Queen Elizant II. It didn't matter if he was interrupting potential music box research if the alternative was going homeless!

Sadie shrunk down a bit, more than visibly shaking by now. "O-O-Okay... please don't tell E-Elizant..." Sadie nodded several times before pulling up some kind of record on a rudimentary machine, much less advanced than Anne's phone. Kabbu didn't understand it, but he knew it took a bit to work, so he waited.

After a minute or two, a list slowly printed out from the machine, Sadie snatching it the moment it finished before shakily handing it to Kabbu. "H-Here it is! Every bug that bought the candy, a-and I even double checked to make sure t-the machine didn't mess an-anything up!" Sadie tried to say, whimpering every few words or so.

Despite the fact that Sadie was on the verge of tears, Kabbu seemingly didn't care, grabbing the paper and reading over the list of names. "Hm..." Kabbu didn't expect to see some of these names, but suspects were suspects!

Nearly a minute passed...

Kabbu looked up from the paper, and... "Thank you! Have a nice day!" Just like that, the... reddish-pink fire in his eye temporarily fading as he happily waved at Sadie, the employee looking as if she could collapse at any moment.

Regardless, the next step in the investigation was complete! If things were already going this well, then that thief was as good as caught! Kabbu turned away, humming to himself as he walked out the front door, the list in hand.

...With Anne and Vi still standing there, trying to process what happened.

"Uh..." Vi couldn't look Sadie in the eye; the bee darting out of the store before she could be blamed for what happened.

Confused and worried, Anne cautiously walked up to the counter, Sadie flinching as Anne dug into her pockets, pulling out a few berries before setting them on the counter. "Sorry about... all that. There's a tip for ya." She pointed at the berries, a nervous smile on her face as she tried to make it clear.

Beat.

Anne turned and rushed out of the store as well, hoping to figure out what the heck was going on.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

When Leif went on his own investigation, he wasn't quite sure where to go first, to be honest. He didn't think that his friends' investigation would be bad, he just... he needed time to think about this on his own. Plus, the quietness was nice.

The moth walked through Ant City, trying to gather his thoughts on what could've possibly happened to the berries. Stolen? ...Most likely. By who? ...Leif didn't want to point fingers. Not before he had hard evidence, at least. There were multiple suspects to consider, and he'd keep all of them in mind through his methods of investigation.

But he knew if he took too long, then the truth may be lost forever. Hm... Oh! Leif's eyes flickered, his antennae rising a bit as he got an idea. He turned, speed-walking out of the residential district toward his new destination, not even realizing that before he'd turned around, he was nearing that house.

After another several minutes or so, Leif made it to the outskirts, nearing his new destination: the Explorer's Association. Walking up the soft, flowery steps, he opened the door, assuming the place was open. Despite only being in here once or twice so far, Leif more than recognized the place, looking around to see who was here.

There was Artis where he usually was, Eetl working on something in another part of the building, a few bugs casually mingling with each other, and... was that Kina? Leif had never seen her before, but from what Kabbu told him about her, this appeared to be the same bug. Kina paced around, a worried expression on her face as she practically speedwalked, making no regard for who was around her.

Well, Leif wasn't here for her. She was Maki's sister, but she wasn't important to the investigation either. Leif walked past her, hoping to make his way to-

"Hey, you!" Kina called out. Aaaand here we go. This could only go so well.

"Hm?" Leif asked, stopping so as not to be rude.

"Have you seen where Maki went?" Kina asked, her eyes shut tight. Were they always like that?

Leif wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, he had an investigation to get back to! "Why?" he asked, hoping he could just keep walking by after Kina's answer.

Kina let out a long sigh, turning away slightly. "Maki went off all by himself! Again!" She complained, expressing her worry over her brother. Well great, now Leif felt bad.

"We saw him in our meeting with the Queen..." Leif said, though he realized that must've been multiple weeks ago by now, so that wouldn't help at all. "Maybe he went ahead to the Golden Hills? That is where the next expedition will be taking place." Leif did want to explore the Golden Hills, but it would have to wait for now.

Kina shook her head furiously. "Ugh, no luck! I've already checked like eight times!"

Eight times? Leif almost couldn't believe that, but then again... "From what we've heard about Maki, we're sure he'll be fine." Maki was the Queen's blade, after all.

"I know, I know..." Kina sighed, before suddenly stamping her foot on the ground. "But the nerve of him going without me! We're an unbeatable team! What if he needs me!?" Kina yelled. ...Was this more about the danger, or Maki not taking Kina along?

"Maybe he just wanted some alone time?" Leif suggested.

Instantly, Kina's eyes flashed open, the red mantis now furious. "WHAT WAS THAT!?" Kina screamed; her fists clenched as she glared down at Leif with a fury unmatched by anything else the moth had seen before.

...Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Whoops.

"U-Uh-" Leif stammered, his ice magic prepared in case things went south.

"Both of you, cut it out and be quiet!" Eetl butted in, walking over. "Some of us are trying to WORK here!" he added. Kina still glared; her fury now targeted toward the blue beetle. Eetl didn't seem to care, giving her a disapproving look before turning to Leif. "Hello, good to see you here."

Thankfully, Eetl's intrusion may as well have prevented a fight from breaking out. Kina scoffed, rolling her eyes before she turned around and walked out of the Association, being sure to purposefully slam the door shut as hard as she could. ...Well, that certainly happened.

Despite being a bit shaken from that... 'exchange', Leif brushed it off, needing to get back to the investigation. "Hello, Eetl. We're here on an investigation." Time was running short, Leif needed to get to the point.

"An investigation?!" Eetl asked, throwing his arms up in the air in shock. "What for?"

Leif then took a minute or two to explain everything to Eetl, about how the berries disappeared, and how Leif had no leads he could use. Leif didn't mention whatever Anne, Kabbu, and Vi found, he had no idea what they were doing at this point. Eetl patiently listened to everything Leif said, the moth trying to recount it all as accurately as he could.

"...And that's pretty much it, we think." Leif said, winding down his explanation. "We figured that the Association might be able to help with something like this." To tell the truth, Leif didn't know all the ins and outs of the Association, far from it. But logically, this place would be the best to go.

Eetl stood there, thinking for a few moments... and then he snapped his fingers, coming to a realization. "I know, Artis can help with this!" Eetl began walking to where Artis usually was, gesturing for Leif to follow him. Right, Artis... Eetl's 'coworker.'

"Artis keeps track of all the taxes, records, and other stuff like that." Eetl explained, Leif following the blue beetle up the steps to the second floor, which only took up part of the building. "He'd be able to look up any payments you've made, and then you can look for any discrepancies."

Wow, that sounded incredibly useful! This would be a fantastic help in Leif's investigation for sure!

Before too long, the two blue bugs made it up the steps where Artis was sitting at his desk, busy with something. It didn't seem like he was too busy though, as he easily noticed Leif and Eetl walking over.

