Chapter VI: Campfire Tale


After the group slew the spider, they recovered and set up a campfire elsewhere in Sayama Hills. After finishing throwing some wood into the fire, Shu sat down next to Inori. Joining them are Gai, Fyu-Neru, Ayase, Argo, Tsugumi, Shibungi, Oogumo, Heath, Akiko, and Walter.

"Hmm, since we're all together here and there's a campfire, it's the perfect atmosphere to tell scary stories," Heath suggested, which prompted Ayase to give him an annoyed look.

"No way! After what we've been through with that spider?! No scary stories!" Tsugumi yelled out.

"I can't say I blame her and Ayase for feeling that way," Argo nodded.

"Then, why don't we tell some pleasant stories about ourselves? You know, so we get to know each other better?" Akiko asked, clapping her hands once.

"Now, that I can get behind," Ayase nodded approvingly.

"So, who wants to tell their story?" Oogumo asked. "I doubt you guys want to hear about my story."

"Or, mine for that matter," Shibungi said.

"You know what's missing since we're here? Some marshmallows," Walter added.

"Too bad we don't have any on us," Heath shrugged.

"Ayase, maybe you want to tell us your backstory? Not everyone here knows what your life was like before you joined Funeral Parlor," Shu asked her.

"Well, maybe, but it's a long story and I don't want to bore you."

"We have all night. Besides, it looks like we'll be camping here for the night," Gai said.

"Well, if you say so, Gai," Ayase replied with a slight smile, turning over toward Heath, who was seen talking with Shu, Inori, and Akiko. She wondered how Heath, Akiko, and Shu were going to take her story and if anything she tells them will change their perception of her. Prodding the campfire with a stick, Ayase reminisced childhood memories with a peaceful smile. "Well, where do I start? For starters, I wasn't always wheelchair bound. I was an athlete before I lost my ability to walk. Now, where am I going with this? Let's start from the beginning, I'm the daughter of Hanazawa Ayase."

Upon hearing this name, Heath and Akiko lifted their chins with eyes on Ayase.

"I heard our father mention that name before," Heath pointed.

"Yeah, he mentioned her a few times. Wow, that's your mom? Small world, huh?" Akiko said with a modest chuckle.

"Well, this is going to be interesting," Tsugumi giggled as a large grin smeared across her face.

"Our father had a special relationship with Hanazawa Ayase in their teenage years before they broke up after high school graduation," Heath elaborated.

"My mother was involved in underground crime in the past before she finally had a chance to settle down. She married a Japanese man with the surname Shinomiya and they lived a normal life before they had me. I remember my fondest memories spent with both of them. They encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming an athletic runner. Of course, those good memories were quickly dashed in one day," Ayase said with sadness in her tone.


Lost Christmas happened so quickly. I remembered walking down a street with my parents. I was looking forward to a Christmas light show I kept badgering my parents about. They weren't sure because of my dad's work schedule, but thankfully it all worked out.

I shouldn't have asked them to take me.

Because that day, what was supposed to be a fun family outing turned into the most horrific day in my life. I remember the skies glowing bright colors. I saw flashes of purple and pink light that exploded into a burning and blinding white flare. Then, I witnessed countless people being covered in dark purple crystals. Not just covering them, but devouring them whole! I didn't know it at the time, but the Apocalypse Virus was spreading.

Much to the horror of a little girl's eyes, I saw my own father being swallowed by these same crystals. He fought with his very life. He saw that mom and I were in danger of being engulfed by the virus. Seeing a door behind us leading into an outlet store, my father used the last of his strength to push my mother and me out of harm's way. As I fell through the doorway, I watched my father sacrifice himself for our sake.

His look of terror was the last time I saw my father. He was infected and killed by the virus. My mom took it hard. I took it worse. We weren't the only ones who lost loved ones. Countless families were infected and killed that one tragic Christmas day.

After the apocalyptic event, my mother raised me on her own and vowed she'd make me strong enough to survive in this harsh reality.


