Update: Some errors fixed.
Chapter 27: Ignite
November 24th. 7:21 AM.
(Hallway)
[Takeru]
I make my way to our classroom, today we have our lectures on TSFs. Already got breakfast, it was D Rank again and the right amount too. Seems like the rumor is doing it's work, people stopped talking behind my back even if they're still looking at me suspiciously.
I reach the room and after taking one deep breath I open the door and enter.
"Good morni-"
"TAKERU!" Before I could even finish speaking, Mikoto rushed to my side. "Hey, are you alright? What was that about a punishment? Why can't you go to the PX? Hey, why?!"
"M-Mikoto, calm down. As you can see, I'm fine." Her face was full of wrinkles, her eyes were scissors and steam was coming out of her ears.
"Really? So? What was that about a punishment?"
"Shirogane-san, is it true that you can't go to your room? Where are you sleeping?" Now Tama came close too, with downcast eyes.
"Yeah. I was given twenty days of punishment, in which I can't go back to my room, enter the PX, and I have to help out someone here at the base. I'm staying in the detention barracks until the punishment is over." Both of them jump.
"The detention barracks? Takeru, I've heard they don't have warm water down there. Will you be alright?" Aww thanks for worrying Mikoto.
"Yeah, I'll manage somehow."
"Shirogane-san, will you really be alright? I mean, Ayamine-san told us you would have to eat the rations from the CCSE, and we're starting our piloting training today. Are you-"
"Tama, don't worry. I'll make do." I smile and they let out some air, giving me a smile back. But in a second, their faces got clouded again.
"U-Um... Shirogane-san? Would you... Can you forgive us? For abandoning you?" Tama and Mikoto gave me a bow. Why are they apologizing?
"Tama, the ones who decided to abandon me were Meiya, Sakaki and Ayamine. You two had nothing to do with it, so don't apologize." This day started weirdly, I thought they would be against me being here, since I'm a murderer now.
"That's not true! Takeru, we didn't... we didn't protest, we didn't fight back. You didn't deserve that, but we betrayed you too since we didn't refuse to go along the plan. Can you forgive us? Please?" Uuuhh... This is cheating, you can't double down on me with those teary eyes. My Mental Fortitude stat is decreasing by the second.
"I wasn't angry at you, and I don't hold a grudge against you, so stop apologizing. I mean, I thought that you would be more... you know, rejecting towards me. I did kill those soldiers."
"What? Shirogane-san, you did that to save Mitsurugi-san and Sakaki-san, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't-"
"Yes, it does. Shirogane-san, e-even if you ended up killing them, I don't think... that what you did was wrong. I mean, what if they had killed Mitsurugi-san? The soldiers were also very aggressive with us, something was really weird!" Tama jumped, making fists with both of her hands. I thought for a second that she would scream 'FWHOOOO!" like she used to do in my world, but she just furrowed her brows.
"Yeah! Takeru, you're not the only one who had to harm those soldiers. I mean, if things had gone wrong we also may have had to resort to that. Her eye is better now, but they really hurt Kei-san during our fight. We just got lucky, really." Both of them drop their shoulders. Tama is slowly playing with her hair and Mikoto is just staring to the floor.
"So you guys had it hard too, huh? Can you tell me what happened?"
They tell me of how they saw the struggle from the other side of the cliff, how they met and dealt with the soldiers and how they reached the evac point. So the soldiers weren't only after me, Meiya and Chizuru. They wanted our whole squad to fail, but who could have ordered that? Who pressured HC to send such an aggressive chaser force?
"It was really scary, you know. I thought we were done for." Tama closes her eyes and shivers slightly.
"You say that, but you totally destroyed the Captain. Shame you couldn't see it, Takeru. It was such a nice slash, too." Mikoto beams at Tama, which only makes her blush and shake from left to right.
"Y-Yoroi-san, I told you to keep quiet about that!"
"Well, in any case, glad you could make it without any lasting injuries. So, we're all good with each other?"
"Yes, if you can forgive us. Shirogane-san, I... I will try to be more resolute from now on. I know I'm... the weakest one of the team, b-but I'll do my best to not hold any of you back. So um... Let's do our best!" I smile at her and see the seriousness disappear from her face. That's one thing we'll have to work on, since we need you to get in top form ASAP, before the HSST arrives.
"Say, Takeru. Where were you yesterday? Despite it being our free day and having a lecture from the Instructor, we didn't see you at all."
"I was helping 1st Lt. Takamura as part of my punishment. I was mostly delivering reports and folders around."
"Ooh, it doesn't sound so bad."
"Yeah, it really isn't. It's a light job, honestly."
The door opens and the rest of the squad comes in. They twitch upon seeing me.
"...S-Shirogane." Chizuru approached me from my left.
"Good morning, Sakaki."
"G-Good morning. How have you been?"
"Fine, no problems whatsoever." She nods and seems to be at a loss of words.
"Sakaki, if you cannot say it allow me to do it." Meiya also approached me. She spoke in her serious tone and was bearing a stern look. Sigh...
"Good morning, Meiya." I think Tama and Mikoto flinched as they heard me calling her by her name.
"Good morning. Shirogane, is what Ayamine told us yesterday true? About your punishments?"
"Yeah."
"Why were you punished like that?" Ooooh, so that's what this is about. She must be angry about me staying here. She must be upset about having a murderer on their team. Oh well, nothing I can do about it.
"Because it was that, or either getting kicked out or executed."
"E-Executed?! Takeru, is that true?!" Mikoto jolted upwards slightly, as her eyes became two white dots. Glad to see at least someone here still sees me as a friend.
"Yeah. But I managed to talk my way out of that."
"Shirogane, that does not answer my question." Meiya was again folding her arms, eyes closed.
"I mean... What did you want me to answer?"
"I'm asking about why you had to be punished! You saved our lives, why are you the one to be blamed? Didn't you tell them of what happened?"
...So she isn't angry at me? Why were they being so cold when they entered then?
"Um... They didn't listen to me. They said I had no credibility, that I was a violent element, that there's no way that would have happened." Meiya's eyes flare up as she takes a step towards me.
"Why did you not ask us to testify for you?! What would you have done if they kicked you out?!"
"Meiya, they told me they couldn't count on your impartiality, they refused to call you to testify." The little purple flares in her eyes turn into pyres of fire.
"What? Mmmgh! I won't let this stand, there's no reason for you to-"
"Meiya, stop it. That's that, you can't... you shouldn't do anything about it. It's not that big of a deal, really. I mean, I did kill them. That won't change."
"Shirogane, what you're saying is to make me stain my honor once again." She tilts her head backwards, narrowing her eyes. The venom in her voice was so strong I took a step backwards unconsciously.
"What do you mean?"
"I owe you a great debt. It's thanks to you that I passed the CCSE, and you wish me to stay put as I see my fellow being punished unfairly, while the culprits are free without even a reprimand? What would that say about me? What kind of samurai would I be if I let you take this unjust punishment?!" No Meiya, that's wrong. I'm sure that with all that was at stake according to Sensei, the soldiers got a much more severe punishment than me from their 'employers'.
"Mitsurugi is right, Shirogane. When we went to talk with the Instructor to tell her about what happened, she told us you were taken to be questioned for your crimes and nothing we said could change her mind to allow us to write a report to help you. We... We all were very worried about you." Chizuru adverts her eyes as she plays with her ponytails.
