Murakami Kō was unsure about what to do as he got stared down by a single girl.

Kimura Kawaguchi stood firm with her arms crossed over her chest while looking Murakami right in the eyes. Her stance and demeanor had been enough to keep him glued to the wall while Kuruma and Taichi could only watch from the side, unsure as to what to do.

"Murakami, tell me what you know right now. If you do, I won't make calls to Fuyushi."

"I don't...know what you're talking about. If you want to know something about Yuki then why not just ask Senpai? She would know more than me."

"Don't give me that crap, Murakami. I know that you have as much information as she does. Look, I have a rule that I keep track of all teams I am a part of. Even if they were only for a short amount of time. I am always kept up to date on Kanzaki, Shitokei and Ariake, but Tai-"

"Kimura!"

"Tch. 'Tsukiko'. There, happy?"

"..."

"I want to know what's going on right now with that idiot. He had been rejecting becoming A-Rank for a while now, but then he suddenly called me up to be his Operator for a test. I want to know why he decided now to change his mind. Besides Shitokei, you are the only other one I can ask. Even if he told others, Kageura would be too irritating to ask, and ones like Arafune and Inukai would just start messing with me before telling me anything. Basically, you are the only I can deal with on a regular basis. Maybe Hokari and Kitazoe, but you probably know more than them."

"It's not really my place to say anything. It was up to him to decide on what he wanted to do. I won't be saying anything about it unless he says it's fine to do so."

Kimura slammed her hand onto the wall behind Murakami.

"..."

"I still won't be saying anything."

"..."

Kimura let out a sigh.

She moved away from the wall and gave a sideways look towards Kuruma and Taichi, both of whom were still unsure as to what to do.

"Fine. I'll ask that guy myself. Can you at least tell me where he is right now? If you know, that is."

"Yeah. Senpai had told me he went over to Tamakoma. I messaged him to confirm. I guess he's also with Kanzaki since he had said they met up at some point."

"I see. Fine then."

She turned towards the two who were on the side before giving a deep bow.

"I am sorry for taking Murakami like that. I just needed to ask him something."

Kuruma gave a smile in response, still unsure as to what had happened.

Rather violent way of doing it...

"I-it's fine. We weren't in any particular hurry."

"Well then... I will be taking my leave now." She gave one last look towards Murakami. "You better keep me up to date should something happen. I still have a responsibility to look out for them as someone who knows what happened."

"Fair enough."

...Why am I the one doing this again?

The one at the end of Mikumo's gaze, thinking as such, was a row of pillars standing tall. Each one was a few meters tall. They were platforms used as scaffoldings, placed there to represent the different types of battlefields they could come across. They should have not been here as those in agreement by nature, but…

...It's so that we can test out different settings we might fight in once Kuga and Chika join, huh?

There was a lot that would need to be done once their squad was made, and the Tamakoma Branch members would not be able to always assist them. However, even if that was the case, there were still some others who would help them instead.

However, if the fact that they knew so little at this scene of a simple practice were to be shown to the other two, who would soon be joining Border, there would be a different meaning. Moreover, if those who showed them this were A-Rank agents...

...It would mean that they would best know what to show us here.

Our senpais in the branch are great teachers, if just a bit strange, but there are only so many things they can teach us. From what we've been told, there will be a lot of things to consider if we want to go on an away mission, so this is really helpful for all of us and gives us a chance for different situations.

It's a simple method, but nevertheless the one that was chosen by other senpais; thus Mikumo thought.

Whatever the case, thought Mikumo. He looked towards the very Far Eastern woman in front of him.

She stood upright, hair tied behind her head. Possessing a blade on her hip, she looked straight in Mikumo's direction.

It was the first time he had met her.

However, he had already known her name.

…Kanzaki Shizuka-senpai.

A former teammate of Tsukiko Yuki, who had been the one to suggest this in the first place.

Mikumo noticed Kanzaki's line of sight directed towards the spear held in his arms. It was the one she had apparently been promised. It was probably the only thing she could hold her gaze on.

Mikumo wondered if the one on the other side knew who he was. No, whether he did nor didn't, it wouldn't matter; at the moment they were not allies. …There was no need to change their relation, was there?

Now, what am I supposed to see, thought Mikumo.

"Mikumo-kun."

An order came from the older boy who had suggested this in the first place, addressed to him.

Thus Mikumo affirmed, and retained his gaze on Kanzaki…

"Um... This is apparently supposed to go to you, Kanzaki-senpai. If that's the case, why am I holding it? Tsukiko-senpai said it had been because you wanted to test something, but I have no idea what that is exactly."

