Yuki looked up from the papers he had been reading to look around the room.
He had felt a shiver run down his spine and worried that he was starting to get sick once again. He had felt fine the whole day, so it really brought worry that he felt that shiver. The possibility of it involving his former squad was high since he only ever got that kind of chill when it came to them.
He had been made fun of for it from time-to-time.
I really hope it's nothing. I just want it to be my imagination...
He took another look around the room just to be sure.
The room seemed fine. As a part of the newly made Yagura Branch, Border had made sure to hire a company to remodel the building so that it could be used as the branch office. The location was already a bit away from most buildings, but close enough that others could reach it simply by walking by the area. The size of it was larger than what the Tamakoma Branch had, yet did not reach the scope of the Suzunari Branch.
Each room had been fitted to make sure that there were at least two exits in case anything happened. The largest room had been transformed into the new branch director's own office. Likewise, the connected room to it had been modified to become a room for other official business. This was where Yuki found himself, papers before him explaining what would still need to be done and what has already been done. Everything had been sent via web files, but printouts had also been made for them in order that they would not lose anything should something get deleted from the computers.
There were still a lot of things needing to be done with the building, like moving things in, but so far all of the essentials have been accounted for. We have a kitchen, enough bathrooms, working water and electricity. Alarms have been put in place around the building and so far only Sensei and I know the passwords to them. Same goes for the direct connection to HQ.
Looks like they also hollowed out an old space to make room for our training rooms. Nothing has been put in there yet, but I'm sure that's because the directors want to make sure that it's Border members that start doing things like that instead of citizens who know little to nothing about what's going on.
He let out a sigh as he placed the papers down.
This sort of thing is more along the lines of what Kimura or Mei would do. I have some experience with it, but I'm nowhere near as good as those two. They would have everything settled by the day's end and still have time for other things.
If Yuki had to say where he stood on these kinds of matters, there would be no denying that he was much more a field agent than someone who managed resources and did paperwork.
It was for this same reason that his teacher had found the job something to groan about.
I guess it makes sense that this amount of paperwork would be different than looking at a student's work or go over the week's plans. Those at least have some character in them. Meanwhile, this is just statistics, information, and other garble that goes over our heads.
There had been a lot of times where he or Hokari had deliberately put strange answers just for their teacher to read. A scolding would come once they were caught, but that would always be followed by a good laugh from them.
This sort of job only brought a headache to him.
"Well I guess this is to be expected," he said as he stretched, arms already above his head.
Lowering himself to look around the room, he couldn't help but think of the situation he was in.
These walls were different from what he had been use to. The space was so empty that it felt more like a holding cell than a branch office's room.
Then there had been the other members of the newly made branch.
Each one of them had came to the building, but Kushikage and Mukuro had quickly gone off to do their own things while his teacher had gone to his new office to get settled in. Following that, Shobu had gone with Hoshi to look at the rooms that had been transformed so that they could be used as bedrooms.
A single hallway that has seven rooms on either side of it, making up fourteen bedrooms. Besides that, there are a lot of other vacant rooms that we can use for whatever. But even those bedrooms seem like a lot when we consider that Sensei and Shobu will continue to live in their house. Moving out of there would probably be too harsh for them. Hoshi has been living in that damned house for too long, so I would like for her to move in here. As for the other two...
Kushikage and Mukuro were people he always had trouble thinking about.
The former had always been someone Mei hated and someone he himself could not stand. Everything about her made living difficult, but living without her around also felt like it was wrong.
As for Mukuro, he could only feel pity and remorse for the boy.
He gave another sigh at the thought.
I guess it doesn't really matter, does it? One of them will probably be out of here most of the time while the other can't even sleep. Bedrooms for them are just locations to come back to. As for myself...
"I'll be sticking to my house too. It's right next to Mei, and I'm sharing it with Shiro and Krümel. Leaving it at this point would just be a waste. Besides, I get more privacy there than I would here. Hm... But that would leave Hoshi to be here by herself. ...I guess that means we need some more reliable members to join."
Picking the papers back up, he got ready to go over them once more.
But as he did so, the door leading to the hallway outside opened to reveal the girl he was thinking to himself about.
"Are you okay in here, Tsukiko-san?"
.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Yuki looked forward to see Hoshi looking down while fidgeting nervously.
He didn't like seeing that.
"Yes. I am fine. Why do you ask, Hoshi?"
"Oh... You just seemed to be a little down..."
She continued to look down.
"Um... Tsukiko-san... If you don't mind me asking... Why did you disband your squad?"
"Because."
Hoshi's head shot up and the calmly quick answer she received. She had heard about it, and even asked Toby and Takeshi, but she wasn't one to believe rumors and the two boys simply ignored her.
