Mochizuki saw the result of her explosion.
The small explosions had been narrowed down for anti-personnel use. It was small scale, but it had enough power to easily blow someone away.
However…
"Good evening."
The falling smoke and flames were parted by Shiraishi Chisato.
She was unscathed as she walked forward. And…
…How?
Mochizuki did not understand. She had thrown an explosive as a counterattack. And she had matched it to Chisato's timing.
She had predicted her enemy would pass through that, so she had prepared a second piece of coal which could completely crush her opponent.
Or it should have.
That "should" should not have existed for an autonomous trion soldier.
For an autonomous trion soldier, the result was determined in advance. There were times when they made a "should" estimation because their processing power could not keep up with their macro observations, but there were never any "shoulds" in the micro observations of a battle like this with little to interfere.
But the enemy was unharmed.
Her gait was light as she approached. Mochizuki worked her mind to figure out why.
…Understood.
Mochizuki reached an understanding. Chisato was walking.
Mochizuki had thrown her explosive based on the timing from when Chisato had been running.
Since she was walking now, the explosion had occurred in front of her and focused its power there.
…But the early throwing time was not a mistake.
After all, predicting she would be walking and throwing accordingly would have been dangerous. It was possible she could shift from a walk to a run.
So this decision had not been a mistake.
But this decision had not defeated the enemy.
And that enemy was approaching.
She walked forward.
Mochizuki prepared to move back.
"—?"
Chisato raised her right hand.
Her lightly spread hand held nothing. And there was no sign of her grabbing anything with it. But…
…I have determined this was unexpected!
Mochizuki realized she had stopped moving.
.
"Well done, Shiraishi Representative."
Ōji heard Kurauchi speak quietly while maintaining his defensive stance.
He followed his gaze toward Mochizuki.
And when Ōji looked that way, Mochizuki did something odd.
Even though Chisato was merely walking, Mochizuki frantically began to move back but suddenly stopped.
…What is happening?
Ōji asked Kurauchi about it while he adjusted the aim of his own Triggers.
"What kind of trick is the Shiraishi Representative using there?"
"Right. …She intentionally placed herself at a disadvantage in two or three ways at once."
And…
"She is using the advantages of essentially a computer against her opponent."
That reminded Ōji of something.
"Is that what you tried to do earlier in the day, Kurauchi?"
"This is different from Awdry and the others."
Kurauchi had fought a beast in the morning, but...
"Compared to the Shiraishi Representative's current opponent, I can see just how free a life Yagura's trion soldier lives. I can also tell just how many harsh battlefields the other sides' trion soldiers have seen. And…I know perfectly well what combat policy the Shiraishi Representative has taken."
That being…
"Pacifism. Or rather, she aims to surpass her opponent without even fighting."
Ōji knew what he meant. That had been the Shiraishi family's initial policy toward Border.
…They kept their distance from Border and tried to claim the uncertain path that made them the people's victors.
Even if they would have accepted Border after that, they had rejected any interference.
Of course, even if the Shiraishi Representative advocated pacifism, she would know that fighting was inevitable.
She avoided combat because the explosive power of dedicating all of her strength to fighting was too dangerous. Ortlinde's Unturning Trion Lances went well beyond an individual's technique.
Also, when she did use that, she tended to make her attack in consecutive waves to provide a warning.
"When she does fight, she pursues her enemy, bites at them time and again, and lets them know how much of an advantage she has before finally ensnaring them and crushing them. …Is that the way of Ortlinde?"
She had done that against Futoyuki during a training session earlier in the day. She had secured her advantage on the battlefield using the consecutive creation of Ortlinde's parts and then she had made her attack on Futoyuki.
It was a strange contradiction.
She held back because she understood the danger she posed.
But when she decided to use her power, she did so without feeling a single pang of conscience.
And most likely…
…She stepped forward on this battlefield because she lacks Ortlinde in full.
Should you call it a prideful overestimation of her power?
Or should you call it a kind consideration for others?
But Ōji also heard some whispering behind him.
