"Uwah~ Looks like Kai got taken out again."

It was not fully his fault so that much could be forgiven. Even so, it created a gap now between the squads.

Yuba Squad and Kotowari Squad were the only two with all of their members still active while Hikigane Squad had lost a member. In terms of value, Hikigane Squad currently had the lowest value with only one of their members doing anything right now.

I was hoping that Suzume-chan would also get taken out in her fight against Kirikai-senpai, but I guess not everything can work out nicely.

Oki didn't feel any particular way about the situation, but he had to think about it as someone fighting against these people.

With Minamisawa out of the match it left Girikage to focus solely on Yuba. But along with that, he could focus on everything else around him.

Okay: "Really making things difficult for us here."

Minty: "Sorry, sorry! I didn't think Dai-chan would do a fake out like that!"

Iko: "Hey, what're we supposed to do now with Kai outta here? We've gotta make up for the points, but now Take-chan doesn't have anybody to make him look cooler."

Mario: "That's not what you should be focusing on here!"

It was entertaining enough that he decided to go along with it.

But that's kinda hard now that Kai's outta here.

A line of light cut through the air he was viewing through his scope and focused on where it would end up.

From his perspective, it looked like Girikage was trying to run away from Yuba, but there was something off with that.

Taking aim, he fired as soon as Idāten ended and Girikage came into full view.

Without hesitating or turning towards him, a shield appeared next to Girikage, stopping his shot and showing where he was.

He ran the moment his shot had been blocked.

Okay: "I'd like to make somethin' clear. Having me fire at Girikage isn't a good idea."

Shōgi Boy: "Look, just 'cause Tokyo's getting pretty good doesn't mean you need to say things like that."

Okay: "I can't really harass others the same way he does, so it's a no contest fight there."

The other two Sniper were likely happy to also not be dealing with that here.

Worrying about that sort of thing would only mess with his shot, so he pushed that to the back of his mind for now.

Okay: "Nah, it's more like Girikage's got something like Kageura-san and Toby's Side Effect goin' on."

Shōgi Boy: "Eh? That sounds like a hassle to deal with."

Okay: "You should be fine enough, but single shots from a Sniper aren't gonna cut it with him."

Shōgi Boy: "So our best bet's to have Iko-san Senkū his ass to get that point."

Not a delicate way of putting it, but he said nothing against it.

Nothing had attacked him once he left his firing position, meaning that no one else had found out where he was.

That's good. Saves me the trouble of-

Oki's eyes widened as white filled his vision.

.

A white light tore through the air in a straight line. It gave a heated noise and refused to stop in the cold air.

Oki recognized this attack.

But he should be over there with Girikage and Yuba-san!

Putting up a shield against this attack would mean nothing with how relentless it could be. All he could do to respond was put a Grasshopper plate behind him and move away.

But the moment he did...

"He's really tryin' for me, ain't he?"

A single shot pierced the plate the moment it formed.

"This looks pretty bad."

A solid shield appeared in front of him just before impact. The laser-like beam began tearing into the shield, creating a hole through it and leave spider-like cracks starting from the middle of it.

It only took a moment for it to break through, but Oki had already fallen far enough that it only nicked his shoulder. This was strange, but he thought little about it.

Okay: "Thanks for the save."

Shōgi Boy: "They're really gunnin' for ya, Oki. Man, popular people have it rough, don't they?"

Okay: "I'm not really that popular, you know. Besides, compared to you, I don't talk all too much with Koto-kun."

Shōgi Boy: "You should. He's a good enough kid, I guess."

Ikoma and Chisato seemed to also think so. Maybe there was some merit in talking to the boy later.

For now, he was an opponent who had found his location and attacked based on that.

But that was what had him on edge.

He's too far away to freely fire like that. The angle was also in a completely different direction from where he is.

So how did he do that?

The coloring of the beam was also something to question. It was the same white that was spread out around him. He was probably using the coloration to hide his attacks and strike when his opponent thought they were free to move around.

It would explain how Kirikari-senpai lost while Suzume-chan took little damage by the end of it.

