Far East Branch Headquarters

"Alright, look, just calm down."

"Calm down?! Oh, I'm plenty calm," he replied with a scoff. "Far more than I should be in this situation if I'm being honest. Which, by the way, is something I had come to expect from you."

"I haven't lied to you, Gunter."

"Then, what the hell do you call that?" he asked, pointing a finger toward Ichiro's now smooth skin. "You said they were the only ones… just how many of you are there?"

"They are the only ones… She is the only one. With her natural-born abilities, that is."

"Yet somehow, you've managed to do the same. Unless you're telling me not to believe my own eyes?"

"Just listen to me. That wasn't what it looked like."

"Really? Then please enlighten me because I am very confused."

"Gunter —"

"Look, I have agreed to keep my silence. We all have, and, quite frankly, against my better judgement. Because despite all that's happened, I —" His eyes fell. "I… I care about her. And I don't want anything to happen to her." His admission was followed with a deep sigh, Gunter clearly feeling as frustrated as he appeared. "But Ichiro… I need you to be upfront with me. I deserve that much, at the very least."

The veteran regarded him in silence, watching him with a golden gaze. Moments passed between before he finally spoke, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "…You're right. You do deserve that. And I have been upfront with you — with all of you. About her."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Neo is the only one of her kind… just not the only one with her power. Not anymore."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that I… I guess it's easiest to say that I sort of… borrowed Neo's power."

"You what?" Gunter somehow looked even more perplexed than before. "I… I don't even — I don't know how to respond to that. Is that even possible?"

"Yes. Look, it's too complicated to explain in detail. Doing that would require going into a very complex discussion regarding Oracle cells, reagents, and biochemistry that you and I both know you won't understand." Ichiro paused, running his hand over his eyes with a tired groan. He had snapped again. "…Sorry."

Gunter shook his head. "No… you're right." He looked slightly insulted, but even he couldn't deny the truth of his statement. Hamasaki was a talented researcher; he wasn't even going to try and pretend otherwise. His name alone was associated with scientific advancement. The Hamasaki's Oracle-related discovers had even reached as far as Germany.

"Even still, you didn't deserve that." He took a deep breath and started again, with a much calmer disposition. "Listen. All you need to do know is this. I created a compound to simulate Neo's capability… and then I tested it. On myself."

"Meaning, what… you have Neo's powers?"

"No, not exactly. Not even close. Just her enhanced healing capability, a bit of speed, and extra strength… It's only surface level, and it pales in comparison to the real thing. As far as I know, I can't absorb electricity, nor can I regenerate limbs." Gunter lifted an eyebrow to which Ichiro scowled. "And I'm not about to test about that theory, so don't even ask."

"Right…" Gunter took a moment to process, mulling over the information in his brain. Then, he spoke again, his voice dripping with awe. "But Hamasaki, that's — that's incredible! You're telling me you've successfully created a substance to enhance soldiers… without the need for horrid experimentation? You've found a way to make another Neo, that's amazing!"

"Keep your voice down," Ichiro warned. "You never know who might be listening. Especially Neo. She could be anywhere, and that woman has ears like a bat."

"Right. Sorry." Gunter paused. "Wait. Does… Neo doesn't know about this?"

"No. And I intend to keep it that way."

"But why?"

"Because I haven't tested it on anyone else. I shouldn't have even used it on myself. Yes, it had some mild success, but the results are…" His hand waved, gesturing to the pile of destruction on the floor. "The medication worked, but it has some nasty side effects. And if I don't figure out something soon, they could become lethal. To both me and everyone else."

"Huh…?" Gunter blinked, gaze falling to his wrists where black tendrils slowly faded into his fair skin. At the sight, eyes grew wide. "Ichiro… just what the hell is in that compound?"

"Various reagents. Different chemicals and ingredients, some organic, some synthetic… and the E3 Bias Factor… Neo's blood, as a base."

Gunter balked. "Wh-What?! You serious?"

"Completely," he replied sadly. "So, yes, the compound had the desired effect. But as it stands, it's…"

"It's slowly killing you." Gunter kept his eyes on the discolored skin, following the trails as they disappeared further up his arm, passed his shoulders, to his face. Finally, they landed on his eyes, where the golden irises had faded back into a tinted green. "No… it's doing worse than that. It's changing you… you're mutating. Undergoing some form of transformation."

"Yes."

"That explains the eye color… and the hair."

"Huh?" Ichiro blinked. Gunter didn't answer, instead lifting a finger and pointing tapping at his own head… toward the roots. Turning, he quickly opened one of the drawers, searching around for a reflective surface. Digging around, he pulled out a glass plate and lifted it, trying to get a look at himself. His eyes grew wide with realization; sure enough, Gunter was right. It was a small, but subtle change. One so miniscule, he probably wouldn't have noticed it at all had the other not pointed it out.

