Different Trigger

by TheAnimeTrain

A call from Germany leads to Border members being sent away from Japan. Along with this trip comes new meetings, old faces, and discoveries of the present.

1. Eine Erzählung nur für euch

A/N: Plot made by Yujonokage

---

The morning air was nice.

Noise filled the air, but the feeling of it kept things cool and easy to walk in. Even the noise made the entire situation feel oddly calming.

That was why, when he thought about it, Hatohara Minoru found that he could relax more than usual while out on a walk.

But more than the cool air or the noise around him, the things that gave him the most peace was his morning walk with the man walking next to him while holding his hand and the dog walking in front of them.

The two of them made everything feel more serene.

"So it sounds like I missed some interesting things," said Minoru.

"It depends on how you see it. If anything, you were involved with something more interesting than anything else."

"Because I can't tell you about it or because you know it involves Loki?"

Ninomiya Masataka let out a low hum.

"Hm. To be involved with that faker… I really have no idea how you put up with that."

The younger of them gave a small smile.

"It isn't like I force myself to do that."

"Which is what makes it more amazing."

Whether to argue that or agree with it, the samoyed puppy in front of them, Taka, gave a bark while wagging his tail.

Minoru gave the man a knowing look and squeezed his hand.

There was never any doubt that this would be his reaction whenever the topic of his enemy came up. While being an enemy to him, the person in question was on good terms with most other people. Minoru being one who considered him a friend.

"Well, I don't want you getting fussy, so let's just change topics."

"That is certainly one way to put it. But I will always be for changing topics when it comes to that faker. Just speaking of him is more than he deserves."

And yet you always go on whenever he is brought up, thought Minoru in amusement.

This was just how things were between the two of them. A constant, and pointless, struggle to see who could outdo the other. When it was just these petty comments he found it amusing, when it got physical was when he knew he had to step in.

Knowing that he would go on and annoy himself even more with talk about his enemy, Minoru made a small movement and caught his lips with his own.

They stayed like that for a moment, Minoru enjoying the kiss and Masataka settling into it. Once it was over Minoru smiled and moved back slightly.

"Right… Thank you for that."

"There's no need to thank me. I just wanted to kiss you."

Taka barked at their feet and wagged his tail.

Minoru laughed and started walking forward, pulling Masataka lightly by the hand.

"Disregarding all of that, I knew that things would be fine while we were away."

"Your faith in those terrible people is amazing in its own right."

Minoru couldn't help but to let out a chuckle.

"Then too, I suppose. But I meant because I knew you would be here. Along with your squad, as well as everyone else."

"I am sure that Shitokei alone would have found a way."

Leave it to him to find the hidden meaning in his words.

Minoru kissed his cheek and said nothing more.

"I was only joking. She has her hands full with that faker and his squad of energetic children."

"They are more like pups just following him right now. I do have a lot of faith in their growth, though."

"That may be taking it too far," said Masataka with a raised brow.

Taka gave another bark, this time sounding much more in the defense of the squad. Minoru gave him a thumbs up.

Masataka rolled his eyes and faced forward.

"Speaking of needing growth, there is also that new member to your squad."

"Ah, right. Makkun is still getting used to things, so it's been a bit awkward at times with him. His guard seems to always be up and that has me a bit worried. If he doesn't get comfortable soon then the others might take the chance to mess with him."

"That would cause a whole new set of problems," said Masataka with a sigh. "Although, I am sure that will go by in time."

"So you think so too."

"I do. Besides you, Svantje is also there. The odds of this lasting for a long time aren't that high."

Minoru moved to give him another kiss but was beaten to it. Before he could do anything, Masataka had moved in to give him a peck on the lips.

He looked away right after, but the bit of color on his cheeks were hard to miss.

Minoru let it slide with a smile.

"More than her," he continued. "You have an understanding of his skills and where he is coming from, right?"

Minoru nodded.

His squad had been informed of everything upon meeting their newest members. After their initial introduction, they had gotten to see what he was able to do with Border's Triggers.

Something that had immediately caught his attention was the way Maki had been able to use Viper. That kind of usage was still rough, but that was clearly because of inexperience. With time it would be something to see.

Due to that, a thought had come to mind.

"I was thinking of asking Izumi-kun and Rei-chan if they could help him out. While he's good with Viper, there are still things he could learn from them. Especially since he is still new."

"That's a good idea. I will ask Izumi for help, to make it a bit easier."

Instead of saying anything, Minoru slowed down.

Masataka looked back to him with a raised brow before realizing why he had slowed to a stop.

Taka had moved to the side towards a nearby tree.

The two of them looked away.

.

"With that settled…"

Minoru laughed at the way he had to look away so they didn't have to see Taka taking a leak on the tree.

It had been a while since he heard Minoru laugh in such a carefree manner, and now he had done it twice. That, along with the kisses they shared, had started to make him heat up a bit inside.

Settle down, me. It's still only the morning.

Besides, you never know when there are some unwanted eyes watching. If we end up in another doujinshi then I might need to directly speak to Hiyami about saying something to Lukas or Misaki.

Speaking directly with the former he could handle, it was just not something he wanted to bring up. Going to the latter would no doubt become something he would want to forget.

Knowing how that could turn out, he refused to speak with Misaki about anything concerning those books or romance. Even a mention of romance would get her going in a way he would be unable to handle.

Then that idiotic faker would end up getting involved and I don't know if I would be able to hold myself back.

That was just how things were with that squad.

Feeling himself start to heat up in a different way, he squeezed Minoru's hand to remind him of his current situation.

A nice morning walk with the one he loved.

But this does remind me…

He looked back at Minoru and gave a second squeeze. This time for a different reason.

There's something we haven't spoken about concerning this last Away Mission.

Minoru knew it as well.

They had stayed away from the topic for now as a way to enjoy themselves, but it was still something that needed to be said.

The topic concerns Minoru's siblings and his former teammate.

.

"Nothing about them this time either?"

Minoru looked at Ninomiya for a moment before sighing.

He shook his head and waited for Taka to run back to them.

"There was nothing. Not even any rumors that sounded like they could lead to something."

"I see…"

That was to be expected. Both of them knew that it would be difficult when there were so many places and they had no starting point.

This was not the first time nothing had come up when going on an Away Mission. Each time Minoru had come back from one it seemed as if they were getting further away from finding out what happened to his siblings.

A point that only went to make it worse was how Hatohara Mirai had left of her own volition.

"Minoru… Once we get back to A-Rank… Yes, we just need to get back there."

"Don't push yourself. Or your squad for that matter. Whether it's for me or for her, going in after pushing everything won't end well."

"There is no need to worry about that. I know that, and so do the others. It's just that…"

Ninomiya raised their linked hands and gently kissed the back of Minoru's hand.

"I still need to make up for some things."

"Taka, we went over this already…"

He shook his head and furrowed his brows.

More had led to their situation than just loving each other. There had been a time when they needed to figure out what to do concerning the situation with Mirai.

One of the things that needed to be figured out had been the result of outside intervention.

In particular…

"I meant everything from when we got back together, don't ever doubt that. I do love you. It's just that I refuse to accept that things were resolved because of that faker."

"You…" Minoru couldn't help but to let out a sigh. "Hah. If that's how it is then can't you just say that you owe him one? Rather…we owe him one."

"Owing someone like that is never a good thing."

"Just don't think about it. If it comes up then it does. Maybe he will need help fighting a tough opponent, or maybe he will need help with the people around him."

"If anything, he needs professional help. But I would not want anyone to deal with that guy."

Minoru chuckled and rolled his eyes. In a way, he had to agree with that. Only a professional would be able to handle the baggage that came with Yuki, but even that may be too much.

Still, saying as much would only encourage Ninomiya, so he remained silent on the matter.

Feeling like he was validated in his words, Ninomiya huffed and looked into the sky.

"Don't worry, though. Next time, for sure…I will be there with you. I will be by your side and I won't run away or let you get away."

So…

"Let's try. The both of us."

Minoru felt a new heat build up inside of him.

He smiled and started to lift their linked hands.

Just as he was about to copy Ninomiya's action, a voice was heard in the distance.

"One!"

An impact followed.

.

Ninomiya felt something hit the back of his head, making his lurch forward and letting go of Minoru's hand. The voice that had come before it had been like screeching to his ears and a feeling of anger started to form inside.

As for the impact…

"Two!"

A second one followed it.

The second impact had hit him on the back with what felt like someone punching him.

When he turned around to see what had hit him he heard Minoru confirm it for him.

"Shoes…?"

A pair of shoes lay on the ground behind him. They were unfamiliar and had no brand name on them. They were just a pair of plain shoes.

