A moment of silence.
There was a moment of silence that was unlike the ones previously.
Takeshi was unsure what to say to the girl who was lowering her body in a bow in front of him. The question was too sudden for him to process right away.
"Um... Taiyōko... You don't need to..."
The words came out slowly and without any certainty.
"You don't need to bow down... Um... It's just..."
He lifted his scarf to hide his face as she lifted her body. The tilt of her head made him feel much more confused at what was said.
Having a real conversation was something he was happy about. But...
"Why would you want to join our squad? We are still trying to build ourselves back up, so there isn't much we can really do for you..."
"Well..."
Well.
"I have been a C-Rank agent and had no real plans other than becoming B-Rank. After witnessing you and Awdry-kun during the invasion I felt like I needed to put myself out and help others however I can. I had asked others about how to do so. Mikumo-kun was unsure why I was asking him while Kazuma-san was... Well I was just not too sure what he was saying..."
That made sense.
Whenever Takeshi was around the top Gunner he could hardly understand what the boy was saying. It was made worse whenever Ninomiya was brought up as a topic of discussion.
"I had thought that was enough. Then when the B-Rank Wars started you and Awdry-kun had been going through some issues. I had watched all of your matches, so I became uncertain once more."
He wanted to apologize for that one.
"But after seeing this latest match of yours I am certain. Seeing how well everyone worked together and how well you all fought, I want to be a part of a squad. Since I think of you and Awdry-kun as friends and Fuji-nee has always been so kind to me I thought that..."
"That we would let you join us."
He felt like apologizing once more when he saw her face lower slightly at his tone.
He was not use to proper conversations like this.
"That is right. I want to know what it is like to be on a proper squad. If I can be on the same one as you and Awdry-kun, supporting you however I can, it would be wonderful. I would be able to gain experience to better help others while lessening any burdens on you all."
A few thoughts came to mind as Hoshi finished her explanation.
During their latest match it had become apparent just how selfish they all were with how they fought. Each one of them wanted to fight on their own, only helping each other out when needed or when it benefited their own fights.
Yuki had been their main attacker as well as their supporter with Suzume slightly doing so as well. Once their older teammate had left their squad they were left with minimal support.
Mei-san can only do so much as an Operator and Suzume-senpai likes to do her own thing. Some more help would be nice for the times when Toby and I are out against our weaknesses.
He knew that thought was incorrect.
Rather... It would be nice for when I am unable to keep up with the opponent. Toby is usually fine by himself.
There were always times when a single person would not be able to do something by themselves and needed help from others. Their squad was more than happy to help each other when they needed it, but two of their three fighters loved to do things on their own and at their own pace. It left their third member behind when he was trying to fix himself while having no Side Effect like they did.
A realization of just how strong Side Effect were hit Takeshi hard.
Toby had enhanced reflexes that would move him out of the way of attacks. It was a protection that did not need to be activated and was always active. It kept him safe when attacked or out out him in an optimal position to attack. It was a simple enhancement that had multiple uses both in and out of battles.
Suzume was able to tell the Rhythm of anything she sees or hears. That alone would be useful enough to figure out a person or object at times, but Suzume was different from normal people. Her nature made her a strange girl that preferred to sway her body than lift her fist. Her body was more use to dancing than fighting. That boosted the power of her Side Effect, allowing her to dance with her opponent instead of fight them. It was an amazing defense that even outclassed Toby's.
Hm. I can see why Toby thinks of us as weirdo. But he's also really weird himself. What kind of person resembles a dog as much as he does?
Takeshi let out a sigh as he thought about how much weaker he was than either one of his teammates. They each had something amazing going for them while he was stuck trying to do things himself. His hard work seemed pointless when compared to their Side Effects.
What good was he when he was so far behind others?
.
Hoshi became more nervous as the pause from Takeshi continued to grow.
She had given her reasons and spoke nothing but the truth. All she could do now was wait for an answer.
The boy in front of her was a squad captain, but he would listen and discuss things with his squad. He may have needed the opinions of his squad before agreeing or denying her request. Whether he was thinking over an answer or just how to respond to her was unknown.
All she could do was wait.
I hope that I have not overstepped the bounds of being a friend. I am sure they will not want me to join them considering what Kiyo-nii did to them.
