"That Chika-chan is honestly amazing. I'm just sad you called me over when things were looking like they would be getting good."
A female voice spilled out into the open area of Border.
"But if you are the one calling me over, that means you also saw something amazing when doing what Captain asked of us."
The area was a lounge filled with tables and planters. Other agents were gathered together to speak with each other or the going ons within the base. Each spot was either a table with regular chairs, a booth, or a mix between the two.
It was an area currently filled with a lot of people who whispered amongst themselves as well.
A boisterous girl walked through the area with a rhythmic sway to her body.
She was the one who had started speaking,
She wore a stylish outfit instead of her squad uniform.
"Yeah, Suzume-senpai. I wouldn't want to be around either one of you two otherwise."
Misaki Suzumebachi was accompanied by someone in a gray uniform with a scarf wrapped multiple times around his neck.
The boy walked silently next to her and her clicking shoes. His gray haired was worn down and covered a majority of his face along with the scarf. He opened his phone as he spoke.
"I had met up with Lukas by accident when I first got here and was asked to look out for someone. Hatohara Squad is apparently going to get a new member added to them."
"Oh? I'll make sure to ask Lu-kun about that later on."
But...
"That's not all there is to it, right? You honestly saw something else. Could it have something to do with all of the whispering around?"
"That's right. These people are terrible at keeping their voices down, so there's no hiding it. While it isn't like what it sounds, some of what they are saying is true. Although the rest is nothing but stupid gossip gone out of control. Don't pay that much attention."
"Heh heh. If I bothered to care about what others said then I would not be able to use my pen name or stage name ever again." She flipped her hair and looked around the area. "So what happened? You honestly don't have a reason to lie to me, and you were there so it won't just be gossip."
"From the new recruits, I can say that Tamakoma has definitely gone up in ability."
Suzume sighed at Takeshi's response.
Of course they have. I am the one who honestly fought Yūma-kun, so I know that already, she thought while changing the tempo of her swaying.
There was no one around who could enjoy the small performance she was giving but it was important to keep to herself. After all, she had always been more aware of those around her than her younger teammates. That said...
"Since I know you fairly well, let me ask you this: what was the situation concerning people who were not recruits?"
.
"I'm holding back from telling you because I understand. Saying something now would mean being overheard."
"I see."
They both looked around the area filled with whispers. Several groups were gathered and the whispers only continued to grow.
"These whispers are honestly getting annoying though...but I guess you don't care for them. I mean, you always see things-..."
"There's no point in telling me when I'm wrong when I already know that," said Takeshi. "Also, I just don't see why I should care about people who don't catch my attention."
"That means the whispers involve someone who has caught your interest."
Suzume changed the pitch of her voice, but that may have just been to divert the whispers away from them. Also...
"Are you sure it's them and not what they had done that caught your interest. Don't honestly mistake one thing for another without knowing."
"I already know that. But there was more than just me there. It's just..."
"Are you more interested than you thought you would be?"
"No. I most definitely am not."
"That was an awfully quick and decisive no."
Takeshi fell silent at that. And Suzume said more to him.
"So are you sure about what you said? Why not honestly wait until you've seen everything?"
A message appeared on Takeshi's phone. "The mutt," said Takeshi and Suzume gave a laugh.
Werewolf: "Hey, Shun just messaged me. He's going to do something annoying. Deal with it if you happen to be nearby, okay? And I don't want any complaints since you still owe me one."
"I'm guessing he's honestly talking about that."
Suzume pointed to the distance as Takeshi glared in the direction.
"What the hell is he doing?"
The whispering had been oppressing, but correcting any of them had been difficult since there was no chance to do so.
That had been why Mikumo found himself only being able to sit at a table with his drink in his hands.
At some point a kid had walked up to him, speaking to him rather casually. His white uniform was different from the ones he had seen the new recruits wore, a clear sign that he was at least a B-Rank.
As for what he was saying...
"That emblem. Tamakoma, right? Are you from there?"
"Huh? Oh... Yeah. I enlisted at HQ first, but I transferred to Tamakoma."
"Transfer...? Why? How'd you transfer?"
"There were a lot of factors. But a guy at Tamakoma called-"
"Back off, you damn mutt."
A familiar voice came from the side, catching both his attention as well as the clear ire of the boy in front of him.
