"Um... Mei, you do know that I can walk on my own...right?"

"Yes. And your point is?"

"I would like to do so."

"No."

Yuki let out a sigh as he was carried like a sack of potatoes through the streets of Mikado City.

It had been three days since the invasion against Mikado City. Yuki had been stuck in his room for those three days. He still was not feeling well, but the feeling of uselessness started to settle in in those three days he could not do anything. It had taken an hour of arguing and negotiations for Mei to allow him to move around once more.

After struggling to get out of the strong grip that Mei had, Yuki was finally able to walk without her worrying about him.

Hitting the ground with his feet again felt nice. There was no urgency in doing it, so he relaxed while standing.

Once he steadied himself, they continued their walk.

While doing so, they looked around at the damage that the area had received during the invasion. Multiple buildings had been destroyed and the ground had been destroyed in multiple places.

The day prior, Mei had gone to all the major battlefields from the invasion to see all the damage that had been done to them. From the large skyscrapers that had been cut down by Kizaki's fight to the large hole in the ground from Jin and Maki's fight; there was destruction everywhere. The battlefield they had been on had seemed to have left a scar on the ground, not unlike the one Amo had been on. Even the Border base had been effected by the invasion with one of the Black Triggers destroying the training rooms.

Knowing of all this damage, most people would have felt some kind of emotion towards those effected by the damage. They would feel sympathy or pity for the people who had lost their homes due to the attack or felt ire due to having multiple buildings from their city destroyed.

Takato Mei and Tsukiko Yuki felt no such things from this information.

They could not bring themselves to artificially create these feelings or feel them naturally. It was a flaw they had, but one that kept them in a special area that others could not reach unless given certain circumstances.

It was both a blessing as well as a curse.

"You two headed to HQ too?"

.

Hearing the footsteps behind them, as well as the voice, they both turned around to see who it was that had asked them the question.

Akasora continued to approach the two of them with his hands in his pocket and a casual expression on his face.

This man had been their teacher at one point, and he continued to be one of the few people who stood in the same area as them. Even with the area being destroyed, he did not feel any kind of remorse or sorrow towards those who had lost their homes.

That may have been why he could talk to them so casually.

"I had wanted to get out of my room after everything that happened. Mei here was being difficult, but I managed to convince her. Besides that, Shinoda-san wanted to speak with me about something. I am assuming the same can be said for you, Sensei."

"Yeah. I'm guessing it has something to do with this thing," the older one said, lifting his arm to show his Black Trigger. "It didn't even get much spotlight when the final act was going on. Granted, that wormhole lady is to blame for that. Either way, since it was shown, I'm sure they want it for themselves. I'm not going to be giving it up any time soon, so they'll have to fight me for it."

"We will be on your side should that ever happen."

Akasora smiled at the reply he received from Mei.

"And if it makes you feel any better, Miwa and Suzume were able to get some shots on that woman. Kanzaki even disregarded her by using her wires to force someone out of the wormhole."

"Sounds like a fun time. I'll make sure to thank them for that later on."

Akasora took a small glance at the two at his side.

They knew that his words, while not hollow, did not contain any malice towards the woman or gratitude towards the three people mentioned.

"So... I heard you two went at it with one of the humanoid Neighbors and took out some of the new models."

"...Yes. That is correct."

"I was just curious. I'm guessing you didn't show anyone the full extent of you two."

"...No... We didn't."

"White Fox. 'The fox with the silver tongue that inverts truth and lies.' I'm guessing you made your lies into truths to win that battle. 'Rampage Dress.' You two are very strange, but that's a good thing. I would have been able to fully tell if you two went all out. It's a good thing you two did not succumb to those names again. We wouldn't want people to be afraid of you."

"Those phrases are old and tiring. You should think about other things...like your retirement. Old men speaking gibberish isn't what the kids want to hear during this era. If anything, some might think you are just going crazy and should be in a padded room."

"Hahaha! Guess you're right! The fox and lion must still be sleeping like little creatures."

"We are humans. I don't know what you are talking about."

"I suppose that's true."

An odd sense of tranquility covered the atmosphere around the trio.

They knew it was not normal to act like normal.

