Muv-Luv Reversal

by Zuoriel

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

80. Nidhogg & Freyja

A/N: A lot of stuff coincided in this chapter so it got really long and tedious at times. I decided to place all the 'infodumps' here to avoid bringing it all up at other times, and bring the story to the point it was before the rewrite faster.

I concur maybe not all it was 'needed', but decided to roll with it just in case some stuff wasn't clear enough. I know the pacing is slower than a snail, but I hope what little milestones are ahead don't feel out of place. On one hand, I managed to minimize a lot of the explanations from the OG Ch 51 so I'm happy. On the other, this is still over 20k words, so yeah :/. It kinda sucks seeing I can't write shortform to save my life.

Also, a small warning. I don't think I can make Yuuko justice. I've tried, I've thought hard about the characterization, but I am not happy with the result and I know canon Yuuko wouldn't let things play out as they do. I don't think I can write her better as I am now, to find credible reasons for her to go along with the plot more than anything, so brace yourself for some OOC-ness from her. I decided to just roll with it and stop fretting over Yuuko, if I ever manage to grip onto a proper voice for her I'll try and fix the dialogues then.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading. Stay safe.

Zuoriel

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Chapter 80:

Nidhogg & Freyja

---

December 4th. A few minutes before 8 PM.

(In front of the changing rooms.)

[Marimo]

---

"-and that is the whole theory behind my spinning attacks, ma'am," Shirogane ends with a nod, still standing in attention by the exit of the changing rooms, back to his fatigues.

My feet move backwards on their own as I rub my forehead, running a finger across it as I sigh the cloud of needles from myself. There are some parts I do comprehend of the explanation, but the whole 'stun-lock' on the sensors was beyond me. To his credit, all those savage maneuvers truly did meet their mark. If Shirogane had a more robust TSF at his disposal, I fear to imagine what could he come up with. If there are any leftover Takemikazuchi units from that unexpected delivery we had before when he eventually joins the STF, he might end up committing war crimes against the BETA.

Isumi, you have my condolences whenever it is you're left dealing with that. At least I only have to oversee Shirogane under his cadet regime while he has locked jump thrusters and a base Gekishin at this disposal. Merely thinking on what acrobatics he could try even with a Shiranui is enough for fissures to crack up once more on the back of my head.

"Still, with a theory backing your moves or not, attempting them with a Fubuki against so many opponents was madness. If you are still allowed to partake in mock battles, you are forbidden to engage in these maneuvers of yours, Shirogane," I order, folding my arms.

He nods, a slight delay as his features compact in dejection. "Understood, ma'am."

"In any case, you truly did break any and all records we had for that level," I admit, sighing.

What few onlookers remained in the sim room simply were left speechless, and the other five also lost their voice at the utter massacre he caused in the simulation. Even Hayase was completely flabbergasted at the results, although I believe the evil stare she and Munakata were giving him was unwarranted. It was almost as if they had seen the ghost of an old nemesis appear before them.

"To be fair, I did try and fight to the best of my abilities," he says, raising a finger as he nods. "You could say I… remembered something important, and decided to try and see if I could bring myself to," his eyes veer upwards, but the ceiling is not what the steeled gaze is looking at, "burn everything in front of me to cinders."

"…That is quite the, ahem, violent turn of phrase, don't you think?"

"Doesn't make it any less accurate, though," he counters as he nods, scratching an ear.

"While that is true, you do realize such aggressive patterns will only garner further attention onto your person, right? As effective as your run was, you fought as if you were out for blood, Shirogane," I state, holding his gaze.

That then burrows away, shoulders and lips sinking and sinking. Until from beneath the beaten expression raises steeled tension, a sharp inhalation, once he meets my stare again. "Well, can I be level with you, Instructor?"

"You mean, honest? Feel free to speak as you will," I nod, he sighs and returns the gesture.

To then fold his arm and tighten his face further, releasing the pin of his temper. "I don't give a fuck what a no-name random character may have to say or think about me. I'm gonna keep doing what I believe is best to deliver victory in the battlefield."

"Your cadet course is not a battlefield, Shirogane. And even then, I am not training you to be a killing machine. Such a high-speed line-piercing approach cannot be replicated by an element, and even if it worked out in the sim, it is only worth as a last gambit for when you're out of options. I understand the frustration you might be feeling at this turn of events, more considering what transpired during the CCSE, but do not let your vision become tunneled into a single road. That is not… a mindset you should embrace, believe me."

"I stand by my words, ma'am. And still, better to have the out for those scenarios, right?" He retorts, standing stiff, never lifting his gaze from mine. "After all, I never know when my superiors will ask me to volunteer to hold the line on my own."

"…What?"

"Surely you know what I'm talking about, Major Jinguuji," blazes behind the thicket of smoke, the same torn and burning expression I saw in the mirror… when I was lost as the Reaper… "My superiors won't hesitate to accept any 'volunteers' that want to depart to the frontlines, even if it means leaving a lone soldier to hold the entire firmament on its back."

"…I did not know you were aware of my prior rank," I inquire, leaning forward, eyes narrowing, their backside hurting for a moment.

"I'm not holding anything against you, ma'am."

"Is that so. Then, why bring this up?" Why use the same words… I employed back then?

Yes, I couldn't reject any volunteers to send to patch up the vanguard since I had to coordinate the troop's movements, I couldn't risk myself to be shot down and leave all of them on their own. Not even once did that work out, I knew I was sending them to their deaths. I guess, that's where my nickname came from. The call of the Reaper, the strike of the scythe, Jinguuji's order to assist the vanguard.

…When was it that I simply started thinking it couldn't be helped and kept on sending numbers at the BETA just to reach the arbitrary goal of the mission? When did I stop thinking on keeping them alive? When was it… that the same scorching expression that I'm gazing upon started making its way into my comrades' faces and mine?

But how does he- No, why does he know? Was it all a mere coincidence he used those words? Or Yuuko… did you tell him?

Not relenting under my stare, unblinking and stoic, the pressure slides off him like water off a cliff, failing to erode anything at all. "Because I believe these moves are necessary for the future," he affirms in slow words, giving the wall a small hit. "These 'savage maneuvers' are what could make a difference in the frontlines, I believe. So I'm going to continue to employ and hone them, until I can reca- recommend others to imitate them. Regardless of whatever whispers may brew about me, I ain't going to back down from this, ma'am. So, I must insist that you grant me permission to employ them during the simulations, at the least," he asks, bowing down.

"…And if this course of action causes you and the squad further setbacks?"

He smirks again, scoffing lightly. "Don't worry, Instructor. If I fall, it'll be on my own. Be sure of it."

"Even if the squadron doesn't suffer any repercussions from your actions, you, as a soldier, should know that-"

"And you should know who brought me here, and what duties lay on my shoulders, ma'am."

"What? Excuse me, what does that mean?" I shoot a gaze across the nearby area, only finding Yashiro awaiting us to finish down the hallway. Still, I slash the distance between us, lowering into a whisper. "Shirogane, is this also related to your special missions then?"

And he looks down, heaving a sigh. "I cannot tell you anything, ma'am. But there are certain… metrics, let's call them, that I need to clear in my personal missions. For what is expected of me…" frowning, eyes set alight, "to ensure tomorrow never becomes yesterday, there are a few things I need to achieve." Sighing, throwing his full weight against the wall, he looks at me, or rather, in my direction. "Mastering the spins is but one of such objectives. As badly as this might sound to your ears, I cannot allow the opinions of any third party to impair my performance. So, if you forgive my bluntness, I do not give a single fuck about what any other soldier in this base has to say about my attitude or performance. They're gonna have to beat me in a cockpit before I change my ways."

I backhand the air, exhaling through clenched teeth. "And what of your career? Your records will be affected by this way of acting. Surely you are aware of how detrimental this will be for you."

"Instructor," he chuckles, yet as he smiles a few teeth sink onto his bottom lip, "you and I both know I most certainly won't be alive to see 2002 start. The STF does have a shitty survival rate, after all."

"H-Huh? What… did you…" I gulp, it feels as if it were pure ice. His eyes don't waver, the almost battered expression leaves after a slow shake of his head. "…How much do you know? And why haven't I received a report on this?"

"Because you won't be getting a report," he answers immediately, regaining the usual cheer to his small, almost corporate, smile. "This business is exclusively between me and Vice Commander Kouzuki, since it is the only reason why I came to this place, why I'm still here." Leaving the wall, back to a formal posture, he then gives me a bow. "So please don't feel obligated to show me any deference. There's no need for you to concern yourself with me, even though I thank you for the time you gave me to, well, get myself together after my run, and for having escorted me here."

"Sigh… I couldn't simply let you go on your own with how you dizzy the run had left you," I again rub my forehead, turning away to walk in a small circle for a second. "And Yashiro came personally to look for you, so I assume another mission is already on your tab. You will have some free time to speak with your squadmates tomorrow, I assume?"

"If Vice Commander Kouzuki doesn't send me flying to another world," he notes with a nod.

"You believe that might be the case?" I stare, he again shrugs while making that battered expression.

"The cards are on the table, Instructor. If I don't draw anything that saves me, do you think she'd show me any mercy?" He whispers, looking down, crashing down.

"This newfound attitude of yours doesn't have anything to do with the Royal Guard, does it?" He closes his eyes, saying nothing even if I wait for a moment. "Look Shirogane, I know you have your special missions and you cannot speak of them, and the fixation the guards have had with you is abnormal, yet if there is anything you believe I could do, do not hesitate to tell me."

"I don't think you could change the Vice Commander's decision, ma'am."

"Even so, you're too skilled a recruit to let you go over a mistake in a mock battle. It's-"

"Ma'am," narrowing his eyes, again endowing the corporate smile, "as you told us at the end of the CCSE, there is no evidence that supports me not being an aggressive element. And just like then, you should simply limit yourself to following your orders."

"Cadet, you will not interrupt me while-"

"Then, why didn't you warn me of the report you were going to send regarding the refusal to take my squadmates' testimony back then?" He takes a step forward, glaring as if seeing BETA.

"I was under orders, cadet. You should know that there is purpose behind every directive issued by the XO."

"Then keep following your orders, Major," he again goes to rest onto the wall, both hands behind his head. "All of this, all that has gone wrong is on me. If I had been smarter, none of this shit would have happened. There's no reason to concern yourself with the problems of another, after all a soldier should not push its burdens onto others," he states, spewing air from his nose as a bull, frowning as if surrounded in the Red Zone.

…That damned phrase. I know they need to steel themselves, they need to know how to deal with the regulations that with this position come… but I never intended said line to be used as a crux to abandon someone to their own issues, for anyone to isolate themselves within their own mind.

"Taking responsibility and refusing a helping hand are not one and the same thing, Shirogane," I affirm, louder, a lump of coal burning the base of my neck. "Also," I take a step closer, my shadow blocking the light from his neutral features, "do not be as foolish as to think you're required to take everything on your own, you are part of an organization for a reason. If there are any issues regarding other soldiers harassing you, no matter their affiliation or rank, you come to me and I'll see that they don't cause any problems twice," I nod his way, tensing my expression as he raises a brow.

"What, you think you can simply ignore the Vice Commander's orders without repercussions?"

"It's true I cannot dissuade the XO if her decision is set, but I do not believe she'd discard you or welcome the notion of you, or anyone really, being harassed or hurt. It would set quite the awful precedent, and this issue is no longer only about you, Shirogane, but about how this base chooses to deal with whatever troubling views its crew might harbor."

"An individual's problems are used to bring forth the cracks in the overall structure, huh…" For some reason, he smiles faintly, playing with a strand of hair.

"That is right. I understand your concerns, but they are unwarranted. Also, I assume you know… how starved we are for pilots."

"Well, kind of," he shrugs, scratching his head, still not meeting my eye.

"Then, I want none of this contrarian act from now on. You are part of this base, and it is the duty of your superiors to take notice of whatever interpersonal issues you might be subjected to. If you are deemed the root cause… then your concerns will become truth, but I choose to believe in the temperance you've shown since the return from the island. So cadet Shirogane, ensure you remain acting in a proper manner befitting of the goals imposed by the XO, and that you desire to achieve."

