Takeshi frowned at his phone screen.
Without any warning, he had started getting messages from the Border chat. The most prominent ones were from Yuki, Arafune, and Senshi.
"Is Yuki-san trying to get me in trouble...?"
The messages that came through made it seem that way. At the same time, he also seemed to be helping by trying to get information out for him and his squad.
Colors: "Uh, Yuki-san sort of just started this without my knowledge. I have no idea what is going on."
TetsuG: "It's fine, we know that he likes to drag other people into his messes when they don't want to be involved."
Was it truly a good thing that other people understood that?
Ever since he had gone to help them sort out their issues, Yuki had continuously messaged Kotowari Squad, even when he seemed to be busy. A good example of that was with the recent meetings concerning the sponsors.
He had been allowed special access to view the goings on with the meetings due to his older brother being involved with it. While not being able to add anything himself, he was able to see everything that was being said.
That included what Musashi had said.
So he is alive... Before it would not matter or I just wouldn't care enough to pay attention to it, but now it's different. Knowing that he is alive and hiding himself from me. It's like...
It was just like what he had heard from Hoshi.
.
There had been many times when Hoshi had expressed her feelings about one of her older brothers. How he had been disowned and then lost connection with them. There was nothing left on him that she could use to get in contact with him, making her presume that he was in a different country or, worst case, he had died.
both thoughts had been proven to be false when the person known as "Tsukiko Yuki" had come out and said his former name. While still being Tsukiko Yuki, his former name had been Taiyōko Kiyoshi - the older brother thought gone.
The feelings that were being forced up for him may have been similar to what Hoshi had felt at that time.
I shouldn't compare myself to her. Her case is worse than mine.
Others would have disagreed if he had said it out loud, so he had kept it to himself.
Someone who is always wrong really shouldn't compare himself to her. Besides that, she had faith in him the whole time. Toby would always go on about how there was no chance she was forgotten about. That must be because he is an older brother himself.
How do the older brothers feel exactly?
He could only view things as a younger brother with little experience.
Having little experience in this sort of thing may not have been too important, but it had meant that the bonds he had with his older brothers were weak and there was not much that could be done about it. Even if it was not important, that experience could not be had anymore. It could be done on the most basic of levels by others, but the true experience he would have from his family was no longer an option.
Musashi, as an always right person, had never bothered to go to Takeshi, an always wrong person. If that was the case then it meant that he also viewed this experience something that could not happen anymore. It was something he would not take upon himself to see through.
Feeling his mood go even further down, he started to lean back.
He had been sitting on a park bench, waiting for two other people to come back after they had said they wanted to get something. With no one else there it meant he would be able to lay down on the bench and try to clear his mind by looking at the sky.
It was a rather clear sky with only a few clouds here and there.
A much better view than seeing those falcons flying in the sky.
They were not too much of a threat when he had shot them down at the mall, but it seemed that he had not fought the stronger ones from what he had heard and seen near Shiraishi's White Rock.
Just how much behind everyone was he for them to take something like that out while he had only managed enough during the actual "greeting"?
This sort of lack of ability could have been one of the reasons Musashi had not gone to find him.
"I guess this just means I should not hope in myself..."
He began to fall back, waiting for his back to the bench when...
"Don't go saying that. If you don't have hope in yourself then it brings down my resolve to help you fight."
His back never once touched the bench.
.
He felt his back touch something soft and turned his head to see what it had been.
Hoshi looked him in the eyes with a soft and sad expression.
Her arm had been what his back landed on. His head was on her shoulder and he could feel himself start to slide off.
Instead of letting him fall, Hoshi lifted her arm so that he could place his back on the bench. When his back had reached the bench, his head landed on something else that was equally as soft; her lap. From this angle he could see that she was holding two popsicles. The first one was in the hand away from him and the second one was now above his head, but far enough that it would not fall on him.
She had not been the one to speak to him, that much he was sure of, after all...
"Alright, we'll let you be comfortable for a bit. ...Oh, your legs are pretty cold aren't they?"
Takeshi felt his legs be forced up into the air before being placed on a more sturdy feeling lap. That had been followed by a hand lifting his pant legs up a bit so that his skin would be visible to the open air.
In response to the action, he had thrown his leg into the air, intending to kick the person who had done that.
"Whoa! Hahaha! Nice try, but you won't be able to hit me like that."
Knowing that it was the truth, that he would never have a chance to hit the boy, Takeshi clicked his tongue while thanking Hoshi as she handed him the popsicle.
Toby continued to laugh as he patted Takeshi's leg while chipping at his own treat.
"So, wanna tell us why you're being so down on yourself?"
"Is this any different from my usual self?"
"...That makes me feel even worse."
