23 Good moments before everything crumbles

Three in the morning, Mariko's eyes opened wide on their own. "Fuck" She said in her mind and tries to sleep back. Both anxious and excitement boosted her mind to wake up at her usual time. "Got nothing to do down there anymore..." She said before drifting back to sleep. She has been avoiding waking up and going down every time she wakes up early, mostly because of Alice.

At the same time, Yagano wakes up due to the same reason and went down. "Good morning!" He shouted while standing in the middle, then he felt a presence in the kitchen and looked to see Alice peeking. "Good morning" Alice greeted. "Are you the only one here?" Yagano asked as he took a seat on one of the chairs in the bar. "Yes, Suzu-chan and Haru-chan are heading for Gentaro-san. you know why" Alice answered inside the kitchen. "Ah, Is that so..." He thought of how hardworking the two girls are. "Must be a real pain in the ass working up every day, huh?" Yagano said. "It's nothing when you get used to it" Alice faintly answered. "Do you want anything? Yagano-san?" She asked. "Hm..." Yagano looked up and saw that the drawings were removed. "Where was the art displayed here? How am I gonna choose?" He asked. "There's a menu just below the counter, go take one" Alice answered. "Huh..." Yagano opened up the flip-up door and looked under the counter. He saw a pile of menus, there was nothing else there but the menus. He took one and closed down the door and returned to his seat. "Hm..." He chuckled at the basic design of the cover of the menu, Spoon and Fork forming an X shape with two chicken drumsticks behind it and 'Hirashiko Diner' below it. "Still gets me to smile..." He whispered as he opened the book. "Have you made your choice yet?" Alice asked. "Hold on... Let's see..." He scanned the list of foods available, then something came up in his mind. "Hey, Alice-chan. Don't you think you should separate the foods that are recommended for certain times? Like foods for breakfast and the ones for Lunch?" He asked. "Eh..." Alice made a noise as a response. "I can see some foods here that work well for breakfasts" He continued. "Tell that to Suzu-chan, She's the one handling the menus..." Alice said.

"Uh... Well, I will just get coffee" He didn't know what to eat and just went for the coffee. "Don't waste the time and energy you just used to get that menu" Alice said. "E-Eh..." He was forced and ended up with food. Alice didn't take long on his food and got it after a few moments. "Hm..." He looked at his bowl of rice with a raw egg on it. "I didn't expect it to be raw..." Yagano looked at the menu again to read the name, it was one of the few new dishes they had. "Is it fine to eat the egg like this?" He whispered to himself. "Aren't they experiencing too much...?" He continued as he mixed everything and started to eat. "Hm..." He liked it anyway. While he was eating, Alice finished whatever she was working in the kitchen and went out to see him. "How was it?" She asked, looking at his bowl. "It's good... I don't know how to properly describe it but it's good... Though, I was worried about the raw egg" He laid his worries. "Is it fine to eat the egg like that?" He asked. "Yes. We taste our new foods before we make it into our dishes. We would be acting up if there's something wrong about eating raw eggs" Alice answered. Then She took a seat beside him and looked at him. "Say, Yagano-san. What do you feel about this war? Do you hate the people because they wanted the war?" She asked. "War, huh..." He stopped eating. "The people were driven to the edge and became out of control, that led them to think only of war. So I don't hate them" He said. "I also kind of feel them. I also wanted to bring up a war to take back our village" He continued. "But that's the most horrible solution to rely on. Sometimes we can just talk to them and make a deal" He continued further. "...But the people said that they have annihilated the whole village and killed a lot of Tsuchiyan during that time. So talking to them is out of the question. What about that?" Alice asked.

"Hah. Are you interrogating me now? Well, That's fine I guess. Sometimes I liked being asked about things" Yagano laughed. "But of course it is. It really depends" He continued. "Huh... Do you think we will win?" Alice asked. "Dunno. The reason we are finally going to war is only because of the girls' powers. Not like we have developed more dominating technology than them so I'm not sure" He answered. Alice looked at the table. "...It's like finally making a production of your newly invented crossbows with your small army and declaring war on a large country just because they don't have the same weapon" Alice whispered to herself. "Then they will just know that the large army had crossbows too, and they were the ones who invented them first..." She continues and looked at Yagano. "You're really on making weird examples, huh?" He smiled. "What's weird about it?" Alice asked. "Nevermind... But yeah, they got the powers from the enemies. And probably more powerful than what the girls' have. People didn't give a damn about it for as long as they thought having power is enough" His voice started to change. "It's really risky, thinking about it again. But like Gentaro said, we got no choice. No resolve, This Is War" He said. "Huh, That sounds familiar" Alice thought of the last words he said. "Whatever..." She shrugged it off. "I also know about that. Then how if Chi-chan and her friends die because they failed on something somewhere there in Tsuchiya? What do you think will happen?" She asked. "What else? We're screwed. They are gonna wipe us out of the earth's surface" Yagano answered. "How if we won?" Alice asked. "Then we win? We'll be able to take back Tsuchiya and... Maybe drive them off from our lands or make a peace deal with them. I'd rather make a deal with them. It will be a waste if we don't befriend them. They are weird people. claiming that they came from other worlds and they have these crazy technologies" He answered. "But why are we befriending them? If we won then that means we have killed a lot of their people. Doesn't that make them mad or something?" She asked.

