Chapter 2:

Echoes

Around twenty minutes later.

(TGS Resto Bar.)

[Takeru]

"So, while it's been hard, I'd say I'm progressing just fine!" Mikoto says with a smile and a nod, clearly proud, before diving into his sandwich without mercy or restrain.

All of us laugh a bit, grateful to have stopped the tangent into graphic details of the contents of his books. So far, the catching up has been going on just fine besides from this tiny accident.

I told everyone I was doing well in my engineering career, to their surprise and pungent puns and jabs. I can do my math just fine, you pricks.

Mikoto has gotten good grades on his medic career. He says that he wants aid those that live in harsh places where no other medics want to go, while also getting to keep traveling and doing something good while doing so. Besides how he almost when full-on details about the last topics of his exams and turns Tama into a ghost, he seems to be riding the tide nicely.

Class Rep assaulted us with all the languages she'd learned while studying some corporate career, tapping her glasses and circling that finger about as usual. Honestly, I think it suits her, being a middle manager. She always had a knack for micromanaging stuff, and her edge doesn't seem to have dulled going by the unnecessary and completely out of place comments about my mathematical proficiency she, oh, so gravely hurled my way.

Ayamine is still studying to be a nurse, said she actually had an internship arranged for her practical tests. When she told the group we were all surprised, since she didn't look like the type to pursue such a career. I can't even imagine her treating patients with that personality of hers, imagine she coming up to you with some large syringe filled with green liquid of dubious origins and giving you the silent treatment before stabbing the light's outta you. Though, the small curve of her lips, that little tap she does to her chin shows she's happy for real, so I guess whatever is pushing Ayamine is doing her good.

Tama is also doing fine in her psychiatrist career. She had said she wanted to help children overcome their anxiety and fears, especially those who suffered from bullying and parental abuse. The fact that she could explain it all clearly, without stuttering or looking elsewhere, meet our eyes shows she's doing well despite her humble words. Until we wished her good luck in her upcoming rematch in the archery duels and she melted into a puddle, lamenting the little time she has to practice lately. And while how her hands tug at her shirt's collar is really cute, it's concerning to see how nervous she really is, since she didn't return a full smile upon our words. Wishing her good luck is sadly all we can do for Tama, going to cheer on her might backfire after all.

While everyone kept talking and sharing fun stories, I can't help but to idle my lips on the straw, not drawing any juice in as I lean back on my seat, look around the rest of the place, lose myself in the noise. Despite how everyone remains in good spirits, sharing fun anecdotes in a steady flow of words, postures relaxed and loose which show the nice vibe we still have together despite the time that passed… it really ain't the same.

Slowly, I drink some juice, distracting myself with the TVs, some funny commercial about pear ice cream or something, that a young woman in yellow clothes sitting close seems to flinch towards. She voices the same cringe towards the clip as I feel, eliciting some teasing from a guy, her date I assume, in English. The way in which they lightly bicker at her reaction to the ice cream in question, the rather polite but firm scolding she gives at his attempts to quickly backpedal kind of reminds me of the one who is missing from this table. So I sharply take in some juice, looking away, sagging into the seat.

…Meiya, why didn't you even call me back? I already knew Meiya's schedule must be packed for quite a few months ahead, but I was hoping for her to be able to spare some minutes to talk, either today or sometime in the future. Guess that's impossible. Given her position, we calling may be a bother to them now. After all, even I heard the news of the scandal despite my obliviousness towards the news. And to this day, just thinking about that shitshow is enough to make me clench my fists.

So I rush some more juice in, biting on my food as Sumika goes on another tangent about her good scores and I slip in a small jab and the others laugh. As Sumika gives me the evil eye with that rebellious antenna acting as a lightning rod for a localized storm, I chuckle and shrug, looking away to let her resume her epic telling in its full force.

Looking to the TV, as if to mock me, a headline of the news comes up as the show resumes.

"-as there hasn't been a press conference done by the Head in quite some time, it is expected the occasion will be attended by many to hear the announcements the Mitsurugi Group has to make," the young host says, nodding to the screen as he paces in the small studio.

Heh, of course she hasn't done more conferences herself. All thanks to you vultures dunking on her, despite not knowing shit about who Meiya is.

One of the older men of the program shifts in his seat, sporting a shit-eating grin. "I wonder, could this finally be the announcement of her new suitor? After all, there are rising concerns from certain sectors about-"

Tch, fucking asshole. Turning around and munching on my hamburger, I see the rest hadn't paid attention to the program and were lost on a string of jokes about some teachers and campus. Sigh…

"But would you not agree it would be on her best interest to consummate a union? It does not paint a favorable picture, for the Head to stand on its own," the hoarse, cigarette-ridden voice of the old asshole reaches my ears, igniting a frown and sending my eyes to the screen again.

