Unneeded

by TheAnimeTrain

The B-Rank Wars have finished and Border's members begin to settle back into their routines however they can. Along with this comes the appearance of new faces along with old ones. Unseen by them all, those who remain unneeded continue to move around.

16. Show Report

"So beautiful..."

Wakamura couldn't help but agree to what he heard.

The sight before him was beautiful in every aspect.

I would probably have that weird spear or a Kōgetsu at my neck if certain people heard me say that, he thought bitterly.

The setting sun on the horizon was already something to admire, but he was more focused on the one who was standing in front of that setting sun.

"Hoshi-san, I know that you wanted to hang out with all of us, so I'm sorry the others couldn't come along."

"Oh, that is fine. I understand that Katori-san has a certain level of tolerance toward me, so I didn't expect her to come. As for Hana-san and Yuta-kun..."

"Yeah..."

The two of them had gotten a message saying that their aunt would be keeping them for the day to spoil them, stating that she had been too busy to do so lately. The reactions had been mixed, but neither one of them had found it in themselves to deny her this.

It had been this that made Wakamura realize that the people he knew all seemed to have strange families.

Even so...

I did not expect this to happen either.

"Keeeep your eyes above the waist, pleeease. I'm nooot as bad as Kiyo-nii, but I wiiiill still protect Hoshi from anyone waaaanting to get with her."

"That would be more effective if you weren't holding on to me to stay standing."

"Weren't yooou the one whooo told me that yooou would help me?"

Two boys stood about 5 feet behind Wakamura, one holding onto the other as if he were the only reason he managed to stay standing. The other seemed to be a bit exasperated, but not against the contact.

Wakamura knew one of the two boys, but the other was still a mystery to him. All he knew about him was...

He is Hoshi-san's other brother.

If that was all there was to it, it would have been fine.

But he seems to also be protective of her. He said he isn't as bad as the oldest brother, but he has been keeping track of me this whole time. I really don't know how he and Tsuji ended up in this kind of situation, but I wish they had not come to us.

In truth, he had been happy that the rest of his squad would not be meeting them for an outing.

It had turned into a thing where Hoshi would be around Katori Squad and go on outings with them. Most of the time, it would involve Katori getting mad at Hoshi and everyone else trying to stomp down that anger.

But with neither of them available, it left him to enjoy an outing with just himself and Hoshi.

I was so close! I could spend the entire time alone with her! ...I guess this is just how it is.

With all four Taiyōko siblings in Mikado City, it would be difficult for him to spend any significant amount of time alone with Hoshi.

"You know, I didn't expect for you to be around Hoshi-san's other brother, Tsuji."

"This and that happened, so I am sort of in charge of him."

"Is that so?" He had heard a bit about the situation from Hoshi. "I had heard that the Taiyōko family was all pretty scary. Hoshi-san isn't like that, and her oldest brother is only like that when it comes to her."

"He is the same with Mukuro now."

"Is that so?" he said again.

Hoshi had mentioned something like that too. It seemed to just be the way the oldest brother was.

At least he was being fair in being overprotective of both of his younger siblings.

"The main problem would be that Tsukiko-senpai is in the same group as Inukai-senpai."

"Our former senpai really are the worst, aren't they?"

"Maybe it's just how things are at that age."

"I don't know about that. I think we will be fine, as long as we look at them for what not to do."

"Oh? You didn't hear about Ariake then?"

Was there something to know?

Wakamura knew that Ariake could be troublesome at times, but it always felt like it was more because of the people around him than his own fault.

"Ariake managed to win against Hikigane-san. He had gotten help from his former squads and Yuba-san, but he was still the one in charge."

"He did what!? That guy accomplished something like that!?"

"I dooon't remember anyone like thaaat. Whooo is he?"

Tsuji began explaining to the Taiyōko brother, but Wakamura ignored him.

Something began building up inside of him at the thought of Ariake managing to defeat someone like Hikigane. A person well beyond his abilities.

.

Rokkun: "Ariake, I heard what you did! You beat Hikigane-san!?"

Daybreak: "Eh? Eh!? Oh... Uh, yeah? I mean, I was pretty bad as a commander, but we did all managed to win."

Shige-ko: "You made up for it with your support at the end."

Daybreak: "I'm a support Sniper, so that much should be expected, right?"

Lollipop Lover: "You boys should learn from this guy. Be like him and girls won't hate you."

Rokkun: "Does that mean..."

Shige-ko: "You two aren't the same. I'd rather have him around than you."

Almost Everyone: "No hesitation!"

Rokkun: "..."

Daybreak: "Shigeko! Don't be mean to Rokkun! I'm sure he tries really hard!"

Almost Everyone: "There's the harassment!"

.

Tsuji watched Wakamura crumble to the ground and felt sorry for him.

The damage had been done by the time he looked at the chat. The pincer attack from Ariake and Shigenaga had done more than enough to have Wakamura crumble like that.

It makes me glad that I didn't have to deal with Ariake during our fight.

Shigenaga had come on strong when she saw him, but she was normally kept under control by Ariake. It helped that she had no personal animosity toward him.

"I thought we were pretty similar... I mean, we're both pretty normal compared to others. Right, Tsuji!? You know what I'm talking about, right!?"

"When you get into as many arguments as you do with your captain, it's a bit hard to say I agree with you..."

"That isn't my fault! Besides, it's hard when she starts going on about how she doesn't like Hoshi-san! Right!? Isn't Hoshi-san too nice to dislike!?"

It was a pretty sad sight, but Tsuji felt like answering him for a second would only make Wakamura more sad.

So instead, he fixed Mukuro so that he was on the inside of Tsuji's arms, right on his chest. It would be more comfortable for him this way and would allow Tsuji to carry him, if it was needed.

"Hey, I dooon't wanna go to sleeep right now. Leeet me go. I'm gonna gooo with Hoshi."

"There is a bench over there. If you feel like resting, have her take you over there."

"I'm tiiiired, not old."

Tsuji nodded and let go of Mukuro. He swayed a bit, but otherwise began his walk in that direction.

Once it seemed like he could make it to his sister, Tsuji focused back on the fallen Wakamura.

"It looks like the two of you were on an outing together. I'm sorry if we interrupted you two."

"It's fine... We were originally supposed to spend the day with the rest of my squad, so it isn't like there is much meaning to this."

"We can leave, if you want."

"I think Hoshi-san would want to be around her brother more than just the two of us."

After getting up, Wakamura gestured towards the siblings facing the setting sun.

"I heard from Hoshi that those two had a completely different lifestyle from their older siblings. I see it more the more I get a look at the family as a whole."

"Mukuro said the same thing. I somewhat confirmed it when I went to Takato-san's house with him. The differences really made them stand out."

Tsukiko went by a different name now, but he treated his younger siblings equally. It may have been different before recent events, but now he held Mukuro in the same place as their younger sister.

For a chance like that to occur with him around, it made him feel like he knew the family a bit more than some others.

"Who are you two talking about?"

.

Tsuji and Wakamura looked over and saw a certain duo walking towards them.

Normally, this duo would have a third person around, making the sight a bit more strange.

"Hello, Hisato and Hanzaki. Where is Girikage? Don't the three of you usually hang around each other?"

"Daigo said that he would be checking up on something, so he went off somewhere else," said Hisato with a polite nod.

Hanzaki waved to the two of them before looking towards the siblings, who were standing in front of the setting sun.

"Who's that guy? I know Taiyōko, but I don't know that guy."

"That is Hoshi-san's brother, Taiyōko Mukuro."

"I only knew about Yuki-san being her brother, not that they had another sibling."

Hanzaki narrowed his eyes in their direction.

After a few more seconds, he began walking towards them.

"I don't like him. I'll be back."

Tsuji and Wakamura looked to Hisato for an explanation, but he only shrugged and acted as if it wasn't his problem.

They spent a few moments in silence, taking in the scene before them.

It was Hisato who broke it first.

"So, I don't actually know too much about Yuki-san's siblings. What exactly are they like?"

"Hoshi-san is nice, considerate, caring, dependable, outgoing, and can keep Yōko busy."

"Mukuro is usually tired, but he's considered a genius, cares for you if you're in his inner circle, and tends to follow through when he says he will do something."

Another moment of silence came over them.

They all took in those words, thought about them, and then came to the same realization.

"So the opposite of their brother."

They nodded in unison.

"But, you know," started Hisato. "I met their older sister last night. The rumors around her always scared me off, but she actually isn't too bad."

.

Hisato knew he had said something strange the moment Tsuji and Wakamura took a step back and looked at him like he had grown a new head.

"Goo?'

