Their match had ended. They had lost with a single point to their name.
Yuba could only give a sigh once all of the tension of the fight had left them.
They would use this match as a chance for future fights. Ones where these types of opponents would run rampant around the battlefield and where they would need to focus on what was important during the fight.
His own loss during the match and the stalling that he had gone through just before it stuck to his mind.
Shingai had managed to stall him out until the last moment. His quickdraw had been faster than her own, but not by much. With her good luck, she had managed to gain the higher ground in the fight and could have taken him out if it had not been shut off.
Once it had been shut off, he would only be gaining ground on her. His speed and power would make up for the gap that had been created during the time she had her good luck.
But…
I shouldn't have let that gap be created in the first place. My mind was still wandering back to…
To Mei.
To the way such a powerful person had been tossed about as if she were paper in the wind.
A monster had managed to do something like that and had been let go.
No…
That was not right.
She had not been let go.
She had walked away.
None of them could do anything to stop her as she had walked away from them.
That kind of monster had stopped him from realizing he was being stalled out by the end of his fight with Shingai.
But it had been the final fight that showed him just how much his focus was out of sorts.
The fight with a beast.
Kotowari Squad's beast had reached a new level while none of them were looking and had been able to keep up with his speed and move through his power. Each move he had made at the start of that fight had been taken at face value and used to advance even further into their fight. The beast had torn through it all and reached a point of knowing what to do against him.
That beast was not at the level of the monster, but Yuba knew exactly what he had been thinking during that entire fight. The reason he had given up using his speed and power in and instead used Viper to strike specific points. It was painfully obvious what he had been thinking.
If this beast can get through my attacks and strike back… What would that monster do if I had attacked her?
The thought was terrifying when combined with the imagery of Mei getting tossed around like nothing.
A beast had beaten him, but that monster would have destroyed him.
When using a Trigger, the user's normal body was swapped out for a Trion-made one. Even knowing this, the overwhelming sense of dread came each time he thought about it.
All of the tense that had dissipated after the match's conclusion had now been replaced with a new tense.
With that monster in mind…
One of his teammates had fought against that monster's relative. Her younger sister.
Yuba looked over to Obishima, finding her staring at the ground in deep thought.
It was likely that she was thinking about the match itself. They had just finished and the tense for the rest of them was gone. Working to be better for later matches was something obvious for them to do.
But that was not it.
Yuba was well aware that Obishima's thoughts were about someone specific and not on the match as a whole.
Probably because I have gotten like that when thinking about that monster.
"Obishima."
He had broken through her thoughts by the small jump she had made followed by a small, "Yes!"
There was no helping her meek response since he understood where that had come from this time.
All that mattered right now was confirming his suspicions.
"You were thinking about your fight with Taiyōko, weren't you?"
"U-uh… Yes… I mean… Yes, I was."
"What about it were you thinking of?"
"Well…"
She paused for a moment.
This would normally be where he would have her speak up, but waiting was for the best right now.
"She was very nice, so I want to go thank her."
"Thank her? What did she do?"
"Oh, you were busy elsewhere," Tonooka answered in her stead. "Admittedly, I don't know much about what happened, but Taiyōko seemed to be a good fit for Obishima."
"Why do you say that?"
"Probably because she is a member of Kotowari Squad."
"That's it?"
"Pretty much."
Tonooka had said it as if it had answered all of his questions. In a way, it did.
Kotowari Squad was strange in the way they affected other people. You could hate them as much as you want during a fight, but there were people who could not find it in themselves to hate them in a casual setting or as comrades. The proof of that was around him.
Obishima was wanting to thank one of them and Tonooka felt no malice towards Misaki now that the fight had ended. Even Yuba himself felt nothing particular towards them besides a want to fight against their beast once more.
"I don't know what it says about me, but she was kind throughout the entire fight. She had introduced herself to me before we fought, she fought without holding back, and she saw me as an equal. She even told me to keep going when we were fighting against Senzai-senpai. Also…"
It was to be expected at this point that she would want to talk some more with someone who had been so nice to her even while they were enemies.
But…
"She is the type of person to strive for!"
