Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my OC and reimagined plot points. All rights go to their respective owners. Please support Ashihara Daisuke by purchasing the official World Trigger serialisations from official sources.

"Gate activity detected. Gate activity detected."

The air crackled and popped as a Gate began materialising.

"Gate guidance error: 0.03."

A low rumble filled the air as a couple of Banders emerged from the Gate, heads darting around, surveying the vicinity. The two heads quickly fixed themselves upon a lone boy clad in a plain black t-shirt and jeans, a rather worn pair of sneakers on his feet.

"Trigger on."

The boy uttered the activation phrase as he held his Trigger in hand. A series of flashes engulfed his person as his physical body was exchanged for his Trion combat body. Where the casually dressed boy stood moments ago now stood a similarly built boy, clad in a long, white coat, red stripes running from the shoulders down to the cuffs, a single red stripe going down the front of the long coat. A Border emblem sitting on either shoulder of the sleeves. Underneath the long coat was a light grey undershirt, a B-Rank tag sitting on the left breast of the undershirt. The long pants had a similar colour configuration to the long coat, white with a red stripe running down either side of the pants.

"Two Banders visually confirmed, proceeding to eliminate."

The Border agent submitted a verbal report as he dodged an incoming beam attack from the Bander, the asphalt just beneath his feet exploding where he stood. A second beam attack came before the agent landed. The beam would not connect however, as a blue square materialised under his foot. Tapping his foot on that platform launched him further into the air as the second beam blew chunks out of the abandoned building in its path.

"You guys sure are getting slightly better at this. Just barely."

The boy scoffed to no one in particular as he dove toward the closer of the autonomous Trion soldiers. The backdrop of the descending boy filled with green cubes, as the cubes shot toward the Bander. Unable to evade, all the Bander could really do was to close its 'mouth', in which laid its core, against the Border agent's onslaught of Asteroid.

The Asteroid chipped away at the Bander as it turned its head away from the oncoming damage, but to little avail. Even with the Bander putting as much distance as it could between its core and the oncoming damage, the Border agent's Asteroid made short work of the Bander's protective armour. The Bander's head was quickly riddled by Asteroid, as one eventually ripped through the core it was trying to protect. With its core damaged, the Bander began to stagger.

"Scorpion."

The Border agent landed atop the falling Bander, a Scorpion blade piercing into the damaged core, finishing off the first Bander. The remaining Bander had recharged its next attack and proceeded to fire upon the Border agent. Dematerializing the Scorpion, the agent simply stared at the oncoming beam. A green hexagon screen materialised in front of the agent. Upon hitting the screen, the beam dissipated in a fizzle.

"Agent Taiki, there's another Bander two blocks down from your current location."

General Manager Assistant Sawamura's voice came through, as Taiki diverted his attention two blocks down. There did indeed seem to be some sort of commotion going on in that direction.

"Roger that, Sawamura-san. I'll go over after disposing of this remaining Bander."

Taiki acknowledged the message as he grinned a little to himself.

Time to wrap things up quickly. I'm pretty close to the edge of the Forbidden Zone here, aren't I? Wouldn't be good if a stray Bander got into the city.

Taiki stood up from the Bander's remains and materialised a blue panel at his feet. Taking a step into it, Taiki launched himself straight at the second Bander. The Bander closed its 'mouth' as Taiki swiped at it with a backhanded cross slash, the Scorpion blades barely scratching its armour.

Reopening its 'mouth' as Taiki flew past, the Bander began charging another beam attack. Yet another blue panel materialised itself in Taiki's flight path as he bounced off of that, ricocheting straight back at the now exposed core. This time, a single slash cut cleanly through the core as the second Bander fell as well.

"Two Banders down, moving down two blocks."

"Roger that, Agent Taiki! Great work so far!"

Sawamura sounded pleased at the report, Taiki already leaping onto the roofline, heading toward the commotion.

That's one rowdy Bander. Why is it rampaging about? There aren't any reports of other squads in the area, so it shouldn't be fighting anyone, should it? Unless…

A lone B-Rank agent swung wide at the Bander, his Raygust barely cutting into the Bander as it tossed the bespectacled agent aside. Beyond the Bander, Taiki could see the vague silhouette of a person peeking out from behind some cover.

I kinda want to watch and see what this new guy is capable of, but I can't put civilians at risk, can I?

Taiki sighed a little to himself as four green cubes materialised around him. Fusing the four cubes into two, Taiki sent the two Gimlet shots straight at the Bander's head, the armour piercing Gimlet shredding through the Bander's armour and core like a bullet shredding through paper.