I know. People in this city seem to just be like that.

Bubble, the small slime, hid inside his jacket but made a sound loud enough for him to hear.

It started saying a few more things, but it was too difficult to properly understand what it wanted. It might want food at times, but it might also just want to blow some bubbles. Hisato had been feeling like this was truly the experience of taking care of a pet or a child.

But he knew that it was something he could only talk about with a handful of people.

So, for now at least, he would need to think about his current conversation.

"I know it might sound odd, but all she did was play some ping pong. It was a pretty... intense game of ping pong, but the person she was playing against was just as tough, if not tougher than her."

"Is that so?" the two of them said in unison.

This almost felt rehearsed to him.

They really don't believe me...

Hisato looked over to see if Hanzaki could help him a bit, but instead it seemed like he had been defeated.

The trio facing the setting sun were all turned toward each other, but Hanzaki hung his head. A moment later, he threw it upwards and quickly turned to him.

He could see the clear sadness and envy Hanzaki was giving off.

"Hisatoooooooo! This guy's character is waaaay too much like mine! Do something about it!"

It was strange to hear Hanzaki's voice go so loud, but it just showed how much that affected him.

Hisato responded just as loudly.

"We'll have Daigo spoil you later on, okay!? Just put up with it for now!"

Hanzaki started sputtering out denials and complaints, but Hisato already knew that he was looking forward to them.

At worst, it would be Hanzaki who got spoiled. Likely, he would try and drag Hisato into it, and both his and Daigo's legs would be used as a makeshift bed.

At best...

Daigo will try to spoil me too.

The way they got spoiled was completely different from each other, but that seemed to get some reactions out of Daigo whenever they thanked him or enjoyed themselves. It was that sort of relationship that allowed them all to be honest with themselves and each other.

Hisato could feel his embarrassment begin to rise the more he thought about his situation with the other two.

"The tired ones really like to be spoiled, don't they?"

Tsuji moved over to stand next to Hisato while Wakamura took to staying nearby but not getting in their space.

"They really do," Hisato agreed.

"Mukuro tends to start drinking too much milk, so I need to stop him from doing so. But, on occasion, I let him do as he pleases. Those times tend to really show how much of a child he can be."

"It's the same with Hanzaki. He isn't satisfied until he's using mine or Daigo's legs as a pillow."

"Constantly tired people can sure be greedy..."

"Hahaha. They really can!

It felt nice to have someone who understood what it was like to deal with those sorts of people.

---

Kumagai had enough of it all.

The music going around the city was annoying, the situation with Denji put her on edge, and now there was something else that was getting on her nerves.

The music was unavoidable, something that could only be counted on by someone who was more musically inclined than she was. Being a sports-oriented-type, she was never one for liberal arts and would only focus on those things when others dragged her into them. The worst offenders had always been a trio of girls who made it their mission to spread music to any place they could.

It was due to those three girls that even Kumagai could tell that there was something off with the music playing.

Then there was the situation with Denji.

Something had been going on with him for some time now. Denji kept nothing from her, but she knew that he was also holding something back. It was clear from the battle he had had with Murakami in the morning and the sudden message he had sent to her.

Kumagai could feel that there was much more to his situation than she could see while standing around.

So she had long ago made the decision to get to the bottom of it.

Kikuchihara and Köhler had already been investigating something, but they hadn't given her any information pertaining to Denji, already knowing that her relationship with him was different from others.

With those two things settled, it was now up to her to figure out what to do about this current situation.

"Can you help us? We're looking for our brother!"

"Oh, I didn't know you had a brother, Sthé-chan!"

"Yeah I recently got a brother and sister! Oh but I am the older sister so don't misunderstand here! I am just trying to be a good big sister!"

"I am a younger sister, so I don't really know how to help with that."

The group of three talking to themselves had been going on about nothing in particular for a while now.

That would have been fine with her, but there was a big problem with this.

"Akane! I thought you wanted to talk about your uncle!?"

"Oh, right! I'm sorry, Kumagai-enpai!"

They had gotten sidetracked once the two new people appeared.

Kumagai could feel a small headache starting to form and turned away.

"Is something going on with Seki?"

"Can you really not pronounce his name, or are you screwing with us?"

Sthénos vaguely shrugged her shoulders in a way that got Kumagai a bit annoyed.

She had never been good at dealing with Senzai Squad in the first place.

"Fine. But have you really not noticed what has been happening around the city today?"

Sthénos vaguely tilted her head from side-to-side in a way that got Kumagai mad.

There was no winning whenever she had to deal with Senzai Squad.

.

"Excuse me, but are you alright?"

Lilith moved over to make sure the short-cut girl was fine.

I learned that my sister can be a bit much for people, so this may be something like that.

It had been for that reason that they were now looking for Pyrínas and Xeno.

When Sthénos decided she wanted to see something else, the four of them had been traveling together to meet with the people Pyrnas had contacted. From there, they ended up going into the city and lost sight of Pyrínas and Xeno.

Sthénos had tried to call out to them, but the noise from all around them had become an issue.

The easy solution was to have reached them quicker using their specialized stats, but Sthénos thought it more fun to lose them like regular people. Something she had been speaking about for a good amount of time.

She appears to have learned a lot while on Miden. She certainly knows how they act and what goes on here. It is very good that she knows these things; otherwise, I would be more lost than ever.

Meeting the short-cut girl and the red-haired girl had been an accident, but Sthénos appeared to know them.

That was a good enough reason to walk up to them.

"I'm fine. Dealing with this girl just leaves me with a headache a lot of the time."

"Isn't that how it always is whenever you talk to Senzai Squad, Kumagai-senpai?"

"Yeah, that's why I try not to interact with them too much."

But...

"They aren't too bad, either..."

Lilith smiled at the words muttered under the short-cut girl's breath.

That was something she had noticed during her time on Miden.

Even if they seem angry with each other, they still seem to get along with each other. There don't appear to be any words that are too harsh for them to return from. Their interactions are really fun to watch, so I should also be learning from them here.

Differences between individuals were not held over each other in an overly malicious way.

Pyrínas and Sthénos had also shown her what fun things could be done here.

It was a place of wonder for her.

"Well, moving away from that, you had said that you were looking for some people, right?" the short-cut girl asked.

"Yes, that is right. A boy about this tall, and a child about thiiiiiiiis tall."

Lilith rose a bit on her feet to reach the same height that Pyrínas stood at. It was hard to fully determine his height, but she was sure that she was close to it.

The short-cut girl raised a brow at her, looked at Sthénos, then took a step back.

"Um... I don't think there are any children who could be that tall."

"It's true though! Pyrí-chan really is that tall! Yu-chan has seen him hasn't she!?"

The short-cut girl tilted her head for a moment before realizing who Sthénos was talking about.

"That guy is not a child. He has to at least be in his thirties."

"No no no! He really is a kid! Even younger than the kids he watches over!"

"Alright, that's enough of that joke. I'll make sure that at least Senzai-senpai knows you're messing around like this."

The only thing Lilith knew about this "Senzai" person was what Sthénos had told her. It seemed like he was responsible while also being something of a strange person who attracted bad situations. Even since hearing that, she had been interested in meeting him.

Sthénos had spoken about her own squad quite a bit, but not enough that Lilith could get a good image of them all.

What was more, she had explained some of their secrets to her, and she wanted to confirm some things with them.

But that would have to wait until later.

"If you're looking for that guy, I can't say we have seen him. Or of the boy you're asking about. Maybe your uncle could help, Akane?"

"Hm! He refused to see me recently!"

The red-haired girl gave a similar expression as Xeno did whenever one of his trion soldiers got heavily damaged, so Lilith understood how she felt.

.

That was surprising.

Kumagai really found herself surprised by what Akane had just told her.

She knew how Sekai could be, but she also knew that he had gotten better when it came to his niece after she had gone to see him after one of his matches.

Knowing that he had started keeping distance from Akane for the second time made her realize just how far the situation had escalated.

Denji has actually been the same with me...

Once the news regarding his fight against Murakami in the morning reached her, she tried speaking with him. The idea was stomped down the moment he actively told her to leave him alone.

It hurt a bit to have him genuinely say that to her, but she also understood that he could be a difficult person.

"I thought he had changed after we all went to see him, but..."

"But he is still him...right?"

"Yeah, that's right! Seriously, my uncle can be the worst at times!"

"Call him that three times and see how he reacts."

Kumagai could feel a smile form on her lips as she winked at Akane. There were things that Denji had told her about Sekai and Yuki that would likely get him in trouble, but she could blame it on him and drag him into a new mess.

That was always the best time for him because it reassured him that she didn't need him as much as he thought.

