Today's the day Border started their recruitment for the month. Me and the girls got ready early and had some breakfast before we left.
I was on the stove cooking some traditional Japanese breakfast while Enid and Thing were helping set up the table. Nitocris was watching the news on TV while Wednesday and Goody were having a conversation about any revelations about magic. I plated the food and set them on the table.
I called everyone, "All right, food's ready!"
The girls stopped what they were doing before they all sat down around the dining table. The breakfast consists of omurice with veggies as well as stacks of fluffy pancakes. It looked immaculate as the scent definitely whetted their appetites. Enid was drooling while Wednesday and Nitocris were much more reserved.
I smiled at the girls and said, "Dig in~"
Enid immediately scooped a spoonful of the omurice and took her bite. The delicious explosion of flavour overwhelmed her senses as she fell into a blissful dream. Wednesday and Nitocris was not far off as they too are experiencing the same.
I chuckled at their expressions as I took a bite of my pancakes. The whole atmosphere was warm and pleasant, much to Wednesday's dismay. Thing went to watch TV about manicures and hand beauty products. Goody went back to the Shadow World to chat with Anet.
After everyone finished eating, I asked, "Are you all ready to go?"
Wednesday simply nodded while Enid excitedly waved, "Yeeees!!"
Nitocris also chimed in, "Ready."
I cleaned up the dishes and said, "Take care of the house while we're gone, Thing. Keep Goody and Anet company."
I left Anet with Goody to keep her company. She's been complaining when there's nothing to do so the best I could do for now was them keeping each other busy. After reminding them, I left the house with the girls. It took us about fifteen minutes to reach the site where Border will take us to their headquarters.
Before we boarded the bus, we were asked which kind of primary Trigger to use for training. I picked Kogetsu, while Wednesday picked Scorpion. Enid chose an Assault Rifle Trigger with Meteor while Nitocris picked the Ibis Sniper Trigger. Though I understand Wednesday and Enid's choices, it surprised me to see Nitocris pick a long range sniper trigger.
I thought, "To pick the heaviest one is a bit unexpected but she can carry that trigger with ease. Paired with her growing magical abilities, her Trion is pretty high. Plus she can always change it to a different sniper later."
We were then given our Training Triggers to use as it scanned our bodies and exchanged into a Border Trion Combat Form. As it scanned, changes immediately set us apart from the crowd.
My combat form was mostly black with light neon blue serpent patterns on each arm as well as black fingerless gloves. The Border logo was on each side, just above the serpent patterns. Together with black combat boots complete my transformation.
Wednesday's Trion form was just like mine, which was black for the most part with purple lining inside of her hoodie. There was a purple armband with the Border logo on her right arm. She wore black pants along with black combat boots.
Enid's Trion form was mostly pastel pink with blue pastel lining. The overall design is still the Border uniform. She wore white shorts to compliment her personality.
Nitocris was a little different as hers was mostly red in color with straps situated across her upper torso with one diagonal strap crossing from her left shoulder to her right side. She wore black pants and black combat boots like me and Wednesday.
I looked at myself and smirked as I thought, "It seems like what I thought was correct. I could use my magical abilities to shape the Trion to what I imagined."
Looking over at the girls, I continued, "And it seems like the girls somewhat figured it out as well. I'm sure their thoughts influenced their transformation."
Enid jumped in glee, "Wow!! I look so cute~!"
Nitocris looked over at herself with satisfaction, "Amazing technology. I wonder what else I could do with it."
Wednesday looked over herself and a tiny smirk appeared as she said, "Comfortable."
Now that everyone had their own Trion form, we were escorted into Border HQ through a passageway. We entered a huge assembly hall with other applicants, already mingling with each other. I also noticed Osamu, Yuuma, and Chika near the center of the room, discussing their future plans.
Enid pulled my wrist and said, "Look! That guy also has a different body too~!"
Enid was, of course, pointing at Yuuma but I just smiled and patted her head. Wednesday and Nitocris also glanced over before losing interest. They already knew the two boys but not the girl. They noticed a large energy hidden beneath her tiny body using their magical senses.
