A/N: I've been forgetting to add a memo about the changes of this rewrite. Sorry for the delay.
There's only some very minor changes before Ch. 24, like Takeru speaking of Majora's Mask with Kasumi. The first "big" change is in Ch.18 in Takeru's reaction to his fight against the chasers, and his talk with Meiya on Ch.20 being a bit different.
From Ch. 24 onwards, there are tiny scenes added to this middle arc. At the end of Ch. 25 there's a scene from D&R I never got to post, then a small addition of Mana taking Takeru's Minaru Kamui, the earlier chaps of D&R are added to clear things up, and there's some more PoVs from Kei and the squad detailing their first days after the CCSE. Small new things, don't change the plot.
What does change it a little is the opening segments of Ch. 24, 37, and 39, since they show things I didn't get to tackle in D&R. Those are all the 'sparky important things' added that are new and warrant attention for the plot going forward.
I know asking the readers to yet again go through these large old sections is hard, to not say impossible, so you can simply wait until we're back to the Shirogane chapters, if the wait is worth it to you.
As always, thanks for reading. Stay safe.
Zuoriel
Chapter 42: Evoking Bonds
November 29th. Around 3 PM.
(On a hallway.)
[Takeru]
"And then the Instructor basically said that she will order Tama to be the leader for the day, on the grounds that I have to be part of all evening trainings from now on." Chizuru nods to my words, tapping her glasses.
We got lucky NotMarimo-chan was willing to hear us out, honestly. Using myself as bait was kind of a risky gamble, but I'm really glad she agreed in the end despite her usual sharp tongue. Even if this means more training and less resting for me.
"I'm sorry Shirogane-san, because of me…"
"Don't worry Tama, this was my idea to begin with." Smiling her way, what stiffness was in her evaporated away.
"So, I suppose Tamase will have to guide the Undersecretary during his visit to our side of the base, right?" Chizuru seemed relieved things went our way.
"Exactly." Meiya said while nodding. "Tamase is only required to play the role for a brief moment, it shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Also, Takeru suggested that we make an armband to… Hm? What's the matter? Why are you looking at me like that?" The rest stared at her, obviously shocked.
"…Meiya-san, how did you call Takeru just now?" Mikoto, ain't those evil eyes a tad bit too much?
"How? I called him Takeru, did I happen to stutter?" She looks at me for confirmation. So you can't even tell they're surprised?
"Mitsurugi-san, why are you calling Shirogane-san by his name?"
"Why, you ask? Well, he's always calling me Meiya so we agreed that I could call him by his name as well." She had to go and say it so happily, folding her arms and rising her chin upwards.
"Huh, so that's how it is. So Shirogane-kun, you allowed Mitsurugi to call you like that." Raising a brow, tapping her glasses, and narrowing her eyes at me, she kept staring. We're only missing the snake hair for bingo.
"Keep it in your pants, leader." Kei, please don't taunt her.
"Ayamine, now's not the time for your quips." Thank God she ignored her.
"Neither it is for you to try to establish dominance." Tilted into stillness, save Meiya who cocked her head, the others couldn't simply form words for a sec, frozen in place.
"W-What do you mean by that? Can you stop with your double meaning phrases for today?!" Chizuru berated her as she hasn't done in a long while.
"Come on, you two. Don't start-" However, here thar be dragons.
"Are you really that thirsty?" Kei gives her a side glance.
"What are you implying?"
"Here, have some water." Eyes closed, she hands Chizuru a bottle. Where did she even get that from?
"I don't need it!" Stepping in between them, looking at each one once, I fold my arms.
"Please, you two. We've gotta talk about how to deal with Tama's dad. Remember, let's all try a bit harder to communicate better. And, by the by, why do each of you have a swollen cheek?" They both look away, pursing their lips. Please tell me you didn't just blow everything up between each other.
"One for one." Kei said, tapping her cheek with a finger.
"We said what we had to, and tried to get past some… troubling views we had." Tapping her glasses, she looks at the rest of us. "So, to leave everything truly behind us, we just gave the other one last slap for all the baggage we had between us so far."
"That's… a bit more extreme than I thought you'd be willing to do."
"Yeah, Chizuru-san that's a bit too much, in my opinion." Tama nods as Mikoto scratches her head.
"…It wasn't my idea."
"But sure you did retaliate." Kei shrugs, smirking her way. The comment makes Chizuru frown, choosing to say nothing as she fumes in groans.
"In any case, we've dealt with our prior issues as good as we could." Tapping her glasses, she tries to chill down. "But I doubt we'd be able to simply get along perfectly from now, so… well, let's just do what we can. So please stop with the one liners, Ayamine."
"…I'll try." Looking away while plucking her lips, this only makes Chizuru groan more.
"Sigh… You do you, but don't go overboard. We've got something important coming up right now, okay?" They both nod, Chizuru sighing and Kei shrugging.
"Yes, Takeru is right." Meiya nods, arms folded as well. "We should discuss what are we to do tomorrow if the Undersecretary inquires about our trainings. Please keep your arguing to a minimum for today."
"…Takeru, huh?" Kei smiles at her, making Meiya purses her lips at the teasing.
"Well, anyways! Takeru, in what do you think Tama's dad is going to come? Maybe we could get to see a destroyer?!" I've never been more grateful for Mikoto's random outbursts than I am now.