Debating again, voices rising and fingers firing off, the vultures take flight and begin to cackle. They dare to keep on feasting on all rumors and conspiracy theories about Meiya's life, but they ain't even talking about the bastard that screwed her over. Fucking vultures of the media.

To have been chosen for an arranged marriage with Meiya, the guy must have been some crazy important dude from high society, so I can see why no one wants to talk shit about him. Even the Mitsurugi Group backpedaled from their claims thanks to threats of the guy's family filing suing them over a case of defamation and slander.

Shit, I don't even wanna eat anymore. Leaning back on the sofa, looking up with my mouth hanging open, feels as if I were being drained down a waterfall, and hearing the discussion on the program going on only makes my stomach more upset. The noise around the place quiets down, a few parents hushing their kids and teens that came for the event, the couple behind me also ceasing their sweet bickering to listen to the news. Of course, I sometimes forget how important Meiya really is for the nation at large… Guess she'll always be that silly girl with a soot-filled face that was devastated over not knowing how to bake cookies, no matter how far apart we are. And yet… back when things were heated I didn't have it in me to call, to let her know we were on her side.

Heh, no wonder she didn't even see it fit to answer my invitation.

Lots of debates flared up just like the one that's again starting on the TV again, composure shining for its absence as fingers and yells rise in accusation. The sad spectacle of gray-haired assholes that continue to talk shit on her with gestures that dismiss any goodwill, with those stubby arms that can probably barely lift the cigars they're smoking. That in turn causes the few younger ones' composure to melt into a rather unpleasant and heated pace of words, cutting as the comments that skirt the surface of the air that come about in the place, barely heard through the noise of the guys' jokes and the TV.

Sigh… At least the little kids watching find it funny, I guess. But it's just like what I see around, some looking with a mild frown at the narrative told in the program, others instead nodding to it. Can't believe there was an actual fucking march in protest over this made by common folk. 'Don't corrupt the Group', 'Dishonor to Japan', and other banners like that were everywhere since, unsurprisingly enough, it looks like the Mitsurugi are actually some sort of vassals of the Imperial Household. Maybe I was the only one who didn't know, but Meiya having noble blood didn't really come as a surprise for me. I mean, she always had that freaking sword on her and knew how to use it well enough. Money aside, normal was not something you'd find in Meiya's dictionary. Sigh…

Remembering the whole mess when she broke her marriage after some 'accident' that caused her grandfather to be hospitalized, watching the news that resemble that a bit too closely, it all only makes my hands bend the cup of juice until parts of my fingers change color, the small bites I take fall on my stomach heavily. The host of the news program has to raise white banners in between the arrows and charges of the debating journalists that would rather add fuel to the bonfire, hurrying to divert the tide away from the rim of the dam.

Relaxing onto the seat as the topic in the news changes, I lean my full weight on the seat and refresh my mouth with juice, try and douse the burning tension in my throat.

…No wonder she didn't answer and Tsukuyomi-san cut me off all of a sudden. They're still under pressure, the media would have a field day if they ever learn of how Meiya spent some months living with me. It's actually very likely they had to ensure none of our classmates went and spoke about it, imagine if questions about the mansion and the giant vacant lot she caused were brought up in the news.

…In the end, all I gave her were problems. And I didn't even had the balls to call her, even if that was all I could have done. Slowly, I eat at my hamburger. But I can't feel the taste, feels heavy all of a sudden.

Still and grayed out like a statue, stoic and emotionless. Frozen, all alone in front of the judgment of the unending flashes of cameras and whatnot. And so she has remained in what few showings she has done to the media, since Raiden-san recovered and gave Meiya his blessing to remain leading the Group.

Her grandfather didn't even mention the name of the suitor though, and the guy was never brought up again.

And yet the media kept on piling the pressure on Meiya, going as far as asking her if she had any plans for marrying during press conferences. Some journalists even started saying that there were rumors of her being into women. Every single little decision she took was put under the microscope, and the fucking yellow journalists had a field day during those months. And every time she comes back to the public eye, the same shitshow happens like it was raging on a while ago. Makes me sick that they only thing she can do is deafen herself and push through the horde of questions and tripwires.

Sigh… I can kind of get why she didn't even answer my invitation. Part of me thinks she might have taken us not calling her as a betrayal of the trust and friendship we had built, but that might be my own guilt talking. Chances are she doesn't care anymore about some random guys like us. We don't even appear in her radar anymore, she has bigger fish to fry. Being associated with the likes of us would only bring more problems her way, I'm sure.

Absentmindedly drinking, slowing down as an image of her appears in the TV, stoic and imposing as an obelisk, my eyes flee the gaze from the TV. Lips clamp up, shoulders sag, I swallow a sigh as I shake my head to endure the cold pokes that rake at my nape, recalling that sunken face, that soot-filled face, the silly seriousness while brandishing the sword in the middle of the kitchen.

