"This kind of equipment really is different from our own... But it's also too reliant on trion for my liking."

Someone sighed as they viewed the screen in front of them.

Displayed on it were statistics, information on the ship itself, where everyone was, and even what had come through to them from allies. The connection between everyone had been amazing at first, but it all amounted to the same thing.

"None of them know how to work too well without trion."

Tenryū Seidō groaned under his breath.

He had had been on the Wanderers' ship for some time now and was getting used to how things were for them. The strangeness that came with them felt minor when he compared it to his time in Border.

Those times had always been filled with things he wanted to think about, but none of it were things he thought should happen ago.

He gave a bitter laugh at the thought.

"Is there something you find entertaining?"

A mechanical voice came through the ship interior and rang out in the room he was in.

He recognized the voice as the system that had been created by the Wanderers for safety and firepower. It was something he had fought before in a more tangible form than this.

"It's not something the likes of you could understand."

"My fragmented information space should be able to find something. Especially when the portion left behind on Miden has been sending regular updates as he has been progressing along."

"Getting the information I have like that is just pointless."

The system must have known that as it went silent a moment later.

Something that Seidō had noticed on his time as a passenger for the Wanderers was that their system seemed to have a strange way of communicating with him.

It could have been because he was from Earth, but he never bothered to give it that much thought.

"If this is something that I would not be able to understand with my information space, then I would like for you to fill in any necessary details for it. Since you are just a passenger here, the least you can do is pay us back for the ride."

"You damn..."

The clicking noise from above him meant the system knew what it had done and was enjoying it too much.

"Whatever. Tch... I was thinking about my time on Earth. The people I left there and what we had done before I left."

"I see. I really would not be able to understand that. You can just stop there then."

"You damn...!"

"But there is something I would like for you to go on about. I require it to fill in the remaining gaps from when we had picked you up."

If it was back then, then it meant...

"Please explain to me how it is that you managed to be against Miden, on their side, and decided to leave them."

That's right, he though. This system wouldn't understand that reasoning without the help of its broken off part.

His decision to leave Earth had been one based on his past experiences, what had been happening, and what he thought he could leave behind. Even leaving behind the legacy of his own wife had been something he thought about beforehand.

"Yeah... Between my son and that idiot Chishi, things should be fine."

"You sound like you are enjoying yourself now. Could it be that indulging in the past makes someone feel happier?"

"That's not it at all."

That's right, he thought again.

Something like this was more than just remembering the past.

"If you make sure you know what led to that memory then it doesn't matter if they are good or bad. Just knowing that you have that memory could be enough to make someone smile. Especially if it involves someone you like."

"Then you thought of someone you like?"

"I might be a bad father, but I still smile when I think of my own child."

Besides him, there were others to think about.

The one who stood out the most was him.

"Chishi better be taking care of things in my stead. He's always been a bit too relaxed when it comes to people he likes."

But things should be fine under his care.

Jonas watched the three other people in the room as they spoke to each other or made actions. Each one of them seem casual in their movements, but he could see that there was a sense of alertness in those same actions.

In particular, the man named "Pyrínas" moved like a collective instead of an individual.

Interesting.

These were the people his daughter had been around for some time now. She had not said anything bad about them, but he had still wanted to determine that for himself.

So first...

"If Pyrínas here isn't a member of Border, who exactly is he?"

There was something different about him, but he would not pry on his own. If they chose to not say anything then he would wait. If they chose to lie, he would meet them halfway and go from there.

All that mattered was getting the conversation started.

"He's a trion soldier."

But that was not what he had expected.

.

Megane Director: "Going for the hard hitting answers first, huh?"

RB07: "...I don't think it's the best idea to do that, but I knew he would not listen to me here."

Red Sky: "The both of you can shut up now. I was already planning on being completely transparent with this guy in the first place. Maybe even go so far as to tell him about Futoyuki. It all depended on how he was during the match."

Megane Director: "Your standards have always been kind of low, so I guess that makes sense."

Red Sky: "I'm not against hitting you in front of guests and you know it."

