~??????~
Why?

As he was alone in the cold silence, Nagisa saw his whole world going from vibrant colors to pitch black. Currently, he was being consumed by it. By his very blood that reflected the pitch-black darkness. He couldn't even find the strength to scream out. Even if he did, who would show up? He wasn't a hero, he wasn't good at forging bonds like Yuuki. He wasn't responsible and loving like Aoba. Nagisa stopped living the moment his sister died. Right now, Nagisa was just existing, using the goal of avenging his sister as an excuse.

Why?

The reason he did this was simple. It was because he had already given up a long time ago. If not for meeting Yuuki and Aoba, he probably wouldn't be here. But the moment that Aoba vanished from his life too, that's when it happened. That's when Nagisa fully accepted something deep inside himself. Maybe a normal and happy life was impossible for him. Maybe the only world he was allowed to live in was the very one he was drowning in right now. A world of guilt, regret, and loneliness.

Why?

He wasn't anybody important, he was just unlucky to be part of a Mato Incident. He was unlucky Medusa just so happen to find him and his sister. He was just unlucky to be the only survivor and to lose someone else shortly after. He knew he needed to change. He needed to be stronger. Strong enough to save himself, strong enough to overcome anything. He needed to be stronger.

Why?

He had expectations he needed to meet. He had goals he needed to achieve. He had questions that need to be answered. He has people who need him to teach them to be stronger. He didn't have time for things like a happy life or forming connections. He just needed to cut down the enemy and help raise his allies.

"Why is it always me? I'm so tired......when will someone ever reach out to me and actually stay? When will people give a damn about Nagisa the teenager....and not Nagisa of the Anti-Demon Corps. Once Yuuki graduates, i'll be alone at school. Once Aoba is human again, she can live her life and watch over Yuuki like she always did. But, once all of this is over, what the hell do I have left to go back to?"

Just as Nagisa was closing his eyes, he felt something different. A strange warmth, as if someone was holding him. When the boy slowly opened his eyes, he found himself still in the pitch black sea of his blood. But this time, he wasn't by himself. He could tell since he saw that his head was resting in someone's lap. When he looked up to see who it was, the woman simply smiled as she too was being covered in black blood.

"You know, not many could make a goddess search aimlessly for them. You should consider yourself lucky."

"What are you doing here, Kuusetsu? You already got Yuuki, you don't need damaged goods like me. Besides, you'll just leave me behind the moment I start to feel better. Just like everyone else has. I'm nothing more than a spare in case you can't get Yuuki."

As Nagisa said this, he merely felt Kuusetsu patting his head. The moment he looked at her, he saw how the God of Thunder was smiling as the black blood was drowning her too. This was something she needed to do. She may not be able to influence the outside world, but she could make quite the impact here.

"You're right, there really is no point in me doing this. I doubt you would feel better right away or even appreciate this gesture. However, just because there is no point in doing it doesn't mean that it isn't worth trying."

"......"

"Look at yourself for example. You didn't know if you would get even this far when you agreed to join the Sixth Unit, yet look at all you did because you tried. Without you, i'm sure the Anti-Demon Corps would be far weaker and the Yokohama incident wouldn't have gone off as smoothly as it did. There's no harm in trying. Whether it's trying to live a normal life or trying to vent out your frustrations. You may treat yourself as a weapon but you have to remember one fact Nagisa."

As the two of them were both drowning in the black blood together, Kuusetsu could only smile as she finally saw it. The small amount of light in Nagisa's cold dark eyes. As he felt himself being lost in the sea of black blood, Nagisa felt oddly calm. What once felt like a drowning abyss now made him feel comfort. Seeing this, Kuusetsu merely smiled as she let the boy sit straight up and then hugged him.

"Unlike that event that happened to you in the past, you don't have to be strong by yourself. Plus, you have me with you. So you have nothing to fear."

".....i don't have to be strong alone......huh."

The more Nagisa thought about it, the more he realized something. He didn't train everyone out of the goodness of his heart, but merely because he couldn't trust them. He couldn't trust them to be strong without him and feared of losing them because of this. But as he trained them, he could see it clearly. With or without him, the Sixth Unit and everyone else were strong in their own way. He didn't need to shoulder all the responsibility simply due to his own strength.

"That's it, Tomioka Nagisa. You may be the greatest weapon on the battlefield, but when the battle is over....you're still a human."

~?????~
"Nagisa! You're awake!!!!"

As Nagisa was slowly opening his eyes, he was met with a strange sight. Yachiho, Sahara, and Tenka were all surrounding him as he was lying in bed. A look of worry was plastered all over their faces. The moment he tried to sit up, Nagisa found himself trapped in a hug as he heard all of them speaking at once.

"Nagisa, you idiot! Let us know if things are too much for you!!!"

"I'm sorry for not noticing, Nagi-chan!"

"Nagisa......please forgive me! I should've noticed this sooner as the chief!!!!"

"You may be the greatest weapon on the battlefield, but when the battle is over....you're still human."

Kuusetsu's words were still fresh in his head. Before he realized it, a small smile was forming on the boy's head. In one swift motion, Nagisa pulled the three women into a group hug. While they were taken off guard by this action, they couldn't help but listen to what Nagisa said to them.

"All of you are a handful. Yachiho is a siscon to such a degree, I sometimes wonder if she's also a stalker. Sahara is so lazy even a sloth would move faster than her if work is involved. Tenka-san is amazing but constantly hearing her talk about wanting to marry my best friend makes me want to bash my head against the wall."

"ARE YOU DISSING US?!"

"But, if given the choice to stay in any unit, I would still pick the Sixth Unit. Just like me, you're all a couple of whack jobs. Plus.......it's always an exciting day with you all. Not to mention, I can relax knowing I have such strong people supporting me."

Now that they thought about it, when have they ever heard Nagisa speak up about his own thoughts. Not only that, he usually rarely talks about anything outside of training or something related to the mission. He would crack a few jokes here and there, but that would only be to escape the situation soon after. But this time was different. For the first time in a while, it felt as if Nagisa was opening up. Upon hearing this, Tenka merely smile as she spoke with the boy.

"The Seventh and Eighth Unit will arrive here soon along with the chief of the Third Unit. While you're allowed to stay and keep training them, we'll have to leave soon. Is there anything you want to do?"

".....you know Tenka-san, we never did settle the score with the Seventh Unit. Plus you all don't have to leave immediately. I think it's time we finally finish what we started with them before Rairen and Shikoku interrupted us."

"So that fight back then left a bad taste in your mouth? Honestly, I don't like how we had no conclusion either. Looks like great minds think alike. Sixth Unit, as our final training activity together, we will settle the score with the Seventh Unit. To help them grow stronger and to put our regrets to rest, we will challenge them to another Mato Game!!!!"