The first thing Sekai did was bring up an Escudo wall.

Shigenaga's rifle was thrown into the air as the wall slammed into her hand. The trion bullets fired were sent into the sky.

Sekai moved backwards and prepared a cube of trion.

Something moved to the right of the wall, and Sekai fired.

"!"

The sheath of Kōgetsu took the hit from the attack and was sent flying into the air.

Shigenaga's form came up from the other side of the wall and fired more trion bullets.

Sekai's response was to create a shield to block the attack before throwing it forward for a shield bash.

But he stopped.

Without turning away from Shigenaga, he performed a sliding turn and moved forward to attack her.

Unlike all of the other opponents in this fight, she was someone he had to focus on while fighting.

She likely knew this with the way she readied her blade.

The first thing Sekai registered was the stance she took, then he prepared for the next action.

A shield appeared in front of him the moment Shigenaga threw her Kōgetsu for the second time.

Instead of letting her repeat what she had already done, he pushed the blade upwards and into the sky.

She met his defense head-on and lifted her leg to step onto his shield. With a push, she was airborne.

He readied another set of trion bullets and fired them without any way of escape.

Fully prepared to have his attack countered, he made a followup by going into the air himself.

Instead...

"Just how forceful is this girl...?"

Shigenaga created a shield under her. With a push, she sent it down towards him.

The trion bullets cracked the shield, but a second one was sent after it.

The second shield hit him as he moved upwards.

Sekai felt the push of the second shield as he hit the ground.

.

She isn't thinking about defense or evasion at all.

It was reckless, but he knew that it was her best choice here.

Attacking him with everything at once has always been a way to fight against him. Ikoma and Yuba would tend to do just that, but even they seemed to have a time lag when compared to this forward girl. The difference created an opportunity when he was being crushed by a shield.

So irritating.

Shigenaga was unrelenting in the way she came down with speed.

Looking over his own head, he made a choice.

Teleport.

A gap was created in the space he had been in as a noise rang out. The air seemed to fill back in the space with the shield hitting the ground, Shigenaga following it.

Sekai saw Shigenaga's next attack.

It was an accurate behind-the-back shot.

Also, she had drawn Sekai's attention by throwing the shield first. Throwing down the shield was enough of an attack, but just to be sure, she had saved this shot for her true attack.

"Well done," said Sekai while gathering strength in his legs.

A shield was formed above him that would be used for his own attack.

"I guess I can at least follow through properly."

He spoke as if greeting her and his body exploded forward. His knees bent and sent him shooting down from the shield.

In an instant, he went to meet with her.

.

Shigenaga recognized the danger of having her back turned.

If her attack had missed, then it gave her opponent time to go for his own attack against her. Forgoing defense and evasion meant that she could not go against this attack like normal.

Shigenaga suddenly sensed motion.

"...!?"

And she heard repeated sounds of the air being forcibly moved behind her.

It sounded like someone was cutting through the air.

...What!?

Jumping to the side was the only way for her to get away from the attack. Doing so would force her to evade the attack.

The moment she did so, she was sure that she would never be able to gain momentum back to go on the offensive again.

So she made a different choice.

Daybreak: "Shigeko?"

Shut up! I'm busy enjoying myself here!

It may have been a bit much to yell at him in her mind, but she was certain he would understand.

After all, she would never make these kinds of movements if she was not enjoying herself.

Throwing her weight around, she lowered her body and slammed her hand onto the ground. With new momentum, she began a spin with an upward sweeping motion.

She felt the first contact from Sekai's attack reach her.

Twisting her wrist and altering her movement a bit, she kicked away his blade by hitting his hand.

The followup attack was kicked away with her foot.

Not relenting, she created a shield and kicked it.

It hit.

.

Sekai was pushed back for a second time by a shield bash.

Like the time before, there was an immediate followup. A second attack using trion bullets was sent after him.

He met this forward style of fighting with a triple-layered shield. Each resisted the attacks, but the first layer cracked under the weight of the trion bullets.

Forward and heavy offensive combat styles had always been irritating, but this girl was bringing it to another level entirely.

The speed at which she made decisions and the time it took to put them into action was far too small. Thinking of something took a moment, then moving to put that thought into physical form took another moment, and the total amount of time it took to do all of that always gave him time to come up with a counter.

Even Denji had to take this time for his own actions.

However...

There have been times when that wasn't true.

Back then, when they were on the same squad, Denji would often do things without thinking. He would stay in the moment of attack and not care about what came of the situation. All of it was his way of delivering an unrelenting offense.

But that had been because of Sekai.

Calling it "trust" would have been a stretch, but there was a clear understanding that went to give Denji the freedom to attack without restraint. It had been the knowledge that Sekai would back him up that allowed him to do so.

Minoru and Ketsueki had still been too by-the-book for them, but they had come to that understanding after knowing each other far more than expected. It left them with more than enough room when fighting.

It was for that reason that Sekai understood that there was something going on here.

There was only one explanation for it.

"How forward are you planning to be?"

"As forward as I need to be here!"

The reason for her heavy offense had been because she had chosen to not think about her next action. Each move she made was something she did on impulse and instinct.

If one attack didn't work, she would move on to the next one and not give an inch.

It was the complete lack of thought that allowed her to bypass sending her body any messages and to just attack without any issues. All that was needed was the will to keep moving forward and attack.

It was something he knew she excelled at doing.

.

The relentless attack from Shigenaga continued with a twin-attack using her rifle and cubes of trion.

Sekai stabbed Kōgetsu into the ground, took the rest of the shield bash with his body, and readied himself for his counter.

Countering and cutting off the momentum of a heavy offensive person meant victory in battle. They would lose the power that would have built up from the continuous attacks and would need to start from the beginning. From there, it would be easy to stop that momentum from building up.

But...

"!"

Shigenaga refused to lose that momentum.

Without giving an inch or backing down, she rushed him with trion bullets flying and Kōgetsu swinging in anticipation, as if to say "Don't forget that I'm here!"

Reckless attacks meant nothing if she was prepared to attack again with little room between the two. That recklessness was what made this fight even between the two of them.

Sekai saw that recklessness and made a decision.

He became just as reckless.

Using Kōgetsu, he smashed through the shield and created a five-layered shield with two more to the right and the left. With a single push, they were sent forward.

Shigenaga responded by throwing a two-layered shield in return, trion bullets flying behind it.

The two attacks collided.

The two-layered shield took off two of the five layers before the trion bullets destroyed the fourth layer and the two shields to the sides. The fifth layer continued forward through the fragments of trion that were scattered in the air before vanishing.

Shigenaga met the shield head-on with Kōgetsu.

The trion blade pierced through the shield and created a hole in the center of it. The hole widened as the shield began cracking. The entire shield shattered a moment later, but Shigenaga's charge continued on.

"!?"

"That deserves credit," Sekai said from only a foot away.

Shigenaga's speed caused her to falter at the sudden appearance of Sekai, but she righted herself.

Using a new swinging motion, she moved Kōgetsu in an upward-diagonal motion. Her rifle then fired three trion bullets.

It was an attack out of desperation.

And Sekai took that chance.

.

Teleport.

Sekai saw the desperate attack from his position a few feet away from Shigenaga.

The trion blade cut through open air and the tiron bullets continued on without a target.

Understanding what to do, he created a cube of trion while moving forward again.

The distance could be covered in only three steps, so firing before that meant he needed to focus more on that for a moment.

Once he had set everything in place, he fired.

The cluster shot was aimed directly at Shigenaga. If she were to block it or evade, it would make her lose her momentum and give him the chance to attack after that momentum had been broken. The attack was also a Meteora shot, meaning blocking it would still cause damage to her while giving him a smokescreen to hide in.

There was no winning for her.

"—"

At least there shouldn't have been.

Moving like that won't help anything.

Sekai could see Shigenaga's response to his attack.

She began to turn around with the momentum she had built up from her own attack. It would swing her around to face him, but it would not give her time to counter the attack with one of her own. The amount of space between her and the trion bullets was too small for her to hit them away with Kōgetsu.

He had moved the fight to where this would be the end result.

A victory in this fight for him.

But...

Shit!

It was the only thing Sekai could think of as he watched Shigenaga let go of both Kōgetsu and her rifle.

From his position, he could see what her intent was.

A hexagon had formed in front of her closed fist as something started to form in front of it.

A shield.

