"Oh, it looks like the results came in for those guys."

Jin looked off into the distance.

The noise that could be heard from the city had finally come to a stop.

From what he could tell, a transport truck had been lodged into one of Mikado City's archways.

"Was something happening, Jin-san?"

"I guess you could say that," he shrugged. He looked down at the two boys at his side and gestured in a certain direction. "The branch director for one of our branches likes to test our guys pretty harshly. Usually it's just his students, but this time he took on a lot more than just them."

"Does it have anything to do with what we saw in the chat earlier?"

They had been walking and talking about things when the chat for Border started going off with complaints and strange comments.

Most others ignored them, but Jin could tell that the two boys were very curious about it.

"Most likely, it did. But that's just how it is when our guys do as much as they can."

They seemed to have won in the end.

That's better than last time.

Although it was worrying how much destruction they had caused to reach that point.

Would the city be fine if they went about their fights like that?

"I guess everything will work out," Jin said into the air.

But there was something he had been wondering about the whole time.

"Was it okay for you not to take part in that test? I know how your group likes to drag everyone in."

He faced nowhere in particular as he spoke.

The two boys next to him looked at him curiously, but he waved them off.

A response came right after.

"It's fine. I had left Kō and Shobu with them after all."

.

Mikumo jumped as a body suddenly appeared behind them.

The person looked familiar, and their voice was one he had heard before. The way he held himself was different from before, but Mikumo chose to see that as a good thing.

After all...

"You look like you are doing well, Tsukiko-senpai."

The Yagura Branch Representative smiled at him and nodded.

"Thanks. I've had a lot to do recently, but now I can get back to my general duties as a Border member. Actually...I can do things even better. Now that I know that I'm needed."

There seemed to be a lot in those words.

A lot certainly had been happening, but Tsukiko seemed to take it all as a good thing.

"So, with that said, you three can rely on me to protect you here."

"Protect us?"

"I had been listening to your conversation the entire time. I had learned a lot from it. Namely..."

Namely...

"That I had apparently fought a pretty tough opponent recently. One that I can safely say was beyond my own abilities."

"Someone you had trouble with?"

Tsukiko was both an A-Rank Border Combatant and the Yagura Branch's representative, meaning he had a lot going for him. His skills must have been constantly looked at, reviewed, and seen as good enough to give him those positions. For him to have trouble with an opponent like that spoke volumes.

He wanted to ask who this opponent could be, but he was beaten to that by Kuga.

"How strong was this opponent exactly?"

"Strong enough to the point where I needed an airhead to help me."

It was Jin who clarified for them.

"For you to need Ninomiya-san's help... That must have been some opponent."

"It was. In fact, it was apparently the same level as Raijinmaru. Generally speaking."

Mikumo stopped and noticed the way Kuga did the same.

For him to say something like that after hearing what they had said meant that he had really faced a strong opponent.

And he only laughed.

"Well, from the sound of things, Raijinmaru may actually be stronger. The fact that airhead and I were able to defeat it means it was either weak or..."

"It had aged."

Tsukiko nodded with a smile.

"You get it," he said. "I think it had gotten a bit too rusty in the underground, so it was weak enough for the two of us to deal with it. Since that's the case, I can't really say we won."

"From what I hear, it was a rough battle. You should still consider that a win, Yuki."

"Thanks, but it doesn't count if I needed that airhead's help."

Tsukiko really never missed a beat to make fun of Ninomiya.

.

"Well, I will be listening in on what you all are talking about, but I need to get back to the base to get something. It matters quite a lot for what will happen."

Jin raised a brow at Yuki's sudden decision. Then he chose to take a look into the future.

"Oh, so that's what was decided on?"

"Sensei and I are in deep debt with the directors now, but we managed to pull it off. It could have been easier to resolve if we had more time, but it has only been a few hours."

"I didn't think it would be that easy. But still, you guys can rely on us whenever you need."

Yuki gave an emotion-filled smile that made Jin mimic it.

There was a clear difference between the Yuki he saw now and the one he had been seeing recently.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Nodding to the two boys next to him, Yuki spoke up again.

"I need to get going, but I'll be back."

With that, he disappeared. A sudden noise followed him as a ring closed in on the empty space.

Jin's expression lowered a bit as he thought back to the future he saw.

