Border's #3 A-Rank!?
Mikumo only looked down at the vertically challenged boy.
The murmurs around him were drowned out by two things.
The first had been his own thoughts.
And the second...
"Kazama-san wants to fight who...!?"
"This guy is..."
"What are you saying so suddenly, Kazama-san? Is this another order by Commander Kido?"
"He's a regular member, isn't he? It's not a problem if he has a mock battle with me, right?"
Others around him were speaking with more urgency that it made the murmurs less impactful.
But the one who had the most impactful words was the one looking directly at him.
"Get in the training room, Mikumo. I want you to show me what you are really worth."
He was not glaring, but the intense stare Kazama was giving had been unnerving from the start.
Why does someone with his status want to fight me instead of Kuga? Is Jin-san involved in this in some way...?
"You don't need to accept if you don't want to, Mikumo-kun."
"You can't force him into a fight. If he denies it, that will be that."
He was brought back to everyone else with Arashiyama and Karasuma's words.
He's an A-Rank member... Think rationally, he's obviously not an opponent I can fight against as I am now. In the first place, I only managed to become B-Rank because I benefited from the "leftovers" of what Kuga did. I didn't myself.
And yet...
He's someone I will need to fight in order to get chosen for an away mission. It's better for me to know his strength.
So.
"I accept."
He did not back down.
"Let's do this."
.
Takeshi fixed his scarf from his spot next to Kitora.
The two of them had been watching the interaction from the railing. Even now, it was clear what Kitora was thinking, so instead of talking to her, he looked around to those murmuring around them all.
"What!?"
"A fight between regular members!?"
"We get to see something like that here!?"
"Hey, hey, is someone ready to record!?"
The sound of clapping hands brought all of their attention away from the stairs.
"Alright, alright. All the people who are done are to rest in the lounge."
Tokidea had already begun ushering everyone out of the hall.
One person in particular had been noticeably slow in their movements and were falling behind everyone else.
"..."
Letting out a sigh into his scarf, Takeshi lowered the fabric so that he could be heard as he moved towards the stairs.
Torimaru-senpai must be more preoccupied with Mikumo. I guess I'll help out a bit here. As a favor for Lukas and Hatohara Squad.
"Tokieda-senpai, I'll have Takahashi stay with me. Is that fine?"
"Of course."
Sometimes it was good to have good upperclassmen.
Making his way down the steps, Takeshi looked over to Takahashi with a dull expression while he received a cautious and curious look in return. It was fair to be wary of someone you did not know helping you for seemingly no reason.
So while Mikumo began to move towards the training area, he took a seat and gestured to the spot next to him. With his isle seat he only had the stairs between himself and Karasuma.
"Looks like Mikumo's ready to go."
"Why did you help me...?"
"Huh? Torimaru-senpai, can you tell him the answer?"
"Sorry Take, you're the one who decided on this one."
Well that was annoying.
It had just been on a whim, but now it felt more like trouble he did not want.
"Hah. I only made sure you remained here because of Lukas, and the connection you apparently have with Tamakoma. Think nothing of it. Actually, I would prefer that you think it was Torimaru-senpai's idea instead of mine. It would put less of a burden on me."
"Not many people like you, do they?"
"I prefer it that way. The more people who like me would have their mentality put into question."
"Does that include me, Take?"
Of course not. After all...
"You're part of the Tamakoma Branch, Torimaru-senpai. Any mental issues you have were already accepted the moment you went over there."
Suwa watched everything play out through the monitors with an unlit cigarette in his mouth.
It had already been something to see some of the new recruits make it under a minute, but then the white haired kid had shown off something he had not seen before. A complete victory under even a second.
That should have been the most exciting thing they should have seen, but it seemed that someone wanted to outdo even that.
"Kazama's picking on a B-Rank? That's weird."
Quik-Fix: "Eh!? That midget is picking on someone!? Are they taller than him? Wait, what am I saying? Of course they are! So he wants to pick on them because they're taller than him? That makes sense. Hey, smoking yankee, tell that guy there's no need to get so mad about his height! At least he can keep buying child tickets when using public transportation! He just won't be tall enough to ride on some rides!"
"Tsutsumi, did you bring this guy in here?"
"Wasn't he working with Suzaku to make sure all the electronics were working properly today?"
Quik-Fix: "Yup! I know what's going on! I can even see what's happening right now. I can even see that midget getting ready to fight. Then again, all he would need to do is kick the kid's knees out. Remember folks: glasses are always the main body. The human body is always a decoy!"
"Is that why you're such an idiot? Because both of your bodies are completely broken?"