"Oh hey, what's up Eetl?" Artis casually greeted. "That's Leif with you, isn't it?" Leif and Artis were never formally introduced before now; with everything going on it just didn't occur to the moth.

"Mhm." Eetl nodded. "Leif came by because he needs to see a record of all Team Snakemouth's finances." He explained.

"Er, we don't think all of them are necessary." Leif added as Artis looked to him for confirmation. "The records for the past few days will be fine, thank you." Getting all the records wouldn't be productive and just a waste of time, Leif only needed the relevant evidence.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Artis said. "Let me just sort through all this stuff..." The orchid mantis turned back to his stack of papers, sifting through them. Wow, that looked unorganized. If Artis didn't spend his time here organizing this stuff, then what did he do? ...Oh.

After a few minutes of idly waiting, Artis did manage to find the records, further sorting through them to find the ones Leif needed. "There you are, you pesky little thing." After what seemed like forever, Artis handed the report to Leif. "Everything appears to be in order, but you can keep that if you want."

"Thank you, Artis." Leif said, nodding toward him and Eetl as he turned to walk down the steps, reading the report. At first, everything was normal, all the expenses listed were stuff that Leif remembered paying for, especially that one honey snack he liked... mmmmmm...

But then there was one thing Leif had no memory of. An expense of 40 berries, listed as... last night. He figured. What was strange was that unlike everything else, the place of payment was unknown. That was extremely suspicious, to be frank.

Leif exited the Association, a frown on his face. While this was a major clue... the lack of further information was a major roadblock in his investigation. But he wouldn't give up yet, though. Since it was only last night, the thief couldn't have gotten far...

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

Kabbu casually stood outside the store, waiting for Vi and Anne as he planted his foot on a nearby log, the beetle also holding the list. It was only a minute or so later when Vi and Anne finally walked out, first Vi and then Anne a few moments after.

For some reason, the two girls looked incredibly nervous, Vi occasionally glancing back at the store while there were beads of sweat going down Anne's forehead. Meanwhile, Kabbu brimmed with confidence; if he could get a simple list, then he could do anything!

"That was a job well done, I must say!" Kabbu declared. He took the cup from Anne, his gray mandibles opening slightly so he could drink whatever was inside. However... "Oh, it's empty." His mandibles closing, Kabbu stepped off the log, setting the cup down on it. Why did Anne get an empty cup in the first place?

"Uhhh..." Anne cringed, looking away before gulping. "Kabbu, I think you might've done a little bit too much bad cop." Anne said, pinching her finger and thumb together to emphasize her point.

"Plus I'm supposed to be the bad cop! I can't be a good cop, it's not in my nature!" Vi argued, flailing her arms.

Preposterous! Kabbu couldn't believe what they were saying! Ah well, not everyone always appreciated when you tried to save them. "But we got results, didn't we?" Kabbu pointed out, waving the list around. The fire in his eye lit once more, the beetle more than eager to get back to work. Plus, his method got them the list so fast and efficiently!

"Well yeah, but-" Anne started, glancing at Vi. No buts!

"Then let's not waste any more time!" Kabbu yelled, his voice booming. "Come on! We need to find who stole our berries!" All he had to do was find each suspect and confirm if they were guilty or innocent. And with his method, he'd easily comb through every name listed within an hour or two.

What were his methods, Anne and Vi might've asked? Well...

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

The local berry bank was small, but it had an outside area for guests to sit and mingle while waiting for berry transfers. Kabbu wasn't there for any of that, though.

Kabbu grunted as he upstriked the nearest chair with his horn, making sure that Belle (the bug running the place) knew he meant business. The chair flew into the air before slamming against a wall, shattering into a million pieces. Belle yelped as this happened, Kabbu glaring at her all the while.

"Was it you, Belle?!" Kabbu demanded, to which Belle fervently shook her head.

Anne and Vi stood by, shocked.

Belle turned out not to have stolen the berries after all, and Anne paid for the broken chair. Hmph.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

Surely it must've been the next suspect! Kabbu barged into Ali's house, upstriking one of the shelves to make it fall over. Ali screamed, easily cornered.

"Was it you, Ali?!" Kabbu questioned. Sure, he was too busy to return a library book several weeks back, but what was he really busy with? Stealing berries, perhaps? Maybe the very berries that he gave to Team Snakemouth as a reward?

Once again, Anne and Vi stood by, shocked at what was happening.

Ali turned out not to have stolen the berries either. Anne and Vi took a few minutes to help Ali get his shelf back up; minutes that could be better used to find the dang thief already!

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

While Kabbu didn't want to think anyone from the Association could be the culprit, he had to keep this investigation fair. Each suspect must be treated equally!

Kabbu barged into the building, surprising Eetl. The blue beetle and Artis were both taking the time to clean the main floor of the place, but Kabbu didn't care. Before Eetl could get a word in edgewise, Kabbu charged at him, Eetl unable to defend himself as Kabbu upstriked him, causing Eetl to soar in the air...

Anne and Vi cringed as Eetl roughly fell on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Was it you, Artis?!" Kabbu yelled, taunting the tall, white mantis as he was just trying to sweep the floor.

Eetl groaned in pain, trying but failing to stand up as he reached his arm out toward Artis. "Please help me..." Eetl begged.

However, Artis kept sweeping, barely even looking at Eetl or Kabbu. "Just let it happen, Eetl."

Surprise surprise, Artis didn't steal the berries! Kabbu just had to check! He practically rushed out of the Association, not even realizing that Anne and Vi were trying to make sure that Eetl was alright.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

As Kabbu went down the list of suspects, his methods remained the same, the fire in his eye burning brighter by the minute. However, when the number of suspects began dwindling, as Kabbu crossed out each one... he grew frustrated, telling himself that the next one would surely be the culprit, but it never ended up that way.

Sure, some may call his methods 'excessive' or 'breaking the law', but he was the law! If anyone questioned Kabbu's methods of investigation, then they may as well be added to the list of suspects! But no matter what he did, he just couldn't find any good leads, no matter who he interrogated...

It frustrated him, knowing that the culprit was just within his grasp, but barely out of reach. Eventually, Kabbu got infuriated enough to the point where he saw a random mushroom growing, and decided to walk over to it, upstriking it without a second thought. The uprooted mushroom was now dead.

"There's nobody here!" Vi pointed out. Oh yeah, Vi and Anne had been following him this entire time.

"I'm sorry, I'm just very passionate about this!" Kabbu yelled as he walked away from the scene, trying but failing to cool off. Anne and Vi walked after him, making sure to stay close.

Kabbu stopped as he saw how lively the residential district was... bugs living without a care in the world, not realizing just how cruel life could be sometimes. "You were right, friends." Kabbu said with a sigh. "Ant City is a cesspool... you can't trust anyone here." Even if a bug wasn't guilty of theft, who knows what other crimes they could've gotten away with? Kabbu's mind spiraled with possibilities, each one more devastating than the last.

