"Mei...was rampaging?"
Inside the Main Red Lightning, Yuki frowned at the information from Jin.
"This is getting dangerous. With Kushikage being the one involved, I'm sure she's sending it to whoever she wants."
2.7 Maime: "Exactly. The entire situation is still unknown, but Mei had been going wild in Yagura's training room. I'm sorry. When I had mentioned it to her, it had been a small chance of that future happening. I didn't think it really would happen."
A likely source of the information was either Akasora or Rindō. Yet the truth to a handful of people was clear that Kushikage had been the one to inform Jin about it, knowing full well what would happen afterwards.
Murakami tilted his head.
"How could she have gotten so stressed out she would do that again?"
Kurauchi tilted his head and responded.
"What exactly does he mean by 'going wild'? I don't think I can image Takato-san being anything but calm and collected no matter the situation. And even if that were true, how is it something to worry about? We have multiple people in Border who enjoy 'going wild' on a daily basis. Some of which are in this room as we speak."
"You can only say that because you don't know Senpai like we do. And it's an issue because it will be Kushikage-san who is likely to inform every possible person about it. To you all, it might be something to see, but for us..."
2.7 Maime: "That's right. The last time we saw Rampage Dress doing anything, I didn't see Mei for a long while. That time also had Taiyōko involved. ...It was terrifying, so I'm sorry for indirectly causing the issues that will be coming up."
Yuki thought to himself while Murakami erased all of the chat messages that popped up in quick succession.
...Last time, I had to do some weird things to get her out of her room. The same will probably be applied here. What's more, I need to deal with Shiraishi cutting all ties with us, and my former squad being idiots... This is all really just a big annoyance.
He felt like something big was happening.
It all felt connected, but he also felt like at least one piece was still missing.
As he wondered what it could be, Arafune tapped on his shoulder.
"Hm? What is it, Tetsu?"
"Yeah. I just got word concerning your former squad."
He placed a hand on his chin and slowly continued.
"It would seem they have really been causing some trouble tonight."
"You mean...?"
Everyone frowned and focused on the B-Rank Sniper captain.
"You should head out and deal with them. It's about time you got off your ass and took responsibility for something you actually caused."
Yuki was well aware of how awkward things would be without Mei around.
Actually, it would still probably be awkward even with her around. These kids can't seem to bring themselves to act like proper people without some help from others.
In front of him were three people with expressions ranging from nothing at all to a look of outrage. They stared at him as if he was nothing but trash that refused to get away from them.
He let out a sigh when he saw this, noting that without Mei he would have no one to put them in line should something go wrong.
I decided to do this without asking Jin about the future. But I think that would mean I'm too reliant on him instead of making things to the way I want. Besides, he sees enough painful things as it is. I don't want to drag him into my problems.
His mind went back to earlier in the night when he had to negotiate with Shiraishi Chisato.
That was a time when his words mattered and what he said could change things for the better or for worse.
His words meant nothing here.
Black Wolf: "Remember to be kind, but also give punishment for their behavior."
Yuki jumped for a second, forgetting that he had not left the chat.
White Fox: "That's easier said than done. I can be nice, all frilly and whatnot, but that kind of stuff won't be enough for them. At this point, I'm not sure what they see me as. I am actually afraid of saying anything because it could lead to something bad."
TetsuG: "Well you better figure it out. For a start, act like their former captain instead of there friend. They are nothing but idiotic children right now. If you don't they are going to be getting worse."
Yuki could remember what he had been told by Shokubutsu after the second round match of the B-Rank Wars and shuddered at the thought of the squad getting worse.
"What do you want?"
Yuki looked forward towards the one who spoke.
.
Takeshi felt something start to boil in his chest the longer he stood in front of his former captain.
He had been called over by Yuki with Suzume and Toby also being called. The feeling of regret sunk in when he decided to agree to meet up with them all. Now that they were here, he could see why that was.
Yuki seemed to be stalling for time.
Mei was not around to calm them down at any point, meaning there was a chance to attack Yuki without any interference. That may have been the reason behind the stalling tactic he was using.
"Why did you call us over?"
Yuki looked directly to him as he continued his questioning.
Yuki let out a sigh while mutter something that sounded like, "I can see why she did rampage now... I'm an idiot."
Takeshi narrowed his eyes at the barely audible words that came from his former captain.
He watched as Yuki moved across the room to sit down on a nearby chair, disregarding the looks from Suzume and Toby.
"I wanted to apologize to you three."
It had been far too late for that.
"As someone who is unneeded, I haven't had much time to talk to you guys. It's actually been longer than I thought it was. Then I remembered that I never gave you guys a proper reason."
There was no reason needed anymore.
"But right now... I know you won't be listening to me. You won't care if I told you that I need to handle something concerning Mei right now. You three - Toby, Takeshi, Suzumebachi - will continue to ignore my words until I do something. Your last two matches showed me that."
"...You saw them..."
Suzume had been the one to respond.
"I saw the first one. It was painful for me to watch. The second one was watched by some people. They had told me about it."
He could not even bother to watch their second match himself.
"I have been hearing about the attitudes you three have been having lately. I saw firsthand what Takeshi is like. I had some words with him, but that is what made everything clear to me."
Takeshi could feel his fingers twitching.
Every word that came out of Yuki's mouth was enough to fill him with strong emotions of something he could not fully understand.
"I am glad to see that you are doing well enough, Suzu. Toby, I am sorry that I haven't done anything concerning your father. Know that he might just be put in his place soon."
They were nice words towards others.
That was how it should be, he knew. He did not deserve nice words for the way he has been acting. Toby and Suzume were the ones who had better things to worry about, yet he was stuck with the most pathetic part of himself.
"With this being said."
With that being said...
"I will be fighting the three of you. I will show you firsthand how weak you three really are. I will show you three how strong you are. Afterwards, I will properly speak with you. As real people who will not be caught up in your own worlds. Until we finish, I can only see you three as fools who rival me in stupidity."
.
Yuki looked at each member of the formed Kotowari Squad to gauge their reactions to his words.
He turned to his right.
Suzu seems to be unsure about this. Maybe a fight won't be necessary for her.
He looked to his left.
Toby looks ready to go. Maybe he just needs to release some stress. I guess I would be the best punching bag for him right now.
He looked in front of him.
Takeshi needs...
"Takeshi, you will be fighting me alone. You have no chance at fighting with others right now. You will fight me right now."
"I am fine with that."
Yuki could only nod his head while directing Suzume to get things ready for them.
She seemed fine with doing so, going over to Mei's desk and setting everything up.
Now then...
.
As the two boys made their way to their fighting area, Suzume typed on the computer while voicing her mind.
The only one who would hear her would be Toby, but she was fine with that.
"Hey... Are you honestly going to fight him?"
"Yeah. I'm still pissed off at him. He is the asshole who just left us like that."
She noted something about his words.
He didn't say he wouldn't forgive Yuki-san.
She let out some air through her nose.
"I won't fight him. Not because I am not mad at him. I honestly want to hear him out first. His reasoning for leaving us, for not saying anything until now. I just want to listen to him instead of forcing myself to honestly put on a pitiful dance in front of you all."
"You can't put on a 'pitiful dance' even if you wanted. And you are fine in what you want. You are really being the mature one about this. That's fine. I won't blame you for not attacking him like I will. Like how Takeshi will."
"Thank you. It is honestly nice of you to say that."
They both knew something.
Suzume was well aware that they both viewed Yuki as a sort of older sibling. That made a world of difference for them.
A reason could be viewed from two sides by people who properly understood what it meant to be an older sibling. There were times when reasons would need to be said concerning things needing to be done. There were times when reasons should never be told concerning things needing to be done.
Suzume had a younger sister while Toby had a younger brother.
They both understood what it means to be older.
Kotowari Takeshi.
Border's own Laser-Shooter.
He was a true monster that could freely use the power of the Laser-Shooter prototype Trigger. And he was also the one who viewed the world as nothing important. As he had been fine appearing before Yuki after what had happened not too long ago, he could be called without exaggeration a revenge-filled person.