Wednesday looked back to Nitocris and asked, "You sense that as well? What a terrible energy. It has definitely surpassed my old enemy back in my own world by many margins."
Nitocris nodded, "Indeed. This energy is very rare to be borne by a human. How fortunate of this child. I wonder how she will harness this power."
At this moment, Shinoda and Arashiyama Squad came up to the podium and asked everyone to gather around.
Shinoda came up to the podium and announced, "I am Border HQ Director, Masafumi Shinoda. We welcome your enlistment. Today, you become C-rank agents. It means you're enlisted as trainees, but the future of Mikado City and its people depends upon you. I want you to work hard every day and aim to be official agents. I'm looking forward to the day we work together."
Shinoda saluted everyone before letting Arashiyama Squad begin their explanations. The trainees started to fawn over Arashiyama Squad due to being the face of public relations of Border, making them little idols.
One trainee fawned, "Arashiyama Squad! It's the real deal!"
A female trainee also chimed, "Wow, Arashiyama-san!"
One by one, various compliments were being shouted for Arashiyama Squad. Of course there was a group of three who were making snide comments about only being the face of Border and not truly strong.
Arishiyama started and said, "Now then, let's start orientation. But first, we'll split off by position. People who want to be attackers and gunners stay here. People who want to be snipers follow our man, Satori, to the training hall."
Nitocris said towards us, "It seems we'll part for now. I'll see you after~"
I smiled as I said, "Good luck and have fun. Keep an eye out for the little girl. Her name's Chika and I'm sure you felt her energy levels already."
Nitocris raised an eyebrow before nodding and headed towards the sniper's area. It wasn't a surprise that I could sense Chika's energy but she's curious how I knew Chika's name. That's something she needs to ask me about later on.
Satori held up his arm and shouted, "Okay, sniper team, come over here."
We shifted our attention back to Arashiyama as he continued, "Once again, I'll be in charge of attacker and gunner team, Jun Arashiyama of Arashiyama Squad. First of all, congratulations on your enlistment."
Arashiyama further explained the rules of Border. Since we were all still trainees, we should strive to be official agents and the way to do it was imprinted in the back of their left hand.
We all looked and saw a set number on it. Mine was 1000 as well as Wednesday and Enid. Arashiyama further explained that the Trigger Holder we were activating only has one combat trigger we chose.
The number in our hands shows how well we control the Trigger. Bringing the points to 4000, will officially promote us to B-rank agents. There were two ways to earn points, which was to get great marks on group training sessions twice a week or battle for points in the ranking tournaments.
Arashiyama also announced, "For now, you'll experience first-hand what training is like. Follow me."
Arashiyama led the group to the training room while Kitora and Osamu were in the back talking.
Kitora asked, "Why are you here? You're already B-rank."
Osamu replied, "I'm here for my transfer registration and to accompany Kuga."
Enid with her bubbly personality came by Yuuma and greeted, "Hi there! My name's Enid. You got white hair! Is that natural? And your eyes are so red. Are you wearing contacts?"
I chuckled at Enid's enthusiasm as it reminded me of how I first met Enid while Wednesday just shook her head as she remembered her first meeting with Enid as well.
Yuuma was also a bit shocked at the sudden barrage of questions he heard before he recovered and greeted, "Oh! I'm Yuuma. Kuga Yuuma. Mmm my hair is natural and so are my eyes. Your hair looks great too."
Enid's smile brightened up even more and started to chat more with her new friend. Osamu and Kitora noticed Enid easily chatting with Kuga. Kitora noticed this new trainee was definitely a very optimistic person and feels special in her own way.
Kitora asked Osamu, "Do you know that girl Kuga is talking to? She looks like a foreigner."
Osamu answered in confusion, "I don't know. Maybe Kuga met her before?"
Kitora looked at her data pad and saw the girl's application and said, "Hmm.. from what I have on her file, her name is Enid Sinclair. Apparently she's from the United States. Also she didn't enlist alone. There's two more girls and a boy who enlisted with her. How strange for a foreigner to come here and enlist."
