Shirogane Takeru
November 21, 2001
Shirogane's room
Now… now… why in the fuck is there a cutting board on top of me?
"Good morning, Takeru-san. It is currently the twenty-first of November, 2001, at 0730 hours UTC+9. If you feel so inclined, I'd recommend you to prepare for today's lecture on basic TSF functions and controls instead of… -nnghhnng~ …molesting my breasts…"
Labeling my actions as molesting her was the same as accusing a homeless guy of thievery for digging through trash. Furthermore, my case was also reinforced by a maybe-slightly aroused Kasumi continuously grinding her hips over my stomach in a motion which appeared sexy on paper but was actually just kinda uncomfortable.
"…Damn girl… are you the Hubble Space Telescope…?"
"Depending on my answer, are you thinking of—"
"-Because you're the flattest thing ever created by mankind." Confirming the total annihilation of one Yashiro Kasumi.
"…I believe the object you're referring to is the Hubble Telescope's mirror, which only has a height differentiate value of 5.6E." Not clear, not clear.
"Close enough… and it's not all bad, the more I rub it the bigger they'll get. That's what you want, right?" She took some time to think, but not too long.
"I hope for the development of my body to bring you some semblance of physical pleasure whenever you -hnngnn~ … decide to accept my virginity."
…Moshi moshi keisatsu desu. Some roleplaying to spice up the job.
"Don't worry Takeru-san, the laws of your old world won't bind us anymore. I can satisfy you to your heart's desire."
"Hi, yes,I'd like to file a restraining order."
"Case overruled, insufficient evidence." Not even before I could register my next sentence, Kasumi's uniform had already magically slipped off and only her pink bra was hanging loosely over her shoulders as she had untied the pins from behind.
"You seriously wanna do this? Not gonna save it for a special occasion or something?"
"My mind is made up, daddy. Today you shall not get away." So determinately, Kasumi went down to work.
When entering any route for any of the heroines in almost any VN, there were still choices left that affect which end would be there by the finale of the particular route. This was not one of those choices, however its importance could not be disregarded.
[Hold 🅱 to be dominated.]
[Hold 🅱 to dominate.]
Hallway
"…There is only one thing you can do. Learn the controls as soon as possible and destroy our enemies, the BETA!" By the time we were done playing hooky Marimo-chan had almost finished the morning lesson for the class, her authoritative voice easily spilled out from the confines of the classroom into the hallway where we hid.
Stop, stupid, whacha gonna do, walk in and high-five the lads for having your cherry popped? I grabbed Kasumi at the last second before she set course for a suicide run.
"Understood, we'll standby until the situation changes, is that advisable?"
Yeah, let's just hang out for a bit.
"-Hum… you two are looking awfully suspicious for two awfully suspicious individuals, what's so wrong about going back to class?" Or we wouldn't hang out at all, that was fine too.
"Sensei, sup."
"Professor Kouzuki, good morning." One of the most regular greetings I did in a while, that in itself was an exceptionally rare phenomenon.
"Shirogane and Yashiro, my plan is to present the XM3 you two made to your class. If you'd like an excuse to cover for whatever reason you two are absent, then come with." Remarkably generous for sensei to offer a get-out-of-jail-free card on a whim, supposedly she was simply in a jolly mood that day.
There was no need to strategize with Kasumi prior to accepting Yuuko-sensei's gift. We followed behind her and marched proudly into the classroom with our heads held high, each of our teammates together with the instructor displayed assorted degrees of surprise at our arrival but said nothing in retaliation to our interruption.
"Good morning everyone. Marimo, sorry these two didn't attend your class, I needed them for something."
"Oh, I see, it is no problem, professor." Marimo-chan, albeit a bit baffled, easily accepted Yuuko-sensei's bullshit.
"Takeru-chan, Takeru-chan! What were you two doing together?" The obnoxious and irrelevant android poked her head where it didn't belong.
Nah, don't worry, we were just-
"—Drowning in the earthy pleasure of one another's body heat, Sumika-san. It was only physical."
You… I wouldn't believe it but you're actually proud, huh, Kasumi? As the saying went: lady in the street, uncontrollable nymphomaniac in the sheet.
"How nice, how nice, Kasumi-chan. Did it feel good being Takeru-chan's first?"
"Yes, like always it's a satisfying sensation." This slut had no idea.
"Hehe, as long as you're happy, I'm alright with sharing." That bitch too couldn't be counted as a reliable friend.
"-Shirogane, need you to stop daydreaming and look over here. You see this here, this's something else." Along the way of riding the rails on my mindless auto-pilot mode, Yuuko-sensei was midway through her demonstration of the XM3.
The varied expressions of my classmates were no less astonished than when they saw the first video clip of a regular TSF maneuvering around an obstacle course, but seeing even a trailer of a fighter utilizing the advanced OS left them absolutely breathless.
"…Amazing, is it even possible for TSFs to move like that?"
"Weren't you listening at all, Sakaki? The new OS, XM3 is what makes this kind of movement possible, I had a nice benefactor who kindly supplied me with this toy. It's still in developmental phase, but I'm willing to let you kids try it out, give it a spin and gather data. More details will be given during your actual training. Look forward to it, alright?"
"-Yes, ma'am!" Joyfully, the group replied, passionately welcoming their exclusive concession.