Now that I think about it... Yuki-san and Murakami-senpai spilled everything, didn't they? Maybe I could...

"Hey Akane, about your uncle..."

Kumagai stopped in an instant.

The reason for it was the sudden body that came barreling down the nearby set of stairs leading to an open park.

As for who it had been...

.

"Rokurō, are you okay!? ...Oh, hello, Yūko-senpai!"

The second body that came rushing down the set of stairs was a girl Kumagai knew all too well.

But first...

She held her arms out and braced her body as best she could.

The first body finally came down, slamming into her.

Holding her feet in place, she pushed back against the force and stopped it from moving any further.

"Th-thanks, Kumagai..."

"Don't thank me yet."

Without a second thought, she threw Wakamura's body to the side. She could see him wobble a bit, but there was now something else for her to take care of.

She reached out her arms again and felt a new weight on them.

On her way down, Hoshi managed to trip over the same thing Wakamura likely did and started coming down quickly as well.

A second body slammed into her.

She held strong.

"Thank you very much, Yūko-san!"

"No apology this time? You really have grown."

Feeling the stares of other people, Kumagai turned around to see both Akane and Sthénos staring directly at her.

But more than them, she felt the hard stare she got from Wakamura.

Oh, he's jealous.

She couldn't find it in herself to care much about that. Wakamura knew that this was just how things were and refused to say anything about it.

"Are the two of you okay?"

.

Kumagai let go of Hoshi as multiple sets of feet came walking down the stairs. Their movements were less agitated than the other two, so Kumagai let out a sigh.

"At least I don't have to get ready to catch multiple people here."

The rest of the group looked at her funny, but she waved them off.

"Anyway," she started. "This isn't a group I expected to see. Wakamura and Hoshi aside, the rest of you tend to have your own group, right?"

"Are these friends of yours, then?"

Lilith moved forward a step. She stopped when she saw the body on Tsuji's back.

The body jolted for a moment before slowly lifting its head.

Everyone stood still as the dead eyes of Mukuro looked around at everyone before throwing his head back down.

Mukuro lifted a hand and lazily pointed to the open space.

"Yooou girls need to staay away from my walking bed. He's not goooood with women."

"Looks like you've got a strange leech on you, Tsuji."

"He has some upsides. But he's r-right... Um, please s-stay away from me."

Even as he spoke, he could not look any of the girls in the eyes, instead looking more towards Hisato and Wakamura.

Kumagai was the first to respond to this. With a quick motion, she reached out and grabbed the midair Sthénos by the waist. She drew her to her hip so she couldn't get away.

Everyone nodded in Kumagai's direction and ignored the pouting girl at her waist.

"So what's going on?" Wakamura asked while looking at Lilith. "Those are some pretty strange clothes..."

"Lilith is my sister so don't try getting with her Rokurō!"

Everyone made a quick turn from Wakamura to Hoshi, then back to Wakamura. They took a step back, pointed at him, and turned their heads away.

"What kind of reaction is that!? And I'm not trying anything here!"

Everyone stopped at the sound of sudden laughter.

They looked around for a moment before finding the source of the laughter.

And it was...

"Why are you laughing, Hoshi? This is kind of a serious situation for you, isn't it?"

"I suppose it should be," Hoshi said with a smile. "But seeing that nothing has changed made me happy. Besides, I know how I feel about certain topics, so I feel like there is no reason for me to worry."

Everyone stopped for a second time.

.

Rokkun: "Wait, what does she mean by that!?"

Kuma: "I think it means that you've been found out."

Yoshi: "He wasn't really good at hiding it, so it was only a matter of time."

Dino Boy: "Maybe she is talking about something else? This family seems to enjoy not telling other outright about things."

Almost Everyone: "That's true."

Decoy: "Let's see if we can find out what she means."

.

"Alright, we'll leave it to you," everyone said while looking at Sasamori.

Hoshi laughed to herself at their antics. Things really never changed, but that was not a bad thing.

I can see why Kiyo-nii always found it fun to not give others full information.

Was this the corruption she had been hearing about?

If it was, she could say she was now a true Border member. It meant that she had gotten to their level and could now speak with them without worrying about what could happen afterwards.

For now, she would continue how she was.

"Um, Taiyōko-san? What exactly did you mean by that?"

"I simply meant that even I can see what is around me now. Of course, it is thanks to the help I have been getting from Katori Squad. They are all wonderful people."

"Well, I can understand two of them," Sasamori said with a sidelong glance.

It was amusing to see this sort of reaction. She understood that she was the odd one out for thinking that Katori was pleasant to be around. That was fine with her.

Coughing into his hand, Sasmaori continued their conversation without turning away again.

"Right, then, uh, can I ask you something else?"

"Of course. Feel free to ask me anything, Sasamori-senpai."

"Do you plan on acting on what you know?"

That was an interesting question. One she had not thought he would ask.

Oh, is that the reason?

Besides Sasamori himself, it seemed like there were a lot of people around her that had been put in similar situations. They looked to her for an answer they could not find for themselves, even if their situations might be different from her own.

Having this sort of attention felt wrong to her, but she did her best to make it seem like she was fine with it.

They were all nice people, and she didn't want them to feel like they were doing something wrong.

So she made up her mind.

"I will only act on it once it properly comes up. And when that happens, I will be giving it my all with no hesitation."

.

For a third time, everyone went quiet.

Kumagai could tell that Hoshi's words were being taken in.

So that's how it is...

This had been a way to mess with Wakamura, but the end result had been one that she found she could get an answer from.

It was not just her.

Hisato and Tsuji also look like they figured something out too. Wakamura is a given too, but I didn't expect much from Hanzaki.

And yet he had been one of the people who seemed to be thinking more about something than everyone else.

She had her own thoughts on Hoshi's response and found her own answer.

If Hoshi is going to give it her all for something like that, then I can't afford to be lax or hesitant when it comes to something like this.

There was something going on with Sekai and Denji, something she could only take a guess at. Even so, it involved her due to Denji's complete involvement in his situation.

So...

Kuma: "Wakamura, you better man up soon. And if you do anything, I will personally kick your ass."

Rokkun: "I know..."

Dino Boy: "Still, she is very different from her siblings. At the same time, I can see a lot of things that are the same for them all."

Yoshi: "Considering you have one of them on your back, it makes sense that you would."

"Kumagai-senpai!"

She was thrown from the conversation by the sudden shout from Akane.

The girl had been oddly quiet during the entire conversation, but it seemed like she was just taking it all in. From next to her, Sthénos and the strange girl were smiling.

They must have spoken to each other as well.

"I know that there is something going on with my uncle... But I don't care about the details! He's messing things up right now, right? That's all I need to know to get involved! I want to smack him at least two times! So..."

So let her help.

Kumagai knew what she wanted immediately.

Kuma: "Rei, you there?"

Viper: "Oh? Have you and Akane finally decided on what to do?"

"Of course she would be a step ahead of us..."

"Nasu-senpai is pretty good with these sorts of things, isn't she?"

"I guess she really is."

She had been more active during the day, but Kumagai had assumed that it was just to help Takeshi with whatever problem the branch offices were having.

Instead, she had been waiting for the two of them to understand what they wanted to do.

Viper: "Kotowari-kun seems to have things under control here. Besides that, I really had nothing to do here. Ikoma-san was fun to be around, but I was kind of kicked out of the conversation earlier."

Kuma: "Sayako, will you be joining us?"

Game Perception: "I am not at the base, and not that close to it. Can you work without my help?"

Viper: "Considering how things may turn out, we will be on separate battlefields anyway, so I think we will be fine."

Mad Hatter: "What do you mean by that?"

Kumagai was about to tell her, but something caught her eye.

It was a smile.

From the sidelines, she could see Hoshi smiling at her interaction with Akane.

She saw Hoshi move her lips, but no sound came out. Instead, she read her lips, which said, "I am glad for you."

I guess she was also keeping track of things.

"Oh, I am just putting it out there," she said out loud. "I will be unable to get involved with whatever will be happening. The same applies to my brother, who is on Tsuji-senpai's back."

"That's fine. I knew that you had no real connection to these events."

They all understood that this was a special situation that involved specific people.

There was no reason to bring others into this.

"That being said, I hope that you will be able to resolve any issues that may come up."

"Thanks. I'll make sure that Sekai-san and Denji both get a good smack to the heads for the trouble they are causing."

Hoshi's smile was reassuring, but the way her brows knitted together made Kumagai tilt her head.

If there was something else to say, then she was likely to say it.

And as soon as that thought came to mind, Hoshi opened her mouth once more.

