"Where is he...? Where is he!?"

Konami looked over at the flailing child on the sofa.

"What's Yōtarō yelling about now?"

"Toby's brother was suppose to come by today, but he hasn't been here at all today."

"Huh? Shouldn't that be expected right now? His parents are doing a check of the branches, there's no way they would let their kid go off to one of the branches if they're going to do that."

Karasuma nodded in agreement. There was no reason to believe that the Awdry parents would be so kind as to let their child move around however he wanted when they had things to do.

It was something all of the Tamakoma Branch members had come to understand after having the younger Awdry brother so many times. He had admitted to only befriending Yōtarō because his parents told him to do so, but none of them had truly though they were friends for that reason.

Someone as honest as him would never do something like that without putting their feelings into it.

"I do feel bad for him, though."

"I know what you mean. He's a good kid, but his parents suck. Toby is the only other thing going for that family, and even that might be a bit much to say."

"I don't care about Toby or his parents! Stepney was suppose to be here by now with Maki and Hyuse!"

Karasuma and Konami gave him a bland look while he stopped his flailing to just lay on the sofa. By this point he had tired himself out and couldn't move too much without feeling like he needed to rest.

Luckily for him, Raijinmaru had gotten up from where she was resting.

Turning his body over, Yōtarō landed on her back. She gave something akin to a yawn, but otherwise did nothing about the added weight.

"I'm going to look for him!"

"You can't do that," the two Tamakoma members said without even looking at him.

He raised an arm into the air and let his voice out again.

"You two need to go look for him!"

"We aren't going to do that," the two Tamakoma members said while moving around.

Neither one of them seem interested in what he had to say and were actively ignoring his demands.

This sort of things would never have happened if he had Stepney with him.

Putting his head down on Raijinmaru's back, Yōtarō groaned and thought more about where his friend could be at the moment.

"Hhhhhhhmmmmm... This is so annoying!"

Pyrínas looked around the area.

...It should be somewhere around here.

He had been following the trion signature of the trion soldier he had noticed. There had been a Trigger-user with it, but that felt standard for what he knew.

Finding out who these two people were felt like a natural thing to do, but there was a sense of unease when he thought about why they could be here at all. That feeling of unease was something he was curious about, but he figured it was just a matter of having taken in the core of the trion soldier mimicking Yuki.

...But trusting someone I know nothing about was not the most optimal choice. ...There wasn't much of a choice, though. ...Having someone like him around is already bad enough, but not having a guiding point for him would have only made things worse.

Trochískos had probably gone along with his idea since it put less of a burden on anyone else who would end up finding out what was happening. Likewise, Pyrínas had wanted to maintain a good relationship with someone who would be able to destroy him before he could act.

Black Trigger users were not to be messed with for someone at his level.

Even as an Autonomous Trion Soldier created by the Wanderers' Pyrínas System and with an ego of his own, he could only do so much against Trigger users.

Standard Border Triggers were easy enough to deal with when compared to specialized ones. Analyzing and copying them had already been done and he had seen the different ways they could be used. Each one had something unique to them, but they had been mass produced for anyone to use. That included the Yagura Branch members.

...Although, when I think about it, out of the ones who had started out in the branch, Shokobutsu is the only branch member who actually uses the standardized Triggers. ...Yuki also uses them, but he mainly uses Idōgetsu for offense.

The Yagura Branch was filled with strange people who preferred to use specialized Triggers that fit their needs in combat. That was not something new when it came to A-Ranks, he had found out, but for each of them to have their own special Triggers meant that they felt the standard Triggers were not enough. Even New Member Chisato had a Trigger meant to cater to her fighting style.

The point had been that he knew what to expect from Border's Triggers. They were an everyday thing to him. Meanwhile, specialized Triggers and Black Triggers were things he could not simply prepare for without knowing about them ahead of time.

Personalized Triggers would tend to have tricks to them that were meant to come out once victory was assured or to gain the upper hand in a fight. They had been specially made for the fighter and could be modified to the user's liking. It was not something everyone could use, so he would have no way of knowing what to do right away.

Black Triggers were an even bigger issue. They held both uncertainty and power in them, mixing together to create something unpredictable. Even if they exposed their abilities, it was still not a guarantee that they could be stopped without finding specific ways around them.

Pyrínas's current abilities were that on par with specialized White Triggers, but he would fall short when compared to a Black Trigger.

...I had never planned on fighting one in the first place, so I at least have that going for me.

The people he was going to see right now did not seem to have a Black Trigger, so he was confident that he would at least be able to handle them.

Now the only problem he had to deal with was how they would react to all of this.

There had been all sorts of people on the other side of the Gates, and the System's basic information on every nation the Wanderers had visited had already been transferred to him the moment he gained his own ego. It had been a precaution for times when Mikado City would be attacked.

...I had heard that the Tamakoma Branch had once had someone with that kind of information. ...When I asked about it, their members had become oddly somber, but answered that they had a nice rice cooker. ...I still have no idea what they were talking about.

They must have been remembering something when he asked with the way they had a more far away expression in their eyes.

The one most affected by his question had been Kuga, but he only showed it for a moment.

...I would really like to know what they were talking about.

But that could be saved for another time.

At the moment, he found himself standing at the edge of the Forbidden Zone.

"...I see. ...So they chose to hide out where there should be no civilians, but also where Border would have trouble monitoring them with Gates naturally opening. ...That was smart."

"I won't be thanking you for that compliment."

.

Without turning around, Pyrínas addressed the voice directly behind him.

"...You are the Trigger user."

Using his Self Modification, he looked directly behind him without letting the Trigger user know he had done so.

What he was able to see was a young boy with red hair and narrowed eyes. His outfit was unlike what you would find in the city, but was not out of place for Earth as a whole. The only thing making him truly stand out from anyone else on Earth was the device strapped to his arm. It had the appearance of gauntlet with a muzzle on the end of it, resembling a gun. The chambers for it were likely in the bulkier part of the device

That was more than enough for him to figure it out.

When it came to the larger nations it was easy enough to figure out who was from where. The lesser ones - the Errant Nations - needed to be looked into more carefully since their business had almost never mattered when the affairs of large nations were the ones to make an impact. That meant finding out about those lesser nations was slightly more difficult. But...

...There is a reason they are called the "Wanderers".

It was not only the Planet Nations that they visited. Even if they did not have a set orbit, the Errant Nations still held value in what they could accomplish and what they could provide.

The Wanderers had made it a point to visit every nation possible. The boy's was no different.

"So you do know about Triggers. I had thought all of Miden's people would be naïve and know nothing. That's what I've decided after going through that city."

"...A word of warning then: underestimating Earth will only lead to failure."

"From the looks of things, that warning isn't needed. No one here has any battle sense to fight back."

"...And if that were the truth, what would you do?"

"I-..."

The boy stopped speaking and just glared instead. There was no true malicious intent when he spoke of the citizens in Mikado City. It felt more like he was stating his observations and wanted to see what Pyrínas's reaction would be.

That was fine.

"...I had noticed four trion signatures in this direction that aren't normally found on Earth. ...One of them was a trion soldier's. ...The other three were Trigger users. ...That means you would be the one with the trion soldier."

The boy's reaction was immediate.

The sound of something being pushed into a chamber confirmed that the large Trigger had such a thing and could fire like a gun.

...Is it like the Gunners, or is it something else?

It seemed like it was a White Trigger, meaning Pyrínas would be able to handle the first two attacks from it without much issue. The third and fourth shot would cause some problems, so he wanted to make sure it never got to that point.

"So Miden has people who can tell those sorts of things? That's good to know. Pneura!"

A sound of something being fired was heard directly behind him.

Then he felt it.

"...?"

Machine-like tentacles began wrapping around his body in a vice grip. They lashed out, grabbing his arms and upper body. The tight hold it had on his body only grew strong the more he struggled.

The boy began moving directly behind him. The sound of his movement was light, but somewhat careless for someone in this situation.

"...I should thank someone for allowing me to copy the camouflage function the Wanderers have. ...It would be bad if Border agents came along and saw the situation."

"Not calling for reinforcements? Whatever, that makes taking your trion easier for me."

"...That was not what I meant."

.

Without struggling around his arms and upper body, Pyrínas grabbed hold of the machine-like tentacles wrapped around him. They had a good amount of trion put into them, but nothing he had not see already from other trion soldiers.

"...I managed to get some payback against an advanced Falcon, so I'm sorry for this."

