"Kiseki no Sedai is a group that's actually trying to save you all." Kise claimed again, putting his own gun away. He's not going to start a fight with anyone because that's not his mission at all.
"How can we be so sure that we can even believe you?" Kobori asked him, still suspicious of him.
"The virus is not even a natural virus. It is a man-made virus that WINGS themselves have created."
"Bullshit, then why are WINGS training soldiers to kill them?" Kasamatsu questioned. It's awfully stupid to create something only to destroy it, right?
"The Angels you see out there are not complete. They are hoping to create an Angel that can sustain human intelligence. So far, their results haven't been great." Kise stated, "They are only training you guys because you guys are the clean up crew."
"What?!" Moriyama was shocked of the terrorist's words.
Mitsuru began to wonder about Kise's knowledge; WINGS were actually keeping everyone in check just to experiment the virus on them? Mitsuru always thought that something like a virus will come and go but there's actually no news about a cure being made at all? What can she believe in from now on? What kind of path should she walk on from now on?
"Mitsucchi, I need to go now..." Seeing that he has yet to earn a single trust, there's no way Kise can take Mitsuru to the Kiseki no Sedai base without initiating a fight so he decided to come again next time."Mitsucchi, I will save you... No matter whose side you are on." Kise opened the window and jumped out of it.
"Kise..." Mitsuru doesn't know what to think anymore...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After staying for a short while, Kasamatsu decided he should take her home. He thanked Kobori for letting them stay over and told him to get a good night's rest. He also thanked Kobori and Moriyama for their support today.
"You can repay me by introducing to cute girls!"
"Don't start acting like the comic relief, Moriyama!" Kasamatsu scolded before driving off with Mitsuru behind him.
"Mitsuru, do you want to play some basketball?"
"You really want to lose that bad?"
...
She sounded so confident about it but Kasamatsu was much better at basketball than she was. Whenever Kasamatsu wanted to be alone with her, he would choose to come to the abandoned basketball court with her. The two of them would play basketball here, killing time.
"Ah!" Mitsuru got the ball stolen and watched as Kasamatsu score a three-pointer.
"Hmph! A perfect three-pointer!" Mitsuru could have sworn that Kasamatsu should be a basketball player since he's really good at it.
"If we are reincarnated in a new life, would you want to become a basketball player?"
"Maybe. If there is such a thing..." Kasamatsu looked at the basketball bounce away. He ran to get it and then he held it with both his hands. He smiled at the sight of it, a warm smile.
"Yukio-senpai..." She can tell he would rather play basketball than become a soldier. She kind of feel sorry for him and herself; they're not allowed to choose what they want to become. There were times when the glass dome felt like a prison more than a protection. "Senpai?"
"Hm?"
"What does the wind feel life?"
"If I can remember, it feels so comforting." Kasamatsu walked over to sit against the wired fence, he pat the spot next to him, telling her to sit by his side.
Mitsuru came and sat by his side, leaning her head on his shoulder as she listening to him talk about his earliest memories when he was 2 years old. He can briefly remember the way the wind blew to cool him down during the summer; the falling of the snow; the changing seasons; the warmth of the sun, and the birds that soar the sky, being free without a care in the world.
She loved listening to his stories because she wanted to leave the dome. She wanted to experience the same thing he did from his early childhood. Looking at Kasamatsu, Mitsuru smiled; if there's a chance for her to leave the dome, she'd love to experience those things together with him...
"Did you listen to me?" He asked her.
"Yeah."
"Good."
"Someday, we'll go out there."
"When the virus clears..." When he said that, Mitsuru remembered Kise's words...
"Mitsucchi, I will save you... No matter whose side you are on."
Why does she need saving? Why did Kise make it sound like she will be forced to choose a side?
"Mitsuru,"
"Hm?"
"Don't talk to that guy anymore. He will just cause you trouble." Even without him telling her, she's got no intention of teaming up with Kise; they live in completely different worlds, they're like oil and water.
"I don't plan to," Mitsuru put a hand on top of his, "I'll go wherever you are going. That's the only path I can believe."
"I see." Kasamatsu was happy to hear that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because of the classroom massacre that took place within Kaijou, the students did not stop talking about it and were worked up about it. Many were eager to join WINGS while some were scared. The event from class 1-C was so horrific that the students have named it 'The 1-C massacre.
"Class, this is Kise Ryouta and Chairo Mitsuru from class 1-C. They will transfer to 1-D from this moment on so please be nice to them." The teacher kept the self-introductions as brief as possible because he wanted the class to resume to normal.
