Someone on the roof viewed the three platforms in the distance.
It was Kimura. She, Suzaku, and Kunichika were using a triple telescopes to view them from the roof of the Border base. The telescopes showed the Border cars joining the groups of cars arriving from three different directions and the platforms that had been set up.
The ones bound for Shiraishi and Kobayashi had apparently already arrived at their respective platforms. A small barricade was placed around both groups and the newly arrived cars to demonstrate that they had been welcomed in.
However, the car bound for Kurosaki had been a little delayed, so that group had to wait.
"I guess we're letting them know we'll be here until the respective cars reach them."
The regular cars that had seen everything going on were passing by around them on their way to their respective destinations.
Kimura and the others had yet to settle into the building.
Some of the other agents had left to do their own things, but Kimura wanted to avoid returning to the inside of the building until the cars had arrived. They had only sent some others back ahead of them because they were unnecessary.
There were many who had woken up late and did not leave the Yagura Branch.
They had likely intended to take a short rest after getting up and starting back to the Border base or their homes. They had been lazing around due to an incident the day prior involving some wandering Neighbors. They had only learned that others had left because there were less people around.
...Those guys can be so relaxed at times.
Mizukami had said that everyone had left already, but Kimura was still worried.
...Yesterday was a bit taxing since we went late into the night.
If those wandering Neighbors had not shown up, they would have all gotten a better amount of sleep, so they were lacking in a necessity for thinking straight under calm circumstances.
"Even if those guys had taken some medicine to keep awake, they will probably be tired once it wears off."
Kimura was feeling a little concerned, but Suzaku walked over with a smile.
"It's okay, Kimura. Those guys usually get their energy from fighting each other by this point."
"Yeah. I know that. ...I shouldn't be letting my concern show that plainly."
"Wan."
"Yes, yes."
Kimura pressed her cheek against Krümel. Suzaku must have decided Krümel could handle comforting Kimura because he simply opened a his phone while still smiling.
"I just received a message saying Hiura and Minoru have arrived at the Kobayashi platform and Tenryū-san and Iko-san have arrived at Shiraishi's platform. That just leaves Jinsei's group. They were delayed a little, but they probably needed some time to refresh after everything from yesterday."
"The negotiations with the three companies have only just begun and we've already run into issues."
"I know," agreed Suzaku before giving a gasp of realization. He tapped on the Shiraishi platform on the north end of the screen.
The magnification increased. When his finger moved in and tapped on it a few more times, the blurry image was processed and the Shiraishi-made car that seemed like a limousine became visible in the center of the distant Shiraishi platform.
The Shiraishi platform had removed some of the barricades to let the Border car in, so its flag was visible. The specks seen there were probably Ikoma and Shobu. There were also some aides including businessmen.
Someone left the stairs to greet them.
"Is that Shiraishi Chisato?"
"Eh? Is that a surprise?"
"Yes. That kind of car belongs to the dual-bosses. And is Shiraishi Chisato wearing what I think she is?"
The image was small, but it looked like a dress blowing in the wind.
Chisato felt something she had not felt in a long time.
...Complete and utter regret. Why would I go out in the wind dressed like this?
Her regret came from the light material with no protection. It probably would have been fine on the surface or indoors, but on a upper level platform, the wind whipped the clothing around even with some air buffering.
It was the same wind she always felt, so why was she so bothered by it? Her hair whipping around had never been an issue, but the westerly wind from the right was also affecting her dress's skirt.
"...Ah."
If she did not hold it down, it would lift up and reveal her legs, the base of her legs, and her butt. She normally had those areas exposed to more easily move around during practice, but it felt careless to leave the areas hidden by the skirt so defenseless.
...Kh.
She found a way of holding her hands that held down about eighty percent of the skirt. She placed her right hand down to hold the skirt against the front of her right thigh. She gave up on the left of the skirt and faced forward.
"Border's 6th Ranked Attacker Ikoma Tatsuhito, are you the representative here?"
"Nope, the representative's Shobu here, Yagura Branch's director's nephew. I'm just going along with him."
He looked to the hand on her skirt.
"But what're you doin' there?"
"I-I am not doing anything. Whatever are you talking about?"
"I see."