The bespectacled agent peeked out of the ruined building in shock and what seemed like a little bit of fear as he watched Taiki leap off the roof, landing by the fallen Bander. Taiki took a moment to ascertain the termination of the Bander with a Scorpion to its core before turning to the bespectacled agent.

"You're the newly promoted B-Rank agent, Agent Mikumo Osamu, aren't you?"

Taiki stuck his hand out in a manner of greeting, as well as to help Mikumo up. Mikumo awkwardly grabbed hold of the outstretched hand as Taiki pulled him onto his feet.

"Y-Yeah, that's me. Er, thanks for the assist-?"

Osamu seemed a little unsure of who he was thanking, as he raised a confused eyebrow. It had been a while since Taiki had to do a self-introduction and he was a little taken aback himself. It seemed there were still people in Border that had not heard of him.

"Agent Kudoko Taiki, otherwise known as the Lone Wolf. You've never heard of me?"

Mikumo stared blankly at Taiki as he shook his head a little. Taiki shrugged a little as he caught Mikumo's gaze going to where he spotted the civilians earlier.

It looks like he's more concerned about me discovering them, with how he's glancing back and forth between me and them, than who I am. If he's that intent on hiding them, I'm not gonna go looking for trouble probing him about them.

"Well, whatever. I'm gonna head back first to make my report. I'll see you around HQ sometime, I guess."

Taiki began making his way to HQ, leaving Mikumo before he could get a response in.

"All three Banders have been eliminated, Sawamura-san. Returning to HQ to make my report."

"Roger that, Agent Taiki."

With his verbal report made, Taiki deactivated his Trion body as he headed through the empty streets of the Forbidden Zone.

"Sorry for intruding."

"Oh, you got a report to make?"

"Ah, yeah. There were Banders looking for trouble, Sayoko-san. Gotta file a report for that."

"Well, you can use my terminal, I'm done with my work for now."

The Lone Wolf and Nasu Squad's operator exchanged some pleasantries before Sayoko got out of her seat and went to their break room to wait for everyone else. Settling into Sayoko's seat, Taiki began typing out his report, detailing the time, execution, and number of enemies. Thinking about Agent Mikumo and the civilians, Taiki opted to leave that information out.

I'd just be asking for trouble if I included that in the report without doing anything about it.

Taking the better half of the day, the rest of Nasu Squad had filled up their operation room one by one. Nasu herself being the first one in, before Akane and Kumagai, nodding a greeting to her junior and joining Sayoko in the break room before their upcoming Defense Mission. Kumagai and Akane came in together a little while after, Kumagai going out of her way to harass Taiki before Nasu squad gathered around the planning table.

"So remind me again. Why do I have to do this with you guys?"

Taiki grumbled as he moved along the empty streets of the Forbidden Zone with Akane.

"Because we asked really nicely? That, and you don't have a single Defence Mission this month!"

Kumagai's snarky reply came over comms, eliciting a sigh from Taiki and a giggle from Akane.

"I didn't get an assignment because of my contributions during the Rad Extermination Operation! I swear, you better keep your word about the yakiniku, Yuuko-senpai."

"Yeah Kuma-chan! Make sure to keep your word!"

"Huh, why're you emphasising 'your' that way?"

"Because Akane-chan and I won't be paying for it?"

"Huh? Why not? He's helping us, isn't he? So we should all contribute, shouldn't we?"

"Your words were, and I quote, 'I'll treat you to yakiniku if you help us out.'"

Sayoko's curt response shut down Kumagai's argument, leaving her to grumble while Nasu giggled gleefully. Akane and Taiki exchanged a look as well, before Akane burst into laughter and Taiki let out an amused sigh.

"Well, I'm glad you're helping, Taiki! We usually can't split up seeing as Nasu-senpai and Kuma-senpai can't really be separated. And that usually means we cover less ground moving together!"

Akane spoke cheerily after laughing her fill, regarding Taiki with an earnest smile. Taiki smiled back awkwardly, unsure of how to interact with Akane. Whilst Taiki had grown used to the other members of Nasu Squad, he had only recently learned that he and Akane were the same age. Having treated Akane like a junior all this time, due to a misunderstanding, Taiki was uncertain on how to interact with Akane as equals - in terms of their age.

"I'm glad you agreed to help out, Taiki! Being able to cover more ground means we can finish a little earlier and I can get started on homework a little sooner!"

