67

The chaos in the aftermath of Obon this year is something that persists long after the festival itself has already ended, to the surprise of absolutely no one involved.

Shiki later learns from Kiyohira-sensei that, against all odds, the Kamo Clan still manages to retain their status as one of the Three Great Families. However, it's a position that exists in name only. Following Obon, a significant portion of the responsibilities and powers invested in them have been summarily divided and redistributed among other clans instead.

Mostly the Gojos and the Zenins, although there were apparently also some smaller sorcery clans that managed to do well for themselves in capitalizing on the opportunities provided by the Kamo Clan's fall from grace.

Thus far, the politics going on in Kyoto have yet to visibly affect the school in Tokyo. Hopefully, it will stay that way for as long as possible. Kiyohira-sensei is following the situation closely, and Shiki trusts him to inform her if anything urgent arises.

"… Y'know," Kinji remarks as he goes through a few warm-up stretches on the school's grassy field, "I think it's kind of funny that we went to Kyoto for a vacation, and just. Ended up getting a crash course on sorcerer politics, then tripped straight into a life-threatening battle without missing a beat."

"That's…" An accurate summary, certainly, but slightly misleading. Shiki also performs a few stretches of her own as she clarifies, "Obon usually isn't like this."

In fact, this would be the first time that Obon has ever gone so spectacularly awry in Shiki's memory. Which marks it as an exception and not the norm, making it a terrible benchmark to base any regular assumptions from.

"Yeah, I'll bet it isn't," the boy snorts. "Seriously, though, can you imagine something like this happening every year?"

"For the love of god, please don't tempt fate like that," Kirara groans from the side.

Kinji laughs uproariously in good humor.

… Shiki supposes that she should be glad that the events in Kyoto haven't dampened her classmates' enthusiasm any. Both of them seem to have recovered from the experience well enough, which is more than what can be said for Aikawa-senpai, whom Shiki hasn't seen around the school at all following the Kyoto incident.

As for their other upperclassman–

"Hey, um. Gojo-san?" Almost as if precisely on cue to her thoughts, Ichinose-san's voice rings out behind them. "Do you happen to also know where… oh, Hoshi and Hakari are both with you, too? Nice. I was actually looking for you guys."

"Ichinose-senpai!" Kirara straightens and waves a hand in greeting as the upperclassman joins them down on the grass. "Did you need us for something?"

This is the first time that Shiki has laid eyes upon Ichinose Kiichi again, in the aftermath of everything that happened in Kyoto. There's a haggard look to him now, even despite the forcible cheer in his words. Something that's almost gaunt, and pained. Ichinose-san does not appear to be physically injured anymore, so Shiki surmises that it's most likely the loss of his classmates that is the reason for his subdued demeanor.

Matoba Hodaka, and Isoda Motoki.

Those were the names of the two other third year Tokyo students who had perished fighting Araya, prior to Shiki's eventual arrival on the scene. Their bodies had later been recovered from the wreckage, and cremated.

… The two Tokyo third years were not the only ones who'd passed away. There were also several other casualties from the wave of human puppets that had indiscriminately attacked those around them.

In the grand scheme of things… sorcerers had been swiftly able to gain control of the situation and limit the casualties to a minimum. Which was all well and good, but it didn't change the fact that there had still been casualties, which demanded accountability.

More concerningly: How had Araya Souren been able to make such extensive preparations in Kyoto without drawing any attention to himself, or raising any suspicions?

Investigations into this matter were still ongoing. The Matoba Clan, in particular, was also currently under a good deal of scrutiny due to the unexpected presence of Matoba Hodaka and the boy's inexplicable overnight summons to Kyoto… which the entire clan denied quite vehemently, to the surprise of absolutely no one at all. Admitting to associating with Araya Souren after what the curse user had done during Obon would be the direct equivalent of committing political suicide. The Matobas were not fools.

It was only the fact that the Matoba boy was dead and had literally died fighting the curse user responsible for this entire mess that granted the Matoba Clan any measure of leniency in the ongoing investigation. After all, the Matoba Clan was not so large a sorcery clan that they could afford losing any of their sorcerers so easily. They were not without their enemies, either –and to be implicated of such a severe crime at a time such as this was something that the Matoba Clan would need generations to recover from.

Yet on the flipside: If they were truly innocent of any relations to the curse user, then why was it that Matoba Hodaka had evidently known exactly where to seek out the curse user? And why would he do so in the first place?