Unlike any used before, this shield was shaped in the form of a blade that came from her first.

This is her answer!

Before the trion bullet could reach Shigenaga, Sekai pushed himself off the in a single place would have meant his loss.

Then he saw it happen.

.

As the trion bullet cluster continued towards Shigenaga, she continued her spin using the momentum from her previous attack. Doing this would put a stop to her offensive momentum, but it would also place Sekai back to where he was at the start of their fight.

I'm still going to be the one behind, though, she thought bitterly.

Even if this worked, she would have to build up all that offensive momentum again.

Sekai would only need to stop that momentum from starting.

What a pain in the ass.

But.

This was still great. I got to do so much here.

Feeling something bubble up from inside, she thought about what it could be.

Instead of letting it stay there and fester, she let it out.

"Ha ha ha!"

It was a laugh.

She had always been serious when it came to fighting, so why did she decide to laugh now?

That's probably it.

It was her opponent.

It was their fight.

A fight she had entered after a lot of people had given their all.

This was just that much fun! I finally got to fight this guy! And what's more, I finally got to help that guy out instead of the other way around!

Even if she lost here, she had still done something that could lead to the conclusion of this fight.

So, with a final push, she finished her swing.

"Shigenaga Counter!"

.

Sekai saw the answer become a counter.

The shield-sword was punched forward.

The trion bullet cluster met it head-on, but it meant nothing.

Most would have been unable to properly take note of it, but Sekai saw it in full.

The trion bullet cluster struck the shield-sword, reflected, and was now moving back towards where it had originated.

And that was where Sekai had fired it.

Just a single step more!

The speed at which the trion bullet cluster was returning felt as if it was faster than when he had fired it.

Along with that, the shield-sword was moving directly behind it.

Sekai could feel it deep inside. Something that had not been there for some time and something he wished would never come up again.

Worry.

He was worried about how this would all end.

So he moved to ease that worry.

He only had a single step left to take before he was out of range of the attack.

"!?"

But that step never came.

At that very moment, Sekai realized light was scattering behind him and to his side.

A metallic sound and sparks scattered there, leading to a certain result.

A light sliced horizontally through the center of the multi-layered shield he had created on reflex.

.

"What...!?"

Sekai looked back in time to see the destruction of the multi-layered shield.

...How!?

He had created those shields to block the blowback from his own attack and Shigenaga was still in a swinging motion.

The only external attacks so far had been from the Shooters he had taken out, but...

...No, there was also a Sniper!

He had forgotten all about the Sniper.

The same one who had started this entire fight.

"It's the harasser!"

Sekai clicked his tongue at the Meishō Squad All-Rounder trying to prepare another attack.

Was she the diversion!?

Using the sudden explosion of his own Meteora, he moved in close to Shigenaga. The attack his struck his side, but he held strong by creating a shield to keep him in place.

He knew that his arm had taken some damage, but it still remained intact.

...I need to end this and get that Sniper!

He moved in and saw Shigenaga getting ready to move back for the first time.

Taking an extra step, he rushed her.

The feedback from his Kōgetsu cutting through her waist could be felt.

But a strange sound was following that feedback.

"Ha ha ha! Looks like I made the right choice in choosing who my partner is!"

Sekai thought about what her words meant.

He realized a moment too late.

A distraction!

As soon as he thought that, an impact struck his right side.

It was a sniper shot.

...Was that...?

The sniper fire that had once harassed Ninomiya Squad, Kotowari Squad, Suzunari-1, and Kageura Squad had shattered his right arm and right side in retaliation.


Mitsuteru had placed his modified Ibis across the edge of the roof and fixed it in place.

...That was close...

Shigenaga's idea was simple enough.

...Hikigane-san is someone strong enough that he has forgotten about me, so I'll keep his attention towards me and you shoot him once you find the chance to do so.

It was simple enough to say.

But this was on the battlefield, with no practice, and with almost no advance warning.

If he had not noticed what Shigenaga was doing, they never would have made it in time.

Mitsuteru let out a sigh. The tension that had built up in his shoulders was released with the sigh.

"Oh, wow! That was wonderful, Ariake-kun! It turned out to be a great shot, didn't it!?"

"Thanks for that, Hogo. But Shigeko's the real MVP here. She decided to take that loss."

"It only counts as her loss if we do not win here, so don't give up. As long as we fulfill one of the conditions for victory, she will consider it a win for everyone involved. That means we will need to continue this fight until one of those conditions is met. ...And that means I will be moving out to intercept Hikigane-san myself now. Urushima-kun, please watch over Ariake-kun."

And...

"I will make sure to do what I can to make sure everyone here wins. Hikigane-san is tough, even without an arm, but I should be able to put up enough of a defense of you two to not worry here."

Even then, it was quite something for the Hikigane Squad Captain to continue fighting after everything that had just happened.

...Urg.

Mitsuteru groaned in his heart. Everyone around me is at such a bizarrely high level.

...Of course, I'm a Sniper who has had multiple mentors, a former Taiyōko Squad member, and battlefield partners with Shigeko.

But even then he did not feel like he was anywhere near the insane level of everyone else, so there was definitely something wrong with his coworkers.

And just as he started to wonder if he was using that to compromise in his desire for advancement...

"Ariake-kun, I don't really understand, but that was still pretty amazing. How did you do it?"

"Eh? Well, um, I just made a spur of the moment decision. Shigeko might have wanted me to find the right moment, but this was still impulsive of me. It did feel work to hold Ibis under my arm, though."

"It's fine, idiot." Wataru walked over with a slight shrug. "Only you could've done it."

"No, no. That only worked thanks to the guideline you drew, Wataru-kun. But thanks for the rare compliment."

"Then." He smirked. "We're amazing."

Mitsuteru briefly thought about what that meant. And...

...I see.

Mitsuteru smiled up towards Wataru. Then he looked over to Hogo with that same smile.

"And there's no need for you to go over, Hogo. I had gotten the final response I needed here."


Sekai saw Shigenaga turn into light before flying towards Border's base.

He clicked his tongue again and glanced back. The place where the Meishō Squad Sniper was had gotten a bit closer, but...

...I can't risk it anymore. I need to retreat for now.

Continuing the fight at this point would mean running a risk he didn't want to think about.

It may count as giving up against people far weaker than him, but he had never been one for reputations. Ending this fight here was fine enough that he could deal with some teasing later on.

"I feel like crap, coming in so late into the fight, but it was worth it to see you in this state. Especially when I know who caused you to look like this."

Turning back around, Sekai saw his final opponent.

Standing in front of him, hands at the ready, was the Yuba Squad Captain. The predatory grin on his face said it all.

"I didn't think someone like you would talk instead of shooting."

"And I never thought that I would see you get serious, get your ass kicked, and then retreat. Looks like today is just off."

"I give up, then. I don't care anymore. This fight was pointless to begin with."

"Was it, now?"

Sekai narrowed his eyes.

Yuba was not one to imply things, preferring to speak up with a direct tone.

"No one told Ariake about it, but they were probably thinking about him. The same can be said for you, apparently." Neither one of them moved, but Yuba continued to speak. "Apparently, this fight will determine some things for the meetings going on at the branch offices. Meaning..."

Sekai gave a sigh.

"Meaning that things could have ended terribly if either side was not doing everything they could."

In a way, he had helped Border by continuing this fight as seriously as he had.

"So the only thing left to do is..."

With a push, Sekai felt his body leave the ground once more.

"Don't complain about what happens after!" Yuba shouted as he reached for his guns.

It was only a moment, but that moment was all that mattered.

.

Yuba huffed as he placed his guns back into their holsters.

He watched the light from a Bail Out move towards Border's main base.

Looking back to where he knew Mitsuteru was, he held his hand to his ear.

"Hey, the fight's officially over. Isn't there something you should say now?"

Daybreak: "Huh? Oh, thanks, everyone."

Everyone: "Not that!"

Yuba felt himself chuckle a bit.

Instead of feeling irritation boil up, he could only see this as a good thing.

It means Ariake is still the same as usual.

Daybreak: "Fine, fine."

From where he stood, Yuba could see someone standing on the ledge of the tall building that Mitsuteru was on.

He didn't need to cup his ears to hear the loud shout that followed.

"The opposing squad captain, Hikigane Sekai, has been defeated!"


Daybreak: "That was so embarrassing!"

"He actually did it!?"

Karasuma smiled at Konami's shout.