A bitter thought came to mind.
Our family likes to do this.
Bitter thoughts were rare and few in between for her, yet once they came it was always troublesome to get rid of them.
They all like to leave others without any warning. It doesn't matter who it hurts or who is really effected by it, my family likes to just leave others because they want to do something else. I try not to be like them, but I feel like I may do it at some point...
She was a victim to her own family's active lifestyle. There has not been a single time she has left others while others have only ever left her behind.
After waiting for so long there was no longer a reason to stay in place, waiting for others to come back to her.
Kushikage and Mukuro had returned to Mikado City, but they had not come back for her. Kiyoshi had left behind an entire life, never once returning to her. His name now meant nothing as she spoke to and about him. Someone else who would never return.
Kō-nii-san is the only person who has not left me. Fuji-nee did not leave me either. She was never with me to begin with, so I cannot blame her. She was only following Kiyo-nii from the very start.
Akasora was there for all of his students, so it had a different feeling for Hoshi. Toby and Takeshi were also different in that they always felt like they were only ever looking towards themselves.
She was not close enough to other Border members or schoolmates to say if they have left or not.
So...
"I will..."
She was determined.
"I will never leave any of you! So please allow me to join you all!"
She knew what she wanted to do.
The choice she made ran the risk of having people leave her once more. Even so, she would never leave them like others had done to her.
.
Takeshi could see the resolve in Hoshi's eyes. It was clear and hard to miss even for someone as unprepared as him.
It was hard to deny her words after everything that happened to Kotowari Squad. The girl's older brother had left them in his own way and she understood that well. It was an understanding of someone who has only ever been left behind.
I really am pathetic. She has been left behind by more people than me and I always felt sorry for myself. In that case...
"Just to make sure... Do you know what it takes to be a part of a squad?"
He was not too sure himself.
If she can give any answer that is better than my own - which lacks knowledge - then I know none of us will reject her.
"You must be able to get along with your teammates. As well as work hard and support them however you can. Keeping pace with them is necessary in order to work well with them. Ah. You also need to listen to your squad leader. They are in charge of making the proper decisions for the squad."
Well that is not technically wrong. Actually, that might be how regular squads works. I forget at times just how strange our squad really is compared to other ones.
Takeshi knew that her answer was far better than his own if someone had asked him. That was just the difference between him and others who understood simple things better.
Now that he got that better answer, it was clear what his response to request would be.
"Alright... Um... Yeah. You can join Kotowari Squad. But there is something I want to correct."
He mentally prepared himself for his own words.
"I am only a figurehead for our squad. Our name may be 'Kotowari Squad' but none of us hold any higher power than each other. We are all equal in what we do concerning our squad. If one of us has something to say then everyone listens. If one of us needs help..."
Yeah. I'm very glad about this. These are the policies we all agreed on together.
"...We help each other out readily and don't ever regret doing so. So you don't need to listen to me as a captain and I won't order any one of you as such. What's more is that we do not make anyone weaker than us keep pace with us. We make sure our pace is manageable for those unable to keep up. If you understand all of that..."
With the most faint of smiles and an outstretched hand, Takeshi finished talking.
"Welcome to Kotowari Squad."
.
Someone watched on as Takeshi and Hoshi interacted and reached their conclusion.
Two people watched the two classmates speak to each other from the end of the hallway. One was Border's Kako Squad's Kako Nozomi and the other was Nasu Squad's...
"Nasu. You're help seems to have worked for both Asano-chan and Kotowari-kun. If they are strong and start properly protecting themselves, it will be difficult to instigate any teasing towards them."
"But I don't instigate any teasing."
"Heh heh. You're no fun."
"Is that so?" replied Nasu with a bitter smile. And she thought about...
...Getting strong and protecting something, hm?
Even Nasu and her squad had a general idea of the situation concerning the two Shooters. And they knew how the younger one was probably being treated.
"If Kotowari-kun is moving ahead with some post-Yuki-san actions, he will have parted ways with his former personality and the burdens that go with it. With that loss of personality, he will need people to be there for him so he isn't left behind."
Nasu thought back to the words she had said to both Shooters. And then she spoke her mind.
"So they have an understanding of what they lack and have already started towards working on it."
