And here is the next chapter! I have to admit that. Couldn't help but put a certain character in! I hope you all enjoy
Chapter 36: Yagura Branch: Part 2
[And with that cool finisher, the match is over! The final score is Kotowari Squad with 5 points! Katori Squad with 1 point! And finally we have Nasu Squad with 3 points!]
[That certainly was a match to see.]
[Shorter than any ones before, but in a real fight you try and take you opponents out quickly, so it works out.]
"Damn! Now that girl will be bugging me because of that." Katori let out a frustrated sigh as she glared at nothing particular. "This is really pissing me off now..."
"Whoa... I haven't seen her this mad before..." Miura commented from the monitor.
"I don't even know why that brat pisses me off! That's what pisses me off more!"
"Stop that already. She isn't the type to hold a win over someone." Wakamura never liked hearing his captain act like a brat or degrade others, but this time it really got to him.
"You're little crush on her doesn't help anything," the female captain said, turning her glare at the glasses boy. "Tsk. Idiots who deal with the whole 'love at first sight' things are really annoying."
"Wha!? I don't have a-"
"I don't care how much you deny it. It's obvious." Still glaring at the boy, she crossed her arms. "You two are made for each other. You're both people who can't understand the same damn things."
"Don't start with that crap again!"
"Hey now... Let's just calm down now," Miura said, not wanting the two to start completely going at it again.
"He's right," their Operator said. "Just calm down. They're about to do the recap and finishing comments now. You should both pay attention to this."
Both Wakamura and Katori looked at each other for a moment before clicking their tongues and looking at the monitor.
Kumagai walked towards the room's monitor where the rest of the squad was and let out a sigh. She was glad she was able to do more than their last match, but couldn't help the irritation that came up when she thought about how many more points she could have gotten.
"I was hoping to get Taiyōko as well... Sorry about that."
"It's fine, Kuma-chan. You were able to get those two points without either of our help." Nasu gave a sheepish smile as she continued. "If anything, we should be the ones apologizing. We were both taken out by one person and could only get one point this time."
"That was my bad," Akane said while looking down.
"We already said it was fine. Jeez," Sayoko said with an eye roll.
"You're opponent was Kotowari, so it's not that big of a deal."
"You were actually able to get points this time," Sayoko said, looking at the Attacker.
"Hey!"
"I'm sorry... I should have worked harder on fixing the prototypes..."
The rest of Kotowari Squad looked at the bowing Hoshi with indifferent looks.
"What the heck are you apologizing for? That was honestly an awesome match." Suzume put a hand on her hip and flipped her hair as she spoke. "Those prototypes were really useful."
"Yeah. Toby here was just to weak to keep going."
"Hey!" Turning back to the girl, Toby have a big grin and a thumbs up. "But Suzume's right, they were helpful! That last move you did was really awesome!"
Hoshi couldn't say anything back, seeing as how she continued to bow her head in order to hide her growing blush.
Mei just watched with a smile before turning back to the screen. She felt a large amount of pride at seeing them like this.
[Now where to start? Let's go with what you two thought of concerning the way the squads fought.]
[While the fights were short, they did show a little of what each team was actually thinking. It was obvious that Nasu Squad wanted to take some of the others out before going for Kotowari. That was obviously stopped when Awdry sent her right to him.]
[Something that was a little interesting, yet not too different was how Katori Squad was. They probably took into account Hoshi's new prototypes from what Wakamura told them, but figured Kotowari Squad wouldn't use them since they weren't complete. But we should get to that part in a bit.]
[They did have the right idea sending both Katori and Miura after Awdry though. Wakamura wouldn't have been much use against his Side Effect, so him stalling Taiyōko was actually pretty smart.]
[By the way, couldn't he has shot at her while she was on the ground for a minute or so?]
[He could have.]
[I'm gonna have to talk to him about that later...]
[We can hear you.]
[As I was saying! It was smart of Nasu Squad to fight Takeshi with both their Shooter and Sniper!]
[You didn't say anything about that...]
[While her shot did miss, it looked like Akane actually found a good time and spot to snipe from. She might have even gotten the shot if it was a different team.]
[I have to agree. From an unbiased opinion, Hiura could have gotten a good shot.]
[Now let's talk about the last fight and what everyone was amazed to see. Those amazing prototype Triggers.]
[Right. Let's go in order by starting off with the one Awdry used. As we mentioned during the time, that prototype seems to work along side Shield to have a defense and offense at the same time. The fact the shots seemed to be fired back right away is a nice touch.]
[The obvious downside to it seems to be that it takes all of the person's Trion along with it. A one-time use like that most likely... No. It will not be seen in a real battle.]
[Whoa. Such a serious tone from the guy with a sister complex that rivals Arashiyama-san's.]