Nice going, Ariake-senpai.

The fight seemed to have been going in a dangerous direction from the notes they had been receiving from Suzaku the entire time.

Multiple people had Bailed Out, but the commander of the fight had remained the entire time. So long as he stayed on the field, they could count a lot of things as his victory.

"But Ariake-senpai actually won. It wasn't just a 'victory'; it was a full defeat for Hikigane-san."

"I knew that Mitsurin was pretty bad, but to get to Sekai like that... Just what kind of harassment did he put Sekai through?"

"Wouldn't it be because of Shigenaga-san and Yuba-san?"

Konami turned to him, thought for a moment, then shook her head.

The two of them were too forward to beat Sekai by just appearing. He understood that.

Giving the full achievement to Ariake felt strange to him as well, but it was just how things were.

"Oh, but this fight did bring up the reputations of other squads. I'm sure that they are grateful for that."

3o: "Whoo! We got something out of it! And it only cost us some mental pain from dealing with Mitsuteru!"

Other Zō: "What happened to the poor boy that we took in!? I miss him over this monster!"

Yes: "I really have some worries after all of this..."

Kane-shima: "Did none of you realize this was how he is really like until now?"

Almost Everyone: "He was fine until he reached your squad!"

Daybreak: "I'm a monster now...? Heh heh. Guess I'm good enough to be called that now."

Almost Everyone: "That's not a good thing!"

It was really concerning that Ariake thought something like that was a good thing.

Then again, when he looks at who he started out with, who he knows, and who he wanted to fight, it makes sense that he would think that was a good thing.

In a way, he must have thought that he was finally living up to his first squad's expectations.

It may have been a bit rude, but Karasuma gave a light clap for his upperclassmen."

"Hah. I guess it really is a good thing for him," Konami said with a light smile.

Putting her hands on her hips, she closed her eyes and faced the ceiling. This was her way of being proud of him.

"I'm glad he's gotten this far."


"Huuuh!? That guy beat Hikigane-san?"

Minoru looked over to see why others were yelling. In particular, Arafune was making a show of seeming to be pissed. Next to him, Hokari was oddly pleased. The other Snipers around them had their own reactions to something that came from their phones.

More than all of them, he took note of the way Murakami was smiling at Arafune's words.

Having met up with the others, their entire group had decided to wait things out and see what Pyrínas would say once he reached them. The area they had agreed to meet at was open to them all, while civilians would be directed elsewhere. It was a safety measure put in place once word came in that it had been Pyrínas wanting to meet them.

Everyone had gone about the situation like they normally would, but it was clear that they were still keeping a mindful watch on things around them. Even as the new information came in, they still treated it with the importance of anything else and with their usual attitude toward each other.

There was only one different reaction.

"Nice going," Murakami said quietly. It had been loud enough for Minoru to hear, but no one else seemed to notice it.

Moving over slightly, Minoru went to stand by Murakami while the others spoke up.

"He needed a lot of help, but I'm sure that's fine enough. No one expects to go into a fight like that alone. If he had beaten Hikigane-san with no help... Well, that would be worrying for many reasons."

"Tōma giving him credit; strange it is."

"He's still a little bug, but we have to let him have something after all this time. Isn't that right, Arafune?"

"Don't look at me like that. You people think I'm being rough on him, and it's annoying."

The other Snipers looked to each other, turned to Arafune, and finished it by making barking noises.

In retaliation, Arafune raised his fist, sending some of them away.

"Now, now," Minoru said as he moved to Murakami's side. "What has you this happy about this, Kō? I mean, it's generally a good thing, but you seem more happy about it than Mitsu-kun's mentors."

"They aren't really the best people to go off of."

That was true. They were likely the worst when it came to Mitsuteru.

"But, it's because Mitsuteru has changed a lot."

"He did manage to patch things up with his former squad, right? Then it makes sense."

Murakami shook his head.

He had been wrong, but Murakami never lowered his smile.

"It isn't that. He was never the type to take charge or go against others like this. It had always been when he was following someone. The first time I saw it happen was in our match against Meishō Squad. I had thought that would be the end of it, but it looks like he continued on."

"He had asked for help instead of saying he couldn't do it... I remember him always trailing after Mirai and looking out for Yuzuru, but nothing else really stood out with him."

"That was how things had always been. But now he seems to have found a lot of things here."

"Enough to go after Sekai and defeat him."

It had not been a single person effort, but that was what made it truly believable to them. A group of weak people with only a small number of strong people had been able to defeat someone like Sekai. For someone who was not A-Rank, or the equivalent, that was something that no one could overlook. Even if it had taken multiple squads bailing out, the commander of that fight would need to be recognized for reaching the end of the battle.

And that commander was someone who should not have been able to hold up for the fight.

Yet...

"That's right. I'm glad this is how things turned out. Maybe they could have gone better, but this end result is good."

Minoru wanted to agree, but it was only a good end for Mitsuteru. There were many others to whom this victory meant little to.

One of the ones who had been involved with all of this had yet to reach their end result.

"Sekai is still going..."

"He is. But there isn't much a lot of us can do for him."

He had meant to say that in his mind, but the words had naturally come out of his mouth.

It had been his own way of asking for help.

"Neither you nor Yuki can do anything about it? I know you two have said you can only fight them, but is there really nothing else you two can do about the situation? I would think the two of you could get through to them."

"What is there to get through to, exactly?"

That was what he had been afraid of here.

"We had said it before, but Yuki's situation was a lot more lax than either one of them. The rest of you being around helped a lot, so it was resolved pretty easily, all things considered. But Denji-san and Sekai-san are on a different level. Sekai-san, especially, knowing what I do now. Getting them to lower their feelings on the matter of being Unneeded isn't something that can happen after just a single discussion with people they know. Denji-san may be the easiest since he has Kumagai around, but Sekai-san is by himself."

"Only by your standards, though."

"Yes, that's true," Murakami said with a smile. "From the point of view of Yuki and Denji-san, Sekai is alone. There is no one for him to go to or anyone to go to him. But that is only from the side that is too used to those sorts of things."

"Now you are speaking like one of them. You have been on this side the entire time, Kō. You only stepped over there to help out Yuki, right?"

There was a difference between the people who thought they were unneeded and the people who decided to stay by their sides.

Murakami had reached that conclusion as well, judging from the way he was continuing to smile.

"Yes," he said again. "That's right. Neither I nor Yuki can do anything but fight them. It's just how things are. But..."

But.

"Everyone else is free to do what they want. And if they can cause a change to happen, the two of us will do everything we can to help."

That was what mattered here.

After all...

"Now that we know what's going on, we know just how much trouble it's going to be."


The fight had ended, but Sekai felt nothing.

There was nothing to feel toward a battle that held no meaning until the very end. Everything had been an attack against him until he had been told that there was meaning in him fighting back with everything he had on him.

His preparations meant nothing because of his Operator, and his fighting style meant nothing against people who were his opposites.

The only thing that mattered was the end result of the battle.

...This is good. No one told me anything. I fought like that and lost. It wasn't even for Yasuko-ane or Michelle, so I really lost there.

He had been outnumbered, but that had never mattered before. There was always something he could do to avoid such situations.

"So you think you can leave now, right? Since you weren't told anything, you can finally leave. Try again, you idiot. It was because they know you by now. They all knew what you would do."

He wanted to turn to the voice, glare at the one who spoke, and spit out words of hatred towards this person.

But he refused to do so.

That would mean he really won.

"I had always wondered why this room was never taken up again. Isn't it because you became sentimental? I know there's no point in asking, but I did it anyway. Because I was bored. Jeez. I really enjoy these times together with you."

"Hah. And I hate each moment I'm around you. Go away and die already."

"Jeez. Would you be the one to tell Yassan, Jossan, and Michelle that you told me to do that?"

"That would make me conflicted. It would make you happy that I would get into trouble with them, but it would then take their happiness away. But really, I'm tired of seeing you, Denji."

Sekai opened his eyes, hoping to see the turned off lights of the operating room. Instead, he saw the disturbing grin of someone looking down at him. His eyes focused on each feature of the man's face and found the same thing he had seen each time they spoke.

The room was still dark, but he knew that lifting his hands would result in grabbing the man's face, so he held back and glared into the dark expression he was seeing.

"That's fine, isn't it? It's not like you would have anyone to talk to afterwards."

