The battle was at full speed from the very first strike.
Ortlinde and the Attacker both had great height and reach. The Attacker had greater acceleration, but the Valkyrie was more maneuverable. So when their attacks intersected...
"Ohhh!"
The Attacker generally pushed while the Valkyrie deflected, dodged, and...
"...!"
The Valkyrie used her weapons to push back with greater numbers.
As large as the hall was, it was still located within White Rock. In that 100 meter by 50 meter space, the Valkyrie could not make full use of her trion lances and instead repeatedly summoned them at high speed.
Meanwhile, the Attacker deflected the trion lances with his slashes, but...
"Border Power!"
He also used trion shields. He activated smallish handheld ones to respond to the Valkyrie's great numbers. Fragments of shields scattered as they blocked the continuous strikes.
"I'm takin' this for a second, Kanzaki! Two slashes!"
He pulled his blade out of its scabbard with what seemed to be a single movement. Instead of a single slash that he had shown multiple times, it had been two, almost simultaneous, slashes that moved forward, he had held the blade in the five fingers of his hand and snapped the blade forward with his enhanced strength. He slammed the dual slashes toward the Valkyrie.
He was fast, but hopelessly outnumbered compared to the Valkyrie's number of attacks. However, he had the greater strength.
The two slashes struck the armor panels the Valkyrie used for defense. And she of course repeatedly summoned new panels.
Trion light surrounded the Valkyrie's swinging panels and they seemed to shake. The Attacker's slashes were deflected with what sounded like a sawblade striking rock.
The Attacker did not stop. He let sheathed his blade after the failed slashes and moved to grab Ortlinde's armor panels. Then he grabbed the sheathed blade at his hip and spun it back around.
As the spinning blade swung up from his hand like a hook, the Attacker's other hand moved to grab Ortlinde's defense armor panels from above.
Ortlinde swung her arms down so they would not be caught. And before the Attacker's sword could finish its rotation and strike her arms, she caught it's blade on her own arms to steal it.
Then she spun the blade back around with her arms.
The blade had been rotating up from below, but it now spun around the Valkyrie's arms to swing a counterattack against the Attacker's arms.
The Attacker responded by pulling his arms back and once more scooping up the Kōgetsu's blade.
They did not grab it.
The sharp striking weapon that looked like moss continued to spin back and forth between them as they continued avoiding the attacks like that.
"Let's up the ante!"
She added two, then two more, and...
"A heel-stepping dance is the charm of bondage!"
"You took that from a porn game, didn't you!?"
A total of sixteen green spikes danced within their exchange of offense and defense.
.
Shobu sensed it.
He did not understand some things. He lived his life listening to sounds and sensing heat and the wind rather than watching things. And most importantly, he had lived by trusting in his own heart as it tried to sense the outside world. So...
...Wow...
He could detect and follow Ikoma and Chisato's actions, but he could not comprehend them.
He did not understand, but that did not frighten him.
He liked both Ikoma and Chisato. He had not known the latter for long, and admittedly Ikoma only slightly longer, but Chisato had helped him put on his tie before the dance. When Shobu had tried to perceive her expression as she performed the work with practiced hand...
"I have long been in charge of dressing Ruri."
Then Chisato had laughed.
It had been a quiet laugh. Shobu doubted it was something she did often. It seemed to have slipped out. But Shobu thought that was just as meaningful as always laughing.
He thought it had been a nice laugh.
And he liked people with a nice laugh.
Ikoma was the same. He would occasionally make a quiet nasal laugh. He did not know if he was usually in a bad mood, but when he was happy, he would do that.
He liked their exchange of offense and defense.
The two of them had to be moving around, throwing quick strikes and kicks, rotating around, performing feints, spinning into a kick to keep some distance between them, and otherwise attacking each other.
...They're trying to...take each other's hand...
Were they up to sixteen lances and a single Kōgetsu that were catching on and spinning around their bodies while passing between them? The lances and blade were rotating, passing back and forth, and intersecting so often that he had lost count.
As the lances and single blade spun around their arms, wrists, elbows, sides, shoulders, necks, and even legs, the combatants would occasionally catch one on the end of their kicking foot and throw it toward the other, or they would catch one on their neck and either swing their entire body to throw it back or throw it back from their thigh as their opponent tried to grab their wrist.
Again and again, they would throw them back when their opponent tried to grab their hand and they would brush their opponent's hand away while also pursuing that opponent. They would pull back the arm being pursued while also moving the other up in scooping motion to obstruct one of their opponent's hammers.
It was like several stars were whizzing around them to decorate their motion.
Shobu thought that everything decorating their spinning dance was wonderful.