I knew it was a long shot, and the silence is enough of an answer. Maybe we can buy her a present or something, and I'll see if Tsukuyomi-san is willing to give it to her. Though, going by how the call went, I think they don't want me to contact them ever again.

That feels, for some reason, like a fitting end to our relationship. Sudden, yet once it was over, neither of us gained much from the other. Even after I remembered the promise at the park, many days after graduation, I couldn't bring myself to do anything. She went out of her way to literally live with me and spoil me for months, it's embarrassing to think I didn't get a clue.

Staring at her image until the commercial starts, I look up as my lips fold in. Resting my arms on the table, hunching over, something turns, and bends, and cuts, and an acid whiff starts banging on the pit of my throat. Placing a hand over my stomach does little to nothing, breathing in even less.

…No, I chose to be oblivious. For some reason, I didn't want to choose. I didn't want to commit to a relationship. Those intentions are also not what spurred the invitation, either. I just wanted to apologize to her, for all the trouble I must have caused her in those months. For being a coward that couldn't bring himself to at least call once when shit was hitting the turbine.

…And just that?

Sigh… Why? Why is this acid bile still lurking inside?

Whenever I think of Meiya as of late, there's this hollowness on my chest, needles or some shit tearing under my ears. It's as if I were thinking of someone who passed away. In a way it is almost like she's gone for good, since I'll probably never talk to her again as things stand now. Why did I even try to talk with her again? Sigh…

"So Takeru, about our strategy…" Mikoto yanks me out of dreamland, back to the table. I thought I had left this bad habit of spacing out behind me.

"Yeah, what do you wanna do?"

"You haven't told me what mech you're gonna be using yet. I'm still maining the Xao-Myun, are you still using the Kaiser?" he asks, staring with a small, little tilt of his head and going for a sip.

Edging closer to the table, back to the gazes of the rest, I shake my head a bit. "No, I switched to the Takemikazuchi a few months ago."

Coughing in surprise, bubbles rise up in his drink, a few stains spread on his shirt now. "The Takemikazuchi?! But I heard it's really difficult to control, and since it focuses on melee combat it doesn't have such a good range either. It's said to be one of the worst mechs in the game," Mikoto looks at me with downcast eyes, lips and brows twisted, clearly worried about my choice. He's in for a nice surprise.

"But its speed is on a whole 'nother level, dude. It's perfect for my new hyper offensive style of play, since I abuse it to make many attacks in quick succession at close range." It also looks like the Greatzon from Mega Mecha Taisen, and thinking I'm fighting with Darkest Cage as my BGM is enough to hype me up.

"That's just reckless, if it were me you'd get countered without even hitting me once," he grins back at me while resting his chin on a hand, I return a smirk and a slow chuckle.

"No, because if I hit you with its machineguns you'll get stunned for a few seconds, which gives me just enough time to rush in and get a clear strike to the core with swords in both of my arms," I say, rising a finger and drinking a bit, leaning back on the couch.

"Hmm… I see what you mean. But more speed is not the same as more mobility, so your accuracy might not be so good against opponents like my Xao-Myun. The enemy can easily kill you when you run out of fuel and can't boost away."

"Not if I kill first, that's the whole point of my game. And even then I still have the Thunder Cannon if I'm grounded or can't get to CQC. To give you an idea, I raised my Win Rate by 5% with this method just going to the arcade two days a month in this year. Do you understand how awesome the Takemikazuchi is? I definitely think it's been overlooked."

Eyes sharpening, glimmering he nods as he edges closer, just a bit. "Okay, I get your game now. So you rush in while I cover, we aim to split them up so we can pick them off in one-on-one with our superior agility. If you corner someone and they escape, do I join the chase?"

"Yeah, they're going to try to regroup. If you can keep up with me then we can split up and then pincer them. If we get split, try to keep 'em busy so they don't barrage me with more shots than I can dodge until I get them in my machineguns' range."

He nods twice in quick succession, folding his arms, eyes focused onto nowhere in particular. "Okay, but what if they stay hidden to surprise us?"

Finishing my hamburger, I circle a finger in zigzags. "I go scouting with you following on land, when you detect anything go for a cannon shot and we start the chase. Even on Yguloch Fortress' narrow corridors the Takemikazuchi can do a back flip or an Albright Turn, so don't worry about me getting ambushed," I finish by giving him a thumbs up, a wink, and a dramatic pose for bonus points.

"What's an Albright Turn?" Mikoto looks at me as if I were speaking in another language, slowly tilting his head.

"You know, it's that thing you do when you rush into a wall and just before crashing you turn the mech around by first slightly slowing down, jumping on the ground and immediately after going hard on the accel as you hit the wall. Then you propel at full speed towards the opposite direction."

"I never heard about that! Where did you learn that move?"

"Where? I… uuh… I think I saw it in a replay once."

What's this little shiver on the back of my head?

Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?

