Chapter 32: Links of the Undercurrents

November 25th. Near 7 PM.

(Yuuko's Office.)

[Yuuko]

"Don't worry, I've pacified the few that wanted to keep pushing for the punishment." Mitsuko-nee says on the other side of the line, I spin on my chair. "So long as your promise to pay for the soldiers' treatment holds water, everything will be fine."

"Good to hear. I suppose you will be paying us a visit in some days?"

"Yes, I am looking forward to that. However, Yuuko, are you sure you're going to pay up their silence? I thought you were on a-"

"We shall be getting some funds soon-ish. And, as I said before, Shirogane will be the one paying up."

"…According to the databases, he has no family nor possessions. Can you explain me how is he going to get the money? He's a cadet, he has no wage as far as I'm aware."

"He doesn't, and you'll get your answer once you come here."

"Sigh… If I didn't knew you, I'd think you have something with the kid."

"…Mitsuko-nee, if that is all, I'll hang up."

"Come on, now. Don't get all cranky." Again, her cheery tone along a chuckle. Ugh, how I hate it when she does this. "There's one last thing. I assume you already had a meeting with the detachment of the Royal Guard that went there?"

"Yes, it honestly surprised me that your report was spot on. The General was very 'to-the-point', which was welcomed to be honest. They seem to be here to get a direct report for the testings we've been making, and to… appraise one of the pigeons."

"…Nothing else?" Her tone descending into a whisper, hushed and alert as if we were talking about the casualties of the Valkyries, and the almost non-existent list of volunteers to join our cadet program in this nation. "Look, my sources tell me someone from the Guard, from high above, was the one who ordered the execution to be called off, and now the General suddenly was put in charge of the delivery of the Takemikazuchis. Is that truly all there was to the meeting?"

"Yes, nothing else happened. Anything else you required?" Sadly, there is no way I can tell you of the mess that the little sword caused me, or about his circumstances.

"…No, nothing else on my end. If I hear anything, I'll contact you."

"Thanks, as always. Later, Mitsuko-nee." Cutting the call, I finally sigh aloud.

To think the man came to 'question' me about the motives behind the… How was it? Minaru Kamui, I believe, Shirogane had on him. Luckily, I truly had no idea what it meant until Shirogane told me about it, so lying was easy enough. However, he kept pushing for answers on his past, if I knew about how he acquired the blade, asking why his profiles were locked.

When I said I was his tutor and deemed the matter to be private, he instead chose to, quite foolishly, try to pressure me about why the UN kept hidden the fact that Mitsurugi was harmed.

Sending him away by force isn't something I can do, so I simply told him the truth, that the HC wasn't behind the accident, which is what this is, and that they were taking measures to prevent losing face. In the end, Mitsurugi didn't sustain any serious injuries and the chasers didn't act on what they were ordered to do, we have recordings and the accounts of the Pickles' on their briefing to prove that. And that they were also going to receive a harsh reprimand behind the curtains.

Again, I reiterated that I had made sure Shirogane was punished accordingly for the folly of murdering people, and yet, that seems to have picked his interest. Refusing them would have been a bad idea, so I suggested him that they could approach him if they had any doubts regarding his loyalty, so long as they didn't try to pick a fight in my base, else the deals we signed would go up in smoke. To say that he was taken aback would be an understatement. He didn't think I'd let him approach Shirogane so easily, for some reason.

However, if Motoko-nee's report isn't wrong, and if it happens again today, then it is in my best interest to at least let them speak with Shirogane. I don't need more distractions, after all.

The matter of the sword settled as I wanted it to, with it being nothing but Shirogane's mistake due to his missing memory, and no harm intended from our side, we returned them the sword in good faith and, in the name of the project, I kindly asked him to not bring it up ever again. He seems to have a brain over all those muscles, so he agreed to the terms easily enough.

Allowing them to approach Mitsurugi to their leisure and perform whatever test they wish to have against her at a latter date, and me handing them a report on the parts we made for the current deal, was enough to end the meeting on a good note. Until they asked for permission to speak with Shirogane, and I obviously refused.

Not only he is in the middle of a punishment, not only is he helping out with the railgun, and that project has little hands as is, but they should learn that on my base we play by my rules. Of course, they then began to prattle on and on about how they were merely wishing to speak with him regarding the blade, but in the end they had no choice but to comply with my rules, since they backed off when I requested an answer for why they were insisting so damn much.

This small window will give us a buffer to have him recall any little tidbit he can to convince them, or at least make them doubt, of his identity. I'll see how we move forward after seeing their movements and answers, and Shirogane's progress on the memory recovery as well.