For all their protests of innocence, it was undeniable that the Matoba Clan would indeed benefit from Araya disrupting Obon the way he had; the Matoba were among the number of minor sorcery clans aiming to replace the Kamo. It was not impossible that the Matoba had decided to work with Araya in order to permanently tarnish the Kamo Clan's reputation and cast doubt upon their abilities, then sent one of their sorcerers to tie up loose ends, lest Araya inform anyone of the Matoba's hypothetical actions…

Shiki doesn't know how closely Ichinose-san is following the investigation. But she wouldn't be surprised if he was paying attention to all the smaller details, considering that both of his classmates had died from unknown machinations.

"Yeah, there's a question that I have for you guys," Ichinose-san nods in Kirara's direction, then addresses them as a group. "In another two weeks or so, would the three of you mind filling in for the Kyoto exchange event?"

… Ah. It appears that Ichinose-san isn't here to talk politics, then.

"Exchange event?" Kinji blinks, "What's that?"

"You don't…? Ah, I guess you wouldn't have heard about it." The older student's eyes dart towards Shiki briefly, then turn back to her classmates, both of whom share their surprise. "It's called the Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event. Basically, it's a 'friendly competition' between Kyoto and Tokyo students. A battle event, essentially."

Kirara's eyebrows shoot up. "Wait, so like. Fighting other sorcerers?"

"Yes," Ichinose-san confirms.

"… Why?"

Her classmates' confusion is palpable, and completely understandable. The duty of sorcerers is to exorcise cursed spirits, not fight each other. So upon first glance an event like this appears to be something that stands completely at odds with what a sorcerer is meant to do. Why waste time on having students fight each other when there were always curses that needed to be killed?

Shiki doesn't remember the official reason for it, but it's probably something along the lines of, 'building camaraderie and closer relations between sorcerers of the younger generation.' It's in the name, isn't it? This was an event that was intended to be an exchange of goodwill between sister schools.

But there's also more to the exchange event than just that. More than just improving the relations between students, the event also served as a 'showcase.' A spectacle, in simple terms. It would not be inaccurate to consider it a stage, one that was arranged specifically to exhibit the skills and talents of young sorcerers from both schools. Various clans would be able to show off their young talents who were currently enrolled as students in a tacit display of strength. Students who came from less prominent backgrounds would also be able to use the opportunity to demonstrate their own abilities and prove themselves.

"… so that's more or less how things are, regarding the exchange event," Ichinose-san finishes. His words more or less lay out the circumstances surrounding the exchange event to Kinji and Kirara. "It's usually only just second and third years who participate in it, but this time…"

Kirara winces. By his side, Kinji lets out a low whistle in sympathy.

"Okay, yeah, oof. I can see where you're coming from," Kinji grimaces. Of the three Tokyo third years, Matoba and Isoda had just recently died. Which left only Ichinose and Aikawa as the participants in the exchange event with the Kyoto school, leaving the Tokyo school's numbers halved. More than halved, if one also included the dead student from Takagi-sensei's class last year in this count.

Ichinose-san smiles faintly. A tired smile that is the farthest thing from being happy, despite the front that he puts up.

"There are six students who will be on the Kyoto school's roster," the boy runs a hand through his hair. "If the three of you would join us, then we'll be able to even out the numbers disadvantage. And…"

Ichinose-san looks towards Shiki, and dips his head in her direction.

Among the attending students, Shiki is the only one who's ranked as a Grade One. Even between both the Tokyo and Kyoto schools combined. Forget about any disadvantages; it would be an overwhelming advantage for the Tokyo school instead if Shiki were to be present on its behalf for the exchange event.

"I don't mind." She's fairly ambivalent on this matter, and it's very much true that two-versus-six would be a massive hurdle to overcome if Ichinose-san didn't look to his underclassmen for help. What he asks for is reasonable, particularly in light of recent events that had transpired in Kyoto. Although… "Is Aikawa also on the same page as you regarding this request?"

Shiki is willing to lend a hand to her upperclassman as a fellow Tokyo student. However, she doesn't particularly care for sitting through barbed commentary and an antagonistic attitude for her efforts. In light of her experiences with the other girl to date…

"She is." Briefly, a chagrined look flashes across Ichinose-san's face. "Also, um. This does lead into something else that I wanted to bring up to you, Gojo-san. I… I think you should have a talk with Aikawa sometime. She's–"

"Hold on, Ichinose-senpai," Kirara interrupts firmly with a deep frown, "Shiki is not the one who's at fault here."