Tilting his body forward, he planted his foot into the ground and lifted the trion soldiers attached to him higher into the air. The tentacles were used as ropes to lift the entire body up and over Pyrínas.

With a final push with his arms, he performed an over shoulder throw and slammed the tentacle trion soldier into the ground.

Not wanting for it to get back up, he grabbed hold of the tentacles again before they could release him. With a single motion he folded them in on themselves and twisted them until they were wrapped up in a mess on top of the trion soldier's main body.

"...One more."

Pyrínas lifted his hand as a trion lance formed.

Using his strength he plunged the trion lance into the mass of tentacles, impaling the trion soldier and keeping it stuck into the ground.

"You were using a Trigger!?" he heard the boy say while running forward.

"...Incorrect."

He had been prepared for the boy to rush him and so got ready to defend himself.

Instead of that...

"Get away from Pneura!"

He moved in front of the trion soldier.

Pyrínas stopped his movement to stare at the two.

"...So that is your situation."

Without turning his attention away from the boy, he destroyed the trion lance that was stabbed into the ground and impaling the trion soldier. The tentacles undid themselves and moved to protect the boy from any harm.

Pyrínas watched this happen with the same expression he always wore.

Once he confirmed that it was what he had thought, he spoke.

"...So you are like Futoyuki. ...I suppose that means he won't hate you. ...Oh, but he still has the upper hand since he helped building the entirety of the System."

"What are you saying?"

"...I am a rhinoceros beetle trion soldier that has gained his own ego after certain events. ...And the current moment, my names is Pyrínas...and I am a broken off piece of the Wanderers' Pyrínas System."

.

Xeno's eyes widened at the sudden announcement.

This man who had impaled Pneura had announced himself a trion soldier from the same system that had been the envy of everyone on Ergates. The same system that could create trion soldiers, hole a lot of information, and hold nothing back when it came to working with the Wanderers.

He had not seen it himself, but there had been stories of the trion soldiers coming from it that called themselves "Pyrínas". There would normally be a single unit that was referred to by that name while the others were offshoots that were numbered. But no matter how many units were sent out they would all be the same system by utilizing a hive mind collective.

He had to check.

"What...what is your number, then!? I don't believe you!"

"...Usually those two sentences would be in reverse order. ...Oh, well. ...To answer your question: I am Rhinoceros Beetle 07. ...My Self Modification has gone up since the time I was just a beetle, so it goes without saying that I can take on this humanoid form."

"Then this means the Wanderers are here..."

The trion soldier lightly shook his head. Xeno had been incorrect.

"...The Wanderers had given their greeting awhile back before leaving. ...They are allied with Earth, but there is no one here that is currently with the Wanderers."

"The way you're saying that implies that someone former from them is here."

"...I won't be telling you anything else until I know the current situation with you. ...You were even rude enough to attack me when I wasn't doing anything. ...Yes, by Border's standards, you are due to a terrible lynching that could cost you some humanity."

"What kind of world is this!?"

The tiron soldier shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't his problem.

The casual movement was more intimidating than he would have thought.

"...Oh, but there is one thing I can say," the trion said said with a finger in front of him. "...Even if you care for that trion soldiers, and it cares for you, the relationship I have with my creators is something far beyond even that much. ...I can criticize and ridicule him while throwing him outside of a window, meanwhile he can do nothing but accept his fate and enjoy the ride. ...So by Earth standards, that means I am the winner here. ...Yes, that is one point for me. Ha ha ha. ...Take that."

"That isn't something great! And don't pretend to laugh in my face!"

"...Sorry, but I have been experiencing some enlightenment recently, so I will feel more inclined to do that."

"That isn't a real apology! And don't strike a triumphant pose when apologizing!"

The trion soldier casually waved him off, making Xeno wonder what exactly when wrong with his programing.

"...Anyways-"

The trion soldier was interrupted by two sudden footsteps reaching them from the side. The first was one he recognized, but the other had been extremely light.

Voices followed those footsteps.

"Xeno! What's happening here!?"

"Is that a squid! A squid on land! Nyahaha! That just looks funny! I need to tell Ite and Senshi about it!"

Two girls had reached them.

.

The first thing Lilith noticed when reaching Xeno had been the way he was in between Pneura and its tentacles as if being hugged by it. The two were positioned in that way, but she had learned something from the trion soldier girl running right beside here.

"No! You can't do that, Xeno! You will be turned into a doujinshi!"

"Doujin! Doujin!" the trion girl mimicked.

She was still uncertain about what that meant exactly, but the way it had been described to her had been a bit terrifying.

Turned into a sheet of paper, placed together as a book, spread out for everyone to see, and exposing yourself for everyone to see your body! That sounds terrible and very unnerving!

It must have been some kind of torture technique that Miden had found out about at some point. The trion soldier girl next to her had explained it with a smile, said some people on Miden practiced it for fun, and that it was actually enjoyable, but it was still hard to imagine.

And she didn't want that to happen to Xeno.

"Lilith, what are you talking about? And why are you out here?!"

"Oh, because I made a new friend! It seems like you did too! That's great!"

As she and the tiron soldier girl reached the two boys she was surprised to see the height difference they all had with the one standing in front of Xeno and Pneura. His expression was solid and his body was towering, but she felt a sort of kinship with him that made him seem less frightening.

Then the trion soldier girl next to her spoke up.

"Pyrí-chan! I made a new friend who's like us! Can you believe that!?"

She instantly tackled the tall man by jumping the entire height difference and wrapping her arms around his neck. The two of them seemed close, so this might have been a normal thing for them.

Then the man spoke up.

"...Sthénos, you should be more careful when you explain doujinshis. ...Especially since I already sent an imagine of this to Suzumebachi."

"And he's a goner! Whoo! Money money money!"

The two of them nodded.

Darkness was soon covering the entire city.

The city had finally moved from its midday and evening time to nightlife.

Each area of the city was mostly lit by the street lights or buildings still functioning, and sounds of work came from every section of the city.

However, there was one spot that was lit yet had sounds other than work.

It was in one corner of a materials yard at the inner portion of the city. For a while now, lights had been shining from the ceiling and an alarm would sound at a regular interval.

Someone looked down at it from the main bridge crossing the central space.

"Honestly, Misó, it hasn't even been four hours since we got here and we're already causing a commotion in the city by broadcasting this song?"

"When things happen, they happen. And when you make them happen, you make them happen, Kigisa. Keep in mind that Mikado City likes to live it up."

That reply came from a boy wearing a work vest over a spring uniform. His name was Misó, his clothes were covered in blood, and he stared to the inner city with his elbows on the bridge railing.

His eyes were focused on a certain position in the city they were in. A complete darkness covered that area and a few people would be moving around the area.

They were Border members out for nighttime defense duty.

As he watched, he stepped on a screw fallen at his feet.

"I haven't been here for a good amount of time, but it looks like everyone is doing well... They even went out and allied themselves with the Wanderers. That's pretty pathetic if you ask me."

"We had attacked them like asked, but you still came over here yourself, so I assume the rest of Afto's fighters don't know about this. So why are you even here?"

Despite the question, Kigisa herself was nowhere to be seen.

Other than the people who sometimes walked past, Misó was the only one here. Still, he spoke as if letting his voice drop down over the side of the bridge.

"I got pretty bored and wanted to see how things were over here. I had to do a lot of hopping around, and that was annoying. Hopefully I'm found out and get some punishment for it."

"Well I have probably been found out already, so I don't think there's any going back for me now. I kinda liked being with everyone, but this is the only way to make sure you don't end up our the ship."

"So this is your way of protecting Galopoula, is it? Fine, fine. I'll stay away from them for now," said Misó. "But to even leave your Trigger with them. ...How bold of you~ I could just torture you right now, get some information and be on my way."

"...That's why I left it. But from the way things are, it looks like you don't have your usual Trigger on you either."

"That thing was a piece of crap if it lost to Miden. I threw it away. But that's fine, I still won, in the end, and came here with a fun toy that decided to think it was a real person. The flying thing around it also thought it was something amazing, but it turned out to just be more garbage. The place did end up getting destroyed, though."

"So that's who I've been seeing standing around aimlessly. I wondered where he came from."

"He's just another trion soldier, so I could care less if he breaks apart during all of this. In fact, I hope he does. It would at least make things interesting."

"I see," said the unseen Kigisa.

