Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Starlight Express rumbles along the tracks at an optimal pace. With its curtains pulled up, its occupants are free to marvel at the scenery of the countryside it passes through, or go about their own business and enjoy the luxuries offered by the staff and their five star service.

A peaceful atmosphere settles within the lounge. The idle chatter of the other passengers is barely audible over Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata played by an adroit musician at the piano to the side. Advancements in technology ensure that the Starlight Express never causes the lightest glass of wine to slide from its perch, even as the train makes its way toward its destination.

The carefully-crafted itineraries of this cruise train allow travellers to enjoy the best of the on-board experience as well as being able to explore the scenery outside the train over the course of three days. Reservations are not easy to come by, even with the high prices of their tickets. The train is limited to ten carriages total: the main engine and crew, the lounge carriage, the dining carriage, the next six carriages with five suites each for most passengers, and the last carriage designated for two deluxe suites. It's a luxury only a minority can afford, with the exception of special access rights.

The perks of being a member of law enforcement.

Smiling to herself, the half French woman turns to the next page in her copy of the Starlight Gathering. It's the perfect setting to relax and enjoy the simplicities of life. These moments are hard to come by.

A blonde-haired gentleman rises from his seat, tucking a small black booklet into his coat pocket. He smooths out his crisp suit jacket before leaning over to grab a black briefcase leaning against the plush chair.

Ah, if only the peace could have lasted.

Through her periphery, Claudine watches the gentleman leave the carriage toward the dining car. Once she's certain he will no longer return to the lounge, she places a hand by her ear on the pretense of changing her reading position.

She takes advantage of the piano player's timing to whisper into her earpiece, "Second Baguette speaking. The Giraffe has left the lounge."

"Understood," Junna answers. "He's crossed the dining car and into Carriage 3."

For a moment, Claudine thinks she hears Junna's teeth grating together.

"Little Puppy, report."

There's no immediate answer. A couple of seconds pass before fumbling static sounds from Claudine's earpiece.

Finally, Karen heaves a relieved sigh. "Little Puppy here! He's left Carriage 3, still holding the briefcase. I don't think he noticed me."

"Alright, the surveillance is still working." Another sigh, this time from Junna. "Second Baguette, a few Monkeys are still in the lounge room. Keep an eye on them."

"Bien sur. Anything else?"

"The Giraffe is probably heading to- Oh, you mean everyone else."

Claudine gives Junna a moment to click through her countless real-time data footage.

"Everything seems fine in the engine room. Tsuyu-" again with the teeth grating, "Farmer John, can you confirm?"

"Farmer John, nothing to report!" Mahiru answers.

"The kitchen also looks fine… Big Mama…?"

Claudine hides a small chuckle behind her hand. She wonders how red Junna's face must be. It's a good thing Junna is the only one confined to one of the suites. She doesn't have to worry about keeping up appearances.

"Big Mama, nothing to report!" Nana replies with her usual cheer.

"That's goo- Why do we have to use these ridiculous code names in the first place?!"

Ah, Junna's finally reached her breaking point.

"It can't be helped. Kao- ah, Pretty Flower said it was her one condition for helping us with this operation," Nana says in an attempt to soothe her upset partner. "Besides, they're so fun!"

"Na-" another groan, "we're not here to have fun. We have a mission and the last thing we need is confusion!"

"But JunJu- woops, Uptight Glasses you have a really good name!"

"I don't want to hear that from someone whose name is Little Puppy."

It's not like Claudine is happy to have the code name Second Baguette, especially with the first word obviously tacked on to annoy her. But she's not going to voice this opinion so long as a certain detestable woman can hear her through her own earpiece.

Speaking of which.

"This is First Swan. The Giraffe has entered Carriage 9 and is outside Pretty Flower's suite," Maya's voice cuts through. "Another man has joined him. A… Gorilla."

Regaining her wits, Junna replies, "Ah, understood. First Swan, standby for a minute after Short Retainer lets them inside. Then proceed with the plan."

"Confirmed. Ah, one last thing." A short pause. "I do believe your name suits you, Second Baguette."

Claudine reminds herself that she is in public, most likely in the presence of armed, highly-dangerous criminals, and that she can't just scream and throw her book across the room for seemingly no reason.

Three quick knocks in succession, two slower ones a second after the first pause, and finally the last one nearly inaudible. Just like they agreed on.

"Futaba-han, can you get the door? It seems our guest has arrived."

"You sure about this? You know you don't actually have to listen to what this guy has to say." Futaba refuses to take a step away from the seated woman until she receives another confirmation from her.

"Of course. I wouldn't put in this much effort if I wasn't already invested. I am actually curious about what he has to offer."

"A miracle drug, huh? Sounds too good to be true."

"Maybe so. Well, we best not keep our guest waiting. That would be impolite of me as a host."

Futaba rolls her eyes. "As if you care about that," she mutters under her breath. Nevertheless she crosses the threshold and opens the door of the suite.

She's greeted by a dazzling smile from a tall man with short blonde hair. His eyes are closed to supplement this facade of cordiality. One hand is holding a leather black briefcase, the other gripping the lapel of his three piece suit, tailored to fit him perfectly without a speck of dust dirtying it. A red handkerchief sits in his left breast pocket, a giraffe insignia clearly embroidered on it.

Futaba hates him already.

With his lips still pulled up in that irritating smile, the man greets, "Good afternoon. Is Hanayagi-san here?"

"Let him in, Futaba-han," Kaoruko calls from behind her. "Though I don't remember you mentioning you would be bringing an extra guest, Kirin-han."

The giant behemoth standing behind the blonde grunts in greeting. Futaba doesn't like him either, though the blonde man is giving her worse vibes despite being half his bodyguard's size.

"I understand. I can keep him outside the room if you wish." The blonde man opens his eyes, loosening his smile just slightly. "Unless you also plan to have an extra attendant. Then I have to insist I keep mine as well."

Green eyes sparkle with curiosity and intrigue for a goal Futaba can't fathom. Futaba does recognize an ominous glint of danger.

That settles it. Even if Kaoruko orders her to, Futaba won't be leaving this room.

"Ara, I suppose that's fair. Futaba-han won't leave my side, so I suppose that'll have to do." Kaoruko waves her hand. "Futaba-han, let them in. Oh, and ask the conductor for something to drink. I have a feeling this meeting will leave me parched."

Futaba tightens her grip on the doorknob. After a second deliberating just slamming the door, she opens it all the way to let the two men inside. Kirin takes the seat across from Kaoruko at the table situated in the middle of the room. His guard steps to the side and stands next to the open door.

Once they're situated, Futaba steps into the hallway and closes the door, leaving only a small gap so that Kaoruko isn't left unsupervised with her two guests. She waves over the waiting train conductor.

"Bring a bottle of Juyondai 'Sichitare Nijikkan' from Junmai Daiginjo. Two glasses."

The conductor nods and leaves the carriage to grab what she needs. For now, Futaba tunes into the conversation Kaoruko has started with her guest.

"In the meantime, it would be polite of you to introduce yourself, Kirin-han," Kaoruko says.

"I would argue that it is usually the custom to introduce oneself first before requesting that, but you are my host."

"Eh~ That would imply you haven't heard of me before."

The man chuckles. "Yes, that would be a travesty indeed. Only an ignorant fool would have never heard of you, Hanayagi Kaoruko-san. Heiress to one of the most powerful investment companies in Japan. I must admit, the media does not do you justice."

"I do appreciate the flattery. But that's not what I asked."

"I understand. But you'll have to excuse me. I don't give out my name to just anyone. And unfortunately, we are nothing more than potential business partners as of now."

"Then you have everyone call you 'Kirin?' Like the animal?"

From the crack between the door and the wall, Futaba catches Kirin's amused smile.

"Like the mythical beast."

The carriage door opens, pulling Futaba from the conversation. Futaba steps forward to take the offered bucket of ice that holds the sake bottle and two glasses. As she grabs them, she leans forward just enough for Maya to clip a small video device on one of the buttons of Futaba's dress shirt.

"Thanks," Futaba says.

Maya nods. "Take care."

Futaba takes the items inside. Once the door is closed, she crosses the room and places the bucket on the table. She takes out the sake glasses first before opening the bottle of alcohol and proceeding to pour for Kaoruko and her guest.

Kaoruko laughs at something Kirin had said beforehand. Futaba missed the parts between, but whatever Kaoruko replied with must have diffused the tension. Futaba finds herself smiling against her will.

Kirin picks up his glass of sake and takes a sip once Futaba is done pouring. "Oh, Sichitare Nijikkan. Your attendant has good taste. Or perhaps she is that attuned to your own likes?"

Kaoruko grins proudly. "Futaba-han has been serving me for over a decade. Of course she knows the best."

"You still refuse to eat spring onions though," Futaba remarks.

"Wha- They're disgusting!"

"Oh, you're not a fan? I'll keep that in mind if I ever invite you to dinner," Kirin says.

Futaba barely holds herself back from slamming the bottle of sake in her hands against his head. The heavy feeling from Kirin's bodyguard's stare on her back is incentive enough to restrain herself. She can hold her own against most opponents, but it's harder to gauge if her opponent has a size advantage and possibly hidden weapons.

Instead, Futaba places the sake bottle in the bucket of ice on the table and steps back to the wall. She situates herself on the other side of the door, doing her best to ignore the presence of Kirin's guard to the side.

"Oh? That implies we'll remain associates after this meeting. What was it you wanted to sell me?" Kaoruko asks.

"I understand." Kirin places his glass onto the table and reaches for his suitcase. He turns the pins for a five digit code, then places his thumb on a biometric scanner to unlock it. Once there's an audible click, he turns the briefcase around opens the top to show Kaoruko its contents.

"The camera is clipped on Short Retainer. All is proceeding well," Maya relays.

"How are things panning out, Uptight Glasses?" Claudine asks.

Junna sighs with enough intensity to blow out the flames of the sun. Nana adds a mental note to bake her a nice banana cake when this operation is over.

(Or maybe a nice meal for everyone. With some potatoes from Mahiru-chan's family! I'll remember to invite Kaoruko-chan and Futaba-chan too, even if Junna-chan doesn't like that.)

Nana nods to herself and decides on that as she chops a few potatoes and adds it to the stew she's making.

"Neither the Giraffe nor the Gorilla suspect anything wrong," Junna says. "Pretty Flower is doing surprisingly well to keep the Giraffe engaged."

"As expected of someone with her standing," Claudine remarks.

"Hey you guys, have you heard from Farmer John? She's been quiet for awhile," Karen points out.

Nana eyes the door leading to the engine room. "I can't see anything from my end. Uptight Glasses-chan?"

"Big Mama, I don't think you need to add that honorific," Claudine comments.

"Nothing looks out of place from the cameras," Junna says.

Karen hums. "That's wei- whoa!"

Something thuds from Karen's end, loud enough that Nana can hear it over Karen's sharp gasp.

"Little Puppy, what happened?!" Junna demands.

"This is-! This is the conductor for Carriage 5?! Why's he tied up and unconscious?!"

"What?!" Frantic clicking and movements, then, "Oh no. Nana, there's five suspicious individuals leaving the lounge and heading to the kitchen!"

"Pas bon. Then the train conductor and the four with him before-!" A chair scrapes across the floor. "I'm intercepting."

Junna's voice cuts through to stop Claudine, "Wait! If you do you'll alert the other passengers-"

"Ah, too late for that," Nana says into her earpiece just as the door to the kitchen opens.

Nana hears the head chef turn to the non-personnel to say, "Hey, you're not allowed to be in-"

A man dressed as a train conductor enters, followed by three bulky figures wearing all black, including black ski masks covering their faces. A fifth intruder is dressed in the same manner as the black men, though much smaller than the other four. Her body shape reminds Nana more of a girl than a man.

As soon as the smallest one shuts the door, all five of them pull out a gun and take aim at a target.

Screams erupt from all around Nana. Nana throws one in for good measure, making sure it's believable enough that they don't single her out.

"Shut up!" one of the Monkeys shouts. "Keep screaming and we'll put a bullet through your mouth!"

The entire kitchen falls silent. The workers instead tremble in fear, edging as far away from the assailants as they can without outright running away.

"Hound 2, keep an eye on the workers to make sure none of them does anything," the one posing as a train conductor says. "Hound 5, stay by the door and back up Hound 2 if needed. Hound 3 and 4, come with me."

Hound 2, the one who had threatened the kitchen personnel, nods along with the smallest figure by the door. The other two follow the fake train conductor toward the other door leading to the engine room.

A bead of sweat runs down the side of Nana's face. But she doesn't dare move her hand to wipe it.

(What do I do? At this rate those three will encounter Mahiru-chan in the room over. Assuming they lock the door, even Mahiru-chan might have a hard time with three opponents, especially because they're all armed. Then there are the two in here…)

Zap.

A rather peculiar sound pulls Nana from her thoughts. Her ears had been trained to recognize it, but she was expecting gunshots, not a taser.

Which is exactly the weapon Hound 5 is pointing at a now unconscious Hound 2. And not just any taser, but one with extendable prongs.