From what Yuki knew, he had blown off his arm in the match B-Rank War match because of his feelings towards certain topics.
With a new trion body having been made, that arm was back to how it was before.
"—"
There were no words.
As Takeshi cast his eyes down, his head leaned towards the side in an ominous almost mechanical way.
"— —"
"..."
When Takeshi fixed his head, he pulled something from his back.
A fluttering scarf made using a gray fabric was on his open palm. The ends had small tails and it looked long enough to wrap around one's neck a good amount of times. It had been a gift. Yuki was quite familiar with the cloth.
It had been given to Takeshi by Yuki.
It had been around the time Yuki had asked the younger boy to join his squad. The scarf was given to represent the trust he had in Takeshi as a Shooter and friend. Yuki and Mei had even gone so far as to personally pick out what would be best for the boy at the time it had been bought.
Yuki could remember clearly that day as he saw the scarf.
Yuki's eyelids lowered as he spoke.
"What are you going to do with that? It doesn't look like it is just a part of your trion body and instead is the real deal."
Takeshi sneered at his words.
He moved his hand.
However, nothing came from it. This was because he had not moved his hand in order to gesture for something.
Takeshi produced a single orb of trion before firing through the scarf.
Yuki's eyes lowered as he watched the scarf get destroyed by the powerful attack.
A sharp sound was heard as the fabric was tore through with no hesitation or remorse. The gift he gave to Takeshi had been destroyed with little thought. Of course, this was viewed in an unfavorable light to those who witnessed it. Takeshi looked at the small remains of the scarf.
And yet that monster's face had nothing but a dark look stuck to it.
"...Yuki. I don't have to care about something so insignificant now," Takeshi muttered as he let the rest of the scarf fall.
Takeshi looked to be full of something.
A look appeared within the boy's eyes.
"You said... You had told us before that you would be there for us."
Tsukiko Yuki had been mistaken.
He had been mistaken about how serious the fact he disbanded his squad had hit the Shooter. And he had been mistaken about just how far the strong would go to get revenge on something so simple and trivial when they viewed it as important.
"Hey, Yuki. If the Laser-Shooter's power is put out of control, how far do you think the damage would spread because of it?"
Green beams of light that were much too dreadful shot out.
It wasn't just a few of them.
With the boy named Kotowari Takeshi at the center, hundreds of beams of light shot out in every direction.
.
Kotowari Takeshi "exploded".
Green light shot out in all directions with him at the center.
The overwhelming flood of light wiped away the air between them in the eerie night setting that was not too far off from reality. In the same way the lights of a city made the stars disappear, Kotowari Takeshi's power showed itself in the training environment as a symbol of the negative side of humanity.
The raging beams of light finally focused together into one spot. It was a single arm. It was a construction almost 20 meters long. Yuki looked up at it and almost felt a sense of majesty from it, but the arm of light then swung down above him like a collapsing building.
"...?"
He casually jumped to the side.
The Laser-Shooter arm did not just destroy the thick false snow. It destroyed the false earth below the snow as well.
An explosive noise rang out.
Yuki's light body was blown over 10 meters away. He made noise, having seen something far worse before.
As he moved away, Yuki thought.
He had not been directly hit.
If he had, he would have been blown to pieces.
The next strike was coming.
One small piece of luck amid all the misfortune was that Takeshi could not aim carefully after sending himself out of control.
However, the misfortune greatly outweighed the luck.
He could no longer see Kotowari Takeshi.
His beam arm had come undone and he was firing hundreds of beams in every direction again. However, it was not just for an instant. Like a saber from a robot anime, he was perpetually firing the beams. The boy's silhouette was blotted out. The intense dancing light burned afterimages into Yuki's vision preventing him from seeing anything else. The swirl of beams of light gave him a sharp headache and he merely stood on the ground. Takeshi's attack could worry the best of fighters, so it was nothing short of a miracle that Yuki's body was not sliced in two.
He could not approach the boy.
Approaching would bring him nothing but death. Possibly in a literal sense as well.
In all of his battles up to that point, Takeshi's Laser-Shooter had been overwhelming. After all, he could freely fire beams that could pierce through any cover and straight through his opponent's body. Letting him hear the slightest breath would bring death. That was how fearsome an opponent he was.
But this was different.
It was very different.
It was now just a raging blast furnace or a moving weapon. He could no longer see this as the boy who tried to stay in a neutral area with everyone he came in contact with. This was the result of his own foolishness catching up to him in the worst way possible. Needless to say, touching him was out of the question.
And...
"...Yuuuuki..."
Amid the explosive din, he could still hear that cracking voice. He could tell the voice was getting closer. Yes, it was getting closer. Even while Kotowari Takeshi "exploded" like that, he was slowly approaching. That blasting furnace that could destroy anything just by approaching was walking toward him like death incarnate.
That was resolve.
That was Laster-Shooter.
The power had been devilishly powerful to begin with and it had now been given an even more destructive effects with a focus on only attacking. Having become hell on earth, Kotowari Takeshi fully represented all that.
"...I have abandoned everything," said a nightmarish voice.
The tone of voice alone squeezed that boy's heart.
"I knew what would happen if I became unneeded, but I made sure to abandon it all, Yuki. It means I really don't care about anything else and can work well once this is over. Even if it means I am not needed. Like you. Right? ...Don't tell me you thought you could just talk your way out of this without considering how you abandoned us...!"
Did he understand what he was saying?
That was what Yuki honestly thought. He knew what it meant to be "Unneeded" as opposed to simply being "unneeded." Giving up and abandoning everything meant nothing when people still tried to help in any way they could. It was something that Takeshi would not be able to ever understand as long as he had a single person to look out for him. Even if that single person was a single girl who now needed her own help. Yuki knew that she would help, meaning Takeshi was not "Unneeded" in the slightest.
He couldn't win.
There was no way.
Yuki knew this. He also knew that he himself could not do much when anything he did would mean nothing to that monster. There was no opening. There was no blind spot. How was he suppose to attack a Shooter who was perpetually firing attacks 360 degrees around him?
"...Yuki..."
Something called his name.
Something approached him.
"Yuki."
Turning his back would mean nothing. Any distance he could make on foot through that snow would mean nothing if Takeshi just focused on his attack a little. And if he hid behind a tree, Takeshi would just blow straight through the trunk.
Even if he ran, he would be hit.
But standing to oppose Takeshi would meaning nothing.
In that case...
What should I do here...?
"—!"
The monster yelled.
The green that had blotted out his vision suddenly disappeared. No. The attack being fired in all directions collected in one place. It collected in one place in order to pierce through Tsukiko Yuki. It was solely to open a giant hole in the body of the target.
Trying to run away was useless.
That attack would pierce through any type of cover.
He really is out of control.
Yuki was a person well known for his use of the prototype Trigger called Teleport. If he could see where he wanted to go he could teleport to the location with no issues at all. That meant he could dodge this attack with enough ease that it would almost be meaningless.
And then Kotowari Takeshi's yell spread out explosively.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Suddenly, all light disappeared.
Kotowari Takeshi's body fell down into the snow.
"Hah...?"
Yuki could understand the scene before his eyes.
He had not yet teleported. No third party had suddenly appeared and attacked Takeshi. No one had done anything and yet Takeshi had lost all power and collapsed like a marionette that's strings had been cut.
Yuki did not have to wonder what had happened.
I was right.
That was all he could think.
And then he saw something.
Kotowari Takeshi's body was cracking up as he sank into the snow. His face had spiderweb-like cracks running along it while some green smoke came from those cracks. It was a clear sign for anyone who used a Trigger and understood what long battles would lead to.
Takeshi had used up all his trion.
His Laser-Shooter had been developed to purposefully continue high amounts of power continuously with the only need being that the user had to aim properly. Another downside to it had been the amount of trion it needed to continuously fire the attacks. It was not something a low amount of trion would be able to manage for more than a few seconds.
Takeshi had been the only one to take up the challenge of using the Trigger.
He couldn't keep this up for too long.
It was something someone like Yuki could easily understand.
