"To start with, the Excellent Distinguished Service awards with a reward of 300 thousand yen, as well as 350 points. Kizaki Reiji from Tamakoma, who intercepted and fought two humanoid Neighbours, which bought time for the C-rank trainees to make their escape. The sniper team from HQ, consisting of Touma Isami, Narasaka Tooru, and Kodera Shohei, who took over protecting the east from Neighbours from Tachikawa Kei. Rabbits defeated, 2."

"Murakami Kou from Suzunari Branch, who held off three Rabbits to prevent any loss of life in the area. The B-rank team, consisting of Azuma squad, Suzunari-1, Arafune squad, Kakizaki squad, and Chano squad, who all held off and assisted in the downfall of one of the humanoid Neighbours. Rabbits defeated, 1."

"Next, Outstanding Distinguished Service awards with a reward of 800 thousand yen, as well as 800 points. Tachikawa Kei from HQ, who intercepted bomber Trion soldiers attacking HQ, then whittling down enemy forces in the east to minimize the damage to the city. Adding on to that, intercepting and fighting one of the humanoid Neighbours, and defeating another humanoid Neighbour. However, disregarded original orders to stay and protect the civilians in the east. Rabbits defeated, 9."

"Kazama squad from HQ and Karasuma Kyosuke from Tamakoma branch, who both intercepted and fought off one of the Neighbours black Triggers, assisting in the escape of the C-rank trainees. Konami Kirie from Tamakoma branch, who supported the evacuation of the C-rank trainees, and then going on to pursue Trion soldiers advancing into the southwest. On top of that, intercepted and fought off one of the enemies black Triggers to prevent any loss of life. Rabbits defeated, 1. Shiori Usami from Tamakoma branch, for being the operator for solo A-rank Jin Yuichi, Tamakoma-1, and unofficial squad, Tamakoma-2, as well as offering support with several battles across the map to support the escape of the C-rank trainees."

"Arashiyama squad from HQ stamped out the enemy forces in the forbidden zone, then provided backup support for Konami Kirie and Kikuchihara Shiro in the invasions cleanup. In addition, Kitora Ai and Satori Ken, who assisted in the escape of the C-rank trainees. Rabbits defeated, 6. Jin Yuichi from Tamakoma branch, who supported the evacuation of the C-rank trainees from the southwestern area to HQ. Also intercepted and captured a humanoid Neighbour without any loss of life."

"Yoneya Yosuke, Izumi Kohei, and Midorikawa Shun from HQ, the main force in the battle against humanoid Neighbours, contributing to their defeat. Supported the evacuation of the C-rank trainees, preventing the loss of any life. Rabbits defeated, 2. Azuma Haruaki from HQ, took command of the battle against the humanoid Neighbours, contributing to their defeat, and later rushed to the southern area to minimize the damage to the city."

"To end with the Special Distinguished Service awards with a reward of 15 hundred-thousand yen, as well as 1,500 points… Miwa Shuji from HQ, who intercepted and fought two humanoid Neighbours, as well as assisting in forcing the enemies to withdraw. Rabbits defeated, 1."

"Amou Tsukihiko from HQ, who defended a large portion of the west, as well as the northwestern areas alone, preventing any loss of life. Rabbits defeated, 3. And last, the dark horse-!"

"Shiori-san, get on with it."

"Aw~ But that was fun, and I didn't even get to the best part yet!"

"I still think they're making a bigger deal of it than it actually was. We only did it because we were a team, and because of Yuma's black Trigger…"

"I mean, everyone that used a black Trigger was given a special distinguished service award. Kind of proves how over-powered they are… huh?"

"Don't underestimate yourselves! And now, the dark horse! Tamakoma-2 from HQ, with Kuga Yuma, who intercepted and defeated an enemy black Trigger. Amatori Chika, who assisted in the escape of the C-rank trainees as well as staying behind to fight one of the enemy black Triggers, despite being a target. And team leader, Mikumo Mori, who assisted in the evacuation of the C-rank trainees from the southwestern area to HQ, and attacked the Neighbour ship and forced them to withdraw. Rabbits defeated in total… 7."

-0-

"We're promoting Chika."

Yuma and Chika blinked in surprise, the action mimicked by everyone else in the room.

"WHAT?!" Konami shrieked.

"Chika's getting a promotion." Rindou repeated, cigarette flicking up and down in his mouth as he looked over some papers in his hand. Rindou was standing by the door. Everyone else scattered around the room, with Konami, Shiori and Karasuma behind the counter of the kitchen, and Kizaki, Yotaro, Jin, Chika and Yuma sitting at the table.

"What do you mean by that, Rindou-san?" Karasuma asked, fingers loosely wrapped around the handle of a frying pan.

"So as Shiori announced to us earlier today…" He began. "The awards from the aftermath of the invasion. Tamakoma-2, as a whole, received a Special Distinguished Award due to their outstanding assist during the attack. According to the higher-ups though, there's one thing wrong with that."

Shiori nodded. "I was actually wondering about that, but I was so happy that I forgot to mention it when we had the chance to… Chika-chan is…"

"Still a C-rank," Rindou confirmed. "Which means she can't be rewarded like everyone else that received an award since she's not an actual agent. And she did risk her life for both the civilians and our own Border agents, so the award was necessary. But technically... She can't be paid."

"She didn't fight in that battle so she could be paid." Yuma spoke up icily, shocking most of the residents in the room.

Rindou nodded, stepping into the room and sitting down in the seat next to them. "I know, I know, that's what I told HQ. But you know… Kinuta-san brought up a valid point."

"Huh?" Chika jolted.

Rindou took a deep breath, taking the cigarette out of his mouth for a moment to speak. "…In all of the previous training exercises you've been doing, you've gotten to, around… 1,400 points?"

"Around that number," Chika agreed. "I've been working to get many more points these past few days, so we could make it to A-rank as soon as possible…"

"Right, so to get to B-rank, you need 4,000 points," The Tamakoma branch director began. "The reward for an Special Distinguished Service award as 1,500 points. Which, technically, we can give you since it's not salary compensation. So that brings you up to 2,900 points. 1,100 more to go."

Kizaki twitched. "… Where are you going with this, Rindou-san?"

He sighed. "…Transfer that amount of points from the 3,000 points that Yuma and Mori got, and bump Chika up to C-rank instantly… Is what Kinuta-san suggested. She needs her own Bail out function."

-0-

It was dark.

(Why is it so dark?)

It's also very quiet.

(…Am I dead?)

A beep.

(What's that?)

Another beep.

… I don't like it.

(I'm tired. I just want to keep sleeping.)

I have to get up though.

(…Why? Why do I need… To get up?)

I have to… Apologize…

(…I just wanted everything to turn out ok. That's all I ever wanted.)

…

(… Chika… Yuma…)

-0-

"Can we really move forward like this?" Yuma wondered out loud, speaking freely in the safety of their own, brand new operator room.