As the Attacker nodded, Representative Tenryū looked up at him while holding his bangs and coat down against the wind.
"...The wind...is strong..."
"Yeah. Border's completely covered and even the ground has buildings stoppin' things, so the wind'll naturally be stronger on a platform. But..."
He looked to Chisato's right hand on her skirt.
"Shobu, you could learn a thing'r two from the Shiraishi family. ...This kind of wind isn't worth mentioning for them."
Chisato seriously considered knocking him to the ground, but then she heard the Shiraishi Business support members whispering behind her.
"Hey, maybe we should have upped the buffering more with some banners. Shokubutsu-san is having trouble!"
"B-but this way we get to see him squirming around like that."
"I feel bad for him yet I can't deny I'm enjoying it. Is this what you call woman's sinful nature?"
That boy must be fairly popular, realized Chisato as the Attacker approached her while unlocking a tablet to display a few pieces of official paperwork.
"Now, let's start our work visit with a handshake."
Chisato realized what he was after when she saw his outstretched right arm and five fingers raised from his right hand, but this was a scene of business. She maintained a smile and returned his handshake with her right hand. She squeezed as hard as she could with her hand, but he accepted it with the strength of an attacker. Then the wind blew in from the right.
Without the hand to hold it down, her skirt blew violently upwards and the Attacker immediately let go of her hand.
"Sorry. You should've shaken hands with Shobu, not me. I got a little carried away there."
...Why you-...!
Her smile stiffened as she silently protested, but she still shook hands with the actual representative. The representative was able to use his left hand to hold down his coat as the wind was coming from his left.
I chose the wrong position on the battlefield, Chisato belatedly realized as the Attacker looked to the ground.
"Well, you're the third kid, so I can guess you don't often wear clothes like that. They suit you well and they were a nice choice for a business meeting. This was just a messed up location."
"...Eh?"
That must mean Musashi made the right choice this time too, she thought.
But...
"Choose for yourself next time."
"—"
He saw right through me, she thought. But how? she also thought with a slight disturbance in her heart.
"...Um..."
The representative raised the hand still held in Chisato's handshake. He must have wanted to let go, so Chisato frantically did so and bowed. When she apologized and took the boy's hand again, the representative nodded.
"...U-um, Ikoma-sama...i-is not a...b-bad person..."
"...Eh?"
"...He does like...girls a lot...though..."
"That's right," said Chisato while glaring at the Attacker.
...Why did he even come to Shiraishi? Don't tell me...
Our Ruri is a girl, along with my sisters. And according to what magazines are saying, they are all good choices. In other words, they are all good choice girls.
Don't tell me, she thought again, so she decided to ask.
"Border's 6th Ranked Attacker, I would like to know why you came here to Shiraishi. Would you mind telling me?"
"You don't know?" he asked with a sigh. "My goal is to...yeah, find some nice girls around in this game of business."
Just as the Attacker said that like it should be obvious, the Kobayashi group to their west lowered its barricades. They had welcomed in their business car just as Shiraishi had.
As Ikoma and Shobu began their business with the Shiraishi, a discussion was taking place inside the tent covered platform for Kobayashi.
"Hatohara-san! Are you sure you don't need to head out for the business meeting!?"
"Yes. At this point, it will only be a greeting. Plus, it's Akane-chan's job to deal with Kobayashi's summarized demands for now."
Minoru answered the newly B-Rank agent's question while wearing the Hatohara Squad uniform.
He was not in his spot on the platform by the cars. He was in a tent a bit away.
Over at Border, Kimura and some others were making sure things went smoothly and he had postponed his testing session with Hoshi while making sure Toby had been okay after his failed game of chase. The Kobayashi business men and women had not asked to greet him, so he was spending his time in that tend to relax for a moment. But..
"Hatohara-san, what kind of group is Kobayashi?"
"Well," said Minoru to gather the newly B-Rank agents' attention. He steadied himself while using a nearby pole as a cone, and faced the north side that his the Kobayashi group from view. "The Kobayashi family are actually rather nice and the parents care for their children, who in turn care for them. I can't say I know too much about their business works since Hisoka doesn't care too much about the business to begin with. But apparently they have a strong person on their side and a fun assistant that takes on multiple roles for that person. Their work is building universities and houses, so they have a good business going on for them here. That's most of what I can say."