That had been a surprise.
Even with the way she was, Obishima had loudly and clearly voiced herself on this matter.
So Yuba responded in kind.
"Even more so than Kuga, who you have been watching?"
"No, that is different from this. I admire him, but he is someone who is leagues above me. Taiyōko-san…she knows that she is outclassed against people like you or Senzai-senpai, but she keeps going and works using what she can. She even goes to the length of supporting her opponents just so that others are trying their best too."
"So then is giving your gratitude to her the only thing you want to do?"
"Huh?"
Letting out a sigh, Yuba pushed up his glasses.
Some of the tense that had built up thinking about the monster had gone when hearing how his teammate felt about the younger sister.
It was proof that the older sister was the only one who was a monster.
"Right then…" Letting even more tense disappear, Yuba stood straight up and let his voice ring out. "Go over there and thank her properly!"
"Yes, sir!"
Prototype Star: "I know that you are busy, but I wanted to let you know that we had tied for a win in our match!"
Mukuro smiled at the message sent directly to him.
Hoshi had sent that same message to their older siblings, that there was no doubt of. But the fact she sent it to him as well made him happy to see her doing so well.
So he messaged her back.
Corpse: "Good job. I'm proud of yooooou. Although…I gueeeeess that doesn't mean muuuuuch when it comes from me."
Prototype Star: "No, no, no! It means a lot coming from you, Muku-nii! I am very happy to know it makes you proud! Oh, but I should let you go, shouldn't I? You have meetings to be in, right?"
Corpse: "They aaaaaaren't much. Don't woooorry. But you should have fuuuun with your squad after your match. If you neeeeed anything, go aheeeeead and let me know. I'll make sure to get toooo you."
Prototype Star: "Okay! I will see you later then! Bye, Muku-nii!"
Mukuro continued to smile as he said his farewell to his sister.
He really was proud of her for being in the top tier and keeping up with the rest of them.
She would often tell him about her matches and what her team was like.
He had his own thoughts about her teammates, but he held back from saying anything since it may make her sad to hear. If they started doing anything against her, he would not hold back in going against them, but for the time being, he would stay put.
This applied to his older siblings. The only difference was that he had full faith that they could handle any problem that came before them.
That had also been why he was in his current predicament.
"You seem rather pleased with something. Something important I would guess since you checked on it while in a meeting with us."
To make the lives of his older siblings easier, he had taken it upon himself to do this.
Sitting before him were a man and a woman, both with the same surname.
"It was my younger siiiiister. She had just tied fooooor first place in the recent maaaatch for Border's B-Rank Wars. I had to teeeeell her I was proud of her."
"You don't hold back, do you?" asked the man with a grin.
"Not when it cooooomes to my family. They…" He felt a yawn come up, but he ousted it down just as fast, turning it into a small sigh. "My family is the baaaaasis for my actions. I am here as a meeeeember of Border, but I am doing this fooooor my siblings."
"That sounds nice," the woman responded.
The woman had already spoken with other Border members the night before. Both had been branch directors for Border and good boys that she was rather fond of.
"Kobayashi Noaki-san, I am not saaaaaying to sound nice. Please do-"
Mukuro felt himself leaning to one side of the sofa he was sitting on.
The space they were taking up was a casual one instead of a business office.
He would have been fine with the latter, but the Kobayashi parents had insisted that they have this conversation in this casual room instead.
This isn't an official meeting after all. I'm just here to let Kobayashi know what's going on around Mikado City. I had managed to finish up the cleaning at White Rock, so I came here since it was closer.
After this, he would only need to go to Kurosaki to let them know what he had been doing and what Border was planning for the near future.
That one will probably need more of my attention. I managed to slip through the Shiraishi parents since the workers had told me they would vouch for my work. These parents seemed to understand what is going on well enough to not have any malice towards me. But Kurosaki…
They were different.
Kiyoshi had gone to Kurosaki with some others and managed to gain some advantage on them. It had been an amazing display that had made Mukuro amazed once more with the way his brother had managed things over there.
But this was different.