"Sakaki-san is right. We heard in detail what you went through and... Shirogane-san, you don't deserve the punishment. They were the ones that started it, if they had harmed Mitsurugi-san the UN would have gotten in a lot of trouble." Tama spoke with sparks in her eyes. Chizuru and Mikoto were the same.
...What the hell is happening here? Why are they being nice all of a sudden? I did not expect all of them to be so supportive, since they pretty much wanted me gone before the CCSE, and considering I killed their fellows...
"...Shirogane-san?" Tama looked up at me with puppy eyes, holding her hands near her neck. Uuuh... That is not fair play.
"I mean, I did kill them. That won't change, I murdered Japanese soldiers, so technically I am a traitor to the Empire." I feel a tap on my shoulder. Meiya moved me to face her, her face was twisted into the look of an angry hunter as the purple fire kept coming out of her eyes.
"Shirogane, you're no traitor. You defended me, you saved me and Sakaki from them. Our lives were in serious danger, regardless of what a bunch of stupid politicians may say. So do not speak like that about yourself no more, I promise you now that I will remove that burden from your shoulders as soon as I can. I just ask you to give me a little time, it's the least I can do to truly repay you for your actions." She gives me a small bow, as her face tensed up when she met my eyes again.
"Meiya, it's better for you to not do anything. It will only keep bringing problems and tension between the UN and the Empire. Think of the implications this accident could have. Just let it pass, I can take it." She pursed her lips as she holds back a retort. Then, softening her gaze, she gave me a nod.
"Sigh... If that is what you wish, I will do as you say. So, you weren't kicked out of the squad?"
"No, I managed to stay here. So you'll have to bear with me until you get commissioned." I say jokingly to try to clear the air, but it only caused them to drop their shoulders. Except Kei, who was just laying against the wall staring at nowhere.
"Are you upset?" Meiya's voice was so small, creaking, that it reminded me of that call the day I recovered my memories. "Shirogane?"
"Err... Why would I be upset? You didn't do anything to make me angry at you. I told you already, let's leave the whole betrayal behind if you're willing to work with me."
"So Shirogane, you don't... resent us?" Chizuru is being abnormally nice. Even by her own standards, she isn't usually so nice to me.
"No? Why would I?"
"I mean, we scored better than you, we didn't help you when you were questioned. And all of that is our fault." She holds one of her elbows with her other hand. I haven't seen this Chizuru being so apprehensive ever.
"C'mon, stop that. The soldiers are to blame. So... You don't hate me or anything?" All of their eyes turn into fried eggs at my question.
"Takeru, why would we hate you?!" Mikoto, you're... a little too close.
"Because I killed Japanese soldiers and I'm an American or something along those lines?"
"...S-Shirogane, we don't... We don't see you as a foreigner anymore. You're our comrade, we already told you that during the CCSE, right?." Chizuru returned to her usual bossy tone taking a pose like Class Rep, making circles in the air with her finger.
"Indeed. Sakaki is right. Shirogane, you've done a great deed for us. And instead of being praised for it, you're being punished. I truly do not think we should let this slide. Are you sure you don't want me to speak with my contacts? If I tell them of what you did, I'm sure your punishment will be lifted." Oh shit, Meiya's serious. Sadly, my punishment is giving me a cover to start my research and to keep a close eye on the railgun so I can't lose it, even if it means bathing with cold water at night.
"Meiya, thanks for the gesture but I don't want to cause more trouble. Let's leave it at that, please?"
"Huh? But... Well, if that is what you wish..."
"Well so... How are you guys? I mean, I haven't heard about you since we parted ways. How were these days for you?"
"Oh, you won't belive this Takeru! Lemme tell you of how Chizuru-san started choking when she ate- Mmmmmggghh!" Chizuru put her hands over Mikoto's mouth for some reason. And she was blushing. What is going on here?
"Tamase, can you explain Shirogane what happened in these days?" Smiling all the while, she spoke with a soft voice that hid knives within.
"Eh? Sure. But Sakaki-san, Yoroi-san is going purple..." Mikoto's eyes were two big white dots again. Chizuru lets go of her and she breathes deeply.
"Chizuru-san, that's so cruel. What did I do?!"
"What didn't you do is the question here." Meiya frowned at her as she caressed her ponytail. She was blushing too. The hell happened when I wasn't around?
"Meiya-san, you too? Could it be? Are you two still mad about that misunderstanding?" Mikoto puts her hands on her hips as she leans forward, smiling wickedly at them.
"What misunderstanding?"
"Shirogane, don't worry about it." Meiya, I do not like that smile on your face. Also her face got redder.
Tama told me of how they played on the beach before coming here, about some of the food they ate, and about how the Instructor gave them a lecture on teamwork as soon as they landed here. Marimo-chan, come back to us. We need you more than ever.
"That sounds rough. Oh right, I forgot to ask, what was your score?"
"Ninety. It was truly a surprise, that's for sure." She beams at me, clearly happy of her result. "Ah... Sorry, I didn't mean to brag. You ended up with the lowest score, right?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't really matter. Our skills in the cockpit are what matters most."
"Exactly. Well said, Shirogane. Our real training starts here, and now we're on even ground with you, so we won't let you get that number one spot so easily." Chizuru is clearly trying to motivate the squad, Mikoto and Tama give a 'Yay' and raise their fists. Meiya just smirks and Kei... is staring at me. Guess she still doesn't trust me.
"Say, Special-kun..." Why did I have to look at her? Causality Magnet? More like Disaster Magnet.
"What's up, Ayamine?" She slowly got close to us, I can't read her at all. Is she going for a punch? Or will she throw more hate at me? I'll just have to endure.
"Is it true that you got caressed by one of the soldiers?" What is she... H-How does she know that? I mean-
...I feel a shiver down my spine. And a hand gripping my shoulder.
"Shirogane, Sakaki said that your opponent in the CCSE was caressing your face and chest, is that true?" Meiya's eyes were blazing inside. Her hand on my shoulder was shaking slightly.
"Err... Yeah? I mean, Mion just wanted to check if I had a mask on. It really wasn't... Um... Meiya? Why are you making that face?" Her eyes shot wide open, her lips were trembling slightly. What did I do now?!
"First name already? Special-kun, what a stud." Kei, dear, you're not helping.
"Shirogane-san, did you know that woman?" Tama too?!
"Mion?" Meiya's hand starts clawing at my shoulder. "I... errr... I mean, I don't think so?" I know I gotta play my part in faking being this world's me, but I really don't know her.
"Shirogane, do you know her or not?" Her hand is gripping tightly and she's looking into me with those blue eyes of her. Why is she so upset?
"Meiya, that's my own business right?" I try to make her release my shoulder, which only makes her eyes spew more fire.
"Oho? So you had some 'business' with her?"
"She was literally trying to beat the shit out of me. I just wanted to calm her down, show her that I was no spy." None of them seem to belive me though.
"Takeru, even so, why did she have to... well, caress your chest too?" Mikoto and Tama were giving me the stink eye too, faces red as well.
"You know, in case I was a cyborg? She had to check I had a heart."
"W-Well, but Shirogane why do you call her by her name?" Chizuru was also giving me a side glance. Kei was smirking from ear to ear.
"I mean, if I had to call all of them Tsukuyomi it would get confusing in my head." There are four of them now. And for some reason it doesn't feel right, I wonder if it has to do with his memories?
"Shirogane, that still doesn't explain why you just let her t-touch you like that." Meiya was now clawing at her elbows.
"It was that or to keep fighting. I mean, those two pickles were not going to back down so easily."
...Why are they looking at me as if they were goldfish? Even Kei's eyes are wide open now.
