"I took this battle shot with a telephoto lens~"

"Whoa, the Neighbour's huge!"

"Did you hear that Border recruited her boyfriend?"

"For real?! Wow!"

"I wanna join Border too! 'Trigger, on'!"

"Yeah right."

"Don't bother."

I tapped my pencil against the edge of my desk impatiently, waiting for the teacher to get here. I had begun counting to ten, just as something hit me in the back of the head, making me jolt forward in my seat.

"Ha, you were supposed to catch that!"

"Man, you suck."

"Give it back!" I heard someone plead from behind me, voice overshadowed by the others.

"Hey four eyes, fork it over." One of the bullies said to me lowly, attempting to look threatening.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eyes, before tossing the pencil case to the victim with a roll of my eyes.

"Look after your belongings better," I advised, turning in my chair to completely ignore the three bullies.

Two of them walked up behind my desk, one of them whistling an annoying tune. "Soooo cool~"

"Man, what a downer." The other mumbled, the threat in his voice going in one ear and out the other as I continued to ignore their presence.

"Where's the teacher?" A girl asked someone from the front of the class, unknowingly voicing my thoughts.

"I bet she's taking care of the transfer student." Another responded nonchalantly, much to my surprise.

'We're getting a new student? Wait, why now? It's nearing exams soon, it'll be such a pain for them…'

"Nobody transfers into Mikado city." Someone in the front pointed out to the boy behind him.

His friend leaned over with a grin as if sharing a secret. "I can see people transferring out. Maybe they're in Border?"

'…I hope not. If they were, the class would never shut up.' I thought with a sigh, yet with my head resting in my arms, no one else could see the curious glimmer in my eyes.

'I wonder what they look like…?'

"I'm Kuga Yuma! I may be short, but I'm 15 years old! Apologies for my tardiness!" The white-haired boy spoke cheerfully, giving a lazy bow to the class.

I was rather amazed by how short he was, but the colour of his hair stood out most to me. It was quite striking, and honestly, memorable. I suppose first impressions really do mean a lot.

"He's been living overseas," Mizunuma-Sensei began. "It's his first time in Japan, so let's all help him out."

"Is he foreign?" A girl whispered to her friend not far from me.

Her friend beside her shook her head. "No, he just lived abroad."

"Hey, teacher!" One of the bullies called out from behind me, and I fought to keep my head from turning his way. "He's wearing a ring! Isn't that against school rules?" His voice was taunting, and frankly, I was surprised neither of the teachers lectured him for the tone. Instead, he turned to Kuga.

"A ring…?" He mumbled, before finally getting a good look at the black band that slipped around Kuga's finger perfectly.

"Oh, right." Mizunuma-Sensei pointed to his hand. "Accessories are a no-no."

"Take it off. Now." Moribayashi-Sensei stated bluntly, his volume preventing him from hearing the snickering coming from the back of the room. "I'll hold on to it."

"What?" Kuga's expression tensed almost comically, as he stared up at the teacher with indignation. "I can't."

I stifled a snicker as quickly as I could, just as Moribayashi's face screwed up with shock.

"What do you mean?! Hand it over!" He said as strictly as he could manage.

"No, I mean it. For real." Kuga countered with a somewhat lax tone, although I could see an underlying hint of panic in his body language.

"Accessories are forbidden! Those are the rules! You have to follow these rules to attend this school!" Moribayashi yelled, clearly believing he had won this argument.

"What!?" Kuga yelled, turning to the door with a forlorn expression as he slumped over. "I'll give up then… Sorry for the trouble…"

"HUH!? Hey—Wait, hold on here!"

"Teacher…" I interrupted in a bored tone, a hint of impatience mixed in. Acting like I was bored all the time made me feel less nervous than I actually was. "Kuga-san's ring is obviously important… There must be a reason…?"

"A reason?" He repeated, attention drawn off of Kuga for a moment, much to his relief.

I heard a sneer from behind me. "Four eyes again."

"Little miss perfect hero."

My eye twitched violently underneath my glasses, but no one seemed to take notice.

"What is this ring, anyway?" Moribayashi mumbled, adjusting his glasses.

"It's a memento of my father," Kuga said clearly, staring Moribayashi right in the eyes.

"Teacher~" The guy behind me piped up once more. "The comic book you confiscated yesterday was a memento of my grandpa!"

"And that video game last week!" Said his friend from beside him, their annoying voices echoing in my ears.

Moribayashi scoffed as he turned back to Kuga. "What a ridiculous lie! Hand it over right now!"

"What?" Kuga's expression grew serious, and unknown to most in the classroom, his eyes grew dark as he stared unflinchingly into Moribayashi's. "I'm not lying."

A shiver went down my spine, similar to the teacher as he backed away with a pale complexion. "F-fine... if you say so... Mizunuma-san, a moment please...!"

"O-oh!" She forcefully swept away the startled emotions that were clear on her face, before turning to address the class. "Study hall everyone! Mikumo, help Kuga get settled please!"

"Eh?" I asked. "Why? I have better things to do."

"Mikumo."

"Fine, fine..." I groaned dramatically before standing up to face the short, white-haired kid at my desk.

"Nice to meet you," I mumbled reluctantly, holding out a hand to shake.

Kuga grinned. "Nice to meet you." He returned, shaking my hand as he sat down.

-0-

A tap of paper against flesh rung out in the classroom.

I moved my head almost unnoticeably, along with Kuga who had turned to glance at the force nonchalant boys sitting behind us.

We turned back towards the front, yet once again, a wad of paper was thrown at the back of Kuga's head.

We tried to ignore it a few more times, however, after the seventh time, Kuga caught a ball in his hand and stood up to face them.

"Say. What's this? What's your point?"

The three boys took a glance at him as they snickered lowly. "'What's this'? It's just a greeting. A Japanese welcome." The leader sneered, and I kept myself still as Kuga's eyes grew dark once again.

"I see."

He scrunched up the paper even further, until it was half of its original size and fit into the crook of his hand, his thumb drawn back to flick.

"A 'Japanese welcome', huh?"

He lashed out with his finger, allowing the paper to flash forward at an impossible speed, and slam into the guy's forehead.

To everyone's astonishment, the boy grunted as his chair fell backwards, landing him on the floor pitifully.

His two friends stood up defensively. "Hey, what was that?!"

Kuga grinned, laidback, hand not falling down from its flicking position.

"Wasn't that just 'a Japanese welcome'?"

