Chapter 12: As the Fog Sets In
November 2nd. 02:26 PM.
(Hallway. Yokohama Base.)
[Takeru]
Sunny day, the sky only has a few clouds up there. The usual bustling in the hallways, the complains in the rooms coming from the people having to wait for their next orders for who knows how many minutes, the bored soldiers doing patrols, just another uneventful day in Yokohivema Base.
I already checked the batteries, the joysticks and the connection to the data center. The consoles are ready to be used and today I will start the special training of the squad.
During breakfast, Mikoto and Tama remained the same, and later asked me some tips to complete the morning exercises, but the other three didn't do much conversation. I expected Meiya to be a little less cold after the talk we had yesterday, but I guess I'll have to start over with them. They might be more different than I thought to the ones I knew in the other worlds.
…It's depressing, really.
The Instructor was coming along to make sure the girls behaved well and to monitor the data from the exercise, so I was in charge of the 'class' this afternoon. I never thought I would be teaching someone officially, the hairpins of life are a real mystery. I'll just have to careful with my braking to avoid more discussions and grip onto what little good signs I notice.
I enter the classroom and the girls fall silent in attention, except Mikoto who keeps on rambling about a trick with a kendama.
"Hey y'all, good afternoon!" An unnecessary loud and joyful greeting.
"Hey Takeru! Are you ready to spar with us?" Mikoto comes up to me by the door with her usual giggling face.
"I was preparing that, yes. So, are you all coming with me?"
"Wait, we haven't got approval from the Instructor to go with you yet." Chizuru, why must you always be like this?
I take out a small paper from my pocket, the official document that allowed me to treat this as a real training.
"What is… Why do you have this?!" Haven't seen her this surprised in my life. In any of all of them.
"I did tell you yesterday that I was going to get permission from the Professor. Now, you're not forced to come along. If you don't want to, you can remain here."
They started exchanging glances. Mikoto seemed all in this, Tama was nervously looking at everyone else as if unsure of what to do, Meiya and Chizuru were whispering with each other with their backs turned to me, and Kei switched glances from me to the rest as if bored.
I waited for a minute, but Meiya and Chizuru were still debating. What the hell are they even talking about? You know what? Let's roll.
"Alright, this is already taking too much time, the ones that do want to help me with this training follow me." I turn around and exit the classroom, with Mikoto following closely behind me. Soon after the rest also catch up to us.
"So Shirogane, what are we going to do?" Meiya asked, trying to get by my side.
"Don't be so impatient. You'll have enough time to figure it out. And it's not like you have a chance to beat me in this." I say in my old cocky tone, poking fun at them.
"What did you say?! If it's a duel you want, I am more than happy to oblige. I won't lose to you today, Shirogane." Meiya, you're so easy to taunt. Even if you do look very intimidating right now.
"Shirogane, as the Squad Leader, it's my responsibility to put you down from that pedestal. Don't look down on us just because you trained abroad!" Chizuru's pride wouldn't let her back down. I mean, Kei is always triggering her, she's super sensitive to any kind of teasing.
"Special-kun, you die today." Kei, I knew you were going to be game too.
"Hey Takeru, what are we gonna do? Can't you tell us just a bit?!" Mikoto was… how to say it… rebounding upon herself in excitement.
"Nah, we're gonna do some special training. You'll face me in some new training courses, you'll see when we get there."
"Um… Shirogane-san, is this really okay? I mean, the Instructor…"
"The Instructor is already in the room where the training will take place. Don't worry Tama." I smile at her, making her relax a bit. I do wonder why they fear her so much… I guess Marimo-chan doesn't exist in this world, huh.
We kept walking, going towards the elevator in B5F. When I got to the stairs, they seemed to stop for a second before following.
"Shirogane, can you tell us where we're going to do this trainings?"
"You'll have to follow me to get there Sakaki, don't be impatient."
"We would like to go at our own pace, there is no need to rush." Chizuru is being extra cold today.
"Can't do that, because the training will take place in one of the lower floors we usually don't have access to. Just for today, we can go there. But only those who come with me will get permission to pass."
"Why? Whatever is the meaning behind such secrecy?" Sending a hand to her air intakes, she glared at me. "And why are we going to the lower floors? Could we not train on our usual grounds?"
"I told you already. This training is different. We can't do it in the track field or in a classroom." They wanted to protest, but remained quiet and kept following me.
Eventually, we made it to the elevator in B5F. I swiped my ID Card and it opened, but as I got inside they again remained standing there, as if unsure of whether to cross the street right before the light became red.
"C'mon, get in." Mikoto and Tama come in, but the other three remain outside.
"Shirogane, what level of clearance do you have?" Chizuru keeps glaring at me, what is her problem? I know I kinda took them lightly, but weren't they the ones who wanted me to take them seriously?
"S1, but for today I can go to the floor where the training will take place."
"Oh, really?" She sounds like she didn't believe me.
"You're free to stay behind, if you want. The elevator won't stay open forever."
She and Meiya again shared a glance, but then Kei walked past them and got inside, sending a gaze my way as she passed my side. With a sigh, Chizuru came in and Meiya followed.
As the elevator made its way to B17F the faces of the girls grew more and more surprised the more the elevator descended. Even Kei's eyes are widening.
"Shirogane, where are we going? At which floor will we stop?" Meiya arched her shoulders as she looked at me.
"B17F."
"…What? Why are we going to such a lower floor?"
"Having second thoughts, Meiya?"
"Never said that, I'm surprised as everybody else is here. And I told you to stop calling me by my name." Man, look at that fire. You're beautiful even when you're mad.
"And I told you manners are not my strong point. But please do forgive the rudeness, Meiya-sama." She flinched when I called her that.
For a second an expression of pure bewilderment showed itself on her face, but she closed her eyes and then simply returned an angry glare to me.
"Shirogane, what makes you think you can mock us so openly?" Chizuru spoke with clear disgust.
"Hey, I'm just breaking the tension here. Really guys, this isn't the end of the world. Relax, otherwise you won't be able to do your best against me." Tama and Mikoto nod in agreement.
"You are right. Sigh… It's still a surprise, to go to such a lower floor." Meiya kept gazing at the panel as we went down and down.
"Shirogane, you could learn a thing or two about respect."
"Sorry Sakaki, but that's just how I am. I'm not good with manners and I'm always doing lame jokes and puns. Is what I do to avoid being a ball of nerves." And to not get depressed about how much you all seem to hate me now.
"…Really?"
"Hey, can we stop with the aggressiveness and try to get along? It goes against all you told me about teamwork when I first arrived." She always insisted on how important it was to generate trust with your comrades, both here and in the other loops.
"What do you know? You're not even… Forget it." She clicks her tongue and looks away.
"I'm not even what?" What was she gonna say?
The door opened as we reached our destination and the girls got out quite fast.
"Alright, follow me." I take them to the room in question.
The same room where me and Kasumi worked on the things, the same boring meeting room lighted by a bright, cold, white light. Inside of it, the Instructor was sitting by the table.
"Salute!" Chizuru ordered as soon as she saw her.
"Good afternoon, squad. I see all of you accepted Shirogane's proposal. I am here only to oversee this training. To prevent any unnecessary fighting." She shoots a glare towards Meiya, and then sits down again.
"Well Takeru, what are we gonna do here? What's the deal with those TVs?" Mikoto I appreciate your enthusiasm, but those are for later.
"We're not using those yet, you all take a seat in the sofas. I'll check everything is set up properly before starting."
They looked rather puzzled but sat down without much complain. Now, let's check that the data cables are all in their place. Yes, now… the wireless tracker is on, all Game Guys are linked. The Instructor gives me a nod to indicate everything is all green on her end as well. Okay, let's get this show on the road.
