Muv-Luv Reversal

by Zuoriel

Takeru has been leading a normal life until now. During the summer vacation of his second year in college he's invited by his high school friends to meet up again, to which he agrees. Shirogane doesn't know that this decision would release the nightmares that have been haunting him for some time, nightmares that would be better left forgotten.

8. The Remnants He Left Behind

Chapter 8: The Remnants He Left Behind

---

October 23rd. 7:03 PM.

(Hallway near the PX.)

[Takeru]

---

During lunch today the girls asked me about how I got so strong. Meiya was particularly insistent on knowing from where I learned my skills with a sword. Kei looked annoyed to no end, but still said she wanted a rematch. Tama was just in awe at my physical prowess, and Chizuru gave me another talk about teamwork before asking me about tips on how to train and what kind of self training I did. On another note, I'm amazed I managed to keep myself in check even if I can't wipe this silly grin from my face. This time… This time I won't let any of you die.

The lecture wasn't so bad, I'm surprised I remembered all of it. I could answer quickly, and most importantly correctly, all the questions Marimo-chan threw at me. Which were a lot more than I remembered during my previous loops.

It's too early to say, but I think something is different this time. Maybe the girls just annoyed Marimo-chan and that's all there is to it, but I think I'll just ask Sensei some questions today about the things that happened a while ago and about the state of the world right now. I don't really know much about it, but I'm sure I'll notice a change if there is one.

"Shirogane? Hey, Shirogane!" Chizuru was calling out to me.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you saying?"

"Don't go spacing out like that, you almost went into a different hallway. The PX is this way."

I was so focused I didn't notice. We just got out of the lecture and we were going to have dinner. We waited for our turn and eventually made our way to our usual table. Meiya, Tama and Chizuru sat in front of me, while Kei sat to my right.

"Well, what did you think of your first day here, Shirogane?" Chizuru opens the talks.

"It was fine, I guess. How to say it? The Instructor was more fierce than what I expected."

"…Ahaha, she truly has a strong presence." Her laughter was as forced as mine in front of Dad when I failed many tests in a row.

Though, I was referring to the fact that she's getting too angry at things she usually didn't. And you guys… seem to think that's the norm here, going by that answer and those exhausted faces you're all making. Huh, a difference to the list.

"You also went and bragged in front of her. You did end up proving your point, but I fear that she might have developed a grudge towards you." Meiya gives me a worried look. Is Marimo-chan so vengeful in this loop?

"You're so dead. It was good knowing you." Kei gives me a pat in the shoulder while nodding solemnly, but with a grin on her face.

"What?! What is she gonna do to me?"

"Ayamine, don't scare him like that." Chizuru scolds her, but in a low tone as if to not provoke a fight.

"It's the truth." Kei smirks at me. I think I might have gotten on Marimo-chan's bad side without meaning to.

"Well, too late for regrets now. Whatever happens, happens." Can't really do much about how I act.

I picked at my food, while the others talked about today's lectures. It seems they're having trouble keeping up with the materials this time.

"Anyways, we're almost at the end of October." Chizuru takes a serious tone as she rests her chopsticks onto the table, and the girls look at her in attention. "There's less than a month before the next CCSE. Shirogane, after today's displays I'm sure you can manage just fine. But I'll ask you anyway, do you feel ready to take the test?"

"Of course, more than ready to ace it." An instant and confident reply. This kind of thing doesn't scare me anymore. Nothing could go and ruin the CCSE.

"What about the rest of you?" Tapping her glasses, she looks at 'em.

Kei and Tama give a small, but determined nod. Meiya just smirks while folding her arms.

"A pointless question, huh? Well, thanks to Shirogane we have been reminded of how much we can still improve ourselves. With your help I'm sure we'll be ready to take on anything the test may throw at us. Once Yoroi comes back, we'll catch her up in no time to make sure everyone is on the same level. We'll clear it this time, without fail!"

We all give a nod, Chizuru seems more passionate about leading this time. Another little change to the list.

"By the way… there's just one more question I want to ask you." Her eyes dripping resolve shift into ones with a taint of nervousness as she spoke, a hand went to one of her ponytails.

"What's up?" She closes her eyes, as if she were looking for the right words to say. Where did all her assertiveness from a moment ago went to?

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'd like to know what prevented you from taking the CCSE with your previous squad. I know it may be a personal matter, so don't feel pressured to answer."

She says that, but all of them are staring intently at me. What reason could have the new recruit, who beat them all with ease, to not have taken the CCSE? I guess I'll just give them more half truths.

"Our training was going fine, everything looked most positive. But I… screwed up, big time."

"You screwed up?" She taps her glasses, arching one brow. "What happened? Did you fail some test? Or did you got into a fight with someone?"

"…I got someone killed." Multiple people, multiple times.

"What?" Her voice turned to just a whisper. All their eyes lost some shades of color as the words sank in.

I take a deep breath, the memories start wringing within me. I choose my words before continuing to speak.

"It was my fears and ineptitude that caused things to end up like that. Had I been more brave I would have acted before stuff got out of control." I look down at my plate, unable to hold their gazes.

I would have killed the Superior before Meiya had to sacrifice herself for me. No, I would have protected my Shiranui better during the defense of the base, and I would have been able to fight in Kashgar instead of just being a spectator. Or I could have got my shit together in Sadogashima, which wouldn't have made Sumika overload, which then would have given me enough time to properly master the XG to do more than just spam missiles and tell Sumika to activate the field.

…I know it's pointless to regret this kind of things, but it doesn't change the fact that it makes me feel like shit. And that's why… after what happened to my world… that I have to make sure that reality doesn't come to pass a second time. It's the least I can do, after fucking up things so badly so many times.

"Shirogane, I…" Taking a sec to caress her air intake-like hills, she spoke slowly. "…don't know what it is that happened but, I do not believe it was your fault. Accidents happen all the time in this environment, and you were just a Cadet at the time."

Meiya trying to cheer me up when I'm getting depressed about her death must be a new level of universal middle fingering. But I promised myself I wouldn't doubt. Not when they're still alive. Taking a sec to inhale, I look up and continue.

"The thing is, my squad was… dissolved. And since I wasn't allowed to get into a TSF I couldn't continue my training alone." Last thing I need is them assuming I was conscripted before.

"And then the Professor reached out to you, to bring you here?" Chizuru asks as she brings a finger to her lips in a pensive gesture.

"Pretty much. So I won't hold it against you if you cannot trust me." Must be pretty hard on them to be training so hard just to be surpassed by a random guy that fell from the sky. I can't expect them to treat me nicely from the get go.

"Don't say that Shirogane-san! You showed us today how much better we can get. Surely you've reached such level of aptitude because… you've been training yourself for this chance, right?" Despite how she almost stuttered and couldn't hold my gaze much, Tama gave me a smile.

"Exactly. While I apologize to have brought unpleasant memories back to you, I assure you that wasn't my intention." She again tapped her glasses, giving me a small bow. Man, they really are super formal over here. "However, Tamase is right. You proved yourself more capable than us, that strength will surely be of great benefit not only to the squad, but for our nation. As a fellow Japanese soldier, I can only praise your dedication to keep honing yourself after such an incident." Determination stared out from Chizuru's gaze, she also acknowledged me as part of the squad.

I scratch my head, I'm not used to being praised so much and being with them like this again is giving my heart a twister of conflicting emotions.

"No, really. It wasn't anything so noble what drove me forward." Just the feeble hope of fixing all the mess I myself made.

"Shirogane, regardless of your motives, your skills speak for themselves." Meiya said, arms folded as usual. "You bested all of us today, and while I don't plan to keep losing to you, I surely am looking forward to our sparring sessions. I believe you should be more proud of your strength, especially after what you had to go through." Always setting me back to the right path with your thoughtful words. Whatever would I do without you, Meiya.

"I just try to stay with my feet on the ground. I know I'm good, but there's someone out there who is better than me, so I can't relax." Not when I know what awaits in the future.

"So serious." Kei rolled her eyes, resting her chin on a hand that had its elbow resting on the table.

"Ayamine, if you're just going to throw one liners then-" Chizuru couldn't finish her sentence, Kei started rapidly talking again.

"That's not bad. But don't push yourself too much, Special-kun." She looked right into my eyes, her brows betraying her poker face and lowering their inner side. "Not when you gave us a new objective to surpass. You just may be the edge we need to pass the CCSE, so don't go depressing yourself. Or I'll beat some sense into you."

The table fell silent. It's really rare for Kei to express herself in this way, even when we dated she didn't speak up like this frequently. While she still had her usual poker face, it was obvious that she was both amazed and perhaps a slight bit bothered by my abilities going by the unblinking intensity of her stare and how quickly she said her words.

"Thanks Ayamine. I'll try not to bring you all down."

"It's the other way around, Special-kun. You gotta bring us up. So NO holding back during training." Her eyes look almost scary, she's very motivated to beat me apparently. I give her a nod while smiling, she looks away as if bored.

"Ahem, as Ayamine said, we could use your help in our training efforts. We'll be counting on you Shirogane." Chizuru says while giving me a smile.

"Yes, let's do our best together Shirogane-san." Tama also smiles at me.

I'm doing the same thing I did after the tournament. I shouldn't let my feelings bring me down so easily, even when it's hard to look at them and not feel guilty. I take a second to clear my mind, and then I return their smiles.

"Yeah, let's do our best. I'll do what I can to help you in your training, as long as it's something I can help with don't hesitate to ask me then."