I stifled a snicker along with everyone else in the class.

'Honestly, they had that coming to them.'

The boy grabbed Kuga's collar and held him up threateningly, face twisted into a ferocious scowl. "Do you want to fight, shrimp?!"

"C'mon, don't make up stupid lies. Do you wanna be my friend, or not?"

"You—!"

"Hey, we're still in class!" Mizunuma-sensei lectured from the door, getting everyone's attention. "Back to your seats!"

The three boys growled, but Kuga only shrugged and sat back down, slouching and relaxing immediately.

-0-

"You shouldn't mess with them like that."

Kuga turned with a puzzled expression, bag slung over his arm lazily. "What do you mean by that?"

I shrugged. "You shouldn't make small talk like that with them. Either you shut up and obey the bullies, or you crush them so badly that they're too scared to even go near you. Only one is gonna help you, but the law says that you shouldn't fight back, or it 'makes you no better than them'." I elaborated with quotations, a bitter frown on my face.

He seemed even more confused with the explanation. "But if you don't fight back, they'll never leave you alone. It's common sense."

"You know, you'd think that," I added on with a grin. "But the Government just seems intent on protecting everyone that doesn't deserve it, huh?"

He paused for a moment, footsteps only faltering for a moment.

"...I suppose."

"Hey, shrimp."

We turned instantly at the threatening, gravelly voice.

"Let's take a walk." One boy 'suggested'.

"Not like you have a choice." Another clarified directly afterwards.

"Sure thing!" Kuga agreed easily, already walking along.

I stepped up right behind them, much to their displeasure.

"Eh...? Four eyes, go home and clean your damn glasses or something."

"Yeah, you're not invited!" Another taunted.

I dimly recognize the feeling of me shrugging. "Sorry, but Mizunuma-sensei told me to make sure he settled in fine. I'll have to come with you guys. Besides, I like the kid and I wanna make sure he's alright."

The leader of the group grinned menacingly, with a hint of irritation mixed in. "You know, useless four-eyes that can't fight back should usually stay out of the damn way."

'Oh, he thinks I'll be going down easy.'

'...I don't mind standing strong through millions of punches if there's someone else around. I've only stayed quiet because I've always been alone, you know?'

-0-

"What the hell?!"

I moved to the right, dodging a punch to my stomach. "Sorry, but you're a little slow," I mentioned nonchalantly.

I felt someone hit me in the back of the head, and I dizzily dodged a kick to my torso again.

"Ganging up on a girl... this is kinda unfair, don't you think?"

"That's part of how fights work...?" Kuga pointed out confusedly. "And why'd you follow me anyways, four eyes?"

I'm starting to hate that nickname.

"I know it's how fights work," I grumbled tiredly, moving away from another punch. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

I tried to ignore the burning in my lungs and the way my breaths came in short.

"Anyways!" I said loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Don't you get that we've gone into the forbidden zone? This is restricted, only Border can go through here."

I was interrupted as a kick came very close to my face.

"We know what the sign says. Do you think we can't read? Huh?!" He droned on irritatedly, eyes narrowed at me.

"It's deserted, that's the point! What, aren't you gonna scream for mommy or something?!"

'My mother would beat you all with a stick and a hand behind her back five times to Friday.' I thought as my eye twitched, trying to ignore the fist that came very close to hitting my nose.

"Your friend's in trouble. Why don't you help her out?" The bully pointed out to Kuga with a smirk.

Said teen only blinked, honestly confused.

"Help her? Why? Four eyes decided to stick her neck into this, why should I do anything about it?"

I internally agreed with the decision, although that didn't stop a tinge of disgruntlement making it into my expression.

The guy cackled hysterically after a beat of silence. "Wow, this guy is so heartless! You've just been dumped, he's inhuman!"

My eyes widened as the guy reached out to grab a pipe that was abandoned in the wreckage.

"Though as mad as I am at four eyes... I'm way angrier at you!" He screamed while swinging down the bar towards Kuga's head.

Kuga caught the hand holding the pipe instantly, and as if it were in slow motion, I saw every second as Kuga lifted up his leg, and brutally smashed the bones in the bully's foot.

I barely registered the sound of him screaming in pain as Kuga tossed the pipe away.

"Is it my turn now...? Or maybe, is it over?"

His eyelids parted slightly, and his eerie red eyes made everyone, myself included, freeze where we stood.

In the open silence as I tried to get a grip on how to breathe, a loud alarm rang out with an ear-splitting shriek from the nearby building that sheltered the company 'Border'.

"GATE DETECTED. COORDINATES MARGIN OF ERROR: 7.66."

I stared up at the sky in horror, screams of fear echoing from around me as the boys scrambled to their feet to run away.

"THOSE IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA SHOULD EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION."

A black hole opened up, and a monster tumbled out from just above our heads.

-0-

"IT'S A NEIGHBOUR! RUN!"

I gasped in surprise, standing still as the monster tipped its head up to the sky as if to howl.

"Oh good, it's going the other way." Kuga nonchalantly stated, picking up our bags and slinging them over his shoulders. "Let's get outta here, four-eyes."

I was about to begin running with him, but a weak whimper reached my ears.

"W-wait…! My f-foot!"

I turned back with a sharp inhale, the first bully lying on the ground with his hand outstretched as if to be helped up by an invisible force. He attempted to crawl further away, but the Neighbour swooped down and clamped down on his legs with its jaw.

The boy let out a shrill scream, his friends running away not far behind as they began squealing like characters from a horror movie.

I clicked my tongue before running off his direction with a scowl plastered on my face.

"I'm going to help them!" I yelled back at a baffled Kuga. "Take my bag for me, I'll meet up with you later!"

"Hey! It's their own fault, they went into the forbidden zone!"

I ignored his(perfectly logical)reasoning.

"Why are you going to help them?!"

I grit my teeth.

"It's cause I'm a moron!"

-0-

A leg batted me to the side easily, sending me crashing into a building.

The force knocked the wind out of me, and black spots erupted in my vision.

-0-

"Hey." A voice buzzed through the white noise filling my brain.

I could see a blurry form of the white-haired boy in front of me, a black shroud fading away to reveal his school uniform.

"You ok, four-eyes…. Mori?"

It took me a moment to answer.

"I… I think I cracked something...?" I wheezed. "And I…. can s-see that… you're not what you seem, huh?"

He shrugged. "I'll explain later. Though you charged in there all cool and stuff, but… you're really weak."

