Fox Hunt Fixed

by TheAnimeTrain

The week continues on with new wins for Border. But things are not well with rumors of one of their own doing something they shouldn't continue floating around.

1. Lion at the Site of Promise

The first one to enter the room had been Director Netsuki Eizō.

Following him was his aide, Sawamura Kyōko. She held herself upright and her expression was straight.

The day was finished, but the night had only begun. A group of Border members had gone to the underground area just near the edge of Mikado City, but reaching the Forbidden Zone at a point.

"So the shaking has finally stopped."

Commander Kido Masamune let out a low hum as he crossed his fingers in front of his mouth.

He had been waiting for both Sawamura and Netsuki to make their appearance. There was a meeting that needed to start, but an important part of that meeting was having all of the squad captains of Border to be present. They would get this information and then relay it to their squads before they all followed the orders he had prepared.

So he thought nothing of it when captains from multiple squads began filling up the room, each one taking a spot they felt most comfortable with. Ones like Azuma Squad's captain decided to go near their former teammates, meanwhile others like the Katori Squad captain tried to stay away from some people.

There had been something different about some of the ones who entered the room though.

That being they were not the captains of their squad.

Looking over the ones who had already walked in, he noticed who exactly came in for their captain and who would be listening in through the transmission via TSUBAKI.

Nasu Squad's Kumagai, Hatohara Squad's Wagner... Ikoma Squad and Ninomiya Squad sent their Operators? Sending Senzai Squad's Sniper was a smart choice. There would be problems if their captain came to this.

Seeing the Bakuto and Hikigane captains come in together was a bit troubling, but there was something else that took more importance here.

Watching as the last person filed in, he smiled internally. The last person was someone he cared for quite a bit, so seeing them here was good.

His smile fell a moment later once he got his thoughts back to the reason they were all here.

"Kido-san, Suzaku had just connected them all to us. Some of the captains there seem to be doing something else or simply refuse to join."

That explained why certain people were here even when their captains could still join into the meeting.

"Also..."

"Yes?"

"Right." Sawamura held up the tablet in her hand to show a list of people with their names grayed out. "As you ordered, the Yagura Branch will not be involved with this meeting. As for the group that had gone to the next city over... Takato and Taiyōko will not be joining in either. Something had come up for them."

"And what of Jin and the Hogo Squad Captain?"

His question was quickly answered by a message appearing on the tablet in Sawamura's hand and his own screen.

Manager: "If it would not be too much trouble, I would like to take the place of my captain."

Kido: "And why is this?"

Manager: "While my captain is on his way back, that still won't be for some time...from what I heard. Besides that, he would be a bad fit for this meeting when we consider what it is about. I have my own connections with the topic of this meeting, but I can hold back. My captain works off of emotions a good amount of the time, so he might not be able to finish this meeting."

She is good at making excuses that work. That might be why she is being put in charge of some of Border's more recent activities.

The issue with the sponsors had been resolved in a strange fashion, but it had all ended well enough.

And she was the one in charge of that at the time.

Kido: "Very well. You can take the place of your captain here."

But.

Kido: "What about Jin?"

.

"About him..."

There was a pause in Sawamura's words before a slam could be heard.

Looking over to where the noise had come form, Kido saw that it had been the Bakuto Squad Captain that slammed his hand onto the table.

"Jin s'id he wo'ldn' be c'min' by, d'dn' he?"

Kido looked over at Sawamura to confirm if that was true.

And...

"That's right. Jin said he would not be a part of any of this and that he will not be taking any sides during all of this."

She pulled up the tablet again, brows knitted together.

"He also added that, 'Even if you order Boss to have me do something, I'll just claim that I'm not done with this mission'."

"W'll th'n, tha' s'lv's it f'r me. I'm g'nna be le'vin' n'w."

"Denji, you need to-"

"Yūko, stop before I go over there. Got it?"

"I'm also going to be leaving. Hah. I know what this meeting is about and I plan on being a neutral party in this. Having either one of us on a side becomes a hassle."

Shinoda: "Sekai, you should at least stay to hear the information."

The Hikigane Squad Captain lowered his eyes at the message, but only shook his head.

Kido knew that even the General Director could not move him on this matter. After all...

"Sorry, Shinoda-san. I would end up needing to take a side if I heard what you all had to say."

"Same goes for me. Letting us know what exactly is going on will be making us choose a side. If it comes to that, one of us might end up being left out due to having more than two people on one side."

Now that was interesting.

Both squad captains claimed to know what the meeting was about. Kido did not doubt they did, but he had noticed the way the Bakuto Squad Captain had spoken had sounded as if he already knew the outcome to all of this.

The Nasu Squad Attacker had began moving towards the two as they moved towards the door. She had a connection with one of them, so it made sense that she would have them stay.

But there was no need.

"Leave those two be. If their squads will not be involved with this, so be it."

.

So that's what you think will be happening, huh?

Sekai said nothing as he walked out of the meeting room.

His rejection had come after Jin and Denji's, but it had been on his mind the moment the meeting had been called.

Getting involved with this sort of problem was something he would normally have no issue with. The fact that he knew what was going on and how certain people would react had been his reasoning for not wanting to join.

Besides that, I don't want to be chasing down him of all people. Denji, Yūichi, and myself might be able to predict how things turn out, but actually getting to that point is an irritation. And it's one I know will only cause more issues later on.

He gave a sigh through his nose, already in motion to flick Denji's hand away from his butt.

"Are you sure you want to leave Yūko in there?"

"It's fine. We know how things will turn out. They are having the squad captain take part, even the ones who went to the underground. That means Suzunari will also know."

"Hah. Do you really think Tatsuya will do anything about this?"

He immediately felt regret upon hearing Denji laugh.

If it wasn't so irritating, I would punch him right now.

But he held back for his own good.

"Whether he does or doesn't, that doesn't change what Kō will do."

"That's true. But Kō alone won't be able to do much if majority rules the other way."

"Do you think they would really do that?"

No. There would be people on both sides of the argument. There would even be people in between that would not be able to choose and could be swayed either way.

But that was the problem.

That was why they did not want to take part in this.

If either he or Denji were to take part in this meeting, they knew which side they would take. Along with that, it would put the other side in a terrible and impossible position.

"Right. Then what will you be telling your squad?"

"Hm?" Denji didn't turn his head to answer, but Sekai knew what was coming. "I'm going to be telling the same thing you're going to tell your squad."

Which was...

"They can do whatever the hell they want."

.

Sawamura watched with knitted brows as the Hikigane and Bakuto squad captains walked out of the room with the only one trying to stop them being Nasu Squad's Kumagai. The girl had gotten up and weaved through a still standing group of captains before she was stopped by Commander Kido.

It really isn't hard to believe they were on the same squad once with the way they interact with each other.

It had been a first generation squad, similar to the first Azuma Squad, of the newly constructed Border. One that consisted of people who had been placed together instead of people who had found each other.

Remembering who had all been in that squad, Sawamura let out a sigh in her heart.

Those people... Looking at them now makes me feel a bit glad that those two will be staying out of this.

The Hikigane and Bakuto squad captain were not ones to mess with without major repercussions. Having them leave over deciding to take a side felt like it was the better choice out of every choice they had.

"This captain's meeting is clearly different from the usual ones, so it's kind of sad to know that those two decided to leave. Oh, but I did manage to hear something over the talking. Sawamura-san, you had said that the Yagura Branch will not be listening or appearing here, right? Do you mind if I ask what that is about?"

"Seijin, don't you think it would be better to wait until they started to ask those kinds of questions?"

"Right, right. My bad. I was just asking since I figured Kido-san would want as many important people here as possible."

The Meishō and Arafune squad captain spoke up from their seats near the door. Their voices carried easily enough over the crowd of people as everyone had gone quiet to listen in on what this meeting was about.

But for the moment, that was something awkward. The silence was painful as they had yet to start the meeting proper.

Being the one at fault for speaking about it loud enough for others to hear, Sawamura took a step forward with her hands crossed over the tablet in her arms.

"The Yagura Branch will not be participating due to the going ons with them. Each Taiyōko siblings is currently elsewhere while their branch director is still busy with their new members from some of our sponsors. Their only option would have been to send their director's nephew, but he is extremely shy and would like have trouble in in a room full of people he would not know."

"I see. That does make sense. My apologizes for that."

The expression he wore was clear that he did not fully believe her words but would remain quiet for the time being.

"Well, with that being over with..."

Sawmaura lifted the tablet in her hands before pressing a few keys.

Once she was finished, a sound came from each spot that had a squad captain.

GM Aide: "It is time we began this meeting."

---

GM Aide: "Okay, let's discuss this properly."

Kimura looked over the message before her eyes.

...I need to pull myself together.

She was in a clearing near their rest spot.

It was decided on that they would not be able to make it to the meeting at the Border base in time. So instead, the squad captains and those representing their squads that were still here would simply listening over transmission and Suzaku would keep track so that they could answer back in time.

Almost all of the squad captains had followed her into this clearing, away from those normal squad members. This allowed for some privacy as they focused on the meeting.

She felt bad for taking the place of her captain, but she knew that she was the better pick once she heard from Suzaku what this meeting would be about.

Even now, it would be difficult for her captain to even take part. He was only now returning to Mikado City and would not make it for some time. By that point, they would have the meeting over with.