Picking them up, Ninomiya looked in the direction the shoes had come from and saw them.

A group of terrible people.

In front of that group was a meek-looking boy, leg raised as if he had just kicked something. The thing that stood out about him was the fact his feet were bare.

"What aim," one of the terrible people said.

"I thought he would hit Minoru with the second one," another one said.

"I tried to stop him, Ninomiya-san!" the last one called out.

They were all voices he recognized.

The faker, where he refused to use his name.

The Sniper, Arafune Tetsuji.

The Attacker, Murakami Kō.

And lastly the Gunner and his teammate, Inukai Sumiharu.

All belonging in the same age group as Minoru and having the most terrible reputation. How his partner deals he doesn't know, but he worries all the same for him.

But getting back to just what happened…

Inukai in particular was followed up by the person quickly hiding behind Arafune, as if he would be in trouble for not managing to stop the shoes from hitting him.

Looking down at the shoes in his hand, Ninomiya took a moment before turning around and pulling his arm back. Making sure there was no one nearby, he threw his arms forward in an overhand throw.

The shoes moved through the air until they landed squarely in a nearby dumpster.

Most of the group behind him started clapping.

Then the person who threw the shoes called out again.

"Joke's on you, idiot airhead! I wouldn't want those shoes after they touched your nasty hands!"

Knowing that was true only made Ninomiya more mad.

So he turned around and started for the group.

.

The first thing Inukai Sumiharu did was take three steps back.

No way am I getting involved with these two again!

Too many times he had tried to prevent a start from fighting, only to get caught up in it. Most of the time he was pulled to one side or the other in a rough manner.

Even the others found it hard to deal with it.

Ninomiya-san I understand, but Yuki still has too much strength with that body of his!

The meek-looking boy who had thrown his shoes at Inukai's squad captain had always found sudden strength when it came to fighting Ninomiya.

Now was one of those times.

"Thanks to you, I now need to fully clean my hands, head, and back! I might even go to the nearest shrine for purification!"

"Hah! I already let Shintai know to not let you anywhere on the shrine's grounds! We wouldn't want the likes of Amatarasu or Izanami getting mad because some idiot made his way onto shrine grounds!"

"And why would anyone listen to a selfish fox who deceives everyone on a daily basis!?"

To be fair, Inukai had to think, he's still himself around a lot of us. And Yuki should be careful, otherwise he might end up getting a Shinto-style punishment.

From what he had heard, Shinto-style punishments took things to the extreme, brought them back in, then did even worse. All of this had come from the shrine proper, but also from Suzaku.

Not wanting to be one of the people receiving that kind of punishment, he moved even further away from the two and towards the person Ninomiya had been with.

"You aren't going to try and stop them?" someone asked.

The other two people he had come with followed him and they met with Minoru halfway. The question itself was directed at Minoru, and the one to ask was Arafune.

Minoru shook his head and only spared the two arguing a slight glance.

"While it does suck that we were interrupted, I don't feel like getting in the middle of that mess."

"That makes sense," Murakami said, stepping forward. "I will let Senpai know about this. She will set Yuki straight later."

"Thanks for that."

Inukai knew that was another thing he did not want to get involved with. If there was one person he knew he should fear and respect then it was the Tsukiko Squad Operator and Minoru's cousin.

So instead of worrying about that, he looked over Minoru's shoulder to see an energetic ball of fur backing up.

Oh?

After a few more steps, Taka stood in place, patted the ground with his paw twice, then lowered his body. Inukai found this interesting and glanced to the side. As he suspected, everyone had yet to notice anything.

So he stayed quiet and let the dog do what he wanted.

Another moment of setting himself in place, Taka started with a rush.

Wanting to be ready for what would happen, Inukai pulled out his phone at the last second and started recording.

When he did…

"Wan!"

"Eh!?"

Taka made a running jump toward Arafune.

Inukai made sure to get the best angle to watch as Arafune took three hard steps backwards so that Taka would not reach him.

Not being one to let his fun slip away, Taka began again. This time he started for Arafune's feet, barking all the while.

"Hey! Hey! No! G-get away! Shoo! Shoo!"

Taka was relentless in his chase, making sure to keep up with all of Arafune's sloppy movements.

"Hey, some help here!"

Inukai waved him off while continuing to record. Behind him, Minoru and Murakami had started a conversation.

There was no help for Arafune at this point.

Ah~ This will be good to show the others later. Oh, looks like he's finally gotten to the point of jumping onto things. Hey, I don't think you should be standing on a table like that. Nice, Taka! I knew you could at least get onto the bench!

Inukai inwardly pumped his fist, feeling especially proud of the dog.

Now he just needs to-

"Oh, that's right. Your birthday is coming up, isn't it?"

All noise stopped in an instant.

.

Ninomiya had heard the words clearly. The fight with the faker in front of him was important, but overall pointless, so he had part of his attention on his surroundings.

One of those things he was paying attention to was the conversation going on between Minoru and Murakami.

A conversation that had touched on a sensitive topic giving the current situation around the person.

The faker had realized that as well from the way he stopped mid-motion to look over at the duo.

"Ha ha... Yeah, it is…. Oh! Uh, Taka-chan, be careful! Tetsu-chan, thanks for playing with Taka-chan, but try to make sure he doesn't get hurt, okay?"

"Does it look like I'm playing with him!? Come here and get your dog!"

It was obvious how much Minoru was trying to change the topic.

He had thought that the faker would start their fight anew after seeing this, but he had been pleasantly surprised when he started hearing barking coming from the faker instead. At some point he had moved over to pick up Taka while starting to bark at Arafune, who was glaring down at him.

Inukai, likely noticing what was happening, followed the faker and started barking at Arafune as well.

Sometimes I wonder about these people…

It was hard to do much when Inukai was his teammate. So he chose not to get involved with him while there were other terrible people around.

Still, at least they realize when something needs to be done. Now if only they can do something about those situations without making Border seem like it's full of crazy people.

That was just how that age group was, sadly.

"Hey, Kō! Come here and help us out!"

"Eh? But I really don't want to…"

"Wan! Wan!"

From the other side of the chaos, Minoru gave a laugh.

From where he stood, Ninomiya could still see the pain in Minoru's actions.

He started to take his first steps towards him when a noise filled the air.

Everyone turned to see that the noise was coming from Minoru's pocket.

"A call…? Ah? This is… Uh, sorry. I need to take this."

The others waved him off as he started to move away from the group.

As he did so, Murakami started to move towards the others and Inukai continued barking, Taka now at his side as he tried to get Arafune down.

The person Ninomiya chose to focus on the most was the faker.

What he saw made him want to punch him in the face.

After all…

Don't use your Side Effect for this!

.

He couldn't help it.

Before he knew what he was doing, Yuki's lips started moving. No sound came out,even as Kō reached them and tried to stop Inukai.

The words started forming on his lips and the meaning of each movement felt familiar, but also strange.

He was fumbling with most of the words and his brain fully registered that the words had turned into something other than Japanese. Not knowing another language, he could not figure out what language it was exactly.

One thing he did know was that he was fumbling more than usual. The reason for this was because of the hair covering one of his eyes and his own mind refusing to properly understand what was happening.

Something he did understand was the way Minoru was visibly getting more distressed as the phone call went on.

Before he could focus on why that could be, something had come from behind and hit him on the back of the head.

He turned around and saw the airhead glaring at him with something more than the usual annoyance and spite.

It happened again…

His Side Effect had gone into action, taking control of his body before he could prepare himself for it.

He wanted nothing more than to hit the airhead as revenge. Start their usual argument and maybe turn it into a fight.

But he couldn't.

Instead, he threw his hand over his uncovered eye and turned away from everyone else.

The noise at the table stopped and he was sure that Kō was moving towards him.

Not wanting to let them know what he had just done, he kicked out his leg and felt it connect with something. More accurately, he had kicked the airhead's shin.

"Dammit, you stupid airhead! You made me poke my eye!"

"...Good. No one should have to look at such a nasty expression."

Good… He knows what to do.

This was both their usual interaction as well as a coverup so that the others would not ask about what he had been doing. Or why exactly the airhead had hit him on the back of the head so suddenly.

There was still one problem with this.

I have to tell Kō about this later. This just keeps Sumiharu and Tetsuji from knowing.

It was a requirement for him to let the black wolf know something about him as the white fox. More than that, there were two people who would not allow him to disregard such a thing.

Being like those two sure is troublesome, isn't it?

.

"Oh, they're at it again."

"Alright, Taka. I think that's enough for now. We can mess with Arafune later."

"Don't just say it so casually like that, you jerk!"