Taiki just nodded silently as Akane started to skip ahead a little, her cheeriness putting a small smile on his face. The smile quickly faded as a familiar crackling filled the air.

"Gate activity detected. Gate activity detected."

A Gate began materialising between Taiki and Akane, the latter falling over in surprise.

"We've got a Gate on our side, dealing with it now."

Taiki reported to Sayoko before materialising a Scorpion in his right hand, a swarm of Trion cubes by his left. Three Marmods crawled out of the Gate, followed by a single Bamster stepping out after. The four Trion soldiers' cores began flicking around as they commenced scanning their surroundings.

The Marmods were quick enough to dodge the Trion bullets whizzing toward them, jumping onto the buildings around. The Bamster just barely closed its mouth and protected its core within. Taiki sighed as he spotted Akane picking herself up beyond the Bamster, the Trion soldiers all focused on him.

"Try to get out of their line of sight, Akane. Support me if you can, but just try to avoid getting into direct confrontation with any of them, especially the Marmods," Taiki transmitted non-verbally, "Please assist Akane, Sayoko-san."

"Nasu-senpai and Kumagai are on their way, so hang tight, Taiki."

Taiki did not bother with a response as the Marmods all charged towards him, scythe-legs flailing dangerously as they approached. Leaping to the side of the first swing from the first Marmod, Taiki materialised a Grasshopper and jumped out of the way of the first swing of the second Marmod. The first Marmod's second swing cracked against Taiki's Scorpion as he got flung into a lamppost. The third Marmod quickly descended upon Taiki, bringing down both its scythe-legs to finish Taiki off. The boy grunted in defiance as he held his Scorpions against the Marmod, the reinforced Scorpion blades beginning to crack regardless.

"I've gotten off the streets, Taiki! Do you need me to provide cover?"

"Just keep yourself hidden till I deal with the Marmods, Akane."

Taiki responded non-verbally once again, cracking into a smile as he pushed back against the third Marmod, knocking it off-balance.

"Asteroid."

A hail of Trion bullets flew into the the third Marmod at point-blank range, the unfortunate Trion soldier barely able to bring its scythe-legs to its core, as several bullets riddled it with holes. With its core damaged, the third Marmod fell over, its legs twitching.

The remaining Marmods simultaneously lunged at Taiki, forcing him on the defensive as he materialised two Shields to hold off their attacks. The Bamster that was bumbling about, finally came close enough to Taiki, raising its foot, preparing to crush Taiki underneath.

A flash of blue following the dissipation of green, Taiki emerged above the Trion soldiers. The two Marmods crashed into each other as the Bamster's foot fell atop the entangled Marmods. Neither Marmod seemed particularly damaged by the foot upon them, but trying to untangle themselves under that weight proved inconvenient enough, as a barrage of green fell on the mess of Trion soldiers.

As the explosions cleared, Kumagai and Nasu had finally arrived to witness the aftermath of the fight. Taiki landed gracefully atop the ruined Bamster, surveying the remains and ensuring the Trion soldiers were properly decommissioned.

"Sheesh, you really went to town on them, huh."

Kumagai made her way through the street, ruined by Meteora, joining up with Akane who was now emerging from her hiding spot. Nasu giggled to herself as she saw the look of amazement and disbelief on Akane's face.

"Well, I didn't have much of a choice. I was planning on having Akane assist me with finishing off the Bamster after I dealt with the Marmods," Taiki shrugged as he leaped off the Bamster, "But the big guy didn't want to wait his turn."

"Great job nonetheless, Taiki-kun! Can you call this in, Sayo-chan? We can get back to our patrol after!"

"Roger that, Nasu-senpai."

Nasu Squad and Taiki waited for a cleanup confirmation from HQ before resuming their patrol. The rest of the Defence Mission went by rather peacefully after, as they eventually handed off their shift to the next group.

"Hey! If it isn't Taiki! How've you been?"

Taiki jumped a little at the sudden greeting, turning around to look for the origin. The cheery Attacker of Miwa squad was grinning from ear to ear as he made his way toward Taiki. Flanking Yoneya was Miwa squad's bespectacled Sniper, Kodera Shouhei.

"Yoneya-senpai! Kodera-senpai! I'm doing well. What about you guys?"

"Ah! Things have been a little frustrating lately, but nothing a little Solo Rank War can't solve. So whaddya say, Taiki? Care to go a few rounds with me?"

Yoneya gently slapped Taiki's shoulder, eliciting a nervous chuckle from Taiki. Kodera merely sighed a little at the mention of 'a little frustrating', but kept silent otherwise. Taiki could not get a read on the mood, unsure of how much energy he should respond with.

