Chapter 31: Introductions of the Masquerade

December 16th, 1988. Near 7 PM.

(Takeru's House.)

[Native Takeru]

After helping by placing the chairs in order, I look and see the oven is still turned on. Mom still hasn't taken the cake out of the fridge. Walking into the kitchen, I pull her dress a bit.

"Mom, is the cake ready yet?"

"Takeru, you've been asking for a while now. The answer won't change in a few minutes." She sighed, looking over what she was making in a pot.

"But is it going to take much longer?"

"Takeru, let Mom cook in peace." Dad closer and grabbed me, lifting me off the ground. "Let's go watch TV for a while, what do you say?"

"Yeah." We go back to the table, Dad leaves me on a chair and sits by my side.

It's so good that he came back like he promised. He hasn't told me anything of what he does with the samurai rangers, but he seems really, really tired. So, let's have a lot of fun today, so that he can rest well. He's gonna leave again on Sunday… But he'll come back another day!

Everything is already tidied up on the table, so we're just waiting until Mom is done. They're even letting me watch TV manga now, instead of them putting on the news as always during dinner.

Ding!

Hm? Oh, maybe Sumika is coming?

"Takeru, you stay here. I'll go see who is it." Patting my head as he stood up, he started to go to the door.

"Eh? I'm going too!" Leaving the chair, I follow behind.

"No, it's too cold outside. And you're not wearing a scarf."

"You're not wearing one either." I puff my cheeks, Dad's brows got together as his mouth moved a bit.

"Well, but I'm big so I can take it. You're still small, so stay here. I'll be right back." And there he goes.

What's up with that? I'm already six! I can tie my own shoes by myself! I'm not so little anymore.

Once he opens the door, I hear two familiar voices, and then both of them came to the living room, dressed up with coats.

"Oh, Takeru-chan! How are you?" Haruna-san came in with Sumika, both wearing yellow scarfs. "Is the cake ready?"

"…Not yet."

"Hahaha, how cute you look when you pout." She patted my head, smiling. "Sumika, don't you have anything to say?"

I looked at Sumika, who was kind of nervously coming towards me. With her hands hidden behind her back and her eyes glued to the ground, she slowly walked, like a turtle. She's usually reserved, but she had started to smile more often…

"Takeru-chan… Here, happy birthday." Eyes still down, she handed me a small box wrapped in red and blue.

"Thanks a lot, Sumika!" I give her a hug, and she made a cute noise when I did. "Really, thanks a lot for coming."

"I live next door… There's no way I wouldn't come." She said once I released her.

…Some of my other classmates also lived near and they never came to visit me for my birthday, or invited me to theirs.

"Well, let's see what it is." I slowly untie the knot on the package, and rip the paper once I did. "Oh! A spinning top! I never had one of these!"

"…That's good." Dad crouched and looked at the toy. "It looks to be made of good wood, too. It wasn't too expensive, right?"

"A present's price must never be disclosed." Haruna-san said, placing a finger atop her lips.

"Thanks a lot, Haruna-san, Sumika."

"No, it was nothing. Sumika was the one chose it for you." She then smiles, pushing Sumika's back. I look at her, she quickly looked to the ground again.

"No… I just thought it looked nice…" She said, rubbing her hands together.

"Thanks a lot, Sumika. Let's see how it spins."

As Haruna-san and Dad sat down and started talking, me and Sumika tried to see who could make spin the top for the longest time for a while.

"Takeru, come here." Dad called me, so we stood up and went to his side.

"What's up, Dad?"

"Let's go wash your hands, you still have to open your other presents."

"Oh, yeah."

After washing our hands and going back to the table, I saw a box on top of it.

"Happy birthday, Takeru. This is from Koetsu and Kobayashi."

"Really?! But… Are they busy?" I haven't seen them in a long time, since we moved here actually.

"Yeah… They're really busy in their office." Dad's eyes grew smaller as he patted my head.

"Can we call them to say hi?"

"I'll send him your thanks, Takeru. Koetsu is really, really busy. He's doing all kinds of calculus with very complex math." He said in a scary tone, raising a finger upwards.

"Eh… Why is everything about math and numbers?"

"Hahaha… You'll understand when you grow up. Now, open your presents." He gives me a pat in the back towards the table.

There was a smaller one wrapped all in white and another bigger in green and white. The smaller one was from Mami-san… And there's a letter in it.

"Greeting, Takeru-kun.

I suppose I should also say happy birthday, since I hope this letter reaches you by then. I hope you're well and in good health.

While I have been mulling on what book recommend to you, the notice of your coming birthday gave me a good reason to hasten my search for a suitable one for your tastes."

She also writes as weird as she talks.

"Remembering our talk about Mayal's Gift, I thought it proper to bestow you a book that might help you in learning to read in between the lines. A book is more than what you might think of it at first, after all."

"Dad, what does… 'bestow' means?"

"It means giving someone something."

"Why didn't she use giving instead, then?"