Looking down, inhaling slowly, he gives me a quick bow, a ripple in his voice. "Thank you for the gesture, Instructor. If it is something I believe can be shared, I'll try to find the time to consult with you."

"Good. Now then, while there are a mountain of questions on my mind, Yashiro is waiting," I sigh, seeing the girl again move those odd bunny ears while staring, stealing gazes our way, "so I will only ask one last thing. Shirogane, what are you allowed to tell me of what transpired when you, well, attacked 1st Lt Tsukuyomi at the end of the mock battle?"

"…And why would you be asking such a thing, Instructor, ma'am?" He inquires, his features solidifying as he stares back.

I can't help but to dry my mouth at the forced manners, the death stare he's giving me. It's almost like a reflection into days long gone. "Your squadmates were present when your Gekishin was brought to the hangar, were you told of what transpired then?" He shakes his head while raising a brow, so I tell him of that little mess. We both sigh at the outcome. "They had a small argument over what had truly transpired later, and the pressure of the whispers and stares clearly showed its marks in their trainings today."

"You think they don't want me around anymore?" He asks, looking down, again giving little hits to the wall.

"No, that's not it. I believe they'd welcome your return with open arms, honestly. Still, I doubt they'll keep their inquiries quiet after your stunning performance in the sim. More so if you continue to employ such violent patterns of piloting. While I do not believe it will become an issue, I am concerned about how some of them might react if you, well, state as you did before that you've no intention to change your ways."

"Lemme try and guess. You think Mitsurugi is gonna snap at me?"

"Sigh… Yes, I do. Even if not openly, I do believe she will make her stronger opinions known to you. Can you have a talk with her, try and find a common ground?"

He looks down, hiding his hands on both pockets, resting on the wall again. "It's all up to her, but I will try to explain myself as well as I can, from within my boundaries."

"That is all I ask. You didn't really aim to hurt 1st Lt Tsukuyomi back then, I'm certain."

An eyebrow twitches, he winces. "You should know no plan survives a battle, ma'am. Sometimes, you end up pitted against situations you never thought of, hurting people you didn't meant to… but that's how the dice rolled, no one is to blame. Not me, not those who stood against me." Placing a hand on his cheek, rubbing, mending it, a single teeth digs into his upper lip. "After a cannon ball is fired, it can only keep going forward. Whether it hits an ally or an enemy, it's all the same to it. And there are times… when all you can do is light the fuse and move onward, no matter what stands ahead, even if it's an ally."

"That's a rather… somber take, for a cadet. Are you not regretting this turn of events?"

Cracks and fissures remain open all across his face, he looks down and his long bangs hide his eyes from sight as again heaves a sigh. "It doesn't matter what I say after the fact. People will believe what they want to, my words be damned."

"…Would you like to talk of what happened? You did say she spoke words that riled you up, right?" I ask, taking a step forward, trying to pat his shoulder.

He hurries away, as if my hand were a scorching oven, still wincing. "It's fine, don't worry about it, ma'am." Taking a second to inhale deeply, he stands in attention and salutes me. "I cannot make any promises regarding my… explanations for the squad, or if they'll be enough to appease Mitsurugi in particular, but I won't let my presence be a detriment to the training. I'll remain as silent as a shadow if that's what it takes to keep the peace up. All I ask is that you allow me to polish my new tactics, when it is possible."

He remains in place, not faltering upon my stare, not even as I raise my chin and dive into his eyes does he relent a reaction. So I nod, returning the salute. "Fine, I suppose. I shall be waiting for you at roll call tomorrow morning then, cadet. You're dismissed."

He smiles one last time, turning around and going his way to the stairs. His march remains undaunted as Yashiro tries to catch up, caught off guard by the end of our talk and the speed of his steps.

…What the hell happened to cause such a reaction? Shirogane did have moments of seriousness, when his gaze would sharpen and cut deep. The end of the CCSE being the clearest one, for example. Yet, the almost scarred manner in which his eyes constricted, the knot he was fighting as he spoke, what happened to you in these days?

…Yuuko, you wouldn't truly forsake him, right? Even if the guards asked for retribution to fall upon 'the traitor', we can't afford to lose such an ace recruit. Even less when the IRG provoked this whole affair, asking to partake in our mock battles and with a Takemikazuchi, to boot. But considering how she answered to my call, and Shirogane's reactions as we spoke more than anything, there is something that went very wrong of which I am not aware of.

…Is simply watching over him all I can afford? Even as he seems about to fall down the same hole I fell in? Again, only able to do what I can, what's in my hands' reach, never extending forward.

'It cannot be helped.'

'There's nothing to be done.'

I… I do not want to create more Reapers, that's not what we require for the future. Those meager justifications won't do anything for my cadets, simply making them killing machines is not what I want to do. Shirogane might have brought up some fair points, but simply letting things play out is not wise.

…There is so much I don't know about him, when you think about it. Shirogane said his stay is tied to the reason why Yuuko brought him here, tied to the success of his missions. And to that end, he is willing to burn any and all bridges around him to cinders, it seems. I suppose, you're not her 'special protegee' for anything. Whatever these missions entail, I can only pray for things to turn out for the better as I remain vigilant. Because you were right in one crucial matter.

No matter how much I try, not even the Reaper can stand up to Yuuko, no, XO Kouzuki. On that battlefield, you are alone. And no killer piloting will save you from her gavel.

---

A few minutes later.

(In the Elevator.)

---

The door slides close, leaving the two of them alone in the shallowness. Alone with the prickling of small droplets of coldest, minuscule pokes of spiders to young Yashiro's neck, who cannot lift her stare from the floor.

All the way here, the soldier didn't even stop to wait, didn't decelerate at all in his stride. Shrouded in a faint mist, his thoughts are obscured to the assistant.

So her fingers dig into her dress as she steals gazes. "Why? Why won't he talk to me? Is he mad? Does he now think like the mean Royal Guard did? Why did he even leave the medbay on his own without contacting us?"

Merely peeking at his boots reveals a shrouded dark, a veil in protection. The soldier's mental guard is up, carefully picking his thoughts to avoid Yashiro from sensing anything else from what she already had witnessed. The faint shapes, the silhouettes of the wasteland, of the greenery of the forest flash for a second on her mind as she tries to scan, as her eyes linger for too long.

A slow ruffle on her head shuts off the flickering visions, a finger draws circles near the bunny ears. "Why so tense, Kasumi-kun?" Shirogane-san asks with a smile, softly petting her hair.

Hesitant upon the usual cheerfulness, her hands twist and tug at her dress. "Um… Takeru-san? Are you- How are you now?"

"Sorry for having made you wait," he chuckles, tracing a strand of hair to its end, patting her shoulder afterwards. "I'm okay, all things considered. Has everything been fine over here?"

"…No," she then grabs and pulls at his arm, enduring what echoes the physical contact causes. "I was so worried you would not wake up, the Professor was so upset you didn't return, and then you just leave the medbay on your own…" her tense features slowly relax as he sighs, giving a small nod in apology. "You are unharmed now, right?"

"Yeah, don't worry," he nods, again petting her head, a single finger tickling a cheek, trying to soften the fallen expression of the assistant. "Sorry again, for having made you see all that shit."

"No, it's… fine. So, um, did you find your answer?"

"…Yeah," he says, hand retracting from the hair, sight seeking the ceiling of the shallowness.

"You're… still on the Professor's side, right?" She asks, staring, enduring the visions.

And then, silence. His eyes close, and he leans on the wall.

She lightly pulls at his arm, he remains quiet.

So young Yashiro lean on the soldier as the gears rotate and continue the elevator's descent.

"I guess it's all up to the Vice Commander now," he says through his teeth, not masking the embers within his lips.

"The Professor was really worried about you, she again grew all crimson when she saw you were gone from the bed," she insists with many consecutive flaps of her bunny ears, gripping his wrist.

"Well, can't exactly blame her for that. After all the time I… Uh…" His brows cross, eyes narrowing as his lips twist. Scratching his head, Shirogane-san looks back at her. "Kasumi, how much time passed since the mock battle?"

"You… don't know?" He shakes his head, she flaps her ears as the hold over his hand tightens. "Then, why did you left the medbay if you didn't even knew how much time had passed?"

"Because I wanted to find out what was going on here, and see if people still remembered me, of course. So, how long has it been?"

"Sigh… Only a day."

"Wait, for real?!"

"Yes, that is all. You seem… to believe it would have been longer. Why?"

"If you had gone through all that, you also would believe more time had passed. I guess my will really was enough to bring me back quickly," he sighs, but the relaxation lasts a moment. "Then, that would mean… Hm, I might've exhausted my reserves, dammit."

"What are you talking about?"

"G-Radiation," he mentions, unconcerned.

Which causes a flinch, both limiters standing in attention. "Huh?! But that's a secret the Professor hasn't told anyone… How do you know of it?"

He smirks back as he plays with young Yashiro's bangs. "Kasumi-kun, you do remember I told you that I looked after you during my first loops, right?"

"Did another me tell you, then?"

"Well, more like I found out as I helped you sort out reports for the Yuuko we supported in a previous life," he tells with a smile, a faint shine to his gesture. "All the quantum bullshit considered, I assume the radiation mentioned in the Nucleus' papers is this one, right?" She relents a nod, he groans as he looks up. "I see… So that was right, then. While I'm here, guess I can 'recharge', in a way."

"…So, um, what happened after you took me out of your mind? What did you see?" She once more pulls his arm, yet he shakes his head.

"I told you before, right? Yuuko and Sumika need you more than me."

"You don't trust in me?" Her shoulders sag, eroded by the sobriety of his voice.

"I don't wanna put you in a pinch," Shirogane-san quickly retorts, again softly kneading her hair. "So don't try and look into my mind for answers, please."

"…I'm your friend," She gets closer, staring into his eyes, into the barren wasteland.

The soldier holds her gaze captive, expression unchanging. "Then, let me handle my cards on my own. If you really can do anything for me, let me play this game on my own terms."

"This isn't a game," those slim fingers wrap around his hand, strongly, stronger. Yet it makes no difference to either his posture or his complexion, the barren and grim stare that truly does resemble the bloodstained wasteland we traversed. So young Yashiro's lips quiver, not knowing what to say to spur a change. "I… haven't told the Professor of the forest in detail, or of what we spoke by the hill. And I won't disclose anything-"

"Alright, stop," he says, patting both of her shoulders. "Kasumi, thank you, really."

The soldier smiles in radiance, getting closer, closer and playing with her bangs, parting them away and getting even closer. As his figure covered her entire sight, young Yashiro feels a small, minute contact in her skin, a light dampness to it.

A kiss to her forehead.

Softly, tenderly, for only a second, only a peck.

His eyes remain hardened, burning once they cross gazes again as her fingertips unearth and explore the spot where his lips had been moments ago. "But you really should not go against the XO's orders. Leave the discussions to me, Yuuko doesn't need more things to worry about."

"So you are going to argue with her…" Her stare sharpens, he gives a final pat to both shoulders.

"Can't be helped. She ain't aware of what mess we're in," Shirogane-san sighs sharply, getting back up and shaking his head.

"I don't think you being a Royal Guard can bring you so much trouble, Takeru-san. I believe the Professor still values you much, even if the Shogun would become your enemy she will protect you."

"It's not who I used to be but the reason for why I became like that."

"…The younger Takeru-san seemed to hate the UN during our talks in the wasteland. Are you… opposed to remaining here?"

"No, but you gotta see beyond the surface," he sighs again, hunching over. "The mirrored patterns can only mean one thing, and that… is what I gotta fix."

"You mean how you said you had become a member of the IRG in another world to protect that mean squadmate?"

He gives Yashiro a narrowed gaze, scratching his ear. "You really do not like Meiya, huh."

"She's rude and forceful."

"Siiigh… But yeah, that's what I'm talking about. I… did join the IRG in another world, that's what more or less cements my doubts into certainty," he affirms, arms folding, expression hardening into a rampart once again.

