Eine Kleine

by MasterHamsters

All they needed was "something small". An encounter between a girl proud of her homeland and a boy pondering over his place in the world. Juna Crawford from Crossbell and Rean Schwarzer from Erebonia. Despite their differences, the two create an everlasting bond for the rest of their lives. (Childhood Friend AU)

3. The Unseen Ones

First off, I'd like to thank Chatubem from AO3 for giving me this idea. Why? Because we're tackling our first Juna-centric chapter! Yeah, I actually planned to have the first Juna chapter to be post-CS2, but it felt appropriate to put one here. Plus, it was kinda weird having three planned festival related chapters back to back.

---

August 1, S.1204 - Police Academy, Crossbell City

Juna slammed her head onto the hardwood desk. Fatigue and irritation fluttered through her head, her mind drifting off to events of days past. It was supposed to be an innocuous trip; After getting his vacation days in order, her dad and the rest of her family would go down to Erebonia and enjoy the summer festival in Heimdallr. She would meet up with Elise and catch up while teasing Rean at every chance she could. Even bribe him for a birthday gift. It was perfect!

Well, at least she got an amazing crepe. She even got to meet Princess Alfin too! So sweet and kind. An angel, practically! She was also gracious enough to offer the chance to exchange embarrassing stories about Elise from school for the ones Juna could recount from childhood. But being such a good friend, she refrained from divulging her friend's dark secrets (and it totally wasn't because Elise looked like she was about to make a kebab out of her with her rapier, shut up).

So really, it wasn't all that bad.

What really bothered her was how quickly she had to transition from helping out against a terrorist attack, to having the time of her life with her friends, and then back to her regular schoolwork. All within the span of a few days. She was tired.

But she refused to let that get to her! If Rean could handle tedious schoolwork, then so can she! ...Even if he was far more studious than she was. She was more of a hands-on person. Learned more by doing than studying. But what can you do? No one ever said police work would be easy and it helped that she had so many friends to rely on.

"Hello there, Juna."

Speak of the devil.

She lifted her head up, turning her attention towards the voice.

"Hey, Kate." Juna lazily waved her hand, still too weary to properly acknowledge her superior. She almost wanted to place the blame on her, considering that Kate often told her to ignore any formalities with her. Over time, calling her by her name became commonplace.

The brown-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "Are you doing okay? You look beat."

"I've been better. So much has been happening these past few days and I can't concentrate on work…" she groaned. "I thought having fun was supposed to help with stress, not give you more."

A lightbulb lit above the older woman as she put the pieces together. "Ah right, you were at the festival in Heimdallr, am I correct? During the terrorist attack?"

Juna nodded. "Sure was. I had a ton of fun otherwise, but I feel like I'm more tired now than I was when I left Crossbell."

"Speaking of that, did you see? They put up an article about the attack in the Crossbell Times. Apparently one of their guys was there at the time and documented as much as he could."

To say Juna had mixed feelings would be an understatement. The last thing the Empire wanted was to let information like the capital city was targeted by domestic terrorists run loose outside its borders. Had that reporter not been there, there likely would've been a cover-up. Still… she was curious with how much information was divulged.

"You got an issue?" Juna asked. Kate nodded, and pulled out a copy of the most recent paper from her bag. Juna took it and began skimming the article in question.

Thankfully, there seemed to be no mention of her. Just that the terrorists kidnapped the princess and "two innocent civilians" and undertook the moniker of the Imperial Liberation Front. It would've been a PR disaster had word come out that a foreigner was involved as one of the hostages.

It being the Crossbell Times though, it didn't tell whether or not Rean and his class got the gratitude they deserved. It only mentioned how the RMP and provincial armies mobilized to push back the threat. But it did talk about a few Thors students helping out with evacuations. Her name was… Towa, was it? Rean mentioned her several times in his letters about his free days.

"That reminds me, you were in Heimdallr to meet up with your boyfriend, right?" Kate asked. "How did that go?"

"Oh, it was great!" Juna replied, not looking up from the paper. "He was pretty busy at first, so I ended up spending most of the time with his sister and her friend for the first day."

"That sounds nice."

"Mhmm. After that, we spent the rest of the festival together."

"You two seem close."

"Well yeah, I knew him since we were kids after all."

…

…

Hold up a second…

Juna's eyes darted towards Kate and felt an extreme heat in her cheeks. "M-My boyfriend?!"

Kate looked at her watch, rather amused. "Wow, five seconds this time. It's a new record."

Juna pinched the bridge of her nose. This was a common occurrence at this point. Every time she brought up Rean, someone always had the audacity to make the comment that the two of them were dating.

It shouldn't be unusual for guys and girls to be friends. They've known each other since they were kids! Okay, maybe not "kids"—Rean was technically almost a teenager when they first met—but of course she'd talk about him! It's not like she could hang out with him and Elise everyday like she wanted to. Aidios forbid that talking about your best friend was considered scandalous. Such traditionalist garbage should stay in the Dark Ages where it belongs.

But even if that was the case, it was… difficult to erase a social stigma. It's not like everyone knew who he was after all. On the times he came to visit, her friends even thought the same thing. Her Sunday School friends, her neighbor Cecile, and even Oscar and Wendy! For whatever reason, it was always their first thought whenever they saw the two together. It ticked Juna off, though part of that irritation was because sometimes she couldn't help but feel the same way.

After meeting up with Rean in Heimdallr, she noticed how close he seemed with two of his classmates. Laura and… Fie, if she was remembering correctly. The way they fought together as a team was remarkable. And even after making plans to spend the festival together, Rean made a point to clear the air with his friends. Don't get her wrong, she was glad that he was making friends!

Laura was a fellow practitioner of the sword and was a form of solidarity for Rean even if they did not share in the same school. Try as she might, Juna wasn't one to study the blade. She couldn't provide that sort of support for him.

As for Fie, well, she was pretty much a black box. Outside of her frequent napping habits and poor academic skills, Rean never divulged much about her. But based on what she saw during their fight against C, Juna knew that she was more than meets the eye.

Plus, there was the fact that there were two more girls in his class that she didn't get to meet.

But, that wasn't to say she'd be disappointed or jealous if Rean got himself a girlfriend! She'd be happy for him, no doubt about it! She'd cheer for him from the rooftops! Make him super embarrassed about it. The whole nine arge. He deserved someone who can keep him upright. Elise couldn't look after him forever.

"Kate, we're just friends. We've been like that for more than five years now. No romantic strings attached."

Kate looked skeptical. "None whatsoever?"

"I can't imagine what it would be like without her. She's… amazing."

She blushed at the memory.

That idiot...

"Nada." Juna deadpanned, crossing her arms to signify that this conversation was over. But she still made sure to look away to hide her red cheeks.

Kate sighed. "Fine, fine. Sorry, I got carried away."

Juna relaxed herself, freeing her arms and waving it off. "It's okay. So was there anything else you needed from me?"

"Actually, yes. I wanted to give you this."

The woman took out something else from her bag, a small rectangular box with a neatly wrapped bow around it, and handed it to her. Insisting that Juna open it immediately, the girl obliged. Inside was a small device, big enough to fit in the palm of her hand, and a small orb with a strange pattern inside.

"Is this… a new Enigma?"

Kate nodded. "Yup, it's the Epstein Foundation's latest model: the Enigma II. Lloyd and the guys in the First Division got a few for themselves and we got one for you!"

"And what's this quartz?" she asked, picking up the small orb.

"That's a Master Quartz. Unlike regular quartz, these grow stronger the more you use it. You should try it out when you have the chance."

A Master Quartz? Ah yeah, Juna remembered Rean telling her about his own new orbment that he got from Thors. The ARCUS utilized a similar interface with the Master Quartz at its center. With what it lacked in art variety, it made it up with its Combat Link system. The Enigma (and, consequently, the Enigma II) still maintained the art variety and lacked the combat links, but that also means these models can take advantage of Master Quartz.

"A-Are you sure?" Juna asked, inspecting the device. "This couldn't have been easy to get… What's the occasion?"

"It's your birthday, isn't it?"

…

…

Juna shot up. She had completely forgotten. It was the first day of August. With all the excitement of coming to the police academy and visiting Rean, the fact that her birthday was today completely slipped her mind. It was foolish—bless hindsight—considering that Rean bought her the most expensive crepe she could find as a present. He spoiled her rotten sometimes, so it felt sorta… normal.

"It… is."

Kate grinned. "Then take it. Police work is not getting any easier, so might as well fit yourself with some new gear, right?"

Juna nodded. "Thanks, Kate. I'll take good care of it."

Ah yeah! Now she was motivated! She can't let Rean leave her in the dust forever!