[Wha-!? I don't have a sister complex!]
[Moving on...]
[The next one that was used was the one from Kotowari-taichou. You said that it worked together with Teleport, right?]
[Tsukiko, you can take this one. You use Teleport more than most.]
[That's right. From what I could tell... The person can set something on them to take a hit while they use Teleport to get to a better spot.]
[Really? That sounds like a complete Trigger to me.]
[Well, with normal Teleport you have to look in the direction you want to go, so it's easy for a Sniper to find that's spot and shoot. That appears to be the case here as well. You have to have set those particular items beforehand to let them take the hit, but you still need to designate the spot you want to teleport to.]
[Oooooooh~ I see. Alright then. Let's get to the last one used by Taiyōko-tai herself. I'm sure it's safe to say that that one was modeled after the Black Trigger Fujin and works together with Kōgetsu, right?]
[That seems to be the case. It also looked like it suffers from the malfunction as the one Awdry used. Not only that, but until the actual Fujin, the slashes that come along with it can only be made if those ribbons touch the target. That means they can't be used for long-distance attacks.]
[On a small note, Hoshi actually has quite a bit of Trion and she could only manage to bring out seven ribbons. Even after being used, she was still on the field, as opposed to Toby having to Bail Out right away.]
[As for the fight itself... It was an all-out cat fight. The fact Kumagai was able to get Misaki was actually pretty amazing. Not only that, but Taiyōko held her own against two powerful opponents, with minor help from the squad's Sniper.]
[Alright then. Any last comments before we go?]
[None.]
[I've got one. Both Katori Squad and Nasu Squad did very well in this match. Even if they win it, they had plans to deal with everyone they were going against. On the other hand, Kotowari Squad was too careless.]
[Oh? Care to elaborate?]
[Gladly. Like I just said, the other two squads had plans for everyone. Kotowari Squad felt more like they were simply doing things to please their new recruit. From a scene I saw this week, I could tell they wanted to make sure that Hoshi fought against Katori. That wasn't a smart move. While it seemed to work out in the end, I can say for sure that if even one if them was taken out without taking anyone out then they wouldn't have gotten off so easy. While personal matter can be settled here, they should keep on mind that things like that need to be pushed aside while out in the field.]
[And there you have it, folks! That ends this match! Thank you two for being here.]
[No problem.]
[My pleasure.]
There was silence.
The four who had just fought in the recent match were all thinking about what they had just heard. They took into account everything that was said and everything that was done.
"You all better not be thinking anything stupid." Mei looked at the four with an indifferent look. 'He's probably going to say something to me later about this whole thing as well...'
"No. We were just thinking that he was right," Takeshi finally said as he looked up. "We really should have stuck to our plan of having Taiyōko as backup instead of letting her face Katori and Wakamura."
"Ah! I'm sorry! That was my bad!" The other four looked over to the bowing Hoshi. "I was too childish and made you all get criticized by my bro-... You captain..."
"Ex-captain," Takeshi added. "And it's fine. We shouldn't have been so casual with the whole thing. Like they said, both Katori Squad and Nasu Squad planned for everything while we just went with the flow."
"Well you all can't change the past, but you can make sure it doesn't happen in the future."
"Yeah! Next time we'll all be on the field and get those points!" Toby exclaimed as he jumped up from the chair he was on. "We'll make it to number 1 and challenge those A-Ranks!"
The others simply smiled at the brunet while thinking he was right. They would give it their all to make it to A-Rank so they could be on the same level as their ex-captain and other friends.
"Alright, alright. Why don't we go now?" Mei stood up and walked towards the door with a smile still in place. "I'll treat you guys to something."
"How nice of you. I'm sure that invitation is for us as well."
They were a little surpsied to see Yuki standing there with Noah, Midorikawa, Shana and Minubuki right behind him.
The four behind the A-Rank didn't waist any time and quickly ran in with the two males going up to Takeshi and Toby while the females went over to Suzume and get introduced to Hoshi.
"Well, well, well. You sure made it her quick. Did you use some shortcut so you could congratulate them?" Mei asked with a sly grin. "Good to know that you still care that much about them."
"Well from this recent match I could tell that you weren't doing much to keep them in line."
"You already know how they are."
As the two were talking they didn't notice the ones in the room looking at them and snickering.
Suzume had come up with something and told the rest of them, to which they all agreed. Letting out a small sound, Suzume started for the door while trying her best to keep her grin down.
"Well, I'd honestly love to treated by Mei-san, but we're actually gonna go and work on some covers!" Suzume quickly took her leave with the other two girls behind her and a yell of, "I'll see you around!"
"We're gonna go and see who we can bug." Toby ran by them like a dog chasing meat while Midorikawa and Noah just snickers as they went by. "Have fun!"