"You heard her, cadets. Looks like your fortune has yet to end. Make sure you train extra hard as to not let down the hope the Professor has placed on you!" Marimo-chan piggybacked off sensei's morale boost.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Continuing on, it has been decided to promote Cadet Shirogane Takeru to the position of Squad leader of Training Squadron 207. I hope you all understand my reason for that, as obvious as it should be." Shirogane Takeru, the official leader of the 207th summer camp. No bonfire songs were to be sung offkey by even one hertz.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"That is all. Each of you will finish lunch by 1300 hours and then assemble in the dressing room. Dismissed." The two senior citizens left our classroom hand in hand.
"Congratulations, Takeru. You are now officially our squad leader." Was it a scornful tribute of irony or a genuine approval from Chizuru? It wouldn't really matter anyway.
"Don't feel bad, class rep. I just put in more hours and effort into being a piece of shit who orders people around, no biggie."
"I have held the belief for the longest time with regards to acknowledging Takeru's superior leadership abilities. With all due respect to you as the most capable person until his arrival, Sakaki."
"Yaay… squad leader Takeru."
"Congratulations, Takeru-san!"
"Keep leading us from now on okay?"
"PROOOMOOOTEEEEEED! Takeru-chan, Private First-Class VII!"
"Good job, Takeru-san."
A glorious round of applause, minus the clapping part.
"Now then, shall we go to the PX?"
"Ah… yes! Let's go, Chizuru-san." Class rep and Mikoto fired off the first shots, under the assumption that Chizuru proposed this plan as a petty revenge against me, then Mikoto was just a plain dum-dum.
"What's your hurry for, woman?"
"We need to finish before one PM. The aptitude test is after this, let's hurry up and get going."
"Time to stuff your— our stomach, let's go, Takeru-chan."
"…Food, foody Food." Ayamine had always been like this.
"You are all being quite malicious." And Meiya wasn't lavishing sympathy.
While on the surface the notion was for my squad to gang-up on me and bully their beloved boss, I wasn't someone that could be beaten into submission by five puny virgins and two massive tarts.
"Boy I sure am hungry, indeed hungry… indeed." Dashing between the crowd, I seized Sumika by her organic-like arm.
"Eh? What? Hello?"
"But you know who's hungrier? More hungry than me, even? ~This guy!" A dumbfounded face wasn't helping the 00 Unit from escaping whatever the opposite of starvation was.
"Takeru, do you already…?"
"He knows…! He knows, he knows!"
"You- wait, what-wait-what? Takeru-chan you doin' wha-!?" When the realization kicked in, the chopping block had already been dusted.
"And as I have warned keenly, it is futile to subject Takeru to such a mundane plot, how can any of you be impervious to this man's inclination."
"See, Meiya knows me, good girl she is. Shouldn't have tried, Sumika, you fooooool!"
"Nnnnnghhh! No way~! You girls can't…~! Heeeeelp meeeee Kasumi-chaaaaaan~!"
"I'll erect a tombstone in your name, Sumika-san."
"~NOOOOOO-OOOOO!"
"Now off with her head, do not spoil my appetite."
"…Savage."
So the reality that kicked Sumika in the face was that none of the girls was actually devoted to playing me as their sole victim, only the primary victim. As soon as I offered another sacrificial lamb in my place, the cruel hoard of wolves undoubtedly went for the kill.
Simulation Chamber
A winter's first snow, a spring's first flower, an autumn's first harvest, also summer's over-exposing female bodies in bikinis, although I landed my eyes on those just a day ago. In this case, I was definitely experiencing an episode of déjà vu, seeing these girls in their transparent fortified suits for the first time.
On the elite's side, we three still had our special coloured yoga pants made to stand out. Kasumi wore her clean black custom-made suit for her future piloting of the XG-70. Sumika donned her pink and black one, just like when she was inside the Susanoo. Those two looked rather calm compared to the initial members of 207. Reasonable, since their fortified suits revealed very little compared to the others.
"We'll measure your TSF aptitude shortly…" This was probably the most boring part of the training, not to say the rest of the training wasn't just as tiresome.
"Shirogane in number one, Sakaki in number two. The rest of you are on standby." The good boss; me, was heading up first.
PX
Oh I'm a fool… such a fool!
"Aha-ahaha—! A fool in a man's shoes! -Fuwahahahaha!" So what I forgot was robots didn't have this thing called stomach.
"Takeru, are you suuuure the shaking wasn't a big deal?" I was asked the same question ten thousand times already, this loop alone.
"God, woman. I am telling you here that I felt nothing, okay? I almost would have fallen asleep if the section was any longer." I honestly didn't remember what occurred in the simulator. My body just perfected the course by instinct without bothering my mind. Now only if writing reports could also be done like that I'd be a step closer towards God himself.
"…You're a biological oddity." What Ayamine said couldn't be any closer to the truth. Good thing I wasn't weird enough for her to actually believe it.
"How about you two, Kasumi-san and Sumika-san?" Mikoto shifted the attention to my companions.
"It was fine, the extra food was a bit rough, but I didn't have too many problems!" Sumika answered like a normal teenage girl, without a digestive system; that was an important part.
"It was okay." And Kasumi provided the shortest of answers.
"You three aren't humans…" Ayamine was just firing shots all over the place.
"In any case, none of what these three are capable of can induce anymore revelation within me."
"Still, the Instructor said that these three were all incredibly calm. It's legitimately inhuman to be able to stay like that." Playing along with the plot, just enjoying the ride as my group discussed the thing and the other thing.