"Erm, sure, Yoneya-senpai. Right now?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Yoneya laughed heartily as he took the lead, Taiki and Kodera trailing behind a little. It was clear from Kodera's expression that he was not in the best of moods. Taiki had never seen Yoneya in a particularly bad mood before, and was left wondering how frustrated his senior actually was, if he even was.

And it seemed he was plenty frustrated, as Yoneya charged relentlessly at Taiki in the virtual battlefield. Having the advantage of reach, Yoneya easily kept Taiki on the defensive as he attacked. While Taiki had fought Yoneya on previous occasions, his attacks were nowhere near as precise or purposeful as they previously were. Making full use of the reach of his spear, Yoneya simply kept striking and slashing at him, Taiki unable to do anything beyond matching blow for blow with his Scorpion. And how adept Yoneya was at manipulating the blade of his Kogetsu: Spear with Gen'you, made counterattacking even more difficult for Taiki. Every other attack was a feint, the blade shifting its shape at the last second, leaving Taiki barely enough time to react and parry. Half of the feints connected, and Taiki had taken severe damage. Despite being able to block half the feints thanks to Scorpion's versatility and deployability throughout the body, the first round ended in Taiki's defeat as Yoneya overwhelmed his junior in speed and tenacity.

The subsequent rounds were not much different, Yoneya barely tiring out from each round, being able to maintain the intensity of his attacks rather effortlessly. Taiki also got more used to the attacks as the rounds went on, dragging his defeats out longer and longer, before finally landing a single counterattack in the last round before inevitably losing. The score was five to zero, as the two met back up with Kodera in the spectator lounge.

"Ah! That was refreshing! Thanks for sparring with me, Taiki!"

"Really? You call that sparring, Yousuke-senpai? You were just beating on Kudoko-kun like a sandbag."

Kodera was quick to retort Yoneya, the latter merely chuckling.

"No way! Did you not see how he struck back in the last round? That was great!"

Kodera sighed and shook his head a little. Taiki could only smile awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

"You okay, Kudoko-kun? You gotta speak up if you've got anything to say, alright? I don't think it's right for Yousuke-senpai to take his frustrations out on you like that."

"Oh! No, I'm fine. I don't really mind, if anything it gave me a lot to reflect upon. I never realised how difficult it would be to fight another melee combatant who had more reach than me."

Taiki laughed nervously, still a little taken aback by how one-sided the fights were. He had sparred with Yoneya in the past, and none of them were ever this one-sided. The realisation that Yoneya was more likely than not holding back all those times before left Taiki speechless. The strength of an A-Rank agent was not something to be underestimated, especially when they got serious.

"Ah, but that last attack was really good, Taiki! If you were just a little faster, you definitely would've gotten me! I'm still amazed at how well you could keep your defences throughout the rounds! I really love fighting strong people!"

Yoneya raised his arms in a stretch, a yawn escaped his open mouth. Kodera sighed a little, the heavy mood from earlier seemed to lift a little as the corners of his smile curled into a small smile. A breath Taiki did not know he was holding in let itself out, the earlier tension seemingly dissipating.

"I'm not really that strong though, Yoneya-senpai."

"Nah! You're plenty strong, Taiki! Not many people could have lasted that long against me like that! And even less would come close to being able to deliver a counterattack like you did!"

Yoneya gave Taiki several pats on the back as he turned to head out of the spectator lounge. Taiki wheezed a little as Kodera followed along.

"What're you standing around for? Let's go get some food together!"

Yoneya called cheerily after noticing Taiki staying behind in a daze. Taiki blinked in surprise a little before jogging up to Yoneya and Kodera, the trio heading to the cafeteria.

"Hey, if it isn't Spear Brain! And my disciple!"

The dark blonde Shooter of Tachikawa squad spotted the rare Trio in the cafeteria and proceeded to intrude on their table. Kodera fidgeted a little at being ignored.

"Tch, whaddya want, Bullet Brain? We're having a meal here."

"Woah, who shat in your yard today? Did Taiki beat you in Solo Rank Wars or something?"

Izumi sniggered, taking the open seat beside Taiki and giving him a pat on the back.

"Quite the opposite, actually. And good afternoon to you, Izumi-senpai."

"Oh? That so? Didn't see ya there, Kodera. 'Sup."

Izumi smiled wryly at Kodera. Both Yoneya and Kodera were less than enthused by the rough treatment, while Taiki had to stifle his amusement at the teasing.