"Yeah, that's probably what they'll use, right?" Let's try to get back on topic.
"Yeah, Papa did mention the re-entry destroyer sometimes." Tama followed up on the conversation, a smile back where it belongs.
"Then, it stands to reason why we are unable to proceed to the mock battles. In any case, let's discuss what we'll do tomorrow." Chizuru got in charge of the conversation, and we started to discuss our ideas as we walked to nowhere in particular.
Hopefully, this will turn out okay. We may have a better OS and the warning to make sure the OTH is ready, and now I know the Valkyries are at the ready if Tama can't do it, but still… I hope she can step up to the challenge.
After we agreed to simply be honest about her sniping results and how she's always on the lookout so that we don't fight as the motives for her being the leader, we then helped Tama practice giving us some orders, but she got super tense and started shivering midway through it.
Since we needed some privacy, Chizuru suggested that we went to the library to debate on what to do, and study while we were at it. The punishment only forbids me from going to the PX or the barracks, so I'm all clear on that front. Despite the whispers and nasty looks, that is. Sitting in a far away table, to not be in sight of any sudden visitors in case they had a bone to pick with me, we also picked up some books and stuff to have Tama know the procedures and junk just in case.
After debating on how to act around Tama's dad, despite her refusal to tell us what she put in the letters, our leader decided to have us do a reread of the lessons as well as the plans for the coming mock battles. Which are the same plans and formations we always used, but with me as a Gun Interceptor. Now they wanna use Meiya and Kei as our vanguard, me, Mikoto and Chizuru as our midfield, and Tama alone in the backrow. Seems like they value my vision and pacing more this time around.
"With you covering their backs, Ayamine's random charges won't diminish our chances to clear the battles, and you also could team up with Mitsurugi should she find herself alone at some point." Again making circles in the air, she explains while looking at all three of us in the eye.
"Come on, now. Don't be so harsh with Ayamine, all of us got things to polish."
"Indeed, Sakaki. We triumph and fail as a unit, singling her out shan't yield positive results." Meiya nods, arms folded.
"Sigh… I'm not." Tapping her glasses, she leans back on her chair. "I'm just telling you my priorities. I can barely keep up with Ayamine's stride, but you two can do it effortlessly. All I ask is that you remember to not stray too far if you decide to advance beyond the plan's goals." We two nod, Kei was looking at the ceiling. "Ayamine, what is your opinion?"
"I agree with the plans. Also, as long as you remember to move one breath faster I think you'll be fine." She gives her a thumbs up, finally willing to talk without sarcasm anywhere.
"I will try to put your advice to work, but I don't know how fast I'll manage to get used to that pace, so for now let's play it safe. By the way, Shirogane-kun, could you tell us how you did that aerial move?"
"Hm? Sure. The key point is in freeing the boosters for when you reach the peak height of a double jump, so that you can reposition them to perform a full boost dive. Then-"
The lesson then turned into me lecturing them on my crazy acrobatics, and how they are effectively pulled off, and how a quick random acceleration is what allows me to not crash every time I do my stunts.
It's not that I'm always at top speed, I just increase my speed to get the most impulse before hitting my target. But since I then let go of the pedals, the coming deceleration and unlocking of the jump units' positions lets me change their orientation to soften the eventual landing. Sure, the timings are really tight, but it isn't impossible to do. I mean, I can do it. That's proof enough.
"…So by knowing your craft's capabilities to such minute detail, you effectively change the psychology of the battle from your point of view." Meiya remarked, nodding with a hand on her chin. "Which is why you prefer manual controls, since they allow you to coordinate your maneuvers to the smallest detail. So it was all in minimizing the time you're in the air, while simultaneously reducing the windows where you're vulnerable to be tumbled."
"Uh… Yeah, that."
And again, she overthinks this. To be honest, while the move does have its merits, I merely use it because I'm used to it as my finisher after playing with the Kaizer too much. It's much more effective as a surprise attack or as a counter to the waves of Tanks we face, if I get enough space to prepare the jump without any of them getting onto me.
"…But the damage to the TSF is too grand." Mikoto says, reading the control logs she, somehow, had printed already. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but… well, doing so many of them is risky."
"It's okay, I know it's more of a gamble. It's an ace in the hole for a reason, it's not the consistent attack that I rely on most of the time, after all." Smiling at her, she also returns one at me.
"But it sure is amazing…" Tama says as she looks over the logs. "You three made some very precise moves at the end there."
"Yeah, the leader sniped Monster-kun really well."
"…Oi, who're you calling Monster-kun?"
"You, of course. I still can't understand how did you came up with the move." Eyes still narrowed, she reminds me of my world's Mikoto after he faced the Elef.
"Sigh… It really was a lucky shot, though." Tapping her glasses, she leans back on her seat. "But I believe all of us should at least try to perform those… double boost jumps he does."
"Just that? What about the cancels or triple jumps?"
"I… don't think I can take those." Scratching a cheek, she looks down.
"I wanna know how you spun your Fubuki when I grappled you." Kei asks, leaning closer.
"As for me, I would welcome a lesson regarding the 'cancels' you spoke of before." This time Meiya said, eyes a bit narrowed for some reason.
"What about you, Tama, Mikoto?"