Having someone like that against them was a bit bothersome. He knew from experience that Shooters like that were difficult once they found out where the Snipers were and were relentless once they got a full lock on their targets.

All he could do was sigh and continue moving.

What a guy. I think Iko-san has the wrong idea here.

Even if Shooters like that were annoying during times like these...

I think it's pretty cool that he's sticking to it.

I missed my chance...

Suzume had helped him out and he still missed out on taking someone else with one of the trion orbs he had left behind.

She had assured him that it was fine, and he believed it, but it was still something that made him show his hand earlier than he had wanted.

But...

Toby and Hoshi are fighting Hikigane-san right now. ...They can't win. If he is really fighting now then it means they will lose. They won't be blamed for it. Maybe they will get some snide remarks to the side, but they can brush it aside easily.

It left a large space between his squad and all the others if the two of them were taken out.

One he knew he couldn't fill.

I can't tell them to just run at this point. If they are fighting it out then it means they had decided that running would mean nothing.

The shrine had been lost and he would be losing two teammates for this match. That was a heavy blow to their plans and their overall fighting force.

He sighed into his scarf as he stood with his back to one of the small buildings. Yuba was still within view, but Girikage had used Idāten to run away. The match was now in a standstill until someone else did something.

And knowing who else is fighting here...

Honest Sister: "It's coming."

Reacting more to the words than anything else, Takeshi quickly crouched down.

Then it happened.

An unseen horizontal line appeared above his head. The only telling that it had been there was the blank space between the top halves and bottom halves of the buildings near him.

Everything in the way of that horizontal line was cut cleanly in two.

Then noises from the impact of the top halves slamming back down onto the bottom halves reverberated all around him and caused everything around him to crumble in on itself and be destroyed. The destruction was wide and covered the entire street in it. The snow all around him was thrown into the air, creating a large veil of white that obscured his entire field of vision.

Instead of waiting for something else to happen, he tucked his body in and began to roll away. Once he was through with his third roll, he jumped up and moved back, ready to remove his Bagworm at any moment.

Izumo: "Senpai, Suzuka-san is busy helping Toby and Hoshi with their fight. Can you see anything outside of the snow?"

Honest Sister: "Iko-san and MizuMizu look like they're going to attack again. Looks like Yuba-san is still honestly nearby, so be careful."

That was all he needed to know.

Takeshi held out one of his hands as an orb of trion appeared in front of him. The white color was hard to see inside of the veil of white, the way he had planned it.

Izumo: "Senpai-"

Honest Sister: "JK Operator already said that she'd send over the info that Toby and Hoshi-chan are getting from their fight, so you honestly don't need to worry about them. She managed to make some time to send you the location of Yuba-san and Dai-chan that I saw from my spot. Honestly have fun."

He still wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he would see how he felt by the end of this.

So he made the first action.

From the trion orb in front of him, a heated noise began to form as it glowed a brilliant white filled his vision. A single laser-like beam tore through the veil of white and remained hard to see within it.

Takeshi moved his hand in the air, trion orb following his movement.

The laser-like beam cut through the air like a blade would, disturbing the snow throw up and leaving blank spaces in between.

Honest Sister: "Next one. Shot from above too."

A second and third attack came in that moment.

The airborne snow was cut by an actual slash this time as a rain of trion bullets filled the space right after.

But...

Looks like it worked.

Two more attacks struck.

"Yes! Nice going, Take!"

Yuki jumped from his seat as he saw the next few actions on the screen.

Takeshi had used the change in trion color to his advantage and gave away his own spot only for a single moment. Two attacks from Ikoma Squad were coming, one form a horizontal slash and one from a vertical drop. It left little room to move around in.

Yuba and Daigo were agile enough to moved through it or block what they couldn't dodge, but Takeshi wasn't use to moving his body so freely, and his speed was never the best.

So he made up for it by using the Triggers he had.

The moment each attack connected with his body it happened.

A strap fell to the ground.

