'Metempsychosis'. It's a long word, I know. Basically, it means the transmigration of the soul at death into a different body—the idea that the man and the butterfly are one soul, rather than being one a dream and one reality.

Is it that the soul desires certain qualities in the body it comes to exist in? That the soul wishes to retain some marker of its own existence? The sentiments of the soul... Sentiments are an awfully strong thing, you know, stronger than people might give them credit for. Sentiments can shape the space around a person, create entire worlds... It's thanks to a sentiment that I exist at all, and thanks to another sentiment that I possess this distinctive stripe of red hair.

The royal bloodline of the lost kingdom of Atlantis had been revived. Not only with a new princess... but with a bodyguard to protect her? That wasn't simply a coincidence. I didn't believe that could be a coincidence—the only coincidence was which human had been selected to fill that role.

To put it another way, Sumie was a coincidence. SATSUKI was no coincidence—SATSUKI was destiny at work. Perhaps a sentiment from twelve thousand years ago, coming back to life, had granted Sumie this power.

I think about all this now in hindsight, but that's because I have time to now. At the time? All I was thinking about was caving Shouji and Izumi Sakuraba's faces in.

September 16th. It was time to end our battle with SECT11 once and for all.

-------------------






This is what Japan's been losing their mind over?

Crazy as it sounds, yeah.

Well, our scientific laboratories can thoroughly investigate her usefulness. Even if she turns out to be worthless, Ms. Emille and the Murakumo will certainly be willing to negotiate for her safety.



And with her capture, SECT11's current mission in the Pacific theater has been fulfilled. You'll be returning via Yokohama soon.



To begin with, we need a means to fight Dragons. This child, or the like. When the time comes to fight a True Dragon, we can have our military in order and bring to bear the United States' full might.

Wha—are you insane?!






...So you intend to sacrifice this country?



Don't be ridiculous! You're a unit commander! You're not in charge of the whole army.



...Nnngggh.

You leave tomorrow. Have a nice trip.



...

You piece of shit...



We didn't even get a shot at the True Dragon! This is a disgrace!

Tony: Nothing but a lowdown, dirty shame. They promise us we'll be killing Dragons, but trick us into robbing and kidnapping.

Will: Shouji... what are we doing?

We... can't disobey direct orders.

Will: ...Soldiers, loyal to the USA... I guess not, huh.

Fred: Are we really doing this?

For now, we return the kid to the US labs. Then I talk with Dave about a second tour here. That's... our best option. We depart at six tomorrow. Pack your bags!



And Will, don't take your eyes off the girl.

Will: Roger.



I'm... not bad...

Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Still... it was a lot better than hunting those wimpy li'l Dragons back in the States was!





...?

-----------------------



-----------------------



Part 71: Noisy March



Please hurry to Murakumo HQ!



Who's that one from?

Emille. It's... for me.

Are you sure it isn't poisoned?

It would have to be quite the strong poison.

Of course it's not poisoned. She's too smart to let something like that make her lay out the captain of her best unit.

...As to whether it's good, I don't know.

Wait wait sorry, Emille made you specifically a bento?

Yes.

And it's not poisoned. It's just a bento.

Yes...?

okay just checking

Wow, are you two actually becoming friends?

Maybe.









Ah, you're here! Just in time to hear of Jeanne and Miroku's success—we've successfully tapped SECT11's comms!

Really! That's incredible!

Now that we're able to receive our enemy's transmissions, perhaps we can turn the tables.



According to the intercepted messages, SECT11 is currently entering the Kokubunji desert to engage Dragons in hostilities. Extrapolation from their current destination infers that their extraction destination is Yokohama.

Shizuka is still doing the tracing, but she should be done any—



Hello, everyone! The results of the Kokubunji analysis are up!



...Yeah, this smells like a trap.

We should go either way. If it's not a trap, we ambush them. If it is a trap, they're expecting us, and thus don't have the leeway to run away before we get there.

Well said. Considering the level of Dragon activity present, it's also possible that Fomalhaut has resurrected the Imperial of Kokubunji—in which case you would be being deployed there anyhow sooner or later.

I'm sick of these guys. Let's go wrap this up.

Of course it had to be fucking Kokubunji.

You can complain once we've caved their skulls in.



No matter the situation, settle this with SECT11!








This unit has gotten awfully good at taking things in stride, hasn't it?

How do you think I feel? It's the next day and now we've just moved on.