"Look, I'm glad you're being more cautious." Anne said, sounding a little unsure. "But I think this whole thing has gotten a little..." She walked up to Kabbu, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Extreme."

"This is an extreme situation, Anne!" Kabbu abruptly yelled, turning to face her. Anne flinched, retracting her hand. "Lives could be at stake!" Kabbu knew he couldn't stop, no matter what. Even if it took the rest of his life, he had to dedicate himself to finding that thief! Because if he didn't, then...

"Well we've pretty much asked everyone who bought one of those candies, right?" Vi asked. ...Did they? Because if they did, then that means Kabbu's only lead was a bust, and then he'd have no other way to track the thief down!

Before Kabbu could panic further, he took out the list again. Pretty much all the names were crossed out... except one. "There's just one more bug on here we haven't met yet." Kabbu said, making sure Anne and Vi were in the loop. The two cringed, but he didn't notice. "And that bug's name is... Bitsy."

Bitsy... Kabbu's heard that name before! He met it recently while he was mingling with the local bugs. Bitsy was short, its colors mainly brown and green. Its most prominent feature was a lighter brown marking in between its eyes; Kabbu didn't know was it was for though. But... it didn't matter who the last bug was, because if every other bug was innocent, then through process of elimination...

He knew who the culprit was.

"Bitsy must be the thief!" Kabbu explained, getting pumped. Oh, he so badly wanted to storm to Bitsy's house right now...

"Uh, who's Bitsy?" Anne asked, confused. "I've never heard that name before." The human girl shook her head.

"Bitsy moved to Ant City not too long ago." Vi explained. "But I don't blame you for not knowing who it is! It just stays in its little house all the time! Plus, its house isn't on the normal route either!"

Mhm. Unless you knew where to look, then you'd never find Bitsy's house. Luckily, Kabbu knew exactly where to look. "Sure... Bitsy does mostly stay in its house, but from what I've seen, it's nice." Kabbu turned away, a dark look on his face. Bitsy was the thief, after all. "A little... too nice."

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

Leif wondered what his friends' investigation was turning up, but at the same time it gave him an incredibly bad feeling. Ah well, it was probably nothing.

His investigation brought him back to Ant City, though Leif wasn't too sure where to go next. While the lack of information in the report Artis gave him might normally be considered a bad thing, it was actually the other way around. It was incredibly helpful, and for one reason in particular.

Leif didn't realize it at first, but the lack of a source of payment meant that wherever the thief spent the berries at, it wasn't listed in the Explorer's Association's records. This meant Leif could cross off pretty much any establishment from his imaginary list, as they'd all surely be recognized by the Association.

So, what did that leave him with? Well... Leif still wasn't too familiar with the new surroundings of Ant City, the modern incarnation was... very, very different compared to his time. And he still hadn't found anyone old enough to recognize him... hm. The only thing Leif could think of was to just look around various places... perhaps the thief spent the berries at a place nobody else would think of going to? But where...

As Leif walked around, he spotted the Bugaria Theater. It was a big building, right next to Ant City's quest board where Utter usually was. Hm... Leif hadn't visited the theater before, maybe it would have a clue? Although...

Leif looked at a sign plastered next to the theater's doors; it was a big display of some big play that would be shown in four days, and above the sign, there was another that said that plays in the theater would be shown weekly. ...Which meant that the thief couldn't have spent the berries here, and it would've been listed in the report anyway. Oh well.

...But it wouldn't hurt to check, right? With a shrug, Leif opened the doors, walking into the Bugaria Theater.

The place was about as big as Leif expected. There were many rows of leafy chairs, and a stage at the back end where the plays would take place. There were a few bugs mingling about, but otherwise nobody was really here right now. That made sense, the next play wouldn't be for a few days.

Leif walked around the theater, surveying the area. The chairs looked comfortable enough, and the stage was pretty big as well. There was plenty of room for pretty much any performance. Hm... Leif walked up to the stage, almost lost in admiring the place.

Which is why Leif almost didn't notice the white moth on the stage calling out to him.

"You!" The white moth called out, pointing at Leif. Did that moth have a mask on half his face? ...Or wait, no, that mask was on his entire face. Why did both sides of it look so different?

"Us?" Leif asked, confused. What was the deal with this moth? "Uh... who are you?" Leif had never seen this guy around before.

"Why, I am an actor at this fair theater!" The white moth answered, overdramatically thrusting his arms into the air. "I am most commonly known as M. M., and I assure you that everyone who steps foot in this theater will know the true beauty in the art of stage performance!" M. M. proceeded to hop off the stage, landing a few feet away from Leif. M. M...? Did that mean Masked Moth? Hm.

"That's nice. Apologies for our ignorance, we're... new here." Leif explained. He wasn't going to tell anyone aside from those he trusted that he used to live here many, many years ago, otherwise everyone might look at him like he was crazy.

"No need to apologize, my good sir!" M. M. said, taking a bow. He then put a hand on his chin, as if inspecting Leif. "Hm... that stance, that color, that look in your eyes! I can see it clear as day!" Uh, what? "Upon your first viewing of this marvelous masterpiece, you just knew that you had to take part in it! Yes, you'd be perfect!"

"...We'll think about it." Leif said, trying to avoid getting roped into being part of a play or something. He didn't understand half of what M. M. was talking about, to be quite honest.

Taking a quick glance around the theater again, an idea came to Leif. As soon as M. M. started talking Leif thought this might've been a waste of time, but... Remembering something he saw earlier, Leif needed to know something.

"We do have a question." Leif said, earning M. M.'s attention. "Is there anything that's sold here, aside from tickets to the plays? Like food, drinks, or anything else?"

"Ah, another question born from ignorance!" M. M. said, curling his hand up into a fist. Did this guy always play a character, even outside of any plays? M. M. shook his head. "Our establishment focuses on making sure the viewer is always watching the action! If they were to be distracted with sipping their juice, then they would miss the crux of the action, cursing themselves for not paying attention and missing the best moment of their life!"

"So that's a no?" Leif asked, trying to understand.

"Well... in a perfect world, perhaps." M. M. said, his tone shifting. What once was a boisterous bug now turned mellow, almost angry. "There's always a few... shady and suspicious folk sneaking around, trying to scam the poor bugs that come visit this place, even in the off hours!" Oh?

"These scammers offer 'deals' to bugs, telling them about these fascinating items that are one-of-a-kind, but in reality..." M. M. paused, slowly shifting back to his stage persona. "They jack up the prices, leading only the richest of rich bugs to even hope to afford them! Oh, the woe! The misery! If they weren't such crooks, then they'd be a perfect addition to the magnificent plays here!"