"Thank you for the offer, Senpai, but we're actually going to the Yagura Branch office to see the C-Ranks." Both Takeshi and Hoshi calmly left with a wave. "You two should do something together."
After seeing them all leave, the two remaining simply let out either a sigh or a small laugh. They didn't bother saying anything about it and simply started walking away. There wasn't anyone around, so they enjoyed the silence.
"By the way, that remark you made..."
"Hm? Which one?"
"'While personal matter can be settled here, they should keep on mind that things like that need to be pushed aside while out in the field.' You wouldn't happen to have been speaking about you and a certain suit-wearing brunet, would you?"
"Tsk. I try not to even remember that guy. Hopefully the day never comes when I have to actually work with that guy alone." Scratching his head, Yuki let out a small sigh. "I still don't get how Minoru can get along with that guy."
"Hm. I think it'll be fine. While I personally don't mind the guy, I know that if it came down to it, you two could take out any opponent."
"I think you mean if us two work together. Like heck I'd even want to work with him."
Mei let out a small laugh and said nothing more. While she did figure out what the B-Rank had landed when they left, and that what Yuki had just said could be embarrassing, she thought they were all nice gestures and tried to hold in her explosive embarrassment.
"..."
Noticing some off, Mei looked over to her friend and saw that he was looking very intently at her.
"Yes?"
Yuki opened his mouth to speak.
Hoshi walked happily through the Border HQ with Takeshi calmly next to her. They two had decided to just walk around a bit before heading over to the Yagura Branch.
Takeshi found it a little odd that his teammate would be walking so happily for no apparent reason. He let it go though since it wasn't really his business to begin with.
"Taiyō-... Er... Hoshi...chan. I've been wondering something."
"Hm? What is it?"
"It's about your Fujin." Seeing that she wasn't skipping anymore and just walking regularly with a halls look, he continued. "Do you think you can really get it to be like the real Fujin? I mean, it's a Black Trigger so..."
"No. Absolutely not." Ignoring the slightly shocked look from her captain, Hoshi continued while she put her hands behind her back. "My prototype Triggers will never be able to match up to an original Black Trigger. And that's why I love them so much. Ik not trying to make a replica of a Black Trigger, but rather... I'm trying to make a Trigger that can be useful and help other agents when fighting. I used Fujin as a model since it's another simple Black Trigger."
"'Another'?"
"Sensei's Black Trigger is a 'simple' one that was used as a model for Fuji-nee's personal Trigger and Kiyo-nii's Idōgetsu. While I didn't help in making them, they are still something I love seeing when in use." Doing a few twirls, she didn't hear the fast footsteps coming her way. "They way those two use those Triggers is amazing~! Fuji-née moves around like an elegant dance who can't be caught. Kiyo-nii switches from heavy hits to slashes like it's nothing and does it with such style that it's great."
"Hm. No offense, but you sure do sound like a princess when you speak and twirl around like that."
"None take-"
BAM!
Takeshi quickly ran over when Hoshi was slammed into by another body.
Said body belong to the man who was still standing. He looked a little freaked out, but soon noticed Hoshi and bent down to her level.
"I'm sorry about that! I wasn't looking where I was going!"
"That's alright. Heh... Kinda reminds me of what happened when I met Waka-kun." Looking up while rubbing her head, Hoshi gave a reassuring smile.
"Here, let me help you up." The man held out his hand and lifted Hoshi to her feet.
Now that was was standing, Hoshi got a better look at the man. He was rather tall and had slicked back black hair. She got a small blush and ended up looking away while unconsciously playing with her hair.
'So handsome!'
"Ikoma-senpai, what were you even running for?" Takeshi asked as he turned to the man.
"Oh! I had heard a loud sound and went to go find what it was. That's when I saw her..."
"Is the pronoun game really that popular...?" Takeshi asked with a deadpan expression.
"Takaoto! I saw Takaoto with her face all red! Kiyo was even knocked out at her feet!"
The two from the same squad simply turned their heads while seeming to try and lose the guy's gaze.
"Ah. Well... I'm sure he'll be fine... Kiyo-nii is use to this, I'm sure..."
"'Kiyo-nii'? Huh!? You're Kiyoshi's sister!?"
"Um... Yes?" Shaking her head a bit, Hoshi looked up at Ikoma again and gave a smile with her eyes closed. "Hello. I am Taiyōko Hoshi. It's nice to meet you," she said with a bow. "I am Kiyoshi-nii's little sister."
"Phew... So you're the better one."
"Hehehe... Yeah..." She gave a sheepish smile. 'I guess Kushi-nee has made the kind of impression on most people...'
"Achoo!" Kushikage rubbed her nose as she looked around the bakery she was in. "Who the hell's talkin' about me?"
