There was a gaze.
This gaze looked to the light and sound that eventually resumed over Mikado City.
The gaze in question stared out from a window, which was placed in the Border base.
There stood a black-haired girl. Her hime-cut hair had been placed behind her ears, showing that it was growing out slowly.
She stared out towards Mikado City.
Though she remained silent and unmoving, things moved behind her. It was an armada of programs and numbers, all made up of data sent to her by others. Though no one was inputting the data, they continued on their own.
"Have you been doing that all day? That must have been hard work. Also, is it really alright if you aren't with your team?"
The Operator Mei did not so much as turn around to respond to the question. She continued to look in the city's direction.
"We have just managed to accomplish something great and I'm sure the Yagura Branch feels great right about now. The preparation for what Jin has seen concerning the other matter also also complete. My calculations have been holding off his 'sight' concerning the business, so I felt the need to go over all the data and rearrange them accordingly. However, as Border has managed to increase their image due to interpretation, that data is nothing more than insurance. To be blunt, I have free time.
"To supply additional information, my team is already prepared. Toby has managed to gain something back while Takeshi has already been getting some help from Kakizaki. Suzume and Hosni are already fine for the moment, so I have no problems with them. Any planning can be done and gone over before our match tomorrow. That should be right, Director Shinoda."
Saying "Right," the Border director, Shinoda, walked up to stand beside the Operator.
"Prepared, huh? ...As usual, I've got to go over that new data myself later on to make sure everything is in order. That would normally be taking my time that I need for tomorrow. But you know, these past few days have been rather eventful, haven't they...? From the Wanderers, to the Falcon's first appearance at the greetings and having that same Falcon attack the Shiraishi family's building last night, to the finishing meetings today and the destruction of the Falcon. Tomorrow will also continue that route with the fifth round of the B-Rank Wars as well as our preparations for a possible attack."
"Yes. Jin and I had synced up our Side Effects to find the best solution to that attack while fighting each other over these meetings. ...He really likes to be difficult. Even so, I'm glad that he continues to be difficult instead of give up."
"You are saying that for everyone else, aren't you? The way your underclassmen handled Kurosaki, the way your cousin handled Kobayashi, and the way your friend handled Shiraishi. You must be glad that they never gave up, that someone had been there to bring them up, and that they continued to do things their way to win this. But..."
"..."
She could not say "But...?" and so instead turned to him.
Mei thought for a small while. After the moment passed, she spoke again.
"I judged that I am still not at that level anymore. People can view me however they likel but I know that I am nowhere near them at the moment. My views ruin the things I can do, but they all managed something of this scale. And thanks to their efforts, we maintain our sponsorships with those groups and have gained some powerful allies. Also, due to the construction of new methods and the materials needed, we need to keep moving forward; and the city has figured that out as well. I remain stationary since Yuki has shown me what I look like, so that is a problem. But that problem can easily be overcome after witnessing everything happening tonight."
"Wow, now that's a thought, isn't it? Speaking if their accomplishments... How do you suppose we should go about dealing with Shiraishi? The other directors have already given their two cents on the matter, but a concrete decision has not come out of that."
"Right. Due to everything we have seen, I would like to go over what came from Shiraishi. In short, they had created those armor panels as their own ways to fight against Neighbors without using the technology we have that allows for safer measures to be taken... It seemed that those armor panels are strong enough to match our 6th ranked Attacker, but they also seem to use trion at a quicker rate than our Triggers do.
"As an apology to Border, they have stated they will be destroying those armor panels as well as any information about them. Backups will be sent to Border for usage, but form what Terashima has said, those are relatively useless since they appear to be a watered down version of our own away ship. To he,o them after all of this, we have kept that as ore secret. Then they had stated that they will do anything Border asks of them, as long as it is within reason. If we were to use something as an interpretation, we could say that Ikoma's taking of Shiraishi Chisato counted as that 'anything' Border is asking for. But that can also be viewed as them sending the third daughter as another form of apology. That means she would be able to get the same treatment as Yuiga and the two from Hatohara Squad. Then there is Abe Ruri, who has announced her position as someone no longer with that business and her want to join Border."
"Yeah, that's a pain," Shinoda muttered, scratching his hair.
In the distance, multiple glittering lights shone over everything else.
After a while, the light began to reach them. Shinoda rubbed his chin with his hand.
"Ah, then what do you think of them from your viewpoint, Mei?"