"Huh? Ah, well… I think I also want to learn the cancels and the double jumps at least, if you have the time of course." Again playing with her tags, Tama gave me the lonely kitty eyes. Uuh… That's cheating. I nod at her and she beams back.
"Hmm… For starters, I also want the same as Miki-san. Once we pilot more, I'll see what I want to polish." Smiling as she kept reading the control logs, Mikoto nodded my way.
"Roger… So, well, do we have the manual around here?"
"I'll go pick it up." Kei stands up, going to the shelves.
"Bring the one about repairs, too." She nods, giving a thumbs up. Sigh… How good it is to have mended this bridge…
"Ahem…" Looking back at the table, a certain pair of eyes were spewing purple fire. "Then, should we begin with a preliminary opening, Takeru?"
"Fine, fine. Let's talk with a timer in mind, to explain the random accel to reach a double boost jump quickly. Mikoto, you have the pages of when I exited the highway ready?"
"Uh… Going by the time mark… Oh! Yeah, here they are." First giving them a look herself, gaining Chizuru's and Meiya's groaning, she then laid the pages in the center of the table.
"Alright, let's compare them to both my other moves, Sakaki's and Ayamine's jumps, and the other page with the state of our virtual machines to show the impact it has on the joints." Kei comes back, leaving the books on the table, and after clearing my throat, I then begin the explanation.
Around an hour and half later…
"…I don't get it." Kei says, slumped face first on the table.
"I'm telling you, you just gotta use one booster to begin the spin after gyrating with a single feet to ensure you remain in position. Just lightly start the jump unit and then let go, you gotta do it in one breath."
"Impossible. My wrists are gonna die."
"…I'd have to agree." Mikoto nods, sounding deflated. "I can understand the jumps, but how can you be so sure to do a cancel? If you miss the prediction, you're getting shot down."
"You just gotta move faster."
"That doesn't make any sense." She groans a bit, plucking her lips.
"Yeah, and remember that time you didn't beat me?"
"Wh- T-That's because your movements are too erratic to follow most of the time!"
"And why do you think that is?"
"Eh? Well… Because you'd get shot down otherwise?"
"Exactly. Both you and Tama give me less than a second to avoid a hit. At least I can see where you are, which makes maneuvering easier, but Tama? Yeah, I can't dodge what I can't see. Got no choice but to do random turns and accel if I want a shot at dodging her."
"C-Come on… I'm not that good…" Again playing with her tags, her gaze sinks in embarrassment.
"That's not true, you're really better than you think." Mikoto nods alongside me.
"Monster-kun speaks the truth." She says, still resting a cheek on the table.
Seeing mine and Kei's smile, Tama blushes a bit as she looks down, muttering a thanks. As sweet and humble as always.
"Sigh… It's complicated enough to just get hold of the jump timings, but to also try to predict the firing lines of the enemy?" Chizuru sighs, a hand on her forehead.
"Well, it is proof that Takeru's results are not only fruit of innate talent." Meiya says as she keeps reading the control logs alongside the maneuver manual. "He has clearly polished his knowledge much to deliver these results. And if we also pour in a similar workload, our own efforts shall certainly improve even if we cannot replicate his own quirks."
"I agree." Tapping her glasses, she leans an elbow onto the table and a hand on her chin. "Still, this merits more reading. I still can't fully grasp the image of the movements in my head."
"Yeah… Um, maybe we could leave this practice to the sims?" Mikoto taps the books and the notes they had taken, looking at the rest furtively.
"I'm on board that idea." Kei lifts a thumbs up, as well as her face off the table.
"Yes, it would be most dangerous for us to try these concepts without mastering them first." Meiya nods, as does Tama. "Takeru, could we perhaps continue these lessons during the evening trainings from now on?"
"I mean, I don't see why not. Whether it is with Takamura or the Instructor, I agree that it's better to leave this practice for the extra trainings." Wouldn't want them scoring lower numbers due to failing to do the cancels or jumps with the old OS, after all.
"Well, now that that's settled… Should we end this for today?" Chizuru looks at us, we all give a nod, except Kei who yawns. "Alright, let's put everything in place then."
Grabbing the books and papers, we began to tidy things up, the others debating what they understood of my words as I went to the shelves.
"…Hey." Kei elbowed me, a book in her hand, as the others kept talking.
"What's up?"
"Nice of you to help Tamase with her dad."
"Just doing my share, is all. Tama was always nice to me, it's only normal I'd return the favor."
"Yeah, that's right. …Sorry."
"Huh?" Placing a book in its place, I look to her. Looking down, playing with her tags, her lips moving as if unsure of what to say.
"Sorry, for being an asshole all this time."
"Hey, we already went over this. It's cool, really."
"Still… I should have known better after the CCSE… So, uh-"
"Don't say it, it's okay. I did something horrible, and it was obvious you'd be reluctant to trust in me. Let's just… try to get along from now on, okay?" Smiling at her, she nods.
"So… You really… aren't that violent, right?"
…
"…Do I… look like that in your eyes?"
"Well, when you charged at me, I was frozen. You sounded like a monster for a second as you screamed at me then, charging so fast I couldn't even react." Finally looking at me, a minuscule shaking of her lips, she gulped as she stared. "You truly… aren't a conscripted soldier?"
"Sigh… No, I'm not."
"Then, about… what you said back then… about someone needing me after I was dead…" Holding my gaze, making me feel acid down my throat again, she takes a step closer. "Who was that about?"
