Operating - To_the_End
Ranbanein watched it all while alone atop a snowy hill.
A battle had been fought as two sides were interrupted twice by unexpected forces. The Wanderers specialized in that exchange of attacks and capture known as a greeting.
...That really is pretty fun.
Ranbanein had fought against them before, so he had experienced it a few times.
Their forces tended to have different ways of attacking and capturing, so they had control on certain aspects. They would pass by with differing values, but based on what he had heard before...
"That's supposed to be based on the odd tournaments that were popular in some other land..."
Due to the odd ways of the moving group, they could not afford any sort of stalling from others without some kind of result or reason. Their battles had always been to determine what they can and cannot do against many variations of opposition.
That was where their capture came in.
In the capture, they could judge each other's strength, settle things whenever, or continue into a full-on battle if necessary.
But this capture had been difficult to judge. Damage-wise, the Wanderers' side had lost since they had lost the main body of their ultimate weapon. But...
...Is this a difference in morale?
As everything settled down for Miden, it's people would begin to realize what would be happening with their protectors as even more Neighbors went through to attack.
Meanwhile, the Wanderers always had the chance to escape or continue an attack while everything settled down.
"It's like they have the winner and loser backwards."
"Ranbanein, why are you muttering complicated stuff to yourself? And where's Hairein?"
The footsteps approaching him from the hill's snow behind him belonged to Mira. Then she said more.
"Everyone's about to take action. World's Cancer, Wanderers...as well as Miden and us."
.
Ranbanein saw Mira approaching him.
She was looking out at the drops falling toward a frost-covered forest a few kilometers away.
"Huh? ...My brother isn't with you? I caught a glimpse of him from the other side."
"Oh, he said that a big change was coming soon that would send others running from the forest, so he went to speak with others."
"He always worries about certain things first, doesn't he? ...Oh, but with Misó being less active, we might get more than just simple meals, so maybe this will be good."
He grinned towards the small woman.
"Anyway, why are you here? You look like you're about to trip with every step."
"I'm not going to trip," said Mira as she arrived at his side, took a breath, and paused before saying more. "It was a rush, but we've got a connection. Pyr put in a lot of work, so make sure to thank Viza."
"You did what you could too, right? Don't give Pyr and Viza all the credit. It's not like you have that much credit to call your own."
"You're really good at thoughtlessly hurting people's feelings, you know that?"
Mira lowered her crouching hips onto the snow and Ranbanein frowned.
"Hey."
"Oh, I'm fine. Unlike yesterday, I'm wearing waterproof tights."
"Your ass'll still get cold.
"Girls' tights are insulated. Now stop before I fill you full of holes."
"I see."
Ranbanein looked toward the snowy forest and heard something move toward him in the snow at his feet.
"Ranbanein, are you worried about the people from Miden?"
"Is anyone in the know not?"
"I'm not." Mira wrapped her arms around her knees. "I wonder what will happen once this invasion is over."
"I wouldn't know. Go ask Viza or my brother... I mean our captain."
"You do too know." Mira pointed her nose to the north while still holding her knees. "There is some rumor going around that says we will be rebelled against while we are invading this land. But our forces can't return to counter and will get taken out by others. Sadly it might be Misó. And..."
And...
"Someone seems to think I will die before that even happens. From what, I do not know."
"That better not be the case while you still have Speiraskia, since you are our best way of transporting a lot of stuff and getting out of tight spots. There's no way you're dying before anything happens."
"That would normally be something to worry about. Hmm. I don't really get the pointless stuff you're saying, but I am thankful for having such a good body," said Mira. "So if I do 'die', I think I'll retire."
"Ah? You won't be coming with us? You could take another name or stick with us as a normal fighter."
"Do you want me to?"
"Having you around is a huge help. It means I don't have to manage my finances."
"Hmm," thought Mira when he responded so readily. She added a second "hmm" before responding. "If anything, you should probably use more of your money."
"I don't really care about fashion and I'm never at home."
"No, not that. I mean use it on other people. Like some subordinates or the residents of your area."
"I thought I was..."
He scratched his head and Mira smiled bitterly.
"I more or less know you want to do that kind of thing and that's why Hairein and I arrange for it, but you should use more money on better things than what you already are using it on. Simple things can be a problem to appreciate at times."
"That sounds like a pain, so you do it."
"Nn..."
"You're better at that kind of thing than me, right? So take care of it."
He said it with a sigh and then he took a breath.
If not for the current situation, he knew that she would have attacked him for the casual words he was saying.
"You couldn't find Rhinoceros Beetle 07?"
That question came from an elevated location. Multiple panels created a barrier under the sky above the Ariake and the sky's sunset was coloring the open front to the main entrance of the large ship belonging to the Wanderers.
Futoyuki stood there with a red sash draped over his outfit and he was speaking into the window next to him, but it was only text that answered him.
While looking at his own window to the right, Marfa - a young man who seemed like a teacher - supplemented the words from the unspeaking responder.
"Sir, I have confirmed that Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was seen returning to the Ariake from the city. It then received a checkup from Sanshū at the medical room, but we do not know where it went after that. After double checking, I have confirmed that Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was seen returning to the Ariake from the city. It then-..."
"Marfa, you don't have to get stuck in a loop."
"My apologies."
Marfa bowed and Futoyuki nodded back before crossing his arms.
"This isn't good. We messed up with the original, but we have to do things right with Pyrínas 07, who had gained an ego."
"Right. I have determined our reputation is on the line. I will instruct them to continue the search."
"That's right," agreed Futoyuki.
He faced forward.
From the opened front, he could see the entire area of Mikado City that contained the organization that had managed to stop them. People - and only people - were all working all over the city to continue on with what they had to deal with during the day.
"For now..."
He then spoke to no one in particular.
"Hey. Am I doing the wrong thing here?"
"I have determined you are not as long as you are capable of asking yourself that. Of course, that does not apply to those who only make a show of asking themselves and unquestioningly believe they are right in their heart."
"True enough." Futoyuki smiled bitterly and shut his eyes. "But I still want to give voice to my concerns."
Namely...
"What happened when we were on our way to the other places."
.
Until recently, where he had been back then had been visible from here.