His dark hair, smooth and straight, fell across his cheeks at it always had. But at the root, near the follicles, was a slight difference. The strands were faded, centimeter by centimeter, each piece slightly lighter in shade. It was as though it were bleaching itself, almost unnoticeably, at a snail's pace. But given time, it would become noticeable, especially if it continued growing lighter. Surely, he could begin dying it, but just how far would that take him? Surely, he couldn't darken it every single day, and all it would take is a stray stroke of sunlight to reflect off his roots. Eye contacts were one thing, but there was no way he could explain away going blonde, especially from the base. And Neo was more familiar with such a mutation than anyone else. She would be the first to notice that something was amiss.

"Damn it… well, I suppose it was inevitable," he muttered.

"Was it?"

Ichiro shifted his gaze once more, lifting an incredulous brow. "You didn't seriously think Neo's hair was always violet, did you?"

"Well, no... I mean... I just assumed it was dyed or something, but..." Gunter paused, having a moment of clarity. "Actually, come to think of it… her eyebrows are violet too. Does that mean —"

At the sight of Ichiro's stoic stare, he snapped his mouth shut. The shattered beakers reminded him of what he had been discussing in the first place. Along with changing pigmentation, it seemed that moments of delirium and bouts of uncontrolled aggression were among the side effects he mentioned. Knowing this information, asking her often overprotective guardian if the carpet matched the drapes was probably one of the quickest ways to an early grave. "Er… never mind."

An exasperated scoff was all he could muster before rolling his eyes. Ichiro couldn't exactly be upset with him; it wasn't an entirely unreasonable inquiry. Not to mentioned that he would be lying if he said he had never questioned the possibility himself. Respectful and polite as he did his best to be, he was still a man, and a curious one at that — the fact that he was extremely attracted to her certainly didn't help. Even so…

Ichiro returned the plate to the drawer and slid it closed with a quiet click. "Leave it to you… but to answer your question, I have no idea. Like everything else in the human body, hair color is genetic. And considering that the mutation affects her DNA itself… I can only assume yes." Shaking his head, he returned to the matter at hand. "Be that as it may, the facts remain the same. If I don't find a way to reverse the changes, or at the very least neutralize them… I'm not really sure who, or what I'll become."

"Yeah, I can see that… Do you have any leads?"

"A few. But testing is becoming more and more difficult, especially now that I'm running low on resources. And between monitoring Neo and my other duties, it's getting harder to find the time to replace them. At this point, I may have to start raiding the Den's emergency storage."

"Hmm…" Gunter crossed his arms, giving the problem some thought. Between keeping track of the New Type, conducting his research, and now, trying to keep an eye on every member of the Den to ensure compliance, he was running himself ragged. And considering what it had taken for him to call a council in the first place, asking for help wasn't going to be his immediate go-to. "Okay, look… I don't know much about the scientific stuff, but I know my way around the wastelands. Tell me what to look for, and I'll find whatever I can."

Ichiro blinked. "Huh."

"What? What's that look for? I'm more capable than you seem to think, you know…"

"No, it's not that. I am well aware of how capable you are. I'm just… surprised. I didn't expect you to offer assistance."

"Ichiro, despite our differences, I don't hate you. I would rather you didn't transform into a ravenous beast. And regardless of how I feel about it, Neo would undoubtedly be very upset… Besides, let's be honest. I'm not sure any of us would be strong enough to kill you."

"True enough."

"That being said… I didn't say I'd do it for free. I'm more than willing to help you. But there's something I would ask for in return."

At that, Ichiro laughed. "Now, that's more like it. Alright, I'll bite. Name your price."

. . .

"Huh. That's… surprisingly honorable of him."

"Yeah, I was surprised too."

"I figured he would ask for something far worse…"

"Well, 'worse' is highly suggestive. Depending on how it works out. If things go sideways, honestly, there aren't many fates much worse."

"Hmph. Fair point." The pair of God Eaters stood side by side in the lift as it rode upward, each wearing similar expressions of exasperation. It seemed that things could never be simple. Soma shifted uncomfortably against the wall, adjusting his sash for the fourth time. "Ugh… not sure how people used to wear these things. Just tying it is a pain in the ass."

"Ha! This is coming from a guy who wears a tie every day?"

"Shut it, Hamasaki," he snapped, rolling his eyes when the other only laughed. Giving up on his garment again, he refocused their conversation. "Anyway, what do you plan to do about him?"

