Mom: "Things are certainly lively for this match."
Rampage Dress: "It feels more routine than anything."
Minoru looked over to see Ketsueki holding himself back from saying anything.
The attacks Mei had been sending his way had been especially effective with Yasuko right there.
He felt bad for Ketsueki.
"So he decided to save his teammate instead of going after Kage, huh?"
"Makes sense, he has always been like that."
"That's the annoying part."
"I don't know, it's kind of funny to see him like that."
The way Hokari nodded along with Tōma's words was a bit worrying, but this was a conversation between Sniper mentors and their student.
But there was something else going on during their conversation.
It had to do with the crossdresser near the wall.
He was wearing a shoe like a hat while two other shoes were on his ears. His hands were moving in the air, but they seemed to be random. I doubt they are, but I don't feel like thinking about what it could mean.
That left him to figure out what he was saying, but...
"Hey, hey, Arafune! It isn't nice to have a favorite student, you know!? Pick one and ditch the other!"
"Kō isn't my student anymore, so I can't pick now."
"Then make sure you give Ari-chan the proper lynching! Bring him over next time!"
The way Arafune perked up at the idea was also something to worry about, but that was also between a student and his mentor.
The crossdresser continued with a twirl, sending the shoes flying
"But you might miss your chance. Kage looks like he's enjoying spending time with Ari-chan."
"I doubt," Arafune said while crossing his arms. "Well, that's not true. I just know most of it has been due to Ema."
"Is that why Kage's been too relaxed here?"
"What are you talking about? From where I'm sitting, he's getting started now."
Arafune's expression had made him interested to see what he meant.
Minoru turned back to the screen and saw what he meant.
The entire time the match had been going on Kageura had been harassed and nothing more had happened from him. The previous match showed that he had tried to get away when in danger, only to end up Bailing Out regardless.
But this time was different.
"He's finally going for it."
Arafune grinned. It was not the type to show happiness.
...He's excited to see what happens.
"So let's see what Mitsuteru can do here."
Mitsuteru was fast to react once he saw the shot come in.
The city had jumped, but he remained the same.
...Yeah, I'm always the same, he thought bitterly. It had not been too long ago that he had thought things could change for him.
No, they really have changed. But only when it comes to the people I hadn't made up with. For people like Naki, things are still the same.
He let out a breath through his mouth. The tension that had built up in his shoulders was released as another shot crashed into his shield.
It was more than just that shot. Down below, someone was moving to catch up to him. Their movement was quick as they used their combined Scorpions to swing higher and higher into the air.
I guess this is fair after I had accidentally messed with Kageura-san earlier.
Others would probably say that he had done that on purpose, but he knew what the truth was.
Oh, well.
He had given himself away to make sure his friend would be able to continue fighting.
She had been looking pretty tension and pissed before the match. I had hoped she would get over that during the match, but that didn't seem to happen.
Oh, well, he thought again.
He had been there to help out when it was needed. Shigenaga had calmed down enough to want to help him. That was good to see since he had given away his position to help her out. This was not his way of blaming her, but he knew that she would not have been that bad off if there was not a reason. Besides...
We're partners. I can't just leave her be without correcting her mistakes.
She had been pissed, so I needed to calm her down. Plus, I was right in that she had forgotten.
It did't hurt, but it felt bad knowing that this was what he had been correct about.
Shigenaga had forgotten about something important.
But...
She remembered it too.
She had stated it herself, so he knew that he had not just been imagining things.
It felt like he was being childish, but he knew that he had been listening to his inner child the entire time.
He gave a bitter laugh as he blocked another shot.
Yuzuru sure is going for me here. I guess that's also something to remember.
But that was something different.
What he could remember was from a time after Yuzuru had become a bit colder to him.
The pain that had been with him was linked with fading memories.
He had gotten into a falling out with Wataru and she had been going back to her violent tendencies.
It's beyond delinquency at this point. She's just turned more violent.
It was a sad thing to see each time he witnessed her fighting and walking away with blood on her body.
The sight reminded him of his first squad captain.
"Of all things to remind me of..."
