Shirogane Takeru
December 13, 2001
Hallway
"~But I could FAA~DEE~ away! ~Tomorrow never comes! ~AND that's OKAY!~" To get better at singing, one must practice wholeheartedly.
"~Stand tall for the Beast of America~! Lay down like a nak—"
"I find it to be highly offensive for you to be singing such a song, Capt. Shirogane." A very unentertained voice called me out from the where I wasn't paying attention to.
"C'mon now, Tsukuyomi-chan. Music is a form of expression, and you have to admit there's nothing wrong with America's freedom."
"Hum, very well. I will say the concept of democracy is appealing to certain groups of individuals to a certain extent." That was such a passive aggressive thing for her to say, which was a big improvement from Tsukuyomi's normal pure aggression.
"Gee, thanks, Tsukuyomi-chan."
"You will stop addressing me by that name this instant." The way she announced her demand left not much room for argument. Further trolling could lead to unwanted provocation.
"Alright, good seeing you, 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi."
"Likewise, Capt. Shirogane. It appears I owe you yet another gratitude for your recent success during the trials." She gave me a firm salute in response.
"No need, I did what I did to protect this base and everyone in my team. It is unrelated to how your subordinate owes Meiya for saving her life.' I reminded her of that slipup just because.
"Huhu, I will make sure Kamiyo shows her gratefulness to Meiya-sama in due time. However, that is not my reason to meeting you today." Bullshit, she said it like she was looking for me; we totally just ran into each other on accident.
"Yeah? Yeah, okay! Sure you were looking for me!" Tsukuyomi shot me an irritated glare but ignored me regardless.
"As I was saying, I have sought after you for a serious topic. Let us find a more suitable location to discuss."
"Whatever you say."
That classic tree behind Hakuryou
'Why does every motherfucker I ever secretly speak to feel the need to bring me out here? I mean, the tree is nice and all; but it's fucking December! At least Santa Clause is fat enough! I ain't got body mass to burn!'
Of course, I didn't say that to Tsukuyomi.
"Please go ahead, 1st Lt. Tsukuyomi. The temperature is not the best."
"Logically. As you know, Her Highness has recently overtook majority of the government duties before the election. And along many of the political changes she has made, one of them will directly involve our current standing." She motioned her fingers between herself and me.
"That decision being to integrate the Mitsurugi bloodline into the Koubuin Regent House, thus making the heir of the Mitsurugi part of the Koubuin Household." I was sure that meant… something.
Now if only my memoires about all this loyalty stuff from when I was with Yuuhi returned, I could finish the train of thought for Tsukuyomi.
"That would translate to Meiya-sama being officially recognized as related to Her Highness once again." Tsukuyomi noticed my confusion and filled me in.
"Ahhh… wow! Isn't that like… amazing!?"
"Indeed, Meiya-sama may need to appear to the public sometime in the near future." Tsukuyomi flashed a rare smile of satisfaction.
"How are the other Regent Houses taking this decision? I can't think of them as welcoming it with open arms."
"That is also a fact. I will just say that… there are many conflicts brewing behind the scenes. However, Her Highness has taken a firm stand by her verdict." Yuuhi was surely being a badass these days.
"So is Her Highness just saying 'fuck you, my conclusion.' to the other Regent Houses?" Tsukuyomi very publicly face-palmed at me.
"…Yes, if you must add vulgarity to understand the situation, then yes."
"Alright, I got you now." She came out of her face-palm with a shaking head of disappointment.
"Anyway, due to this, I will be reassigned back to the capital temporary by the order of Her Highness."
"Really now? I would think you'll be needed by Meiya with all this mess going on, she could be targeted." That just became a very real possibility.
"True, however this most likely is a test for Meiya-sama. Her Highness wishes to see if Meiya-sama is capable of handling such responsibilities, being an official Regent of the Koubuin Household."
"Also, this is a test for you as well, Shirogane Takeru." Now that was unexpected.
"How so?"
"Her Highness wishes to see if you and your team are capable of protecting Meiya-sama during this period, as you are all unofficial vassal retainers for the Koubuin Household." Does working two-sided meant I could get pay checks from both ends of this deal?
"Huh, that's cool, I guess." I did not let my excitement show.
"Hmph, you better be as competent as your attitude shows, Shirogane Takeru. For failure here equals to failing Her Highness."
"Which will never happen so don't even worry about it." I gave Tsukuyomi a fast nod of confidence.
"Very well then, our departure is sometime this week. This will probably be the last time we speak. Farewell, Shirogane Takeru, do not disappoint Her Highness the Shogun." With an elaborate flick of her hair, Tsukuyomi left me alone under the cold sky.
She also forced me to wait until she fully left the field as I was going in the same direction.
Simulation Chamber
"Get in from pod two to eight based on your callsign." I nodded toward the simulators that my squad should enter.
Today was our first training session with the new simulation system, namely the updated JIVES. With this, we should have imitated combat scenarios with a calculation error lower than two percent.
The outward opening portal slowly sealed down as I strapped in my seat, the retina projector sprung to life after a couple of eye scans. While the scene before me was still nonexistent, I could perceive the faces of all my team members.
"—err, T-Takeru-s-san! I have a question here!" Tama called for my attention.
"—what you want?"
"Emm, I don't think we have a motto or an emblem for our Squadron yet!" Her reminder from the left field hit me like a ton of bricks on a ton of trucks.
"Ohhhhh… Yooou're right about that… Fuuu—" I gave myself a quick slap for that mistake.
"—haha! Takeru-chan, you idiot!" A certain childhood friend of mine just signed her death warrant.