'What's with them? They have sparkles in their eyes...' Mitsuru looked at the eyes of the others and many of them looked at her as if Kise and herself was some kind of hero. Was it because everyone saw the fight between Mitsuru and the Angel?
"Chairo-san, it's so cool the way you threw a deodorant can and shoot it!" A female student suddenly said, standing up from her seat.
"Eh?" They thought that was cool? They didn't see the way she pulled a weapon out of Kise? She looked at Kise and he just smiled at her in a charming way. Does he know something?
School time passed as usual and Mitsuru found time to talk to Kise. Kise was surrounded by girls because of his good looks, making the boys in the class jealous of the tall and very good looking blonde.
"Ew..." As a girl herself, she also think Kise's very good looking but she's not going to shamelessly drool all over him like the other girls; have they never seen a guy in their life? "Kise..."
"Ah? Mitsucchi!" Kise gently told the girls that he would like to talk to Mitsuru alone and they made way for him, though a little unhappy with the way he affectionately called Mitsuru's name. "Yes? You want to talk in private, right?"
Once they were on top of the roof, Mitsuru was ready to ask Kise questions but he was quicker.
"Mitsucchi, will you think about joining us?" Kise was very serious about it and he really want her to come willingly. Without her, Kiseki no Sedai doesn't have the advantage to stand ground to ground with WINGS.
"No, you better answer my question first..."
"What is there to know? The moment the light dispersed around us, an invisible force made all electronics useless."
"I-I see..." Kise was surprisingly clever that it sort of scared her; he always have an answer for everything.
"Mitsucchi, now that your questions are answered-"
"I won't join."
"Hm?"
"I won't join Kiseki no Sedai."
"Why not?" Kise was still smiling even though she's refusing him.
"I won't because I won't join in a fight I can't win. You can't win against WINGS."
"Even after knowing what they are doing, you are willing to pretend my words worth nothing?"
"I am following Yukio-senpai." Mitsuru simply stated, "If he's joining WINGS, I want to be there too."
"You're going to follow him, huh..." Kise walked up to her, and pulled her into a kiss. Mitsuru's eyes widened and she struggled against him. Kise did not budge at all and he managed to slip the sleeping pill down her throat.
"Nngh... Hah..." Mitsuru can feel everything fading into the darkness and she slept...
"I'm sorry, I can't have you joining WINGS no matter what." He picked her up in his arms and smiled at her sleeping form. "Sleep tight, my precious little Queen." He chuckled, about to fly off.
"I'm telling you, Kobori, that Hayakawa speaks far to fast for me to understand-" Kasamatsu opened the door to the roof and saw a sleeping Mitsuru in Kise's arms.
The moment I saw her in his arms, being taken away, something in me snapped. Since when? Since when did she become my antidote? Mitsuru, we'll always be together, right?
Kise felt a bullet graze his hair the moment he tried to lift off. He looked back to see Kasamatsu with his gun pointing at him. When he looked at Kasamatsu's eyes, he can see that they looked lifeless and empty.
"You idiot! What if you shot-" Kise couldn't finish his words because Kasamatsu was right in his face after a blink. If Kise was any slower, he could have had a bullet through his forehead.
"Kasamatsu!" Kobori shouted for his friend but he stayed away from them, "Kise, put Mitsuru down!"
"No! I have to take-" Kasamatsu was in his face again, and his other hand was holding a military knife. The knife grazed Kise's face. No matter how many times Kise tried to use his S.G to create distance, Kasamatsu was persistent. 'What's with this guy?! His mind is in perfect sync with the S.G!' Kise thought, trying to stay calm in this predicament.
"Do it now! Kasamatsu will kill you if you don't! He will kill you!" Kobori warned again.
"Tch!" Kise was forced to put Mitsuru down and use his S.G to put more distance between himself and Kasamatsu.
"...!" Kasamatsu noticed Mitsuru was on the floor and he threw away his weapons and quickly went to her side. His eyes looked more alive and he held Mitsuru to him. "Mitsuru! Mitsuru...thank god..."
Kise sat on the floor, panting after he was nearly killed.
'I can't believe it... Me, a King...was about to lose to someone like him?' Kise doesn't know what to think because Kasamatsu had many opportunities to kill him right there.
"Mitsuru is very important to Kasamatsu. You can't just up and take her just like that. You were lucky..." Kobori held a hand out for Kise so he can get up. Kise looked at the hand and took it. Kobori pulled him up and Kise looked at Kasamatsu who started to sway to one side before fainting with Mitsuru in his hold.
"That guy..." Kise sighed; it's another mission failure for him...