He did not understand a lot of things. Nor did he understand simple or complex. He knew how those things were "beautiful", but he could not directly perceive that beauty.
So he believed. He believed that this high-speed exchange of rotation and revolution was beautiful. He simply believed that these two people in the outside world were beautiful, just like they were in their everyday lives.
This was beyond what he could perceive and he could not explain it in words.
He believed that what he could perceive was beautiful.
And then the two of them sped up even further. They would approach close enough that their toes nearly touched, the density of strikes grew, and...
"...!"
A sword and shields appeared.
No, they had already been there, but within the sixteen rotations...
"—"
The continuous exchange of sword strikes and defense resumed.
.
Ikoma did not hold back in the slightest.
His shields were no longer for defense. As soon as they opened, he hit them from behind for a shield attack. It was something he had learned from fighting Sekai multiple times.
Even if they were simple, these shields were meant for blocking strong attacks. Each one could endure around seven trion lance attacks, so he opened them on the left and right and repeatedly struck the trion lances with them.
A great noise rang out, but he did not stop moving. He tried to spin to Chisato's side as if checking on his footing. And he tried to grab her hand in both of his hands.
"...Oh."
A trion lance flew in to stop him, but he did not give up.
Yes, an attacker did not give up.
Ikoma believed that he was one of the strongest Attackers. There were Shooters, Gunners, Snipers, and Trappers, but the offensive Attackers could cut anything in their way and that was cool.
Yes, it was cool. And what was cool was strong. What could be more obvious?
And since he was strong, he did not need to give up. If he did happen to lose, it would only be a trivial mistake. He would never wholly lose, so he did not need to feel down about it. Attackers were strong. They were strong in body and mind. They were unbeatable.
That was why Ikoma had chosen to join Border. There was also a reason his team had continued to stay in the top tiers, a constant third ranked position. Because he was strong, he had once thought that he could give meaning to his strength by justly fighting others.
At the same time, he liked weaker people.
Some say weaker people're s'pposed to be steppin' stones, but I'm not sure. People like Zaki do look like they'd make a good way to show off, but I don't wanna step over 'em. When I looked at him that way before, he blushed, so I need to send his ass to hell at some point.
"...Iko-sama...!?"
Oops. A trion lance got this close while I was lost in thought. I'll hit it with my shield to spin it around and...there! A hit.
Nice one, Shobu. But unfortunately, I "like" you in a different way too. But thanks to callin' me "Iko", that means I can treat you like Kiyoshi does now. Extra win.
By my standards for what I like're kinda strict.
It likely comes down to me bein' too strong. And my heart bein' too awesome. When I see someone weaker than me, I don't feel a desire to prey on them; I feel a desire to protect them. That might be a passed down memory of other Attackers bein' people who protected inexperienced people when we were gettin' attacked. A passed down memory. Now that's cool. I feel like I just got a strength boost.
Simply put, Attackers are strong and I'm an awesome person, so I can handle the weak with ease.
And that's why I love strong women. Which's why...
"Yes."
I love cute girls.
.
The Valkyrie and the Attacker's movements were speed itself.
They deflected each other's arms, light scattered, lances became wind and shattered shields, and noise surged out. The paths of each element remained in the air, creating a giant flower blossoming around the two of them as they spun around.
But Ortlinde increased its number of attacks. She had attacked with great frequency already, but now that they had moved closer together...
"...!"
Her attacks changed. Before, she had struck with her trion lances from the left and right, but now she sent them straight ahead as well.
One appeared in front of her, then some appeared on either side, and finally another appeared in front.
"—"
She established a series of high-speed attacks from three directions.
She launched them like a rapid-fire cannon.
Front, right, right, front, right, left, front, right, and right. The repeated attacks rushed out and sliced through the wind.
But the Attacker fought back. He hit his shields out front as well as on the left and right for his own three-layers of attack.
Right, left, front, right, right, front, right, left, front, right, right, and front. He attacked faster than he breathed and forced his way ahead. However...
"...Iko...-sama...!"
Shobu's yell reached him.
"She's capturing...you...!"
.
Shobu sensed it. He sensed it clearly. He sensed the beauty come to a stop.
Unlike with the previous actions, he rapidly came to understand the shape and number of the beauty the two combatants had created.
He knew why without having to think about it. It was the same. After Chisato launched her lance through the center, she made a certain attack on Ikoma.
...Front, right, right, front, right, left...
There was a pattern. It was hard to notice because she would end the pattern after a bit and begin again from a different position, but Shobu thought there was a reason for the repetition. After all...
...It makes Iko-sama...attack on the right a lot...!
The pattern led Ikoma to swing his right arm a lot and there were two reasons for that.