"I'm not even surprised that you know that by now."

But...

"So what?"

What did that fact matter to Denji at this point?

The two of them knew the same thing, so he found little reason to care about what Denji had to say here.

"Want to talk to me about things? I won't coddle you, and I won't comfort you. It'll be like back then. We'll understand each other while also not knowing what to do with each other."

"Does that even matter here? Hah. Today's probably the last day we've got, so I think I can hold out for that long. What about you? You have Yūko with you."

"I've decided to ignore her for today. She's been looking for me, but I know how to stay out of her sight. But, jeez. She sure is persistent."

"Hah. Does that mean you will be holding in your hatred for today?"

A hand suddenly shot out that made him not want to react. It grabbed his face, and a ringing was heard in his ears.

The same expression always stayed on Denji's face.

So that's how it is...

Denji was someone who could not hate others, take hatred from others, or be blamed for everything wrong in the world. The unneeded feeling of hatred was what had been held back since they had first spoken seriously with each other.

That same hatred was no longer there.

"You're angry, aren't you?"

"I've left a miserable grudge behind. For everyone's sake. Now I'm just pissed. That's the punishment for continuing to be happy for you. I'm not sad anymore."

"And I'm not tired anymore."

They were on even ground here.

The two of them understood what the other was saying and continued speaking to each other like this. It was how they always did things, so doing anything else would have meant reevaluating themselves and going back to see if anything had changed.

Everything was the same.

"You also know what it's like to be painfully lonely."

"Just for now, let loose."

"You really want the punishment for me, don't you?"

"As if there were ever any room for that kind of thing with you."

They knew who they were, so those sorts of petty things were pushed aside to make room for what was more important. The want to help those around them while remaining unneeded and out of the way.

Yuki had been that way as well, but he had been dragged to a far off place by the people around him.

"Hah... Right, then. Let's let loose today," Denji said, letting go of Sekai's face. "Let's mess around and do whatever we want. There are some other things going on today, so we have some freedom."

"Jeez... What do you expect us to do, exactly?" Sekai found himself saying. "We can't cause a mess for Yasuko-ane and the others. We don't have the kind of ability for that anyway."

They could not go against that woman and her family.

The Border directors, the Combatants, and even any S-Rank agents could go against them as much as they wanted, but they could never bring themselves to go against Yasuko and her family. They were the few people who held a tight grasp on them and their former squad.

"Scoot over."

.

Sekai did as Denji commanded, as reluctantly as possible.

"What if we didn't go against anyone?"

"Then we could just leave right now."

"Is this really the place you want to leave?"

There was no response, but Denji knew the answer already.

They both did.

"I say we leave it all behind out there. Everything can be put out, and everyone can make their own decisions."

"This sounds pathetic, you know?"

The returning silence was enough of an answer.

A new sigh came from Sekai. He did not turn to Denji and he did not move his head.

"The reason why the fight I just had was important was due to a meeting going on."

"The one involving the Awdrys. It sounds like it's pretty rough, but they all seem to be getting through it."

"My loss is being counted as a loss for Awdry, isn't it?"

"Technically speaking, yes. Now we wait and see how they view all of this. It was forced on them by Ikotatsu, so they might want to deny it."

Border members were not nice enough to let that sort of thing slide, even if it had been one of them who forced the situation into this position.

Still, they both knew that this was not something that could be resolved easily for either side.

That was why...

"Let's see what happens. While my trion body is being remade, I want to see how things go there."

"So you are going to go out again."

"You need to let out your new anger, don't you?"

"And you have some extra energy left over."


Allowing Border to have their way here had been a minor inconvenience.

There are no mess ups. I had figured that they would have their own member lose on purpose. We can interpret that loss in a way that can help us avoid it altogether, but that would be the same as running away. Instead, pushing through that pointless loss will show our strength here. That should be an easy enough matter to settle.

Henry continued to stare at the Tamakoma Branch Director as he looked over to his branch members.

The brown-haired girl and the handsome boy were speaking with each other, seeming to congratulate the winner of that fight, but they were also keeping an eye on the two of them. That attention told him that they were still aware of the situation and who else was there.

Lowering their guard after a single win would have lowered his view of them.

"So it looks like Ariake got the win there. Sorry about that. In all honesty, Sekai was the one most people were betting on. To know that he lost..."

"The one who had beaten him must have been a well-known member of Border, I take it. To be able to take out someone who has so much favor with the majority."

"Well, about that..."

The way the Tamakoma Branch Director looked away told him enough.

"I see. This 'Ariake' is someone who others cannot put too much trust in, is that it? So seeing him emerge victorious over someone like 'Sekai Hikigane' is not something to dismiss."

"I wouldn't put it that way. Actually, that sort of talk can get someone in trouble with the wrong people. But we can keep quiet about that, right?"

The Tamakoma Branch Director spoke to the two on the side.

They responded with a simultaneous "Yes, sir!" before turning back to each other.

The other people listening were different.

Iko: "How the hell did Tokyo win there!? What kinda magic did he pull!?"

Izumo: "Ikoma-san, you need to remember that he is the one who has managed to harass Ninomiya Squad, Suzunari-1, Kageura Squad, Azuma Squad, as well as my own squad. Eri-san has also told me that they had a pretty rough time dealing with him."

Kuru-ma: "Oh, yes. Ariake-kun has always been a good boy. So I wonder when he had gotten this bad habit of messing with others."

Ortlinde: "Wasn't he on the same squad as our rep? If that's the case, it would make sense."

Almost Everyone: "She has a point."

Megane: "The more I hear about Ariake-senpai, the more I realize that I am glad I ended up on his good side..."

Shore: "You get that a lot with some people around here."

It seemed that Border was free enough that they allowed their members to speak without a care while in the middle of a meeting like this.

Even if these meetings are a formality, they are still a way to get to know each other. To hear these sorts of things...it really is no wonder why Tobius came here. They are just as careless as he is.

"See, it's just something that has been happening recently."

The Tamakoma Branch Director turned back to him, a grin on full display. It may have been his own way of showing how free they were since he made sure to get a bit more comfortable in his seat.

"But on that note, I want to make something clear, Awdry-san."

"And what would that be?"

"Ariake has not been fighting alone."

Henry raised a brow at the strange comment.

He had known there was more to the fight than a simple win or loss, but he was not one to speak of fighting. The only times he had done so were when he had been a rebel in his younger years and while in the middle of a fight against another business.

For the Tamakoma Branch Director to bring it up, it meant that there was something to know about this particular fight.

"From what we have been told, it had taken two squads with three members each, a squad with only two members, three captains from different squads, his own teammate, and the Operator of Hikigane Squad itself to take down Sekai. Furthermore, many of those individuals were in the lower tier of B-Ranks within Border. One of the captains is also in the lower tier, while one is mid-to-top, and the other is technically uncategorized."

"And Ariake? What about him and his teammate?"

"They had been in mid-tier for some time. They only recently went to the top-tier. But Ariake himself is always considered average, especially when compared to most of the others in the top tier. Do you understand what that means?"

He did.

If Ariake was someone who was considered average by the people all around him, directing that many people would have been difficult. They would have found it hard to listen to him and gone about doing things their way. Something like that could have ended in a losing result.

But they had won.

"The reason he had managed to take command there was because everyone there trusted him to do so. You see, a lot of those people have either been on the same squad as him or are currently on the same squad as him. Hey, who hasn't he been on a squad with?"

The one to answer had been the brown-haired girl. Her answer was short, but held some amusement in it that Henry could not ignore.

"Hogo-chan, Yuba-chan, and Kumokawa are the only ones who haven't been with him."

"I would have thought that Tsukiko-senpai or Takato-san would have gone to back him up."

"Nah. They know he can take care of himself just fine. Besides, Shigenaga was also there. As far as I know, there's nobody better for him to support than her."

"Wow. Coming from you, that's a pretty big compliment, Konami-senpai."

He was starting to see what the point of this conversation was.

As if to confirm his thoughts, the Tamakoma Branch Director spoke up again.

"Border works as a united organization. We have our internal problems, sure, but we can all come together to deal with a threat in front of us. Getting to know each other, trusting each other, and trusting in our abilities—stuff like that makes Border a solid wall that protects this side. Do you get that, Awdry-san?"

"I do. I had figured that this would be the kind of place Border would be. But..."

But...