"It's possible to fight a match without a team member, but not really done often, since it could be seen as us underestimating our opponents…" Shiori trailed off distractedly, pushing up her glasses as she scanned the computer. "We've got Miku-chan's signature from a few months ago though, putting her down as our squad leader… and we've got Chika's new promotion, so we're technically all set to go!"

Chika hummed, adjusting her glove with the edges of her lips turned down. "I wish she could've been here to see our first match."

Shiori and Yuma frowned at that, facing her quickly.

"…Mori'll be awake for our next match," Yuma finally stated, nodding decisively. "…If she isn't, I'll slap her awake."

Chika giggled softly in slight surprise, not expecting the last comment.

"Now, now," Shiori chided, a grin returning to her face. "I'll be the first to slap her, hanging up on us like that in the operator room. She'll definitely be here for the next match, don't worry about it."

"Alright," Jin's voice sounded through the door, along with a muted knock, although he didn't enter the room. "You guys have a few hours 'till the afternoon… Thanks to everyone's early promotions, you've got your uniforms, right?"

"Yup, we've got them yesterday!" Shiori confirmed through the door. "Are you going to watch the match, Jin?"

"Yup," Jin nodded, slowly stepping away from the door with a small smile on his face. "Just need to pick something up before that, I'll be back in time to watch. None of you guys stress yourselves out, you hear me?"

-0-

It hurts…

Much more than last time…?

(Have to get up, have to apologize, have to leave—)

I…

I need to get… Up.

-0-

Jin blinked, eyes having already seen this scene in his future vision.

Though it didn't ease the surprise in the least.

"Miwa," He greeted. "Kasumi-san."

"Greetings." Kasumi nodded, while Miwa turned his head away from the solo agent with a huff.

"How're you two doing on this fine day?" Jin continued, stepping off of the wall he'd been leaning on.

"I'm doing well," Kasumi's eyes straying past Jin to glance at the hospital. "I invited Miwa-kun to have lunch, after I visit Mori."

"Ah, so you're eating," Jin nodded. "That's good, I'm glad. I didn't expect Miwa to be with you though."

Said male scoffed disbelievingly, head still turned away.

"We've gotten acquainted during his stay at the hospital," Kasumi explained.

"The hospital is boring," Miwa defended under his breath. "There's nothing to do, and there was no one else to talk to."

"I see," Jin nodded. "Well, don't let me be in your way."

"…Are you waiting for anyone in specific?" Kasumi asked as Jin stuck where he was, leisurely leaning against the concrete wall that circled the building.

Jin nodded with a soft smile. "Yup. I'll see you guys later."

-0-

Miwa's scowl was barely hidden, buried into his scarf.

Being over two weeks after the invasion, the hospital was much emptier than when Kasumi had first visited. Both her and Miwa's steps echoed down the halls, and the soft footsteps of other people were faint in the never ending corridors.

"…I wonder who Jin-kun is waiting for." Kasumi thought out loud, filling in the empty silence.

"Could be anyone," Miwa grumpily stated, walking just a step behind her. "Sometimes it's as if everyone knows him."

Kasumi nodded, having met quite a few Border agents as well as Jin in the past two weeks. "He does seem popular with Border agents."

Miwa clicked his tongue, and the woman dropped the topic for his sake.

"How did you know Mori, from before the invasion?" She asked curiously. "Or was that the first instance that you met?"

Miwa paused unnoticeably, thinking about how to phrase his next words. "…She tried protecting someone that we were attacking."

"I see." Kasumi looked ahead, purple-blue eyes scanning the white hallways. "Sometimes it's as if she enjoys being in the wrong spot at the wrong time… It seems to be a reoccurring habit of hers."

Miwa snorted at that, the sound muffled through his scarf.

Kasumi's eyes finally landed on the familiar nameplate hung up, the door to Mori's room just up ahead. "Well, I just hope—"

The door opened, and both of their minds stalled.

Mori blinked from her spot in the bed, arm held out helpfully to the doctor on the other side of the bed.

The doctor marked down something on the sheet, before slowly moving to change the IV bag hooked up to Mori's arm.

Mori blearily blinked once more, eyes unfocused as she stared off into the vague direction of the door.

"…Hi."

Kasumi took a tentative step forward into the room.

"…M-Mori…?"

The doctor glanced up at the two newcomers, before hurriedly hanging up the IV bag and stepping towards the door.

"I'll give you a few minutes," She hurriedly muttered, stepping past Miwa and Kasumi to leave the room. "She's been awake for a just over an hour, so don't overwhelm her."

The door shut with a click, and for a while, there was silence.

-0-

"Mori," Mom finally murmured softly. "…I can't believe you're awake."

I could hear the other black blur beside her mutter something that sounded suspiciously like 'Now of all times too'. I ignored whoever it was.

"…I—" I coughed. "…What day is it?"

The other black blur spoke louder than last time. Their voice didn't sound especially happy, but wasn't particularly angry at the moment either. "As of today, it's over two weeks after the invasion."

Oh. That's Miwa.

…Figures.

"…Oh."

"Mori, what was going through your head?" Mom finally said sternly, stepping towards me. "Chika-chan and Yuma-kun already gave me a summary of what happened during the invasion, were you thinking… At all?"

My lips parted in surprise, and my good hand clenched around the bed sheets for a moment. "…I…"

Mom waited, standing right at the edge of my bed now. I couldn't see her face clearly without my glasses, but my imagination helpfully filled in an image of the last time she gave me an expression of disappointment.

"… I… I don't know what I was doing." I finally muttered, and a stinging pain shot through my shoulder in response. "… I just wanted Chika to be ok."

(I just wanted everything to turn out ok. I know I was dumb, I'm always dumb.)

"There's a difference between 'safe', and 'ok'," Miwa sharply cut me off from the door, and I could nearly feel the glare that he must have been giving me. "Evidently, you've mixed them up."

"Miwa-kun is right," Mom lectured me softly. "At the time, I think that you forgot that Chika is your sister. And as her older sister… You have to value your life, or else you may leave her behind."

(Rinji left her behind. I almost—)

I blinked, and a tear fell.

"Not only that, but you also worried others," She continued, hand reaching out to the side somewhere. "Like me. Yuma as well, and everyone at Tamakoma. Even a few others that you told me had barely known you. You can't do this again, alright?"

And her hand returned, my glasses in hand this time. She reached out, offering them to me silently.

The frames were blurry through, not only from my poor vision but also from the tears streaming down my face.

I nodded shakily, good hand reaching out despite the dull ache that I felt in my bones as I finally moved after two long weeks.

"I'm sorry," I began, feeling her pull me to her chest carefully. "For worrying you. I-I'm really sorry, mom."

My voice shook and broke, but I was alive. I was alive and living, and right beside my mother.

And for the moment, that was enough.

-0-

"…I have permission to leave the hospital?" Mori asked in disbelief, legs dangling off the side of the bed.