Opening my mail, seeing the reports, for the moment I'll focus on the shorter ones.

Now, the Valkyries seems to be getting the hang of the sims, going by Suzumiya's reports. However, it seems the fresh ones are still lagging behind, and some of the 'training courses' are too complicated for them. According to her, Isumi believes the machines to have some sort of psychological trigger, since most of them find it hard to stop training despite the difficulty.

I wish I could send Shirogane to them, but considering his punishment and his role as the Viking, as well as all that he's handling as of now, I don't want to overburden him. Perhaps, I'll ask him to write a handful of tips for what they're having trouble with, besides his suggestion to make sure they don't isolate themselves or get 'sucked in' in his own terms.

Otherwise, I could arrange a mock battle against the Viking to clear their heads away from the sims. Hmm… Now that I think about it… I could dust off that TSF for it, as well. Yeah, after all, he wanted more sensors, so let's see how he handles it.

Sigh… Drinking some more coffee, opening another mail, the preliminary tests on the Type-00Cs are here… Hmm… Not bad, worth the money if you ask me. The most money I would spend on a per unit basis for maintenance, but with an output far surpassing any TSF at our disposal. Honestly, this is nothing like those early estimates we received when the Takemikazuchi was unveiled. Heh, the Royal Guard must have purposely sent the Type-R's cost sheet. If we had received this data, the Type-00C would already have been adopted, at least by the Valkyries and the top squads of the IJA. Well, it plays in my favor.

At least everything is taken care of within the base. Now, if only I could decipher the way to apply the second theory to the 00 Unit. I swear, at times it feels as if it wasn't supposed to work on it by itself. The graphs don't align, the equations sometimes contradict themselves, it's as if there was something missing, as if the 00 Unit that world's me envisioned had something the one I built is lacking. And frankly, it's pissing me off to not figure it out, no matter how many tests I run, how many times I look over the numbers and the specs. I wonder what was I researching on that other world.

Knock!

Hm? Looking at the cameras outside my office, I see him waiting as usual, scratching his head. Oh right, Yashiro said he had some questions.

"Come in." Tapping the button, the door is unlocked and in he comes, a slower stride in his steps.

"Hey Sensei, how's it going?"

"…Frankly, all's good. So, sit down, I've some questions for you."

"Uh… Sure." Raising a brow, he sits down on the usual sofa.

Standing up and grabbing the mug I usually give him, I start the machine and pour coffee into it. Going to hand it over, after leaving it on his hands, after he gives me his thanks I lean back onto my desk, a finger on my chin.

"First, the negotiations about the sword are over and done. The Royal Guard won't press the matter anymore."

"Wow, for real? I thought they wouldn't back off easily."

"Oh, believe me, they didn't. I think you saw who they sent this morning to negotiate." Rolling my eyes, I grab my mug and finish my drink. Then, I go pour me some more coffee.

"Oh, right. About that, I think he knew the General."

"…Is that so." I didn't tell Shirogane about how this world's him served under Guren. So he got that answer by himself, huh. So my hunch was correct, he can pull the memories without much effort, so long as we spur them to the surface. "Anything else that came up?"

"No, not really." He then drinks, leaning back and stretching his legs.

"Well, that's taken care of. Be on your guard, they might approach you any time now."

"…I guess you couldn't convince them of my innocence, huh?" Looking into his drink, he sighs as he crosses a leg over the other.

…How odd, for you to doubt my influence. I could have easily prevented them from getting close to you by simply having you be escorted by an MP during your punishment, you should know that. Also, I could have shielded you myself, since you are my special protegee, and they surely didn't want to be too pushy once I asked for their motives to delve into your past. Whatever has spawned such doubts towards me, I wonder?

"…What's up, Sensei?" Raising a brow, staring at me as if he didn't have a clue.

"Nothing."

"Did… the Guards gave you problems?"

…

Okay, now what? Yes, the Great General is someone very important indeed. I won't deny that, and I won't say it would have been easy. But this is my base, and moreover, I have the recordings of when 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi chose to overlook the issue of the blade after Niigata. I had cards to play to nullify their movements, I had planned some moves ahead and it's why the meeting went by just as I planned. Did something happen in one of his loops; or, are you doubting me?

"No, there were no problems. Is there anything you think I should be concerned about, perhaps?"

"Well, the guy is a General. And in this more nationalistic world, nothing good will come out by clashing with the Guard when we could avoid it, so I can get why you would be upset at more setbacks getting in your way." Closing his eyes, he then, grabbing his mug with both hands, drinks some more.