"The ones who are into engineering... Even regular agents it seems."
When the city was tossed into organized chaos, Border's members who had not been captured had been running around. To preserve the safety of the city, they had been checking not only the largest areas but also the smallest ones that could have been overlooked without issue. Those jobs were technically under the jurisdiction of real officers and firemen, but the Border members had taken it upon themselves to make sure the citizens were okay even when they had been told that the non-combatants would not be involved.
Once the Trion Domes were protecting certain buildings in the city, no one could get inside, so they needed travel along other ways. They had used the wide and long roads they saw from their multiple views of the area. But...
"Did you know?"
I can't keep that hint of excitement from my voice, thought Futoyuki as he spoke to Marfa.
"When we looked at the different sections of different nations, a huge row of defense come up to block our view at times. And when they glow, any surrounding buildings look like they shift to the side or are swept away."
Futoyuki spread his arms a little.
"It's all surrounded by trion in an instant. It's a breathtaking view. But the simplicity of this single city..."
"You love Miden, don't you?"
Marfa's words briefly froze Futoyuki's movements and expression.
...That's right.
There was no point in hiding it and he was not even sure if there was enough there to hide, but he decided to be a little stubborn regardless.
"It's not the Miden I love. ...As much of a pain as it is, I just love all of those scenes where you can see this odd world's history move. I especially love the ones I run into and realize that only I've noticed the turning point there."
At that time, he had inappropriately realized that only he was gasping and viewing that breathtaking view. But...
"If it wasn't for that counter, that is..."
Perhaps it had been punishment. No, the conflict with Miden had been official and the damage to their forces by those opponents had been deemed part of that official conflict. But the Wanderers had still been weakened, and...
"There were a lot of issues."
His position as the leader of the Wanderers had not helped in the slightest.
...It was entirely meaningless.
The Trion Soldier he had worked on with his trusted comrades had left their orders and it had decided to attack on its own.
That may have been why he had thought something for what was likely the first time.
...There are some things not even a high position holder or anyone else can fight.
There was a type of power that forced helplessness onto people and rendered all resistance futile.
"It isn't violence, political power, or public opinion. ...You can simply call it the history left behind which encompasses all of that."
It swallowed up all else and set everything in motion.
It included the circumstances, the flow of time, the preparations, and the movement of the people.
There were times when it all complexly intertwined and left one unable to do anything but accept the violence, political power, and public opinion they should have been able to resist.
In that case, thought Futoyuki. It isn't the violence, the political power, or the public opinion that's so frightening.
It was losing the chance to resist all that. That was difficult to sum up in a single word, but...
...Perhaps I should call it "destiny". The former leader might have called me a fool for thinking that though.
Futoyuki spoke his next thought aloud.
"I suppose that unopposable destiny accumulates to form what we call history."
"Sir."
"Yes?"
"Right." Marfa nodded and spoke calmly. "I define history as something people create and assisting people is the greatest task of a Trion Soldier like myself. Saying that history is created by inevitable destiny and not people's wills would affect my raison d'etre as a Trion Soldier with someone's consciousness."
"Marfa."
Futoyuki turned toward him and swung his left hand upwards.
The dull sword he had grabbed at some point whipped up the wind, flipping up Marfa's coat. Marfa quickly pushed the coat back down with his left hand, but he still frowned.
"...Sir?"
His tone was asking for the meaning of that and Futoyuki reacted with a gentle movement.
He sighed.
"Well? Could you resist that?"
"No."
Marfa was correct. He shook his head and corrected his posture.
"I could not resist it. I could only reduce the damage it caused as much as possible."
"I'm the same. That was all I could do when that counter hit."
Futoyuki said something he had said to Marfa many times before.
"People can 'cause' things on their own, but they cannot know what will 'happen' to them ahead of time and they cannot act in advance to stop it from happening. And when what happens to them is caused by many factors and not just an individual's will, the level of impossibility only rises."
Hey.
"Is that why the world in motion is such a breathtaking view?"
Futoyuki looked down at the expanse of colors before him. Marfa instantly stepped forward and flipped up Futoyuki's coat.
"Eh?"
Futoyuki was speechless, so Marfa nodded and spoke.
"I have determined that is a breathtaking view, sir."
"...Marfa."
Marfa swiftly jumped back and Futoyuki took a half step after him and whipped up the wind again. Marfa landed while holding his side coat in place.
"Not bad, sir!"
Without replying, Futoyuki tried to flip up Marfa's coat to make absolutely sure he won, but instead he had his own flipped up, putting him one point behind.
It was silly, but he could lose himself in it as long as he knew that. So he and Marfa used the full bridge to take positions against each other.
He spun around, rushed in, and pushed at the outer edge of his opponent's knee so the knee would collapse.
"—"
But when his opponent lowered his hips and moved back, he started to circle behind him to get the Trion Soldier to pursue him. He thought he had the perfect shot and whipped up the wind, but the Trion Soldier easily avoided it. But...
...Honestly.
That reborn Trion Soldier was excellent at inventing ways to get him to take a break.
Futoyuki was the active type, but that was why moving his body made for a nice change of pace. As a result, he had learned martial arts and how to use a sword. Those abilities had come in handy when gaining leadership in the Wanderers.
But besides that, moving his body was fun and he upped his speed with nothing on his mind besides capturing Marfa.
But suddenly...
"Is this how it works!?"
Both Futoyuki and Marfa had the sides and backs of their coats flipped up at once.
.
It had happened without warning, but...
...Eh?
There was a reason for Futoyuki's confusion. He and Marfa were facing each other. To flip up both their coats, someone would have needed to instantly circle behind both him and Marfa. And do it fast enough that they did not notice.
He found his answer.
"Mr. Chishi?"
.
Marfa was cautious of the branch director in a track suit.
Akasora was a former teacher who now worked for Border, so he was obligated to check on them as a branch director. Especially after their recent conflict. But...
...I heard he taught the ones who took down Sanshū and the one who hit down the Ultimate Pyrínas was using.
Most of the time Miden used their schooling systems to teach them things that did not revolve around fighting in the slightest, let alone fighting using Triggers. It had been something Futoyuki learned from his former leader. But what he had seen during their greeting went beyond what some places taught in their own teachings.