(Oh! So that's where she went!)

"What the hell-?!"

Using their surprise to her advantage, Nana strikes the arm of the closest assailant to her and successfully knocks the gun from his hand. From her periphery, Nana sees Hound 5 moving to intercept the fake train conductor.

Her attention is pulled back to her own opponent who whips a back fist at her head. Nana ducks and kicks out his knee, sending him to the ground. He brings up a guard just as Nana aims a kick to his head. Despite being half a head taller, Nana's kick knocks him onto his back.

Winded, he gives Nana the opportunity to finally pull out her own gun and aim it at him, reversing their previous hostage situation.

"Don't move!" the last Monkey yells. For good measure, he tightens the choke hold he has on his hostage while shoving the barrel of his gun harder against his head.

"H-Help!"

Hound 5 clicks their tongue, kicking away the unconscious body of the fake train conductor. She makes no other moves.

"Drop your weapons!"

Nana and Hound 5 glance at one another.

"Do it!"

With no other choice, the two do as they're told; Nana drops her pistol while Hikari throws both her taser and her gun away.

Nana's opponent stands and takes her gun. He aims it at her while taking slow steps back toward his partner and their hostage.

"Hound 3, open the door for me," Hound 4 says as he backs up to the door with his hostage. "Stay in here to keep an eye on things, especially the traitor and that woman. I don't know how the police got in here, but we're going to have to tell the boss once we've secured the engine room."

Hound 3 unlocks the door for Hound 4. His eyes widen behind the ski mask at the imposing figure standing right behind Hound 4.

"Oh shi-!"

A fist rams into his face, rendering him speechless as he flies back into the kitchen from brute force alone.

Hound 4 stares as his partner ends up unconscious with a bloody nose on the ground in front of him. He whips around with a startled, "What the he-?!"

And is met with a kick between the legs, stunning him just as effectively as a stun gun. His opponent first knocks the gun away from his hostage, then aims a fist to his throat. These three precise hits effectively loosen his hold on the hostage and give his opponent one last opening.

A solid kick to the sternum, knocking him back into the kitchen, through the room, and slamming against the opposite wall. After all this, Hound 4 finally slides down the wall unconscious.

Nana can't keep the smile back from her face. "Nice one, Mahiru-chan! Oh, I mean Farmer John-chan!"

Mahiru sighs but smiles as well. "Thanks, Big Mama."

Nana turns to Hound 5. "And thank you too-"

The smaller figure pulls off their black ski mask, releasing long, smooth locks of black hair.

"-Hikari-chan. Oh, sorry. Your code name is actually Lazy Cat, isn't it?"

Hikari nods. "No problem. I would have done something even if you and Mahiru weren't here. I'm an infiltrator, not an actual criminal."

"It's Farmer John, actually," Mahiru says.

"Oh, we should relay things to Ju- Uptight Glasses-chan. Can you two take care of things here?"

Mahiru nods. "I've explained everything to the crew in the engine room already too."

"Bananice!" Nana clicks her earpiece on. "Hi, Uptight Glasses-chan! Everything-"

"NANA! Oh thank god. Is everything alright? You cut out and I couldn't hear you. You look unharmed from the cameras but I can't be sure-"

"Yes, yes, I'm okay! Lazy Cat-chan and Farmer John-chan helped diffuse the situation."

"Mahiru-chan is okay?! And Hikari-chan too?!" Karen shouts.

"Karen-chan our code names!" Mahiru rebukes. Then slaps a hand to her mouth. "Oh no."

Junna sighs. "This wasn't going to last anyway. But I'm glad you're all okay. Tsuyuzaki-san, why weren't you answering earlier?"

"I noticed that a few of the personnel in the engine room were different from the information we had gathered before. I didn't want them to notice anything suspicious if I started talking into my earpiece, so I kept an eye on them until I could be certain. Then they started to threaten the workers. I was able to neutralize them right before Hikari's team came in."

"Oh. I… I was watching the kitchen the entire time that I didn't see when you began to engage, Tsuyuzaki-san," Junna admits sheepishly.

Hikari looks into the engine room through the open door. "There are… three unconscious bodies in there?!"

"Mahiru-chan, you took down three of the men by yourself?!" Nana asks.

"She… did knock out two of them on her own just now," Hikari points out. She glances at the unconscious men with wary eyes. "With her bare hands… and through Kevlar…"

"Amazing, Mahiru-chan!"

"Mahiru-chan is so cool!" Karen cheers.

"Ara Mahiru, now I want to spar you even more," Claudine cuts in.

Mahiru tries her best to hide her blush. "Karen-chan! Kuro-chan-!"

"Saijou-san, if you would like a sparring partner-"

"Tendou Maya, we'll settle our match right after this operation!"

"All of you are in public! At least try to control yourselves!" Junna berates.

"Yes, Uptight Glasses," they drone in unison.

"Stop calling me that!!"

"It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be," Kaoruko remarks.

Sitting in the open briefcase is a small syringe. The base is no larger than Futaba's palm, and the needle half the length of her pinky. It's filled with a clear liquid that Futaba assumes is the drug Kirin is advertising.

"The recommended dosage is 0.1 mL," Kirin says. "Of course, you may have to adjust that depending on body size. For the most part, only a small amount is required to produce the desired effects."

"Improving productivity by enhancing mental stability."

"Even those not plagued by mental illnesses have moments where they lack motivation, especially when it counts most. Perhaps it's for an important presentation, or even something as mundane as getting out of the comforts of your bed. I suppose you yourself may have these moments, Hanayagi-san."

Kaoruko snorts. "I wouldn't know."

Kirin continues unperturbed, "Like a vaccine, one dose is enough to alter your neural chemistry for the better. Though that might be different for someone with severe mental illnesses, or severe brain damage. We will need more empirical data to be certain."

"But you've run out of funds. And that's why you've come to me."

"Not necessarily. We do have other means. But I figured you would want to benefit from the success of this breakthrough as well."

Kaoruko narrows her eyes. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Your company is wealthy, but - ah, forgive me if I am speaking out of line - there are rumors that the Hanayagi Investment no longer has the same influence as it had before. There are those who blame you, there are those who blame your parents, and even those who blame fate. I'm sure you've heard the rumors?"

Of course. There isn't a day that Kaoruko doesn't gripe about how annoying it is for people to talk behind her back. But that's all it is - an annoyance. Or at least that's what Kaoruko makes it out to be in front of Futaba.

From the way Kaoruko purses her lips, maybe it's actually more than that.

Kirin takes Kaoruko's silence as an answer. "I understand. Invest in my patent, and I guarantee these rumors will no longer exist. Be the one who can help us alter the course of humanity."

"That sounds wonderful, but what are the hard numbers?"

Futaba whips her head toward Kaoruko. The usual languid smile is no longer there, replaced by a contemplative frown.

(Is Kaoruko actually serious?!)

Kirin smiles. "I understand. Thirty percent of shares, along with the money I will owe, and proper acknowledgement of your contributions."

"Fifty."

"Forty."

"Deal."

Futaba steps forward. "Kaoruko!"

All of a sudden, the familiar grin is back along with a quick and succinct, "Not."

Kirin frowns for the first time. "I understand. What?"

"The rumors circulating about my company? Its reputation? 'Altering the course of humanity?' As if I care about any of that." Kaoruko takes a sip of her sake and then places the glass onto the table with a resounding click. "If the world bows, it'll be from my influence and mine alone. If regaining dominance and rising above all others means I need to soil my hands in your dirt, I'd rather put in the effort on my own."

"I understand." The initial surprise is gone, replaced by a grin once more. "I expected nothing less from you, Hanayagi Kaoruko-san. Truly a blooming flower who knows no rival. You may not stand at the top, but you will not give up that position to anyone else."

"Ara, is that a compliment?"

"Of course. I acknowledge such radiance even if they disagree with my negotiations." Kirin reaches into his suit coat and pulls out a pistol, pointing its barrel to Kaoruko's head. "Though that doesn't mean I can simply accept such an answer."

Futaba's eyes widen. (Shi-!)

A gun cocks behind her. Before Futaba can move any closer, she realizes that Kirin's guard is pointing his own gun at the back of her head.

But there is no terror reflected in Kaoruko's eyes. She remains as lazy as ever. She even comments offhandedly, "If I had known you had even more guests than just Gorilla-han over there, I would have invited my own into the room too."

"Unfortunately, these were specially reserved for surprises." Kirin frowns. "Invited into the room…?"

Kaoruko flashes Kirin a shit-eating grin. "I'm the life of the party, after all."

The sake bottle suddenly explodes, enveloping the room in dense grey smoke. Thankfully the explosion isn't large enough for the shards to scatter around a dangerous radius or fly with enough force to hit anyone.

But now Futaba can't find Kaoruko. The bright side is she assumes Kirin and his guard can't find them either.

Futaba turns toward the sound of a chair toppling over. She isn't sure who it is, until she hears the Kirin curse.

"Boss!" his guard calls.

(Wait, wasn't he right next to me? When'd he get so far?)

Before Futaba can think about that, the door behind her slams open. She whips around on guard in case it's reinforcements from the wrong side.

Thankfully, it's just Tendou Maya the fake train conductor for Carriage 9.

"Short Retainer-"

"Tendou- Wait, what did you call me?!"

"Oh, did Pretty Flower not inform you of our code names?"

"Wait what?!"

Futaba's growing annoyance is quelled by a rush of air from the window thrown open. The sudden vacuum sucks the thick smoke out of the room, letting Futaba finally find Kaoruko again. To her relief, she looks unharmed if not only a little startled.

The smoke isn't the only thing gone though.

Maya is already next to the window and preparing to jump out as she speaks into her earpiece, "Uptight Glasses, the Giraffe and his Gorilla have escaped. I'm moving to intercept." She turns back to Futaba. "Take Pretty Flower and head to the front of the train with the other passengers. Uptight Glasses will join you to ensure a safe passage."

"Wait wait wait, who's who?"

Kaoruko pouts. "They're easy to guess."

"You gave me Short Retainer as a code name! And what kind of name is Pretty Flower?!"

A bullet ricochets against the windowsill. Maya barely avoids it with a quick click of her tongue.

"They're shooting back, aren't they?"

"Unfortunately." But rather than be discouraged, Maya grins. "Though that shouldn't be a problem. I am certain someone is eager to intercept them before me."

A gunshot rings above them from outside. Taking it as her cue, Maya uses her free hand to swing out of the window and onto the top of the train.

Judging from Maya's confidence, Futaba knows exactly who she's gunning for.

Thankfully, it doesn't take long for them to calm the civilians and summarize what they're doing here. Once they've calmed down, Hikari steels herself to take care of the next inevitable consequence of their actions.

"I need to report back to the other group," she informs the officers in the room, as well as those who are listening through their earpieces. She replaces the ski mask on her head. "They'll be suspicious if they find out they haven't taken control of the train by now. At least I can buy us some time."

"Be careful," Junna says. "It looks like they've already taken everyone in the dining carriage hostage. Saijou-san is already intercepting the Giraffe with Tendou-san. And I have to make sure Hanayagi-san and Isurugi-san are safe, but I'll provide back up when I can. Everyone else standby. Let Kagura-san handle the situation first. That includes you too, Karen."

"But-"

"Understood," Hikari answers for Karen.

"Be careful, Hikari-chan," Mahiru says.

"Don't worry. I've mingled with them for this long and haven't been killed yet. Another five minutes shouldn't be a problem."

"As expected of Hikari-chan," Nana praises with a smile. "Good luck."

Hikari nods and leaves the kitchen. She traverses through the lounge, ignoring the passengers quivering in their seats. Her attention is solely on the door leading to the next carriage.

She stops in front of it. Despite her bravado, her heart thuds painfully against her chest. She takes a deep breath to calm herself before opening the door and stumbling in. Riding on the adrenaline high of her role, she frantically shuts the door and wills her apprehension to power several deep, panicky breaths.

The one Hikari remembers to be designated Beast 3, dressed just like the unconscious ones back in the kitchen, points his gun at her. He doesn't pull the trigger when he recognizes her.

"Hound 5, what's the situation? What happened?"

Hikari forces herself to quake a bit. At least the heavy breathing isn't really an act. "We… were met with resistance. The others… are knocked out."

"Hah? How'd the Hounds get taken out by a bunch of cooks?"

"Unless the ones that knocked them out weren't regular cooks," another one, Beast 4 proposes. "The boss did say there's a chance the police could have gotten wind of the transaction. Didn't think they'd actually be here though."

"Cheh. Meaning they'll be intercepting us soon."

Beast 1 - who had stayed silent until now - asks Hikari, "Hound 5, are you certain the others have been taken out?"

A shiver runs down her spine. The coldness of his eyes rubs her wrong. Hikari wills herself to stay composed.

"Yes."

"I see. Then we don't have a moment to lose." In three quick strides, Beast 1 grabs the nearest passenger and pushes the barrel of the gun against his head.

The entire carriage erupts in terrified screams.