"…As I said, everything is on the rails. You do not need to concern yourself with that."

"Alright, if you say so."

"Now, about what I wanted to ask you." Looking my way, drinking again, he leans forward. "What did the me of your world did while researching the Nucleus?"

He furrows his brows for a moment, blinks a few times in quick succession, leaves his mouth barely open as he groans, then shakes his head.

"…No idea."

"What do you mean?"

"She never told me, and I never asked. She said she figured out how people could link themselves to different futures by seeing how Marimo-chan was always being negative about her relationships and how others were always positive no matter what shit happened to them. But she never told me in detail what exactly did she do to get the theory right, and she did say she was not even close to test it out. She was just a physics teacher, after all."

"…I see. Nothing we can do then."

"Something's wrong with the theories?"

"No, I just can't line up both theories well enough for now, so I was hoping you could offer some insight into the matter." I sit down, resting my neck against the seat, spinning slowly.

"Oh, so that's why you want to observe how I regain his memories."

"Yes, that too. So, what were you wanting to ask?" Considering he is reading up on some documents, perhaps he's willing to ask for my help now.

"First, is there any chance we might get the Fubuki accepted to be used on the frontlines?"

"…Huh? The Fubuki?"

He then proceeds to tell me how much better it was after the XM3 was installed on it, and how, during the third incident we have to prevent, it basically saved his and his squadmates' lives.

"Sadly, due to the way the Type-97 and 94 are built, there is little we can do to upgrade them. Starting another project for it would be a waste of resources."

"But it could help in replacing the Gekishins, at least for the ones in the backrow, or for either solo missions or hit-and-run naval tactics to support the TSAs." He counters, a cocky smile raising up, as if as I did when I had just solved the measurements of the new rockets for his modified Kagerou.

"…I'll consider it. Anything else?"

"Yeah, what's up with the OS of the PC you gave me?" He leans forward, yet his eyes aren't entirely focused on me. It's as if he were looking at my shoulder.

"Hm? The OS? I believe it had the latest version installed. Is it giving any issues?"

"Well, no…" Again, a brow raises as he scratches his head. "But the UI is godawful. I'm having some trouble actually using it."

He then went on to explain how the OS wasn't 'user-friendly', how he had to rely on the repository to install programs, how it was lacking many features he had gotten used to in his home world. I explained to him there was nothing to be done, and that I would send him a mail with the details on how to work around it. I had hoped he had come with some serious questions, but it seems today was a wasted day in the end.

…And all the while, despite his tone remaining composed, his eyes were locked away from mine, and there was a lack of the usual glee that Shirogane usually displays in his gestures, in the way he moves his hands, or even in his shrugs.

"…Was there anything else you wanted to ask?" Resting an elbow on my desk, making a point of dropping my mug a bit too strongly so that it made noise, I stared right into his eyes. He nodded, holding my gaze yet remaining as composed, as oddly calm as he was.

"Actually, yeah. So, before I go to Kasumi, was yesterday's recovery session helpful?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. The data was… interesting, for sure. Now that you mention it… Are you sure that he was being watched by one of the Shogun's retainers?"

"Yeah, it was Maya-san, no doubts about it. Same with the other one, he clearly was with the Pickles and Yuuhi eating dinner, it seems." Finishing his drink, leaning back comfortably, speaking slowly and without any pause. And yet, his eyes again avoid mine as Yashiro does with carrots.

Yuuhi, is it? Perhaps we didn't even need to bring out the memories, he seems already quite attuned to them on his own. Could this newfound composure be an effect of that? No, it would be too fast for inherited memories, especially forced ones, to affect someone's way of being in this way.

…

So he's doing this consciously? To what end? He… wouldn't still be holding some kind of reservations towards me, would he? If I recall correctly, he did say he was getting rather negative before, yet this isn't what I would call a shift towards that end of the spectrum. It's just a lack of the usual hyper attitude he has, that is all… there is to this.

"Sensei, you hearing?"

"…Yes, yes. So, you claim he was close enough to Her Purpleness when they were still children. Any idea why?"

"Hmm… No, not really. I never met the Pickles, and Yuuhi was dead in my world."

"Huh? Excuse me, what?"

"Oh, I never told you? Yuuhi doesn't exist in my world. Meiya is the sole heir of the Mitsurugi Group back there."

"…Huh. Is that so? So, you have no link whatsoever with her?"

"No, our contact during the mission I met her in was scarce. I didn't get a bad impression of her back then, but nothing that could have made us close happened. So, no idea why things turned out like this in this world." He crosses his arms, no delay in the words or the gesture, clear as the only result of an equation. "You didn't find anything else on his background?"