...And I have determined that their skills have grown quite a bit thanks to the people like that "Yuki" Sanshū mentioned. Our former leader would probably be really happy about this.
In other words, the teacher who had trained some of their enemy stood before them.
That was why Marfa stood between Akasora and Futoyuki. Holding his hands together in front of his waist would be the standard pose, but he let them dangle at his sides this time.
He then gave a quick bow without taking his eyes off the man and asked a question.
"Do you have business with Leader Futoyuki, Mr. Chishi?"
"Sort of." Akasora put a hand on his chin and faced Marfa. "About the special meeting and requirements. I gave it the stamp of approval and our Director Shinoda gave his permission, so it's all ready to go. Last time, Masafumi said he'd 'take care of it', but this time it's going to be completely official for us."
"Are you sure?"
"I don't mind at all as a teacher, but it is a pain as a member of Border."
"A pain?"
Akasora's eyes and eyebrows bent in a smile and he beckoned him over.
Marfa looked back and made eye contact with Futoyuki before facing Akasora again.
"...Do you need something?"
Akasora moved his face in close and pointed down.
Marfa was confused, but the man's expression changed to a glare.
"They haven't been doing too much that seems important, but they be been goofing off down below in the branch we have. What am I suppose to do about this? Could I maybe fire an attack down at them? I really want to tell them to quit goofing off and start studying."
"Judging from the situation, are you furious?"
"Maybe two steps away from it. I haven't even been to the beach yet this year..."
"In the interest of self-preservation, I will nod and say that is truly unfortunate, but since it is currently an odd position for both sides, isn't it up to the people to decide what to do?"
"So I can't do it, huh?" sighed Akasora.
Then someone spoke from behind Marfa. It was Futoyuki.
"While I would love to jump into some water, completely naked-"
"An unnecessary addition of words, sir."
"...You seem awfully calm, Mr. Chishi. Do you trust your people that much?"
"Eh? If we're talking about my students, the one who will likely be speaking with you, I certainly don't trust them to behave in class or do their schoolwork, but I trust them in everything that matters. A poor student is made by a poor teacher. I've taught them, so of course I trust them. What about you? From the looks of things, that older man seems to know what's really going on, but he just smiles and doesn't really get involved."
Akasora looked around for a second before turning back to the two.
"Oh. And no need for any type of formality. Akasora, Chishi, Sensei. Anything is good for me."
Akasora smiled a little and Marfa recalled something. Futoyuki's second-in-command was a man of few words, but he had said something when he had heard about Futoyuki's decision to hold this special general meeting with the ones who witnessed Pyrínas Original's failure as a weapon.
..."Create the future."
What had he meant? It was conceptually unclear. After all, the ability to create the future on their own contradicted the unavoidable destiny that Futoyuki feared.
That may have been why Marfa asked a question without thinking.
"Akasora-sensei, do you think people can create the future? Or do you think Miden resistance is shattered by an unavoidable dest-. ...That sounds a lot like something Hatomi would say. I am very sorry. What I mean is-..."
"Hey, boys?"
Akasora straightened up again and gave them a small smile.
"I don't really know about that. Humans, what we call our people, are so small, after all. But there is one thing even I can tell you."
"Which is?"
"Right." Akasora nodded. "Have you ever stood on the world stage to set the world in motion?"
Marfa sensed Futoyuki tensing up behind him.
That may have been enough for Akasora.
"Good." He put his hands on his hips. "Looks like you aren't just trying to believe in some selfish little world you created in your imagination."
He had one more thing to say.
"Then you're probably going to be a lot of trouble for my kids."
The "How" had never been more important than the "Why" when it came to dealing with their Trion Soldiers. There was hardly ever reason to ask "How" something came about when they were the ones in charge. The "Why" was all that mattered. They needed to know what their response would be when asked the question.
Why did they try to help other nations? How would it benefit both sides?
Why did they do such strange things? How much did they gain from their strange ways?
Why were they always moving instead of setting up some sort of base? How had they managed to keep themselves together while moving?
There had never been a reason to ask the "How" before the "Why" when it mattered a lot less to everyone else. The priorities were always towards the reason as to why they did what they did. Asking them how they went about doing it was always an afterthought.
"This time it is different. We ourselves are asking 'How' instead of 'Why' and it is being directed at ourselves. This is causing us a nice big headache that makes me wonder 'Why' I am still here and 'How' can I still be so sane."
Hatomi let out a tired sigh as he looked over the data they had on the Trion Soldier known as Pyrínas.
It had been a strange thing for the Autonomous Trion Solder to go against the programmed orders and create its own to follow. While they had given it free will, they made sure to keep it on a leash that would guarantee them control over it.
Yet something had happened with that control.
"Sanshū had told us that even the Trion Soldiers that came from Génnisi had been going against her commands. Only the ones that she created recently were listening to her order. That means the will that Pyrínas had created for itself had extended towards the older Trion Soldiers we created."
Hatomi grinned to himself.
"Interesting."
He had been looking over everything they had, every piece of the Trion Soldier known as Pyrínas, and even more from the safety of the Ariake. Word had been sent to him that one of Miden's soldiers had made it onto the Ariake at some point, but he thought nothing of it as he worked.
What mattered right now was finding the faults in their work and what had happened to Pyrínas. Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had been asked to come by the Ariake to determine what had caused the change in Pyrínas Original to begin with during their invasion.
"The fact we had to ask him instead of ordering him makes me so excited. It means there is something about Trion Soldiers that we did not know about and now need to learn in order to better ourselves. I had worked on Pyrínas Original with our former leader, but this has never happened before."
"Hey, old man, stop rambling to yourself and step out of your cave for a bit. One of Miden's people came by to see you in order to make sure you aren't doing anything that would cause more trouble for everyone."
"I'll have you know that I am just trying to figure out what happened to Pyrínas. Tell that Miden person that I am fine with reveling my findings once they are done."
"I don't want to lie like that! Look, I'm just going to send them in to you. You can lie to their face or do whatever else. I'm busy myself trying to make sure that Sanshū doesn't go on a rampage or anything. Marfa seems fine enough, so she isn't too worried about him. She even checked on him to make sure there was nothing wrong with him like Pyrínas. Besides that, she seems to want to go down to the ground to see one of the Miden people she had fought against."