"… I'm sorry. That came out wrong," the black-haired upperclassman exhales, pressing a hand to his face. The older boy sucks in a deep breath, "I didn't mean to imply that Gojo-san was at fault. But… I do think that there's a misunderstanding here. And, even putting the matter of the Kyoto exchange event aside, I think it would be better for them to sort it out."

Kinji snorts, "Then it should be Aikawa coming here to apologize, shouldn't it?"

"She's…" Ichinose-san sighs. "… Never mind, I don't think I can really say anything in defense of Aikawa's behavior in this case. Some of it was… really, really uncalled for. But she's the type to speak before she thinks; I don't honestly believe that she actually meant it. If there was a chance for the two of you to just–"

"You can stop it with the excuses already," Kinji remains unimpressed. "Do you even remember the comments she made back then? I'd say that Aikawa knew exactly what she was saying! … Man, I should've punched her in the face again."

Shiki blinks, and turns towards her classmate in mild surprise. "You punched Aikawa-senpai? Why?"

"'Cuz she was asking for it, duh," the boy rolls his eyes. "If I were in your place, I would've beaten her up a long time ago, just saying."

Oh. Fighting Aikawa-senpai? That's–

"I've already offered a friendly spar to Aikawa-senpai before," Shiki shakes her head, "She wasn't particularly enthused by the idea."

"… Why is it that we're both speaking the exact same language, except we're also most definitely not speaking the language right now?" There's a note of amazement in Kinji's voice as he turns around to stare at her. Or it might be incredulity instead, actually. Shiki isn't very good at discerning the difference here.

At any rate, though, "What do you mean?"

Kinji was the one who'd brought up the prospect of a fight in the first place, wasn't he? Shiki tilts her head questioningly.

"… Y'know what, just… don't worry about it," her classmate tells her after a beat, then turns his attention back to their upperclassman. "Look. Aikawa's attitude towards Shiki? Is a major problem. I didn't say anything about it before because Aikawa usually avoids Shiki around school anyways, and Shiki just flat-out doesn't care about Aikawa, period. Fine, whatever. But after what Aikawa did in Kyoto? Are you kidding me? No way am I letting this slide anymore. It's gone on long enough already."

Ichinose-senpai grimaces faintly. "… I understand your irritation towards her. To be honest, that's also part of the reason why I suggested for Gojo-san to have a proper talk with Aikawa."

Shiki shifts closer to Kirara, "Was there something improper about how I spoke with Aikawa-senpai before?"

"That's not what Ichinose-senpai is getting at," Kirara shakes his head, then raises his voice. "Ichinose-senpai, does Aikawa-senpai even want to talk things out?"

"Yes. I'm certain of it; I'm pretty sure that Takagi-sensei had another talk with her about this, too. She just… doesn't know how to go about it, I think? Given the, ah. History here, I guess," the older boy rubs his head. "Look, I'm not… I mean, some form of reconciliation would be great, but ultimately that's up to Gojo-san. I'm not asking for a miracle or anything, I just think…"

Ichinose-san trails off for a moment.

"You just think what?" Kinji raises an eyebrow.

"… I just think it would be good for them to have an honest talk and clear the air," the older boy says quietly. "Aikawa has an attitude sometimes, but she's not malicious and doesn't mean any harm. Gojo-san is standoffish, but she's not an uncaring monster. I… I just hope that…"

Another pause. Then, the boy sucks in a deep breath.

"There have already been enough deaths among the Tokyo students recently," Ichinose-san's eyes are fixated upon the ground as he says these words, a hushed whisper. "Last year, we lost a first year student, and now… I, I just. Hostilities and bad blood are the last things that we need among fellow students. I don't want anyone's mission performance to be affected by personal issues or grudges that honestly shouldn't even exist in the first place."

"I get that," Kirara tells the older boy patiently, "But it's Aikawa-senpai who's consistently–"

"I know, Hoshi," Ichinose-san shakes his head roughly, then finally lifts his gaze. His gaze lands unerringly upon Shiki, "If Aikawa tries to talk to you… I'm aware that I'm not in any position to be requesting this, but would you… consider hearing her out, at the very least?"