Osamu looked at Kitora and asked, "Maybe it's a coincidence. Border is very popular in dealing with threats from Neighbors after all. I heard we sent some teams there before Neighbors Gates were concentrated here. I read some old files at the Tamakoma Branch when I was bored."
Kitora put her finger on her chin and said, "Perhaps.."
It didn't take long before we finally arrived at our destination - The Training Hall. The whole place was like a giant gymnasium outfitted with multiple practice rooms. There was a control room right above, surveying the whole room.
Enid looked around the room in surprise, "Wooow!! It's so huge~!"
Yuuma just sweatdropped at Enid's antics as me and Wednesday were shaking our heads.
Arashiyama noticed Enid's burst of excitement and coughed to get everyone's attention as he said, "Well, the first training is combat against a Neighbor."
Arashiyama continued, "Inside a room in virtual combat mode, you'll be fighting against a Neighbor reproduced from Border's accumulated data."
The other trainees were shocked that they would be fighting right off the bat. Only a select few such as me and the girls were not panicking. Enid was even jumping in excitement waiting to have a crack at it. Yuuma was smiling as he was ready to fight.
Wednesday looked at me and said, "This is clearly above our level but it should be good practice."
I smiled and gently stroked her face and said, "Enjoy yourself and take your time. We'll be here for a while. You might as well enjoy it. I'll try to rank up to B-rank as soon as possible so I can participate in Rank Wars. I'm sure you'll do the same."
Wednesday leaned into my touch and smirked, "Indeed. Only with experienced fighters can I grow. Grow enough to fight by your side."
I smiled as I said, "You're always by my side, Mi Cuervo~!"
Enid noticed us flirting and decided to jump on my back and chimed in, "I'm also here~!"
The other trainees noticed our actions and whispered to each other about their odd behavior. Yuuma also looked over to see his new friend on someone's back.
Yuuma thought, "She's a little crazy."
Kitora blushed in embarrassment at the blatant flirting and shouted, "You three, pay attention!!"
Osamu on the side was shocked at Kitora's outburst as Arashiyama was facepalming.
Arashiyama got everyone's attention again and continued, "Inside the training room, you won't run out of Trion. You won't get hurt either, so fight to your heart's content. So today, what you'll all be fighting is a "Beginner Level" opponent."
The operators on the control room above started the sequence and a large-scale Neighbor generated in the training room.
Arashiyama further explained, "This is a Bamster. It's usually the large Neighbors you all have seen before. It was downsized for training purposes. It doesn't possess any offensive capabilities but it has thick armor. The time limit per person is five minutes. The sooner you defeat it, the higher your score will be. That's all. Each room can begin!"
Yuuma and the rest of the trainees were eager to try after the explanation. Enid got off me and rushed to one of the rooms to start. Wednesday also lined up to one of the rooms. Yuuma and I went to the same queue for the room.
Noticing Yuuma's gaze on me, I held up my hand to him and said, "The name's Y/N. Y/N Ashborn. Nice to meet you."
Yuuma shook my hand and said, "My name is Yuuma. Kuga Yuuma. Likewise."
I looked at Yuuma and asked, "Are you excited, Yuuma-san?"
Yuuma just shrugged and said, "Not really. This training should be a piece of cake. I really need to reach B-rank as soon as possible."
I smirked and said, "Hooh.. Seems like you have the same goals as me. Wanna have a bet with me?"
Yuuma got interested once he heard the word "bet" and asked, "What bet?"
I proposed, "How about we see which one of us can finish faster? The loser treats the winner for lunch."
Yuuma thought about it for a moment before agreeing, "Hm.. that's fair. Deal."
I smiled and held my fist out to Yuuma and said, "To our friendship."
Yuuma's eyes widened for a moment before smiling and fist bumped my fist as he laughed, "To our friendship."
From time to time, you hear some explosions and slashing from the surrounding rooms. It didn't take long before it was Enid's turn.
Enid's excited voice sounded off, "Yey! It's my turn."
As soon as she stepped through the gates, a Bamster was digitized in front of her. She raised her assault rifle at it and readied herself.