"Yes, you do," The nurse answered patiently, pulling out a wheelchair into the room. "Most of your injuries are healed enough for you to leave for a short time, due to how long you were in the coma. However, you will be confined to a wheelchair, and need supervision from an adult. Also, please eat slowly if you attempt to have a meal during your time out of the hospital. You haven't had proper, solid food in two weeks, so be careful."

Mori blinked, eyes blandly staring at the wall. "Huh."

"Don't just say, 'huh'," Miwa grumbled still leaning against the wall with the lower half of his face stuffed in his scarf. "It's getting repetitive."

"…Sorry," She apologized, just as Kasumi stepped forward to help her into the chair. "I'm just… tired."

"Mori, you just woke up from a two-week coma." Kasumi blankly cut her off.

"… Helluva' nap," Mori muttered jokingly, despite her lack of expression not wavering. "Maybe the word I was going for is… disoriented."

She paused, before blinking rapidly. Miwa couldn't help but take note of a slight crinkle to her eyebrows. "My mind keeps flashing back to the invasion."

"Does anything hurt?" The nurse asked worriedly, just as Mori shuffled side to side in the hospital wheelchair. "Maybe you should stay behind for today…"

"No, nothing hurts," Mori cut the woman off semi-politely. "My head's just acting weird."

("Having a gunner on either side would be for the best at the moment, but Mori isn't—")

"…What do you mean, 'flashing back to the invasion'," Miwa muttered questioningly. "You mean when you got stabbed?"

'No tact whatsoever.'

Mori shrugged, attempting to push the wheelchair forward to the door on her own. "The entire invasion in general."

Her efforts proved to be unsuccessful, as she only had access to one arm. Her left arm stuck in a sling with bandages covering the shoulder, more bandages felt on her torso, and gauze over her right thigh.

"…Wait, mom." Mori began, turning to Kasumi questioningly as said woman began to push the chair. They exited the room with little issue, and she twisted in her chair as best she could to face her mother. "Earlier, you called Miwa… 'Miwa-kun'…?"

Kasumi nodded, pushing her daughter out of the room with Miwa walking not too far behind them. "Yes, I did."

Mori looked as if her worldview was shattering for no apparent reason. "…When'd you two become acquainted?"

"While we were in the hospital," Kasumi patiently elaborated, a small smile pulling at her lips as they slowly trudged down the hall. "Miwa-kun was forced to share a hospital room with you after the attack, due to the number of patients."

Mori froze, before turning to the grumpy teen as best as she could while still sitting in the chair.

"I'm only a little sorry about this, but I completely forgot in the first place that you got stabbed too."

"What do you mean, 'you forgot'?" Miwa turned to her with a low tone, anger still just barely contained. "You were the whole reason the two of us were in that situation in the first place!"

"Excuse me?" Mori bounced back, finally starting to act like herself again. "What about you, Mr. 'I've-literally-got-a-black-Trigger-and-the-advantage-of-surprise-but-can't-even-bring-a-goddamn-Neighbour-to-their-knees'?! What the hell was that about anyway, you couldn't beat either of them!"

"Shut it, that was the first time I've ever used Fujin!" Miwa retorted, stepping closer to Mori threateningly. Kasumi came to a halt and stepped back from the wheelchair, watching the two teens argue nonsensically in slight amusement and exasperation. "And what were you doing?! Running around with a C-rank Trigger with two black Triggers chasing you?! Did you think you'd get out of that incident completely without consequence, or what?!"

"Oh, shove it!"

"If you can get into that much trouble while escorting C-ranks, I wouldn't even trust you in a kitchen!" Miwa continued, which clearly struck an indignant chord in Mori.

"I can so cook, you dipshit!" She yelled while reaching up to try and slap the side of his head with her free hand, to no avail. "Get down here, I'll fuckin' show you 'trustworthy'!"

"You can't even reach my head, is that it?" Miwa muttered mockingly. "Are you so short that you need me to sit down on the floor to get to your height?"

"I'm in a wheelchair, you insensitive asshole!" Mori's indignant voice rose to a near shriek. "And for your information, considering my age and gender, I'm pretty fucking tall!"

"I'm still taller than you, shorty."

"Ooh, did the quality of our insults regress back to third grade?!" Mori shot back, expression shifting into something more mocking. "Reeeeeaaal fuckin' mature, Miwa!"

Kasumi cleared her throat pointedly, much to the embarrassment of the two teens.

"…Are you two finished? If not, please tell me how long I'll have to wait."

Looking around, you could see two nurses down the hall, watching the argument with a horrified kind of fascination. Once they saw that both teens noticed their staring, they embarrassedly ran around the nearest corner in a hurry to avoid their gaze.

Mori's mouth pressed into a thin line, her cheeks flushing in mortification as she slumped in the chair. "…Sorry."

Miwa buried his face in his scarf, staying silent as he pointedly looked away from them.

Kasumi breathed a sigh of relief, taking a step back forward to take hold of the wheelchair handles. "Please do not let it happen again, we're almost out of here."

"…Sorry for snapping," Mori dully apologized, embarrassment taking it's sweet, sweet time to fade away. "I'm just wound up."

Miwa gave a huffy noise in response, which she assumed would be the closest thing to him accepting her apology that she'd get.

Kasumi glanced around in observation, the group of three finally reaching the hospital gates. "…Did Jin-kun leave?"

"Jin was here?!" Mori jolted, snapping up in her chair. Though she soon regretted the action as a sharp pain shot down through her body, causing a pained hiss of air to make it past her clenched teeth. "Ow, fuck fuck fuck, ow."

"Idiot." Miwa muttered, the two teens blissfully unaware of the looming shadow behind them.

"Quite a lineup we've got here!"

Mori shrieked, jumping in her chair and yelping in pain not too long afterwards, while Miwa only jolted out of surprise.

"Ow, ow, ow ow ow ow—"

"Don't do that!" Miwa growled, spinning around and managing to cuff Jin in the side of the head harshly.

Jin laughed, rice cracker bag crinkling in his grip as he stepped back. "You two didn't see me?"

"Obviously not," Mori choked out, clutching her stomach in pain. "Long time no fucking see, Jin."

"Ah, I lost the '-san'." Jin lamented. "I nearly forgot that you got mad at me from before."

Mori squinted. "…You're damn lucky there are no stairs nearby."

"I suppose," Jin nodded, ignoring Miwa and Kasumi's confused glances. "But you also can't get up to kick me, can you?"

Mori lashed out with her left, cast-free leg, and nailed him in the side of the shin.

Jin's smile never wavered even as he flinched, although everyone around well aware of the fact that it probably hurt Mori more than him. "You shouldn't stress yourself, Four-eyes."

"I'm fine," She huffed, already slightly out of breath. "But moving on… Why did you come here anyway, Jin?"

"Ah, I've got a little errand to do." He chuckled. "Kasumi-san, I apologize, but do you think I could borrow four-eyes for a bit?"

-0-

The battle was easy.

Yuma actually felt bad for Satori and Utagawa, having their chance to be commentators cut so short, but he didn't feel the need to look down on their opponents and hold back against them.