"Is it only those two?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess it is."

"Then...my brother is not in trouble this time?"

.

Kuma: "Damn! Has even she gotten too used to Yuki-san getting into a bunch of trouble!?"

Rokkun: "Do you understand why it's so hard for me right now!?"

Dino Boy: "To be fair, he really has been pretty troublesome for the past couple of weeks. I don't blame her at all for thinking that."

Decoy: "I don't want to think too poorly about Daigo's mentor, but..."

Yoshi: "I hang out with the guy on a regular basis, and I will be one of the first to admit how much trouble he can be."

Rokkun: "Even with a small number of people here, this is a pretty dangerous chat..."

.

"U-um... No, it isn't him...this time..."

"Oh, that is strange... But that is also good! That means he can relax during all of this."

The others looked at Kumagai, turned to Hoshi, looked back at Kumagai, and pointed at her without saying a word.

I will hit all of you!

But it was on her to tell Hoshi. After all, she was connected to these incidents in some way.

"Well, about that... Hoshi, he isn't in trouble this time, but he will probably be doing something about it. Him and Murakami-senpai..."

"Yes?"

Kumagai took a deep breath and steadied herself.

This was an important thing for her. The fact that Yuki and Murakami had gone beyond this point meant that she could possibly drag Denji there too.

It was not hopeless.

"Those two will also be helping. In fact, they may be the first to take appropriate action."

"I see. In that case, may I ask for a favor, Yūko-senpai?"

Considering that it was Hoshi who was asking, she could figure out what she wanted to ask.

This was a conversation about her older brother and his best friend. There was nothing else to ask her.

I'll answer her properly. I was already planning for it too.

She nodded to let Hoshi continue.

"Please come to me once everything has been settled? I would very much like to speak with you and someone very important to you."

"!?"

That had not been what she expected.

At best, she expected Hoshi to ask her to support or watch over Yuki and Murakami.

But she had wanted something else.

Hoshi wanted her to end this with happiness and an introduction.

It had caught her off guard, but her answer remained the same.

"Of course. I will drag him by the ear if I have to. I will make sure that you can see he's really just an idiot who can't be honest with himself."

"Thank you very much!"

.

Lilith watched the interactions from the side with Sthénos. Everyone seemed to be having fun together, but the conversations also seemed important to them.

Even though she didn't know anyone other than Sthénos it was clear that they all had something they wanted to say. It was because of that that she kept quiet and made sure to focus on what they were saying.

"Lil-chan this is what dedicated little sisters are like!"

"Oh? So that girl over there is a little sister?"

"That's right! She's the little sister of the sleeping guy on Shincchi's back and two other weirdos in the city! Oh but one of them is pretty scary, so you can stay away from her!"

Was that girl supposed to be a role model for little sisters?

If that was the case, Lilith made sure to note how she acted and would try her best to emulate that whenever she was around Sthénos and Pyrínas. Oh, but Pyrínas had said that I would be the older sister. Then how would she act around him?

Maybe one of these people could tell her the answer to that.

Everyone around here seemed knowledgeable enough.

"He-"

"Wow~ This ins't a group I expected to see at aaaaaall~"

Lilith froze at the sudden voice that appeared behind her.

It was not one she recognized, but it was one that made her freeze from some feeling inside of her.

Even as an Autonomous Trion Soldier, she could not do anything to stop herself from freezing up. The voice felt as if its owner was ready to slaughter them all at a moment's notice, only being stopped by sheer boredom.

She had never heard anything like it.

It made everything inside her shut down.

The abilities she had and the battle mode she had refused to activate, no matter how much she wanted them to do something.

I need to do something... I will be destroyed if I don't!

Finally managing some movement, she looked over to see that Sthénos was in a similar position.

She could not move.

The Miden people were acting the same as she was. None of them could move, even with the wide expressions they gave. Pure shock was shown on all of them.

Except one.

And that was the only person to move freely.

"—"

Three lines raced past her face.

None of them had reached her.

"Oh ho? I didn't expect you to actually do anything here."

The one to have taken such an action was the corpse.

"—"

.

Mukuro knew something was wrong before anything even happened.

It had been instilled in him at a young age to recognize a bad situation.

This was one of them.

The moment his instincts told him that something was going to happen, he activated his Trigger and fired Dáinsleif directly at the Neighbor in white.

He had not been meaning to hit her, so he altered each blade's path so that it would go around her but also act as a sort of barrier. There must have been a reason why this Neighbor in white was allowed to walk around, giving him enough of a reason to not run her through.

But why did it have to be this guy...?

Dáinsleif's blades were all arc trion blades with a variety of uses. Mukuro himself had already thought of many ways to use them, but this was the easiest and quickest way of doing things.

They would cut everything asunder without any remorse or worry for anything else.

That had been why he fired it at the person behind the Neighbor in white.

But...

This is a bad position for me.

He was on Tsuji's back, trying to enjoy a small nap before putting in the effort to help his brother with whatever would be coming up. Upon seeing the Neighbor in white, he had figured out what his brother would want from him, and chose to have his eyes closed so he would not have to get involved with the conversations going on around him.

Moving without himself was impossible now. From his awkward position, the only thing he could do was attack with his arc trion blades.

"Who are you?"

Mukuro refused to answer.

This person didn't know that he was related to Kiyoshi, meaning he didn't know what he could do.

On the other side of that, he knew who this person was from having looked him up after the large-scale invasion.

That was what he would use here.

I just wish he hadn't blocked like this...

The Neighbor in white was trapped between his three arc trion blades due to the way he had attacked.

Misó had deflected the attack in such a way that he could shift the positioning of the arc trion blades himself. Moving them inward would cut the Neighbor in white while moving them out would extend to the people around him.

The only way to ensure that neither of those things happened was for him to destroy the arc trion blades. But doing so would mean setting Misó free from his block.

What would Kiyo-nii and Kushi-nee do here...?

No.

This habit is annoying to break.

Following what his siblings would do would not work.

They had agreed that they would live as themselves and rely on each other from now on. Simply clinging to each other did nothing for each other, so they would stand together instead of around each other.

He had to find the answer himself.

"This suuuucks..."

"Mukuro?"

Oh, you finally found the will to speak?

His bed and pillow had finally spoken up.

I just wish it wasn't due to my actions.

As he was thinking this, he started destroying his own arc trion blades.

The trion light faded into the air as fragments of the blades scattered.

Would it be right to say this is unlike me?

It was hard to tell.

Without going off of what his siblings were like, he couldn't tell what was "like him" and what was "unlike him."

But there was someone here who could tell him what he was like.

"You aren't doing anything bad."

"I dooon't need to be told that by yooou."

It was still appreciated, though.

.

So that's how it is, Misó thought bitterly.

He had not recognized the boy on Tsuji's back due to having never seen him in his life. This would be the first time he had ever seen him and his strange Trigger.

But there was something he knew without a doubt.

He's Yuki's younger brother. What I'm seeing now matches the descriptions I've heard before from those guys.

His time on Earth had given him a lot of information. Most are more trivial than important.

Some of that trivial information was about the Taiyōko family. The family of soldiers had gained favor in Japan for their work.

I didn't come here for this sort of thing, but it worked out in the end.

The Trigger the younger Taiyōko brother was using felt oddly familiar, but the usage was different from anything he had seen so far.

It was because of this fact that Misó made sure to act the moment the light faded in front of him.

As for his target...

.

Sthénos realized what was happening and moved the moment Mukuro's arc trion blades disappeared.

With a turn to the side, she moved behind Lilith and lifted her hands.

Since she was around other Border members, she wouldn't be able to act as an Autonomous Trion Soldier. It restricted her movements a bit and left her with less room to move around than she would have liked.

There was just enough room for her to intervene.

She lifted her hands to push Misó's aside and used her legs to push Lilith forward.

The separation didn't last long.

Misó acted on her movement as well.

Without any hesitation, he followed her movement and made a full turn. The spin he had gained turned into a sliding turn that she had only seen Yuba perform.

This caused him to face Lilith from the front instead of the back.

"Crap!"

Everyone else had finally gone into action, turning on their Triggers and readying their weapons.

But...

"This was all I needed. So I'll be seeing you around."

Sthénos heard a faint buzzing noise in the air. The only other person to seem to notice it was Lilith.

Everything went black a moment later.

.

Kumagai and Hisato were the first ones to reach Misó as he lifted the two girls over his shoulders.

Tsuji had needed to let Mukuro off, making the both of them slower to react than everyone else.

The Snipers took a step back and brought up their rifles.

