Set during the same civil war backdrop as the Arise films, this manga traces how Batou and Motoko Kusanagi first crossed paths, well before Section 9 existed. Told through Batou's perspective as a soldier caught in the conflict, it fills in the working relationship and mutual trust between the two that the main Arise story treats as already established. A separate short story, "Natsu no Owari ni," rounds out the volumes with an additional stand-alone piece.