Just Between Us
Hello! Author here and I am still breathing, I'm so sorry that I went absent for a long time but happy that I can get back into writing and finished the latest chapter after so long. Note to self, binging gacha games stories podcast is kinda addicting and I should refrain from that…
And the artpage update, there will be new illustrations and a new video where I'll be sharing the link for it on the deviantart page.
Without further interruption let's proceed to the chapter, dear readers. Once again I'm sorry that I took way too long to write again.
Enjoy!
PLAY MUSIC
Blue Archive OST – Moment (Nor).
Have you ever fell so hard with someone?
To a point where the belief you once saw as something naive changed…
Like believing in 'love at first sight' that kind of thing…
I thought it was something that only exists in fairy tales…
But...
Once it happened, I could only question myself again and again as my mind fell into a daze…
Did things that were out of the ordinary…
Things and things to the point that I felt myself changed at the core…
It felt like I was drunk…
To the point that I think that people don't only get drunk on alcohol…
They could also get drunk in the atmosphere…
On the symphony of music…
On gently caressing air…
On warmly bathing lights…
On affectionate gazes…
On human interactions…
Or…
Someone else…
.
..
…
Thinking back on it, why did I recall those details, atmosphere, music, lights…
And even gaze?
Why?
.
..
…
Ah… I see, it was the scene that burned itself into my memory, that night in the middle of a summer heat, that night where music and flying festival lamps filled the sky, that night where I saw her at her brightest.
.
..
…
Hinote Yuu, you idiot…
…
"Yuu-san…"
Kinuho called out to him with a low tone, a breathy one that sounds like she mumbled it while she was sleeping.
Breaking himself away from his dream and anesthetic induced sleep. Yuu slowly opened his eyes and quickly felt a tug on his right hand that froze his body, looking to the right side he could see Wannai Kinuho's sleeping figure on the chair that she pulled near the hospital bed so she could hold the silky haired boy's hand.
Or at least one of his arms felt it, his right arm.
But how about the left, he felt no sensation coming from it.
It felt rigid and he couldn't move his elbow.
Anticipating the worst, Yuu veered his eyes to his left arm and noticed that a contraption made of braces and belts were attached.
He didn't know that he fell on a plane when he lost consciousness and broke his arm.
Yet he didn't have any time to ponder about his wounds because another person is about to make his presence known.
"You're becoming a regular…"
The faint voice came from the hospital room's entrance, Yuu glanced to meet the source of the voice and his eyes fell on the frog faced doctor who met his questioning gaze with a finger placed on his lips, quietly hinting the boy to keep his voice down.
"A case similar to hypothermia and a fractured left arm, did you go snowboarding somewhere? Or there was a new indoor facility in the underground district that simulates snowy mountains? I'm not trying to dig into anything, but your condition just caused many nurses to question what could happen to you."
"They're not treating me as a special case, aren't they?"
"Not as much as your schoolmate who has his own room." The good doctor tapped his clipboard on his arms before continuing with, "That boy surely has his grips with the nurses here, would you mind telling me whether he came across with nurses outside of the hospital by accident or he's just that much of a womanizer?"
"If we're speaking about the same person then I believe it was his bad, I mean bad baaaaaad luck…" By this point Yuu realized the odd air between him and the supposed doctor and asked, "If you don't mind me asking… Aren't you supposed to give me an update or some sort?"
"Oh no, nothing… I just found an excuse to check on my patients in between operations."
"In between operations…"
"I practically live here." The doctor looked at the emergency ward moments before he continued with, "But before we exchange more casual pleasantries I have one or two things to say about you, your condition and that young lady over there."
He said nothing but looking at his hand and the girl's hand that held his own.
"For better or worse your own body and esper ability already made you as frail as a twig when being put against anything cold, why did you try to do something extreme and made her extremely worried about you."
…
Yuu could only answer in deafening silence.
"Even worse you leave her with vague information, imagine how she felt when she saw you in such a state."
…
"She cried herself to sleep, that's why she slept while hiding her face."
!
"I didn't mean to…"
The boy got cut off.
"That's what the nurses said, I'm just here to deliver your medicine and a few words of advice."
"What's your advice then, Doctor." The boy answered, looking at the doctor's eyes in shame.
"Get a healthy amount of rest, check your braces from time to time, take your medicine on time and wear many layers of clothes because of your body condition…"
There's a pause as the doctor coughed a little.
"And lastly, be honest and talk with her."
"Just that?" Yuu responded with his eyes widened.
"Lover's spat is not my problem, but I see enough conflict that stems from miscommunication."
…
"It'll improve your mental well being as well."
…
"I think you know what you have to do first, I'll tell the nurses to not disturb you two when the young lady wakes up."
Then as the doctor leaves Yuu pondered to himself a simple question.
'Weren't Nora supposed to be here as well?'
PLAY MUSIC
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun OST – Appare Sanningumi.
Unknown to Yuu, his friends also visited the hospital for various reasons. They're scattered in various Hospital wings.
The first reason was obvious, Yuu and Nora got admitted after their encounter with another Gunship that they fought during the Duchy's final fight.
And the second was the question of the transfer of Yumiya sisters into custody that earned both the newly formed Sleeping Forest and GARM to send representatives as it could be easily seen that GARM tried to take a criminal who's under Sleeping Forest custody away.