"Even Ayamine-san was quite agitated if she didn't show it." Tama also found this theme to be interesting.
"…Abnormally agitated."
"So, Takeru. You reallllly weren't affected by the shaking?" Mikoto was getting annoying with her constant questioning.
"Ahh, let's just assume that our machines were broken and just drop this bloody topic, alright?" I brushed them away, not wanting to dwell on a pointless waste of energy.
November 22, 2001
Simulation chamber
"—Okaaaay, kids. Sync in with me, yeah? We haven't done this in a bit so don't let your rust show."
"—Copy, copy."
"—Great, cool. So three… two… one… green light. Scramble, scramble." Ordering to takeoff immediately wasn't exactly professional, but time was of the essence even during simulations.
"—Confirmed visual on heavy inbound Bogeys, count twelve." Kasumi coolly radioed in her report.
"—Bogeys? Bogey… requesting Bogey… dope? Probably not needed, probably are Bandits, right? Bandits? Emm, probably should engage those Bandits?" Genius tactician Sumika.
"—Roger, Weapons free, engage incoming Bandits. Guns, guns."
I miss future video games; these graphics are horseshit.
—
"Shirogane, Yashiro, Kagami. Just so you know the record of that simulation won't be kept. Per request of Professor Kouzuki." Marimo-chan met us once we exited the roller-coaster pods.
"That's fine. Will this be enough to testify to my rank, Sergeant Jinguuji?"
"Yes, sir. 1st Lt. Shirogane." Marimo-chan saluted the higher-ranking officer in the room.
"Alright, do this thing once and get it outta your system, let's go back to the cadet-instructor ploy after this."
"Very well, Shirogane. The professor was also very clear about your treatment after she revealed your rank. I know the reason is classified so I won't ask. Please keep up your good work and continue to lead Squad 207."
"Solid, I see you later then, Marimo-chan."
"…Right." Her unhappiness with the usual nickname was suppressed by my authority as the bigger big boy.
Yuuko-sensei called me yesterday night to update me on some new developments. Essentially, she wanted me to run some missions together with the Valkyries sometime down the line. The woman took up on my offer to fly a couple favours for her, couldn't trump my own promise.
The good thing was that I no longer had to sit through all these long hours of useless Eishi training since Instructor Jinguuji was in on the secret. Yuuko also promoted Sumika and Kasumi both to 2nd Lieutenant, just because it made things easier.
Nothing had yet to come up that needed my help, so for now, I could just skip any class I fancied. Marimo-chan wasn't thrilled with me deserting at random, so we showed her our piloting skills to convince her personally that my wings came with the whole package.
"Takeru-chan, when will the others start their training?"
"In about half an hour, why did I plan this thing in the morning… am I retarded? Waking up early is for normies, I don't deserve this."
"Takeru-san, I wake up earlier than you every day."
"And you're very much retarded." I protested about common daily problems to the two of them as we waited for the squad to gather.
—
"Owie, owchie ow-ow ouches. I-I hate, I hate moving." I climbed out of the pod to meet everyone's awe-filled gazes.
"Shirogane, nicely done, beating the highest score. That's the second time someone scored over one hundred percent on this course." Marimo-chan told me I built a Lego set for 3-8 years in eight months, when to start my own construction company?
"Domo, domo."
"Anyway, Squadron. Professor Kouzuki wants me to inform all of you that from now until your graduation, training Squadron 207 will have top priority access to all of the simulators." As a matter of fact, it would be bad if the squad didn't have top priority, since this was the only squad training for TSF piloting right now.
"Eh?!"
"Also, tomorrow will be when your personal training units shall arrive, the XM3 operating system installed already." To be fair, it couldn't be here any earlier.
"EH!? Tomorrow? Already?" Class rep felt the need to be constantly shocked by every piece of news she heard.
"The Professor said TSFs are like cars. It takes practice to get the hang of it. That is all. Morning training is over. We'll have more simulation training this afternoon. Everyone assemble here in your fortified suits at 1500 hours. Until then, review the manual." With nothing left to do, Marimo-chan dismissed us.
"Hmm? Err…? Hello?"
The collective consciousness of the scrubs voted to hassle together in a circle and share a private conversation, I kinda awkwardly stood off to the side trying to sneak a peek in on what they were discussing so obsessively about.
"Takeru-chan, their hivemind is working!"
"…I see that."
A little while later, the ball of flesh dispersed into its individual persons.
"Takeru, Yashiro and Kagami. We've decided on the one question you owe us, are you okay with us asking it right now?" Class rep, literally representing her class again, was speaking to address the bet we established weeks ago.
"Yeah, sure, hit me- don't actually hit me but hit me with what you wanna ask."
"Have any of you ever enlisted in any militarist forces that involved TSFs?"
Wow, wow such creativity, just marvel at this, Sumika. Fucking Albert Einstein, really thinking outside the box. These kids had bright futures as great thinkers, no doubt.
"Why don't you just tell them the truth, Takeru-chan? All of it."Interesting suggestion.
…Why don't I.
"Okay, your answer is yes. Specifically, not only one military, at least for me I've run around with almost everyone military force in the world. IJA, IRG, Americans, Russians, I'm a social guy, you know? And yeah, it took some time, like a couple hundred of years, but another secret is that I'm actually a time traveller who returns to October 22 2001 every time I die." Truth=exposed.