…When did I learn to do the Albright again?

Huh… Can't remember, for some reason.

"You're so lucky! You're full of surprises today Takeru, you changed your mech and you talk like a tactician. Are you sure you haven't been skipping classes to go play at the arcade?" Mikoto smirks as he leans on the table, then starts giggling along the rest.

"Dude! That's just rude, you're just jelly I finally surpassed you!"

"But I've never heard you doing such a through analysis. You sound like a regular at tournaments," his eyes glow up, surprised for real.

"Well… It's been awhile since I got to talk about the game, so I guess I got carried away with the analysis," I shrug, lips pursing as I look away. Man, I miss the days when I could just laze about, talking nonsense with you back at the arcade.

"So guys, think you can go far in this?" Class Rep asks as she stares while idling her lips over the straw, raising a brow.

"If the Takemikazuchi is half as good as Takeru says it is then we may get into the top 48."

"Forty eight?" Tama's eyes widen a bit. "How many players are participating?"

"I think there's a total of 192 spots open, which means 96 teams in total. Teams will be grouped in three zones, fighting in one direct-elimination matches. The winners of each zone will then all fight in the final at the same time for the gold," I say with vigor, speaking from my stomach, trying to hype them up.

"That's going to be amazing! I remember when we played for a bit in the hot springs, it was really fun. Seeing so many games is going to be great!" says a now sparkly eyed Tama.

Tama, you truly understand us. You are one of us, unlike the other three uncultured swines on the table.

"I wonder about that. I'm sure they'll lose on the first rounds and there will be no stopping the salt. I can already see Takeru-chan's tears, haha," Sumika throws the shade, with a twisted and evil smirk.

You ungrateful girl, I'm not sharing with you any of the food I make anymore.

"I can already see Shirogane throwing a tantrum about how he pushed the button but he didn't attack or something," Class Rep comments while making eye contact with Sumika, triggering her signature skill: Chain Teasing.

"Yoroi, hang in there." Not even Ayamine has any faith in me, huh?

"Heh, we'll show you guys a nice fight at least so do look forward to it. Right, Mikoto?"

"Yeah! Even if you do get taken out immediately as usual."

"Hey!"

We all share a laugh loud enough to cause people to stare, it clears all of that awful feeling off me. I didn't knew I missed this kind of thing so much. Feels really nice just to hang out with all of them, sharing some laughs without a care.

"To all participants," a voice rings through the speakers, "please go to the Showroom. The event shall commence in thirty minutes. I repeat-" The announcement reiterates itself as me and Mikoto stand from our seats. I grab my lemonade and finish it in one gulp, Mikoto also finishes his drink and gives a nod.

"Well, looks like its your call, guys. Yoroi, Shirogane, best of luck!" Class Rep gives us a thumbs up.

"Good luck, guys!" Tama says as we high-five before leaving. Ayamine merely gives us a slow nod while smirking.

"Takeru-chan, Yoroi-kun, no matter how it goes we're going for some ice cream after the tournament, so have fun and don't overworry, yes?"

"Yeah, you better be ready to be surprised! Let's go Mikoto, it's showtime!" I roar, unable to calm down my excitement anymore.

"Hehe, don't think I'll let you have all the fun, Takeru."

We joke around as we walk to the Showroom. This place is huge though, if there weren't any maps on the wall I'd get lost. How long is this hallway anyways? We also can't run, these tiles are really bothersome. We'll end up sliding if we try to hurry up, as the guy from before does which causes him to meet the polished tiles face first. As we pass the poor dude by while he's rubbing his face, he flinches as a voice comes up from behind us. And now he's on the receiving end of more scolding from the girl in yellow, who brushes her long hair to a side as her lips purse when the guy stands up and tries to deflect her words.

I wonder if that's how me and Sumika always looked to other people? Sigh… And yet, here I am, spinning my wheels and ignoring the flags once again.

After a short while we reach the place, and we both are taken aback by the vast expansion of the room. The Showroom is even bigger than the rest of the rooms combined! The walls painted in quite the regal dark blue and white, with some wooden pillars every now and then stretching to the ceiling, where many lights hang from the metallic bars all over, illuminating the windowless space with cold white light. Staring it at it all is kinda hard, the place's big enough to hold all the terminals, give some decent room to walk around, and even has a small rest area to my left, where some people were finishing their meals before going towards their spots.

But man, look at those terminals! They're the latest models, and there's many rows of 'em all lined up as if this were some sort of training facility for Valgern-On. Kinda like, uh, a simulation room? Hmm… Yeah, sounds about right. Man, official tournaments are the best thing ever.

"ooOOOHHH! Takeru, look at them!" Mikoto says as he skips towards the terminals, fanboying over the things. Not that I blame him, I'm super pumped up for this, too.

Now, let's see… our ID is 51, so our terminal should be… "Mikoto c'mon, our terminal's this way!"