"Weird… She was pretty damn hostile with me from the beginnin'…"
"What'd you do to her, Iko-san?"
"Only gave'er some panties while playin' a porn game'n then fought her with Kōgetsu."
"That's pretty high level stuff."
"Um, Mizukami-senpai, I don't think that's the issue…"
Perhaps some forceful interference had altered the Shiraishi family's policy from the outset there.
But without that here, the Shiraishi Representative could handle this like normal.
"Here she goes, Ōji. …The Shiraishi Representative is moving forward."
.
This is a pattern, thought Mochizuki as she fell back.
This must be the usual combat pattern of Miden's warrior known as the Shiraishi Representative. Understood.
…She is going to repeatedly bite at me as a warning!
She would make her superiority known and, if her opponent continued to oppose her, she would prove that accumulated superiority by sending all of it her opponent's way to achieve victory.
Shiraishi's Representative had already given several warnings.
When Mochizuki placed her memories on the chopping block of her decision making, she realized the warnings had begun from the first time that girl had blocked one of the explosives with her lances.
And that had done something to the timing of Mochizuki's explosions and the way she dodged the many lance strikes.
…She created a pattern in them!
Mochizuki had intended to avoid repeating a pattern in her attacks and evasions.
But the enemy had made her do so.
By defending, dodging, and attacking in the same way, Shiraishi's Representative had given a pattern to Mochizuki's movements.
It was not that Shiraishi's Representative could only defend or dodge, or that she could only make attacks that would not hit.
"I have determined she was guiding me by teaching me how to react to those actions!"
Mochizuki tried to fall back as Chisato walked toward her.
Mochizuki determined her opponent was dangerous, so she quickly prepared to move back.
"—"
Her body reacted to Chisato's light movements.
Chisato had made one of the "initial movements" that Mochizuki had unwittingly memorized.
It was the initial movement that Chisato always made before attacking.
And once she saw that movement, Mochizuki would not be making the "optimal reaction" if she did not dodge.
So she began to change her backwards movement into the optimal evasion.
…I have determined that is wrong!
The immediate change of intent dulled and stopped her movement.
This was a deficiency found in autonomous trion soldiers.
What was normally a strength had been remade into a weakness by the series of events.
And the enemy had made a further warning earlier.
When faced with the defenseless Shiraishi Chisato, Mochizuki had determined whether or not she was an enemy. If she had settled on "not an enemy", this would not have happened.
That had been the final warning.
After preparing herself to overcome everything, Shirishi Chisato was confirming her opponent's hostile intent.
Mochizuki had misread the situation.
Her primary mission was to buy time for Galopoula to complete its preparations in the large building. So she had determined her goal matched that of Shiraishi Chisato who was making no attempt at a finishing blow.
But she had been wrong.
Her opponent had only been warning her while building up what she needed to overcome.
…If I do not fall back soon, she will ultimately crush me and sweep me away!
Mochizuki had made the wrong decision here.
She had mistakenly thought this was provocation and that she was a step away from victory.
But that had not been true at all.
"I have determined you were luring me in!"
There was a reason for the intensity at the end of her statement. Shiraishi Chisato had lightly moved her knee forward as she approached.
She was coming.
Autonomous Trion Solder vision was fast. She could perceive all of her opponent's movements. But that was precisely the problem.
"—"
She could not overlook the initial movement of an attack that she had been forced to memorize.
To conclude that this was something else, she had to confirm it for herself.
This was the same.
Even in her high-speed vision, she had to wait to see that Shiraishi Chisato's leg was merely stepping forward instead of preparing to attack.
Her high-speed processing power was wasted.
It was a waste of time.
"When you can see everything, you have to react to everything," said Shiraishi Chisato. "Let me guess. You should have been a good match for me. You should have been able to use your explosives to hold back the consecutive creation of my trion lances. You should have been able to hold back all of my attacks. You should have been easily able to defeat me. That's how it should have been…right?"
The enemy spoke of should after should. And without a smile on her face.
"And that's why a thought occurred to me."
"What was that?"
"What would be good for dinner tonight? We had fish yesterday."