Suzume and Toby watched silently as the fight went on.
It was not a particularly long one with Yuki having no need to take any offensive action. There was very little movement from him while being fired at by hundreds of beams that tore through everything they touched.
It was a horrendous sight that would be burned in their memories every time they looked at the Laser-Shooter. They had not seen him during their last match, but now they understood how lucky they were to not see it.
"We are terrible..."
Suzume spoke with a downcast expression.
"We didn't even notice him. No... I am honestly terrible. I have not noticed either one of you."
"This isn't our fault... We trusted him and he did that to us." Toby was unsure who he was referring to at this point. "Yuki just left us and said nothing afterwards... Takeshi gave up on everything, not even looking at us. This isn't our damn fault!"
Suzume knew all too well that what he was saying was true.
She also knew that there was far more to the situation.
That was when she heard the sound of footsteps.
.
Yuki walked into the room where Suzume and Toby were. Behind him was the room where Takeshi was just laying on one of the mats for when they would Bail Out.
He looked towards the two who were at the computer with an expecting look.
"So... Who wants to fight me next?"
The two by the computer remained silent.
Yuki was ready to speak when he got a clear view at their faces.
It was all he needed to know that he did not have to fight anymore.
"Will you all hear me out now?"
Suzume and Toby nodded their heads while keeping their bodies where they had been already. They heard nothing from the room behind Yuki but assumed Takeshi would not be doing anything against them now.
Yuki let out a sigh while leaning against the wall next to him.
"Right. Where would you all like me to start?"
This time it was Toby who responded. His voice much softer than usual.
"Why did you disband Tsukiko Squad?"
It was a clear question that never got an answer.
"Because I thought you were ready. For what? I thought you guys were ready to be on a squad without needing me around to hold your hands. You all have grown a lot since I met you, so I thought you wouldn't need me anymore."
"You could have still told us something beforehand!"
Yuki gave a biter smile.
This felt too familiar to him.
I guess us unneeded people really don't understand others. Sekai-san and Denji were right...
He coughed into his hand as he was glared at by Toby.
"That was my fault. I wanted it to be a surprise. It was indeed a surprise, but not a good one. I am sorry about that."
"Yuki-san, saying anything to us would have been helpful. It hurts even more to think that Mei-san honestly knew."
"Hm?"
This time he saw a bitter smile on Suzume's face. It did not feel right to have it there.
"Don't give us that. Anyone can tell that Mei-san knows more than anyone else when it comes to you. Even if you didn't tell her, I'm sure she could figure it out."
That's not true. Kō actually knows more than Mei. If barely.
"But I guess we honestly can't blame her since this was your choice. Mei-san would have told us... Oh. Sorry. I am honestly getting off track here."
The girl in front of him was hurting. Unlike the other two, she was trying to hide it.
Yuki saw this as both a good thing and a bad thing.
He chose to respect her actions by continuing to speak.
"Next question."
"Why haven't you spoken to us at all since that time?"
That question made Yuki's heart ache a bit. Knowing that he truly was at fault for that one, yet not at fault at all.
He thought back to the time he had been spending since the initial disbanding of Tsukiko Squad and found that he really did have a lot to do.
This night was a clear example of the amount of stuff he had to do.
"I have been busy. With the Yagura Branch being made, I have been helping it as Sensei's aide. Beyond that, I have been doing things for the directors that I can't actually talk about. Any day I have off is because of my health. They are not the best excuses, but it is the truth."
The looks he was getting from the two in front of him showed clear signs of understanding.
His health had always been an issue, but with the directors needing his help it left even smaller amounts of free time. He did not have enough time to much of anything.
His words earlier had been that he saw their first match of the B-Rank Wars. That meant he had taken time to go see them when he could have been doing other things that would benefit others much more than giving them some happiness that they did not get at all.
When everything boiled down to the basics, the whole time they had been miserable was just because of some stupidity and circumstances.
It looks like these two are starting to ease up. Which means...
Yuki tilted his head so that his ear was leaning in the direction of the room behind him.
"Suzu and Toby got their questions. Take, is there something you feel like asking me?"
There was a tense silence in the air.
It seemed as if there would be no response, yet Yuki continued to wait.
And after a few more seconds...
"Do you...even care about us?"
The tone was no longer that of a boy who had given up on trying to see the things around him and instead went to that of a lost child who could not find their parents in a crowded street. It was hard to not soften one's expression when hearing it.
Yuki nodded at the question, getting ready to answer.
He noticed Suzume and Toby looking at him expectantly.
"I..."
He gave a smile towards the two.
"I will never stop caring about you three." He moved forward to pat their heads. "You three were the first squad I had as 'Tsukiko Yuki' and the ones who helped me to understand how to be a squad leader. Things I learned being your captain have already helped me in dealing with the Yagura Branch and some issues connected to it. What I did... I say it was for you three, but it was just a selfish choice I made because I thought I would end up sticking to you three more than I should."
He turned back to the room without moving his feet.
"To answer your question, Takeshi... Yes. I do care about you three. I also care about Mei. That is also a reason I wanted to mend things with you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... It seems that all of us have been giving her so much stress that she ended up reverting to part of her old self. It is something she wanted to forget, but it was forced out because of us and a terrible person."
He could remember when he had first seen it.
The real monster.
Takeshi's light show earlier had been nothing compared to the real monster that appeared on that day.
"Well, I think I will give you guys time to think about everything. I will go help out Mei. If you need anything...come get me. I will happily help."
With those final words, he started for the door.
He could hear some noises behind him and waited for a few seconds.
"Hm."
When nothing happened he simply smiled and took his leave.
.
Suzume and Toby watched as Yuki left without saying any more.
They both looked towards each other before placing their hands on their heads.
The feeling of that gentle hand was still there, lingering even after he had left. It was a nice warm feeling that came up inside of them.
"Suzume..."
"I feel better. There are honestly some things I still want to know, but this is fine for now. We caused so much trouble for Mei-san, so he needs to be there for her. If we tried to stop him from doing that... We would honestly be more selfish than anyone else."
She looked at him in return.
"And what about you?"
"I am still pissed. But it did make me feel a bit lighter to hear that. I think I can forgive him if given enough time."
"That's good to hear. But now..."
"Yeah..."
Suzume and Toby turned their attention to the room where the mats for them after Bail Out were placed. There was one person in that room.
"Even if he honestly forgives Yuki-san... Can he forgive himself for what he honestly did? How will everyone else be able to forgive him?"
Looking at each other for a moment, the two of them started for the room where the mats were placed.
They had only heard the question come from the monster they had seen on the screen. After that had been asked there was no sound from the room.
When the turned the corner to look inside the room, what they saw was...
"—"
Kotowari Takeshi, the monster who had fired hundreds of laser-like beams at their former captain moments ago, had his arms covering his face while his body shook. No sound came out but the two of them could tell what was happening.
"—"
"Takeshi?"
"—"
Letting out a sigh, Toby walked over to an adjacent mat, taking a seat. He said nothing and instead chose to just sit there.
Following his lead, Suzume moved forward as well. She took the spot of the last mat, making sure to keep an eye on both of the boys.
The three of them stayed in that position, thinking about what they had heard.
Their former captain had gotten rid of their squad because he believed in them. Not because he was tired of them.
Their former captain had not said anything to them because life seemed to have been preventing him from doing so. Not because he did not want to see them anymore.
Their former captain cared for them, even when they had been fools for quite some time.
Their former captain was just a regular friend.
"Tonight really is kind of chilly."
Yuki made this remark as he walked through Mikado City.
It was extremely late with the only lights on being the streetlights of Mikado City and a few bars that refused to close for those who wanted to drink late into the night. The stores had all closed and the houses were dark so that their occupants could get some sleep.
The night's events continued to play in his head as he looked up.
With the area being a residential one, the stars in the sky were clear enough for him to admire. Each one shone with its own radiance that he couldn't help but be fascinated by them the longer he looked.
