Sekai heard a certain sound.

An explosive boom reached him from far beyond the roofs of the buildings.

…Has that thing already been spotted?

It wasted no time in finding what it wanted, he thought, but he was a part of this.

As someone who did things for Border without them knowing, he normally got around to figuring out what was going on with very little, so he was not exactly clueless as to what was happening.

But, he thought. I need to get rid of it since those damn R&D Department members messed up big time.

He let out a long and dragged out sigh.

"I hope I can meet up with Denji or Yuki soon. Otherwise this will be more of an irritation."

He had been sent out on a special mission from Kinuta. Among the directors of Border, he preferred only listening to Shinoda, but he was not fully against requests from the others.

What exactly they had done was still an unknown to him, but both Denji and Yuki had been asked to assist him here. Both of them had their own things to do, but scouting out areas and informing others were their forte. Sekai did not expect them to fight whatever had been made. And according to them, they planned on that.

"This is something our our special #1 should be doing, so don't think I'll be helping you."

"Sorry, Sekai-san. I need to meet up with my squad later, so I won't have the chance to help."

Those were the lines of people who did not want to get involved with something as strange as this.

So Sekai concluded that the two of them would be able to find whatever it was that had escaped.

"—"

Now, what to do? he thought.

"I want to avoid getting into any serious fights if I can. That would only ruin the city."

Another sigh escaped his lips.

"So irritating."

Sekai thought about the city and the battle preparations he might need to make.

Based on his orders, he was allowed to make an excuse for his actions if needed. So he could say something untrue to maintain face for Border. There were plenty of excuses he could make so that it did not seem like it was Border's fault in the first place. His experience with these kinds of situations had made it easy to figure out how he would handle everything concerning the citizens of the city.

…Could I hide and wait in the direction it is going?

But there were figures in the city. They were civilians.

Perhaps as a service to Border, a small festival was being held and people were all along the roads and running some of the stores and restaurants. They would clean up any mess they made and they would provide assistance to anyone looking for it.

People like him were treated like they did not exist and were only part of the crowd.

There was another explosion. It was farther away than before. The sound of the festival was loud enough to cover that explosion.

…In that case…

This was dangerous.

If any of these people moved too far to the side then they would notice whatever battle was going on in the distance. They would not want to interfere with it, but they would worry about it. And so he made up his mind.

WorTri: "Hey, Shin. Can I ask for a favor from Kurosaki? I'm not asking as a member of Border but just someone who is using one of the favors he has built up over time."

Kuro-Shi: "Eh? Oh, sorry about the wait, I was looking at the garden. What do you need?"

"What I need…"

There were a few things he needed to make this work. He felt bad that he would be asking so much when it was supposed to be one favor, but there were little options right now.

"I need-"

Kuro-Shi: "Interrupting me while I am discussing business with someone so important!? What, is it wrong for me to come to this secluded garden to speak with someone! Die! Go now and die, you rancid creature!"

Sekai could only remain silent as the sound of someone running away could be heard on the other end.

Right after the footsteps had fully left, he heard Shin begin speaking again.

Kuro-Shi: "My apologies for that, Sekai. There was a spider about to land on one of the employees and I wanted to make sure they understood that."

The only thing he could do in response was sigh.

It had not been out of irritation or relief. The sigh was one of resignation.

"Shin, you know you… You know what…never mind."

Kuro-Shi: "Okay…? So what was it that you needed from us?"

Saying anything else at this point would only result in another sigh. So instead of speaking out loud, he began putting his words into text for Shin to read over and check when he needed to do so.

WorTri: "I need some things done in the area I'm currently at. I need the location to remain contained here or at least spreading out in the opposite direction I'm going to be going. No one is to go in the direction I will be in. I need the noise to be loud enough that explosions from a distance can't be heard. And lastly, I need Kurosaki to vouch for Border, if it's needed."

Kuro-Shi: "…"

WorTri: "I know that I'm asking for a lot here, and I'm sorry about that, but I need to do this to make sure that-…"

He had to forcefully stop himself from saying more than was necessary. A bad habit of his when it came to people important to him.

Shin must have realized what was happening as he said nothing about the forced stop.

Kuro-Shi: "Very well. I will get that done for you."