"—should we think of one now?" Mikoto joined the conversation normally for once.
"Naaah, we still have time before being deployed. Can just make one in the meantime. Any volunteers up for some design making?" I patiently waited for answer nobody was brave enough to deliver.
"—I'll do it if no one else wants to." Save for one unique reply.
"For real? Thanks, Class rep."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll make the emblem at least." She shrugged kindly and smiled back.
"Great! Then let's boot up the system! I'll explain the situation once we're loaded in." Ending our shot talk nicely, I clicked a few buttons which lid up my screen.
—
"—you do that again, I'll kill you."
"—Uwa…! I'm very sorry, Takeru-chan!" Maybe such a severe approach wasn't desirable, but Sumika just couldn't stop getting in my way.
Dumb girl just almost shot my sword which was plunged into a fictional Grappler-class. Trying to steal my kill was fine, but virtually hitting me was not.
"—Damn it, Archangel 4! Do not shoot ahead of me!"
"—Urg, you're moving too unpredictably, Mitsurugi! I can't cover you like this!"
"That role belongs to Tamase! Do not attempt to assist where you are not needed!" Watching an argument break out between Meiya and Class rep out of all people was most unforeseen.
If the two of the most calm people in my squad were verbally fighting with each other, what would be of the rest of the team?
"—Move it, Archangel 6!"
"—Stop it, Kei-san! The missiles will hit you!"
"—please move, Miki-san. I can't shoot."
"—Awawa… Takeru-san is blocking my path!"
—
What a goddamn disaster of a first battle. We were all dead in seventeen minutes after the simulation started. And to think we all got so hyped about our first run with the new system too. It was an easy mission, really. Classic Hive infiltration using data collected by the Volk Regiment, shout out to those Russians on a side note, never forget.
We were supposed to enter the Hive and destroy its reactor in under ninety minutes. It should have been a walk in the park, albeit a very difficult to traverse park. My team somehow fell apart the second we had to engage multiple targets and everything else just went to shit afterwards.
"Holy crap…" I muttered to myself as I exited the pod to meet up with the team. We sat around in the simulation room, some on chairs and crates while others rested on the floor.
"Someone, throw me a drink." Per my request, two different bottles of water came flying at me. Fortunately, my superb reflexes kicked in and I caught both before they could impact my head.
"Ah…"
"Er…" Sumika and Meiya stared at each other briefly before awkwardly turning their gaze elsewhere.
The silence was exceedingly harrowing, not one person chose to speak any words regarding our below average performance. In some ways, that felt like our first defeat since the beginning of our training.
"Sumika! How was your loadout?" Might as well start a new topic.
"Huh? I was Strike Vanguard, right?" How could she have forgotten her temporary role?
"Yeah, dumbass. So how was it?"
"…I don't know! Everything got so clustered I didn't even have anything to shoot at." I leaned back and sighed hard at her pointless declaration.
"Alright, we're taking a break. Go wherever you want, just be back in fifteen." After some lacklustre salutes, my team spilt up and all went their own way.
—
"Capt. Shirogane, good morning." A humourless voice made itself apparent behind me. Turning myself around, my mood was somehow worsened by the presence of Takamura.
I planned on reviewing the recording of our simulation in the Command Center, though it seemed another person had the same idea.
"1st Lt. Takamura, aye. Come to have some good fun, did you?" I was too tired to add sarcasm into my voice, but since she noticed my hostility, it all worked out.
"Not the case, Capt. Shirogane. I watched your simulation from here the entire time." What a boring answer.
"And what did you think, 1st Lieutenant? It was perfect, right? I know." This time, the cynicism was delivered with just the right amount of salt.
"Do you mind if I share my opinion?" My gaze on her was filled with contradiction. No matter how I cut it, what she said just didn't feel like an insult.
"Alright, I'm listening."
"First of all, if we are to discount the fact that this unit has no command post operator; I believe for this one reason to be the cause of your performance." That reminded me, we still don't have a CP Officer like the Valkyries. Maybe I can bribe Suzumiya into switching sides.
"Don't keep me waiting, Lieutenant."
"To be honest. Your entire team is too competent, Captain." …Wait, what?
"…Competent? You sure you didn't miss some letters here?"
"No. From what I saw, your Vanguards were too good at killing the closest enemies that they moved their sight onto the further ones. Which took the job of your Gun Sweeper, she then moved her sight onto the flanks and killed many BETA around there."
"The Gun Interceptors, whose job is to watch the flanks had nothing to scan, so they charged ahead and assisted the frontline which became crowded. Making the Rush Guard's job of taking down more dangerous enemies less crucial because all targets on the front were already dead."
"So she started to watch the sides and further back, areas that should be covered by the Blast Guard."
That was like… super impressive of her. Takamura nailed down some of the problems floating in my head with such precise use of vocabs.
"…You're saying that my team is fighting too much for the kills?"
"Not exactly, your team is very proficient at eliminating hostiles; all of the hostiles, that is. Because how quickly you're killing the enemies, you ended up running out of targets and moving on to threats outside of your zone."
"So our teamwork is weak?" Takamura pondered for a little while.
"No, it is the opposite. Most other units out there have trouble with killing the BETA that is right in front of them, this squad was so efficient at slaying BETA that they all got killed too fast. But because the cluster nature of combat, each member kept getting in another's way until somewhere a mistake happens and the formation falls apart, giving the BETA a chance to overrun you."
"However, we don't have a choice in this, right? We can't stop killing the BETA or else they'll become seriously dangerous. So we have to kill them fast, but killing them too fast throws us into a mess."