The rest of dinner was spent on them comparing how much time they lasted against me, and who finished second in the morning jog. It seems I made a good enough first impression, that's one problem less to worry about.

I'm back. I'm truly back, and this time things will go different. They do seem a bit changed to how I remember them, but that just may be because of the years I spent on my world.

Once dinner was over, we all split up. Meiya was going to do some independent training again, Chizuru went to the library, while Kei and Tama decided to play with some beanbags. I told them I had some stuff to sort out and went to the barracks.

Walking on the hallways, I couldn't help but to grin. Feeling as if I had a gust of wind on my back, I breathed in as I picked up speed. Sigh… This went well, after all.

"Cadet Shirogane, wait!" I heard the Instructor calling out to me, so I stopped and looked back.

"Oh, what is it Marimo-chan?" I smiled, since I am in a good mood. And yet, her face twists itself in a second, revealing such an evil scowl.

"…Shirogane, what did you call me just now?"

"Sorry! I have a bad habit of calling people by their first names."

"Okay, but why did you add a -chan to it? Are you making fun of me?!"

No, it's because you're really cute. The way you used to teach us, and how funny your faces were whenever something unexpected happened. Of course, that's nowhere to be found in the you in front of me right now.

"It's just a bad habit I have. I'll try to not do it again, Ma'am." I stand upright, giving her a bow.

"You better not say that again. Now, the Professor is calling for you. You are to go meet with her right now, to the 'habitual place' it seems. Repeat your orders!"

"I'll go meet with the Professor right away!"

"Perfect. That is all." We salute each other and I go my way to the office.

Midway to it, once I was in the elevator, I remembered I left the santa rabbit in my room. I'll bring it tomorrow for sure, I don't wanna risk getting yelled at by Marimo-chan again.

I knock the door as I reached the office, Yuuko-sensei's voice beckons me to enter after she unlocks it. I wonder why she does this, all the other times she had the thing always unlocked.

"Good evening Sensei, what can I do for you?"

"Hey Shirogane, there's something I wanted to show you. Here, look at these papers." She left some pages on top of her desk as she went to the coffee machine.

I go look at the things, there's information about me in them. I suppose this is about this world's me. Lived in a lot of places, no info on his studies or work, no medical records. His death was two years ago, but other than that there's no data on it. Sensei must have erased all the data she could, and is probably asking my opinion on the matter. Does this mean she'll try to make me a different entry in the system? Could she even do-

Click

A sound I recognize very well. A gun is being pointed at me from behind.

"So, 'Shirogane', are you willing to talk now? Or would you be willing to exchange the 'theories' for your life?"

---

[Yuuko]

---

He doesn't move. He must have heard me clearly, is he playing dumb? No, I mustn't let my guard down yet, not until Yashiro confirms or denies my suspicions, even if some of the Valkyries are standing on guard nearby. As dangerous as this is, I can't let other people hear of what he supposedly knows, not even if I could disguise it as a lie. …And he still isn't moving one bit.

"If you give me the silent treatment I'll kill you. It doesn't have to be this way, you know? So, what's it gonna be?" I press my gun to his head.

"What is the meaning of this, Sensei?" All his joyfulness has vanished from his voice, now nothing more than a dry whisper.

"Oh please, stop with the Sensei. We can have a mature talk about this. I'm sure that after all you had to do to get here, you can't just let it end so easily, right?" He takes a deep breath, yet remains unmoving giving me no signs. "What's your answer, 'Shirogane'? Are you willing to talk?"

I press my gun again and he moves his head slightly to a side, making eye contact with me. His cold, sharpened eyes bore into me, and I respond in kind with my own stare. He doesn't flinch and remains standing there.

"So, care to tell me what's going on here, Sensei?" I don't like your tone, you should be scared now.

Someone doesn't know his place here. He tries to turn around, but I push the gun to his cheek.

"Face towards the desk! I am more than willing to kill you if you do not comply."

"Huh, neat. Be my guest, kill me. I'll just loop back, probably." He sounds composed. Did he expect me to aim for his life? Yashiro still hasn't sent anything over the fax.

"Do you have a death wish? Talk back to me one more time, and I'll grant it in the most nightmarish way possible, I assure you."

"Do it."

"…Huh?"

"C'mon, shoot. Go ahead and kill the only person that can help you complete the 00 Unit." The nerve… He hasn't lost his composure, as if he didn't care, then he faces forward again. Maybe he thinks I'll kill him and spare him the questioning? Damn dog of the Shogunate.

"Really? Are you sure? Won't your employer get mad at you?" He's facing towards the desk now, but remains perfectly quiet, his breathing is regular. He should react somehow to this, he isn't a cyborg.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Huh, really? Tell me, what do you think about those papers on the table?"

"I suppose they're about this world's me."

"Not about you?"

"No, I told you I came from another world." As much as I would like to believe that… You don't have the theories, and your records speak against that claim.

"You're lying. Bad boy, Shirogane."

"It's not a lie."

"You almost got me to believe you, feeding my pride like that. Telling me something I wanted to hear, hitting me while I'm weak. Well, let's get down to business. Shirogane, who asked you to make the new OS?"

"No one." An instant reply. Nothing from Yashiro's end yet. Is he telling the truth then? Let's press him some more.

"So you wanted that for yourself?"

"You could say that."

"What for? Money? Fame?"

"To help save lives."

"Please stop lying. I'm willing to let you stay here if you tell me the truth."

"What are you talking about?" This time, a hint of annoyance lured in his question.

"Oh, come on now. I already know you're a spy. Drop the pretending already."

"I'm not a spy!" He looks at me again, this time in his eyes were narrowed and his upper face full of wrinkles. You're really getting on my nerves now, boy. I press the gun against his face again.

"Shirogane, who's in charge right now?" He then does something I did not expect. He turned around slowly and faced me, staring at me and the gun's barrel with a solid and sharp stare.

"I don't care about that. I don't know what got into you, but I'm no spy and I'm not your enemy."

"…Really now? Then please answer the question, why did you want the new OS? Who sent you here?"

"I already told you."

Yashiro hasn't sent anything. He stares at me intently, I see no shadow of doubt in him. Is he saying he's truly a Causality Conductor? No, that…

I gulp, not letting go of his gaze. He's enduring the silence quite well. Yet… He claims to have told me the truth.

"Fine, next question. Why did you want to join Squad 207?" If he is a member of the Royal Guard, it would explain why he was so nice to Mitsurugi yesterday and today.

"You already know. I told you-"

"Can you stop with the bullshit, please? I said I'm willing to let you stay if you tell me everything. You must have a reason to be here, and I think we both can profit from the other's help. So Shirogane, unless you want me to leash out against your boss, start speaking. Why are you here?" React, flinch, show me something. You damn dog of the Shogunate, you almost made me delete all your data, had I done that I would have never realized your trap.

No one that lived for sixteen years could have so few pages on their personal profile, you literally had just one page worth of information. Only after digging in the public databases I found more data about you, more precise data about your death to be exact. Then after some hacking and prodding about, I found out you're a member of the Royal Guard. The only question that remains is, why did you come here, 1st Lt. Takeru Shirogane?

If he's here to monitor Mitsurugi, I can let him stay. If these bits of data are from the Shogunate asking for my help in their developments, I can let him stay. So long as he also bows to me and is willing to obey my orders. I can always use more pawns, and the things he brought with him were amazing to say the least.

There is, however, a problem. If he's here to harm me or my research, then I can't keep him alive. So, I have to make sure you aren't an enemy. He didn't have the theories on him after all. That talk about him being from another world was probably false. Maybe it was made up with the leftover data back in the Imperial Research Institute where I was before earning my place here.

…As if something like that could actually happen. The conductor is nothing but a pipeline. I got carried away when in front of a potential ally. My eyelids almost closing, I return his stare. His lips shake slightly.

"I'm not lying. It's the truth!" He sounds really pissed off as he scowls at me.

"Stop wasting our time. For the last time, if you talk now I'll let you stay, under a different deal of course. Who sent you and why?" Was a direct order of the Shogun or from another Regent House? Are you here to keep tabs on me or to kill me? Perhaps to use me to make all these things you brought with you, and later take them to the Empire to claim them as Imperial inventions.

"I already told you. I'm not a spy, Sensei. I came here from another world. Why won't you believe me?"

We stand there, gazing at each other. I would like to believe it, all of it. But the theories weren't in his room. On the off chance that he is an incredibly skilled liar, that can convince himself of his own lies to fool Yashiro, and indeed a Royal Guard my life could be in danger.

You are everything I wanted and more, you gave me solutions to all my problems.

The nationalistic pricks badmouth me? I'll give them a national stealth system.

The UN pressures me? I'll complete the 00 Unit, and give them these training consoles to use in all their bases.

America doesn't want to hand over the XG? I'll show off the new OS, and make them beg for it.

Isn't it odd? That you had all the solutions to my problems? You are too good to be true, Shirogane. When I saw how empty your report was I couldn't believe it. Why would a civilian have so little intel available?

The Royal Guard stationed here came asking about you quite persistently today. That's really suspicious considering that they don't really care about either foreigners or the affairs of the UN. I said you were a foreigner on purpose to have an excuse for the Royal Guard regarding your locked profile here, saying some of your data from abroad was classified. But they asked quite a lot of questions regarding your situation 'here' and not what made you 'special', if it weren't for that I wouldn't have thought to look in their databases about you. 1st Lieutenant Shirogane, KIA in the Invasion of Hiiragi two years ago. An officer of the Guard, despite being so young… Who are you? Why are you here?

