Munakata: Very well... Munakata: We will advance with swords in hand! For our cause is pure! Men! Draw your swords! SCEPTER4: Yes, sir! - Yes, sir! SCEPTER4: Akiyama, ready! - Benzai, ready! Kamo, ready! - Domyoji, ready! Enomoto, ready! - Fuse, ready! Goto, ready! - Hidaka, ready! Munakata: Munakata, ready!
Munakata: Munakata, ready! Munakata: I'll handle this. Munakata: In compliance with Protocol 120, I am taking you into custody. Munakata: Any objections? Suoh: Unfortunately, I have none. Suoh: Take good care of me.
Munakata: Well, look who's here... Munakata: Suoh, let's get straight to the point. Munakata: Your Weismann level is pushing its limit. Munakata: If the Sword of Damocles should fall, we'll have a repeat of the Kagutsu crater. Munakata: If you insist on drawing more power from the Dresden Slates, I will have to kill you. Suoh: I have no idea what you're talking about. Munakata: I'm telling you to renounce your throne. Suoh: You're just a stick in the mud, aren't you, Munakata? Munakata: If that's your answer, I'll have to come up with a way to keep you locked up for life. Suoh: Actually, there is one way to keep me locked up here forever. Suoh: You could do it, Munakata. Suoh: The Blue King can keep an eye on me personally. Suoh: 24 hours a day, inside this cell. Suoh: If I become violent, you can restrain me by force. Munakata: The thought of having to breathe the same air as you makes me ill. Munakata: And besides, I'm afraid I'm quite busy. Munakata: I can't spend all my time with you. Suoh: I'm sorry you feel that way, Munakata. Munakata: Yeah, me too, Suoh...
Munakata: Restraining him with fire-retardant phenolic resin... Munakata: That sounds like a good idea. Munakata: But I don't know how effective it'd be against that man. Awashima: I do not know what the Red King, Mikoto Suoh, has in mind, but this gives us a good opportunity. Awashima: If I may be so blunt, short of killing him, we should try every available option. Awashima: For example, under proper medical supervision, how about administering doses of muscle relaxant or tranquilizers? Munakata: That's quite a radical idea and a good one at that, Ms. Awashima. Munakata: Your blatant disregard for Suoh's human rights makes me shudder. Munakata: All right. I'll consider it. Munakata: Did you learn anything about the weapon used to murder Tatara Totsuka? Awashima: Apparently, it was one of many modified guns that the mafia was dealing. Awashima: The man in charge of their smuggling operation has gone missing, along with the truck. Munakata: Was there anything else on that truck? Awashima: A few volatile chemicals, explosives, and enough weapons and ammo to open up a gun shop. Munakata: Those bastards... Munakata: Well, if the suspects have their hands on that much firepower... Awashima: Metro P.D. is taking this very seriously, and is about to form an investigation unit. Awashima: I'm thinking of putting in a special request for a release of information. Awashima: Shall I issue the order under Level: Prussian Blue? Munakata: No, make it the next level: Royal Blue. Munakata: I want to know of every incident that has occurred in this city in the past two weeks, as well as everything that may or will happen until this case is solved. Munakata: I want every set of eyes and ears you have on this. Awashima: Understood. Awashima: And those who can't handle it have no need for eyes and ears. Awashima: It is our duty to manage and make use of them. Munakata: You are an exceptional woman, Ms. Awashima.
Awashima: Permission to use our sabers... Munakata: Granted.
Fushimi: We seem to be lacking the winning edge. Fushimi: Maybe it's time you went to work. Munakata: (sips tea)
Munakata: Well done... Munakata: Thanks to your efforts, I have a grasp of the situation. Awashima: Sir! Munakata: Guess I'd better get to work. Munakata: It seems Mr. Fushimi is growing impatient. Munakata: As I suspected, a third party, an unknown Strain, was behind this. Munakata: By projecting her powers within a perimeter with herself at the center, she can interfere and manipulate the human senses and perceptions of those around her. Munakata: It is an all too dangerous power.
Munakata: I see... So you chose to sacrifice yourself. Munakata: The celebrated sword Kotowari... Munakata: It used to belong to the late Seventh King, Ichigen Miwa, the Colorless King. Munakata: I suppose you could try and kill me with that. Munakata: Didn't you hear me? Munakata: I told you to draw your sword. Munakata: That's more like it... Munakata: What's this? Munakata: Such a disobedient child. Munakata: If you insist on being so stubborn, you leave me no choice. Munakata: Mr. Yatogami, what do you say we end this game? Kuroh: I refuse... Munakata: Now then... Let's get to the subject at hand.
Munakata: You showed magnificent self-sacrifice against me. Munakata: That young man... Is he the master you serve now? Munakata: The Colorless King. The Seventh, and weakest king. Munakata: He is not a powerful presence alone, but he is the wild card who could tip the balance of power between the kings. Munakata: In other words, he is the one person I need to be most wary of. Munakata: That young man is the new Colorless King who will replace Ichigen Miwa... Munakata: Am I correct? Munakata: Answer me. Kuroh: Master Ichigen told me to vet that man. Munakata: Oh? And what is your verdict? Kuroh: I will not let anyone lay a hand on him until I make that decision. Munakata: I see... Munakata: That might have been his plan from the start. Munakata: Remaining neither good nor evil... Munakata: As long as he maintains that ambiguous position, he can keep the "Black Dog," Kuroh Yatogami, as his bodyguard. Munakata: He could not ask for a more powerful pawn. Munakata: Using that young female Strain, deceiving you and the people around him would be a simple matter. Munakata: All of us might be puppets in that young man's scheme. Munakata: Wouldn't you agree? Kuroh: You have a point... Kuroh: He's constantly laughing like a fool and everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie. Kuroh: That's the sort of fellow he is. Munakata: Is that man worth risking your life for? Munakata: Oh? Did you forget something? Kuroh: You fool! Why'd you come back?! Yashirou: Well, I guess I can't just leave my friends behind, can I? Munakata: I see. Munakata: So you came back to share your fate together. Munakata: That is a noble gesture. Munakata: But meaningless.
Munakata: I should have known better... Munakata: I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
Awashima: In summary, every squad failed in their pursuit due to inclement weather. Awashima: And so far, the traffic surveillance network hasn't shown us the suspect. Munakata: I see... Munakata: So not only did he get away from me, he also managed to escape Fushimi, who was leading the pursuit. Munakata: His ability to stay under the radar until now was no coincidence. Awashima: Currently, we're retracing his possible escape route and narrowing our perimeter around Ashinaka High School. Munakata: Apprehending him will be a tall order. Munakata: He seems quite difficult to pin down. Munakata: And on top of that, the two with him are a real handful. Fushimi: Captain, Fushimi reporting. Munakata: Enter. Awashima: What is it? Fushimi: I just received a report that one of our pursuit squad members was attacked and transported back here. Awashima: Which unit was he in, and exactly what time was he attacked? Fushimi: Officer Chikushi from the Third Division in the East District. Fushimi: Happened about fifteen minutes ago. Awashima: Was he badly injured? Fushimi: Only some bruises, but his PDA was stolen. Munakata: His PDA? Fushimi: I'm pulling up his assigned areas. Munakata: Have you identified the assailant? Fushimi: Everyone's favorite black dog. Awashima: Chikushi says he didn't see the other two... Awashima: Yatogami Kuroh is still hanging around here? Awashima: No, that can't be... Munakata: That wasn't an attack. It was a warning. Munakata: Fushimi, was there anything left at the scene that might have served as a message from them? Fushimi: Just one item. Munakata: I see. Awashima: Fushimi, why don't you come in and have a seat for now? Fushimi: Huh? Fushimi: I'm fine where I am. Awashima: Fine. Awashima: Then alert anyone on standby at HQ to prepare for an emergency deployment. Fushimi: Yes, Ma'am.
Munakata: Munakata Reishi speaking. Who is this? Yashirou: Isana Yashiro, or so I'm told. Munakata: I suspected it might be you. Munakata: You have executed a rather aggressive approach. Yashirou: I apologize. Yashirou: I couldn't think of any other way to contact you without getting caught. Munakata: I see. Munakata: All right, let's hear what you have to say. Yashirou: I'll try my best to make this short, then. Yashirou: There's a man in an airship who is directly involved in that murder investigation, especially regarding my treatment as a suspect when I know nothing about it. Munakata: Do you even understand what you're saying? Yashirou: Excuse me? Munakata: What do you know about the man in the airship? Yashirou: You might say I got the crash course on him. Munakata: Then you should realize that he's far too important to be dragged into this just because you claim to be innocent. Awashima: Awashima here. Munakata: I think you could at least demonstrate good will by turning yourself in. Awashima: Fushimi is headed for the Tokyo Expressway. Awashima: Follow him immediately. Yashirou: Screaming my innocence from a jail cell would be pretty pointless. Yashirou: I've seen enough crime dramas to know that much. Yashirou: That's why I'll only give myself up for the right price. Munakata: Indeed. You are quite the shrewd one. Yashirou: Why, thank you! Yashirou: As for our deal— Yashirou: If you promise to help me question that guy in the airship, I'll turn myself in to you. Yashirou: How does that sound? Munakata: I wish I could agree since you're willing to go to such lengths, but I'm afraid that such a demand from the likes of you isn't adequate enough when it comes to the man in the airship. Munakata: Besides, even if you turned yourself in, I have no doubt that your two friends would come to rescue you. Yashirou: Exactly! Yashirou: I guess I got carried away. Munakata: No. I accept your terms. Yashirou: Huh?! Munakata: I'm saying that I, Munakata Reishi, the fourth king, the blue king, will detain the man in the airship, also known as the first or silver king, Adolph K. Weismann. Munakata: Come and see us if you're up to it. Munakata: I'll arrange a meeting to get to the bottom of this. Munakata: One caveat, however. Munakata: All three of you will turn yourselves in.