"Ok, all green. Allow me to explain what you'll be doing here. You'll face me in a special training, one designed especially by Professor Kouzuki. This is part of my special missions, so as you can expect I'm really good at this. Any questions?"
"What kind of battles will we do? I do not understand how we could face off here of all places." Chizuru really didn't like being here, facing the unknown is something she is terribad at after all.
"I'll give you your… terminals now. That should answer your questions." I hand one MMTS to each. They look surprised, to say the least.
"Shirogane-san, what is this? A Pleiades, maybe?"
"No, this is a new training device developed by Professor Kouzuki with me as its tester. The MMTS, Mobile Multipurpose Training Simulator, is a portable training terminal that can perform many different types of training depending on the cartridge you insert in it."
"What?! Such technology exists? You said you were the tester, is this the reason you are special?" Meiya looked exactly like when she… when the other one found it during first loop.
"Yes, I can't tell you the details, but I've been helping in this thing's final stage of development. Today you will all face me with these in the trainings it can do. Let me tell you that I'm quite proud of the results I got with it."
"Special-kun, this for real?" Aww… She's using my words. Sarcastically, yes, but she's using them nonetheless.
"Yeah, if you got scared feel free to leave." I shrug while chuckling a bit. Kei looks like she wants to choke me right now.
"Shirogane, enough with that attitude. So, how do we operate the terminals?" I answer Chizuru's question using my own Game Guy to show them how it's done, and again they're shocked at how 'easy' it seems to be.
"Now let's start this show. I'll let you decide in which order you'll face me and in which training course."
"Someone is confident." She taps her glasses, giving the tiny machine a good look. "Now, what courses are available on this sim? It can't be too powerful."
"We have a race simulator, a stealth simulator, an army management simulator, a puzzle simulator and a TSF simulator." All of them open their eyes as wide as they could when hearing the last one. Tama's eyes went white, Mikoto is shivering, Kei and Meiya have their mouths wide open and Chizuru almost dropped her glasses.
"WHAT?! A TSF simulator?! Shirogane we have no authorization to train with that!"
"Sakaki, you're too loud. And we have authorization from the XO to use this things, so no worries there. Right, Instructor?"
"Indeed." She smirks at their reaction. "Do not worry about that, these machines are nothing like a real TSF simulator. No one is going to go after you for this, so use them to your heart's content." Nice follow up, NotMarimo-chan!
Their hesitation and shock loses traction after hearing it, then they start talking between themselves to decide who goes when and what games they'll play first. Of course, they don't know these things are games. I can't wait until I show you the Stallion, if you're so surprised about the Game Guy I'm sure you'll be blown away by it. Assuming they want to keep training and don't start suspecting I'm evil incarnate again for some reason.
"Shirogane, we will face you in this order. Me, Yoroi, Tamase, Ayamine and Mitsurugi. We'll use the puzzle sim first, then the racing, army management, stealth and TSF sims in that order. Is that alright?"
"Sure thing. I'll give you the cartridges, you can practice a bit to get a feel of how it's going to be. Take some minutes to see how awesome the MMTS is." They do seem intrigued, but are still keeping it to a minimum. Except Mikoto, she's beaming at the Game Guy. You'll always be a gamer, no matter what world you're in.
I hand them the PoyoPoyo cartridges, and proceed to enjoy their sparkling eyes and gasps as they start up the game. Looks like they're enjoying themselves, I mean the first levels are really easy.
"I can't believe such a thing exist. This is truly a wonderful invention." Meiya was impressed, absorbed into it.
"Yes, it's simple enough to get the basics down in just a few minutes, but I think it has a surprising depth with the formations you can do." Of course Chizuru would over analyze this.
"Well, do you all feel ready to challenge me?" Ohoho, look at those eyes! Yes, be motivated! Get fired up, I'll throw you all into a cold sea in just some seconds. I'll show you the real horror that lies behind those cute Poyos.
I start up my Game Guy and sit down on a sofa, between Meiya and Chizuru.
"So, are we going to compare our scores on each stage?" Chizuru said as she peered at me.
"No. We will use this Join Cable to play against each other Sakaki."
"Eh? Play?! You're treating this as a game? What about being serious?" And here we go again! Seriously, I'm starting to get fed up with your screaming. You weren't so noisy before, not even back on school in my world.
"You'll see soon enough. Let's see if you can make me go serious on you." Her brows again form a V, her lips pluck into a small line.
"I'll make you eat those words."
Cable connected. Two Player connection established. All right, let's do this.
We start on stage one, I drop my cute slimes down fast, forming towers to make combos. Chizuru seemed puzzled at what was going on in my side of the screen.
"Shirogane, what are you even doing? You can't get points if you- Huh?!" Once my big combo was executed, a lot of black slimes appeared on her side.
"Fuhuhu! If you do big enough combos you can disrupt your opponent with black slimes!" Full accel ahead, get your game on Chizuru!
"That's not fair!"
"There's no fairness on the battlefield! Prepare yourself to be creamed, Sakaki!"
"Creamed?" Meiya, not now!
Two combos later had me on a nice flow, while Chizuru was almost close to lose. She had very little available space left. Oh, two triangle slimes! C-C-C-Combo!
"Aaah! No, I have so little… I lost." She looked at the screen in a daze.
"Well, you did last more than I thought you would. Good fight, Sakaki."
"Shirogane, how did you even move your slimes so fast? Have you been training with these for a long time?"
"Yeah, these things are really good for training your hand to eye coordination. And it's also really cute." Tama and Mikoto gave a nod in agreement.
"Must be nice to have these things abroad. I'm sure you had a lot of time to perfect your technique over there." Ouch. Careful with that edge, Chizuru. You're gonna cut yourself.
"These sims were made in Japan, though."
"WHAT?!" You all look just like Yuuko-sensei when I told her the same.
"Look at the back of the thing. It says 'Made In Japan', right?"
"Shirogane-san, are all the training simulators and their courses made in Japan?"
"Yeah, they're an invention of Yuuko-sensei." They look shocked at me. Now what?
"…You use her first name?" Chizuru was simply tilted. Meiya was in whatever state comes after that.
"…Special-kun, who are you?"
"Takeru Shirogane, it's a pleasure." Giving her a smile and low eyelids, she returns back her usual poker face but I can tell she's upset, and also curious, thanks to how the edge of her lips retreated inside for a millisecond.
"It is a very interesting way to train, indeed." Meiya says with a nod. "I would never had thought about it. The screen looks far sharper than that of a Pleiades, the buttons feel truly nice to the touch, and this software is simply amazing. Shirogane, are those black computers by the TVs also training simulators?"
"Indeed Meiya, those are the more… awesome ones. After we are done with these trainings you'll get to face against me in those. Assuming you still want to do so after I beat all of you." And she's upset again. I mean, she was upset from the beginning but now she seems like… determined to win, I guess?
"Now's my turn! Takeru get ready!" Mikoto came and sat where Chizuru was before.
I ended up beating them all. Tama was the only one who seemed to know what she was actually doing for some reason, the others lost their cool as soon as the black slimes appeared on their side.
"Now that we are done with this one, let's start the racing one." Whatever happens, I have at least showed them the things. Let's just keep at it with a positive approach.
"We couldn't even put him in a pinch…" Chizuru hangs her head, looking as if only a rope was keeping her from falling down a ravine. Come on, now. Don't get so down.
"Here's the cartridges of F-Mega. Practice for awhile with it." They switch the cartridge and after powering up the MMTS again, their eyes sparkle at the sounds and graphics.
"Alright. This time we have to defeat him. Let's start this!" Following Chizuru's howl, all of them started the first race in the basic track.
However…
"What is even this speed? I can't… I'm crashing!" Chizuru, that's not how you use the Desert Thunder LPT. Stop trading paint with the walls.