"Shirogane-san, when you say 'pickles', who are you talking about?"
"Who? About Mion and Shion, of course. Don't they look like a pair of pickles?"
"So you even have a nickname for them already? That's so nice of you, Shirogane." Chizuru, stop smiling like that. It's creeping me out.
"So you also call Shion by her name..."
"C'mon Meiya, what do you want me to call them?"
"Well... Why do you call them pickles? I mean, you haven't given us nicknames even though you've been with us for far longer than them." Is she jealous? Or is she angry that she still doesn't know much about me and thinks those two do know and we're all leaving her in the dark?
"Oh, he did name me Tama though." She should have stayed quiet, because now Meiya was glaring at her. Tama's eyes became two little white dots as she shivered.
"Um, guys? Can we... make peace already?" I have no idea why they did a complete change in their attitude, but let's stop this before things escalate.
"Mmmgh... Fine, I will forgive you. B-But just this once! Even if I am indebted to you, you should be more careful about how you approach women from now on. It's... Yes, it's unproper for a Japanese Eishi to act in such a way. Right, Sakaki?" Both of them nodded in agreement.
"Of course. Exactly what Mitsurugi said. You should be more tactful about your actions, Shirogane-kun." Shirogane-kun? Wait... Could it be that... they're being affected by a positive leak now? Ooh, so since I saved them and I proved to them I am no traitor, the opinion they had of me changed and that caused them to be affected by a positive leak? Maybe?
"Sakaki... What was that?" I feel a sudden surge of heat behind me, and as I look back I see Meiya enveloped in an aura of purple fire. Thank God she doesn't have her Minaru Kamui at hand.
"I... What? What is it Mitsurugi?" Chizuru seemed puzzled as a drop of sweat trickled down her forehead.
"Chizuru-san, you just called Takeru Shirogane-kun." Mikoto was also narrowing her eyes at Chizuru.
"I did?! I mean... T-That's still pretty tame compared to you!" She pointed her finger at Mikoto as her face reddened.
"What? I've been calling him Takeru since the start! And I'm the one who's been the nicest to him, so I've earned it. Right, Takeru?" She tilts her head sideways as she gives me a smile.
"I mean, you're not wrong on that."
"Shirogane, aren't you pretty relaxed despite your punishment?" Meiya was again smiling creepily as she folded her arms.
"What? If they're more comfortable calling me that, just let them. I'm calling you Meiya and nobody complains. Or what? You want me to go back to calling you Mitsurugi?" She flinches at my words, fumbling her hands in the air at me.
"No! Err... Of course I don't want that. I promised to allow you to call me by my name on my honor as an apology. Yes, that. So you can't call me anything but Meiya now, because you'll be breaking our accord." She kept nodding at her own words. They're all being really weird today. Maybe I hit my head in the shower this morning and all of this is just me dreaming about a more peaceful life with them?
"Okay? Well, I'll try to be more careful from now on. So... We're all on good terms now?"
"Yes, I have no complains whatsoever. Let's keep working together, Shirogane-san!" Tama beamed at me with her usual cheerful smile. Mikoto gave a nod.
"Ahem... All of us are in agreement that we wish you to stay with us. So, if you forgive us, then we're all on board." Chizuru crossed her arms and looked around the room to see the others' faces. But she stopped on a certain black haired one.
"...Ayamine, what about you?" I look at her and she just looks away.
"You on our side?" She says, still not looking at me.
"I mean, yeah?"
"And you won't hold back anymore? You won't lie anymore?"
"Ayamine, that's rude."
"Sakaki, it's fine. Ayamine, is there anything you would like me to do to prove you that I'm not some sort of enemy?" This is my problem, so I'll deal with it myself.
"...Yes. I have a question."
"Go ahead. Fire."
"What are you gonna do with the sword you have?" I see all of the rest tense up. Of course, that's a sensible matter for them.
"I already dealt with it. I returned it to it's legitimate owner."
"Eh?! Shirogane, when... Why did you not wait for me?!" Meiya, don't shout on my ear. She was again narrowing her eyes at me.
"1st Lt. Tsukuyomi came to talk with me and I used that chance to give her the sword. I also don't know if I'm going to be punished by the Guard for having the sword, so it is possible that I'm branded as an enemy of the Empire. Does that answers your question, Ayamine?" Meiya wanted to protest, but I glanced at her and she desisted. She still looked worried about my words.
"Yes. Got another one." She got closer as she also narrowed her eyes at me.
"What is it?"
"Why did you kill the soldiers?"
"Because I saw Meiya unconscious getting kicked on the head and Chizuru crying in pain. Honestly though, I was enraged at the time from my previous fight, so well... I'm not exactly proud of it. That's why I'm taking the punishment without complaints."
"Hmm... Then, is it true that you were trained on the UN and not by America?"
"Yeah, I was trained at Yukon Base." Regardless of the place, I only ever got trained by the UN. So, that is not a lie. She stares into my eyes for a while and after a while she leans back and returns to her usual bored face.
"Hmm... Fine. You're good." She raises her hand, showing me her palm with her eyes closed. I'll never understand what goes in her head.
"Well, glad we can get along."
"Shirogane, is it true that you returned the sword? I mean, wasn't it really important?" Chizuru adjusted her glasses as she talked.
"Yeah, I want no more trouble here. I didn't knew how important it was, so I returned it before I caused some accident with it." I'm still sad about it, I feel like I broke a very important vow. But I'm sure you'll understand Meiya, I couldn't let that get me in more trouble. Even without the sword, I'll never forget about you or the times we spent in peace back home.
"How did Tsu- the 1st Lt. treat you? She wasn't very harsh, I hope?" Uuuh... Meiya, stop being so nice. I really missed this side of all of you, you're gonna make me cry goddammit.
"Yes, she kind of scolded me and asked me some questions but she didn't seem too hostile." She was really weird though.
"That's a relief to hear. For a second I thought she might have been too hard on you, when you told her of the blade." I mean, she might come after my life. It's not like I can relax here.
"A-Anyways! Let's do our best together from now on! Say Shirogane-san, did you know that we also have to pilot for a short while during our aptitude test?" Tama comes up to me as she bounces around the desks.
"Oh, that's gonna be hard. Takeru, don't take it too hard if you crash after some seconds. I don't think anyone could actually do very well on their very first try." Mikoto closed her eyes and with her hands joined she began to shiver.
"Yes, I've heard about it from Takamura. Well, today is just our first try so there's no point in overworrying." And I'm gonna crash myself into a building just for the heck of it.
"That's the idea. Squad, regardless of our score today, it's what we do from now on what determines our real aptitude! So, after we're done, how about we all go to the library to discuss about our impressions and read some books on tactics? Shirogane, can you get permission for that?" Chizuru is definitely doing her best to lead the team this time. Well, considering what she went through...
"I don't think so. I will probably have to go help Takamura as soon as I'm done with the test." And after that I gotta start my research, and then Kasumi will try to make me remember some stuff from this world's me.
"...Shirogane, who is this Takamura you speak of?" Meiya was again folding her arms and narrowing her eyes at me.
"The 1st Lt. I've been assigned to help for the duration of my punishment. I'm basically her assistant."
"...'Her' assistant, huh?" Again, purple fire stirs on her eyes. "So, is it a tough work?"
"Nah, just handing some folders around. Nothing too complicated."
"Shirogane, you're not intimidated by doing office work? I would get so nervous I'll probably end up mixing some reports in my head. Helping out in actual matters is no small job." Chizuru was again making circles on the air. "Well... It's a shame you can't join us, but we will keep you up to date with our studies so don't worry about it."