"Oh, and also, Kasumi is actually a Russian clone and Sumika's a robot, but that's insignificant, I'm the coolest dude here okay."
And then silence, a whole lotta of that.
"…What a guy, I'm gonna go eat now." Ayamine broke the ice in an amusingly irresponsible way.
"Yeah… it was stupid of me to ask; how did I not foresee this?"
"Ah- Chizuru-san, Kei-san, wait for us~!"
"Takeru, do try to keep your absurd sarcasm in moderation."
Well, they are in a need for speed. This reaction is even weaker than when I told them I was a super-soldier or something! And there was that guy who said the truth was stranger than fiction.
"Skirt-skirt! We should get outta here too, Takeru-chan."
Overall, an uninteresting morning. Didn't think they'd act so skeptical about my past, but they did.
PX
"You ever seen Forrest Gump? What's the guy's name that starred in it?"
"Tom Hanks. As a trivia fact, the version of that movie in this world has replaced the Vietnam War with the BETA landing in Canada."
"Does that work? I mean they're in TSFs, right? Like the Lieutenant Dan scene… no, I guess it can work. I never actually seen that movie here, the original one was great though."
"Yes, we've talked about this before. This movie lightened my dislike for black people, but added to my dislike for women." Was racism better or worse than misogyny? Kasumi sure knew how to prejudice.
"Oh? Cadet… Shirogane! Funny running into you here at this time. And… you are XO Kouzuki's lackey, right? The one that tags alongside her wherever she goes." There, appearing out of absolutely thin air, Hayase Mitsuki had discovered me during my skipping hours with Kasumi on her skipping hours.
"First Lieutenant Hayase, I'm Yashiro Kasumi, assistant to Professor Kouzuki." Kasumi acknowledged Hayase with a cute nod.
"I see, if you're with XO then I guess you're one of us. So, you two… just hanging out here right now? Nothing going on?"
"Yeah, yeah pretty much. You?"
"Not much, not much. Last sortie was a couple weeks ago, kinda bored these days." A normal conversation was possible with Hayase, I never knew.
"What was your last deployment for, 1st Lt. Hayase?" That was Kasumi's worst impression of the CIA, or the best; a coin toss, really.
"I'm pretty sure it was not something I can talk about now, good try though."
Could a retort be lackluster if it wasn't even made?
"So anyway, what's up with you, Shirogane? Don't you have your trainee class or something? What squad are you with, even?"
"207B. I'm under special circumstances that let me miss a couple of classes." It was really all of the classes, but Hayase wouldn't be concerned by such details.
"Ah! Now I get it, so you kids are gonna be joining us after you graduate, right? This makes you my junior, huh? C'mon call me senpai, Shirogane-kun!" That woman had brain problems on a different magnitude than what I dealt with regularly.
"Ahahaha- no. Stop being weird, 1st Lt. Hayase. Shouldn't you have some more of that dignity stuff with you? What would your colleagues in the Valkyries say if they see you acting this retarded?" I had gotten so used to insulting Hayase at every turn it didn't even register with me how it might sound disrespectful for a cadet to call her names.
"Hoho! Got quite a pair on you, huh! Man, I can't wait for you kids to graduate and join the big leagues. I'm gonna put that ass to good work, you hear!"
"-Only if you can work your own ass to be half as fit, Hayase. Who're you picking a fight with this time?" The harsh voice of Isumi lectured the carefree First Lieutenant, she made her entrance promptly and locked her arm around Hayase's shoulder.
"C-Captain!? Strange for you to be here at this time, eh? I'm just having a laugh with these cadets over here, nothing serious, I promise, alright?" The distraction worked well enough for Isumi to lose interest in the blue-haired girl and focus on us instead.
"Oh yeah? Humph… I never saw your face around here before, cadet. And you're the girl that follows the XO wherever she goes… an intriguing pair, you two. What Squadron?"
"They're Squad 207B, The ones after Akane's team." Hayase answered correctly in my place.
"I see… well, the Valkyries could always use good pilots. I look forward to your graduation. I'll learn your name when that time comes, cadet. Stick around until then."
Hot damn that was hella cool, is Isumi always this smooth? It was certainly a memorable first impression the Captain left on me, not like I couldn't outdo her though.
"As for you, Hayase. We got business to tend to, let's go."
"Hayo! I see you later, the-guy-whose-name-Captain-doesn't-wanna-know, and XO's lackey too. Bye kids!" So Hayase happily left with her boss, what remained was a nonchalant Kasumi and an egocentric me.
"How dare they treat me without the respect I deserve, I'm so gonna make them suck me off later."
"Physically?"
"That too, but metaphorically first, these things have stages."
November 23, 2001
Yokohama TSF hangar
Something something the new Fubukis! Something something Salute Marimo-chan! Something something Yuuko-sensei's vinyl fetish! Something something don't be late for the assembly! Wooohooo~ I am so entertained!
"Ah, that purple thingy! Look Kasumi-chan it's one of them Takemysushi! But not my sushi, okay! Especially not my Tamago roll, those are my favourite!"
"My favourite is the tuna nigiri, it tastes much better than canned tuna."
"That's because it's fresh, dummy. Canned tuna has a lifespan of like- five hundred shelf-years!"
From time to time I could do nothing but be awed by the glory of Sumika's infectious autism, it was pure talent how she came up with those random and stupid topics.
