Rindō's message reached the Tamakoma Branch in Mikado City, but they did not move.
"Hey, Reiji-san. Aren't we going?" asked Karasuma Kyōsuke while already in his trion body.
The night was filled with lights and it seemed that the sun was beginning to peak out from beyond the horizon. For their position at the branch office, they would be able to reach the wild woman without missing her.
Kizaki frowned and remained just as motionless as the other three.
He only stared at the Forbidden Zone and Karasuma bent his body to talk to him.
"Finding Taiyōko-san would help everyone out and earn us some points with Yagura. We don't really need them, but it would be nice-..."
"Let's head back inside," said Kizaki without turning toward the others.
Usami pushed up her glasses and tilted her head.
"Why? ...Hey, wait."
As she spoke, Kizaki began to walk toward the door leading to the inside of the branch office.
He said nothing, but he pointed to the sky. The others looked there and saw a white and hazy trail in the fading night sky.
"Cooking smoke?"
Konami tilted her head just before something resembling a spear flew from the same direction.
It shot straight toward her face. She was slow to react and only managed a quick back step.
"Watch out."
Karasuma reached in from the side and snatched it from the air, but that was when the four of them finally realized what it was.
...A skewer of meat!?
Pieces of meat were skewered by a whittled down piece of wood sixty centimeters long.
The meat was cooked, it spewed steam, and some salt had yet to dissolve into the grease.
"Ah."
Inertia pulled the meat from the skewer, the skewer acted as a rail, and the forty centimeters of meat flew toward Konami's face, piece after piece.
"You really need to watch out."
Karasuma grabbed the top and bottom of Konami's head and opened her mouth. After several sounds of striking meat and several groans of "ah" or "nn", all of the meat filled Konami's mouth.
Karasuma closed her mouth and lightly shook her head back and forth.
"Oh," said Usami with a nod. "A little slower and she would have burned her face."
"Ah...kh... You... Hot!"
"Make sure to chew, Senpai. ...And that skewer really was nothing but meat."
A moment after that comment, another skewer of meat appeared in front of Karasuma's face.
.
Eh? thought Karasuma.
Someone tall stood in front of him. Their current outfit could only be described as "extreme".
It was an adult woman.
Her flaming red hair stuck up and out all along her back almost like true flames.
Her dark eyes moved in an arc to look across their group.
"Here."
She offered the skewer of meat to them.
...Wait.
But...
...When did she get here!?
"Kyōsuke!"
Kizaki turned around and his shout acted as a sign.
Karasuma trembled and adjusted himself. He took in a breath and lowered his head without looking at the woman.
"Thank you."
.
After taking in a long, cold breath, Karasuma took the proffered skewer.
"Nice," said the woman with a hint of a smile.
That smile only deepened in the corner of his vision.
It was a carnivorous and intense smile.
"I spotted a convenient boar over in that direction, so I cooked it up. ...Wild board meat is fucking amazing, isn't it?"
"I like it with miso flavoring."
Karasuma restrained the reaction that threatened to rise up within his heart.
He knew one thing for sure: he might be able to defeat this woman, but he would not escape unharmed.
If it did come to a fight, he would receive just as many – if not more – injuries.
"How about it?" she asked. "Your special Trigger provides some crazy ass boost for a limited time before Bail Out, doesn't it? I was told about it while lighting the fire earlier. ...So do you want to do this?"
She was tempting him and his heart just about gave in, so he took a deep breath.
Calm down.
This woman is an enemy. She knows it too.
But...
...She is in a very good mood right now.
He knew why: she had just eaten. She had hunted down and eaten a large prey in the wild, so she was satisfied. Her battle instincts were currently wavering.
She was the target.
Border was looking for her due to the suspicion on her after the capture of Seikai. The higher ups wanted her to be found to question her.
Even so, to her, he was nothing but prey. Her stomach was full, so her instincts were straying toward play rather than fighting.
But if she did not enjoy that play, she might hunt him for fun and bury him so she could deal with him later.
She was a beast.
That's right, he thought. If I don't provoke her, this won't end up in a conflict.
...That is the way we can do this.
And so he restrained himself.
However, a sudden pressure moved to his right.
It was Konami.
.
...Wait.
Konami moved in the right of Karasuma's vision. Her dual-wielding blades were already connected and the strike was already moving with force.
"This is thanks for the meat!"
.
Karasuma saw a few different results of the strike.
First, the woman turned her left palm toward Konami's connected Sōgetsu.
"No shit?"
There was a definite impact and sound of shaking, but the woman was not knocked away or cut in two and Konami was not pushed back.
Konami and her battle axe were lifted and held up in a single hand like a tree branch.
"...!?"
Before Konami could cry out in surprise, the woman casually tore into the trion weapon's blade with her other hand.
The trion blade chipped away like crackers and the woman gently placed it between her lips.
"Nm."
She bit off a piece like it was a rice cracker, moved her jaw up and down, and worked her throat.
...Is she going to swallow it?
Karasuma saw the woman bite off and swallow the blade before narrowing her eyes.
"I didn't know that trion was rough and had a bland flavor...not like true snacks. But I guess it isn't too bad."
She tossed Konami away to place her hands on her hips, but she soon reached again for Konami and the trion battle axe that rotated through the air.
"Oh, just a little more."
She casually tore off another piece of the blade and placed a hand on Karasuma's head.
The hand on his head was just as casual and she did nothing more than gently stroke his hair.
"You did fine enough to prepare some food for me. If you hadn't..."
She placed a hand on his ear and pinched it.
Before he could wonder what she was doing, she spoke with a smile.
"I was considering taking about this much as a palate-cleanser."
Following her words, the woman disappeared and Karasuma realized where she was headed based on the slight wind she left behind.
"The direction Jin-san is in!"
Jin took a breath as he walked through Mikado City.
"C'mon, how is everyone!? Are you feeling fine?"
#5 Mountain: "Wow, I'm surprised! I didn't know it could take this long to look for her! And I didn't realize Jin not being able to find her with his Side Effect could be so winderful!"
Polished Place: "In fact, that kind of thing you don't really get much of these days. I just hope it isn't a death flag."
Zaki: "Wait, all of you. He's definitely got some ulterior motive here. Otherwise he would have found her by now."
"What!? C'mon, Kakizaki! I don't have anything like that! All I did was start taking my jacket off!"
Five shots flew in quick succession and Jin bent his body into a C and then an S to avoid them.
"Th-that was close! Mei's over here too, remember!? Even when I told her to sleep some more!"
The stomping of feet and a voice reached him from behind.
"Oh, is this where you are?"
Jin noticed Mei's usual perfume in the chilly dampness of the night going into morning. It leaves a strong scent even with how little hair she has, he thought.
"Okay, I'll be a little rough with this crap, so that better be okay."
"Eh? Ah...ah! I'm getting wrapped in a chain without a jacket on! I've never felt anything like it!"
Meanwhile, a chain wrapped around and around the top half of his body.
With a light tug back, the chain tightened.
Mei's voice then came from the front and around the corner.
"Jin, you better be over there."
"Eh? That's not where you are. Aren't you back there?"
"Make sense," said Mei as she approached from the front.
Meanwhile, Jin was pulled backwards where he heard a boisterous laugh.
"You'll have more fun over here."
After being pulled back, he ran into the person standing there.
He recognized the scent coming from the person's hair and the subtlety of the tugging force.
...That's Mei.
With that realization, he gave himself over to her.
However, he noticed something inarguably different from Mei. His back was pressed against her, but the back of his head sank deeply into something.