"No, sadly." I can't dig more info on him carelessly. Yoroi was clear enough on his message, and with this matter of the blade and the deals, I have to be careful. "For the time being, you stay on your guard around the Royal Guards if they approach you. You can retire to your cell after you're done with the recovery session."

"Okay, got it." He gets up, leaving the mug where he usually does. "I'll let Kasumi give you a report then. Goodnight, Sensei."

Nodding my way, he turns around and goes to the door. Moving his arms left and right, with slow steps all the while, he exits the room, without looking back or waving as he used to do.

I took his mug and put it back in place, wiping it with a tissue. Leaving it as usual, sitting and spinning back and forth slowly, resting my entwined fingers on my stomach, I look up at nowhere. And yet, one of my brows refuses to rise up, its inner edge sunken in.

"…So you're not smiling anymore, huh. I wonder why."

Same day. Right after that.

(Outside the office.)

[Takeru]

Well, shame Sensei didn't have a better OS to use. I do know how to use the terminal… for the most basic of stuff, that is. Seriously, how do they even use this all day long? Isn't it a time waster?

Luckily, she dealt with the sword already. I really didn't wanna part ways with it, but it is what it is. I just gotta be careful around the Guards. She wasn't surprised about him knowing the General, so I guess she's still keeping some things from me. If I had any guilt of doing stuff behind her back, that just made it go up into the sky as I did whenever Sumika landed a DMP on me.

On the plus side, I did find some interesting bits of data though. Thanks to having read up on many different TSFs and weapons I think I can start writing those reports about the weapons and stuff I wanna make. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Sadly, he didn't contact me yet. Sigh… I know I shouldn't be so paranoid, but I need to build this bridge just in case this memory business goes wrong.

Getting close to it, the door opens on its own and the hallway welcomes me once more. This long black hallway always gives me the creeps, it's like it was made to tell you that you were trespassing into forbidden ground. It kind of reminds me of that hallway in the Megoman games, the one before a boss room where the music changes. My gaming senses tell me a boss is waiting for me on the other side of the door. However, what awaits me is a small bunny girl playing Cat's Cradle by herself.

"Hey Kasumi, sorry to keep you waiting." She moves her bunny ears to acknowledge me and slowly turns around, pouting. She had some string in her hands and was trying to form something with it.

"…I still can't make a Dancing Butterfly by myself."

"You're still hung up on that?" It has been a while since I showed it to her though.

"Yes."

"Ahaha, you'll just have to keep practicing. So, how did Sumika react to the memories?" Sensei did refuse to talk about that, for some reason. She stands up slowly and comes closer.

"She reacted well to the first, I think she was overjoyed to see it. But she reacted very badly towards the second. She went into shock again. I don't know why, I could only feel the overflow of the emotion, I couldn't even get her to listen to me." Slowly her eyes dart to the floor, her palms shift around as if she were gripping something.

"Well, let's go one step at a time. Let's assume the memories with the Royal Guard are bad for her from now on. So, do we do the same as yesterday?"

"Yes, sit down please." Then, she goes to get the thing I have to wear on my head. Handing it to me, I put it on. "Do you wish to see any kind of memory in particular?"

"Wait, I can choose now?" I sit down on the floor and Kasumi again sat behind me, placing her head on my shoulder.

"If you focus on certain thoughts, it will be easier for me to bring out the memories. Also, we will probably see more of it."

"Alright, I want to see something about his life as a commissioned Royal Guard today. This General came to the base, and I have the feeling he'll try to attack me, so let's see if I can get any useful info that might stall him, even for just a bit. I'll try to focus on the feeling of some grand, important mission. Would that work?"

"Yes, now close your eyes. Let's focus."

I close my eyes and remain like that for a while as I start thinking about my meeting with Yuuhi during last loop and some of my deployments against the BETA.

Relaxing again, that tingly feeling on the back of my head appearing once more, the pain below my ears as well, the darkness remains as it was for a while as I took deep breaths to calm down. Slowly, painfully so, a light appears on my vision. Twisting and turning, rippling as if it was a water surface hit by a rock, it begins to envelop my whole vision as my limbs feel more and more distant.

But this is different than yesterday's. It's as if I were gazing at a fire, but then what seemed to be a tunnel stops and the fire starts moving in a diagonal, but half of it is gone now. Dark yellow and orange distorted wings cover my whole field of vision, then a darkened figure appears within the flames. It's getting closer and closer. I still can't hear anything. What is that thing?

