Heart of the Infiltrators

by MordinofSolus

Senran Kagura x Male Insert - Amidst the turn of the modern era, a young man is forcibly contracted to cure twenty shinobi of a mental ailment known as distortion, caused by the corrupted blood of Yōma. As time goes on, the long hidden societies of the world are forced to come out into the public spotlight when they are pitted against one another.

31. Chapter 31: Without Uncertainty

Heart of the Infiltrators

(Senran Kagura x Male Reader)

Chapter 31: Without Uncertainty

April 20 – "Yin and yang, the balance of light and dark. Where there is good, there's also evil. If there are any exceptions, check again."

There was only one person Takatsukasa would willingly talk to while at school but, quite unfortunate for the both of them, she had a few surprise arrangements that had to be tended to. Thus, with a disappointed scowl and averted eyes, the bulky teenager sauntered through the halls and made for the exit. Students and teachers alike turned their heads as he passed to gossip about his menacing aura while others took a few steps away when he got close. It worked well for Takatsukasa, seeing as he considered himself the furthest thing from a social butterfly. Even if his part-time job was in hospitality, he always found a way to uphold his duties out of sight and mind.

All would have gone according to his ritual if a certain interruption didn't turn his way. While making one of the last turns toward the exit, the distinct sounds of yelling came from the principal's office. Wondering who'd set the obese bastard off, Takatsukasa dared to turn his head to the door and felt his face stiffen. Looking up to his bulky classmate's eyes, Miki sat by the principal's door with the face of a sad puppy. Intending to leave the interaction without incident, Takatsukasa turned his head forward to leave before his fear came true.

Miki tried to call him over with a gentle, "Oi, Sugiyama!"

Speeding up his pace to get away, Takatsukasa murmured, "No," and powered forward.

"Wait, could you hear me out-"

"No."

"I've got a thousand yen-"

"No."

Having been shot down three times in a span of five seconds, the shorter boy lowered his head to the ground and rested his chin onto his hand in thought. Takatsukasa felt for him just a bit, figuring that he either wanted someone to talk to or, in a more unlikely scenario, wanted help in busting the young man out of the principal's office. Even still, there was no need to act.

Takatsukasa definitely did feel for the young man, especially after having seen the large bruise across the top and side of his head. Yet, having heard from Miki's loud mouth, the two transfer students both knew the consequences for calling in sick. Principal Shinohara, while lazy and unreactive to most issues that plagued the school, would bust the back of anyone who dared to skip even a single day. The young man was well aware of that but still decided to call in. Maybe for something important, like a hospital visit, but there were still cruel consequences that wouldn't be ignored. While wondering what he'd do if he were caught in such a scenario and remarking that there was no way he'd allow such trouble to pester himself, Takatsukasa began to subconsciously pat at his pockets to make sure he had everything before continuing on his way to the exit. By that time, Miki had already turned back to the principal's door in thought and had completely forgotten about the previous interaction.

At that moment, Takatsukasa realized that he did not have his wallet on him. His eyes flashed back to the moment he last had it, reminding him that he'd handed it over to the one person he actually talked to. He only intended to gift her with the two theater tickets inside before she received a call from an unexpected appointment. Not thinking clearly in that moment, especially since the woman had a distractingly cute pout on her face, Takatsukasa figured he'd leave her with the wallet so she could discover her gift later. But, with his brain having gotten her off his mind, he realized just how stupid he was in that moment… He was too new to that sort of affection. The worst part was the fact that Takatsukasa couldn't just go back and ask her for the wallet, seeing as she'd already gone off to one of her meetings. Perhaps he could've waited for her but, by the time she was done, he already would have been late for work.

Just as he was about to stomp off, grimacing at the fact that he didn't have enough money for his train, Takatsukasa remembered Miki saying something about a thousand yen. Turning around to look at the boy, the bulky student took an anxious breath while trying to swallow back his pride and shame. He was used to giving quick statements and replies, even with the woman he was falling for. But, especially since it was Miki, he'd have to mentally prepare himself for a conversation and for whatever request the boy was offering the money for.

While Miki was still listening in on the verbal smackdown that the young man was receiving, Takatsukasa nervously stalked up to him from behind. Not at all used to initiating any conversations, the large man could only muster, "Ah… Hm…" Deep in thought, Miki didn't hear him. The bulkier student tried clearing his throat and grunted in his deep voice but received nothing in return. Seeing no other alternative, Takatsukasa whispered in a hoarse voice, "M-… Miki…"

That time, the boy turned around with a curious look on his face, "Eh-," before it fell into shock, "Wha-, you said my name!"

A sarcastic statement had to be drowned in Takatsukasa's throat, "I did."

With a sly scratch to the side of his head while seemingly forgetting about the situation that he was just worried about, Miki asked, "Can I ask you to say something else?"

There was a twitch in Takatsukasa's eye as he slowly nodded, "Mm…?"

Under his breath, the shorter boy murmured, "Gotta make it count, gotta make it count…" before snapping his fingers, "Fun… yeah, that sounds fun…" Grandiosely pointing up to the large man before him, Miki excitedly declared, "Repeat this: la li lu le lo!"

Takatsukasa blinked before asking without hesitation, "Pay me for it?"