"Border still lets its members be too free," his wife's voice came through. "At the least, the branch members tend to have more freedom than should be allowed."

He was in full agreement.

They had reached this conclusion together and wanted to see what Border's answer to it would be.


We allowed them to have their fun by giving in to that fight. Even if that Sekai Hikigane person has been forced into the position, we can still use that to our advantage.

They were used to being forced into bad positions by their opposition. Having someone else represent them was new, but it meant nothing when they could view it as an advantage instead of a handicap that they had no say in.

Besides...

This is how I will be taking responsibility for Emily's choice. As her boss, I will alter the results to make sure we win. Border already has our agreement for sponsorship, but that is all they have. If these branch offices cannot put up a good enough fight, then we will just alter how much we will be putting into this organization.

The discussions with the main base of Border never once came around to exactly how much they would be putting in as sponsors. They had made sure that the topic would not be discussed since it could be unfair when viewed as a business.

Compared to the more local sponsors, they would technically be in a bad position to send money to support Border. If Border could not achieve that result, it would mean they were not worth the effort and would lose their business right there.

But they had taken a risk.

The ones in charge of the discussions had taken the risk of not specifying the amount of money they would want from their business. Instead, they had chosen to leave that up to her and her husband to figure out. So even if it was a small amount, both sides could say that it was simply how things were.

That had been the real reason for their visit here today.

We will determine how much faith we put into Border. If we do not find these meetings to be up to our standards, they won't be worth much to us. An organization is only as good as its smaller parts. So let's see what these branch offices can accomplish when they do not have the backing of their main base.

The Suzunari Branch Representative and the child claiming to be her firstborn's friend looked at each other before turning back to her.

"I would like to ask for some examples of this happening, but I think I have an idea of what you are referring to."

"My husband and I have been in this city for some time now. We have looked around and seen all sorts of things. This includes any problems Border has publicly displayed as well as anything else that would require careful observation to be noticed.

"Yes, I am sure you have seen a lot. Mikado City tends to get lively a lot of the time."

"That is a rather relaxed way of putting it."

"It is the most comfortable way for us."

Comfort should not have come before a proper understanding of what needed to be said.

The Suzunari Branch Representative must have known this from the way he seemed to carry himself. And yet, he chose comfort over that proper understanding.

This is what we are talking about.

Border was relaxed in how they went about important matters. Their comfort was placed first when dealing with things that did not come from the other side of the Gates. Once they realized that their opponents were people from this side, they would go at their pace and continue with a relaxed way of doing things.

She had witnessed it herself.

The two Border agents she had seen save her had been more concerned with what they were doing than with saving her.

...Yes. They were both only Border members. They were nothing more than that.

She was sure that saying that out loud would cause some problems with the boy, who had already criticized her.

He seemed to be friends with the boy who had saved her. Speaking ill of him would cause complications that were irrelevant to this conversation.

So she cleared her mind to continue here.

"Does focusing on comfort mean you allow your members to cause trouble for the people they are supposed to be protecting?"

"I won't beat around the bush. You are speaking about the Yagura Branch, right?" The Suzunari Branch Representative kept a polite and light tone. "They can be...a handful a lot of the time. But they are a branch meant for a reason different from our own. I can assure you that the Suzunari Branch tries its best to maintain order here and guards the civilians when anything happens. That being said, we must be calm and collected when something does happen, so it may seem relaxed to others."

This was their counter.

.

Noah watched Kuruma continue to talk in a professional manner while still displaying the same kindness that he had come to admire.

He really is on a different level...

Comparing the two of them as captains, Noah knew he was far below someone like Kuruma. Someone who had managed to keep troublesome people in check and had patience for anything, and who had led his squad to the top tier of B-Rank.

They were things that Noah knew he could not do right now.

It had been the reason for his wanting to transfer to the Suzunari Branch. To see this kind of person up close and learn about what kind of captain to be.

I didn't think he would be this cool! Seriously, he's keeping Tobio's mom in line here!

And this was all done without his knowing what he was doing.

Platinum: "To be able to say something like that with ease... Kuruma-san really is something else."

Black Wolf: "But saying that the Yagura Branch is only 'a handful'... I feel like he can be a bit too nice at times."

Ortlinde: "I would like to point the finger at our rep. He is the most troublesome around. That being said, aren't you with him a lot during those times? So Suzunari's Black Wolf likes to be like this, huh?"

Iko: "Kō really screwed himself over. Especially since I've heard he's tryin' to convince Yuki to be a two-timer on Mei.

Black Wolf: "Who said that!?"

Noah felt himself losing some respect for Murakami.

But also...

Shore: "Well...I'm sure Mei is fine with this, right? She seems like the type to enjoy watching Kō and Yuki show each other affection."

8-Skies: "Shor-kun..."

Platinum: "Our captain, everybody. Be careful, or he can end up throwing you so far under that no one will notice."

Black Wolf: "Shor! Yuki and I aren't like that! And Mei...well, she... It's complicated, okay?"

Almost Everyone: "That's what a lover would say!"

Black Wolf: "You guys never stop!"

Shore: "I wish you two happiness. And know that none of my squad will judge you two."

Lightly clapping his hands, Noah bowed his head.

Looking back up, he saw both Kuruma and Toby's mother looking at him.

"Sorry about that. I was just wishing Kō and Yuki a happy life together."

"Oh, so that's how it is? I had my suspicions, but it's nice to know that it really is the case."

Black Wolf: "Kuruma-senpai already suspected us of that!?"

Viper: "I am starting to feel a bit bad..."

Black Wolf: "At least someone is."

Viper: "Oh, um, I wasn't really talking about you and Yuki-san. I made sure to ask Suzume-chan to make a doujinshi already."

The jumbled mess of a message that came after confused him. Murakami must have accidentally pressed too many buttons because of the strangeness of the situation.

"It sounds like the Suzunari Branch is having some troubles of its own. And it seems to be caused by a member of a different branch."

"All things considered, this hardly counts as trouble. Especially when we have such a good relationship with the Yagura Branch."

"Then what about the other branches?"

"We have a good relationship with them as well."

"I see. Then I have a different question. One that is meant to test just how relaxed you are. If your comfort is so important, this answer should come easily enough."

Noah tilted his head.

Kuruma remained the same, but that may have been from experience.

For Toby's mother to speak like this from this deep in the conversation, it must have been an important question. Bringing it up at a time like this meant that she had been holding it in for some time now.

"How will you handle this boy that we sent to attack Border?"


"Ma'am, you would really go that far for my mistake...?"

"Sounds like you've got yerself a pretty cool boss."

Emily jumped at the man's voice.

"On the other hand, we've got everyone here, ready to do whatever the hell we can to win here. Chisato's the main focus, but we ain't gonna let her do this alone."

"I would think so. From what I can tell, Border really is a place where people look out for each other. At least during fights."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," the current Yagura Branch Representative said. She had a more gentle look in her eyes as she spoke. "It was a bit surprising at first, but it worked out in the end. They like to fight amongst themselves as well, but they can come together when there's a real threat in front of them."

"Shiraishi-san, you're also with us! Don't just leave yourself out!"

"Taichi's right. You're also a part of this mess, so don't go speaking like you're an outsider now."

Emily envied these people.

They spoke freely with each other, reaffirming their respective roles.

The Suzunari boy and the Tamakoma boy seemed to not know the Yagura Branch Representative well, yet the Suzunari boy had still spoken up to help her.

Even so, she could never hope to be with them. Not because she couldn't leave the Awdrys' business. Rather, she refused to leave this boss, who had put so much faith in her and allowed her to do tasks that were likely above her capabilities.

It was due to the trust she had in them that she could never abandon them for a place like Border.

"It looks like she's steeled herself."

"Oh, so you can tell something like that, Kotowari-kun?"

"N-not so much... I just know that look from whenever Suzume-senpai started to reach her deadline for her next work."

"She does get that sort of look, doesn't she?"

It seemed that her efforts were being respected. The gray and black haired boy was quiet, but he seemed like a good and honest person.

Feeling a sense of relief come over her, Emily took in a breath. A moment later, she released it in front of herself.

"I... No. Thanking you all would ruin what my boss has built up here. Instead, I will continue it and push against you all. So please, do not relent. Push back as much as you can."

.

Viper: "I am glad she found some footing, but I really don't think she knows what she is getting into by saying that."

Izumo: "Can I ask that you all go just a bit easy on her? She looks like she is trying really hard."