"Shut it." I gasped for air as he helped me up. "I did say I was a moron."

I felt something shifting in my ribs, the jostle cutting me off as I hissed in pain.

"Oh…. I definitely wrecked something… Ow…."

"The others got away, in case you were wondering."

I focused on keeping my breathing regular, slightly thankful for the small talk he was indulging in. "So… was that a—" I took a deep breath. "… A Trigger. I think that's what it was, right…? Are you in Border?"

"I'm not in Border." He denied. "This is my dad's Trigger. My late dad. 'If I die, go to Japan. My friend is in an agency called Border'. That's what he told me… So I came here."

I nodded, hissing out a weak hey I'm gonna lean on you. Thankfully, he supported my arm swung over his shoulder without much protest. "I see… I wonder if he was illegally sold a Trigger like…."

I pushed the thought of my old tutor out of my head. It wouldn't solve anything to sulk now.

"Nope." I got the feeling that if his hands were free, he'd be waving one dismissively. "In the other world, Triggers are everywhere. So I'm what you call a Neighbour, hm?"

And at that statement, I nearly fainted.

-0-

"What do you mean you're a Neighbour?!" I whisper yelled, the two of us walking along the sidewalk. "Neighbours are those giant monster things… According to Border, anyways."

"Uh, no." Kuga shot down immediately. "That one was a Trion soldier, a puppet created by Neighbours. The Neighbours who live on the other side of the gates… are people, like us."

I was about to protest at his abundance of knowledge, but the sharp inhale made a wave of pain erupt from my ribs.

"Whoa, whoa, don't push yourself." He chided with a carefree tone. "But I had nothing to do with that one. There are all sorts of people on the other side."

"…So it's just like over here… Some bad people, s-some are alright… huh, when you put it like that, it makes sense."

"Right? Anyways… If you really are this uninformed about this, maybe Border isn't what I thought…? My dad said it's sort of, a bridge between worlds. So to say."

I shook my head furiously. "Border is an organization created to kill Neighbours!" I hissed. "They protect the city and kill anything that comes out of those gates, if they know that you're a Neighbour, they'll send B-ranks—no, maybe even A-ranks to hunt you down! And that's not counting the fact that you apparently have a Trigger!"

"Huh…?" He places a hand on his chin. "That could be problematic… Also, it's very different from what my dad told me… All right." He bumped a hand into his fist before cross his arms. "Forget everything I just said. I'm not a Neighbour. I'm very Japanese!"

I screamed internally in frustration, but only sighed.

"You know, if they know I'm collaborating with a Neighbour, I'll be in danger too."

He tilted his head with a smirk. "It's a good thing I'm not a Neighbour, huh?"

That's not the point I wanted to scream in his face but refrained.

"…You don't know anything about Japan though. It's suspicious, to be frank."

'I can go along with his lie for now. It's not like I'm in Border, it's not my job to kill or report him. To me, he's just a foreigner.'

"Wait a minute." He lifted a hand to his stomach as a loud growling noise echoed. "I'm hungry."

"I'll treat you to some food. As thanks for saving me."

"But I have some Japanese money, I haven't used any yet." He protested.

"You don't know the currency around here." I shot back. "I know that if I suddenly got dropped in America, I wouldn't know how much everything costs. Trust me, I'll tell you how it works later when we're not out in the open for Border to find."

He thought for a moment, before seemingly making his decision. "Alright then. Teach me about how Japan works, Mori. If I know more about it, I might assimilate better. Right?"

'…. My life has officially hit rock bottom.'

"Alright." I conceded. "I'll teach you about Japan. But in return, you need to listen to what I say, alright?"

"Great! Thanks a lot!"

-0-

"Listen Kuga. Don't tell anyone what happened yesterday. That we got attacked by a Neighbour… and don't tell a soul that you're a Neighbour yourself."

He nodded along.

"Whatever you do, don't stand out in a way that draws Border's attention to us."

He took a bite of his lunch.

"Don't injure people beyond repair if they haven't made a move to hurt you. And don't use your Trigger."

"That's a pretty suffocating life." He objected(Finally). "But, if you say so… I'll go along with it."

"Hey, what the heck is going on?"

I cringed at the obnoxious voice filtering through my ears.

"There're so~ many people up here!"

"Who gave you permission to use the roof? Huh?!"

"The three idiots from yesterday. You'd think nothing happened to them." Kuga commented, prying a thermos open.

"You guys first years?"

"Did you eat your lunch up here? Was it good?"

I heard someone stammering in-between their words.

"You owe us a roof usage fee. 500 yen each."

"There's a rule like that?" Kuga asked.

"Of course not." I protested irritatedly. I made a move to get up but hissed in pain as the movement jostled my bruised ribs. Thankfully I had taped an Icepack to the bruised area to keep down the swelling, but it didn't stop it from stinging.

"Hey, don't get up." Kuga patted my shoulder casually.

"I'm a moron." I only offered as an excuse but paused in the movement to get up anyway. "But we need to get by them, I have to get up anyway."

He wrapped up his lunch, grabbing mine for me, much to my gratitude. "Are you sure I can't beat them up?"

"I'd prefer you not." I weakly commented, but shouldn't quite hold back my joy at the thought of them getting what they deserved.

Though Kuga seemed to know what I was thinking and sent me a small smirk.

"Seems even the law-abiding four-eyes wants to punch them in the face, huh?"

I didn't answer, but coughed uncomfortably.

Kuga dropped the topic and sighed in boredom. "Japan is so nice to bad guys."

Kuga stomped down his foot, sending a shockwave over the area. I almost tipped over, but he offered a shoulder for me to lean on.

"Sorry, but…"

Kuga grinned loftily at the shell shocked bully.

"Can you step aside?"

-0-

"That was pretty peaceful, right?" He gestured to the door as we walked away from the stairs. "I didn't hit him."

He seemed almost proud of the fact.

"I guess it was…" I conceded reluctantly, taking my lunch box from his hand. "Can we go to sit down somewhere else? My ribs hurt again."

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" He questioned, and is that a hint of worry I hear?

"I'll be fine." I evaded, sitting down on a desk in the nearby empty class. "It's just bruised, I think. Should just be careful for now, or else I'll make it worse."