So the main question here is, are you a Royal Guard; or a spy passing as him?

There is one thing that is true. You lied too much to me. And you continue to refuse to speak. Did you think I truly am so stupid, you damn saboteur?

"…Let me be frank with you, Shirogane. I went and inspected your room."

"Huh?! Why would… The theories." He said as she narrowed his eyes at me.

"Exactly. You don't have them." I smirk his way, then I return his sharp gaze with my own. "I know that talk about being from another world was all a lie. So, you have one last chance. This is my last offer. Tell me who sent you here and why, and I might consider cooperating with you. Tell me to which organization you answer, where you got these Stallion 2 and Game Guy machines, if the data of the stealth tech is real or not, and I'll forgive your lies until now. So, what will it be? Will you talk, spy?"

There are some Alt. IV supporters back in America, the same ones who pushed for the Shiranui Second to be a reality. If you come from them, but are afraid of revealing your trails, I can help you. If you come from a tech company trying to send me support without the CIA noticing, I can help you. But if you refuse to talk, after all I've said to you, it means you're nothing but a Hidenbug. And I won't allow you to blue screen me.

"I told you… I'm not a spy. I'm truly a conductor." Brows tensing downwards, lips plucked, he returned my gaze squarely.

"Huh, really now? Then, where are the theories?" He tensed up, shivering a bit for a second.

"I… can't give them to you right now."

"Huh… And why would that be? You said we only have until Christmas to produce results, if my memory isn't wrong."

"Because if I hand them over now, you might rush things and make the same mistakes again. And I also want to be more involved this time." Sigh… More lies, perhaps? Yashiro… hasn't sent anything yet. There is a problem, however.

This is too convenient. I am in dire need of help, and in you come with so much aid. Someone who served the Royal Guard, with software that has data of their prized Takemikazuchi. Someone who should be dead, bringing stealth technology of the USA's best craft, the Raptor.

This is too good to be true. But, if he is indeed a time traveler… then I suppose he must have dealt with this in one of those 'loops' he said he took in this world.

"…So, can you explain to me what's up with those papers?" I give him a side glance, staring into his eyes.

"They're from this world's me." Not a second of delay in the answer, huh.

"You do know that you have no proof other than some forged papers, right?"

"I… I mean… I know it's hard to believe but… I'm not a spy. I really come from another world. You of all people should know I'm telling the truth." His words clear, he locks his gaze with mine as he stands without as much tension as he should have.

"Let's say I buy that, for now. If that is the case, I want you to hand over the theories, right now."

"I refuse. If I do, you're gonna rush things and-"

BANG!

Bringing my gun right besides his ear, I shot. A hole burned into the blue flag of the UN in the wall, Shirogane held his ear in pain as he supported himself on the desk.

"If you really have them, you'll hand over the theories right this instant. If you're a spy, you'll talk about your mission here right away. Of course, unless you're a saboteur sent to mess with me." I gave you plenty of chances to speak, I'm putting myself in unnecessary risk here.

Slowly calming his breath, rubbing his ear, he rises from the desk.

"…L-Listen, I can't give you the theories. If you don't fix the flaw in the 00 Unit, the BETA will-"

BANG!

Again, I shot right besides his ear. Again, he yells in pain. Again, I frown at his refusal to speak.

"This is your last chance, speak now or-"

In a split second, he moves quickly and knocks the gun out of my hand. I stumble back, going towards my blackboard, looking for something to defend myself with. But when I turn around, he hadn't moved an inch, he remained quietly looking at me. With tears coming out of his eyes.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Sensei?!"

"Still calling me Sensei, huh? You really are an-" I stop suddenly as he hit my desk quite hard, sending piles of papers to the floor.

"We don't have the time for this shit, goddammit! I'm not a spy for fuck's sake! I can't hand you the theories, and I can't tell you why because the ripple might screw us over!" His eyes squinted, gritting his teeth, he glared at me. He isn't lying, I don't need Yashiro to know that.

"…Are you telling me you're truly a Conductor?"

"I've been telling you that since the start! You should know that better than anyone else!"

"And where is your proof? If you're not a spy, why do you not want to give me the theories? Humanity's survival is at stake here!" I lash out, not understanding what 'reason' he might have for withholding that intel from me.

Insinuating that I would make a mistake, as if I didn't knew what was at stake… I grit my teeth, feeling anger well up as it hasn't in a long time. If you truly are a conductor, if I shared such intel with you… Are you insinuating I'm not worth your trust?! After all I've done… After all these years… I'll make a mistake? I'll fail? I complete the 00 Unit and… and still fail?! I refuse to believe that is true!

He frowns and hits the desk again, but as he opened his mouth his eyes went down. Closing it tightly, he took a deep breath. Then, he again looked at me, the tension and wrinkles gone from his face.

"Sigh… Look, I know you're in a tight spot, I know what Alt. V means for humanity, but you can't have the theories yet. Not until you can trust in my words, and you also shouldn't kill me because I'll just loop back in time and this timeline might be screwed to failure."

"…And, again, why should I trust in you? How do I know you're not deceiving me?"

He frowns yet again, his hands wringing in anger. However, then he looked down. His shoulders easing up as his breathing returned to normal, he took some seconds to retort.

"…Do you want to know?"

"Huh? So, you're going to talk now, spy?" I smile at him, raising my chin as I spoke to goad him into reacting again, but then his expression changes, shadows make their way to his squinting eyes while he rubs his forehead.

"I guess… I can show you a bit of it if it'll make you believe me, but I'll only show you that and nothing more. Otherwise, the ripple could really screw us up."

"You insist you're a Conductor, then?"

"That's what I am, whether you believe me or not." He shrugs, then sighs as he shakes his head slowly.

A sound startles me, the fax is printing something. It's from Yashiro, so she finally has an answer. Without losing sight of him, I move towards the fax.

A single line was on the paper: 'He's telling the truth'.

…What?

…Huh?

Then… that intel was truly about this world's version of him? He truly is… a living proof of my theory? An ally?

So… I wasn't wrong? My theory was indeed correct? And, he isn't lying? All he brought was indeed true? He's… on my side?

I stared at the paper, mouth half open. Leaning my head back to look up, I bit my lower lip to stop the grin that was forming on me.

An ally… and my completed theories… It wasn't a lie?

But then… then I'll truly make a mistake? My theories are… flawed? After all these years… after being so close… What… But… How…

…

Why?

What does this even… How could I…

"So Sensei," His voice brings me down back to Earth. "Do you really want to see? It's not going to be nice." I turn back to him, he hasn't moved an inch.

"…I suppose." I leave the paper atop the fax, I ruffle my hair while staring at him as I take one very good deep breath. "What exactly are you going to show me to prove that you're not a spy?" He sighs as he folds his arms.

"My memories. With Kasumi's help, I'll show you bits of some important stuff. I don't know what got into you, but I suppose it has to do with you wanting the theories right now. So I'll show you why I don't want to give them to you at the time. I hope that with this you can regain your usual composure."

"So you're saying that… I'll truly make a mistake?"

"Not if you hear me out." He raises his hands slowly, like Yoroi does. "If you listen, you can avoid that outcome. We can't start fighting each other, Sensei. So please don't try to pick up your gun, I'm not your enemy." He seems totally calm, and he even knows of Yashiro's ESPer capabilities.

But I got him to talk about the theories. Let me see if you truly aren't lying. And anyways, there is no justification for withholding that intel from me. If you truly knew a parallel version of myself… you should know I am more than capable of dealing with a mere OS and the theories, even if… there is a flaw in them.

"So you say you have a reason to not give me the theories? Even if we could activate Alt. IV way before the deadline? You do realize that humanity is on the brink of extinction, right? And anyways, where are the theories?" He did say he vanished before a certain mission. Maybe he didn't get to fight much, and after going back to his original BETA-less world he thinks we have time to screw around here.

"Yes, I do have a good reason. But we can't rush it, we need all the firepower we can get if we ever hope to truly end this war." He folds his arms, looking down. "And I do have the theories, but you really should wait a while. We can't screw this up or everything will go to hell again. I'm not willing to repeat that suicide, thank you very much." Huh? He, for just a second, really flared up in disgust. He closes his eyes and exhales through his nose, calming down.

"What do you mean? Do you have a plan to deal with the BETA?" If he indeed does… Why is he keeping quiet? …Does he not trust me? Why?

"It's not much of a plan. It's just a more efficient way of fighting them. I think I did told you that I didn't plan on coming back to this point in time, right?" I nod. Let's hear him out, for the sake of conversation. "So, honestly, I was kinda nervous during our talk. I decided on the spot what to do, to avoid another failure. That's when a simple idea came up. And to make it a reality, we need the XM3 earlier, or at least better. I will give you the theories earlier than before, so we should be clear on that front. Don't worry, I'm on your side." He says, again rising his hands like Yoroi does.

"…So, why can't you give me the theories? I can work on both things without much trouble. I can ask Yashiro to handle the OS, I suppose you already know about her skills, correct?" He nods.

"I do. But that's not why. I want to make sure you're on my side, Sensei."

"…What are you implying?" I couldn't help but frown.

"I won't be your pawn this time. I have my own set of goals right now, I think I told you last time everything went wrong on my end, right? Well, I want to make sure you are willing to help me once everything is said and done." What does that even mean? Why would I not repay him for his services? …What happened between you and that parallel me? "I also want to be more involved and help out with stuff. And I guess I need a good explanation for your actions right now."