Kimura had something else to focus on while this was going on. She faced the group gathered at the clearing.

"We need to make sure that Murakami and that guy don't come here."

She had to solidify what they needed to do. So...

"Kirikari is also a major issue. Everyone be on the lookout for him. We can leave the other two to sleep where they are. For the time being, Ninomiya Squad is using Hiyami as their representative since their captain is also tired. Even so, Suzaku, make sure he doesn't get these messages."

The Suzaku Squad captain waved her off, stating that he had already done multiple checks on that.

He would be their connection to Border and the one to monitor everything going on. Kimura was certain that he would remain neutral for the time being, but anything after this meeting would be what she had to focus on.

...This is going to be something.

.

Takeshi raised his hand to reach for his scarf. It was only when a slight breeze hit the bare skin on his neck that he remembered that his scarf was currently being used as a pillow for Yuki and Murakami.

The one he had used to wrap around Kirikari had been the one created from his own trion, so that one had not mattered too much to him. The blood that got on it was something that didn't matter when he could just reform it later on.

But the real one he always had on his was different.

He had not wanted to part with it, but seeing his former captain nodding off alongside his best friend with nothing else to use had been enough. He still had some conflicting thoughts about his former captain, each of them usually being pushed aside, but he would always remember how he had been treated. How Yuki had done things for him and his teammates, caring for them as if it was natural.

While not being on the same level as his friend, Murakami had also done quite a bit for the former Tsukiko Squad. Seeing him having to hold both himself and Yuki up like that had been rather hard to watch.

Senpai seemed to be enjoying herself, but that's probably why it was so bad.

Suzume had wasted no time in writing up a draft of the two with Kako watching over her shoulder.

He shuddered at the thought of what would be coming from that.

But that was a problem for later on. Murakami and Yuki had both begun to fall over once they had gotten news of what had happened with Mei. Their sighs of relief were noticed by all and were followed by the two slumping over, ready to fall asleep at a moment's notice.

Thinking he could do something, Takeshi had offered them to use his scarf as a pillow while others had offered their jackets as blankets.

His own teammates had stopped what they were doing to look at him. They knew just how special this new scarf was to him, so it was no wonder they smiled at him once he offered it to their two upperclassmen. The scarf was long enough to be spread out a bit and folded over to act as a pillow for both as long as they did not roll too far off. That had not seemed like an issue with the way both of them hardly moved in their sleep and seemed to just fall asleep on top of each other.

"Don't think anythin' of it. They're like this when takin' breaks in class too," Mizukami had said while checking his phone.

It had been worrying to know that they were like this in school too, but Takeshi had said nothing as to not draw more attention to himself.

But now that he didn't have his scarf around his neck, he could feel the cold wind hit his neck. To add to this, his nerves were starting to get the better of him. With nothing safe and familiar to grab onto, he could feel himself start to grow nervous around these people.

"Don't worry, Kotowari-kun. If you don't feel like speaking up, just don't. I'm sure we can make targets out of some others until you can get your scarf back."

"Oh, um... Right. Sorry for the trouble, Kako-san."

It was hard to trust the laugh she gave while waving him off, but he said nothing about it. Even if she was being helpful here, it didn't mean she would hold back from teasing him.

"How about we call in some help?"

"What do you mean...?"

Fried Rice Queen: "Tsukiko, Kumagai, you two are there, right?"

"Why them...?"

Kako only waved him off again.

She had sent the message through a more private transmission, so the other captains and directors would not be able to see it.

Suzaku gave a quick look in their direct, but he quickly turned back. He likely thought nothing much of what they had sent and focused more on the meeting itself.

Overprotective Sister: "You scared the crap out of me with that!"

Kuma: "Everyone is looking at us now..."

"Heh heh heh. Maybe they should have been more careful." The smile she wore showed just how unapologetic she was about all of this.

Takeshi wanted to go for his scarf again, but forced himself to only grip his shirt instead.

Overprotective Sister: "So what do you need? I'm going to only be paying partial attention to this meeting, so what's up?"

Kuma: "You should be paying full attention. But what do you need, Kako-san?"

Fried Rice Queen: "Kotowari-kun had let Yuki-kun and Murakami-kun use his scarf as a pillow, so he's currently without a scarf and is pretty nervous. As two people helping him now, can the two of you do something to help him out?"

...Does this mean I'm causing trouble for Kako-san. I would think I'm the only one affected by my scarf, but she seems to be invested in this too, so...

"Don't think too hard about it, Kotowari-kun. I do very much like you. I only want to make sure we have the right people to help you out."

That was nice of her, but it was hard to believe when she had the same impish smile as when she was working with Suzume.

Even so, they had gotten responses back from the two girls.

Kuma: "It's good to know you are comfortable enough to do that, but don't feel like you need to. If you really need your scarf back, I'm sure Murakami-senpai and Tsukiko-senpai would let you have it back."

Overprotective Sister: "Yeah, don't think too much about it and just get it back if you feel uncomfortable without it."

Kuma: "Oh, crap! Sawmaura-san is staring directly at us!"

Fried Rice Queen: "Maybe the two of you should focus on the meeting then."

Overprotective Sister: "Who's fault do you think this is!?"

Taking in a deep breath of the cool night air, Takeshi released his hold on his shirt and looked to the smiling Kako. His nerves had gone down thanks to her and the two girls messaging them.

"Thank you for that, Kako-san."

"I am only looking out for one of Mei's kids."

.

GM Aide: "Let's first go over the reason we are having this meeting in the first place."

So they haven't told everyone yet. Does that mean Suzaku was being nice by letting us know in advance?

Kuruma felt his stomach twist when he remembered the reasoning for this meeting from what Suzaku had said.

This meeting is being held because...

GM Aide: "There have been rumors going around that one of Border's members have been illegally handing out Triggers to civilians. We would normally not pay too much attention to this due to them being rumors, but we have had civilians come up to tell us as much as well. We started looking into that after that. At one point we had gotten recordings of this happening and even police reports of something like this going on in certain locations."

Sawamura must have been consciously omitting who exactly those reports had been about.

They had been told that it was Yuki, but that information was likely meant for only them. The ones who were currently part of the underground group were ones in top tier B-Rank squads or already A-Rank agents. That meant they would have different information based on their squad's rankings.

In that case, I'm glad we made it to the top tier when we did. If we didn't get the chance to know that this was about Yuki then this could have gone terribly wrong.

No matter what was going on, Kuruma knew his squad would be on the side of the white fox. His connection to them, and their black wolf in particular, meant that he was someone who could freely say and do what he wanted while they could do the same with him. He was already a constant visitor in the Suzunari Branch and friend to all of Suzunari-1.

GM Aide: "We would like for everyone to be alert for any sort of activity that is like this."

3o: "Do we know who exactly has been doing this?"

GM Aide: "We do. The problem is that they are...troublesome to deal with."

Thinking about it some, that was a good way to describe Yagura's white fox. At the same time, it hardly meant anything when there were a good amount of troublesome people in Border. Some were even in his age group.

Other Zō: "What do you mean by that? If they are one of the troublesome people, wouldn't it be easier to end this, knowing who they are?"

3o: "Getting them to confess shouldn't be a problem, right?"

About that...

"You see...there is a certain problem with that," Sawamura said with a slight cough.

Kuruma gave a bitter smile. He understood just how troublesome this could all be.

GM Aide: "The person in question... Well, he has a bad habit of not telling the full truth. Even if he means well or tries to do so, he always ends up leaving out some important parts or simply changing his story a bit."

First Sniper: "So it really is that guy then..."

"Wait, did Azuma-san not know who we were talking about here?"

Everyone turned to look at Suzaku.

The boy blinked at his own screen for a few moments before noticing he was being stared at.

"E-eh? Wait, I was explicitly told who we were going to be talking about! Was I not supposed to tell these guys!?"

"That's what we want to know!"

Suzaku waved off the chorus of complaint to send a message.

There was a moment of silence before an answer came.

"O-oh... I guess I was supposed to keep that a secret for the time being."

"We claim deniability of knowing that!" everyone chorused again.

It was nice to see that everyone was on the same page.

But...

Kuruma frowned as everyone at the Border base waited for them.

This is very bad. Besides the normal rules and regulations we need to follow as Border members, us branch members have a few more to follow. We tend to have to be more careful when it comes to what we show the public.

Border's branches were connection points for civilians to reach the base without any issue. The members of each branch were under orders of their branch directors, while those branch directors were under orders from the main base. Members of a branch would normally see their branch director's authority as one higher than the base directors' authority. It was because of this that some branch members got along with their branch directors better than the base's directors, and why they would rather do things for their branch directors over the base directors.

Kuruma himself was one of these people. While he still respected the base's directors, he very much enjoyed being under the Suzunari Branch's director's orders more. It had been complicated at first with his family sponsoring the Suzunari Branch, but they were passed that and only viewed each other as branch member and branch director.

He knew the Tamakoma Branch was the same.

But the Yagura Branch was different for a very particular reason.

They all do things how they like and only focus on their wants and needs.

The Yagura Branch is in no factions and does things how they like. They follow the rules set, but they are no like us other branches.

They were more similar to the Tamakoma Branch in the fact their branch director was also a fighter and their members were all powerful in their own right.