While telling her story, Ayase showed them two pictures. One picture showed child Ayase with her father and mother before Lost Christmas. Her father is seen wearing business casual attire. Her mother is pictured wearing a long-sleeved red shirt, dark blue jeans, and white shoes. She has dull reddish-brown eyes and long black hair pulled up in a band coupled with a back-length ponytail and two pairs of long hair parted away from the sides of her face, revealing most of her forehead.

For Shu, Heath, and Akiko, this was the first they've seen Ayase in her childhood pictures. This was also the first time Heath and Akiko had seen anything with Hanazawa Ayase.

"She's a spitting image of you, Ayase!" Shu exclaimed.

"Except, her mother has darker hair," Akiko said.

"She's beautiful. I can see what dad saw in her," Heath painstakingly eyed Ayase's mother.

"She'd tell me about your dad sometimes," Ayase smirked.

The second picture showed a post-Lost Christmas memory of Ayase and her mother's training during their time in Australia. The second picture also showed young Ayase wearing a cowgirl hat.

"That photo reminds me of an old photograph from my place of me as a kid with a blonde-haired boy that was my age, and a strange pink-haired girl, but I can't remember the precise details about it or the past related to it," Shu stated, surprising Ayase.

"Don't worry about it right now, Shu," Gai interjected, quietly keeping to himself about the exact description of the kids in the photo Shu mentioned, especially the one about a blonde-haired boy.

"I was roughly about 13, almost 14 in the second picture with just me and my mother. Based on the background you see, we were in Australia at the time," Ayase revealed to her friends. "We traveled after Lost Christmas for my training, and we did it as my mother would use to say, 'survival of the fittest is the name of the game in the real world'. She chose the land down under because of its extremities in climate. Let me tell you, it was tough, but without the training, I wouldn't be the resistance fighter I am now."


Before going to Australia, we required vaccine reports since international travel required them. My mom and I needed to get vaccinated before traveling. Considering the high risk of viruses, including the Apocalypse Virus, we didn't want to take our chances.

Once we landed in Australia, I hadn't prepared myself for what would become a life-changing experience for me.

When I faced my mother during our training sessions, we'd always chosen an open space. The Outback was just the place for us to train without interruptions. Knowing full well of the dangers with venomous reptiles and arachnids, those were part of our survival training. We spent countless hours out in the scorching sun. Sweat covered my body and my mouth was dry as sandpaper.

Standing up, I looked my mother dead in the eyes. If not for her black hair, she would've been my exact mirror image. Couple that with a taller height difference between us. She had a rugged and powerful disposition when we trained together. I remember her slender body with thickness in her arms and legs. Her thickness defined her strong martial artist's appearance. She'd often wear a black muscle shirt, dark gray pants, and black tactical boots. She'd carry around an ammo belt with a bowie knife and a pistol, but thankfully not while we trained.

When I looked at her, if badassery was a word in the dictionary, her picture would be seen next to it. Growing up, she hung out with a tough crowd who'd get into fights with common thugs and delinquent students. Growing up, she was proficient in judo and was raised as a martial artist monk while learning other disciplines: kickboxing, karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai, and even a Brazilian martial art called capoeira. She ensured that I learned the basics from these.

"C'mon, is that the best you've got?! Get up!" The woman barked at her daughter, demanding that I stand ready to defend myself. Unlike me and my father, my mom spoke fluent English despite being Japanese. So, I could hear my mom calling out to me in her English tongue.

Not one to disappoint my tough-as-nails mother, I clenched my fists and primed myself for another round. I wiped the sweat beads covering my face and gnashed my teeth hard.

"I'm not going to lose to you, mom! Bring it on!" I shouted with fierce determination, running as fast as I could toward my mother. When I went for a flying high kick, my mother easily sidestepped me, but I didn't stop there. I turned and met her with another kick.

This time I connected and caught her in the back of her left leg. Seizing my chance, I went for another kick, but my steadfast mom caught my foot and slammed me down hard. Placing her leg against the back of my neck, I felt my face being pressed near the scorching dirt. When forced to give up or have my face singed by the ground, I conceded in defeat.