Didn't matter how any rookies saw it as him crushing them, this was him taking them seriously. If only A-rank agents could understand that, well.. Yuma didn't particularly care about that.

Not to mention with all of the training he and Chika had been doing, they were leagues above these teams. There just wasn't much of a competition.

It was over in—nearly seconds.

"Wha—?!" Taketomi stuttered. "What a shocking ending! Sniper agent Amatori demolished that whole building with her Ibis instantly! Is she allowed to be that powerful?!"

"Counting the survival points, that's 8 points right off the bat," Utagawa observed in slight surprise. "They're not wasting any time."

"They jumped to 12th place in just one match that lasted mere SECONDS!" Taketomi shrieked. "They're next opponents are… Arafune squad, for 10th place, and… Suwa squad, in 8th place!"

"No biggie!" Shiori cheered, holding out two hands for her teammates to high-five once they were back in the operator room. "We had this in the bag!"

Yuma nodded, giving a small smile to them. "Good job, Chika, Shiori. That was fun."

Chika rubbed the back of her head sheepishly with her gloved hand. "Thank you for directing me, Shiori-san. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"Ah, you guys are too good for me!" She grinned, hand resting on the doorknob as she prepared to leave. "Jin said he'd be back in time to watch, we should find him before we head back to Tama—"

The door barely cracked open, before an unfamiliar voice sounded out through the area.

"Damn overconfident rookies."

Shiori paused, standing perfectly still in the doorway as she turned her head around and away from her teammates.

There were two C-ranks standing in the hallway, one of them scowling with their hands stuffed into their pockets while clicking their tongue. "Honestly, they look like they're in grade school. They definitely cheated to get to B-rank, I'm sure of it now."

"Hey, man…" The other one muttered nervously, lingering behind his friend. "Not right now…Is this really the time for this…?"

"No, I think right now is a perfect time." Shiori smoothly cut in, pleasant, closed-eye smile not fading as she stepped out and into the hallway. "What were you just about to say regarding my teammates?"

Yuma and Chika tried to peer around Shiori curiously, but she stubbornly stood in the middle of the doorway.

The nervous C-ranker jolted, but the other one only turned to face her with squared shoulders.

"Listen, I've had a friend of mine trying to get to B-rank for nearly a year." He growled, trying to seem more threatening than he actually was. "I'm just calling bullshit on the fact that all of your stupid team made it in less than a goddamn month. It's obvious to anyone that has a brain, you guys cheated."

"Oh?" She curiously began. "And pray tell, how on earth do you cheat in a battle? Please, give me your honest opinion." Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, and if he had half a brain, he would've run away at this point.

The other teen shivered at her dark tone. "Dude, we should just—"

"Gladly." His friend ignored him, stepping closer to Shiori. "All of the rank battles, solo or not, are in a Trion. Simulated. Battleground. By tweaking a few Trigger settings, bribing a few of the engineers, artificially enhancing the Trion body, I'm sure it'd be easy to fake any of the so-called-talent you rookies 'have'. I'm just calling it like I see it, there's no way that some middle schooler-shrimps like them can even have a quarter of the talent that they're showing."

Shiori cocked her head, and Yuma and Chika took the opportunity to step out of the operators room to face the trainees on their own.

"Do you want to have a solo rank war right now then?" Yuma offered, expression carefully blank. "You can see up close if I'm cheating or not."

"Hell no," The trainee scoffed. "That's how you racked up so many points, huh? Taunting and baiting other rookies into stealing their points, figures."

"You're wrong," Chika objected softly, taking a step forward. "Yuma would never do something like that. Please don't speak about things you would never understand."

His dark glare shifted over to the young girl, but she didn't dare flinch. "And you." He growled. "Lucky little girl, inheriting monster levels of Trion. It's all because of the luck of the draw, you're not special at all. But you shoot a hole in the side of the building like the dumb klutz you probably are, and all of a sudden you have people rolling out the red carpet! You've probably had a good life, people throwing themselves at your feet, just because of something you were born with!"

Chika unwillingly took a step back at that.

("It's all my fault he's gone!"

"I… Don't want to run anymore. It's all because of me, that the people around me keep disappearing…")

Yuma's stare darkened and shifted into something more resembling a glare. Shiori wasn't too far behind, both hands drawn up to crack her knuckles. Loudly.

"Not to mention your damn team captain!" He continued, unaware of the quickly rising tension. His friend was already making his way down the hall and away from the scene nervously, wide eyes trained on his friend just as he rounded the nearest corner.

"God knows where she is, skipping out on the first rank wars match! Usually, I'd say that she's just underestimating the other teams and didn't show up to flaunt your power, but with how quickly you finished that match, skipping out wasn't necessary in the least. She could have just stood there and it would've had the same effect!" His eyes narrowed challengingly. "But if I have one other thing that comes to mind, it's this…"

He leaned over to Shiori, who was closest to him as his voice lowered.

"…She was just fucking scared, wasn't she?"

Yuma's hand twitched violently, Scorpion tingling underneath his skin.

Chika's bangs shadowed her eyes, and a strange gleam made it's way into Shiori's eyes as her hand clenched.

"She's probably the weakling of the team!" He yelled, taking their silence as confirmation for his previous statement. "Can't even compare to the two other teammates, and skipped out because she was too embarrassed to even be here! I swear to god—!"

But they didn't even have the opportunity to move forward to attack.

A wattle bottle spun through the air, before hitting the C-rank in the back of the head with a well-deserved 'THWACK'.

Yuma blinked as the C-rank leaned forward, eyebrows pinching in surprise as his hand lifted to the back of his head.

"Wh—?"

"What the fuck is going on here?"

-0-

My eyes were drawn together in irritation, eyes fixated on the C-rank still standing in front of my teammates with a fierce scowl. As he spun around to yell at me though, he rapidly paled at the sight of the IV drip attached to my wheelchair.

Everyone in the hallway seemed to be frozen, stuck in time staring at me in a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Jin was behind me, hands resting loosely on the wheelchairs handles as he gave everyone a nonchalant, carefree smile. Miwa was standing beside him, eyes glaring at the trainee.

(…I feel bad that we kind of left mom behind, but we can't really bring her into Border HQ without permission. I still don't really know why Miwa followed us though, it's sort of obvious that he'd prefer anyone's company over Jin and I's.)

Wait, why is no one moving?

"Hey, C-ranker," I called out dully, eyes narrowed.

"Scram."

He obliged, maybe just a little too eager to leave than he probably should've been.

There was a long pause after the two trainees scrambled away, eyes still lingering on the hallway they left from.

"…Do I look that scary?" I wondered out loud, just before Jin let out an amused chuckle. "He really scrambled to his feet there."

"It's just your normal face, don't worry about it."

I turned to him, right arm reaching around the back of my chair to whack him in the side. "Did you just call me scary, bastard? No wonder women hate you."

My three teammates remained still.

Jin stepped back from my chair, both to avoid my hit, and to give me space.