Thinking about that squad was like seeing a light fading out from the night. Something that always left him standing there, trying to clear out his thoughts.
A thundering call always rang out whenever he thought back to them.
As they disappeared from his thoughts he could only come to the conclusion that his heart had been sincere with the resolution those times had come to.
He let out a breath from his mouth, but the tension remained in his body.
This sucks...
Between his first squad disappearing before his eyes and his second squad ending horribly he could only come to the conclusion that he should not be on any squad.
The trouble being a squad brought did not feel like it was worth it.
And yet...
"I know that sigh. Stop thinking about them, you idiot."
"Or what? You've gotten more violent lately, so I wouldn't doubt that you are going to punch me."
"Tch. I should punch you just for saying that."
But nothing ever came.
The spot that had been next to him was taken up, but no hit ever came. He looked over to make sure that should would not hit him.
What he saw made him frown.
"Got something to say?"
He did, but...
You wouldn't listen to me anyway.
The air between the two of them was harsh and stiff. Neither one of them moved, but they could tell that there was something that they needed to say.
Both of them were in places where they didn't want to say anything, but knew that something needed to be said.
Holding in these thoughts was wearing on them. Grinding them until they would be unable to take it anymore.
.
"...What do you plan to do exactly?" he asked. Starting here was what he had come to learn after being with his first two squads.
She answered with a huff.
"What's there to do? They left me alone in a bad place. I learned how to handle myself. Joined Border. And now have to face them again. My pent up aggression because of that should be clear by now."
"It is. I've gotten messages from others asking me to do something about you."
"Tell me who they are."
"Hitting them won't do you any good."
"I don't care."
Mitsuteru knew she would say that, but he had to hear it to confirm it with himself.
Fighting up to this point had been reserved for Neighbors, but she had gone beyond that and found opponents everywhere she went.
"What's worse is that they continue their idiotic praises to get on my good side."
"Yeah, that sounds bad. If you want, I could do something."
"Someone as plain as you doing something? Hm. That'll be the day."
"Speaking with that masculine speech does nothing to help you."
"I would rather be like this instead of someone who needs a plain person to do something for her."
That one hurt, but he had something for her too.
Something he had been saving up for a moment like this.
"You can stand to be a bit more feminine, you know? She can be to much a lot of the time, but even Nire-san has more people liking her than you probably ever will."
"Keh. What do I care about that? So what if that's the case? The day I give a damn about that sort of crap is the day I fully admit that I need the help of some plain guy who can't even stay to one squad."
"Tch. Fine, fine. Lay it on, won't you? I guess you go beyond tomboy and go to something else."
"Say something like that again and I'll kick your ass, got it?"
The two clicked their tongues and leaned back.
Mitsuteru knew that they both had a lot of pent up aggression due to recent events, but to tear into each other was not something he wanted. That was for people like those terrible children he had met or the people who had forced their way towards Shigenaga.
Both of them had something going on.
This really sucks. But neither one of us is going to apologize for what we said.
It just wasn't who they were when around each other.
So...
I guess there's no choice...
Mitsuteru looked over again to see Shigenaga already had her head leaning back and a groan escaping her mouth.
She was thinking the same thing as him.
So he did the same thing she did.
"Let's get this over with," she said. "I want to get this all out and patch myself up."
"Hm. I can at least go to the store to get you some wrapping."
"I won't thank you for it."
"I don't want your thanks anyway."
She snorted at his words and he wondered why he chose her as a friend.
But that wasn't what was important.
What came next was.
.
"I know I made mistakes. And you know what it takes to be on a squad. Now I'm facing all of the demons inside of me. I have to take up my weapons and be prepared to fight. It's my only escape from everything around me. And I still want to change something before I can even think of trying to be in your world."
"Teach me how to fight. That way I won't have to feel like this. They keep telling me to take a breath and hold it until I see my enemies in my scope, but..."
They both understood what the other wanted.
Neither one of them held back.
"I don't want to hear those empty words or promises! And I don't want to look back at the things I've left along the way!"
"I don't want to see my world collapse and fade away!"
The blinding light of the sun was begging to fall as both of them began to breath heavily form their shouts.