Hatomi sighed as he rubbed his temple.
Shona knew how to irritate him almost as well as Futoyuki did. The difference was that she was far less innocent than the younger male and did these things on purpose.
The difference between their members was always atonishing. Two of their longest standing members were rather innocent for everything they had seen while two of their newest members were unrefined and crude given how little they had seen.
Why did we pick them up again?
"Shona, remind me where our main forces are from again. I think my age is getting to me."
"Wow! You actually admit that!"
She was sure he knew where she was from.
"Right, right. Write this down so I don't have to repeat myself again. You may be aged, but I'm not nice enough to keep saying the same thing."
"Out with it."
There was a moment where some rustling could be heard.
A small static noise filled the room before the same voice was heard.
"I actually can't remember where Kia and I came from, to tell you the truth. All I remember is that it was some nation that may or may not have been destroyed. Don't really care to remember it."
Hatomi held his tongue, not wanting to bring up any bad memories for the girl.
"After that, going from latest to oldest... Sanshū is from Leoforio. You are from Chion. Last would be our current leader. I will even say our former leader, in case you forgot. First is our current leader."
Futoyuki.
The boy who had come from a certain nation that made him dispise himself once word of an event got to them. His personality was far different from what had been seen before.
"Futoyuki is from Aftokrator. One of the nation's who refused our words and attacked us the moment that rejection came about."
Once word of their invasion on Miden reached them, their captain had gone to hide himself from everything around him. Nothing had been said and nothing had been done after that. There was nothing on him for quite some time with the only thing letting them know that he was still active being some sounds from his room.
The reason was a harsh one.
"As for our former leader... We are current stationed on the world he originated from. He is from Miden. Oh. But I don't recall him ever mentioning an organization like the one we fought today. Maybe something new?"
Their current leader's home world had attacked their former leader's home world.
That had been when Futoyuki completely cut any ties with Aftokrator. They are the only ones who he considers an actual enemy now.
Hatomi let out another sigh as he thought about what he had just been told. Everything lined up with what he remembered.
This was one of the few moments where he truly did feel his age and pity the young ones he knew. Each one of them had their reasons for joining the Wanderers and by remembering where they were all from reminded him exactly what those reasons were.
It had been painful the first time hearing them. Even now, after spending time with them all, he still felt pain for them.
"Hey, old man, I'm sending that Miden person to you now. I have other things to do right now, so don't bother bothering me about it. Huh? What!? Huh!?"
There was a strange sound from the other end that made Hatomi tilt his head.
As one of the two people who had full authority of the Ariake, he opened a new window to listen in on what was being said to Shona. What it was made him shudder a bit.
"Lady Shona, I have just received word from Marfa, who is with our leader, that Lady Sanshū has gone down to Miden again. Her apparent target is one of the buildings we had covered in trion to prevent intervention."
Hatomi felt a cold sweat start to appear on his forehead as he heard those words.
"And so our victorious mood from this strange greeting ends here. This information was just officially sent to us via Border's directors, but the Wanderers have agreed to talk with us about what they wanted and how it can benefit both sides."
Kimura spoke in her track suit and her words rang through the small room where some of Border's members were gathered.
They were in a far room of the Yagura Branch belonging to Border, facing the outer city. This was the tatami-floored meeting room in the back of the building's second floor.
Things still had to be organized there for the branch, but it was a place for them whenever needed. And Kimura said more there.
"I would now like to go over what information we have and then think about our next move. ...Got that?"
.
The Wanderers had finally finished their greeting towards Mikado City due to Border's interference.
The room inside of the Yagura Branch's building was still being arranged and Mikado City's maintenance was underway. In the room, Murakami turned to Suzaku, the source of the information, to confirm what Kimura was saying.
When Suzaku noticed his gaze, he nodded back and Murakami sensed some concern in his gaze.
...Oh.
Only after wondering why that was did he remember that his former school teacher was on the Wanderers' ship and he was a favored student to Akasora, Yagura Branch's director. However...
"Don't worry. I have faith in Sensei. My thoughts as a student is a different matter. Isn't that right?"
Suzaku's eyebrows rose slightly and he finally smiled.
"Eh? Oh, yes, that's right. Right? You're Akasora-san's knig-...student, right? Just like Yucchi and Takato-san, right?"
...Are you still bothered by not being able to do much earlier!?
Murakami also blushed for no real reason.
Behind them, Suzume's shoulders were shaking in suppressed laughter, but Murakami and Suzaku could still hear it. However, the nudist in a track suit jacket and Kon were sitting out front and had not noticed.
So Murakami calmed his breathing and spoke.
"Kimura."
They had to focus on strategy right now.
Murakami raised his right hand in his blue track suit and asked Kimura a question.
"Kimura, why did Sensei go to the Neighbor's ship?"
"Right. Simply put, he went for a proper greeting so that another fight would not start up."
Kimura swung her right index finger to open a window along the path of the finger. The window opened in a stacked document-checking mode, but she had the small German Shepard in her arms rotate it by 90 degrees and then enlarge it.
"You've gotten used to this," commented Ōji.
"I have, haven't I?"
Kimura nodded in obvious satisfaction, but Senzai silently pointed at the open window while assembling a bookcase.
When she looked back, she found the window on table-screen was upside down.
...Oh, dear.
Murakami found it adorable and Kimura sighed in obvious dissatisfaction.
"Oh, um, Krümel, when rotating it, you can't just rotate it. Everyone has to be able to read the-...oh, is that too confusing? Um, when it's oriented sideways, this side goes down. Can you remember that? Then let's try rotating it. Spin, spiiiiin. Right. Then what about this side? Down? Down. Oh, good job, good job. I'll have to give you a treat to reward you. Okay? Okay? Ah ha ha. Here you go."
"Kawa, hey, hey, come on back now."
Kimura noticed the track suit jacket calling out to her, so she cleared her throat.
Then Kon turned back toward Murakami.
"Kimura, I believe Kō-kun asked a question."
"Right. And I'll answer it."
The open window displayed a simple map of Mikado City and specific locations.
.