Arafune was finally able to get off the table while Yuki and Ninomiya began their next argument. Their voices echoed out, but there was no one in the area to worry about that.

After a few moments of having to hear them, the other three looked over to see Minoru walking over. His expression was low and his eyes seemed less focused on them.

Just as they were about to ask him what the call was about, another noise reached them.

This one was also from Minoru's phone.

"And now I'm being called by the directors…"

He could only sigh into the morning air.

---

"My goodness. Both that boy and my cousin can be something sometimes. I suppose it is a good thing Masataka is there as well, even if it does end up causing a commotion while he is around."

A girl spoke to herself in a lit room. The monitor in front of her was blank, showing her reflection in it.

The way the artificial lights bounced off her being made it appear that it was coming down just to show her off. Her posture was perfect, her hair was short, but perfectly cut, and the way she held herself was something akin to royalty.

And yet she was just a normal girl.

A normal girl with a multitude of calculations running through her head.

"I need to properly thank Murakami-kun for this information later. I know that Yuki will go into detail while speaking with him later, but even this is enough for me."

Normally she would have no reason to speak out loud when no one was around. That would have just been a waste of breath.

This was a rare time when she chose to speak to herself so that her calculations would not start to overtake her.

"I need to make sure I properly smack that boy when I see him. To cause such a scene in public… He is lucky that there was no one around. If someone had started to complain or question him, I would have had to destroy him once more so that he could build up a second false persona."

It was unlike her to ramble with no real point.

But that was just how she was when speaking about him. Calculations never mattered when she thought about what could come from dealing with him.

There was also someone else she had to be thinking about, though.

The current main topic of her calculations.

"To get a call, have a bad expression, then get called on by the directors… Hah. It is not my place to think about these things, but the reason only becomes that much more obvious when I consider what had happened with Yuki."

A sudden loss of control due to his Side Effect and the strange words his lips were forming while copying Minoru's movements. Those two things had led her to the most accurate conclusion she could possibly get.

And that conclusion made her worry.

I suppose it is not worry I am feeling…

It should have hurt to think that, but she found that she could still only mimic that emotion when it did not concern him. There was certainly something forming when she remembered that it was her cousin involved, but it felt more like a push on her than a true feeling.

Placing a hand on her chest, she looked down to try and find that feeling again.

"I should apologize to him when I see him next. He is family after all."

---

They were all there. Every director sat in the naturally lit meeting room. The sunlight from outside burst through the windows, showing off the entire room.

The first thing Minoru did was survey the expressions of each director. Gauging their current moods would help in figuring out how he should go about speaking here.

Sawa-san isn't here, so that leaves less room for others to know anything.

Sawamura knew her place and position within Border, but he knew that one less person meant a lot during these kinds of meetings.

The only thing that made him concerned was the topic of discussion.

"Thank you for coming, Hatohara. This will just be another discussion about sending Hatohara Squad to Germany for some assistance."

Director Shinoda was the first to speak up. He remained professional while trying to ease the mood with a more casual appearance.

The only other person in the room seeming to try and do so was Director Karasawa.

"I'm sorry that this has to come up after your squad had recently come back from the Away Mission. The thing is that your squad is also the most trusted with this kind thing."

"We would have done this like usual, but Germany has told us that the amount of agents they received recently is more than anticipated."

Director Kinuta sat back in his chair. While not being relaxed, he was not tense or stiff in the slightest.

Director Shinoda nodded at Director Kinuta's words and continued from there, looking at the information they had gotten.

"They are asking that we send more than just your squad this time. We found no real reason to decline, seeing as how we have everything set on our end. All that we need you to do is figure out who will be accompanying you on this trip."

"I would need some time to figure out who would be good to go. Even if it's just for some help, there might be some people over here who don't mix well with them."

"That is understandable. We will give you some time to think over the choices. Just make sure that they are all properly thought out."

Minoru nodded.

Even if he had made sure to keep up appearances on the outside, inside he found himself grimacing at the thought of what could happen.

The phone call from earlier began playing in his mind.

"Just to be sure, are there any squads in particular who don't have their paperwork done for this kind of thing? Or maybe don't have passports to use?"

"Don't worry about that," said Director Karasawa. He waved his hand in the air, but Minoru knew he was still taking this seriously. "All of that is getting taken care of. No matter who you choose, they will be able to go. At least legally."

While the information was reassuring, he had some doubts about the speed at which Director Karasawa answered him.

Still, everything was set in place for him to pick whoever he wanted to go.

And from the sounds of things, these choices need to count.

While thinking this another thought came to mind.

Just how far can I go with these choices exactly…?

.

With the situation out in the open, most of the directors began figuring out what to do. The time they needed to wait for Minoru to make his decision would come later.

So as they were preparing for the rest of the day, Minoru spoke up with pure curiosity in his voice.

"Excuse me," he said.

"Was there something you needed?" asked Shinoda.

The other directors looked toward Minoru as well.

"I was wondering… Besides the squads who will be going, could I ask that Lo-... Ahem. That Tsukiko Yuki join the trip as well?"

"I don't see why-..."

"For what reason?

Everyone stopped and turned toward the window. Where Kido was seated.

Minoru maintained eye contact as Kido sized him up, expression not giving anything away.

"Why do you want that boy to join you?"

No one missed the hidden suspicion in his voice. More than Minoru, it felt more directed at the white fox himself.

Minoru remained quiet, only seeing if anything would give way from Kido's expression.

Nothing came from it.

Noticing the tension in the room start to build, Shinoda moved to speak up.

Before he could, Netsuki moved to look directly at Minoru. Genuine curiosity played on his face.

"Why only him? If it had been the whole squad then we could have said that they are one of your choices. If not that, asking for their Operator would be more than enough."

"About that…"

Minoru reluctantly moved his sight away from Kido to directly speak to Netsuki.

From his spot, Kido continued to only stare at him.

"He has told me about the Trigger that he is working on with the Engineers. A specialized Trigger since he finally got promoted to A-Rank. Apparently there has been some issues with the production of it?"

"Hm. It isn't a secret or anything, but I didn't think that guy would go and tell others not involved." Kinuta crossed his arms but otherwise did not seem annoyed with the information. "You aren't wrong. We have been having some trouble with that particular Trigger."

"Is there any particular reason as to why that is?" asked Shinoda.

Kinuta gave a hum and closed his eyes.

"The description he gave us… It makes sense, and it should be possible, but there are some aspects to it that have the entire R&D Department stumped. It's been a bit of a challenge among the Engineers to see who can figure it out."

"Ha ha. Leave it to the white fox to bring up something that stumps our Engineers."

"It's not a laughing matter, Karasawa! Remember, this is something we need to get done! If not for Shinoda, we wouldn't have to deal with this! But we do, so now we're here!"

"I apologize for the trouble, but this was something that had to be done."

"Then you do something to help with this!"

"I can't…do much to help in this situation. The most I can do is say to take a careful look at his description."

"Pah! Like that will do much for us!"

"Uh, about that."

Minoru raised his hand, gaining the attention of the directors once more.

There was no pressure on him, but the stare of Kido still had him on edge.

"The director of the R&D Department in Germany should be able to get it done. If you can send the information on what has already been made, and send Yuki along for a proper explanation, I have no doubt that she will be able to get it done."

Kinuta huffed and Shinoda seemed oddly relieved to hear this.

"If it gets this done, I have no problem with it," said Kinuta.

.

Just what kind of problem did Loki put on the Engineers…?

It was true that he had told their group about the Trigger he had asked for, but he had not gone into great detail concerning it. If anything, he seemed rather pleased knowing that it would cause some problems.

It was at times like these that Minoru worried that it would be too easy for Yuki to forget his false persona because of his usual nature.

Well, he's been keeping it up rather well for a while now. It's probably best that I just don't bring it up…

With that decision made, he mentally moved the topic to the side and placed a new one in front of him.

The one that was directly in front of him.

Even with his unexpected reasoning coming out, Commander Kido did not look satisfied with the answer. If anything, he seemed less convinced than he was before.

"If Yuki isn't an option… Maybe I could just ask my former squad if they want to go? I'm sure they would enjoy their time in Germany."

The response was immediate.

Director Netsuki began to sputter. Director Kinuta froze completely. Director Shinoda chose to look away from everyone. Director Karasawa gave an unamused hum. And Commander Kido…

He looks like he just saw hell right in front of him…

To be fair, Minoru could completely understand the reactions.

Even as the one who said it, he knew just how bad of an idea that actually was.

That menace aside… Getting one of them to stay in one place is a tough task, and getting the other one to move at all… Getting them there would be the hard part, but once there I have no doubt they would behave. Well…unless that guy starts acting like…himself.