Their voices were meant only for each other, but anyone listening in would be able to hear their desperation.
They were both in between something.
One was losing faith that used to define him.
One was speaking out and preparing for her next fight.
Both knew they still had time, they had seen what they needed to do.
So they said it one more time. Only to each other and only for each other to hear.
"I'm going to make sure to never say those empty words or promises! I'm gonna hold onto myself that no one can touch!"
"I'll make sure to see the new light in your world and in my own!"
They had found out what to do.
Under the lowered sky, they let themselves relax with each other around.
...That's right, I never told him that I have needed him before.
There had never been a need to tell Mistuteru anything when he already knew when he was needed.
Their captain, Asagi and Kenzaide had always spoken up whenever they needed his help with something, but she had never said anything. Yet he still went to her side when she needed his help.
Mistuteru had always known when to help her. It had stopped her from speaking up and telling him that she needed his help.
Was that because he remembered her words or was it because he was just that kind of person?
I can really be either one.
Just thinking that it could be either made her smile.
She no longer had her sunglasses to hide behind. Anyone in the area would be able to see the smile in her eyes as well.
Shige-ko: "Hey, Mitsuteru-"
Daybreak: "Shigekoooooo! I need your heeeeeelp!"
His voice came through clearly to her.
That idiot, she scoffed. He was doing it again.
There was no time to ask for his help.
She would be helping him.
"Honestly..."
He didn't change. That was good to know.
"Right, then."
If he would not change when it came to her, she would not change without him either.
"Shigenaga Naki, moving out, once more! I will be going to support that idiot who got himself caught by the enemy!"
Koarai heard a shout from the distance, but he was unable to catch what the person had said.
They had sounded like they were having fun, so he had nothing to say against them. Enjoying these sorts of things was what he enjoyed most during these matches.
For that same reason he ran forward and through the white light beams that crossed each other.
He had been trapped under a shield for a moment but had been released once Shigenaga left the area. The fight going on had shifted toward her and she had disturbed Takeshi's offense against him and Okudera, for that he was grateful.
But...
That had to have taken a lot of trion out of him.
It left Takeshi with less ability to fight back against the two of them.
The only thing that made it close to evening out was...
"...!"
The Attacker girl who moved in to attack before jumping back next to Takeshi.
Okudera had tried to strike he down after blocking, but a white light beam would always get in the way.
Koarai would move closer to her, but the distance never seemed to close by the time she was back at Takeshi's side.
Koala: "What do we do? They're buying time for Toby to get here."
Okkun: "Waiting for Takkun to run out of trion sounds nice, but that might not be as realistic as we want with Taiyōko here."
Demon Child: "Awdry-kun is using Bagworm, so we don't know how close he is to your location."
A chuckle came through to them a moment later.
...What?
The only person who could have done that was not the type to do so.
Wait! Wait! Wait! What!?
Okkun: "Um, Azuma-san?"
First Sniper: "Awdry sure is thorough. I suppose that is why he is called a genius."
That did nothing to answer their worry, but that might have been on purpose.
The next attack from Taiyōko came, so Koarai moved to block it.
He felt something grab the back of his shirt before he was pulled back.
A white light beam tore through the space he was going.
"Takeshi's really trying while he's still here, isn't he!?"
"That's why you need to be more careful."
Okudera didn't stay by his side long after saying that.
They had to keep moving. Otherwise those white light beams would target them and tear through them.
First Sniper: "I may need to lay low until he is found."
Demon Child: "You can't find Awdry-kun?"
First Sniper: "All of his tracks are gone, he is hiding from sight as well as reflections, and he in not in any buildings for it."
Okkun: "So that's why you said that..."
Koarai didn't have time to tilt his head, but the sentiment reached Okudera regardless.
The two moved back once more while Taiyōko positioned herself next to Takeshi again.
Okkun: "Koarai, when you think of Awdry's fighting style, what would the first thing that comes to mind be?"
Koarai: "Wild. He's totally wild and excited to rush forward."
Okkun: "Exactly. But he isn't an idiot. Those rushes are from his own excitement for a fight."