"Takeru… do you know of the reason for that machine's presence?" Meiya snuck up behind me and whispered timidly as Sumika and Kasumi continued their sushi debate.
"Ye, boi. You aren't exactly blending in, you know?"
"I do understand…"
"Not like I care a bit though, why don't we go take a look at your imperial privilege?"
"Takeru, I ask you to refrain from addressing it as such."
"You gotta chill out, my dude."
—
"Uwaaa… a Takemikazuchi!" The magnificent marvel that was the Type-00 implored for Tamase's gentle touch on its lustrous metal.
"Halt Cat woman! You shall not touch it!" I yanked Miki by her collar and strangled the poor soul on the spot, preventing her from dirtying Meiya's beautiful ride with her filthy paws.
"Owwwww!"
"Actually, none of you can touch it. I'll have to make sure everyone else knows this, see this sign? What does it say?" I whipped out a piece of paper and stuck it before all their faces.
"Haha, Takeru-chan! This sign can't stop me because I can't read!" What a reversal.
"Oh shit got me, guess you can touch it all you want."
"Ahhh, tasty tasty come to me!" A lot of rubbing took place in a very short period of time.
As iconic as they came, this Takemikazuchi in particular had been the staple of my trials throughout the years as the time-travelling, world-saving dude. It was a milestone for sure, I still remembered the first time I set foot in its cockpit and borrowed the sharpest sword of Japan's industrial achievement to snatch victory for many factions of the Shogunate, replicating Meiya's heroic deeds all those years ago.
In other words, the Type-00 the meta, its seat reserved for sweatys only.
"You insolent girl!"
"Owwwwiiieeeeee~!" Almost comically, Tsukuyomi came up and bitch slapped Sumika right across her extremely slapable cheeks. She proceeded to flap hilariously in the air, breaking all laws of physics and ended up just laying dead on the asphalt floor.
"…I need healing."
Sumika was probably one of the most unique people to ever live in the history of humanity, one of her traits being her totally autistic characteristic to be able to drain all of the gravity and tension out of a situation at her whim. Somehow, she could make nothing feel real when she wasn't taking it seriously, everything became a badly written plot-twist in a long-running kid's cartoon whenever she desired.
C'mon dumbass, get up and let the angry, scary lady keep being angry and scary to you. That also happened to line up precisely with Tsukuyomi's timetable.
"How dare you put your filthy hands on this unit?!"
"The likes of you aren't worthy of touching this!"
"This exists for Meiya-sama and no one else!"
"Consider it a blessing that you will not suffer anything worse!" That was a wrap from Tsukuyomi and her three idiots.
"Tsukuyomi… First Lieutenant. What on earth are you doing!?" Meiya took a stance to shield Sumika from further abuse, apparently her masterful flopping act deceived the eyes of most present.
"Meiya-sama! There is no need to address me as your superior!"
"She's right! We of the Imperial Royal Guards may have high ranks, but we're mere servants before the House of the Shogun!" Intentional or not, Tsukuyomi and her fleet of idiots had distracted Meiya and the rest of us from her assault on Sumika.
"…Although this is belated, congratulations on passing the Comprehensive Combat Skill Evaluation."
"Congratulations!"
"…You do not seem too enthused."
Keeping their distance, Tsukuyomi went on about how she wasn't fond of Meiya's status as a political hostage, but the blue-haired girl made it doubly clear that it wasn't a subject for Tsukuyomi to be disturbed over.
"My apologies… I have gone too far…" On the other hand, Tsukuyomi's dissatisfaction was far from arbitrary. Meiya as she was now, had been tangled by strings of devious schemes and inscrutable plots, strings that she couldn't sever with the unforged blade in her heart.
"I apologize for forcing such inconveniences upon you. You must all find this place quite constraining." Meiya spoke up after some silence had passed.
"You are most kind… but there is no need for you to concern yourself with us, Meiya-sama."
Tsukuyomi's loyalty to Meiya was another landmark of unwavering devotion, even between all the different worlds. I knew for a fact that loyalty reached beyond just her duty as a retainer to the royal houses, a special connection sewed together the brave and noble samurai with her steadfast servant.
"More importantly, Meiya-sama. We have prepared a Takemikazuchi for you. Please, do accept this gift…"
"I intend to remain true to my humble position. Even a Fubuki is too great an honour for a mere cadet."
"Please stop this. Meiya-sama, you need not—"
"Cease you prattling…! Remove it at once. Others are sure to wonder what it is doing here."
"This Takemikazuchi was commissioned for you alone, Meiya-sama. We have been ordered to deliver it to you… surely you understand who arranged for this, and the depths of her concern… I beg of you, do not coldly dismiss her good will." Probably the only time in my life I saw someone refusing to receive a TSF upgrade, Meiya sure had the oddest impressions of her own status.
"…Do as you wish." Tsukuyomi's constant persuasion had shown results when Meiya hesitantly accepted the gift from her sister.
"We thank you for your understanding… I shall take my leave then."
Tsukuyomi led her three idiots in tow, passing us as she shot me that scornful glare of enmity— correction, the ones who got stared down wasn't just me, Sumika also experienced an eyeful of hostility. As for Meiya, she purposefully tilted her head to the side, hiding her fading scar that resided over her left eye.
Can I just say, Mana-Mana really is best waifu? Is it even up for debate?
"That I'll agree with, Takeru-chan. If I had to kill all of your wives I probably kill her last." I was reassured once more that Sumika was not mentally unstable.