They might not know about it, but I think it will work out for the better. Rather, the reasons for it make it worth the risk.

Yuki had heard their entire conversation, including the conversation that had happened the night before.

That conversation had a lot of special and secret information, but Jin had allowed him to listen in on it. Doing so lets Yuki make a decision as the representative of the Yagura Branch. That meant anything that happened due to his listening would be put on him.

It would let them all see if everything had really worked out for him.

Well, now isn't the time to really think about that. There's something else to take care of here.

Looking back up, he turned to see the two people they had been meaning to meet.

"All right. Introduce yourselves, boys."

.

"I'm Mikumo Osamu, with Border's Tamakoma Branch."

"And I'm Kuga Yūma. The pleasure's all ours."

The two Border members nodded while the ones next across from them did the same.

The first to speak up was the short-haired man.

"I am Ratarykov, and this is Reghindetz. Feel free to just call me Rata."

Both sides accepted the greeting, with Rata and Mikumo moving to sit down.

"Anywhoo," Jin started. "The fact you showed up tells me you're ready to continue our talks about teaming up?"

"Regarding the deal... We're ready to accept your conditions." Rata pulled something from his jacket, handing it over to Jin. "Here. Data on Afto's Vassal Nations."

"Thanks a bunch. This'll be a real help."

"And now, as for the matter of working together in the long term..."

Rata started for his jacket again, but stopped before pulling anything out.

No one made any movements in response to this, remaining calm.

"Assuming you can really tell the future... Tell me what it is I brought with me."

Everyone listened as Jin spoke up again.

"A silver hoop of some kind. Maybe a bracelet? With a floral pattern carved into it."

Rata pulled out an object matching Jin's description.

He held it out before placing one around his own wrist.

"This Trigger was created by our Engineers, and serves as a transmitter and homing device. I have the corresponding Trigger. With these, we will always know each other's location, no matter how far apart we find ourselves. When our planets come close enough, we can communicate without being intercepted or monitored by other Triggers. When you have need of our power, please send a message. We will respond to the best of our ability."

Kuga smiled at the information.

Nothing was held back, so he did the same with his response.

"And when you guys are in trouble, we should get a call from you?"

"Fair enough," said Jin.

He started to move himself, lowering his arm while doing so.

"This thing will join the Away Mission then. That way, you'll know our ship's location, and you'll know we've kept our promise to delay the mission."

Moving to a spot next to the bench, he dropped the Trigger down.

"Huh?"

Right into Mikumo's hands.

"On that note... I'm giving it to our Megane-kun."

.

Osamu felt unsure of the decision Jin had made.

Why had he given the Trigger to him?

"Believe me, I'd love to hold on to it. But now that we've got Afto's underlings' data, I'm seeing that it'll be better for me to hang back and take care of the city. Looking towards the future, you know?"

That made sense.

From their brief interaction before coming here, he could tell that Jin was not the only one who felt that way.

Some people were better off remaining in the city, even if they could help elsewhere.

So...

"We'll know each other's location going forward," he said. "But couldn't that intel somehow leak from Galopoula to Aftokrator?"

The first to respond had not been Rata, but the boy behind him.

A bitter "That's rich!" came from him.

"Coming from people keeping an Afto P.O.W. under their roof, that sounds like a bad joke."

"You'll simply have to trust us on that matter."

Mikumo hit behind the glare of his glasses to look at Kuga.

He got a nod in response.

So he's not lying...

That was a good thing.

"Okay, then. Forget I said anything."

A clap came from Jin that gathered their attention.

He shifted his gaze for a moment from Osamu himself to somewhere else.

It was only a moment, but Osamu had caught it just in time.

"So, Border's Tamakoma Branch and the Galopoula Expedition Force have officially formed an alliance! Think of these two as Tamakoma's reps! Be sure to play nice, okay?"

Rata began to stand as he spoke. A good-natured, "Pleased to be working with you" came out.

Osamu knew this was the extent of what they could talk about.

Everything had been settled between them and Galopoula.

But...

But...

"Before you go, there's something else I would like to say."

"What is that?"

Jin moved to the side as a body appeared where he had stood.

"There's someone else who wanted to have a word with you. But don't worry, he's harmless to enemies."

.

The first thing Yuki did upon arriving was kick Jin's knees out.