Oh...
He was starting to understand what the others meant. Thinking of Toby as someone like him had always been what he had done, but this did not mean they weren't still the same.
It just meant there was more than what he was used to.
If Toby isn't coming out now and Azuma-san can't find him, he's taking this seriously and wants to win. He's relying more on his brains here.
The reason for that was obvious.
They stood on the other side of the battlefield.
He's doing it for his squad.
There was also the idea that he was doing it for himself, but it would be more for his own squad than himself.
Being selfish in a fight was fine if you could keep up the momentum of it all or fight without any worries. The drive that came with that sort of thing fueled a lot of people to push themselves harder and get as many points as they could.
But Kotowari Squad had always been different.
They're selfish while being selfless.
They cared for their teammates as much as they did themselves. Sometimes even more than that.
Toby not being able to be found was proof of that.
As he thought about these things, Koarai heard something.
The white light beams had a heated noise and the sounds of shoes hitting the ground were clear, but he heard something over both of them.
"I made it."
It was a voice.
"I made it to the right time. Hoshi, let's go."
It was a voice from directly in front of him. From Takeshi.
It was followed by a feminine one.
"Right!"
.
His initial plan had been destroyed.
The battle had drained most of his trion.
Hoshi was the only one helping him fight here.
Toby was waiting to reach them.
There were three other squads to worry about.
Everything that had happened in the match already was something that showed hm just how much things could change in an instant.
He had been reminded of this before. Back in the underground, when looking at the situation with Yuki-san, with our previous match, and even with my everyday life. Things had always been changing to points where he found it hard to keep up with others.
That was why he prepared himself for changes in this match.
I'm a loser, but that's fine.
There were people around him that could make up for that here.
All he needed to do was make sure that he could do something for them within this changing match.
"Fire."
Grumpy Cat: "Looks like he's finally caught up to the rest of us."
Deer Prince: "That's one way of looking at it, yes. But what does that mean for you?"
The silence that followed was heavy, but not oppressive.
Osamu knew that the meaning of that silence came from someone who had seen a lot when it came to the topic of discussion.
Some looks were passed around the room, but the one that stuck out was the smug expression the Yagura Branch Director was giving.
It was followed up by a snide remark from Rindō and a quick laugh by the man who sat with his daughter and her friends.
The next chance began.
Green River: "Looks like Yaoi-senpai is getting things together."
Obi-nyan: "Isn't it time to give up that nickname?"
Green River: "It's more fun this way. Or are you just saying that because he's Hoshi-chan's friend?"
Country Girl: "She is saying it because it is annoying and pointless."
Green River: "You're just saying that to be against me!"
Early Grass: "She speaks for us all when she says that."
That one was a real double-hitter that had him feeling bad for Midorikawa.
A noise form Kuga told him that he was not the only one feeling that way.
But I really shouldn't feel too bad if he's calling Kotowari that...
The name likely came from something between the two of them, but he a feeling that it was something that should stopped now before something bad could come up later.
Megane: "Moving away from the name... What do you mean by 'getting things together', Midorikawa?"
Early Grass: "No need to change the subject for him."
Country Girl: "He should be facing the consequences of his actions."
Green River: "C'mooooooon!"
No point in saying he didn't try.
Kitora: "What he means, Mikumo-kun...is that Kotowari-kun is finally learning how to actually fight instead of sitting by and doing what everyone expects from him."
Green River: "Kitora-chaaaaaan!"
UMA: "Oh, I see Kitora comes in time to answer. Good job. 三3三"
Country Girl: "Tch."
Early Grass: "Keh."
Kitora: "Wh-what's with this backlash!? I came in here to answer Mikumo-kun's question!"
Megane: "Thank you for answering, Kitora."
The wave of messages that came next was amazing, but he chose to ignore them. If only for Kitora's sake.
He clapped his hands three times and lowered his head, two more pairs of hands following his lead.
Everyone's attention went to him and his teammates, but they all waved off everyone's worries.
"Ah, it's the chat, isn't it?"
"It's the chat, for sure."
"Only the chat can cause that."
