Chapter 20: Twin Gale Hazard

November 20th. 3:10 PM (Yuuko's Office)
[Yuuko]

This morning I got a report from Marimo about the test on the island, she sounded quite distressed. That's par for the course for her, but this time she had a very good reason to sound so preoccupied. I cannot belive him! Of all the things he could have done, he had to go and murder some of the soldiers. High Command was under great pressure this time, I couldn't do a thing to prevent them from sending a squad of soldiers as another challenge of the CCSE.

One injured, two deaths. Not even I will be able to cover you this time Shirogane. The Captain of the squad sent a very aggravating report on his encounter with him, considering he is seen as a foreigner here... I should take some measures before it's too late.

A knock on my door snaps me from the distant island.

"Come in." Piatiff opens the door, letting the man behind her enter.

As I ordered, Isumi and Hayase were at the door too in case anything happened. Now that Shirogane is gone this is the most appropriate time for an attack, if he has any intention of doing so.

"Good afternoon, Professor. Beautiful as ever, I see."

"Yoroi, take a seat. We have quite some things to discuss." He tips his hat and sits down.

"I brought you some nice intel today. Did you know that a new restaurant opened in the golden district in Tokyo? Their sushi is simply marvelous." Why do you always have to do this?

"Chief Yoroi, could you cut the crap today? I'm expecting important reports from you." This talk just started and I'm already losing my patience.

"Oh? I thought you liked sushi. And here I was thinking that we could have a pleasant talk about food." He makes a sad expression with his eyes. Siiiiigh...

"Chief Yoroi..."

"There's been many movements in this weeks that have raised some alarms in my office." What is he talking about? Where are my reports on the deals?

"I thought you came here for the deal on the new parts for the Gekishin and to bring me some intel on Takamura. What is this about?"

"Well, you see... Let me start from the beginning. You do remember that you allowed the Blood squad to 'test' some of the new inventions you made? Her Highness was most pleased with the results she saw and would like to form an official joint project to develop new technology with the UN." Yes, I could see this coming from a week ago.

"How is that any different from the other projects they tried to do?"

"Because this time, it won't be a joint operation between the UN and a branch of the IJA. The proposal is to make a joint project with the Ministry of Defense itself."

"The Shogun does have control over the military matters here after all. But are you sure that the Minister will comply?" He smiles a bit as he relaxes onto the chair.

"Of course not. She knows the project will be rejected by the Parliament." He raises his hands, as his tone shows a hint of disgust at the last word.

"Then, what is the meaning of this? I told you I want answers, but you're bringing me more questions. And you haven't delivered on my last requests."

"We won't be making a new project, Her Highness idea is to restart a project that has already been approved but was-"

"The XFJ Project, right?"

"And here I was, trying to make a shocking reveal. This days I seem to have lost my edge." He says with a deadpan tone as he fakes a sad face.

"Chief Yoroi, you have yet to explain anything. Could you please?" Sheesh, I'm getting so pissed off at him right now. What are they playing at?

"You see, the Shogun wishes to make an accord with you."

"An accord?"

"I have heard some... unsightly rumors as of late. Some people are waiting for a spark, to lit the torch of war once again."

"Does this have anything to do with next year's-"

"Yes, we have confirmed that some people have been coming and going very secretly from the Diet Building to the IJA HQ. There seems to be someone important pulling some strings. Today at night a new budget increase for the production of the Shiranui will be passed on the Parliament, and a deal to import a new TSF from Australia has also been confirmed, but I couldn't get what model they will be importing."

"And what has this to do with what I asked of you? As far as I know, this is Her Highness' problem." He frowns at my words. Is this all a lie? Show me your cards already.

"While Takamura-dono's proposal to continue the development of the Type-99X-EML Railgun was accepted thanks to her own efforts, two people directed her towards you. One is Eiji Iwaya, an important man in the Weapon Research Department of the Ministry of Defense. I had a talk with him, he knew that you would be the most fitting person to put in charge of this since it was the intel you gave them what allowed the railgun to even exist." Yes, I remember that. One of the first 'favors' the Empire asked of me to prove my loyalty.

"So the first one was nothing more than good intentions. What about the second?"

"The second one... We still don't know who it was, but all leads me to think his influence was used in some sort of deal. He used his connections to send Takamura-dono here as a UN officer, which gave the UN a nice new toy to play around with, and probably got along his partners the amount of votes needed to pass this new budget. And I think you know already what they asked of the UN."

"To keep Squad 207B as Cadets? Yeah, I know. I already took my measures to get what I want without making problems for the UN." He briefly smiles before continuing.

"Takamura-dono was most joyful when she knew she'll be arriving here, I can assure you she has no harmful intentions. Since she was in charge of the XFJ project since it's conception, we were hoping you could restart it if you deemed it worthwhile. The Shogun wishes you to take charge of the project to restore the relations of the UN and the Empire." He is hiding something, I can tell by his tone.

"Are you sure it's a good idea? To have a noble bow her head to the UN like that? Is that really the reason she is coming here?"

"Why, yes of course. She might have been captivated by your beauty though. I too sometimes wish I could work under such a pretty face." Damn you, Yoroi. Answer the question already.

"Chief Yoroi, if you do not take me seriously this conversation will be over. Tell me the truth, why is the Shogunate sending a member of the fudai here?" I hit my desk, you're pissing me off. Stop with the lies and the false praise already. Damn dog of the Shogunate.

"No need to raise your voice. I did told you that this were her own efforts, Takamura-dono insisted on continuing the development of the railgun and the only possible ally that could help was the UN, and there's no better place than this base to assign the project to."

"So it's all just a coincidence?"

"A favorable coincidence, yes. Regardless of the strings that were pulled and the deals behind our backs, both you and Her Highness need allies to brave the storms that will come. Which is the reason she desires your help in this rekindling of the XFJ Project. I'm sure you know that her influence is dwindling every day in the MDF, and the Diet is taking more and more liberties with every law they pass." More things that are not my problem, does he think I care about all this?

"And yet she sends someone who was at Yukon, immediately after the favor I asked you, and is putting more pressure on me to take even more projects under my wing? Why can't she send this project to the Imperial Research Department?"

"You know that Japan does not have the funds necessary to restart the project by itself. The Shogun knows that all the politicians and members of the Guard would rather lock the project down than hand it over to anyone again, but she knows that we as a nation need to start contributing to the UN. America has already given the new schematics for a new assault gun, even COSEAN is developing a new type of ammunition despite all their setbacks. The Empire needs to appeal to the world or it will be secluded." I know that, that's why I'm trying to develop the Yellow Dust. All the data Shirogane has given me has produced some quite useful tools to gain me more support.

"And what do I get in return?"

"The monopoly on the project. You can use it in any mission or project you wish, so long as the Empire gets part of the royalties of it when the final products eventually get licensed by the UN. Also, the Empire would be more than willing to be the producer of the new tech you made, so that you don't have to wait until America passes the project through their Senate."

"You're telling me the Shogun will give me control of the railgun and the Shiranui Second? Isn't that really nice of her! But why would she go so far?"

"I told you, she needs an ally. We need to renovate our military forces before the BETA attack again with their full force like in 1998. We won't be able to resist another invasion when more than half of our MDF units use Gekishins or Kagerous. The Shiranuis are still not as widespread as we want them to, only the best squadrons have them. If the BETA were to attack from Cheorwon and Sadogashima at the same time, we won't be able to hold the line once they reach the mainland."

"But didn't you say a new budget was already approved?" With that they could get almost all the MDF to use Shiranuis and replace all the older models in the rear.