"The hell's that supposed to mean, Jin!?"

"S-see? He only hurts his comrades!"

Yuki rolled his eyes and bowed to the two men ready to leave.

I can't really deny it, though. I've been more of a nuisance to the people around me than my opponents.

Lifting his body back up, he looked to the two men.

So these are the ones from Galopoula proper.

During their attack on the base, Yuki led a force against a group of Neighbors calling themselves Mouri.

As far as he knew, they were not part of the same nation as these two men. Yet they had assisted in that attack.

"Hello. I am Tsukiko Yuki. I am from a different branch than these guys, but I understand the current situation. I am the representative of the Yagura Branch."

"If you know, I assume you know our names then."

Yuki nodded.

"My timing may seem like I'm going for the same thing as Tamakoma, but I assure you that I'm here for a different reason."

Namely...

"The Yagura Branch would like to return someone to you."

.

This is where she's been!?

Reghindetz froze up for a moment.

There was only one person the Yagura Branch Representative could be talking about.

Two days ago, one of their expedition members had suddenly gone missing.

Her Trigger was still there, but we couldn't find her at all.

It had been strange since they were all in the same location.

Now this boy was saying he wanted to return her to them.

"Someone from your group had come here with a dangerous man yesterday. They caused a lot of havoc, and we managed to apprehend her this morning."

"Can we ask who that man was?"

"I'll be getting to that," the Yagura Branch Representative said. His tone was neutral, but he seemed to be holding something back. "The damage done had been against some of our city's residences and the Forbidden Zone. Due to that, we lost some people. Along with that, we found corrupted trion soldiers on their side as well."

None of their remaining trion soldiers had gone missing, so he had to be talking about different ones.

There was no real telling if that was true or not, so all he could do was hope they were different.

"That being said, when my brother had fought her, she didn't seem into it. Not from a fighter's viewpoint, at least. As an entertainer, she was really getting into it."

"She had always been like that," Rata said with a smile.

Reghindetz felt himself calm down at how carefully Rata was taking all of this.

The Yagura Branch Representative also seemed to be taking things carefully, making sure not to show any hostility.

"As someone who has worked closely with two great entertainers, I know when there's meaning behind a performance. And from what I could tell, she was not enjoying her situation."

So...

"She was not the one to do damage to our people. That much I'm sure of."

Even when he was an enemy, the Yagura Branch Representative was saying that Kigisa was not at fault. Not completely, at least.

But this also told them something else.

If she did nothing to their people, the man she was with would have been the culprit.

"So there are two things I want to go over before handing her over."

"And what would those be exactly?"

This would be when they would decide what they would do about their missing member.

.

"The first thing is concerning that man," started Yuki bitterly. "If you ever happen to see him, make sure to end him. Don't let him run wild anymore."

Everyone but Jin froze.

There was no hesitation in Yuki's words, and he spoke with anger that neither Mikumo nor Kuga had heard from him before.

"I...can't say we will ever see him. But I will keep that in mind. What is this man's name?"

Yuki nodded again.

"Misó. As far as we know, he is currently planet hopping, so he has no fixed location right now."

"So that's how it is..."

Having gotten that out, Yuki let out a sigh.

Any tension that had built up in his body was released in an instant.

"The second one is easier to bring up. It doesn't actually have anything to do with me, my branch, or Border. It's actually for someone else."

As he said that, a buzzing noise filled the air.

The source appeared between them all.

A white rhinoceros beetle flew in from the side.

"We are a unit from the Wanderers' Pyrínas System. Members of Galopoula, we would like to extend a connection to you."

.

The white rhinoceros beetle had named itself.

Mikumo was proud of himself for not reacting to hearing a voice come from the animal.

At this point, that really isn't anything. Hearing it from a rice cooker first probably softened the blow.

Even so, there was something the white rhinoceros beetle said that caught his attention.

The name it had given.

Isn't "Pyrínas" the name of the man who is always at the Yagura Branch?

If this white rhinoceros beetle was coming here because of Tsukiko then it would make sense that that man was not a human. He had already seemed strange, so this only put things into perspective for them.

As a member of the Tamakoma Branch, he could only think of supporting them in helping that man now.

"The Wanderers, huh...? So now Miden has gotten a connection to them after all."