He could see Daigo's questioning expression on the screen as the rest of the attacks ended and he left if a streak of light.

TetsuG: "Was that something you taught him, Yuki?"

White Fox: "Nah, that was all Take."

TetsuG: "That's why I didn't dislike it right away."

White Fox: "Hey, Tetsu? Go stick your dick in a blender, 'kay?"

He could see Arafune scoff in his seat down below but said nothing about it.

"It's nice to see them learning."

"...It makes it nice to see that they aren't like their idio- ...Ahem. ...Their former captain."

It was nice to know those two were also carefree here. Even if it put him in this kind of spot.

Still, he was proud.

Keep it going, you guys.

His eyes began to trail along the screen until they reached the other fight happening.

Now what will you do here...?

Sekai ran.

All around him shields formed and left him with little room to move around. Each one was weak, but they formed fast enough that he had to make sudden movements.

Whenever one would appear in front of him or above him then it meant he needed to destroy it. The ones to his left and right created a sort of path that stopped him from moving in either direction.

Outside of those forming shields, Toby ran next him with two Scorpion blades in hand.

"A pincer attack? Hah. Is this your last attempt at a fight?"

They were focusing on restricting his movements.

It wasn't something new to him, but it remained as something irritating to deal with.

In that case...

"First, I'll blind those irritating eyes!"

He made a sudden stop while creating a cube of trion. It faced the ground and he wasted no time in firing it.

An explosion shook the ground as snow and dirt flew into the air.

Both Hoshi and Toby were left unable to see through it all from within the explosion.

"In that case..."

Toby was the first to react.

Sekai could hear the shattering of one of the blades and the creation of a trion cube.

A moment later he noticed the attack in full.

Hound... Five. Something coming horizontally. And four above.

He had to make a choice fast.

The dust and snow was forced aside.

"I saved this for you!"

There was no reason to hesitate.

He turned around and unsheathed Kōgetsu.

The feedback was instant with his blade cutting through both blades and a body. At the same time the body had moved back, yet it had still been unable to escape.

But...

They still managed a hit since I had to choose between beating him or dodging.

The four Hounds bit into his stretched out arm, shoulder, back, and leg. They were minimal damage attacks.

The real score here was Toby, now cut in half and with green lines tracing his entire body.

A bitter smile played on his lips.

"You really are a monster," he said. "Good grief, this is like a sick joke."

His body turned to light.

Bail Out.

Sekai didn't focus on the light flying away and instead turned back around to focus on the next attack.

It was another trion bullet.

"!"

But there had been something right behind it.

"Thank you, Toby-kun!"

Hoshi had used the bullet as a distraction shot while running behind it.

With his leg still in the air from swatting the bullet away it left him hard-pressed to react so soon.

Hoshi used that to swing Kōgetsu at his leg still on the ground.

So irritating.

But he was faster.

A shield appeared next to his leg and locked around the blade, keeping it from moving.

She can't escape anymore. It was a good try, but that's that.

He held nothing back was he brought back and down Kōgetsu onto Hoshi. The cut was from head to groin and cleanly cut through her.

But...

"This resistance..."

When he blinked he saw that Hoshi was nowhere to be seen.

In her place was her Kōgetsu.

Huh? They used a decoy?

They shouldn't have been skilled enough to do that.

Yet they had gotten him with it.

Then where she really is...

.

Hoshi moved forward after her sudden teleportation.

It had been a last ditch effort to use Zanzō, and the timing was what would decide this, but she had managed to get it all down perfectly.

Now she could see her opponent clearly and knew that he had no time to turn fully around before she could attack.

There is no time to even target him!

She had to fire immediately.

A cluster shot appeared in her hand and moved forward with her body. The attack was a dangerous one that could backfire quickly, but giving Sekai any time to react meant a loss.

"...Huh?"

But he didn't even need time to react.

He had already made his next move.

A shield appeared between the two of them and took the cluster shot without taking any sort of damage.

Lines began tracing along her body as this happened.

It confused her as to why this was.

Then she saw the reason in full.

A hole had been made where her stomach use to be.