Kuro-Shi: "But remember this, Sekai: we will not be giving up on your happiness the way you have done so to yourself. With that being the case, we will not be protecting the citizens in that area and instead will be joining them in their festivities. They are the ones who buy products and continue to allow businesses like ours to flourish. Your request has been effectively denied, a favor has been wasted, and we will do nothing more than what we wish."

"I see…"

It was a harsh way of scolding him for his choices, but that was fine. Even if he had just wasted so much for something so simple, he was fine with that. It would lead to the same thing and everyone would remain within this happy atmosphere. A place where they did not have to worry.

With a final sigh, he looked around the area once more.

He would need to be moving soon and he wanted to imprint this image in his mind.

"Where am I now?"

He was on the southwest side of Mikado City. He was near the corner leading into the Forbidden Zone.

He needed to get moving and soon. Whatever had been messed up by Border was now his responsibility to take care of. This situation only meant that they needed to move differently from what was normally expected.

He hurried.

"…Outta the way."

"Oh, excuse me."

Hearing that, Sekai tapped the person on the shoulder and hurried on. He kept his pace light, but he also used his Trigger.

"—"

He used some horizontal acceleration to quickly leave that place.

"I was careless," said Sekai. "I can't believe someone suspicious would be here while I was busy. I guess I'll inform someone later."

.

Takigawa Seki watched the wind leave.

She placed her right hand on the shoulder Sekai had tapped.

"I thought about ending that quickly with a surprise attack, but it didn't work out."

She held a black knife in the hand on her shoulder.

She looked back to see no sign of Sekai, not even some scattered hairs.

That man had made an excellent escape.

And he had done so after tapping Takigawa on the shoulder to tell her he had noticed her. Takigawa had immediately prepared for battle when she realized she had been noticed.

Sekai had used that opening to escape, but…

…I should count myself lucky that I did not have to fight with my surprise attack equipment.

Staying positive is for the best, concluded Takigawa.

"Okay, let's get going."

She lifted her head with steady control and then looked up.

She had heard a noise.

This explosion was even more distant than the last and she noted something about that roar of air.

"That is not an attack. …They are pursuing someone as a game."

Kumokawa ran through the Forbidden Zone.

It had been a long time since she had been in a footrace. The surface was more humid than she remembered and she saw a thick layer of shimmering heat in the distance.

…Yes, the surface is such an elegant place. No weird upper or underclassmen anywhere.

"…Wait, this is no time to let that soothe me!"

Just as she shouted that, there was an explosive blast behind her.

A flame attack consumed several homes in an instant. This was more than just a fire attack, as it apparently had an explosion ability included as well. The rumbling produced a shockwave that sent the fragments of broken buildings shooting through the city at high speed. They literally pierced through other buildings to attack at unexpected places.

"Wah."

The building behind her to the right was apparently an inn. A Far Eastern wall with a terrace on the second floor was smashed through on the second floor. The building itself had not been destroyed. The fragments of the house destroyed in the explosion had collided with a building in the adjacent block. It was a column that broke through the inn's second floor wall and flew her way. The column was burned to charcoal in places and it carried fragments of the plaster wall with it.

They flew by overhead, but then they lost speed.

"…!"

Kumokawa sped up to escape the pillar that fell down toward her like it was trying to hit her.

She avoided it.

Behind her, the pillar crashed into the ground with a surprisingly light sound. She feared it would slide along the dirt and she did indeed hear it rolling with a hollow sound. But the burnt plaster fragments and clumps of dirt were raining down from above.

Kumokawa was familiar with the effects of explosions and how much damage they could do. She had learned that all too well during the first Neighbor invasion.

"Shit!"

She swore, but that felt like the only appropriate word.

"Curse those people who wanted me to come in early! Curse them…!"

Just saying it isn't enough. I have to do something about it once I get back. Yes, that's what I'll do. I feel like I'm violating a law against casting unauthorized curses, but I can have Nono-chan do something about that.

Besides, thought Kumokawa.

…I did think this sounded like a good idea…

Kumokawa recalled what happened the night before.

When she visited the cleanup after a meeting, Director Kinuta had handed her a tart in a box.

"Oh, Kumokawa. Take this home with you. Your idiot teammate idiot made them while crossdressing, but they're pretty good. And don't worry about tomorrow. We have cleared all of the tests and will make sure that you are safe during the entire thing. Take a look."

