She felt the breeze blow through her clothes and the midday air fill her body. The noise from down below gave a nice ring in her ears.

Down below was what she had been wanting to protect from the moment she had joined the organization.

There had been nothing for her to do before the organization had been made. Nothing had interested her and nothing stuck with her besides fighting.

Now she could fight for something important.

But more than that...

I have people to fight alongside me.

She had wanted to keep her friend away from this sort of thing, but there was no helping that at this point. He had let go of a lot, kept a lot, and was remaining by her side without any worry. It would have been easy to blame his former squad for this, but dwelling on it too much would only rile her up.

So for now she only gave a sigh into the midday air.

.

"Looks like we're at our last match. It's coming too soon for my liking."

A voice rang out above the city that reflected the midday sky.

It was in the sky above an open and deserted area.

That area was the the surrounding section around the main Border base and people could be seen moving throughout the area, but one structure cast a great shadow over the area.

"Border's base really is a big place to be. Makes me feel too small for my liking."

A girl's voice came from the roof of the tall building. She wore her squad's uniform with her own modifications to allow better movement and breathing room. The boys of her squad tended to keep things close and tight to make sure they could feel their own movements or stationary attacks better.

She much preferred a loose outfit that allowed her to switch between offense and defense on a dime.

It also felt nice to have the breeze blow through her clothes while standing atop the large building.

Then her phone began to ring out within her pocket. She held out her phone and answered the call. A boy in a hat and with a strange cat on his shoulder appeared on the screen.

"Yo, Nana, how's it going for you today? I heard that you've been busy with the solo matches before our last match comes up. You feeling ready for the match coming up or do you want more training?"

"Did you just call me to annoy me, Asagi? I'm always ready for a fight, so don't think I'm doing this just because of that sort of thing. Besides, I don't have time to worry when our next opponents are as difficult as they are."

"That's true. We've managed to stay in the top tier even after Tsu got everything out two matches ago. I guess that just means we need to keep going and see how far we can go with this season."

"Our captain can stand to be a bit less laid back, but I suppose that is his charm for everyone else. He is still so down-to-earth and relaxed. Will you tell him not to get too relaxed? Between him and that fool, we will end up doing too little."

"I think it's a bit late for that..."

"Hah. I suppose that is all too true. They may have their strengths, but they are still a complete lost cause on a front like that. They would need to completely change who they are, and that is something none of us would want. ...Anyway, it will be bad if we don't go all out from the start, so I don't want you fooling around either. I know you're looking forward to moving up as I am, but we're balanced out because of those two."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm glad to hear you say that. But maybe you should relax a bit more. This is still just something for us, not something that you really need to get done with everything you have."

"Yeah, yeah. I can do that after this season is over. I didn't think they would cut it short, especially since we only got to participate in one of these so far. Two now, I suppose."

"That's just how things go, I guess. The two of us were the only ones who really cared for it, but then Tsu was added to that."

"To be honest, I had wanted to not have him on our squad because of that. Keeping on eye on him had become a priority, so this was the end result of that, but I don't have too many complaints about it anymore."

There was movement beyond the city as Shigenaga spoke. Some of the agents on defense duty were taking out the Neighbors who had come from the Gates. Shigenaga followed each of their movements from behind her sunglasses.

"This is really a new situation for us. Look, Asagi, we've made it here even while we don't function like a normal squad would."

Some of these seemed to be Shooters from the way lights flew. Asagi looked to them inside the screen.

"Nana, maybe you should lay off the people watching for a bit. It makes you seem like a stalker."

"Don't worry," said Shigenaga as she smiled and looked to the right, which was west.

There was another fight going on over there. It was good to know that she was not the only one who would be working to protect the city.

"That guy has been trying to get me to calm down a bit. ...I smacked him for trying that, but I did end up realizing after hearing a certain conversation between him and his first captain. So if I'm going to keep fighting here..."

She laughed and crossed her arms.

"It'll be as someone who had decided that her friend can be wherever he wants to be. ...I still have my general feelings about him being where he is, but it looks like he's doing better now than he was before. I can't go against him when he can put on a smile like that now. So I think I should do what I can here."

"Nana..."

Asagi started to say something but held his tongue. Then he put on a flat-eyebrowed expression over the screen.

"You know...there's such a thing as being too careful. But the rest of us will make sure to watch out for you two. And with the B-Rank Wars ending after this, it'll be easier for all of us to just hang out without any worries."

