Susumu didn't trust himself to go home after the meeting; he didn't want to make excuses to go out after dinner to his mom in person. He was pretty good at spinning the truth, but he knew the day he looked into his mother's eyes and straight up lied to her he'd lose something important. So he texted his mom about a last minute practice session with his band (which didn't exist, but it was his go-to excuse for Children business) that would run extra late and found an out of the way park to kill some time with guitar practice. He arrived at the meeting point lost in thought, but perked right up when he saw that his comrades were already here.

As he watched Yuki transform, his face broke into a grin, and the sound of a distant guitar riff cut through the air. He slowly reached for his own Amulet, and as he did the music got louder. When he made contact, the ground seemed to rumble, and Susumu was engulfed in a harsh red glow that erupted from below. The phantom guitar got even louder, and a disembodied singer joined in.

<Lock up your daughter!>

The words weren't Japanese, but English, a harsh voice challenging the world at large. Susumu laughed jauntily as his prim and proper school top flayed away, replaced by a black sports jacked patched with a riot of colours. The sleeves and hems were frayed, but the buttons shined like gold teeth.

<Lock up your wife!>

His hair, normally frizzy and short, lengthened and puffed out, spiking up like he'd just stuck a fork in an electrical socket. It turned a deep shade of electric blue that went right down to the root. The colour clashed horribly with the red aura surrounding him, and was all the more distinctive for it.

<Lock up your backdoor, and run for your life!>

Susumu's pants changed from matte to shiny black leather, and shiny studs began appearing with a metallic groan, like they were being seared on with a branding iron. Chains erupted from the heaving earth, and wrapped themselves around his leg and waist, and drew themselves taut. When they seemed about to pull Susumu into the earth, he wrenched his lower body, and the chains snapped like cheap rubber bands. The ends attached themselves to his shoes as the music got even louder.

<The man is back in town!>

With a ostentatious crescendo, Susumu pulled an unreal-looking electric guitar from thin air, and the music and lights cut out, leaving him silent and lit with a pale glow that pulsed to some silent inner beat. It was utterly over the top, utterly absurd, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm ready."