"What-"

"Oh, we're moving to that part of the plan?" Beast 7 asks. He points his own gun at the closest passenger to him.

The rest of the men in black do the same. With no other choice, Hikari mimics their movements to maintain her role.

"Until the boss issues any more orders, I want to confirm something." Beast 1 lowers the barrel of the gun down to the ground. "I wonder how those officers will react if we injure but not kill."

"Oi! That's not part of the plan!"

Beast 1 shoots Beast 2 a cold glare. "Like I said, I just want to confirm something."

Sweat covers Hikari's palms. Despite the perspiration, her fingers are so clammy that they're strength is starting to leave them. At this rate she's going to end up dropping her weapon. It'll draw attention to her, but at this rate it might be the better option than giving herself away or letting a civilian be injured.

"Just what are you trying to prove?" Beast 6 questions.

"Nothing, if I'm wrong. Everything, if I'm right."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Beast 1 cocks his gun. "Just shut up for now."

He aims his gun at his hostage's foot. Hitting that area will be painful for the receiver, but it won't kill them. Weighing the pros and cons, it shouldn't be enough to completely blow her cover for.

But letting a civilian get injured in front of her when she can prevent it is too cruel. Hikari knows better than to let that happen.

She doesn't have time to deliberate.

(What do I do?)

She makes the unfortunate choice.

Beast 1 narrows his eyes. "Hound 5, what do you think you're doing?" he asks, staring down the barrel of the gun now pointed at his head.

"Release the hostage," Hikari states. "Let them go and I'll consider not pulling the trigger."

"Getting sentimental? Or perhaps your allegiance was never with us in the first place?"

"Traitor," one of the Beasts whispers. Hikari can't be certain if she wants to keep her attention on Beast 1.

"Then the other Hounds that got knocked out…"

"Most likely was her doing. Or at least caught off guard thanks to her," Beast 1 supplies. "You always were the black sheep."

"Release the hostage," Hikari repeats.

"That can be arranged."

At least three pistols turn to her.

"After your brains decorate this carriage."

"They won't make a pretty sight. You'll disturb the other passengers with an ugly artwork."

"I'm sure they will…" Beast 1 flashes a predatory grin, "… learn to appreciate it."

The passengers scream again in fear. But they are quickly silenced by the unoccupied Beasts aiming their guns at random.

One last ditch attempt to stall. "Pull the trigger and you'll alert the others."

"And how many of us are there? Even we weren't given the full total of members involved in this heist. Can you really bet on the numbers on your side?"

No, but at this rate Hikari wouldn't even be able to bet on her life. Trusting her comrades seems to be the better choice than her own life, even if she doesn't want to. Revealing their own side will only complicate matters especially if they are still outnumbered.

There are seven Beasts that she can see in this room alone. That already outnumbers their side, considering Maya and Claudine are supposedly preoccupied by Kirin himself. Then there are the other possible members of Kirin's gang that aren't in the carriage…

Her next choice is made for her by the door on the opposite end being thrown open. More specially, Hikari's fate is sealed by the interruption of none other than her best worst partner possible.

"I-" Karen aims her gun at Beast 1, "-won't let you hurt my Hikari-chan!!!"

It takes all of Hikari's willpower to keep her jaw from dropping. That doesn't mean she can keep her inner most thoughts from being spoken though.

"Areh?" Karen stares dumbfounded as two pistols are aimed at her now.

"Bakaren!"

"Ehhh… But Hikari-chan you're being threatened too."

"Why are you like this?!"

"Eh heh heh… sorry?"

"Well that's one," Beast 1 comments. "If the rest of your comrades are of the same calibre as her, I do not think we will have to worry."

"Karen is an exception."

"That's right! The others are amazing!"

Karen is suddenly shoved out of the way, leaving a perfect trajectory for someone to aim at one of the assailants.

A deafening gunshot echoes throughout the carriage. Silence falls as everyone stares at the smoking barrel, then at the target collapsing on himself.

"H- Holy FUCK!!!" Beast 6 screams on the floor, clutching the area between his legs. "Holy fuck holy fuck fuck fuck fu-"

Junna sighs as the other Beasts shift their target away from Karen and onto her. "Karen, say any more and you would have given away too much."

"I was counting on you to come in at the right time!" Karen beams.

"Bakaren," Hikari sighs.

"Mo, Hikari-chan!"

"You… You shot him in the b-balls," Beast 3 shutters.

Beast 4 whistles in awe.

Junna's face flushes red. "I- I was aiming for his thigh!"

Karen cocks her head to the side. "But JunJun, you're the best shooter in our division, even more accurate than Tendou-san. There's no way you could have missed."

"To be fair, it's the least likely to be guarded," Hikari remarks.

"Oh! As expected of JunJun!"

"You two… aren't there more important things to worry about?!" Junna shouts.

"Have you guys forgotten the situation you're in? Geez, are you even police officers?" Beast 5 snorts.

"If you mean your backup, I don't think they're going to be coming to help you," Karen says. "JunJun and I made sure they wouldn't take any more hostages."

Junna levels her gun. "It's just you seven, now six, in here."

"Even with one down, even if it is only us in this carriage, we still outnumber you," Beast 1 points out. "What will you do?"

The door behind Hikari is thrown open. She reacts on instinct and steps to the side just as the body of Hound 4 is thrown into the room. A gunshot immediately follows it, hitting true to its target on the bicep of the arm Beast 1 has locked around his hostage. The sudden attack lets the passenger slip out of Beast 1's hold and also draws the other Beasts' attention to the front of the carriage where the bullet originated from.

"Run! Get out of the carriage!" Nana's shouts.

The passengers don't need to be told twice. They frantically run for the nearest exit while seemingly ignoring the escalating situation around them. If any of the Beasts try to shoot them, Hikari, Junna, and Karen kick up anything around them to intercept their aim. Chairs, tables, utensils, sheets, and any other object in the dining carriage flies around the room along with bullets, screaming, and pandemonium.

Once all the passengers are gone, Junna locks one door while Nana and Mahiru step in and lock the other.

Beast 1 grimaces, one hand covering his bleeding shoulder.

It is now five against five. Five guns raised against five guns. Or five and a half, considering Beast 1 can still fight.

The odds aren't great, but they're not impossible. Until Maya and Claudine apprehend Kirin, the rest of them will have to make due with what they have.

The first shot rings out, unleashing all hell and chaos.

Chapter Text

Maya steps onto the windowsill and grabs the highest point on the train roof to pull herself out of Kaoruko's suite room. Just as her feet touch the steel of the train top, she quickly pivots to evade a bullet from the Gorilla aimed at her. Maya fires to counter, only managing to graze the Gorilla's side as he evades.

But the momentary distraction gives Claudine the opportunity to snap a hard left hook against the Gorilla's torso. To Maya's confusion, Claudine's opponent grunts but does not fall.

Claudine's strikes are strong enough to knock the wind out of two hundred pound men a head taller than her and two times her width. Maya would know; she's been on the receiving end of those strikes before. Then just like her and Claudine…

(Kevlar. As expected from members of Kirin's gang who came armed.)

With this in mind, Maya redirects her aim down toward the Gorilla's legs. Even a slight graze will hinder his ability to make any sudden movements, giving Claudine a better chance to incapacitate him.

If only he'd stop shooting at her first.

Every time Maya moves to shoot, the Gorilla will notice and aim a shot at her while somehow evading Claudine at the same time. For a moment, Maya's thoughts worry about how comparable the rest of Kirin's men are if his bodyguard is so formidable.

Glass shatters from one of the carriages toward the front of the train. What seems to be a head even sticks out at one point, though it disappears as quickly as Maya sees it from her peripheral vision.

She is reminded that no matter how skilled their opponents are, their division consists of formidable combatants as well.

Claudine successfully disarms the Gorilla hard enough for the gun to fly out of his hand and off the train. For good measure, she kicks the inside of his thigh to make him stumble off balance.

Now their opponent can do nothing but put up his hands as both Maya and Claudine move close enough to point their guns at him. If he moves one way, the other will shoot.

Check.

"Hands behind your head," Claudine orders.

The Gorilla does as he's told.

"On your knees."

He follows those orders as well. He even bows his head.

That action lowers his height enough for Maya to catch a glimpse of movement at the crevice between Carriages 8 and 9. Maya changes her target, but the second person - who neither Claudine nor Maya noticed before - is faster.

Kirin swings onto the top of Carriage 9 with one arm and fires a shot toward Maya. The bullet sails over the Gorilla's head and bites into Maya's torso through all the layers of her disguise. Taken off guard with such force, she's pushed back and away from the Gorilla as her train conductor's hat flies off her head.

"Ma-!"

The Gorilla shoots up from his knees and grabs hold of Claudine's arms. He quickly disarms her and takes her gun for himself. With his left hand holding the pistol, his right pulls Claudine's right arm behind her back and up. The pain forces Claudine to focus on her arm and not react when the barrel of her own gun is shoved against the side of her head.

Within these three seconds, Maya rights herself and wills strength into her legs and lungs. She remains standing, even if her breathing is not as optimal as she would like.

The bullet may have gone through the jacket and dress shirt, but the Kevlar successfully saves her life.

"Ah, I understand. Kevlar as well? I was correct to assume the police would have somehow found out about our negotiation." Kirin keeps his gun trained on Maya. "And Seisho's Ninth Division at that. I have always considered how the circumstances would fare if your group were to be our opponent. Especially you…"

With her hat is gone, her long brown hair blows freely in the wind. Her hair doesn't fly in her face thanks to her signature purple bow that was hidden under the now-discarded hat.

"…Tendou Maya. Your parents gave our organization quite some trouble in the past."

Maya tentatively grasps the area where she was shot. No bleeding, but a possibility of bruising is not unlikely.

She keeps her gun on Kirin while she checks on Claudine from her peripheral vision. Even with all her training, Claudine can't fight back the grimace from the pain. The Gorilla is either pulling Claudine's right arm up high enough to dislocate it, or the gun is digging into her temple.

Maya turns her full attention to Kirin. "Release her."

"I don't believe you are in the position to make such a demand. If you would like me to prevent my associate from killing your partner, I suggest you discard your weapon at once."

Maya frowns. She runs through her head every possible course of action she can take in this situation. She settles on the best one and throws her gun off the train.

"Hands behind your head. Then on your knees."

Maya does as she's told, mimicking the same actions that the Gorilla had done not even three minutes ago. Except she doesn't bow her head. She keeps her gaze on Kirin as he closes the distance between them. Once he's close enough, he levels his gun to Maya's forehead.

"Check. I understand," Kirin says. "With you two as our hostages, I wonder how long it will take the rest of your team to cooperate?"

Maya smiles, the unexpected reaction making Kirin's own smile falter.

"Two you say? I do not see two hostages here."

"Oh? And do you not consider yourself one in this situation?"

"Perhaps. But I would advise you not to underestimate mon partenaire."

Claudine uses her free hand to move the gun above her head, then takes a shooting step forward to loosen the Gorilla's hold on her arm. Once she's no longer locked by his hold, she takes advantage of his larger body and the hand still gripping hers to pull herself toward him while spinning around and whipping a left elbow to his nose.

It is child's play for someone like Claudine to shatter bone.

His grip loosens, allowing Claudine to free herself and fully disarm her opponent. She attempts to switch their grip to take ahold of the weapon for herself. But the Gorilla fights through the pain spreading across his face and slaps the gun out of Claudine's loose fingers. The gun flies through the air and off the train, leaving Claudine and the Gorilla with their fists and the rest of their body as their only weapon.

As much as Maya wants to marvel at Claudine, she has her own job to do. Taking advantage of Kirin's surprise, Maya shoots up from her kneeling position and strikes Kirin's wrist. Once she's disarmed him, her hand grab the gun from Kirin's grip. For good measure, Maya slams a side kick into Kirin's stomach to push him back.

The distance between them now is great enough that Maya has a clear shot without the Kirin being able to counter her easily, while small enough that he can't fully evade a shot. They both know this.

And so does the Gorilla, who takes a shot to his leg to get close enough to grab Claudine. The Gorilla lifts her over his head and heaves her body straight into Maya before either of them can take a shot at their respective targets. The force knocks the wind out of Maya and nearly sends them both skidding off the top of the train. Maya's left arm shoots out and grabs the best crevice she can to prevent herself and Claudine from suffering a painful fate.

Claudine groans. "Casse couille. Je déteste les brutes."

"Language, Saijou-san," Maya coughs.

Claudine pushes herself off of Maya with an annoyed huff. "Oh you infuriating- Bouge!"

Claudine shoves Maya out of the way and lifts her left arm just in time to intercept an overhead knife. The blade drives into Claudine's forearm, stabbing through skin, muscle, and bone until the tip protrudes out from the other side. A pained cry rips from her throat, eyes clenched shut in agony.

Maya clamps her mouth shut to stop herself from wasting time to voice her worries. Instead, she rights herself and aims her gun at Kirin.

Before she can fire, Kirin uses the knife embedded in Claudine as an anchor to drag Claudine in front of him. Along with Claudine's painful cry from being tugged along, Maya's loses her concentration and fires completely off target to avoid hurting Claudine further.