"Smart girl. That's how I taught you," the woman's scowl twisted into a loving smile.

As she propped me back on my toes, my mom would pat me on the shoulders and tell me that losing helps build character. Although, having your face pinned near the scorching ground is going overboard.

In the end, I understood survival of the fittest.

I had to be fit to survive and be strong in body and mind.

Thankfully we had plenty of water to drink from the coolers mom would bring with us. Even then, sometimes we'd exhaust our water supplies, we'd have to drive out far and wide to stay just to keep cool. The harsh conditions didn't make it easy for us.

Every time my mother came at me, she would attack me with fierce kicks. At first, it was difficult for me to defend against her legs. Then, following each session, I learned to assess my mom's movements and parried her feet. At the same time, we'd watch the kangaroos in the area duel with their kicks. You see, watching kangaroos fight gave us ideas on how we could improve our fighting abilities. I became a good kicker after watching them. We'd compare our kicks to kangaroos. Because of this, I grew attached to the kangaroos so much they became my favorite animal.


"Wait, so, that's why we were given motifs based on Australian animals!" Tsugumi pointed out. "As you know, my codename is Black Swan, which is related to the animal of the same name, and wouldn't you know it? It's an Australian native bird."

"Yes, and I chose the koala as my Funeral Parlor communicator icon," Shibungi revealed. "Personally it suits me just fine."

"I chose the Tasmanian devil for mine," Oogumo said.

"And I went with a duckbill platypus, go fig," Argo added.

"I wonder what our Australian animals would be like?" Akiko speculated.

"Who knows, sis," Heath replied.

"Hey, Inori. Do you have an animal icon like the others?" Shu asked the pink-haired songstress, to which she responded with a simple nod.

"No, I didn't."

"Communicator icons were only given to specific Funeral Parlor members. To be frank, I don't have one either," Gai said.

"Wow, that's a surprise. I figured the head guy would have one, too," Heath was taken aback.

"It just didn't want one. They don't fit my style."

"So, go on, Aya. Sorry for interrupting you," Tsugumi apologized to her friend.

"It's fine. So, anyway, backtracking a few years before I went to Australia, I remember as a kid I watched this famous female Olympic swimmer from Australia on TV. Watching her perform inspired me to become an athlete later in my teenage life, but I started taking up sports growing up. As a kid, I was already a fast runner. So, I was encouraged to take up running. Sadly, that famous swimmer was among those who died during Lost Christmas. It's funny how that swimmer would relate to me going to Australia. You could say, my mom saw how big of a fan I was of that athlete, she might've heard my wish to visit Australia. So, my mom granted my wish."

"That's amazing. Little did you know going to Australia turned out to be the best thing in your life?" Heath queried, eliciting a sad look on Ayase's face.

"Sorta. I'm getting to the point where my life wasn't all it was cracked out to be. More tragedy occurred."


After our training in Australia, we met a group of resistance fighters and returned to Japan. While I was settling back into somewhat normal life, my mom and these resistance fighters planned their next raids on GHQ facilities. After spending a few years in Australia, I missed out on a few years of school. So, I went into remedial classes and passed exams to get into Tora High School.

As soon as I entered Tora High, I joined their athletic running team. To say there wasn't competition within our team was an understatement. My experience in Australia gave me an advantage over the other girls. My mother had me running long distances in the Outback to increase my stamina. So, running across the track and field in moderate weather was a breeze for me.

When I was on that track and field, I was right where I wanted to be.

Every breath and step I took, I kept a moderate pace until I pushed myself and ran by my peers and opponents.

One day during practice, I performed a high jump after completing a quarter of a mile run. Having cleared this, my mindset was competing in the championships and there wasn't anything to stop me.

However, that all changed one night on a routine mission when I helped my mom and team raid a GHQ facility. That night we were attacked by the same grotesque spider that we just killed. It massacred my mother's team, including my mother. During that attack, a stray bullet struck my back, specifically in my lower spinal area. I only remember collapsing and about to blackout. My mother sacrificed herself saving me as the spider stuck its front leg through her chest. Before being discarded, I saw the loving and tearful look on my mother's face.

