This story is a fan-made work of fiction, made for entertainment purposes only.

I do not own Muv-Luv nor any of the other media referenced, either directly or indirectly, in this work. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

Names, characters, organizations and events depicted in this story are either a product of the author's imagination or portrayed in a fictional manner to serve the narrative. Any relation to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, existing in the present or from the past, or actual real life events is purely coincidental.

The views and opinions shown in this story do not represent the author's nor the original source material author's.

This story is made as a direct sequel to Muv-Luv Alternative and it is recommended to have read the original VN trilogy already, due to the large details of the world that the narrative will assume the reader already knows.

However, as you'll see down below when you start reading, Reversal works as a sort of AU, Alternate Universe that is, and will diverge from canon at some points. Do not expect a carbon copy of Alternative's events in this fic. This is not the story to read if you're looking for canon-compliant content.

There also will be unmarked spoilers present throughout the plot, pertaining to other media from the Muv-Luv franchise and other works from AGE, like Total Eclipse, some side-stories from the Photon games, and Rumbling Hearts/Kimi ga Nozumu Eien/[Insert official localization name here], to name a few.

This fic is also the starting point of its series, most of my other works for the Muv-Luv fandom will be related to this story in one way or the other. Author notes at the end of certain chapters will indicate when it is recommended to go and take a peek at the other material I write.

WARNING:

This story will contain themes that may upset certain sensibilities and aren't appropriate for some audiences. Reversal takes all the darkest elements of Muv-Luv Alternative and brings them into the lime light, exacerbating them at times. While not all chapters will contain such subjects, the story as a whole will employ said topics, at times without notice and out of the blue.

Thus, the following tags apply to this story: AU – Post-Canon, AU – Dark, Heavy Angst, Cruelty, Torture, Blood and Violence, Bigotry and Prejudice, Graphics Descriptions, Mental Health Issues and Anguish, Repressed Memories and PTSD, Tragedy, and Doomed Timelines.

Reader discretion is advised.

If any of the above tags could affect you negatively, do not proceed any further. Don't let the dark contents of this story ruin your day.

At times, I shall leave chapter-specific warnings at the start in an author's note when I deem the content warrants it. Do not take the warnings lightly, they are there for a reason. However, a lack of a warning does not mean the content cannot take a dark turn. Proceed at your own discretion, and do not expect this story to be anything other than what it's showing itself to be.

Due to the repetition of issues different commenters have had with the plot of this fic, I suppose I should give you all a small heads-up:

Some of my headcanons and takes on Muv-Luv have been considered toxic by a few, at times this story has been referred to as 'dark angsty shit', 'misery porn', and other derogatory adjectives and phrases. I know my writing isn't what the average Muv-Luv fan enjoys or seeks in a story but, while I appreciate constructive criticism, hatred won't be tolerated.

Reversal might be a swan dive into depression and does have a large serving of narrative and pacing issues, but this is my story to write. If it isn't to your liking, all I ask is for you to close the tab. Let's keep this civil and not resort to insults if the content does not align with what you hoped the story would be.

You're free to comment what you feel about the story, just please spare me the flames.

Also, as a little point of advice, the prologue on its own more or less tells the tone and way the story as a whole will go. If you don't enjoy what you've read by the end of chapter five, then you probably won't find the rest fitting to your tastes.

With all that said and without further delays, be welcome to my ride. Sit tight, bring some tissues, some cookies, and abandon all naive thoughts and romantic expectations.

Here's hoping your stay is a pleasant one.

"All I see is shattered pieces

I can't keep it hidden like a secret

I can't look away

From all this pain in the world we've made

Every day you need a bulletproof vest

To save yourself, from what you could never guess

Am I safe today?

When I step outside in the wars we wage

Our future's here and now

Here comes the countdown!"

Rise, by Skillet.

Muv-Luv Reversal

[Prologue: Unalterable]

Chapter 1:

One Last Day in Peace

August 5th, 2003. Extra Timeline

(Hiiragi District. Takeru's House.)

[Takeru]

"Come on, you have to straighten your hair! You can't meet her with these looks, Takeru!" Mom nags at me with a frown, getting closer and brushing my fringe, trying to 'fix' my hair.

So I raise an arm in defense, taking a step back. "That's enough, Mom! Leave my hair alone. And… it's not what you think. We're just meeting to pass the time, that's all."

"Yeah, right. And I'm a three-headed monkey," giving me a side glance for a second, she takes out her perfume and starts to shower me in it. "After all the prep work you did yesterday. You're not fooling your mother, young man!"

"Come on, sto- Cough! Stop it with the perfume! Do you wanna kill me or what?!" Coughing a bit, waving a hand to send away the clouds of vanilla she had poured on me, I take a few steps back towards the door. "Really, it's… just a meetup, nothing more."

Narrow eyes, pursed lips, she then shakes her head. "Fine, whatever. But at least do your hair again. Why haven't you cut it already? It's the middle of summer, too."

"Shut up. It's not even that long, anyways," curling some of it behind my ears, rechecking everything was on me already, a shiver ran down my spine. Finally, it's time to set off. "Well, I'll be back before it's dark."

"Yes, you do that. But if you end up… sidetracked, make sure to at least call to-"

"Mom!"

"What? Come on, Takeru. Read the hints!" Waving a finger at my nose, her eyes start blazing. "You didn't do all this prep for nothing, right?"

"Sigh. Just… It's complicated."

"Ha! Now you finally look like an adult." Smiling much, she gives me a strong pat on the back. "Have fun, and don't be too nervous, okay?"

"Yes… Thanks, Mom. Later," putting on my shoes, giving a nod, I walk to the door.

"And if you do go to a hotel, make sure to use a cond-"

"MOM!"

Crossing her arms, she sighs and shakes her head, telling me to be careful out there in the city. Sighing, feeling empty all of a sudden, I just open the door almost apathetically and step outside. Taking a sharp breath, feeling the heat of the sun on my skin, I start making my way to the station.

Luck seems to be on our side today, though. We've had random rains every day recently but for now the sky is clear, it's nicely hot and according to the forecast it's not raining today.

As I walk out on the street of another summer, parents with their children on a trip, couples huddling close, and the usual bustling of the season, the soft caress of the wind reaches my face as it blows around. This summer has been weird, with all of these random rains, but it's also not that humid heat that always brings my mood down. It's nicely warm, yet not oppressing.

And yet, as I breath in, my legs grow heavy, a quiver in my ankles delays my steps. Running a hand over my hair, I can't help but to sigh. Plucking my lips as I see my reflection on a house's window, can't help but to wonder if she'll come.

And even if she does… What do I tell her? I gulp, placing both of my hands on my jean's pockets. Kicking the air as I pick up my pace, feeling the coldness of my keys and the odd shape of my wallet, I close my eyes and try to remember the lines I had practiced to break the ice, and yet my mind comes as blank as the clouds up there.

"Sigh… What's wrong with me?" Everyone else is gonna be there too, at least.

"Takeru-chan! Wait up!"

A voice I know well snaps me out of my inner worries. As I stop walking and look back, I see a red head running towards me.

Dressed with a cerulean sleeveless blouse with lines of white, cream colored shorts and her trademarked yellow ribbon, the woman in question leaves a cloud of dust in her trail as she rushes towards me.

"I said wait up! Why're you leaving without me?!" Sumika says, or rather shouts, while flailing her arms in the air as she tries to catch up to me.

Fuck… I totally forgot. Me and spacing out, name a more iconic duo. Thanks to Mom's nagging, it slipped my mind Sumika insisted on us going together to the meetup, even if it meant waiting for me. Looks like, for once, I was ready before her.

"Sorry, my bad," giving her a small bow, I try to rise a smile as she comes closer. "Mom was being real nosy, so it kind of slipped my mind."

"You're horrible!" Puffing her cheeks to the brim, she hits my shoulder once she arrives by my side, "I always, always wait for you. Why didn't you ring the bell to tell me you were ready?"

"I would have, but Mom was… well, being nosy."

"About what? You're not just lying to cover the fact that you forgot, right?" And again, that dubious side glance, that tilt of her head.

"Sigh… I'm not, she just got too bothersome at the last second. That my hair is too long, that I didn't put on perfume, to remember to use a… A-Anyways, sorry for not waiting."

"Well… Doesn't matter. So, everything's good?" Her usual smile back up, we start walking to the station.

"Yeah, same as always."