"At the cost of the civilians' quality of life. Her Highness is not pleased with this turn of events. If you aid her she will be in your debt, I'm sure you can use her influence to gain more time for your research. We don't want to keep pushing our burdens onto the people. Her Highness knows that the power struggle won't end soon and decided to ask for your aid."

"So our wishes are in alignment, that's what you're saying? Then let me tell you that the UN doesn't need to take the XFJ Project to have an upgrade for our TSFs, with my recent tests and the results I've obtained the Empire only needs to buy the license to mass produce the parts. And we may have another surprise ready for all of you." He won't be able to contain his curiosity, I know he'll ask.

"Oh? What could it be? Is this related to Takeru Shirogane in any way?" Finally got you to talk about him. Thanks for falling for it.

"I don't know. But now that you mention it, did you find anything about him? You did say before that you found nothing, are you losing your touch Chief?" I try to taunt him into talking. But he makes a dead serious expression and answers in a slow, harsh tone.

"I did find something... unexpected." His face tenses up as he crosses one leg over the other.

"What do you mean?"

"I did a through investigation, I went to all the databases and registries I could while not arising suspicion. I couldn't find a trace of his life in Japan, but what I did find was rather interesting. I belive someone wanted him gone from the Empire. Forever."

"Gone? What do you mean?" Is this a threat?

"I now understand why Her Highness forbid me from speaking of this matter with her, perhaps she already knew who you wanted to cover, even if I do not know why she allows him to stay here. Do not take this as a threat, consider it a warning from a friend. You should get rid of Takeru Shirogane, before he recovers his memory. Assuming that's even true, of course." What on earth is he talking about? What did he find?

"Are you saying he is a dangerous person? Explain yourself." He nods as he slowly strokes his chin.

"I couldn't find why, how or when he lost his memory so I think he's lying about that. I also couldn't find no data on when or why he became an undercover agent of the UN. But if I had to guess, I think he was branded as a traitor and ran away or was exiled. Otherwise I cannot explain why the online databases of the Ministry of Information and the Royal Guard were wiped clean. I do not have any data to back this up, but his relation with the Guard is surely not a good one." All the while he spoke with the same quiet but harsh voice. He is not lying, to make Yoroi look like this... What did he find?

"How can you know that he is on bad terms with the Guard? What did you find?"

"During my search in the Royal Guard's archive, I found some papers with details of his... works for them. It seems he started working for the Shogunate at some point between the terrorist attack on the capital and the Battle of Kyoto, during the rule of Hidekatsu Saionji-sama. He later was recruited and continued to serve even after the late Shogun's death, and was permanently assigned to a Royal Guard squadron after the coronation of Koubuin-sama as the next Shogun. However all leads me to belive he was already working as a soldier or as an escort since an early age, he was merely sixteen at the time. To be recruited by the Shogunate despite his age, there is no way he was rookie in his line of work." Makes sense, the Shogunate wouldn't recruit a complete beginner when it has access to all workers in the Empire at it's disposal.

This is just what I wanted to hear. But it's not what I expected to hear. What exactly did he do? He was branded as a traitor? But didn't he die during... Of course, Sakon is assuming he's a traitor because he's still 'alive' here and working for the UN, while all his personal info got erased like when someone is exiled from the Empire. But he probably died during Lucifer.

"Can you tell me something about it? What kind of works did he do?" Yoroi, to my surprise, shakes his head as an answer.

"I think I'm not allowed to say."

"You think? Can you stop being cryptic for once?"

"Hmm... I'll tell you the most basic info, but do not tell him anything of this. He may be faking his memory loss. Let's see then, Takeru Shirogane was officially inducted into the Royal Guard during the mass recruitment after the Battle of Kyoto, however it seems he took part of it in a Zuikaku Type-C as a member of the Wolf squad led by the at the time Colonel Guren Daizaburou. The fact that he piloted a TSF and survived the fall at age sixteen is already a great feat in an of itself. There wasn't much data about his duties or missions, but what I think you should know is that he was assigned to the Koubuin House by Saionji-sama."

"The Koubuin House? He served the Shogun?"

"Yes, before she was chosen as the next Shogun. He was later transferred to the Imperial Palace when Her Highness took her new role, so he served the Shogun until he left the Empire. I cannot tell you of his missions, I'm sure you know why." I nod as I entwine my fingers. So he served the Shogun, no wonder they got suspicious of him in no time at all.

"Did you find anything about his role in Lucifer?" He nods as he leans a bit closer, speaking in a whisper.

"He was part of the Vanguard, and that's the last mission he did for the Shogunate as far as I know. I could not find what he did to be exiled. I think he may have had an accident during Lucifer or he may have committed many offenses up until that point, and after the mission someone decided to send him away to the UN in hopes of him never returning, in a form of payment for his efforts in the capture of the Yokohama Hive. Someone like him cannot be trusted, the authorities erased all his data just to keep him from returning here through legal means. He is no longer considered a Japanese citizen in my opinion, he may even be considered a traitor or worse. I do not know how he approached you, but you should get rid of him as soon as you can."

Great, this just had to come out when he went and killed two people. Worst timing, even worse situation. If word of this reaches the wrong ears... No, the Shogun already knows of him being here. That's why she's sending Yoroi to tell me all of this intel. She's testing my loyalty again. But I can't lose Shirogane, not until he finishes the 00 Unit at least.

"He is too valuable to lose. And I have him under control, he might be dangerous but he is following my orders." Yoroi does not seem pleased with my answer.

"Is he now? Or is he just pretending to be obedient to get his revenge on the Empire for exiling him? I was notified of a certain... discussion he had with Meiya Mitsurugi-sama the other day. Do you know what that was about?" Dammit, I took too much time to get rid of those spies.

"No, they were arguing like they usually do. Those two don't get along very well."

"Why would that be." He deadpans me as he closes his eyes.

"Then, I suppose I want to keep him away from the Guard and under my control at all times. Don't worry, he won't do anything against the Shogun or the Empire. Let me give you my answer towards the proposal you mentioned before." He tenses up as he meets my eyes. "I won't continue the XFJ Project, I already have too many things on my hands. The railgun is one thing, but to develop a new TSF from the ground up? That's not happening, I still need to finish my research and other projects. Also, I will order Takamura to be demoted to 1st Lieutenant and I will restrict her clearance level to S2. I do not want her close to my Cadets and I definitely do not trust her as much as I trust Isumi for her to be a Captain in my base. I'll keep the deal with the current tech, the Empire will have priority for the licensing but that's all. I don't need more political problems on my head."

"Professor, if I may, I think you're making a mistake. Her Highness would be more than willing to send one Type-94-1C for testing. There's also no reason to distrust Takamura-dono, her experience in Yukon seems to have changed her. She isn't like the rest of the nobility. I ask you to reconsider."

"There is nothing to reconsider. The UN cannot shoulder all the burdens the Empire can't deal with. Otherwise the other nations will start to ask for the same treatment. If Her Highness wants my support then Takamura better be ready to serve me well. Even if she is a noble I expect her to obey the UN laws and to perform as if she were just another soldier. If nothing out of the ordinary happens, I might change my mind." He narrow his eyes at me.

"Out of the ordinary? It sounds as if you suspected the Empire of something, Professor." He sharpens his gaze and tone as I see his breathing slightly change.

"Really? They shower me with praise and promises, but all you want is to make the UN do your work. What's going to happen when I do complete the railgun? Or the parts? These will be recognized as Japanese inventions, but will belong to the UN. If you give me the XFJ Project, the Second will become a patent of the UN too. Do you think the nobles will be happy about that?"

"I'm sure you could pull some strings to make them a shared property." Oh, the nerve! I cannot stand them!