Awashima: We have yet to receive any response from the first king. Awashima: The third request was sent at 1700 hours. Munakata: We've completed the requisite formalities. Munakata: Now it's time to take him into custody. Awashima: But Captain, according to Protocol 120, we don't really have the authority to conduct an investigation of the Himmelreich, which is within a domain of the first king. Awashima: I think we should obtain permission from the second king before we proceed. Munakata: His Excellency would not allow us to do anything to the first king, regardless of our reasoning. Munakata: And that's precisely why we'll do whatever we can get away with. Munakata: I'll personally explain the situation afterwards, so you shouldn't worry. Awashima: Then could you please at least tell me why you're taking this so far? Munakata: All right. Munakata: First of all, this was not an impulsive decision instigated by Isana Yashiro. Munakata: While it's true that I decided to take action because of his request, I'd been keeping an eye on the first king's suspicious behavior already. Awashima: By suspicious behavior, are you referring to the recent series of events? Fushimi: Isn't the silver king just some urban legend about a guy who lives in an airship floating in the sky? Fushimi: How can he be possibly be related to the current case? Munakata: Let me explain the time line. Munakata: For the past several decades, the Himmelreich cruised the skies, following several paths. Munakata: Except for deviations that could be attributed to the weather, it flew along these fifteen patterns. Munakata: But if you looked for a correlation between the patterns and weather conditions, it seemed like it always took the optimal course. Munakata: But these days, its route is like this. Munakata: I became aware of this change just a few days ago. Munakata: At first, I assumed it was just taking a less regular path. Munakata: But because of who I was dealing with, I got a hold of air traffic control at Ukita Airport, and had them investigate the issue further. Munakata: It turns out that the airship changed its usual route in the sky immediately after a certain incident. Munakata: Routes it had kept for decades had changed abruptly from that moment on. Munakata: It's only natural that I became suspicious, no? Munakata: It approached the stadium last night, as well.
Munakata: Scepter 4 will now commence the operation to apprehend the first and silver king, Adolph K. Weismann, as a person of interest in the murder investigation of Totsuka Tatara. Munakata: We will advise the Himmelreich to land at the appointed airport. Munakata: In the event he does not comply, we will commandeer the vessel. SCEPTER4: Yes, Sir!
Munakata: Munakata speaking. Subordinate: The rabbits are already here! Munakata: He sure is quick, all right.
Guy: The fourth king, Lord Munakata Reishi, is here to see you now. Kokujyōji: A king hath come to the Slate. I ask of thee, art thou here to fight, or to talk? Munakata: I come without my sword. I have come to talk. Munakata: That is my wish. Munakata: It's good to see you again, Your Excellency. Kokujyōji: No need for pleasantries. Munakata: First, allow me to thank you. Munakata: Thank you for interceding in the recent Royal Blue situation. Munakata: We were able to use all of the information obtained through extralegal means, for the good of the public... Kokujyōji: Get to the point. Munakata: All right. I'll get right to the point. Munakata: I believe that the body your men retrieved from the Himmelreich was the first king, Adolph K. Weismann. Kokujyōji: That is correct. Munakata: Weismann, the silver king, started it all. Munakata: And his physical appearance was never to change, correct? Kokujyōji: What do you mean? Munakata: The "Immortal King," who retained the youth and vigor of his prime for more than a half century, has suddenly died... Munakata: The circumstances beg many questions. Munakata: I'd like to be allowed to examine his body.
Munakata: So, the monster is alive and well... Munakata: And that's how it should be. Munakata: That old man still has to function as the country's backbone. Munakata: But mighty as he may be, immortal he is not. Munakata: That's also true of the silver king. Munakata: The crisis continues. Munakata: Remain alert and ready. SCEPTER4: Yes, sir!
Awashima: It was inexcusable. Awashima: Not only did I allow the Red King to escape, but I've also allowed what has transpired afterward. Awashima: I take full responsibility. Munakata: The look on your face as you embrace humiliation... isn't bad at all. Awashima: Captain! Munakata: Feeling responsible for not being able to stop the Red King is a sign of considerable arrogance. Awashima: Yes... Munakata: But we do have a troublesome situation. Awashima: Yes. Munakata: The Red King, Mikoto Suoh, taking over the high school on the island could only mean... Awashima: He's here to apprehend Tatara Totsuka's murderer. Munakata: Yes, that's right. Munakata: But if that person is another king, this could get really messy. Awashima: You're referring to the Colorless King? Munakata: The Seventh King, the Colorless King... is unlike any of the other kings. Munakata: Each successive generation exhibits a unique power. Munakata: No one knows what that power is until it shows itself. Awashima: A "trickster" who agitates the relationships between the kings... Awashima: Like the wild card in a deck of cards. Munakata: Awashima, I loath the wild card. Munakata: It reeks of trickery... Munakata: I feel it lacks fairness. Munakata: Especially when it's not in the hand I'm playing. Munakata: Good grief, it'd be so much simpler if he had remained a recluse in the mountains like his predecessor, Ichigen Miwa. Awashima: But now, we have the short-fused Red King, who can potentially be mixed in with the unpredictable Colorless King. Awashima: You'd have to call this an extremely volatile situation. Munakata: What's more, given that we haven't captured the Colorless King, our only alternative is to detain the Red King. Munakata: An all-out war with the Red Clansmen appears to be inevitable. Awashima: All units are ready for battle. Awashima: You may give the order at any time. Munakata: Awashima... Munakata: Mind if I make a rather selfish request?
Suoh: I thought sharing the same air with me made you want to puke. Munakata: Sometimes I feel like breathing toxic air. Munakata: I'll be very direct. Munakata: Relinquish this school peacefully. Munakata: I can't overlook the way you're involving innocent high-school students. Munakata: If you comply now, I can settle this before things get out of hand. Suoh: "That's a fine idea"... Suoh: Is that what you expected me to say? Munakata: It's not an idea, it's an ultimatum. Munakata: You've gone too far, Suoh. Munakata: That being the case, allow me to slay Tatara Totsuka's killer, the man who calls himself the Colorless King. Munakata: If you'll consent to that, I'll execute him in any way you wish. Suoh: That's very generous of you. Suoh: But no thanks. Munakata: I'm sure you've seen the shape your Sword of Damocles is in. Munakata: The sword is the symbol of a king and manifests the truest image of its king's condition. Munakata: Your sword will come crashing down soon. Suoh: Oh really? Munakata: Your Weismann level is at the brink. Munakata: The added burden of killing a king here will certainly exceed your limit. Munakata: You'll cause a repeat of the Kagutsu Crater tragedy. Munakata: You no longer have any right to be a king. Munakata: It's time to step down, Red King. Suoh: I've never taken any action as a king. Munakata: There are innocent high school students here who have nothing to do with this. Munakata: Your men are here too. Munakata: Do you understand?! Suoh: I will settle my own business, while you take care of yours. Suoh: Isn't that all there is? Munakata: Barbarian! Munakata: You're beyond reason. Suoh: You didn't think you could actually change my mind, did you? Suoh: That's so not your style. Munakata: Not really... Munakata: I just came here to see a friend. Suoh: Go. Munakata: Suoh... Munakata: Are you sure you won't change your mind? Suoh: I'm sure. Munakata: Fool.
Suoh: What'll it be? Suoh: You can go help them if you want. Munakata: And ruin this perfect moment? Suoh: You have a point. After all... Suoh: This is our last fight. Munakata: Munakata... Ready!
Suoh: We're not finished, are we? Munakata: No, I'd say we're just getting started. Suoh: No more time outs from you, got it? Munakata: Like you'd listen to me even if I wanted one.
Suoh: What's the matter? Suoh: Is that all you've got? Suoh: I know you can do better. Munakata: It's because I don't have my glasses. Suoh: You're not taking this too seriously, are you? Munakata: One cannot afford to be so nonchalant when locked in battle with the Red King himself. Suoh: Damn. Suoh: I've always hated that overly polite manner of yours. Suoh: Can't you speak like a normal person?! Munakata: It is my mission as one of the Seven Kings, and my duty as the leader of SEPTER 4 to defeat you. Munakata: Personally, as Munakata Reisi, I want to help you, Suoh. Suoh: That's not like you at all!
Suoh: Thanks for bringing him here. Munakata: Stop it, Suoh! Munakata: Don't do it!
Suoh: Sorry... Suoh: For making you do the dirty work... Munakata: Don't give me that rubbish while looking at peace with yourself. {I think rubbish might be more polite with this guy being so polite} Munakata: If you really feel that way, couldn't you have done something about it... before this happened? Suoh: You've said enough... Munakata. Suoh: I'm sorry... Anna. Suoh: I won't be able to show you that beautiful red anymore.
"The Chosen Man" stands in the rain. A cold rain which, at any moment, may turn into ice. However, the chill seeping into his skin and the uncomfortable sticking of his wet clothes are irrelevant to him. Each raindrop falls to the ground without a single one touching him, coincidentally avoiding his body entirely. Almost as if there is an invisible umbrella open above him.
"The Chosen Man" stands on a battlefield. The exploding grenades, falling to the ground like a torrential downpour, however, stray from their vertical trajectory before impact, so he is unharmed by the scattering fragments. The stronger the power of the grenade, the further diagonally it strays from above his head. So, what if an atomic bomb was to be dropped above "The Chosen Man?" Even if it glides diagonally away and misses ground zero by a few kilometers, he can no longer escape injury to his body. However, destiny will preserve his safety to the last. As a result, what would happen? Nothing. The bomb will neither fall, nor will it explode. It will continue to exist, paused in mid air still full of its fatal energy, above the invisible umbrella--
The above is a thought experiment called casually, "Umbrella and Bombs." It's an allegory for the Weismann Theory's concept of a probability point. The nature and abilities of the leaders chosen by and who could control destiny were first defined, measured, and theorized in Germany in 1944. Then, the following year the first scientifically defined "King" was born in the middle of conflict. In the midst of death and destruction, a shining sword hung over his head. This is neither an allegory, nor a fairy tale. This is historical truth. But, perhaps-- If thought of as the point in time where the rules of the real world were rewritten, maybe it should be called a certain kind of fairy tale, a myth of creation. They twist, stop, and dominate with their will the laws of nature once controlled by microscopic coincidences and macroscopic certainties--the era of demigods. 201X - In a corner of the world, set on an island in the Far East, the prologue to this myth is still continuing.