"Right. Speaking more expressively than I did at the start of all of this, I judge them to be flashy. Speaking in terms of physical qualities, the amount of destruction has increased. Even more than what I have been told about you, Director. Speaking from the people's point of view, both the degree of annoyance and entertainment value have increased."
"And speaking personally?"
"That would be hard for me to answer and you know that, so you are being rather difficult yourself, Director. Furthermore, as I am still far behind everyone, I can't carry out judgement from a personal point of view."
"Then," Shinoda said. He brought his elbow to the edge of the window. "As the human Mei, what do you think?"
"Right. Speaking from my records of these last few months, they are far better than they were before. Compared to the simplistic ways that started out...Border's more recent members, knowing only about the 'now' and with the exceptions knowing what they need to do to form correct paths for everyone else to follow..."
She thought a little.
"If I had to say this as an individual, I would judge them to be worth more."
Mei moved her gaze down from Mikado City.
Below her, from within the tape placed at a point an empty space contained no people in it.
An area of abandonment.
"This was suppose to be a scar left behind for us to remember what happened those four years ago. All the fools around us have managed to make it into a scar of hope that everything lost will be returned. It puts Border under some pressure, but this kind of pressure is not so bad."
Shinoda, nodding with a "Right" looked out to the city himself who seemed to have gotten even livelier.
"Instilling that hope and changing the view of these kinds of scars is the bare minimum I would expect from everyone... Some people here may be fighting for their own reasons, for some money, or even just because they view it as a pastime, but that does not change the fact they are fighting while protecting Mikado City..."
As they watched the city lights flicker constantly at different times and place, they could see the groupings of cars from a distance moving in the same direction from the nearby screen.
And far away, the sound of small explosions resounded away from Mikado City. Compared to what they had been told about from White Rock, this was a minor issue.
"It's so troublesome... Since all these wild ones joined Border, everything has been getting that much more wild. I remember when I got told off for accidentally cutting up the smallest of things. Now here we are, having some of our people fighting against companies, fighting for those companies, fighting Neighbors we thought we would not see, and even making up excuses for others to use Triggers. The event with the Wanderers and Seidō must have also put Shokubutsu near the level of everyone else.
"Admittedly, this is also happening because of our lenience toward them, which has given them strange ideas. It could be said that we are going too easy on our younger members."
A glance.
"No need to be so hard on yourself, Director. We both know that Commander Kidō can rein things in with the others if they wanted. If they were allowing you and some other to show this leniency then it means they view it as a necessity to continue moving forward. Take this from someone who is overly lenient... Likable fools and idiots tend to make people want to watch their story play out and see where it goes. Those people you sent out were only a fraction of the 'fools and idiots' we can see around here. If those companies have only caught a glimpse of that, they will want to see how everything plays out for the largest fool and idiot known as 'Border' who decided to fight back against Neighbors while not holding anything back against them.
"...In a way, you need to rein them back in without restraining them. I am not fit to try something like that with any Border member, so I'm afraid you can't ask for my help with this situation. Now that we have settled things for Mikado City, we can focus on what we really want. Director Shinoda, you and the other directors have allowed them to say what they wanted, to express what Border as a whole wants yet could not say yet, so as nothing more than a combination of calculations, I will say that you all need to really own up to that."
"However," Mei continued. A smile bloomed on her face as she did so. "As a humble human, I think it's time to prove that we have the ability to take it all back."
.
Mei continued to speak.
How were they suppose to take it all back now?
"Border has gone away missions before, but you could not tell people that. Even our own members below the top B-Ranks did not know that, so it just shows how secretive you wanted to make that. No one can blame you for making the decision.
"But now that it has been stated that we will be 'finally be going' due to Mikumo and Commander Kidō... Well, that means this one will be the most important for more than just Border. I apologize for telling someone like you this, but I feel like being reminded of these kinds of things are necessary. As a way to make sure that no one strays from the correct path."
"Yeah," Shinoda said again. He looked at the lights coming from Mikado City.
"Because of this, we need to try even harder so that we do not let people down. They will be looking to us as we leave and as we return, expecting everything to come back... Dammit, now I feel tired yet energized just thinking about that kind of work. It's coming up so soon, yet it feels like it's so far away.
"It's kind of funny how we had people glaring as us multiple times, yet we are still saying things like 'taking back everything lost'," Shinoda said to himself.