"Because?"
"Because I couldn't baby them anymore."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that if I didn't disband the team, they wouldn't be able to actually grow much."
He let out a third sigh and put the papers back down.
"You see, those three were too focused on me and not themselves. They probably wouldn't be able to reach A-Rank like they want if I continued to be on their squad."
"But... Awdry-kun and Kotowari-kun-"
"Hoshi, please don't feel sorry for them. If they're so distraught about me leaving the squad then that clearly means they were overly attached to me. It may even mean they should strop being agents if this continues on. I mean, it's not like I've moved to a different country...or died. We can still hang out and all, but they are seeing the situation way worse than what it actually is."
"O-oh... I guess you're right..."
"Just give them some time. I'm sure they'll be fine."
"You're probably right..."
Yuki felt he started picking up a bad habit when another sigh escaped his lips.
Having Hoshi like this was not something he ever wanted to see. He didn't know what to say to cheer her up, but he knew that he shouldn't lie to her. That meant he had to be blunt and tell her outright that his former teammates were just being stupid at this point.
Before he could say such things, Akasora had entered the room wearing a suit and tie. It looked really odd on him when compared to his casual track suit that he always wore.
Both Yuki and Hoshi looked at him oddly.
"Get into your uniform, Yuki. We've gotta go."
Yuki raised an eyebrow at this.
He was never told about going anywhere and so was not prepared for such a thing. His mind was still on his former teammates.
"Where are we going?"
"We have a press conference to go to. We have to show up and represent our new branch. That's what the whole thing is about."
Yuki scrunched his face when he heard that it was a conference.
He remembered the last one and was severely ticked off by Director Netsuki and the press for using Mikumo like that. Although this was for a different reason, he still disliked the idea of going up in front of them all.
He was about to voice his objection when Akasora started to speak again.
"You don't have a choice. You are the only sensible one here that I can rely on. No offense, Taiyōko."
"None taken..."
"We need to go and tell everyone that they can rely on the Yagura Branch from now on, and ease any worries of not being protected in this area." He fixed his tie and clicked his tongue. "If it makes you feel any better... I really hate these kinds of things too. The only time I willingly wore a suit and tie was for my wedding and for her funeral. What's more is that Arashiyama and a rep from Suzunari and Tamakoma will be there as well."
At this point, all Yuki could do was sigh and resign himself to his fate.
"Fine. At least I only have to wear my uniform."
"Wow! That's his tenth win in a row!"
"I've never seen Awdry so brutal, though. Kinda scary."
"Seriously. Going right for the head or heart and using brutal tactics like that."
"That really doesn't seem like his style."
Toby clicked his tongue as he glared at the three C-Ranks whispering to themselves. It had been a while since the squad's disbandment and everyone around could tell that the three B-Ranks were taking it pretty hard.
Toby had become more violent and started picking random fights. He didn't have a smile on his face anymore and had been glaring at almost anyone who passed by him. His fighting style had become more dirty. Most started to stay away from fighting him. Even Midorikawa was keeping his distance. The thing that really made people worry was that he wasn't wearing his hat anymore.
His friends had tried to joke around with him to try and get the smile back on his face, or bough him boxes of chocolate, but none of that had much of an effect on him. He simply glared at all of them - Kitora included.
"Hey now, no need to be so grouchy."
"Maybe he can be a better fighter when he's a grouch."
"Don't say that, Haru-chan."
Toby stopped walking when he saw Minoru and Inukai walking up to him - Taka in Minoru's arms. He just turned his head and tried to ignore them as he continued his walk. While he was friends with the two - and loved playing with the dog - he wasn't anywhere near in the mood to talk to them.
"Are you still mad about the disbandment?"
Toby quickly turned around and glared at the older one with all his might. He still felt extremely hurt by the whole thing. Yuki had been the one to help out when Toby first came to Mikado City as a runaway, and then the older one had just crushed the whole squad's worlds by saying they were disbanding.
"And so what if I am? It's none of your business!"
"If you don't get over it and form a squad again then you can't fight us in the B-Rank Wars."
Inukai's words would have sounded like he only cared about the fight to anyone else, but the other two knew that he was basically saying "nothing's going to change, so just move on." Either that or "You're gonna get you ass kicked if you don't straighten out now."
They all knew that he said it with good intent, but it still seemed to piss Toby off. He knew that the B-Rank Wars was something to look forward to, but his mind continued to mess him up on those thoughts. He could only cross his arms and click his tongue.
"Even so, we wouldn't know who to put as leader. We'd probably be fighting over the spot. Takeshi would usually be put in charge, but that guy has been acting like an asshole ever since that guy told us he is leaving us."
"Couldn't you just have Meimei captain?"