I feel as if a jolt of electricity spread throughout my head, then I'm enveloped in a feeling similar to that of being on a hot spring, relaxing onto the warm water. The figure comes out of the fire, my vision becomes more focused. A towering Fort-Class marched through the remains of a city. And it's getting closer to… No, I'm getting closer to it.

"1st Lt.! Return to your position!" A voice rings right on my ears. He's on a TSF during a mission, inside a cockpit. The voice is one I don't recognize as well.

"Don't we need to stall for the rest of the vanguard to arrive?" He moves his head slightly to his left, as he slashes a Tank that tried to jump onto him.

"Yes, but charging at the Laser-Class like this is suicide!"

"Marching against these numbers is suicide anyways, so get ready to boost at my signal." You tell 'em, boy. It's like hearing my old cocky self from school, but with an actual serious intent behind his cheery tone.

"All units, ready for the command sir!" Another voice I don't recognize speaks to me.

"Well, get ready to blast those guns! Three, two, one… Forward!" Unlike last time, I feel the rush in me as we charge at the BETA.

This tense, warm and exciting feeling… The rush of battle, just like Hayase said once. It takes hold of you, and before you know it your heart swells within and everything else kind of fades away. Only what's in front of you exist.

They make short work of the BETA, Tank and Grapplers alike, in synchronization too perfect to be a fresh team. They know how each other fights, and they cover their backs almost without delay. Despite, you know, his recklessness and almost suicidal charges. I guess we are more similar than I thought.

He takes a look behind him and I see four Zuikakus, two black and two white, as they spray their muffins upon the remaining BETA. The radar's red dots disappear in an instant, only to be replaced by more red dots.

"Oi, Amanohara! Send the canister shells to the herd to our right." Oh, nice decision. If those Destroyers get too close this will turn into a slaughter. Wait… Why do I feel like-

"Roger!" I feel like I've heard that voice somewhere…

"Fukuha! On me! We're marching onto those Grapplers!"

"Roger that!"

A black Zuikaku rushes forward along us as the herd to the right gets bombarded by the canisters. This world's me and this Fukuha decimate the Tanks with their guns as they march forward. With the momentum of the boost, he took aim at the Fort and started shooting at it with some 120mm ammo. Yeah, take that! Wait! The sting is gonna-

He back-boosted away from the sting, wasting not a single second. His reflexes are really good, and without the XM3 to boot. Fukuha dashes forward and slashes the sting off with his sword. Yeah, way to go! This is almost like looking at a video of a battle! That being said, that was a top notch move. Bait the sting, dodge at the last second by having the boost end and start another one upon contact with the ground, then have the other in the element shave the sting away. I recognize this tactic from my trainings in a Gekishin during my first loop, when we were prepping up for Iceberg. No wonder he'd rely on it, using a Zuikaku.

"1st Lt., I ran out of canisters! That's all I can do for now." The female voice I have trouble recognizing speaks through the comms.

"Don't worry, keep covering our rear with Okamoto and Onda. Me and Fukuha will take care of that Fort! Let's go!"

"Roger!" The other three voices roared as they sprung to action.

Looking at the radar, there were many blue units advancing to our position. So they're literally the first vanguard in whatever this mission is.

Fukuha's Zuikaku was to my left, he boosts ahead and slashes a Grappler. Another tried to jump onto him, but we shot it down with a 120mm to its body. As we rush forward, our maneuvering turns weird. His TSF starts kicking at the BETA, he starts side dashing at irregular intervals along the stream of Tanks, he put both guns on his shoulders with the pylons and they were still shooting at the BETA to his sides according to what the radar is showing. Fukuha was also gunning at the BETA in front of us, he back-boosts as he jumps, sending two shots at the Fort's head. I suppose that since they're close to the Laser-Class they can't jump so high, hence the need to stay close to the ground. The Zuikaku then back-boosts and rejoins us, shooting at the aliens that were behind us.

"Is that amount of gore enough to please you, 1st Lt. Shirogane?" He says in a jokingly tone.

"Yeah, we go onto the Fort!" He chuckles, I could feel the honesty in it. "Take your sword out, we're ripping it from below."

"Yeah, because swording everything is the way to go." He replies in a deadpan tone. What the hell is wrong with this guy?! Isn't he a Royal Guard?

"Hahaha! Don't say that in the common channel or 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi is gonna kill us."

"Which of them?"

"Both, probably." He says, rolling his eyes. Both share a laugh.

"Hehehe, you're right. Getting closer, careful with the Tanks to the sides."

