Chapter 27. The fool and the genius
Protect the earth, protect its people and fulfil the mission given to you with all your might. It was a soundly noble and beautiful goal that has been the UN Army's goal before long. But it was rather idealistic and general reason for any solider to fight and lay down for.
When one face the terror of death and despair on the battlefield, those noble and idealistic goals would be the last to keep them living and fighting. In fact, when worse came to worst, when a soldier was on his last straw of sanity and courage, those noble ideals wouldn't mean anything to him. A person who wholeheartedly willing to sacrifice everything he had, including his own life for the mass like that of a Christian's saints of old simply doesn't exist.
However that doesn't mean the whole human race comprised of people who are nothing but egotistic and selfish creatures. While it was still true that a person couldn't simply sacrifice everything he had to offer for the mass, it doesn't mean he would never sacrifice his everything for those he loved.
Love was, is and will always be such a powerful reason for any human beings to live and to fight for. Without love, human being could hardly live on and survive until today.
When a soldier is mortally wounded and his comrades are nowhere to be seen, would he resigned to his doom, knowing that his love one were still waiting for his return? Yes or no, nobody will know the answer aside that specific soldier. But one thing for sure, that soldier will do everything he could to achieve his mission so that he sees the smile of his beloved and holds them in his arms again. Or perhaps, he is even willing to throw away his own life, forfeit his chance to meet his beloved and feel their warm… so that he would make sure that they never have to go through what he had been.
Just like how the Earth was bound by the warm and the gravity of the Sun, human beings could not release themselves from living for the sake of love. Love has been such a compass for human beings since ancient, and it still is now as it will forever be in the future.
8th December, 2001
"Here at last," 1st Lt. Keith Blazer stretched his sore arms and legs, relieving them from the long distance flight that he has been endured in a continuous 10 hours flight from Hawaii US military Base to Yokohama UN Army base.
"Can't believe it took him 10 hours to travel from Honolulu to Yokohama, I wonder where the pilot got his own license," Guylos McCloud complained as he exercising his muscular body.
"Better than get our asses fried by some Laser bastard, I said," Leon Kuze replied unconcernedly as he was sitting comfortably in his seat, wearing his favourite sunglasses like he is on a vacation to some southern island.
"Now, now, you know that he didn't mean it in that way," Sharon Heim smiled as she, too, was busy stretching her stiff neck.
"I know, right? He is just complaining because that guy didn't participate in this mission like he was supposed to," Guyslos grinned at Leon as though he challenged his friend to deny it.
"I know, right?" Sharon cooed at her boyfriend who trying to act cool, maintaining his composure and hiding his own embarrassment under the shade of his sunglasses.
"That's enough joking guys," Keith interfered the teasing session among his unit as he grabbed his gears and opened the aircraft's door. "We have tons of things to settle down today. We couldn't afford to sully the name of the Infinities, are we?"
A victorious grin was the reply of the rest of the Infinities to 1st Lt. Keith.
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"That's the last of them," Shirogane Takeru muttered as he looked at the Yokohama's 15th runway. Among all participants in the XM3 trial test, the US Infinities was the last to arrive.
Three hours have passed since Takeru was discharged from the medical ward. But here he is, dilly-dallying around.
Nay, in fact, he returned to his post immediately after his discharge. However, he was granted a short holiday until 9th of December, so that he would be fully recovered. It was quite unexpected for Takeru since that idea wasn't come from 1st Lt. Suzumiya Haruka or Capt. Isumi but 1st Lt. Hayase herself. And immediately, his vacation was authorized by the rest of his superiors without a hint of hesitation. Well, maybe Hayase wasn't a tyranny as he thought she was…
Therefore, Takeru was exempted from the rest of the exercise until the end of the day.
"Uwa… no wonder she was so cranky," Takeru immediately realized the king of troll wasn't the only reason for his Yuuko sensei's ill-treatment toward him as he saw her figures among the welcoming group with the Base CO.
The three things that Yuuko hated the most in her life are the old spy Yoroi Sakon, wasting time and stupidity. And Takeru has practically forced upon Yuuko two of them just by organising the XM3 trial test, relying on the king of troll.
The XM3 might be published as his own invention, but Yuuko's name was also included in the name of the inventors. So, it wouldn't be wrong if anyone telling him that he was using Yuuko's hard earn reputation to promote his product. As the result, it would be rather weird if Yuuko shut herself inside her lab room while people who were invited to the trial test of her product arrived.
