Note: When Toby is talking and there are () it means he's speaking in English
"Indian!"
"Japanese."
"Honestly, you idiots don't know anything. Originally made by someone is best. Just ask Mei-san."
"Should you guys really be talking about curry when you're suppose to be destroying a opponent? You should pay more attention. Although I must agree with Suzume about this."
The sigh that escaped Yuki's lips was an involuntary one, but it was still there.
The whole team was busy fighting against some Neighbors that had come through a Gate. It would normally be really easy for them all to take it out in under five minutes or so, but this one was a bit different.
"This doesn't concern you, so stay out of it."
"Repeat that."
"Nothing was said, ma'am!"
"She's right though. We need to get this over with now."
Another reason was that the three younger members were arguing over a trivial and pointless thing once again. It even seemed that the usual calm, collected, and overal great Operator was being dragged into it without really noticing it.
"!"
The four who were in their pointless argument looked over as a large sound was heard thought the area. They were the team in charge of the area at the moment and so hearing another fighting going was made them a bit curious as to who it was.
Maybe it's someone new? Possible just a team who wants to show off.
Yuki couldn't help but shake his head again as he, Toby, and Takeshi moved away from another attack from the giant Neighbor.
They had barely started the fight and were trying to contain as much damage as they could. Which was already difficult for Yuki.
Deciding they had spent enough time on this, Yuki looked straight up at the Neighbor and was gone in an instant. He appeared in front if it, pulled out the blade at his hip from its sheath and cut through the Neighbor's head.
The top of the Neighbor's head fell to the ground with the body following it. The clean cut had managed to end the fight right then and there.
When he landed back on the ground with a huff he was quickly flocked by the other three.
"Are you crazy!? What if that thing had landed a hit!? What if you missed!? Don't just do things without informing your teammates here! We're here to help you out in fights!"
"I would rather you notworry us to the point of us having to keep an eye on you, Senpai. I already have to take care of this dog as it is, so adding on to it isn't nice."
"Even if that was honestly great, don't do it again."
Yuki gave a sheepish look towards the three.
They do know that I wouldn't have gotten hurt...
Yuki continued to get scolded by his team for a good two minutes before they finally settled down. It wasn't like this was anything new, so he simply smiled and nodded his head.
He looked over at the fallen Neighbor and allowed his mind to wander off a bit to what they had just fought. It appeared to be rather new with the attack pattern being different from any of the ones that had gone through a Gate so far. Something to note was the laser it had fired at them from a distance.
Curiouser, and curiouser. All the others have been close-range attackers. Having this one be a distance one is something to worry about, but overall something we can deal with.
Nodding his head a bit, Yuki put a hand to his ear and started to speak.
"Mei-chan, did you tell HQ we were able to defeat the Neighbor? As you can tell, I was a little busy."
"Yeah. I reported everything. By the way, Yuki-kun, Shinoda-san said he wanted to see you."
Those words is at toy got the attention of every me never on the team.
The first to voice their response had been the hat-boy Toby.
"Oooooooohhhh! Maybe it's to promote you! He finally sees how strong you are and is ready to make you an A-Rank! I say we celebrate! Take's paying!"
Yuki, Takeshi, and Suzume just stared at their fourth member as he got excited from his own thoughts. They did not feel like wrecking his little fantasy, so they just went with it. Even Takeshi, who was always ready to pop the other's bubble, felt sorry for the boy.
Also for the fact Takeshi knew he would have to deal with it later the most.
Mei's voice could be heard through their earpieces, saying exactly what they were all thinking,
"You can't really blame him. None of you have told him that Yuki-kun has been rejecting all the offers so far. Don't forget that he barely joined the team not too long ago. The last offer Yuki-kun got was before he came into the picture."
"We know," the three said simultaneously.
"We all hope it's for that, but it honestly doesn't matter since Yuki-san will probably reject again." Suzume flipped her hair. "If anything, he'll do it just to annoy us all."
"Either way, it must be pretty important if Director Shinoda wants to see him."
"Maybe he's gonna let Yuki-kun go."
"Like hell he would! If you say that again, I'll give you a good punch!"
"Try it."
Yuki could not help the chuckle that came out when he heard the rest of his team threaten their operator. And in return get scared by said Operator.
He was also wondering what he was needed for, highly doubting it was to let him go from Border. That specific director was one of the reasons he was in Border to begin with. The reason may indeed have been to grant him special permission to enter A-Rank. That meant he really would be rejecting it.
