"Hey… uh… Thin… Man? Uh… me…?"

"Just call me Thin Man if you want."

Blinking a little as he was given the permission to do so, Mono nodded awkwardly as Graham chuckled briefly and continued piloting his Brave unit. Currently, the unit was in its flight form, flying over the Pacific Ocean as per the Thin Man's instructions. According to the guy, the flight to where Six apparently was, based on the cruising speed of the Brave, would take at most three hours, and they had been traveling over the ocean for the better part of an hour in mostly silence.

Mono had been the one to break the silence as he addressed his older self awkwardly. He seemed to be curious about something, and after assuring his younger self that he could just call him by his title to avoid confusing himself, he asked his question.

"A-Alright… so… uh… well… erm…" began Mono, only to be silenced by his older self.

"You… uh… don't have to be scared, Mono. I'm not here to kidnap you anymore. I doubt anyone is gonna do that at this point, now that the Signal Tower is destroyed," assured the Thin Man as Graham found himself smirking a little as he remembered that beatdown he had given that apparent eldritch god.

"Oh! I'm sorry… just bad memories, y'know…?" apologised Mono, to which the Thin Man chuckled.

"Oh do I ever. But regardless, your question?" replied the Thin Man, and at that, Mono blurted out his question.

"How did you and Graham Aker meet?" asked Mono, and after he asked, both Graham and the Thin Man's onscreen mugshot stared at one another with smiles on their faces as though they were sharing a joke before they snickered. "W-What's so funny…?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that we met on the pathway to heaven, Shonen," explained Graham as he had his unit perform a barrel roll just for the fun of it, shocking Mono immensely as he appeared interested in this story. And upon noticing this, the soldier and his older self smiled and cleared their throats. "Well, considering how we have nothing more to do now, would you like to hear of this tale?"

"Y-Yes sir!" was his immediate response from Mono, prompting the two of them to widen their smiles as they began to retell this ridiculous meeting.

"Well, it all started about one loop prior…"

… when the Thin Man had found himself before the pathway to heaven yet again, with him laying flat on his back as he sighed.

For a brief few moments, the Thin Man remained on his back as he allowed several people to walk past him, and, at times walk over him before they apologised and got out of his way. He didn't really care. He just needed to wallow in his own misery for a while before he could function properly.

Not long after, the Thin Man grimaced a little as he sat himself upright, with him pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so. As he sat up, the Thin Man found himself being reminded of several things that were once suppressed from his memory suddenly returning to him, prompting him to nearly break down into tears as he grumbled.

'It happened… again,' thought the Thin Man as he glanced up at the pathway to heaven with a defeated look on his face. If he were anyone else, he would've been happy to see the pathway. But as things were now, thanks to his unique… circumstances, he could not cross the path.

It was an act of cruelty on the Signal Tower's part. After the Thin Man was killed by his younger self in every time loop, he would be shunted to the pathway to heaven, something that was preordained by the Signal Tower in order to taunt him. To remind the Thin Man that, despite having been killed once more, he could never be set free until it was destroyed. Hatred was the only thing that the Thin Man could feel at this point as he sat before the pathway to heaven passively, grimacing deeply all the while.

He didn't remember how many times he's been here by now. The damn Signal Tower had probably reset the time loop hundreds of times by now, and in that time, his memory had become hazy. What he did remember, however, was him trying to cross the pathway to heaven several times over in the past, though he was quick to realize that it was futile as, whenever he would come close to entering heaven itself, he would be forcefully pulled back from it thanks to the Signal Tower's ironclad hold on his soul.

'That's just… bullshit,' was all the Thin Man could think by then as he buried his face in his hands and began to lament his life. This was all so… tiring. He didn't wish to continue this cycle… though he knew that he had no choice. He would eventually be recalled back to the land of the living when his successor became the next Thin Man…

"Are you well, my friend?"

The fuck? That's certainly never happened before. In the past, the Thin Man was virtually ignored by everyone else entering heaven… so who was…

Raising a brow as he lowered his hands from his face, the Thin Man found himself raising a staring up at a man. A blonde… scarred man that appeared rather worried for his sake. The man held a hand out towards the Thin Man as he stared down at him. That… was unexpected, to say the least, as, while there were certainly a lot of people who were walking around them to get to the pathway to heaven, none tended to stop and speak to one another, much less acknowledge one that was unable to cross the pathway itself.

Glancing between the man's hand and his face, the Thin Man judged the blonde man's sincerity before acknowledging that he was being completely sincere as he grabbed onto his hand and allowed him to pull him up to his feet. Once he was up, the Thin Man realized that he was much taller than him, though as he stared down at the soldier, the hatted man acknowledged that the blonde could very easily take him down if he needed to.

"You do not seem well. What has happened to you?" asked the soldier curiously as he eyed the Thin Man worriedly. In response, the Thin Man realized that he had nothing to lose as he opened his mouth to respond, only to find that his voice was stuck in his throat as he let out a hoarse cough. Noticing this, the soldier raised a brow and opted to give his acquaintance a hand and slap him on the back.

