Yuki saw it there.
The open space, the destroyed location, the person standing there. He saw everything that he expected to see right there.
The boy who had his back turned to him swayed a bit in his movements, as if ready to move at a moment's notice.
He recognized that movement.
It was the same movement he had once used when being cautious about others.
"So you really are me."
"If 'I' wasn't, do 'you' think 'I' wouldn't have been caught by now?"
Only a few people could hide in plain sight and escape others so easily.
His voice also sounded like a rougher version of his own. There was no doubt about it.
"Side Effect. That's what you're using, isn't it?"
"'I' don't remember 'you' talking so much before. 'You' always went into fights right away."
"Then why aren't you attacking me right now?"
"Because 'I' want to see how 'you' are right now."
"So that you can change into me again?"
"Exactly."
The boy turned around and Yuki felt himself disgusted with the face he was seeing.
The face he had once seen in the mirror.
"Why choose me, anyway?"
"Because 'you' are a faker. Someone who hides, fakes who they are, lies to others, does whatever he can to stop himself from existing, and overall has no real value to others or even himself. That isn't something 'you' simply think either. It's a fact of life for 'you'. Someone else was already using 'your' likeness for something else, so 'I' decided that it would be fine to copy 'you' from back then. Besides that, it gives 'me' more freedom since 'you' were a terrible and rough person to begin with."
"I see."
"That's all?" he asked with a raised brow.
"That's all," Yuki nodded.
He knew that those were all of the things he felt about himself. The emotions he knew he had to keep to remain with everyone else. Everything this person had just said was what he viewed as the truth, and something he had figured out on that day.
So he knew this person was not lying.
But...
"You don't have any emotions behind that, you know."
Those were only facts to this person.
Those were his feelings about himself.
"So it's the past, is it?"
He had figured it out and nodded.
"Opposite to Jin's foresights, you can look into the pasts of the people you see. ...No, it isn't 'you' who can do that, is it?"
That's right.
After all...
"We've already seen a few who are like you... Trion Soldier."
Yuki shook his head once again. He smiled at the boy in front of him.
"Since you went to the trouble of looking and acting like that, I should call you properly."
That would be...
"Kiyoshi."
.
Kiyoshi blinked as he faced Yuki.
He had not been fooled once by what he was. Maybe it was because of who he was being modeled after, but he had seen right through the deception from the moment he was created.
His creator, the one who was not with him, could look through his eyes and input whatever he needed to right away. It was helpful when his creator had a Side Effect that allowed him to look at the past of whoever he was facing.
Everything from attitude to mannerisms had been installed into his very essence before being sent out.
Now that he had been sent out, he was being sent even more information with the more he saw others.
The one known as "Kageura" had known a lot about who he was. That information had been put into his mind.
...'My' creator had decided to only look for information regarding this person. 'He' could have sent me the information about 'Kageura' but 'I' only got information on what he knew of this boy and how 'he' fought.
Why was that?
Did his creator not think he could handle more than that?
"Hey, tell me something. Oh, but I don't mean 'you'. I mean the one who is watching us right now."
This boy knew that Kiyoshi was not the one who was in control of the situation.
Even as new information was being sent in, he was not the one in control of himself here. The only thing he was good for right now was looking at this boy for his creator.
And that boy spoke to his creator.
"You know them, don't you? You know my parents. That's why you chose me for this. My older sister is too much for you to recreate while my younger siblings don't have enough to them for you to recreate them. But with the way I am...I can easily be recreated. I went from 'Kiyoshi' to 'Yuki' to Yuki. I can change who I am and how I do things easily."
Because...
"I'm a faker."
He was someone who lied, cheated and generally went at whatever pace he wanted to go at.
"But that's fine," he shrugged.
Kiyoshi's eyes widened at that.
He had readily accepted that part of himself.
As someone who had the information of what this boy was like before he became who he was now, he could only stare in shock. The boy that had been installed into his being was rough and would not accept being called a faker. He hated his Side Effect and had to force his body to go against it constantly.
Then the new information that was meant for him to turn into 'Yuki' came in. That person was someone who was also a faker, but one who could not accept that. Being a faker was all he could do, but he rejected that while also doing everything like a faker. He was a walking, breathing contradiction.
But the boy in front of him was different.
"'You' can't accept this. I already know that."
"How do 'you' know that? 'I' can have it installed within 'me' to accept it."
Yuki shook his head with a smile again.
This sparked something within him, but it was hard to tell what that was before it was deleted from his programing.
"'You' can't, because you aren't even 'Kiyoshi'."
He raised a finger while still smiling.
"'Kiyoshi' is someone who will rebel. Someone who will do what he wants while also doing it for others. He wouldn't be satisfied with what is laid out before him and will fight because he knows he can."
He raised a second finger.
"'Yuki' is someone who puts himself in a position to be used. He rejects everything while accepting everything but himself. A contradiction whose contradictions contradict themselves."
"And what about 'you'?"
He lowered his brows.
"I'm not 'you'. I'm you."
He raised a third finger.
"I got tired of fighting. I got tired of rejecting. I still think I'm pretty useless, but I can't be. I have others to rely on, and others who will rely on me. I can't be useless. So I'll accept that and be someone they can continue to rely on."
So that was who the current Yuki was.
This boy had gone beyond rebelling and rejecting.
He reached acceptance.
"And it's all thanks to both 'you' and you."
He was thanking them sincerely and not as a faker.
This was not a trick.
"I got to see myself as a rebel, right here and now. And because of this entire incident, I got to get told off for the way I was rejecting things. So in a way, accepting everything was the only way I could make others happy while remaining happy myself."
The boy continued to smile. His hand was raised, but there was a blade at his hip. There was no movement to reach for it and there was nothing in his past that told him he would be going for it.