With a greeting, he took one step forward. Then, continuing to step on the soil and the grass, the second and third steps.

At the midpoint between the two sides where his footsteps stopped, Kanzaki Shizuka gave her greetings.

That should have been the case.

Standing on a position five meters before the midpoint, the first to come was a voice.

As Kanzaki turned her gaze away from the spear to face the other party…

"...Huh?"

Mikumo immediately replied to her question.

"That's all I've been told."

"So that is the case," Kanzaki answered, giving her greetings. Then, facing this side and taking a step…

"—"

The next moment, he felt a hand within reaching distance in front of him.

…This is-!?

Shortening the distance between them, it was a movement-type Trigger.

Mikumo looked at the figure of the person standing in front of him.

.

Kanzaki was displaying an act of dignity by using her movement-type Trigger here.

…I'll use the Trigger in a manner that can be clearly seen, and obtain the spear which Mikumo Osamu holds with my own hands.

That way…

...I can show these new members what exactly they will need to face once they try to climb up the rankings.

Right now, via recording and observation, this scene should reach those other two members who have decided to join Border for their own reasons.

That is why she moved right then.

This had been set up by the sick boy who she barely recognized that morning. She understood that she was only being used as a demonstration. She also knew that, by the show they were giving here, she would only be helping the Tamakoma Branch members who had yet to even join Border in full and likely gain the ire of certain individuals.

Still, if she were to do nothing here...

...How much more would they be lacking?

With only hopes, wishes, and good will, these new members would be unprepared for when they came face-to-face with those who had true power. Furthermore, all other squads have only been getting better, whereas we have only been letting life take us along with it after the disbandment. And finally, there had been the simple matter of her wanting to see how far such new recruits could go after having seen how the senior Tamakoma Branch members and the sick boy treated them. It was very different from what she had seen before. At this rate...

They will show the rest of us something amazing if we only look at who their mentors currently are. If they reach a new level, they will be good opponents.

So to make sure they could reach that...

"Ready yourself."

That was why Kanzaki moved.

The Trigger she used was a prototype, Engineer-made movement-type Triggers, "Kiyome". Treating any resistance to her movement as an obstacle, ultimately one can push aside or get over anything in their way and, through this Trigger, one can bring their own strength to the utmost limit. The activation is, while carrying around a weapon that is permitted without ever drawing it out, the user must move successively as to display the movement of their entire body and the direction it is going.

It was still like that now. Carrying a sword on her side, she moved forward in such a way as to link her movements together.

"—"

And reached to take the spear from Mikumo Osamu, who stood in front of her.

For a distance as short as fifty meters, it would have been next to impossible to perceive her movements.

Still, Kanzaki did not let her guard down. Kanzaki sped up with all her might. Her start was a bit slow so as not to display her intention to the other party, but after that it would only take a moment.

She moved, then, hearing the gasps of the person who realized her actions.

"…!"

But Kanzaki looked.

Soaring forward earlier, the one in front of her was not holding her promised spear in his arms.

"This is…"

A figure cutting in between herself and Mikumo accompanied by a certain noise…

"…You would use me like this!"

The next moment, Kanzaki saw a light accompanied by sound.

The sound was a cold echo, like the breaking of glass. The light was the green glow of trion. Those were the aftereffects of the voiding of a Trigger, caused by the breaking of trion.

…Damn it.

Not being able to continue the movement after having her body abruptly stopped, Kanzaki's "Kiyome" Trigger was destroyed.

Then Kanzaki understood; her own speed was overturned by her opponent.

Usami Shiori was amazed by what exactly she had seen between the two Border Combatants. She had seen the entire exchange that had occurred between Tsukiko Yuki and Kanzaki Shizuka.

Yuki and Kanzaki had come to the Tamakoma Branch office saying that the former had wanted to speak with some people there. When they could not find said people, the two had asked her if they could use Tamakoma's space while she watched them. There had not been a reason to disagree to that, so they had done just that.

But she could not keep up with their movements once they started.

She felt bad for Osamu, who had been used as a glorified stand.

"That was amazing! You two were moving so fast that I didn't have much time to actually throw much in."

Yuki smiled at her while walking up to her.

"It's fine, Usami-chan. We took it a little too far, really. I had just wanted to test out a new Trigger but ended up getting too involved with it all. Sorry for shattering Kiyome like that, Kanzaki."

