Chapter 5: Daisuke Shinya
Overlooking the area, Daisuke sighed as nothing appeared to be going on. It was a good sign, especially given the recent uptake in activity which was putting some stress on everyone, and Border's public image. However, it had left him with various thoughts, such as how rushed things had been lately.
"Its been really stressful the last few days".
As he said that, he looked back over at Tora, who was currently taking a nap. He ended up swimming in the water that was by Tamakoma with Yuma, although the situation reminded everyone to buy swimsuits for both of them, they looked like they had fun together none the less. Also, there was no one around since it was the forbidden zone, so no one bothered to stop them.
He was now napping in the sun, drying off with a towel wrapped around him and a fresh change of clothes placed next to him. Yuma meanwhile had fully dried himself and got dressed already, since he didn't feel sleepy at all.
Rather, Yuma never seemed to sleep at all. Ever.
Either way, since Tora was relaxing like that, Daisuke left him to his rest. Tora was sleeping soundly, but he looked so innocent and defenseless right there that Daisuke, although he found it soothing and rewarding, would feel weird if he stayed and stared for too long, and also didn't want to risk disturbing his sleep.
"I guess those two just dont get cold maybe...Tora seemed more bothered by the heat, maybe Colsaria is a cold place? Or he just has a warmer body temperature" Daisuke murmured, when he ran into the other person he wondered about.
"Tora still asleep up there?"
"Yeah. He has had it hard, so I figured we could just let him sleep. Its not like anyone is going to come by and peek, and he is wrapped in a towel anyways".
"Hmm...in that case, it seems like the attacks have let up, so it doesn't look like Colsaria plans to continue random attacks. In that case, I am going to go hang out with Midorikawa and Jin. Apparently, Jin is rewarding us for all our hard work by taking us to a nice place to eat. Want to come?"
"Its fine, I have some plans myself. Me, Yumi, and a few others have plans already".
"Oh, I see. In that case, I will see you later" Yuma said, as he headed out. Daisuke then got his stuff together, and soon after, he also headed out. He checked the app to be sure.
Ramen Fan: We still on for today?
Twin Scope: Yeah. I am already here, and so is Yoshito and Hisato. Ah, Yumi just got here too...or maybe she was always here. Either way, by the time you get here, the others will probably already be here.
Decoy: Hurry up, we dont want to wait forever!
Drummer: Any word from Ziku or Uraraka?
Taicchi: Its probably better this way. Those two can go into lovey dovey crush mode at any time.
Decoy: Well, that is certainly true.
Ramen Fan: I am already on my way, so I should be there soon. Now just to confirm...who recommended this place again?
Twin Scope: Relax relax, I got it from Kakizaki.
Drummer: Kakizaki-kun huh? Then it should be reliable. By the way, did you invite Tora?
Ramen Fan: Tora took a swim with Yuma, and is now drying off while napping in the sun.
Drummer: Sounds nice. But seriously, hurry up!
Ramen Fan: Yeah, I am on my way!
"You got here faster then expected" Yumi mentioned, as Daisuke made it to the meeting point. Mikado City Central Plaza, which was a large open area that was sort of in the middle of the city. It was in the middle of that part of the city at least, and well away from the Forbidden Zone.
"Ah, I cheated a bit and used my Trion body, but I de-activated it before I got here" Daisuke admitted.
"Thats fine, I use my Trion Body for stuff all the time. The rules were only strict for C-Ranks, and my Rank Up Test is before the Rank Wars start. I plan to be A-Rank in the next few days!" Yumi declared, throwing out a victory sign from her hand.
"Then I guess Nino will be back as number one and Kageura will be back as number two. You going to celebrate Yumi?"
"Ah, some family will be coming from outside of Mikado for the celebration of course. After all, they are very proud of me".
At that point, Hanzaki's belly rumbled loudly, and the sound triggered a few others.
"Can we eat now?"