He waved both hands in the air, shaking them out a little for effect as he gave them a grin.

"…Surprise…?"

Chika's eyes were wide as she took the first shaky step towards me.

"…Mori?"

I blinked, before sighing and reaching out with my right arm, moving my left arm to the side to shift the cast out of the way.

"… I know you all probably want to scream my head off for what I did… But could I please have a hug first? I feel like shit."

There was a beat of silence, just before all three of them launched themselves at me.

"Ow, ow—Watch the cast—!"

"You moron," Shiori mumbled with a small grin, arms latched around all three of us as tears dripped down her cheeks. "Who says we can't do both?"

"I'm probably going to kill you later," Yuma punched me in the side lightly with what little room he had. "Prepare yourself."

-0-

"…Still, why is he here?"

After what felt like hours of sinking into the hug that my team was giving me, everyone composed themselves as Shiori rushed the six of us into the operator room, playfully punching Jin for not telling them that I would wake up today.

"—I thought it'd make for a nice surprise—" He mumbled without a care as Shiori tugged on his cheeks.

They left my wheelchair parked in a corner, Chika rushing around to get enough chairs for everyone. Miwa only leaned against the wall, far away from Yuma as he stared off into space.

Which leaves us to the present.

"Whoa, did you guys just get moved into here?" I glanced around the room as easily as I could manage confined to the chair. "It's practically empty."

"Don't try to change the subject," Yuma murmured, leaning against the side of my chair with a grin. "You guys have got quite a lineup here, I'm surprised you didn't attract any attention on your way."

"That's what I said earlier," Jin nodded. "See, so many different personalities."

"Miwa-baka, why did you follow?" I asked curiously, taking slight amusement in the disbelieving snort that Yuma made at the nickname. "You don't exactly get along with Jin or myself…. In fact, I'd bet that you like my mom more than me."

"That's because she's not irritating to be around," Miwa muttered, and I ignored the familiar twitch my eye made. "But I followed you guys… Because I don't trust Jin with an injured person."

I blinked.

Just before a grin stretching my face as I turned to Jin menacingly.

Jin, who had a mildly offended expression.

"That's true," I commented. "I wouldn't trust him either."

Miwa then turned to me, the bottom half of his face still hidden by his scarf. "You, on the other hand, I wouldn't even trust with a cheese grater."

I frowned, giving him a slightly irritated side-eye. "Dude, lay off on the insults."

"Don't count on it, shorty."

"I see this is how the great captain of the No. 7 squad spends his time," I taunted, watching him out of the corner of my eye. "Picking on middle schoolers. And do I have to mention, once again, that I'm actually above average height for my age and gender?"

"Children, children," Jin cut in. "Bantering again—?"

The two of us spun around in unison. "Shut it, old man."

He twitched. "'Old man'…?"

"Is this how you three have been interacting all morning?" Yuma asked in slight amusement. "You must've killed the nurses."

"Actually, Kasumi-san was with us up until we got to the door to HQ," Jin added. "We need to bring four-eyes back to the hospital in a few hours though, they said they wanted to take the stitches out tomorrow."

I froze, turning to him with an expression filled with just a bit of dread. "…Is the average stab patient supposed to have stitches in for that long…?"

"Nope!" He cheerfully replied. "But It's not as if you and Miwa were injured by the average mugger. On top of that, Miwa's a top tier agent from Border, and you're an agent yourself. The doctors wanted to make sure that they weren't cutting any corners with two of the people protecting their city."

"About that!" Shiori cut in. "It's a little late to mention, but nobody really knows about… You being hospitalized."

I paused. "…They don't?"

"No, it was kept a secret from the public." Chika shook her head, sitting beside me on the other side from Yuma. "Border figured that Miwa wouldn't want to be pitied, so they kept it hidden from the public… and your injuries were tied in with his, so they've been keeping quiet about the incident as a whole. In addition, if they told them that you two were injured, Border's Bail out function would be criticized, and they'd have to explain black Triggers to them, which would be more of a hassle than the rest of it."

"…That makes sense, I guess." I nodded to myself. "Does anybody know?"

"Both of your parents, everyone at Tamakoma, Miwa squad," Shiori counted down on her fingers. "Kazama squad, Midorikawa, Tachikawa squad, all of the higher-ups, and Azuma-san. Those who heard the actual… conversation over the communicators is limited to the directors, Azuma-san, Kazama-squad, Tamakoma-1, Miwa, and Chika…"

"That's a relatively short list," I muttered. "Anyway, thanks for being an angsty brat that doesn't want any pity, Miwa-baka. Although I don't really care if people know I got injured or not."

"Are you going to keep calling me that?" He muttered dryly, which I summarily ignored.

"When can I get out of the wheelchair?" I asked Jin reluctantly. "I wanna fight in our next match…"

"Whoa, whoa, already?" He muttered. "…You can be out in a day minimum, and then they'll probably tell you to use crutches."

I groaned melodramatically, slumping in the chair with my head in my hands. Yuma chuckled from beside me, and I would have jabbed him in the side if he wasn't on my left side.

"…I think I'll leave now." Miwa muttered irritatedly, momentarily distracting everyone. "At this point, I can trust Amatori or Usami to not drive the walking-safety-hazardinto a wall."

"Gee, thanks for worrying about my well-being," I quipped sarcastically, waving lazily at him as my voice lowered to a whisper that he could probably still hear. "Dick."

"Shorty."

"Come up with some new insults, idiot!"

("—Jin is coming over here to back us up. He told us not to tell you, but I need you to take the C-ranks to the rendezvous point—")

(My head hurts.)

-0-

I hummed a tune under my breath, my eyes shut as I felt my wheelchair being pushed along.

"There's someone around that corner, we should turn the other way over here."

Jin was putting his side effect to good use and steering us through the building to avoid anybody, while Shiori pushed my wheelchair. I felt sleepy, so I shut my eyes and rested against the back while everyone else walked.

"…Where are we going again?" I grumbled, possibly cutting someone off (I don't think I did, but who knows at this point).

"Back to the Tamakoma branch," Chika replied, voice sounding out from somewhere to the left of me. "Are you alright with seeing Konami, Karasuma, Kizaki, Yotaro, and Rindou-san before we bring you back to the hospital…?"

"Please," I politely muttered, slumping further into my chair as I blearily opened my eyes. "I need to apologize."

"…You know, once we get back… Everyone's going chew your head off." Yuma warned me, before turning to Jin. "Did I use that phrase correctly?"

The solo agent gave him a thumbs up with one hand, holding out his signature bag of fried rice-crackers with the other. His mouth was stuffed with said fried-snack.

"I should be prepared for that," I responded before my expression dropped the more I thought about it. "I'm not though."

"Mori—" Chika hesitated. "…Big sister, can... The two of us talk later?"

The 'big sister' earned a few looks from Shiori and Jin that I didn't catch.

I paused, before nodding. "It's the least you deserve."

"I think I deserve a talk too," Yuma commented, hiding the seriousness of the statement behind a childish pout. "C'mon, after everything else's done."