"…About someone I lost… to an unfortunate accident before I had to come here. Someone that, just like you, didn't want to retreat, no matter what." Exhaling as I look up, softly biting my lips, a hand goes to the back of my head as I think of those fights. "I'm no one to tell you what to do with your life, and you are right in a way. Sometimes, the red button is the only option left. Just… I'd like to believe we can work towards a better result in our fights. I know that it's impossible to have zero casualties in a mission, but… that doesn't mean I don't want to try to get them as close to zero as I can." And even if it's for the best, I don't want to use others as meat shields. Just as Sumika planned during Ouka, to have us be the sole strike force to protect all the UN vets that were going to be sent alongside us, I want to be the spearhead, the spiked pavise that'll protect the rest from those unending, unyielding hordes of BETA.
"I… see…" Her gaze dropping, a hand going to the back of her head, she stole gazes at me now, oddly hesitating in her words. "Um, then… The CCSE… was just an accident, right?"
"No, it was a mistake I chose to make. But… if you're asking if I'd do that in the future, then… No, I'm not that violent, and I don't want to be. If left with no other choice… I'll probably do something like that, but only if it is to save a life, either mine or someone else's. I know it's hard to believe me with how I pilot… but I'm not willingly doing something like that again unless I'm absolutely out of options."
Looking straight into my eyes, she then grimaces as she lowers her gaze.
"Sorry, didn't mean to accuse you or anything."
"It's okay. I… get why you'd want to confirm if you can trust someone like me."
"So…" Scratching her head, still looking down, she, very slowly, raises a hand. "Could we… start over?"
Sighing as I smile, I give her a firm handshake. She stalls a reaction, opening her eyes wide. Seems like she didn't expect me to agree so quickly.
"Really? Everything's cool?"
"Yeah, for real. I'm not telling you to let what I did go, but we can begin to work together if you think I'm worth your trust. And yeah, that means I do trust in you, Ayamine."
"…So you think I can fit in the team?"
"We're already part of it, if I fit in of course you would too. Let's do our best to get commissioned, and then we'll kick the BETA's ass back to the other end of the galaxy. Good enough for you?" Smirking at her, she finally tightens her hand around mine as she returns the smile.
"Yeah, good enough."
It's so good to see we could finally reach a truce, Kei. Here's hoping we can keep getting along from now on. Finishing our business in the library, the girls decided to go to the PX for dinner. So I said my goodbyes for the day, going to get my own dinner. At this point, even the paper bag looks tasty to me.
Going down to Hangar 90 as I ate, there I checked up on the orders I had left during morning. The design of the sword seemed to be defined already, now it was time to do the math to see if it worked. The actual production would take a lot of time, so I might not see it in action this year. The M61 was ready to be mounted, but we need some more time to double check the internals of the Takemikazuchi, we do not want to break it just to do things fast.
The rest of the weapons are coming along nicely. I also gave an explanation to the mechanics and engineers about how I saw the Blade Armor for the Shin Kagerou, with fins similar to the ones on the Super Tomcat. It would have them on its forearms, feet, legs and shoulders. That will protect it from all the Tanks and it's not that hard to do, unlike mounting a machinegun on its waist like we're trying to do for my Type-00C.
Also, I'm glad I finally got an answer on the mail. Though it'll have to wait until after tomorrow, it's good to know he was willing to hear me out. Well, let's time my steps. I do need to make sure I'm not being played here.
And since that's over and done with, I ride the elevator towards Sensei's office. Exiting and going up to the door, the usual knocking is followed by the usual ding of the thing being unlocked, and so in I go.
"Good evening, Sensei." Facing me, eyebags marked hard, she stopped typing on her PC as I approached.
"Good evening, Shirogane. Is anything wrong?" Her tone slower than usual, colder too, her eyelids lowered a tiny bit while looking at me.
"Not wrong per se, just thought I'd drop by to see how was everything."
"Under control. The Valkyries and the MPs have been briefed on the patrols required, the OTH Cannon is ready to be used at a moment's notice, and anyone who was looking the least bit suspicious has been observed by Yashiro."
"I see… Good to know. So, by the way, the Guard approached me today."
Then, she looked into my eyes, saying nothing. A hand on her chin, a stone-cold mask.
"…What did you tell them?"
"Nothing much. Just answered with bits I remembered during the sessions. I'm not sure if they bought it, but they pressed for three things. To see who gave me the blade, to know when I arrived here, and if I was planning to go to the Capital to fix the databases. They left me alone after that, without any real hostile signs."
"…Is that so."
…
"…You did know they approached me this time?"
"Yes, I was informed. Don't worry, your cover is air tight. And I am sure you've no plans to go to the Capital, so if you think they at least believed some of your words, there's nothing else to do. Now it's time to see how they react to what you told them."
"Well, you're right. So, I know you're busy but, can I see Kasumi today?"
"Hm? Yes, why would you not?" Narrowing her eyes a bit, she leans forward.
"I mean, you may need her for something or the other, it's not like I can waltz in to see her whenever I want."
"…Fair enough. She should be free for the moment, if she's done with what I asked of her. If she's in the cylinder room, then you're free to go there. Remember to wear the headband if you perform a memory recovery." Sighing a bit, she then looked back at the screen of her laptop.
"…Is everything really okay, Sensei?"