A solid sound pointed to the first reason.
It was the sound of a shield attack pushed by his right arm powerfully deflecting Chisato's trion lance.
But that had been set up. The lance was blown away with no resistance and Ikoma's right arm thrust forward with the shield.
His right arm was wide open as it stretched forward. That was one of the reasons for this, and the other...
"...Kō...getsu...!"
By repeating the same actions, Chisato was able to predict the timing of the sixteen striking weapons. She instantly grabbed the sixteen weapons in her own arms. In the sixteen additional armor panels she brought, that is.
And then she grabbed Ikoma's right arm in her left arm.
Ikoma tried to pull back, but Chisato repeatedly brought out new panels to grab it.
She held it in place.
A moment later, sixteen lances and three trion blades slammed into Ikoma.
.
Chisato did not stop. This was an official duel. Holding back would be impolite, so this was expected of her.
And if she could completely crush this opponent, he would likely be able to find resolution and resignation over a number of things. And the same was true of her. So...
"This ends now!"
She sent out her spiked and bladed strikes with a time delay between them. And she knew her own left arm would be caught in the flurry of blows. She could not defeat this opponent otherwise.
The Attacker raised his left arm. He was not striking her. He made a shield attack on the trion sword. He had likely judged them more dangerous than the lances.
A moment later, the trion blade collided with the trion shield he held out.
The shield broke, shattered, and vanished. The green lights dropped down beyond the scattering light.
"This is over!"
But Chisato received an unexpected attack.
.
What she sensed in front of her was a definite explosion.
...What!?
She did not have time to dodge. The fog and impact of pressure exploded and struck her entire body.
.
Shobu sensed it.
...He flew...?
"Nice call there, Sho... Lil' Plant."
The sound of a moving mouth was heard.
"That doesn't fit right with me. I'll just call you Lil' Dragon. Yeah. That sounds cool as hell."
It was Ikoma. Had had fired on the shots at the front of his right side.
...The Meteora...shots I asked him...to equip...!"
"—!"
And he blasted his explosive power toward Chisato at extreme close range.
It was noise and power. That Trigger allowed a person to fire explosives. If he was a true Shooter, that explosive power would be realized from a distance. He had used up his trion and slammed it into his opponent."
It was true Ikoma had been moving closer and closer to his opponent.
All of his footwork and movements had likely been to fill the distance between the two.
Shobu also understood why he had not used his left side. That would have taken another Trigger for him to use while Kōgetsu was still in use, meaning it would not have been possible. What was more, he would have had nowhere to escape if both of his sides were filled with explosions. That sent its full power toward his opponent.
It was an explosion.
Chisato's left side panels detached from the shoulder, flew away, and stabbed into the ceiling. Her entire body bent as if from a blow to the right side, but...
"Kh...!"
Her right side panels and both leg panels were detached from their bases and new ones were brought out. She also reconstructed her left arm panels.
It only took an instant for her to land, but Ikoma used that time to charge forward.
"Here I go!"
He accelerated his powerful left arm.
.
Chisato's mind grew clear within the speed and decisions.
After the impact of the explosion, Ortlinde made an immediate adjustment. That was partially due to her mind clearing, but more than that...
...I can't afford to lose!
She was a daughter of Shiraishi. And she had Ruri as her closest friend.
Ruri was effectively imprisoned by the Falcon, but that led from her own decision.
It had happened four years ago.
When the Neighbors had arrived to destroy their world, Ruri's friend Shuryō had felt he was duty-bound to protect his mother while Sōichi was not there. He had not let it show, but the result had become apparent soon enough. A few moments later, Shuryō had attempted a fight in an unused area near White Rock.
Ruri and Chisato had been worried and gone to search for him, so they had been the first to discover him.
He had been terrified by what he saw. He had used top tier gun, but it had not been strong enough. So as they attempted to rescue him, he had made a request.
He had asked them to act on Shiraishi's behalf.
Ruri and Chisato were both children of influential people. What would happening if they died while trying to protect him there? And that was when the Neighbors had arrived on Earth to carry out their attack against them.
Ruri had been the one to act. The records say that they had not seen the boy that day, but the truth was that Ruri had taken a hold of Chisato before running away. And so she had allowed her best friend's capture.
Chisato still wondered if she should have done it instead.
She wondered if it was her failure to do so that had allowed Ruri to be imprisoned by the Falcon and to lose her memories.
If she had allowed such a capture, Ruri may have shunned her, but that would not have harmed Shiraishi with how they had told others and they could have cooperated with Border. So...
"Let me tell you something!"
Chisato moved and thought. She thought while sending out her right arm to block the Attacker's left thrust.
