So that's how he wants to do this, Toby thought bitterly.

Getting to be known as members of the Yagura Branch felt nice, but calling them by that name felt more like they were losing who they were as a squad.

But it was not really up to him to decide on these sorts of things.

What will you do about this?

The boy standing next to him was his captain. This sort of decision would be for him to make.

"There is no need for that. I know it is customary to call us like that, but we are still Kotowari Squad before anything."

"...I see. ...Then I'm sorry for assuming like that."

"It's no problem. We aren't really hurt by it. It's more like..."

"It feels weird to us," interrupted Toby. Takeshi had spoken for them, so he would follow up.

That was just how they were.

"Well, since you're finally here, we should get down to business."

"...What exactly were you supposed to talk to me about?"

"Get in here first. That makes things easier. Plus, we won't have to be standing the entire time."

Toby led the way into the branch office. The only lights turned on were the ones that were mandatory to keep on; otherwise, the entire building was filled with natural light.

They had been to the branch office a few times, but this was the first time they could stay without any sort of duration. If they wanted to, they could pick a room and spend the entire night there. Even a week was not out of the question.

All of Kotowari Squad was now part of the Yagura Branch.

That fact takes some getting used to for us.

We are finally here. In all honesty, Mr. Akasora had kind of thrown this at us, but none of us had any reason to reject it.

Besides, Hoshi was already a member, so it probably felt weird for her not to be here too much.

Now she could stay here as long as she liked. Even better, they could stay here with her.

It was not just her. All of the other branch members would be around when they decided to stay for long periods of time. All of them were weird in their own ways, but Toby knew that it only meant they would have an easier time getting along.

He was looking forward to it.

More than that, he was looking forward to all of the training he could get done with these facilities and strong branch members.

But before all of that, there was something he needed to do.

"Hey, Pyrínas. Thanks a bunch for taking care of my little brother."

.

Pyrínas made no expression, but he did give a hum in response.

The sudden thanks from Toby had been unexpected. All he could do was hum.

"I know it might not be much to you, but it means the world to me. My crappy parents seem to be realizing something, but that doesn't make up for everything they put us through. That being said, it'll take a bit before I can make up for anything too."

"...You are likely aware already, but he doesn't see it that way. ...There isn't anything to make up for."

"Yeah, I know. He's a great kid like that. It's why I have no problem doing everything I can for him."

Pyrínas gave another hum as they reached the general area.

While Takeshi calmly took a seat on one of the couches, Toby threw himself down right next to him.

Pyrínas moved to the open chair across from them. That spot had recently become comfortable for him, so many of the branch members understood that they should give it up when he is around.

They were accommodating like that.

"That's why I wanted to thank you. You know even this about him, so it means you really get what's going on with him. Having someone like that around him makes me happy."

"...Arguing with you will lead nowhere. ...I see that now."

"Yeah, he tends to be stubborn on these sorts of things."

Takeshi nodded into his scarf, getting a matching response from Pyrínas.

The two of them ignored the eye roll Toby gave them.

"Anyways, I'll make it all up to you at some point. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to pay you back in full for watching out for the little bluebell."

"...I will keep that in mind. ...I'll also let him know that you care so much."

"No need for that," said Toby with a wave of his hand. "Step knows just how much I love him. Nah, what I need you to do is tell those friends of his that I'll make sure they get some sweets later."

Toby leaned forward with a grin that Pyrínas could not ignore.

Each time he spoke, he would show a bit more of just how much he knew.

That would have made most people worry, but Pyrínas felt himself at ease with this information.

The part of him that knew of Yuki's past helped him understand more about Toby.

As well as the boy in the scarf next to him.

"...And you? ...Do you have anything to say, Takeshi?"

.

Takeshi raised a brow and shook his head.

The man before him was not flesh and blood, something that made Takeshi come to a realization.

That's probably why I'm fine talking to him like this.

Saying that Pyrínas was "just an object" felt wrong, but to say "he is a human" also felt wrong.

Because of that duality, Takeshi felt like he was not talking to another person, but he was also not talking to a robot.

"I'm only here because Yuki-san asked me to speak to you about something. This mutt is the only one who has something personal to say."

"...Is this what they mean when they say people can be as close as family while not being related by blood?"

Takeshi felt immediate heat in his cheeks.

Next to him, Toby started laughing.

"What's that supposed to mean exactly!?"

"Hahaha! Yup! Take and I are bros at this point! We've been through enough that I can say I trust him more than most people!"

Takeshi wanted to say something to that, but he froze the moment the words came from Toby's mouth.

A memory came to mind.

It came from a time when he was someone he regrets becoming.

I fired on him...