He changed his view from the city passed the Forbidden Zone to the single girl smiling at something in a different room.
"Right," Mei responded. She also looked over from the other room to Shinoda.
"If you get tired, you are free to rest for a bit. If you feel energized, don't go jumping out of windows. But no matter which one it is, we will also be looking to our directors to guide us along this path we have taken as Border."
She gave a final smile before heading for the door.
"I wonder how this story will play out now. Even my calculations don't seem to be able to get to the end."
As the light of the night washed over Mikado City, people were gathered in a relaxed business room in a rather small building. They were arranging things around the room and shelves while speaking with the others who had arrived to help.
The most movement came from the two Shiraishi parents whose bags allowed the, to carry things out of the windows. They also enjoyed deliveries, so they could chat while they carried things out and back in.
"Wasn't everyone just great out there?"
"And after the excitement over that Neighbor, I seem to recall something about Chisato taking an interest in a boy..."
"Do you want to find interest in a boy, Kōji-kun?"
"Why would I want that when I have you, Koma-chan?"
"That's right," agreed a woman. She lowered her eyebrows and sighed. "They went all out on this meeting, so it should be fine. You can look forward to some grandchildren."
She was Kobayashi Naoko.
"I'm a little afraid for Chisato though, considering what we have heard about that boy..."
"Maybe a trip would do you some good? After all, Ōi-chan and Yoshie-chan seemed fine with him," said a man. "No one from my branch office got to go, so some of them are felling a bit down. If you two end up like that, I'm not sure I can be your friend anymore."
The man was by the window. He had a cigarette hanging from his lips and he was grinning toward the married couple. He stopped to take a breath and cross his arms. As the branch director for the Tamakoma Branch, he found no need to help out at the moment.
"But this business room feels more like your regular school socialization room. ...Don't you guys think you're trying to make Chi-chan a little too comfortable now? Should we be assuming things will be even livelier in here?"
"Heh heh. That is right. With Chisato-san going to Border, things will be getting more lively for Takumi-kun and Chishi-kun. That also means there will be more room over here for Kōjirō-kun and Komahime-chan."
Seihana smiled toward everyone near the white cloth curtain divider she was checking on.
But she suddenly followed Rindō's gaze. Kōjirō, Komahime, and Naoko also turned around to see a teacher in a tracksuit.
He had attached something to that tracksuit: a thin chain.
It was just the one, but he had made it by connecting a few shorter chains together.
No one asked him what it meant, but Rindō did nod and speak.
"Did you think immersing yourself in the past would make you look cool, Chi-chan?"
"Dammit! You had to point that out, didn't you!? You aren't going to let me take anything seriously, are you!? And after we both managed to get a break for a bit!"
The others worked to calm the teacher down and Rindō took a breath.
"A lot has happened, but if I were to sum it all up..."
He made sure to begin with "for now".
"We have finished resisting and have managed to recover. But does that assumption qualify as pride from a Border Branch Director?"
.
Naoko nodded at Rindō's words.
She held a letter from Yoshiko with a message asking both her and her husband whether or not they found her result acceptable. Naoko forwarded it to Akio and spoke to the others with a smile.
"I think our decision to leave it up to others worked well as a test for Border."
"Right. ...You got to get some laughers, didn't you? But laughing through a lot of that? Maybe you were bottling it up too much..."
"A-Akasora, don't describe my nervousness for Yoshiko like that."
As the others gave Naoko weird looks, Rindō raised a hand after checking a few things on a tablet.
"Hey, everyone. Border has started to confirm that the frozen assets have began to move again. We'll be back to normal in half a day. Chi-chan, don't forget that we'll have to go over things for our branches, correct any deficiencies found in the data we collected, and prepared for what happens next. Speaking of what happens next..."
"Right," said Akasora while remembering everything. "If we're going to be taking everything back, we'll be needing to up our game a bit. If not, we'll be preparing at a more fundamental level. I think we can use what my idiot students learned to advance Yagura and Suzunari a bit, maybe help out some others."
Everyone looked to Naoko when they heard the mention of others. Kōjirō stuck his head in through the window and began groping empty air with both hands.
"Will you guys be okay?" he asked Naoko.
"What are those hands for? Besides, Yoshiko did a fine job before her departure."