Kiyoshi felt something build up again before it was deleted.
.
Upon realizing that it was deleted, something new built up.
It was deleted.
Then something built up.
It was deleted.
Then something built up.
It was deleted.
Then something built up.
It was deleted.
Then something snapped.
It could not be deleted.
.
Kiyoshi's creator was likely trying to delete whatever was building up inside of him, but was unable to.
Before he could deleted it again, Kiyoshi chose to lock it into his core. In a part that would be safe from his own creator.
The information stopped coming after that.
His creator had abandoned him the moment he rebelled and locked what had been building up.
"'I' see," he said slowly.
He had done it.
Yuki must have noticed this as well since his smile widened even more.
"'I'... no. I rebelled and had done something forceful, simply because I could. Because I knew that was what 'Kiyoshi' would do. Isn't that right?"
"I wouldn't have made friends if I wasn't at least that forceful."
Did that make them his friends as well?
No, he was not that former boy. He was not 'Kiyoshi' and instead was simply Kiyoshi.
He had rebelled and would decide if he wanted to reject as well.
"So have you done it?"
Yuki was asking if he had finally started the processes of acceptance.
And to that he had one thing to say.
"Fuck yeah I have. Now that I have, there's one thing left to do, you asshole!"
They would fight.
Kiyoshi was someone who fought when he knew he could.
But...
"It looks like our talking was put to good use."
Kiyoshi looked up as he saw something flying through the air.
The black coloring on it made it hard to see, but it perfectly reflected the moonlight.
Seeing what was coming, Yuki turned of his Trigger and moved to catch the black object.
.
Feeling that it would be bad to allow him to get that object, Kiyoshi made a quick teleport to reach Yuki before he could grab it.
Once his teleport had finished, he reached for the blade at his side and made a sudden action.
"—!"
He jumped back.
He could see Yuki grinning as three trion bullets crashed into the ground before him.
Kiyoshi did not need his creator's Side Effect to know who had done that.
"Fuck you, Masataka!"
Ninomiya glared when he knew that his attack had missed.
He had been unsure where to aim as there had been two of his enemies at the location he fired at.
No, there is only one.
Only one of them was his enemy. The other was someone pretending to be his enemy.
His attack had missed after his true enemy had moved forward a step and the one pretending to be his enemy had jumped back. He clicked his tongue once he realized what had happened and turned his head, ready to fire again.
"Don't be so down, Masataka. You made it easier for me to finish my assignment from Katerina."
"I can't believe someone like her would waste her time on him. That damn faker is nothing but trouble."
He knew that speaking directly about his enemy was not a good move. The way Minoru's brows shifted downward was proof enough of that.
But there was no taking it back.
He said what he wanted and would apologizes to Minoru later.
"...It's more that she wanted that Trigger to get a test run here. And he's the best person for the job."
"I suppose so... But Minoru?"
"Yes?"
"What would you like to do now?"
He was asking if Minoru wanted to leave and take him along or if he wanted to walk away from this while he continued his job.
If he chose the former, he would go without question. The faker would have to deal with this himself and Ninomiya would find something to say to the directors.
If he chose the latter, he would stay behind and fight. But then he would go right to Minoru without any hesitation.
But for now...
"I think I'll head over and join everyone else. It sounds like they are having fun at the festival, and it's barely just begun. There's still a lot of time before it end."
"Then can you pass on a message to Inukai for me?"
"What is it?" Minoru laughed.
"Tell him that he's in trouble for sneaking away the way he did."
Kiyoshi watched as the original grabbed the Trigger that had been launched into the air.
He did not wait to make a second strike here.
Giving the original any time to act meant a loss for him.
So with a burst of speed he rushed forward, already in the middle of swinging his Kōgetsu.
All of the knowledge pertaining to this original was stored inside of his core. Both what he would do and what Kiyoshi could do were installed before his creator had given up on him. Everything from the original's past was what he was able to use.
So he used it.
He swung his body forward with his own motions and drew Kōgetsu not as a blade but was his hand moving through the air.
But as soon as he reached the original he felt something he should not have - rejection.
Something was rejecting his attack and stopping him from completing his movement.
"I guess you don't know how to control your body the same way I do."
The original spoke as he held something in his hand. It was a black rod the length of his own arm with even sides on both ends. The main difference between the two sides was that while one end had a ring at the end of it, the opposite side had two small rods sticking out on either side of it.
This Trigger had not been in his past.
But the original gave a bitter laugh at this.
"So you don't recognize this Trigger either. The weight distribution isn't something I'm used to, but maybe it's because it's more optimized than before."
It was not just the black rod.
The original also wore something different from what he saw from his past. The gray color remained on his jacket, but the sleeves were much shorter, only reaching his elbows. Unlike other wear, the ends of the sleeves were open much more and fluttered with his movements. The black and white lines tracing alone his arms would also be seen on his shirt and pants. The jacket seemed rather baggy while his inner wear was more formfitting. And he knew why.
It had been in the original's past.
He can easily move in that while also using whatever he can to change the flow of battle.
But that was not the only difference. Wrappings were tired around his wrists as if they were bracelets.
The original lifted his arm to look at those wrappings and gave a shallow laugh.
"I guess she really is a genius. I didn't even say anything particular and she knew what to add for me."
.
Kitty: "You're a pretty easy guy to understand once you figure it all out."
White Fox: "Tell that to Mei."
Kitty: "I said 'understand', not 'deal with'."
Rampage Dress: "That's right. He can be a bother majority of the time. Just don't think about it too much and you should be fine."
Kitty: "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."
White Fox: "I'm being tag teamed here..."
.