...They also have the excellent sense and charismatic leadership of Mogami-san.
"Oh, the name of that powerful person is Mogami Yoshiko, by the way. And as someone with a high power in there, she has expanded some of their reach and influence on others. She had a cruel character unique to everything else, but that strong will and powerful feeling have-..."
"Have allowed her bosses to prosper, so they're willing to allow her to stay with them?"
"That's right," answered Minoru. "The more severe she is, the more people sense a strength in her. ...People are drawn to someone who shows they can make full use of their authority, might, intelligence, and experience. She is someone rather indispensable to the Kobayashi family."
That ability is something I lack at the moment, thought Minoru with a sigh.
"But, well..."
As everyone watched, he put his hands on his hips and looked up at the tent.
"I am wondering why they had only sent her and where Hisoka is right now."
...I should assume that she managed to convince everyone to let her have this one.
That was when he heard a sound.
It was a distant sound and he nearly mistook it for the rumbling of the wind, but...
...Movement?
The two sounds came from a moving body. It was the loud noise produced when someone was moving through an area with speed.
"I suppose that would be someone form Border to keep watch on the areas with those three businesses so close."
The two Ōji Squad members moved as if hopping from Border.
The parted-haired, prince one in the Ōji uniform moved out a bit ahead and messaged back to the slick-haired, disciplined one in the Ōji uniform. He looked back while looking at the radar on his hand.
"Kurauchi! Has Director Shinoda contacted us yet!?"
"Yes," said Kurauchi while looking at everything in front of him.
The small window at the corner of his eyes showed small waves of sound.
The waves came from the voice of the General Director.
"Ōji-kun, we have sent you the basic data as an attachment. Suzaku-kun and Kikuchihara-kun created a 3D model of the surroundings, so please make corrections using that."
A small window opened to indicate the data had been sent over. Kurauchi was surprised at the quality of Kikuchihara and Suzaku's map of the surrounding people and considered asking them to assist Suzume for some doujinshi so he would to have not do so.
"From the inside of Border, you can't get an external information, right? I'll send back whatever I get through sight, so will you check over it?"
"Right," Director Shinoda said while looking over some screens.
Ōji came to a stop.
.
Ōji frowned as he saw the sound waves from a different person with their name under the waves.
"What is it, Jinsoku? What happened to Akasora-san? Attacked by an angry parent again? So what does our non-combatant machine freak king want? If it's about what I did to your machines, I won't be taking it back even if you get down on the ground and beg for forgiveness. Normal prostrations aren't enough to move me anymore. They're losing their effectiveness after doing it so many times."
"If you want to be in the receiving end of my high high altitude cannon Trigger named Blooming Bunker Blast, you can always just say so. ...And fake prince, I assume you know just why I'm speaking with you."
"Yeah, I know. ...You want to be in one of Misaki's doujinshi, don't you? I hear there is a bit of a line, but I am sure she can squeeze you in somewhere."
An attack flew down from above and passed by two meter on their right.
Ōji glared over at the attack as it vanished into the ground.
"You weren't even trying to hit? You really suck at this. Not that it matters when we are moving right now."
"I was firing blond from instead of a building, you know? ...Hm? What is it, Terashima-san? You want me to hurry up? But this is normal for us. And go to sleep!"
"See, you got him mad at you. ...But I more or less understand, Jinsoku. You're from the business world in reality, right? So what's your opinion as the former second-in-command of a business division? Your primary enemy has made some peace with those businesses and has dismissed you, but do you have some information on Kurosaki related to that?"
"Yeah. There's a chance a mother is going to show up to this three-part meeting."
"What?"
Ōji frowned and Kurauchi tapped him on the shoulder.
He moved back a bit to look at the radar that Kurauchi held up. The radar that had been expanded displayed some new things that they normally did not see. Ōji touched it, which showed...
"The transparent image of our surroundings based on Border's analysis."
The data they had sent had already been sent back after analysis by the multiple commuters belonging to Border.
Ōji reevaluated it and viewed it.
...Is there something here?
As if to answer him, several small windows opened horizontally around him in the previous direction from before.