It wasn't that both groups were traditionally formed groups.
But the tension still hangs in the air as if the two sides are meeting in a truce agreement…
.
..
…
So it wasn't a surprise that the ones who showed up in said meeting are infamously lacking the perks to conduct themselves in a professional and peaceful manner.
Some say both of them have the subtlety of a clown in a funeral.
Some say both of them have the charisma of a misanthrope in a stand-up gig.
Some say both of them have the precision of a sledgehammer in a heart surgery.
And Yumiya Rakko will see it in all of its glory as she slowly opens her eyes to a familiar boy with blue colored hair.
She didn't even take any time to process her surroundings before asking the boy a question, "Where? Where is this?"
"You're awake, I'll call the nurses." Pierce in a chipper tone answered and turned his body away, trying to call a medical professional before a hounding shout called out to him.
"Step away from my older sister, you savages have no right to take her away again!"
Iruka tries to get up from her bed and the two Sleeping Forest members standing by her bed sides are not moving an inch, only huffed as if the spat between them has been going on for some time before Rakko woke up.
Rakko took one quick look and now noticed that handcuffs kept Iruka from doing anything dangerous, but on the other hand it did not stop her from spewing venom to the boy who currently stood beside her bed.
"We're not doing this all over again, not when your 'older sister' already woke up." Pierce spat back against Iruka's venom laced remarks, "What are you going to say? I kidnapped her, played with her heart, took her away from you? What else do you want to add to this imaginary crime list?"
"You did all of that, didn't you? That's the only conclusion I can come up with for her irrational behavior."
"How the hell did you end with that kind of conclusion?" Pierce run both of his hands through his hair, "Damn it, can you ask questions first?"
Then he used his hands and whole body to gesture a mocking play, waving his hand and moved around like a caricature of a teenage girl.
"What's up with you lately?"
"Did you meet someone outside the School Garden?"
"Have you been screwing around?"
He finished his little act by placing both hands on his cheeks and looked at Iruka with a grin which sent her into another angry rant.
"That was the case from the books I read. You're the stereotypical philanderer who's out to pick maidens like flowers from a well preserved garden."
"While I admit she looked the part, that was not the case."
Rakko felt a quick buildup of heat once she processed what Pierce's sentence meant.
On the other hand it sent Iruka into another fit.
"YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN!"
"WHAT!"
"Leeching your way to my sister!"
PLAY MUSIC
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun OST – Drops.
Motoharu squatted in front of the room, slapping on the floor while laughing uncontrollably. He found it really hard to stop laughing after pushing his friend head first into the room where there were two girls who had complicated feelings and hatred for him.
He even closed the door behind Pierce to make sure that he'll get an earful and spared himself from the same fate.
'Screw it! Let's see what happens'
That was his line of thinking and he was downright satisfied with the result.
Then he looked to his side and called out to his contact from Sleeping Forest, "Well ain't those two a riot, do you have anything else to add, Mikagami?"
"Other than the transfer for her and the chaos inside the tunnels last night?" The blonde girl glanced at him, keeping her serious look, "I got several… One of them is about the whereabouts of the remnants of the information trafficking ring or the 'Elites' as they liked to call themselves."
"And?"
"The rest of the Judgement officers that got caught up with the Duchy mess."
"We're getting somewhere, my sources told me that they ended up working with them so that they could get their names clean." Motoharu replied, his laughter from earlier completely absent, "Well that is a freaking lie."
"You're not entirely wrong, with enough favors and money they could get their names cleaned, especially those who already escaped to Tokyo bay."
"Tokyo bay?" That piece of information changed his mood in a flash, "They managed to get out of the city? That was a surprise."
"To a vessel affiliated to the city, one where many sponsors used to hold private meetings and gatherings."
"Don't tell me it was a cruise ship? It'll be way too cliched if it was one."
"Unfortunately, you were right…" Nagisa massaged the bridge of her nose because of his frighteningly accurate guess, she heaved slightly before replying with, "And the ship was not all to foreign to one of your acquaintances, see this, Accelerator did this while shutting down an operation where the ones responsible supposedly 'harvesting' espers as food."
Retch.
Motoharu's stomach churned when Nagisa presented a short report of said incident from her phone.
"That's foul even for my taste, spare me the details… I'll read them later."
"Accelerator, didn't tell you about this?"
"Hardly, we're not the 'do you want to hear some atrocities, I'd love to share them' type." Motoharu answered, shrugging his shoulders.
Nagisa raised her eyebrow and pondered to herself for a moment.
Then she revealed why she had such thoughts in the first place while sharing the one who planted the notion about the blonde haired spy.
"That's what the chief told me about you."
Motoharu huffed, clearly airing out his displeasure.
"She definitely has some things to say about us… The bad kind, leaning more to a character assassination really." He continued to put his palm on his face.
"You in particular, 'Siscon Sergeant'."
That nickname struck a cord inside Motoharu as he kept silent for a moment, a dark gloom covered his eyes.
"That hag…" He muttered out, moving his hand from his face to run the sides of his hair, "I'm not the only one who holds on to grudges, take a look in a mirror for once."