Iko: "Ah. Take-chan sees someone like him here. Alright, alright. I was plannin' on going about 50% against her, but I guess 25% should be fine. If we all do that, she should be able to handle it."

Ortlinde: "Let's see... That would total out to 150%. That should be good enough."

Megane: "Um, is that including me?"

Taicchi: "What are we supposed to be doing exactly? I'm a bit lost here."

Izumo: "I think that Shiraishi-san is only referring to herself and Ikoma-san, Shishō. And it's nothing really, Betsuyaku-senpai."

Iko: "I guess we do need to make up for the rest of 'em. Can't have Nasu using too much energy. And I wouldn't wanna waste all of Take-chan's hard work."

Ortlinde: "Putting in enough work for them to make it 150%... That sounds like too much trouble."

Iko: "Then what about it just being the two of us? What are ya gonna do, Chisato?"

Ortlinde: "I don't think I can go under 100% when you are around, Tatsuhito."

Iko: "I was gonna say the same. No way can we do anything under 100%."

Viper: "This is where it is sad that there is no one to enjoy this heat with me..."

.

"Right. Guess we'll be going a full 350% against ya. Hope you're ready."

What did that mean?

Emily had been under the assumption that they had been giving their all from the very beginning. Was this their way of saying that they would all be going all-out against her?

Dealing with the Yagura Branch Representative was bad enough already! How am I supposed to deal with all of them like that!? Wait...

Raising her hand, she spoke up with a tilt of her head.

"Um, does that mean you all won't be going all-out? That percentage doesn't add up if it were for all of you."

"Of course we wouldn't be draggin' in others like that. Besides, having Nasu and Take-chan go all-out here would be pretty bad. They'd end up steamrollin' ya like nothin'."

"So...what about you and the Yagura Branch Representative?"

"We're gonna go as crazy as we want, but that's what makes the two of 'em so scary. They'd be cool 'bout the whole thing while destroying ya. Guess I can say the same 'bout Mikumo and Taichi over there, but they look like they're fine just bein' here."

"We will just be staying over here," the Tamakoma glasses boy said with a dull look. To his side...

The Suzunari Branch boy looks strangely excited...

The two of them were the same height, so she had to remind herself that they could possibly be the same age. If that was the case, then it was likely that the sickly girl and the gray and black haired boy could also be their age. They would know each other well and know what to do with each other here.

"Go, Takeshi! Go, Takeshi!"

"I won't be doing anything, Betsuyaku-senpai."

"But I think you would do great here, Kotowari-kun."

"Nasu-san, please don't encourage that."

"This is unlike any of the meetings I have been a part of..."

"That's because you had spoken with the directors, Shishō."

It was strange to her. The way the gray and black haired boy hid himself from everyone else while giving them immediate responses.

The entire time she sat there, she had assumed that he was someone like her. The only difference being that she was here, on the opposite side, pushing back like she knew her bosses wanted her to do.

But that did not seem to be the case.

"Excuse me, but is that boy over there really a part of this conversation?"

She had spoken without thinking, so there was no backing out now.

The people in the room and the people on the other lines all remained quiet after her question.

This silence is killer...

She wanted to correct her mistake, but no one had given a proper answer to the question her boss had posed on the other line. Her bosses had not done anything to rush others, but they may have thought they should not interrupt the pointless conversations going on. All sides seemed to have those.

Playing along with that, she kept quiet about the question itself.

But...

They were stalling until an answer came.

Something she had noticed while sitting in the Yagura Branch office was that these people tended to lead conversations in a strange way. Even more so when something was brought up that needed to be addressed.

It had seemed like they were messing with the timing of those things, but an answer would come after those pointless conversations.

She was aware of what they were doing after having done so when she was younger.

So she wanted to use that experience against them all.

.

Takeshi paused with his hand gripping his collar.

The Awdry worker had directly addressed him with a question he had not been prepared for. In reality, it was a question directed at Ikoma and Shiraishi, but he knew that she was directly looking to him for this answer.

He knew why she had done this.

Izumo: "She figured out that you were stalling for time."

Iko: "Huh? I thought we were doing a pretty good job on that. How'd she figure it out?"

Izumo: "Um, I could be wrong, though... It just seems that way to me."

Megane: "No, you are probably right. She looks like she knows something. It would be better to assume that she figured it out. That way, if that is the case, we can come up with a solution."

Iko: "Glasses really do make you smarter!"

Ikoma immediately put his glasses back on and gave an "O" expression before taking them off and rubbing his eyes.

He held them out towards his side while Nasu took them and gave them to his mentor.

Iko: "Ow. I didn't know those weren't the ones I had been using before."

Megane: "How did he mix them up...?"

Regardless, there was something else to pay attention to.

The girl was still waiting for her answer.

Viper: "The longer we take for this answer, the more she will believe that we are stalling."

Taicchi: "Aren't we, though?"

Ortlinde: "What are we even stalling for?"

"You know, that's a good question," they all said in unison.

Takeshi saw the Awdry worker jump at their collective answer. She must think we are talking about her question. In which case, she would need an answer right away.

The answer is easy.

They only had to say that he was not part of the conversation.

He would end up losing any chance to say something, and anything he said would not be taken into account here. It would only be side comments from someone who didn't matter in this conversation.

That works out. I never have anything good to add, so saying that I'm not part of this is the best answer to give. It gives them a bit more room to say what they want without having me mess anything up.

He was still getting used to speaking with others, so not being able to say anything here meant next to nothing.

"Of course he's part of this conversation. Take-chan's input is too important to just leave him on the sidelines."

"Ikoma-san!? No, no! I won't have anything good to add to this sort of thing!"

He would be left behind before he could think of something else.

But there was a new problem.

"I see, so that is how it is," a voice said over the other side of the line.

Toby's parents were still listening in on the conversation.

"Then how is that boy involved?"

They had no way of explaining the situation.

There was no room for him to stay here as someone who could speak up.

"And for that matter, who is there to represent Border's main base? We will allow for someone from the main base to be involved, but it sounds like you have three people there. That means two of them are not welcome."

"Decide on who will actually be part of this conversation."


It looks like they really want to cut down on who we can rely on.

Rindō hid behind the glare of his glasses. Not allowing the Awdry husband to see his reaction made it easy to disguise his intentions in this conversation.

This was another time where that mattered.

We now have two things to respond to.

First, we need to figure out who exactly is allowed to be in this conversation. They are allowing more people from outside to come in, but they refuse to allow multiple people to take part on that side of things. We have a lot of branch members over there, but we also have a lot of base members there.

Second, once we resolve that problem, we need to answer the question of what we will be doing with Sekai. According to their interpretation, Sekai assisted them while using a Border Trigger. That means he used something of Border's to attack Border and go against them. Unlike last time, this was forced upon him, and we have no direct connection with Awdry. We can't have Chishi say it was another test.

But there was still something that could be done about that.

All they needed to do was figure out what they would do concerning the first matter.

"Now then..."

"Well? "Who will speak on Border's behalf?"

That was what they were still figuring out.

Viper: "I will back out. I trust that either one of them can get this done."

That meant that it was between Ikoma and Kotowari.

Looking over, he could see the worried looks on Karasuma and Konami. They were already not an option due to being presented as bodyguards.

"We will only give you-"

Red Sky: "It's about time. Good. Everything's been approved."

Everyone halted at the new voice coming through.

The Awdry husband looked at him suspiciously, but even Rindō found himself in a bit of shock.

"Chishi? What are you talking about now?"

Red Sky: "I heard about what's going on and asked the guys over at the base to speed up a process for me. They've been pretty busy with something else, so it took longer than it should. But it's finally done."

"This is the Yagura Branch's director, correct?"

Red Sky: "That's right. Akasora Chishi. And I already know who you people are. No need to introduce yourselves."

The only person who had been able to meet with Chishi had been the Awdry husband himself. The introduction was likely for his wife and their worker.

With that settled, Rindō addressed the main point in front of them.

"What did you get approved of, Chishi?"

Red Sky: "I got some new members for my branch."

They all watched the screen as it displayed text on it.

Even to the side, it seemed that Karasuma and Konami were able to read what was said.

Request from Branch Director Akasora Chishi: Approved. "Kotowari Squad" has been approved to be placed within the Yagura Branch.

So that's it.

The Awdry husband narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

He could not understand the true meaning of this message, but the rest of them did.