I wouldn't say we've moved on. We've established your stake in this conflict and are now moving to solve it.



After we say hi to Sharon.

Oh kami-sama, it's my hero-tachi! Morningenyo!






You've got faces with a menacing sound, hero-tachi. But you've always got time for LET'S WORKING, ne?



From Shizuka?

Do you care? Have a heart? Then listen up and kitte kudasai! Everyone knows Unit 13, but... the dev team? Construction? Rescue? All of them are peachy keen! Momotastic, even! So for minnabody else, Shizuka-chan wants to expose the cute underbelly of Murakumo! PR pamphlet time!

So once we've finished talking to you, we should take a few steps to our right to speak to Shizuka?

Yes, please!



Shibuya is rocking with a sweet song, and the mystery is, WHO'S?! THAT?! SIREN?! SKY-tachi saw her in Shibuya, ne?

This sounds familiar, but I can't place how.



Ugh.

Ugh.

Ugh.

Another involuntary witness thingie! They want you, Unit 13! MP Fujita seems to be at his wit's end, so ite over and hear him out! Tough being a hero. Ganbatte, yo!

Ugh.

Ugh.

Unfortunate.



Ne, you ever wanna party sometimes? A big shedokkan! Well, some shofolk gave me this silly little request! It's Ino from SKY, ne? Ikuze, hero-tachi!

Well, it's better than the last one. Wish I'd had a bunch of friends to throw me a party when I was pregnant.

With that said, let's take a few steps to our right.



You really need to understand that if you place a request this early in the day, we'll probably take it.

Well... t-the backstage staff supporting Murakumo are virtually unknown to the public. Thus, to better educate people about our activities, I'd like to create a PR pamphlet!



Oh! And a brand-new photograph of our two Navis, as a treat to our readers. Can you help me out with that!



Oh, good! I'm glad they're getting the recognition they deserve.

You should see how much you just lit up.

Alright, that's sorted! I'll leave this in your capable hands!



...Chisa, why are you back?

Handling a request from Shizuka.

She didn't inform me of this. ...but I suppose she's allowed to have her own affairs.

Hey Emille why did you give Chisa a bento

W-what? Because I could. Next question.

That was quite kind of you. She does get hungry easily.

Hmph. Y-yes. Exactly.





Is that really going to make people happy?

It would make me happy, at the very least. I might even put it up on my wall!

Miroku turned bright red when I said that.

I-I... I... w-well... if it's for you guys, sure, take as many as you like!

Miroku! Are you okay?

I'm fine! I just, y-y'know.

Oh, yes, I understand.

Hm?

It's just nice seeing you happy like this. I mean, we're family, so...

Oh, yeah. I guess I do make for a pretty worrying big sister, huh?

Hey! Actually, I know! We'll trade you a photo of us for a photo of you guys!



You don't?

All the footage we review is classified Murakumo data and stuff, and we've never gotten the chance.

Oh, that's a great idea! I'll just capture the video data and print it out. This should make for a great picture!





Uhhh... like this?

Ugh, Youka, you're too tall! I'm barely going to be in the frame!

Hey, find your own spot!

Maybe you should be in the front, babe.

...It took a bit of finagling, but we did manage to take a photograph eventually.



I'm going to frame mine and put it next to our workstation! Ehehehehe!

Thank you both.

Incredible what even a moment's relief can do, isn't it?



Oh, hey, guys. What'd I miss? And why is Chisa smiling so wide?

Just big sister things.

...Huh. Isn't Taichi in Shibuya? Or—oh, or are we talking about the—okay.

We'll tell you later, sir.



Miya's up here, yeah?



Oh. Hey, Unit 13. It's been a bit.

Hello, Miya. We're collecting testimony for a pamphlet.



Honestly, I don't see the construction unit or the dev team as needing a public face. What makes us happy is getting the job done.

Well, sometimes you gotta give an interview just so you say you did.

If you say so.



How'd you get your start in Murakumo?

I was scouted by them as a student. I was a grad student in architecture, but I wanted to change theory for practice.



Why'd you join the construction team? What makes you tick?

I like building. Carpentry. Heavy lifting. I was doing my own models at 1/100 scales way back in primary school, so it was a no-brainer.

You really are of a sort with my father.



Tell me why your job is worth doing, Miya. What's the joy in construction?

Wherever there are buildings, there are busy people. Raising a structure from a bare plot of ground, restoring a ruin to beautiful functionality...