Making small talk, we keep going our way to the station. Crossing the streets, squeezing through the crowds that grow when we leave the calmness of the neighborhood, dodging rushing kids and douches that decide to make out in the middle of the fucking road, the station becomes visible in the distance. Just a few minutes more… Gulping, I hide my hands on my pockets, aware of my heartbeats for a second.

"H-Hey, don't walk so fast!" Sumika complains, slowly dodging the stream of people to come back near me with a light jog, and puffed cheeks.

"Come on, Sumika. I ain't even walking fast, you know?" I scratch my head, readjusting my jacket while she catches her breath once she comes closer.

"Lies, you're marching as if it were the end of the world. You didn't even slow down in the middle of that giant crowd."

"What? It's not like I was trying to. I just dodged the people, that's all."

"…Hmm. But really, don't walk so fast. We still have plenty of time, right? Let's just chat for a while, it's been so long since we had time off to hang out."

"…Did you forget why we're out so early today?"

"What's with the glare?" Plucking her lips, she again punches my sides as we wait for the red to turn green. "But yeah, I get how you feel. I'm anxious to meet everyone after so long, too. Being in college sure is hard, right?" She lets out a small sigh as I nod in complete agreement, but Sumika quickly recovers her smile as we start walking again. "So there's a lot of catch up to do today, especially about how we did on our tests! But, I wonder what should we eat? Takeru-chan, think some ice cream before coming back sounds good?" She asks with a tilt of her head and a smile.

So, she really forgot about it. How did someone with such a short attention span ever made it to college is a mystery to me.

Sumika has been in a great mood since she passed two major tests with a really good score and hasn't shut up about it for a single second, so it's understandable she's so eager to meet again with the gang. And yeah, ice cream before we part ways sounds real nice.

However.

I, on the other hand, have something to do today. Sure, meeting up with the gang is gonna be fun. But there's another reason why I made sure to get up early today.

Leaning closer to her shoulder, I narrow my eyes. "Sumika-kun, surely you did not forget why we're meeting specifically today, right?"

So she pouts. "What's up with that tone? We're meeting today because the weather has been awful lately and Yoroi-kun asked us to-" she stops mid-sentence as the realization comes to her, eyes going wide. "The tournament! You're gonna be late for the registration!" So she shouts while a single hair of hers starts to convulse violently as a few sparks fly off it, drawing the stares of a few onlookers.

Now that I think about it that antenna is always on the move, almost as if it reflected her feelings. What's the deal with her hair?

"If you remembered then let's hurry, if I don't make it in time you'll have to apologize to Mikoto."

As soon as the light gave us the okay, I start to pick up the pace. So Sumika starts shouting at my back to not go so fast. She keeps at it until we finally reach the train station, despite the onlookers. Despite the whispers, smiles, and gazes that assume the wrong thing about us.

A few minutes later.

(Train.)

Par for the course for this time of summer, the train is packed. Little children happily play with their Game Guys as their parents relax on their seats, friends chat away their excitement about something or the other, and a few lucky fellows lean closer to each other, speaking in whispers. Absentmindedly, I look out the window, towards the city that stretches far and wide. So little has changed, yet so much has.

"But for real, I think everybody is going to be shocked when they see you," Sumika says with a grin.

"It's just been half a year since we last got together. It's not like I got a new haircut or anything," I look away from her shiny eyes, choosing instead to play with the keys on my jean's pocket.

"Just look at you! You're so diligent now, you wake up super early to go jogging, haven't failed a single test yet, and you even learned to cook!"

"Well, I have to keep my shit together now. Can't be bothering my parents anymore and eating something you make yourself is a really nice thing, you know." It really is, I don't know why I didn't start cooking sooner.

Sumika gives me a dubious look as she pokes my arm, groaning a bit, clearly dissatisfied with my answer. "Then, what about this? You've been obsessed with training as of late. What's gotten into you?"

"I just want to be fit. With all the time I spend sitting if I don't exercise a bit I'll end up slow as a slug."

Not satisfied with my answer yet again she keeps poking my arm as the train shakes. "Really? Then, why are you so jacked? Just being fit is not the same as being a bodybuilder. Are you going to enlist in the army or something?"

"Maybe. 1st Lieutenant Shirogane, it has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" I smirk while moving my brows up and down, to try to lighten the mood.

"…What's up with that?" Expression sobering up, her shoulders fall as deep as her tone. "Joining the army? What about your studies, or your parents, or…" she trails off, her eyes locked on the floor.

Lightly hitting her sides with my elbow, I shrug back at her. "I'm kidding, you know? I'm not dropping out of college or anything."

"Okay, but you better not go join the army for real or-"

"I'm not. My bad, my bad. Sheesh, you're so dramatic as of late," I let out a small chuckle as the announcer marks our stop, as Sumika's stare falls down, as she says not a single word more.

Once the shaking ceases, I exit the train along the stream of people, someone stepping on my foot, making me bump into someone else, which then turns into the usual complains that happen when the trains are this packed. Waiting for her nearby, we double check everything is still on us before going to the stairs and out to the street. And again, we squeeze through the waves of people, Sumika complaining as a few rushing suits almost bump into her, me cursing them under my breath.

"But, hey, why are you so insistent on training as of late?" She asks once we begin walking side by side again.

"…I need to do something besides studying, that's all," I shrug, rolling my eyes. She holds my gaze, a finger on a cheek. I know I gained a lot of muscle in the last months but you really need to lay off.

"Well, whatever," she regains her smile, taking a few steps forward. "So, how do you think everybody else is doing?"

I reply with hums, thankful that she dropped the questions. It's been real hard to talk with you as of late. Always asking about why I do stuff, saying I'm being weird. I know you mean well but give me some space already. I'm not a kid anymore.

…I know. I'm a coward. I shouldn't have left things in the air. And now I can't bring myself to crush her hope.

Though, I do kind of understand her, since I did change my usual routine. Then again, she wasn't this bothersome when I started to do stuff on my own, and stopped her from coming to wake me up. Wonder why now of all times…

"So, hey…" Sumika speaks up as we crossed a street, her voice getting low, her shoulder touching mine. "You feeling fine today?"

"Yeah? What's up? Do I look sick to you?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that." Her gaze burrows away, the hand holding her purse tightening its grip. "You didn't have any of those nightmares today?"

"…Don't worry. I've got the thing under control."

"Are you sure? If you want to talk about it, I'm-"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I slept as well as I haven't in a long time. Don't worry, Sumika."

"If you say so. So… Oh! Did Meiya-san reply in the end?"

"…No. Mom told me nobody called, so I don't know if she'll accept the invitation," I look down, letting a sigh out.

"You didn't say anything weird when you called her, right?" That tilt, that sideglance again.

"Of course not. Tsukuyomi-san just cut me off suddenly. We might just be bothering her now that she's the head of the group," sighing again, my shoulders drop a bit.

"Well, yeah… Shame, I wanted to chat for a while with her," Sumika also sighs, a hand playing with her hair. "You think it's because of that scandal?"

"Yeah, I'm sure they must still be very sensitive towards showing themselves in public. I was hoping Meiya would find some minutes to come to a place she was comfortable with, but since they didn't call me back…"

We both look down, I pluck my lips again as I start to slow down, remembering that talk. I had never heard Tsukuyomi-san being so cold and direct to me. I don't know if I should be happy or not. On one hand, I don't have to be so nervous about what will I tell them today, on the other, I still wanted to see them, even if only one last time.

"Come on, Takeru-chan," Sumika pulls my arm, again getting as close as she used to back in school. Close enough to let me see my reflection as her eyes remain on mine, as she gives me a wide smile, bright as the weather today. "There's nothing we can do now. You called them and invited Meiya-san. If they come or not, that's their decision. Let's just chill and enjoy the day. And if Meiya-san doesn't come, we just call her later tonight. Okay?"

"Sigh… Yeah, I get it. Sorry for getting so down."

"It's fine. I wanted to see her too, after all this time," she moves back, making a small smile while looking up, slowing down her pace.

We stop at another crossroad, waiting for the light to change. Yet, the conversation dies down silently, like the Dreamcost. Still, she's stealing glances at me. Sigh… You just won't stop looking after me, no matter what I tell you. Though, it's not like I can blame Sumika.

