Eito Romance Route

by lilian_zaraina

Summary:

This love story begins on day 86 of of the 2nd Scenario, right after the campfire party that Takumi (and Gaku) organized to help the recently-blinded Eito get accepted by other members of the team. This time, however, the members of the Special Defense Unit decided to wrap things up earlier and go to their rooms instead of staying outside all night. While relaxing in his room, Takumi's peace is disturbed by a nightly visitor. And, well... the story unfolds from there :D

Notes:

Hi everyone! Ever since finishing all of the100 endings, I was craving to see some Eitaku that wasn't just the 'toxic yaoi' we saw in the game. So... I decided to write this! I really wanted this work to be something I could come back to and enjoy re-reading, so I am doing my best to stick to the canon and try to develop the character's relationship naturally. I truly hope that I can succeed in this!

Chapter 1: A Request

It is the evening of day 86. Takumi walks into his room and collapses onto the bed, his clothes still bearing the scent of smoke. Despite his exhaustion, there is a smile on his face. The campfire party went well, with Hiruko and Takemaru finally accepting Eito as part of the team. Though it was clear they were still not too fond of the guy, it was a step in the right direction. There are only 2 weeks left until day 100, after all. Right now, it is more important than ever to keep this team as strong and united as possible.

 

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. At first, Takumi is tempted to ignore it, but the thought of one of his friends needing his help forces him to get up. He lazily drags his body to the door and opens it. As it turned out, on the other side of the door was no other than Eito Aotsuki. Now he was standing right in front of Takumi, his eyes covered by a pair of sunglasses.

 

“Ah, Takumi!” He exclaims, sensing Takumi somehow. “Good. I was worried I might knock on the wrong door. You know, since I can’t even read the name plates anymore.”

 

Right. It has been 4 days since Eito decided to… well, take his eyes out. It was an insane thing to do, even for Eito. Yet, if it wasn’t for this drastic measure, the others would have never agreed to let him rejoin the SDU. It was a statement of his commitment, a proof of loyalty. And, more importantly, it was his salvation. It was the only way to escape from the outer ugliness of his friends and attempt to view their inner beauty.

 

“Eito! What are you doing here?” Takumi asks, tensing up a bit. Though he allowed Eito back on the team, Takumi still felt a bit uneasy around him. After all, you never knew what to expect from Eito.

 

“I just wanted to talk to you about something. Is it alright if I come in?”

 

“O-oh… Sure.” Takumi steps aside and lets Eito in. He watches as Eito gently traces his finger on the wall, using it to guide himself deeper into the room. All the rooms’ layouts are pretty similar, so it doesn’t take him too long to find the small couch and sit down. Takumi quickly follows him in. “Would you… um… like something to drink?” He asks awkwardly. Eito never really visited his room “just to talk,” so Takumi wasn’t sure of the degree on hospitality he should exercise.

 

“Oh, no. It’s perfectly alright, Takumi,” Eito smiles towards the general direction of Takumi’s voice.

 

“Alright…” Takumi takes a sit on the side of his bed, directly across Eito. “Then, what did you want to talk about?”

 

“First of all, I wanted to thank you.”

 

“Th-Thank me? What for?” Takumi asks, surprised.

 

“For today. You organized this party to help me bond with the others. Letting me back on the team was generous enough, but now you’ve gone through all this effort just to improve my relationship with everybody. This… it made me very happy and I’m truly grateful.”

 

“Oh…” Takumi didn’t know what to say. Eito’s sudden gratitude took him off guard, and he struggled to come up with a good response. “W-Well, it was nothing, really. I wasn’t actually the one to organize the party, it was Gaku. I just gathered the materials. And besides, it’s in the best interests of the team to have all of you getting along so…” he trails off, not really knowing how to continue this rant.

 

“I see. You were considering the best interests of the group, as always. You are truly an incredible leader, Takumi.” Eito lowers his head with a remorseful expression on his face. “I wish I could have seen it sooner.”

 

“W-Well, no use dwelling on the past now!” Takumi says, trying to sound encouraging. “What matters right now is how you choose to improve from this point forward. It’s just like you said at the party. Your opponent in this fight is… your past self. What counts is not the past, but how much you can change in the future.”

 

“…You’re right,” Eito replies after considering Takumi’s words for a few moments. “I… want to see how much I can change. That’s actually the second reason I came here.” He lifts his head up, facing Takumi again.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“For as long as I remember, I hated the sensation of human touch…” Eito begins.

 

“Touch?” Takumi asks thoughtfully. “I guess that makes sense. If our appearance, voices, and smells are disgusting to you, touching us would probably be unpleasant as well. Is that why you always wear those gloves?”

 

“Precisely,” Eito whispers with disgust in his voice. “Human skin is so unbearably gross. It’s like putting your hand onto a pile of hot, half-rotten worms. The way it squishes and stretches makes my stomach turn. It's nauseating. I haven’t let a single vile, nasty human touch me since I killed my parents!” as he spoke, his hatred-filled voice rose from a whisper to nearly a scream. After the last sentence, however, he brought a hand to his head and took a deep breath, calming himself down. “Or… at least that’s what I was led to believe.”

 

“Right, since all of our memories turned out to be fake” Takumi comments, trying to figure out where Eito is going with this.

 

“Yes… fake memories, fake disgust, fake hatred. I… I really want to overcome it. I’ve been working hard to see past my distorted senses into the beauty that lies beneath them so…” Eito faces Takumi again. At this moment, his eyes would be full of determination, if he had any.

 

 

“Takumi, let me touch you.”

Chapter 2: The Warmth of Human Touch

“H-HUH??” Takumi exclaims, his cheeks turning red at Eito’s way-too-straightforward request. “W-What do you mean by THAT?”

 

“Just, please, let me hold your hand for a moment,” Eito explains. “I read that physical touch has a lot of health benefits and also… that it can be a beautiful thing.” He brings a hand to his chest, placing it over his heart. “I am learning to see the beautiful words behind your ugly voices, the emotional complexities behind your nasty scents… I want to see if I can feel something beautiful beneath this grotesque skin”

 

“O-Oh, I see…” Takumi says, still processing the information, “if it’s just holding hands then… I guess that’s fine.”

 

“Oh? Were you thinking of something else?” Eito raises an eyebrow.

 

“O-Of course not!” Takumi yells, a bit too loudly to sound convincing. For once, he is grateful that Eito can’t see his embarrassed face.

 

“Well then, would you accept my request?”

 

“Hmm,” Takumi takes a moment to think. Sure, it seems like Eito is being genuine, but can he be sure he has no ill intent? Especially since Eito’s decided to join them only a few days ago… And even if he was being genuine, is it really okay? Accepting the request will bring him closer to Eito. Is that a good thing? Should he really come closer to the person who betrayed him so many times in the past? Or is it better to keep his distance? What should he do?

 

DECIDE

 

YOUR

 

DESTINY

 

 

       “…would you accept my request?”                                                                           

                             

                                seems like Eito is being genuine…

 

only a few days ago…                                                      

 

closer to Eito…

                                                                                    betrayed him so many times

…keep his distance?                                                                  

 

 

DO YOU ACCEPT EITO’S REQUEST?

 

YES                                                                                    NO

                                                                              

…

…

 

YES

IT’S YOUR FUTURE

 

“Okay” Takumi says finally, “let’s do it.”

 

That’s the decision he made. He let Eito back on the team, so now he has to put some trust into him. Plus, if this whole situation brings them closer, it won’t necessarily be a bad thing. Stronger bonds mean greater morale and more effective battles. And, in those last 14 days, they need all the morale they can get.

 

“Thank you,” Eito nods and gestures to the couch “would you mind coming closer?”

 

Takumi moves towards the couch and sits besides him. Eito carefully takes off his left glove, baring the pale skin and slender fingers. A small scar is seen on one of them – probably the consequence of his blind cooking attempt from a few days prior.

 

“Are you… ready?” Takumi asks. He carefully pulls Eito’s bare hand towards his by the sleeve of Eito’s jacker. Their hands are now barely an inch away from each other. It’s not like this is the scariest thing Takumi’s ever done, but he is still nervous. He has no idea how Eito might react to his “grotesque human skin”.

 

Eito nods. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

And so, Eito’s hand timidly comes down, bringing a cool sensation onto Takumi’s skin. Eito tries to avoid applying any pressure, his hand almost hovering over Takumi’s, causing a light ticklish sensation.

 

Takumi studies Eito’s face carefully. At first, it appears relaxed, but as the seconds tick by…

It becomes

More

And

More

Tense…

…

…

Until...

 

“EXCUSE ME”

 

Eito suddenly stands up and rushes to the bathroom, stumbling and hitting himself on furniture and corners along the way. The next thing that Takumi hears is the sound of water, followed by gags and pained grunts.

 

“E-Eito?” Takumi follows him, finding Eito bent down over the sink, his face paler than usual and carrying the expression of someone about to vomit. “Are you okay?”

 

“Ughh…” is the only thing Eito manages to respond with for now. He then splashes water onto his face, taking care to avoid the eye area, and takes a couple of long, deep breaths. “I… I guess I’m not feeling so well…” he admits finally.

 

“Yeah, no shit,” Takumi crosses his arms, “was it really so terrible for you?”

 

“Oh yes… the most… painfully disgusting experience I’ve had… in a long while...” He replies in between gasps and deep breaths.

 

“In a long while? Are you saying this was worse than literally gouging your eyes out?”

 

“Uh, yeah, obviously.” Eito rolls his eyes… metaphorically speaking.

 

 Takumi isn’t sure if he should be more offended or concerned at Eito’s words, but before he can decide, Eito speaks up again:

 

“But… there was something else” he says in a more thoughtful tone now.

 

“Something else?”

 

“Yes. I felt… a strange sense of warmth. It was so soft and fragile, almost impossible to grasp among all the other… horrific… sensations,” he shudders at the memory, “but…it was pleasant. I guess that’s what they mean by ‘the warmth of human touch,’ huh?”

 

Takumi is stunned for a second, but he quickly recovers. “Y-Yeah, I guess so,” he laughs awkwardly.

 

“Takumi,” Eito’s expression turns serious “I want to feel it again. And again. And again and again until… I can say for certain that there is something beautiful in this physical connection. Will you help me, Takumi?”

 

Takumi gazes at Eito with amusement before responding. “Sure” he laughs, “after all, I already made my decision.”

 

Shortly after, Eito leaves and Takumi is left lying in bed alone. “This whole thing… is so weird” he thinks to himself as his mind begins the transition from wake to dream, “Yet… his cool touch didn’t… feel too bad… In fact, it was almost… Wait... why am I…? Eh, whatever. It’s probably nothing…. anyway…”

Notes:

This is the choice that’s intended to lead you to the Eito Romance Route, so I’m not going to write a scenario for what happens when you choose “NO.” However, I am planning to have an actual choice with different outcomes in one of the future chapters :)

Chapter 3: An Invincible Enemy

It is day 87. Takumi is rudely awakened by the usual, all-too-cheerful morning announcement. Despite being exhausted from going to sleep late last night, he decides to get dressed and meet with the others at the cafeteria. As he steps out onto the roof and takes in the morning breeze, he senses a strange presence behind him. He quickly turns around and…

 

“What? How..?!”

 

He comes face to face with a silver mask.

 

“Hmm. You invaders truly resemble us in some way,” the commander speaks up in a low, calm voice, “but it is appalling that you would let your guard down in the midst of a war. Aren’t you their leader? You should know better than to let your enemy take you by surprise.”

 

“A commander?? B-But the alarm…”

 

“Alarm? What are you talking about?”  He asks, unamused.

 

Takumi starts to panic. How come the alarm didn’t work? Was it broken? Where there more invaders inside the school already?

 

Just then, the commander takes a step back. “I came here because that woman told me to destroy this place, but I want to understand what you’re all about first. Prepare for battle. All we be understood when we cross weapons”

 

“H-Huh…?” but before Takumi could say anything else, the commander was gone. “‘prepare for battle’? He… is giving us time to prepare?” he whispered to himself, shocked. “Ugh, whatever. I don’t have time to waste.”

 

And so, Takumi starts running from room to room, frantically knocking on doors and waking everyone up in a panic. Eventually, the twelve surviving members of the SDU gather in the war room, where their commanding officer, Sirei, was already waiting.

 

“You’re telling us a COMMANDER just appeared out of nowhere?? What the hell man!” Gaku cries out in his usual overly-dramatic voice.

 

“H-How did he managed to bypass the alarm system?” Kako asks.

 

“The alarm only gets triggered when something disturbs the undying flames,” Sirei explains, “I detected no issues with the system itself, so he must have found a way to get here without putting the flames out.”

 

“Isn’t that, like, really bad?” Tsubasa asks, “if they can bypass the alarm, we might not be alerted the next time they attack…”

 

“We’ll deal with that later!” Sirei cuts her off impatiently, “we have a more pressing matter to deal with at the moment!”