"I realize that, would you like to hear a suggestion?" I nodded after swallowing a bit of my pride.
"I recommend spitting the team up. Instead of a Company, have two flights or four Elements. Dividing your subordinates in a way that no one will be of nuisance to another."
"I see… I certainly haven't tried that out yet. Alright, we'll work on it." She twisted her lips just a little bit less before it forms a smile.
"I will accommodate your team as the CP operator for your next trial. I wish you good luck, Capt. Shirogane."
"Thanks, Takamura. We'll be up in ten."
Takamura Yui
Yui glued her sight on the Archangel Squadron's Captain. Normally others would guess a feeling of the heart behind her stare, but no such thoughts zapped through Yui's mind.
She was much more interested in the mecha that he piloted, the same one as the giant with the appearance of an American Raptor stood splendidly within the hanger.
Yui noticed the two very distinct TSFs yesterday during her tour; lucklessly, given her position, she was in no place to ask any questions regarding the frames or their Eishis. Albeit the pilot of the Takemikazuchi wasn't difficult to assume.
"Yuuya…" A single line was mumbled within the soundless room.
Seeing Shirogane's TSF, she remembered the surface fighter she last saw her most important test pilot use. The uncanny resemblance between the two frames cannot be denied once someone laid their eyes on both. And seeing wasn't the least Yui had done, she too had piloted a machine of the same model herself, that was their last encounter before he ran off with another.
Takamura Yui
**Day, October, 2001
"…Huhu, hahaha… the heir of the Takamura family is always like this, huh…? You'll give her… what I didn't receive, right?" A single PB-Blade stuck out of the snow-covered land, a single TSF stood over the prints another had left.
Yui was alone now; he left, and he left Yui behind. He given up everything to be with her; he was the one who made that choice, the choice his father could not select. It was happiness that he deserved yet it was happiness he will not obtain.
Everything the young man fought for, everything that represented his life was gone now. Scarified for his new future, a future without Yui herself. The only certainty was that his tomorrow was uncertain. The order, the care, the friends and joy of daily life all vanished, thrown into the pit and never again will he find them.
"Please… give her… what we gave you…" The world was cruel, Yui knew this first hand, she knew all too well how things just never happen the way they're planned.
However, just like his tale, her fight has yet to end. The pen is still writing, and as long as there is still ink left, her own saga will not have its finale. She shall not permit an early ending, for the both of them.
Takamura Yui
December 13, 2001
Simulation Chamber
Back to the present, Yui's interest in the team of eight only rose to greater heights. Seeing their almost perfect Captain with a team of almost perfect Eishis, Yui focused her thoughts away from how to best revive her project and instead on helping the team that needed a Command Post Officer.
Shirogane Takeru
"—here's the new formation. We'll split into two Flights. Flight A consists of Me, Meiya, Sumika and Kasumi, the forward Flight. Flight B will be Class rep, Ayamine, Tama and Mikoto, the backup Flight."
"Keep a constant distance of sixty metres from the other Flight unless the situation declares otherwise. Forward Flight will only takedown hostiles that post an immediate danger to the team, leave all scraps for the backup Flight."
Sitting inside my pod and watching the battle map linked with the rest of the Archangel, I was reluctant to try out the new combat tactic provided by Takamura.
This was a bad circumstance in so many ways. If what Takamura suggested worked flawlessly, that would mean I owe her big time. If her plan failed to bring my team together, then we were simply just fucked.
"—this is Command Post to all units. 100 seconds until the operation begins. Check all weapon and TSF systems." Some girls got confused by the sudden addition of a CP Officer, I just waved off their questions for later.
"Flight A's leader will be me, Flight B's leader will be Class rep. We can change around the setup later to better balance the Platoons, but this should work for the time being."
"Command Post to all units. The Operation begins in 3… 2… 1. Operation start."
—
"Operation complete. Result as follows: Mission time, seventy-three minutes. Friendly casualty, Archangel 4 and 7, K.I.A. Archangel 8 and 6, Heavy damage to TSF. Archangel 2, 3 and 4, minor damage to TSF. Overall rating, eighty-five percent."
—
"We succeeded the mission, Takeru. Should you not brighten your mood more dramatically?"
"If that was a success, then I can confidently say that humanity has never lost a battle before." Meiya gently patted my back, trying to comfort me after our supposed victory.
I honestly wasn't feeling despondent from the simulation, it was just I had no reason to rejoice neither. We completed the mission, sure. We did blow up the reactor with the S-11 in my unit.
However, it was just not enough, it was nowhere near enough for me. If it was back in my first loop, then maybe I can see how it technically could count as a win. Nonetheless, from where I am standing now; losing two members and leaving behind three more was just absolutely unacceptable.
"Now that I recalled. I apologize for my earlier behaviour, Sakaki. Please forgive me."
"Ah… no, no! I was the one at fault, Mitsurugi! There isn't a need for you to apologize!" After pulling the responsibility back-and-forth a bit longer, those two finally decided to place down an equal blame.
"How was this run compared to your last, everyone?" A much more pleasant Sumika asked us once she joined the circle of friends.
"It was sooo much better than before!"
"Right, right?! I actually did very good! Even if I ended up injured… ahehe."
"I got killed off… but the team won."
"Yeah… guess we did end up dying." To zero fault of their own, I must add. Ayamine and Class rep volunteered to stay back and clear the BETA reinforcements after we took a wrong turn at the main hall. I probably should contribute that mistake to my own misdirection, the truth was that the map we were given was actually flawed as an added challenge.
"Still, everyone did super good!"