"These are on ultra easy! Wh-what happened to Mei! Did she get an expansion pack!?"
.
As Jin looked up in surprise, the wind blew.
The air cleared, so he could see in front of him now. He first saw Mei approaching with a gauntlet wrapped around a raised arm.
"Jin!"
She was smiling, but...
"...!?"
That smile instantly froze and began to tremble.
What was going on?
She was looking behind him.
He then realized she was looking at the expansion pack there.
Wondering what it was, he turned his head to look.
"Huh? Who?"
The woman looked like someone, but she had breasts. She was tall, but she had breasts. She had a mature face, but she had breasts. She had a lot of hair, but she had breasts. The breasts suggested she was a dangerous person, but she had breasts.
"W-wait, Jin! Stop looking back to her chest each time you look at another part of her body, dammit!"
"Hey, what is this!? If you've been hiding this, then bring it out sometimes! A change is nice every once in a while!"
"N-no! Look more carefully!"
He did as she asked and looked more carefully at the woman.
"So big..."
He was referring to her breasts and not her height. A guy's gotta follow his instincts, he thought just before Mei spoke.
"That is Kushikage!"
"What?"
He was wrapped in a chain and his jacket was wrapped around his waist, so he made a bowlegged pose and bent backwards to express his surprise. He then viewed the woman's breasts from a distance with better perspective.
"She's Yuki's older sister!?"
Mei watched her enemy, who was unfazed.
"That's right," she replied with a quick bow toward Border in the night. "Thanks for taking care of my shit brother, his shitty girlfriend, and my great sister. I am the A-Rank agent Kushikage. Or maybe I should use the title I love as the Unmatched Valkyrie. I stand at the peak of the human race and will remain there."
...Eh...
Surprise filled Mei's thoughts.
...Unmatched Valkyrie? But...um...
This was the first she had heard of that and the rest was shocking as well.
She had no idea what was going on and she remained motionless as her enemy looked her way.
The mischievous smile she had seen so often in the past was turned in her direction.
On top of that, her enemy grabbed the chain-wrapped boy's shoulder to show him to her.
"Fuji?"
The woman's lipstick-covered lips bent like a bow.
"I'll be taking Tamakoma's Talented Elite agent who can see the future."
"Hold on. Now, that's what you call a genuine monster. What am I supposed to do about this?"
A voice filled the schoolyard within Mikado City. On the yard with an open-air viewing platform, a man in a tracksuit crossed his arms and look at his phone.
He was Akasora, director of the Yagura Branch, and he scratched his head in annoyance.
"It was an accepted fact that she was unaware of Jin and his Side Effect. ...I even believed Masafumi and the others about that."
He thought while speaking.
...Although they didn't talk about it much since Mei and that Operator's Side Effect aren't really the same thing as his precognition.
"I wasted my time feeling bad for a bunch of fools."
"Right," said the bitterly smiling director next to him.
Karasawa opened up his phone to gather the official statements from Border and the branch offices.
"Due to Takato and her own Side Effect, we figured that Taiyōko would have no interest in Jin since she did not seem to care for Takato. But to be certain nothing came up, we made sure that the two of them would not meet and told Jin only the bare minimum about her to make sure her wouldn't accidentally see her around or in the futures. It became even less of an issue once we had heard that she was no longer in Mikado City. Her great return messed with us a bit, but we kept track of things."
"In that case," said Akasora. "When Kushikage returned and found out about Jin, she must have made preparation to get to him. We still can't fully confirm her involvement with the Falcon and other incidents, but this is adding to her suspicion."
There was likely more to it than that, but it was not worth worrying about any further when she was right there.
He guessed he would eventually hear about it in the form of rumors.
"Chi, just how powerful is Taiyōko Kushikage?"
That question came from Rindō with a cigarette in mouth and a slight look of worry on his face, but Akasora shook his head.
"She's trouble."
"Even more than you?"
"That's a good question," he said with a bitter smile.
He was unsure whether Rindō was trying to flatter him or analyze the woman's data.
"Listen. Both of us may be strong in our own right, but she is different from us who can viewed as 'victorious', especially since she is the oldest. Ones like us tend to do things out of the kindness of our hearts or because we see that we can make things better, but she views things as fights at all times.
"Do you understand?
"She enjoys fights of all kinds and will find whatever she can as a sort of fight. Going against her in any way can make her happy, so it's hard to say what gets her mad or annoyed. And..."
"And?"
"Just like that title she mentioned, she enjoys the stronger opponents. People who are strong so that she can try to destroy them. Do you understand? Don't let how she looks fool you. She is no different than the spirit of fighting with a human form. And continuous fighting draws out her true nature, making her seem monsterous. Even if she is still human, she will continue fighting to her death. After all, she is the oldest, meaning she was given the most amount of time with her parents."
Akasora asked "do you understand?" again.
...She really is a lot of trouble.
In the city, the confrontation between Valkyrie and lion continued without the slightest movement.
However...
"Hey, Kushikage."
Mei suddenly spoke up and her enemy tilted her head.
"What is it, Fuji?"
"Right."
Mei nodded at her enemy's reaction, but...
...What am I supposed to say?
Her enemy was capricious and she had often been manipulated by her even when they first met.
Plus, there was one definite fact when it came to her enemy.
...If you anger her, it's all over.
She knew that fact firsthand, so she took a slow breath and tried not to provoke her enemy.
Like always, even Mei felt as if she was far beneath this woman. So much so that she had to ask questions instead of saying statements.
"You are...a normal human being, aren't you? So...why would you suddenly joke about being an Unmatched Valkyrie?"
"The fuck?"
Her enemy backed away in surprise.
As always, she went overboard in expressing her emotions. The smile on her face was the same as the one Mei remembered.
And with the same expression, same smile, and same tone she remembered, her enemy spoke.
"Hey, idiot. Think about this carefully. A normal human woman would never pass something like those Triggers down to someone like you."
#5 Mountain: "Is she implying anyone who didn't pick up on that is an idiot?"
Polished Place: "So accepting what your enemy tells you at face value makes you an idiot? That's a pretty harsh rule."
...Shut up.
She used shared voice settings when out like this, so she hoped it would not leave any unwanted records behind.
"Hm," she began. "Well, it is true you told me the details of Gauge, but...but I always thought that was because you were finally tired of them back then. I never thought..."
"Shit. This new revelation is kinda sudden, isn't it? Try to stay focused, Fuji."
Cloudy River: "That's quite the amazing enemy you have there."
...I agree with that. In fact, why hasn't she changed at all after so much time?
However, her enemy brought a hand to one hip and sighed.
"To be honest, I was planning to have some fun on my deathbed by surprising you with something else. Yeah, just like my mother with me."
A heavy tension came over Mei at the mention of the Taiyōko mother.
Still restrained by the chains, the talented elite turned toward her enemy with a tilt of the head.
"Kushi-san, how surprised were you when you heard whatever you heard?"
"Right, right. I said I had never heard anything like it and that she had to be fucking joking, but she said that a normal family would never keep training their kids like that. She even lectured me on the verge of death."
The entire 19 years olds side reacted with comments about how similar the entire family was and Mei began to hum uncomfortably. The talented elite nodded a few times, but she had to wonder why he turned toward her with a curious look in his eyes.
At any rate, her enemy sighed again.
"But things got messed up all over the place, especially in this generation. Some of their military friends, the ones who knew them best because of war, told them they should say something. According to them, if something major like that came out to these fucking idiots we call citizens, it would lead to some political maneuvering. After all, those shitty parents were the ones that overturned the power balance in wars being had around the world. I mean I didn't give a fuck, but that's whatever."