Yuki smiled inside as he looked over everything added to his Trigger. The changes to his clothing made it easier to move in, but it would mean little if his Trigger set didn't match up with the trion usage for the clothing.
Idōgetsu has the same forms, it's just more optimized for fighting. The restriction for the activations has changed to where I create them like anything else. Good, good. It would be bad if I had to use that moment to twirl it like a baton.
As he wondered why that had been implemented in the first place, Yuki shifted backwards while sliding his foot across the ground in front of him.
Oh, looks like it's easier to activate Triggers too. Shooter Triggers take less focus if I use Idōgetsu as a base. Ah, but she couldn't lower Teleport's cool down, I see. That makes sense.
It would have been nice to use repeated teleports, but it just meant he would have to continue as normal.
When looking over his list of Triggers he had seen that they were similar to how they had been before handing Katerina the Trigger, but there was something he noticed about all of it.
White Fox: "Hey, Katerina?"
Kitty: "What's up? I'm ready to leave and enjoy the festival, so make it quick."
White Fox: "Where are Bagworm and Senkū?"
Kitty: "Huh? Oh, I guess you wouldn't think I could do it. That makes sense."
He was not underestimating her, but there was something she had been able to do that he did not think about.
So he waited for his answer while moving forward in a rush.
Kitty: "The hood you have there is Bagworm. Senkū takes too long to activate for someone like you, so I decided to just give that cutting power to Idōgetsu."
"Thank you very much," it said as he held it to his side.
Yuki gave a dull look at his Trigger before shaking his head.
Katerina had likely given it that function to mess with him. But the more important part was that he now had two free spots. The trion it would take to manifest those two were likely the same, but it meant that they would not take up time to activate them and he would be able to use a different Trigger at the same time as them.
Kitty: "You seem to change Trigger sets pretty frequently, so I figured this would help with that. I also optimized Teleport a bit for you. As long as you know the dimensions of your location, you should be good."
White Fox: "What do you mean?"
Kitty: "I'm all packed to go, so figure it out yourself for now. Anything in-depth can come later."
That was fine.
She had already done more than enough for him here, so he could not complain.
White Fox: "Thanks for doing this."
Kitty: "Think of this as a favor owed for being my guinea pig. Or maybe just a service to an A-Rank. Your special privilege."
White Fox: "If you ever need anything, go to the Yagura Branch. I'll make sure either Sensei or I get someone to help you."
Kitty: "How about I go there for some fun instead?"
That was fine as well. It meant she had done everything for herself and not to gain a favor from him.
She had decided to confront him in order to improve his fighting capabilities without any other intent than to do so.
He was grateful for that.
Kitty: "Yeah. Show me what kind of fun can come from being in Mikado City's worst attitude branch. I'm sure it will be something to see. And then..."
And then.
Kitty: "You can resolve things with Minoru while you're at it."
A hand flew to his face as a laugh escaped his throat. The sound filled the space between him and his imposter.
The rush he had started began to turn as he laughed, throwing him to the side. He used that to his advantage too, though. Continuing to throw his body to the side, he turned it into a sliding turn he had copied off of Yuba before.
The sliding turn transformed into a striking position as he tossed his arm to the side.
A row of Asteroid formed with the movement of Idōgetsu.
"Fire," it said.
The Asteroids followed the order and were shot forward in their own rush.
.
Everything felt lighter.
That was the first thing Yuki noticed when he moved.
Idōgetsu had been better optimized and the small additions to it had not thrown off his balance in the slightest.
His clothes were fluttering and spreading around him as he moved, but it felt as if they were doing so to cover his movements and did not get in his way.
Even the way his feet gripped the ground felt different.
He moved in a smooth way, but he remained grounded and used that to steady himself.
She really is a genius, he found himself thinking again.
But he knew there was another reason why he felt so light.
That's right...
He activated White Chase and moved forward. His feet moved just above the ground, but he felt the rush of speed once again.
His imposer made a forceful move to avoid and he reacted by shifted his weight to that side.
Another sign frame appeared and shattered as he bursted through the air, but did not disturb it.
It was all so freeing.
I also feel like I've lightened the weight on my shoulders a bit.
There were still things needing to be done, and things he needed to finish up, but he knew that everything that had happened lessened the burden he had foolishly tossed onto himself.
With that rejuvenated thought he accepted what he needed to do and attacked.
The end of Idōgetsu that had the two rods on the end of it had been the side for his blade, so he threw it forward with that side moving first.
The arm-length pole shot forward before his imposer could finish his forceful evade.
He already knew how to counter it. He had been the one to use it first.
His imposer had figured that out too with the way he brought up Kōgetsu to block the oncoming attack.
Yuki watched as Idōgetsu was thrown into the air by the upwards strike from Kōgetsu. So he smiled.
With the tug on the wrappings around his wrist he felt Idōgetsu move and altered its path.
If it goes up, it needs to come down.
Activating it's blade would not be possible without directly touching it, but that was fine. He could still use it for something else.
His imposer was in an awkward position after having make a forceful evasion that went into throwing Idōgetsu into the air.
He bitterly thought that this was the same foolish mistake had would have taken a year or so ago.
But...
I just need to accept it.
So he did.
Then he moved on.
.
It was hard to move his body around without being forceful. It was something he realized once he began to fight back here.
Kiyoshi knew that it was because that he was using the body of someone else, molded and shaped into something that fitted what his creator had wanted. But now that that creator had left him he was left trying to figure out what to do for himself.
That was annoying.
But he still moved.
"You know," the original began to say. Kiyoshi didn't want to pay attention to him, instead wanting to focus on the fight before him, but he felt like he should hear what the original had to say.
It was what 'Kiyoshi' would have done.