Toby had trusted him in their first B-Rank War match of the season.

When they were fighting, he kept his back turned to Takeshi, thinking that he would be assisting him.

Instead...

I shot my attack through him...just to reach my target.

He had failed and they had lost horribly.

From there, he only became worse as time went on. It had reached a point where Toby seemed ready to beat him up.

Yet he never did.

Even after what had happened, Toby had kept his hands free of anything against Takeshi.

Now here he was, saying that he trusted Takeshi above so many people.

"You can stop with those dumb thoughts now."

Takeshi felt something land on his head.

He looked up to see an arm reaching out.

When did I start looking down?

Toby had given him a light hit to the head to wake him up.

At some point, his own mind had started to retreat back to the time he regretted the most.

And Toby had helped him.

"Whether you like it or not, I know a whole lot about you, buddy. That includes knowing when you're feeling down about something. And if I know anything, it's when you decide to start thinking about dumb things. Especially with what I just said."

Toby continued to grin as he spoke.

All Takeshi could do was be reminded of one other thing.

He is a genius.

.

Pyrínas knew this from Yuki's past, but he was seeing it firsthand now.

The conversation going on had been short, but their words held meaning.

At some point, Toby said something that got Takeshi thinking. That would have been fine, but those words had gotten to Takeshi in a bad way.

Pyrínas had no way of knowing what it was about, but he knew that it was something they had said. If it had been someone who knew what happened, would they have figured it out?

...They would have, he decided.

But he also decided on something else.

...They would not have realized it as quickly as Toby did.

There were only a few seconds between what Toby had said and when he started to comfort Takeshi.

In those few seconds, he had figured out what went wrong and spoken up.

Having to be in the know at times, he had been told about the meeting with Toby's parents.

Needless to say, he knew how Toby had turned the conversation around. The way he countered and the win he got from his own parents was no small thing to overlook.

That was why Pyrínas understood something.

...He works off both his own understanding of the situation and his emotions towards it.

There were many people who worked off of their knowledge during meetings.

There were many people who worked off of their emotions during meetings.

But there were only a small number of people who could use both their knowledge and emotions in tandem with each other to achieve victory.

Too many times, they would fail due to one part of them showing more than the other.

So...

...This is dangerous.

Toby as a person was young, but his mind could reach a point a lot of adults would consider dangerous.

Knowing that made a part of Pyrínas falter for a moment.

The part that belonged to Giev.

Pyrínas felt nothing particular about it all.

As for the last part of him...

"...Yuki would be proud," he found himself saying under his breath.

Toby and Takeshi seemed too busy to hear him, so he let them be.

.

"Hah. Anyways..."

Toby could feel himself being drained a bit after having to make sure Takeshi was fine.

He knew he had messed up, but taking back those words would have been worse.

He needs to know that I don't hold anything against him. I trust him.

But that was hard to say to someone like Takeshi.

So he tried to get some help.

Lobo: "Hey, do you know how I can help someone after they freak out when I say I trust them?"

Du-Sis: "I'm not too good with those kinds of people. Cana-chan would be best, but I think she's busy right now."

Lobo: "Is there any advice you can give then?"

Du-Sis: "Try hitting them until they understand."

Lobo: "Are you really a girl?"

Du-Sis: "I can shoot you right now."

Lobo: "You can try."

Well, that was a bust.

Even so, he made sure to be alert, just in case Asuka really did show up.

Since his equal was no help, he went to Plan B.

.

Lobo: "H-hey, um... Can I ask you something?"

Lyrical Luscinia: "Considering you are messaging me, it probably isn't the question I want."

Lobo: "Wh-what kind of question do you want!?"

Lyrical Luscinia: "That's not for me to say."

Lobo: "P-p-please don't tease me like that..."

Lyrical Luscinia: "Who said I was teasing? Anyway, what's this question you wanted to ask me?"

Lobo: "Um, would you happen to know how I can cheer someone up?"

Lyrical Luscinia: "Be yourself."

Lobo: "Huh? What do you mean?"

Lyrical Luscinia: "It means what it does."

Lobo: "Come oooon!"

.

Pyrínas raised a brow at Toby. The dog boy had suddenly gone red, turned his head, looked back at his phone, and then jumped up.

That would have been fine enough, but he followed it up by throwing himself back down with a defeated sigh.

...Well that is strange, but nothing particularly new.

With the dog boy defeated, there was only one other person to look to.

...Well that is strange but not unexpected.

Takeshi was having his own reactions.

.

Izumo: "I think I messed up. What am I supposed to do when I make someone worry?"

Eri: "That depends on who it is, I suppose."

Izumo: "I would rather not say..."

Eri: "All things considered, I have a good guess."