"Thanks, Sakaki. Really." She adverts her eyes. Is she embarrassed?
"Good morning, Squad!" The Instructor enters the room, as I see her she smiles for some reason. Uuuh... Don't tell me she has prepared something special for this class.
"Salute!"
"At ease. First, welcome back Shirogane. Glad you got to stay here." Her smirk grows bigger. Oh no, I can already feel the harder training coming at us.
"Thanks, Ma'am."
"Now, I have three things to tell you today. Number one, I'll be giving you a long lecture on how TSF are controlled until noon. After that you'll have to read up the documentation on your own. Second, I've been informed your Fubukis will be arriving tomorrow."
"EH?! Really?!" Mikoto bolted up in joy, and then immediately sat down again as the Instructor's gaze drilled her eyes shut.
"As I was saying, your TSFs will arrive tomorrow. Since you're the only Cadet squad here you'll have priority to use the simulators during the afternoon. However, if you wish to train for more than that make sure there are no commissioned officers waiting to train. Understood?"
"Roger!"
"And lastly, just because you're going to be training to become Eishis doesn't mean you'll get a nicer treatment." She smiles widely. Oh God, what now? "You all, with the exception of Shirogane due to his punishment, will have to run twenty klicks with full gear everyday after we're done with the morning lectures and before you go for lunch."
I could feel the temperature crash down in a second. Everybody got tense at the notion of having to keep running twenty klicks on full gear from the start just before the simulator training. Marimo-chan is nowhere to be found here.
"Roger."
"Now then, here's your textbooks. But before that... Shirogane."
"Yes, Ma'am?"
"I've heard you'll have to leave as soon as you finish your training, and that you haven't got authorization to perform extra training if you so desired, is that true?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Hmm... Well, it's a shame. You better do your best with the little time you have or you'll be left behind. Now, let's start the class!"
And we rushed the modules again. At this point all the questions are a cake for me, but again the girls answered some questions wrongs. I mean, the 'How many weapons a TSF has' does not belong here, Cpt. Isumi asked me that after I joined the Valkyries last time. What the hell?
"Well, that's all for today. Shirogane, you come with me. Since you can't go walking on your own let's get you in your suit already. Girls, after you're done with your lunch, go change into your suits and come to the simulator room."
"Roger!" They all answer in unison as we get up.
"See you later guys."
"Later, Takeru!" Mikoto practically rushed towards the PX.
Right, didn't we have a tradition here? To make someone eat a lot more or something?
"Hey, guys. I might be wrong on this, but wasn't there a tradition here for when one does it's first piloting... Guys?"
The color left their faces. Tama's eyes became whirlwinds and she started swaying left and right. Chizuru and Meiya crossed their arms as they let a heavy sigh escape their lips.
"You're not wrong Shirogane. You lucked out since you're being punished." The Instructor pats my shoulder, signaling me to follow her.
"Uhh... Later, guys." They don't answer back. "Um, Instructor? What is the tradition about?"
"All fresh Cadets must eat double their normal fill before taking the aptitude test." She says rather happy about it.
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why? Not only they would be under great stress but they would also be feeling rather tight in their stomachs. You've seen BETA already, haven't you? What did you do when you first saw them?"
"What did... I went berserk and started to attack them." She stops in her tracks and looks at me with wide eyes, as her iris becomes smaller. Her eyes end up being two white dots.
"You... attacked them?!"
"Yeah, it was nuts I know. But well... I got... enraged to hide my fear?" I know I said no more bullshit, but I can't help it.
"That's... impressive. Most Eishis either freeze or start throwing up when they see them. It gets worse when they start to kill and eat people. So, we feed our Cadets more food than normal to make them used to control the urge. But really... Of course you wouldn't be intimidated by some soldiers when you attacked the BETA in a tank. Hehehehe, I'll be watching your performance closely today, Shirogane."
"About that... I think someone else is going to be monitoring my test today." She stops and looks at me as she narrows her eyes. Reminder to self: Shut up, goddammit.
"Shirogane, why haven't I heard about this until now?"
"I... err... Didn't the Professor tell you?"
"Not a word. Ugh, what am I gonna do with you, Yuuko?!" She starts walking even faster. Sorry Sensei, but this is your fault.
We eventually made our way to the changing room. As I open my locker I see a small note on it. 'This is the same suit you've been using, don't worry about your data, it's all here.'. Thanks Sensei.
Again I'm using the black suit, which is appropriate since I'm actually a commissioned Eishi. Well, I'm kinda jealous of the girls, I've never used the Cadet suit. Or any other suit for that matter.
As I get out I see that Takamura was talking with the Instructor.
"...is why I'll be monitoring... Oh, Cadet Shirogane, good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, 1st Lt. Takamura."
"So we don't have any Cadet suits for you, huh? So, how does it feel?"
"Fitting? It does seem to do it's work as intended."
"Oho, so you don't think it's frail?" Instructor, I'm not giving you the chance to hit me.
"I tried to hit myself but I didn't feel a thing." She smiles at me, as she starts walking towards the sim room.
"Well, let's go to the briefing room near the simulators, I'll give you the talk about the suit in detail there."
We made our way to the simulators, they all look as they always do. I've been here during night so I kinda forgot how this place looked with light.
"Impressive, aren't they?" Takamura comments as she sees me staring at the things.
"Yeah." Well, I'm sure the rest must be on their way to get changed by now so I'll only take a while to-
"Huh? Who're you?" Hmm? Looking towards the voice I see three people I did not expect to see. Hayase, Munakata and Akane.
"Good afternoon, 1st Lt.!" The Instructor salutes her, and me and Takamura follow in kind.
"Oh, Instructor. There is no need for that with us! So, who's the boy? I thought Squad 207 was the only Cadets being trained here!" Munakata looks at me with the smile of a devil. I do not like this situation, at all.
"Yes, he's part of Squad 207 too. He joined during October, and let me tell you, he's scoring better numbers than you Hayase." Thanks Instructor, I totally need Hayase to get on my case before I even join the Valkyries. Yep, no problem whatsoever.
"Oho? Aren't you a hotshot? I'm 1st Lt. Mitsuki Hayase, who're you?" I give her a salute as I answer.
"Cadet Takeru Shirogane, Ma'am."
"Hmm? Aren't you too stiff? Say Instructor, can we stay and watch the little ones' test?" I do not like that smile.
"What is it, Hayase? I didn't knew you were into younger boys. So you already forgot about the Viking? To think you were sleep talking about him for-"
"MUNAKATA! Shut up!" Hayase's face goes crimson as she shouts at her, while Munakata smiles wickedly.
"Fufufu! Why are you getting so angry? It's normal for you to want to establish dominance over your love interest."
"I said shut up! This isn't about that!"
"Um... Senpai, don't get so worked up. We're troubling the Instructor." Akane, you're doing all of us a favor.
"Sigh... You two never change. I suppose it's alright, if the Captain hasn't given you anything to do."
"Of course not! We have our afternoon free today! I'll be expecting a nice show, Shirogane." Uuuh, great. I'm already on her sights.
"I'll try to not disappoint."
"Hmm? You're not intimidated by Hayase? Aren't you confident!" Munakata, stop. Before it's- "Hayase, I think he's looking down on you. See? He's totally unfazed, like he doesn't even register your existence." Goddammit Munakata!