His brother had used his false name as well as one of his friends to end that side of things. That meant that the name "Taiyōko" was still a rough area with Kurosaki. If he was not careful, something bad could happen to him while he was over there.
I wish Kiyo-nii would have taken me with him though… I know he had a full party, but I wish he would let me get closer to him. I miss being around him.
Another sigh had escaped his lips before he could even register what he was doing.
"Are you worried about what Shin will be doing?"
Mukuro focused back on the two parents before him.
.
Akio had been worried the moment the boy came to them.
It had not been about Border.
No, he already had enough faith in them for the fact the boy was there at all. What they had been told about the boy cleaning up White Rock also helped them understand that he was not against them.
What had worried him was the boy himself.
He was lanky, small, and seemed to be leaning in on himself. The black hair he had went down low to his shoulders and the dark coloring under his eyes only heightened the tired feeling from those narrowed eyes. The entire appearance of this boy gave off someone who had not slept for a long time and he felt like that tired appearance was making him want to sleep. Even the small yawns-turned-sighs made him have to hold back from sighing as well.
This had been the reason why he agreed to move the unofficial meeting to a more casual setting than a pure business one where the boy would likely be more stiff from the tension.
The boy seemed to be swaying a bit, likely from being so tired. Yet here he was, sitting before them, ready for whatever they would say. It was for this reason that he was still taking things seriously.
"Do yooooou mean Kurosaki Shin-san?"
Even with the family he was a part of and even with his current circumstances, this boy - Maybe a bit younger than Hisoka? - showed some respect to them all.
It's not full respect, more like a simple business type of respect. From the looks of things, I think only his family are people he actually respects.
The family of soldiers who had caused trouble in a lot of places.
They have not done much to us, and Shiraishi also seems free from them. Kurosaki and some smaller businesses are the ones who have taken a large hit from their actions. The worst ones of all have to be Border though.
Border and that family have been at odds from the start. While they have no problems with businesses like ours, because we simply do construction and real estate, they always had a problem with Border due to the fact they have a way to fight Neighbors. While we did get some flak for sponsoring Border, we were still left relatively alone.
That is where Kurosaki comes in. Those guys were the ones who sided with Border and fought against Taiyōko as hard as they could. But there is still something that is bugging me about what Shin had said during their meeting.
This would be a chance for answers.
"Yes, I mean Kurosaki Shin. Are you worried about what will happen when you inevitably go to Kurosaki?"
The tired boy lightly shook his head. It seemed like something that took a lot of energy out of him.
"Not at aaaall. I trust in whaaaat my older brother did when he waaaas there. I expect soooome scrutiny, but nothing froooom malice. Now can I aaaask you something in return?"
"Ask me something?"
"The boooooth of you, to be exact."
Akio glanced over to his wife in order to gauge her reaction to this.
The both of them began to slowly build up their guards.
This tired boy, even while looking to pass out at any moment, was indeed still a part of that family of soldiers.
"Very-"
.
Akio felt the words get stuck in his throat once he turned back to the tired boy.
His appearance had not changed and neither had his position. Yet..
This is it. This feeling he is giving off is definitely that of someone from that family. He is trying to make sure we will speak the truth.
It was not an overwhelming presence like his sister or a cunning one like his brother. Instead, this tired boy gave a feeling of someone who was calculating out the world.
As if everything was laid out bare before him and he was simply looking over it all like some sort of puzzle. His eyes, even while narrowed from being tired, seemed to be watching them with an intense focus. It was like they were being observed as nothing more than data that could be used for his family's benefit.
Even if it was not anything as strenuous as what Kurosaki, Shiraishi, or even Border did, the work they did has put them against some people who had tried to get to them. To intimidate them or out think them to gain some monetary advantage. The two of them were always more than enough to handle those people, never ones to back down and always thinking logically. Their forward thinking about things had even managed to get them a wonderful worker like Mogami.
But this was different. This was a single boy who held no malice towards them at all. He was not trying to gain any monetary advantage and there were no reasons for him to be against them as someone speaking for Border. The only thing before them was a boy who wanted to ask a question.
This was the boy who was known as a genius among geniuses.
It was unnatural.