---

August 22, S.1204 - Police Academy Training Room

Juna fell to the ground, exhausting the last bit of the EP remaining in her battle orbment and her own physical stamina as she spent all her energy on practicing on casting an earth-shattering Gaea Titanis art. She panted, observing the damage the training area suffered. Debris fell from the air and crashed onto the ground. In spite of that, the surroundings still looked pristine, almost wholly untouched. The art itself was a powerful one, but the results were lacking.

Mastering the Enigma II was a bit more… difficult than she imagined.

Juna had a basic understanding of arts. No where near the efficacy Elie and Tio had, but she comprehended the basics, at least. And compared to her and Rean, Elise was far and away better at using orbal arts. Still, it wasn't like she was bad at using arts.

It was the Master Quartz system that she had trouble adjusting to. The Enigma II's were currently not even on the market, so it wasn't like she could ask around how to utilize it. She tried asking Wendy earlier but thanks to her only being a mechanic, teaching her the combat uses was out of the question.

So desperate times call for desperate measures. About two weeks into her Enigma training, she penned a letter to Rean after many unsuccessful attempts. He should have a better idea seeing as how he used Master Quartz (Ugh, she should probably just start calling them MQs for short) for the past few months. Normally her pride would've gotten in the way of her asking him for help for anything, but she had to take advantage of any opportunity she could get her hands on! If she had to ask him for help, then she shall!

Sadly, most of the pointers didn't seem to stick as much as she wanted. Either Rean was awful at explaining the mechanics, or the ARCUS just differed that much from the Enigmas.

But hey! At least she learned about two of his new classmates. She surely wasn't expecting one of Rean's upperclassmen and a thirteen year old girl would be joining Class VII—the latter more so than the former—but it never hurt to have more friends. Rean could use the support. Plus he could use the material for more friendship speeches. As cheesy as they were, Juna was always a sucker for them. Reminded her of those superhero shows she and her siblings watched all the time at the theater. They were surprisingly popular among adults for a performance whose target demographic was mainly children.

Still, none of that was going to help her with her current predicament.

"It looks like you could use some help."

Juna turned her head to see one of her role models approach her.

"Elie!"

The young woman from the recently disbanded SSS beamed at the Police Academy's latest up-and-comer.

"When did you come back?" Juna asked, getting back onto her feet.

"Just earlier today. As of today, the SSS is reinstated!" Elie exclaimed. "Of course, the whole team's not back together yet. Noel and Wazy will be filling in for the mean time."

"Sounds great!" Juna could barely contain her excitement. It was only a month since the D∴G Cult incident at the Sun Fort, but the city felt so empty without the SSS in operation. With its four core members split up, everything had to be put on hold.

But now they were back in action! Ready to kick butt and bring evildoers to justice!

...Okay, maybe she was watching too many of those superhero shows. Either that or Rean's "Demon Prince" persona was finally rubbing off on her. She still recalled the day she found his old costume in his closet, to his chagrin. What was more surprising was that it seemed to be made specifically so he could wear it when he was older. He used to be so confident that he could one day don the dark regalia, she almost couldn't make fun of him for it.

Almost.

"So anyway, what are you doing here at the academy? Got any requests here?"

"No, not really. We're here to pick up a new car given to us by the mayor. Chief Sergei and Lloyd are currently going over the paperwork and Noel and Wazy are checking it out for themselves."

"A new car?!" Juna's eyes sparkled. Ever since joining the Police Academy, Juna had familiarized herself with all sorts of orbal vehicles and become somewhat of a fan of them. Being friends with Wendy and Noel sure made a car geek out of her. She technically was only on a permit at the moment, but she was at the top of her class in handling them. Plus, now that she was sixteen, she could finally apply for her official license.

Elie nodded. "Made right from Zeiss Central Factory. I'm… not the best person to ask if you want to know the specifics, but it looks pretty incredible if Noel's praise is anything to go by."

Her eyes wandered to Juna's grip on her Enigma, drawing most likely accurate conclusions on what she's been spending the past few weeks on.

"Are you having trouble adjusting?" the pearl-haired girl asked.

Juna, confused at first, followed Elie's line of sight and sighed in affirmation. "Was it that obvious?"

"Battle orbments can be tricky to adjust to, if you're not prepared." Elie chuckled. "Especially with these models' new functions."

"You can say that again. The MQ system is really puzzling me. I don't know how Rean did it."

"'Rean'…?" A lightbulb flashed over Elie's head. "Oh! You mean your Erebonian friend, right? What does he have to do with this?"

"He and his classmates have been test driving a new battle orbment called the ARCUS. It works a little differently from our Enigmas, but it basically has an MQ system too. But since they're not the same, his advice isn't really helping."

Juna sighed.

"So even Erebonia can use Master Quartz?" Elie adopted a thoughtful expression. If these ARCUS units were also made by the Epstein Foundation, then the shared functionalities would make sense. But Tio probably knew more about that than she did.

Elie tabled the thought for now. There were other things she could help out with.

"So I'm guessing you're not used to how the Master Quartz interacts with you?"

The pink-haired girl nodded. She handed the older girl her Enigma, showing off all the quartz currently equipped. Juna's previous Enigma was attuned to the Earth element, and so her current one was mostly outfitted the same. Even the MQ was of the Earth attribute, giving her access to mostly Earth arts.

"Master Quartz operate much differently than regular quartz in that they become stronger the more they're used. But in order for them to become stronger, they synchronize themselves with the user."

"How does that work?"

"Well… it's a little difficult to explain." Elie nervously chuckled. "You know how in earlier models of battle orbments, there are quartz that augment your battle capabilities—even if you don't have any use of their arts? These work in a similar manner but to a much higher degree. The Master Quartz—or MQs as you've fancied to call them—syncs up with your body through the orbment and grows alongside you. Of course, they require you to equip them in the first place or else that growth can't happen."

"I think I get it?"

"Well, it isn't imperative that you know all the particulars of how it works. You just need to adjust yourself to the synchronization process." Elie examined Juna's Enigma. "Looks like you're using the 'Shield' MQ, like Noel. Maybe you should try using a less intense art and go from there. From the looks of things, you've been starting with the stronger ones you were used to."

Juna blushed, embarrassed that she was found out. Gaea Titanis was something she used to be able to cast without much issue using her older model. Contemporizing with the MQ must have been much weirder for her than she initially thought. And as important as they were, going back to the basics can feel humiliating to anyone.

But without the basics, there was no foundation! Rean and Elise told her all the time whenever they were practicing swordplay. This shouldn't be any different!

Juna accepted her Enigma back and prepared herself. With her orbment back in hand, she exhaled and braced herself to fully tune herself with her Master Quartz.

Shield.

An Earth MQ that emphasized defense and protection but also healing and rejuvenation. Images passed through her mind. Things and people she wanted to protect. Her hometown. Her friends. Her parents. Ken and Nana. Elise and Rean.

The offensive arts available to her was plenty, but she needed to play to the strengths of what she had. Instead of power, she focused more on sustaining her stamina.

"Earth Pulse!"

The fatigue in her body began to gradually dissipate. She maintained a stronger grasp on her gunbreakers and tensed up her legs. The energy she regained allowed her better freedom of movement and easier breathing as time went on.

While Earth Pulse didn't give immediate healing like arts such as Tear, the regen effect it granted had its uses. If anything, Juna preferred it that way. If she can beat bad guys without worrying about taking too much damage, she's all for it.

But she couldn't escape the feeling she had when tapping into Shield's power. She wanted to be the wall that protected Crossbell from evil. Protect it with her entire being if she must. The people she knew and loved; they all factored into it.

And also… to protect him when he needs it most.

She still remembered that day. The day he went berserk to protect her.

She would be his shield, so that he wouldn't have to suffer through that again. Especially not for her sake.

…

Juna felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. How Rean could even think about cheesy stuff like that was a mystery far beyond her understanding.

She decided it best to change topics, lest she embarrassed herself even further.

"Thanks, Elie. I think I get it now."

"Glad to be of assistance, Juna. If you need anything else, you need only ask."

"Right back at you. I know I'm still technically a rookie, but if I can help out anywhere, let me know."

Her first barrier had been overcome, so now came the next one.

---

August 30, S.1204 - Front of Orchis Tower

"Whoooooaaa…"

Juna stood in awe of the sheer massiveness of the building in front of her. Today, Mayor Crois unveiled the city's latest finished project: Orchis Tower, standing firmly at 250 arge high, the tallest building in Zemuria.

Calling it "towering" was an understatement.

But now wasn't the time for sightseeing! No, it was time for her to finally show off the results of her training!