"I know. Now let's tear this bitch down! Swordbreakers!"

"Swordbreakers!" Both shout at the same time as they Boost Jump under the Fort, sword at the ready. And like me and Hayase did during Niigata, they tear the Fort from below, splashing blood and flesh onto their TSFs.

"Squad Leader! Please refrain from using our squad's name during this mission!" The other male voice complains at him. Another female voice that wasn't Amanohara, one that sounds mature, replied in a cold tone.

"Okamoto, even if we're part of a bigger force today, we have no reason to change our methodologies, especially when they're the most effective solution to our situation. There is no need to restrain ourselves, have some pride."

"You tell him, Onda! Regardless of our standing here and the nature of this mission, our way of doing things won't change. Isn't that what makes us who we are?!" He yells at the top of his lungs, and for the first time I can actually feel it.

Not just looking and hearing. I feel his breathing get faster, the beating of his heart, and this blazing sensation on my gut. It's as if I was recalling a vivid memory of my own.

"You heard the leader! We're tearing these monsters, we're the Shogun's might! The Swordbreakers!" Fukuha also yells, I feel a grin on my face form.

Both of our TSFs keep boosting and slashing at the Fort's joints. Seeing the damage, he takes a step back and sprays uranium into the Fort. Fukuha does the same to the other side. As the Fort starts to tumble down we dash away from it. Okamoto finishes off the Fort with some 120mm at its head as it falls to the ground, showering both of our TSFs with its brains and blood.

"Sir, our rear has been secured."

"Good job, Amanohara." The other four Zuikakus form a circle around me, shooting at the stray Tanks that were still around.

"1st Lt. Shirogane, respond immediately." Oh, Maya-san is calling us.

"Oh, Maya-nee! We cleared our zone alre-"

"1st Lt. Shirogane, you have to address me appropriately as per the protocol states." Yup, she got angry. I feel him laugh internally with me. Maya-san does sound slightly worried.

"Sorry about that, 1st Lieutenant Tsukuyomi. We have cleared our zone, we will advance onto the Laser-Class right now."

"Desist from that course of action, my flight will meet up with yours in around four minutes along Takatsukasa-sama's flight. Hold the line until we-"

"Negative. That's too much time, we're better off doing a Laser Hunt and then pulling back towards you than sitting still here." He's right, even now the other three are shooting missiles at the Tanks and occasional Grappler, no way in hell they'll last four minutes alone.

"Then rejoin us now, charging in with just the five of you is too-"

"Negative, we're already close by. And if we let the Laser-Class advance any more our rear will get blasted off, and the HM cloud will dissipate soon anyways. The Swordbreakers will perform a Laser Hunt and then rejoin your flight in a short while." I've never heard of what a Laser Hunt is, I might go and do some research on this.

"1st Lt. Shirogane! You're the leader of Squad G during this mission, you're not an independent squadron!" I can now clearly feel the tension in her voice. I never thought the cold Maya-san could be so openly worried.

"Sorry, Maya-nee. The interference is kiiiinda making it hard to maintain communication. Can't hear you very well, to be honest." Pfft! You're a jokester just like me. This is just like what me and Meiya did during the Mt. Tengen incident.

"Takeru! Don't you dare to-"

"Later!" Did he just close the call on Maya-san's face? Boy, you have some steel balls. "Aight, listen up! Take a second to fix the Laser-Class' position on your radar, and then we're marching right into them. Switch your magazines if you must, we will have to kill around a thousand Tanks to get to those white little bastards."

"Um, 1st Lt Shirogane? Is this not insubordination?" Amanohara asks with clear tension on her voice.

"It's not treason so long as we produce results, right Leader?" Fukuha says, with clear venom in his voice.

"Exactly. Let's go and kill those Lasers, you'll see that we'll get a scolding at most."

"However, we are lacking our usual members." This Amanohara replies, stuttering at times. "Both Tsukuyomis are absent so-"

"We don't need the Pickles for this kind of issue." Ugh… What was… the sting I just felt, right in my chest? Were they… not in good terms? "Trust in yourselves, we can save many lives by nullifying the Lasers here and now. But, what do you think? Should we go through with it?" He asks, I could feel the pressure, the tension on his gut.

"If you say we can do it, I'll follow you." Fukuha answered, almost instantly.

"I agree." Onda also replied quickly. "If that devil's luck of yours is telling you to advance, that is what we shall do, Leader."

"Sigh… Not like we could convince him of doing anything else at this point." Okamoto snickers and sighs again, making the rest chuckle as well. "Yeah, it is better if we deal with this ourselves, before we get noticed by anyone. So, if you so order, I shall follow."