"Why should I? I'll have to rebuild the railgun entirely using my funds and resources, a weapon that wouldn't exist if not for the intel I gave you. You want royalties from the parts I made? With funds from the UN? What did the Empire do to help in their development, other than two weeks of low intensity testing? What is the Shogun willing to do to actually make me want to help her?

He closes his eyes and rubs his chin. I wait for a while but he doesn't respond.

"Tell me, Yoroi. What do I gain from this? You already know I can upgrade all 2nd Gen and lower TSFs on base and give them stealth capabilities, right? What do I get from this deal? Other than having another Imperial on base to remind me of how 'indebted' I am to the royalty." I speak bluntly to force him to talk, with how loyal he is to the Shogun he'll either snap and show me his true intentions or will give me the real prize for this favors the Shogun is asking of me.

"You seem to be unnecessarily wary of us. The Shogun does not bear ill will towards you, Professor."

"But she might towards my guardian." He closes his eyes and after a deep breath he finally replies.

"I see. He is an enemy of the Empire, I have no doubts he'll become a problem. However, Her Highness has some interesting projects she-"

"If this is more projects we would have to take care of and ended up receiving half of the royalties don't bother. If all the Empire is going to do is ask favors without actually contributing anything and demand to get around half of the profits you can consider this talk over. Should I call Piatiff now?" He returns a glare and takes a folder out of his coat.

"I do not know why you're on your guard, however Her Highness does see you as her ally. Perhaps Shirogane is rubbing off on you? You know what they say about hanging around the wrong people. However, let me tell you that if you're interested in this, Her Highness is ready to sign this transfer at a moments' notice." He hands me the folder.

Let's see... Authorization for testing of export models? I won't even bother to read this. She just wants to use the UN to test some new tech to profit with it. Nobles, they never change. I press the button of the comms.

"2nd Lt. Piatiff, please come escort Chief Yoroi back to the entrance."

"Professor, you're not interested in the Takemikazuchi?"

"Why would I... What did you just say?" I heard it clearly. He said Takemikazuchi.

"Then next time I'll bring you some Takemikasushi instead, I think that will surely please you. Hmm... I hope I can get some octopus ones or a golden roll, otherwise you'll get mad at me ahaha!" He gets up with a smile and starts walking towards the door.

"Hold it! What is this about the Type-00?"

"Oh? Did you not read the papers? The Shogun is willing to give this base around ten Type-00C for your personal use, under the excuse that they're being used for an export trial. I belive that Squad A-01 would greatly benefit from this upgrade in performance. But if you're not interested in-"

"Sit down, it seems we still have a lot to talk about. But first, are the Royal Guards on board with this decision?" He raises his hands in a comical fashion.

"Hahaha, of course not. This machines will come straight from the Koubuin House. You could say it's a personal offering from the Shogun, to show how much she wants you on her side." If this is true... Ten Type-00C, all for me?

"Then, I suppose nobody will try to harm Shirogane or to forcefully take credit for my developments?"

"I cannot guarantee that Takeru Shirogane will be safe for much longer, it's a matter of time until Her Highness decides what to do with him. However, all of your inventions will be yours and nobody will lay a hand on them. You know that this are turbulent times, I'm sure that as a fellow Japanese you do not wish to return to those days of 1999." Ugh, please no. Anything but that, we don't need more political problems.

"Fine, I'll hear you out earnestly from now on. But I expect this deal to go as you're saying. If Takamura does anything to harm my research or personnel, the deal is canceled. Same goes for the unit stationed here. Did you know that they wanted to get Shirogane in prison?" Let's see how you react to this.

"Huh? I received no report about such an incident."

"It seems Mitsurugi is looking for dirt on him. She tried to access his profiles while you still hadn't fixed them and she think he's an American spy, and she even broke into his room! The Guards even tried to intimidate him, you don't know how troublesome that was. Can't really do that to your allies you know?" And to my surprise, he seems startled.

"But... The reports about him from the Guard here were mostly positive. He was reported as a gifted individual with a good conduct. Were they just lying in case the data got leaked? Are they aware of who he is?"

"That's what I want to know. He's been under a lot of duress thanks to this incident, can I really trust you when Mitsurugi herself wants to put my guardian behind bars? Let me remind you that I called him here, he's here to protect me. If the Shogun wants him gone, should I take that as an offense against me?" I don't know if it's wise to treat him like this, but I need to somehow make them reluctant to harm him. I won't let them lay a finger on you, Shirogane.

"Do you truly want to keep him by your side?"

"Obviously. He is my bodyguard, regardless of what he did in the past I know I can trust him." He shakes his head as he adjust his position on the chair.

"I don't think that's a wise decision. But I will not judge you. It is possible that these years have changed him, after all." He doesn't sound convinced of it.

"If you harm him I'll cancel the deal for the parts and I'll stop working on the railgun. What about this? Look for me if the Guard has any intention of killing him, and if they do notify me. If nobody wants to harm him and you can confirm me that he won't be targeted by the Shogunate or the Guard, I might reconsider taking the XFJ project." Even if this is a trap, they already have their sights on us. Probably this is the Empire's last ditch effort, they either get the support of the UN for this or they go maverick. Might as well try to probe for intel before they come against us. I don't belive one bit this thing about the Type-00C, but if I can actually get my hands on those...

"Give and take, huh? Shirogane's safety in exchange of taking the project? I'll try, but I promise no results. It will take some time, and I'll need to be careful since I've been coming here quite frequently as of late. I also don't know if Her Highness already has plans for him, and I fear I might be overstepping my boundaries if I ask her about it. Give me some weeks, I'll get you an answer. So then, should I tell you all about that delicious Takemikasushi I offered you?"

"Chief Yoroi. For the last time, be serious!"

"Do not frown so, your face is one of the Empire's seven wonders. What would we do without such beauty?" Again with that smile. Dealing with you is so exasperating.

"Sigh... Just talk already."


November 20th. Fourth Day of the CCSE.
(Near the river. 5:16 AM)
[Takeru]

I stretch my arms towards the sky. I'll let them sleep for a few minutes more, I already did find some mushrooms and leaves we can eat. They need their rest.

I think I reached an answer to my doubts, after debating with myself since the start of my shift. This is the BETA world I was in last time. Now, let's go back to the beginning.

After all my loops my original world, let's call it the Alpha world, became too close to the BETA world to the point that the exchange of information between both was much stronger than normal. Because of that I came to this place, to reverse the situation to it's original balance. However, at first I thought I had arrived to a different world given the differences of this reality to the ones I experienced in the past. That was a mistake.

Let's talk about Alpha and Beta as trees. Tree A is now too close to Tree B, their branches are all entangled. I thought that I jumped from A to B at the very beginning, and then I kept returning to B's roots every time I died. Therefore, I was trapped in a loop on Tree B.

Last time I managed to reach the end of a branch in B and I returned to Tree A. However, by that point B's branches were too close to A and got in the way. I tried returning to B to fix that, but I thought I ended up in another tree, Tree C. That is my current location. I had no idea why I arrived at C, or why I got to C's roots when I wasn't trying to reach a tree's roots. Actually, it should have been impossible to do so. Tree C was similar to B, but it had many differences that made me think I was in another tree. That's what made me doubt.

But I think I figured out why this happened. Well, maybe not why exactly, but where I am and how I got here. There was never a third tree.

Yuuko-sensei referred to the alternate realities as worlds and during Christmas she said that all worlds are parallel to each other, but what if they're universes instead? Alpha is my home world within the Alpha Universe. That doesn't mean that my world is the only one where there are no BETA, there are many other similar worlds connected as branches to it. There might be a world out there were Yuuhi didn't die and Meiya didn't become the heir of the Mitsurugi Group, a world where I choose someone to be with, a world where I might not exist.