Alright! Good answers. You're good to get back to work.

Thanks. Later.





Now we have to do... this part.



Hey, Fujita.

MP Fujita: Oh, you're here. Things have gotten worse.



MP Fujita: This time, by calling Unit 13 to testify and subjecting Murakumo to public censure, they're attempting to implicate Prime Minister Inuzuka too. I really have tried, but it's impossible for me to delay this season of madness any longer. I'm really sorry this mess is embroiling you guys, but... I'm grateful you decided to come, too.

Alright, let me flex my PR face a bit...



Okay, flexed. Let's go.





Hi, Mio Akaneno from—



Hello, MP Ukai. It's nice to see you again.



Stubborn MP: According to Ariake's emergency draft budget, Murakumo is to receive 65% of all funding. And 27%, into a slush fund labeled 'secret'! How in the world do you account for that?



Ooh, I get to chime in!

Hi. Sumie Kazuki, Unit 13's treasurer, here. As a unit treasurer, I can assure you that funds allocated to Murakumo are all used for their primary purpose—investment, research, and development into anti-Dragon measures. Dealing with an extraterrestrial threat hellbent on destroying the planet is expensive once, to say nothing of twice.

Stubborn MP: Yes, and that expensive nature is why your expenditures must be detailed to be applied optimally!



You think I could actually get 27% of the national defense budget for myself and manage to hide that?

MP Ukai: If you can't answer what your money is being used for, that is itself proof!



MP Fujita: Murakumo is our national defense agency! In order to protect confidential state secrets, we can't possibly disclose every line item—

MP Ukai: And speaking of Murakumo, unit treasurer, would you care to explain why the budget allocated to Unit 13 could feed and equip five platoons?! Isn't it only natural for us to inquire what sort of backroom shenanigans transpire between Inuzuka and Murakumo to make that so?

We offered you an answer to that same question in the last hearing and you didn't accept it.



Peacenik MP: Despite its leadership being entirely military? Civilian control of institutions is the very cornerstone of our nation's democracy!



...How many actual military are part of Murakumo at this point? I mean, I know technically it's a government agency, but...

Well, speaking in terms of Unit 13, only one of our six members was military beforehand—we're all civilians ourselves. I mean, I'm an idol.

I used to stream on the internet for a living!

I drew manga.

While the majority of Murakumo members are technically military, many of them are first and foremost civilians who volunteered. Moreover, we have no interest as an organization of playing politics.



Peacenik MP: I don't believe you have no desire to meddle. In fact, if you already had... would we know?!

Why are you asking us these questions if you have no desire to listen to our answers?



MP Ukai: Here and now, I say we take a vote of no confidence in our bewitched Prime Minist—



MP Ukai: What?! My... my Yurika, kidnapped?!

Flustered Aide: Y-yes, sir. We received a demand from the kidnapper. Er... here it is.



MP Ukai: What?! Why do they want me to resign?! Who is this? Who would want that?!



They're hidden in the Tokyo Underground! And I'm detecting Dragons in the vicinity. Please, get there as soon as you can!



...Of course, sir.

-------------------














They're under attack! Rescue them immediately!

On it!








Junior: Yurika, are you alright?!

Yurika: Yeah, I'm... I'm okay.



Yurika: I'm MP Ukai's daughter, Yurika. Thank you so much for helping me!

And here we have our 'kidnapper', right?

Junior: S-sorry...



Yurika: I mean... we've seen Murakumo's activities. We know you guys are all amazing people, worthy of respect! But I know my father's been blaming you for everything in the Diet...

Junior: No matter how many times we talked, Yurika's father wouldn't listen to anything we had to say about you. With them trying to shut down Murakumo, we got to talking, and, um... well...

...I appreciate the thought, but this probably wasn't a good move. If I had to guess, your father will probably find a way to spin this against us, too.

Yurika: Yeah... I know. I'm sorry. I guess we just caused you more trouble.



Yurika: For everyone's sake, we need to stop him doing this, and save Murakumo.








MP Ukai: Yurika... Yurika! I'm so glad you're safe!

Yurika: Daddy, there's something I need to tell you...



Yurika: Huh? You knew?

MP Ukai: Yes, of course I did! That timing! The letter they sent!



Yurika: Wha—no, that's not—the kidnapping was my—

MP Ukai: Don't you worry, Yurika. Daddy will keep you safe! Unit 13! I see your game. I'll be thoroughly investigating this incident!