In turn, Miki tilted his head, "What?"

"This is what you wanted?" asked the larger man, uncomfortably circling his finger in a counterclockwise manner.

After a few seconds of thought, Miki clicked his head back into place before he slapped himself, "Focus, focus, focus…" and pressed the tips of his fingers together, "When you passed by? You're referring to that, right?"

"Mhm."

"Cool," Miki said with a proud nod before checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping on them. Of course, with Takatsukasa being one who was always regarded for his extreme silence, several people were watching his conversation curiously. Even Sato, who would've made straight home by that point, was creepily peering around a corner to apparently watch them. Despite the watchers, Miki decided he'd go through with his plan anyway, "I actually need your help with something…"

"I'll get the yen?"

"Yes."

"Tell me."

Miki smiled earnestly for a second before it turned dangerously sinister, "We're springing my boy out of the office."

Takatsukasa immediately hung his head, "Oh God…"

Meanwhile in the other room, the young man was being railed at by Principal Shinohara, whose flabby neck and chins rippled with every yell, "WHAT IS IT THEN!? WHAT EXCUSE COULD YOU HAVE TO EMBARRASS ME!? TO EMBARRASS YOUR ENTIRE SCHOOL!? DO YOU ENJOY THIS!? DO YOU STAND THERE WITH THAT STUPID LOOK ON YOUR FACE AND MARVEL AT HOW IDIOTIC YOU MAKE US ALL LOOK!? WHAT EXCUSE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR!?"

With an ugly bruise still extending from his forehead to his cheeks, the young man just stared with droopy eyelids. There were so many openings for a sarcastic retort, but he knew that daring to utter one wouldn't help his situation… and he wouldn't have been able to choose between any of them anyway. Instead, with a level tone, he simply uttered, "I suppose I don't have one…"

"EXACTLY!" roared the morbidly obese blob, "EXACTLY! THAT, RIGHT THERE, IS AN ACTUALLY SENSIBLE THING TO SAY! TOO MANY DEFEND IDIOTIC BEHAVIOR! TOO MANY MAKE EXCUSES FOR THEIR FAILED RESPONSIBILITIES! THANKS FOR THE HONESTY, BRAT! NOW I CAN CUT STRAIGHT TO THE POINT!"

The oaf reached for a pink slip that read "Detention" and immediately began to jot a few notes down. Knowing what was coming, the young man clung to his patience and kept himself from rolling his eyes. He knew that he was going to face the consequences, even if they were complete bull, and that detention was nothing compared to what was going on outside of school. If he lost himself to frustration at that moment, there was no way he'd be able to draw out Sato or any accomplices that she potentially had.

While taking solace in remembrance of her surprised look when he walked in that morning, to which she very apparently questioned whether or not their encounter the other day had happened in reality or delusion, Shinohara slammed the pink slip on the desk, "Sign this and report to the library right away. You will not read, nor do homework, nor do any other activity. You'll just sit there and think about what you've done."

While the oaf considered it to be an effective punishment for the most obnoxious of individuals, the young man thought to himself that he'd just pass the time by taking a nap. He gestured to the lower half of the slip and asked while reaching for a pen, "Sign this line here?"

However, blowing off his question, Shinohara slapped his hand away and declared, "DO NOT JUST TAKE SOMEONE'S THINGS WITHOUT ASKING! WAS I WRONG!? ARE YOU NOT AN HONEST INDIVIDUAL!? ARE YOU ACTUALLY A DEGENERATE WITH NO WORTH TO SOCIETY!? ANSWER ME!" When the young man raised a hand to try and calm the principal down, it was just smacked away again, "DO NOT RAISE YOUR HAND AT ME! IS THIS A GAME TO YOU!? YOU'RE JUST NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY, RIGHT!?"

At that moment, someone began to frantically knock at the door. Quickly calming himself down, Shinohara moved to stand up before breathlessly buckling under his own blubber. Doing his best to hide his embarrassment and cool his reddening face, he sternly ordered the young man, "Let them in."

The boy turned himself around and quickly opened the door before Miki popped his head in, "Sir, there's-"

"You're to address me as principal, boy," ordered Shinohara, waving his pointer finger around like a dog trainer.

"Principal…" Miki repeated back slowly before continuing, "Someone's brought in a rock from outside and started swinging it around by the trophy cases. I'm afraid that he'll-" Without warning, he was cut off by the sound of glass loudly shattering. Though his face went pale as his heart stopped, Miki couldn't help but pat himself on the back for the timing before stuttering out, "…Ah… He's already… He has already broken something…"

While his principal's face sizzled with rage, the young man was clenching his lips together to keep a humorous accusation at bay. Then, summoning all of his strength, Shinohara stepped himself onto his feet and moved toward a table on the side with a computer resting on top. With all of his breath, he kept uttering, "Cameras… cameras…" and began to shuffle through the different screens until he found what should have been a view of the trophy cases. Instead, there was a paper dangling right in front of the lens with a crudely drawn penis on the front with the words, "Shinohara receives from his mother," written underneath. Brimming with rage, the man let out a guttural growl and waddled straight to the door, pushing Miki aside to personally survey the damage.