Tomorrow would be the day the West Zemuria Trade Conference would commence. Since it was an event of immense political importance, security detail fell to the police department rather than the bracers (Arios MacLaine notwithstanding). And as luck would have it, they were short handed. Juna was one of the few from the academy they sent in order to help.

It may have seemed irresponsible—and trust her, she would know—it was the perfect opportunity to see her efforts bear fruit after her time in the academy. Based on Rean's experiences, he had to deal with all sorts of perilous situations every month. Hell, he should be on a field study right this moment. If she was gonna become a police officer, she had to dance with danger too, dammit!

Just like in Heimdallr, Juna knew she at least had the capability to face menacing threats. Time and time again, she has proven that she could pull through against all the odds and come out triumphant. She so desperately wanted too…

But she needed to remind herself not to get too in over her head.

It annoyed her, but Rean was right when he said that she was too rash for her own good. Rushing in was a part of her nature. She couldn't help it! But her favorite sword fanboy had to give her a lecture about it. Even during their outing at the summer festival, no less! That jerk…

She really should've hounded him for a second crepe.

…

But what about now? Since the conference wouldn't happen until tomorrow, she was off duty. Lloyd and the rest of the SSS were currently carrying out their requests for the day. She had a feeling they were also helping with security, so it was probably best to not disturb them while they finished their jobs and preparations for tomorrow.

Ken and Nana were playing with Ryu, Anri, and Mimi. It wouldn't be right to disturb them, even if she wanted to supervise them. As for her parents, well, her dad should be working at Mishelam right now. Apparently some guy decided to rent out the entire park for himself, so no doubt that was keeping him busy. And as for her mom, she'd tell her to take time to herself.

What was there to do?

"Breathtaking, isn't it?"

A young, petite girl pulled out an orbal camera, capturing the majesty of the monolithic building in front of them.

That was weird…

Not the girl, but the fact that Juna didn't recognize her. She didn't want to boast, but she recognized most of the faces in Crossbell. In a single glance, she could discern whether or not they were a native. Admittedly it was a strange flex, but it wasn't like she knew everybody by name! Now that would be weird!

But she didn't recognize this girl. Perhaps a tourist? August was normally a strange time to be visiting a foreign country, but it's not like the Schwarzers didn't do that themselves.

…

Oh wait, they came to visit her. No duh.

Maybe she was a part of the trade conference? Nah, that can't be. She looked way too young.

"Um, excuse me?"

Actually, there's something familiar about her clothes… And she remembered hearing about a ponytail tied with a comically large blue ribbon before…

"Hello…? Anyone in there?"

"Huh? Yes?"

The girl beamed, glad to have finally caught Juna's attention.

"Good to see you're still with us. Judging by the uniform, I'm guessing you're a student of the Crossbell Police Academy?"

"Oh… Oh, uh, yeah! Sure am!" Juna replied. "I'm surprised you noticed! You're not a face I recognize. I didn't think a non-native would notice it."

"Haha, I'm pretty well read about that. I thought I'd do a little research before coming to Crossbell."

A young girl like her doing research before a trip? And even going as far as studying the police academy? That… didn't sound conventional. It certainly wasn't something she'd do if she was gonna visit another country outside of tourist destinations.

"So, how may I help you? Was there anything you were looking for?"

"Well, I was thinking of going around the city and checking out a few spots before tomorrow. A friend of mine recommended several places of interest to me and I wanted to check them out. But as you can see," she gestured at herself, "I can get easily lost in a big place without a guide."

"Oh, so you want me to show you around?"

The girl nodded.

Well, it wasn't like she had anything better to do. She seemed nice enough and it was her duty to help others.

"Oh, how rude of me!" The girl exclaimed. "I'm asking you to give me a tour and I haven't even introduced myself yet!"

She cleared her throat and looked up at Juna. "My name is Towa Herschel, an assistant representative of Erebonia for the West Zemurian Trade Conference. It's a pleasure to meet you."

And then all the pieces fell into place.

"W-Wait! You're Towa Herschel?! As in 'student council president of Thors Military Academy' Towa Herschel?!"

Towa's eyes widened. "Oh, gee, I didn't realize I was famous. How did you know about that?"

"My friend Rean told me about you! About how you always keep him busy on his free days and how you're always helping him out!"

"H-Hold on a minute! Rean said what?! I always tell him that he can ease up on the requests if he wants to! He doesn't need to complain about it to someone else…"

Juna was taken aback for a moment before realizing she made a slight mistake. "Oh no, I didn't mean it like that! He appreciates the work. He's always been a busybody, so if anything, I should be thanking you."

Towa sighed and released the sudden tension building up in her body. "Thank goodness. I was worried for a second there. Honestly, it feels like I've been working him too hard."

"He never likes staying idle." Juna explained. "For once, I wish he'd just relax. But unless there's a hot spring in Trista, that's not gonna happen anytime soon."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Towa giggled. "Come to think of it… You sure know a lot about Rean." The small girl observed her, leaving the taller girl a slight bit awkward. "You must be the girl he talks so much about!"

"...Huh?"

"Yup. Every opportunity he gets to read one of your letters, he'd nearly jump at the chance. Sometimes, he'd write things in his student notebook just as reference material for his replies. It's actually quite sweet to watch."

And just as embarrassing to hear, if she was being honest.

"Though, strangely enough, he never once mentioned your name."

...Jerk.

"Then allow me to make up for his shortcomings." Juna playfully smirked, utilizing her mock noble impression that she developed over the years. "I'm Juna Crawford. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Towa let out another giggle.

"As for your request, I'd love to show you around Crossbell. Since I'm guessing Rean was the one who made the recommendations, I'm the perfect person to ask for the grand tour. I was the one who showed him to them, after all!"

"Then by all means, lead the way."

---

Juna thought Rean was exaggerating when he said that Towa was an angel. Though they weren't his words, she was described as a "petite and clumsy messenger of Aidios". There was no way she could live up to those expectations, right? She was only human, after all.

But there she was with a bright, angelic smile despite the fact that she tripped up the stairs numerous times.

How was this girl older than her?! Older than Rean?! The goddess sure worked in mysterious ways...

But the more she learned about Towa, the more she surprised Juna. The myriad of accomplishments she boasted boggled her mind. She provided the very basis of Rean's class, being one of the initial testers of the ARCUS units and helped form the curriculum of Class VII. That alone was enough to impress Juna.

However, the small girl also revealed how she was chosen to help out with major government and business projects. Her achievements along with her ability to work in extracurricular activities and academics made her a popular recruiting choice for agencies everywhere. After the initial shock of her… "stature" wore off, Towa's resumé was more than enough to turn the heads of keen-eyed employers. Meanwhile Juna would trip up on an algebra problem.

"You're amazing, Towa! No wonder Rean talks a lot about you!" Juna commended. "I'm glad he has someone as reliable as you looking over him."

"Hehe… Not at all!" Add humble to her list of qualities as well. "He's always helping me, so it's only fair."

"I just worry about him sometimes, you know?" Juna said, slurping some noodles from her favorite ramen stand. She tried to limit herself ever since enrolling in the academy, but if Towa wanted to try it out thanks to their mutual friend, who was she to deny her? An extra bowl this week wouldn't kill her.

Hopefully.

"It kinda surprises me though. You joining a military academy and all. You just… don't seem the type."

Towa looked away, her voice slightly strained. "I'm… not surprised you feel that way. I've been accepted to several institutes before enrolling in Thors, but I still feel like I've made the right decision."

…

"But that's enough about me." Towa said with a bright smile on her face to break Juna out of her reverie. "Tell me about yourself, Juna."

Juna stopped mid-slurp. "Me?" Swallow. "What do you want to know?"

"As I said before, Rean is really tight-lipped concerning you. I'm guessing it's to maintain your privacy, but he still manages to talk about you whenever he can. But other than the fact that you're from Crossbell, no one really knows anything about you at all. To me and all our friends, you were simply known as the 'friend from Crossbell'."

"Huh."

She appreciated the sentiment, but it wasn't like she was opposed to him bragging about her accomplishments. Strangers they may be to her, Rean was a good judge of character and his classmates were people he'd entrust his life to. But even Towa wasn't privy to their exchanges.

Maybe he was too embarrassed to talk about her? Rean used to be rather reserved when it came to conversation. He was meticulous in how he phrased his words, usually not to give the wrong impression or reveal too much. Bringing a person his friends never met before into casual conversation would be more than a little awkward.

Still, the thought of being a mystery to his friends felt charming in its own way. Sorta like a mystery beauty kinda thing? It was enough to make her feel moved though. Perhaps, Rean kept their conversations private because he valued their time together and didn't want them to be tarnished?