 

“Right. Regardless of how he got here, we have no choice but to fight him now,” Eito says in a calm voice.

 

“Tch…” Takematu speaks up, “can you even fight with your eyes all fucked up?”

 

“He’ll be fine,” Takumi responds, remembering all the invaders he and Eito had fought during their recent expeditions, “For now, we have to focus on the enemy commander.”

 

“That’s right, team leader!” Sirei says, “and Shion will be ready to help if needed.”

 

“Are you going to be okay, Shion?” Takumi asks, turning towards the figure engulfed in undying flames.

 

“Yes,” Shion responds confidently, “you allowed me to join the team so… I want to fight alongside all of you!”

 

“Great,” Takumi turns his attention to the team, “in that case, everybody, let’s fight! Defensive battle, initiate!”

 

Upon hearing the command, the rest of the SDU members, safe for Nozomi, stab the infusers through their chests. Takumi does the same. The sharp, throbbing pain is followed by an overwhelming wave of power. He can feel the hot blood flowing out of him, engulfing him fully before materializing in the form of his class armor. No matter how many times he experiences this, the heavy, rapid beating of his heart always forces a painful scream out of his chest. Upon transformation, he and the others waste no time jumping through the war room window straight onto the battlefield. The commander is waiting for them there.

 

“Looks like it’s just the commander this time,” Hiruko notes.

 

“Is he really by himself? He didn’t bring any lackeys with him?” Ima asks, suspicious.

 

“I dislike those things. They go against my principles,” the commander answers, “that woman is deranged for using them in battle.”

 

“That woman? Are you referring to V’ehxness?” Hiruko asks.

 

“I don’t like her, either,” the commander admits, “she ousted me from power… and locked me up.”

 

“W-What are you talking about?” Takumi asks, concerned. He hasn’t met this commander in his previous 100 days here, and that worried him. Was he the only one, or were there other unknown commanders they would have to fight? Would they be able to defeat those commanders without knowing their abilities beforehand? Would they even be prepared enough to fight them?

 

“Either way, the battlefield is no place for senseless chatter,” the commander says, ignoring Takumi, and proceeds to put his hands together, “God of the Planet... Hear my plea and lend me thy strength... Blood of my bond, release!” He brings his thumb to his throat and, with one swift motion, unleashes the blood inside. It envelopes him and, in a moment, reveals not a man, but a dragon-like beast. “I am Dahl'xia, the Paragon of Warfare! I'm an old-fashioned man; I need to fight someone to know what they're about. So come, take up your arms, show me who you really are!"

 

“Wait! Guys! Doesn’t he look like the commander we saw at the very start?” Kako asks.

 

“You’re right! Maybe the enemy is running out of original designs” Ima suggests sarcastically.

 

“Someone who looked like me? Did you mean Murvrum?” Dahl'xia raises his loud, powerful voice. “It’s only natural we look alike. He carries my blood, after all. He was… my son.”

 

“Y-Your son?” Takumi asked, shocked.

 

“That woman forced him to become a warrior,” Dahl'xia continues, “She sent him to an early grave. Though she was just following the law, I still cannot forgive her.”

 

“W-Wait!” Nozomi cries out, suddenly hopeful, “if you hate V’ehxness so much, there is no need for us to fight!”

 

“None of this would happen if you haven’t invaded this planet!” Dahl'xia counters, “So stop with  those pathetic excuses and show me your power! Prove that my son did not die a meaningless death!”

 

“Get ready, everyone! It’s fight or die!” Tsubasa shouts from the window of her car.

 

“Right. If he bleeds, we can kill him” Yugamu shouts in response.

 

And so, the battle begins. “Let’s go!” Takumi charges at Dahl'xia with his blade, aiming it at Dahl'xia’s right leg. The blade grazes the commander’s armor with a loud clanging sound, but leaves a mere scratch.

 

“Take this!” Gaku follows quickly, firing a number of bullets at Dahl'xia’s chest from his machine gun. Loud gunshots fill the battlefield. Unfortunately, the attack isn’t strong enough to bridge the commander’s armor, and so the bent bullets disappointingly fall to the ground.

 

“UGHH” Takemaru rides his bike with rapid speed, quickly approaching the commander and aiming a bat at his leg. Dahl'xia moves his leg back upon impact, but the damage seems minimal.

 

Hiruko and Eito charge forward at the same time, hitting the commander’s body on its left side with their massive blades. Despite their strength and efforts, they only manage to inflict a few dents and scratches.

 

“Guys, now!” Kako aims her class weapon at the commander’s face and fires one precise shot. This disorients Dahl'xia temporarily, and everyone charges at him from different directions. The clanging of metal, gunshots, and battle cries fill the schoolyard… and yet…

 

“Damn, this guy is good…  our attacks are barely scratching him!” Takemaru yells in frustration.

 

“Eek, he’s way too strong” Moko joins in.

 

“Ugh, is there ANYTHING we can do?” Gaku asks, turning to their team leader.

 

“Everybody-” but before Takumi can say anything encouraging, another voice appears out of nowhere.

 

“Everybody, use my power!”

 

“S-Shion?” Takumi looks around, attempting to locate the source of the voice, but it appears to be coming from everywhere at once. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yes. I’m going in.”

 

“W-Wait,” Gaku raises his voice again, “are we sure it’s gonna work?”

 

“We won’t know until we try,” Eito steps in, “and we’re running out of time. We might as well use this ace up our sleeve now.”

 

“You’re right,” Takumi yells across the battlefield, “We have to try it. Go ahead, Shion!”

 

Suddenly, massive columns of undying flames erupt from the ground and, for a few moments, the entire battlefield is enveloped in various shades of purple. Each column emits a dangerous, burning heat, causing the other students to instinctively back away. The flames strike Dahl'xia over and over again, causing him to grunt and gasp in pain. Once the flames subside, his giant body becomes visible once more, except now it is clearly weakened and burned in various places.

 

“Now is our chance!” Takumi shouts, and the students resume their attack with more determination than before. Wheels turning, blades swinging, bullets flying. The team works together, delivering one blow after another to Dahl'xia’s body, focusing on the places left vulnerable by the undying flames. However….

 

“I see… so that was the power of the second coming,” Dahl'xia comments, his voice still strong, “but that’s not enough to defeat me.”

 

“N-No way… even after all of that…” Takumi cries out in between breaths.

 

“Hmph. So that’s it then.” Suddenly, Dahl'xia’s form disappears into black smoke, and what appears before them is, once again, a form of a man.

 

“H-He.. He de-transformed?!” Gaku shouts out.

 

Eito, who happened to end up next to Takumi, suddenly puts a hand on his shoulder. “Doesn’t that give us an opening?” he whispers to the team leader.

 

“N-No, hold on…” Takumi whispers back. He isn’t sure why, but he feels like attacking Dahl'xia right now would be suicidal. Even in his “human” form, this commander is probably incredibly strong. It’s best to exercise caution.

 

“All of you…” Dahl'xia speaks up, sounding almost… disappointed, “you are holding on to sadness and confusion. Your minds are weak, distracted by the despair seeded deep within your hearts. That is no way to fight a war.”

 

“What are you getting at?” Hiruko asks with the signature cold expression on her face.

 

“I want to hear it straight from you,” Dahl'xia continues, “what are you fighting for? You are fighting, dying, and coming back to life just to fight again. What is the purpose of that?”

 

“What are you saying? Trying to make us surrender?” Yugamu asks.

 

“But if we do, we would just die,” Takumi says, taking a step closer to Dahl'xia, “V’ehxness would never let us live.”

 

“Then why won’t you just die?” Dahl'xia asks so casually it suddenly makes Takumi’s chest burn with rage. “If your battles have serve no greater purpose, why won’t you just accept death?”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Takumi takes another step, this one more determined, more angry, “staying alive is the greater purpose! We are not going to accept death…We refuse to give up on life! We swore that we’ll all survive this! That’s our hope… That’s why we-”

 

“Takumi!”

 

CLANG

 

Before he realizes what happened, Takumi sees two blades in front of him. One is a sword belonging to Dahl'xia. The second one is a scythe, which managed to stop the sword mere inches away from Takumi’s neck. “E-Eito!”

 

“Hmph,” Dahl'xia lowers his blade, “not bad, kid. Very few posses the reflexes to stop my blade.” Then, he turns around and begins his retreat. “I will be back. Until then, get your minds and hearts in order. The next time we meet, I want you to fight like you mean it.”

 

And so, he left, sparing them… for now. The SDU was completely exhausted from this battle, so everyone unceremoniously made their way back to the school, exchanging concerns and tired glances along the way. Nobody died, but this certainly didn’t feel like a victory. Was there any way to avoid complete annihilation the next time they faced Dahl'xia? Could they ever hope to defeat… this invincible enemy?

 

Overwhelmed with those depressive thoughts, Takumi decides to climb the ridiculous number of stairs (seriously, why don’t they have elevators in there?) back to his room. Once inside, he collapses onto his bed and allows exhaustion to draw him into a restless sleep.

Chapter 4: What's Next?

“Mmm” Takumi wakes up, surprisingly feeling a bit better. It has been a while since he was able to wake up on his own, without the morning announcements or the intrusion alerts or somebody persistently knocking on his door. He lazily rubs his eyes and looks at the clock. 9:13 pm. Still day 87. Suddenly, he realizes that he hasn’t eaten today, and his stomach was letting him know about it. Though it was a bit late for dinner, Takumi decides to head out to the cafeteria anyway.

 

Upon arriving to the cafeteria, he notices a familiar figure sitting at the main table.

 

“Ah, Takumi!” Eito greets him. There is an empty bowl in front of him; he probably finished eating not so long ago. “What are you doing here at a time like this?”

 

“Could ask you the same thing,” Takumi says as he walks towards the Ration-O-Matic and browses through the menu. He decides that a katsudon would satisfy his hunger.

 

“Fighting alongside all of you today was… quite exhausting. I figured if I come here later today, I can eat in peace, without being subjected to your horrendous voices and smells.”

 

“Still the same old Eito, I see…” Takumi says before realizing the implication of those words. Silence falls in the cafeteria, safe for the mechanical sound of the Ration-O-Matic. Once the machine delivers Takumi’s dinner, he just stands there for a moment, his back turned to Eito, considering his next words carefully. “No, that’s not a fair statement. The old Eito… would never save me the way you did today.”

 

“Hm?” Eito instinctively turns his head towards Takumi at those words, despite knowing that he won’t see him either way.

 

“I just realized I never got to properly thank you for it.” Takumi grabs his food and makes his way to the table, sitting down right across from Eito, “If it wasn’t for you, I would have probably died there, so… thank you, truly.” Thanking Eito for anything still feels weird, but Takumi chooses to ignore those feelings. After all, he decided to let Eito back on the team and to try and get along with him. Expressing proper gratitude was part of that, no matter how unnatural it felt.

 

“Even if you did, the Revive-O-Matic would have just brought you back right away. From that perspective, my actions weren’t really all that significant,” Eito says with a casual smile, but his expression quickly switches to a more thoughtful one. “But you’re right. The ‘old Eito’ wouldn’t have bothered. In fact… I think this was the first time I tried to protect another human…”

 

An awkward silence sets in as Eito seems to reflect on this realization. Takumi decides to use this opportunity to stir the topic in a slightly different direction.

 

“A-Anyways, you managed to counter Dahl'xia’s attack very quickly. I know you said your hearing and other senses were enhanced now, but how could you react so fast without even seeing him? It’s almost like you knew he was going to attack me.”

 

“Hmm… I guess that’s one way to put it” Eito responds, bringing his attention back to Takumi.

 

“What do you mean?” Takumi asks in surprise.

 

“It might not make much sense to you if I try to explain it, but I could… ‘sense’ his intentions. It was like his aura suddenly became more threatening.”

 

“S-So, you can sense even things like that??” Takumi asks, trying keep the shock out of his voice.

 

“Yes. I’m still not quite sure how it works, but it has the potential to be very useful once I figure it out, wouldn’t you agree?”

 

“Y-Yes. It would definitely help counter the various surprise attacks and stuff...” Takumi tries to sound optimistic, but he can’t deny that this revelation makes him a bit nervous. He doesn’t like the idea of Eito having too much power. But why…? Because he still doesn’t trust him enough? Probably… But that’s not good. He chose to believe in Eito. He chose to let him fight as his comrade. And Eito even saved his life today so… he should probably make an effort to trust him a bit more.

 

Well, in that case, perhaps getting to know Eito a bit better will help.

 

“Hey Eito,” Takumi speaks up and watches as Eito’s head raises in the direction of his voice, “after those 100 days are over, what’s next? For you?”

 

“What do you mean, Takumi?”