"Yes. To be honest, that is both of their squads' specialty. Besides being funny."
Just her words were enough to tell the older Shooter was enjoying this.
This older Shooter had a habit of saying everything she wanted and having as much fun as she wanted, just like she was toying with her prey before finishing it off. And at the moment...
"And you seem to also be realizing some thing on that front, Nasu. That is why you can't instigate any sort of teasing towards them."
"That's true," agreed Nasu without smiling. But...
"You said this was their specialty, Kako-san, but do those squad members understand that?"
"I imagine it's less that they understand it and more that they are so used to it that they don't notice it. After all, they all left a situation like that."
What was "like that"? Kako explained.
"Holding vainglorious pride is entirely meaningless. But...when you are alone, it can support you. That is what I mean."
"And since those squads don't need that...they aren't alone?"
"Even if it was unavoidable, do you somewhat regret what is happening now?"
Nasu did not respond.
This older Shooter could be very perceptive at times. But then she spoke again as if flipping her emotions around.
"Your silence is the same as Kotowari-kun's."
.
"—"
Only the words "heh heh" could be heard.
But when Nasu said nothing, there was a pause for a breath and...
"Once you are no longer like that, any person will be able to go as they please at any time for a reason other than to remember old times."
"Sometimes your kindness is scary, Kako-san."
"That's fine, that's fine. Heh heh...!"
There was a pause of a few seconds, because she was holding her sides in laugher. And then...
"Kotowari-kun. ...We can make some guesses about how his choices will turn out, but even that can be hard considering who he is squading himself up with recently."
So...
"If he admits that he was wrong all along then he will be giving in to what everyone had been saying. Not admitting anything will continue to garner unwanted hatred towards him."
...So that's it.
Nasu understood what the older Shooter was saying.
This was Kotowari Takeshi's change. And to put it in words...
"Even if he is willing admit his own mistakes and what they caused, there is no guarantee that he will be accepted by the people who have seen him. He says that he needs to apologize, but that is not admitting to being wrong in his viewpoint of the world."
That was likely why.
"Others are trying to surround him while understanding that, but he does not realize that that is why they are doing it. Nor does he notice that he is being influenced by them on a small scale. By surrounding him like that, they are cushioning any blows he will be taking from the people who still hold grudges towards him as he tries to bring himself to admit his errors. At the same time, he seems to be drawing in some others with his naïveté."
Nasu thought, This seems rather familiar.
It seemed like emotions were given precedence here.
But those actions were corrected by rational decisions, became the decisions of a whole, and moved the world.
"Kako-san."
"What is it?"
"Is the world moved by emotion?"
"No. ...At certain times, it is moved by reason and emotion corrects it."
Nasu felt like she was being told not to rush things.
"Both emotion and reason move the world. But it's because of that that we have to discuss and research an important question: are there rules governing that kind of thing? And while we have our hands full taking care of Neighbors..."
No.
"As someone who failed helping an innocent girl because of inexperience, this is not my place to speak. ...But, Nasu, you properly helped two people out, so this an answer you have to see. Tsukiko Squad and Kotowari Squad - and since they were also a part of the whole thing, Shor Squad - are the same, as they all stick themselves to people. I suppose that can also be said about one of the squads you have just faced in battle."
The beauty continued speaking.
"Kotowari Squad seems to gather those were lost, were missing something, or left. They have all held pride at some point, but they cast it aside. And after casting it aside, they have accepted and been accepted by 'that person' and stay with him. But now it seems as if they not longer need him. ...I was worried they would not notice or grow careless because they had already passed that point, but it would seem that is not the case."
"Kako-san, I understand now why this has made Kotowari Squad all the more troublesome."
"Ho ho? And why is that?"
"Right," replied Nasu while looking to the two people down the hall.
"Kotowari Squad may be able to correct reason with emotion, but now I think they can also correct emotion with reason. ...I am sure others with similar emotions will respond to that."
"I should probably start setting things up, so it's easier for me to deal with. Especially since things get crazy the moment people really start showing up. Well I guess it depends on the circumstances, but that's how it usually goes."
Kimura listened to Suzaku in a shaking, fast-paced place.
That place was atop a motorcycle. Specifically, the back of a motorcycle Kageura was driving. They were on their way to the Main Red Lightning for another discussion. Or that was the plan, but...