…

Nah, probably just her imagination running wild again.

…

"Well, where to start? I've been living in Crossbell all my life. I know the city like the back of my hand." She shifted to a thinking position in hopes of scrounging any interesting facts about herself to impress the far more accomplished girl. "Well, you already guessed it, but I'm enrolled at the Police Academy. Rean's enrollment at Thors was part of the reason why I wanted to join the CPD."

"Oh really? What else inspired your decision? If you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all." Images flashed through her mind. Images of people whom she came to admire these past few months. "I have the Special Support Section to thank for that."

"I've heard about them!" Towa said, excitedly. "They're the ones who've been solving incidents all throughout the state, right? I heard that they cracked open a case concerning a mafia syndicate and put a stop to a cult from spreading a dangerous drug."

"Yup! They're really amazing!" Juna recalled her tonfa lessons from Lloyd and the pointers Elie gave her when she was learning how to fire a gun. Tio gave her a rundown on how to properly utilize the orbal terminal and Randy… well… he didn't give her anything practical. At least he was fun to be around though!

And with Noel and Wazy joining their ranks now, they seemed almost unstoppable.

Towa spoke up with her head down. "I almost feel like I should apologize though…"

With her reverence broken, Juna tilted her head in confusion towards the girl. "Why's that?"

"I've also heard that Revache, the mafia syndicate, was aligned with former Speaker Hartmann of the imperialist faction. Had the Empire kept a closer eye on him, Crossbell would surely be in better hands. He must've made things more difficult than they should've been."

…

Juna didn't have much of a way to respond. She knew it was foolish, to blame the actions of one man on an entire nation's carelessness and negligence. It wouldn't be fair to Erebonians who were ignorant of the situation or were powerless to stop it. Rean, Elise, Uncle Teo, Aunt Lucia… Maybe even Princess Alfin herself. She shouldn't expect them to know everything that goes on beyond their borders.

But being in Crossbell's unique position… it was hard not to think those thoughts. Here lies the autonomous state of Crossbell, one of the greatest trade cities on the continent. However, it only really existed as a buffer state under the suzerainty of Erebonia and Calvard. In the past, countless wars were fought for control of the state and now? It was all complicated political cold wars to try to seize control from the inside.

"It's true. Hartmann and a lot of Empire-affiliated politicians haven't made things easy for Speaker MacDowell or a lot of the citizens. The whole incident with the D∴G Cult and the crimes involving Revache were clear indicators of that. It didn't help that it was obvious that the higher ups in the CPD were being bribed to let their crimes go unnoticed."

"Is that another reason why you wanted to join? To change it from the inside?"

Juna paused. She hadn't given that enough thought before. Did she really think she could change the CPD? It wasn't like it hadn't already happened since the Cult incident. Hartmann was finally arrested and Lloyd had been working with the First Division during the hiatus of the SSS. Surely his influence was starting to spread throughout the force.

It was a noble endeavor, but she had no reason to lie to Towa like that.

"To be honest, no. I hadn't really put my mind on that at all. I just want to be able to help people and protect my home. I've considered becoming a bracer too, but the SSS basically cemented the idea that I can do more than that if I become a police officer."

"That's very admirable of you, Juna. He would never say it outloud, but I can tell Rean views you as a form of inspiration. Now, I can see why."

Juna raised her eyebrow skeptically. "No way. I don't believe you."

"I'm telling the truth! He looks up to you a lot, Juna!" Towa exclaimed with a cute pout.

Juna waved off the idea. How absurd. Rean would never do such a thing. Maybe when pigs fly, perhaps. Still, the idea did feed into her pride. He was impressed with her fighting prowess back in Heimdallr after all. She hadn't been training for combat as much as he and Elise had, so if he thought she was doing well for herself, it had to count for something, right? Maybe there was a grain of truth after all. She still found it difficult to believe it equated to admiration, but she'll take what she can get out of him.

"Thank you, Towa. And, again, thanks for looking after Rean. He can be a handful, but he's lucky to have a friend like you."

"Of course," Towa nodded. "And after our conversation today, I'll be sure to remind him to be more careful. I wouldn't want you to worry about him even more than you already have."

Juna's face scrunched up and she tightened her hand into a fist, breaking her wooden chopsticks. "He better not! I swear, if he does anything stupid again, well I oughta-"

"Oookaay, let's table that discussion for now!" Towa said nervously. Please Rean, for the love of Aidios, don't do anything to make Juna upset.

---

August 31, S.1204 - Orchis Tower 37F

"Well everything's going to shit, huh?"

Juna couldn't have said it better herself even if she tried. The first half of the trade conference consisted of everything she expected one to hold: boring old economic and financial proposals and agreements. But this… this was brutal.

"It's just as Mr. Grimwood predicted." Tio noted with a grimace. Juna wasn't there for that conversation, but seeing as how both Chancellor Osborne and President Rocksmith were pretty much laying the beatdown on Crossbell's security, she could imagine how that went.

It pained her even more knowing how spot on each of their accusations were. Crossbell was threatened by a cult. Its politicians and defense forces were manipulated by them. All that was undoubtedly true.

But why? Why must her proud state be oppressed by the will of only two men?

It was almost comical. Two men of opposing nations exchanging witty banter and repartee to highlight the weaknesses of her home. The expressions of Mayor Crois and Chairman MacDowell stiffened with each word out of the Chancellor's and President's mouths. The other attendees; Prince Olivert of Erebonia, Princess Klaudia of Liberl, and Archduke Albert of Remiferia; looked on in shock. Ian Grimwood, the lawyer meant to supervise the conference, uncomfortably shuffled in his seat. Even the expression of Arios MacLaine, the Divine Blade of Wind and neutral envoy of the Bracer Guild, hardened.

Juna clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms to prevent herself from slamming into the glass. She had to hold herself back. She couldn't make a scene. Especially with the Special Support Section here with her.

She glared at the two men. They might not have noticed her—being two floors up would do that—but she needed to let her resentment out somehow.

…

But that one man in particular. Giliath Osborne. He… terrified her. Something about him felt familiar, but warped into something strange. Unknown. Indistinguishable from its original form. His imposing figure and the way he carried himself. It felt like he was always on top of things; knew his way to checkmate many rounds in advance.

"If one held all the knowledge within their grasp, the world would become droll and boring."

That's what he said. But he knew so much more than he let on.

"Juna?" Noel snapped her out of her thoughts. "Are you still thinking about what the Chancellor said earlier?"

The others turned to her, worry festering in each of their faces.

She should've counted herself lucky and honored. She was able to meet with both President Rocksmith and Chancellor Osborne while the conference was on break. With her heroes no less!

But their demeanors, while completely opposite to one another, told a similar story. The president seeks to solve Crossbell's problems because they also affect the Republic. A painful reminder that Crossbell was still a suzerain state for Calvard. Under that jolly mask of his hid his true intentions. Did he seek to make Crossbell a part of Calvard? Or was he only interested in furthering his country's pockets?

Then there was the chancellor. Rean had told her about his meeting with him a month prior, after the incident in Heimdallr. The way his booming voice traveled through the room, his tall figure towering over them (even Randy had to back away), and the strength that emanated with each footstep. Whatever words Rean had used to describe him from their brief meeting could not even come close to the real thing. That man was a beast like none she had ever encountered.

She found it difficult to concentrate on the discussion. The weakness of people, the strength of will. None of that mattered compared to the fear that entangled her chest with a grip of blood and iron.

She should've been frustrated! He insinuated that Crossbell would fall because of the foolhardy! Because their will was lacking! But… she knew Crossbell needed change. The entire situation with the cult shed much of the flaws of her home to light.

But what he said afterward… That's what got her the most.

---

"And you… You must be Juna Crawford, correct?"

"H-Have we met before, Y-Your Excellency?" A shiver went down Juna's spine, almost biting her tongue when addressing the chancellor properly.

"No… we haven't." He smirked. "But you must be the girl he's so fond of. It makes me happy to finally be able to put a face to the name."

"E-Excuse me?"

"Ah, pay me no mind." He stood up, walking towards the windows. "But do cherish him while you can, Ms. Crawford. You never know when you might lose him."

---

What did he mean by that…?

He must have been referring to Rean, but how did he know that they were friends? Had the Intelligence Division been keeping eyes on her too? What would possibly tear them apart after being friends for almost five and a half years?

Question after question. The more she thought about it, the more queries invaded her thoughts and none of them produced any answers. Why was Rean being watched like some caged animal? Was he really that important to the imperial government? And why was she being watched too?

