She awoke in an unfamiliar infirmary, Marisa wrapping Boudoir-bandages around her new fingers. Matoi, Daishi, and Samuel were standing over her.

"(Ask her what happened.)" muttered Daishi -

"( - she just woke up.)" said Matoi. "Mia - are you alright?"

She clenched her eyes, feeling new Boudoir-given sight. "… I-I - d-don't know."

An elderly woman walked over to her. "(Does she need anything?)"

"(Boudoir is our medic.)" said Matoi. "(I'll - let you know, otherwise.)"

"(Attend to Junpei.)" said Daishi, and the woman walked to a bed on the other end. "(Ask her to relay what occurred - and translate for me.)"

"Um - do you need anything, Mia-Mia?" whispered Marisa, the others speaking behind her. Mia stifled her sob in front of the others.

"… I-It - h-happened again. A-Again."

Daishi started. "(Rain-On-A-Wedding, I need -)"

"( - she was nearly dead when Junpei found her.)" said Matoi. "(She's a member of my squadron - and she will talk when she is ready to talk.)"

Mia's eyes opened to see Daishi and Matoi staring down each other. She saw Junpei on the bed at the opposite wall, suit charred, face singed but starting to heal.

"(Daishi. I - apologize for asking.)" said Junpei. "(This - noise - I have quite a bad headache. If you would allow it - I can relay to you what I saw, to help give Mia time to recover.)"

Daishi turned to him. "(Are you well enough to speak?)"

"(Yes.)"

He nodded as he walked over to Junpei, and the elderly woman left. "(Then - I will allow Swarm time to recover. Relay to me what occurred.)"

The two began in Japanese as Mia sat up. Matoi, Marisa and Samuel pulled up beside her.

"He told me to ask you what occurred." muttered Matoi. "I told him you needed more time."

"… r-right." winced Mia. "I - I know there was - a - a lot of property damage."

Samuel and Marisa's expressions blanked. Matoi stayed stoic. "What happened?"

"I - I lost control of W-Worldwide - again." mumbled Mia. "A-Again."

"I thought, um…" mumbled Marisa. "We - thought that was the guy you fought."

"M-My own - s-scarabs started a-attacking me and my elemental resistance a-and -" - her eyes moistened as her face clenched, not wishing to make a scene.

"Pretty - pretty bad." said Samuel. "Safe back here, though."

"…correct." murmured Matoi.

"You've got us to talk to, Mia-Mia. Right?" said Marisa, in the familiar position again.

Mia-Mia nodded. "… s-sorry. S-Simply - v-very stressful."

"Putting it lightly." nodded Samuel. "Can't imagine what that's like."

"It's because of - um, the… that chemical, right? That Dreadnought didn't give you?" said Marisa.

"Y-Yes."

Daishi got up at the other end of the room and walked to Matoi. She glanced back, and the two spoke in Japanese. He walked back and tried not to sigh once she wasn't looking.

"Impatient." muttered Matoi. "Can you relay what occurred, then?"

In long order, Mia relayed it.

" - and - I passed out."

"Explains the wounds." said Samuel. "We were wondering how you got burnt so bad."

"It - was bad enough that it smelled." winced Marisa. "Um, but…"

"… I'll tell Daishi." murmured Matoi, dragging up and over.

"We - we can help them - rebuild, at l-least." murmured Mia, guilt craning her neck. "I-If they'll - allow that."

The two went silent, and she glanced up at them. "…w-what?"

"…um." Marisa winced and twitched in her seat.

"I - here." muttered Samuel. "Just gotta get it out."

He handed her his phone.

"I - n-no - that's -" panted Mia -

" - it got - stripped bare by that." said Samuel, stifling his wince for her benefit. "Disintegrated everything in that entire neighborhood."

Matoi came back in time to worsen it. "Mia. What does Solar Beam do?"

"I-It's -" - she panted - " - extremely - hot -"

"( - estimated one billion degrees.)" said Daishi, stepping over. "(You did not tell me she could -)"

"( - her and I had trained it before -)"

"( - you still should have warned -)"

"( - noise! Noise!)" shouted Junpei - "( - maybe it - got my eardrums, too -)"

Matoi stood. "(She is in my squadron - I ask her questions. Not you -)"

"( - it becomes my responsibility when a Ueno student is injured, and a foreigner -)"

"( - who do you think you're saving face for? Junpei and I are the only people in this room that understand you, now that your medic left. Drop your act.)"

