Shingai Ite stared out into Mikado City from atop Border's main base. The shining lights were bright as the nighttime festival continued.
...My teammates are likely enjoying that festival right now, she thought bitterly.
There was no contempt for them enjoying themselves, but she felt like she should probably have gone with them. Instead, she was standing there, preparing to leave for one of the final performances of the nighttime festival.
Upon hearing about the situation from Border, she had taken their side and gone against anyone who decided to go with the fox.
As a hunter she felt like she should have been able to capture that fox, but that was not the case. The fox used tricks rather well and had others to support him, whether hew knew it or not. It had not been as easy to get to him as it should have been.
After all...
There are many others who have failed to capture him today.
A group of A-Rank had chased him around, but none of them could managed to capture him. After that he had gained the help of a black wolf and a lion. Beyond that, there were other violent and terrible people who had gathered to him so that they could terrorize anyone opposing them.
Even her own captain had gone to help that fox.
"I suppose I could be in the wrong here," she sighed out.
Murasame: "Do you really think that?"
Archer: "I am not sure."
It felt wrong to vent to a child, but he was currently the only one who could listen to her do so.
She had not wanted him to be involved in the first place, and had stated as much, but that had been ignored on the basis of him being able to handle himself in a fight.
That did not mean that she was fine with him going out to fight.
Murasame: "Are you still worried about me?"
"Of course I am. You are still a child."
He must have known that by now.
Murasame: "It's fine. I'm not really one to lose, so there's no reason to be worried."
Archer: "Make sure not to underestimate our opponents. Remember that they have already escaped us once."
Murasame: "That's because they used sneaky tactics to get around fighting us proper. That won't happen again. They won't have someone come in to save them at the last minute again."
That was not the issues they had dealt with last time.
Earlier in the day, when they had attacked the school, it had been because of a plan already set in motion that they had lost there. The opposing side knew that things would not end well for them, so they had planned ahead and set up their own victory.
It was true that this time would be different, but she could not say if it would be different for them or for her side.
Murasame: "I'm not criticizing their hard work or planning, but I don't plan on going easy the next time I see them."
Archer: "...I see. In that case, make sure you remember that they have very...strange people on their side."
Murasame: "Strange people don't mean much if they can't back up that strangeness."
She could imagine the boy shrugging his shoulders.
The problem is that those strange people have more than enough power to back themselves up.
They could also supply support to others who are just as strange.
Lowering her shoulders, Shingai gave a sigh into the festive nighttime air.
"I suppose we will just have to do what we can and accomplish what is possible for us."
She would need to work extra hard to make sure any children would not get hurt and that none of this would reach them.
So with a final look out into the city, she took a leap.
She would once again be a hunter searching for her prey.
And this time...
I will not fail.
The Mikado City nature district was located north of where the nighttime festival was taking place.
The business district was located to its east and the political district where important people were was to its southwest. The district contained a forest as part of its nature park.
Three people walked near the sounds in the distance and while hidden below those trees.
Toby, Kitora and Mikumo walked along the dirt path that was filled with darkness and they looked to the city from that forest.
Specifically, they saw the plaza located between sections.
After a few more steps, Toby spoke without stopping his feet.
"Is no one going to go after Yuki and the rest of them now?"
He received no response, but he still smiled.
"Should I take it as a compliment that you find all of us enough of an opponent?"
He shook his head.
"No, you're just thinking about if you really want to attack the three of us. Osamu right now would not be much, but I alone am something else. Do you think you can take on a wolf alone?"
As soon as he said that, lights appeared in the forest.
Hundreds of trion bullets spilled from below the leaves of the trees on either side of the trio.
"Let's try this."
The countless lights assaulted the trio while slicing through the shadows, trees, branches, and darkness.
.
Everyone took action to easily avoid the downpour of trion bullets from above.
...Honestly, what a pain.
Toby raised one foot.
Ai and Osamu put up shields to block the attacks while moving back into the forest they had walked through. They kept the shields up as he activated his Trigger.
"Ai, Osamu. I'll handle this one myself. Mei asked me to do this, so you two can sit back and watch."
"I wouldn't have moved back if I didn't think you could handle it."
"Ha ha ha! Guess you're right!"
An instant later, he was moving through each trion bullet, dodging them in a way that left more than enough room for him to move. Accompanied by repeated sounds of snapping and tearing, branches were cut from the trees.
Each branch hit the ground with new sounds.
The many snapping sounds produced three things.
The forest came into view, the countless trion bullets were stopped by the leaves and branches getting in their way, and...
"An Attacker shouldn't hide in the darkness, or use Shooter-type Triggers like that."
Amaya was revealed standing lazily where the branches had fallen.
She rested her arm atop one of the two Kōgetsu blades at her side while the other was lightly raised by her remaining hand.
Meanwhile, Toby lowered his stance to that of a wolf ready to pounce with his knees bent, arms spread out to ether side, and eyes facing her directly. No obvious Trigger was activated, but the two behind him watched as his finger twitched at his sides.
"Now, are you really against us here, Maya? It's all good if you are, so I'm just asking out of curiosity."
Amaya waved her hand in his direction with a lazy smile on her face.
"I had thought that it would be fun, and a good way to fight strong opponents," she said. "But now this is just getting old. Besides, Shay is staying out of it and Eri is going to go meet up with Take. What is there for me to really do here?"
Toby shifted his feet as she spoke, putting his left foot behind him and leaning forward on his right foot.
Amaya noticed this and slightly shifted her twin blades. The small noise they made could be heard by all three of them as a challenge here.
"I guess this would be a good way to get myself out of this without being seeing as someone who doesn't keep to her word."
She spoke to him directly , but she did so while pulling out her twin blades.
"I at least known I can stall you out for a bit. That should get me some good points with the directors and not have them after us."
.
Below the moon, Amaya faced Toby, Kitora and Mikumo and she nodded.
There was a reason she had been quick to pull out her twin blades.
"You have something new to show us, don't you? I heard about how you've been trying something out within the week, but no one really knows what it is. I guess you can thank the people you were working with for that. Oh, but I did hear that you guys took out a big Neighbor in the underground. Does that have anything to do with this?"
Toby only grinned at her.
She quite liked that expression.
Seeing someone grinning like that before a fight meant that they were prepared to go all out and use everything they had to win. There would be nothing held back between them and both of them would face each other without any hesitation or doubt in their movements.
However, there was something that made her raise a brow.
Behind Toby something had appeared. It was a green cube that was split into smaller ones. He had earlier said that Attackers should not use Shooter Triggers, but here he was, using one without any reservations.
Meanwhile, the wolf began to speak.
"I know what you want to say, but this is different from what you did. You threw those attacks at us before, hoping to get a sneak attack in. But this is different. I won't use these to make a sneak attack. They will be a full frontal assault that will take you out."
He was telling her what he had planned for this without any hesitation.
And as if spurred on by the moonlight, the wolf continued speaking.
He stood beyond the road and completely faced Amaya.
"Sorry about this, but I'm going to be using you as an active test run for this."
"Then I'll just push back even harder," said Amaya quickly.
An instant later, Amaya was certain that she had moved first.
.
Kitora knew not to blink. She made sure to tell Mikumo to do the same.
The two of them had stayed behind Toby as he prepared for his fight against the Tsukiko Squad captain.
...This won't be a fight.
She could tell from the start.
She was not thinking this out of worry for Toby or with the thought that the Tsukiko Squad captain was too weak.
It was simply a fact.
The winner had been decided once the fight itself began.
After all...
She can't take on a pack of wolves by herself.
Relaxing her stance and keeping her hand away from her gun, she spoke up from next to Mikumo.
The boy seemed to be thinking about what was going on, but there was no need for that.
"Mikumo-kun, pay close attention. His squad is also in the top tier, there's a chance you could end up fighting them."
"...I had thought as much. That's why he's showing off here, isn't it?"
That's exactly right, she thought. Toby was showing them something new so that Mikumo would know what was coming if they were to ever fight each other.
It was the way he made sure the fights were evened out to where he could enjoy himself while also knowing that he had a chance at victory.