"It's… Sigh, it's a manner of speech Takeru." I don't get it.

"And what of this in between the lines? There's only spaces between them."

"No, it's not literally Takeru." Dad pats my head, sitting by my side. "It means you can arrange words to mean more than one thing at a time."

"So… Oh, is that like what the teacher said of that tale?"

"What tale?" Sumika asked.

"You know… The one where the princess goes to the moon… What was its name?"

"Kaguya, was it?" Sumika says, tilting her head with a finger in one of her cheeks.

"Yeah, that one. I thought that she abandoned his love, but the teacher said she left him that weird drink so that he would live long enough to meet her again, but he didn't get her message. Does that mean reading in between the lines, Dad?"

"Yeah, that is it. You can be really sharp when you want to, Takeru." He seems happy that I understood it.

Adults are so weird and complicated… Why can't they just say what they mean openly? I again look at the letter, with Dad by my side in case more weird words are in it.

"That is why I chose a book about poetry. It is not as long or detailed as I would have liked, but I do recall you disliking long reads. It has many simple phrases found in our literature as well as explanations on their meanings, and some simple Haiku poems as well. I believe it fitting for your age, and a good first step if you find yourself liking poetry.

I believe you'll find it interesting, but regardless of your opinion of it, I shall be looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it at a later date. Please, do be as detailed as you wish in your reply."

Poetry? I never really read any before… This should be fun though!

"I shall be awaiting your answer and book recommendation. You can only send me it's name. I shall look for a copy of it in my free time.

I hope your evening can be a pleasant one. We might not be able to see each other for a long time, but I will be looking forward to these exchanges.

See you later.

Mami Kobayashi."

"She writes with a lot of hard words…"

"…Did you like the present, Takeru?" Dad asked kinda in a low voice.

"Yeah, it's gonna be fun reading something new! But it's hard to understand her letter sometimes…"

"Haha, you'll get used to it with time. Now, here's mine and Koetsu's present."

In the other box… It's really heavy. Tearing the paper off it, there was a big, long box under it. I slowly push the lid off it.

"Is this… Oh, a sword!" I took it out slowly… A long, wooden sword! "Is this for me, Dad? Can I really have it?"

"Yeah, you told me you wanted to have one. But, promise me you'll be careful with it. If you're good, we'll take you to learn how to use it on Summer."

"Really?!"

"Yeah… But! You have to be careful with it. No taking it out of the house and no using it inside. Do you promise you'll be careful with it? You won't give Mom any problems?"

"I won't! I won't! So, you'll take me to learn to use it? Will I go with the samurai rangers then?"

"Well… You'll need to be really really good with a sword before the samurai even think of recruiting you. Only those who are really good with a sword can be a samurai, after all."

"Uuh… Then I'll practice! I'll get really good and then I'll go fight with you!"

"Thanks Takeru… But don't worry, we'll beat the bad guys before you have to fight." He patted my head, this time more slowly. "So, what do you say of reading that book? Sumika, wanna read it too?"

"Yes, it sounds fun!"

Dad took me to my room to put the sword somewhere safe behind my closet. Then, we went back down and sat in the couch with Sumika. Then he read us the book.

Some things are really weird… But they're also really fun. I never thought stuff could be explained in this way with only three sentences.

After a short while, Mom called us to the table and we all started eating together, sharing jokes and complimenting Mom's food.

It's sad Uncle Koetsu couldn't made it… But I'll send him and Mami-san a letter and some cake later. The book was really fun, even if it also had weird words sometimes.

Sumika and Haruna-san said their goodbyes after a while, since it was getting late even if it's Friday.

"Takeru, let's go to sleep." Mom grabbed my hand, but I released myself and went towards Dad.

"Dad… Thanks for coming." I give him a hug, really tightly. Sometimes, he couldn't come for my birthday before, but he made time to come home for the weekend. "I'll send you a nice present in your birthday."

"Thanks a lot, Takeru." He also hugs me tightly. "Today was fun?"

"Yeah! It was the best birthday ever!"

"I see… That's good." He ruffles my hair, then gives me a kiss on the forehead. "Let's read some more books tomorrow. So, you gotta wake up early."

"…I'll try." I look away. I hate waking up early… But Dad is here, so I'll do it.

"Haha… Well, come on. Mom is waiting." He takes me to the stairs, and then me and Mom go to my room.

After getting in my pajamas, Mom closed my window so that I wouldn't stay up late talking with Sumika.

"Thanks for the cake, Mom. It was really tasty!" I say after I get under the sheets.

"Hehe, that's good to hear. Are you happy with your presents?"

"Yes, but I'm more happy that Dad is here today. We should have moved here faster. It's much more fun to be here." I say, rustling to a side. Even if Jouji is really noisy, the people here are more funny.

I still don't like some of the teachers, and some guys in our classes are really mean too. But Hiiragi is much, much more nice than Yao and Osaka.