"Hah. I really hate having to use this thing, but I couldn't use anything else without taking more damage. ...It's so damn irritating."

In Sekai's right hand was a gun colored black, had a long muzzle, and looked too heavy to easily move around with.

He had used a backwards Ibis shot to take her out.

"This really is a shame..."

.

Bail Out.

.

Sekai sighed as he dismissed his shield and Ibis. Kōgetsu had been tossed aside to make his actions possible, so he moved to pick it back up.

The damages are pretty minimal, so I don't need to focus on them right now. Using Ibis pissed me off a bit, but I'll give them credit for pushing me to that point in the first place.

It was just a shame that they had ruined this match by fighting him this entire time.

Holding back had felt like the only right thing to do, but the more the fight went on, he began to mentally wake up with the end result being how he felt at this very moment.

"Hah. Looks like I'm awake. So let's see what everyone else wants to do about that."

Life: "Oh? Does this mean you're gonna go help Dai-chan now?"

Of course he wouldn't.

There was no reason to help that brat when he was more than capable of fighting by himself.

"..."

He wanted to sigh. He wanted to sigh more than anything right now.

But he couldn't do that when he knew he would be seen sighing.

So he calmly walked to the edge of the stairs leading to the shrine and created a cube of trion.

"Tch. Fine. Let's get things going already. That way I don't have to deal with this irritation anymore."

"Oh, dear. It looks like Sekai is in a bad mood now."

"Ko ko ko. I expected nothing less when he started fighting those children a bit more seriously."

Ketsueki could only nod his head as he stood behind the two women watching the screens. He was leaning against the railing while they sat in the seats just below him.

What they were all seeing was something he thought was rather nostalgic, if not slightly bitter.

Over the noise filling the hall, he could hear the commentators speaking about it all.

GM Aide: "In only a single fight, Captain Hikigane had taken the lead by scoring three points! Kotowari Squad is now without their best attacker and their only active support member! Likewise, Yuba Squad as also lost a member, leaving it to Captain Yuba and Agent Tonooka to continue the fight."

Deer Prince: "Looks like everyone is on a time crunch now. Sekai is already getting ready for his attack on everyone else."

GM Aide: "He's going to fire from the stairs? I know he likes getting a head start on things, but isn't that a bit too much?"

Denji scoffed into his microphone.

Ketsueki could see Yasuko lower her brows at him and Mogami laugh behind her fan. It was fair for them to do so when they knew that it was only a habit for Denji at this point.

Nothing needed to be said to him as Michelle had quickly jabbed his side once more.

Gambler: "You're already left behind if you think that's how he's getting a head start."

GM Aide: "What else could he have done by now?"

Gambler: "It's obvious when you think about it. So think about it."

He was being a bit harsh, but he did have a point.

Gambler: "Did you think his walk to the shrine was just him walking aimlessly? Well, I guess it can be seen like that. Actually, he'd have failed if anyone didn't think that was the case. Hah! That guys really can't give up his worst sides. ...He does things without even noticing it himself."

Deer Prince: "..."

Minoru's silence was heavy and he knew why.

There was someone else who also knew the reason for it and she gave a bitter laugh.

"I suppose there is no one who knows that boy better than Denji."

"They did always tend to pair up more than others."

It was true.

When times like those mattered, Denji and Sekai would end up with each other while he gravitated towards Minoru. It had just been the way things were, and no one questioned it.

Gambler: "Oh, he's ready for his attack."

Ketsueki turned back to the screen the moment he had said those words.

The cube of trion that Sekai had made split into multiple pieces before being thrown off into the distance.

"Oh? None of those seem to be targeting any of the fighters directly. What is that boy planning?"

Ketsueki could see that Yausko was going to say something, so he spoke up first. He felt it had been a bit rude, but there was a reason for him to do so.

"If I may," he said. "My apologies, Yasuko-san," he continued, but was waved off. "It is like Denji had said. 'He'd have failed if anyone didn't think that was the case'. Sekai is someone who likes to cover all possibilities when he sees them and decides it is worth the effort. There has not been a time when I have not been grateful to him for covering areas I had not noticed before."