"A-Ah! No, to the left! Not so much! Why did I explode?!" Meiya, you look so cute right now. It's just like when we married and I kept making you play against me. And just like back then, she knows no cornering.
"Awawa! I'm constantly hitting the walls! I can't do this." Tama, have more faith in yourself. You did got very good in both worlds once you got some practice.
"…This sucks." Kei I think you and Kasumi would get along really good.
"Uwah, this… is so COOL!" Glad you like it Mikoto, but do try to not… Aaand she went off course. She doesn't seem to care and as soon as she respawned she blasted the accel again. Hahaha, typical Mikoto stuff.
After they finish their first race, and by finish I mean ran out of time after exploding a lot, I put my own F-Mega cart in.
"So, ready for our showdown?" She groans as she taps her glasses, crossing a leg over the other and getting comfy onto the sofa.
"…Yes, in such a hard training course we should be evenly matched. You will surely have trouble controlling your vehicle." She raises a finger at me, taking a pose similar to the ones she did when she was Class Rep in my world.
"Ohoho! We'll see about that." I pick my Red Lightning TUE and choose the basic track after the two-player screen came up.
"Shirogane, why would you choose a vehicle with such low handling? You're certainly going to crash much with it."
"Thanks for your concern, Meiya. But there's no reason to worry, I will win." She still looks mad when I call her by her name, but is curiously peeking behind me as we start the race.
Alright, not yet… A bit after the second honk… And off we go! I stick to the inner side of the curve, quickly leaving Chizuru behind.
"What is the meaning of this?! How are you not- Oh!"
"You sure you got time to worry about me?" Apparently she already crashed.
Slightly let go of the accel, veering left. Accel again as I take the rest of the curve, now I got a nice, steady long road without any curves or anything.
Chizuru was getting closer now. Not that it mattered, since as soon as she has to take a curve… I press the brake and do a power-slide, managing to go In-In-In. Chizuru tries to take it in stride, and ends up going off the course.
"Say Sakaki, are you even trying?"
"Of course I am! You're just…" She bites her lower lip as she crashes again.
"Perfect." Meiya said, jealousy dripping from her voice.
"Aww, don't praise me so much. This is just the first track, there's another twenty something more difficult than this one." And I never got as good as Mikoto was in racing games. Damn bastard always beat me in them, he and his super precise cornering.
Chizuru was going steady along a clear road and ended up crashing. Really, it's not something to be so surprised about.
"Huh? Shirogane-san, is that true?" Tama couldn't believe it.
"Yeah, this is the easiest mode to take this training. If you can't pass this, the next generation of Cadets is going to steamroll you."
"Next generation?" For Kei to speak up, this must have piqued her interest. Meanwhile, to the left. Slightly lower the speed…
"Yes, the idea is to eventually have these sims distributed worldwide to aid Cadets in their training." Their eyes keep getting wider and wider.
"Is this true? All Cadets in the world… trained with these?" Meiya seemed surprised, but in her tone something else stirred.
"Well, last lap. Not much left."
Chizuru still tried to bridge the gap, but her control wasn't getting any better. I won while she still had three laps left.
"I can't believe… You had no problems with this one. Even when it's so hard to control." She adjusted her glasses while getting off the sofa.
"Practice makes perfect. Now Mikoto, your turn." She smiled widely, crashing onto the seat ready to play.
We made our way through the games, they were trying their best, but…
"I'll attack your Guard with my Commander. Axes have an advantage against spears, so it's guaranteed to defeat it." Pressing the buttons, I get ready to choose the right weapon.
"No, wait! She can survive the hit, you're just wasting your attack!"
"Meiya, dear, did you forget that I picked up a Shield Smasher axe last turn?" Meiya's eyes are filled with horror as her Guard dies. This now gives a path for my mounted units to kill her healers.
"NO! Not the clerics!"
"Are you begging me, Meiya?" Her narrowed eyes lock onto mine, the emotion made her raise her voice.
"Stop it! Claire and Ramyl are… those two are unarmed, why would you do something so low as to attack them?!" I can't believe she got attached to her units just by reading their summaries.
"Because they're your lifeline. Do you think the enemy won't attack our suppliers in real life if they get the chance?"
"Ah, you have a point… But we will fight the BETA, not other people!"
"Then today you will learn how important it is to secure your supply lines, to avoid your formation from crumbling. This is what happens when the frontliners fail!"
"Please, don't! They're…" Ouch, I got a crit against Claire. The animation was quite brutal, Meiya looks dead inside. "This is… so frustrating… Now that I can't heal my knights…"
"Giving up already? Is this what they sacrificed themselves for? You wouldn't make a good commander, Meiya." Taunting: Successful.
"Never. I won't yield, your cavalry is surrounded now! Even if I lost five comrades this turn I can still-"
"My turn isn't over yet."
"Huh? What? None of your warriors can attack me from their positions."
"Meiya-san, he still has a mage right there. See?" Her eyes go wide in terror as Mikoto points to my mage. It's so nice seeing so many emotions in your face today.
"AAH! I forgot about it!"
"Say goodbye to your Samurai." I know she has a fetish for swords, but to see her choose the Samurai as her prepromote without a doubt was really funny.
"No, not Kenshin! Stop Shirogane! Don't… Aaaahh, what can I do now?!" She lost her cool once I took down her favorite unit.
"You can give up or die fighting." I give her a smile, and get a furrowed brow with daggers instead of eyes back at me.
"No… I'll win. I'll defeat you! I just have to defeat your King, then your army will fall!"
Sadly for her, I killed her king two turns after that. She looked completely defeated, looking at me with a mixture of envy, terror and respect. Next up was Steel Gear.
"Hmm, you wouldn't happen to be… near the second room to the right, Ayamine?" She keeps her poker face, but I saw her brows move a bit. "Would be such a shame if I set up this bomb here."
"Tch. I'm not dead yet."
We can't really see each other in the Steel Gear game, we are each taking our turns to find and kill the other but she's giving me a hard time.
"Hmm… I wonder where could you be?"
I'll move here, and set some explosives in this hall. This should do it.
"Don't get confident. I'm still on the game."
"It's your choice, Ayamine. What are you gonna do?" She returns her gaze to her screen. All the girls were behind her sofa, peeking at her game. They all were rooting for Kei.
"Done with this. Get ready." Her face changes, her eyes get a flare on them.
Let's execute the trap, then. I've been laying wired explosives along a hallway and now that I'm gonna blow them up the whole hallway will be blasted, but some items will be destroyed too. Like the gas tubes.
I press the command to detonate the explosives and the chain reaction appears on the screen. For a Game Guy game this looks really good. Then the game displays that some tubes were destroyed, leaking a poisonous gas into the area. But since a wall was about to fall, it broke and blocked the way I had gone to hide. Now the gas can't reach me. It's all a matter of whether Kei is or not close enough to me to kill me before the gas kills her, so she can't hide anymore.
"Cheap. Coward."
"Say whatever you want, but you're gonna lose." The girls behind look dejected. Meiya and Chizuru look especially shaken.
Kei looked more serious now. She pressed the buttons faster than before. However…
"Eh?! Why is the laser trap activated?!"
"I found the room some turns ago and flipped the switch."
"Tch, damn you." As she moved her character it appeared on my screen, she hadn't detected my character yet. All right, it's my chance. Let's use the sniping rifle, and here we… Dead!
"Eh? I… What? From where?" For the first time since we started this she looked genuinely shocked.
"You fell right into my trap." I send a wink her way, which makes her more annoyed.
The other girls didn't knew what to say to her. Ayamine was the one that got the most close to be a problem for me in this game.
When we made it to Valgern-On they were blown away by it, but due to how fast paced it is they stood no chance against me.
"Awawa! Jump! And from here I'll- Ah!" My Kaiser stunned her Xao-Myun and then I strike it with more shots. She has 23% shields left.