"…Yes, we should have. Now, I'll turn off the lights." She said, standing up.

"Eh? You won't read me a book?" I say, pouting.

"You still want a book before going to bed? Didn't you say before you were a big boy already?" She smiles, playing with her hair.

"It's my birthday today."

"Haha… I can't argue with that." She gently and slowly caressed my cheek, her smile getting bigger. "So, what should we read tonight?"

And, as usual, Mom read me something until I nodded off.

January 8th, 1989. Around 4 PM.

(Takeru's House. Backyard.)

"See? It's not that hard." I say, stopping the beanbags I was juggling.

"But I can never do it right." Sumika puffed her cheeks as much as she could.

"Hehe, then you just gotta practice." I hand her the two bags and she starts juggling them.

She made it to twelve before one fell off. She started pouting again.

"It's too hard!" She moved her hands around, her hair swaying as she did.

"Does that mean that you give up on the candies?"

"Ah… Don't be mean, Takeru-chan. I can't do it."

"Yes, you can. You just gotta do it!"

"But I failed to get to twenty."

"Then you try again. Don't you always tell me that every time you help me with my math homework?"

"Takeru-chan, this is different." One lone hair of hers tumbled down, all swirly. Her eyes dropped to the ground, looking like a stray puppy.

"Come on, Sumika. Let's try again one more time. Or I eat all the candies." I smile at her, she taps the tips of her fingers for a while and then nods.

I show her again how to do it and again she tries. This time she made it to fifteen.

"See? You just gotta try harder."

"But I still didn't made it to twenty."

"A small pebble will eventually cause a rock slide with enough impulse down a hill." I say, puffing my chest.

"There you go again, with those weird phrases…" Sumika plucked her lips, narrowing her eyes at me.

"What? It's true, it's called snowda… snowballing. Things growing bigger suddenly or something."

"You're reading that book too much. You're speaking really weird now, Takeru-chan." She pouted at me, her voice raising in complain.

"No, I'm not. So, let's try again!"

We stayed outside playing for a while, with Sumika complaining she couldn't so it every time she failed. It started to get really cold, but Mom didn't come to tell us to go inside. And that's weird.

"Takeru-chan, let's go back inside. I'm cold…"

"Yeah… Let's go read a book or something. Did our moms went to buy something?"

"No… My Mom was back home cleaning."

Hmm… How weird, they never let us play outside by ourselves for so long. We went back inside, but it was all quiet. The lights weren't on yet. So maybe they did went to buy stuff?

…I can't reach the switch so I can't turn on the lights. Some light still comes from the windows, but it's really dark. I didn't knew… the house could be this scary with the lights out.

The TV and the radio aren't on, the keys are up there where they always leave them. What's going on here?

"Mom? Are you there?"

…

No answer.

"Maybe they went somewhere?" Sumika said, walking closely behind me.

"Hmm… But they would have called us. They never leave us alone in the house." It's weird. Something's weird here.

We slowly walked towards the table, but there was no one in the kitchen or the living room… Hm?

…On the floor, just in the corner where the small division to the kitchen starts…

There was a pot, just lying there. That's weird, Mom never let's stuff on the floor. And why are the lights out?

As I got close to the fallen pot, I could see something else on the floor near it. A hand. Sumika tightened her grasp on my back, gasping as she saw it.

"W-Who's there?"

I slowly made my way there, dragging my feet and Sumika along.

There were no sounds in the house, save for the tickling of the clock, the sound of the fire of the kitchen being on.

I gulped, closing my eyes really tightly, taking the last steps towards the kitchen.

Grabbing the edges of the small wall and peeking into the kitchen, with Sumika grabbing my arm from behind me, I saw someone… sleeping on the floor.

"…Mom? What are you doing?"

Mom was just there, face down on the floor. She had left the fire on.

"Mom, why are you sleeping on the floor?" I crouched and shook her shoulders. She didn't react.

On the inside of the house, it was really warm. Outside was where it was cold. And yet… And yet… Mom feels really cold right now.

"Mom! Wake up! You can't sleep there!" I keep shaking her, grabbing her strongly, but she still doesn't wake up. Why? Why won't she wake up?

"…Takeru-chan." Sumika pulled my shoulder. "Let's go call my Mom."

"Why? Mom… Mom is just sleeping. Nothing's wrong!" She said she wasn't sick anymore! Nothing is wrong!

"Ah… S-Sorry…" She took a few steps back, looking like she was about to cry.

"Sorry Sumika… Um… So…" I gulp, my feet feel heavy all of a sudden. I can feel my heart in my neck, beating really strongly. "Let's… Let's call Haruna-san. She might know how to wake up Mom."

I grab Sumika's had and dash out of the house. Because Mom… must be tired.

Haruna-san must know what's wrong, how to wake her up. Because nothing is wrong.

Because Mom isn't sick anymore, and… and she will wake up, and she won't have to go to the hospital again… Nothing bad is going on… Nothing bad will happen again.