Shiki studies Ichinose-san silently. The older boy has never made it a secret that he's… not comfortable around her, not like what could be said of Shiki's fellow first years. He respects her abilities as a sorcerer, even if he's uneasy with her as a person.

Which would explain why he's saying all of this in Aikawa's favor, if he believes that Shiki would hold a grudge against Aikawa for the other girl's attitude and remarks towards her.

False. Shiki does not care enough for Aikawa-senpai to hold a grudge. The most that she feels towards the older girl at this point is… mild irritation, probably. If she had to put it into words…

"I don't mind," she replies simply. The exact same answer that she'd given when Ichinose-san had asked them to fill in the ranks of Tokyo students for the upcoming Kyoto exchange event.

Shiki does not like Aikawa-senpai, and she rather doubts that she ever will. But it's not something that matters particularly in the first place; the older girl is unimportant to her.

Honestly, Ichinose-san's concerns are for naught. Shiki finds Aikawa-senpai to be bothersome and perplexing, but it's not something that she would abandon the girl to die over. If Shiki had desired Aikawa-senpai's death, then the events that had taken place in Kyoto would've been the perfect opportunity for it. Ichinose-san is overthinking things.

"Thank you." There's a note of something distinctly relieved in the upperclassman's voice, which is almost funny, in a way. It's not as if Shiki is the one who's stubbornly refused to hear what her classmate has been saying all this time.

"If you don't mind me asking," Kirara half-raises his hand in a questioning gesture, "Why does Aikawa-senpai have, like. A vendetta against clan sorcerers in the first place?"

"I don't know the full story, precisely. But from what I'm aware of… Aikawa was recruited from a regular civilian background, in the aftermath of an exorcism performed by Zenin Naoya," Ichinose-san answers carefully. Kirara and Kinji both look confused, but Shiki thinks that she might understand what Ichinose-san is saying here.

Zenin Naoya. Arrogant, and the classic example of a sorcerer who looked down on others around them, as if not possessing the ability to utilize cursed energy made them lesser, somehow.

In itself, the philosophy is actually somewhat reminiscent of Geto Suguru's agenda. But whereas Geto-san has made it his mission to eradicate all non-sorcerers, the Zenin Clan very much does not hold the same attitude. Call it a proud sense of duty, or merely a strong ego; among sorcery clans, the Zenin Clan is not alone in this stance. But even despite a distinct mocking infantilization towards non-sorcerers, they still carry out the clan's noble duty of exorcising curses.

It's what marks and sets them apart as superior to the regular civilian population, after all.

"Wait, who's Zenin Naoya?" Kinji asks.

"Ah, I know this!" Kirara strikes his palm with a fisted hand, making a sound of dawning realization, "That's the guy who was staring at Shiki like a creep during Obon!"

"… He's the heir of the Zenin Clan," Ichinose-san pinches the bridge of his nose. "The Zenins. One of the Three Great Families, right alongside the Gojo and Kamo Clans."

"Oh," Kinji nods. "I see."

"Do you, really?" Ichinose-san mutters under his breath, then shakes his head. "Zenin-san is… not exactly personable, I guess. He's… he's…"

"An asshole?"

"… Yeah, I don't think I can find any words for this. Yes, he's an utter asshole," the upperclassman sighs. "Suffice to say, Aikawa was not left with a great impression. And since she didn't have any context for anything related to the jujutsu world at the time, she may have… not left a great impression on Zenin-san, either."

Shiki could certainly see that. Knowing what she did of Aikawa's personality and of her own experiences with the girl to date…

"So then, what," Kinji cocks his head, "Did Zenin bully her for it after she became a student or something? Is that why she hates clan sorcerers?"

"Of course not. He wouldn't spend his attention on anything so trivial," Ichinose-san lets out a short laugh that doesn't sound happy at all. "But if people know that there's a person that the Zenin heir isn't fond of, then why would he ever even need to lift a finger in the first place? You can see it in the attitudes of a good number of the assistant managers, and… it doesn't help that Aikawa probably won't be advancing past Grade Four anytime soon. When she's assigned missions, there are oftentimes… administrative mishaps taking place…"

There's an odd twist to those words. Shiki observes the bitter twist to Ichinose-san's lips, the way his fingers twitch helplessly at his side.

"You believe that's how Aikawa's classmate died?" she asks.