Murakami heard Kimura speak while gesturing to the map.
"Listen. Apparently what those Neighbor did was apparently a 'greeting' and that became the basis for understanding what they want. Akasora-san, someone who doesn't mind a lot of things, thought it best to give his own greeting. They are staying stationary within the Forbidden Zone over here."
"The directors are waiting for have the proper conversation with them, which is why it was just Akasora-san."
Murakami had rarely been in that area, but he knew the general layout of the area.
So he knew why the Neighbors had likely decided to be there.
"If they stay in that area and don't move, they would be out of the way and much more inconspicuous. They also wouldn't cause any more trouble for the citizens or us. So if they stay where they are for the moment..."
Murakami opened a window of his own. Suzaku quickly synced his with Kimura's.
...He really has this set up well.
Suzaku must have been bringing them together using an information sharing system. Sensing the benefits of that, Murakami moved his finger along the map now displayed on his open window.
A red line was drawn along the path of his finger and it appeared on Kimura's open window as well. And it indicated...
"Most likely, if they were to move anywhere then it would be over here since it is actually closer to where we currently are at the Yagura Branch. After all, because of the recent actual invasion where Yuki, Senpai and the other three fought it has been off limits due to filling in the holes they had made. And based on everything that happened today, Border may hold off on letting more work continue there in order to have a safe place to discuss things."
He hesitated with an "um", but then he drew a circle somewhat near their current location but closer to Border's headquarters.
"This group - the Wanderers, right? - will either temporarily land or descend around here to release some ground groups. Most likely to scout the area for any traps. They were cautious enough to keep the citizens away from the fighting earlier."
"Do they really need to bother releasing ground troops?"
Ōji's question received a response from Akashi who was assembling the bookcase with Senzai. He quickly spun around, overshot his mark, and turned back the other way a bit while striking a pose with a hand on his forehead.
"They very much do need to. After all, we just returned their 'greeting' with full force. Anything other than caution will cause them to lose a second time and dampen the mood for them. More than one loss within one day would cause any organized group to decide they have to win and go all out into another fight they most likely couldn't win. If these Wanderers are concerned with traps and another loss, they will be much safer lowering themselves slowly into discussions instead of getting hit with more failure."
And...
"Even areas like that have interception and defenses set up to defend against more attacks. It's hard to tell while over here, but things have been set up by the Engineers. And the latest trend is to make them unmanned and automated, so they need to be safe from those before having any sort of discussion with us. Any questions so far? I'm good to go for anything. Oh. Except from my stupid captain. He can go back to being just a citizen for all I care."
After the half-nudist gave everyone a look, Murakami exchanged a glance with everyone. And then he spoke to Akashi.
"If there's something you want to say, you can say it."
"Wh-why does it sound like there's an implied 'not that we'll listen' on the end of that!?"
"Well, um," stalled the others as Murakami suddenly remembered a conversation that occurred earlier in the day.
His former teacher and one of Border's directors had mentioned an old friend that had also made an appearance during the "greeting" done by the Wanderers.
...I'm really worried...
That thought had more to it:
...About that family.
.
"Is something the matter, Kō-paisen? You look pale."
"No, um...let's just say I'm worried about a family in a broad sense."
Girikage nodded at Murakami's response.
"So you are worried about your family?"
He saw Murakami start to nod but then shake his head.
"Oh, yeah. I am worried about my family in the broader sense I mentioned, but if anyone, it's Tenryū's father I am really worried about..."
"Whatever the case, it is a-parent you are worried about someone's parents."
Girikage tried to respond to Kimura. He had to say something. The heart of a tsukkomi was an immediate delivery. But Suzaku placed a hand on his shoulder from behind to stop him.
"Y-you can't, Girikage! That only did light damage! We can handle it!"
"Ahh, I can't handle iiiit. I can't handle it at alllll."
"This is no laughing matter, Misaki! And Girikage, you need to resist!"
"No, do not stop me, Suzaku-san."
"Ha ha ha. Look at that, Krümel. Girikage liked my pun."
"Face reality!" everyone shouted.
Kimura tilted her head at that, but Girikage turned back toward Murakami with an air of "anyway".
"To get back on topic, it would seem Kō-paisen has a bad feeling about the father of someone who takes after a person we all know."
Girikage placed a hand on Murakami's shoulder.
"When that little ninja's frail and hentai-protagonist nature lands him in trouble, Tsukiko-paisen, your friend, will make a heroic appearance, hide him somewhere safe, and protect him. And then his father will end up seeing someone who should not be seen by him. Isn't that right?"
"In a broad sense, I feel like all of that is entirely accurate."
This sounded like a personal issue, so Girikage decided not to dig any deeper and instead turned to Suzaku next to Murakami.
"Suzaku-san, have you received any other information from Border that could be of use to Kimura-san?"
"N-no, Border has yet to say anything else on this matter. Same with the Wanderers. And as for the general public..." Suzaku's eyebrows grew flat. "They are apparently waiting for Border to do something since they had been unaware of everything until the very end."
"In other words, the general public will not have any crazy hacking Sniper-Shooters like you. ...That must take incredible restraint."
"Huh, huh? I feel like you have a weirdly distorted view of me," said Suzaku. "Oh, and they have no choice but to wait for Border to make a decision, but they apparently intend to avoid using any political power because of how little damage was actually done this time."
"Wait," said Ikoma as he stuck his head in through a window. "The public's holdin' their political forces? ...Ain't that backwards?"
"That's right," responded Murakami.
Girikage raised his head to hear what they had to say. He saw Akashi standing up, straightening his collar, and clearing his throat, so...
"Please tell us, Kitazoe-san."
"Ehhhhh!? Me! You'd normally ask me, right!? Do you hate me, Girikage!? W-wait! If you direct that much negative emotion my way, I-I'll...!"
"I think you can ignore him, Girikage."
"That's right. Yes."
"Heh heh. Pay him no heed. Now, can you answer that question, Zoe-san!?"
With Suzaku, Murakami, and Suzume supporting him, Girikage knew he had made the right decision. They all looked over to Kitazoe who responded while nervously munching on his snack of bread crust in a bag.
"U-um..."
"Do you need something like butter, Kitazoe-san?"