"Sure, sure," I murmured. "Once everything else… is done."

"Still, you gave us a real scare there, Miku-chan~!" Shiori punched me in the shoulder lightly, before her hand returned to her spot on the chair handles. "If you do anything like that ever again, I'll have to go over there to drag you back myself!"

"…I'm sorry," I apologized, probably one of the many apologies to come. "I'll try not to do it again."

"Trying isn't good enough, you need to just need to not do it!" She scolded. "…Although I'd prefer that we just don't get into a situation like that ever again."

I laughed, completely unaware of Jin and Yuma.

Yuma's gaze dropped to the ground, and a shadow of guilt passed over Jin's eyes.

Unseen by a single person around.

"That'd be nice," I muttered. "It was very tiring. And I don't want someone to get hurt because of me ever again."

Shiori mock gasped, the only one of the group that seemed to be in the mood to banter. "Is Miku-chan feeling guilty for what happened to Miwa? I wouldn't have guessed by how much you two argued—!"

"He's not a bad guy," I defended, before pausing. "Never mind, he's a dick. But he had a point."

("What I know, is that you have a goddamn little sibling that you're leaving behind.")

"A point about what?" Chika unexpectedly spoke up, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I shook my head, just as my ears registered the sound of rushing water and I noticed the Tamakoma building right in front of us. "Nothing."

Shiori gestured off towards the door just up ahead. "Yuma, could you—?"

Jin stepped ahead before anyone could move, opening the door with a flourish. "After you."

His smug smirk didn't even make me as irritated as I thought it would.

"Thanks," I nodded to him as Shiori steered me over the door, my eyes trained on the threshold.

Everyone made their way inside, taking off their shoes before they made their way into the house.

"—Strawberry pie this time!"

"…Not a meat pie? Savoury pies are always better…"

(Konami? Karasuma-senpai?)

"You don't get it! Strawberries are the perfect food, they're red, and they're a fruit! Besides, Torimaru got to choose what you made last time!"

(…I'm not ready for this.)

"Whatever it is, the mighty Yotaro will eat it all!"

(I don't think I can face them.)

"You will not—!"

The door swung open, Shiori smiling as she stepped aside, not hiding me from sight in the slightest.

"Guess who we brought!"

I felt all of my blood freeze in my veins.

Konami, who was situated in front of the couch, was standing up with one foot placed on the coffee table, and her arm outstretched to indignantly point at Karasuma.

Kizaki, who was leaning against the wall across from us and ready to walk to the kitchen, exasperatedly fond eyes trained on the rest of his team.

Karasuma, sitting down in the chair across the coffee table from Konami with a bland expression.

Yotaro, who was perched proudly on Raijinmaru beside the couch Konami was standing beside.

Rindou, slouched over into the couch beside Karasuma with a mug of coffee in hand.

All of which froze in their spot, wide eyes swinging around to meet my own gaze in shock.

(…What do I say?)

"…Hi guys," I choked out, my voice piercing through the heavy silence that had blanketed the room. The sound was grating, even to my own ears. "…Long time no see."

I had less than half a second to scream before Konami and Yotaro launched themselves at me with unintelligible shrieks.

"Wha—!?"

"YOU MORON!" Konami yelled, digging her fist into my temple painfully. "DUMB KOUHAI!"

I was about to object before a small elbow jabbed me in the side, nearly causing me to choke.

"Dumb kouhai!" Yotaro repeated, tears leaking out as he clutched my (thankfully) left leg.

"I'm—" I tried to cut in.

"NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Konami punched me in the side of the head, other arm looping around to strangle me. I assumed everyone else stepped back, as I received no help in getting her off of me. "THAT WAS DUMB OF YOU, MORI!"

"I know—"

"Dumb kouhai!"

"I SWEAR TO GOD—!"

"Please— Let go—!"

"DUMB KOUHAI!"

Just when I thought I'd never get away, a sharp yank tore Konami away and allowed me a moment to breathe.

"Oh dear god!" I gasped, giving a deep inhale.

"Konami, don't kill her when we just got her back," Kizaki muttered, dropped her a meter away from me. "And Mikumo—"

He towered over me menacingly.

"…Don't do that again."

I gulped.

"…I won't."

He gave a satisfied nod, before patting me on the head gently. I blinked in surprise, eyes wide as my hair was slowly messed up.

"I hope you heal quickly," He said. "We were all worried about you."

I paused, the statement provoking a thought that only faintly occurred to me before.

"When did she get released from the hospital? When did she even wake up?!" Konami turned to Shiori and Jin accusingly.

"Well, she's not exactly released yet," Jin shrugged. "I need to bring her back really soon… But she'll be able to go by tomorrow."

"And why's she in a wheelchair?!" Yotaro complained, waving a fist around in the air. "And the— The needle thing!"

"IV drip, and it's just for now, she'll be using crutches by tomorrow. Healing needs time, Yotaro."

"Aw… But—she looks fine!"

"Yotaro."

"…Still, why didn't you tell us, Jin?" Konami muttered, arms crossed. "Going around behind the scenes, as per usual?"

Jin gave a cheery thumbs up, a grin forming simultaneously.

"Yup!"

"I can't stand you sometimes."

'Why?'

"…'Why', what?"

It took me a moment to realize I had spoken out loud.

"Why… Why are you all so worried? Why were you?"

Shiori jolted, taking a tentative step towards me. "Miku-chan, you got really badly hurt—!"

"But I'm fine," I stressed, my eyes dropping to the floor. "Jin should've told you all, I'd live. So everything is fine— Why do you all look like you've gone through so much pain? I just—I don't get it at all!"

My voice rose to a near-shout at the end, and I regretted the words the second they came out of my mouth.

(Mom told me already, people were worried about me. But— I just don't get it. Why would they be, I'm just… Me. That's all I've ever been, and it's never good enough.)

I didn't need to look up to glance at any of their expressions. I know I've said something wrong.

(Why can't I ever just understand what everyone wants from me? It'd make things so much easier if I just fucking knew what to say.)

"Maybe you misunderstood," Kizaki began slowly. "… Being alive… Is different than being unharmed."

"You worried all of us, it doesn't matter what Jin said," Konami murmured. "… I just wish I could've been over there to stop you from doing something so stupid."

"Mikumo."

The new voice completely took me by surprise, and I couldn't stop my head from jolting up. And for a brief moment, before I snapped my gaze back to the floor, green met gold.

"…You were injured," Karasuma began, standing right in front of me.

(When did he walk closer to me?)

"You worried all of us."

"I know." I muttered, my voice nearly breaking. "I'm sorry."

(Mom already told me that everyone was worried, but why? When and why did I become someone… Worth being worried about?)

"…That's another thing we'll have to work on," He mumbled. "Not to make self-sacrificing strategies when someone's life is on the line… Let's avoid that."

"I don't know what else I could have done," A flash of Chika's wide eyes filled with confusion and betrayal went through my mind. "She could've died."