"It is no problem. It only shows my inexperience if it was shattered so easily."

"Well, I'm used to going for those types of things, so that's also on me there."

Usami saw Kanzaki shake her head. Her ponytail moved with her head and she could not help but laugh a bit at that.

"It felt more like how things used to be. I suppose things become different when given this much time. Still, it was nice to see that you did not lose your way of doing things. They may have changed, but you still have that enthusiasm."

"What do you mean, Kanzaki-san? Was Yuki-san that different before?"

The bitter expression Yuki wore to her question was enough of a mood changer.

It was clear that he did not want to speak of that.

So instead...

"Sorry for having you do that, Mikumo-kun."

He went to something else.

As for his answer, Mikumo only shook his head while saying, "It's fine."

"I really didn't know what to expect, but seeing something like that up close is actually pretty amazing. Also, you confirmed that what Kanzaki-senpai used was a Trigger."

"Oh, yeah. As I'm sure you know by now, there are a lot of other Triggers than the basic Attacker, Sniper, and Shooter Triggers. The one Kanzaki used is a movement-type one. She is already fast as it is, but using Kiyome only makes her that much faster. It's pretty terrifying when facing it."

"Mikumo, you should not let him fool you by saying that. He is certainly a Teleport nut, but his own speed is not something to overlook. If he were to use Kiyome as well, I have no doubt that he would be just as fast."

"I would probably call it something else though..."

"What would you call it?" Usami asked. The conversation was fun as it was. Hearing ideas for even more fun things would only make it all the better.

Yuki must have thought so as well since he gave a sheepish laugh.

"I'm not too sure... Maybe something like 'Soaring Wings' or 'Racing Toes'. ...You know what, never mind. Forget I ever said that."

Usami held a hand to her mouth as she held in her laughter.

There was no question as to why he wanted them to forget his words.

Because Ninomiya-san would probably call it the same thing.

The two did not get along, but they were on the same page for some of the strangest things.

Hearing a sigh, she looked back up to see Yuki turning to look at her.

"Usami-chan, has Kuga-kun arrived yet? I wouldn't want to take up more space."

"Oh! Yes, yes! They're waiting out there. Konami and Reiji-san should be with him. I would go out with you but I actually have to do something here."

"That's fine. And what about you, Kanzaki? Are you going to leave or stay awhile?"

"I will be staying for a bit. I want to see what exactly you have planned here. Without Kimura, Ariake-dono, or Shitokei-san being here, I feel as if I need to be here to stop you from doing unnecessary things."

Usami tilted her head.

Two of those names were very familiar, but the last one had confused her.

It was likely another thing Yuki did not want mentioned as he made a quick excuse for them to leave the room.

Once they entered the room where the other members of the Tamakoma Branch were they noticed that there was a lack of muscle in the room.

Mikumo moved over to sit on the sofa. Next to him was Kuga and a third person neither Kanzaki or Yuki had seen before. In the chair next to the sofa sat Konami, looking rather bored with her current surroundings.

"Oh... Hello there. Are you the third member Mikumo-kun had mentioned before?"

The girl sitting in between Mikumo and Kuga was quick to get up for a proper bow.

"Hello. I am Amatori Chika. It is nice to meet you."

"Likewise. It is nice to make your acquaintance, Amatori-chan."

"Hey Yuki-san, why did you bring that Ero Fallen Angel Maid over? If you wanted to fight her then there really isn't a reason to bring her here."

"Gyoof!"

"What a reaction..."

"Do not call me that! And how did you even know about that!? I made sure to erase any records of that happening to begin with!"

"No, you didn't. All the branches got that recording. It's actually really funny. The sender had been anonymous, but it's pretty easy to figure out who sent it to us. Hey Yūma, remind me to show you guys later on."

"Sure thing."

"Where is it!? Where is that recording!? I will destroy your television and buy you a new one! I will go so far if it means those recordings are completely destroyed!"

"Ignoring her..." Konami turned away from the raging girl going for her Trigger. "Yuki-san, why did you bring her over?"

"It was actually just a coincidence. I had planned on coming here by myself this time. When I was on my way here I happened to bump into her. We were...catching up and had made it here without really noticing. Sorry about that."

Konami shrugged as she gave Kanzaki a dull look.

"It doesn't matter to me at all. I just never thought you would be around her to begin with. The way she does things is-"

"Now, now, Konami-chan."

"..."

"Oh yeah. Now that I think about it... Do you two happen to know Kanzaki here? Mikumo-kun just met her, so no reason to ask him."