Hoshi and Wakamura had been the last to properly set themselves. Both readied themselves, but were unable to do anything as Misó performed another sliding turn to escape from the pincer attack.

"I really only meant to get this baggage here, but I guess taking the fiendess is also nice. Hey, do you guys mind not telling Ite about this? That girl can get annoying, and not in a good way."

Misó's words were followed by the sound of two rifles being fired.

He moved to the side and back by 5 feet in the same moment.

"I'll take that as a yes.."

Tsuji moved in with his own Kōgetsu while Mukuro covered the right and left with arc trion blades.

The two movements made escaping impossible.

And yet...

"If you guys could, I'd like for you to tell those cannibals something for me."

Misó lifted his foot high and slammed it down onto Tsuji's moving arm.

The weight threw his arm downward and let Misó jump up.

"Tell them that it was fun messing around with them. Never got the chance to let them know."

A sudden sound filled the air a moment later.

The space next to Wakamura seemed to close back up like a ring enclosed in itself.

Someone appeared behind Misó in midair.

Ribbons of light blew in the movement of a sword swing. A blade came down from behind.

"That one's new. How do you have Fūjin, Yuki's younger sister?"

Hoshi didn't answer his question.

She only brought the blade down with its ribbons of light.

"Still, that thing's pretty useless in midair."

Misó twisted his body and spun the two bodies on his shoulders so that they would be facing him.

Hoshi stopped her blade from moving forward.

"That's what I-"

Even with her blade stopped, she attacked.

"—!?"

A cut appeared along Misó's body, releasing trion into the air.

"Well then! That's something else!"

The ribbons of light had moved around Lilith and Sthénos' bodies to reach him. Each one that had touched his body had created a cut that managed to make him falter for a moment.

But...

"Thanks for the new info~ But this ain't enough, for sure~"

Misó moved away from the ribbons of light and went higher into the air, using Hoshi as a springboard.

A moment later, a ring appeared before closing in. The air flowed inward, as if to fill the now vacant space.

He had left.

---

"Put me down right now!"

"...You will try something pointless and idiotic. ...Just deal with the results, Xentaro."

"Stop calling me that!"

It was sort of amazing to see the interactions Pyrínas could now have with other people.

He had been able to break away from his programming and create his own ego, but that only got him so far. It wasn't until he had expanded upon that ego by adding in Yuki's past that he started showing more life than that of a robot.

This was the result of that ego and the past behind it.

He can speak with more people than a child and enjoy himself. Even if he doesn't notice it himself, he is enjoying these times.

The boy that was slung over his shoulder being young may have done something to help, but the fact remained that Pyrínas was holding nothing back when speaking.

"I'm glad that my child is doing so well. It makes me a proud father."

"...Speaking formally does nothing to help you. ...Also, since I was born into the system you created, I am more your grandchild than a child. ...You are very old."

"I'm only 19! Don't give me that!"

"Is this guy really the former leader of the Wanderers...?"

The boy who was over Pyrínas's shoulder gave him a flat look.

It was understandable for him to think that way, so Futoyuki didn't hold it against him.

Compared to Shuryō and Hatomi, I'm not really leader material. I tried my best during that time, but I had to rely on Hatomi a lot of the time.

There had been too many times when his inexperience as a leader got the better of him.

Too many times, he had seen things he wished to forget.

Miden had been a nice welcome to him. A place that was relaxed but held power and could fight back against anyone who tried to attack them.

Not including us, they managed to push back Afto and Galo. Beyond that, they have gone to the Neighborhood, brought back Triggers, and continued on as they were. They don't skip a beat and hold true to who they are.

Border alone had managed to do something that Futoyuki and the Wanderers had not been able to do.

There have been too many times when they lost themselves in the flow of things going on around them. They could not remain true to themselves at all times and had lost control of their own system. Upon losing control, Miden had pushed them back, taken control of the situation, and destroyed the image they had of the world.

Once that had been done, Futoyuki had decided to stay, while Pyrínas had made his own choice by staying. As a sort of trade, Miden had sent someone to join the Wanderers.

I wonder how they are doing.

Knowing the Wanderers as he did, they would struggle with that man. In that same thought, he realized that the same man would struggle with them.

It was that trouble that made him ease up more.

"Hahaha. I guess I really might be their former leader if I'm still thinking about them like this."

"Is he okay...?"

"...We have all wondered that at some point."

.

Futoyuki waved at the duo and halted for a step to get a good look at Xeno.

"So you're a Wanderers fan, huh? I knew that others knew of them, but I never expected they would get fans."

"...You speak as if you were not involved. ...He remembers you from your time with the Wanderers.

"Yeah, but he might be more interested in what Shuryō and Hatomi did. Where are you from again?"

Xeno looked to the side before looking at Futoyuki. He said nothing and tapped Pyrínas's back three times.

With a jolt, Pyrínas lifted his shoulders and tossed Xeno into the air for a moment.

"...Don't be so rude, Xentaro. ...He is an idiot, not a bad person."

"You won't listen to me, will you?"

"...Are you barely figuring that out?"

With Pyrínas fully taking in the Mikado City experience, there would be no winning against her by normal means.

Xeno had noticed this and let out a resigned sigh before looking back at Futoyuki.

"I am from Ergates."

"Ergates, huh? That explains it. Those guys have always been... Ahem. Anyways."

"Don't just cut yourself off like that! What were you going to say! And don't think that I'm like any of those guys!"

"Now, now," Futoyuki said, trying to pacify Xeno's temper. "To call yourself a fan of the Wanderers is wrong, isn't it? We should say that you're a fan of their trion soldiers."

Everyone the Wanderers had met on Ergates had been fascinated by the trion soldiers they had managed to produce on a single ship. Each one is distinct in its own way. Something that they had not been able to do at the time.

Then they had witnessed the Pyrínas System. A fragment of that system had been displayed as a sign of good faith.

"I heard that they finally got to the point of making something akin to the Pyrínas System. Not a full system, but something that could resemble something like it."

"...I believe it is the person we are looking for. ...Her name is Lilith."

The reaction from Xeno was instant.

With as much force as he could muster, he kicked Pyrínas in the chest.

The attack did nothing, and Pyrínas did not let go of Xeno.

Taking it a step further, Xeno lifted his arm.

Futoyuki saw this and moved to grab hold of the item on his wrist.

"Hey! Don't just take it like that! And you! Don't go saying unnecessary things!"

"So this is your Trigger," Futoyuki said while looking over the band-like object.

Pyrínas said nothing and instead slapped Xeno's butt, getting a yelp in response.

Futoyuki raised a brow at him before looking over the Trigger some more.

"...Bad children are supposed to be punished when they do something wrong, right?"

"I guess that's one way of looking at it."

"...And the other way?"

"That you became kinky and can be used in a doujinshi."

Xeno shuddered with a red face. He wanted to yell at the two of them but held back in case he would be humiliated like that again.

There was no winning when it came to people who have stayed on Miden for an extended period of time.

.

"Getting back to what we were saying," the Wanderers's former leader said. "From the sound of things, they really did manage it. They did something that we honestly thought would take them forever to do."

Was it by his own standards as a Wanderer or his own standards as a person?

The way this man spoke made it difficult for Xeno to understand him.

There were times when he seemed like an idiot. The words he spoke seemed to pass through no filter and to come straight from his mind.

Those words felt the most trustworthy.

But then...

He started talking in this serious tone that puts me on edge.

It was as if he would change for someone else who fit the image of the Wanderers' leader.

Xeno knew that they were the same person, but seeing this change happen suddenly made him think that there was more to the group who traveled the Neighborhood than he had originally thought.

I wasn't able to meet them when they arrived, so I never got to properly see what they were like. I only heard the rumors from anyone who managed to see them.

Something that had always been said about their trion soldiers was how special they were.

They had been deemed something extraordinary and something to strive for in the future.

But something else had resulted from their visit.

...Envy from almost everyone.

That envy turned into greed.

Greed that swallowed them all up in order to make trion soldiers as good and special as the ones the Wanderers had. Creations that rivaled the superorganism known as the Pyrínas System and could destroy it or integrate it into its own being.

They had failed.

No matter what they did, they were never able to accomplish that goal.

I heard that some people had managed to steal some information from the Wanderers. Considering how they seemed to be too generous in their greetings, it would make sense that their guards would be down for more than an instant.

Ergates had taken that chance to take something from them.

Xeno had not cared too much since there had been rumors.

But seeing what he had now, he could tell that they had indeed taken it from the Wanderers.

This was how they managed to make Lilith.

They had likely used the information they stole from the Wanderers to build a singular Autonomous Trion Soldier that was meant to rival the Pyrínas System.