†
Casually, they're "superpowered." Said a little more politely, they're "uniquely powered individuals." Scientifically, they're "probability-inclined psychokinetics." Legally, they're "persons retaining abilities caused by a unique phenomenon." In the jargon within the police organization, they call them "supes." When police officer Kusuhara Takeru first saw that, it was his second month as a part of the Metropolitan Police Department Riot Squad. It was his nineteenth summer. The strong rays of the sun reflected off of the asphalt. His protector and helmet were burning him up on both sides, and the sweat forming inside his uniform dripped to his feet and pooled in his boots. "…It's hot," he murmured quietly. Next to him, head patrol officer Tamura Atsushi, still facing forward, said shortly, "Don't lose focus." "Ah… I'm sorry." As he answered, he moved his head slightly to catch a glimpse to see how Tamura was doing. He was six years older than Kusuhara. The younger members of the squad adored him like an older brother because of his more mature calm demeanor and good humored personality. That Tamura was unusually nervous. He couldn't see his expression behind the face shield, but he could feel a strong wariness from his small movements. The robber had taken hold of a bank in the office district--that was how the situation had been explained to Kusuhara. They stood directly in front of the bank with its shutters down, gripping their riot batons and making a blockade line with their riot shields. It was a dangerous mission where they were literally bearing the brunt of the theft, but since Tamura had experience in scenes like this, he always kept a collected composure. To Kusuhara, that was reliable… But what about now? He could overhear bits and pieces of the correspondence a platoon commander in the back row was having with command headquarters. There were two robbers. They had threatened the clerks at the teller window and taken the money, but since emergency communications were prompt and they ran into trouble retreating, they had failed to escape. They took some of the bank staff and customers as hostages and shut themselves inside. It had been two hours since the incident. With communications open with the criminals on one hand and the information gathered from off-duty clerks and customers kept out from the hold, they were able use both to get a grasp on the situation. How the criminals looked, the number of hostages, the facilities within the bank--and most importantly, the weapons the criminals had. Most of the customers witnessed the gun pointed at the teller clerk and testified, "They shot the ceiling as a threat," "One of the fluorescent lights broke." On the other hand, there were others saying, "I didn't hear a gunshot," "It didn't go off," and that contradiction led investigation headquarters to call to mind one possibility. "--Inclination levels have moved from 3.5 to 4. Assuming suspect as a supe." "Understood. Assuming suspect as a supe and guard--" Tamura's mouth stiffened at the overheard exchange coming from behind them. "So it is a supe… Be careful." "…What's a soup?" Kusuhara whispered back. Since Tamura had talked to him, he figured it would be alright to talk just a little bit. Rather, if he dared to open his mouth in a situation like this, then he might have something important to say. "A superpowered. You've heard of them, at least?" "Ah yeah, like, a superhero--" When Kusuhara spoke, Tamura stirred and stood at the ready. The side entrance opened slightly, and a man in a brown beanie poked his face out. In his hand, he held a gun. Once in a while, the robbers would come and look at the outside situation like this. "…But he looks surprisingly normal." "It's weird that he looks normal." "Huh… Ah, okay," Kusuhara nodded. What felt "normal" was, more than the man's appearance, the impression he got from his movements. Whether it be a blade or a gun, the one holding the weapon will move with their consciousness centered on it. Holding it in front of them at the ready in order to use it at any time, or holding it with the muzzle or tip pointed down at the feet in caution--it would be an obvious thing were it a real gun. But were it to be a model gun or some other bluff, then they would most certainly try to deliberately show it as a real one. But this man wasn't showing the characteristics of an armed person. He was treating the gun in his hand carelessly, like a toy. -- Why, in a tense scene of a crime, walking around carrying something like a gun, isn't he treating it like a weapon? If Kusuhara put the "unnatural naturalness" he felt into words, that's what it would be. The answer was-- --Because the criminal had separate weapons for show and use. Then why didn't he show the weapon he used? He could think of two reasons: He didn't want to show his real weapon… Or, that weapon was invisible. "--Look carefully. There's something like a heat haze coming out from around his body, right?" "Ah, you're right." At Tamura's words, Kusuhara nodded. "Kinda, like, waving…" "By gravity or light or whatever, it's warping bit by bit." "Ooh, gravity. I don't really understand, but that's awesome… Do they fly and shoot beams like superheroes in movies?" "Nah, if his power's in the single digits, then he's got the strength of a kid at most." "What," Kusuhara gave a wry smile. "His gun looks like a fake, so why don't we just charge in and hold them back?" "Don't let your guard down," Tamura said with a hardened voice. "I almost died because of that." "What?" "This eye… I've only got half my eyesight in it." With a gloved fingertip, he tapped his face shield. "It'll be four or five years ago now… Had a run in with one of those supes. When we ran in with our shields, an invisible finger stuck me over my shield and into my eye. Like… twisted." "Ew…" "There were some other guys who got their brains smashed. You be careful, too." "…Yes." Kusuhara nodded meekly, and stood on his toes to look over the riot shield. "If that's so, then we should definitely stay as far away as we can… Oh." His movement must have stood out within the group; the man in the beanie, who had been looking around at his surroundings, locked his gaze onto him and gave a light wave with his gun. "…?" Kusuhara leaned forward-- "--Idiot! Don't stick your head out!" Tamura said sharply, and Kusuhara involuntarily shrank back. At that moment, the man in the beanie swung his gun downward. It was almost like he was trying to hit someone in front of him with the grip, but-- Thump. With a hard sound, the top of the riot shield was sliced off diagonally. "Wah!?" Kusuhara threw his head back, and Tamura yelled, "He's in range!" "--Pull back! All men pull back!" The policemen around them withdrew like the receding tide. Kusuhara, who had fallen on his behind, and Tamura, who was grabbing onto his collar and dragging him, were left behind. "Get rid of your shield! It's not gonna help!" "O-Okay… Wah!?" The shield he had just tossed away was split in two in front of him, and a number of cracks ran through the asphalt at his feet. They were long, straight cuts, much like an invisible knife cutting butter. That "power" was surely no more powerful than a child's strength. But at the same time, it had more range and density than Tamura and the others had imagined. The unseen blade the superpowered himself materialized from over twenty meters away passed through the road surface on Kusuhara's sides and arrived at Tamura's feet. Tamura fell with a grunt. The blood from his calf scattered on the asphalt. "Tamura-san!?" The moment he turned around, Kusuhara felt a strange sensation on his back. That omen of the wavering of narrowing space, an echo without a sound. The next attack was closing in on them. His body moved reflexively against that invisible phenomenon. He got himself up, gripping the fallen riot baton by his feet and posing on one knee, he swung. Clang! There was the sound of clashing metal. Then, the asphalt behind Kusuhara's left side cracked open. The wooden baton hit the invisible blade and made it change directions, and hit the road. The man standing in the door at the far end of his sight was looking his way, puzzled. -- That was…? Kusuhara himself was also looking at the baton with wide eyes. Something like a faint haze on his hand and baton wavered, then disappeared. When he looked back at the door, the man in the beanie was raising his gun again. Most likely, he used his attack with swinging his arm down like a sword. Timing it with the instant the man lowered his arm, Kusuhara stood, raising his baton in an uppercut. Clang! Again, he flung away the invisible blade causing a hard and heavy response. -- I can do this…! Keeping his labored breathing under control, Kusuhara held out his 120 centimeter baton at the ready out in front of him, like kendo. He was able to block the "invisible attacks," which had been able to slice in two with no problem a thick polycarbonate shield, with a wooden baton - as irrational as that guess was, he had an intuitive belief. The feeling of the hit from just a moment ago still remained in his hands. "Don't move!" The voice from the speaker he heard from above him was directed at the man in the beanie. Behind him, using the personnel transport vehicles as shield, a number of troops held submachine guns at the ready, pointing them at the man. This was no longer an average crime, and the response had changed to that of dealing with an armed terrorist attack. "Put down your weapon and come forward, slowly!" In this case, he didn't know how much meaning there was in making him throw away his "visible weapon." Were the man able to use his power unarmed, then wouldn't taking away his weapon be impossible? But in any case, in this situation it seemed that his side would settle it in their advantage. With all the guns pointed in his direction, the man was no longer able to move. Were he to try to cut Kusuhara and the other troops, he would be showered with tens of bullets in the next instant. He had no choice but to obediently step down. When Kusuhara let his guard down just a little, another man appeared from within the side entrance. It was the second man of the two criminals. His clothes were similar to that of the first man, but he was a bit taller, and his beanie was black. From his demeanor, he looked to be the leader. He seemed to be saying to the first man, "What's taking so long!?" In one hand, he was holding a simple gun. "You two, throw down your weapons!" At that voice, it seemed as though the man in the black hat realized the situation for the first time. Or he may have put on such an act on purpose. He looked around, and gave a shrug of his shoulders at the number of guns facing them. Then, the man tossed his gun as he was told. He let it go with a big, slow movement, as though it was a display to Kusuhara and the troops. Then--he swiftly swung his arm to the side. Boo- boo- boom! Suddenly, three personnel transport vehicles behind Kusuhara exploded. The mass of heat and impact from the inside of the vehicles ripped the frames off, and scattered iron scraps at high speed with the blast. His colleagues were blown away like splinters and hit the ground. "Wha…!?" Kusuhara winced, and at his feet Tamura groaned. "Beta Class…!" "Beta…?" When he tried to ask, the blast, delayed by a few seconds, hit his back, and he fell forward a step. Clonk!