"So did they killed a lot of our people. It's fair enough. We have avenged our fallen people. There's no need for further deaths" He answered. "A Fairtrade, I see..." Alice nodded. "...How if no one wons?" She asked. "Uh... Then no one wins? There can't be no winners" It became awkward. "...How if no one wons" Alice wanted his answer. "Then it will all return to this very situation, just thousands of lives wasted" He answered. "That so? Huh... Weird" Alice sighed. "How about you Alice-chan? How do you feel about the war?" Yagano asked her. "I'm scared..." Alice answered and Yagano looked at her. "You don't look scared..." He said. "You want me to look scared?" Alice looked at him to ask. "No..." Yagano laughed. He sighed and continued to finish his breakfast. Alice just watched him eat and took his empty bowl as he finished. "Thank you, that was good" Yagano thanked him as she walks to the kitchen. Then a few seconds, he heard voices from the outside then the door went open. Haruki showed up. "We're back... Oh? Good morning, Yagano-san! Perfect timing!" She grinned. "Hm?" Yagano looked at their way, Suzuka and Gentaro were also here. "Good morning" Suzuka greeted. "Morning... Gentaro?" He looked at him. "Hey, morning Yagano-san" Gentaro quickly went to sit beside him. The two girls went to the hallway. "The meeting went well and they all agreed. Everyone's preparing, Yagano-san. We're using everything we have, we're gonna throw everything we can at them. I stationed some soldiers from each village, they will come back and report once the village is prepared" He said. "I hope Chiho-san and her friends are also prepared... They will be our superior weapons" He continued. "Heh... You sounded like they are a tool or something" Yagano laughed. "Hah, I know right? But seriously, Their power is the only thing that can at least fight those guys. Our army will just be shot at from far away". They continued to talk about that until sunrise.

Eight in the morning. "So what I'm saying is..." Gentaro saw Mariko coming and stopped talking. His face suddenly became serious. "Uh..Genta..?" Yagano looked at him stands up and approach Mariko. "Oh, You're awake" Yagano saw Mariko with bed hair. "We've been waiting for you, Mariko-san" Gentaro said. "Huh? Leader-san? What are you doing here early in the morning?" Mariko looked like she snapped to reality. "Where's Chiho and everyone? We're firing up the war now, We need you to the Center" He joked. "Oh.. Hm..." Yagano chuckled and let him trick them. "R-Right now?!" Effective, Mariko panicked. "Yeah, Go and wake your friends" Gentaro pats her shoulder. "Y-Yes!" Mariko ran back upstairs. "Come on, Gentaro. When are you going to grow up? Also, that's a very bad joke" Yagano said. "That's for waking up late" Gentaro smirked. Then He sat beside him and waited for the girls to show up. After a few moments, "Here they are..." Gentaro heard their voices coming down from the stairs, Yagano sighed. The girls hurried to face Gentaro. "S-Sorry to keep you waiting!" Chiho apologized, panting. "Oh no, Katsuko too?" Yagano saw that Katsuko was also there. "It's finally time, huh?" Chiho said. "Yes..." Gentaro looked at the girls. "It's now or never guys. Eat your breakfast, because..." He closed his eyes. "Because it's getting late..." He continued, the girls got confused a bit. "...You what, I was just kidding..." He said. There was no response but after a second, Mariko grabbed his hair. "Oh?" He looked at Mariko, whos had her fist ready to strike his face. "Gr..!" "Whoops!" Gentaro avoided her punch and quickly barged out of the Inn. "Hey!" Mariko wanted to chase him but shouted instead. "He just trying to wake you all up..." Yagano smiled at them, Mariko turned to him. "Oh come on..." Mariko was glaring at him. "It's his idea. I wasn't even taking part in it" He said. Mariko grunted and took a seat beside him and slams her own face to the table.