Once the principal was out of earshot, Miki ordered, "Grab your slip, tell everyone you've served your detention, and keep your head low. He doesn't talk much with the other teachers and will probably forget about you within a few weeks."

Pushing aside his urge to question how large Shinohara's levels of incompetence and spite were, the young man instead asked, "What did you do out there?"

"I'll tell you outside," replied Miki as he snatched the pink slip and offered it to his friend. Giving a quick shrug, the young man took the paper and followed after the boy as they both left the office. There were a few echoes from down the hallway, mostly from a frenzied Shinohara as he loudly demanded an explanation for what had happened. Fortunately enough, the two made it out of the school without being called upon, though Miki was quietly concerned about any potential witnesses who'd come forward. But, by that point, it was all up to fate and there would be no benefit to worrying about it.

After a few minutes of travel down the sidewalk with some explanations as to what had happened, the young man was looking at Miki bewilderedly, "So, when you said Sugiyama… our class' Sugiyama… You know, the same guy who's only said a collective ten to fifteen words…" The boy pressed his lips together before sputtering, "He smashed the trophy case?"

With much more pride than he should have had for the vandalism, the light brunette nodded his head and cheerily replied, "All for a thousand yen. Neat, right?"

"Neat? I don't know about that," mumbled the young man while shaking his head. Determined to try and put the logic together, he scratched his ear and asked, "I mean… for the equivalent of ten chocolate bars, Sugiyama was willing to… Gods, how to list it?" After a moment of thought, he raised a finger, "He's risking potential suspension, if not expulsion," then another, "a lawsuit for the damages," and then another, "and a criminal charge of vandalism…?" When Miki nodded at him, like there was nothing strange about everything that was said, the young man asked with great emphasis on every syllable, "How the hell does someone do that for a thousand yen?"

An innocent look came from his friend, who responded, "He's really desperate for a thousand yen?"

The young man was not even remotely satisfied with that answer, "But why? What would compel him to be so desperate? A date? A job? An abusive parent?"

Without missing a beat, Miki answered, "Perhaps his real name is Ebene-, Ebinigh-, Ebelenis… Scrooge, his real name is Scrooge."

"Ebenezer?"

Frustrated by the fact that the young man didn't even blink when he pronounced the name, Miki pointed a finger at him and growled, "You suck."

His friend snorted loudly out of his nose before falling into thought again. After a few seconds of consideration, the young man asked with a smile, "So, was that you or Sugiyama?"

Miki turned over to him, "With what?"

"That picture over the camera."

"Oh!" Without further prompting, Miki launched himself forward and threw his arms into the air, "Me! That was totally me! I will not cede credit to anyone else!" He turned back around to the young man with growing excitement and began to explain, "I drew that towards the end of my first year. Ever since then, I knew there would a time when I'd be able to use it…" With a bit of shuffling back and forth, Miki sprung into the air with his fist up triumphantly, "Worth it! Totally worth it!"

Despite the boy's excitement, the young man's upper eyelids lowered in disbelief as he asked "So… what then? You've just had a penis that you drew sitting around in your backpack since December? Maybe earlier?"

Unwilling to surrender his glory, Miki turned his eyes over to his friend and haughtily proclaimed in a quiet voice, "I don't think there was ever a better use for my backpack. Don't you agree?"

"Did you carry that rock on you too?"

"If you ever say I'm unprepared in the future, I'll smack you until this incident's engraved into your brain."

An obnoxiously squeaky voice called out from behind them, "So that was you two who had Sugiyama smash the trophy case?"

Upon turning around, the boys found their fellow classmate, Ebi, approaching with her arms crossed over one another. For a moment, the young man's face faltered with worry as he wondered if she intended to report them both. But, upon seeing Miki's nonchalant expression, he calmed down and observed their accuser. As per usual, her cheeks were puffed out and her nose was wrinkled in a way that said she smelled something sour. Thinking quickly to try and throw her off, the young man was about to casually explain, "We were just roleplaying the incident-," before Miki confrontationally jumped in.

"Are you planning to snitch on us? Be a lapdog to Shinohara?"

Repulsed by the suggestion of being an underling, Ebi flapped her hand at him in a flaunty manner and dared to proclaim, "I am no teacher's pet. Even if you guys and Sugiyama broke more trophies than your stupid prank was worth, I won't spare either the three of you any of my precious attention."

Miki's eyes narrowed in a mix of suspicion and irritation, taking note of the fact that she must have been a direct witness to Sugiyama's act, as he slowly asked, "So… if you're not going to report us and you don't want to spare us the attention, why stop us here? Go home already."

As if his suggestion was the most preposterous thing she'd ever heard, Ebi scrunched up her face and prattled on, "You would want to get off scot free, wouldn't you? Well," she snapped her finger before pointing at the two boys, "that's not how the world works! You want me to keep silent? Buy me something."

Getting more and more annoyed by the moment, the young man willed himself to take a breath and kept his lips closed while Miki pointed a finger right back at Ebi, "Extortion? Really? Are you sure you really want to try that?"