Kotowari was walking towards them with his smiling teammate waving behind him.
"I'm not a mutt, so don't call me that."
"You're right. A mutt can at least listen once in a while. I need to go directly to your squad just to make sure you don't go annoying others. Guess I was too late this time around."
"I was only asking him some things. I wasn't doing anything wrong."
"A message from our own mutt says otherwise. Now scram, before I toss you out like an actual mutt."
The conversation, while very hostile, did confirm to him that the boy was at least a B-Rank agent from the way Kotowari was talking to him.
Even so...
I didn't think Kotowari could talk like that to someone. He must really not like this kid if he's visibly glaring at him like that.
Getting in the middle of it would likely send that glare in his direction.
Misaki seemed to only think it was a nice show though, so it might not have been as bad as it seemed.
So he made a simple decision.
"It's fine, Kotowari. He was only asking me about transferring and whatnot. I wasn't getting annoyed or anything."
"That's not the issue here..."
The sigh that followed was a bit disconcerting, but Kotowari seemed to back down.
The smug look from the kid in front of him and the interested glance Misaki had sent his way was also something he was trying to consider, but his thoughts were interrupted by the kid once more.
"Right, I just wanted to know about that sort of stuff. And if he wanted to have a solo match with me."
"You-"
"We can use the booths over there. We just have to make sure not to take any points from the trainees," the kid said, cutting off Kotowari before he could say anything else.
.
"You damn mutt... Mikumo, just reject him. This isn't the same as last time. This brat is only messing with you."
Takeshi just about went on the offense at Midorikawa's words.
No matter how much he played up his innocent act, there was still a clear want to just mess around with those around him.
It's why he gets along so well with Toby. The both of them go at their own pace and expect others to follow without any problems.
But that was why it was so easy to point it out.
This was not like Kazama, who had wanted to test Mikumo due to his own experience.
Midorikawa just wanted to put him down.
"That's not up to you. I'm asking him, not you. So just back off already."
"Heh heh. He's honestly got you there, Take. Butting into a conversation like that is only putting things against you. If you want to make a change here then you need to change your approach to it. Of course I'll just be honestly watching from the side. This sort of thing is perfect material for me to use. So please, continue until you have filled up the meter right to the top. I'll make sure to compensate each of you properly."
Leave it to the craziest one there to move the conversation to her advantage.
Still...
She has a point.
There was no winning when he would only be playing the part of a whining child.
All he could do was change tactics here.
"Fine. But fight me first then, Midorikawa."
"Don't want to."
The immediate response only hurt more by the fact the boy did not even turn to him.
"You're nothing special, Takeshi. Compared to the rest of your squad, you're really not much of a challenge. At least with Toby and Misaki-senpai I know that I have a chance to lose."
"—!"
.
Suzume stabbed her hand through the space just behind her teammate.
Without much thought she had turned on her Trigger and wrapped her finger with a Scorpion blade and stabbed the air.
Green light had started to gather behind his head in the form of a sphere.
He turned back towards her with dull eyes, but she only gave a "heh heh" in response to his ire.
Don't start doing stupid things here without thinking of the consequences. You will honestly get Captain in trouble. Next time I'll go for your head instead of your Trigger. Be happy that I'm so nice this time, since I won't be next time.
The message had gotten through her eyes as Takeshi had lowered his shoulders and no more trion formed in the air around him.
"Anyways. Shun-kun, just have a fight with Take once you're done with Mikumo-kun. I'll honestly make sure the next one isn't an R18 one. Deal?"
"Deal!"
She gave another laugh at the immediate answer.
Colors: "Don't you already refuse to make R18 doujinshi for people younger than yourself?"
Honest Sister: "Heh heh. He doesn't need to know that, now does he?"
"I can't believe you took as long as you did."
"I already said I was sorry."
Yuki and Mei were quickly walking through the Border HQ while still greeting other agents around them.
With their teammates doing what they had asked the day prior the two had taken the chance to train a bit with each other. The time they had spent had been used rather quickly with only Mei noticing how long they had been taking up with it.
That had been enough for them to leave so that their teammates could not get into trouble with others.
But that had been ruined once Yuki had started another coughing fit that took a long while to put to rest.
Now that they could actually get to their destination, they found themselves standing before a strange sight.
"What...are you doing?"
The boy in front of them stood up from the ground with a start.