At times it came far too natural to retort with the first harsh thing that came to mind.
A lot of Border members had already taken the part of tsukkomi while only a small portion had become the bokes.
Guess I should be glad we have one of the better bokes. Can't compare to Hikigane's, but he's fine enough. Although I'm pretty sure this has extended to Mikado City as a whole instead of just Border at this point.
It was probably something to worry about, but not for him.
"Ignoring that guy. I wonder if this has anything to do with the white haired kid too."
Alongside that, the fact that Tsukiko Squad's Shooter and one of the new recruits had stayed behind to watch as well was something to note.
But for now...
"Begin the mock battle."
The first action went to Mikumo. He held Raygust in front of himself while creating a cube of trion in his other hand.
The second action was made by Kazama.
"I see. You use Raygust as a shield. You're a defensive Shooter."
His body began to fade out of existence right before Mikumo's eyes.
It was different from the way the Tsukiko Squad Captain had used Teleport.
With Teleport, the user would seem to flutter out of existence before reappearing again. Along with that came a noise that was then followed by the air filling in the new blank space. Everything happened in order to clear the activation of the Trigger and allow for instant transportation.
But this was different.
Kazama's body was beginning to fade away instead of flutter out. It felt more like someone was covering his body up with an image of what was already behind him. There was no noise and the air remained motionless, not at all seeming to fill in a blank space.
Once his entire body had disappeared from sight, Mikumo could only stare in shock.
But it only lasted for 5 seconds.
By the time the sixth second came...
"—!?"
His body had been pierced.
It was the first win for Kazama.
"Get up, Mikumo. We're still warming up."
Karasuma watched as Osamu did just that.
Once the second fight began...
"—!"
He lost again.
The third one was a loss.
The fourth and fifth one were also losses.
"A Trigger that turns you invisible. Border has some interesting Triggers."
"It's more than just that. The Triggers are all well and good, but you saw firsthand how even simple ones can be used."
"Konami-senpai had her own specialized Trigger, but Suzume-senpai used a standardized one, right?"
"That's right. Despite her use of Lightning and Scorpion, she is actually a tank. Her use of Shield is nothing to overlook."
"Be glad you didn't have to see that, Kuga," Takeshi said from the other side of the stairs.
From next to him, Maki looked down with furrowed brows.
Even with his own training, there were things that neither he nor Yūma knew about Border and the Triggers they had.
What they were seeing was proof of that.
"The one Kazama-san's using is Chameleon. It consumes trion to camouflage the user's body into the surrounding area."
"Hm... I wonder how I would use it."
"It's annoying to fight against if you aren't prepared for it. It's even worse for someone as weak as Mikumo."
"That's-"
Karasuma looked past Takeshi to shake his head at Maki.
There was still too much of a gap in what he knew about the Tsukiko Squad Shooter, so it was best to stop him before he said anything that would start something else.
"But what makes it worse is that it's Kazama-san he's fighting. That guy and the rest of his squad are known for their usage of Chameleon. So basically, the worst person to fight who uses that."
"Then how do you and Torimaru deal with it?"
It must have been embarrassing to talk about since Takeshi lifted his scarf to hide his expression.
Karasuma wanted to tell Maki about what he would do, but there was something else that required his attention.
How will you deal with this, Osamu?
Chameleon, while being powerful, was not something that was unbeatable.
He had witnessed its faults with his own eyes before.
All that mattered was how to counter it and then follow up with another attack.
There has to be something to do here. An invisible Trigger isn't invincible. That much I know. If it was then everyone would be using it. But they don't...
A lot of them used blades while others used guns or just bullets. Then there were Snipers, ones who would seem to benefit the most from them.
And then there are people like Tsukiko-senpai. Fanatics who favorite one Trigger over the others, even if it would seem to be weaker. And from what he had said, there are a few weaknesses to even a Trigger as powerful as Teleport.
So...
There has to be weaknesses to this Trigger as well.
Kazama-senpai reappears the moment he attacks. So maybe... Can he not use other Triggers while using this one?
If so, it gave him more options.
One of those was...
"Asteroid!"
He's weakest while invisible!
The trion bullets flew in multiple directions after being fired.
Each one of them made contact with the surrounding walls.
But there was still one thing missing.
None of them hit!?
There was no leaking trion in the air.
"I'm already aware of those kinds of tricks."
This time it was a slash that cut through his neck that took him out.
Kazama moved back to where he had originally started, not bothering to look back.
He has way more experience than I do! How do I get past his invisibility!? I need to think harder here!
Maki was watching the disastrous goings on from his seat.
...He's almost there, but this is even worse when you're looking from the outside.