"(…speak with me in private.)" said Daishi, and the two stepped out.

"… whew." said Junpei, sitting up. "Hooooo shit."

"What - w-were they talking about?" panted Mia.

"A… lotta stuff. Daishi's… whew." Junpei sighed. "… sorry, Swarm-io. I don't know."

"What was - why was she asking about Solar Beam?" said Marisa.

"… sorry." winced Junpei. "You mind if I ask questions, first?"

"Go ahead." murmured Mia.

"…so, ah… Your - ikiryō - went… out of control?"

"Y-Yes. I-I t-thought I -" - she clenched a breath, nodding. "Y-Yes. I, I lost control over it."

Junpei nodded. "You didn't - not intentionally, right? Does that happen?"

"It, um." said Marisa. "She… basically, like - she got it from a professional hero in the U.S., but they didn't like… wipe the progress."

"They didn't? Why?"

"… a long story." murmured Mia. "A-Are you alright? Did - did I hit you?"

"I, ano…" He winced and stood. "… I gotta test this. They told me not to - but I gotta."

Tyrant's throne formed, and he was gone -

- and back in the next, slumping on to the bed. "…ah, shit. That's what she was saying."

"What - who was saying?" said Mia.

"Hagakure - our medic. Said my colony felt weaker." He peeled up his shirt, and Mia gasped as she saw a familiar scar over his heart.

"I - I - d-did hit you -" she panted, and Junpei shook his head quick.

"No, no - what happened was. I got everyone out. Saw that - Solar Beam? - happen. Called you. No response. Went in with Tyrant - real, real hot - and got you out."

"And - called me, but - I thought, um. Can't Tyrant not touch hosts?" said Marisa.

"I carried her out myself."

"You - you saved my life - t-thank you." panted Mia. "I - your - your colony is weaker?"

"Bit slower, but - still good. Didn't know that was part of your - thing."

"… I - it - I don't understand. You - you weren't hit by it, but - you have a scar?"

"…yeah." He frowned. "Maybe some sort of…" He glanced up, trying the translation in his head. "… Bad… area?"

"Dead zone?" said Samuel, and Junpei nodded.

"…yeah. Rest of Ueno evacuated every area near it until the professionals check it out. Probably'll -"

- the doors opened, and in stepped Matoi & Daishi.

"We've come to an agreement." said Matoi, glancing between Mia and Junpei. "(I apologize for my earlier rudeness.)"

"(And mine, as well. We're here to cooperate - not argue.)"

The two nodded like everyone could hear them.

"Swarm." said Matoi. "The public is worried over the neighborhood."

"…o-of course." murmured Mia, head low, tears threatening her eyes again. She hoped Aimee wasn't working that day.

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"All six of us will be making an appearance on a Japanese news station to relay what's occurred. Somewhere trustworthy."

Samuel stifled his protest.

"(Daishi.)" said Junpei. "(My Revenant is still functioning well.)"

"(Good.)" nodded Daishi. "(Are you well enough to stand?)"

"(I am.)"

"…w-what should I say?" murmured Mia, embarrassment, shame, and guilt mixing in her throat.

"I'll relay their questions - you'll answer them honestly." said Matoi. "Rest. I'll handle the rest."

◆◆◆

The news had dripped steadily throughout the rest of the day, and few properties had been found of the dead zone. The professionals had found any Revenant colony began to wither the closer it was brought to the blast, and Junpei's scar refused to respond medically, leaving him more amused than they at the souvenir.

That night, the six appeared on national news. Swarm and Rain-On-A-Wedding's shame crept in as Daishi and Junpei relayed their sides. Junpei had forgiven Swarm in private, and she hadn't yet met the families affected.

Their interviewer said something to the camera, and his eyes turned to Rain-On-A-Wedding. "(Swarm will be on, after.)"

"(I'll relay it.)" stated Rain-On-A-Wedding. "Swarm. Your section of the story will be after commercials."

"Yes."

She stared off for a few minutes before the interviewer spoke again. She tried to think of Aimee watching her.