"There isn't much I can do. Ultimately, he's right… I can't continue doing this alone, and I can't hide this forever. The fact that I've managed to keep it from Neo this long is nothing short of a miracle."

"Don't tell me you're seriously considering his offer… With everything that's going on, you're actually going to let him —"

Ichiro shook his head. "No, not at the moment. It's far too dangerous." Lifting from the wall, he carefully pulled down the sleeves of his yukata. "For now, I need to focus on figuring out how to slow it down. Or better yet, how to stop it."

As the lift slowed, the pair collectively sighed. Despite their best efforts, problems never ceased; first Neo, then Ichiro, and now even the 2nd Unit gunner was being thrown into the mix. As if they didn't already have enough to worry about. Things couldn't get much worse at that rate…

"How to stop what?"

…until they did.

The sound of a familiar voice froze both men in their tracks. Pausing on one of the storage floors, the elevator doors slowly slid open, revealing their very subject of conversation. Of course, she would show up here. Neo always showed up at the most inopportune times. And with ears even more sensitive than his own, Soma was sure she had heard nearly every word. Thankfully, they hadn't revealed anything too incriminating, as far as he could recall.

"Just discussing some Oracle research," Ichiro assured her, stepping back as she wandered into the elevator.

"Hmm. Nice yukatas," she commented, taking careful note of the two wearing traditional garb, one green, one navy. To see her guardian in such clothing wasn't unexpected. When considering his heritage, she would have been more surprised to see him in anything different. On her other friend, however, it was quite strange. Certainly not unpleasant… just odd.

Soma blinked, lifting an eyebrow at her choice of attire. As the doors closed behind her, he found himself staring at her with a blank expression. Based on what he had learned from his teammate, traditional Japanese attire wasn't out of place at a moon festival. But being who she was, it seemed that Neo had chosen something in between; a pastel kimono of soft pink — or at least, half of one; the robe seemed to have been modified into a long shirt — with a black obi, a pair of blue shorts, black thigh-high stockings and altered geta at low elevation.

Her clothing shouldn't have been a surprise to him; Neo hated feeling restricted and he couldn't imagine a full kimono would be easy to move in. But her choice of pairing was fascinating to say the least. This was only accentuated by her hair, not quite long enough for a full bun and instead twisted and held back with a clip, along with a pink eyepatch. Once again, she had managed to pull off a ridiculous look that somehow made her look adorable. "Thanks. Nice… outfit."

If his uncertain compliment had bothered her, she didn't show it as she nodded in calm gratitude before turning her attention to her guardian. The older soldier offered a gentle smile, acknowledging her. "You look very nice, Neo."

"Thank you." She accepted his compliment with similar grace, giving both men a sense of relief. With the lift moving upward once more, she immediately shattered it. "… Is something going on with your research?"

Soma's eyes darted to his side for the briefest moment. He could feel their comrade tense beside him. And for once, it seemed she had finally caught him off guard, uncertain of what to say beneath her fixed gaze. Neo was perceptive. If one of them didn't give an answer within the next two seconds, suspicion was inevitable. Not a talented liar, he decided on somewhere in between; a half truth, just accurate enough to sound genuine. "Just some side effects of his medication."

"Side effects…?" Neo asked, her eye growing curious for a moment as she considered his explanation. Her tone shifted to one of concern as she turned back to her guardian. "That doesn't sound good. Is —" she paused. "Wait, what medication?"

Soma froze. It seemed his half-truth had offered a bit too much information. Now, he had invited even more questions and worse, placed Ichiro under a microscope. The man in question remained silent, mind searching quickly for an out before suddenly getting a moment of inspiration. He had mentioned medication but hadn't mentioned who it was for.

"Utsugi's antidote. I've been searching for other reagents to try and halt the spread. It seems I've hit a plateau."

After a moment of tense silence, Neo accepted his explanation with a shrug. They were in the clear for now. "Oh. That's unfortunate. I'm sorry to say I cannot help you in that department. It's a shame that Shio left us. She probably could have."

It took a few seconds for her words to register, suddenly leaving both God Eaters staring with confused expressions. As the lift slowed to a stop, Soma questioned her. "Shio…? What does Shio have to do with anything?"

Neo shrugged. "She probably could have helped you. You know, the way she helped Lindow."

The doors opened and the New Type stepped out of the lift onto the roof, taking a deep breath of the open air. Her friends followed behind her, taking a look around at the rooftop festival. It was as though they had stepped into another world. Lanterns and other decorations were placed around the area, tables with food items were lined along the wall, and God Eaters from every unit had showed for the occasion; all were enjoying the celebration, though only members of the 1st knew what it was truly for.