Keeping up her guise of control, the girl stuck her nose into the air, "You say that like it's terrible." After a second, she lowered her head and eyed Miki, "I saw you pay Sugiyama some yen to do your dirty work. All I'm asking for something for me to keep my silence." Before either of them could reply to her, she waved her finger around dramatically and raised her voice, "Like it or don't, I am a woman of integrity. Sugiyama can go through all the intimidating emo postures and you guys can act like a couple of buttholes while acting like you're the victims, but I will not be silenced." She then turned her attention to the young man, "Anything to say, attention-grabber?"

To that, the young man quietly repeated, "Attention-grabber?"

"Oh, don't give me that," barked Ebi before waving a hand toward his face, "you came in last week all beaten and you came in this week with a bruise like that after skipping school? What would you call it?"

Not entirely sure how to really respond to the question, the young man gave a slow shrug as he answered, "Victim of physical assault… on two different days within close proximity…?"

His suggestion brought a snort out of Ebi, who looked as though she were about to laugh. But, surprisingly, she instead sighed and shook her head before speaking in a pitiful tone, "Your victim complex is beyond help. I don't think there's anything I can do or say about it… so, I'll just have to leave it be." Just as the young man was about to make a sarcastic remark, she said something that he couldn't ignore, "Be grateful that I'm not going to press that particular issue any more than I should."

"Grateful," repeated the young man quietly before saying it again in a louder voice, "Fucking grateful?" Immediately, Miki knew to step aside and let his friend go on the attack. Though Ebi wasn't a worthy target of such rage, he knew that the young man probably had a lot of pent of frustration from his experience with Shinohara and whatever occurred the other day. The silently raging student took an aggressive step forward and jabbed his finger towards the girl's mouth, "I'd be grateful if you would just remain quiet for one day. That mousy voice of yours is like nails on a chalkboard. Especially," he raised the pitch of his voice to be unbearably squeaky, "when you get loud like this!" before quieting himself to retort, "Shut your face. There's nothing you do that I'm grateful for."

In response, Ebi was about to let her own anger ring out, "Pig! You pig, what did-," before she was promptly cut off by the young man's louder voice.

"In fact, I can't think of a single person who would be grateful for you," yelled the boy as he stood over his shrinking target of ire, "All you are is the residential drama queen who goes out of her way to make a scene and call attention to herself. Barring everything that's happened before today, what would you call the stunt your trying to pull? Extortion? No, you don't really care about that. You just want us to grovel before you so that your great expanse of an ego can be sated its daily feed, which was so unfortunately deprived today because people were talking about my ugly fucking face." The young man pressed his reddening face closer to Ebi, "Bull! We don't cower to you and no one else does. The response you got here today is the same that any sensible person would give!" before his nose was just a few centimeters from hers, "Your drama is that unwanted and insufferable! If everyone could take a vote between being stuck with you for a day or getting the hell beaten out of them by some dickhead in their own homes," and loudly boomed his final syllables in a guttural voice, "EVERYONE WOULD TAKE THE LATTER OPTION THRICE!"

Letting out a few squeaky whimpers with tears in the corners of her eyes, Ebi looked as though she were about to break into sobs then and there. Then she raised up her hands to try and strangle the young man, which was entirely ineffective since her grip on his neck was too weak, "YOU ARE SUCH A JERK! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!?"

Watching the scene from the side, Miki just blinked a few times before walking up to the pair to insert himself between the two. With little effort, he managed to pull Ebi away while she screamed a handful of choice words at the young man. Once there was a gap within her ramblings, Miki ordered her, "Just buzz off already and rethink your life," before gently pushing her away. Flustered and indignant, the girl made a rude gesture with her finger and speedily stomped her way down the sidewalk.

Once the frustrating girl was out of sight, the young man turned toward his friend with a grimace. As if they were having a silent conversation, Miki sucked in a breath and shrugged before throwing his hands up into the air. After some odd seconds, the young man finally stated, "I lost my cool a bit there."

"You think so?" replied Miki with a sarcastic smirk and narrowed eyes. A snort was the boy's reply along with a nod. Without much thought, he pointed up at the young man's face and asked, "Did any of that stem from your bruise there?"

His friend went silent as the previous day's events flashed through his mind. After a moment, he gave a reluctant nod and admitted, "I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't…"

Miki gave the young man a supportive pat to the back and gestured to the sidewalk to continue their trek. The two began to march off in silence, maneuvering past the city crowd around them with ease as they began to settle down from their previous encounter. However, while waiting to pass an intersection, Miki randomly sprung the question, "So, was Hazuki involved with whatever happened yesterday?"

At first, the young man's brain lagged a few seconds behind while he registered Sato's family name. Then, once he was caught up, he quickly turned to Miki and asked in as calm a manner as he could, "Hold on, hold on… where'd that come from?"

Without much reaction to his friend's sputter, Miki took a breath and slowly replied, "Well," and averted his eyes, "she kept passing glances at you through the day… more than she usually does. You know, for a while, I've been pretty sure that she's had a crush on you or something-"

The young man couldn't catch himself before he retorted, "Don't be silly."

"I don't think that now," stated Miki as he turned his head back to the young man, "considering those terrifying glares that you kept throwing at her through the day… and the fact that she's gone out of her way to avoid you like the plague at every turn."