Just thinking about his former squad, him in particular, made an uncomfortable feeling start to rise.

But getting either them or Yuki to Germany would be a great help for them.

Minoru mentally shook his head and focused back on what was in front of him.

Currently that was Commander Kido looking like he finally gave up on something.

"Very well. You can take that boy with you." He focused back on Minoru, this time less tense than before. "You will have until this afternoon to make your decisions. Once that is done, you and the squads you choose will get ready. The departure time will be early morning the next day."

"We'll have everything ready by then," said Director Karasawa.

That was at least something he would not have to worry about.

Minoru bowed to them and started to make his way out.

So all I need to do right now is let the others know, and figure out who all is going.

It would take time, but knowing the time limit made it both more difficult and easier at the same time.

"One more thing."

Minoru stopped, but did not turn around.

Commander Kido continued to speak, even with his back turned to him.

"You are to report anything that seems suspicious about that…about 'Tsukiko Yuki.' In particular, any…items he may have on him, or be using at any given time. This is non-negotiable."

Even with his back turned, Minoru could hear a sudden, but quiet noise behind him. It was hard to tell who had made it, but it was clear that it had to do with Commander Kido's words.

Even so…

"I understand. I will make sure to keep an eye on him during the trip."

.

The first thing Minoru did upon leaving the meeting room was let out a sigh.

The entire thing had been rather short and to the point, but the worries that stemmed from it started to weigh on him.

And what was with that last demand…?

In truth, he had only accepted in words alone. There was no true intention of truly watching over Yuki as much as Commander Kido wanted.

"Wan!"

Minoru's head quickly shot up at hearing a bark.

Along with Taka running up to him he saw someone standing there.

"It looks like you had a hard time in there."

"That's one way to look at it."

Masataka moved off of the wall and held out his hand.

Minoru smiled and gladly accepted it.

"Let's go somewhere private first."

.

Warm…

Ninomiya didn't look down, but he made sure to enjoy the warmth from Minoru's hand. This was not anything new for them, but he always wanted to enjoy these kinds of moments together.

The warmth from Minoru's hand, the feeling of his palm against his, and the way they fit well together, all of it was something he refused to let go of for a second time.

As much as I hate to admit it, it really is because of that faker that we are able to do this again.

He flattened his own annoyance with the faker so that he would not worry Minoru.

Taka stopped, turned back to them, barked, then continued walking. That helped to calm him down a bit.

It was only for a moment, but he had thrown away his false identity just to face me properly. To get it through to me, how the situation was. Even if it was by my choice to give misinformation, he could have gotten the real facts whenever he wanted.

Instead, that faker had chosen to let him continue his lie and punish him based on that lie.

So what if their current lifestyle was due to that lie? In a way, that would mean he was doing the same thing as that faker.

.

"Is something bothering you?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Minoru only smiled when Masataka kissed him on the cheek.

Something was clearly on his mind, and Minoru knew exactly what it was, but it was still amusing to him to see Masataka try and not think about it.

"Thank you."

"There is nothing to thank me for."

"You know exactly why I am thanking you."

That was true.

Maybe because he wanted to get his point across, or because he just wanted to do it, Masataka kissed him again. This time on the lips.

We've been kissing each other a lot today. It's not even midday yet.

It was close, but it still counted as the morning.

Even so, this was not something he was against. So he followed up by kissing back. It was nothing intense, but Minoru could tell just how much Masataka wanted to forget about his own thoughts.

"Wan!"

Minoru chuckled when he saw Taka sitting in front of them, wagging his tail. Next to him, Masataka's lips curled up a bit, but said nothing.

"Sorry, sorry. I know you're waiting for us."

"Wan! Wan!"

"Hm. He is more patient and obedient than most of the people around us."

"I think I'll leave that comment alone."

Masataka gave a hum, but he knew he was grateful for that.

It was clear that Masataka was unaware of his outward expressions most of the time when thinking about certain topics. Minoru had been able to figure it out by those expressions and the way he had held his hand just a bit tighter than normal.

He was sure that if he were to ask his cousin about Yuki then the results would be similar.

That was just how those two were when it came to each other.

And so the best thing to do is divert their attention away from each other.

It was easy to do when they were not directly in front of each other.

But what would he end up doing about his own thoughts?

.

Minoru's expression lowered just enough for Ninomiya to notice it right away. The general atmosphere around him had changed as they reached his squad's room.

Instead of asking him about it, he only pulled Minoru into the room and waited.

The wait was short as Minoru moved forward to wrap his arms around him and rested his head on his shoulder. Too busy with caring for Minoru, he hadn't noticed there was no one else in the room. He only wrapped his arms around Minoru.

The two of them could hear the small sounds of Taka's paws, but they knew he would just be moving to the side.

They only held each other and allowed the seconds to go by.

Once the sound of Taka moving had stopped they were able to hear a new set of sounds. This time coming from the hallway outside of the door.

Minoru was the first to move away, but Ninomiya managed to get a kiss on his cheek before he could.

"I'm starting to feel spoiled with all the kisses you're initiating," said Minoru with a smile.

Ninomiya only shrugged and started to move towards the other room.

As he did so he could hear the door opening and a voice reaching them.

"We're here! Oh, Mino's here too. Oh ho~? We were interrupting something here~?" Inukai said with a teasing smile on his face.

"Not at all. Unlike with you about Hogo, we know when to be careful."

"Eh~? But Shiro-chan loves it when I kiss him all over in public!"

"He has actually said it is embarrassing," said Tsuji, walking in with Hiyami behind him.

From the time he had seen them earlier in the day to now the last two Ninomiya Squad members had joined him. Even now, he was in his squad uniform.

Inukai waved off Tsuji's comment and looked around to see Taka waiting for them all to come in.

Once within reach, Taka made a jump into Inukai's open arms.

"Aw~ Yes, yes, I know, Taka-chan. Ninomiya-san is just being mean because Shiro-chan is a bit more adorable than you!"

"Wan!"

As if in retaliation to his words, Taka placed his paw on Inukai's face.

Minoru and Hiyami lightly laughed at this as they greeted each other.

To appease Taka as best he could, Inukai lowered him to hold him properly while patting his head.

"Maybe I should see if Shiro-chan would want to get a pet. It might do him some good."

Inukai's expression fell a bit and his smile became bitter.

Taka noticed this and licked his arm.

"Haha. Thanks, Taka-chan."

"What kind of pet would Hogo-kun even like?" asked Hiyami.

"Most likely a dog as well," said Tsuji. "That way he would be able to leave it up to Inukai-senpai to watch over or so that Taka would have someone to play with."

"That sounds right," they all said in unison.

Inukai nodded and set Taka down.

"Shiro-chan is just that kind~"

"Don't you start," came the next collective response.

.

Inukai held up his hands in defense.

It was great to find any chance he could to talk about Oshiro, but he knew that there were times when he went on longer than others liked. At those times he would hold himself back and let it all out when he knew he could be spoiled.

I should go see Shiro-chan later today~

But that would need to be for later.

"So what did the directors want to see you about?"

Inukai looked over and saw Ninomiya walk towards Minoru, two cups in hand. He gave one to Minoru and started with his own.

The reminder that Minoru had been called by the directors came with Ninomiya's words. They had met up earlier, but he had not heard about the reason for the sudden phone call or the call by the directors.

"They had told me that Germany was requesting for more squad to go than just my squad. Apparently they have more work than usual with the new agents." Minoru explained.

"Do they really not have enough people over there? From what you guys have said, they sound like they can normally manage." Hiyami tilted her head a bit, confusion clearly on her face.

"It just shows how many new things are happening over there." Minoru took a drink and moved over to sit down across from Tsuji. "They said I need to give them a list of recommended squads to go within the day, and that we would be leaving early in the morning."

Inukai could see the "So…" waiting to come from him.

All Minoru did was smile and look around.

"Do you all want to go?"

"Of course!"

Inukai waited no time in answering.

I can finally see what it's like over there, instead of just hearing about it from Mino and Nikko-chan.

When he looked at his teammates he could see Tsuji and Hiyami thinking it over before nodding. There was no doubt that they were thinking something similar to him.

Once he knew they were fine with it he looked over at Ninomiya.

I'm sure he-...

His thoughts were interrupted upon seeing the expression he wore.

Unlike Inukai's excited one or Tsuji and Hiyami's calm ones, Ninomiya looked at Minoru with uncertainty. If he hadn't known these two already he would have assumed that uncertainty was directed towards Minoru himself.

He did know them, though.

The uncertainty he saw from Ninomiya was likely from something Minoru had said.