It was scary how they were able to reach that conclusion so quickly.
I guess that's just from experience.
Mad Hatter: "Oh, if we are asking and answering questions, I have one!"
Seen It All: "What's that, Hiura-senpai? Oh, but just know that I'm not watching the match going on."
Rice Girl: "Izuho-chan..."
Detective Sniper: "Anyway, go ahead, Akane!"
Mad Hatter: "Right! It's about Kotowari-senpai too!"
What was that exactly?
Mad Hatter: "Isn't he late for this?"
.
Kitora: "So someone actually said it..."
Green River: "I didn't think it would be her..."
Country Girl: "She didn't hold anything back..."
Early Grass: "So harsh..."
UMA: "Poor Takeshi..."
Mad Hatter: "Wh-what did I do!?"
Obi-nyan: "Don't you think you are all being too harsh on her?"
Rice Girl: "You didn't do anything wrong, Hiura-senpai! ...I think."
Green River: "I guess it could be worse. Tomoe and Ema aren't here, so that's two less to worry about."
Shobu: "...They aren't...here to defend...themselves..."
Early Grass: "Now look what you have done!"
Green River: "Huh!?"
Megane: "Getting back to Hiura's question..."
Mad Hatter: "I just want to know it he's okay with doing this when it's the last match of the season!"
Detective Sniper: "Reminder: Akane has a very good connection with Sekai."
Almost Everyone: "...Oh, no."
.
That made everyone quick to leave for a moment.
Give it a second...
They were back in an instant.
Kitora: "We really can't show this chat to our senpai. They would be too proud..."
Someone else understood that they needed to keep this between them. That's good.
"Anyway," Kuga said from his spot next to Chika.
Konami was directly behind him, trying to look over his should to see what was happening.
"Staring over someone's shoulder gives you arthritis."
Everyone stopped at Takahashi's words, but the one who reacted to it was Konami herself.
"Eh!? I wasn't! My eyes were just looking around! Yeah! Oh, we should really do something about these curtains! They are so bland!"
"Lying about it makes it come quicker."
Ah, Karasuma-senpai joined in...
Because he always enjoyed doing that.
"Konami-san, I don't think that's true..."
"Hey, hey, Little Hyu. Doesn't that 'arthritis' thing kinda sound like..."
"We don't talk about that and you know it."
"But it totally does!"
"...I don't want to think of it. It's just a story. Don't bring it up."
The way Hyuse and Futoyuki shuddered at their own conversation was interesting, but that was something to think about later.
There was still another conversation going on.
Megane: "Kotowari will be fine."
Kitora: "What makes you so sure?"
Isn't it obvious?
Chika and Kuga nodded along, understanding his thoughts. Even the Yagura Branch nephew seemed to look to him before turning back to his phone
Kitora might have asked him to confirm that he knew what his own words meant, or she wanted to see what his response would be.
But those felt like wasted concerns.
Megane: "He has his teammates to back him up."
Looks like Osamu gets it, thought Svantje concerning the messages.
...Is that because they are friends now?
If he knew about this earlier, would he have said something else instead? Someone else might not have noticed it if they chose not to look. It was even possible this was proof that Osamu was taking this seriously.
So Svantje gestured for everyone in the room to move back a bit. Then she spoke up to them.
"Things are getting fun in this match, aren't they?"
Just in case, she placed some distance between herself and Tsuji.
She watched as he got comfortable with someone else next to him, but then she noticed something.
"Why are the rest of you keeping your distance?"
"..."
"It's exactly as Hisoka-san said."
Svantje knew the meaning of Hisoka's silent sentence, but...
"I don't think Hitsu understands."
Just as she said that, Hitsugi lowered her head.
Everyone waved off her worries.
"You see," said Oshiro with a smile towards his teammate. Without Inukai around it felt like he was moving around with less purpose.
It was an interesting note to her. But it was not anything she found to be new. They had always been like that.
But he would be the best one to answer here, so it's good he's by himself.
.
Oshiro smiled.
But his teammate, Teikō Hitsugi, tilted her head and lowered her head a bit.