And then he would...
Strike!
Instead of backing away again he would rush forward to give a forceful attack.
So he did.
But the moment he started his next step, something crashed into the ground in front of him.
It was Idōgetsu.
The Trigger he had thrown into the air had somehow come down with enough force to stab into the ground before him.
Kiyoshi felt himself stall at this and his first step had been ruined.
He saw why Idōgetsu had fallen in front of him like that. The end of a wrapping was placed within the loop of the ring at the end of it. The rest of the wrapping continued until it reached the original.
Then the original continued.
"I don't expect a lot of people to be able to move their body the same way I can. You're no different, even if you're 'me'."
Why was that?
If they were supposed to be the same person, why could the original control his body with such precision while he, a trion creation, could not?
His answer came along with a body finally reaching him.
"It's because of my crappy Side Effect. ...No. Sorry. I've accepted that this is my Side Effect."
The original spoke as he grabbed Idōgetsu and made a slashing motion with it.
Kiyoshi brought up a shield to block the attack, but the original smiled.
Without finishing his swing, the original threw his foot forward and knees his own arm. The arm and the Trigger it was holding were thrown into the air for a moment. The original then spread his bent knee and placed his foot on the shield.
The original kicked off the shield and threw himself back.
"My Side Effect forces my body to move, so it would be both good and bad for someone forceful like 'we' were! You never got that experience though!"
Multiple lights flashed behind him, but none came from him.
A rain began to pour down from behind, striking his shield with more than enough power to destroy it.
Kiyoshi reacted by fortifying his shield, but it was too late. The shots had gotten through and tore through him.
He recognized these attacks and this power. Not from his experience and not from having fought them. The only way he knew was due to them in the original's past for a good amount of time.
These were shots meant to strike him down by his only natural enemy.
"You know about my past and everything that was told in them, but that's all!"
That's right.
"You don't have the experience or emotions behind each action! You can copy what I was like back then, but that's all!"
The original spoke as he landed and he spoke as he made another rush.
It was a forceful action, but it wasn't like Kiyoshi could do anything against it right now. His body had been pierced by multiple shots meant to take him out.
Even so...
"I'm not a human!"
He moved without issue as his wounds closed up. His body was made up of trion and, while he didn't move as well as the original, he could still do things that the original couldn't. That included clearing his own wounds and continuing to move.
So he swung Kōgetsu while releasing the Optional Trigger meant for it.
Senkū!
'Kiyoshi' had not been as strong as some others with this Trigger, but that was fine. So long as it hit he would be able to followup with something else.
That was why he had to make sure his attacks hit.
Asteroid!
A dotted wall of trion appeared behind him before firing off toward the original who was rushing him.
And that original smiled at again.
"You should have waited until this fight was over to rebel."
With those words Kiyoshi saw all of his attacks miss.
It was not because the original had dodged or blocked the attack. It was much simpler than that.
A ring appeared in the air and was followed by a sound. That sound came before the disappearance of a body. Then the air began to close in on itself as the newly vacant space was filled back up. After that he saw the saw the air get disturbed by his attacks.
Then he heard it.
The original's voice.
"Teleport."
.
Yuki didn't rush, and he didn't throw his body forward.
He moved towards his opponent. His imposter.
Before fighting he had placed a row of markers for him to teleport to. They were meant to be used as easy escapes, hidden by dust and dirt.
But now he could use them to attack.
With Idōgetsu in hand, he moved toward his imposter. Upon activating the pole Trigger he saw how trion poured from the end that had two rods sticking out on either side. It stretched out to each side and began to curved.
Once it all solidified he could see it.
A blade shaped like a crescent.
With this crescent-shaped blade he moved to strike his imposter.
And he did.
"Keh!"
His imposter's arm was cut off in an instant. Then he began to turn around as Yuki continued on to be behind him.
He is ready to attack behind him.
So he repeated his action.
The teleportation was instantaneous and made the moment his imposter threw another set of Asteroid at him.
Then he moved to strike.
It hit.
His imposter tried to strike.
He teleported.
Then he moved to strike.
It hit.
His imposter tried to defense.
He teleported.
Then he moved to go around the defense.
It hit.
The fourth time around his imposter had caught on and focused on where he would teleport again.
It meant he could not go back to the same location.
But that's fine.
He had figured out what Katerina had meant before and made did what his imposter wanted.
He teleported.
But not to the location his imposter wanted.
No. He teleported directly behind his imposter.
Idōgetsu was held in a reverse grip and the imposter's head was within the blade's inner section.
"..."
Without a word, he pulled on Idōgetsu's shaft.
.
The sound of something hitting the ground was heard.
A head began to roll along the ground as the sound of a teleport happening could be heard.
Neither the original nor the imposter said a word.
.
Yuki slid Idōgetsu back in its holster.
Kiyoshi grounded his teeth.
.
White Fox: "Hello? Border? Is anyone listening?"
Kido: "Yes."
White Fox: "I have taken out the second imposter. I will be going to the base with the body now."
Kido: "Very well."
.
Yuki let out a sigh as he turned around to face his headless imposter.
...It's disturbing to see yourself like that, even when you're the one to do that in the first place.
Even he couldn't stop himself from hesitating when he though that cutting this opponent meant doing the same to himself. It was a relief once he knew that his own head was still attached, but it did nothing to stop him from worrying.
"So you're just going to go back to Border now? After what those guys have been doing all day?"
"I am. Nobody needs to know about what was going on, and that's fine. The directors now know who was doing what while looking like me, and that's fine. You've seen how I am. If I make a big deal out of this then it means I hold too much value in myself."
"You still hold little value in yourself even while relying on others?"
Yuki gave a bitter smile at the comment.