"Yeah, lets get going" Yumi mentioned, as they began to make their way to the ramen place. They had been talking the other day about ramen places in the city in their class when Satori brought the place up, so they, the people of their class that liked Ramen, decided to go.
Incidentally, various others were also invited, but they were busy. As they arrived though, Daisuke got a message. He immediately checked it.
Starblast: Dai-nii, whr did evry1 gi!
It was a terribly mis-spelled message from Tora.
Ramen Fan: Still laying in the sun? Go back to sleep then. If you need anything, Konami and Yotaro should be down stairs.
Starblast: K...
Incidentally, after the message, Daisuke suddenly got a call from Tora. He picked it up, but...
"Mmmhmmm...warm sun...warm breeze...warm floor..."
It was clearly a case of a misdial. Or in this case, a sleep dial. So he hung up to let Tora sleep.
"Tora?" Yumi asked.
"He is calmly resting, or rather, I think he is catching up on lost sleep" Daisuke mentioned, a warm smile crossing his face as he sat down at the table with the others. The ramen place seemed quite nice, with open air tables. That said, it was sort of chilly due to the month.
He considers this warm? Wont he suffer in summer then?
It was not brutal cold, but it was long sleeve temperature for sure. Daisuke would need to check, make sure Tora had plenty of light, loose clothing for the summer.
Either way, he focused on the menu. Tora was a concern, but he would be fine, and it was time to relax with his friends and classmates.
"Oh, Rabbit Ramen Soup? Someone used Rabbit?" Daisuke wondered for a moment.
Hisato was the one to tell him first.
"Its probably going to have things shaped like the Rabbits we saw during the Aftokrator invasion".
Hisato had a bit of a strained smile as he remembered them. A few of them that were considering it decided not to as a result.
"Marmod...Bamster...well, as expected, Border merch is the selling point of Mikado City. We get more tourists a year, although we also get a number of idiots who try to poach and steal Border tech".
"So far, they have not succeeded though!" their server said cheerfully, his voice familiar. They looked and saw that their server was none other then Tatsuki Akuma, the leader of Tatsuki Squad and a second year middle school student. Incidentally, he was Chika's and Izuho's classmate, along with Hebun Hayasugi.
As for what he was wearing, he was wearing what appeared to be a summer version of the C-Rank uniform, as well as a rather cute apron. His normal uniforms featured long sleeves and pants, so it was more notable, and more cute looking. The logos for the cafe looked similar to Border, only it was "Open Border", and instead of Defense Agency it was "Cafe Agency". The entire thing looked rather adorable, but also a bit professional.
Incidentally, right behind him was Remi, who had a notepad and was blushing quite a bit.
"What are you wearing Akuma-kun?" Ken giggled.
"My work uniform. Because I needed a part time job, because my asshole parents left me with their bill and somehow they managed to legally charge it to me. I can only hope they actually did skip town so I dont have to deal with them, but if you laugh, I will make sure to intrude upon your Rank Wars matches and take all of your points until you are C-Rank again".
Although he maintained a positive and cheerful tone, one could feel the anger and fury in his voice. They all heard stories about Tatsuki's parents, and frankly, none of them were surprised he chose to go independent and joined Border in elementary school
Although, the fact that he had to con his parents into signing a permission slip for it might suggest he inherited some of their skill.
Daisuke was not stupid enough to voice that comment. Neither was anyone else who thought it. Comparing him to his parents, and not contrasting, was a rather quick trip to having him actively be hostile to you.
You didn't want that. And considering his parents, it was a dick move and you would deserve it.
"Anyways, would you mind ordering? Our food is really good, so I am sure you will enjoy it".
He mentioned that in such a way that everyone just ended up ordering some expensive things. He even made a rather cute pose, but something about that pose terrified them greatly. Some might mistake him as a girl given what he was wearing if they didn't know him, but that scared them also. Something about his eyes made them feel like they should tip him very well.
As such, they all ended up ordering some rather expensive Ramen, while Remi gave them a look of pity. As the two boys left the table, Remi went over to Tatsuki.
