Episode 3: "Impossible Reunion"

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"Hmm hmm hmm! ♪ Ahh, I feel great! ♪"

Yo Kuronaka
"Tsu...ki?"

Yo was completely flabbergasted.
The blonde girl humming a tune before him was undeniably Tsuki Iroha.

Tsuki Iroha
"Oh, Yo! You're finally awake!
Good to see you up and about again! I was getting kinda worried, since you didn't even budge, no matter how many times I tried to wake you."

Tsuki was quick to joyously approach Yo as soon as he was in her line of sight.
Yo, on the other hand, found himself frozen in place by a reunion he didn't think possible.
She'd been killed right before his eyes. For her to be standing before him just couldn't be possible.

Tsuki Iroha
"Whoa, you're totally pale. Still feeling sick?"

Tsuki's expression contorted to one of concern in response to Yo's reaction.

Yo Kuronaka
"No, it's just that..."

His eyes narrowed, gaze focused on Tsuki's face.

Blonde hair, adorned with pink ribbons...
Slender, but toned...
And expressive features that seemed ever-changing...

There was no denying that the girl standing before him looked just like the Tsuki he'd known, the very one who died that day.
Not a single feature seemed to be out of place.

Could it really be her?
Even if it really was her... Yo didn't want to believe that he'd gained some sort of supernatural ability to see ghosts, like something out of occult fiction.

Still, nothing would be resolved by keeping quiet.
It took a moment for him to muster the courage, but as he looked into her eyes, he spoke.

Yo Kuronaka
"Are you... really Tsuki? You're not some kind of ghost or doppelganger, right?"

The question escaped his lips timidly as he realized he was asking something of a strange question.

Tsuki Iroha
"Wow, rude! You really think I went and died too, Yo? I'm the real deal! The one and only Tsuki Iroha!
Hyakuichitaro and the others were treating me like some kind of ghost, too... That joke sucks, you know!"

Yo Kuronaka
"But... Didn't you get shot and killed by one of Zero's lasers back there?"

Tsuki Iroha
"Hmm... Honestly, I don't really get it, either.
But I'm alive, so it's fine, right? No need to overthink it!"

Tsuki grinned brightly as she spoke.
Her demeanor remaining this way despite the weight of the topic at hand caused Yo to consider that maybe it was silly to read too deeply into it.

It must have been some kind of trick, an illusion created by Zero.
After all, he'd seen the laser pierce her skull, yet there she was, standing before him without any sign of injury.

Yo Kuronaka
"I have no idea what's going on either, but I'm glad you're alive.
I really thought you were dead, so I'm just... happy to see you again."

A wave of relief washed over Yo.

Yo Kuronaka
"Oh, hey. What about Sui?
If you're okay, then he must be too, right?"

Tsuki was alive, so theoretically, the same should have been true for Sui as well.
Anxiety and anticipation lined his tone in equal measure as he asked.

Tsuki Iroha
"Well, obviously! Haven't run into him yet, but I'm sure he's fine.
I mean, Sui was fine when he got run over by that truck. And the time he fell out of that building too, so...
He even got through being attacked by a school of piranhas!"

Tsuki's grin widened as she recounted stories from the past as a way of answering Yo's question.

Yo Kuronaka
"Are we really talking about a human here? Not some kind of robot or something?"

Yo couldn't help the arch of his brow as she recalled such strange stories.
What sort of circumstances would have even led to being attacked by a school of piranhas?

Tsuki Iroha
"Annnnyway, it's all good! Sui's definitely okay!
You just have to trust me, as your childhood friend! If I say he's fine, then he's absolutely, positively, 100% fine!"

The desperation in Tsuki's reaction gave Yo a bit of a start.
After all, unlike Tsuki, nobody had been able to confirm that Sui was alive.

A laser had pierced right through his body.
Every detail, down to the color of the blood that had gushed from the open wounds had been clearly etched into Yo's memories.
Logically, it wouldn't make any sense for him to have survived. Somehow, it felt more rational to assume a miracle had saved Tsuki.

Regardless, Tsuki chose to believe that Sui was alive.
Even though the odds of that were astronomically low, Yo had no intention of tossing that hope aside.

Suddenly, the images from 24 City came flooding back into his mind.
Back then, Tsuki had been so serious about rescuing Yo and helping to recover his lost memories.
Her endlessly bright smile had been what saved him from a descent into despair.

Tsuki's strong belief in them was, after all, the reason why he'd been able to trust his childhood friends despite not having any memories of her or Sui.

(That's why I'll believe, too. In the same things Tsuki also believes and hopes.)

Yo Kuronaka
"Yeah, you said it. Sui's definitely alive.
I bet he's out there looking for us right now."

Tsuki Iroha
"Yuppers! You totally get it!
But his sense of direction sucks, so we gotta go find him!"

Yo Kuronaka
"Haha. Directionally challenged, huh? I guess it's gonna take a while to track him down, then."

Almost as if thrilled that someone else believed Sui was still alive, Tsuki responded with a gleeful hop.
As his anxiety finally began to melt away, they were interrupted by an electronic beeping sound.