"Why the hell did you irritations bring me along exactly?" Sekai let out an irritated sigh as he looked around the bakery. He was standing next to Denji while the girl paid for a large cake. "You two deal more with any of those squads than I do. Besides, I have to get back before Jinsei starts spamming my phone."
"Du', jus' deal w'th i'. Ya c'n deal w'th yer boyfriend later."
"Say that again and I'll run you through with a pencil."
"Alright, ladies! Shut up and help me carry all these bag!"
"Such an irritation..."
The next day...
"So bored~~"
"Well you have to deal with it."
"But there's nothing to do. I'm not in the mood to train and both Sensei and Yuki are in a meeting."
"Like I said, just deal with it."
Shobu watched his two friends' back-and-forth with an indifferent expression. He had planned on training a bit, but he had to wait since Yuki said they would train when the meeting he and Akasora were in was over.
"By the way, I've been wondering." Kaze sat upright and pointed to the kitchen nearby. "There really is no point in having that here. The three of us aren't here much, Kushi-nee can't cook to save her life, the lazy bum doesn't even want to get up, Velvet is who-knows-where, Hoshi's with her new squad and Sensei just eats takeout. There really is no point in a kitchen being here."
"Now you're just complaint about pointless things," Ame pointed out. "What? Do you want some robot to make you home cooked meals? Better yet, an autonomous Trion Soldier?"
"That's not what I'm saying! I just don't see why the heck we need to use up the space for something like that!"
Shobu ignored the back-and-forth and opted to go out. It seemed the other two didn't notice as he hadn't been followed.
He decided that he would take a walk to the park that was nearby.
As he was walking he noticed something off. That something being a little girl with heterochromatic eyes running off before disappearing behind a building. He didn't give it much thought though and continued on his walk.
"Excuse me. Could you lead me to the Yagura Branch?"
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Hearing his branch's name, Shobu looked over to see a talk man in a suit. He looked to be talking to another agent. Deciding that he should help, since the agent didn't seem to know where the branch office was, he walked over to them.
"... I am from Yagura Branch... I can help..." Even when he tried to be confident, Shobu ended up looking at the ground.
"O-oh. That's good to here."
"Hm. You are a child." The man looked down at Shobu with a look as if he was seeing an insect. "I suppose that it you can get me to the branch office then it's fine." He took a glance to the agent next to him and added, "You. You will follow us there. That way you know the direction to go and not inconvenience others the next time you are asked this question."
"Y-yes, sir..."
"Now then. Lead the way, child."
Doing as he was told, Shobu started going back to his branch's office. He could hear the other two following and felt bad for the old boy that seemed to be dragged along by the older man.
"... Excuse me...sir..." Shobu started while still looking down. "... Our boss is out right now...to let you know... Can I...get your name...? ... To tell him that-"
"Stop with the pausing." Shobu jolted at this, but said nothing. "If you are an agent of Border than you should be self confident and hold your head up, correct? Looking down and slouching is rude anywhere, so I demand you stop that and look at me when we are speaking."
Shobu tried to do as he was told, but couldn't find it in himself to actually do it.
The other agent there gave him a pitying look, but was too intimidated by the older man to actually do anything.
"First that boy and now this child..." Letting a small sigh slip out, the man faced forward again. "My name is Henry Awdry. When your boss returns, tell him that I have come here to look around the different branches."
When they finally got to the office, the man looked around the outside for a bit and seemed to be taking mental notes. He shook his head before leaving without saying anything else.
That left the two agents to stand there.
"Ah... I'm sorry about that," the older one said. "I'm Sasamori Hisato, by the way. I've never been to this branch, so I didn't know the way. My bad."
"... It's fine... We're new, so..." Shobu continued to look down.
"What rank are you? I'm B-Rank myself."
"... C..."
"Well, as payment for all of this, if you even want some help with training then you can just ask me." He scratched his cheek and let out a sheepish laugh after that. "Although... I'm not particularly the best myself."
"... Alright... Thank you..."
Hisato gave a smile before taking his leave. He said he had to get to his squad and did just that.
Shobu got a small smile on his lips. He heard the door open and his two friends run out with panic in their voices. He calmed them down and told them he just went for a walk.
"Next time tell us this before we freak out, dude."
"Okay..."
He wouldn't be doing that for a long while.
QOTC: Which was your favorite prototype?
And there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed.
Why Hisato? Because he didn't have anything to do and I couldn't find the right person after 5 minutes of thinking.
The last part with Shobu was more of a filler thing since I didn't find a need to put in the meeting. Well... Most of this was filler, wasn't it?. On a side note, I had originally planned for Shobu to scare the crap out of Henry, but that got changed for no particular reason.
Until next time... See ya!