Werewolf: "Indian!"
Colors: "Japanese."
Honest Sister: "You idiots honestly don't know anything. Originally made by someone is best. Just ask Mei-san."
Wisteria: "You should pay more attention to what you are doing instead of having the sorts of arguments. This is your job, so don't get distracted."
"But," Mei said.
Wisteria: "I must agree with Suzume about this."
The sigh that escaped Yuki's lips was an involuntary one, but it was still there.
The whole squad was busy fighting against some Neighbors that had come through a Gate.
It would normally be really easy for them all to take it out in under five minutes or so, but this one was a bit different.
Werewolf: "This doesn't concern you, so stay out of it."
Wisteria: "Repeat that."
Werewolf: "Nothing was said, ma'am!"
"She's right though. We need to get this over with now."
Another reason was that the three younger members were arguing over a trivial and pointless thing once again.
It even seemed that the usual calm, collected, and overall soothing Operator was being dragged into it without really noticing it.
"—"
The four who were in their pointless argument looked over as a large sound was heard thought the area.
They were the squad in charge of the area at the moment, so hearing another fight going had made them a bit curious as to who it was.
Maybe it's someone new? Possibly just a squad who wants to show off.
Yuki couldn't help but shake his head again as he, Toby, and Takeshi moved away from another attack from the giant Neighbor.
They had barely started the fight and were trying to contain as much damage as they could. Which was already difficult for Yuki.
Deciding they had spent enough time on this, Yuki looked straight up at the Neighbor.
A noise rang out for a brief moment as Yuki's body flickered.
The air seemed to close up as he disappeared in that instance, as if needing to fill back in the space he had left.
The next time he appeared was directly in front of the Neighbor's head, hand already at the blade on his hip.
With a single swift motion, he pulled out Kōgetsu.
"Senkū," he said calmly.
A slash starting from the blade extended out and ended after having cut the neck of the Neighbor.
The Neighbor's head fell to the ground with the body following it. The clean cut had managed to end the fight right then and there.
When he landed back on the ground with a huff he was quickly flocked by the other three.
"Are you crazy!? What if that thing had landed a hit!? What if you missed!? Don't just do things without informing your teammates here! We're here to help you out in fights!"
"I would rather you not worry us to the point of us having to keep an eye on you, Senpai. I already have to take care of this dog as it is, so adding on to it isn't nice."
"Even if that was honestly great, don't do it again."
Yuki gave a sheepish look towards the three.
They do know that I wouldn't have gotten hurt… Right?
Pokari: "I sense something. Is Yuki getting another scolding from his kids?"
Kage: "Shitokei, make sure to record it for us. I'll throw in a discount the next time you come over."
Black Wolf: "Doing something like that will only make trouble for you, Kage. Best not to throw something like that around."
Kage: "You're still going to listen to the recording, so shut up."
Black Wolf: "That's besides the point. And I'm sure Senpai already records them all as it is."
Wisteria: "There is no need for a discount. It is like Murakami-kun has said. I make sure to record all of the scolding he gets."
Feeling something begin to rise inside of him, Yuki swiped his hand to the side. The chat in front of him did not go away, but he thought that would be enough to ignore them.
Oh, they are still going.
Takeshi had started up again with Suzume adding in some of her own commentary. It was strange that she would wiggle her body at times, but he was used to that as well.
Knowing that they would not stop for a few minutes, he turned his attention to the Neighbor he had just taken out.
Strange. The Bambsters and Marmods that we've fought so far have been close-range fighters. This one doesn't really look like either of them and had even fired a beam.
The difference had been obvious, but not something to overlook.
It's something that any of us can deal with going solo, but that added range might end up being troublesome if someone is not prepared for it.
Nodding his head to himself, Yuki put a hand to his ear and spoke.
"Mei-chan, did you tell HQ we were able to defeat the Neighbor? As you can tell, I was a little busy. Oh, and I want those records destroyed. Thank you."
Wisteria: "I refuse to erase those records, so you're out of luck there."
Of course she would refuse that.
Wisteria: "I reported everything already."
He was about to thank her regardless, but was stopped when she spoke again.
Wisteria: "By the way, Yuki-kun, Shinoda-san said he wanted to see you."
Those words are what got the attention of every member on the squad.
.
The first to voice their response had been the hat-boy Toby.
"Oooooooohhhh! Maybe it's to promote you! He finally sees how strong you are and is ready to make you an A-Rank! I say we celebrate! Take's paying!"
Yuki, Takeshi, and Suzume just stared at their fourth member as he got excited from his own thoughts.