"Operator as Captain? Doesn't that seem odd?"
"But Kusakabe Squad is like that."
It seemed right that the oldest and most experienced should be the squad's captain. Even so, it still felt a bit wrong to having Mei as the captain since she was already trying to take care of them. Even if the three of them were mad at Yuki, that didn't mean they should cause problems for Mei.
"I've already thought of something for that."
The three turned to see Takeshi walking up to them, hands in pockets and scarf nowhere to be seen. It was odd to see his neck out instead of covered by the gray cloth usually around his neck.
"And what's that suppose to mean?"
"It means exactly as it sounds. I've already come up with something for this current issue," Takeshi said with a completely monotone voice. "I've already discussed it with Mei-san and she has agreed to it."
"And what's this o so great plan exactly?"
"Simple. Officially, I will be leading the squad, but Mei-san will be the actual leader."
He didn't seem the least bit unnerved from the harsh glaring he was receiving.
"She had told me that Tsukiko and Akasora had already made an agreement so that our positions will stay the same when the B-Rank Wars begin. We will just be entering under a different name."
"Whoa. Guess he's taking it pretty hard too," Inukai whispered to his friend. "Sounding so formal and no honorific."
Takeshi quickly turned his head towards the Gunner to give him the same dull look he had been giving his teammate.
"Why would I need to add an honorific to a person who abandons his squad without any warning."
The three were now unnerved by how calm Takeshi appeared to be and how ruthless he sounded. He wasn't much for emotions as it was, but this was on a different level altogether. It was like he really didn't have any emotions now.
"Well... Then I guess we might have to wait for that fight then..."
"Yeah..."
They all heard footsteps walking closer to them and turned to see Mei walking up to them with Suzume right behind her. She had a serious look on her face that screamed the fact she had to deal with Kushikage only a few minutes ago.
"We have work to do. If you want to catch up to him then now's your chance."
"Hm. I don't care whether or not we catch up."
"Regardless. Whether it's to catch up to him, to show him he was wrong, just so you could kick his ass, or just because you want to, we still need to get going so you have enough time to train. Any amount of experience will help you all grow."
From the side, Inukai and Minoru looked worriedly at all four of them. The usual festive feelings of joy and excitement around the squad was completely gone. The only thing that covered the four of them was a heavy atmosphere that so suffocating that the two thought that they would be swallowed whole by it.
Only one thing came to mind when they saw this.
This won't end well...
It was really troublesome to wear a suit and tie.
Both Akasora and Yuki could agree on that all the way. The way it restricted movement, as well that clamp around the neck, made it feel unbearable.
That was exactly why Yuki was happy that he could wear his uniform instead of a suit and tie. His wonderful uniform consisting of a gray jacket opened at the top to show the white shirt underneath and lose-fitting pants. Black stripes could be seen running along the sleeves and down the edges of the high collar. It was a bit different from before as a way to show that he was no longer a part of the former Tsukiko Squad.
Sometimes there was nothing better than wearing something very comfortable.
On the other side of that, Akasora was stuck in a clean and pressed suit. He continued to play around with his collar while looking ready to rip the whole thing off and go get his tracksuit. There was little chance he was going to sit calmly throughout this whole conference.
Both of them were standing offstage with varying looks of pity and amusement sent their way from other Border members. Kuruma and Arashiyama were looking at the older man with different degrees of pity. Meanwhile, directors Shinoda and Rindō were watching their friend with smirks.
Seeing the smirks, Yuki rolled his eyes. He knew the two thought that this was a nice form of payback on their longtime friend for things he had done to them before.
"These old guys really need to stop this. It's a bit unbefitting for people who are in charge of HQ and a well off branch."
"You say that, but I'm sure you have the same relationship with Murakami and Kageura."
He didn't bother giving Arashiyama an actual reply and decided to just look away.
He looked passed the stage to see the amount of reporters who were there, ready to find things to pick at.
Being someone who can easily spot things in people, and being someone who is close to a silver tongued fox, he could easily tell which reporters seemed to just be there to find a fault and which ones were there for an honest report.
He was glad that there were more of the latter than the former. He would be fine speaking with honest people like that in the crowd. Although, he would also make sure to watch what he says because of the former group.
This will probably be irritating. Irritating, but manageable.
Mei let out a sigh as she sat on her sofa.
She had turned on the television to watch her partner and his teacher go on for their new branch. She felt a bit irritated by all of this.
It was already annoying to remember what had happened to Mikumo the other day. Just thinking about something happening to her partner and his teacher made her ready to punch something.
But she held it in.
She also knew that those two would be okay no matter what. They would refuse to take anything from the idiotic reporters.