The announcer counted down, "Three.. two... one.. start!"
She jumped back and yelled, "Meteor~!"
A huge shot of Trion exploded the Bamster in the room. It shocked the people observing her, trainees and agents alike.
Enid jumped excitedly, "Yippie!!"
Enid left the room as the time completion was announced, "Room #007 is completed. The record time is 4.1 seconds."
Before the others had enough time to relax, another room announced, "Room #011 is completed. The record time is 3.2 seconds."
Wednesday had easily dispatched the Bamster with no problem whatsoever. She just went to sit in the back.
Kitora gasped, "Those two girls...! Amazing!"
Osamu was also shocked and started comparing himself but he sulked. He remembered he ran out of time and got disqualified.
Me and Yuuma were watching the spectacle and smiled, "Seems like they did great. Are you ready, Yuuma-san?"
Yuuma just gave a thumbs-up and entered Room #005.
Another Bamster got generated before the room announced, "Room #005, get ready."
Yuuma readied himself as the room announced, "Start!"
It took a moment before I saw Yuuma on the other side of the Bamster in a striking pose. Not long after, the Bamster started to sway as it was cut into two. The time shown outside shocked the overlooking crowd. It stopped at 04:59:41.
The room announced, "Room #005 is completed. The record time is 0.6 second."
Yuuma smiled and said, "Alright. Let's keep it going."
Yuuma strolled outside the room, only to see everyone except me looking at him like a little monster. Official agents were impressed at the display as other agents were debating on inviting him to their teams.
One of the three arrogant trainees shockingly said, "Only... 0.6 seconds.."
Yuuma asked himself, "Did I get a perfect score?"
The leader of the three arrogant trainees yelled, "Wait, wait.. It's impossible. That was a fluke! The measuring device must be broken. Do it one more time!"
Yuuma asked, "One more time? Okay."
Yuuma once again completed the combat training with 04:59:62 left on the clock.
The room announced, "Room #005 is completed. The record time is 0.4 second."
All three of the arrogant trainees huddled together as they terrifyingly said, "It's gotten shorter..."
Up on the railing, Kazama Squad was watching over Yuuma as it was discussed with the top-brass of Border HQ that they have a Neighbor joining them.
The captain of Kazama Squad, Soya Kazama, was eyeing Yuuma and said to his fellow squad mates, "So that's Jin's kouhai. I see. He's certainly useful."
Shiro Kikuchihara leaned over the railing and said, "You really think so? Anyone could do it once they get used to it."
Ryo Utagawa on the side also said, "He doesn't move like an amateur. Must be since he's a Neighbor."
Yuuma left the training room only to be met by adoring looks from his fellow trainees. He gave Osamu and Kitora a thumbs up from below. Yuuma also looked at me to see if I could beat his record. Enid and Wednesday were in the back also cheering for me.
I waved at the girls before entering the training room.
The room announced, "Room #005, get ready."
Another Bamster took its place as I held my stance, ready to strike.
The next moment, the room announced, "Start!"
Before the announcement was finished, I was already on the opposite side of the Bamster as it split into a few even pieces.
The training room timer stopped at 04:59:89 and announced, "Room #005 completed. The record time is 0.1 second."
Yuuma was flabbergasted when he heard the time and muttered, "Wha..!"
Everyone else definitely wasn't any better, especially those A-rank agents watching like Kazama Squad and Kitora from Arashiyama Squad.
Kazama narrowed his eyes and said, "Those were very fast and precise strikes. It resembles "Senku" in a way. This person is very dangerous. No beginner can move like that."
Kikuchihara and Utagawa agreed with Kazama's deduction. They've been an A-rank squad for quite a while and had their own fair share of battles. One can only move and strike that decisively in life-or-death situations.
Kitora felt the same and came to the same conclusion like Kazama.
Kitora thought, "You can't really judge this person at face value. He looked like a very cheerful person when he was chatting with Kuga-san."
Kitora watched me walk out of the training room and head towards Kuga. She also noticed the two girls cheering for him, heading to their location.