"My apologies for that unseemly spectacle." Meiya shouldn't be the one to apologize, but her personality demanded such grievance.
"Ah, Mitsurugi-san, wait for us!" Following Meiya, Tama and the rest chased after her.
"Alright, you chicks get going. I'll be there in a bit." I hastily sent off the unimportant characters to do their own thing, only Sumika and Kasumi were left alongside me under the purple machine.
"In fifty-seven seconds Tsukuyomi will approach to speak with you, Takeru-san. Your instructions please."
"Ahh… I don't really have anything to offer… just go do the thing you wanna in the first place?"
—
"…What are you doing?" Just on time too, Tsukuyomi wasn't even a second behind.
"Tsukuyomi."
"I do not recall granting you permission to address me by name, Shirogane Takeru." After so many meetings, the red-suit in front of me seemed a little bit less terrifying than the first time.
"Okay, so you want a nickname or something? It's a kinda weird coming up with your own nickname though, like I think it's something that comes naturally, you feel?"
"You dare burble on before a superior with that impudent attitude?"
"I don't remember being told to respect a foreign officer. If you want, sure… to you, 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi." My hasty salute earned no friendship tokens with the disdain lady.
"I shall ask again, and you will answer appropriately. What are you doing here, Shirogane Takeru?" She didn't follow up on that salute thing I did, somewhat disappointed.
"Just looking at this Takemikazuchi, it's quite… quite big."
"Who are you, really, speak only the truth." Was our conversation even connecting? I was trying my darndest to be friends with her too.
"Is Shirogane Takeru a bad name? There're guys in history with those names, right?"
"…You choose to play dumb?" Ebisu, that short one, came to an unlikely conclusion.
"And by playing dumb, you mean what?"
"…Why is a dead person training here?" Dun~ dun~ dunnnnnnn~!
"Oh wait-what? I'm dead? Is this one of those things where I see my own death in my dream? Am I… am I dreaming? Yo, this's the first time I have a lucid dream, it's kinda dope…"
"Do not attempt to deceive us! Why did you alter the UN Army database and infiltrate this facility? Couldn't do the same to the government's databases, could you!" A funny thing I noticed here. Almost no matter what I said, the four of them will never just accept it and stop spamming me with mean words. They really were persistent about finding the truth.
"The Royal Guard has no respect these days. Bombarding and accusing me of things that I have no clue about."
"You—! I will ask once more… why is a dead man walking?" Their determination to extract information out of me was resilient, points were given for that consistency.
"Ahaha, I honestly don't know what you mean."
"Why are you trying to get close to Meiya-sama?" The Royal Guards just kept on interrogating me without end.
"To be completely honest, I'll tap that ass if I have the chance, not even jokingly joking." That statement clearly got the four more aggravated.
"You arrogant fool! This will be your last chance to answer me. Depending on your answer, you may have to die once again on this very spot!" Some polished negotiation skills at play here, my choices were to either answer and die or not answer and die. Tsukuyomi sure knew how to be convincing.
"Alright, alright you're right. Let's cut the shit. Listen closely, Tsukuyomi. I ain't got the responsibility to tell you anything, frankly. The government's data lists me as deceased, that's too fucking bad for you, yeah? I didn't enlist with the IJA now, did I? I'm a UN soldier and under the jurisdiction of the Yokohama Base command, you got problems, suggestions, whatever, send a letter upstairs. Don't fucking bother me with this disabled shit, please. Please."
Was that too much, maybe. Maybe just a teeny-tiny bit too aggressive.
"Why you…!" Scary Tsukuyomi sure was scary, and scary.
That moment, I could feel her blood boiling from the enormous frustration, threatening to violently strike me down with a swift kick or a hard punch. Even a trained Eishi like Tsukuyomi could only restraint herself so much before that pent-up wrath must be released, perhaps pushing her buttons too fast in rapid succession wasn't the brightest idea I had all day.
"What is the meaning of this!"
The cavalry arrived just in time, and so did Sumika, for some reason.
"Tsukuyomi! Kamiyo, Tomoe, Ebisu! What do you think you are doing?!"
"Meiya-sama! I wasn't—!"
"Do you not know the consequences of assaulting a UN soldier? The worst-case scenario, this could completely destroy the relationship between the Imperial and the UN!"
"Meiya-sama… there were no means of physical contact, I assure you!"
"Enough, pray that nothing merits my intervention takes place ever again." Quick to forgive, Meiya only wished to calm the situation before it could escalate.
"Okay, look, 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi. I wanna apologize as well, I do like bullying people, it's kinda a bad habit, I'll admit. Sorry about that, I went a bit far, yeah? Honestly, I don't have any deep plots or anything hidden like that. I mean she's my teammate too, I won't let any harm come to her. And plus, Meiya's been very kind to me, I'm not some bad dude, seriously."
I could be a bit of an asshole, had a tendency to troll and play people and stuff. However, I was not a man without dignity, and it was that dignity which devoted me to remain in this world, to protect those that had protected me.
"Takeru…" Meiya gazed heartfully at me warmly, the distance between us might have shortened by some more microscopic amount.
"Meiya-sama, one last question, if you please."
"I shall allow it."
"Meiya-sama… do you trust this man?" Unexpectedly, Tsukuyomi's words didn't feel so intimidating.