Kuga and Amatori shook their heads.

"That's what I figured. Anyways. This is Kanzaki Shizuka. She's a..."

"I am a fellow member of Border. That is all. I do have some history with this person. That is all."

Kuga and Amatori gave their greetings to the girl in return.

Yuki could see that Konami was keeping a rather watchful eye on Kanzaki and decided to pretend he saw nothing at all. Keeping the fact that he was not feeling too well was bad enough, so he didn't want to make things worse for the moment.

"Anyways... While I would like to get right to the reason as to why I am here... I would like some information. Not only for myself but also for Kanzaki here and Mei-chan as well. I am sure she has spoken to Jin-san about it already, but I want to hear it from you guys. If anything, I want the information to line up."

"What information?"

Yuki gave a sigh when remembering a certain person.

"I'll start by saying that Kanzaki here is in a similar situation as I am. Neither of us will take any sides until we understand what is going on, and we will only ever assist if given the information we need."

Yuki faced forward to gauge the reactions of the three currently on the sofa. What had caught his attention was the way that Kuga was staring at him as if ready to make some sort of action against him.

He might be able to tell that I'm kind of full of it.

Within the same week as his current visit he had helped Jin out without knowing the full circumstances of what had been going on. He knew that the reason had to do with the new members of the Tamakoma Branch, but he knew nothing more than that.

His words were truthful in the fact that Kanzaki would not make any move to help them, unless given the knowledge as to what is going on, but he was not the same as her.

"There is a person in Border that is able to somehow gain any information through unknown means. Everyone hates him, but his information is always accurate. That means I could also ask him about what is going on. Even so, I would rather ask you members of Tamakoma so that I know the full truth without any holes in the story."

"You're talking about that jerk from Hogo Squad, aren't you? Hey, you three, Yuki-san isn't lying when he says that guy can get any information. It's disturbing what he knows." Konami turned to the three on the sofa with a hard expression. "You three should never speak to him. There are two people in Border who you should never speak to at all costs. That guy is one of them."

There are actually three...

But remembering that person would only bring trouble.

"Konami-chan is right. If you ever come across Misó Epanástasi or Bakuto Denji... It's best you stay away from them. Ignore everything they have to say and simply walk away. The end result will be much better for you than if you were to stay and talk to them. They use their words in the worst way possible."

"Understood," all three of them said.

Nodding to himself, Yuki could not help the feeling of satisfaction he got from making sure others did not have to deal with two of the worst members of Border.

That left them all to get back to their main subject.

"Now then, that information."

"What's there to tell?"

"Don't even try it, Yūma. Yuki-san can tell when someone's lying. Think of it like your Side Effect."

"Oh? You can do something like that, Kuga-kun?"

It was Mikumo who spoke up in response.

"Kuga has a Side Effect that allows him to tell when a person is speaking the truth or not."

"I see. Well, that's different from me. I don't use a Side Effect to figure things like that out. It's a more basic thing than that. I simply know what to look for when a person is lying."

.

"What do you mean?"

"Yes! Tell me! Please! I need to tell when Torimaru is lying!"

Yuki chuckled while taking a few steps away from Konami.

It was clear that she was ready to get right into his face if he did not start an explanation. Even Kanzaki seemed interested in what he had to say.

"We're getting off topic again... But it's fine. If you guys have the time, I don't mind explaining it." Yuki cleared his throat while beginning anew. "It'll take awhile but... You can find out these things if you look at the way they are acting at the time. They might look away for a second, shift their feet without noticing, blink more times than necessary, or they might even just look awkward with the whole thing. Then there are those people who make it sort of obvious by making actions that seem out of place. If you are careful with it, you can even check their breathing. They may take a breath or two extra when lying as a sort of unconscious movement. Another thing is their pulse. That's how lie detectors work after all."

"Oh~!"

He smiled at the looks he was getting from his explanation. Even Kuga seemed to be focusing intently on what he was saying.

Happy to say even more, he clapped his hands once before looking back at them.

"Now, then. Yuki-sensei will be giving a sudden test. I will say three things and you will all have to determine which two are true and what the single lie is. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Good. First: Yuki-sensei does not have an addiction to ice cream. Second: Kanzaki-dono doesn't know that there is a Black Trigger in this very room. Third: Yuki-sensei is really here to talk to Mikumo-kun. Now, now! Yes, right now! Everyone gets one guess as to which is the lie! Yuki-sensei has given you ways to figure this problem out, so use those to figure it out. Oh. You don't need to show your work though."