Yo Kuronaka
"Huh? What was that sound? Is it... coming from me?"

Tsuki Iroha
"Come on, are you still half-asleep or something?
That was a NINE notification! Take out your phone and check your messages!"

Tsuki offered him a look of exasperation; that's when Yo realized he was carrying a smartphone.
The same notification alert came from Tsuki's phone. After a moment, they both hurriedly pulled their phones and opened the NINE app.

NINE (System Message)
"Kazuki Aoyama added Yo Kuronaka to the 'Trash Tribe' group."

NINE (System Message)
"Kazuki Aoyama added Tsuki Iroha to the 'Trash Tribe' group."

NINE (System Message)
"Kazuki Aoyama added Sui Yakumo to the 'Trash Tribe' group."

NINE (System Message)
"ERROR. Sui Yakumo could not be added. Please try again later."

A string of system messages appeared in the app.

Yo Kuronaka
"What's this? Trash Tribe... group?"

That was what Yo intended to ask Kazuki over NINE.
However, since he hadn't used a phone in quite a while, he accidentally sent one of the default bear stickers instead.
He attempted to delete it, but Kazuki responded too quickly.

NINE (Kazuki Aoyama)
"Our sleeping beauty awakens! How are you feeling?"

NINE (Yo Kuronaka)
"Kazuki... Can you quit it with the weird nicknames? It's embarrassing..."

NINE (Kazuki Aoyama)
"Aw, but it works SO well! There's nobody else who fits that description quite like you."

Something similar had happened when they first met in 24 City.
Kazuki had teased Yo, calling him a "li'l hero".

Given that they were around the same age, Yo didn't appreciate being teased in that manner.

Kazuki continued to type another message, but was interrupted by Q, who had sent a sticker of a penguin saying, "Cut it out."
After that, Kazuki suddenly stopped typing. Had Q not interjected, it was likely that Kazuki's teasing would have continued. Yo's lips quirked upward into a wry smile.

NINE (Tsuki Iroha)
"I've never heard that name before. What city does this Tribe belong to?"

Unbothered by the conversation happening in the chat, Tsuki changed the subject by asking about the thing that had caught her attention.

NINE (Kazuki Aoyama)
"Huh? I thought I explained that before we left for 24 City... Well, whatever."

NINE (Kazuki Aoyama)
"Trash Tribe doesn't have any ties to a particular city. It's functionally just a team that exists to rebel against Zero.
We'd like the two of you to join. What do you say?"

Just seconds after Kazuki's message appeared in the chat, it was followed by pleading stickers sent by Miu, Koishi and Tsuruko.
Yo had been made aware of the fact that Kazuki and the others had been working as a team in 24 City, but he hadn't realized they had a name.

Trash Tribe had rescued him and his friends multiple times in 24 City.
Had it not been for them, Yo was sure he'd still be locked up, racking up training as the "hero".

Filled with a sense of obligation for all they'd done for him, he began to type up his acceptance message. Before he could send it...

NINE (Tsuki Iroha)
"Yes, yes! Yo, Sui and me are all in! Count all three of us in!"

Tsuki's message came up in the chat first.
Yo reflexively looked away from the screen after reading the message, side-eyeing Tsuki.

Yo Kuronaka
"I'm all for joining up with them, but is it really okay to decide for Sui, too?"

Tsuki Iroha
"Yeah, duh! There's no reason Sui would be against it!"

Given her confidence, Yo could imagine Sui responding just as enthusiastically as Tsuki had.

Yo Kuronaka
"Fair enough."

Since Tsuki had answered on his behalf, the screen was being filled with messages from the others. It seemed they were concerned over whether or not he was okay with the decision.
Figuring it would be better to clarify for himself, he quickly sent them a simple response of his own.

NINE (Yo Kuronaka)
"Glad to be part of the team."

NINE (Kazuki Aoyama)
"Likewise. Having more members on the team is reassuring."

A wave of messages and stickers welcoming Yo and Tsuki soon flooded the chat.
It wasn't long before Yo remembered something important he needed to get clarification about.

NINE (Yo Kuronaka)
"That reminds me... How did the XB game against Zero end?"

His message instantly took the wind out of everyone's sticker-sending sails.

NINE (Kazuki Aoyama)
"Oh, I forgot to mention that part, didn't I? My apologies.
Simply put: we lost. It was a pretty close call, though."

He had figured as much, given the wording of their invitation and what followed, but it still felt like a shock to the system to hear that they'd lost.
Yo scrunched his nose in frustration, but when he considered the fact that everyone was safe... Well, that was enough for the time being.

NINE (Kazuki Aoyama)
"I can give you a detailed rundown in person. Sound good?
I have something to ask Tsuki as well, so let's meet down at the first floor lounge. I'll head over there now."

NINE (Yo Kuronaka)
"Got it."

With a quick confirmation that the conversation was over, Yo shoved his phone back into his pocket.

He wanted to meet with Kazuki to discuss everything in detail as soon as possible.
Yo asked Tsuki if she could lead the way to the lounge, and she was quick to lead the way.