"So what was the score this time?"

Izumi turned to Taiki for an answer, anticipation glimmering in his eyes.

"Five to zero. I lost completely, Izumi-senpai."

The earlier playfulness returned as Izumi turned to Yoneya, a smug grin plastered across his face.

"Hoho? You've never beaten Taiki like this, what's going on?"

Taiki gulped nervously as the atmosphere fell a little, Kodera shuffling a little, Yoneya gritting his teeth annoyedly. Izumi was genuinely enjoying himself as he waited for Yoneya's response, trying to recall the last time he witnessed his friend being this bothered by anything.

"Tsk, I wasn't even really annoyed until you showed up. I was just a little restless and took it out on Taiki, alright? Again, no hard feelings, yeah?"

Yoneya smiled, nodding at Taiki. Kodera's shoulders slumped, a sigh of relief escaped his lips.

"Oh, yeah, no worries! It was an experience, to say the least."

"So, how did you do?"

Izumi turned back to Taiki, grinning. Taiki did not get a chance to respond as both Yoneya and Kodera spoke on his behalf.

"Oh, Taiki was brilliant! He managed to hold out longer as the rounds progressed. I was honestly having so much fun being able to go all-out like that!"

"The most impressive thing was probably when Kudoko-kun managed to get a counterattack in, in the last round! I was really surprised that he managed to deal damage to Yousuke-senpai!"

Izumi nodded, impressed, and rather enthused, that the two Miwa squad members were showering his disciple with such praise. Taiki sat there awkwardly scratching his head a little, not having a response to the praise.

"Why did you guys have to tag along?"

The orange-purple evening sky glowed faintly as the Sun slowly descended into the horizon. Five teenagers were making their way through the streets, one of whom was being pushed along in her wheelchair. The four girls of Nasu Squad and the Lone Wolf were making their way to Jujuen, with a certain black haired Attacker grumbling about the tag-alongs.

"We gotta make sure you keep your word to Taiki-kun! It wouldn't be fair to him if you ended up going back on your word, would it?"

Nasu giggled from her wheelchair as Taiki pushed her along, Sayoko flanking their left, Akane behind her. Kumagai rounded the group, keeping behind Taiki and Akane.

"You guys know I won't! This is just an excuse to go out for yakiniku as a group!"

Kumagai exasperated, throwing her hands in the air.

"Hehe, perhaps it is! It has been a while since we did something like this, so why not?"

The wheelchair-bound girl was in a particularly good mood, being out with her friends on a weekend. While her health usually kept her from venturing outside too often, having Taiki around as a chaperone gave her family a little more reassurance in letting Nasu go out for a bit of fun. And Nasu was not about to pass up this opportunity.

"But is it really alright to have Taiki chaperone you around, Nasu-senpai? Even if we are tagging along, Taiki did help us with the Defence Mission. Kinda feels wrong to have Taiki chaperone you when I can, considering we're having yakiniku to thank him."

Sayoko turned to Nasu, somewhat avoiding eye contact with Taiki. The boy chuckled to himself.

"It's fine Sayoko-san! Rei-senpai's parents entrusted me with chaperoning her, so I have no qualms about doing it. And this hardly counts as an inconvenience when we rarely get an opportunity to spend time together like this!"

"Aww, aren't you just the sweetest, Taiki-kun! It's definitely reassuring to have you pushing me around! Sayo-chan is the most reliable person after you, but it gets a little troubling when she cowers from or avoids men along the streets."

"H-Hey! That was one time! He was passing out flyers and his outstretched arm gave me a fright!"

Sayoko was quick to rebut Nasu as she huffed indignantly. Nasu chuckled to herself, as Akane appeared lost in thought, trying to recall the incident.

"How about it happened so much, one time you actually let go of the wheelchair in shock when a man jogged past you and you jumped off to the side?"

No one turned back to look at her, but everyone could hear the smugness in her voice as Kumagai smirked to herself. Sayoko could only bury her face in her hands in embarrassment, Akane patting her on the back while Nasu giggled. Taiki could not help but grin as well, enjoying the fun, light-hearted exchange.

"But I hope you're really okay with this arrangement, Taiki-kun. We aren't getting in the way of you and Kuma-chan's date, are we?"

Taiki did not skip a beat as he kept pushing Nasu along, a single sigh escaping his lips.

"I'm not sure if you realised, Rei-senpai, but we've been getting a lot of stares so far. I don't think I have anything to complain about when I'm getting a yakiniku treat and being surrounded by pretty girls."