"It was not something we are proud of, but that is correct. We have come here to look over some things, so we will be leaving soon. That being said, we had thought that this would be a good opportunity for both sides."

"Use the chance you have in front of you. I suppose that would be the most optimal decision."

"We do what we can to make things easier on our creators."

Osamu felt there was something wrong with that.

From what he had seen, the "Pyrínas" that was around the Yagura Branch would tend to mess with people more than make things easier.

I guess he does make things easier for certain people, but most of the time it seems like he is ignoring other people.

If he was part of the same system as this white rhinoceros beetle, then he would be acting differently, right?

"Mikumo, Mikumo."

Hearing his name being called, he looked over to see Tsukiko and Jin waving him over.

Rata and Reghindetz seemed busy with the white rhinoceros beetle, so Osamu took the chance to lean in and listen.

"It's pretty obvious what you're thinking, and I don't blame you."

"Yeah. Let me clarify something for you. The 'Pyrínas' at our branch is a broken off piece of that system. That means he's not on the same thought pattern as that unit."

"Futo's told me that the difference between them is pretty big, so try not to mix the two up, okay? I hear that that unit can get pretty nasty if you do."

"And don't let it know, but Futo really does like our Pyrínas more."

"We can hear you, you Miden fools!" the white rhinoceros beetle yelled.

Calling it "yelling" may be a bit much...

It was more like the wings of the white rhinoceros beetle started vibrating faster than before. The main body moved up and down in the air a bit before settling back into place.

This was the closest thing to anger he thought he would see from it.

"In any case!" it said roughly.

"We have nothing to do with the recent events in Miden. That includes their capture of one of your members."

"I can...tell. And if I had to guess, this was more of a favor from the Yagura Branch Representative than anything else."

Tsukiko shrugged his shoulders.

That is one way to agree, Osamu found himself thinking.

"Since that is the case, we will speak as a representative of the Wanderers. But, before that, we would like to clarify something."

"And that would be?"

"What is your connection to Mouri?"

.

Multiple calculations ran through the Pyrínas System Unit. The optimization of this conversation was coming along smoothly, so it had no problem speaking up.

"From what we could gather, Mouri had worked together with Galopoula for a moment. Normally, this would not matter, but we find it strange that it would happen at all."

"It was a matter of needing more help. In the end, it went about as well as expected."

"So you had expected that amount of resistance? In that case, did you receive information on what had happened to Mouri?"

The Yagura Branch Representative began to move before being stopped by Miden's future seer.

From their records, it had been the Yagura Branch Representative who had fought against Mouri's trion soldiers. Meanwhile, an unturning girl had fought Mochichiyo. Rather, a part of Mochichiyo that went by the name "Mochizuki Chiyome".

[They can use this to say they do not know what happened.]

[They can deny asking for help, stating that it was Mochichiyo who initiated the conversation.]

[They can say she was the one who initiated the attack itself.]

[They can decide to join in on Miden's foolishness even more.]

That was a very troubling thought.

Miden was already a bizarre place to begin with. If Galopoula followed this example, they would likely become bizarre themselves.

[If that happens, we will have many problems.]

The entirety of the Pyrínas System agreed on that.

But.

[It would likely solve a lot of problems as well.]

The entirety of the Pyrínas System could not deny that.

Miden had shown just what it could do while in this bizarre state.

If Galopoula followed that lead, they would have a chance to grow stronger alongside that bizarre nature.

Doing so would also lead to a new change in the Neighborhood itself.

[That is why it is best to make this connection now. While they are still normal.]

[Doing so will allow us to be ready if they ever become bizarre themselves.]

[Let us hope that there will not be a bizarre match between them and Miden.]

Repeated words ran through the entire Pyrínas System. The data they had told them that it was a type of prayer on Miden.

For now, it would be best to accept any answer that Galopoula gives them.

From there, they would be able to figure out what sort of parameters they could make for a connection.

"The information we got from Mouri was a general one on the opponents they had fought."

The white haired boy off to the side made no movement.

Their data showed that his Side Effect could see through lies.

Yet he made no movement.

"As for our connection to Mouri... I can only say that it is one of mutual assistance."

"If that is the case, we shall leave it at that."

Questioning them further would provide no useful results.