"Going!"

The terminals are just like the arcade ones but with two separated seats and monitors instead of just one. Once we reach ours, I see that there's a pair of headphones available in the units as well. The usual hyper music of the game welcomes us as we insert our GR Cards, we share a nod as we get on our seats and start the configurations once the initial boot-up finished loading our data, getting to the sleek and angular custom screen.

In one of the last updates the devs added a lot of weapons to the game, so now each mech has a list of armaments you can equip to it. They're supposed to be balanced to fit different playstyles, which seems to have brought a nice diversity to the meta according to the forums.

They put color customization in, so now we can paint our mechs in our favorite colors too. Though, thanks to the palette, it all veers off towards the neon end of the spectrum. There's also a fuel bar and a timer now, to avoid the matches dragging on forever, and now certain parts of the mechs can be broken, like the boost thrusters and some weapons. So setting your custom loadout is of utmost importance. Sure, you can run with the default set for each mech, but where's the fun in that?

Now, let's make that joystick spin for a lil' while. Setting two PB Longswords, done. Two PB Shortswords, prepped up and ready, and let's not forget about the Take's signature Thunder Cannon. Let's mark the 20mm machineguns on the waist as equipped and that should be it. For the last touch, let's get the color scheme done.

"You done Takeru?" Mikoto hurries as I'm fiddling with the RGB sliders.

"Yeah, just finishing the color. Wanna go for a practice run?"

"Yup, two short matches sounds good?"

"Okay, I'm all done," resting my hands after confirming the pop-up, I put on the belts and phones, pushing the seat forward and locking it in. The request for a match was already coming up in the common lounge as I got to it. Tapping the mic to place it near my lips, I cough a bit. "Can you hear me, Mikoto?"

"Yeah, loud and clear. You ready?"

"You bet. Here we go!"

As the field description and the opening battle screen appears, showing both of our mechs and the map, my breathing eases up, eyelids flicker as my back sinks onto the seat's cushioning, legs also extend snugly and my feet rub on the pedals for a bit, testing them. I've been like this for awhile, I don't know why but playing Valgern-On in the arcade makes me feel at ease. Like I'm in my element, doing my thing in my turf kind of feeling. Maybe the nostalgia of high school is already getting to me.

"Hweh? What's up with your mech?!" Mikoto shouts outta nowhere, taking me out of my relaxation.

I though there was a problem, but a sharp and sudden once-over shows everything is as always. "Nothing's wrong on my end. What's up, Mikoto?"

"Pfft… Ahahaha! Look at your mech, it's so purple! Hahahaha!" Mikoto keeps laughing, repeating purple over and over.

"What's wrong with it being purple?!" I retaliate, hitting the armrest as he keeps on laughing his ass off. All of you have been really awful with me today! Is this what people call karma?

"S-Sorry, I mean, I'm so used to see you maining the Kaiser that I didn't expect you to choose that color for your mech. I thought you'd use white instead."

"There's nothing wrong with this, and it's a striking shade of purple so it fits the Takemikazuchi perfectly!"

I don't know why but when I saw the Takemikazuchi for the first time all I could think was that it would look great in purple. And I wasn't wrong. However, Mikoto keeps snickering and chuckling as the map of an abandoned settlement in a desert begins to load. And he doesn't stop, and he's still saying purple under his breath. You prick…

"Alright, if that's how you wanna roll, let's see if you think it's funny after I mop the floor with your carcass!"

"We'll see about that! Show me how good your purpleness is!"

As we both roar taunts at each other, the timer starts to count down to zero. The BGM finishes its intro and kicks into full accel as the green light chimes in, as our mechs blast off their starting positions, quickly locking on and engaging. And I still feel really calm despite the screen blurring a bit due to the Takemikazuchi's speed. It's like this should be the normal speed of the game, even if it was already quite fast paced.

Mikoto opens fire from my left, nothing serious. He's still moving around a few buildings, not letting me get near. I flick my joystick forward along a stomp with a heel on the pedal, boost jumping over his cannon shot and closing the gap, starting a chase. Unlike the Kaiser, the Takemikazuchi is very fast and can be difficult to maneuver precisely with, but even so I feel perfectly fine in it. It's like riding a grip-focused car tuned to do sharp turns on the curves on the racing games, if that makes sense.

While playing tag around toppled warehouses and kicking up mounds of sand up, he starts charging another cannon shot, but not retreating further into the more narrow terrain filled with debris. Reading him, I boost jump again and dodge, but this time I don't lift my feet off the gas, sending my Take into some consecutive jumps to get closer in a few frames faster. The posture of his Xao does not waver. Eyelids twitch, narrow as if enduring salty air as the edge of my vision grows blurry, the Take grazes a few buildings in sharp turns to shave the distance between us. Heh, as expected, Mikoto was expecting me to chase after him and then get me with his saber, so the Xao-Myun is about to come and meet my aggro.