Still, something like that isn't what I should be thinking about...
As soon as Yuki turned off his Trigger, it happened. In less than a few seconds after going back to his real body, Yuki started coughing before falling to the ground. He continued to cough from his spot on the ground, covering his mouth as he did so.
All of this caught everyone else's attention. The Combatants quickly went to their captain. They tried to sooth him by rubbing circles on his back and even asked if they needed to take him to the hospital.
After about two minutes he finally stopped coughing, now only sweating and panting. There were a few coughs here and there, but it didn't lead to anything else.
"Captain, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll go over to HQ and take my pills."
"I can tell Shinoda-san. I'm sure he'll understand if you need to see him later. There is no need to push yourself while you're like this."
They could all hear the worried, and slightly scared, tone in their Operator's voice. Whenever this kind of thing happened she would always speak with that tone. They all understood that, as the one who knew him longest, she was the most worried about his health.
The pain of not being able to help him was something they had delt with since meeting him. That pain only increased when they learned that even the Ultimate Operator herself could not help either.
Seeing the worried looks of his teammates and hearing the tone of his Operator, Yuki gave his best smile.
"It's fine. When I'm done there I'll just go home and get some rest. I should be better by tomorrow. If not then I may have to take some days off."
Yuki tried to stand only to fall back down seconds later.
Takeshi went over to help his captain.
"Thanks for this."
Mei could only sigh at her captain's stubbornness.
She knew exactly how he felt about getting help from others. Her attempts at helping him were all blocked out by him. To others it always seemed like to he didn't want to trouble other people, but to her it was different.
The real reason Tsukiko Yuki did not want to get help from others was simply because he never wanted help. The few people he asked for help from before or willingly took help from could be counted on a single hand.
She was not one of those people.
That fact alone made her feel a bit down when she thought about it.
I think this is the only time I am allowed to be jealous of Murakami, Shinoda-san, and Sensei. He has never asked me once for help and he always rejects my help. He truly is an idiot who needs to learn how to rely on others.
Shaking her head, Mei pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Once she found the one she was looking for she pressed the button to call the person.
She needed to tell one of the few people who had been able to help Yuki.
The three younger members of Tsukiko Squad looked worriedly at their captain as he took his medicine. None of them wanted to just leave their leader at times like these. Even after making it to the Border base they had demanded that they stay by his side.
"I'll treat you guys to something later on, okay? Under the condition that you guys behave while I'm gone and don't make too much of a ruckus around here."
"We're honestly not children, Captain."
Suzume knew that what she was saying went through one ear and out the other, so she simply grabbed the backs of Toby and Takeshi's shirts to pull them away.
It took a lot of arguing before they had settle on a deal. They would be meeting up once he was done speaking to Director Shinoda. Toby and Takeshi had almost been forced to agree while Suzume had simply agreed while dragging the other two away.
That left Yuki to wave at the three with a kind smile.
When the rest of the squad was gone, Yuki pulled out a small case from his pocket. He opened the lid and took out two decent sized pills. The disdain in his eyes was obvious as he took two of the pills out. The disgust that came with taking the pills was evident as he swallowed the, down with some water.
There was no way to enjoy the pills when the foul taste was able to regular medicine to shame. Even if taking it made his team happy, he himself would never be happy about it. It was only made worse when he remembered that the pills did nothing except hold off his illness for only a few minutes. Even while he coughed up blood at times he would always stand back up to do his stubbornness to not lose to the illness.
Yuki let out a sad sigh when a certain memory came back to him. He spoke absentmindedly while thinking about the memory.
"I know they're suppose to help me, but why are they so big...? It's like they prefer me to die choking on these pills instead of by the actual thing. Either way it will be painful. I plan to at least live for another three years..."
"I highly doubt that's why they make them that big."
Hearing a new voice getting closer, Yuki looked over to see Director Shinoda Masafumi walking towards him. The smile on his face fell once he saw just how pale Yuki was.
Yuki had a guess as to where that look came from.
"'Mei' told me about your coughing fit earlier. Are you all right? We could have spoken at another time."
"It's fine. I'm okay. Thank you for worrying about me though, Director."
"No need for titles. It's not like anyone's gonna notice small stuff like that. Besides... With you and 'Mei' it feels a bit awkward." Giving a smile again, Shinoda continued to say, "Why don't we go for a snack. My treat."