"…So you want power? I can give you that without much issues, if you prove yourself useful." He narrows his eyes ever so slightly. "However, what's that about not being my pawn? Are you saying you won't obey my orders?" He raises both of his hands, waving them slowly from side to side.

"I will. But I also want to do more stuff than just follow you around, even if most of the time I'll have to do just that." He seems sincere, and doesn't show a hint of hostility despite what I did.

"So… Can you tell me what your goals are? Because it seems like they're in the way of humanity's victory to me right now. And if we are to work together, I need to know you are on my side." If he's putting his own salvation above the greater good, I'll just lock him up and force him to cooperate. We do have potent drugs on the base, after all.

"Hmm… I'm fighting to someday be able to live how I want to live after we deal with the BETA." So he is putting himself above the planet's fate. But he said after we deal with the BETA. What is he thinking about, behind that relaxed face?

"How do you mean? You want to get rich or to scale the ranks? Do you just want to run back to your world as fast as possible?" I smirk at him, waving a hand up.

He crosses his arms and purses his lips a bit. His eyes became sharp as mine do in the reflection of a monitor whenever my tests crash, and frankly I thought for a second that he was going to pounce at me, however he takes a breath through his nose and calms down.

"I won't run away. And if I have to climb the military's ladder I will. But that's not my goal. You might think I'm crazy, but I want to live in peace. And I want to give a taste of that peace to as many people as I can."

"…So you desire to end the war and bring about an era of peace?" That's silly. Only a kid would believe in that.

"I would like to have a sliver of it, if it's possible. I know that sometimes that happiness is not allowed to exist, but precisely because of that I want to regain it and share it. We probably will always have small conflicts and we will have to make many sacrifices along the way, but I want to end any and all large scale wars on this world. No point in saving humanity from the BETA if we can't later save humanity from itself."

"…Saving humanity from itself, huh?" So he's thinking on the aftermath already. Did we get sabotaged by another army in his previous experience?

"That's my end goal. I want to restore peace to my world, and see if I can leave this one alive after seeing with my own eyes that all our sacrifices weren't in vain. And for that, I need to be sure we are on the same team." He takes some steps towards me, looking straight into my eyes.

I see no kid in him. Only the fire of someone who went through hell, only to have to come back to it. I must contain myself and not smile, because I am so happy to confirm he really is my ally. Even if his goal sounds terrible impossible to achieve, and even if this does confirm my theories are in need of a revision.

"So, are you willing to listen now; or are you going to blow my head off when I turn around?"

"…I guess I can give you the benefit of the doubt for now. Well then, I'll call Yashiro." I send a fax to her, I suppose she won't take long. "Now, can you tell me what are you going to show me?" The activation of the 00 Unit? The launch of the XG? What will it be?

"The reasons why I don't want to hand over the theories to you right now and why I want to be more involved in everything." He must like this, having me at the edge of my seat. "Can you tell me why you pointed a gun at me? And why you thought I was a spy?"

"I showed you the papers already. I got suspicious, is all. You're too good to be true, you brought me much more support than I've received in these last few months."

"You're telling me that all I brought made you suspicious?"

"Yes, you knew too much about the Alternative Projects, and carried never before seen tech with you. Maybe you're from the CIA…" I try to probe, just in case. But he frowns as he crosses his arms.

"I'm not an American, and I'm not a spy. I know you need to be on your guard, but I'm not your enemy. I'd like it if you never ever pointed a gun at me again."

He doesn't seem to be lying, Yashiro also said he was telling the truth. Can I… believe it? Is he really here to help me? Well, no need to be impatient. Yashiro should… Oh, there she is. Entering slowly, she comes up to us looking as expressionless as always.

"Yashiro, this is Takeru Shirogane. I believe I explained what he wants of you." She nods slowly.

"Yes, leave it to me."

"Hello, Kasumi. You don't have to force yourself much if you can't, it's just a few moments I want to show Sensei." She gave him a good look, taking a single step back. "Let's get along from now on, yes?" He approached her so calmly and offered a handshake quite earnestly, showing no hesitation at all. She took his hand after a second, he shook it softly with a smile.

So he doesn't fear Yashiro for being an ESPer? She seems to be interested in him, considering how she's staring right now. She also hasn't reacted badly, so I suppose he truly isn't our enemy.

"Well, let's get this done. Yashiro, it's all yours." She comes by my side, still holding Shirogane's hand, and then grabs my own. I recall her saying that physical contact made it easier to send images to other people.

"Both of you, please close your eyes. Shirogane-san, please focus on what you want to show her. Professor, you just remain calm." Easy enough.

"Kasumi, you don't have to be so formal with me. Takeru is fine." He seems to not like it when people address him so formally, but if he's friendly to Yashiro I won't object. Maybe if they become friends I'll rely on him to help her as well.

"…Very well. Then, please close your eyes."

Closing my eyes, the darkness envelops me. Then a faint light appears, distant, like a small star in the evening sky. In a sudden flash, I see shapes taking form, sounds slowly becoming clear. A tingly feeling spreads in the back of my head for some moments.

Then, in a sudden burst of colors, I begin to see the inside of a cockpit, orders and shouts blooming on my ears. Once everything came into focus, I couldn't help but to hold my breath at what I was seeing.

Yokohama Base was being overrun by BETA, that were on the Reactor. Someone got killed in the control panel just now. Shirogane seems to want to attack the BETA but someone, that I believe is Hayase, stops him from doing so.

BETA in the control panel… all over the Reactor… if this is true then, what about the rest of…

This can't be… The base couldn't… How did… I can't form words for a moment.

"…For how long were we fighting during this incident?" I manage to ask.

"One night." Shirogane's voice echoes nearby. One night? A single night did this to my base?! "This is a cause of the flaw I told you about. Of course, that's not all that went wrong last time." His voice bitter, I could feel the needle aimed at me.

Everything gets distorted into a different image slowly taking shape. Now what? A wrecked TSF? Why is he looking at the ground in this way? Hmm… He failed a mission, perhaps? What does this… Wait, is that Marimo's voice?

I could hear parts of something Marimo was telling him. Sounding encouraging, almost motherly, she tried to get him back up. Nothing like how she's being these days. Sigh… If he made her so proud, then I suppose he must have done something right. Perhaps, is this the aftermath of that incident?

But then, he turned around.

And I saw everything going red. And Yashiro let go of my hand.

But I saw it clearly.

An eyeball rolling on the ground.

A bunch of teeth splattered on the soil.

Flesh bombarded and teared apart.

And a BETA. A Soldier-Class had… eaten Marimo.

…Huh? What the hell was that?

Marimo was… eaten? In my base? Under my watch? You're telling me… You're telling me… No, why would… Ugh… This is… This is impossible! How could this happen in my base?! I would never let this happen! Feeling myself about to shout, I bite my lips as I open my eyes, looking at him while grinding my teeth onto one another.

"What was that about, Shirogane? Was that… real?"

"Yes, it is. That was your fault, Sensei." His bitterness was now obvious, he remained with his eyes closed.

Yashiro had taken many steps away from us, she was looking down. Her lips slightly shaking, she hugged her sides.

"What does that mean?" That makes no sense. Why would I risk Marimo's life like that? She's… Marimo is… "This better not be a joke, Shirogane." He, however, doesn't change his expression nor does he look away once he opens his eyes.

"You released the BETA upon the base. Because you said we needed to be more serious about the war."

"I… released the BETA? What are you talking about?"

"You have some… I dunno, research thing in the underground, right?"

"…So, you're saying that did happen?" He nods, his brows narrowing.

"Yes, it did. Do you want to see more?"

"…Yashiro, can you?" She flinches as I asked it, but she quickly grabs our hands again, eyes closed and still hanging her head.

After I close my eyes and feel that same intrusive, piercing, tingly feeling on my head, another flash of light appears in my view, and then I see our training grounds during the afternoon. Littered with explosions and screams.

Lasers burn the sky, Grapplers and Destroyers run rampant through the training grounds killing many soldiers in a matter of seconds, the operators ordering them to hold their ground despite the fact that such orders are clear suicide.

I did this, you say? Why? I released the BETA? This is… This can't be! I would never risk my crew's lives so easily!

"…Why would I do such a thing, Shirogane?" And how does this relate to the theories?

"You told me you wanted to show us the reality of the frontlines." Clearly disgusted, he spoke slowly. "That the base was too relaxed despite what was at stake. And that those who died were worthless anyways. It did bring the result you wanted and you were right, I guess. I still don't agree to it.".

I see. If it got me the result I wanted, then I'm not surprised I did that. Yes, I would do anything to get… Anything… Even… if Marimo had to die for it.

I can't help but claw at my palms. Is this how it is? I have to sacrifice everything to get what I want? I can't even keep my only friend alive? Is… this what must be done? If it is, then I would… do it. I would, no, I have to. Otherwise… everything else would have been for nothing. Inhaling sharply through my nose, I ask my doubt away.

"But what does this has to do with the theories? I suppose we did gain something other than a new attitude from this. Why did I do this?"

"It allowed you to… tune the 00 Unit." His voice cracked. "I'd like to avoid this, if possible. We can't expect different results if we do the same things again, right?"

"Well… But how does this-"

"Now, now. Don't get impatient. There's a few more things left. Are you still fine, Kasumi?"

"…Yes."

"I see…" So he does worry about Yashiro, huh. "Then, let's see…" He groans, the images in my vision fade, I'm back to seeing a distant star.