The main difference was that they felt more like a place to put those who seem to be troublesome or have strong connections with others. It was a branch for fights and those Border wanted to keep to the side so that they would not be in the way.

It was likely because of this that they had not been involved in this meeting.

But wouldn't having Akasora-san be the one to question Yuki be the best option here?

His question was not voiced, but his answer came anyways.

---

"Yes. We are talking about that person."

Mikumo was confused.

He had been told that he needed to be here for this meeting, but the things that were being said made no sense.

He had a general understanding of the issue, but the way Sawmaura was going about telling them seemed far too vague to tell who exactly she was talking about. It was only made that much more confusing when he remembered how two of the captains had left before the meeting started and another one spoke up about something Sawamura had said to Commander Kido.

Okay. Just take a moment to think over this.

I don't know much about Hikiagne-san or Bakuto-san, so there isn't much I can get from that. The same goes for Meishō-senpai. Still, there might be something if I think about the other things.

If they are actively keeping the Yagura Branch out of this matter then it might be because it involves one of their members. It also involves something who has trouble with the truth, so much so that they might not even notice themselves telling lies.

They had also said that Jin-san would not be involved with this issue, similar to Hikigane-san and Bakuto-san, so he knows what will be happening then. And it means this person is likely someone he wants to hold back from being involved with.

Actually... If Hikigane-san and Bakuto-san left because they figured out who this meeting would be about, then...

His mind went back to a previous match.

The latest match for Kotowari Squad.

The commentators for that match had been Hikigane, Hogo Squad's Kimura, and...

Tsukiko-senpai.

That's right. He had sounded like there was something bothering him at the start of the match. As it went on, he seemed to get more into it. The way he had acted with Kimura-senpai and Hikigane-san also felt like they had known each other for some time.

Then there was the Meishō Squad captain.

They are of the same age group, and I've heard that one in particular in close in a pretty terrible way. Well...terrible for everyone else. But that's not the point. The point is: if Meishō-senpai was worried about his friend and had called out what Sawmaura-san had said, then it's likely he was doing so because he figured out who this meeting is about.

Each point had a connection. A single one whose name quickly came to mind.

"..."

Noticing that there was a small moment of silence, likely waiting for the ones not here to answer, Mikumo slowly began typing.

He would not put it in the transmission for this meeting, but there was someone who had figured out what was going on and he wanted to confirm for himself.

Megane: "Azuma-san, do you mind if I ask something?"

First Sniper: "Hm? I don't see why not. Go for it."

The Sniper captain had not even turned to look at him upon receiving the message, so he followed along and did not look up.

Megane: "This meeting... Is it concerning something Tsukiko-senpai did?"

First Sniper: "Oh, nice catching on to that. I don't know it as fact, but I am certain that is the case. Just don't go saying it out loud. If they are holding back from telling us that much, that means there is a reason for it."

Megane: "Of course. I had just wanted to confirm my suspicions."

He would hold back from saying anything and hold his opinion for later. Once this meeting was over and he heard what Border was going to do, that would be when he made a decision.

Jin-san said that I would need to decide what I think about Tsukiko-senpai soon. Is this what he was talking about?

His attention was drawn forward again at the sound of someone sighing.

That person had been Sawamura.

She must hav not meant to let it out as he quickly covered it with a cough.

"Well, the fact of the matter is that things will be difficult to solve due to this person's bad tendency to not talk things out. With that being the case, we plan on having him come to the base and keep him here until we can figure out what exactly to do with him."

Pulling up her tablet again, she pressed a few things and a collective noise rang out in front of each squad captain.

"Suzaku, you all are currently with him. Can you make sure he comes to the base?"

Umi: "Sure. He's currently knocked out with Kō-kun. With Shinoda-san over here, we shouldn't have much trouble keeping him in place."

"Good. The sooner this can be over with, the easier it will be to deal with this PR problem," Director Nesuki said with a sigh. It was the first time he was speaking in this meeting, but his thoughts were probably running a mile a minute.

Now that I think about it, Chika is also over there with them.

Kotowari had sent him messages earlier in the day about how much help Chika had been in their job and that he had made sure to keep her at a safe distance while everything was happening. He had been grateful for that and told his fellow Shooter and captain as much.

Without meaning to do so, Mikumo found his mind begin to wander towards his new friend and that friend's squad.

With the current state of things, it was easy to tell that Kotowari Squad might have some issue with these accusations towards their former captain. They likely viewed this as Border not trusting him, and yet...

Kotowari has not said anything about this yet.

So what exactly are his thoughts here?

---

Takeshi shuttered as his neck was hit by another nighttime breeze.

He had been following the conversation going on at the Border base and felt something inside start to stir once it was clear that they really thought that his former captain had done something like this.

It was a bit insulting.

Mei-san says that Yuki-san is a fool for making everything difficult while meaning well and not solving problems through talks. I wholeheartedly agree, but I know he would not do something like this. He enjoys things as they are now, why would he want to ruin that by doing something like this...?

But was that true?

Did he really enjoy the way things were at the moment?

His former captain had always been seen doing things for the sake of other people. He would often prefer that things be left with him while he chose to not leave a single thing with other people. He kept his own things close to him while trying to take on anything he could for other people.

And it always ended up well enough.

...Only after going wrong.

Most of the time something comes up and things go south. They right themselves in the end, but the lead up to that tends to be annoying to deal with.

It was just how things were with his former captain.

So who was to say that he enjoyed things that way?

His illness is also something to consider.

Everyone knew of his deteriorating body and that no one could do anything about it. It was just how things were.

That seems to just be how it is with him. "Just how things are". ...Is he really satisfied with that?

He wanted to go and ask his former captain if that was fine. If he was fine with how things were.

He wanted to make sure his former captain was fine with himself and the things around him.

He wanted to know that his former captain was at least okay.

But...

"—?"

Takeshi quickly turned to the noise coming towards them.

Once it finally reached their clearing, they could all see Tsuji push forward.

"What's wrong? Did you have to poop and not know where to go?"

"Umi, that joke was a bit much..."

"Huh? I wasn't joking?"

Tsuji shook his head quickly before turning to face them all. His eyes locked onto Suzaku's for a moment before he opened his mouth.

"Tsukiko-senpai just left in a rush and Ninomiya-san went after him. Murakami-senpai is about to chase the both of them."

Takeshi lowered his hand from his neck to grab his shirt again.

His former captain really did love to make things difficult.

---

Mei was riding something that swayed gently.

It was a wave.

It was a faint rocking motion that gently bent her body and enveloped her breathing and pulse. She just about let herself fully sink into that wave, but…

"Nn…"

An old memory returned to her as she dozed.

It was from a long time ago, before she had even gone to Border.

One day, she had left on a "trip".

She had wanted to visit the newly made Forbidden Zone she was told stories of, but her parents would always exchange a glance and tell her she could not. That was why she had headed into the inner city alone.

Now, she would normally listen to her parents' orders, but there was something that had drawn her to that place. Her cousins had been with her at the time, but she had left them to go alone.

It had been a simple walk, one that led right to the newly made zone, but it had still been deep enough for a small girl like her to get lost in. The first few minutes had been insightful, but...

...There is so little here now.

She had remembered a time when this part of the city had others walking around it and children would play on the now abandoned playgrounds.

As the sun began to set, she had sat below a big tree and just stared.

She had known that her mind was taking her in and that no one was coming to help her.

After all, all of the people near their house - even the ones her own age - kept their distance when she tried to play with them.

She was viewed as too perfect by others. She doubted the people had known of the issues her mind gave her, but...

...Being someone with that kind of mind and ability was enough to be feared.

When she had entered the Forbidden Zone, she had assumed she could make it out quickly, even if no one would help her.

But she had not.

She had not told anyone about her "trip" because she had known they would stop her.

She had known they would tell her that the area was too dangerous there.

And in the end, nothing had approached her or come to help her.

She had eventually worn herself out thinking, given up, curled up on the ground below the tree, and gone to sleep. The next thing she had known, she was riding a wave.

That wave had been her mentor's back.

She remembered the surprise when she had woken, but she also remembered the stars and moonlight between the city overhead and she remembered the chill and stillness of the night.

She also remembered what she had said.

"Kushi-san, you're amazing…"

Had she thought her mentor had brought her to see that sight? Or had she been thankful her mentor had found her so easily? She still was not sure.

But she did know what her mentor had said while adjusting her position on her back.

"You can visit the area once you grow up, okay? As a child, you'll just get yourself killed."

"I won't get killed if I grow up?"

"That's right. You will not."

"But," her young self had asked. "I can't grow up if I don't fight others, can I? That's what your parents say."

"Do you not want to fight others?"

She had nodded and her mentor had laughed.

"Don't worry. It isn't when they fight others that a person grows up."

"Then when is it?"

"Right. It is when they decide they don't want to fight for no reason."

She had tilted her head and wondered if that time would come for her and if she would find a reason important enough.

She remembered the still darkness, the moon, and the stars of that day, and they all remained in the depths of her memory.

"—"

She opened her eyes.

This time, she did not find a still night.

There were clouds in the sky that were pushed along the nighttime wind.

"…!?"

But she did find the chilly night air and her mentor's back.

.

Mei was positioned between her mentor's back and her mentor's hair that enveloped her. Her mentor looked over her shoulder to see her.