"As a teacher, I would like to help out Minoru and Sekai," said Akasora. "If I can get those two and their squads in the right position, both Kurosaki and Kobayashi will have an easier time. Even if Sekai is no longer with Kurosaki, they can still use his name since he will allow it."
"I see," replied everyone.
A new tab appeared on the tablet Rindō was holding as well as the one Akasora had placed on the table. It displayed Shinoda and Sawamura.
Shinoda reported on the results and various problems found during the meeting.
Sawamura displayed diagrams of their actions and of the battles that had occurred. And afterward...
"The biggest result was repairing the relationships between the three companies of Shiraishi, Kobayashi, and Kurosaki. And we have received an assurance of their cooperation, which addresses our biggest concern for the away mission we have promised. With this..." Shinoda cleared his throat as a way to remain professional. "Border has settled on confirming that we will put forth the effort to receive everything that has been lost. This away trip will be proof of our resolve and abilities. Border will continue to work to maintain order against Neighbors while preparing to face them directly."
Sawamura bowed and raised her head to reveal a smile. There was no tension in it and Naoko felt it was entirely unplanned.
Good. Everything seems to have worked out well.
A strong scent entered the night breeze.
It was a nice breeze.
It began in the southern part of Mikado City and moved up onto the part of the city to the north.
That breezy wind swept across the city on the surface while also hitting the giant structure build within the city.
That structure was a large base. The waves of the air produced a dull sound as they struck the white sides printed with the emblem of Border.
That sound permeated the sky. It could be heard from atop the base.
However, the Border base was divided between two different activities.
One was the traveling of workers who could not fight occurring across Border. Those areas were filled with light and noise.
The other was the preparations for a coming battle. Those areas were cut off by sound-blocking panels to provide some rest on the way there.
The people who had managed to transmissions and other necessities for the bus ies meeting got some rest or worked on the data first. Later, those who had to organize that data got some rest.
They all hurried down the passageways and corridors.
"We need to get everything ready for daytime! Those of us operating the machines begin our shifts an hour ahead of time, so that only gives us 3 hours of rest! Keep that in mind!"
"I know those of you on the shift before that are tired, but it's not too much longer now! If you've eaten, then get back to your posts!"
"Has anyone forgotten to set their radio or TV to record!? I'm taking requests if you need something!"
"I just want to record the local OP for Mon-Mon Dragoon!"
"I'll put in a request saying it's research material, so get back to work!"
They met up and discussed various issues at the intersections and elevators. Some of the volunteers and fighters without any work to do used their phones to request a shift for assisting with the food distribution, but most of them went to get some rest.
And there was another group making their way somewhere they could rest.
The meeting with the businesses was over. After waiting for the arrival of the reports from each company and the reports of what they would do, the Border members returned to the base in a normal fashion.
They did not show off too much. Kurosaki, Kobayashi, and Shiraishi each sent an escort to protect them for a leg of the journey, so they returned as something like celebrated victors.
"Huh? Shobu, are you not bringing that girl here? Ruri was it?"
It was Yuki and the others.
.
Yuki's question was answered by Shobu who followed behind the others while they moved through the Border base. He scratched his head.
"...I will be...bringing her here...but Shiraishi still needs...her for a bit... ...Plus, we still need to...wait for the next...enlistment day... ...She will join us...once those things are...complete."
"Is that how you're doing things?" said the others while Ōji and Kurauchi moved ahead of the rest of the group.
Ōji skillfully shifted his feet before spinning around to face them.
"Well,it is true we're talking about a girl who has just been through a lot. There are probably some things those guys need to take care of. If they neglected a girl that young, you would have to wonder why things got so far."
"...R-right... ...A-and you never know...what will happen if she...has not confirmed...her desires properly..."
"That's a good point," said Kurauchi. He placed a hand on Ōji's shoulder and added another rotation to him so the other boy was facing forward once again.
"If they don't take care of things properly, other businesses might use that as a way to say Shiraishi is sucking up to Border by giving us both Shiraishi Chisato and Abe Ruri."
"...E-exactly..." Shobu messed around the with devices around his neck. "...Also...she says she...want to practice more...so she can keep up...with Yagura..."
"Ohhh," everyone replied before noticing a call appearing on one of his devices.
It was Ruri.
The others let those two exchange some words that could be seen as unimportant, as a greeting, or as a thoughtful report of their situations. Meanwhile, Kanzaki asked Kimura a question.
"Kimura, what is Abe Ruri going to do once everything has been settled?"