"Man, I sure was lucky that you're the first person I told about being a Neighbour." He gave me a carefree smile. "If I had told anyone else, I would've been swarmed by Border agents by now!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I hissed with a small tint of red on my cheeks from embarrassment. "I'm not a very good person you know. Can't even muster up the motivation to fight properly, and I run into danger like a moron. You would've been better off on your own, and judging by how little you know about the earth, that's saying something."

His expression melted into something more serious, but a loud siren cut him off from saying more.

"WARNING. WARNING. A GATE IS OPENING IN THE CITY. PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. I REPEAT, A GATE IS OPENING. PLEASE EVACUATE AT ONCE."

My head snapped towards the side, and I stared through the window in horror.

"Neighbours outside of the emergence area?! What's going on, why can't Border just do their job?"

"Huh, two Marmods," Kuga observed, referring to the two Trion soldiers craving through the gate.

"Why is a gate opening so far from the base?!"

We swung open the door to the classroom, intent on evacuating with the rest of the school.

"Do we have everyone?!"

We turned to the new voice, seeing Moribayashi-sensei along with another school staff member.

"This side is done, but the south wing…!"

-0-

"South wing it is?" Kuga asked with a knowing glance to me. "You can't even move without more pain, have you even thought about how you're going to do this?"

"I'm a moron." I only responded, sweat dripping from my forehead.

"Marmods are Trion battle soldiers." Kuga droned on, jogging beside me. "They're not like Bamsters, who specialize in capture. Without a Trigger, you will die."

"I'm not gonna run into the battle without a plan." I cut in with a wince. "But if I have a plan to help anyone, I'm going without a word. but for now, let's stay at the entrance and see if everyone gets out."

"We're pretty far from the Border base," Kuga commented. "It'll take too long for anyone to get here, but it won't help anyone if you charge in without a weapon."

We stood outside the building under attack, my thoughts running a mile an hour as I tried to formulate a plan that could get everyone out alright.

'Kuga could beat them though.'

My blood froze in my veins.

'—No. Even with his Trigger, I told him not to use it. I won't go back on my word.'

Suddenly, a voice from inside the building resounded.

"TRIGGER ON!"

Our heads snapped up in disbelief.

"There's a Border agent here?" Kuga raised his voice slightly over the chaos.

I saw a flash of white clothing through the smoke in the windows.

'No, that's a C-Rank! They're only at a trainee level! He's not nearly strong enough to take out a Trion soldier, much less a combat oriented one if Kuga's telling the truth! They'll be killed with no battle experience!'

A plan formed itself in my mind.

"Kuga," I spoke up, not looking at Kuga. "Sorry."

"Hm?" He turned to me, but I shot off like a bullet towards the building, much to his astonishment.

-0-

"EEK!"

A large claw-like appendage ripped through a window, hitting the wall beside the students.

The C-Rank student aimed their Scorpion at the claw and ripped it off with a cocky smirk.

'Border is sure to promote me if I can take down these Neighbours! I've been stuck at C-Rank for months...'

He thrust the Scorpion at the Neighbours head, knocking it down to ground level yet doing no damage.

'…but with this, they'll have no choice, but to accept my brilliance!'

"Everyone, evacuate!" He yelled at the stunned students. "I'll take down these pesky Neighbours, you go tell the teachers I'm killing them!"

The students brushed off the initial surprise and bolted to the stairs. He gave another overconfident smirk and lifted his blade to block the Marmod's arm that swung at him.

Much to the C-Rank's surprise, the force shattered the fragile Scorpion blade, and knocked him through the wall and caught him off balance.

"Damn Neighbour!" He yelled, but as he lifted his head, a claw stabbed him straight through the chest.

He gasped in surprise, and Trion flowed from the wound like black, gaseous blood. The Trion body exploded in an instant, leaving the overconfident teen in his flesh and blood body.

The shock of being 'killed' had knocked him unconscious though, and the Trion soldier loomed over him, intent on killing the fly in its way.

"Goddamnit!"

Just as the Marmod swung down, a body swiftly grabbed the teen and dragged him out of the way, hissing in pain the entire way.

"Ow, ow ow, ow, ow, FUCK!"

Mori dropped the C-Rank like a rock as soon as they were out of the way, and she reached up to grasp at her ribs.

"Fuck, I have to move!"

She bent down and grasped the abandoned Trigger on the ground.

'I've got a plan. After all, to fight a Trion soldier, you need a weapon, right?'

"Trigger…. on!"

-0-

"COMMENCE TRIGGER ACTIVATION. SCAN ACTIVATOR'S BODY. GENERATE COMBAT FORM. EXCHANGE PHYSICAL BODY WITH COMBAT FORM. DEPLOY MAIN ARMOUR."

A thin blade formed in my hands, the pain from my ribs flying away like it never existed.

"TRIGGER ACTIVATION COMPLETE."

"All right." I took a deep breath. "This is a horrible idea."

The Marmod swung at me, and I ducked to the side, just like I always have.

'Dodging is really all I'm good at. It's easy to move away when you can see every attack as clear as day.'

I dodged another claw and another from the other side.

'It's way too fast though. This blade is too light to block anything I'd bet… I have to kill it quickly.'

I jumped towards the Marmod in a blur of motion throwing the blade back as it reared it claws back to swing at me.

I jumped swiftly, my agility boosted by the new body constructed by Trion. I sliced the front legs off and twisted the blade around to catch itself on a groove in the back of hits shell.

"Hup!"

I reared back the blade, and thrust the blade straight downwards to made a clean stab into the eyeball like sphere in its 'mouth'.

Black mist flew from the wound like a wildfire, and the legs abruptly stopped working and let the body drop like a stone.

"Whoa!" I shrieked as the movement threw me off balance. "Man, that was crazier than I thought! Triggers apparently make your body lighter and stronger, but I wasn't expecting that!"

"Hey!"

I turned towards the source, seeing Kuga just down the hall as he pointed to my right.

"The second one is crawling back up!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two more claws slice forward towards my head from the window.

I flinched back, instinctively covering my eyes, but Kuga flung his arm out towards me and a shield appeared in front of me, taking the blades without much resistance.

I gasped and swung the blade back without any hesitation, and as soon as the shield went down, stabbed the thin blade into the head where I assumed the eye was located.

The blow blew up its head and caused it to crash back to the ground.

The Trigger's Trion body collapsed from around me, and I dropped to the ground as the pain from my ribs crashed into me in an instant.

There was a drawn out silence between the two of us, my exhausted panting the only noise around.

