While Tenka sat, she maintained her cheerful smile, surrounded by the corpses of fallen Shuuki. It was an expression no ordinary person could wear in such circumstances.
Assisting with the cleanup were her vice chief, Azuma Yachiho, and Wakasa Sahara of the Sixth Unit.
Yachiho, a young woman with green twin-tails tied with white ribbons, wore the same uniform as her chief. Beside her stood Sahara, a brown-haired woman with a hairpin and an attractive face. Her most noticeable feature was her enormous chest, though her half-lidded eyes and constant yawning made it seem like she could fall asleep at any moment.
"Good work, you two," Tenka said, rising from her seated position.
Yachiho glanced at her approaching chief with a smirk, blowing away the smoke from her Model 500 Magnum handgun.
"That was a piece of cake. Nothing worth bragging about, Chief." Yachiho said haughtily as she opened the cylinder and removed the spent cartridges. "If an Azuma like me can't handle a simple task like this, I'd be disgracing my family name… just like that disappointing younger sister of mine."
Tenka could only shake her head and let out a carefree sigh.
"She really can't be honest," she mused to herself, careful not to let her thoughts show in front of her vice chief. "Is this what they call a tsundere?"
Curious about where Sahara had gone, Tenka turned her head, scanning the area. She didn't see her anywhere at first. Then, hearing a soft snore nearby, she glanced down and found the woman in question lying on the ground at her feet, fast asleep without a care for her surroundings.
"One sheep, two sheep… six, seven sheep…" Sahara mumbled in her sleep.
"She's really out cold," Tenka commented as she crouched down, playfully poking Sahara's cheeks and drawing a small reaction from her. "Cute."
A vein throbbed on Yachiho's forehead at the sight of it.
"Can I pinch her, Chief?" Yachiho asked, cracking her middle finger with her thumb.
A soft laugh escaped Tenka. "If you want to, go ahead."
Yachiho's lips curled into a sinister smile as she wiggled her fingers, seizing the opportunity. The moment she pinched her cheek, Sahara jolted awake, immediately protesting.
"Shtop that, pleeasse…" Sahara pleaded, her words barely understandable.
"What was that? Care to repeat it? I couldn't possibly understand what you're mumbling about," Yachiho said, thoroughly enjoying herself as she stretched her teammate's cheek.
"Siscon!" Sahara shot back.
"You little shi—"
Ignoring her bickering subordinates acting like children, Tenka calmly surveyed the area for a moment. She typed something on her phone before slipping it back into her pocket, already confirming that everything was quiet and the temporary gate had completely closed.
She let out a whistle to get their attention.
"Alright, that's enough. Sahara, Yachiho," Tenka said, clapping her hands lightly. "We're heading back."
Glaring at each other, the two soldiers grabbed one another's faces before finally letting go at their leader's call. Almost immediately, they clenched their fists and started a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Yachiho threw rock. Sahara threw scissors.
Yachiho raised her hand in victory.
"The results speak for themselves, so you're doing the dishes," Yachiho said with an innocent smile, tapping Sahara on the shoulder.
Remembering the pile of utensils waiting in the sink, Sahara stared at her losing hand before snapping back at her. "Again! I was distracted so that's why you won!"
"La la la, I can't hear you," Yachiho sang, covering her ears.
Following behind them as they stepped into the portal she had created, Tenka placed a hand on her hip, watching the two with amusement.
"You two really are close," she chuckled.
As all three of them entered, the portal closed at just the right moment, leaving behind the massive destruction they caused while wiping out the Shuukis.
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Arriving at their dorm, Tenka entered her room and removed her gloves, finally feeling the air against her bare skin. She sat at her desk, taking a slow breath in and out. The quiet ambiance of her room settled around her as she leaned forward, resting her head on the table.
Her phone vibrated. Noticing it, she picked it up and checked the message.
"A report?" she murmured, curiosity piqued.
She opened her laptop to get a better understanding of its contents. Clicking her mouse, she accessed the Defense Force's private server. Her eyes moved downward as she scrolled, silently processing each line.
"Kyou-chin sure is unlucky," Tenka muttered, frowning as she reached the main section. "Another attack from a Humanoid Shuuki…"
It wasn't the Thunder God Yakumo had warned them about, but it suggested the presence of yet another hidden group. The first attack on the Third Unit had already been bad enough, and now this followed so soon after. At least this time around, things were more stable. Kyouka had been there, after all.
As she reached the end of the report, another notification appeared. A red dot blinked at the upper corner of her screen.
When Tenka clicked it, an official notice from the government itself appeared before her.
Swiftly skimming through the notice, Tenka couldn't help but cover her mouth, a smile creeping across her lips as she stifled a laugh—like she had found something she wasn't supposed to find amusing.
"Cooperating more closely with the other units from now on, huh…" she mused, resting her chin on her palm as she thought it over. "The Supreme Commander already told us to be more cautious, but now that it's coming straight from the higher-ups… they really don't want any screw-ups from us."
Tenka already knew how things stood. Those greedy pigs wouldn't tolerate anything that might disrupt the flow of resources they were amassing here in Mato. She wouldn't have been surprised if they even let the so-called Thunder Gods roam free. As long as peace was negotiated, their wallets would salivate at the money-making opportunities such talks could bring.
No matter where she looked, politicians only ever seemed to have wealth in their eyes and lies on their tongues.
Tenka shut everything down, then rose from her seat and stepped out of her room.
"Yachiho, Sahara," she called out toward the living room.