Even despite losing a lot of blood, she had enough life to say her final words.

These words stick with me to this day.

"I love you, Ayase. Please survive."

After losing consciousness during the attack, I later awoke and was recovered by one of my mother's acquaintances. When I learned I was the sole survivor, I broke down. Then, when I was told my lower body became disabled after the bullet struck my spine, my dreams of being a championship runner were dashed. That monster took both my dream and my mother. I was left with nothing.

After the incident, my parents' acquaintance adopted me and became my caretaker. She was a kind woman with glasses and treated me like her own child. After some time in rehab, I fell into a depression seeing others, including other kids my age, being able to walk and enjoying their lives. Even my running mates, who I outpaced before, were improving and beating my records. I was left out completely in the dust of my track mates. A few of them started to taunt me, calling me weak and other horrible names due to my lower body disabilities.

I hated it. I hated it all. My disability and my life.

Was I going to remain disabled for the rest of my life? These words continuously rang in my head, driving me deeper into a dark trench of depression.

Then, one day, my caretaker showed me Endlaves and introduced me to their pilots. Little did I know, my foster parent was an Endlave pilot. When I saw these Endlaves in action, I realized that anyone could pilot them. Normal and disabled people can pilot them. They were conveniently tailor-made for disabled people like me. Having realized this, I found a new calling in my life. I asked my caretaker and her colleagues if I could try piloting an Endlave.

After some convincing, I test piloted an Endlave. With instructions from my caretaker, I managed to pilot my first Endlave with some difficulty. With some practice and guidance from the pilots, I became their youngest and most proficient pilot. Since I can't become a professional runner, it looked like being an Endlave pilot was in my future.

Then, fate for me once again changed, but this time for the better. By chance, I met Tsutsugami Gai and the group known as Funeral Parlor. When Gai saw how good of an Endlave pilot I was, he asked me to join Funeral Parlor. He wanted my skills since they would serve him and his team well for routine missions. Funeral Parlor learned about my previous experience with a resistance group from my caretaker. I was initially unsure about joining due to the tragedy I endured, losing my mother and her team. Then, I remembered my mother's last words.

She wanted me to survive. Was living in a police state under GHQ control a good way to survive? No. That creature that murdered my mother was a GHQ creation. I needed to avenge my mother. The virus killed my father. My parents' blood was on GHQ's hands. So, I decided to continue my mother's fight against GHQ and joined Funeral Parlor.

"I'm in, Gai. I hope my Endlave piloting skills will serve you well," I faced GHQ's leader with resolve in my eyes. As his icy blue eyes stared at me, a reserved smile smeared over his features. With a handshake, we verified my joining his resistance team.

During our exchange, I was introduced to Funeral Parlor's hacker Tsugumi, who surprised me when she told me was 14-years-old. I was 17-years-old when we first met. Not only was she several years younger than me but she attended Tora High.

"Good to meet ya, Ayase! I'm Tsugumi!" The hacker introduced herself.

"Same to you, but I've hardly seen you in school."

"Oh, I'm there. You could say I'm too smart for my classes. By the way, you were an awesome runner. Sorry about your…"

Casting her eyes over her disabled lower body, Ayase nodded with a saddened look. "Yeah, these… I'm over that now."

"I don't believe ya, Ayase."

"What?"

"I can tell you wanna run on that track and field again. You know there's medical procedures that could fix your spine."

"Really?"

Tsugumi sadly nodded. "Yeah, but thanks to GHQ, the public don't have access to those medical breakthroughs."

"More reason for me to despise GHQ."

Tsugumi got behind Ayase. "May I?"

"It's ok. I can…"

"I insist. Maybe we can bond better this way."

Sighing, Ayase conceded to Tsugumi's offer. "If you want, but we can bond through other ways."

"I think this is the best way for us to strengthen our bond, Aya."

"Aya?"

"It's a nickname I came up with. Isn't it cute?"