"!"

A body suddenly flew up.

Yuki watched as Kuga stood up with a full intent to run or fight.

"Kuga-kun, if you have a question, I would prefer you raise your hand. Standing up is not the best way to do this."

"Calm down, Yūma."

"Oh. I didn't know you were in there, Replica-sensei. My bad."

"It's fine, Yuki-sensei. Also, the first one was the lie."

"Geh!"

"I see, I see. You must have spoken to Murakami-dono earlier for this to come up. Although, I myself knew that was the lie from having seen you eat ice cream before."

"It's not an addiction!"

Yuki clenched his fist while looking ready to burst into tears.

Kanzaki ignored the boy and instead focused her attention to the black Trion Soldier floating in front of them.

"May I ask who you are? I am holding back from going for my Trigger because Konami-dono and him are not making any move against you. That would mean you are of no threat."

"That's right. I am Replica; Yūma's chaperone. It is nice to meet you, Kanzaki."

"Likewise, Replica-dono."

Kanzaki nodded her head.

It was worrying how well she took things.

"Now... I will explain to you two what has been going on."

.

Everything had started to make sense with each word that came from Replica.

The reason for him to fight against some of Border's best agents. The reason Jin had asked him for that assistance. It made sense to him now that he was hearing the whole story from a good source. It brought to light the reason why he felt the need to come to the Tamakoma Branch after they had gotten their new members and why he had decided to take a side for a single night.

It had not been everything - he knew that for a fact - but it was enough for him to figure out exactly what he wanted to do from now on. Making choices based on this information created a nice feeling instead of the empty one he had previously due to an inadequate amount of knowledge.

"Makes sense."

Yuki only nodded his head.

"That's all!?"

He tilted his head at the sudden outburst that Konami had made.

Both he and Kanzaki had been told, what seemed to be, the basics of what was currently going on with the Tamakoma Branch and their newest members. Even with the information given to them, the two of them gave no indication that it was surprising or that they would be fighting against them at any point.

Yuki spoke in a calm tone while facing forward.

"Yes, that's all. What else am I supposed to say? Konami-chan, you and the others know that I don't take sides. Even with everything that Replica-sensei has just told us, I won't be taking HQ's side or your side here in Tamakoma. If this turns out to be something and makes its way into my line of sight then I will take action. If this ends up being between you guys and HQ alone then I have no reason to get involved."

"The same applies to me. I am a member of Border, but I will not compromise my own way of life simply to assist one side or the other."

And it was more than just them.

Both Yuki and Kanzaki knew people who would maintain that sort of mindset as well.

But it seemed their words were not enough to everyone there.

"So what can we see you as then? You aren't meaning everything you say. The way you talk is nothing but a mix of truths and lies."

"The only person I will ever hate is that airhead. Even if you glare at me like that, Kuga-kun, I won't feel much against it. If you want a definite answer then..."

Yuki spoke while pulling out his phone. His eyebrows lowered while his smile seemed more relaxed.

"I will always be in a gray area, and will only guarantee assistance to those who are in my contact list. Does that help any? I doubt it does, but that's how it is."

Yuki looked towards Kuga with the expectation of getting told off.

His words, while not being as harsh as someone like Denji's, always effected others in a way that made them unsure as to if they could trust him. That was what he could always see in those he spoke to.

This time was no different.

.

"Well, either way, that is that. Everything said so far has just been a side quest for me. The real reason I came here is completely different from why I wanted to know all that. Apparently it works out since, in the end, I really came here to see Mikumo-kun and talk to him."

"Talk to me?"

"That's right. I've been meaning to do so since we first met while you guys were with Jin-san. The issue was that last time I had my team with me. That ended up just being introductions for you all since you were busy training with Karasuma-kun, and a lot of noise was going around due to my team. This time is different. Meeting up with Kanzaki was an accident, but that won't change why I am here. If you have the time, I would like to get down to our conversation."

"Oh. Uh... Sure. I'm assuming you don't mind if everyone here listens then."

"Not at all. It isn't anything major. I just simply want to get to know you. Even more now that I know what is going on. At this point, that also stems towards Amatori-chan and Kuga-kun. No offense, Replica-sensei, but I think I understand you well enough at this point. You aren't particularly a focus for me."

"That's fine, Yuki-sensei."

Yuki nodded his head again.

"Right. Now then, let's start anew with the real reason as to why I am here."