"Well, I suppose I need to do what I was asked to do. This will give me a better understanding of what goes on instead of just watching it."
As she spoke to herself, she typed away on her computer. What was on her screen seemed to be a chat with only a few names.
Once the names appeared, she made the first comment on the chat.
Wisteria: "Is this getting through to everyone?"
Yuki looked at the chat that appeared before his eyes.
He was standing with his back against the wall while his teacher sat in front of him. To his right was Kuruma while to his left was Arashiyama. The directors of Border were also sitting down at the table with his teacher.
The meeting had yet to begin, but the reporters were already inside the hall. They were just waiting for things to begin.
He saw everyone nod their heads, so he answered for everyone.
White Fox: "Yeah, Mei, you're getting through."
Shinoda: "I want to thank you for doing this. If we had used our own thoughts then things may get a but chaotic. This is easier."
Wisteria: "No problem. But make sure to thank Suzaku later on for also setting things up to where I could do this with little to no issues."
Everyone on the stage were in trion bodies to make this chat possible.
Since having their phones or computers out would make things seem a bit suspicious, they had come up with this solution. Although it was a bit slower than just speaking through their minds, it made things more manageable.
Now they didn't have to worry about talking over each other.
Netsuki: "Alright, we're starting now. Takaoto, get ready for this."
Wisteria: "Yes, sir."
Mei had been given a special job concerning this meeting. Not only would she managing the chat they had up, she was in charge of going over everything the reporters asked as well as discerning any motives behind them.
This was a meeting to introduce the new branch. That did not mean that there would not be people who would want to get other information to use against them.
With everything set, the meeting began.
.
Introductions went quickly with Yuki and Akasora giving greetings while the reason behind Kuruma being there was explained. As the captain of a squad within Suzunari Branch, he was there instead of the branch director. This was to vouch for Yuki's fighting abilities.
The explanation of the new branch, it's location, and the one in charge were all done as well. It all went so smoothly with only a few faces looking a bit confused.
As this all went on, Yuki looked out into the crowd to see the faces of the reporters. He could see most of them looking on with interested looks while others seemed impatient and simply wanted to get to the questioning.
Once it did get to the questioning...
The first to be called on was a female reporter who held herself up with dignity. She had an honest feeling to her.
Yuki gave a small nod to himself.
"Exactly how many agents are going to be at this new branch, and what are their ranks?"
It was honest question with no hidden motives. It was a plain and simple question that asked something concerning the safety of the area the new branch was going to be in.
Akasora, being the new branch director, was the one to speak up.
"Including Tsukiko, who is right here, there will be five Combatants. Two are B-Rank and the other three - Tsukiko here included - are A-Rank."
Satisfied with the answer, the woman wrote something on her notepad.
This moved on to the next question.
The one asking was a man with slick backed hair and a handsome face. His whole demeanor was that of someone who just wanted to get higher in the business chain.
"Are these other two A-Rank agents ones we know of already? Are you moving them into the branch since it is new?"
That had surprised Yuki a bit.
He had expected some underhanded question that would lead to something else. It was another straightforward question that seemed honest enough. The man did not give off any signs that there were hidden motives.
Wisteria: "I don't see anything wrong with this question."
Kuru-ma: "You really can't judge a book by it's cover."
White Fox: "Why do I feel like those words are directed at me?"
Kuruma gave a weak smile towards Yuki.
Ignoring the small talk from the three of them, Director Shinoda answered the question.
"No, these two agents are not known. They have been oversees for a while now and are just returning. Since they are returning, we thought it would be best to have them in the Yagura Branch. They are well-trained professionals."
The reporters took note of this while raising their hands for the next question.
Yuki felt that he should at least give a small apology to the man for judging him so quickly.
"From what we know, Akasora-san was a school teacher. Is that the reason he was chosen to be the new director to the Yagura Branch? Or does it have to do with what we heard about him fighting in the recent invasion?"
White Fox: "Wait...there's something wrong with that one."
Kuru-ma: "What do you mean? It seemed like a pretty honest question to me."
Wisteria: "He's talking about how that woman knew that Akasora-san fought in the invasion."
Red Sky: "I had to fight a Rabbit in order to defend my students. Also, I needed to go meet up with Shokubutsu. I took out some Marmods while I was at it. It makes sense that there would be rumors about me based on those events."
Yuki looked towards the woman who had asked the question, but all he found was an honest question.
She had been ready to write down the answer and likely accept it for what it, not thinking too much about the rumors going around. She was an honest person who only wanted the truth of what would be happening.
"Akasora was chosen due to his former affiliation with Border. He is at the same level as me when it comes to fighting prowess. No other person would be as well suited as he is for the job. There should be no worry that he will be more than capable to take care of the Yagura Branch."