He had been their newest member, coming in in only the past few months. It had been fair to think that his words were true, but everyone else had already known how something like that would turn out.
Wisteria: "You can't really blame him. None of you have told him that Yuki-kun has been rejecting all the offers so far. Don't forget that he barely joined the team not too long ago. The last offer Yuki-kun got was before he came into the picture."
"We know," the three said simultaneously.
"We all hope it's for that, but it honestly doesn't matter since Yuki-san will probably reject it again." Suzume flipped her hair. "If anything, he'll do it just to annoy us all."
"Either way, it must be pretty important if Director Shinoda wants to see him."
Wisteria: "Maybe he's going to let Yuki-kun go."
"Like hell he would! If you say that again, I'll give you a good punch!"
Wisteria: "Try it."
The threat in Mei's tone had been enough for all of them to stop.
"Ha ha ha. Well regardless of that stuff… I do wonder what he wants with me."
"Don't you have a good connection with Shinoda-san?"
"I do. He is one of the people to help me get into Border in the first place. Besides that, he and Kei-san have helped me with training before I had even met Take."
That was why it was important to listen to what he had to say.
"Hah. Well I guess we should get going then. I don't want to keep him waiting."
Yuki lifted his hand as he turned off his Trigger.
The area was safe enough now that he could walk to the base without needing his Trigger.
But…
.
The moment he had gotten back into his real body, it happened.
Pain had suddenly appeared throughout his entire body, not bothering to build up. It spread out, reaching his limbs and chest like a plant's roots.
The pain was enough to lose focus as his legs began to wobble under him.
The next moment he was on the ground.
His coughs could be heard even as he covers his mouth with his hand.
Crap. Please let there be no blood this time. I don't want the rest of them to be even more worried here.
He could feel his squad surrounding him, but also making room for him to breath.
They had all seen this happen enough times to know not to close in on him.
"—"
After another minute of coughing on the ground, he slowed down his breathing and steadied his chest.
His eyes remained close so he could gather his focus once more.
"Captain, are you okay?"
Suzume had been the first one to speak to him.
He took a few more breaths before looking up at her.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll go over to the base and take my pills."
Wisteria: "I can tell Shinoda-san. I'm sure he'll understand if you need to see him later. There is no need to push yourself while you're like this."
It always felt bad whenever he heard that tone coming from their Operator.
She had been the one to know him the longest, meaning she had seen this happen far too many times.
It was something that she could not help with and he knew that it would eat her up inside at times.
So he put on a smile and lightened his voice.
"It's fine. When I'm done there I'll just go home and get some rest. I should be better by tomorrow. If not, I may have to take some days off."
Yuki tried to stand only to fall back down seconds later.
Takeshi went over to help his captain.
"Thanks for this."
Mei could only sigh at her captain's stubbornness.
She knew exactly how he felt about getting help from others and it was something she adamantly against.
But she could never reach him to tell him that.
Her attempts at helping him were all blocked out by him. To others it always seemed like he didn't want to trouble other people, but to her it was different.
The real reason Tsukiko Yuki did not want to get help from others was simply because he never wanted help.
She had not reached him, but he had not reached a certain point either.
The amount of people he had asked for help from could all be counted on a single hand.
She was not one of those people.
That fact alone made her feel a bit down when she thought about it.
I think this is the only time I am allowed to be jealous of Murakami, Shinoda-san, and Akasora-san. He has never once asked me for help and he always rejects my help. He truly is an idiot who needs to learn how to rely on others.
Shaking her head, Mei pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Once she found the one she was looking for she pressed the button to call the person.
She needed to tell one of the few people who had been able to help Yuki.
The three younger members of Tsukiko Squad looked worriedly at their captain as he took his medicine.
None of them wanted to just leave their leader at times like these.
Even after making it to the Border base, they had demanded that they stay by his side.
"I'll treat you guys to something later on, okay? Under the condition that you guys behave while I'm gone and don't make too much of a ruckus around here."
"We're honestly not children, Captain."
Yuki only smiled at her, already aware that she knew he would not listen regardless of how much they denied that.
He was glad when she took it in stride and started dragging their other two teammates away.
On their way to the base, he had to make an agreement with them. So now that the first part of the agreement had been finished, he did not need them around for his meeting with one of Border's directors.
That left Yuki to wave at the three with a smile.
Once the rest of the squad was gone, Yuki pulled out a small case from his pocket. He opened the lid and took out two decent sized pills.
The disdain in his eyes was obvious as he took two of the pills out.