However, it's clear he doesn't know how fast this purple beetle can be! Heel on the gas, control docked forward, pierce through the bricks!

"You're not getting away now!" I shout as the rumbling crawls over my legs, ripples all over them and into my clothes as the overheat chime beeps alive.

Ignoring the flashing red, smirking back at it, fingertips choke the controls and receive the same recoil, the same crawling rumble. Crashing headfirst into the building, piercing through the wall and not diminishing the boost at neither the screeching nor the contraction caused by the vibrations, air comes down harshly as I fire the machineguns. Little sparks illuminate the otherwise vacant dunes of the stage as I surface over the other side in the building, willingly taking environmental damage to shorten the distance.

Sighing with my nose as the rush subsides and the rocking in the seat gently tides over while my Take slides and surfaces on the sand, I throw my visor around and locate the frame of my rival.

…Just 4% damage? Doesn't matter, because small jolts cover the Xao's entire body, its limbs twitching in paralysis as Mikoto lets out a small squeal in complain. With the stun in place, I'm in the clear to approach and strike at you! Hit with the longsword, 20% damage! Take that!

The stun wears off, I sidestep away from a fast riposte and hit my rib in the process, the Xao blasts away but Mikoto can't get the Take out of his shadow, nor can he stop boosting without getting into my machineguns' range again. Within the crumbled buildings and sand mounds, we play hit and run. Circling and twisting, doing ninety-degree turns and jumping over entire buildings at times, he tries his earnest to shake me off with some missiles and doing some acrobatics between some buildings, but for some reason his jumps are kinda off and he's gliding too much.

Let's take a shot! I do a triple boost jump to dodge his missiles, getting to a nice position on midair. Now I can use the backthrusters to spin myself and shoot the TC at him at minimal charge. As my machine glides away in its spin, avoiding the cannon shots, my own cannon finds a frame in the eye of its storm, a circle confirming the lock-on.

Unlike other weapons, the Thunder Cannon is a beam-based armament. So I get why the Xao-Myun is now flailing like a bird under the rain, all to get away from the red lightning that pours off my weapon as I softly flick the button and one of my eyes squints at the flash of crimson, at the ensuing explosion. A dune gets flattened, the cooldown icon appears in my sight, and a nice chunk of health vaporizes off Mikoto's health bar. Take that, 17% at minimal!

"I got you now!" Mikoto shouts as the Xao-Myun charges at me, my Take still descending in the air.

"Fuck, I can't- Ugh!" I grit my teeth as strong vibrations come through the controls, my Take unable to block or dodge while holding the large and bulky bolt-shaped cannon, and his saber smacks one of my shoulders for 26% damage.

Ending up tumbled along the sand dunes, I can't do anything but watch as Mikoto again flees and puts distance between us, readying his cannons. I'm not letting you get away! And yanking the lever, blasting a cloak of sand to the sky, the Take restarts the chase.

But something feels off about this…

Mikoto's tells and signs are too obvious, did she get rusty? I can't imagine her missing those shots on purpose, she's not even doing the barrages right. And she didn't punish me for lowering my guard in the air and not teching to return to the ground faster. What's with her jumps, too? She's relying too much on the air thrusters. On this kind of map, she could easily surface on the dunes or hide in between the few buildings that are around, to try and get me from afar. My speed on the Take is enough to dodge, yeah, but still… It's also odd she didn't call my reckless charge through the building before, I was expecting a jump or a volley but I got her with her panties down real bad.

Wait, if I go at her at full speed with all the boosters I could probably get in close range, and then I'll break the Xao's thrusters to show her how reckless she's being! Fair retribution for mocking my beautiful purple beetle. Oh, I know! I'll let her corner me and then I'll show her an Albright while I'm at it. Two birds with one stone, and, if I knock her out like this, she's never gonna live it do-

Beep!

BAM! BAM!

I hold my breath as two missiles graze me, forcing me to make a sudden dive to the sand. Sighing for a sec, I close an eye and lick over my lips. "Shit, that was a close one. Her mid-range fire is still awesome. Can't let my guard down around her for a single sec or I get an arm blasted off."

…

…Her? Did I just refer to Mikoto as a she? The hell is wrong with me? Why- Why did I say that?

Sigh… Whatever, focus on the battle! Let's show him what a good pair we are, Takemikazuchi!

Back to the chasing and dodging the cannon shots, he's keeping his distance to avoid the weapon shift, using the irregular terrain of sand to his advantage, blocking my firing lines with what little buildings he can easily hide behind. Not having missiles sure sucks, even if my midgame and CQC are off the charts. If I bring out the TC, he can again swipe in and smack me. Rushing in would get me countered again, I doubt he'd fall for the same trick twice.

However.

"Hehe, that ain't the sole trick my beetle can do, Mikoto. Alright, now!"