"So Amanohara," He asks, "If you wish to retreat, you're welcome to-"

"Uh, fine! I wasn't doubting you, and I am going to follow you. However, I am telling Hikami-san about it. It is risky for us to fight at our best under so many eyes." Huh? Under many eyes? Are they some sort of secret squad? Would make sense, since there's no intel about him left.

"Sigh… Got it, so let's do this swiftly then. Would that be alright with you?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you're still rattling me out?"

"W-Well… I do think you should be more careful…"

"Heh, thanks for worrying. But rest easy, this revenant ain't going down tonight." All of them chuckle for some reason, his face was tensed into a frown as he cackled to himself. "Now, we'll do a NOE flight until we reach the lasers, just do it as we have always done even if we're only five this time. Crush their fangs, Swordbreakers!"

"Swordbreakers!" All four of them shout in unison as we boost while flying almost near the ground.

As they were getting closer to a herd, however, some shapes begin to blur and not because of the speed. Slowly, everything starts losing color. The pain comes back, the tingly feeling reappearing on me.

"Kasumi, are you alright?"

"I'll… try to… Just give me a second…" She sounds terribly exhausted. But as I was thinking on stopping her, color returned to the images and they started moving again.

They open fire onto the wall of Tanks. Since they can't move up or they'll get shot by the Lasers they have no choice but to pierce through the red sea. See? If we had that ammo I wanted to make this thing would be a piece of cake.

"1st Lt., I'll dive into the herd and drop an S-11."

"Roger that. Careful with it, Onda. Okamoto, let's open up a path for her."

"Roger!"

A white Zuikaku rushes into the herd as we give it cover. There's many Tanks trying to climb onto it, we're keeping a clear line between her and them, but we're getting low on ammo and fuel.

"S-11 dropped! Let's retreat!"

"All units, fall back."

The four other units back-boost dash away from the herd alongside us, and a few seconds after that a giant explosion blinds my sight. Wow, half of the Tanks in the front got decimated. Well, S-11s are mighty powerful.

"All right, this is our chance! Rush in and get to those bastards!"

Our frames get filthier and filthier as we keep advancing, our blades are soiled with BETA blood from top to bottom as our slashes cut through dozens of them at a time, littering our path with dismembered limbs and torn pieces of flesh, at this point no one could say that the other Zuikakus weren't supposed to be painted in red.

Piercing through the jumping Tanks at top speed, I feel an enveloping sensation. His… My… Our body tightens, our vision grows narrow. The sheer shift into full focus brings forth an unexpected rush into me, and despite our breathing being steady, I feel our heart beating faster and faster. I know this feeling… To shift into killing mode, to become a blade. Reveling in this old but intense feeling of both hatred and hope, I lose myself in the battle ahead along him.

"Squad, what are we?!"

"The people's blade!" Okamoto shouts as he drives his sword into a Tank, back-boosts and then does a wide slash, killing four Tanks in the swing.

"The wolves that keep watch over them." Onda says calmly but fiercely as she hovers while slashing at the Tanks with daggers on each hand, only to later swiftly take out her rifle and shower two Grapplers that were charging at her.

"The sword that smites evil from its roots!" Amanohara shoots her two guns at the charging Tanks, clearing a path for me and Fukuha.

"Made of a steel that's harder than truth!" Fukuha dashes along me with one gun on its pylon shooting forward and his sword at the ready. He kicks some Tanks and slashes at them, doing side steps while we keep boosting.

"Crush their fangs!" We say as we swing our sword and boosts onwards. I feel the fire coming out of his throat as he leans forward, boosting into the herd, tearing through it with its blades and sheer speed.

"Swordbreakers!" All five, or six counting me, shout in unison just as the Laser-Class appear on our monitor.

The five TSFs go into full boost gunning at the Tanks, creating a red carpet that's ready to guide us to our targets. A sound beeps inside the cockpit, alerting us that we were near the Lasers.

I feel a wide, wicked grin appear on our face. Full boosting ahead, the end of the sea became visible, and beyond it were our targets. The Laser-Class got choked with the uranium muffins as we kept marching forward at top speed without giving them a chance to look at us and shoot, their small bodies were crushed easily. However, there are too many of them.

"Everyone, sick your 120mm at them!" As we move in zigzags in the air to avoid the ones that shoot at us, we send what little ammo we have onto them. Less than ten remaining, eight, seven, six-

BOOM!

Amanohara's Zuikaku got both arms destroyed. It fell to the ground with a deafening roar, the Lasers were ready to scorch her. We're too far away, dammit!