"Shinnosuke-kun is one of the few people Mukuro-kun can sleep around. ...If we were any closer, he might end up waking up. He is an insomniac, so making sure he gets any sleep is a good thing. Oh, but feel free to get a better look. Just make sure to keep a distance for both Mukuro-kun and Shinnosuke-kun's sake."
...That should just about do it.
Oshiro nodded at his own thought.
"Moving away from that."
"J-just like that?! ...Well, I guess that makes sense since it's you, but still... What else did you want to say?"
"Just that everyone seems to be enjoying themselves in this match."
"What are you talking about?" asked Hitsugi. "Awdry and Kaorai are a given, but I don't know about the others. Maybe Ariake, but that's just because he got to harass Kageura-san."
"Well..." trailed off Oshiro before he realized something.
Everyone else was watching him. Hiyami spoke up first.
"You really can see the more simplistic things in the best way, Hogo-kun. It's like back then, when we had to deal with the sponsors. I'm pretty amazed that you can find that so easily."
And Tsuji sounded confident.
"He has always been like that, even back when he had a different personality."
Hiyami was enjoying this and Tsuji was going for the past, putting him on thin ice. With Hitsugi and Hisoka, the former was very interested while the latter had chosen to simply watch. However...
...I am not the only one who notices these things.
"Nikko-chan is used to seeing these sorts of things, right? I am only looking at things the way I see them, but she sees everything that is happening."
"Comparing the two of you is unfair. ...Then again, the two of you are very bright."
"...Wait, what did you mean by that second part, Hisoka-san? Please don't turn away from me! Shinnosuke-kun, this is your fault, isn't it!? What did you do!?"
Tsuji turned his head away without disturbing Mukuro, who was leaning against his shoulder.
Oshiro let out a sigh, but found himself enjoying himself more than usual here. It was nice.
Now I just hope that everyone fighting is enjoying themselves as well.
Shigenaga could see the next set of white light beams tear into the air and towards the sky above.
So they're going to the next phase of the fight.
Then it was up to her to follow suit.
The first thing to take care of was the next set of grenades that came raining from the sky.
Shige-ko: "Captain, can you do anything about those grenades?"
2Truths1Lie: "Zoe-kun is making it hard to catch him off guard. He isn't running around, but he doesn't look like he's going to go fully on offense."
Feeling Alive: "That's probably because he isn't scared of being found out."
Daybreak: "Eh? Not even by Azuma-san?"
He could have been expecting to be found only by Azuma. If that's the case, we need to show him that he's been found.But...
"It means our captain would need to give himself away..."
As the one who had said she would go over to take out Kitazoe this hurt her pride a bit. Being unable to follow through with her own words left a bitter tase in her mouth that only continued to grow.
There was nothing she could do about it now, so focusing on her current task was what mattered.
Daybreak: "Yuzuru seems to be firing in location close to where his last one was. Kitazoe-san is not going all out with the bombs. Kageura-san is reaching me with Mantis. Looks like we've been marked pretty well."
One: "Maybe because you've been harassing their captain?"
Daybreak: "Not harassment!"
The way he was in denial hurt.
I have to be the one to deal with it. ...That's the part that sucks.
But she would not complain about it. He didn't complain about her, so she would only reprimand him and call it a day.
That was for later. At the moment there was something else to take care of.
"There!"
.
Shigenaga lifted her rifle and fired in an instant. A cube of trion formed at the same time, splitting up and showering the area with a volley of bullets.
She had noticed one of her opponents.
The bullets moved through the air and into the sky. Unlike the white light beams a distance away, these bullets were aimed at a building.
The green line tracing the air towards the building was snapped as a body began to fall towards the ground. A white light beam followed.
Someone from the fight in another area had decided to take the chance of also attacking.
The building the white light beam tore through had it's windows blow out, sending glass falling towards the ground. Those did not matter when they could not reach her.
A shot was fired from the distance, letting her know where to go. It was not form an opponent, so she trusted it and ran towards the falling body.
Lifting her rifle again, she fired once the body came into view.
"Keh!"
She heard Kageura ire a she fell. It was followed by a midair Mantis being thrown at her.