White Fox: "Well, then. I guess we learned something new about Shinoda-san today. He has a massive hard on for Sensei. Guess bromances don't stop even as old men."
Wisteria: "I can't argue against this. It's probably because of the suit. Actually, it is a good opportunity to use it as material. I will make sure to inform Kako-san about this later on."
#5 Mountain: "Don't you think that's going a bit too far?"
Kuru-ma: "It could be worse. She could have said that she would be going to Misaki for this instead of Kako. I'm sure we would all be dragged into it if otherwise."
Even if they could not feel any sort of chill in the room, Yuki and Arashiyama shuddered at the thought of being in that kind of doujinshi.
Red Sky: "We can all see this conversation, you idiots."
Shinoda: "I'll deal with you guys later. For now, pay attention."
The three standing against the wall nodded their heads, forgetting that neither Akasora nor Shinoda could see them do so.
White Fox: "Disregarding Shinoda-san's apparent bromance with Sensei... I figured that I would only have to deal with a lot of questions in school. Now I have to possibly answer some in front of these people. Can't say I'm too happy."
Kuru-ma: "I thought you would be excited to be talking in front of so many people. From what Murakami and Kon have told me, you really go out of your way at school."
White Fox: "What have they been telling you!? They're full of it! I take it upon myself to stay away from eyesight so that our class rep doesn't spot me!"
Kuru-ma: "I've been told that she's quite something. I still don't know if that was meant as a good thing or not."
White Fox: "Depends on who you heard it from. Kō knows better than Kon what she's like."
Kuru-ma: "I see."
#5 Mountain: "Getting back to Yuki's want to not speak in front of these people... It's not so bad. Just focus on what you want to say while also being tactful about it. It may be a bit for you, but I'm sure you'll manage."
White Fox: "Why are you two against me right now!?"
Megane Director: "Don't you think you guys should be paying attention to these questions? A fastball might be thrown your way when you aren't looking."
White Fox: "Right."
#5 Mountain: "Sorry."
The two focused back on the meeting just in time to hear another question be asked.
This time it was not something they could overlook easily.
"I have questions concerning the black object the new branch director took from another Border agent during the recent invasion. What exactly was that black object? And why would a normal agent have it if someone as important as this man needed it?"
The entire chat came to a halt as whispers went around.
Yuki looked down at Akasora's wrist and was relieved to find that there was no object around his wrist. Even so, he could feel his nerves start to rise as an old and familiar feeling came to his chest.
Looking over at the man who had asked the question, he saw how the man held himself, the way his lips twitched slightly upwards, and how his eyes sparkled in anticipation.
White Fox: "It's a trap."
.
Akasora made sure to hold himself back from expressing himself too much. At this point in the meeting it would only bring suspicion onto him.
Words were already being shared among the crowd, but he thought nothing of them as the attention of those around him turned quickly to face him. From his sides, the directors there continued to look towards him in their own sense of anticipation.
Netsuki: "Akasora, we will tell them that it was a misunderstanding, so try and swing to that way."
He remained silent as the chat came back to life.
Shinoda: "Chishi, don't you dare do anything rash."
Megane Director: "You have to give it to this guy, though. He figured out that Chi-chan is someone who likes his emotions and expressing them. Actually, if he didn't, we would have a whole new set of problems."
Shinoda: "This isn't the time for those kinds of jokes!"
Megane Director: "Who said that I was joking?"
The fact his own student and the two at his side had said nothing meant that they understood this situation as much as the rest of them.
Even so...
"New branch director, what exactly was-"
"First."
The room quieted as Akasora finally spoke up.
I won't go against myself or her, so I'm sorry if this causes issues later on, Masafumi.
He did not hold back his emotions and restraining his knowledge had never been an option. With a new resolve in him, Akasora spoke so that all could hear him.
"I will not question how you know that. For all I know, you have a kid who had been around at the time. So don't worry, I won't be turning this back on you. Relax yourself and make sure you write down everything that will be said in this conference."
Looking out into the crowd, he saw the man do as he was told and lower himself into a more natural stance. Others around him had taken the advice as well, relaxing their tense muscles and loosening their grip on their pens.
"Next. That agent I had gone to meet up with is my nephew. Due to privacy reasons, I will not say his name. If you ask for it, all of us on stage here will deny saying it. So don't go and try to get that information out of us."
He added a casual "Anyways" without releasing his professional tone.
"I had been worried about him ever since the invasion started. But that is because I am his uncle. I care for him as if he was my actual child. He can manage himself just fine as a Border agent, and there are people who can vouch for that. But I will always worry for him. That being said, I wanted to make sure that he was fine, as well as to retrieve that black object you had mentioned."