"Sure, as cute as those cat ears you've got."

"Thank you," Tsugumi blushed as they laughed together.

Even after I befriended Tsugumi, life at Tora High became hell for me. Since becoming disabled, I lost the respect of some of my old running mates. I was shunned by my classmates for being wheelchair-bound and giving up my athletics. Roughly 25 percent of the student body, including Tsugumi, treated me with kindness.

I clearly remember one day out of many when I was bullied by a group of girls led by a popular athletic runner and rival. They were called the Hooters.


"Ugh, I'm so sorry, Ayase," Akiko said with sympathy for her.

"Yeah, and when certain popular kids saw me with Ayase, they treated me poorly, too, as if I wasn't already bullied myself because I was smarter than them," Tsugumi scoffed.

"The Hooters sound like a certain group of bullies from my school," Shu said.

"Hey, Tsugumi, how did you get into Tora High so early?" Heath asked the hacker.

"Well, good thing you asked! Thanks to my intellect and other gifted abilities, including my hacking skills, which I learned as a grade school kid, I graduated middle school a few years early!" The hacker openly boasted her prodigious technical skills pridefully.

"Man, since you were a kid? You must've had a lot of time in your hands."

"Yeah, I had a lot of time to do that while living in an orphanage. After my parents died during Lost Christmas, I lived a lonely life. To help cope with my depression, I turned to technology. I learned to code and I initially learned to hack as a hobby. I was already a gifted intellect so I passed my tests," Tsugumi revealed.

"I remember you telling me this, Tsugumi. Yes, we both knew what it was like being alone," Inori spoke up, relating to a brief heartfelt discussion they had before.

"Once I enrolled at Tora High, my hacking skills were noticed by Funeral Parlor. I was found by one of Gai's agents, who took me to see him."

"Our group was sorely lacking a hacker. So, when I learned about Tsugumi, I knew we'd have a prodigy in our unit."

"And it didn't take me long to accept Gai's offer. I wanted to make good use of my hacking skills. Using my skills to fight back against GHQ was the incentive I needed to join."

"Ok, but I really want to know what happened between you and these Hooter bitches, Ayase," Akiko said.

"Yeah, I was getting to that. One day out of many, the Hooters decided to make my already shitty day more miserable."


One morning at Tora High School, Tsugumi and I were minding our business and ignoring any scornful remarks being made about us. I remember the uniforms we wore that morning: bright orange with blue and yellow. Our uniform shirts were orange and our skirts were dark blue. We had our school's insignia which featured a tri-colored tiger with bright orange and bold black stripes, large round yellow eyes, large ears, and a white belly.

The Hooters decided it was a perfect morning to ruin my day. As Tsugumi and I headed for our first class, they bullied us. The leader that I mentioned? Her name was Maeda Hitomi, who was a popular athletic runner. When I was still an active runner, she was my rival. She admired me. I was her inspiration. She could never beat me in practice. Then, that all changed after my disability. After I dropped out of athletics, Hitomi rose to the rankings and outpaced my previous records. This gave her bragging rights and she rubbed it in my face.

That girl who I used to inspire let fame go to her head and started tormenting me. She formed a group with some of our other running mates and formed the Hooters.

A girl with shoulder-length pale brown hair got right up into my face and cruelly sneered at me.

"Oh, look, take a look at the has been. Awww, what's wrong, Ayase? Can't you get up and walk? Oh, right. You can't! You're handicapped!" Hitomi openly taunted me.

"Let us go by, Hitomi!" I demanded.

"We're going to be late!" Tsugumi snarled.

"Fufu, and why should I? You two are the biggest rejects I've seen in this school. You're made for each other," Hitomi said, brushing her hair back, giving off an arrogant aura that repulsed me and Tsugumi. "Your accident was the greatest blessing I could ask for. Yes, with you removed from the competition, I can achieve my goals and win the locals! And even better, I've already beaten your records, Ayase!"

"Yeah, so? I've heard this same song before, Hitomi. You need new bullying material. Unless you enjoy hearing yourself shit-talking."

"What?!"