Having no reason to object Yuki followed the man.
Even if he had made plan for lunch with his team, he didn't want to pass up a snack with this man. It would be a bit insulting after what Director Shinoda had done for him. The foul taste of the medicine was also stuck to his tongue, meaning he wanted to get it off as soon as possible.
As they walked, Yuki could not help but think about what the man next to him wanted to talk about. They have had regular conversations before, but this one seemed odd since he was called by the older male instead of them just meeting randomly.
Although he would be lying to himself if he were to say that it most likely did not have anything to do with the obvious question hovering above them.
"This wouldn't happen to be about moving up, would it?"
"Partly. But, we'll save that for later. I just want to have a normal conversation and ask you some stuff. We can even go through some banter before we get down to the heavy stuff."
"Oh. Okay."
"Ah! Can you guys wait for a moment? I want to go say hi to someone. I'll be right back!"
Takeshi tilted his head to the side while Suzume put a hand on her hip.
The three were going to meet up with their Operator so they could all wait for Yuki to be done talking with Director Shinoda. None of them had planned on going out if their way to meet anyone else, so it was a bit odd to see Toby just run off.
Seeing him go was an everyday thing, but what wasn't was for him to leave them to talk so a single person. A girl at that.
Seeing the Attacker head straight for a single girl, Suzume quickly pulled out her phone. She took a quick picture and started writing on a small notepad that had somehow appeared in her hands.
Takeshi took a step away from the Sniper, already knowing what was going on. While he was amazed that she could pull the notepad out of her pocket at record time, he did not want to be involved with her odd ideas.
Letting out a sigh, the Shooter looked back over at Toby and the girl he was talking to.
Kōchō Kashi. Two or so years older than us. Shooter. Her fighting ability is weaker than Nasu's, but stronger than Asano's. Not much there.
Nodding to himself, Takeshi started walking away.
To him there was no point in waiting for how two teammates. Neither one of them were doing anything that particularly interested him. That meant he would just meet up with Mei and occupy himself with something else.
As he walked away, he could hear loud and fast footsteps. He ignored them.
"I said to wait for me!"
After the two had gotten what they wanted, they found a seat with the director having a plate of rice with shōyu on it and Yuki looking longingly at a full bowl of ice cream in front of him. He would have taken the whole machine if he could but was held back from doing so.
The younger of the two quickly thanked the older one and dug into the dessert with a happy expression.
Director Shinoda gave a questioning, and slightly disturbed, look at the odd colors that were being made from the different favors being mixed in the bowl. What did not help was the syrup and topping put on and in the bowl. Overall it looked very odd.
So he tried not to focus on that.
"Are you sure you didn't want any food? I did say I was treating."
"Well, I had actually planned on meeting up with my team later on and getting something to eat, but I couldn't resist getting some ice cream," Yuki said before putting more in his mouth, savoring the flavor. "Take and Toby are always worried that if I eat too much ice cream that it will wreck my health beyond repair, so I have to eat the stuff when they're not around. Mmm~ So good~!"
"I can see their point. You eat it so quickly that I'm shocked you don't get a brain freeze. Most people would be withering in pain at the rate you're going."
"I don't really get it either, but I'm not complaining. Besides, hearing stuff like that from those two is kinda insulting when they're basically living together. What's more is that Toby loves chocolate as much as I love ice cream."
"I wouldn't go that far... Oh yeah. Weren't you the one who suggested they live next to each other? I believe that everyone besides you and Mei were against that idea in the first place."
"So, Sir, are you on break or something?"
Director Shinoda gave a chuckled at the quick change of subject, but answered anyways.
"Yeah. I need to go back and discuss some stuff with others afterwards."
"Sorry that I'm using up your break then."
"It's fine. I'm the one who called you over. Besides, you're the one who has to use his off time to help the city. I really appreciate it. Even if you aren't in any faction."
"Yeah, well, even if I do, I won't be joining any factions any time soon. Even if it's yours. If anything... I suppose I'm in Sensei's 'faction'. Even if it's not really a faction. I just prefer to do things my way. Besides, I don't have to deal with certain things this way."
"I never expected you to join. You and Chishi are too much alike, so I already know how you think on matters like these. That's not mentioning the fact that you would still go about doing things your way, regardless of what others told you."