The angle he had attacked from made it hard to figure out how he would attack, but...
"Next round!"
She fired her next set of volley shots.
Her position as an All-Rounder had come after she achieved her goal of Master Class for Attackers. She was more comfortable with close combat, but that did not mean she could not fight from a distance. Anything after that goal had been an add-on, leaving her with less experience.
That's fine, she thought while firing her shots.
She had never cared about distance fights, so this would be a good time to see how she really felt about them. The distance would be starting out large, but it was getting shorter and short as her and and the opponent moved closer to attack each other.
But more than that, she had the satisfaction of knowing that she would not be fighting by herself this time.
"—!"
Her opponents were in the same position, though. But that's also fine.
A shield was created to block the shot fired from a distance.
If that shot was meant for her, it was no longer aimed at Mitsuteru.
That's-
Her thoughts stopped once she saw why the shot had been aimed at her instead of him.
It was not one single attack.
Multiple lines traced the sky with smoke as heavy objects crashed into the building Kageura had been trying to reach. Each one of them hit different parts of the building before exploding, causing the entire area to shake violently.
The building's top was destroyed as more glass began to rain down with chunks of the building coming down as well.
Kageura's movement's now made sense. The Mantis he let out was not meant for her shots or to reach her. It was meant to support himself.
Her position while running placed her directly under the falling building and glass while a green ball bounced around the destroyed building before being tossed into the air.
Daybreak: "That scared the crap out of me! Thanks for the warning, Seiji-san."
2Truths1Lie: "Of course. Sorry that I couldn't do anything more than that."
Anything more than that and he might have been caught up in the white light beam that followed the path the grenades took. It tore through the buildings to reach that starting point, but she had no time to think of the outcome to that.
There was something else to focus on here.
Shige-ko: "Are you ready to go?"
Daybreak: "I'm so glad I decided to ask your help earlier..."
That's right, he was the opposite of her. While she felt comfortable in close combat, he prefer to keep his distance and snipe his opponent. But that could not happen anymore.
So the two of them would be relying on each other here.
Kiyome: "Oh, it seems Ariake is going to need to fight alongside Shigenaga-dono. It is good to see him trying new things."
Myth: "I don't think that's it..."
The groan that came from Ketsueki after he had given Kanzaki more points was a bit saddening.
"Stop grinning like that. It's irritating."
"M're s' th'n th'se tw'?"
Sekai's sigh was enough to make Denji's grin widen even more. A distance away from those two were the arguing duo who had been forcibly put apart form each other after being caught by Yasuko.
The way she had been able to hit the two of them while also getting the rest of them as collateral had been terrifying, but expected. The situation had called for them to be hit like that, so he didn't have nay complaints about it.
But Sekai had not been ready for that.
"This is kind of interesting. Don't you think, Sekai?"
Sekai gave another sigh, but the feeling it had was different from before.
The first one had been his tiredness from dealing with everything while this one was his way of expressing himself to Denji only.
Denji felt a bit proud to know that he understood that sigh.
"Denji. ...Pick a way you want to speak and shut up."
"Why would I do that when so much is going on? Azuma and Kotowari are going at it like idiots while waiting for a dog to run in, people are bombing the area, and that forceful girl who copies you is about to be crushed under a building. I don't know what else there is to focus on but the fun of idiots going at it while thinking they can be prepared or ready to properly adapt to what's going on. They're focusing so much on what's in front of them that they don't event realize just how easy it is to win here."
Sekai did not stop sighing. A rumbling filled the screen and he lowered his eyelids at being able to watch the match.
"A nice view. This is a pretty nice view. Leave it to those people to show us such a nice view from here."
"This is something they shouldn't try and focus on. Denji, you and I are the only ones who need to worry about these sorts of things."
"So you want everyone around to have to do it by foot and climb that hill, do you? This is reminding me of Sundays back when I was a kid. I would use every break I had to climb the hill to see if there was anything there, and I would always come back having gained something."
"Hah. What kinds of things did you gain?"
"Everything that made me who I am now. Is that too realistic and boring?"