In a split second, we rush forward and throw our sword at the herd, as it were a boomerang, as we take aim with the rifle.

The sword crushes two Lasers and we manage to strike down the remaining ones along Fukuha. Okamoto and Onda are clearing the Tanks on our flanks, while Fukuha moves to cover our rear.

"Amanohara! How are you? Any injuries?!"

"F-Fine, sir. I've sustained no injuries, but some of my sensors are out of order. I can still move, do not worry." Sigh, she's alright. Still can't remember where I heard her voice, though.

"Glad to see you're fine. Lock onto our IFF and follow us. Alright, team. Out of here!"

"Roger!"

The TSFs fly towards the blue dots on the map, the signals of our allies, but slowly everything loses color again. The shapes get blurred, the sounds begin to resemble an echo, and in the end, after some blinks, everything is distorted into that gray abstract thing.

She must be exerting herself, this was more than enough for today.

"Kasumi, it's fine. Don't push yourself, take me back."

"But…"

"C'mon, you've done enough today. This is much more than what we saw yesterday, don't exert yourself."

"Uuh… Fine."

I feel my body being detached from somewhere, a very familiar place. Feeling as if I was going back to the surface of a pool after taking a dive, like I was this morning when trying to release myself from the prison that was the cushy hold of my pillow, I slowly regain my own senses and open my eyes. Even the low light in the room looks terribly bright right now to me.

"How are you feeling, Takeru-san?"

"…Hmm? Kasumi?" Why is she looking at me from above? Where…

I was resting my head on her lap. Slowly raising up, feeling even more stiff than yesterday, gotta use a hand to support me as it felt as if my battery was flashing red. I blink a few times and finally feel like I'm back, swaying a bit and rubbing my forehead.

"You took quite a lot of time to come back." She rubs the top of my head slowly in a circular motion.

"What? What hour is it?"

"A bit past midnight." She says as she takes out a clock from one of her pockets.

"Damn, didn't think I would get so exhausted. Ugh… But it was totally worth it. How are you feeling, Kasumi?"

"I'm fine. I drank something and ate some fruits and got better." She smiles as she gets up. "I already reported the results to the Professor, so don't worry about that."

"Thanks a lot, Kasumi." I pat her head, she moves her bunny ears. I yawn, stretching as I also get up, moving my ankles to make sure my legs are awake and ready. "Ugh… This was completely different than last time, though. I could actually somehow feel the same as him, and we saw so much more today."

"Yes, now that I know what to do it will get easier. It is still very tiring." She drop her shoulders as her eyes half close looking downwards.

"Wanna take tomorrow off? I'd be bad if you collapsed because we were trying to rush this."

"But… We have to make you regain those memories as soon as possible." She protested firmly, moving her bunny ears up and down a few times.

"Kasumi, there's no way we can regain years of memories in a few days without that harming us somehow. Let's take it easy. That, and I can only handle so much badassery at a time." Some of his movements were actually good, his sidesteps are more coordinated than mine, his slashes follow a similar but more concise pattern. I'll try them out during tomorrow's practice.

"If you say so. How do you feel? Do you want something to eat?" She hands me some chocolate which I accept.

We talked for a while on how the memory projection felt. After that I returned to my cell.

This time was like nothing before, I could feel his laughter, his nervousness, the smile on his face, his fire as he motivated his men. I still can't remember who Amanohara was, but I feel like I do know her.

He was someone important to be in charge of a Squad during such a mission, and for it to need to remain hidden as well. Swordbreakers, huh? In a nation with a sword fetish as high as the Empire, to have that name on a squad…

Well, I have no idea what the mission was about or where it happened. I'll have to wait until after tomorrow to see if I can get some concise answers. However, going by that little exchange with the Fukuha guy, at that point he was already against the ways of the Royal Guard. I wonder why those two Pickles weren't with him on that mission, or who Hikami is. I'll ask Sensei tomorrow, hopefully she won't just give me the silent treatment.

Oh well, let's just go to sleep. Rinsing my mouth and washing my face, I rub my feet for a while before getting in the bed. Hm… My nails are getting out of control, should have brought my small kit from my room. I'll have to ask for permission to go get it tomorrow.

"Yawn…Damn… I'm beat…"

As soon as I laid my head on the pillow, all the heaviness I was holding back came at me, I yawned again as I curled to a side, rubbing a cheek against the pillow.

Sure hope tomorrow goes well too…

I really don't need the General or the Pickles… getting in the way…

Yawn… Let's hope… the training starts with… the right…

Zzz…