"I can speak with that guy and the rest of you over transmission. You don't need to worry about someone like me. Besides, I don't really understand it all, but you all have a fair number of memories concerning general free moments, right?"

"That's right. There's a lot during those times, so I can't really pinpoint a single time. ...There's something that I wish we had been able to deal with while we didn't have to worry about much of anything, though."

"It's fine. Border doesn't question people's past. That helped me out too." Shigenaga laughed. "Well, I need to make sure to get these laughs out now. When the time comes, you can leave the battlefield to me. Even if something happens, I'll get us the points we need. You can stick with our captain while I deal with everyone else."

"You do remember my position, right? I guess it doesn't matter since you're going to be the one right in front, making sure that the rest of us can keep fighting."

"That's right. So get some rest or something. Once the next match begins, I'll make sure to pave a way for all of you to fight. And from the sound of things, that guy has gone over to see one of his friends for advice."

The sun still hung high in the sky. It was a bright and brilliant glow that casted shadows over the city. Shigenaga took a breath as she looked to it.

"This is a nice color of the sky, but I think I like the sunset more."

She looked across the open sky and saw the city laid out before her and the building she stood atop of.

And down below, she saw the lights of Triggers and some Neighbors hitting the ground.

"That means there's no need to worry about the Neighbors. Our members can handle the simple Neighbors without issues. But..."

While Asagi said that, those people began moving closer.

The Border members must have been done for the day.

They were finished. At the same time, they seemed to be congratulating each other on their job well done.

"So this is where you were. Shigeko."

.

Shigenaga sense definite willpower walking up from behind her. She might have been imagining it, but...

...Looks like someone has made up their mind.

Her captain held out his phone that displayed Border's chat on it and the messages that came along with it.

But Shigenaga smiled and kept her eyes down at the other agents.

"At the least, I want us to remain in the top tier for next time. But that's only a hope and what I'm going to be striving for here. Getting to A-Rank is what I want, so that we can better support others and find more motivation," she said. "It's been a while since I've been this fired up about something, but now I feel like holding back for this last match would only make me regret a lot of things once it's over. The elation after our recent matches is wearing off a bit, but if we don't do much now, that willpower is meaningless."

"Then, Shigeko, are you saying...?"

"That's right." Shigenaga nodded. "Don't expect me to do much of anything once this last match is over. Well, only expect something if nothing is done during the match. For example..."

For example...

"I want to win, but I won't be making that the priority. If I open up a way for everyone, I only want that to be used by you all. If you all can do that, I'll have nothing to say about the end result of the match itself. After all, what good would any of this be if I can't do that much? Besides that, I want to see just how much that guy has changed and how much you all have changed him. But..."

"But?"

"There's one obstacle preventing him from doing what he wants to do without worrying about anything: me."

Shigenaga smiled bitterly and thought about her own place here.

"Yes, he has decided for himself on how he wants to do things after reconciling with his first squad, found more people he can be around after realizing that squad of children had grown up, and is getting over the loss of someone important to him alongside Ema. But..."

"You're a remaining part of his history."

"Right. I was there when he joined that squad, when they let him down, when he met that new boy, when he had been ignored by those children, and when he had joined this squad. I won't be conceited and say I'm the reason those things happened or that I'm the reason he joined Border. But because of those things, he's left behind being a normal citizen who doesn't have to worry about much." Shigenaga sighed. "It's tricky. I can't put him back to those times, and I'm probably a bad reminder of everything. So what should I even do? This can't be fun for you all. As for me..."

What would she do after the match?

...It's simple.

"After the match, I need to see just how he feels about having me around."

That would decide what she would be doing no matter what their standings end up being after this season.

"You tend to think about these sorts of things too much, Shigeko. We will let you continue like this, but you should know that the answer you want has already been answered. Thinking over it as much as you do makes it hard for you to see that. Still, that's just how you are. We can't say something to sway you from that line of thinking."

Shigenaga breathed in before turning back to her captain.

"Thinking about it too little just isn't like me."

"—"

"Listen, Captain. We need to do all we can in the next match. And when you see the end result of it, I want you to tell me something. Tell me what exactly that answer is. I'll be looking for it the entire time. If I happen to find it, I want to compare that answer with the one I'm missing."

