The main fighting was over for the night.

The ones involved went their ways.

Most went home while others made their way to the Border base for one reason or another.

The nighttime air had been keeping people inside their homes while the time had made others stay out to be with friends. Streetlights had been turned on to illuminate the streets so that people would be able to see where they were going.

A single man walked through the night in a tracksuit that had the sleeves rolled up. There was nothing particular that made it seem as if he was a suspicious person. Quite the opposite. The man in a tracksuit gave off the impression of a teacher who others could go to in confidence.

The man in a tracksuit continued to walk towards the Border base in a leisurely fashion that befitted someone who was going on a simple walk through the park. As he walked, he had his hands in his pocket, clenching a strange black object.

No one else was around to see the man, but it wasn't like they would find him odd or out of place. He looked like a person who could blend in with a crowd of foreigners from across the world, so being a part of the city he lived in was nothing special.

He did not wanted to go to the Border base, but a good friend had called him over in order to make a request.

He had always been the type of person to gladly take on a task given to him by friends and family, no matter the irritation it brought on.

This time had not been any different.

It also meant he had only one goal in mind when going to that base.

"What is the meaning of this!?"

Director Kinuta slammed his hand on the table before crossing his arms impatiently.

"Jin's interference! The debacle with the top squads! And the biggest problem is... Director Shinoda! Why are Arashiyama and Hatohara squads siding with Tamakoma!? Tsukiko is also in question, but they don't have a side! Why are you defending a Neighbor!? Are you trying to betray Border!?"

Director Shinoda Masafumi, who was sitting in his seat with his arms crossed, looked over and gave a small glare at the shorter man.

"Betray? Who's the one who decided to forego the debate in favor of theft?"

"...!"

"I'll say this one more time. I'm against the seizure of the Black Trigger. And this is Kuga Yūgo's son we're talking about. If you continue these attempts, those three teams won't be all. Commander Kido and those who side with him... You will all have to contend with me."

"..."

The usually calm and collected Director Shinoda had a look of a ferocious animal on his face as he looked at the other directors and the commander.

Karasawa Katsumi didn't seem much affected by the threat on the outside, but he was thinking about this whole situation.

HQ Director Shinoda, the one who taught Tachikawa Kei how to fight with a sword. Among everyone here using a normal Trigger... He's tied for the strongest. The other being his long time friend. It was a bad idea to anger him. Our best bet now would be to try and sway him a bit.

"Fine, then... I have no choice."

Everyone turned their attention from Shinoda to Kido as he spoke with the same calm and hard tone as ever.

"Next time, I'll be sending Amō in."

"!?"

Everyone had stopped.

Tsukihiko Amō, S-Rank agent! The other Black Trigger besides Jin Yūchi. His behavior can be problematic, but his power exceeds Jin's. Commander Kido isn't going to be backing down any time soon.

"B-but, Commander Kido..."

The one who spoke in a nervous voice now was Director Netsuki, a rather scrawny looking man.

"He's not particularly good for Border's image... How should I put it? When he fights, he doesn't look human... It would be very bad if a citizen were to witness that..."

"If Jin's Fujin can defeat the top A-Rank agents, and Director Shinoda is going to side with him, we can't afford to be picky."

"Kido-san... Are you trying to destroy the city?"

It was true that these sorts of drastic measures would do massive amounts of damage to the city, but the thing that had caught Karasawa's attention had not been any of that. It had been how calm Shinoda had been throughout the entire thing.

"Very well. I will have to match that with Shiki-"

"Excuse me."

Without much warning, the door leading to the conference room opened up.

The one who walked in was none other than the Elite Agent himself.

Even as he entered, Karasawa kept an eye on Shinoda.

The other man had let out a strange sigh, as if he had just been saved.

Thinking that it was because of the situation had only been natural, but...

What was he about to say?

There was no time to think of that as Jin continued to approach with a casual stride.

"Nice to see everyone. Sorry to interrupt your meeting."

"Jin."

"Why you! How dare you show your face!?"

"Now, now, Kinuta-san. Watch your blood pressure."

"What do you want, Jin? Did you come to declare war?"

