A/N: Hey guys. So this might not be the intense action chapter everyone was looking for, it's actually an expanded version of the original chapter 6. After rewriting to make the chapters longer, I ended up making the orginal chapter 6 into three seperate chapters. Thankfully though, everything it now back on track. I hope this chapter will be satisfying enough. Sorry if I missed any errors, I had three math tests today and I'm ready to sleep for 20 years. Anyway, I also apologize in advance for any OOCness or just crap writing in general. Enjoy the chapter and I'll be back next week :)
Just as he'd planned, the next morning Kyosuke was standing in Takumi Rindo's office, reporting what he'd heard. The glasses-clad man at the desk sighed, rubbing his head.
"So there is a problem, we know that for sure. Now we need to figure out what the problem is and put an end to it before something happens," Rindo said. Kyosuke nodded.
"Do you think it might have go do with the B-Rank Wars? Konami said Yuma has been training even harder than usual the past week, and he seems to be focusing more on the upcoming fights," he pointed out. Rindo raised an eyebrow. He hadn't thought of that. He had been thinking that the issue, whatever it was, would be an outside issue. He didn't recall it ever crossing his mind that someone in Border could be in some way threatening or endangering Yuma.
"In that case, Kido may need to be informed. I would like to keep him out of this, but if there's a possibility one of his agents is involved, we'll need him in the loop," Rindo decided, a small frown on his face.
It was common knowledge that Kido hated Neighbors more than anything else, and everyone at Tamakoma especially knew how much he hated Yuma. The man had ordered him dead three times. If Kido was included in their investigation, it was likely that he wouldn't lift a finger to stop his agents if they tried to hurt Yuma in some way. He might even encourage it. The only thing keeping Yuma safe other than his friends was the promise Kido made to Replica, who wasn't even on Earth anymore.
"Kido might not care," Kyosuke said, voicing Rindo's exact thoughts. The man nodded.
"Earlier, did you say Yuma mentioned most Tamakoma agents when he was talking to himself?" Rindo asked, adjusting his glasses. Kyosuke nodded.
"If we want Kido to take action, we could point out that one of his agents may be after Yuma, and possibility targeting other Border members. I know he isn't too buddy-buddy with every one here at Tamakoma, but we have your team. Konami, Reiji and you are considered Border's strongest team. We also have Jin, who is cunning and a talented fighter. His Side Effect makes him an important asset. I'm sure Kido wouldn't be too keen on Chika getting hurt either, since she has such powerful Trion. It also seems Mr. Kinuta has taken a liking to her," the Tamakoma director explained.
Kyosuke nodded, leaving the conversation at that. Rindo watched his agent leave before pulling out a cigarette. Things sure got hectic with a Neighbor around, the son of Yugo Kuga none the less.
"You sure left us with a handful, Yugo-san," he muttered.
In another part of the building, Yuma had just finished changing into clean clothes. He laced up his shoes and headed to the kitchen for breakfast.
In the hall, he noticed Kyosuke walk out of Rindo's office. Nonchalantly, the Neighbor continued walking. As he passed Rindo's office, he heard the man muttering.
"You sure left us with a handful, Yugo-san."
Yuma's steps faltered for a second, but he quickly covered it up and kept moving in case anyone was secretly watching, just like they always seemed to be lately. Yuma knew they were onto him. Judging by the fact that Kyosuke had just left the office, where Rindo was muttering about Yugo, Yuma was sure he had been overheard at some point. He was going to have to be exceptionally careful. He had already been walking on eggshells, though now he was running right for a cliff. It was only a matter of time.
The Neighbor decided that it would be best to completely throw himself into his training. That way, he could keep his mind off everything else. Besides, if something was going to happen to him, he needed to get Osamu and Chika ranked up as fast as possible. He was the ace of the squad, and even if he was replaced it was likely Mikumo Squad would fall down to the bottom. While Chika and Osamu weren't weak, they wouldn't do well with someone who lacked experience. Yuma was relied on for a lot of things in their fights, and without an experienced attacker, Osamu's plans would be worthless.