The disgust that came with taking the pills was evident as he swallowed them down with some water.
There was no way to enjoy pills when the foul taste was able to put regular medicine to shame.
Taking the pills might have put his squad at ease, but he himself would never be happy about it. It was only made worse when he remembered that the pills did nothing except hold off his illness for only a few minutes.
What had kept him going so far had been his own stubbornness and not some pill that did little for him.
Yuki let out a sad sigh when a certain memory came back to him.
He spoke absentmindedly while thinking about the memory.
"I know they're supposed to help me, but why are they so big...? It's like they prefer me to die choking on these pills instead of by illness. Either way, it will be painful. I plan to at least live for another three years… Just no children. I don't want to accidentally make another person like my sister."
"Is that even possible?"
A man in a suit walked towards him, steps careful but cautious.
"And I highly doubt that's why they make them that big."
The smile he had on his face along with the way he carried himself had made it clear that he was aware of what had happened.
"Takato told me about your coughing fit earlier. Are you alright? We could have spoken at another time."
"It's fine. I'm okay. Thank you for worrying about me though, Director."
"No need for titles. It's not like anyone's gonna notice small stuff like that. Besides…with you and Takato it feels a bit awkward." Giving a smile again, Shinoda continued to say, "Why don't we go for a snack. My treat."
Having no reason to object, Yuki followed the man.
Even if he had made plans for lunch with his squad, he didn't want to pass up a snack with this man. It would be a bit insulting after what Director Shinoda had done for him. The foul taste of the medicine was also stuck to his tongue, meaning he wanted to get it off as soon as possible.
Neither one of them felt any sort of awkwardness as they walked, but Yuki could not help the feeling that he knew what this would be all about.
The two had spoken casually before, but the timing of this had been too perfect for it to just be a casual talk.
"This wouldn't happen to be about moving up, would it?"
"Partly. But we'll save that for later. I just want to have a normal conversation and ask you some stuff. We can even go through some banter before we get down to the heavy stuff."
"You saying that just reminds me of when you and Sensei got drunk. I hope you know that."
"Ah! Can you guys wait for a moment? I want to go say hi to someone. I'll be right back!"
Takeshi tilted his head to the side while Suzume put a hand on her hip.
The three were going to meet up with their Operator so they could all wait for Yuki to be done talking with Director Shinoda.
None of them had planned on going out on their way to meet anyone else, so it was a bit odd to see Toby just run off.
Seeing him go was an everyday thing, but what was different was for him to leave them to talk so a single person.
A girl at that.
He watched with disinterest as Suzume brought out her phone to record.
The pictures she took were follow day quick notes in a small notebook she pulled from somewhere.
Noticing the danger of the situation, he took a step back.
The strangeness of his teammates had always been something he found boring, but the danger they also posed with that strangeness had been something he wanted no part of.
Letting out a sigh, the Shooter looked back over at Toby and the girl he was talking to.
Kōchō Kashi. Two or so years older than us. Shooter. Her fighting ability is weaker than Nasu's, but stronger than Asano's. Not much there.
Nodding to himself, Takeshi started walking away.
There was no point in waiting for his two teammates. Neither one of them were doing anything that particularly interested him.
That meant he would just meet up with Mei and occupy himself with something else.
As he walked away, he could hear loud and fast footsteps.
He ignored them.
"I said to wait for me!"
After the two had got what they wanted, they found a seat.
As Shinoda sat with his plate of rice with shōyu on it, Yuki looked longingly at a full bowl of ice cream in front of him.
He would have taken the whole machine if he could but was held back from doing so.
The younger of the two quickly thanked the older one and went right into the dessert with a happy expression.
Shinoda gave a questioning, and slightly disturbed, look at the odd colors that were being made from the different favors being mixed in the bowl. What did not help was the syrup and topping put on and in the bowl.
Overall it looked very odd.
So he tried not to focus on that.
"Are you sure you didn't want any food? I did say I was treating."
"Well I had actually planned on meeting up with my squad later on and getting something to eat, but I couldn't resist getting some ice cream," Yuki said before putting more in his mouth, savoring the flavor. "Take and Toby are always worried that if I eat too much ice cream that it will wreck my health beyond repair, so I have to eat the stuff when they're not around. Mmm~ So good~!"
"I can see their point. You eat it so quickly that I'm shocked you don't get a brain freeze. Most people would be withering in pain at the rate you're going."
"I don't really get it either, but I'm not complaining. Besides, hearing stuff like that from those two is kinda insulting when they're basically living together. What's more is that Toby loves chocolate as much as I love ice cream."