"We won."
"Indeed we did. However, that is not near sufficient for this team, is that right?"
"Meiya got the idea here. Sure we did good, but good isn't good enough for us. I don't want a single casualty to take place as long as I am in charge. I want all of you to be the best Eishis possible under my command. Until then, keep striving for that perfect record. Dying in the simulator is about seventeen hundred percent better than dying for real. You all got me?"
"Yes, sir!" The morale around me was rapidly raised back up to eleven. I shined a terse smile until Takamura' voice interrupted our joy.
—
"You truly are someone special, Capt. Shirogane. No leaders out there perch about having a zero casualty these days." She just had to pour cold water over my dream.
I met up with the Royal Guard once more to discuss a more refined strategy as a replacement for our first one. It was loyally bothersome how Takamura held the upper hand, and it was even more vexing how she herself was unaware of such lead on me.
"At least you got the special part right. The reason for it is simple, I won't have anyone on my team die."
"Is that so? Hmh, let's find out if your child-like dream can handle the reality." That was just pissy of her, although it was expected from a princess of her calibre.
"Just watch me."
—
"This will be the team formation for the final time. We'll work with four Elements of two. To ensure maximum kill radius and decrease chances of friendly fire or exasperation for your allies, all Elements are to keep a minimum distance of fifty-five metres apart. No Element is to fire on enemies thirty metres away from their position unless threatened by said target."
"Me and Meiya are Element A, the Vanguards. We'll be charging the enemies head on and killing the hostiles viewed as the most dangerous. Sumika and Kasumi are Element B, the Sweepers. They're accountable for killing off majority of the enemies in our way and dumping bullets on the ones outside our kill-zone."
"Third is Element C, Mikoto and Tama, the Clear Guards, we'll call them. They're the ones who'll clean off any targets left by the first two Elements. But more importantly is managing our flanks and providing cover fire when necessary."
"Finally is Element D, Class rep and Ayamine, rear Gun Interceptors. Their job is to watch our back and further reduce the enemies from our sides. They should be the last line of offence so anything they don't touch gets to live."
"Leave behind any hostiles outside your kill radius as we don't have enough bullets to take on everything. We're prioritizing speed and precision of our kills; never slow down without a good justification and don't get caught off guard."
"One last thing, this formation is for situations where the Laser-class is a nonissue. We'll develop a different strategy for anti-Laser and anti-TSF, just not for now."
Well, that was the longest explanation I ever did, maybe. Must be very boring for those who didn't understand what I was saying, seen as Ayamine almost fell asleep twice during that.
"CP to all units, operation begins in thirty seconds."
"Alright team, let's make this thing work. Don't die on me now, understand?"
"Roger!" And with that, we blasted off into a simulated world of our hated foes.
December 14, 2001
Simulation Chamber
"Arugaha… fuuuccck meee…!" Finally, at long last, it was over. Jesus… finally over.
"…To all units… uur, Operation… complete. Results are as follows: Mission time, 22 mi-minutes and eight secon—… no, wait… s-six seconds. A-arr, friendly casualty… none. O-overall rating, a hundred… and one percent." Those were the last words from Takamura before she felt face-first on the control panels back in the Command Post, at least the noise told me so.
"Ohhaa… god, that was… ahhha…" At the moment, I couldn't feel a single part of my body that wasn't in excruciating agony. Barring the parts where I couldn't even sense.
"Taaakeeruuu-channn… time…?" Sumika's usual cheerful face was scarred heavily from her lack of sleep. The only benefit from her behaviour was that I understood exactly how detailed her robot features were. They were too real.
"Shut your mouth…"
"…It is three, I think. In the afternoon…" Answering Sumika in the dullest tone I ever heard from Meiya, she shut her eyes and concentrated on nothing to prevent her fatigue from leaking out; which only ended in failure when her head bumped the screen in front of her.
"Everyone else here…?" Forcing myself to act the role of squad leader, I had to check on all others in my care.
"Yeah… I'm here…" Mikoto answered first with huge dark circles under her eyes.
"…Takeru-san, can we please… leave now?" Tama was basically crying at this point. On the plus side, this was the perfect time for her panda cosplay to take off. Only if she wasn't registered as the cat girl already.
"…I want to take a bath." As if the bunny ears shielded her, Kasumi's limiters dangled down in front of her face, making her expression unreadable.
"I'm hungry…" Ayamine also called out her first instinct.
"Hey, Class rep, can you hear me?" No response came from the glasses wearing Chizuru.
"Sakaki died… let's bury her."
"Arghaa…! fuck off… Ayamine— Ah! Sorry." A curse, a curse from Class rep! That was how worn-out she got after our training.
This was totally like how I used to study for a test the day before I had it. Except this being ten times more painful.
At the beginning, we agreed on a run with less than fifty minutes and one death. That goal got beat in two runs, very lackluster for sure. So we upped the ante with the goal of forty minutes, no death and above ninety percent. It all snowballed from there on out. Our final ambition, was under twenty-four minutes, no injury and ninety-nine percent rating.
How we arrived at that ridiculous objective? I don't remember, but we did it. We somehow pulled that victory out of our asses twelve hours after the first try.
"We should disembark now… what do y'all think?" Eventually I did recover enough to speak properly again, for the most part.
"Yeah… agreed." Multiple replies came from the crew at different intervals, all of them had the same idea.
"Let's go then. We're dismissed for today."
And like that, our hellhole of a training period came to a conclusion twenty-nine hours later. With no breaks in between, I was surprised nobody died of any kind of heart attack, for real; we didn't even use stimulus or drugs to keep us up. We just somehow did it.
