Mikumo watched as Yuki slowly moved around the sofa he was sitting on. His attention was focused on the older boy while trying not to seem curious as to what was going on.
Konami seemed to be fine with everything, and the newly introduced Kanzaki Shizuka made a move to sit down while everything was going on.
"I do apologize if this seems strange. I am just trying to make sure of something right now. Rather, I'm taking note of how you are right now so that I can be amazed with how you three will turn out later on."
"What do you mean?"
"Elementary, my dear. Oh... Will I get in trouble for saying that? Anyways. You three will, without a doubt, be facing hard times if you are going to be in Border. That's fine since, for a fact, you will be surrounded by others who will help you out. Excluding me, there really are a bit of odd people in Border that would be happy to help you. One is sitting right over there, and another is actually still standing over there, not really knowing what to do. Isn't that great?"
"Hey!"
"Anyways. Yes. Anyways. I want to see just where you three are, if you don't mind. That will help me out with helping you guys out when I need to. I will also be relying on the rest of Tamakoma for this, so there's that. Although, I know Konami-chan and the other two will be helpful in improving your skills, and Jin-san will help with anything else, I would like to help as well. In a sort of different yet not-so-different way. If that is fine."
Mikumo was still confused as to what was being said.
The words were simple enough for any person to understand, but the way they were being spoken made things seem as if there was much more than what it seemed liked.
"Uh... Okay? That is fine with me."
Kuga and Amatori nodded their responses after their captain.
.
Yuki smiled at the responses he got from the three of them.
"Good. So, before anything else, just give me a quick second to message someone about something."
Opening up his phone, Yuki started typing without looking at those around him.
A few seconds later there were two rings within the room. One came from Konami's pocket and the other from Kanzaki's pocket.
"Hm? Yuki-san, did you mean to put this question in the general chat? It's only directed at Suzume."
"Eh? Did I put it into the chat? I thought I only sent it to Suzu-chan! Oh, no! No, no, no!"
Looking down at his phone again, Yuki saw what he feared.
White Fox: "Hey Suzu-chan, what is Mikumo-kun's rhythm?"
Honest Sister: "Hm? I'll tell you, but why do you want to know?"
Honest Sister: "Wait... Oh? Oh ho ho? Why do you honestly want to know, Yuki-san!? Please tell me! Could it be that? Could I possibly be getting some nice material right now!?"
Red Picture: "Calm down! Yuki-san is over here at the branch office and is helping out."
Honest Sister: "Are you sure? Are you honestly sure that's all there is to it?"
Red Picture: "Yeah. Probably."
Red Picture: "Maybe it's a probably."
Red Picture: "..."
Red Picture: "Yuki-san, why do you want to know!?"
"Yuki-san, why do you want to know!?"
"Konami-chan... Why did you ask that in the chat if you were going to ask me in person?"
White Fox: "Suzu-chan, I just need to know how to move is all. I am going to be helping Mikumo-kun and the other two for a bit."
Manager: "So that's where you are. Good. Now I know where to go."
Black Wolf: "Oh, yeah. Yuki, Kimura is looking for you."
Kage: "You mean she's hunting him."
Black Wolf: "I'm trying to be kid friendly."
White Fox: "Tell me about these things beforehand! Please and thank you."
Black Wolf: "No problem."
Savages, all of them.
Yuki felt that he had a better understanding of how cruel life could really be.
Honest Sister: "Thank you for this honestly wonderful material. I will make sure that some of the profits of the next issue go right to you guys. No need to honestly worry. I'm good on my word when it comes to these kinds of things."
Demon Child: "I'll take a copy of that. Are preorders fine right now?"
Mad Hatter: "Oh! I also want to preorder then! The last one with Murakami-senpai and Yuki-san got Kumagai-senpai hot and bothered when I showed it to her!"
Kuma: "Akane!"
Honest Sister: "Honestly, honestly. Sorry but preorders aren't until I start it up. But since I'm honestly in a good mood, I'll make an exception! I'll put you three down right now!"
Kuma: "That better not include me!"
"What am I even reading at this point...?" Konami asked.
It was clear that she was also trying to get a preorder copy as well.
There was no hiding the conversation happening before his eyes.
Yuki wanted to yell at them, but a message came directly to him from Suzume.
He turned from the answer he wanted to the three younger people sitting on the sofa with no clue as to what was going on.
"Mikumo-kun."
"Yes?"
"Kuga-kun."
"Hm?"
"Amatori-chan."
"Yes...?"
Yuki let out a long and tired sigh.
"Be very glad that you don't have to see these kinds of things until you're ready. By then, I'm sure you'll all be prepared to handle the reality that there truly are strange people in this world that you will never come to understand, but still call a friend."