And yet...

So far, they've only been able to create something resembling a broken piece of that very system.

Xeno had only seen a small portion of what this broken off piece could do, but it was clear that it was a powerful trion soldier.

For a broken off piece to be that strong, he could only imagine what the system in its entirety was like.

"You know," he began. The words had come out before he realized, but he refused to take them back. "Ergates stole some information from you guys. You had supposedly been kind on your visit, yet they took that for granted, stole from you, and then felt envious about what you had."

He was telling them everything he knew and the things he had found out.

A feeling began to build up inside his chest as he spoke. It did not release when he told them, but he thought that it might lessen if he came clean to these two.

The ones who had been wronged.

No, I know exactly why I'm telling them.

He wanted their help.

Help for himself as well as Lilith.

Giving him this information gave him the chance to get on their good side.

So he took it.

.

"Hm? Oh, we knew that already."

Xeno stopped at those words.

Futoyuki scratched his head with a laugh, not noticing the reaction he was getting.

"Yeah, you guys thought you were sneaky or something! It was pretty funny. We knew you guys had taken something from us, but really...we didn't care too much. Hatomi found you out immediately, but I guess he felt sorry for you. We thought we would be nice and let you guys have it, thinking you stole it from us. You know, as a show of good faith."

"...I believe you have broken him."

"Eh?"

Futoyuki tilted his head and saw Xeno's reaction.

"Oh... Did you...not figure that out?"

"...Most people would assume they had not been caught if not told directly. ...Ergates must have been so high on their so-called achievement that they never bothered to realize how easy it was to take information from the Wanderers."

"That makes sense. They seem the type to do something like that."

The attacks continued without either one of them looking at Xeno.

"But, you know," Futoyuki said. He tapped Pyrínas on the arm. "If they took something from us and their own trion soldier was made from it, doesn't that mean you would be related to them? At least due to being things stemming from the System."

"...I see that you are also in the mindset. ...Don't worry, that has been resolved already."

"Oh? What's the result of that?"

"...Well," Pyrínas said. "...Apparently, Sthénos will be acting as our older sister, since she has been on Earth longer than we have. ...After that, it will be Lilith."

"Meaning that you will be the younger brother."

"...Correct."

Futoyuki nodded with his chin between his fingers and looked back at Pyrínas.

His intentions were clear on his face.

"So that means I have three children to take care of."

"...Taking care of children is my thing. ...Be warned that I will fight you over that."

"Then I give up. I don't want to fight my child like that."

This time it was Pyrínas who gave a nod.

A groan came from over his shoulder a moment later. Both tried to look, but found Xeno covering his face with both hands.

"Disregarding the fact that they found out... You! And you! Neither one of you is actually a member of the Wanderers! There's no way you can be with them! You both are the worst!"

"Worse than those guys?" they asked in unison.

"Okay...maybe not the worst... But you're both pretty bad."

Pyrínas and Futoyuki shrugged at each other and accepted that much.

"And if we're being real, we aren't part of the Wanderers anymore. Pyrínas is just a broken off piece of the system, and I left them to stay here. So we're both not members."

"Stop making things more complicated..."

There was nothing that could be done if Xeno refused to accept the situation in front of him.

.

...I see. ...So something like this also existed. ...I should apologize to Lilith if they really are related to each other.

Pyrínas slowed his movement and lessened the strength in his shoulders.

"...Futoyuki, if I give you something to do, will you do it?"

"Considering we aren't like how we were before, I'm fine with that. Oh, but you need to address me properly first."

Pyrínas gave Futoyuki his usual look, but he was sure that he was giving off how unimpressed he really was.

It worked wonders.

"Fine, fine. What do you want from me?"

"...The people clearing field via music is still going on right now. ...I would like for you to change that so that everyone is directed as far away from the Forbidden Zone as possible."

"And how am I supposed to do that? If they are using that music as a basis for it, then I won't be able to do much with sound. As far as I know, Boss's former teammate was the only one able to counter that song with her own tempo."

"...You taking an interest in drawing instead of music really is a pity."

"I'll make sure to let Lil Hyu know you said that."

There were more things to worry about than a friend of Futoyuki's, so that was fine.

"...I have no doubt that it reached you at some point. ...If I find the Pyrína System Unit that is here, could you find it and begin working from there?"

"I would really rather not..."

Pyrínas understood why Futoyuki would be hesitant to work with that official unit. Being part of the same system he had created, that unit would undeniably do things only with Futoyuki in mind.

If things started to turn bad, they would focus solely on him and no one else.

Even so...

"...Things seem to finally be moving at a fast pace. ...No one would like for the citizens to get involved, so I will need to ask you for this."

"Tch. Fiiiiiine." Futoyuki looked at the boy over his shoulder. "But what are you going to do about Xentaro there?"

That was a good question.

Once he already knew the answer to.

"...Xentaro, I will inform the others that Futoyuki and I will be unable to meet up with them. ...I would like for you to go meet back up with them and get ready."

"No way! I still need to look for Lilith!"

Pyrínas gave a rare sigh and began forming words.

...I don't like putting anything here, but there is not much else we can do. Especially since Sthénos refuses to answer my signals right now.

.

RB07: "...Hello? ...I would like to ask if anyone has seen a tall girl with green hair around."

White Fox: "Whoa. It's rare for you to put something here."

RB07: "...This is an emergency, so I decided to use some privileges given to me."

Kinuta: "Wait, who gave you permission to put something here!? Was it one of those brats!?"

Umi: "I had been asked about this from Akasora-san and thought it was fine."

Decoy: "We just saw a girl like that, and, um... She just got taken away. It was by Misó!"

.

The sudden sound of something being destroyed rang out in the area.

Pyrínas looked over to see that Futoyuki had indeed destroyed something. He had destroyed the phone given to him.

"That guy's here!?"

"...You know this person?"

He wanted to ask more, but was stopped as new messages came in.

Apparently a group had run into this Misó person earlier in the day, making this the second time someone had seen him within the day.

He had brought someone with him this time.

That someone happened to be Lilith.

...If he is from the other side, then he is going to use Lilith for something. ...But before that...

There was something needing his immediate attention.

He lowered his body and had Xeno get off of his shoulder.

"...It seems that things have escalated beyond just Sekai and Denji fighting today. ...Futoyuki, now you really do need to expand the people clearing field. ...Xeno, you will be going to meet with everyone else. ...From there, you will likely be given something to do concerning this situation."

"I told you-"

"Stop with that already. This person is the one who got taken, right, Pyrínas?"

He nodded, understanding that Futoyuki was now in a different mood.

A rage-filled one.

"Listen to what Pyrínas is saying and go already. If he's telling us to leave, then...-"

A noise rang out in Pyrínas head, blocking out the rest of what Futoyuki had said.

It was a new message.

Gambler: "I really can't believe how long it took to figure out he was here. Well, I guess we hadn't spoken up too much until now."

WorTri: "To be honest, we have not been able to say much of anything. Sorry for that, everyone."

Kinuta: "We don't have time for you two right now! If you know something, spit it out!"

Gambler: "Fine, fine. So, here's the thing: Sekai and I won't be able to help you guys out in any way, shape, or form."

Kinuta: "And why not!?"

It was clear why they would refuse to help.

Denji's next set of words confirmed it.

Gambler: "Because we had to make a deal."

WorTri: "As long as the two of us don't help you guys, Misó won't do anything until we near dawn. So that's the timeframe you all have here."

Kinuta: "What the hell are you two talking about!?"

It was too late.

Both Denji and Sekai were no longer able to speak up.

Pyrínas furrowed his brows at this, but said nothing.

...Michelle will hate this if she finds out.

That much he was certain of.

.

"Those two... I don't know them at all, but I've heard things about them. They were being way too obvious about what they were saying."

"That doesn't matter!"

Pyrínas lifted his arm and slammed his fist down on Xeno's head.

"...It does matter. ...Now, I won't say it any more after this, so pay attention. ...Go find those people. ...Stick with them. ...They will get you back to Lilith now."

In the meantime, Border would figure out what to do.

They had until dawn to think about what they wanted to do about this situation.

"Knowing that guy... There's no way to trust anything he says. But those two don't feel like they would fall for his words."

"...They could be forcing him to hold things off then. ...If that is true, whatever happens may also be caused by them."

"Then...-"

"Then nothing."

Still on alert from what they had found out, Pyrínas and Futoyuki prepared for a fight. Xeno had tried but realized he still didn't have his Trigger back.

"Whoa there. I know this was sudden, but I had to rush over here to make sure you all were fine. Especially after the messages that just came through."

It was Yuki.