"Ah! Y-you'll give me some!? I'll take it! I'll take it!"
"Right. Then...here is 'something like butter'."
"You make it sound like a small difference, but this is completely different! ...Wow, it smells like butter, but it's super hard!"
Kitazoe sighed and then answered.
"Anyway, even though their 'greeting' is done, the Wanderers can still be a threat to anyone who is looking at it from a different angle."
.
Girikage listened to Kitazoe's words and passed the boy something like jam in a bamboo grass wrapper.
"Here. Now continue. That was a bribe."
"I'm grateful but also not grateful. ...Well, I guess I'll continue."
Kitazoe brought his legs together as he sat on the tatami mat floor.
"For the general public these guys can still be a major threat while the rest of us see them as people who just fought and were betrayed. We don't know anything about them, but the directors seem fine enough to have discussions with them. The reason for that..."
"Because those old guys really care about their wives or are still single."
"Wow," said Suzaku, Murakami, and Nasu as they leaned back a little.
But Kitazoe groaned in thought and then continued.
"I think it's most likely because we can get some more Neighbor technology in preparation for later."
Akashi used both hands to wildly gesture toward himself, but Senzai handed him some glue. They were apparently starting to attach the shelves to the bookcase.
And Kitazoe glanced over at Kimura.
Kimura nodded and checked her open window's settings.
"Suzaku, can you sync this with Kitazoe-san's?"
"Yes. ...And done."
Kitazoe nodded toward Suzaku and reached for his own phone's open window. Since they were synced, Kitazoe's list of sites for mail-ordering snacks appeared on the left of Kimura's large open window, but Kitazoe did not hesitate to start staring at it.
"Um, this is the place."
It displayed the area where the Wanderers would likely go next in their city.
"The discussions will be held here later on. That decisive discussion determines how those guys will be seen over here. But while Border will be holding these discussions with those wanderers, the directors won't be the ones to be speaking there. ...there will be plenty of reasons why, but we kind of win either way."
Girikage passed Kitazoe something like marmalade and whispered into his ear.
"This is a tip. Now, please work just a little more."
"What kind of character am I in your mind, Girikage?"
But Kitazoe took a breath and drew a circle on the area. He wrote the character for "release" inside it as the first character of wanderer.
"Unexpected Release!" exclaimed the idiot.
Nasu hit his face with a 10 yen coin and somewhat raised her eyebrows while glaring at him.
"You are the worst."
"W-wait a second! In your case, it would be Inactive Unexpected Release, wouldn't it!?"
Suzume hit the idiot's face with a 10 yen coin while smiling at him.
"You are the worst."
"W-wait! In your case, it would be Active Unexpected Release!"
They both hit him with a 10 yen coin and he rolled backwards.
...This is not good...
I need to pass this off to someone else, thought Girikage. But who? As his gaze swept across the room, everyone ducked out of the way. Everyone except Suzaku, that is. So...
"Hacking Sniper Unexpected Release."
"L-let's calm down, Girikage! It's starting to sound like we're just saying whatever weird thing we want! And the rules say you can't bring our jobs into this!"
"Understood. Then...Suzaku Unexpected Release."
"That's even worse!"
"Heh heh heh. That's dangerous! That's real dangerous, Dai-chan!"
Suzume was a musician of first tier entertainment, so if she liked it, Girikage was satisfied.
"Um, may I continue?" asked Kitazoe.
"Yes, you may."
He nodded, drew a circle on the Forbidden Zone, and then wrote a 1 for Border.
He then waited for about 5 seconds.
"No reaction? Are you all okay?"
"Yeah. We are just fine. ...But the self-styled entertainer couldn't do anything with that? I suppose that is why you are only 'self-styled'."
"D-dammit! I had something in mind! I swear I did!"
"Yes, yes. Right, right."
Murakami intervened to calm the two and Kitazoe nodded.
"Umm, Border gains two things by sending field agents out front to hold these discussions with the Wanderers. The first is that we can have a better chance at negotiations with them and others."
"Negotiations?"
"Yeah. In other words, whether or not our field agents view this as the best opportunity to gain more from them. Some of the general public holds more favor towards field agents than ones who stay at the base since they are the ones fighting. So if they view this as a good choice, there would be no real complaints that can't be dealt with. Anything they throw would be tossed aside."
Also...
"The second is to leave the Wanderers indebted to us. By having our field agents, who had fought against them, talk with them, it will show them that there is no real grudge against them. It helps them view us in a better light so that they can give us more and come back to do so whenever we would need them. So..."
Girikage nodded.
"Are you saying that Border can use them to handle any surprise invasions?"
"Yeah," confirmed Kitazoe.
Jinsei raised his hand and tilted his head.
"Ha-ha-han? Um..."
"I was trying to say you need a hand but misspoke."
"Oh, is that all? ...Wait, no! And why are you taking the boke role, Dai-chan!? That's my job, isn't it!? Isn't it!? And when did you start getting this kind of sense of humor!?"
"Vice-Captain-san, your bokes have grown stale lately."
"That was harsh..." commented the others, so he decided to keep their opinion in mind. But...
"They can handle surprise invasions... That means they have the 'numbers' needed to determine which side wins. Use that thinking and you too can sound smart, so make sure to remember it."
.
Kimura watched as the idiot said, "I see."
...Is he starting to gain some interest in important things?
Lately, Jinsei seemed to be leaving everything to the others while still getting as much information as he could.
At the moment, he was staring at Kitazoe's snack list on the sign frame. And...
"Zoe, if you want strawberries, why not get them from the next city over? You were there earlier, weren't you?"
"Well, I was busy when I was over there, so I didn't really have any time. I also got yelled at when I did try to get some."
"There's no helping that." Jinsei smiled and looked at the scrolling list some more. "I feel like there's a lot of overlap with our preference lists..."
Life: "Hey, Sumi-chan. Isn't that right?"
Haru: "Wh-what are you talking about!? I have very specific tastes, so I don't have a long list like that!"
Shiro: "Haru-san, sorry about the wait. My shift is over. The boss gave me a sake manju, so how about we eat it together while we head to Yagura?"
Haru: "Oh, that sounds wonderful. But I only see one of them..."