 

“Like… is there anything you want to do with your life once this war is over?”

 

“Hmm…” Eito thinks about the question for a moment, “I want to write a book.”

 

“Oh? I didn’t know you wanted to be an author” Takumi comments, intrigued by this new side of Eito.

 

“Really?” Eito tilts his head in surprise, “did I not mention it during the first 100 day you spend here?”

 

“No…” Takumi trails off, not sure if he should mention what Eito did tell him during the first 100 days. At the end, he decides to go for it. After all, learning more about Eito is the goal right now. “But you did mention that you wanted to be a politician. So that you could rise to the top and use your influence to inflict suffering on all of humanity.”

 

“Ah, that’s true as well,” Eito admits casually, “I thought this would be the quickest way to wipe humanity out. But of course, I wouldn’t enjoy the process. Politicians are the most corrupt, narcissistic, disgusting humans of all. Being around them, working with them...” Eito’s face twists in pain upon the thought, “ugh, it would have been agonizing, but those were the necessary means to what I thought was a righteous end.”

 

Huh?

 

Thought?

 

Does that mean he is not so sure anymore? Even after joining the team, Eito has continuously expressed his contempt for humanity. But now he… has doubts about destroying it? Takumi didn’t really want to push the topic, especially since Eito himself probably hasn’t figured it all out yet, but it was a good sign. For now, he decided to bring the conversation back to something more positive. “I see… so books are your true passion.”

 

“Yes. They were always there to keep me company when I didn’t want to see any vile humans,” Eito begins with a small smile, but his expression quickly turns sorrowful, “though, of course, those memories were fake as well…”

 

Seeing Eito’s expression, Takumi felt a sting of sadness rising in his chest. Eito mentioned that most of his memories were full of fear, disgust, and hatred, so those little moments peace and comfort must have meant a lot to him. Losing those precious moments… Takumi knew how much it hurt.

 

“Even though they turned out to be fake,” Takumi begins in a genuine attempt to comfort Eito, “the knowledge and motivations they gave you, the comfort they brought to you… all of those are real. So, I still think it’s important to cherish the…few good memories you were given.”

 

Eito stays quiet for a few moments, considering Takumi’s words. “To be completely frank with you Takumi, I haven’t thought about it like that. But you’re right. Even though they are not real, those memories are still valuable to me. So… I should take them with me as I move on to create real memories.”

 

“Yes. That’s all any of us can do, really,” Takumi says with a bittersweet smile on his face. He then realizes that his attempt to stir the conversation in a more positive direction has had a nearly opposite effect. Gosh, why was having a conversation with Eito so difficult… “A-Anyways, what would this book be about?” he asks in an attempt to lighten up the depressive atmosphere.

 

“Well, I always wanted to write about humanity’s hideous history of violence and needless suffering…” Eito replies, his tone returning to casual.

 

“Ah, so very ‘Eito’ of you…” Takumi replies with a smile.

 

“But…” Eito whispers under his breath. However, the cafeteria is completely silent, so Takumi happens to catch that.

 

“But?”

 

“Oh, nothing!” Eito brushes him off with a smile. “More importantly, what about you, Takumi? What are you planning to do after the war is over?”

 

“I…” Takumi thinks back to his days at the TRC, “I… just want to live an ordinary life. A normal, boring, peaceful life where every day is just like the previous one.”

 

“Hmm… for such a capable leader as you to want to live a boring life… usually it would surprise me but… I feel like it makes sense, for you,” Eito says with a neutral expression on his face.

 

“What is that supposed to m-” but before Takumi could finish his question, Eito stands up from his seat.

 

“It’s getting late, Takumi. I think I’ll get going now. Goodnight.”

 

“Hey, wait a second!” but Eito ignores Takumi’s protest and leaves the cafeteria… “Jeez, what is up with him…”

 

Eito didn’t seem angry or upset, but he left in such a hurry. Was it something Takumi said? It certainly seemed like it, but he didn’t say anything weird, did he? With those confusing thoughts, Takumi finished his dinner and went back to his room.

 

Notes:

MILD SPOILERS FOR SF ROUTE BELOW

Eito being able to ‘sense’ the intentions of the enemies is partly my interpretation of his specialist skill, the Special Fortunetelling. Tbh I was very confused when the S.F. route brought it up, but I assume it would work somewhat like that, especially in a scenario where he is blinded and has to rely on his other senses more than ever.

Chapter 5: Group Brainstorming Session

It is day 88. Takumi wakes up to the morning announcement, remembering the events of yesterday. Their fight with Dahl'xia… did not go well, to say the least. If he hadn’t retreated, they would have definitely lost. They should probably have a strategy meeting today.

 

With those thoughts flowing through his head, Takumi gets dressed and heads to the cafeteria. Upon arrival, he sees Moko, Hiruko, Ima, and Gaku sitting at the central table.

 

“Ah, Takumi!” Moko greets him cheerfully, “how are you feeling? I haven’t seen you at all after the battle yesterday.”

 

“Oh, I’m fine. I was feeling a bit tired yesterday but I wasn’t injured at all…” thanks to Eito, he thinks but knows better than to voice the thought. The mere mention of Eito still tends bring out mixed emotions. “And how are you guys feeling?”

 

“Oh don’t worry about me, hun!” Moko exclaims, “Moko has been eating tons of protein lately. She is full of strength and energy!”

 

“My dear sister did not have a single scratch on her this time, so I’m all good as well!” Ima joins in.

 

“I’ve been alright too,” Hiruko says calmly, her face serious, not matching the cheerful atmosphere around her. “It seems Dahl'xia was not trying to seriously hurt any of us… this time, at least” she says at last.

 

“UGH, ARE YOU SERIOUS??” Gaku cries out, “we were completely exhausted yesterday…we couldn’t even SCRATCH him! And you’re saying he wasn’t even going all out? What are we supposed to do when he comes for us for real?!”

 

“Calm yourself down. Your useless whining is nothing but an annoyance,” Hiruko pierces Gaku with her cold gaze, “more importantly, Takumi, are you sure you haven’t met this commander in your previous 100 days?”

 

“Yes…” Takumi nods sadly, “unfortunately, I am just as lost as you guys. I have no idea how to defeat him.”

 

Hiruko sights disappointingly. “Well, in that case, we shall hold a strategy meeting this afternoon,” she commands, “3 pm. At the War Room. Make sure to inform everyone else about it.”

 

With that, she swiftly leaves the cafeteria.

 

“Jeez… what’s up with her today?” Gaku scratches his head, still uneasy after Hiruko chewed him out.

 

“It appears she decided to take on more responsibilities. You know, since our team leader is pretty useless at the moment!” Ima glances at Takumi with a condescending smile.

 

“Hey!” Takumi exclaim, offended.

 

“Come on, Ima. Takumi has saved us plenty of times before. Have some faith in him,” Moko scolds, “believing in your teammates is crucial to any victory.”

 

“Hmph,” Ima returns to his food.

 

Takumi makes himself some breakfast at the Ration-O-Matic and eats it while listening to careless chatter of others. He then leaves the cafeteria and decides to complete some battle preparations. He makes some basic potions in the Bio Lab, creates a couple of spring traps in the Metal Shop, and spends hours practicing his fighting skills at the Training Room... and yet…

 

Despite all the attempts to distract himself, Takumi can’t help the heavy feeling settling down in his chest. If he was honest with himself, he couldn’t deny that there was some truth to Ima’s harsh words. Takumi’s leadership was crucial to winning the previous battles, but only because he has already fought those commanders before. He knew their weak points, he knew what strategies to use against them. This time, however, he had no helpful information to share. How could he lead anyone if he was just as lost as they were?

 

Before he knew it, the time for the strategy meeting was up.

 

Takumi wipes the sweat off his forehead and heads towards the War Room. He can’t deny that he is a bit nervous for this. During the previous meetings, he had enough knowledge to guide everyone. Now, he can only hope that somehow, someway, they can figure it all out.

 

As he approaches the War Room, he sees someone else walking down the hall. Someone, Takumi realizes, he hasn’t really talked to in while.

 

“Ah, Takumi!” Nozomi greets him with a smile… her kind, caring smile… “how are you? You look a bit pale…”

 

“Oh, really?” Takumi smiles, trying to brush her concerns off. Now was not the time to dwell on his worries. “I guess I’m still be feeling a bit tired after yesterday.”

 

Nozomi replies with a concerned look. She can probably tell there is more to Takumi’s state than that, but decides not to push it.

 

“And how are you doing?” Takumi asks, deciding it was best to change the topic.

 

“Oh, I-”

 

“How long do you two plan to keep us waiting?”  

 

Takumi and Nozomi turn to see Hiruko leaning against the open door to the War Room.

 

“We have an important battle to discuss,” she continuous, “I expect everyone to take this seriously. Especially you, team leader.”

 

“R-Right, sorry.”

 

With quick apologies, the two enter the War Room. Everyone else is gathered in there already. Well, almost everyone…

 

“Is Shion not with us today?” Nozomi asks, looking around.

 

“He used too much of his power yesterday. He likely won’t be able to show up for a while” Sirei explains, “but don’t worry, I will communicate any important part of this meeting back to him.”

 

“Good. Then, shall we get started?” Hiruko asks impatiently.

 

“Sure! Take it from here, team leader!” Sirei turns to Takumi.

 

“O-Oh…” Takumi is slightly caught of guard. He was half-expecting Hiruko to lead this meeting, with how much initiative she has been taking lately. Still, he quickly gathers himself and decides to start with a quick summary of the situation: “Well, as you guys know, yesterday we faced Dahl'xia, the ‘Paragon of Warfare.’ He was extremely powerful, and none of our attacks did any significant damage to him. Even Shion’s undying flames were unsuccessful. I also haven’t met him in my previous timeline, so I don’t know how to defeat him. He said he will be back to fight us again, probably in a few days. That will be a fight to the death, so we need to come up with a new strategy to defeat him.”

 

“But, how are we even supposed to come up with something like that?” Gaku asks, frustrated, “none of our attacks even work on him!”

 

“That attitude is not helpful, Gaku,” Hiruko shuts him down, “It has been over 30 hours since Dahl'xia’s attack, so I’m sure most of us had some to think about it. So, if anyone has any ideas, no matter how foolish, I want you to speak up now.”

 

Her request is met with silence. Hiruko looks around disappointingly and sighs. “Well, in that case-”

 

“Um…” Nozomi suddenly speaks up, making the SDU members turn their eyes to her (… the ones who have eyes, that is). “I have been thinking about this since the battle and maybe it’s naïve but… Since Dahl'xia hates V’ehxness so much, maybe we could just… talk?”

 

“Just… talk?” Tsubasa echoes, uncertain.

 

“He wasn’t much in the mood for talking last time,” Eito points out.

 

“I… I know that! But he seems different from the other commanders. I feel like we could find a way to end the war peacefully with him…” she trails off, timidly crossing her arms as if trying to hold on to this fragile hope.

 

The room falls silent. Nobody really wants to contradict Nozomi’s statement. After all, deep down, they wanted to believe that everything could just end peacefully as well. They were so tired. Tired of fighting, of killing, of dying…

 

“We could try,” Hiruko speaks up finally, “but we can’t guarantee that he would want to talk to us, so we need a plan b.”

 

“R-Right.” Nozomi sends Hiruko a small, grateful smile.

 

“So…” Hiruko disappears into one of the dark corners of the room and comes out rolling a giant wheeled chalkboard behind her, “since no one else has any other ideas, there is only one thing left to do.”

 

“And that is…?” Takumi inquires.

 

Hiruko suddenly slaps the board with her palm, causing others to flinch. “Brainstorm!”

 

“H-Huh?!” Gaku shouts.

 

“Use your brains and come up with as many ideas as possible. Throw anything out there, even if it seems stupid or impossible. Exchanging ideas with each other, no matter how ridiculous, might lead us to an unexpected solution.”

 

“Ah, a group brainstorming session. What a great idea!” Moko exclaims cheerfully.

 

“Yes, we might figure something out that way” Eito agrees, “Hmmm… we can’t really harm Dahl'xia with our weapons, but there must be other things we can do.”

 

“That’s right! Like restraining the motherfucker!” Takemaru shouts enthusiastically.

 

“Oh! Oh! Like with a net gun!” Tsubasa chimes in excitedly.

 

“A typical net wouldn’t do, though,” Gaku points out, “we would need something heavier! like a chain…”

 

The excited chatter continues. Hiruko watches them and smiles to herself, satisfied. She then turns to Takumi and throws a piece of chalk at him.

 

“Ah! O-Oh!” Takumi catches it awkwardly.

 

“Write everything down. Keeping track of ideas is part of Team Leader’s job, after all.”

 

“You’re just making me do something you don’t feel like doing, aren’t you?” Takumi is a bit annoyed but he moves to the board anyway. He has already gotten used to others pushing their “odd jobs” on him.