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"You have no idea how nervous we got..." Mariko puts her arms to the table to rest her head. "Geez, That old man!" Ayumi pouted. "Seriously though, He said that the meeting went well and everyone's willing to fight. They are preparing, We will act quickly once all are good to go. So don't go oversleeping like that" Yagano sounded like he was scolding them so the girls felt sorry. "But it's not even noon yet! It's not oversleeping! You just wake up early!" Ayumi shouted. "It's a lot worse if you wake up at noon... Also in war, You can never be able to sleep like this so..." "Sleep all you want while you can" "Get used to waking up early" Yagano looked at Mariko, then sighed. "Don't blame if you get into trouble" He said. "Oh? What could possibly go wrong?" Mariko asked. "Sometimes, We will need to act at nights, where most of them are resting" Yagano answered. "Eh, Bullshit. How if they are on moving at night too?" Mariko asked. "Then we will face them..." Yagano answered. "Second, You might get all sleepy at battles" He continued. "That's another bullshit. Who the fuck don't get their blood running at critical times?" Mariko argued. "I'm talking about you sleepyheads" He answered. "Who do you think I am?! Maybe you're talking about Ayumi here!" She pointed at Ayumi. "What?!" Ayumi shouted and Yagano sighed. "Whatever, whatever. Do whatever you want today because we will get busy soon enough..." He said as he stands up. "Where are you going, father?" Chiho asked when Yagano heads for the door. "Oh, you know. I'll be staying with Gentaro again" He said before leaving.

"He did nothing but stay with Leader-san, huh? Things are really changing..." Mariko wanted to show how anxious she is. "I'd rather start the war immediately rather than waking up everyday to see everything change around you because of an incoming war" She continued. They didn't react to her and remained silent. After a few seconds of silence, Alice came in from the door. "I'm back. Oh, Suzu-chan and Haru-chan aren't here yet? Where's Gentaro-san and Yagano-san?" She asked when she saw nobody but them. "T-They are out?! Then we were the only one left here?!" Mariko quickly raised her head to look at her. "Gentaro-san and Yagano-san said that they will stay here until they come back. What happened?" Alice asked as she closed the door behind her. "Well, something urgent happened and they had to go. Luckily, we were already down here when they went out" Mariko lied. "Ah, Is that so. Thanks for looking out for the Inn" Alice thanked them and head to the kitchen. "What would you girls want for breakfast?" Alice peeked from the kitchen to ask. "Ah!" Ayumi suddenly became happy.

After having their breakfast, they planned to head out. Just outside the Inn, "Mother? Are you going with us?" Chiho asked Katsuko. "Nope. I'm going to take a stroll to the Center. I guess I will head for your father too, I don't know" She answered. "Ah, I see. Shu-san said that she wanted to visit her home, so I guess we will head out for a bit" Chiho told her their plan. "I see. Be careful out there!" Katsuko pats Chiho's head. "Yes!" Chiho responded with a bright smile. "Then, I will get going" Katsuko started to walk and waved at them. They waved back before going to their R37. Then they proceeded to the gate and went out. On the field, "You said that your country finally had a second village few weeks ago, right?" Chiho asked Shu Fang. "...Yes" She responded. "Chu-yuan is the first one to get a new settlement, huh?" Mariko was amazed by their second village. "Despite the incoming war, You Chus still managed to build another village like that... What's the name?" Mariko asked. "...Quan" "Kuwan" "Kwanu" Shu Fang told the name then Mariko and Chiho repeats the name. "...You've been to the North and still can't properly?" Shu Fang asked. "Fine. Quan" "Quanu" Mariko and Chiho tried it again. "...There's something wrong with Chiho's pronunciation..." Shu Fang complained about Chiho. "Well, I'm sorry. I'm not used to those kinds of names" Chiho felt a little bit jealous. "Hah! I can pronounce it just right!" Mariko laughed, proud of herself. "How about you Ayumi?" Mariko looked at Ayumi. "Quan" "Eeeh...? I'm the only one?" Ayumi said it just right and Chiho felt down. "Hah! You're drowning in your own culture, Chiho! Try and learn the others too!" Mariko laughed. "Eh... Fine..." Chiho sighed and just went along. After a few minutes, they saw a village a few kilometers from the Chu-yuan. "Is that the village?! Hah! It looks cute!" Mariko saw that it's not protected by walls and is very prone to attacks. "...They say that it'll act like a place for sentries or any other soldiers in mission for a resting place or something... Just, It's about the soldiers..." Shu Fang said.