The translucent monitor portion displayed the results of the data analysis. Writing and icons had been added by the people to provide information on what he was looking at. But...
"The red light indicates the business groups, right?"
Ōji knew why there was no emotion in Kurauchi's voice.
The three businesses' group cars were glowing red with Kurosaki to the west, Kobayashi to the northwest, and Shiraishi to the north.
"But there is also one coming from inside of the Forbidden Zone."
The red dot of light was small but definitely approaching. And with numbers in the dozens.
"Neighbors are here!?"
And...
"Ōji! Incoming attack!"
Ōji saw the light of a trion attack, but it was not coming from the Neighbors inside the Forbidden Zone.
The light flashed from the outer edges of the Forbidden Zone to the north, north-northwest, and northwest.
They were ultra-tall cannons in the form of Banders and their size stretched toward...
"Border! Put up your defenses!"
Ōji cried out just as light began exploding in the seemingly empty area of the sky.
The Border base had been hit.
Ōji understood that the Banders had only appeared near the three groups, yet it still seemed strange. He place a hand to his ear and shouted to the Border base.
"We are under attack! Neighbors have appeared with no signs of Gates opening!"
"Wh-what is going on!?" asked Suzaku of the tablet sent to him and the explosions of sound and light overhead. "We just sent our representatives to the three business and everything was looking fine, so what's with this stuff whooshing by and going boom and then all the danger coming in from the Forbidden Zone!?"
"Ahh, I more or less understood that, so is it too late for me?"
On the roof of the base, Kimura somehow managed to keep herself from hanging her head and instead looked up into the sky.
Bright lights were scattering there as evidence that trion attacks were striking the Border base.
After a short delay, the sounds of impact arrived like distant thunder.
She could feel the overlapping rumblings in her gut.
Alarm bells began to ring in Mikado City. Screens displayed around the city to guide people to evacuation sites. Five large screens changed to display something else.
"Hello. I am Netsuki Eizō, Media Director for Border. Sorry about all the troub-..."
Voices erupted from the city.
"Don't display a guy on Mikado's screens!"
"Don't waste that high resolution monitor on a close up of a guy!"
"Any married men can get lost!"
Suzaku looked to the city visible past the Forbidden Zone.
"Yes, yes," he nodded. "Mikado City might be the main city for these things, but they're a lot like us, aren't they?"
"They might respond well to someone like Murakami-san transportation surfing, so I'm glad they can handle a panic."
The screen's image switched over to an aide.
"Good day, everyone. I am the aide to General Director Shinoda Masafumi."
A cheer rose from the city.
"Eight shots are about to hit. But none are directed toward the city."
Explosions of light filled the sky and fear filled the people's voices, but Sawamura and the interior of Border behind her remained motionless.
"These Neighbors will not be making their way to the city, as our agents will be on the scene soon. Not a single one of them will make it passed the Forbidden Zone, so I will advise moving as far as you can from it. Make sure to-... What is it, Jinsoku? Oh, there are some new ones mixed in. Yes, I saw them, so it would seem so. That may change things. Everyone, please follow the original plan and head to the evacuation sites."
The people raised a cry of agreement while evacuating away from the Forbidden Zone. They were moving southwest.
"That's Mikado City for you..."
Kimura wondered why Suzaku sounded so serious yet did not look back his way, but to understand the current situation, she described the situation before her eyes.
"There are some Neighbors from last night, that is why Sawamura-san did not go into specifics. That means someone is controlling them."
While others sat motionless inside of the Border base, the main control room cut off all footage from outside to become a space surrounded by work. Because if the recent invasion, the room had been installed with more information processing, but..
"Enter standby! After confirming internal connection, release all transmission path ways and synchronize all branches under the correct protections."
Shinoda's voice reached them via voice transmission and the light of screens glowed from the monitors placed in the room.
"Right."
Text began to scroll by and several images began to play.
A portion of the large screen in the front slowly revealed a torii-style program chip on it. A different Border member entered from the corridor with a new program chip in their hands.
"Make the switch."
On Shinoda's command and signal, a Border member used both hand to pull out the old program chip out. The member who had just walked in used both hand to place the new chip into the open hole. After pushing it inside, she exchanged a glance with another member.
"Connected!"
"Confirmed."