He was next to the Tsukiko Squad Shooter. Next to the other boy were the stairs, and beyond that were Karasuma and Yūma, who continued watching as well. Meanwhile, steps could be heard coming down from behind.
On the Tsukiko Squad Shooter's vouching, he was allowed to witness these fights alongside all of them.
But what he was seeing right now was actually a bit painful to watch.
"Karasuma-senpai, please put a stop to this. This is pretty hard to watch."
Kitora had decided to come down and now stood facing Karasuma on the stairs.
"It's too soon for Mikumo-kun to be fighting an A-Rank agent. He doesn't stand a chance."
"You're worried about him?"
"Th-that's not what I mean at all!"
A blunt observation into a denial. From what others had told him before, that kind of response would only lead to becoming a target.
Of what? He had yet to find that out.
"Osamu doesn't think he can win either. He's gaining experience for the future."
"Those kinds of thoughts are just something someone says when they don't try to win. You can't learn to win unless you're fighting to win from the start."
"Oh?"
"That was pretty profound."
"N-not really..."
"Oh, Toby thought so too. Actually he's wondering if it's really you or not. Do you want to repeat that for him?"
"N-no! Not to him! Actually, can you tell him to stop harassing me with those kinds of comments?"
Was this what it meant to be a target?
"He replied."
"What did he say?"
"'Tell Ai - if that's really her - that it's not harassment if she gives a comeback without any thought.' He kind of has a point. Then again, you two are pretty close, so it should be fine."
It was telling how hard those words hit by the way Kitora hung her head.
The sigh and shake of a head from next to him was enough to keep him from saying anything about it though.
"Anyways. It's up to those two to decide when to end this."
"It looks like it's over now though."
Maki looked back down to see Osamu on the ground while Kazama put away his blade.
And...
"I've had enough. This is just a waste of time now."
"Thank you...for this..."
Even as he thanked Kazama, it was clear that Osamu had his own harsh thoughts about his own losses.
Beyond him, it was also clear by the disappointed expression Kazama wore that his own thoughts were not particularly good.
And after taking a breath...
"It looks like I had too many expectations from 'Jin's kōhai'. I can't believe he turned over his Black Trigger for this."
Wait.
What did he just say?
"That guy..."
Next to him, the Tsukiko Squad Shooter narrowed his eyes while fixing his scarf. The words were muffled, but they were loud enough to hear.
It seemed that what Kazama had said really was something important.
Even Osamu had noticed it.
"He turned over his Black Trigger...!?"
"You didn't know?"
Mikumo got to his knees as Kazama continued to speak.
"In order for 'that person' to be enlisted into the base, Jin offered his own Black Trigger to us. He did it all so that your squad could participate in Rank Battles. But I can't understand why he would."
The Black Trigger that had been his teacher.
Jin had done something like that for them and here he was, showing just how much that exchange had been worth.
For us...Jin-san turned over his Black Trigger...?
If that was the case, there was nothing else he could do.
He had already lost so many times and made the difference in that exchange apparently, but...
"Kazama-senpai. I'm sorry."
That could not be left like that.
"I'd like to go one more round. Please!"
.
Kazama had decided to turn around after hearing his name.
The way it was said had been different from the other times.
This time he could hear resolution in that tone.
"Oh?"
He did not expect that to be the answer the B-Rank would come up with after his words.
That wasn't the answer most people would come to. They would just take their losses and leave things as they were. It doesn't look like he's ready to do that just yet.
So.
"Alright. Let's go once more then."
"That kid wants to go another round? He should have just given up and fell back. I'd rather see what the white haired kid can do."
Tsutsumi smiled even while his captain berated the glasses-boy that had already accumulated multiple losses. In a way, it reminded him of their third teammates. Someone who would lost a lot, but never gave up for his own reasons.
Each one had been difficult to watch with only a handful of them showing that he could at least think during a fight.
Other than that, it was like Suwa had said.
But there was also something else.
Something that Suwa must have decided was not worth watching.
"You say that, but... There's something different about him now."
The feeling the glasses-boy gave was not like before and that was enough for him.
Mikumo held Raygust in front of himself for a moment before starting to pull back his head and turning the shield slightly. With his other arm he held out his open palm in preparation for the last fight.
Tsukiko-senpai said that was for a more defensive style, so if I just alter it a bit, I can get to where I want to be.
There was a strange feeling that came with moving Raygust in this way, but he pushed that down to focus back on his opponent.
His attacks had yet to reach Kazama, even after 20 matches already. Losing that many to an A-Rank was to be expected.
But...