She had much to think about, but she had a job to do. She turned to the others.

"Sorry, guys. I have a lot on my mind. That's all."

…

"Was the 'he' the chancellor referring to your Erebonian friend?" Lloyd asked.

"Oh yeah, Junie's boyfri-" An audible smack echoed in the hall before Randy could finish his sentence.

"Don't tease her, Randy." Elie said calmly.

"You're the worst." Tio gave him an unamused look.

As much as his offhand comment ticked her off (was it really that hard to accept that they were just friends?) she still appreciated the levity.

She turned back to Lloyd.

"I don't know. Really wish these guys would stop playing the pronoun game, but in all honesty, I'm not sure who else he'd mean." There weren't many people she knew personally in Erebonia. The only guys she really knew were the townspeople of Ymir, Uncle Teo and Rean included. Rean would also make the most sense since he met with the chancellor a while back, but that still left too many questions and not enough answers.

"Try not to let it get to you." Noel smiled at her. "Though maybe I shouldn't be the one saying that when I was the one who lost her cool back there."

"Just as I was about to mention it." Wazy piped in, earning him a sharp glare from Noel.

Juna snickered at the lighthearted atmosphere. Yeah, maybe she was just overthinking it. As Lloyd always told her, a good detective was nothing without good information. Or at least she thought that's what he always said? Whatever, the point was that she had nothing to go on. Best not to wrack her head around it before she self-destructed or something.

The meeting continued, for better or worse. Well… mostly worse. Suggesting that Crossbell disband the Guardian Force nearly made Noel want to bust through the window and subsequently bust some heads. Lloyd and Randy had to hold her back from inciting an international incident.

Soon after, Lloyd received a call on his Enigma. From Chief Sergei, apparently, and by the looks of Lloyd's shifting expression, it wasn't good news.

"Is it my uncle?" Randy said, suddenly becoming more alert.

She didn't know all the details, but she had heard from Lloyd and the others. Randy was once part of a jaeger corps called "Red Constellation" and was supposed to inherit its leadership after his father, the previous leader, died. No one held any resentment towards him, but even he couldn't forgive himself if his family was responsible for any future incidents in Crossbell.

Randy had a right to be wary, since just earlier, Detective Dudley did inform them that both Red Constellation and Heiyue have left their respective bases of operation.

Lloyd shook his head. "N-No it's not them-"

Then she heard something.

"Everyone, get down!"

Arios's voice reverberated through the conference hall. Ear tingling rotors roared from each side of the building and convened in front of the glass window behind Mayor Crois's and Chairman MacDowell's seats. The source came from a pair of airships of differing models.

Without warning, the two airships fired a volley of rounds onto the windows of the tower. The force of the shots vibrated throughout the building. Juna and the others even felt the shakes from two floors up. Thanks to the tempered glass, the shockwaves were minor, but still noticeable.

"Wh-What the hell's going on?" Juna cried out.

"Those airships! I think they're from Reinford and Verne Company!" Elie shouted.

"What are Imperial and Republican airships doing here, firing at the trade conference?!" Noel's eyes darted around, examining any possibilities that can be drawn to a plausible conclusion.

"Terrorists, most likely." Wazy stated. "But then that begs the question: why are Erebonian and Calvardian terrorists helping each other?"

After both ships finished their barrage of gunfire and the attendees of the conference moved to a safe distance, Juna heard a loud click of an intercom turning on.

"I think we're about to find out." Lloyd said.

"-Greetings attendees. We are the 'Imperial Liberation Front'."

The introduction chilled Juna to the bone. The voice sounded familiar. These were the terrorists she encountered in Heimdallr… And that voice belonged to the man she met leading them. The man known as Gideon...

"-Likewise," another intercom spoke. "We are a faction of the 'Anti-Immigration League', seeking to protect the ancient traditions of Calvard."

She had heard of them. The Immigration Policy was implemented by President Rocksmith to encourage trade relationships with eastern countries. It spurred major economic growth, but caused an influx of cultural conflicts between the locals and the immigrants. She couldn't understand such a feeling—to hate an entire people for being born in a different location and having different customs. And Aidios forbid if she ever wanted to understand an ugly mindset.

The first voice, Gideon, spoke again. "We've agreed to cooperate to destroy our respective enemies. So then 'Blood and Iron Chancellor' Giliath Osborne! Prepare yourself!"

"President Rocksmith! Your end is here! Drastic measures are required to protect the traditions of Calvard, which were violated by the abominable Easterners!"

…

"Well, this isn't good." Despite the nonchalant manner of speaking, Wazy's face was strained.

"Seems like we lost control of Orchis Tower." Tio analyzed the situation using her portable orbal terminal. From a brief glance, Juna could surmise that most of the shutters had been activated and the elevators were offline. "Most likely thanks to our little hacker from yesterday."

"We need to go now!" Lloyd commanded. "To the 35th floor! We need to ensure the safety of all the heads of state!"

"R-Roger!" Noel pulled out her twin pistols from their holsters, preparing herself for a possible firefight.

"If we can't take the elevator, we'll need to make due with the emergency stairs." Randy pulled out his stun halberd, adjusting its settings to deal the maximum amount of pain.

Juna nodded, and readied her gunbreakers.

Their first hurdle was a shutter blocking their way down the first flight of stairs. Thankfully, they got through that without any issues thanks to Tio and her excellent hacking skills.

What waited for them on the other side, however, was not so kind.

Three followers of the sword were engaged in combat with two squads worth of terrorists, either equipped with large blades or automatic firearms.

Juna already knew how skilled Arios was with his tachi. Seeing him blast away the terrorists with a single swing of his blade was nothing short of mesmerizing. If this was the prowess of a master of the Eight Leaves, then Rean still had a long way to go.

The other two were just as impressive. Major Mueller Vander, a practitioner of the Vander school of swordsmanship, and Captain Julia Schwarz, an elegant fencer and leader of the Liberlian Royal Guard. The two wielded their respective blades with such skill and finesse that she finally understood why Rean had been so enamored with the art of swinging a sword. It was like a rhythmic dance and the weapon was their partner.

Maybe a bit too poetic there? She wouldn't have time to think on that.

"Something's coming." Wazy noted.

They caught sight of various autonomous contraptions heading their way. They looked like miniature airships, barely floating from the ground using their small rotors and equipped with deadly weaponry. If Wendy was here, she'd probably call it cute if not for the fact that it wasn't trying to kill them at the moment. Whatever they are, it seemed like the original SSS members recognized them.

They wordlessly agreed to split off into groups. Lloyd, Randy, and Wazy focused on being the vanguard and held the machines from advancing. Juna and Noel operated as the rearguard, shooting down any stragglers that passed them by. Tio and Elie stayed further behind to support them using their arts.

Thanks to their coordinated teamwork, they made quick work of the machines. "Archaisms from the Society" Randy called them. Juna didn't know what he meant by that, but there wasn't much time to ask him about it.

Afterwards, they convened with Detective Dudley, the chancellor's and president's attendants (Lechter Arundel and Kilika Rouran if she remembered correctly), and the three sword fighters. Before they could assist, one of the terrorists threw a stun grenade to ensure their escape behind the shutters.

"Tio, can you release the lock?" Lloyd asked.

"I'm not sure, but I will give it a try." She connected her portable terminal into the door shutters. Following a few seconds of furious typing, Tio sighed. "As I thought, the security level has been increased to the maximum level. Even with my Aeon system…"

Dudley let out a curse before receiving another call. "Yes, this is Dudley."

…

"What?! The terrorists are escaping through the basement?!"

The basement? Why would they go down there?

…

She recalled Rean quoting a line from one of his favorite detective novels.

"When presented with new information, you have to stand back and observe how it fits into the puzzle."

...Funny how Lloyd wasn't the one who gave her that advice, but she digressed.

Juna thought back to all the information they were currently privy to. The terrorists had only just arrived. She wouldn't have expected them to simply give up the moment they faced resistance. With an important conference such as this, none of the involved countries would spare any detail for security. Arios watching over the event was already public knowledge, so there was no way they'd just throw in the towel so quickly.

Unless…

She looked upward to the roof.

"Looks like our rookie got it in one." Lechter said.

Everyone looked at her quizzically.

"Juna?" Elie asked. "Did you figure something out?"

"It's just a hunch but… if they're escaping underground, but still want to kill the president and chancellor, I was thinking they'd probably try to destroy the building all together and get to safety."

"Bingo." Lechter snapped his fingers, congratulating her. "I thought I was gonna have to spell it out. Nice job, kid!"

Dudley's face scrunched up. "Wait, does that mean-?!"