"Ortlinde was made when I was a child when Ruri accidentally called out to that Falcon! It was not recent, so that thing's been going for some time now! That is my truth! It was when we were training together and I made her cry..."
She said it.
"She was never able to call it out afterwards! But now she can call it out again! ...These are my bonds! This is the punishment I must accept!"
Chisato thought while creating a trion lance into her left arm.
...What good did Shuryō's capture - at the time we thought death - do for Shiraishi?
They had followed their instincts, so it had helped on a survival front, but in the resisting group of Shiraishi, everyone was like family and they all lived with no concern for status.
"Answer me...!"
Border. Future voyagers of Mikado City.
Have we failed? Will I only ever feel regret? And are Ruri and all the others nothing more than a lost cause now?
We don't know our destiny. We only view our business as something to use if it will benefit us. We all huddled together in the cold only wishing happiness for ourselves and our comrades.
I want to leave this company, but can I retrieve everything for Shiraishi before then?
...I...!
In search of an answer, Chisato slammed her opened right hand toward the end of the charging Attacker's forearm.
To settle things for herself once more, she defended with a rapid and repeated recreating of her armor panel.
.
Chisato repeatedly reconstruction her right wrist and hand armor panels. Her opened hand struck his hand. If it was deflected, she would immediately construct the next panel.
By repeating the process countless times in rapid succession, she could fully stop an opponent's attack.
This was not the same as before. She had used a finger before. This time, it was her palm. She could distribute his striking force more than before and she could grab onto him once she did stop him.
To turn that around, he would likely create an explosion with his left side.
But she would not fall for that a second time around. She only had to prepare for a repeated contruction and immediately form her armor afterwards. And once she endured his trion explosion, he would remain before her with no acceleration left.
Once she grabbed him, she could handle an opponent who was nothing but strength.
So Chisato stopped him. She did not hold back in reconstructing her hand armor panels to stop him. And...
"...?"
She suddenly felt something wrong about her right arm.
Wondering what it was, she visually checked within the high speed. She found her right arm panel was breaking.
...Eh?
She was letting it be deflected as she stopped him, but that was not the cause.
The armor palm was being broken. Then her wrist and forearm panels were also being destroyed by his left arm.
Her continuous defense had not stopped him. As her armor shattered...
"Ohhhhhh!"
She did not understand. This should have stopped him. And yet he was approaching. So she took a half step back while constructing a whole new armor.
"Wha-...?"
While expressing her confusion, Chisato thrust her right arm toward him.
She continued her defense through continuous reconstruction while trying to block his approaching left arm.
"—"
But it was broken again. The continuous construction was occurring, and yet...
...Why!?
Her question was immediately answered through her vision.
A blue plates was being constantly created, but he had not used them all at once.
Each of them was producing an intermittent barrage of acceleration. It was...
...Continuous acceleration!?
Chisato realized what he was trying to do and what he had accomplished. When the Attacker had known she was going to use her continuous reconstruction defense, he had tasked himself with matching his acceleration to those contructions.
When his speed was blocked and reduced, he immediately reapplied it. And that rapid-fire acceleration was not just coming from his feet. It came from across his left half. His shoulder, side, hip, and leg pushed forward like a grasshopper.
His speed could not keep up with her continuous reconstruction.
But Chisato knew that his strength was greater.
The Attacker approached by making up for his inferior speed with his strength.
Chisato's right arm panels broke. The continuous construction defense was meaningless at this point. It would not work on this Attacker. But that continuous acceleration with his left side would have used up the trion inside him.
He could no longer use his attacks.
That meant he could no longer move. He was only rushing forward on inertia. But...
"Ortlinde's lance survived!"
Chisato held a trion lance in her left hand, so she swung it diagonally down toward him as he charged in.
A moment later, she heard his voice.
"Let's talk, Shiraishi Chisato."
Then something impossible came from his side as they reached hers.
A trion explosion burst out from his side.
.
Shobu sensed the end of the battle.
His first impression was that the noise was incredible. But...
...That was...
Ikoma had produced a second Meteora explosion. He had used both sides for it after having grabbed Kōgetsu and placed it back, which should have been impossible after using up his trion. That was why Chisato had been hit without even trying to defend. But...
"—"
Shobu heard it directly in his head.
There was a somewhat harsh but confident voice going to them.
It was an Operator.
The voice of an Operator was coming through to them from a place closer than Border.
That was what had supported Ikoma's second Meteora explosion. He had asked his Operator to monitor his trion usage to settle things.
The battle was over.
Dust was probably whirling through the center of the hall. Shobu noticed dust as a light bundle, but he knew it was hard to see through.