Having not even been aware of the fact that he was apparently glaring at Sato, the young man murmured while scratching at the corner of his mouth, "Ah… in that case, I'll give you the short version of what happened," and paused for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence, Miki nodded his head, "Go on," and started walking once the crowd around them began to pass through the crosswalk.

Without facing his friend, the young man slowly explained, "We happened to meet each other yesterday… I was in a bad mood, due to the… ah…" and gestured to his bruise. He paused for a few seconds before finishing, "I suppose she was too and we got into an argument about something stupid. However it went, she said a few things I'm not happy with and now I'm… pretty pissed at her."

Also averting his head to not even try to meet the young man's eye, Miki said simply, "I think I understand."

Upon reaching the other side of the crosswalk, the young man raised up his head and quietly mumbled, "Almost forgot," before turning to Miki to say, "I'm taking a different route today. I have a meetup to attend."

The boy next to him turned his eyes to face him, "Those girls, I'd guess?"

"Right on the money," replied the young man before he diverged from their usual path, "You have a good day and… you know," and gestured up to his face, "be safe…"

"You too," said Miki as he offered a nod and a smile. With that, the young man turned around and began to make his way toward his destination. Once he was left alone, Miki's face fell to a frown as he quietly remarked to himself, "There's more to it… definitely more," before shaking his head, "but I'm a little scared to ask." Shivering a bit as his imagination went wild, Miki continued on his route home with no incident.

Meanwhile, relaxing in a miniature playground that was surrounded by a few office buildings nearby, Asuka held up her phone to Homura and Yumi to show off a text, "Yomi says that Grandpa and Grandma are doing fine. That doctor Kiriya talked about finally arrived and is currently checking for any signs of permanent damage."

Standing a bit away from the bench that the three were sitting on, Miyabi turned her head and asked, "He'll be taking special care with Jasmine's back, right? He'll be careful and thorough?"

"Both Kiriya and Oda have vouched on the man," stated Ikaruga as she knelt on some grass beside Katsuragi, who was idly daydreaming, "Besides, there's not many other options available. Unless you think we should lie to public hospital personnel, this is the best option at hand."

"Right, right," replied Miyabi with a wave of her hand before she turned back to the sidewalk, awaiting the moment that the young man would appear.

Catching a glance of the white-haired girl, Yozakura and Murakumo both sucked in tired breaths as they continued to supervise Minori and Hibari playing on the swing set. After a moment, the masked girl turned to her sister and asked, "Can I assume we're uncomfortable for the same reason?"

"You're talking about the exchange, right?" asked Yozakura, doing her utmost to keep her head directed on the two girls who were swinging around without an apparent care in the world.

Murakumo nodded and grunted in response before also turning to face forward. While there were many things running through her mind, she was completely divided on the issue at hand: they were accompanying the young man to exchange his family's information to Oda. On one hand, she was completely behind him and was proud to have volunteered her protection and company. After all, like any good shinobi, he was going to do what had to be done in order to catch one of the worst shinobi killers in history. If that meant a few other infiltrators were caught in the crossfire, then that was the unfortunate reality of it. It was either a few lives or a hundred more shinobi… On the other hand, the young man seemed so unreactive to the fact that he was offering up his family. Though he was certainly panicked and desperate at the time, he was still thinking clearly enough to mention his sister-in-law and niece amongst the other things that would track Tsao. Considering the fact that he experienced one of Oda's more brutal methods firsthand, Murakumo expected that he would have at least hesitated or begged for the large shinobi to show some mercy on the two. Before all of that though, the one thing that both she and Yozakura expected was for him to stand by his family… but then that was a different conflict in and of itself.

They were all well aware of the young man's history. They knew everything that had happened which led him to the point they were at. In addition to that, they knew what horrible people his family could be. But to them, to every shinobi who'd been deprived of their loved ones in some terrible way, they couldn't truly understand why someone would turn their back to their own blood before proceeding to offer them up on a sacrificial altar. Even Homura, who resented her own family for casting her out, wouldn't have done such a thing…

Yet, most of the girls had volunteered to join the young man to either offer their support or protection. The rest stayed behind in his apartment to watch over Jasmine and Hanzō, including a few of his supporters, but everyone else had still chosen to join him. Whether to hold his shoulder and encourage him to press on or to just offer their weapons in case his attacker decided to make another appearance… In Yozakura's case, she was extremely verbal of the fact that she was going to try and convince the young man to withhold the information that he was going to give to Oda. From the moment the large shinobi left the day before until the lot of them camped outside with the young man in the spacious parking lot, leaving the cramped apartment's bed to Jasmine and Hanzō, she had pestered him about the matter with little breaths in-between. Through it all, from every accusation and to every bit of chastisement that Yozakura offered, the boy either remained silent or gave a few words of acknowledgement before turning his attention to his phone. He didn't act pitifully nor defensively, he never whispered or yelled… He would only say something along the line's of, "You aren't wrong," or, in cases where someone tried to offer comfort, "I'm fine," before turning back to his texting.

Amidst Murakumo's pondering, Hikage called out while hanging upside down from the monkey bars, "He's here."