"So what you're saying is that he is using something he already set up?"

"That is correct."

That was how he was, after all.

"If he is targeting something other than his opponents, it stands to reasons that it is because he has already set something up beforehand to make sure that he has an advantage as well as being able to strike his opponents."

"Ko ko ko. No reason to assume that I think less of him."

"My apologizes, it is a habit for me to worry about those guys since they have decided to not tell me all that much."

The bitter smile she gave him made him think that he had said too much.

He found some comfort in the way Yasuko gently patted his arm, so he let it go for now.

"Anyway, I will admit that I'm curious as to how this turns out. I know about that boy enough, but I can't speak too much about his fighting capabilities."

"I believe that the people who have actively fought alongside him know that better than we do."

"Yasuko-san, I think there is no need to speak as if you do not already know."

Mogami laughed behind her fan and Yasuko only smiled up to him.

Before he could think that he misspoke again, Mogami said something from behind her fan.

"Ko ko ko. What a lovely squad you had, Yasuko-san."

"They are, aren't they?"

It felt nice to be complimented like that.

Knowing that the two women were enjoying themselves, Ketsueki turned back to see the results of the assault.

Tonooka saw it coming from the main shrine and over the area of raised snow.

The large attacks seemed more like bombs being thrown, but...

...They don't seem to be targeting any one person in particular.

It was strange.

But he got his answer almost immediately.

Explosions rang out through the entire area, tossing snow and wind about. The wind blew the entirety of the area, sweeping away the snow that had bene tossed up because of Ikoma's attack.

Then he saw it while looking over the roof.

A cube of trion was laying on the ground by one of the buildings.

Without any hesitation, he lifted Egret and fired.

Before he could, the next assault came.

Crap!

One of the shots had come down directly on top of the cube laying on the ground.

The next explosion was just as big as the rest.

He put up a shield to take the damage, but it began to crack from the explosion going off.

There was something off with the explosion and he instantly knew why it was hard to hold it back.

It's a double Meteora strike! Who set this up and used it like this!?

Instead of trying to attack each individual person, the attack had been used to caused a chain explosion that would cover an entire area. This would give more range to the attack, send damage scattering around, disorientate anyone nearby, take out anyone not prepared for it, and level the area to make it easier to see.

And he got caught in it.

While not taking on the full damage from the attack, the shield had broke and took his leg with it. The end of his Bagworm was torn and burned, but that meant nothing here.

As he tried to move further away from the explosion he noticed something else move through the air.

Someone had been taken out by the attack.

I need to-

"Found one."

He let out a sigh as he heard the small voice that barely made it over the explosion.

When looking up he saw red and black.

"Mizukami-senpai..."

.

Mizukami didn't nod, he only fired.

One of his arms was missing, he had gotten separated from Ikoma, and now he had found one of his opponents.

Damn. That attack had to have come from Hiki-san. Only that guy can cause this much chaos in an instant and manage to take someone out.

They had lost another member of their squad in the assault on the city.

It was only for a moment, but he had heard Oki curse through the coms before a light was thrown into the air.

That was their second lost point during this match.

He planned to make up for that here.

Losing a arm really messes a guy up, but whaddaya gonna do?

He fired his shot directly at where he saw Tonooka trying to get away from another explosion.

Fragments of green could be seen around him, giving him the impression that he had tried to block the explosion and failed to do so completely. It meant that this would be the best time to attack.

The attacks from above were meant to connect with mines already placed around the map. Each one had bene placed meticulously, so he wasn't surprised that the Snipers were taking the brunt of each explosion. Even now, he could feel the rumbling of the ground and the sound of last minute explosions going off.

He had thought it would be easy enough to keep track of his captain, but the explosions had caused their sense of balance to get distorted. Now they could only continue before they had to deal with the one who had launched the assault.

The only other squad who had been keeping pace with them as a #3 B-Rank squad had always been weird, even by their standards. This had only further gone to prove why that was.