Well, in fact, Takeru felt it was closer to a miracle that Yuuko hasn't doing anything else upon him… like doing some inhuman experiments with him as her own lab rat, considering how big of the trouble that he created for her to clean up. This should be the busiest time for Yuuko in the research, yet she is wasting he time right here and now to clean up Takeru's mess in Takeru's place.
But, it wasn't something that Takeru should be complained about. Trivial as they were, but as long as they could hindered somewhat to what Yuuko's planning, Takeru has nothing to complain…
"Takeru…" A surprised voice rang to his back as Takeru stared at his sensei from afar.
"You girls" was Takeru's reply as he could not contain his own surprise the moment he turned back.
A girl whose hair was so long and silky that people would mistaken her as a hair model if it wasn't for her samurai demeanour was standing with her hand held to her mouth as if she could contain her own surprise just by doing that. Next to her, standing a pink hair girl with small body built like a mascot, a glasses girl whose appearance look is like that of a role model class rep, a short raven hair girl that look as free and unconcerned as a cat and a chibi girl whose appearance immediately reminded Takeru of the king of troll.
"What are you doing here?" Takeru asked
"It should be us who asking you that question. Shouldn't you lying in the medical ward right now instead of wandering around here?" Sakaki Chiruzu inquired as she stepped out of Meiya's shadow.
"We were so worried about you Takeru san," Tamase Miki said as she worriedly grabbed Takeru's hand
"Pass out… overworking yourself" Ayamine spoke in her usual incoherent manner.
"Takeru… wawawwawa," Mikoto was almost crying for a second as she grabbed on to Takeru's arm "I thought I wouldn't see you again"
"Don't go killing me just yet" Takeru interjected immediately. Whereas her level of driving people crazy is nowhere near her dad- the old spy Yoroi Sakon; Mikoto surely inherited his genes.
Speaking about that old spy, he disappeared into thin air immediately after dumping on Takeru a bunch of reports without any explanation. Takeru can't really tell whether that old spy was busy or not despite the way the old spy behaved in front of Takeru, seeing how he still had sometimes flirting Yuuko sensei into crazy. If only that old spy hasn't doing something like that, Takeru wouldn't suffer as much as he had been.
However, no matter how much Takeru cursed that old king of troll regarding his personality and working method, Takeru had nothing to complain to the old spy over the result of his work.
Whatever information Takeru requested from the old spy was clearly and neatly written in order.
The first report was about Tsukuyomi. It seemed that the old spy already understood what sort of a person Shirogane Takeru is as he listed what worried Takeru the most in the cover page. Tsukuyomi was safe from all of the interrogation from both sides, the US Army and the Imperial Household Department. Since Yuuhi had made it very clear among her subject that Tsukuyomi was only acting under her order, no investigation was held among the Imperial Army and the Royal Guard Department. Also, even if the old spy didn't mention it in the report, Takeru understood that it was Yoroi Sakon who made it a sooth sail, negotiating with the CIA regarding the whole incidents so that Tsukuyomi was spared from any enquiry from the American Army.
The secondary priority of Takeru was regarding Yuuhi's status. Whereas Yuuhi regained many of her authorities after the coup, the overall state of affairs didn't changed much. Though, the remnant of the opposition and corrupted bureaucrats became more aware of their own safety, thinking that Yuuhi also had her hand on the rebellion of Capt. Sagiri. Considering how the rebelled Army and the US Army were swiftly dealt with and how the Imperial Army held no investigation or whatsoever regarding that whole incident, it's rather fairly easy to trick people into believe that the Shogun somehow had that dealt. In another word, the rebellion happened with the Shogun's knowledge and consent. As the result, even as those people still created many trouble for Yuuhi regard her standing, they were more or less think twice before openly oppose her since they were questioning themselves whether their Shogun is the humanitarian Martin Lurtherking or the tyrant Adoft Hitler.
The third report was regarding Capt. Sagiri's fate and his rebelling army. Since both the Shogun and Capt. Sagiri has accepted that the Captain will took all the blame regarding the whole rebellion, nobody but Captain Sagiri have to be punished for it. Though it seemed that the Captain's punishment was on hold as the mass and many soldiers among the Imperial Army were still pledging for his amnesty. So until the official trial will be held, the Captain will have to be under house arrest until then.
