Sakura stank of smoke, but the fire hadn’t even singed her hair. The thing was, she got so freaked out by the sudden explosion, she rolled off the stairs and fell on the ground below, where she passed out for a while. It didn’t occur to HQ that Sakura might’ve fallen, and they couldn’t see her in the footage taken by the drone far above.
“I’m glad to see you’re okay, Fuki! But tell me, how did you know I was coming?”
“That was easy. Did you think I wouldn’t recognize the footsteps of my own partner?”
“Partner…,” Sakura quietly repeated to herself. She smiled happily. “I want to learn to recognize your footsteps, too, Fuki!”
“Train hard and you will.”
“Okay!”
Bright light shone in through the corridor windows. Fuki and Sakura saw that a medium-sized helicopter was approaching them with the cargo door on the side open. The beam of light was coming from there.
Fuki shielded her eyes from the glare. The light was very strong, but she made out the shape of a man with a rifle inside the helicopter. She couldn’t see much, but she recognized him at once.
“Teach…”
It was Mika, the owner of Café LycoReco who used to be Fuki’s instructor and was a very special person to her. He was the one who’d rushed to save her. The thought made Fuki experience an emotion which felt like a ticklish feeling all over her body. She clenched her teeth to suppress it.
Sakura spoke into her headset, explaining the situation. The helicopter crew must have heard her, because Mika visibly relaxed.
The helicopter flew up. Fuki’s first thought was that it was leaving, but it rose higher so that it could land on the old cultural center’s rooftop.
“Fuki, Commander Kusunoki says they can take us back in the copter if either of us is wounded.”
“I see…”
Fuki had no serious injuries, but her partner Sakura had had a trap explode in her face before falling off the stairs, so she probably should get checked out by a doctor… Fuki convinced herself that this was a good reason to go by helicopter, and they headed to the rooftop. The truth was that she simply wanted to see Mika again.
“What a luxury, to have a copter sent to pick us up!”
“They must’ve been worried about us. Be glad they care.”
“Sure!”
They came out onto the rooftop…where Fuki heard a voice that always annoyed her.
“See! Told you they’d be totally fine!”
Another girl in the rare First Lycoris uniform was waiting there, looking cranky. It was Chisato Nishikigi.
“That a problem?! Sorry we’re not hurt, I guess?!”
The helicopter had landed on the rooftop, but the main rotor was still rotating. Fuki and Chisato had to shout over the noise and the wind. They glared at each other with their faces close as if they were about to fight, but that was partly just so they could hear each other.
Helicopter rotors were slow to start from a complete stop, and it would be dangerous to suddenly lift off once the rotor blades flopped down, so they were kept spinning while on standby.
“Did I say it was a problem?! I told Kusunoki she didn’t need to worry about you and that I didn’t think you’d need my help! But she insisted!”
“Great, thanks! Now go back home, take a shit, and go to sleep!”
“Meh! I was hoping to see tears of gratitude when we arrived! What a disappointment! Right, Takina?!”
Chisato turned to look back. Fuki followed her gaze. Mika got out of the helicopter and walked toward them. Behind him, Fuki saw Takina Inoue in a seat in the cargo compartment of the helicopter.
At first, Fuki felt like complaining that Takina didn’t even bother to get out to greet them, but then she noticed that there was something off about Takina. She looked like she had no energy. To be fair, Takina always seemed as dispassionate as a Buddhist monk detached from worldly matters, but she seemed even more apathetic than usual. And she was pale, too… But maybe it was just bad light. Takina’s skin was naturally fair.
“Chisato…is it working out for you two?” Fuki asked in a quieter voice, but Chisato managed to catch that, maybe because they were in close proximity.
“Aye, sure is! We’re perfect. The best team ever! Takina just happens to be a bit under the weather today, though!”
Deep inside, Fuki was grateful that Takina came to their aid despite feeling unwell, but instead of that, she said, “Then what is she doing here?! Go back home!”
“How rude! You should thank her! She wanted to come and help you despite not feeling great!”
“Well, I didn’t ask her to do that!”
“Oh, shut up! Can’t you just shed a few tears and tell us how happy you are we’re here?!”
“Just because you came here to force your help on us?!”
“How dare you!”
“How dare YOU!”
“Wanna fight?!”
“Do you?!”
“Fuki…,” Mika called, approaching.
Fuki immediately stopped glaring at Chisato. She straightened her back.
“Yes?” she replied in a tone betraying no emotion.
“I heard what happened. It was a difficult mission. How are you feeling?”
“It was a string of unexpected developments…but we dealt with them without any problems.”
“I see. That’s good to hear.”
Mika was a big man. Big in size and with a big heart. Talking to him face-to-face, Fuki felt as if his aura was wrapping around her. She didn’t hate that. Quite the opposite.
It grated on Fuki’s nerves how Chisato was still trying to shove her face in her line of vision, making taunting grunts at her, like an agitated dog. Fuki wanted to throw her off the rooftop.
“Well, it’s time to leave. Come, Fuki. We’ll take you back.”
“…No need. Neither of us was injured. We can make our way back the usual way.”
“Whaaat?!” Sakura protested behind her, but Fuki ignored her.
“What’s the problem? Hop on! Don’t be shy! Or are you too proud to ride in my helicopter?! Is that it?!”
Fuki ignored Chisato’s prattling, too. The helicopter belonged to the DA, as surely did the pilot. She was just talking shit.
Mika held his gaze on Fuki for a few moments. A resigned smile appeared on his face.
“All right. Have a safe trip back… You’ve done an excellent job today.”
“Thank you for coming to offer us help, even at this hour,” Fuki said, bowing. She felt Mika’s big hand patting her shoulder.
Mika turned around and started walking back to the helicopter. Chisato followed after him like a shadow, but she looked back at Fuki one more time.
“You sure you don’t want to come with us? Aren’t you dead tired?” she asked, pouting sulkily.
She was probably actually worried about Fuki, but Fuki didn’t need her concern.
“I said we’ll make it back on our own, didn’t I? You get out of here already.”
The whole time they had been talking, Takina had been watching Fuki from inside the helicopter. Fuki returned Takina’s gaze just as Chisato sat down next to her. Mika took a seat opposite the girls.
Chisato Nishikigi, Takina Inoue, Mika… A partner who had left her, a partner she rejected, and the instructor who was so dear to her. The helicopter gained altitude and carried those three people so important to Fuki toward the old radio tower. Fuki kept looking in its direction until she could no longer see it.
Beside her stood the despondent Sakura.
“I really wanted to go back by helicopter…”
They could have done that. Nobody would object. But Fuki just didn’t want to get on that helicopter because she didn’t feel like there was a place for her among the others.
“No, we can just go back the usual way.”
They were there to do their job and nothing else. To do things the usual way. Their fate had been decided before they were old enough to understand it, and it was too late to imagine how things could have been different. The best thing was just to accept that.
Fuki stopped following the helicopter with her eyes. She looked up to the sky and sighed, slowly, with her eyes closed.
“Haaah…”
She felt as if a little bit of the weariness from the night’s work left her with that long exhale. She opened her eyes. Stars were still faintly glimmering above them, but it would soon be morning. Not long now. Just a little longer, but it wasn’t that time.
“Let’s go, partner.”
She turned to go back, her partner beside her.