Again pulling at his sleeve, Yashiro's eyes seek his. "However, why would the Professor not welcome your concerns? It's true she didn't want to reveal what this third incident you warned her of is, yet if you're open and clear with her I'm certain-"

A soft hold descends upon her hair, a bit rougher than before. "You leave that to me, Kasumi. Okay?"

A beep echoes as the assistant was about to protest, the door opens and he exits to the hallway. Not slowing down and keeping the lead he had on young Yashiro, she cannot resume the thread of conversation until they arrive to the door of the Professor's office. As Shirogane-san raises his hand to knock, the entrace slides open on its own. Taking a second, a sharp breath, the colors in his aura shifting and turning, taking on a darker shade when his expression grows grim, he steps into the office followed by the small steps of the assistant.

Only the soft operative sounds of machinery fill the office, the scientist's back is turned to them. She slides to the small table, leaving a mug with coffee on it, the red and white cup Shirogane-san has always been given by her. Not meeting their eyes, still and stalwart as a towering wall of dry ice, her aura remains completely dulled and obscured to young Yashiro. The Professor slowly sinks into her chair, leaning back comfortably and staring. Coiling and unfolding a strand of hair, resting her face onto that hand. The pierce of the gaze, the unthawed blizzard aimed at the soldier and only at him, just as that fox would within the Black Lilith.

A slight descent of her eyelids, she looks at the assistant. "Thanks for bringing him here, Yashiro. Welcome back, I suppose," she says, barely gazing his way. "I assume, since you went to train and all, that you have no lasting injuries."

"No, no injuries to speak of," he says with a slow nod, before folding his arms. Then, giving a quick scan to the room, his brows lower and collide. "…By the by, have you eaten dinner yet?"

"What? Oh no, we are not doing this again," she lightly hits the desk, starting to frown. "Shirogane, do not try to change the subject here."

"Kasumi, did she eat dinner today?"

She shakes her head, looking down. "No, she refused since there are more pressing matters on the timetable," a short sigh is followed by both shoulders eroding, even more as the scientist glares into her eyes.

"Huh, what do you know. Yuuko and skipping meals, name a more iconic duo," he shrugs, both brows jerking up for a moment.

"…Cadet Shirogane, this is hardly the time for your quips," she tells, venomous. "I'd appreciate if we could hold a mature talk about what happened before, and of why you left the medbay without notice."

"Call for dinner and we can talk stuff out as we eat, two birds with one stone," he suggests, pointing a finger up.

"I am in no mood for your jokes now, Shirogane. Sit down and-"

"Should we skip the argument and proceed to getting you princess-carried to bed?" He asks, eyelids low, as low as his voice, as the groans of the scientist as she pinches her nose.

However, the little bunny ears perk up, unsure of what to make of the odd tint in the Professor's aura, or of the strange mix of both dark and yellow within the soldier. "Takeru-san, what do you mean by 'princess carry'?"

"You see Kasumi-kun, mommy Yuuko was being naughty a few days ago, refusing to have her nightly meal," he says as he smirks while nodding, spurring tense contortion in the scientist's complexion and widening shock in young Yashiro. "So I had no choice but to take her to bed and negotiate a ceasefire of her stubbornness. So if that's what it takes to make the Vice Commander eat her dinner then-"

"Okay, stop," she warns, force palming the desk, sighing short yet deep. "We are not having this conversation now. And you, cadet, will abide by your orders and start answering my questions. Must I remind you of what's at stake here?"

"The tuning of the 00 Unit, the success of the missions that will come," he says, eyes closing, before he once more gives a small smirk, "and the caretaking of your health."

"I said, we are not-"

"Sorry, but going by your eyebags and tone, I bet you must have not slept yesterday," he asserts, hitting the bullseye, making the lines of tension ignite further. "So what's a light meal as we platicate, Vice Commander? After all," inhaling slowly, his features grow grim to match what in front of him lies, in the room and his objectives, "we do have a lot of sensitive stuff to talk about."

She eyes him frontally, unfaltering, the hand under the desk tugging and gripping at her skirt, at both the rejection that comes off the soldier's expression and at the immutable posture he endows. Not finding any of the usual cheer, not having expected such refusal or composure from him, she takes her time, sweet time, to ponder what to do, what he had said thus far.

"I suppose I can allow myself dinner, once I'm done with what duties remain for now. So do sit down, Shirogane. I won't repeat myself," she affirms, he sighs. "Yashiro, you may retire."

"Huh?! H-However-"

"You have duties to take care of. Motoko-nee needs your support in the cylinder room, and I… have my hands full at the moment," she says, once more focusing her full armory upon Shirogane-san.

Who looks back and smiles, ruffling young Yashiro's hair. "It's okay, Kasumi. I assume this means it's time to activate the 00 Unit?"

She barely nods, minimizing her shoulders. "Yes, the Professor has decided we should do that now."

"Which is why I'd welcome you not wasting our time now, Shirogane," she reminds, taking a sip from her mug. "Surely, you understand what takes priority in this situation?" She eyes him sideways, he rolls his eyes.

"Um… Professor," young Yashiro braves a look upward, into the stoic and unchanging stormclouds, "you will let us try to speak with Sumika-san one last time, right?"

"Depending on Shirogane's answer, that is," she says, looking away. "Now, on your way. I'd welcome some privacy."

"But I can try and help you two understand better what-"

"Considering the cadet's stance, I rather you not suffer any harm, Yashiro," Kouzuki states, stare unmoving.

"Harm? What are you insinuating?" The soldier asks, arms slowly folding.

"You see, when scanning the area to find you after you left the medbay, without notifying your legal tutor of it," she halts, sending him a sharp and venomous stare, "Yashiro felt a slight pain at the vision she saw. By the way," she then leans forward, fingers interlocking, "perhaps you can tell me what these dragons and foxes are about, Shirogane?"

Ignoring the pyre of magma, he instead pats young Yashiro's head. "Did you see any of that shit again?"

"Sorry…" she whispers, "I couldn't help it. I think you were in the simulator then?"

"Sigh… Don't worry, I'll try not to let those thoughts get to the surface again. You be careful when scanning me, okay?" He twirls a strand of silver hair, she nods.

"Well, let's not waste any more time. Yashiro, go to Motoko-nee, now," she orders, waving to the door. "This talk is between me and Shirogane, you're needed by Kagami," the scientist so states, grabbing her mug and bringing it to her lips once again.

"However, I can-"

"Kasumi," he again pets her head, his hand falling to its back, "if it's time to activate the 00 Unit, then you won't get another chance to talk with Sumika."

"I will still help you tune her as best as I'm able," she states, firm and bright.

He smiles, nodding back. "I know, but it won't be the same. Believe me, the 00 Unit won't be like the Sumika you've been talking with all this time. You will only ever get this chance to talk with her again. Please Kasumi, go and keep her company, okay?"

"…Alright. But please do not get upset, the same goes for you Professor," she says, flapping her bunny ears, which causes the scientist to roll her eyes as the rim and bitter coffee meets her lips.

"Don't worry," he smiles again, waving down in comfort, "we're not going to start arguing or anything. Mom and Dad just need some alone time to talk."

A forceful choke, coffee floods the desk, and luckily misses the papers. Wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, the scientist glares forward. "Excuse me, since when are we 'mom and dad'?"

"Arbitrary, right now," he deadpans.

"Takeru-san, you're, legally speaking, not even an adult yet," Yashiro counters, giving him a side glance, an unwarranted serious expression in her complexion.

He chuckles, again playing with her bangs. "Don't be silly, Kasumi-kun. Going by all my loops, I'm probably older than the CO."

"I don't think you'd make a good parent, though," She notes, puffing a cheek at him, causing the Professor to chuckle dryly.

"Now, that's just mean. Search your feelings, my young Dersh Bnnuy. You know I'm telling the truth."

"I wonder about that," the scientist rolls her eyes as she wipes her desk clean, and takes her stained lab coat off. "Someone as irresponsible as you would truly be a disastrous father figure."

"What are you talking about? I give Kasumi lots of emotional support, right?" He pats her back, recalling their games and talks.

The bunny ears lower, she taps her fingers together, a gently poke as the images flash through her sight. "While that is true, I really… can't see you as a father, Takeru-san."

"Then, who's gonna support the rise of our overlord and savior, Dersh Bnnuy? I know I may have no sugar but I can totally be your daddy."

CHOP!

"Stop teasing me, Takeru-san!" She complains, releasing a volley of suppression fire upon his shoulder, roses in full bloom over her cheeks.

He merely laughs it off, the scientist expression softens for a moment as she watches. "Anyways, for real," a block to the chopping, a clasp on her shoulder, a finger lifting her chin, his eyes diving straight into hers, "give us some space, Kasumi. You don't have to see all that a second time, and there's stuff you shouldn't hear, too," he says, sobering up, a minute glance to the scientist that then relents a slow nod.

"…You promise you won't cause an argument?"

"I've no intention to," he nods, not looking away, clarity shining through his aura.

"Okay then. Um… Please do not argue. We're all… on the same side," she flaps her bunny ears, trying and giving both the most menacing glare she can muster at the time.

Both nod back, so she slowly makes her way to the door. Taking one final gaze back, Shirogane-san waves at young Yashiro while the Professor has her eyes again fully locked onto him as she drinks what little was spared of the coffee. She returns the wave, hesitantly stepping outside and going towards the cylinder room.

Shirogane-san sits in his usual spot, arms crossed, not taking the mug left in front of him. He returns her stare, saying nothing. She remains watching his expression, standing to make more coffee. The viper in her eyes does not lash out nor regress as she sits down.

She says nothing, observing his features, drinking slowly.

He remains with a poker face, posture and features not fully relaxed.

And for who knows how long, silence cloaks over the office.

They hold the other's stare, expressions unchanging, frozen. Frozen as the silence that permeates the room, as the cold gust of December that blows outside at the moment.

The coffee each had was slowly making less cloudy steam, lying as still within the mugs as their eyes have been.

Rolling her eyes, she shrugs. "Are you planning to have us do a stare contest until the heat death of the universe, Shirogane?"

He smirks, crossing a leg. "At least I have something nice to look at."

"Ha ha ha, very funny," she shoots him a glare, resting both arms onto the desk. "Well, if you don't feel like talking, let me be the one to start. Why did you refuse to return alongside Yashiro?"

"Didn't felt like it," he says slowly, expression and aura unchanging.

While her face remains stoic, there's a tiny, tiny flare of dull red around her hands as she interlocks her fingers, as her ankles cross. "Why did you depart the medbay on your own?"

"To see what day it was, and if people still knew who I was here."

"…So you were aware of the risks posed by your little nap."

"Little things compared to the problems at large, ain't them?" He asks, shrugging, the same repugnant mire of the forest flashing for a moment all over his body.

"Shirogane, I assume you know what issues you vanishing could have caused with Her Highness. If she lost any memories-"

"Vice Commander," he slowly counters, entwining his fingers, dulling his face to perfect poker, "you and I both know Yuuhi is little more than a figurehead these days. And I assume, even if she had tried anything to get me off the base, you already have set mines to ensure she doesn't causes you any issues."

She frowns, a veil of crimson falling over her entire person. "Oh, my apologies. I was not aware you had such biases towards Her Highness in your mind."

Again frosting over, he looks back at her. Saying nothing, simply holding her gaze. As if time were standing still, his gaze remains on her. It sends a small shiver down her spine, the lack of emotion in his features.

"…Why did you not wake up sooner, Shirogane?" She asks, louder, while leaning forward.

"Because I had to make sure of something, that's all," he relents, low, shaking his head.

"Really, now? What is this about roaring dragons and evil foxes, then?" She inquires, a few fingers on her chin.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with, XO. It has nothing to do with Alt IV."

"I will decide that myself," she immediately counters, bumping a fist onto her chin, not lifting her stare from his. "Shirogane, I order you to speak. What made you run with the risk of vanishing from this world?"

"…I refuse to answer."