November 25th, 2001. 06:03 AM.

(Detention Barracks. Takeru's Cell.)

[Takeru]

Ugh… Rolling to a side, I feel a pair of hands on me.

Slowly, they begin to shake me. And they don't stop.

Opening my mouth wide to yawn, exhaling all this awful feeling away, I open my eyes.

"…Hey, Kasumi."

"Good morning."

"Yeah, good… Yaaaawn." Rubbing my eyes, I sit down. Then, I yawn again, as if I were screaming something caught on my throat.

"Are you feeling fine?"

"Yeah… I just had another nightmare and my head hurts a bit." Lately, I can't remember what I dream about, but damn, it makes me feel like shit.

My back swaying down, I could just stay on the bed for another hour. Covering my mouth as I yawn again, hunching forward, my eyes feel heavy all of a sudden.

A day full of working for Takamura, no lunch for me, still don't know how the Guard took the business of my blade. Seeing that memory of this world's me… only made me feel more lonely.

Family. As much as I miss them, my parents are gone. Can't turn to my squadmates as I did when I could rely on them, if they smacked me last loop, saying I shouldn't burden them with my own emotional shit, I don't wanna know what they'd say here if I tried.

Yawning again, I know I gotta get out of the bed. I'll end up looking at the ceiling for hours on end like I used to do back home after the power plant blew up… But why do I feel so heavy?

At least they're willing to do peace with me. That… should be enough. And Sensei will help me, so long as I help her. I always knew she wasn't the Yuuko I fell in love with… I know that already…

Giving in, I flop back onto the bed, yawning yet again. Legs feel asleep, like when I was sitting for a lot of time while studying for a final. Shoulders feel heavy, stomach is empty… Sigh… Just endure it on your own… I can… I have to do this, to fix what I did to my world.

Sigh… Ugh, shit, now I can't muster the willpower to get up. Goddammit…

Then, I feel a hand on my head, ruffling my hair.

"Takeru-san? Are you feeling well?" Kasumi was looking down at me.

"Yeah… Just… Tired."

"Your mind does seem exhausted. Is it… my fault?" Her bunny ears fall down. "Did I harm you during the recovery session?"

"No, that's not it… I think I might have woken up in a bad spot of the sleep cycle or something."

"…Your mind seems sad. What is it?"

"Sigh… Can't hide anything from you, huh."

"Sorry…"

"Nah, I'm not mad." Smiling at her, I finally shrug off the heaviness and sit down again. "I guess the exhaustion just caught up to me today. Seeing him being treated as part of the family in the second memory… just made me miss mine, to be honest."

"I see. Are you sure you're well?" She rubs my back, sending the awful feeling crashing down like it was hit by a Heavy's laser.

"Yeah… Thanks for always looking for me, Kasumi." I pat her head, ruffling her hair, some of it caught between my fingers as I slowly do so. She moves her bunny ears as I do.

"No… It's nothing."

"It isn't nothing to me. So, thanks." Smiling her way, I end the patting with a soft caress to her fringe. "I'll be fine now, you can go back."

"Really? I can repress the memory if it hurts you." Locking her eyes with mine, her brows moved down a tiny bit.

"It's okay, I just had to catch up to the stress, I guess. I'm okay now, Kasumi. For real."

"…If you say so. Then, should I go to your office tonight as well?"

"No, I have some questions for Sensei, so I'll drop by the cylinder room around 1900 hours."

"Alright, see you then. Have a good day."

"Yeah, you too." She smiles, leaving the key to my cell on my bed.

"Bye bye." We wave at each other, and then she goes her way.

Sigh… What an idiot I am, making her worry. But still, better that this happened on a Sunday. I… don't think I could go to a lecture how I'm now.

Getting out of the bed, standing up and stretching, I sigh as I hear some bones crack.

Can't help missing them, can't help getting sad from time to time… But I have to prove to this base that I'm not a mad murderer so retiring into my shell won't do me any good.

Seeing Kasumi smile, that is what I wanna do for others. One day, they will smile in that same way, whether I am there by their side or not.

Yeah! That's why I'm here! Sure, I'm still sad and feeling heavy… But I'm letting this hamper my efforts.

Going to the sink, I splash cold water on my face to properly wake me up. Rinsing my mouth, taking off my clothes, I enter the shower and turn it on.

It's as it were slowly scalping my hair, this cold feeling. Clenching my teeth, my breathing picks up in speed as the water keeps running down my back, my knees begin to shake.

Force palming a wall, letting the water fall right on the back of my neck, grinding my teeth against each other, I inhale sharply over and over.

"…This is nothing. I came here… to fix my world, to save as many as I could. And one day… one day… I'll see them again… I'll see my family again…"

This time I won't let anything screw me over. Nothing is going wrong this time.

Feeling the stagnant, heavy feeling be replaced by a sudden gust of euphoria, I grab the soap and, very violently, wash myself to prevent the cold from getting to me.