...So from what Leif gathered, bugs would sell stuff here that wasn't sanctioned by the Explorer's Association. From how much M. M. made everything out to be a gigantic deal, that was all Leif could discern to be the truth. Hm... what could-

Leif thought about what happened earlier that morning, and it clicked. Everything clicked.

He knew who the thief was, but... really? Them? ...Hm.

"Thank you." Leif nodded, confident in his deductions. He knew now that he wasn't on a time crunch, so he might as well take a bit to sit down and relax in the theater.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

Kabbu made a beeline for Bitsy's house, Anne and Vi nervously following behind him. The reason why nobody ever really found it before was because it was so out of the way; tucked in a winding path that began in between two other houses. Anyone taking the normal route would never find it.

When Kabbu saw the house, he almost couldn't believe it. This was it. The thief was here. The fire in his eye burned brighter than ever, knowing that at last, he'd walk away with his rightfully earned berries returned to him, and the thief arrested. And then... his friends would be so grateful for him, even if they didn't appear to be right now.

Anne and Vi cringed slightly, seeing the state of the small house. It still looked livable, but the upkeep (or lack therof) made it appear like something out of one of the scary movies on Anne's phone. There were various articles of clothing scattered around, only a few still hanging on the clotheslines, and the general area just gave off... bad vibes. In light of this, Kabbu steeled himself, prepared for anything.

"Yeah..." Anne said, jabbing a thumb toward the house while looking at the others. "I don't think we should-"

Kabbu stomped toward Bitsy's house, ignoring Anne when she called out his name in concern and fear. Nothing would stop him now.

Vi rushed forward, grabbing Kabbu's arm. "H-Hey, you're gonna take this too far! Let's just quit while we're ahead!" Without warning, Vi pulled on Kabbu's arm, the beetle jolting as he had no choice but to step back.

"But Vi, I must!" Kabbu yelled. Despite Vi's efforts, Kabbu easily shook his arm out of her grasp. Vi momentarily froze, allowing Kabbu to keep moving forward, the beetle practically jogging toward the house now. He was too entrenched into this to stop now; he just couldn't stop.

Within seconds, Kabbu made it to the front door. His hand balled up into a fist, he banged on the door multiple times as hard as he could, the door frame nearly coming off its hinges from the sheer force. "Open up, Bitsy!" Kabbu roared, banging on the door several more times as Anne and Vi walked up behind him. "This is official Team Snakemouth business, OPEN UP!"

"Dude, STOP!" Anne yelled, her arms raised in the air in exasperation.

"You're going to get our Explorer's Permit taken away!" Vi added in desperation.

Kabbu huffed, impatiently waiting for Bitsy to open the door... but a thief wouldn't open the door, would they? No! Kabbu wouldn't let it get away with this! "Anne! Vi! Help me break the door down! We must bring this thief to justice!"

Kabbu took several steps back, aiming his horn at the door.

Anne and Vi glanced at each other, their worried and confused faces morphing into that of determination, both of them knowing what they had to do.

Kabbu charged forward-

He grunted as he was suddenly pulled back, Anne and Vi grabbing him to restrain him.

"What are you two DOING?!" Kabbu yelled in a panic, immediately trying to struggle and squirm out of their grips. No, no! What were they thinking?! Why couldn't his friends just let him help them!?

Despite Kabbu's strength, Anne and Vi kept a tight hold on him, the two of them forcing him to the ground. They had his arms pinned at his sides, and even if he got one free, he was still nowhere near strong enough to get away from them. ...No, he had to! The reddish-pink fire in his eye burned brighter than ever; he couldn't give up now! Not when he could literally see victory within his grasp!

With strength he didn't know he had, Kabbu's struggles resumed, the beetle thrashing for freedom more than ever. Even still, Anne and Vi somehow kept him held down, Anne doing most of the work. It was a blur, the beetle trying but failing to find some sort of escape. No... no please...

Creeeeaaaak...

The unmistakable sound of a door opening made Kabbu stop in his tracks, Anne and Vi stopping as well. The two girls let Kabbu go, not wanting to be seen in an awkward heap on the ground, but Kabbu didn't move, his eye transfixed on the door in front of him.

It took several, long, torturous seconds for the door to the house to open all the way. But once it did, the unmistakable figure of Bitsy walked out, the cicada briefly obscured by a shadow before its full form could be seen by all. Bitsy rubbed its eye, yawning before blinking several times, looking down at Kabbu and the others.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting any guests." Bitsy said, its voice softspoken. "Do the three of you need anything?"

...Here it was. The thief itself, Bitsy. Kabbu stood up, not taking his eye off the thief, every part of his body and soul burning with pure rage. Kabbu opened his mouth to speak-

Only for Vi to abruptly stand up, talking first. "Uhhh no we just heard that you moved in recently and wanted to say hi and so we said hi and now we're saying goodbye!" Vi yelled in a frantic rush without taking a breath, her voice higher pitched than usual from the clear panic in her tone.

Vi took several quick breaths afterward, Bitsy giggling in response. "Aw. You're a nice bunch."

What was this, some kind of joke? Sure, Bitsy seemed nice, but Kabbu knew it was all just an act to let their guards down. He wouldn't be fooled! He-

"Yeah, other people call us that all the time!" Anne said before Kabbu could say anything, the human abruptly standing up as well. She nervously smiled as she casually leaned against Kabbu. "So, what brings you to Ant City?"

"I'm from down south." Bitsy explained. Kabbu kept quiet, hoping that Bitsy would accidentally volunteer any useful information. "I lived there for a while, though... I had to leave due to an unfortunate misunderstanding." Bitsy frowned, clearly troubled by whatever had happened. And that was all Kabbu needed.

"Was it because you're a CRIMINAL?!" Kabbu yelled, stepping forward and pointing an accusing finger at Bitsy.

"E-Excuse me?" Bitsy asked, startled and confused. It raised its hands up with its palms out and backed away, but Kabbu wasn't having any of it. This was the moment of truth.

"Don't play dumb!" Kabbu roared, roughly pushing Bitsy aside as he stormed into the house. He couldn't stand Bitsy's cutesy act anymore, so he was going to take matters into his own hands. "I know those berries are in here somewhere!" He quickly looked around the house, trying to find any potential hiding spots.

"Berries?" Bitsy asked as it walked in as well, rubbing its shoulder.

Anne and Vi stood by, not helping at all. Fine, Kabbu would do this himself. If Bitsy wouldn't give him the berries, then he'd just have to tear apart this house until they turned up. Kabbu saw a few vases on a shelf; aha!

"Are they here?!" Kabbu questioned, sweeping all the vases onto the floor, causing them all to shatter into a million pieces. No berries.

"Hey!" Bitsy yelled, its eyes widening in shock.