In that case, the others would be unable to see the two who currently stood in the center of the hall.
Shobu placed his hands on sides as he noticed the two of them.
...Chisato-sama...
Chisato had lost a lot of armor panels. They had been blown away by the explosive blast. And then Ikoma pushed her to the floor.
"Chisato."
He spoke quietly within the whirling wind.
"Open up. I wanna talk to you."
.
"You idiot..."
Chisato cried in the darkness.
Ortlinde was making adjustments after the extreme close-range blast, but she had not approved it. So it did not activate or open. And...
"You idioooot..."
She inhaled and could not wipe the tears from her cheeks, so she simply cried.
It's over. It's over for me. I couldn't save Ruri and I couldn't act as a shield for Shiraishi as the pathetic daughter. I failed. I really failed. When was it I failed? It must have been back when we lost Shuryō.
"Ah...!"
I'm sorry, she apologized in her heart. She apologized to Ruri, Musashi, and everyone else for her inability to do anything. The tears spilled not just onto her cheeks but to her hair as well. She arched her back while lying on the floor.
"No..."
She felt regret. And she felt pathetic. That regret opened her mouth and brought out her voice. But...
"Chisato!"
A sudden impact reached her throat.
...!?
It was an unrestrained strike.
"Damn, doesn't this have a weakness on the throat?"
He was trying to open Ortlinde's armor. She could hear and feel his hard hands touching her chest, stomach, and neck.
"You..."
Idiot, she thought. She could not move at the moment.
Her face was likely red from crying.
She had lost. And he was trying to force her out instead of letting her wallow in defeat.
"You okay?"
Only once he asked that did she realize he was worried about her.
...You idiot.
Hadn't they just been fighting? She was fine since she had Ortlinde, but he was different. He should have been worried about himself first and foremost, but...
"Kh..."
She had utterly lost. Countless thoughts mixed together in her head and she had no idea what she should do. She had to worry about Shiraishi and Ruri, but his concern stung the most because it seemed to take advantage of those weaknesses.
But then he grew more forceful. While she lay on her back, he lifted up her lower chest armor.
"I'm gonna open it."
And he did.
.
At the bottom of the thin darkness, the wind and wave passed by and the dust hid Ikoma as Chisato finally came into view through his goggles.
Inside the opened Ortlinde, a girl lay on her back, unable to move.
Tears wet her face, her hair was disheveled, and her red dress fluttered from her heavy breathing. But her teary eyes were looking up at him.
"Wh...what do you want?"
"Right. Chisato... I have something to tell you."
This situation finally allowed him to say what he had been thinking the entire time.
"Chisato. ...I love you."
So...
"Come to Border. Then we can protect the world together."
.
...Eh?
A giant blank filled Chisato's mind.
She did not understand what he meant. Even so, her tears stopped and heat gathered in her face.
"W-wait..."
Once she gulped. Her trembling voice gained a different sort of tremor. Instead of the weak strength brought by her tears, it was the tense strength of not knowing what was going to happen. She clicked her teeth together and all thought vanished from her mind.
"But, um, you were always talking about cute girls..."
"Don't worry. I looked you up on the net and found some pictures of you. The one with you're hood on or the one with those lil' 'wings' made out of your hair were nice."
"Wh-what good is seeing that?"
"You don't get it?" asked the Attacker. "I've been thinkin' of takin' up cookin' over guitar. ...If we got together and you stayed with me, I'd ask you to make me a bento. That means you'd wear an apron and look really damn cute in it."
.
Chisato had a thought and she put it to words.
"I'm pretty sure that means you're insane, but it doesn't surprise me at this point. ...But since when?"
"Since you arrived as a rep. But I knew a girl like you'd only fight back if I played this simply. Heh. So I used Ruri as bait and pretended to be a tsundere to get to you. But it all goes back to when I first saw you. Do you remember what I said then?"
She did. He had seen her and asked if she liked guys who could play guitar.
But it had likely already begun by that point. The fact that he even asked meant one thing.
...If I had liked a guy who played guitar, that would have settled it for him?
"Why?"
"I though you were beautiful."
"How!? I have all this baggage thanks to an old mistake and I was wearing this armor made because of it..."
"That's exactly why, Chisato. I don't really have any interest in overly weak people. I'd like someone who's strong, someone who's noble, and...if I'm gonna be greedy, someone who wears cool armor. ...Even though you'd have to toss that aside when joinin' Border. And if I'm gonna be even greedier...someone who inspires a desire with the softness inside that armor."
He reached for her dress.
"Nah. I'm no pervert. You're still sixteen and I don't go 'round rippin' a girl's dress."