Because this time I'm not failing. No accidents are going to happen. And I can't go making others worry. Like Hayase said, don't go throwing your burdens onto others. I screwed up my world, I gotta be brave… even when I'm feeling down, when I'm missing them. Because they're not coming back, and I gotta honor their lives. No one is getting in the way of my ambitions from now on.

"I'm saving them… No matter what… Struggle… I'll struggle until the very end… Can't be getting depressed… about being left all alone…"

The cold water kept falling, I kept scrubbing away. Repeating my oath over and over, feeling my motivation return to me, yanking me wide away and into alert mode.

Same day. Some moments later.

(Hallway.)

Having eaten breakfast already, the sudden seething motivation having calmed down, and the odd, heavy feeling having vanished as well, I expected Takamura to lead the way to the usual office. However, it seems she had other plans for today.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, 1st Lt.?"

"Yes, were you not wishing to go see them?"

"Well, yes. But I have no authorization to-"

"Cadet Shirogane, we're just taking a visit to the mechanic crew of the hangar to check on my TSF's maintenance. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, I guess."

I didn't expect Takamura to be so carefree. As soon as we finished breakfast she asked me if I wanted to go take a look at the Fubukis that were arriving. I don't know if she is being considerate or if she has an ulterior motive for it.

Well, in any case, it'll be nice seeing the Fubukis again. I wonder if I could convince Sensei to actually use them in combat, last loop they actually proved useful and I guess they're easier to produce than the Shiranui.

We reach the hangar, and as we enter we see two of them being docked in. Man, I might have better TSFs at my disposal now but the Fubuki will always have a special place in my heart. Let's hope I don't reduce this one to scrap this time around.

"Oh, so it was you. Good morning, Shirogane." Meiya approached us as we walked near the iron fence. "And 1st Lt. Takamura." Her smile turned into a tight line as she saluted Takamura, who returned the gesture.

"Morning, Meiya. So you came to see them too, huh?" She smiles slightly as she takes a look at the Fubukis.

"Yes, I honestly couldn't sit still despite being Sunday. But didn't you say that you had a mission?"

"Yes, we are here to check something with the mechanic crew." Takamura smiles faintly at her, but Meiya tenses up and averts her gaze with a dry 'I see' barely escaping her lips. I wonder why she doesn't like her. Does she think she's here on Yuuhi's orders to watch over her?

"Hey, Takeru!" Mikoto and the rest come towards us.

"Morning guys."

"Morning, Shirogane-kun. Ah, salute!" They all salute Takamura, who again returns the gesture.

"Good morning, squad. Shirogane, let's go pick up those papers."

"Sure. Don't stare too much at the Fubukis guys. See you around."

I know, I can't be seen slacking off. I wave at them as I follow Takamura to the floor. I feel like… someone's staring blades at me right now. And I really don't wanna turn around.

I let Takamura do the talking as I grab the folders with her Takemikazuchi's data. As she kept discussing things with the mechanics, I took a peek from below at the Fubukis. They're really something else, I don't know why people look down on them so much. If we could upgrade them, they would be even better than that Kagerou I piloted while being much cheaper than the Shiranui, according to the notes I read yesterday night. Then, we could put the extra money to something more powerful, like mass producing the Type-00C or restart the Second's development.

I'll have to make a mental note of that for when I go speak with Sensei today. In any case, tomorrow I will have to start doing the work with my squad, so you five better get ready to… Wait a second… One, two, three…

There's only five Fubukis lined up on the hangar. Why is that? Did Sensei plan on giving me a different training unit?

I hear the sound of the stairs and see Mikoto running towards the left corner of the hangar, where the purple Takemikazuchi was just unveiled. The rest soon followed, looking at it in awe. Except Meiya, who I think is furrowing her brow as usual.

"Oh? What is…" Takamura stared open eyed at the purple TSF, frozen in place. One could practically hear the noise of her fans overloading as she tried to comprehend what she was looking at.

But man, it looks so… empty. Now that it doesn't have its machineguns docked forming the long skirt like in Valgern-On, it looks so ungraceful. Also, I know it doesn't exist here, but still, it just looks weird without the TR on its back. You just cannot lack that ridiculously looking and unnecessarily bulky rifle. I'm gonna mod my Type-00C and show the world the greatness of Valgern-On's Takemikazuchi. Well, this time let's make sure you stay in one piece purple buddy.

Wait, didn't something bad happened around this-

"How dare you touch it, you insolent commoner!" Ah, there it is.

Tsukuyomi-san teleported out of nowhere and slapped… As far as I can recall, she always used to slap Tama's hands away from the thing, but this time she directly slapped Mikoto in the face. Mikoto stumbled back, almost falling, as she slowly closed the distance, the trio on her back.

"What reason have you to touch this TSF? Do you not recognize the meaning behind its color?!"

"Tsukuyomi! …1st Lt., what is the meaning of this?!" And now Meiya snapped.