"Are you insinuating you won't fulfill your part of our pact?" She asks, remaining stoic, yer her eyes start to widen, the empty and primal stare of the fox overlapping in her features.

"Sigh…" Yet, rather than intimidated, Shirogane-san simply rubs his forehead as he slowly shakes his head. "Our pact is only about Alt IV, XO. My personal business has little to do with the project, thus I am not planning to disclose that intel unless there is an incentive for me to do so."

She raises a brow, the hold on her chin tightening, the mist falling upon her. "…So you are refusing an order from me, huh. Didn't think you'd take Her Highness' side, to be honest."

"Heh, Yuuhi's side?" He cackles, teeth shining as they're showered in light. He leans back onto the sofa, throwing an arm onto the backside. "Did you get drunk on an empty stomach, XO? I ain't wearing IRG colors, am I?" He again simply smiles through the cracks of the wasteland, the repulsive corruption from the bog that echoes in his aura and mind.

"Shirogane," she hits the desk lightly, tracing the rim of the mug with her lips before drinking, "I'll have you know Her Highness was truly concerned over your status after you fainted. We already discussed the repercussions her animosity towards us could cause. So if you do not tell me what you spoke with her about, what caused you to faint, and why you refused to regain consciousness despite knowing the risks, I am going to be left with little choice but to pry the answers out of you," she glares, flares and sparks could be bursting between them at the moment.

"Hehehe…" And yet, the soldier starts to laugh, quietly at first, more heatedly afterwards. Unable to compute the reaction, the scientist merely stares in puzzlement until the laughing turns to coughing. "Cough…Haha. Come on, Vice Commander, get real. You already know what happened, don't you?"

"Excuse me?"

He faces her glare frontally, still smiling. "You already knew since the CCSE I was actually a member of the IRG in this world, that there was no 'another' Takeru. That's why you called the memory sessions a 'recovery'."

"…Well, I admit that I had a hunch," she relents, a slow spin on her chair. "Your words after you returned from the CCSE only made it more plausible. So," she stops, again looking at him and nowhere else, "are you still on my side, Shirogane?"

"That depends," he says, lowering his posture. "Kasumi said you seem rather opposed to my warning about the third incident, I assume you already know Mt Tengen will erupt soon."

"…So it is the same mountain in this world, too," she notes, nodding. "Yes, I already made a pact with Her Highness to lend a hand in the relief efforts."

"…That you have no plan to actually commit to," he adds, and sprouts a frown in her features.

Then, contorting her body, a hand aiming for a certain drawer, the blizzard of her stare never lifts from his. "You… You seem to not be particularly pleased, don't you?"

"Could you confirm or deny my previous words, XO?" He asks. "Without resorting to guns, if at all possible," he then adds, shrugging.

"And if my words do not please you?"

"Is your decision on this matter counter to our pact, XO? If it isn't, why so serious? You aren't hiding anything else from good old me, are you now?" Shirogane-san again smirks, placing both hands behind his head, leaning comfortably against the sofa.

Their stares once more crash and clash, opposing tidal waves swallowing and devouring each other. Just like that mega tsunami, that oceanic collapse as everything faded into the abyss. The constricting vines which crawled all over, the tiny spiders that seeped under cloth, the heat of the chasing breath belonging to all the twisted monstrosities within the bark.

"So, what's the matter?" He asks, growing sober as he straightens himself up. "Don't tell me… XO," his voice sharpens, dripping venom, "you didn't order Kasumi to scan my mind from outside while we speak, did you?"

She frowns, going to finish her coffee first, unable to clear the clouds in her expression. "…Considering your negative, that is one of the little cards I have left to play," she shrugs, then heaves a sigh. "But no, Yashiro has refused to disclose what transpired within your mind. Considering what you… might be thinking, I rather not risk one of my most precious assets to be hurt by whatever lurks in your memories. But thanks for letting me know how you think of me, cadet Shirogane," she glares, frosting to the core.

"I'm merely concerned over what Kasumi could see, that's all."

"And why would you be? Is there something you're wishing to hide, mmh?"

"She already had enough during the mind dive, Vice Commander. Please don't force Kasumi to scan my mind, if at all possible."

"I assume this means you will start answering my inquiries, then? What was that about dragons and foxes?"

"You and me, basically," he tells with a shrug.

A brow twitches, eyes and lips narrow. "Excuse me? Who is which?"

"I was, according to Kasumi, a dark armed dragon at one point. You, within my mind, take on the shape of a fox."

"…Huh," she says, not amused in the slightest at the term, leaning back, almost fully freezing. "So that's how you see me."

"To be fair, you always were dropping Chekhov's Guns all over the place during my first loops and back home, too. Not to mention you do tend to laugh very, uh, intensely at times."

"…Is that so. What are these guns you speak of? Some sort of tech you haven't mentioned yet?"

He gives her a sideglance, remaining silent for a second. "It's a term used to refer to hiding things despite saying them outright. Like the whole deal with the 'memory recovery' sessions."

"I see… Was all of the mind dive that taxing on her?"

"No, at least not all of it. I think she enjoyed the fireworks and the other stuff we saw at first, despite the mess that came afterwards," he says, relenting a sigh as the mask drops for a moment.

"…Fireworks? Okay, just what on Earth happened during the mind dive?" She demands, tapping the desk with a finger. "Shirogane, speak. Now."

Breathing in sharply, he folds his arms. "…You still haven't answered my previous question. Do you plan to heed my warning about the third incident?"

"…What has you casting such doubts on me, Shirogane? I believe I had told you there would be no more secrets between us after we've dealt with this little matter of your citizenship," she inquires, leaning forward.

"Are you forgetting how you left me on the phone with the fucking Shogun without warning? By the way, thanks for trying to hype me up but, really, I rather you'd have been honest and told me straight up you wanted me to speak with Yuuhi then and there."

"I was not attempting to deceive you. I meant every word I said back then, and my proposition still stands if you wish to remain on my side. Her Highness caught me off guard, I was not expecting her to call so suddenly nor to spur another shock into you," she affirms, speaking the truth and nothing but the truth, clear as the night sky.

Which eases his breathing, if only slightly, as his arms relax by his side. "I see…"

"Your position in the base is all but secured, let me inform you. Her Highness is wishing you to regain your citizenship, and made a point to warn me of how I should handle you. It seems you two were pretty close, hmm?" She asks, narrowing her eyes.

"Not like you didn't knew that already," he shrugs, sinking under the bog's cover.

"I only had a hunch. So then, what was it with that date she mentioned? What caused you to suffer another breakdown?" She asks, leaning forward even more.

"…Are you sure you don't already know?"

"Shirogane, I'd like you to stop this contrarian act. Unless you could enlighten me on the motives behind your rejection towards your ally?" Tilting her head, never blinking, always scanning. Despite the tension in the hand that remains hidden, despite the pit on her stomach at the extension of silence he puts her through yet again.

"…If you recall, we knew 'this world's me' was part of a secret squad, the Swordbreakers."

"Yes, I am aware. I was… thinking you could have been a member of said squadron, and it's why-"

"Save the explanation for later," he hurries, waving a hand down. "Considering I 'inherited' memories during the CCSE, in a place without G-Radiation, those images I saw could be nothing but my own memories, going by your theory."

"Indeed, that's how I- Wait a- Did you just say G-Radiation?" He nods, unabated under her wrathful stare. "When and how?"

"You do remember I've worked for another you in who knows how many timelines, right?"

"And, why, pray tell, you haven't mentioned that at all until now?" Again giving little hits to the wood, scratching the edge of a paper, she holds his gaze.

Yet, Shirogane-san shrugs. "Because you never asked me for help. Anyways, between the few memories I saw and what you knew of my life, you must have seen the similarities. The oddly mirrored results of his life and mine. And knowing of Shura's Dance, and how similar it must have been to what I showed you of Iceberg, you came to the conclusion that, somehow, this world's me wasn't a separate entity at all."

"…Perhaps."

"Oh, come on. Can we be honest with each other, Vice Commander? Otherwise, we might as well just stop this."

"Sigh… What are you getting at? I understand that you could be upset at me hiding things from you, but, believe me, there is no mistake in this. I cannot understand what series of events caused this but you are, in fact, this world's Shirogane. Or, to be precise, this world's Shirogane was the next 'incarnation' you took after you tried to jump through the timelines back in your world. Just as you said you lived two years in ignorance of what lives you had lost, all the evidence points to you having been living in that same manner in this timeline." She tells, arms folding, compacting, compressing, even more as he remains silent once again. "Ahem… So I assume my hunch was correct, going by your reactions. I know you must be in shock, but I assure you there is nothing to fret over. No matter how close you were to Her Highness or what acts you did under the IRG, so long as you remain on my side I can cover your trails, Shirogane. And if it's bringing you pain, we can repress the memories now that we can attain your citizenship and Her Highness' blessing to you remaining here."

"…So all's going according to your little plan, huh," he says, low, looking away.

It sinks rusted iron into her throat. "Sigh… You should know what's ahead, Shirogane. I only acted as I did to create an anchor for you in this world, to ease your link with this reality. Now, all that's left is you tuning the 00 Unit to stabilize your world and allow Alt IV to attain success. All our efforts thus far were for this moment, weren't they? Unless, of course… your loyalty belongs elsewhere?"

Again, silence. Simply staring at her, expression tightening.

Giving a little hit to the sofa, he exhales through clenched teeth. "Why don't you cut the crap and get to the point? You should know what I'm getting at, XO."

"…Are you wishing to return to the IRG?"

"Ha! Fuck no. You think I'll leave Sumika alone now of all times? You wound me, Vice Commander," Shirogane-san then, dramatically, tugs at his chest while making a pained expression, slumping onto the cushioning.

She rolls her eyes, a hand going to her forehead. "Then, what is it with you now?"

"I already told you, and there's no way you don't know. Yeah, I was again made to live without my memories, or without being conscious of them to be precise," he sighs, his sight taking an emergency landing, hunching a bit. "And if I figured this out, you also must be aware of it. My life isn't the only thing being mirrored right now."

"What?" She blinks, starting to gape. The words repeat in her head, his complexion does not waver, something starts to ring in her ears. "Excuse me, what do you mean?"

"Come on, stop playing dumb," Shirogane-san straightens up, slowly resting a leg on top of the other before starting to retell the small realizations he had before, all the similarities the world he is currently in has with his home world.

With every word, a crack spawns in the ice wall.

With every sentence and affirmation on his end, more and more does the air leave her lungs, does her sight grow dull and gray.

With every link she also confirms through his words with the intel she knows, her hands claw at the desk hard enough to leave permanent markings on it.

"So as you can see, for some reason, this world has an uncanny resemblance to mine," he finishes, sober and low. "And considering how long the highway was active, sending data into the multiverse, it ain't odd to assume this world took it all in and merged with that."

"…That's impossible," she says, holding her face as she looks upward, lost in thought. "Causal leaks cannot change events that have already occurred."

"Then how the hell did I arrive into this world? What is your explanation?" He asks, leaning a bit forward.

"I was… Ahem… I assumed your data leaving your world caused a reset through a paradox, which made all worlds also return to the respective point in time from which the paradox was solved, since all worlds are parallel. And, just as you did before, you overwrote the 'Takeru Shirogane' of this world at some point."

"…You do know I can only see memories I myself lived through because there was a link with the worlds I was in before. I had no link with this world whatsoever beforehand. Why are you not willing to tell me the truth, Sensei?" He asks, smirking.

Something in his tone stockpiled nothingness in her gut, a slow raking below her ears starting to move upwards. "I am not hiding anything. If your will was certain and you had all the G-Radiation you absorbed after firing the particle cannon at Kashgar, then it is likely you would have been able to transfer your data even if only as metaphysical information. Then, when the world was reset after the exchange, it was assimilated into the being present in this world."

"And what of all the coincidences I noticed?"

Now, she's the one who remains silent. Running a hand into her hair, grasping and gripping, her previous idea slowly begins to melt like a sugar cube. Within the depths of the thought currents, the soldier's words start to gain hold, despite the pushback that common sense still offers.