Suzume let out a sigh as she walked through the halls of Border.

It was now the third day since the Aftokrator invasion had ended and she was feeling rather down since she knew that Mikumo was still in the hospital.

Being one of the remaining agents still able to help, she felt like she had also let him down.

She had been told by both her squad and her other friends that there was nothing to feel bad about, but she did not like knowing she could have helped more. Even if she was doing all she could.

Yuki-san being out sick honestly doesn't help anything. The other two need him around to keep them in line. Mei-san and I can only do so much with them before we need outside help.

She let out a tired sigh, giving emphasis to her breasts and getting attention from the males around her. She never seemed to notice the stares she got, so she always continued doing that without any problem.

Figuring that there was nothing she could do about everything she was thinking, she decided to just make her way over to the squad's operating room.

"Ah! Misaki-senpai!"

Hearing her name being called, Suzume looked over to see three people walking up to her and a fourth one running up to her.

Seeing the fourth one running, she easily sidestepped him so that he would fall to the ground. She walked past him and towards the other three.

"Akane-chan, I told you that you can just call me Nee-chan. Same goes with you two."

Both Kodera and Svantje laughed at this. The former's was more sheepish while the latter's was more fun.

"Suzu~! Why did you dodge me~? I just wanted to give you a hug!"

Suzume rolled her eyes as someone hugged her from behind. It would have been easy enough to dodge him a second time, but she thought he deserved this much for his assistance in the invasion.

She allowed the hug while speaking to the others.

"You guys honestly did well during the invasion. I heard how you helped out over here at the base. And it's better that you didn't partake in it, Akane-chan."

After peeling Satori off of her, Suzume walked over to Svantje and Kodera. She grabbed both with her arms and pushed their heads into her breasts. She couldn't see their reaction but it was easy to tell that Kodera was blushing while Svantje was smiling like a child.

Kodera tried to get away from the hug but could not escape Suzume's, surprisingly strong, grip.

"M-Misaki, can you please let go...?"

"Not until you two call me Nee-chan~"

"Misaki~!"

Off to the side, Satori and Hiura could be seen pouting.

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, they walked forward to get involved. Satori started hugging Suzume once more while Hiura squeezed her way into the older one's arms.

"Aw~ Are you two jealous~"

"M-Misa-... S-S-Suzum-me...nee-san... Can you please let go of us?"

"I didn't honestly hear Akane-chan or Nikko-chan say it~"

"Suzume-nee-chan!"

Keeping to her word, Suzume let go of the three, laughing while she did so.

She smiled at the three like an older sister would her siblings.

"And don't forget to always call me that. If you don't, I'll honestly hug you, no matter where we are~ And if you ever need anything, you can just honestly ask your amazing Nee-san for help."

"Right~!"

Svantje and Hiura happily gave salutes to their fellow female sniper.

"Hey, hey! Does that mean you'll call me Nii-san!?"

In unison, Kodera, Hiura, and Svantje gave a chorus of,

"No way!"

"Geh!? Why does Suzu-chan get such things and I don't!? That's just unfair!"

The girls giggled at Satori's sadness while Kodera simply shook his head.

It was rather entertaining to tease the Arashiyama Squad Sniper.

Feeling a bit bad for her best friend, Suzume walked over and grabbed his arm.

"Excuse me, Satori-kun~ Could you please do me the favor of honestly escorting me to my squad's operating room~? I'm soooooo scared that someone might attack me while I'm honestly on my way~!"

"But of course, Misaki-chan! I must protect such a delicate woman from any danger lurking around the corner! Just leave it to me!"

The two started walking away, laughing the whole time.

.

Behind the two, the other three snipers could be seen enjoying the two. There was never much bad blood between snipers, so they all enjoyed the fun. The only exception to this was between Suzume and Narasaka, but everyone else was just fine with both.

Once the two were out of sight, Svantje turned to the other two with a grin.

"So, who here is actually planning on calling her that?"

Hiura excitedly raised her hand while Kodera fixed his glasses. The two really did feel like they were close to Suzume, although maybe not as much as they thought. They always figured she was just teasing them like usual.