The baton was cut in half right in front of his eyes. He could see a smooth cross section, like a cucumber cut with a kitchen knife. While his attention was taken with the explosions behind him, the first man attacked with his "invisible blade." At the same time, there was a light impact on his forehead. For a moment, the image of his head and helmet both in round slices appeared in the back of his mind, and reflexively he threw off his helmet. Blood slipped down his temples. The blade had cracked his face shield and reached his forehead. But it was only a slight wound. Preparing himself for the next attack, Kusuhara held the halved baton at the ready, and brought it up to his face. Then the man in the black beanie pulled back the man in brown, and took a step forward. Beta Class. That's what patrol officer Tamura had just said. It was probably about that guy. What did it mean? Was it the strength of his power? Or the type? The man in the brown beanie attacked with an invisible blade, but the man in the black's weapon was most likely invisible bombs. Would he be able to block it with a stick? Hit the bombs he throws like a baseball… Could he do such a thing? As he churned these thoughts, the expression of the man in the black beanie reflected in Kusuhara's eyes. His cheeks were twisted in a smile, and he thrust his fist in his direction-- As he opened his hand, in the far distance in front of Kusuhara a small thing burst out. A clump of very high energy with neither color nor shape--it seemed like the very air itself was compressed. In the next moment, it shone like the sun-- -- Will it explode!? Kusuhara dropped the baton and covered his face with both his hands. At that moment-- Ting! With a high pitched noise, the explosion was sealed. "Wha…" Kusuhara opened his eyes partway. The strange and dangerous bomb was like a small sun the size of a fist, but an even more mysterious thing was covering the dazzling ball of light. It was a shining blue cube, about ten centimeters on each side. Like the bombs and the blade, it was not a normal object and seemed like a distortion of space, but it appeared in a shape he could clearly see. The bomb sealed inside was violently pulsating to release its fatal amount of heat, but it was firmly constricted, like shut inside a living crystal. The blue crystal sealing the pulsating ball of light was a strange work of art that slowly spun before Kusuhara's eyes. As his eyes were enraptured with that unrealistic sight, a voice from far behind him spoke, "…You are quite the natural at this." It was a calm, well-carried voice. He turned around, and in the black smoke that lingered over the road, there was a strange group. It was a group of about twenty, wearing an unfamiliar blue uniform. Each carried a long saber at their waist, and walked together at a calm pace. The image of them in two lines was almost like that of blue castle walls. Kusuhara was used to the sight of blockade lines made of armed riot policemen, but what made him still think so was that each man's existence was filled with some sort of energy; an immensity of each presence. The man standing in the middle of the line stood out even among them. He was most likely the leader of this group. From his rather thin and tall body and spectacled, intelligent features he had a presence that almost overwhelmed everything around him. "There are many of those who manifest their power in the shape of a sword. That is because the sword itself is the symbol of the most fundamental offensive ideal and the will--it is an extension of your arm in a hard and sharp form." Keeping his pace, the man in glasses spoke to Kusuhara. His interest was for some reason directed not to the bombs that destroyed the large vehicles, nor the injured lying here and there, nor the superpowereds who caused their injuries, but to Kusuhara. "However, those who can use their sword for protection are few. You strike against and stop a sharpened and concentrated will off attack with your own just as, or even more, concentrated will. An innate talent over simply technique is necessary for such an unusually difficult action." When the man came in front of Kusuhara a smile appeared on his face, and he placed a hand on the protector's shoulder. "Indeed. That was you just now. It was truly excellent. …But afterwards was not so good." "Huh…?" The man in glasses concentrated power into his hands slightly, and Kusuhara took a step back. Then he extended his hand to the crystal remaining in mid air, and it moved to his palm and began to slowly spin there. "If you hold on to your will strongly, everything within reach of your sword will become the sanctuary your will controls. Even the most primitive of accidental power discharges will not encroach on that." Playing with the crystal in the air, the man turned to the superpowereds in the doorway. His associates also passed Kusuhara and stopped a few steps in front of him. "…Scepter 4!" The man in the black beanie flung his right hand sideways at the ranks. Five bright balls of light appeared in front of them and-- Ting! They were all sealed within cubic crystals without waiting a second for an explosion, and floated in a stack on the palm of the man in glasses. In that opening, the man in the brown hat attacked with his invisible blade. But, a woman in the blue uniform jumped out in front from behind the man in glasses, cutting into the blade's path and repelling it with the saber scabbard in her right hand. She then held her scabbard at her waist and saluted him. "1315, transfer of authority in this incident as a Beta Case has been recognized by the Metropolitan Police Department." "Very well." The man's finger met with the bridge of his glasses and he gave a faint smile. He then looked up and spoke as though he was chanting to the heavens-- We of Scepter 4 carry out duties of the sword. Forgiving of neither war in the sanctuary, nor chaos in the world-- We will advance with sword in hand, for our cause is pure!
"Men, draw!" The uniformed woman waiting at the man's side commanded the other men. They all drew their swords at once, and held them in front of them at the ready with the blade standing. A blue, wavering atmospheric distortion spread out in a circle from each of their feet. This must be the "sanctuary" that the man in glasses had mentioned earlier. Kusuhara, too, had heard of their name in rumors. Created by superpowereds, the superpowered-response public security organization "Scepter 4" - this ground was already their territory. The situation was already far from the hands of normal people. When Kusuhara tried follow Tamura, who was being carried off on a stretcher by the relief crew, the man called to stop him. "Ah, you. Please wait. I'd like to show you an example." "An example…?" The man in glasses moved his right hand lightly, and all six blue crystals flew into the air. As he unsheathed his saber he gave a single slice in an elegant motion, and with that one blow all the crystals were cut in two. Boom! Said simply, six times the energy of the bombs that had destroyed the vehicles earlier was released in one fell swoop, and engulfed Kusuhara and the Scepter 4 troops in explosive flame. No, the blue sanctuary created at the same time as the explosion from the feet of the man in glasses spread much larger and stronger than those of the other troops, and protected them all. And still, the energy pushed to the boundary of sanctuary and normal space swirled up to the skies and concentrated overhead at a mechanical equilibrium point, pressurizing. "…!" Kusuhara Takeru looked up and saw what was being born--a huge crystallization of concentrated space and energy. It was a sword of bombs. It was a symbol of a will suited for order, a symbol of a spontaneous discharge of power, and a symbol of an authority to control the world. His nineteenth summer, the first time Kusuhara Takeru saw that-- The Blue King, Munakata Reisi, and his Sword of Damocles.
In a corner of the Scepter 4 headquarters, nicknamed "The Camellia Gate," was a partially forgotten file room. The tens of file shelves lined up within the room were reminiscent of a walled maze, or cliffs exposed from layers of dirt. They were the rejected and heavy accumulated deposits of history. Beyond this pressure and weaving through the rows of dusty shelves was a lone man at the single desk by the window. He was around his mid-thirties. His huge musculature was set, hunched slightly over an old computer. It was almost like he was a fossil buried in the layers of documents -- no, upon closer inspection, his hand was moving leisurely on the dirtied keyboard. His typing was slow, and sometimes stopped in hesitation. He used only the fingers on his right hand. This was because he had no left arm. The left sleeve of the internal affairs division uniform covering his massive body was knotted carelessly in the area above his elbow and dangled down. The one-armed man shifted his reading glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. There was a large, old scar that ran from the ridge of his nose to his left cheek. Rubbing that scar with his finger he made a stern expression, then gave a big sigh and turned to the monitor once again. He was no good at typing, and he was even worse at operating machines. His job of simply inputting the small amount of written reports into the computer once a day was the biggest task of his -- of Zenjoh Goki's[1] daily routine. When his rough right hand began to hover, searching for the key he wanted to hit-- A cherry blossom petal landed softly on the back of his hand. It was probably carried in on the spring wind from the rows of cherry trees planted on the outside of headquarters. As though being invited by the petal, he turned his gaze outside the open window. On the grounds surrounded by trees, he could see a uniformed group forming a line. The pink of the flurry of falling cherry blossoms and the blue of the uniforms glowed vividly in the afternoon sun. The sight of the lined troops, their posture carrying a supple power, was a sight to behold. Part of that must have depended on the weight of the sabers worn on their waist. These swordsmen division troops were the core of the superpowered-response organization Scepter 4, but also could conceptually be called Scepter 4 itself. With swords at their waist, they were also the very “Sword of the King” itself. That was the foundation of their existence. "Men, draw!" The command, dominating the grounds and carrying all the way to the barracks, belonged to the lieutenant of Scepter 4, Awashima Seri. Though she was a woman, her dignified vigor completely controlled almost a hundred men. The troops all drew their sabers at once and held them in front at salute. The group of blades pointed to the sky looked like a pinholder from far away. "Row formation!" The troops pulled their sabers to their side and changed formation, from eight lines to four rows, with a trot. Space was kept between the rows while the troops were rather close to each other - the "wall" formation. "Fencing method, first form! Begin!" The troops moved their blades to the front and lunged. "One!" "Two!" "Three!" "Four!" With each command, a hundred blades pointed in each direction, followed through and then once again pointed forward. Every single movement was completely synchronized. The fencing method was Western swordsmanship arranged for group action and then simplified, but there were points that were definitely different from what is called "swordsmanship." The first is that they were not assuming that their enemy would have a sword like them. And right now, they were not aiming to cause damage with their sword. The members of the swordsmen division all had high-level superpowers. Just with the inclination field that they created, they were able to repel bullets and knock down enemies several meters away. The sword as a weapon and swordsmanship were both essentially unnecessary. Then… If it wasn't a weapon, what was it? What was a "sword" to them? It was most likely something like a "symbol," or a "guide." Give a formless power the image of a sword, and then control it. Specifically, the drawing motion was the trigger that released their power, then they concentrated on the image of a blade and used their powers with the movement of the sword. The sabers worn by the troops of of Scepter 4 were the very symbol of "controlled power." The very ideal of the Blue King, Munakata Reisi. "--Serrate formation!" Every other member in each row advanced, or perhaps retreated, taking the shape of a jagged line. "Fencing method, second form! Begin!" The back row covered the gap created by the front row's attack. Then, the front row defended as they retreated, switching with the back row - almost one hundred troops were moving systematically and without hesitation, like a complicated machine made of cog wheels. They were beautiful movements, reminiscent of a group dance. -- How dazzling. The reason Zenjoh narrowed his eyes was not just because the reflection of the sun off the blades was bright. Like a hard, transparent mineral crystal, it was complete beauty that rejected all impurity. There was no room in there for such a foreign thing as himself. That didn't mean he was unhappy. Much like his habit of touching his scar, it was just that realizing everything that he lacked with every little thing was something he'd been doing for many years. He rubbed his eyes, dazzled by the sight outside, and turned back to the monitor. Then-- "Hey, watch it!" "Ah, I'm sorry!" One member made a mistake in his movements, and seemed as though his blade had grazed another. Luckily, neither seemed to be injured, but-- "Kusuhara!" "Yes ma'am!" The one that lowered his head in apology, Kusuhara jumped up straight at Awashima's sharp voice. "Ten laps!" "Yes ma'am!" Kusuhara hurriedly put his saber back into its sheath and ran off. "Watch yourself!" "Yes sir!" The member that got hit by the saber called out to Kusuhara as he passed, but-- "Hidaka, you too!" "Wha!?" Then, as the two troop members began to run side-by-side, still uniformed with sword at their side, "--Third form, from the top! Begin!" The lesson continued with Awashima's command. It wasn't long before the two, ejected from the ranks, came around in front of Zenjoh along the inner edge of the grounds and happened to hear their conversation. "…Dammit, I don't get it… I wish that woman'd make her huge tits the joke, yeah?" Hidaka was taller and seemed to be older. He was speaking in a rude manner to Kusuhara at his side. "I'm a victim!" "Huh? …Ah, huh." Kusuhara, on the other hand, was smaller than average. His face also looked a bit like a boy's. "Isn't that where I say something like, 'you couldn't avoid it and that's slacking too?'" "You're in no position to say that. Know your place!" Hidaka stuck out his elbow and poked Kusuhara's shoulder. "Ah, ow, I'm sorry, that hurts… Wah!" Kusuhara raised his voice. His eyes met with Zenjoh's beyond the window, almost ten meters away. "What are you making weird voices for?" "Oh, there was someone… I heard that over there was storage, so…" "Hah? There's at least someone in charge of it." "No, I thought it was a monster." "You a kid?" "Ow!" When Hidaka hit the back of Kusuhara's head, "Hidaka! Kusuhara! What are you fooling around for!?" Awashima's sharp voice interrupted them. "Five more laps!" "Ueeei!?" Hidaka made a strange sound and increased his pace. "Ah… hello," Kusuhara stopped for a moment and gave Zenjoh a small bow, then once again followed after Hidaka. Zenjoh gave a wry smile as he nodded back, and watched as Kusuhara ran off. A few minutes later when they came around the track again Kushara nodded his head to him, and on the next time around he passed without paying any mind to him. And then-- --Yet again, there are no more special notes from today. Zenjoh finished typing up the brief report after a long time and when he lifted his head, Kusuhara and Hidaka were still running. They had at some point removed their uniforms and sabers and just had on their inner shirt. The other troops were nowhere to be seen. They had finished their scheduled lessons and seemed were already done for the day. Neither of them were saying a word, and were now just mindlessly driving their bodies forward. A distant scene that reminded him of two animals running across a field. Zenjoh, gazing on this, was also mindless. As he caught a glimpse of a radiant time that he would no longer step foot in, his rough hand was just barely touching the scar on his cheek.