Here it was. The deciding factor that would determine how the rest of the meeting would go.
"That object was a Trigger."
Netsuki: "Akasora!"
Shinoda: "Let him continue. Chishi, you know what you're doing."
Hm. Thanks for that, Masafumi.
There was no time to send a message as he continued.
"You see, my nephew has a privilege of sorts. He is rather good at detection and knowing where things are, so he has been given a special Trigger to assist him in his job. With that being the case, he had been more focused on protecting those he had been with at the time. Since he was doing that, I had asked him to hand over the other Trigger he had - the black object, as you called it - so that I could better assist in helping the more dangerous parts of the city."
"Then why not leave it with him and allow him to do so?"
"It's like I had said: he was protecting those he was with. If he had left them at any point, they would have been attacked by Neighbors. Besides, it was already hard enough knowing that he had to do that at all."
"You say you think of your nephew like your own son. If that is how you feel, then why do you allow him to continue being a Border agent? Especially after this invasion. As someone who has stated to be affiliated with Border already, you should know the dangers that something like that brings up for young people!"
"..."
It was time for the final strike.
"The way you speak... So I was right. You have a child, don't you?"
"I-..."
"During this recent invasion, where was your child? If you were with them, that would mean you are a good parent. If you weren't, but still worried about them, that also makes you a good parent. With the way you are speaking now, I think that the latter is the truth."
"Y-yeah. Yeah, I couldn't get to him during the invasion! It was terrible..."
"I see. Sorry for bringing that up. I'll take full blame for making you relive that in your head. But that brings up something else now. Is your child still alive?"
"Yes... Yes, he is."
"So I would assume he told you where he was and the reason he is still alive."
"...Yeah."
"Then can you tell me what he said?"
Everyone remained silent as they waited for the man's answer.
Akasora himself remained calm and his breath was steady.
"He was...being chased. By some Neighbors. A group had found him and then they had started to be chased by Neighbors. They had made it to an abandoned gas station and were saved. From what he told me, the one who had saved him was a young boy with hair covering his eyes a large weapon. From there, a man came in and took out the remaining Neighbors."
"I see. Then that boy - the one your son had mentioned - it should be known that that boy is my nephew. From his side of the story, it seems that everyone in that group your son was in worked to help guide even more people to safety. Even your son did a lot of work to help. For that, I thank your son. I also want to extend that to you, someone who helped raise such a good child."
Megane Director: "You steadfast son of a bitch!"
.
If given the opportunity, it was almost certain that Rindō would have started laughing right then and there.
From his spot against the wall, Yuki could see Shinoda's lips quirking up while his teacher's head was low in a bow to the man who had just tried to attack him.
I really don't stand a chance against this man. He remained vague with his words, but didn't betray himself. He was steadfast in who he is, even bringing out something good in someone who was going on the complete offense against him.
Yuki had only ever been able to do the former part of that. Seeing everything play out in this way brought a sense of pride in knowing that this man was his teacher.
But at the same time, it was painful to know that this man was far better than him. It had been due to his experiences in life that he could manage that, but the pain did not lessen because of it.
"Now then," Shinoda started after a few seconds. "Shall we get to the next question?"
This time it was another man who had raised his hand.
"Is the reason you chose that location for the new branch office because of how much damage it took during the invasion?"
It was another honest question, but there had been something off with it this time. Unlike the previous one, this was had been hidden by veiled innocence.
"Correct. The reason we chose that location was because it was less fortified during the time of the recent invasion. The damage done there was harsh, but not as bad as it could have been. A Neighbor had appeared there with a destructive power. If not for Tsukiko and another agent then the damage could have been far worse. That being said, it showed us just how unguarded the area was."
Yuki could easily remember what was going on during that time. He had just been going for a walk on one of his better days when the Gates started appearing.
He had gone into action right way to start taking out the trion soldier that were coming through. More seemed to be coming from different directions, so he took them out. That was when he had been told that he was the only one on the area with someone else making their way towards him.
That someone had turned out to be Mei, who had used her Trigger after a long while.
They had planned to meet up as soon as they could, but that was stopped when another Gate had opened right in front of him. Out of the Gate came to woman named Pyr. The real destruction of the area had started at that time.
Her Trigger had been able to cause explosions to anything she touched, leading to a drawn out and dangerous battle. The end result was a win for them, but it also left a lot of scars on the earth. The most prominent one being a mini-crater.
To say that things could have ended worse was an understatement.
Even so, Yuki never tried to shine because of that fight. He was not the only one in that that, so there was no reason to say that that was the result. It was his former team that had ended the fight with him only getting them to that point.
It was understandable that they wanted to shine some of the spotlight on him since he would be the most prominent one of the branch now.
Even so...