Feet top over the pedals, I boost jump using all the thrusters, launching myself like a dragster after the Xao-Myun. The screen starts blurring and shaking, legs wanting to retract like a snail when being poked as my Take emerges from a dune along boulders and dust like a water from a broken sink. Slightly tilting the joystick to the left, I find the red circle of the lock on. The searing slash hits an arm, missing his body on purpose. Just as I thought, he takes his chance to take a jab at me at point blank instead of retreating, aiming at my core.

The reaction time of my other hand with a shortsword is enough to block you! Sparks fly off, a small screech comes up in the phones, a momentary blade struggle ensues as our mechs fall and land in violence on the sand, sending small waves to the air, more collapsing away down the dune. As I ready my other hand for a swing, Mikoto quickly boost jumps away like a drunken rabbit. Once the weapon shift is over, he starts firing at me, turning this into a bullet hell game.

Hehehe… Now's when I lay my trap.

Instead of jumping to keep up the pressure, I retreat on land and take cover behind some fallen buildings, that shake and quiver in image of Tama under spectators as they tank the cannon shots. Just before retreating further in, to where his auto-lock cannot track me, I take out the Thunder Cannon and start to charge it, even though I unequip it right away when I got out of his sight.

Since I'm already near half shields, the TC would do a lot of damage now to a low defense mech like the Xao-Myun. If it did 17% at minimal before, anything above that is a curtain's call for Mikoto. It's dodge or die, and against a beam weapon there's no cover to save you. Much less with the threat of my machineguns lingering in the air, and the sheer accel the Take can get in no time.

That's why he will surely try to get close without entering my range and using missiles to interrupt the charge or ruin my shot, to force me to return the aggression and drop the TC usage.

The radar beeps as I rush and hit one of my shoulders against a pillar, hurrying to not enter his sights. He took the bait as he starts to chase me, going by the speed of the bleep in the radar, but thanks to me going downhill on the sand mounds he can't close the gap fast enough. Alright, those cliffs up ahead look narrow enough for the maneuver. Breathing in well and deep, I take a sharp turn to my left in between some elevations, he shouldn't have gotten a clear view of me since he's still getting closer. Let's go, Takemikazuchi!

I advance into the passage with a boost jump, then just before jumping again I shift my direction without stopping the boost. Slightly lower my speed as I approach and the wall, make sure the knees can bend, position the feet, align the thrusters in the right direction, all is as it should… And now…

"FULL ON THAT ACCEL, BABY!"

Our feet hit the cliff-side as I spin the joystick to change the direction of the thrusters, crushing the gas under my heels. Immediately, the screens flickers to shift my view as I'm now charging at Mikoto, who thought that he was safe just around the corner of the cliff since I couldn't hit him with the Thunder Cannon there.

"Eat this, Mikoto!" I roar as I let the machineguns loose on the Xao-Myun, that fumbles about.

His shield drops to 23% and I damaged his thrusters, going by the smoke and screeches that come from the screen and phones respectively. Landing hard on the sand, a bit farther than I wanted to and almost slipping when the heels sink on the mound, I quickly step hard on the pedals and yank the controls. Balance regained, I tap the triggers and change to my melee weapons.

As the stun wears off, Mikoto tries to boost away but can't, small sparks and smoke comes out of his thrusters. As soon as the small circle of the lock-on appears, my finger starts mashing that button and the machineguns again blaze up in life. The small stun time is enough to let me approach safely and get a clear hit to the core of the Xao-Myun with my longswords, slicing it in three parts.

BOOM!

[MATCH OVER - PLAYER 2 WINS]

Biting my lips that still twist upwards, I throw a fist to the air as I pull the seat back. After a chuckle, I remove the safety belts and do some circles with my neck.

"What the hell was that? What did you do?! How did you even change directions so fast at the cliffs?!" A bewildered voice rings at my side as I see Mikoto getting out of his seat, fuming more red lightning than my TC at full charge.

"That was the Albright Turn, but I kinda screwed up the timing and almost ruined my landing," I shrug, scratching my head.

Silent for a sec, holding my stare, Mikoto simply folds his arms. "When did you learn it? All your moves are on a whole 'nother level today, but that thing was Pro level for sure!"

"I told you the Takemikazuchi was great. Who's laughing at the purple one now?" I ask with a grin, chuckling.

"I can't believe you actually dodged most of my attacks," he closes his eyes, brows low and lips twisted, shoulders and chin slumping. It's obvious he'd be frustrated, Mikoto has never lost so badly against me.

Actually, I don't recall ever winning against him when he got serious. There's a first time for everything, I guess.

"Haha, well, it was weird that you kept gliding so much. It was easy to read you."

In silence, he stares at me. Sighing as he taps his forehead, he slowly gets closer. "Hey, let me see your play log."

"Sure, but what's wrong with you? You're really rusty, you know."