"Hm? Yes, why do you ask?"
"Besides the fact that you're being awfully cold? Is it something I can't help with?"
After again holding my gaze in silence for a sec, she begins to spin slowly. Leaning back onto her seat, looking up, she folds her arms.
"…I'm merely taking care of many issues all at once. The 00 Unit, the papers to present for the coming operation in Sadogashima, the formal request to host a trial for the XM3 and ask for the XG line, as well making sure the ones responsible for the drop of the HSST are nowhere near this base."
"The ones… Do you think it's those terrorists you told me about before?"
"You don't need to know that, for now." Wow, back to the dry ice tone, huh. "So, I'm not in the mood for long talks today. If you dealt with the Guards well enough, then that's that. Tomorrow is a very important day, so do try to rest well. I'm busy now, so if that's all be on your way."
"…Roger. Later."
Didn't even get to sit down, huh. Whatever… This is on me for coming here in high spirits after how good things went today. I forgot… who I came to talk with, of course she'd just leave me in the dark again. If it's something serious enough to make her look like that…
Sigh… No point in delving too much on this, it's on her if she doesn't want to talk it out. After all… She's neither the Yuuko I worked side by side last loop nor the one I supported after everything was over in my first loops. This time… our goals differ, in a way. But this is just further proof, now that she's tired she dropped the mask.
Exiting her office, I try to enter the creepy hallway and the door slides open as usual. Making it to the cylinder room, I see Kasumi near it as usual. She turns around, moving her bunny ears when she seems me.
"Hey, Kasumi. How's it going?"
"Good evening, Takeru-san. Everything is fine."
"I see… So, check this out! I finally managed to make Kei and Chizuru try to get along."
"Really? But they seemed too stubborn…"
"Haha, yeah, they are. Luckily I could get my point across, even if I got a bit emotional back there. How about you? Is work going well?" I get closer, petting her head. She moves her bunny ears as I do, nodding.
"Yes, today I started since early morning, but we made good progress. But I can't tell you about it."
"I know, I know. It's top secret, after all. Just knowing you're holding up fine is enough." Seeing her faint like when we did the transfers is not something I'd like to repeat, after all.
"So, did you want to do another recovery session?"
"Only if you're feeling fine. We can play games if you're too tired." Narrowing her brows a bit, she looks right into my eyes.
"I can do it." Clear like a summer sky, her gaze seems honest, and her voice sounds as usual so she isn't lying.
"Alright. Thanks as always, Kasumi." Again patting her head, this time ruffling her hair a bit, I smile back at her.
"…It's nothing, I'm always ready to help you. So, um, what did you want to see? Something of the Guard?"
"No, today… I wanna see something of his family. Something of when we lived here. I dunno, how did he and Sumika met, where or who are my parents in this world… Just that it has to be short since tomorrow's schedule is packed already."
"I know… Then, let's start." Grabbing my sleeve real tight, she dragged me closer to the cylinder. "Could you try to think about Sumika-san this time? We can try the rest tomorrow, if you'd like." Hesitating like a cat seeing water, her grasps on my arm eased up as I sat down besides her.
"Of course. After all, it's thanks to you I can even see these memories. Just don't exhaust yourself, okay?"
"Yes, I won't. Leave it to me." Then, she went to pick up the weird-looking headband, and once I put it on she hugged my back, resting her head on it.
I closed my eyes, feeling the tingly sensation once more. Again thinking about boats and floating on water, I let the feeling cover me whole as a distant light slowly made its way into the center of my view.
November 28th, 1988. 07:34 AM.
(Hiiragi District. Sumika's House.)
Light poured through the window, a cool breeze accompanying it. The soft sounds of early morning on the street, the chirping of a frying pan as an egg dove into the oil, and the humming of a woman decorated the kitchen of the Kagami household.
Haruna Kagami was preparing breakfast while listening to the news, stealing glances at the house next door. She couldn't help to wonder what kind of people were her new neighbors. It was truly odd that someone would buy a house in this precise moment, with all prices on the rise. "Hopefully, they're nice people and we can get along," she thought to herself.
"Sumika, breakfast is ready!"
Her call went unanswered, to which the woman let out a sigh. Climbing the stairs she went to her daughter's room, where she found Sumika reading a book by her bed.
"Sumika, come on. Breakfast is ready. You have to go to school." Haruna said as she ruffled her daughter's hair.
The little girl gave a nod and left the book atop her bed.
Haruna couldn't help to keep gazing at the small frame of Sumika as they went back to the dining room and as they ate.
It has been four months already since they were notified of her husband's death during an accident during maintenance, as a leak in a jump unit caused an explosion when he and his team were servicing said TSF.
Ever since then, Sumika's smile grew duller and duller until one day she stopped smiling. According to the people she talked with at school, it started when one of her teachers openly badmouthed Sumika's father. Since some of the kids have been treating her harshly, calling her names and being mean to her, Sumika stopped talking with the kids in her class, choosing to remain silent most of the time.
Some people in the neighborhood called her father a failure, a disappointment to the Empire. Kids can be really cruel when they want to, and after hearing some adults insult the Kagami family, they did what kids usually do: imitate the adults, since that's what they want to be. Some teachers scolded them, others encouraged them.