Suzume started whispering when she heard that.
"Suzaku's dad does some good work."
"Yeah, Suzume-chan, let's record this."
Shiro: "Haru-san, that just means we each take half. Just like those others things."
Haru: "Right. Okay, Shiro-chan, give me your hand. We are in a bit of a hurry."
Shiro: "Right. ...Huh. With both hands full, we couldn't fight back if we were attacked now."
"Hell yes."
"Hell yes."
The Sniper and Shooter pair exchanged a high five, but the wannabe-prince complained.
"Oh, crap! I failed to predict this one and didn't record it! Will someone sell it to me!?"
"Sure, sure."
The fact that Nasu would sell it was the most frightening part. I hope all our information is safe, thought Kimura, but she had to trust that nothing of critical importance would get out.
But...
"To sum up everything Kitazoe-san said... Everyone is thinking about what will happen after these discussions are over."
"I see," said Girikage with a nod.
He eventually placed a hand on the nudist's shoulder next to him.
"Vice-Captain-san, it would seem that many people would prefer to deal with Neighbors than with you. How does it feel to strip as much as humanly possible and still get rebuffed? You stripped for nothing."
"Dammit. I'm definitely sending that wandering leader a complaint mail sometime! I'll piss him off by attaching a doctored photo of everyone eating some good earthly food!"
"Oh?" said Murakami.
When everyone turned toward him, he blushed a little, looked to Girikage, and then to the idiot next to him.
"Um...Jinsei? Do you actually have some way to send stuff to the Wanderers' leader? I didn't think anyone spoke to them since the 'greeting' ended."
"Yeah, but apparently it was sent through a really weird way since it came in the form for a large Trion Soldier. Dude was huge when he came by. Had kids hanging off of him and everything. Where he found my address, I don't know."
The half-nudist opened a new window showing Futoyuki's message with the 'personally written' mark next to it.
It said, "Would you like to be my friend?"
"Vice-Captain-san, why do I feel like this was actually meant for a member of this branch?"
"Really, that leader seems somewhat eccentric to me," said Murakami.
"If you ask me, we might be in trouble if Jinsei makes any more friends of this sort," said Suzaku. "Something would be seriously wrong if a bunch of oddballs started appearing together. Even worse if they end up as nudists."
"Whose side are you on!?" he shouted.
"And don't do any diplomacy on your own, Kirikari."
Establishing friendly relations was a good thing, but the world could be a difficult place. At any rate...
"Right. Listen, Kirikari, if you're going to write any message, I suggest getting your mother to look at it first. I bet she can locate any a-parent problems with it. ...Why are you all so tense? You need to laugh..
"Now she's demanding we find it funny!?"
...Huh? But that's the second time I used that one. Isn't that how a running gag works?
Maybe I have to use it even more first, decided Kimura.
Ikoma nodded from the window and then jumped off. Something else had needed his attention. Suzaku could be seen signing the notification.
But as he left, Ikoma asked a question.
"What're we gonna do? We have to deal with the sponsors still. We can always just be buddy-buddy with the Neighbors and not say crap to those sponsors."
"That's right," agreed Kimura. "And that brings us to our main topic: what we should do now."
She could see everyone perk up at that. She could tell that Ikoma, Inukai, and Oshiro were listening over the Border line. Kumagai and some others working with each other were as well. So...
"First, we need to make sure these discussions go well, which includes gaining the Wanderers' support, and we need to move things along toward a better place. So the first thing we just do...is confirm if they know our current alliance."
.
In the back room of the Yagura Branch, Kimura opened an open window displaying a map of the Forbidden Zone.
"Our first objective to confirming that they know the Neighbor worlds we are allied with."
Border went on expeditions through Gates to Neighbor worlds, negotiating and/or taking their information and technology, but there was one specific one that had become the closest thing to an ally.
Border had their own things to give to Neighbors that were unexpected.
There are a lot of things we would not expect if we had not seen them for ourselves, thought Kimura.
"As I already said, we are allied with a Neighbor world through unorthodox means. We have yet to properly meet anyone from that world as a regular trade off, but we managed a connection to them. But that place requires something for their continued cooperation. That being..."
"Information about our world."
The answer was given by Senzai who was assembling the bookcase in the entrance space. He kept his back to her as he continued.
"They require information about our world as a trade off for not attacking, supporting in a minimal way and coming to our aide if we are that desperate for it. This connection was made because of the two Trion Soldiers they had apparently sent over. The information we have to give them is nothing too major, so there is little problem with it."
"Oh? So what do we have to give them?"
Senzai sighed at the idiot's question.
"Ask Kimura."
Kanzaki immediately turned toward Kimura. I guess that means me, thought Kimura with a mental sigh.
...But, well...
It was surprising for Senzai to talk about that Neighbor world like this.
Viper: "I'm shocked to hear you talk on and on like that."
SenSen: "Wait. What kind of person do you think I am?"
Honest Sister: "Oh, shut up. Now I have to redraw my storyboard..."
SenSen: "Again, wait. What are you talking about?"
I get the feeling learning that would keep him from ever opening his mouth again, thought Kimura. But I guess this kind of exchange is part of our organization's character. I also feel like these breaks take the spotlight and end up determining everything.
But he named me, so I guess I'll have to do it.
"Okay, I'll go over what our discussion should lead to for everyone who matters."
Kimura raised 3 fingers.
"The first, as Senzai-san said, is the information we have to give to our allied Neighbor world. Starting this will mean our connections to places other than Earth will grow and we will be much safer. But..."
"Excuse me. ...We are not involved with that information, are we?"
.
Inukai spoke up as he and Oshiro walked in, so Kimura nodded.
"That's the problem. The more information we give, the more helpful they will be. So if we start giving specific things then they will need to lay back with the same amount of help or their own information. But no one ever wants to actually give away too much information when they don't have to do so. That means both sides are out in a low-giving area where they are satisfied as long as it stays the way it currently is. Our two connections to them are also ones that have minds if their own, so that also comes into play."
"So this needs to be brought up when having that discussion, Kimura. ...But will it really help us to bring it up?"
The upperclassman Sniper of Miwa Squad gave Kimura a sharp look while crossing his arms by the wall.