"What are you mumbling about?"
"Intrusive yet beneficial thoughts."
The dark grin prompted an instinctive response from Nagisa as she took a few steps away from him, contemplating whether she should cut their meeting short.
It was a matter of weighing one's risk.
She knew it was a public space so she should act professionally so she couldn't just act more relaxed around Motoharu and any act or gesture that she usually showed when it was just the two of them around could raise suspicion.
So she started to turn her body to walk away from him.
But then she remembered something that caused her to do a complete 180.
"One more thing."
She called out to the spy.
"What?"
"It's something that is more of a… Personal request…" Her eyes widened, internally cursing herself because she could forget such a crucial matter.
Scoping her reaction, Motoharu changed his demeanor into a mix of serious and jovial self and said, "I'll hear you out, shoot away."
"I believe you already knew about the other former leaders of the old Tokiwadai cliques." Nagisa stepped closer to him to whisper, "Hasekura Reiri and Danshan Sha, you do know them, don't you?"
"A certain pervert once gushed about them, so yeah…" Motoharu replied, stepping a few steps back and whispered, "How the hell did he know about their three sizes anyway…"
"What was that?"
His whispers did not escape Nagisa's ear entirely.
"Nothing." Motoharu raised both of his hands in defense, "Please continue."
"Ahem… Okay, it seems that she's still keeping certain details from us, probably things related from her extensive role as the Duchy's mouthpiece."
"And that will be a problem because…"
"You know what the Duchy was up to, don't you?"
…
…
…
He found himself in a deep dilemma.
Motoharu tried to think really hard to come up with a 'safe' answer. He couldn't mention anything about magic, alchemy, using espers as summoning medium and test subjects. The list keeps piling on.
So he played his card.
The most trusted one.
He picked the 'stupid answer' card.
"I think it's normal every girl has a secret or two." He muttered out, hoping that it would throw Nagisa off. For a moment it seemed to work because Nagisa replied with, "I see… No… Wait! Don't you dare think of her as someone normal."
But it changed in a flash when she pulled on his collar in anger, 'are you messing with me' look plastered on her face.
Trying to save his own skin Motoharu replied with, "Can't you just think that she's just meeting someone, just like what you are doing now?"
"W-What?!" Nagisa felt the heat crept up to her face and let the spy go from her grip, "It's not the same! Do you realize the meaning of what you just said and the following implication."
"I am, we're allies, aren't we?" He could see his words worked, so he pushed further by saying, "Friends even."
It struck the wrong cord within Nagisa.
And she reacted accordingly in a swift manner.
Pinch.
"The hell?!" The sting that Motoharu felt in his stomach was severe enough to winch back in pain.
"You deserved that." The girl said in a fit of anger and disappointment, "Furthermore, you should know that it could put you and your friends in danger. Seriously… Do you think about the possibility that she might have contacted one of the groups that in theory had worked together with the Duchy and brought it under her thumb."
"From what I saw she was put through the wringer so thoroughly that any ambition left inside her already perished."
"Did you know what she has done before?"
"Only a rough glimpse, the mess between Tokiwadai and the research companies, wasn't it?… I have to check on the information surrounding her later, but you're right, other parties might try to approach her merely because of her status though."
"Exactly, and that brought me to another point." Nagisa paused and tried to raise the anticipation between the two of them.
Motoharu just waited for his chance to speak.
"I hear that she might attend a ball at the city's underground district and…"
"You need someone to spy on her."
"I need a partne… No, that's exactly what I meant…" The girl internally huffed out a loud sigh because the boy cut her off before she could finish her sentence.
But the boy read further and realized a certain detail, he used his index finger to point it and said, "It is said here that it'll be better to attend as a guest."
Nagisa quickly grabbed her chance and pulled two tickets from her school bag, with a chipper she presented the tickets to the blonde spy, "Conveniently I have two invitations… So if you're open to this idea of mine, I am willing to attend said event together."
"Yeah it's a deal."
The instant reply caught her off guard, she almost shouted in response.
"Pardon?"
"It's a sound idea, I'll prepare the proper disguise and some background story for said fake identity, I just can't go around and 'besmirch' your good name, can I?"
"Let's make it official then." She puffed out a little and extended her hand. Motoharu raised an eyebrow and was slightly amused as he gave his reply, "This is a literal handshake agreement."
"It doesn't matter, you will treat this gesture as an official agreement."
"How could you be so sure?" The boy was puzzled.
"Because I believed in the other party, I trust you to perform your part."
Both of them shook hands and he could feel the confidence in her grip, she's being honest to a tee here.
'I got to perform means that I got to exceed her expectations…'
The boy thought to himself as he looked her in the eyes.
At that very moment each member of GARM could feel goosebumps creeping up to their backs. They knew by instinct that it meant only one thing.
'That bastard is up to something again…'
Despite being apart from each other at the moment they collectively sighed internally.
PLAY MUSIC
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun OST – Yawaraka na Houteishiki.
On the opposite hospital wing, one that the nurses unofficially named the Specialized Esper Care Wing, Shinobu visited the currently sleeping Nora and carried a case that housed a mobile care unit, basically a doctor's bag tailor made for the unique needs of the gang member's condition.