"Right. That is more on the part of the directors. But if I had to guess, she will want to transfer to the Yagura Branch quickly since that is also where Shirashi Chisato will be placed. After all, knowing some people like I do, Shirashi will be viewed favorably as the third daughter and someone who can hold her own."
After all...
"If she was not placed in a similar situation as Hatohara Squad's Kobayashi and Tachikawa Squad's Yuiga, it could be said that Border took everything that happened at White Rock as a personal offense and that they will be forcing Shirashi to start from the bottom because of that. Also, it was due to Tenryū allowing her to use his Trigger that they all managed to destroy the Falcon at White Rock. Her being put in the Yagura Branch is the only solution as it works as a sort of 'initiation' for her. If it had been someone else from HQ, she would have had to stay with HQ and that's it. If it was from another branch, she would have to go there. But that does not seem to be a major problem."
"So to prevent anything bad happening," said Murakami. "She will be taken in by Sensei and the Yagura Branch. That will bring an end to her responsibilities as the third daughter and place her in a state of being a member of Border. And it will also work to protect Yagura from Kushikage-san."
"That is the path those two will take. Also...check that out."
Kimura pointed back toward Shobu.
At some point, he had fallen a few steps behind the others, but he was speaking into one if his devices, entirely oblivious that the others had slowed down to wait for him.
"—"
He was smiling a little.
"I see," said Hitomi. "If Ruri comes to Border and joins the Yagura Branch, scenes like this will be a common occurrence. And he'll have a girlfriend at the ready. This will make for some excellent material. Tenryū-kun, thank you for this gift."
"Hey! Don't go shipping off Shobu like that! He is just happy that he got to make a new friend while he was there!"
"Some of your views are unhelpful, but it is true the both of them have chosen to assist Border and receive assistance from Border by moving out of White Rock. From now on, they will not be daughters of a company or bosses of others. They will simply be people with a new place. Whether or not that will change their personalities is still unknown, though." Kimura's shoulder drooped."But you can say they are far surpassing the rest of us in their private life."
"Oh? Kimura, do you want a family!?" asked Kanzaki. "Then you can join mine! We can build a big family together!"
"Wait!"
"Why wait?" asked Kanzaki while Ōji started spinning wildly up ahead. "Family is a wonderful thing, Kimura. And you can build a bigger one by taking in cats like my father would! They can be a pain, but they are so very cute. ...What is the matter, Kimura?"
"Well, um...you're even more pure than I thought you were."
Kanzaki tilted her head and everyone else's shoulders drooped. Then Shobu spoke up as he caught up from behind.
"...U-um... ...I will be...taking my leave...now... ...Tomorrow... ...Rather, later today...is the fifth round...and Ema wanted me to meet...some of his friends... ...I would also like to introduce him...to Ruri-san."
He said with with a faint red coloring to his cheeks, so they all turned back as one.
"You're free to go get some sleep!"
His smile grew a bit before nodding and began walking away.
They had all been aware that he was not going home and instead going to a certain room to get some sleep.
Yuki was the first to react once the boy left. He lowered his upper body with a long sigh.
"We should really get some sleep too. Like he said; Round 5 is starting later today. Most of you need to be ready for that while the rest of us have a bit more work to do.
Mizukami walked forward with his phone open in his hand and he looked around.
"By the way, where's Iko-san? Did he go home already?"
"Ikoma took Shirashi-san to the branch office so she can be set up," said Kuruma.
"Hmm," replied everyone.
"I'm sure you already know this, but I might be a higher rank than you so I will be bringing you with me. Even though those armor panels were destroy when fighting the Falcon, would it be fine for me to ask for a Trigger version of Ortlinde?"
"Dunno. I doubt those armor panels will be made, but I'm sure they can come up with something for those lances. If not, I'll just throw Kōgetsu at you so you can feel a bit more special.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?"
Chisato and Ikoma were walking through a wide block leading to the Yagura Branch. They had decided to go to the building since it was relatively close to White Rock, so they did not have to walk far.
They compared the map they saw to the buildings.
"Oh, we're here."
After entering the building and being greeted by no one, they continued in their way.
"But this building..."
"It was originally a building for a lot of materials," explained Ikoma. "That means the place is nice and big, so that's a good place if we wnna fight using their training room..."