"Then," asked the talented elite. "Why did you identify yourself as the Unmatched Valkyrie now?"
"Right. Because it was a fucking good name for someone like me. I want it to be known that I'm one of the strongest around."
.
Kushikage formed words while convinced she was explaining the obvious.
"The assholes over on this side have Border, people who would, fight for them, and shit to ensure some good times. With those, naming yourself somethings strong while holding up to that strength isn't any sort of maneuver against anyone but a source of maneuvering against any enemies. That's just why a powerful name is needed."
...This shit's only natural.
This world obeyed its own set of rules and laws set due to the people living on it. Since she had been born into this world and continued living here, she had no objections on that front.
...But that means I'll use this to its fullest.
People gave their all when having fun and when eating.
"But," said her chain-wrapped prey with a tilt of his head. "Doesn't that mean there's been a collar put on you because if that?"
The meaning affected her more than the words themselves.
"..."
She felt her own blood throb.
Ahead in the fading night air, she heard the small girl gulp and could tell the girl's pulse was racing.
...You understand, don't you?
She was a fighting type of person, they would eat when hungry, and they would otherwise choose to eat or play on a whim.
She was a fighter. Kushikage would never stop fighting or be held back and treating her like a pet in a collar was a definite provocation.
Had that small girl realized that?
However...
"..."
That small girl remained motionless.
She held her breath, took a defensive stance, and did not move. She did nothing.
And so Kushikage had the same thought once more.
...You do understand, don't you?
Yes.
...After so long, you fucking get it again that you can't do shit to me.
It was not even a question. The girl had dropped her hips down in a low stance, but that was no different than a beast curling up its tail in preparation to flee.
That meant the small girl was no obstacle.
Therefore, she looked away from the girl and faced her prey. That boy was the one who had defenselessly asked that provoking question.
How interesting, thought Kushikage while asking a question of her own.
"Listen. You just fucking accused me of wearing a collar."
But...
"But if that is a bad thing, then why'd you put a collar on that bitch? No, a better way to put it would be that you cut down that wisteria."
.
"Eh?"
Mei looked toward the talented elite and heard his questioning tone.
She saw him turn toward her.
The action was so quick that she lowered her head without thinking, but his gaze was on her head and the black hair that was cut short.
She had worn it like that for a long time now and had decided to always keep it like that from now on, but to her enemy...
"When I last saw you a year or so ago, you never thought about shit like that. From the looks of it, I take it you've been having it like that for almost that entire fucking time, Fuji."
"No, um, this wasn't because of Jin."
"Are you saying you cut yourself down like that?"
Her enemy did not even look at her and she could not help but think back over what the cut hair truly meant.
It was true someone else might see it that way.
...But this is...
She hesitated and lowered her head, but a sudden voice reached her from directly ahead.
"Wait a sec, Kushi-san. You can't just berate her like that while treating hair like something simple. Plus, cut hair doesn't immediately mean she wanted it either. Surely you know that."
"J-Jin...!"
"Sure," he said with a nod to her.
He then spoke speaking to her enemy while wrapped in chains and with his jacket around his waist.
"Some people are just into that kind of thing. Surely you know that."
.
Mei saw her enemy give her a look of disbelief. Eh? she thought before grasping what he meant.
"Wh-what are you talking about!? I am not 'into' that kind of thing! Don't give me that look, Kushikage!"
"Oh, shit!? Even if I can't really get that kind of shit, I guess I'll just deal with it since it's for Kiyoshi. Fuck, didn't know he had that kind of kink."
"She's right," said the chain-roll next to her enemy. "Besides, just look at her, Kushi-san. Don't you think it's suspicious just how desperate she is to deny it?"
"Now that you mention it, you're fucking right. Maybe giving her Gauge was a mistake. Never thought the two would use it for some really rough as hell shit."
Her enemy and the chain-roll both looked back at her and nodded.
"I guess we can wait until you've calmed down, but try to explain it to me sometime. Not whatever the fuck your preferences are, but how the fuck you turned into a damn beast in the bed. ...The lecture comes after that. Oh yeah, and I want at least two kids. Don't care if they're boys or girls."
"N-no! You have it all wrong!"
"Yeah, that's right, Mei! It isn't a fetish for either one of you! You two just happen to like it like that!"
She wanted to hit him with something, but she could not provoke her enemy.
...B-but isn't that guy turning against me here?
Then something important came to mind. A reminder.
Is he getting back at me for teaming up with Kizaki and Konami!?
"Well, whatever," said her enemy with a shrug. "My current state isn't a collar."
She formed a small smile as she continued.
"I'm just doing shit my way."
.
"Yeah," said Kushikage with a smile. "I'm going to be doing whatever the fuck I want and won't be stopped unless I want to. And when I decided on that, I gave myself that name."
She turned to the small girl who was still looking back in a defensive stance.
"So Fuji, you have me to thank for helping you out. When I gave that Trigger to you, you were placed under my protection and it was my way of urging you to do so much."
She heard an impressed "oh?", but it did not come from the small girl.
It came from the chain-roll next to her. He faced her with a smile and spoke in a tone of understanding.
"So your situation now is in thanks for the fun and happiness from back then."
"Yeah. ...I'm an unmatched Valkyrie, so I can live a wild and enjoyable life on my own. But, there are a few shitheads who have made me want them and enjoy myself with something other than strength. There is my siblings, someone who was able to keep up with me, and..."
There was no need to say any more at the moment, so she nodded toward the chain-roll.
"It was a fun and happy time, and that's why..."
She nodded again, recalled many things about the past, remembered making it through those things, and spoke to her prey.
"Yes, this rebellious Valkyrie will use her strength to force those things back into place."
So...
"You decide when we aren't enemies. Shitokei Fuji."
.
"Now then," said Kushikage. She grabbed the Tamakoma talented elite's shoulders and pointed him toward the small girl. "I'll be taking him, got it?"
"Eh? W-wait! Wait, Kushikage!"
What was she going to say now? A fight would be meaningless, so there was no reason to respond. And so Kushikage opened her mouth and spoke a single word.
"Fuji."
The small girl stopped, she heard the girl gasp, and she even detected the shots behind her back dissipate.
...Damn right.
This was more than she had expected. How cute, she thought.
"Listen, Fuji. Who the fuck said you could come inside my space?"
"Well..."
The small girl froze up even more and the prey in her left hand shook as he turned toward her.
"Wait, wait. 'Come inside'? You don't have to use such a lewd- gah!"
She held the boy's jaw in place, lightly twisted, and used her thumb to push two teeth inward. The small girl's face paled just before she gathered her strength.
"W-wait! Please wait, Kushikage!"
Her wording had grown more polite, so...
"Fine. I'll wait, Fuji. But I would prefer you call me Kushi."
Or...
"Would you prefer we do things like we did back then?"
She took a breath, smiled, and gestured to the other side of the city with her chin.
"Fuji, my shitty brother's home is right over there, isn't it? And that's where you once left his ass and-..."
"Please stop!"
The small girl cried out to reject the past.
.
Kushikage looked at the small girl.
She was a lovely child. Her two clenched fists trembled and her emotions were running full blast, something that she never thought possible, but the weak outer surface alone was still quite adorable. But did she understand that herself? Her head drooped and she transformed the motion into a bow.
"I'm sorry, Kushikage. ...I messed up and got ahead of myself both now as well as with Minoru."
"Since you apologized, I'll forgive you. Now, Fuji."