Yeah. Mmhm. Can you please wait on heckling us any further until we've saved the world?



Yurika: I don't even know why I bothered trying! Daddy, I hate you!

MP Ukai: Yurika?! How can you speak like that to me?!

Yurika: You don't understand anything! I'm not coming back to the MP Lodgings! Let's go, Junior!



MP Ukai: Wait, what is this? What are you angry about?! Yurikaaaaaaaaa!





If they could please leave us out of it in the future, that would be lovely.

MP Fujita: Well, thanks to his blundering behavior, the anti-Murakumo caucus seems to have been beaten back for today. Hopefully this will do you some good... sorry for getting you involved in all this.








Ugh. They really couldn't have picked a better time for this, huh?

He knows Japan is less than a month from annihilation and yet he's lobbying against us now. Ugh.

Politicians can be truly unpleasant people, can't they?





Akira: Oh, hey.

Hey, Akira. We're here about the request!

Akira: Yeah, I bet you guys ain't gonna believe it, but I really heard it!



Akira: Had this weird voice, too, but really pretty. Everybody keeps saying that place is full of crazy monsters, and there's no way there'd be a pop singer hanging out there... Been trying to see if she made it to the Diet, but no luck yet. If she's there, I've gotta go help her even if I've gotta do it myself!

One question. When you say 'weird voice', you wouldn't happen to mean like, there was kind of an electronic tinge to it?

Akira: Huh? Yeah. It was weird. Kinda familiar too, but no clue where. Yeah, it was kinda electronic-y, but it was definitely a real lady.

Ah, yeah! I know just the girl. I'm friends with her, actually. You stay here and let us go get her.

Akira: For real?! Uh, I mean, yeah. It's not like I'm scared or nothing, but—

I get it, bud. Don't worry.



Yeah, we may have heard.

Ino: Ain't that nuts? Dad and mom, both SKY members. That kid's gonna be pure SKY, all the way! We're all working our asses off on all that prenatal care stuff, getting our asses in gear!



...Is it?

Fuck if I know.

Ino: So we're planning a shower for Maki! Like, the sickest shower you ever saw! But all our boomboxes, and all our jams, are sitting back in Shibuya. I don't think we even have a turntable here.



Ino: Akira said Wards B and C had some stuff that looked legit, but like, we're kinda busy decorating here. So I'm begging you! Get out and find some thumpin' jams and a sick-nasty stereo! For the children!













Mother.



We require jams.

Mrs. Nagataka: Jams, you say? Well, I might have some preserves, but—

Music, ma'am.

Mrs. Nagataka: Oh, of course! Hear this? This stand's full of great sounds! I could tell you to buy our 2020 Top 20/20 medley, but the IE Remix collection is just as good... Oh, but this is the one I recommend! The MSRP! It's on special for 3000 Az!



For god's sake, Mother, just give us the jams!

Mrs. Nagataka: Pffft! I'm kidding, honey. It's an honor to help out with this! But maybe tell those SKY kids where you got this from, huh?







MANIC Manager: Oh hey hey you guys, you know this is my personal collection? Only my very best favorites make it in here! Sell one and you'll be fired! Literally!



Then why did you bring it u—

MANIC Manager: But if you're looking for some sick speakers, I have this crazy stereo! I recommend it! The sound is seriously something else! Yeah, I know you know what I'm talkin' about! I mean, if I were selling it normally, I wouldn't let it go for under 10,000 Az? But I'mma cut you a special deal, this one can be a present, to say thanks! I know I know, crazy generous, right? But you gotta come to MANIC! Yeah, I mean it! I'll be waiting!



do you think we might be getting this stuff from the wrong people



We got you jams and a box.



Ino: Whoaaaaa, this stereo looks wicked! And I'm getting good vibes from the CDs!





What was on that CD, anyway?






Uhhhh...

Hey, turn that down!

Oh my god.



Guchi: Is this really how we're gonna welcome a baby to SKY? For real?!



Shino: Maki, what's wrong?

Maki: This kid in my stomach... she's really into the music, all movin' around... owwww, that hurts!

Shino: Hey, turn that down a sec!

Ino was too busy grooving.





...

Yeah, this is pretty much what I expected.

Did she even listen to this before she gave it to us?






Ino: But hey, rough world this kid's coming into. Ain't it a relief to know they'll be ready?