Mochizuki did not understand.
But Shiraishi Chisato continued to approach. But as she approached, Mochizuki had a thought.
…If I keep things like this, her attacks can't reach me!
Yes, if the enemy attacked, she only had to dodge again.
If she made the appropriate response, the enemy could do nothing.
…And… She still had a secret technique.
Her opponent was not the only one with a trick up her sleeve.
And just as she sensed the possibility of victory, Shiraishi Chisato moved again.
She displayed the initial movement of an attack.
.
Oh, thought Ikoma.
…Is she gonna create her lance here?
The B-Rank captain's eyes saw the false limbs white hood girl finally create a lance from thin air.
She had moved in close, but her trion soldier opponent had excellent reaction speed. Swinging that lance would not hit her. So…
"That's right."
Ikoma continued speaking before the confused underclassman and the others could turn his way.
"She's powerful, but she doesn't hold back."
As he said that, Chisato made a certain movement.
She let go of the lance she had partially created.
.
Mochizuki determined her opponent had done something unexpected.
She had given Mochizuki an evasion pattern, looked like was using that for a feint, and…
…Did something else!?
Autonomous trion soldiers always sought the optimal answer to the present situation.
They searched for that answer through calculations such as statistics and deviations, but most of all by searching.
Even when faced with a never-before-seen situation, there was a chance they had experienced, seen, or heard about a similar or equivalent action.
So that happened here. And…
"…Kh."
She could not move until she found the answer.
She might find the optimal solution, so moving before it arrived might mean letting the optimal solution escape her. So…
…I…can't…
Mochizuki made an adjustment as the word "move" appeared in her mind.
She saw Shiraishi Chisato charge forward without a weapon in tow.
She had to strike back.
This was an enemy before her eyes. As she had previously determined, this was a hostile opponent.
The current situation did not matter. The previous reason remained: Shiraishi Chisato was a part of Miden, so…
…She is defined as an enemy!
"—!"
Mochizuki moved. She moved back to avoid Chisato's approach.
And she swung her hand like usual.
…I have determined she cannot dodge this!
She threw her explosives as a counterattack against Chisato.
.
Chisato saw the coals approaching.
The explosives had been thrown toward her approach.
…So she managed to respond. Well done.
And so Chisato continued forward. She leaned forward for just an instant to pass between the coals.
From there, she did not rush herself and walked one step further forward than normal.
That dodged the attack.
Ahead of her, Mochizuki was already preparing the next attack.
"—"
Chisato felt heat like wind on her neck.
It was…
…The coals.
The five coals that glowed with a red light had supposedly passed by her, but they made a gentle turn and pursued her.
These were homing weapons. They were different from the previous coals that had only traveled in a straight line. Their movements gently wrapped around her at close range. They were similar to Hound in that way.
"…!"
And they exploded.
.
Mochizuki made her second throw.
She could not tell what had happened to Shiraishi Chisato.
This was a dangerous enemy, so she needed to throw more explosives.
…Obliterating her so nothing remains is the optimal solution!
Mochizuki used that decision to violently shake the air.
The many explosions surrounded her with smoke. The enemy was thoroughly hidden both physically and optically. Mochizuki knew what such an action was called: fear.
She had no emotions, but this was a statistical decision.
After all, this enemy had surpassed what autonomous trion soldiers excelled at and took pride in, and she had moved in to consume her. It was almost like…
"She is trying to make my existence meaningless…!"
All of these additional explosives were thrown in a straight line. They did not contain the gentle homing ability seen in the earlier ones. That was…
…My secret technique!
She had revealed her explosion ability that she only used as a last resort.
It was…
"A fuse, right?"
She heard a voice. It was Shiraishi Chisato's.
.
Mochizuki briefly stopped moving.
But only for a moment. She soon launched more explosives. She sent a great tremor into the air.
But the voice spoke.
"Your explosion ability - Trigger? - is formed from a fuse. You should have plenty of explosives stored in some other phase like a dual pitch space - such as a Gate - for when bringing weaponry along on a covert mission would be difficult."