"Still, I'm sure you need as much rest as you can get to handle the city's defenses, and for dealing with people like Director Netsuki. I feel bad that he's basically trying trying to make Chano Squad into another Arashiyama Squad..." Yuki thought about what he said for a second and got a little panicked. "Ah! That's not to say there's anything wrong with Arashiyama Squad or anything!"
"Hahaha! It's fine. I know you don't mean any harm to either team. And I understand what you're saying, but he's just doing it to improve our publicity. You shouldn't think too badly about him. It's in our best interest."
"I know, but still..."
Director Shinoda gave a fond smile as he remembered when he had first met Yuki and when the younger one had first entered Border. He was glad to see how much he had changed and cared about other agents.
Or at least how it seemed like he cared.
"I'm glad to know you're fine. Chishi hasn't told me much about what you've been up to outside of Border, so I was a bit worried. Even Kei seems to want to annoy me by saying the most nondescript things."
"Yeah. That sounds like them. Although I'm sure that Sensei is just focused on teaching right now. If not that then he might be going crazy with his students while having to hear 'Kinkoun Kinkoun' every time the bell rings."
Two two shared a good laugh at the expense of someone else.
The two were glad to share in the calm that surrounded them. It lasted only a few minutes but it was still nice for what it was.
"Now that we've had some fun... I think it's about time for your answer."
Yuki frowned and looked down at hearing this.
The plan had been to use up the rest of Director Shinoda's time so that he could get away without answering. The plan had been flawed since the start. It was due to that fact that he had been thinking about his answer since the start of their conversation. It was the answer as to why he always rejected the offer in front of him.
Even before that, when he watched his team training and he could only sit by because they would be too worried, he was thinking about the answer. It was clear that it was what everyone wanted for him - and even he wanted it - but he still could not fully take on the responsibility.
If he took this up then he would feel he was being put on the same level as a certain girl. The strength he had seen from here was something he knew he could never get to in his lifetime.
"It's not just me and your team. Arashiyama Squad, Kako Squad, Tachikawa Squad and multiple B-Rank teams are vouching for you. Kei has even been telling me to just force you to move up in rank. Not only that, Suzunari and Tamakoma are waiting for you to be A-Rank. I know you want to make it to A-Rank with your whole team, but it's been a year since you made it to that point and we all think it's time you took up the offer. That's not me mentioning that Chishi will probably give you a good smack if he ever found out about it."
It was hard to see Yuki's face as he spoke.
"Why do they care this much if I become an A-Rank or stay a B-Rank?"
He looked up with a chilling expression on his face that made Director Shinoda remember what had happened the last time he saw it. It held no malice or sinister intent. The look was a dull one that looked very off on this boy's face.
"I don't see how much would change if I went up in rank. It doesn't matter what rank I am as long as I get the job done, right? There no point in becoming an A-Rank when I'm fine where I am."
"It's because they all consider you their friend and want you to get what you deserve for your hard work. While you worry and help others, they worry and help you. That's how most humans are and you know it."
Yuki stuck out his tongue and pointed it.
"And what about this? I'm sure those who say I have a silver tongue may have a thing or two to say about this whole situation."
"Let me deal with those people. You're only issue should be celebrating at that point."
Yuki looked down once more, this time contemplating everything from the start. The thoughts of others wanting him to become A-Rank would be spat on should he continue to reject them as if they meant nothing. Their thoughtfulness had been a factor in him continuing on to assist Border.
Not finding another good reason to reject, Yuki let out a sigh. He looked up at Director Shinoda with the same dull look.
"Alright. I'll take the promotion this time."
That was a surprise.
Director Shinoda could not hide his shock at how little it took for Yuki to agree this time. His curiosity was peaked when he remembered just how stubborn he could be on certain matters. The fact that Yuki would not be completely happy about this would hidden by others being happy for him. It was something Director Shinoda knew he should not mention.
The ones who knew him better would not be so happy either.
"Not that I'm not glad... May I ask what made you change your mind? You aren't this cooperative when it comes to these kinds of things. I had figured that you would just reject it like you have before."
He figured it was what he had said, but could not be too sure. When it came to Yuki, you could never be too sure.
"I changed my mind because... I want them to know what it's like to have an emblem... Even for a little bit."
Director Shinoda narrowed his eyes at the comment. Taking anything the boy said lightly or offhandedly was a big mistake for anyone. There was absolutely no way what he had said meant nothing particularly.
"Sorry, Tora-san, but I will only take the promotion on one condition."