The schism that had been planted in Japan was to blame. You're either loyal to the Empire or you're with the foreigners. Those who cannot meet the expectations of the Empire, those who are not useful to society, become disappointments, failures, mistakes, and are scorned by a growing part of society, that thinks that failing to meet the expectations of the Shogun equals treason, since you're wasting the trust His Highness placed on you.
While small at first, due to the increased tension between the Shogun loyalists and the American supporters, this radicalized nationalist ideas have been popping up more and more on the media and in the general population's attitude as of late.
Obviously, all of that was above little Sumika's understanding. All she saw was people being mean to her and her Dad's memory. And the more sad she got, the more the other kids wanted to bully her. Only a few stood up for her, but she was alone in her classes. So, she simply stopped talking. She didn't react when the others were mean, she didn't talk with the teachers. She was too scared to do so, because the bullying would worsen whenever she spoke up.
Once Sumika finished eating she went to get her bag, and after her Mom fixed herself they were ready to leave towards school. However, as they got out to the street, they saw a slender woman coming out of the house next door. With chestnut hair done on a single hairbun and dressed in a modest orange and white dress, the woman had a child dressed in the same uniform of Sumika's school with a rather small bag on his back. They were also going to school, and when they looked at Sumika and her mom as they approached them, the woman gave them court bow.
"Good afternoon. I believe you're my neighbor? I am Miho Shirogane. I just moved to the house next door. It's a pleasure." The woman introduced herself very politely. Haruna, however, was surprised by how pale she looked.
"Likewise. I'm Haruna Kagami, the pleasure is mine." She smiled at her new neighbor, returning the bow. "This is my daughter, Sumika. Come on, dear, introduce yourself." Sumika looks at them, not coming out from behind her, and tells them her name softly.
"My, how cute. Hello, Sumika-chan. I'm Miho Shirogane, and this is my son. Takeru, why don't you-"
The boy stepped towards the new people and with a big smile greeted them before his mother even finished speaking.
"I'm Takeru, who are you?"
Miho heaved a sigh, no longer surprised at her son's lack of manners. Haruna, however, thought it might be a stroke of luck to have another kid nearby. She held the hope that maybe the Shiroganes weren't going to judge them because of her husband's fate, and that the little boy could maybe be a friend to her daughter.
"I'm Haruna Kagami, Takeru-chan. Say, can you be friends with Sumika and play together from time to time?" The boy gave her a nod with a wide smile, and then circled towards Sumika.
"I'm Takeru, let's be friends Sumika!" He then promptly grabbed her hand and shakes it vigorously. Sumika seemed to be at a loss towards the boy, who clearly didn't care at all about her personal space.
"S-Sorry about Takeru, he really doesn't understand manners." Miho said, giving Haruna a small bow with an apologetic expression. "Takeru, come here. You're being rude."
"Why? She told me to be friendly." The boy pouted at his mother, causing her to sigh again.
"It's fine, really. It would be nice if they could get along." Haruna answered, pleased with Takeru's open friendliness. Sumika was still looking at him as he returned to his mother's side, as one hair of hers stood in attention.
"Forgive him if he ever bothers you. He just doesn't know to give others space." Miho said as she petted the little boy's head.
On the way to the school the mothers chatted along. Haruna told Miho of the layout of the district, as well as the people she should watch out for. She was surprised by her new neighbor's politeness and the general warmness of her speech. Since Haruna had gotten used to not speak much with her neighbors, she thought it was really nice to have someone like that to talk to.
However, to Haruna's surprise, Takeru kept making talk with Sumika about the smallest things. The sweets she likes, the manga she reads. She found the way he talked to be really funny, and had to cover her mouth on many occasions when he argued with his mother about how he was treating Sumika. Her daughter wasn't bothered by him, though, unlike how was around most people she met back then. The boy's earnest friendliness seemed to have piqued her curiosity, even if she feared he would be mean to her once they were in school.
"So, how old is Takeru-chan?" Haruna then asked.
"Hmm? He's turning six in a few days." Miho said with a small smile as she gazed at the boy that kept talking to Sumika with a bright expression on his face.
"So he's the same age as Sumika. So they may be going to the same grade."
"This is such a stroke of luck!" she thought. If he ended up on Sumika's class maybe they really could be friends, that's what Haruna was hoping for.
"I see. It would be nice if they could become friends." Miho said what she had just was thought of, wishing for her son to find good company in Hiiragi.
"Yes, I hope they do." So Haruna agreed to her words.
They reached the school and the little ones went their way. Miho had to remind Takeru to not be rude, to which the boy puffed his cheeks and protested again. Haruna simply petted Sumika, telling her to try to enjoy her day.
"Sigh… I hope he behaves as he should." Miho clasped her hands as she looked at them as they entered the building.
"Is he usually so relaxed?" Haruna asked, causing the chestnut haired woman to sigh.
"All the time! I can't get him to be polite no matter how much I try. He's so stubborn."
Both mothers turned around and started going back their way, and Miho chose to speak up.
"Um… Thanks for accompanying me, Kagami-san."
"No, it was a pleasure. It's been a while since I got to talk at large with a neighbor. Lately everybody has been really tense." Miho groaned in agreement.
"The news have been filled with bad omens lately. With how the IJA is falling behind in some tech program to how bad the situation looks on Asia. It's really worrying."
"Going by her face, she must have a close relative on duty. Maybe her husband?", thought Haruna. She chose to change the subject, to avoid being asked about her opinion on the whole militar situation.