Kabbu turned to a nearby couch, stomping over to it. "Or maybe here!?" Without any hesitation whatsoever, Kabbu leaned his head down before using his horn to rip the fabric apart, allowing him to dig his hands into the couch to try and find the berries.

"Stop it!" Bitsy yelled, one of its eyes twitching as it waved its arms back and forth. Its normally softspoken tone was now high-pitched, that must mean Kabbu was getting close!

Despite his desperate searching, the berries weren't anywhere inside the couch cushions. Drat! Just where could they be? Kabbu scanned the house once again; they had to be here... right? Yes, they were! Kabbu couldn't accept no for an answer! Because...

Oh, what about that? Kabbu saw a large clock, making a beeline for it. "Where are you hiding them!?" Kabbu yelled, throwing the clock on the ground, causing it to break. Really? No berries here either?! But...

"Y-You..." Bitsy growled, though Kabbu didn't notice. Its eyes closed, the cicada taking slow, deep breaths as Kabbu flipped over a table. Bitsy's behavior wasn't lost on Anne and Vi, the two girls carefully walking past it without provoking it further.

The two maneuvered around the huge mess, finding Kabbu now emptying out various bottles and bags to try and find the berries inside of them. Come on, they had to be in here! Why... why hasn't he found anything yet?

"OI!" Vi screamed, finally getting Kabbu to focus on her for a moment. "Quit being an idiot, the berries aren't here! We were wrong, just give it up!" She tried to take a bag away from Kabbu, but he moved it out of her reach at the last second.

"No! I know I'm right!" Kabbu argued, desperate. He couldn't have done all this for nothing! But at the same time... No, no no no! This had to be it! All the clues... the wrapper, the suspects... but... what if...

As Kabbu and Vi started to argue, Anne kept glancing back at Bitsy, making sure it wouldn't do anything. It stood still for several moments, breathing in... and out... before its eyes suddenly snapped open, the cicada casually walking over to a nearby cabinet.

"Uh, guys?" Anne called out, getting Kabbu and Vi's attention. The two bugs stopped arguing, all of them now looking in Bitsy's direction. Wait a second... haha, Kabbu was right after all! Of course, the berries were in that cabinet all along! Maybe if Bitsy had given up the berries earlier, then it could've avoided-

The cabinet slowly opened, Bitsy reaching inside to grab something. ...Huh?

"So... whatcha got there?" Anne asked, pointing at Bitsy. Several seconds slowly ticked by, the house deathly silent.

"Oh, this?" Bitsy asked, pulling out a large orange bat from the cabinet, showing it off. "This is just a bat of mine." Gripping the bat tightly, Bitsy gave it several practice swings, the force behind them terrifying. Kabbu kept his eyes on that bat, even when the swings stopped, Bitsy now holding it in its hands.

"I've had this for a while, you know." Bitsy looked down at the bat, as if treasuring it. "I use it for..." It looked up at the group of three. "Special occasions." There was a dark look in Bitsy's eyes.

Only a minute ago, Kabbu was more than confident that he'd find the berries in this house. But every moment he stood here, the tension so thick that Kabbu might suffocate under it if he stayed here any longer... he had to ask himself. Did Bitsy really do it? Did Bitsy steal the berries? Because there was something else, lingering in the back of his mind since that morning...

"Ohhh, I see." Anne replied with a nod. "What kind of special occasions?" she asked with a shrug.

Even if Anne didn't put two and two together, Kabbu sure did. And the outcome was something he wished he could avoid. "Anne, I think-"

"It's gonna use that bat on us." Vi finished, having figured it out as well. The bee appeared terrified by the prospect even if she tried to put on a brave front, her visible shaking telling the whole story.

Anne put a hand on her chin, thinking for a moment while nodding a few times. "Hm. That makes sense, I suppose. Since all of us barged in here and then Kabbu started destroying everything." Anne casually gestured to the beetle.

"You're exactly right." Bitsy replied in an oddly calm tone, almost growling. Bitsy raised it bat into the air, above its head-

-and SLAMMED it forward onto the ground, screaming.

In that exact same moment... Kabbu finally accepted it. Bitsy didn't do it.

Kabbu, Anne, and Vi screamed in response to the violent display in front of them, the trio only having a few seconds to process it before Bitsy raised the bat again, charging right at them.

Fight or flight instincts kicking in, Kabbu barely managed to dodge out of the way, rolling to the side before getting back on his feet. Anne and Vi thankfully managed to dodge as well, Anne side-stepping with a yelp as Vi used her wings to flutter up in the air for a brief moment before clumsily falling back to the ground.

Bitsy turned around, this time hoping to strike them with the bat and do who knows what else, a furious look in its eyes. There was no question in any of their minds as to what to do next. The three of them made a mad dash for the front door, Kabbu slowing down ever-so-slightly to let Anne and Vi leave first so they all didn't get stuck trying to go through at the same time. Kabbu turned around for the briefest of moments to see Bitsy still charging at him, and he was tempted to close the door behind him to stop Bitsy- oh who was he kidding, that wouldn't help at all.

Kabbu, Anne, and Vi ran as fast as they could away from Bitsy's house, three frantic pairs of footsteps ringing through the air. Bitsy didn't let up for a second, not letting any of them get a moment of rest even as the chase led them all back into the main area of Ant City. Kabbu's entire body burned from exhaustion, everything he'd done today catching up to him. But he couldn't stop running. No matter which direction the three of ran, Bitsy was always close behind.

"Come on, let's stop running and start fighting!" Vi yelled, trying not to lag behind. "That creep is going to get what's coming to it!"

"Yeah, it'd be considered self-defense! That's how this works, right?" Anne asked, sweat pouring down her body.

"No, it wouldn't be!" Kabbu answered, shaking his head. If they did decide to fight Bitsy, then bugs might wonder why it was acting erratically, and then they might check its house and wonder who tore it apart, and then... "I instigated this, it's all my fault! Bitsy is the one that's acting in self-defense, if I wasn't just such an idiot-"

"Okay okay, we'll tell you all about how much you're wrong when there ISN'T a maniac chasing us!" Vi said. Right. The safest option right now was to keep running, but how long could they keep it up for...?

"We need to hide somewhere and wait for Bitsy to cool off!" Anne suggested. There was no disagreeing with that, but where could they hide? As the three ran, Kabbu glanced around at any building he could, trying to find a good place for them to hide out.

After a few seconds, he found it. "There!" Kabbu pointed at that same store they went to earlier. The three of them made a beeline for the place, preparing to open the doors-

"Closed for maintenance?!" Anne yelled in exasperation, reading the sign on the front double doors. No! They needed to hide!

Kabbu and Vi banged on the doors, yelling for someone to open up as Anne stood nearby, anxiously looking around for wherever Bitsy was. Thankfully, someone eventually opened the door; Sadie.