Kushikage gestured toward the area away from them with her chin and encouraged the small girl with a smile.
"Head home. There's an idiot who is worried about you."
"U-um, Kushikage?"
Kushikage gave her a puzzled look and the small girl pulled back a little and took a deep breath.
"Please return...my friend."
...Well, shit.
She had to know that was impossible.
"I don't fucking think so."
Kushikage embraced the boy from above, smiled again, and faced the small girl.
"I'll be taking him for myself."
"For yourself? Um, uh...Kushikage?"
You don't have to look so scared. And besides...
...You understand, don't you?
"Yeah. It's been awhile since I've fought someone like this. I've been holding back since I had to leave, but...yes, this is a chance. You all are trying to find me because of some stupid shit you all think I did."
"W-wait! Kushikage!"
"I don't need an excuse when I have the truth."
She was perfectly prepared for this, so it would all be okay. And with that thought, she embraced the boy again.
She pressed her body against his.
"After all, I didn't give that asshole a Trigger and I didn't tell him to do anything."
She was plenty confident in herself at the moment. As someone who had strength, she would not need to hide anything from them, so she also had no reason to lie.
...It's been a while since I've been blamed this hard.
Long ago, some people had blamed her and her family for an incident and it was her who had resolved that issue. Violently.
Due to the nature of their family, she would not go out of her way to tell others to do something like fight when she could do it herself and enjoy every moment.
However, others looked down on them and assumed that they would do whatever they could to get ahead. Many of them had tried their best to resist against them and had been hunted down. As the first born to those parents, Kushikage had remained in this mindset she had learned from her parents, chosen to continue with it, and ultimately found herself where she was now.
...It might be nice to remember old times again.
"Being used as a fighting partner will feel wonderful. Don't forget that I'm also a grown ass woman, so I can provide even more than that."
When she asked "okay?" the boy quickly shook his head.
"D-don't be ridiculous! Wonderful or not, if I stay with you, it's all over!"
"No, it isn't. But I guess you already looked into that future. You likely saw a bad one," she began. "If that is the case, maybe I should take those eyes out so you don't have to see anything horrible again. I guess it would fucking suck if you couldn't see while we fight or do other things, but that's what's great about trion bodies. What's more, stamina would mean shit because of them too. Wouldn't that be a better life than having to only see the shit Border wants to see?"
Kumokawa spoke while sipping at a cup of tea she had pulled from somewhere.
"Can someone explain how that woman is still allowed to be a part of Border?"
"K-Kumokawa! Wait! You need to be more careful about what you say, even if you are surrounded by horrible people!"
"Oh? Zaki, are you living in a fantasy world where these kinds of important questions don't matter? We can't have that. Mankind must face reality. Isn't that right, Yama?"
"Why would you ask me!?"
"Maybe because of your relationship with the sewage we call Denji?"
Hate Lover: "Sewage? Sewage? I heard someone call me!"
A response from the man who had worked with a sponsor earlier in the night answered back and Kumokawa glared at her screen before continuing.
"This is what you call an extreme carnivore culture."
"Things are getting fucking noisy in the distance, but whatever."
Kushikage asked her chain-wrapped prey a question.
"How about it? You want to come along with me and have aaaaallll the fun messing around?"
"Hold up."
The boy gave her a serious look and then lowered his gaze to her chest.
"Temping me with those will do little good, you know that? I am much more of a butt kind of guy, so those have little effect on me. Although I'm sure I know some other people who would enjoy that. Not to name names - coughZakicough.
Zaki: "What the hell!?"
"Fine then. You need the ass to have real fun anyway."
Kushikage replied without even a shred of doubt.
"You can mess around with my ass all you want. ...Yes, those things are so fun too!"
"I see. ...Hey, Mei! This flaming woman is seriously dangerous!"
"Ehhh!? You barely noticed that!?"
"Heh hehn," said Kushikage as she embraced the boy and looked to the protesting small girl.
...I've won!
With confidence filling her heart, she placed her chin on her prey's head.
His hair felt nice as it tickled her throat, so she gave a quiet rumble in her throat and looked down at the small girl.
"He is mine now."
The small girl groaned.
She nodded along with the small girl's groan and then faced that small girl once more.
"Now, Fuji. Sorry, but you don't stand any fucking change against me right now."
She pulled the boy toward her again and the small girl's eyebrows rose a little, but the girl still spoke in a desperately persistent tone.
"Th-that isn't..."
...Why don't you realize that you don't stand a fucking chance from the moment you have to say that?
Kushikage sighed as a woman.
"Honestly," she began. "It's kinda unfortunate, but you really do have a sad life. ...Like with that flat chest."
"That has nothing to do with-... Jin? Why are you staring at my chest with a look of newfound discovery?"
"W-well, if what she says is true, then it means there aren't any huge boobs in your future for Yuki, Mei. And in that case, it's pretty sad how you sometimes read those odd articles in the women's magazines or gently massage your underarms and whatnot with such a serious look on your face. Those calculations of yours must really be a pain..."
He gave the girl a pitying look and she panicked. She began waving her hands toward the different directions.
"A-are people getting this through the transmission!? Cut it! Cut it now!"
"Takato's taking the cruel rules of our chat room too lightly. And Jin really does notice the small things doesn't he?"
Besides his Side Effect, he kind of has a good view of everyone due to how social he is, thought Kakizaki.
"Anyway," he said after a breath. "Takato is sacrificing herself to buy us some time, so what can we do?"
"Right," nodded Yamamoto. He narrowed his eyes to look at the sun that could be seen barley peaking over the horizon. "Ikoma went home after going to the Yagura Branch with Shiraishi. But at least we know that we can try to fight her. ...I'd like to fire on her using Hound, but I would have to make sure everything is fine and she could probably avoid it from this range. Still, it was good of Jin to plan ahead and put us near the Forbidden Zone."
Beyond the fading night air, Kushikage rested her chin on the talented elite's head.
Kakizaki then heard their woman's voice in the distance.
"Heh heh."
Her clear and delighted voice carried nothing but emotion.
"Tamakoma's S-Rank agent and future seer is fucking cute, too."
Kakizaki and everyone else began glaring into the distance.
"Now then," muttered Kakizaki as he turned to the others.
There, he saw Kanchō arrive with Nanamagari.
"You handle this one."
"Okay," agreed the Attacker. "Am I the only one that is thinking Yūichi-kun has a very heroine-like side to him right now?"
"Wow. Nana just came out and said what I've been wondering if I should say."
"Eh? What's that? You want me to get Suzume-chan draw out a storyboard like that? How about it Kanchō?"
Arashiayama turned to Kanchō but stopped. Confused, Kakizaki too looked to Kanchō and saw him staring into the distance with his arms crossed.
"..."
"K-Kanchō, stop silently glaring into the distance! It's kind of scary!"
"Eh? Oh, sorry." Kanchō slapped his cheeks to correct his expression and then faced the others. "Anyway, this is the first time I've seen the older Taiyōko sister, but what about the rest of you? Do you know her?"
Is that true? wondered Kakizaki just before he remembered.
He had seen the older Taiyōko sister before when Yuki and Mei went by different names, but at the time...
...Motoharu Squad had something to deal with.
"That's right. You didn't meet...or rather, didn't see her."
"It's my first time seeing her too," added Nanamagari with a tilt of the head. "I'm not sure what's going on, but Takato-chan looks pretty scared."
"Yes," agreed Kanchō. "This woman is on an entirely different scale from her. I wonder if she'll end up like that in the future. But if her breasts grew like that, we might have to start calling her Boingto."