"I see! So it's safe from bandits, huh? It'll be full of soldiers..." Mariko felt better hearing about it. "...Let's go to Quan..." Shu Fang said. "Right!" Chiho responded and accelerates faster. When they approached the village, Chiho looked for the entrance and headed there. "Chiho-san? Is it? What is your business here? Do you have a message for us?" Two guards were watching the entrance and one of them asked Chiho. "我们是来参-" Shu Fang talked to them in their language and Mariko quickly missed the chance of hearing her words. the guards' faces quickly changed. After a few seconds, The guards smiled at them. "Hope you enjoy your visit then, Chiho-san, everyone" The guards bowed lightly and they proceeded. Though they are already inside, It currently has five houses and there were only a few people. They can see how busy the people were by how fast they walk, and some of them are heading to a herd of cattle enclosed by wooden fences, just to their left. "...Let's walk around" Shu Fang was eager to explore the village, despite how small it is. And to their surprise, most of the people there recognized her. "...Ever since the leader went to talk with us Assassins, people immediately became friendly towards us" Shu Fang said as she noticed their reaction to the people talking to her. "Of course. Who would hate a handful of killers that are willing to side up with them?" Mariko crossed her arms. "...They don't always accept that kind of opportunity. And we thought we will be hated" Shu Fang said. "Ah. Is that so" Mariko sighed. After exploring the village a bit, talking to the people there about the village, they stopped in the middle. "...This is going to be a nice village" Shu Fang smiled as she looked around. Her smile made them feel better. "It is... The people here are very friendly, despite how busy they are. Most people I met are grumpy when they are working on something" Mariko appreciates them. "I know right?! They don't want to be bothered when they are busy!" Ayumi went along. "...I'm already satisfied. How about you guys? Do you want to go somewhere? I will still go with you" Shu Fang asked.

"'Course you will. How about we head back to Jima? My home" Mariko grinned. "Good idea!" Ayumi agrees. "Then let's go there" Chiho also agrees and they started walking, until someone calls out. "Shu Fang!" A male voice reached out for them. As they look back, they saw a familiar face. "Shun!" Shu Fang was able to reunite with her fellow assassin. "你在这里做什么?" Shu Fang asked in her language. "I'm helping the people at those groups of cattle!" But Shun responded with Tsuchiyan language. "...You're awfully cheerful unlike before" Shu Fang quickly noticed. "Yes. When you were staying in the North, I always visit the Saijun. Then when they get to know me, they ask why I always look so angry or something like that" Shun laughed. "Then they taught me how to smile like I don't know how! When they see me, they will immediately smile!" He continued. "...Hah, is that so?" Shu Fang giggled. "Yes! I even bet most of us Assassins are being changed as well! I hope you keep our old self!" Shun happily pats Shu Fang's shoulder. "...Hm..." Shu Fang giggled and nodded. "By the way, Did you come here to see the village or did you send a message or something?" Shun asked. "...Yeah, we came to visit" Shu Fang nodded. "Eeeh... Thought you will be sending a message too... The war is inevitable, huh?" Shun turned to the three. "Make sure not to get reckless with your powers, okay?" Shun sounded like a worrying parent. "You too, Shu Fang. I know you have more experience than them, but still" Shun turned to Shu Fang. "Of course. How's Jing Kang Lin?" Shu Fang asked a name the three doesn't know who. "Our assassin leader, huh... He's doing fine. He doesn't want me to work in this new village, but he knows me, so he just let me do it" Shun answered. "...The Assassins are not cooperative in this village?!" Shu Fang got surprised. "The country leader knows about it. It was no problem for him. He was already pleased enough with our growing connection with them so he just let us do whatever we want" Shun explained. "...Huh, that's so soft of him. Despite the troubles we made to them before" Shu Fang thinks of their leader. "Yes. He tried his best to understand our apologies and listened to every of our words" Shun was so happy about their leader's toleration towards them. "...Huh, not what we expected..." Shu Fang smirked. "Hah, yeah!" Shun laughed.