But Ichiro only took a moment to enjoy the sights, instead quickly focusing his attention back on his smaller teammate. "Wait, Neo what do you mean by that?"

"You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"About Shio. That's how he was able to remain human. He told me that when he was lost in the wilderness, she —"

"Wow, Neo! You look so pretty!" Kanon's excited voice interrupted her explanation, suddenly appearing by her side as a pink blur with a toothy grin.

Gina was right behind her, black kimono, and all. "She's right. That's a nice outfit, it suits you."

"Thank you," Neo replied, acknowledging both women with a nod.

"I didn't think you were gonna show up," Gina teased, earning a shrug in response.

"I wanted to see what a festival looked like. It sounded like fun."

"Oh, you've never been to a festival before?" Kanon asked, linking an arm through the New Type's. "Sounds like you're in for a treat!"

"Yup. We'll show you just how fun they can be." Ichiro frowned at the display, taking note of Neo's clear confusion about the situation. But before he could protest, Gina shot him a knowing look. Don't worry, we won't be far.

"I'll see you later, Ichi. Bye Soma," Neo called behind her as they led her away.

"Let's go check out the food table! You like food, right?"

"That depends. Is it going to be sweet…?"

Ichiro and Soma shook their heads, watching as the three women drifted away. He waved back to her, offering a smile as she disappeared into a crowd of 2nd Unit hunters. The expression quickly fell as he caught a glimpse of her waving hand. "Wait, Neo! Your —" before he could finish his sentence, she was already gone. Thus, his warning ended with a tired sigh. "…gloves." This was already shaping up to be a fun evening.

Beside him, Soma shrugged. "She'll be fine. Half the people here are drunk anyway, and the only lighting up here are the lanterns. I doubt anyone's gonna notice."

"Yeah… Yeah, you're probably right. As long as she doesn't claw anything, it should be fine." Ichiro held onto that hope. There was little else he could do about it at the moment; chasing after her now would only cause a scene. All that would do is draw more attention. So, instead, he resigned himself to his mission. "Anyway, what was Neo talking about?"

"Not sure. She never mentioned anything about it to me."

"I see. I guess I'll just have to ask him about it myself then."

"He's around here somewhere. Probably getting a beer."

Ichiro laughed, nodding at Soma's suggestion. "Most likely. I suppose I can bother him about it after the festivities. My condition isn't going to change much in a single day."

"You should do that. You need a break."

The older God Eater smiled. Genuine concern was a strange color on Soma, though one he was noticing more often. "I can't say I disagree. But…"

Soma shook his head, interrupting his musings. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"Neo isn't my concern…"

"Gina too. I'll make sure she doesn't get out of hand."

At that, Ichiro chuckled. He had read his mind; Gina was possibly a bigger danger than Neo. Specifically, she was a dangerous influence. They had already seen the disastrous effects of leaving the New Type to her own devices with alcohol. The last thing they needed was another fiasco. Finally, the guardian begrudgingly agreed and the two went their separate ways. Moments after his departure, Gina's laughter and Kanon's yelping reached his ears in the direction of the dango table. With a sigh, Soma made his way toward the sound, already slowly regretting his decision to take Neo duty.

This was going to be a long night.

. . .

Far East Branch Headquarters – Weapons Hangar

The night wore on and the festivities eventually came to an end. The members of the Den enjoyed themselves, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Units alike. Guzzling food and beverages and gazing up at the full moon, the God Eaters of the Far East slowly dispersed as the party wound down. To both Soma and Ichiro's surprise, the evening concluded without incident. Neo behaved herself; remaining relatively calm, even as a drunken Gina and Annette dragged her ceaselessly around the rooftop. Though a few helpings of alcohol did find its way into her hands, Soma had kept a careful eye on them, stepping in before anything could go too far.

Now, hours later, everyone was settling in for the night, the New Type safely in her room and the others in theirs. But while the moon drifted slowly across the sky, one God Eater remained wide awake. Deep within the building's walls, in a darkened corner of the deserted weapons hangar, a soldier was finishing his report.

"They've got her under lock and key. Someone is always with her."

"That isn't surprising. Just continue with your operations as necessary. An opportunity will eventually present itself."

"Her behavior is far calmer than the report would suggest. If I could just get her alone, then —"

"Patience, Marcus. Haste begets mistakes, and mistakes are costly. Do not allow her docility to fool you. Specimen 13 is a deadly weapon. Make no mistake. She will kill you."

"Oh, I'm well aware of how dangerous she is… painfully aware."

"Good. Then, continue observation and follow her movements. She can't hide forever."

"Understood. I will contact you if I make any progress."

"Godspeed, soldier. And good luck."