After a moment where Shirogane keeps groaning to himself, the light again becomes stronger, a vortex twists the visage. Another flash of colors, I see…

An image of me in a weird outfit drinking alcohol appears.

What is this?! That's not me! I would never… What did she say? It's over? No, that… Alternative IV is cancelled? 'I wasn't cut to be the Holy Mother', huh. If I used that symbolism… then…

"That's from my first loop. When I was only a Cadet and couldn't help you complete Alt. IV. That's what happened when you failed."

"I see… What happened afterwards?"

"We were told Alt. IV was scrapped, the 207th Training School was disbanded, Marimo-chan was transferred to another base. A lot changed in this base, but me and my squad remained here and weren't sent to the frontlines." His tone relaxes and slows down as the drunken me vanishes from my sight. I sigh in relief, feeling my hands shaking despite my attempts to calm them down.

"So… How does this relates to the theories?" I open my eyes and look at him, who also returned my gaze this time.

"Well, this should show you I truly do come from another world."

"…Or that you have some messed up fantasies about me."

"Guh…" Hm? Why did he… What an odd reaction. Huh… I didn't expect to hit the mark with a joke, of all things. "Well, anyways, I know how hard this is on your shoulders. And in case you're still doubting my resolve towards our goal of saving humanity, I can show you a bit of what came with Alt. V."

"Hmm… I suppose." Not many have seen what an actual G-Bomb explosion looks like. Let's see if he's truly not a liar. "Yashiro, are you still able to do it?" She nods, truly slowly, as she again grabs our hands, looking pale this time.

"Now, I don't remember much from it, so things may look a bit… distorted." His voice shivered as if he had received a jolt. What happened to him in that parallel world? "You're still fine, right Kasumi?"

"…Yes."

"For real?" She nods, he curves his lips for a moment before closing his eyes.

I close my eyes as well, yet another distant star, yet another flash of colors. A wasteland appears before me, again from inside a cockpit, as a thousand screams bloom on my ears. Ugh… It hurts just to listen. I can feel my eyes squinting as if I wasn't wearing protective googles while on our manufacturing aisle.

What is this madness? The radar on the cockpit shows an impossible amount of BETA nearby. There are many channels open, people asking for help and others being devoured. Softly biting my lips, I slow down my breathing as the madness continues. Then, the vision halts as he looks back. A black fire engulfs BETA and TSFs alike. A G-Bomb, a real one. …No, not just one. The sight was enough to make me retch.

"…What is this?"

"Operation Iceberg, the prelude to Alt. V. I don't really remember much from that, but let me tell you that the world was screwed."

"How so? What happened? A war over natural resources?" If all of Europe became inhabitable…

"I don't know for sure, but I think all of Eurasia ended up underwater. Of course, the Empire also ended up submerged, I think."

"What? All of… Underwater?!"

I do know how dangerous the G-Bombs are, I saw the readings of Ground Zero and made some equations to determine the long lasting damage they could cause after been stationed here all these months, but all of Eurasia… This is far more dangerous than I thought.

"I can't exactly recall all of Iceberg, but as you can see… it was a massacre. We were used as meat shields to facilitate the massive bombing of the hives."

"Is that so? And what else do you recall?"

"Well, that the day after that, Operation Babylon was executed, dropping more G-Bombs than what I showed you onto all hives in the world. As I said before, I don't really remember that very well, but that mess caused everything to go to hell, real fast."

"…I can see what you mean." Such recklessness… It is no wonder such collateral damage was inflicted to the planet.

"…Do you want to see now why I want us to take our time and not rush things?"

"Of course!"

After another flash of light, I see the inside of a cockpit. He's between some cliffs, Destroyers rushing by his side. What could this… Hm? The TSFs near him are… those of the Valkyries. No other UN force has Shiranuis in the Empire, after all. Is this the Sadogashima mission of that 'last time' of his?

Then, suddenly, the XG comes into view as it charges its cannon. Lasers try to take it down, but the Rutherford Field deflects them, and then it fires. The loud explosion shakes his view, and almost all the BETA in the radar vanished in the light. The beam toppled the monument of the Hive… It worked?! The XG is destroying the Sadogashima Hive! It takes a second shot perfectly. Look at that beam, all my efforts… are not in vain.

Is this the mission where Shirogane's squad dies? What's the problem with this? What about that mistake he spoke of before? If the XG destroys the Hive, then there should be no-

The XG suddenly crashes. And then, from a different location, I see it as it explodes.

Just like that, gone in a matter of seconds in a giant black orb.

Then, the light fades and I return to my office. Yashiro was petting Shirogane, who was rubbing his forehead as he groaned while supporting himself onto my desk. She was also looking pale, her breathing rugged as if she had been running delivering reports.

"Is that good enough for you, Sen-"

"What happened?! What caused it to fall?! Tell me!" I grab him by the collar and start shaking him, he puts his hands over mine softly, trying to stop me.

"I can't tell you yet. But you should be able to fix the flaw now that you will know about it. My plan will get us better results than all what you saw."

"Really? How are you so sure your plan will work?" He looks right back at me, tensing his brows.

"I can show you something else, but only one more. And no more questions, we can't risk a ripple to ruin our efforts."

"I know that! But to see it fall so easily…" Of course I don't know what exactly happened and why the me of that world let the XG explode, but it's still frustrating. "Then do it already. Show me whatever it is now." He closes his eyes as Yashiro grabs our hands again.

After the flash of light, I see myself presenting another XG to Shirogane. So we did get both XGs that time. I suppose he was… telling me the truth since the start. Then, I see all the people lying in the hallways of Yokohama Base, some dying, some gravely hurt, as he and the members of the 207th Squad aid Kyozuka-san deliver food to the wounded.

…My base got destroyed. When did this happen? Is this when I released the BETA? No, this has to be the aftermath of what he first showed me. When the BETA got to the Reactor.

Was there… nothing I could do? If so then, what is this flaw in the 00 Unit? What could… cause such a thing?

A flash of light after, I see Shirogane and Yashiro boarding the second XG. So we did manage to modify its cockpit, huh. Where are they going, though?

Yet again, the scenery changes. The monitors in front of him display images of an overload. Wait, what happened? Why is he showing me so little about this mission?!

Shirogane is crying, his eyes are full of tears. The radar was empty, his squad got wiped out. He was forced to overload the Particle Cannon before escaping, it seems. But what was his mission? Where?

"Shirogane, why are you not showing me as many details this time?"

"…The important part comes now." He said, his tone lacking any emotions.

Is that the 00 Unit there? So I did complete it. Left in a pod, the 00 Unit was also in the control cockpit along those two. Why is it not moving? What happened? And what's that thing in her hands?

"Sumika-san is dead. Your fight is already over." Yashiro said to him then. The sight seemed to vanish for a moment, she must not have taken that well. He then hugged the 00 Unit and broke down in a never ending stream of tears, screaming a name.

Sumika… The name of the brain. The 00 Unit… broke down? His fight is over? Shirogane didn't have to keep fighting? What happened to his world then? No, wait, this means that…

…We lost everything? All the Valkyries, both XGs, the 00 Unit… And then everything went wrong on his end. But, how did things turn out?

Again I'm back to the office. He lets out a long sigh as he goes to sit in the sofa, covering his face as he futilely tries to stop his tears. Yashiro seems exhausted too as she gasps for air, shaking all over, probably because of what she heard just now.

"See? That's what's gonna happen if we rush things again." He says as he holds his face, hunched over. "You don't want… both XGs exploding and the 00 Unit breaking down, do you?"

Of course I don't. I didn't sacrifice so much to have it end like that. But I'm lacking context. I suppose that mission went well, with how much we sacrificed then, and that he's here due to… whatever happened in his home. Now I know he truly came from another world and that he fought to the bitter end for us, but, can I trust in him? Will he keep his resolve? I don't know exactly what happened, but if he's faced with certain death or a cruel choice, what will he-

"I can show you… that I will be on your side, even if it means marching to hell. So that you don't go pointing guns at me again." He's looking at me, again standing up and coming closer.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to see? Do you want definitive proof that I'm your ally?" After holding his gaze for some seconds I nod. Yashiro again holds our hands, this time with some hesitation. "Don't worry, Kasumi. I won't show you nothing bad this time." He forces a smile, she nods, after a while.

After closing my eyes once more, my vision again is assaulted by light. I slowly start discerning patterns on the walls, some shelves and an old desk.

"Because I want you to live, Sensei." What? Where is this? It's… my old lab back at Sendai? What is Shirogane doing here?

"That's the most stupid reason you could have to give me this. You do know how valuable this is, right?" I'm holding some sort of passport, giving him a bored look. What is this?

"I think you should go in the shuttle, humanity needs your genius to survive." Shuttle? Is this about Alternative V? The me in the image looks down as she sighs, shoulders dropping slowly, defeat imprinted in her eyes.

"Shirogane, it's over. I couldn't find the solution to-"

"To Alternative IV. You can still look for another solution." He says so confidently, with much more energy than he has now.

"Another? What do you mean?"

"The BETA might one day reach the new planet, and since we know there's hostile life out there the possibility of another alien race attacking us is very real. Your fight is not over yet!" Shirogane said with a conviction strong enough to move mountains. Why did he believe in me so much?

"Are you sure you're not just being selfish?"

