Shiori, with Osamu trailing her, had checked nearly every room on the bottom floor, and not even one person was conscious. She asked Osamu if he knew anyone else personally, and volunteered to carry them along with Chika. However, Osamu didn't want to strain his new friend, and had felt most of his hope fade at the sight of Izuho's limp body, which had been brutally crushed under a large piece of rubble.

"Was that girl your friend, too?" Shiori asked him as they walked out of the door, which wasn't even an actual door anymore, only a mere frame.

Osamu's eyes widened. "H-How did you know that?"

"The look in your eyes," Shiori answered, her gaze drifting to the floor. "Your expression changed when you saw her. You were shocked, but also scared. Wondering how many other people close to you had passed on like that."

Osamu flinched, not expecting that the black-haired girl would be able decode people's faces in the way that she had. "I didn't know her that well, but she was Chika's best friend."

Shiori glanced at the small girl on her back, still unconscious. "It'll be hard on her, then. What about your friends, Osamu?"

Osamu didn't have any 'good' friends at his school, but he was worried anyway. "There's a few," he told her, feeling guilty about the fact that he hadn't been compelled to check on them. "They're all on the second floor, so if they're still alive and able to move, Jin might get them."

Shiori walked out of the demolished room, not stopping to check anyone's pulse. Osamu wanted to ask her why she was so determined to save Chika, since she didn't even know the girl, and had just met Osamu. Obviously, it wasn't because she was selfless, since Shiori hadn't even tried to rescue anyone else.

For the first time, Osamu noticed the small communicator that was placed in her ear. She pinched a tiny button on it's side, and waited a few seconds before speaking.

"Have you finished?" She asked whoever was on the other end, and waited for a reply before she talked again.

"Go outside. I'll see you there." After lowering her hand from the device, she turned to Osamu. "Do you want to go and see if your friends are alive?"

Osamu shook his head somewhat reluctantly. "No. I want to get Chika taken care of first. If we could actually bring any of the others with us, Jin would've dealt with it."

Shiori looked like she wanted to protest, but probably decided against it. Instead, she told Osamu to follow her closely, and made for the main entrance.

As one of the doors fell off it's hinges due to a slight push, Osamu found it hard to believe that less than an hour ago, he had walked through those same doors with Chika, in the same way he had done every other day. Now, the school was falling apart, and limp bodies, alive or not, were scattered everywhere. Not to mention that Neighbors were in the city, and Osamu could only imagine what was happening in the area where the wall had been broken.

Bright sunlight greeted Osamu as he struggled to limp down the stairs, using the rail for support. It was a beautiful day, and yet people were dying, as if the heavens themselves had no reason to mourn those who had already been lost.

Apart from Chika's well-being, the only other thing on Osamu's mind was his mother, who worked near the wall itself. He hadn't heard another explosion since the one at school, which was reassuring, telling him that they hadn't damaged the great stone structure any further. Even so, he had no idea where the actual Neighbors were located, and they could've easily spread through the small district. In addition, of you listened for it, you could hear people's desperate screams as they either lost their lives, or would do anything to save them.

Osamu saw Jin coming from the left side of the building, with his sunglasses back around his neck, and felt his spirits fall when he noticed that the young man didn't have anyone with him.

Shiori placed Chika's body on the ground, most likely grateful for the short rest. However, Osamu felt even more discouraged when he saw Jin's gaze darken as he saw the violet-eyed girl.

"Who's she?" He asked when he was within earshot of the two other people.

Osamu opened his mouth to reply, but Shiori spoke first. "Osamu's cousin," she explained. "She was conscious when we found her, but fell asleep a few minutes ago. I figured that she'd been with us for at least twenty minutes at that point, and I didn't mind a little extra weight, so I decided to carry her."

Osamu was shocked. Although he didn't know much about her, he would never expect a person like Shiori to lie like that. She was surprisingly good at it, too, and if Osamu hadn't been with her when she found Chika, he would have never guessed that what she told Jin wasn't the truth.

"Four-eyes didn't want her to die, and you volunteered to carry her body, which was unconscious when you found her. Right?"

Osamu's mouth gaped slightly open, and his eyes were wide. Jin not only saw through the false story, but his sudden guess was shockingly close to what had actually happened.

Shiori sighed loudly, her expression defeated, but also amused. "I knew that it was no use lying, but it was worth a shot. Sorry about that," she laughed.