"I wouldn't go that far... Oh yeah. Weren't you the one who suggested they live next to each other? I believe that everyone besides you and Mei were against that idea in the first place."
"So, Sir, are you on break or something?"
Director Shinoda gave a chuckle at the quick change of subject, but answered anyway.
"Yeah. I need to go back and discuss some stuff with others afterwards."
"Sorry that I'm using up your break then."
"It's fine. I'm the one who called you over. Besides, you're the one who has to use his off time to help the city. I really appreciate it. Even if you aren't in any faction."
"Yeah, well, even if I do, I won't be joining any factions any time soon. Even if it's yours. If anything... I suppose I'm in Sensei's 'faction'. Even if it's not really a faction. I just prefer to do things my way. Besides, I don't have to deal with certain things this way."
"I never expected you to join. You and Chishi are too much alike, so I already know how you think on matters like these. That's not mentioning the fact that you would still go about doing things your way, regardless of what others told you."
"I'm sure you need as much rest as you can get to handle the city's defenses, and for dealing with people like Director Netsuki. I feel bad that he's basically trying trying to make Chano Squad into another Arashiyama Squad…"
Yuki thought about what he said for a second and got a little panicked.
He knew the effect words could have, so he wanted to take some back.
"Ah! That's not to say there's anything wrong with Arashiyama Squad or anything! I just don't like when others do things like that to good people."
"Hahaha! It's fine. I know you don't mean any harm to either team. And I understand what you're saying, but he's just doing it to improve our publicity. You shouldn't think too badly about him. It's in our best interest."
"I know, but still…"
.
Director Shinoda gave a fond smile as he remembered when he had first met Yuki and when the younger one had first entered Border. He was glad to see how much he had changed and cared about other agents.
Or at least how it seemed like he cared.
"I'm glad to know you're fine. Chishi hasn't told me much about what you've been up to outside of Border, so I was a bit worried. Even Kei seems to want to annoy me by saying the most nondescript things."
"Yeah. That sounds like them. Although I'm sure that Sensei is just focused on teaching right now. If not that then he might be going crazy with his students while having to hear 'Kinkoun Kinkoun' every time the bell rings."
Two two shared a good laugh at the expense of someone else.
If it had been anyone else, they would have felt it a bit rude to speak about them like that, but they had both known the man long enough to talk about him.
But now that they had gone through their pleasantries, Shinoda flattened his face.
It's about time we got down to it. Holding this off any longer will only make it more awkward when it's finally brought up, he thought.
The boy in front of him had his fair share of things to think about, but as one of Border's directors, so did he.
He made sure to make that known.
"Now that we've had some fun... I think it's about time for your answer."
.
Yuki frowned and looked down at hearing that.
The plan had been to use up the rest of Shinoda's time so that he could get away without answering.
The plan had been flawed since the start.
It was due to that fact that he had been thinking about his answer since the start of their conversation. It was the answer as to why he always rejected the offer in front of him.
Even before that, when he watched his squad training and he could only sit by because they would be too worried, he was thinking about the answer. It was clear that it was what everyone wanted for him - and even he wanted it - but he still could not fully take on the responsibility.
If he took this up then he would feel he was being put on the same level as a certain girl. The strength he had seen from here was something he knew he could never get to in his lifetime.
"It's not just me and your squad. Arashiyama Squad, Kako Squad, Tachikawa Squad and multiple B-Rank teams are vouching for you. Kei has even been telling me to just force you to move up in rank. Not only that, Suzunari and Tamakoma are waiting for you to be A-Rank. I know you want to make it to A-Rank with your whole squad, but it's been a year since you made it to that point and we all think it's time you took up the offer. That's not me mentioning that Chishi will probably give you a good smack if he ever found out about it."
He knew that.
So many people have already spoken to him about this and his answer had always been the same.
They understood that, but they continued talking to him about it.
It was something he should have taken right away, but...
"Why do they care this much if I become an A-Rank or stay a B-Rank?"
He knew his expression was a dark one from the way Shinoda had reacted by bringing up his guard.
He did not care.
There was no malice or ill intent. Getting his point across had been what he was trying to do.
"I don't see how much would change if I went up in rank. It doesn't matter what rank I am as long as I get the job done, right? There's no point in becoming an A-Rank when I'm fine where I am."
"It's because they all consider you their friend and want you to get what you deserve for your hard work. While you worry and help others, they worry and help you. That's how most humans are and you know it."
"And what about this? I'm sure those who say I have a silver tongue may have a thing or two to say about this whole situation."