Izumo: "What would be less embarrassing for me?"

Eri: "Ask Ikoma-san or Shiraishi to say it for you."

Izumo: "Toby. It's Toby."

Eri: "That...was actually not who I thought it was."

Izumo: "Who did you think it was?"

Eri: "Ahem... No one..."

.

The expression made by the Laser Shooter ranged from confused to embarrassed, back to confused, and finished off with resignation.

Between the two of them, Pyrínas thought Toby had the most movement in his reaction. The more amusing one came from Takeshi.

...It's a good thing that I can record what I'm seeing. ...I'm sure that Yuki and Mei would enjoy seeing this.

As if to prove his point, both boys jolted.

"Oh! I can do that!" they both said in unison.

Ignoring each other, they turned back to their phones.

.

Lobo: "I need help! Take's feeling bad because of something I said!"

Izumo: "I think I made the dog worried. Can you help?"

Shooting Star: "Oh, my."

Hoshi laughed into her hand at the messages she received.

Ever since joining Kotowari Squad she had gotten to know her two friends better than before.

It was because of that that she knew they had not paid too much attention to where they had put their messages.

"They are really worried about each other, aren't they? That is nice to know."

She had always wondered just how close they really were to each other, but now she fully understood that they did care for each other.

That was why she was able to give her response to them.

Shooting Star: "Takeshi-kun and Toby-kun sure do get along."

Lobo: "Take!? What do you mean you made me worry?"

Izumo: "Clearly, I was proven right by what you just sent."

Lobo: "Well, I mean, yeah, but that's because of what I said! My bad for saying something like that!"

Izumo: "I had been thinking about what had already happened, but I had already settled that inside and put a lid on it. I wasn't feeling bad about what you had said before."

Lobo: "Then let me know next time!"

Izumo: "The same could be said for you as well."

Shooting Star: "If you two would like, we can speak about this with each other."

Izumo: "Honestly, that sounds nice, but, um..."

Lobo: "Yeah, that's nice of you to say, but, uh..."

Hoshi gave another laugh.

Nothing they said was surprising to her.

The two of them were so close that they did not need to speak more than this to understand each other.

It is very nice to know that they are like this.

Things like these made it easier to work with them.

Shooting Star: "Well, I hope the two of you continue to get along as usual."

Takeshi and Toby gave simultaneous sighs and leaned into each other.

"I didn't mean to make you think back to that time. My bad."

"I should have told you that it was fine after that. Sorry."

They both gave another sigh.

Pyrínas watched the two of them with a raised brow but said nothing.

According to Yuki's memories, these two were not the type to say anything to each other when these sorts of things came up.

For them to do so, it meant that they had finally matured enough to do so.

...But they are still young one, by Miden standards at least. ...They still have a lot of time to grow even more.

Fighting was not the only way for them to grow, after all.

This was just another form of it.

"In any case, there is still the matter we need to talk about," said Takeshi while sitting back up.

With nothing holding him up, Toby fell back. His face was facing Takeshi's lower back.

Takeshi rolled his eyes, but said nothing about the position.

"Yuki-san had said that you had taken in two cores already from trion soldiers."

"...That is correct. ...I have yet to properly deal with them, but I have indeed taken in two core."

"In that case, things might have to wait. I don't know the process you have to go through when taking them in, but it seems like it will take time."

"...I could give you an estimated timeframe for it, but I doubt that's what you want."

Takeshi nodded, and Toby gave a thumbs up.

They were all on the same page for this conversation.

"Even with that being what it is, I still need to let you know of this. I told Yuki-san that I would at least let you know, if just to make sure you understood the situation."

And that was...

"This is why we needed to speak with you."

Takeshi pulled something from his scarf and placed it on the table.

.

Toby shot up from his lying-down position and faced Takeshi.

"Were you keeping that in your scarf the whole time?"

"I was, yes. Got a problem with that?"

"Wasn't that way too inconvenient? Or did you just want to look cool?"

"It was heavy, which was annoying, but that's all. I figured this would be easier than having to get up and go get it."

"Wow. You're way lazier than I remember. And that's saying something."

Takeshi flicked his fingers in Toby's direction as he fell back into place.

He rolled his eyes and looked back at Pyrínas.

"Anyways, this is what we need to talk about."

.

Pyrínas looked down at the table, and at what Takeshi had placed on it.

"...How did you get this?"

It was an unfamiliar trion soldier core.

The size of it was rather amazing, if he was being honest.

Unlike most of the general trion soldiers, this core was small enough to fit inside of Takeshi's scarf, but big enough that it really would put some weight on him.

The coloration was not the usual green either. A deep black shone in the natural light coming through the windows.