"Fuhuhu! Is this all you have, Tama?"
"It's too fast! I gotta pull back to counter attack, then-"
"How about no?" I shoot at her and bring her to red numbers. Her jumps are really predictable, she always jumps and later moves instead of pressing both buttons at the same time.
"Awawa, I'm gonna lose… Maybe if I go on the offensive!" She tries to counter attack, and that surprisingly went well.
She took 20% of my shields with that unexpected move. But she was already too low on health, some shots and down she went.
"Nice fight, Tama. That trick at the end was really good."
"I still lost. You truly are unbeatable." She sighs, looking dejectedly to the ground.
For a first time it wasn't so bad. They do look dejected as hell right now, let's see if I got them interested in the trainings.
"So, what did you think of the MMTS?"
They exchange some glances and, after some nods, Chizuru speaks up.
"They are most interesting. The simulators are very polished and the teachings they have are very impressive. To think this training method could one day be common worldwide is honestly shocking." Glad to see all that work wasn't in vain. "However, as a Japanese citizen, I am worried about the Americanization of our training. I do not think this was made completely in Japan as you said, it's too similar to a Pleiades. The same could be said for the software, that has many English terms despite being of Japanese origin. Even the fact that the TSF sim is about Anti-TSF training makes it clear it's an American invention." But all of this was made in Japan. Also, why do they let their hatred towards America get in the way of everything?
"I mean, it is a Japanese invention. Also you do know this is a UN base, right? We should be fluent in the international language, and if using some English terminology can speed up the translations and help foreign Cadets who don't know so much of our language to not be so lost during training I don't see the problem." She did not seem to agree.
"Hmph, English can eat… Ahem, regardless of that matter, I believe I understand how much one can improve using a MMTS."
"So would you all like to continue training with them?" …Wow, they did not expect that question.
"But… these must be a military secret, right? We couldn't keep using them even if we wanted." Chizuru shot down my proposal as fast as a laser.
"A secret you already know of. And I got permission from the Professor to allow you to join me in my special mission if you want. It's up to you if you want to use them or not."
They look slightly troubled by my offer. Meiya and Chizuru were again whispering between themselves while Mikoto and Tama looked at them worriedly, restlessly folding their hands into their pockets.
"While they are indeed useful devices, I believe our priority is to prepare for the CCSE." Chizuru said in a monotone while doing circles in the air with one finger. "The next generation of Cadets will surely make good use of these. And if they're deemed worthy I'm sure we will get another chance to train with them."
"Sakaki is right. While there is much to be gained through this method, our current objective is the CCSE. Increasing our physical aptitude should be our number one concern." Meiya spoke solemnly, not meeting my eye.
"Mikoto, Tama. What about you guys?" Meiya and Chizuru looked at them, they looked downwards.
"I… agree with Mitsurugi-san." Tama barely managed to bring out the words, arms compacted onto her sides. Mikoto gave a small nod to indicate she also thought the same. Sigh, can't say I didn't expect this.
"And you Ayamine?"
"Who knows?" She shrugs. Kei, dear, please give an answer.
"What does that mean?"
"These things might just explode."
"C'mon, don't be like that. They were made very carefully, they wouldn't-"
"Oh, one caught on fire."
"Huh?! Wait, they're fine." I see her smirking at me. KEI!
"Huhuhu."
"Ayamine, can you give a me straight answer?"
"No, can't do that." She says in her usual bored tone while looking away.
"Why not?"
"Cause I'm lesbian."
"Wait, WHAT?!" This is one major change in this world, what the hell?!
"Just kidding." Don't deadpan me like that!
"Ugh, I don't know why I try with you. So you're refusing too?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Can you tell me why?" She seems irritated at my questions. She faces me and looks right me in the eye before answering.
"Because I don't give a shit about this. I'm here to become a Surface Pilot, not a tester. Don't dump your work on us."
"Hey, that's not what this-"
"Shut it. I don't care. They're interesting, but useless to me. I have a test to pass, these things won't help me pass the CCSE. You happy now?"
I can't say I didn't see this coming. Well, I tried. No hard feelings. Right, they're not who I'm remembering them to be. They are, but they are not. I have to get to know them from point zero, since they are different.
At least Sensei might find some use for the consoles, maybe we could trade them to get resources or something. It's clear the anti-American sentiment is stronger in this world, so let's stop digging this hole.
"Alright, I guess that ends this training session. Thanks for your cooperation, squad."
"Eh? Shirogane, are we not using those black ones?" Huh? Meiya seemed interested in them, but considering all the English terms that are in both CryRing and Steel Gear… Yeah, I better wrap this up before they start to openly call me an American sympathizer.
"Nah, you already did enough. Plus Ayamine is right, this is my mission. I wanted some input, a different point of view one might say, and you already gave it to me. As you all said this won't help you pass the CCSE, so let's end this here. Thanks a lot for helping me out, guys." I say as I take the Game Guys out of their hands and put them back in the briefcase they were in before.
They seemed to want to say something, Chizuru was glaring blades at Kei who simply looked the other way. Now, what the hell is their problem? They already rejected the idea of working with me, they don't trust in me. Now what?
"But… you promised you would fight us seriously today! You still haven't finished this training!" Meiya was not letting go of the idea. What got into her all of a sudden? They just said they wouldn't benefit from this, they'll just get more paranoid anyways.
"Meiya, you all just said this is useless to you. Let's not waste more time, you can still go use the rest of the afternoon on your training. I don't want to get in the way, so let's-" Chizuru came closer, took a pose similar to my world's Chizuru when she was Class Rep, and objected firmly raising that same finger again, more circles being drawn on the air.
"Mitsurugi is right. You said those were more amazing than the MMTS, so why don't you show us what they can do?"
"Because they're a military secret. And you just said you didn't like the idea of training with these machines. Honestly, I'm not stupid. I can tell you don't trust me, and I don't want to force you guys to go through with this if it makes you uncomfortable. It's okay, I'll deal with this myself. You did enough for me already." I have to mind my words, I don't want to anger her further.
But she looks super annoyed at my response. Chizuru was again glaring at Kei. Tama and Mikoto were exchanging glances from me, to Chizuru, to the Instructor, as if unsure of what's going on. Meiya just folds her arms and sighs.
I don't get it, if you wanted to use the Stallion, why did you refuse so vehemently a second ago? What are you playing at?
"Alright, so if we agree to help you in your mission, would you show us those machines?"
"Of course. I welcome the help, but are you sure? You just refused a second ago." I won't say no if I can get you interested in them, but I can't read what you're playing at right now.
"Well, maybe I should have waited a bit. I… cannot believe you performed so well in these trainings." She looks away, clearly bothered.
"Hey, it's just a matter of practice. So, do you all wanna try them out?"
"Yeah! I'm in!" Mikoto jumped up with stars in her eyes.
"Me too!" Tama chimed in.
Why were they being so cold a second ago? Were they testing me? Wait, I think they did something like this in my world when I started dating Sumika. They were constantly trying to make me step on the stick, trying to make me admit we were dating. That was such a silly thing, but I feel they're doing the same here. What did they expect I was gonna do? Are they so suspicious of me they felt that they had to test whether they can trust in me?
"What about you Meiya?"
"I too would like to face you in those machines. And you still insist on referring to me by my name." Her sapphires turn into blades aimed at me, making my heart ache. I've been calling you that since forever, you can't just expect me to…
No, forget it. She's different, another person. Let it go, man.
"…Sorry, I'll try to fix that. Well, Ayamine, you're the last one. Are you-"
"Sure, whatever." If I hadn't spent a lifetime with another her I would think she was just flipping me off. But she does look at the Stallions quite intensely. She wants to see them in action.