Nasu laughed excitedly at Taiki's response, wiping a tear from her eye. Sayoko and Akane exchanged a look with each other before laughing a little shyly. Kumagai rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"I swear, you've been getting really cheeky, haven't you Taiki? Are you trying to be a playboy or something, saying things like that?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with being complimented. Especially when Taiki means it, don't you?"

Nasu tilted her head up, noticing a faint red on Taiki's cheeks, the boy keeping his eyes locked on to the path ahead. Nasu could not help but smile to herself, watching Akane and Sayoko grinning to each other. And Nasu could not see it, but judging by Kumagai's single huff, she could tell her friend appreciated the compliment more than she let on.

"Well, yeah, I just said so."

Taiki's bashful mumbling put another grin on Nasu's face.

Light-hearted banter continued being exchanged till they arrived at Jujuen. Being located rather near to the Forbidden Zone, it was a hotspot for Border agents, and the members of Nasu Squad were no strangers to the establishment. Taiki had heard of the place, but never had the time nor opportunity to visit. It really did not look all that different from other yakiniku places Taiki had seen or heard of.

"Table for five? Right this way! You kids with Border, right? Here's the special menu!"

A middle aged man greeted the group as they entered, showing them to their seats and handing out menus. Taiki barely had time to process whatever was going on. One moment he had entered the shop, the next he was seated with Nasu Squad at a table with a menu in front of him. He barely even understood how he had pushed Nasu to their table with such haste and precision.

"Ah, service is impeccable as always! Honestly, it feels great to get special treatment here!"

Kumagai grinned cheerily as she took a single glance at the menu.

"Yeah, so shall we get the usual?"

Nasu also took a single look at the menu, smiling.

"Taiki is here today, so wouldn't we need to order more?"

Sayoko did not look at the menu like the others, her attention more on the boy they were with.

"Oh, how about we get the extra large set today instead?"

Akane pointed to the menu, showing it to the rest of the table.

"Right, I guess Kuma-chan will foot the difference since Taiki's tab is on you today!"

"Guh- Fine, if you guys insist on not contributing. Let's get the extra large set today. Do you think this is enough for you, Taiki?"

The boy who was left speechless at the fast-paced discussion remained silent as he stared at the menu being presented to him, unable to really make sense of what he was seeing. Taiki had no idea what Nasu Squad usually ordered, and how much more food was going to be ordered with the extra large set. But two kilograms of meat, along with six servings of rice and salads, as well as free-flow miso soup and roasted green tea seemed like an amount of food the five of them could manage. And so Taiki nodded.

"Alright! One extra large set please!"

Kumagai called out cheerily, receiving an audible affirmation in response from the service staff.

The tea, soup and salad were brought over first, the extra salad quickly being divided between Nasu, Sayoko and Akane. Kumagai had no interest in having additional greens, and Taiki was more than content with his single bowl of rather tasteless salad.

The five teenagers had just finished their salads as the meat and rice were brought over. The empty salad bowls were cleared, only for the table to be covered in several plates of various cuts of sliced beef. There was barely enough space for the six bowls of rice, the extra bowl very quickly being pushed to Taiki.

"I'm treating you, so you should eat more!"

Taiki did not really have the chance to decline, as the additional bowl of rice was put in front of him, leaving him to wonder if he could eat so much in a single sitting. The two kilograms of meat suddenly looked really daunting to Taiki.

It had started out as a rather fun affair. Five friends going out for dinner. The smell of grilled meat wafted around the table. Joyful chatter filled the air. It really was quite a fun affair.

However, as the night went on, things took a turn for the worse. Akane was the first. A quiet burp escaped her lips, giggles and chuckles went around. An embarrassed, "Excuse me!" was followed with a cheeky, "You're excused!" A second burp came after Akane ate another two pieces of beef. That was the end of her line, as she shook her head and set her utensils down. Akane had eaten about two hundred and fifty grams of meat.

Nasu was next to go. A small bout of hiccups stopped by a rather gentle burp. The wheelchair-bound girl rubbed her belly a little and took a sip of tea. She put her utensils down and sighed, satisfied. "You guys keep up with the rest!" She smiled blissfully at the remaining three. Nasu had eaten about two hundred grams of meat.

Sayoko had gone to the restroom once, amidst all the tea and soup she drank to wash the grilled meat down. The reserved girl took another sip of tea before excusing herself to the toilet once again. This trip took a little longer than first, Kumagai surmised that Sayoko had gone and taken a Number Two. The Nasu Squad Operator returned, denying having taken a Number Two. It was rather apparent that she did, when she managed to eat a little more than anyone expected her to before her trip to the toilet. But Sayoko quickly hit her limit once again, setting down her utensils eventually. Sayoko had eaten about three hundred grams of meat.