Shigenaga relaxed her shoulders and looked to the retreating squad.

"Can you do that?"

Noise filled Border's main base as people moved all around, getting from one place to another. The area most packed with people moving around were the booths used for training and fighting against each other to better themselves.

Spots were taken up in the booths and people were speaking about how their own fights had gone. None of them seemed to hold any malice as they conversed with their friends and others alike.

It all gave a feeling of safety and cooperation between everyone who moving around.

One of the people standing around with no one around him was Midorikawa.

The day prior, he had been asked by Yūma for a favor and was holding true to it right now.

With time to spare he looked at Border's chat to see if anything fun was going on. And what he found was...

Lobo: "Anybody wanna do some solo matches? Or all-against-one is fine to me. Maybe the Snipers and Shooters wanna go at it? I really wanna get some fights in today!"

Kitora: "Kotowari-kun, please control your squad's dog."

Izumo: "If only it was that easy..."

Lobo: "The both of you are going to get smacked!"

Kitora: "Please try it. It gives me an excuse."

Izumo: "Figuring out what that excuse is for might be too scary..."

Lobo: "Whoo! This means Ai's gonna fight me!"

Kitora: "I never said that!"

They all seemed to be having a lot of fun.

He wanted to join them, but he had this favor to take care of. That would normally irritate him a bit, but he knew that Toby would be like this for a good while and he could always ask for a fight whenever he wanted.

There was nothing to be jealous of here.

"I guess he wants to practice more with the thing he was telling us about."

"Who was telling who what?"

.

Midorikawa turned around at the voice and saw the person he was waiting for. The only thing was there was someone else there.

"So you came too, Mikumo-senpai?"

It was not a problem, and he had expected as much."

"Yeah. Actually, I'm here to meet your senpai rather than Yuba-san."

"Oh, really? Fine with me," he said while turning around. "Let's go then."

The trio began walking with Midorikawa leading the way for them.

The distance wasn't long, so they were able to hear a conversation coming from where they were going.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeease help me out, Kazu-kun! I just need some help before the next match! Just a liiiiiiittle bit!"

"But your match is way too close to learn anything, Mittsun!"

"I believe in you! You can teach this idiot a thing or two!"

"But I'm bad as a teeeeeacher! I'm a student myself!"

"Then just throw some gunfire at me and I'll see what I can do from there!"

"Are you some kind of super freak who learns by being bombed!? What kind of tactic lets you learn by being attacked!? I'm really worried about you now!"

If it had been anyone else then it would be something to worry about, but the way Ariake was on the floor only meant that he was desperate enough to do so. In front of him was Kazuma, trying his best to get Ariake off of the floor and to stand up.

Being the only one to know that this wasn't all that strange, Midorikawa spoke up while waving over at the duo.

"Kazuma-senpai! Ariake-senpai!"

Ariake was quick to jump to his feet and move behind Kazuma.

The expression he made gave away all of his thoughts.

"I'm not going to jump you, Ariake-senpai."

"...I really doubt that. So for now, Kazu-kun is gonna be my wall."

Kazuma, completely ignoring the fact that he was a wall now, looked at the three of them with a grin.

"Hi, guys! Nice to meetcha! I'm Satomi Kazuma, Kusakabe Squad's Gunner!" In a single motion he grabbed Midorikawa's head and ruffled his hair, leaving Ariake behind him. "Thanks for playing with Shun while we weren't around!"

"Pleasure's mine. I'm Kuga Yūma from Tamakoma-2. This is our captain..."

"I'm Mikumo. Thank you for meeting with us."

"No problem."

As Kazuma continued ruffling Midorikawa's hair, the four of them turned quiet and slowly turned their heads.

They looked over to where Kazuma had been. There was someone else there who had not spoken up too much since they came by.

.

"Was 'engine' and 'move' the right words to change to english there? I mean...the 'engine' part seemed fine enough, but I feel like the 'move' was the wrong word to use. But the way I put said it made it sound so cool. Hm, hm..."

Osamu looked over to the boy who had been begging Satomi, hid behind Satomi, then was left behind by Satomi.

The sigh that came from him looked like it got a lot of tension out of his shoulders, but there didn't seem to be too much built up in the first place. Given the way he was speaking to himself as if they weren't around was a bit concerning, but there were people far more strange that someone who did that.

But there was something about him that Osamu noticed.

...I'm more aware of him.