"I trust Takeru with all my heart. I know he is a man that will never betray me." And just as surprisingly came her answer, that young girl had already saved a place for me so close to her.
"Then I will humbly take my leave. Kamiyo, Tomoe, Ebisu." Tsukuyomi with the three idiots bowed again and started to make way to the exit.
"Tsukuyomi. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for your concern."
"Your words are most kind… and more than I deserve… I am forever grateful to be given the honour of serving you." Leaving that as her parting line, Tsukuyomi took the three idiots and left, for real.
"…That must have been unpleasant for you… forgive me." Once the shadows of the four were no longer in view, Meiya amended for her servant's actions yet again.
"Not as much as it was for her. You sure she's gonna be fine, right? Not gonna wanna stab me in my bed?"
"You use that expression too much, Takeru-chan! I'm seeing rust!"
You shut your whore mouth, woman. I threaten to rape you in your sleep but you'll just enjoy it anyway, stop ruining our moment!
"Takeru, if I may."
"Yea, man."
"You were accosted by the Imperial Royal Guards, and yet instead of flinching, you turned the tide towards discomforting them… you truly are peculiar."
"I'll confess, never did like anyone acting so high and mighty. I'm supposed to be the one who's everyone's boss." Fuck the police coming straight from the underground. Except I was the police, so that took on a whole new meaning.
"Well, it cannot be helped if I am to consider your true origin… simply… I have never had anyone act so candid in my presence. And yet I have already come to accept your behaviour as the norm."
"Is being beaten over your head by a bat not acting candid?"
"That too. The three of you have displayed some rather… unorthodox signs of friendship, and I do consider Kagami and Yashiro to be closely similar to you."
"But I mean, doesn't the rest of the squad act pretty casual around you too? Maybe not so much as me, but still." If they weren't, they sure should.
"During squad activities, perhaps… but when we were off duty, there was always a certain awkwardness."
"Is that so, I didn't notice such a thing." I couldn't notice what wasn't there.
"Things changed significantly after your arrival… ever since then, I feel as though everyone has become much less reserved."
"Guess we're some weirdos then, I dunno. I never really think about how people might want some privacy, but so far it's been working out just fine. If it does get too much though be sure to let me know, yeah?"
"I do intend to speak my thoughts also, however so far complaints have been deemed unnecessary."
"Okay, so what we ended up with is I'll keeping doing my thing to help you do yours? Is that about right? Any more questions or anything?"
"None so far."
"In that case, I got this thing I wanna ask you." Time to redirect our little talk to a bigger talk.
"What is it, Takeru?"
"The Takemikazuchi, why won't you pilot it?"
"I shall not because I stand as merely a cadet. I did not earn the right to own such an advanced TSF. It will surely be unfair to the others." The same excuse that I was all too familiar with.
"See, like that's not what I'd expect you'd say."
"And what response had you imagined?"
"Riddle me this, what was your goal for fighting? What you told me when we were alone that night." The hypocrisy of her pretext, I was determined to help her resolve it.
"It's to protect this country, to protect the citizens who cannot protect themselves."
"Then you should see my point, Meiya. Are you going to fight against the BETA with your bare hands? You'd want a weapon. And what weapon do you have currently? That sword, the sword that was given to you because of your connection to the Shogunate."
"Takeru… are you suggesting for me to pilot this TSF?"
"At the end of the day, it's your choice what you fly with. But that's the thing, you've a choice where so many others don't. The Type-00, it's super powerful, definitely more so than the Fubuki and even above the Shiranui. Eventually when we do fight, I feel its strength could be something you desire."
"So do no other men wish for that same strength? Would my undeserved advantage not only draw upon me glances of envy?" A fair point was constructed, fair but not concrete.
"Until you save their ass because you had the capability to do so. War isn't a beauty contest, nobody's competing to see who have the biggest dic— you know- gun. And the more BETAs you can kill the more lives you'll be potentially saving, isn't that what's most important?"
"I… see. I must admit I failed to consider this subject from such a point of view… indeed, allow me to ponder regarding this decision I shall make."
By that time, as Meiya stared on at the sheer might of her Takemikazuchi, a Yashiro Kasumi happened to intervene with our discussion.
"Takeru-san, the Professor wants to meet you."
"About what?"
"The HSST."
"So you told her, huh?"
"As according to your instruction."
"Right, okay… Meiya, I got this thing that needs to be gotten."
"And it must, I shall remain here for the time being. Please go ahead, Takeru."
"We're outski."
Mitsurugi Meiya
The Type-00 Takemikazuchi painted in purple, representing the Imperial Shogun, representing Meiya's sister, her own blood. So did that machine belong to her? Was it a curse or a blessing that she was the one chosen to be hidden? Did the few seconds which tore apart the day and night really merited such high esteem as to force her to forever live as someone else's shadow?
Dwelling in questions she couldn't know the truth of, Meiya barely noticed the presence of Kagami Sumika walking up beside her.
"Today's weather is pretty alright, heh?"
"I did not venture outside today, however I do believe it to be cloudy." A few minutes passed without a word from either party.
"This ice-breaker worked so much better in the movies, how am I suppose to continue after this!?"
"Kagami, you were the one who directed me to return here in the first place. Do you have any opinions regarding what you have heard?" Meiya for once opted for the straightforward approach.
"Well, in that case; have you decided if you're gonna fly the Type-00 or not?"
"I am deliberating… even as we speak right now."