"Oho? Is that so, Shirogane? If you have anything to say, why don't you-"
"1st Lt. Hayase." Takamura got between me and her, I can't see her face but to make Hayase flinch she must be sending her some violet flares. "It is unproper for a Japanese Eishi to threaten a Cadet in this way. The same goes for you, Munakata-san. You should reconsider your way of treating your peers."
"Huh? Ah... Well... I was just... W-Who are you, anyways?" Hayase was stuttering. This is a new one. Akane couldn't even speak up as she gazed at Hayase with her downcast eyes. Munakata stopped screwing around and got seriousness painted in her face.
"Forgive us, we tend to play around like this in our unit. We were just testing the Cadet, nothing more. We're sorry, right Hayase?"
"Yes, sorry about that. Shirogane, forgive the screams."
"Nah, it's cool." If you didn't do that, you wouldn't be you.
"Cadet Shirogane, you shouldn't be so lenient with them. They were clearly intimidating you." Takamura, you look more intimidating right now though.
"Thanks for worrying 1st Lt., but there was no danger whatsoever."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I'm in a Fortified Suit and they're not. So, if they tried anything, I have the advantage."
"Heheheh, you're really special Shirogane. See, Hayase? Not only his numbers, but his attitude is better than yours." Instructor, stop adding fuel to the fire! I might be calm now, but in a few days she's gonna be all over me asking for a match!
"Grrr... Well, let's go get something to drink while we wait. Good luck, hotshot." She grins at me as they leave. Munakata also gives me a smile. Akane just looked at me with a side glance and followed after the others.
So I'm Eight and Hotshot for Hayase now. I can only pray she doesn't find out I'm the Viking, cause that will put me in quite some trouble.
"Cadet Shirogane, are you truly alright?"
"Don't worry, I'm used to it. And I didn't take offense, I also don't really care about formalities that much. But Instructor, was there any need to taunt her like that?" She just chuckles at me.
"I didn't taunt her. I just spoke the truth, you do have the best numbers of any Cadet that was trained here, and I trained a quite a few 'hotshots' before you. Let's see if you can also get high scores on today's test."
We make our way into the briefing room, then the Instructor asks Takamura to start the explanation as she went to get the girls. Now that I think about it, I never used the helmet of this thing, or the Feedback Protector. Man, it might be scary to fight the BETA in it, but that Pile Bunker looks sick as fuck. I wonder why we don't have more melee options than swords here, another thing to research today.
"Alright, we're back." The Instructor enters and behind her the girls slowly enter the room, hiding her chests with their arms. It's crazy really. The first time I saw them in those I almost got a boner when looking at them, now it's just normal to me. I feel like I've lost an irreplaceable part of myself along the way.
"Sgt. we were in the middle of explaining the Feedback Protector." Takamura informed of where we were. The girls were glancing at her, furrowing their brows.
"Good, finish the explanation. I'll brief them quickly again before the test."
Around ten minutes later...
"So, allow me to explain what you will do. You'll go in pairs, in pods one and two, and we'll have you stay seated for fifteen minutes. I will be monitoring your performance at all times. Also, as you already know, your simulation will be displayed on those monitors there for everyone to see." What?! The girls look to the ground, Tama was already shaking. "After you go through the three speeds, you'll have to pilot for two minutes. First in an open space and then in an urban environment. Just to let you know, the best time we have is from 1st Lt. Hayase, at one minute and three seconds." So Hayase is the one who lasted more in the first sim? "Well, let's start this. Sakaki, pod one. Mitsurugi, pod two. Here you have your bags, in case you need them."
"Um... Instructor. May I ask a question?" Chizuru spoke as she took her bag.
"What is it?"
"Who is that woman? Will she be helping in our simulation?"
"She's 1st Lt. Takamura. She's here to oversee Shirogane's simulation."
"Eh? To oversee..." Great, negativity I can already feel you.
"So she's Takamura... Could she be..." Meiya was glaring at her for some reason, which made Takamura flinch surprisingly.
"Ahem... I should have introduced myself earlier. I am 1st Lt. Yui Takamura. While I've been stationed here on a loan from the Empire, I've been assigned to monitor Cadet Shirogane's tests during his training course."
"U-Um... 1st Lt., is Shirogane-san in trouble?" Tama, thanks for asking.
"Huh? No, this is just to lend a hand. I was also stationed at Yukon like him, so I was asked to watch over him." She spoke in her usual work tone, which made the girls start fidgeting. They're throwing glances at me now.
"I see. But why only him?" Wow, for Meiya to speak up. What is worrying her now?
"It was simply an order, nothing more." They stare at each other for some seconds. Takamura was composed and calm, while Meiya was furrowing her brow with yet again fire coming out of her eyes.
"We've lost enough time on this. Sakaki, Mitsurugi. On the simulators, now."
"Chizuru! Good luck!" Akane yells at her while waving one arm, Chizuru smiles as she slowly waves back before getting into the pod.
Meiya and Chizuru's TSFs appear in the monitors. And the simulation starts.
"Uwah... Look at them move!" Mikoto's color was draining from her face as she stared at the pods shaking.
"This looks much more worse than what we did back last spring." Tama's voice was frail and tense. Kei was just staring, but she also must be nervous.
The images on the monitor change to an urban environment, they're on the last speed. After some sharp turns, the scenery changes to a prairie again. Some circles appear on the air, I suppose they have to fly through them?
Chizuru seems to be doing okay, Meiya however was having trouble moving her TSF. After they pass through ten circles, the image changes to a city again, and they have to start taking turn. At first they had some space, but as they got closer and closer to the center of the city, the buildings got closer and in the way. Meiya was the first to crash, Chizuru crashed shortly after.
0:27, Meiya. 0:34, Chizuru. Barely near half a minute, and Hayase got double than that? Wow, she must be something else. The sims calm down and both of them get out of the pods.
They were pale and walked wobbly. Grabbing the iron bars they slowly approached us.
"Sakaki, Mitsurugi. Well done. Ayamine, Tamase. You're next." The other two went into the pods with heavy steps.
"Chizuru-san, Meiya-san. Are you alright?"
"Uuuuuhhhh..." Chizuru sat down on a nearby bench and started to slowly rub the back of her head.
"Meiya-san, what about you? ...Meiya-san?"
"Hey, Meiya? You okay?"
"Eh? Ah... Y-Yes, S-Shirogane. I'm alright." Unlike Chizuru, Meiya's face was burning red like the east at the sunset.
"Meiya-san, are you sure? You don't look so good." Mikoto lent her a hand as she sat down near Chizuru.
"Yes, it was... an eye opening experience. Uuuh..." She slumped onto the bench as her breathing got more calm.
The sims start shaking again. As the starting drill finishes, the prairie with circles appears again. Kei's TSF flies through shaking slightly, while Tama's on vibrator mode. As they reach the city, Tama crashed at the first tall building she met, while Kei kept going despite her tense maneuvering. She ended up crashing at the same spot as Chizuru, go figure.
0:19, Tama. 0:34, Kei. This is not good for Tama's self esteem, Kei is going to be so annoyed that she scored the same as Chizuru. They get out, Tama was walking as if she were drunk with swirly eyes. Kei walked slowly as she rubbed her forehead.
"Good work, guys. How are you feeling?" The Instructor greets them as they approach us.
"Hauuuhhh..." Tama can't even speak. Mikoto helps her to the bench.
"...Urk." Kei was slowly making her way to the bench too.
"Kei-san, how are you feeling?"
"...Fine."
"You look white as a sheet though." She gives me a bothered stare as she sits.
"This is nothing."