"You could've died." He retorted, and tears filled my eyes. "Look, I understand that this may be a foreign concept to you. It's been startlingly clear that you don't understand how much all of us care about you at times, but we need you to get this through your head before this happens again."

He crouched down, legs bent as he kneeled closer to the ground and stared right at me. I couldn't avoid his gaze without shutting my eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to as he began to speak.

"In Tamakoma… Without a doubt, we're all family," He tapped me on the forehead before his hand shifted to ruffle my hair. "That feeling that you got when Chika was in danger? We all feel that when we were protecting the two of you during the invasion. It may be hard, but you need to understand… That you're our friend. Our family."

I buried my face in my hands to hide the tears leaking out as he reached his arms around me slowly.

"Never do that again."

-0-

"Are you ok…?"

Mori sniffed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve messily. "Fine."

"I didn't expect this to be how the surprise went…" Shiori lamented. "I didn't mean to make you cry, Miku-chan…"

"I wasn't cryin'."

"That's a terrible lie, Mori," Yuma muttered, before waving carelessly and walking away. "I'm gonna go review some of the logs for the other teams, I'm bored."

"Already, Yuma?" Shiori said. "We should do it as a group when Mori comes back tomorrow though…"

"No problem in getting a head start." He called back nonchalantly, disappearing around the corner.

"…I think he's upset that he didn't get to talk to Miku-chan," Shiori muttered, although Mori wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear the statement.

"…We should be off now!" Jin cut in. "I'll bring four-eyes back to the hospital, I don't think she should be out and about for the whole day."

"Don't strain yourself," Karasuma told her just before Jin shut the door behind us.

Mori blinked quickly, a similar quote running through her mind.

("…Don't push yourself, either.")

"Well then," Jin grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. "Should we be off now?"

Mori leaned back into the chair, allowing herself to relax just slightly after the emotionally straining day. "As long as you don't run me into a wall, old man."

"I'm only 19…" He mumbled, driving her across the bridge from land to the branch office. "I'm not even close to being old…"

"Well unlike what Miwa-baka said, I'm not short. It's all just comparative since he's taller than me. And you're older than us so you're an old man." Mori snarked. "Keep walking."

-0-

I was tired.

I wasn't lying before, all I wanted was to just lie down and try and get some sleep, despite the coma I had woken up from earlier today.

I was just so tired. The day was long, and no amount of talking with anyone at Tamakoma, apologizing to Chika and Karasuma, or kicking Jin could make me feel better.

Kicking Jin made the air feel more lighthearted, but it tired me out and it hurt at times to move.

Talking, in general, was just tiring, and it's even worse with the heavy air around us.

I had already apologized to Karasuma, and he seems to have already told me what needed to be said. It helped a bit, but crying like that takes a lot out of anyone, emotionally… So I also feel a little worse.

And no matter how many times I apologized to Chika, it never seemed like enough.

("I will be available for you to talk to after the invasion.")

My eyes snapped open, and I rolled over to bury my face in a pillow.

(…I can't sleep.)

It is relatively early in the day to actually fall asleep… But there's nothing else to do.

(I can't sleep without seeing something that's not there.)

My hands clenched around the folds of the blankets.

("Then die. Unlike the others, your worth is non-existent.")

That was dumb. It wasso, so dumb, getting so worked up about something like this, they were just Neighbours, for god's sake.

But now that everything was all over, everything seemed to finally hit me.

("You can't beat it, Miku! Run and defend the C-ranks!")

Too weak.

("No, I think you and Chika need the most help right now…")

Too weak.

("…I apologize. I will do my best to be quicker next time.")

There won't be a next time. You're long gone now.

("So why are you giving up before we've barely left the starting line?!")

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, Chika…

("So you choose death.")

I don't want to die. I never, ever wanted to die.

("You're not our target, regardless.")

I need to run. But I'm not fast enough. I'm never fast enough.

("I'm sorry.")

Please don't leave. I don't want to hear an apology, just, please… Come back.

("I'd imagine. But I'm certain this is all your fault.")

It's all my fault.

("…Sorry… But if you're hearing this, it means I did something dumb, Ri.")

Tears would have welled up in my eyes, but I pushed down the stubborn sting. I can't deal with that right now.

("I set this voice message to reach you for tomorrow. I figured that if there was a message, you'd just stop reading, or throw your phone at a wall. But I guess… This also means that I didn't come back.")

The memory of the day I listened to his last message continued to ring in my head.

("Sorry I lied, but I can't bare for Chika to continued to live like this. If there was a way for her to stop running away, you know that I just had to go after it. You and Chika always knew, if there was something I wanted… I was the type to pursue it. I know that pissed you off at times, but it really couldn't be helped…")

I don't want to hear this. I don't want to hear him say it again.

("I've thought about it over and over though, what I wanted to tell you during this message for after I left. But I think that it's easier to go simple, so you can understand right away.")

You shouldn't have left in the first place, you moron.

("Please take care of Chika for me. You two are my precious little sisters, so please take care of yourself too. Someday, I hope you'll make friends of your own… People that'll care for you, like you do for Chika. I know you always said I was a reliable person, but I guess it's goodbye now.")

Why would you say something like that… once you've already left? It hurt.

("So, Ri. You and Chika… Take care of each other for me, would you?")

… I hate you.

My eyes, which had unknowingly closed, snapped opens the sound of the door clicking echoed within the empty room.

"Hello~ Are you still awake in there?"

I jolted, my arms whipping around to push myself up in my bed in a flash. My injuries protested at the movement though, and I let out a low hiss of pain as I sunk back down into the bed.

"Oh, don't mind me too much. No need to get up or anything.

My eyes trailed to the door hesitantly, the voice unfamiliar and foreign to my ear.

"… Who are you?"

The auburn haired girl laughed lightly, closing the door behind herself as she stepped into the room. "Just an operator passing by, no worries."

'Operator…?'

I sat up in my bed, slowly this time, and gave her a curious expression. "… Did I do something wrong?"

"No no, nothing at all," She waved off, sitting down beside my bed. "Hm… How do I phrase this…?"

She thought for a moment, and I held my breath in apprehension, just before she stuck out her hand to me cheerily.

"I'm Kunichika Yuu, Tachikawa squad operator," She greeted airily. "Since Izumi doesn't have any memories from being a cube, Tachikawa-san doesn't really care as long as everyone's safe, and Yuiga wasn't around at the time, I've decided that on behalf of our entire squad… I want to thank you."

I choked.

She paused, before gently taking my hand and shaking it for me. "Was that too direct? Sorry, but you looked so nervous that I had to get it out quickly. Thank you for saving Izumi and making sure he stayed hidden until the end of the invasion—"

"Wait, but I didn't do anything— Nothing worth being thanked over!" I defended hastily, arms flailing slightly. "You don't need to thank me, Yoneya-senpai was already fighting against the Neighbour, everything would've been fine anyway—And I didn't even do much! Replica was the one doing everything, bringing out the Rabbit, giving me the seal, coming up with the plan—"

"But you were the one that went in to grab Izumi, weren't you?" Kunichika interrupted in a tone that I wouldn't dare talk back to, suddenly more serious that I would've given her credit for. "It doesn't matter what could have happened, or else I'd be more worried about what would've happened if he was actually captured than I actually am. What does matter, is that you carried out the action in the end. And for that… I have to thank you. And I would thank Replica too, but HQ told me that… He was captured during the invasion."