"Swarm." stated Rain-On-A-Wedding. "Explain what occurred, after your battle with these seven hosts."

Swarm blinked. "…when I was fighting, I started to - become very stressed. I had been called in to apprehend a man with a Revenant that could - eight serpents, with various abilities. Near the end of our battle, six more men ambushed me. I became very stressed, and - I - lost control over Worldwide."

Rain-On-A-Wedding relayed it. The man continued, and they spoke for some time before English returned.

"Swarm. What do you mean by - lost control over Worldwide?"

Insects filled her stomach. "Worldwide - before me, belonged to a professional hero - in America - named Ryumi Egashira. Queen of Scarabs. It was not given Xenocyclin before it was transferred to me, after her death. When I'm very stressed - it's only occurred once before - I can… I lose control over Worldwide. The colony is the same size as when Ryumi was its host."

Japanese. English.

"Swarm. You said that Worldwide was not given Xenocyclin. Why?"

She felt every audience at home on her. "… I do not know why."

Matoi turned and whispered to her. "It would be best to tell it."

"All of it?"

"All of it." She turned. "Apologies. Let me restate that. You do not know exactly why - but why do you -believe- Worldwide was not given Xenocyclin?"

"It's a very long story."

"Of course. Begin."

"I… first began attending Urasaria after I was attacked. When I awoke, I was at Urasaria Academy East, and was told I had been given a Revenant - Worldwide - somehow, er. By - by the man who attacked me, presumably. He had dropped me off at the gates unconscious.. At the time, it only had control over fire scarabs. I participated in the investigation, and - we found who had dropped me off at Urasaria, but… He was killed by - a - man with three arms. He was headless, and - killed him with a sword of ice."

Rain-On-A-Wedding relayed it. "Continue."

"Over the next months, a gang with tattoos of scarabs began attacking civilians in the area near Urasaria. Eventually, the man who had saved me - who I later learned was… named - Magnus Egashira - bombed a local hospital. I fought him there, but was unable to beat him. For reasons unknown to me at the time, he… tore one of his hearts out - and gave it to me."

Rain-On-A-Wedding relayed it. "Continue."

"He had - multiple hearts. Each held a section of Worldwide on it - fire. Ice. Electrical, and the sword. One was for his own Revenant - Scourge, a mind control Revenant. We eventually tracked one of the - leaders of his gang, but I was taken to a town he had destroyed five years prior. I fought with him again there, but was ambushed, and he gave me Worldwide's electrical remnant."

Rain-On-A-Wedding spoke back and forth for a while. Her name came a dozen times, and she felt Matoi suppressing her anger.

"Continue." she muttered.

"Over the next months, I trained with -"

"- your partner?"

"… my partner." murmured Swarm. "Magnus had threatened to kill me if I did not fight him within a month. I fought him, and killed him. He gave me Worldwide's sword then.

For the reason - why - this all occurred… He told me that he was formerly a researcher for the Eastern League - an American agency of twenty professional heroes. Ryumi Egashira, Worldwide's original host, was part of this twenty, and his wife. She fought a man that could manipulate - his Revenant was atomic manipulation. She suffered a wound that put her in to a coma - and the nineteen others killed her by removing her Revenant."

She knew not to mention Akira. "Magnus - this man - killed them in revenge. He told me that Ryumi was the only person he ever cared about, and that he was testing me to see if I were worthy of Worldwide."

Rain-On-A-Wedding relayed it, and she listened hard to the conversation she couldn't understand.

"Do you have anything else you wish to say?"

"… I-I'm - s-sorry."

◆◆◆

The six returned to protestors already at Ueno's gate.

"(Clear!)" shouted Daishi over the dozens of others, six coming up to the gate. Mia knew all the Japanese yelling was for her -

- and the crowd was gone, only signs left on the ground. She glanced back and saw Tyrant's throne disappearing on Junpei's back.

"Fucking dicks." he muttered as they went in.

"(Thank you, Junpei.)" sighed Daishi. "(Nationalists. Another group of scum.)"

"(I thought you were nonpolitical.)" said Matoi.

"(I make exceptions.)" he sighed. "(We'll be meeting with some of the families affected tomorrow. I hope they'll understand that - despite the damage - this was not her fault.)"