They start arguing as they always did in our past loops, except Meiya looks angrier. I can clearly hear her shouts from here, and she's never sounded so… angry? Livid? Bothered? I dunno why, but this time she's more upset than in the past loops. Maybe it has to do with the stronger nationalism?

"Shirogane, follow me." Takamura signals me to come along her as she walked towards Tsukuyomi-san.

We approach the group, Chizuru was taking a teary eyed Mikoto away from the Guards. Tama was trying to calm Mikoto, who kept shivering despite the other two's attempts. Meiya was facing a furrowed Tsukuyomi, that was still trying to reason with her.

"Hey Mikoto, you okay?"

"Yeah, I just… It looked so cool I couldn't help myself." She rubs her cheek as a few tears drop down her eyes.

"Let's go get breakfast, Yoroi." Chizuru and the rest leave. Kei took one look at Meiya as she kept arguing with Tsukuyomi, and then also went into the hallway.

"Even if they are your partners, we cannot allow commoners to touch this Takemikazuchi. Surely you know who sent this to you, please understand our actions." Yes, the usual stuff. Tsukuyomi-san is again begging Meiya to take the TSF as her own, and our blue samurai looks insulted to no end.

"Cease your prattling! I… I am a mere Cadet, I have not even finished my training in the way of the sword, much less being appointed as the successor of the Mitsurugi House, there is no reason for me to receive such a privilege. Take this Takemikazuchi back to its rightful owner at once!"

"I cannot do that. Her orders were clear on this matter, in case you ever need it, this Takemikazuchi will remain here at the ready for you. Please, do not reject her aid. She merely wishes you the best, you must know how much you mean for her."

"Silence! What would everyone think of this?! This is a clear violation to the honor code, I have not the right to pilot it. This is-"

"Cadet Mitsurugi, if I may?" Takamura speaks at her, causing Meiya's complexion to change. Her enraged face relaxed a bit as she looked away. "1st Lt. Tsukuyomi has been ordered to deliver this machine, if I didn't misunderstand anything from your words. If she cannot go against her orders, would it be too much for you to accept this gift open handed?" I didn't expect… No, of course she knows who Meiya is, she's also a pawn of Yuuhi. She must have been informed of Meiya's true identity.

Tsukuyomi-san gives Takamura a court bow, that she returns in kind, and takes a brief glance at me. For some reason I feel a knot on my stomach. It… hurts to see her.

"Meiya-sama, we cannot simply return this. So please, do not reject the helping hand she's giving you." Meiya tensed up her eyes as she closed them. As she opened her eyes, she took a glance at me. I gave her a nod, she grimaced and sighed audibly.

"Do as you please then."

"Thanks for your understanding. Well then." She gives Meiya a deep bow along the Three Idiots, and gives Takamura a small bow before going her way.

As she passed me, our eyes met for the briefest moment. Hers were frontal but almost dulled, there was not hatred or suspicion on them, but the way they twitched, the slight trembling of her lips, and the fact that she couldn't hold my gaze made her confusion obvious. The other three still looked at me with the usual scowl.

"Shirogane, let's go back to the office."

"Yes, let's… Wait, what's that?" I stop in my tracks as I see a sight to behold on the right end of the hangar. Hohoho, so you're already here, eh?

"What is the meaning of this?!" Meiya's yell by my side was soon replicated all throughout the hangar.

Ten Type-00C, standing proudly side by side, were being docked into the hangar. That was fast, maybe the delivery of Meiya's Takemikazuchi helped speed the delivery of these units. Us three made our way towards them, as well as many others.

"Alright! You've seen them already, keep your distance!" That shout…

"Did you not listen?! Until the XO comes to sign the papers, you cannot lay a finger on these things! So can you all do us a favor and get out of our sights?"

Mion and Shion were in their red dress along many black robbed Royal Guards making a human wall between the Takemikazuchis and the curious onlookers. Tsukuyomi-san and the other three were also helping out with the task.

"I cannot believe my eyes…" Takamura was staring at them, clearly shaking a little.

Us three made our way back to the upper section of the hangar, looking at them from here is kinda surreal. Having this many Type-00 on the base so soon is a stroke of best luck.

"Ten Takemikazuchi units, whatever are they doing here? Those two…" Meiya gazed at the guards, clearly staring at the pickles that were arguing with a mechanic.

"So Mion and Shion are delivering these ones here?" Not a second after I said that, she shot me a glare. Urk, I should have stayed quiet.

"Shirogane, you're still calling them by their names? I won't help you if you get in trouble for that." Meiya, stop with that dubious look.

"It is truly a surprise, what could have made this happen?" Takamura, who ignored Meiya, stroked her hair as she gazed at the ten gray titans.

"Make way! Who do you think you are?!" What was… That voice…

The sudden shout gave me a slight pain on the back of my head. A man in the red dress of the Guard, in a stronger tint than Tsukuyomi-san's one, drove must onlookers away with his voice. The man has a ridiculous haircut. Two 'horns' in his sides and a pointy strain on top. Very tall, he could probably hug a bear and get out of it unscathed with his muscles.