The howling of a dog usually meant nothing for Kotowari Squad, so neither did the whining.
"Hey, Take. I'll leave this be for now, but just know that I won't be leaving you alone with this. Even if I have to run the risk of being put in a doujinshi, I'm going to make you tell me everything that's bugging you."
"..."
"No, I won't be holding back. I'm really tired of all the crap our squad keeps hiding from each other. It started with Yuki and Mei and now you are trying to hide this and keep it to yourself. I won't be letting that crap happen again, you hear me?"
The whining and howling of a dog usually meant nothing, but this was not just some howling from a dog. It was a wolf caring about a friend.
With Suzume not around the three were on the same level as each other in a true sense. They were classmates who had gotten to be friends with each other. Now it was more than that; they were teammates who would be looking out for each other with no reservations.
It was because of that fact that neither one of them wanted to point out the joint problem the three of them shared and instead allowed the moment of silence to take away the feeling that had come over them.
Toby was the first to break out of that moment of sweeping silence
"So, are we going to be going over our plans before our match today?"
"I wanna take a break for now. I know it's important and everything, but just thinking about who we are fighting makes me feel like not not thinking about it."
"If I may get a slight reminder...the squads we are fighting against today are usually in the top tier, correct?"
"That's right, I forgot you don't know these things."
Both boys were relatively new to Border when compared to some others, but they had been given the opportunity to meet and fight against many of the other agents. It may have been due to their former captain, but the fact that chance had been there to begin with meant they had a better understanding of what was going on.
"That's kinda right. Yuba and Ōji are pretty up there most times. Senzai Squad goes between top and mid pretty frequently, from what I've been told. I don't go to those guys too much, so even I can't say much."
"Have you not fought them before, Toby-kun?"
"I gave, but..." Toby responded at the same time he tried to scratch his head and take a piece of the popsicle. The end result was his hand jabbing his own ear and the popsicle hitting his cheek. "Eh? Crap, guess I missed there."
Hoshi gave a giggle to the actions while offering her handkerchief. It was denied and she placed it down where she had noticed that a piece had landed on Takeshi's cheek as he held back his own expression.
"Uh, anyway, like I was saying. I have fought Senshi before, but only once. Shingai usually doesn't want to fight against me and Sthénos is...well, there aren't many chances to really fight her. So yeah, I haven't fought them too much. Actually...that goes for the other squads too. Yukari is probably the one I have the most matches with since there have been times when she is with Shun and some others. Yutaka would be next, but he is usually eager to fight Take here."
"I still don't know why that is..."
"Not sure either. I didn't even know you two knew each other."
Takeshi simply shrugged his shoulders.
Every time that Kashio had tried to get a match from Takeshi, he had always been rejected. It was usually followed by the sudden appearance of the name "Kitora Ai" for seemingly no reason. Even now it was uncertain as to why that was.
"So what about the others? I don't keep track of who you have fought, so I'm also a bit in the dark on that."
"No one else that I can remember. They all try to stay clear of me when I'm around. Oh, but Kazuki has told me before that they don't mean anything by it. He seems like an honest guy, so I guess they just don't want to fight me."
"Considering how you are, that is a fair response..."
Toby retaliated to the comment by pushing up a pant leg again. This time it had no effect.
"Well, if we are going to be talking about our strategy here, we should probably get Senpai in here. And I hear that Mei-san won't be able to be our Operator for this round, so we should ask who will be taking that spot."
There was no questioning the looks being passed above by Hoshi and Toby. The thought that Mei would not be helping them as their Operator without them hearing anything about it until now seemed rather worrying.
Even so, Takeshi continued to type in a message to their upperclassman before pressing the send button.
It had taken a few seconds, but a response came to all of their phones.
Honest Sister: "Sorry, I was going to let you guys know. Yuki-san honestly told me that Mei-san couldn't help us a bit earlier. I don't know much about the details, but apparently she had gotten involved in something and is now resting up. I honestly wanted to see her so I'm headed to the Yagura Branch right now. Don't worry, I'll make it in time for the match."
The trio nodded in understanding. She had not told them her plans they would have told her to check on the Operator.
The worry from the vague explanation could not be stopped, but it felt too much like something related to the shared past of Yuki and Mei. There was no room for them to get involved.
"That's fine... We can go check on her after our match. We also need to prepare for tonight like we were asked, but we won't just be leaving Mei-san like that."
Honest Sister: "That's what I honestly wanted to hear."
They were all in agreement.
Honest Sister: "Oh yeah, I honestly brought in the person who would be working as our Operator for our match."
JK has entered the current chat.
JK: "Hey there, Kotowari Squad. I'm Nakagami Suzuka, Yagura Branch's Operator. I was told by Boss and asked by Yuki-san to help you guys out, so that's what I'll be doing for today. Let's get along."