Jin looked down at Chika, and looked like he was about to say something, but didn't. Instead, he went to Osamu. "Glad to see you're still here, Four-eyes. But why, exactly, is Shiori dragging your cousin around?"

Osamu adjusted his glasses nervously. "Well, I-I..." He took a deep breath. "I'm not like you, Jin. I just wouldn't be able to leave her to die like that."

Jin blinked. "If you've gotten this far, I'm not going to tell you to put her on a bench and walk away. If she becomes a burden, though, don't expect top-of-the-line treatment."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Osamu stammered, feeling incredibly relieved.

"Sir?" Jin echoed, raising his eyebrows. "No need to be so polite."

"Um, r-right..." Osamu responded shakily. He was about to say something else, but another voice cut him off.

"Who are you?" It said, ringing above the faint chaotic noises.

There heads turned rapidly to face the speaker. It was dark-haired man who was decently tall, who was clad in something that slightly resembled the typical Mikado District military uniform, despite the fact that it's base color was red. Behind him stood two other males and one female, all wearing similar clothing.

"Arashiyama Unit!" Osamu exclaimed, recognizing their faces from what he had seen on multiple types of media.

Jin narrowed his eyes. "Are they some military big-shots or something?"

"They're Mikado District's most elite squad," Osamu replied, not taking his eyes off of them. "Some people even see them as celebrities."

The leader of the group, Jun Arashiyama, came closer to Osamu and the others, his squad following. In a crisis like this one, he seemed far different from the extravagant person that Osamu had seen on television. "Are you authorized to be here?"

Jin faced the soldier, a rather unwelcoming look on his face. "We're rescuing the students here. Is there a problem?"

Arashiyama was clearly not pleased with Jin's display of disrespect. "Actually, it is a problem. All citizens are being evacuated into the military base."

"Who are you 'evacuating', anyway?" The girl spoke up. "There's only two students here."

"Taking unconscious people with us would only make things more difficult, and I only found two people who could walk on their own. One of them died, and Four-eyes was the other. This girl was taken without my permission, which is the only reason why she's here." Jin was able to look Arashiyama in the eye, without flinching once. "Protecting the city is my priority right now, and I won't let knocked-out school kids get in the way."

"You're under arrest for preforming military duties without permission." Arashiyama didn't even bother to think of a clever response. "As well as for abandoning citizens."

"Right, because you'll take the time to arrest someone in the middle of a Neighbor invasion," Jin challenged the squad captain's statement. "And by the way, aren't you some elite squad? Why aren't you on the front lines?"

Arashiyama narrowed his eyes. "We've got the advantage in the main battle, and my squad isn't needed yet. Instead, we were ordered to protect the citizens."

Jin looked intrigued, in a way that was mocking the captain. "In my eyes, that's a job that's given to the weakest."

Arashiyama ignored him, and turned to the girl. "Kitora, take them to the base. Meet up with us when you're done. It should be safe there, for now. The only breach in the wall is on the opposite side, and-"

Jin cut him off, laughing randomly. "It's 'safe'? Do you still think that? The first attack on the wall was a diversion. The Neighbors fighting over there? A simple way to distract the human soldiers."

"You would have no idea," Arashiyama retorted. "The military has been researching Neighbor activities for years, and tell me, what have you been doing?"

"The same thing." Jin grinned, although he looked extremely threatening. "And I know that they've got a new pawn to send into the game. How else would be able to damage the wall like that? And the shelters? They were attacked from below, which is pretty strange, if you ask me."

Arashiyama was obviously concerned at this point, but tried desperately to hide it. "Your talking nonsense. If you want to make a war hero speech, do it in prison when this fight is over."

Jin raised his eyebrows. "Over? It hasn't even started yet, sir."

Arashiyama opened his mouth, but was unable to speak as another explosion went off in the distance.

Osamu whipped around. "W-What the heck was that?"

Jin appeared to be satisfied, which, because of what was happening, wasn't exactly a good thing. "Told you. They've got a walking tank, and there he goes again." He acquired a pained, somewhat regretful look in his eyes as he mentioned the 'walking tank', which only made Osamu's mind become even more of a mess.

"That's near the base..." Arashiyama muttered under his breath, although it was just loud enough for Jin to hear. "Kitora, we're going in that direction. Instead, you take them to one of the branch offices and have one of the operators keep them there."