"That sounds like some kind of giant monster."
"I see," said Yuba with a few nods of his head and a glance into the distance. "Boing + To? Such a bad combination. I have determined Takato is surprisingly skilled."
Wisteria: "I see what all of you are saying on here!"
They all responded to the protest from the distance by lowering their voices to a whisper.
Kakizaki and everyone else groaned, but Kanchō looked up first.
"That woman is certainly extremely confident. Not only is she taking someone like Yūichi hostage, she's wrapped him up for takeout. But if this is a crossroads in the battlefield, it is quite an extravagant one. She is holding back in order to lecture Takato right in front of the Forbidden Zone therefore Border."
Kanchō laughed.
"How prideful. But this means that what she had said about not doing anything concerning Seikai is true."
"Now then," said Kushikage again while using just her right arm to lift the chain-roll over her left shoulder. "I need to make some preparations, so you go and make friends with the others, Fuji. Make sure you don't inherit our last name by going at it with Kiyoshi and make sure you enjoy your youth."
She took a step to leave, but the small girl suddenly looked up.
"Kushikage!"
She heard something moving. It was a slow and heavy sound, but it was a definite sound of resistance.
No fighter would overlook that, so Kushikage faced the small girl.
"Hm. What the hell do you want? Are you disobeying me?"
She found it so cute how this small girl froze at that question. The girl knew very well she did not have the strength to oppose her enemy, but that was why her enemy wanted to forever protect her with her own strength.
"Fuji, in my current mood, I think I'll do as I please."
"Are you going to have your way with Jin?"
...Oh, damn.
She found that funny and could not help but laugh a little.
"You can't do shit one way or the other, so why are you trying to fill yourself with despair?"
"Kh," groaned the small girl.
It was obvious she was desperately trying to resist and she might as well have been vainly struggling, but that only stimulated Kushikage's aggressive instincts as a fighter.
...After all, I would be dragging her along and devouring her just the same if she wasn't someone I want to see later on. She would be in trouble if I didn't fucking protect her.
The small girl tried to move her arms, but...
"Huh?"
Her arms did not move too much and it was obvious why. It was a truly unfortunate thing.
"Those were mine before, Fuji. Do you really think you can use them against me?"
"..."
The small girl gasped and the sister's smile only grew.
...She's so fucking adorable. There's so much to teach her and so much she doesn't know.
So...
"Fuji, if you are going to pick a fight with me, then come at me seriously. But..."
Kushikage took a breath and faced her.
"It doesn't look like you have reached that level of conviction yet. So hurry... Yeah, at the very least, move beyond where you were about a year ago. When you do that..."
How should she put this? Saying she would "lend you my power" was not quite right. Lending even a small fraction of it would destroy so much.
She then remembered a nice phrase that had recently become popular among judo practitioners.
"Yeah, I'll give you my chest."
"You really are just crushing on her, aren't you!?" shouted the people watching this happen.
.
"Eh?"
Mei saw her enemy hold back a laugh.
...Wow.
For some reason, wonder filled her mind and then her enemy tilted her head toward the others.
"Hey fuckboys, I simply said I would lend my chest to assist with Fuji's training."
A stir ran through the group once again.
"It really is a crush," said someone.
"She said it again! She really said it again!"
"Strange families get along really well, don't they!?"
"That's what I call ultra easy!"
Mei did not entirely understand the last comment, but that seemed to be the case. This was certainly being sent out to the directors as well. She felt like she was not the one at fault this time, but she could not stop her awkward feeling.
...Ah, I really am terrible at ad-libbing. Apparently. Even Murakami is better than me. It probably has to do with these damn calculations going on!
The talented elite then spoke up from her enemy's shoulder.
"Hey, Kushi-san, could you hold me the other way? Have me face Mei."
Her enemy looked confused but complied. His legs had been facing Mei before, but her enemy quickly adjusted his position so she could see his face. Her enemy then pointed that face toward her.
"Do you want to give Fuji a final farewell?"
"Eh!?"
The talented elite looked utterly surprised by that and he thought for a moment before continuing.
"Eh? No, um, I just like this way better... Oh, could you point me down a little more. Yeah, and inward."
"Jin, don't tell me you only wanted to look down on her chest."
"What!?"
The talented elite looked up with a look of shock that she would even she suggest such a thing.
"Of course that's what I wanted! Even if I prefer butts, this is still nice!"
"Your expression and your words don't match!"
Mei lowered her head and looked away from the talented elite who began whistling to avoid the issue.
"Kushikage, I sometimes want to kill a certain person, but is that due to my human nature falling behind?"
"Nah, it is perfectly fine, Fuji. Only the worst guys will compare you to another woman. ...Look, Fuji doesn't have this kind of volume."
"Y-you are the worst woman!"
Her enemy laughed and suddenly narrowed her eyes.
"Stay perfectly still. This is for your own good," she said. "You still have some of my interest, so I won't beat the shit out of you. But next time, I will do more than crush you like I did last time. After all, it will be the second time."
Mei tried to say something back, but...
...Eh?
She detected a certain light.
...This is Hound!
.
Kushikage heard and saw gunfire.
She saw thirty-six distinct lights and heard some extra noise.
It was a nostalgic sight. As the daughter of a military family, she had been trained in a vast amount of ways by her parents, but it had been disturbed by the appearance of the unwanted from the Gates.
...And when I came to declare my will to fucking fight, I saw this kind of scene.
She had also seen it when warriors had tried to travel through the Neighborhood elsewhere or when they were defeated and scattered across the land.
She had not seen it in a long while and it was not a bad sight. After all, it always led to flesh and blood.
Her ears captured a sound.
Countless shots were fired from hidden positions. The trion bullets likely had a way to affect her directly.
She thought this was an excellent tactic because a human had lost the moment he showed himself to the Valkyrie.
A human was no match for a Valkyrie and this multiple sniper-style attack obeyed that rule.
However...
"This is a fucking diversion, isn't it!?"
She realized the enemy's true purpose. If the enemy was thorough enough to prepare a unit of thirty-six shots...
...They will naturally send in an additional attack!
That additional attack arrived from almost directly behind her. Sudden speed rushed in from back and to the left. That was her blind spot due to holding the Tamakoma talented elite over her left shoulder.
"-!"
.
Kanzaki saw the enemy's back in the center of her vision.
She did not hesitate to release multiple Senkū, but she did not stop her charge.
...This enemy is dangerous!
After all, she had detected Kanzaki's approach yet had not made any battle preparations. That meant she already had something prepared.
"...!?"
Kanzaki saw a group of green panels.
They expanded from Kushikage's hair like unfolding origami.
The panels formed countless boxes which created a structure of their own. The structure seemed to spread its arms and stand tall in an instant.
...A giant blade!?
The green blade was three meters tall and it stood before Kanzaki as if supporting Kushikage.
The air burst without warning and Senkū's cutting power was destroyed before reaching its target.
Kanzaki did not even have time to gulp.
Senkū Kōgetsu's cutting power had previously been defended against on multiple accounts from multiple agents. Some due to skill and others due to sheer luck, but this was different. Instead of defending against it...
"She destroyed the power!?"
"That's. Fucking. Right." Kushikage's smiling voice reached her from beyond the blade and the hair.
She would not be explaining what happened, but Kanzaki was sure she knew.
When two powerful attacks are used against each other, their effects will collide. Just as my cutting affects an entire area...
The parts of the blade glowed and a panel of green light quickly rotated in the central empty space. As the rotation accelerated, the blade's weight clearly increased.