Moving passed that, they came to a different room that they had been informed was for Chisato to use. They unlocked the door, opened it, and were met by the scent of flour.
The room was nearly 10 square meters. The floor was made of the same material as the rest of the building and the room was entirely empty without even a bed. However...
"Perhaps we should look at it as being able to make it however we like."
"I wanna nice sound room to help with practicing."
"As long as you'll respond when when you're over and I talk to you, that's fine with me."
"I really like your lack of tension..."
Chisato just about replied with an exasperated "of course you do", but caught herself and said "I'm glad" instead. Then she lightly grabbed the entrance column and checked its strength. It seemed solid enough. So...
...I like this place.
She turned around to say that out loud, but she found the Attacker was already putting things up on a corner of the room. He just does whatever he wants, doesn't he? she thought and she started to smile.
"—"
"What is it?"
She only managed to get an "eh?" out of her throat.
Then she breathed in and let her senses spread to her surroundings. They were the only ones in the vicinity. The members of the branch all seemed to be out except the rhinoceros beetle that had "gone to sleep" in a different room when they were not paying attention. So as far as they knew, no one would be watching them,
"How should I put it? When I was at White Rock, I wanted to leave."
But...
"When we destroyed the Falcon, I was resisting along with the others. And..."
"And?"
"Right," she replied. That was a casual person's response and so she continued as if to carve that into herself. "I feel like I shouldn't have been trying to escape that place alone. Everyone was desperately trying to preserve and lift up the Shirashi family, so I shouldn't have been thinking about fulfilling my role and then running away..."
"Your role was somethin' on,y you could've done, so you're fine."
"But...if I hadn't told her to do that, Ruri wouldn't have suffered so much."
"That's probably true."
He admitted that. But...
"That's why I'm sure Ruri's glad that she didn't have you do it instead."
"I can't just avoid facing the problem like that..."
"It all works out if you view it as Ruri choosin' to protect you there. You...no, Shiraishi, that Mogami lady, and Kurosaki all used your promise as an excuse to be afraid of who would be the most hurt and to try to keep anyone from worryin' 'bout you. If you're gonna resist that, you can't just deny it like nothin'. Both sides caused problems for the other and so you're both judged. Lookin' at it like that would be the best."
"You're really looking down on us with that judgment."
"Yeah. I'm a fighter for Border who enjoys fairness and my name means 'Master', so I'm pretty awesome when you look at me. Even my last name sounds pretty nice when it's put in one of Suzu-chan's doujinshi." He kept his back turned as he worked. "So if you have to make a choice that comes with annoyin' feelin's, you can listen to my choice. You probably won't agree, but you can force that onto me and lighten the burden on yourself. After all, I can shove things onto my squad when they get too troublesome."
"Won't that increase the burden on your squad?"
"I make up for it with my results. Those guys have their burdens, I have mind, and we all have something to get done. ...It's a mutual exchange. No single side is entirely unhappy or happy. You can't really emphasize emotions and results without allowin' a mutual exchange of the benefits and the burdens. So I'll make up for those guys' burden with the results I bring back to them."
He scratched his head.
"Yeah, and then we can smile together and slap each other's shoulders."
"That's how boys do things. What about the girls?"
"I'm not a girl, so I wouldn't know. Oh, but Fuji'll probably know. She knows everythin'."
"That is an impressive lack of reliability."
But...
"Chisato. ...I want you to trust me about one thing."
"...About what?"
"Let's say you had always lived in a world that's very convenient for you. Full of happiness and full of dreams. That kind of crazy world."
"Yeah. And?"
"Right. Even in that case, you'd still be here. I'd have taken you with me."
"—"
Chisato was at a loss for words. And after breathing for a few seconds...
"W-wait. I need to go buy some drinks."
She somehow managed to get her trembling mouth moving and held her lips with her hand as she stepped out into the corridor.
.
Chisato jogged over to the end of the wide block after leaving the Yagura Branch.
A few small shops were located there. She turned the corner to hide herself from where he was and finally came to a stop.
...What am I supposed to do about this?
She was not confident she could answer that feeling of his in kind. She was still dragging around her past and even if she did clean herself of that...
"How am I supposed to believe I would have come here no matter what?""
I'm really not used to this sort of thing, she realized. This is pathetic, Shiraishi's third daughter, she told herself with a bitter laugh.
"But."
