"So, uh… I just thought of something important." Tamaki had just spent a good half hour rounding up everyone who seemed to be even just a little bit of a leader and it was time for her to voice her concern. "We're all pretty… Strong personalities, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Naoki looked at her with a frown.
"Well, we're all able to handle our people or, er, one demon classmate in Nobu's case… But there'd be an issue if we leave it like that." Tamaki shifted awkwardly where she stood. "So I was thinking we should put one person in charge of the group and the rest of us will be helpers or something."
"That seems like a good idea." Tadano nodded. "Better to make sure there's no way to give conflicting orders to each other so things go smoothly than risk all trying to lead."
"That's all fine and dandy, sure, but how are we gonna decide who'll be in charge?" Nobu frowned. "I mean… You, me, and Nanashi probably shouldn't. Nanashi's younger than everyone else and we're just normal high school students…"
"That's fair… But how are we gonna narrow past that?" Nanashi frowned. "I mean, I'd vote Flynn as our leader, but…"
"I wouldn't agree… Flynn-san seems strong, but…" Tamaki pointed at Kazuya. "Doesn't this guy give off more leader vibes?"
Kazuya blinked a few times. "Oh, I-"
"Are we gonna forget about the, I dunno… The demon and military man?" Nobu gestured wildly at Naoki and Tadano. "Why not use one of those guys instead?"
"Zayin was saying you didn't really trust or know another person because they were a demon…" Aleph frowned. "Why do you trust a demon now?"
"I said I didn't really know Akira… And I knew him before he was possessed, so that's totally different!" Nobu crossed his arms. "Totally!"
"Uh huh…" Tamaki frowned at him. "...Anyway. I think Kazuya-san should be in the running, no matter what!"
"And I say the same for Naoki and Tadano!"
"Well, I'm gonna insist on Flynn!" Nanashi frowned, standing up to fully face on the other two.
"Actually, while I appreciate it Nanashi, I believe it would be best for me to defer to the others leadership… I don't know as much about Tokyo as some of the others, so it's not right for me to take the lead."
Nanashi deflated at the comment. "Are you sure, Flynn?"
"I am, thank you."
"Well, I think I would prefer to sit out on leading as well. I'm in the same boat as Flynn in not knowing Tokyo, after all." Aleph put a hand on his chest.
"Well, looks like it's down to my pick and to Nobu's picks then…" Tamaki tapped her foot against the ground and hummed. "What to do…?"
"Maybe they could give reasons they would be good leaders for this situation and we can all vote based off those?" Flynn suggested, finger on his cheek.
"Good idea." Aleph nodded and looked to the three left in the running. "Would one of you like to start?"
"I suppose I will…" Tadano cleared his throat. "I wouldn't say I know Tokyo as well as the other two, but I am trained in combat and know how to keep a cool head. If I were to lead, I would be able to do my best to keep everyone under control and level-headed, especially in combat scenarios where it could be the difference between life and death."
Nanashi whistled. "That's pretty good reasoning… Wonder if you guys can top it."
"This area is full of demons, right?" Naoki spoke up with a frown. "Sure, these guys might know some stuff about demons, but I'd think I know more with how I am right now. I'll probably have an easier time negotiating with them, seeing as I don't need a computer to translate demons for me."
"Good point." Aleph put a hand on his chin. "We do have to rely on technology to understand the demons, but he doesn't have that issue… Is there anything you feel you can bring to the table, Kazuya?"
"Well, I'm not as skilled with combat or as naturally able to deal with demons, but…" Kazuya thought for a moment. "I feel that I probably know Tokyo the best out of the three of us. I'm older than Naoki and lived their my entire life… I mean, this place even looks like the area I was living in before the bombs dropped…"
"Ah, yeah… You mentioned the bombs dropping before…" Nobu couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at that, seeing as what year Kazuya had said it happened…
"Well, uh… Now that we've heard them all… Who votes for who?" Tamaki cleared his throat, hoping to clear the air a bit. "I'm honestly not sure anymore… I feel they'd all be good leaders for different things…"
"Yeah…" Nanashi frowned. "I dunno who I'd pick out of the three of them…"
"Why not make them all the leader, then?" Flynn crossed his arms. "They can simply be in charge of different things."
"So something like Tadano being in charge of combat, Naoki in charge of demon negotiation, and Kazuya in charge of actions outside of the battle zone?" Aleph tilted his head to the side. "That doesn't seem like a bad idea."
"That could work, yeah. Well, as long as they're all willing to co-lead like that." He looked at them. "Especially Tadano and Naoki, since their jobs could get in the way of each other if we're not careful."
"I'm fine with it if they are." Tadano gave a nod.
A shrug from Naoki. "Sure, whatever."
"I think that would work, if you're all really sure about it." Kazuya gave a smile.
"Then it's settled, then!" Tamaki grinned from ear to ear. "We'll have three co-leaders and the rest of us'll be support!"
"Sounds fine to me…" Nobu thought for a moment. "But does that mean we should head back into battle soon? Unless there's more that we need to figure out before then."
"Well, I think everything is figured out, but I think we should stock up on supplies and make sure everyone is armed and armored before we go in." Kazuya looked to Naoki and Tadano. "If you guys don't mind."
"Oh no, I agree. If we go in unprepared it could be a bloodbath." Tadano turned to move. "We can go handle the shopping, and the rest could go see what the others are doing?"
"Sounds good to me." Kazuya nodded and followed after Tadano. "We'll all meet up at the entrance to the third floor, guys!"
"Got it!"