They wanted to use them, yet they pretended to not care. So they were testing me. Sigh… It's gonna be hard to regain their trust.
"Alright. Instructor, can you check the ethernet connection as I start them up?"
"Yes, leave it to me." Not showing any interest in our discussion, more than as an spectator, she begins to help me with the checks. …I wonder what she thinks of this, why is she doing nothing.
…Maybe she agrees on the Anti-American sentiment, and so, doesn't care what they say to me. Guess I'm just another trainee for her… as it should be. She really… isn't Marimo-chan.
Once everything was set, I put the disk in each Stallion and turned them on. As the anime opening of CryRing Saga played on all the TVs, the girls jaws pierced the floor. Their eyes stared in shock at the images, producing not a single sound as they were lost in what they were seeing.
"…Shirogane, what is this?" Chizuru had to adjust her glasses, trying to keep her cool.
"CryRing Saga. It's the awesome version of the same named program we used a while ago."
"How is this… This is… The drawings are moving?!" Meiya's eyes were going to pop out any second now. Tama and Mikoto's eyes became white dots as they stared in awe at the screen. "Shirogane, how is this possible?"
"…Science?"
"Be serious! How… I cannot believe these drawings can move…" Meiya was again mesmerized by the opening, staring firmly at it with wide eyes.
"Special-kun, this for real?" Even Kei's eyes were wide as a watermelon.
"Yeah? C'mon, bring the sofas closer. Let's make you go through the tutorial."
[?]
"This is a most welcome surprise." I reread the report the agent gave me, a smile yet again forming on me.
"It seems he said the same thing when informed of this matter, according to the agent. He already was suspicious of some movements some people were doing in one of the hangars." My fellow tells.
"Haha, I see. Great minds think alike." How would I like to have such a competent person on my side. But perhaps it's because we're so similar that we will never be able to work together.
However, this is truly a most unexpected surprise to be sure. Not even in my boldest dreams could I have thought her able to convince them of this. I didn't knew she had it in her. That incident must have left quite a shock in her soul.
With this piece I'm sure we'll convince Kouzuki to… see the same landscape we do. She could never refuse to be in charge of this research, much less in her position. Her support will disappear faster than a candle's flame in front of a typhoon if she doesn't procure any further results. I'll have to thank her in person for this piece she gave me. What could I reward her with, however? Some fruits, a bottle of sake perhaps? A fruit basket with some sake, that should be most appropriate as a show of thankfulness.
"Sir, according to the report, he promised his support to aid us in the production of the amounts of Type-94 you requested. He also agreed to let the Fuji Corps be the exclusive users of the 1Cs that aren't in our control, and to ease the pressure to take them from our units."
"Perfectly perfect. All the pieces are falling into formation. What about the medicine?"
"Still not secured. They demanded some Type-97s in addition to the money we proposed them." Sigh… I need it, so badly.
"I'll allow it. Send ten of them in good condition. So let's review, we hand her and her research to the fox, we have acquired all the needed hands to approve the new budget for the production of the Type-94, all in exchange for our support in keeping the status quo. Of course, I hope the UN keeps their end of the deal and keeps that squad as mere Cadets." The last thing we need is the hostages getting deployed. I can only imagine the amount of political fuckery that would cause. It would be funny to see, I admit.
"Actually, sir, about that… I have one more matter to inform you about." For him to waver in this way, I wonder what the informant relayed to us this time.
"What is it?"
"There's a new member in Squad 207."
"Hm? Just that? I don't see how that deserves my attention."
"All data about him is locked behind the highest lock in the UN, and his public profiles are also locked."
"What did you say?!"
"He also possesses great skills in all areas, be it fighting or in war knowledge. He doesn't seem to be an average recruit, sir."
"Who is this person? A foreigner?"
"No, sir. He's Japanese. From what little info he could gather, this young boy came from abroad after his former squad was wiped out not so long ago. His name is Takeru Shirogane. The other faction wants to put him out of commission." A Cadet from abroad… whose squad was wiped out in recent times… Could he have been stationed in that base as she was?
"You said Shirogane?" He nods. The name doesn't sound familiar. "And under whose wing is he? America?"
"No, Kouzuki seems to be responsible for this. She herself asked for the boy to be transferred to her base, and I doubt she would be conspiring with anyone to harm the hostages."
Kouzuki found another pawn, huh? Killing him may be the smarter solution, but I don't see the need to rush. We should investigate more throughly. Plus, if she finds out one survivor of that was assassinated she may turn against us. And, for all I know, he might be on our side.
"Send a message right away telling him I want to observe this Shirogane. Do make sure he is unable to intervene during the CCSE, we can't allow the hostages to grow wings or they may turn into a problem."
"Yes, sir! Will that be all you require of me?"
"No, could you call her to a meeting? I want to thank her personally for the efforts, as well as relay the news of the soon-to-come transfer to Yokohama."
Same Day. A bit over 7 PM.
(Brain-cylinder room.)
[Takeru]
No sounds in the room, I slowly move the thread in the small gap available. Inhaling deep, to not screw this up because if I do it's back to the beginning for the third time, I slowly move my hands back. And so, finally, I managed to form the shape I wanted to show Kasumi.
"Sigh… And this is a Dancing Butterfly. Think you can you do it?" She gives me a nod, and she tries to imitate my movements.
The first times she also got it wrong, her brows moving for a sec as she got pissed. Giving her some pointers, since her hands are much smaller than mine, she gives me a nod and tries again. Very slowly she moves the thread, and, after a while, she manages to make the butterfly. A wide smile appears on her face.
"Thanks, Takeru-san." Eyeing the shape, she can't hide the smile, which I can't help but to share. "Do you know more tricks?"
"No, not really. Cat's Cradle wasn't something I used to do back home, after all."
"I see. What did you do in your world for fun?"
"Playing videogames, most of the time. The Game Guy has been my main go-to console for a while, but I also got a Dreamcost and a Nientedo 64 back home." I only used the Stallion to play through Valgern-On 2, I didn't get to actually play either Viper Eater or CryRing to the end.
"…Those programs don't seem much fun to me." She pouts a bit, moving her bunny ears real slow.
"Haha… I know you think they're hard, but not all of them are like that."
"So… What were you playing back there?"
"Oh, someone gifted me a used copy of Magorea's Mask for a test I passed, so once got some time I played through that one. Had finished it before recovering my memories, too." Was actually looking forward to discussing it with Mikoto back then.
"…What is the game about?"
"You see, the protagonist is looking for an old friend that was always with him during his last quest, but as he traveled he got lost in a forest." I feel a tingly feeling on the back of my head just as I began to remember the cutscene, her eyes widen a bit. "But then he runs into a kid wearing Magorea's Mask, a mask that is imbued with the power of an old and evil deity." Slowing down my tone, I arch my brows as to make it sound scary, remembering that cutscene.
…Which in all fairness, was scary as hell.
"And then, what happens?"
"Oh, our hero tries to fight him, but the masked kid is too strong and turns him into a coconut scrub." For real, I still get shivers remembering that scene. Kasumi quivers a bit, eyes fixed on mine as she waits. "Well, the boy then has to find a way to go back to normal, recover the Magorea's Mask, and save the town of the game before the moon falls down. And he has a very limited amount of time to actually pull it off, only three days is all he can afford."
"Oh…" Her bunny ears fall down, dried up like a flower left without water. "But, how does he fight back?"
"You see Kasumi, our hero also has the powers of masks on his side." She twitches, making a cute squeal as her bunny ears move.
"But aren't the masks evil?"
"No, not all of them are. He also has his own magical instrument, that lets him go back in time to the beginning of the three days. So long as he doesn't give up, he can always keep trying."
"I see… So, how is the game played?"