Toby and Takeshi turned to Hoshi at the mention of the Yagura Branch.
Said girl waved off their worries about Nakagami. While being a member of Kotowari Squad, Hoshi was still a member of the Yagura Branch, so she would have known if there was anything to worry about.
"Yes, we will be relying on you, Nakagami-san."
JK: "You're fine to call me Suzuka or JK Operator."
This girl was not the type to hold back.
There was a chance that she could not keep up with what Kotowari Squad had built up to this point, but it was clear that she was the type to keep t it until she had managed to get through it all. It was a good enough fit for them as a squad.
JK: "So what have you guys planned so far? I've looked up our next match and see that there are some troublesome people there. Got anything for that?"
"I'm sorry Suzuka-san, we have not been able to come up with anything yet due to the happening around Mikado City recently. I am at fault for focusing on something personal and could not think about the match too much."
"I'm also to blame a bit," said Toby, watching as his words became text on their screens. "I was going through a weird funk and didn't do much to help with planning. I'm all good now and we were going over what to do."
Honest Sister: "So it really was you making a commotion the other night. Nice gaining some attention for our squad. But don't think I won't honestly be using you and Noah-kun for a doujinshi. I hear you two were having fun running around half naked and barefoot."
The expression Toby got on his face was enough for both Takeshi and Hoshi to pity him.
The honest sister was true to her word, so there was no helping what was to come for the boy and his best friend.
All that could be done was be resigned to his fate and deal with it.
JK: "How old are these guys again?"
"We are 15... Why?"
"Tch. Damn and here I was expecting something good to read."
Lobo: "What the hell did you want to see!?"
Colors: "Are we sure it's fine to have her helping us here...?"
Prototype Star: "..."
Crap! I didn't think it would catch that!
Nakagami tried to erase the messages she had accidentally put in the chat but found that she could not do anything to them.
Trying everything she could, she came to a message that covered the entire screen that read:
"Please stop trying to do unauthorized things or every former deleted message will be displayed, shared across your accounts, and maybe even certain images that came with them."
What the hell!? This is messed up! What kind of system is this that allows me to delete the pointless things but not the embarrassing ones!?
Hearing some noise outside of the Yagura Branch, she was reminded that there were some people still discussing things there. Among those people was a boy who was a squad captain yet also helped the authority of some of Border's transmissions. That had included the chat they were using.
Dammit! It was Suzaku, right? That's his name!? Damn you, Suzaku, go die and then be reborn so you can die again! Ah! Where is a demonic rain when you need it!?
Resigning herself to this terrible first impression of her, she began typing as much as she could in the chat until her message was far above everything else and could not be seen.
Doing so seemed to have gotten the irritation of Kotowari Squad, but that did not matter anymore since her image in their eyes had already been ruined.
That was when another message came up.
"Please stop spamming the chat or we will display the message you are trying to hide, share it across your accounts, and add in any deleted messages we happen to find."
"What the hell is with thiiiiissss chaaaaaaat!?"
The trio of middle schoolers watched with straight expressions as the spam of messages came to an end with a loud one.
There was a temptation to feel bad for the girl, but then a reminder as to why she was putting so many messages came up.
"Dealing with Suzume is enough... Now we need to deal with this girl..."
"I, um... I have no excuse for this. I apologize."
"No need for that. We understand that that branch is not particularly a sane one."
They all let out simultaneous sighs as the messages finally came to an end.
There was no way to actually know, but it was a good guess that the JK girl who had sent so many messages to cover up herself was currently crying over whatever she had been using to send the messages.
Honest Sister: "You kind of have to feel bad for her. She tried to make a good impression and ended up honestly showing herself as a lewd woman. Well I suppose we should be glad that she is not into the younger ones if she doesn't honestly want to read one with our dog and Noah-kun."
The wolf that sat under the Shooter's legs could be seen clenching his fists at the reminder of the inevitable doujinshi that would be coming.
"Can we get back to our planning now...? We only have a bit of time before we have to go to our match."
"Just let me apologize to No real quick..."
Takeshi nodded his head.
Anyone would come to that understanding after having to deal with the honest sister for so long.
.
With everything finally having settled down, Takeshi began lifting his body from the bench and two bodies he had been using for his head and legs.
He put his phone on his lap and changed the setting so that every voice that went through would be put into the chat properly. This had made Hoshi and Toby change their setting so that their own phones would not pick it up and create unwanted duplicates.
With his back against the bench and his feet touching the ground now, he looked to the sky again. The remaining clouds were clearing up and the shade from the nearby trees were starting to move away from them. Some people could be seen walking around, some with their children and others with their pets.
It felt rather peaceful all things considered.