"And you're only winning now because I'm not around to leave you in the dust," I snidely remarked, which helped me get under her skin.

However, that was more than enough to strike a nerve. She kicked me right out of my wheelchair, causing me to fall on my side. While I did manage to break my fall, landing on my left hip, Hitomi kicked me in the stomach and prepared to beat me senselessly. As I prepared to defend myself, Hitomi's friends picked me up.

Just when it looked like I was going to get gang attacked, Tsugumi surprised me and knocked Hitomi away with a mean-looking missile dropkick! My best friend just pulled off something I thought I'd only see in a professional wrestling match just drop kicked the queen bitch of Tora High!

"Hey, you sluts better leave my Aya alone!" Tsugumi fiercely yelled at the Hooters.

"Ugh, my face! You little brat!" Hitomi hissed.

Before a fight could break out between us, a faculty member approached us and questioned what had happened. The Hooters quickly left the scene without giving answers. After propping me back in my wheelchair, Tsugumi vowed that no one will ever hurt me again or they'll pay with her Tsugumi Dropkick Special.

At least, that's how I remembered she said it.

"Thanks, Tsugumi. You're the best."

"Nothing to it, Aya! But did you see that? Bam! That bitch went down!"

Ayase chuckled. "More like, the super bitch went down hard."

Out of all of my Funeral Parlor teammates, I became closest to Tsugumi. However, I did get along with the other members. Argo, Oogumo, Shibungi, and even Gai were guys I could talk to, but Gai was usually busy. Whenever I could personally talk to Gai, it was brief, but he made sure I was comfortable in my place within Funeral Parlor.

Not long after I joined, I remember one of my first missions with Funeral Parlor involved stealing Daryl's Steiner. Gai wanted me to have an Endlave since I was the group's pilot. After we stole the Steiner and I became the mech's pilot, we found and freed Inori. At the time, and even now as we speak, we don't know where Inori's origins came from and why she was created. All we knew was giving Inori a new home with us.

It didn't take long for Inori to fit in with the rest of us. She adjusted quicker than I did. I remembered when I tried cooking for the team. I saw she was cutting up vegetables more proficiently than I was. Seeing someone cutting and preparing food better than me? Yeah, I took it hard. I envied Inori making something I worked at getting better at look so easy.

Having finished cutting up some food, Inori placed them in a bowl. When turning over toward me, the pink-haired songstress checked on the meat I hadn't finished cutting up.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you need more time to finish?" Inori asked with concern.

"Uh, n-n-no! I can handle this," I, being a flustered idiot, responded while cutting up the beef.

"Ok then, let me know when you're finished," Inori said, curiously watching me.

As my back faced and blocked Inori's view, my face turned bright red as I grumbled under my breath so she couldn't see me making a complete ass out of myself.

"Y-You're not going to outdo me, Inori," I whispered.

If that wasn't enough, I remember watching Inori play the piano. She wasn't just good. She was damn good on her first try. I struggled to play the piano on my first few attempts. I was terrible from the start, but I got better with practice, but once again, Inori made it look easy!

Closely observing Inori flawlessly playing the piano, I shook my head out of shame. "There's just no way I'm going to compete with you, right, Inori? Is there nothing you can't do?"

Sure enough, I was right. Unlike me, Inori can't pilot an Endlave mech. She'll never compete with me in that.

I often wondered if Inori was even human to begin with. She hardly showed many facial expressions beyond looking stoic, demure, and quiet. She kinda creeped me out in the beginning. But, she had her sweet moments. When she's around Gai, I'd see her laugh and smile. At the time, Inori was a complete mystery to us. Looking back, I really tried to make a rivalry out of nothing with her. It almost made me feel like I was Hitomi in this situation. So, I stopped making a mountain out of a molehill. Over time, she fit in with Funeral Parlor, and I warmed up to her.

During my time with Funeral Parlor, I spent my extra time piloting with my Endlave. The Steiner Endlave that was meant for Daryl, which we stole? We modified that thing into a stronger Steiner unit made just for me. It became my big pride and joy.