"Of course I am being selfish. Because I want you to live, above anyone else. I know you'll eventually find a solution, and when you do I can only imagine what kind of crazy stuff you'll do to get the Earth back." I see his wide smile in a reflection of a glass. He has such blind faith in me, but why? No, how did this happen? Why is he giving that passport?

He did react when I threw a jab at him before. Did he… No, even if he saw me in such a way, why would he give me his seat? What could I have done for him to receive this gesture?

…Why would he care? I lost in that world… What could he stand to gain from this?

"What about me, though? Have you stopped to think how I felt?" I ask, leaning my cheek onto a palm.

"You always took care of me since I arrived in this world. Can you let me take care of you, just this once?" Shirogane… Why did you… give me your seat? Why did he care so much?

Wasn't he disappointed, disgusted to see me breaking down in alcohol? If I failed… Why take my side? If I was in Sendai, it means the UN made me collaborate with Alt. V after I lost my project. They wouldn't let me simply walk away, and they wouldn't let me die either. Knowing how they do things… I don't doubt I would have shouldered the burden instead of acting tough, risking any retaliation towards Yashiro, Marimo, or my sisters. But then… He still supported my ideas after that?

"Hehe, seems like the little kid became a man. And this is not the first time you 'take care' of me." The me in my vision smirks as she gets up, getting closer to him.

What does that mean? Why is he blushing like that? He broke eye contact and seems to be scratching his head.

"You were just… stressed that day. It doesn't count."

"Huh, well, it's not like I can just reject this when you put so much faith in me. And considering all the 'invitations' to Hawaii I've received…"

"Hawaii? What's up with it?"

"Don't worry about it, you just spared me from that. Shirogane?"

"Yes?"

"I swear to you now, I'll find a way to eradicate the BETA even if it takes me my whole life to do so. So don't you go dying out there until I come back."

He gave me his place in the shuttle, so that I could keep doing my research safely? Then, that's why he had to take part in that operation? He could have ran to safety, and yet… He chose to let me live. He gave me a pass, so that I had my freedom to say no to the UN's demands?

…When he could have saved himself, he went as far as come to Sendai just to give this to me?

"I suppose I can't, now that you've ordered me not to, ahaha."

"Haha, you truly are an idiot." The me in his vision got even closer, filling his sight. I smiled, regaining some semblance of light in my eyes. "…An interesting idiot."

My vision abruptly returns to my office. What was that? Why was he… so confident in me? To give me his place in the Migrant Fleet, to go look for my old lab…

If that happened after Alt. IV was canned, he would have had to look for me on his own, despite having no contacts whatsoever in this world. He would have to gain the authorization to meet with me again, despite the fact that I was surely put on lockdown until I collaborated with Alt. V. Maybe Mitsurugi, Yoroi, or some of my supporters helped him somehow? But, even so, he still put me above his own safety. To give me one last chance.

"Was that… enough for you, Professor?" Yashiro looked exhausted. Sending images is very taxing on her, I can't imagine how hard it must be to link memories to others.

There's also the matter of what she had to see. Considering what happened to Marimo and the breakdown of the 00 Unit, I should have her rest for tonight.

Shirogane's eyes squinted as tightly as mine did all these past days when I stayed up until dawn as I couldn't find a solution, he was again rubbing his head. I know that face, I don't want him suffering from a migraine, so let's fix them up.

"Yes, that will be enough. Let's take you both to the medical bay."

After doing some check ups, both of them got better after taking a protein shake and eating something sweet. We made our way back to the office without speaking, while I gathered my thoughts of all I just saw.

He and Yashiro each sit in a sofa as I returned to my chair behind my desk.

"Shirogane I'm going to ask you some questions, can you answer them?"

"Yeah, sure." His voice is but a sliver of his normal tone. He must not be used to the toll of an ESPer.

"You won't hesitate if you have to take a cruel choice?"

"No."

"Even if that means that you won't be able to save everyone?"

"…I know that the perfect timeline doesn't exist. I'm here to try and save them, but I also know how hard that actually is. I won't doubt when the time comes for me to bloody my own hands, Sensei." I like the shine in his eyes, how he could speak without stuttering under my gaze.

"Then, why did you want to join Squad 207? If you wanted to help me, you could have accepted my offer to join the Alt. IV team."

"I already told you. We need all the firepower we can get, and I want to help them be as strong as they can be for the future."

"Even if you'll end up going back to your world?" Why bother about what's left here if you'll end up leaving anyways? I can see why you would like to help after all you've gone through, but this isn't your world.

"I may not be able to ever go back." His gaze drops to the floor, again shadows cover his face.

"What? Why?"

"Because… Due to my status as a Causality Nucleus, and thanks to all the loops I've taken, my world isn't free from the causal effects. So, my world's you told me that… I might have to sever my connection to my original world and stabilize myself here, becoming part of this world forever. That's one of the ways to reach my goal. So, I might end up here for the rest of my life." Hunched over, he lets his arms rest on his legs as he sighs.

Huh… The more I hear, the more I want those theories. But I can't strain my relationship with him any further. He must be offended I did this to him and is merely minding his temper to not ruin our partnership. I also can't risk the BETA swarming the base now. We don't have the XG and, like he said, I rather it not explode on its first mission.

Plus… I look up, a hand on my chin. If he managed to have a parallel me trust in him to the point of letting him pilot an XG, I suppose he did become an invaluable asset to her. It's in my best interests to keep him safe and sound then. For the good of Alt. IV, of course.

"Alright. I get it, so that's what you want me to help you with." He nods twice as he crosses his arms. "Well then, do you know what's up with the records of the other you in this world?"

"No, you never told me anything about him. You only told me he was dead, but I don't know anything about his life."

I see. So that's why he didn't knew he was a Royal Guard and why the Shogunate came after him in the other worlds. If he was merely a normal boy or a desperate child trying to change the future, I may have realized he wasn't a spy. Being so calm and bringing so much help almost played against him.

"Why did the XG crash at Sadogashima? Can you at least tell me something about that?" I need to know, what is this fatal flaw? And, how can I fix it? Do I need something from overseas? A specific type of G-Element?

"I'll tell you just a bit, to quench your curiosity. You got everything done, but you missed something in the 00 Unit and that caused the BETA to outsmart us. I also made Sumika unstable by remembering something, and that almost ruined our mission." He closes his eyes, clawing at his forearms, grimacing again.

"…What? The BETA… outsmarted us? What do you mean?" He strokes his chin as he leans back in the sofa.

"They started to use our tactics, that's how they almost destroyed the base." What the… But how did that happen?

Even with the tried and tested hypothesis of the nineteen days delay where they develop countermeasures to our tactics that was proved through Alt. III, there is no way the BETA could have adapted our methodologies to use them against us in a mere two months. We can't even communicate with…

A flaw in the 00 Unit. The BETA using our tactics right after I complete it… Two-way communication, perhaps?

"…And what about making Sumika unstable?"

"She got jealous of a memory and ended up overheating. That's why… we had to explode the first XG." He sighs, again hunching over.

So we couldn't use the second XG to defend the base, huh? Model D shouldn't be complete yet, if my intel isn't wrong. Considering what we know of the subject's mental state, I do see it happening. It also means he managed to make the 00 Unit human enough to have it feel jealousy despite the trauma the subject went through.

And, if all our efforts were ruined by this flaw in my theory, then that caused the base to be overrun. Maybe that last mission… He said suicide before. Considering how that extremist faction has been lobbying as of late…

"So, that's why you wanted me to take my time? To not rush things and deal with these problems throughly?"

"I thought that if I gave you the theories right away, you'd rush things like before to get results out faster. And someone didn't want to listen today." I ignore his sarcastic remark as I lean back into my seat. Because he's right. I would have tried to get results out as soon as possible.

"I see. We'll keep our deal then. I won't rush things this time, I'll reevaluate my whole theory throughly before activating the 00 Unit. And don't worry, we'll make Sadogashima go right this time." He nods, finally smiling again.

"Okay. Can I ask you some questions now?" He leans forward, entwining his fingers together.

"That's fair, I guess. What is it?"

"Why did you do it?" His gaze bore into me. His brows furrowed, as if multiple EM waves fused and were melting everything within his eyes.

"Let me start by explaining why I chose to threaten you. I was overjoyed after hearing the morning reports from my engineering teams, all the data you brought is definitely going to yield spectacular results. So I thought I'd deal with your records as you asked me."

"Does that mean you weren't planning on stealing the theories?"

"No, I still wanted to take a look at them." He groans, crossing his arms. "Not only I would have reached my so desired answer, but I also would confirm you were on my side. You don't know how reassuring it is to know you're my ally. Right now I don't really have many on my side."

"What do you mean? Aren't you a super important person here?" He seems puzzled at my words. What does he think I am? He should know how things went in that other world… Or maybe I left him in the dark since he wasn't of much help?

"I am important, yes, but I've lost much support due to those stupid politicians. The UN and the Empire's relations are really tense right now, and me being originally an Imperial researcher puts me in the eye of many detractors." I fold my arms and sigh, my tongue lashing within as I remember all those insufferable meetings. "Imperial people say that I sold myself to America, that I betrayed Japan. Some in the UN say I might go maverick and give my research's results to the Empire. Everything took a turn for the worse after the last joint operation on the Korean peninsula. Didn't I tell you this last time?" Maybe I didn't trust him that much before? Or was he focused solely on completing Alt. IV?

"Huh? I don't remember anything about an operation there. Or about you being in problems because of politics."

"You don't? Maybe it turned out differently last time?"

"Can you tell me about this?"

"Do I have to? It has little to do with the matter at hand." He groans a bit.