Megane Director: "Then I would have to tell your nephew about it."

.

The way Akasora clicked his tongue made Jonas worry that it was his lack of reaction that had been the reason for the irritation.

But how am I supposed to answer to that!?

He had just casually found out that the person who had been making sure his daughter was fine had been a trion soldier from the start. There's Minoru and Masataka, so they must have known about this. But then why did they not tell him?

"...Would you like me to stop being around her?"

"Not at all... Hah. I just didn't think you all would come out and say it right to my face."

"Chi-chan is like that, don't mind."

"Come here! Come over here right now!"

Rindō lowered his hips and began a strange crab walk towards the door.

Akasora looked ready to follow him. He sat down a moment later, figuring it would be too much trouble.

These people are indeed strange.

"I don't mind him being a trion soldier. If Michelle likes him then I have no problem."

"Of course Minoru and Masataka know about him too, so you can ask them for more details."

"I think I will. But that is for later. We're busy with our conversation here, after all."

"A nice head on your shoulders. Good. If you were any less of a person then I would have kicked you out."

What were his standards if that was the case?

Rindō began to open his mouth by the door and was quickly quieted by a glare from Akasora. The two of them had to have known each other for a long time if that was all it took.

"Well, besides that," Jonas said. His expression must have changed a lot since both Akasora and Rindō relaxed their shoulders.

They were honest in a way that he liked.

.

"Besides that," Jonas said again. "I wanted to know more about the situation here in Japan. Border over here has been going through some crazy things, hasn't it?"

Akasora and Rindō gave simultaneous groans, making Jonas raise a brow.

Pyrínas raised a hand and took a step forward. His expression was still neutral, but he looked at the two branch directors.

"It isn't a breach of information if we say 'a machine spit it out', so go ahead. Besides, be it vacation or business, our guest here has something to learn while over here. Might as well get this over with and turn it into a lesson for a non-Far Easterner."

"Europeans can also be forward, from what I've heard. It's pretty scary when Karasawa gets drunk and goes on about the troubles he's faced."

"Right, right? That guy can learn a thing or two about keeping his mouth shut."

Akasora followed up with a "but anyways" and threw his arms over the back of the couch. He closed his eyes and waved back to Pyrínas.

This got a nod of Pyrínas as he put his arm down and spoke.

"...The situation here is complicated. ...Does that count as a sufficient answer?"

"Not at all, you idiot!"

.

...This is a tricky situation.

Pyrínas found two sides of him conflicting in this conversation.

On one hand, he wanted to answer properly and explain the situation clearly to Jonas. This was the optimal solution he had come up with in order to make sure that both sides knew what was going on.

But on the other side...

...Messing with these two directors has become very entertaining.

"Hm?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"...Please give me a moment to think over something."

"Go ahead," said Akasora, earning a nod from him.

This had turned into a new situation that ran through his very core and swirled around in a way he was not used to.

...For me to find something entertaining then I would need to first find it amusing. ...Before even that, I need to know what it means to enjoy something. ...I had confirmed before that I "enjoy" my time with the children, but I never confirmed if I "feel" that way or view it as a simple fact.

...With the core of someone who had been mimicking Yuki inside of me, it could be effecting me more than I had thought. ...From the information that core held in it, Yuki had always been the type to work off of his own emotions. ...Since he had been created to mimic that much of Yuki in the past, he must have been installed with emotions as well.

Now those same emotions were being created inside of him after taking in the core.

The feeling he had gained from it was confusing, but he had yet to figure out how to express it on his face.

For now, there was little he could do.

...Maybe I should ask those kids for some help.

His time around the city had shown him that children would tend to be the ones most likely to express themselves, even when not understanding their own feelings.

That sort of simple and easy expression was what he would need.

"...I see. ...So even I am able to learn something after coming here. ...Miden really is an amazing place."

"Huh? Of course it is. Earth is a one-of-a-kind world, don't you know? We aren't held down by what we think is possible. We decide for ourselves what we can do. If there is something we think we can't do, we'll ask around to see if it's possible."