He had teleported to them in order to reach them as quickly as possible.

"I'm guessing that you already have something planned, Boss?"

"I guess you could say that." Yuki refused to look at them in the eyes. And, "We have been meaning to do something about Sekai-san and Denji already. That much hasn't changed, but now this is a whole mess. Even so, this puts some of us in a difficult position."

"...You mean you and Kō."

Yuki crossed his arms and nodded.

"There are more people than just us, but we're a good example of things."

.

Yuki found himself sighing into the open air.

Now that it was nighttime, the air had gotten a bit more cold. It wasn't enough to bother him, but he felt the need to calm down knowing what could happen.

"Xentaro, you'll be coming with me. I need to throw you to the wolves once again."

"I don't want to go with you people! It hasn't been that long since what just happened!"

"Yes, and you'll have to deal with that for the time being. I'm using my full authority as the second-in-command of the Yagura Branch to make sure your ass doesn't get in trouble with anyone from the base. Suck it up and get ready to leave."

Crap, I'm starting to get back into bad habits!

His form of speech had accidentally shifted to how things used to be when he went by the name "Taiyōko Kiyoshi".

That was a time he thought he wanted to forget, but there had always been something that kept those memories deep within him. A want to not forget where my starting point was.

So...

We need to make sure that Sekai-san and Denji understand that too. It's fine to stay with everyone and deal with the past.

He didn't know what exactly their past was, but he understood exactly why they had gone and done something like this. Their definitions of being unneeded had always been different from his own, but that was why he made sure to understand what it meant to them.

I'm pretty weak when compared to them.

But that's fine.

His older sister had said as much before.

I'll just have others make up for what I'm lacking.

He didn't need to do things by himself, and he didn't need to leave everyone alone either.

That was what he wanted Sekai and Denji to understand.

"We will need some time to prepare, but some of us will be going to deal with those two. If they really are the reason Misó won't be doing anything until dawn then you lot better be ready for what comes after."

"Will do, Boss. But there's something I want to ask you."

"What's that?"

He had an idea about what Futoyuki would say, but he let the man speak up for himself.

There was only a momentary nod before Futoyuki confirmed his thoughts.

"If possible, I want to deal with Misó. I also want Hyuse to come along with me."

"Denied."

.

Yuki had his arms crossed out in front of him.

Futoyuki paused for a moment and opened his mouth.

There was no time to answer back as Yuki started speaking again.

"You aren't the only one to have problems with that guy. It may be some Neighborhood stuff going on between the two of you, but this isn't some personal grudge to be settled. All of us need to put in work here to get things done and kick his ass. Got it?"

There had been no hesitation or remorse in Yuki's words.

He spoke bluntly to get to the heart of the matter and shoot down Futoyuki's complaints.

That was how he decided to act.

"But I can see what I can do to make sure you are part of any group that ends up fighting him."

"Huh!? Boss, could you really do that?"

"It'll use up some more of my authority, but I also get where you're coming from. Besides, you're about to put in a lot of work, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

Yuki pointed to Pyrínas, who had remained silent the whole time.

Both Xeno and Futoyuki turned around to look at Pyrínas.

"You're going to be making sure the citizens are fine, aren't you? If it's sound and musical counterpoint you need, I'll get Suzu over to help you out. That will make things go by quicker."

"How did you know that...?"

Yuki shrugged and said, "I was also an Unneeded. I need to have ears all around and be ready to teleport to any location I can."

There was no bitterness in his words.

Pyrínas raised a brow, but said nothing about what he was hearing.

Futoyuki smiled and nodded.

"Thanks for that, Boss." Futoyuki nodded and gave a bow to Yuki. "I'll do what I can with the people clearing field."

"That will be really helpful. And now...you. We're leaving, so let's go."

Before Xeno could give any complaints, Yuki grabbed him by the back of his shirt, took the Trigger in Futoyuki's hands, and moved to leave.

With a final wave, he was gone before their eyes.

---

"If I may. Who exactly is this Misó person?" Mikumo asked with a raised hand.

Everyone was seated around the table in the Yagura Branch Office. Plates had been set out, and Kotowari was walking around, making sure that everything was fine.

I suppose he would be more wary of destruction now that he has become a member of this branch.

Nasu nodded to herself while sitting on the couch.

She could see Ikoma moving around the kitchen while the Shiraishi Representative watched him intently the entire time.

Then there was everyone else. While the Awdry Representative had left to meet with her bosses, Mikumo and Taichi stayed over after being asked to do so by Ikoma and Kotowari. They were currently sitting down with her.

"When did you join Border?"

"Not too long again. Actually, I was on Border's second-to-last normal enlistment day."

"So the time before the one where he fought Kazama-san, Amatori-san blew up the base, and Kuga beat Midorikawa," Kotowari said while making sure everything was set on the table.

He had been working very well right now, but he must have been a bit stressed after finding out about Misó's return.

She could understand his stress. Many people found it difficult to sit still after learning what that man was capable of.

"It would explain why Mikumo-kun doesn't really know about him. You had been preoccupied with other things, right?"

"Yes. We had...a lot going on at the time."

"That does explain it," Nasu said. She nodded, this time to Mikumo. "Especially if you were not at the base a lot of the time. Although you may not know much about him, it is highly likely that he knows something about you. Probably your entire squad."

The way he shuddered made her feel sorry for him. They had all gotten used to that, but he must have been hearing this for the first time.

"There are some people within Border who you would think could gather a lot of information. Jin-san and Takato-san, just to name the most obvious. But then there are the ones who seem to always be gathering information, even when you think that they are doing nothing at all."

"Who would those people be?"

Nasu looked up at Kotowari, noticed Mikumo following her line of sight, and shook her head.

"It isn't Kotowari-kun himself," she answered.

He nodded and allowed her to continue.

"To name a few... Yuki-san, Hikigane-san, Bakuto-san, and Motoharu-senpai. They seem to be able to gather information at an alarming rate. But, at the same time, they have only ever used that for the benefit of Border, as far as I know."

"Then that means the current situation with Hikigane-san and Bakuto-san is a really dangerous one."

As expected, he understands the situation very well.

It was easy to say that this was trouble, but Mikumo was understanding exactly why this would be trouble for them all.

"That's right. It's a real bother, ya know." Ikoma spoke up from the kitchen, having overheard their conversation. "Even if we didn't have those two, we'd still have Kiyoshi and Kancchan to go to for info. It'd really be easy to just have those other two screw off, but that can't happen. They're too important to a lota people."

"My own family would take some offense to that. And that isn't including Mogami and Kurosaki."

"Exactly. Those two have connections all over the place. Even if they're causin' trouble, it'd be more trouble if we did anythin' to them."

It was strange to see Ikoma taking these sorts of things seriously.

I suppose that just shows how much he hates the current situation.

His squad had always been competing against Hikigane Squad for their position. It was likely that there was some respect there that had been built up over time.

"Well, getting back to the main part of this topic. Misó was someone who was a hybrid of the two types of information gatherers. He was always looking for information, managed to gain new information, and just generally be in the know with things going on around him."

"So if he is going against us now..."

"That's right," Kotowari said while walking over to them. "Unlike the people Nasu-san has mentioned, he actually used that information to go against Border. And not just this time. In fact, he is actually returning to Earth."

"Returning to Earth? So he is a Neighbor?"

.

Takeshi felt uncomfortable with the current conversation, but he refused to show it to everyone around him.

They had all been waiting for dinner to be ready, so he was making sure everything was set up. At that time, he was listening to what everyone was saying.

Now that they had gotten to this point, there were some things that would be forced to the surface.

"That's right, Shishō. He had turned his back on us during the large-scale invasion. Apparently he had been on the enemy's side since the first moment he had come to Mikado City."

"So he was one of them..."

He had done a lot of stupid things since the invasion. His attitude had been terrible, and he had said a lot of things she could never take back.

But the worst part was that others were suffering more than he was at the time.

The person he saw as his mentor had been in a particularly bad state due to his injuries.

I hadn't thought of him much during that time, so it shouldn't be a problem. But I was being so petty when everyone else was moving on.

Only his teammates could understand how he felt at the time. Even so, he had been the worst of all of them.

"Are you okay, Kotowari?"

Takeshi jolted at his name being called.

Looking around, he could see everyone looking directly at him.

He lowered his head, wishing for his scarf to cover him in full.

"Ah! Could it be that you want Eri-chan here? Shall I give her a call?"

"Oh, that'd be great! We can decide where to go next when she gets here!"

"No, no, no! Please! Don't call her over! I'm sure she's very busy right now!"

---

"Hmmmmmm..."