She needed it because she didn't have much time, the frog faced doctor could return to check on his patient at any time, so in the short time that she had she turned to check the board placed on the bedside that describes the patient's current condition.
The game plan was clear, if the doctor missed a certain treatment for Nora then she could administer it.
She lined up her notes with the ones written on the board, she took a good minute to compare it and huffed out a relaxed breath.
The procedures that the doctor took lined up with an existing yet experimental treatment for clones. Thinking back on it, the frog faced doctor was the one responsible for the Misaka clones treatment after their project was canceled.
Now she has only one thing left to be concerned about, the current treatments that Nora currently takes to disable the dangerous implants that Neu Solutions have planted within him. Shinobu took a mobile scanner and scanned his neck and nape to check whether it was damaged or reactivated.
Nothing happened with the leftover implants much to her relief, letting out a long sigh before a presence caused her to look at the door where a boy with ruffled messy hair was looking at her.
Shujin called out to her.
"It's a surprise to see you here."
"Nora still needs to be taken care of. Neural adjustments and such." She looked at Nora and did not look back at Shujin as the strange feelings in her chest welled back up. After what had happened she found it really hard to face him.
The memories from the moment where she let her feelings out now felt like an unseen bind that kept her from communicating with him.
It was too much that she felt frustrated because of herself, Shinobu's lips and hands both trembled to show how much it had bothered her.
But the boy noticed it, her body language already made it clear to him that Shinobu was clearly bothered by what happened between them that night. The things that she said couldn't be brushed off as an accident or a slip of tongue.
They're being faced with their own complicated feelings.
Nevertheless one of them has to speak first.
Shujin mentally prepared himself and when he's ready he asked, "Then what about the runts, you left them with Sakai and that gangster boy?"
"Yes, he seems trustworthy."
Her answer was quick, too quick.
It did not sit right with him as he took a few steps closer, slowly and surely tearing the invisible walls between the two.
"Nunotaba."
She still looked away, yet the small fidget that her body made betrayed her cold and uncaring act.
"Nunotaba Shinobu." Shujin called out again, with no response he changed his tactics.
Nonchalantly he just called her by her first name.
"Shinobu."
It caught her off guard, causing Shinobu to shoot a look at him out of embarrassment.
"Y-You called me by my first name." She shrieked out.
"It's because you won't look at me in the face. What's wrong with you?"
"There's nothing wrong with me, if anything I'm just still trying to understand the things that happened between…"
!
Not finishing her sentence, Shinobu quickly puts her hand over her mouth. Hanging on to everything she could muster, she is adamant to not say any other words to the ruffly haired boy and keeping a straight face while saying her piece.
Her pride demands it.
Because it was too embarrassing for her to divulge into the moment that the two previously shared.
Particularly the moment where she admitted that Shujin had cracked a path into her heart.
The blushing cheeks however betrayed her.
It Gave an opening for the less than pleased boy to yank her hand and made the flustered lass look at him in the eyes, turning her previously guarded yet shaky expression into a crumbling mess. The heat that warmed Shinobu's cheeks is now moving up to redden her ears before dying her entire face red.
Internally she's trying to comprehend her own feelings because the eye contact managed to raised the rate of her heartbeat into an uncomfortably high rate, she darted her glance away frantically to give herself a last line of defense against the closing gaze of the pale blue colored eyes of her former test subject.
Finally she used her free hand to push Shujin's face away.
With a certain amount of force applied meant to keep his face away from her own, but the slight error of not looking at his face caused her to miscalculate the placement of her hand.
The result is severe to say the least.
A pained cry tells her all she needs.
"Damn it! My eyes! What. The. Hell!"
"It's your fault, I'm not going to apologize for it!"
"It's better to just whack me in the stomach or something! How could someone slap both eyes so accurately!" Shujin shouted in between pain filled grunts.
"I didn't mean to!"
Shinobu tried to defend herself and now properly facing the boy, trying to give him some aid.
…
..
.
She completed her care and returned to being silent, fidgeting and shifting her glances, trying to find the words to say.
Shujin had enough and remembered their previous topic, bringing up what she said to him a few days ago.
"Was it the same case for 'that' too?..."
"That… What are you talking about?..."
Shinobu's shaky voice told Shujin that she was clearly lying.
"Do you want me to say it out loud? You liked m-…!"
CRASH!
"Are you crazy?! Don't say that out loud!" Shinobu completely looses her cool, trying to clamp Shujin's mouth with both hands.
"You clearly remember then…"
"I… I remember… And before you ask…"
"You're really serious about what you said back then…"
"Took the words straight out of my mouth." Shinobu huffed, "Yes it's true, but it made me uncomfortable when facing you."
"Even in a situation like this?"
"This situation is what makes it hard for me to say anything, I can't take back what I said… I meant it but I can't find a way to communicate with you normally, there's an air of uncertainty and it will make things awkward between us."
"The thing is… You say something along the lines of 'started liking' and it made you uncomfortable?"
"Yes."
"Is it because you don't know how to deal with the aftermath? You said what you said and I heard it clearly…"
…
"Honestly, you had a habit of creating a plan that everyone can follow. A tactically sound plan where variables could be changed and it will only deviate slightly from the goal that you set."