"I really wouldn't put it past her to hug us like that regardless of where we are... I don't really have a choice in the matter."

The two girls simply patted the glasses-sniper on the back. They knew that was completely true.

Yuki and Akasora could not help themselves when they saw the looks they were getting.

Due to different reasons, Mei had split up from the two of them, deciding to go a different way. This had made the teacher and student start for Director Shinoda without her.

During this time, multiple people greeted Yuki with friendly voices while also making sure that he was fine to be walking around.

At the same time, people were giving Akasora strange looks. They ranged from confusion to worry.

It was understandable to both seeing as how the man had a simple yet effective Side Effect. A sense of intimidation always followed him around, making others a bit fearful of walking up to him. This was only counted by a person knowing him well enough.

No matter if he was trying or not, Akasora Chishi would end up with an aura of intimidation around him.

Even so, Yuki walked next to him easily enough.

"So when are you two planning on getting together exactly?"

Yuki glanced up with an unimpressed look.

This was not the first time he had been teased about this kind of thing.

"If you don't sweep her off her feet, someone else will. I can guarantee it."

"Mei and I aren't like that. Sensei, you know that it's pointless to talk about these kinds of things when they don't matter to us. Besides... This is coming from the guy who can't even get a date. I can at least be a 'prince' and get one while you're stuck at home watching some drama."

"Damn brat. Other teachers and some nice woman from the market have been flirting with me for a while now. Even some students have been talking about me when they think I'm not paying attention. While I don't really like that latter one, it shows that age doesn't matter when the ladies are talking about me."

"Mei and I also spoke about you when we knew you were paying attention. They were probably talking about how you tend to wear the tracksuit no matter where you are. It's rather weird and not very stylish. As for the teachers and the market. If I remember correctly, most of the teachers at that school are males. Besides that, I remember the last time I went with you, you were hit on by some 'ladies' who were missing the most important parts."

Akasora visibly shuttered at the reminders he was getting from his student.

At some point he had decided to cut off dating out of fear of what truths would be displayed in front of his eyes.

It had been nice that others spoke about him favorably, but sometimes it did feel odd.

Another thing was...

"You still love your wife."

Akasora let out a sigh as he thought of his deceased lover.

The love he felt for her never left him. The other women he saw on a daily basis could not compare to her in any shape or form. They may have had some beauty to them, but none compared.

"You're not wr-"

As he started to speak up again, he noticed something.

.

Yuki tried to steady himself as he swayed a bit to the side.

He had made sure that his teacher would be too busy talking to notice how pale he really was at the moment. That came to a halt when he could no longer hold himself up and had to cling to the wall for a moment.

"I guess I'm not completely up for this right now..."

"You've got you pills, right?"

Yuki nodded his head before pulling out his small pill bottle. He took some out and put it on his hand.

Just as he was going to put them in his mouth, someone ran by and made him drop them.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

"It's fine." Yuki picked up the pills. "You seem to be in a hurry though, Shor."

The two males looked at the person who had just rushed by and saw that it was a boy with black hair, hazel eyes and a pair of ski goggles on his head.

Yuki knew the boy well enough, having seen him around Toby enough times.

"Ah! Yeah. I need to go meet up with my team and am running a little late," the boy said as she jogged in place. "Sorry, but I really need to get going."

"Ah! Wait!"

Yuki reached out to spot the boy but felt himself too weak.

He started to fall when a pair of arms caught him.

Noah had been quick to catch the older boy before he could gain any injuries.

"Whoa there. Are you sure you should be out and about?"

"I'm fine... But I need to ask a favor of you. It's rather important."

"Hm? What is it?"

"It involves Toby."

If there was one thing that Toby Awdry excelled at, it was always being energetic.

So then, why did he look like he was just told that he was alone in the world?

That was the question Kōchō Kashi thought of as she walked next to the Attacker.

Ever since the invasion ended, he's been so down. This really isn't like him at all.

The girl had yet to see him in such a state. There had always been a nice feeling of security and energy around the boy before that made most people around him bubble up from it. Even those who did not like to do much could not help but follow along at times.

It was even more prevalent with those he had fought against in solo battles.