"Anyways, it's really nice, this neighborhood. It might not have as many stores as the northern part of the city, but it's still really nice. And since there's the base close we're safe from any kind of thugs. By the way, did you want to ask anything in particular?" Haruna tilted her head, and Miho gave her a small nod as she scratched the back of her head.
"Yes, actually I was hoping you could point me towards a grocery store nearby. F-Forgive me for troubling you, I'm sure you must be busy." However, Haruna smiled brightly and replied amicably.
"Shirogane-san, what do you say of going together? I also have to buy some things, so if you don't mind waiting for a bit, I could tag along with you."
"I would really appreciate that, Kagami-san. But please don't go out of your way, it's alright. Just tell me where the store is, I don't wish to trouble you."
"No, no, it's fine really! Since we're neighbors, let's try to get along. You know, trust in your fellows and all that."
Haruna hoped she wouldn't be like the rest, but she chose her last words as a test, to see how she reacted. However, Miho smiled warmly, happy to have already found someone friendly in the neighborhood, and thus made a mental note to repay the favor.
"Thank you. I really appreciate your kindness."
Both mothers didn't knew it, but with this seemingly innocent exchange they had set their children's doom in motion.
Same Day. Some time after that.
(School.)
The bell rang and the kids joyfully relaxed on their seats. Lunch break had just started, which meant food and games, and running away from math while they were at it.
Some girls glared at Sumika, so she chose to remain sitting instead of going out of the classroom. As always. She didn't look up from her seat as she took out her lunch. Everybody would just go and play without her, and if she tried to be friendly she would only be the receiver of more pranks anyways. No matter what she did, though, they would just be mean again when it was time to go back home.
"Hey, are you okay?" A boy was standing in front of Sumika's desk. The boy she met just a few hours ago, Takeru Shirogane looked at her rather worriedly.
"…Yes." Startled by the boy's stare, she couldn't really think of an answer.
Was he already coming to be mean with her? She did saw him talk with most of the other boys, she feared he already thought like the rest.
"Can I eat lunch with you?" The boy asked. Sumika gave a timid nod and he returned a smile.
Bringing a desk closer, he sat in front of her as he took out his lunch. Takeru started talking to her, asking about the last class. He was apparently bad at math, and so was Sumika. However, she felt no malice from him, he wasn't trying to mock her. It reminded her of the school life of just a few months ago, when everyone was friendly to her. However, a question appeared on her heart as the boy smiled at her.
"…Why?" She managed to squeeze out her worry.
"Eh? Why what?" Takeru replied, brows furrowing.
"Why are you being nice?"
It wasn't the first time it happened. Someone would talk to her and be nice, only to later pull a prank on her and laugh along the rest. Why was this new boy being nice to her, when the rest of the class had wanted to talk to him too? It perplexed her, it didn't made sense to her eyes.
"Aren't we friends?" Takeru's honest answer startled Sumika again. It had been quite some time since someone called her 'friend'.
"Really? You're not lying?" She looked at him unblinking, but he smiled widely at her as he nodded.
"Yes, let's be friends. Or… you don't want to?"
Takeru was now uneasy. He was told many times he was 'rude' and some adults didn't like him for some reason. He didn't understand why people got mad at him when he was only trying to be nice. The other kids on his last school were also really mean to him, they said the samurais were bad and since his Dad worked for them, they treated him badly. Which meant he ended up being scolded for punching them, since they were insulting his Dad and the samurais.
"…No, um… Then, we're friends?" Sumika asked with bated breath.
Takeru nodded again, and began to ask her questions about her hobbies again, happy to have found a friend already. For the first time in a long time, she was enjoying her lunch break and he had another kid his age to talk to.
The rest of the classes went by quickly for Sumika and slowly for Takeru. History was something neither of them was good at, but Sumika was so really happy to have been called friend again that she didn't mind paying attention even if she didn't understand the meaning behind the names on her book, while Takeru was again complaining to himself about how useless it was to remember so many dates, making the class seem longer to him.
Some kids tried to make fun of Sumika when school was over, but Takeru scared them away to their and Sumika's surprise. He got scolded for punching two of them, but, very firmly and loudly, he retorted saying he was right to defend a friend.
This caused the teachers to again start arguing, some saying that it was wrong to allow bullying on the school, others defending the act, saying they were just drawing a line between them and 'the failure'. Both mothers took their children quickly and with a fast apology they made their way to their homes, not wanting to be part of the political debate between the teachers.
"You shouldn't punch others, but thanks for defending Sumika, Takeru-chan." Haruna petted the boy's head in thankfulness.
"Takeru, I've told you many times you don't have to get angry so quickly." Miho admonished him, causing him to yet again pout at her.
"But they were bad. Dad told me I have to stop people that are being bad." He rebuked, puffing his cheeks.
"Even so, no punching. Or I won't let you watch TV at night." The color drained from the boy's face, making Haruna laugh at his reaction.
"Um…" Sumika spoke up faintly, drawing the other's attention. "Thanks. Can we… Can we be friends?"
"But I already told you we're friends?" Takeru again tilted his head in confusion, not understanding why Sumika kept asking the same thing over and over.