†
"The point is, your tempo was off." On their regular parting, Hidaka laughed and smacked Kusuhara on the back. Moody Hidaka was quick to anger, but it washed away just as quickly. "Think about what you did! Think about it!" "Ah, I'm sorry. I will do just that." Kusuhara, scratching the back of his head with a wry smile, actually thought that there might be something off about himself. The one who would fail to sing together in a chorus, or the one who would somehow end up on the opposite leg in a march. Now that he thought about it, he was that kid. His athletics weren't bad, but qualities such as a sense of rhythm and precise movement were things he was born without. And though he had decided that he would never do work that involved singing or dancing, he had been careless about one last thing. There were marches and lines in the riot squad which he used to work in, and he was pulled from there and switched to Scepter 4, which also required group movement. Especially the fencing methods, where everyone wields actual drawn swords - if one messes up the timing, that could cause injury to coworkers in the area. It wasn't something one could get by with being bad at. That was the reason why he thought about practicing on his own after lights out. Kusuhara left the dorms in his tracksuit, and with a bamboo sword in place of his saber in hand, wandered around the premises of headquarters for a place he could swing it around to his heart's content. Inside a building he would probably hit a wall or a window, and in the middle of the grounds… would kind of make him stand out a lot. After he thought of several locations, he headed toward the dojo at the edge of headquarters. It was a rather normal association that if you use a bamboo sword, it's in a dojo. If the dojo was open for night training, then he'd at least ask for a corner to practice swinging. As he thought this, he went to the front of the building. …But. For some reason, he got a strange feeling. The lights of the dojo were off, but the entrance and windows were all wide open. Because of its old fashioned and open structure, the separations inside were few and the night air just entered. And, inside-- -- There's something scary in there, Kusuhara thought. A savage beast that lurked in a dark brush, or a demon that lived in the attic of a deserted house - Kusuhara shook his head and chased out the images that appeared in his head. His instinct has always been sharp, but he didn't think there was any way a bear or a boar would be in the middle of the city, and he wasn't the age to be actually afraid of monsters. If something was actually there it was most likely human, and most logically a member of Scepter 4 like himself. Though he did wonder what they were doing with the lights off… Kusuhara gave a slight peek through the door and into the dojo. Then, Wham! -- The sudden blast of wind that blew from inside the dojo - no, something like the shock of a huge taiko drum being struck in front of him hit Kusuhara in the face. More precisely, it wasn't actual wind or sound at all. It was some sort of unseeable presence. "…Who's there?" A low, calm man's voice asked him who he was, and he reflexively fixed his posture. "H-Hello! Um…!" Ah Kusuhara became flustered, the owner of the voice appeared from the darkness within the dojo. It was a huge man. He could tell from over his training uniform that his over-190 centimeter body was covered in bunches of thick muscle. He had his left hand in his pocket… no, it seemed as though that arm only went to the elbow. And in his right hand he held an unsheathed odachi, long enough to drag. It was an exposed, lethal weapon that radiated a dangerous aura incomparable to the regular sabers. -- Is he going to kill me!? Kusuhara reflexively pulled himself back and held his bamboo sword at the ready in front of him. A moment later, a faint blue light appeared on the part of the blade. A spectral phenomenon produced as a result of the inclination field. Since his appointment to Scepter 4 six months ago, his special powers had grown remarkably. By the connection of his power and the draw of his sword, a certain invocation and control became possible - like the other troops, he was taking lessons like that. To put it in Hidaka's words, "the beam swords you see in manga." The blue phosphorescent blade was pointed at the armed giant. "Mm? …Ah, no." The man, after observing Kusuhara, turned his back to him and once again made his way inside, picking up something long off the floor. His eyes just getting used to the darkness, Kusuhara could tell that it was a huge sheath. The man held it under his left arm and put away the weapon with one hand, then took it back with his right hand and returned to him. "Sorry for scaring you. I was practicing my iai." "Ah, no…" Seeing the blade put away, he was finally able to relax. On a closer look, the man's demeanor was rather proper. The large scar on his left cheek stood out, but the eyes behind the glasses were smiling softly. "And you are?" "Um… Kusuhara Takeru, Swordsmen Division Troops, Fourth Squad." Kusuhara relaxed his stance, and the blue light disappeared from the bamboo sword. "The sword troops… Ahh, from this afternoon." The man scratched his left cheek with the back of the hand gripping the longsword. "This afternoon…?" Kusuhara tilted his head, and the man gave his name. "Zenjoh Goki. 'The person in charge of storage.' I'm not a monster." "…Ah--" He was the person who had been watching them from the window in the barracks when they were running their punishment laps during the day's lesson. Kusuhara realized that person was the man in front of him, and he flushed. "…I see, and you're practicing on your own. Um… If I'm in your way, I'll come back later." Kusuhara said without explanation to Zenjoh, who had easily grasped the situation, half out of awkwardness. But-- "Nah. You have admirable intentions, Kusuhara-kun." The old scar cutting across his cheek moved, and he gave a half-smile. Then-- First he asked if he needed light or not, but he could see his feet by the light from the window. Zenjoh himself had said that his senses were sharper in the dark. Then they took their places on practically opposite ends of the dojo and started training on their own. Imitating the sheathed saber, Kusuhara held the bamboo sword against his waist as in the fencing method. From the first form draw, he held it at the ready, followed through, and changed his feet - as he did so, he glanced over at Zenjoh. He had said that since he was using a real sword it was dangerous and had put a large distance between them, but Zenjoh was sitting perfectly still, facing the small altar further inside the dojo, longsword placed at his side. -- Still, that's an incredible sword. Kusuhara recalled the sight of the naked odachi he had seen with his own eyes earlier. A thick blade holding a glittering light. Something that could probably cut even a human, vertically or horizontally, easily in two. -- But something that big is probably hard to use.
-- And one-handed, even… How does he draw? I want to see that. Kusuhara had forgotten the reason he had come here in the first place, and his interest had already moved to Zenjoh. -- Since he's practicing alone in the middle of the night that probably means he doesn't want others to see. I'll finish up here quickly, then peek in through the window… "--Kusuhara-kun. Your focus is all over the place." Zenjoh said, his back still turned to Kusuhara. "Eh…!? Ah, right, I'm sorry!" Kusuhara hurriedly fixed his posture and bowed. Zenjoh continued to speak without laughing at or scolding him. "It's good that you're paying attention to your surroundings, but dropping your form for that isn't." "Okay, I'll be more careful!" Kusuhara responded, posture still stiff. "And… your beat is inconsistent." "Hah… my beat?" Kusuhara tilted his head, "…Ah--" And he realized. -- This is that thing about "tempo." "An 'inconsistent beat'… isn't good, right?" Kusuhara asked curiously, and Zenjoh's appearance wavered slightly. "In this case, no… but it's right for swordsmanship." -- Not good, but right. They were words almost like a riddle, but to Kusuhara he felt they grasped the core of something. "Um, do you think… you could explain a little more about that please?" When he involuntarily took a step towards Zenjoh-- Boom--! With an attack that was like piercing his chest, the point of the huge sword was pointed at his throat. "…!?" Kusuhara jumped back reflexively and gripped his bamboo sword. But-- As before, they were on opposite sides of the dojo. They were apart by 30 or so meters. The point he had seen was an illusion his body created when he had felt the frightening energy. Zenjoh was on one knee, his longsword drawn. Kusuhara didn't see the moment when he had drawn it or how he did it at all. The blade that was the very extension of his single arm was filled with vigor, and his face looked like that of a terrible demon. The tip of the demon was pointing to Kusuhara's throat-- no, to the doorway over his shoulder. "My, what an impressive draw. It chills me." He heard a smiling voice from behind him. "Heheh… That's no good for a body just out of the bath. You'll probably get sick." He turned around, and a tall man stepped lightly through the door. His image was a bit different, due to his yukata and just-washed hair, but-- "…Director?[2]" "Good evening, Kusuhara-kun. It seems you were having quite the enjoyable conversation." The man said Kusuhara's name, but wasn't paying any mind to his existence. The "Director" was the Blue King, Munakata Reisi. His eyes were fixated on the devilish swordsman who was pointing his blade at him. Munakata pushed up his glasses with his finger, and gave a faint smile. "'Zenjoh the Demon,' fencing master--do you mind doing me a favor?"