By that point, Miyabi was already moving to greet him with Yumi springing up to her feet to follow. Sitting by a slide out of the line of sight, Murasaki and Imu were also getting up from where they sitting while Ryōbi turned to her twin and threatened, "Keep your mouth shut. He's not going to."

Ryōna began to chime, "He can offer me! He really can! Oda will surely beat me until he's satisfied and we can all go home! Everyone wins!" before her sister grabbed her by the lips and wrested her up, much to the blonde's pleasure.

A few meters away, Yagyū grabbed hold of Hibari's swing to calmly tell her, "We'll play later. Time to go for now."

While the pink-haired girl began to pout, Minori launched herself from her swing and rolled onto the surrounding woodchips before rushing toward Yozakura. At first, Murakumo thought the girl was just going to ask if she could be brushed off, which their sister would have done anyway without any prompting. But, just as Yozakura reached forward to pat away some dirt and woodchips, Minori asked her, "Please be nice today?"

The blue-haired girl quirked her head to the side, ignoring the round of awkward greetings that the young man was receiving at the playground entrance, before she sighed and said, "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable yesterday… But he's planning to do something that I cannot support." Her voice was cool and sympathetic but was also laced with an unbending sternness that wouldn't be easily lifted, "Please, just understand…"

Minori was already shaking her head, "I'm not going to understand if you're not going to understand."

Pressing her lips together while taking a moment to close her eyes, Yozakura shook her head and rotated her finger in the air to have the pigtailed girl turn around. Once her sister abided, she began to brush off the dirt and woodchips from her back while saying, "I believe I already understand well enough. He's offering up his family, some of whom are people who aren't a part of this conflict. That isn't something I can just forgive… It isn't something Murakumo, Shiki… Katsuragi, Ryōbi, Mirai… nor even Asuka and Homura, despite their feelings… none of us can forgive it so easily… If I were any bolder, I would suggest that you shouldn't forgive him either… But you're entitled to your thoughts and beliefs…"

After a few pats to her side, Minori was made to turn as her eyes fell. While Yozakura continued to brush her off, she began to frown before adding, "But you're all aware that he doesn't want to, right?"

"Only a madman would," replied Yozakura as she swiped the girl's arm, "but he's still doing it anyway. He's accountable for his own actions, whether he's pleased with himself or not."

Once Minori was made to face forward, she quickly asked, "But isn't it like us and fighting?"

Murakumo turned her head over while curiously tilting it to the side, "What do you mean?"

Yozakura, after having finished her light cleaning, was a bit hesitant to look up to her sister's eyes. Once she managed to lift her head, she found Minori locking onto her with watery orbs and downcast lips. At first, Yozakura recoiled but then caught herself and nodded for the girl to speak. With a softness unbefitting of her usually excited voice, Minori quietly explained, "We fight and hurt people, sometimes our friends even…" and gestured to the girls from the other shinobi groups. Her lips curled further downward as she added, "Sometimes, when we spar, we even hurt each other…"

Yozakura nodded to her with a bit of understanding, "And it's all for our own good. It's all to train ourselves up to fight Yōma. In some cases, it's to reach our own personal goals."

"Fighting is bad," stated Minori with a shake of her head before locking her eyes back onto her sister, "but I do it because, if we win enough times, nobody will need to fight anymore… once that happens, everyone can just play and get along and not be hurt-"

"If you're implying that I'm doing something similar…" came the young man's commanding voice as he turned his head to them while standing at the playground's entrance. He took a long breath and finished in a low voice, "…then I should correct that."

Minori shrunk her head a bit, thrown off by haven been interrupted, while Yozakura felt her face go slack. From beside the young man, Miyabi and Yumi reached out to him while quietly urging phrases like, "We can talk about this later," and, "Please, don't worry about it for now." But, seeking to confront the problem before there was any possibility of escalation, the boy shook his head and pulled away from them to approach the sisters by the playground.

In a calm and level voice, the young man gestured his hand to everyone present, "I know there are people who have issues with what I'm going to do and their points can't be denied." Once he was on the border of the play area, he looked to Asuka and Homura as they sat side by side one another with saddened eyes, turned his head over to an irritated-looking Ryōbi as she kept a firm hand over Ryōna's mouth, and finally turned to Minori while she was flanked by Yozakura and Murakumo.

Feeling a bit squashed by the pressure of the young man and her two sisters, the pigtailed girl murmured out, "You don't… I know you don't want to hurt your niece and sister-in-law, right?"

"I don't," replied the young man, "but me selling them out isn't a woeful tale on my part." He turned to Yozakura, keeping his eyes from shifting amidst the uncomfortable atmosphere, "At best, this is just me committing a horrible act… at worst, I'm a complete hypocrite doing the same injustice that my brother, Haruo, did to me. Bear in mind, while my sister-in-law has been a longtime bystander to my own suffering, she's never done anything to deserve something as cruel as this. She's gone on no missions as an infiltrator and her worst crime is the unleashing of her sharp tongue… And my niece…" The young man's eyes went soft as he stopped for a moment, "Little Nian… she's never harmed a fly… She's eight years old, for the love of…"

Minori tried to chime in, "You're doing it for a good reason-" but was immediately cut off.