Kirara's jaw drops open, but it's Kinji who mutters, "No fucking way. Seriously?"

"Language."

"Oh lay off of it, Shiki. Just let me be surprised for a moment here, okay?"

"It's just a guess, we don't have any proof. How do you even go about proving something like this?" Ichinose-san shrugs helplessly. "Matoba never found anything, either, back… before."

It was not unusual for sorcerers to die on missions from a variety of different factors. Administrative mishaps such as misranked assignments, or other unexpected occurrences during the mission itself… and for a weak sorcerer from a civilian background who was known to have been rude to the Zenin heir, it honestly wouldn't be surprising for those attempting to curry favor with the Zenins to use this as an opportunity. Or simply even look the other way, and turn a blind eye.

Zenin Naoya wouldn't need to say a single word regarding this entire situation. In all likelihood, he probably wouldn't even need to order anything, before people just decided to take action on their own. Shiki rather doubts that someone like the Zenin heir even remembers a girl like Aikawa Ruri, enough to deliberately pay attention to her and ruin her career as a sorcerer. Did he even know what was going on here?

… Assuming that these suspicions were genuinely true in the first place, and there was pressure placed upon Aikawa-senpai like this. Dangerous missions, lacking or subpar resources… Takagi-sensei would probably know more about it.

If this was the case, then Aikawa's hostility towards clan sorcerers definitely ran deeper than just surface level problems and differences. But even so, there was still a point of confusion that existed, because–

"So if Aikawa has beef with the Zenins," Kinji frowns, "Then why is she taking it out on Shiki? … Just because she's also from one of the, uh… 'Three Families?'"

"Aikawa started off on the wrong foot with Matoba, too, and they never saw eye-to-eye with each other," Ichinose-san tells him. "Didn't exactly help that he was proud of coming from the Matoba Clan, too, and told Aikawa to 'stop playing around and being a sorcerer.'"

Ah. Shiki imagines that Aikawa-senpai probably wouldn't have reacted very well to a verbal barb like that.

"… Still don't care," Kinji says bluntly. "Unfortunate as it is, it doesn't mean she gets a free pass to act like that around Shiki. If I ever catch her running her mouth again, I'm still punching her in the face."

Ichinose-san sighs.

"If she continues 'running her mouth' after everything that went down in Kyoto, then I wouldn't blame you for it."

"Good," Kinji grins. It's not a very nice expression, "I'm glad we're all on the same page."

.

.

"… I see. How did things go with that classmate of yours afterwards, then? That Aikawa girl?"

Kiyohira-sensei's voice is gruff, and comes out in a low grumble. Going by that tone, he's not particularly fond of Aikawa Ruri, either.

"She was cordial." Surprisingly enough, and for the very first time in her interactions with Shiki. Aikawa-senpai had ended up approaching her only a day after Ichinose-san's conversation with Shiki and the other first years. The older girl had seemed… contrite? Less antagonistic than she usually was, at any rate.

I'm sorry, she'd said, before going on to ramble about how Shiki's attitude was misleading –then promptly backtracked on her words when Kinji started looming in the background and cracking his knuckles. Aikawa-senpai might've apologized again somewhere in there? Then proceeded to say something about keeping Shiki's secrets?

Ichinose-kun and I won't breathe a word to anyone else about what that curse user said to you in Kyoto.

"Just 'cordial,' is it?"

Shiki rolls her eyes at the faux-threatening intonation underpinning the man's words. "Does it even really matter? She's not worth your attention, Kiyohira-sensei."

Her teacher grunts, and does not continue the topic. Shiki takes it as a sign of agreement.

Across from them, Shoko-san snorts and finally leans back, setting aside her tools. "Everything should be connected properly now. Go on and give it a test; tell me if something feels off."

Kiyohira-sensei nods, and lifts his arm. His prosthesis, to be precise –one that actually looks like a regular arm, now. But Shiki knows that if she were to cut it open, then it would reveal an amalgamation of artificial flesh and machinery pulsating beneath the false skin.

It is, perhaps, the only good thing to come out of the mess in Kyoto.

Kiyohira-sensei moves his new arm slowly, feeling out the range of motion. He flexes his fingers, curling them into a fist and straightening them once more. The movement is cautious and hesitant at first, but he repeats it with growing confidence. Faster, and with more strength.

There's no denying that the motions are slightly awkward, still, but they seem to be an awkwardness born of unfamiliarity, rather than the stiffness of unmoving, unfeeling metal.