She heaves a sigh, starting to spin, closing her eyes. "You are being serious, aren't you?"

"Of course," he immediately answers. "There's no way my world ended up fusing with this one, right?" He asks, out of caution,

Which causes her to wave a hand and groan. "Of course not, that's just not possible. I… do admit you raise fair points, however." A leg seeks the ground, halting the spin. She rotates back into his sight, interlocking her fingers. "Shirogane, did anyone in your world start to forget you after you regained your memories?"

"Nope. Neither Maya-sensei nor Yuuko-sensei forgot the plans we had made, and my parents also remembered me until the day I left. What about here? Did anyone forget me already?"

"No, not as far as I'm aware. Motoko-nee did forget you spoke with her on the phone, but that's about it, I believe."

"I see… So it's the other way around on this end, huh."

"Hm? On this… What does that mean?"

"That one time, when I ran away, people started to forget me instantly as soon as they started to think about me. On this end of the highway, looks like things are the opposite. If people don't think about me, then memories related to me will simply leave their minds. Now that I think about it, that might be why you went and told the squad I got sent to the frontlines last loop, huh," he nods to himself, realization dawning on him despite all that he already knows.

"I… see," she lowers her face onto her entwined fingers, eyes lost in the expansion of a blank page. "Then, does this mean we can have an easier access to the conductor's pull? If such a change came into the timeline due to your transfer, seizing and manipulating the data leaks might actually become possible," she says, a small smile raising like the sun, clearing all shadows and coldness.

Until she meets his glare, grim and still. He says nothing again for a moment, before shaking his head. "You're sure faster than a starting line coming out of a horse. Sadly, I'm gonna have to refuse this idea of yours."

"…Why? You do realize it would mean you could tune the 00 Unit into proper human behavior with much ease?"

"By sacrificing another Sumika to causality and risking the ripples from worsening?"

"I can mend any issues that may arise, be sure of it."

"Tell that to last loop and the destruction of my home. We can't make causality's ripples get any worse, Vice Commander. Much less now that we both are aware the highway is affecting this world as it did mine beforehand."

"Yes, but you didn't have me then, did you? And anyways, a minimal mirror of actions is nothing to be concerned about."

"…Yuuko, I'm being serious," he says, dull and low, facing her gaze, not blinking under the prominence of the light she emanates with the minute frown. "These aren't some small mirrors, everything is exactly the same."

"Sigh… I'm telling you, there's no way it can be anything other than a small assimilation of leaked data. Also, it can only have started after August 5th when the conduit was formed due to the G-Bombs. By the by, why did you freak out when hearing that date, Shirogane? You sort of avoided that topic, for some reason," she asks, tapping her chin with a finger.

"Sigh… That's the date when I got my memories back, when they freed the highway. The date when I became whole again, as it should have been after the conductor opened up here. That's why I could return to my original form as I was before the transfer."

"Then, why didn't you retain your memories of being a Royal Guard?"

"You already know, don't you?" He says, grimacing as he looks at a wall.

"So… Kagami's wish…" he nods, shrugging. "I see, I assume you no longer were who she wanted to meet by Lucifer," she relents a nod, standing up to make more coffee. Staring at him while she fills her mug, leaving it on the desk she then goes up and grabs his, throwing the already cold liquid away, pouring more back and basically pushing it into his hands. "However, if what you say is true and I had actually undershot my assumption, does that mean your, uh, relation with the Shogun is equal to yours with Mitsurugi in your world?"

"…Not entirely, no," he looks away, closing his eyes as he takes a sip.

"And? What are you to her?" She presses, grabbing her mug, resting onto the desk, staring and staring.

"I was her stepbrother for a time, that's how I remained under their care."

"Is that so… I see, that does give their reactions a whole new meaning. I assume, you are not against regaining your citizenship?"

"…XO, do you know what was of me after Shura's Dance?" He asks, barely audible, hands lightly shaking as he chokes the mug.

She slowly places a hand on his shoulder, giving it a few pats. "I can imagine. If you desire to scream or curse at me, feel free. It was my decision to abandon Hakuryo, after all."

"Sigh… What would that achieve?" He shakes his head, her hand off his body.

"It won't change the fact that I ordered that mission. If you have any concerns over my… posture towards the war, let's clear them right now. I did ask you to take responsibility for whatever would happen after the mock battle, and as you know-"

"Yeah, even if it's small, you can't risk upsetting the IRG. Look, I ain't holding a grudge for… what happened after Shura's Dance, for real."

"…Does that mean you remember that clearly?"

"As for the point I was making-"

"Shirogane," she grows closer, tilting her back, mere centimeters left between their gazes, "do you clearly recall those events?"

"Clearly? No, it's more like, you know, actual memories from a few years ago. So-"

"Then, who were you? You were… part of the squadron that cooperated with us during the '99, right?" She asks, again grasping his shoulder, lips tightening.

"Sigh… That's the real reason why you've been pushing me to regain my memories, ain't it?" He shakes his head, pressing his jaw as if crunching small ice cubes. "To manipulate me to gain the Shogun's support, and more allies in the IRG."

"If you are upset, feel free to-"

"I'm not, I'm not."

"Oh, sure. This isn't you being mad in the slightest," she rolls her eyes, taking another sip of coffee, restoring his personal space.

"Sigh, I'm not, really. It's thanks to this we might still have time left to not screw it up, after all," he tells, slow and dejected as he sighs again, slowly taking another sip.

"Alright, if you say so. Will you regain your identity, then? Or, perhaps… you rather remain 'dead' to return to that squadron you were part of?" She asks, staring, something stirring inside at his repeated silence.

"…I wasn't part of the Swordbreakers, XO. I was their Captain," he says, looking up and nodding at the scientist.

Who nods back slowly, again gaping. "Wait, you? You were… their leader?"

"Yeah, just as it was after Iceberg."

"After- What?! But you didn't remember-"

"I'll tell you in detail later, if I deem it necessary," Shirogane-san again waves down, pointlessly trying to appease her blazing impulse of questions. "Thing is, I ended up in the IRG after the Babylon Disaster, appointed as the head of my own squadron. So yeah, even that is a mirror caused by the leaks. Do you know what that means? Those worlds still exist somewhere out there."

"Well, of course they do. I assume they cannot be reversed, since they are a possible state of the original conductor you were during those loops you took. If any branch had to be reset after the conductor vanishes from it, that would make your efforts to make Alt IV succeed be moot in the end," she affirms, finishing her drink.

"And, what else does that tell us?"

"You still insist on this idea?"

"Humor me. You wanna know what I recalled and have me play to your tune? Then be a darling and help me see if my hunch is spot on, honey," he says with a smirk, chuckling as she frowns, undaunted as a tree under a storm, unshakable by the threat of thunderbolts. After all, it would only serve to ignite him into blazes.

"Since when are you allowed to refer to me in that way, Shirogane?" She inquires, taking a step forward, a hawk about to dive.

Yet, the soldier merely shrugs. "I never was, I'm just teasing you back. I thought we were on the same side, aren't we?"

"I am not certain I welcome these… liberties you're taking. What is it with you? Do you again miss that other me you worked with?"

"To be honest, yeah, kind of."

"…What?"

"Why the shock? I always could speak with the other Yuukos without fear of her keeping important stuff from me after a certain point. Sure, the Kashgar mission was the odd one out, but otherwise I always felt like she heard me, even when she disagreed. Now, though," he sighs, arms loosely rest on his knees, a cold raking at the base of his back, "I can't really say that."

"I have been as honest as I can be, you know?"

"Then, stop dodging the issue about the possible threat of the highway already."

"Sigh… I am not. Just… Why now?" She asks, shaking her head as she ruffles her hair, keeping her hands busy. "I had assumed you would be rather upset at me, all things considered."

"Look, I can sort of get why you left me in the dark. Still would have preferred to be worth your trust, but what am I gonna do now? Other than joking to not lose my chill, there's nothing to be done."

"Well, some terms are not appropriate for jokes, Shirogane. What, did you want to call me honey or something?"

"At one point, I did."

"…Huh? If this is another joke, that's going too far."

Pursing his lips, he scratches the back of his head, looking away. "What? You already know I, well, close with another you. Trying to make small jabs and shit is what I always do to remain on good spirits. I know you might- no, you will never see me as she did, but all I'm asking out of you is to humor me just this once, as payback for not telling me about your plans." Inhaling deep, restoring his posture and the shine to his smile, he looks into her eyes. "Surely you're not gonna snap at me for something like that, right honey?"

Hands wring for a second, before she massages her ear while rolling her eyes. "…Fine, I suppose I can do that little, if you miss her that badly," she returns the smirk, yet the heavy sigh he gives out halts the dismissive waving of a hand she was about to make, dulls the tension in her features. "So long as you don't reiterate this little joke, I'll let it slide. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, yeah. Feel free to laugh at me, XO."

"I won't, nor do I think less of you for it. Just don't call me like that again, joke or not. My name is all you should require, Shirogane. Now then…" Slowly, the Professor strokes her bangs, looking up, piecing what he had said thus far, trying to ignore his stare.

After a moment of silence, she starts to pace in circles, tapping her chin, eyes locked onto the ceiling.

"I believe that when you began the transfer, you did so with the will to reverse the effect causality had on your home, right?" He nods, leaving the mug on the table, his full attention on her. Leaving the silence hanging on purpose for a moment, enjoying the attention, she smiles as she plays with her hair. "That is, then, your core wish upon which your will exerted pressure to leave. However, Nucleus or not, you couldn't have returned to the past of the world where you saw Alt IV to fruition because the will of that world's Kagami was already fulfilled and neutralized by the 00 Unit of that world."

"…By the by, how did that even happen? I mean, that's what ended up making me lose my memories when I returned home, right?"

"I assume, yes, since she might have desired to spare you the suffering of carrying the knowledge," she nods, eyes veering to the whiteboard, going up to it and poking certain calcs. "I think she must have observed the variables in the wave-functions of that world and how the non-local influence generated the Conductor, and then neutered the link so as to prevent any further loops from occurring in that world. However, while that only severed the direct link of your home branch and those alternative branches of worlds, it must have taken a severe toll onto her capabilities. I believe you told me the 00 Unit wasn't at full output after the base was attacked?"

Shoulders and expression fall, he relents a short nod. "While it seems I had managed to let her truly inherit all the memories and become as human as she could be, we were running against the clock for Ouka. I doubt Sumika was at the top of her performance then."

"I see, it makes sense. So the 00 Unit might not have had enough power to observe the precise variable to sever the link and push both worlds back to their original, non-interactive placement in space while also not erasing you completely. As an entity tied to the Conductor, once it is severed you would, well, disappear from the world. With your home world getting reset to a point where its Shirogane wasn't gone, no more disturbances would be left. But I suppose… she still wanted to let you live, despite not desiring to leave you with the guilt of the war. That's the only possibility for the turn of events that happened in your world, I doubt the 00 Unit willingly left the ripples unchecked."

"I see…"

"By the by, I am not saying you are to blame for-"

"Don't, I get it," he nods back, hardening his features despite a sigh. "It's all just part of what I gotta do to honor their lives and put an absolute end to this mess."

She starts pacing around again, nodding in relief to see not a single crack in his eyes or tone. "Well, is there anything you'd like to ask about this point before I move on?"

"Actually, there is," both hands come together as if trying to lift a wounded comrade, eyes closing. "Sumika was who made me into a conductor in the first place, so wouldn't her death make me disappear from the world? You know, since she is the source of what actually ties me to reality? I always thought it was weird, how I still existed after she died."

"Sigh… Yes, Kagami is who made you a Conductor to begin with, so as your 'primal observer' she was the first cause of your existence. However, since the condition for her 'wish' wasn't fulfilled by her death, the 00 Unit had to observe your existence's roots and undo the pull that anchored you to that world after she was completely tuned. As the heir of Kagami's feelings the 00 Unit is the only one who could have done that. But even after her death, so long as there were people whose thoughts and feelings worked as an anchor for your existence, you would remain tethered to reality until either your or their deaths. Nucleus or not, as an anomaly you cannot remain 'alive' without a primal observer watching over you, Shirogane."