"Considering the situation as it is, we are sure this is a matter that will need to be thought over. As such, we will leave you with this unit. It will remain immobile and will only activate if threatened or you have come to a conclusion. This way, you will not need to worry about never getting this chance again, and we will be able to arrange a meeting at a moment's notice."

"What would be our assurance that you will not be spying on us?"

"No, no, no. That system's pretty annoying, but the Wanderers aren't like that."

[Those Miden fools! How dare they say that about us!]

[Why are they moving their hands from side-to-side like that!? Is that some Miden thing!?]

[Attack them! Attack them!]

[Agreed!]

They were in agreement here.

.

Should anyone pass by a certain location, they would have seen two Border branch members being attacked by a white rhinoceros beetle.

As opposed to a full assault, the white rhinoceros beetle continued to move from one of the boys to the other. It would jab its horn into their sides or their cheeks repeatedly.

To the side of them, four people were watching with no obvious expression.

"Is this...supposed to be normal?" the long-haired boy asked.

"To be honest...I have no real idea," the glasses boy answered.

"Now what?" the two of them asked.

The assault continued for a few more seconds. The white rhinoceros beetle finally pulled back, giving the two Border branch members a moment of freedom.

"Now disregarding these fools," the white rhinoceros beetle said. "What will be your answer?"

.

Yuki watched the two Galopoula people think over the situation.

Getting involved would cause issues here, so he allowed them to think about it on their own terms.

"We will...accept. Not the connection itself, but having this unit come with us. Should we find any problems with it, we will immediately destroy it."

"That is fine. We are sure that you will see no problems."

Yuki nodded at the response.

It's a good thing they could reach this conclusion.

After all of this, he just wanted to leave.

Dealing with these sorts of things was fine, but there had been a strange feeling building up in his body.

One he was unsure of.

These two... I don't really like being around them. I feel like I've seen them before, like something bad has happened before. But this is the first time meeting them, so I've kept it under wraps.

The familiar sensation that had built up was starting to weigh on him.

The pressure of it felt suffocating and threatened to devour him completely.

Where is this coming from...?

Making sure his actions would not be noticed, Yuki took in a breath before letting it out gently.

He had used the technique Mitsuteru would often use to release tension in his body.

The tension that had built up in Yuki's body remained, but he managed to control it better.

"Since that is settled, may we get back our teammate? That was what this was about, wasn't it?"

"That's right," Yuki found himself answering.

He cursed himself for being caught off guard for a moment.

"If you could give me a moment, I will go and retrieve her."

"Of course."

.

That was interesting.

Jin watched as the activation for Teleport finished.

The ring in the air quickly closed in on itself as the sound faded.

A moment later, he saw the result of the teleportation.

All things considered, that's actually record time.

Yuki had teleported away and returned, this time with another person.

The girl he had brought looked down at the ground, making sure not to look at the two Galopoula boys.

Jin knew why.

"Kigisa..."

The girl in question did not say anything.

From what he understood, she was a rather loud person. Seeing her keep quiet must have been something.

But that silence brought on a problem.

"What did you do to her!?"

It made them seem like bad people.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Reghi."

"Right..."

Feeling the tension in the air start to build up, Jin stepped forward to help.

"There's no need to worry, you two. As you can see, your teammate has no scratches. She was taken into custody, but that's all."

"We had made sure she was properly fed and given something to drink," Yuki clarified. "Nothing was poisoned, and we did nothing to harm her."

Jin could only nod in approval.

Leave it to a Taiyōko kid to make sure they cover all their bases.

If they have vague details, then it would seem suspicious.

Pointing out the obvious here shows that we had the option, but it also means we refused to take it.

Even saying that we are using her for something can be denied with how easily we gave her back.

They had captured Kigisa in the morning, and we gave her back within the same day. The amount of time between those two times was not enough to do anything to her.

The Galopoula boys must have understood that from the way they relaxed.

When it seemed like they would say something else, Kigisa spoke up.

"I'm sorry... I had attacked again without permission and lost. I'll take any punishment given to me."

What a dutiful person!

She could have blamed it all on Misó, but she recognized that she had also gone against this during all of this.

She was not running away from this.

"Did your concert with my brother have an effect on you?"

"That was your brother? Make sure to tell him that he wasn't too bad on stage."

"If he's awake, I will."

When not facing her teammates, she seemed fine enough.