Kuga seemed to be paying less attention to the boy, only noticing him in full when everyone else turned to him. It felt strange knowing that Kuga was paying so little attention to the boy while he was acutely aware of his presence.

The boy seemed to have realized that others were looking at him since he blinked a few times before tilting his head from side to side.

Osamu's eyes followed each of his movements carefully.

Only after the fifth time did he straighten up and smile towards him.

"Ah, so you're still at that level. That's good. Make some happy to see someone like you in the top tier."

"Huh?"

He shook his head and spoke again, this time addressing both him and Kuga.

"Ariake Mitsuteru, Sniper of Meishō Squad. 'sup."

"You can pretty much ignore him. If you don't he might start-"

"Finish the sentence and see what happens, Midorikawa."

"Boo. You're no fun."

Ariake only waved his hand to dismiss Midorikawa.

It had been a small action, but Osamu found that he was paying more attention to it than the others.

"Anyway, isn't there a reason for you people to be here?"

"Yeah," nodded Satomi. "I already talked with Yuba-san. He'll be in his squad's room by three. So drop by when it's time. He's the punctual type."

"That means we can have a match before that!"

"Nah, I don't want to be late."

It was a good thing that Kuga wanted to hold to it.

"So Kazuma-senpai, Yuba-san's your mentor, right? In your opinion, what's he like?"

"Personality-wise? Or in battle?"

"In battle."

The way Ariake chose to look away and mutter under his breath was a bit worrying, but Osamu seemed to be the only one to notice it at all.

When he thought about it, Kotowari had fought against Yuba in their last match, from what he remembered. Before that, Awdry had also gone one-on-one with the Gunner and came out the winner.

Maybe we could ask them about it later.

The idea of speaking to his friend about it sounded nice.

"Hmm, well... Simply put... He's invincible in duels."

There was a strong silence in the air with Satomi's words.

Osamu hid behind the glare of his glasses while Midorikawa only looked away. The only one seeming to not know what was going on was Kuga. And...

"Hey, hey, Kazu-kun." Ariake waved over from the side, gaining Satomi's attention. "Toby managed to take him out, you know. And Girikage-kun managed to hold his own well enough in their last match."

There was a clear contradiction to his words.

But...

"But Mittsun, you need to remember the situations they were in. Toby had Misaki-chan with him and both he and Girikage have Side Effect just for the occasion." Satomi shrugged and turned back to Kuga. He seemed fine with his excuse and contradiction. "I'm still just saying this as my personal opinion. But there's no doubt that I think Yuba-san is a top-class fighter in one-on-one battles."

"Stronger than Kage-senpai?" asked Kuga.

"Oh, yeah! Kageura-san! I put him in the same boat as Toby, so he has something else going for him!"

There were at least two people who countered Gunners, Shooter, and Snipers. As a Gunner, Satomi probably understood that all too well.

"But in fact, Yuba-san has gone toe-to-toe with Tachikawa-san. Kazama-san, Ninomiya-san, and Kō-san don't do many solo matches but are ranked high for their winning rate. But Yuba-san has fought thousands of tough opponents to reach his high rank. That style is more relatable to me." Satomi lowered his hand with Ariake nodding next to him. Both of them were hard working types, Osamu had come to realize. "He seems to be focused on team battles instead of solo this season, though. Have you heard why?"

"Uh, yes. Just vaguely, though."

Yuba Squad had lost a member of their squad, and a very capable one at that.

"Kanda-san wasn't flashy but was really skilled. While Yuba-san fought duels, Kanda-san took command and handle the others! That style made Yuba Squad the coolest! You should check out last season's logs!"

"Okay, now try and repeat all of that without speaking with your arms," Ariake said, grabbing hold of Satomi's arms and holding them in place.

Satomi's attempt at doing just that failed miserably from the start. His words became mixed together and Ariake seemed to be holding his laughter in because of it.

The two of them were strange, but not in a bad way, Osamu decided.

"Oh, it's almost time."

Looking over at the clock, Osamu saw what Midorikawa said was true. The extra time had been used for them to get a better understanding of one of their next opponents.

Taking the lead, Midorikawa began walking away with Kuga following easily.

"Mikumo-senpai said he has questions for you. Hear him out."

"Oh, really? Bye, guys."

.

Mitsuteru let out a sigh through his nose. The remaining tension in his body left easily.