"But something like this involves both parties, right? Furthermore, it is not a plan…"
"It doesn't have any clear goals being set, no clear variables in which you can predict or control…"
"And that worries you…"
"..."
Silence met his ears.
"I knew when I hit the target…" Shujin said it with a tinge of relief
"How could you say something like that so easily?"
"That's the nature of human interactions. There's party A and party B, why don't we start from there and start by asking questions between just the two of us, setting some variables that you can hold for future thoughts." He tried to sound logical and gave a sound explanation.
Shinobu gave a hair of a smile before replying with, "I can't believe you're trying to sound all scientific and saying things like 'variables' and such."
"Trying to use the words you are comfortable with, do you prefer the usual swears and less than desirable remarks?"
"I'm kicking you for real if you start talking to me with that tone."
"See? Setting things and variables between Party A and B." Shujin stopped to think for a moment, "Something like 'chemistry' or anything similar to that."
"You fool, I have a more suitable word than that?"
"What?"
"Us…" Shinobu said with a slight tint of blush, "It sounded better to describe you and I."
"..."
Shujin couldn't say anything after he heard the word 'us'.
"Let's work on 'us'... Don't take it the wrong way, I still have some things I want to sort out but…"
"Yea… Yea… Talk to Sakai and have some girls talk." Shujin brushed off Shinobu's words and it earned him a kick and a loud, "You!"
"My stomach! You're kicking me for real!"
"That's what you get for being cheeky!"
"I was right, wasn't I?!" Shujin barked back.
"I'm not telling…"
"I was right after all."
"If we're working on it, then you should start by not getting on my nerves on every occasion."
"Then tell me what you liked and disliked, don't expect that I'll say that meaningless 'I'll change for you' bullshit though."
"I am not expecting you to say that line of words, not in a million years…" "Anyway, get up… We're going back first."
"Weren't we supposed to take Nora back with us?"
"I'll ask Wataru to pick him up instead. For once let me be selfish after not being able to face you these past few days, so let's go home and use the time to work out on 'us' first." Shinobu said while quickly collecting her belongings, seconds later Shujin already saw her at the edges of the hospital room door.
.
..
…
'Holy shit…'
'Is this the start of something big? For real?'
The boy wondered before quickly following in her footsteps.
Ping.
Ping.
"Eri… Eri… It's your phone. Oh! Wataru's phone as well."
The twins called out to Eri and Wataru, both currently staying at the group's hideout and working on updates for the group's equipment and vehicle. In Kurozuma Wataru's case it was the 60's race car with the burned out electronics that caught his attention.
Taking a break from working on replacing the car's carburetors, Kurozuma called out to Eri, "What's up, do they need our help with something? Another fight?"
Eri, who just finished putting on her jacket, answered, "We're not fighting all the time and here's your phone."
"Hmm… Pick up Nora at the usual hospital? Wasn't Nunotaba there already?"
Wataru tried to think about the reason for the sudden change in plan, but he suddenly heard a resounding 'Kyaa!' coming from the living quarters.
The boy immediately ran out of worry for the three girls.
"What's wrong?!"
"No, Nothing! It's all fine." Eri replied, trying to mask her excitement, "You got a call to pick up Nora from the hospital too, right?"
Dumbfounded by her reaction, Wataru just nodded in agreement.
"Come on, let's go!" She pushed him along with the twins, trying to make the four of them leave as fast as possible to the hospital.
Not questioning anything, Wataru just went along with the flow.
It was wildly different in Eri's case, she received a different message from Shinobu and its content made her really happy for her friend.
"I'm in the middle of catching up with Shujin, could you clear up the hideout for me?"
How can she not be happy for her after reading such a message?
The smile that plastered on her face did not leave until she along with Wataru, Janie and Febrie left the hideout as the sun sets on the horizon.
Night had arrived in Academy City and Shinobu is sitting in the hideout's living quarters, working on her research and typing loudly to let out her emotion.
Alone.
She hoped that she could have some private time to sort out her feelings with a certain ruffly haired boy.
But as if fate itself has something to say about it, she and Shujin crossed paths with Motoharu right before they entered the group's hideout.
Needless to say, her mood is awful.
Shinobu is silently glaring daggers at the Handler even when they're not in the same room.
Yet it prompted her to recount the previous operations that the group took part in after she returned to the city, placing the pieces into order she noticed few similarities in some of the opponents that they fought.
Some of them could be registered as gemstones especially the ones linked to Neu Solutions, espers with uncanny ability that even the researchers who specialized themselves in esper development were baffled.
The case of the seventh ranked Level 5 esper is one thing, but a whole group filled with irregular gemstones.
Furthermore another similar group also involved with Kamijou Touma.
There were rumors that secretive governmental groups were actively rounding up espers for various purposes, but Neu and the ones tangled with Touma are something else entirely.
Shinobu found that her knowledge was severely lacking and it turned her to use the pass that her handler gave in case that she needed further information.
So she used the account pass that lets her dive further into the city's database until she met a database with a barebones user interface and the whole site gave her an air of secrecy.
But the pass that was given to her only gave access to one folder.
ALTERNATIVE POWER SYSTEM.
The name itself surprised her, weren't gemstones already registered formally within the city's database?