"But, you know..." Misó paused and continued to look out into the city. "It's a good thing we got that guy on our side now. You got a fun Trigger to use and I get to see everyone in agony as they move around like idiots. Although, there looks to be more monstrous people in the city now compared to when I was here. ...It makes me kind of horny thinking about the kind of pain I can get from them."

"...You're disgusting."

"And you mellow out when you aren't performing."

"Misó."

"What?" asked Misó.

"I'm impressed you lasted nearly this long on Miden when you take these sorts of things as your time to player around and love messing with others."

"Yes, about a few minutes after I got her, a naked boy fell down a pit on the work site and a chain pulled him back up again, but it only got some scattered applause from the people around. That reminded me that this place can easily lead you down a weird path in life."

So...

"I decided to take it upon myself to play around a bit. I got a bit carried away and threw some people off the side here, but they sounded like they were enjoying the fall by their screaming."

"I see. ...You really are a twisted person, Misó. I'm really surprised that you weren't found out or thrown to the side by these people when they thought you were one of them. I'm impressed by Miden's ability to not notice the smaller things."

"You're talking about a place that throws entire squads under the bus for something a single member did."

Anyway...

"But when I work, I do try and get things done, even if it's by performing. ...You have work to do yourself, don't you? On the intelligence gathering front."

"Yeah, I have people who owe me a lot over on this time." The wind moved a bit as the voice spoke. "Honestly, it must be Miden's doing that I feel this sort of way coming back to screw with them all over again. I might even visit 'Little Hyu' and my old squad. What a convenient age we live in."

"Do you want to play a leading role?"

Kigisa's question was not answered. The voice spoke of something else.

"Kigisa, it's about time. Someone is coming along. The next move will be taking place down below, so give me some help. ...Yeah, help me get back at the bitch who made my Trigger into garbage."

A few fluorescent lights illuminated a wooden room.

It was a Far Eastern style room, but it had more Western style ceiling and it was filled with barrels, firewood, and food.

The entrance was left wide open and a sign was set up on an easel. It was the Red Lightning's sign with an added notice saying, "For the coming days, we will be open 24 hours a day."

There was only one customer inside looking at the sign. She was sitting in front of a teacup after finishing her food at the table.

"Kanzaki-chan? ...I can call you '-chan', right?"

Kanzaki gave a small nod to the voice leaving the kitchen in the back of the café. Her hands were placed together on her lap.

"That is fine. I do not mind at all."

"Oh, so you're still using that old-fashioned speech style, are you? It sounds pretty authentic, unlike Kiyoshi's."

"Kiyoshi..."

Oh, so even she knows of him, realized Kanzaki.

He was always hiding his presence, so he sometimes viewed him simply as a moving part of the background.

...Shitokei does well to actually perceive him.

Having a calculative mind and having him interact with her may help there, she thought. But it must be my inexperience preventing me from perceiving him as much as before, she also thought.

...Inexperience.

That thought brought her eyes to the spear leaning against the chair next to her.

It was the Trigger she had chosen and had been allowed to rest there.

The only other Trigger she was use to was Kōgetsu.

That meant she only had this one.

But even as a spear, it was exactly like the sword one except for the main device. The shaft could extend, the weight distribution was identical, and a cutting Trigger could be voice-activated or the motion she gave could activate it.

"And when jumping or running, the gyros detect it, causing lights to flash and sound effects to play..."

If her father had been alive, he would have killed to get his hands on it. She could easily imagine her childish father teasing her mother while mimicking the sound effects – "Hyuhhh... Chubyuhhhhhn! Supyoh zupyoh!" – and ending up having her chase him around with butcher knives.

...But thinking about that sort of thing makes me feel fainthearted.

She wanted to stop clinging to the past.

She wanted to focus on and think about the here and now.

There was no problem with the Kōgetsu spear. The main usage for it used the same program as the sword and the data from even Yoneya's could be transferred over, but...

"Because it is the same as the sword one...I need to get familiar with it again."

The spear remained silent. The dragonfly indicator on the main device indicated the amount of trion it took, but it remained entirely red because she had not used it. According to Terashima of Border's Engineers where it had been developed: "This is a tiny version of Shikifuku's ability. Please get by with that for now."

...But it does not matter if I cannot activate it.

She had told Kimura, Kon, and the dogs about it and they had said the following:

"Regaining your power is your job, but tell me if there is anything I can do to help."

"If you are hungry, stop by the Red Lightning."

"Wan?"

But there was nothing they could do to help at the moment, I stopped by the Red Lightning as I was hungry, and I suppose I am feeling depressed, she thought. They are all looking in the right direction.

As she nodded a few times, a voice and some movement approached.

"Here's what you had leftover plus tomorrow's breakfast."

A paper bag was held out from the side of the table and Kanzaki looked to who was holding it.

"...Manager-dono."

.

Kanzaki remained seated, but she corrected her posture and bowed.

Her ponytail spilled forward, but she snapped it back when she raised her head.

"Thank you very much."

"It's fine, it's fine. It's a parent's duty to assist their children's friends."

"A parent's?"

That was exactly what she had just decided not to think about, so she indulged in that answer and simply accepted it.

But the manager tilted her head, looked at Kanzaki's body, and focused on her arms and cheeks.

"Were you training?"

Kanzaki had wrappings on various parts of her body and she gave a quick nod.

"Yes. Hokari-dono and Suzaku-dono gave me these. ...I told them I was fine without them, but they insisted."

"Yeah, that sounds like Ho-chan and Umi-kun. It probably isn't the best idea for a Solo A-Rank to be showing off fresh injuries, but at the moment, maybe you should show off that you've been training hard enough to hurt yourself."

"Suzaku-dono said the same thing."

"Ah ha ha. He beat me to the punch, did he?"

The manager laughed with her hands on her hips, but then Kanzaki asked her a question.

"Manager-dono, have you known the others for a long time?"

"For the most part. ...After something happened with Yuka, my idiot stopped coming here. That cut me off from some of them, but, well, it's the present that matters."

"Then what is this place?"

"Technically, this is the Red Lightning and our home is the Main Red Lightning. This place was originally run by a friend of mine, but when she went on a trip with her husband, I thought it would be best to preserve the place."

The manager smiled toward the area where the residential houses were located.

"But after the incident with...I guess that was in middle school? Well, the kids said they wanted to use the main one at home."

"You mean the id-...the crossdresser?"

"And all the others."

After saying that, the manager noticed Kanzaki's teacup.

The tea had gone cold, so she picked it up and walked lightly back to the kitchen.

"How about I get you something cuter?"

"Thank you, but that is not necessary."

"Then I'll get you some cocoa."

Anticipation filled Kanzkai's heart when she heard that.

...That is that Western bean tea!

Mother once made some of that. My father took one sip and shouted "What the hell!? This is too sweet! Soy sauce! Let's put some soy sauce in!" He did put soy sauce in, but once he got the ratio just right, it made a decent soy sauce dessert. But then someone else worked out the ratio himself and stole the rights to the drink. Ever since losing that business opportunity, the word cocoa was banned in our house as an "enemy word".

"Hm."

Wasn't I not supposed to be thinking about the past? I need to work harder at that.

Then the manager spoke from the kitchen.

"By the way, Kanzaki-chan, did you hit your back?"

Did I let it show in my movements? she wondered with a tilt of her head.

"I was doing some wall running for training, but my foot slipped."

"Oh, that thing Kiyoshi does?"

"No, it was with Ketsueki-dono. The two of us have been having sex a lot lately."

It took about five seconds before the response came.

"...Oh, s-sorry about that. You caught me off guard with that one. Yeah, I'll scold someone or other for that one later, but you can keep doing it since it's kind of funny. So, um..."

"Yes?"

Kanzaki heard the manager say "right" and move around in the kitchen.

"Kanzaki-chan, have you found a decent teacher or dojo?"

.

"...Teacher?"

She had never thought about it, but she did hear the word "right" from the side.

"I'm sure you got some excellent training from your former squad, but once you move away from all that, you'll grow lax with the fundamentals. You need a training plan that matches the rising physical abilities of a growing girl. Do you have a place or a person to manage that for you?"

"...No, I do not."

"Then it's impressive you've been fighting so well."

Is that how it works? thought Kanzaki when she saw the manager's bitter smile. My father and mother did not have someone they could call a master.

...That must mean I am inferior to them.

As she was reminded of that fact, the manager smiled, nodded, and placed a bamboo bottle on the table.

"Here's some iced cocoa. I put it in a to-go cup, so take your time and drink it at home. And take the time to think about some things, okay? After all..."

After all...