"So let's get back to our planning. This time we are in a strange position since even Toby does not have much experience with them. Senpai, can you tell us some things about Shingai-san or Tonooka-senpai?"
Honest Sister: "Not really. Shingai and I are usually in different areas during training. As for Tono-kun...well, that whole squad is like us in a way. Even if you haven't planned much, you have honestly seen some logs, right? They do things by themselves and don't really work together. In a way, it is likely I could end up going one-on-one with Tono-kun and both of us would be on pretty even ground."
"That's if we stick to our usual strategy and you are 'only being a Sniper', right?"
Honest Sister: "Heh heh heh. That is honestly true. But due to me missing the last match, Bakasaka had told me that I need to use this match to show my skills as a Sniper, so I won't be moving like the rest of you."
"I see... That does make things a bit awkward in this case, but it should be fine."
JK: "Hey, I have the information I dug up on the squads. Do you all have something that can support large files?"
The trio looked to each other before checking that their phones were able to work with the file.
Toby and Takeshi sighed when they saw that their phones were older models and would not be able to handle large files.
That had left Hoshi to share her phone (latest model) with her teammates.
JK: "You know, I'm really wondering why we aren't doing this in your operating room. Isn't that what those are for? It would also make organizing these kinds of things easier."
The thought had crossed their minds before, but a silent agreement had come to them all; "We are comfortable where we are right now."
That was clearly the wrong answer so none of them said it. Instead, Takeshi took it upon himself to continue with their planning.
"About the information..."
JK: "Yeah, yeah. I'm sending it now."
Once the files had been sent to Hoshi's phone she opened them. Her screen was filled with multiple pages that she had trouble controlling. Once each one was opened, she closed them all and opened the first one.
The files were in order of names. This meant the first one was Ōji Squad.
Ōji Squad Strong Points
- They are all pretty fast runners. Their mobility is pretty high and even their actions are quick.
- They are certain when they make attacks or bring up defenses. Everything that can be calculated is calculated. (Annoying)
- They all look pretty good, even given their outfits. This includes their Operator.
- They have Attacker and Gunner Triggers to work with and use Triggers that compliment their mobility. (Also annoying, but smart)
Ōji Squad Weak Points
- Take out their legs, you're good to go.
- Since they aren't at Mei-san's level, sudden change to calculations can mess them up, if done right.
- They have a kid on their squad and their Shooter looks to uptight. (Major point deductions)
There was silence between the trio.
Suzume seemed to have made no move to respond either, so they had decided to look at the next file.
It was on Senzai Squad.
Senzai Squad Strong Points
- Their Side Effects make things almost completely unpredictable.
- Their captain has a good grasp on attack and mobility (even given those nice muscles) while their Sniper is high on mobility too. Their Shooter, while not one to fire from a great distance, is pretty good up close.
- They also get high marks in the looks department.
- Their known Trigger set up is strange, so it's harder to go around all of that.
Senzai Squad Weak Points
- Their Side Effects are counters to each other and affect them as much as others.
- Their captain doesn't have the best defense and their Shooter is rather low when it comes to attack. Their Sniper is the most balanced.
- Admittedly, they looked like edgy people, so it messes with their looks a bit. The goggles are a nice touch though.
"Um..."
The silence washed to break as they read through the second file.
The information was there, but...
"M-maybe the last one will be..."
Hoshi held her tongue and looked away at the looks she was getting from the two boys.
Doing what they knew they had to do, they opened the last file.
Yuba Squad Strong Points
- The captain is a quickdraw person and looks to be good at analyzing situations.
- All the members are well off fighting by themselves, so one-on-one is not particularly advised.
- They don't look too good, so you can attack them without holding back. (Does this count?)
- Pretty good overall.
Yuba Squad Weak Points
- squad up in the right setting and it should be fine to attack any of the members.
- They have a kid with them and their captain looks rough as hell. Take him out first because of that.
The silence was finally broken.
It was not by any one person and by no means was it a quiet breaking. It could only be described as a large dam giving way to a raging torrent that threatened to swallow an entire city. After all...
Everyone: "Are you kidding me!?"
Nakagami tilted her head at the collective yell that had been directed her way.
She had just gotten done sending the general information on their opponents to Kotowari Squad so that they knew what they were up against. While it was not every detail, that would be saved for when they were in the operating room of Kotowari Squad and putting the finishing touches on their planning.
Now she was being yelled at by them all after having been nice enough to send them that information.
"What's your guys' problem?"
Colors: "Suzuka-san...are you taking this seriously...?"
"Of course I am!"
Lobo: "It doesn't look that way!"
"How so!?"
Prototype Star: "Um..."
"Say something!"
There was only one hope left.
With the three youngest members acting this way, she had one more person to go to at a time like this.