 

“What if we tried to break his fighting spirit?” he hears Moko suggesting. When did the topic switch so drastically?

 

“A psychological attack, huh…” Eito considers thoughtfully, “not sure what would work on someone as strong-willed as Dahl'xia, though.”

 

“Ah! Seeing someone as disgusting and pathetic as me would surely disturb him!” Shouma shouts excitedly.

 

“Would have been easier if we still had Murvrum’s body,” Yugamu says with a sadistic grin on his face…

 

Takumi frantically starts writing (almost) all of the ideas he hears on the board. He can barely keep up with how fast the others are talking, leaving him no time to fully process what is being said or to add to the conversation. After about an hour of this ‘group brainstorming session’, he runs out of space on the board.

 

“Okay everyone!” Hiruko calls for their attention, “I think that’s enough for today. We’ve definitely got a couple of good ones,” she examines the board, re-reading some of the mechanical traps, restraining devices, auditory attacks, and psychological tricks that they managed to come up with.  “Tsubasa, I want you to see if it’s possible to make any of the traps we discussed.”

 

“Yep, I got you!” Tsubasa replies enthusiastically.

 

“Everyone else,” Hiruko turns to address the group, “keep thinking about the possibilities we discussed today. Additionally, help Tsubasa if she needs anything. We will meet tomorrow to discuss a solid plan.”

 

With those words, she leaves the War Room. The other SDU members soon follow, while Takumi stays at the board to fix a couple of mistakes he made while writing his teammate’s ideas down. Once he’s done, he claps his hands, sending a cloud of chalk dust flying through the air. He then turns around and…

 

“AH!”

Chapter 6: A New Strategy

“AH!”

 

Takumi finds himself standing face to face with Eito.

 

“God… Eito, you startled me!” He quickly looks around just to see that the two were left alone in the room.

 

“Takumi, may I talk to you for a moment?” Eito asks. There is a peculiar expression on his face that Takumi cannot quite decipher at first. After a moment, though, he realizes that this is… genuine concern??

 

“Ah, um… sure…” Takumi sits down on a nearby chair, feeling that this is going to take a while. Eito sits right beside him, fixing his sunglasses before speaking up again.

 

“Is everything okay, Takumi?”

 

So he really is concerned? Takumi stares at him uneasily. Eito Aotsuki… THE Eito Aotsuki is… worried about him?

 

“Well, yes. I’m okay,” he replies finally.

 

“Ah… you’re still a terrible liar,” Eito shakes his head, “there was something bothering you since the beginning of this meeting. I could tell the moment you entered the room.”

 

“You… ‘could tell’? How exactly does that work?” Takumi asks, a mix of annoyance and unease in his voice. It suddenly felt like Eito knew too much about him; as if he knew things Takumi wasn’t willing to trust him with just yet.

 

“Just from your ‘general vibe,’ I guess,” Eito elaborates, though that doesn’t make things any clearer for Takumi. “Anyways, there have been something weighing on your mind, hasn’t it?”

 

“It’s… It’s nothing, really,” Takumi averts his eyes from Eito. Not like that changes anything. Eito doesn’t rely on things like eye contact or facial expressions anymore. He can read Takumi just fine by sensing his mood alone.

 

Eito lets out a heavy sigh. “I suppose I can’t force you to tell me, but…” he reaches his arm out and, after a slight moment of hesitation, places his gloved hand on Takumi’s upper arm. He was probably aiming for the shoulder, but blindness still has its limitations. “We are about to face an extremely powerful enemy, Takumi. This team needs its leader in full spirits, now more than ever. So, please…” he gives Takumi’s arm a small squeeze.

 

Eito doesn’t need to finish the sentence for Takumi to understand.

 

Please, share what’s on your mind. Let me ease this burden.

 

Is that it? Really it? No tricks, no lies, no manipulation? Just… a desire to comfort another person?

 

Who would have thought that Eito Aotsuki would ever come to this.

 

Takumi sighs. That’s right. He decided that he was going to trust Eito from now on. This Eito, sitting before him, blinded as a sign of loyalty, was someone he could trust.

 

“I… am not sure that I can lead everyone in this upcoming battle…” he finally admits.

 

Eito’s concern is quickly replaced with genuine shock. He was expecting a lot of things, but not that. “How come?”

 

“I became the team leader because I came from the future,” Takumi begins, still avoiding looking at Eito directly, “even if the timeline changed and I couldn’t predict everything, I still knew what enemies we’re going to face and how to defeat them. I was able to guide everyone because of it but now…” he trails off.

 

“Now it’s blind leading the blind.” Eito nods understandingly.

 

“Y-Yeah, pretty much…”

 

There is a quick pause before, suddenly, Takumi hears a small laugh escape Eito’s lips.

 

“W-What’s so funny?” he sharply turns to face Eito, only to see the other guy smiling at him softly.

 

“Haha, I just didn’t expect our team leader to concern himself with such foolishness.”

 

Despite the words spoken, his voice isn’t mean-spirited. If anything, it almost sounds… caring?

 

“Foolishness?”

 

“Yes,” Eito swiftly glides his hand down Takumi’s arm, finding his hand, and taking it in his. “There is obviously so much more to your leadership than that, Takumi.”

 

“You… think so?”

 

“Of course!” Eito smiles at him, “You are an experienced fighter, so you coordinate everyone exceptionally well on the battlefield. Your determination is admirable, and you know how to keep the morale high. Plus, you always de-escalate conflicts and work to strengthen our bonds with each other,” he lists Takumi’s accomplishments in a calm, matter-of-fact voice.  “Even if you don’t have an easy solution for us this time, I am confident that you can still lead this team to victory.”

 

Takumi feels the cold leather of Eito’s glove tighten around his hand in a reassuring squeeze. He can’t deny that Eito’s words make him feel a bit better, but a few things still trouble him.

 

“Still, I feel like some people are starting to lose faith in me.”

 

“Do you mean Hiruko?” Eito asks unceremoniously, “I wouldn’t say so. I assume she is just worried.”

 

“Worried?”

 

“Yes. You were pretty distraught after Dahl'xia nearly took your life. And then you just disappeared into your room for the rest of the day. How do you think that looked to everybody else?”

 

“Oh…” Takumi hasn’t considered that at all. From everyone else’s perspective, his behavior could, indeed, be pretty worrisome.

 

“My guess is she is just trying to make things easier everybody,” Eito continuous, “By taking on some of your responsibilities, she gave you time to pull yourself together. She also made sure that the Special Defense Unit won’t lose its fighting spirit. It’s the best thing she could have done in the situation, really.”

 

“Ah, I see…” a warm smile appears on Takumi’s face. It is a bit embarrassing the Hiruko had to do something like that for him, but he is grateful. His teammates truly care about him. They support him and go out of their way for him and for each other.

 

He is so grateful to have them on his side.

 

Even Eito...?

 

…

 

Now that Takumi thinks about it, he suddenly realizes something.

 

“Hey, isn’t this, like, very gross to you?” He moves his hand under Eito’s. Not to pull away, just to call attention to it.

 

“Oh, this?” Eito brushes his thumb on Takumi’s hand, “to my surprise, it’s not terribly gross. At least, not when I’m wearing gloves.”

 

Takumi looks down. Eito’s hand on his, the black glove contrasting with his own pale skin. It’s… a weird sight. He isn’t sure how to feel about it.

 

“That reminds me. Are you still doing the whole ‘finding beauty in human touch’ thing?”

 

“Ah, yes,” Eito nods, finally moving his hand from Takumi’s to adjust his glasses. “I was going to ask for your help again, but so much has been happening lately, I figured I should wait.”

 

“Then, let’s try again tomorrow,” Takumi finds himself saying all of a sudden.

 

“Oh? Are you that eager to hold my hand, Takumi?” Eito teases, a cocky smile appearing on his lips.

 

“I-It’s not that!” Takumi can feel the embarrassment flashing to his cheeks, “It’s just… you’ve been helping me so much lately so… I want to help you with your goals as well.”

 

“I see,” Eito nods and slowly stands up, “in that case, I will see you tomorrow.”

 

Eito starts to leave, but quickly changes his mind and takes a few steps back to Takumi.

 

“Oh, and one more thing,” he attempts to turn his face towards Takumi, but fails by a couple of degrees, “don’t disregard your past experiences all together. You might have not dealt with Dahl'xia before, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t learn anything useful in your previous 100 days. There could be a key detail hidden in your memories. Something that would help us defeat Dahl'xia.”

 

“Something useful that could help us defeat him…” Takumi mutters to himself, trying to recount all the commander he had fought the first time around. Murvrum was defeated by pure force. So was Pakron, except they had to split their powers equally to do this. Kurara’s traps were useful against Addamaque. Quenzelle was brought down with a cannon. Shouma could defeat Parmith since her brainwashing didn’t work on him. Kako’s class weapon helped take out Eva’s mist. Zen' ta was pretty straightforward once they found out about her copying ability. Valla-Garzo was a straightforward fight as well. And Szanshin was defeated with… wait!

 

“Oh god!” Takumi suddenly jumps up and grabs Eito by the shoulder, “Eito! You’re a genius!”

 

“Huh? W-Wha-” Eito stutters, his body recoiling from Takumi’s sudden touch.

 

“Oh I need to talk to Yugamu!” Takumi exclaims excitingly and lets go of Eito.

 

“W-Wait, Takumi!”  Eito stops him right as Takumi is about to book it out of the War Room.  “What exactly is going on?”

 

Takumi smiles back at him. “I need to see if it’s possible first, but… I think I might have a new strategy.”

Chapter 7: Stronger Together

“Poison?” Hiruko raises an eyebrow.

 

“Yes, a drug that targets the commander’s DNA,” Takumi explains. It is day 89, so everyone has gathered in the War Room to discuss their plan. “Yugamu was able to make one in the last time, and he said he should be able to make it this time as well. Isn’t that right?” he turns to Yugamu.

 

“Correct,” the assassin nods, a creepy grin on his face. “I already began the development since Takumi talked to me yesterday. But similarly to last time, we have to make the target ingest a large quantity of it.”

 

“You said last time Nozomi drank the poison and let the commander absorb her intentionally, right Takumi?” Eito recounts, a hand on his chin.

 

“Yes, but we are dealing with a different commander this time, so we need another way to make him consume the poison.”

 

“I suppose I could modify it to allow transmission through other means,” Yugamu says thoughtfully, probably considering various modifications already.

 

“Do you think you’ll have enough time?” Hiruko asks, as serious as ever.

 

“Not sure. There is no telling when Dahl'xia might show up,” Yugamu admits.

 

“Eh, if push comes to shove, we’ll just cramp someone with the poison right down Dahl'xia’s throat,” Takemaru suggests, unbothered.

 

In response, everyone’s eyes turn to Sirei.

 

“Huh? Why are you all looking at me?”

 

“Ahem. Well, I suppose this the best plan we have so far.” Hiruko says.

 

“Yes. I’ll help Yugamu,” Nozomi volunteers, “I’m not sure how useful I’ll be, but I have some biomedical experience, so I’m gonna do my best!”

 

“Hehehe, thanks. Having you as my assistant would be… wonderful.”

 

“A-Ah, great…” Takumi says through forced smile. He doesn’t like the idea of leaving Nozomi alone with Yugamu of all people, but arguing is unlikely to change anything right now. “Anyways, Tsubasa, how is that trap you’ve been working on?”

 

“I have the designs complete. Ima and Kako have already agreed to gather the materials, so hopefully I’ll be done in a couple of days!”

 

“Perfect,” Takumi nods, “In that case, everyone else, do your best to prepare for battle. It’s gonna be a tough one, but we can do this!”

 

Shortly after that, their strategy meeting ends. As he watches everyone leave the War Room, Takumi can’t help but smile. They have a solid plan now and everyone is working super hard. They might actually win their fight against Dahl'xia. No… they have to win!

 

“Great job today, team leader,” his thought are interrupted by Eito, who managed to sneak up right next to him. “Glad to see you’ve gained your confidence back.”

 

“Do you need anything, Eito?” he asks a bit colder than he intended. Eito never really talks to him without a purpose.

 

“Can’t spare me time for small talk, oh-so-important Takumi?” Eito teases, leaning against the table.

 

Takumi doesn’t respond. Or, more specifically, he isn’t sure how to respond. What is he even supposed to say to that?

              ‘Yeah, I have more important things to deal with’?

 That’s just mean.

              ‘I… am not all that important’?

And that’s pathetic.

              ‘Oh Eito, aren’t you a bit desperate for my attention’?

DEFINETLY NOT THAT ONE.

 

Yeah…Takumi isn’t exactly the best at clever responses.

 

 “…Ah, fine,” Eito sighs. He would roll his eyes at Takumi’s indecisiveness, if he could. “Meet me at the Courtyard after lunchtime, okay?”