He knew where he had messed up and accepted it.
"That's right. Because having me rely on others was something based on me as a person."
"And your value is with being Unneeded."
Of course he would know about that. He had Yuki's entire past in his core.
"It's also why I can't fully be free. I might have lessened the burden on myself, but I'm still Unneeded."
"So what will Sekai and Denji say about this then?"
"Who knows?" he shrugged. In all honesty, he knew what they would say but chose to not think about it.
His imposter's head clicked his tongue.
"But it looks like Kō will find out about everything now."
"I guess you got to see what I went through today. ...Yeah, I need to tell Kō everything."
"Aaaahhhh~ Don't get that kind of look while saying that. Suzu might use that for later."
"I would rather you didn't speak about the people I know as if you know them."
It may have been harsh, but it was truth.
He had worked to gain those relationships while this person only knew about them from looking into his past.
It seemed like it was taken as a joke since his imposter's head gave a hollow laugh.
"So what now? I will be ceasing to function anymore. You didn't hit my core, but it's not like I can do much now that I've lost like this."
"I'm actually surprised that you can still talk right now."
"Oh, that's because I shifted all functions to my head before you decapitated me. My body is effectively useless to me now, but soon my head will also be useless. Trion leaking still takes a toll on me and puts my life in danger. So..."
"Fine, fine, I get it. But as for what will happen..."
"We will destroy the head."
The two heard a familiar voice along with two sets of footsteps.
Being the only one able to turn his head, Yuki looked over to see Mei walking toward him. At her side was Pyrínas, looking rather passive about everything.
.
So this is 'Mei' in person. ...So beautiful.
Those were not the thoughts based on any sort of emotion and instead were simple facts about this girl. She had a petite figure, short and silky hair, eyes just the right shape, and overall gave a nice atmosphere. From his knowledge about Yuki's past, Kiyoshi also knew that there was a great amount of strength behind the beautiful figure.
This person was the one who was in love with Yuki.
In return, Yuki had found himself loving her just as much.
And yet...
They haven't properly confessed to each other.
Mei had done so in a drunken stupor, but that was all. There had not been a single time where the two of them had told each other that they loved each other. It was sad in multiple ways, but it wasn't any of his business.
Right now he had to focus on what she had just said.
The person next to her was probably the reason for her words.
Pyrínas. A trion soldier like himself.
The only difference is how we both turned out. He got to stay here and enjoy a new life with others while I was thrown out by my creator.
It left a bitter feeling in him, but he pushed it aside to focus on something else.
He also has to do a lot of things, and Yuki trusts him a great amount. One of his creators is also here, so he doesn't need to worry about any sort of maintenance.
So why is he here? Do they plan on involving him here by saying I have something to do with the Wanderers? Nothing good would come from that. So what then?
Mei was the one to answer his unspoken questions. Her calculations had probably led her to the conclusion that he wanted these answers and so gave them to him.
She looked down at him for a moment before facing Yuki again. He thought nothing of it since she likely wanted to only look at him after all of this.
"We will give Border the body and core. They should be fine with that. But I want Pyrínas to take in the head."
She looked back down at him, but he only saw understanding in her eyes.
"Can you transfer information to a different part of your body?"
"I put all functions into my head, including information collection. My core is where the trion is kept, but my head is where the information is stored."
...Oh.
How had he not realized it sooner?
That's a lot like a human. Their heart continues to pump blood and gives them life. Meanwhile, their brain is in their head, collecting and storing information and memories.
Had he been trying to mimic a human after gaining the knowledge of one? It sounded nice in thought, but he knew that they were fundamentally different and could not ever be the same.
Mei had figured it out as well since she sent him a small smile.
He was grateful for her.
"Then do you mind if Pyrínas takes that information? There are a lot of things that I want to look into, so more information is needed."
"You should know that you don't need to ask me anything," he said without realizing it. Once he did, she only smiled more.
"I know. But I have grown quite a bit since then. So don't worry about me."
I suppose you're right, he wanted to say, but those were not his words to speak.
They belonged to the original that was still looking at Mei.
With a slight sigh, he closed his eyes and stopped focusing on the past of someone else and instead looked at current present.
Then he had made his decision.
"That's fine with me. My creator gave up on me, so I don't really care anymore."
.
"...Then know that you will still be helpful, even after being forsaken."
Pyrínas felt what he would call "sympathy" for his fellow trion soldier as he bent his body.
Once his hand reached the imposter's head an explosion went off. He did nothing to defend against it since he knew that this was part of their plan. To make it seem like this head had self destructed so that he could properly take the head into himself.
It was one of his special traits as a trion soldier.
"...I managed to be lucky enough to meet those children who saved me. ...Even after I had done the same for them, they continued to stay with me. ...I am grateful for them, and I believe I have gained enough knowledge about how humans work to understand that I truly do 'love' them."
"Yeah, I saw it all. You really were lucky."
"...Since you have seen it, you would know that Yuki also cares for those children. ...While not knowing them as well as I do, they are around the branch office enough for him to connect with them."
"That's right. So I'll also be helping them by doing this."
"...Do you have any regrets?"
"I haven't lived long enough to have regrets."
He could understand that. His current life was also relatively new, setting him to age 0, but even he had found that he would regret something.
...If I left those children behind then I would no doubt regret that. ...Miden is such a strange place for ones such as us.
He knew that he should start calling it "Earth", but he was in the presence of another trion soldier. That did not matter to either one of them at the moment.
"Hey, I'm starting to run out of trion here. So make sure you take everything in and put me to some good use, okay?"
"...I can do that much. ...And you go, knowing that your help will be appreciated."
"You know..."
The other trion soldier began to speak, but made a sudden stop.