"Let me deal with those people. Your only issue should be celebrating at that point."
Yuki looked down once more, this time contemplating everything from the start.
The thoughts of others wanting him to become A-Rank would be spat on should he continue to reject them as if they meant nothing.
Their thoughtfulness had been a factor in him continuing on to assist Border.
Not finding another good reason to reject, Yuki let out a sigh. He looked up at Director Shinoda with the same dull look.
"Alright. I'll take the promotion this time."
.
That was a surprise.
Shinoda could not hide his shock at how little it took for Yuki to agree this time.
His curiosity peaked when he remembered just how stubborn he could be on certain matters. The fact that Yuki would not be completely happy about this would be hidden by others being happy for him. It was something Shinoda knew he should not mention.
The ones who knew him better would not be so happy either.
"Not that I'm not glad... May I ask what made you change your mind? You aren't this cooperative when it comes to these kinds of things. I had figured that you would just reject it like you have before."
He wanted to believe it was what he had said, but that was difficult with this boy.
"I changed my mind because... I want them to know what it's like to have an emblem... Even for a little bit."
Shinoda narrowed his eyes at the comment.
Taking anything the boy said lightly or offhandedly was a big mistake for anyone. There was absolutely no way what he had said meant nothing particularly.
"Sorry, Tora-san, but I will only take the promotion on two conditions."
"Girigiri."
"Ashita no Hikari."
"Dream Trigger."
"You three have arguments over the most idiotic things. I wonder if the people you are hanging out with are bad influences. Although, I suppose even Kitora-chan would have a hard time with you."
Border agents who were simply passing by went around a specific area instead of walking through said area. They already knew not to get within 5 feet of the squad when they got into one of their arguments.
Petty as they were, the three would be ready to give a good punch.
As everyone made sure to stay away from the group, that same group continued their pointless argument with their Operator watching on with boredom.
Any other time she would be putting it to a stop, but since they were not attacking anyone, she found no reason to get involved.
But that seemed to be bad for everyone else as the trio began to raise their voices.
Letting out a sigh, Mei looked around at the others walking around them.
She spoke to the three members of Tsukiko Squad absentmindedly while nodding to other agents.
"We are going somewhere later on. Feel free to come with us."
The way the trio turned to her had been rather amazing.
Minoru was right in calling them puppies.
The simple mentioning of their captain and brought them to attention.
"What!? Where are you two going!?"
"Why didn't you tell us sooner that you and Senpai were going somewhere?"
"Idiots!"
.
Suzume held nothing back when she slammed her fists down onto Toby and Takeshi's heads.
She took a look around them and lowered her voice to a stage whisper.
The other two leaned forward to listen in.
"Obviously those two are going on a date."
Apparently she did not speak low enough as Mei started to get a bit red.
That was dangerous and they knew it.
"W-w-w-we-we wouldn't b-b-bring you three on a d-d-d-date with us!…"
"Um…I think you have that '…' in the wrong place, Mei-san…"
Mei only turned away with her face covered in red.
"And you're n-not very secretive…"
The way she started swaying was also dangerous. It was even more dangerous for Suzume since she understood what it meant better than most.
An embarrassed Mei was the most dangerous type of Mei.
"So where are you going then!?"
"Yeah, yeah! We honestly wanna know!"
"Please tell us."
The few seconds it took Mei to stop swaying her some of the most stressful ones for her.
This is honestly killing me! When I see someone swaying like that it makes me want to smack them for such a pathetic rhythm! But I can't slap Mei-san, of all people!
Once she saw the color draining from Mei's face, Suzume let out a breath she had no clue she was holding.
They were in the clear for the time being.
She took another look around the area as Toby and Takeshi sat back in their seats.
Oh? If those guys are coming up to us then it honestly means they are looking for trouble.
Having caught the sight of some people nearby, she bounced her shoulders up in preparation for some fun that she would be having.
.
"Well if it isn't Tsukiko Squad! You guys really don't know how to keep your voices down, do you? Can't say it's not fun to see you three going at it though! If anything, you three all remind me of your captain when I first met him!"
Inukai grinned at the way Takeshi and Toby jumped to the sound of his voice.
But it had been Mei who spoke to them first.
"It's good to see you three. Judging from your current appearance, I'm guessing you just got back from duty."
"You see-"
"Hey, Tsuji-kyun~ Let's go for a quick dance, okay? I've honestly wanted to mess with-… Dance with you!"
"At least try to not be so obvious, Suzume."
Inukai was quick to react to the voice that was now behind him.