His black hair swayed a bit as he turned to them with a grin in place.
Yuki had to hold Mei back from moving forward to punch him in the face.
"Me~? I was just checking the area out to see if I can do this or that."
"And why would you need to do that exactly?"
"Where's the fun in telling you that? Rather, what do I get out of it?"
"Misó if you don't tell us right now-"
"What? You'll punch me, Rampage Dress?"
Yuki's grip had loosened for a moment before coming back even stronger than before.
The sheer dread coming from Mei was enough to clear the area out of any remaining people.
The only ones that were left were the three of them.
"Hah. I guess I can tell you though. It's not like I'll be seeing either one of you for a while anyways."
"What do you-"
"Do you want me to tell you or not? If so, shut up for a bit before I decide to do something unspeakable to you."
The boy was only making it harder to hold Mei back.
It was something Yuki did not appreciate.
Even so, he complied and stopped speaking for the moment.
"I'm comparing this place to my own home, and what we have. I'm going to be going back soon, so I just want to make these sorts of mental comparisons. Besides that, nothing else. I've gotten a lot of information during my time here, so I can't really complain about anything."
"You do realize what Border will do when you are ready to leave, right? What with all of that information you gathered."
It was unnerving how easily Misó could shrug that off without any issue.
"I know. I'm prepared for that, so I can at least dwell in my own fantasy for the time being. Besides, I want to get so much done before I have to leave. Like mess around with my adorable captain-"
There was no longer a reason to hold Mei back.
Rather, Mei did not need to move as Yuki rushed forward to land a punch on the other boy's face before he could say any more.
From behind him, Mei only sighed before glaring down at Misó.
And his response to it all?
"Ah~ That was great~! But nowhere near what it would have been a year ago~ You really have gone down in value, haven't you? You use to be so strong, but now you rely on pathetic tactics instead of your brute force. Never would have expected a Taiyōko to be this weak. Pretty sure even your little sis-"
A second hit.
This time it was Mei who held Yuki back from moving forward.
The look of pure ecstasy on Misó's face was disgusting, but there would have been not way to win against him from the start.
That was just how things were.
So...
"If you are going to be leaving, do it quickly. We are all tired of you being here."
"Oh? But you'll stand having Kushikage around? That's news to me. I thought after she destroyed you last time that you would want nothing to do with her."
"Yuki, we are leaving. Now."
Even as Misó continued to speak out from his spot on the floor, the duo did nothing but walk away.
.
"Mei... Sorry."
"If you have something to apologize for then I am the one at fault."
"That's not how things work with us."
"Then try and go against my word."
That was an impossibility at this point.
It was bad.
Suzume found it embarrassing to just watch what was going on.
The amount of losses that were beginning to pile up at such a rapid rate was not what she had expected when making the choice to support Midorikawa over her own teammate.
"Um... Take?"
"Don't talk to me."
"But..."
"This is why I didn't want that damn mutt to fight him."
"Alright, I see it now."
"You owe Mikumo for this, by the way."
"Like hell I do! ...Is what I would say. But this is just bad."
Compared to his soon-to-be teammates, Mikumo was under what the average agent could do.
She had seen just what Amatori could do firsthand, and there had been talk about Kuga's abilities from other new C-Rank agents. Both of them showed off more than anyone could have expected, and yet, before her eyes, the final member was underperforming in a way that even she felt embarrassed.
I honestly didn't think it would be this bad. I thought that he would at least put up some fight against Shun-kun. Maybe I got too used to Toby fighting him and have started expecting too much from people.
Regardless of her standards, it was clear that the rumors had certainly exaggerated what Mikumo could be capable of.
Knowing that, she turned to Takeshi instead of watching what was happening.
"This is what I was going to explain earlier. Mikumo is terrible at fighting, but forward fighting isn't what caught my interest. If it was, our mutt would have me actually wanting to hang around him."
That's fair, she thought. Only having great fighting capabilities had never been what Takeshi found interest in.
"Against idiots who are like that, he can't do much. It would have been better to set that mutt straight before starting anything, but a certain someone decided to go along with him. Now we have to deal with this crap."
"Right, right. Sorry, sorry. Look, when you honestly see a monster like Chika-chan you tend to want to see what the one in charge can do. I would believe what you had to tell me, but I would still want to see for myself. Remember that I've only seen his Rhythm in a casual setting, so I don't honestly know what he's like in a battle."