Then she accessed the folder to see the folders within and froze.
NEU SOLUTIONS ALCHEMIC BASED POWER SYSTEM INVESTIGATION.
She was at complete loss after reading the first name of the subfolder, she closed the page right then and there not wanting to delve any further without the presence of the handler.
Shinobu knew by instinct that anything good won't happen by accessing something that might be tied to the city's dark side…
Or worse…
The city's black tower…
The same couldn't be said about the boys who worked on their car inside the hideout's detached garage. Shujin is about a hair away from punching Motoharu in the face and the blonde spy managed to read the room enough to know that he screwed up.
Repurposing a forklift's arm, the two are working on the final performance touches that the car needs.
"You know that I'm totally fine with getting the hell out of here, Shu-kun." Motoharu nervously asked while still working on the car's front end, fitting the reinforced suspension arm.
"Drop it! you ruined something important to me so there's no way in hell I'm letting you go away." Shujin barked back, not stopping his work on checking on the car's rear diffuser.
"So you'd rather trap me here to work on the car?"
"My car!" Shujin responded with an iron in his tone.
"Is this yours? I never recalled you calling dibs on it."
"Screw you!"
"You're angry, I get it…" Motoharu huffed at the boy who's acting like a sulking child, "Let's just say that I'll assign this car to you alright? But if there's anyone who has something to say against it, you deal with it by yourself."
"Why?"
"It's your freaking car."
"Then what about Blue's car? He always said that it was his."
"You drove it around occasionally, remember?"
"..."
Shujin kept silent and then clicked his tongue.
"Had enough?" Motoharu could sense the dripping pettiness coming from the ruffly haired boy, "I can handle people being petty and sulky, Shu-kun."
"And you just got to brag."
"Of course! But on another note… You realize that all were involved in finishing this car, right? By tomorrow it will be operational."
This time Shujin kept his silence for real and kept silently working until the two finished the work on their respective side. Motoharu lowered the car down and called out to his colleague, "Let's see how everyone chipped in on 'your car', Shu-kun."
"I'll pop the hood." Shujin rolled his eyes, he's also well versed in sensing pettiness in others.
"Nice, now let's see…" "Eri's definitely got her hands all over the electronics, the gauges are arranged like an old fighter plane."
"Well she was a pilot, no?"
"You're missing the details, there's a reason why she set the gauges in this manner, all the gauges are directed towards you and make it easy for anyone driving to get a certain data read." Motoharu sat in the car and continued, "It'll be handy when you're driving this car at dizzying speed."
Shujin paused at the change in Motoharu's demeanor, at least that was the case until he continued to serve him another question.
"Then what else can you see?"
"The engine was old, so I think the new guy was the one who fixed it and tuned it to take a new set of exhaust."
"Notice the new parts added to it?" Motoharu pointed at the variety of small parts attached to the car's powertrain.
"Yeah, who brought those?"
"Atsumu installed those and Shinobu helped with fine tuning the throttle response, they definitely took our needs in vehicles with snappy responses into consideration, furthermore they made sure all the parts added are light… even a forklift could lift this car with ease." Motoharu paused to look at the engine and made a mental note that he'll ask Wataru and Atsumu about the performance details, but he pulled away from said thoughts and continued to say, "Now the outside bodywork is being done by…"
"Blue." Shujin answered with confidence, "I'm familiar with the widened fenders and hand spaced rivets, I helped with the initial dismantling of this car but…"
"You wondered why the rear and front diffuser of the car were already being installed. Simple, Yuu-kun and Nora-kun did wonders on those by manufacturing them and adjusting them on the spot." Both wondered for a moment and remembered both Yuu and Nora's ability theoretically gave them free reign in creating anything within the bounds of their imagination.
"Everyone is involved in working on this car just like how everyone worked together in the field. In a way it represents what I've been saying for a long time… Each of us has unique perks and skills that we can bring to the table."
"Where are you going with this?"
With a smile Motoharu answered, "You seem to work together rather well with Yuu-kun and Aogami, but take others into consideration and try to learn how your dynamics work with them."
"I thought you're being like this because I want to get this ride for myself, but you're trying to share some advice instead."
"I still see myself as some sort of a mentor here…" The blonde boy looked at the car and continued, "As for the car you're welcome to customize it, there's a shipping container full of paint somewhere around the switchyard, just go and see if you can sniff one."
"Cheeky prick… And for the second piece of advice, I like how the raw unpolished metal looked on the body."
"So we're cool now?" Motoharu let out a relieved sigh and Shujin nodded.
Now the blonde boy truly feels at ease.
Which prompted him to push one last snarky remark as he left the garage.
"Keep it in mind that we're all fine with scooting off if you and Nunotaba need some alone time."
Shujin swore that he could feel one of his veins popped as he quickly replied to Motoharu with, "With all sincerity in my ever generous heart, would you kindly fuck off…"
.
..
…
After walking away from the switchyard and reaching a more populated area Motoharu sighed again with a tired tone, thinking to himself for a short while the boy was weighing his options.
Then he picked up his phone to call a certain magician.
"Etzali, it's me… Postpone the meeting for tonight, I'll make sure the hideout is empty the next time we meet."