"That they're planning on blowing the place to hell with bombs planted on their airships? Yup, pretty much."

"Dammit! Then we have to get past this shutter, even if it means using brute force!"

"No…" Tio whispered. "I don't think that'll be necessary." She returned to her typing. "Jona, can you hear me?"

About thirty seconds later, the shutter opened.

"Looks like our hacker wasn't very interested in keeping us locked." Randy scoffed. "Ah well. Good job, Tio Tot."

"We also regained access to the elevators, but we couldn't do anything about the one the terrorists are taking."

"Then this is where we part ways." Kilika spoke up, garnering everyone's attention. "Mr. Arundel and I will go to the roof and disarm the bomb."

Lechter raised an eyebrow in her direction before relenting when she shot him back a cheeky grin. "Looks like I don't have any other choice."

"Then allow us to accompany you." Major Mueller offered. "Captain Schwarz and I will fend off any archaisms while you dismantle the bombs."

Captain Julia nodded. "The rest of you will give chase to the terrorists. You may still be able to catch up to them if you hurry."

"Understood." Arios agreed. He turned to Dudley for a final confirmation.

"Bannings, we're going after them too! There are two enemy groups, so we will have to split up part way through."

"Understood!"

"Aye aye, sir!" Randy added. "Junie, you should-"

A loud explosion roared from behind them. From the looks of things, the blast came from nearby. The booming noise resulted more from proximity rather than destructive power.

Before the others could react, Juna fired her gunbreakers towards the source of the sound, hitting a few archaisms.

"I'll keep them off your trail! I'll only hold you back, so go on without me!"

"But we can't just leave you alone!"

As another archaism approached, Juna switched into her Striker mode and slammed it out of the way, onto the window to her left with a loud thud. A few more shots and it was completely down.

Hopefully they weren't expecting to demand her to pay for damages… But nonetheless, she was victorious. She turned to the others in triumph.

"See? No problem."

"Behind you!"

"...Huh?"

A smaller archaism charged at her at blistering speed, its rotary blades whirring much faster than the other scouting units. It readied its guns and trained them on her. It was too close for her to shoot and wasn't giving her any leeway to change her gunbreakers back into Striker mode and the others were too far away to assist. Her and her big mouth…

"Rainbow Shot!"

Seven colorful orbs of light shot forward and each detonated against the little machine, pushing it further and further back until it rammed into the other archaisms in hiding. A small explosion later and they were all down for the count.

"Juna, are you okay?"

It was Towa holding out her hand to help her up. After a moment of processing the events that just occurred, she accepted the gesture and got up on her feet. In Towa's other hand was an orbal gun with a model and make that she was somewhat familiar with, but more advanced than the current retail models.

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks to you." She sighed. "That's what I get for being overconfident."

Towa giggled. "Don't worry about it." The small girl turned towards the large group, who were still watching the entire exchange. "I overheard the situation. You should hurry before the terrorists get away. I'll watch Juna's back while we focus on evacuating the premises."

"A-Are you sure?" Lloyd asked, still processing the fact that such a petite girl was a remarkable gunslinger.

Lechter shrugged. "I wouldn't be too worried. She packs a bigger punch than her appearance would suggest. Remember Ms. Herschel, that job offer from the Intelligence Division is still up for grabs."

"I appreciate it, Captain Arundel, but perhaps we should discuss this another time."

Lechter snickered and motioned towards Kilika, Mueller, and Julia to follow him to the roof. The three shrugged and made their way to the roof.

Dudley huffed. "Come on, we've wasted enough time. Take care of yourself, Crawford."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Juna gave the detective an awkward salute as he went to go call for the elevator. Despite the concerned looks the SSS were giving her, she nodded with a determined smile.

"I got this, guys. We'll get everyone out of here and regroup with the rest of the force. You get out there and kick some terrorist butt!"

With a slight sense of hesitation, they all agreed to let Juna stay behind to help with evacuations. At least they knew that Towa would be with her in case something came up.

"Alright, Special Support Section! Let's move out!"

"Roger!" They each raced to the elevator, bidding their farewells to Juna.

Juna sighed. As much as she wanted to join them in their pursuit, she knew that she couldn't. She was still a student of the Police Academy. She was still learning about the ins and outs of combat. She was nowhere on Rean's level yet, so she'd only hold them back.

…

It was frustrating.

Just earlier, Juna wanted to use this mission as a chance to prove herself that she was capable. That she had the guts and knowhow to be a police officer. A defender of justice and of the people. But, even subconsciously, she knew that she had a long way to go. Part of her knew that she wasn't cut out for chasing terrorists (willingly, at least, as she was kidnapped last time) so she decided that she'd be better used as a decoy.

She had to stop recklessly risking her life. She would be no use to anyone if she was dead. Besides, this was still a good opportunity to prove that the last few months of training was still worth all the effort she put in.

She tightened her hold on her gunbreakers and prepared her Enigma II for an art to let her charge in. She exhaled a strong breath she held in anticipation.

"I'm ready, Towa."

The other girl nodded and readied her gun.

The two headed out, prepared to overcome any obstacle that stood in their path.

---

"That should be everyone."

Juna and Towa currently stood outside of Orchis Tower, successfully evacuating the employees of the building and several news reporters. However, several Guardian Force and officers from the CPD were still inside, locking down any possible escape routes from the terrorists and searching for any more evacuees on the premises.

"If there are any more in there, they'll be sure to find them." Towa reassured.

"Yeah…" Juna looked on towards the tower, reassessing the actions she took since parting ways with the Special Support Section. Fighting while escorting non-combatants was much more difficult than she had realized. She had to not only pay attention to her enemies, but the people she was supposed to be protecting. To think the SSS's first mission involved saving kids from hostile monsters. With her awareness split between so many parties, she was lucky to have Towa bear some of the burden to take the lead.

If she wasn't there, well, Juna shuddered to think of the alternative.

But in the end, they have done all they could. They got as many people safe as they could find from their side and made it out relatively unscathed.

Juna sighed. Now she was really glad Rean had someone like Towa watching over him.

"What do you think we should do now?" Juna asked. "We can't just stand here twiddling our thumbs while we wait for the others."

"I agree, but it wouldn't be smart to rush back in with just the two of us. The soldiers attending the conference are in charge of their leaders while everyone else that could help went back in to help."

SCREEE

Suddenly, an unexpected arrival of an orbal police car almost gave them both a heart attack. The loud screech rang in their ears while the abrupt movement of the air from the impact almost loosened and untied both girls' ponytails.

The window of the car rolled down.

"We got trouble, Juna!"

"K-Kate?! What happened?"

"We received reports of activity going on at Garrelia Fortress! It seems that several achtzehn tanks were deployed and they're readying the railway cannons!"

Juna stared at her in shock. The achtzehn tanks and railway cannons were both powerful weapons of the Empire, the latter being the mightiest weapons ever wrought by human hands since the Great Collapse. They were capable of burning the entirety of Crossbell City to ground and massacring all of its citizens in mere hours…

She trembled.

Why?

Why would they even dare point those disgusting things at her home?! Especially with their own chancellor there?! It was insanity!

"My, this seems to be a predicament then."

A blond man with his hair tied in a low ponytail approached them. His bright red coat was decorated with ornate golden tassels and epaulettes and he wore a blue tunic underneath. If Juna wasn't already familiar with him from watching the conference, she'd comment on how much he looked like Princess Alfin.

"Your Highness," Towa formally addressed. "Do you know what's going on?"

Prince Olivert groaned. Based on Alfin's recollection, he was more mischievous and playful. Fitting for someone known as the "Debaucherous Prince". But here, he was frustrated. Pissed even, if Juna could describe a royal like that.

"Normally I'd pin this on foolish nobles looking to kill the chancellor. You've seen how… 'proactive' he is. But I can assure you that this is more likely due to the hands of our friends from the Imperial Liberation Front."

"I agree." Another voice entered the fray. This time from a girl with a light blue jacket and frilly skirt underneath. Her short blue hair and matching eyes made her beautiful beyond compare. Of course Juna knew her too: Princess Klaudia from Liberl.

"The mere pointing of those weapons are tantamount to a declaration of war." The princess explained. "It would be foolish of the Empire to risk killing their own chancellor before such a bold move against Calvard."

"What's also concerning is that," Olivert added. "Class VII is currently conducting their field studies within the fortress."

Juna paled.

"Rean's… in danger?"

It was difficult to digest. No matter how many times he told her about his field studies, she grew more and more sick whenever he had to fight professional killers. She had always told him to be more careful until he eventually stopped writing about those experiences.