These stupid nightmares are still fucking with me even during summer break. I had thought it was the pressure from the exams that was getting to me, but they don't stop coming. Always that same wasteland that extends everywhere, always that same feeling of emptiness in my gut as me and the guys from school get sent to war or some shit. Sometimes I survive and I see that eternal wasteland littered with corpses and debris, and a lot of black fire. Sometimes I die and feel like I'm being devoured by some horrible monster.

Maybe I'm scared of the eventual grind that will come once we enter the workforce? I mean, everybody seems rather tense lately about the economy and junk.

…But still, there are a few things that are way too weird and disturbing, even by my dreams' standards. There's this girl with silverish white hair in the dreams, a girl I've never seen before. She looks really sad for some reason but when I try to reach out she runs away from me. There's also a lot of other people with uniforms that are kinda mixed within the wasteland, buried or fused into it as they get devoured by the shadowy monsters. I knew I shouldn't have read Furiae, that damn eclipse must have fucked my brain up. And here I was, thinking the Dark Blader arc was too metal already.

But, thing is, that wasteland is not the most disturbing thing I see in the nightmares. Looking to my side, pacing right alongside me, vibrant and bright. She looks so full of energy, maybe a bit too much. The complete opposite of the Sumika I see in the dreams. Lying in some sort of bed, dressed in some perverted skin-tight suit, holding something close to her chest. And completely still, unmoving. And every time the dream gets to that part the girl with white hair appears, saying that Sumika is dead.

Focusing on my studies has been hard as of late, so jogging, cooking, and exercising have done wonders to keep my mind clear of the images and screams from my dreams. I haven't yet told Sumika about my nightmares in detail, but she kept insisting that I was being weird. The things being so vivid I sometimes couldn't even look at her in the eye, she got real nosy about what was going on. So, I once told her I have these recurring nightmares and that it's been hard to sleep sometimes.

That was the worst mistake I've made in this year since it only made her worry more.

Today, however, there were no nightmares, no echoes stuck on my ears, no cold sweat covering my back as I wake up. A welcome change, it was F-ing time this stopped. I absentmindedly look at the sky, so clear today with only a few rebel clouds dancing above. It's so different than the one I see in my dreams, turned gray and intoxicated. And yet, somehow, that emptiness comes back to my gut and I swallow the breath I was about to release.

Why does it make me feel so sad, thinking about these dreams?

Sumika keeps making small talk as we move towards our destination, with me answering in hums. About what to talk about first, what to eat, poking fun at how we'll play in the tournament.

"But really, it's such good luck today's so nice!" She says, as bright as the sun when her face enters my view to get my attention.

"Well, the fucking rain had to stop at some point. You all have been trying to find a good date, we just got lucky everything coincided like this," I shrug, nodding.

"Yeah, no joke. Sakaki-san and Miki-chan really pushed to see us all again but the weather was so shitty for so long. Lucky you, Takeru-chan," smirking, she chuckles as she sways, moving a finger at me. "You get to finally spend some time away from the text books, worrying about your grades, to play your beloved Valgern-On."

"Oi, don't get cocky. Just because you got some good scores doesn't mean you're suddenly a genius."

"Oh, I dunno. All I know is, you haven't scored anything near a ninety yet!" Pointing a finger at the sky, flashing an evil smirk, she cackles for a second. "But really, are you two serious about the tournament?"

"Yeah? Why, got a problem?" Narrowing my eyes, I eye her sideways. You better not have something against my beloved Valgern-On, Sumika-kun.

"Sigh… Just don't start sulking when you lose, okay?"

"Who's gonna lose?"

"You, of course."

"…Say that again, you punk. I fucking dare you."

"Hohoho, why so mad, Takeru-chan? Why so defensive all of a sudden?" Again chuckling, she bumps her shoulder on mine.

"Ugh, shut up. You're such a bother, really."

"What? Not my fault you're so serious about a game."

"It's not just a game!" Feeling my eyes blazing, I rise a fist and inhale sharply.

"C-Come on, don't shout. People are looking."

"The reason why Mikoto asked us if today was a good day wasn't just because there's a Valgern-On tournament in the Tokyo Grand Salon. The winners not only get prize money but they also get to try the new version of the game one full month before its release! Don't you get it, Sumika?"

"…I get the money part but, why are you so hyped about a new game? Isn't it just the same thing but with different graphics?" She says, void of fire and motivation, giving me a sideglance as we hurry to cross a street.

"Not at all, you stupid idiot. The engine's completely new, and Zegga said they want to make it their flagship series for the fighting genre, to strike back at Nientendo's Squash Mereenge. After how the Dreamcost failed, they're pumping everything they've got into their upcoming games," circling a finger in the air, I retell as we stop for a sec to catch our breath, nodding to myself.

She doesn't seem too enthused, merely blinking in silence as she crosses her arms. "Huh… But if it's just that, why not wait a month to buy the new game?"

"Because there hasn't been any leaks yet. Nobody knows what's the new game like, what new units will there be, or what the story mode is about, so that's why I wanna at least give this a serious shot." Also, because it's gonna come out in the PlayStallion 2 and I don't have the money to buy one.

"But if it's all about fighting robots, I don't think you'll be missing out much, right? Not like you have the time to regularly play in the arcade anymore."

"…Siiigh." My weakness hit, shoulders sag as my feet drag a bit over the indifferent asphalt.

"Come on, don't get so down," patting my shoulder slowly, she gets a bit closer again. "If we endured the allnighters until today, we'll brave all the ones coming right up!"

"Yeah, I guess. But still, I miss playing Valgern-On."

"Then manage your time well, and play it on the Dreamcost."

"It's just not the same as doing it on the cockpit or against other people. And there's only so much you can enjoy replaying the same story mode over and over again. That's why I really am looking forward to anything that's shown of the new game during the event. Maybe not at release date, but I really wanna see how they handle the sequel in a small PV or something like that," smiling again, picking up the pace, I place both hands behind my head.

"But, why are you so hyped about it?" Brows crossing, she stares as her arms overlap. "It's just giant robots exploding all over."

"Sigh… Not at all, Sumika," coughing, straightening my posture and pushing back both shoulders, I inhale to fill my stomach with as much air as I can. To make a good teaching impression, a stoic voice. "You see, Valgern-On's original setting was all about human warfare, about fighting off the cyber legion made of automatons commanded by Tango, a quantum supercomputer. All the foreshadowing points to the next game happening right after Tango's self-deletion, but some people in the forums have brought up a few finer details in the most recent updates, as if there were something else lurking behind curtains besides the threat of the automated robots going rogue. Many theorize that's the real reason why Tango spared the life of the main character instead of simply letting him die. So, since the game's remained under wraps for so long, this event is expected to be a very competitive one, since all the fans want to be the first to enjoy the new version. Don't you get all exited when you get to try out a new recipe or something, even if it's a variation of a dish you already knew?"

"Ah… Yeah, I can see that. Some spices and different steps can make a totally new plate," smiling, she nods in agreement. "But still, to think you'd be so hyped about a game… Oh, how childish of you, Takeru-chan," and again, she chuckles at my groans.

"I know I should be dropping the games now that I'm in college, but Valgern-On is that one game I can't let go off."

It's even making a nice impression in America and it looks like there's going to be official tournaments there too, but with the console and PC versions of the game. Poor Americans, they will never know the glorious feeling of playing in the arcade cockpit.

Sumika, you will never understand this feeling, this rush one feels when duking it out in the cockpit. Moreover, since this tournament was made to promote the online multiplayer functions of the new version, the format is going to be a two player team battle. Between my studies and the nightmares I wasn't planning on even going to watch, but when everyone else agreed to meet today and Mikoto asked me if I'd like to team up with him I couldn't say no. And so, today I go to my first, and probably last, competitive Valgern-On event, the Tokyo Salon Fighters tournament.

"Well, whether I win or not is besides the point. All that matters is, I get to play with Mikoto again, even if we don't learn anything new about the game."

"Yeah, I get that. Kinda surprising, how fast time flies. I swear, I think graduation was just a few months ago."

"Same. I think the books and towers of papers have warped our perception of time."

"More like they distorted time-space itself! It's been two years since graduation, and I still wake up some days thinking I have to climb that hellish hill," she then laughs, and I can't help but to join her.