"This is…" For a long moment, Kiyohira-sensei studies his new arm intensely, seemingly at a complete loss for words. "How in the world…? The puppets. Ieiri, you reverse-engineered the human puppets that appeared in Kyoto?"

"Well, the puppets certainly helped; Yaga-gakucho's expertise was also very useful, since I'm not much for jujutsu puppetry. But what helped more was that I also had some of Araya's notes to work from," Shoko-san responds, her gaze briefly flickering towards Shiki for a moment.

Kiyohira-sensei does not miss the implication. He whirls around on her.

"… Araya's notes?" he asks faintly.

"Satoru-niichan found them," Shiki answers. "From the ruins of the building that Araya destroyed during our fight. Does your arm feel alright?"

Kiyohira-sensei stares at her silently. A single beat passes, then two –and suddenly, he reaches out and hugs her. It's an all-encompassing hug that Shiki is practically dwarfed in, and a gesture that's quite uncharacteristic of her teacher.

Shiki flounders slightly, "Kiyohira-sensei?"

"Thank you," he murmurs into her ear. There's even a faint quiver that she hears in his voice, and that's…

…

"… You should be thanking Shoko-san, not me," Shiki corrects the misunderstanding. "And it was Satoru-niichan who found the notes, anyway. It doesn't really have anything to do with me, Kiyohira-sensei."

"But you were the one who fought Araya. If it wasn't for that…" Kiyohira-sensei trails off as he pulls back from her. Shiki catches a glimpse of her teacher's steadily darkening expression. "… Death is too good for the likes of him."

"His death is one that was long overdue." And death comes to all equally, in the end.

"I take it that the arm seems to be working fine, then?" Shoko-san interrupts from the side, a touch of amusement threaded through her words.

"Yes," Kiyohira-sensei breathes out. "It feels… just like a regular arm. Like the arm that I used to have, before. Both in terms of physical sensation and control, although it will likely take a while for me to adjust to having an arm again."

"Glad to hear that," the doctor nods, scrawling down a few messy notes on her clipboard. "Alright. So far, the compatibility seems good enough, but I'm going to schedule checkups for the next few months, just to make sure everything works out. In the meantime, make sure to exercise the arm, butdon't overdo it."

"I understand." Kiyohira-sensei closes his new hand into a fist. "… I never thought that I would be able to hold a sword properly again."

"Don't overdo it," Shoko-san stresses again, exasperated. "Is there anyone who can keep an eye on him?"

"I don't need–"

"Tsumiki and Megumi?" Although that would only be a temporary solution at best; there would be no way for either of the Fushiguro siblings to keep an eye on Kiyohira-sensei's recuperation once the school year started up for them again, which was… fairly soon. Sometime either next week or the week after, if Shiki was remembering this correctly.

So in that case…

"I could ask Choki if one of the Suzurigi would be willing to assist Kiyohira-sensei in this," Shiki decides.

"That would probably be for the best," Shoko-san nods.

Kiyohira-sensei huffs, bemused and irritated all at once. "Do I get a say in this?"

Shiki thinks about it, then shakes her head. For her, the sword is ultimately only a tool to be used, but for Kiyohira-sensei, the sword is something that he truly loves. All these years of being restricted by a metal prosthetic that would not obey his will properly… even though Kiyohira-sensei had adapted to it well enough, it still wasn't the same. Nothing would be the same as the natural arm that he'd been born with.

But the artificial limb that was a work of jujutsu human puppetry would serve as a far better replacement than cold, unmoving metal.

Ignoring Shoko-san's short laugh and the way that Kiyohira-sensei folds his arms –his arms– across his chest, Shiki reaches for her phone, nestled in a small pouch that had been recently gifted to her by Tsumiki. The cloth is pink, and patterned with small white cats. Doesn't it remind you of Mi-chan?

There are new text messages on her phone. From… Choki?

Although Shiki rarely ever texts Choki –or anyone, really; fiddling laboriously over the buttons on her phone is a cumbersome process– the reverse is not true. Choki has developed a habit of regularly delivering information regarding her scheduling and mission assignments through text messages.

Shiki blinks at the new message on her phone, one that informs her of an upcoming new mission that she has in China next week.

China?

… Hmm. She's never taken a mission abroad before. This is… interesting.

.

.

…

.