She tilted her hand before pulling them back. The previous chip was placed in her now-empty hands and she began to walk back out into the corridor.
Meanwhile, the computer had the new chip inside and many more Windows appeared in the monitor.
"We have the engine division's authorization! Shifting to standby mode!"
A member of Border working on a computer to the side suddenly turned back toward the others.
"While checking Ōji-san and Kurauchi-san's information, a transmission arrived from lower levels of the building. Connecting to the main screen."
With those words, a small window appeared on the top of the large screen.
It displayed a small group of Bados above the southern area.
"Those are simple Neighbors. A small group like that should easily be taken out by some of our Snipers. The amount is of no issue, but something else seems to be there. They have moved out to the front, so I will zoom in while providing commentary."
The Neighbors in the very lead was a strange one that looked nothing like any of the others they had seen.
The entire body of it seemed much more mechanical than others. The coloration was a cool color that could start dragging in heat.
"Is that...?"
When the Border members saw the cloud decorations with gilded edges, they matched the image to their memories.
As they all worked to retrieve data on the Neighbors, one on the side members raised her right hand.
"According to my data, that is one of the 'Falcon' Neighbors used by the Wanderers. According to what we have, it is the weakest ones they have."
"That is one of the ones used yesterday? ...So someone went that route, have they?"
On Border's large roof, Kimura crossed her arms to think after hearing about the "Falcon's" arrival.
Next to her, Suzaku was managing Border's transmissions with his tablet.
"What does it mean for a Neighbor of the Wanderers to be here? And Kimura, that reaction sounded a lot like something my idiot teammate would say."
Life: "Oh, I thought that too. It really sounded like him."
Manager: "Shut up, you! Are you actually wearing your clothes!?"
White Fox: "That's what you're worried about? And I think Umi was the one that brought it up."
Manager: "Oh, yeah... I just went with my usual reaction. Sorry, idiot."
Life: "Th-that's not much of an apology!"
Pipe down.
She needed to focus on the enemy, not the crossdresser.
That "Falcon" was a Trion Soldier of the Wanderers. According to the information they had, it was one of their weaker ones, but...
"Those guys had everything settled last night and should not be 'greeting' us again. They had taken back every one of their soldiers and make it seem as if they were never here, but this is clearly not the case."
"We saw some strange stuff last night. Did someone trigger their anger?"
"I doubt it." Kimura shook her head. "Even if someone did anger them, we have shown that we are more than capable of handling them. Thinking of doing something like that would loss them resources. And if they have a Trion Soldier here with the regular ones..."
She brushed up her bangs.
"I can only guess, but the Wanderers are most likely not a part of this. ...Someone had apparently gone to their base after Akasora-san, so there is a chance they could have taken something."
"You mean...someone stole something from them while we were busy with them?"
Kimura hesitated for a moment before answering.
"That's right. I can't confirm any of this since Futoyuki-san is not allowed to say much at the moment, but the Wanderers must have been taken advantage of."
.
Kimura sighed.
...This isn't good.
She had a few thoughts on the matter, but one of them was most important of all.
...That person probably had the thought to make it seem like it was someone else's fault because of what has happened recently.
It all went back to the invasion they had managed to hold back.
After that, someone had decided Border could not protect people when it truly mattered.
"Whoever this is had taken it upon themselves to show something. ...That means we are their enemy."
"In that case," asked the Tachikawa Operator who had remained quiet thus far. "What do you think their strategy here is? Something dirty? After all, first it was the normal Neighbors and now it is the specially made ones. Is that person that bothered by us?"
"Yeah. I'm guessing they want to give us a warning. And their strategy is simple. ...On the pretext of showing Mikado City something special, they're going to see just how these businesses respond to the representatives we have sent."
"Then what are we going to do?" asked Suzaku.
The Tachikawa Operator smiled and shook her head.
"Do you really think there's any chance we are just going to sit idly by?"
"That's right. There's no chance we would sit idly by, nor is there any reason to."
Ōji spoke as he observed his surrounding and sent the images back to Border.
He tilted his head and looked over to the city and the edge of the Forbidden Zone. There were seven branches containing Border members. There were people in and around the buildings.
"We're at the center of attention here. What do you think would happen if we didn't do anything now? Whoever fixed this up would think we had no intention of proving out worth after we already dealt with two invasions."