"Hah." Sekai shook his head. "That's a very poetic way of thinking."
"That's pretty poetic itself coming form someone who can't stand poetry."
Denji smiled a little, but that must have satisfied him because his expression grew flat.
"Sekai, I th'nk s'm' p'pl' w'r' l's'n'."
"Let them make their own thoughts on this. Hah. Our part has nothing to do with this match, so there's no reason to talk about it."
"Not even I understand what our part is, so I wonder if they'll know what it means."
"Hah." Sekai tilted his head. "Getting back on topic here. Yeah..." His voice was nearly drowned out by the commentary from the others. "Hah. That girl decided to copy my shield, but that's all she's done. Anything after that is just her skill as a fighter."
"Is that supposed to be because of her, her teammates, or...something else? If the answer is something anyone can find, I'd like to hear it. I can offer the answer up to Mogami later."
"Right."
Sekai lifted his head from his fist and gestured in a certain direction: the center of the large hall. The large hall there was similar to a movie theatre filled only by the screen's light. But that light from the screen illuminated the entire hall.
Denji looked there.
"Sekai, tell me something. Who do you really think can win this match. More important than that... What do you think will happen because of it?"
"So irritating. You already know my answers to those question, so why do you bother asking them in the first place?"
"Because I love messing with you."
Sekai gave another sigh.
"Based on the way the fight is going, they are all doing a fine enough job fulfilling themselves. ...So I think all of them have something to gain from this. You already who what I'm talking about, Denji."
"You've said enough, Sekai. But I get what you mean. The idiots here who didn't think they had something before this understand that there's something else for them beyond this match. None of them are leaving after this, and the only one moving on is Misasuzu, so what they can get here will be fine since it means it won't be lost quickly either."
"You talk too much."
The noise from the arguing duo had stopped and everyone was looking at them. Denji grinned in their direction, but said nothing.
"Guess so."
Sekai answered by standing up. There was no sound and the air did not move, but he stood up.
So Denji smiled bitterly. He placed a hand on his hair and swept it back, away from his eyes.
"I didn't think you would try and get a better look at the screen just because of my words."
He shook his hair as he spoke and he maintained the bitter smile of having understood Sekai's actions.
A moment later, a great sight from the screen filled the hall behind him.
As Shigenaga moved to escape the falling building, another grenade collided with the building and destroyed it more.
The sight of destruction, the building, and the falling debris were all things that needed to be dealt with soon.
"Letting those things continue along with Kototake's beams is a bad idea. ...That just means the people hiding need to finally show themselves."
So...
"Those headless idiots are going to be joining the battle now. Th's 's 'bo't to g't ev'n m'r' e'c'tin'."
Mom: "Mei and Shizuka were on his squad once. How would he do in a fight like this?"
Ketsueki glanced over to see the two girls' expression.
Unlike how they may have been before, both of them continued to watch the match without much of a problem.
Kiyome: "Ariake had always supported us from a distance, but he had complained that it was troublesome due to the way we move."
Rampage Dress: "It was less support and more trying to do his own thing. Back then, when we were a squad together, it was mostly us two and Yuki rushing forward and taking out whoever we needed too, so it left him little to do in the meantime."
But...
Rampage Dress: "He got used to that at some point. His timing became better, even if it still couldn't match our movements. He was still able to take out people."
Kiyome: "There had been times when we did train with him using our own movements, so he should be able to keep up with people like Shigenaga-dono and Kageura-dono."
Myth: "So he will be able to fight here?"
Mei was the one to answer. A smile played on her lips as she lightly shook her head.
He would not be able to fight here.
Rampage Dress: "He can visually keep up with fast people and sudden movements, so keeping track of those two will be fine. But I don't know if he can physically keep up. We will have to see."
There could be more than what the two of them know.
Ketsueki realized how insensitive he had been with his question.
...They have not been a team for some time now. Asking if they known him that well now may have been too much.
He moved to apologize but was cut off by the smiles both girls wore.
Yasuko lightly waved to him with a smile of her own.
Mom: "This will be a nice showcase to what everyone is capable of. This next phase in the match."