"Hey, you get this, right Misaki? As one shirabyōshi to another."
The moment of truth.
Honest Sister: "What I do honestly goes back far beyond that. And so, I can honestly say, you are strange."
A major hit.
To be called strange by one of the strangest people in Mikado City was a big hit for anyone. It did not matter who it was, it would have hit them hard and where it hurts the most.
Feeling the hit deep within her, Nakagami physically crashed to the ground with her chair following along.
The moment her body hit the floor, she prepared to get up. The moment she began lifting her body up the chair caught up, hitting her head with the armrest. This had caused her to smack into the ground for a second time with the chair being fully dropped on top of her.
From the nearby window she could hear the sounds of people talking.
"Hey Yuuchi, what was that noise?"
"I would really rather not know what goes on in this building when I'm not around... Um, yeah, just think of it as the attic ghost wanting to mimic Osakabehime but knows that it can't because it's not cool enough."
"I'd figure it'd be 'cuz we don't have Miyamoto Musashi here with us."
"Oh! Nice call there, Satoshi! Yeah! And we can't have Miyamoto Musashi here if Sasaki Kōjirō isn't here either! Wait...doesn't this mean we should exercise that attic ghost while we have the chance...?"
The feeling of being hit felt as if there was now a rain of shellfire hitting her everywhere it hurt.
What's wrong with these people!? I'm over here being helpful and now I'm being attacked physically, mentally, and emotionally! I hate this! I seriously hate them! I hate them aaaaaalllll! Tate Eboshi-sama, please come and rescue me from this heeeeeeellllll!
As the JK continued to cry on the floor, messages continued coming through to the computer that had been set up for her.
Among the many strange and unrefined people in Mikado City, there was a single person who found that she could not help but feel bad for anyone in a predicament.
Hoshi knew that her teammates were giving Nakagami a hard time while also sticking to their usual behavior. None of it was unfounded and none of it was anything they would give each other.
Trying to tame that kind behavior was well beyond her abilities. The best she could manage was trying to fix what has been done and move away for the sake of everyone involved.
"U-um... While they are certainly...interesting points, Nakagami-san did go through the trouble of getting them for us. And if we look beyond the more...interesting(?) ones, we do have the basics of what these squads are about. The indepth details can be done when we are in our operating room."
Toby and Takeshi immediately responded by placing their hands on their hearts and leaning back as if they had been hit.
Honest Sister: "Hoshi-chan, you are too kind and sweet. I am honestly getting a toothache here and I have never been more happy about it."
Hoshi tilted her head at the message.
Trying to figure out how that made sense was also something beyond her abilities. At best she understood that Suzume was saying something good about her.
Her plan to get back on their main topic seemed to be working slowly.
The two boys on either end slowly lowered their hands while looking back at the information they had gotten. Both had taken pictures of her screen so they could see it for themselves.
They put their fingers to their own screens and began moving them along a line. Looking over at them showed that they were drawing lines over the "interesting" bits that had been sent.
"It does look fine enough when you see it like this."
"Yeah, it makes things look like they were at least semi-organized."
Sweat started to gather on her brow as she listened to her teammates.
I believe that is for the best I can ask for.
With that thought of resignation in her mind, she followed their lead by crossing out the "interesting" parts. That had left them with the actual notes on the squads.
"Right. Now we can actually come up with a plan for our next match."
.
The information had been sent to them and laid out for them to see.
As per usual for Kotowari Squad, they took each thing one step at a time by viewing each squad separately along with their members. The first would be...
"Let's focus on Ōji Squad for the moment."
Takeshi moved his finger across the screen to get to the picture he had taken.
"This would be what we have in a general sense."
- They are all pretty fast runners. Their mobility is pretty high and even their actions are quick.
- They are certain when they make attacks or bring up defenses. Everything that can be calculated is calculated.
- They have Attacker and Gunner Triggers to work with and use Triggers that compliment their mobility.
- Take out their legs, you're good to go.
- Since they aren't at Mei-san's level, sudden change to calculations can mess them up, if done right.
"If we look at it like this, we can't say much about them individually, but as a squad... Well, they should not be an issue. At least when it comes to keeping up with them."
JK: "You jerks... Ow, ow, ow... Urg. Yeah, from your track track record, you guys are also mobility types."
Looking purely from a statistical view they had no one with a Mobility less than 6. That lowest had been because of Takeshi who fought from a distance most times, meaning there was no real reason for him to move as much.
"I should be able to keep up with them easily on a base level. If they start using Triggers then it won't be a problem for me either. As far as speed goes, I'll be able to catch them. If its the ability to move your body around, I should still be fine in that case."
JK: "That's right, you guys are Teleport nuts like Yuki-san."