"I have determined you are discussing 'shoulds'."
"And you should have things set up so that the bombs stored in a phase space are ejected and detonated when the fire reaches the end of the fuse. And for a fuse, you use…"
She said it.
"Your hair."
There was no "should" here.
"Your throwing action was fake. You used the throwing action to disguise that your gravitational control pulled out a hair fuse and threw it like a long needle. That was why the throwing action was always the same and the thrown explosives were always the same speed. And that made it easy to avoid once I had seen through it."
"But how did you-…!?"
"Because you tried to hit me by manipulating the timing more than the speed or angle. It's the same as trying to hit someone with a projectile fired at the optimal speed instead of just throwing it by hand. That told me you were launching something with your gravitational control instead of throwing the explosive."
Mochizuki stopped making the throwing motion.
Her enemy had seen through it.
It was no use against this opponent.
"I thought you did quite well at the end there. …You used nothing but straight-line throws the whole time and then released the gravitational control to give the hairs back some of their original limberness. The very air current I created by moving forward caught them and gave the fuses a gentle homing ability. A decent secret technique."
She had seen through it all.
Mochizuki determined that every technique available to her had been crushed.
"How long did you know…?"
"Would it sound cool to say 'from the beginning'?"
As for why…
"The smell. …You were plotting to infiltrate the Border base if possible, weren't you? So you prepared a disguise and used Earth products. …That shampoo can overpower the smell of other things, can't it? I've used it since last night."
The wind reached the smoke.
A slight gap appeared in the smoke, creating a window-like slit. And when Mochizuki searched for the enemy through it…
…She's gone!?
"I'm over here."
She was down below.
At the bottom of the smoke convection, Shiraishi Chisato was seated on the floor.
She had no hood.
There was no need to preface it with "most likely". To escape the timing of the explosion, she had abandoned the weights on her shoulders and dropped her body straight down.
The enemy had been in the same spot the entire time.
Which one was it that had lost sight of what mattered and instead viewed the wrong thing?
…I have determined it was me!
Mochizuki moved.
Nothing she could do would work any longer. So as if abandoning all that…
"…!"
She pulled out a bundle of hair with her gravitational control and fired it.
She lit the many fuses as Shiraishi Chisato got up from the floor.
"What if I attack with them all at once!?"
"You mustn't lose sight of your original objective."
Shiraishi Chisato created a semi-circle onto her shoulders.
And not just one pair. The semi-circle appeared like bullets being loaded into a magazine and she launched them toward Mochizuki.
They all took the same action she had used when attacking Mochizuki before.
She reproduced the attack enough times to reach the triple digits. The semi-circles accurately carried out the task. But those semi-circles were no weapons. So even more than before…
…Those attacks cannot reach me!
Just as Mochizuki made that decision and prepared to make her final evasion, she saw something.
The many semi-circles performing their attack in midair were holding her fuses. And each semi-circle held just the one hair.
Hoodless Chisato spoke calmly.
"Attacking with them all at once, you said?"
Then…
"That is what I'll hit you with to defeat you."
Mochizuki realized all of the explosions had hit her own body.
As she was smashed to pieces, she heard a noise.
It was coming through a special communication link she had been given by the original model. But Mochichiyo. It was connected to...
…Lord Koskero.
She heard fast movements. He was still fighting against Miden warriors.
A jellylike substance moved through the air, curving and shifting.
Yoneya moved through the jellylike substance, extra spear in hand.
Fallen Idras lay behind him as he swung the spear at Koskero.
A decagonal blade was raised to block the spear.
From the corners of the room the jellylike substance spread out and moved towards Yoneya's side.
A large shield appeared at his side, but the jellylike substances only curved around the shield and moved closer to the retreating Yoneya.
Once it had a hold on him, it grabbed hold of his arm hand from the wrist down and his foot from the ankle down.
He tried to grab hold of his spear once more and found his hand slipping across the surface of it. His step did as much when he tried to move forward.
Spear Idiot: "Thanks for trying, Sunshine."