"I should probably tell Daigo and Shobu that it's fine to get attached to people. As possibilities, they can still get out of this. SenSen is deeper than I thought he would be, but I'm sure there is still hope for him. As long as they know what is important to them, it will be fine. With Sekai-san looking out for Daigo, he should know how to handle that. I will try my best with Shobu."
The words continued to come out without him really listening to what they were.
"I guess all this stuff with the companies, Border, and my former squad really has me thinking about pointless things again. I went through all the trouble of getting this thing to pull back Mei from her thoughts and now I am trying to find out how I am only third."
Letting out a bitter laugh, Yuki looked down at the object in his arms.
Turning it over, he looked down at it to see the stars in the sky once more.
"They really are amazing. Stars. Even in a reflection, they produce such an amazing sight that you can't help but connect them."
He let out a sigh when he remember why he had the object in the first place.
"Even looking at the stars through this, I know that I still can't reach them. That is why I just need to work with the things I can reach. If that beautiful goddess is deciding to hide in her cave, I'll be the fool who brings her out with my merrymaking."
Stopping from his walk, Yuki looked up to see a house in front of him. A few houses down was his own house that he shared with a protecting hero, but that was not where he was needed. The house in front of him was the real place he needed to be at the moment.
He gave a small laugh at his own worthless words.
"Well, might as well get started."
Takato Mei stared into the space in front of her.
She sat alone in the house, her parents having left on another trip while he cousin was at his own home. There was no one around and only the light from the outside streetlights and the moon illuminated the room.
There was nothing in front of her yet she faced forward as if concentrating on something.
That something was her own thoughts.
It happened again. I did it again. I showed that side of me again. That hideous side of me that even my parents don't know about. Back then was bad enough. I'm sure that was when people started to keep their distance from me. The repercussions of that are still lingering today. And now I have shown that side of me again. Rampage Dress. No. It's more violent than that. That kind of thing doesn't even fit me like something else would. It is something so disgusting that words alone won't be able to explain it. Something so terrible that even Sensei has to look at me with those kinds of expressions.
That woman was also there. I believe, just like last time, she was there. She took everything in. She recorded it. I'm sure of it. She will send it to everyone. Everyone will know now. Every person in Border. Every person who has an Internet connection. They will all see that monster. That crazy thing that takes a Black Trigger and someone of Sensei's caliber to stop. Even then, it wasn't him who stopped me. The first time it had been the fool. This time it had been his sister. That family... That family. That family! No...
"Ah..."
That isn't true...
"Aaaaahhhhh..."
It had not been him... It was her last time as well...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A howl rang out into the night from the single girl.
It was a terrifying scream that was only muffled by the walls of the house.
A piercing pain rushed through Mei's head as more thoughts filled her brain. Each one would lead into the next and would only increase in speed without a moment of hesitation. Her own mind was tearing her apart with no way of stopping.
Tears formed in the corner of her eyes as new thoughts were formed.
That'srightIhavenowayofstoppingmhselfwhenIstartthinkingaboutsomething! Helphelphelphelphelphelp! Ineedhelp! Someonehelp! Butwhowouldhelpamonsterlikeme!? Noonewould! Yes! Iwillkeepsufferingbecausenoonewillhelpme! Justlikeusual! Yes! Innocent! Innocent! Innocent! ThatiswhatpeoplesaywhenItryandexplainthingstothem! TheysayIaminnocentwhenIamclearlynot! Iamnoinnocentmonster! Onlysomethingthatbringsworryandfeartoeveryonearound! Stopstopstop! Itissomethingicannotdo!
She grabbed her head as the pain continued to grow.
Wait... Waitasecond... Yes... Thatcanwork. Death. Deathwouldnotbringworrytoothers. Sorrow. Sorrowiswhattheywouldhave. But. Buttheywouldnolongerhavetoworryaboutmeorthemselvesgettinghurt. Whatdoesitfeelikethough? Whatdoesdeathfeellike? Ineedtoknow. Ireallyneedtoknownow. IneedtomakesurethatIknowwhatitfeelslikesothatIcanwarnpeoplenottodie. ThatishowIcanbeofanyusenow.
This was the result of the Side Effect that made her brain able to work like a super computer.
Unlike technology that can be programmed to stop itself when going too far, the human brain would do no such thing as it would continue to advance and learn more. Someone could not just manually stop the kind of thinking about new things without any sort of preparation.
Mei knew this (and it may have ran through her mind) but she could not even take a moment to try and stop herself.
Even the opening of her door did not register in her rapidly thinking mind.
The voice calling to her and the arms around her were also unregistered in her mind.
.
Yuki rushed inside of the house once the howl in the night reached his ears.
He wasted no time in running towards Mei, who was on the ground, howling in pain and clutching her head.
He knew that nothing he did would register to her rapidly thinking mind unless it was something drastic.
So he made a choice.
He did was he had done before.
"Sorry Mei..."
Using his hand, he hit her where he knew it would knock her unconscious.
He looked down at the limp girl in his arms and couldn't help but feel sadness at knowing what was happening.
"I guess I should put you to bed now."
Suzume knew that she would hate what she had to do.
It was the morning after she had learned about the circumstances behind Tsukiko Squad's disbandment. She had spent the night thinking about what everything meant and what she would have to do to better herself as both a member of Border and as a woman.
That brought her to her current goal, looking for someone who she knew was in the Border headquarters.
The end result of her search was going to be clear to her, but she continued to move with purpose. She knew that she would come to regret her decision later on and still moved because it was the best course of action she could take at the moment.
The plan had been to ask Mei if she could help in advancing as an Attacker while also teaching her how to be a Gunner. This would put her in a similar position to that of Yuki, Kizaki, and Arafune in the sense that she would try for a complete All-Rounder status. With the help of their Operator she was sure she could manage it, if at a lower scale than that of Kizaki.
That is where the rest of her plan came into play.
Some may have called her masochistic if they knew she was going to see this person for help, but she didn't care right now. She only cared about saying...
"Narasaka! Please be my mentor!"
All the attention in the area went straight to Suzume as she said this.
Everyone stared on with wide eyes. Most of them knew either Suzume or Narasaka and knew that the two got along as well as fire and water. So seeing Suzume bow her head and ask him for help made some wonder if the apocalypse was coming soon.
"No."
"Please!"
"No!"
"Why not!?"
Suzume was quick to straighten her position while glaring holes into Narasaka.
"Because I don't want to," the A-Rank Sniper said with a wave. "Why don't you go ask Satori?"
"Because you are honestly the best suited for this," Suzume said while grinding her teeth. She hated doing this in front of people, but she had no other choice. "So I'm asking you again... Please be my mentor, Narasaka...san."
.
From the other side of the table, Kodera watch with wide and worried eyes as Suzume and Narasaka continued speaking.
He had been amazed by the scene in general, but he was worried as to why Suzume would ask for assistance in sniping when he knew that she was well off when it came to that.
And to ask Narasaka-senpai of all people!
He was one of the people who knew best how both Snipers could not stand being near each other and would rather admit their loves before working together. So if his upperclassman had agreed to this request it would have been strange on a very high level.
"Um... Misaki... Why are you asking for help?" Kodera asked, making the two turn to him. "You're plenty skillful yourself, so I don't see why you need help."
"Thanks for the compliment, but..."
"She wants to be able to actually shoot her target."
He was confused now.
Kodera had seen Suzume shoot her target multiple times during practice and even got shot by her during the field training. She was never near the lower, or even middle, parts of the ranking when it came to sniping.
"I don't..."
"Her 'Stinger' and fighting style is proof enough," Narasaka said as Suzume seemed to tense up. "The reason she uses Lightning is because the speed as witch it fires. Because of her Side Effect she can get the timing right to shoot when the target least expects it. That being said, she can't find her balance well enough when using Lightning because of the weight. But she also refuses to use Ibis most of the time. Her regular sniping is average at best. That is why she chose to also use Attacker Triggers. That way she can at least fight in close combat."