†
-- I'm surrounded by scary people. Kusuhara froze, bamboo sword still grasped in his hand. He couldn't make a single movement, much like he was being pressed on both sides by walls. Munakata Reisi and Zenjoh Goki. They were both men with overwhelming presences, but their impressions were strikingly different. Zenjoh's scariness - the oppressiveness of his bare weapon - was familiar in a way. The vigor of a fanged beast that a kendo master or a higher officer in the riot squad had. Something that fundamentally existed in that extension. Size, speed and strength from decades of simply training body and technique to the utmost. Like one would be eaten in one bite if they carelessly got too close - an easy to understand "scariness." On the other hand, Munakata was unlike anyone Kusuhara knew. His age was most likely around 23 or 24. He could say his age was roughly the same as his own. He was too young to be the top of an organization that held more authority and combat strength than the regular police… That's what one would think looking at the number alone. But those thoughts vanish when seeing Munakata himself. Though Zenjoh's intent was pointed squarely at him, this man was not moving. He was even smiling faintly. Another huge presence, directly facing a huge and explosive power. But this was more like an iceberg beneath the water, an unknown magnitude. …Or rather, what showed the entirety of his power was probably that. What Kusuhara once saw in the summer sky. A huge sword whose tip pointed to the ground, above Munakata's head, far above in the sky - The Sword of Damocles. Munakata was hiding that giant mass of energy within his deep, bottomless shadows. Though he seemed unarmed at first, he was more strongly equipped than anyone. So even if he was confronted with a sword, no, even perhaps attacked by a gun or missiles, he would most likely remain composed. Zenjoh, his long blade unsheathed, and Munakata, hiding a huge "sword." Their confrontation lasted for tens of seconds in the strained atmosphere. …No, it was most likely only a few seconds. That felt so much longer to nervous Kusuhara. Finally, "…You must be kidding." Zenjoh relaxed his shoulders and let down his blade. Munakata didn't answer. He still had a faint smile on his lips. Zenjoh picked up his his scabbard and sheathed his sword, then stood and approached. "Kusuhara-kun." "Yes…!?" Kusuhara jumped aside to clear the way and Zenjoh passed slowly in front of him, like a large beast. "Sorry. I said too much." "Yes! …Ah, I mean, not at all!" Zenjoh bowed to Munakata who was standing in the doorway, then turned back to the entire dojo and bowed again, and just walked away. It felt as though the pressure inside the dojo lessened as the huge figure vanished from sight. But Kusuhara continued staring in the direction that Zenjoh left, still tense. Because-- When Zenjoh left, Munakata's attention was directed at him. He felt that, and his entire body froze. Undoubtedly a frog being watched by a snake. -- This has gotten even scarier. What was Director Munakata thinking right now? How was he feeling? He had no idea. This unknowable, gigantic existence was peering at him from the corner of his vision. "…There's no need to be so nervous, Kusuhara-kun." "Y--… Huh? Ah--" Prompted by Munakata's actions he looked at his hands, and the blade of his bamboo sword was bathed in a blue light. His cautiousness had unconsciously shown itself. "Sir, my apologies!" Kusuhara stood at attention. He lowered the tip of his bamboo sword and the light on the blade quickly weakened, then disappeared. Munakata gave a faint smile and gazed away from Kusuhara, looking toward the direction Zenjoh left. "It seems as though Mister Zenjoh hates us." "Huh? Me too?" Kusuhara responded reflexively. -- There shouldn't be a like or dislike to him when it comes to someone small like me. That's what he thought, but-- Munakata's eyebrow moved slightly. "…!" Kusuhara involuntarily straightened his back and looked away from Munakata. He was usually the type to just say what he was thinking. His for better or for worse, honest personality had never really caused any problems until now, but… only today seemed to be fatal. "Um… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." And again there was a long, scary silence when, "…Hm." Munakata gave a small sigh. Unlike the sharp, calm smile he had been wearing before, it was one that surfaced from the depths of his body. "Apologies. It's as you say." As though it was a habit when he talked, he adjusted his glasses with his finger as he spoke. "That man hates me." "…Hah." Kusuhara gave a vague response and peeked at Munakata. The expression partially hidden by his hand showed he was worried about the situation, or that he was ironically enjoying it. His gaze out the door and relaxed smile was much more human than before, but-- -- He really isn't someone I understand, after all… Kusuhara thought. Finally-- "Please lock up." Munakata said and then also left the dojo, leaving Kusuhara alone. Finally, he could practice calmly. Within the empty space, dimly lit by the moonlight, Kusuhara repeated the standard motions two, three times. Though the two giants had left, their impressions had left there some sort of a lingering scent. Even now he wondered, would a metal edge come flying out of the darkness? Or at this instant, would a cool gaze see straight through him? When he thought that, he felt something invisible go through his behavior. A bit of his tension rose through his feet, through his center of gravity and up his spine and lit his bamboo sword in a faint blue light, then radiated around him from the movements and watch at the end of it. In the dim light filled with potential dangers, Kusuhara almost mindlessly checked the range of his perception and weapon, and then-- His own breath. The weight of the bamboo sword, the sound of it slicing the air. His toenails brushing the floor, the feeling of it creaking as he stepped. The dim light. The movement of the air. The sounds of the nighttime bugs. All of that soaked into his body, or probably his own existence melted into the space around him. Only he was in this space right now. No, the space was him. When he happened to look at his hands, the blue phosphorescence within his wooden sword was still spreading faintly. The floor at his feet, too, was giving off a faint ring of light. "Ah… This is…" Kusuhara was bewildered, and then-- "--If you hold on to your will strongly, everything within reach of your sword will become the sanctuary your will controls--" Those were the mysterious words that Munakata had once said. That he had recalled, with a feeling he couldn't put into words, he suddenly understood them. -- Okay. Kusuhara took a deep breath and strengthened the grip on his bamboo sword. Then, he imagined transmitting that strength from his hands to the sword, then to the entire space of a strike. And then, on the floor, with Kusuhara in the center, a circle of light about two meters in radius appeared. The space his own will, the "invisible sword" controlled-- -- So this is that "sanctuary" thing… Kusuhara continued the fencing methods with the sanctuary still spread. While the circle of light - no, even the half sphere of space above it was filled with Kusuhara's will, or rather was strengthening his own power, stabilized in that condition. The complete power he didn't used to have was stretching into the space beyond himself. -- This is awesome. He didn't think he was a strong person. He almost never thought about competing with others with power. But now, in this space, in this instant, he didn't feel as though he would lose no matter who he fought. No matter how strong his opponent was. No matter how strong their weapon was-- -- No, that's definitely saying too much. For example, if he was up against Zenjoh's iai, he'd probably be cut down before he even had the chance to ready his weapon. Or if he was against Munakata, he would probably be crushed along with his sanctuary. Of course, he felt the need to become stronger as a member of a fighting organization, but, -- Well, I do have my limits. Kusuhara let slip a single wry smile, and then with the movements of his technique worked on stabilizing his own small sanctuary. However-- Kusuhara was now, by his own scale, putting himself with the men he had only vaguely recognized as giants until just a few minutes ago. This is what it meant to have his own "sanctuary." Kusuhara hadn't realized that truth yet. Right now he was just swinging his bamboo sword, creating small circles of light in the dimness--
“….Zenjou-san. Let us talk a little bit in private before we call in Awashima-kun.”
“Huh…”
Munakata said to Zenjou, whose expression was one of confusion and surprise.
“I believe that Kusuhara-kun said something similar to you before - but has the being Zenjou Gouki lost all value when he lost his left arm?”
Munakata directed his gaze towards Zenjou’s left arm, fixating on it in a manner that could even be considered impolite.
“…I don’t think so. Rather, I think that you have presently become complete by losing one arm.”
The kitten purred and rubbed its head against the fingertips of Zenjou, who remained silent.
“In the same vein, by losing the member Kusuhara, my SCEPTER4 is nearing its completion. Perhaps I can even say that…one death was necessary for the sake of the organization’s completion.”
“…are you”
Zenjou said, after a long pause.
“Are you saying that Kusuhara was supposed to die?”
Zenjou stood up. As if sensing the tense atmosphere, the kitten ran off.
“Well then…”
Munakata adjusted his glasses. His expression, half hidden by his hand, remained unreadable.
“If I said “yes”…will you slay me?”
Munakata said,
“Much like how you slew your own master - the Blue King, Habari Jin.”
“….!”
Zenjou’s expression underwent drastic changes.
Shock, rage - no, feelings even more intense than that displayed themselves on his face.
“199x, July, the Kagutsu Incident, in that decisive moment - caught in the area of influence of the “Red King” Kagutsu Renji’s Damocles Down, Habari Jin could not stabilize his own Sword of Damocles. In other words, there was a high possibility of a chain reaction occurring as a result.”
Munakata said to Zenjou, frozen with the look of a demon on his face.
“If two Damocles Downs were to occur at the same time, in the same area, then the amount of energy, multiplied by each other’s influence, should theoretically be enough to burn up the entirety of Kanto, leaving it to sink into the waters…it is even possible that the repercussions will be enough to lead to the downfall of the entire country.”
Observing Zenjou’s reactions, Munakata continued.
“In that moment, the life of one King and the future of one country was put on the balance of fate. Your swift strike saved the entire country - by instantly slaying the Blue King, faster than his sword could fall, and making his Sword of Damocles disappear-“
Zenjou did not answer. He let his gaze fall to the floor wordlessly.
-indeed he had slew Habari. He had no intentions of shying away from that fact.
However, at the same time, that wasn’t out of his own judgment…he thinks. He was spurred into motion - neither by his own will, nor by the expectations of others - but by some great impulse, and drawing his sword from its sheath came naturally.
Regardless-
He had slain Habari. The fact alone won’t change. The weight behind it will never ease up.
Even after the passing of ten years, he has yet to gain confidence in the justness of his actions.
But, the figure of Habari burnt in his mind-
“-Yes. That’s fine as it is.”
He found support in the memory of Habari, who smiled dazzlingly as he said that with a serene expression.
And now,
“Indeed….you are correct.”
The figure of Munakata before him overlapped with the figure in his memories.
-no, that’s not it.
This man isn’t Habari. He is not the master who was as bright as he was clearly fair.
Zenjou’s hand extended towards the hilt of his saber. His hand came to a stop upon it.
He had his doubts.
-Just who is this man? What does he hide behind that smile of his?
An evil and terrifying nature that toys with human life?
Or, the special caliber of one who can carry out justice with decisions beyond that of normal men?
That is a question he had asked himself thousands and thousands of times ever since meeting Munakata Reishi. It was a complicated question that he has yet to find a clear-cut answer to.
Zenjou growled like a beast, like a demon. The ferocious will he harbored inside him bared its fangs against the chains that imprison it.
-should he slay the man before him, or should he not?
Two wills and two sources of power raged and clashed within his body, stretching the chains to their limits.
There was something that rushed up from his chest. He felt like his blood was boiling, his muscles tense to the point when they could snap at any moment.
Zenjou raised his downcast eyes and stared at Munakata.
If only looks could kill - despite being on the receiving of such a deadly glare, Munakata smiled fearlessly.
At that moment-
Zenjou felt something exploding within him - something even greater than his own will.
A huge amount of power erupted from the insides of his sword’s sheath.
The demon’s sword rushed forth, flinging off the broken shards of its sheath.
-
Epilogue
The Sword of Damocles
Zenjou’s sword, bathed in blue light, broke out of its sheath and drew an arc across the air just centimeters in front of Munakata’s nose.
-No.
At the same time, the glass window on one wall shattered, a shower of sparks bursted along the path of the demon’s blade, and a portion of the wall was blasted off, leaving a fist-size hole.
One thing was responsible for shattering the glass window, causing the shower of sparks and opening a hole in the wall.
A 12.7mm round.