"Hmm, I see. Guess that means we got lucky I took a nap before activating the 00 Unit."

Sighing short yet heavy, a narrowed gaze remains on him for a moment, only leaving as Shirogane-san raises a brow, unsure of what to make of the Professor's silence.

She leans on the desk, hitting it softly with her heels, again gripping it a bit too tightly. "Anyways, if the 00 Unit became stable as you said she did before the Kashgar mission, it would have been able to completely reverse the effects the original Kagami made on your existence when the G-Bombs dropped, provided it had time to replenish and work at full output while focusing solely on that task. Going into detail of the quantum variables and non-local forces involved would take me too much to explain, so that's all I'm willing to say on the matter."

"Okay, got it. So, the 00 Unit could, theoretically, mend the ripples and stabilize me, either here or in another world by erasing the memories of my loops. At least, she did manage to fix the world I was in last loop."

"Hm? How do you know that?"

"You said it just now. If the conductor's issues hadn't been fixed, then I would have been pulled straight back to that world when attempting to transfer myself, right?"

"Well, I suppose… The conductor and the points in time it existed in should be locked from any outside influence, yes, that much is true."

"And nobody has remembered anything about that world yet, either. Despite me being a stronger Nucleus and the highway being wide open as of now, too," he notes as he nods, pointing a finger up, waving it like a baton.

"And you're certain of that because…"

"Because of you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, if you, the person who I spent most of my time with, the one who is more likely to hold a desire as strong, if not stronger, than the one the other Sensei held in that world, haven't had a single vision of what happened in that world yet, then that timeline must be truly free of leaks," he concludes, nodding in clarity, still as a pond.

Which causes her to get closer, another arrow rain coming from her gaze. "What exactly are we speaking of?"

"I'll tell you after we're done with this discussion," he smiles, gesturing for her to continue, which causes a small groan from the Professor. "Now, if I couldn't go to that world, how did I end up here, in a world I had no ties to?"

"Sigh… I told you, as a Nucleus, you can link yourself with worlds that could be seeking your data. So if it wasn't the original world you looped in, then-" she stops all of a sudden, words and steps, a hand raising to her mouth which widens along her eyes.

"…Uh, Vice Commander?" He asks, furrowing his brows at the statue the Professor has become. "Earth to XO Kouzuki, do you copy? If you don't reply, I'm calling you honey again for the rest of the day."

"Your funeral," she retorts, eyes blazing.

Which makes him whistle lightly, moving his brows up and down in quick succession. "So you do listen while brainstorming, huh."

"Of course I do. But really, again insisting on calling me like that? Are you that lonely, Shirogane?"

"Sigh…"

"Come on… Wipe the dejection off your face, this instant."

"So," a hand on his neck as it circles, he looks away, to the rows of papers he had arranged before, "did you figure something out?"

"I might. But, just to be sure, you did think to return to that specific world as you made the jump, right?"

"Well, I was thinking on my comrades, to be honest. It was what tied me there, after all. Guess even they forgot about me, in the end."

"They?"

"…You and Kasumi, the only ones who could actually remember who I was, had been. If they, the ones with the strongest connection to me, didn't think of me anymore, then it's obvious the transfer failed," he sighs, leaning back, resting his neck against the cushioning, his legs extending limply and hitting the table. "That's kind of the reason why you baited Yuuhi so hard, right? To make them think about me as someone who is alive instead of dead, to have them aware of my existence in their thoughts instead of fading as a distant memory."

Looking at the apathy of his slouched form, she nods as she again crosses both arms into a sailor knot. "Precisely. You had mentioned once how you stopped having dreams of your home world when you got into a relationship with your squadmates, so procuring an anchor for your existence was a priority. And I still believe you regaining your citizenship and identity would be for the better."

He looks up, again with the battered smile as he nods. "And I get why you did it, and I'm thankful you thought about how to stabilize me. Still, that aside, this leaves a hole in the events after the transfer."

"Does it really matter so much? Why can't you simply accept the events turned out in this way due to causality rearranging itself after your data blasted away from your world?"

"Because if there was no way I could have transferred myself to the world I was in before, well…" a slow nibbling on his bottom lip, eyes which sink under the horizon, dusk to his features. "After everything was said and done, I should have disappeared. And yet, somehow, I ended up back at square zero in a world that seems like a mix from mine and the one I looped in. Why do you think that happened, Vice Commander?"

Again going up to the whiteboard, she starts drawing circles and lines on it, with words of 'Home', 'Conduit', and 'Shirogane' at some parts. Three circles, one for his home world, one for last loop, and one for the current world were united by a few lines, dates and numbers marked within their perimeter.

"Well, when you activated the transfer, since there was no conduit formed and no 'observer' trying to pull the Nucleus towards it to allow the possibility of 'Takeru Shirogane is alive' to manifest itself there, there was no way for you to materialize in that world's past."

She then crosses the section between the numbers 1999 and 2002, before sending an arrow from the Shirogane dot to the upper part of the 'BETA World' branch.

"I suppose one could make a case that the memories made in that world would allow you to remain there, now that you're a stronger Nucleus, if your will was strong enough and a link could be formed. As you said, however," she grimaces, rubbing the underside of an eye, "it seems that world's Yashiro and myself have either forgotten you, become radically different to who they used to be while you knew them, or have left your memory as something that belongs firmly in the past. Thus, without them having you in their thoughts, you couldn't form a connection regardless of your will or the energy employed."

So, she goes and crosses the line uniting the upper part of the 'Last Loop' world ball with the 'Home' world ball. Essentially leaving that world isolated to its own devices, no longer affected by outside influence, set in its ways forevermore.

"Furthermore, if that had actually happened you would have appeared in a place relative to where the transfer occurred and not in your 'room' as you once described it and, by extension, it would have taken a significant amount of time for your data to flow and materialize into that world. I think that was your world's me's plan."

"But it didn't work out, so my data should have gotten scattered, seeking a link… waiting for anything, anyone who was still thinking of me," voice crumbling like the Oder-Neisse Defense Line in front of Destroyers as he looks down, sighing heavily, holding his left wrist, choking it for dear life.

"It also means whoever is left in the worlds post-Babylon also don't remember you, possibly due to forgetting you existed shortly after your death," she tells, making a cross over the sign called 'ALT V' with more vigor than it was necessary. "Do you believe there might be anyone who still remembers you in those worlds, by the way? Some lover you made while in the IRG, perhaps?" She teases, tip of a finger on her lips.

A sharp frown, a frontal stare. And then, silence.

"…No, there's no one worth remembering there," he finally spits, poisonous magma and the clouds of toxins all at once.

"I see… Well, anyways, Shirogane, you tried to will yourself to that world, universe, tree or however you wish to call it. True or false?" She asks with a light smile, getting closer, pointing the marker to his nose.

Eyes squint as he fiddles with his hair. "True?"

"However, the conduit that allowed you to appear in all branches of that original world was gone. So, you cannot go into either the worlds after Babylon or the world where you lived to see Alt IV in action immediately, your data would have to first completely flow into them for you to manifest yourself there. True or false?"

"True."

"Then, as you said before, you had an affinity towards a specific parallel world. However, what if an exceedingly similar world also was trying to 'pull' your information towards it?"

"…You mean like, a branch of the world I always looped in."

She smirks, clapping once. "Almost. Think of it as a twin instead. The theory indicates that the Nucleus can link itself if there's a source seeking to 'connect' with it. So, while you cannot link yourself to the world that you looped into, there is another path available to you right besides it. The world in which history proceeded as it was meant to be."

"The…Wait, a world where I never appeared? Why would I end up there?" He asks, following her steps back to the whiteboard.

In it, she draws a line from the Shirogane dot to the 'Current World' circle, back to its lowest point. "You see, I believe there was a split in our timeline when the G-Bombs dropped. Branch One, where a link was successfully formed and you ended up appearing on the 22nd of October two years later, altering the events that would come however slightly. Branch Two, where the link wasn't formed and the world continued down its predetermined path."

Pointing to the 'Loops' and 'Current' balls, she then makes a small reloading icon in between them, linking it to the crossed-out ALT V.

"You overwrote the first world when you returned to the 22nd with every repetition, be it with or without memories, effectively making an alternate branch within it, so to say. And that first branch and its successive branches haven't been reset as we said before. The only world that was reset was yours, where no conductor was formed. So, theoretically, you could link yourself to the future of those timelines, if someone who still held you in their thoughts existed. As you said, however, that did not happen." Looking back to gauge his reaction, Shirogane-san had a downcast expression, a tiny flower enduring a downpour, but was still focused on her explanation, which spurs a small smile in her. "The difference during the transfer you attempted was that there was no clear, strong link with your world to draw you in. You forced the window to open, and in doing that you were subject to forces beyond your control."

"…So I should have ended up drifting through the void, getting scattered all over again," he concludes, grimly. Her nod only causes his hands to rake the palms, his eyes to close for a moment. "However, if there was no one who sought a link with me, even if unconsciously…" he suggests, scratching the back of his head, "why did the highway bring me here?

"The important part here is that those worlds had already made a Conductor appear and then they were brought back to normal, without being reset. There was nothing tying you to them, nothing calling out for you. The other branch, however, never managed to form a conductor. One could say that, as soon as your data tried to break into that world, or subset of worlds to be more precise, you, as a Nucleus, were drawn to the world that never had a Conductor instead due to the unfulfilled desire of Kagami. And alongside you… all the scattered data you say this highway drained from your world might also have come into the world. That is as far as I can go using logic. As I said before, leaks cannot change the past. Even if your metaphysical data was brought over to the branch in which Kagami never found the way to spawn a conduit, there is little that can explain the similarities that you've noted this reality has with your world."

"Then, what? You're saying it's all just a coincidence?"

"Well Shirogane, what is reality?" The scientist smiles, tilting her back as she grows closer.

"Huh? Reality?" His eyes squint, lost as a penguin in a desert.

"I think we should have had a conversation like this in the past, when I sent you back into your world for the theories to complete the 00 Unit. A group of possibilities, what we call reality, is nothing but the collective determinations of every being that observes and resides within its boundaries." She then points again to his nose, nodding shortly. "In this case, you were the 'primal observer' that wished his relationships to be 'true', and as such, the chain reaction to effectively make that a reality, based on the data you had carried with you during the transfer, created this rewritten world."

"…For real?"

"Unless there was another observer which watched over you and had access to energy equivalent to the detonation of many G-Bombs, this is all I can deduce. If the highway you describe the ripples as could affect your world so rapidly, it is not odd it could have far more drastic effects once a proper link was established. Basically, causality seeks balance, to integrate events and data into stability. In a way, the world just reorganized its own data, along the data that came from your world, to 'reach' a certain wavelength and assortment of events that would satisfy the 'Truth' condition of the observer. Since the effect dictates the cause, let me use this example. A photon, when observed, can only exist in one state. The cause, being observed, generates an effect, being in a certain state. In this case, the relationships and situations, which would be the effect of many other causes, force themselves to be 'true' and the causality rearranged the events when this timeline was modified to make them exist. Sadly, this is as far as I can theorize. I cannot fathom how or why the past was changed, unless… Well, the possibility that this is actually another loop created after a reset does exist, and if Kagami's wish was not granted then when the timeline was reset all the data leaked regarding your world got mixed in, trying to satisfy the Cause of Truth both you and Kagami desire."

Sighing hard, she rubs her forehead as she rests against the wall for a moment. Washed over by the rush, the beating on the back of her head after the sudden stream of thoughts, little jolts course through her arms, her stomach as she inhales. The numbers, graphs, and possible links graft a pleasant conclusion, to the point where she extends both arms upwards to allow the stream of jolts to run across her whole back, eliciting another slow, deep sigh.

And with spirits replenished, she once more opens her eyes, tilting towards the sofa. "Was this explanation enough to please you, darling?" She asks with a smirk, that quickly vanishes as she sees the dead-serious expression Shirogane-san has as he whispers under his breath. "Shirogane?"