"That too is an important part of being a Border member."

Sekai felt his chest shaking.

...Hm?

He opened his eyes and saw a dimly-lit Far Eastern room.

The cloudy night light shine in through the glass window.

This was a room in Kurosaki's main business building. He had rented it out to get some rest, but...

"I slept really well."

The vibration on his chest was the alarm function of his phone.

Sound could have altered others to his presence, so he had set it to vibrate.

His pockets were all full of weapons, so he had opened his shirt and placed the phone directly on his skin, but...

"I ended up sleep for about three hours."

He checked the phone and found the fan-shaped image that functioned as a timer was completely used up.

His rest period was one hour.

The following two hours had allowed his body and mind to recover, but he could have been attacked at any time throughout. However...

...I had it set to wake me if an enemy approached, but things were pretty peaceful.

Several things must have happened, so progress was being made. He opened his phone that listed any activity from the city.

There had been some strange gatherings and meetings.

Most of them had been the strange crowds spread throughout the city, but there had been notes of a distortion from Border.

"It's nice when you have enough people around that keeping track of information just means going to the right person."

People could be injured or killed for information. But you could only have a battle qualify as "enough" with people who knew what they were doing.

...Mikado City would probably be much more peaceful if the Neighbors thought in a similar way.

Thinking that may have disqualified him as a military commander if he were on the other side.

But a commander's strength was not just measured by their ability to strike the enemy. Their ability to minimize damages to their own forces also mattered. So he felt resolving things peacefully was a good thing. However...

"It doesn't always work out like that."

These people could only hold hands and have nothing to worry about because of the organization that protected the city.

Border.

None of the people in Mikado City had the excess thoughts to think about what if Border was not there.

To put it another way, without an organization as large as Border, the odds were good everything beyond Mikado City would have been lost long ago.

In that case, Earth's countries would have been defeated one at a time before they negotiated and tried to make peace. That would have increased and better defined what happens afterwards. It would have worn them down as a species, but they might have gained even more.

But Border members had appeared during that first invasion, so they had shared their interests and viewpoints while hurrying to build themselves up.

That was partially because things had become centered around the end result of the first invasion and because Border had saved a lot of people.

Trying to have things your way while ignoring others' intentions would not help you survive in the age to come.

Mikado City had decided their best bet was to cooperate and coexist with that organization.

...Honestly.

Kurosaki had the equivalent to a demon emperor, yet here they were accepting that Border and everyone following them were crucial to the future.

But, thought Sekai. They are at least indebted to Border.

They have given Kurosaki's boss a dream as a person, gotten him to look ahead to the future, and even helped bring a lot of people together to support them.

And while doing that, they had gotten others to back off and they managed to gain even more in the form of stronger agents.

Even though such a thing seemed dangerous to the point that it should bring caution.

"...I wish I could be as carefree as everyone else."

Sekai got up.

He was not careless enough to position himself on the window side of the room. He kept his back to the closet on the wall and he took a breath.

And when he checked the results again, he saw that things were getting pretty wild.

There were two suspicious people around and the distortion was called a phenomenon.

He doubted those kinds of things meant much to others, but if they had been things needing attention, then both Yuki and Denji would have taken care of it.

They had to do that in order to remain themselves.

If another person tried to do something against Border or the city, the fox and the beast would put a stop to it.

Both of them were from lives with complete descriptions of decline and they would be supported by the wolf and the bear.

If they were both doing what they could, they would become very troublesome.

Both foxes and beasts took good care of their families. And both Yuki and Denji likely saw a lot of Mikado City as part of their family now. So they would act at their conscience led them.

"I really wish we could give it a little thought."

He wished those two and him could just ignore the consequences.

But at the moment...

...I should probably take care of everything else...

Sekai stood up. He opened one hand and gathered strength until he could see his own veins appear there. He had apparently recovered enough to not be as tired as usual.

In that case, he thought while standing to the left of the window. Someone could be lying in wait between the room's exit and the front entrance, so he would leave through the window. With that decided, he steadied his breathing.

Then an unexpected light appeared.

It was a message from Kurosaki.

Tonbo: "Sekai-kun. Can you hear me?"

It was Shin's right hand Saitou.

.

Sekai had a faint inkling what this was about, but he asked anyway.

"What do you need, Saitou-san?"

"Right," he replied. And after a breath, "Sekai-kun. We are asking you to keep out of any business affairs. ...Can you?"

I knew it, he thought.

He had felt some regret when he saw what was going on, but...

"That's fine. ...But can I ask why?"

The sense he got from the transmission changed.

Someone else was going to speak. And it was of course...

"Sekai-kun, it is I. ...First, let me congratulate you on your recent B-Rank War match."

Shin.

If he was handling this himself, he had to be pretty bored...no, this had to be pretty important.

"Shin. Why are you asking me to stay out of the way?"

"Right. The situation is not looking good for Border."

"I guess that's true. Awdry is going to be going around the branch offices tomorrow and they just got done with their B-Rank Wars. That does seem like a back-to-back issue."

"It does indeed," agreed Shin. And after a two beat pause, "Sekai-kun. ...Um, may I make a suggestion?"

He already knew what the boss wanted to say.

He was thinking more or less the same thing.

"You don't need to worry about it, Shin. ...I just need to show up as a member of Kurosaki instead of Border to them."

But...

"Of course, you will take something in exchange. We can view that as your goal here."

"...Sorry, Sekai-kun."

He could not hide the happiness in his voice even as he apologized, but that was just who the boss was. However...

"You have my thanks."

He could hardly complain when he thanked him in such an apologetic tone.

That's not really fair, thought Sekai with a bitter smile. This must be what Mizuno likes about him.

But it would be difficult to show himself as a Kurosaki member as things were.

"What will we do about this?" he asked. "Will they meet with you back here?"

"Oh, I will field this one," said Saitou. "Sekai-kun? I would prefer if we avoided any interactions with Kurosaki itself. After all, we are supposed to be maintaining a distance from Border until your away mission. If we are too open in our support of Border, others might interfere."

"Then I just have to go to one of the other sponsors and lose."

Kuro-shi: "You cannot do that, Sekai-kun...! It would not be fair to shame you int hat way!"

Why could he hear his exact tone of voice when it was only text?

But he smiled bitterly when he realized what it meant for him to intervene on his behalf like that.

"Then what will we do?"

"Right. Kurosaki has another idea in mind for this. We will use that to have someone go on our behalf."

"...You mean someone who will intentionally lose for Border?"

That was quite something. It would be humiliating for that person. Doing so seemed like it would destroy Kurosaki's dignity, but...

"Is anyone in Kurosaki really willing to accept that?"

"No, that is the hard part," said Shin. "We are honestly not sure how to deal with him."

"Huh?"

He was not sure what he meant, but Saitou spoke up without trying to hide his exasperation.

"We clearly rejected his offer because he would be of no use to us, but he insisted on taking part because it was something important. I doubt he stands a chance against anyone - or rather, he has already show to be lacking - but that is why he wants to do this."

"Hm... They sound pretty brazen..."

That meant there was someone who wanted to strike back at the sponsors too.

"So we will see how this person does and, if they lose, give proper support to Border?"

Saitou thought that person was almost guaranteed to lose.

Will it really work out that well? wondered Sekai, but this was a suggestion from the closest person to Shin.

"Have you considered what to do if this person defeats a Border member, Saitou-san? Especially since it won't be a fight with a Trigger."

"I have. In that case, we will have no choice but to engage in negotiations with Awdry to get them to lower their standards."

"If they had planned it out to that extent, he would leave it with them.

Sekai sighed and opened something on his phone.

He connected to Border's network containing general information on the current situation and saw some instructions from the directors. He removed some security details to accept.

His own objectives had just begun.

"Now, then."

When he closed the phone, it felt like the surrounding scene and information all carried different meaning.

This wasn't a battlefield, it was just Mikado City.

...I guess I'll grab something to eat and get started...

He jumped through the open window and out below the cloudy sky.

Mikado City had already started its nightlife while he had been sleeping, but...

"Now..."

One thing bothered him.

"How will this other person deal with the situation?"

Chisato felt she had made an error. She had tried returning to the Yagura Branch, but...

...Something is going on in the city.

The wave of results was coming in and nothing much was actually happening.

She viewed her phone below the cloudy sky and saw Border was in a predicament.

"Will they really find out what's happening...?"

The screen also showed a few businesses or personnel who had decided to get involved.

Awdry going to each of the branches tomorrow would be a problem for Border.