With his saber, reinforced by supernatural powers, Zenjou deflected this high-caliber bullet that came bursting through the window at supersonic speeds.
The black kitten meowed in distress and slipped beneath the sofa.
-Sniper…!?
Zenjou, the very person who deflected the sniper’s shot, was shocked.
It wasn’t a conscious action on his part. His beastly intuition has picked up on the presence of the supersonic bullet, and his bodily instincts urged him to draw his sword and strike it down.
Furthermore, Zenjou twisted his body from the posture he’d taken after swinging his sword, and, with his back to the window, flung his sword behind him.
Once again, a shower of sparks bursted in the air. The second bullet was struck off course and pierced the wall as well.
Zenjou, with his seamless movements, faced the window again.
He waited two seconds, three seconds - it doesn’t seem like there’ll be a third shot.
Munakata pressed a switch on his intercom.
“Fushimi-kun - we were attacked just now.”
Munakata took one glance at the hole in the wall,
“The weapon is probably a high-caliber AM rifle. The sniper is perhaps-“
“On a tall building two kilometers southwest.”
“There. Contact the police.”
“On it.”
Fushimi had already made an estimation of the sniper’s location from the layout of the room that Munakata is in, as well as the range of the rifle itself. He had arranged for the local police to capture the sniper on urgent notice.
“Excellent.”
Munakata cut the intercom’s connection.
-sniping with an AM rifle from 2000 meters away.
Munakata did not expect the ‘enemy’ to have enough power to arrange for and utilize weaponry and snipers of this caliber. SCEPTER4 has special permissions to inspect various public and official sources of information in the capital, but they’re sometimes one step behind on information unrelated to supernatural elements.
If Zenjou wasn’t present, then the “enemy“‘s bullet, which had slipped through the cracks of their information network and into their perceptional blind spot, would definitely have blown off Munakata’s head.
“So this is the last trick for today…or rather, all the “enemy“‘s movements up till this point has been nothing but a plan to lure me into this situation, so it seems.”
Munakata said dispassionately, and Zenjou spoke up.
“….why?”
“Why…did I step into the enemy’s trap and expose myself to danger?”
Munakata answered,
“High risks yield high returns. Using my own life was the fastest way to get a reaction from an unknown enemy and draw out information - of course, this is something only possible with the best bodyguard there is, Zenjou Gouki.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Zenjou said,
“…why did you provoke me?”
“Ah, you were asking about that….”
Munakata chuckled, and Zenjou’s expression darkened.
“This world is something like a puzzle; one that you can only piece together through perseverance and determination. That’s what I think….but sometimes I feel like throwing reason to the winds and entrusting myself to fate.”
“Fate…?”
“Zenjou-san. Your sword is yours, yet at the same time, it isn’t.”
Munakata let his eyes wander to the drawn saber that Zenjou was holding.
“I believe that your strike, brought to motion faster than you are conscious of it yourself, is the manifestation of some sort of Providence.”
Zenjou did not answer. He simply let out a low growl, with his teeth scrunched together.
Two eyes, harboring within them the presence of a demon, found Munakata.
They stared straight at Munakata’s fathomless smile; an ambiguous smile.
Zenjou poured strength into his right hand holding the saber. But as long as that smile remained ambiguous, Zenjou’s hand would not move. He could not swing his sword.
“Let’s go.”
Munakata turned his back to Zenjou and began walking.
“…someday, when you see through the very depths of my being, perhaps you will slay me.”
Zenjou did not answer. He followed Munakata, all while glaring daggers into the back of Munakata’s neck.
“You are the swift strike of a sword, as well as a bomb on the verge of explosion. That will become my strength, as well as something beyond my own control. In other words, Zenjou-san-“
Munakata smiled while exposing his defenseless back to the demon’s gaze.
“You are also a “Sword of Damocles” much involved in my fate.”
side:blue reinforces that particular idea in my mind by revealing an interesting parallel to Kuro in the form of Zenjou Gouki - a vassal of the former Blue King who’s only reason for serving Munakata boils down to ‘he needs to see for himself what kind of person Munakata really is, slaying him if necessary’.
Zenjou Gouki is the lieutenant of the former Blue King, Habari Jin, whom he slew when the Blue King’s Weismann level went out of control as a result of the Red King’s Damocles Down (a Damocles Down tends to cause a chain reaction with nearby Kings and their Swords of Damocles - if any one of the four Kings’ Swords in the last episode fell, Japan would’ve probably been blown off the map). As a result of the trauma of being forced to slay his own master, he departed from SCEPTER4 soon thereafter and lived in recluse for a decade - until the new Blue King, Munakata Reishi approached him.
Zenjou Gouki was absolutely loyal to Habari, and even believed that he was born to meet the Blue King. On that fateful day in 199x, July, Zenjou lost an irreplaceable part of himself along with his left arm during the Kagutsu Incident. SCEPTER4 was left without a King, and Zenjou believed that SCEPTER4 as it is - has no ‘justice’ that Habari asked him to uphold, nor a master that he can honestly serve -, and so departed to live in recluse. When Munakata visited him a decade later, Zenjou believed that he could see hints of Habari in the new Blue King, and even thought that this was a sign from Habari himself - telling him to “Go ahead and rest now.” However, Munakata evidently had other plans for Zenjou-
“Ah, I have no need for such pleasantries - I am here, after all, to welcome you back.”
Munakata said with a smile.
When Zenjou saw that smile,
“….!”
His entire body tensed. His intuition came to him like a shock.
-He’s different.
The man in front of him certainly shared some similarities with Habari Jin - perhaps their Kingly natures.
That much is certain, but-
-but the man is clearly different.
(omit)
-“What you should protect is our justice.”
For the past decade, those words were the foundation of Zenjou’s belief - no, his entire existence. There is no hesitation to be found in his dedication.
-But is this man-
Is Munakata Reishi a “King” that will bring forth justice with his own methods?
Or is he something entirely different, a being clouded in mysteries?
He had to judge for himself.
To uphold Habari Jin’s and his own justice.
And such, Zenjou Gouki agreed to rejoin SCEPTER4 to evaluate Munakata Reishi as a King - whether he is someone befitting of being Habari’s successor, or a shadier existence with hidden agendas.
Returning to SCEPTER4 certainly had its benefits. Zenjou met Kusuhara Takeru in SCEPTER4, an energetic youth eager to prove his worth to the world - it is in Kusuhara’s encouraging words that Zenjou finally found salvation and release from the guilt of Habari’s death that plagued him for the past decade, and it is in Zenjou’s wordless and sometimes harsh guidance that Kusuhara found a new source of strength within himself. All that came crashing down when Kusuhara took a bullet for Munakata and died in his stead. In a sense, one could even see Kusuhara as a parallel of sorts to HOMRA’s Tatara - both were the mood-makers in their respective organizations, much adored by their teammates, and both had a way with words that can ease one’s worries and fears like no other can.
The death of Kusuhara eventually became a tense topic between Zenjou and Munakata, with the latter believing that Kusuhara’s death contributed significantly to the growth of SCEPTER4 as an organization - just like how the loss of Zenjou’s left arm made him even more ‘complete’ in a sense. Very similar in idea to the words that Kusuhara gave to Zenjou, yet the nuance is completely different when spoken by Munakata like this.
“Are you saying that Kusuhara was supposed to die?”
Zenjou stood up. As if sensing the tense atmosphere, the kitten ran off.
“Well then…”
Munakata adjusted his glasses. His expression, half hidden by his hand, remained unreadable.
“If I said “yes”…will you slay me?”
Munakata said,
“Much like how you slew your own master - the Blue King, Habari Jin.”
“….!”
Zenjou’s expression underwent drastic changes.
Shock, rage - no, feelings even more intense than that displayed themselves on his face.
“199x, July, the Kagutsu Incident, in that decisive moment - caught in the area of influence of the “Red King” Kagutsu Renji’s Damocles Down, Habari Jin could not stabilize his own Sword of Damocles. In other words, there was a high possibility of a chain reaction occurring as a result.”
Munakata said to Zenjou, frozen with the look of a demon on his face.
“If two Damocles Downs were to occur at the same time, in the same area, then the amount of energy, multiplied by each other’s influence, should theoretically be enough to burn up the entirety of Kanto, leaving it to sink into the waters…it is even possible that the repercussions will be enough to lead to the downfall of the entire country.”
Observing Zenjou’s reactions, Munakata continued.
“In that moment, the life of one King and the future of one country was put on the balance of fate. Your swift strike saved the entire country - by instantly slaying the Blue King, faster than his sword could fall, and making his Sword of Damocles disappear-“
Zenjou did not answer. He let his gaze fall to the floor wordlessly.
-indeed he had slew Habari. He had no intentions of shying away from that fact.
However, at the same time, that wasn’t out of his own judgment…he thinks. He was spurred into motion - neither by his own will, nor by the expectations of others - but by some great impulse, and drawing his sword from its sheath came naturally.
Zenjou was thrown into an emotional turmoil as a result of Munakata’s words - he asked himself time and time again, was Munakata someone who could make unpleasant yet necessary decisions for the sake of justice? Or was he simply someone evil who manipulated the lives of others with no regards whatsoever? He was not able to come up with an answer on a spot, but the same impulse that drove him to slay Habari spurred him into motion again - he swung his sword and deflected a bullet headed towards Munakata. Munakata believes that the great impulse behind Zenjou’s actions was something akin to providence - something that exceeded the limitations of human will, and of course, his own control as well.
In the end, Munakata chooses to leave his own fate in Zenjou’s hands as well, noting that Zenjou may choose to slay him if there ever comes a day Zenjou sees who exactly Munakata is. Zenjou is a representation of Munakata’s power, as well as someone who can put an end to him, if necessary. In other words, Zenjou is the other ‘Sword of Damocles’ to Munakata. Yet until the day when Munakata is deemed evil or unworthy by Zenjou, he will serve the Blue King.
Recall back in episode 7, whose script was written by the same person responsible for side:blue, Munakata said to Kuro, “He remains in a position neither good nor evil. As long as he maintains his ambiguity, the “Black Dog”, Yatogami Kuroh stands by his side.”
Suddenly Munakata’s words take on an entirely new meaning in the context of his relationship with Zenjou.
Both Kuroh and Zenjou possess the potential to slay Kings, both are extremely powerful characters who can easily take out numerous Clansmen/Strains at the same time, and both started out at their respective Kings’ sides in an attempt to evaluate them. Yet Kuro has developed true loyalty to his King and willingly took his hand, staying by his new master’s side of his own volition. Will Zenjou and Munakata ever reach a similar conclusion, or will Munakata face a similar fate to that of his predecessor? Only time can tell.