Rindō wanted to say something about it, but he allowed Chishi to do it instead.

Red Sky: "Right. With that being done, I want to thank Chisato for acting as our rep until now."

Ortlinde: "It's fine. I had a fun time. But what do you want me to do now?"

Red Sky: "I need to continue this conversation. But I need you to do it in a different way."

Ortlinde: "I understand now."

"What are they talking about?" he heard Konami ask from the side.

Rindō felt his lips move up into a grin as he pushed himself back into his seat.

Transfer: Approved.

Connection: Approved

Privileges: All.

Welcome, "Ortlinde".

Everything had already been thought out.

Red Sky: "Since Chisato will not be acting as the representative for Shiraishi, that means I'm going to need someone else to be acting as the representative for the Yagura Branch."

"Border really is a sneaky group to pull off something like this."

The Awdry husband did not shout, but it was clear how irritated he was with the situation. Everything they had tried to do had just been shut down.

And to add on to that, There's more to come.

Red Sky: "I'm appointing Kotowari Squad to be our representative. Takeshi, you have full authority to speak on our behalf."

Izumo: "Wait, um, uh... Please, wait!"

Red Sky: "Don't worry, I won't be leaving you alone on this. One of your classmates has been bugging me to find a way into this. He will be helping you here."

If it was something like this, there was only one person who could be coming in.

"He doesn't mean..."

"Konami-senpai, things just got more interesting, didn't they?"

"Lobo" has been added to the chat.

Lobo: "It's about time! C'mon, take! Let's stir things up a bit! I wanna finally be able to bite back!"


You are such a dog.

It was due to that dog never changing that Takeshi felt himself relax some more.

With them being put in charge here, it gave way for Ikoma to stay in the conversation. The space had opened up for them all, and both he and Toby could now work together here.

But more than that,

We are part of the Yagura Branch now.

They had heard about how their former teacher had wanted them to be there since Nakagami and Hoshi were already registered members, but they had been focusing on the B-Rank Wars to think about it. They didn't have Suzume with them anymore, but that must have made the process go by even better.

"Do you think you can handle it, Take-chan?"

"Even if I can't, that mutt will cover for me. And I'll make sure to do the same when he gets fed up with his parents."

Lobo: "Yeah, Take and I know what's up."

That was reassuring in a way he had not expected.

Oh...I guess this really does mean we are friends.

From the start, he understood that he and Toby were different in so many ways. Even after they had righted themselves, he felt that he had no real idea what to call them. The differences only continued to stack on top of each other until there was too large a gap between them.

They were too far removed from the norm and still could not bring themselves to say much without squabbling a bit.

Lobo: "Hey, Take. You're listening to me, right?"

Izumo: "I am. What do you want?"

Lobo: "Just wanted to say that I'm glad that you're the one I get to work with here. Really makes me feel comfortable, like there isn't any trouble! It even makes me feel like I can really stand up to those two without worrying about anything! Yeah, let's stick it to them!"

Izumo: "I guess that's all we can do. I'll make sure you don't have any regrets concerning these people."

Lobo: "Cool! And don't worry, I'll be ready to kick your brother's ass if he ever shows up again."

He may have been giving too much away, but he had no scarf to hide behind this time. Everything was out in the open for him.

He took a deep breath and let it out before anything else could be said.

And then...

"I am Kotowari Takeshi, captain of the Yagura Branch's Kotowari Squad. Hello. My squad will be the representatives for the Yagura Branch. More specifically, it will be me and my teammate. Toby Awdry."

.

Emily recognized the name right away.

One of her new opponents was the oldest son of her two bosses.

Along with him, the captain of a B-Rank squad was now her official opponent.

The original Yagura Branch Representative had been transferred to be the representative for one of Border's sponsors, so she would remain here, but now there were even more people to deal with. It meant the strange man could represent Border's main base, Kotowari Squad could represent the Yagura Branch, and the former Yagura Branch Representative could represent her family's company.

Overall, it was a mess.

Now that she was seeing it all happen, she realized just how much trouble her opponents could be.

But it didn't stop there.

"Now then, there was a question you wanted us to answer. Getting a single answer would probably lead to some other issues, so how would it sound if each branch gave their response to this?"

"And what about the main base?"

"This is a meeting between your business and the branch offices, isn't it? The main base representative is only here to make sure everything is in line. His responses will be taken into consideration, but the main focus is the branch offices."

Emily was a bit thrown back at the sudden change in attitude from the Kotowari Squad Captain.

He had been quiet the entire time, seeming to hide behind something that wasn't even there.

He was now pushing back even harder than the strange man or the Shiraishi Representative had.

It was something she was not ready for.


Shore: "Wow. Takeshi's really tearing into it, isn't he?"

Lobo: "You didn't notice until now, No? Take's really good at this sort of thing when he gets into it."

Iko: "That's what I said earlier. Take-chan's pretty scary. But I guess havin' the pup here helps a lot."

Viper: "Thank you for the help, Awdry-kun."

Lobo: "It's fine. I wanted this to be my fight too, so I won't be holding back either."

Taicchi: "Kuruma-san, are you fine with this?"

Kuru-ma: "Yes. Kotowari-kun did a good thing by spreading the question to all of us instead of a single place. What's more, he made sure that Ikoma would not have to be the one to answer for the main base. Our branch directors left us in charge of this, so it can be settled much easier than if someone had to speak for the entirety of Border."

Megane Director: "That's all well and good, but can he follow up on that? I trust that Kuruma can give a good answer, but Kotowari isn't too used to answering these sorts of things, is he?"

Lobo: "Oh, just leave that up to me, sir. I know how these people work. So, if you don't mind, can I go first? I think it would be a good idea so you and Mr. Tatsuya get a better understanding of what you're dealing with."

Megane Director: "Well then. I can't argue too much here. Alright, we'll follow your lead here."


"Gain and loss. Isn't that right? I'll be the one to answer your question."

Kitora stared in disbelief at what she was seeing.

Toby was standing with his back straight and the phone to his mouth.

She had come to him since he refused to be anywhere near the meetings taking place.

But she had seen that his squad was now part of the Yagura Branch and that they would be their representatives here.

She was not sure as to what he was speaking about right now, but this was his part in the conversation.

"You want to know how we will deal with the problem that we placed on you. You took a loss, but you are trying to turn it into a win against the branch offices. So here's my answer to all of that."

He was looking in the direction where the supposed fight had taken place.

"We'll do nothing against either side. You guys had sent out someone to intercept Taichi, right? That person was Sekai, right? Well that guy had special privileges, so allowing him to use his Trigger for something like that is fine. Our Triggers can't really hurt real people, so there was no worry about what he would be doing on your side. Border responded by sending someone to deal with that. But that's the natural course of action, isn't it?"

"That doesn't tell us about what you plan to do about this."

"Yeah, it doesn't. But so what?"

Kitora moved forward to hit him for that pathetic answer, but he held out his hand to stop her.

He was telling her to trust her on this.

"Sekai isn't part of any branch. His squad is part of the main base. So why would you bring it up with the branch offices? Take it up with the directors at the base. But know that if you do, you won't get anywhere. You are going to want to bring up the fight itself, right? Well, it's fine. The area had been cleared out way before the fight even started. And even then, the citizens know by now that something must have been happening for that fight to even happen."

"So you are saying that as long as the citizens understand, it is fine to start fights like that in the middle of your streets?"

It was the father who was speaking.

Kitora remembered meeting that man. The terrible feeling he gave off, especially when hitting his own child.

Unlike that time, Toby was not angry and did not have anything unnecessary on his mind.

"Hey, shouldn't you be waiting for Mr. Rindō's answer? Your meeting is with the Tamakoma Branch. I'm speaking to the employee at the Yagura Branch."

But...

"Fine. That isn't what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that those citizens know that Border will give them an answer once everything has been settled. Their reporters can even say whatever they want, but a lot of people in Mikado City know that Border responds to their questions when they are brought up. So, about my own question there. What do you have to say about that?"

"The reason we bring it up with the branch offices is because we need to know that the branch offices are on the same wavelength as their main base. If the branch offices go on and do whatever they want without doing what the main base wants, then it will mean that Border is not truly a single organization. They can say it, but we will know that their separate parts don't care for that sort of thing."

Toby stopped talking, lowered his shoulders, and took a breath.