The light in his eyes likely meant a variety of things, but the others had let him in.
"It should at least gain their attention. We still don't know exactly what they are planning to do, but due to an idiot I know, we have a bit of information. If an opportunity doesn't present itself naturally then we will force one ourselves. This can be how it can be forced. I would like to believe that they are here for a good reason that can give us some advantage."
The Sniper did not nod, but...
"At least it seems like you are giving in it some thought."
As he said that, the idiot walked up next to him, took the same pose as him, and...
"At least it seems like you are giving in it some thought."
"D-damn you!"
"Kirikari, Tōru is being serious, so please don't tease him."
"That's right, Vice-Captain-san. What if Miwa's Sniper boy becomes infected with your nudist behavior germs?"
"D-dammit! Now you're treating me like a pathogen!?"
Is that anything new? wondered Kimura before clearing her throat and tapping the open window.
"To continue: Listen. Once we reach a certain point, it's our turn. We will reach a peaceful resolution for both sides. That is in the interest for everyone involved. It would gain us an ally while also preventing a possible enemy. What's more, we might be able to find any lost ones. So this is actually really important."
"Then we've gotta do that."
It was frightening how readily the idiot said that. Murakami glanced over at Kimura who waved a hand dismissively.
...Besides, it is true we have to do that.
But, thought Kimura. That alliance is immediately followed by a turning point.
"There is a problem. ...It is currently loitering around the front of this branch office with three children. Another problem is that, after they become allies, won't there be some trouble with trust?"
"Huh? You mean like doing the top knot on one of their bigwigs but from the front?"
"You go die. And I'm shocked to learn you thought you were being considerate by doing it from behind. But that's not it. Are you listening?"
The others began making concerned comments about how well she was dealing with him, but she was not sure why they would think that.
But there was something she had to say.
"Do you remember what was mentioned? No, not you, idiot. Don't force yourself. And stop jumping around. ...There is movement all around us that isn't too near us. As some extra negotiation points, that group has sent us some information regarding other matters. And..."
And...
"It seems like there is something wiggling around from place to place."
.
Murakami heard a quiet sigh from Narasaka. But...
...Senshi isn't slowing down on that bookcase at all.
Of course, this knowledge had been sent to a majority of the people involved during the day.
Narasaka's sigh was likely due to the disappointment of having gained this knowledge from Neighbors who had just finished their "greeting" during the day.
And Senzai's lack of reaction was perhaps because he had already accepted that this was coming.
Murakami watched as Kimira listed up the discussion plans.
"So it looks like this."
1: Send out field agents
General public sees them in a good light and the Wanderers trust people they fight more than backstage people.
2: Allies
Use an established link with a Neighbor world for common ground and more trust
3: Given information
Question and expand on already given information by the Wanderers.
"The ones here can actively take part in #2 and #3. #2 in particular involves one of us. But..."
Murakami continued for her while aware of the tension in her brow.
"The problem is who to send to go with #1, who to send for this discussion."
"It's pathetic," said Narasaka. He leaned against the wall and did not even look Murakami's way. "According to everything that has happened, Border is in no decline by the time their 'greeting' ended. ...And yet here we are, trying to be on amicable terms with the ones who 'greeted' us."
...Narasaka...
Murakami understood his irritation.
"Narasaka, you view them as possibly good people, don't you?"
"What!? No! Stop making up things about me, Suzunari Ace!"
Honest Sister: "I'll honestly put that in my storyboard... I need to at least end it on a happy note."
Bamboo Sniper: "Wait! Don't draw something that's only happy at the end! And don't just turn me into a good person!"
Redhead Sister: "Ha ha ha. As a traitor, shouldn't you want that?"
Platinum: "Indeed. It would be good for you to be a good person, Mushroom Traitor!"
After watching Narasaka slowly fall to his knees by the wall, Murakami started to think he should not have said that. And...
...Oh?
He realized that Kirikari was looking at Senzai.
He followed his gaze to find that exchange had put a slight smile on the redhead's face.
He did not know why. It was hard to know other people's emotions or what made them laugh. If that was possible, Kimura's jokes would not bomb so badly. But for now, Murakami thought it was a good thing that his friend from a different school was accepting of this situation.
And there was one thing that mattered more than any other now.
...How will we establish our relationship with the Wanderers?
"We can't really talk to any of them unto, the discussion begins, but we need to make sure everything is fine enough after having their own foot soldier betray them... Isn't this kind of a strange position?"
"You would think so, wouldn't you? But that's why-..."
"Heh heh. It could even happen tonight. You're going to use something as bait to determine missing factors. But flat politician-wannabe and Knight-senpai? Isn't there something you're a little worried about?" Suzume spread her mouth horizontally in a smile. "You know what's supposed to happen later today, don't you? It's very important."
"Yeah," replied the Ninomiya Squad Gunner. He turned back toward Oshiro next to him. "The issue of Tenryū's dad is important, isn't it?"
"Hm? ...Haru-san, what do you mean it is important?"
"Right. Tenryū's dad was involved with today as well. We aren't sure about the details, but he had played some role here that was not for our benefit. ...Shiro-chan, you know what that means, don't you?"
"Oh," said Oshiro with a nod.
Murakami also realized what Suzume had meant, but he let Oshiro answer.
"If he is not taken care of, it will put Border under stress from anyone who does know, right?"
"That's right, Leader, Inukai-san. So our future hangs in the balance of the upcoming outcome for Tenryū's father. But there seems to have been a change of LANs in that..."
That was when a transmission arrived. It was voice only and from Sawamura.
"Kimura! It's urgent! Is Tenryū's with you? ...Tenryū's Seidō and the Wanderers have engaged in battle!"
...Speak of the devil!
The image sent to everyone's devices was a map of the Forbidden Zone.
Next to Ōji, Kurauchi commented on the location Sawamura had marked.
"This is almost exactly where Murakami predicted. Well done."
Hearing that, Kon gave Murakami a thumbs up.
He of course nodded and gave a thumbs up back. Then icons representing each fighter appeared on the map.
"The father must have found something to gain from confronting them. What that is is actually pretty obvious when you give it enough thought. ...I guess we just have to wait and see how this turns out."