"I know they made you angry, but was that necessary?"
"Eh, I did get angry a bit, and honestly I feel like I am going to die of embarrassment, keeping that cute energetic act up like the boss wanted, but...we are getting so many great tips, we will be done with this part time job in no time".
"...as expected, when it comes to money, you are prepared to suffer great humiliation for it".
"...that said, I have no intention of going to that place if I don't have to".
Either way, the group of Border Agents eventually got their ramen.
"Ahhh...that was good. It was worth the strain on my wallet" Yumi mentioned.
"It seems like all those Neighbor attacks have calmed down lately as well, so we should be able to restore some sense of normalcy to people" Daisuke mentioned. It was already getting into the afternoon now, but not quite sunset yet.
At that point, Daisuke got another text. He decided to open it.
Starblast: Nap was good. Had Konami's curry for lunch. Accidentally finished it, so sorry but no leftovers. I was hungry, and Yotaro had some too.
Ramen Fan: That is fine. Don't go out alone though...dont go out with Yotaro alone either.
Starblast: Kay.
Daisuke then closed it again, as the group noticed a movie theater nearby.
"Anything good come out?"
"I remember! There was a movie about spies and cool gadgets fighting monsters".
"...well, spies dont apply to us, but whatever. Its probably Border based, so want to go see who the Arashiyama ripoffs are?"
Satori suddenly sulked.
"...I get the feeling this wont make me feel good at all, but sure. At least I will know".
And as such, they decided to hang out a bit longer.
Meanwhile, Tatsuki was counting all the yen they made.
"At this rate, we will be done in no time".
"You sure you dont want to ask the others for help?"
"I would like to do it myself, but if I did, you would find out and end up tagging along anyways right? So just the two of us right now".
They were back in normal clothes, having finished their shift. As they were heading down though, Tatsuki stopped as they were about to pass a side alley.
"Hey Remi, take the money, activate your Trion Body, and get back home...to the base, for me".
As he said that, he gave Remi the money they built up, and Remi did as asked.
"Why, is something wrong?"
"I thought I saw a Rad and a person back there...I am going to investigate. I dont plan on raising an alarm if its nothing though, but just in case, I will let you know over comms if something happens".
"Understood. I will at least tell the rest of the team, so they can make it in time".
The two activated their triggers, and Remi headed out. Tatsuki meanwhile headed into the alley, using the Grasshopper he had placed in there temporarily to reach a fire escape, and jump from fire escape to fire escape, secretly watching below.
He saw it, the Rad, as well as a human.
A humanoid neighbor, with a Rad? Why here though?
He tried to listen in, to spy on the conversation.
"Yeah, the deal was made. Money paid in full, as well as the requested items. Pretty amazing deal if you ask me, but I suppose those humanoid Neighbor on the other side probably have tons of this Trigger stuff, so maybe this was actually a steal for them".
"If it was a steal for us both, then isn't that just a great beneficial deal?"
"Huh...maybe..."
Wait...Civilians with Triggers! Why did...no way, dont tell me Colsaria made that their aim?!
He immediately opens communications with all of Akuma Squad.
Demon: This is a high priority alert! Remi, alert Border, everyone else rally on me! That enemy nation, Colsaria, had equipped civilians, possibly criminal organizations, with Triggers!
Angel: They did what now?!
Human: Seriously?!
Distress Beacon: I am contacting HQ right now! But Tatsuki, you cant, under any circumstances, let them keep those Triggers!
Zoom-Zoom: I am the closest! I am inboung!
Unfortunately, as that went on, the two that were talking finally noticed they were there, and grabbed their Triggers immediately.
""Trigger On!""
Demon: They activated! I am going in!
Distress Beacon: HQ sent over emergency approval! All available agents are inbound to assist and help with the cover up!