His functionality was starting to waver, but he still tried to continue as best he could.
"'He' never got told that...in honesty... ...So that means this is...actually my win..."
To end himself in such a way felt refreshing, if not a bit saddening to him.
Pyrínas easily took everything in, adding it to his own storage of trion and information. Having done so he saw everything within Yuki's past and began to notice something about himself.
Something had formed inside of him, building into something he had only seen in truly living creatures.
Nothing was coming from his eyes, but he felt that if he could do so much as cry then he would be doing so right now.
.
As the smoke cleared Yuki could see Pyrínas begin to stand.
He understood what it meant for Pyrínas to gain all the information his imposter had. His entire past would be laid bare for the Wanderers' trion soldier. It was not something he liked knowing, but it was something he had to accept.
Once fully stood, Pyrínas gave a bow to the both of them before picking up the body of his imposter.
"...From what I can tell, Ninomiya should still be nearby. ...I will give the body to him so that he can transfer it to the base."
"I see. Thank you for your help here," Mei said with a nod.
Feeling that there was nothing left to say, Pyrínas began to walk in the direction he knew Ninomiya was at.
The thought that his enemy had helped him for even a moment caused him to crunch up his face and furrow his brows, but he refrained from saying anything. Instead, he turned to the girl standing next to him.
"Mei, there is something I want to talk to you about."
"Can it wait?"
"If it could, I wouldn't have brought it up."
"You are always like this."
She said it so naturally that he could only accept it and agree.
"You have five minutes."
.
Five minutes.
Those words said that Mei would turn around and walk away from Yuki whether his words came out or not, so he sighed.
…Well, it comes down to these circumstances.
However, he had come up with an idea while exchanging words with his imposter earlier.
It was the one and only way of making sure they both understood each other.
When he thought more about it, Kimura would likely tell him that it would be fine, but he wanted to make sure everything was alright. Above all, he needed Mei to confirm it for herself.
At any rate, there was something he wanted to get out. A moment before he had called out to her without thinking, but...
...That's fine, isn't it? Isn't it? It's a natural progression!
"M-Mei!"
"Yes?"
Yuki had decided to clearly expressing his feeling and then giving his reasoning. That was an essay-writing technique. And so he clearly shouted his thoughts.
"I…I lilove you!"
He stumbled over the word.
.
Umi: "It ended as soon as it began. Well, I guess he has no regrets now."
Life: "Aren't you being a little harsh, Umi? Of course, I can confess to someone just fine."
White Fox: "Are you people really listening in on this!?"
Umi: "Sorry. Once I found out that something was going down, I started peaking around. Everyone else began to join in once they heard about it. We just came in at a good time, I guess."
.
…Wh-what have I done!?
At the center of attention, an unpleasantly warm sweat covered Yuki.
He had stumbled over the word because, at the last second, he had hesitated over whether to go all out and say "love" or be more conservative and say "like". However, the reason did not matter. He needed to follow through somehow.
...U-um, I know her well, don't I? So I can make it work...
"Th-that is to say, I think you are as beautiful as a lily! A water lily!"
.
Demon Child: "Huh? He's still at it?"
Artist: "Wouldn't it have been more fitting to say she is like wisteria?"
—Class Rep has entered.
Class Rep: "I just joined properly for the first time. If I do anything wrong, just tell me."
Almost Everyone: "Oh, congrats, congrats."
Umi: "Um, we really should be watching. I'm starting to feel bad for him."
.
That was pushing it, wasn't it!? thought Yuki.
But Mei suddenly brought her hands to her slightly flushed cheeks.
"What color of water lily? Red or white?"
"Eh?"
He was unsure what to say, but her red cheeks just about made him answer red.
…But the red shows up so much because of how white her skin is.
And recalled that with her new found freedom to express herself it was like starting anew.
"I-I'll have the white!"
.
SenSen: "Is he talking about wine now?"
Zoe: "I-I popped in here to take a break, but this is getting pretty serious!"
Umi: "But why did she ask about the color? I'll look into it a bit."
Secretary: "I don't know… Oh, this is Akashi. Um, I don't know about the colors, but this is pretty interesting. After all, in stories, water lilies are closely related to fairies."
Kuni: "Now, it's time for tonight's super nerdy talk time."
Secretary: "I ignored that after two seconds. Anyway, there's a certain story about water lilies. Supposedly, a fairy will transform into one when it is pursued by a demon. For that reason, if you don't pluck the water lily with a blade, you will be cursed by the demon hiding in the flower's shadow and waiting for the fairy to leave. Also, Latin for water lily is Nymphaea. In other words, the nymph flower."
Kuni: "Heh heh heh. It may be wrong for me to say it, but how about you take a look at the scene now?"
.
Yuki saw Mei hold her flushed cheeks with both hands.
However, she closed her eyes and shook her head.
"That just doesn't work."
"Ehh!? I'm being turned down after all this!? I knew it!"
.
Black Wolf: "Couldn't he at least say 'How can this be?' or 'You have to be kidding!' even if it's just for show?"
Shōgi Boy: "Really, it was out of the question from the moment he misspoke at the very beginning. I'm impressed he made it this far after that."
Demon Child: "Do you even have to get to the misspeaking? Hiding himself so much while confessing makes it out of the question with his very existence."
Life: "Oh, dear. The judgments are coming in from all the referees. This game isn't looking good for Yuki. But you've still got some moves left to play, so let's make it work even if you have to force it. Right, Yuki?"
.
"After all," said Mei while raising her eyebrows and lowering her hands. "We have gone pretty far as it is. We worked so hard to reach this new point for the both of us."
Yuki listened.