Yet his honest answer startled the girl once more, who could do nothing more than stare at him as one of her hairs tensed up in surprise. She didn't understand as well. Why was he so nice with her? Why did he defend her? Sumika kept wondering about that as she gazed at him.
"Aren't you glad, Sumika?" Haruna stroked her daughter's hair softly as she smiled.
Sumika still hadn't smiled and remained with her poker face, but she was happy nonetheless. She hoped Takeru wasn't lying, she hoped that he was really her friend. He kept asking her questions about what shows she watched or what books she reads on their way home.
She diligently did her homework as usual before dinner, unlike Takeru who was slumped on the table refusing to open his history book again for the remainder of the day, much to his mother's displeasure.
Much to Sumika's surprise, his room was right by her window, so he also reached out to her before going to sleep, asking her about what she ate on dinner and telling her of the TV manga he watched before going to bed. Sumika again summoned some valor to open her lips and ask him another question that was bugging her, despite how her tiny hands were shaking, and not because of the cold of the night.
"…Aren't you scared?" She asked timidly in the middle of one of his explanations.
"Scared? Of what?" He replied dumbfounded.
"Of the others in school. If you're my friend, they'll be mean to you too." Sumika was happy to be called a friend again, but she didn't want Takeru to be treated like she was.
It made her sad to think he would also be made fun of like she was, that he would also end up alone, that he might hate her for it. In the end, all the kids on her class that were once her 'friends' stopped talking to her when the others started to being mean with her. However, Takeru tensed his brows, raised one fist and spoke loudly with little flares on his eyes.
"They're the bad ones! I'm not scared of bad people. The blue samurais don't fear them, so I don't too." The boy puffed his chest proudly. Sumika didn't understand what he meant, but was surprised to see him be so brave. "So you don't be scared, we just tell the teachers when they're being bad with us. Or we punch them."
"But your mom told you to not do that." She countered as her eyes drew a downwards arc, worried about him being scolded for helping her.
"Guh… Fine, no punching." 'I'll just kick them then!', he thought to himself as he smiled. "But anyways! I'll lend you some of my mangas later." He said, hoping to have someone to talk about his favorite books.
"R-Really?"
"Yes! I'll share them with you if you want. Or we can read them together on Sunday."
The two little ones kept talking for a while, until Miho came to check up on Takeru. The boy then said his good nights and closed his curtains after waving at her one last time with yet another of those wide smiles. Sumika remained by the window, her nose barely above the lower frame, thinking about him. Before going to sleep, she looked up at the night sky, wishing this day wasn't a dream, hoping Takeru wouldn't end up being mean to her.
Since then, the two became nigh inseparable. Takeru would drive away the girls that bullied Sumika, and she would help him with his homework. He would always have a joke to make her laugh, and she would always cover him when he played a prank on the boys that bothered them. Both would read books together and share sweets and toys, to the point that sometimes the mothers and the two little ones ate dinner together in one of the houses. And they'll always spend some time talking by their windows before going to sleep.
Since then, Sumika slowly began to smile again everyday. Since then, both kids made more friends from the other classes, and so were no longer bullied anymore. Since then, Takeru always had someone to talk to when he felt alone or scared. Even if he had the tendency to show her scary things and she would end up sometimes punching his tummy too hard, they still were each other's best friend.
…
…Until one day, Takeru left Sumika's everyday life.
He would only come home during the weekends, full of bruises and scars. Despite his exhaustion, souvenirs for her were always on his bag, a wide smile always rose up when they met again, and he still spent his little free time with her during those days.
But he was no longer there in school or by the window. The rest of the gang were still friendly with him, they all gathered at a park to play during Sunday. But it wasn't the same. And because of that…
…Sumika couldn't help to slowly start resenting the girl Takeru always talked about when he came back. Unaware of when this started, the desire that 'Yuuhi' somehow disappeared had been sowed into her heart. She didn't realize it at the time, but she had fallen in love with him and was terribly jealous of this 'Yuuhi' who, in her eyes, had taken Takeru from her side.
So, despite the shaking of her hands, of how empty her stomach was at the time, she confronted Takeru about it once. He then told her he couldn't come back, he had to train much to follow his dream. Sumika's left speechless, she didn't want him to give up on his dream of being a samurai, but she also wished to have him by her side everyday again. However, unexpectedly to her, Takeru hugged her and made a promise. That he would always come back. That this was his home. That he wouldn't forget about her.
She was elated to hear that, all the awful feelings washed away as he tightened the hug and smiled at her as he always had done. Because it meant that his home was by her side. That he was studying away, but that he would come back. Even if it reminded her of her father's promise when he left to the army, she believed they would be able to be together one day. Even if it hurt seeing him leave every Sunday night.
She really thought her feelings would someday be reciprocated by him, and that then he would once more remain close to her, never to leave again.
…Sumika could never have thought that her affection towards him would end up fueling the blazes of what would eventually be Takeru's downfall after Yokohama fell.
She could never, not in any possible way, have thought that her pure affection would become one of the reasons, if not the core one, why the man once known as Takeru Shirogane became what many people in the Empire would refer to as a heretic samurai, why he ended up becoming something even Yuuhi was at one point terrified of.
Sumika could never have guessed that his happy memories of her would turn intowhat pushed Takeru to become the leader of the Special Investigations Brigade of the Intelligence Division of the Royal Guard, codename Swordbreakers, as he then embarked in a quest for revenge… and redemption.