"Well, if you don't wanna fly it can I have it?"
"…What?" The absolutely ridiculous proposal had left Meiya awestricken, she was partially unsure whether to be captivated by Kagami's boldness or to be affronted by her ludicrousness.
"You thought it wasn't fair for you to fly it since you're a cadet. Well, the truth is I'm not one, I'm a Second Lieutenant. So there shouldn't be any problems with me taking it, right?" The grand reveals came one after another.
"…Is your situation similar to Takeru? Is Yashiro also secretly a full-fledged pilot?"
"Yep and yep. There you go, now can I have the Takemikazuchi?" Meiya wasn't completely caught unready for her announcement, a certain part of her mind had already doubted the legitimacy of Kagami's rank.
"Kagami, why are you telling me this? Do you simply desire a more powerful TSF? Tell me earnestly, I wish to know, I wish to know who you really are." Shockingly overwhelmed by the inexplicable memories once more. Meiya couldn't make heads or tails of the versions she saw that contained flashes of a different time, a different world.
"You remember that joke Takeru-chan told when he was talking about his past? It was funny, right? Hahaha so hilarious? Well, it's not a joke. It's true, all of it. We've done this too many times and still haven't found an exit, and since Takeru-chan finally asked us for help I'll do what I can to get us out of here."
Her questions only stacked up higher and higher, but Meiya was too afraid that asking a single one could perhaps collapse the pile.
"Kagami… it cannot possibly be…"
"Search your feelings, you know it to be true. You seen them too, haven't you? The future, but they're not right in some ways. The memories, but just a bit of difference here and there. We live in separate times, Mitsurugi. I've seen so many of you, each so special, yet the same."
"I… I do not understand…"
"And you don't have to, it's better to stay ignorant in this case, trust me. All I'm asking is for you to give me that TSF or to pilot it yourself, I can't allow it to just sit there and collect dust, I can't." It was a spiteful insult to be given an ultimatum without even understanding the context of her demand, However, Meiya's instinct told her she held little to no room for argument as Kagami cornered her in a fearful confrontation.
"I… I shall fly it."
"Okay, that is acceptable. You better get good at it, our first deployment will be half a month from now, earlier than you imagine. Don't make Takeru-chan work extra for you, now you know the secret you should be a better pilot than the rest."
"I have taken your words to heart…"
"If that is so… great! I knew it wouldn't be hard to convince you, Mitsurugi-san! Well I'm gonna get going then, see you later in class or something, m'kay?! See ya, homie!"
Kagami Sumika's serious side, would it ever show itself to Meiya again? The honest part of her hoped otherwise.
Kouzuki Yuuko's office
Gauging by on her shitty grin alone, Yuuko-sensei seemed just like her old high-school teaching self. The weight of creating the world's first and only quantum computer had manifested itself as wrinkles on a fine lady far too young to warrant such a hit on her beauty, fortunately that detrimental flaw no longer existed.
"I got questions, Shirogane, you got answers?"
"Maybe, probably not, try anyway." Rapid-fire family feud.
"What model is the HSST?"
"No clue, we beeped it without an identification."
"Took off from which airbase?"
"Don't know, probably American, unless we're trying to bomb ourselves."
"What explosive did they have onboard?"
"Plastic, most likely. Or Semtex, wait- those are the same thing, right?"
"Semtex is Czech's C4, yes. Did they not teach you this in class?"
"Must've skipped it, everything that blows up is C4 these days."
"Fair enough, that's all I want to ask." Survey said out of one hundred Americans zero had the proper knowledge to handle military explosives.
"Will you take care of it, sensei? Not to hype up anything but avoiding impending doom is a thing I'd like to do."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll pull some strings and get this checked out. To be totally honest, I wouldn't mind the excitement, but let's do this one steady and safely." Reputation was a hard thing to build, sensei earned a couple points with me for being so considerate.
"Okay solid, do you still need me or you want me outta here?"
"No, do stay. I've just the thing you wanna see, it's a proper mission for you and your… little friends." My attention was given sporadically in most cases, but there were ways to increase those odds.
"Ear one and ear two, I'm listening, go ahead."
"Operation Barricade Light, the mission was proposed to scout and block the Sadogashima Stab that extended out to the Gunma Prefecture has the green light from Yokohama Command. On November 30, Task Force A-01 plus you three are gonna head down there and recon the condition of the BETA tunnels. Securing a safe passage for the demolition team that will enter after you and seal that Stab."
"Doesn't sound that dangerous or anything, did you assume I'm bored or something?" I was no stranger to undertaking such renowned endeavours, however earning distinction didn't equal to entertainment.
"It's your field assessment, and Yashiro, and Kagami."
"If you say so, sensei. Keep going."
"A-01 will be onsite at 1300 hours. Piloting Type-94 Shiranuis, you'll have five hours maximum to explore the inner workings of a Hive Stab. Just get out before six O'clock and let the team captain do the reporting, that's it, really. Questions?" The objectives were about as simple as the purpose of team deathmatch.
"No, can't think of anything."
"Good, a detailed overview will be given at a later time, equipment and stuff, nothing that interests you."
"Then I'll just fuck off, yeah?"
"You do that."
Easy game easy life? For the time being there hadn't been a difficulty spike.
—
Updated on 24/11/2017
Author's note
Hope you guys like reliable upload schedules because you're definitely not getting that.
BETA done by chad001