Those are the panel's used by Shiraishi! And this seems to be a striking weapon! Destroying everything in an area would take some effort, but it was able to destroy my cutting power with a diagonal counterattack.
Like breaking a blade.
She must have practiced hitting back attacks like that during her time in Border.
She gave a splendid backhand swing of the large blade with her right hand.
It was a swift attack and Kanzaki could not even hear it slicing through the wind. Its path was so fast and natural that it felt more like it had suddenly been placed in a new position instead of swung there. But...
...Tch.
Kanzaki could not stop. Due to the speed of her charge, she could not immediately brake.
And so she tried to think of a Trigger that would help her jump over the blade being swung in from the right.
"Not there," said the girl.
Meanwhile, the trion blade arrived.
.
Kushikage heard a sound in the instant before the trion blade struck the samurai girl.
It was the sound of the Kōgetsu spear being thrown toward the back of her head.
Why would she throw away her weapon to attack?
"Is she going to take my attack so she can fucking hit me!?"
Had she compared the Kōgetsu and blunt strike and decided it was worth it?
...No!
Kushikage realized what the enemy was after.
The samurai girl was not targeting the back of her head. Her attack was directed at...
"Her ally!"
.
Kanzaki threw her Kōgetsu spear with enough force to kill any person. In this case it was to force his Bail Out.
She knew this enemy would not react otherwise.
The enemy was trying to take away that talented elite chain-roll, so Kanzaki had concluded he was an important hostage or prey. Whether she was going to use him or whatever else, someone known as the Unmatched Valkyrie would find it humiliating to have someone else kill her prey.
She was sure to avoid the strike to protect that prey.
...And if she does not, too bad. I am not clever enough to cover for that as well. Besides, my boss are the directors.
"But...this should work!"
It did.
Kushikage bent forward and stepped away from Kanzaki to duck below the spear.
She moved a half step away and that half step kept the large blade's rotation that much further away, so Kanzaki took a step with her right foot.
"..."
She leaped toward the left of her enemy and ran around the woman.
The spear stalled in the air, but she grabbed it just as heavy gunfire from the her allies tore into the enemy.
Also...
"Shitokei-dono!"
Kanzaki shouted and spun toward Kushikage in midair with the spear at the ready.
...I can stop the cutting power here!
.
Mei broke free of her motionlessness when Kanzaki called her name.
She heard the word that defined only her.
"..."
Her mind grew clear and the core of her body seemed to return.
...Fight!
She spoke in her heart and began to move, feeling like she was breaking and remaking her body.
She gathered breath in her gut, gathered strength in her knees, and had only one thing to do: pour strength into her weapons and strike her enemy from four directions at once.
Kushikage was an enemy. Having decided that, she did not hesitate to pour strength into her limbs once more and launch them.
But...
"Kh..."
Everything was heavy.
Her own movements felt slow and the limb movements appeared delayed.
She had noticed how much she was holding back quite a bit recently; but at the moment, she was filled with tension, impatience, and...
...The fact that I'm defying her!
That simple act placed even more pressure on her.
Even the flow of time felt heavy. Each instant seemed to stretch on and on without end. It felt like completing an unpleasant assignment, working on homework in one's worst subject, or being home alone with nothing to pass the time.
She was defying her enemy.
She had never once defeated this woman. No, that was long ago. It had been around a year since she had last defied her. She had only been around eighteen at the time, so she had thought things might be different now.
...That's what I thought...
But she had been wrong.
Something seemed different between them on a fundamental level.
She could not tear off and throw gigantic pieces of buildings because she felt like it and she was not a pure fighter anymore. She was an Operator who decided to support.
Long ago, she had tried to rival the woman all in a good nature and had cried for the first time when she had been unable.
What had this woman said to comfort her back then?
This was surely the same yet also different. She could not do the same things as that woman.
...But she won't ever try to comfort me now.
They had parted ways around a year before.
The fading night sky on that day had been a lot like the one here.
She had been taught that she was different from this woman on that day. And now...
"Fuji," said her enemy with the talented elite over her left shoulder. "Watch this."
...Eh?
Watch what? she wondered just as Kanzaki cried out from an upward striking pose to the right.
"Senkū!"
.
Mei saw it.
To the right, Kanzaki turned back toward Kushikage and fired Senkū's power.
The group of Border agents was to the left and lights rose from the gunfire of the attacks.
However...
...What?
Her enemy had supposedly been evading in front of her, but the woman was gone.
She was no longer there, but...
"Mei! To the left!"
She turned and saw her enemy's hair swaying to her left and a little behind her.
"...Eh?"
She did not understand what had happened.
She could guess that her enemy had moved there.
...But when?
She could guess that her enemy had moved with tremendous speed.
...But how?
She could not even guess what had just happened.
"Fuji."
Her enemy spoke to her after avoiding both the gunfire and the cutting power.
"You move so fucking slowly. ...Your teammate was talking shit about how slow he was, but you're even worse."
"...!?"
She shuddered.
Her enemy had done more than point out the weakness she had noticed recently.
...She doesn't have this weakness!?
The answer was obvious. After all...
"Evading like this is so fucking easy. Yeah, any half brain shit can do it."
Impossible, thought Mei. I've never once done that. Even with Gauge.
In order to protest, she prepared to turn around, but she suddenly found her enemy right in front of her.
She did not know how her enemy had moved so quickly, but the woman had definitely avoided the shot, cutting power, and limbs with instantaneous movement.
"Now, then.'
She turned the trion blade toward Mei.
"Show yourself, Steadily Climbing Valkyrie."
A moment later, an impact struck everything.
.
Trion performed a powerful strike.
The source of the destruction was the blade in Kushikage's right hand.
That blade transformed.
First, the short arms on the end of hilt raced down the side of the long hilt.
The short arms were cocked much like a crossbow, they shot back at even greater speed, and the glowing panels rotating inside them lost their light.
However, the light inside the long blade grew. But instead of using the trion to rotate the glowing panels, it created a stake of light.
"Stab, Valkyrie Sfyrí - the one renamed Brynhildr."
Like a large crossbow, the bottom of the spear fired a stake of light into the air. The power of the impact covered one hundred and twenty degrees in front of Kushikage, an area that included Kanzaki and Mei.
The stake of light was worn away in about two meters as if it had hit something. Instead, it produced a great cutting sound, a vibration, a slight glow, and...
"..."
Everything within a fifteen meter radius was struck.
Kanzaki, Mei, and her gauntlets and boots were all affected equally.
.
"Kwah!"
Kanzaki was saved for a variety of reasons: she had sent herself into the air, she had faced her opponent, and she had held Kōgetsu Spear vertically in order to use its cutting power.
However, she saw something as she was instantly blown backwards.
"Shitokei-dono!"
The girl had received a direct hit.
The attack had smashed down the surface enough for it to sink down everywhere within five meters of Kushikage.
Mei's entire body had been knocked to the side and embedded in the ground.
"That is not a striking weapon! Is it a short-range cannon that seals a striking power inside!?"
"Are you fucking stupid?" replied the smiling Valkyrie beyond the gale of destruction. "It's a blade through-and-through, but it's made to deal with anything possible. All of you use those fancy Triggers to fight on the level of people stronger than you, but I am so much better. All I need is this one Trigger and my ability to see my own victory to show the power of an Unmatched Valkyrie. And anyone who tried to go against such a person will be fucking nailed to the ground, destroyed completely, and cut into as many pieces as I fucking want!"
Kanzaki rotated once in midair and entered her landing pose.
...She's too far away.