"Girigiri."
"Ashita no Hikari."
"Dream Trigger."
"Why do you get into arguments over the stupidest things? I honestly wonder if the people you are hanging out with are bad influences. Although, I suppose even Kitora-chan would have a hard time with you."
Border agents who were simply passing by went around a specific area instead of walking through said area. They already knew not to get within 5 feet of the team when they got into one of their arguments.
Petty as they were, the three would be ready to give a good punch.
Meanwhile, Tsukiko Squad was busy fighting over what song was better with their Operator just watching in boredom. Normally she would try to so their fighting, but figured it was best for them to get it out of their systems now.
They did not bother to keep their voices down and ended up in a yelling match.
Letting out a sigh, Mei looked around at the others walking around them. She spoke to the three members of Tsukiko Squad absentmindedly while nodding to other agents.
"Hey, are you three going with us later?"
The three agents quickly turned their head like dogs hearing someone rustle a bag of treats. The simple mentioning of their captain made them more alert.
"What!? Where are you two going!?"
"Why didn't you tell us sooner that you and Senpai were going somewhere?"
"Idiots!"
Suzume made sure to look around quick while smacking both Toby and Takeshi on their heads. Her voice got lower while her mouth was covered by her hand.
The other two leaned forward to listen in.
"Obviously those two are going on a date."
Apparently she did not speak low enough as Mei started to get a bit red.
The three of them were quick to notice this when their Operator started speaking once again. This time with a stutter.
"Why w-would we b-b-bring you three o-on a d-d-date! With us!..." Mei looked away with a blush. "And you're n-not very secretive..."
The three started to freak out when they saw their Operator start to sway in her seat. They had seen this terror only once, but that was more than enough to make all three fear for their lives.
An embarrassed Takato Mei is the most dangerous after all.
"So where are you going then!?"
"Yeah, yeah! We honestly wanna know!"
"Please tell us."
It took a few seconds for Mei to stop swaying. Her slightly red cheeks went down to their usual smooth, pale coloring. That was the sign that the three had escaped from a dangerous situation.
Mei cleared her throat while pretending that nothing dangerous had just been averted.
She looked around the area as the rest of her team sat back, refraining from mentioning anything about where she and Yuki had planned to go later on.
From the corner of her eye she could see three people walk towards them with varying expressions. Two were walking with some restraint while the third was happily smiling at them as if there was nothing wrong.
"Well if it isn't Tsukiko Squad! You guys really don't know how to keep your voices down, do you? Can't say it's not fun to see you three going at it though! If anything, you three all remind me of your captain when I first met him!"
The whole team turned to see Ninomiya Squad walking up to them. The absence of their leader was no brought up out of fear of having him and Yuki appear at the same time.
"It's good to see you three. Judging from your current appearance I'm guessing you just got back from duty."
Inukai scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"You see-"
"Hey, Tsuji-kyun~ You know, you honestly look good in your uniform~~ It really brings out how serious you are~"
Inukai was quick to react to the voice that was no behind him.
Suzume had managed to get next to Tsuji while managing to grab his arm. She leaned forward as far as she could with only a few inches between their faces.
The reaction was just what she wanted with the Attacker's face being covered in red and looking at he teammate for some help. She had always done this with innocent agents, but her favorite was Tsuji.
The poor guy.
Seeing that there was no way to actually help his teammate, Inukai had moved over to start speaking with Toby about things only they would understand with their fast talking. He saw that Hiyami had quickly become more relaxed while going into a conversation with Mei.
None of them noticed two people walking up to them.
Once they did, it was far too late.
"Suzu-chan, stop harassing Tsuji-kun. Take-kun, stop looking so bored. Mei-chan, you're suppose to control them while I'm gone. Inu, please don't give Toby-kun any ideas that I'll have to deal with later."
"So this is where you all have been. Let's hurry and go before the faker gets here. I'd rather not deal with that kind of issue right now."
The temperature around the area was the same, but to the two team it felt as if it got a lot colder when their captains appeared. As the seven of them froze while looking at their captains the two leaders turned to each other with a sharp glare or a dark smile. Saying that fire and water got along better than these two was not only cliché but it was also a major understatement.
They all took a step back and swore that the air started to heat up again. Some wondered if they were going crazy.
"Looks like I was too late to get them away from you."