It's the pride of a wolf that knows it will devour anything in its way.
And that was exactly what they saw.
As the Tsukiko Squad captain made the first action, Toby seemed to be finishing his own action.
The cube of tiron behind him glowed a brilliant green before charging forward.
Taking the lead before them was Toby himself.
A sign frame appeared on his foot and knees before shattering and increasing his speed.
The leader of this pack had moved out and was followed by the rest.
A Scorpion blade appeared in his hand as he moved forward.
The Tsukiko Squad captain had strength in her movements, but she was not all that fast while dual-wielding Kōgetsu.
That had been the first reason for her loss.
The moment Toby seemed to be within range of her attack, she swung at him.
It's not a careless swing, but not enough.
Toby used his reflexes to follow the path of the blade and dodge to the side.
The Hounds that were following him moved beyond that swinging sword.
A shield appeared before her, stopping some of the Hounds from reaching her.
But this left her defenseless on the other side.
Kitora saw Toby take his chance by pushing forward on one leg and severing her swinging arm.
At the same time, some of the Hounds moved around the shield.
Each one bit and torn into the Tsukiko Squad captain's body, leaving even more openings.
It had been what Toby wanted.
"This is over."
With the sound of shattering glass, Toby's speed picked up once more.
In only a few seconds, he began to tear into the Tsukiko Squad captain's body with his blades - his claws and fangs.
Kitora only had one thought as she watched this,
He is completely devouring her.
.
Toby grinned to himself as he saw his handy work.
His opponent had taken the initiative in her movements, but he had been faster than her. His pack of Hound had followed right behind and were used to weaken her defenses by tearing into her and lashing out with bared fangs.
It had been exactly like he wanted.
His speed had never been better, his thoughts were clear, his body was light, and the joy he felt at having done something new filled him with excitement.
Turning back around to see the devoured Amaya, he gave a genuine smile to her.
"Sorry, and thanks!"
He apologizes for using her like that and thanked for for letting him use her like that.
All she did was grin at him as the cracks spreading along her body began to give a brilliant glow.
Then she opened her mouth one more time.
"You better give me a better fight later on."
With that, she flew off.
The night of Mikado City was filled with many different sounds.
Some were the large festival traveling through the city and others were the evidence of the battles occurring somewhere in Mikado City.
The harmony reverberated through the buildings of the city. The shaking windows and groaning concrete walls added their own notes to the symphony.
Many eyes watched the nearby river and the bridge crossing it. From the windows of the houses and apartments along the river, people watched the railing on the northern end of the bridge.
A girl in a combat uniform leaned against the railing. She had short hair.
Everyone stared at the girl who looked at her phone in the moonlight. The city's lights had been brought down for everyone to see the lights of the festival, so the people had no entertainment or anything else to distract them from their nerves. They could not leave their houses due to knowing that another performance would be happening.
However...
"That girl doesn't look like the type to do performances."
"Maybe Border has something else going on and need the space for it. I didn't think not going to the festival would be like this."
"But look."
The speaking family turned in a certain direction where someone could be seen on the road south of the bridge.
A boy wearing a scarf and a gray squad uniform arrived near the southern end of the bridge. He had his sleeves rolled up, so everyone watching could see just how slender he actually was.
"That must be the other performer. The performer to show them off."
They all nodded and watched the boy stand on the south end of the bridge, but the girl did not look up from her phone.
For that reason, the boy opened his mouth and spoke to the girl on the opposite end of the bridge.
"Please put an end to all of this already."
Her silence seemed to ask why, so he continued.
"There's somewhere I have to go after this."
.
Takeshi saw her stop moving. When reading a phone, one's eyes moved and one prepared to scroll to the next section, but those actions were replaced by a voice.
"You make it sound like I'm keeping you here."
"If you aren't, then please stop this already."
"I can't," she said from the other end of the slightly rounded bridge. "Border is the one in charge of everything. The absence of the opposing king made it continue without the player itself, but that in itself if a kind of tactics. Everyone can use their imagination to make up for a missing player."
"Are you sure you want me to become a player?"
"Now you're putting words in my mouth."
Asano looked back to her phone, so Takeshi made a sudden statement.
"Why are you mad?"
"Mad at what?"
"You said yourself that there was something you were mad at when fighting against Akashi-san before. What exactly are you mad at?"
"You don't know?"
"That's right," replied Takeshi. "I don't. after all, you don't get mad at petty things. So there should have been no reason for you to be mad. Or should I say that you were mad because someone else decided not to be mad?"
.
Takeshi looked at the girl beyond the bridge.
He did not know if she had realized it or not, so he had to check.
"It's a common thing for people who had begun to get closer together. I have come to understand that. You and I have gotten closer since I have started to change. I don't know if it was because I changed, someone spoke to you about it, it was your plan, or what."
So...
"Asano-san, you might think that you are mad for me, but that's wrong."
Instead...
"What I do know is... No, maybe I don't know it. I don't really feel like I know it and I feel kind of bad when I think I do. At any rate, you are mad at me for deciding not to get mad at all about what Yuki-san has put me through."
"I think there's something wrong with simultaneously wanting to be with someone and not liking them."
That's because there is, he thought. But there's also something wrong with you for sympathizing with it.
And perhaps for that reason, she asked a question.
"Why?"
There was a clear answer to that question. It was something he had realized anew after thinking back to what he had once been. That place was comfortable, but more importantly…
"If I'm there, I can end up losing a lot that I gained here."
"But you would be happier with your life."
She hit him where it hurt, so he could only smile bitterly and lift his scarf.
"You're right and I'm sorry. This isn't something I promised to you at all. I never brought myself to make any promises. Making a promise to someone means keeping to it and, once it happens, it could strengthen communications with someone else because of it. ...So I'm sorry. I hadn't denied it, but...I was afraid. I'd decided for myself that it would do no good if I made a careless promise and never followed up on it."
"It's fine. I also think it's silly for someone to put all of their thoughts and hopes on something like a promise. I'll do what I want to do and, if everyone who gets involved can enjoy themselves, I'll be even happier. That is the better method."
"Then," said Takeshi while raising his right hand. "Please end this already."
"Why?"
"Because I want to go help him. And anyone else who I happen to come across."
"Why do that?"
He had already decided on that. Or rather, he had decided it without realizing it. He had vaguely realized it during his conversation with his upperclassmen and that had helped him prepare.
"I want to help because Yuki-san is still my friend."
"That's meaningless. That will most likely not get you anywhere."
"That's right. But if I enjoy it, that's enough. And whether it gets me anywhere or not, if it reaches people who I meet along the way, that's all the better. I'll be a bit depressed if they want me to leave, though."
"A battle of ideals still burns calories, so please spare me that. But..."
But...
"I doubt it will be allowed to remain, but it may be something that still ends up remaining in some other way. Is that the vague help and promise you want to reach?"
"It's the same for you, isn't it?"
Silence fell over the other end of the moonlit bridge and river, so Takeshi nodded.
"You feel the pressure of a dual-ace fighter and struggle over when you can brag about your skill as a Shooter. For the appearance of Border, it ends when the sun rises, so there's no need to promise anything on that. But even so, you want to make your mark when you can. You stand on a borderline between wanting to help and doing what you want."
"I see. You sure are eloquent."
"That's right. I'm a horrible guy that loves criticizing others. I figured that out with my squad. But I will still continue on."
"To where?"
"Right. First, to where you are."
Asano stopped moving and he felt her gaze on him, so he pointed his right hand at her.
"Where you're showered in critiques, and discussed at length. Unless I go there, the place I long for will be nothing but a dream. So I'll go there. And since it's still presumptuous of me to call myself someone at that level, I just need the one reason."
He took a breath.
"I will go there to make a promise to you directly."
"There's more, isn't there?" quietly asked Asano. "If you defeat me, you will move on to help your squad and former captain, won't you?"
"That's right. To pay back everything I owe, I need to make sure I'm ready to help them at any time. But in exchange, you make a demand. If you win, what do you want from me?"