-0-

"We don't make a bad team." I finally muttered with a grin. "You should have your own Trion soldier to fight next time though."

He slowly turned to give me a grin. "Maybe. And I'm sorry for underestimating you, four-eye— no, Mori. Those were some amazing moves."

I laughed loudly in return, tears springing to my eyes as pain exploded in my side.

-0-

"That was quite the battle."

I flinched in surprise, before wincing in pain. A black blob floated out of Kuga's ring.

"What the heck is that?!"

"Talking to someone other than me, Replica? That's rare." Kuga spoke at the same time as me.

"Indeed. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mikumo Mori. My name is Replica, I am Yuma's chaperone."

"Chaperone…?"

"Nice to meet you," Replica repeated, a touch more casually.

Kuga waved his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, he won't bite."

'Is it… a Trion soldier…? Kuga did say they were created by humanoid Neighbours…'

"Thank you for helping Yuma out. In return, I'll answer your questions about Trion and Triggers."

"What's Trion?" I began bluntly, feeling slightly out of the loop.

"Trion is a Trigger's biological power source. Trion is created in an invisible organ called the Trion gland. It is not known in this world, but mankind all possess one next to their heart. However, there are differences in Trion gland function… just as there are individual variations in strength and reflexes." He answered promptly, brushing aside my bluntness.

"The gland's function is directly related to Trigger power. Everyone has different Trion values… so you would not get the same results if Yuma were to also use the Trigger from that Border agent."

"Trion is super important, but I don't think that was why you were super strong against that Trion soldier," Kuga added with a frown, arms casually crossed. "Your reflexes were unnatural, and that was… a pretty decent fight for someone using a Trigger for the first time—"

"My eyes are pretty good." I deadpanned. "And don't you dare comment on the irony of the glasses, or I will demolish you, bruised ribs or not."

"—I think you have a pretty high Trion level. Maybe just above average for a standard fighter…?"

I shrugged. "I'm more lost than you are. Anyways, we need to carry this idiot C-Rank out of the building, can you help me out?"

-0-

"There they are!"

Kuga and I had one arm each slung over our shoulders, the C-Rank's legs being dragged along the ground awkwardly with Kuga's height difference.

"They're safe!" Someone cheered, although most seemed baffled that we were the ones carrying the supposed 'Border agent'.

"There were two people that fell behind!"

"Are you three alright?!" Mizunuma-sensei asked worriedly, checking the two of us over for injuries.

"He fell unconscious." I filled in quickly. "The two of us are fine, we just—"

I was cut off as a hoard of students swept over us, stealing the Border-trainee from our hands and carrying the unconscious body over to a nearby ambulance. All of the students followed, and as soon as we told the teachers that we were fine, they left as well.

-0-

There was a small silence between the three of us, despite the loud clamouring in the background as people praised the unconscious body of the overconfident C-Rank.

"Shame he's getting the credit." I heard Replica speak up from… Somewhere near Kuga.

"Oh, there'll be no credit." I snorted, the pain from my ribs dulling the more I took deep breaths. "He used a trainee Trigger without permission. As soon as Border gets word of this, he'll be sent off to be swiftly dealt punishment."

"Hm… I suppose that's reasonable. After all, he could have gotten himself killed." Kuga reasoned with himself, a hand on his chin.

-0-

Someone wearing red leapt from a nearby rooftop, gaining everyone's attention as their boots thudded loudly against the ground.

"What's this…? It's over already?! What's going on?!"

My wide eyes took in the sight of the squad symbol on their jackets, five stars in a coat of arms shape proudly contrasting against red.

"Arashiyama squad…!" I murmured in shock, Kuga standing clueless next to me.

"Border agents?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

"They're the ranking No. 5 squad. Super popular, typically the ones that show up on TV." I filled in hurriedly, not once taking my eyes away from them.

"Sorry, we're late! Is anyone hurt?!"

"There was one that fell unconscious. They've been sent to the hospital to be checked up, but they're fine! You must be relieved, huh?" The teacher cheered, strangely not mentioning the Border agent by name.

Arashiyama sighed in relief, clueless to the reason why he should be relieved. "Thank goodness… Everyone made it out alright! But then…"

Arashiyama glanced at the fallen Trion soldier, and Kuga and I shared a nervous look.

"Who in the world… did this?!"

"There was a Border agent here!" One of the kids called out excitedly.

"They didn't tell anyone that they were part of Border, but man, once they took out that Trigger… Those Neighbours were done for!"

Tokieda Mitsuru gathered the students and led them away from the scene, and Kuga and I made to follow before a hand landed itself on my shoulder and a harsh voice startled me.

"Not so fast, C-Rank agent."

The poisonous tone made me flinch, not in pain this time, as we whirled around to face the person speaking.

Narrowed dark eyes bore into me.

'Kitora…Ai?'

"What do you think you're doing, using a trainee Trigger outside of training? And without permission, no less?!"

My mind blanked.

"Uh. I'm sorry, what?"

"The trainee Trigger in your hand." She scowled viciously, and suddenly, I was very aware of the coolness of the technology in my hand.

"Um, no, you see—!"

"Kitora, she saved the lives of the students," Arashiyama interjected. "If she hadn't stepped up, people may have died!"

"She might have died herself." Kitora shot back haughtily. "The decision was completely out of line, and she should suffer the consequences for disobeying the rules."

"Wait, stop, I can explain—!"

"Be quiet. You've already ruined the situation enough!"

My jaw audibly clicked shut, and Arashiyama frowned. "You don't need to go that far..."

"I—"

"Shut up." Her tone was more poisonous this time, and I wilted under her furious glare instantly. Kuga scowled at the visible decline of my attitude.

"We're only alive because of her. Would you have preferred that she left us to die, especially when you were so late to the party?"

'What is he doing?! I didn't do anything, and now they're even more certain that I'm the damn C-rank!'

Kitora tilted her head to the side with a smirk. "Rule-breakers must be punished. Sure, she saved you all, but there was a chance she would have died. And once one-person gets the idea that they can break the rules as long as no one died, another person will surely try the same. She must be punished according to rules, to set an example for C-Rank agents, as well as to maintain Border discipline."

I sighed in irritation as Kuga scowled further. "Stop it." I hissed. "We can clear up the misconception lat—"

"There is no mistake here." Kitora interrupted icily. "You've violated the rules, and I'll be bringing you to Border to handle the consequences as soon as the school day is over. I will have the school call us if you attempt to escape before I arrive to escort you."