Tests Cleared

- Shape and form are that of a human.

- All physical abilities match that of an A-Rank agent.

- The limbs can move in so many directions.

- We even gave it a weapon to use.

- It can also do other stuff! Seriously, this thing is amazing!

"See? Everything is in order, so you relax and prepare for that. The entire R&D Department will be keeping taps the entire time. …Oh, there's a tea pack too. Eat and drink these and get some sleep. Okay?"

"Right..."

He had left when everyone else waved goodbye, but she should have protested on the spot.

After all, there was a flaw in those tests.

…They managed to get the basics down and fanboy over other stuff, but there's nothing you can do if you give the damn thing an actual intelligence mind.

Or to sum it up.

"It's decided to be a crazy trion soldier."

That was what happened to her.

Just in case, she had written "I am not a fighter" on her tablet and held it over her head.

She had chosen to move further away from the city so it would not go there.

It would cause her some issues since she was not familiar with the locations, but it meant that no one would have to worry about damages done in areas not meant for fighting. And it meant that other Border members could reach her faster.

So Kumokawa had decided to do this testing deep inside of the Forbidden Zone, raised her tablet, and waited for the Border-made trion soldier.

And that was what she had done.

There was a plaza in the Forbidden Zone. It was a dirt plaza with a well in the center. She figured her non-aggression sign would be quite visible from there. With everyone watching, the trion soldier would not be stupid enough to assume she was an enemy and attack her.

And just as she had left the streets and entered the plaza, someone had run out from behind a house.

It was an autonomous trion soldier. It was the one made by Border and called Jochū.

Jochū was an important creation for Border. It was their way of testing out if they could use trion soldiers so that their fighting force would more easily rival that of the Neighbors who came through.

That was why this test was important.

"Not! I'm not an enemy!"

Just as she yelled that, Jochū hid her face behind her hands. Then she swung her arms around in a large circle to reveal her trion face and stuck out her tongue.

"Baaaaaaaahhhhhhh! It's meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

And who are you? Oh, right. Jochū.

"Hiiiiiii! Little giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl! Let me show you the wayyyyyyyyyyyy!"

That led to her current predicament.

"Shit!"

She heard another explosion behind her. And…

"Hellooooooo! Where are yooooooou!? Come on ouuuuuuuut! Or are you happy where you arrre!? That's perfect! Just like meeeeee! I'm Jo-feeeeeeect…!"

The lunatic's voice pursued her below the sun.

Someone seems to be having fun, thought Daigo.

Daigo nodded at the edge of the Forbidden Zone. He stood in front of a small tea shop that somehow remained standing.

"Kasei had said that he will be a bit late, but I'm worried about the location. I will be here, and Border keeps the Gates closer to the base, but still."

He viewed a map of his location on his phone while making sure he knew where his younger brother was. He had been messaged about his brother coming to see him alongside someone else, but that was all. Nothing specific was said, so he could only guess the reason for all of this.

Sighing about something like this would only make him think he was being influenced by his captain.

So instead, he spoke to the individual standing behind him.

"So you are a foreigner then, Trochískos-san? Please forgive me if something happens while you're over here. Things can get a bit chaotic in this city."

"There is no need to worry. I have seen my fair share of chaotic moments, so I doubt there will be anything that will be surprising."

"That is why I am warning you."

Daigo looked the man directly in the eye he was able to see and saw a smile in return."

This man, who did not seem all too old, held himself in a way he had only ever seen with his captain or Shinoda. And even then, he seemed far more experienced than his captain. Yet at the same time, Daigo felt nothing bad about this man. The only thing was the way he held himself.

Well, that was not all true. There was one thing he had noticed from the moment he had seen this man, but it was something he had not been sure about due to it never happening before.

For the time being, he would remain by this man's side to keep watch over him.

As a result, they would both wait there for Digo's brother to arrive. At that point it was up to the man to decide how he would handle this situation.

"Would you like to rest then?

"That would be nice. Thank you."

Kasei stood before a large building.

He had been on his way to meet with his brother and had brought along his new friend so that they could meet each other. It was supposed to be a good chance to show off his older brother to someone new.

However, that plan had changed.

"...We can't go further than this."

"It's to be expected since the meeting spot is near the Forbidden Zone."

He could only agree with Kaede's comment.