"…'Captured' is a loose term," I muttered. "He was attacked and couldn't move on the Neighbour ship when they left."

"I see," She murmured. "…But I want to say it again. Thank you for saving my idiot teammate…" She trailed off with a giggle. "Although hopefully next time, he'll just avoid getting caught."

"That'd help." I dryly muttered, before realizing who I was talking to. Before I could panic though, a small giggle made it past her lips.

"That'd help," She repeated, reverting back to the carefree woman that had first walked through the door. "…By the way, what're you going to do with all of that stuff?"

I blinked. "What stuff?"

She pointed past me with a small smile, and my head swung around so quickly I think I heard my neck crack.

My eyes widened. "Wha—?"

"…You've got a lot of good friends, Mikumo."

I choked, reaching over to slowly gather all of the stuff on the table. "What is… all of this stuff?"

"Stuffed animals, books, fruit, more books…" She paused with a small grin. "Who brought the headphones?"

"I dunno Kunichika-san, I was in a coma," I retorted, internally sighing in relief when she laughed.

"You're sassy, Mori-chan." She reached over to inspect the dog plushie from the pile of stuff that I was gathering onto my bed. "You can call me Yuu-senpai."

'First name basis already?!'

"…Alright?" I conceded confusedly, picking up the boxed headphones as I allowed myself to get swept up in her pace. "It is weird though… Not that I don't appreciate it. But who would—?"

I flipped over the box before my eyes caught a small slip of paper taped to the side. My side effect let me scan the words in just over a second, and a small grin formed on my face.

"Eh? What's that?" She leaned over, putting the plushie back down on the bed. "Does it say who it's from?"

"Not really," I muttered, handing the box over to her. "…I didn't think that so many people would worry about me though, it's almost surreal."

(I got a lot of gifts. The number of cards I got was slightly unsettling too, for me anyways… Was I really being that much of an asshole when I got myself landed in the hospital?)

The headphones were really nice. Blocks out nearly all sound from around you.

'Don't be a moron again, you're giving people with side effects a bad name.'

The plushie is super soft. I wonder where it's from.

'Thanks for saving bullet brains. We should have a spar sometime. -Yosuke'

Chika and mom know all of my favourite books, but I'm not going to be in here long enough to read them all… I'll just bring them over to the branch. Or our operator room at HQ.

'Please get better soon, big sister. -Chika'

A cookbook…? Where'd that come from?

'Mikumo, get better soon! -Arashiyama squad'

…Oh. They got me something too… I feel a little embarrassed, they were probably really busy.

A stuffed bear… I think I've seen it before, but I can't remember where…

I pulled the small paper hastily taped to it's back.

'I'm letting you borrow Akakunaru, one-time thing only! You better bring him back once you wake up!'

So many exclamation marks. And Konami forgot to write her name…

I paused.

A small bouquet of lilacs caught my eye, just five flowers wrapped up in clear wrapping with a thick green ribbon to tie it up.

…It was the same shade of green as my eyes.

(…Huh.)

-0-

"Ready to go?"

"I am so ready for this." I huffed, leaning on one crutch with my lips pressed into a thin line. "Let's fuckin' goooo—"

"Language," My mother lightly slapped the back of my head non-threateningly. "We're almost out."

A nurse nervously typed a few things on the computer, before turning to me. "Please remember, don't overwork yourself, avoid any strenuous activities, use your crutch if you're going to walk around for a while, and—"

"Yeah yeah, I know." I interrupted, just before I felt my mother's judgemental stare directed at my back. "…Thank you for taking care of me." I quickly tacked on the end.

"Time to go," Mom finally told me, walking alongside me towards the doors. "Are you feeling better than yesterday?"

"…I think so." I thought back to Kunichika. "I was feeling awful when Jin brought me back here, but I got better."

"That's good." She nodded, before looking ahead with a nonchalant expression. "Now we can finally talk about whether you'll continue working at Border or not."

I froze.

After a moment where she noticed I had stopped walking, she turned back with a blank expression.

"…Did you think that I hadn't considered it?" She finally asked, and I tried to clear my mind and continue walking.

"I kind of forgot about it," I muttered. "I shouldn't have."

"You shouldn't have," She repeated, nodding along. "Regardless, I need to bring it up now. I've been thinking about it the entire time you've been unconscious."

My breath, for once, didn't get caught in my throat. I felt startlingly calm, considering how emotional I felt yesterday. "And?"

She paused, eyes straying to the side as if in thought.

"…I don't think you've ever been so happy somewhere. It's just… Never been something, where I've seen you be so happy to go somewhere that wasn't the Amatoris or our own home."

I didn't even have time to cut in with a comment.

"The fact that it used to be your dream, to become a skilled Border agent, doesn't quite matter anymore for this," She continued. "I know you lost the spark that kept that dream going. I didn't think you'd ever be happy going to Border ever again… And for a few weeks before the invasion, I thought that I had been wrong. But during these past two weeks, I've seen people visit you, bringing gifts, cards, apologies for 'letting you down'. And I know why you want to go there now."

She glanced down at the bag of gifts he was holding for me, the straps slung over her shoulder.

"…You want to keep going to Border… Because you've never gone somewhere else where people accepted you. You've never had that many friends, have you?"

My eyes were still lingering on the bag.

I couldn't help but feel like she was right. I wished so badly, that I still had the motivation left inside of me that pushed me to get better, to join Border, my childhood dream to help Chika and everyone in the city… But it's gone. It died the moment I listened to Rinji's last message on my phone that day, and I just kept refusing to acknowledge it.

"…You have another reason to move forward now, don't you?" Mom stated rather than asked.

("Yuma… no longer has a reason to live.")

Replica at one point had thanked me for giving Yuma a reason to live.

(That wasn't exactly right though. They did something like that for me too, without either of us even knowing it.)

"You should thank him," It was almost phrased like an order, but I didn't need that last push. "This is all because of him after all, isn't it…? I felt like I knew the moment you first spoke about your 'new friend' to me."

She pulled my own bag off of my shoulders and waved me off.

I paused, before glancing back in the direction of our house. The way we had been walking earlier.

"Miwa and I ended up leaving you yesterday," I muttered, my eyes lingering in that direction. "Is it really ok to do it again?"

"We'll have time to chat later," Her eyes narrowed at me, although her lips curled into a soft smile. "You shouldn't put off talking to him any longer though… I'll call Chika over for dinner tonight, you can talk to her then."

And as best as I could with my crutch, I ran.

(Thanks mom. I think… I know what I should do from now on.)