Lightly raising his hand, he spoke up.

"I know this isn't really a place for me, but mind if I join the two of you?"

"Hmm? I don't have a problem with it. Any complaints, Mikumo-kun?"

He smiled at seeing Mikumo shake his head.

From the start, Mitsuteru had known that Mikumo was weak. That had only been proven to him once he saw how Mikumo had been keeping a close eye on him while Kuga had been paying little to no attention to his appearance at all.

It was clear that Mikumo was weak enough to notice him. That was why it felt more comfortable being around him than others.

He wanted to see what else there was.

"Why don't we get a drink, first?"

"Mittsun?"

"Don't look at me like that, Kazu-kun. I'm just enjoying myself here. That's all."

Kazuma didn't seem to believe him as they walked towards the nearby vending machines. His raised brow was slight, but there was no mistaking his curiosity about the situation.

Mitsuteru waved him off while in the lead.

"So, Mikumo-kun. I heard from Takeshi that the two of you are friends."

"Yes... Is something the matter with that?"

"Not at all." He shook his head with a smile. "In actually, I'm not all too close with Kotowari Squad, but I still enjoy knowing that they're fine. From what I've heard from my senpais, Takeshi in particular has had it rough when it comes to friends. So I just wanted to thank you for being his friend now."

"There's no need to thank me. Being friends with him is just something that happened. He's a good person, so I don't have anything particular to say."

That was true. The difference between the former Tsukiko Squad, former Kotowari Squad, and the current Kotowari Squad were on full display at all times. That included their current captain.

Mitsuteru had not focused on them too much after his first meeting with them, but he had heard about what they were like and all of the negative things they had said or done. Most had described them as spoiled brats who enjoyed themselves due to their former captain coddling them too much.

Then their match against him happened.

He had been able to see what they were like now and get to know them better. They were similar in that they enjoyed themselves to the fullest at all times, but now did it by inviting and joining everyone around them. It was their way of making sure that everyone had fun and no one was left out.

Takeshi, while not being as bad as his teammates, still fell into that lifestyle. Others had been attracted to the current him at some point and created bonds he would have likely refused before. Once they had been made, he was invited to enjoy himself even more with others.

Mikumo was likely one of those people he enjoyed being around.

For that alone, Mitsuteru was glad.

Saying that I'm grateful might be too much right now, but it wouldn't be too bad to reach that point.

There was still work to be done on that front, but it felt like it would be worth the effort.

.

"Okay, so... You have questions for me?"

Mistuteru gestured for Mikumo to sit down while moving towards the vending machines Kazuma had been at.

Nodding his head, Mikumo took a seat across from Kazuma on the benches.

"Um, yes. I heard that you, um...respect Ninomiya-san a lot."

There was a solid sound at the vending machines. Mikumo and Kazuma looked over to see Mitsuteru with his head against the vending machine and hand held out to them.

The two slowly turned away from him to face each other again.

"Yeah! I'm the most hardcore Ninomiya-san fanatic!"

Another sound was heard.

This time Mitsuteru was using both arms to hold himself up against the vending machine. His shoulders shook violently.

None of them said anything.

"So... From your perspective, what are his strong points?"

"Well, simply put... He's invincible in duels."

"Huh? Didn't you say that about Yuba-san, too?"

Finally getting over his laughter, Mitsuteru walked over with a drink in hand. He gave a snort and lightly pushed Kazuma's shoulder before moving over to sit next to Mikumo.

He took a drink from his can and gave another snort.

"Don't mind it much, Mikumo-kun. He's just like that."

"I did," Kazuma said, lightly kicking Mitsuteru's foot. "I fight imitating Ninomiya-san's style with Yuba-san's techniques."

"Ninomiya-san's style?"

"Yeah, that's right. Ninomiya-san has a killer one-on-one strategy. It's simply once it's explained. He has small shots, relying on numbers, and big shots, emphasizing power. He broaden shields with the small shots, then shatters them with big ones. The big shots provoke focused shields, and small shots whittle down the enemy. With his skills and Trion value, this simple tactic works wonders."

"Um... We're facing Ninomiya Squad in the next match. Is it okay to tell me this tactic?"

"Of course! Everybody knows about it!" He took a drink from his cup before continuing. "No one can counter it anyway."

Another snort came. Mitsuteru smirked into his own drink without looking to either one of them.