"Ōji, your tone is getting a little harsh there."
Ōji smiled bitterly at that.
"Some people are hopeless. They like idiots, but hate coward. So..."
So...
Ōji: "Gucci. Keep track of all the groups while we settle this as peacefully as possible. ...Like with an immediate counterattack."
...Why are so many of our age group naturally bloodthirsty?
However, Kimura knew mentally holding her head was not going to solve this, so she scratched at her head and opened her mouth.
"Hmm... If the three business are not going to turn away from this, I guess there's no choice but to show off."
Suzaku gasped at that and then glanced over at Kimura.
"Um... Should I really be hearing this?"
"Heh heh heh. Don't be silly, Umi-kun! Are you planning to shoot at them without knowing why?"
"Oh, um, but, well, shooting things technically isn't my job..."
"You can hear this," said Kimura. "You're in charge of the transmissions after all."
But now that she thought about it, the Sniper had so many roles it was a little unclear what his job was.
Regardless, she inhaled and worked to speak as calmly as possible.
"Pass this on to the representatives."
This is where we just have to bear with it, she thought before continuing.
"Even if the Neighbors attack the base and even if they continue onward, do not stop them. We will defend ourselves here. ...What you all need to do is stop any unnecessary inner conflicts being fought between those businesses and groups that hold a good amount of power. But do not stop any conflict with Border."
So...
"Play your parts as representatives even if they fire on Border and its branches."
Shirashi Chisaro sensed the noise and light of an attack as she continued fighting with her dress in the wind. The attack did not just come from the Shiraishi family. She could hear Kobayashi and Kurosaki's areas having a similar sound in the distance, but the intensity of that noise and light was enough to tell just how seriously those two had it.
In her opinion, the Neighbors on those sides were not holding back much at all.
In truth, only the strongest Neighbors could actually do damage to a structure as large as Border. And when they did not know how the branches would react, they were forced to keep their distance.
...So they will naturally be firing with more intensity just to reach them in the first place.
Her group's data processing officer would be measuring the intervals between the other sides' blasts to measure the rapid-fire ability and durability of the attacks of the Neighbors they had seen almost daily. But...
"Border and its branches are focusing on defense? Are they trying to show whatever is attacking that they are more prepared to defend themselves than the rest of us?"
She asked her question to the Attacker looking to the south with a forearm held over his eyes.
"Prepared to defend themselves? What do you mean by that, Shiraishi Chisato?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Right." The Attacker nodded while still staring into the distance. "Are you sayin' you'd hit someone you feel has already hit themselves?"
"Well..."
Chisato trailed off and the Attacker nodded again without taking his eyes off of the southern sky.
"Ikoma Squad would hit 'em."
"W-wait a second! That wasn't supposed to be a moral lesson!?"
"What're you talkin' 'bout? ...If someone hits us on the cheek, you'd turn the other cheek. But showin' you've learned your lesson and by acceptin' the second hit, you learn something 'bout your opponent."
"You can learn something about your opponent like that?"
"You can." The Attacker nodded without facing her. "If they strike you again, you learn of the pain they feel by makin' it your own. And if they don't strike you again, you learn of their tolerance. That's what I've been taught. And to my clever eyes..."
He exhaled from his mouth and nose and let his shoulders droop.
"This situation shows just how anxious whoever's attackin' is."
"..."
Chisato hated that she could only judge that analysis as correct. They were witnessing an attack that tried to rival an invasion with no true backing.
Even though Border was the one being "hit", they actually seemed to be viewing the rest of them more calmly than anyone else.
Chisato realized that the Attacker was not looking to the Border base and the branches spread out in the city.
...He's looking at that strange bird-like Neighbor?
Trying to figure out why would be dangerous. Shiraishi's enemies and allies were clearly defined at the moment, so she had to remain silent.
And as she maintained her silence, the Attacker nodded thrice.
"But that aside..."
"What?"
"Right. ...Listen. There's also somethin' to say 'bout restraint. After all, if you hit someone too much and cross a certain line, they'll apparently begin to enjoy it. What I'm sayin's, they'll the ones that'll be in trouble if Border starts to enjoy this. So they shouldn't take this too far. That'd be what Kimura wants."