Akasora spoke directly to him, but his words felt like they were somewhere else.

They were in a some far off dream.

"You know...there use to be something I thought about when going through the Gates. Something that hit me hard once I saw what it was like on the other side."

"Chishi..."

"Eh, it's fine, Takumi. I've already come to a decision on it. I'm a teacher, after all."

Pyrínas felt his brows get closer at this as a sense of curiosity began to form.

...He isn't the type of person to just say things randomly.

There was meaning behind what Akasora was saying here. The way Rindō's expression changed was enough for him to figure that out.

So he listened.

"'Can I prove the value of humans?' ...That's what I use to think."

...Oh.

It was something that even Yuki had thought about before. That was what his core was telling him.

As a trion soldier, he could not understand why that was important.

But as an individual...

...The value of something, huh...? ...Yes, I wanted to know of my own value once I came into being my own person. ...I haven't thought about that for some time.

The one to answer him was not Pyrínas himself or even Rindō.

It was Jonas.

"...And? What was your answer?"

The smile Akasora gave was not a bitter one, nor was it one that reflected happiness.

He smiled to show them that he was satisfied with his answer.

"If can be done, it can be done by humans, definitely."

.

Pyrínas nodded his head and Jonas' wide eyes settled into a content smile.

As for Rindō...

This guy never changes.

The answer he had found was different from Akasora's, but they both held those meanings close to themselves.

More than us, everyone has found their answer and is working to stick to them.

Even if their ideals conflicted at times, they remained united as Border. The answers they had all found were strung together to make this organization that could protect their world while also looking out for any other ones.

There had been a time when they were just defeated fighters, but that felt like a simple memory at this point.

"That's right," he heard Akasora say under his breath.

There was someone who had found her answer first and told him about it.

"Our conquest is the sea of stars..."

A path to the beyond that they understood could only be accomplished as humans working together.

...And he wanted to teach his child that.

But that could no longer happen.

Chishi isn't the type to remain on sentimental attachments and wants to look forward, but even he can think about the past fondly. Even if he's feeling sad, he just tries to turn that around so that everyone else can follow that lead.

That was why he remained with his nephew and was so loyal to his students and friends. Each one of them was an important part of life that he had fought for before.

Leaving any of them behind would do nothing but hurt them.

That's why we know he's so reliable.

Even Kido-san understands what these things mean for him.

Both himself and Shinoda understood that well enough. They could rely on him and go to him if they needed more.

"Pyrínas, let me tell you something. As a child who isn't even a year old, there are things to learn here. History is a good example of what we can accomplish. The present shows us the direction we can take. And looking to the future is how we decide that our goals are never an impossibility."

Pyrínas seemed to want to say something, but Akasora stopped him.

Rindō knew why.

"Every world we went to was pretty reliant on trion. The stuff is strong and durable, don't get me wrong. But over here, in a world of possibilities, we had been able to advance past the B.C. era and into the modern one without it. Our history might seem small or pathetic to any Neighbor world, but it's our history that brought us to this point." He pushed himself off of the back of the couch and opened his eyes. The smile that remained on his face had turned more joyous as he clamped his hands together. "Border is also a result of that history. So are we. The humans who had gone beyond our own world, came back, made this place called Border, and are now helping others with it... That is because humanity is just so insane that we thought it would be fine to do that."

There was no way to agree more with him than simply nodding.

Both Rindō and Jonas did just that, smiles on their faces.

.

That was the answer that Pyrínas thought felt right.

Thinking about it some more was only natural, but he thought that it was a good answer from someone who had already lived multiple years.

...If my creators were to hear that, what would they say?

Futoyuki was in the other room, but it was likely that he had not heard any of their conversation.

The information he was getting would sometimes be sent back to the Wanderers, so he might be able to ask Hatomi later on.

But there was someone who he would never be able to ask.

...Shuryō is dead, but he was a human. ...He was brought back after the first attack against Miden. ...What would he think about this?

What would his answer be?

"..."

"What is it?"

"...You would be the same...wouldn't you?"

Akasora raised a brow at him, but Pyrínas had already created the thought.