"…Hm? Sorry, was lost in thought. You were saying?"

A cheek slightly puffs for a second, she hastily looks away before blasting towards her chair. "Nothing, I said nothing." Sitting into a spin, both hands rest on her stomach. "So then, now that we finished this long detour, I assume your motive to inquire into this was to have me realize the possible repercussions you being linked to the IRG has for you?"

"In a way, I guess."

"First of all, is your situation in the Swordbreakers similar to what you went through after Iceberg?"

"No, that's only half of the mirror."

"And from where comes the other?"

"From the Valkyries."

"…Huh? But you said a moment ago no leaks-"

"No leaks are coming to this world from there, so the only similarities that can exist are those already attached to me," he shrugs, an eye closed. "I assume you remember our… collaborations during 1999?" She nods, eyes narrowing a bit as she starts to spin. "Unlike what I went through in the IRG, the Swordbreakers were a secret squadron. Almost like a STF of the IRG, one could say. Down to the TSF I used and all, really."

"So you were not part of a secret unit after Iceberg? What was of you in those worlds?" She asks, staring.

Shirogane-san shakes his head, his weight falling onto the armrest. "Does it matter?"

"I gave you a decent explanation, didn't I?" She demands, stare unfaltering.

So he sighs, scratching his head. "No, I was made into… some sort of public icon."

"You? A public icon? Wait, but, a commoner?"

"Yeah, believe it or don't. Not to brag or anything, but I was the best pilot in that world save for maybe Marimo-chan and Major Walken."

"Huh, is that so. Who is this Walken, by the way?" She asks, looking elsewhere.

Which immediately makes him chuckle. "Bet you already know, don't you?"

"Why do you believe so?"

"Since you seem against heeding my warning towards the eruption, you may be thinking on… capitalizing on the opportunity to bring stability to the Empire. After all," he frowns, hellfire erupting within his eyes, the same draconian expression he endows while piloting coming forth, "you cannot attain Heaven without going through Pandemonium first, right Vice Commander?"

A frown in reflection, air is swallowed harshly as the spin stops. She holds his gaze for a moment, grasping her chin. "How do you know that phrase?"

"…Wanna guess which squadron of the IRG was sent to aid us in Sadogashima last loop? Wanna guess which House had the order to look after you while you were in Sendai? Wanna guess…" inhaling through closed teeth, a hand rubs the space between his brows as both neck and jaw tighten, compress, fail to move, spread lines of pain, "who was the one that took your orders to the letter during Shura's Dance?"

"…So that's what this is about," she notes, leaning back, staring down at him. "You wouldn't be getting blinded by… some loyalty you still hold towards Her Highness?"

"No, I'm blinded by own desire to stop the same tragedy from repeating itself. And to that end, we cannot feed the conductor any more chances to screw us over."

"Tragedy begets opportunity, Shirogane. If the conductor's flow can be accessed with much ease, if this highway can bring certain data to us, then all the more reason for us to capitalize on this. The events you went through in those worlds won't repeat themselves, this timeline is already too different."

"…Did that stop Marimo-chan from being thrown headfirst into a meat grinder?" He asks, seething to the rim.

"…Pardon?" And seeing the honest fury causes the question to come to life in her mind.

A momentary dizziness, a news report, sickness and heaviness to the stomach, and a bursting fountain of crimson created by the imagination.

"Causality gives no fucks about the state of the world, it only integrates events in search of balance," he says, trying to douse his mood, release the pin. "And as I told you all those days ago, I am here to find a solution to the war. So Vice Commander Kouzuki," he stands, slowly walking up to the desk, never lifting his gaze from the now bloodshot stare, disturbed and alert, "you wouldn't be planning to spark up a coup d'état, are you?"

"…I assume this is what the third incident is about?" She asks in stillness, submerging underwater, meeting his gaze in perfect poker.

"Answer the question."

Sighing hard from her nose, she clicks her tongue. "This was how you met the Shogun in your last experience, wasn't it? I assume, you failing to account for the eruption was the trigger. However, by your account, Sadogashima could proceed smoothly afterwards, even the XM3's test was held despite what frictions I am meeting at the moment."

"Correct."

"And you're accusing me of starting the coup now? Why would you reach such a conclusion, Shirogane?" She asks, also standing up.

"First, it was awfully convenient that we found the Shogun. Even if you are the leader of Alt IV, I highly doubt the Empire would have given you the intel. Someone gave the order for Chief Yoroi to leak that to you, and I happen to have a hunch on who that was," he affirms, hands choking themselves. "Second, everything went a bit too smoothly. The Valkyries' skirmish blocking our escape at the right time, the fighting that breaks out to force Yuuhi to flee, even the defeat of Major Walken in his Raptor and the incident that ruined it all."

"You're operating on assumptions, Shirogane," she reminds, tapping her forearm, squinting her eyes. "Do not underestimate my network of intel. Also, even a Raptor can be bested in the right circumstances."

"Hard disagree. I've seen those beasts fight in inhuman conditions after Babylon, no shot a base Shiranui could stand up to it in a fair fight. Something, or someone, screwed up the Major's Raptor."

"…How odd, seeing you defend an American," frowning intensely, she looks away.

"I've seen him fight myself, I know how good he is. Also, he was the only one I recall that actively tried to lend a hand to keep the peace, even if only for the US' interests. And finally, there's the third and most important point of all."

"And that would be?" She asks, lunging for his gaze.

Which then crumbles again, to pieces, to atoms, as he rubs an eye strongly before giving a punch to the air. "…That I died during the original coup."

"…Excuse me?"

A step forward, she can start seeing herself within his eyes. "You're under the effects of a leak, aren't you? I bet the same happened last loop."

"Wait, what did you- Ah… Are you saying these ideas are-"

"The tachyons from the Yuuko of those failed worlds, that are answering to your desire to reach perfect stability for the Empire. Just as it happened last loop, considering you got to the point of throwing the papers of your dear theory at me once, I can understand why you're on the receiving end of this leak," he sighs, shaking his head ever so slowly. "And when I do make it out of Iceberg… if a certain condition is not met, then I try and stop the coup that occurs in that future. And I fucking fail, and get killed because of it."

"…I see," she inhales slowly, rubbing her head, falling into her seat like a fish out of the water. Coughing for a moment, the Professor's back is assaulted by a rain of wax, small stings crawling up to her neck, wanting to delve under the skin. "However, that outcome did not come to be during your last experience."

"The highway wasn't as active as it is now, and that world was far different to this one. By the way, wanna hear something crazy?" He smirks, pointing with a thumb to the map of the Empire reflected in one of the monitors by the wall. "This Japan really does remind me of the Empire after the Babylon Disaster, what with its sky-high nationalism and borderline fanatical views of the Shogun and the IRG. Bet that was part of why I snapped as I did during the '99," he extends his arms outwards, spinning on himself as he moves back to the sofa.

"Still," she hits the desk, raising her voice, her eyes to meet his, to glare straight ahead into his sight, "we are aware of the data and possible outcomes. Those events won't repeat themselves, because I can negotiate for a proper deal."

"So you're not even denying it now, huh."

"What? You think I'm below sharing some favors to reach my goals? I have gotten my hands far more dirtier than this, Shirogane. I have-"

"What's this compared to abandoning Hakuryo, am I right?"

"…Take those words back, or else."

"Why? That's what you're thinking of. That's why you keep moving forward, to not let the sacrifices you've made up to this point 'go to waste'. Sunken cost fallacy, I believe it's called."

"I'm not giving you another chance. You take those words back, now."

"…So you've already made up your mind on this," he closes his eyes, nibbling at his bottom lip with a single teeth, shaking his head, glaring at the floor.

"Then, what the hell should you suggest I do? Let the Americans overthrow the Shogun and cause an even larger uprising? Remain neutral and let the insurgents actually seize the power? The fate of this planet lays on my shoulders, I cannot- We cannot falter, come what may."

"Exactly," he returns the crossfire, a whole particle cannon. "The future of the children that are to come is at stake here. And I ain't leaving it in the hands of the nationalistic assholes that ruined us after Iceberg, and neither should you. You now know the highway is active, and what consequences it could have to leave it unchecked or to try and spur more leaks to come into this world."

"First, all you've shown are emotional arguments. Second, if the conductor is as active as you claim, then anyone with a strong enough desire could begin to inherit memories of those failed worlds. Not acting would place us at a disadvantage, when we are the ones that can reap the most benefits," she reminds, again palming the desk.

"It's not an emotional argument, it's the proof you need to see," he aims a finger at his chest, chuckling, "after all, what better proof than my fuckups when I ran away? There were no BETA to replicate the data, yet causality found a way. If the data of that future starts to manifest here, it will all try to be integrated into the world. I already regained my memories late back home, I ain't letting it all happen a second time." He takes a step closer, staring straight into her eyes. "But I admit, my own selfish desires matter little when pitted against the planet itself. So let me tell you Vice Commander, the conclusion of my debate as I slept. I'm going to propose to you a choice, that you can think on for some time."

"And if my answer doesn't please you?"

"Heh, that's the catch. There is no answer that screws me over this time."

"Oh, really? What if I deem you a threat and decide to nullify you?"

"Good luck tuning Sumika by yourself, then," he shrugs, smirking again.

"Sigh… You really are doing this, aren't you? What for? What are you after, Shirogane? Is it to keep Her Highness safe? Vengeance on Ikaruga?"

"…Huh? What, you weren't listening?" He shakes his head, rolling his eyes. "I am here to stop the leaks, and save my world. Whether this world wants my input, that's on your hands. I am already dead as far as this world is concerned."

"So why are you so opposed to… well, my plan to make use of the situation for the better of our plan?"

"Sigh… You really weren't listening, huh."

"I'm being serious here! You should know I can handle any negotiations that could be required. If your concern is that the power could shift to the Shogunate, then all we need to do is safeguard the Prime Minister. If you want your precious Shogun to be the one in power, we can try and parley with the IRG. But we cannot allow America to try and stage an incident, do not forget Alt V is still looming over our heads!"

"…Question, were there any G-Bombs in my world?"

"What? Why would there be?"

"Then, could the same amount of death caused by the BETA and the massive bombing be replicated in my world if enough time passes?"

"…We can regulate the amount of data we share to other worlds, thanks to the Nucleus' theory and the 00 Unit. There are no risks whatsoever, Shirogane."

"Besides the data that has already been integrated, that is."

"What is it then? Are you still hesitating on bloodying your own hands? Weren't you the leader of this secret squadron that's feared by most in the Empire?" She seethes, clawing, crushing the blank papers under her grasp.

"I've been telling you, we should not push our luck any further when it comes to causality. After all, to incite an incident is to open the gates for anything to go wrong. But debating over it is kinda pointless, so I'm going to give you your options, Vice Commander," he says with a smile, giving her an exaggerated bow. "Option number one! You listen to my advice, we neuter the conductor first chance we get, and we then continue to work towards a solution that doesn't involve gunshots in the open."

"That sounds extremely optimistic, doesn't it. What failsafe do we have in case of a possible coup sparked by other forces?"

"Me."

"…Huh? You?"

"What's that look for? You do realize you are in front of the Captain-in-Chief of the Special Investigations Brigade of the IRG, right? If you help me stage Ikaruga and whatever idiots from the IJA that wanna start a civil war, I can easily wipe the floor with 'em all."

"So then… you are willing to regain your identity? Will you still work for me then?"

"By you, that is," he replies, an honest and small smile shining through. "However, this does run into the problem of time. A proper investigation will take its moons, and the integrated data might play against us, especially now that Yuuhi must be wanting to get me back."

"Hmm… And then? How do you assume you'll prevent all the other leaks and effects from going off?"

"Oh, that's simple. If you were under custody from the IRG in my first loops, all we need to do is have you being safeguarded by them instead."

"Heh, you think they would want to willingly support me, much less protect me?"

"Uh, again, hello," he deadpans, waving a hand. "Takeru Shirogane, it's a pleasure."