Or maybe it's from something he didn't say…

As someone who didn't know much about the current situation he couldn't question much. All he could do was leave it up to them to decide if they wanted to say anything.

"That's right, Haru-chan. I won't be asking Hogo Squad if they want to go. While almost all of them are fine…there's also Misó."

To keep up with the conversation and make sure he didn't seem odd, Inukai crossed his arms and pouted.

"Boo. …Hah. But I understand. While I would love to have Shiro-chan go, I wouldn't want to be in an enclosed space with Misó."

"Thanks for understanding, Haru-chan."

Inukai nodded.

It made sense to him, so he found nothing to complain about.

So all that's left would be…

Everyone turned to look at Ninomiya.

He had been the one to ask the initial question, but he was the one who had yet to answer.

"Don't give me that look. Of course I'm fine with going."

Yeah, none of us really doubted you would be.

Even when the others turned away from him, Inukai kept his eyes on Ninomiya. The expression he had on before was still worrying.

The next expression was no better, as if he was telling Minoru something without speaking.

.

It was clear that he knew there was more to his words.

Minoru had no doubt that Masataka had found that there was more to the situation than what he was letting on.

Leave it to him to see through me.

Checking the time on his phone, Minoru nodded and began to stand.

He moved over and kissed Masataka on the cheek. Sumiharu could be heard making a noise behind them, but Taka put him in his place.

Minoru smiled and whispered in a voice only Masataka could hear.

"I'll tell you all the details later. Just come to my squadroom."

Not wanting the others' attention, he only nodded.

Minoru moved back and started for the door. Seeing him moving, Taka started to follow him.

"Well, I'll add your squad onto the list. Just get things ready to leave tomorrow. The directors said they would take care of any official business we need to deal with."

---

The first thing Arafune saw upon walking into the room was exactly what he had expected.

"Welcome back. Don't expect me to stay long. We don't have defense duty today, right? I plan on hanging with some others."

Hanzaki was playing a game to the side.

Nearby, Hokari was lifting some weights and Kagami seemed to be making a slime creature out of clay. From what he had heard, this would be a collaboration project with the all-female Tsukiko Squad's Operator.

"Sasamori and Girikage?"

"Hm? Why would I hang out with Daigo? Nothing fun ever happens when he's around."

Then why is he always one of the first people we find you with?

Was he being a tsundere or was he just being difficult? In truth, it could be either one.

Arafune moved over to sit next to Hanzaki and pulled out his phone. As he did so it vibrated in his hand.

Deer Prince: "Hey, do I have everyone here?"

TetsuG: "Hokari and Kagami are busy right now. Hanzaki's just playing a game. I guess I'm acting as a mediator for them all."

"I can see the messages, you know?"

"Then answer him."

"Too busy with this boss. Repeated skill seal and no health recovery makes it really annoying."

Arafune brought his fist down on Hanzaki's head, but he didn't seem bothered by it.

Hokari looked over at them, but said nothing.

"Minoru's messaging. I'm letting him know that you two are busy."

"Thank you!" called out Kagami.

Arafune nodded, even knowing that she would not see him.

TetsuG: "So what's up? You don't normally need all of us."

Deer Prince: "To keep things short… Do you guys want to join some of us on a trip to Germany?"

Arafune stopped. Next to him he could hear the sound of a failed boss battle.

From the corner of his eye he could see Hanzaki look up at him before switching the position of his phone.

Yoshi: "Like a vacation?"

Deer Prince: "You would still need to be doing something."

Hanzkai clicked his tongue. He received another hit to the head.

TetsuG: "Can we get some details? Even just a bit would be fine."

Deer Prince: "The base over there needs help. That's why we're going."

"So that's how it is…"

Arafune put a hand to his head and thought about it for a moment.

He scrolled through his phone for a moment. Notes were written down and times were placed in certain places.

He looked up to see Hokari standing over the two of them, phone in hand and seeming to think the same thing.

"Switching with Tōma, we can."

"He's been especially lazy recently, hasn't he? Maybe Suzaku would be better."

Hokari shook his head and showed him his phone.

On the screen were messages between Hokari and Suzaku, explaining how the latter would be busy helping with his family's business while also working more on Border's transmission.

From the looks of things, he might even ask Minoru to ask for help over in Germany from the things he told us about.

That guy was also someone who liked to be relaxed. The only difference between him and others was the amount of work that was given to him and the amount of work he made for himself.

"What to do…"

"Are you two talking about Ariake-kun?" asked Kagami. She had yet to turn around.

Arafune wondered what the end product of the collaboration would look like, but he was also too scared to ask.

"We are. Assuming we would be going soon, we wouldn't be able to help him out."

"Couldn't this also be a vacation for him? This way he doesn't have to deal with-... He can get a bit of a break."

Hanzaki's correction was not quick enough, but he chose to let it slide this time.

"I guess that's fine every now and then."

Besides…

"I've been curious about the sniping techniques they have over there. If we learn new things, that means we can hammer it in for that guy too."

"Give the poor guy a break…"

Both Arafune and Hokari tilted their heads. As far as they knew, they had been going pretty easy on their student since the very start.

Deer Prince: "I would give you some help there, but I haven't since their Snipers are a bit different from us."

That piqued Arafune's curiosity more as Minoru never told him anything from them except for two individuals.

Pokari: "I'm fine with going. This sounds like it could be fun."

Yoshi: "I need to ask my parents first, but I'm down to go."

"Count me in," said Kagami from the desk.

TetsuG: "Looks like it's all good for us."

Deer Prince: "Got it. Then I'll make sure-..."

Arafune raised a brow at the sudden silence.

Minoru's next words came in.

And they terrified him.

Deer Prince: "Taka-chan is excited to know that you guys are going."

---

That's another one added to the list…

Minoru nodded as he filled out the digital form that had been sent to him.

"I think…one more squad would be good. Right. And I still need to ask Loki if he even wants to go."

There were still things to think about, but things had gone smoothly enough when asking Ninomiya Squad and Arafune Squad if they wanted to join.

Thinking about it some more, he stopped, looked down at his phone, and hummed.

"I wonder if this will really be fine…"

There was a trio of people he was worried about when it came to Yuki

Then again, Toby is in America right now, so it would just be the other two.

Mei would also be helpful in keeping them in line.

"Here goes nothing…"

.

Deer Prince: "Do you want to go to Germany with my squad and some others?"

White Fox: "Considering you didn't mention who else and who your partner is…"

Deer Prince: "Yes, they are going."

White Fox: "Urg… Well, if there are going to be more people then I can probably ignore him. So who else is going?"

Deer Prince: "At the moment it's my squad, Ninomiya Squad, and Arafune Squad."

White Fox: "Tetsuji's, huh? Yeah, that's fine with me. Mei might have something to say about it, but I'll talk to her. Especially since it involves you."

Deer Prince: "Ah… Of course you would notice."

White Fox: "You aren't dumb enough to invite me while also having the airhead go. So what's this about?"

Deer Prince: "I mainly used that as an excuse, but one of the reasons is because of the situation concerning the Trigger you had been talking about."

White Fox: "That makes sense. I have been meaning to look more into that, so this is helpful."

Deer Prince: "The second reason… I am going to have to let you know along with Taka and my squad later. So can you stop by?"

White Fox: "Sure thing. I'm feeling fine enough to move around."

.

That's good to know.

Minoru sighed in the hallway and closed his phone.

The biggest concern he had when thinking of speaking to Yuki was how his health would tend to take a nosedive at seemingly random times. Even when they thought he would be fine, a single cough would set him off.

It was because of this that he wondered if he should have spoken to Mei first.

But this is a matter concerning Yuki, so it would have been kind of awkward.

If he chose to tell Mei about it afterwards then that would be a different matter. That would be something Yuki decided on and would be his responsibility.

When he thought about it some more it felt like that line of thinking was the best way to handle this new version of him.

---

White Fox: "So that's how it is."

Wisteria: "I see. In that case, I need to make sure to tell Minoru to watch over you."

White Fox: "Um, Mei, isn't that something you should be telling me to do?"

Wisteria: "Keeping you out of trouble is much more difficult than keeping Minoru out of it. Of course I would be worried about you since you like to pointlessly get involved with things."

White Fox: "I don't do it that much! Besides, 'Tsukiko Yuki' can't afford to go too crazy. He isn't that type of person."

Wisteria: "And what kind of person are you?"

White Fox: "..."

Wisteria: "Good. You understand."

White Fox: "Yes, yes, I understand. Hah… So is there anything particular you want to say?"

Wisteria: "Only that you should speak to your teacher about this as well. Thinking through everything, it will be good to have some insurance with you."