December 15, 2001
Shirogane's room
There are many ways to greet the morning; some do it with a smile, other hangs a frown over their face. In spite of that, I was pretty sure my case was one, if not the best method of waking up.
"…Mrm… nmff… nnumrn… "
"What…? What's going on here?" I awoke with a strange sensation and two large shapes under my blanket.
"Muura…! Ah! Morning, Takeru-chan!"
"…Nmuura… morning… Takeru."
What. A. Nice. Surprise!
"I know what you two are doing, but no. I must ask, what do you two think you're doing?"
"Well, I woke up around four today because we all went to bed in the afternoon, right? So I thought about coming here and waking up Takeru-chan!"
"…Ran into Sumika, we both had the same idea." If these kind excuses were enough, why did we even fight wars?
"Yeah, okay. You two snuck into my room, so what's next? How did this happen again?"
"Because when we came in you were still asleep!"
"It was too easy…" I should add an obstacle course next time for anyone that tries to sneak in my bed.
"Okay, I'll let that go too. But most importantly. How did this, this here. Happen?"
"Well… Takeru-chan was just toooo cute when sleeping, you see! And then Kei-san suggested for— Ah! Kei-san! Don't start without me!"
"Nuumrrun… too much talking… numuum… got bored." With that, Ayamine went back to work.
"Ahaa! That's not fair! Me too!" How they could be fighting over this. I honestly didn't know.
"Sto-nmu-p! You're being too greedy, Kei-san!"
"Mnuurarn… it's an unforgiving world… Nururma…"
"You two, did your parents teach you not to speak with your mouth full? Jesus, why does that kind of stuff even happens…" It may appear that I was complaining on the outside. The truth; however, was that I also complained on the inside, for not waking up earlier.
—
"Gochisosama deshita!"
"Gochiso…" That was one way to treat it.
"How was it for you?"
"Did you like it, Takeru-chan?"
"Uggh… just go clean up in the washroom, don't you dare go anywhere else with that on your faces." The saving grace was that nothing wetted my bed, thank god.
—
"It was a bit bitter… very sticky."
"I know, right? Maybe Takeru-chan is eating too much meat these days."
"Don't think it works like that… there're some stuck in my throat."
"You okay? Here's some water."
"Thanks… urgh… washed it down."
Why was I listening in on my own room?
PX
With that extremely exciting morning behind us, we marched our train to the PX for some early breakfast.
"Alley-oop!" The Yakisoba bread was passed from me to Sumika then dunked into Ayamine's mouth in one swift motion.
"Munch, munch… munch, munch. Delicious." Nine seconds flat, a new record.
"Here is yours. Where's Kasumi, by the way?" A normal breakfast was handed to Sumika instead.
"Thanks, Takeru-chan. She's still sleeping back in our room, yesterday really tired her out." Only made sense, no normal human being could withstand almost thirty hours of constant activity and not be drained of energy.
"How you doing, Ayamine? You okay?"
"…Call me Kei." Right, forgot about that.
"Then Kei, you doing fine now?"
"Yeah… your life juice was very refreshing." That was just unnecessarily sexual.
"I won't say a word regarding that. All the same, I do want to know how you and Sumika came to an agreement." Hearing her own name, Sumika jumped to attention and begun explaining the tale.
"I went and talked with Kei-san after her first night. Then she agreed to sharing!"
"…That it?"
"Yup! Kei-san said she's okay with it!" I chuckled dryly at this uninspiring story of Ayamine's recruitment.
"You sure you're fine with this, Kei? Sumika isn't the only one, you know?"
"…I'm fine… having more people is kinda fun." If she said so.
"Still, Kei-san. I can't believe you would suggest something like that!" I, on the other hand; believed it perfectly.
"It was a great chance… Takeru enjoys that kind of releases—"
"—Huh? You all are very early this morning." Meiya popped out of the woodwork from nowhere.
"Hallo, everyone!"
"You three are already here, strange. Normally Takeru never makes his roll call on time." Following after Meiya were Mikoto and Class rep, all surprised to see the trio of us. We shared some casual greeting and waited for the newcomers to grab their meal.
"So what conversation transpired before our arrival?"
"Yeah, yeah! Something about Takeru's release, was it? I'm interested!" That one went on Meiya's tab for bringing it back up, I'll dish out some pain later.
"Don't worry about that, we were only talkin—"
"Sumika and I were servicing him." My attempt at distracting them with a lie was destroyed by none other than Ayamine herself.
"Awawa! Don't tell them that, Kei-san! It's super embarrassing!" And the last chance at an escape was stamped down with Sumika's blab.
"Huuuuh? That's like, super suspicious!"
"Indeed, you would not… be hiding any secrets from us. Would you? Takeru?" Mikoto and Meiya focused their causeless rage on me alone, as always.
"Just wait a second here, everyone just calm down and—"
"Wait… servicing him…? Don't tell me?!" If Class rep didn't pick up that detail right then, I was sure she wouldn't be able to live with herself. Yep! Good reason! Absolutely had to notice that one line!
"God no, don't be jumping to conclusions—"
"We were eating him…" No way out.
"Welp!" I just gave up at this point. Why even try when the universe was wanting to let the cat out? Might as well just go with the flow.
"Aaaaha! Keeeei-saaann! NOOOO!"
"Eating…!?"
"Wh-what does that mean?!"
"You three can't be doing—"
"Fellatio… double." Annnnd… there went everyone's innocence, kinda proud I kept it this long. The smoke from Mikoto brain almost triggered the fire detectors around the base, if only those things could sense human temperatures.