"Yes, please do." Sigh…

"That mission was supposed to be a distraction upon the 20th Hive, part of a culling operation to help the forces in the Sakhalin front. But the Japanese soldiers got overconfident and insisted on continuing to attack the Hive. The American troops, that were the lifeline in the operation with their covering fire, retreated after the mission was declared finished. The Royal Guard's and the IJA's pilots ended up alone surrounded by BETA, after both the UN and American armies retreated, despite being warned to pull back."

"This sounds like the perfect nightmare. Why didn't they retreat?"

"The commander of the Imperial Forces was a young man from one of the Regent Houses. He inspired the troops with a speech about how they could change the course of the war that day. Of course he was wrong, they didn't have enough supplies. All of them died, and the nationalistic faction in the Empire used this accident to 'prove' that the UN and USA don't care about Japan. Since then, many members of the Parliament and the Regent Houses have started to voice their opposition about the way in which the UN and US treat the Empire, some VIPs included in that group. Thanks to this, many bilateral projects have been halted. The deal for the XG, the production of the Shiranui Second, the delivery of spare parts for many TSFs. That also got in the way of my negotiations for support. The few allies I still have can do nothing either because they're in a difficult political position or because they can be branded as 'traitors to the Empire'. Is that enough for you?" He nods as he looks to the ceiling.

"This is totally different from what happened last time, I never heard this kind of thing from you before."

"I see. Back to the point then. When I read your report and saw that there was so little information, I couldn't help to doubt you. You were too good to be true, you ticked all the boxes. You gave me an answer to all of my problems, you gave me proof of my theory being right, you offered your services to me. Really, you're a godsend to me right now. You suddenly appear before me and solve everything, just like that. Then I saw your records, and I started doubting you."

"You mean you thought I was a spy because of that?"

"Yes, I was sure you were trying to take advantage of me using my problems as bait to later sabotage me from within. Of course, I don't believe that anymore after seeing those… incidents."

"So, that means you'll let me help you from now on? No gunshots involved?" Again his eyes narrow and stare right at me.

"Depends. What do you mean by that? If it's just following my orders, that's what I was planning for you from the start."

"No, I mean, that you let me voice my opinion and share my plans and ideas with you. I know last time I didn't really help with anything, but this time I do want to try to make a difference. I don't want you to just pretend we are equals, I want you to see me as one, if you deem me worthy."

"So you want me to give you authorization to do 'stuff' if it's profitable for Alt. IV somehow?"

"Yes. Of course, some things, like the consoles, might not be exactly related to Alt. IV, but I want you to hear me out when I come to you for aid or with a serious idea." That's not something you should ask, I welcome all the help you can give, so long as it works in my favor. If two other versions of myself trusted in you, I suppose it is in my best interests to have you close.

"Yes, so long as we have the time and resources for whatever it is you want to do. So long as you work with me, humanity's survival will always be your first priority. Understood?"

"Of course. Next, can I trust you to not go doing things behind my back if they involve me or my squad?"

"Didn't you say before that you're willing to bloody your own hands?" His gaze turns stern, and I see him clenching his fists.

"I want none of that bullshit, Sensei. I know results come first, but I want you to at least inform me of your plans. If you back-stab me, I won't cooperate with you anymore. Especially after this little incident."

I hold his gaze but he doesn't flinch. He leans back moving his face slightly to one side, and continues talking more calmly than before.

"Once you finish the XM3 and I can tell you everything, I want no secrets between us. I won't hesitate to do what's necessary to fulfill my mission, but if I can't trust you, I won't follow your orders. Even if humanity's salvation comes first, I have my own goals as well."

He thinks he can demand such things from me? Why should I report what I do to him? Even if he knows much… He smiles a bit as he rests his chin on his palm.

"Give and take, right? If I see you're not taking me into account, I'll take that as a sign that our partnership came to an end. I'll say it once more, I am not your pawn. I am your partner in this."

He then remains silent, waiting for my answer. I leave the silence hanging, to see if he'll back down, but he doesn't say a thing.

"I guess I can make you my bodyguard officially, and if you prove useful I can treat you like my right hand. But that goes both ways, if you do something against Alt. IV I'll do everything in my power to end your life. Was I clear?" He gazes at me with half closed eyes and then shakes his head.

"You seem to forget that I can loop back in time, Sensei."

"Believe me, I can make you go through a fate worse than death." I'm sure not even he knows of-

"You mean erasing my existence, perhaps?"

"…How much do you know of that?"

He then tells me that, due to the conductor's influence, erasing someone means that people will slowly forget who said person was, losing all their memories of them starting with the 'lighter' and more recent memories. Of course, if he was involved with the 00 Unit I may have mentioned it to him. Since he had to take care of the subject, I must have told him of how this 'Sumika Kagami' was erased as a collateral effect of the G-Bombs. I suppose I truly did trust in him much, to have told him this much.

…However, why is he grimacing? What caused his voice to drop down so suddenly? Could he… have experienced it first hand? Did I… erase him in one of his prior experiences? Is that why he has been so reluctant to trust in me? If so, then…

"…I suppose everything has been clarified now." I nod his way, he leaves the grim expression behind. "Both of us need the other, so I guess I can give you that reassurance. I won't hide things from you, so long as they concern you or your squadmates. Or the Alt. Program. And I also won't harm you, as long as we're on the same team. Is that good enough for you?"

"Yes, that'll do." He nods, losing the tension on his shoulders. "Ok, last thing. I want you to let me handle the 00 Unit after it's started."

"What do you mean?" His gaze doesn't waver, but the fire within did. What did I do when we activated the 00 Unit that caused this in him?

"I want you to let me tune it. That was my role after I gave you the theories last time, and it's something I want to do my way this time. I'm sure I can do it, now that we have the second theory and I already experienced it."

"…You do know you're talking about humanity's hope, right?"

"Yes. But I still want to do it my way. Now that I'm a more powerful Nucleus I might have an easier time, but anyways, I want you to promise me that." If it will put him at ease, I guess I can wait and see where this goes.

Not like I have a choice, going by her reactions to his name yesterday. And, after seeing those memories, I suppose he did a fine job before. Then, that means he should fare better this time, perhaps he even has a clue on how to hasten the process.

"Alright. I'll let you take care of the 00 Unit. So, are you on my side, Shirogane?" He gives me a side glance, narrowing his brows for a moment.

"Of course. You need me to protect and tune the 00 Unit, I need you to fix the problems of my world and get power to reach my peace. Our interests are in alignment again, even if I still don't agree with some of your methods." He folds his arms, sighing. "But you're the only one who'll believe me, the only one I can talk to freely about these things. I came here for you Sensei, I need your help. I'm willing to let this little incident go if you can finally believe my words and you promise to aid me." Looking into his eyes, I see no hesitation.

"Fair enough. I promise you I'll do everything I can to prevent whatever it is that will happen. I won't ask for the theories, and I'll take my time to fix the flaw of the 00 Unit. I assure you of that."

"Glad to hear that, Sensei. You can let me take care of the 00 Unit, I'll get it to be like a human in no time." Good to see he's all motivated for that. But now that he reminded me…

"By the by Shirogane, during one of those memories… you mentioned something about 'taking care' of another me. What was that about?" His brows furrows as he tilted his head slightly.

"Taking care of you? What does that- …Ah." His face gets all red as he breaks eye contact. Yashiro flinched, to make her react to it…

…So the joke was truly spot on? With him, a kid? He didn't even sound as he is now on that memory.

"Shirogane, why are you blushing?"

"I just… remembered something embarrassing."

"Oh, and you wouldn't mind to share what that something is?"

"Please no, you were just… stressed and drunk. I was just worried that if I left you alone you'd do something crazy." He avoids my gaze, so he doesn't want to tell me? Fine, let's not press the subject. …But he did seem honest right now. Worried about me, huh.

"Alright, let's leave it at that then. You should go to your room, if anyone asks what were you doing, tell them you were aiding me in a special mission. I'll contact someone to deal with your records, it's going to be a tough call. But don't worry, I'll get it done. Bring the consoles here tomorrow, I'll start working on making more of those. That shall be all for now."

"Fine by me. By the way, the contact you mentioned… wouldn't happen to be Sakon Yoroi-san, right?"

"You know about him too?" He's not the only one I'll call but he is someone very important. Why would I have allowed him to meet you? If you're as important to the 00 Unit as it sounds, I see no reason to let him get close to you.

"Yeah. Isn't he on the Ministry of Information? You sure it's safe to let him in this kinda thing?" I know why would you say that but don't worry, my relation with him isn't so bad for you to doubt him.

"I'll tell him you're listed as 'dead' here despite you being fine, since you were enlisted in the UN as a Cadet after you left the Empire, since I got that bit prepared and done already, and then I'll ask him to help me with the fixes here. I'll give him a hint about the stealth intel you brought in exchange, that should turn the Empire's heads towards us. They will surely ask for it, and I'll use that to regain my influence in the local scene and to cover your back." I'm sure they won't be able to contain themselves, I'll recover my support before the end of the year with these new toys. Not even the Shogun could refuse these gifts.

"Alright, just be careful. I think you already know, but he can reach the Shogun. If you give-"

"The Shogun?! How do you know that?!" Did he meet her before or did I mention it to him? No, if he was solely focused on the project, why does he know of Yoroi's reach in the Shogunate? Why did I let him in on that intel? …Just what the hell happened in those other worlds?