White Fox: "You saying that gives me a bad feeling…"

Wisteria: "Just ask for some help. I am sure he will lend you some."

---

Now for the other problem to deal with, thought Minoru lightly.

There were many things he needed to consider when it came to the current situation. One of those things was the newest member to his squad.

If it had been a normal situation then things could be solved easily. Knowing that there was more than just the surface situation made him have to think about what to do.

After all, their newest squad member was not a normal agent.

Deer Prince: "Makkun, just to be sure, your agency wouldn't allow you to go on a trip on short notice, would they?"

Maki Roll: "That's right. They wouldn't."

"Hah. That's what I expected…"

The answer itself was easy to figure out. The way their newest member had responded was what had Minoru sighing to himself.

Another issue he was facing due to this situation was the way their newest member would act with them. It had not just been him who got these kinds of rough responses, but it was more of a problem when he would be his new captain.

"I guess it's just something to work on later."

Deer Prince: "Could you come to the squad room later? There's something I need to say."

Maki Roll: "Understood."

Minoru gave another sigh that only he heard.

.

Besides the attitude situation, there are still things to think about since Makkun can't go.

One of those things would be who would watch over him and help him train while they were away.

It was not possible to train with him while they were in Germany, and speaking to him would likely be kept short while there. That left Minoru to decide on what he could do for their newest member.

I could follow through on what Taka and I had been talking about before. But it would be rude to ask that of Izumi-kun or Rei-chan on such short notice. And from what Loki's been saying, Rei-chan is still not in a position to get up too many times.

There are some other options, but most of them are either busy most of the time or just around people I don't feel like dealing with.

The image of a certain gambler appeared in his mind.

"Urg…"

Minoru rubbed his forehead in hopes of getting that grinning face out of his mind.

"That's right, this isn't the only thing I need to think about here." He slapped his cheeks twice and opened a list of different squads. "I need at least one more squad…"

Taka barked near his feet, so he smiled down at him. He looked back at his phone and moved to the side. This way he would be out of the way if someone was coming and he would not run into anything.

Taka moved next to him and sat down, looking from right to left.

As he looked through the list of squads one of them caught his eye.

"He has been wanting to see them again… But can I really trust his squadmate to meet everyone?"

Looking at the ceiling, Minoru let everything play out in his mind and he shuddered at what he saw.

He shook his head and continued to scroll down the list.

Each time he caught sight of a squad he thought would be fine there would be a clear reason he could not ask them to go.

From one thing to another… Maybe I should ask for some ideas. There's also the people already going to consider.

Taka gave another bark. He continued to do so as Minrou put his head back.

Each rejected idea only added to his nerves on the matter.

Taking a deep breath he finally registered Taka's bark. The sound of his paws hitting the floor also reached his ears.

"What is it, Taka-chan…?"

Minoru looked over and where Taka was running.

"Oh."

"Ah…"

It was his sister's students.

"Minoru-nii!"

.

Minoru readily opened his arms out as Svantje skipped towards him. Once she got close enough, her skip turned into a leap that sent her his way.

He laughed as he caught her, making sure he had a good grip on her before settling in their position.

"Hello, Minoru."

"Hey there, Yuzuru-kun, Teru-kun."

Yuzuru had greeted him properly but the other boy there only took half a step back before giving a polite nod.

Minoru's smile lowered slightly. This was a reoccuring reaction that he would always get from the boy.

Seeing that this was happening again, Yuzuru elbowed the other boy in the side. From what he had heard, and what he had seen before from a distance, the other boy would start messing with Yuzuru.

But that didn't happen here.

He only gave a tired smile and kept his head low.

What to do…?

Yuzuru sighed and Svantje had not said anything, most likely knowing the full situation already.

All he could think to do was divert the situation away from the sudden awkwardness.

"What were you three doing just now?"

Even if the other boy was acting like this again, he was always happy to see his sister's students acting so close with each other.

"We had decided to get some early morning practice in! Teru had said he wanted to get a break from his mentors!"

"We ended up starting a bit later since Svantje started clinging to this guy."

"Full koala?" asked Minoru.

"Full koala," confirmed Yuzuru.

The two of them nodded and looked up at Svantje, who had settled comfortably in Minoru's arms.

She grinned at all of them. Minoru playfully rolled his eyes at her antics.

When he looked back down he saw the other boy looking in his direction. More specifically, he was looking at Svantje with a smile on his face. It was a smile he knew well.

Even if he's awkward with me, at least he leaves it at that. He's been a good guy, so there's no problem leaving Nikko-chan and Yuzuru-kun with him.

That was just how things were.

"Hm… Kageura Squad and Meishō Squad…"

He had realized his mistake once the words came out of his mouth.

Yuzuru only raised a brow and Svantje looked at him with an amused expression. As for the other boy…

"...! …I need to get to my squad. …For defense duty."

He tried for a quick escape.

Maybe out of pity, or possibly just wanting to help him, Yuzuru nodded to Minoru and started to turn away.

"I also need to be going."

"Then you two need to be on your way."

Before leaving, the other boy stopped and lowered his eyes to look at the floor.

"Mi-... Have a nice day…Hatohara-san…"

The soft, almost unhearable tone the other boy gave was still not something Minoru was used to. If anything, it made him feel as if he was at fault for the situation.

As the two boys walked away he could feel Svantje shift in his arms.

"Don't mind Teru, Minoru-nii. You didn't do anything, and neither did he."

Unlike the other boy's tone, Svantje spoke readily and with certainty. At the same time, she spoke with a knowing expression while looking at the two boys.

I wonder if Yuki or Mei would know about this…

But that was neither here nor there at the moment. His previous thought that had spooked the other boy was still on his mind.

As much as it would be easier to just choose them, neither one of those squads are a good option. Besides Teru-kun still being awkward with me and Kageura-san and I not really being close, there's the problem of who is on both those squads.

Kageura would no doubt be joining Yuki in fighting Masataka. Besides them, he hardly knew most of Meishō Squad and the other boy would still want a break from his mentors.

"So what do you need to tell us?"

"When we get to the squad room."

"Okay~"

Leave it to her to figure out the general idea of what was going on at the moment.

---

"You still can't look at him…"

Ema shook his head while he waited for Mitsuteru to settle down. Unlike most times, it was taking more than one breath to settle down.

For his part, Mitsuteru had his eyes closed and continued to breathe slowly.

"Sorry, Yuzuru… I know you and Sva-chan had to cover for me. I'll make it up to you two later."

"There's no reason to do that," said Ema under his breath.

Mitsuteru smiled down at him, but Ema could see the pain and worry still lingering in him.

"One of these days you have to speak to him properly."

"I know…but I can't do that on a whim. Seeing Hatohara-san without any warning got me to start holding my breath."

"You're lucky that we're in trion bodies. But I'll be ready to hit you to let that air out if it's in your real body."

As if to confirm his words, Ema gave a light punch to Mitsuteru's side.

"Ha ha. Thanks for that, Yuzuru."

---

Svantje gave a hum, arms crossed and legs wrapped around Minoru's body.

He had just gotten done telling her about his morning and his worries concerning their newest member.

"You could have him train with Tamakoma," she suggested.

Minoru looked up at her with a raised brow.

Before he could ask for her reasoning, she started to speak.

"I had dragged him along to Tamakoma when you weren't able to train him. He hit it off pretty well with them, so there won't be any problems with that. There's also the fact that Osamu is also working to be a Shooter now."

"If that's the case, I have no problems with it. Although, I still want to ask Makkun if he's fine with it. We also need to ask Tamakoma if that's fine in the first place."

"Here, I'll do it! Your hands are pretty full."

"Nonsense. You're as light as a feather.

Svantje could only laugh.

.

Sniper Detective: "Yui! Would it be fine if Maki were to train with Tamakoma for a few days?"

2.7 Maime: "I already asked the boss and others. They said that it's fine."

Sniper Detective: "Seeing the future sure does have its perks."

2.7 Maime: "This is coming from a girl who can change the future pretty easily."

Sniper Detective: "I have noooooo idea what you mean. But I can let Mei know that you said that."

2.7 Maime: "No need for that!"

.

"Hey now, don't mess with Mr. Elite too much."

"If anything, I am helping here."

Minoru raised a brow, but Svantje said nothing more on the matter.

2.7 Maime: "Oh yeah, can you let Minoru know that he doesn't need to worry about the last squad going to Germany?"

As if on cue, a new message came through.

With Svantje holding Minoru's phone it was on her to read it for him.

As for what it said…

"Ah~ Seeing the future really does have its perks."

Kōgetsu: "Looking forward to meeting all the new fighters in Germany!"

Minoru could only stare down at his phone and make a complete stop.