Still, he had to give it to Tonooka for knowing his own position and trying to fight against it.

The guy's missing a leg too. Props to you for going so long.

But that wasn't enough.

Mizukami missing an arm was far different from a Sniper losing a leg. It meant there would be no escaping.

And yet Tonooka fought back. He raised his Egret and fired, not bothering to properly aim at this point.

Mizukami jumped down from the building he stood on to dodge the attack. His own attack's sound was drowned out by the rumbling of the explosions, but he saw the light soaring in the sky.

He had gotten a point here.

Putting his remaining hand to his ear, he spoke up.

Shōgi Boy: "I got us one. Just don't think I'm gonna be going for a revenge point, Oki."

Okay: "I wouldn't wanna put that kind of thing on ya anyway."

It was good that he understood that.

Minty: "Hey, hey, what about me!?"

Iko: "Take-chan's the one who took you out, we can't do anything about it right now."

Shōgi Boy: "Considering who's left, I don't think we have a choice in the matter."

A sudden light shot upwards and cut through the noise left by the explosions.

The light was white in color and moved to cut through everything around it.

That must be Take-chan.

He had nothing against the boy. It was tough speaking to him before, but Yuki had finally taken responsibility and now the two of them could have conversations without worrying about anything.

Even so...

"Hah. Yeah. He's still an opponent, and we need the points. We're down two men, but looks like we've still got more than Yuba Squad."

Mario: "I'll send you the location of any remaining combatants."

Shōgi Boy: "Thanks for that."

Izumo: "Are you okay, Senpai?"

Honest Sister: "Lost an arm and the area all around me is messed up."

Lobo: "Sorry. We messed up and you guys had to deal with it."

Izumo: "If it was that simple then I wouldn't think twice about it. Toby, shut up and let us finish this fight now."

He was not being rude, only saying what he knew he had to say.

Toby and Hoshi had done what they could under a stressful situation and had returned with a defeat. But more than that...

They got us some information.

It was information on how they lost, but it told him enough that he had expected the next major attack to come from Sekai instead of any of the other combatants currently around him.

If not for that new information, he would have focused more on everyone around him rather than the one who was now free to do a she pleased.

The two of them likely felt bad for losing two points, and likely even more so after having Obishima help them, but there was nothing they could do about it now.

Everything else would be left up to him and Suzume.

Izumo: "Senpai, I want you to move more carefully and try to keep out of anyone's sight for now. ...To the best of your ability, that is."

Honest Sister: "The area is honestly covered right now, so I doubt anyone is up to head right into a fight without setting everything set. Even Dai-chan seemed a bit confused once the explosions hit, so I doubt he knew what was happening."

Izumo: "Even so, we need to make sure to fix ourselves quickly. With the building around us completely destroyed, we will be in plain view the moment everything clears."

Honest Sister: "Right. Make sure you- Duck!"

He didn't question her and made a quick dive, hands moving to counter anyone who was close by.

A horizontal line cut through the space directly above him.

Ikoma was already attacking.

...So Tatsuhito is just going all-in here.

Chisato checked the screens.

Tatsuhito had cut through everything after the explosions had settled down, which she figured was fine enough. After her experience fighting Border-made Triggers, she had made sure to familiarize herself with them as much as she possibly could so she could figure out how to use them.

Her weapon had been remade using Border's style. Ortlinde would always be good enough. But...

"Kakizaki, about what's going on. Doe sit mean that I can't actually keep up if I have to use a specialized Trigger?"

"Comparing something like that only means you care." Kakizaki placed a hand on his chin in thought. It only lasted around two seconds, but a few movements spilled from behind her, making her grab Musashi's head while waiting for an answer. "Using only standardized Triggers to fight on par with people like them is pretty amazing."

"That probably is true, but does that mean specialized Triggers are too much?"

"Do you really think something like that matters?" asked Kakizaki.

Musashi raised his right hand.

"Based on what I've seen so far form you two, you have a weirdly healthy relationship, so don't think about it too much...got it? What? What's with those looks!? I can say some pretty good things too, when I feel like it, you got that!?"