"Isn't it urgent? Aren't we supposed to meet and talk about some sort of countermeasure?"
"Kind of, but I gotta keep it under wraps for now."
"Why can't you just be honest with Aogami-san about this?"
"I can't…"
There's a slight pause and tremble before he continued.
"I can't let him know that there's a possibility that Fukiyose could remember their time together during junior high, it'll destroy him for the second time."
PLAY MUSIC
Guilty Crown OST – Voido Kibou.
Inside IVORY's hideout complex Ibara is striding towards an unused warehouse where Kamisato stayed, there's a tinge of annoyance present on his face and he made said emotion apparent as he opened the door.
"Kamisato! You got to listen to this! Someone just showed up and said that he was the owner of this place!"
He shouted out, calling out to his partner who stood in the middle of the empty darkened warehouse.
"..."
He needed a moment to proccess the view in front of him, his shadow seemed to spread around from his legs in an erratic manner, lashing out with a sense of weight and sharpness in them. The result were brutal, the armor reinforced walls and floor were either crushed, cracked or sliced in disorganized pattern, similar to how a feral animal would act.
In the middle of it Kakeru stood, he looks as if he was the incarnation of malice itself.
Then Ibara noticed that he was not alone.
There were shadow like beings standing around in the room, when Kakeru turned to look at him all of the shadows followed his gesture.
They're looking at him with red light eyes in places where their eyes should be.
Trying his hardest to keep calm, Ibara asked a question, "What the hell were you doing here?…"
Kakeru knew that his friend was obviously asking about these shadowy being, so he decided to answer him with a straight answer, "I'm trying to open the door to the void again, but I still wasn't capable enough…"
"Then what are those shadow beings standing by your sides? Those are new." Ibara said while pointing at the shadowy being, one with fox like ears and long messy hair.
"They weren't supposed to look like this… They're supposed to be living people." Kakeru answered, looking at the shadowy beings that started to replicate some human movement, "The individual features they have… Those belonged to real people…"
Kamisato kept silent, it looked as if he was weeping to himself out of regret.
Seeing how the newly formed shadows affect his colleague so much, Ibara just looked at him blankly and asked further, "Are they your reason?"
…
Kakeru did not give an answer, so Ibara just drive his point further.
"Tazuma Claire."
"Arimura Ellen."
"Karasuma Fran."
"Elza."
"Toyama Luca."
"Do I need to say more names until you can say something back to me?"
!
Each name filled Kakeru with a sting right into his conscience, but it quickly turned into anger as he looked back at Ibara with distaste.
"Don't throw that look at me, you're not the only one who could do some digging." Ibara replied to the nasty gaze after sensing the hostilty coming from Kakeru, but the raven haired boy already prepared an explanation to why he knew those details about Kakeru, "You did it first to me, looking at where I was locked up, looking at my background and understanding why I want to burn some of part of the city to the ground… It's fair to do the same, right?"
"…"
The calm tone of his delivery kept Kakeru silent, it was as if he was expecting Ibara to spoke more and giving him time to collect himself.
He did not wrong.
Ibara opens his lips again to say, "Have to admit, you assembled a quite lively band here. Each of them fit a certain role…"
"It was a tad confusing to have them around though. Trust me, I didn't ask for this."
"You're just lying to yourself." Ibara snickered. "You cherished them just how I cherished the ones I lost."
"…"
"If they weren't, why the hell would trying something like this?" He sharpened his eyes. "This is different, you usually just cut the ones you deemed as failures."
"They're different." Kamisato replied, looking at the shadowy beings that started to waver in form.
"That's true, their values to you are different."
CLANG!
When Ibara gave his reply, a sound of something being dropped could be heard just outside of the warehouse and Ibara quickly ran outside to check, realizing that their conversation could lead to a major drop in morals.
"Who's there?!" He shouted and when he looked down there's a laptop and folders filled with sealed information.
The figure who dropped them was already gone.
A major headache of a problem for the two of them.
Ibara is noticing the problem that could arise and turn to Kakeru and said, "Call that Duchy girl who just joined, we have some cleaning up to do…"
Then he heard another footstep approaching him from a different direction, the thoughts about his intial reason to see Kakeru rushed back into his mind.
And he was proven right.
Stepping out from the dark a long haired boy in a dark colored suit walked out, his steps were elegant yet sounded metallic and almost robotic in nature.
Then he invited himself into Kakeru's warehouse, his steps sounded more pronounced with each repetition.
It took them a while but Kakeru and Ibara to figure out but it finally clicked.
The boy in front of them is partly robotic in nature as some creases in his suit sat weirdly as if it was draping around a suit of armor and robotic joints, yet the most damning evidence could be seen around his neck and collar where his biological body seems fused with plates of armor.
The notion driven further with his red colored robotic hands that has been purposefully manufactured to mimic gloved hands that carries an oversized suitcase with a large hadled on it.
Whoever the boy is, he means business even when he carried himself like a classic gentleman.
In response to said revelation the two nodded to each other, then Ibara and Kakeru waited for the raven haired boy to spoke.
"I don't know what just happened but I think you should have deal with me first." He started to spoke, his voice sounded like a well trained butler, "It's not wise to leave me with those paultry amount of guards and told me to leave, not expecting me to say anything about it is a grave mistake."