"EEEEEH…! WAIT, WHAT?! What did you just… Ehhhhh?!"
"WHAT?! W-w-whaaaa…! What?!" Instant reactions came from glasses and flat chest, while our samurai only sat peacefully without making a scene.
"AWAWAWA…! Keeei-sannnn! Whyyyy!?" Sumika's eyes widened ridiculously in size and her tears should be enough to support any country in need of drinkable water for years. Seriously, it was like she transformed into a fountain.
"Even Ayamine is ahead of me… this is indeed troublesome." Off to the side, Meiya whispered her predicament to herself.
"Waiiiit! W-w-why did you do that with Takeru!?"
"Ye-yeah! Give me a good reason!" At least Class rep and Mikoto weren't savage enough to just jump me or the girls.
"Sumika… want to try first?" The two uninformed females mollified a bit after I passed them some water, not Sumika's tears.
"Eh? Me? I guess it's because we both love Takeru-chan…?" For reference, I totally gave them some water just to watch this happen.
"Pffffft!" In sync with each other, both Class rep and Mikoto spit out their mouthful of water straight ahead.
"Agaa! Watch where you hawk that, women! Don't get my clothes wet now."
"W-Whaaaa!?"
"S-s-soo you two— No, no! You t-three! You three are ALL IN A RELATIONSHIP!?" Mikoto was mentally flying away while Class rep pretty much dumped a bucket of red paint right over herself as she somehow flustered this question out.
"Guess you can say it like that, yeah."
"Takeru is mine… but I share." I playfully chopped Ayamine when she linked arm with me.
"Ah-ah-ah… so like… you three… are all together!?"
"You're not counting me—"
"Yep, pretty much. Unless we're missing someone here—"
"Takeru-san always forgets about me." True, very true. Now who said that?
"Good morning, Kei-san, Sumika-san." Right, it was Kasumi. How could she keep accusing me of neglecting her?
"Ah, morning, Kasumi-chan! Tamase-san!" Two out three of the lolis joined us in the PX, both Kasumi and Tama were holding their trays of food as I made room for them on the benches.
"Morning… Kasumi, Tamase." Following Sumika, Ayamine also greeted the duo.
"Good morning, everyone!" Finally taking the two shortest girls into account, I greeted Tama normally while giving Kasumi a spice of modernism.
"Ossu, Kasumi."
"Ossu, Takeru-san." Kasumi raised her arm mechanically and clapped it with mine.
"Hello, Kasumi and Tamase… wait… Kasumi, what did you say about Takeru?" Mikoto finally came back to her senses.
"Takeru-san always forgets about me." Maybe if Kasumi wasn't so unnoticeable, things would change.
"Huh? What're we talking about?" The uninformed Tama was uninformed.
"Just watch… it'll be fun." Quickly hiding the details, Ayamine explained without any actual explanation.
"Really? Okay then." Smiling with such an innocent beam, I feared for Tama's purity after hearing our topic.
"No, no, no! The part before that! Kasumi… are you also…?" Class rep was shooting me this half fearful half disrespectful look from across the table.
"Yes. I also love Takeru-san." Mikoto's mind just blasted off for the third time in five minutes. Luckily, Class rep said no words and just sat extremely still on her own.
"For Kasumi to be in front of me…!? Takeru! Who else do you share a relationship with?!" Finally a reply from Meiya, I was worried that she wasn't interested in our dispute.
"Whaaat…?! Mitsurugi!? You too?!" Class rep jumped at another new reveal.
"How many now…?"
"Currently? Let's see… I got Sumika, you, Ayamine, Kasumi and maybe Yuuko-sensei? But then again, she did say something about 'the bond being only physical' or whatever. So she probably doesn't count."
Six vastly different expressions were observed just then. Ayamine closed her eyelids to a meek line with a gaze directed on Kasumi. Having become somewhat resilient to surprises, Class rep just let out a big sigh followed by another face-palm.
Mikoto was on her way sailing off to wonderland, I'll fetch her back sometime in the near future. Sumika was just happily living her life so I didn't provoke her more than necessary.
Tama tilted her little head in bemusement, oblivious to the concealed innuendos. Last but not least, Meiya was seriously contemplating her next steps with her arms crossed.
"…How… HOW IS THIS LEGAL!?" The one who broke our long quietness was an abnormally upset Class rep. She showed her concern regarding my taste.
"So what? I shall take all the brides I fancy!" I declared my intention for the world to hear.
"Brides…? EHHHHH!? That's what we're talking about?!" Every single strand of hair on Tama's body all stood up in her shock, then she joined Mikoto in dreamland while the adults recommenced their discussion.
"Look here, the male to female ratio of our planet is dangerously low, right? So it shouldn't be that much issue if I take more than one girl." My foolproof logic was somehow thoroughly rejected by a raging Class rep.
"What!? How is that even allowed!? You can't just go around and collect girls like they're trophies! That's not how society works!" Class rep slammed the table while the others just watched in silence.
"You can object my beliefs if you want, but that won't change a thing around here. If you convince the others to stop, I sure as hell won't speak up." Downing a piece of bread as I made my point, Class rep's anger only raised higher.
"Arrraa! I can't believe this! Do none of you see anything wrong here?!"
"Calm yourself, Sakaki. The way I observe this subject, there is no basis for your displeasure. Takeru may do as he sees fit; in the meantime, you are allowed to roam around in an attempt to break apart those that wishes to adore him." Meiya backed up my logic, with logic!
"I agree! If we all love Takeru-chan and he loves us back, then there's no problem with it!" Sumika also joined in the jabber using her own opinion.