"That's exactly why I'm honestly asking for you help! Ken-kun would most likely go easy on me when I mess up and others think I'm already good enough! You're not like that though! You know exactly how bad I am and you honestly won't go easy!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? When I say 'no', I mean it. Your style of fighting, and your way of sniping, gets me mad to the point of wanting to hit something. You swing around the Triggers used for sniping around like they are toys and find pride in that. You being a pseudo-Attacker is fine and all, but you have too much pride in things normal people wouldn't."
"Tell me something you haven't already said! Whenever you see me, you just go on and on about how you hate my way of fighting! It's getting old!"
A loud screeching noise filled the area.
"Fine then! I hate you as a person! You are the type of girl I hate! You go at your own pace most of the time and disregard what others think until they scream it in you face! You get upset over the slightest things that are pointless! And let's not forget how you view yourself as the pinnacle of the world! 'The Summit's Flower'? What kind of bullshit is that!? You're nothing but a pathetic weed!"
Kodera was amazed at hearing the words come from Narasaka's mouth as if he had been holding it all in until now.
He looked over to see Suzume silently glaring at his upperclassman as if to actually burn holes through his head.
"Narasaka-senpai, that was a bit-"
"Nothing to say. Of course."
"...You're right... Everything you just said is completely accurate..."
Everyone watching just stared as Suzume hid in the shadow of her hair and went to the table just behind Narasaka. They saw her pick up the knife that was there and gather up her hair.
Narasaka and Kodera went wide eyed.
.
"Mei-san, is this a picture of you?"
"Oh. Yes, it is."
"Wow~ You look so pretty with long hair."
"Coming from you, that's a major compliment. Thank you."
"Hehe~ You're welcome."
"..."
"..."
"Go on and say it."
"Sorry for asking, but this is honestly bugging me."
"Continue."
"Feel free not to answer... Why did you honestly cut your hair?"
"Oh..."
"Ah! You don't have to answer if you honestly don't want to!"
"No, no. It's fine... My reason for cutting my hair... Oh, right... It was because of a promise I made with Yuki."
"For Yuki-san?"
"You know, Suzume... A girl's hair is important. You already know that. But a girl who cuts her hair... Well that is usually because they want to make a promise to someone. Or at least that is what I have heard."
.
"NARASAKA TŌRU, I SWEAR THAT I WILL BECOME A GIRL THAT YOU WILL LIKE AND ONE YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!"
.
Kodera rushed over to Suzume, taking the knife from her hands and watching as the hair that had been cut fell to the ground.
"Ah! Misaki, what are you doing!?"
Ignoring her friend, Suzume continued to stare straight at Narasaka with a fire in her eyes. She knew that there was whispering around them as this went on, but she ignored that as well.
For his part, Narasaka let out a sigh as he shook his head.
He turned back to Suzume with a small huff and chopped her head. He did this at least four more times as she continued to tell him to stop and the onlookers just stared blankly.
"You idiot. I may not be Satori, but I can say for sure you looked better with long hair. There is no reason to be so dramatic," Narasaka said with another sigh. "Honestly... It's a wonder how Tsukiko puts up with you."
"Hey, that's my line! And what the hell!? After all that, you honestly comment on my hair!?"
"I guess it's fine though. It at least shows your serious about this."
Looking Suzume in the eye, Narasaka got a very feint smile on his face.
Yeah. She likes putting on a show. But she wouldn't do something like that unless she was serious.
He knew her well enough to understand what her actions meant. That included cutting off a part of her that had always been precious to her. It had always been well kept and done in such a way that made others enjoy just seeing her because of it.
This was something he could say he was happy about.
Her resolve.
"Now then. I'll be your mentor."
The look in his face quickly morphed into that of someone looking down at an insect.
"But! You have to do everything I say."
"Um..."
"Alright. I suppose that's that then. Come on, Shōhei. Let's get-"
"F-fine!"
"Hm. Good. Then let's start by you yelling out 'Narasaka-sama is the best Sniper ever and I won't ever be as good as him!' Got it?"
"Wh-why you..."
"I'm waiting."
"...Damn you..."
Suzume took in a large breath of air and...
There away an audible growl in the area that could only be heard by a few amount of people. It had come from a certain boy with brown hair that made him seem like a delinquent. He would normally be seen wearing a gray trapper hat, but that was not the case during the past few days.
The growl continued to grow from the boy as he walked.
"Damn. I guess missing out on breakfast really wasn't the best idea."
The growl was from his stomach.
It was the morning after he had learned about the circumstances behind Tsukiko Squad's disbandment. He had spent the night thinking about what everything meant and what he would have to do to better himself as a member of Border and as a brother.
Thinking through everything he could do, when compared to others, he found that there was not much he could do without his Side Effect and the support of others. At some point he had become dependent on others to fight with him.
That is where he currently stood as an Attacker for Border.
"I need a mentor. If I keep trying to fight by using only the things I know... I won't get anywhere like that. It puts me at a dead end."
A list of Attackers and All-Rounders appeared in his mind as he continued down the hall.
Anyone using Kōgetsu would be out of the question due to him not being too familiar with that Trigger. Scorpion users would be the ones he would have to go to for any sort of help.
The first ones that came to mind had been Kazama Squad. They were known for being a squad full of Scorpion and Chameleon users. His own movement and flexibility was not too different from theirs, meaning there was some synergy there. The issue came from clashing personalities between him and both Kazama and Kikuchihara.
After that it had been Kageura who appeared in his thoughts. That came with its own set of issues that were not too far from why he could not go to Kazama Squad. Toby knew that his energy would quickly annoy Kageura, putting him in a terrible position.
"Hm~ I can't even go to Shun for this. My stupid pride won't let me go to someone who is younger than me. Besides, our records are so messed around with that there really isn't much I can get from him. Hm~"
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard another growl come from his stomach.
Deciding that there was no point in thinking without having eaten anything, Toby started making his way towards where he knew food would be.
As he did so, he noticed the sound of footsteps walking in a different direction than him. He leaned forward to see who was walking passed the hallway and in one of the open lobbies of Border.
"Isn't that..."
Grinning to himself, Toby shifted his position so that he was in his "run, jump, and hope to not break any bones" stance.
He shot forward right after.
And when he did...
"(Big brother!)"
A much smaller body had appeared in front of him.
Toby knew he couldn't slow down his momentum from his initial rush and so decided to self destruct. He twisted his body so that his upper body was closer to the ground than before. His right arm was extended outward while still in a spin, touching the ground and pushing him to the side.
Toby's body crashed with the wall hard enough to gain the attention of anyone within the area. The spin had forced his body to hit the wall much harder than expected, showing him that he really did use too much force with his rush.
The small body that had appeared in front of him rushed over to check on him.
"(Ah! Big brother! Are you okay?)"
.
Minoru had heard the sound of something pushing off the ground and turned to look and what it had been.
He was surprised to see Toby in a violent spin before crashing into the wall next to him with enough impact for him to actually hear it. It had been a bit amazing to see that happen when the boy clearly had not used any sort of Trigger to produce that spin.
He saw a small boy run over to the fallen Attacker and went over to see for himself if the younger boy was okay.
Before he could fully reach the two similar looking boys, Toby had shot up with his arms wrapping around the small boy who had ran over.
"(Hey there, Step! How's the little bluebell been!?)"
"(Hehehe! I've been good!)"
Minoru smiled at the scene before him.
He had recognized the small boy as Stepney Awdry, Toby's younger brother. It was clear that the two really did a great connection with the old one clearly diverting attention to Stepney instead of his unsightly crash.
"Yo, Fuzzy Head. Are you okay?" Minoru asked as he reached the two. "That was some crash you took there. What happened?"
"I'm fine. This little guy got in my way is all. Nothing to worry about," Toby said as he held his little brother in his arms.
"Hey, you're the guy I saw at Big Brother's first match!"
As if responding to the comment, a bark come from Minoru's side.
"Puppy!"
"Hahaha! Calm down there, Step," Toby said as he put the kid down. "This is Minoru Hatohara and his pup, Taka. Minoru, this is my brother. Stepney."
Minoru had another surprise when he heard Toby speak. There was something under his tone, but for the most part it seemed like he was truly happy and not putting on an act for others. There was no growling when he spoke while his posture was upright.