"I have no idea what you were talking about for most of that, but it doesn't look like they are going to stop attacking." Chisaro breathed in and looked to the sky. "Also, while we do have to make a powerful demonstration ourselves, I would think Kurosaki has to make the most powerful demonstration of all since they're already looking to the Neighbors. If they take this too lightly, they could end up losing it all at once."
The light of trion attacks flew through the sky from the north, northwest, and west.
A few silhouettes were visible near the source of the lines extending from west to east.
They were the cars of the Kurosaki group and the Border car from Border.
The courtyard around the Kurosaki group did not have a simple platform with them.
Festival stands, a wide open space, and a festival tower were built in that central courtyard, but...
"So basically, they're holding a shrine festival to celebrate our business visit. ...They even have a shrine, so it's quite well made."
When arriving, they had been told yukatas were the dress code, so Murakami wore one as he carried his borrowed Black Trigger Portion and looked around from the head of their group.
They were in the courtyard of the Kurosaki meeting location, a rather open area. The larger buildings would normally cover the area like a ceiling, but the area had been transformed into a strange for the festival.
The people walking between the festival stands were the primarily business crew as well as their families. They were speaking with each other around the stands, playing in the water of the shrine's large spring, and constructing the tower they would later dance around.
As Murakami observed them, his nose detected a mixture of many different seasonings.
...There isn't anything out of the ordinary around here.
"It's okay, everyone. Meeting their representative here should not be a problem."
He turned back to see the nudist wore a flesh-colored naked camouflage yukata. He nodded in acknowledgement, looked across the festival, and then tilted his head when he saw Kon, Murakami, the Yagura Branch Representative, and Kuruma.
"Are you all really not wearing anything under your yukatas?"
"Well," said Kon as she crouched down and lifted the bottom of Murakami's yukata up to just below his stomach. "The latest trend seems to be wearing nothing but antiperspirant tights below in order to claim you are 'not wearing underwear'. Oh, and thank you for your cooperation."
"In a way, you're leaking our information! Our private information!"
"Calm down, calm down. I did the same thing because Yuki-kun said it was customary."
Kuruma lifted up his yukata to show them. He blushed as he did so.
"I'm glad I had Yuki-kun with me when choosing the other day. Apparently a lot of people only wear this on the bottom. You made a good friend, Kō."
"Yagura Branch Representative, I would like a word with you about a variety of things..."
Meanwhile, the surrounding Neighbors fired on the Border base again.
The people enjoying the festival looked up to the trion attack and the light that scattered when it hit the wall to the east. Also...
"Tamayaaaa!"
...I feel like that isn't entirely accurate to the situation!
Even if they were firing on the Border base, Murakami was not sure it was right to call this the Border Fireworks Festival. At any rate, Kuruma spoke as he looked to the east.
"Kimura-san said we had to bear with this, so that's our job here."
He smiled with the ends of his eyebrows lowered and Murakami could only agree.
"That's all we can do when that's the official policy we've been given. Even if that policy was only decided recently."
But what are we going to do? He thought just before a voice reached them from the shrine.
"I haven't seen any of you before. Let me get a look at you."
It was a man. Specifically, a tall man with white skin. He must have come from the shrine spring where the children were playing in the water because he had a white swimsuit tied with a tie inside of the swimsuit. He had a towel over his head and he walked toward them with the towel flowing behind him.
Despite being wet and wearing sandals, he did not make any excess noise as he approached. That was why Murakami stepped in front of the others. He lowered his arm so he could activate the borrowed Black Trigger Portion at any time and he lowered his knees a little.
"Who are you?" He asked in place of bowing.
The tall man crossed his arms and answered the question while removing the towel.
"I am the hired hand of the Kurosaki family and Extended Supervisor Hikigane Sekai. I apologize for this being so sudden, but..."
He snapped his right hand's fingers with his arms still crossed and the wind began to blow.
A transport truck to the right of the business cars began to quickly accelerate toward the Border base.
"Eh!?" said Murakami as Sekai nodded a few times.
"I was hired on once more by the Kurosaki family and so will not be on your side this time around. Without someone as Unneeded as me around, I'm curious how Border and the branches will respond."