In the kitchen, Yuma was about to grab an apple when someone tapped his shoulder from behind. He turned around, wearing his signature duckface as he looked up at Shiori. She had a blue box with a cartoon tiger on it.
"Yuma-kun, want to try this cereal? I got it from America. They're frosted corn flakes," she said, shaking the box. Yuma looked at her in confusion.
"Who is America?" he asked, not understanding. He'd had normal cornflakes before, and frosted cornflakes sounded interesting, but he didn't trust this 'America' person. Shiori opened her mouth in an 'o', forgetting Yuma didn't know a ton about Earth.
"It another country on this plant, not a person. It's like Japan, but they have different food and they speak English instead of Japanese," she explained. Yuma's eyes widened.
"Oooh! THAT America. My dad told me a little about that place," he said, finally understanding. Shiori smiled and eagerly opened to box. She ended up pouring two bowls of the foreign cereal, and the two ate in the kitchen. It was really good.
"Thanks for letting me have some of your American cereal, Shiori-san," Yuma said before heading out of Tamakoma. Usually he met Osamu and Chika at the base, but since he had gotten up earlier than normal he decided to go get his friends from their houses. It worked out well, since he ran into Osamu just as the teen was leaving, and the two went to Chika's to get her before heading to HQ.
The three trained in the simulation rooms for a few hours before getting lunch and going to defense duty. They then went to Tamakoma, where they trained with Reiji, Kyosuke and Konami. Once the training was over, they were starving. Thankfully, Shiori had made dinner while the group trained, and it was ready to eat when they were done.
All of Tamakoma assembled around the dining room table. They were eating rice balls and curry. Everyone was quick to dig in, except Yuma, who had completely zoned out.
"Yuma-kun? Are you going to eat?" Chika asked, slightly concerned. Yuma wasn't one to let his food go cold. The Neighbor was pulled from his thoughts and his hand went to his stomach as it growled in protest.
"Oh yeah, I was just thinking about what I'll do in the next Rank War. Ko will probably be tough to beat, with his Side Effect," the Neighbor pointed out. Osamu nodded.
"I'm sure we'll figure it out," he said.
Across from Osamu, Konami swallowed a bite of rice and curry before speaking.
"Kuga, why is it you don't need sleep but you do need food? I find it odd that you only need one," she questioned. Every one looked at the Neighbor expectantly.
"I'm not entirely sure how that works myself, but Replica told me that my body functions just like a normal one. That means I do get hungry. The only huge difference is that I don't bleed. If I get hurt, whatever the injury is just fixes itself. That's because my body is powered by Trion from my Black Trigger. That's also why I don't need sleep," he explained. His senpai nodded, satisfied with the answer.
A few minutes later, Shiori changed the subject.
"I think we should do something tomorrow. Everyone's been really tense this past week," she said, edging dangerously close to the taboo subject of Yuma's odd behaviour. Noticing the sudden tension in the room, Kyosuke spoke up.
"There's a public swimming pool an hour away by train. We could go there for the day, since everyone's free," he suggested. Jin nodded in agreement.
"It's also not to far away, so if there's an issue we could get back quickly," he said. Rindo smiled.
"I think you're right, you kids can't keep hiding in those training rooms all day. Just make sure Jin doesn't spy on the girls' changing rooms," he said with a smirk. Jin huffed and crossed his arms.
"I would never let myself get caught!" he claimed. The next thing everyone knew, Jin was frowing and rubbing his head where he had been karate chopped by both Shiori and Konami. The two girls had flames in their eyes.
"You just try that, Jin. I'll bring my Trigger," Konami threatened. Everyone laughed at the Elite, who looked more than mildly concerned.
"I fear for my life. Thanks Rindo," he said somewhat sarcastically, holding his hands up defensively in case the girls tried to hit him again.
At the end of the table, Chika was laughing quietly as she finished her curry. Not wanting the food to dry on her plate and become tough to clean, the young teen took her dishes to the kitchen to rinse them.
The happy atmosphere in the dining room disintegrated seconds later at the sound of a glass dish shattering on the floor as Chika's scream pierced the air.