...I-it's really shaking!
In addition to shaking up and down like it was going to throw her off, it was shaking left and right too. Kimura had only avoided falling off by clinging to Kageura's mid-section as he raised one of his fingers, but...
"Waaaan~"
Krümel seems happy, so this is actually kind of an enjoyable attraction, she thought. Still, it's a little too dangerous for the holder.
With her arms wrapped around Kageura's mid-section, Kimura looked back toward Suzaku who sat in the sidecar.
"Y-you're not having any trouble, Suzaku-san?"
"Eh? With what?"
...Is it because his body has more ballast!? No, now that I think about it, he can ride on Kizaki-san's shoulder just fine too. ...Wait, that doesn't disprove the ballast theory at all! Wait, wait. Now that I think about it even more, Murakami-san rode on this when "Yuki" let Kageura-san take this motorcycle that other time. That must mean it's just my utter lack of athletic ability. So that's it. Hmm.
She then asked about something she had noticed.
"Kageura-san, why is everyone on the road running away from us?"
"What?" Kageura gave a quiet snort of laugher from his leaning position. "Now. You all had better speed up, or you're in trouble."
.
As he walked near an underground construction site, Senzai watched something speed by in the distance and opened his phone.
SenSen: "Hey, is anyone there? A motorcycle just went by where I am while threatening people with a middle finger raised, so did something upset Kageura?"
Haru: "Ohh, maybe he didn't like that he was never mentioned during that awful conversation despite being a rough character."
SenSen: "If you understand it, then you deal with it."
Haru: "Oh, right, understood. Kageura..."
Calling: confirmed. Response: confirmed.
Kage: "Yeah? What is it? I'm busy driving here."
Haru: "Then why are you answering!?"
Umi: "I answered for him. Don't worry, he's being responsible."
Haru: "Right. ...You want to be treated as a part of the rough guy genre too, don't you!?"
Kage: "Hey, someone get this guy to a good brain doctor."
Haru: "Wh-why would you jump to that conclusion!?"
Umi: "But Inu, you have taken a lot of blows to the head lately, so it's okay if you've gone crazy. We all understand."
Haru: "Huh? Huh? I feel like I'm being treated nicely in the worst possible way. And now that I think about it... How did you even get the motorcycle?"
Umi: "Yucchi let us borrow it to get to Red Lightning. Well, he actually told Kage-kun that he could only use it if he picked us up."
Haru: "Didn't he learn from the last time!?"
Manager: "Apparently not. But does he ever learn?"
White Fox: "So, hey, sorry to interrupt you assholes who like talking about someone who isn't there, but can you hurry up? If I make it there before you all then please go ahead and rethink your lives."
.
Why are all of their conversations so weird? wondered Kimura as the motorcycle came to a stop.
They had arrived at the Red Lightning.
It looked the same as the last time they had been there and noise could be heard coming from inside the establishment.
"They sure like to make noise whenever they can, don't they?"
"It would be weird for them if there was just silence.
"That's because some of those guys can only get work done if it's noisy. Then again, some of them get terrible grades in class, so we just call those ones 'idiots'."
"I see."
Even as one of the two in charge of the meeting, Kimura felt she still had a lot to learn about the people she was working with.
The metal machine between her legs and the metal side car next to it both trembled. The motorcycle tilted a bit towards the ground.
"Kimura, we're getting off."
Suzaku took her hand and helped her get off. That was likely to help her after the rough drive there, so Kimura did not resist the urge to place a hand on Suzaku's shoulder while trying to keep anyone else from noticing.
"Thanks."
"Think nothing of it."
Suzaku smiled and so did Kimura when she saw Taka greet Krümel by the door. And by the time Kageura moved over the motorcycle...
"Oh, Kawa-chan...and Umi too. Ōji and the others are doing a kind of inspection over inside. I came to greet everyone else."
Having arrived ahead of them, Inukai pointed deeper in to direct them. A valley between the piled-up materials created something of a passageway, and...
"What is this?"
It looked to Kimura like a mountain of papers had collapsed. It was so large that she could not keep her eyes off of it as Suzaku took her hand and helped her to move.
...What are they inspecting?
.
"This is the metal panel in question."