"Okay." She nodded. "If I win..."
She suddenly locked her phone and dropped it into her side pocket. She then created an orb of trion next to her that split into multiple ones and spoke quickly.
"You will stay behind and help me figure some things out."
How suddenly she spoke, what she said, and how quickly she said it made Takeshi think he had misheard and he mentally stumbled.
"Eh? Wait. Wh-what do you mean by that?"
"..."
With her gaze hidden by her bangs, she lowered her head a bit and even more orbs of trion spilled from the hair behind her.
Just as he realized he had made a mistake, it arrived.
"Asteroid."
The lights behind her began to glow brightly.
"Go on and attack my opponent. I'm sure you won't mind a small game between strategists now."
A large wave of lights crossed the bridge and crashed into him.
"It seems like the others are having a pretty harsh time."
Murakami spoke to Yuki who ran ahead of him, but he did not reply.
The Attacker spoke in order to distract them, but the All-Rounder did not play along. He then let out a voice and covered for the All-Rounder.
"—!"
Yuki fired a few shots to the right of an upcoming intersection.
The shots exploded and the C-Rank agents hiding behind the corner prepared their shields, but the two had already passed the intersection by that time. Shots were fired and an occasional Scorpion blade flew their way, but they accelerated and avoided them.
The All-Rounder had wrappings around his neck and on either shoulder. They were used by him to tell which direction the wind blew or for some special maneuvers that he could manage. They were loose and swayed with every movements, but certain parts of them were tore off or had holes lining them.
It may not have been a body using Idōgetsu, but Mei had been able to give him his old Trigger to use. The added wrappings must have been her way of helping him out here.
Nevertheless, the All-Rounder continued onwards and suddenly spoke.
"Kō, we're coming up on an upwards slope."
"Right. I can see the base up ahead. You should be happy."
Murakami added an extra step to accelerate and closed his friend's slight lead.
"But this has gone surprisingly smoothly considering-..."
He trailed off when he noticed something odd. The wrappings wrapped around Yuki's shoulders and neck were swaying in an odd way. They were used to determine the way the wind was blowing so it meant that the wind was blowing in an odd way as well. That proved something was coming. There did not appear to be anything around, but if he was under some kind of attack...
"Yuki! That pillar!"
Yuki understood what his tone and words meant.
The two of them charged below the roof of an arcade on the shopping district to the right.
"!?"
The stone and wood roof was destroyed by some kind of overhead attack, but the two of them did not fall back. They continued on through the arcade and up the shallow slope. As they did, some kind of power struck the arcade roof, balconies, and terraces much like footsteps.
"What's this!?" shouted Yuki. "It's just like something from a side-scrolling action game!"
"If so, we can kill the pike units by jumping on top of them. No, this is that."
"Oh, of course. That! ...I'm sorry. I got carried away. What is that?"
"As long as you understand," said Murakami as his hand shot out among the overhead destruction.
He found what he was looking for, accelerated with his feet, and held up a broken trion arrow.
"This looks like it is a combination attack from Kido's Black Trigger gravity attack and Shingai's special Trigger." He sighed while racing onward. "That was a close one. They increased the overall gravity gradually enough that I mistook it for something else. If I hadn't seen your wrappings, I might not have caught on."
"Then are they behind this attack that's pursuing us?"
"Yeah. We're running below the arcade, so they switched to putting Kido's gravity on the arrows fired by Shingai. The two of them must be above us, so you're going to owe me one."
"Eh?"
Murakami's words confused Yuki, but he only smiled a bit.
"Most likely, Kido's gravity will return to us once we leave the arcade and he'll try to crush us. But I'll forcibly keep most of it from reaching you, so you just keep running. Got it? I'll take care of things here. I won't be satisfied until I show those two what I can do anyway."
"Are you sure you can handle both of them at once?"
"You just have to carry out the role I've given you." He took a breath. "But this is for my own sake. Everyone in our class really cares about each other, so I'm sure they'll all praise me for this. ...And from time to time, that's not too bad."
"Kō..." muttered Yuki. "Back in the start of the last school year when we had never even looked each other in the eye, you suddenly looked at me and said, 'You really are troublesome. Seriously, stop doing this already.' Back then, I thought you would be a lifelong enemy. To make a long story short, I figured you were an asshole. I didn't think you would end up being my best friend."
"Oh, sorry. I don't remember that at all. But I do remember I ended up next to you after the seat change in the second term. I didn't know who you were, so I avoided speaking to you. That was pretty painful."
"Y-you're absolutely horrible! Don't think you can get away with that kind of excuse with your Side Effect!"
"You like getting worked up over nothing, don't you?"
"And whose fault is that!?"
As they spoke, the roof overhead crumbled and the two of them continued forward.
They had almost reached the top of the slope where a plaza created a break in the arcade.
It was the perfect place to bring the gravity down on them.
"That's where the enemy plans to get us, so let's use it to our advantage!"
.
Kido Cody and Shingai Ite stood in the plaza atop the hill. As they monitored the enemy's approach, they saw two figures charge out from under the roof of the left arcade.
"Kido! Crush them!"
"Got it."
Cody lifted the black blade in his hand and the surrounding landscape grew slightly distorted.
He was adding weight to everything.
His aim was to crush the two who had just climbed the slope. As they ran from sloped to level land, their postures and their running both changed. The great weight would disturb their running and cause them to collapse.
To ensure that happened, Cody lifted the blade up even further.
And...
"—!"
The two enemies arrived and they were both colored in darker colors.
One was an All-Rounder, the other had a large green shield, and they both wore their own Border uniforms.
The weight pressed down on them, but the one with the shield opened his mouth.
"Go!"
Shingai watched as the All-Rounder ran through the plaza without anything weighing him down.
...What!?
Wondering how, Shingai looked closely and saw through the trick.
The Attacker remained on the other side of the All-Rounder agent.
He was taking all the weight. Cody's weight could not be rejected even if it was understood. The target's waist would drop, their body would creak, their feet would stick to the ground, and their speed would drop.
However, he used his arms to hold up an object: his Raygust.
His whole arm and the shield groaned, shook, and trembled in the gravity, but it remained over the All-Rounder's head.
Cody's added weight came from above. If something cut off its path, it would hit that obstruction and not reach what lay below.
"You are using your shield to create a protective roof over the ninja!?"
He could not do so forever because he would eventually be crushed.
But he clenched his teeth and supported the All-Rounder despite being on the verge of collapse.
"Kh!"
He was successfully protecting his best friend from Cody's weight.
"How forceful!"
.
"I know," muttered Murakami behind his clenched teeth.
What was this? He groaned, raised his eyebrows, took a bracing stance, and practically crawled along the ground rather than running.
...How pathetic. It's disgraceful and nothing about it is worth seeing. And what's with this situation? It makes me think of friendship, trust, solidarity, and other words I wouldn't associate with Kiyoshi."
"But this is the best way to get back at those two!"
He really is rubbing off on me. I don't know why but I really want some kind of win against these two. After all, I've experienced this weight before and he hasn't. He's a weight virgin, so a weight adult like myself needs to give him a helping hand. ...Honestly, what a terrible role.
He smiled even more.
But Yuki, there's something else I remember. It's true that you were cautious around me. I know that. It made things easier for me, so I was actually thankful. But whenever we would gather for the school festival or anything else, you may have seen it as your duty, but you would never leave me out when you went to buy things for everyone. It was probably annoying, but there are times when I need a break or something to drink and I don't want to be left out. Even I can be selfish, so that's just how I feel.
But you never omitted me.
I'm not the type to forget that. Rather, I can't forget it.
I'll pay you back five times over, so make sure to pay me back the excess four times later. Yes, up until now was about 12 years, so four times that would be 48 years. All you have to do is go along with my selfish whims and not leave me out for that long.
"Kh!"