The fourth report made it clear that the old spy had hosted the trial test of the XM3 as some sort of international event. Takeru had no idea how the old spy did it, but the scale of the event was getting out of his palms and expectation. Not only it was attracting attention from the overall UN Army and the Imperial Army, the amount of people who were curious about what Yuuko had in store for them is substantial. As the result, different RnD groups were willing to send their team to participate in the event. Still, majority of them only sent their unit to Yokohama as observers. However, the amount of those observers has clearly exceeded Takeru's imagination and expectation by a huge margin. To summarise, other than the US Army, Europia Front, the Chinese Federation Army and the USSR Army, the rest of the people who were sending to Yokohama only act as observers.
"He still looked so out of it. Maybe he hasn't fully recovered," Meiya said as she waved her hand in front of Takeru's face, testing his reaction.
"Uwa, uwa, you should go back to the medical ward and have a rest Takeru san," Tama worriedly looked at the dazed Takeru.
"Still sick?" Ayamine questioned with her unconcerned face. People would certainly have a hard time to decipher whether she was worried or not with such a blank look on her face.
"I say it is just his bad habit of daydreaming during a conversation," Chiruzu said even though she was wondering whether she was on the mark or not.
"Did you say something?" asked Takeru as he somehow managed to stray from his train of thought.
"Never mind," Chiruzu tiredly answered as she immediately understood she was correct about Takeru's strange behaviour.
"By the way, how did you know about my condition?" Takeru asked as it was kind of bugging him from the beginning.
"…"
For some reason, the girls entered an awkward mutual silence.
Just when Takeru was wondering whether he has just asked something he shouldn't, Mikoto broke the silence.
"We saw you were brought to the medical ward during our exercise," Mikoto said nervously.
"Yes, yes, we saw you were carried along the corridor in a princess cradle."
"I saw someone piggyback you to the medical ward."
"…"
Once again a mutual silence descended among the girls.
There were already conflictions in what they were saying in the matter of seconds. Besides, the head nurse clearly told Takeru that he was brought to the medical ward in a stretcher. What's going on about this stupidity of piggyback and princess cradle? Anyway, which one is the true and which one is not? It is really a mystery.
"Anyway, what are you girls doing here?" Takeru swiftly threw a question to divert the awkwardness in the air.
"Ahem" Meiya pretended to clear her throat, regaining her composure "We were … on our way to the PX. That's right. We were on our way to the PX"
Did anyone ever tell Meiya that she was suck at lying, especially those that do not relate to her mission? Takeru wondered. Takeru himself is rather a role model for people who bad at lying around, but the Meiya right now has already beaten Takeru for that title. She maybe the best at hiding secret among the group but she was also the one who worst at telling lie.
"Anyhow, we were done with our training for the day. You can come with us to the PX if you are free," Mikoto butted in, covering for Meiya from exposing her lie.
PX
"How are you coping with the new team?" Meiya immediately inquired the moment Takeru rested his butt on his favourite seat.
"…"
The chopsticks on Takeru's hand immediately dropped as he just remembered something extremely important.
"Sorry," Takeru said as he bowed down while apologetically clasping his hand together. "I never inform you all about that. I was just as surprise as all of you about that transfer.
"…"
An awkward silence descended as though Takeru's apologize hit the sore spot of the girls.
"…and besides, I didn't even attend the celebration party after that," as thickhead as he always was, there was practically no way for Takeru to realize that something is amiss "So please forgive me if I didn't tell you all anything."
"No... you shouldn't apologize. It was really not our place to complain about our post as a soldier," Chiruzu said.
"And we have all expected that… it would be a waste of your talent if you were to stick around with us. It's just that we were kind of having our hope up…" Meiya continued as a tinge of sadness showed on her face.
"No, even so. I should at least inform you girls about it. I forgot…" Takeru waved his hands around, denying the point that Meiya trying to make.
"No, we all know it. Instructor Jinguuji informed us afterward during our briefing. We also understood that it was really tough for you to stand among the Valkyries," Meiya interfered.
"…"
No sound could come out of Takeru's throat as he felt incredibly guilty, unintentionally forgetting and deceiving the girls. "So Marimo chan told you all about my reassignment to the Valkyries?" asked Takeru as he tried to dispel the awkwardness in the air.
Or perhaps, Takeru has just stepped on another landmine without even realizing that.
"Yes, it was Instructor who inform us of that, your transferring to the Valkyries… yes, it was her," Meiya hastily answered.
"…"Takeru could only stare at Meiya with his eyes opened widely.