The worlds are the branches of the tree known as reality, and they exist within the forest that is that specific universe. In a similar way, all the different worlds I might have visited during the loops are still there, somewhere in the great forest that is the Beta Universe. A world where I married one of my squadmates, another where I got together with Yuuko-sensei, the world where I joined Operation Babylon, lost everyone, and ended up destroying the JFK Hive. The possibilities are unlimited.

So, how did I arrive to this world? It was actually quite simple when I thought about it without freaking myself out.

Parallel Universes A and B are too close, they start exchanging data between all their possible worlds within them more strongly than they should. My world got affected by this, probably more strongly due to the fact that I was the cause of the chaos. Then, when I tried to move from A to B, I did so with one thought in my mind: To have the chance to save everyone, or as many people as I could, no matter the consequences. If there is a will, there is a way. The mind is at it's peak when it comes to causal matters, so I willed myself to the branch within the Beta Universe where my wish could be granted.

Here in this mad world lies the possibility of a future where my squad survives, if I can turn that into causal data and use Sensei's theory, the one she said that allowed control of what information we leak to other worlds, to transfer it to the rest of the Beta Universe I can save all the branches from the BETA.

Even if everyone here is my enemy, if I manage to survive and achieve my desired result and pass that data to the other conductors in the parallel worlds of the Betaverse, I will be saving the versions of everyone that I love so much.

I had thought that the 'roots' of the world, it's starting point, was my arrival. Of course, from my point of view everything starts on the 22nd of October. But that is not the case, the world exists from much before, and every little difference I made during all my loops takes me to a different branch. Like for example, perhaps taking the boat or not didn't affect anything in the long route in my last loop, but the data was there. I didn't take two loops last time, I did only one. So I shouldn't remember the two outcomes, and yet some nights ago I doubted myself of which path I took.

That means that the data is there, just that I didn't take that branch. The same applies to what happens during Christmas, who did I get together with, whether or not I sent my lover in the Alt. V fleet, whether I survive Babylon or not. All those worlds are parallel branches of another branch.

And I believe that in that same sense, this world is another branch of a branch. The first BETA world I was stuck in was also another branch of the Betaverse. The general rules of this reality apply to both branches. BETA exist, humanity is on the brink of total annihilation, TSF are on the 3rd Generation, and the general political landscape is somewhat similar. However, many little differences exist between these branches but they're still part of the same tree.

So I did have a connection to this world, or universe, which is what made made come here. Now, how did I time travel? Causal Pull, let's call it. What greater pull could exist in this world than the creation of it's conductor? What stronger link to me, the Causality Nucleus, could possibly exist here? I mean, this is actually not the first time this happened to me when I thought about it. When the loop started I also got sent to the past. I had memories of Meiya, who I hadn't met until that same day in my world. The Takeru from the morning of October 22nd didn't knew who Meiya was, so only a Takeru from after that date could have had memories of her. So when the loop started, I got sent to the past from my world into this universe. And the same happened this time.

I can only wonder if there's another reason for me to be here. If I arrived here due to my willpower then that's that. But maybe there's something else? No point in overthinking it, when the time comes I will learn whatever that reason is.

I need to be extra careful from now on, regardless of whether my ideas are right or not. I have to try to not create negative data unnecessarily since it might be leaked to other conductors, I might not be able to keep my memories one day and if all my paranoia towards my squad and the Royal Guard makes it's way into me that will be bad. I can't do anything about what's beyond my control, so I might have to one day fight against the Shogunate and I have no power over the other's feelings here.

If both Tsukuyomis, Takamura, Yuuhi and Meiya try to take my life I'll have to fight them, and that data will exist and be leaked to the other worlds. And even if it doesn't affect me, it might affect the others through their interactions with me. Actually, my squad might no longer be friendly with me thanks to this girls' data interacting with me. Yuuhi and the Shogunate may become my enemies in all loops from now on, or even in other parallel loops where other Takerus are unknowingly receiving data from me. Hell, I might be receiving data from either the future me of this timeline or from another parallel world. What if this paranoia is a premonition of the things to come? What if this frozen hands are trying to warn me to stay on my guard?

Well, I'll try my best to not interact towards anybody with hostility from now on. My squad already betrayed me, so that's it. The negativity already exist within them, and Sensei did say that it's difficult to... to... Wait one second... Holy shit, how could I have forgotten about that?! So I DID affect them!

How was it? The more you focus on the bad things, the more you'll be affected by the data leaks of the negative futures? Then, when they started to have negative thoughts about me... When they interacted with me, they received negative causal information through the Conductor. Perhaps now that I'm a stronger Nucleus I can also pull more information related to me, making the transfer occur more faster. Then... The more time I spend with them, the more they'll hate me regardless of what I do. Sensei did say it's really hard to break a link to a data leak. I suppose... it's just a matter of time before Chizuru reverts to being paranoid of me. Tama and Mikoto might also end up affected by the negativity once they learn I killed the soldiers.

Hahaha... I fucked up, big time.

Now that the data is here... Any and all parallel worlds might be affected by it. There might never be another world in which we get along ever again. I don't want to think what effect I could have on Yuuhi or the Guards if I'm forced to interact with... Oh shit, the coup! There's no way I will be able to avoid them if I let that happen! I gotta do my best to not let it happen, specially since everybody is super sensitive about foreigners here. It wouldn't take much effort for Sagiri to rally the people and the army against the UN now. So no making trouble, save the people of the villages yourself during the Mount Tengen incident instead of sending random UN soldiers, and stay out of the Guards and Meiya's way.

No wait, she already knows about the sword. Goddammit! If she... if she tells Tsukuyomi-san that it's a Minaru Kamui... And if Tsukuyomi-san tells Maya-san... or Yuuhi... I'm so dead, aren't I? I hope I can loop again because it seems I'm headed towards a certain execution at the hands of the Royal Guard. Sigh... Whatever happens, happens.

Just like some games lock their true ending behind Hard Mode, my desired world lies somewhere in here. I don't care what I have to do, I'll bring that hope to reality. I might... have to harm a great deal of people I once loved... But... Any price is small for this. If they live, that's it for me. Even if I become an enemy of the Empire and end up dead or somewhere else, so long as they live in peace that's fine. Though I don't know if I'll be able to stay near them now, the negative causal leaks might very well turn them into my enemies the longer I'm with them.

That will be the biggest hurdle I have to overcome. The same applies to everybody else, if anyone gets suspicious of me that will turn into paranoia and later into blind hatred. I will have to fight alone most of the time, or I'll have to keep my identity hidden like during the Invasion of Niigata.

Well, at least Sensei and Kasumi are on my side. I'm not all alone here, I do have allies. It might have been a better idea to stay locked up in the lower floors like Sensei mentioned. If there's ever a next time, I might just do that.

"Hmmm... Yeah, I can do this. I just have to be careful from now on."

I don't know if I can trust Meiya and Chizuru, but I want them to live. I want to protect them, even if only to stop the memories from their deaths from resurfacing. I did push them yesterday night to see their reactions and I think it's okay to trust in them for now, but the more time I spend with them...

Okay, no getting depressed. I'll keep them safe, I'll try to not be hostile with them, I'll be on my guard in case they were lying. I have to do it. Now that I thought this over I think I know what I gotta do, taking care of my sword takes priority. I'll ask Sensei to stash it somewhere where nobody could ever find it. But I gotta make haste, who knows when Takamura will arrive?

Hmm? It looks like Meiya woke up.

"Yaaawn... Uuugh..." She looks like she needs another day of sleep. She's rubbing her shoulders slowly as she raises from the ground.