The girl had managed to get behind him in only a few beats.
Her target had been clear by the way she quickly clung to Tsuji's arm.
Blue Widow: "My Shino-radar is going off."
Hero: "I actually can't tell if you mean that literally or not…"
Blue Widow: "Then I will leave that up to your imagination."
Oh, is she starting to understand jokes better? Well I guess she wasn't having too much trouble with them in the first place.
Thinking about it more, Inukai found himself also not sure if what the girl had said was true or not.
"A lot of people's radars have been going off today."
"What do you mean?"
"Hokari-kun and the rest of that terrible class had been able to tell when Yuki-kun was getting scolded again earlier."
"Isn't that something to worry about…?"
The way she shrugged her shoulders was a bit unnerving.
But there was something else that needed his attention.
"Hey Toby! Let's go play later! We can get Shun-kun too!"
"Right, right! But what would we do today?"
"I heard Shiro-chan that he went down to the ground from the top of the base using a Shield Slide!"
"Oh! That sounds great!"
With a pointed turn, he made sure that he could not see the critical eye that Mei was giving him.
.
As Tsukiko Squad and Ninomiya Squad, two sets of footsteps moved closer to them.
None of them had noticed the two approaching them as they spoke to each there.
So...
"Suzu-chan, stop harassing Tsuji-kun. Take-kun, stop looking so bored. Mei-chan, you're supposed to control them while I'm gone. Inu, please don't give Toby-kun any ideas that I'll have to deal with later."
"So this is where you all have been. Let's hurry and go before the faker gets here. I would rather not deal with that kind of issue right now."
In that single instant, everything froze.
The people in the area stopped moving, the two squads halted everything, and even the air seemed to go down in temperature.
All because these two had crossed paths.
"Eeeeeeeh?" Yuki said, an oddly dark smile spreading across his face.
"What's this?" Ninomiya said with his head tilted up and his looking down at the boy.
Everyone took a step back from fear.
"Looks like I was too late to get them away from you."
"Oh? Is there a problem for them to be around me? I know you're a massive airhead, but you couldn't have forgotten that Inu is a friend of mine, right? That's not mentioning that he's also with someone I know rather well. I'm pretty sure that means I have the right to be around these guys."
"As long as you don't turn him into a faker, I really don't care. Although that's probably too much to ask for from the likes of you. Your words are always like venom; infecting everyone who hears them. That's not mentioning how you sink your teeth into everyone you depend on."
"I wonder if being an airhead is contagious, because then he would have bigger issues if he were to stay with you. And please do not bring up others into this. At least I know I can depend on those who may be weak and not just those who are strong. That kind of thinking may just get you a bullet to the head some day. Especially by those who you consider 'weak,' you idiot."
"This is coming from someone so weak they can't even be good at a single thing. Once you figure out what you want to do, then I can properly throw you around. It wouldn't be hard either, considering how small you are. Your squad must lose you all the time when around crowds."
"The only thing that's small here is your intelligence. Seriously, what kind of proper person wears a suit and tie when fighting? Ha! And I even know why you chose that emblem. Can you be any more of a chuuni? I just feel sorry for Minoru since he had to deal with your stupidity."
There had to be something wrong at this point.
The clear sound of crackling could be heard as the two continued to glare at each other.
But that was just them seeing things, right?
"Um... Can you not bring me or Mino into this...? Thank you..."
Inukai cowered back when he ended up receiving the dark looks the two had on their faces.
Even his good nature could do nothing when covered by the two of them.
It was just a bad time all around.
With a huff, Ninomiya and Yuki quickly turned back to each other, looking ready to hit each other at any moment.
"Why were you even out? Clearly you don't do much. You were probably just lazing around. I'm sure that would actually help more than anything. At least you wouldn't be in anyone's way at that point. Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. I'll even help by getting a coffin ready for you."
"Hm? Does that mean you already have one ready for yourself? Well that saves me the trouble of getting one. And not that it's any of your business, I had to meet up with someone and told these guys that I would meet up with them afterwards... As a matter of fact…"
The smirk Yuki wore had been both fitting and terrifying to see.
"I will be taking a test with Kanzaki and Kimura to get promoted to A-Rank. That means I'll be at the same level as Minoru while you get left behind. Like. A. Loser. Good luck trying to catch back up."
"Tsk. Like I care if you did or don't get promoted. That doesn't change the fact you're a faker who uses other people's talents for yourself. If anything, it's those who you have copied from that deserve that spot. The only spot you deserve is the one in the trash."