The woman stood on a hill bordering the forest and they overlooked the plain and city that made up a battlefield against Neighbors. Below the hill, several vehicles were crossing paths to make way for new ones passing by. She looked to the city and then towards the location she knew her squad would be, it had sunk down a bit, looked partially destroyed, and there was smoke rising from there.

However...

"This is Mikado City?"

Her mentor stopped moving and she seemed to be asking for confirmation. The woman removed the arms supporting the back of her knees and her butt, so she stood on the ground herself.

The firmness of the ground below her feet and the leaving warmth of her mentor in front of her brought back an awareness of her own body.

…Yes.

The slight warmth of waking filled her body, but she could gather her strength if she needed. Most likely, Oshiro had tried to help her relax. The scent of medicinal cream coming from different parts of her body was enough to confirm it. And…

"Oh? Why am I wearing my usual clothes?"

She looked to her mentor who faced her with a smile and a hand on her hip.

"D-don't tell me!"

"Heh heh. We all had a clothes-changing party together."

She noticed her mentor was wearing the shreds of an outfit that she wore when her Trigger was activated.

"But I had the guys leave, so don't worry. And Mei, you still get so ticklish when I change you that you curl up. You haven't changed at all."

"W-wait, Kushikage! That's a physical leak of private information!"

"What are you talking about? Now that it's been shared, it isn't private information anymore."

"Y-you are the worst! That convenient logic is the worst!"

"Calm down." Her mentor took a short breath. "Now, then. The situation has changed quite a bit."

.

Kushikage recalled the information in the transmission she received a while ago. The message had come from Jin once he took his leave.

...My name has been cleared after clear questioning of Seikai. Hm. That guy's as pathetic as always. He can't ever beat my idiot brother.

...But these instructions from Akasora are fucking annoying.

One of those instructions was most important.

"The meeting being held at the base is for the rumors and evidence against my idiot brother. Apparently someone looking like that shit is going around and handing out Triggers to civilians."

She indicated the smoke behind her.

"But that's a load of shit."

"That guy... He's a troublesome person with even more troublesome tendencies, but he's not stupid enough to do something like that. And if they think this will be a repeat of Mirai then I will make sure to change their minds."

"Nice."

Kushikage smiled at how sensitive to words her student had become. That may have been thanks to her life in Mikado City and its complicated situation.

However…

"These were my idiot boss' instructions, so Border is going is going to be friendly to tha Yagura Branch even if I have to force it."

Kushikage realized one thing that meant.

...Akasora may have been worried about us.

Although perhaps I'm being selfish and imagining it, she thought while saying more to her student.

"Cooperate with the future we all want, Fuji. The Yagura Branch was made using assholes and piece of shit nobody else wanted, so we are technically a divided part of Border."

So...

"You have yet to prove yourself."

"You mean…?"

"That's right." Kushikage nodded. "Border's main base and the Yagura Branch are to be equals, not us being below them. For that to be the case, Border must have someone as powerful as me in all aspects. ...Of course, what is expected of some as fucking great as me is different from what is expected of a shitty Operator like you."

But...

"What do you want to be as the one who serves by everyone else's side?"

Her student gave a clear reaction to that question: she stopped moving.

She did not squirm, flee, or step back.

"—"

She looked her mentor straight in the eye.

…Yes.

Good, thought Kushikage.

I'm so glad I have a student who doesn't run away from me.

She spread her legs a bit and looked her opponent right back in the eye.

"I will give you one minute. Come at me with everything you have, Fuji. And if I can't see shit there and you are only an inferior copy of me…"

"You will slam me against the ground, rob me of all defiance, and take me back to a simple life?"

"Got it right. Someone less useful than me won't mean shit to the Yagura Branch and Border in the future. After all, having me would be enough. So if that happens…"

She strengthened her gaze. Instead of just looking, she stared down her student.

"Yeah. I'll remove you from that place where no one needs you and I will take you back home."

.

After accepting her mentor's words, Mei started by breathing in.

…She is my enemy.

This woman was honestly similar to family, but also an enemy. After all…

…She is trying to take everything from me.

If she lost to her mentor, she would lose more than just her social status and home. She would lose her will and her pride and her entire being would be torn down by the fact that there was something she could not stand up to. The more she resisted, the stronger the power restraining her would grow, so…

"Are you saying it is possible this could lead to my death?"

"If you are stubborn enough, then I'll respond accordingly."

She would not be allowed to keep any hint of resistance.

"You are asking for absolute obedience, aren't you?"

"Heh heh. That's exactly what a parent wants from a child who has yet to grow up but tries to act like an adult. It's exactly what my shit parents wanted from all of us. So Fuji, if you want to claim that isn't what you are, then show me what you've gained."

She had a single task.

"Prove that you're my equal."

Mei nodded.

She faced her mentor from a distance of five meters.

There was currently a battlefield on the earth and smoke was rising from the sunk land in the distance.

All of that decorated the stage as she breathed in the night air once more.

It was chilly.

She activated the Black Trigger Portion around her wrist.

That was now the only part of the past unchanged. Not even her mentor's back remained, but…

"I may not have fully grown up yet, but I will show you what I have gained."

With those words, both of them produced instantaneous motion.

.

The battle between women began atop the hill where no one was watching.

The hill bordered the forest, but it was mostly the hard earth of a wasteland. The hilltop was entirely flat and there was nothing to hide behind.

In this location, everything would be decided by their speed, strength, and skill at positioning themselves.

The battle tilted hard in one direction as soon as it began.

The first thing they did was launch themselves toward each other.

They made high-speed jumps.

Mei had the greater initial speed.

She approached with two instantaneous dashes as if snapping her body forward. She kept her body low, swung herself to the left as a feint, and then jumped toward her opponent's left side.

Her mentor was right-handed, so she would go to her left. She was right-handed as well, but she would have the upper hand as the initiator. She thrust her left elbow forward and sent her right hand's nails racing along above it.

The two of them were going to collide, so the counter effect would give her attack more power. She had no complaints with this as a first move.

However, her mentor vanished at the instant of impact.

No, she was there, but she was two meters ahead.

…She sent herself backwards!?

The woman had jumped backwards. It was only a distance of two meters, but it threw off the timing of Mei's attack and removed her from Mei's focused gaze. She might as well have jumped outside of Mei's perception.

"Do you remember when I jumped into the bath?"

She did. Her mentor had jumped in from above, but she had entered the water without any kind of splash.

Her mentor had done so by shifting her weight and swinging her entire body. She understood that now that she could do the same thing, even if only at a more basic level.

However, she could now plainly see the overwhelming difference between herself and her mentor.

The woman's breasts were completely different. Not to mention how they swayed.

"K-Kushikage! Can you at least wear a bra!? That's criminal!"

"But they make my shoulders all stiff."

Her mentor immediately launched an attack.

She attacked with her right arm while extending her body to fill the two meter gap between them.

"Kh."

Mei snapped her arms downward in order to dodge.

She sank down, but her mentor leaned her outstretched body forward to lower herself as well.

…She really knows how to ad-lib!"

Mei exhaled and got down on her hands and knees.

Immediately afterwards, the wind of her mentor's passing nails brushed across the top of her head.

Her mentor had just finished swinging her right arm with her body stretched forward, but Mei had lowered her hips into a crawling pose and could not attack.

That was why Mei snapped her ankle forward.

She kicked forward on the ground with just her toes to make a short leap backwards.

She strongly thrust her hips backwards to keep her balance and pulled back on her entire body for a singular purpose.

…To evade!

She fell back.

She instantly created a gap of one meter, securing her safety in the process.

…Now I attack!

As soon as she thought that, the color crimson circled around in front of her.

She was seeing the color of her mentor's hair and back.

Her mentor had instantly filled the gap and taken action before Mei could.

.

Her mentor's attacks did not stop.

…She's fast!

After Mei had leaped backwards, her mentor had pulled back her right arm and performed a spin while facing backwards. Her open left hand sent out a backhand blow using the sharp nails.

"…!"

Her mentor snapped her feet toward Mei while rotating. The tall woman leaped toward her as if turning to face her. And all the while, she was spinning very quickly.

Also, her left backhand flew towards Mei.

Meanwhile, Mei's legs were outstretched from her short dash backwards. Her hips were pulled back, her lowered body was bent forward, and her arms were lowered.

With all of her limbs outstretched, she could not gain the flexibility she needed to snap her body in one direction or another.

…Oh, no!

This was what it meant to be inexperienced. She had not prepared herself to make her snapping motions in quick succession.

However…

"—"

She made a split-second decision.

She used her lowered left arm to clutch the back of her left thigh which was stretched forward.

"Nn."

She used all of her strength to swing up her bent body.

Her backwards-swinging head pulled back on her back and her left hand pulled her left leg backwards.

Lifting her body up from the left side caused her to rotate to the right.

This made her roll to the right in midair.

It was a compact side-flip that placed her face-down to the ground, but she had indeed shifted one spot to the right.

And…

"Oh?"

Her mentor's nails pierced straight through the spot she had vacated.

The blow looked powerful enough to tear through both flesh and bone.

Wind blew, her mentor landed from her high-speed spin, and the woman turned left to face Mei who had landed in a face-down position.

They were very close together.