It was something he solidified in his core and decided to keep.

...Yes, I'm sure Shuryō would think something similar. ...After all...

"...I understand what you mean. ...My creator - one of them, and the one who is dead - I have no doubt that the two of you would get along. ...He was the one who created the Wanderers, a group who has the determination to do things others refuse to do. ...They will also do it. Humans are not alone here. The Wanderers can also do it, definitely."

.

Akasora gave a bellowing laugh that rang out in the entire branch office.

The answer he had come up with had also been what the Wanderers' first leader would have thought. It was what Pyrínas had said, and what he took as truth.

"It's a good thing that Seidō's with them, then. He's a good connecting point between us. The group you and Futoyuki left - the Wanderers. I expect them to do great things if they can view their goals in the same way we insane humans do."

He raised his hand and stood up from the couch.

"But know this..." He gave the other rooms a single glance before looking back. "We older generations aren't the ones who will be doing the impossible anymore. Humanity always has people of every age doing something no one else thought possible. So trust in the fools and idiots we have here. I can guarantee that they won't let anyone down."

Pyrínas nodded and excused himself. He walked towards the opening to the room before going into one of the rooms.

Excited shouts could be heard as the door closed, making Akasora chuckle.

"You sure do love to go on, don't you?"

"I just love humanity that much."

"Because she did?"

He shook his head.

This was something he had already gotten passed.

"My wife loved humanity, and I loved her. Once she was gone with our child, I fell into that bad spot. It was because of you idiots and my nephew that I really saw what humanity could be like."

"And what did you see?"

He gave another chuckle.

"A bunch of fools who could enjoy themselves after a loss."

Rindō patted his back three times and stepped away.

"That's why you like your students so much, isn't it? Everyone we have now seems to be able to cry about something before throwing themselves back up and enjoying themselves. We even have a cannibalistic group that capitalizes on that."

"Tch. Don't remind me. I still need to give a lot of them some strict advice. ...But I'll save that for later. They are going to be enjoying themselves tonight, so I'll leave them be."

He turned away from Rindō to look down at the smiling Jonas.

Their conversation had been interrupted for an idiot answer, but now there was no more time for their meeting.

He felt bad about it and bowed.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't expect things to turn out like this."

"No, it's fine. Anything else I would be worried about just got cleared up."

Jonas stood up as well and stretched out his arm.

Looking down at it for a moment, Akasora reached out and grasped the hand.

"It was a pleasure meeting you both today. I think I'll go meet up with my wife and leave Michelle in your care. You all seem trustworthy."

"Pyrínas will make sure that she is safe. I would do so myself, but there is something I need to do now."

"Oh, and what is that?"

That was the easiest answer to give.

And he grinned while doing so.

"I want to give some our agents a test, before some of them leave."

"Dammit!"

Takeshi got to his feet without turning to anyone else in the room so that they would not be able to see his expression.

He had rolled over. After landing on his feet, turning, and sliding along the floor, he had moved over to stand next to some others. The B-Rank Wars had finished with the nighttime match and he had remained fine enough for everyone who had a match after his own.

Once she had righted himself, he could see how everyone else was in the room and their own expressions. They had definitely resolved themselves after their battles, but...

...I'm still the same.

The area around him was nice.

He was in a more off to the side section of one of Border's open areas. Any further in and he would have needed to steel his expression again without his scarf around his neck. Giving it to Eri to use was not something he regretted.

He was not sure if this counted as being lucky or not.

"Dammit it all..."

He got up as he muttered that curse. And...

"Takeshi. It's fine if you need to leave."

"It's fine. I don't need-..."

He did not get a chance to add "that".

When he finished getting up, he saw everyone around him give varying expressions, but not ones of pity.

In another seven minutes, they would be moving to either celebrate or have a consolation party with others they knew.

Or that had been the plan. But now...

"Why...aren't you all leaving?"

Everyone had their squads to get to, but they had stopped from doing that.

The reason why could be seen in their expressions.

He could see it with the naked eye from directly in front of them all. Their silhouettes felt much taller than him.