Having had enough of this sad version of her friend, Kōchō spoke up with her tone trying to sound cheerful.

"So Awdry, I've been meaning to ask you something. How did you manage to come to Japan anyway? A lot of us have been wondering. Oh, speaking of which, Maihime wants to know when she can have another Solo Match Festival with you and some others."

Toby said nothing as he continued to look at the ground.

The day prior, he had gone to see Mikumo in the hospital and had ended up meeting the boy's mother. Without any hesitation, he got down on his knees and apologized endlessly to her for letting her son get injured. Apparently he had not been the first person to do so. Yet unlike that other person, he did not wait to hear what she had to say and instead left some zinnia flowers before leaving the room in a hurry.

He did the same thing at Tamakoma. The only difference was that he did not leave any flowers for them. He had quickly left before any of them could say anything.

Seeing him down like this, Kōchō felt as if she was also getting a bit sad.

"Uh... Aw-"

"Hey, Toby! I heard how great you were in the invasion! You mind telling me how awesome you were~?"

Feeling someone latch on to his back, Toby turned his eyes to look at the Gunner that was hanging off of him.

Kōchō was surprised once she noticed that Inukai had come out of nowhere and grabbed Toby.

"Not now, Sumiharu. I'm not really in the mood."

"Huh? Is something wrong? Does Yuki know about this? Do you need my help with something?"

Something that both Toby and Inukai shared in common was that they could change the mood of whatever area they were in. They could easily change a tense atmosphere into a happy one, if they tried. Seeing one of his friends in such a state must have made Inukai worry about him. More so than usual due to other issues at hand.

He noticed Kōchō was there and was about to ask her when he suddenly fell to the ground. He looked up from the ground to see Toby walking away.

He was about to go after the boy when they heard rapid footsteps heading towards them.

"Toby! Get over here!"

"Ai!?"

Everyone was surprised when Kitora charged towards Toby with anger clear on her face.

This was not the kind of look she wore when it came to others.

This was not the look she had on when speaking to others, when acting higher than others, or when greeting others. This kind of expression was full of emotions and did not try to hide it at all.

"Ai, what's wrong?"

"You idiot! Why are you so down? Stop being so selfish and get over yourself!"

Inukai and Kōchō could only stare as Kitora tore into the Attacker without any hesitation. They noticed that he did not take too kindly to it, but was not given a chance to retaliate.

"I went over to see how Mikumo-kun was doing and ended up meeting his mother. She had asked me if I knew about a delinquent-looking boy with a gray hat. That was obviously you. She had told me that you just walked in, apologized without stopping, then left some flowers."

"Yeah, because-"

"That was stupid!"

Everyone looked at the A-Rank with shocked looks.

"What I mean is that you went overboard and did not listen to Mikumo-san. She had asked me if I could tell you that there was no reason to apologize. I'm sure that even you understand that you tried your best. Even then, you had helped him out. Both you and Misaki-senpai helped him in finishing the invasion. It was not even just you two. Multiple things had occurred at the time to stop the invasion from continuing."

Toby fixed his hat so that he did not have to look at Kitora in the eyes. To him that was not the case. The others there had been doing what they could to stop the invading leader while others had stopped the needles from piercing into Mikumo.

He did no such thing.

He had become a shield for only a short moment. That same moment had been used to open even more holes in the air for different needles to come out from. He could do nothing else at the time and had seen the attack connect with the glasses-boy.

"Okay, listen. Look at me in the face and tell me that it was completely your fault. Literally everyone else doesn't think that. No one is blaming anyone else. Least of all you. But if you, the person that was there, looks me in the eye and tells me that it was all your fault, I will believe you."

Toby said nothing.

He did not look up and no words left his mouth. He only stared at the ground with an expression that no one could see.

It took a few seconds before anything came out his mouth. He did not look up, but he started to speak.

"Ai..."

"Yes?"

"Why is it that you can get me out of this kind of funk?"

Kitora crossed her arms while looking at Toby with a superior look.

"Because you're really simple to deal with." She looked down at him with a hint of sympathy. "You're an older brother, so of course you would go and treat others younger than you, or the same age as you, like they were your siblings. You care for others probably more than you should. Besides that... You helped to take care of me..."