Kirin rips the knife from Claudine's arm and kicks her back into Maya, sending the two into a heap again. He skids back until his feet touch the edge of the top of the train. He taunts Maya with a swish of his knife to splatter some of Claudine's blood onto the surface of the train. With one final, knowing smile, Kirin jumps down into the gap between the two carriages and disappears from Maya's sight.

In the back of her mind Maya notes that the Gorilla is also no longer with them. As reassuring as it is that they will no longer be attacked, they have to deal with the current consequences of their brief shuffle just now.

Maya shifts onto her knees and helps steady Claudine against her. Her hands are simultaneously keeping Claudine upright while trying to take off the train conductor's coat. After some tugging, Maya removes the jacket from her body and wraps it around Claudine's bleeding arm the best she can given its size and shape. After a second of deliberation, Maya decides to take off her tie as well and use it to fasten Claudine's arm into a makeshift brace to help alleviate some of the stress.

"This will require more than basic first aid," Maya says. She tries not to linger on the fact that she can already feel the coat becoming wet.

"Oui. But there is something else you need to do right now."

"You need to have this tended to."

Claudine grabs onto Maya's arm with the hand she can still move without sending flames of agony through her entire body. Though Maya doesn't miss the grimace of pain that flashes across Claudine's face anyway.

"You need to go after that Giraffe," Claudine hisses. "If you let them escape, it will be no one's fault but ours. It's infuriating, but I can't do anything to reverse this situation. That doesn't mean I will drag you down with me."

"You are not-"

Claudine's gaze holds no room for protest. Her magenta eyes burn with a conviction Maya has always admired. There is a hint of shame mixed within, but there is no denying the determination to see justice carried out. And someone has to do it.

Regrettably, Claudine passes the baton to Maya. Even if Maya has to leave her behind, Claudine will not allow them to lose.

"Tendou Maya hasn't lost," Claudine states with finality.

To honor such conviction, Maya will take the first step ahead. But where Maya goes, Claudine will inevitably follow.

Maya rises to her feet and nods. "I have not lost. No-"

Such obstinacy… it would be unforgivable to dishonor it.

Maya runs toward the gap between the last two carriages. Before she jumps down, Maya sends one final reassurance to her partner.

"-We have not lost!"

Junna wishes one of their operations can proceed without hindrance just one time. One time. But she knows that's asking for too much. Since the moment Seisho's Ninth Division was established it's been one mess after another. Though now that she thinks about it, the chaos didn't frequent until Hikari transferred to their division from England after moving back to Japan after twenty years abroad. And then there's their current situation…

Junna ducks to evade a right hook and uses her momentum to sneak in two jabs into her opponent's torso. The first one connects, but she only grazes her opponent for the second one as he twists his body to avoid it at the last moment. His other fists connects with her careful guard held up in front of her face. The force pushes her backward.

She didn't think their experiences could get anymore tumultuous. Junna had underestimated Hanayagi Kaoruko's influence.

The back of her heel catches an overturned chair. The sudden obstruction trips Junna onto the ground. She rolls out of the way before her opponent can bring his foot down onto her face.

It doesn't help that her glasses have long since been knocked off her face and crushed somewhere in the middle of all this pandemonium. Her head throbs; there's a high chance there's a bruise on her temple where her opponent jabbed her to knock off her glasses. With her vision hindered, disarmed of her weapon, and her body showing signs of fatigue, it won't be long until her guard slips and she provides an opening for her opponent.

Thankfully, she's not alone.

Just as Junna jumps to her feet, her opponent shifts his attention to block a kick to his side from Nana. Junna darts past Nana to block Nana's original opponent from taking advantage of her back to him. The two women stand back to back, their opponents switched but their odds higher with each other.

Junna sends a quick reassurance as both sides gauge their next move. "I'm fine, Nana. I can still see."

(Somewhat.)

"Are you sure?"

"As much as I trust you, I doubt you can take both of them at once. They make even you look short."

Nana chuckles. Her reply is cut short when their opponents engage once more.

The two push off from each others' backs, but don't stray too far from the other. When one defends, the other attacks. After one attack, the other may follow up as well.

While Nana has the advantage of height and longer limbs, Junna uses her shorter stature to evade the much larger men quicker than they can catch her. Just because bears are more dangerous, doesn't mean the mouse will simply let itself get caught.

She can still fight even with her vision blurry. Junna may be the Ninth Division's most precise marksman, but that is of no importance if she doesn't have a weapon to shoot with. Her hand-to-hand combat is not hindered by the deprecation of sight. The sound of footsteps, the rustle of clothing, filtering the other sounds of chaos from fights around her out and only tuning into her own, even the pungent scent of her opponent are cues Junna has learned to take advantage of.

This is a role she has learned to perfect in her own way.

One of them grabs the broken leg of a table and swings it at Nana's head. The sudden movement gives Nana barely any time to switch into defense and take the brunt of the force with her forearms. She's knocked off her feet, leaving Junna on her own.

Junna ducks and rolls between the Beast that swung a club at Nana. She raises up and strikes his back with enough power to tip some of his towering height away from her. Before she can do more, she's forced to evade the second assailant as he swings the remnants of a dining chair over his head and crashes it down onto the floor where Junna was standing.

The chair splinters into even more broken wooden pieces. He raises what's left and aims for Junna again. As it swings down, Nana jumps in between with the flat side of a table and blocks the attack. She pivots and uses his own momentum to have his makeshift weapon slide down the flat surface and away from her, then swings the thin end against the side of his face.

The Beast falls to the ground with a heavy thud. That's one down.

The second assailant comes up behind her with the switchblade that Junna had thought she had disarmed from him before. Junna has no time to dwell on that as Nana's being attacked.

Nana pivots to dodge before he can cut her jugular. The blade instead slices through her upper arm that her Kevlar vest doesn't protect. Nana readjusts her guard in light of this new weapon.

Junna makes sure she stays behind the Beast. The last time she had disarmed him she still had her gun. But now both she and Nana are empty handed except for a few scattered remains of the furniture in the room.

The Beast spins around and aims for Junna instead. The blade cuts through her loose strands of hair as she evades the small blade with wild movements. With her attention on the knife, Junna doesn't react in time when the Beast spins and back-kicks her in the sternum, knocking her back into a few overturned pieces of jagged furniture.

He's forced to turn around and blocks Nana's renewed assaults. Turning the knife on her pushes Nana into defense. But as she skids back, one of her feet kicks an object that clinks together with something else.

Nana ducks a lateral swing and drops down to the ground to pick up the two items. They're a bit small for weapons, but Nana is skilled enough to dual wield with anything.

Even with two dinner knives that are nowhere near the sharpness of the switchblade, Nana parries or dodges every strike and pushes the Beast back. She swings both knives in a flurry of small, circular movements to obstruct any of the Beast's stabs. And if he tries the same, Nana can easily parry and counter with the other knife. They may be utensils used to cut food, but their sharpness is still lethal.

With his attention on Nana, he doesn't notice Junna slide behind him until she's already kicked the back of his knee. His stance falters to one leg, giving Nana the opening she needs to disarm him. Using his lowered height to her advantage, Junna moves to the side and whips a hook to the side of his head. Her knuckles clash painfully with his skull, but she bites through the pain and forces the rest of her energy into that one final punch as retribution for breaking her glasses.

Another body joins the other on the ground. Though those two aren't the only unconscious ones now.

To the side, Mahiru knocks her own opponent into the window, then follows up with a punch to the face. The strike pushes the Beast's head to break the glass and shattering the last intact window of the carriage. She then grabs him by his lapels and pulls him back into the carriage and finishes him off.

Another body down.

The three share quick glances to each other before turning to the rest of the Beasts. Even if they're tired and covered in blood and bruises, there are still a few more of Kirin's men to subdue before they can relax. Once the situation in this carriage is quelled, they can join Maya and Claudine to apprehend Kirin and put an end to this chaos.

For now, they have their own circumstances to worry about. Because even after disarming each other early on, Kirin's men are proving to be a greater nuisance than they thought.

Junna is tired of her plans going awry in every situation that can lead to chaos.

As if reading her thoughts, Nana takes a brief moment to give Junna a reassuring smile and says, "Junna-chan, I'll make sure to bake a special cake for you after all this is over."

"You know you don't have to."

"Then will you help me?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Mahiru-chan!" Karen shouts with her back to Hikari.

Mahiru nods, joining them to subdue the last three Beasts. To Junna's surprise, the leader who Nana had shot is still standing despite the bullet wound in his arm. It seems he even managed to break Hikari's taser at some point.

But with her and Nana, she's sure they can overturn the situation.

"Junna-chan."

Junna nods, and follows Nana to join the others in one final shuffle.

"They're stirring up a storm in there," Futaba comments a little ways from the door. "I can hear the ruckus like we're not even in another carriage. I'm starting to feel bad for the group stuck in the first cabin."

Kaoruko hums. "Seems so. Do you want to join?"

"As if. Just because I was part of the same collaborative training camp with them at one point doesn't mean I'm on the same level as them. One gun is fine, but I can't do anything with three or more spitting bullets at once. Actually, even normal police officers shouldn't be able to dodge all of that. Those guys are just unbelievable."

Kaoruko voices a noncommittal hum.

Futaba huffs, turning back to Kaoruko. "Besides, I'm not leaving you."

"Of course you aren't."

Futaba moves away from the small glass opening. "What are you doing any- Is that Kirin's drug?!"

Kaoruko smirks, twirling the small syringe in her hands. She finally has Futaba's attention on her. "It is."

"How'd you…? You swiped it when Junna blew up the bottle to make the smokescreen, didn't you?"

"How perceptive, Futaba-han. Kirin-han may have thrown the briefcase out the window when he ran away, but he doesn't know that he only dumped an empty container off the train."

"What are you going to do with that?"

Kaoruko continues to rotate the syringe in her hand. "Futaba-han, what laboratories do we have connections to?"

"Domestic or overseas?"

"Preferably domestic. I don't plan on getting on our country's bad side."

"At least three from the top of my head. You'll have to ask your actual secretary when we get off this train. You probably won't have time to get to that until the police finish interrogations though."

Kaoruko pouts. "I don't want to deal with stuffy things like that. How can they confine a flower like me with such boring responsibilities?"

"You were the one who agreed to be bait."

Futaba takes a seat besides the side of the bed Kaoruko is lounging on. With just the two of them in the suite, any minute concerns about her upholding her image goes out the window. Though if any of the other passengers had begged to hide with them due to lack of space anywhere else, she wouldn't have denied them.

Kaoruko prides herself to be a devil, but not in that sense.

Well, it was Junna who had practically pushed Kaoruko and Futaba into this room then instructed them to lock the door. So this isn't even her being selfish. She's just following the orders of an uptight glasses-wearing police officer.

Kaoruko smirks. "Who else would have played the part perfectly but me?"

Futaba huffs. "You did do pretty well. I guess you deserve a reward. After all this though."

"Unfair! That's mean of you, Futaba-han. To make a promise and then not fulfill it-"

"Like I said," Futaba says with a raised voice, "you'll get it once all this is over. I'll even convince Junna to keep the questioning to a minimum. Since she knows about our circumstances, I don't think she'll mind too much. And if she's stressed about that, Banana can probably change her mind. I'm pretty sure she's planning a big meal after all this anyway."

"Oh, Banana-han's cooking. Is it really that good?"

Futaba smirks. "You don't know real cuisine until you've had Banana's stuff. She really makes bananas a culture of its own."

"Then you promise I'll get to have it?"

"Yep. I'll even buy the ingredients for her if I have to. Man, I've missed her cooking."

"Will you also feed me?"

"Ehhh." Futaba gripes. She sighs in acquiescence. "The service fee is five hundred thousand yen."

"It's increased?!" Kaoruko huffs. "You never charge Kuro-han whenever she invites you for an outing. And that one time you gave Tendou-han a ride too!"

"Geh, how'd you find out about that?"

"Oh, so you were keeping it from me!"

"That's-!" Futaba groans. "Geez, you're such a handful."

"Oh I'm the handful-?!"

"Ahhh! I'll take you to Ojii-san's minka after this too! We'll just… sit on the tatami mats and relax. Like we always did. No one else and no limos; I'll give you a ride on my bike."

Kaoruko crosses her arms and turns her head upward. "You think that will win me over?"

"Do you not want to go?"

"Hmph!"

The silence drags on for another minute. But Kaoruko's patience was never her strong point.

She glances to the side at her retainer. "Really? You'll take me?"

Futaba reaches over and takes Kirin's syringe from her hand. Once she's moved it to the nightstand by the bed, she wraps her hand over Kaoruko's and gives it a tight squeeze.

"Yeah. After all this is over."

Maya drops down onto the railway coupling holding Carriages 8 and 9 together. Once her feet touch the surface, she immediately flattens her back against the outside wall of Carriage 8. Maya holds up her gun and grabs the knob to open the carriage door. Gathering herself, she throws open the door and pivots into the carriage with her gun raised and ready.