A frown, eyes close and she sits down again. "…So it's all that easy, huh. I just listen to you and everything solves itself?"

"No, because listening to me means no coup. So there is a risk something might go wrong. That's where option two comes in. You can let the coup happen, without involving yourself."

"Why would I do that? I would lose the chance to act preemptively if- Wait, you have the knowledge of the events already."

"Bingo! That's right, I already know what's gonna happen, who's involved, and what's the landscape like. So, if you believe the coup has to happen no matter what, while I still insist we cut the data leaks ASAP, we can try and move within our boundaries without risking any ties coming to us. Let me remind you, the world Post-Kashgar needs you standing strong, and the less dirt people have on you the better."

"Hmm, I see," she ponders, spinning on her chair. "Yet that leaves us exposed to differing events, unless you're willing to return to the IRG, which also comes with its fair risks."

"Precisely. Me being here does play against you, since I've no plans to make peace with the radicals if they are mirrors to those I've met in my loops."

"Damn it all… You truly cannot be dissuaded on this?" He shakes his head, hard. "Is there anything you desire that I can grant you?"

"No, nothing is worth the risk of seeing everything burn in front of me again."

"Sigh…" A sudden heaviness assails her head, forcing the Professor to support it with a hand, breathing with her mouth open for a moment. "Alright, fine. Is there another option?"

"Yeah, and that's the funny one."

"What does it entail?"

"You kill me."

"…Pardon?"

"You kill me. Bang bang," he says, making a gun and pointing it at his own chest.

"You are not being serious," she states, inhaling sharply, holding his gaze.

"I am, actually. See, there's no way for me to return to my world without it getting screwed over by causality. The only way for that to happen is to erase what made me a conductor in the first place, but there's no way I can bring myself to erase Sumika. And leaving me here will work against you if your best option is to again side with Ikaruga in support of the coup, to screw the CIA's attempt to take the power. So let's make this easier for us and honor our original pact, I tune Sumika for you, you mend the leaks and neuter the conductor after you see that the data you desire is active and integrated, and afterwards…" sighing heavily, hands dangle and waver in the air as he looks up at nowhere, eyelids almost veiled, "you erase me, so that my memories can't be used as a magnet to redirect causality back home."

"You are not being serious."

"Huh? I am, this is what's-"

"Stop fucking with me!" Blasting up, again smacking the desk and causing a tower of papers to collapse, she breathes raw lava back at him. "Do you think I can handle Her Highness if you ever disappear?"

"…I'm sure your friend Ikaruga already has a plan for that."

"Do you think I support every thing that bastard wants to do? Why do you think I cut my ties with the IRI?!"

"Then, option three is out of the question for you?"

"…Look, we can make this work. All I need is you being open about what you know and-"

"No, I won't risk it."

"…So you don't trust in me, is that it?"

"I do trust in you, wouldn't have told you as much if I didn't. But I can't reveal anything else, because I don't think it's a good call. I've told you what I think, now the decision is in your hands," he says, then turns around, walking to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To the cylinder room, we already took more than enough time. And there's little to do by continuing to talk," he says, low, shrugging, dragging both feet and gaze. However, the door remains locked, so he has to look back.

Back at the undaunted frown, the sentry in warning. "What are you not telling me, Shirogane?"

"Huh?"

"You wouldn't have gone to train with Marimo if this was your priority, you'd have come to the office immediately or would have used Marimo to contact me. Was that whole detour… for something else?"

"…I dunno what you're talking about. I've been as honest as I could right now," he deadpans, poker face in place.

"Speak, now. Are you testing me, then? Trying to see if I'm on Ikaruga's side, Captain Shirogane?"

"…You know, it's the first time I'm called like that, and it feels so wrong for some reason," he admits with a nod, his insides revolting as a toad swallowing a lighted cigarette. "But no, I don't need to test your character to that extend. Because I already know you, all I'm seeing is whether you believe me worth your trust."

"…Really? I don't intend to doubt you, since you did raise quite some fair points," she says, walking off her desk, through the sofas, getting closer again to his personal space, seeing him and nothing but his eyes. "Yet, it is rather odd. You haven't mentioned a thing about what happened in the mind dive. What are you keeping from me?"

"…You wanna know?"

"Oh, no, I'm completely okay with you keeping more secrets from me," she rolls her eyes, slicing a glare into him afterwards. "Speak, cadet. What is your true goal? Refuse to speak and…" her hands slowly raises, her fingertips grip the neck of his fatigues.

Yet, under the brunt of her dry ice stare, he chuckles. Even after she applies pressure to her grip, as she frowns and her expression contorts and tightens, as the tide pulls back into a colossal wave, the soldier quietly laughs.

"Well, if you insist… All I really want is to prevent tomorrow from becoming yesterday."

"…What?"

"I'm done with the loops, Yuuko. I'm done with putting everything in someone else's shoulders and hope things somehow work out. I ain't leaving it to chance, so I want a clear cut answer. But there is no point in chasing after something that doesn't exist here, yesterday will never be tomorrow. And more importantly, we are running out of time."

"Even if the eruption is close to happening, surely you are aware that there are other methods that can be used to light up a spark."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking of the Nucleus' pull."

"The Nucleus? You say… your own memories are still leaking into you?"

"Well, kind of. I don't recall everything clearly from Iceberg onward, so that is still clogging the highway. But the worst of it all is, I'm not the only Nucleus here. Everybody can be one, if their desire is strong enough. And I know at least two people who are being locked into a leak. Here's a hint: both have purple hair," he says with a smile, chuckling again.

"…Me and the Shogun?"

"Bingo again!"

"So my hyperfixation on my theories is… a sign of the leaks affecting me? Where is your proof?"

"Right in front of you," he points to his nose, nodding once. "You see, when I came back with my own memories, all I had was a burning desire to stop Alt V. It was legit all I thought of, even in front of my squadmates and all." Sighing, he hunches a bit, falling as if an engine of his had been hit. "I never recalled anything of our lives together, all I cared about last loop was to stop Alt V. It was bad enough I lashed out against Kei and Meiya in the PX, giving no shits about it too. Ironically, it was during the coup that I got my head out of it, maybe due to some subconscious thing triggering in me when I… couldn't put myself through risking someone's life. Maybe the way in which Sumika's wish blocked some of my memories allowed me to not lose it during the coup, but still, until then that was all I could think of."

"And you believe I also suffer from this link? From the tachyons I cannot get away from?"

"Yeah. All you can think of is to succeed, and nothing else. That's literally the description of how the leaks work, and I know this isn't something you really favor."

"Oh, and why do you think so? I am being serious about my ideas."

He takes half a step closer, seeing his reflection below the fire in her eyes, smirking back at it. "Then, why didn't you propose a coup during the Invasion? You know, when America had no influence in the Empire and the Diet's image was below the subway? Siding with Ikaruga then would have let you be on the good graces of the new authorities… but you instead remained supporting the UN and the peacekeeping efforts through what was left of the nation."

"That was…" she pulls at his clothes, undoing a button, nibbling at her lips. "You know the situation back then was completely different, I wasn't who I am today then."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you couldn't have gone down that route, though. And yet, just like last loop, the risk of running against the deadline, of an incident resulting in an American intervention, and who knows what inner negotiations you're dealing with, is sending you down this route. Where the only solution to the desperation you feel now is echoed from those ruined futures."

"So, what? If this plan was successful in your last experience, why- Wait, you said-" Eyes open wide, she lets his neck go. "Her Purpleness is also affected by a leak?"

"What, you think the docile and warm Yuuhi prefers to be abrasive all the time?" He shrugs, resting against the door. "Look, I know she has her temper, but Yuuhi would never compromise her standing or position for anything. Just like you back then, she ignored my warnings. So, care to guess why is she being so insistent as of now?"

"…Are you really only her stepbrother, Shirogane?"

"Technically speaking, I'm not even her stepbrother anymore," he notes, a finger up.

"Answer the question. Who are you in her eyes?"

"Of Yuuhi or Her Highness? Because that difference matters, a lot," he spits out, starting to hit the door with the back of his head in a slow rhythm. "Yuuhi probably holds me dearly, I'm still family to her. Her Highness, though, will only think of me as her bodyguard and pawn. What does she want from me, I honestly don't know," he then shrugs, returning the Professor's gaze frontally, nodding once.

"I see… And why haven't you said anything of the mind dive?"

"Sigh… I won't talk about that, not even if you insist."

"Huh, really?" A step closer, a hand to her chin, eyes to eyes. "You will tune Kagami, correct?" He nods. "And, what of these memories you recalled? I assume, you now remember what was of the future up until Iceberg and this… original coup. That means you also remember the world in which… you supported another me, correct? If you can tell me anything from that, perhaps we can gain further boons down the line, don't you think? You could… be my right hand, as you could have been in that world."

"…Until the leaks have been neutered, I don't think it's wise to play with this fire, Vice Commander."

"You haven't called me as usual all this time, you know."

"Would you prefer me calling you honey?" He teases, raising a brow.

And is met with another step forward, an unblinking stare. "If I let you, will you tell me all you know? Will you stay and fight for- with me, Shirogane?"

And for a moment, they hold their gazes in silence, breaching the other's personal space, with only the tickling of the clock as their company as their exhalations tickles the other's chin.

"…I suppose there is a fourth option available," he relents, looking away, hiding both hands in his pockets.

"And that is?" She asks, not moving an inch.

"Do you remember the poem I told you about?"

"The poem? You mean, the one about you and the silver blossom?"

"Yeah, that one. If you can manage to remember on your own who wrote that poem to me, I'll tell you everything."

"Everything?"

"Yeah, for real."

"Huh, really? Even the size of your friend down there?"

"If that's what you wanna waste the question on, be my guest," he shrugs, rolling his eyes. "But I'm being serious here, Yuuko."

"So that world's me was aware of who gave you that poem, and considering the state of affairs you've described when giving me the pass… Was it some sort of couple's song or something?"

"No hints," he sighs, pinching his nose. "If you do manage to link with those feelings… then I will know we're on the same page. That's all."

"Hmm… There's nothing else attached? No calling me honey, no condition or anything?" She asks with a light smirk, poking the wolf.

Yet finds a small grimace, a deep sigh, a punch to the door. "Enough teasing, Vice Commander. If and when you remember, then we'll continue this conversation. For now, we have other matters to tend to."

"…Very well, you do have a point," she strides back to the desk, her finger hovering over the button. "Shirogane?"

"What?"

"You're certain there wasn't anything more to what transpired within the mind dive?"

"…It was all a reflection of what used to be, not what it is now," he relents, compacting his shoulders.

"So you don't see me as some sort of evil fox, Captain of the Swordbreakers?" She frowns grimly, looking back at him, a single eye scanning, debating whether to pounce, to lunge.

Yet he chuckles and smiles, "Did Kasumi tell you what happened to the evil fox during the dream?"

"No, she refused to tell me anything."

"It disappeared along the dragon, enveloped in its tight embrace."

"…What?"

"After all, I am aware that you're not her," Shirogane-san again shrugs, giving out the battered smile. "So I know holding onto those feels ain't the right thing to do, it ain't fair on you. Don't worry, Vice Commander. This dark armed dragon already knows he's alone."

"…I am still your ally, you know?"

"Yeah, but I can't fall on the same mistakes again," he admits in a low voice, running his hands over both arms, licking and twisting his lips, gaze distant as if looking at the stars. "So, please don't ask about this, Vice Commander."

"Sigh… Shirogane, you do realize I can deal with anything that might bring you harm, do you?"

"Not against this, you can't really do anything to help me on this matter."

"And what, pray tell, are you afraid of?"

He looks into her eyes, before crashing down again.

Inhaling sharply, hitting the door, placing both hands behind his head, tugging at his scalp.

Fighting the cold cloak that falls on his back, the blazing binding on his stomach, and that ticklish poke in the underside of his armpits, Shirogane-san merely sighs heavily.

"…Of falling in love again, and calling upon the leaks attached to those feelings."