Hearing their names, Yachiho's ears perked up as she stopped whatever she was doing to answer Tenka's call, curious about her chief's intent.
"Something wrong, Chief?" the young vice chief asked, while at the same time shaking Sahara awake. "Hey, wake up."
Groggily pushing herself up from the couch, Sahara rubbed her eyes. "I'm awake, I'm awake," she muttered in a lazy, tired tone.
Tenka took a seat on the sofa across from them, draping her right arm along the backrest. She sat casually, crossing her legs with a composed, almost regal poise.
"So, how do I begin this…" Tenka tilted her head. "Remember the Humanoid Shuuki I mentioned that attacked the Third Unit?"
Sahara and Yachiho glanced at each other for a brief moment before looking back at their chief, nodding together.
"Well… we've got another one. It happened again, recently."
Laying everything out, Tenka went over the details of the recent clash involving the Seventh Unit and the newly emerged Humanoid Shuuki of unknown origin. She also relayed the orders issued by the higher-ups, making sure neither of them missed those commands.
Now that she was saying it out loud, Tenka smoothly transitioned into outlining her own course of action. Her plan moving forward, along with how they would implement it to deal with the growing threats appearing one after another.
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Meanwhile, in another part of Mato, a peculiar pair stood side by side; a red-haired woman and a black-haired man, both fixed on the same sight. Before them, a temporary gate stirred to life, its form slowly clawing its way into existence like a wound reopening in the fabric of Mato.
Hideo drew in a deep breath, savoring the familiar air, then let it out with a satisfied exhale.
"I'm back in action, baby!" he shouted, punching the air before breaking into restless movement, his energy spilling over as he paced in loose, excited circles. "Man, it's been way too long since I last set foot here."
He moved like a caged spark finally set loose, every step buzzing with anticipation.
Isadora, however, paid him no mind.
Her gaze had already drifted elsewhere, locked onto a distant figure cutting through the landscape. A blonde woman sped forward on a motorcycle. White cloth wrapped tightly around her upper body, stark against the authoritative coat of the Defense Force she is wearing.
"You ready?" Isadora asked, glancing at her partner.
"Obviously. Who do you think I am?" Hideo shot back, thumping his chest with easy confidence. Then, with a grin, he extended his hand toward her. "Now, hand me the medals."
At some point, without her even noticing, his belt was already fastened securely around his waist.
Isadora could only stare at him, her expression flattening into a quiet, unimpressed deadpan at his barely contained excitement.
With a flick of her wrist, three Core Medals materialized in her palm. She passed them to him without ceremony.
"See ya," she said simply, giving his back a firm push.
"Osu!" Hideo responded, already in motion. He broke from their hiding spot in a sprint, the medals glinting between his fingers as he slotted them into place one after another.
Click.
Click.
Click.
As the final medal locked in, he raised the scanner and swept it across.
"Henshin!"
[𝕋𝕒𝕜𝕒]
[𝕋𝕠𝕣𝕒]
[𝔹𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕒]
[𝕋𝕒-𝕋𝕠-𝔹𝕒! 𝕋𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕓𝕒 𝕋𝕒-𝕋𝕠-𝔹𝕒!]
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Rolling her shoulders, Mira loosened up, then spat onto the ground and ground it beneath her boot, dragging her foot as if wiping the moment away. She left her motorcycle where it stood and broke into a sprint toward the newly formed gate.
"Damn this thing," she muttered, clenching her fists until her knuckles cracked. "Why's trouble getting spoon-fed to us lately?"
She had already heard about what happened to Kyouka, about the encounter with a new breed of Shuuki. Relief had come, knowing Kyouka and the others made it out without serious harm.
Still, that didn't mean she'd let her guard down.
You never knew when one of those things would crawl out like a Bogeyman. That uncertainty had her blood running hot, itching for a fight, ready to make those pests pay back everything they owed tenfold.
As the Shuuki began pouring toward her, Mira slowed to a stop.
Her hand slipped casually into her pocket.
No tension. No hesitation. Not even the courtesy of concern.
She faced them head-on, her gaze sharp enough to cut.
"Well then, boys," she called out, voice dripping with mock cheer, "how about I send you off nice and proper? You can sit around Satan's campfire and sing Kumbaya together."
She opened her palm in a lazy beckon, inviting them forward.
With a flicker, her clones manifested around her, their identical grins spreading in eerie unison. A heartbeat later, they surged forward, crashing into the advancing Shuuki like a storm breaking loose. Blows landed in rapid succession, each strike heavy, deliberate, overwhelming. The creatures barely had time to react before they were battered back, their advance completely shut down.
"Adios, amigo," Mira quipped, grabbing one of the fallen Shuuki by the limb.
With a sharp pivot, she drove her foot into it, launching the creature skyward with force, sending it hurtling into the air until it vanished from sight like a discarded shadow.
As Mira continued tearing through the horde, the ground beneath her began to tremble. At first, it was subtle, like a distant drumbeat through the earth.
Then it grew.
Stronger. Heavier. Relentless.
The vibrations crawled up through her boots. Mira's movements slowed, her senses sharpening. She glanced down at the quivering ground, her expression tightening ever so slightly.
She already knew.
"This isn't natural…"
Earthquakes didn't just happen in Mato.
Not ever.
Her clones faltered for a fraction of a second, their synchronized assault breaking as the tremor demanded attention.
"Now what?" Mira muttered, straightening as her eyes swept across the field.
Something was coming.
And whatever it was, it wasn't planning to arrive quietly.
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Author's Note:
Is the shift in writing style from first person to third person decent, or is it a big nope?