"Good morning Meiya."

"Oh, good morning Ta- ...Shirogane. What hour is it?"

"A bit past 0530, how are you feeling?" I did not miss that slight pause, she almost tried to call me Takeru. This Meiya never called me by my name, is she receiving positive information now for some reason?

"If I had to say, four out of ten."

"Let me wake up Sakaki, I already gathered some stuff to have breakfast."

"Wait. Can we talk for a while before that?" She looked at me intensely as she put her ponytail in place.

"I mean, we can talk while we eat."

"I wish to talk about something without Sakaki listening, it's important. Please?"

"Alright. What did you wanna say?" I sit by a tree that was a bit away from our spot, Meiya comes near and sits in front of me.

"First, allow me to thank you again. Despite my actions towards you, you still found kindness in you to come to my aid. You were able to make a hard decision during a crisis, I had not the bravery to harm those soldiers even when they all attacked me seriously. Your strong resolve shone through, allowing you to bloody your hands to protect us. Thank you, Shirogane." She tries to bow but I put my hand in front of her to stop her.

"Stop it. We already went through this yesterday, helping your comrades is the obvious thing to do." She nods at my words with a smile.

"Indeed. I'm just glad that you can still consider me your comrade despite how I treated you. Well then, I wanted to tell you about how I found your sword. I haven't told you about what I did inside your room."

"Yeah, you haven't. You'll tell me why you made that mess?" She looks troubled as she caresses her hair.

"The day of the Niigata Invasion we couldn't find you anywhere so the Instructor sent me to your room to check if you were there. I knocked a few times but you didn't answer, and I thought that maybe you were asleep so I entered your room since the door wasn't locked."

"And then you used the chance to look around my room?" She looks away embarrassed.

"I had no such intentions at first, but I saw a weird box on your desk. My curiosity got the better of me and I opened it. What I found inside ignited my curiosity even more. That badge and ID card, can you tell me what they are?" She seems to really want to know, but what can I tell her? If I tell her I won them at Yukon she might try to search if what I told her is true or not.

"They're... a gift from Sensei."

"A gift?"

"Yeah, apparently the badge is some sort of commemorative of something. The ID card is for all the special missions she assigns me, I only use it when she calls me to her office. This is Top Secret intel so don't speak of it ever, okay?" Necessary bullshit is necessary.

"Her... You can go to her office?!" She covers her mouth after shouting in a panic, and after looking at Chizuru for a while and confirming she was still asleep she relaxed.

"Yeah, how else am I supposed to report my progress? Though I only go there rarely, that's why I don't have the card with me at all times." Not a bad lie, if I say so myself.

"I see. So she considers you a 'Champion', huh? You are special after all." This time she didn't say it in a mocking tone, she's honestly praising me. Which is weird.

"So what did you do after that?"

"I returned to the track field to report that you weren't in your room. After we got informed that the BETA were neutralized and seeing that you still weren't back I... went back to your room and started inspecting it. The books you had, what was in your drawers and closet. I was hoping to find some clue about who you are or about your training, but then I found something hidden in the back of your closet. When I got it in my hands I could tell it was a sword, but the cover felt familiar for some reason. When I removed it and took out the blade I... I fell to my knees. I couldn't belive y eyes, yet no matter how much I examined it I could only reach one conclusion. You had a Minaru Kamui, just like me."

"And then you lost it?" She nods with shame painted all over her face.

"Exactly. Why did you have it? Who gave it to you? Were we being compared? Or were we supposed to work together? Doubt took hold of me, I even suspected you might have been a member of the Royal Guard sent by her to keep watch over me. So, when I confronted you and you got defensive instead of openly admitting you had the blade I got suspicious. When you said it was just a present, as if you were disregarding it's value, I lost all composure and lashed out to you."

"Yes, I already know that. You did that because the sword makes one a noble, right?"

"Yes. You hold power over a certain house's vassals. They cannot refuse your orders if you show them the blade, so if it fell in the wrong hands... Considering your mysterious origins, your knowledge of America, how you defended Nikkeis and the usage of English, I feared you would use the sword to cause harm. When you retorted hurtful words at me I completely lost it and snapped. I should have tried to talk things calmly like we're doing now, I failed as a samurai." She looks down as her shoulders get smaller. Her body language screams apprehension, sadness, and shame. I know it's pointless since Yuuhi is my enemy, but I don't like seeing her in this bad shape.

"You didn't fail, you did what you could. You weren't in a calm state, and anyways you were just acting with the best interest of the Empire in mind, right Meiya?"

"Yes, that's true. But I should have acted in a more proper manner. Twas a most shameful display on my part, I will not negate it. That mistake only brought all of us more problems, now that I know more about you I can only apologize for my foolishness. You didn't know it's meaning and it was the only thing you had to remember your life at Yukon. If only I hadn't been so hostile... Sigh, I still have much to learn."

I know that she was worried about Yuuhi. She loved her sister a lot, and I know that hasn't changed in this world. Anyone who holds that blade could do some serious damage to the Empire now that she's the Shogun, most people in the Imperial Palace are her vassals. It may even be possible to request an audience with her and kill her during it. Honestly, this is such a stupid method to give 'status' to someone. It's actually surprising this hasn't been exploited in the past.

"I think I get it. I can't really blame you now that I know how important blue katanas are here. Finding it hidden in possession of an 'American' must have been quite the shock."

"Indeed. I jumped to conclusions without making sure how much you knew about the sword. I thought you were planning to gain something with it, your words could have caused much harm if you wanted to harm the Empire."

"I know. Last thing I want is more problems. But you haven't told me to which Regent House it belongs, can you tell me?" I feign ignorance to see how she reacts. She's giving me a pondering look, arms folded.

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say it. If you don't know it might be for the best, that way no one will manipulate you into using the sword's influence. By the by, what are you planning to do with it?"

"Nothing. I was going to keep it hidden and occasionally use it to train." She looks at me surprised.

"Train? How do you mean?" I tell her of my night routine. "To keep training at late night... Sigh, you truly are a marvelous soldier."

Maybe it would be for the best to just let the conversation die. But she did try to call me Takeru when she woke up. If she is receiving positive information through me right now due to her not being angry at me anymore... Shouldn't I seize this chance to let as much positive data to flow into her? I really don't want to fight them if I can help it, and I'd like to be able to trust them even if only for a brief time.

"Say Meiya, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Ask away, I'll answer as best as I can."

"What did you mean when you said that I could replace you? You also said something about us two being compared." Her eyes waver for a bit, but then she returns my gaze as she takes her dignified pose again.

"I cannot tell you everything, but I'll give you a good enough answer. Due to my...circumstances I was assigned a special mission, it's the reason I've been trained more harshly since two years ago. Even before that, I was trained throughly in the art of the sword, in military tactics, in political affairs, and in many other areas. It's the reason for which I live. However, if I were ever considered to be of no more use, I would end up in house arrest at best." She was now speaking solemnly, despite sounding clearly sad at the end.

"Because you're so similar to the Shogun? People fear you could impersonate her or something?" She chuckles a bit.

"Quite sharp, aren't you? That is it exactly. I can only live in service to the Empire, if I cannot do so I'm a being that threatens our nation. I could be used by a third party to maintain the people subjugated as our nation is brought to it's knees in servitude."

"I don't see you as someone who would comply to such orders though."

"Of course I wouldn't. But there's many rumors about the usage of drugs and narcotics on Eishis on the battlefield. I think it's possible it exist, a drug powerful enough to make people completely obedient and docile. If that were used on me and I became a slave of an enemy of my people..." She trembles slightly. I know for a fact such a thing exist, Yuuko-sensei used it on me once even if I don't remember much about it.