"Oh? Is there a problem for them to be around me? I know you're a massive airhead, but you couldn't have forgotten that Inu is a friend of mine, right? That's not mentioning that he's also with someone I know rather well. I'm pretty sure that means I have the right to be around these guys."
"As long as you don't turn him into a faker, I really don't care. Although that's probably too much to ask for from the likes of you. Your words are always like venom; infecting everyone who hears them. That's not mentioning how you sink your teeth into everyone you depend on."
"I wonder if being an airhead is contagious because then he would have bigger issues if he were to stay with you. And please do not bring up others into this. At least I know I can depend on those who may be weak and not just those who are strong. That kind of thinking may just get you a bullet to the head some day. Especially by those who you consider 'weak,' you idiot."
They had to be hallucinating at this point. The seven onlookers could see actual electricity between the two while a purple aura wrapped around them.
But that was just them seeing things, right?
"Um... Can you not bring me into this...? Thank you..."
Inukai cowered back when he ended up receiving the dark looks the two had on their faces. He knew that it was best not to interfere, but he was also someone who was good natured.
This was just a bad time for that.
Ninomiya and Yuki quickly turned back to each other, looking ready to hit each other at any moment.
"Why were you even out? Clearly you don't do much. You were probably just lazing around. I'm sure that would actually help more than anything. At least you wouldn't be in anyone's way at that point. Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. I'll even help by getting a coffin ready for you."
"Hm? Does that mean you already have one ready for yourself? Well, that saves me the trouble of getting one. And not that it's any of you business, I had to meet up with someone and told these guys that I would meet up with them afterwards... As a matter of fact..." Getting a smirk, Yuki looked at Ninomiya with a smug look that seemed to fit on his face. "I just got promoted to A-Rank. Looks like I'm at the same level as your boyfriend while you are left behind. Good luck catching back up."
"Tsk. Like I care if you did or not. That doesn't change the fact you're a faker who uses other people's talents for yourself. If anything, it's those who you have copied from that deserve that spot. The only spot you deserve is the one in the trash."
He tried to stay calm, but that single remark concerning his significant other was what really got to Ninomiya.
Yuki was in a similar internal situation. He knew he should not pay attention to what the other was saying, but that was much easier said than done.
These two were enemies and everyone knew it.
Under normal circumstances, Tsukiko Squad would quickly come to the aid of their captain. They would defend him against anything that was being said against him. The thing was, though, that there was never any room to interrupt these two when they started fighting.
Inukai had just proven that.
"Alright! Break it up you two!" Claping her hand, Mei got between the two. "Let's just go our own ways and get this over with. If you don't... I will just have to punch the both of you."
Clicking their tongues, the two followed what she said with Ninomiya taking his team and leaving.
Yuki let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. He was already tired from the coughing fit earlier, as well as the small meeting. This little confrontation made him really want to go to sleep.
"Urg... That guy really makes me mad..."
The three younger agents kept quiet and didn't look at their leader. They knew that talking to that team would end up like this if they spent too long talking, but still went and spoke to them. Their silence brought an awkward atmosphere around the group that would freak anyone out who knew the group.
Having had enough of the awkwardness, Mei went up to the three and hit each of them on the head before telling them, "You three should stop thinking about unnecessary things. When you do that, so does Yuki-kun." She then turned to said male and hit him on the head as well. "And youshould already know not to get them thinking like that and picking fights with him. It ends horribly fir everyone involved."
The four who got their heads hit looked at their Operator before looking at each other. They all got smiles before letting out laughs.
They were really glad to have an Operator who was useful both on and off duty.
What a bunch of children.
Mei looked back over to Yuki with a calculating look.
Yuki, thinking he was going to get hit again, quickly covered his head with his arms.
"By the way, these guys want to know if they can come with us to Tamakoma."
"You were going to Tamakoma!?"
"About that... Can we go tomorrow? I need to discuss something with you guys. It's rather important, so I want to say it now."
The rest of the team looked confused at the serious expression on their leader's face.
It was rare to see him with such an expression on his face. Seeing it now meant that they should just listen to what their captain had to say and stay quiet while he spoke.
.
The while group started to walk away when something caught their eyes. It was less of a "something" and more of a "someone". That someone being Jin Yuuichi. That in itself was nothing odd, it was actually the person that was with him.
"Why is Jin-san here with Mikumo-kun?" Yuki asked with a confused expression. "I hope he's not in any trouble..."