Once he fully registered those words he could only sigh.

In his arms, Svantje giggled into her hand.

"Tell him thanks for making the choice so much easier."

"Sure thing!"

.

Now all that needs to be done is explain what's really going to be happening, thought Minoru.

They had reached the Hatohara Squad room when a noise caught their attention. It was the familiar sound of yelling.

Even with the door in the way, they could hear each word clearly.

"This is making me not want to go in there."

"But then that would leave Lukas and Maki alone with them."

"Lukas can handle them."

"Ignoring them doesn't count as 'handing them'~"

If it did then so many people would be able to handle them. Ninomiya Squad and Tsukiko Squad would also be getting less complaints from the directors and Minoru would be getting less calls from other agents.

Since this was something that he knew how to deal with all too well, it was up to him to end it before their squad room got destroyed.

"I guess we need to stop them," said Minoru while putting Svantje down.

She smiled at him, but he knew that she was leaving it all up to him.

Let's get this over with…

He moved to open the door.

When he did…

"Is that all there is to it? Ha! The airhead in Suzu-chan's doujinshis has more to him than this pathetic one! I mean, in all honesty, I never expected much from a loser who can't even tell that he is cosplaying! If anything, I find it both hilarious and saddening! Yeah, hilarious that this airhead thinks he's cool! Saddening that the rest of your squad have to deal with the consequences!"

"I'm surprised that an idiotic faker like you can use those kinds of words. Do you even know the meaning of most of them? Or did you just copy them from someone else's mouth? Who am I kidding? For this faker to have anything original…that's comedy at its finest. Then again, the fact you remained this small for so long is probably the more comedic thing here. Next time you pick a fight with me, make sure you are at least this tall. I don't feel like looking down the whole time."

"Why you…!"

The sight was worse than he had expected.

There was no time to even react as he caught the eye of his squad's Operator, who was looking ready to throw something. The expression on his face told him to hurry up and do something about the situation.

Svantje moved from his side to go into the room.

"Have fun," she said while walking by.

Minoru gave a sigh before clearing his throat. Loud enough that it could be heard throughout the entire room.

The first to react was Masataka. He looked over, completely ignoring the glare Yuki was giving him.

Not being one to just leave it at that, Yuki took a shot at Masataka by jabbing his hand into his side.

These two…

Yuki knew that Masataka would refrain from doing something to look like the better person here.

The petty jab from Yuki still looked like it hurt.

"Sorry I'm late…"

From the corner of his eye, he could see their newest member sitting and staring in their direction. Confusion, worry, and wariness could be seen on his face and with his position.

Of all things for him to see…

This would be the first thing he would need to go over. And it was a bit embarrassing to have to do so again for someone.

Masataka had noticed what was happening and dusted himself off before moving to Minoru's side.

Minoru wanted to roll his eyes, but this was not the time for that.

"Haru-chan and I talked about him before, but let me introduce him to you properly. Taka, this is the newest member of Hatohara squad, Takahashi Maki. Makkun, this is my boyfriend Ninomiya Masataka, captain of Ninomiya squad."

"I'm sorry you had to see that display. Some fakers don't know their place."

"And some airheads can't figure out how to be mature," said Yuki from the side.

Neither one of you can really talk, so please stop! he thought.

Minoru tried to ease the situation with a smile, but Maki only stared at them.

"As much as I would love to say that you won't have to see that again…I can't."

"The two of them go at it all of the time. The only thing you can do is get used to it and have either Minoru-nii or Mei on speed dial."

"I see…"

It was worrying that that was his only reaction.

Minoru tried to find an out to the awkwardness, but no one around him was of any help. Both Yuki and Masataka looked ready for another round, Lukas appeared to be easing a headache, and Svantje was keeping her distance for the time being.

Finding no other way to get it out of the way, Minoru cleared his throat again.

"Ah… Sorry. Ahem. I just didn't think you were…like that."

"...Eh?"

It was Minrou's turn to stare.

"No offense, of course. I was just caught off guard there."

After the initial surprise, Minoru found himself chuckling when he realized what Maki meant.

From next to him, Masataka rolled his eyes and spoke up.

"We get that often. No need to worry about it."

There was a scoff behind them, but otherwise Yuki stayed quiet.

Minoru felt the atmosphere start to ease up. That was when he took note that the moment Maki had been staring at them he had been more relaxed than usual.

That was the first time Maki had eased up in front of them.

Although, I don't know how to feel about it that he was surprised by me and Taka being in a relationship.

For now he would accept it and move from there.

"With all of that said and done… What's going on, Minoru-nii?"

Minoru turned back around to see that Lukas had also settled down. At some point Svantje had moved to be near him.

Lukas's words registered in his mind and he gave an "o" expression.

"Right," he said. "Hatohara Squad will be going to Germany."

Lukas and Svantje reacted as he expected.

"That should be nice."

.

Ninomiya gauged the room's reactions.

Having already been told that much, it was no surprise to him. From the way the faker remained with his mask up meant that he had also been asked to go.

Or it could be because of two of Minoru's former squadmates again…

That was unlikely since neither he nor Minoru had gotten any complaints from the two of them about going to Germany yet.

Figuring it to be the former, he accepted it and decided that he would make Minoru pay him back later in the evening.

That is going to be nice.

"Again, I won't be able to go."

Ninomiya opened his eyes as he felt a sudden wind rush by his head.

The noise of something hitting the wall was drowned out by Takahashi's words. None of them noticed what had happened, but he knew something had come close to hitting him.

Facing the direction it had come from, he saw the faker holding up a finger.

One…

The reminder of what had happened earlier in the day made him want to take action. The only thing stopping him was how the faker had done something others had not noticed.

It would just make me look like the one wanting to pick a fight.

Which he did. It was just a problem of not wanting to look bad here because of the faker.

Focusing back on the conversation, and making sure to remember to get back at the faker, Ninomiya took note of Takahashi's expression and stance as he spoke.

It was clear from just those two things that he was not happy about being unable to go.

Because he wants to go with his squad or just take a trip?

Either way, he would be unable to go and did not like that.

"My agency won't let me leave on such short notice."

"That's to be expected," said Minoru with a sigh. "In that case, would you be fine training with Tamakoma while we are away?"

"...Huh?"

Ninomiya raised a brow at the surprise from him.

So Minoru figured out what to do, huh? But is it really that surprising to have been asked such a simple question? Ninomiya thought before his gaze got caught towards the faker. …Don't shake your head at me, you idiotic faker! And what's with that look!?

It was getting more and more difficult to ignore the faker as time went on.

Being in the same room as him was bad for his heart.

Ignoring him…!

There was still the matter of Takahashi's confusion.

Even from what he heard about the boy, this should not have been an issue. He shrugged his shoulders as if to confirm this was fine, so the question itself was not a problem.

White Fox: "Do you need me to explain, stupid airhead~?"

Ninomiya felt himself twitch.

Nino: "Why would I need an idiotic faker to tell me what's going on?"

White Fox: "Fine. Just keep standing there with that stupid look on your face. It makes it more entertaining for me."

"Oh yeah, I should ask Suzume-nee-chan for some songs before we go." Svantje suddenly said with a smile.

"She has been pretty busy with the latest volume for the next bundle set." Lukas sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Then I can ask Mei to deliver the message to her."

As she said that she looked directly at him and the faker.

.

Maki furrowed his brows at the side conversation Svantje and Lukas were having. It felt out of place to him.

What had him more confused was the way Tsukiko and Ninomiya seemed to go completely still at their words.

He looked at Minoru to see if he knew what was going on, but he only gave a smile and waved his hand. It was more nonchalant than he expected, but that just meant how used to this he was.

"Anyway, there was something else I needed to say. That's why I had Loki and Taka come here."

"Might as well take the chance of silence."

"That's what I was thinking."

The way Minoru and Lukas nodded was a bit worrying, but Maki held back from saying anything.

This time it was Svantje who waved at him with a smile.

How many things will I need to get used to here…?

The list seemed to only get longer and longer.

"Ahem. Right. Well, about what I need to say. It's something that only you all can know. It's also the real reason why we are going to Germany."

"The 'real reason'...?"

Minoru nodded and his demeanor changed to fit the situation.

.

"It's true that they asked for more agents this time. The directors had said as much. It's just that the reason isn't because they just need help with new recruits."

Lukas and Svantje shifted in their spots, but did not interrupt.

Minoru looked at them before focusing on the other three in the room.

"Before that. I need to get something out in the open. I don't doubt either one of you, but can you make sure to keep this between us?"

Ninomiya nodded and threw a suspicious glance towards Yuki.