"Okay, I got that. But why did you say I could replace you?"

"Because you're better in everything and you have no setbacks. I'm a hazard for Her Highness, and have always received privileges due to my... resemblance to her. You had no such things and are superior to me. If we are being compared you are the obvious choice, and that would mean I would lose my mission. I would be sent again to a life of solitude, secluded in a room without being allowed to go outside, never to see the sun, the sky or anyone besides my caretakers. I... I don't want that. I don't want to be all alone again. And yet... You already experienced something even worse than that and came out stronger from it. How could I ever compare to you?" She sighs as her shoulders drop again. So she reacted so aggressively towards me because she was afraid she'll lose her freedom. Add the sword and the fact that I am a 'foreigner' and you have a nice, juicy and thick cocktail of negativity ready to blow up.

"Meiya, we're not being compared or anything. I'm not being scouted by the Shogunate, and the sword was a present for me, not some recognition of honor or anything like that."

"You cannot tell me who gave you the sword?" She looked at me pleadingly with those puppy dog eyes she can sometimes make. Ugh, I can't tell you no matter what.

"No, sorry. I... swore I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Then, can you tell me a bit more about why they gave it to you? Why was that person special to you?"

"Because... they taught me a lot of things and the original wielder was someone irreplaceable to me, I wouldn't be who I am today if not for them. The one who gave it to me said that it was better for me to have the sword by my side instead of it being on a wall collecting dust."

"I see. However... I cannot let you keep it. Now that you know of how important it is you should be able to understand." She gave me a serious look, as if examining my every move.

"I mean, I know how much damage one could do with it... But still, I'd like to deal with it myself."

"Why?" Her tone changed, her eyes filled with doubt. Shit, this is what I'm trying to prevent.

"Well, I'm the owner of the sword. Whether I'm recognized or not, it's my responsibility."

"Then why not hand it over before more misunderstandings take place?"

"I know that, it's just... That's the only thing I have left of..."

"I see. Then how about this? Would you come with me to speak with 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi about your blade? She will know whether you're a legitimate owner of it or not. I couldn't tell her that it was a Minaru Kamui when she scolded me, and it would only take her some minutes to corroborate who gave you the sword and whether you can keep it. Do you accept?"

Damn, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I say no she'll get suspicious again, even if I saved her life her devotion to Yuuhi is stronger than any debt she may have with me. But if I say yes I'll be walking straight into the wolf's jaws. What am I even supposed to...

Wait, this is my problem. I brought this upon myself by bringing the blade with me. I shouldn't push this onto Sensei, I cannot keep giving her problems. I must take responsibility for my actions.

"Shirogane?"

If I refuse... They will surely come after me. If this info gets out, I'm sure Sagiri could use it to spark a conflict. 'The UN had a sword from the House of the Shogun illegally! They were plotting against us!" I can already hear him saying that, this could very well lead to an earlier coup. If Sensei loses the support from the Empire... No, if the Empire goes against the UN we can kiss Alt. IV goodbye. I cannot let that data to become a reality, I already did enough damage during this loop. If I keep running away...

I'm only giving Sensei problems here. So long as I stay by her side, the Shogunate will be against us. Or at least a large part of it will. And if they become our enemies, my cover will be blown out. How will Sensei justify to High Command my recruitment? Or my involvement in the consoles' development? I am already a known face in the Alt. IV Research floor, no way that will go unnoticed.

And the more I stay here, the more negative data that will be born. I did this, all of this. I cannot let the situation get worse. I have to do something, I can't keep letting Sensei take care of everything herself. Even if it means my death, I hope that with the theories I gave her she can somehow link this 00 Unit to the 00 Unit that we made last time, that data exist out there and I'm sure Sensei will figure out a way to make things work, she does have the other theory for controlling the leaks and pinpointing useful data now.

I never really helped her with anything, she was the one who made all the inventions and the OS again all by herself. The consoles ended up being worthless, I couldn't save the Valkyries during the Niigata Invasion. If I'm headed for a Bad Ending... The least I can do is to take the burden myself. I can't keep ruining this branch. If in the end we will have to fight the Shogunate... Then let me shoulder the blame. If I can stop this train wreck by doing this, then that's more than enough. If I loop again I already know what I should avoid doing. And if I die... At least I'll stop creating negative data, maybe another Takeru in a parallel world will be able to prevent this by remembering my life here by accessing my memories through a leak.

My priority... is to stop the causal leaks. But to achieve that I must also be able to bring peace to the world. No point in defeating the BETA if the humans start a war with each other after some weeks. I remember faintly something about the world after Operation Babylon, and even in that wrecked world humans kept fighting between each other. I think that caused some serious problems with the BETA at some point.

And there's no guarantee that another Superior won't come from the moon or Mars. This war... For it to be truly over, I must somehow unite as many people as I can under a common goal. Even if we don't agree in everything, even if little conflicts still exist... If I can make this world a little like mine, then I can have hope of truly saving the Earth and my loved ones from the BETA. And I can't do that if I keep making a mess here. So... I will take responsibility for bringing the sword here, let's put an end to all this mess. I might be marching to my death, but I might loop back. And if I don't... I can only hope another Takeru receives my memories before it's too late. Don't let this mess to happen again, Takeru.

"Alright. I'll go talk with the 1st Lt. with you." Meiya's eyes open widely.

"Eh?! R-Really? You will?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"I thought you were going to refuse. You did defend your sword quite strongly when we argued. I was... well... I was testing you to see if what you said yesterday about cooperating with us was a lie or not." Looking a bit embarrassed, she gives me a small bow as she scratches the back of her head.

"I don't want to make more trouble. This might end up causing a serious fight between the UN and the Empire. I don't want that, so as the owner of the sword I'll face the consequences of having it with me."

"You sound as if you think you're going to be punished. Why do you think that?"

"Well, first if I'm not seen as a legitimate owner I might get sent to prison or worse. And I don't know who I was here, what if I end up being a traitor or an exile?" Meiya's doubt is replaced by seriousness, she slowly strokes her bangs as she thinks.

"Hmm... You're right, that is also a possibility. However, you saved my life and I assure you that your actions won't get overlooked. That should be enough to clear your name of any crime you might have committed. You might not regain your status as a citizen, but you won't be treated like a traitor. I can talk with the 1st Lt. on your behalf if you want me to." She looks dead serious. I really appreciate this, but...

"I think I'll pass, I don't want to give you problems. People might start spreading rumors about you helping foreigners if you lend me a hand."

"But I... Understood. Do let me tell you, you have my support when we go talk with the 1st Lt., I owe you a great debt and I belive the Empire would welcome a soldier like you with open arms. The fact that you're willingly disclosing this information is a point in your favor. I'm truly happy that you agreed to clear this misunderstandings." I'm not clearing anything, if I'm going to be chased by the Shogun and only cause problems for everyone... Maybe I'm not the Takeru that will save you all, I'm just the one that found the method to do so. I can be proud of that, right? All this sacrifice, all the deaths in my world... Weren't in vain, right?

"Thanks, really. But don't worry about me, let the 1st Lt. decide by herself what she'll do. And just to be clear, I'm not here to replace you, nor to harm the Empire or the Shogun. I came here to help, as long as I'm not treated badly I have no reason to be hostile." It's futile for me, but I have to try to mend all the negativity I caused.

"Alright. While I'm still quite curious and a bit jealous of you, you proved to me you're not like the Americans. You did not abandon us, and even when you could have taken the map and radios from us you didn't. I realized after sleeping for a bit how hypocritical I was. I was sure you were plotting something against us, yet the only one plotting was me. I hope someday we can put this behind us, let's do our best together from now on Shirogane." She extends her hand, I grab it lightly only to be met with Meiya's tight grip.