"Takeru-san loves everyone." The line from Kasumi surely held many meaning… I'll decrypt it later.
"What's wrong… jealous?" That implication from Ayamine just poked Class rep the wrong way.
"T-t-that's absurd! T-there's no-no way I would l-l-like this idiot!" It was actually physical impossible for Class rep to make her feelings anymore obvious.
"That was unsettling, for a moment I thought Sakaki was earnestly not interested in Takeru." Meiya then nodded like a wise old woman in her seventies when her legs couldn't carry her anymore… that was oddly specific of me.
"I was worried too… getting lots of 'tsuns' without the 'deres'." Said Ayamine as she sarcastically patted my back.
"Aaaraa! I'm not saying anything like that! I keep telling you that I don't l-like—"
"I look forward to working with you, Chizuru-san." Like a real professional, Kasumi shook Class rep's hands during her rant that got ignored since the beginning.
"That's right! Please take good care of Takeru-chan from now on!"
"Like I keep telling you all! I-I don't love this idiot!" Class rep disproved our claims in words only, because her behaviour definitively said otherwise.
"So you like him a little then?"
"N-No!" Class rep's stutter was magnified under Ayamine's bombardment of questions that soon followed.
"Are you interested in Takeru?"
"No!"
"How about admitting your feelings then?"
"There's no way I'll do that!" The verbal battle was clearly in favour of Ayamine. I called Tama and Mikoto back to earth for them to witness the finale as well.
"Then you do have feelings for him."
"T-t-that's not true! I-I don't like him like that…!"
Surprisingly, no one cut in while Class rep and Ayamine were fighting it out with words. We all sat around the table and watched their argument with glee, or maybe it was only me who enjoyed it.
"So you do like him."
"AGGGARA! I just told you that I-I don't having those kind of feelings!"
"Alright, both of you, stop. I had enough, you two can bitch it out later; after training, that is." Finally cutting the debate between the two girls short, I was getting bored of listening to Class rep denying her emotions to such an extent. Kinda hurt me on the inside, not going to lie.
"If you say so… I was close to forcing out an answer too." From Ayamine's phrase, it was clear how much a disadvantage Class rep was playing by. Her face flustered crimson red from ear to ear and her heart was pounding away like no tomorrow.
"Tama, Mikoto. You both heard everything, right?" Two speechless nods from two equally embarrassed girls were perceived.
"Takeru-san really wants to have everyone…! That's so like him!" Tama was mostly not too upset about this whole business.
"Ahaa… guess it's fine if it's Takeru. He has always been like this, after all." Mikoto also found no fault in my personality.
"WWWHAAT!? You two don't find anything wrong with this whole thing at alllll?!" There got to be a way for Class rep to calm the fuck down.
"Well, I'm not all that great thinking about this complicated stuff and all. So if everyone else doesn't mind it, I won't!"
"Yeah… it's a bit embarrassing thinking about this kind of things… but if Takeru-san and the others don't have a problem, shouldn't everything work out?" These two girls were so trustworthy from time to time.
"How can you two just accept all this so easily!? I can't even believe this…"
"Look here, I know you're upset that I'm just too awesome for a single girl. That's okay though, I'm not forcing you into doing anything, at all. If you want to consult me, let's do that another time, okay?" Class rep's frustration was understandable.
Even if my super manliness wasn't enough to sway any girl already, some of the casualty stuff must had infected most of my female companions. On the list of girls who I'll never forget, Chizuru's name cannot be erased.
"This… is so unbelievable! I-I I DON'T EVEN CARE ANYMORE!" With those angry and embarrassed words, Class rep stormed off with her face painted red.
"Just don't forget the training, okay!?" I shouted after her when her shadow was no longer visible.
Hallway
"Oh? Takeru!" My name was pronounced by an accented speaker from behind.
"Aeey, Meiya!" I answered her call with a head-pat form distance. She quivered in annoyance but accepted my caring touch in due time.
"Ta-Takeru! Stooup! I am no child!" Her interrupted sentence was eventually spat out.
"Hahahha! So what you want?" I drove away the subject at the drop of a hat.
"Mou, the likes of you… anyway, I wish to discuss the affair with that Honour Guard member I recently witness you accompanying." Said Meiya in a calm manner.
"Huh, you mean Takamura? What about her?"
"If it is allowed within regulation, may I have her full name?" Respectful Meiya asked me sincerely.
"Imperial Royal Guard First Lieutenant Takamura Yui." I surprised myself when I recalled her full title.
"What is her purpose here?"
"Err, just checking stuff, I think. She's with the Ministry of Defence, they shipped us some big guns, Takamura tagged along." Telling Meiya this much shouldn't be of any nuisance.
"I see. Mind another question?"
"Lay it on me." She confusedly stared at me then just dropped her puzzlement entirely.
"Is there a reason for your hostility towards Takamura?" It was my turn to be disoriented by her statement this time.
"Whaaat're you talking about? When did you even see her?"
"Four days ago when you walked with her and another Captain, also three days ago when we had our short break after the first simulation." Damn Meiya and her super observation skills.
"Alright, you got me. I was unfriendly towards Takamura, so what?"
"I am asking if there's a reason you must treat my servant in thi—" Meiya seemed to realized her own words too late.
"Woow, arrogant, are we?" She avoided my egotistical smirk born from her slipup.
"Ahem! There is nothing wrong with my words, Takeru. While I prefer not to see myself as one, I am a member of the Imperial family. That much was make clear by Her Highness."