The three on the sofa gave varying looks of confusion but said nothing on the odd comment.
Letting out another tired sigh, Yuki straightened his back and lifted his head into the air.
His attention turned back to Mikumo while also keeping an eye on both Kuga and Amatori.
"Mikumo-kun, due to a friend of mine not warning me ahead of time that I will be dragged down to the pits of hell, I only have time to help you out. It won't be much, but I will do as much as I can. Kuga-kun, Amatori-chan, I will make sure to come back and help you out later on. Is that okay?"
Kuga and Amatori nodded once more.
"Great. Now, then. Kanzaki, can I ask you to go stall Kimura for a bit? I will pay you back later on."
"Very well. I will be holding you to that."
"Thank you."
They watched as Kanzaki left the building with a vague sense of urgency.
There had not been an actual reason for her to stay and watch them, so it had been best for everyone if she left so that nothing particularly violent would come from the conversation.
.
Yuki cleared his throat as he motioned for Mikumo to stand up.
"Alright, I just need to stand there for a few seconds. Good, good. Yes. Now please show me how you stand when attacking. Hm... Karasuma-kun probably helped you out with that. Nice, nice. I can work with this."
Clapping his hands, Yuki smiled at Mikumo.
"This may be a bit odd... Sorry in advance."
Lowering himself to the floor and into a crouching position, Yuki used both of his arms to grab Mikumo by his leg.
"Oh! My bad. Does that tickle? Hm? Oh... Konami-chan, please don't send that to Suzu-chan. It will end terribly for everyone involved if you do."
"What!? But I wasn't-"
"No use lying."
Konami let out a sigh while putting her phone away.
"Thank you. Now that that's all been done... I can show you what you look like and what some possibilities are for you, Mikumo-kun."
"Possibilities for Osamu-kun?"
"Yes. I can help others with physical practice and whatnot using my Side Effect. It's rather useful for others, but troublesome for me."
"Why is that?"
"Because I have to always focus on controlling my body. If I don't then I wouldn't really be able to do anything. It's rather irritating. I'm fine with it since that's just how things work out at times. No use in complaining about it. Besides, it helps during battles, and it helps others outside of battles."
Yuki knew that there were more questions about his Side Effect, but time was running out for him.
He looked towards Konami for some help and saw her shrug her shoulders.
"I guess I should just explain my Side Effect. It makes things easier to understand." He nodded to himself while crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "My Side Effect is one that makes me physically copy any movement I see. The movement has to be humanly possible or else I end up in a mess with my limbs trying to do things that normal people can't do. That being said, this is involuntary, meaning..."
"Meaning you would have to copy everything you see from people to animals. You would not be able to get anything done since your body would automatically move to mimic what you are seeing."
"Correct. I always have to focus so that I can force my body to move the way I want it to."
"Wouldn't that force you to slow down then? Your body would be moving one way while you are forcing yourself to move a different way."
"You are very perceptive with these things. Yes. I am much slower than if I would let my body copy movements."
"Even with that stipulation you said, that it is still useful in battles and for helping others. Does that mean you copy your opponent to match them? No... That would bring a stalemate... So you use that to predict what they will do and counter accordingly?"
This boy is smart. That's not the full extent of my Side Effect, but he's already figured out the best part of the basics of it. I am glad I made this choice.
Yuki nodded to both himself and Mikumo.
"You seem to understand it well enough. A question for you now: What did I mean when I said, 'it helps others outside of battle?'"
Mikumo looked down as if expecting the answer to come from the floor.
If Kuga or Amatori knew the answer, they did not bring it up.
This had turned into a different conversation that seemed to be between Yuki and Mikumo, leaving the others as spectators.
Mikumo saw it as such and would continue moving the conversation by answering to the best of his abilities.
.
This feels more like a test than anything else. Is that why he is asking me this instead of explaining it himself?
Shaking his head, Mikumo started to think more about the question itself instead of the reason behind it.
His Side Effect forces him to copy any movement he sees. In battle, it is a good way to counter someone attacking him while also slowing him down due to it not being the way he wants to move. But how can it be used outside of battles? It seems like a major hindering Side Effect outside of battle. Unless...
What had just happened to him?
Mikumo thought back to a few seconds ago when he had been asked to stand up and move as if he was attacking or defending from an unseen opponent. During that Yuki had grabbed different parts of his body while he moved, as if to check something.
What had been the reason for doing such a thing and for making him do such a thing?
Tsukiko-senpai had said that he can show me what I look like after that had happened. Afterwards, he had started talking about his Side Effect. Wait. Does that mean...
.