The slap was probably a lot harder than he had intended, however, as he sent the Thin Man slamming face first into the ground with the hit. It was almost comedic as the Thin Man kissed the ground with the force of a nuke, though it didn't take him long to recover and get back up to his feet.

"Thank you, that… kinda helped," assured the Thin Man, worrying the soldier with his incredibly raspy voice as he sighed, though he didn't bring that up for his acquaintance's sake as he nodded.

"No need for thanks. Now please, if you may, please, I wish to know if you are well," responded the soldier and at that, the Thin Man, after sighing deeply, shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but the reasoning behind my mood is personal. It's… a personal burden that I must bear…" apologised the Thin Man as he slouched his shoulders weakly. The soldier didn't seem to be convinced by this, however, as he grabbed onto the Thin Man's shoulder and spoke in a firm and resolute voice.

"Nonsense! I can see it in your eyes, my thin friend! You have seen great pain and sorrow in your lifetime! Even so, the light has yet to leave you! That much is clear to me!" proclaimed the blonde soldier confidently as he squeezed his acquaintance's shoulder gently. The Thin Man found himself admittedly taken aback by the friendliness of the soldier, though he said nothing as he continued. "No man is a mountain, my friend! Speak to me and ease your burden. Only then will you be able to find peace, if only a little."

And upon hearing his words, the Thin Man found himself staring at the soldier in shock. His words were spoken without even a slither of hesitation, signaling to the broadcaster that he was completely serious with this. And at that… the hatted man offered a weak smile as he nodded in defeat and spoke his piece.

"Very well then, though… you may find yourself… overwhelmed and… angered by my tale," warned the Thin Man, and at that, he told the soldier about the… adventure that he had ventured on in the past… in multiple pasts if he wished to be specific, with him willingly leaving out a certain raincoated girl as he did so. The blonde man remained passively silent as he listened to his words, with him asking questions every so often, and when he had finished his tale with a thorough explanation of the time loop, or as thorough as he could get on the loop itself, the soldier grimaced.

"How barbaric… to be trapped in an eternal time loop… one that grants you no salvation, even in death!" growled the soldier as he slammed the base of his fist against the flat of his palm. The Thin Man nodded a little at that as he lowered his hat over his eyes in agreement. "This Signal Tower… is there a way to destroy it?"

"None that I know of, my friend. I have tried… many times over, but due to the Tower's ability to suppress my memories and warp reality around in order to alter the things that I do remember, I cannot confidently do anything to significantly damage it, and as such, I cannot change the outcome of the time loop in any meaningful way," apologised the Thin Man with a sigh as he eyed the soldier tiredly. Vice versa, the soldier offered him a look of pure, unadulterated pity as he continued. "It is… tiresome, I must admit. I just wish to rest… and I wish for no other version of me… be they young or old to relive this cycle any more…"

"But you cannot do anything to change it," lamented the soldier as he crossed his arms in anger. The Thin Man reluctantly nodded as he eyed the soldier tiredly, though what he didn't expect was for… for the guy to continue speaking… "But perhaps… I can."

"I beg your pardon?" muttered the Thin Man in confusion, only for the soldier to seize his shoulders and look him dead in the eye.

"I can perhaps break this cycle. The time loop depends solely on you becoming trapped within the Signal Tower, after all. It only accounts for you and you alone," the Thin Man noticeably flinched at that as it wasn't entirely true, though the soldier didn't notice as he continued. "But it does not take into consideration factors beyond its control…"

"Are you implying that-"

"Yes, Thin Man. I am implying that you should perhaps bring me with you back to your world!" confirmed Graham as he released his shoulders and took a step back. And at that… the Thin Man was about to tell the soldier that he wasn't able to do that, or at least he didn't think he could. To bring someone back from the dead was an issue he has never tackled before, and bringing them into another world altogether was another issue all on its own!

"I do not know-" began the Thin Man, only to be cut off when his form began glitching a little, prompting him to grimace as the soldier took an instinctual step back in surprise. "Fuck. Our time is up. It would seem as though I have to be recalled now…"

"So soon?!" proclaimed the soldier as he widened his eyes and held a hand out towards his thin acquaintance. As he did so, however, the Thin Man simply smiled weakly and chuckled.

"Indeed. If it meant anything… I did enjoy our conversation together, my friend. So, I suppose this is farewell-" muttered the Thin Man as he tipped his hat, though before he could fully disappear, the soldier grimaced and lunged at him, and mere seconds before he could disappear fully, the soldier grabbed onto his shoulders tightly…

"No! I shan't let you suffer any longer, my friend!"

…

…

…

… and when he woke up, the Thin Man widened his eyes when he realized that… he was laying on… grass?

Widening his eyes in shock, the Thin Man surveyed his surroundings with widened eyes to an impossible degree when he saw that he was indeed laying on grass… in a forest! An actual forest that looked very familiar to the one he had ran through an entire lifetime ago! This had to be the Hunter's portion of his adventure!