Sniper Detective: "Uwaaah~ I was going to curve the shield, but that goo is faster than I thought it would be. My bad."
Spear Idiot: "No worries. You're using your scope to see us after all."
Trying for a second time to grab hold of his spear, Yoneya found the spear slipping through his grasp with the jellylike substance not allowing his hand to make actual contact with the Trigger.
Spear Idiot: "Whoa, I can't get a good grip on my spear. And I'm losing my balance. This stuff looks insignificant at first but is definitely bad news."
Black Bullet: "His Trigger causes a 'disadvantageous effect' for his opponents. Kind of like the Lead Bullets."
The jellylike substance that had been attacking them began to move back towards the Neighbor.
It swirled around him like tentacles ready to strike.
There was no physical damage with those attacks, but being stopped from using their own Triggers would only lead to bad things. They would not be able to fight or counter any physical attacks after they were taken by the jellylike substance.
Black Bullet: "We've failed every time we've tried to out-flank him. Looks like his positioning is mainly defensive. He's the type to waste an opponent's time."
Sniper Detective: "Just got word that Hiso fought someone similar over on her end. The difference was that she used physical defenses to stall out. You two just got the short end of the stick, I guess."
Snpear Idiot: "Thanks for telling us that!"
Sniper Detective: "Any time!"
Black Bullet: "If you two are done."
Yoneya stuck his tongue out towards Miwa, knowing that Svantje was doing the same on her end.
For his part, Miwa just ignored the gesture and continued.
Black Bullet: "He might also be waiting for a chance to strike back. The important thing is that we don't try to fight that gel shield head-on, we should be fine."
Sniper Detective: "Aw~ Use 'jelly', it's more fun to say!"
He would not and they all knew that.
Spear Idiot: "Okay. We've encountered these 'do not touch' types, once before already."
Yoneya grinned as he thought back to the last invasion they had fought.
During that time, the leader of the invasion had a Trigger that turned his opponents in raw trion or him to take. Anything trion based would be blocked by him and be rendered useless.
This time was different in the way the Triggers worked, but the situation was the exact same as back then.
No, it's not the same this time.
This time he had more support.
This time there was Miwa at his side and Svantje backing them up from a distance.
So all he had to do was think about what they had done during the last time and what they could do during this time.
And that was…
.
"Senkū Kōgetsu!"
The extended slash from the shaft to the tip of the spear moved through the building.
A hole had been made in the Side of the building from a previous attack and both Yoneya and Miwa had stood at the opening. Within the building itself had been Koskero, trying to use the small space to his advantage.
The amount of places the jellylike substance could hide while inside of a crowded room had given him the advantage during the time, but now that was being taken away from him.
The slashes that cut through the air soon reached the roof of the buildings, tearing through its materials and splitting it open.
Koskero began to move back from the attack and the falling roof.
"!?"
Shattered glass could be heard from the side.
As he tried to move to the right, he stopped to make his step into a half turn.
A shot had been fired from a distance.
It had stopped him from moving to the side.
The roof of the building came down on him a moment later.
"…"
Or that was what should have happened.
At seeing the roof beginning to fall on him, Koskero used this half turn to slide to the side while the jellylike substance from Nikokyra splashed from the weight of the roof.
He glanced at the device in his hand as Miwa rushed forward with Kōgetsu.
Guess I'll give some payback for Mochichiyo while I'm at it.
Tossing the device into the air, he closed his eyes.
The sound of a gun firing could be heard.
He brought up Nikokyra to block the bullets.
Two lead weights appeared in the jellylike substance.
At the same time, the device he had thrown gave a blinding flash.
It would detonate.
He prepared a second layer of defense with Nikokyra.
But…
"What…!?"
It was shot down.
The blinding light subsided as the device fell to the ground.
Koskero clicks this tongue.
They know my Nikokyra is weak to non-trion attacks. That sniper noticed what was doing right away and shot it down before it could go off too.
This was the teamwork of Miden.
Their numbers, even when small, made up the danger coming from them. Aftokrator and Pagoménos had witnessed that firsthand and now Galopoula was able to see it for themselves.