The small action made Mikumo and Kazuma turn to him, but only Mikumo looked confused. Kazuma simply hummed and let Mitsuteru continue.

After all...

"Don't lie to him, Kazu-kun. There's one person who does it flawlessly."

"Does he really count in this case?"

Mitsuteru shrugged. "I guess not."

Mikumo looked between the two of them and got the answer to his question immediately after.

"I'm talking about Kiyo-... Ahem. Sorry. Yuki. I mean Yuki. He's the only person to always escape Ninomiya-san's attacks. But that works in reverse, too. Ninomiya-san is also able to always counter Yuki's tactics." He drank some more and leaned back onto his hand. It was casual, but that only showed how comfortable he was with explaining this. "There's no person in Border who can outmatch Yuki with Teleport, and that Trigger is a sure-fire way to completely get around Ninomiya-san's attacks. But that's only if you're as skilled as he is with it. Oh, and by the way, don't worry about the info you're getting. Yuki would absolutely dump all sorts of things about Ninomiya-san, just to spite him."

"That's right... I heard the two of them don't get along well."

This time the snort came from both Mitsuteru and Kazuma.

"That's putting it lightly." Kazuma waved lightly at Mikumo's expression. "As far as anyone knows, those two hate each other so much that they have internal radars just to know when the other is nearby. ...Or at least, that's what people are saying."

"So that's why Ariake-senpai said it would spite Ninomiya-san..."

"That's right. Yuki will do anything he can to get on that guy's nerves, and vice versa. Trust me, I've seen it enough times to know that it only gets worse as time goes on. Just make sure you aren't in the middle of that, Mikumo-kun. You wouldn't survive a second around that."

It was pretty concerning to hear that, but seeing what both of them were capable of was proof enough that the warning was true.

But there was something else now.

"Ariake-senpai."

"Hm, yeah?"

"How do you know that much about Tsukiko-senpai and the way he gets around Ninomiya-san's attacks? Are you...a Tsukiko fanatic?"

The reaction was instantaneous.

Mistuteru began a coughing fit, turning away so that his face was towards the ground.

Across from them, Kazuma was laughing with a hand on his face and his head facing the ceiling.

Both were dying in their own way.

"Um..."

"Hah hah... Y-you've got it wrong...Mikumo-kun."

The first to recover was Mitsuteru, but he seemed to be sweating a bit more.

After a few breaths the tension seemed to leave his shoulders and neck.

"I used to be on Yuki's squad. His very first one, actually. I was there to see his first wins and losses to Ninomiya-san."

"Oh? You can say that with a smile now, Mittsun?"

.

Mitsuteru had yet to notice himself smiling until he heard Kazuma say it from across him and Mikumo.

Once he did, he found himself only smiling even more.

I guess I finally got there. I can take pride in, and be happy about, the first squad I was in. Even talking about them doesn't seem to bother me anymore.

It was not something freeing, but he felt no tension in his body and nothing was stopping him from speaking.

He had kept to his word and held onto the good parts of the past while letting go of the painful days. There was nothing that stopping him anymore, letting him speak freely about someone he could call a friend.

And...

"Tell me what's going on, my friend"... I can say whatever I feel like now.

If he was not careful then there would be repercussions, but that would only be on him. There would be blame for anyone else and he would be the one to take any damage from it.

But he was free to do so now.

"Yeah, I guess I can. But that doesn't matter right now, does it?"

"That depends on who you ask."

"I'm asking you."

"Then I guess it doesn't," Kazuma said with a shrug and a smile.

Mitsuteru could only roll his eyes at his friend's antics.

It was always fun being around him.

"Well, anyway," he started with a smile. "Yuki aside, Kazu-kun really isn't wrong. And that's disregarding his favoritism towards Ninomiya-san. Once he's caught you, you're pretty much dead. There are very few exceptions to this. And those exceptions won't work a second time."

"You mean your harassment during your match with him?"

"Tactical assault, I like to call it."

"Everyone else calls it as they see it."

They also liked to exaggerate things, but he kept that to himself.

What mattered was the reaction they could see from Mikumo.

"In the current B-Rank Wars, rather than trying to counter his tactics, the most common strategy is to avoid fighting Ninomiya-san one-on-one."

That was a clear jab at him, but there was no helping that right now.