How the Hell was this even possible?! How was he even here?! And what the fuck was that big ass shadow that was looming over him-

"Hah! That worked!"

Wait what?

Turning to have a look in the general direction of the voice, the Thin Man widened his eyes once more when he saw that the soldier was standing behind him, with his hands on his hips and a helmet being held in his right arm. He smiled widely at the Thin Man as he offered him a two fingered salute, though the hatted dude didn't seem to acknowledge him as he looked past the soldier and saw… a GIANT FUCKING ROBOT?!

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" demanded the Thin Man as he sprung to his feet and extended both his hands towards the unit that stood behind the soldier. In response to his question, however, the soldier simply gave a hearty chuckle as he motioned for him to follow him.

"I'm sure that you have many questions, my thin friend, but save them for later, for there is no time to waste! Come, we have a child to save!" urged the soldier as he jerked a thumb towards the machine and then to himself. "As a Sentimental Virgo, I, Graham Aker, promise you that today, we shall end this cycle of misery!"

And with those words uttered, the Thin Man found himself smiling a little at the ridiculousness of their current situation.

Yeah… maybe they stood a chance at breaking this cycle…

"And then you know what happens after that."

Yes… Mono did indeed know of what happened after that… though what he was wondering more about was…

"B-But… I… I don't think I understand most of what happened during the story…" admitted the child as he stared between Graham and his older self from behind the helmet's visor. He seemed hopelessly confused at the moment, and by all means, neither adult could blame him as they didn't exactly explain shit properly…

"You see, Graham. That's what happens when you decide to spice up the stories with sentimental crap!" shot the Thin Man as Graham glared at him.

"Your method of storytelling is far too mundane, Man of Thinness! I simply improved upon it!" countered Graham as he grit his teeth.

"Well you did it so well that you probably gave my younger self a brain aneurysm!" protested the older Mono as he pointed at his younger self from the on screen monitor.

"Unlikely, for if I had not improved upon your work, Mono would have died from boredom!" deflected Graham as he waved a finger at the Thin Man's on screen mugshot, though as he did so, the Brave unit ended up tilting a little towards the side, only to be restabilized when Graham placed his hand back on the controller once more.

"G-Guys… it's cool…!" piped up Mono awkwardly as he tapped his fingers together, catching the attention of both adults as they turned to look at him with raised brows. "I… understood the basics, and I think both your storytelling methods a-are good! Graham adds flare w-while my… erm… T-Thin Man is more classical… it's b-both respectable in their own rights!"

And in a few seconds… the anger that had built up within both men died out as they found themselves immediately pacified by the kind child's words. The Thin Man himself couldn't help but shudder a little, however, as he couldn't remember a time when he was that nice of a child.

"Jeez… I'm getting fucking old…" groaned the Thin Man as he whipped a cigarette out of nowhere and lit it. As he did so, Mono, in spite of his shock at seeing his future self so willingly smoke, found himself wondering something else as he rubbed the top of his helmeted head.

"Hey… uh… another question…" muttered Mono as he glanced at the Thin Man. Noticing his gaze, the older Mono, after taking a long drag from his cigarette, lowered it from his lips, exhaled and looked back at his younger self.

"Go on, shoot," urged the Thin Man as he coughed a little, seeming a little unused to the act of smoking as he spoke.

"How… are you inside the… uh… robot?" asked Mono, only for Graham to chuckle a little as the Thin Man smiled.

"Firstly kid, it's called the Brave. The Brave Commander Test Type, to be specific," explained the Thin Man as a pop up appeared on the cockpit monitor, informing Mono of the unit and codename of the Brave unit, respectively. Mono found the amount of numbers in its codename to be a little excessive, though he otherwise found nothing wrong with it as he nodded. "Secondly, you do remember what our powers are, right?"

"We… can control the s-signal, right…? Or at least… tune it," replied Mono awkwardly, prompting the Thin Man to nod as realization dawned on the Shonen's face. "Oh… oooooh…"

"Yeah, you're getting it now. I just yoinked myself into the Brave's internal systems. Graham here was kind enough to make me a personal folder to stay in. pretty cozy, all things considered," confirmed the Thin Man as Graham chuckled. Upon hearing that, Mono found himself rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the Brave's cockpit monitor in curiosity, and before anyone could stop him, he reached for its main control panel and placed his hand against it.

"Shonen, is that a good idea?"

"Mono, wait! You don't have enough control over your powers to-"

Unfortunately for both Graham and the Thin Man, however, Mono didn't even have time to process their words as he suddenly disappeared into the mainframe of the Brave, and for a brief few seconds, they could hear nothing… though not long after…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH-"

"He ejected himself out of the cockpit?" deadpanned Graham as he transformed the Brave Commander Test Type mid flight and turned it around to see a small figure falling towards the ocean.

"He ejected himself out of the cockpit."

"So Mono, this is how I met your new dad," the chapter

Was fun to write. See ya next chap.