“Hell yeah! Guess who’s back, motherfuckers!?” roared Mitaru, kicking the front door wide open and nearly ripping it off of its hinges. He took a deep breath, placed his hands on his hips, and then happily grinned to no one in particular. “Alright, guys, what’s the next target? Ahahahahaha!”

“He sure is energetic,” pointed out Murayama, observing together with his squad the super soldier laugh and gush around all on his own. Mitsu was present too but she seemed just as hyped as Mitaru so she wasn’t doing much in containing all of that uncharacteristic energy. “Is this what Mitsu meant with him being in a bad mood because of sleep deprivation? Is this how he usually is?”

“I sure hope not,” said Ikusaki, a creeped out expression on his face as he reluctantly glanced at Mitaru. “I got used to his moody responses and lazy ass. If he’s gonna be this energetic and happy-go-lucky from now on, it will creep the shit out of me every time I’m around him.”

“Yeah, Atsumu is more than enough when it comes to idiotic happy-go-lucky characters,” cringed Miue, massaging his temples with the pads of his fingers. “Why don’t we slave him around until he goes moody on us again?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Miue-san…” said Eki, awkwardly laughing at the second-in-command’s grumbles and mumbles.

“Hey, Mitaru!!” called Mizusaki at the top of his lungs, waving his hand at the super soldier. When Mitaru looked over in their direction, he gestured his hand so he could get closer. “We kept you that building because it would be a pain in the ass to move you from one place to another. The rest of your gang is somewhere else, already neatly installed in your new home. Wanna come?”

“Heck if I do!” acknowledged Mitaru, popping out all of a sudden right next to Mizusaki. He grinned at the human. “Let’s get going!”

“He’s not that hard to manage,” said Mizusaki, pointing his thumb at Mitaru as he marched in front of them together with Mitsu. “Easier than some of them, actually.”

“That’s just because you’re just as energetic and hyperactive as him,” sighed Miue, following along with the rest of his squad as they walked towards the super soldiers' zone in the base. “Think about how us, low energy elderly, feel here, ‘kay?”

“Just have Atsumu annoy you and you’ll get as energetic and hyperactive as a 5-year old bully,” snickered Mizusaki, sideways glancing at Miue while with a knowing smirk on his lips. “Even the elderly need a daily dose of kicking and punching around.”

“Shut up,” barked back Miue, crossing his arms over his chest in a slight pout.

“So what went around while I was on my resting period?” asked Mitaru, his happy complexion gaining a more serious semblance as he looked at Mitsu, who walked beside him.

“Not much, I guess,” said Mitsu, tilting her head as she thought about the latest events. “After you went down, all that has been happening is reconstruction work on the damaged areas. In terms of the human side, that is. We have been entertaining ourselves with frolicking around in our new home while learning a bit more about humans.”

“Ugh, sounds like a pain in the ass,” groaned Mitaru, a disgusted expression on his face as he stuck his tongue out a little bit. “So no action? No blood and carnage? Nothing at all?”

“Nope~” denied Mitsu with a sing-song voice.

"That's so fucking boring…" grumbled Mitaru, his disgust morphing to disappointment. "So the Russian attack was just a once-in-a-lifetime thingy…"

"We sure hope it is," intervened Murayama, putting himself slightly beside the super soldier. "We can't exactly have our base destroyed section by section with attack after attack. You'll need to get used to peaceful times and find a new hobby. Some of your buddies have found one or two already."

"No fucking way," answered Mitaru right away, a deep, angry frown on his features. "A Mass Murder Machine with a human hobby? Don't make me laugh. The only hobby I want is to break bones and drill bullet holes in your bodies. I could care less if you domesticate those idiots, but you have another thing coming if you think you can do the same to me!"

"Mi-chan…" sighed Mitsu, a little bit of exasperation and tiredness in it. "That's not what they're-"

"And you're the worst of them all, Mitsu," accusingly remarked Mitaru, pointing his index finger at the female super soldier. "I see spending years next to humans made you forget about what you are. You're pretty much their pet super soldier at this point. Disgusting…"

"...!"

"Hey, that's no way of talking to your little sister!" roared Ikusaki, stepping into the conversation and positioning himself between Mitaru and Mitsu. "She worked her ass off trying to get the six of you out of the lab! She had to manipulate and deceive those she befriended to rescue those she considers family! If it wasn't for her, you would have eventually become the pet super soldier for some asshole. If she's a pet super soldier to the Japanese army, it was so you six wouldn't become one!! What kind of fucking older brother lets his younger sister sacrifice herself for him and then yells at her for doing it!? You're the disgusting one here!"

"Huh?" hissed Mitaru, his eyes threateningly glowing red. "Who are you to butt in our stuff? This has nothing to do with you, Ikusaki. It's between me and Mitsu only. Get your own little sister if you want to defend one!"

"Pffft! I can't… Hehe… This is too damn funny…" said Mizusaki, trying his best to not start laughing right there and then. Miue was also shaking his head, sighing in total exasperation next to him. Eki simply silently observed the conversation with a complex half-smile on his face and Murayama quietly stood beside them with an eyebrow arched in wonder.

"What now!?" barked Ikusaki back, a furious scowl on his face as he switched his gaze to his squadmates.

"As an older brother, let me tell you something, Ikusaki," said Miue, placing a hand on his subordinate's shoulder. "Our pride as the older ones doesn't allow us to be protected by the younger ones. He didn't call Mitsu disgusting, he was furious with himself because he couldn't do anything about it on his own and had to rely on Mitsu's sacrifice to escape from the lab. Got it?"

"Really?" asked Ikusaki, switching his gaze to the super soldier and looking at him with a quizzical expression.

"Huh!? The heck it is!!" furiously growled Mitaru - though a light shade of red popped out on his cheekbones. He readily started stomping away with a furious speed. "She's supposed to be the brain but she's actually a fucking idiot! That's all I'm saying!"

“Ah, wai-” called Ikusaki as soon as he noticed the direction that Mitaru has taken but it had been too late.

A loud honk echoed through the street, followed by a deafening screech of rubber against asphalt and, right afterwards, metal against a hard surface.

“What? I just woke up and you’re already trying to off me?” asked Mitaru, leisurely standing in the middle of the road. His right hand was closely holding onto the deformed hood of a large van, which was now being suspended in the air as if it weighed no more than a few grams. Mitaru released the van afterwards, the wheels crashing against the asphalt and the entire vehicle rattling around at the impact.

“No… No matter how you look at it, it’s your fucking fault for crossing the road without paying any attention to the cars!!” admonished Ikusaki, readily running towards the van to check if the driver was okay or not, closely followed by the rest of his squad. “That’s how you off yourself by getting run over!”

“I go wherever I want, whenever I want,” smugly said Mitaru, leisurely clasping the dust away from his hands. “Anyway, Mitsu, let’s go. Those guys are getting sick and tired of waiting for me and Atsumu is starting to piss me off with the condescending way he’s talking about the time it’s taking me to get home.”

Oh yes, even with the renewed energy, he’s still as moody and grumpy as ever...