He tried to stay calm, but that single remark concerning his significant other was what really got to Ninomiya.
Yuki was in a similar internal situation. He knew he should not pay attention to what the other was saying, but that was much easier said than done.
These two were enemies and everyone knew it.
Under normal circumstances, Tsukiko Squad would quickly come to the aid of their captain. They would defend him against anything that was being said against him. The thing was, though, that there was never any room to interrupt these two when they started fighting.
Inukai had just proven that.
"Alright! Break it up you two!"
With a loud clap, Mei stood between the two of them.
"Let's just go our own ways and get this over with. If you don't... I will just have to punch the both of you."
Ninomiya and Yuki clicked their tongues, but did not argue.
They knew well enough that standing against the girl would only end badly for them.
.
Yuki let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair.
It was clear that he was already tired from the coughing fit earlier. The meeting he had with Shinoda had also mentally tired him out, making that two hits against him.
After having just dealt with the Ninomiya Squad captain, the only thing that sounded nice right now was sleep, but…
"Urg... That guy really makes me mad…"
Mei looked over to see their teammates tactfully looking away and keeping quiet.
Talking to Ninomiya Squad had always ended up like this, so they should have been aware that doing so would have not changed anything this time.
The atmosphere around them had started to become heavy from the tension, but Mei could only sigh at this.
"You three should stop thinking about unnecessary things. When you do, so does Yuki-kun," she said while hitting each of them on the head.
She sharply turned to their captain right after.
"And you should already know not to get them thinking like that and picking fights with Ninomiya. It ends horribly for everyone involved."
The hit was lighter, but the pain was still there.
Their pained expressions did not move her at all, so instead they all just smiled.
This was her job and she would never hate it.
What a bunch of children.
Shaking her head, she turned back to their captain.
The way he covers his head in preparation for getting hit again had been amusing, but she did not dwell on that for too long.
"These guys want to know if they can come with us to Tamakoma."
"You were going to Tamakoma?"
He looked to her with confusion, but she only shrugged.
"Actually… Can we go tomorrow? I want to discuss some things with you guys. It's kind of important, so I want to get it out now."
She nodded to him this time.
"It has nothing to do with that guy over."
"Eh? Who?"
Mei lifted her hand to point to the side.
Like some sort of game, they all turned their heads to look.
.
Yuki looked over, following Mei's finger.
Who he saw had been someone he had not expected.
"Why is Jin-san here with Mikumo-kun? …I hope he's not in any trouble."
There could only be one reason he could think of for them to be in any sort of trouble.
That lie he told me yesterday couldn't that've been found out, right?
Jin must have known what he had been getting into when they had spoken to each other before.
The lie he had given about Mikumo figuring out about the Rads had been an easy lie to see through.
To be more exact, it had been a truth extended out to seem like a lie while remaining the truth.
But that had been why he was worried about what he was seeing.
"Well, might as well go and say hi."
Before he could stop her, Mei moved forward.
Letting out a sigh, he followed along with the trio behind them right on his tail.
"Oh. Hey guys. Hello, Mei-chan," Jin said with his usual smug look on his face.
Yuki gave a small wave and smile to the glasses-boy next to Jin, ignoring the punch Mei had aimed at Jin's head.
It felt too normal to see her do that.
"Hello, Tsukiko-senpai."
"I would like to introduce you guys to Megane-kun here, but we need to get going. Maybe some other time. There are some things we need to get done."
"We were planning on going to Tamakoma tomorrow anyway, so it's fine. At that point you could introduce us to whoever you want."
"I'm sure the rest of them will be happy to see you guys again. Well see you guys tomorrow then."
It was strange that he was in more of a hurry than he let on, but Yuki decided that it was best to ignore it for the time being.
Delving too deep into the going ons of Tamakoma's Elite Agent would only lead him into a rabbit hole he may not get out of.
"Senpai, who was with Jin?" Takeshi asked.
Nodding to him, Yuki responded to what he had found out already.
"That was Mikumo Osamu-kun. I met him yesterday, after we took care of those small Neighbors. He's polite and was the one who found out about those small Neighbors. There was someone else with him, but I don't think he's in Border."
"Well he doesn't seem like much. I'm sure I could beat him."
"You are honestly such a kid. You get jealous just because Yuki-san wasn't talking about you. I bet that Mikumo-kun has you beat in maturity."
"He's probably the same age as me! How can he beat me in maturity!?"
"She's talking about attitude. And I have to agree with her," Takeshi said nonchalantly. "Although... I'm sure Raijinmaru has you beat there as well, so it wouldn't be shocking if Mikumo also has you beat."