"Nice to meet you, Stepney. Properly that is."
"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Hatohara!" the now named Stepney said with a loud voice and a big smile.
"You're pretty energetic from the last time I saw you."
Minoru gave a fond smile while looking at the two, being reminded of his own siblings.
"Oh yeah... That was because..."
Seeing the youngest one looking sad, Taka walked up and started licking his hand, making the boy giggle.
Being the other one who noticed the change in mood, Minoru looked at Toby to see a sad smile on his face as he looked at the boy and the pup. He wasn't sure that he should be getting into others' business, but he felt like he needed to know what was going on as a fellow brother.
.
For his part, Toby was thinking about everything so far. From when he had ran away from home to the current situation. He knew that his parents would be there soon to take his little brother back, but he really didn't want to see that. What made matters worse was that if he went too far against his parents it might effect his standing as a Border agent. He was a runaway after all.
"Hey, Toby."
Hearing his actual name being called, he looked up to see Minoru giving him a kind smile. As if to say he was proud of something.
"You are looking a lot better than before. I'm glad."
"Heh... Yeah. Yuki had a talk with us last night. I am not completely over everything that has happened, but I think I can get there. I just need some time."
He looked down once more at his brother.
"I'm just glad Stepney hasn't stopped calling me his brother. That might be too much for me if that were to happen..."
Minoru knew what he meant.
"But I am worried about something... Takeshi. He looked like he was thinking a lot about what we were told. He had left before I did, so I don't know what he is doing. If he did change his mind because of everything, I don't think people will forgive him. Ever. I'm still mad at him too, but I don't want others to not be able to forgive him."
Toby knew that there were incidents he didn't know about concerning Takeshi. It had been shown during their second round match. Kakizaki had been someone who had to deal with the brunt of it. That was all he knew.
"I'm not sure about everything that he has done, but I do know that he will have a lot of work to do. Lukas' forgiveness will be something he might never get. Then there are just the people who have seen him like how he was. They will have trouble changing their view of him."
He was aware of the time and work it would take.
"Even so..."
Even so...
"As long as you guys stay by his side, I'm sure something good will come out of it. Show him that people really can forgive him by not leaving him. The issue stemmed from him thinking he had been abandoned, right? Then make sure he doesn't feel that way again."
It was something obvious.
He had known what to do, but having been told what to do only brought resolve to Toby. It felt as if his want to help had been nothing but a feeling in the back of his mind until he was told exactly what to do.
"Minoru... Thanks!"
.
Minoru was happy to have gotten the gratitude. It felt nice knowing that the squad he was fond of was starting to look towards a bright future.
And yet...
I can't take all the credit for this. I am only saying what people have been doing for me. Those words sting me a bit when I said them.
He gave a hallow laugh while Taka looked up at him, seeming to know what was going on.
"Well it's good to see you doing better."
"Oh! Uh... Can I ask you something?"
"Hm? Go ahead."
"Can you... Uh... Will you please be my mentor!?"
.
Toby could feel his nerves start to get the better of him.
Asking Kazama Sqaud or Kageura would not have been an issue, but Minoru had already helped him out so much that asking to be his student made him feel nervous. It felt like he was relying on the older boy more than he should.
"That was...unexpected."
Toby did not move to look up.
"Big brother?"
Toby did not move to look at Stepney.
The few seconds that went by seemed more like minutes to him.
"Heh. Yeah. That really was unexpected. But not something I am against."
The reaction was instantaneous.
Toby shot his head up, wide-eyed that the A-Rank All-Rounder would agree to his request.
After all...
"That's great! Uh... I mean... Thank you. But...are you sure? You know that I can be a hassle at times..."
He felt a hand land on his head before ruffling his hair.
"That's fine. Compared to some others, you really aren't that bad. Besides, it feels nice to know that you see me as someone you can ask for this."
"Yay! Big Brother has a mentor! I don't know what it's for, but yay!"
The two Border agents looked over to see Stepney jumping up and down with Taka following his lead. It was hard not to smile at the energy coming from the two of them.
.
As they were talking, neither noticed the two people who held themselves in high regard walking towards them. One was a tall man and the other was a woman who looked like she was perfect for the title "office woman."
They approached the small group without giving anyone else even a small glance.
"Stepney, what have we told you about running off on your own like that? And why are you touching such a dirty creature?"
Freezing at the voice, Stepney stopped his jumping to look over with clear worry in his eyes.
Both Toby and Minoru stopped as well, taking in the words said and the voice that had said them.
They could both feel anger rising up inside them for the same reasons. The first reason had been how they had referred to Taka as a "dirty creature" with a tone that befitted the insult. The second reason had been because they did not seem to truly care that their child had left them to seemingly find his brother.
They were truly terrible people who had given birth to both Toby and Stepney.
"Oh. You are here as well, Tobius. No wonder that dirty creature is here," the woman said, not even looking at the Attacker.
"Screw off, you damn bitch."
"Address your mother with more respect, child," Henry said as he glared at Toby and walked closer to Stepney. "Now come on. We are leaving."
Toby made a quick move to stand in front of his brother. His stance was one that he only showed when fighting against others in solo matches or in B-Rank War matches.
It was the stance of an animal protecting one of their own.
"If he wants to stay then let him. There is no reason for him to go with some assholes who won't treat him properly. Like an actual person or child."
"Why you..."
Raising his hand against his child for a second time, Henry was ready to slap Toby across the face.
The hit never made contact, having been stopped by a hand holding his wrist in a vice grip. Looking to the side, Henry saw Minoru glaring daggers at him.
"You dare to touch my husband, you ingrate? Really, are all members of Border nothing but brutes? Such rough barbarians," the woman said with a disgusted tone.
"You say that, but your husband here was about to smack his own child and a friend of mine. Like I would let him do that. I heard a bit about you guys from a meeting last night and I really don't care much for you guys."
"Oh? I assume that means you are involved with that child from the Taiyōko family. That would explain your want to resort to violence against my husband. Those bunch of fools are not good for anything except being cannon fodder and shields for others to use. If they were all gone then I'm sure no one would mind in the slightest."
"Don't talk about them like that! I don't know about the rest of them, but Hoshi is great person! You two assholes don't know anything that doesn't concern your own companies! Don't talk like you know her or her family! She doesn't hide behind riches and royalty like you spineless cowards!"
"Is that so? And what exactly do you know? Their first child is going around destroying businesses at her leisure because she is bored and has that name attached to her. Their second child is a disowned failure who could not even bare to keep his name and changed it to something as pathetic as 'Tsukiko Yuki'. Then their two other children are so unimportant that we cannot even bother to remember their names. So, tell me, you damn brat, how is it that we do not have the right to bad mouth them when they are to twisted that their own family had broken apart at multiple places?"
"Don't you-"
There was no time for other words to be spoken as someone went into action.
It had not been Minoru who was ready to defend his friends.
It had not been the two adults who could not seem to care about restraining their words.
"—!"
It was from the boy who had enough of hearing the adults.
Toby used a much force as possible to deliver a punch to Henry's stomach, forcing the man to bend down due to the pain of being hit.
He looked directly at Henry in the eye while letting out a growl that came from deep in his throat. It was unlike the one he had been using before and felt much more like someone knowing what they were doing instead of a wild animal.
"You damn brat! I will make sure that the higher up-"
"I don't care!" Toby looked up with such hate that it managed to give Minoru chills. "I didn't punch you as a member of Border! I didn't even punch you as a friend of the people you are mentioning! I punched you as your 'damn brat'! Things are between us! Don't go dragging their names in like it's nothing when you don't even know them as people! You two, who never bothered to even know your children, have no right to speak about others!"
"That doesn't matter... We will make sure you-"
"Fine! Go tell anyone and everyone that I, Toby, punched the shit out of you! But don't you dare get anyone else involved! This is just another thing that is between us! I don't care if I'm out of Border! I don't care if you sue me or any other crap you can think of! I only care if you go bringing others who are much more like family to me than you two are into this!"