Her mentor's left hand was thrust over Mei's head and Mei snapped her bent elbows to get up.

…Here I go!

Given their positions, her mentor had the advantage here, but she could jab her left elbow into her mentor's left side as she stood up.

Her mentor could not intercept her because the woman's left arm was still held out over her head.

…Here goes!

Her mentor started to pull back her body, but it was too late.

Mei began to snap her body up as if lifting her head so she could swing her left elbow around.

"…Eh?"

But she could not stand.

Something sat on her hair as if it had grabbed her head.

It was her mentor's left hand.

The hand held out over her head had spread its fingers and grabbed the back of her head.

.

As she tried to move, Mei realized what had happened.

When her mentor had pulled back for just an instant earlier, she had not been trying to back away.

…She was positioning her outstretched hand directly over my head!?

She also realized that her mentor's arm contained no strength whatsoever as it held the back of her head.

The trick to a someone's acceleration was not to use any unnecessary strength. Instead…

…You instantly bend your body and store your strength.

Her mentor's outstretched arm was bending as it held down her rising head.

It was becoming more flexible.

.

Kushikage held her student's head as if stroking it.

Her fingers were spread at the end of her outstretched left arm. Normally, she could not bend her arm in this position and therefore could not gain the initial speed needed for an attack.

However…

"Fuji, you need to watch out before lifting your head."

The motion of her student getting up had pushed her left arm up.

Her arm bent and built up the speed she needed.

She did it all using her student's actions, so she smiled with the ends of her eyebrows lowered.

"It's a fucking shame, Fuji."

She immediately snapped her left elbow downward with all of her strength. She lowered it straight down.

"When you were little, you had a habit of curling up face-down and crying like a pathetic animal. You were doing that when I found you lost in the Forbidden Zone that one time. In other words, whenever something unpleasant happens…"

She did it all at once.

"You hide the outside world from yourself to feel like you haven't fucked up."

Kushikage slammed her student's face straight down toward the dimly-lit ground.

.

Mei felt a sense of resignation in the instant she was slammed toward the ground.

Her enemy was simply too skilled. The woman had used the hand from her failed attack to hold down her head, and…

…She used my movement to build up her strength!

The fact that it was all played by ear was the biggest shock of all. Her mentor had completely outdone her.

Not only that, but she could not match her mentor's maneuverability any more than her cleverness.

Mei used a strong person's acceleration for her movement and attacks, but her mentor could decide in a split-second to use it for her movement, attacks, or defense. And instead of using pure acceleration, she would create more complex movements or reversals.

That was the difference created by experience and training.

To her mentor, it had to look like a child playfully using it for short movements and attacks, but as the parent, she did not hold back.

As Mei's mentor had said, she would lie face-down whenever she felt lonely.

She also realized something else about that position curled up on the ground.

…It's the same position as when Kushikage carries me on her back.

In that case, she thought.

In her memory of waking up that one time, she had been on her mentor's back, but what about now that she had left her mentor and gone to Border?

Was she the same as when she had gotten lost in the Forbidden Zone?

…Have I never once lifted my head?

As soon as she asked herself that, the answer reached her.

"—!"

I have, she thought as she began to move.

.

Kushikage noticed movement in her left hand.

She had tried to slam her student's head down with that hand, but the nails of a hand shot up toward it from the right.

This was the left hand her student had tried to send into her left side earlier. The hand snapped up and accelerated.

…My wrist!?

As soon as she realized the girl had grabbed her wrist, Kushikage was pulled by her own left hand.

"!?" She rotated around in midair.

She swallowed her slight surprise and kicked off the ground to accelerate her body's rotation.

Her student had used the rotation to escape being slammed to the ground.

"…"

She stopped herself just before hitting the ground and used the reactionary force to snap her entire body to the left.

Kushikage landed and her student got up. The mentor caught her breath and the student inhaled deeply.

"—"

Kushikage once more sent a powerful look toward her student.

.

…That's right.

Mei filled her body with air to calm herself.

…I have more than what I gained from Kushikage.

She had just used one of those things. It was technique to throw an unbalanced opponent that Minoru had taught her once before.

"That's…right."

I probably have something, she told herself.

She was not sure how to put it, but a lot had happened since she had fully arrived at Border.

A lot of it had been worthless and she was aware she had been the victim a lot of the time, but one thing was for certain.

"I…will not give up."

"I can't recommend that line of thinking. When you're fucking outmatched, sometimes death is the only possible outcome."

"But, Kushikage. What if the connection between the Yagura Branch and Border were to break down and the others were viewed as your enemies. What would you do then?"

"Well." Her mentor placed a hand on her hip. "Couldn't I just go try and fight everyone there?"

That settled it. She definitely had something that she had not in the past.

She had something to prove.

So she shook her body up and down just once and relaxed her limbs. She made sure she could move any part of her body in a snapping leap at a moment's notice.

"It is people like me who need to make sure things are fine."

"That is my duty as well, you know? In that sense, the both of us are soldiers."

Mei nodded and took a step forward.

As she raised her head again, she felt she was different than in the past.

"—"

She snapped her body and began the fight anew.

---

"Mei is fighting the Taiyōko older sister?"

Kimura frowned in the clearing and asked that question of Suzaku. Her mind had been preoccupied by the meeting and the news of her former captain leaving, but this situation seemed to be just a simportant.

A pre-prepared transmission had arrived from Fujimaru who was making her way home. It provided the route everyone was using, and...

"It says, 'When we were stripping Fuji and doing a variety of thing to her, it ignited Kushi-san's soldier instincts and she started asking if I knew any curses to make boobs frown, but to make a log story short, I think some others would be first in line for that and Kushi-san will decide whether to release Fuji after "testing" her.'"

"Messages like that have started making sense to me lately. Do you think that means I'm heading down the wrong path as a politician?"

…Huh? But it makes perfect sense to me!

Despite that thought, Suzaku simply smiled and ignored the comment.

He then spoke to Kimura while thinking back to the past.

"This is going to be their third battle, isn't it?"

"The second one was back near the Forbidden Zone, right? Then was the first one…?"

"Yes."

As Suzaku nodded in agreement, Kako looked west from the edge of the clearing as if searching for something. She stared outside of Mikado City to the flat battlefield and the hill beyond it and she slowly opened her mouth.

"How should I put it? Was it two or so years ago? Ninomiya-kun and I didn't know about it because we were somewhere else, but apparently the same thing happened in Mikado City."

"Can I ask why?"

"Well," said Suzaku as he looked to Kako who nodded.

"I would like to know that, too. Even if it's a little late to be asking."

After all…

"If Mei can defeat Kushikage and arrive here, it will mean she has swept away her past from two years ago. So can you tell us what happened then?"

"Well." Suzaku breathed out. "Takato…tried to leave Mikado City."

---

"Mei-san did?"

Inukai was traveling with Oshiro and Jin behind everyone else walking through Mikado City. They could hear the whispers of the day's events, but they were not actually near the area.

Given the topic, Inukai was using a quiet voice and Oshiro was using sign language so they could converse without Jin hearing. Inukai felt awkward going behind Jin's back like that, but...

...Jin-san...

The Tamakoma elite was slipping in and out of different buildings. And each time...

"Look, Inukai! They started stocking Western stuff! This is German-style 18+ material! It's a treasure trove of everything from magazines to games!"

"When we return to the base, I bet people will be wondering why we came back with a bunch of pornographic items..."

"? Sumiharu, what does he meant by 'Western stuff'?"

"Nothing, nothing, nothing." Inukai shook his head and changed the subject while acting like he was improving his vocabulary. "Um, to get back on topic… Well, Mei-san was in a difficult position."

"With the going ons of Taiyōko Squad?"

"That's right."

Inukai checked to make sure there were not too many people around. They had made it back to Mikado City, but Kushikage had decided to take the car back herself. That left the rest of them to walk back on their own.

"That was part of it, but starting to understand that she could show her emotions was probably a factor, too. As soon as Taiyōko Squad was moving up, she would speak about her mentor who could not come to Mikado City."

"Given the kind of person she is now, it would be wrong to say that was because she was anxious, wouldn't it?"

Oshiro asked another question while arranging his bag on his shoulder.

"When did that change?"

"I think it was about half a year after they had formed that squad. ...That was when she learned the truth. Taiyōko Kushikage was the older sister of her captain, but..."

He took a breath.

"Kiyoshi was there."

---

"I see. Back then, I had not focused much on our squad at all. I'll admit to that. That might be why I know so little about this incident."

Suzaku nodded and worked through any jamming and noise to see if a new transmission or chat message had arrived.

We are still in the middle of a meeting. But I guess the directors are trying to figure out what to do before saying anything else.

They were taking a small break, so he had decided to do something with his time.

"Takato was...um...your squad's...yes, she was your best member when it came to fighting, But, well, despite that, pretty much the rest of us knew about that. So Takato eventually learned about it, but then she said something to Kiyoshi."

Should I really be saying this? he wondered while feeling pathetic that he had to look over at Kako for permission.

But all Kako did was mime shoving something down below. Suzaku concluded nothing good would come from paying any attention to someone who was older and crazy like then, so he continued the story.

"She said Kiyoshi was an ungrateful child, so he was lower than her in the line of importance."

"—"

Kimura was clearly dumbfounded and Suzaku began to panic.