Kitora, her bright violet eyes narrowed, looked like she wanted to protest, and didn't hesitate to. "Sir, what if I'm needed over there?" She glared at Jin, who met her firey gaze calmly. "I don't think we should waste any of our previous time on lowly trash."

Jin pretended to be offended, acting ridiculously overly dramatic. If under different circumstances, it would probably be funny to watch. Osamu noticed Shiori struggling not to laugh. Dropping the childish act, Jin resumed talking. "If you really want to, you can lock me up after all this is over, which might be awhile. After all," he continued, flicking his glasses back down on his face in a swift movement. "The future has infinite possibilities, doesn't it?"

Something about that sentence, whatever it may have been, sent shudders through the people surrounding him. Even Osamu felt the dark vibes coming from those words, and was led to wonder what could be hidden behind Jin's cheerful smiles.

Arashiyama was taken aback, and he appeared like he wanted to say something, but his mouth remained slightly open for the next few seconds before the ominous silence was broken.

"Shiori, Osamu, come on. Take the girl if you want to, but I won't be responsible for her." He turned around, his open jacket flapping in the slight wind. "We'll be going now, if you don't mind. There's things to do, people to see."

Arashiyama had one hand on the gun strapped to his belt. "W-Wait! You're not allowed to-"

Jin looked over his shoulder. "In second future, I am allowed to. And in another one, I might be dead. You might be dead. There are many different ways a book can end, and we are the authors our own life story. If I want it to be written in a way where I save your sorry asses, then that's how this story will go."

Arashiyama gripped his gun tighter, eyes wide, and his squad had a similar reaction. Even Osamu and Shiori, who hadn't been involved in the argument whatsoever, didn't know how to respond to such a statement. Another male soldier, with dark blonde hair styled in a bowlcut and tired eyes, stepped forward to speak.

"Leave them, for now." His voice was calm, at least compared to Arashiyama's, and his expression was very relaxed. "We can depart now, and track them down later. I suggest that we focus on the task at hand." He looked over at Jin. "Also, I have reason to assume that these people are not opposing the government. I don't see them as a current threat, so leaving to attend to the most recent attack on the wall shouldn't cause us any harm."

Arashiyama narrowed his eyes. "What you say is true, but I can't imagine just walking away."

"Hey, you two." Jin looked back at Shiori, then at Osamu. "Hurry up. We'll miss the others."

Others...? Osamu thought, his eyes going back and forth between Jin, Chika, and Arashiyama. How many people did Jin come here with?

Shiori had seemed to be spacing out, but Jin's command snapped her back into reality. "R-Right! Osamu, I'll grab your cousin." She turned to Arashiyama, who was looking pretty confused. "We're on your side, trust me!" She left him with only those words, put an unconscious Chika on her back, and began to follow Jin.

"You're a student, aren't you?" Arashiyama spoke directly to Osamu, for the first time. "If that guy roped you into whatever this is, you'll be offered military protection, and we can take you to safety."

"Osamu!" Shiori called his name, waiting for him to follow. Jin had stopped as well, smiling as if nothing had happened.

Osamu looked at the two calm, yet strangely cheerful faces, both of them expecting him to come along, and then at Chika's limp figure. There wasn't much of a question about where he would go, despite how little he knew. However, it wasn't what he didn't know that was occupying his thoughts, but what he longed to find out. Chika's fate, each and every mystery that surrounded Jin, and, most importantly, just how extraordinary these people would turn out to be.

"Sir, they really are something special," he replied, a faint smile lighting up his expression. "I can tell."

Arashiyama was clearly disapproving, but didn't say so. "Is that right?"

Osamu nodded quickly, and, at the sound of his name being said a second time, turned to face Shiori and Jin. With one final glance behind him, at the future he could have chosen, he left to join the people he would soon be able to call comrades.

"Don't worry," Jin reassured him, noticing the uncertainty clouding the boy's eyes. "We'll probably see them again."

Osamu stared up at him. "S-Seriously? How would you know that?"

Jin started walking again. "I don't. But, like I said, we write our own life story, to an extent. And besides, they're the strongest team, aren't they? With a group like that, I can see them making it out of here."

"...Out of here?" Osamu repeated, not sure about what he meant by that.

Now out of Arashiyama Unit's eyesight, Jin stopped once again. He faced Osamu, sunlight dancing on the glassy surface of his turquoise-tinted sunglasses. "I probably should of mentioned this earlier, but..." He narrowed his eyes, a smirk on his face.

"We're going outside the wall."