All that greets her is the rhythmic rumbling of the train on the tracks.

With the hallway empty, Maya starts checking each of the individual cabins in the carriage. Using the same abrupt movements as before, she finds the first cabin empty. And the next, and the one after that. All five lack a single sign of life.

(Hoshimi-san must have instructed the other passengers to evacuate to a different carriage.) Maya comments offhandedly to herself, a reassurance that she won't have to worry about casualties when finding her target.

With Carriage 8 empty, Maya moves on to Carriage 7. It's only after she's made sure that the hallway is clear that Maya starts to consider another possibility.

(Could Kirin have retreated to Carriage 9? Does he have some way to guarantee his escape? If so, why hasn't he utilized it?)

The first two cabins are empty. Maya considers going back to Carriage 9 to check for Kirin as she's moving onto the third cabin. But right before her hand can grab the handle, the door is suddenly thrown open and Maya is tackled against the opposite wall by the Gorilla.

"Gh!"

Her momentary distraction gives the Gorilla the opportunity to disarm her, knocking her gun out of her hand. It skids to the other side of the carriage. Maya raises a fist and brings it down onto the Gorilla's injured nose, breaking his hold on her as he cries out in pain. She raises her leg and shoves him back by kicking him in the stomach.

The Gorilla's back slams into the opposing wall. But he uses the momentum to ricochet himself back into Maya. He drives a solid punch into Maya's cheek.

Maya manages to rotate her body at the last minute to avoid the full brunt of the hit, instead using the force to spin herself around and backfist the Gorilla's own face up from the chin.

From her peripheral, Maya catches a flash of blonde hair moving to her gun. She would be relieved- except the hair is short, not long.

Reacting through her instincts, Maya grabs onto the Gorilla and kicks his leg to trip him, aiming for the existing bullet wound to use his own reaction against him. His body tilts to cover hers just as the first shot rings out. Instead of hitting Maya, the first bullet hits the Gorilla's back, the second pierces the his arm when Maya tilts him more to shield herself, and the third hits the area right above where his Kevlar vest begins to cover his back.

"Kgh-?! Gah-! Agh-!"

For the first time, the Gorilla's expression morphs to one of shock and terror. An incoherent gargle congests in the back of his throat- the only cry he's able to make as pain engulfs his senses.

Maya shoves the Gorilla's body towards Kirin as the wounded guard folds in on himself from the pain sucking away the rest of his strength. Using his body as a shield, she surges toward her next opponent.

Kirin leaps back into Carriage 8 to avoid the Gorilla's body. He aims Maya's gun to hinder her pursuit. But Maya intercepts him before he can fire, knocking the gun out of his hands and behind them. Disarmed of the gun, Kirin blocks a few of Maya's strikes and then pulls out the combat knife he had used to incapacitate Claudine.

Part of the blade is still stained red. Maya has no intentions to add a significant amount of her own into the mix.

"You're rather persistent aren't you, Tendou Maya?" Kirin thrusts with a series of rapid jabs at Maya. "I understand!"

Maya evades and redirects the knife as much as she can. She takes a few cuts on the back of her forearm if needed, at least saving herself from suffering more severe injuries. Every cut she suffers is not a mistake; they provide better openings to return the assault on her end. A jab across the face, a front kick to the solar plexus, a thrust to his shoulder. But Maya can never move to disarm Kirin unless she wants her fingers cut off.

However, no one's defenses are perfect. Especially if their body is already weary from prior skirmishes.

Maya falters from a dull throb in her ribs. Noting a hesitation in her movements, Kirin surges forward and slashes across the back of Maya's forearm deeper than any of the previous cuts she suffered before. The sudden injury further obstructs her concentration and gives Kirin the second to switch his grip on the knife to a reverse hold and strikes down at her chest. Maya shifts her position enough to take the stab on her left shoulder instead. Her Kevlar vest takes the brunt of the stab and locks the knife in place. Maya jabs Kirin in the throat before he can pull it back out.

With the knife no longer in Kirin's hands, Maya renews her assaults and forces Kirin to match her empty handed. Each strike from both sides matches one another too quickly for Maya to have a chance to pull out the knife embedded in her shoulder and use it for herself. It doesn't incapacitate her left arm, but it does somewhat hinder it. The most she can do is to counter Kirin and prevent him from taking back the weapon.

Through their own labored breaths and clashing limbs, Maya picks up on a separate set of heavy footsteps lumbering behind her. The Gorilla limps toward Carriage 8 from where he had fallen after getting shot.

Maya clicks her tongue. (Even a bullet to the back is not enough?)

A strike nearly grazes her cheek, pulling her attention back to Kirin. If Maya turns away, she gives him an advantage to incapacitate her with or without his knife. At the same time, she isn't sure how long she can last if the Gorilla joins the fight- even with his injuries and current state.

From her peripheral vision, Maya catches a glimpse of her gun lying on the ground to the side. But from her position she won't be able to reach it. And even if she did, she won't have an opening to shoot with Kirin pressing her.

Before the Gorilla can step past the railway coupling between the two carriages, another body suddenly swings down from the top of Carriage 8 and kicks him back into Carriage 7. A familiar head of wavy blonde hair whips through the air as Maya's previously incapacitated partner rams her foot into the Gorilla's stomach and pushes him back even further.

Even with just one arm, Saijou Claudine will always be Tendou Maya's partner.

"Your opponent… is me!" Claudine declares.

Maya parries down Kirin's fist and aims a backfist to Kirin's head. He lowers his stance to avoid it and uppercuts with the other arm. Maya evades by angling her body to the side and follows up with a downward fist to Kirin's outstretched arm and a kick to his body.

But instead of evading it, he takes the full brunt of the strike and then latches onto the leg with both hands, trapping Maya on one leg.

Kirin's lips pull up into a smirk as he coughs from the impact. "M-Marvelous! If the rest of your team is as formidable as you two, I may actually be a little worried!"

Kirin pulls Maya's leg past his body, bringing her shoulder down toward him. He grasps his knife and rips it out of the Kevlar covering Maya's shoulder. He flips the knife so his hands wrap around the handle in a saber forward grip and slashes the blade horizontally across Maya's arm.

Maya angles her body so the blade only slices through her dress shirt and a small part of her arm. She ignores the slight sting from the fresh wound to raise her leg and roundhouse kick Kirin in the back, knocking him off his feet and to the ground. Just as Kirin rights himself in a squatting position to pounce on his legs and strike back, Maya crouches down and picks up the object she noticed from her periphery.

The gun levels with the blade.

Despite his disadvantage, Kirin is still smirking. "Oh, this is check on your part again. I understand. As expected of you, Tendou Maya."

Maya ignores his taunt. "Discard your weapon."

"Hm? Why on earth would I do that? Because you can pull the trigger faster than I can cut your throat? I understand. But I disagree with that."

His gaze shifts to the side. Maya follows his eyes to Carriage 7.

Maya does her best to keep remain unperturbed, but the widening of her eyes gives away her sudden concern.

On the ground in Carriage 7, Claudine and the Gorilla are nearing the end of their own brawl. The Gorilla pins Claudine on the ground with his entire body weight sitting on her front. He grits his bloody teeth in a snarl as he tightens both hands around Claudine's neck. Red covers most of his complexion. Not only from the blood smeared from his broken nose and lining his teeth, but his bloodshot eyes and flushed face as he pulls the last vestiges of strength from his weary body to crush his opponent.

From the amount of force he's exerting, he isn't aiming to just cut off her air supply.

With one of her arms unusable, Claudine has no way of fighting back against her much larger opponent in her current position. The most she can manage is a futile attempt to peel the Gorilla's larger fingers from her throat.

Kirin chuckles. "What will you do, Tendou Maya?"

What a ridiculous question.

Maya redirects the gun away from Kirin to the Gorilla. She fires without hesitation, striking the large brute with a perfect headshot. The Gorilla's eyes widen for a moment before his entire body goes slack. His chokehold on Claudine loosens and he collapses on top of the girl beneath him.

Kirin moves the instant Maya turns the gun away from him. By the time she pulls the trigger at her other target, Kirin whips his knife across Maya's face and slashes across Maya's nose.

Maya cries out and grabs her face in pain, clenching her eyes shut from the immense stinging under her eyes. Frantic footsteps thud against the carpet, becoming duller in the opposite direction of Carriage 7.

(Is he escaping to the last carriage?!)

Maya squints her eyes and catches a glimpse of Kirin crossing the railway coupling into Carriage 9. She fires a blind shot that hits the side of the door instead of hitting her target. She fights through her blurry vision and runs toward the last carriage to follow.

Kirin suddenly whirls around, grasping the door with his free hand.

With one final smirk, he declares, "Checkmate." Then slams the door shut.

Her heart skips a beat. This is not a feeling she is familiar with. Others have described it to her; Maya has even seen it for herself when she achieves victory over her opponent. Every one of her opponents - including Claudine - have shown the expression that she must wear now; expressed as a manifestation of a split-second realization.

The realization that this battle is a loss.

Reacting on instinct, Maya throws herself into the door of the nearest cabin just as the railway coupling suddenly explodes in a flash of white and pain. The wall caves in, and for a moment Maya only sees black.

…

…

…

The ceiling and walls are gone. She's on her back. Certainly not her face, since she can still make out some of the fire and smoke rising into the sky.

Is she burning from the fire or the pain?

(I have not lost. That is what she had said. Then…)

…

Her ears are ringing. Even the burning flames sound distant, becoming fainter as her consciousness slips from her grasp.

(I have not lost. I have not lost. I have not lost.)

…

She can't see. She can't move. Her lungs burn. The ringing won't stop. She can't-

(I have not lost I have not lost I have not lost I have not lost I have not lost I have not-)

…

(I…)

…

…

…

…

"Tendou Maya! Of all the times to be annoying! Tendo-!"

…

…

"MAYA!"

…

…

…

…

"MAYA!!!"

…

…

…

..

.

Chapter Text

Sakuragi Rei places the stack of papers on the table and regards the officer in front of her. "Thank you for the report, Hoshimi. I'll read through it in a bit. Is there anything else you need?"

"None, ma'am."

The older woman nods. "Then you're dismissed."

But just as Junna is about to walk out the door, the woman adds one last statement.

"Ah, Hoshimi? Take the rest of the day off. You and the others."

"Ma'am?"

"Tendou and Saijou aside, the rest of you need the rest as well. I doubt any of you will be able to operate efficiently given your current exhaustion, with or without injuries. I'm surprised you were even able to complete the mission report. Didn't your glasses get broken during the mission?"

"It did-"

"Therefore, you need a replacement."

"My spare is just fine." But Junna can't even voice that rebuttal with confidence. They're the wrong prescription and that isn't helping with her growing headache.

Rei shakes her head and sighs, looking more like a mother berating her children than her captain at the moment. "Let Amemiya and Masai handle the interrogation. They'll be fine."

As much as Junna wants to argue, she's been looking forward to crawling into bed and cuddling with Nana since she first registered her stinging knuckles after knocking out the Beast on the train. And it's been a full seventy-two hours since then.

So Junna concedes with a nod. "I'll inform the others that they have the rest of the day off."

The captain of the Ninth Division bids her subordinate one last farewell for the day before Junna shuts the door behind her.

Junna considers heading to the interrogation room to check on how Shion and Kiriko are fairing, but the pounding in her head convince her to decline that idea.

The next thing she knows, she's leaning against the wall and barely controlling her breathing. There's another body next to her, warm hands on her arm and back to keep her steady.

"Junna-chan, are you okay?" a familiar voice asks.

Junna tries to nod, but even that hurts. "I'm okay, Nana. Just a little dizzy."

"You really should go home…"

Anger shoots through her, giving her a brief surge of energy to whirl around and glare at Nana. She runs her gaze up and down the taller girl, taking in all the bandages and plasters decorating the parts not covered by clothing. For some reason, Nana is rather energetic for someone who is suffering from a concussion and has most of her head wrapped in bandages.

"I've been telling you that," Junna retorts.

No, it does no good to get mad at Nana. Nana did nothing wrong. Oh, her head feels like it just crashed through a bunch of bowling pins again; bowling pins shaped like men twice her size wearing giraffe masks.

Junna sighs. "Ne-Never mind. The captain gave us all permission to leave early anyway."

"Sakuragi-san did? That's great!" Nana smiles. "She's always been a logical one. And since it's an order, you can't refuse right?"

"Geez… I keep saying you don't have to wait for me."

"But who else is going to take care of Junna-chan?"

Nana's kind words and reassuring smile send another shock of warmth through Junna. But this time there's no anger, only love.

Junna has no choice but to give into Nana's warmth. "Alright, let's go tell the others and then head home."

"Oh, Karen-chan and the others already left."

"What?!"

Nana hums. "Maybe half an hour ago? They wanted to visit Maya-chan and Kuro-chan, so they told me not to tell you and went ahead."

As much as Junna wants to berate them, she can't find the energy nor the proper reasoning to actually be mad. She wants to pay a visit to the hospital as well, but she can barely stand right now.