"U-um," he began. "Th-that was back then, though! Takato had been focused on her calculations still, you know? We all understand that, and that was just one especially harsh point from the past. U-um, want to try shoving your hand between Kunichika's breasts!? Pull out spirit and you win one free contract!"

"No, uh… I was just thinking that kids can be cruel. I used to say some pretty heartless things myself."

"For example?"

"Well, I once asked my toupee-wearing principal why he always had an air intake on his head."

Almost Everyone: "Deliberating."

"Hey, wait! Why do you only do that when it's me!?"

"Calm down," said Suzaku before sighing.

…Our pasts can be such tricky things.

But that thought led to another one.

…We can tell each other these things because we know each other well enough to know they'll tell us not to worry about it.

At most, they would laugh and ask why it was even worth saying.

So Suzaku recalled those days while knowing Kiyoshi would no longer bother to remember them.

"Everyone paled when we heard what Takato said, but Kiyoshi replied with a relieved look on his face."

He recited the words that still rang in his ears and remained in his memories.

"He said, 'That means it won't matter if I disappear, doesn't it?' "

---

…That's right.

Mei thought while fighting her mentor. She thought while swinging her hands around, rotating, and sending her body out in small, carving movements.

…There was a boy who was far more worried than me.

How had she felt herself?

She had been avoided for the way she was and her Side Effect and her presence had been treated as a bother, so she had held a childlike pride in making a definite place for herself and keeping everything else in a proper order.

But that boy had had difficulty even with his own place.

Mei had wondered what she was doing and had not known what to say, so she had mentally shut down.

For a few days afterwards, she had not left her house and had been in her mind with her calculations.

She knew she had done something awful.

She had demonstrated a complete lack of understanding to someone feeling even more fear than she had.

But she had soon been able to leave again. That boy - who at the time she had only thought of as a captain that did not know what he was doing - had come by with a tired looking boy and the shark-toothed boy.

...He said, "Let's go eat something by the river. Kageura's parents are hosting. And if you say you don't want to, Murakami says he'll do the same thing he did at the opening ceremony."

She could not allow herself to be targeted by that sort of thing, so she had gone to the river.

Everyone had been there and she had sat next to Murakami and the boy.

…That turned into something pretty awful, now that I think about it.

She breathed in a bit, pursued her mentor, continued pursuing her, and thought to herself.

That had likely been her starting point.

---

"It was pretty lively. And, well, it looked like Mei-san wanted to say something to Kiyoshi."

Inukai checked to either side as he spoke and Oshiro laughed quietly.

However…

"Oh, sorry. But…a few people we know would often be like that. Yes… There would be no real reason to apologize, but they take everything so seriously."

"Right. Anyway, Jin-san helped push them along, and…"

He gestured for them to start moving again and mimed an action as he pulled the hand back.

He pretended to grab something with chopsticks and hold it out.

"He rigged a punishment game so Kiyoshi would have to feed Mei-san."

"Oh, my."

Oshiro turned around and saw the elite following them while shoving his prizes inside a rucksack he had gotten somewhere or other.

…He sure knows how to live a fulfilling life on the run.

But a lot changed because of him, added Inukai.

"At the time, Mei-san promised Kiyoshi that she was second in command and a fighter, so it was her role to protect Kiyoshi."

She must have felt a responsibility to wipe clean her guilty conscience, thought Inukai.

Wait.

...That means she was understanding that kind of thing even back then?

A lot had happened after that and soon that squad captain had died while leaving behind the faker.

...Was Mei-san able to agree with Yuki's ideas and wants?

He could not remember if she had, but that was hardly surprising.

"But after Kiyoshi's dead, Mei-san tried to leave Mikado City."

.

"Eh?"

Inukai nodded at Oshiro's tone of question.

"Mei-san had been happily looking forward to the festival at which Kiyoshi died. She had heard that he would be making his decision on what to do concerning his family and announce it for everyone else to hear, so she was waiting at the festival stands. She probably wanted to tell Kiyoshi that she was finally starting to understand others."

But...

...That's right. Ninomiya Squad was there. Ninomiya-san and I were involved with that incident.

"Kiyoshi never made it to that festival."

When he finished speaking, Oshiro hung her head a little.

He felt somewhat apologetic, but he continued speaking.

"Mei-san had to have realized she would end up losing someone important during that time and moved out to find him. And she must have felt that she would miss him if something happened after promising to protect him."

"Eh? But that wasn't her fault…"

"Everyone thinks about things differently."

"…Right."

Oshiro may have thought of an example of his own because he silently nodded.

Inukai remembered that time clearly.

…In the end, she must have made up her mind.

Even at that time, she had tried to take responsibility.

"Mei-san tried to leave Mikado City before even going to check on Kiyoshi. Of course..."

"Of course?"

"Right. Kushikage-san was waiting for her there and she did the same thing she did back near the Forbidden Zone."

Even as a Border member, Inukai had felt fear as he watched from the side, but as a result…

"She was ultimately unable to leave."

…That's right.

A lot had happened in the long time since then.

"For a time, she was pretty quiet, but that was because she had focused more and more on her calculations."

Had it been to take back or preserve her pride that her mentor had left in tatters? No.

"She wanted to erase her position within Border and everyone else's mind. She felt she wasn't right for that position. So she grew more stoic, her calculations started showing themselves more, and she was able to use them perfectly."

When he thought back on it.

…She may have tried to leave Mikado City because she didn't want the rest of us to see her becoming a nonhuman.

"But even as she grew colder, she kept her distance from us and never acted against us. She only ever went after the more oppressive people 'as a walking protector'."

"That sounds like a position that would make her popular with the girls."

"Yeah. She still has a lot of fans from that time. But at some point while Yuki was healing, she was called out by those people."

He did not know much about that incident. Minoru had still been on speaking terms with Mei and he had been worried when he heard about it, so he had gotten Mei to tell him where she had been called to.

…But that was a lie.

Everyone had waited there equipped for a serious fight, but they had found nothing there and searched around in confusion.

"Well… I don't really know what happened, but by the time we found Mei-san behind the school building, we found her looking up into the sky and sobbing with the faker collapsed in her lap and beaten to a bloody pulp."

"That sounds like a serious incident."

He could only agree. But until Suzaku had come back with first aid, Mei had refused to leave the faker's side and she had begun to be her new self afterwards.

The others had not asked for details, but they did know one thing.

"That was when 'Fuji' became 'Mei'."

---

…That's right.

Mei accelerated and thought about her mentor's assignment.

She was to prove what she had gained.

What was that? What did she have? What had she gained?

She was aware she had acquired quite a bit in the past, but it was all linked together by that incident with the other people shortly after Yuki had properly named himself. A certain person had told her the other people would be waiting for her that evening behind the school building.

She had gone there at the designated time and found a certain person clothes torn, collapsed, and beaten to a bloody pulp. In the distance, the other people had been leaving in tears yelling, "G-get away! You're the worst! You're just like the rest of that damn family!" Mei had realized what must have happened.

…Honestly, and he had pretty much left me alone up to that point.

But when she had lifted him in her arms while wishing he had minded his own business, he had spoken.

"Sorry."

For what?

"A while back, I said I'd cut ties with my family, but a lot's happened since then. For one thing, my terrible older sister gave me a lecture about looking at reality. And once that was all settled, everyone started looking a lot more grown up. Even thought your still have a flat chest... Ah, wait. Don't raise your fist. Calm down. Stay, stay... Not the fiiiiiist! Anyways, calm down. Listen. Um, but... But..."

…But?

"I hate my older family so much. But I think I still want to hold some connection with them. That's all I wanted to say."

What?

"So, um, yeah! ...So I'll be forming a new squad, and uh... I'll make sure to give my everything to everyone around me until I burn out, so..."

So?

"I'll make the kind of place where even my family can be happy, so will you be a part of my squad?"

She had found it ridiculous.

She remembered all too well how she had snapped back at him.

"Are you willing to take on all of the debts in my heart!? The ones that you yourself made!"

"Don't be stupid." He had smiled. "I can't do anything major, so I don't care if you leave all your debts with me. So if you have anything like that, just leave it with me. If you're ever feeling gloomy or down or you're tormented by memories of the past, then – yeah – just leave it all with me. And you can be my squad's-… Well, for the time being, just be Border's fighter. And once I make my squad, I'll call for you."

She had thought he was an idiot and that there was no way he could do it, but he had smiled up at her with his head resting on her lap.

"And if I make a suitable captain, then you become my squad's fighter... Or even Operator. I think that would make a lot of people happy."

She had thought it was all ridiculous, but then she had found herself crying.

When she had given her dream for the future, she had not known what she wanted due to all of the expectations.

Kiyoshi had been her startling line for protecting people. The girl she had been decided to start with him, learn about others, and then protect that boy and lots of other people.

But she had lost that starting line.

She had since drifted from that path and she had tried to forget it all because she had felt she had no other choice, but she had been unable to forget anything and that idiot faker had come to bring her back on track.

"Then…"

It was possible she would walk down a different path in the future, but she decided to hold onto her new dream instead of throwing it away.

"Then if you decide to create the kind of place your family would be living in and I can follow you there…"

She had made a promise.

"I will pave the way for you, my captain. I will make sure you can continue to hope and never give up despite your loss."

That was right.