Everyone felt much larger than he could ever be and it was entirely due to his own feelings.

"Is that how it is?"

Now that the B-Rank Wars have ended, everyone would want to make use of their extra time without worrying about their next matches.

All of the people who had participated in the match had done their best to score points. Each one of them had tried so hard and ended up proving more to everyone who had watched them.

In that case...

"Kotowari," said Kakizaki with an outstretched arm. "This season is over, but there's always next time, so don't worry."

"But!"

"This isn't the extent of what we helped you with."

So...

"You can cry if you want, no one will judge you. We'll make sure no one can say anything against you."

After a pause, Takeshi nodded.

"Right," he said. "I'm not crying. I was just a little surprised at having to face such tough opponents and getting my new idea ruined. Dammit."

He wiped off what was flowing from the corners of his eyes. "Dammit," he said again. "Goddammit," he added. "Agh!" he shouted.

And finally...

"Just you watch!"

Others had sent him messages telling him "good job" and to get some rest. He grabbed his phone, put it in his pocket, and fixed himself to stand tall.

He was still functioning as a person. He would not go back to how he use to be, but he would still show these sides to everyone. So...

"I will take responsibility for this loss. As captain, I will make sure it doesn't happen again!"

I won't be like before, but I'm not going to cry anymore, he thought while raising his voice. He not longer had a part to play in the B-Rank Wars, but...

"I won't let this be the end. Just you watch. ...This is where it all begins!"

People were moving in the distance.

Toby could hear it over the sound of his breathing and pulse which had yet to settle down.

He was lying on his back.

He was fairly certain his left shoulder was bruised. The elbow may have been hurt too, but the drained energy from his sudden run was the main reason he could not move most of his body.

The standard length he was able to go had been broken and he went until he was physically unable to move any longer. He operated his phone with his right hand to prioritize everyone else. He left just enough information to make sure no one would worry about him.

He rolled up his sleeves and pants after taking off his shoes. He freed himself from it while trying to steady his breath and stretch out his limbs.

Then he felt a chill.

His body had been released from the clothes restricting it.

The clothes had held the heat inside, so once it was moved aside, his body touched the park night air and a damp chill reached his skin.

He took a breath and finally looked up into the sky.

He could see the night sky through the valley formed by the leaves of the spring trees.

He saw the stars there.

And his ears detected the thunder-like rumbling of distant vehicles. It reminded him of festival fireworks.

He exhaled and then filled his lungs with the chilly air. And...

...I failed.

He knew this situation was a good summary of everything for him.

He knew all too well why he had failed.

"That's right."

Because I'm smart.

Because I'm really, really smart.

That allowed him to come up with excuses for his failure. These were the thoughts he always had while curled up in bed with his eyes shut, except his eyes were open this time.

The footing had been poor.

There had been too much light.

The enemy had been keeping track of him.

He could think of all sorts of reasons for his failure. And he was confident he could convince people of those reasons.

So I can protect myself even when I fail.

"But."

But why did it frustrate him so much?

He had more than enough excuses to protect himself. Hadn't he continually thought them up and memorized them when he had first joined the squad?

He had done what he was supposed to do. The problem was the situation and his own inexperience.

See, I'm placing even more blame on myself than usual. That means I'm being rational. Now no one can complain. Everyone is sure to say I did my best.

So why?

"Dammiiiiiiit!"

Why did his left arm refuse to move? His right hand was not enough to wipe away the tears.

"Ah..."

It was so frustrating.

He thought back to that final moment when he saw the enemy's eyes on him when he charged out in front of them.

What was with that? Most of them have worse reaction speeds than me and it felt like they were even more desperate than me. But...

"Kh."

That would be exactly why he had lost to them.

Had he actually returned their gaze back then?

He was not confident he had.

"That's because..."

He tried to build up an excuse inside himself, but he could not.

Instead, he found a single word.

"Why?"

.

Toby asked a question.

"Why?"

This was not a reason beginning with "because". It was the question used to find that reason.

Why did I lose?