No one made a move or a sound after everything had been said.
They were gaining an audience, evident from the whispers and looks going around.
Yet none of them gave any attention to those who were watching from the side.
All that currently mattered were those involved in the conflict at hand.
.
Minoru watched with wide eyes as Henry slowly got to his feet while Toby continued to glare hard at the man.
"Big Brother..."
"Stepney, come on. We are leaving. Now."
Minoru could only watch as Stepney took one look at his brother before slowly following his parents.
His want to not go with them was clear, but there was nothing either of them could do about it. They had not authority over the boy or who he went with. They could only watch him leave with a small wave back.
Minoru walked forward, placing a hand on Toby's shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
It had been how their initial interaction started. Now it came back to that same question.
"Yeah..."
Something major had just occurred with the boy. There was much more to it than his one word answer let on.
But Minoru knew what to do.
"Why don't we go? Let's talk about me being your mentor."
This was something that would lead Toby toward something better. Now that he had stood up against his parents.
"Okay... Thank you."
Minoru was happy to know that he saw something great.
"What am I suppose to do?"
Takeshi had been repeating that question to himself since the previous night.
It was the morning after he had learned about the circumstances behind Tsukiko Squad's disbandment. He had spent the night reevaluating everything about himself from his purpose as a Border agent and his views on everything.
He had tried to think about what he would be doing now that he no longer saw Yuki as someone to hate. It had left a hallow feeling in his chest when he thought about everything he had done up to that point.
Everyone he had managed to get to hate him.
There was just a list of people who now feared going near him due to his former actions that showed nothing but a crazed monster who could not tell enemy from ally, right from wrong. It would not be an easy task to lower that list by any means.
There is so much I have to make up for. So much that I probably will never be able to do.
Takeshi let out small sigh as he resigned himself to the fact that he would be hated by a large amount of people for quite some time.
After all...
"Oh... Kotowari..."
There were some people who truly saw the worst part of him.
"You..."
Takeshi looked up to see Kakizaki Kuniharu looking in his direction.
He had only been staring down at the table in front of him, ignoring the whispering going on around him. That may have been why he did not notice the footsteps getting closer.
Now that Kakizaki had accidentally crossed him there was nothing but an awkward atmosphere.
"Um... Hello...Kakizaki-san..."
Takeshi raised his hand to give a small wave but was responded to with a flinch.
That had hurt.
Knowing there was nothing he could do to properly apologize to Kakizaki, he did the only thing he could think of doing. It would probably mean nothing to the other captain, but Takeshi would still be doing it to try and salvage any sort of better reaction.
He stood up from his chair, noticing how Kakizaki backed away when he did so, and stepped away from the table.
This is all I can think of doing...
Takeshi slowly lowered himself towards the ground, going to his knees before lowering his upper body until his head touched the ground. His arms were spread out and his hands lay flat on the ground.
It was a proper dogeza.
"I am...sorry for the way I have been acting. I am also sorry for the terrible display I showed when we fought. You have no reason to forgive me...but I wanted to at least apologize for it."
Takeshi would not surprised if Kakizaki were to have spat at him and stomped on his head.
It's only fair.
What person would not want to get some kind of revenge against someone like him?
Who would not take up such an appealing offer?
"Uh... There's no need for that..."
Kakizaki would be such a person.
"You don't need to prostrate yourself like that. I mean, I won't be forgiving you just like that, but I can tell that you really mean that apology. There's no need to be humiliated like that in front of others."
Takeshi looked up to see Kakizaki expanding a hand for him to grab.
He slowly lifted his own, unsure if this was some kind of trick. Then he remembered that Kakizaki was not the type of person who would do such a thing.
He grabbed the hand and was lifted up.
This is...odd.
The feeling of another person's hand. The warmth that came with it. It was such an unfamiliar feeling that Takeshi was unsure what to do once it had left in an instant.
He looked at his hand for a few seconds before directing his attention to Kakizaki.
"Hm?"
Takeshi quickly turned away, feeling that it was rude to just look at the older boy after what he had done.
He lifted his hand towards his neck, planning on going for his scarf.
Then he remembered.
That's right... I destroyed it.
"Is something wrong?"
Why is he asking? Shouldn't he hate me?
"Uh... Hello?"
Takeshi lightly shook his head to get rid of his thoughts.
He faced forward once more, intending to speak with Kakizaki.
"Why are you being nice to me...? You should hate me. You should want me to stay away from you. There is no possible way someone should ever want to be around me after everything I have done and how I have acted. It is even a miracle that they still allowed me to be in Border."
He was saying much more than he intended.
The words seemed to just come out without any reservations. As if everything that had built up in him from just the morning thoughts were released.
"Like I said... I won't be forgiving you like it never happened. But that doesn't mean I can't tell how different you are. I don't know what happened, maybe Tsukiko finally spoke to you guys, but the fact you even apologized is enough to show that you aren't the same as before. Maybe you need some help with some things, but this is a nice start. A start doesn't always need to be something extravagant. Sometimes a simple apology is enough to get your feelings through."
The words may have just been to make him feel better, as a way to show how good of a guy Kakizaki was, but they were said with honesty that Takeshi became unsure once more. The fact such a nice person existed was odd to him.
He knew that people could be nice at times, but they all had the desires to benefit themselves and view themselves in a great light. Yet that did not show in this man. He may have had those desires as well, but that was not visible with the way he was speaking right now.
He was seemingly not the only person like this a new voice came from behind him, speaking in a matter-of-fact but still kind tone.
"Does that mean you will start leaning toward forgiveness the more he apologizes, Kakizaki-san?"
.
The two boys turned to see two girls standing there. One was a short-cut haired girl while the other had her hair done in a braid. The two were from the same squad as seen by the fact they wore the same uniforms.
"Asano, Maya."
The two girls nodded at Kakizaki's confirmation.
Tsukiko Amaya - or simply Maya - moved forward, leaning in toward Takeshi. Her eyes scanned his face and expression, then moved toward his body and posture. Her gaze was a hard one that seemed to be figuring something out without needing to question him.
The discomfort was building up and was evident by the way Takeshi tried to go for the scarf that was no longer around his neck.
After a minute of her scanning, Maya took a step back and let out a sigh while shaking her head.
"I don't see it, Eri. I really don't see what you and Shana were talking about. He seems like a regular kid to me."
"Um..."
"Oh. Sorry about that. We haven't interacted much, but you have spoken to Eri a bunch, right? Well, she and Shana had gone to see your last match. They told me about what they had seen and I honestly can't see it."
"What did...they say...?"
"Shana said something like, 'He's just a crazy guy who is ready to shoot through himself to get to the target. It was weird and scary as hell. Like some kind of horror movie.' And Eri here-"
"I had just said that you were not fighting like you normally would. Something had been wrong with you that it was hard to even watch it. That's all."
Takeshi looked away from the two of them.
Kakizaki decided not to say anything about what had been said during the fight.
"But..."
But.
"As Maya has just said, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. You seem more lively and less like a destructive force. Something clearly happened to you after that match, but I won't ask you about it. That is something that probably only concerns you."
"Basically, she likes you better this way. I didn't see you during the match, but I'm sure as hell glad I didn't. From the rumors going around, you gained a bunch of hate from others. That's gonna suck to deal with when you just got better. So..."
Maya gave a grin while patting Takeshi's shoulder.
"I'll help you out with those people. I don't hate you at all. I could care less about some crappy rumors so there's no reason for me not to help someone like you out. Besides, Eri here also mentioned how you would fight much better if you weren't having issues. As your next round opponents, I want to fight you at your best."
"Maya, that may be going to far. Kotowari is still probably dealing with something, so we shouldn't be getting in his business like this."
"No, Asano, I think that's a great idea. Helping him out now is probably a great choice. He seems to be lost on what to do with repercussions of his actions. Having more people who he can rely on can only benefit everyone."
Takeshi looked over to see Kakizaki smiling at him.
Whether it was a true one or one out of pity was unknown.
What had mattered were the words and meaning that came from them.