Go. The arcade across the plaza is only a few more steps. Is it twenty more? That's a long way. Couldn't it just be ten? Is this city trying to mock me here? Ahh, I can't lift my legs anymore. But I still have nineteen, eighteen more... Raygust is heavy too! I'll complain this once and say this sucks! Seventeen, sixteen. Yes, fifteen, when I get back, fourteen, I'll make him buy me food and then get to bed! Thirteen, twelve, eleven... Damn! I can't stand straight! Ten... I don't have to worry about the last ten steps, right? Right? Yuki's already moving on ahead, so it doesn't even- nine... Wait. What am I doing? I need to stretch my arm forward and make up for falling behind, but eight and seven and...This really sucks! If this was my real body my arm would have already been destroyed. It's going to be useless after all of this! Oh, honestly. I'm dragging my feet. And I'm falling forward. But making it to six is good enough, isn't it? The class president will praise me for making it this far, won't she? If I make it five...no, four, he'll treat me to a mini-feast tonight!
He let out a small groan.
I made it! I made it to three! I'm gonna eat! Dammit, Yuki! Get going already!
Two. Just a bit further. One...one...one one one...
Murakami felt something going on with his legs.
Oh, no. The ground is straight ahead. I'm falling. But raise your Raygust. Only the tip of the shield can reach him, it's only for your own self-satisfaction, and you're probably going to collapse, but...
"Yuki!"
Say it and that guy is sure to carry out your errand.
"The imposter! Three minutes!"
"Right!"
Idiot. That makes it sound like you're asking him to get you an imposter.
But...
I guess it doesn't matter now.
One.
.
Shingai saw the All-Rounder dash across the plaza.
"!?"
The Attacker running with him fell from his low stance and into a roll. He made a complete rotation while his arm groaned under the stress.
However, the All-Rounder continued on. The Attacker's arm had barely been reaching him toward the end, but the shield he put up above his head had covered for that.
He cut past Shingai and accelerated into the arcade leading to the area where some others were.
"Fire!"
Multiple trion arrows pursued the All-Rounder, but he lowered down and accelerated as if crawling along the ground. The arrows caught up and swept across the area, but they shot over his head. And by the time the second set of arrows had been loaded...
"...!"
The All-Rounder had already dashed down the street.
"Shingai!?"
Cody's cry brought a moment of hesitation, but Shingai did not pursue. She was ashamed to have let him escape, but another member of Border lay ahead. Pursuing an enemy she had let escape would say she did not trust her fellow agents.
"I shall deal with the opponent I can deal with here!"
Shingai turned toward the collapsed Attacker. One enemy had escaped, but one had been stopped here. This was not a problem, so she waved toward Cody.
"Crush him, Kido. And hold him down to restrain him."
Hearing that, the Attacker stood up while trying to balance himself.
"What's this? Attacking out of spite?"
"Please be quiet. I already defeated you."
"No, you made me fall. Don't get ahead of yourself."
The Attacker slowly rose, but Cody was already pinpointing the gravity on him. He gave a small groan and sat back on the ground as if pulled by his arms.
However, he looked over with strength in his gaze.
"I win. Yuki will definitely carry out his mission."
"How can you be so sure!?"
"Because that moron is a ninja."
He laughed while placing his arms on the ground to help withstand the weight.
"This is what you get!"
.
Now, I've said it, thought Murakami with an inward smile.
He had not actually gotten his revenge, but this was good enough. If Mei had heard him, she probably would have scolded him for going too far.
...But this weight really is-
"Eh?"
He suddenly felt as if his body had jumped upwards. The weight had vanished and the arms, back, and body he had been using to avoid being crushed suddenly regained their freedom. As he wondered what had happened, he heard a voice.
"Oh, dear. Don't push up from below so suddenly."
Someone stood above him with their legs straddling his back. He looked up to see who it was.
"Suzume!?"
Why? he wondered in surprise.
"To - enjoy - the night," answered the smiling girl.
.
Shingai gasped at what occurred in front of her. Not only had a girl dressed like a pseudo-prostitute casually walked up, but...
...She is taking Kido's weight without issue!?
The girl's hair decorations and skirt were definitely affected by the weight, but the girl herself was light. She swept up the weight on her entire body and faced Shingai with a smile.
Shingai recognized the girl. She was the one who had defeated A-Rank Kanzaki Shizuka with a dance during the day.
She was a strange girl, but that strange girl faced Shingai and spoke.
"Heh heh heh. Fellow boob woman and weighty boy, you honestly look like you have a question. I will honestly answer anything you ask. But the deadline is one second from now. ...One. That's it! I won't answer anything more! Heh heh heh. Now, ask me your question!"
...I have no idea what she is saying!?
"Yes, I understand, so I will tell you. Mikocchi! My name today is Mikocchi! After all, my lovely sister honestly made a cheese Doria made with celery for dinner last night."
...Oh, I kind of understood that one! But it was completely pointless!
"Wait a second!"
"Just a second!?"
"W-wait at least three seconds!"
"We'll be here all day at this rate. Then again, it's honestly night. ...Is that okay? Oh, it isn't, is it? How lovely!"
...Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Do not get caught up in her pace, Shingai Ite. Follow your blood pressure's example and calm down at a bit above normal. If there is anything to say here it is that I cannot believe the other people have been able to put up with this!
"But how can you ignore Kido's weight!? Wait... You're in your real body, are you not!? How is that even possible!?"
"Ha ha. How stupid can you be? Of course I honestly won't tell the enemy that. ...Wait, Kō-san. What kind of look is that for gazing upon a goddess? Gaze upon her with more of a smile. What? You honestly don't understand either? My god allows makeup and fashion for substitutions, so just by being me, I am not effected by all sorts of trivial things like a Black Trigger! But that's honestly a trade secret!"
...What does that even mean!?
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Of course I'm kidding! I am my own goddess! I'm honestly just kidding~! This black thing around my wrist was a gift from Mei-san. I'm just borrowing it though, so don't honestly think I'm above you all, got it? I can't do much with the amplifier or the sword, but this defense is honestly all I need."
This was dangerous. Shingai could tell this was a dangerous person, but that dangerous person did not stop speaking.
"Now, Kō-san, you deal with that boob woman. Okay? And I will take care of that one getting a nice breath of fresh air."
"Wait! Aren't you a normal agent!? You do not have the right to-..."
"What? In that case, I will honestly continue on to watch that plain ninja plainly fail after he got carried away and ran off. I doubt the agents up ahead can lay a finger on the summit's flower. You honestly understand that much, don't you? You really are stupid. I was lowering myself to your level, so why are you getting carried away? Honestly, this is why humans are so hopeless when they get arrogant! ...All right! That was a pretty good line, wasn't it!? I pass! Yeah!"
Shingai felt dizzy for a moment.
...Oh, no. And I already have to deal with Sthénos.
Meanwhile, the strange girl helped up the Attacker.
"Now, if I don't do anything, the others will come crying here and try to interrupt me when I'm showing off, so let's honestly get this over with quickly."
"How dare you say that!?"
"Heh heh heh. Make no mistake. I'm actually in a pretty good mood right now."
The crazy person said something unbelievable.
"After all, my foolish former captain and our lovely former Operator are having an honestly fun day. Mikado is a wonderful city. I'm thankful. They both asked for our assistance and I understand that's something I could normally never hope to be asked for, so I'll honestly let you off with merely beating you to a pulp."
Even the calm Attacker stared blankly at the dancer whose smile deepened.
"C'mon," she said while slapping the Attacker on the butt. "You go over there. I honestly won't help you, but no hard feelings, okay? If I did help you, my foolish former captain would complain and say you could've handled it on your own."
And...
"It looks like the situation in the sky has honestly advanced a stage, so go on ahead to ensure we can advance as well, Murakami Kō. Go and release some of that stress."
While the loud noise filled a street in the distance, the curtain rose on a certain stage in Mikado City.
It began with a quick greeting-like exchange on a bridge crossing the river.
Both Asano and Takeshi's attacks used the same method. What Takeshi fired were beams and Asano created orbs from her trion that were fired.
Due to how they had to fight, Asano's attacks were longer and Takeshi's were shorter.
Asano acted first.
[[Asteroids are replaced by Viper and move in all directions to put pressure on the opposing beams of trion.]]