"War!" Then he suddenly shouted. "It's sad to know that you'll no longer be with us, Shu Fang..." He shows them his clenched fist. "You'll be fighting outside the shadows! The shades of darkness!" His sudden drama caused Shu Fang to sigh. "...We also move under the sun, Shun. Our missions are not restricted to night times only" Shu Fang gave a disappointed look. "That's not what I meant!" His insistent made her sigh again. "The-" "...Right, right" Shun was about to speak again but Shu Fang stopped him. "...Look, We have to get going" Shu Fang said before turning to Mariko. "No, no! We're not in a hurry! It's fine!" Mariko shook both her hands. "You have another place to go? Then I have to get going too" Shun walks a bit. "Then!" He waved and walked away. "See you later..." Shu Fang waved at him and turned to the three. "...Let's go" She nodded. They rode their R37 and went out of the Chu-yuan border. They are headed for the Jima.

"By the way, How's the old woman who took care of you?" Chiho asked Mariko. "Ah, yeah. Almost forgot about her... That old woman..." Mariko looked up to the sky. "We're heading there right now. Come to think of it, you never went home after we've met" Chiho got curious. "Don't you think she's been looking for you this whole time?" She asked. "Well... I kinda told her that someday I wanna visit every village, so I think she won't be looking for me like that" Mariko answered. "Oh? That's good to hear" Chiho sighed and they were silent the whole trip. After entering the Jima's borders and approaching the gates, the usual two guards are standing there. "Ah, Chiho-san, Mariko" The guard on the left called them. "Hey, Kenta!" Mariko called the guard. "Hey there" The guard smiled at her. "He's my childhood friend here!" Mariko told Chiho. "Ah, Is that so..." Chiho looked at guard, who has the name of Kenta. "Say, Kenta. Do you like me?" Mariko teased him. "...What the hell..." Shu Fang gave her a disgusted look, but Mariko didn't bother and waited for the answer. "A-Ah, well... Y-you..." Kenta stuttered. "Yes?" Mariko smiled seductively. The girls can't believe what they are seeing. "Well... I used to like you, Mariko. But I fear that you will come to hate me if I say that I liked you so I kept it a secret!" Kenta bowed. "But now I know about your feelings, What are you gonna do?" Mariko asked. "Well... I already have a girlfriend..." He answered. "Awww...." Ayumi teased Mariko. "Your lovely childhood friend was stolen by some bitches around~!" She continued. "Hey!" Both Mariko and Kenta shouted at him. The gate has already opened and was waiting for them. "My girlfriend is a very kind person! Unlike this weird Northern woman!" Kenta shouted. "Huh?! Want me to behead that girlfriend of yours?! Who are you talking about weird?!" Mariko shouted, making Kenta whimper. "Y-You have changed, have you?" Kenta shakingly said.

Mariko calms down and asked why. "We are used to shouting at each other, right? Now years have passed and you sounded like real business just now. Your Northern traits have shown" Kenta said. "Ah, is that so... Yeah..." Mariko sighed. "Also, you started to dress differently. You're looking like one of the Northern people" Kenta scanned Mariko's body. "Oh?" Mariko quickly jumped out of the R37 and approached him, everyone was surprised. "My body is better than that whore, right?" Mariko teased him and his eyes were unsteady. Being asked about her body, His eyes moved on their one to see below. "Right, right?" Mariko continued. Kenta managed to control himself and shouted. "S-Screw you, Mariko! I'm a loyal boyfriend! You'll never get me!" Though, He sounded playful. "I see... Well, someone already caught my attention, too" Mariko said. "Good for you! perhaps, Another Northern?" Kenta asked. "Nope. But He's more awesome than you are..." Mariko winked at him. "Hah, yeah right. What makes him 'awesome' then?" Kenta asked. "He came from the other world and rocking with blue hair" "Huh?!" Upon describing, They, even the other guard and the guards up the wall shouted in surprise. "M-Mariko?! A Prohorovkan?!" Kenta shouted. "Just kidding~!" Mariko flicks his nose. "Ow... Geez, Mariko. Don't joke like that" Kenta said as he rubs his nose. "Hey! Get a move on! Damn it!" The guard on the walls shouted down to them. "Y-Yes! Mariko!" Chiho responded to the guards up the wall and calls for Mariko. "Right! See you, Kenta!" Mariko waved at him before jumping back to the R37, She even kissed her hand and blows to his direction as they drive past them. "Oh, Come on..." Kenta sighed.