Yeah, time sure flies, doesn't it? Two years, huh. It's kind of surprising, honestly. Maybe that's why Mikoto was so pushy on meeting up today. It has been a long time since we got to play together, and we only cross paths when we leave our classes nowadays. However, games aside, I thought this could be a good time to… well, see if we could talk with Meiya again. That enough time had passed, that she would be under less pressure now to at least come and say hi. It does seem like my invitation wasn't well received, though. Sigh…

"Oh! Takeru-san, Sumika-san! Good afternoon!" A cheerful voice returns me to reality as a small girl with pink hair approaches at full speed.

Wearing short jeans and a clear turquoise t-shirt with images of cat pawns all over it, along a small black purse, Tama waves her hand in the air vigorously as she crosses the street.

"Hi, Miki-chan! How's everything going?" Sumika moves to greet her, returning the vibrant smile.

"A-OK, I just scored a bit less on my last test than I expected. But everything else is good! How about you two?" She asks with her usual smile, slightly bouncing up.

"I'm great! I scored over ninety on my last two tests, can you believe it?!"

Why am I not surprised that's the first thing she mentions. Tama looks surprised as she asks about the questions and how Sumika studied for the tests. They exchange some tips as we move again to the TGS.

"Takeru-san, how about you? How's college treating you?"

"That's 1st Lieutenant Shirogane for you, civilian Tamase," I say in an exaggerated stern tone, giving her a stoic gaze, trying to poke fun at her.

"Eh? What's this about? 1st Lieutenant?" Tama's brows start to narrow as she slightly tilts her head.

"I dropped out of college to answer the call of du… honor to serve our nation, and I now am no longer the man you used to know." Straight and firm as a pillar, I strike a pose like the ones in my dreams to add more effect to the speech. "I am now 1st Lieutenant Shirogane of the Squad 207B of Yokohama Base. But to answer your question, life is treating me just fine," I say with a nod.

"Awawa… You joined the army? When? How? Why?"

"Miki-chan, he's just messing with you. He made the same joke to me when we were in the train."

She just had to go and ruin my fun. Teasing Tama is one of the things I miss the most of school. Damn you, Sumika.

"Takeru-san, you meanie! But it looks like you're fine. Are you doing okay with the tests?" Quick to forgive, she gives me a curious gaze.

"Yeah, my grades aren't that great but I haven't failed a single test yet," I say, puffing my chest in pride.

"Um, Takeru-san, when did you… get so fit?" Tama asks, trying to not stare.

"I began exercising around half a year ago, but I just started seeing the fruits of all the training," I scratch my head, looking up. It's kinda embarrassing to see her fidget like that.

"He's been obsessed with training, I tell you," Sumika says with a grin, poking one of my arms. "He even learned how to cook just to keep track of how much protein he eats. I think the pressure of college was too much for him and broke his mind," she giggles, making circles with a finger near her forehead, which makes Tama also start giggling.

Sumika, you have no idea how much I wanna flick your forehead right now, you little devil. Well, it's still all fair game. I laugh quietly along them as we walk.

"But if training makes you feel better then more power to you! I haven't been able to practice much with my bow as of late."

"For real? That's a damn shame, you were real good after all."

"Ahaha… I still get really nervous from time to time," she says while scratching the back of her head, then narrows her brows and loses her smile. "I do have to start training again, since I have a rematch coming up."

"Oh, about that thing that came up during the lacrosse match?" Sumika asks.

"Right, you had some sort of duel back then, didn't you?"

She laughs weakly, making a small fist and rising it to the clouds. "This time I'm gonna win for sure. But enough about me, how have you two been?"

We keep on doing some small talk as we go our way to where we'll meet up with the rest. Since the entrance for spectators is really cheap and there's supposed to be a resto bar in the building it's a perfect place for the meetup, and thankfully it seems Tama also has enough money just in case. So she's in full agreement with getting ice cream after the tournament. As we get closer to the TGS, through the crowds of people I spot a few familiar figures. Everyone is already waiting near the entrance.

Or so I thought, everyone except one person. So she really didn't accept the invitation, huh?

A short boy wearing an orange shirt with small red dots on it and white trousers starts jogging towards us as soon as he sees us- "Oooh! Takeru, long time no see! It's been like three years since we last saw each other!" Mikoto shouts as he gets in close range, followed by a strong high five between us. As lively as always, never change, Mikoto.

"Long time indeed, buddy. How's everything?"

"Hehehe, perfectly! Man, I can't believe I'm keeping up with the lectures," he laughs again jokingly, scratching the back of his head.

"Good for you, man. Frankly, I'm on the same boat," we both share a grin, then he turns towards the other two.

"Miki-san, Sumika-san, long time no see! How are you?"

"Hi, Yoroi-kun. I'm in a reaaally good mood, because I got two-" And while Sumika starts to brag about her scores, I go to greet the other two girls of the group.

The first one, with her brown hair let loose and her usual glasses on, was wearing an olive shirt with white stripes, and a matching white purse.

"Hey Class Rep, how's it going?"

"Hello Shirogane, all's good. You're still going to call me Class Rep after all this time?"

"Yeah, it just feels right."

"Haha, always doing your thing without a care. How are you holding up? You wouldn't be worrying Kagami again?" Despite the smile, she taps her glasses as her eyes bore into me.

The real meaning not lost on me, I play dumb and try to throw some misdirection. "Heh, I'm a disciplined student now Class Rep. I even learned to cook by myself!"

"Huh?! Really? That's a surprise."

"Chizuru-san, good afternoon!" Tama came over to greet Class Rep, saving me from her questioning.

I let 'em talk as I go to the raven haired girl eating a yakisoba sandwich. Her red blouse is doing a rather a poor job at hiding her deadly frontliners, but she looks as expressionless as always. A dark trouser reaches just above her ankles, and a pair of matching bracelets are on both wrists.

"Yo, Ayamine. All cool?"

"Yeah," as reserved as always, huh, "until some wild glasses appeared," she says with a slow, almost solemn, nod as she took a glance at Class Rep.

Oh God, not again.

"Ayamine, what do you mean?" Class Rep looks at her with furrowed brows.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't mimic me."

"Do I look like her?"

"No, you don't." Please guys, don't start fighting now.

"Oh, thank God." Ayamine says, with a dramatic sway of her hair as she wipes her forehead. I think Class Rep just popped a vein.

"You haven't changed at all!"

And there they go arguing again, here thar be dragons. I think Ayamine missed trolling Class Rep. And she doesn't seem to be that upset, I think they actually get along really well now. Ever since the lacrosse match, they stopped quarreling as they did before. Who would have said they'd end up as friends. Life is weird.

"Takeru, let's go register before they run out of spots!" Without warning, Mikoto grabs my arm and starts pulling me to the line. Sadly for him, with all the muscle I gained lately, he can't even move me an inch.

"Don't pull me! I can walk."

"Takeru, did you gain weight? You shouldn't just eat junk food, you know," he says with a worried look, waving a finger at my face as he gives me a once over.

"Dude, it's not like that. I've been training since-"

"You know, I read this article about a guy that lived only on coke and hamburgers."

"Mikoto, I learned to cook. I'm not so lazy to-"

"So, one day he collapsed on his job! His cholesterol was really high, between his horrible diet and all the pressure from his work."

I'm not going to get through him, am I? Sigh…

"Takeru, are you listening?"

"You're the one who's not listening!"

"Huh? About what?"

"Been training. Learned to cook. Got muscle." Perhaps if I speak in short sentences he'll listen.

"Really? Wow, you're right," a surprised look fills his face as he pokes my arm. "What happened? Is there a girl in your class you wanna date?"

And with that simple sentence and an innocent smile, Mikoto opened the gates to hell. I can feel the piercing gazes of the four girls standing behind us, with an overflowing killing intent.

He just had to go and say it. I know, he doesn't even register the teasing or the tension, but you really need to start paying attention, dude.

"…Takeru-chan, what's this about dating a girl in your class?" Sumika's eyes turn dark as that one hair stands upright with sparks flying out of it. Seriously, what's wrong with her hair?! Her tone may be small and calm, but it's hiding a scythe behind her teeth.

The other girls just stare silently at me. A knot forms on the base of my neck, preventing me from gulping or breathing in. No, I have no one in my sights, but if I let the conversation flow into the romantic realm I know what they'll ask.

And I don't want to answer.

"Mikoto, let's go register in the tournament. Ahora!" Swiftly yanking his arm away, I pull him towards the line.

"E-eeeeeh! Wait, don't pull meeeee!"

"Don't run away, Takeru-chan!"

A minute or so later.

(Salon's Reception.)