I should apologize to Mochichiyo after this. She might just let me off with a beating.
For now.
I need to get outside.
Koskero took a leap away from the Miwa Squad duo and moved to the roof.
It was more dangerous when there was a sniper around, but it also gave him a wider area to move around.
The jellylike substance from Nikokyra gathered around him once more, moving around at his feet and twisting around his body.
Looks like I'm going to need some time to set up a counterattack. I might even have to use the second gift Mochichiyo gave me. Although that one will be troublesome.
Anything to get through this fight.
Both Wen Sō and Shi muon had already lost within the Miden base, so it was up to the ones outside to hold off as many Miden warriors as they could. That included these two.
But then one of them did something strange.
It was frowned upon during fights, yet he did it without any worry.
"There is something...that I want to ask you first."
He began speaking.
.
Svantje watched through her scope and listened through the comms.
She had set up wires all-around the area so that she could snipe from just about anywhere.
Her tightrope sniping had been something she became well known for and it showed my once she put it to action.
But now she held back from firing.
"The ones that invaded and sanctioned the massacre of the world on 'this side' four years ago, was it your country? Or was it another country that you know of?"
Her friend wanted answers to something he had thought about for a long time now.
She knew that he wanted to know so he knew where to direct his emotions.
She could not fault him for that.
Even when speaking during a fight was forced upon, he did so without a care.
And the reason he could do so…
"…About that…"
Was because he trusted that she would be prepared.
She did not need to look through her scope to know that Miwa and Yoneya would get attacked during this time.
That had been easy to figure out from the way their opponent moved.
His stance, his mannerisms, the way he seemed to think through every action. It had all laid everything bare for her to see how things would turn out.
It was not a matter of calculating possibilities like Mei or Mukuro, or seeing possible futures like Jin. It was just simple deduction skills that lead her to the conclusion of his next actions.
That was why she did not hesitate to fire using Egret as he held herself on a wire.
The shot had moved through the air and ripped through the man.
At the same time, the jellylike substance rose from the building under the Miwa Squad duo, shooting out and reaching desperately for either one of them.
Some tendrils from the Trigger had grabbed hold of Miwa's arm and foot while other ones latched onto Yoneya's other leg.
With the jellylike substance taking his hand, Miwa was forced to let go of Kōgetsu.
Words followed after the simultaneous attacks.
"... I am under no obligations to answer you, but allow me to give you a piece of advice instead... It's best not to talk too much, when we're in a battle."
The man spoke easily, even while his arm could not be used anymore.
This did nothing to faze either Miwa Squad member.
"'When we're in a battle'...? Don't be stupid."
Svantje could only nod her head as she began to move.
Her movement was casual and held no urgency.
This fight was over already. She did not need to be in position to attack anymore.
It had been clear why from the moment she saw the never changing expression on Miwa's face.
"The battle was already over... The moment you came 'above'."
.
Five green lines raced along the ground before running up along the side of the buildings.
They climbed to the top just as easily and reached their destination.
Once they did...
"...!?"
They sprang up.
They were the five slashes from the Black Trigger known as Fujin.
In a far off distance, away from the fight concerning Miwa Squad, a single man stood with a green blade in hand.
Mature Woman: "A direct hit. Thanks for the hard work, Jin."
Jin could only grin as he stared off in the direction he had sent the five slashes.
Tsukimi could be heard through the comms, but that did not matter.
What had mattered was the fact he had hit.
"You really know how to order people around."
Koskero could only stare as his body was slashed part by the five unseen blades.
I knew there was a sniper, but this is…
They had come as slashes instead of shots.
The long distance slash attack that was mentioned in the Aftokrator report...! But from that far of a distance... Is this the effects of a Black Trigger! They lured me under the false pretense of talking to get me to stop moving so that the Black Trigger could take aim…!
He could only curse from within his heart as he fell down on the roof.
These Miden warriors had worked together and come up with a strategy to beat three of them already.
They worked together as a single being instead of individuals who would not amount to much.