Oh, we're gonna have that asshole taken care of well before we have to worry about the kid being born.

Ino: Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! Freakin' awesome! You go, Mama! Even if we don't, tho? Us in SKY are gonna keep that kid safe! Anyway, thanks for the boost, y'all! We all pitched in to get you this thing! Again!



It's hard to argue with a good thing.







-----------------------














Yup, I'd recognize that anywhere.

I guess it makes a pretty alright SOS when you're Literally Hatsune Miku, huh?



While we're here, we should check on Unit 10 for the pamphlet.





Himuro: I'm cleaning up monsters over here, plus watching the rookie unit. I donno if I wanna start doing PR, too.

Shichiro: To appear in a news publication on behalf on Murakumo would be an honor!

Taichi: Whoaaa, a story about us?! Awesome! I'm down!

Asumu: Hmph. I doubt the masses can be made to understand the sort of work we're doing. You boys can entertain yourselves, but I'll have nothing to do with this story. The mission is my only concern.

You could proselytize the masses to the ins and outs of Catch Monsters.

Asumu: And find vultures meaning to hawk my starlight rare foil Steambot Willie? You misunderstand my priorities! Though... I suppose it is somewhat lonely with nobody to play physical with, and no online clients...

Shichiro: Unfortunately, I am not intelligent enough to understand the rules of Catch Monsters. Not with the advanced decks Nishitani-san brings to the table, anyhow.

Himuro: Alright, enough of this! You're working as a team of three, understand?





Taichi: None, sir! Let's go, guys!



Shichiro: Let us confirm our strategy. I'll begin by hacking the enemy to reduce its attack power, and then Taichi-kun will proceed forward using his shield to block the blows—

Asumu: And then what? With that heavy thing, he'll be a sitting duck, and not doing anything!

Taichi: Hey, I'm not that weak!

Asumu: What's the point of having him defend if nothing is being done?

Taichi: Well, the idea is kind of that it gives you two time to do stuff.

Asumu: Slow! You'd never survive in competitive with that sort of attitude, Inomiko! With my starting hand, I've drawn Dustbowl Danny and two of his Option cards—I'll activate a Covering Fire strategy to give you time to ram into it from the sky!

Shichiro: With all due respect, I am the one with guns here, Nishitani-san.

Taichi: Look, isn't there that one thing, uh... The Cross Fire play? That one seemed neat. Do that!

Asumu: X Fire?! With what Flame-elemental cards?! I've come out here with a Mech-type deck, Inomiko! And how would you even bolster it?

Taichi: What?! You brought an entirely new deck?! How am I supposed to know what to do with that?!

Asumu: You expect me not to side deck into alternate win conditions? Variety and flexibility are the heart of any professional Catch Monsters player!

Taichi: You have to at least give me the rundown before we come out! I can't know what to do beforehand if you don't tell me what your deck does!

Asumu: I sent you the link to the database I posted on Tokyo In Touch!

Taichi: That doesn't teach me anything! I don't know who 'Dustbowl Danny' is or what his cards do!

Asumu: Fine, okay, what do you need me to teach you?

Taichi: Okay, so what does this card do?

Asumu: Are you seriously that daft?! See?! In the upper-right, it clearly says he costs 4 Energy to play, so that's why I've activated his effect using two Energybots as his Option cards to give me +2 to my maximum Energy so I can set him into Defense mode to activate his Covering Fire keyword!

Taichi: So basically, he's gonna make explosions to block the enemy while I try and stab it?

Shichiro: Yes, I believe so.

Asumu: Ugh, that's not that hard to understand!



Himuro: But for all their bickering, they're actually doing okay. Still, they don't really get the whole 'working as a team' thing just yet. ...Sorry, guys. You mind giving them another lesson for me?



Taichi, could you and your friends move out of the way real quick?

Taichi: Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure.








Alright, my loyal thralls, time for the performance of an afterlifetime!

Shichiro: Countess Akaneno is really just incredible, isn't she, Nishitani-san?

Asumu: What? Are guys into this kind of thing?



Let's gauge it first! Youka, square up!





This guy's small time, Mio.









We'll need to ensure we can hit it. Mio, think you can handle that?

Only if you can keep up with me, babe.



Ready?



Girls, we've got that energy~ Never let us be~ Girls, we've got the quality~ It's a sight to see~




Tah!




Take it out, ladies!





You got it!