Yuki smiled inwardly as he saw Mikumo come to a conclusion.
"What did I mean when I had said that, Mikumo-kun?"
"Right," Mikumo nodded.
"You can copy the movements of whoever you see, that much we established. If you can remember the movement you made, or even the movement they made... You can improve on that and tell them about it. You can help them in figuring out what they need to do to improve themselves. When you were holding parts of my body as I moved, you were feeling how much my muscles moved. So you can get a better understanding of how to help others even better when you know exactly how they are moving."
Yuki started to clap once the explanation had come out.
"Yes. Very good. I have a sort of Save feature with my Side Effect. It happens with I see a movement and when I make a movement. It is kind of like muscles memory when I am the one to make the action, but I still retain the memories of every movement I see. Although I don't always remember the circumstances behind the movement."
"I see. So that is how you help others."
"Nice job figuring that out, Mikumo-kun. No offense, but I did not expect you to get it so quickly. If at all. I don't tell many people about my Side Effect, and not that many are even able to tell what is going on at the time."
"Thank you. Although, I have to point out that I would not have figured it out if you hadn't told us about the basics beforehand."
Yuki nodded. There had been more to this conversation than just explaining himself or seeing how Mikumo thought.
Modest. That's nice. I can see why Jin found interest in him. I'm actually curious as to what will happen with him around. That being said, he isn't the only one here.
He turned to the other two on the sofa to see that they were speaking with their friend.
I can't say much about Amatori since this is our first meeting. Kuga on the other hand... He also seems like someone to keep an eye on. I'm sure things will be more fun with these three around.
"Ah... I wonder if it just seems weird for me to want to help at this point. You guys already have others looking out for you. I will probably just seem like someone trying to get in between something here. Hm... Hm... I guess I just don't belong here."
"Tsukiko-senpai? What are you muttering about?"
"Nothing, nothing. It's really nothing of importance." He shook his head to free himself from pointless thoughts. "Oh yeah. Mikumo-kun, for getting the correct answer, I will take you guys out for ice cream some time. How does that sound? It's a reward for getting a top grade in Yuki-sensei's class."
"Watch yourselves. Yuki-san can devour ice cream like a monster. You guys might end up seeing something amazing and scary at the same time."
"Konami-chan..."
Konami shrugged her shoulders as if to say she had no regrets saying that.
Yuki let it slide knowing that there was nothing he could do at this point.
"Anyways. Yes. Anyways is all I can say right now. I still need more time to properly help you out, Mikumo-kun, but I can show you what you can do right now. After that, I may have to leave since Kanzaki can buy me only a small amount of time. My apologies for that."
"It's no problem at all. I appreciate the help."
"You're a good kid. Three scoops may not be enough for you..."
"Hm?"
"Anyways."
.
Mikumo was unsure of what the older boy had been muttering under his breath, but he decided that it was unimportant if he did not say it out loud.
"Right, for the time being I'll just show you what you look like."
He watched with a good amount of focus as Yuki moved his body in a way that was far different from before.
When Yuki had been talking to him it seemed like he was being careful while also keeping an air about him that gave the impression of someone who was alert. Now he seemed to be in a sloppy position with his feet apart and his shoulders lowered to an odd point.
"How do you use your Triggers? What are they?"
"I use Raygust. With Karasuma-senpai's help, I am starting to use it with my left hand while using Gunner-type Triggers with my right."
"Raygust, huh? I'm sure SenSen would be happy to hear that. I should probably tell Kō about that as well. But that's neither here nor there."
Yuki moved his arms so that his left was out more while his right was pushed more towards the inside of his body.
"Like this?"
"Yes."
Nodding his head, Yuki continued to move.
Mikumo noticed that these movements were not ones he had done before. They were slow, but that may have just been to show them all how to move.
The movements seemed to prioritize defense over offense with his left hand moving closer to his center while also keeping a good distance from his body. His right hand moved more towards the back of his body but was outstretched enough to see it from most angles.
"Simple things like these can make a large difference when in battles. Since most of the time you will be going up against things like Marmods and Bambsters... You want to move this way and keep a good defense up. Usami-chan told me about your low trion level last time. That means this would be the best option."
"I see. So keep Raygust more forward for a sturdy defense."
"Try not to take that many hits, if you can help it. Keep up the defense until you find a nice spot to attack. Make it so that you can have enough time to defend or evade, should your attack miss. Even without being too athletic, this much should be manageable."
"Yes. I should be able to move like that. I'll practice that."
"Right. Just make sure to tell Karasuma-kun about it so that he can help you out more."
"Okay."
"Good, good. You are a good kid. Now that I've helped you with that, may I interest you in a Trigger. It is a very nice option that can help you out later on."