Jin-san showed himself to headquarters and handed over his Black Trigger. Having heard something like this about Jin-san... I'm not going to oversell myself, but in this last match, I'll definitely hit him!
I only have to focus towards that one goal.
Narrow down my thoughts and remember what I was taught by Karasuma-senpai.
There had been a lot to consider when deciding to become a Shooter over a Gunner. The differences were there, and each one of them had their own merits and demerits. Ultimately, he had decided on this position based off of what his mentor had told him.
So that would be what he had to work with.
I know how to get around his invisibility, but the problem comes before that... What should I do in order for my attack to land on Kazama-senpai? I need to check over what I have.
Asteroid, which is meant for shooting. The power, speed, and range can be adjusted.
Shield, that is for defense. Decreasing the range of it strengthens the durability.
Raygust, a close-range option to use. A part of the blade can be transformed, and can be used for defense if changed modes.
Thruster, something exclusive to Raygust. An acceleration of the blade when you want to strike.
I have 4 weapons and using the 4 of them, I'll land a hit on him...!
.
Mystery Smoker: "Last round, start!"
There was no holding back this time and there were no words exchanged beforehand. The only thing that happened were actions.
Kazama's body began to fade out once more as he moved backwards.
This had been all that he needed during the other fights that had happened before this one.
Attacking the most vital spots without being seen had been easy enough before. Even when he had been attacked while using Chameleon, it had not mattered. There had not been a single time he had been hit.
The reaction time of Mikumo was too slow to keep up with his speed or his invisibility.
So.
"—!"
The space began to fill up.
From the single cube of trion in Mikumo's hand, small specks of trion began to filter into the enclosed space of the training room.
Each one was slow, but they had begun to fill up the space at a rapid rate, leaving no room to move to either side of Mikumo for an attack.
There would be no way of properly using Chameleon here.
But...
"—"
Chameleon was not the only option in this fight.
Kazama created two trion blades in his hands.
He moved both arms in rapid movements, cutting through the small specks of trion. The feedback from hitting them was enough to inform him of their power scaling.
And yet he still moved forward.
Mikumo responded to the oncoming attack by lifting Raygust a bit higher as his arm moved closer to his back.
With the entire space in front of him now filled up, he prepared his next action.
Compared to Kazama's moving body, his actions were slow.
For the moment at least.
"Thruster on!"
With Raygust's formed changed to that of a shield, he pushed forward with increasing speed.
Thruster pulled him forward as it increased with the push from his feet off of the ground.
"Shield!"
With a solid noise, Kazama's back hit something other than the wall of the training room.
A concentrated shield had appeared behind him, keeping him from moving to either side.
"...!"
So instead of moving to the sides, he moved his arm forward.
"—!?"
But it never made contact with Mikumo's body.
The Scorpion blade he used collided with the Raygust that had been changed to create a dome around him.
A hole opened within the dome directly in front of his face.
"Asteroid!"
The cube of trion Mikumo had before attacking had reappeared in his hand.
This time it was too close to dodge.
So...
Maki saw the attack be launched through the hole in the Raygust dome.
The bright flash of light had overtaken the area where Kazama and Osamu had been standing, so it was hard to see what had happened.
"It's over," Yūma said from next to Karasuma.
Besides him, the others around him also seemed surprised by the sudden rush and attack. But they all seemed to agree that there was nothing left for this fight.
And when he looked back over...
[Relay system severed. Mikumo down.]
A blade was sticking out from Osamu's neck.
"That was pretty close there."
"..."
"Take?"
"It's nothing. Right, Kuga?"
Maki did not need to turn his head to know that Yūma was nodding his head.
All he needed to do was look down and see...
[Severe trion loss. Kazama down.]
One of Kazama's arms lay on the ground next to him. His entire left side was blown apart.
The shocked look Osamu wore was enough to tell him that he had also expected another loss for him as well.
But that was not the case.
That really just happened...
Kazama's body, along with the hole in Osamu's neck, began to reform as the final score was given.
"Out of 25 fights..."
"He got a single draw."
Hearing the clear tone in the Tsukiko Squad Shooter's voice, Maki looked over to see both him and Karasuma standing up.
While the older of the two was followed by Kitora and Yūma down the stairs, the younger one made his way up the stairs.
"Huh? Aren't you going to talk to Osamu-kun too?"
"No. I was only asked to see how things went. Other than that, I have nothing to do here. Oh, but feel free to use my name to stay here as long as you want."
"Right..."
With nothing more for him to say, the Tsukiko Squad Shooter continued to go up the stairs, only turning to give a slight glare to the two boys on the far end of the railing.
Is he just antisocial or just doesn't like to be around crowds?