Lesson concluded.






Taichi: Damn, we're weak.

Asumu: ...No, we're not, you nincompoop. We should've won that fight resoundingly! We just... didn't. For some reason.

Listen, you guys. Can we give you all some advice?

Shichiro: I would be honored, at the very least.

If I may, Shichiro, the mark of a good support operative is being flexible to a situation. It's likely best to determine your own course of action by the flow of battle, rather than going in with a specific idea. Lowering its attack power may have seemed like a good idea in general, but that was an evasive foe—debilitating its movements would likely have made for a better idea, in this case.

Shichiro: Oh, that is a wise notion. Indeed, with the concussive ammo developed by Kazuki-senpai, I could take a more active role in debilitating evasive foes if the situation called for it.

yes, grasshopper. good. you're learning.

You feel like listening, Nishitani?

Asumu: ...It would be remiss of me not to listen, considering how badly I've been shown up.

It's good to have a plan of attack, but expecting your allies to understand your logic without making a genuine effort to explain it to them first is a fool's errand. Rather than explaining it through the raw mechanics of this game of yours, attempt to reach an understanding through the basic idea of what you're doing first. Moreover, I've taken looks over your evaluations when I had a free moment, and you have quite a bit of possible synergy you haven't explored with your allies. Your cartomancy is a flexible ability with all sorts of applications, but don't get so bogged down in thinking you have to handle all those applications yourself.

Asumu: I'll think about it.

You're doing well, Taichi, and I can see the ideas developing, but it seems like you still don't have a clear idea of what kind of role you want to play in the unit. What do you really want?

Taichi: If I had to put it into words... I wanna be able to defend these two, but I also want to beat the enemy quick enough that I don't have to. I know, that sounds silly.

No, no. That's good. I think that's basically what Youka does, and nobody's arguing she's doing anything wrong.

Taichi: ...More like Youka, huh? I guess... huh.

Asumu: You're trying too hard to be a do-everything busybody like your sister, Inomiko. It's weird.

Taichi: Huh. I guess so. I mean, it's hard not to, right? I have basically the coolest big sister in the world. It's hard not to want to be like her when I'm in the same organization, but...

Shichiro: With all due respect, Taichi-kun, you use a polearm. That alone sets you apart from any member of Unit 13—you use a weapon with ramming force, but that can also keep the enemy at bay.

Asumu: You don't have the explosive force of a pyrokinetic or the Fudoji Style, nor the range of a gunner.

Taichi: So I'm not an 'all-rounder', I'm 'in the middle'? I... wait. 'Explosive force'?

Asumu: That is what I said. I—

Taichi: THAT'S IT!

Taichi pumped his fists a bit before turning to Himuro.

Taichi: Coach, I have an idea! We're about done with cleanup, right? I need to start drawing up plans with these two!

Shichiro: Oh? Have you had an epiphany?

Taichi: Yeah, but it's only gonna work with you two's help! I know how to make this unit come together!

Asumu: When you get a big grin on your face like that, you're usually talking about heroes or something. Am I about to be party to shenanigans?

Taichi: Depends! Do you trust me?

Asumu: I guess so.

Shichiro: Oh, of course! Trust is paramount to a properly-functioning team.

...You know, I don't know what he just figured out, but he seems awfully happy.

Himuro: Yeah. ...They don't realize it yet, but they've come a long way.



Himuro: Even if they're not the stars of the tactical unit, they deserve some credit... and the people of the world need some hope.

Sounds great.

Oh hey, by the way, you know that singing? You guys found where that came from?

Himuro: There's one of those tall Dragons in the way. It seemed a bit too tough for them.



We left Taichi to drag his teammates off to plan, and headed on to locate Miku.










...We weren't the only ones tracking her down.



—!



Help!!



There you are!

Mio!

Miss Hatsune, you really must stop running about Shibuya like this.

Nice dress! I dig the fit!

Thanks.






Stand back, Miku! I've got this one!

Go get them. I believe in you.

I'm not about to look bad in front of my idol senpai.

Heh.




I'll take the first blow!



Get in there before it jumps!



Got it!



Alright, bring it on!



I'll take it in stride, too.







Hrgh!

This one's toxins are particularly powerful! Watch out!




Try not to die.

Working on it.





Tch. Messed up which one I was going for there...





It's pretty sturdy.



Shit!





Try not to die.



I'm helping!



Roll out, my fell legions!