"I'll tell you another time, but be careful with what you tell him." He says as he ruffles his hair, letting some air out softly. "I know you can deal with him just fine, but better safe than sorry."

Now I want to know how you met him and how much you know of the Shogun. You're one big, thick bag of surprises Shirogane. Though, if word gets out that a 'dead' Royal Guard is working for me…

"You're right, especially with how some people in the Shogunate see me now. Hehe, I'm glad to have you on my side." And again, he scratches his head as he looks away.

"If that's all, I'll be going." He slowly gets up, rubbing his knees.

"Shirogane, one last thing."

"What it is?"

"Nothing will happen to this base in this world. You just focus on helping Squad 207 as much as you can for now. Leave the rest to me. Alright?"

"Yeah, I get it. I don't think I can help you much outside of that as of now, anyways." He shrugs, going towards the door. "Good night you two. Oh, and thanks for the help Kasumi. Sorry to have shown you that. I'll make it up to you soon, okay?" He smiles at her, she tilts her head. Shirogane chuckles as he waves at us, and then leaves.

I stand up and make myself some coffee and some cocoa for Yashiro. I sigh and process all that he told me just now. I look at the little shape of the bunny in the room as I pass her the mug.

"So Yashiro, he didn't lie about anything?" She shakes her head slowly.

"No, he believes everything he said is the truth, and he was on edge the whole time."

"Was that bit about tuning the 00 Unit true as well?"

"Yes. It seemed like his heart was in pain when he remembered that."

I see… Sipping some coffee, I look up as I sit on my chair, spinning a bit. If it made him resent me, I better let him handle it. I want no more things between us now that I know he's on my side. So, if he can deal with the 00 Unit, then I'll leave it to him. Of course, if he fails, I'll probably resort to the same method my other me used.

"And… he truly is on our side?"

"Yes. He does hold you in high regards, despite some conflict in his heart. He also…"

"What is it?" It's odd to see her stop so suddenly. She looks down, bringing her mug close, drinking a bit, then slowly letting it rest on her lap, her eyes exploring the unending rim of the cup.

"…He seems to be fond of me."

"Is that so? Do you dislike his emotions?"

"…I don't know. He seems… kind. I don't understand. He isn't afraid or suspicious of me…"

"But you think we can rely on him?" She closes her eyes, taking her time to answer. When she opens her eyes, she merely gives a nod before drinking some more. "Well… If you say so." I drink slowly, closing my eyes. "Do you still feel fine after what you saw? You can rest for the night, if you're not in top form."

"…I'm fine." Furrowing her brows just a tiny bit, she nods.

I sigh, shrugging. So Yashiro thinks he's our ally. That's way more than what many have gotten in their first evaluation. Finishing my cup, I rest it on my desk as I began to spin with some more force, eyes glued to the ceiling.

Huh… Is this real? A causality conductor that brought me my theories from another world, someone who holds me in high regards and is fond of Yashiro despite her being an ESPer and a foreigner, someone who came with such much knowledge… to help me. It feels surreal.

Regardless, I'm glad my suspicions were wrong. With all he showed me, with whatever plan he has, I'm sure I'll bring Alt. IV to life, and now I have a guardian that will do all he can to achieve that, and even more than that if he decides to remain here and try to make this world more 'peaceful'.

However, there's still the matter of this world's Shirogane. He was a Royal Guard, so I'll have to deal with it carefully. 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi wasted no time in poking her nose into the matter. And he did say that the Shogunate always realized something was wrong with him, and thought it serious enough to warn me about Yoroi.

I have no time to lose, I do need to regain his trust. And I rather not have the Guard come after him now that I know he's on my side.

---

The Next Day. Near 9 AM.

(Mana's room.)

[Mana]

---

I sigh as I sort the reports from the trio about the squad's activities yesterday, placing them in my drawer.

I stand up and raise my hands, hearing my shoulders crack. I open my PDA but no mails came to my inbox, so I suppose it is time to wait.

I didn't get many answers when I inquired about his standing here. They said he was a leftover Cadet from a foreign unit, that was scouted after an accident prevented him from taking the CCSE after he couldn't do it with his previous squad. The XO refused to divulge more information and the Instructor didn't knew much more than that as well.

They're hiding you well. But I suppose that's obvious. You returned to your room quite late last night, I can only wonder what kind of mission you're doing here. I called HQ for any updates but there was nothing, and I received no intel whatsoever as of now.

Should I mention him in my reports? No, I should only talk about him personally with Her Highness.

There's two knocks on my door in an odd rhythm.

"Enter." Tomoe enters the room and gives me a bow.

"Mana-sama, I have a report for you."

"Let's hear it."

"The suspect is again training with the squad. They shared breakfast and he seemed to be fitting in fine. He was also calling Meiya-sama by her name." He did? Well, he never cared much for formalities.

"Does she seem bothered by him?"

"No, she hasn't corrected him and doesn't seem to mind. According to Ebisu, he's currently running faster than all the members of his squad at the moment."

Of course he is, this wouldn't be a problem for him. So he calls Meiya-sama by her name and they're getting along, huh? Maybe that is your mission, perhaps? I'm glad to have you watching over her. Though I cannot show my emotions to them, they cannot know of you.

"Surprising, isn't it? Keep me updated on his movements. We have received no new intel from HQ, so there's no change in our plans."

"Yes, Mana-sama!" She salutes and then leaves.

He obviously hasn't received a special TSF, I think he isn't in contact with HQ. So he should have been ordered to work for the XO in exchange for her to allow him to protect Meiya-sama. I can't say that I'm not curious and I wouldn't like to have a talk with you, but right now I cannot allow my feelings to get in the way. Even if Maya would be overjoyed to learn you're still alive. But then, I guess she would know about this, since she's Her Highness' retainer and your teacher.

Maybe I could go and watch your training myself. I'm curious to see how much of your technique you still have. There's so many questions left unanswered. Perhaps I could approach you when no one is watching?

As I reached for the door's handle my communicator starts beeping. A call from HQ-01? I bring the speaker to my mouth, pressing the button.

"This is Tsukuyomi."

"Mana, it's Maya. What happened that you requested a mission update yesterday? HQ went into panic thinking that something had happened to Meiya-sama!" Maya's tone rarely is this fast or loud, showing signs of anger. It's so rare to see you out of your ice cage.

"Are you certain this line is safe from recordings?"

"Do you think I would make such a mistake? Your doubt is insulting." Pointless worrying, as always.

"I happened to meet a fellow here in the base. Since I didn't receive word of his arrival, I thought I would ask for directions on how to approach him."

"A fellow? Are you speaking of a member of the Royal Guard? No one has been sent to Yokohama after your group. Are you certain you're not mistaken?"

"Shadows cannot be traced so easily."

"Shadows? What do you mean? Can you tell me clearly who it is that you met?" Her voice lashed quietly by the end. I thought she would know, being his teacher.

"It's just as you heard me, the shadow has come to watch over the night." I believe you'll understand. I would like to avoid using his name.

"The shadow… Look Mana, enough with the riddles. Who's been sent to watch over Meiya-sama? Are you certain you're not mistaking this person for someone else? This is a very serious matter."

"Your star pupil came two days ago and joined Meiya-sama's squad, I've been preparing a report but since I didn't knew how to address him I still haven't sent it."

"If you're talking about Onimura, he's still in my unit. So, you got confused. Didn't you check the person's records until now?" I groan, tightening a fist. Of course I did, who do you think I am?

"Maya, it is not like you to be so oblivious of such important matters." Now she's the one groaning. Serves you right. "I'll say it clearly then, 1st Lt. Shirogane has joined Meiya-sama's squad." I heard a loud gasp. Did she truly not know?

"What… did you… Mana, I don't know what came over you, but lying in such manner can and will be considered an act of treason." A quiet tone, yet a predator lurked behind her words. She didn't knew of this.

"It is no lie. It's him, no doubt about it."

"That can't be! He died two years ago defending the Hiiragi district from the BETA!"

"That's what I thought, too. But his face, physique, hair, all is the same. He bested Meiya-sama in a duel, so I suppose his skill with a blade hasn't waned over the years."

"This is… This is impossible. He should be dead. Are you absolutely certain it's him?"

"Yes, I was going to see the day's training to ascertain whether or not it's him. But he even has a very high security lock on his personal data, despite how suspicious that would be for a Cadet. A spy wouldn't make such a careless move, and I doubt anyone could access his profile of the Guard. Considering his role, I wouldn't doubt it is easier for him to move around as a dead man." I had to wait a few moments until Maya replied.

"…Refrain from sending your report for a few days. I'll go there personally, with the delivery of your spare parts. I'll see whether this man is truly him."

"If he is indeed him, what do you plan to do? We cannot interfere with his mission, whatever it is."

"I'll retreat, and ask Yuuhi-sama for further instructions. She may have trusted you'll knew what to do, but I can't blame you for doubting. Of course, if he isn't who we think, we may have to take extreme measures to deal with this new recruit."

"Understood. I'll lay low for awhile, continuing to observe him. You'll arrive in a few days, I suppose?"

"I'll make arrangements to arrive in two days. The faster we resolve this, the better. How has Meiya-sama been until now?"

"Fine. However, the training they're giving her is much harder than what I expected. I can't say that I'm not grateful for it." As much as Meiya-sama might want to fight, it pains me to no end to see her train in this place. She should be a member of the Royal Guard, not a dog of America.

"I see. I'll report that to Her Highness. Stay safe, Mana."

"Same to you, Maya."