"No, Kido-san. I'm here to negotiate."

"Negotiation after your betrayal..."

"No," said Karasawa. "He's defeated HQ's best and joined forces with Director Shinoda. Now that he holds the dominant position, it's the perfect time for him to negotiate."

Jin gave a small nod to confirm that's what was going on.

"We only want one thing. To admit Kuga Yūma as an official Border agent." Jin let out a breath. "Tachikawa-san said that he wouldn't accept him as an agent unless HQ agrees."

"I see... 'Combat between Border agents outside of mock battles is forbidden.' Right?"

Kido narrowed his eyes as he looked at Jin with a harsh stare.

It was interesting to see just how calm both Jin and Shinoda had been during this entire situation.

They held the high ground here after all.

"Did you really think I would accept such terms?"

"No. Not for nothing, of course."

As he spoke, Jin pulled something from his side. The item in question was the Black Trigger known as Fujin that had taken out some of Border's best agents.

"In exchange, we offer Fujin."

"!?"

"I'll turn it over to HQ, in exchange for his enlistment. I don't think it's a bad deal for you either."

Netsuki and Kinuta grinned when they saw the Black Trigger placed on the table. It was clear that they thought this through and saw it as an opportunity.

Commander Kido saw things differently though.

"A deal? I don't need to deal. I could revoke your privilege to use that Trigger, because of your unauthorized battle with Tachikawa and his team."

"Then you would have to confiscate their Triggers too, right? That's fine with me too. Whatever it takes to get to the Enlistment Day peacefully."

"What if I said we'll only confiscate your Trigger?"

"Just try it. See how that turns out."

That seemed to be the final nail in the coffin.

Hm. These guys really thought everything through, didn't they. There is a backup for every possibility. So that means...

Karasawa gave a huff through his nose.

To get everything done so perfectly meant that there had been more than just Jin's Side Effect in play.

Some things just needed to be calculated out.

That was why Commander Kido knew what would happen if he went through with that threat. There were too many downsides to that happening than there were advantages.

"Very well."

The deal was made.

Director Shinoda Masafumi sat at his desk with his hands on his head.

He had decided to go to his office rather than to go home for the night.

The reason was a simple one that sat in front of him.

"I had to leave when my cute little nephew was sleeping. What's more is that I don't even get a part in that meeting."

A man in a track suit that had the sleeves rolled up sat in a chair in front of Shinoda's desk. He looked to be around Shinoda's age.

As he spoke, he spun a black object in his hand. The black object looked odd and not like anything most would see around. If they were to lay it flat on a surface they would see it had the appearance of 1/3 of a circle.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing we don't have to deal with Amō right now. I only have this with me right now, so I wouldn't really be able to do damage to him."

The man stopped his movement and turned a light glare towards Shinoda.

"By the way, you were just about to blurt out something important in there. I'd rather keep it a secret, so it can't be helped if questions start coming up because of that."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I ended up getting too excited and almost gave you away with that. It would really have been bad if they found out that you don't have the other two pieces. Anyway, thanks for even making it here. And I guess it is better like this. A fight like that wouldn't end well."

"Hm. I'm sure that if it came down to it, Fuji and Kiyoshi would really show up and go to the frontline. And if need be, I could get the other two parts from my student and nephew. I'd rather it not come to that, but..."

A solemn silence filled the room for a brief moment.

Cutting through it had been Shinoda's sigh.

"Well, either way, we should still be a bit wary of anything that may happen."

"Right."

The track suit man stood up before stretching a bit.

"I'm going to get going now. I've gotta be up early to get it my class."

"Yeah. Tell Shokubutsu I said hi."

"Right."

With that the man left with a wave.

Before doing so, he stopped at the entrance to the office, yet remained with his back to Shinoda.

"Hey, Masafumi."

"Yeah?"

"Don't overwork yourself. Got it? When you do, Kyōko ends up bullying me because of it."

Shinoda gave a laugh, but said nothing more.

With one more wave, the man was gone.

Looking over at his desk, he saw a picture of the past.

One filled with less people than the present, but just as important.

"Hah. That guy... I don't want to be hearing any of that from you, Chishi."