"We aren't that bad... But Toby wasn't referring to that. He was talking about pure speed. There are people faster than him, but he really isn't a pushover when it comes to that."
"That's right. Toby-kun always comes first during class and has taken first place in the last sports festival."
JK: "Oh, looking at the stats Yuki-san gave me from Mei-san's computer, you all have something going for you. Okay, I got it. Yeah, you should be able to keep up with them, Lobo-kun."
Speed was not everything in fights like these, they were well aware of that fact.
Battles went well beyond physical ability and statistics. Preparation and practice was also something to take into account. Even so, the base level things could keep up with those things if pushed to the point.
Honest Sister: "Toby can also deal with that second point and the weakness it leads into. While he doesn't look at it at all, he is honestly smart. His Side Effect also gives him time to think, so he should be fine when going to fight them. If we go with that plan of course. As an Attack, he also knows how to fight them while Shooters and Snipers have a relatively hard time dealing with him. Yes, there have honestly been many times when others have come to us complaining that he is unfair. An unfair dog who should honestly be on a leash... A leash... Oh, looks like I know what the next doujinshi is about!"
"Leave me out of that!"
The boy and girl duo next to him gave him a pitying look for the second time.
JK: "Okay. So what about the rest of you?"
More text came from two sources.
Honest Sister: "Honestly let him have his fun."
Colors: "Let him have some fun."
Toby grinned at the responses.
JK: " What kind of answers are those!? You can't just let him take an entire squad on his own!"
.
Takeshi fixed his scarf as he read over the next group of spam messages.
I guess she wasn't told too much about us.
He looked over to see that Hoshi also seemed a bit confused by his statement with Suzume.
That's right. I keep letting it slip my mind that she doesn't know how we fight. That last match didn't have Senpai in it either, so this will be new for her.
What felt natural for them was not what was natural for others. Their way of fighting was their way and it seemed rather difficult for them to move away from it given the responses they gave.
What exactly was the standard for people who had no standards? That question had never come up for them before, but that had likely been due to having Yuki and Mei around. With them no loner helping them here it became a question that they should think about.
With the addition of Hoshi and the current assistance from Nakagami there would need to be some order for their squad so that they did not get mixed up with themselves.
"I guess I should be the one to explain. Suzuka-san, we don't work as a squad. Hoshi, I think you noticed this during our last match. It's hard for us to work together since we are the type of people who just don't like fighting with each other. We provide support for each other, but that's all. That is why you are an important part of our squad. You can work as a pure support for any of us or you can fight by yourself and there would be no issue."
JK: "Should I be worried about what would happen if you guys did try to work as a squad...?"
He exchanged looks with Toby before they both shrugged.
It had not been anything for them to think about until it was brought up now.
"We have tried before, but it was still like we were fighting by ourselves. If we worked as a squad... Who knows?"
Was it possible that their want to fight without relying on each was their way of not wanting to trouble each other? No, he was sure that they would not worry about that kind of thing.
If you had taken away the fact that they had been teammates for a while now, they would be viewed as selfish people who only wanted something for themselves. A pride that would never be satiated by fighting as single individuals. That would place a burden on them that would be heavier than trying not to trouble each other.
If that was what the burden was, then it was only logical to assume their reasoning was the opposite of that.
...We don't want each other to have to fight?
But that answer also felt wrong.
None of them could doubt that Toby lived for the thrill of a fight and Suzume found her fights becoming dances more often than not, so she would not feel bad about it. So then what exactly was their reason for not wanting to work as a squad?
When a person wanted to fight without others it could have multiple meanings, but none of those meanings fit into the working machine that was Kotowari Squad. The same could have been said for the former Tsukiko Squad too, yet there was nothing to suggest that had been the case.
The former Tsukiko Squad had worked similarly to how the current Kotowari Squad worked with the exception of being able to not question what they had been doing up until that point.
It was not a simple question that Takeshi could easily answer. What it did do was make him realize something. That being...
...Was this why Yuki-san did what he did?
It could be because he was now the captain of their squad that he had realized this. Even if he was only a figurehead, he tried to view things in a way similar to an actual captain of a squad.
"I see... I need to give this some thought later on. For now, please just put up with us, Suzuka-san."
JK: "Fine, fine. I can do that much for you guys."
He was grateful that she was cooperating to this extent.
JK: "So what, are you just going to leave Ōji Squad to Lobo-kun while you guys take care of the rest?"
"No, but if he happens to find them, he can take care of them however he wants. If I have enough room to work, I would like to set up what I did last time to keep Kurauchi-senpai in check for a bit."
Nakagami had seen the log from Kotowari Squad's previous match and knew right away what he had meant.