Sadie gave the three of them a quizzical look. "What do you three want?!" Wow, she sounded annoyed. The three of them frantically talked over each other, nobody able to understand what anyone was saying. "One at a time!" Sadie added with a huff.

"We're being chased!" Vi practically screamed.

"Bitsy's gonna kill us! Can we please please please hide in here?" Anne frantically begged, her hands clasped together tightly. Sadie only stared at them as if they were hallucinating. What was she doing; time was of the essence!

"Do you really think I'm gonna let you in after the way you interrogated me earlier?! And how you left my coworker with all your groceries to put back?!" Sadie abruptly yelled, flustered and frustrated.

Kabbu did cringe at remembering how he treated Sadie earlier... oops. He completely forgot about leaving all that stuff in the shopping cart though. Nevertheless, if he were on the other side of the situation, he'd be more than compassionate enough to forgive and forget, so hopefully Sadie would too. "...Yes?" Kabbu nervously asked with a shrug.

The moment the words came out of his mouth, Sadie abruptly slammed the doors shut, her message more than clear. Vi tried to open the door, but it was locked. ...Well, there goes that. Once again, it was Kabbu's fault.

"Run!" Anne suddenly yelled. She pointed at Bitsy, the cicada having caught up with them again.

The three wasted no time in running away once more.

With the store out of the question, the three had to figure out another place to hide. After a few minutes, they found the local berry bank, which was still open. But when they asked if they could hide, Belle simply told them no, due to Kabbu destroying one of her chairs.

And when they went to Ali's house to hide, Ali yelled at them for ruining his best shelf, refusing to let them inside no matter how much they pleaded.

No matter where the three went, they were refused sanctuary. With each place they went to, it further dawned on Kabbu how many mistakes he made today, interrogating poor bugs that didn't deserve it at all. He screwed everything up, just like before.

If it weren't for the occasional break when they tried to ask someone if they could hide, Kabbu might've keeled over by now. He was so close to stopping, but that same fire from before now inspired him to keep his friends safe in a different way. If he couldn't get their berries back, he at least could make sure Bitsy wouldn't hurt them!

"We've gotta hide somewhere, all this running is gonna make me pass out!" Anne yelled, practically out of breath at this point. "What if we hid at home?" Hm... that could work-

"Are you stupid?" Vi asked incredulously. "I don't want Bitsy to know where we live!" ...Oh yeah.

"Well, then where should we go?!" Anne asked, frustrated. She nearly tripped on something but managed to keep her footing.

"The Association, duh! That place is always safe!" Vi said. Of course! Granted, Kabbu did attack Eetl earlier... but they had no other choice, did they?

Kabbu, Anne, and Vi made a beeline for the outskirts, unsure of how far behind them Bitsy was. Not wasting a second, the three ran up the flowery steps, all of them banging on the door hoping that someone would answer. They yelled for someone to let them in, and...

The door opened, but only partially. Not enough for anyone to get in, though. Eetl poked his head through, looking a mix of annoyed and confused.

"Eetl, buddy..." Kabbu tried to appeal to the fellow beetle, both of them knowing full well what happened earlier. "I-"

"No hard feelings but come back tomorrow." Eetl abruptly cut him off, starting to slowly close the door.

"But-" Vi tried.

"Tomorrow." Eetl repeated, the blue beetle trying to hurry.

"Why?!" Anne asked, desperation written all over her face.

"Busy." Was the last thing Eetl said before he slammed the door shut, cutting off their last escape route.

Kabbu couldn't blame anyone for not helping him. Why would they, after he accused them over very flimsy evidence, interrogated and attacked them for berries they didn't have, and even got to the point where he was trying to convince himself who the culprit was, even when it was extremely obvious that he was way off-track? His 'methods' only made things worse for everyone, and now he and his friends had to pay the price. ...It wouldn't be the first time.

"...I did way too much bad cop." Kabbu finally admitted. This whole thing was Anne's idea, but he blasted it way out of proportion. What started as an excuse to imitate a TV show turned into something that Kabbu took total control over, despite Anne and Vi's many protests... and he just couldn't see why until now.

"YA THINK?!" Anne screamed in exasperation. Yeah, Kabbu deserved that.

The three heard the unmistakable footsteps of Bitsy not far away, and knew they had to move. They ran down the flowery steps and back to Ant City, Bitsy on their trail.

"Come on, we've gotta hide SOMEWHERE! I can't keep running forever!" Vi yelled, visibly aching from the sheer amount of running she'd been doing.

Kabbu knew she was right, and if they didn't find a place soon, then Bitsy was gonna catch up to them, and they'd all be goners. Kabbu racked his brain, trying to think of anywhere they could hide. No, not there... maybe that place...? Nope. Or how about-

His eye snapped open, the beetle remembering where he went last night. Of course, that would be perfect!

"Follow me!" Kabbu yelled, getting to the front of the pack. He didn't check to see how far Bitsy was behind him; he just hoped that his friends still had a bit of energy left in them. Kabbu remembered the place very well, the three of them making it there within a minute or so.

The Bugaria Theater.

There was no time for them to slow down as they barged through the doors, not even knocking first. The moment all three of them were inside, Kabbu turned and slammed the door shut, taking several deep breaths before turning back around...

Seeing how he'd attracted the attention of most every other bug already in the theater, Kabbu became mildly embarrassed. There weren't many bugs here, but still! As Kabbu scanned the place, most of the bugs went back to their usual business, except for- Leif? What was he doing here?

The blue moth had a similar reaction, standing up from the seat he was in, giving the three a slightly surprised look. "Huh. Didn't know you'd come by this place." Leif said as he walked over to them. "Well anyway, we're glad you showed up. We've solved the mystery behind who stole the berries."

Kabbu's eye went wide, Vi gasping at the same time. Leif... figured it out? Leif sounded pretty confident in himself... Kabbu tried to figure out who any other possible suspects could be, but unless... Oh no.

"That's great and all, but there's much bigger problems we have to worry about-" Anne started-

"You figured it out?!" -only for Kabbu to jump in and interrupt her, flailing his arms about. If he were to be honest, Kabbu himself still wasn't 100% sure, but a sinking feeling deep within him made the beetle surer than ever... and that was what worried him most.

Leif appeared a bit taken aback by all this; the moth unsure of how to react. "Uh..." He glanced back at forth between the three of them. "Can one of you explain to us what you've been doing and what's going on?!"

It was silent for one second.

And then another.

"We're in DANGER!" Vi abruptly yelled, before she started panicking and talking in a rush, flailing her arms and pointing toward the doors. "We went back to that store and found clues but none of those clues led us anywhere and there was one clue left that led us to a cicada's house so Kabbu tried to find the berries but it didn't have them and now the cicada's gonna KILL US!"

As if on cue, the doors slowly began to open. Vi screamed, taking several steps back. Kabbu stood frozen in place; why were the doors opening so slowly? Anne hurriedly glanced around, unsure of what to do herself.