The gates slowly close and when it's finished, The other guard spoke to Kenta. "Damn, Kenta, my dude! She have grown up to be a fine woman! I mean, just look at those skins!" He clenched both of his fists in front of his face. "Don't you want to mess with her body?!" He asked, making Kenta sigh. "Give it a rest, man..." He said with a defeated voice. "Kenta!" He furiously pointed his finger to Kenta. "If you don't want to, then I will take her from you!" He shouted as he wipes his mouth. "Christ, dude. You're a mess... Look, You know she has Northern blood, right?" Kenta asked. "Yeah, So what?! She's hot and sexy!" His friend answered. "Hah, yeah. She looks sexy or whatever. But She has already slaughtered enough people, which doesn't make her 'sexy' and 'hot' anymore..." Kenta became serious and it creeped out his friend. "S-Slaughter?" His lustful side fades into fear. "Yeah. Remember the Bandits' corpses left out on a field somewhere within the Soma's borders? She did it" Kenta's eyes became foggy, he tried his best to scare his friend. "N-No way..." "Yes" His friends started to shake and he keeps on. "I was the person she went into before her old geezer. She was shaking and she had this look, this look of strong anxiousness of whether she can trust me or not" He continued, and his friend. *yelp*

Somewhere near the Entrance. "Why's everything is not changing?!" Mariko complains. "...That's what you're gonna say when finally returning home?" Shu Fang was disappointed. "What? You're expecting a 'Oh! It's nice to be home!' something like that? Hah, Fuck off..." Mariko looked away from her, making Shu Fang sigh. "Hey, I didn't come here to look at the village. I wanted to see my grandma again" Mariko told Chiho. "Is that so? Then lead me to her, or rather, your house" Chiho asked her for the direction. "Of course..." Mariko then leads her to her home. Few minutes later, Mariko signals her to stop. They stopped before a big yet very old house, its width showed how big it must be inside. The walls are painted with light yellow covered with dust. "..." Mariko scanned the whole building, there were parts of the roof fallen to the grounds. Then she looked at the door leading inside. "Fucking hell... Looks like she left this place long time ago" Mariko said. "I-Is that so? How if she's still there?..." Chiho became worried. "Nah. There's no way she'll be still living in this rotting house. She's an old woman, but she's not those kinds of old people who are willing to die together with their beloved house or something like that. She'll try her best to fill her life with as much as happiness before she dies of her age" Mariko answered. "Then, where do you think she has gone into?" Chiho asked. "There's a place where you can ask to make clothes for you in exchange for a few amounts of silvers. We used to go there a lot, so we are more than an acquaintance to the owner. Let's go there" Mariko leads them to a small building with a sign 'Gumo Dress Sewing' above the door. They can see how the sign had got into many attempts to repair. "Let me go inside for a sec..." As Mariko walks towards the door, it opened and a young girl appeared before her. "A-Ah... You are?" They both stared at each other. "M...Mariko!" The girl suddenly became happy and hugged Mariko. "Hey! Naomi-chan!" Mariko happily remembered the young girl's name. "...Wow, I didn't think her life was this way" Shu Fang said to Chiho. "W-What were you thinking?" Chiho awkwardly smiled. They both noticed Naomi's long brown hair showing a bit from Mariko

"It's been a long time! You grow up so quick!" Mariko pinched Naomi's cheeks. "Hehehe... Mariko, you know what? I'm helping my mother to make more dress!" Naomi happily tells her. "Oh?! Is that so? Your mother is very lucky to have a daughter like you!" Mariko compliments her, making her giggle. "Then! Where's your mother?" Mariko looked inside. "She's with your grandma on the Capital" Naomi answered. "G-Grandma's still alive?!" Mariko got surprised, confusing Naomi. "W-What were you thinking?" Chiho awkwardly smiled at Mariko. "W-Well... Nevermind, I was just kidding. To the Capital, is it? Thanks, Naomi!" Mariko quickly ran back to the R37. "Are you going there too? Can I go with you?!" Naomi asked. "Y-Yeah! Sit with Ayumi here" Mariko let her go with them. Ayumi looked up to Mariko before to Naomi. She happily hops in beside Ayumi, their small figures made them fit just fine. "Hehehe..." Naomi giggled at Ayumi. "..." Ayumi remembered that she used to be like her. "Then, We're going" Chiho accelerates away.