 

Ah, right. He promised to… “help” Eito today.

 

“Alright. Why the Courtyard, though?”

 

“I like it there,” Eito shrugs, “it’s calm and peaceful.”

 

“Ah, okay. Well, I’ll see you there!” With that awkward good-bye, Takumi leaves the War Room. He has a couple of hours to spare before he needs to meet with Eito, so he decides to walk around the school to see if he can do anything productive. As he makes his way through the halls of the 1st floor, he hears loud voices coming from the gym.

 

“COME AT ME! BE READY TO WITNESS THE POWER OF THE GREATEST WRESELER OF ALL TIME!”

 

That… sounded like moko.

 

“HAH! GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT!!”

 

And that’s… Takemaru?

 

What on earth is going on?

 

Takumi rushes to the gym immediately. He slams the double doors open with all his might and at first, he cannot believe the sight in front of him.

 

Mace, bat, and a bike. All moving in different direction, crashing and slamming into each other, the sounds echoing in a largely empty gym. His two teammates, now in their class armor, are fighting ruthlessly. Their movements are so fast Takumi can hardly process them, yet they dodge and counter each other’s attacks perfectly. For a moment, Takumi is so fascinated he forgets how to speak.

 

“H-Hey! Guys!” Takumi shouts, finally finding his voice again.

 

“Yo, Takumi!” Takemaru drives his bike further from Moko, effectively pausing the fight, “‘Sup?”

 

“W-What’s going on? Why are you guys fighting?” He asks, genuinely concerned. The last thing they need right now is infighting.

 

“Why? To become stronger, of course!” Moko replies with a cheerful smile.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Yeah!” Takemaru confirms enthusiastically, “We couldn’t just sit on our asses while everyone else was preparing for battle, so we decided to train together!”

 

“Train?” Takumi asks, still in a bit of a shock, “But then, why not just use the Training Room?”

 

“Tch, that simulation bullshit isn’t for me. This is the real deal!” Takemaru swings his bat around.

 

“But…isn’t it dangerous?”

 

“Awe, don’t worry Takumi!” Moko smiles at him, “Moko is an experienced wrestler! She knows how to hold back!”

 

“Yeah, don’t worry, Takumi. I would never hurt a woman!”

 

“Actually, I think you should join us, Takumi!” Moko adds, “Let’s all work hard and get stronger together!”

 

Takumi takes a moment to think about it. On one hand, neither of them look like they actually know how to hold back. On the other, he has noticed that the Training Room simulator has become pretty repetitive lately. Maybe a change of pace was exactly what he needed to advance his skills further. And that was more important now than ever.

 

“Alright,” Takumi replies reluctantly, “I’ll join you.”

 

He… regretted the decision pretty quickly.

 

Dodge, strike, move, counter, slash, dodge, stab, move, strike, stab, dodge, counter, slash....

 

Fighting two of his most enthusiastic, fight-driven teammates at the same time was… overwhelming, to put it lightly. Takumi was moving on pure instincts and adrenaline.

 

There was no time to think, to strategize…

 

No time to doubt, to hesitate.

 

No time to dwell on his exhaustion.

 

All he could do was shut off his brain and trust his body to keep going,

 

to keep moving,

 

to keep fighting…!

 

…

 

After what feels like forever, though, realistically, it couldn’t have been more than an hour, Takumi finds himself bend over in the middle of the gym, hands on his knees and class weapon at his feet, panting and shaking all over.

 

“I… I think… that’s… enough…for… t-today…” Takumi manages to squeeze out of his lungs while attempting (and failing) to catch his breath.

 

“Damn… you were… pretty good, Takumi” Takemaru, also visibly exhausted and out-of-breath, pats Takumi on the shoulder.

 

“Yeah! As expected of our team leader.” Moko, who doesn’t look exhausted at all, hands him a bottle of water. Takumi snatches it out of her hand and chugs the whole thing down in one go.

 

“You guys were amazing…” Takumi wipes the sweat off his forehead, his breath finally evening out, “I think I trained harder than I ever had… I didn’t even have time to think about how tired I was.”

 

“Yep! Once you let go of all of your mental barriers, that’s when true greatness can shine!” Moko lectures like a seasoned coach, “body and mind work like one. Thoughts like ‘I’m so tired,’ and ‘I don’t wanna do this’ will always prevent you from reaching your full potential. That’s why in most cases it’s just better to shut those thoughts off completely and push your body to its limit!”

 

“Yeah… that certainly seems to be true,” Takumi smiles despite his exhaustion, “thanks for training with me.”

 

“Any time!” Moko replies lively, “we should do it tomorrow too!”

 

“Haha, maybe…” Takumi laughs awkwardly, not sure if he is ready to go through this torture again so soon, “but, for now, I think I’m gonna go rest.”

 

“Good idea, Takumi. I’ll follow your example.” Takemaru says, his muscles still shaking a bit.

 

“Of course! See you tomorrow, guys! Make sure to do your post-training stretches!” Moko shouts after them as the two leave the gym.

 

Upon arriving up to his room, Takumi collapses onto his sofa with an exhausted sigh. He decides to just stay there and let his thoughts wonder for a while. Somehow, those thoughts end up drifting towards Eito. What is he doing now? Is he also preparing for the upcoming battle? Training at the simulation, wielding his powerful scythe to take down the programmed invaders? Or, perhaps, he is sticking to a more casual routine today? Doing laundry, obsessively cleaning every inch of his room?  

 

Takumi visited that room only a couple of times in his first timeline. At first, he assumed Eito was just a bit of a germaphobe, afraid of getting sick due to his already weakened health. Turns out, he probably just wanted to keep his personal space clean of any trace of other humans.

 

Now that Takumi thinks about it… he should probably shower before meeting Eito. Usually, he prefers to shower in the evening, after all the work and training for the day is done, but reducing his… “human” scents might make it easier for Eito to be near him.

 

Why does he care about making it easier for Eito?

…

Just basic consideration, I guess.

 

With that, Takumi hops in for a quick shower. He finds himself using just a bit more soap and shampoo than usual.

 

After drying off and putting on some fresh clothes, he finally heads to the courtyard.

 

The hot air and humidity hit Takumi before he even makes it through the door; someone must have adjusted the courtyard settings recently. As he scans this place full of greenery and neo-gothic decor, he realizes that he is there alone. Takumi thinks about just taking a sit on one of the benches while he waits, but instead he finds himself pacing around the yard.

…Why can’t he just keep still?

 

“Takumi!”

 

Takumi quickly turns around to the source of the voice.

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Eito heads towards him with a big smile on his face, “but there is a good reason for it. Look, I came prepared!”

 

Takumi glances down to see what Eito is holding. It’s…

 

“A bucket?”

 

“Mhm!” Eito nods proudly, holding up the giant, blue bucket, “you know, in case I need to throw up.”

 

“Ah…” Takumi is reminded of the last time he tried holding Eito’s bare hand. It’s still so weird that a simple touch could make someone so sick… “I guess that’s a good idea.”

 

“Of course it is. Well, shall we get started?” Eito starts walking towards the bench, but as he passes Takumi, he suddenly stops, as if detecting something.

 

“Everything okay?” Takumi asks, noticing the reaction.

 

Eito smiles, more to himself than to Takumi.

 

“Yes. You are a very nice person, Takumi.”

 

“Huh??”

 

But Eito ignores him and proceeds to the bench, carefully placing the bucket at his feet. Takumi follows and sits beside him.

 

“So, what have you been up to, Takumi?” Eito asks as he takes off his glove.

 

“Oh, not much…” Takumi watches Eito’s hand intensely. It might not be his first time, but seeing it without the glove is still weird. He observes the pale skin, long fingers, and short, well-maintained nails. He then notices that the small cut on Eito’s finger has almost healed. “I did train with Takemaru and Moko today, though.”

 

“Ah, sounds exhausting. Intense training will undoubtfully make you stronger, though” Eito reaches his hand to out Takumi.

 

“Y-Yeah, it was pretty effective… uh,” he looks at Eito with hesitation, “… Are you, um…ready?”

 

Eito tilts his head. “You really don’t have to ask that every time, Takumi.”

 

“…Alright.” Takumi reaches out and gently takes Eito’s hand in his. To his surprise, Eito responds by softly wrapping his fingers around his hand. Once again, his skin is cool to the touch, but it’s a welcomed sensation in the humid warmth of the courtyard.

 

Takumi watches Eito’s face intensely. It seems to grow paler by the second, eyebrows narrowing in a tense expression, drops of sweat forming on his forehead....

 

“Are you okay?” Takumi whispers.

 

“Y-Yeah…I can handle it…” Eito chokes out, lowering his head and placing his other hand on his chest.

 

“But you… really don’t look so well,” genuine concern paints Takumi’s voice.

 

In response, Eito’s fingers dig into Takumi’s skin. Takumi takes it as a sign to shut up.

 

After what feels like forever, though, realistically, it couldn’t have been more than a minute, Eito finally lets go and exhales loudly, as if he was holding his breath the entire time. Takumi can’t help but notice that he is shaking.

 

“I… think that’s enough… for today…” Eito’s voice wavers as he attempts to catch his breath. He then covers his mouth with his hands, suppressing the urge to vomit.

 

“Yeah…” Takumi nods uncertainty, still wary of Eito’s state…

 

“That seemed to go better than last time, though, right?” he asks after giving Eito a moment.

 

“Y-Yeah…” Eito wipes the sweat of his face, “It was still absolutely revolting but…”

 

“But?”

 

“The warmth I felt last time…” Eito takes another deep breath, calming his tone, “I could feel it more clearly just now. It was… pleasant. Comforting, even.”

 

“‘Comforting’?” Takumi echoes, his eyes suddenly glimmering with hope, “that’s major progress, isn’t it?”

 

“Indeed,” Eito nods thoughtfully, “it’s going much better than I expected. I guess that means my strategy works.”

 

“Strategy? Have you done anything differently?” Takumi asks, curious.

 

“A couple of things,” Eito reveals, “you probably noticed one of them.”

 

It doesn’t take much time for Takumi to connect the dots. “The place, right? You said that this is more relaxing for you.”

 

“Yes,” Eito pauses for a moment, probably to take in the peaceful atmosphere of the courtyard, “I don’t know how my disorder works or what’s its true nature is, exactly, but I know for a fact that it’s cognitive. In other words, there is an issue with how my brain process sensory, audible, and visual signals. Well, the latter doesn’t matter anymore, I suppose.”

 

“R-Right.” Takumi agrees awkwardly. “But what does that have to do with the place?”

 

“Look around, Takumi,” Eito suggests, “can you see the green grass?”

 

Takumi looks down.

 

“Yes,” he replies, uncertain of what the point is.

 

“How about the sky ceiling?”

 

Takumi lifts his head up. “Yes.”

 

“And what about the cages?”

 

“Uh huh…” Takumi says with hesitation, still not understanding where Eito is going with this.

 

“See?” Eito starts proudly, as if excited to reveal a new discovery, “though you can’t control how your brain processes the information, you can choose what information to focus on.”

 

“Oh…!” Takumi exclaims, the pieces finally falling into place, “are you saying you brought us here, because the relaxing atmosphere makes it easier to focus on pleasant things?”

 

“Precisely,” Eito nods, “of course, the atmosphere alone isn’t enough. It took a lot intentional effort to shut any disturbing thoughts off and focus on the positives, like on smell of flowers, or on the fact that I was holding the hand of our strong, beautiful leader Takumi,” he says the last part so matter-of-factly that Takumi almost doesn’t notice… almost.

 

“That’s… pretty amazing, Eito,” Takumi says with a smile, deciding not to comment on the ‘beautiful’ remark, “I’m sure it’s going to take a lot of willpower, but that resilience is definitely something you can train.”

 

“Yes, I will,” Eito says firmly, “I will train it and become stronger, so that, one day, I can truly appreciate how beautiful all of you are.”

 

Takumi takes a second to look at Eito… at his tight jaw, slightly frowning brows, stoic lips. It’s amazing how his face can convey so much determination even without the eyes to express it.  

 

Can’t let him upstage me, Takumi thinks in playful competitiveness.

 

“In that case, I will train hard and become stronger to protect everyone. So that all of us could survive this.”

 

“Well, in that case,” Eito’s face relaxes, a big smile appearing on it, “let’s get stronger together, Takumi.”

Notes:

Hiiii! Sorry for not posting for a while guys :(
It took me days to figure out what I wanted to do in this chapter and how exactly I was going to tie its themes together. It’s not my favorite so far, but I think it still turned out alright. Hope you enjoyed some moments of it.