Lights flew through the sky created from her trion. To face them and to get things started, Takeshi moved his hand to fire his beams.
[Power is wielded like a weapon.]
The beams formed parallel lines in the air starting from his left arm, but Asano's trion orb attack continued.
[[I only have to use a few well placed shots in my formation.]]
[[The main attacks can stay back while you are attacked from the left and right.]]
[[This shows that there is a great forcing that is attacking.]]
She made additions and corrections to her strategy she had prepared. That way she could create a strategy most suited to her opponent.
Meanwhile, Takeshi had to face her with only his beams because he had not yet fully found out how to aim with regular bullets.
And so Takeshi worked to think of his ow strategy using what he knew best here. He was forced to keep his plans short and quick.
[A protective power can see the enemy.]
[There are a lot of them.]
[But they aren't infinite.]
[I'll just have to break through.] [After all...]
"This isn't the first time I've fought against this."
His plan was disordered. A whole was only created when the plan before him, his emotions, and the movement in that plan were added in.
"This is what I am seeing and feeling right now and it is what I must do to deal with you."
Once the two were finally finished with their preparations, they made contact.
Asano's words came first.
[[Once I've finally reached through those beams, it will end all too swiftly here.]]
And in response...
[Let's go.]
Takeshi moved forward.
On the bridge crossing the moonlit river, he did not hesitate to run right into the charging lights.
.
[This idiot will persist and continue forward.]
[[I'll respond to this and continue firing since I know what non-cowards are like perfectly.]]
[Are they coming now?]
[[Go on, my Vipers. Go on, my weapons that will now move how I want them to.]]
[But I only need to meet them head-on to understand them.]
[[As someone who knows all about frontal assaults, I'll make sure there is no room to move.]]
[But can you aim any higher than the waist like this?]
[[They just need to move forward, put in some force, and expose your weaker sides for the rest to hit.]]
[I'll stay low and...]
[Slip below their power and versatility.]
[[The next set will come into contact with you and the first set are destroyed after crashing into themselves.]]
[They will probably arrive too soon to do that again.]
[So evade.]
[[But I just need to make sure their patterns are more simple than the others and they can move even better.]]
[I'll spin around regardless.]
[No matter who is there.]
[Staying still means a loss.]
[[I'll continue with my offense then. If you want to move forward so badly, make sure to take everything head-on and lose properly.]]
[I'll spin around and fire a beam into the next set you want to send over.]
[[To make sure I win here, these bullets will be more about skill and repetition, not their speed.]]
[I'll knock them down.]
[[Even if they are stuck down once or the next set get taken down, I won't falter here.]]
[I'll swing them all back in time.]
[Continue.]
[Swing it up and then back down.]
[I'll spin my body to evade and swing it up once more.]
[If you continue doing that...]
[[The next set will have to be a pincer attack from the left and right to get full value of this times.]]
[I'll have to cut through them all then.]
[[Oh, I would expect no less from you. With how well your squad has been doing, this is to be expected. You won't even back down or hesitate like the last time. You are looking right ahead.]]
[I won't be swayed.]
[I'll eliminate my hesitation.]
[I'll crush my pride.]
[I...]
[I am only ever a novice.]
[[And so I will use that against you.]]
.
Takeshi jumped back.
Asano had used a small gap to placed some Vipers onto the ground that came down like a rain.
He had not been hit by them, but they had caused him to move back before he could take any damage here.
His own inexperience was convenient.
However, something like that could not excuse his failure as a strategist. Even when being called as one, it was always clear that he was used for his power and versatility with his Laser-Shooter instead of his planning and scheming abilities.
However, it was that very reason that made imagining and creating plans was so much fun. How could one best build up the vision of their plans and how could they best implement them against others?
That's right, thought Takeshi. It must be similar to what Suzume-senpai and Wagner-san feel when writing.
The girl in front of him sent more attacks along with her own strategy.
[[Hey, make sure you aren't distracted or else I will use that too.]]
The moonlight was briefly obstructed as the next set moved forward.
Takeshi responded by dedicating his plan to only his actions.
[Accept this power.]
[This is my only opponent tonight.]
That's right, Takeshi muttered in his heart. There really is no one else for me after this. Asano-san is the only one I need to be focusing on here.
Who was she? Why was she doing this?
Awhile go, he had met a girl who was invested in strategy games and her squad. His attitude at the time had been one he did not like, but he refused to forget it. That would have been an insult to everyone who had helped him up to this point.
So now that he could understand others a bit more, he found that he wanted to understand this girl.
They had begun discussions before he had even made his first friend. Before long, they had started discussing fun and strategic things and they eventually added in legends and games popular at the time.
...And then we started helping each other.
It may have been presumptuous to think such a thing, but he felt like he had helped her a bit. While she got him to understand strategies more, he gave her a special viewpoint that only someone like him could see.
When editing each other's plans, she had performed a hellish double-check of his strategies and he had rarely found much to correct about hers.
Even now, that probably remained true.
[I won't let my guard down.]
He would not.
[Strike those with the power you have - me - instead of with the intelligence you are lacking.]
He gathered strength.
[The time to randomly wield power has passed.]
That was right.
[Let's go.]
He agreed.
[I think it's time I joined you where you are.]
Takeshi made a plan while hoping it got through to her.
[I will be going now.]
.
"Hey," she asked. "Why do you think I am mad?"
He thought about her question for a bit before answering.
"It's hard to say," he said. "But I remember one thing."
"What's that?"
"Well," he answered. "When you were with me you spoke a lot more formally."
"..."
"When did you start speaking so casually around me?"
"Well..." She spoke slowly and quietly. "When you changed."
.
[[I'll give this everything I have. You have no idea what is going with others, no matter how much others help.]]
[Power.]
[Yes, power.]
[I'll understand through power and fights such as these.]
[[But, you, others will test you because of that sort of thing.]]
[So what if they do!?]
[I'm still going!]
[I will go there no matter what!]
[I will go to the place where that power can help someone I care about!]
.
"What about me!?" she shouted. "Where will I got from now on!?"
.
[[I'll use a great amount of trion to swing down my attacks for surefire offensive strikes.]]
[The power moved straight toward the opposing force.]
[[But the power can strike but part of my sets of Viper.]]
[[Some of my bullets will be taken out.]]
[[I suppose that is all.]]
[[I'm sad that this is all there was in a fight between strategists.]]
.
The orbs of trion letting out the Laser-Shooter beams vanished and the remaining bullets tore into Takeshi's body, making him grit his teeth.
The game of strategy had ended. The screams hitting the ground brought by Asano's attack striking him would cause him to Bail Out.
However, something quickly stopped it.
[I will use my scarf to cover the damage.]
"Eh?"
She saw him. She saw him quickly ripping his scarf and placing it over his open wounds to stop his trion from leaking out.
"What do you plan to do after taking that much damage? What!?"
He did not give voice to a reply, but he did make sure the text was there for her to read.
[Go, Asteroid.]
[Go, with the remaining trion I have.]
[Attack both straight and do not be hit by any of her attacks.]
.
"That's impossible!" shouted Asano.
Takeshi shook his head.
"No, it isn't."
"How?"
"With some reckless strategy."
While they faced each other from the bridge and just off the bridge, he held up his right arm.
"I figured that I would lose this fight and decided to accept that. Of course, I was only able to do it because I think I've come to understand you a bit more."
Overhead, a large amount of lights filled the night sky.
Asano looked up at them.
"But then...this isn't a strategy at all! Using only brute force is just recklessness!"
"No, it'd probably make for a terrible fight with someone like me. But plans should be flexible. It may be a failure as a version of what you and Nasu-san can do, but you can always make a different plan on the fly. And I wonder if the people who've seen what else you better Shooters can do have wondered this."
He spoke while moving his feet forward and across the rest of the bridge.
"Why couldn't someone have made a plan that involves both side winning?"
So...
[Go, Asteroid shower.]
[Defeat my opponent.]
[Shoot through everything and end this madness brought about by someone else I hold dear.]
He had one thing to say.