Everyone looked at the metal panel Kurauchi had carried to the front of the Main Red Lightning.
It was ten centimeters thick, five meters tall and wide, and meant for protection from the elements. In front of the café that was the Kirikari home, Kon, Murakami, and the crossdresser viewed the giant piece of artwork.
"At first glance, it looks like a normal metal panel."
"Yeah. If you ignore the one part that is meaninglessly abnormal," added Kon.
Something was printed on the bottom of the standing metal panel's front surface.
"That's a really crude drawing of Border."
Just as Yuki, who had returned from the other Red Lightning ahead of Kanzaki, suggested, an image of Border was printed on the metal with extended outwards and bent. However...
"The design is fairly off."
As Hitomi inspected it while sitting on the upper edge, she pointed out that the image looked more like a comic than a photograph. But she said more while kicking the panel with her heel.
"This thing feels like it could be alive. Someone probably used high-quality items to have Border be 'squished flat' like this rather than realistically. ...What do you think, Kagami?"
"Yeah. I tried touching it and it had feeling to it. The material used was really good, but the depiction itself was terrible. It's feels like someone was trying to do some weird stuff when making it. However, it was probably made on the fly."
Kagami tilted her head and crossed her arms.
"Hmm. This material is fairly strong when it comes to sticking, so this could be a lot of trouble. When they came up with the idea, I bet they got all excited at how much of a genius they thought they were and went all-out messing with us."
"Kagami, so why exactly would they use good material?"
"Well, Mizukami-kun, they probably thought they were big shots."
"Oh?" said Mizukami before Arafune placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I believe we could start by calling them assholes."
Mizukami looked to the side with a silent smile and Akashi glared back at him.
"Satoshi, stop looking to me when you want someone to redirect their words onto. And I'm not entirely sure I understand, but this is just some graffiti, right?"
"That would probably be the best explanation for someone like you. Basically, they are setting themselves against Border by putting this graffiti on metal panels used for protection at important buildings."
"Hmm."
The nudist crouched in front of the Border image and started slapping at it.
"Will it comes out if we hit it hard enough!?"
Kageura kicked the nudist right into the armor. The sound of flesh and bone rang out, the armor shook, and Hitomi fell backwards from the top. Everyone cried out in surprise and Kageura commented while still in his kicking pose.
"I guess Kagami was right. That didn't even scratch it."
He gave Kagami a thumbs up and then nodded again.
"I'll give you credit there."
"U-umm..."
As dull sweat poured down Kagami's face, the nudist peeled himself off the metal and recovered.
"H-hey, Masa-chan? Don't you think you can be too blunt at times?"
"What's wrong with being direct? Now, idiot, I have something to talk to you about behind here."
"Eh!? Wh-what is it!? A hidden kiss!? Something like that!?"
Kageura calmly circled behind the metal panel and the nudist excitedly followed.
Just as everyone started feeling worried, they heard the deafening noise of the nudist slamming into the back of the metal panel.
Kageura quickly circled back around.
"I guess an indirect hit from the back isn't enough to knock him out either. Now that that method failed, I say we give up on that idiot already."
"H-hold on, Kage! It's too soon to give up! And the fact you did that while being so calm is scary..."
"Yeah. I got it, Kō. You need to work off your frustration after eating too much rice and losing your last match by letting that idiot take direct hits from your attacks at full-power, don't you? Makes sense."
Kageura snapped his fingers and something came to a stop in the center of the road outside. It contained Yuki's motorcycle and Hokari in a pose of a merchant introducing his wares.
Kageura waved to Hokari.
"I got that guy over in the road to prepare my current mode of transportation, so enjoy hitting that idiot from either the front or the back. Go, go. Give it your best shot and don't hold anything back."
"Umm... Should I really be doing that with Yuki's motorcycle?"
"Kō, does that mean you want to do it if I'm okay with it?"
"No, um, Arafune? What do you think?"
"Think he'd be normal in three minutes if we soaked him in hot water?"
Kageura snapped his fingers and something stopped in the middle of the road outside. It contained a pot of boiling water with a four meter radius and Denji in the pose of a merchant introducing his wares.
Kageura waved to Denji.
"I made a mistake over there, but I called that guy over to prepare an udon boiling pot from a cafeteria to use. Idiot, you take a dip first."