There was no way of knowing if it would be the dual-bosses themselves going or if they would be sending people there. Not knowing was especially bad because they might go at bad times.

That meant Awdry could demand something of Border if they were not prepared.

And yet Border wanted to gain something from Awdry so they could better fund themselves.

...How is this going to turn out?

Chisato was officially with Shiraishi, but she saw herself as part of Border's side.

She knew her parents would be generous in all this. Musashi did not matter.

After all, she thought. I just have to go to Awdry myself.

Something might change if Shiraishi had something over Awdry.

Chisato checked her phone.

The available Awdry workers were a girl named Emily, who was going around the city with the group clusters, and both Awdry siblings, who were both in the city.

She could conclude Toby Awdry would be the easiest one to speak to.

He had been in Border longer than her, but he was also sensible enough to live an effective life. However...

...He is the one who is disowned by them, so I don't know if he can actually do anything.

Toby Awdry had left his family behind to come to Japan.

He would likely be involved during the actual meetings, but his power as a family member meant nothing here.

So she wanted to let him continue that effective life.

"I sure have gotten soft."

After all...

"Here I am responding to a surprise attack without exterminating them."

Someone tried to charge at her from behind, so she turned around, activated her Trigger, and dropped her false leg's heel on them.

She scored a direct hit.

.

The last things Yuiga Takeru saw were the colors dark brown and white.

It was clothing for Yagura Branch members. Specifically, the crotch of a girl's outfit.

He gasped.

...Is she seducing me!?

But now was not the time. He had to make the most of this surprise attack.

He had gone to the trouble of forcing his way into the sponsors situation as one of Kurosaki's members.

That old man named Saitou had treated him like a weirdo, but what was that about?

He was only trying to live a serious life.

Yes, he had lived a serious life, been mistreated a bit within Border, and was now something like a foot in Tachikawa Squad which had some terrible people in it... No, he was a necessary part of the squad.

But that life had left its scars.

Yes, he had no girlfriend. What was more important for a Border agent than a girlfriend? Nothing, that's what.

He had thought his girlfriend would be Kobayashi's daughter, but now that daughter had some mad dogs protecting her. He did not really get it himself, but that was what her current situation was and she had defeated one of the Neighbors who had attacked Border. That had not been pleasant news for him. It completely ruined his plan to comfort her when she returned from a devastating defeat.

But this was a separate matter. Before, he had gone to confess his feelings, but he had been nearly crippled with a group attack. He wanted to make up for that.

By fighting one of the sponsor girls who had participated in that attack, he could prove that was only a careless accident. Thus...

"Yagura giiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrllllllllll!"

He charged.

It had been a serious act. Yes, a truly serious act.

So when she spread her legs vertically and revealed the crotch of her panties right in front of him, surely that was his reward for living such a serious life, right?

Yes, this had to be a reward from god, Buddha, or a bodhisattva, so he was free to look.

He entered staring mode. Oh, but he had a feeling this girl was the girlfriend of someone else from Border.

"So she couldn't date me!"

As soon as he shouted that, he was hit by an attack from overhead.

.

Chisato buried the enemy in the ground.

It only took one hit.

She had forgotten that not everyone was skilled in Mikado City.

She had carelessly performed an axe kick just like she would when dealing with Ikoma Squad during their comedy routines.

"I probably shouldn't have done that."

She removed her leg and saw Yuiga Takeru buried there.

His upper body had entirely sunk into the dirt with his arms raised on either side of him.

She felt like she had gone too far, but he had to have been prepared if he was willing to make a surprise attack.

...Ah.

Some results came in.

The message showed her victory over Yuiga who counted as Kurosaki.

Both of them were instructed to go to the main base, but she also saw an instruction for Yuiga to get moving.

And she tilted her head while looking at Yuiga's unmoving form.

...Why did he even bother showing up? ...Whatever, at least he was in a trion body when attacking me.

And another question occurred to her.

She recalled what he had said while charging at her.

"...Yagura girl?"

That was not entirely inaccurate, but at the moment...

"I count as Shiraishi, so did he have the wrong target?"

WorTri: "..."

WorTri: "Um, wait...I just saw my phone."

WorTri: "..."

WorTri: "Can anyone explain this to me!?"

Kuro-shi: "...Um, Sekai-kun?"

WorTri: "What is it? Hm?"

Kuro-shi: "Will you promise you won't be mad!?"

WorTri: "..."

Tonbo: "S-Sekai-kun! Is that any way to respond to your former boss!?"

WorTri: "Then you can answer me, Saitou-san."

Tonbo: "Well, uh...we certainly did not expect him to mistakenly attack Shiraishi..."

WorTri: "And?"

Tonbo: "To sum up, well, it turns out he did not know what we just assumed he knew."

WorTri: "In other words, you didn't fulfill your duty to explain it to him?"

Tonbo: "No, um, I believe, well, someone must have, uh, explained it to him..."

WorTri: "...Next. Your turn."

MizuMizu: "Hey! Sekai! Are you the one bullying Shin!? Do we need to do another talk!? Well!? Hm!?"

WorTri: "I wasn't asking you!"

Things are starting to get really chaotic, thought Hanzaki while soaking in the bath and drinking some honey water.

He had worked his throat hard trying to speak over the crowds outside. He had a feeling his abs would be troubling him later into the night.

The same had to be true for Hisato who was drinking next to him.

They were discussing the situation in Mikado City while considering and hiding their respective squads' issues. Hisato tended to do more listening and questioning, so...

...I feel like a teacher...

In a way, Hanzaki was the more abnormal of the two since he was a teammate to three cannibals who had just graduated, but that also reminded him that he was stable enough to deal with that.

When it came to the people he knew from Border, the fighters were mostly specialists or had specific positions.

And as specialists, they were very skilled in that area of expertise.

Hisato and Daigo were both such people at the moment.

Simple people like him only had one thing going for them, which would not be seen, and they had fewer people backing them up. So...

"We can finally lay back and relaaaaax after all that fighting!" said Hisato. "I'd say we do both a pretty good job this season."

Was that meant as a compliment? But all Hanzaki had done was snipe, get taken out, then snipe again and most of the time it had led to him getting teased relentlessly by others.

But those matches had been more than just clashes. They were an extension of individual and teamwork training.

"In that sense, the two of you did a good job at showing off for the people helping you."

"What do you mean?"

"Murakami-senpai and Yuki-san. But even before that, you two had met that weird guy, and Daigo even fought him in the Forbidden Zone. That didn't do much to help him physically, but he was doing better after that. Then you two stepped up your game by asking Murakami-senpai and Yuki-san for help later on. That was actually pretty ballsy of you in particular. ...As a result, you two got to show off all the things you got from those two along with your squads."

Meaning...

"They also got to show off that they can teach others as well as work with them."

"Why do you think they were so fine with doing that in the first place?"

Hanzaki had not expected someone to ask that about the people helping them.

But that was something he was having trouble working out himself.

"I can only guess, but I would say there are two reasons. When you talk to them again, try asking them when they won't get mad at you for asking." Hanzaki raised two fingers toward Hisato who was seated politely in the bath. "The first is who they are. They like to show off to the others who are just as bad as them when it comes to these things. If they got to show off how well they trained you two, they will have something to lord over everyone else while they can only deal with it. Even more so since Murakami-senpai was Arafune-senpai's student."

"...I see. So it's an indirect thing."

"That's right. That's the way I see it. As for the other reason..."

He provided it while somewhat tilting his head at it.

"I wonder if they might have some reason to training the both of you instead of working on themselves."

.

Hanzaki honestly did not understand this.

But there might not even have been a reason behind it in the first place.

And they would sometimes do things based on a whim.

Based on that...

...Everyone else are probably the same.

They were currently held in place by how they wanted to live their lives, but once they were free to act, Hanzaki suspected they would immediately go on the attack.

In fact, one of them had already contacted Hisato here and congratulated him.

...What is with those two?

He did not know. It annoyed him that he could not go too far with this since it could all be a misunderstanding.

But others would be considering these things too. Their teammates and the others would be following the issue. Hanzaki was a part of that, but he felt like he was just helping. So...

"Well, that's how I see it. And in that sense, you guys did a good job." Hanzaki pointed at Hisato's hand. "You were already congratulated by one of them."

"Ah. That's right. I wonder why."

"Probably because you fought so well after the attack."

"But I had to get some help the first time and tied the second time."