She tore into the ground as she landed, but she had been sent twenty meters away.
Meanwhile, the enemy moved. With the trion blade in one hand, she approached Mei who was doubled over on the ground. The impact seemed to have affected her equilibrium because she only trembled and did not try to move even as the woman grabbed at her throat.
"Takato!"
Kanchō took action from the side.
.
Kanchō used Spider to wrap around Mei and pull her away.
...This could be bad if this isn't strong enough to handle her!
But the wire grew taut as he tugged. Realizing it was working, he picked up speed and prepared to drag the girl along.
However...
"This is the problem with leaving shit connected."
Kanchō saw Kushikage swing her trion blade downward. She struck the gauntlets on Mei's arms that had been attached to the Spider as if swinging a golf club.
"Take that."
The gauntlet and the end of the Spider wire came cleanly off and flew toward the Forbidden Zone with the wire trailing behind it.
"Eh?" said Kanchō; because he knew how heavy Mei's Triggers were, because it loudly stabbed into the Forbidden Zone ground, and because...
"Wah!"
The bending of the wire created sharp acceleration. Its tail end pulled wildly and affected the movements of the boy.
"—"
.
Mei saw the wire pull Kanchō and slam him into the Forbidden Zone's ground.
...This is not good.
She knew she was tripping up the others.
She tried to get up, but the core of her being trembled and she could not gather her strength.
"..."
She tried to lift herself on her hands and arms, but she could only shake and crawl along the ground.
"It was probably to damn soon to give you this Trigger."
Every few words, she heard a metallic sound and felt herself shake.
She felt it again.
"Could you shut the fuck up for a bit?"
As she tried to get up, something pressed down on her. She knew what was happening.
...Gauge!
Her enemy was removing the gauntlets and boots. She felt the shaking of those objects being removed and heard the crashing and clanging of metal-like objects. The gauntlets and boots were being thrown into the Forbidden Zone.
She could not see it herself while being pushed face down into the ground, but the sound told her the items were stabbing into the area's ground. She knew her enemy was strong enough to do that.
Her senses somewhat returned to her and she realized her shaking had reached several centimeters.
"Kah..."
It almost seemed her tears were forced out. The phantom pain from the last time this happened, the impacts applied to this time, and a great variety of emotions forced them out; but before they had finished flowing, she heard a voice.
"Fuji."
Someone grabbed her leg.
"You're covered in dust from your life with weak pieces of shit."
She realized she had been lifted up, she saw the sky, and she saw her enemy's hair below her.
"I need to beat it off of you."
She slammed into the ground.
Kushikage's beating did not end with a single blow. As if striking dust from a piece of furniture, she slammed Mei into the ground again and again.
Kakizaki cried out when he heard and saw it beyond the buildings.
"We need to stop her!"
However, everyone in the immediate area shrank down and fell silent. All of them stared into the distance with their eyebrows raised and Kakizaki knew why they were so silent.
...There's nothing we can do?
Kanzaki could not stand up to her, Jin had been taken hostage, and even Mei, their close-quarters attack specialist, had been captured.
There really is nothing we can do, he thought.
"B-but!"
As soon as he said that, Kanchō arrived in front of him and shook his head.
"Calm down, Zaki. I didn't see it, but this is the same as around a year ago, isn't it?"
"B-but! This is very bad in a lot of different ways!"
We need to stop her, he thought again and prepared to say something.
"Calm down!"
Kanchō raised a hand and repeatedly slapped the orange squad captain, making him seem like a bobble head.
Everyone wanted to do something. And...
"I think we can manage this. ...We aren't the same people we were around a year ago."
Someone walked out from end of the road leading into the outer city.
It was Tsukimi Ren and she pointed at the others standing around.
"As long as Shizuka-chan is investigating the situation down below, I want to make another suggestion."
...Another suggestion?
Wondering what that was, Kakizaki and everyone else turned to Arashiyama.
Arashiyama realized and gave the answer.
"Negotiations and ransoms, right?"
.
Arashiyama opened a display that showed the appropriate information. It described a long-practice tradition.
"Even with the way she is, I'm sur even she can be bought with money. After all, she needs a way to get through this all with as much little issue as possible. Even with how she can play this out since Kanzaki attacked, it can still be seen as kidnapping because of Jin being taken like that."
"It would help if we knew exactly what Jin was planning, but he seems to want to keep that to himself," said Tsukimi.
"Right," agreed Arashiyama with a sigh. "He definitely made preparations for this. I have no doubt that he saw that he would get captured by Taiyōko-san, so he has to have something in mind. Even so...to let this happen to Mei is a bit much. But back to the topic at hand... We should be able to find something to satisfy her. But..."
How would it turn out?
"From what I've heard, it's hard to say whether that Taiyōko-san will obey the human rules, so..."
"We need to plan for the worst, Arashiyama-kun."
"Right."
Arashiyama nodded and looked to Kanchō and Kakizaki.
"In the worst case, Kanchō and my standing with Director Netsuki will have to be brought up in this. It's not the best we could do, but I'm sure even Tamakoma and Yagura will do something about this since it involves Taiyōko-san and Jin."
An especially loud sound came from outside. Mei had gone completely limp after being slammed against the ground countless times and Kushikage had just thrown her down even harder.
"I see your tears have finally stopped."
She held the small up by the neck.
Something filled Mei's entire body.
Even if she was using a trion body, the repeated impacts with the ground had completely confused her inner ears and her vision was shaky too. Even sounds seemed to stick and distort deep in her ears.
...U-um...
Her brain shook and she could not form thoughts properly. Her calculations tried to find a way out of this, but those had become jumbled and almost unresponsive. She did not know why exactly this was happening to her. No, she did know, but...
...There's nothing I can do even if I do know.
Only helplessness filled her heart.
It did not matter what she did. Even if she struggled, fought, moved, or stayed still, she could not hope to oppose this enemy. Even ignoring it would only lead to being found and beaten.
But...
...Ah.
Something different happened.
A glove-covered hand reached her clothes and her neck and it lifted her.
"Now, then."
Her enemy's voice seemed to stick in her ears.
"You understand, don't you?"
She was unable to ask what and she felt there would be no point in asking even if she could.
Her enemy was cruel. After all, there was no need for her to understand. Whether she did or not, she could not hope to oppose the woman.
And so she did not even try to understand. She simply obeyed and went along with it.
She could only leave all of the decisions to her enemy and others.
...That is safest.
If she assumed she could never oppose her enemy and only her enemy, she could receive absolute peace of mind. As a more mechanical person, she had defenselessly followed this woman without knowing where they were going and she could receive that same absolute peace of mind here.
This woman must have understood that because her sticky voice spoke up once more.
"Fuji?"
Just as in the past, she admonished the small girl after calling her name.
"Fuji, you understand that you have to do as I fucking tell you, don't you? Then let me repeat something I once said: Fuji, do as you are told."
After all...
"You may fucking think you're acting as someone important when you help my shitty brother and this shithead boy in their game of protecting others, but I stand in the way of that goal. And I can easily crush what you and those regards you believe in are trying to do. I don't do anything like that only because I have no reason to do so."
...That's right.
I can't stand up to her, she thought.
And as long as an opponent like that stood in their way, they would eventually fail.
"See? You can't fucking stand up to me no matter what you do, Fuji. Isn't that why you spent a year or so without even trying to come into contact with me?"
This woman laughed, shook her with a comment of "right?", and held up the prey on her left shoulder.
"But, well..."
She sounded almost impressed as she shook the prey.
He had lost consciousness, so he limply followed her movements.