Because they had been fighting against someone like Nasu, Takeshi had gone to the length of figuring out how to shut down her long range attacks. This had forced her to move in where their close combat fighters could reach her. The plan had gotten ruined due to an unforeseeable accident, but it had worked well enough.
So he wants to use that trick again to keep Shooters from thinking they can gain an advantage by keeping their distance. It really isn't a bad idea, but I'm sure everyone else will be aware that he wants to try that again.
Against someone like Rei-chan, it worked because it was new and he had not done it before. Even if he hides it, once he fires the first one, they are sure to know what is going on. And for what I saw on the Laser Shooter Trigger, he can't really control it once he reaches a certain distance. That means he won't be able to really stop someone else from destroying them all before he can fire.
Data on the entirety of Kotowari Squad was placed in front of her after having it sent over by Yuki.
The data was based on what he and Mei knew, so it was completely accurate and had nothing missing from it. Every little detail about Kotowari Squad had been put into what she had been given.
Along with the data, a special program had been placed inside of the data, likely by Suzaku. It was a safety measure that would erase the data if sent to any unauthorized personnel. It seemed that this was implemented into any data sent via Border as to keep unwanted people from being sent important information.
Within the data sent directly to her were the most up to date list of Triggers each member had, their statistics, as well as fighting styles and habits.
Well I can see why Boss wants them to join. They really aren't bad for a B-Rank squad of young people. Give them some extra boost and they can reach some good heights.
It had been the reason behind her agreeing to assist them.
The information had been sent to her before she had agreed to help them. It had been assured that someone like her would help them out. Watching the strong grow stronger as a nice pastime for her, so this was a good way for her to use her time while not having much to do for the Yagura Branch.
It was apparent that this would work out for her since this group of young people had their pride, their faith in their fighting abilities, and the power to show off when they wanted.
"That should be fine as long as you don't get caught, but this is only one squad we're talking about. There are two other squads who have their ways of doing things. I guess it would be hard to plan for Senzai Squad given their luck-based fights, but Yuba Squad is someone you guys should be prepared for."
All the records on the three opposing squads had been found by her. Their logs from previous rank wars, their points and positions, as well as any possible Triggers they might use.
Mei-san really stays on these things. Damn, I guess I can just stick to being what I do best instead of trying to reach her. That's fine with me. I prefer to go at my own pace than keep up with someone like that.
There was no point in trying to reach the top when the place you are at is fine enough.
Colors: "If they are so much like us that Suzume-senpai had to point it out, then that should be fine."
"I guess... But I think you guys should just stay away from solo fights with them as much as possible."
Honest Sister: "Heh heh heh. Tono-kun should be fine for me to handle. I am used to going after Snipers before attacking anyone else, so he can be left to me. Shingai may be trouble since she is arguably as fast as Toby, but that should also not be too much of an issue if I use Teleport at the right moments."
Lobo: "Hold on there, Suzume. You're overlooking something here."
There were multiple things being overlooked, but she held her tongue for the time being. If one of their own had pointed this out then it meant it was something that she herself may not have noticed.
Lobo: "You had said you aren't usually around those guys, right? That means you don't really have their Rhythm down, do you? It's kinda too dangerous if you tried one-on-one while only being a Sniper. If you were going in as your usual self, it wouldn't be an issue to worry about, but this is different."
Colors: "He makes a good point. It would be best if you didn't try to fight anyone you don't have a full understanding on, Senpai."
It had been just as she expected.
These people knew each other far better than she did from data alone.
Using the data alone would only give her the statistics on each of them so this would be her chance to get to know them.
Honest Sister: "There is a way to get around that of course."
What exactly would that be?
Suzume had stated before that she would be participating as a proper Sniper for this match and not as her usual strange self. A statement that could not be ignored so easily when given who she was.
There had been multiple accounts of the honest sister forgoing her position as a Sniper to fight against others in her own way. If she decided to switch that and had decided to forgo her own way of fighting to stay a Sniper, what else could she do if she were to get into a one-on-one fight?
Prototype Star: "...You mean me, right?"
Honest Sister: "Exactly."
"That makes sense, but..."
Nakagami input something in her computer while continuing to speak.
"Hoshi-chan is new and I don't know if she can keep up with those kinds of guys. No offense of course."
Prototype Star: "None taken. I understand what you mean though. From the way you are making it out, it seems as though you wish for me to be a main fighter?"
Honest Sister: "You would be supporting me by being my guard. If you were to stay at a good distance while being able to act quickly near me, then I wouldn't have to honestly worry about going into one-on-one fights. You would be able to handle any of those while I maintain a distance and snipe to then help you."
I see, Nakagami thought. With that sort of tactics, it would place Toby and Takeshi as the two main attackers again and have Hoshi support Suzume instead. At the same time, Suzume would not have to worry about others getting too close or at least being prepared for that to happen.