Just like how deeply Meiya understood the core personality of Takeru with her sharp perception, Takeru himself was confident in understand Meiya's character with all the time he spent with her through out his ever looping life. And just now, Meiya was clearly panicked. She was desperately tried to hide something.
"Did I step on another landmine? What happened when I wasn't around?" Takeru silently wondered as he darted his eyes around, checking the other girls' reaction.
Very similar to that expression of Meiya, it was clear that the other was no less in a panic with Ayamine is the only exception.
"Anyway, back to the topic. How are you coping with your new team mates?" Chiruzu barged in with her godly interception skill and prevent the rest of the girls from blowing things out of the proportion.
"…Not too bad, I guess" Takeru nervously replied despite his utmost desire to relieve the total of his built up stress by spilling them all to the girls. How the Valkyries became a place full of weirdo, how he was marked by the ace of the Valkyries and how Capt. Isumi played cupid between him and Hayase, how Hayase wake him up this morning by chop down his room door… There was no way that he could tell the girls about them. He would be long dead before he could able to finish his own story and moreover if Hayase and the Valkyries ever get a wind of him badmouthing them, who know what happen to him in the future.
"…as expected" Meiya sadly muttered "You got to meet her everyday from now on after all."
Takeru felt like he was given a sucker punch by Meiya. Still, he couldn't say anything about that ever since the incident that he admitted he was a Hayase's paparazzi. Though, Takeru almost committed suicide as the rest of the members of squad 207 restlessly nodded their heads, agreeing with Meiya.
"…Good for you, Takeru san" Tama commented and put the conclusion to the topic or rather finally delivered the knock out punch to the staggering boy whose body was drenched in his own sweat.
"Enough about me. How are you girls dong?" Takeru asked, trying to get rid of the sour atmosphere for the third time.
"We are doing well, I guess" Chiruzu dejectedly said "Except, it is very worrying that we are pitched against the veterans in the incoming event with such high expectation from the XO and Instructor"
It was very rare for Takeru to see Chiruzu whining or complaining over something. Same goes for the girls and the dejecting atmosphere that they were exuding right now. In fact, other than the time the squad 207B faced the crisis of failing the evaluation exam with Takeru as their only dead weight and burden, Takeru has never seen the group was as dispirit as this. Was this situation because of his sudden disappearance? While Takeru was aware of his significance among the group, but it was rather impossible to him that the girls lost all of their confidences and motivation because he left.
"Now, now, you girls shouldn't worry too much about that. Giving that those veterans might have more experience than us, it's not like you don't have any chance in beating them." Takeru said as he felt somewhat responsible for the current state of his old squad mates. "You see? While those people have barely any time to get use to the new OS, we were already at the advance level whereas we could push our TSF to a new limit with the help of the XM3. Furthermore, unlike us, those so call veterans simply don't have any essential combat data regarding the new OS whereas we have gathered a bunch of them during the coup. Lastly, it's not like you were losing to any of them in term of potential. I believe that there is existed nobody could match Tama in term of sniping or Meiya in the way of the katana or Ayamine in term of balancing or Mikoto regarding of her uncanny instinct. And Class rep, you have nothing to worry about your own ability in being the team's strategist."
"Uwawa, don't exaggerate it like that Takeru san" Tama waved her hands in denial as her face was beet red from embarrassment.
"There are surely many people who better than me around you but you wouldn't notice" Meiya humbly shot down Takeru's praise regarding her ability with the katana.
"You are surely jesting" Mikoto half-heartedly smiled with a tinge of embarrassment on her face.
"Blush…" Ayamine said as she pretended to be embarrassed. Nobody knows for sure whether she was embarrassed or not.
"Aren't you the one who always shot down my plan and do whatever you want?" Chiruzu growled as she tried to hide her own embarrassment.
"No, I am being serious. You girls were simply amazing." Takeru immediately added.
"Hearing such praise from you mouth made things gone weird for some reason." Chiruzu commented as she tried to adjust her glasses.
"Aren't you sure that you are not praising yourself in a roundabout way, Takeru?"
Meiya darted her eyes over Takeru, half-joking.
"Yes, you always beat us in everything" Mikoto asserted as she exaggeratedly sighed.
"Well, at least, you got your spirit back" Takeru scratched his head and replied.
"If it wasn't because of you, we wouldn't nearly as…" Chiruzu lamented for half a second and immediately' zipped her mouth with both hands in the next half a second.
"Pardon? Did you just say something, Class rep?" Takeru asked
"Nothing, absolutely nothing," Chiruzu waved her hand and mustered her deny.