Due to something going on, they were even further restricted from going towards the Forbidden Zone.

"Maybe some testing is going on?"

"It looks like a festival is happening and Border doesn't want it moving closer to the Forbidden Zone. …If they got stuck between that and a fight against a Neighbor, it would not look good."

"So what are we gonna do, Kasei? Go check it out now?"

"I don't want to break the rules for something like this." Kasei looked to the Forbidden Zone and the base where his brother worked. "I'm sorry, Kaede-kun. You wanted to meet my brother and I needed to give this to him. I would ask him to meet us here, but he told me that he has defense duty today. So for now…"

He looked back to the Forbidden Zone.

When he did, something appeared directly in front of him.

It was a boy with hair covering one of his eyes and a kind smile plastered onto his face.

"Hello there. I am Tsukiko Yuki. I am from Border, but at the moment I am here to speak with Girikage Kasei-kun."

Kasei quickly looked to Kaede when hearing the last name of this older boy.

The older boy only chuckled while waving his hand.

"I am not related to him. I just happen to share the same last name as him and his sister. No need to think too hard about it."

"Okay… So, um, what did you need with me?"

"Your brother didn't know about the restriction before the Forbidden Zone. It will only be for the day, but it will be heavily enforced. Since that is the case, he wanted me to apologize for you. He will probably do it himself later on, but he still wanted me to do it in advance."

"I see…"

He wanted to look down, to feel sad, tell this older boy something.

But he didn't.

Yuki had done nothing wrong and was informing them of his brother. There would be more times when he could introduce his new friend to his brother. This was not the only time he would be able to do this.

So instead of feeling sad, he pulled out the two black hard points and held it out in front of Yuki.

Yuki only looked at them in confusion.

"Um… I had been planning on giving this to my brother when he met up with him. He really likes it, so he'll probably miss it when he notices that he doesn't have it. …Tsukiko-san, can you please give this to him when you see him next?"

A soft smile came to Yuki's face as he nodded his head. The expression and his entire body seemed to relax more after Kasei had spoken.

From new to him, Kaede gently patted his back.

"Of course. I still have time, so I'll go take it to him right away."

"Thank you."

With a nod, Yuki disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

The two boys were wide eyed at seeing this. They both got over it rather quickly, assuming that it was just a Trigger that Yuki had been using.

Now with nothing to do, Kaede began leading Kasei away from the area.

"Let's go find something to do in the meantime."

Kumokawa realized the pursuing explosions had suddenly veered away.

…To the right!?

They had shifted, but she could not let her guard down. This could always be a feint. She had seen it happen for Hikigane Squad many times at this point.

"Kh…"

Kumokawa ran. She raced forward while telling herself she could relax if the explosions did not return after another 3 seconds of running.

Three.

There was another explosion behind her. Its position was still shifted.

But she ran. There was a three-way junction coming up and she wanted to turn right or left at it.

Two.

She accelerated her legs to hurry up.

Oh, whoops. I don't have enough cooling pads on me. I only have the usual two for keeping away the heat

One.

She approached the three-way junction and the explosion was shifted again.

Good, she thought. The lunatic really has given up on me. She must have spotted someone else when she lost sight of me.

"Zero…!"

After turning right at the three-way junction and moving behind a house, she took a breath.

She was safe.

That series of events had been far too much.

Why did a liberal arts type have to be chased around by an athletic…no, insane trion soldier?

"I'm protesting this once I get back…"

With that comment, Kumokawa released a heated breath toward the ground and straightened up.

"Right! Once I'm back to the base, I'll be giving my message of complaint!"

Racing destruction was added to the city. Houses were scattered into the air, but what exactly was racing through the Forbidden Zone could not be seen past the roofs and destruction.

However, a voice spoke up from a position overlooking that wave of destruction.

Two figures faced each other on the abandoned roofs of the Forbidden Zone.

One was a white-skinned man standing on a water bucket.

"Hikigane Squad Captain Hikigane Sekai."

His opponent stood on a bathhouse roof with arms crossed.

"Jochū - trion soooooooolider!"

With her arms still crossed, she spread out some swords in her hands. There were three in each hand. She held the blades between her fingers and flames burst from them to extend their reach.

"You think too much of yourself, little boy…!"

The water bucket foothold exploded when the fire touched it.