A lot had happened afterwards, she had begun working as one of Border's Operators, and she had graduated alongside a lot of terrible people. He had never said anything more about it, he had become the captain of the newly formed Tsukiko Squad, and she had thought nothing would ever come of it, but…

…I'm sorry. That wasn't the case at all.

Her captain had not given up on anything.

He had not changed even when he had taken three lost children in.

He had to be broken, too. He had to have broken when that old boy had died.

He had gained the broken feeling of losing something important to him.

So if everyone else was alive, he would try to fill that brokenness in himself. He would make sure he never lost those important things again.

That was why he was trying to make the world even a little better.

"—"

Mei carved the same words into her heart as she had before.

…One day…

I hope one day, that idiot will be able to actually fill his brokenness instead of taking on the debts of loss the others and I leave with him.

If she was to pave the way…

"I…!"

She moved forward. No matter the hardship, she would move forward so her idiot need never come to a stop.

"I will not give up!"

.

Mei charged forward.

She ran. She snapped each and every step forward at tremendous speed.

Kushikage also snapped her body to launch attack after attack.

Mei fearlessly chose to attack and evade at close range.

Kushikage did the same.

They tore through the wind, smashed the ground, and collided with each other.

Kushikage's movements were instantaneous and her sharp nails accurately pursued her opponent.

Those were the movements of a beast.

On the other hand, Mei's movements changed.

She essentially used the same kind of movements as her mentor. She raised her initial speed to increase her movement or destructive power. However, those movements began to change and underwent a constant transformation.

"…!"

She was changing from a lion into something else.

.

Mei had only one option.

She could only shorten her snapping movements even further.

Instead of snapping her entire arm or leg forward, she would divide it up into parts such as the shoulder to elbow or elbow to shoulder.

She made more precise movements.

She was forced to do this to oppose the Unmatched Valkyrie who was larger than her, had a greater reach, and had a higher top speed. If she made the same sort of movements, her mentor would catch up and overpower her.

That was why Mei made her own movements.

They were rough at first, but she continued to change them each time she repeated them.

"—"

Suddenly, the movements fit into place.

Through repeated trial and error, she found the right answer and learned the trick to it. And…

…I need to make sure I don't forget that trick!

When compared to her mentor, she doubted she had enough talent to say she was especially skilled at combat.

She was a special case when it came to her body. Her body had the advantage of being stronger than most, but it was still bound by her humanity. She had the initial speed of a beast like this, but her human parts were an impediment.

Her movements were neither entirely those of a beast nor entirely those of a human.

Hers was an awkward body.

That was why she added her human side into her bestial movements.

She used her beastly speed to make human movements.

She swung her arms and ran, she bent her elbow and guarded, and she sent out her motionless hand.

Instead of just making quick short jumps with her legs, she ran, performed turns, and stepped forward to attack.

These were not the movements of a beast. She used the combat footwork and martial arts of a warrior.

It all passed through her body and carved into the battlefield.

She felt like she was carving it into herself.

She carved down her movements, further perfected them the more she made them, and corrected any mistakes she made.

The Unmatched Valkyrie's nails, jabs, and kicks grazed her or struck her several times and those claws had just torn into her right upper arm, but…

"…"

She had learned to pull back in the instant of contact to reduce the damage. In her battle with Pyrgos, she had first come to understand these movements of hers through that damage reduction.

And the more she moved, the more the Unmatched Valkyrie moved.

She moved like a battle maiden pursuing its warrior.

She circled around on a curving path and her nails would rush out if Mei showed even the slightest opening.

She even used those attacks as feints and then suddenly attacked from outside Mei's field of vision.

…This is insane!

Mei felt a coldness within her being and evaded on reflex.

The wind whipped up as she moved.

She thought about her next move and sent herself into her opponent's blind spot.

She changed her movements based on split-second decisions.

This was unlike Kiyome's cumulative acceleration or Grasshopper's repeated acceleration. She quickly made instantaneous accelerations and stops while changing her fighting style each time she snapped her body around.

She carved out her speed.

With each step, she would launch herself in a different direction. A moment later, she would do something else.

She did not commit herself to anything and would not let her opponent grasp her.

She could not oppose this woman otherwise.

She knew perfectly well that she was inferior.

…So…

She fought back using her full strength and everything else available to her.

---

"Mei is battling Kushikage-san?"

In the clearing Border made, Murakami tilted his head as Kurauchi passed on the report that Suzaku had sent via transmission. Next to Kurauchi, Mizukami over across the city from the open clearing.

"Where're they doin' that, I wonder?"

"Mizukami... Did you realize Takato-san's mentor was Taiyōko Kushikage?"

"Now, now. You're soundin' a little frightenin' there, Kurauchi. ...Will ya be mad if I tell the truth?"

"Based on your answer, I will determine whether you acted inappropriately."

"Ahh." Mizukami nodded and placed his chopsticks in his mouth. "Then I probably shouldn't say."

"That is a decent compromise."

"Right, right." He nodded again and turned to Murakami. "What do ya think, Kō? Can Mei-san beat that older sister?"

"...I can't say. There are too many uncertainties."

Kurauchi nodded in agreement and placed a hand on Mizukami's shoulder.

"That is the standard view. Do you understand now, Mizukami? You should stop buying black disk sets on the met 'because they look good' when you have never seen the show and its quality is uncertain."

"The 'standard view' these days has gotten pretty harsh."

After Mizukami's comment, Murakami continued where he left off.

"But…one thing is for certain."

Suzaku's mail had mentioned Mei's past.

"It seems that Senpai had finally taken to her promise on a personal level. She promised to protect him. And..."

"And?"

"Her dream was apparently to become a sort of protector. So what does that mean?"

Murakami expressionlessly looked out to the city.

"I'm worried about her as an underclassman, but if Senpai has decided to hold onto that promise..."

"Then what?"

"Right. Then she will win. After all..."

After all...

"She is the most reliable senpai we've ever had."

---

Mei fought her mentor.

She slipped through her mentor's attacks, made her own attacks, and then repeatedly defended or evaded.

She moved.

She gave her speed to every part of her body, carved out each and every movement, and made her attacks at great speed.

She did not use the flowing movement of swordplay and she did not constantly increase of her entire body's speed with acceleration techniques.

She only knew the combat techniques taught in her lessons.

She strengthened those using the speed of a beast.

However, she changed one thing from her lessons.

She kept her hand flat instead of forming a fist.

When a clenched fist hit at high speed, the returning force would destroy her hand. The same would happen if she used the heel of her palm. She wore gloves during training both to reduce the damage to her opponent and to protect her own fist.

Instead, she made straight jabs with her flat hand.

For a human, that would destroy their fingers. If it caught on something, it would rip off the nails.

But things were different for a beast, and…

…I was given a manicure.

The color that second idiot had chosen existed below her white gloves. It was not a product of the workshop she visited, but she wanted to think that was his way of saying it was a present and not something she owned in the first place.

With that blessing on her nails but hidden from the world, Mei accelerated her flat hand forward.

She carved down her speed and snapped herself forward as if continuing to carve the movements into herself.

Then, she added on another movement.

To show her mentor what she had gained after staying with Border, she made several adjustments to her attacks.

"—!"

She continued forward without ever giving up.

.

Kushikage saw something nostalgic in her student's movements.

She saw human movements.

Hopeful fighters had turned those movements against her countless times in the past. These were the movements of a group who had all become her prey.

These were the movements of those she had beaten.

But, she thought. They must not have been wrong.

After all, someone was opposing her with those movements at their foundation. That someone was a young girl who had a soldier's abilities and a human body, but who could not defeat a beast with her strength.

Her inability to win made her the same as those hopeful people.

…But…

By mixing man and beast, new techniques and power were created.

It almost seemed Kushikage's attacks and martial arts were embracing her and helping her grow.

"—!"

How far would the techniques of the weak take this child?

She did not know.

All she knew was who exactly was pushing this child forward.

The people who had become her siblings had saved her when death was her only option and she was prepared to die.

This child's former captain had saved three kids when giving up was their only option and they was prepared to do so.

This child was that former captain's protector. She had the same will and the same look in her eyes.

She takes after her mentor in the strangest ways, thought Kushikage. And what a small world it is when both of us share that one person.

She was glad she had not gone ahead and killed this child's former captain.

Two years ago, this child had been unable to fight back and was left crying and apologizing. She had likely grown twisted afterwards, but that boy had kept her from giving up.

He was a good boy.

…That was two years ago, wasn't it?

Kushikage remembered something.

She was certain she had been involved with this child's former captain due to them being related to each other.

.

It had happened two years before.

I was fucking worn down then, thought Kushikage amid the flow of battle.

She had been in a bad mood after returning from beating up her own student at outside of Mikado City, so she had visited her own home away from her parents. She had wanted to get some rest there.

After a few days, two children had visited at night.

They had apparently gone out to search for her and only now could reach her hidden location.

The children were her own brother and his friend who looked like he was tired. The tired boy had been wary of her, but her brother had been extremely annoyed and she had been forced to tell him all sorts of things long after the other boy had fallen asleep.

He had wanted to know why she had done what she did. As for why...

"I decided to keep my connections to you all, but I want to remain with everyone else."

However, he had also said something else while looking a little more dejected.

"There are some people who look like they will stay with me regardless, but they all seem to be changing. ...Maybe it won't work out."