Takeru was closed to his face meet palm routine as he must finally admit that the girls of squad 207B were getting extremely weird just like the members of the Valkyries if not weirder. What happened when he wasn't around? Did the girls lose a screw or two in their head just because of his sudden transfer? That's a mystery…
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Gifts came along with responsibilities. The more gifted a person was, the larger the burden that she must shoulder. It's the same for everyone, including an unequal genius like Kouzuki Yuuko.
Well-known for her ingenuity and her rock-hard determination in achieving the ALTERNATIVE IV, Yuuko was already a world renowned scientist just by shouldering the entire ALTERNATIVE IV's plan on her own. Whereas the three prior ALTERNATIVE plans had failed to bring about a solution, a medicine to deal with the blight that know as BETA and many people even threw away their hope, planning to abandon the blue planet which were their rightful birthplace as the result; Kouzuki Yuuko brought a fainted light that lead to the exit of the abyss of despair that each and everyone on the Earth must face eventually.
That's how Kouzuki Yuuko made her name known around the world. Such popularity used to help her a big deal, getting her way easily with her own research and increase the percentage of success of her own plans. But, sometimes, such popularity could be a pain…
"I haven't seen you sigh out like that for a while since I first met you," Marimo passed a mug of coffee to Yuuko with a worriedly look.
"Thank to that guy I guess, I didn't expect him to blow everything out of the proportion the way he is doing right now, using my name to marketing his own product. Thank to that, I pretty much wasting a whole day shaking hands and greeting bunch of people while I should be working inside my lab" Yuuko unhesitatingly answered as she grabbed the drink Marimo passed to her.
Standing on a desolate rooftop, the two women chatted without any reservation despite the difference in their rank.
"Sure. But, doesn't that aspect of him remind you of yourself?" Marimo lightly chucked while gazing at the setting sun.
"Hah…" Yuuko sighed as she leaned on the handrail with her back. "The fact that I couldn't deny the similarity between him and me is kind of pissing me off." Yuuko let her gaze wander aimlessly as she gulped the coffee while voicing her own complain.
"Is that the reason you labelled him as a special being when you first introduced him to me?" Marimo asked.
"That as well…" replied Yuuko while staring down at the coffee mug on her hand.
"I see," was Marimo answer as she slightly understood the reason for Yuuko's long pause. "Well, you could say that he is very special. That's already excluding the mysterious atmosphere around him, his unusual character and tendency of causing trouble to other or his military profile or his odd relationship with you. "
"I know right…" Yuuko chuckled as she amusedly watched Marimo describe Shirogane Takeru.
"But still, no matter how troublesome of a fellow he is, I do not doubt that he is a good person. With his talent, maybe he could save more people than I ever did, hundreds, thousands or perhaps millions. Don't you think so?" Marimo leaned on the handrail with her folded arms as she questioned Yuuko.
"That… I have no doubt" Yuuko sadly smiled as she stilled kept her gaze at the coffee mug.
"Anyway, I won't take away your time than I already was. I also have a duty to attend to. At least have a good rest Yuuko, you should keep a close track on your health." Marimo advised the mad scientist as she retrieved the coffee mug and exited the rooftop.
"What are you trying to achieve Shirogane Takeru?" The moment Marimo was out of her eye sight, Yuuko quietly muttered a question with her back still leaning to the handrail.
In Yuuko's eyes, the person known as Shirogane Takeru was easy to read as a book. He was incredibly naïve, stupid, and extremely hard head to a fault. While it wasn't like he was unaffected or oblivious of the darkness and malice around him, the boy's actions and thoughts were like that of unwritten page, pure and untainted of malice.
But, Yuuko also understood a fact that it was very arrogance of anybody if that person ever claimed to understand everything about the person known as Shirogane Takeru.
While an unwritten page is easy to read and recognize, it could also become anything. Nobody will know for sure what will be written on that white page or when that white page will cease to be a white and unwritten page. And Shirogane Takeru was literally such an extremely unpredictable and uncontrollable factor on Yuuko's plan. While Yuuko could predict what kind of reaction that Shirogane Takeru will show toward her own plan, Yuuko was totally powerless to predict what course of action that he would take.
Worse, Shirogane Takeru is not just a regular unwritten page. A quantum oddity he also was, a being that make a mockery over how fragile the world could be, a being that transcend over the boundary of time and human understanding, a proof that how a person's will could alter the whole world, a pipeline of information between the infinite number of parallel universes, a Casualty Conductor. That's why the existence of Shirogane Takeru isn't really an unwritten page like Yuuko want to believe. If anything, his existence would be closer to an archive of unlimited possibilities.