Kumagai was indeed the biggest eater in Nasu Squad. But not by all that much. While it was true that she was the most active amongst the four, Kumagai still had concerns about her figure and weight. And while she could afford to eat that much more, she stopped herself short of being too full. Kumagai had eaten four hundred grams of meat.

Taiki was keeping track of the meat as dinner went on. While he had no way of telling how much each person had eaten, Taiki did not like how much seemed to be left. As the five of them began eating and going through the meat, Taiki thought things would not be too bad. Afterall, there were five of them. But as each girl dropped out and the consumption of meat began to slow down, Taiki became increasingly worried. There was a lot of meat, and he also had quite a bit of rice. Two bowls to be exact. One more than everyone else. And now it seemed like he was going to be eating twice as much meat as Kumagai. A single growl of defiance came from Taiki's stomach as he finished his first bowl of rice and a fair bit of meat. By the time he had finished his second bowl of rice, only he and Kumagai were left working through the meat. Shortly after, Kumagai tapped out as well, leaving Taiki to face the remaining meat all on his own. About four hundred grams of meat was left.

Nasu still wanted to grill the meat, and offered to help grill some for Taiki. Taiki did not refuse the offer. The boy had momentum going through the meat, and having Nasu help with the grilling would easily ensure that he was able to keep his momentum going.

"Should I help grill too?"

Akane noticed Taiki slowing down as he began eating a little faster than the grilling could keep up with. Taiki nodded slowly, mouthing the words, "Yes, please", trying to minimise any movement that might make him nauseous. With an additional pair of hands working on the grilling, the meat was slowly dwindling as Taiki worked his way through it steadily. About two hundred grams of meat was left.

"Are you okay, Taiki? Maybe you shouldn't force yourself."

Sayoko was growing concerned as Taiki kept shovelling meat into his mouth, chewing just enough, swallowing and repeating. Taiki shrugged a little.

"I mean I can totally pay for food wastage, Taiki. You really don't have to force yourself."

Kumagai was getting anxious as well, seeing her junior basically inhale meat at a rate she had never seen before. Nasu and Akane were more amazed and impressed than concerned and kept working the grill. Taiki just kept going through the meat as Nasu and Akane kept grilling. About a hundred grams of meat was left.

"Argh! Fine! If you're so insistent on finishing everything, I'll start grilling too!"

As the saying goes, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Kumagai began grilling as well. Sayoko kept watching in fear as Taiki began slowing down a little. Nasu and Akane began cheering for Taiki as they grilled. One plate of meat remained.

"Seriously? He's been resting at home since?"

Kumagai blinked in disbelief at her Operator, the quiet girl nodding from behind her monitors.

"Apparently Taiki-kun called in sick to school on Monday, and hasn't been in since. He also called HQ after."

Taiki's absence was reflected in Border's weekly notice. Nasu regularly kept up with the weekly notices and knew about Taiki's situation as soon as the notice was sent out. Kumagai only started wondering at midweek, when she finally noticed she had not seen Taiki for a few days.

"What is he even down with? Shouldn't it just be some indigestion?"

Kumagai thought back to the ugly scene over the weekend.

It was a spectacle to behold, as Taiki swallowed the last piece of meat and let out a bellowing burp. Nasu giggled a little, while everyone else recoiled a little in shock. The boy chuckled nervously as he took a sip of tea. That was when things went wrong.

An ominous grumble echoed from Taiki's stomach, as the colour drained from his face. He was already out of his seat before anyone at the table could voice their concern at the sound. Nasu Squad sat around in silence. Worry and concern were written all over the faces of Nasu Squad as they watched Taiki dart to the toilet. After an excruciating ten minutes, Taiki re-emerged from the toilet and returned to the table.

The boy had a visible bulge in his abdomen, a clear sign he had eaten too much. The way he walked with a slight hunch and his hand over his stomach was another good indicator he was not feeling too well. Taiki had reassured everyone he was well enough, however, and even managed to send Nasu home as he promised her parents before making his way home.

Taiki had texted them when he arrived home safely, but there had been no news from him since.

Kumagai had not thought anything about it, seeing as they only exchanged texts every so often. Not hearing from Taiki for a couple of days was a fairly normal occurrence. Not this time, apparently.

A not-so-pleasant thought came to mind.