"You can think of that as a part of training. You're a rookie compared to them and you had help the first time, but you managed to get a draw solo the second time. ...That's plenty to say you have a promising future. And the B-Rank Wars are over now. They probably see a draw as a nice compromise."

Meaning...

"Hisato. When you you train with them, tell them to make things more localized but you can fight. They should be happy with that."

"The same goes for you, Hanzaki. You did really well, all things considered."

Hisato refused to be convinced otherwise on that point.

And just as Hanzaki tried to figure out what to do about it, the bath's sliding door opened.

"Daigo?"

Hanzaki looked back and that was indeed who he saw. The boy had already changed into his spring clothes and he had a towel draped over his left arm instead of a stole.

"Hey, you should probably get out soon. I've prepared something to eat," he said. "Also, some other guests need that space."

Guests? he wondered, but that question was soon answered. A mass amount of hair appeared next to Daigo. No, two masses. The first was...

"Ohh, Hisato. You are taking a bath too?"

"Caster-san...!?"

When Hanzaki heard Hisato's exclamation, he felt the need to scramble to his feet and bowed.

The second entered the bath behind "Caster" in a leisurely yet sudden way.

"Yuki-san's older sister...!"

Both Hanzaki and Hisato were quick to lower themselves back into the water so she would not be able to see their bodies.

"Oh? It's one of the kids who likes my idiot brother." The woman smiled with a hand on her cheek. "The two of us were just having a nice, long chat outside. ...And we thought we would clean up before our fight."

...Fight?!

Hanzaki gasped and checked everyone else.

Hisato was as confused as him and Daigo only nodded.

There was also the fact this was not a co-ed bathhouse.

These two people planned to fight in some way.

This is going to be a kaiju battle, isn't it? thought Hanzaki with a sigh. After all...

...There's no way they would do karaoke...

Kanzaki walked along a dark pathway on one side of the city.

She held a paper bag of bread under he left arm and the bottle of cocoa was inside as well. She had been told to head home and drink it there, so she had decided to do just that.

The aroma from the bag was enough to satisfy her a little.

"Yes."

This is the kind of air I want to breathe, she thought with her eyebrows tensed.

When she looked to the back of the city, she saw a lit area.

...The material collapsed there, but it is possible the guards' injuries were made by an attacker.

She had received a report not form any Border member but from the general news that way playing out.

This did not feel like it was attached to Border in any way and something that could happen to Mikado City as a whole, so the recent reports tended to be made by the citizens of the city.

...The more personnel involved in the work we do for Border, the more that work will be known to the public. That is why general city events are much better for us.

That was of course something Kimura had told her. Kanzaki felt bad for leaving so many decisions to others since arriving in Mikado City, so she felt she needed to pay them back in the actual battles she fought against the Neighbors and the intimidation effect she provided as a solo A-Rank agent.

"Maybe I should stop by the Main Red Lightning in the outer area."

According to the transmissions, the report on the collapse would take place near that area. If everyone was gathering there, she could share the extra bread and say it came from the manager and she could relax with her cocoa.

She also simply felt like relaxing with the others a bit.

...Right.

With that decision made, she looked to the outer city.

The surface wide block here had been mostly remodeled as a residential area already, but the neighboring wide block was still a large hole.

A few thick wooden passageways ran across the open space as temporary pathways, so she chose one as a shortcut to the outer city. She bows toward the guard at the end and stepped onto the wooden passageway.

.

"Maybe I should hurry."

Kanzaki spoke to herself as she crossed the three meter wide path created above the thick wooden passageway.

The field pathway glowed with a pale light and she looked around from there.

...The nighttime inspection work is about to end.

Her surroundings were still dark because the city's lights did not fully reach this area.

The area was less used for the people of the city and more for inspection work. The inspection work that needed that darkness was primarily to determine courses of action after Neighbor attacks, but it also included areas close to the residential and industrial districts.

That was why light would rarely reach the area during nighttime and focused more on moving.

The nighttime inspection work was currently finishing up and everyone was breathing a sigh of relief.

As she looked around from the dark sky, she heard distant sounds and saw the occasional distant light. To her, those immediate signs of rapid work were the representative features of this time period.

"In that case...I need to do my job as well."

She would visit the outer city Red Lighting and speak with the others.

...This too is important.

She nodded and resumed walking across the wooden passageway toward the outer city. The inner city was to her left and the outer city was to her right. As she walked, a sudden question occurred to her.

...Hm...

She tilted her head while looking to the other end of the thick wooden passageway.

"Why isn't there a guard at the passageway exit?"

These bridges were also used to carry important materials, so it was standard to place a single guard at each end. That was why she had passed one when heading out onto the passageway.

"...?"

She turned around and found no one at that entrance point.

No, she could see someone collapsed in the darkness.

...Is that the guard from before?

She immediately decided to leave this place.

She had no real reason. Something like the feel of the air on her skin gave her a vague sensation that something was coming, so she turned back around to hurry across.

"!?"

A silent strike hit her on the left side.

.

...A gunshot!

There was no doubt in Kanzaki's heart. She was certain. Her former teammates had taught her firsthand what the damage from different sorts of attacks felt like. She activated her Trigger immediately.

She was in her trion body, but the force of the impact began at a single point and spread out to her entire body while also permeating her body and leaving through the opposite side. It was undoubtedly a hit from a physical bullet.

Her body grew heavy and, by the time the impact left her, it had taken all of her strength with it.

"Kh...!"

She immediately decided not to as why she had been shot.

Both the "why" and the "how" were not what mattered at the moment.

...I need to survive!

The shooter was left of her.

She had been shot as soon as she turned around and pointed her left side toward the inner city.

She did not know if a second shot was coming. When the first sniper shot missed, the target would move and prevent a second optimal shot. A skilled sniper would know that, but...

...There are some who can fire strange shots like Suzaku-dono and Kurauchi-dono!

If the enemy was on Suzaku's level...

"—"

I should avoid assuming anything that unreasonable, she honestly thought. If the shooter was on his level, it would not have been a sniper shot. The entire wooden passageway would have been blown away.

At any rate, she had no cover on that passageway, so...

"..."

She created cover for herself. She quickly turned and pointed her right half toward the inner city.

She stood the Kōgetsu spear against the ground as cover to hide her body. By placing her body's central line behind the spear, she could avoid a hit to the vitals. Now she only had to report the danger via transmission, and...

"...?"

She realized something.

...Someone's here.

The vague wind-like presence had grown more solid.

It seemed to be silently approaching behind her.

What was it? Rather than ask, Kanzaki reached a conclusion.

...The enemy is behind me!

She took a step on reflex to jump left and thus to the inner edge of the narrow passageway. She still held the paper bag under her left arm, but she held the Kōgetsu spear in her right hand. The spear would function better as a shield than the bag.

By approaching the left side of the wooden passageway, the enemy would only be able to attack her right side.

She concluded that she only needed to avoid the attacks to her right side.

"...!"

She saw the enemy to her left as they attacked from behind.

They had apparently been unable to follow her step to the left. They wore a hooded cloak and rapidly braked after attacking the spot she had just vacated.

...Who are they!?

She did not know. At the very least, she had no memory of this opponent. However, she did recognize their movements. Despite messing up their attack, they recovered with nimble footwork.

...A ninja?

She could not be certain, but achieving that level of control without producing any footsteps was not a warrior's technique. Also...

"—"

The hooded figure vanished.

No, their footwork had led into a step right into her blind spot.

Kanzaki guessed they were behind her and started to turn around, but...

...No!?

She felt a faint wind-like presence and stopped turning around.

She faced forward. This check would be suicidal if the enemy really was behind her, but the enemy was in front of her after all.

They had circled in front of her rather than behind.

.

"Kh."

More than the fact that she had sensed correctly, Kanzaki gasped at the fact that the enemy who had circled behind her was now in front of her.

The enemy was lowered down almost to a crawl and had their sword drawn to the right side.

...What is this?

How and when had they circled in front of her?

She understood the theory. She had turned around to follow the enemy. Predicting that she would sweep her gaze horizontally to the back, the enemy had slipped below her horizontally moving gaze.

It made sense when explained step by step, but actually pulling it off would be incredibly difficult.

It was not the technique of a warrior.

It was a ninja's assassination technique.

Meanwhile, Kanzaki was a warrior. She felt their close proximity gave her enemy the advantage, so...

"—"

She took a quick back step.

The enemy lunged toward her while standing back up.

And in the instant the space between them shrank again...

"Sorry!"