Akio wanted to do something. To say something. But it was all stuck in his throat.
If he said anything else then it would just be added to that data this boy was collecting.
If he did anything else then it would just be added to that data this boy was collecting.
If he so much as twitched then there was no doubt that it would be turned into data that would then be added to everything this tired boy was thinking about.
After a few seconds, something that felt like minutes, Akio found his voice. His throat felt dry, but he answered anyway.
"…Very well. What do you want to ask us?"
.
Mukuro knew what he was doing.
He had already gone through multiple scenarios before his mind became too tired to do so.
While Fuji had always had her Side Effect to do calculations, he had always just been smart enough to go through multiple things in his mind. It had been the reason why he became known as the Taiyōko family's strategist. Someone who thought through things to the point where even a war could end easily enough if he put his entire focus on it.
It had also been the reason his parents never allowed him the freedom to use his thoughts for something like that.
They had sheltered him from the start, never letting him out of their sights.
They provided what he needed and what he wanted.
They gave him their love and affection.
They made sure he would not be influenced by his older siblings.
The one known as a natural soldier and the one known as a true commander. The two people in the entire world who he wanted nothing more than to be around, loved by, and support to the best of his abilities.
They had been kept at a distance from him to the point where he had started to find it hard to properly remember what they looked like without having to look directly at them.
Once his younger sister had been born, it became easier to see them.
Both his older brother and older sister had found ways around their parents just to see him. It had been something that made him so happy that he made sure to never miss a moment of it.
Hoshi had quickly gained all of their attention and love, but those two older siblings continued to show him just as much love as they could possibly have. They had done whatever they could do for him from simply talking to him or kicking his head so he would not fall asleep. They would show their love constantly by punching him or throwing him to the ground when he started to lose focus or fall asleep. They had even gone so far as to hit him with a hammer just so that he could spend even more time with them.
It had been wonderful that his older siblings cared for him.
He returned that love with his own. The result was his current state. A state of lack of sleep.
His mind could not fully focus on things anymore that did not have to do with his family and everything he did was for only them. The sharp mind that could possibly reach the level of Fuji was constantly dulled by the muddle thoughts of sleep. But that was fine since it meant he would be awake any time his siblings would speak with him.
It had only been when his parents had disowned his older brother that he truly felt any pain from his family.
That brother that had cared for him so much had been kicked out by the parents who had kept him contained. They took his surname, something that kept him tied to Mukuro, and threw him out like it was nothing.
It only became worse when that same brother gave up his given name.
The same older brother was now insistent that he was no longer the same and Mukuro could not understand.
It had not been because of his sleep deprivation or because he over thought it. There was just no way something like that could ever happen. That was all.
Kiyoshi would always be Kiyoshi.
That was why he needed to ask these two people a question.
It would be a question to determine where they stood with him. They could call his older brother what they wanted and they could view his older sister for what she was, but he had to know what they thought about all of it together. What they thought about the statements made by someone else who understood nothing about his family.
About those siblings who had taken such great care of him.
.
"Do you also think that it was just some interpretation that made my parents disown my brother?"
Akio and Naoko's brows raised at the question.
Mukuro dismissed this and continued on.
"Kurosaki Shin-san is uuuunder the impression that it was just a simmmmmmple misinterpretation that caused my parents to disooooown my older brother. I won't hold aaaaanything against him since it looks like he really doooooes believe that and does not knooooow the truth. But what about you two? What about Mogami Yoshiko-san?"
The answer to these questions would be what made Mukuro's choices matter.
"You are asking us about something that has nothing to do with us?"
"Yes."
"We play no part in your family affairs… This is not to be taken as an insult, but…"
Akio straightened himself up, gaining more confidence back as he went on.
This was still just a boy.
This was a place for Kobayashi.
"What happened in the past with your family is of no concern to us. If what happened was due to some interpretation, so be it. If that happened because of your brother, we have nothing to say about it. I would appreciate you not trying to drag us into something like that when it is best brought up with Kurosaki himself or others who matter to such a thing!"
It had not been anger that brought out a rise in his tone.
It was a want to stay away from what was clearly a dangerous family.