Jin also took note of the way Yuki spoke.

.

"With that being said and done, I think it's time we really took our leave. Unless there was something else you all wanted?"

Jin and Yuki shook their heads while Mikumo and Kuga said their goodbyes.

The Border members watched as the group left, only doing so themselves when the others were out of sight.

Once they were far enough, Mikumo spoke up.

"Jin-san, I would understand if it was just Kuga, but why am I a Tamakoma representative when I still haven't even passed the Away Mission test?"

"Maybe Jin-san saw the future and knows you'll pass?"

Jin could only scrunch up his face in response.

"That isn't the case, is it, Jin?"

"At this point...it can go either way."

But...

"Now you've got even more reason to go all out with the test. Am I right, Megane-kun?"

The future was not set in stone.

"Yes!"

Jin and Yuki smiled at the response.

This was proof of resolve.

"By the way," Kuga started. "During our little talk with the Galopoula guy, he did lie to us about something."

"He did!? About what!?"

"The very first thing."

That was...

"His name."

Shi Muon held nothing back when she saw Kigisa.

With a start, she jumped on the girl and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"Sorry, sorry. I went to perform without you."

"Shi, let her go. You can get on her once we finish talking."

Shi Muon reluctantly agreed, moving back to sit next to Wen Sō.

Captain Gatlin nodded towards them before turning to Kigisa himself. He was waiting for her to say something.

And once she did...

"I'm sorry for just leaving like that. That man had forced me to leave, but I chose to leave too. I'll take responsibility for my actions."

"Good. If you understand that, I will give you your punishment now."

Shi Muon gulped and lightly held onto Wen Sō's arm.

This was not something to easily forgive, so the punishment would be harsh. She was sure of it.

"You will tell us everything about the man who forced you to go with him. Along with that, you will tell us everything you learned on your extended stay at Miden."

What?

Her reaction may have been expected from the way Wen Sō held her down and gently covered her mouth.

Oh, she already knew how I would react.

Shi Muon went a bit red and allowed the information to sink in.

Even Kigisa looked surprised before she started explaining what had happened.

By the end of it all, Shi Muon could feel herself boiling a bit.

Such a man should not exist.

Before her mind could go to a dangerous place, someone spoke up.

"Kigisa... Do you happen to know the name of the boy who you fought?"

"Huh? Uh... Did he name himself...? I don't think he did. But there was something I noticed when he first showed up."

She turned to look directly at Shi Muon.

"He's the guy you fought. The tired one."

Shi Muon blinked before remembering her fight at Miden's base.

There had been three people overall, but there had been one who seemed like the odd one out.

A tired boy who had ended up singing in the hallway.

If that was the same boy who had fought Kigisa, it would make sense that he would handle his own.

He would be the opposite of her.

"Why do you want to know, Rata?"

"Because that boy who brought you said he was the brother of your opponent. From that, and from the way that boy was, it reminded me of something. Rather...someone."

That was strange.

Shi Muon could not say she had ever met someone like that tired boy before.

So what did Rata see?

"We can go over that later, then. For now, rest up and get your bearings again, Kigisa."

"Of course. Thank you."

Shi Muon felt herself let out a breath.

It looks like everything was settled easily.

That was good.

Now that that was settled, there was something else they needed to go over.

She prepared herself for it.

.

Ratarykov went on to inform everyone of the conversation he had had with everyone. At times he would have Reghindetz speak up, but it had mostly been him.

Once his talking had been done, Gatlin took over.

"So not only do we have an alliance with Border's Tamakoma Branch, but we also have a chance to make a connection with the Wanderers."

Gatlin held the white rhinoceros beetle in the palm of his hand, watching as it remained motionless.

He placed it on the table to cross his arms.

"And from the sound of things, you also seem interested in that boy from their Yagura Branch."

"Sorry for making you all follow my direction," said Rata.

"There's no reason to apologize," soothed Koskero. "I was the one who went to Mouri in the first place and made that agreement."

"I was there as well," agreed Wen Sō. "This time it was your call, Rata. We get it."

Gatlin nodded to help calm things down a bit more.

"I call the shots when it comes to this squad. But..."

But.

"When it comes to Galopoula as a whole, you make the decisions. We obey those decisions."

"Of course."

After all, he was their fugitive prince.