The roof has many rows of lights ready for the night of the event, some marble pillars decorated the entrance of the TGS alongside a dark blue carpet. Above, covering part of the upper part of the entrance, a banner with Valgern-On's logo and all the sponsors of this event hangs as it's swayed by the wind. The reception is no different, with its shiny white floor and walls, with some seats to the side.

As we take our place on the line, I let go of Mikoto's hand and finally sigh. His swirly eyes took a second to stabilize, letting out a groan he recovers his usual expression and gazes around. The line was not as big as I expected it to be. Well, Valgern-On is more of a niche game and its competitive scene isn't that big yet. Considering that, the people behind us, and the hour it is, I say some might get left out.

"Seriously dude, don't joke about that. You should know by now that the girls are really touchy about all the love business," shaking my head, feeling my back cold, I stare into his eyes.

He laughs weakly, nodding in apology. "Sorry. But it's truly a surprise to hear you're exercising, since you were always so lazy. Did anything happen?"

"No, not really. I just felt like doing something to not be sitting all the time. By the by, how much have you been practicing?"

"Once a week on Sundays, except when there's a test close. Valgern-On is that hobby I just can't drop."

So we are just the same in that regard. Great minds think alike. "I totally get what you mean, I can't believe we have tournaments that have to take place outside of an arcade. Two years ago this would have been a pipe dream."

"Yeah, after the console version was ported to America and Europe last year it totally blew up! All the net was in an uproar about it!" Bouncing up, rebounding upon himself in excitement, his eyes shine bright.

"Yeah, it was great seeing all their reactions in the forums. Oh right, guess what? I finally got to play Magorea's Mask recently."

"For real?! So, what do you think?" Getting closer, he hurries.

"Man, you were right. Ocarina of Ages just doesn't compare."

"Hehe, I knew you were gonna like it more," he grins, nodding once. "I personally loved the Ice Temple, which one was your favorite?"

"Mmh… You're gonna hate me for this, but the Water one."

"Huh?! Really?"

We keep talking about games, about what little we did in our sparse free time until we reach the counter.

"Good afternoon, the inscription for the tournament is 5000 Yen per person. Please hand me your GR cards to register you in the tournament."

When she inserted the cards our stats appeared on the screen. Man, seeing my stats always gives me such a thrill. 48% Win-rate? Eh, I've been worse. My mech play-log is so unbalanced, 97% Kaiser usage. Haha, I really did use it exclusively for a long while. Wow, Mikoto has a 53% Win-rate. How the hell does he do that? Well, he is really good.

"Here are your passes with both your personal ID and the terminal's ID that you are to use during the event. Have fun!" The receptionist smiles as she hands us our cards and the passes.

"Hey Mikoto, how much time do we have before the tournament starts?"

Looking at his watch on his left hand, he groans a bit. "Less than an hour, wanna go to the bar with the others and grab something to eat?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Around twenty minutes later.

(TGS Resto Bar.)

"So, while it's been hard, I'd say I'm progressing just fine!" Mikoto says with a smile, clearly proud, before diving into his sandwich without mercy or restrain.

We've been catching up while we ate in the lounge. I told everyone I was progressing just fine in my engineering career, to their surprise. I can do my math just fine, you pricks.

Mikoto has gotten good grades on his medic career. He says that he wants to travel to harsh places where no other medics want to go, while also getting to keep traveling and doing something good while doing so.

Class Rep assaulted us with all the languages she'd learned while studying some corporate career. Ayamine is still studying to be a nurse. When she told the group we were all surprised, since she didn't look like the type to pursue such a career. I can't even imagine her treating patients with that personality of hers.

Tama is doing fine in her psychiatrist career. She had said she wanted to help children overcome their anxiety and fears, especially those who suffered from bullying and parental abuse.

While everyone kept talking and sharing fun stories, I can't help but to start thinking about the one that wasn't here. Meiya, why didn't you even call me back?

Tsukuyomi-san had given me a number to contact her after they left my house, but she didn't seem like herself during when I called, as if surprised I had the guts to call her for something like this. I already knew Meiya's schedule must be packed for quite a few months ahead, but I was hoping for her to spare some minutes to talk, even if one last time. Guess that's impossible. Given her position, we calling may be a bother to them now. Even I heard the news of the scandal, despite my obliviousness towards the news. And to this day, just thinking about that shitshow is enough to make me clench my fists. So I gulp some more juice, biting on my sandwich as Sumika goes on another tangent about her good scores and the others laugh. Looking to the TV, as if to mock me, a headline of the news comes up.

"-as there hasn't been a press conference done by the Head in quite some time, it is expected the occasion will be attended by many to hear the announcements the Mitsurugi Group has to make."

Heh, of course she hasn't done more conferences herself. All thanks to you vultures dunking on her, despite not knowing shit about who Meiya is.

One of the older men of the program shifts in his seat, sporting a shit-eating grin. "I wonder, could this finally be the announcement of her new suitor? After all, there are rising concerns from certain sectors about-"

Tch, fucking asshole. Turning around and finishing my hamburger, the rest hadn't paid attention to the program and were lost on a string of jokes about some teachers and campus. Sigh…

The debate on the news still reaches my ears, and I can only close my eyes and look away from it all. They dare to keep on feasting on all rumors and conspiracy theories about Meiya's life, but they ain't even talking about the bastard that screwed her over. Fucking vultures of the media.

To have been chosen for an arranged marriage with Meiya, the guy must have been some crazy important dude from high society, so I can see why no one wants to talk shit about him. Even the Mitsurugi Group backpedaled from their claims thanks to threats of the guy's family filing suing them over a case of defamation and slander. Worst, these same stupid vultures even defended it. That it's an affront against their brands' reputation, that it's dishonorable to make a show of their personal differences.

Shit, I don't even wanna eat anymore. Leaning back on the sofa, looking up with my mouth hanging open, feels as if I were being drained down a waterfall, and hearing the discussion on the program going on only makes my stomach more upset.

Things got heated real fast back then, since it seems that an investigation linked Meiya's ex to a murder attempt on her grandfather. That's when I heard of this, thanks to almost everyone and their mother gossiping about it. Someone from the staff was caught in a 'compromising situation', and the leads and testimonies linked to Meiya's husband as being the one responsible for it all. But then, all of a sudden, he stopped being mentioned in the news and blames started to be placed on Meiya and the Mitsurugi for jumping to defamation without 'conclusive evidence'.

Lots of debates flared up just like the one that's again starting on the TV again, composure shining for its absence as fingers and yells rise in accusation. The sad spectacle of gray-haired assholes that continue to talk shit on her, which causes the few younger ones' composure to melt into a rather unpleasant and heated pace of words.

Sigh… At least the little kids watching find it funny, I guess. But it's just like what I see around, some looking with a mild frown at the narrative told in the program, others instead nodding to it. Some people took Meiya's side back then, others started scorning her and saying she shouldn't be allowed to lead the group. Can't believe there was an actual fucking march in protest over this made by common folk. 'Don't corrupt the Group', 'Dishonor to Japan', and other banners like that were everywhere since, unsurprisingly enough, it looks like the Mitsurugi are actually related to the Imperial Household. Maybe I was the only one who didn't know, but Meiya having noble blood didn't really come as a surprise for me.

Back then, Sumika had to drag me out of a fight once when some of those jackasses made a protest in the station, talking shit about how 'letting a woman lead the Group was a mistake', before a cop came in to stop the commotion. Kind of how the host of the news program has to raise white banners in between the debating journalists that would rather add fuel to the bonfire.

Relaxing onto the seat as the topic in the news changes, I go back to eating. Yet, the face Meiya had back then remains in my mind, and my bites are slow, I can't really feel the taste of the thing. Still and grayed out like a statue, stoic and emotionless. Frozen, all alone in front of the judgment of the unending flashes of cameras and whatnot.

Some time after this accident, Meiya's grandfather took care of the conferences again, announcing that he had decided to let her stay in charge of the group despite not remarrying. He said that the safety of the Mitsurugi family should be their priority and that being married shouldn't be a requirement to lead the Group anymore as well as how women should also be allowed to inherit the position, which landed superbly with most younger people, that were happy to see change and a woman in charge, and horribly with the older generations, that still see this as treason to 'muh traditions'. Still, her grandfather didn't even mention the name of the suitor, and the guy was never brought up again.