As if reading her thoughts, Nana says, "We can visit together once you get some rest. Oh, and once we get you another pair of glasses. I don't think those two will be discharged anytime soon. Especially Maya-chan."

"How are they?"

Nana suddenly scoops Junna's legs up and holds her in her arms in a bridal carry. Although the smile she flashes is her usual one, Junna notices a hint of mischief in her intentions.

"I'll tell you once you're tucked in bed~"

"Na-Nana! I can walk by myself!"

"But you look so tired, Junna-chan! And you wrote the final report all by yourself without getting any rest these past three days."

"Nana, are you upset?"

"Hm? Why do you ask that?"

"I just think-" Junna yelps as Nana shifts her captive in her arms, forcing Junna to wrap her arms around Nana's shoulders to keep herself steady. "W-Wait, Nana! There are people watching! N-Nana!!"

Masai Kiriko jumps from the table rattling under the strike of her partner's palm. The interrogation isn't producing any helpful results. The most Kiriko's managed to write down is that their prisoner replies with 'I understand' a little too often.

It isn't the first time interrogations don't go smoothly, but it usually means her partner will resort to more forceful methods to get people talking. They aren't front-line officers like Tendou Maya, Saijou Claudine, or any of the other five. Shion comes closest to qualifying, but even she admits it isn't her line of work. They work better backstage, taking care of the unseen protocols that have to be completed once a criminal is apprehended.

Kiriko documents and keeps track of notes while Shion handles direct communication. Their dynamic has worked so far, and she's certain Amemiya Shion won't stop until Kirin gives her the information she wants.

"This is the last time I'm going to ask nicely. Where is the rest of the prototype?"

Oh, Shion's using her no-nonsense voice now. Kiriko can't help but admire Kirin for lasting this long. Then again, contrary to all their other prisoners, Kirin doesn't look disturbed at all.

In fact, he even flashes her a smirk. "As I stated before, that is not something I can answer."

"Not because you won't disclose it, but because you don't know. And you expect us to believe that?"

"What is truth, officer?"

Shion sighs. "I think Daiba dealt a greater hit to your head than she reported."

That causes Kirin's smile to falter. "I have to admit, my loss… truly took me by surprise."

"Checkmate," he says with a smirk before slamming the door of Carriage 9 shut, cutting off Tendou Maya's pursuit. Kirin backs away enough just as the train shakes from the explosion caused by the bombs planted on the outside of Carriage 8.

With that, he is certain Tendou Maya and the other officers will no longer pursue him. Breaking the railway coupling with a few extra explosives also breaks this last carriage from the rest of the train. Indeed, he can already feel the carriage's speed slowing down.

Just as his body relaxes, a sudden spike of pain flares from his left thigh. Looking down, he finds blood staining his trousers from an unexpected bullet hole.

He brandishes his weapon and whirls around, but another bullet bites into his hand and forces him to release the knife. Another one tears into his upper arm just where the Kevlar doesn't cover his body.

Before he can recover, his assailant slams their foot into the bullet wound in his leg, forcing him onto his knees from both the impact and the pain. The barrel is pressed against the top of his forehead.

"No, this is checkmate."

He meets the cold gaze of unfamiliar green eyes. Blood cakes her blonde hair and most of her face. In fact, it's practically staining every white surface of her chef uniform. Strangely enough, her hair is styled in pigtails shaped like banana bunches.

(Bananas…?)

"A hidden officer?" he guesses.

"Maya-chan and Kuro-chan aren't the only ones who can run and climb on the top of trains."

"Ah, I understand. You are an associate of Tendou Maya. An officer of the Ninth Division I assume. Pardon, I don't recognize you."

"That's fine. My name isn't important."

Kirin flashes her a smirk, already running through multiple possibilities to disarm his opponent. "Oh? But I would like to know the one who successfully apprehended me."

Before he can choose a course of action, the woman raises her gun and whips the butt against the side of his head. The blunt force knocks Kirin off his knees and onto his side. Blood pours from his new head wound.

"You can learn it after this ends."

That is all he hears before his consciousness leaves him completely.

"Daiba Nana, was it? I understand. I will surely remember that name from now on," Kirin mutters.

"Concussion or not, that answer isn't acceptable," Shion says, bringing them back on topic. "What kind of head of a drug syndicate doesn't know where his supply chains are?"

Kirin shrugs. "I suppose that makes me a rather incompetent leader."

Kiriko's eyes widen. Kirin's words elucidate another possibility that they hadn't considered before.

"Amemiya-san, what if he's not lying?"

Shion whirls around. "Huh?"

"What if he isn't the head?"

"Wha-What? Are you saying he's been lying about everything else?"

"I have done no such thing," Kirin interrupts.

"Hey, we're talking right now." Shion turns back to Kiriko. "If he's not the leader-"

"No, he might be telling the truth. Organizations like this are often broken up into sectors. Every group has a hierarchy. It's possible that Kirin is the head of the part located in Japan. But what if he answers to someone else?"

Shion's eyes widen. "Then…"

Kiriko nods gravely. "This drug syndicate - the Shadow Radiance - may have connections with far greater reach than we thought."

This is already the second time in ten minutes that a hospital personnel has to stop Karen and tell her to not run in the building. She apologizes and manages to contain herself at least until they walk out of the elevator. Then she's back to bouncing on her toes again.

Thankfully, Mahiru grabs onto her hand to keep her from straying too far.

"Karen-chan, if you run off you're going to get scolded again," Mahiru chides. "And then we'll never get to Kuro-chan's room."

"It's not like either of them can leave their beds," Hikari points out. "Especially the one who's most likely still unconscious."

Karen chuckles. "Sorry, I'm just so excited!"

"We were here yesterday," Hikari states.

"Yeah, but it's weird not seeing Tendou-san and Kuro-chan whenever we can. We've gotten hospitalized before, but this is the first time it was ever that serious for those two." Karen's expression falls. "That Kirin must've been dangerous if he can injure those two so much."

Karen hopes she can do more than stare in shock when she visits Maya today. Their last visit had been… awkward.

Hikari nods. "That's why I extended my infiltration period by another month. If we were even less prepared…"

"Someone might have actually lost their life," Mahiru finishes, her gaze turned to one of the walls. "Tendou-san almost…"

"We're here," Hikari announces before Mahiru can finish that sentence. She knocks twice and says a quick 'Excuse us' before opening the door and entering without waiting longer.

To the surprise of all three, the room is empty.

"Eh? Where's Kuro-chan?" Karen wonders.

"She's not supposed to be out of bed! Where could she be?!" Mahiru shouts.

Hikari frowns. Then her eyes widen.

"Ah, I know where she is."

Hikari spins on her heels and walks out of the room down the hall. She doesn't wait for the other two to follow.

"Eh? Hikari-chan?" Karen calls out. She jogs a little to catch up to Hikari. "You know where Kuro-chan is?"

Hikari nods. "There's only one possible place she can be if we assume she wasn't kidnapped. And that possibility isn't likely."

"Ahh, that's true. Kuro-chan can fight against anyone even when she's injured…"

They stop in front of another room. Hikari does the same thing she did with Claudine's room and enters. This time, the three do find people in the room. More than one actually.

"Ara, you three." Claudine stares at them blankly. "Were you coming to visit again?"

Sitting in a chair beside the hospital bed is another patient who shouldn't be out of her room. But Claudine has never been one to sit still for long. Karen remembers Claudine forced herself to stay home for only one day to rest from a fever before returning to work the next day, pretty much completely healed.

But her injuries this time won't allow her to shrug off rest so easily. Her left arm will be incapacitated for at least a month. The stab wound has been carefully tended to; her arm is wrapped in a brace that's held by a sling attached to her shoulder. The sling is held with straps connecting her forearm with one wrapped around her chest area instead of her bruised and tender neck. Like Karen herself, a bandage is wrapped around her head and a few plasters cover her face. In addition, Claudine's right hand is nearly completely wrapped in bandages too.

Karen mentally grimaces, remembering how Claudine's right hand had also gotten injured.

(Non non dayo. Now's not the time to get depressed!)

Karen shakes her head and greets the others with her usual smile.

On the opposite side of the bed are Futaba and Kaoruko, the only two involved in this mess besides the other passengers who aren't covered in injuries and bandages. Futaba is standing while Kaoruko is seated on the cushioned bench by herself. Despite being a little shorter than Karen, Kaoruko is somehow radiating enough of her presence to take up the entire bench by herself.

(Kaoruko-chan… is really amazing.)

Mahiru sighs in relief. "Kuro-chan, there you are! We were worried something happened!" She turns to the other two occupants in the room. "Futaba-chan, Kaoruko-chan, did you two come to visit too?"

Futaba grins. "Had to make sure Kuroko here's still alive as soon as we could. That Junna really did help keep the interrogation period to a minimum. We were out in less than two hours. Then we had some other business, but that's all taken care of."

"That was minimal?" Kaoruko groans. "That Amemiya-han wouldn't leave me alone! She's more dislikable than Junna-han!"

"Oi, don't let Junna hear that." Futaba shakes her head at Kaoruko but turns her smile to the other three. "You guys just get here?"

"Karen would have ran the entire way here if she hadn't gotten scolded twice already," Hikari says.

"Hah? How do you guys have the energy? You guys are injured too!"

Karen puffs out her chest. "Nothing can stop us from visiting our friends!" But then she deflates and scratches the side of her head where a bandage is wrapped around it. "Well, Mahiru-chan had to help me change my bandages and plasters first…"

Futaba shakes her head. "You sure have a handful, Mahiru."

"Do you even know how to change them yourself, Karen?" Claudine asks. "For that matter, I've never seen Hikari do it herself either."

Mahiru slaps Karen's hand from her head to stop her from agitating her still-healing wound. She does the same for Hikari who is picking at the brace on her arm.

"Karen-chan doesn't know how to do it without wasting more material than she should use." Mahiru shakes her head. "And then there's Hikari-chan, who doesn't use enough to treat her injuries. She wasn't even going to get her arm looked at even though it was fractured."

Hikari frowns. "It wasn't hurting that much."

"I heard something crack in your arm!"

"It wasn't a compound fracture though."

Claudine grimaces. "Mon dieu, your pain tolerance is terrifying."

"Says the person who was stabbed straight through the arm."

"And I'm still stuck in this hospital," Claudine retorts. "One day is enough. But they hardly let me leave my own room."

"Then are you breaking the rules, Kuro-chan?" Karen asks.

Claudine looks like she wants to cross her arms, but that's impossible with one in a cast and held in a sling. She settles with huffing and turning her head, but even that causes her to grimace.

Karen catches a glimpse of the dark purple bruises covering her neck. They look a little better than yesterday, but not by much. Karen had almost mistaken the bruises to be part of a black turtleneck under armour until she noticed Claudine's actual skin color past her collarbone.

"Kuro-chan, you really should rest," Mahiru says.

"I'm fine. Really." Claudine turns to scowl back at the patient lying in bed. "It could have been worse."

Like yesterday, Tendou Maya lies asleep in her hospital bed. An oxygen machine helps facilitate her breathing through the mask covering her nose and mouth, while a few wires connect to various parts of her body to help with nutrients and other means of keeping her alive while monitoring her status. She's wrapped in so many bandages that Karen almost mistakes her for a mummy for the second day in a row.

At least her breathing is steady.

"Kuro-chan…"

"How utterly vexing. I did not ask for her to save my life. And yet she goes and does it anyway. And here we are-"

Futaba sighs over Claudine's grumbling. "She's been ranting about this for hours. It's only gotten worse since she up and decided to get out of her room and sit in that chair next to Tendou's bed."

Kaoruko flips open her fan and covers her smirk with it. "Tendou-han this, Tendou-han that. It's all she talks about. Is Kuro-han always this obsessed?"

"I wouldn't call it that," Mahiru says. "Kuro-chan just… really cares for Tendou-san. Those two are inseparable."

"Meaning she's worried beyond her limits if she's that angry," Hikari notes.

Futaba's expression softens. "I think it's her way of talking to her. You know, hoping Tendou wakes up soon and all that. Not that Kuroko will ever admit that."

"I can hear you, Futaba."

"Ara, and what will you do if Tendou-han had actually lost her life?" Kaoruko wonders before anyone can stop her.

Claudine shoots out of her chair, knocking it over behind her. "That will never happen!"

"Wait, Kaoruko. Don't add fuel to the fire-"

"I will never let that happen."

Silence falls in the room. The only sounds come from Claudine's heavy breathing. Even Kaoruko is stunned in awe.

Not for the first time, Karen admires the bond these two top members of the division share. One night many months ago, Maya had sworn nearly the exact same oath in Karen's presence during a rare moment alone. There had been a fire reflected in Maya's lilac eyes, the same that now burns in Claudine's own magenta ones.

The lengths these two will go for each other is what sets them apart from normal officers. They manage to maintain professionalism during their job and all necessary operations. But they work together better than every pair Karen has seen.

Hikari's even praised those two before. Karen considers that a win; her childhood friend almost never pays attention to anyone else. It took her three months to not be shy around Mahiru even though all three of them live together in the same apartment. And that was only after Mahiru started to nag her about organizing her life.