"Don't you think you are putting too much on that agent's shoulders now? I mean no harm when I say this, but he looks rather frail. Are sure that he is the one to have fought that Neighbor?"
Both Arashiyama and Kuruma cautiously looked toward Yuki. What they saw was something they expected. A fake smile that shone brightly and without reserve.
From where he was, Yuki could easily tell that this man, the one who had asked those questions, was one of the fake ones who just wanted to try something out. There was no need to Mei to get involved when he could already see the hidden motives behind this.
Wisteria: "Calm down. Provocation is usually their main tactics. Let him think that he's still got control of this, then, when he doesn't suspect it, hit him hard and fast."
Kuru-ma: "Aren't you suppose to be stopping him completely!?"
Netsuki: "Please don't destroy anything! And don't make things hard on us here!"
Red Sky: "Give the guy some credit here. He is constantly fighting with Ninomiya. Something like this is nothing."
White Fox: "Sensei gets it. I'm just doing like Mei said. This smile is so obvious that even those guys see through it. No way he doesn't."
Shinoda: "Can you at least wait a while before trying anything?"
White Fox: "Sure."
.
There was a good amount of small sighs coming from the others as they read the chat.
Allowing this to continue, Yuki said nothing as he stood there with his fake smile.
Director Shinoda, knowing what may happen if his friend were to answer, decided to take the lead here again.
"He may seem...fragile to others, but there is no doubt that he is one of our best. An A-Rank agent who deserves his position."
"I suppose he must be. He defeated one of those dangerous Neighbors all by himself, after all. To manage something like that...he must be the best agent you have."
Everyone on the stage could feel the irritation coming from Yuki.
No one turned to look at him out of fear of what they would see, as well as not wanting to look away from the crowd.
They did not have to focus on him as he took a step forward.
Shinoda: "Yuki. Don't do anything stupid. This is a warning."
Red Sky: "Let him have some fun. He seems pretty pissed since this is being directed more at you than anyone else."
.
Yuki moved forward until he was directly behind his teacher. From there, he held out his hand and gave his teacher a questioning look.
Giving a slight chuckle, his teacher handed him the microphone. Once he had the microphone in hand, he began to speak directly to the reporter. The one who was taunting one of the directors of Border.
His smile was shining brightly while he spoke.
"If I may... Kind sir, when was it stated that I defeated that Neighbor by myself? I believe what was said was that if not for me 'and another agent, the damage could have been far worse,' right? That meant that I had assistance from someone else. What's more is that it was never stated that we two even defeated that Neighbor."
"So you are saying that you, in fact, did not defeat that Neighbor? Them how can we trust that you will be able to defend against Neighbors in case of another invasion? You are saying that you are not to be trusted."
"I see... Right, right. I completely understand what you are saying. That was my bad. I apologize."
Yuki's smile fell more into a grin of someone looking down at others. It was slight enough for the crowd not to notice but obvious enough for the members of Border to tell what it meant.
Kuruma and Arashiyama were about to pull him back when they were stopped by Branch Director Rindō.
Megane Director: "If you two move now, it will only cause more of an issue than there already is."
The two of them reluctantly settled back in place.
"While I did not defeat that Neighbor with that other agent... My squad had managed to come in and take them out in our stead. We tried to keep the damage to a minimum while also forcing them to use up as much power as possible. That lead to victory for the ones coming in later. After all..."
After all...
"That is how Border works. We do not go around trying to take on every battle by ourselves to build ourselves up like some kind of heroes. And so, with that being said, I ask you all to trust, not in me, but the Yagura Branch, and Border as a whole."
Director Netsuki and Kuruma let out relieved sighs while the other three directors smiled with sounds of approval and acknowledgment.
"However..."
This got everyone's attention once more.
"If you are still uncertain about my worth... I'll happily demonstrate for everyone. That is, if the directors will allow it."
That had been enough to cause an uproar in the building.
Demands of this to come about and for it to be recorded by them all.
Shinoda: "Damnmit, Yuki! I'm going to kick your ass later for this!"
Director Shinoda coughed into his hand while giving a small glare towards Yuki, who was now backing up to his original spot.
He expected something stupid to come from Yuki. Basically, he knew not to trust Yuki with talking to everyone.
"Ahem. It seems that our agent just said something unnecessary now. We intend to have him present his skill in fighting against Neighbors. Tsukiko Yuki will fight against a large number of Neighbors before Arashi-"
White Fox: "I can do it by myself. Probably one-hundred or so."
Shinoda sent a glare back.
"Yes... He will take on a large number of Neighbors. It will be done after this conference. You will all be directed to a seating area to see it happen. No cameras will be needed since there will be recorded footage that we will provide."