-0-

"Are you gonna go?"

I scowled, but we both knew it wasn't directed at him. "I've got no choice. I'll give them the Trigger as soon as possible, and tell them that their 'rule-breaking agent' is safe and sound, in the hospital, overconfident and ready for the damn consequences."

He pouted, obviously trying to lighten up the mood. "She wasn't very reasonable, was she?"

"She does have this 'stuck-up' air around her." I agreed reluctantly. "Apparently she's some kind of prodigy in combat, got to A-Rank in middle school apparently."

"A-… Rank?" He questioned.

"I presume the Border agents have a ranking of sorts, to separate privileges, status, and power level."

"That's exactly what it is." I nodded along with Replica's comment. "Border has rankings like Replica said. Don't know too much about it, but there's A-rank, the best of the best. B-rank, officials agents, but not as good as A-ranks, and C-ranks."

I scowled, trying to lean back, but wincing at a sharp pain came from my rib. "C-ranks are trainees. Can't use their Trigger outside of training, pretty much useless. That kid earlier wasn't supposed to be using it, he just got a little self-important and decided he was good enough to break the rules. Now I'm in trouble."

I turned to the side, giving him a light glare. "And Kuga, don't go snapping at Border agents. They'll get suspicious."

"I couldn't help it… that girl was so self-important…. I hate people like that who do nothing, yet act like they're all that."

I shrugged, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Still, I didn't really help anyone with my actions… for as wrong the reasons were, the guy still did hold the Trion soldier off until the students could get away. The two of us were just there for clean-up duty."

"Say what? Don't you get that you were the one that saved them too?" He asked, staring at my suddenly dumbstruck expression.

"Wait, wha—"

"The Marmod was gonna crawl down and get everyone afterwards if you hadn't killed it there. Technically, you saved them too."

I took a long moment to think about that, before reaching over silently and patting him on the head.

"You're not all that bad, Kuga. Especially if you're wasting the time to try and comfort me, of all people."

He shot me a small grin. "You can call me Yuma if you want."

-0-

We began walking until the loud bustling of students at the front gate began to wash over the relatively peaceful silence Yuma and I had been immersed in.

"…? What's going on…?"

"May I take your picture?!" I heard someone yell from the crowd.

"Oh, sorry. That's not a good idea. Could you not?" I heard a familiar haughty voice respond from the crowd. "What a nuisance. It's not like I'm in the entertainment industry or anything…."

We pushed to the front of the crowd, and unlike what she said, there Kitora Ai was, posing as cameras snapped around in the crowd.

The two of us stood there, dumbstruck before Yuma broke the uncomfortable silence.

"What's she doing….?"

"Oh!" She coughed into her hand with a slight blush on her cheeks. "I was waiting for you… Mikumo, was it? I'm Ai Kitora, Arashiyama squad, Border HQ." Her eyes sharpened, and sweat dripped down my forehead as everyone around stared at the three of us. "I'll accompany you to the base."

'This is getting out of hand…' I thought with dread as people in the crowd began to murmur in excitement.

-0-

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I didn't come to escort you, I came to ensure you didn't run away."

"I'm trying to tell you—"

"Be quiet. You don't seem to know where you stand, C-rank agent."

"There's been a mista—!"

"Honestly, you can't trust anyone that breaks the rules. Now, be silent until we reach the base, or you will suffer the consequences for speaking against an A-rank agent."

Sweat dripped down my forehead and I shared a long-suffering glance with Yuma.

'What the hell does she have against me?!'

She turned to me after a few moments. "Mikumo. Just because you apparently saved people with your stunt… Don't let it get to your head. Our squad would've gotten control of the situation without you. You just happened to be closer to the scene, that's all!"

My shoulders dropped a bit and my feet began to drag, unknown to myself. 'Yeah. That's… that's right. I didn't do anything. I was just in the way... like usual.'

"Uh, no. I don't think so." Yuma bluntly stated, a hint of irritation in his voice. "I'm not trying to insult you, but you wouldn't have made it in time. At all."

I jolted in shock. 'Is he defending… me?'

"What the—?! Where'd you come from?!"

"I've been here the whole time," Yuma responded, steel hidden in his voice.

"Why are you following us!?" She asked, aggravated as she stepped closer to him.

"I was here first. You're the one who's tagging along. I was at the school when the Neighbours came, people would have died if she'd waited for you. Maybe you should be more grateful for what Mori did."

'….Why is he defending me…? Kitora-san is aggravating, but she's right in saying that I was a burden…'

"Excuse me? Suffice to say that you can stay out of this. Like I said, she broke the rules. Maybe she should follow them if she wants gratitude."

"There was only one rule broken here, and it wasn't her that broke it. You should be thankful she decided to step in when she did, or else someone would have died today." Yuma shot back, eyes narrowing as his expression lost its usual glimmer of amusement.

"The only one who would have died today was her! A C-rank shouldn't have been flaunting a trainee Trigger, looking for recognition!" Kitora responded with anger in her voice.

"...You think Mori is your competition," Yuma observed.

'Excuse me, what?!'

"Wha—?!"

"But there's no contest between you and Mori." Yuma casually continued, ignoring my shellshocked expression directed at the two of them.

"D-Don't be insane!" Kitora composed herself. "Why would I think of a C-rank as competition?!"

I tried to stop the conversation while I could. "Yuma, I think—"

"Shut it!" Kitora pointed a smouldering glare at me before redirecting her gaze to Yuma. "And remember this! A-rank agents are the top 5% of all Border agents, the cream of the crop!"

"Cream… of the crop…?"

I wanted to explain to Yuma that it was an expression, but a warning glare from Kitora made my jaw shut with an audible click.

"By the way, what was with the portals at the school in the first place? Mori told me that they're only supposed to form in the emergence area."

I inwardly nodded. 'Good, a change of topic. I hope they don't get into another argument.'

"I can't discuss this with outsiders." Kitora sniffed.

"I'm not an outsider, I'm a victim." Yuma calmly returned, eyes narrowed and chilly.

She sniffed scornfully. "Well, fine… since there's no way a C-rank agent like you would be trusted with this information, I'll tell you."

I tried to ignore the insult. I failed.

"We don't know the details yet, but abnormal gates are starting to open that the guidance beacon doesn't work on. The engineers at HQ are trying to figure it out."

"Abnormal gates…!" I whispered in horror, remembering the dread that had flooded me once I saw the gate outside of the school.