[Stop the pointless fighting with a dual victory.]
.
With those words, Asteroids began to rain down.
In that instant, a barrier of trion rose and took the brunt of the attacks. They seemed relentless, rained down, and began to break through.
However...
[Asteroids will not be stopped by a shield with no resolution behind it. They will break through and shatter any illusions.]
Precisely that happened.
[[The shield will break and there will be no way to evade the shower. There is nothing to do, but that is fine when the sight is beautiful.]]
In the end, the shower rained down on the two of them without hesitation.
[Neither of us will retreat.]
[We will remain here.]
.
Everything but the still moonlight vanished as the two fo them stood at the end of the bridge. Even the smoke from their trion bodies being destroyed had cleared quickly with the wind.
She hesitantly brought a hand to her chest.
"I..."
She shook her head and asked him a question now that he had crossed the bridge.
"Am I not allowed to be mad?"
Takeshi nodded and gave a smile answer.
"Why not just be happy with someone like me instead?"
"Eh!? Wait! What's this!? That came out of nowhere!"
"I mean, it would be kind of sad if you stayed mad for me. So if we don't know why were were really mad, this way is more convenient for me, don't you think?"
"What?" asked Asano while her face and ears grew red. "You idiot! Th-this isn't about convenience. ...And there's no way to tell feelings apart base don that!"
He wondered if she knew what that implied and he gave a silent sigh into his scarf while hoping that didn't mean she was mad at him alone.
"Anyway," he said. "I'm here, so where are you?"
She thought about that and lowered her head.
"...Here."
"You made your way onto this stage and did your very best."
Her eyes glanced up toward him when she heard that. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone from there.
On the screen were the scores of previous matches he had been in.
He shuddered as he wondered why she had that and questioned why his past fights had to be shown off here as well.
"You guys seemed to be trying a lot of new things recently, so it's hard to keep up with everything. It took a good amount of time to collect everything."
She audibly scrolled through her phone.
"What was with this fight against Senzai-san and Ōji-san? Were you trying to capture them or what?"
"That's your issue with it...?"
"What's wrong with that? Honestly, and I was wondering if you and your squad had even spoken to each other before that."
"Sorry, but they can be annoying. Well, mostly our dog."
He seriously though that, but Asano did not seem to care.
"I think it was pretty original at the time for you to place your Laser-Shooter around the area against Nasu-san."
"Yeah, about that..."
"The fight against Ninomiya-san was even more of a strange move."
He had been prepared for this, but it essentially meant everything had finished. She laughed and then slowly closed her phone and held her hands behind her back.
She took a step to the side.
.
"As promised. The directors will probably scold me and the agents will say things about me. But..."
But...
"There isn't anything I can do anymore. I've had enough of this fighting and I'm sure you need to get somewhere soon."
"Are you sure? You'll lose credibility."
"Probably. And it's going to be tough as we go back into the B-Rank Wars." She shrugged. "But going in being the underdogs can work. After all, I'll also have two heavily offensive people who can't come up with strategies themselves and so need me there. They wouldn't leave me for the choices I made today."
So...
"The only one who can make sure they are used to their fullest is me now that I've experienced something even greaterjust now."
"You seem pretty confident and you do work for a complicated squad. But as long as you remain their teammate, I suppose it means we'll be fighting each other when you have made it to the top tier."
Takeshi suddenly pointed to the right.
"Hey, can you look over there for a second?"
"Eh?"
As soon as she looked over, he threw his scarf over her shoulders.
"Ah."
By the time she turned around, he was already a few steps away.
"Eh!? What!? What's going on!?"
[It means we both got a victory here.]
[After all, you have my scarf. And I can't just leave it behind.]
"You're up, people of the city!"
He was being out of character with his shout, but that was fine.
The city replied to his shout, after all. The people banged their windows from within. The percussive notes almost sounded like applause and Asano gave a troubled smile in the moonlight.
"So we can have both sides win without any issues, can we?"
Bitterness entered her smile and she brought a hand to her chest.
"Then can I be someone who...wants to continue winning with you?"
She bowed and an even greater din sounded out.
From the heights of Mikado City, Shingai heard an explosion and saw a bright green light from the distance.
...That is trion light, is it not?
In that case, someone else on their side was likely out of the fight. If they managed to hold off someone from the other side then it is fine, she thought while focusing on her own battle.
She was currently firing arrows made of trion at the green-suited Attacker before her.
The special Trigger named Taroupolos in her left hand allowed her to fire Shooter-type Triggers as arrows. Her aim was accurate and she sent eight short arrows toward the Attacker's stomach.
However, the Attacker swung her right hand and the green blade he held drew a green line.
"To use only Kōgetsu against something like this is crazy, is it not!?"
Before the Attacker could nod, a line shine captured the arrows. He predicted their path and shifted his wrist to that his blade would reach there.
Before Shingai could mock him for making such a small move, the arrows struck the blade as a glittering effect came over the blade and sent them somewhere else. In other words, toward Shingai.
The glittering light that clung to the trion blade catapulted the arrows directly toward her face. Shingai realized this Attacker was no on to joke around with and she held out her left hand.
"In that case!"
She used her special Trigger to take back in the attack, fire them without pulling back the string, and giving them more force. However, she did more than simply sending them back. She also used her Trigger to correct their aim in the instant they were fired. This way, they were sure to directly return to her opponent.
However, the Attacker had already begun his next swinging motion.
But it was not a mere swing.
It was a force and Shingai understood why he would do that.
...That way it can be moved more easily!
However, Shingai fixed her stance and held out her arm. The right would pull back the trion string and the eft would correct the aim. With those two things happening, she could send any attack back to her opponent in an instant.
And she did so.
"...!"
.
Shingai began a high-speed rally with the Attacker using the special bow Trigger.
They both targeted the other's body and face, so a single miss would mean Bail Out.
They were approximately six meters apart, so their actions were taken at a point between close and long range.
They returned and sent forth attacks. When the attacks were sent back, they would hit them with sword swings or more arrows.
Shingai pulled the string on her how to hit the arrow that was bounced back, sending even more arrows out while sending even more back.
I cannot lose!
She would not let herself lose.
"Kido!"
"Got it."
She had said nothing, but if Cody understood, that was fine.
There was something they both understood quite well without saying it aloud.
"We are in charge of this area!"
A loss was unacceptable. If the two of them lost, it would mean they allowed for others to make it through them.
...We must not lose!
Before her, a single sword was being swung around in single strokes. She thought she also saw small sparkles in the air as it was swung, but that seemed wrong.
This was a skilled opponent and Shingai understood that. He had done well against Shingai in their previous encounter and an opponent like that would have polished and sharpened his skill before a revenge match.
And so Shingai spoke up.
"I will give this everything I have!"
She fired the arrows again to double the amount, so a total of sixteen arrows were being exchanged on the battlefield.
In response, the Attacker's eyes opened wide.
"Looks like I'll need to switch modes."
He changed how he held the sword. He tightened the grip on Kōgetsu while making sure his fingers were in the right place.
That grip poured great strength into the sword. It was not suited for long use, but it was perfect for a short and quick battle.
His swinging motions grew a bit forceful and included more movements.
However...
"How is this even possible!?"
The Attacker did not bother replying. He merely swung his sword in the air with lines appearing after the swings before vanishing. He did not even look at Shingai. His gaze was entirely focused on the path of the arrows and his own swings. Shingai then saw something in the Attacker's eyes that watched the number of swings grown in his strengthened swings that now hit every arrow back with more accuracy than before.
"..."
He was smiling.
Shingai knew that look.
...Some fighters get it sometimes!
She felt more frustration than danger and she knew exactly why.
...You idiot!
She wanted the Attacker to look at her, but another thought ruled her mind.
...I will not lose!
Just as the Attacker was more focused on swinging the sword than intercepting the attacks, Shingai also had to grow serious. And there was something that would give her a smile as she did so: being with children.
...I cannot say that this is not entertaining.
But just like Cody and the others, she was intent on capturing Tsukiko Yuki no matter what. After all...