Tatsuki immediately jumped down, bringing out his Cyclone daggers and striking at them. Colsaria Auto-Shields immediately deployed, but Tatsuki was used to them. He concentrated his blows and went for speed, using Grasshopper and Trailblaze to move around them and overwhelm the defenses. They both seemed to summon swords, nothing special but Tatsuki was at a disadvantage as they attacked.
I cant use Meteora, but they probably dont care about going public. Which means I have the additional constraint of keeping them here. Additionally, I cant use Meteora since we are inside of a civilian zone. Too bad I cant trap them in a training room like Suwa Squad did.
Tatsuki thought that, as he avoided another slash. He blocked both their blades with a shield, and then cut off one of their hands, but got a grazing wound of his own when he had to block their path while blocking two attacks at once.
They were clearly trying to escape, but they would take their chance to defeat him if they got it.
Zoom-Zoom: I am five minutes away! Hold out for that long, unless you can defeat them!
As that was said, the Rad opened up a gate, and two Trion Soldiers emerged. They were weirdly cat like, but their tails quickly pointed at him and he had to block, as the other two came at him with blades drawn.
Glad Shinichi isn't here...not sure if he would let me destroy some cats even if they were Trion Soldiers...
Now it was four on one. Tatsuki had more skill, but with the contraints and the numbers it was bad. He was better at fast strikes and moving around, forcing his enemies to move at his speed. The situation could be said to be fatal to him.
He deflected another blow, and he managed to cut the torso a little of one man, but they were not novices in fighting. That said...they were old, too old to have decent Trion.
Then again, they only summoned blades. Nothing else. At least I have that going for me.
However, the cats attacked him at range. Tatsuki wanted to move in and take them out, but if he stopped blocking the alley, those two would escape into the crowd.
Even now, he could hear curious people notice some commotion back here.
And then he got a message.
"Move back. Its fine".
Deciding to trust the message, he hopped backwards, as if on the defensive. Perhaps they were overconfident in fighting a small boy with such a superior position, or maybe they just didn't think it was strange, but they charged forward. They turned the corner, but as they did, Warp Pads appeared under the three of them, while blades shot from the ground and silently destroyed the Trion Soldiers.
As for the trio, suddenly they found themselves isolated in the Forbidden Zone.
"...this is much better, thanks Komiya-kun".
"...please call me Nora" Nora Komiya, A-Rank Trapper of Akiba Squad mentioned.
"Well done, both of you. Especially you Aku...Tatsuki-kun, who had to endure such an unfavorable situation without any time to prepare" Sekai Hikigane mentioned, giving both boys the highest praise. He nearly respectfully called Tatsuki by his last name, but then he remembered the boy's family situation and respectfully called the boy by his first name instead. Besides, he understood what his parents were like to Tatsuki now, thanks to Shinoda.
That said, Sekai was a bit surprised when he saw the two Tatsuki was fighting.
"...well now, those two actually seem familiar. It seems I will need to discuss some things with Director Shinoda later".
"Hikigane, you should know better then..."
"No. But it seems like you need to learn a lesson".
Well, Tatsuki-kun could take care of this himself, now that he doesn't have to worry about civilians getting involved.
Either way, the two in front of them had yet to understand the trouble they were in now.
Meanwhile, the others were just getting out of the movies, and turned on their phones, when they saw the reports of what happened. It seemed that there was a critical issue nearby, but it was already resolved by the time that they got out. Yumi especially was intently checking her phone.
"Something wrong, Yumi?"
"Ah, Dai...yeah, no, I was just checking in on my family. If Neighbors are arming our criminals though, our job is going to get harder...and, it seems my A-Rank promotion was moved up in the process. It appears...its now tomorrow".
"Wait what, why?" Hisato reacted.
"Probably they want to use the press of another A-Rank Squad to boost Border's reputation, before this gets public. Maybe make an excuse for a bunch of PR stunts while secretly using them as cover to scour the city...but I dont think it will be easy to keep secret, if Trigger technology is really being spread across Mikado. There were already some rumors, but this..."