Really incredible.








Keep going! We're getting it!



Ice is a poor choice.



Hgrghhrlbbllbl.





Eat shit!



Hggrlgllblbb

Mio!

Oh, dear!







This guy ain't happy!





Mio, you're not poisoned anymore, right?

Guys, more first aid, please! I think these two are gonna puke their guts out!



Hey, asshole! Want some more? Mad about last time?!





Alright! It's time to turn the tide!



It can really jump...

It's gonna shoot the balls!



Come on, aim at me!





Alright, got you.



Burn!





Alright! It's pretty fun moving that fast, y'know.






Wanna go again?



Aww, you know me so well.



Seems you didn't learn your lesson back at Ikebukuro.



Maybe a double dose'll teach you!








That was rough. That one isn't an easy opponent.

Have you two fought that Dragon before?

Oh, yeah. It's where I learned my jumping move.









You're really impressive.

I'm just glad you're safe.

Thank you. ...I wasn't sure how else to send out an SOS but singing.

It seems to have worked.

Yes. How have things been going?

Not great, but we're making progress. TL;DR, there are these American special forces jerks we've been fighting a bunch but we're gonna go wrap that up and rescue an Atlantean catgirl who is now Sumie, Jeanne, and Miroku's collective little sister because she can turn Dragon bits into metal that can kill Dragons. Also the True Dragon is a necromancer and Aitelle's sister is our boss now.

Ah. I would say I was surprised regarding the catgirl detail, but in terms of the overall history of your unit I don't believe I have any room to talk.

Hahahahaha, yeah.

With you on our side, I'm sure we'll pull through, Mio.

Aw, geez, stop it. You're gonna make me blush.

Say, are you alright to be talking out in the open like this?

Oh. Yes. I lack legal binding now that Crypton Future Media has been officially closed for draconic reasons, so I am technically no longer under oath to keep vocal communication to a minimum in public.

Oh! That's nice. I'm happy for you.

Thank you.

If that's the case, why did you not attempt to reach out to the cleanup crew?

...

Speaking to people I don't know is hard.

lmao mood

I should find a place to sleep in. You look like you're prepared to head out again.

Yeah, we've got to head out to Kokubunji.

Good luck, everyone.



You ever think about how wild it is that I'm like, personal friends with Miku Hatsune?

All the time.





Someone's blushing~

Akira: What?!?! I am not!!!!! I just wanna hear that killer singing voice!!!!!

Don't worry, I understand. She's very pretty. I had a crush on her when I was your age.

Akira: J-just take these and go!









Yeesh, this round's been kind of a runaround, hasn't it?

It's a good thing we got started early. Thankfully, transit to Kokubunji should give us time to recuperate.



I think we can put together a nifty pamphlet to make everyone happy, just with this! Hopefully it'll help them better understand just what it is Murakumo does...

Wait just a minute!



M-Mr. Kirino? What are you...?

We may have an idol for a PR rep, and be celebrities of a stripe... but Murakumo is still a shadow organization. There's classified info in these documents. I have to confiscate these.

Hey, hold on.

What is it?

Something doesn't sit right with me about that.

It's a tough call. On the one hand, Kirino is correct—but on the other, proliferation of details regarding the inner workings of Murakumo would do well at ensuring public access to information. If we were to be concerned about later loss of that same information, I mean.

...Listen. We've got a lot of documentation both in paper and on file about all this stuff. But right now, that's not what we need to focus on. Those politicians have already been hassling Unit 13 and Murakumo, and putting out a pamphlet like this would just give them more ammo.



Yeah. You did a great job... yup, that's Miya alright, ain't it. We'll save it in the Murakumo database, where the public can't view it! How's that?

Kirino headed off.



...Thanks for all your hard work, Unit 13... and sorry... I guess the relationship between Murakumo and the general public will remain as difficult as ever.

Hey, better we speak through actions than words. We can worry about securing our legacy after we've got a legacy to secure. For now, we've just gotta show them what we're made of.

I suppose you're right. Let's working, as Sharon says! I really do appreciate your assistance, even with the project having fallen through. Please, take this as an expression of my gratitude!



OH MY ABSOLUTE LORD LOOK AT ALL THIS LOOT


SHIZUKAAAA YOU'VE MADE ME A HAPPY GIRL

With such colorful characters, we won't have a hard time ensuring people know that we're working for them.

As the PR Representative, I concur!




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