Mei
The line of survivors snaked down the block, a river of weary faces flowing slowly toward her. Mei stood at the distribution table, working with other workers to pass out ration packs and water.
It had been uneventful so far, aside from some arguments among civilians, everything went smoothly.
A Mother and her daughter walked up to her, and she quickly gave them their share of supplies. The child enthusiastically grabbed them and smiled brightly. She gave the two a wave as they walked off.
From her post, she could see the rest of her team in action, each doing their assigned tasks with maximum effort.
Kenji was running around all over, a one-man showing of strength, hoisting massive crates that should have required a forklift. While it may be true that she could also do that easily, Kenji has this… she could say… naturalness to him.
'Perks of being a former delivery worker. Compared to everyone else on the Team, Kenji probably has the most soft skills.'
His concentration was a stark contrast to Kiana. She was in the thick of the civilian crowd, her bright laugh occasionally cutting through the somber air as she attempted to wrangle a group of kids into a game.
And Bronya was nowhere to be found.
Mei quietly sighed. While her job was the "easiest", she wouldn't mind doing something more active. Staying in the same spot for so long is a different kind of exhaustion, she would much rather have Kenji's task.
'Now I sound like Kiana…'
But that wasn't the only reason she didn't like her assignment.
She forced her smile to remain in place, though it felt brittle. With every person she served, there were always a few who stared at her a little too long, the whispers she pretended not to hear. Raiden Mei. In a city that had once adored her, the name now felt like a brand, marking her as the daughter of a pariah.
"Next," she called, trying to get her focus back on the present.
A man shuffled forward. His staring daggers into Mei's soul. She nearly flinched at the sheer resentment in his gaze, but successfully hid any evidence of discomfort she could have shown. When Mei held out a pack, he didn't move to take it. Instead, his eyes narrowed on her.
"I know who you are," he hissed, the words low and venomous, coiling around her like smoke.
The low murmur of the line died. Heads turned, and suddenly dozens of eyes settled on her. A familiar, cold dread began to crawl up her spine as her heart started to hammer against her ribs.
"You're Raiden Ryoma's daughter," the man spat, his voice rising, shaking with a rage that had clearly been simmering for a long time.
"Your father! He's the one who destroyed this place long before the eruption! My shop... everything I built... gone! All because of his damn greed!" He jabbed a finger in her direction, his whole body trembling. "And now you show up, handing out charity like you're some kind of hero? You've got some nerve."
The air hitched in her throat. The world around her seemed to warp and slow, the faces in the crowd blurring into a hazy, judgmental sea. The ration pack, suddenly weightless, slipped from her numb fingers and thudded onto the table. She opened her mouth, a defense, an apology, anything—but the words wouldn't form. The name. Her name. It was a cage, and she was frozen inside it.
"I—I didn't—Why?"
Just as the man's face twisted to spit another verbal stone, a sharp, resounding CRACK tore through the air.
Mei flinched, immediately snapping out of her frozen state. A woman had stormed out of the line and slapped the man clean across the face. The impact left a bright red handprint blooming on his cheek, shocking the entire crowd, including Mei, into a stunned silence.
The woman stood there, her chest heaving. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" she hissed, her voice trembling with fury. She jabbed a finger at the man's chest."This girl is out here handing us food while we're all starving, and you're going to stand there and yell at her? Who cares who her dad is! She's helping us now. How could you just— the sheer audacity— Agh! Just take your food and get out of her face."
The man stared, his hand pressed to his stinging cheek, his earlier rage completely deflated by the woman's sudden intervention. He shot a glance at Mei's frozen face, then at the other survivors who were now glaring at him.
Humiliation finally washed over him, and without another word, he snatched the ration pack and practically fled, melting back into the crowd.
The line moved like it did before the man created a fuss. Mei tried to get back into rhythm, but it was clear that the interaction shook her. Seeing her discomfort, the other workers decided to let Mei take a break for now. She tried to convince them otherwise, but they didn't budge.
Now, she sat in one of the break tents alone. She took a big gulp from the water bottle at her side and finished it with a large inhale.
Resting on her chair, she lamented how comfortable she had gotten with life. Ever since she went to St Freya, everything surrounding her dad had almost become a distant memory.
Being with Kiana, Bronya, and even Kenji had allowed her to lose herself in the simple joys friendship could bring.
'Even if it's just for a short while,' she thought, while putting her hand over her chest, above her heart, where a literal bomb lay dormant.
Suddenly, the tent flap rustled softly, and Mei looked up, expecting another worker. Only to be surprised to see that it was the woman.