"Kei-san, you're tied with Chizuru-san with the best time so far." Mikoto jiggles at her but Kei closes her eyes as she frowns.
"...Fuck." I knew she was gonna react like that, but it's still funny to see.
"Tamase, Ayamine. Good work. Yoroi, Shirogane. Your turn." We then go towards the sims, but Mikoto's shoulders are slightly shaking.
"Hey, Mikoto."
"Um? W-What's up?"
"Don't worry too much, yeah? Just relax and do your best." I remember I did this during the tournament to ease his worries, so maybe I can do the same for you.
"Uuuh... Well, you're right. Let's do our best, Takeru." She smiles faintly, but she's still tense as the air on an exam room.
"Mikoto, you must chill. I know, think of it as a game. It's just you and me having some fun."
"The Instructor is gonna kill us if she hears that." She starts shivering. "But I'll do my best! Don't think you'll have it easier because you're stronger."
We grin at each other and get inside the pods. I sit down and put the bolts in place. That's done, now the upper ones... Okay, all done. Now, what do I do? Do I go seriously? I mean, I won't be shaking around like the others, so let's take it easy.
"Cadet Shirogane, can you hear me?" Takamura's face appears in my vision.
"Loud and clear, 1st Lieutenant."
"Are you comfortable in that position?"
"Yes, no problems."
"Alright, stay in standby. Once Cadet Yoroi finishes the bolting we'll start the test."
A few seconds after that the start code appears on my sight, the prairie appears all over me and I feel the pod start moving. This is a joke. The sims should move even more than this, this is nothing like a TSF. Ugh, I can't even get in the mood to pilot like this. The prairie looks nice and all you want but... Oh, we're in the city now. The thing picked up it's pace and now we're going at the third speed. Which is still slow. I mean, I'm used to all the G-Force of my stunts with the XM3, so this is like going back to being taught how to multiply.
"Cadet Shirogane, the manual part of the test will begin shortly. Get ready to pilot."
"Roger." I grab the controls and put my feet on the pedals. Then I feel some response from them and I slightly move them forward. The prairie appears before me with the same circles in the air. To the left, to the right, dash ahead, to the right, boost upwards. Ugh, this is such a chore.
I reach the city and start moving around. I jump over some houses, before landing I dash to my left and jump again when I can towards the following circles. This feels really stiff, it's really unresponsive. No wonder we're losing the war with this thing, it's not even that I can't cancel or that it's less sensitive, this is a straight limiter on the pilot. By teaching you to only move within this boundaries you'll never think of doing some more reckless maneuvers.
Ugh, I can't even get motivated for this. I'm actually having trouble making the thing move as I want it to move, I have to time my jumps earlier or the thing just won't respond. Whatever, there's two circles next that require one to jump between some big buildings, I'mma crash here. Let's speed up a lil' bit, and now do a barrel roll~!
CRASH!
[DAMAGE SUSTAINED - TEST OVER]
Ahh, that was fun. I rarely get to actually mess around in this things so this was actually a one in a lifetime treat. How much time did I last? I kinda spaced out there for a sec as I was complaining about the OS. Oh well, whatever.
After the thing stops shaking I get out of the pod, Mikoto is getting out too and she looks like she's made out of jelly.
"Hweh..."
"Mikoto, you alright?"
"Everything... spinning..." I help her go towards the rest.
"Good work, you two. But I'll be damned, I didn't think you'll actually do it Shirogane." The Instructor was again smiling at me, Takamura's eyes had small flames on them. What are they talking about?
"Shirogane, that was truly impressive!" Meiya was beaming at me, Tama was also looking at me with sparkly eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
"Cadet Shirogane, you broke the record. Your time was 1:18. You're now the Cadet with the best starting time." Takamura points to my monitor, a giant smile plastered on her face. I still don't know why she's so interested in my piloting skills though.
"Way to go Special-kun."
"Huh, neat. And what about Mikoto?"
"Yoroi lasted 0:42, it was a surprise for sure." Chizuru patted Mikoto on the shoulder, she finally seemed to have regained her composure and smiled at her.
"T-Thanks, Chizuru-san. But it was more turbulent than I had thought... Hweeeh..."
"Yeah, that was rough." Tama closes her eyes as she starts shivering.
"Well squad, let me give you your results. Sakaki, Mitsurugi, Ayamine, Yoroi, Tamase, all of you are progressing fine. You did better than I expected of you, considering about much trouble you've been until now." She can't contain herself, can't she? The girls had recovered the color on their faces, but now were again looking to the ground. "Now, Shirogane. Your data from Yukon was lost in the incident, so we have nothing to compare today's data with. However, these numbers are really something else. You were calm and composed throughout all the simulation, did the shaking not bother you?"
"Well, honestly no." No point in lying now.
"Hmph, you've scored the best score any Cadet got in their first run. I hope you can keep it up. That's all for today, squad. Dismissed!" She then beckon us to follow her back to the changing room. As we left the sim room, I saw Hayase looking straight at me with a huge grin on her face. She's not gonna let me off easily, ain't she?
"Takeru, did the shaking not bother you at all?" Mikoto's eyes could pop out of her face any second now.
"I mean, what can I say?"
"Well, regardless of that he still beat all of us with his score. You too, Yoroi. I didn't expect you to get so farther ahead from us." Chizuru seems puzzled at Mikoto's results. It is surprising though.
"Yeah, Yoroi-san beat all of us too." Tama, cheer up. What are we gonna do if you start getting depressed?
"Miki-san, don't look so down. You just gotta practice to get better!"
"Shirogane." Meiya tapped my shoulder as the rest continued to talk.
"What is it?"
"Say, can you tell me if it's true that you weren't bothered by the shaking?"
"Huh? Oh, well... No, I wasn't that bothered by it." She sighs as she softens her gaze.
"I see. That's another hurdle to cross, huh?"
"I mean I... Yeah, I already had some battle experience, you know? In the tank?" I remembered the excuse I gave them about me fighting in a tank, she nods at me.
"Oh right, I had forgotten about it. Of course, you already have experienced the heat of a real battle. Even so, to surpass the previous record... You truly are special." She smiles faintly at me, thank God she isn't getting all negative and suspicious.
"Please stop with the praise. I mean, how was your run? You did seem pretty beat up, and your mech was swaying a lot. How did you feel?" I was expecting her usual resolute tone or a philosophical remark about how she has to continue to hone herself, but instead she adverted her eyes as her face turned red again.
"It... It was... I mean, it was harder than I thought it would be."
"Well, don't beat yourself up. All of us have some bad days."
"No, it's not... Uuuh..." She bit her lip as she returned my gaze, what's wrong with her?
"Meiya? Hey, you seem really out of it, you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a... daydream while I was in the pod. That distracted me and... N-Nothing, I am fine. Twas nothing but a mistake on my part to let such thoughts come to me at that time." She folds her arms and looks away. I wonder if... Did she have some bad experience in this world in a closed space? Or did some memory from the other world came to her? Oh God, what if she saw a vision of when I killed her?! Shit, I didn't think about that.
"Sorry."
"Eh? W-Why are you apologizing?" She turned even redder, but she couldn't look at me in the eye.
"I shouldn't have asked. Sorry to bother you, Meiya." I give her a small bow, but she starts fidgeting as she seems to try to find words to speak.
"No, it's... it's not your fault."
"Shirogane? What are you two talking about?"
"Meiya seemed to have a hard time on the sim, I went and made her relieve that, so I was apologizing." I tell Chizuru as she came over to us.