But as strong as Karen knows Maya and Claudine are together, it just means that their fall will only hurt that much more. She's never given it much thought until a few days ago. Seeing Maya lying so still, hearing Claudine calling for Maya in French, watching as the anger transitioned to despairing concern- it reminds Karen that even those two at the top are not infallible. Karen may not know a single sentence of French, but she has enough common sense to understand what Claudine meant when she shouted ma Maya to the said-unconscious person.

Karen doesn't think she's seen Claudine so distraught. In fact, it was the first time she had seen either of those two in the states they were in. So weak, so vulnerable…

She'd be lying if she said it didn't remind her of the things she can't afford to lose herself.

Karen pushes that thought to the side. Everyone is okay now. Maya is sleeping, but she's okay. They're all okay. And that's what's important.

"My, my Kuro-han, such dedication," Kaoruko praises. "It's almost as admirable as my Futaba-han's."

Futaba rolls her eyes. "Kaoruko, if you keep egging Kuroko on she really will strangle you. Having one hand isn't going to stop her. And I'm not going to be your shield forever."

"You've sure got it hard, Futaba-chan," Karen teases. "To work with someone like Kaoruko-chan."

"I don't want to hear that from you of all people, Karen. Mahiru's told me about some of the things she's had to do just to pull you out of bed."

"It's… it's really not that bad," Mahiru mumbles.

Karen's never thought about how much effort Mahiru puts in to help her in the morning. She frowns in thought.

"As if they're any more ridiculous than what you do for Kaoruko," Claudine says, putting her good hand on her hip.

Karen tilts her head in confusion. "Wait, isn't Futaba-chan Kaoruko-chan's bodyguard?"

Hikari frowns. "And someone of your status should have your own personal maid."

"Ah, but no one can wake Kaoruko but Futaba. She's rather special."

Kaoruko doesn't take Claudine's bait. Instead, she proclaims proudly, "That's right. No one but Futaba-han understands me well enough to take care of me. But at least I acknowledge that I care."

"Excusez moi, what is that supposed to mean?!"

The tense atmosphere from before begins to dissipate into lighter teasing and more pleasant chatter. Mahiru fills Claudine in on what's happening at the department. Claudine laughs when Mahiru mentions Nana's plans to get Junna to go home and rest.

Karen glances toward the bed. Despite all their livelihood, Maya remains asleep.

Even after visiting hours are over and everyone leaves, Claudine insists on staying in Maya's room as long as she can. She doesn't plan on going back to her room until she's dragged back by force or sedated.

Claudine refuses to miss the opportunity to yell at Maya the very moment she opens her eyes. She has this right after Maya made her worry for her so much.

The hospital room is silent save for the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor. Claudine picks at a loose seam in her hospital gown, pulling the stream up in tandem with the rhythm of Maya's heartbeat. Despite the bandages wrapped around her hand and fingers, she has enough dexterity to grasp the thin string just fine.

She doesn't have anything left to vent to Maya's unconscious form. Or rather, all the anger from before has evaporated and now Claudine is just tired.

Beep. Beep.

Claudine focuses on the rhythmic beeping of the machine. Its simple beeps are much more welcome than the other sound that's become a permanent white noise imprinted in her mind.

Beep. Beep.

If it's too quiet, she won't be able to ignore the sound of Maya's gun firing. Then she'll relive that entire scene.

Beep. Beep. B-

The breathlessness from the Gorilla's dead body pressing down on hers.

Her heart clenching from hearing Maya's pained cry.

Her entire world coming to a crashing halt when the back of the carriage erupts in a flash of fire with Maya-

RIP.

Claudine stares at the disconnected seam in her fingers, no longer tied to her gown. At least it isn't a large enough piece that requires her to request a new gown.

With a sigh, Claudine flicks the weightless string to the side and turns her attention back to the woman lying in bed. For a moment she wishes both her arms had been injured; she isn't sure what to do with her right arm. Her fingers twitch, but Claudine quickly quashes any desire to hold Maya's hand before she can follow through with it. She settles with grasping the sheets next to Maya's closest hand instead.

Claudine sighs. "Mechante va. I can't surpass you if you're unconscious."

Not good enough. Their current positions only serve as a punishing reminder of Claudine's weaknesses. If only she had noticed Kirin's knife sooner, she wouldn't have been incapacitated and could have properly fulfilled her role as Maya's partner. But because of that one mistake, she was placed in a position that forced Maya to disregard her own situation to save her life.

And now they're both here. Her partner unconscious in a hospital bed, and herself barely any better.

('Ara, and what will you do if Tendou-han had actually lost her life?')

Kaoruko's offhand comment replays in her head. As if seeing Maya's prone form isn't enough of a reminder, that spoiled heiress has to harass her as well.

"I won't let that happen." Claudine grits her teeth. "You aren't allowed to lose except to me. I won't accept your loss any other way."

Yet it had almost happened. Due to Claudine's own presence no less. If only she had not allowed the Gorilla to take advantage of her wounded arm. She should have locked onto the Gorilla's own injuries and incapacitated him first before he could turn the tables on her.

Beep. Beep.

However, that is all in the past. There's no point in what ifs. The damage is done. The bitterness will linger, but there is nothing Claudine can do about that in her current state.

Taking a deep breath, Claudine returns to listening to the heart monitor's steady rhythm, letting it lull her into a sense of calm… listless… serenity…

…

…

"Tendou Maya! Of all the times to be annoying! Tendou Maya!"

Claudine puts her free hand over her mouth, covering her coughs and stopping any more smoke from entering her lungs every time she takes a breath. Her eyes squint against the flames enveloping half the carriage.

The enclosure isn't that big. That insufferable woman has to be somewhere-

"Maya!" Claudine drops down on her knees, pushing away some of the rubble covering Maya's body.

Her skin is too pale. The color is even whiter than her dress shirt that's covered in soot and blood.

Everything is on fire, including part of Maya's hair singed from the explosion. Claudine makes sure to extinguish any burning parts with her bare palm and keep Maya's long hair away from the rest of the flames. She brushes back Maya's bangs with the back of her fingers, hoping her gentle touch can bring some clarity to Maya's half-open gaze.

That cut across the bridge of her nose will need to be looked at. And the bruise on her face. And the cuts on her arms. And the tear in her shoulder. And most likely her ribs from the first gunshot dealt by Kirin. And-

"Kuro-chan!" she hears Karen calling. But her voice is distant. Claudine turns her focus toward Maya's labored breaths, making sure Maya continues breathing above anything else.

"Saijou, your arm." She hears Hikari hiss beside her. "This is Tendou's jacket. It's drenched in your blood."

Mahiru gasps. She's beside her now too. "Kuro-chan, you need to get this looked at!"

Her arm? What does that matter? It isn't as if her arm needs to breathe. What takes precedence is-

Maya's eyes, previously glazed but at least open before, start to close.

"Tendou Maya! Maya! Don't you dare!" Claudine moves her hand to cup the side of Maya's face. But no matter how much pressure she applies, Maya's eyes continue to shut. "You are not allowed to lose here! I won't allow it! Ma Maya cannot lose in a place like this! Maya! MAYA!"

"Saijou-san!" Junna drops down next to her, but that isn't the voice Claudine wants to hear.

"She's losing breath." Somehow, Hikari's whisper strikes through the ringing in Claudine's ears.

This is happening. This is- No. No no no no no no-

Mahiru's voice catches in her throat. "Does that mean…?"

"I know- I know." Junna clenches her teeth and moves her hands around Maya's prone body. "I won't- I'll keep her-!"

Maya's eyes close, and her chest no longer rises or falls.

Taking Claudine's heart with her.

"MAYA!!!"

…

…

Claudine's eyes flutter open. A sting of pain shoots up her back and flares in her neck. For a moment her body tenses against imaginary flames. But her mind quickly catches up, reminding her that there is no danger in this room. All that's wrong is the impromptu horrible decision she made to sit hunched over in an uncomfortable seat and actually succumb to her fatigue. Her neck in particular is not happy with this mistake.

Claudine rubs her sleepy eyes and gingerly twists her neck to relieve some tension. "Mon dieu, I fell asleep."

"Indeed. You were sleeping so soundly that I didn't have the heart to disturb you."

Claudine shrieks in response to the unexpected voice, toppling out of her chair and landing on her bottom. She winces in pain; her butt, neck, and arm agree with her ego that that greeting was completely uncalled for.

Only one woman can ignite such intense anger that it drowns out the lingering sense of bitterness. Claudine finds herself easily falling into their usual tempo. For a moment, she indulges in their typical bantering because Maya is awake.

"Te-Tendou Maya! What kind of greeting is that?!" Claudine demands.

Sitting up in her bed is the aforementioned woman. The oxygen mask is gone and her bed is tilted to let her sit up. But everything else is still in place, including all of her bandages wrapped around her from head to toe. Although part of her hair was singed from the explosion, most of it is still intact and tied in a loose, side ponytail hanging over her right shoulder.

Maya frowns. "My greeting? What is wrong with it?"

"After lying unconscious for three days that's the first thing you say?!"

"No, the first words I spoke were 'Please let her sleep' to the doctors when they came to check on-"

Claudine groans. "That's not what I meant and you know it! And stop smirking at me! For someone who went through an explosion you can sure move your muscles!"

"Anesthesia is a wonderful thing."

Claudine's expression softens. "How are your injuries? Are you in pain? I can ask the nurses to increase the amount of painkillers if you need it."

Maya's smile falls. She shakes her head. "No, that won't be necessary. This is satisfactory."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Why does every word that comes out of Maya's mouth have to be so indirect? Even a simple 'it hurts a bit' would suffice. 'Satisfactory' doesn't mean Maya is fine.

"Should you be sitting here in your current state?"

No, no, Maya isn't allowed to deflect the conversation to her own injuries when she's the one covered head to toe in bandages. When Maya is the one paying for Claudine's own mistakes.

As much as she tries, Claudine can't keep the slight growl from her voice. "I am fine. I've rested plenty. I wasn't the one who nearly lost her eyes because she decided to turn her attention and save someone else's life instead."

"Ah, is that why you are upset? Would you rather I had let the Gorilla break your neck?"

"You almost let our target escape!"

Maya's expression relaxes into one of surprise. "'Almost?'"

Claudine huffs. She hates not being able to cross her arms. The most she can do is place her one good hand on her lap and try not to pick at her hospital gown. "After Kirin detonated the railway coupling, the carriage he was on disconnected from the rest of the train. Thankfully, Nana had already climbed into it from the roof and was able to apprehend him before he could make a full escape."

"Daiba-san? I see."

Claudine nods. "We didn't lose in the end. We almost did, but we didn't."

"If it meant sacrificing your life-"

"You won't do it. I know!" Claudine looks away. "I know. So you should know how I feel about that."

"Saijou-san-"

"Your heart stopped. For a moment you were clinically dead."

(Because I was there. You nearly died because you had to save me.)

Recalling the lack of a pulse beneath her fingers makes Claudine's own heartbeat erratic. She's sure if she looked at Maya right now it'd completely burst out of her chest. So she finds a dirty spot on the wall to fixate on instead of a face wrapped in bandages.

"Junna was able to start it again." Oh mon dieu, even her voice is betraying her. "You should… thank her when she comes to visit. She went through a lot of trouble for you."

For all of them, considering Junna is the one who wrote their mission reports for them. But that isn't Claudine's point right now. Not that she wants to make her point clear. If she says it out loud she really won't be able to forgive herself for the consequences.

"I will… remember to thank her," Maya says.

Claudine refuses to look at Maya. She can guess the expression Maya's wearing right now. A mask of indifference, hiding multiple complex layers of guilt and self-reflection regarding their mission. Regardless of how Maya herself feels, Claudine knows if she makes contact with lilac she won't be able to stop herself from revealing what needs to stay locked away. Because if that box is open, its contents will pour out endlessly.

She's not ready for that. So Claudine swears to keep it locked away. She throws that key away-

"Claudine."

-and it's picked up by Maya, who tugs on the lock with one single call of her name. Maya pulls her in with a voice so soft that Claudine wants nothing more - to her utter embarrassment - to just let herself be guided into comfort. It's much different from the usual firmness in her voice; if anything Claudine would say she picks up on a hint of vulnerability and overall enervation. As if she wants Claudine to see the path she's paved for Claudine to take, and Claudine alone. Because if Tendou Maya ever chooses to show weakness, she has sworn it will be to one special person and no one else.

How unfair.

Claudine snaps her head to finally face Maya. "What? What do you have to say for your-?"

Anything else Claudine wants to say dies on the tip of her tongue. It's enough of a cue for Maya to say her part.

"I apologize for worrying you. My injuries are a product of my own faults. Not only did it hinder the mission, but I have caused you great distress as well."

"I… I wouldn't put it to that extreme," Claudine mumbles.

Maya doesn't even raise an eyebrow to question Claudine. They both know that arguing will only derail from the topic.