"Heh... Guess you're right."

Off to the side, Inukai and Kōchō smiled while looking at the two. They were both older than Toby, so they did not get the same feeling as Kitora when it came to the boy. At the same time, they also saw things very differently than her. They were a bit sad that they could not be of any help for the boy.

Even so, they were both happy to see their friend out of such a dark feeling. So much so that the whole area really seemed to lighten up in an instant.

None of them could put their fingers on it, but there really was something about Toby that made things a lot lighter when he was around.

The two continued to talk casually as they walked. The topics changed from one thing to another. So much so that they did not notice they were already at the door to Director Shinoda's office.

After knocking, and checking to make sure no one else was in the room, Akasora opened the door to see Director Shinoda sitting behind his desk with papers all around.

"Hey, Masafumi. We're here."

"Chishi, Yuki. Come in and have a seat."

Doing as they were told, Akasora and Yuki moved to sit in front of Shinoda's desk.

The space was a bit messy, but still organized to where they knew he was working.

"So what's this all about? I figured we would be called with everyone around."

"You will be called later, Chishi. I'm just telling you beforehand what will be happening."

"And what will be happening?"

"A new branch."

The two sitting on the same side of the desk gave questioning looks. They could easily guess why a new branch was being made, but did not understand why they were being told about it. Especially Yuki.

"As I'm sure you can figure out... This new branch is being made to take one of the spots that wasn't able to evacuate everyone during the invasion. The least fortified area." Director Shinoda turned his attention to his long time friend with a serious look still on his face. "You will be called in because-"

"Because you guys want me to be the branch's director, right?"

"Exactly."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm refusing. I mean, if you had asked me before, I'd say yes, but I have my job as a teacher. I don't care if the pay is different, you already know I like teaching."

"As you just said... I know about how much you care about teaching and your students. But I couldn't think of anyone better."

"So you're the one who nominated me. Not shocking in the slightest. I'm guessing you also took Shikifuku into consideration. Yes. I can see all the reasons that this would benefit me as well. Even if that's the case... I don't care."

.

From his spot next to his teacher, Yuki looked between the two adults.

He understood what they were saying, he was keeping up with the conversation well enough that he could think of arguments for both parties.

Yet there was something he wanted an answer to.

"Sorry to just butt in, but what does this have to do with me?" Yuki asked with his hand slightly raised.

Please don't tell me they're thinking of...

"I wanted you to join the new branch with Chishi," said Shinoda as he crossed his fingers. "Director Netsuki is getting quite a bit of flak from the area, so we figured that they would calm down a bit knowing that someone strong and experienced will be in their area. When I nominated Chishi, you and Mei came into mind. Kei is in Kido-san's faction while you two don't belong to any faction, so it would work just fine. You both are strong with or without any personalized Triggers, so that might ease their worries as well."

"While I do feel honored about being one of the people you thought of for this, I highly doubt Mei will agree to it," said Yuki with a more serious expression. "I have already made up my mind, so this would actually be a good thing for me, but knowing her like I do, she will not want to follow."

"Even so, you alone will be enough. There's also...those two."

Akasora was quick to let out a laugh.

"You really plan on putting those two and Kiyoshi here together!? Hahaha! That's a good one! You even thought of putting Fuji in as well!"

"This is no laughing matter." Director Shinoda glared at the other grown man. "While I would prefer them to be here at HQ, they also abide by their own rules at times and the other directors won't be able to keep them on a leash."

"So that's where I come in, right?"

There were things only the two of them could do, but Yuki felt that if he were to work under anyone who was not his own teacher then things would not go so smoothly. Friction was bound to come up with anyone else, but Akasora knew him best in this case.

It would not feel right if it was anyone else.

"Even if I do agree, and all three end up in the new branch, what makes you think I could control the three of them? Kiyoshi here won't be much of an issue, and even Mukuro isn't a problem, most of the time, but that girl is something else altogether. Even Fuji has no patience for her."

"And as you said, they go by their own rules at times. Her especially."