She wasn't an idiot. She knew he was still fighting them. He only withheld that information to give her peace of mind. Part of her appreciated it. But ever since the trip to Heimdallr, even through her smile, she hated that Rean had to constantly endanger himself. Even more so because it was partly her own fault. That day five years ago… She would never forget it.

It was hypocritical, she realized. She enrolled in the Police Academy after being inspired by the heroics of the SSS to become a police officer. It was far from the safest job out there and it was even more concerning that since she was younger than Rean.

But Rean… he wasn't healthy. He never told her the specifics—nor was he ever obligated to—but she knew he held something within him that made him hurt. Elise, their parents, and especially she could all see it.

"There may be a modicum of danger, but rest assured Rean and his classmates are in good hands." Olivert assured with a gentle smile and a wink. "With the Purple Lightning and Neithardt the Mighty there, the goddess will most assuredly grant them her fortune."

That did make Juna feel better. Rean might be neglectful about his health when he wants to help someone, but even he knew his limits. Having a responsible instructor to supervise him might be just what he needed to get through this ordeal just fine.

…

At least she hoped that was the case. Even she was a little mixed about Instructor Sara in some areas, but she knew she kicked ass when she wanted to! That's something, she supposed.

"Still," Kate interjected. "It may be in our best interest to at least observe the premises beyond Bellguard Gate. Forgive me for being presumptuous, Your Highness, but I've been told to patrol the area to deliver a full report and to evacuate the area as soon as possible."

"Then don't hold yourself on my account. In fact…" He pulled out his own orbal gun with a slightly different design than Towa's. "I would like to join you."

Everyone else save Klaudia widened their eyes at the sudden invitation. The princess arched her brow to send the prince an unamused look.

"Prince Olivert. I know you're trying to be helpful, but what would Major Vander think of you charging in so recklessly?"

"I may have to pay hell for it later, but my dear Mueller must accept that I have my own duties to perform!" He flipped his bangs out of his eyes with a stylish wave of his hand. Juna could've sworn she caught some glimpses of sparkles in the air in response to his smooth movements.

Klaudia sighed, but relented. She whistled loudly into the air, away from the others, and held out her arm. The group heard wings flapping in the air a moment later and down came a majestic white falcon. Its talons gripped onto Klaudia's arm and formally greeted her.

"Sieg," Wait, hold on. She was talking with a bird? "I want you to scout the area between Bellguard Gate and Garrelia Fortress in the west. Assess the situation and we'll be right behind you."

The falcon cawed in response and flew in the direction its master commanded. Juna, Kate, and Towa blankly stared, slightly stunned.

"Uhhhh what just happened?" Juna whispered to the others.

"I knew that white falcons were the symbol of Liberl," Towa looked at the princess in awe, "But I didn't realize that the royal family had one so well trained."

Kate shook her head to get her bearings back together. "Wait, did you say 'we'll be right behind you'? You're not asking if you could come too, Your Royal Highness?"

"That I am." Klaudia angelically smiled. How was she so beautiful?! "Julia may give me an earful about it later, but I will not stand for the suffering of the people of Crossbell."

"Th-then by all means, hop in, everyone…"

After that awkward exchange, the four made their way into the police car with Towa, Olivert, and Klaudia sitting in the back seats and Juna taking the front next to Kate.

Before setting off, she heard Kate sigh and mutter under her breath.

"I didn't think I'd be chauffeuring a prince and princess today…"

---

"Blue Ascension!"

Klaudia pointed her rapier at the archaism. She moved her arms with grace like a concert conductor would with their baton, directing each section of the orchestra to perform their part. The result was the formation of a large fountain of water that exploded with immense torrential force. The archaism was felled by the princess's mastery of orbal arts.

"Judgement Bolt!"

Olivert summoned a large bolt of lightning that pierced forward, blasting everything that stood in its path with its electrifying heat. It even managed to hit one of the haywire tanks aiming its barrel at several imperial soldiers.

Likewise, the prince had a mirroring proficiency with orbal arts as the princess. Even though he was far from an incompetent shot with his gun, he preferred utilizing the overwhelming strength of his arts. He and Towa also demonstrated how powerful the power of combat links could be, further strengthening their attacks by fighting in sync.

If Juna wasn't facing off against her own oversized, sentient missile launcher, she'd be mesmerized by the art of their, well, arts.

Hehe, that one was pretty clever.

She was busting a few robots, of course. She wasn't about to get shown up when she was out here representing the Police Academy! They might have been an unconventional impromptu team, but they were kicking butt out here!

Wait, she shouldn't be losing focus. They were here for a reason.

Olivert made contact with a few imperial officers once they arrived at Bellguard Gate. According to the report, soldiers stationed at Garrelia, led by Lt. General Craig, were taking care of the haywire tanks and archaisms. A group of military students and their instructors were also tasked with taking care of the railway cannons before the worst was to come.

It frustrated Juna, but the most she could do is hold back any hostile forces from entering Crossbell.

"That's the last of them." Towa panted in exhaustion. She deactivated her combat link with the prince and fell over.

Klaudia nodded. "According to Sieg, it's looking much better on the Calvardian border as well. We can finish up here soon."

Oh thank Aidios. It's been a long day. Her parents were probably worried sick right now. And she just wanted to lie down in bed after a long shower with a plateful of her mom's homemade honey cookies. And after a day like this, a dip in a hot spring would be heavenly.

…

Oh dear goddess in heaven, Rean's been rubbing off on her…

"I wouldn't be celebrating just yet…" Olivert pointed a small bit ahead of them, several arge or so.

On the other side was a damaged yet functional achtzehn tank that had gone berserk. Soldiers attempted to hold down the fort to no avail. It seemed to have destroyed any unaffected tanks and ones being used by the Garrelia forces were too far to be of any assistance. They were on their own for this one.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Juna yelled in exasperation.

Towa surveyed the area as best she could considering her state of fatigue. "That seems to be the last one though. We'll have to destroy it before it gets any closer."

Olivert and Klaudia exchanged a look.

"What do you think, Princess? Shall we?"

"I've heard from Julia about when she fought against the Orgeuille alongside Estelle and Father Kevin in Grancel. This should be nothing compared to that."

The two took to their stances, gathering the septium energy dwelling in the air in a stellar light.

"Towa!" Olivert called. "While we prepare the finale to vanquish our foe, make our opening!"

"R-Roger!" The small girl concentrated and pointed her orbal gun towards the advancing tank.

"Weakener!"

Towa summoned an image of a reticle onto the tank and processed the information about its internal make up. Through the reticle, she absorbed small amounts of energy from the vehicle.

Juna was aware that some people have been able to harness a power similar to a Battle Scope and sift through information about an enemy. Elemental efficacy, ailment effectiveness, sepith values, biological (or mechanical) information. Practically everything one needed to know for combat. One could analyze such information through an art, but others have been able to use it without the need of an orbment like Tio.

What Towa just did was a little bit beyond even that.

As if reading her mind, Towa explained. "I reduced its resistance to arts. The prince and princess should be able to destroy it with ease."

"Alright! Then we can-"

Wait.

The two were still charging their attacks. The tank was getting closer. It was aiming its barrel right at them!

After sharing a panicked glance with Towa, Juna knew it was up to her. Despite her knowhow around a fight and experience with her orbal gun, all of today's events finally caught up with Towa's body. She was physically and mentally exhausted without much power left in her ARCUS.

If Olivert and Klaudia were to stop their attack now, they wouldn't have another opportunity to strike down the tank. They'd have to restart and then the achtzen would have more time to prepare another round.

She held out her Enigma II.

She couldn't let all of her practice be in vain. It was now or never.

She concentrated into her Master Quartz and felt the power of amberl slowly seep into her mind. The power to protect. The power to defend. The power of the Shield. It all came to her. She fully synchronized with her Enigma and let out the strongest art she could.

The blast was fired from the tank's barrel.

Become their shield and protect them until victory.

"Adamantine Shield!"

Juna waved her hand in the royals' direction. Two golden shields manifested in front of them, ready to become the impenetrable wall that can stop even the mightiest of blows. The shell collided with the shields and despite its best efforts, neither prince nor princess sustained any damage from the aftermath.

Olivert was the first to act.

"I shall prepare a glittering stage! Gather above me, great septium power!"

A bright sigil of light formed above the clouds and gathered power from its surroundings. The energy it collected crystallized itself into a large translucent and golden sphere. Olivert pointed his orbal gun directly at it.

"And erupt! Akashic Star!"

He shot through the sphere and it bursted into countless and colorful rays of light. Each ray manifested in different colors to resemble the power of the elements: red for fire, blue for water, green for wind, and brown for earth. The beams each pierced through the armor of the tank and destabilized it.