"I see. Not that I can blame you, Mitsurugi. It was harder than I thought it would be."
"Squad, we're here. All of you have the rest of the day free, consider it your last share of easy time. Let me remind you that until you all haven't completed all the basic training drills on the simulators, you won't be allowed to pilot your TSFs. That's all, leave your suits in your lockers." The Instructor leaves, and we all enter the changing rooms. Since I'm alone here I quickly change and get out. Takamura was waiting for me.
"Well, shall we get going? Or would you like to speak with your squad for a while?"
"Thanks, but let's get going. I'm sure they must have a lot to talk about already. The project can't wait." She nods at me and we go our way.
"It was truly surprising, I did not expect you to be so calm. The incident must have affected you greatly."
"Yeah, it did." If by incident I assume all the deaths in my world, then yes.
"Your movements were also quite precise even if you were fumbling with the controls a bit. I think you'll make a very good Eishi, Cadet Shirogane." She beams at me again.
"Thanks, but can I ask why are you so interested in my piloting skills?"
"Huh? Why? Well, I think you have potential, and as a fellow survivor I just want to help you. Really, that's all." She looks at me squarely in the eye. Her tone however hides something underneath. I can't tell if it's good or bad, but she's not telling me the truth.
"Well, in any case, if I impressed you I'm off to a good start. What did you think of my squad's performance?"
"They did well for their first real simulation. Except Tamase."
"Do you think you could help her?"
"Hmm... That might be a bit complicated." She caresses her hair, eyes closed. Of course, Tama's specialty are guns and Takamura is more oriented to close combat. Aside from some footing and movements she might not have much advice for her. She might have it easier with Meiya and Kei.
"Any tips you could give her would help a lot, since she doesn't exactly have a lot of confidence in her skill."
"I'll do what I can within my boundaries."
We made some talk about the test until we reached the office. Things picked up from yesterday and I had to run around delivering more folders than yesterday. It does look like we're on the right track for the railgun now, by the end of my work we already had some schematics done for the remodeled version of it. With some luck we will make it in time for Sadogashima.
Same Day. 8:53 PM.
(Floor 19. Takeru's Office.)
"Hmmm..." So this Tornado has the blades mounted on the outside of his arms... It does look more practical than having them sheathed. Doesn't the Takemikazuchi have a small dagger ready in it's arms too?
I've been reading up on weapons and TSFs since I finished aiding Takamura at seven, but this thing is really slow. The PC looks to be running Weóndows 95 and with all the documents I have opened, it's running really slow at times.
But boy, did I not learn a lot of useful tidbits of info today! Honestly, we're gonna get rich with the F-15's parts. It seems to be one of the most widespread TSF in the world in usage right now. There are quite some F-5 and F-16 versions in use yet, but they will surely be replaced in one or two years. Now, those Europeans are crazy. They put blades mounted on the arms of that Tornado, they made an axe, and a spike shield. I mean, I could have seen a shield being turned into a claw or something, but to have the shield shoot out it's spikes... Gun shield, best shield. You can even use it to bash the hell out of the Grapplers.
But the Soviets are not far behind, they made literal chainsaws for their TSFs. Shame we don't have much info about those. I might ask Sensei if we can somehow copy that. I also found a gatling gun, the M61 Vulcan, that was redesigned to be used on TSFs way back when the first TSAs were created. It's light enough to mount it on a TSF and powerful enough to be worth it. Since it uses 20mm ammo, I could put two small containers on the back of the TSFs feet to hold the bullets. The GAU-8 Avenger is too heavy, and the machineguns of the A-12 are a secret of the American army, so that's my best bet to see if the idea works outside of Valgern-On.
I hear a knock on my door, I answer and Kasumi enters the room.
"Good evening, Takeru-san."
"Hey, good evening Kasumi. Did Sensei sent you to start on that memory thing?" She nods.
"Yes, are you ready? I wanted to do it near Sumika-san, to link any memories you might have of his childhood to her."
"Give me a sec, I'll save this docs real quick."
After some clicks here and there I saved everything I had noted down today, and we leave the office.
"So, how do you think this will go?"
"I don't know. I never really tried to bring someone's memories back to the surface. I can't really talk with Sumika-san, it's a completely different thing. I will do my best though." She moves her bunny ears as she looks at me, determination oozing from her eyes.
We reach the brain room. The santa rabbit is still hanging in there. Kasumi signals me to sit near the cylinder and after I sit, she presses her head against my back.
"Takeru-san, close your eyes and relax. It might take me a while, so just be calm. The images might be somewhat distorted and lack color, but you just stay calm."
"Alright. I'll stay cool. But don't force yourself if you can't do it."
"Don't worry, you can leave it to me." She smiles at me from behind, and then puts her head again against my back.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes. For a while I feel nothing different, and then out of nowhere I stopped feeling my body. A similar sensation compared to when I jump between worlds, but without the nausea and the world spinning around. Slowly, a visage comes closer.
I find myself looking at some sort of street. It looks really run down though. Also, everything looks so much bigger.
"Aniki! Wait right there!" A child shouts in the distance. I can't really control anything here, similar to that time I couldn't materialize and ended up getting punched by Sumika back into this world.
"Bleh! Jouji you slowpoke!" My view moved back, and I saw two boys running towards me. Both with black hair, one had a red bandanna on his forehead, was wearing a white shirt and blue shorts. The other had a red shirt and black shorts. Their clothes look really old, like the ones my Dad had on those old pictures he showed me.
"Takeru! It's not fair!" The bandanna-less boy shouted as they tried to catch up. However I, or rather this little version of me, turned around and started sprinting again.
He jumped over fallen stuff that someone left lying around, took a turn to his left and went near some sort of park. Then, without slowing down, he jumped on some sort of fence climbing game, and reached the top in no time at all. Way to go, little me.
"Uuuh! Aniki, you just wait!" The boy with a bandanna tried to do the same, but ended up falling. That must have hurt a lot.
"Hey, Jouji! You okay?"
"Uuuuuhhhh..." His eyes were two big whirlwinds. Little me got down from the game and went near him.
"No, you're not. C'mon, get up." He helps this Jouji up, as the boy rubs his head. Hey, he's nicer than I was when I was little.
"Hey, did Jouji hit his head again?" The other boy got closer.
"Yeah, he's really dumb."
"Like you're not! Aniki, you're the dumbest of them all! Only you would think in climbing like a monkey!"
"What?! I'm not a monkey!"
"Yes, you are! Like the ones in that book!"
Little me and Jouji start arguing about who's dumber, with the other boy trying to make peace between them. This looks like your everyday life, is this in the Hiiragi district? It doesn't seem that different from my life back home, considering how much I fought over the most silly things with the boys in Pee Park.
"H-Hey! Takeru, Jouji... S-She's here." The second boy says as if he just saw a ghost, and then little me looks towards where he's pointing and I see a tall figure getting... What the hell?! You've got to be kidding me.
"Takeru, what did I told you about playing outside?"
"That I shouldn't do anything dangerous?"
"And did you?"
"No? There is no proble-Eeeh! It hurts! Maya-nee, let go of my ear!"
"No problem?! What would I have done if you fell from that height?! Gosh, what am I gonna do with you? I let you out of my sight for a second and you run off to the park."
"Let me go! I won't do it anymore!"
"You always say that. No more playing outside this week."
"EEH?! No fair!"
"Silence. You have no right to complain. Now, let's go back home." Maya-san starts pulling little me away.