Leif groaned, rolling his eyes. "All of you, get a grip!" He prepared his ice magic, getting into a fighting stance. "If we have to fight some lunatic, then so be it!"

Anne nodded, taking the pencil off her ear and brandishing it as a weapon before getting into a stance herself. ...Leif was right! Kabbu couldn't just sit here and cower! Sure, Bitsy may be justified, but Kabbu also had every right to fight back! And besides, he'd bested much more powerful foes before, such as that darn spider!

The door opened all the way, Kabbu bracing himself to see... Zaryant? Why was she here? She was the Royal Bodyguard for Elizant II, what business could she possibly have here? And then Kabbu saw how she had her arm looped around Bitsy's struggling form, carrying the cicada as if it were nothing. ...Oh. Zaryant must've come across Bitsy and subdued it so it couldn't hurt anyone. That was a relief...

"Z-Zaryant?" Vi nearly squealed, unable to take her eyes off of Bitsy. The cicada glared at all of them, pure hatred deep within its eyes. If looks could kill, then Kabbu may as well drop dead now.

Leif called off his ice magic, seeing as how the only threat (Bitsy) was neutralized. "Why are you here?"

Zaryant let out a disappointed sigh, taking a few steps into the theater; ducking her head a little so she could fit through the door. Wow, Zaryant was one big bug! "You four." Zaryant addressed.

"I don't know what's going on with you today, or why this," Zaryant briefly looked down at Bitsy, who was squirming more than ever to try to get out of the tight hold Zaryant had on it. "Was going around trying to attack you, but I don't care. I have news on behalf of the Queen."

"You do?" Anne gasped, a smile forming on her face. What news could this be?

"Yes. It is with deep regret I report that there have been no fruitful results on research of your music box, Anne. Over the weeks we've tried, we've found nothing." Zaryant explained, her tone neutral.

Instantly, Anne deflated, her excitement shattered with nothing that could pick up the pieces. "...Oh." Disappointed, Anne looked down, dropping her pencil to the ground.

Kabbu looked away, knowing perfectly well why the research turned up nothing. It was an old, thick, unassuming book- labeled as a Calamity Box- Hiding it on his person, he swiftly exited the library- It was for the best. Kabbu hoped that another way to get Anne home would turn up; he couldn't imagine what would happen if someone else got their hands on the book or that music box. ...There weren't any other books with information on it that he hadn't found, right?

"Research is paused for now." Zaryant continued, after giving them the necessary time to digest the information. "And... we're giving you, Team Snakemouth, the go-ahead to begin the expedition to the Golden Hills. Do you need a reminder on what this expedition entails?"

Leif shook his head. "Nope. We remember." Right, it wasn't too complicated. There were rumors about another artifact located in that area. "Thank you for the heads up, Zaryant." Leif nodded, earning one in return from Zaryant.

Anne let out a loud sigh, making her feelings more than clear. Leif frowned, walking over to her before putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're sorry that they didn't find anything. If it helps, we more than understand what you're going through."

"It's fine... but thank you." Anne said, softly smiling as she turned her head toward Leif. Poor Anne and Leif... Kabbu wished there were more he could do, but alas.

"...What's with that weird mustache? And what'd you do with your hair?" Leif abruptly asked, changing the mood entirely. Anne couldn't help but get into a laughing fit over this, Leif joining her moments later. At least those two could cheer each other up...

"Oi, Zaryant!" Vi yelled, speaking up to get the large ant's attention. That was no way to speak to someone like that! "You have NO IDEA how lucky you are that you stopped Bitsy! It's a cold-blooded KILLER!" Vi practically screamed.

Kabbu let out a sigh, knowing that he couldn't let this continue any longer. If he stayed silent, then who knows what might happen to Bitsy, the poor bug... "No, Bitsy is no killer... or a thief. I have to make things right." Kabbu ripped the fake mustache off, the adhesive only giving him a slight sting as he dropped the thing to the ground.

His heart heavy, Kabbu walked up to the short cicada, it still struggling within Zaryant's grip. Well... this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. "Uh... Bitsy?" Kabbu said, getting its attention. Bitsy stopped struggling, staring at Kabbu.

"I'm sorry." Kabbu apologized. Bitsy's expression softened ever so slightly. "I shouldn't have accused you like that without any real evidence, and I shouldn't have destroyed your stuff either. You never gave me a reason not to trust you, and I... I guess I just got too carried away with all the cop stuff. I'm really, truly sorry."

Silence hung in the air, sorrow written all over Kabbu's expression. He genuinely, truly meant every word of this, and he wanted nothing more than to put this whole thing in the past. Even the idea of making someone sad just tore him apart inside, he almost couldn't handle it.

Its anger now calmed, Bitsy frowned slightly. "I should apologize as well, I guess." Bitsy said, practically hanging limp in Zaryant's hold. "I've always had trouble managing my anger, it's why I moved up here from down south. I... don't actually want to hurt you guys."

"H-How can I make it up to you?" Kabbu asked, immediately jumping at the opportunity for a new beginning with this bug. "Maybe... can I take you to lunch sometime? Or I can help fix your house up! Anything!" He wouldn't let this go to waste; he had to make sure Bitsy knew he was sorry!

"Hm..." Bitsy thought for a moment. "Lunch sounds nice. I'd like that." At last, the cicada smiled.

"Perfect! It'll all be on me." Kabbu said with a nod. "Er, Zaryant? Bitsy isn't going to hurt anyone, you can let it go." Kabbu wondered whatever happened to Bitsy's bat... oh well.

"Fine." Zaryant said, letting go of Bitsy and dropping it to the ground. Thankfully, Bitsy didn't appear harmed, getting up a few moments later. "I'm excusing myself, anyway. I have other important matters to attend to." Whatever those matters were, Kabbu would never find out as Zaryant swiftly exited the theater, making sure to shut the doors.

Well, that was one apology taken care of. Kabbu wasn't finished yet, though. He turned to Anne and Vi, getting their attention. "Anne, Vi... I'm incredibly sorry with the way I acted earlier. I took all of this way, way too far..." He wasn't sure what else to say without repeating himself.

"Eh, this isn't the first time." Vi said as she took her huge coat off, throwing it onto one of the seats. "I'm getting used to it." Used to it?!

"Totally agreed." Anne said, taking her fake mustache off as well as ruffling her hair back into place, the sticks and leaves somehow appearing in it again. "Hey, since Kabbu's gonna take Bitsy to lunch, why don't we all just go right now? All that running around has got me starved!"

"Me too!" Vi added. "I need something to eat NOW!"

"Right, lunch!" Kabbu agreed, glad to finally move on. "Bitsy, where do you-"

"Not so fast." Leif said, drawing all eyes to him. What now? "We still have to solve the mystery of who stole our berries." Oh... that was true. If Leif brought himself to the same conclusions Kabbu did, then that meant they both knew who the culprit was...