"(What was that, you bastard!?)"
"It's okay."
Yuki made sure to hold Takeshi's hand back from patting Toby's head.
"You're still my favorite between you two."
"Now, now, both of you calm down."
Yuki tried his best to stop the two from fighting, but they all knew it was bound to happen regardless of what they did now.
So instead of trying to physically stop them, he directed their attention elsewhere.
"Let's go get something to eat and I'll tell you guys what I need to, okay?"
"You mean we all get the emblem on our outfits!? That's so awesome!"
Yuki took a look over his shoulder to see Kageura glaring over towards their table.
After having left the base, all of Tsukiko Squad had gone over to get something to eat.
Kageura's family owned restaurant had been their choice.
If not for the smug look their captain had given Kageura, they would have thought that it was just a coincidence they had gone there.
"Yes, yes, now please sit down, Toby-kun. People are looking," Yuki said as the brunet did as he was told.
The continued glare from Kageura had been dismissed easily enough.
"Well that's only true if I make it to A-Rank. Like I had told that airhead…I have to take a bit of a test to see if I'm going to make it or not."
"You were the one who wanted the test."
"Yeah. Sorry for getting your hopes up like that."
"That's right. You had honestly mentioned Kanzaki and Kimura, didn't you?"
"That's right. The two of them are… Well I have known them for some time now and both are also qualified to join the A-Ranks as well. I figured this would also give them a chance by forming a pseudo-squad with them for this test."
Yuki's expression fell a bit, but bounced back a moment later.
"I would have gone with you guys, but the promotion was for only me. I just thought those two deserve it as well."
"It's fine, Senpai. You don't need to explain yourself to us. We know that you would have tried to get us in too, if you had the chance."
It was just how things were. If Yuki was the only one getting promoted, it was fair that he could not have ones who are not ready at his side.
Each one of them did feel a bit hurt at knowing they couldn't be there to help him, but the knowledge of him taking the test had been enough for them.
"Assuming I do become A-Rank, I wanted to know what you all thought would be a good emblem to use? I haven't really thought about it, so I'll leave it up to you."
They took to those words in an instant.
"Something representing Yuki!"
"A bit much there, don't you think, Toby-kun?"
"Yeah, idiot. Senpai is kind, not conceited. Obviously it should be a flower to show his delicacy."
"I'm pretty sure that's the same thing as what he said, Take-kun."
"I honestly say we go with a simple design."
"That sounds good, Suzu-chan."
"Hm. You say that, but I doubt those two would be fine with something simple," Mei said as she pointed at Toby and Takeshi. "We all know that they will get riled up if it's not something good."
"Do you have any suggestions, Mei-chan? I'm sure you of all people can come up with a good one."
"Well...I do have an idea…"
Mei pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her pictures.
"I've actually been thinking about it for a while now and think I found one that would be good. Those two can't argue about it and it's pretty simple. Plus, it has a good meaning, in my opinion."
When she found the picture, she put the phone down for the rest of them to see.
They all gathered around and saw that the picture was the usual shape as any other emblem.
The main image was a white snowflake in a black crescent moon on top of a gray background.
"Wow. That really is a great picture. Although that's to be expected when it comes to Mei-chan."
"I honestly like it."
"It works perfectly with our squad!"
"It does represent a squad led by Yuki-senpai."
Feeling the need to explain why it worked so well, Mei started to speak while putting her phone away. Her expression while speaking was a soft one that seemed rather fitting for her.
"The white snowflake represents your purity. The black moon represents your power. The gray background is to show the balance between them. Although, I'm just saying that part to appease those two. If you want to look at it in a different way... You could say that the snowflake represents Toby being an Attacker. The moon represents Takeshi being a Shooter. The gray represents Suzume being a Sniper."
"I see. It also works since Senpai's name means 'snow' and 'moon child'. Not to mention he can use any type of trigger."
Yuki froze up at those words.
Even as the younger members continued to talk amongst each other, they failed to notice the stiff smile on his face.
"Takeshi-kun, anyone can use any trigger, you know. It's not like I'm anything special. Not to mention you three are better than me."
"You're not giving yourself enough credit, Yuki-kun. They may be strong, but we both-... We all know that you're stronger... That's the reason why you were moved up to A-Rank. Don't sell yourself short here or I'll do something about it."
Yuki found the words start to die in his throat.
Denying what the three young ones said was easy enough, but denying Mei her praise of him was near impossible.
The other three may have noticed this as well since they gave knowing smiles.