On their way to the Center. "Hey, Naomi. What are you going to do at the Capital?" Mariko asked. "Nothing! I just want to be with you!" Naomi happily answered. "Y-You're awfully energetic, huh?" Ayumi got a little bit annoyed. "As if you've never been like her, Ayumi" Chiho glanced at her. "I might have been like that, but I don't make my voice so goddamn high pitched" Ayumi crossed her arms, Naomi still haven't noticed anything yet. "H-High pitch? I heard worse with minstrels" Mariko laughed. "Hmph..." Ayumi looked away but accidentally faced Naomi. "What's your name?" Naomi asked with a big smile. "H-Haven't you heard? I'm Ayumi..." Ayumi got even more annoyed. "Ayumi...?" Naomi was waiting for her last name. "Geez! It's Ayumi Kirisaki!" Ayumi just looked at the floor of the sidecar. "Hah, See? You're starting to know about the kids I keep differentiating you from" Mariko laughed. "Also, I'm not sure why you're bothered with her. You're either really irritated or just jealous and something like that" Mariko looked at her. "That's not it!" Ayumi lowered her head. "Not what?" "Hey, Hey! There's a stand in the Capital where you use bows to hit the bad guys and you will be rewarded based on how many you have shot!" Naomi shook Ayumi. Ayumi just stares at her blue eyes. Her excited look changed her a bit. "Fine..." Ayumi sighed. "Yay!" Naomi raised both of her hands above her and rests her head on Ayumi's shoulder. "Hehehe..." She happily giggled. "Come on, Ayumi. You can't be always like that, let your inner self take control!" Mariko laughed. "But this IS my 'inner' self..." Ayumi looked at Naomi.

A few moments later, they arrived at the Center. "Our Cap...Center is pretty small, right?" Mariko said as they looked around. "It's not bad" Chiho said. "Come on, I know you feel suffocated right now" Mariko hits Chiho's back. "I told you, it's not bad" Chiho rubbed her back. "So, Naomi, You wanna go to the shooting range with Ayumi right now?" Mariko asked, Naomi quickly raised her head. "Yes! Yes!" Then she quickly turned to her right and pointed her finger. "It's there!" She excitedly shakes her hand. "Alright, We'll go there" Chiho drives to the direction she was pointing. Upon reaching the place, they stopped before an obvious house converted into a business place. There's a counter with five small bows and three arrows in each bows on it. The man standing inside noticed them. "Let's go, Ayumi!" Naomi grabs her by her wrist and she let herself get dragged to the counter. "Oh? If it isn't Naomi-chan! You've met Chiho, I see!" The man smiled at her. "Chiho?" Naomi gave him a curious look. "Chiho Hasegawa, Daughter of the Hero!" The man proudly introduced Chiho to her. "Oooh!" Naomi turned back to Chiho. "Awesome! Mariko is friends with someone popular!" Naomi was so amazed. "Mariko?" The man looked at Mariko. "Heh... Hey there, mister" Mariko smiled at him. "Oh, you look so different now! What happened to that loving big sister of little Naomi here I used to know?" The man laughed. "...Wait, This is your little sister?" Shu Fang asked. "Nope. Like Ayumi and Chiho, We were both close and people started to see us as siblings" Mariko answered. "...I see" Shu Fang looked back to Naomi. "Then! Since everything was a surprise, you can shoot five arrows for free!" The man happily told the two. "Yay! You hear that, Ayumi?!" Naomi became excited. Ayumi stares at her blue eyes. She was bothered about the way she calls her like they are about the same age. "Hmm..?" Naomi smiled as she gets curious. "Nothing! Let's go!" Ayumi quickly picked up a bow. "Hehe...!" Naomi happily picked up a bow. "Here's your two arrows..." The man gave the two their two arrows.

"Then, Mister! I'll leave these two while we look for my grandma!" Mariko waved at the man. "Right!" The man waved back. "H-Hey! You're going to leave me here?!" Ayumi shouted. "Just stay with Naomi! We'll be back!" Mariko smiled at her. "Then, have fun with Naomi-chan!" Chiho waved drove away. "See you!" Naomi waves at them and turned to Ayumi with a smile. "Oh... Can't be helped it" Ayumi sighed and brings back the smile.