It was a smart tactic that was just thought of.
A few messages from Mei were being sent through the chat about what they should do since Yuki had been an idiot moments ago. The directors were happy to get this assistance. Kuruma and Arashiyama were ready to tackle Yuki to the ground should he start something up again.
With Border providing a recording, as well as the reporters watching the fight, there would be nothing they could say that would falsify what would happen. If even one of them changed something with the recordings, while most of them left it alone, then the ones who made the changes would certainly be called out.
This kept Border safe from being called liars.
It would also provide reassurance that this new branch - Yagura Branch - would be well off in protecting Mikado City. They would witness a single member of the branch fighting and defeating multiple Neighbors and sow the seeds of trust within everyone watching.
Some may think that Yuki would not be able to defeat a large amount of Neighbors alone, but most of the people at the table and standing at the wall knew that he would be able to take on that many. While the numbers would be high, Yuki had the experience of multiple people. In a way, it would be a large amount of agents against the Border-made Neighbors, instead of a single agent going against Border-made Neighbors.
"Moving on to the next question."
Yuki felt satisfied with what he had just caused.
Wisteria: "Don't think I won't hit you for your idiotic behavior."
Noah Shor was not the type of person to really keep up with the news. If there was something particularly interesting then he would zone in on it and pay attention to it, but he would otherwise change the channel to anime or something.
This was only a handful of times where we would watch the news. One of his best friends' captain was there, talking and answering questions from the reporters there. He was curious as to see what Yuki would be like now that he had disbanded his team.
He seems more...lively than before. I can't really say I know him well enough to judge his character, but he really does seem like he's enjoying himself more than before. I mostly just went off what Tobio had to say about him.
He knew about what Toby and his squad were going through. As a captain of his own squad, he could guess why Yuki had decided to disband his squad. Even so, there were too many factors that could have lead to that choice.
Yuki had been an agent longer than he had, and was captain for probably just as long. Noah had no way of being sure what was going on through the A-Rank's mind.
Focusing back on what was happening, he noticed that some questions were now being directed towards the other two Border Combatants there. Arashiyama had answered easily enough, clearly being used to this sort of things. Meanwhile, the Suzunari-1 captain had fumbled a bit, but had gotten his answers out easily enough.
Looking over the two of them, Noah felt like he would not be able to keep up with them if he ever managed to get on a stage like that.
Still, have to give it up to Mr. Tatsuya there. I thought he would be way behind the others. I guess it's just his personality though. I honestly wouldn't mind working with him more.
Being someone from a new squad, there had not been many times he got to work with the Suzunari Branch. For the most part, his squad had been trying to get the hang of being a new squad and everything it entailed.
With thoughts like those circulating through his head, his mind had been brought back to his friend.
There was no captain for him, after all.
"Well... I guess it really isn't any of my business. But I hate seeing that guy the way he is right now. Even Prince and Minu are saying things about Suzume and Takeshi. Hm..."
As he continued to walk, he could feel that someone was walking in the opposite direction of him. He was going to look up and greet them when he noticed that the person was the boy he was talking to himself about.
.
Toby was standing in front of him with a deep frown on his face. It looked unnatural coming from him, as much as him not wearing his signature hat.
Noah could admit that one of the reason the two of them were friends was because they both had a signature item with his being his goggles while Toby had his hat. Seeing either one of them without those items always felt odd.
Deciding not to be awkward about things, Noah gave a smile and raised his hand.
"Hey there, Tobio. Where you headed? Oh! To get some solo matches in? Want me to be your opponent? I need to find a good way around your Side Effect."
He wasn't too sure but he thought he heard an actual growl come out before Toby answered.
That was actually pretty scary.
"(No. I was just going to go punch the shit out of something. I don't really have time to deal with other things right now. So... I guess I'll see you around.)"
Noah noted the use of curse words, as well as the fact that he was speaking in English.
Toby, while being wild, refrained from cursing as much as he could. He did not want to be seen as a delinquent, contrary to his appearance. Going back to using his native language was also an indicator to his anger.
Not sure about what to do, Noah decided to try a new conversation topic. It was a risk, but he needed to make sure of something.
"(Hey, I'm watching the conference right now. Apparently Yuki-)"
"(I don't give a damn.)"
That was all he needed to know. Just the mention of his former captain was enough to send him over the deep end.
Noah turned around while giving a weak goodbye.
It was really troubling to see one of his best friends act in such a way.
The disbandment was certainly taking it's toll on everyone involved. The destruction it was causing was just as devastating as the fight that particular squad had been through during the invasion. That same squad was no longer there.
"Maybe I should talk to Yuki about this..."
That was all he could think of doing at this point.
After all...
Those guys are ready to self-destruct at any moment.