Mukuro's calculating eyes continued to bore right into the two of them. Each movement, each breath, each word; they were all added to some unseen data that only he would be able to see at the moment.
This was how this family of soldiers worked.
They would show their ability to handle anything that resembled a fight and this boy in particular.
"I see." Mukuro let out another sigh. He closed his eyes before slowly opening them while looking to the side. "My apologies aboooooout that. I didn't mean anything baaaad about that. I only wanted to make sure you weeeeeeere fine with my brother."
He was a genius among geniuses.
"That is fine… You just care about your family. I can definitely understand that."
This time there was no sigh. Mukuro let out a full yawn from his mouth, a hand slowly coming up to cover it up.
His body began to sag and his eyes closed more than they did narrow. The way his shoulders pushed back reminded both Akio and Naoko of how they felt after a particularly hard day at work where a lot of tension would be built but before being released in a single moment.
It was something that they thought should not be done by someone so young.
"Now then, you had aaaaaasked me if I am wooooorried about what Kurosaki might doooo when I go over there. I got side tracked, so I apologize for that again."
"I had said it was fine already."
"Right. That is just a habit when it comes to these things."
What exactly were "these things"?
That question had come to both Akio and Naoko's minds upon hearing those words.
It did not seem like they would be getting an answer though as Mukuro looked at them again after a particularly slow blink.
"If he doooooooes something to me personally then I wooooon't do anything at all. Whatever happens to me is nooooot really anything to be concerned about. If he starts sooooomething against my brother or tries to blaaaaaame my sister…then I will end up doing something."
"What would you do?"
"I wonder…"
Once again, they heard a tone that should not belong to someone like this.
At this point they were fully aware that this was just a part of being a part of the Taiyōko family. Something that would not go away so long as that family was still around.
This time, though, instead of focusing on that, Akio and Naoko chose to change the topic. Specifically to the one that held meaning for both them and Mukuro.
"So what did you want to talk to us about in this unofficial meeting?"
"Oh, that," Mukuro said as he tilted to the side. "I want to let you know thaaaaaat Border will be a bit busy tonight, so getting in diiiiiiirect contact may be a bit hard. They will be trying something out within the Forbidden Zone and sooooo will have most of the focus in that area. To puuuuut it bluntly, it has to do with the away mission and theeeeey want to make sure that everything is fine."
The way Mukuro had referred to Border was not lost on either Akio or Naoko.
He was telling them what Border was doing, but not as someone who was a part of Border. The way he spoke only told them that he did not think himself to really be a part of them just yet. It was obvious to them as they had seen this very thing before.
Mogami Yoshiko had been the same.
With this new knowledge in mind, they continued their conversation easily enough.
"Since it will be done within the Forbidden Zone then we have nothing particular to say. Although we thank you for letting us know ahead of time in case we need to get in contact with Border."
"There is noooo need to thank me. The only reason I am aaaaable to tell you this is because of hooooow things had gone during the earlier meeeeeeting and you allowing me to even have thiiiiis unofficial meeting."
"Is this the reason you had helped to clean up White Rock late into the night?" Naoko asked. She had her ideas as to the reasons he was going to such lengths.
"That was more because myyyyyyyy branch director had suggested I dooooooo that to improve my oooooooown image for others and give myself an alibi should anything particular haaaaaaappen. I had originally gone to speak with the Shiraishi family, but they were busyyyyyyyy. I would say because their youngest daughter was goooooooooing to the Yagura Branch and so had nooooooo time. Although the workers haaaaaad said they would be on my side and give their good word about me. I figured that would be gooooooooood enough, so I had left the destroyed White Rock."
"Did you take a break before coming here then? There has been some time since you were at White Rock."
"I had been caaaalled over by someone after leaving. Besides that, I understoooood that having such a late night meeting would liiiiikely not end too well, so I waited."
"Thank you for thinking of our sleep schedules."
"Thank you for allowing me this time."
Akio waved him off.
Mukuro nodded in response.
"Since you-"
"This is where you were. …Oh. Someone else."
The trio turned their heads upon hearing a flat voice coming from the door.
Akio and Naoko smiled towards the girl standing there and waved her over.