"By doing side quests and exploring around, there is a vast world to explore with lots of different locations and characters." I tell her of what I remember of the game, the tingly feeling intensifying as I recalled the landscapes, the temples, and the puzzles, and she nodded quickly, asking all about it, and getting surprised when I told her of some solutions and of the bosses of the four temples. "So, the more you play and explore means you can get more useful masks that will help you in your mission, and also help the people of the area during those three days."
"So the one with the better mask wins? That sounds like a masquerade."
"Hahaha, yeah, it kinda does. But guess what? The best way to win is to not have a mask at all." I rise a finger with a smile, enjoying her widening eyes.
"But how? You can't be in a masquerade without a mask."
"You see, once the hero loses all his masks after gathering them, he obtains the strongest one in the game, the Fiery Daemon's mask. It is so OP, it can almost one shot all the bosses of the game!" And thanks to Onimura, I knew that tidbit before going into the game, though I didn't knew what exactly would happen once I returned all the masks.
Seeing the transformation for the first time was oh so awesome! Going back and mowing down the bosses in one or two hits felt so satisfying, too. Especially to that damn bull. Had it coming to him, damn bastard.
"So, you win in the end?"
"Yeah, Magorea's mask is sealed and the town is saved."
"Does the hero find his lost friend?"
"…No, he has to keep searching on his own, leaving the friends he made in the town behind."
"That's sad. I don't like it."
"Well, yeah. But it isn't all bad, you know. He did help out that town, without him they would have been screwed." She closes her eyes, nodding after a while.
"So… Are there other games like that one?"
"Oh, yeah! There's a whole franchise of 'em. You see, there was this one time where I tried playing the first game when I was little, and I hated it."
We kept talking of games and their stories, she listening intently and curiously asking me about my world, about what games I played with Sumika, and of why I didn't bring those games here, instead of the 'harder ones' I brought, a small pout in place.
Thankfully, Kasumi is still friendly with me. Coming here to chill while we play is one of the few pleasures I have left in this rotten world. She said that Sumika feels really happy when we do, but that she's feeling some confusing feelings in her as well. Don't worry Sumika, your pain will be over soon. I swear I'll end this the right way this time. Even if it seems I'll have to go alone for the most part.
The girls were blown away by the Stallion. But after we finished 'training' with them, Chizuru got all defensive about how it was impossible that they were made in Japan. Meiya also seemed distrustful, believing it was an American invention as well. Mikoto and Tama looked like they enjoyed it, but I didn't want to put them in a rough spot and said that I was going to keep performing my mission alone. Kei didn't stop staring at me intensely since I started up the things, so I know she must also be suspicious of me.
Thankfully, NotMarimo-chan stopped them before they started asking questions or getting too bothered. She then made us give an overview of what we thought of the new sims, to think of how we could improve further in our trainings from what they learned today. While it seems they do see some merits in the consoles, their suspicions that they're from America made them close up. The Instructor simply closed the class by saying we can always improve, especially when looking for different ways to train, and that was it for the day.
Sigh… Whatever. I'll be myself and stop antagonizing them. I don't want to keep fighting with them. It does seem like the bridge has been burned, but even so I still gotta try to put out the fire.
A sound echoes through the room, what's that?
Kasumi moves her ears as she goes over to a machine and comes back holding a paper. Is that thing a fax?
"The Professor is calling for you." The paper read 'Shirogane get here'. Sigh, as pushy as always.
"I'll be back in a second." I stand up and get out of the room, Kasumi trying to do origami by herself by the cylinder.
My steps echo in the silent hallway. This long hallway always manages to creep me out. I get back to the main floor and knock on Sensei's door. I hear her voice and go inside, where I find another old face I recognize.
"Oh, so this is him?"
"Yes, the one and only. Shirogane, allow me to introduce you to Sakon Yoroi. He's the one that will help us with your files here." Yep, that's Chief Yoroi alright. Same coat, same hat, same face. But is he the same inside?
"Good evening, I'm Takeru Shirogane. Thanks for your help, sir." I take a serious tone as I extend my arm to offer a handshake, but then I'm met with two ice spears in his eyes. At this point I'm not surprised.
"Are you really Takeru Shirogane? Please, you can use your real name with me." Smiling, he addressed me with his playful tone.
"I am Takeru Shirogane, sir. That's my real name." His smile vanishes as he takes a step closer, ignoring my hand.
"Oh, perhaps you think you can fool me, American dog?" Oh shit, here we go again.
"Chief Yoroi, what's the meaning of this?" Sensei sounded really angry and… Holy shit! She took out her gun!
"Please, Professor. Forgive my curiosity." He raises his hands in a defensive manner. "I merely wished to test whether the man was who you said he was. His records were already cleared quite throughly, and it's surprising to see a young Japanese man that willingly joined the UN and came back here despite being abroad."
"Yeah… About that. Yoroi-san, do you know anything about the reason my records were cleared?" His faces goes back to his usual one, showing no concern at the gun that was still being pointed at him.
"The Professor just told me you were unaware of this. She also told me you were living in Yukon since two years ago, enlisted as a Cadet in the UN."
"Yes, pretty much." That's the story she came up with to cover me.
"You have no idea why your data is missing?"
"No, honestly don't have a clue. One day, I woke up in a hospital without knowing why I was there, and it seems that no one was able to locate any relatives I might have had. Been living there since then, enlisted as a soldier to not have to go to the refugee camps." I practically have the thing memorized by now. He looks into my eyes, I quietly return his stare. Lying with a straight face sure gets hard in front of people like him.
"…You must have had to deal with many unpleasant situations back at Yukon, I'm sure."
"…Yes, I had it hard before coming here." I can't help but to frown. All those messed up accidents… and now they won't even trust in me.
"I see, forgive me for prying." He smiles again, taking a step back, this time offering me his hand, which I then shake. "I am not in a position to know of how the databases are handled, so I do not know why this error happened. I'm afraid I cannot help you with that." He tips his hat forward slightly.
"Don't worry Shirogane, he's already agreed to fix your profiles. We'll find out about your past if it becomes important enough." Sensei was still pointing her gun towards Yoroi-san. I mean, things are different this time around. I shouldn't be surprised.
"By the way, Shirogane-kun. Do you like American food?"
Again with the misdirection? Talk to the suspect about a random topic, and once they seemed to relax, throw a hard question at them. It's a simple trick, people tend to lie less when they're relaxed.
"Yeah, I do."
"Hmm, I see. Maybe I could bring you a hamburger next time I bring intel to the Professor."
"That would be appreciated, Yoroi-san." I return his smile with my own. "Though, I like pizza more than hamburgers."
"…Oh? Is that so? Out of curiosity, what would your favorite Japanese food be?"
"Hmm… Steamed doubin, without a doubt. Though, mackerel and natto rolls are what I like to eat the most everyday."
"Hoho, I see. …And just to make sure, you were trained in America right?"
"Yes, I was part of a UN base in American soil these last two years." According to Sensei's plan, that would make most Japanese people not care about me. Since they would keep their distance, I would not have to be giving explanations about my origins so much.
"And they allowed you to come here? Such a talented soldier, I would keep you close if you were in my team. I cannot imagine what reason they could have, but reading your report I can sort of understand." What is there to understand? What's about the base Sensei chose to be my transferring point?
"Chief Yoroi, you're asking too many questions. I only allowed you to ask a few things about him." Sensei was not fooling around here.
"Alright. I do not wish to see your beautiful face making such a frown, so I'll just ask one more question. Shirogane-kun?" He now looks at me, and takes a serious tone again.
"What is it?"
"What do you think of Her Highness, the Shogun?" Shrinking stern eyes gaze at me, the severity of his question is not lost to me. He's asking me where my loyalty lies. Though, I've no reason to lie about my loyalty.
"I think she's a good person. With her as the pillar of strength, the Empire can look towards the future with hope."