That lie he told me yesterday couldn't that've been found out, right?
Once Yuki had been told who had found out about the Rad the day prior it was rather easy for him to tell that it was a lie. Well, less of a lie and more that it was a pointless extension of the truth.
"You know who that is, Senpai?"
"Well, might as well go and say hi."
Before anyone could stop her, Mei was headed for the two.
The others were quick to follow.
"Oh. Hey guys. Hello, Mei-chan," Jin said with his usual smug look on his face.
Yuki gave a small wave and smile to the glasses-boy next to Jin.
"Ah. Hello, Tsukiko-senpai."
"I would like to introduce you guys to Megane-kun here, but we need to get going. Maybe some other time. There are some things we need to get done."
"We were planning on going to Tamakoma tomorrow anyway, so it's fine. At that point you could introduce us to whoever you want."
"I'm sure the rest of them will be happy to see you guys again." The two started to walk away with Jin giving a wave. "See you guys tomorrow then."
Takeshi turned from the S-Rank agent to the new A -Rank one with a small tilt of his head. It was obvious that at least Yuki knew who the boy was since the boy seemed to know his name.
The other three had thought of that as well, but it was the Shooter who had decided to ask.
"Senpai, who was that with Jin?"
"That was Mikumo Osamu-kun. I met him yesterday, after we took care of those small Neighbors. He's polite and was the one who found out about those small Neighbors. There was someone else with him, but I don't think he's in Border."
"Well he doesn't seem like much. I'm sure I could beat him."
"You are honestly such a kid. You get jealous just because Yuki-san wasn't talking about you. I bet that Mikumo-kun has you beat in maturity."
"He's probably the same age as me! How can he beat me in maturity!?"
"She's talking about attitude. And I have to agree with her," Takeshi said nonchalantly. "Although... I'm sure Raijinmaru has you beat there as well, so it wouldn't be shocking if Mikumo also has you beat."
"(What was that, you bastard!?)"
"It's okay." Takeshi gave the brunet a light pat on the head. "You're still my favorite between you two."
"Now, now, both of you calm down."
Yuki tried his best to stop the two from fighting.
He really did not want to stop the oncoming pointless argument.
"Let's go get something to eat and I'll tell you guys what I need to, okay?"
The rest of them nodded their heads and all of them started to leave.
.
It did not take long for them all to start talking about random and unimportant things. From school work to what had happened with others, it was all just a relaxed feeling. It gave off the impression of regular high school and middle school students just walking around.
It was times like these that Yuki was the most happy since Toby and Takeshi were not fighting, he was feeling well enough to be out and the two girls were not worrying about him.
It was nice.
That was why he gave a happy greeting to the person walking in their direction without a second thought.
"Ah, hello, Miwa-kun."
The #7 A-a rank captain sent him a glare and continued on his way. No words came out, which was enough reason to just let it go and continue on their way.
Yuki was fine with the response, having just dealt with someone worse, but the same could not be said for the others. They had noticed the response and were not too pleased by it with Suzume and Takeshi each giving their own glares while their Attacker took a different route.
"Hey, Shuji, you ass! Yuki was talking to you, so you should give a proper response! That's why people don't like you!"
Toby started to make his way towards the older male, but was stopped when Yuki grabbed his shoulder.
"That guy needs to learn some damn manners!"
"It's fine, Toby-kun. I'm sure Miwa-kun has something important on his mind. Besides, he isn't really the type to have a conversation with people."
"He has a point. Miwa-kun always seems mad at something, so it isn't really surprising that he wouldn't answer and just glare," Mei said, not seeming to be mad like the others. "I guess we could ask Yoneya-kun or Kodera-kun later on."
"Hm. Fine, but I still don't like that guy. (Asshole.)"
"You should watch your language, Toby-kun."
Toby went bright red.
"You mean we all get the emblem on our outfits!? That's so awesome!"
The whole team was currently at a small shop, happily taking in their food. The shop didn't have many people in it at the time, so they enjoyed the space they got as well. Although, with the sudden outburst from the American of the group, the people that were there looked in their direction.
Toby had a tendency to just yell when he got excited. It never mattered how many times others had told him to be quite, he would yell to his heart's content. It really seemed like a dog barking while playing.
"Yes, yes, now please sit down, Toby-kun. People are looking," Yuki said as the brunet did as he was told. "Yeah. I wanted to ask for your opinions on what our emblem should be. I'm not sure myself, so I'll let you guys decide."