She had lost, so she saw no meaning in opposing it. So...
"If you had said it was because you wanted to wait, it only would have angered me."
No words answered her. He simply fixed up her dress.
He covered her.
Chisato's honest opinion was that she felt cold, even with the dress.
Ortlinde was her bed, her dress was her bond, and what showed of her body was exposed enough to him. Not only did she not have a say how he fixed her dress, she even lacked energy to correct him and could not so much as twist her body around. Her mouth trembled, tears welled up in her eyes, and heat filled not just her cheeks but her neck and chest as well, but she still feigned strength
"Beautiful, aren't I...?"
How much easier would it be if he said no? She could settle on that view of herself and continue to act as she was. But...
"You're really beautiful and cute, Chisato. ...Even borin' stuff like these meetings do some good."
So...
"Come to Border, Chisato. I wouldn't want anyone else."
"D-don't be stupid! I'm Shiraishi's-...!"
"But you're the youngest one, aren't you?"
No. That was not the point. That was not enough for her.
"I have the Falcon and Ruri to deal with!"
"Right. I gotcha. Then," he said. "If we deal with that, you'd come with me. ...Fine. The two of us'll slay the Falcon."
Those were the words she had hoped to hear. And yet...
"You idiot. You're from Border, so if you don't send word right away..."
"What're you talkin' 'bout? If we beat up the Falcon, you'll be a member of Border, won't you? And with the Falcon gone, Shiraishi can work with Border. That's what matters. Isn't it?"
It was a forceful argument, but Chisato suddenly realized something.
Parts of his body were moving sporadically.
He was also anxious. So...
...That's right.
She did not know what would happen, but...
"Can you see me as someone who hasn't failed yet?"
"Believe in me, Shiraishi Chisato," he said. "Nothin's begun between the two of us yet. ...I'll take you back to Border and back. You'll solve Shiraishi's problems. Everythin'll succeed from now on. And then it can begin. That's what this's."
"Then what am I supposed to do now?"
"Decide how you are going to say goodbye to your friends in Shiraishi and how you'll greet them when you become a Border agent. Also..."
He awkwardly tried to push her chest armor back together.
"The dust'll clear soon. It'd be a shame to let the others see, so tell me how to close this."
"...You idiot."
A bitter laugh escaped and the remaining tears fell from her eyes.
But there was no tremor in her lungs as she inhaled.
I failed, she thought. But...
...Yes, please give me the chance to make up for it.
Someone befitting of that stood by her side. She felt relief in that fact and then she spoke.
"Ortlinde. Reactivate."
.
Shobu felt his own heat in the hands on his cheeks.
...I-I heard all that...! ...I-Iko-sama...forgot to turn off...our communication...!
...That was incredible... he thought.
Kimura: "Tenryū-san! What's going on there!?"
"...Right..." agreed Shobu. There was a lot he wanted to say: Thank goodness, it's okay, let's do our best, etc. All of those words filled his heart, but...
"—"
Shobu sensed something.
Shobu: "...Ki...mu...ra...-sama...!"
Manager: "What is it?"
He could tell the two people were slowly standing up.
One was an Attacker and the other was Ortlinde.
They got up side by side and faced the same direction.
They faced the source of the wind. Something had finally appeared on that end of the hall.
...The Falcon...!
An alarm sounded. It indicated danger within White Castle. It had sounded in the main garden the night before and Shobu could tell the level of danger had grown. But...
Shobu: "...It's okay."
Manager: "Is it?"
Kimura no longer asked what was going on. And...
2.7 Maime: "Hey, Ikomacchi. You havin' a good time?"
Iko: "Yeah. A very fulfillin' time. This world totally exists for Chisato and me right now. After all..."
He said it.
Iko: "No matter what we do, it's our turn to act."
2.7 Maime: "You can do something?"
Iko: "Have you forgotten that I used one final spurt to guide us to the top during last time's Inter-Coty Porn Game Championship? Hm?"
2.7 Maime: "That's just because you had let the non-cutie characters build up too far."
Zaki: "I still don't know how you got me to go along with that trashy day..."
Wisteria: "Don't worry. I made sure to properly smash up that entire championship after winning the entire event. I have to say, the porn games they used were really lackluster considering all routes lead to 'Lovey-Dovey Kyuu Kyuu Time!'"
#5 Mountain: "Mei... I'm sorry. I am really sorry, so please don't stick anything up there again..."
Zaki: "You guys got me in trouble for that too! My butt hurts every time I think about it! Ow, ow, ow! See!? It hurts right now!"
Polished Place: "This is why I decided to just ignore an idiot's message that day."
2.7 Maime: "Getting back on topic..."
Everyone: "This coming from you!"