"M-Master?!" Meiya's looks as a wild animal that saw a tree get hit by lightning as her eyes widened.

She said Master… Is he her teacher or something? She approached the man, and he drew a giant smile upon seeing her.

"Oh, Meiya-sama! It is good to be graced by your presence!" He gives her a small bow.

"Master, what turn of events has brought you here?"

"Well, I came to deliver these machines, and was assigned here with a small unit to give you a test, to see if you're worthy of receiving my final teaching in the Mugen Kidou." So he is her teacher… which means, he's an important person within the Empire.

"I can't believe he of all people would be sent as a mere deliverer." Takamura stroked her hair as she gazed at the giant that was talking, or rather shouting, with Meiya.

"1st Lt., do you know that man?" She froze and looked at me with an inquisitive glare.

"You do not know of General Guren?" Guren…

"The name sounds familiar for some reason, but I don't know who he is. I suppose he's one of the Royal Guard's most important men, right?" Her eyes open even more. She then sighs and shakes her head.

"He's not one of, he's THE most important one. He's the General of all the regular Guards who are not in service of a Regent House. He's Koubuin-sama's most trusted soldier, one of the best commanders in the Empire. Great General Daizaburou Guren is the personal commander of the 15th Royal Guard Battalion that serves under the express orders of Her Highness, the fabled leader of the Wolf Battalion." Almost puffing her chest, one could taste the pride coming out of her every word.

But… The Wolf Battalion? I never heard of them last time. If we had such a powerful unit, why didn't they send it to Sadogashima? Were they killed during the coup? Or left protecting Yuuhi, maybe?

"I see. I don't really know much about the Empire's or the Guard's units. But you're right, let's go back to-"

"Oho! If it isn't Takamura-dono!" Or not.

"General Guren, it is an honor to meet you!" Standing upright and tense as a cable, she salutes this Guren. I never thought I would see Takamura nervous around someone. Well, he is a General, so showing this much respect is the obvious thing to do.

"No, no, do not be so stiff! It is good to see you're fine, grasshopper! Last time I saw you, those eyes of yours were mired by awful eye bags, clouded beyond recognition. Even if it's on the UN, I am glad you can continue your endeavors!" He's louder than Zoe-san, for the love of God. Why does he have to shout?

"Master, please, could you speak more softly? This isn't the Palace." Seeing Meiya being so apprehensive is weird.

She's not like this with Tsukuyomi-san, but I suppose this guy is a total different beast compared to her. He is Yuuhi's most trusted General after all. Wait… I think I'm in danger, now that I think about it.

"I vastly prefer to yell, Meiya-sama! But in any case! Best of luck in your work, Takamura-dono." He smiles widely at her. He doesn't look like a bad guy though, despite being kinda scary with that haircut and his stoic face.

"Thank you very much for your kind words, General." Takamura bows deeply to him. Then, as he finished his talk with her, he apparently noticed I was here. I should have ran away when I had the chance.

"Who would this grasshopper be?" He stopped shouting.

"Cadet Takeru Shirogane, sir." His face distorts itself, I can see why he's the leader of the Wolves. He looks like a one right now, ready to charge at his prey.

"So you're Shirogane, eh?" He frowns his brows, tensing his lips and cheeks. He looks like one of the Four Heavenly Kings statues that were in my world's temples, I suppose you came here to harm me under Yuuhi's orders. Well, F my peaceful time.

"Yes, sir."

You could poke the air right now thanks to the tension here. I could see Mion and Shion getting closer, both bearing severe expressions.

"Um, Master? This man is one of my squadmates on Squad 207. He's done me many a great favors." Thank you, Meiya. He gazes at her and relaxes his posture, dropping the tension in his body. This guy's stare is intense for sure. He's the real deal, a true war vet.

"Is that so! Well, I sure hope you continue to support her from now on, Shirogane." Stop shouting dammit! And I despise that hateful glare. Ugh, these fucking… No, bad Takeru. Don't snap.

"Daizaburou-sama, the attendants have arrived. We are to proceed to the designated briefing room." Mion spoke in a business tone similar to Tsukuyomi-san's. Looking at her and Shion is… making me feel weird, as if I were meeting with an old friend. Is this because of the memories I saw yesterday?

"Finally. To make us wait so much… Well, Meiya-sama, I will be awaiting the day when we can have our final duel. Until then, stay safe." He salutes her, she responds in kind. And then goes with the Pickles towards a group of people, that were being apparently led by Pyatkh.

Ugh, my head hurts a bit. Daizaburou Guren… I feel he knew you. Your hostility right now wasn't because I'm an unknown face near Meiya, you reacted especially bad to my name. If Yuuhi sent him here, he and the Pickles were ordered to kill me. Heh, she sent her right hand to make sure no mistakes were made. But of course she did, I'm soiling the memory of someone dear to them. What else did I expect from these brain-dead mannequins?