There were people who tried to benefit themselves since that is what mattered in the world the most. They would go about it in different ways from using others as stepping stone to destroying anything they could. Then there were those who did so by helping others and making sure they too would benefit from what was done.
Takeshi had not know the latter type of people existed.
No. I knew they existed. I chose to ignore them because I was being stupid. That was all there was to it.
He knew that he could not be completely forgiven by some people, or forgiven at all by others, but he would still try. There had been no reason to take on such a task by himself when there were many other people who would be fine helping him when he needed it.
He was surrounded by such people and chose to ignore them.
He was surrounded by such people and now chose to rely on them for help.
A large amount of pain was what Takato Mei work up to in the morning after a long night.
She felt as if her head was about to split apart while her brain was trying to escape her skull. It was a familiar feeling that brought bad memories back, making the pain feel worse.
He heard a small noise and slowly looked up to see a glass of water and some pills in front of her face.
The one holding them smiled kindly at her.
"Take these. It'll take a while, but I'm sure you'll feel better."
Doing as instructed, she grabbed the pills and placing them in her mouth before drinking from the cup of water.
"Now then. I want to talk to you about a few things."
"Is it about...what happened?"
"You asked a question. Sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad."
Yuki sat next to the bed, looking at his friend with a calm expression.
"No. Well... Yes. But that can wait. What I wanted to say first is that you don't need to be so stressed out. I cleared things up with those three last night. I haven't checked on them yet, but I got a message from Minoru earlier concerning Toby while Kakizaki messaged you. It seems like they are doing better. They are at least getting there now. So we can be glad about that at least."
"I see. It took you long enough."
Yuki could only chuckle at the response.
"Yeah. That was my bad. Anyways. The next thing I want to say is concerning the meeting from last night."
"How was it?"
"You asked another question. Sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."
He shook his head a bit.
"It was fine enough. Apparently Kō understands things that we don't and Tatsuhito is still an idiot. Kimura tried her hand at another joke, which then flopped and pretty much made Tatsuhito into a statue. The others weren't much help in the whole thing, but they seemed to be having some fun."
"And what about the actual results of the meeting?"
"You asked another question. Sorry. I didn't mean to make you curious."
He gave a nod.
"We were able to force them into a situation that will be difficult to get out of for them. I had used my inherited name and decided to give away my former family's information. It is a very small price for me if it means I can help by keeping the sponsors on Border's side. I won't be giving them that much about Mukuro and Hoshi since this really has nothing to do with them. But I will have to give them the information about Kushikage and my own information."
"Your information as 'Taiyōko Kiyoshi', I assume. 'Tsukiko Yuki' has no business with that family."
"Right. Besides that, there isn't much that needs to be said right now concerning the meeting. But there is still some information that I need to tell you about last night. Apparently, Kanzaki had been attacked and Akashi had an 'accident' near a material yard."
"What do you mean by 'attacked'? Kanzaki isn't someone who would be overpowered easily, so there is something else to what you are saying."
"I would rather you confirm things with her. She doesn't seem to want to talk to me too much when I still go by the name 'Tsukiko Yuki'. So you will need to directly ask her. Although Sekai has been sending me some stuff before having it confirmed that he can send it to the directors. So there is something interesting going on."
"You are using that word way too lightly for everything you are saying."
"I guess you're right."
"Now then..."
It was finally here.
"I don't want to waste more time... Tell me...about what happened."
.
Yuki let out a sigh as he was given the soft order.
He himself was not completely sure what there was to tell since all the information he had gotten was from those involved. A video had been attached to a message sent by Kushikage, but he made sure to prevent others from seeing it, along with trying to make sure it did not go anywhere else.
He had decided to watch the video with Murakami earlier in the morning.
His expression was the same as back then. I guess it's still hard for him to come to terms that the beast we saw really was Mei. That's fair. He can only see her as the great senpai who would help him. These two... I really can't do anything for them, can I?
Yuki could not blame his best friend for his views on the girl in front of him. Even his own view on her was a bit distorted because of how he knew her.
But now she was waiting for his answer.
His words would affect her in some kind of way.
So he chose his words carefully.
"We are to blame for what happened."
"Who are 'we'?"
"You asked another question. Sorry. I didn't mean-"
"Just tell me who 'we' are. That will be your apology."
Yuki closed his eyes and took a breath.
"Tsukiko Yuki, Kotowari Takeshi, Misaki Suzumebachi, Awdry Toby, Taiyōko Kushikage, Jin Yūichi. Border, the B-Rank Wars, my choices. Everything has been building up inside of you until that moment. The moment when you could not even find out that you were on a battlefield until you did. And when you did... Well, Usami now knows why you are called Rampage Dress now."
He saw Mei hold her head in her hands.
He made no move to stop her from doing so.
"I managed to stop others from seeing it. But... There were some people who did see it in the process. Kushikage had recorded it, but besides me and Kō seeing it on the video, Kimura, Umi and Haru saw it. I had forgotten that he didn't see it the first time it happened."
It had been a limited number of people at that time.
Yuki chose to forget about that fact.
"The others that had seen it due to the severity of it happening again were the directors, some others, and the branch directors. They were told not to show their branch members anything though or else they would be punished."
"..."
"You want to know why those middle ones saw it, right? You just don't want me apologizing again."
Mei gave a nod.
"Of course. Right. They had to see it. Senshi was already near me, so I had him see it while Umi, Kimura, and Haru saw it. I know they saw it, but I don't actually know if the others actually watched it. Denji most likely did, as did Sekai-san, but the younger ones probably didn't. I know Shobu didn't since he had actually been there at the time."
"So he saw that firsthand..."
"He was worried for you. That was all. He did not see what others would see when looking at you during that time. You know that he won't see you as anything bad, so there should never be worry concerning that. Not while Shikifuku exists."
"..."
Yuki looked forward to see that Mei had yet to remove her hands from her face.
This had happened before. The voice and her posture had only appeared that other time people chose to forget. That meant that there was only one real reference point to take from at the current moment.
Even so, that was enough for Yuki to know what to do.
There was no sound from the girl who refused to show her face. There was no movement from her either. It had gotten to the point in their conversation where she would decide to shit down due to the information she had been given.
Yuki used this chance to go towards the object he had brought the night prior.
When he moved it from where it sat he could see parts of the room swinging with its movement.
"You were in the Yagura Branch's training room, so no one actually got hurt. You were reliving the stress we had built up inside of you. There is no need for you to hide your face. You like to do this when something like that happens. When I'm finally able to get you to stop thinking, you want to hide away in your home and go without regard for the sun or moon. I know you want to hide from all those issues while also be the one to solve those issues, but..."
He moved the object onto the bed, right on Mei's lap.
"That woman..."
"When people like that go after you, it just means that you really are a good person. Since you are such a good person, there will be people who will want to help ypu instead of hurt you. I am one of them, so you don't need to worry."
"I just want to be a fair and simple person..."
"And I'm sure everyone else wants that kind of thing. Maybe not everyone, but it's not wrong to want that. When I laugh and you laugh, too, everything is forgiven. There is still a lot we need to do, so let's keep going."
He grabbed her hands, placing them at her side.
Now her eyes were focused on what was sitting in her lap.
"Take a look in the mirror."
Doing as she was told Mei looked directly into the mirror and saw her very own reflection in it. Something that Yuki and others had praised many times before.
"You're smile alone is enough to brighten up the day. So can you keep doing that while the rest of us help to prevent you from feeling down again?"
"But what about my Side Effect...? I can't stop when it starts going."
"Then I will continue to personally pull you out of that bothersome Side Effect of yours. No matter how many times it takes. Is that enough? I may been unneeded, but I will change my views to help you out all the time."
"You... You..."
"Yes?"
"Th-that's..."
"That's?"
"That is n-not something! That isn't something that sh-should! Yes! Thank you!"
Yuki was unprepared for the head butt that came from the now blushing girl.
Mei's face was covered in red as she repeated new words out loud that only gave away her true feeling at having been told such a thing from an idiot.
From his spot on the ground, Yuki could only smile.
"I'm glad you feel better."