The Neighborhood viewed them as nothing more than a place to attack or a place to get some enjoyment out of by tormenting them. Trigger users in the Neighbor had all kinds of abilities, but they viewed themselves as individuals who could handle fights.
Miden was the opposite.
They were not as defanged as nations had thought and they were not so weak as to fall from an attack.
And because of all of that...
"I fell into a trap..."
Koskero looked in the direction of where the slashes came from, then to Miwa and Yoneya.
These two had seemed like they were "his only opponents" when in reality they were "two of his opponents".
That had been proven once the sniper had appeared to back them up and it had been reinforced by the final attack that caused his loss.
"Target neutralized. We're going to start escorting the Neighbor back to HQ. When we get back to HQ, we've got all the time in the world to talk."
Koskero could not help but think over the talk he had had with Mochichiyo before their attack.
There were no doubts in his mind that she would be laughing at him right now.
But she would also use this as a show of just what Miden could do.
That was why he had decided that they should send all of this information to her once they were done.
.
Yoneya looked down at their opponent.
The fight had been rather short, but it was also exciting in its own way.
But what he felt was the most important part to it all had to have been the way Miwa acted during it all.
There was no anger from him and each move was made in the same way it had been before they had ever met Tamakoma's Neighbor.
It was actually better this time.
The rage and hatred he always showed toward Neighbors would come out when fighting on defense duty. This time had been different.
It was a nice change.
He knew that he was not the only one to think this as a message soon came through.
Sniper Detective: "It's nice to see him like this."
Svantje had sent him a personal message so that they would not be found out by Miwa.
Spear Idiot: "Yeah. I was shocked when he agreed to work with Jin-san. But I guess that just shows that things are different now."
Sniper Detective: "I've heard that he's also helping out the Misaki flower shop."
Spear Idiot: "Oh, yeah. Suzume's been coming by to talk to him about some things there. Nothing official yet, but I think he's starting to get some privileges for working there part time."
Sniper Detective: "Are you sure he isn't just being used for doujinshi material?"
He had to laugh at that since it was likely that something like that was also happening when Miwa went over to help at that flower shop.
His grin fell to a small smile as he looked over to his captain and friend.
Spear Idiot: "I think Suzume is just trying to get him to sing a song or something. Apparently it's become a goal for her now since she comes by regularly now. And nto because she wants to fight with Narasaka. She is usually begging him to 'at least hum the melody' of some songs."
It was an interesting thing to think about.
But that was not what had been important during those times.
While it entertained the rest of them, especially once she started dragging Kodera into it or started fighting with Narasaka, it was the way that Miwa responded to those things that would always catch their attention.
Spear Idiot: "He always rejects her. But he always has a pretty relaxed attitude toward it. He hasn't blown up on her or anything since she started asking him. I think she sees the difference in him too since she usually just let out a huff and accepts the rejection. At least for the time."
Sniper Detective: "She is pretty in tune with others' feelings on matters. No pun intended."
Still, it had been nice to see the interactions.
Neither side would push too hard and neither side would pull too hard. It was what showed them just what changed with Miwa after having calmed down from all of his anger and hatred towards Neighbors.
That anger and hatred was still there, but it did not show itself in any casual setting anymore and it did not appear even when fighting important battles.
Yoneya felt himself get more and more happy knowing that his and Svantje's friend was now calming down.
Spear Idiot: "Hey, do you know what's going on around? Who is left fighting?"
Sniper Detective: "I would ask if you planned on helping around, but even you know that you can't do much the way you are right now."
Spear Idiot: "I'm hurt! But of course I know I can't do much!"
He knew that the both of them were laughing at the small banter.
It helped to lighten the mood a bit more.
Sniper Detective: "There's a loud fight a good ways away. That one has Tsukiko and Shor squads. Then there's the large battle that looks like it's finishing up. As for the last one…"
Spear idiot: "That's the one where Yuki-san is at right?"
He had heard that battlefield was a bit more difficult than the others, solely for the fact that there was not a single opponent but rather many.
They should be able to handle it over there. But still…
Would they be fine?