"And what about her situation? I'm sure that you must know of the Empire's affairs after coming back."
"I do not have a reason to voice my opinion on the matter. The Empire's matters should be solved by the Empire. Even if foreign powers could lend a hand, it's Japan and its citizens who must decide how they wish to interact with the world. It's up to the Empire to decide how it wishes to manage its power."
"A very… interesting answer. So, you do not care about who holds the power?" Hostility, disgust, rejection. Right, he is loyal to the Shogun so hearing that I don't care about who holds the power here might have sounded like I didn't care about her current struggles.
"If the people wish the power to be with the Shogun, I see no reason to oppose or antagonize them. I'm here to help, not to create more problems. Butting my head into the political struggles would cause more harm than good, due to my role in the army. Sometimes, one has to know when to keep some distance from certain discussions." His gaze somewhat relaxes upon hearing my words.
"I see. You know about the current power struggles and decide to remain neutral to not spark a conflict. Professor, you got yourself a good guardian." Now he was nodding in acceptance. I'll never be able to read you or your daughter.
"Enough with the chit chat. Can we get on the business? Those records are not going to fix themselves." She finally lowers her gun. Sigh, thank God she didn't have to use it.
"Do forgive my curiosity. Let's get on with it then. Takeru Shirogane, we'll need your fingerprints for the registry and your blood type." Sigh… Again using my full name, huh?
"OK, let's get this done."
More papers to sign, some confirmations on my medical test, a fingerprint registration, and that's all done.
"Good work Chief Yoroi. Here are the reports you asked on the devices we've made." Sensei hands some envelopes to him, who puts them inside his coat.
"Thanks for your cooperation, Professor. I assure you this aid will not go unnoticed, if it brings the results you speak of I'm sure the Shogun will prepare a very generous reward for you."
"Yeah, I know. But you might want to hold onto that, I'm very close to making another breakthrough in a more… tasty project." She looks at me while licking her lips. Sensei, you just love to stir the bees. No, you couldn't let this end peacefully.
"Hmm? I wonder what could it be? Does it have anything to do with that live test of the stealth technology?" He knows of that?!
"So those Royal Guards were spying. Yes, the devices are not the only things I created. You would do well in looking forward to it."
"Ohoho, and I suppose Takeru Shirogane is involved somehow?" Sensei makes her devilish smile as she chuckles.
"Maybe. You'd do well in not antagonizing us. I may not be willing to give you early access if you get in our way."
"Oh no, that would be troublesome. Whatever will I do." He says in a deadpan tone. "I'll be awaiting that intel. And as thanks for you sharing all this… Let me give you one warning."
Me and Sensei lose our smiles as he changes his tone. What is this going to be? The coup? The HSST?
"You might receive a bad present this Christmas." Oh, it's just Alternative V. But I guess they don't think we already know about it. We should act concerned and-
"Oh, that? Yeah, I know. My guardian already warned me about it, but thanks for the reminder." Sensei, what the hell? And why did you have to mention me?! Don't give me that smile!
"Hmm? He did? …Interesting. You wouldn't happen to be willing to exchange him for some very large funds?" Great, now I'm on the sights of the Ministry of Information. Way to go, Sensei.
"No." Despite Yoroi-san's playful tone Sensei answered fully serious, with a bothered face.
"Ohoho, I think I might want to not push my luck further here. It's been a pleasure, Professor. I'm glad you have not forgotten your duty to Japan." Sensei ruffles her hair as she sighs deeply. She does not like to deal with him, after all.
"If that's all I'll call Pyatkh to escort you. Wait by the elevator, and do not go wandering off."
"Yes, I know. Until next time." He bows to us and leaves.
But before leaving he shot a glare at me. Not the playful one, not the serious one. A small trail of smoke coming out of a forest, a lone dark cloud floating up above. His glare was filled with doubt, with suspicion. I don't know if it's a good idea to be on his bad side. I waited a bit after he left to turn around and face Sensei, who was spinning on her chair again.
"Sensei, why did you tell him about me telling you of Alt. V?"
"For you to have a serious enough reason to be here. You are supposed to be the guardian the UN assigned to me, in case I get attacked by my enemies. You are a special individual trained in many areas, and were sent here to protect me under my direct orders. I asked you to come here as my bodyguard and my American allies sent you with a tip for me. That's your cover, for those who can and will access your information. And it's not like it's a lie, only the part about you coming from America is."
"I mean, yeah, I get it. But I think you just made him more interested in me." She strokes her bangs as she stood up again, grabbing her mug and going to pour some coffee in it.
"Look Shirogane, you were a Royal Guard here. Those guys are practically fanatics of the Shogun, the thought of one of them joining the UN is not unheard of, but it's still rare. You were not given on a loan, you joined us. So you needed a damn good reason to be here while making them reluctant to approach you. They would have still put you under the microscope, but at least now that they know you're here to protect and aid me they will be more careful about what they may try to do to get intel on you."
"Yeah, I know this world is different. Thanks for taking care of everything again."
"Aww, don't be so humble now. I'm just doing my part, so long as you play yours there's no thanks needed. Do be careful around them, and in the CCSE as well. I know you realized, but your training is harder now. And so will be the CCSE, so be on your top game and don't take it lightly."
"Yes, I know. By the way, did you see the data from today's training?"
"Not yet. I was making some adjustments to the OS and the engines today. Let's talk over this after today's training, you have until nine. Go and keep Yashiro company for awhile longer, will you?"
"Yeah, got it."
"And Shirogane?"
"Hmm?"
"I want you to push your squad with all of your might starting tomorrow." She was serious, I can tell when she is simply talking and when she's giving an order by now.
"Why would you want me to do that? I thought you would be against me revealing my strength."
"They seem to be doubting you, so at least let them see how good you truly are. They won't stop being jealous, but maybe they will stop being so annoyed about how you seem to be playing with them. Do not hold back, at all. You can pound them into the ground all you want, I'll tell Marimo to not intervene." I did my best to not harm them today, and now you're telling me you want me to beat the crap out of the political hostages that are being watched by, like, the whole base? Yeah, what could go wrong with that.
"Uhh… Pretty sure that harming them is not a good idea."
"Don't harm them, show them how good you are. Shame them, crush them, and all without actually hurting them. I know you can do it, so go out there and show off a bit. It will also work as a warning to all the eyes that are laying their sights on you."
"So that's the real reason."
"No, both are equally important. Now Shirogane, what are you gonna do tomorrow?" Sigh, she loves to boss me around. How I'd like to wipe that smirk off your face when you get like this, Sensei.
"I will continue to give my all in the trainings, until the CCSE. Anything else, Yuuko-sensei?"
"Yes, I have a question for you."
"A question? What is it?" That's weird, she's doubting. Her eyes moved down for a second, her smile is getting smaller.
"Shirogane… Regarding the theories, do you think you could tell me more about the Causality Nucleus thing you said you were?"
"The Nucleus? I guess, since it doesn't really have much to do with things here. Alright, let me remember… "
It pulls itself towards causal leaks if it's connected, it brings towards itself data that is related to him with a strong pull, it's own information cannot be leaked easily and can grow in power from time to time. That was all, since even though I tried to read them I didn't get a thing from Sensei's notes.
"I see. And you had said that emotions can cause causal leaks during one of our talks before, right? About how you work as a conductor, something about an emotional link."
"Yes, that I did. You explained to me back in my world how the emotional state of a person can affect the kind of futures and parallel worlds it receives information from, and that the conductor can strengthen said link."
"That applies to someone who is a Nucleus too, right?"
"I guess? Why would it not apply?"
"Oh, not saying it doesn't. But if you're both anomalies at the same time, and depending on your emotional state you, as a conductor, can open links to other worlds, then also you, as a nucleus, will receive any data about you from those worlds as soon as the conduit is formed." Her eyes are burning with the passion only found in her when she is theorizing about some crazy idea.