I didn't just train with my Endlave. I trained my body as well. Recalling the training I did with my mother, I utilized the various martial arts styles without the use of my legs.


"Your story is so inspiring, Ayase. To pull yourself out of the pit you had fallen into and bring yourself back up in such a way," Heath commended her perseverance.

"No kidding. I've grown to respect you even more than ever!" Akiko added.

"You'd be a great speaker for disabled youth. You'd be a beacon of hope for them," Shu commented.

"Oh stop it," Ayase responded self consciously. "But, you know what. That's a good idea. Although I wouldn't recommend just anyone join Funeral Parlor."

"Yes, not everyone's going to have the stomach for what we do," Gai concurred.

"What I find fascinating is how you guys found Inori," Shu said, turning his sights on the pink-haired girl sitting near him as he questioned the mysterious story behind her life. He wondered how she ended up in GHQ custody and where her family might be if she has any living relatives.

Inori answered. "After they found me, they took me into Funeral Parlor and they became a family for me. They provided me sanctuary."

"Don't you remember your life before GHQ got you?"

"No, I don't have any recollections about my life before."

"Heh, it took me a little while for me to accept you into Funeral Parlor. You arrived not long after I did. I admit I was jealous you were doing chores and cooking better than I could," Ayase openly confessed. "But, we both see Funeral Parlor as a second family for us." As she said this, the rest of the group felt touched by Ayase's words. Inori nodded knowingly with Ayase's affirmation.

Other Funeral Parlor members joined in the conversation and shared their backstories. Shibungi told a story of when he and Oogumo first met Gai, who was a child soldier at the time, back in Africa. Gai then mentioned bonding with a liger and named him Regulus. Shu asked about the liger, but Gai revealed that Regulus tragically died during the mission to steal Daryl's Steiner and free Inori from GHQ captivity.

"I miss Regulus dearly. He was a loyal friend," Gai said in deep and sad thought over his liger.

"If not for Regulus, we wouldn't have escaped and I wouldn't be here," Inori stated.

Through the remainder of the campfire conversations, Gai revealed a fact about his past. "Shu, Heath, and Akiko, I never mentioned this to you, but Funeral Parlor's previous benefactor was an organization called the OAU, otherwise known as the Organisation of African Unity. Since they're no longer affiliated with us, we require a new benefactor to provide us funds and transports."

During the conversation, Argo's usually gloomy and abrasive personality ceased, allowing him to open himself up around his friends. "My parents died from Lost Christmas, which explains my abrasive mood. Listen, Shu, I have to thank you."

"For what?"

"By extracting my Void and using it to pass Ayase's test, it allowed me to reflect on my life and how I should live life more than dwell on my past. I never told you this, Shu, but I'm currently living with my uncle and aunt. They're fully aware of my involvement with Funeral Parlor and support my decision. Not just them, but my girlfriend and a few of my close high school friends support my justified reasons for being with Funeral Parlor."

Upon hearing this revelation, Shu found himself in awe that he's left a positive influence among his Funeral Parlor peers.

"This has been a great time to get to know all of you. I do feel comfortable knowing who Akiko and I are working with," Heath said comfortably.

"I'm glad you're not all just resistance fighters, but people with stories," Akiko said. "I feel better knowing Walter is working with good people."

"This was also better than telling scary stories, right?" Shu said.

"Much better, thank my lucky stars," Tsugumi replied, who just noticed Heath and Ayase's hands slowly beginning to hold each other. With a snicker and sly cat's grin, she picked up on their act. "Hey, what are you two doing? Don't think I didn't see that."

With both realizing this, Heath and Ayase instinctively withdrew their hands.

"Do what?" Akiko curiously asked them.

"I-It's nothing," Heath mumbled incoherently, befuddling his sister.

Meanwhile, Ayase blushed and quickly denied. "You're seeing things, Tsugumi! Don't be a dummy!"

"Well, I think we should all turn in for the night. We'll head back to HQ at the crack of dawn," Gai advised everyone. "Let's all get some sleep."