Somewhere near the edge of the Center before exiting the area. "See? It's small yet it's hard to find someone" Chiho made a long sigh. "Since we're here, is there any person here who sells fuel? I'm noticing that it's becoming hard to control" She asked. "I never heard such thing being sold here" Mariko shrugged. "Damn it... What do we do when we ran out on our way home?" Chiho sighed. "Just like we do in the North, Let's push it!" "Aaah...." Mariko grinned and Chiho whined. While exploring the Center, Mariko managed to catch a glimpse of an old woman. "Wait!" Mariko taps Chiho's back and they stopped. "That's her!" Mariko pointed to a slow walking old woman wearing an old purple kimono with flower patterns. "That's her?" Chiho turns back the R37 and drove closer to the old woman. "Grandma!" Mariko quickly jumped out of the R37 and hugged the old woman. "Ah... That voice..." She got surprised and stared at Chiho. "Mariko?" Her voice sounded like she's about to cry. "Yes, It's me!" Confirming that it's her, She proceeded to tears. "Oh, I miss you..." She slowly wrapped her arms around her. "Ya grow up so fast! Look at you!" Her 'grandmother' taps her back. Chiho and Shu Fang just happily watch their reunion. Mariko sniffs and pulls herself away to wipe her eyes. "How's everything, Mariko? How is your life outside?" She asked. "Everything's great but..." Mariko's smile suddenly fades. "I heard that war is coming. I kept hearing your name along with Chiho. And it sounded like you're going to fight alongside with her?" She asked. "Yes! Actually, She's right there!" Mariko pointed at Chiho and her grandmother looks. "Ah, Yes. It's the Daughter of the Hero!" She smiled at Chiho. "Good day! I'm Chiho Hasegawa" Chiho lightly bowed. "Right, Everyone knows 'bout you, Chiho" Her eyes turned to Shu Fang. "Looks like ya made some more friends" She said. "...Good day, Shu Fang Chen of the Chu-yuan Assassins" Shu Fang also bowed. "Oh! An Assassin! I used to fear ya when I was a brat!" She laughed. "I wish ya great luck on your battles!" She continued

"So, What did you come back here for?" She asked. "Damn it, Grandma, don't be like that! I came home to see how you're doin'!" Mariko rests her hand on her grandmother's shoulder. "Oh, ya shouldn't waste your time like that! I already know how much ya care for me, I understand" She pats Mariko's stomach. "What did I told you about wearing nothin'?" She looked up at Mariko. "A-Ah... 'bout that..." Mariko blushed and scratched her head. "Ya really can't wear a proper dress, huh? Northerns really had it even if they grow up here at South..." She laughed. "Oh!" Then she suddenly remembers something. "You see, Mariko. This old age ain't bringin' me down, I'm still helping out people in this village" She said. "Hah! That's my grandma!" Mariko hits her shoulder hard. "Ow...Ow..." She laughed even if it hurts. "Then I better go now, You kids do your things now!" Then she started walking. "W-Wait! You can ride with us!" Mariko tried to get her into their R37. "Nah, Ya get going. I want to keep walking, ridin' a transport will make me weak" She patted her hip. "Geez. Take care then..." Mariko hops to the R37. "Whoa... We're going already?" Chiho asked. "Yeah, she didn't quite welcome me because she thought I'm wasting my time... Haah, that's so like her. Will never change" Mariko sighed. "Hah... Alright..." Chiho turns back their R37. Mariko waved back to her grandmother as they drove past her.

On the way back to the kids. "...I noticed something" Shu Fang spoke, making their attention drags to her. "...Sometimes there are some words I didn't understand from both of you, but thinking about it. It's like, you've changed some of the words. The first thing I noticed was..." Shu Fang gave an example. "あたりまいだ(Atarimaida (Of course)) With that word, You would change the 'Da' with 'Ya'" She said. "Yeah, I noticed it too" Chiho agreed. "Yeah, we have our own way of talkin' here" Mariko spoke with her dialect and they quickly noticed. "...There you go again" Shu Fang stared at Mariko. "But I'll make sure not to use 'em around ya..." Mariko winked at Shu Fang. When they're closed to where they left off the two, Chiho quickly stopped the R37. "What's up?" Mariko looked at Chiho. "Look at them!" Chiho pointed front. They saw the two sitting on a stair. Ayumi was happily listening to Naomi's chatter. "They look so cuuute!" Chiho can't hold herself and shouted. "Sure is! They look cute together!" Mariko laughed. "I could watch them all day! Let's go!" Chiho quickly drove to them. The two heard their engine and looked. "They're back!" Naomi quickly stood up. "R-Right!" Ayumi also stood up. "You two looked so cute from a distance!" Chiho touched her own cheeks. "W-What are you talking about?!" Ayumi blushed. "Hehehe... We had fun! Right, Ayumi?!" Naomi turned to Ayumi. "Y-Yeah..." She continued to blush. "Ayumi can't be this fucking cute!" Mariko also teased her. "Geez!" Ayumi shyly hides her face. After that, They send Naomi back home. On their way out, they get to face the Saijun soldiers that were stationed there. The Jima is ready for action and the soldiers were about to go home with their carriage, so they went with them back to the Saiju. And they wasted the right of the day to the Inn, talking about their journey.