Leif slowly paced around, his eyes closed. "From the results of our investigation, and witnessing certain events that unfolded, there's only one bug that could be responsible for this..." Leif paused, opening his eyes as he extended his arm, pointing in a specific direction. "And that bug is there!"

"WHAT?!" Vi screamed in disbelief at who the culprit was, Anne gasping as well.

Kabbu stayed silent... after all, Leif was pointing directly at him. "..."

"Allow us to explain." Leif began as he lowered his arm, a confident look on his face. "It all began-"

"Yes. It was me." Kabbu said, finally accepting the truth. It hurt so much, but even if he himself didn't realize it at first, he put the pieces together eventually. ...Or maybe he didn't want to believe it at first, which was why he kept accusing, pointing fingers at bugs he knew didn't do it to try and protect his friends from the real truth. He was so ashamed of himself...

"...Um, yes." Leif said, unsure of what to say now. Did Leif not expect him to confess? "Well, that was... less dramatic than we were hoping. But whatever."

"Dude, seriously?" Anne yelled in exasperation, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay, this is the second mystery like this where it turned out you were behind it the whole time!"

"I'm sorry, Anne!" Kabbu apologized, frustrated with himself. Yes, something like this happened before with Anne's phone... Kabbu still hadn't fully forgiven himself for that one. "I guess... I just wasn't thinking." He glanced at Vi, looking away again when he saw the not-so-happy expression on her face.

"Please, explain everything that happened." Leif said, an understanding look on his face.

Kabbu nodded, preparing himself. With the truth out, he recalled everything ever so clearly now.

…

It was late last night. Very late, at this time most everyone would be sleeping. Sure, Kabbu would be asleep at this point as well, but sometimes he just had a hard time sleeping. Even when he wasn't worrying over what would happen next in Suspicion Island or anything about the Calamity Box, he still found it... difficult.

Well, if he couldn't sleep, he might as well walk around a bit! Exiting the house while making sure not to wake his friends up, Kabbu walked around, trying to find a place that would still be open this late. The red moon sure shined bright tonight!

There was a place that Kabbu knew was open all the time, and it wasn't too far from the house... the Bugaria Theater! Sure, the next play wouldn't be for a few days, but Kabbu hadn't been here for a while, and there was no rule against mingling! Kabbu opened one of the doors, walking inside... there weren't many bugs here at this hour, but there was something that caught Kabbu's eye almost immediately.

Kabbu made his way to a short, stout moth named Fuzzo; this bug was part of the same traveling caravan that Huscada and Cricketly were in. Fuzzo went off on his own sometimes though, which was why he was rarely seen with them, but that wasn't the point. Fuzzo had something that Kabbu knew he needed from the moment he laid his eye on it.

A Bug Rangers plushie. More specifically, a limited edition print of the green Bug Ranger! Only ten of them were ever made! More than anything else in the entire world, Kabbu needed that plush, it was practically a collector's item!

"Forty berries." That was Fuzzo's price. Nothing less than that for a fan like Kabbu. It was a steep price, but he was willing to pay anything for it... If he had the necessary amount of berries on him. He didn't.

No! He had to get this tonight! What if someone else like Robertius swooped in and bought the plushie first?! Then Kabbu would likely lose his chance forever! ...He really, really needed this, no matter what.

He just had to get back to the house to grab some extra berries, and then he'd be right back. Kabbu told Fuzzo to hold the plushie for him, Fuzzo thankfully agreeing as Kabbu practically raced back to the house, only remembering at the last second that everyone else was asleep as he silently unlocked the door and tip-toed inside. Now, where could those berries be...

He had to find some in the dark; he couldn't turn on the lights and wake everyone up, and at the same time he needed to be quick about it. ...Without thinking, Kabbu pulled open a few drawers, not realizing which ones he was opening. There they were! A whole bunch of berries! Kabbu grabbed them at random, calculating the amount in his head before he closed the drawer as quietly as he could, sneaking out of the house with the berries.

Just like that, without even knowing it, Kabbu became the thief. He couldn't see that it was Vi's specific berry stash, but he still took from it anyway without her permission. He used the berries to buy the Bug Rangers plush, going back to the house and finally falling asleep, cuddling the plush in his arms.

And that was the whole truth.

…

After recounting everything as accurately as he could, Kabbu was close to tears, almost outright crying. How could he have done all this? "I'm sorry, everyone." In the span of only one day, he stole Vi's berries, accused pretty much everyone else in town of doing it, and destroyed someone's house to the point it looked like a natural disaster happened inside it! Did he deserve forgiveness for this?

Leif sighed. "Kabbu, it's fine." He shook his head. "We're not mad, but we are glad to have solved the mystery. We'll let it go... if you let us have that plush sometimes, of course." Leif said. If that was all it took...

"I'm not mad anymore. It was surprising, but again, this isn't the first time." Vi said, crossing her arms. "I mean you could've asked first, but whatever. You better pay me back at some point." Despite Vi's glare, Kabbu knew she wasn't really too angry. The first moment he could, he'd pay her back.

"Yeah, it's not really a big deal." Anne added with a shrug. "If it was some random person that stole our berries, I'd be furious! But since it's you, I totally understand. Plus, I may have rooted through my mom's purse for a few extra dollars once or twice..." Anne looked away. That was going to have to be a whole conversation later, but Kabbu ignored that for now.

It was as if a huge, enormous weight was lifted off the beetle's chest, hearing how compassionate his friends were. "Thank you all for forgiving me. I am extremely grateful to have friends like you in my life." Venus knows Kabbu wouldn't trade them for anything else in the world, not even the Bug Rangers plushie.

He felt... at peace. Calm, that even with his numerous mistakes, his friends were still willing to forgive and forget. ...But would that last forever?

"Um..." Bitsy cut in, silently listening this whole time. "Can we go eat lunch now? Please?" it asked, glancing toward the door.

"Sure." Vi answered with a shrug. "If we stand around any longer then it's not even gonna be lunchtime anymore!" What was that meal in between lunch and dinner? Brunch?

"Well, it appears everything's been resolved. We're glad that this whole matter is over with now." Leif said. "And yes, we could use lunch. Investigating gave us an empty stomach."

And with that, there was no point in staying in the theater anymore. Team Snakemouth and Bitsy left the place, talking and mingling amongst themselves on where to go for lunch, the mood mostly lifted.

Kabbu still felt... a little guilty, and not just about the whole disaster today. With the research turning up nothing, would Anne keep turning to the Calamity Box as a resource for going home? What would happen if she dug deeper, potentially finding out the secrets hidden within? And what would happen on the expedition to the Golden Hills?

...As much as Kabbu wanted to worry, he forced himself to push those thoughts aside, focusing on what he'd be eating for lunch.