"Wait! Doesn't Taiki live alone?"

The Nasu Squad Operation room fell silent after Kumagai's sudden proclamation. The four girls stared at each other as they each began processing this recalled information.

Nasu's head dropped a little as she brought her fist to her mouth. Sayoko's hands began trembling as her fingers hovered over her keyboard. Akane stared at Kumagai blankly, her mouth hanging open slightly. Kumagai was frantically tapping away on her phone.

"Hello?"

A familiar raspy voice emanated from the speakers of Kumagai's phone.

"Yuuko-senpai? Hello?"

The male voice coughed a little, confused by the silent phone call.

"Taiki-kun?"

Nasu was the first to snap out of the silence, waving her hands at her squadmates.

"Rei-senpai? Isn't this Yuuko-senpai's number?"

"Yeah. Kuma-chan put her phone on speaker mode. You- uh- are you alright?"

There was a moment of silence, before some rustling and coughing.

"Yeah, just a fever and sore throat. Hold on, I gotta get another fever patch. This one feels like it's done."

Taiki went silent again as some rustling and shuffling could be heard. Nasu Squad could only listen in suspense as Taiki went off somewhere to get another fever patch.

"But what's up, Rei-senpai? It's rare for you to call me."

"Well, we haven't heard from you in a few days, and we were just worried. Also, it's Kuma-chan that called. I'm just speaking up 'cos everyone else seems to be in shock."

"Uh. Huh. Everyone else, who?"

"Kuma-chan, Sayo-chan and Akane-chan. Hey, you sound really spaced out, did we interrupt your rest?"

Silence was the response Nasu got. Kumagai finally snapped out of her trance.

"Hey! Taiki! You okay?"

There was some muffled groaning and mumbling at Kumagai's sudden outburst. The call went silent again after.

"Calm down, Kuma-chan! I think he's just resting. Why don't you guys pick up some groceries and go visit him? Make sure to send him my regards too, yeah?"

"Yeah. Yeah, alright. I can't believe someone as smart as him can fall this sick! C'mon Sayoko, Akane!"

Kumagai began packing up her backpack frantically. Akane and Sayoko blinked at each other for a moment before packing up their belongings as well.

"Wait! Does anybody know where Taiki lives?"

Kumagai paused as she was about to leave, turning back to look at Akane and Sayoko. Akane shook her head. Sayoko nodded a little as she went back to her terminal. A few mouse clicks later, Sayoko got up with a triumphant smile.

"I contacted Sawamura-san and she gave me his address."

"Good job Sayoko! Let's go!"

Nasu waved goodbye to her teammates as they left, feeling relieved that Taiki was at least somewhat able to take care of himself. Though how and what he had been feeding himself was a concerning thought, she could feel a little less anxious with her teammates going over.

"Isn't this a little bit overkill?"

Sayoko grumbled as she trudged along, a bag of groceries in each of her hands. Each bag was filled with various vegetables and fruits. Akane was hugging two bottles of isotonic water and a bag of jellies and fever patches hanging off her arm. Kumagai held a bag of meat in one hand, and a medium-sized pack of rice in the other.

The trio of girls did stick out a little, walking along with as much groceries as they did in the midday sun. Had they made a plan before their supermarket run, the girls might not have bought as much. But panic and urgency had taken control of the young ladies and they went filling the shopping cart to its brim.

"Look, he's been sick since the weekend, goodness knows how much food he even has left at his place!"

Kumagai grumbled as she marched forward purposefully. Sayoko and Akane tried their best to keep up, the midday heat beating down on them mercilessly.

A/N: So this chapter took so long simply because I struggled to find something to fill in for what is meant to be the period in time of the Black Trigger Retrieval arc. Seeing as nothing else really happens between the beginning and the Second Large Scale Invasion Arc, I was really struggling to find something to write about before jumping to the Invasion Arc. After several drafts of trying to rewrite the Black Trigger Retrieval Arc, I came to the decision to not include my OC in that event, simply because he would tip the balance too much regardless of which side he joined. That, and in hindsight, adding a B-Rank of fairly unknown strength to that event seemed a little forced to the plot progression so I decided against it. The result is a weird chapter of more fluff, somewhat establishing a little more on Taiki's combat capabilities as well as some silly slice-of-life happenings. I think I'm going to try to keep a good balance of action and not-action moving forward, because this chapter was a lot of writing fights and deleting them 'cos they felt forced. So I'll be trying not to force unnecessary action for the sake of action and hopefully my next chapter won't take nearly as long to finish! Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and thank you for waiting!