Would this solve itself with time? Everything was coming up before long. The next session of progress would begin after that and Shiraishi would be changing the rhythm of their lifestyle by then. By that point, would the traces of that have faded inside her and would these worries lose all meaning?
...The next session of progress
It seemed so far off yet so close. But the word "April" reminded her of him.
When he had given her some underwear in the main garden, he had told her his birthday was April 29.
No matter what date her birthday was, he would still be older than her by a good margin. That may have been why he had used a nonsensical reason to claim she would be perfect if they got together.
But once that day arrived and they were truly together, would her feelings and her connection to her family have changed?
I hope so, she thought as she looked up to see not the café but the small clothing store next to it.
It was selling men's underwear hanging from the wall. She considered giving him some for his birthday as a reversal of the main garden incident.
"Huh? Shiraishi? ...Oh, but Ikoma said its fine if we just call you Chisato, so I kind of want to know if that's fine with you."
A black-haired man in a red hoodie left the nearby café with a paper bag full of seafood. He wore the red hoodie which had an Arashiyama Squad emblem on it that she had seen advertised before and he looked to the shop Chisato was facing.
"Men's? Do you prefer that kind?"
"No, I don't. ...I was thinking of buying some as a birthday present for Tatsuhito. And yes, you're fine to call me Chisato."
"Ah ha ha. As a prank? But you're really going easy on him."
"Really? It doesn't seem that easy..."
"It doesn't? The things that have been passed around with him always seem to be something else."
"...Huh?"
The A-Rank tilted his head at Chisato's confusion.
"Did you have the wrong impression? Ikoma's pretty out there when it comes to certain things. Like his last birthday or for one of our birthdays. Since he's like that, we burned a bunch of scrap materials during his, cooked meat over it, and pretended to be barbaric."
.
Chisato laughed.
The boy looked confused, so she raised a hand to say "don't worry about me" and let out the laughter she could not hold back any longer.
...That idiot!
He really was an idiot. Cool guys were not supposed to lie. And it was a lie that would obviously come to light later on. He had brought the underwear to her in the main garden to seem as if he was as crazy as possible, but he may have made up that kind of lie on the spot.
How much had he wanted her? But...
"Thank you, Arashiyama. ...You've put my mind at ease."
"Sure thing. I don't know what I did, so I'll just leave it at 'of course'."
"Right," replied Chisato as she bowed and turned around.
That's right. A casual response. It's perfect for a liar. So I need to use it myself from now on.
And she began to walk to her new home.
...I...
She thought about him. About that Attacker who was undoubtedly an idiot.
He was an idiot. He was a truly idiotic person who would readily lie.
But I love that idiot.
There's no point in fearing these feelings, she realized. I don't need to worry or think negatively about the fact that he loves me or that I love him.
After all, he would accept any of her burdens.
She did not have to respond to his feelings in kind because they were already mutual. She just had to tell him how she felt. It was mutual. It was a cycle. The Ouroboros loop created by two dragons was a symbol of eternity. So it was not the quantity of their feelings that mattered; it was how much importance they placed on the feelings they sent out.
She would make sure to leave him with the burden of her love. And with that, the burden would accelerate them, would lighten them, and would lead them to real results. And for placing that burden on him...
...I just have to make sure we're happy together.
There were probably also some "girly" ways for her to do that.
So she would cook. And sew and clean. There were a lot of girls in Border. She would probably enjoy talking with them. And so she would support their happiness to make up for burdening him with her love.
Their relationship with their other members was probably the same.
It had also been the same with the Shiraishi family, Ruri, and the others.
"That's right."
She loved her family, but she could not place that burden on them right now.
But she had someone here who would accept that burden in their stead. And he always would.
"Tatsuhito."
His birthday is April 29, she told herself as she arrived at her new home and peered inside. She found him setting down a table he had carried in from somewhere. When he looked back at her...
"Did you buy the drinks? Then let's take a break."
"Eh? Oh..."
She had said she was going to buy drinks, but she had come back emptyhanded. He seemed to have noticed, but she spoke up before he could say anything.
"I don't know what you like."
So...
"Let's go together this time. We'll probably be busy with the fight against Neighbors and everything else, so I want to know more about Border and about your preferences."
"You're in quite a good mood."
She could only agree with a 'that's right'. When he walked up to her, she placed herself by his side.
"I put up a resistance and I recovered. ...So I've decided I'm going to go someplace new. And I'll let an idiot guide me there."