"Are you satisfied now?"
It was a pointless question at this point.
"Oh ho? Is Take-chan getting mad at Suzume? That's rare."
.
Takeshi could only click his tongue as his irritation continued to grow with the passing seconds.
First it had been the whispers, then it had been Midorikawa, and now...
"Yeah, I messed up here and Take's honestly mad at me. But nothing to worry about, Yoneya."
Yoneya waved off Suzume's words as he walked forward with Yōtarō and Kuga.
The sound of Midorikawa had soon followed to overlap with the new set of whispering going on around them.
"Thanks for showing me what you can do. You can leave now, Megane."
"Are you the one who attracted all of the spectators?"
Kuga had started before any of them could do so.
"No. They probably heard how he tied with Kazama-san. I didn't do anything."
Takeshi lifted his scarf with his own glare.
Next to him, Suzume's "heh heh" could be heard, but he chose to ignore that in favor of stepping up.
"You tell the stupidest lies."
"—!?"
"Fight me, Midorikawa. If you win, I'll give you all of my points. All 1,508 of them."
"Heh heh. Don't get ahead of yourself, Yūma. You came here after the fact, so get in line and patiently wait your turn. Oh, but don't think I'm doing this for either one of you. I've decided that this is how I will say sorry to both my foolish teammate as well as Osamu-kun."
Suzume gave a slight glance back as he moved forward.
Her steps had been relatively quiet, so neither Kuga nor Midorikawa had initially reacted to them.
But now that she was standing between the two of them they could do nothing more than look to her.
"Were you planning on fighting him, Suzume-senpai? Sorry, but can I cut ahead of you then?"
"Don't be foolish, Yūma. If I wanted to play around with a dog then I would honestly go to our own dog. But, you see," she said, pulling Takeshi over by the arm. "This guy is always in a bad position with Midorikawa, and he's taken a liking to Osamu-kun, so it's only right that he fights first. Besides, he was already planning on doing that before you even came along. So he had a right to go first. Does that sound fair?"
"Hm... Yeah. That sounds fair."
"Suzume-senpai, let go of my arm. I've calmed down some, so you don't need to hold me like this."
She gave another laugh.
But he was thankful to her for doing this.
I probably would have tried to fire again here if she didn't get involved. She's normally annoying when she butts in like that, but she does have her moments.
She had read the situation and taken measures to make sure that none of them did anything rash.
And now he could go in with a bit more of a calm attitude.
.
Honestly, you can't trust Misaki-senpai to hold things down for you unless you give her material.
Midorikawa had been cautious when she had helped him out earlier, but now he understood that she had only been going off of a whim to have some fun. And now that she had set things back up to where he would fight her teammate it meant that the small boy in front of him had a chance to understand how he fought.
She's using Takeshi so that I can be put at a disadvantage. But...
Jumping from the railing he had been leaning on, Midorikawa stared down at the white haired boy standing in front of him.
The height difference had been clear from the start, but now he could clearly see how much taller he was to the other boy.
"I'm fine with beating down Takeshi, but what about you? What do you want if you win? 3,000 points? 5,000?"
"I don't want any points. But if I win... You need to start showing more respect."
There it was again.
The boy in front of him gave an intense feeling when he had called Midorikawa out before, and now he was doing it again.
This guy is older than me? He's shorter, so I thought otherwise.
"Fine. If I lose to you then I'll call you 'senpai'."
"Not me."
What?
Then who...?
"You'll treat my captain with respect."
"Heh heh. What a good boy he is. I have no more complaints about him."
Of course someone who favorites their own captain would say that.
It was no question why the members of Tsukiko Squad would like someone who defended their captain with so much vigor.
But it seemed those words had added more than they should have as the white haired boy gave an "Oh" before turning back to him.
"I also want to add in Takeshi in with that."
"...Don't push your luck, Kuga. This guy isn't-"
"Sure."
Midorikawa knew that it would only end in trouble if he were to deny that.
The odds of Takeshi winning were low, and this new C-Rank was likely in the same situation, but the Shooter's teammates would not have left him alone if he did not at least agree to that much. Getting on their bad sides was not an idea he would want to entertain.
Well it's not like I'm going to lose anyway.
"Right. So let's get started then, Takeshi."