"Don't worry Takeru! We'll go visit you later!" The boy whose name I don't know waves at little me, after a while the one named Jouji starts waving too.
"Maya-nee, let me go! It hurts!"
"Hmph, pouting won't help you."
They keep walking quite fast. This person is without a doubt Maya-san, she looks to be around my current age but she isn't wearing her Guard suit, or a dignified one either. She looks like a commoner, wearing a crimson and white dress. Her hair is tied in a similar fashion to my world's Maya-san. But... This only brings more questions. Little me called her Maya-nee, she said going back home. As for how she scolded him, it would seem they're actually siblings. But that's impossible, since his last name is still Shirogane.
Slowly, the image starts to lose color and twist itself in a whirl. Everything mixes itself into a weird gray, where all shapes are part of some sort of giant abstract 'something'.
"Takeru-san, I can't focus on that memory anymore. Do you still feel fine?" I hear Kasumi's voice from somewhere.
"Yeah, no problem. Can you keep going?" I didn't really reply. It's like my thoughts simply reach her without much effort.
"Yes. Give me one second."
I feel a slight jolt, the whirlwind moves again. Color returns to the visage in front of me, the shapes slowly return to reflect a normal view. Now, where is this place?
Again everything looks big, so I'm again seeing little me's memories. This place looks like... an old fashioned house? He's walking behind someone in a red Royal Guard uniform. I start hearing two voices bickering.
Are those... Yep, it's them pickles. Mion and Shion are arguing with each other, something about Shion cheating in some training.
Little me rubs his hand, he has a bruise. So they already trained? Uuuhh... I wanted to see him fight, dammit. Now that everything came into view I can recognize the person walking in front of the three kids. Tsukuyomi-san, wearing her red Guard uniform, looks back at the girls as they argue before speaking.
"Alright, you two. Stop fighting already, Yuuhi-sama does not like noise on the table." Tsukuyomi-san opens a big door, and we enter into a bright room.
There was a table, and there was a small figure sitting on the left side. Wearing a white kimono-like robe, with a small purple ponytail. Yep, that's Yuuhi.
"Oh, good evening. How was your training?" Her silky voice is a treat to my ears. It's hard to think this cute little thing wants to kill me.
"I won both matches!" Shion declared proudly as she sits, puffing her chest.
"I couldn't win..." Mion drops her shoulders as she sits by Shion's side on the right side.
"Takeru, your arm is hurt." As little me sat by Yuuhi's side, she grabbed his arm and started softly rubbing his bruise.
"I'm fine Yuuhi, don't worry." He's calling her by her name, sitting by her side... Just who are you? Why are you here?
"Really?"
"Yeah! I might have lost once, but I'll do better next time." He seems to be beaming at her, because she immediately recovered her smile.
Tsukuyomi-san brought the food to the table and the little kids started to eat with her. It does look like he was part of the family, going by how everybody is treating him.
"Tsukuyomi, can we all go and play for a while after dinner?" Yuuhi asks Tsukuyomi-san as she ate.
"Hmm... I guess you could all play some shogi?"
"Mana-nee, we're gonna lose again." Mion protested at Tsukuyomi-san's choice. Little me nodded in agreement.
"Nobody can beat Yuuhi in a game of Shogi."
"I'm not that good... Shion, do you want to play?"
"Only if I win something." She brought a finger to her lips as she grinned. So she was a devil since she was a kid.
"What do want? Oh, maybe a new dress?" Little Yuuhi tilted her head with a big smile, but Shion's grin grew wider and wicked.
"I want Takeru to play with me all day tomorrow!"
"S-Shion! That's mean, you can't... do..." Mion was protesting against her cousin's idea but fell silent suddenly. And I can see why.
In the corner of my sight I could see blue flares come out of Yuuhi's eyes as she pouted. I mean, it's not very intimidating for me, but the kids seem to be scared of her.
"No. Takeru stays with me tomorrow." She then hugs little me tightly, as if to enforce her point.
"Yuuhi-sama, you don't have to get jealous. Tomorrow you'll all have time to play together." Tsukuyomi-san's attempt to calm Yuuhi failed spectacularly.
"But he'll have to leave again after tomorrow..."
"See Shion? You're making Yuuhi sad. You dumb pickle!"
"W-What? I didn't..." Shion looks down, Mion grins at her making her pout and look away. Then little me's vision goes towards the purple girl that was still hugging him.
"Don't worry, Yuuhi. Tomorrow we'll play a lot together! And next time, I'll bring you more souvenirs, so cheer up!" He patted her head and she slowly looked up at him, her eyes recovered the usual shine. She can't be so cute...
"You promise? You'll come back?"
"Yeah!"
Yuuhi smiles again and let's go of little me, Tsukuyomi-san laughs quietly as she watches. They seemed to be awfully close, no wonder she wants me dead. If he was so important to her, of course she would want to dispose of someone passing as him.
They keep eating, talking about some festival, about how hard the trainings are. But again, slowly the images become distorted and start losing color. The shapes again mix and blend into that gray thing.
"Kasumi? How are you feeling?"
"I'm... fine. I can still..."
"You sound tired. Let's leave it for tonight. I mean, this two memories gave us a lot to work with. Take it easy, yes?"
"Alright."
Everything fades to black, and I feel a slight warmth all over me. I open my eyes and see that I'm back on the cylinder room.
"Ugh... Kasumi, how are you feeling?"
"Fine. Just a bit tired." She rubs her head with her eyes closed. She's having trouble calming her breath, so she did exert herself.
"That was awesome, I could see it as if I was there on real time. You did a great job, Kasumi." She jiggles as she opens her eyes.
"That's a relief. But we didn't get to see Sumika-san..."
"Don't worry, we can keep trying. And even if we only saw two memories, that still gave us a lot of answers."
"Yes. Seems like he was part of the Shogun's household. But he also was in a normal city. He's weird." She moved her bunny ears as she breathed a sigh.
"Yeah, no kidding. Was he adopted into the Tsukuyomi family, perhaps? Well, we'll find out eventually." I slowly try to get up. My legs feel really numb. Kasumi seems to also have trouble standing up.
"This was... more draining than I thought. I'll wait until tomorrow to show these images to Sumika-san."
"Yeah, don't exert yourself anymore. I'll be going back to my cell before it's too late, can you tell Sensei of what you saw?" I lend her my hand as she stands up. She's really tired, this must have been really taxing on her.
"Yes. You go on and rest, good night Takeru-san."
"You should rest too. Night, Kasumi." We left the room together as we stretched to remove the stiffness from our bodies. She waves at me before entering Sensei's office.
As I make my way to my cell I can't help but wonder about what I saw. I was living with Maya-san when I was little and called her Maya-nee. Where were my parents? Were they living with us? Maybe we were some sort of vassals of the Koubuin House? And then, the second one. I seemed to be really close to Yuuhi, and from the looks of it I was training with Mion and Shion. Tsukuyomi-san didn't seem to treat me differently, so who was him?
Well, one thing is clear. Sensei was right, he was on good terms with Yuuhi. They might have been like brothers on this world, so now I know why she and the pickles were so aggressive against me. I wonder what will I see tomorrow, I sure hope I can see something about his life in the Guard this time. Or about his life with Sumika.
Anyways, today was a fruitful day. It seems I'll be able to get along with my squad for the time being, the railgun is proceeding steadily, my research started off with a good pace, and I got to learn some nice tidbits of info about him. But I'm spent. I'll have to be careful during training to not end up exhausted. Well, let's hit the shower and then go to sleep, tomorrow will be another long day.