Kanzaki apologized to the manager in her heart as she threw the paper bag toward the enemy's face.

She was blocking their vision to stop their charge. More than the bread, the bamboo bottle inside would likely act as a decent obstacle. After all...

...It was probably that bottle that took the previous sniper shot.

She felt pain in her left side, but she had not received a gunshot wound. Instead, she could see something dark staining the bottom of the paper bag. That was likely the cocoa spilled after the bottle broke. It was a real shame.

Then she took action.

She was worried about the sniper to the right, so she held her spear vertically while taking another back step. At the very least, she had to keep the spear shield in place until she left the sniper's line of fire.

"...!?"

As soon as she jumped back, something shot by left to right in front of her eyes.

It took her a moment to realize it was a bullet. After all, the previous sniper shot had come from the inner city to her right, yet this one came from...

...The fore on the left!?

Did that mean there were two snipers?

She had no way of answering that question and the enemy in front of her reacted to the thrown bag.

The hooded figure placed their empty hand on the airborne bag.

"—"

They gave a hard shove to push it back toward Kanzaki.

.

Oh, no, thought Kanzaki.

She had predicted the enemy would either slice through or brush aside the bag, but they had overturned that assumption.

And that was why she was caught off guard.

The preparatory move she had taken against the enemy had been sent right back at her.

It flew straight toward her face, blocking her vision.

The question "what should I do?" entered her heart for the first time in the battle, so...

...Oh, no!

This was no time to be thinking that, but it was clear her carelessness and negligence had made the situation two or three times worse.

She briefly realized how foolish she was.

"Kh."

She could not use her spear with it held as a shield to her right, so she prepared to swipe it aside with her left hand.

"...Kh!"

A sniper shot had come from the left as well. That meant it would be dangerous to leave her left side unguarded. A single shot could easily make its way to her heart.

In that case, she thought as she took another back step.

...I need to dodge!

Just as she lowered her body a little, something happened to the paper bag in front of her.

It and everything inside it was torn in two.

She knew the enemy had sliced through it, but the direction of the cut was odd.

The bag had been sliced from her side toward the enemy's side.

Impossible, she felt. If they used their blade, it should have started on their side.

But instead, it opened wide on her side as if it were about to embrace her.

"—"

The contents of the bag spread out over her lowered head.

The bread scattered and the bamboo bottle split apart while scattering its contents.

Kanzaki was distracted by that movement.

In an instant, she felt a chilly presence on her throat.

Then she saw the hooded figure in a nearly crawling stance below the scattering bag and right in front of her lowered gaze.

...Oh, no!

She bemoaned her actions yet again but still tried to take a third back step.

As she did, a figure appeared behind her on the right.

This was not the enemy in front of her.

A second enemy was circling around her from behind.

.

Another one? thought Kanzaki.

This additional enemy also seemed to like hiding in her blind spot. This figure moving behind her right shoulder was small.

However, the second enemy also held a weapon.

"Raygust!?"

After that, the enemy gave a shout of their own in a male voice.

"You need to get some sleep!"

The enemy swung their weapon.

"—"

At first, she felt wind. The air pushed by the Raygust became a wind of swollen pressure.

The warm wind initially pushed in from the right, but...

...Here it comes!

A solid mass tore through that wind. The impact was even larger than the Raygust itself and she could see it approaching in the movement of the air.

This was a striking weapon. And...

"It's silent!?"

It was likely being used with a counter sound to silence it.

It was going to hit her and a different sort of impact from the sniper shot was going to permeate her entire body.

Faced with that, Kanzaki did not hesitate.

"Kh...ah!"

Just before the enemy got in a clean hit and just before the strike landed on her body, she jumped. Instead of evading, she was altogether avoiding the enemy's attack.

She threw herself off the wooden passageway.

She threw herself into the empty darkness there.

...Where can I land...?

As her consciousness faded from mental burden placed on her mind, her body followed suit by sinking into the depths of the darkness.

Manager: "Kanzaki was attacked...and injured?"

At the Main Red Lightning, Suzaku and the others viewed the information from his father while the customers and business owners operated outside of the building.

...Kanzkai was attacked?

The answer to his question was displayed on the screen before his eyes.

"What is this?"

It was the message board from the RP Committee's website. One of the threads created by a reader contained an image supposedly taken from a stationary security camera.

It showed someone falling backwards from one of Mikado City's thick wooden passageways.

It was from just a few minutes earlier. Since it was night, the image was dark and the color were hard to make out.

However, the falling figure had a ponytail on their head and a spear in their right hand. There were also some posts from witnesses saying they had seen Kanzaki walking around there.

The area below was a nature district that contained a waterway. The posts were wondering if an emergency search was necessary.

A thought came to Suzaku's mind as he watched the thread.

...I wonder.

He tried asking his question.

Umi: "Um, why does it say she was attacked?"

Kuni: "If you remember doing it, confess right this instant!"

Class Rep: "It would be a miracle if someone actually raised their hand after that."

Yes, but you can never underestimate Border because sometimes those miracles happen. Fuyushi's still a novice.

White Fox: "The person who uploaded the image suspected that she had been shot. That is an easy theory to latch onto during discussions, so it's being treated as the truth now."

Kura-uchi: "How arrogant of them. Besides, the way she's being knocked away could not have been done with a gunshot. She was hit with a much larger surface."

Suzaku was impressed by that analysis, but that also meant the individual in the image really had been attacked. And...

Manager: "Hold on. I'm going to try contacting Kanzaki. We might be getting worked up over nothing."

Umi: "Yeah, please do. With my squad's idiot squished flat, we would be in trouble if something happened to Kanzaki too."

Demon Child: "You can say some amazing things sometimes... But in all seriousness, this could affect Kanzaki's reputation as well as the Border's. For some information warfare, I'm going to send out a dummy image to confuse the situation. Kagami, I'm going to need your help here."

Suzaku saw Hitomi sit down on a hemp rope cable laid out on the ground.

She opened the tablet she had brought with her and Kagami sat next to her to help.

Demon Child: "We'll prepare the image using the existing one, so Suzaku, you tell your father I want to use the Suzaku Business's transmission authority to untraceably upload it."

Umi: "Why do I feel like our business is turning into one of the shadiest ones in history?"

Demon Child: "What's wrong with that? It's convenient for me. ...Anyway, is there anyone around here I can use as a model? Kageura? Yes, you'll do perfectly."

.

From her lowered position, Hitomi spoke to Kageura as he walked over.

"Hey, Kageura. Were you finally able to make it here? That's perfect, so stand right there. Right. Now look up a little, bend backwards, and... What, you won't bend backwards? And you call yourself a living creature?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean!? And I was out helping Ariake, so leave me alone!"

"I'll take that as compensation. You can expect a good doujinshi later on for that one."

She stopped Kagami's hand that was holding her pen and closed the tablet.

The image was complete, so she sent it to Suzaku.

"That should do nicely. Kageura, aren't you glad even you could contribute a little to the Shipping Squad's work?"

"I'm not sure what just happened, but I have a very bad feeling about it..."

.

Suzaku looked at the image Hitomi had sent him.

It showed the wooden passageway crossing the open area in the city, and...

Umi: "Wow. Kanzaki is performing a backdrop throw on Kage."

Manager: "Eh? Isn't this that other image...? Ehhh!?"

Demon Child: "Image modifications are a standard skill. Even in the history recreations, the frescoes and paintings in cathedrals are being redrawn. ...Of course, it might have been better to have Kageura falling a little more head-first. For a squad captain, you're pretty bad at taking orders."

Kage: "Why would I take orders from you!? You aren't sane!"

Demon Child: "Heh. Well, you certainly aren't either."

Artist: "You're having a lot of surprisingly manly moments lately, Hitomi!"

They never change, do they? thought Suzaku, but he did get what Hitomi was doing. She wanted to spread that image on the network to drown out the rumors of Kanzaki being injured.

Demon Child: "Akashi would probably go at it with his own posts, but this is where my skills lie. I'll send you a few different versions, so send those out too."

White Fox: "Thank you very much. I'm only any good at the gathering and analysis side."

Demon Child: "Then go 'gather' me a drink. I'll take Mogami peach nectar."

White Fox: "Screw off. I'm doing something important right now."

Kuni: "What's that?"

White Fox: "Like hell I would tell you cannibals."

Black Wolf: "He is going to be meeting Mei's parents in a few minutes."

White Fox: "Kō, you asshoooooooole!"