She had admonished him then.

She felt that had been a mistake. The adult thing to do would have been to tell him that was not the case. However, she had instead told him that everyone gave up on those silly things when they grew up.

She had essentially been "killing" a child's dream by telling him to look at reality.

The boy had looked like he wanted to say something and she had realized her mistake, but he had spoken before she could say anything else.

"Well, I can do things on my own if I have to."

To distract him, she had held a late-night candy party with him, keeping it a secret from his sleeping friend.

…But who would have thought?

That my idiot brother's wants wasn't killed by my admonition. I'm fucking sure plenty of other people tried to "kill" his wants too, but he still became someone surrounded by others.

…I'm glad I noticed how weak he really is.

She had always thought that weak people needed each other for things and needed to be strong for others. Once she had found out that her own brother was weak, it was nice to hear that he wanted to be surrounded by others.

That idiot probably did not remember it very well, but it had all led to a single result.

That brother had become some surrounded by others who would not reject him and her student had become his protector.

She understood that her student desired a future with her brother and the others around, not with her.

So...

"Show it to me."

She wanted to see proof of the future her student had chosen.

"Show me what can stand up to me!"

.

Mei leaped right. She snapped her body to her mentor's left side.

However, her mentor was already turning that way.

Her mentor's right hand was flying to stab into the left side of her neck.

She received the attack.

She did not guard or deflect it. Her mentor would break through if she guarded with her hand or arm and she would be knocked back herself if she deflected.

She had to use her shoulder.

Her shoulder would be strengthened by the Black Trigger portion she was allowed to use, so a strike from that would match her mentor's jabbing hand.

A beast did not use its shoulder. This was a human defense.

She lifted her left hip forward and used the momentum to send her left shoulder up.

It was a sharp collision. The shoulder of her clothing ripped, sending cloth and some false skin flying into the air.

"—!?"

She was pushed back. Even her shoulder was knocked back and her mentor's hand twisted back on course to her neck, so…

…The left arm!

The left forearm hanging below her deflected shoulder struck her mentor's right arm from below.

She would lose if she simply tried to deflect it, so…

…I'll twist it with a wrapping motion!

She had learned this technique before once she learned how lacking she truly was. She had been slammed to the tatami mats by Minoru countless time in training, so the movement had permeated her body.

I should really talk to him. I've been rather distant from him lately.

She twisted her mentor's hand outwards to just barely knock it off course.

She felt a cold wind pierce through her hair behind her neck, but she had avoided it.

Then she moved forward. Her target was her mentor's left hand. Her mentor had just had her right arm deflected outwards, so she was leaning backwards to pull that arm back.

That stance allowed Mei to grab her left wrist and perform a twisting backwards throw.

Beasts did not perform throws.

That was why she would do exactly that, slam her mentor to the ground, and then attack. Even if she could not throw her, grabbing the wrist allowed her to perform a joint lock or even break the arm.

She had techniques to draw on and she had the strength to pull them off.

She felt no exhaustion. Triggers did not allow for such things to happen to the real body. The only thing really being worked on both ends was her mind.

She could do this.

But her mentor's left hand was sent out in a flat-handed uppercut.

It was directed toward the right side of her gut.

That would be a fatal blow, but whether she guarded or deflected it, she would be driven back in front of her mentor.

However, Mei sought her mentor's left hand, so she took action.

"The heel of the palm!"

She stepped forward on her right foot, accelerated by carving down the speed from her toes to her shoulder, and she dropped down the palm of her heel with her fingertips bent. She aimed a bit higher than her mentor's flat hand. That meant the wrist.

And to increase the power of the blow, she gave her entire arm a twisting motion.

The attack struck.

She heard the air explode, a ring of wind hit the ground, and her attack counteracted her mentor's hand.

Both of their attacks were deflected, but…

"…"

Mei corrected her posture by snapping her entire body.

Her returning elbow, her dropping hips, and her rising knee all gained instantaneous speed to cancel the wandering of her body.

As if pursuing her opponent, she moved through the wind to grab her mentor's deflected left hand.

But in that instant, she realized all color had vanished from her vision.

"—!?"

.

Mei saw darkness before her.

Everything was dark and the color of her mentor's hair, body, and clothing were gone.

All she saw was the night sky visible from the hilltop.

Her mentor had vanished.

…Is this…!?

She knew what had happened. After all, this was something she could do.

Instead of a full-on acceleration, her mentor had used the short-distance acceleration performed over a shorter period of time.

She had carved down her speed as Mei had as a combination of calculated beast and man.

Her mentor had pulled it off as a pure soldier.

.

It can't be, thought Mei as she saw fluttering crimson hair in the left corner of her vision.

Her mentor was there.

The woman had reaccelerated to cancel the wandering of her evading body and then she had circled around to the right.

It was the same carved down acceleration as Mei used.

"…!"

That's insane, thought Mei in astonishment.

Her mentor's build and weight were entirely different from hers.

Mei could only carve down her speed like that because of her light, small body. It was obviously a technique made for her, yet her mentor had mimicked it with no training or trial and error.

…How skilled is she!?

She was a soldier.

She was a warrior. She was closer to the warrior side than Mei, but she must have powered through the pure human portions using her strength.

Mei was reminded of her opponent's special name: the Unmatched Valkyrie.

However, neither of them was in a good position.

She was charging toward her mentor's left hand and her mentor had done the same.

Their dominant right hands were on the outside.

That meant they first had to twist around and face their opponent.

Deciding to do just that, Mei began to move. Her right foot was on the ground, so she poured speed into that ankle.

A moment later, she noticed something was wrong.

Her mentor was not turning toward her in the corner of her vision.

She simply saw the color green spilling down from her mentor's hair and the green seemed to unfold like origami.

"Her personal Trigger!?"

A three meter green blade fell from her mentor's hair and supported the woman's back.

.

"That's right."

Mei heard her mentor speak.

"The one thing I had decided to use when I noticed all other Triggers was this single one made for me. Your Gauge Trigger use to be mine as well, not originally yours."

So…

"If you're going to join in with everyone else and show off what you've gained from them, you have to use everything you've gained to fight every part of this Unmatched Valkyrie. Both the human part and the Neighbor part."

She now knew what her mentor's carved down speed had meant.

…Even a fighter can do that much!

Everything she had gained could be outdone by a soldier, so she had to overcome even that.

However, light filled the green blade as if to criticize her. A panel of greenish-white light in the empty center began to rotate, the blade's short arms lowered to the end of the long body, and the weapon was cocked.

A moment later, she heard someone look back at her and speak.

"Mei, show me your answer."

.

Valkyrie Sfyrí was fired.

Like a large crossbow, a bolt of light was fired from the blade.

It cut across the empty space with a roar.

The trion blast had been given the power of a physical blow and it struck the empty space itself.

The strike would crush and transform the ground over a diameter of ten meters. The Unmatched Valkyrie distinctly saw where it was going to hit.

Her student was there.

The light was going to score a direct hit.

…What will you do now?

Do you not have anything else? Can you not fight back against a soldier and a Neighbor?

Your Gauge and this powerful Trigger originally belonged to the fuckers on the other side of the Gates.

Your mentor's parents, those one who had crossed over, obtained these Triggers as a memento of a friend they failed to save.

Death was that friend's only option and she was prepared to die.

And she did die.

Your mentor's parents were unable to save her, so they lived hidden on the world of humans and I continued that tradition.

But I found ones important to me and they led me into the proper world of man where I found someone I could call a student.

...What will you do now?

Yes, thought the Unmatched Valkyrie as she asked her question.

Associating with humans had given the Taiyōko family just one other thing besides those Triggers.

"—"

She looked directly at her student.

Her two eyes focused on what the Taiyōko family had gained with a human.

"What will you do now!?"

As soon as she asked that, something fell from the sky, slicing through the explosion of trion.

It was a thick blue sword.

The single-edged blade was made completely of trion and it stabbed straight into the ground to protect her student.

"Shikifuku's Willpower!?"

.

Kushikage realized this child had indeed done something she had found to be very difficult.

…Yes.

She watched her student grab the hilt of the blade that sliced through the trion explosion.

…Fuji.

She had thought she was an awkward, selfish, and overall lacking child, but…

…You made some friends, didn't you?

.

The explosive pressure was split apart and shattered.

The sword of pure trion taking one's willpower traveled down the center of it. The human who had borrowed it raced straight ahead.

The Neighbor tried to turn around with all her might, but the human's speed won out.

When faced with that explosive pressure, the human had chosen to advance. It might have knocked her to the ground, but she seemed to be saying it was her duty to choose resistance.

She ran forward.

The flying sword proved that the human had made the correct decision. If she had not chosen to advance, she could not have grabbed its hilt to support it and it would have been blown away by the blast.

That purely trion sword lent its power to one who would always have their willpower showing. It was the same as the emotions that shone through the black object around the human's wrist.

The human sent that power toward the Neighbor.

"Rrr…"

She howled.

"Ohhhh!"

The human that roared like a lion poured all of her strength into the attack.

She used the speed of a beast to launch the movements of a man.

The blade was deflected into the sky and the Neighbor was knocked away. The human finished her cry and took a few more steps.

"…!"

There, she stabbed the sword into the ground and fell to her knees.