"Cadet Shirogane, are you alright?" Takamura and Meiya were looking at me, brows arched.

"Yeah, just a bit surprised. Didn't think a General would waste his breath on me."

"Please do not take offense Shirogane, he was merely being cautious. I'm sure you know why." I nodded at her. Meiya still looked kinda down as she gazed at them leave.

"Well, 1st Lt. Takamura, let's go to the office, we lost plenty of time already." She arranged her hair again and gave a nod.

"True. Let us go. Until later, Cadet Mitsurugi."

"Ah, um… 1st Lt., could you let me speak with Shirogane for just a moment?"

"Hm… Alright, but please do not take too long." Takamura goes towards the hallway, giving us some space.

"So, what did you want to talk about Meiya?" I hope it's not about those visions because… I won't answer that.

"Shirogane, I'll cut to the chase. Do you think you can find some time to go return your blade?" Oh, that. Since I already took care of that I forgot I had promised her we would go together.

"Actually, I already returned it." She opens her eyes wide, and then looks at me a bit upset.

"Why did you not tell me of this? Rather, why did you do it alone?" I suppose she's suspecting me. It is an important matter after all.

"I just seized the opportunity. 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi came to talk with me when I arrived here and I told her of it. When I went back to my room to pick up my clothes, my sword was no longer there. So don't worry, it's in safe hands now." I thought she would be happy but… Why does she seem so down?

"…Is that so. So you no longer have it. Well, I'm glad you could resolve the issue before it became a problem. Did Tsu… the 1st Lt. tell you anything? She wasn't too harsh on you, I hope?"

"She was quite angry, yeah. But I suppose I'm in the clear for now, since nothing happened since then, and even when she saw me today she didn't do anything." She nods slowly at my words. She does look troubled now for some reason.

"Yes, you're right. In any case… It's good that's solved. Forgive me for holding you."

"Nah, it's cool. As much as I wanted to keep it, this was for the best." I sigh, shaking my head. Meiya had folded her arms, her eyes now looking away from mine. "Sorry for not telling you before."

"No, it is alright. You were understandably exhausted, after all that happened since your return to the base. Well, I shall hold you no more. Best of luck in your endeavors."

"Same to you. Later, Meiya." I wave at her as I go into the hallway, she waves back with a faint smile, and then turns around and seems to remain gazing at the purple Takemikazuchi.

Shouldn't she be happy that the sword is back with the Empire? Did she… expect me to become her fellow for real? Oh well, whatever.

I rejoined Takamura and we went towards the elevator, the hallways were bustling with rumors as we walked. This surely made things lively here, but it will also make life difficult for me.

Under the guise of delivering these Type-00C and coming here to finish this training Meiya was talking about, they're probably here to kill me too. And it's not like I can attack that guy without getting into a lot of trouble. First, I don't know if I could win in a fist fight with him, due to his build. Second, if I harm him, our relations with the Empire will be done for. There is no way I can harm or kill a General and get away with it. Yuuhi you're not playing around, you purple devil. Didn't expect that sweet face to be capable of such cutthroat behavior.

"Cadet Shirogane, are you truly fine? You seem truly out of sorts." Takamura stared into my eyes while we were on the elevator. I was being too obvious, huh.

"Well, it seems the General does not like me much. I just hope they don't try to spark a fight with me."

"The XO mentioned to me that you didn't like the Royal Guard much, can… can you tell me why?" She must be nervous because she… Oh, right. You're also a member of the Guard. And if the General, who is Yuuhi's right hand, ordered you to cooperate… "Cadet Shirogane?"

"Oh… Ah, well, since I was… Ahem, since I'm seen as a foreigner here, the Guard has not been very kind to me. I don't really hate them, but it seems they don't want me around." I scratch my head slowly as I look up, I have to remain calm.

I can't show her that I'm suspicious of her. Yuuhi might have left her in the dark to avoid a leak, but all she needs is a word, an order from the General to turn against me. I wonder if Sensei knows of this… I mean, I did talk already… Nah, she wouldn't… Alright, stop it. No more depressing thoughts, I have the S5 pass right here, the Kagerou is waiting for me down in Hanger 90 in the worst case. It's too early to start panicking, Takeru. I did try to-

"Ahem, allow me to tell you that he was merely doing his duty. I assure you, in no way could a noble man such as him hold any ill will towards you. And I highly doubt someone as honorable as General Guren would soil his name by antagonizing a mere Cadet."

"…Yes, you're right."

"In any case, let us focus on our project. There is much for us to do."

"Yeah… Let's make the most out of today."

The rest of the day went by uneventfully, with me delivering folders around again and giving some advice to Takamura when she got stuck on some documentation, thanks to the different way we do things here under Sensei's command. The planning stage seems to be going on without much problems anymore, so we just might be able to get one railgun done and tested before Sadogashima.

Here's hoping the Guard leaves me alone long enough to get there.