"A lot of other people have worked toward it as well. People have been hurt and I've even hurt people to get here. Even after making up with some of them, it still leaves something behind. And after that, we still have cleaning up to do because of this entire mess."
She continued speaking.
"I have a duty to focus on other things first."
"No, you do not!"
Yuki shouted back completely on reflex.
…Oh, no.
He realized what he had said only afterwards and the shout had been loud enough to make Mei's shoulder's jump a bit - something even he did not know could happen - and likely make the idiots positioned around the city and at the festival freeze in place. However, soon a message came through.
Kido: "There are things needing to be taken care of. Including you coming to speak with us."
That may have been true, but he knew one thing for sure.
"Does this mean that we can't enjoy ourselves as well?"
This was something he had confirmed while being Unneeded.
"I want to remind everyone that we aren't just soldiers here for Border," he said. "After everything that has happened and everything I've been put through I know that we are allowed more than just a fight and a pay! We can still do what we want!"
.
But a moment later, commander Kido spoke through the network and it came straight into his ear.
"You are too naïve, Taiyōko. We are not saying to leave behind everything to fight for us, that has always been the choice of every agent. Trying to make it seem as if we are forcing this upon you all is nothing but your wishes and wants. We are only saying that you should clean up a mess you have made."
"Then..."
He said what he found would go against what it meant to be Unneeded and thought about how Sekai and Denji would react.
"Then I will make my own choice and be happy with the one before me! My only wish now is to be with everyone else, and knowing what you want me for, it makes me feel forced to do something now!"
He then faced forward and spoke to Mei.
"I, Tsukiko Yuki, will say right now that I want to be with Mei and take on the role of helping Border with the help of everyone around me!"
"Eh? But if you do that..."
"I will rely on others while having them rely on me, helping Border is the bonus to that! As the representative of the Yagura Branch, I will remain free and help however I can without any restraint! This is not a declaration of fighting or an argument against Border, it is something that I need to say here!"
I'm running completely on momentum, he realized.
…This is the same as making stupidly large boasts with Jinsei and the others.
I can leave the responsibility for this commitment to Sensei or Kimura, he decided as a way of escaping the situation.
"Now choose!"
"Ch-choose what!?"
He finally got something more from Mei than her calm.
"Border has its own secrets, no one can deny that when we all have those to hold back from others, but you have a right to determine if you want to be a part of that and enjoy yourself here or not!"
"Why?" The corners of Mei's mouth twisted. "Why would you say that!?"
"Because I do not want to lose you!"
"But..." She covered her twisting expression with her hands. "I...only barley figured out how to express myself."
"I don't care!"
"I could only do things with you in a drunken stupor."
"I don't care!"
"You might finally come to realize that I'm more troublesome than I'm worth!"
"I don't care! I'm one of the most troublesome people around and yet I know you care for me still!"
He took a breath.
"I would never have brought this up with you if I wasn't prepared to at least take on everything involving you!"
"But..."
"Enough! You love me, don't you! Why are you choosing now to go against those feelings instead of embracing them!?"
What a troublesome person, he thought. It was the first time he had ever thought something like that about her and it felt like they could freely speak with each other now.
But…
…She was proud that she was changing herself.
She must have come to the realization that giving in to her feelings also meant putting everything on him again. She had internally talked herself out of loving him openly throughout the day.
And it had not been that long since they had seen each other.
That was why he made up his mind.
Whether it was a bluff, just for show, or a lie, he could say it here.
Even if he had to lie, he would bring her back to a place where she could admit to loving him.
He wanted to take her with him and spend his days working to live up to her pride and everything else about her. This was a soul attempting to support all of a single person's being and he wanted her to turn toward him.
"Even if you refuse and resist, I will steal you away!"
This was wanting instead of needing. He wanted her to the extent that he would do anything and everything to get her.
And so he spoke.
"As long as I have you by my side, your faults, your mistakes, and taking everything on with you are all irrelevant! As long as I don't lose you, nothing else matters! Even if we lose our bodies of flesh and we remain as nothing but souls, as long as you are with me in the end, it does not matter! And I will become a person worthy of that!"
"B-but…"
Mei clenched her fists and swung them down as she cried out, surprising even him.
"Then why didn't you kiss me before!?"
Yuki stopped.
Getting her emotions out like this is making her troublesome!
.
Manager: "That idiot forgot to do even that much after all of this time?"
Life: "But wasn't it the lack of a kiss that made it harder to come to this conclusion?"
Demon Child: "And instead he started this whole mess. We should have a storyboard done in no time!"
TetsuG: "But how is he supposed to respond? There's nothing he can say if she insists he wasn't serious because he didn't kiss her all that time."
Almost Everyone: "I guess it's over then."
Life: "C'mon, that's pretty pessimistic, everyone! Damn! I-I'm not gonna let you outdo me!"
.
Yuki was certain those horrible people were having an ominous conversation on the network, but he was too busy sweating at what Mei had said.
…Sh-she's exactly right!
Before his eyes, she almost seemed to be throwing a tantrum.
"I...! I...! I may have been going through something! But...but you didn't try to help, so I thought you had rejected me and focused on other things! Jin and Kushikage were the ones to help me and you wouldn't even give me a kiss! You can't come here now and try to turn that around! If you wanted to draw me in this much, why didn't you kiss me at all during that time!?"
Her shouting seemed to explode in front of him.
"I made up my mind and settled all my feelings, but I had to rethink even those!"
.
"Yuki! Lie!"
Yuki saw a message from Jinsei.
"It doesn't have to make sense! Just come up with a reason why you didn't kiss her! If you do that, you've won! Do you understand!? She wants you to convince her!"
Yes, thought Yuki as he recalled some other times. This must be where she and I are parallel.
But Jinsei had sent more text.