...He will simply bring trouble.
.
As Cody moved back a bit and lifted his blade to pour down more weight, he looked away from Suzume who seemed unable to move and he turned to Shingai.
...Don't lose. Don't lose, Shingai. We need to win to make sure things don't fall apart.
There were multiple reasons why the two of them has to continue on.
However…
"Kido!"
He understood. He usually understood nothing that came from her, but this was one thing he did understand.
Don't lose.
Don't lose, me. Don't lose, Shingai.
And to do that...
"I can't lose."
.
"How sublime!"
The agents in reserve heard a strange girl speak. The bending of her clothes and the indentation in the ground showed just how much weight was bearing down on her, but she remained perfectly calm.
"It seems everyone is saying they 'have to lose' because of the rumors about Yuki-san and it was growing tedious. Saying you can always make it an accidental loss is just another side of being a loser."
"How selfish can you be?" asked someone.
"It's not like anyone has a choice," said someone else.
However, the strange girl continued.
"I like women who refuse to lose."
She took a slow step forward.
"I also like men who refuse to lose."
She took a second step and then a calm third step.
"And since I refuse to lose, I am the most sublime of them all."
There was no slowing to her movements. Everyone wondered why because she supposedly had a massive amount of weight on her shoulders. The S-Rank agent also held his blade high into the air.
"A flower honestly cannot be beaten," said the girl. "No matter how harsh the location and no matter how much snow and dirt pile on top of it, come spring, its stalk will extend and it will bloom toward the sun. And a flower will enjoy itself even if there is no one around to see it. Also, it may wither in the fall, but it will honestly bloom again in the spring. There is no loss there. It is constant cycle of victory."
Therefore...
"Even under a great weight, a flower will not lose. It will rise above it and achieve victory all for its love of itself. That is what people mean when they say a flower is 'blooming with pride'. And my garden is full of them."
In that instant, a change occurred in the air.
After Cody lifted the blade even further up, it suddenly dropped.
.
Cody noticed something happen each time the flashy girl took a step.
...It gets heavier!?
Murasame got heavier. It became obvious at around the third step. Each further step she took worked toward releasing Cody's power.
...Why?
He did not understand. It was normal to not understand certain things, but when he had been using this Black Trigger for so long, it made no sense that his ability could be canceled out by only a single Trigger from a girl who probably barely got it. His father had even praised it and said seeing it put him in a good mood.
Nevertheless, it was being removed. He wondered why and felt it was unfair.
This girl was the one who had danced at a park, so he had placed the weight on her to keep her from dancing. The weight would crush her and prevent her from making dance steps or lightly spinning around. The tension in the girl's skirt was proof of that.
So how was she able to walk and release Cody's power?
"You're a pretty good example of a boy, so I'll tell you what's going on," said the flashy girl as she brushed a hand through her bangs. "Spinning and waving your arms are not the only ways to dance. Do you get what I mean?"
Cody then realized he was hearing a noise.
"Footsteps."
"Right. Well done. I see you're the type to notice the small things that fools overlook. Yes. Right. Producing footsteps, clapping your hands, and speaking out all honestly go back to the rhythm of a drum and the origins of dance. And..."
Cody listened to the footsteps of the approaching girl. They sounded almost like...
"The rhythm of your pulse. The origin of those rhythmic footsteps, clapping, and shouting is honestly the most primitive rhythm. That rhythm is the wave-like music we all learn in our mothers' womb. That is honestly the basis from which music and dance were created. Did you know that both song and dance are said to delight the harvest? They are said to be an act of life."
The strange girl laughed and then gave a bitter smile.
"But that's enough for the lecture. It just doesn't suit me. Even if this knowledge is what's letting me use this Trigger."
Cody wanted to hear more, but he had a feeling the girl would not tell him the rest. He wondered if his father would tell him.
However, his stance was currently dropping.
He decided to strengthen his power. He focused himself and imagined the amount of gravity he could use. Going overboard would destroy the actual gravity of the area, so he really had to focus. But not focus too much. He imagined how this would end, how the fight would continue. However, his imagination brought a change over him.
...It makes everything race.
"This dance is inside you as well. Even with trion bodies, we replicate these kinds of things to honestly remain truly human."
Murasame lowered and continued to lower.
...No. If it continues to fall, others may be sad. I'll lose.
But...
...I'm dancing too?
"Yes. Commander Kido, that boob woman, and everyone else are the same, so no one wins and no one loses. Just bring a hand to your chest and take a step."
The footsteps synced up.
This racing inside of him was what happened when he was having fun.
If it also happened to his father and everyone else, even if Cody could not do anything, he and the others were all doing the same thing when they were having fun.
"We're all dancing?"
"Heh heh heh. An entertainer needs to be able to make people dance as she wishes."
The next thing he knew, even he had a smiling face of his own.
Oh, no, he thought. But he also thought he had been taught something important. He truly was an idiot. His mind was in complete disarray and he could not make sense of anything.
However, he knew he could not let himself lose, so he tried to stay true to that.
"Sorry."
He did not know who he was apologizing to as he tried to add on even more weight. At the same time, he wondered if the excited beating inside of him would vanish if he crushed the flashy girl.
"...!"
.
"Going all out even against someone weak to long-range. I can respect that attitude!"
Shingai heard the Attacker speak, but she continued nonetheless.
"More!"
She fired her arrows twice for a total number of arrows four times the initial number.
However, the Attacker smiled.
"Here it comes! This is trouble! The #4 Attacker of Border in trouble! What's this!? Is he bringing this to a dead heat just before the deadline!? Is this the same as figuring out you can win only after losing from an OTK that could have been stopped!?"
…When did you become an idiot!?
The Attacker's brain was experiencing the same high as one did late at night. With no concern for his reputation, he began rapidly saying memories with a serious expression as he continued his work. Meanwhile, Shingai prepared the next rally.
She removed the Bagworm from her body.
The power to fire off multiple trion arrows was her ability now. She had gained it through the assistance of her teammate.
It was technically not a Border Trigger and there were still some issue with it. She had gained the firing ability that rivaled a Meteora shot with only a single arrow.
She would focus completely on attack and nothing else.
Her enemy was using his full speed to desperately hit back the thirty-two arrows.
"...!"
But this was likely his limit. After all, swinging a sword was not the same as striking with a snap of the wrist. That was why his swings became more wide instead of targeting. It was to prevent them from having the chance of missing even a single arrow.
Meanwhile, Shingai fired with everything she had. And...
"There!"
She targeted the Attacker's left side. The boy was right-handed, so he would have more difficulty hitting them back from there.
He could always evade them, but...
"I fired one last time."
She had fired the arrows for the fifth time. She had sent the instruction at the very last moment while removing the possibility of missing. It had been a gamble whether it would reach the boy or not, but it seemed to have succeeded.
With a sound much like bursting springs, eight additional arrows were fired. These eight would arrive shortly after the thirty-two that were already difficult to return. Something would clearly be wrong if none of these hit.
And so they would hit.
But just before they did, Shingai saw something move in front of her.
"That Trigger!?"
The Attacker had moved his left arm forward after one final swing with his right, showing a very different Trigger.
...Raygust!?
In that case, he had not been swinging the sword to fire back all this time. It was all meant to move the larger Trigger at the right moment and merely looked like something else.
"You mean you were prepared!?"
The Attacker gave a shout in response while slamming Raygust's Shield Mode to the ground and breaking the cement.
"Starlight!"
.
A moment later, a something resembling shining stars expanded before Shingai's eyes. It was the prototype Trigger that had been created by a girl he knew. It was the Trigger he had been using with Kōgetsu to push back each arrow.
...He must be really glad it works with Kōgetsu and Raygust.
It was a repelling defensive Trigger.
Before Shingai could think anything more, the solid sound of the arrows being repelled rang out like an instrument. The Attacker gave a selfish pose of triumph toward the heavens and collapsed backwards.
"No more!"
Shingai understood what that word meant: her opponent had done everything he could do.
That meant it was Shingai's turn.
"...!"