And yet, the media kept on piling the pressure on Meiya, going as far as asking her if she had any plans for marrying during press conferences. Some journalists even started saying that there were rumors of her being into women. Every single little decision she took was put under the microscope, and the fucking yellow journalists had a field day during those months. And every time she comes back to the public eye, the same shitshow happens like it was just a while ago. Makes me sick that they only thing she can do is deafen herself and push through the horde of questions and tripwires.

I know it's for the better to keep a low profile and not stir up trouble, but fuck me sideways if it wasn't hard not to snap at the idiots talking shit in the trains and streets. The bastard that plotted to hurt her grandfather gets to not be named anymore, probably is out of jail too, and no one bats an eye. But quite a few kept dunking on Meiya for the stupidest reasons.

Sighing, my back and neck slump into the cushioning of the sofa. Given all the unwanted attention and issues that rose up, it's obvious why Meiya doesn't want to expose herself in public. Of course, if I didn't have the guts to answer to her way too obvious approaches back in school, much less could I bring myself to call her back then, as much as I wanted to let Meiya know all the gang was worried sick about her. And I can kind of get why she didn't even answer my invitation. Part of me thinks she might have taken us not calling her as a betrayal, but that might be my own guilt talking. Chances are, she doesn't care anymore, she has bigger fish to fry.

Absentmindedly drinking, slowing down as an image of her appears in the TV, stoic and imposing as an obelisk, my eyes flee the gaze from the TV. I knew it was a long shot, and the silence is enough of an answer. Maybe we can buy her a present or something, and I'll see if Tsukuyomi-san is willing to give it to her. Though, going by how the call went, I think they don't want me to contact them ever again.

That feels, for some reason, like a fitting end to our relationship. Sudden, yet once it was over, neither of us gained much from the other. Even after I remembered the promise at the park, many days after graduation, I couldn't bring myself to do anything. She went out of her way to literally live with me and spoil me for months, it's embarrassing to think I didn't get a clue.

Staring at her image until the commercial starts, I look up as my lips fold in. Resting my arms on the table, hunching over, a piercing sensation slices my stomach apart from inside.

…No, I chose to be oblivious. For some reason, I didn't want to choose. I didn't want to commit to a relationship. I also don't want to do that now. I just wanted to apologize to her, for all the trouble I must have caused her in those months. For being a coward that couldn't bring himself to at least call once when shit was hitting the turbine.

Sigh…

Whenever I think of Meiya as of late, there's this hollowness on my chest, needles or some shit tearing under my ears. It's as if I were thinking of someone who passed away. In a way it's almost like she's gone for good, since I'll probably never talk to her again.

"So Takeru, about our strategy…" Mikoto yanks me out of dreamland, back to the table. I thought I had left this bad habit of spacing out behind me.

"Yeah, what do you wanna do?"

"You haven't told me what mech you're gonna be using yet. I'm still maining the Xao-Myun, are you still using the Kaiser?"

"No, I switched to the Takemikazuchi a few months ago."

Coughing in surprise, bubbles rise up in his drink, a few stains on his shirt now. "The Takemikazuchi?! But I heard it's really difficult to control, and since it focuses on melee combat it doesn't have such a good range either. It's said to be one of the worst mechs in the game," Mikoto looks at me with downcast eyes, lips twisted, clearly worried about my choice. He's in for a nice surprise.

"But its speed is on a whole 'nother level, dude. It's perfect for my new hyper offensive style of play, since I abuse it to make many attacks in quick succession at close range." It also looks like the Greatzon from Mega Mecha Taisen, and thinking I'm fighting with Darkest Prison as my BGM is enough to hype me up.

"That's just reckless, if it were me you'd get countered without even hitting me once," he grins back at me, I return the gesture.

"No, because if I hit you with its machineguns you'll get stunned for a few seconds, which gives me just enough time to rush in and get a clear strike to the core with swords in both of my arms," I say, rising a finger and drinking a bit, leaning back on the couch.

"Hmm… I see what you mean. But more speed is not the same as more mobility, so your accuracy might not be so good against opponents like my Xao-Myun. The enemy can easily kill you when you run out of fuel and can't boost away."

"Not if I kill first, that's the whole point of my game. And even then I still have the Thunder Cannon if I'm grounded or I can't get to CQC. To give you an idea, I raised my Win Rate by 5% with this method just going to the arcade two days a month in this year. Do you understand how awesome the Takemikazuchi is? I definitely think it's been overlooked."

"Okay, I get your game now. So you rush in while I cover, we aim to split them up so we can pick them off in one-on-one with our superior agility. If you corner someone and they escape, do I join the chase?"

"Yeah, they're going to try to regroup. If you can keep up with me then we can split up and then pincer them. If we get split, try to keep 'em busy so they don't barrage me with more shots than I can dodge until I get them in my machineguns' range."

He nods, folding his arms, eyes focused onto nowhere in particular. "Okay, but what if they stay hidden to surprise us?"

"I go scouting with you following on land, when you detect anything go for a cannon shot and we start the chase. Even on Yguloch Fortress' narrow corridors the Takemikazuchi can do a back flip or an Albright Turn, so don't worry about me getting ambushed," I finished giving him a thumbs up, a wink, and a dramatic pose for bonus points.

"What's an Albright Turn?" Mikoto looks at me as if I were speaking in another language, slowly tilting his head.

"You know, it's that thing you do when you rush into a wall and just before crashing you turn the mech around by first slightly slowing down, jumping on the ground and immediately after going hard on the accel as you hit the wall. Then you propel at full speed towards the opposite direction."

"I never heard about that! Where did you learn that move?"

"Where? I… uuh… I think I saw it in a replay once." Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something? …When did I learn to do the Albright again?

"You're so lucky! You're full of surprises today Takeru, you changed your mech and you talk like a tactician. Are you sure you haven't been skipping classes to go play at the arcade?" Mikoto smirks as he leans on the table, then starts giggling.

"Dude! That's just rude, you're just jelly I finally surpassed you!"

"But I've never heard you doing such a through analysis. You sound like a regular at tournaments," his eyes glow up, surprised for real.

"It's been awhile since I got to talk about the game, so I guess I got carried away with the analysis." I shrug, lips pursing as I look away. Man, I miss the days when I could just laze about, talking nonsense with you back at the arcade.

"So guys, think you can go far in this?" Class Rep asks as she stares, raising a brow.

"If the Takemikazuchi is half as good as Takeru says it is then we may get into the top 48."

"Forty eight?" Tama's eyes widen a bit, "How many players are participating?"

"I think there's a total of 192 spots open, which means 96 teams in total. Teams will be grouped in three zones, fighting in one direct-elimination matches. The winners of each zone will then all fight in the final at the same time for the gold," I say with vigor, speaking from my stomach, trying to hype them up.

"That's going to be amazing! I remember when we played for a bit in the hot springs, it was really fun. Seeing so many games is going to be great!" Says a now sparkly eyed Tama.

Tama, you truly understand us. You are one of us, unlike the other three uncultured swines on the table.

"I wonder about that. I'm sure they'll lose on the first rounds and there will be no stopping the salt. I can already see Takeru-chan's tears, haha," Sumika says with a twisted and evil smirk.

Sumika you ungrateful girl, I'm not sharing with you any of the food I make anymore.

"I can already see Shirogane throwing a tantrum about how he pushed the button but he didn't attack or something," Class Rep comments, triggering her signature skill: Chain Teasing.

"Yoroi, hang in there." Not even Ayamine has any faith in me, huh?

"Heh, we'll show you guys a nice fight at least so do look forward to it. Right Mikoto?"

"Yeah! Even if you do get taken out immediately as usual," he says with a wide grin.

"Hey!"

We all share a laugh, it clears all of that awful cold feeling off me. I didn't knew I missed this kind of thing so much. Feels really nice just to hang out with all of them, sharing some laughs without a care.

"To all participants," a voice rings through the speakers, "please go to the Showroom. The event shall commence in thirty minutes. I repeat-" The announcement repeats itself as me and Mikoto stand from our seats. I grab my lemonade and finish it in one gulp, Mikoto also finishes his drink and gives a nod.

"Well, looks like its your call, guys. Yoroi, Shirogane, best of luck!" Class Rep gives us a thumbs up.

"Good luck, guys!" Tama says as we high-five before leaving. Ayamine merely gives us a slow nod while smirking.

"Takeru-chan, Yoroi-kun, no matter how it goes we're going for some ice cream after the tournament, so have fun and don't overworry, yes?"