"But anyway," he said.
2.7 Maime: "Take care of this one. Go save Shiraishi. Oh, and you keep up the good work too, Shobu-san."
Shobu: "...Right...!"
As soon as Shobu nodded, several figures appeared around him.
They were all armed and they faced him.
Manager: "What is it, Tenryū-san?"
Shobu: "...It's okay..."
When he said that and nodded, the surrounding people lowered their heads in response. Then the man who stepped out front spoke.
"Border Representative. Last night, you must have perceived the Falcon's violent pressure from up close. Could you guide us?"
"...But you...have no...defense..."
"Not true. Besides Ortlinde, Shiraishi has been working on two more trion armor panel systems. They are nothing compared to your Triggers, but they should manage as good shields."
Two girls walked forward, one with golden hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall and the other one with pink hair that seemed to bounce like cotton candy as she moved. The first one he had known as Shiraishi Ōi from the previous event at the platforms. The second girl on the other hand...
"Heya there, little guy! I'm Shiraishi Yoshie! Second daughter and the one who is tossing out this whole thing by letting you guys use Hildr! Make sure to break it up nicely so we can forget it was created!"
"I ask the same for Thrúd. We wish to erase these items as well as apologize to Border for trying to create something like this. The first part of this apology is assisting you here with them while the second apology is accepting the consequences for creating them. We will do anything you ask, within reason, to show our feelings on this matter."
"...Then...can we go...together...?"
Ōi and Yoshie blinked twice when hearing the question.
That could not be all, could it?
And yet they responded regardless.
"Of course."
Shobu sensed a slight tremor in the immediate response, but he shook his head. Going with them would hold them back in some ways, but...
"...I can guide you...more accurately that way...maybe..."
He could not help but lose his confidence at the end, but everyone around him exchanged a glance and finally nodded.
"We are honored to be guided by Border's Branch's acting director's nephew who has fought and protected such a great city ever since the invasion."
"...Eh...?"
He had not done anything so impressive.
Shobu: "...Th-they mean that...right...? ...I-I was just...reading the movements of the...Neighbors and their fighters...reading, um...what they would do...and moving the civilians...around..."
GM Aide: "To provide some supplementary information, Tenryū-kun's standard margin of error while guiding others' movements during important times of distress is around 10%. ...And embarrassingly enough, his allowance for that kind of fuzziness...well, without him, we would have been losing some more civilians during that invasion as well as during the Wanderers's 'greeting' from the next city over."
Shinoda: "That is correct, Shokubutsu-kun. To be blunt, anyone except Akashi-kun and Kirikari-kun would increase our odds of survival, so having someone act in that role is meaningful. Plus, you have shown the results mentioned by Sawamura-kun, so it is impressive accomplishment."
Secretary: "You pretty clearly rejected my very personality there, didn't you!? Shinoda-san, I thought you were a professional!"
Du-Sis: "Don't pretend you're not happy. You just like it when people pay attention to you."
Shobu did not quite understand, but apparently what he always did was helpful. He decided he needed to continue doing it as best as he could.
Then Ikoma's voice reached her.
"Now, how 'bout we settle this?"
Ortlinde answered him as her sight devices lit their auxiliary lights.
"Yagura Branch Nephew, you secure Ruri. As for us..."
Shobu heard Chisato's voice.
"We will calm the Falcon."
.
Chisato's anti-Falcon plan was clear.
"We just have to beat it down."
"You mean teach it who's boss?"
"You can view it like that if you want. It had been calmed twice yesterday. Its damage is clear and its weakness on the throat has been destroyed. If we can show that its power has no effect and if we can weaken it," said Chisato, "we can destroy it for Border to take away."
"And if it continues to go against us?"
"Then we'll have to destroy it completely. And of course we have the perfect opportunity to do that since it's damaged," explained Chisato. "But this is essentially an injured beast we're dealing with."
"I haven't overlooked that, so don't worry. Our opponent is injured and I'm at the pinnacle of my life's happiness. ...It's obvious which one of us is stronger. Even if this Neighbor's tryin' to expand its power because of some kind of complex, we're the real winners here. This battle's already been decided!"
"That's some wonderful logic. ...Why not go out ahead and prove it?"
"Was already plannin' on it. Then follow me."
"...U-um... ...C-catch...!"
Chisato and Ikoma looked over in time for her to catch something thrown at them. It was...
"A Trigger...?"
She looked over to see Border's representative seeming to gather up courage within himself.
It looks like he's trying to build up something more than just that. What word is best for this? Maybe...
Willpower. His willpower to advance toward the limp Ruri.
Knowledge. His knowledge that he now had people backing him up.