Chapter 8: The Path We Chose

DING DONG BING BONG

 

“Up and at ‘em, troops! Time to rise and shine! Wowie! It is your 90th day of active service at Last Defense Academy. The time humanity has longed for is almost upon us! We’re finally at the home stretch now! It’s been a long and arduous journey, but since you’ve made it this far, I just know you’re gonna be fine! In 10 days, you’ll have your happy ending, and all of you will become heroes who saved humanity! Well then, everyone, work hard together and keep those spirits up! Oh, that’s right! Messages of encouragement have been flooding in from the people on the satellite. If you are interested, I will be happy to share them with you!”

 

Takumi wakes up to the special 90-day morning announcement.

 

Happy ending? Can something like that really be achieved by wiping out the entire population of this planet?

 

They decided to keep fighting for each other, which consequently meant that they were fighting on humanity’s side. Still, that didn’t mean that they were okay with massacring potentially billions of people.

 

When day 100 comes… what should they do?

 

With those thoughts swirling in his mind, Takumi gets dressed and heads to the cafeteria. He finds everyone except Nozomi, Yugamu, and Tsubasa chatting there.

 

“Yo, did you guys hear about the messages? I wonder who send them. They could be idols or actresses! Or maybe some cute girls! There must be cute girls admiring us from up there, right? RIGHT?” Takumi hears Gaku shout excitedly, much to his dismay. Hearing Gaku’s perversions first thing in the morning is quite irritating.  

 

Instead of saying anything for now, Takumi concerns himself with the Ration-O-Matic’s breakfast menu.

 

“It’s nobody that you know. You don’t have a single friend in the complex,” he hears Hiruko crashing Gaku’s spirits.

 

“Come on, man! Why did you have to remind me of that?” Gaku cries, his optimism defeated.

 

“At any rate, we should pay no mind to those messages,” Hiruko continues, “It’s much more important to focus on preparing for battle.”

 

“Right. We might face Dahl'xia any moment now,” Takemaru speaks, devouring his food like a starved animal.

 

“My, my, time is moving so fast,” Moko chimes in livelily, “And it’s already day 90.”

 

“Honestly, I’m not sure I’m ready to say goodbye to this school yet.”

 

Takumi can’t help but turn around upon hearing Eito’s voice. It’s soft and a bit dry, just as it tends to be in the mornings.

 

“I’ve spent most of my time here either off campus or in a cage,” Eito elaborates.

 

“By the way, how did you spend your time when you were working with the invaders, Mr. Aotsuki?” Ima inquires.

 

“You want to hear about that? It’s a long tale of adventure and intrigue, you know!” Eito’s face lights up with eagerness to share his story. In a way, that’s almost…

 

cute…?

 

…

 

Huh..?

 

“No, thank you.” Hiruko stops him before Eito can begin one of his 10-minute monologues. “More importantly, how are the battle preparations going, everyone?”

 

“Me and Ima have gathered the materials for Tsubasa’s trap!” Kako reports proudly, “she is working on it right now, I believe.”

 

“Takumi, Takemaru, and I have been training together to gain more strength!” Moko adds, already hyped up “we’re doing that again today!”

 

“W-We are…?” Takumi tries to keep the terror out of his voice. He was expecting it eventually, but his body hasn’t fully recovered from yesterday.

 

“Damn right,” Takemaru affirms with a grin, “can’t have you slacking off on us, Team Leader.”

 

“Ugh…”

 

“And what about you three?” Hiruko asks Shouma, Gaku, and Eito.

 

“Um….” Gaku smiles awkwardly, avoiding eye contact completely. He says nothing after that.

 

“I’m not surprised.” Hiruko sends Gaku a cold, judgmental look before turning to Shouma.

 

“I-I’ve been training hard. Even trash like me might become a bit useful if I train hard enough.”

 

“Good,” Hiruko nods approvingly, “What about you, Eito?”

 

“Since Yugamu is busy preparing the poison for Dahl'xia, I’ve taking it upon myself to re-stock our basic potion supply.”

 

“What? Can you even make them with your eyes like that?” Takumi asks, suddenly a bit concerned.

 

“Oh, yes. Most ingredients have very distinct smells, and I’m pretty confident in my estimated measurements,” Eito smiles in Takumi’s general direction.

 

“Oh…”

 

“Though I might have gotten a chemical burn yesterday,” Eito adds causally. The others exchange awkward glances in response.

 

“Ahem. I appreciate the effort, Eito, but let’s leave those tasks to our seeing members next time,” Hiruko says finally, her voice calm but firm.

 

“Right. Leave them to Mr. Maruko; he has nothing better to do anyways!” Ima looks at Gaku condescendingly.

 

“Hey! I’ve actually been working pretty hard, you know!”

 

Takumi listens to their bickering while the Ration-O-Matic prepares his rice, miso soup, and grilled fish. Once the steaming-hot food is out, he takes the tray and walks towards the empty seat next to Eito.

 

“Hey, is your burn okay?”

 

Eito’s body shifts, as if to indicate that his attention is now on Takumi.

 

“Yes, it’s a fairly mild one. Some base got on my hand and ate through my glove without me noticing, but I washed it off as soon as I could feel something dissolving my skin,” Eito explains as if it’s just a minor, everyday inconvenience.

 

“I-I see…” Takumi trails off, not sure how to react to that. He notices that one of Eito’s gloves is a bit bulkier than the other, probably from a bandage underneath it. “Do you get hurt more often since…”

 

Since you took your own eyes out?

 

“Well, yes,” Eito admits. It’s obvious, of course. How could it be any other way? But, if Takumi was honest with himself, he hasn’t really thought about the challenges Eito has been facing so far. He seemed so collected and competent all the time that, sometimes, Takumi would forget about his blindness altogether. And yet, realistically speaking, Eito’s entire world must have changed since that night.

 

“But they are just minor cuts and bruises,” Eito adds, noticing Takumi’s silence, “no need to worry about me, Takumi.”

 

How does Eito get ready every morning? Has he developed an effective routine or does he still stumble and lose stuff sometime? Does he misplace things often? Can he make himself a sandwich without cutting himself? Does he get lost in the school at all? What about cleaning and laundry…?

 

“Takumi?”

 

“Ah, sorry,” Takumi returns his attention to Eito, “I just… spaced out for a moment.”

 

“Oh? What’s on your mind?” Eito inquires.

 

You.

 

…

 

...yeah, he’s not saying that.

 

“It’s nothing,” Takumi says instead, “but, um, Eito…”

 

“Yes?”

 

 “If you ever need help with anything, don’t be afraid to ask, okay?” he asks awkwardly. Takumi is not used to being this straightforward, but he wants to be a reliable asset to all of his teammates. This includes Eito.

 

In response, Eito just smiles.

 

“Okay, Takumi.”

 

The day goes on as usual. Takumi finishes breakfast, trains with Moko and Takemaru, and spends the rest of the day doing small tasks here and there in preparation for battle. He makes sure to prepare a couple of extra potions so that a certain someone wouldn’t be tempted to spill chemicals on himself again. 

 

At the end, Takumi finds himself lying in his bed, exhausted and ready for a good night of rest.

 

…

…

 

“Takky!”

 

He opens his eyes and sees…

 

…Karua?

///        //////            /////

“You’re awake, thank goodness! Welcome back, Takky!”

 

Takumi looks around. He appears to be in a hospital bed. He looks out the window just to see the dome of the Tokyo Residential Complex.

 

Everything looks… normal?

 

He… is back?

 

“Karua… So, it was all a dream? All of it?”

////////    ///////     //

“It’s going to be okay, Takky. I don’t know what happened, but… I’m always by your side, you know that, right?” She takes his hand in hers. “I will make sure to protect you from now on, just like you always protected me.”’

///////// ///////// //////// // /// //

Karua’s face is soft and gentle, her voice a mix of worry and relief.

 

Takumi looks at her, attempting to take it all in. Something is…

/      /       /      /

…wrong.

 

“Wait, Karua…”

 

“Takky, I lov-”

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

………

 

Takumi wakes up in cold sweat, the image of a girl who only exists in his memories still fresh in his mind.

 

Karua.

 

He had decided to accept the truth and move forward, but it’s still hard to believe that all of his memories were fake. No, not just hard… it’s painful. He might understand that she never existed, but to his brain, those memories are just as real as any other ones.  Losing them… and losing her…  it’s just…

 

…

 

Takumi spends some time just laying there, struck by grief and depressing thoughts. After a while, he realizes that he won’t be falling asleep anytime soon and decides to take a walk outside to clear his mind instead.

 

Once he steps out, he sees a figure sitting on the edge of the roof.

 

“Eito?” Takumi calls out, recognizing the white hair and oversized jacket.

 

Eito turns his head to the sounds of his name.

 

“Hey, Takumi! Out on an evening stroll?”

 

“Yeah, just wanted to get some fresh air,” he answers, deciding that going into the details is unnecessary. If anything, talking to Eito might help him distract himself from that. “And why aren’t you asleep?”

 

“Well, back when I was working with the invaders, I would go out at night to admire the stary sky,” Eito answers, lifting his head up reminiscently, “of course, I can’t see the stars anymore, but I guess the habit stuck. It’s actually pretty nice, you know? Having a moment of privacy to contemplate some… more entertaining thoughts.”

 

Takumi looks up at the sky, illuminated by billions of stars and the soft glow of the Artificial Satellite. To never see it again… that’s a terrifying thought. Was Eito aware of it when he decided to blind himself? Did he step outside one last time to admire the stars before doing what he did? Takumi wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

 

“And what is on your mind tonight?” He decides to ask instead, hopping the railing and settling himself besides Eito.

 

Eito stays quite for a moment, as if contemplating if his thoughts are really worth sharing. For Eito, who typically has no issues with long ass monologues, this is quite unusual.

 

“Well, there are two things, mainly,” Eito begins, “First are the astronomical conditions of Futurum.”

 

“The astronomical condition?” Takumi repeats, a bit dumbfounded. When Eito said “entertaining,” the innerworkings of the cosmos was probably the last thing on Takumi’s mind.

 

“Mhm. From what we learned in the TRC, Earth was part of the solar system, which consisted of eight planets orbiting around Sol, or the Sun. The gravitational forces of all the planets acted on each other, resulting in a steady balance. Earth also had a natural satellite, Luna, or the moon, whose gravitational pull initiated various processes on Earth, making it more suitable for life.”

 

“Really? I didn’t know the moon was so important…” Takumi comments. He never really paid much attention in school… at least, not in the memories he was given.

 

“Very important,” Eito nods, “but…this planet doesn’t have a moon. The Artificial Satellite only arrived a few hundred years ago, after all. In fact, there is no guarantee that Futurum is similar to Earth in any way besides its atmosphere and the ability to sustain life. What kind of star is it orbiting? How big is the orbit? What other planets are orbiting this star? How old is this planet? What’s its actual size...?”

 

Eito keeps listing off question as Takumi realizes that there are, indeed, too many things none of them know or understand about this new world. To think that they are going to destroy all life on this planet… destroy all the knowledge that the people here hold…

 

“Of course, humanity already has most of this information,” Eito continues, “I was planning to search the library to satisfy my curiosity earlier, but then I remembered that books are… pretty useless to me, in my current state.”

 

“Oh… right,” Takumi feels a bit sad at the realization. Eito mentioned that books were his only comfort for a long time… and now he couldn’t even turn to them.

 

“Hey,” Takumi finds himself speaking up, his voice driven by a bizarre, irrational desire to cheer Eito up, “when this war is over, I… can read you a book about it.”

 

Eito turns to Takumi all of a sudden, his usually calm demeanor now replaced by pure, unadulterated shock.

 

“You… want to stay friends… after the war is over?” he says slowly, as if he can’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.

 

“H-Huh? Of course,” Takumi realizes the truth of those words as he speaks them, “all of us went through so much together. We cried together and laughed together, bled together and healed together, fought together, won together, died together and… survived together. This connection… this bond is something that the SDU will have forever, and that includes you, repeat traitor.” The last words are teasing but not malicious.

 

Eito smiles as Takumi’s words sink in. For a second, Takumi thinks he saw a tear roll down his cheek, glistening softly under the Satellite’s glow, but Eito turns his head away too quickly for Takumi to be sure.

 

“When you said you wanted to go back to your boring, peaceful life after the war, I… I thought I would have no place in it.” Eito confesses with a bittersweet smile, his voice a bit chocked up. “Thank you, Takumi, for believing in a traitor like me.”

 

“Of course,” Takumi smiles, “I’m starting to think that was the correct decision.”

 

“It means a lot to hear that, truly.” Eito says with gratitude, giving himself time to process this revelation. After a few moments, he speaks up again, his tone now a more grounded one.

 

“Speaking of treason, that was the other thing on my mind.”

 

“H-HUH?” Takumi backs away instinctively.

 

“Oops. Poor choice of words,” Eito laughs innocently, “more specifically, I was thinking about the root cause of my betrayal.”