"I want to ignore what he's saying, but he has a point," Kakizaki said reluctantly.

"I guess he would tell me if anything is wrong, and if this is bothering me then I need to tell him." Chisato decided that would be too much trouble, so she erased the doubt from her mind. "So, about that boy? What's his deal? How can he keep up with Tatsuhito like that?"

"I really don't know too much about Girikage, but he's learned some things from Yuki before, so he's probably used to all types of fighting. Yuki probably helped him move his body while Hikigane Squad probably gave him the experience with other squads."

"So he ended up having a lot of strong people teaching him as he went?"

"That's one way to look at it, but it's more than that when you take into consideration that he is trying to keep up with two other people. A lot of the time I hear them saying 'I'll do my best', so that might have something to do with it."

She could understand how that would motivate someone.

But, Chisato found it odd that something of that level would be able to get him these kinds of results.

"How important are these other two that he could end up like this exactly? It feels pretty weird, if you ask me."

"Oh," replied Musashi, spreading his arms. "I think I know! They're people who find each other, ignore everything else around then, then go home to have lots of sex together!"

"I can punch him at this point, right? Holding back is becoming more and more difficult the more he talks."

Chisato had never seen someone with enough patience to ask her if it was fine to hit Musashi.

But if she thought about it...

"I wouldn't go that far, but they're people he cares about. Pushing yourself to be at that level is something that others get by training a lot, but he doesn't seem the type to do that without any sort of reason."

"Right." Kakizaki sighed and held back again. "Shiraishi, think of it like this. They're actual relationship is sort of up in the air, but by this point they are in a similar position to you and Ikoma. None of them want to fall behind the other two."

Chisato thought for about two second and then nodded toward Kakizaki.

"I understand now. If he has people like that with him then it means he also wants to show off here. Even if he can't beat Tatsuhito, it's a good way to show off."

"I guess that's one way to look at it..."

"Now feel free to hit this idiot as many times as you want, and as hard as you want."

"W-wait, what!? But I just helped out! I helped out sooooo much that-! D-don't go trying to pick em up again!"

This guys is disturbing everyone around us again, concluded Chisato.

Musashi came to watch his brother fight, so he might have been trying to calm himself down like this. So...

"Let's wait until this match is over for you to throw me away, Chisato."

...Oh?

Did not see that one coming.

"I want to see how Takeshi handles all of this. He doesn't look like he can handle anyone getting even remotely close to him, so those two with swords can screw him up at any moment. I want to make sure that I'm still right. But..."

But...

"He's not someone who can overcome anything by himself. That's how others can see him as a nuisance."

"That's enough of that! I'm going to-"

"You guys are seriously loud. Other people are trying to watch the match."

Ah, someone finally said it, thought Chisato with an inward bitter smile.

She looked over to see a girl with short-cut hair and a girl with red hair.

She recognized the red haired girl instantly.

...This is someone related to Sekai. She also went with the Hatohara Squad captain to meet with Yoshiko.

Akane was her name, and the girl next to her was her teammate. Akane was someone who looked like she would be staying away from Sekai, but Chisato was familiar with differences in families. She was someone who others should never mess with if they didn't want to get on Sekai's bad side.

Chisato's thoughts turned elsewhere while she watched the two girls sit down below them.

...Both of these girls know some pretty dangerous people...

The Hikigane Squad Captain. Mogami Yoshiko's ready assistant. A-Ranks of Border. And...

"They also seem to be trying to catch up to something."

"Eh? Who is trying to catch up?"

"Obviously not you, you asshole. Everyone here is better than you."

"B-but the neighborhood kids were always jealous of my height, so she might mean that."

"You weren't even all that tall," said Chisato with a dull expression.

The two girls below them seemed to find their talk entertaining. That was nice. They seemed like decent enough people, so she was glad they were fine.

If she was being honest, being around people who could hold more solid conversations could be a little stifling. Especially with people who already knew her. They knew what she was already like, but they understood her a little too well, which led to some complications.