It was low enough that his phone would not pick it up, but Kitora heard his next words.

"I knew it..."

He had said it with a small smile.

"If I'm reading this all correctly, you and that woman keep thinking that we do things too casually. That we are too relaxed just because we are comfortable. Isn't that right?"

"It is. We have seen the way a lot of your branch offices operate, and what their members do. Trouble is caused because they are not kept in check."

"Then what do you say about a boss who causes trouble for others?"

Everything went silent once more.

.

Don't hold back. Don't let go of anything. Push right through.

Toby felt his anger with his parents begin mixing with the excitement of a new type of fight.

He had never cared about these sorts of things before, but this was the chance he had always been waiting on.

A chance to finally go against his parents in the place that hurt them the most.

"You guys aren't the only ones who have been keeping tabs on things. The one at the Yagura Branch, I don't remember you at all. Well, not from when I was a kid, at least. What's your name?"

"My name is Emily," the girl answered.

He wanted to feel sorry for her, but she chose to work for these people.

"You've been more relaxed in this meeting just by being at the Yagura Branch, right? At least when compared to dealing with the weight of those gazes."

He knew it to be the truth. If not his mother, his father's cold gaze always struck people when he had been younger. That look had never failed to correct someone who had been trying to speak with him or give him sweets.

Toby knew what to say.

He was his parents' worst enemy.

"I had been looking into some things when I was bored. The company has been in a slight decline, hasn't it? People quitting. You guys make sure that you never do anything that causes an actual scandal. That's the only thing I can praise you for. You actually keep a straight path when it comes to work."

But that's all it is.

They were still lacking in a lot of ways.

"It's hard to keep employees when you are the way you are. So try being a bit more relaxed. Being too uptight leads to others not wanting to follow you. The only ones who will are the desperate ones or the ones who are already dedicated to you."

"Are you saying that Border is relaxed enough to where they can do as they please without worrying about other things?"

"Not really, no. The directors probably have it the worst, but they never show their real complaints to their workers. They also don't harden themselves when needing to speak with the rest of us. There are times when they can be a bit too rough, but considering Border as a whole, well, that's to be expected."

Wait.

"When did this turn into me giving people's advice for these people?"

"That's what we want to know!" came the collective response over the phone.

"Well, back to my point."

Toby felt his body begin to move.

He chose to let it do what it wanted.

The punch coming from Kitora was easily dodged, and he stuck his tongue out at her.

"The branch offices always have the same two options. One: do things their way until they are told otherwise. Two: follow what they have been told to do. Since none of them have been told to do anything about it yet, it's pretty safe to assume that the issue of Sekai fighting against us isn't something that really needs too much attention. Even so, as one of the current representatives of the Yagura Branch, I'll give you a proper answer."

That was what they wanted from the start.

This was just too good a chance to pass up. One where he could talk to these people, and where they were forced to listen due to his position.

Everything going on was something that brought him satisfaction.

"The Yagura Branch will get down to the reason why Sekai would work for you and use a Trigger against Border. That information, depending on what it is, will then be given out to make sure something like that won't be repeated. What's more, we can do what we can to make sure that your side of things doesn't look bad because of it. Interpreting things is what matters when only a small group is involved."

He had brought out the situation of his parents' company and told others about what they were like.

He had paved the way for the Suzunari Branch and the Tamakoma Branch to respond.

All that's left is for them to answer.


The atmosphere in the room had become lighter. That was the first thing Molly noticed when her son had finished speaking.

The Suzunari Representative smiled down, while the boy by his side seemed oddly pleased with was as if they had their entire situation brought back to something so basic that there was no failing.

It is because of that boy, isn't it?

She had seen it early on in her son's life.

When their workers had been particularly down, he would come by to see if anything had changed with them. As soon as he started speaking with others, the atmosphere would lighten up and their workers would return to their work with renewed vigor.

It had been hard to see when they only viewed him as a creation of their marriage.

Everything was different when she viewed him as an individual. Something she had told him after she had saved her.

I wonder if his brother would be the same if given the chance?

There was no real knowing until that chance came.

She would likely never know. As someone who understood herself well enough, she knew that she would not be able to view their second son as anything other than another creation of her marriage to her husband.

So I will need to make a decision before we leave Mikado City.

For now, she would stay here and listen to the follow up response that the Suzunari Branch would give her.

"Yes, we will need your answer now. Know that the answer you give here will determine a lot."

"I figured that would be the case. But I have the answer now."

What would he say?

"The Suzunari Branch will be helping the Yagura Branch find out more about this situation. As a friend of Sekai, there is a lot I would like to find out about him. I'll investigate why he did this."

Molly found herself raising a brow at the Suzunari Branch Representative's statement.

They had placed this man on them, but they are speaking as if he had truly gone against Border.

There is more to this situation than them simply putting this out as a way to go against our questions.

Molly found herself getting interested in the current situation. Something was hidden from them as well as the Border members. Not everything was as simple as everyone made it out to be.

Prying into their business would have been too much, but there was something that had gotten her attention, and she wanted to see how everything would play out.

I have found what I was looking for. The possibility of Border's value is here. A situation where it involves them directly. This will be the best way to determine their value.

Wanting to get this meeting over with now, she nodded her head to accept that answer.

"Those answers... I like them. I-I mean! Yes, those are acceptable answers!"

Emily's voice came through the phone. Molly knew that she was still worried about this entire meeting, but she had played her part well enough. There was nothing else for her to do but go along with any orders given to her.

"Both the Suzunari Branch and the Yagura Branch have gotten approval. All that you need now is the answer from my husband."

And that will not be easy for you.


I'm actually pretty worried now. That makes three geniuses under Chishi. Any more, and he might be getting some wild ideas.

Rindō smiled to himself.

Toby had followed through with what he had said. The path had been laid out before them, and it led directly to his parents.

"Sekai is a pretty interesting topic, when I think about it. But there is someone else who needs to be placed in that same vein, if this is how others will be reacting."

"Boss, are we going to be helping?"

"Do you two think we should?"

He knew the answer already, but he wanted to remain as relaxed as they had been accused of until now.

"That guy is a pain in the ass. I'd rather not deal with him today."

"If this isn't completely necessary, I would rather not get involved. I still have one of my jobs later tonight."

Rindō made sure to nod his head twice. Once for each response.

Something still had to be done, so he made a choice.

"Right then. Konami, can I see your phone for a moment? I need to call someone."

"Huh? Why mine?"

"Because I have no doubt this person will be amazed if it's you calling him."

Even as she gave him a nasty look, Konami walked over to hand him her phone.

Going through her contacts, he landed on the one he wanted.

After a moment of waiting, he got a response.

"Hello?"

"It's me. You had said you wanted to make up for the trouble you caused, right?"

"Yes. I will make sure to do anything I can to make up for that incident."

"Good, good."

Rindō grinned at the Awdry husband before putting the phone on speaker.

Pointing down at it, he said, "This is someone involved with the incident earlier today. He is also someone who is part of my branch. I'm sure you have a pretty bad view of us right now because of him, right?"

Another apology came through.

The Awdry husband narrowed his eyes.

"Well, here's what we're going to do. Ketsueki, you will be doing everything you can to figure out what's going on with Sekai. Everyone else says they don't want to do it, so we are going to leave it to you."

"Yes, sir. I will do all that I can."

"Once you finish with that, make sure you settle everything you need to settle as well. We don't want any more incidents."

"Of course. Nothing like before will happen while I am around."

"That will be all. Get to it."

Ending the call, Rindō handed the phone back to Konami, who took it readily.

Rindō leaned back in his seat once more, fully looking at the Awdry husband.

"There you have it. To make up for his foolishness, my branch member will be finding out everything he can to make sure nothing like these two incidents happens again. I'm sure you will be happy to know that the person who lost on your behalf will be thoroughly investigated to find out why he went against anything you may or may not have said."

It was a nice way of putting it, but it was also a good way to make sure that neither side would lose face here.

If the Awdry husband were to go against his words, it would create too much of a gap between them. Border would be able to recover, but the company owned by the man would look foolish for going along with it all.

Leave it to a spiteful child to know how to handle his parents.

The Awdry husband finally gave a sigh and glared directly at him.

"Very well. I accept this outcome. After all, these meetings were meant as a formality. We had already agreed to sponsor Border."

So with that...

"I will officially say that this meeting is over."


A/N: Apologizes if this chapter was not good