All she does is reach over to grab Claudine's other hand, taking care to not mess up the bandages covering her slightly burnt skin.

"You are not at fault."

Claudine refuses to run away from any confrontation. Even now, when Claudine wants nothing more than to turn away from Maya's sincere, resolute gaze, she stays firm where she is by Maya's side.

But because of that…

The lock breaks.

"Not my fault…?" Claudine rips her hand from Maya's grasp, standing with enough force to topple her chair over. "You say that when I'm the reason you're in that bed?! You had to defend me because I couldn't win against my own opponent! Because of my weakness, you had to divert your attention to me! If I hadn't held you back, you wouldn't have almost died!"

Her voice is trembling, but Claudine doesn't care. The anger and fear from nearly losing Maya comes crashing back to her, dragging up every insecurity she's kept buried for the past three days. She doesn't want to bare her heart like this to Maya when they're both injured and hospitalized. But it's all open now and Claudine can't stop it herself.

"'Held me back?' Is that what you believe?"

Maya's calm voice breaks through the haze of anger clouding Claudine's thoughts. It isn't the levelness that catches Claudine off guard, but the uncommon anger simmering beneath the calm.

It's rare for Maya to get mad. She's always on guard, never showing any sign of weakness. Or that's what Claudine has come to believe.

"It was not your weakness that led to both of our current circumstances, but my own. I am in this state because I failed to react against my own opponent's attack. You should know that I am fully capable of focusing on multiple assailants at once." Maya's hand that held Claudine's before clenches the bed sheets in her grasp instead. "In the first place, it was my own failure to guard against Kirin's knife that caused you to suffer such a critical injury. Yet, you came to my aid against what would have been a second opponent for me. In the end, it was not your weakness that placed us in danger, but my own."

Claudine stares at Maya in shock. First the palpable anger, and now an admission of her own faults? Claudine has no idea what to make with this information. Tendou Maya is not the type of person who speaks so freely about her own weaknesses. She is perfect, unbeatable; she has never lost.

But that isn't true. Claudine knows this. She knows Maya makes mistakes. As capable as she is, even Maya is not infallible.

She had forgotten. Or rather, it's something Claudine still refuses to acknowledge.

"I saved you of my own accord," Maya continues. "I was fully prepared to suffer the consequences after. But losing you is not acceptable."

Too much. This is too much for her. Maya's resolute stare saps most of her strength from her legs. Claudine sits down on the side of Maya's bed before she can fall back to the ground. This time, it's Claudine who reaches over to cover Maya's hand. With her eyes still on Maya, she gently peels Maya's fingers from the covers to have her own digits take their place.

"Mechante va. What am I supposed to say against that?" Claudine grumbles.

That pulls a smile from Maya. "I won't be able to promise that it will never happen in the future. I will choose to sacrifice what is needed, but never you. We are partners, and I cannot fathom having anyone by my side other than you. As such, I will discard what I need to if it means I do not lose you. Just as I know you would do the same for me."

"Then you know how stupid your decision was."

Maya nods. "Despair that drives you close to insanity. Caring for someone can give you strength. At the same time, cripple you when nothing else can. But rest assured, I will never leave you. After all, you are much too important to me."

And then Maya ruins the moment with that all-too-familiar smirk. Claudine already feels her face turning red even before Maya finishes speaking.

"I have to say, you really are cute when you cry, ma Claudine."

"So you did hear me! You detestable woman!!"

"Good morning, Kuro-cha- Oh! Tendou-san!"

Mahiru doesn't know what she's surprised at more: finding Maya already awake, or the fact that she and Claudine are already arguing about something as mundane as how Maya's new face scar must look in contrast to the one that must stretch across Claudine's forearm. Or rather, Mahiru doesn't know why she is even surprised that she walked into either of these two scenarios.

Claudine's expression turns a one-eighty when she greets Mahiru and the others. "Oh, bonjour. Hello you three. You're rather early."

Karen yawns. "Mahiru-chan got us to wake up earlier today." But once her eyes land on Maya, all traces of sleepiness evaporate. "Oh! Good morning, Tendou-san!"

Maya smiles. As much as she can with her facial injuries anyway. "Good morning, Aijou-san."

Karen exhales in relief. "It's great that you're awake! Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes. I am receiving all of the care that I need from the hospital as well as my partner."

"Karen-chan was so worried. We all were," Mahiru says.

Something similar to surprise flashes through Maya's eyes. "I see. I seem to have worried everyone."

"Oui. Do you know how scared Karen was when she saw you like that?"

"Karen wasn't the one yelling profanity at her in one second, then crying the next," Hikari remarks.

"I was not crying!"

Karen shakes her head. "Hikari-chan, that's not right. Kuro-chan wasn't crying. When she wasn't shouting mean things at Tendou-san, she was trying to wake her up by talking to her in French! No one could understand her at that point! She was trying to coat… court… co…?"

"Coax her," Hikari supplies. "That happened. But there were definitely tears."

"You two… Do you want to be used as training dummies for my physical therapy?!" Claudine bristles.

"Oh?" Maya smirks. "I underestimated your concern for me."

"Oh shut your mouth, you insufferable woman." Claudine turns away from Maya toward the rest of them. "Anyway, you three can't have woken up this early just to make the most of your day. What else brought you here?"

"Something about Ba-" Hikari fails to stifle a yawn, "-Nana planning to come around with sweets. And that we shouldn't miss it."

"We all planned a celebratory meal after capturing Kirin," Mahiru says. "But since you two are still in the hospital…"

"We're bringing it here!" Karen exclaims.

Maya's eyes brighten. "Ah, I am looking forward to Daiba-san's sweets."

Claudine glares at Maya. "You are on a strict diet until you've recovered enough."

Maya's pout actually takes Mahiru by surprise. She can't remember the last time Maya made such a face!

(I wonder if something happened? Or maybe…)

Maybe those two are just like this in private and their recent injuries have caused them to disregard all sense of decorum. Mahiru stops herself before she starts thinking too deeply about other people's private lives.

"I am sure there is no harm allowing a small exception for this one time," Maya argues.

"No. You are not hindering your recovery just because you wanted some of Nana's food! You can eat that after you're not stuck in a hospital bed."

Even if Maya is awake, it doesn't change the fact that she won't be discharged any time soon. It isn't known when Maya will even be allowed back in service. Most of the bandages are still in place, and Mahiru isn't knowledgeable enough to guess when she'll be able to see Maya's full head of hair again.

Then there's Claudine, who really should not even be out of her bed yet. For all of her worrying about Maya, her own insistence on staying by Maya isn't helping with her own recovery.

Mahiru is thankful that her two important people aren't hospitalized.

Even though they probably should have. Hikari's pain tolerance is both a blessing and a curse. And Mahiru almost wishes Karen didn't have the tendency to stand back up every time she's knocked down. Both of their habits inevitably lead to sustaining even more injuries.

Then there's Junna, who stayed up for three days straight to finish writing their mission report and debriefing their captain on its details. Junna, who finally acquired a new pair of glasses and stopped relying on her spares.

And of course Nana, who stayed with Junna the entire time despite her own injuries and fatigue.

Mahiru groans. She works with a bunch of hardheaded lunatics who disregard their own well-beings too much. Not that she can say much considering she didn't come out of their mission unscathed either. But at least she ices her injuries!

Knock knock. "Hi hi! We've come to visit!" Nana announces from behind Mahiru and the others.

"Good morning, Banana-chan. Are your injuries okay?" Mahiru asks.

Nana nods. "Junna-chan made sure I got plenty of rest once we got home. I was able to sleep soundly knowing Junna-chan was resting beside me too."

"And then I woke up and found Nana making food." Junna sighs. "So all of you should be thankful for Nana's hard work."

"Yes, mini captain," the others drone.

"No! Don't call me that either!!"

"But it has a good ring to it. Don't you think, Futaba-han?"

Oh no. The true source of chaos is behind her. Mahiru hasn't known the Hanayagi heiress as long as some of the others, so she's even less defenseless against Kaoruko's teasing. She hopes it's directed away from her for as long as possible. She won't know what to do if Kaoruko brings up another one of her fantasies regarding Karen or Hikari.

"Don't drag me into this. I still can't believe you nicknamed me Short Retainer," Futaba says.

"You drag me around all the time," Kaoruko argues.

"Just like today, I assume," Claudine quips.

"Actually, Kaoruko was the one who said she wanted to visit you guys. She even brought a gift."

Seven heads swivel to Kaoruko (or rather six; the owner of the last head can't move freely enough so she settles with widening her eyes).

Kaoruko huffs. "This place is so dreary. It could do with some of my charm."

But no matter how high Kaoruko tilts her head and acts haughty, the blush dusting her cheeks is as clear as day. Not to mention she's attracting everyone's attention to the bag shaking in her tense hands behind her back.

"Well, that's… awfully nice of you," Claudine admits.

Maya nods. "Thank you for your generosity, Hanayagi-san. As well as assisting us on our mission."

"Even if you made some unnecessary additions to our planning," Junna says. But Mahiru doesn't think she's as upset as she thinks she is.

Nana claps her hands together. "Everyone's here and everyone is awake! Let's take this time to celebrate!"

"I can't wait to try what Banana's made today!" Karen exclaims.

Hikari nods in agreement, eyes already trained on Nana's bag of food.

Futaba sighs, deadpanning in response to how Kaoruko's eyes light up when Nana starts unpacking her food. "You guessed that Nana was going to be here today. That's why you were so excited to come."

"Ara, you've caught me red handed, Futaba-han."

"Do those boxes even have anything inside?"

"How rude of you to assume I would be cheap."

It turns out, there is only one box for Maya. And in it, a single piece of candy and a piece of paper with Kaoruko's handwriting that says 'Congrats on the new scar!'

"K-Kaoruko-chan!" Mahiru gasps.

Well, at least Maya looks happy. Mahiru wonders how many times she'll be surprised by Maya today. Even with her face obscured by bandages, Maya's bright smile makes her look like a child who just received a new toy. Even though there's only one tiny piece of candy in that box.

"It will look good," Hikari says. "One of the older officers back in London had one too."

"Hikari-chan, that isn't the point!"

"But Tendou-san is really happy," Karen remarks. "She must really like it!"

Kaoruko puffs up her chest with a satisfied smirk.

"No, she's just like then when it comes to anything she can put in her mouth," Claudine says.

"Indeed," Maya says, her happy smile pulled up into a smirk directed at Claudine and Claudine alone.

Junna smacks her head against the table she's helping Nana put the food on. Her glasses almost break again.

"Junna-chan!"

"Nana, just kill me."

"Maybe you need to rest more…" Nana says as she helps Junna right herself.

Junna grumbles something under her breath that Karen doesn't catch thanks to Kaoruko's next remark.

"Oh my, how lewd, Kuro-han." Kaoruko smirks. "Maybe I should have gotten you something too. Like a-"

"KAORU-"

Before Claudine can rise and actually kill the heiress, Futaba slaps both her hands over Kaoruko's mouth. "Nope. You are not finishing that. No one is dying in this hospital!"

"Ba-BAnaNA-chAn! WHAT DID YOU BRING TODAY?" Mahiru screams, raising her voice to direct the conversation away from a topic that isn't appropriate at all.

"Oh!" With Junna alright, Nana moves away from the table and gestures to all the items placed on it. "Banana muffins, banana shortcake, banana pancakes, fried bananas, and some hot banana milk! Junna-chan helped make the shortcake!"

"Why does everything have bananas in it?" Kaoruko asks.

"I did say it's her trademark," Futaba says.

Nana lifts up another box. "And just for Maya-chan, her favorite!"

Maya jolts with wide eyes. "B-Baumkuchen!"

"Tendou Maya, stop staring at the food like that!" Claudine shouts. "And no, you are not allowed to eat all of that! Nana, why are you enabling her?!"

"I told you, Nana." Junna sighs. "Saijou-san is very diligent about Tendou-san's well-being."

"Well someone has to!" Claudine shouts.

Maya and Nana both pout.

"But ma Claudine-"

"Oh don't you pull that on me, you disagreeable woman!"

Karen grabs a plate and a few utensils. "Hikari-chan, Mahiru-chan, let's eat!"

Well, even as she says that, Hikari is already putting a piece of shortcake onto her plate.

Mahiru smiles. Despite the rowdy chaos of the room, her mind is put at ease. Everyone is okay. Everyone is happy. And most of all, they can spend more days like this together.

"But Daiba-san's homemade baumkuchen…"

"TENDOU MAYA!"

"Hikari-chan, say 'ahh!""

"Karen, this is embarrassing. Nom."

"Look Futaba-han, they're feeding each other. So feed me."

"Do you really want to be compared to Karen?"

"Junna-chan, the shortcake is good! I should have you make it more often!"

"That's-! It's because I followed your directions!"

Mahiru chuckles. Even if all of her friends are ridiculous.

"Wait, let me feed you too, Karen-chan!"

"Oh, thank you, Mahiru-chan! Ahhh~"

It's fine though. There's nowhere else she would want to be.

And Mahiru is certain that's true for all of them as well.