"Yeah, you better be ready to be surprised! Let's go Mikoto, it's showtime!" I roar, unable to calm down my excitement anymore.

"Hehe, don't think I'll let you have all the fun, Takeru."

We joke around as we walk to the Showroom. This place is huge though, if there weren't any maps on the wall I'd get lost. How long is this hallway anyways? We also can't run, these tiles are really bothersome. We'll end up sliding if we try to hurry up.

After a short while we reach the place, and we both are taken aback by the vast expansion of the room. The Showroom is even bigger than the rest of the rooms combined! The walls painted in dark blue and white, with some wooden pillars every now and then stretching to the ceiling, where many lights hang from the metallic bars all over, illuminating the windowless space with cold white light. The place's big enough to hold all the terminals, give some decent room to walk around, and even has a small rest area to my left, where some people were finishing their meals before going towards their spots.

But man, look at those terminals! They're the latest models, and there's many rows of 'em all lined up as if this were some sort of training facility for Valgern-On. Kinda like, uh, a simulation room? Hmm… Yeah, sounds about right. Official tournaments are the best thing ever.

"ooOOOHHH! Takeru, look at them!" Mikoto says as he skips towards the terminals, fanboying over the things. Not that I blame him, I'm super pumped up for this, too.

Now, let's see… our ID is 51, so our terminal should be… "Mikoto c'mon, our terminal is this way!"

"Going!"

The terminals are just like the arcade ones but with two separated seats and monitors instead of just one. Once we reach ours, I see that there's a pair of headphones available in the units as well. The usual hyper music of the game welcomes us as we insert our GR Cards, we share a nod as we get on our seats and start the configurations.

In one of the last updates the devs added a lot of weapons to the game, so now each mech has a list of armaments you can equip to it. They're supposed to be balanced to fit different play styles, which seems to have brought a nice diversity to the meta according to the forums.

They put color customization in, so now we can paint our mechs in our favorite colors too. There's also a fuel bar and a timer now, to avoid the matches to drag on forever, and now certain parts of the mechs can be broken, like the boost thrusters and some weapons. So, setting your custom loadout is of utmost importance. Sure, you can run with the default set for each mech, but where's the fun in that?

Now, let's set two PB Longswords, two PB Shortswords and the Take's signature Thunder Cannon. Let's mark the 20mm machineguns on the waist as equipped and that should be it. For the last touch, let's get the color scheme done.

"You done Takeru?" Mikoto asks as I'm fiddling with the RGB sliders.

"Yeah, just finishing the color. Wanna go for a practice run?"

"Yup, let's do two short matches."

"Okay, I'm all done." I put on the belts, pushing the seat forward and locking it in. Putting the headphones on, the request for a match was already coming up in the common lounge. Tapping the mic to place it near my lips, I cough a bit. "Can you hear me, Mikoto?"

"Yeah, loud and clear. You ready?"

"You bet. Here we go!"

As the field description and the opening battle screen appears, showing both of our mechs and their loadouts, my breathing eases up, eyelids flicker as my back sinks onto the seat's cushioning. I've been like this for awhile, I don't know why but playing Valgern-On in the arcade makes me feel at ease. Like I'm in my element, doing my thing in my turf kind of feeling. Maybe the nostalgia of high school is already getting to me.

"Hweh? What's up with your mech?!" Mikoto's shout surprises me and for a second, taking me out of my relaxation.

I though there was a problem, but checking my screen everything is as always. "Nothing's wrong on my end, what's up Mikoto?"

"Pfft… Ahahaha! Look at your mech, it's so purple! Hahahaha!" Mikoto keeps laughing, repeating purple over and over.

"What's wrong with it being purple?!" All of you have been really awful with me today! Is this what people call karma?

"Sorry, I mean, I'm so used to see you maining the Kaiser that I didn't expect you to choose that color for your mech. I thought you'd use white instead."

"There's nothing wrong with this, and it's a striking shade of purple so it fits the Takemikazuchi perfectly!"

I don't know why but when I saw the Takemikazuchi for the first time all I could think was that it would look great in purple. And I wasn't wrong. However, Mikoto keeps snickering and chuckling. You prick…

"Alright, let's see if you think it's funny after I mop the floor with you!"

"We'll see about that! Show me how good your purpleness is!"

As we both roar taunts at each other our mechs flew off their starting positions, locking into each other in combat. I still feel really calm despite the screen blurring a bit due to the Takemikazuchi's speed. It's like this should be the normal speed of the game, even if it was already quite fast paced.

Mikoto opens fire from my left, nothing serious. He's still moving around, not letting me get near. I flick my joystick forward, boost jumping over his cannon shot and closing the gap. Unlike the Kaiser, the Takemikazuchi is very fast and can be difficult to maneuver precisely with, but even so I feel perfectly fine in it. It's like riding a grip-focused car tuned to do sharp turns on the curves on the racing games, if that makes sense.

He's charging another cannon shot, but not retreating further into the more narrow terrain filled with buildings. Reading him, I boost jump again and dodge, but this time I take some consecutive jumps to get closer in a few frames faster. He was expecting me to chase after him and then get me with his saber, so the Xao-Myun comes to meet my aggro. However, it's clear he doesn't know how fast this purple beetle can be!

"You're not getting away now!" I shout as I fire the machineguns, little sparks illuminating the otherwise vacant dunes of the stage.

Just 4% damage? Doesn't matter, because small jolts cover the Xao's entire body, its limbs twitching in paralysis. With the stun in place, I'm in the clear to approach and strike at you! Hit with the longsword, 20% damage.

The stun wears off, I sidestep away from a fast riposte, the Xao blasts away but Mikoto can't get the Take out of his shadow, nor can he stop boosting without getting into my machineguns' range again. Within the crumbled buildings and sand mounds, we play hit and run. He tries to shake me off with some missiles and doing some acrobatics between some buildings, but for some reason his jumps are kinda off and he's gliding too much.

Let's take a shot! I do a triple boost jump to dodge his missiles, getting to a nice position on midair. Now I can use the backthrusters to spin myself and shoot the TC at him at minimal charge. As my machine glides away in its spin, avoiding the cannon shots, my own cannon finds a frame in the eye of its storm. Unlike other weapons, the Thunder Cannon is a beam-based armament. So I get that the Xao-Myun is flailing like a bird under the rain, all to get away from the red lightning that pours off my weapon as I softly flick the button. A dune gets flattened, the cooldown icon appears in my sight, and a nice chunk of health vaporizes off Mikoto's health bar. Take that, 17% at minimal!

"I got you now!" Mikoto shouts as the Xao-Myun charges at me, my Take still descending in the air.

I got my guard down, unable to dodge while holding the large and bulky thunder-shaped cannon, and his saber smacks one of my shoulders for 26% damage, my Take ending up tumbled along the sand dunes. I'm not letting you get away! And yanking the lever, blasting a cloud of sand to the sky, the Take restarts the chase.

But something feels off about this…

Mikoto's tells and signs are too obvious, did she get rusty? I can't imagine her missing those shots on purpose, she's not even doing the barrages right. And she didn't punish me for lowering my guard in the air and not teching to return to the ground faster. What's with her jumps, too? She's relying too much on the air thrusters. On this kind of map, she could easily surface on the dunes or hide in between the few buildings that are around, to try and get me from afar. My speed on the Take is enough to dodge, yeah, but still…

Wait, if I go at her at full speed with all the boosters I could probably get in close range, and then I'll break the Xao's thrusters to show her how reckless she's being! I know, I'll let her corner me and then I'll show her an Albright while I'm at it. Two birds with one-

Beep!

BAM! BAM!

I hold my breath as two missiles graze me, forcing me to make a sudden dive to the sand. Shit, that was a close one. Her mid-range fire is still awesome. I can't let my guard down around her for a single sec.

…

…Her? Did I just refer to Mikoto as a she? The hell is wrong with me? Why did I say that?

Sigh… Whatever, let's show him what a good pair we are, Takemikazuchi!

He's keeping his distance to avoid the weapon shift. Alright, now!

I boost jump using all the thrusters, launching myself like a dragster after the Xao-Myun, the screen blurring and shaking. Slightly tilting the joystick to the left, the searing slash hits an arm, missing his body on purpose. Just as I thought, he takes his chance to take a jab at me at point blank instead of retreating, aiming at my core, but the reaction time of my other hand with a shortsword is enough to block you!