Mikumo could see Konami jolt from the corner of his eye.
The way Yuki had started talking was like a man trying to sell his wares at a low price so that it would not scare away any buyers.
But...
"Don't agr-!"
"Sure."
"Damn it all!"
The three on the sofa looked over at Konami, who had suddenly fallen to the floor in defeat.
There was no time for her to get up and stop them as Mikumo had said that single word.
That was when it happened.
"Well then! There is a prototype Trigger called Teleport. It is a great Trigger that, as it implies, can teleport you from one place to another. Right now it is simple with the user only having to look at where they want to go. The distance is dependent on how much trion you use, but that's fine! I can easily teach you how to bypass that kind of restriction! Something else. With help from other people, I am starting to figure out how to properly use it and take it out of its prototype stage. That means! Yes! That means that if you agree to add it into one of your Trigger slots I can help you out and guarantee that you will be the first to hear when it enters the stage of a real Trigger!"
There it was.
The reason for Konami's rejection of his words.
"U-uh..."
"This is why you don't get this guy started on this kind of thing! He will go on and on about Teleport until his tongue falls off, along with our ears!"
"What are you talking about? I don't go on about it. I am just telling them about something every person has wanted to do once: teleport. I don't see what's wrong with that at all."
"The way you just explained all that was like a salesman! You were trying to get them to buy something without any of us noticing! That's exactly what it sounded like!"
Mikumo looked over at his two teammates to see what their reactions would be and found that they were just as confused as he was.
Once again, the words that had come out were understandable ones that anyone could decode. The issue had been the way they were said and the speed they were said at. They had quickly gotten lost in between the sentences that seemed to go right into the next without any issues.
"Uh... Tsukiko-senpai..."
"Yes?"
"I think I am fine for now. I will stick to the basic things until I get better. That way I can at least fight well enough regularly."
"Hm... Alright. That makes sense."
Mikumo let out a sigh.
"Just let me know if you ever want to learn how to use Teleport. I'll be happy to help. That goes for you two as well. All you need to do is-"
It was either a miracle or a coincidence that a loud banging could be heard from the front door.
"Alright! Someone open up! I know he's in here!"
.
The whole room froze as the repeated sounds of a door being hit were heard.
The voice yelling at them all was of a girl who was around their age, if not a bit older. It sounded like a manager who had just gotten word that their star had just left for an idiotic reason and left everyone else unaware as to what they were doing.
Yuki recognized the voice and started to make his way towards the nearby window.
In a hushed tone he said, "Don't tell her anything. Please! I'm going to be going now. In fact, I will be using Teleport to-"
"Kimura, he's trying to escape through the window! Make sure to catch him!"
"Konami-chan! Why!?"
"Because you're getting to be annoying with all that talk about Teleport."
He let out a small groan while opening the window even more.
"Don't think you can get away!"
Giving one final salute, Yuki jumped out if the window and into the air.
There was a strange sound that followed his leap and his figure could be seen falling a bit away from the building. The sight of a girl running after him could also be seen from where they all were.
"Um..."
"Just forget you saw anything. It's better that way."
"But..."
"Just forget it. It's better."
The three who had been sitting on the sofa only a few seconds ago decided that it truly was for the best that they forgot that they ever saw their upperclassman just escape like some sort of wanted criminal.
Crap... I overdid it today...
Yuki looked down at his hand to see the color red over his pale skin.
He had managed to get away from Kimura and make it safely back to his home. Upon opening the door he had quickly fallen to his knees and started coughing into his hand.
The coughing started to grow harsh after a few seconds. It was no longer just saliva that came out but blood as well. That was enough for him to close the door as fast as he could so that no one would be able to see or hear him on the floor.
Once it had subsided a bit, he leaned his back against the door and looked up towards the small table by his front door. A small time of pills lay there, just within arm's reach.
Even knowing that the taste was disgusting to him, Yuki opened the small tube and took out some pills. He threw them into his mouth before swallowing them.
"I impress myself at times. I didn't think I would...actually make through the visit without coughing. Kuga looked like he noticed what was wrong... Amatori and Konami didn't seem to notice. Mikumo may have been busy trying to listen to me...but he also looked like he knew something was wrong..."
Yuki let out a sigh while looking up at the ceiling.
A smile appeared on his face as he wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Those three really will be interesting to watch. With Enlistment Day coming up... I should tell those three to observe them. I'm sure it'll do them some good to have those kinds of people around. It would give me some time to think about their future..."
He started to gather strength in his legs while using his arms to lift him up. Once he was up and stable, he walked towards his room with the intent to sleep his pain away.
Yeah. Things will definitely be interesting from now on.