"I told you to wait not leave." Ibara replied with a calm tone, Kakeru noticed the ever slightly rising tension in his friend's tone.
"Wait? Why should I wait like a guest when I rightfully own this place." The boy continued to spoke, "I didn't expect that someone else would move into this place so quickly, but credits where credits due… I'm impressed that you could see the true purpose of this place that served as Neu Solution's military base."
"You're with Neu Solutions?!"
"I did and I didn't" The boy nodded and shook his head, "Let's just say that I was on my way to reclaim its assets in Academy City, I'm looking for something in particular stored inside the sealed lab downstairs."
"Who are you anyway?!" Now it was Kakeru's turn to ask with a raised voice, his shadow grew from his position and ready to pounce at any moment.
Yet the calm never leave the boy's face, he even gave a hair of a smile when he glanced down slightly and read the names written on the dropped folders. Kakeru and Ibara sensed the change in him, still readying themselves for anything.
The boy sensed the tense air between them and decided to defuse the situation by leaning down and picked up said folder that intrigued him so much. He held it up for Kakeru and Ibara to see, his smile grew a little yet an ominous intent could be seen steming from it.
Then he spoke again.
"It's a late introduction but let me introduce myself, my name is Kurogane Toudou, and regarding this 'Kami's Gang' problem of yours..." The look of his eyes is downright murderous when he said the next part, "I think we could come up with some sort of deal on handling their disposal."
Somewhere in a nearby hangar where the weapons of IVORY being locked up, Stephanie is looking back and checking her surroundings to make sure that no one followed her after she heard something that truly shocked her.
'What did I just hear?!… Those two only saw their own colleagues as disposable pawns, that explains a lot…'
She remembered that the two of them almost abandoned her back in the tower assault which made her doubts to grew, but this revelation seals it…
She's going to do her job as quick as possible and get away from them, her last confrontation in the upcoming ambush will provide her many opportunities to do so.
Picking up her automated shotgun and explosives from the locked, Stephanie heads to the underground district where Freshman and IVORY set their trap for Kami's gang.
PLAY MUSIC
Blue Archive OST – Responsibility.
In her room, Fukiyose Seiri found herself in a deep problem as she couldn't concentrate at all in doing her homework. Her head felt fuzzy eversince she saw Aogami Pierce together with Shutaura Sequenzia who has the same characteristics as her, she couldn't put a finger on it but it felt unbearable for her.
It felt that somehow Shutaura took her place, she was the one who supposed to stand beside that blue haired boy and walked right by his side. Furthermore it felt as if there was a barbed wire being tightened around her chest and stung her everytime she thought back on said moments.
And out of nowhere she began to ask questions about Shutaura again and again.
'Why did she came to pick him up again?…'
'Seriously, who is she?...'
'How did they meet?...'
'What's going on between the two of them?...'
And she forcefully veered her own mind away from it by repeating the same saying to herself.
'I'm just being fussy about other people's business…'
…
'But then again why did it bother me so much…'
Seiri thought to herself before her vision grew really heavy, so heavy that she couldn't keep her eyes open.
Fizzle.
Then she felt her vision became blurry as a flood of memory took her deep into an abyss, before long she found herself suddenly sitting inside her old classroom from her junior high school days, working on her class duties even after classes has ended.
It felt way too real for her liking…
The scent was familiar.
The way the sunlight hit her skin felt familiar.
The voices of winds and the students playing softball outside felt familiar.
Everything felt familiar yet different.
Especially the boy who kept her company, sitting in front of her with his head down on his arms that he laid down on her desk.
Then he spoke…
"Why are you still working? Class rep, it's time to go home already."
"You're still looking for a place to move, aren't you? Just ask Kamijou and Tsuchimikado to accompany you instead."
"Eeeeh?... You're the one who hangs around my old place the most though…"
"Oh? You thought about me? You're being mindful for once."
…
..
.
It was Aogami Pierce…
Then she felt something ripped her away from the classroom, launching her back into the abyss and before she knew what just happened, she found herself back at her dorm room.
She felt the edges of the eyes burned as if tears are trying to push their way out…
But it only made her incredibly nervous as she asked many questions to herself.
'Wha… What was that…'
'T-Those things didn't happen…'
'It was just a weird dream, that's all there is to it!'
But seiri stopped and veered her eyes down to her chest and placed one hand above her heart, it was beating loudly and caused her to break into a cold sweat…
Seiri trying and failing to process her own emotion and said to herself, 'This feeling inside my chest… I don't like it.'
Touma: What the hell…
Motoharu: Well that happened. Here she is ladies, the OG, Fukiyose Seiri.
Jason: Holdup what did you do to her?
Motoharu: Let's not spoil things ahead of the chapters, in the mean time… Let's just beat that blue haired bastard up.
Pierce: I beg the differ, I say that everyone here should beat you up instead.
Jason: Why don't the two of you just fight it out for once, it'll be an enterinment for sure.
Yuu: Before we move on to placing bets about who'll get pummeled more… Where are the girls, they usually watched till the end.
Touma: Chisa immediately cried after she said that 'I was not the first one' and ran to the corner of the room, Biri-biri and her friends are trying to comfort her…