"How long are you going to stare at your phone, Eri?"

"Huh!? When were you here!?"

"If you want to go see Takeshi, then just go over to the Yagura Branch. It really isn't that difficult."

"But...I was hoping that he would invite me there..."

"You two are the worst, you know that?"

"Leave me alone..."

"Fine then! I'm going to make sure that you're properly invited by him! There's a situation going on with Border right now, and you're here complaining about it! Damn, I didn't think things would turn out this way and get to this point. This is why I'm not looking forward to Kaede finding a girlfriend later in life!"

"Doesn't he have someone he likes already?"

"You need to stop before I really go out there and tell him all about the embarrassing things you want to keep hidden."

"And you call us the worst..."

---

Takeshi let out a sigh as Nasu reluctantly put her phone down.

It looks like I managed to escape that somehow.

But now there was something else to deal with.

"Did bringing up Misó also bring up bad memories?"

"It's nothing, Betsuyaku-senpai. I was only thinking of how I used to be. Nothing more."

It was in the past. They were sure to understand that.

"You shouldn't speak like you are fine with it, Kotowari-kun. If you still feel regret about that time, speak up about it and get it off your chest."

"Chisato and I'll be here whenever ya need, Take-chan!" Ikoma called out from the kitchen. Shiraishi then confirmed what he had said.

It was nice of them to say this, but it was still something he found hard to let go of.

"U-um... Can we please get back to what we were talking about?"

"If speaking about Misó will make you feel bad about this, then we won't continue."

There was no pleasing these people.

Takeshi knew that he had messed up by letting some of his thoughts show in his expression.

There was only one person who had yet to say anything.

What does...Shishō think?

Lowering his head, Takeshi turned his gaze to the person in front of him.

Mikumo seemed to be thinking over something and didn't notice the look he was getting.

From the other side, Nasu and Betsuyaku were motioning for him to go on.

Why are these two pushing me so much!?

Nasu made some sense, but Betsuyaku seemed to just be going along with the situation.

"U-uh... Shishō?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry about that, Kotowari. I started thinking about something."

He must have wanted to get back to the main topic at hand if he got lost in thought like that.

Takeshi wanted to find some way out of this. An escape that let him play this off as a joke.

The look he was getting from Nasu told him that that plan was doomed to fail.

"Right, well, Shishō? There was something...I wanted your thoughts on."

"What's that?"

The noise from the kitchen came to a sudden stop, making him start sweating a bit.

There would be no winning, no matter what he did.

So he spoke up.

"I'm sorry for being so selfish!"

.

Viper: "Oh, Kotowari-kun..."

Ortlinde: "Maybe he isn't ready to be on his own yet."

Iko: "Give him a bit, Chisato. Take-chan gets better when you aren't lookin'."

Taicchi: "But now I'm kind of curious as to what Mikumo is going to say."

.

Everyone waited in anticipation. And...

"I don't think there is anything to forgive. So what did you really want to tell me, Kotowari?"

Nasu and Taichi looked at each other with wide eyes.

Had he known that Takeshi had messed up what he wanted to say?

If that was the case, then this gave Takeshi a second chance here.

"That really did just come out... Uh, my bad. What I wanted was...to know your...thoughts on..."

The rest of the sentence was in a low tone that was hard to hear.

But Mikumo heard it.

"My thoughts about how you feel right now?"

Takeshi nodded his head without saying a word.

Mikumo tilted his head for a moment before righting himself.

"Well, I don't really know what my thoughts have to do with anything, but if that's what you want."

"It is..."

Then...

"You are still trying to get over everything, right? I know you messed up with your words, but you still feel that way, don't you?"

Takeshi nodded twice. He didn't trust his voice, so he let his actions speak for him.

That was enough for Mikumo.

"Then I think you are fine. As long as you keep that up, you will be just fine. Besides, you have all of us to help you out. So keep it up."

.

It was a bit relaxing to see Kotowari lower his head in embarrassment while Taichi gave a thumbs up.

From the kitchen, Ikoma motioned for Mikumo to pat Kotowari's lowered head. He did as instructed, if a bit awkwardly.

The reaction was instantaneous.

Kotowari gave a jolt but settled into it quickly. He leaned a bit into it, realized what he was doing, and then lowered his head further.

Nasu couldn't help the laugh that escaped.

Ortlinde: "These boys sure are carefree."

Viper: "Ikoma-san and Taichi-kun are, but I think Kotowari-kun and Mikumo-kun are just comfortable with each other."

Ortlinde: "That does make sense."

"Well, if you aren't comfortable with this conversation, should we change it?" Mikumo asked, his hand still on Kotowari's head.

"If that is fine..."

Feeling bad for the boy, Nasu motioned for Mikumo to check his phone.

Viper: "In short, Misó is someone who betrayed Border and has a lot of people out for his head. He is a very dangerous person, so try not to get caught by him."

Ortlinde: "Thanks for the info. And don't worry, I'll make sure to add Mikumo to my list."

Megane: "Wait, what list!?"

Shiraishi made it a point to put her phone down instead of answering.

Everyone really did seem to be enjoying themselves here.

"If that is the case, if we are moving topics, I would like to get to one for what will be happening later on."

"You mean about the conversation you had with Kuma?"

"That's right," she said, nodding to Ikoma.

They had all known that Kumagai had messaged her earlier, but none of them knew what it was about.

This was where she could bring it up.

"Kuma-chan had asked me for some help. Now that things are turning out this way, I will likely need to go meet up with her in a few hours."

"Do you really think nothing will happen in that timeframe?"

"Nothing can happen, Mikumo-kun."

How readily he could accept these sorts of things was amazing. But how quickly he can figure out reasons for these sorts of things is even more amazing. It had always been a sight to see when viewing Tamakoma's matches.

She could see that Mikumo was actually a good match for someone like Kotowari. Both as individuals as well as squad captains.

"Yuki-san and Murakami-senpai are guaranteed to do something about all of this. In that same way, Kuma-chan has no real choice in what she has to do. I will be acting as an outside force that is helping them."

"Does that mean Yuki-san won't be asking any of us for help here?"

"I don't think so. The fact Akane-chan and I were able to get involved might be cause we will be filling up a space that has remained vacant for some time."

"How do ya know 'bout this stuff exactly?" Ikoma asked. He walked out of the kitchen with plates of food in both hands.

The Yagura Branch Director had given them permission to use food from the refrigerator to make some dinner for themselves. Ikoma had taken the initiative and started making something before anyone had anything to say. Taichi had thought it was cool that he could cook, but both Kotowari and Mikumo seemed to just thank him properly.

Now that he was finished with the food, she could see the end result.

And that was...

"It looks and smells so good! Ikoma-san really can cook!"

"Keep that up, and I'll teach ya, Taichi. The same goes for you, Take-chan, and Mikumo."

"That is fine, Ikoma-san... I can warm up noddles whenever I want."

Everyone seemed to turn to this at the same time.

Nasu was ready to scold Kotowari for only eating ramen when she remembered who he lived next to.

"Oh, so Awdry-kun makes noodles a lot?"

"Sometimes. But he's never sure how much to make, so I end up with the leftovers."

That brought a new question to mind.

"Hey, Kotowari-kun?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Will you and Awdry-kun be moving into this branch office?"

.

Nasu had brought up a good question. One that Takeshi had not thought about before.

Now that he was part of the Yagura Branch, he could move in. There would be more space, he would be around people he knew, and there would be a kitchen at the ready. Not that he knew how to make any food.

"I think...that would be fine. But I would need to speak with Akasora-sensei first. To see what would be best in this situation."

"It would make it harder for Musashi to annoy you," Shiraishi said while helping put food on the table.

Ikoma and Nasu responded immediately to her words.

"You're moving in!"

It seems that, once again, this situation was out of his control.

All he could do was sigh and let it all sink in.

"Fine. But only on one condition."

He looked to Nasu while moving to help with the dishes.

"Nasu-san, please tell us whatever you can about the situation Yuki-san, Hikigane-san, and Bakuto-san are in. This is clearly something that was being kept hidden by them and is only now surfacing."

.

"As perceptive as ever, Kotowari-kun. This is why it will be nice when you can truly act freely." It was not an insult, so Nasu continued. "Very well. I don't know the situation in full, but I can explain the bare minimum of what I know about it.

Takeshi grabbed another plate while the others began moving towards the table.

Once they were all seated and had said their thanks, they began eating.

At the same time, Nasu began telling them whatever it was that he knew.

"This is coming from what Kuma-chan has told me, so it may be a bit screwed towards Bakuto-san."

That was fine.

"Well then, where to begin?"