She held a small tray with a steaming rice ball and a cup of warm tea. "I thought you would need a little something after what happened." She walked over and set the tray down on the small table beside Mei.
Mei politely shook her head. "Thank you, but I'm not hungry."
The woman didn't argue. She simply pushed the tray a little closer. "Here," she said, her tone leaving no room for refusal. "Eat. You can't help anyone if you don't take care of yourself first. It will help get your mind off things."
Mei stared at the food, then at the woman, who gave her a gentle smile in return. Eventually, she relented and took a bite of the rice ball.
"Thank you…"
"Think nothing of it."
Satisfied, the woman took a chair and sat next to Mei. She took out her own rice ball and began munching on it. The two sat in comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other's presence.
/ — /
Kenji
"Alright, that's another one done," Kenji said as he finished carrying another stack of crates. It had started off a little tricky, trying to find just the right amount of strength to use so he didn't accidentally destroy any of the items. But he got the hang of it quickly.
Making his way back to the convoy, he was about to get another batch of crates when Ms. Anzai's tired voice cut through the noise. "Aoyama-kun."
He turned, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow with the back of his glove. The supply coordinator looked just as weary as she had that morning.
"Got a special run for you. There's a family holed up a few blocks that way." Bringing out a tablet, showing a map of the area with a line moving through the streets.
"One of them's injured, and they've got an elderly parent with them. They can't make it to the line. They need this." She gestured to a large, sealed crate labeled "Field Medical Unit & Power Pack."
He nodded, "Got it," he said, effortlessly hoisting the crate onto his shoulder. "I'll be right back."
The walk took him away from the organization of the main square and into the quieter parts of the district once again. Since he was more comfortable with carrying the crates, he can now run comfortably without worry.
He navigated the maze of ruined streets. Nearly got lost a couple of times, too. Eventually, he finally found the address—the ground floor of a heavily damaged but still-standing apartment building.
The windows were boarded up with salvaged wood, but a faint light flickered from within. Kenji set the crate down with a quiet thud and knocked gently on the door.
It creaked open a moment later, revealing a man with tired eyes and a face etched with worry. When he saw Kenji, his expression instantly flooded with relief.
"You're here. Please, come in."
Kenji eased the crate through the doorway, his eyes adjusting to the dim interior. A woman sat on a worn mattress in the corner, her leg propped up and wrapped in bandages. Beside her, a little girl with curious eyes peeked out from behind her mother's arm, clutching a plushie.
"We thought it would be a while before anyone would get here." The mother said, "Oh, right, my name is Maria, and you've already met my husband, Kirito." She then gestured to the child snuggling up beside her. "This is my daughter, Maki."
The child looked at Kenji, who, in return, gave her a little wave.
'Maria and Kirito? Ah, she must be from overseas.' Noticing his look, she chuckled, "My husband is originally from Nagazora, while I came from America."
Kenji's cheeks reddened when he realized he was caught, "Sorry, it was just a little surprising." He looked at Kirito again, and the man simply smiled, taking no offence.
'Now that I think about it, I haven't really seen any people from other countries at all… I thought tourism would have been a big thing here too.' He thought, only to remember that Rita was also from overseas.
'I'm probably not looking hard enough.'
"Here let me get that crate open for you," Kirito nodded, and Kenji carefully unlocked the latches keeping the crate sealed, revealing the supplies the family needed in perfect condition. Seeing the items, Kirito couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
"As you can see, all the supplies are here in perfect condition. Are you expecting any other crates? I could go get them for you if there is."
Kirito shook his head. "No, we are only three people after all. This is more than enough for us." He ran a hand through his hair, his gaze drifting towards his wife and daughter. "It's a miracle any of us made it through that day. We were lucky... mostly."
Kenji felt a pang of sympathy. "That day was... terrible," he offered, the word feeling small and inadequate, but he didn't know what else to say.
Maria's gaze softened as she looked at her daughter, Maki, who was now quietly playing with the worn plushie. "We lost our son, Hiro… We were at the mall, thought it would be safer inside. When the first explosion hit... chaos." She took a shaky breath, pulling Maki a little closer. "We found Maki eventually, but... Hiro..."
"I'm so sorry,"
Kirito continued as he stared at a fixed point on the floor. "He loved that big toy store on the second floor. Always dragging us there." He swallowed hard. "They found him near there..."
Mall. Second floor. Toy store.