He could come up with any number of reasons for it, but that was not what he wanted. This was a more fundamental issue. And...

"Why?"

Why am I crying when I have so many reasons to explain it away?

Yeah, he said while placing his right hand on his weeping eyes and slowly removing it.

He could see the night sky through the dark valley above him.

This was not the utter darkness below the covers. It was dark, but there were sounds, everyone was moving, and he could see into the distance.

He realized he could also hear the spring insects chirping.

He breathed while listening to that distant chirping and thinking to himself again.

...I lost.

That would normally have been unthinkable when it came to team battles.

"Dammit."

He moved. He sat up with his clothing rolled up.

He felt an awful ache in his chest. Had he bruised his ribs too? He could see himself going to get something for it.

But...

"Kh."

He let his body fall forward to lift his hips.

He grabbed the nearby grass even though it would provide no support and he tried to stand on his trembling legs.

He managed it.

"Dammit."

The tears would not stop. There were bound to be tear stains on his cheeks when he regrouped with the others.

But he did not care.

"Why?"

He asked that of himself again as he took the first step.

He was better than other people at some things and he could protect himself, so why?"

"Why?"

He did not know. He did not, but this had to be his first time asking this question.

He had failed, not for the first time, but for a time that felt mor epainful. He had gotten over the fear and anxiety and he was not thinking about quitting.

"Why does it frustrate me so much?"

He wiped away the tears as he walked off.

If he crossed the bridge to East Mikado, would he arrive at the destination by the time the tears had stopped?

"Think over those words, you stupid little girl. I don't want to be losing to you again if you're going to fail like that and cry about it later."

Wakamura watched his captain steady herself and leave the area.

"I suppose I should have expected this from someone who just had herself changed a bit. We discovered more flaws in our combat technique, so this was a learning experience. ...Even if it had some painfulness to it."

Confirming the situation was part of admitting defeat and he understood that.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah...ow."

The hit Hoshi had sustained from his captain left her on the floor and crouching. It had been due to another outburst from his captain, but neither he nor Hoshi had said anything against it since it had also been viewed as advice, something that neither had expected.

He match had been long since over, but she had gone to see his match against Suwa Squad and Nasu Squad.

That whole time he had heard she was cheering for both him and his entire squads. Even while doing so, she was cheering for Nasu Squad as well, something he could not fault her for at all. There had been people on that squad who had become her friends, so...

...Of course she's going to be both happy and sad...

"Sorry. I know this only added to the pressure you were feeling form your own match, so I won't try and give you only kind words."

He worked to grasp what she was saying by reading her lips instead of listening and he gave his own answer to what she had to say.

"Ow, ow, ow, owww."

"How are you feeling?"

"Um, uh, well, uh."

She started crying.

"I-I'm so sorry. Just watching everything and being involved with my match made me realize once more how everything went wrong."

"Does that frustrate you?"

"Y-yes."

"Then that is good enough," he said.

"If you had been able to do as much as you did and lost, it could easily have been blamed on your teammates. People who had been fighting for longer should have been able to make even a complete amateur win, so your loss can be blamed on them."

"Y-you can't blame them."

"Why not?"

"Because," she said.

"L-losing like that was on all of us! I can't sit by and blame them all for that! Everyone worked hard, we thought about what to do, and we fought with our opponents fairly, so I can't let them be blamed for a loss that involved all of us!"

"Good job."

But he did sigh despite not actually doing much. He was simply in a sighing mood.

He would hold true to himself and not give in to any feelings he had for her.

"Then just make sure to count on them even more."

But he had seen something in them all.

"You will grow stronger, Hoshi-san."

They had both gotten done with their matches and the season. Their teamwork and cooperation with their respective squads needed considerable work. So if they put in that work from here on...

"We can both grow stronger!

There's an ocean, thought Seidō.

The bright sun shined down on the waves of a vast expanse.

He was a little disappointed he wasn't on a sandy beach. Instead, he stood on the cracked ground of an ancient road. The road had a shallow slant and it vanished below the waves a few dozen meters away.