"I'm not rusty, you've gotten really good at this! You sure you're not skipping class?" Mikoto says as he throws a suspicious look at me, narrowing eyes and lips.

So I smirk back at him. "Making excuses? Who would have said I'd see the day!"

"You jerk!" pouting a bit, he lightly slaps my arm. "Now, lemme see how you did those stunts."

Nodding and moving aside, I let him sit on my terminal. Man, to think I just beat him. I knew all that practice would pay off. Who's laughing at the purple one now, huh?

"…Hey, Takeru."

"What's up?"

"Were you playing with these settings just now?"

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

"Well, you were playing with the first person camera then?" he asks, low, slower. Looking right back at me, his own eyes seem kinda firm and confrontational, unblinking and with a completely neutral expression.

"Yeah, been feeling better with it since I switched to the Takemikazuchi," I nod back, smiling.

He gapes as his brows come together. "Are you for real?! But… But, how are you even aiming?"

"Like I always did?" Why is he so surprised? Sure, it was kinda hard at first, but now I can't see myself ever using anything other than first person controls, even if third person is the standard. "Well, lemme show you how I roll now."

Around the same time.

(Resto Bar.)

[Sumika]

Since the guys left, we started talking about fashion, cooking, and random stuff. About how Miki-chan is preparing for her rematch in her dojo, how Ayamine-san is planning to take a trip to Tokyo to search for more yakisoba recipes, and how Sakaki-san is anxiously awaiting a concert from a pair of violinists.

I myself told them I've been progressing fine, and haven't dropped my cooking as well. Ayamine-san actually recommended me a restaurant in an odd location of the district, she said their curry is an otherworldly treat despite the staff being… a tad bit eccentric. Coming from her, who's never fazed by anything, makes me really wonder what's up with that place.

I… did give up wanting to become a chef, in favor of a more traditional career thanks to how the economy is right now. But that doesn't mean I'll abandon my passion! Just like Takeru-chan said, no matter what I get money from I'll always have my cooking besides me. I only hope… I get to show you how much I've improved in these two years.

"So he just decided to exercise out of the blue?" Sakaki asks as she finishes her drink.

"Yeah. Same with the cooking. It's like he woke up one day, said 'Oh, I'mma do this!', and then just kept doing it." Honestly, it is weird. Takeru-chan never cared about cooking, or about doing physical activity. But I had to go and end up blurting I'm worried about how he's being, and they took it the wrong way. Sigh…

"Weirdogane being Weirdogane."

"Kei-chan, that's rude! But maybe he's just releasing his stress?" Miki-chan tilts her head a bit.

"Maybe? He's progressing fine in college, as far as I know."

I can't help to think those nightmares are to blame. He never told me anything about them, but the day when he finally did he looked as if he had been crying for a while before. What are those nightmares about? Why doesn't he want to tell me?

…I wonder if he's regretting not speaking with Meiya-san before. Maybe, he actually has feelings for her? But despite the invitation she didn't even reply. Well, not like I don't understand, with all that she has on her plate. But Takeru-chan never gets so down without something serious going on in his head. Sigh… I press my legs together, drinking what's left of my juice, unable to purge the quiver in my chest.

I wanna be there for him. I wanna see him earnestly smile again, seeing his silent endurance only serves to send shards of glass into my throat. But does he want my help anymore? Should I… give him some space? I mean, after all this time, after all I've tried to do… he still hasn't-

"To all spectators," a voice comes from the speakers, "the event will start in 10 minutes. Please go to the main hall. I repeat-"

"Well, shall we go? Let's get some nice seats," Sakaki-san says as she stands up.

"Yeah, let's go. It looks like a lot of people just arrived, so it's going to get packed," I grab my purse and stand up along the rest. Let's not worry about that for now, think positive!

Talking about how things could play out, we go towards the hallways along the stream of people and noise. Yet, in the exit of the resto bar, two men in suits stand watch, expressions neutral and wearing sunglasses. Despite letting most people leave without a sound, one of them raises an arm as we get close.

"Excuse me, could you be Sumika Kagami?"

"Eh? Yes, that's me. What do you need?"

"And would you all be Chizuru Sakaki, Miki Tamase, and Kei Ayamine?" the other man asks, the rest nods and we all share a puzzled gaze. What could these security guys want with us?

"Forgive the inconvenience, but please come with us," the first says with a firm, commanding tone as he takes a step forward.

"What's this about?" Ayamine says as she also takes a step forward, a slight frown in her face.

"We'll have you follow us. This way," he says, pointing a hand towards another hallway.

Before we could react, two more men in suits came up behind us, blocking our path. The first two gesture for us to follow them, the ones from behind take a step closer, insisting that we do as they say. W-What's going on here?!

A/N: Valgern-On's version of the Takemikazuchi is exactly the same as the one in the BETA timelines, just that it has two machineguns built into its frame on its waist, Paildramon style.