"Besides the one at your school… There have been six incidents of Neighbours appearing outside the emergence area since yesterday. Luckily, off-duty agents happened to be close by in every instance. There were casualties, but we don't know what could happen. To avoid mass panic, we haven't made it public… but right now, Neighbours could appear anywhere in town."

"…Maybe it's not something wrong with the beacon, but with the gates themselves…?" I suggested quietly, a bit more withdrawn than I usually am.

"Do you honestly think that you could find out the source of the issue?" She turned away with her arms crossed. "Don't make me laugh. The engineers are far better than you could ever be, they'll find out the issue soon enough. You should just stay out of it."

I heard a smaller warping noise from Yuma and turned over to see a small black blob speaking into Yuma's ears.

"I see… Kitora seems to be correct."

"Huh…?"

My steps faltered as a loud zapping noise was heard from behind me, and I swung my head around the moment I recognized it as the sound of a gate opening.

"Gee… What a crazy day." I heard Yuma mumble.

"WARNING. WARNING. A GATE IS OPENING IN THE CITY. PLEASE EVACUATE AT ONCE. I REPEAT, A GATE IS OPENING. PLEASE EVACUATE AT ONCE."

-0-

"What…! What kind of Neighbour is this?!" Kitora yelled over the screams coming from the city. "I've never seen this type before!"

"Yuma, what is it?!" I hissed quietly, trying to not draw Kitora's attention.

"An Illgar! They're rare. An Illgar… is a type of Trion soldier used for bombing."

In the distance, as if it heard Yuma's comment, the city began to smoke as distant sounds indicated that something was exploding.

"The city!" Kitora yelled in worry. "We can't wait for a squad… I'll go!"

"It's pretty big and you've never seen it before, are you sure that you can take it on your own?!" I yelled back worriedly, eyes widened at the sight of the fire spreading around the city.

"Feh, I am an A-rank agent, you stay back here. Unlike you, C-rank, I can easily take down that Neighbour… by myself."

And without another word, she jumped off.

-0-

"There goes Kitora," Yuma commented as if talking about the weather. I wanted to give him a quick slap, but managed to refrain. "What are you gonna do, Mori?"

"I need to help the people in the town." I decided quickly.

"Whoa now. Your ribs are still… bruised? You're injured. Going around in a city that's being bombed is a dumb idea."

"I'm a moron." I shot back with a shaky smirk. "Besides, I'll be fine. I'll stay away from collapsing places, but with all the panic, kids are going to get separated from their families. I have to help people get to the shelters, I don't intend to do any heavy lifting."

He pursed his lips. "I still don't think it's a good idea… I should—"

"No." I cut him off immediately, jogging towards the city regardless of the slight pains running through my chest. "I need you to stay with Kitora."

He stared at me for a moment in stunned silence.

"….I'm sorry, what?"

'Wow, he must really dislike her if he's acting like this…'

"She's never seen this type of Neighbour before. It might be more than she can handle alone, even if she's A-rank. If she gets in trouble… Help her out." I paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Without getting caught." I added quickly.

"Aww…" He pouted slightly. "She insisted on doing it by herself. Maybe we should just let her."

I sent him a pleading glance. "Yuma, please. People could die because she thought she could take on more than she could handle."

He stared at my pleading gaze for a moment, before sighing heavily.

"Good grief. Something about you makes that hard to refuse."

"Wha—? What's that supposed to mean?!" I yelled indignantly.

Yuma ignored me. "Replica."

"Roger."

A blob of black separated off of Replica's body, creating a smaller, similar piece of himself.

"Take this with you, Mori, it is a part of me. You will be able to communicate to Yuma through me."

"Call me if you need it," Yuma said to me one last time.

"Got it." I nodded in response, and we took off in different directions.

-0-

"Mom! Mommy!"

A black haired child reached out to a woman trapped inside of a building, a chunk of rubble separating the door from the outside.

"Go with those people, honey! I'll be fine!"

"No! I wanna stay with you, mom!" The child sobbed, arms reaching out.

"Just do what I say!" The woman yelled in vain.

"Hey, c'mon."

A casual voice called out all of a sudden, and an arm looped around the child's shoulders and yanked them away from the door.

The child screamed in response, and the mother gasped as her child tumbled out of view.

"Honey—!"

Their voices abruptly cut off as a large chunk of stone fell from a higher level, crashing into where the child had been moments before.

The woman stared in silence at the empty space, just as I came into view, carrying her child.

"Ma'am, is this your kid?"

The lady nodded dumbstruck, as I set the child down.

"Could you and whoever's on the other side push on the stone?!"

I heard a cry of agreement muffled from the other side, and as soon as the stone shifted, I worked together with them to pull it out of the way.

The rock fell to the ground heavily, and the people tumbled out hurriedly.

"Thank you!"

"Now we can get out!"

"MOM!"

"You said you wouldn't do any heavy lifting." Replica reminded, tone blank, yet scolding.

"I changed my mind," I muttered embarrassedly. "I've got to help the trapped people—"

A sharp pain lashed out from my side, and I hissed in pain, hunched over slightly.

Replica watched silently from where I was, and the other people trapped that I had been running towards.

"Yuma."

There was a beat of silence before an orange symbol appeared behind me, originating from Replica's open mouth.

"Boost. Triple."

I stared in amazement at the symbol as Replica explained.

"I used Yuma's Trigger to reinforce your body. You will still feel pain if you shift your wounds, but you are now strong enough to lift the rubble without much effort."

"Thank Yuma for me a million times," I said with a slightly pained, yet wide grin directed at Replica. "And thanks to you too."

-0-

I hurriedly pointed in the direction of the shelters, screaming at the top of my lungs.

"C'MON, HURRY OVER TO THE SHELTERS!"

Anyone that had lagged behind to watch the destruction began to run, thankfully.

'Yuma…!'

"Hey, are you a Border agent?!"

I whipped my head over to the side, a biting remark on my tongue about that damn organization.

The words abruptly died on my lips, however, as my eyes met those of a man, a younger girl unconscious beside him and his legs pinned painfully under the rubble as blood flowed out from the cracks in the rock.

"You… You're Border, right?! You'll save us—You'll save my daughter!? Right!? She's only in middle school, oh god, she's so young!"

My eyes widened and my throat choked up, his desperate gaze holding unflinching eye contact with mine.

"Please! You, you have to t-take her away from here, o-or else she'll die!"