Gravel and pieces of the ruins had been washed up, creating a wall.

The city and the ruins of a world had been here.

"This isn't what I expected things to look like."

He had never been, but based on what the Wanderers had said, he had imagined a giant New Nagoya Castle, dark clouds in the sky, and mysterious phenomena and monsters running wild.

...That's generally how it looks in their drawings.

This was a neutral ground and had served as an intermediary for many nations, but it had still belonged to a single nation and so the Wanderers usually called it Sargasso or some other variation on the name. When you visited that overcast land, a shady merchant who spoke like a teacher would sell you the second-best weapons in the game but they always came with a penalty.

But now...

"It's just the ocean."

There was no New Nagoya Castle, no dark clouds, and no city of mysterious phenomena.

Only a costal wall of wreckage and the vast ocean.

Landslides were still common on the damaged part of the land, so more wreckage would enter the water and get washed up to add to the wall. Even now, he could see large pillars of water on the east-west horizon, showing him where parts of the wreckage wall were being torn down by a landslide.

In the long term, the important items of this era would sink to the bottom of Sargasso Bay to form a new layer that helped define the bay's future shape.

While the bay continued to grow and change, Seidō's group had stationed themselves in the vestiges of the ruins to the north of the bay.

A shrine maiden trion soldier, who could read the terrain, had confirmed that spot was situated between two rivers and would be relatively unaffected by the ocean.

"Of course, when things collapse, it happens all at once, so maybe it doesn't matter much, Seidō."

When she said that with a smile, he could only agree.

For a former fugitive, standing on the ground and viewing the entrance to the ocean was a rare experience. The closest ocean to him had been the Seto Inland Sea and the North Sea felt more like a shadow than an ocean.

But this was similar to the Pacific Ocean. The sun was bright and the sea breeze was blowing.

...I wonder if they would all enjoy this sort of view. And what would their thoughts be?

"They would end up making more of a mess."

On Earth, he had seen his friends do all sorts of things.

When he had worked on repairing his own motorbike, they had gone down to do some training by themselves. He had properly fixed his own bike for the first time then.

His first impression had been that it was difficult to do without instructions, but he thought it would be better to learn these things for the times Shinoda and Akasora destroyed their rides. Akasora had laughed at him when he said so, which had reminded him he had spent time with these sorts of things where he had to learn on the fly and see what the end result would be.

...He has always been an idiot.

He felt sort of left behind by it all.

But he didn't need to get used to it. He had already spent some time with the Wanderers and received clearance to leave the ship. He was familiar enough with the local terrain that he was pretty sure looking at it in the future would remind him of his time here. Even now...

"Seidō. The preparations are complete. The Wanderers have given their consent."

"I didn't expect them to agree to this. Especially since it sounds like those guys didn't even ask permission to do this in the first place. Hm. Kido-san is going to be pissed at them later for this."

There had apparently been a message for him. He didn't know if it was from that broken off part of the system or his old friend, but it had been sent as a request to the Wanderers and to himself by the system. Hearing that Earth needed something from them, the Wanderers had gone on an expedition during the day after arriving. They had returned a day later after suffering a humiliating defeat against a clock of, what seemed to be, giant chickens towering more than 4 meters tall. They held a grudge after that, so...

"Let's fry them all!"

"We can't eat the skin if we don't pluck them first!"

"Hey, check this out! The footmark one left when it kicked him looks like an arrow pointing to his crotch!"

"Were they aiming there!?"

They all gulped at the giant chicken's combat abilities, but after making some food for themselves, they had left the following day on a very drunk mission to capture some giant chickens. Their ships's system had run a search in its library to hep them out, so their opinion of it had risen. And their opinion of me dropped. How is that fair? But...

"I see they really did find something to send back to Earth. That's pretty good of them."

"The Wanderers aim to please."

"Then I guess we can get some information on the Trigger being sent over, and they get something to test out over there."

He wanted to focus on his work instead. Because...

"A lot of the wreckage has been pulled out into the bay."

And he had been told the reason for it.

...Because of what seems to be going around the worlds.