"(If you require help with reconstruction - we'll help however we can.)"

"(I shall make note of it to the police.)" murmured Daishi. "(They requested that I not allow you four to fight - but, I presume this can only occur with her.)"

"(Correct. Our's are naturals.)"

He nodded. "(Then - unless there is a dire need - it would be best if she does not fight again. I hope that the public will...)"

"(Accept her apology?)" said Junpei, and Daishi nodded.

"(The… damage, is - this has occurred before. Not on this scale - but some Ueno students have been forced to destroy housing, as well. Those protestors are not indicative of Japan.)"

Matoi nodded. "(One moment.) We're discussing the public's reaction. These nationalists don't represent Japan's views."

"We've got some back home, too, I suppose." said Samuel, relevantly. "Can't pass judgment as just tourists."

"Swarm." said Matoi. "For the remainder of this trip - no fighting."

"…a-alright." murmured Mia. "I'll - stay in our room, then."

The six went up to Ueno's housing tower. Daishi got a call before they stepped inside, gesturing for Junpei to go with him as they went to their room.

"Tomorrow - we'll be meeting with some of the families." said Matoi. "We'll have more information by then."

"Best just to take our minds off it for now." said Samuel as they sat down in the living room.

Matoi nodded and turned the television on. A politician was at the podium, mid-speech. Mia saw her watch it for only seconds before her anger came up against her shell, and she flipped the channel.

◆◆◆

The next morning, the six met with four of the families - and three single men - that had lost their homes, televised again. Mia couldn't meet their eyes once the cameras started, flash photography keeping her neck down. Daishi and Matoi were behind her, and she had been suggested to apologize individually.

She started at one man. "I'm - s-sorry -"

- and he started yelling in Japanese, stepping closer to her; she stepped back. She stood as he yelled, stepping back out of breathing range. Daishi muttered something to Junpei as the cameras went off, and in the next instant -

- the roof started to rumble, sudden knives starting to peek out of the ceiling -

" - Junpei!" shouted Daishi -

- and the civilians were gone -

" - Swarm, run!" shouted Matoi, sudden whip in her voice; and Mia nodded helpless as she ran out of the news station to the streets beyond, ripping her phone out as she ran, hearing the calamity start in the building behind as she drew out of range.

She rushed through thinning streets, checking her phone for directions to Ueno, and as she turned one corner -

- underneath a blue orb she dodged, foe fifty feet away down the sidewalk, dozens of melted corpses between; he shouted in Japanese, and in the next instant -

- a man's hand shot to her neck from behind -

- and a single electrical scarab unclenched his grip; she turned, two more foes right behind her -

" - Sekisetsu!" shouted a familiar woman's voice from across the street -

- and a dozen red icicles burst through the men, crucifying them to the wall in an instant - Mia turned, Rin and another woman on the other end -

" - run." nodded Rin, gesturing Mia away quick, and the scarab woman kept her run going back down another corner, rushing and veering through unfamiliar streets, hearing Rin's shouts fade behind. Civilians disappearing around her, she turned another corner, rushing halfway down an empty avenue -

- and seeing two new foes rush out of the corner ahead -

" - abayo!" shouted a familiar voice, and in the next instant -

- a gust of wind blasted them away; and out of the right corner rushed her tornado-necked savior, waving her down as she fled again. The scarab woman kept her run the rest of the way to Ueno thirty minutes away, daring not use her ice sheets then.

And by the time she got in to bed, her curiosity outweighed her sense. She got on her phone, checking through machine translation local news.

The garbled headlines tied her with dread. She hoped for one that believed her, and kept for minutes more, scrolling through comments. Once or twice. She felt their words push her down.

She read another one. The tone carried through, if not the message, and her hands started to go numb.

"… no." she murmured and stood. She took a deep breath and resolved to go differently. "These - these fucking people have no idea what it's like."

She started to pace. "I go on national fucking television - why? Why on earth would I fucking tell a story like that? I could have easily said it was a Revenant - six FUCKING hosts came for me -" - she paused and put her ear to her door. No footsteps were outside. "Seven - fucking hosts - I would be fucking dead if Worldwide hadn't gone out of control - I risk my fucking life for these FUCKING PEOPLE!"