Klaudia followed up the prince's act flawlessly.

"Oh Aidios, Great Septium Overseer. Shine down thy radiance and smite those who oppose us."

Large ribbons of light encircled the princess in a ring-like structure as she took to a position of prayer. The rings slowly expanded away from her and trapped the tank within its grasp.

"Divine light, give me the strength to punish the wicked. Sanctus Nova!"

Blue light erupted in multiple small bursts until each blast became gradually bigger. The blasts eventually culminated into a large explosion that completely incinerated the tank to smithereens, leaving nary a trace of what was once a proud Erebonian weapon.

"And that's that." Klaudia sheathed her rapier with a flourish, as if to downplay the absolute magnitude of her technique.

Juna just watched with her mouth agape.

She's seriously gonna need a really cool super move too.

"How's that for a glittering show? And we should be back in time before Mueller can find out we've been out on the prowl."

"You really haven't changed, have you, Olivier?" Klaudia giggled. "I was almost afraid you completely assimilated into your political endeavors."

"The feeling is mutual. Alas, though our reunion was brief, it does my heart good to be able to stand by your side again, Princess."

Oh? So they knew each other prior to the conference? Juna had questions, but she decided it was best to leave them be. She didn't know how to mingle with royalty and something tells her the casual attitude she displayed with Rean and Elise wouldn't be appropriate around them.

Or at least she thought so. But it was best not to take her chances.

"Hopefully that lightens Rean's load in the meantime." Juna scanned the area. Nothing much to see outside of scrapped up robots and resting soldiers. "The Imperial Army will go back once they've recovered, right?"

Towa nodded. "That should be the case. Once things settle here, Garrelia will get the reinforcements they need."

Juna sighed in relief. "Thank Aidios. I'm gonna take a loooooong shower after this."

As if on cue, a blaring siren rang from Bellguard Gate.

"OH WHAT NOW?!"

She had had enough of this!

Security detail! That was it. Just the other day, she made another friend over some lunch. It was great! Her favorite ramen place while getting to know someone! Now her ears were bleeding because now she had to deal with another state of emergency.

First, two country leaders make a mockery of Crossbell, then damn terrorists take over the damn building! After that, they raced over here to fight some stupid bolts for brains machines and took out an asinine tank! What the hell can be happening now?!

"Uh, Juna…?" Towa tapped her shoulder.

"What is it?!"

She pointed towards Garrelia Fortress.

…

Juna paled.

All of her anger dissipated.

Each and every bit and piece of it was replaced by fear and dread.

The fortress had finally deployed the railway cannons and they were both trained straight at Crossbell.

The whir of the steel embodiments of death crept forward. Closer and closer.

"No…"

…

…

Did… Rean fail? He wouldn't, would he?

…

…

Her friends. Her family. Her home.

…

…

They were all about to be blown off the map. Everything she's ever known and loved was going to be obliterated in an instant. All because they wanted one man dead. Once they fire, there would be no turning back.

…

…

She crumbled.

…

…

The cannons fired.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Jun-!"

…

…

The world fell blank.

---

September 7, S.1204 - Crawford Residence

Juna shot up. The instantaneous whiplash took a toll on her body, and she fell back down. A bed? Her bed it seems. The feeling of waking up suddenly felt way too similar to the time she was in Heimdallr after the incident with the terrorists.

The sheets felt drenched from what she could gather, though not completely as if someone had been changing it periodically. Drenched from her sweat, most likely. It was like a terrifying nightmare.

…

That couldn't have happened, right?

The Liberation Front didn't just gun down the entirety of Crossbell, did it? Was she dead? Was everyone she knew dead? Did Rean… Did he make it out of all that mess?

It wasn't just some crazy dream she just had? Thinking about it now made bile build up in her mouth.

"Juna?"

She looked to the side, at the source of the newcomer. Or newcomers, it seemed.

"Ken? Nana?" She responded hoarsely.

"You're finally awake!" Nana threw herself onto the bed and pulled her big sister into a bear hug. Juna might have been a police officer in training, but her little sister's constriction hold felt like getting run over by a rhinocider.

"Whoa, hey there. It's okay, I'm okay."

"'Okay'?!" Ken shouted. "You've been out of it for a whole week!"

"A week…? Oh, that must have been a nice na- A WEEK?!"

That couldn't be due to mere exhaustion. She fell unconscious due to shock. If that was all true, then… What she witnessed, it was all real.

"But how…?W-we shouldn't be standing right now…"

Her arms shuddered. Her hands shook uncontrollably. What the hell happened?

Nana released her hold on Juna once she noticed that she was visibly shaking. Her mouth opened and closed while her face went through different expressions, most likely in an attempt to find a way to cheer her up.

"Hey, Nana," Ken pulled her back. "Let's go get Mom so Juna can have something to eat. She must be starving."

"Oh, good idea! We'll be right back, Juna!"

The two ran out of her room. Juna only stared at the empty space her two siblings once occupied, completely dumbfounded.

Well, if those two were still full of energy, then maybe everything was okay? Still, it was difficult to erase that image from her mind. That sight that was more than prepared to rain death upon all of them. She was still shaking.

She surveyed her room again. Anything to get her mind off of that.

…

Was there something on her desk?

She got out of bed and shuffled over to the other side. Her legs felt like jelly and her body sore. She couldn't tell if it was from sleeping for a week or from the dread the railway cannons set in, but she tried to ignore it as best she could.

After a harrowing trip to her desk (she nearly fell into the chair), she saw the contents in question: a wrapped box and a note.

She read the note first.

Hey Juna,

This is kinda… weird to send. Turns out my last field study got a lot more hectic than I bargained for. After my trip to Legram, we ended up going to Garrelia Fortress, just outside Crossbell. But I guess you already knew that since you ended up meeting with Towa and His Highness. They send their regards, by the way.

I know we agreed to limit ourselves to how many of these letters we send, but I felt like I needed to reach out to you again. After what happened at the border. There's no two ways around it. I'm so, so sorry, Juna.

We were lucky. Lucky that the first cannon blast was only a blank shot. I was there, right when the cannons deployed and when it was about to fire. I was scared. So scared that you and your family were about to pay the ultimate price. And that it was because I couldn't make it in time. Thank the goddess I was able to see the job through with my class.

She felt a tear of joy stream down her cheek.

A blank shot. What were the odds?

To think that by some miracle, she and her home were saved. Was it an act of mercy by the goddess? A complete coincidence? She didn't care. She and everyone she loved were still alive.

She continued reading.

So I'm going to promise you. Right here, right now. I'm going to protect Crossbell. No matter what. You can count on that.

From, Rean Schwarzer

…

She giggled.

That idiot…

P.S. I know it doesn't really make up for my shortcomings, but I got you a late birthday present. A proper one this time. I don't care what you say, that crepe did not count.

It most certainly did, but she didn't have it in her to argue with him.

Juna opened the box. Inside was the most beautiful necklace she ever laid her eyes on. A thin silver chain holding together a heart-shaped carnelia gem that was slightly tinted to appear pink rather than red. Surrounding the heart were two wings made of black nohval and goldia septium. From an objective standpoint, she knew it was a crazy clash of colors to be considered art, but to her, it was perfect.

She quickly put it on, completely forgetting that she was still in her sweaty pajamas that she's been probably wearing for the past week.

She turned to her mirror. Yup, just as crazy as it looked. But even so; the gems, the quality, the craftsmanship. They were all perfect to her. Rean might have not been the most fashionably savvy, but he knew what she liked.

That idiot probably spent a fortune on her gift. But even if he did, she couldn't stay mad.

Further inside the box, there was another note.

I hope it looks good. Elise looked at me funny when I got it, but I had an idea you'd love it. That aside, you mind coming to my school festival in October? Think of it as making up for lost time for the Heimdallr festival. I can show you around the school. We're still coming up with plans for our class event, but it should still be fun regardless.

Juna smiled.

He didn't even need to ask.

---

This chapter was a bit of a challenge. Juna is infamous for being that "retcon" character, so I had to take some liberties with how I want to integrate her into the main story. I'm trying to stick to the main canon as much as possible, but I gotta make changes where I have to. Hope that doesn't bother you Kiseki enthusiasts too much.

Still, I had a fun time writing this one, especially since I got to work with Towa (who was supposed to be in the last chapter) and Olivert (to play off Juna's off-screen interactions with Alfin). I feel like I still need to work on my fight scenes though, so if you guys have any suggestions for references, I'd love to read them.

But with that, we're almost done with the Cold Steel 1 arc. I can't wait to see what goes beyond this. Thank you for reading, as always!