I waved at Yuuma and smiled, "Looks like I won, Yuuma! I'll leave it to you for lunch. Haha~!"
Yuuma sulked a bit but he snapped out of it and waved his hand helplessly as he said, "A deal's a deal. We need to have a match later on."
I laughed a bit and patted his shoulder as I replied, "Haha you did well as well. Let's postpone that until we're official agents."
Yuuma made a funny face and said, "O-K!"
Enid came by with Wednesday in tow as she said, "Congratulations~! You were so cool! One second you were in front and then in the back the next second. You were all swoosh!! Ohh! Yuuma! Yuuma! This is my bestie, Wednesday! Ain't she wonderful?"
Wednesday simply looked at Yuuma with deadpan eyes. Unfortunately for Wednesday, Yuuma wasn't deterred and stared back.
The staring contest lasted a minute or so before I interrupted, "Alright, alright. Everyone's friends here. Wednesday, this is Kuga Yuuma. And Yuuma, this is Wednesday. She and Enid are my family."
Wednesday just stared and greeted, "Hello. I'm Wednesday. You're not too bad."
Yuuma also felt a competitive spirit from Wednesday and said, "I'm Yuuma. Kuga Yuuma. You also use Scorpion. I wanna play a match with you too."
Wednesday smirked at the challenge and narrowed her eyes as she answered, "I'll wait for your challenge, Usagi."
Yuuma tilted his head in confusion before asking, "Usagi? Nevermind, I'll do that."
Enid was holding my waist during this time, enjoying that her new friend is getting along with Wednesday like her. I was rubbing Enid's head when Arashiyama came to Yuuma.
Arashiyama asked, "You're going to team up with Mikumo-kun, right?"
Yuuma nodded and said, "Yeah, that's right."
Arashiyama looked at me and asked, "How about you? Are you interested in joining my squad? With your skills, we can definitely use it."
Osamu, Kitora, and the rest of the crowd were shocked to hear an invitation to a trainee.
Kazama narrowed his eyes and thought, "Arashiyama's quick. Such a potential seedling."
Unfortunately for them, I politely declined, "My apologies but I'm planning on making my own squad in the future. I do thank you for your invitation, Arashiyama-san."
Arashiyama awkwardly scratched his head and said, "No worries. My offer still stands in case you change your mind."
Kazama voiced his offer, "You have guts. The same offer can be said to my squad as well."
Only after he said his piece, he left the training hall with his squad. Now the whole place is in shock as two A-rank captains had offered their invitation.
I looked over to the girls and then to Yuuma and said, "Well that was something. Anyways I guess you have a team already then?"
Yuuma hummed, "Yep. I'm teaming up with Osamu and Chika so I need to reach B-rank as soon as possible."
I nodded and said, "Good luck and I'll be waiting for your challenge later."
The entire day went by as the first training session for new agents had finally finished. We also met up with Nitocris and found out that her training went well as well as tell us the reason for the trembling earlier.
Apparently Chika shot through the HQ wall with the Ibis. Her huge trion reserves changed the power of the Ibis into a cannon. Other squad captains also expressed their offer for Chika to join their squad. All in all, our first day in Border was a success.
I said my goodbyes to Yuuma before taking the girls back. We stopped by an izakaya for dinner and ate some food before heading to a karaoke bar. We sang plenty and drank to the songs.
One thing led to another before we started having "fun" in the karaoke booth. Good thing the rooms are sound-proof and I made sure if there were any cameras, they were obstructed by my shadow magic.
By the early hours of the morning, all the girls were lying on the seats of the karaoke booth sleeping. They were all filled and satisfied as I paid extra to clean up the booth after we left. I transported them into the Shadow World and cleaned them up. I gently laid them on their beds in the mansion inside.
I gently kissed the girls' forehead and wished them, "Good night, my loves~"
As soon as I finished, I took a shower and soak in the onsen for a while before I watched the night sky slowly disappear.
Unknown to my knowledge, a group of Neighbors in their world were slowly gathering their strength to launch an invasion here. Let's hope they're strong enough to deal any damage before the King takes the matter personally.