She lowered the volume of her steps, so she could hear if the elevator opened. Jeanne&Nuiko filled her head. Serena's selflessness filled her head. She thought of the hosts she had been forced to electrocute unconscious, and her rage swelled her head when she thought of Eternity & Aimee.

"And Matoi." she muttered. "Fucking Matoi - so fucking blasé about it all - willing to throw me under the fucking bus for all of this - and f-fucking - telling me to - say 'partner'."

The man came to her head. "Ungrateful fucking - vermin. I risked my fucking life - if those seven hosts had killed me, they would have done more than a fucking bit of property damage. What the fuck could they have in those fucking homes that's so precious?"

Threat level local. "I don't have to listen to these - these fucking vermin. They have no idea what it's like. They have no idea how us - how we risk our fucking lives to keep them safe. I should have - if I had yelled at him for how fucking ungrateful he is - he's getting paid! Back! Every fucking government has a policy for that! Even Urasaria - can't fucking pay for any savings, but housing and property damage c-"

- she paused, and one thought peeled back the rest.

"…why even bother being a hero. Dad had the right idea. I could hunt scum on my own. I wouldn't ever have to deal with these - fucking vermin."

The headless man. She closed her eyes. "…n-no. I'm not like that. Urasaria - is…" She sighed.

(Mia) "I'm going out for a walk near Ueno."

No response. She threw her phone on her bed and walked out of her room; then came back for it. She went down the elevator and stepped out of Ueno to another group of protesters, and they shouted at her as she walked past. The mural reminded her of who she had met at Urasaria.

'… I need to calm.' she thought, and went down another few blocks in the night. She heard footsteps start behind her, shouting, and sighed as she turned to three men. "Yes?"

"The bitch's true color." said one, stepping close to her. "Does the carpet match the drapes - is that the phrase? My English is -"

"- get the fuck away from me."

"Why? You can't do shit to us. End up getting kicked out of the country by now." He shoved her back. "Go on. Try it."

"Get away from me. Now."

The three laughed. "Yeah - bullshit. You're gonna just have to run away -"

- a voice shouted in Japanese behind; the three turned -

- and Mia couldn't hold her gasp at who it was.

"Achi kaere." said Akira.

"Ittai zentai -"

" - abayo, kichigai."

- and the three disappeared down a serpent's maw: he waved Mia down - " - they're back home."

"What - what the fuck are you doing here?"

"Quiet. Don't bother Solar Beaming me - or whatever you call it. I'll leave their corpses in your room if you do."

"What - what the fuck are you - what the fuck do you want?"

"Conversation." He shook his head, walking past Mia.

Scarabs readied, she walked beside him. "You're tracking me, then."

"It's not difficult. As I told you - I'm ensuring Worldwide's survival. Lovely story you told the press, however."

"That I told the press -" - Mia paused. "... you watched it."

"Of course I did. Stop looking so tense - I'm not going to fight you. It was amusing hearing your side of it. It's as if I were listening to - listening to a toddler explain why the sun rises in the morning. Excuse the cliché."

"A - what?"

"A cliché? It's an overused -"

" - no, the -" - she sighed at Akira's laugh - " - the - fucking toddler metaphor."

"You're utterly clueless who Magnus was, even more who Ryumi was. What they were like. But I could tell. Even I could tell. You realize he was right, of course. But not like I had."

"What?"

"Do you want to know what the public is saying about you?"

The two walked.

"…nothing positive." She sighed.

"Correct. Outside of a handful of left-wing conspiracy theorists, virtually no one believes your story. They had a Revenant researcher on after you - and of course, he tore your story to bunkum. That the idea of a man possessing multiple Revenants - let alone splitting one - is ridiculous. Some of the younger crowd have taken to calling it a manga plot." said Akira, relevantly.

"What the fuck do they expect me to do?" muttered Mia, anger pushing out her shame by now.

"Outside of expulsion - the reigning champion is 'have Xenocyclin used on Worldwide, to ensure it won't happen again'."

"As if."

"Precisely why I showed up." He turned to her. "Do not - ever - ever - have Xenocyclin used on it."

"I've spent nearly three fucking years building up Worldwide - I would never - why?" grunted Mia, palm readied like a gun.

"He'll kill you if you do."

"Wh-"

- she blinked, and he was gone.