It was a basic strategy that anyone could have come up with and yet that was what made it so appealing. Thinking of anything more would be expected of squads in the top tier, but at times it was best to look at plain and simple strategies as a way to change things up.
If someone had started doing something crazy every time they were seen, it would become the norm for everyone who was witnessing it passed the first time. There would be nothing crazy about it and what they had done before would seem like the odd thing.
If someone had switched back to a normal lifestyle after going through everything being crazy, it would be strange for anyone witnessing it. The normal lifestyle would have become the strange one while the crazy lifestyle would be considered the normal one.
Using that here, basic tactics being used would be the unforeseen actions that could lead to victory that outlandish ones could not reach. It was a rather interesting take on the matter, but...
"Doesn't this mean you guys will be relying on me? That's a pretty big risk considering this is the first time I will be working with you all."
"Is that a bad thing?"
Toby looked over when Takeshi readily answered the JK's question.
The question had been a way for Nakagami to question their reliability on their Operator and a way to tell them that she was not at Mei's level.
When comparing the abilities of one person to another, it was best to try and see both for their strengths and weaknesses. That became difficult when the people in question were someone they had barely met and someone they had known for most of their time in Border.
But that was not what she was asking about.
"It doesn't matter if this is the first time or not," Toby continued for his friend. "We trust you to help us out here and we know that you can manage that much."
JK: "How can you be so sure?"
It was an obvious question to ask.
To put so much faith in someone like that was not something a person would normally do. It took time and effort before someone completely new could be trusted the way they were trusting in her. Toby knew this as well as the rest of them did, but he was also aware of how they worked as a squad and as such...
"Because you don't seem like a bad person."
The response from that came in jumbled garble from the girl.
He was unsure as to why something like that got to her, but he already understood that she was a strange person.
"Looking passed the fact you are only here because Yuki asked you to help and Mei is unavailable, you are still here. You are still helping us because you want to and even got us this information. It might be a bit weird, but it does have some good points that we can use for our match. If you went through the trouble of that then I don't see why we shouldn't trust that you can help us during the match."
The response was amazing in its own right.
.
Takeshi watched with fascination as word after word, the chat was filled with nothing that could be considered sane.
JK: "Wh-what is with this kid!? How can he say something like that like it's nothing!? I-I-Is this kid some sort of smooth player!? How many girls does he have just hanging around for him!? Dammit! If he was only a few years older! If that was the case, I would totally fall for that kind of talk! Yeah, I would definitely have him as my boyfriend! Dammit, dammit, dammit! Could I possibly make an exception...? No! I can decide that when he's at least a second year in high school! Not while he is in middle school! Even if he is a third year..."
To his left, Hoshi seemed to understand that the older girl was going through something at the moment. Her silence and small smile was enough to show that she did not understand all of it, but she knew enough.
To his right, Toby looked at his screen with furrowed brows. Unlike Hoshi, he understood that something was going on and that he was the problem, but he did not specifically know how he was involved.
Right in front of him, Suzume expressed her own feelings on the matter. She was not afraid of Nakagami seeing her words since she put them in their group chat.
Honest Sister: "If you want, I can honestly make a doujinshi for you. Have it be with you and an older Toby. Through unknown but totally legal means, I know his measurements, so I can estimate how he will grow when he gets older."
The dog understood what that meant all too well.
Lobo: "Don't use me in a doujin! And how the hell did you get my measurements!? That's only for me and my doctor to know! A-and when I'm older...th-the person I w-w-will..."
It was amazing to see how the dog could go completely red in an instant when given the right reasoning.
This time it was his own fault.
...I should take a picture to get some points with Suzume-senpai.
He lifted his phone while Toby was busy trying to cover his face and took a picture right away. It had turned out a bit blurry, but it was enough to see what was going on.
Placing it in a private chat with Suzume, he got a thumbs up and a show of how many points he would be getting for that.
If he could accumulate enough points then it meant he could get away with not being placed in a doujinshi the next time she wanted to make one of him.
With a new resolve to throw Toby under the bus every chance he could, Takeshi focused back in on their main topic.
We have been getting off topic quite a bit, haven't we?
So this must be why people don't like having conversations with us and prefer to just fight. That makes sense now. Hoshi might be able to hold an actual conversation while not getting off track, but the rest of us are probably a lost cause at this point.
It all made sense to him now.
"Well, for now, we should finish this discussion up. We still need to go over Senzai Squad."
JK: "Sniff. Sniff. Yeah... Even if you think you can manage the others with your usual style, currently seeing it up close, I can tell that they will have a big impact in this match. After all..."
There was no added joking to her words.
JK: "Their Side Effects make any plan pointless."