She had met Tatsuhito's friends before and now she had met Kumagai and Akane.

She was glad she had left her family's business for joining Tatsuhito in Border. And if possible...

...I want to try battling them.

She would probably have a chance to ask them later on. So...

"Okay, let's-"

Before she could say "pay attention".

GM Aide: "No one's wasting any time, are they?"

The match continued on.

The repeated sounds of Kōgetsus hitting each other could be heard as snow fell from the sky after being tossed into the air.

Each strike was followed by another piece of destroyed building hitting the ground. It didn't remain there before being tossed back up, sending snow back into the air.

Daigo moved atop the thrown buildings on light feet. The footing was not an issue as he righted himself on the roof of the destroyed building.

"Captain-san sure did a number over here."

"I need to make sure not to fall behind that guy."

"I hope you enjoy yourself while doing that."

"I like the way ya think! What's your name again?"

"Girikage Daigo. A pleasure to properly meet you, Ikoma Tatsuhito-san."

"C'mon, you're makin' me look an ass by not knowin' your name!"

"My apologizes. Who are you again?"

"I really like ya, kid!"

If he were to tell Hisato and Hanzaki about this interaction, he was sure they would be pleased with him.

Another cut was thrown his way while he thought about everything he could say to the two of them about this match.

And in return, I will listen to their stories as well. Even if we can all just look at the logs...

"It is always nice to enjoy time with people you like."

"Sorry, but I've got a girlfriend already!"

Another slash came for him.

He knew this was a misunderstanding, but leaving it like this would probably be fine as long as it didn't get out of hand.

Oh, I can use that over there too. How nice.

His thoughts were casual as he ran around the battlefield.

With Ikoma throwing the buildings back up and cutting them in half, he was given less room to move around. It felt like a game where he was not allowed to touch the ground, only using what was in the air to move around. Doing so might give Ikoma the chance he wanted.

But this was fine.

I have a lot of room when jumping, so there is no problem. Compared to my first training session with Tsukiko-senpai, this is really nothing.

There was space for his entire foot and the movement was much slower than Kōgetsu in midair. Even the way they fell gave him much more time than he needed.

It felt like he had too much time on his hands while he moved. So he used that extra time to prepare for each one of Ikoma's Senkūs.

Life: "Dai-chan, you look like you're having fun with your game there."

Simple Boy: "Does it seem that way? I suppose I feel something while going against the #6 Attacker. Oh, hold on a moment."

He leaped into the air, performing a flip that had him looking at his opponent upside down.

"Excuse me, but you had never introduced yourself."

"#6 Attacker, best boyfriend around, and overall coolest guy you'll ever find - Ikoma Tatsuhito!"

Ikoma's words were followed by another slash that cut through the building Daigo had landed on.

In the distance he could hear the feint sound of gunfire, but that could be something for later.

Simple Boy: "Yes, it is a good opportunity to fight the longwinded and self-proclaimed Ikoma-san."

Life: "Ha ha ha! Well, have fun then!"

WorTri: "Hey, brat. Stop messing about. Jinsei, shut up and go to the corner already."

His squad captain sounded truly irritated this time, meaning he should stay quiet here.

And if that really was the case, he no longer had time to think about his situation.

Lowering his stance, he took a large leap into the air after the next slash.

He could see his path clearly and knew where to go for his next action.

"I'm sorry, Ikoma-san, but my captain should be on his way."

"I'll deal with him when he gets here then!"

"I see... Before that happens, I need to do something rather important."

"What's that?" Ikoma asked while going for another slash.

Daigo noticed it right away and performed three consecutive leaps on the midair debris. The snow was not something he could slip on now, so he held nothing back with each leap.

Each time he landed he applied more force into his next leap.

Soon he was reaching a fifth leap as Ikoma used Senkū once more.

This time he moved forward.

The built up force from his leaps had accumulated into his feet, knees, and legs. The next leap he took sent him high into the air.

Directly above Ikoma.

"I will do my best."

He unleashed his own cutting power.