Mukuro stared at the girl with a blank face. There were no particular movements from him and his eyes had not narrowed like they had when speaking about his family.
In return, the girl stared at him with her own expressionless face. Her movements were natural as she moved in front of the door.
Akio and Naoko looked between the two, unsure as to what was going on. They were certain that nothing bad was happening as Mukuro continued to relax on the sofa he was on while the girl only stood there, staring directly at him.
"Hisoka?"
That had seemed to be enough to break whatever trance the two had been in as they both blinked in unison.
Mukuro had been the first one to respond, giving a sigh followed by a nod.
"I see. Nice to meet you."
.
Hisoka had thought that the boy in the room with her parents was nothing more than any other person. Maybe someone from another business at most.
That did not seem to be the case as he had responded to her unspoken words.
Being someone lacking in certain personal skills, she had been unsure how to properly address him. So instead she stared at him, giving unspoken words with her eyes.
But those unspoken words had gotten him to give his own unspoken words.
A conversation had already begun and she understood him at the basic level. A simple introduction and reasoning for why he was here.
It had been strange at first. Only her two best friends have been able to figure out her silent communication so far, so seeing this random boy be able to understand what she wanted to say had been a bit of a surprise.
It had been when her parents called to her that they had ended their conversation abruptly.
This tired boy in front of her seemed to understand that her parents were unaware of their conversation, so he spoke his words out for all of them to hear.
"I see. Nice to meet you," is what he had said with a nod.
She could only respond with a nod of her own, words not bothering to come out of her mouth at the moment.
Her parents must have noticed this since her mother had spoken up from where she sat.
"Didn't you say you would be bringing Shinnosuke-kun over? Where is he?"
"He had to use the toilet."
"I see. How long will you two be staying?"
Hisoka looked at nothing particular as she thought about the question.
Both she and Tsuji had to go to the Border base later on, as ordered by the directors. They had not said what time they needed to be there, but it would be safer to assume that it would be before sunset.
"A few hours, at most. We need to get to Border before sunset."
"Oh, for Border is trying in the Forbidden Zone, right? Taiyōko-kun had just told us what was going on. Well, at least what he is able to tell us."
There was no direct response from Mukuro, so it was hard to determine whether that was true or not.
It was always possible that he had only told them what he thought would be fine instead of everything that was necessary.
The hard part about it was that even she was unsure about what exactly they could tell others. Even if they were her parents and they were Border sponsors, there were still things that even they were not allowed to know.
All of it was a matter of facts that could or could not be told.
"Sorry for the wait."
Before her thoughts could go any further, they were interrupted by a voice coming from behind the door.
With Hisoka standing in front of it, the door could not move too much to allow the person through. Even so, it was clear who it was. There would only be one other person who would try to find them right now.
"Oh, Shinnosuke-kun. Hello."
"H-hello…Kobayashi-san."
"Please, I have told you before to just call me Naoko. Any friend of Hisoka is welcomed here."
"R-right…"
It was still strange how one of her best friends was still cautious around her mother.
Her father on the other hand…
"Well come on it. This isn't a problem, right Taiyōko?"
"…"
Hisoka looked over to see why the boy had not answered as Tsuji stepped through the door.
The reason for his lack of response had made everyone else jump in shock.
.
The moment Tsuji walked through the door, Mukuro's eyes had begun to close before he knew what was happening. His body started to lean towards one side and his entire body had become slack for no apparent reason.
Without properly seeing who had walked through, he had started to collapse on the sofa he was sitting on.
He was falling asleep.
That should not have been possible without specific people around. Even when his siblings were around, he could not ever find it in himself to fall asleep. His eyes would never get so heavy that they would fall and his muscles were always tightened in a way that held him up.
Who was this person that they had managed to make him fall asleep?
Regardless, the reaction he got from beginning to collapse had been immediate.
Akio had rushed over to check on him while Naoko and Tsuji only stared in shock at what had just happened.
The first to break the silence had been Hisoka.
"Shinnosuke, you should message one of his siblings about this," she said with a flat tone.