"When we had gone to the underground with everyone else. There were two large trion soldiers that we had to fight against."

"To note: Yuki and Masataka fought one of them while our squad fought the other one," Toby said with a raised arm.

Takeshi rolled his eyes and continued.

"Well, these trion soldiers had the ability to speak. It was pretty weird, but not really that shocking."

If that were so, why was he hesitating with some of his words?

Pyrínas was curious as to who these two trion soldiers had been, but there was no way of asking them now.

It felt like wasted potential to him.

"So by the end of our fights, we had been told that the winners would be given something. That something were the cores they had."

"...Then should I assume this is the core you received from your fight?"

Takeshi shook his head, and Toby waved his raised arm.

"This one is the one Yuki-san got for winning. I don't know why, but Ninomiya-san had pretended to see nothing."

"He probably knew what would happen."

"I suppose you're right. In the overall scheme of things, he was probably thinking about something entirely different."

"There's no way he wasn't being selfish. It works out, though. He understands Yuki really well, after all."

Pyrínas had already started calculating what they could want with him after bringing out the trion soldier core.

There was no mistaking what it was they wanted now.

After all...

"A lot has been happening in the city. Besides Amatori, there's someone else with a lot of trion, isn't there?"

That was right. One of the children he watched over had a large amount of trion.

His original system had been captivated by that trion while trying to please their creator.

...Maybe I'm the same way since I am currently watching over her at times.

In a way, he really was no better than that system, which would do anything to please someone else.

That feeling of being similar to that system did not sit well with him.

But...

"Yuki-san wanted us to give you the core of the trion soldier he fought. He trusts you enough with it."

"Suzume left us saying that we could have full authority over our winnings, but we don't know what we want to do with it yet."

"It isn't that we don't trust you. It just doesn't feel right to hand it over to anyone just yet."

He could understand that. Yuki had full authority over the core he had won, but these two were not used to having that kind of authority.

They were still trying to find their own answers.

...This might be the reason Yuki had me meet with them. ...This way they could see what it's like to have this kind of position without actually having to worry about the responsibility that comes with it.

There was something beginning to swirl around inside of him.

A part of him that belonged to Yuki's memories was starting to surface.

And it came out in a particular way.

.

Takeshi and Toby watched as Pyrínas stood up from his seat.

He started to walk around the table until he reached them.

"...Thank you for letting me know about this."

Without any hesitation, he placed his hands on their heads and ruffled their hair.

It reminded them of someone they knew.

RB07: "...Yuki, you have two good boys with you now. ...Make sure to take care of them.

White Fox: "Oh, so you're done then?"

Yuki had been expecting this result. They already knew that.

White Fox: "Yeah, I know how great they are. I messed up the first time, but I'll make sure they are well taken care of this time."

RB07: "...Otherwise Mei would pound you into the dirt, right?"

White Fox: "That's one reason. But it's mainly that I want the best for them."

Toby sprang back up from his laying position and fumbled with his phone for a moment.

Next to him, Takeshi reread the messages.

RB07: "...I'm assuming that there's also something else to this whole thing, isn't there?"

White Fox: "Of course there is. You see, Kimura just called you out as Yagura's guardian, and Lilith said she was your sister. We can easily get through those parts with people from outside. But the ones coming over? That's going to be a bit more difficult."

RB07: "...So you want me to really be the Yagura Branch's guardian?"

White Fox: "Generally speaking, yes. More specifically, I want you to be ready to defend the ones you think are now important to you. To do so, you'll need more than what you had in this morning's fight. Having Chisato bail you out like that must have stung, right? Well, this is a way to not have to deal with that again."

"...I see," said Pyrínas with a resolute nod.

Everything that had happened during an uncertain time for them has come full circle in this peaceful time.

Instead of working on it in secret, Yuki decided to be open with everything.

And now Takeshi and Toby were a part of it.

BR07: "...I will accept this. ...As compensation, I will make sure to watch out for Kotowari Squad as best as I can."

White Fox: "I really appreciate that. Take, Toby? Make sure the two of you get properly settled in, okay? And please watch over Pyrínas as well."

They gave immediate responses.

Lobo: "Yes! Of course!"

Izumo: "Leave it to us, Yuki-san."

They are good children, thought Yuki with a smile.

The sun was finally starting to lower a bit more on the city, and he could see the shadows start to grow.

While moving from shadow to shadow, he listened to an interesting story.

A story concerning the Tamakoma Branch.

Jin spoke of the events that had happened the night before, likely aware of Yuki's presence.

Even so, he allowed him to listen.

Once it was over, Yuki came to a full understanding.

I made the right choice by giving Pyrínas that core.