She held the bow with a new arrow toward the total of forty arrows. She believed she could return them, so she clenched her teeth and faced the approaching wall of arrows.
"Kh!"
In the present, she faced the wall before her.
"Me too!"
She decided that she would do this.
.
Two actions filled the next instant.
One was Shingai's empty bow moving through empty air.
The other was the approaching arrows being struck forcefully from above and stabbing into the ground. There was only one reason why the arrows would fall so suddenly.
"Kido!?"
Cody had placed the weight on the arrows rather than his enemy.
That could mean only one thing: he was no longer specifying a single target for his gravity.
...He has lost!?
Shingai turned around and saw Cody sitting on the ground where he was fighting. A normal fight would have ended with someone having to Bail Out, but the situation was different for the two who used Black Triggers.
However, the crazy girl stood in front of Cody.
"Heh heh heh. I may miss out on helping Yuki-san, but at least I helped out our honestly great Kō-san."
What exactly happened between them? thought Shingai. That strange girl's Trigger should have no way of countering, only defending.
She saw enemies and allies.
She needed to form an official confrontation using that arrangement.
"We have done what we were meant to do, but I suppose it ended in a no contest due to intervention."
"Heh heh heh. So you're honestly going to get out of it with that excuse?"
"I will take you on any time. As long as there is a reason worth risking our pride for."
Shingai turned towards the direction Yuki had ran off too.
"Now, perhaps the others while bring an end to this."
Yuki ran.
About one hundred meters down the road and to the right, he could see the base of Border.
He was on his way to the northwestern area where he knew the second imposter would be, but he could not see the top of the buildings from his current position.
He let out a heavy breath as he wished for it to be closer.
He continued on. It was just one more road. Just one hundred more meters. Once he crossed the buildings, he would have arrived.
And so he ran.
But a group of agents were guarding the area in front of the base.
They did not move toward him. That was only natural as they were fortifying that one position, but Yuki remembered that this was the spot where he knew someone was at.
And so...
"There!"
He simultaneously fired five shots into the shadow created by some eaves up ahead.
In that instant, the shadow rose.
"..."
It took on human form and performed a swift slash.
It was Kagerei Ketsueki.
...Even this guy!
As he stood up, he had already struck with a long trident. He did not name himself or take a defensive stance. He merely attacked.
It was a falling iai attack from the right shoulder yet performed with only the left arm.
There were no gaps in it and yet it had speed.
…He's fast!
A horizontal strike targeting the waist cut quickly through the air and yet it seemed to linger. Even if Yuki tried to flee to the side, an attack from a second blade on the left would reach him. Even if he fled under the eaves to the right, the long trident would likely cut through the columns holding up the roof.
...In that case...
.
Yuki made the correct decision.
He accelerated and lowered down to slip beneath the long trident.
A shadow was falling on the road. It was cast by the trident's shaft and the area below that straight line was a safe zone, so he charged just below it and spun to match the sweeping motion of the trident.
The movement would bring him behind Ketsueki's back.
However, he saw the man let go of the long shaft.
"...!?"
The trident's shaft struck the front of the house under the arcade and began to roll, but Ketsueki used the lack of that excess weight to spin around even faster.
The movement would bring him in front of Yuki to block the boy's way.
He spread his legs and extended his left arm to tell Yuki to stop.
At the same time, his right arm made two movements. First, a snap of his right hand tossed a Scorpion blade from his left side and down his left sleeve.
Second, he created a different Scorpion blade with his right hand.
"...!"
As the twin attack arrived, Yuki gave a shout. His heart decided on the right and he swung his body in that direction.
"Kazuki!"
"Don't call me by name!"
Something burst from the back of his body like a bullet.
It was the boy named Ōji Kazuaki.
.
The squad captain charged towards the right of Ketsueki who was in the process of swinging down his blades.
The man spread out his body a bit but did not stop himself.
"We are going to have a long talk after all of this, got it!?"
He collided with Ketsueki's body as if embracing it.
"Go, idiot! Go and get the imposter! We will take over everything you leave here!"
Ketsueki may be an A-Rank agent, but he was still a single person. In that case, he would have to deal with the body that was now attached to him. His speed meant nothing when he was held still by someone.
"That's enough to throw off his senses!"
Ketsueki did indeed hesitate slightly. Ōji had captured the spear user and he briefly moved to tear Ōji away with his right hand. However, Ōji moved back before an attack hit.
The two of them were only a foot away.
Realizing he could make it through, Yuki accelerated. He seemed to throw his body forward as he raised his speed.
However, Ketsueki took action in return. He used the motion of the hips he had lowered in his confusion.
"...!"
And he performed a large and quick back step.
He fell back a good bit in order to retry his attempt to capture Yuki. He also spread his legs with a twisting motion to throw a solid iai strike in the instant he landed.
However, Yuki fearlessly charged on.
...This is the action I wanted!
He continued forward, but he did so by throwing his legs forward, falling to his butt, and sliding.
"Here I go!"
He slipped through the legs Ketsueki had spread to support his attack.
.
It only took an instant.
Ketsueki had not even launched his iai strike.
There was a simple reason why Yuki managed to pass by so quickly. Even if Ketsueki was well off in iai, his balance would be tilted a bit toward his back after a jump backwards. Even if he tried to land in a forward stance and launch an iai strike, his stance would rise up a bit in the front.
As a result, his legs were spread a little more and his body raised a little more than with a standard iai strike.
That was why Yuki was able to slip through.
Showing an obvious intent to accelerate while Ketsueki's sight was impaired had been Yuki's way of luring the man into doing this.
And so he continued on.
Nevertheless, Ketsueki pursued him. The man swung his wrist as if to punch the boy slipping beneath him and he tried to forcibly bring his sword directly down.
In response, Yuki reached out a hand while sliding. He reached toward the but of the blade Ketsueki was swinging down, placed his hand on the blade, and forcibly tugged it over his head.
"!?"
This pulled Ketsueki's balance forward, but he let go of the trident before he fell.
However, Yuki used the downward-swinging motion of Ketsueki's arm to accelerate his slide.
"...!"
He passed through.
He left the A-Rank warrior behind him and began running as he rose to his feet.
The All-Rounder tilted his body forward and accelerated all at once.
However, someone turned around behind him.
He knew the man would pursue him. After all, this enemy had experienced the collapse of his own life, so he would do whatever it took to stop an enemy attempting to do something against his current life.
For that reason, Yuki began his run by swinging both arms to throw his jacket behind him.
He only had to rob the man of his vision. He only had to slightly obstruct the movement of the small swords.
He heard the sound of tearing cloth behind him, but he did not look back.
He felt something strike his back from the top left to the bottom right, but he paid it no heed.
He had received a wound on his back, but he could tell one thing from the sensation.
...This one is not deep!
This was only a trion body. As long as that was true then he could continue on.
"...!"
The All-Rounder quickly raised his speed.
With one final spurt, he gave a shout to the one who had just helped him.
"I'll tell you what's going on later! My friend!"
.
"That idiot is back to his old ways, it seems."
Ōji shook his head with a sigh as Ketsueki nodded to him and left.
There was no reason for go after him when he knew that Ketsueki would only be going back to where he had been.
No one of his skill level would run the risk of trying to catch that fox after having failed once already. So Ōji had let him go.
HD: "Good job out there."
"I suppose so," he said bitterly.
Looking over to the outer city he smiled at the light she could see from here.
"Is Kurauchi done with his talk with SenSen?"
HD: "He is. Now they want to know where you are."
He gave a slight laugh at this.
Those terrible people likely wanted more fodder for their jokes.
So...
"I should be getting back. And what about you? Are you enjoying the festival?"
HD: "Of course I am. Fujimaru and Tsukimi are enjoying watching the boys making fools of themselves while I helped you here."
It was a bit bad of him to ask this of her, but she didn't seem to mind so he let it go.
With another sigh, he began to walk away.
The night was barely beginning and yet so many things had been accomplished.
With a new sense of want, he decided to go join those terrible people.
"Looks like I should enjoy the festival before I have to deal with an idiot."