"When you become his target, you can only run and stall for time... Or aim for a mutual kill... Or do something helpful, just so you don't die in vain. Back in their A-Rank days, no one could fight against him except for Izumi and Yuki-san. So I guess those are decent choices."

"Ariake-senpai, you had fought him, right?"

"Sorry, but I can't say much. I was running on spite and did some stupid things that were pretty risky. I only survived because of my weird relationship with strong people."

"What do you mean?"

That was right, Mikumo was still relatively new and the two of them had only just met. There was no way for him to know about Mitsuteru's situation.

But that was a situation only he could find himself in. It would do nothing for Mikumo to know.

"Don't think about it too much. It's just something weird that involves me and only me. You're better off not being in my position."

"Okay..."

That was not enough of an answer, but there was no other answer to give.

So he only took another drink and waved his hand to continue. Kazuma nodded and did just so.

"Personally, I'd love to see Ninomiya-san in a full-on firefight. On that note... Your rookie seems to have skills and Trion on par with Ninomiya-san. So I'm hoping for the first good shootout in ages."

"Right, if we get the chance. Oh, I have a simple question."

Well that was interesting.

This talk of the strong had led to a simple question.

"Who would win if the invincible two fought one-on-one?"

Oh? he thought while humming into his drink.

Someone weak enough to be aware of him had asked a question about the strong. One that directly went to Kazuma as it involved two people he greatly respected.

But I know his answer already.

It wasn't anything new to him.

"If they fought normally, Ninomiya-san."

There was no hesitation.

"His Trion level is higher. So his shooting range and combat style are broader. But..."

But.

"If it's complicated terrain within Yuba-san's range, Yuba-san may have the advantage. When Shooters attack," he started with a finger. "They need to deploy the cube, split it, aim, and then fire. Each action slightly takes time. Gunners just aim and fire."

I wonder if that's why Takeshi can't fire regular shots...

He had always wondered why the squad captain used the Laser-Shooter Trigger when it seemed to have a lot of downsides. The constant power and versatility of it seemed nice, but the downside of needing a lot of Trion to properly use it felt more like a hassle than anything else.

If the steps to fire normal shots were that much of an issue then it made sense as to why he choose such a cumbersome Trigger to use.

But then that brought up a question.

...Is the Laser-Shooter supposed to be a mix between Shooter and Gunner?

The way it formed attacked was very much like the Shooters he had seen, but the way the beams were fired and attacked seemed much more like Gunners. It was something he would not have noticed if not getting to know the boy better and seeing his Trigger in action.

It was a thought for later.

"A quick-draw at close range would give the lead to Yuba-san, a close-range Gunner. Some may disagree, but still."

"Right. That makes sense. So, you chose to be a Gunner because of that advantage?"

Mitsuteru couldn't stop the next snort that came out.

He ignored the look Kazuma gave him.

"No way! I'm not the brainy type!"

"This guy just sucks at being a Shooter. You should have seen him. When he starts to panic, he can't control his shots to save his life."

It may have been a bit much to lean toward Mikumo, but that was fine.

"At least I'm not terrified of my mentors!"

The two stuck their tongue out at each other and called it there.

"But with a Gunner style, you can shoot with reflexes if you train enough. That suits me better. I can't lay out bullet traps like Shooters. But Gunner Triggers sync with your body more the more you use it. And that feel great."

Hearing him say that for himself was nice.

As someone who used guns as well to fight, he could understand the feeling of that. A feeling of having the solid mass in your hand as you took aim and fired, at times only firing on instinct without knowing what would happen. For someone strong, like Kazuma, that could happen multiple times without a problem.

It was a close feeling of knowing that you had control of everything from how you moved to the way your weapon fired.

There was never a time that it was thrilling to take aim and fire. That feeling was only ever made better when the shot hit and took our an opponent.

That much he could agree on with Kazuma.

"If you're interested, ask me."

Wait.

"I'll teach you!"

"Waaaaaaaaait!"

Mitsuteru flew up from his seat, knocking down the empty can next to him and slightly shaking Mikumo.

"Kaaaazuuuuumaaaaa!"

.

Osamu saw it happen in an instant.

After Satomi had expressed his feelings on being a Gunner and that he would be fine with teaching Osamu, Ariake had thrown himself into the air. He reached over, grabbed Satomi by the shoulders, and began violently shaking him.

Then he remembered how he had first seen the two of them.