"Seriously, is it getting late already?" Walter asked.

"I'm sure beat," Oogumo yawned.

"Inori, will you be ok sleeping out here?" Shu asked.

"Don't worry, we brought tents," Inori reminded him.

"Oh right. That slipped my mind."

"Yeah, as if Gai would let us ladies sleep outside. That would be so wrong!" Tsugumi remarked.

"You said it!" Akiko concurred.

"Are you going to need help getting into bed?" Heath offered Ayase, who declined.

"I'll be fine. I can handle that on my own."

Tsugumi pushed Ayase's wheelchair away. "And I can help Ayase with anything she needs. But, thanks for being a gentleman, Heath."

"Sure, do what you need to," he said, eyeing Ayase being wheeled away by Tsugumi. A genuine smile smeared across his face as he muttered. "I'm glad I've gotten to know you, Ayase. You've inspired me to better myself, too."


A few days after the group returned to Funeral Parlor's base, Ayase resumed her solitary Endlave training. She used the same place where she tested Shu, Heath, and Akiko to work with her Endlave. After getting out of her Endlave, Ayase activated her Void, which Shu extracted for her.

Clicking the bottom of her Void boots, Ayase was out of her wheelchair. She was dressed in her red Endlave pilot attire. Taking a fighting posture, Ayase trained with her kicks and fists. After every deep breath inhaling and exhaling, she let out a powerful blow to a punching bag. Reflecting on her mother's teachings, Ayase unleashed a quick flurry of kicks with help from her own Void. She jumped up, throwing a flying roundhouse kick. Ayase let out audible shouts after every kick and punch thrown.

"I have to get stronger than I've been before! So, that way I can protect others!" Ayase declared while executing a flying whirlwind kick. She then executed a strong sidekick that busted open the punching bag. Standing up, she raised her clenched fists and shadowboxed without a care in the world. "I'm not going to let you down, mom. I took care of your killer, now I use my strength to fight alongside Shu, Inori, Gai, Heath, Akiko, Tsugumi, Argo, and the others."


A/N: Ok, so no scary stories were told, but we did get more in-depth backstory out of Ayase. We got more bits about her mother Kanazawa Ayase, the spinal injury Ayase received, Ayase's first interactions with Tsugumi, her initial joining with Funeral Parlor, and how she ended up with the Steiner Endlave earlier than she did in canon. Ayase's backstory also showed how Funeral Parlor found and retrieved Inori.

As far as Ayase's backstory is concerned, I combined original elements with The Dancing Endlaves side manga. The parts with Ayase and Inori were taken from the official GC manga that hasn't been officially translated into English.

Just like the previous chapter, I alternated Ayase's backstory from third-person to first-person POV.

It's starting to look like Heath's affection for Ayase is growing, and he's gained new admiration for her courage.

All There in the Manual - Chapter VI

-The Hooters leader, Maeda Hitomi, once lived in Odaiba as her childhood home. Then, Lost Christmas struck and killed her grandparents, forcing her and her family to relocate to another Tokyo area. The traumatizing experience affected her, and as a result, she became a popular runner (and Ayase's high school bully) to escape from the guilt. She's an example of a 'Used to Be a Sweet Kid/Freudian Excuse' trope. Hitomi's appearance is inspired by looking like a snobbish version of Mimi in her Digimon Adventure tri. appearance.
-Regulus is stronger than the average liger. He has been injected with a vaccination that contains two DNA samples of the extinct Barbary lion and the extinct Ngandong tiger, making him a half-extinct and half-modern animal technically.
-Daryl's Steiner appearance in the past mission was in its original canon appearance from the first canon 12 episodes, just before Funeral Parlor stole it and eventually upgraded it to its canon appearance from the final two episodes. Ayase's Endlave during that mission is a Jumeau, the same one back in the canon Episodes 1 - 2.
-Ayase's caretaker is named Kaede.

That's all for this chapter. The next one will have some special guests and continue this arc of original stories. There's more character studies and they'll be related to Heath and Akiko.

Until then, leave a comment and review. Later!