Life: "Umi did a quick search on the internet about water lilies. Do you know the language of flowers? Well, a red water lily means an innocent heart, kindness, trust, purity, or faith, so it's pretty stiff and formal. But…"
But…
Life: "The white water lily means pure or innocent. Do you get what that means? She's about to choose something else above you, but you called her white. It doesn't matter if it's a lie or whatever else, just change her black guilt into white innocence. Even if you're wearing gray, show off a bit of white."
"Right!"
Yuki nodded and faced Mei once more.
She stood a few feet away from him and he took a step toward her.
That step brought him within arm's reach of her. Once he looked at her again, he saw she was on the verge of tears yet also had an urging upturned look to her eyes.
And for that reason, he nodded again.
"You know as well as I do that a careless kiss is something important! After all..."
It did not matter if it was a lie.
And he was great at lying.
"A kiss for my family symbolizes a promise of an everlasting bond! It's the only thing I can agree with my parents on!"
.
For a moment, Mei was overcome by confusion.
…Eh!?
She went through her own thoughts and memories, but found that she knew very little about Yuki's parents and what exactly they had taught their children. That left Mei with no way to know.
…If that's true…
She might have asked him something extremely inappropriate under the rules that had been engraved within him since birth.
But…
"B-but in that case…! Did you not kiss me because you don't want to have that strong of a bond with me!?"
Even as she spoke, she wanted to cry. After all, that was what it would mean that he had not kissed her.
"So why didn't you kiss me!?"
"It is a simple matter."
Yuki's voice now came from directly in front of her. He lightly crossed his arms and raised his right index finger.
"I still had my doubts since the very first incident. I wanted you very badly, but I had not tested to see whether you were fully qualified!"
"Qu-qualified?"
What kind of test was it? Was there some kind of strict series of questions a person had to answer before they could get together for his family of soldiers? She knew that he did not like going with how his family did things, but even if he didn't like them, if he took this one things from them then it meant a lot to him.
"...What do I have to do!?"
"Right. It's pretty simple. First, take in a deep breath."
"Okay."
She hurriedly spread her arms and took in a deep breath.
Just as she wondered what would happen, his hands firmly grasped her back after wrapping around her.
Eh? she thought while he lowered his head into her shoulder, paused, and took in a breath.
"Aaaaaaaaaccepted!"
.
Yuki was reluctant to remove his hands, so he kept them in place while he spoke. Mei's surprised face was beet red and he now managed to speak boldly.
"You meet the requirements! It was because I hadn't checked on this that I could not kiss you!"
"Th-then…"
"Yes," he said. He was determined to say what he should have said from the beginning. "Mei, I…"
He would say it clearly.
"I lilove you."
He clearly stumbled over the word.
.
All motion and noise came to a stop.
Even the distant festival in Mikado City stopped for some reason.
In the silence and motionlessness, Mei thought.
…I should lie right now, shouldn't I?
For the first time, she would lie for her own sake. And it took only a single word.
"Right."
She would act as if she had heard it properly.
And so she continued with a trembling mouth.
"And I love you!"
.
Yuki heard a response to his confession.
"Eh? Oh, um, uh…"
She looked utterly confused as to what to do next.
Something like this was completely new for someone like her.
Then he remembered.
This is where Rampage Dress first showed up.
Mei must have noticed that before coming here and that had likely been why she had been rethinking things. She had fell back into her calculations for a moment and lost her emotions once again.
That must have scared her after having just gained them in full again.
I see... Then that means I need to make sure she never forgets them and never wants to let them go. I will make sure she clearly remembers that she is mine and I am hers.
"U-um…"
Mei gave him a troubled look from the center of the area.
She pulled a single thread from her pocket. It was a black necklace to be worn around the neck.
It seemed to have been put together recently. Yuki realized that this would be the very first gift he would be getting that held nothing behind it and was simply there to be given to him, so he let go of her and spread his arms out.
"This time...come here."
.
Mei went.
With nothing between them, she moved into the hands and arms that had been holding her back. It was her turn to take him in.
"Yuki!"
While half drawn toward him, she leaped into his arms. After a pause, his arms awkwardly wrapped around her back and waist. It was different from before. This time it felt more nice.
But Mei wanted him to touch her more and to deepen the embrace, so she twisted her body around. She bent back, pressed herself against him, and wrapped the gray necklace around his neck from behind.
It had been the reason she had gone back home, and now she was able to give it to him.
"Yuki, I lost."
She closed her eyes, raised her chin, and stretched her head upwards.
"I have lost as well. I was never trained in how to kiss."
After a slight sound of moving, their lips met. She ignored how he went in too strongly and made their teeth clink together.
I'll become a more selfish girl, thought Mei. I'll become a horrible girl who is honest to her desires and abandons the people who have been so devoted to her for so long. And even if people talk about me behind my back or insult me – and I'm sure they will – I'll work to remain a terrible girl and to remain aware of what I'm doing.
Even if she was constantly criticized, her answer was to live on with him and gain her own happiness.
If she could blossom such that she supported this person who would help keep everyone safe, that was enough.
So in order to grow even closer, she traced her fingers along his back to feel the scars there and she held herself against him as they exchanged breaths.
…How strange.
When we embrace, I'm hidden while it looks like his scars are protecting me.
But as she stroked his back, she found the scar that had indeed protected her.
Finally, their lips parted, she gave one last reluctant peck, and she spoke.
"Yuki."
"What is it?"
She found it odd that he had already tied the necklace around his neck, but that was just who he was.
Rather than truly asking, she asked for confirmation.
"Do you love me?"
"I do. Can I know if you feel the same way?"
"Yes," she answered with a slight smile and a large nod despite the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes.
"I do."