Sparks fly off, a small screech comes up in the phones, a momentary blade struggle ensues as our mechs fall and land in violence on the sand, sending small waves to the air. As I ready my other hand, Mikoto quickly boost jumps away like crazy. Once the weapon shift is over, he starts firing at me, turning this into a bullet hell game.

Hehehe… Now's when I lay my trap.

Instead of jumping to keep up the pressure, I retreat on land and take cover behind some fallen buildings. Just before retreating further in, to where his auto-lock cannot track me, I take out the Thunder Cannon and start to charge it, even though I unequip it right away when I got out of his sight.

Since I'm already near half shields, the TC would do a lot of damage now to a low defense mech like the Xao-Myun. If it did 17% at minimal before, anything above that is a curtain's call for Mikoto. It's dodge or die, and against a beam weapon there's no cover to save you. That's why he will surely try to get close without entering my range and using missiles to interrupt the charge or ruin my shot, to force me to return the aggression and drop the TC usage.

He took the bait as he starts to chase me, going by the bleep in the radar, but thanks to me going downhill on the sand mounds he can't close the gap fast enough. Alright, those cliffs up ahead look good. I take a sharp turn to my left in between some elevations, he shouldn't have gotten a clear view of me since he's still getting closer. Good, all these cliffs are perfect to do the Albright. Let's go, Takemikazuchi!

I advance into the passage with a boost jump, then just before jumping again I shift my direction without stopping the boost. Slightly lower my speed as I approach and the wall, and now…

"FULL ON THAT ACCEL, BABY!"

Our feet hit the cliff-side as I spin the joystick to change the direction of the thrusters. Immediately the screens flickers to shift my view as I'm now charging at Mikoto, who thought that he was safe just around the corner of the cliff since I couldn't hit him with the Thunder Cannon there.

"Eat this, Mikoto!" I roar as I let the machineguns loose on the Xao-Myun.

His shield drops to 23% and I damaged his thrusters. Landing hard on the sand, a bit farther than I wanted to and almost slipping when the heels sink on the sand, I quickly step hard on the pedals and yank the controls. Balance regained, I tap the triggers and change to my melee weapons.

As the stun wears off, Mikoto tries to boost away but can't, small sparks and smoke comes out of his thrusters. As soon as the small circle of the lock-on appears, my finger starts mashing that button and the machineguns again blaze up in life. The small stun time is enough to let me get a clear hit to the core of the Xao-Myun with my longswords, slicing it in three parts.

BOOM!

[MATCH OVER - PLAYER 2 WINS]

I throw a fist to the air as I pull the seat back, after a chuckle I remove the safety belts and do some circles with my neck.

"What the hell was that? What did you do?! How did you even change directions so fast at the cliffs?!" A bewildered voice rings at my side as I see Mikoto getting out of his seat, fuming more than my TC at full charge.

"That was the Albright Turn, but I kinda screwed up the timing and almost ruined my landing."

"When did you learn it? All your moves are on a whole 'nother level today, but that thing was Pro level for sure!"

"I told you the Takemikazuchi was great. Who's laughing at the purple one now?"

"I can't believe you actually dodged most of my attacks," he closes his eyes, brows low and lips twisted. It's obvious he'd be frustrated, Mikoto has never lost so badly against me.

Actually, I don't recall ever winning against him when he got serious. There's a first time for everything, I guess.

"Haha, well, it was weird that you kept gliding so much. It was easy to read you."

In silence, he stares at me. Sighing as he taps his foreheads, he gets closer. "Hey Takeru, let me see your play log."

"Sure, but what's wrong with you? You're really rusty, you know."

"I'm not rusty, you've gotten really good at this! You sure you're not skipping class?" Mikoto says as he throws a suspicious look at me, narrowing his eyes.

"Making excuses? Who would have said I'd see the day!"

"You jerk! Now, lemme see how you did those stunts."

Nodding and moving aside, I let him sit on my terminal. Man, to think I just beat him. I knew all that practice would pay off. Who's laughing at the purple one now?

"…Hey, Takeru."

"What's up?"

"Were you playing with these settings just now?"

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

"Well, you were playing with the first person camera then?" Looking right back at me, his own eyes seem kinda firm and confrontational, unblinking.

"Yeah, been feeling better with it since I switched to the Takemikazuchi."

"Are you for real?! But… But, how are you even aiming?"

"Like I always did?" Why is he so surprised? Sure, it was kinda hard at first, but now I can't see myself ever using anything other than first person controls, even if third person is the standard. "Well, lemme show you how I roll now."

Around the same time.

(Resto Bar.)

[Sumika]

Since the guys left, we started talking about fashion, cooking, and random stuff. About how Miki-chan is preparing for her rematch in her dojo, how Ayamine-san is planning to take a trip to Tokyo to search for more yakisoba recipes, and how Sakaki-san is anxiously awaiting a concert from a pair of violinists. I myself told them I've been progressing fine, and haven't dropped my cooking as well. Ayamine-san actually recommended me a restaurant, she said their curry is an otherworldly treat despite the staff being… a tad bit eccentric. Coming from her, who's never fazed by anything, makes me really wonder what's up with that place. I… did give up wanting to become a chef, in favor of a more traditional career. But that doesn't mean I'll quit my passion, even if I'll work as something else. Plus… I wouldn't be able to stay near him if I hadn't… Sigh…

"So he just decided to exercise out of the blue?" Sakaki asks as she finishes her drink.

"Yeah. Same with the cooking. It's like he woke up one day, said 'Oh, I'mma do this!', and then just kept doing it." Honestly, it is weird. Takeru-chan never cared about cooking, or about doing physical activity. But I had to go and end up blurting I'm worried about how he's being, and they took it the wrong way. Sigh…

"Weirdogane being Weirdogane."

"Kei-chan, that's rude! But maybe he's just releasing his stress?" Miki-chan tilts her head a bit.

"Maybe? He's progressing fine, as far as I know."

I can't help to think those nightmares are to blame. He never told me anything about them, but the day when he finally did he looked as if he had been crying for a while before. What are those nightmares about? Why doesn't he want to tell me?

…I wonder if he's regretting not speaking with Meiya-san before. Maybe… he actually has feelings for her? But despite the invitation she didn't even reply. Well, not like I don't understand, with all that she has on her plate. But Takeru-chan never gets so down without something serious going on in his head. Sigh… I press my legs together, drinking what's left of my juice, unable to purge the quiver in my chest.

I wanna be there for him. I wanna see him earnestly smile again. But does he want my help anymore? Should I… give him some space? I mean, after all this time, after all I do… he still hasn't…

"To all spectators," a voice comes from the speakers, "the event will start in 10 minutes. Please go to the main hall. I repeat-"

"Well, shall we go? Let's get some nice seats," Sakaki-san says as she stands up.

"Yeah, let's go. It looks like a lot of people just arrived, so it's going to get packed," I grab my purse and stand up along the rest. Let's not worry about that for now.

Talking about how things could play out, we go towards the hallways. Yet, in the exit of the resto bar, two men in suits stand watch, expressions neutral and wearing sunglasses. Despite letting most people leave without a sound, one of them raises an arm as we get close.

"Excuse me, could you be Sumika Kagami?"

"Eh? Yes, that's me. What do you need?"

"And would you all be Chizuru Sakaki, Miki Tamase and Kei Ayamine?" The other man asks, the rest nods and we all share a puzzled gaze. What could these security guys want with us?

"Forgive the inconvenience, but please come with us," the first says with a firm, commanding tone as he takes a step forward.

"What's this about?" Ayamine says as she also takes a step forward, a slight frown in her face.

"We'll have you follow us. This way," he says, pointing a hand towards another hallway.

Before we could react, two more men in suits came up behind us, blocking our path. The first two gesture for us to follow them, the ones from behind take a step closer, insisting that we do as they say. What's going on here?!

A/N: To explain the situation a bit: This fic takes place after Alternative, where Takeru returned to the Extra timeline instead of going to the Altered Fable world. After returning he lives normally, but due to the repressed memories he stays indecisive and cannot choose any girl, thus stays alone like in Extra's normal end. The story starts two years after the "end" of Extra, with Takeru now in college.

Also, Valgern-On's version of the Takemikazuchi is exactly the same as the one in the BETA timelines, just that it has two machineguns built into its frame on its waist, Paildramon style.