Satori showed some insight, being from a PR squad his experience was showing. But Yumi had her own concerns.
"Maybe...they did a good job so far though, although there were always rumors of secret organizations elsewhere that had Trigger technology...well, that is the gossip at least. Either way, we should head back to the base. I am sure they will want to talk with everyone about this situation. Its a good thing Tatsuki-kun spotted them when he did, but..who knows how far the damage has gone already".
As she said that, she sent a message, and the group decided to head back to base.
Daisuke was a bit worried though about potential issues, but now the enemy might not be Neighbors or Trion Soldiers, but from humans on their side. Criminals and the like. The situation definently would have a lot of squads being called on.
And Tora too, would probably need to be questioned regarding Colsaria Trigger Technology in detail, and what to expect.
As for what Tora was doing at this time, he and Yotaro were playing board games. Tora, who was unused to such things, was satisfied and enjoying even the basic children's games that Yotaro had, as he was dressed in just a T shirt and shorts as the two were playing while laying down on the floor.
"This is bad, isn't it?" Cody asked, as he closed the door behind him, entering his father's office.
"Everything we were trying to build could be at risk. I can already imagine what Shinoda will say, and Rindo wont be happy either. None of us are so blind as to think the apperance of an enemy from this side of the gates would be a good thing".
He means, if humans here become dangerous Trigger and Trion Soldier users, naturally the hatred for Neighbors might diminish, or it might greaten if they learn they were armed. But the first option is more likely, since the first is an enemy they can see better on TV, they can understand the threat and evil more then mysterious creatures that come through gates. Well, it wont go exactly like that though...
"Seems like we will need to increase the frequency of covert checks in Mikado City".
"Indeed. Right now, it was a run of the mill criminal organization...but what happens if its someone smarter, more nefarious...a Moriarty, if you will..."
Ah...we did watch an old Sherlock Holmes movie the other night...
Cody didn't let that distract him though.
"And what about Rank Wars?"
"We proceed as planned. We cant let it seem like this is affecting us. That said, as an S-Rank Agent, you dont participate in Rank Wars, so I will be working you harder then others".
"Understood. I suppose I have to, since Amo cant, Jin is no longer S-Rank, and Yuma is only a partial S-Rank...among other things. Just a question...there are squads specialized in stealth...can I have them under my command for these operations, so we have a secure chain of command? Them, and others...we should make sure to put the agents that specialize at stealth and information gathering to work".
"Agreed...ah, and for getting us this information so early, I suppose I will need to award Akuma-kun an award".
Considering his parents stuck him with a bill recently, he will definently enjoy it. But...
"He prefers to use Tatsuki. Cause his parents are crap, which is why he lives in the base and not with them".
"...I will keep that in mind when I meet him".
The moment that was decided, Cody left, and found himself running into Daisuke and Yumi in the hall.
"You two are back already. Well, Subaru-san, you are the perceptive type right? I will be putting your skills to work in the future, so make sure you Rank up properly".
The two locked eyes for a moment, but they nodded and went on their way.
"That seemed a bit intense".
"Well, apparently since I am a good listener and apparently can sneak up on people, everyone calls me a spy".
"...you are surprisingly good at gathering intel and spying on people".
"Only because you gave me good practice".
The two friends nodded at each other, and then headed down the hall towards their destinations, laughing a bit at the jokes.
But meanwhile, there were two people meeting in the shadows, watching the base from afar. In their ears was a comm device of some kind.
"...monitor the situation for now, but don't engage. Let us see their value, and the full extent of their abilities before we act".
The two figures nodded, hearing the voice over their comm devices speak a bit more.
"And also, I have heard that there are Neighbors within possession of Border. I want you to personally go and determine their usefulness, and their danger, and then make the decision of how to deal with them based on your discression. Though, the one known as Tora...that one has been sought for by Colsaria, so keep that in mind".
Such words were muttered, as the sun began to approach a setting position for that day.