Yuki could feel it all throughout his body. Every single part was screaming at him to stop everything because it hurt.
But that was not possible.
Unless he were to die right there, there was no way for him to simply stop anything. The pain would continue to pulse throughout his body and every breath would feel like it was fire to his lungs.
There had been no blood this time, but that meant nothing when only getting outside of the Suzunari Branch had felt like pressure constantly pushed from inside as if trying to get out through every part of his skin.
The pressure would start from his feet when he took a step before forcefully pushing up to his legs. Once it reached his midsection, he felt as if he was walking through mud as the pressure pushed outwards and down at the same time. Getting to his stomach, the pressure had started to push towards the sides, making him want to vomit on the spot. Upon reaching his chest, the pressure began from the very center and expanded out. His heartbeat had begun to accelerate at an alarming rate, but he had managed to slow it down enough to take another step. From there it went to his neck. The feeling of suffocation had been quick, but left an impression on his mind. The final part the pressure reached had been his head. The aching that came from above, reaching the top, had been like a hammer slamming into him. His ears and eyes could feel the pressure pushing out, something he thought would lead to some bleeding. But nothing came.
After the first few steps outside of the branch he had started to slowly get used to the feeling. It did nothing to ease the pain, but he had managed to fortify himself enough to withstand it to the best of his ability.
Kō knew what was going on immediately. That's to be expected. But Kon and Kuruma-san also seemed to understand that something was wrong.
They had even tried to stop him from leaving.
During the entire match he had been in his trion body and now that he was in his flesh and blood body he could do nothing but want to go back to that false body.
Taichi had been excited the entire time, having a nice chance to see one of his favorite people fight. Saying anything during the match or after would have only made him sad or worried.
They had all known this, but the rest of Suzunari-1 had still tried to stop him from leaving.
They knew he would not take it easy if he left at that moment.
Yuki had waved them off regardless, knowing that any chance of him getting rest was minimal no matter if he stayed or left.
Kuruma had been the most insistent. The man had pulled him aside and began to question him, worry etched onto his face the entire time.
When Yuki had still refused to stay, Kuruma had made him promise to be in his trion body until he felt fine enough to go back into his real body.
But…
I need to not rely on a Trigger to keep me fine. If I keep up then I'll be insulting Kuga. And that's at the least… I need to keep doing everything in my real body. Even if I am a faker, I need to keep going with something that's real. I don't want to end up in something that isn't real.
More pressure tried to get out of his body.
"Hahaha…"
Yuki grabbed his chest and pushed himself to a nearby wall. That simple bitter laugh had felt like hell as the pressure in his chest was only pushed more.
With his free hand he began to reach into his pocket.
Minoru was right. It's my fault that Mei ended up like that. And that's because I took myself out of what was "real" at the time, too busy being on the high of winning one the sponsors like that. …Even when I did so little.
Feeling the cold object in his pocket, he gave a mental command.
His casual clothes began to be swapped out for the uniform that had three emblems stitched into it. The gray coloring blended in with the wall he was against, giving him even more dull appearance than if he were directly in the sun.
With his flesh and blood body fully switched out with his trion one, Yuki let out a sigh. It was followed by a self deprecating smile.
I didn't even do anything while I was there. Now that I realize what is "real" again I can tell that everything fell apart. My name, both my given one and my current one, really meant nothing there. Jinsei had to step forward before all of us, Kō was the one who pushed forward against Sekai-san, Kuruma-san had to protect me with his own name, and I had to rely on Kon to give Kō Idōgetsu.
"Just how pathetic can I get?"
He gave another laugh.
All he could do was laugh at himself.
"Am I real or am I fake?"
The answer never came.
There was no one around to answer his question.
"...Right then."
Pushing himself off the wall, Yuki fixed his expression. There was never a point in looking into his reflection when he knew what kind of expression he had to make. What he had to look like for others to think that he was fine and only in his trion body because he enjoyed it.
"I don't have time for this. I need to make sure that everything is set up for tonight."
Something would be happening and he was out in charge of a part of it.
Whether his question was answered or not, there was still something given to him to do and that would be what he would focus on.
It was how he would remain unneeded.