"Wait, wait, wait. Are you trying to kill me!?"
"Oh? It seems like a good way of disinfecting your dick. By eliminating the root cause."
"Um, Kage? More importantly, I don't think the paint will come off."
"Kō-kun, that paint won't come off easily. If it did then it would not be high-quality."
Everyone in the same age group began giving their opinion, but two people three steps away were at a complete loss for words: Kitora and Tokieda.
.
...What in the world is going on?
Kitora realized just how squarely in the "normal" category of humanity she fell.
She had been watching these upperclassmen from a distance for a while and she had thought the captain of Suzaku Squad was relatively normal, but...
"I am glad no one was crushed when bringing the panels. I really was worried. I've seen far too many scenes like that in monster games lately."
For some reason, phrases like "I messed up!" or "Now I've done it!" appeared in Kitora's mind, but she resolutely ignored them all. She had something else to say here.
"Kimura-san, what should we do now that-..."
"Eh? Oh, the inspection's over, so you can leave. We have a lot to go over amongst ourselves."
"No, I was asking what we should do about the attack on Border that we clearly see."
"Right." The solo A-Rank agent with only one eye showing stepped forward and bowed. "Us solo agents intend to examine the situation and use that information to find out why it happened. Right now it's just graffiti, but I don't plan of letting it get passed that. So please ignore the other labels for now."
"You're going to leave the site of the attack unguarded?"
"That should not matter as long as no important personnel travel through the area. It's a labyrinthine area that requires a good amount of knowledge to really go through, but that's why there isn't a real reason to pass through there."
...He's fairly normal at least.
What he said made sense. This small attack against Border - which did not count as a real attack - had be some graffiti, so all that was needed was to use different metal panels and make up for the lost ones. But...
"What if those people were trying to-..."
"Up-tight A-Rank-kun."
Maybe he isn't so normal, thought Kitora. She could hear someone behind him saying "Add on 'wannabe goody-goody' too!", but she ignored that.
She did want to hear what he had to say, but first...
"The 'up-tight' part was not necessary."
She heard a few "Ehh?" reactions, but she ignored those as well. And...
"Was there something wrong with what I said?"
"Well, it wasn't exactly wrong," said the solo A-Rank agent. "But we still can't fully count this as an attack against Border."
.
"—"
That's true, thought Kitora as the solo A-Rank agent said more in front of her.
"The mystery is not solved until the arrest is made. It is still possible a variety of elements lined up just right to create a misunderstanding that it was an offense against Border."
So...
"I believe your reading is most likely correct, but we must be prepared for the more unlikely possibilities as well."
"...I see. My apologies."
"No, no. I should apologize. Anyway, I do think I'll be asking for some help from the normal agents and citizens."
"In what way?"
"The offense happened in a hidden place, so whoever did it must want to hide. To put it another way, they don't want their identity to be known. In that case..."
"You want everyone to monitor each other?"
"No, no. Nothing as disconcerting as that. And I am sure you don't want that either."
He's being pretty thoughtful. Or maybe he's just good at weaseling out of taking blame.
...That seems soft for someone who caused Kotowari Squad issues.
Oh, but this upperclassman is the one who managed to impress the masses during that second meeting. He must be so calm because he knows he has the necessary strength when push comes to shove, concluded Kitora.
In that case, he really was being thoughtful, she also concluded.
"Right. I was careless in my remarks."
"So was I." The ninja-like boy bowed. "Mutual observation isn't really necessary. ...I simply think it would be a good idea to have normal agents and citizens keep an eye out for anyone who goes into areas like that. With observers like that, we will know who was in the area of any future offenses and no one will fear their neighbors are monitoring them when we have clear keepers playing that role. So..."
"It would be easiest to give that job to the people who know the area and who works there."
"Yes. For the city areas, I believe normal agents would be best. For the outer areas, I believe the family members of those who work there would be best. With family members of the workers, they will feel less like they are being watched and it can help unify the workers."
"...Understood. I will relay this to the director and save you some trouble."
He really is relatively normal. He never shows his whole face, he wears a casual outfit on a daily basis, and his illness is tearing away at him, but that's still relatively normal. I think.
The second-in-command of the meeting must have decided those two were done speaking because she raised a hand and spoke.