"Sacrificing two people to save my own life isn't a good reason," remarked the young man with a hint of aggression. After taking another breath, he calmed down and continued to explain, "What I'm doing is a horrible and selfish act. What I'm doing is not for the sake of catching Tsao… rather it's just to save myself. I will not deny that. No one else can deny it either. I'll own and face it. If everything turns out for the worst and Oda does hurt them, I'll bear the weight of it as though I'd done it myself. Regardless of whatever blame Oda is owed, I'll hold myself in the utmost contempt for the worst to come."

"Why do it then?" asked Yozakura, her voice matching the young man's level tone, "If you know you're going to hate yourself for it, that you'd regret it… why go through with it?"

"Because there's no alternative that I can see," stated the young man in a low voice. He clenched his eyes for a moment before speaking further, "Oda wants Tsao… but that man doesn't leave a visible trail. He works under numerous false names and leaves no physical signs that he's ever existed in any of the residences that he's ever stayed in. The best thing you're getting is his DNA, though that's only because he knows that the government already has his identity." Pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts, the young man continued, "But he loves his wife and daughter more than anything. For all the evil that is Tsao, he is a family man. Every holiday, any significant event… he'll be there for his wife, child…" he gestured to himself, "for his brother even."

There were a few nods of understanding from the crowd, though Yozakura continued to just stare at the young man in the same way she did when they were in the Hanzō Academy gym. Amidst their standoff, Asuka stood up and left Homura's side to try and offer a few words, "I… think we understand… you don't need to-"

"Tsao isn't away from home for long," stated the young man, seemingly not hearing the brunette's words, "Once a mission is finished, he collects a commission from whoever contracted him to do a 'correction' or murder… He considers them to be synonymous at this point… then he heads home and enjoys his life. The only setback for him, at that point, is the fact that his wife enjoys working as a part-time waitress and that he is very particular about the schools he sends his daughter to… and those both leave paper trails." The young man turned his head to face the girls' conflicted expressions around him before turning back to Yozakura's unbending eyes, "They're a package deal. If anyone wants to track Tsao, they'll need to track his family. Even if he's out on a mission, he won't run to save himself if he finds out that the two people he loves most have been seized… He'll come running… Anyone who knows him can guarantee that…"

"You're making this too hard…" declared Homura in a low voice from the bench, clenching her fingers around its edge to keep herself seated.

Turning his body to face her with a tired look on his face, the young man responded, "I want you guys to know the full story…" He held a flattened hand to his chest, "I'll hold myself accountable for the horrible act I'm going to commit… and I know that this is even more selfish of me to wish for…" before looking Homura dead in the eyes, "but I don't want any of you to hate me for this. I know I'll be deserving of that hate… but I… really hope that…"

"Well, I kind of want to hate you!" growled Homura as she stood herself up and began to rapidly approach him in long strides. Though Asuka stammered her name in confusion a few times, the tanned girl got right up into the young man's face and grabbed ahold of his arm. He reeled his head back a bit, positive that a verbal or physical lashing was coming his way, before he realized that Homura had fallen silent. He looked to her and she to him, neither saying a word.

Yumi took a step forward with the intention to get between the two before a knowing look came over her face. Relaxing herself, she stood down as the young man quietly said, "Then hate me… you've every right."

Flushed and evidently frustrated, Homura spouted, "Yes, I do…" She rolled her head back while sucking air into her nostrils before loudly exhaling, "You can be such a dickhead-"

"Indeed, I'm a dickhead."

"-what with the way you're… all this." As if to prove her point, the girl gestured to the young man's body before swinging her arms outward, "Beyond this dilemma that you're… that you're, admittedly, trapped in… you're infuriating. You're so… forward but not forward at the same time. You go on about everyone needing to trust you while doing something that would absolve any trust we would already have for you. This act of yours, this cowardly act, in addition to another…" Homura brought a hand up to her forehead and stated, "I confess my feelings for you, Asuka confesses her feelings for you, Miyabi," she slowly emphasized every syllable to the woman's name, "confesses her feelings to you-"

The white-haired girl quickly interjected, "Actually, I…" before faltering and turning her body away, "I haven't… directly come forward to him…"

Ignoring Miyabi's interruption, Homura continued, "And, rather than answer to us, you wait until Yumi confesses to have her send a message: oh, by the way, can't date. Thanks for the confession," the girl waved her hand, "Buh-bye."

Quirking his brow at the sudden change of subject, while also feeling his face heat up from the confrontation, the young man nodded head while sucking in his lips. After a moment, he replied, "I'm sorry for that." He waited a few seconds before admitting, "For a sensitive matter like that, I should have been direct with all of you from the get-go… It was, indeed, cowardly of me to put it off in the way I did. Cowardly and selfish."

"And now you're doing something far more cowardly and selfish," declared Homura while trying put strength into her every word, "You're doing something far more extreme than putting off a sensitive matter."

"I am," replied the young man.

"And then…" the girl paused to wipe at her glimmering eyes, "And now, I should say… Here you are, openly admitting to all of it… I should hate you right now. I should abandon my feelings so we can avoid the fiasco that Yumi mentioned." Through a shaky intake of breath, Homura opened her mouth with the intention to yell before her voice died in her throat. She looked at the young man, who was looking at her with no intention to defend himself from her verbal assault, and she couldn't bring herself to yell anymore.