"And thus, if this Takamura happens to belong to the Imperial Royal Guard, then she is a servant of mine. Even if it is in name only, she still serves me." Meiya finished her carefully thought our explanation with a touch of grace and pride.
Her speech was pleasant music to my ears. If Meiya accepted her origin, even a little, that would mean she had no intention of abandoning her own name. This dedication to her family could prove to be the edge I will need in the future.
"Hehehe, nicely said, Meiya. Indeed, I was treating her with hostility due to our current positions."
"Takamura holds information I require for an upcoming operation that no doubt will be of benefit to my project. So I am setting up mental influences over her to gain the upper hand and manipulate this girl when the time comes."
Meiya glared at me with a hidden fury for my big reveal. I only widened my grin, as I knew there was nothing she could do to change or prevent my trap for Takamura.
"…Do you have no sense of morals, Takeru?"
"Depends of the situation. If they get in my way; they're discarded." It was never in me to let something foolish like a sense of righteousness to dictate the outcome of my tomorrow.
"…That is… tragic, Takeru. To live without ethic is the same as a life of void. How can you be truly happy when you have nothing you believe in?"
"Don't tell me what to do! I don't need such pity! Not from you!" I snarled out at Meiya for her unneeded opinion. She instinctively took a step back, the sudden shock quickly turned into worry.
"Takeru, enough! There's no need to become so aggravated!"
"Arugga! You…! You… you're right, sorry about that." I pushed back my hair and calmed down. Losing my cool over such small matter was extremely unfitting for a future world saviour, it was more suited for immature time-travelling amateur.
"…You just do not know me, Meiya. You have no clue what I had to do in my fight."
"Then I'm afraid others are not mistaken when they refer to you as a phantom. The abyss is an endless vacuity, and those who enter it do not return." Now Meiya was just straight up insulting me.
"Logically speaking, of course. However, I shall bring my light into that nothingness; I shall define my own way of living, it is not required of you to guide me." With as much genuineness as I could endure, I ensured Meiya of my vastly different view.
"…I see, you are a free man, Takeru. If that is how you see our world, do not let my notion sway you."
"Never planned on doing that."
"In that case, please accept my apology." She lowered her head for a bow.
"Unnecessary. We're different people, after all." I relaxed my posture and smiled back at her.
"I am glad for your understanding."
"Haaa, you sure are an interesting person, Meiya. No one dared to openly challenge my ideas in ages."
"Is that so? I find it to be quite intriguing, still I cannot allow myself onto such a path." Meiya ran her fingers through her hair too when she spoke.
"Obviously, no. You're too noble of a person to ever ignore your means." On the other hand, it was victory at all cost for me.
"Some can see it as a weakness of mine, to be unable to adapt to the shifting reality."
"I see it as a valuable trait; a voice of reason in this chaotic age." Meiya's opinion was paramount to our group in many situations during my past.
"Hopefully so. Or this sense of duty may spell our doom." She laughed jokingly after saying that.
"Or, or maybe it could save us in a moment of dilemma."
"Huhuhu, I wish for that to be the truth." I shared her moment of joy with her.
"Alriiight! That's enough philosophy for one day, I'll consider your side of things next time. Maybe it will yield a positive result, who knows?"
"Then I shall attempt to see through your lenses as well. At the end of the day, it is for the same goal we travel this path."
"Speaking of the path we travel. Congratulations on your recent promotion." I swiftly switched the subject to another matter entirely.
"What nonsense are you… do you know, Takeru!?" Meiya was taken aback by my expansive knowledge,
"Sure do, Meiya…-sama." It was worth the death glare she shot me to make that joke.
"Argga… I cannot believe such events. Just… what is Her Highness thinking?"
"Dunno, Yuuhi-sama probably misses you greatly though." I offered my honest opinion.
"Aneue doubtlessly faced many adversaries for the sake of granting me this title. Yet I have no method of showing her my appreciation without others using it to harm her!" Meiya got upset from thinking too much.
"Hey, hey. Look at it this way, now that you're legitimately family; you can assist her formally instead of just praying for her wellbeing."
"…Indeed, Takeru. I failed it see this circumstances until such light. Now I will finally be able to reunite with Aneue… no longer must our meeting be forbidden by the law." Her newfound outspokenness was no doubt part of her bliss.
"And that makes me one of them red suits. I demand my Takemikazuchi to have zebra stripes painted on!" A pure laughter reached my ears.
"Huhuhu, I may be capable of allotting your wish in the near future."
"Now that I think about it, wouldn't you need to change your name soon? You're part of the Koubuin House now." I brought up a point that bothered my mind for quite a while.
"…That would be necessary, will it not?"
"So Koubuin Meiya… huh? Err, that's like… awkward to say."
Author's note
First of all, Merry Christmas, everyone! Oh, what? It's not Christmas yet for you because of time-zone? Literally nothing I can do. But other than that, Merry Christmas, everyone!
This is indeed the season of giving, however you all ain't getting shit from me. Other than my gratitude for always supporting this story, that is. Seriously though, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourite, followed, or simply read this story. Thank you very much for coming and taking a look at my constant ramble.
As for my holiday, I am currently putting together a Fa-22 F-22 (Fucking fine! Happy now!? Also I can't even strikethrough on the site, had to underline.) Raptor model kit by Kotobukiya. I'll tell you next time how I completely destroyed this thing because what is instruction Manuel? It's pretty fun, complicated as hell but fun. I recommend.
And that's pretty much it, thanks for coming and till next time.
BETA done by Chad001. You know, my thesaurus is pretty bad these days, not only is it terrible, it is terrible.