"Yeah, let's." I know it's a futile gesture. I'm being hunted by the Shogun, and I'm pretty much walking towards my execution. Hey, at least you made a better XM3. Maybe this branch doesn't need me.

"By the by Shirogane. Can I ask you a personal question?" She tells me as we break the handshake.

"Sure."

"I told you my reason to fight, so I would like to hear yours. Why do you fight, Shirogane?" Why do I... Hmmm...

"Why? I guess... Hmm..." Stop the causal leaks? No, that's just another step to reach my goal. "I... I'm fighting to someday be able to live how I want to live."

"Huh? Live like you want? What do you mean? Do you wish to climb the ranks of the military?"

"I mean, if I have to I will. But that's not my goal. Hmm, how to say it? You might think I'm crazy, but I want to live in peace." Meiya's expression grew conflicted. Is she struggling to understand something so simple?

"To live in peace? And what exactly will you gain from that?"

"Gain?"

"Yes, there must be some merit to it. One does not just do something because it desires to do so, there must be a compelling reason that directs your actions. I mean, I also wish to end the war. But I do so for my nation and my people. What do you expect to gain from your efforts?" She... She sounds like my Dad when he gave 'The Talk' before entering college.

"Nothing, really. I just want to live peacefully. That's my reward." She frowns at me, is it really so weird?

"B-But... What will you do for a living? Whether you become an Eishi or not, so long as you're in the military then you will have to keep fighting."

"I'll probably leave the army then, or I'll become a test pilot or something."

"You sound... terribly carefree for a soldier." She narrows her eyes as she folds her arms. I forgot how this world was, I was just talking honestly.

"You may not understand it but I... No matter how many big words I use, how much I try to make it sound like some super important thing, in the end I want to be able to at ease. I don't want money, fame or status. I just... want to be." That's right. No matter how much of a mess I'm in right now, everything I do is to regain those happy days and to give this world a small taste of what that's like.

"To be what?"

"Just to be. Nothing else. I am climbing the ladder, I do have important things to achieve, but it's all just to reach... a comfortable life, I guess?" I never was a greedy or ambitious person. Everything I did, I did it to be able to be comfortable.

When I married Meiya in my world, I learned all kinds of stuff that I can almost no longer remember to help her as much as I could so that we could spend more time together and ease her burdens as much as I could. Same in my other relationships throughout both parallel realities, I live for those short peaceful moments with the people I love.

I might be a simple minded idiot, but that's one thing in which I want to be like my Dad. He was always working overtime to have more money that he always used in anything he or Mom enjoyed. They were always doing whatever they pleased, but they were happy at all times. I never saw them fight, those two did share almost all their hobbies and weird activities.

And now it's the same for me, I am on a quest to fix all these leaks between the worlds or universes and it's a really important thing, prolly more important than I think. But I do so to be able to live with some semblance of tranquility again, not for some feeling of greatness. I'm done playing hero, I'm not a savior. I'm Takeru, a simple boy who wants his and his loved ones' peaceful lives back.

"But... That's... You fight... for your own satisfaction and nothing more?" She was still frowning, as if she could not accept my words.

"Do you not have a reason to fight, other than serving the Empire? What do you get out of it?"

"The honor of knowing I helped my comrades and people, that feeling of fulfillment is one of the most rewarding things one could ever receive." She didn't get the question.

"No, I meant what you as a person get out of the fighting. Do you want to protect someone?"

"Of course I do. I am a servant of a Regent House, that is my reason for fighting. And even if I weren't, all Japanese citizens are servants of the Shogun, we all have a reason to take a sword and fight." She says with a proud smile.

"And after that?"

"After what?"

"You don't have a more personal reason to fight? You said yesterday that you didn't want to lose your freedom, what do you want to do with it?"

"My freedom? I just wish to be allowed to serve instead of being locked up, that's all. With how little I am, I do not think it proper for myself to have any selfishness within. I am a servant first and foremost, I have no time for anything else." She declares firmly staring right into my eyes.

"So, you just want to serve? Wake up, work, come back home, eat, sleep and repeat ad eternum?" She sounds like a workaholic salary man. Or woman in her case. Meiya, the workaholic samurai, that sounds like the title of some weird funny manga. Imagine her working but doing stupid stuff like back in my world, solving all her office problems by swording everything. No, don't laugh Takeru! Hold it in.

"Ad... eteru.. etenurun... eterumun... Mmmgh! What does that even mean?" She seemed to have problems pronouncing that as she cocked her head and question marks appeared around her. Glad to see her cute side is still in there.

"It means to do something forever."

"Oh, then yes. So long as I have my squad with me and we can chat for a bit, maybe play some Shogi from time to time, I am content. I am a blade, what else could I want?" You cannot be serious.

"I dunno, to go for a walk to the mountains? To visit some restaurants? To form a family?"

"...A family, huh." Meiya lowered her gaze, she looked sad as she fumbled with the pockets on her pants.

"Meiya?"

"...I need no such things. I am fine by myself as I am now." She looks up with a bothered glare as she brushes her hair.

"I mean... Maybe we just won't agree on this."

"Seems like it. But it's really surprising, you of all people do not wish to gain recognition. For how hard you train and how skilled you are, I thought you wished to attain the honor of becoming a General."

"Nah, with how much I hate regulations that would be torture for me."

"Still, to fight for yourself... What... What kind of things do you wish to do, if you ever attained such freedom?"

"Sleep more, find myself a game or a hobby, maybe form a family. I don't really need much to be happy, I'm a simple guy after all. Just living an uneventful day-to-day life is enough for me." She seemed tilted again, she sighed audibly as she rubbed her head.

"I cannot understand. What's so attractive about that lifestyle? You'll be wasting your potential like that! You could be serving the Empire or the UN, someone of your caliber deserves far more than a commoner's life." So she doesn't get it. How can I explain it? Hmm... Oh, I know!

"Someone once told me that commoners have freedoms that only they can have. Soldiers, nobles, rich people... They cannot have them, many probably do not even know of them." The simplicity of a dinner with one's family, the choice of living without worrying about getting sent to your death, of having to check stocks, investments and budgets like a mad man, or having to spend all their time solving problems in a business without having any time for themselves or their families. That happiness is only available to common people, even if they cannot access all the nice things the high class has.

"Freedom only the commoners have... I do not comprehend. Did you learn this in Yukon?"

"No, I... Someone in my past told me this, I cannot remember who though." She furrows her brows, folds her arms and starts humming for a while.

"...So you say someone in Japan told you of this lifestyle?"

"Yes, it's nothing great or philosophical. It's just a simple way to live, I do not desire to have to fight in war forever."

"And you wish to attain that life? To drop out of the army and live this 'peaceful life' of yours, while others keep risking their lives at the frontlines?" God-fucking-dammit! Why do you have to take offense with everything I say? I mean, this one's on me for being dumb though.

"I would like to have a sliver of it, if it's possible. I know that sometimes that happiness is not allowed to exist, but precisely because of that I want to regain it. And... I guess I also don't want to be alone anymore. You might have your squad but when you return to your home, to your room or wherever you stay at, you're all alone. I... always feel kinda off when I'm alone."

Back home I always had someone to talk to, but in the BETA world sometimes I was left all alone and that broke me. During the coup I went to talk with everyone to calm me down, I tried to talk to the other Meiya when Marimo-chan died even if that ended horribly, and when I came back after running away I was willing to be alone if everyone forgot about me but it was a huge relief when I learned that wasn't the case. Maybe I'm just a wuss deep down, can't do anything by myself after all.