"With that settled, get that arranged as soon as possible. Make sure the directors know about it and inform the police so there is no suspicion from them and make sure we can contact them at any time."
"Right. Also..."
"Oh, you know about the unofficial secret meeting we had a few days earlier, right?"
"Yes. You decided to send information to Shiraishi, Kobayashi, and Kurosaki. Along with our agents."
She had received a report on that, but there was one thing she wanted to know to help prepare.
"Who do you plan to send?"
"Your squad's informed the three companies, right? Then they should give us their opinions before long. Probably tomorrow at the earliest. I'll decide that once we have all their replies."
"Understood. ...In other words, no need to hurry? Tokieda-senpai, can we take care of the preparations?"
"Of course."
After seeing the supporter nod, Kitora bowed to the others.
"Take care of things."
Since her role was complete, she prepared to leave, but...
"Kitora, take this."
Suzunari's female Operator held out a paper box.
"This is a tart that Jinsei made. It has no seaweed inside, so feel free to take it with you."
.
Murakami shifted his eyes to view Kitora's expression.
Her eyebrows were raised in slight surprise.
She then looked Kon in the eye, stepped back, and bowed.
"Thanks... Thank you."
Murakami smiled bitterly at the additional small bow when she took it.
...She reminds me of some people with the way she acts towards others.
She took the box, bowed again while seeming to shrink down a little, and finally left. Everyone nodded to each other as she did.
Demon Child: "She still acts pretty decent, so tell Suzume no putting her in your doujinshi, Kagami."
Artist: "I know. She apparently has some were-dog related material to work on right now, so she wants to get it done before anything else. We also have Umi-kun for summer, so she'll have to wait until after that."
Umi: "I-I don't like the sound of what I just heard! Not one bit!?"
Murakami told Suzaku to calm down and then approached Kon.
"Kon? Wasn't that tart for you? If you like, you can take mine instead."
"Eh!?" The nudist started shaking his head. "No, that won't work. I made yours into a pie with rice in it. It's only for you, Kō-chan."
"Wh-what kind of bizarre thoughtfulness is that!?"
"Right." Kon patted him on the shoulder. "Your daily work has paid off, Kō-kun. He got the message that you want him to put rice in your pie. ...And based on that, Suzaku-kun's will have pieces of steak inside."
Suzaku opened his box and sniffed at it.
"Ah! It does! It really has steak in it! And it's medium rare even!"
"Correct. Arafune-kun's will have a whistle with it to keep dogs away, Inukai's will be made with hotdog buns and have grapes inside, and Yuki-kun's will have ice cream spread out at the bottom of it in different flavors that mix well together."
Each of them checked and either thanked Jinsei or quickly stuck the hidden item in their pocket.
As everyone gave Kon looks of wonder, the nudist stared straight at her.
"That's amazing, Yuka! It's like you're psychic!
"For me, this was an easy task. ...I saw you making them."
"Way to ruin it!"
"U-um, but that aside, what do we do about Kon's tart?"
"Don't be silly," said a new voice.
It was Kunichika. They turned around to find the Main Red Lightning's door open and Kunichika stepping out with sheets wrapped around her body.
"I had just gotten to sleep thinking about how much fun tomorrow would be, but this racket outside woke me up. ...Now, Jinsei-kun, I turned the oven on, so go make another one if you're going to. I'm sure none of you are planning to leave anytime soon."
"You read us like a book. ...And we do need some time to discuss the 'fun' that will be beginning tomorrow."
Kitora and Tokieda left because they were primarily in charge of making arrangements and making decisions on the scene. The other issues the rest of them were going to discuss had a different focus.
...The future.
They all exchanged a glance and a nod. Seeing that, Kunichika gave a somewhat sleepy smile.
"Jinsei-kun."
She spoke to the apron-boy while placing a hand on the open door for support.
"Why won't you give Yuka the tart you left in the oven?"
"That one's for you, Yuu. I was planning to make a new one for Yuka."
"Don't be silly." The corner of Kunichika's mouth rose in a smile. "Then give the one in the oven to Yuka. ...You can make one for me after. Go on."
She pointed in through the door, but then she spotted the metal panel.
"What a weird drawing."
"Yeah..."
Murakami and the others could only nod in vague agreement.