"But you also said that it's really hard to do consciously. I don't really have any idea if I have affected anyone so far with a causal leak."
"And that's what we're going to test after the Niigata incident." She declares with a smile.
"Huh? Test?"
"I was thinking of how to gather data regarding your petition, to fix what caused your world to fall in ruin. So after you give me the theories and I confirm if my ideas are correct or not, we'll start working on that as well."
"For real?! That's… much faster than I expected. What about the 00 Unit?"
"I will still need time to recheck all the theory throughly, instead of just copying the equations. I might also need to modify parts of its hardware too, and that will take its fair share of time. So, in the meantime, we'll start dealing with your problem. To be sure nothing bad happens try to stay in a good mood, don't let things get to you." Her gaze was piercing me, but I know she means well. Can't go screwing things up now.
"Yeah, I know. Is that all, Sensei?"
"For now. Don't be late for the testing."
"Got it. Later."
Same Day. Near midnight.
(Imperial Palace. Tokyo.)
[Maya]
Having finished the meetings for the day, I bow and leave Yuuhi-sama's side. Walking on the hallways, I draw a long breath. However, I cannot yet go to rest. I look around and after confirming no one is in the vicinity, I lean onto a wall.
"HQ-01 here. Chief Yoroi, do you copy?" I say in a whisper into the comms I had in the neck of my dress.
"Loud and clear." His usual voice reached my ears. "I am in the usual spot."
"Roger, I shall be going."
Taking one of the secret passageways, I arrive at the small garden that's outside. The cold evening wind greets my skin, the sound of distant steps reaches my ears. Instead of going into the garden, I turn to my left sharply and approach a small building that's left in a corner. I look behind me and at what's around me, and after sensing I was not tailed, I go into the storehouse.
Closing the door behind me, I take a few steps into the darkness. A small sound appears to my right.
"…Good evening, 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi. As cool and beautiful as tonight's evening breeze." The man said giving me a bow.
"Chief Yoroi, please do not waste our time. How did the meeting went?" He looks as expressionless as usual, what dim light filters into the building tells me there's a certain tension in his posture.
"…Well, here's the documentation the Professor handed me." He produces a few folders from his coat and hands them to me. "She mentioned a few other tidbits that were not in the papers before I left, however." He proceeds to inform me of what Kouzuki told him.
Some more developments, perhaps? Why is she researching weaponry instead of finishing… Or, is it because she's close to starting the project?
"As per usual, your dedication is much appreciated. Is there anything else left to report?" He closes his eyes for a moment, then tensing his brows he opens them again.
"Yes… Fact is, she let me meet the person she wanted to cover." Yoroi's tone grew slow and serious. Who is it that made his complexion waver so? "Ahem… Please do not shoot the messenger, I am merely telling you of what I saw." He raises both of his hands slowly, lowering his head slightly.
"I understand, Chief. Who was the one Kouzuki desired to cover?"
"…1st Lt. Shirogane."
"Oh, is that so?"
I see… Yes, if his profiles were not fixed then he would have been put in a most precarious position. It makes perfect sense, however, I wonder if Her Highness… No, if she sent him there to that squad, she should have expected something of the sort.
"You… do not seem surprised, 1st Lieutenant."
"I am not allowed to speak of the matter, but I myself have confirmed that man is not a spy or a faker, if that is what you were concerned about."
"But… How is this possible? I thought he-"
"Chief, you should know when to stop asking questions." I take one step forward, glaring at him amidst the darkness.
"Oh, apologies. I still have a rookie in me, it seems. Hahaha…" His laughter trails off as he puts his hands inside his coat's pockets. "Still, I suppose Her Highness-"
"I already reported his presence in the proper manner, and we were given no special orders regarding him. I assume he is performing a Top Secret mission there. Do keep in mind his standing, Chief."
"However, the Professor doesn't seem to know who he truly is. She said he's there as her guardian." His eyes squinted, letting me see he was telling the truth.
"Is that so? I suppose this is the Shogun's way of supporting Kouzuki." Though, perhaps the fox requires of his… services if the project is soon to be started. "In that case, I am sure you did not speak of-"
"Absolutely not a word left my lips." His eyes narrow, I nod as I gesture for him to continue. "However, I think that, in light of certain circumstances, Kouzuki should be… informed of the minimal intel."
I inhale slowly, then I tap my glasses. It is true, if he is to stay in that squadron under his real name people will start recognizing him. Hmm… I cannot mention his name to Yuuhi-sama since she ordered us not to, but she ordered me to remain as we were unless something happened. If I keep bringing this up, someone might notice it. I would like to believe the Shogun's chamber is free of bugs, but walls have eyes and ears in this palace. Regardless of why Takeru is there, we should do something about this.
"Chief, could I rely on you to misdirect Kouzuki?"
"I doubt anyone could pull such a feat." He says as a small smile is painted in his complexion.
"She could be deceived to facilitate a meeting, regarding his 'lost' data. We'll use that to contact him and see what the fox has planned for him. I am sure Her Highness also desires to hear his report, however, for whatever reason, she has left him incommunicated in Yokohama. I trust you know how to approach this."
"Yes, you can leave this matter in my hands. Though, he didn't even flinch when we met. He was also very calm, eerily so."
"Truly? Was Ta… Ahem, 1st Lt. Shirogane bothered by anything?"
"No, he seemed comfortable. Even when Kouzuki showed her hostility, he remained calm and composed. Some of his answers denoted an air of maturity he did not possess before." He then tells me of his answer regarding the questions he gave, especially the one regarding his loyalty. Of course, remaining neutral is all he can do in his current role. "He did arrive quickly when called, so I suppose the Professor has him stationed near her office at times. I suppose that after that little matter with the infiltrator she wanted an extra layer of security now that the cyborg left." I nod in agreement, looking at the sole window that filters what little moonlight is accompanying us here.
I see… So you're calmer now. If he didn't react or give any signs to Yoroi, then I suppose I should have no motives to make a move. And I do agree, Takeru is well suited to guard that fox. That being said, I do wonder why Her Highness allowed him to be on the Cadet squad. However, knowing him, he might have pressured Kouzuki to be near Meiya-sama in her daily activities. You are terribly stubborn when something gets on your head, after all.
"However, did he remain at ease all throughout the meeting?"
"Yes, as I said he was oddly calm. He didn't react to my usual approach, nor showed anything when I asked him about this fake data in his new profile. It was shocking, to be honest. I was ready for him to get angry and raise his voice at some point." Yoroi looks upwards, a hand on his chin.
"If I may, what is the cover story for him?"
"Well, he's supposed to be a recruit from Yukon that was living there since two years ago. Of course, he 'has no idea' why his past data was erased in his absence from the Empire and he so conveniently doesn't remember his past either." Sigh… Such an obvious lie wouldn't normally fly, but I suppose Kouzuki should be able to give credibility to his identity there. I only hope he doesn't stay out in the open for long.
"Alright, I will be returning to my post. Next time you go to Yokohama, you know what to do." I say, tapping my glasses once more.
He nods and tips his hat, leaving the storehouse. Waiting for a moment, I get out and remain gazing at the sky. For a brief moment, my feelings betrayed me and I allowed myself to smile. So you're comfortable in Yokohama. Sigh… If you feel no need to show your fangs, that is one burden that has been lifted from my shoulders.
…I still harbor doubts on the reason Her Highness sent you of all people, but Yoroi is right. After that little incident, we couldn't merely stand idly by. I wonder when you'll grace us with your report… There are so many things I wish to ask you. Where were you all this time, for one.
I sigh loudly and take the hidden route once more, returning inside to finish my night duties. Sadly as it is, I can't tell those two about the good news. Hopefully you can come back home soon, Takeru.