The collection of "ooooooooohhhh" that ran throughout the room was amazing in the worst way. Suzaku had to agree with them, though.

As Kimura operated her phone, she messaged for Yuki to get going and the ninja immediately left the chat. Meanwhile, Suzaku sent Hitomi's request to his father.

Suzaku Dad: "I'll do it! Your dad will do his very best! Being young sure is great!"

Fine, dad, but do you really have to choose a name based on your relationship to me?

"Oh, it's already started..."

Suzaku Dad: "I did it! Your dad did his very best! Maybe I'm young too!"

Du-Sis: "Hey, why is Dad messaging in Border's chat!? And why is he being more embarrassing than usual!?"

That's what I want to know too, sis...

Everyone glared at Suzaku as he sent a random response back to his father. He made sure to at least thank him and tell him to get to bed early.

"Looks like there's trouble with Kanzaki."

"She is a strong person, so I doubt we have to worry about her."

Mei had said that, but Yuki could see that she was also worried for their former teammate. Even if they knew how strong she was, she had been a strange slump for some time now and that worried them as well.

Opening his phone again, he spent Kimura a private message. He asked her to inform Mitsuteru and see what his thoughts on the matter were like.

Once that was done, he put his phone away and looked around the area.

He and Mei were standing outside of Mei's house, both in casual clothing and looking ready for something.

Then the realization of the situation hit him.

...I'm going to be meeting Mei's parents for the first time! Crap! What do I do!? What do I say!? Crap, crap, crap! And now there's Kanzaki to worry about! This seriously sucks!

...

But I need to do this properly! I need to show them that their daughter is in good hands here! I'm her boyfriend now, and they need to know that I plan on taking care of her!

With that new resolve in his heart he pumped his fist once and steeled his face.

This was the most important meeting of his life and he refused to mess it up. The cannibals were at the Main Red Lightning and he had managed to get out of his people watching in order to be here.

...But I really am worried about the two I had been following earlier.

They had managed to escape his sights once he realized what the time had been. Focusing on this meeting felt like it was more important, but the thought of messing up as someone unneeded left a bad taste in his mouth.

A message had come in earlier from Pyrínas that had said he would not be at the branch office until later in the night, so that was also something to think about.

A lot of things were happening in the city and he would only focus on one thing at a time. Being a single individual was rough when everything seemed to be happening all at once, but there was no way he could change that.

So for now...

I need to focus on this meeting.

He had heard about Mei's parents before, but had never met them. Even speaking to them had been hard enough that he never got to know what their voices sounded like.

And now he would be hearing and seeing them for the first time.

"...!"

As he thought about what could happen, the sound of a car driving towards them could be heard.

Once it stopped in front of them, two people exited the vehicle. One was a man with stood a head taller than Yuki and a woman who held a stoic expression. Both of them wasted no time in moving to stand before the two of them instead of getting anything from the car.

Yuki instinctively gulped on the inside.

This was it.

This was...

"Fuji-chaaaaan!"

"My little girl is so grown uuuuup! Kyaaaa!"

This was unexpected.

.

Mei smiled as her parents moved closer to hug her.

She lifted her arms up to return the hug before moving back.

Her mother and father looked her up and down until they reached her face. And when they did, it was the reaction she had expected.

"Fuji-chan! You're smiling! You're seriously smiling! Whoo! She's so adorable!"

"Aaaawwww! Here, let me take a picture! A picture! Our grown up little girl's smile is really the cutest!"

Without any warning, her father pulled her close while her mother pulled out a camera that looked like it came from a foreign land. The design on the side of it matched the silk skirt her mother wore while contrasting her father's clothes nicely.

Once the picture was taken she was pulled forward to take a look at it.

She was met with her own smiling face.

...I really have changed, haven't I?

That kind of smile would have felt impossible only a month ago, but it was now a reality that she was happy with. Her calculations continued to move through her head, but those were moved to the side so that her emotions could be put on full display.

"Hey, do you think she can say it now?"

"I hope so! I would love it if she would call me that!"

"Maybe we could ask her?"

"Wouldn't that be putting pressure on her?"

She had no need to calculate what they meant by that.

From the very start, she knew what she had to say to show them just how much she has changed.

Widening her smile a bit more, she faced her mother and father.

"Mama. Papa. Welcome home."

.

Yuki watched the instant reaction from the mother and the father.

"Uwaaaah! She said it! She called me 'Mama'! Uwaaaah! She's such a good giiiiiiirl!"

"My heart! My heart! My daughter is just the best there is! I can die happy knowing she called me 'Papa'!"

While the mother smothered her daughter, the father held his chest and bent forward. The tears in their eyes felt far too real for this to be an exaggeration, and that alone made Yuki feel something in his own chest. A feeling of want that should not have been there to begin with.

A bitter smile played on his lips.

...That must be nice...

He only had his younger sister for the longest time, and even that felt like it was conditional. Even if it would be difficult, he wanted to try and get along with his brother and older sister as well.

But this was different from that.

He would "only get along" with them, but they would still be too far away to call them his family. The feelings they should have had as a family were lost at some point and seemed like they would not be coming back. It had gone so far that both his younger brother and younger sister had spoken out against him.

What he was seeing now was something he would truly never have for himself.

...Parents who really cared for you... Heh. Yeah, I'm pretty pathetic to want that at this point. Especially when I've already said our crappy parents cared for us in their own way.

It had been rough saying even that much about them, but he felt that lying to himself like that was the only way to explain why they had been that way.

And now that he had seen what parents could be like, he was certain that his own had just not been the right people for parenting.

He gave a bitter laugh and looked away, not wanting to see what it meant to really have that sort of thing.

...Unneeded people should just keep these things to themselves.

Telling Murakami about it later was the most he would be able to do for himself.

But that was all.

.

Mei heard the small self-deprecating laugh and looked to see Yuki facing the other direction.

The calculations and her own emotions told her that he was likely feeling bad about the current situation. It was nothing against her or her parents, but the reminder of his own family had likely entered his mind.

He is still an idiot, I suppose.

Nothing would change that.

But that was fine.

She was here to make sure he would be fine. Just like how he is here to make sure I'm fine.

Pulling away from her mother again, she took a step back and placed her hands behind her back.

"Mother. Father. Minoru will be coming over in a bit, but before he gets here, there is someone here who I want you to meet, and someone who wants to meet you."

"The boy you had mentioned before, right?"

"That's right."

"Good. I've been meaning to say some things to him after what you've told us."

Their tunnel vision had made her mother and father not notice Yuki's presence at all, but that was what had made it funny.

She unfolded her hands behind her back and laughed into her right hand. With her left hand, she gestured to the spot directly behind them.

"I would like you to meet Tsukiko Yuki."

.

Shitokei Iro and Shitokei Yuzu turned around as their daughter gestured to the spot directly behind them.

Upon doing so, they came to the sight of a young man on the ground. His knees and forehead were touching the ground, his body was folded up, one arm was flat on the ground while the other was held up as if offering them something.

It was a perfect dogeza.

They could hear Fuji let out something akin to a squeak behind them as the boy in front of them began to speak.

"Hello, mother and father. Thank you very much for giving birth to this wonder, beautiful, and elegant woman here that I get to see every day and have come to realize her true greatness. She has been patient with me and we have come to an understanding of each other, becoming equals in that regard. I would like to some day have her hand in marriage and would like your approval. I will first become a man worthy of such an honor and make sure that she is treated properly and is well cared for. Once that has been done, I would also like to have children with her. Likely two, to be exact. As an older sibling, I know that it would get lonely without someone else there, so I feel that it is only right to have two children. A boy and a girl would be nice, that way we would be able to experience having both, but I would be fine with any sort of combination. You would both of course be notified if anything would come up, how they are doing, and be able to see and spoil them as you see fit. I will also make sure that any pictures of them will be sent directly to the both of you without any delay. Thank you for this opportunity and please ask anything of me while you stay in Mikado City."

They felt as if the words coming from his mouth were written in the air as he spoke, but that could have been their imagination.

Something that was clearly in reality was the wind they felt as something passed them by from behind.

"You idiot!"

The spot the boy had been in was quickly cracked as Fuji rushed over and punched the ground.

The boy in question gave a sigh of relief from the mailbox he was now standing on.

The red covering Fuji's face was amazing in it's own right, but the thing they focus on more was the boy.

The first one to react had been Iro.

He did so by pointing at the pointing at the boy standing on the mailbox with stars in his eyes.

"It's a real ninja!"