 

“Root cause...? Wasn’t that just… your hatred for humanity?” Takumi asks, allowing himself to relax a little.

 

“Yes, and the disorder that caused it,” Eito says, his tone returning to serious and thoughtful, “According to Sirei, it was just a bag… nothing but a glitch that messed up my brain. But, is that really it? Is it really just a coincidence that someone like me, someone so perfectly designed to betray the SDU and sabotage this mission, ended up here?”

 

Takumi swallows nervously, trying to ignore the unease rising in his stomach. “What…What else could it possibly be?”

 

“A deliberate sabotage.” Eito answers with great conviction.

 

“A sabotage??”

 

Eito nods and pauses for a second. Takumi can tell that he is gathering his thoughts before a lengthy explanation.

 

“One thing I learned about humanity from the days I spent in the library is that humans can never agree on anything,” Eito begins, face directed straight ahead, as if he is looking at the ruins beyond the wall of fire. “Religion, politics, morals… form countries to tiny communities, each group has a different set of objectives and believes. And even within those groups, there are disagreements. Every power has an opposition; every plan has critics… every movement has a counter-movement. And they all fight, kill, and destroy each other just because they are too foolish and arrogant to reconcile with ‘the other,’” as Eito speaks, a hateful venom sips through his voice -- an edge that Takumi hadn’t heard in a while. He can’t help but tense up at that tone.

 

“So… you’re saying that there is a group on the Artificial Satellite that opposes the idea of invading Futurum?”

 

“If anything I know about humanity is true, there must be,” Eito nods thoughtfully, his tone returning to normal, “of course, they are, most likely, a small minority, but that wouldn’t matter as long as at least one of them made it onto the team of scientists who created us.”

 

“And you think that one of them would… mess with your brain on purpose?” Takumi asks, skeptical at first.

 

“I don’t have any evidence, of course,” Eito admits, “but wouldn’t that make more sense than a major, fate-altering glitch going unnoticed through years of research and simulations? Especially when none of you guys’ brains had any issues at all?”

 

“But… how would they even do that…?” Takumi asks, the skepticism slowly leaving his voice despite the new questions.

 

Eito shrugs. “I don’t know how brain alternation works, but judging from Eva’s brainwashing, it can be done fairly quickly. My best guess is they altered my brain just before sending us to Futurum, almost like installing a virus on an otherwise good computer. That way, the people in charge of the project would be less likely to notice.”

 

Takumi is silent, trying to wrap his head about the possibility.

 

“I guess the end result doesn’t change either way,” Eito adds, face twisting in disgust “but the thought that I was created just to be used as a pawn in humanity’s ugly games is just so… disturbing… so gross.”

 

“It is gross,” Takumi agrees, suddenly feeling the familiar anger rising in his chest “but that goes for the rest of us, too. All of us were created as pawns for a selfish war, given fake lives and memories just so they could manipulate us into fighting…” his mind jumps to Karua, but he quickly pushes the image out of his head. “But we refused to just accept it. We decided to disregard humanity’s interests and fight on our own terms. We have chosen our own path… and that is especially true for you.” He sends Eito a meaningful look. He knows that Eito’s can’t see it, but hopes he can feel the “general vibe.”

 

“After all,” Takumi adds with a smile, “if you were still a pawn, you would have pushed me off this roof like 10 minutes ago.”

 

For a second, Eito appears taken aback.

 

And the next second… he laughs. It’s a genuine, light laugh that is so scarce when it comes to Eito.

 

“And if you were still a pawn, you would have killed me when Sirei ordered you to.”

 

Takumi chuckles. “I guess that’s true.”

 

Eito raises his head to the sky, letting the soft glow of the Satellite illuminate his thoughtful face, “I suppose this evening… the two of us being alive right now, sharing a conversation under the stars… that’s… the direct result of our resilience.”

 

Takumi follows Eito’s example and gazes up at the night sky. The Satellite, once magnificent and alluring, is now just a mellow presence among the stars.

 

“Yep. That’s the path we chose.”

Chapter 9: Complicated

Takumi wakes up to the morning announcement. It is day 91. Just 9 days until they can leave this place and take full control of their lives back.

 

Of course, there are still plenty of things left to do -- fight Dahl'xia, defeat V’ehxness, decide what to do about Shion -- but Takumi doesn’t feel as overwhelmed by their situation as he usually does every morning. They were already choosing their path, already taking control of their own fate. All that’s left to do is to trust in his decisions and keep moving forward!

 

Like usual, he makes his way to the cafeteria. The first person he notices is someone he hasn’t seen in a while.

 

“Shion!”

 

“Good morning, Takumi!” The boy engulfed in undying waves at him from the crowd. It appears he was having a conversation with the others just now.

 

“Good to see you,” Takumi approaches the group, “is it okay for you to show up like that?”

 

“Yes, I couldn’t stay back there anymore,” Shion replies, determination lighting up his eyes, “I only have a couple of days left. I want to spend as much time with all of you as possible.”

 

Sadness hits Takumi upon those words. That’s right… Shion only has a bit over a week before the Omnidirectional Attack is launched. And once it is, he…

 

“I still can’t believe we are going to say goodbye to you so soon,” Tsubasa says weakly, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

 

Somber silence falls in the cafeteria, but Shion doesn’t let it linger.

 

“That’s why I want to treasure my time with all of you,” He speaks rather calmly, apparently have accepted his fate a long time ago. “You allowed me to join this team, allowed me to become your friend, and I want to make the most of that. I know our hardships aren’t over yet, the most brutal battle still awaits, but… I know we can manage. So, let’s do this together. We have each other, so let’s overcome this together, as friends.”

 

Everyone else remains silent as they take in Shion’s words.

 

“When you put it that way, we have no choice but to agree,” Kako is the first to break the silence, a bittersweet smile on her face.

 

“That’s right! Let’s do this!” Moko shouts, all hyped up like usual, “DO WE GOT THIS?”

 

“W-We got this!” Shouma shouts in response, voice confident… or at least as confident as Shouma’s voice can be.

 

“Right,” Hiruko speaks with a satisfied smile on her face, “let’s come together and end this war once and for all.”

 

Takumi watches everyone, a deep affection rising in his chest. That’s right, he isn’t alone. He has his team… his friends… his found family. He can overcome anything as long as they are by his side.

 

“We won’t lose, guys. We will take back our future with our own hands!”

 

With this uplifting atmosphere, everyone triumphally devours their breakfast. After doing some basic battle preparations, Takumi decides that he should spend more time with Shion today. After all, he should cherish every moment he has left with him.

 

Takumi finds Shion on the roof, looking down at the ruins beyond the fire wall.

 

“What’s up, Shion?” Takumi approaches him, “have you been spending time with everyone?”

 

“Oh, hi Takumi!” Shion turns around, his face now lit up not just by the flames, but also by pure, childlike excitement. “Yes, I have. I actually talked to Tsubasa just now. She is still working on the trap for Dahl'xia, but she promised to show me some of her passion projects once she is done! I also spent around an hour listening to Moko’s wrestling adventures; she is a great storyteller! Oh, and the twins invited me to join them for dinner. They said they had a new recipe they wanted to try making with me!”

 

Takumi watches with amusement as Shion recounts his day like a little kid. “Sounds like you were wasting no time!” he laughs. Seeing Shion’s wish come true… him having fun with everyone else… it warms his heart.

 

“Yes. And it’s all thanks to you, Takumi,” Shion brings a hand to his heart, serene expression replacing the excitement on his face, “because of you, my voice was able to reach everyone. I finally have friends that I can talk to, friends that I will die to protect. That’s all I ever wanted so... from the bottom of my heart, thank you. You made my short life much more meaningful.”

 

“Shion…” Takumi walks over and rests his arms on the railing besides him, “this mission, for which we were created, only exists because of you. You are the reason why all of us are alive right now so… I am very happy that I could grant your wish. It’s the least I could do to repay you for everything.”

 

Shion’s face flickers in surprise before easing back into serenity. “You know, after we found out the truth… I blamed myself. I believed that, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have to go through so much anguish and suffering. But when you look at this like that, I guess I… gave you a lot of happiness, too.”

 

“Yes…” Takumi turns his head looking far ahead into the distance, “you gave us a life and a future. We will always remember you for that.”

 

“A future…” Shion echoes, following Takumi’s gaze, “what are you planning to do with it, Takumi?”

 

“Well, I don’t have the specifics figured out yet,” Takumi admits calmly, still looking ahead, “I know it will take a while to adjust to the life after the war. We will have a lot of work to do, but… eventually, I just want to go back to living a calm, peaceful life. A life where my biggest problem is a petty boss and the largest decision of the day is what to make for dinner.”

 

As Takumi speaks, he finds himself longing for that life more and more. A small, cozy apartment, a normal job, regular trips to the grocery store, sleep uninterrupted by alarms, chores that don’t include the creation of weapons or poisons and, of course…

 

“I would stay friends with everyone else,” Takumi says with conviction. If there is one thing he knows for certain, it’s this. “It doesn’t matter what paths they choose for themselves; I will find a way to keep in contact. I would invite Moko, Takemaru, and Shouma to exercise together. I would stop by to help Tsubasa with her projects. I would call Yugamu to ask about his studies. I would organize parties with Gaku. I would invite Nozomi to catch-up over coffee, and maybe, sometimes, we would look at the stars together. I would even let the twins make one of their food concoctions for me…” Takumi pauses as Shion’s face lights up in a small laugh.

 

“…and, sometimes, I would stop by Eito’s place and read him a book.”

 

At the mention of Eito, Shion pauses and lowers his head.

 

“Eito Aotsuki…” Shion says slowly, as if the name itself is a mystery, “I know I said I wanted to spend as much time with everyone as possible, but I can’t figure out how to approach him. I… don’t even know if trying is a good idea,” he admits, mixed feelings showing through his fire-lit face.

 

“That’s understandable,” Takumi sighs. Even he wasn’t sure how to approach Eito most of the time, “he… is difficult and confusing and unlike anyone I’ve ever met. Sometimes, I still shudder when I remember all the things he did… all the things he is capable of…” he trails off, trying to block the cold laughter and hateful eyes out of his memory.

 

“And yet, you decided to let him back on the team…” Shion comments, his tone implying a question.

 

“Yes, because…” Takumi exhales as the image of Eito’s betrayal fades away, “he is doing his best to change.”

 

Takumi’s mind now jumps to day 82… to the two gaping black holes where Eito’s eyes were supposed to be. It’s still a disturbing image, but now Takumi is able to put significance to it… to see how much it represents.

 

“No matter how painful or torturous the path is, he will walk it if it means becoming a better, less hateful version of himself. How could I reject someone who possesses such determination?”

 

“Hmmm,” Shion appears thoughtful, probably considering Takumi’s words.

 

“I know he is… complicated,” Takumi nearly laughs at his own understatement, “but I think you should give him a chance, Shion. He might surprise you, just like he surprised me.”

 

“…Alright.” Shion says after a long pause.

 

Takumi relaxes immediately. For some reason, he really wants others to see how much Eito has changed. “Thank you. I’m sure he will appreciate it.”

 

“Perhaps, but he definitely won’t appreciate it right now,” Shion glances behind him, “I should talk to him when he is not on his 3rd attempt at laundry.”

 

“Wha-”

 

But before he can finish, Shion disappears into the thin air. As he does, Takumi notices Eito at the distance, walking with a basket full of clothes yet to be hanged to dry. Suddenly, he trips and falls forward, landing on his face in an almost-comical manner. The basket does a dramatic flip in the process, sending the fresh shocks and sheets flying to the dirty ground. For a few seconds, Eito just lays there disappointingly, looking like he is about to cry.  

 

Complicated, huh…

 

Takumi laughs to himself and rushes to help Eito up.

Chapter 10: Just in Case

“Would you mind holding my hand and lead the way?”

 

“…Huh??”

 

It is the morning of day 92. Takumi ended up running into Eito on the roof.

 

“Like I said,” Eito proceeds innocently, “I got lost on my way to the cafeteria. It would be a big help if you could lead me there.” He holds out his gloved hand to Takumi.

 

“Uh… Weren’t you navigating the school just fine until now?” Takumi asks skeptically, eyes jumping between Eito’s hand and his face.

 

His question is met with silence. Eito just stands there, hand extended, smiling at Takumi as if he hasn’t heard him.

 

Does he just… want to hold my hand?

 

“Ugh, fine…”

 

It’s a weird request, and it’s even weirder for Eito to make an excuse instead of asking outright, but Takumi decides that he is not awake enough to argue. Instead, he takes Eito’s hand, and, feeling the cold leather, drags him inside the school.

 

“Thank you, Takumi,” he hears a cheery voice behind him, “you are a big help.”

 

The stairway is dim and quiet, as usual.

 

“Careful here,” Takumi whispers as he takes the first step down. Eito follows him, his step more uncertain.