Most of the others in the area had already evacuated, the three of us, bar Replica, were the only ones around.

"P-please… I beg of you… just— please save my daughter…"

His voice was choked with sadness, and tears dripped down his face like a waterfall. My legs gave way as I kneeled down to cradle the young girl in my arms.

"I'll get her out of here."

His face muscles relaxed immediately, and new tears flowed down his face as he reached out a hand to touch the girl's cheek, accidentally smearing blood on it.

"Oh thank god… I-I… oh god… I'm going to die. I r-really wish I could've been there to see y-you grow up."

My heart ached as his hand dropped, and the puddle of blood grew larger as the bright red smeared over my knees.

Replica watched in silence.

-0-

Kitora coughed, water dripping from her hair and clothing as she pulled herself out of the river that she and the Neighbour had abruptly crashed into.

'What was that…? The Neighbour was yanked into the river…?!'

Her expression darkened as she stared at the ground.

'It would have crashed into the city. Someone had to save me…? Even though I'm an A-rank…'

A loud cheering caught her attention as she looked down at where most of the evacuated civilians were gathered.

"Look! The Border agent saved another kid! She's bringing them right now!"

Kitora looked up at the call, and by the edge of the city, she could see Mikumo Mori carrying a small girl in her arms.

"She's coming over! We have to thank her, I thought we'd be buried alive!"

"She saved us!"

Kitora scoffed disdainfully. 'While I was fighting… she was earning brownie points again. Goody-two-shoes. You want to be popular that badly?'

Mori handed the child off to an ambulance worker before her eyes caught Kitora's from afar.

"Oh."

To the astonishment of Kitora, the 'goody-two-shoes' pointed over to the A-rank and smiled (Wearily. Tiredly, sadly.).

"She's the one that took down the Neighbour, everyone. You can save your thanks for her, after all, she's A-rank."

The attention of the civilians swung around, and the began cheering loudly for the black haired girl.

"Is that true?!"

"Hey, that's Kitora Ai from Arashiyama squad!"

"Thanks! That's an A-rank for you!"

"She saved our lives!"

Kitora blinked in stunned confusion, staring at the civilians sending endless praise to her.

"See?" A voice yanked her out of her thoughts.

Yuma stepped up from behind her and looked downwards at Mori, who was speaking to the ambulance workers. "Told you so. it's no contest between you and Mori. She's beyond rules and ranks, unlike someone like you."

Kitora seemed stunned for a moment. "I'm sorry, but do you seem to have something against me?"

Yuma shut his eyes, an almost pleasant expression clouding over. "No, nothing like that… it's just that…"

His eyes opened just slightly and darkened although his pleasant grin didn't leave.

"Every time I look at you, it seems like I can't get Mori's expression out of my head."

His stare sharpened drastically. "Her expression when you repeatedly called her 'useless', that is."

A shiver went down Kitora's spine, and she turned back to glance at Mori once again. She was silent for a few moments.

"I suppose…." She began. "She's no ordinary C-rank agent."

She began to walk away, and although she didn't understand it's meaning, still heard Yuma's last sentence.

"….Boy, she's in for a nasty surprise, isn't she?"

-0-

"TRIGGER AUTHENTICATED. OPENING DIRECT ROUTE TO HQ."

The door opened with a small hiss of machinery, and Kitora pocketed her Trigger once more.

"Hm. So a person's Trigger is the key to the entrance." Yuma observed.

"Yes," Kitora replied, a bit more tense around Yuma than before. "Only Border agents are allowed inside."

I blinked confusedly. 'Did something happen between them?'

Yuma waved to me leisurely. "Then this is as far as I go. Lemme know if anything happens, and don't forget to tell them about the mess-up."

I paused, feeling the mini Replica in my pocket. "…Okay. Stay out of trouble."

-0-

"Arashiyama squad, Kitora Ai, reporting," Kitora stated clearly as she knocked twice on the large doors. I stood nervously behind her, fingers clenched around the Trigger in my pocket.

"Come in." A stern voice commanded from within the room, and Kitora pushed open the doors.

There was a long conference table, six men seated around, one female seated beside the man with straight black hair, and one male teen standing straight behind the man at the very edge of the table.

"Kitora. Who is that…?" The man with straight black hair inquired politely.

"An over-confident C-rank." She stated haughtily, and I felt my eye twitch. "She violated the rules, and used her Trigger at the school where an abnormal gate had opened, at approximately noon today."

My eye twitched again, more violently this time. Judging by the facial expression of the female sitting at the table, it was not a subtle twitch like I hoped it was.

"As a clear violation of the rules, I have escorted her to HQ to be dealt an appropriate punishment."

"Can I have a moment to defend myself?" I asked, voice strained and loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

"Are you even listening?!" Kitora snapped at me again. "I've told you time and time again, as a C-rank, using your Trigger outside of training was against the rules, and there's nothing that you can say that can bend the rules—!"

Well, the easiest way to put this, much to my embarrassment….

I snapped.

-0-

"As a clear violation of the rules, I have escorted her to HQ to be dealt an appropriate punishment."

The statement had surprised the people in the room, abrupt as the news was.

"Can I have a moment to defend myself?" The glasses wearing girl muttered, voice clearly strained.

"Are you even listening?!" Kitora snapped at her, unexpected for everyone in the room. "I've told you time and time again, as a C-rank, using your Trigger outside of training was against the rules, and there's nothing that you can say that can bend the rules—!"

"Pft."

There was a beat of silence, and Kitora finally recognized the sound the other girl had made as a snort.

"Wha—?!"

"I really hope you're prepared for my next words, because you really have no one to blame for this mess other than yourself." Mikumo started darkly, eyes narrowing as she turned to glare icily at the A-Rank.

"—Excuse me?!" Kitora responded as cooly as she could manage, slightly unnerved at the sudden aggravation in Mikumo's voice. "What do I have to blame myself for? You're the one that broke the regulations regarding the use of Border's Triggers—!"

"Maybe the fact." Mikumo interrupted. "That you've been cutting me off from saying a damn thing since you saw the Trigger in my hands at the godforsaken school? Maybe the fact that you've been an overconfident snob the entire time I've been near you? MAYBE THE FACT—!"

Mikumo took a deep breath in and shoved the Trigger that had been in her pocket, into the conference table without breaking eye contact with Kitora.

"—THAT I'M NOT A GODDAMN BORDER AGENT?!"