"Something representing Yuki!"
"A bit much there, don't you think, Toby-kun?"
"Yeah, idiot. Senpai is kind, not conceited. Obviously it should be a flower to show his delicacy."
"I'm pretty sure that's the same thing as what he said, Take-kun."
"I honestly say we go with a simple design."
"That sounds good, Suzu-chan."
"Hm. You say that, but I doubt those two would be fine with something simple," Mei said as she pointed at Toby and Takeshi. "We all know that they will get riled up if it's not something good."
"Do you have any suggestions, Mei-chan? I'm sure you of all people can come up with a good one."
"Well...I do have an idea..." Mei pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her pictures. "I've actually been thinking about it for a while now and think I found one that would be good. Those two can't argue about it and it's pretty simple. Plus, it has a good meaning, in my opinion."
When she found the picture, she put the phone down for the rest of them to see.
They all gathered around and saw that the picture was the usual shape as any other emblem, but the main image was a white snowflake in a black crescent moon on top of a gray background.
"Wow. That really is a great picture. Although that's to be expected when it comes to Mei-chan."
"I honestly like it."
"It works perfectly with our team!"
"It does represent a team led by Yuki-senpai."
Feeling the need to explain why it worked so well, Mei started to speak while putting her phone away. Her expression while speaking was a soft one that seemed rather fitting for her.
"The white snowflake represents your purity. The black moon represents your power. The gray background is to show the balance between them. Although, I'm just saying that part to appease those two. If you want to look at it in a different way... You could say that the snowflake represents Toby being an Attacker. The moon represents Takeshi being a Shooter. The gray represents Suzume being a Sniper."
"I see. It also works since Senpai's name means 'snow' and 'moon child'. Not to mention he can use any type of trigger."
"Takeshi-kun, anyone can use any trigger, you know. It's not like I'm anything special," Yuki said bashfully. "Not to mention you three are better than me."
"You're not giving yourself enough credit, Yuki-kun. They may be strong, but we both-... We all know that you're stronger... That's the reason why you were moved up to A-Rank. Don't sell yourself short here or I'll do something about it."
Yuki couldn't come up with anything to say. He could easily deny anything the other three said, but when Mei was praising him and correcting him, he could never find the words to deny her statements.
The other three simply smiled at the fact that their Operator had finally set their captain straight.
They knew no matter much they praised or complemented Yuki, he would think they were wrong. They also knew that one of the only people who could get away with something like that was Mei.
She was the only one who could completely shut him up and keep him in line. Everyone knew this, but not the reason.
Suzume grinned as she turned to the two boys. She made sure Mei and Yuki weren't looking as she started whispering to them.
"Hey, I think we should honestly do something for those two. It's thanks to them that we're even a team in the first place. What do you guys honestly think?"
"Yeah! But what should we do?"
"How about getting them together!"
There she goes again...
The two boys let out sighs.
"How about we just reach A-Rank to catch up to them?"
"What are you three whispering about over there?"
The three straightened up and looked at their upperclassmen with "innocent" smiles on their faces.
"Nothing! We were just talking about how we were gonna prank Tamakoma tomorrow!" Suzume said, trying to make sure she didn't seem suspisous.
The two older ones just gave them odd looks, but otherwise said nothing. They were sure they knew what was going on.
Well, Mei already knew.
She knew everything.
QOTC: What's your favorite World Trigger opening?
Yuki Tsukiko
All-Rounder, Captain
- 18 Years Old
- Born Sept. 27
- Chronos, Blood Type AB
- Height: 5'7"
- Likes: Ice cream, Exercising, Puzzles
Takeshi Kotowari
Shooter
- 15 Years Old
- Born Apr. 21
- Felis, Blood Type B
- Height: 5'5"
- Likes: Color, Hamburger, Oversized clothes
Suzumebachi Misaki
Sniper
- 16 Years Old
- Born Apr. 17
- Falco, Blood Type O
- Height: 5'6"
- Likes: Ramen, Pizza, Music
Toby Awdry
Attacker
- 15 Years Old
- Born July 17
- Gladius, Blood Type A
- Height: 5'5"
- Likes: Wolves, Zinnia, Chocolate
Mei Takaoto
Operator
- 19 Years Old
- Born Oct. 27
- Chronos, Blood Type O
- Height: 5'4"
- Likes: Monkey, Tangerines, Rain