The words slammed into Kenji. The air froze in his lungs. His blood ran cold, a sudden iciness shooting through his veins. The world tilted, Maria and Kirito's faces blurring into indistinct shapes.
'Back at the eruption…'
_____
The terrified face of the little boy, no older than six. His own voice, trying to be reassuring "Stay here for now. Once the Honkai Beasts around here are gone, you run to the shelters."
_____
'Was it him?' The question clawed at his insides. 'Was it the same boy? He looked about the right age... Was he near a toy store... Did I...?'
But there was no way to know for sure, and asking the family about what their deceased member looked like was definitely inappropriate.
There were many people that he failed to save during the eruption, but this family's story… it just hit a little close to home.
He must have flinched, or maybe his face had gone stark white, because Maria suddenly looked at him with concern. "Are you alright, dear? You look pale."
Kenji couldn't meet her eyes. He stood abruptly, his knee accidentally knocking against the metal crate with a dull clang. The sudden movement startled Maki, who hid behind her mother again. "I… Y-yeah, I'm fine," he stammered.
"It's been nice talking to you all… But I need to get back to other… stuff. Take and stay safe ok?" The parents were surprised and slightly confused, but understood that he had important things to do and bid him farewell.
He turned, stumbling slightly as he navigated the cluttered space, his hand brushing against the doorframe as he practically fled the apartment.
The cool air of the ruined street hit him, but it did nothing to quell the firestorm raging inside. The warmth he'd felt moments ago, the sense of purpose—it had all evaporated, replaced by an icy, crushing emptiness.
Finally, out of sight from the apartment, his legs gave out. He leaned heavily against the crumbling brick wall of a gutted storefront.
He exhaled loudly, hand clutching his head as memories of the eruption played through his mind. The crushed buildings, the hordes of honkai beasts, the people. Anger swelled inside him.
"Dammit!" he yelled, as his hand instinctively punched the wall beside him, the impact leaving a gaping hole.
Taking a moment to calm down, he stood back up and started to walk back to the convoys. Though the anger still swirled within.
He was going to get stronger. Strong enough so that no one would get left behind ever again.
/ — /
Bronya
Bronya moved through the skeletal remains of the city district, her steps precise and silent amidst the rubble. Her assigned task, she needed to set up a long-range communications relay, which required a location with minimal interference, leading her away from the bustling distribution center to the quiet decay of an abandoned municipal library.
Dust motes danced in the slivers of light piercing the boarded-up windows, illuminating rows of overturned shelves and scattered books. The silence here was thick, broken only by the faint crunch of debris under her boots.
She was supposed to set the relay right now, but there was something else she needed to attend to.
A faint scuff of a boot against concrete. Bronya didn't flinch, she had expected their arrival.
A figure emerged silently from the gloom, their face obscured by the low light and the collar of his uniform..
"Report," the agent said, his voice flat, devoid of inflection.
"Subject Kenji Aoyama's power output is increasing. Observed energy absorption capabilities confirmed during controlled testing. Control over higher percentages remains inconsistent but shows rapid improvement. His growth could be considered exponential."
The agent gave a nod, seemingly processing the information like a detached machine. He reached into his coat and produced a small metallic disc, no larger than a coin.
"This is your new objective," the agent stated, holding the device out to her. "This is a subdermal energy monitor and tracker, keyed specifically to Aoyama's unique signature. Your task is to attach it to his gear or person without his knowledge. Director Cocolia requires continuous real-time data."
Bronya stared at the disc, her hand hovering for a fraction of a second before she took it. The metal felt cold, and unnervingly heavy against her palm. Her fingers closed around it, the edges pressing into her skin.
"Understood," she replied, her voice as monotone as ever. But inside, something tightened, a knot of conflict she couldn't ignore. She thought briefly of Kenji's unrelenting support, Mei's overwhelming kindness, Kiana's infuriating but genuine loyalty.
The agent offered a clipped nod. "Director Cocolia expects results. Do not fail."
Without another word, he melted back into the shadows, disappearing as silently as he had arrived.
Bronya stood alone in the library, the silence pressing in on her once more. She slowly opened her hand, staring down at the metallic disc resting in her palm. It felt heavier now, like a stone was dragging her down. Her usually steady hand trembled, just slightly, a betrayal of the turmoil churning beneath her stoic surface.
'For Seele.' The thought was a familiar anchor, a justification she clung to. 'It's all for Seele.'
But the justification felt… less convincing. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, the image of her friends' faces flashing in her mind. When she opened them again, her expression was once more a carefully constructed mask of neutrality.
She had a job to do.