"...I understand that feeling all too well. However, your squad will always be there if you need to talk. I know it might sound weird coming from me after what I did to you, but the bonds one can form with one's own squad are stronger than you think. I doubt you would feel lonely if you had your team with you." She smiles as her eyes light up. I guess for her having friends is enough, considering she said she was all alone for who knows how many years.

"Yes, but there's things friends can't do. Things one wants to talk about or do, things you can't talk or do with a friend." Like hugs, friends don't give each other hugs. Except Mikoto since she tends to do that, but she's a special case. That kind of intimacy, that warm feeling in the chest when that someone is by your side, even if we're just watching a movie or playing some games. Yeah, friendship has nothing on love.

"For example? What kind of things you can't talk or do with your squad? What could you possibly need that you cannot ask of your squad?" Is she seriously asking me? Yep, she looks truly puzzled as she plays with the tags on her neck.

I know you're kinda clueless when it comes to romance, and I remember the time back in my world when I found that weird book Tsukuyomi-san wrote for you about how to seduce people and you freaked out, but this is pushing it to the stratosphere. Yesterday you were blushing like a tomato when you thought I was going to 'shame' you, don't feign ignorance now.

"I'm talking about love, Meiya. Friends are not the same as a lover. Sharing something more personal with someone, living your life besides them, that kind of thing." Aaaand she went red. She got tilted again, some steam is coming off her forehead for some reason. What are you, a kettle?

"Oh... O-Of course, you're right. S-So you desire to find a lover?"

"If I do, great. I'm not so arrogant to think I'll have it easy, but I'd like to form a family and leave some proof I was here." You know, in case I screw up and I can't loop back anymore. Or when I fix all this stuff if I decide to stay here forever.

"Right, you did lose your memories after all. I guess that makes you want to be remembered more strongly?" Thanks for the excuse, my dear Meiya.

"Yeah, kinda."

"Then why don't you want to climb the ranks? If you became a renowned veteran I'm sure many people would remember you fondly. You could become an Instructor and guide many Cadets to greatness with your abilities. I'm sure the Empire would benefit much from your skills." Everything is for the Empire with you, huh.

"That's just a hollow glory. That tasteless recognition won't fill my heart." I want hugs and kisses, not badges and salutes.

"We really won't reach an agreement it seems." She folds her arms again as she closes her eyes, taking a pensive stance.

"It is what it is. We are different people, with different lives and experiences. Losing important people made me realize how precious those little moments of peace are, how lucky one is when people give you their time to keep you company and listen to you, and how blessed one is when you find another who wants to be with you, to live and suffer alongside you despite one's shortcomings." She caresses her ponytail as she looks into the distance.

"Hmm... I mean, I understand what you're saying but... well... It just doesn't apply to me." She sighs as she put her hands on her waist as she gets up.

"What do you mean?"

"...Who could ever love a cursed child?" She whispered something under her breath and I couldn't hear it, but going by her face I think I should drop the subject before she gets upset.

After shaking the dirt off her pants, Meiya woke up Chizuru and we started to eat breakfast. In the middle of it our radios started making noise.

"A transmission?" Chizuru takes one out and presses some buttons. "Here Sakaki, Over."

"Squad? Are you all alright?" The Instructor sounded as usual on the other side.

"I-Instructor! We got separated after we got attacked by some soldiers. What was that about?!" Mikoto's yelps rang through the speaker.

"So that's why I heard two voices. Which of you reached the evac point?" Mikoto replies that their team did it.

"They're already at the evac point?!" Meiya was truly surprised. I mean, last time we did arrive early to it, now that they have better stamina and were probably running in fear of being found. It's not so surprising.

"What was it with those two-" Mikoto's complains were cut short by the Instructor's yell.

"Silence! If you say a word about this test's trial you'll be disqualified. Sakaki's team still has to arrive at the evac point." Ouch, what got into her? Also two what? Don't tell me they put two gun batteries this time.

"R-Roger. Instructor, I have something else to tell you! It's about Cadet Shirogane, he-"

"What about me?" I cut her before she opens her mouth. Let's try to be nice again, if only for a while. If I can prevent them from talking, Meiya might be more willing to not be hostile towards me, at least until the negativity returns to her.

"T-Takeru?! Are you alright?!" Hearing her sound so worried about me is heartwarming, honestly. Thanks Mikoto.

"Yeah, alright is kinda pushing it right about now. But I'm alive and kicking!" I rub my left shoulder, that was now purple and hurt a bit.

"Cadets, you can talk after the test. Yoroi, there are instructions on how to proceed near the place were you found the fire signals. Follow the instructions to reach your new objective. Sakaki, your team must continue to the designated evac point and once you're there look for these new instructions. That is all." And she cut the connection, just like that. I think Mikoto might have wanted to say something else, but if she tries to talk through the comms she'll get eliminated from the CCSE.

"Well, our objective hasn't changed. Shirogane, Mitsurugi, let's make haste to the evac point. It seems like we still have a long way to go to finish this CCSE."

"Roger." We both nod and finish the mushrooms and fruit I had gathered.

Obviously that's not the case because I still have the fuel with me. So long as the soldiers are taken care of, we can run away on the boat safely. And so we start moving south along the cliff. I can only hope we find a bridge or something to be able to cross fast, before the soldiers catch up to us.


A/N: To Dash9: I apologize if all the grammar mistakes are diminishing your reading experience. English is not my native language, so I might be making more mistakes than I thought. For example, I always thought that 'shooted' was a legit word until you corrected me. I've been using it since I joined the Gamefaqs forums way back in middle school and in many online games and nobody corrected me on that, so it's possible that something that sounds right in my head is actually wrong. If you do notice some glaring errors please do let me know, I'm not asking you or anyone to point out all the little mistakes I make, but if there's one error that is bad enough to break your immersion do let me know if you have the time.

Regarding the fast changes in the characters attitudes, perhaps this is a flaw I have. Smaragdus did point out many chapters ago that things didn't feel impactful enough for him, so maybe I just cannot express the characters' emotions through their dialogues, thoughts and mannerisms. During this and last chapters, everyone is under serious pressure. Takeru is a mess due to his traumatic memories coming back to him, making him feel conflicted. He wants the girls to be safe, he's willing to do cruel things to ensure that, but he then is reminded that they don't feel the same way. That bucket of cold water puts him back on the ground, he also cannot fail this test and the girls were being hostile towards him and plotted against him behind his back. He needs to be careful, he cannot trust them as much as he wants to. Which is why he snaps at Meiya when she tells him that she thought he would be glad to see her getting hurt, why he distrust their words and doubts whether he can rely on them covering his back.

The same can be said for the girls. They were being chased, got beat up quite gravely, and were going to lose their last chance to become commissioned. Then, they're saved by the guy they thought was a traitor, seeing him willing to kill and taint his honor and records for them, risking himself to be kicked out of the army. Which is why Chizuru, who was also suspicious and wanted him gone, tells him about her betrayal instead of remaining quiet. Meiya also realizes her mistakes, and how much of a stain her actions are for her honor. As I explained last chapter and in this one too, her honor is her life. So even if she is suspicious of Takeru, it's in her life code to try to mend her mistakes since Takeru pretty much saved her not only from being beaten up and get seriously hurt at least, but from losing her freedom or to be executed to ensure she isn't used by an enemy of the Empire.

I tried to avoid making my chapters longer than they already are, but maybe I should take a slower approach to explain the characters' feelings in more detail. Though it probably won't fix things, bad writing is bad regardless of how fast or slow paced it is. I only hope you can still enjoy the story despite all of it's problems.

Thank you all for reading.

Zuoriel