Asuka was about to step forward to intervene before Miyabi extended her arm to gently block the girl's way, "Let her say what needs to be said."

"But I don't hate you," mumbled Homura, whose shoulders relaxed as she said the words, "I don't hate you at all… In fact, I love you. Despite how much of a coward you are, I love you. I know that I said just I liked you before… But I love you." The young man was about to raise his hand into the air to signal for Homura to stop. Yet, she aggressively patted it down and said, "I'm saying it, so don't make this the thing that you're going to argue. Alright? I do love you. When you're truthfully forward, you're easy enough to read and keep yourself easy to understand. You've been honest since we've come together as a group, you've accepted my and everyone else's faults at every turn without criticism, and you're proving yourself to be accountable at this very moment…" She gestured to the boy, "Even now, when I'm seeing you at you're most cowardly, you uphold all of those traits."

"I wasn't forward with you guys when you all confessed your feelings," declared the young man, speaking without thinking through any of the words that came out of his mouth, "and I've proven myself to be a capable liar on the many occasions that I acted like I wasn't aware of those feelings."

Homura was about to cut him off to shut him down before his last statement caught her ears. She loudly exclaimed, "How long have you known!?"

"Since the end of our karaoke night!" replied the young man, his face flushed as his mouth moved faster than his brain, "So, yeah! Honest and forward? Not at all. Not me. Accepting? On some levels, sure. On the other hand, I'll get annoyed and hold grudges for the pettiest of reasons. It doesn't matter who it is! And accountable? No-ho-ho~! In the back of my mind, there is a large part of me that is still trying to peg every terrible thing I'm doing as Haruo's fault. He was the first domino to start this mess, right? Of course, that'd mean he's responsible for the decisions I make, despite the fact that I'm a grown ass man making conscious decisions. So, accountable? No… not even slightly."

By the time the young man had managed to pull the brakes on himself, everything he wanted to say had been let out. With all of the hot air he'd bottled up having been deflated, all that was left was a boy heaving for his next breath. On the other hand, Homura stared at him with narrowed eyes before shaking her head, "You're such a dickhead-"

"Yes."

"-with how you handle these kinds of things." While the young man processed her words, she snapped her fingers at him and jabbed a finger into his chest, "Listen and listen good. Regardless of the way you see yourself, I still see all of those things in you. Even if everything you said was completely true with unmentioned stuff to back it up, I'll regard you like I have been. That's just the way I see you." The young man was about to speak before Homura pressed her palm against his mouth, "I love you. As for Asuka, Miyabi and Yumi? I'd say they still love you too. We can't just throw those feelings away. So, get deciding. If you think anyone else's trust will be affected by a relationship or rejection or whatever, let us know. We'll talk and or fight about it until an understanding is reached. That's how we do things."

Unable to say anything with the hand covering his mouth, the young man looked over to Asuka, Miyabi, and Yumi. Much to his mix of relief and confusion, each of them offered him a smile. Despite everything, from the threat a relationship posed to the horrible exchange he had planned, they still had feelings for him. Whether that would be a good or bad thing, he didn't really know. Either way, the young man was partly relieved.

Releasing her hold over his mouth once she realized he'd relaxed himself, Homura took a breath before nodding, "I'm glad you understand," before stepping away from him to clap her hands together, "Right, let's get a move on then. You've got a shitty deal to go through and then you're going to explain what happened yesterday." After finishing her last sentence, she spiraled around and pointed a finger at the young man, "And I mean everything! If we find out you're holding back any information for any reason, you'll wish that person finished you off! Capeesh?" Homura's response was an alarmed and fervent nod, to which she mumbled, "Good…"

Taking a moment to collect herself, the girl began to make her way to the playground's entrance. With his mind still lagged behind and comprehending everything that was said, the young man could only stand in place. At one point, after Homura called back to him a few times, Asuka stepped forward and squeezed his arm before giving him a pull, "C'mon… We'll be with you…"

Though the young man nodded his head, he still didn't move. After a few seconds, he turned his head to Yozakura for the first in a while and took in her level look. Her lips were tightly pressed together but her eyes were soft and sympathetic. Daring to offer her a few words, the young man could only say in a hoarse voice, "Hate and condemn me if you believe I'm worthy of it… Don't hold back… I only ask that you understand."

Yozakura's eyes fell to the ground before locking back onto the boy. She wanted to argue and push him away from what he intended to do, just like she had done through most of the prior day. Yet, she could offer no alternatives. The young man wanted freedom and Oda wanted Tsao, who was a terrifying killer who needed to be caught. She could only whisper, "I do understand… I do…"

The young man nodded to her, "For what it's worth… I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't have to be."

With all of that said, the entire group cleared out of the playground. Following just behind Homura, who began to lead the group towards Hanzō's restaurant, the young man dwelled on Yozakura's words to him. If he interpreted them one way, they implied that she understood and that the young man's place in the situation was excusable. If interpreted another way, they meant that the young man shouldn't have been making the decision in the first place if he was sorry about it. Either way, his decision was final. He had the information texted onto an online document and he fully intended to hand it over to Oda.