Emotions. His emotions would explode out to reach out to Ruri.
Since that seemed to be the case, she only listened to what he had to say. It was a way for him to confirm and spread those things to everyone around him.
She had noticed that there was a certain feeling about this boy from the start. An unsure feeling of uncertainty. But once she looked over that part of him, she noticed that that feeling quickly became a feeling that made others want to get over their own uncertainties. That was why she heard his word.
"...Y-Y-Ya..."
The trouble he had for the moment seemed to quickly disappear once he looked toward Ruri again.
"The Yagura Branch...! ...The Yagura Branch will...t-test Shiraishi Ch-Chisato to see if...she can become a p-part of Border! So...I will a-allow her to...use my Trigger to...f-fight the Falcon!"
A pleasant feeling bloomed deep within her chest when she had heard that. Seeing the boy trying so hard for something like that cleared her mind as she activated the Trigger while re-equipping Ortlinde.
From the spot next to her, the Attacker's voice could be heard to go along with his nod of approval.
"Nice job there, Lil' Dragon. I'm pretty sure Kiyoshi's gushin' right 'bout now because of that."
He glanced in her direction with a glint in his eyes.
"Since he managed to get that out, we're gonna be headin' out now."
The Attacker took a step forward. Chisato smiled bitterly when she saw it.
...Honestly.
The employees surrounding Border's representative gave them an "eh?" look.
None of them had expected him to actually "go" after that.
How naïve of them.
"Let's go, everyone."
She said that and came to understand something.
This Attacker's suddenness had to be a constant thing for him. After all, she had seen the words of Tamakoma's A-Rank Agent on the Trigger she was borrowing.
..."Go save Shiraishi", hm?
They were treating Shiraishi's problems as something someone could simply head out and deal with.
But at this point, she did not feel like telling him to take this seriously. And she recalled something else. When they had met on the platform the day before, the Attacker had said something on the platform.
He had commented on the Shiraishi family at the time.
"A business of decorations...hm?"
That was right.
They were trapped by so much, unable to do what they had to, and ultimately bound by themselves.
But he could ignore the decorations, look at the essence of the issues, and act without worrying about those bonds. So...
"He can just go save us, can he?"
That was not bad.
That's right, thought Chisato within the blowing wind.
She had to keep the mindset of someone intent to leave Shiraishi.
...So instead of looking at Shiraishi's problems from within, I need to face them head on.
What did she need to do now? That was simple.
"Defeat the Falcon!"
As the alarm sounded, the Falcon's upper body appear behind Ruri and the chair. It's appearance had once again changed . Unlike the the pure white image from before, this new Falcon had its main body a dark blue with golden parts spread out. The main features they noticed were the four small wings behind the two large ones placed in the front that seemed to be held by two cores. A large golden ring could also be seen behind it. Yet oddly enough, even with this transformation, it's throat area was still damaged from the previous fight.
It would be dangerous for it to open the Gate and fly out. Based on Musashi's reasoning...
"The Falcon intends to secure Ruri. It may pull her back into the Gate and then they will never appear again."
"...Hey."
"What?"
"Right," nodded the Attacker. "Who was it that forced that dangerous Neighbor onto Ruri? ...Talk about a failed project."
"Huh? Yoshiko-san, I'm looking at the Shiraishi family's commentary and their Kotowari is going nuts, but why are you averting your gaze? ...Eh? Did I say something harsh?"
"Sniper, I don't think I can bear any more of your innocent questions...
"Just to be clear, Narumi-san would have probably agreed to it."
"If it's like a parental decision, then there's no helpin' it. ...Even Fuji says to face the issues in front of us," he said. "And now's the time to face an issue."
"Right," agreed Chisato.
They would defeat the rampaging falcon. They would defeat and calm the Ultimate Falcon.
She did not need to think about anything else.
The Ultimate Falcon was trying to move further forward into the hall.
It was likely trying to secure Ruri to receive a definite trion supply from her.
She needed to stop that. She needed to break and destroy the Falcon.
And of course, the Falcon would try to prevent that. So...
"—"
Green light began to trail through the sky. The Falcon's trion was beginning to show its effects. The hall would soon be filled with the violent pressure of rushing pressure. So...
"Let's go."
Border's representative seemed ready too. They were slower than Chisato and the Attacker, but the commander in the lead raised a hand toward her to say they were ready to go.
They were only about 70 meters away. A wind had already formed and the lightning was creating electrical discharges from the Gate. But...
"—!"
The two of them matched their breathing without speaking a word.
As the Attacker took the first step and ran straight ahead...
"..."
Chisato no longer hesitated to use her full strength in a warrior's charge.