In response, he closed his eyes and gave a deep nod. A sign that he would honestly agree and not go back on it.

Following their lead, Maki slowly nodded.

"Good. So with that being said…" Minoru straightened up. "There are Neighbor refugees who had once been slaves living and hiding in Germany. There are all kinds of situations stemming from that, but for the most part have been left alone. Some of those situations have finally come up. There is potential for an invasion from the Neighbor country because of these refugees. It's because of that that they have asked for more agents to be sent over. Only a handful of non-Neighbor agents know of this, so make sure to be careful when bringing things up."

There was no real worry when it came to Yuki or Ninomiya. The former being a master at wordplay and the latter managing his own secret.

Even while not having either of these going for him, Maki had been trusted with this knowledge as well.

"Due to my situation and learning from Sensei, I have no real problem with this," said Yuki. His nonchalant attitude worked well to hide his true intentions. "But I do have a question. If that's fine."

"Go ahead. I'll answer as best as I can."

Yuki nodded in gratitude.

"Is knowing this sort of thing the reason why Hatohara Squad is always the one to go to Germany?"

"It's one of the reasons, yeah. But it's also because of the people we know. Aside from the fact that Lukas used to be part of their Border and Nikko-chan having her connections, someone of high ranking over there used to be the Operator for the squad I was on. We still keep in touch, and we're fond of her and her family."

"'We'? Well, that isn't what I'm asking right now, so I can leave that be."

Minoru shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, but Yuki waved him off

"In any case, this doesn't change my stance on anything. I'm also going for a selfish reason, so I can't complain. Rather, I should be giving you my thanks for letting me go."

.

With a final middle finger towards Ninomiya, Tsukiko left the room. In a way, he was amazed by how his attitude could seem to change on a dime just because of one person.

The same went for the sighing Ninomiya.

"A trip with that faker…"

"Sorry, Taka. But there is good reason to have him go."

"I know. Even if he is a pathetic, no-good, indecisive faker…he isn't useless."

That had been the closest thing to a compliment he would probably be hearing from Ninomiya on Tsukiko.

When looking over everyone again it was odd. Their reactions had all been rather mild, even considering what they likely already knew. To be told all of this information should have gotten a bigger reaction from at least Tsukiko and Ninomiya.

But more than them, he found himself more surprised by something else than the information itself.

And that was his new captain.

"Hey…why did you let me know about what's going on?"

The words had left his mouth before he could think about them.

The rest of Hatohara Squad and Ninomiya stopped what they were doing to face him.

Looking at his face, Minoru only held his smile but didn't move forward.

"I mean…I'm not even going with you guys. There's no reason to fill me in on the situation, is there?"

"There isn't," confirmed Minoru.

"Then…"

"...Is what I should say."

Once again, Maki was caught off guard.

"You're a part of our squad now. That's all the reason I need to let you know about what is going on. Other than that, I trust you to not tell others about this."

"You…trust me?"

Minoru and Svantje nodded. Lukas kept a neutral expression, but there was no objection from him.

Again…

It happened again.

How can he say that so easily…? Even when I made sure to keep my guard up around them.

For Minoru to say he trusted him without any backing for it made no sense. There should have been a catch to that trust, a want from him. Status, information, connections, those were the things that normally came with "trust".

Except that had never been asked from him. Neither by Minoru or the rest of Hatohara Squad.

It made no sense, but…

Are they really just those kinds of people?

Would he be fine leaving his trust with them?

Maki felt a heat start to form in his chest. It had been too long since the feeling had appeared, but it was still something he remembered.

Maybe I can…see what happens.

.

"You seem happier than usual." Lukas looked at his cousin with a raised brow.

Svantje only hummed as she observed Maki from across the room.

They had been told what would be happening and she was excited to see her parents again, but she was more focused on what she was seeing.

The realization that was finally coming to Maki.

Only need to give him some time.

She giggled and pulled out her phone. After giving her friends in Tamakoma an advance notice, she stood up and stretched.

"The two of you should go get ready. I still need to let Kido-san know about everyone who is going and get more details about the trip."

"Will do!"

"Just know…we are leaving early. So, huh, try not to…"

"Not a chance," she and Lukas said in unison.

Minoru only sighed, but gave them a knowing smile.

They all knew how the two of them were when it came to being up early after just waking up. It was just a matter of who would be dealing with them most of the time.

"Well then, I'll be going."

"I'll go with you," said Masataka. She found it amusing how he was going to follow Minoru while Taka had decided to get some sleep.

Before either of them could leave, Maki walked by them. His head was lowered and his voice was soft, but they were able to hear him well enough.

"Good luck on your trip. And…have fun…"

"We'll make sure to bring back souvenirs."

He only nodded shyly and moved to the door, not looking at anyone else.

It was nice to see him start showing them more. The time they had spent reaching this point had been worth it if he kept lowering his guard.

Minoru only chuckled while leaving the room, Masataka right behind him.

A small huff reached her ears, making her look down at her cousin.

She knew where this was going.

"I should get some things ready to hold off the hundreds of fights those two will be having during the trip."

She chose to remain silent, instead patting his back. They both knew the trouble that would be coming from this trip.

---

"Hah… I'm so glad that everything has been settled now. We pretty much have the rest of the day free because of this. We just need to wait for the details."

"Be careful there. Sighing like that might end up calling Hikigane over."

"That's fine. It isn't like he is the worst person to have around."

"I would rather not catch that sighing illness he has."

The laugh that came from Minoru made Ninomiya smile. It was carefree enough to not have anything attached to it.

Not bothering to look around, Ninomya reached out his hand to grab Minoru's.

"It's still rather early in the day. Easy enough for lunch, at least."

"Let's get something to eat from the cafeteria then. Say hi to whoever is around and all that."

"And what if I wanted it to just be the two of us?"

"Then that can come later in the day. That way we don't have to worry about anyone interrupting."

Minoru moved over to kiss him on the cheek.

The morning had finally finished and the two of them were mostly free for the day. Without Taka around, it left them to do as they pleased with each other as company.

Even as they made their way to get their food, they ignored everything else going on around them. Especially the whispers of any new members who saw them holding hands.

The Border members who had been around for some time had taken the initiative to shut those new members up while leaving them alone.

It was a miracle that they had not gotten dragged into some random chaos that seemed to pass through Border at times.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing these three again. We have been getting pictures of the little one from her birthday recently, so seeing her in person again will be a nice treat."

"Hm. Knowing how the others are, I'm sure you will be getting a lot of flak for not choosing them to go."

"Well, one of them won't mind, and the other should be fine as long as we make sure to send him a video of the little one. As for the other one…"

Minoru made it a point to look away, as if the person he was thinking of would suddenly be summoned from thin air because of his words.

It was a fair assumption when they considered who all was a part of Border. To have that sort of sudden chaos just randomly appear was not out of the ordinary.

Noticing that there was no one walking towards them, Minoru settled back down with a sigh.

Ninomiya gave a huff and did a second check around them. Too many times they had let their guard down just to be caught at the worst times.

"It's always the worst people to have around too…"

"That's true. Sometimes I wonder if we were bugged without knowing."

"If we were then I am more than ready to do something about it. The fact that we managed to minimize Misaki writing about us is already something to be proud of."

"She isn't that bad. Not when compared to some others. A story or two here or there is nothing compared to what we normally have to deal with when it comes to the two worst people in Border."

That did not mean there weren't problems with that either. It was just that the crazy girl was less of a threat than the two people who seemingly had all the information at the ready.

Feeling a headache starting to form, Ninomiya rubbed the bridge of his nose before taking a bite of his food. The best way to deal with them was to ignore it.

That had at least been the way people dealt with him and Yuki always fighting around each other.

"Anyway…" said Ninomiya slowly. "I have to say that this will be an interesting trip. Even with that faker tagging along."

"Hey, Taka? Can you at least try to play nice while around Loki? You can even ignore him if you want, but just don't…"

"Yes, I know. I will try my best while we are there."

"Thank you. I'll talk to him about it later too. If that doesn't work then I'll message Meimei."

Ninomiya closed his eyes for a moment, hummed to himself, then chuckled.

"That should be fun to watch. I know I can leave things to Shitokei when it comes to that faker."

"Ha ha ha. Yeah… She has a way of doing big damage to h-..."

The two of them stopped as a buzzing reached their ears.

Looking down, they noticed that the buzzing was coming from Minoru's pocket.

Pulling out his phone, he looked to see who it was. After reading the name displayed, he gave a sigh.

"How did that even happen…?"

Gambler: "You wanna explain what the hell's going on!? Hurry and change your list! I'm going with you to Germany, dammit!"

— Shall we get started?