"Honestly, I can believe you doing shit for my shitty brother, but I can't believe an obedient child like you would come so far to save this fuckboy. ...I'm sure you thought I wouldn't notice or that it didn't count because it was just for a moment."
She bent her arm to grab his jaw in her hand and she casually pulled his face toward her.
"Fuji, you did almost nothing wrong. But most of the blame goes to these assholes who thought to calm you down. Most of them didn't know shit about how I am the only one who can properly stop Rampage Dress, so they probably went along with these kinds of people who wanted to see you fine. If only they had know that my Fuji is a good girl who can be a real beast."
So...
"If it wasn't for him, for the shithead, you wouldn't have to think of these ridiculous things."
.
Mei gasped when she heard the woman.
"...!"
Her mind did not clear and her body still refused to move, but...
...No!
A single thought did fill her mind and tears of denial spilled from her eyes. She tried to voice that denial, but the breath that escaped her lips was not even a voice.
Her attempted cry spilled weakly out just like her tears.
She could have always made it so that her trion body could do no such things, but that had been rejected long ago. It would have meant a small loss to her humanity, something she would never want.
It was backfiring for her now.
"Ah...hhh..."
However, this woman asked another question without nodding.
"Do you want to save this asshole's life?"
Mei's shaking body managed a trembling nod, but this woman did not nod in return.
"Then," she said. "Then leave Border, Fuji. I'll have you transferred to a nice paying place in Mikado City. You can bring an end to this all by staying where you won't be in the way. Then you can live somewhere nice and not deal with people who don't know their place. I'll even allow you to bring that cousin of yours who enjoys the worst parts of a man."
This woman moved her hand from his face to his throat.
"Now, if you understand, then say it. Say you will save this asshole's life by withdrawing from all of this. Oh, don't forget to get out of that body while you're at it."
"Ah..."
"Now," she urged again. "This is your last chance to save him."
Mei realized she had no questions inside her.
...She may be right.
She did feel this was her last chance.
She could never stand up to this opponent and neither could anyone else. This boy, who was a nice hope for others as well as her own, had been captured and was about to be taken.
...I...
In the past, she had caused everyone a lot of trouble and worries.
If she had once brought trouble and was only a hindrance now...
"You will do anything for this boy since he reminds you of my shitty brother, won't you?"
This woman grabbed her clothes and shook her.
That was right. She had even started wearing different clothes after deciding to give all of herself to the two boys who had helped her the most. So...
"I..."
Once she finished speaking, she would have to endlessly apologize to them all.
Her lips trembled and she did not want to say these words, but...
"I will..."
"I will?"
"I will...save my..."
"Your friend."
"My...friend..."
No, she thought with tears in her eyes, but this woman shook her again.
"Just add 'by withdrawing' and you're done. That's all. Just say it."
If she did not say it, he would be lost. If she did, he would not be. And yet...
...No...
But when this woman shook him by the collar and showed her his limp form, her heart sunk. This woman gave a smile with the ends of her eyebrows lowered and spoke the inviting words. That had made her feel worse as she released her trion body to go back to her flesh and blood one.
The heat that came with it was painful.
"If you don't fucking say it soon, he will wake up. But wait..."
No, she immediately thought, ignoring the woman's now furrowed brows. She did not want him to see her like this, she did not want him to realize she had been unable to protect him, and she did not want him to hear what she was about to say.
I have no choice, she told herself and she opened her mouth while making countless silent apologies.
"By..."
Her body shook from her sobs.
"With...draw..."
Suddenly, a message came in from Border's transmission. It came from Kakizaki and displayed Tsukimi's face.
"Jin, why are you playing possum when there is something going on in front of you?"
"Whhhhhyyyyyy!?"
The talented elite woke.
.
Still dangling from that woman's hand, Mei opened her eyes wide and faced the chain-wrapped boy. Even with the pressure on his neck, he looked around and ultimately toward the two of them.
"Ohhhhh, it's true! And it's something amazing, too! Nice one, Tsukimi! ...Wait. I was supposed to see this coming, wasn't I? I didn't know that I didn't see my own torture in the future. That's a new one!"
Mei could not keep up with what he was saying, but was that because her mind had yet to clear or because she had poor conversational skills?
At any rate, the problem was still in progress. After all, this woman was far too healthy.
And to emphasize that this was her turn, the woman lightly squeezed the talented elite on her shoulder.
She nodded and looked between Mei and the talented elite who was flailing like a fish.
"He has infected you, hasn't he?"
"N-no, um, Kushikage? My symptoms are still much less severe than everyone else's."
Almost Everyone: "Don't bring us into this!"
Mei ignored the complaint from everyone a good distance away.
...They're all here.
She knew they would be doing more than just watch and that was enough. Meanwhile, the talented elite spoke in front of her.
"So what is this, Mei? A woman's meeting or something? But, y'know what? Don't just go along with what this woman says. You can be too nice sometimes. Besides..."
She listened.
"You're supposed to protect me and Yuki, not just let us keep going. ...You need to fight and protect us, after all, we are busy protecting others."
She felt like she could finally manage to breathe when she heard that, so she cooled her lungs and...
"Right!"
As soon as that word left her mouth, she was released from this woman's grasp.
She was thrown through the air to put some distance between them.
Ah, she thought in midair as this woman adjusted the talented elite's position.
"That is very interesting, but...you can't fucking have him back. He is mine."
"Kushikage!? What do you mean he's yours?"
He belonged to the Unmatched Valkyrie.
...She isn't taking him for fun!?
That meant they could not pay a ransom for his return. This was the worst possible case in which it was up to this woman's mood.
Seven Turns: "Ohhh! Did she just confess to Yūichi-kun?"
Zaki: "Hokd on! Hold on! We can't use Trigger to fire because of petty things!"
770: "..."
#5 Mountain: "Kanchō, you're really scary when you glare silently like that."
...S-someone really has to do something about this!
However, Mei could not move her trembling body; so her butt landed on the ground and she rolled.
She wanted to get up, run, and save her friend, but...
...I'm too weak.
She recalled this woman's previous movements.
She could not move that quickly, but this woman could. She wished she could, but...
"—!"
Her body remained limp as she collapsed onto her side.
"Kh."
She felt pathetic and useless.
...I have to do something.
As soon as she thought that, someone was dropped right in front of her.
.
In the fading night sky that was quickly becoming morning, Kushikage gently walked away from the fallen girl.
She had released her prey and dumped him on the ground, she had managed to enjoy a battle before that, and...
"Fuji."
She spoke to the girl who could only stare at her now. That small girl who continued to look smaller each time had been proven as weak here.
"I'm not so fucked up as to take a child's toy away from them. I guess this just means you're still a brat who needs help. If that's the case..."
The Unmatched Valkyrie continued to speak. The appropriate question about this small girl was what the girl was "going to do".
Would she pursue or not? Meanwhile, the Unmatched Valkyrie looked down at her discarded prey.
"I'll be leaving again. This time I'll be staying in Japan, but make sure that nothing happens to that brat and that you don't even try to get me again. Got it?"
To her, a commotion was not a bother. Instead, she was curious what would happen. That was why she had quieted him down for the time being, but...
...Even if he does do something, I can most likely destroy him, leave him alone, or anything else.
The choice was hers. If she waited too long, the others in Border would try to have their say, so she wanted to enjoy this moment as much as she could as long as she could.
"Now, then."
From approximately a kilometer in distance, she took a step toward the edge of the city far away. It was a light, playful step like someone hopping over a puddle.
With that, she jumped away with some enjoyment in her.