Despite the vast possibilities and choices the world could offer, there is ultimately one and only one true history record at the end of the day. Whether Yuuko failed the fourth plan or she will succeed, it was already predetermined in the world's archive. If in the timeline A, Yuuko failed with her ALTERNATIVE IV, no matter how bad Yuuko struggled, the percentage of her success will not exceed zero. And vice versa, in timeline B, if Yuuko managed to succeed in her ALTERNATIVE IV, there is but one and only one ultimate record in the world's archive, success. In another word, if Yuuko made the choice X in timeline X, even if Yuuko somehow managed to do a timeslip, returning to the past, the law of Casualty will make sure the Yuuko will choose the choice X no matter what. And that is an unbended universal rule that is true to everything, alive or not, intelligence or not, strong or not.
But the Casualty Conductor was the only exception to that unbended universal rule. Its existence alone was the rule breaker. Being a pipeline of information between different worlds, universes and timelines, a Casualty Conductor could alter the flow of Casualty in one world by upsetting and rewriting the information of timeline A with other timeline's information. Thus, the result of every single choice that a Casualty Conductor made has unlimited potential of changing the predetermined result in any world and any timeline.
And thus, Yuuko was unable to predict what Shirogane Takeru trying to do as he hasn't told her any important information that she wanted to know nor she was able to bide down Takeru to her plan. Furthermore, within less than a month of interacting with Shirogane Takeru, Yuuko has pretty much understood that going against the person known as Shirogane Takeru without the proper knowledge is incredibly absurd as every single entity was tied to a law of Casualty that they know nothing about whereas he alone twisted the universal rule to his biding. That alone vaguely explained why Takeru only partially told Yuuko of his past experience despite of his claim to be afraid of causing a time Paradox.
Thus, one could safely assume that Shirogane Takeru has already anticipated of Yuuko's plan before Yuuko could come up with it. But, if the problem was just at that level, Yuuko wouldn't feel as vexing as she is right now. Even if Yuuko was unable to anticipate what course of action that Shirogane Takeru will take, it wasn't like she has no mean to stop Shirogane Takeru from doing what he wanted. The problem is what if Yuuko became the one who created a time Paradox as well as sealed her own success by sealing Shirogane Takeru in the process. Being a Casualty Conductor not only granted Shirogane Takeru the ability to bend the law of Casualty in one world but also alter the flow of information of the worlds and timelines that he came to contact with as a whole. Hence, Yuuko too, wasn't bound by the rule of Casualty like she supposed to. In another word, Yuuko herself hold the possibility to cause a time Paradox just as much as the boy Shirogane Takeru. As the result, Yuuko herself was unable to determine what kind of decision that she should take against Shirogane Takeru even if she could read him clearly like a book. But even so, Yuuko could no longer stop. She could no longer turn back and leave everything to someone else, especially someone as naïve and pure as Shirogane Takeru.
"What are you trying to achieve, Shirogane Takeru?"
Once again, Yuuko quietly muttered a question at the setting sun.
If Yuuko was to count the number of people who possessed the ability to upset her plan, the total count would stop at three. Shirogane Takeru was certainly at the top of the list, follow by Kagami Sumika the 00 unit and Yashiro Kasumi. That's the reason Yuuko has tried to separate both Sumika and Kasumi from Takeru recently, keeping Sumika and Kasumi busy with their training with the Susano while isolating Takeru among the Valkyries.
Though it looked like Yuuko hold an advantage in this round from all angles, but Yuuko could not be at ease. Assume that Shirogane Takeru has already known what Yuuko was planning all along; he wouldn't sit still and leave it all to Yuuko's binding. Yes, definitely. The last thing that Shirogane Takeru would do is sitting still and watching Yuuko from putting her next plan to motion. And yet, it is actually what he is doing right now, doing nothing except fooling around and creating trivial nuisances to Yuuko. And that what made Yuuko felt so unease.
Suddenly, the mad scientist realized that she has been terribly mistaken regarding her initial judgement. There is only one explanation to Shirogane Takeru's current foolish behaviour and his nonchalant attitude.
"What have you done, Shirogane Takeru?" Kouzuki Yuuko breathed out as she gritted her teeth tightly in vexation. The boy has played his part rather too well, misdirecting Yuuko with fault awareness.