 

They descent a few steps carefully, hand in hand, but Eito’s movements are awkward and shaky.

 

“Um… here,” Takumi raises his arm slightly, adjusting it for better support, “you can lean on it.”

 

Eito’s face is tense, but he manages a “thank you.”

 

Takumi has to flex his arm a couple of times to prevent Eito from stumbling forward, but he doesn’t mind the extra effort.

 

As they walk down the cold stairway, Takumi can’t help but notice their proximity. Eito’s shoulder brushing against his own… the heat emanating from Eito’ body… The way Eito’s steady breath tickles his cheek.

 

Suddenly, Takumi is hyper aware of his heart. The heavy beating against his rib cage, the steady pulse echoing in his head…

 

That’s weird.

 

Is he… just nervous about falling?

 

…

 

Eventually, they reach the right hallway. The way to the cafeteria should be straightforward from there, but, suddenly, Eito stops in his tracks.

 

“What’s wrong?” Takumi glances at Eito. His expression is alert; he appears to be listening to something.

 

“Moko and Nozomi,” Eito says finally.

 

Takumi turns around and, indeed, sees the two girls walking towards them from the far end of the hallway.

 

“Good morning!” Moko notices them first, her eyes quickly falling down in surprise, “Oh my my, looks like love is in the air tonight!”

 

“Huh?” Takumi follows Moko’s gaze, which lands on his and Eito’s hand. Suddenly, he is much more aware of how this looks. “O-Oh, no! T-That’s not-”

 

“Haha, he was just lending me a hand,” Eito explains, letting go of Takumi to wave his hand in a dismissive motion, “I got lost this morning and needed some guidance.”

 

He appears to be completely unfazed by the whole misunderstanding.

 

“Y-Yeah…” Takumi confirms, feeling a bit relieved. For the first time, he is grateful for Eito’s ability to handle every situation with composure.

 

Any relieve is gone the moment his eyes meet Nozomi, who looks at him with explicit concern. Takumi’s heart drops.

 

“Anyways, Nozomi,” Eito switches the topic as if nothing has happened, “if you are joining us for breakfast, does that mean the poison is ready?”

 

“O-Oh, yes,” she nods, her gaze still fixated on Takumi, “Yugamu will be joining us soon, too. He said he had a couple of finishing touches to deal with.”

 

“Perfect,” Eito smiles brightly, apparently oblivious to the tension penetrating the hallway. “Then, shall we?” He gestures to the cafeteria.

 

The others don’t object. With awkward silence, they enter the cafeteria and disperse to grab their meals.

 

Soon after, Yugamu arrives.

 

“Hello, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

 

“Yugamu, is the poison done?” Takumi jumps to the point right away, relieved to have something to distract himself from the awkward encounter earlier.

 

“Well, yes, but… I’ve been working non-stop. I’m dead tired now,” he complains with a grin, “could somebody bring me a nice, cold cola? With ice and lemon, ideally.”

 

“On it!” Eito swiftly stands up from his seat.

 

“W-Wait you’re gonna hurt yourself!” Tsubasa rushes after him.

 

“I can handle a drink,” the other assures her happily, already reaching for something on the counter.

 

“Eito! That’s the wrong bottle-”

 

Takumi decides to let them figure it out and turns his attention back to Yugamu instead. “So… did you find a way to make Dahl'xia consume the poison?”

 

Yugamu nods. “I tested a couple of methods, but the one that stood out in its effectiveness is to administer it as an aerosol.”

 

“What the hell is that?” Takemaru asks, shoving a big piece of omelette into his mouth.

 

“A fine mist that can be inhaled,” Hiruko explains with an annoyed expression on her face, “you are in high school, right? Haven’t you learned anything at all?”

 

“Shaddap, it ain’t my fault! Those were false memories anyways,” Takemaru defends himself, slightly flustered.

 

“So, in other words, we vaporize the poison and get Dahl'xia to inhale it,” Takumi summarizes.

 

“Yes,” Yugamu nods, “the problem is, it would require a longer time to take effect. Additionally, we can’t use it in close range– oh, thank you, dear,” he interrupts himself when Eito places a glass of cola with crudely-cut lemon slices in front of him.

 

‘Dear’?

 

Knowing Yugamu, he probably didn’t mean anything by it; his extravagant nature made it easy to throw terms of endearment around. Still, Takumi can feel a nagging frustration forming at the back of his head. He isn’t sure why.

 

“Actually, I have an idea about that,” Nozomi’s voice cuts through Takumi’s inner thoughts, dragging his focus back into the conversation, “we could make a trap, like some kind of a landmine that emits gas when tripped. I can start working on it right away.”

 

“Are you sure you can handle that?” Hiruko asks. Her tone is as cold per usual, but there is a drop of concern in it. “You have been working non-stop lately.”

 

“I’ll be alright,” Nozomi assures, determination shining in her eyes, “right now is the time to work hard. I can rest when this war is over.”

 

With that matter settled, the usual clinging of cutlery, roam of the Ration-o-Matic, and casual chatter fill the cafeteria. Takumi eats his breakfast in silence, only half-listening to the conversations happening around him. The morning incident forgotten, his mind is now primarily occupied by the state of the team and their upcoming fight with Dahl'xia.

 

As he goes to put his dishes away, Nozomi approaches him.

 

“Hey, Takumi? Can we talk later?” She tries to sound casual, but worry is seeping through her voice.

 

“Oh… sure,” Takumi is slightly caught off guard, “is everything alright?”

 

“Ah, yes,” she tries to assure him with a small smile, “it’s nothing bad, just something I want to ask you about. So, meet me at the 2nd floor classroom in a few minutes, okay?”

 

“Alright…”

 

Takumi isn’t sure what this is all about, but his heart feels heavy as he watches Nozomi leave the cafeteria. She said it wasn’t anything “bad,” but Nozomi wouldn’t bother him over anything trivial. If she was going out of her way to talk with him in private, it must have been something serious.

 

Instead of waiting for his anxieties to become any worse, Takumi says goodbye to the others and unceremoniously leaves the cafeteria. The walk to the classroom feels longer than usual.

 

He finds the door wide open when he arrives. When he peers in, the scene before him doesn’t make him feel any better.

 

Nozomi is sitting at one of the desks, face tense, arms crossed, one foot rapidly tapping the floor.

 

She is nervous.

 

“Ahem,” Takumi raises his voice to alert her of his arrival. The moment he does, Nozomi’s body jumps up from surprised.

 

“Oh, that was fast…” she comments, sending him a quick smile.

 

“S-Sorry to startle you…” Takumi says nervously as he walks in and closes the door behind him. The thud of the door against its frame fades, leaving them in awkward silence.

 

“So… what did you want to talk about?” Takumi begins after a few moments.

 

Nozomi swallows nervously, meeting Takumi’s eyes with her own, deeply concerned ones. “Um… it’s about Eito.”

 

Takumi’s nervousness is quickly replaced by surprise. He expected a lot of things – rejection symptoms, sudden war developments, new discoveries about their past – but not their recently blinded comrade.

 

“What about him?” Takumi takes a sit at a desk next to hers, allowing himself to relax a little. Eito has, surprisingly, not been too difficult of a topic to discuss lately.

 

“I have been stuck in the lab for the past couple of days, so I don’t know much,” she prefaces, her nervous voice evening out as she speaks, “but I heard the two of you have been spending a lot of time together.”

 

“I… guess you could say that,” Takumi shrugs, words slowed down by hesitation, “he asked for my help with a couple of things, and I wanted to make sure he integrates into the group properly.”

 

Nozomi looks at him cautiously. “And… how is that going?”

 

“It’s… good,” Takumi replies, still uncertain what this conversation is about, “I feel like he is trying his best and… he has actually helped me a couple of times, too.”

 

A small smile appears on Takumi’s face as he thinks back to their chat in the War Room and the recent conversation on the roof. Nozomi watches his expression carefully, her own face relaxing a little as she sees… something.

 

“I’m glad you guys are getting along,” she manages a smile.

 

“Yeah, me too,” Takumi glances at her briefly, but his eyes quickly fall down in a thoughtful expression, “I was worried about him at first but… I’m starting to trust him. I think we might even become friends.”

 

Nozomi’s eyes suddenly widen in surprise “…‘friends’?”

 

Takumi quickly looks up at her, alarmed by the reaction. “Y-Yeah? Something wrong with that?”

 

In response, Nozomi just laughs and shakes her head. “No, of course not.” Her smile is one that Takumi is more used to seeing on Hiruko; it’s mature… preceptive, even.

 

It’s as if she understands something he doesn’t.

 

“S-So… what is this about?” Takumi decides to get to the point.

 

“Oh, right,” Nozomi smiles at him apologetically, “honestly, I was a bit suspicious of Eito.”

 

“Suspicious? How?”

 

She hesitates for a few moments. “I mean, just a few days ago the two of you were acting pretty distant… and now you are holding hands in the mornings…”

 

“I-I was just helping him ‘cause he was lost…” Takumi tries his best to not sound embarrassed by the reminder… but sometimes your best isn’t enough.

 

“I know, I know,” Nozomi laughs gently, “what I’m saying is that this change came on very suddenly… so much so I began to worry there might be something more sinister to it.”

 

“You mean like… Eito manipulating me in some way?” Takumi asks, feeling unease rising in his chest. He has chosen to trust Eito, but it would be a lie to say he never feared that the repeat traitor and murderer could be plotting something behind the scenes.

 

Nozomi nods, her expression turning guilty. “I feel terrible for suspecting somebody who took his own eyes out to earn our trust, but I was concerned it was something like that.”

 

She pauses for a moment, looking for the right words. “However, hearing you talk about him like that… it is reassuring. I’m still a bit worried, but, since you have chosen to trust him so much, I want to believe in him, too.”

 

That’s right. The Eito Takumi has seen for the past days has been completely different from the traitor who sabotaged their mission and attempted to murder everyone. That being said, Nozomi’s worries are not unfounded. Takumi… wants to believe in this Eito, but…

 

…that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t take any precautions.

 

“I do want to trust him, but you are right about one thing,” Takumi begins, “I have been letting my guard down around him too easily. I… should probably be a bit more careful from now on, just in case.”

 

“Ah…” Nozomi looks surprised, but tries to compose herself, “y-yeah... that’s probably for the best. Just in case…”

 

Takumi’s face darkens. Yeah, just in case… Just in case he changes him mind, just in case he has been deceiving them the whole time, just in case he turns on them again, just in case he sides with the invaders, just in case he kills Sirei, just in case he sows distrust among the group, just in case he takes Shion’s power, just in case he tries to kill them…

 

Just in case…

 

Just in case…

 

“Takumi?”

 

 Nozomi appears distressed when Takumi looks up at her. He... must have looked pretty intense just now.

 

“Ah, sorry…” Takumi tries to calm himself down, “I… just remembered how dangerous he can be.” For the last few days, he has been trying to forget about that. It was easier to think that the Eito who betrayed them and the Eito he was spending time with where two different people. And in many ways, they were, but that doesn’t mean he can afford to be careless. Eito Aotsuki was calculating and deceptive by nature. Takumi came back from the future to fix everything Eito has ruined.

 

Trusting that narcissistic manipulator so blindly could put the lives of everyone in danger. Cold anxiety punches Takumi in the stomach upon the realization.

 

Nozomi tilts her head. She looks concerned, unsatisfied… regretful. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry… or to reduce your trust in him.”  

 

“I… it’s not like I trust him any less…” he can’t bring himself to finish the lie. Swing of scythe, crack of glass, cold laughter, hateful eyes… the images flood his head like a tsunami.

 

Takumi has nearly forgotten whom he is dealing with.

 

“A-Anyways,” Takumi manages to sound casual despite the storm in his brain. He suddenly wants to be alone. “You probably have a lot of work to do with the poison trap and stuff, so…”

 

Nozomi looks like she doesn’t want to leave Takumi alone in that state, but still decides to give him the space he is asking for. “Ah… right.”

 

After brief parting pleasantries, the two go their separate ways. Takumi doesn’t really pay attention to where his legs take him; his mind is too focus on the dilemmas tearing it apart.

 

He betrayed us.

But he saved me. He is changing.

Can I trust that?

He wouldn’t tear his eyes out just to deceive us.

What if that was the only way to gain trust?

It wasn’t guaranteed.

Not his first time taking risks.

He has shown nothing but kindness since!

Could be playing the long game.

No. Impossible.

Why? Cause I want to believe that?

My room, the War Room, the courtyard, the roof…

Just 4 encounters.

They couldn’t have been a lie!

He was never a bad actor.

Fuck it. I should just talk to him. Then I will know for sure.

Sure, he always makes me feel better.

Exactly!

Just like he did in the first 100 days.

…

 

 

…

 

 He doesn’t see Eito the rest of the day.