...They were fighting over one not teaching the other.

This seemed to be the final straw of that conversation.

"What do you meeeeean you'll teach him if he asks!? I've been begging you this whole tiiiiiime to teach me, but you keep making excuses! They aren't even good excuses either!"

"It's - because - of - your - mentors! I'm - scared - they'll - come - after - me!"

"Who cares about that!? I went through public humiliation to be rejected and now you're giving out your services like it's nothing! I thought we were frieeeeeeeeeeends!"

"We - are!"

Each word was emphasized by a shake.

By this point Satomi's head was moving too fast to properly see, only looking to be three heads violently vibrating.

It was actually pretty amazing to see something like this happen in front of him.

...These are my senpai, too.

The more he got to know the older Border members the more he was realizing that they really all did have some sort of strangeness to them. It was not necessarily a bad thing, but it would tend to stop him for a moment before recovering and moving on.

These two were no exceptions.

"U-um... Well, thank you both for your time today. I'll find a way to thank you properly."

Ariake was quick to stop his shaking at his words, so that was probably a good thing.

"Ah, you don't have to do that," Satomi said while still in Ariake's grip.

"You came to see Kazu-kun and not me, so there's no reason to do that, Mikumo-kun."

The two smiled to him.

They were saying that there was no reason for him to go out of his way and that they had done this simply because they could.

It was another thing he had realized when meeting some of the older Border members.

They would do things simply because there was no reason not to.

Now that I think about it, everyone at Tamakoma is the same way.

Karasuma and Usami enjoyed themselves while helping them and Konami's pride was always on full display too, but they all decided to help from the start. Things only got better the more they all worked together and helped each other, nothing major needing to be given for it all.

This was how Border was as a whole.

There was nothing bad about it.

.

"Kazuma!"

Hearing a voice down the hall, the trio turned to see two boys waiting with one of them waving over.

Kazuma waved back.

"Phew... It's just Ryū-kun and Haya-chan."

"Did you think it would be Shun again?"

"Nah, but having Saki-san here would make my heart stop for a moment."

"I'll make sure to tell her that!"

It looked like Mitsuteru was going to go for another grab.

Seeing the attack coming, Kazuma lifted himself from the seat and slid to the side with a grin.

He made a second jump to the side and turned to face both Mitsuteru and Mikumo.

"Well, see ya, Mikumo-kun! Have fun running away, Mittsun!"

"Thanks again."

"Go jump in sewer water, you jerk."

Kazuma only gave a backhanded wave while moving over to his teammates.

The atmosphere around the now duo had lowered to a nice simmer as they watched Kazuma walking away. The conversation that had just happened still lingered around the two.

Mitsuteru was the first to speak up, doing so while stretching his arms above his head.

"Well, that was pretty fun. You seem like a good guy, Mikumo-kun."

"Huh? Oh, thanks. And again, thank you too, for what you said."

"Nah. It's all general things that anyone can find out. I was only speaking as Yuki's former squad member."

"You must have some good memories of those times."

Mitsuteru stilled for a moment. He blinked a few times before giving a light laugh.

His expression softened and his eyes moved to look away.

There was no way of Mikumo knowing about everything that had happened between him and his former captain. To say something like that meant he only knew what he could figure out from the way he spoke during their conversation.

And his reaction was enough to figure out even more.

"Did I...get it wrong?"

"Eh? Oh! No, not at all."

He gave another laugh.

"It's not that at all. I just...a lot has happened recently. I won't bore you with the details, but I guess... Yeah. For sure. There were a lot of good time with them all. So, Mikumo-kun."

"Yes?"

Mitsuteru nodded with a smile, brows lowering a bit.

"Enjoy your time with your squad. Okay?"

Mikumo took a moment to think over those words.

They were not said in a causal way. It was not some way to tell him to relax or have fun with everything happening around him. There was no small or nonchalant feeling put into those words.

Those words had been said by someone who had accepted his own regret and was enjoying himself now.

So...

"Yes. We'll all do what we can and accept the end results."

"Ha ha ha. I guess it did sound like I meant it that way, didn't it? ...Hah. I'm really not cut out for these kinds of things. I guess that's why I'm pretty bad at being a senpai."

"I think that you're fine."

Mitsuteru gave another laugh with a "thanks".

The atmosphere had shifted slightly, but neither one of them seemed uncomfortable with it in the slightest.