"Yuki, you know her best and know how to stop her from going overboard. That's also why I want you in the new branch. If it comes down to it though... I may need to use Tai-"

"Fine."

"Oh-ho! Looks like you're in deep now. Nice going there, Masafumi," Akasora grinned. "You know that's taboo with him."

"Yes, but as I said before, he's the only one who can properly deal with her. Taiyōko is the second best option if she didn't agree."

"Hm. As long as Mukuro actually figures it out, I guess I'm fine with it."

"Then that just leaves your answer, Chishi."

Akasora looked from Yuki to Director Shinoda before letting out a sigh. While he didn't really want to switch from teaching to being a branch director, he knew that this was an important matter and his friend had gone straight to him for this matter.

That didn't mean he would enjoy it.

"What's the new branch going to be called?"

"The Yagura Branch."

If there was one thing that Takeshi did not understand, no matter how hard he tried, it would be art in any form.

Unlike Suzume, he did not listen to music and enjoy the instruments or the singing. Unlike Toby, he could never see fighting as a way of entertainment. And like the girl in front of him, he did not understand how accidentally painting your teammate was art.

Standing in front of him were two girls. One had hair that was more than one color while the other's was cut short. The latter had paint on her while the former looked around sheepishly.

"Asano, why did you even let this happen?"

"I didn't. I didn't think she was so into her painting that I would scare her by simply calling out her name."

Takeshi let out a sigh as he looked at the two.

He could not understand how someone could be so invested in something like painting. It was just splashing random colors on a canvas. Nothing special. Nothing to get interested in.

"Ah. Ah. I can hear it. I can hear the sounds of someone who is uncultured."

"Don't say that."

Takeshi could only click his tongue as he saw two members of Kazama Squad start to make their way towards the trio.

"Ayugai, Asano, I am going to be taking my leave now. I don't want to be around some nosy guy who wants to listen in on everything like a bug."

"I hear jealousy in your voice."

Utagawa, a very friendly person, quickly got between the two before they started going for each other's throats. After all, when it came down to it, everyone in Tsukiko Squad had someone they hated with a passion.

Yuki and Ninomiya were like two sides of a coin. They would never see eye-to-eye.

Suzume could not stand being around Narasaka. They were far too different.

Toby, while not having anyone particular to hate, did not like others who messed with his friends.

Mei was an enigma to begin with, so her relationships with others were the same.

Takeshi on the other hand had three main people he could not stand. The first was Yoneya. Second was Midorikawa. Third was Kikuchihara.

No one knew where all of this stemmed from, but what they did know was that he never wanted to be around those three people.

Both Eri and Kuni seemed to notice this as well, so they tried to divert Takeshi's attention away from the A-Rank.

It was easier said than done since both sides seemed ready to attack each other.

Utagawa could only sigh.

What was to come was obvious.

"So this is it."

"Yeah. Are you sure about your choice?"

"I'm sure. I also think they'll be fine, but I want to keep an eye on them."

"It's not like I would be dying or something. That kind of thing won't happen until far into the future."

"Still, my choice has been made."

Mei gave a small glance to Yuki.

"And I'm sure they won't see you much since you have to deal with the other two soon."

"Guess you're right."

"Will you still see them in the upcoming B-Rank Wars?"

"Of course. I want to see if my choice was correct."

The two sat in the squad's operating room with an almost suffocating atmosphere around them while they waited for the remaining three members. They could hear the footsteps and voices coming closer, but they simply sat there.

"We're here!"

"They can see that, Senpai. No need to exclaim it."

"But making an entrance is important. You honestly don't know much, do you?"

"Hey, you three," Yuki said with a tired smile.

"Are you okay, Yuki? Are you getting enough sleep?"

The three quickly went over.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I want to get down to why I called you three here though." Yuki finished his ice-cream as the three took their seats. "This is very important, so I want you three to listen carefully."

"It honestly sounds like you're about to tell use that you and Mei-san are married and that you're getting a divorce now."

Seeing the serious expression on the older two's faces, Suzume held her tongue from any more comments.

"What did you want to tell us, Senpai?"

Yuki took in a breath before letting it out.

He faced the three with a hard gaze.

"Tsukiko Squad is disbanding."