You are indeed an excellent person. That cool-headedness of yours is quite befitting of my right-hand woman.
Commentary: Today’s 100DAYSxVISUAL is Munakata. Even though Munakata is on the side of justice, you still get a sense of malice from him somehow! He’s really suited to having terrifying conversations with his subordinate, Awashima-san while keeping a calm face.
I think our initial concept for Munakata was more along the lines of the “ideal boss”, but as we discussed various things, his personality became…a little twisted for some reason. However, I think that just adds to his charm! (Pink)
Day 43
I dislike the Joker card. It seems unfair no matter how you look at it. Especially when it’s not in my hands.
Commentary: “I dislike the Joker card.” What a philosophical musing, but actually, there’s an even more wonderful line after this. When will that line show up, I wonder? …or rather, it’s possible that it appeared in the Animate version already.
I think you’re beginning to realize, but the amount of blue people wearing glasses is quite unusual. Even Awashima-san, the only one with normal eyesight, is on the verge of having a “she actually has bad eyesight” setting slapped on her. Someone please send help.
If Awashima-san also gets glasses, then their team’s name will change. It’ll become SCEPTER MEGANE. Though Megashima-san seems pretty nice..there is such a thing called balance!
And so, this is Orange from the anti-glasses faction. See you next week! (Orange)
Day 55
To crush in my hand It’ll only be complete after attaining perfect alignment. There is no need for unshapely or mistaken pieces. I can already see the vision of completion.
Commentary: It’s Munakata. I think you probably know this by now, but Munakata’s hobbies include jigsaw puzzles. We originally planned to integrate a blue version of it into the effects of his power manifesting, but when that idea got scrapped we turned jigsaw puzzles into a part of his character.
I feel like he tries his hand at quite a wide variety of jigsaw puzzles. From incredibly challenging ones like pure white puzzles, to scenery, anime, painting; he amuses himself without particularly caring for any one genre - that’s my image of him.
Personally, I think he might even become unsatisfied with products that are already on the market, and might even make jigsaw puzzles out of his own photos, the interior appearance of SCEPTER4, and maybe even pictures of Awashima-san and the likes. I think it’s really interesting if Awashima-san puts on a somewhat confused face when he starts piecing those together. (laughs)
So, the completed jigsaw puzzles get put on display in his room, and they’re changed every once in a while (sometimes it’s refined scenery paintings, sometimes himself), but the man himself is a calm and collected guy with a penchant for poker faces.
At first, he might seem as hard to characterize as Fushimi, but I think he might be a surprisingly straightforward person. He’s a character I’ve grown to like more and more as I write. (Red)
Bartender: Welcome. Would you like to sit at the counter?
Suoh: Ah.
Munakata: What a troublesome person. Isn’t there many other shops out there, Team HOMRA’s Suoh Mikoto?
Suoh: Why would I leave a shop that I had just entered, SCEPTER4’s Munakata Reisi?
Munakata: Don’t you get it, the sake is getting bad, that’s why.
Suoh: I see. Then hurry up and get lost.
Munakata: You’re insolent as ever. And you’re the one who comes later.
Suoh: When or where I go, I don’t want to hear any complaints about it.
Munakata: That’s why I’m calling you insolent, can’t read the air.
Suoh: Air, huh?
Munakata: Then, can you put out that cheap cigarette? It’s dense.
Bartender: Umm, sir?
Suoh: TURKEY, double.
Bartender: Certainly, sir.
Munakata: Honestly, it’s an unlucky day.
Suoh: What a coincidence. I was just thinking about the same thing as well.
Munakata: Even though I was here for occasional relaxation.
Suoh: Yeah, same here.
Both: Hmm?
Bartender: Thank you for waiting.
Suoh: Ah.
Munakata: Bourbon is it? That kind of liquor, you can just drink it at your bar as many as you please, right? There’s no reason for you to go and visit another shop in the first place…
Suoh: At where or what kind of liquor I drink, you don’t have to say a thing about it.
Munakata: Did you pick a fight at me? And here I thought you’re quite good in pretending to be friendly.
Suoh: You’re one to say. There’s no sign of those loyal underlings of yours. Have you been deserted by your subordinates at last?
Munakata: I merely have no interest to bring any subordinate to drink, that’s all. I’m different from you.
Suoh: Unfortunately, they would always follow me around willfully. Guess it’s what so-called popularity is. Unlike you.
Munakata: My my, popularity? I would never have thought to hear that from you who went out to drink alone at a bar aside from his men’s bar.
Suoh: Huh. I just feel like drinking alone tonight.
Munakata: Hmm. Well then, let’s just leave it at that. Bullying a lonely stray dog is quite a pathetic story.
Suoh: …As usual, your way of quarelling is full of twist and turns.
Munakata: It’s not that I want to pick a fight. Being quite frankly is pitiful.
Suoh: Well whatever, just brush it off. Anything that comes out from that mouth of a superior is nothing but sarcasm. Don’t think there’s even one subordinate who wants to have a drink with you. I suppose all they’ll be hearing are insults anyway.
Munakata: How annoying. I am sure that I’ve said it’s merely not my interest.
Suoh: Therefore, just let it be that way. It’s a pathetic conversation anyway.
Munakata: You too.
Suoh: Hmm?
Munakata: If you had one sip of strained bean paste martini, you won’t even think of asking your subordinate along for a drink, will you?
Suoh: Hah? Strained… bean paste?
Munakata: -drinks- This is not good. Seems that I’m a little drunk.
Suoh: Oh? Oh, that so? -drinks, smokes again-
Munakata: I feel like I’m in the mood to drink alone.
Suoh: Huh?
Munakata: Hmmph, nothing. It’s just that…
Suoh: Just that?
Munakata: You look like one of the crowds, but you’re also a King after all.
Suoh: Hn.
Munakata: Oh my, I really am drunk.
Suoh: Well then, it’s about time you leave.
Munakata: I’ll leave my seat if I can’t bear it. Drinking sake right next to me must be quite tense, isn’t it?
Suoh: Ah?
Munakata: Oh, I intended to take in your situation though.
Suoh: Hmm. Munakata.
Munakata: Yes?
Suoh: You’re not pleased with me, are you?
Munakata: But of course, there’s no need to say so.
Suoh: It’s nauseating to be sitting next to you.
Munakata: Exactly what you said.
Suoh: It’s irritating and pissing me off.
Munakata: Yes.
Suoh: Is it because I’m terrifying?
Munakata: Certainly not, that point is far too off, no?
Suoh: I suppose. Me too.
Munakata: Hmm?
Suoh: Be pleased, Munakata. Even though I hate you, I’m not afraid of you. I’m one of those very few people.
Bartender: Sir, what do you want to have?
Suoh: TURKEY.
Bartender: Very well. How about you, sir?
Munakata: Let’s see… I’ll have the same drink, then.
Neko: To think that you would dare to caress the skin of a fair maiden…that’s certainly not what a man with self-restraint would do. That sort of behavior would not only reflect badly on your person, but also dishonor your master, Miwa Ichigen! Reflect on it, Yatogami Kuroh!
Kuroh: !?
Neko: Come to think of it, I feel unnaturally cold. W-what is this!? Why am I as good as naked?!
Kuroh: Y-you…
Neko: Yatogami Kuroh! Explain yourself! Depending on your answer, I may have to slay you, and then end my own life by piercing my throat…
Kuroh: You…who are you?!
Shiro: I’m home! Oh…you’re back already? Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t really find a 10-yen coin…
Neko: What a relief! Isana Yashiro!
Shiro: Eh?
Neko: Yatogami Kuroh has…forced me into this…humiliating outfit…
Shiro: Kuro?
Kuro: Y-you’ve got the wrong idea! I have nothing to do with this! Rather, isn’t this what you always wear?
Neko: What sort of nonsense are you spouting?! Have you fallen so much as to resort to such senseless remarks, Yatogami Kuroh? You make me sound like an indecent woman who’d run around with her butt showing all day long! I’m afraid I cannot let that just slide.
Kuro: That’s exactly who you are!
Shiro: Wait a moment! Let’s all calm down. More like, why are you wearing those glasses, Neko?
Neko: What are you saying? Haven’t I always been wearing glasses?
Kuro: That’s it! She began saying strange things when she put on those glasses! I’ll take it off for you.
Neko: Stay away, Yatogami Kuroh! If you mean to humiliate me even further, then I will…choose my own death by biting off my tongue!
Kuroh: (angry noises)
Shiro: Umm…is it okay if I do it, then?
Neko: Of course. Because…Isana Yashiro, aren’t I your Neko?
Shiro: O-oooh.
Kuroh: …..
Neko: W-what’s wrong, Isana Yashiro!?
Shiro: Well, enough with this love comedy. (takes off glasses)
Neko: Ah! …huh? Oh, it’s Shiro! Where were you? I was looking for you!
Shiro: Hehe, sorry, sorry! I don’t have a PDA, so I went to look for a public phone.
Kuro: Hey, Shiro.
Shiro: Well, I did end up finding one, but I happened to not have any 10 yen coins on me…and when I thought about it, I don’t have the blues’ telephone numbers either…really, it’s good that Kukuri just happened to pass by.
Kuro: What…do you….mean? (draws sword)
Shiro: H-hey, time out, time out! Don’t just draw your sword! I’ll explain it to you now!
~*~
Kuro: In other words, this pair of glasses was something that someone dropped…
Neko: …and it belongs to those blue people?
Shiro: Yep. See here, ‘SCEPTER4’ is written on it, right? On the opposite side are the words ‘issued by’, so that’s probably the case…
Kuro: So, when you picked it up, you went to search for public phones so you can let the Blue Clan know?
Shiro: That’s it. Never in my dreams could I have expected things to turn out like that when someone wears the glasses…
Kuro: How does that even work?
Shiro: Well, maybe it’s because they’re wearing glasses like these that all the blues are so serious about things.
Kuro: That’s not the problem here!
Shiro: But it seemed like it was something important. When I called the blues, they sounded like they’re in a real panic…we’ll be over immediately! They said.
Kuro: I suppose we’ll just have to keep it safe, somewhere out of sight, until the Blue Clansmen come to retrieve it. Judging from how Neko behaved just now, it’s too dangerous to simply leave it lying around…
Neko: Hey, hey, what did I do just now?
Kuro: You don’t need to know.
Neko: Oh really!
Kuro: What? The glasses…have disappeared!
Shiro: N-neko? What are you doing?!
Neko: Nyahaha! It’s unfair if I’m the only one left out of the loop! I’ll have both of you wear the glasses too!
Kuro: How much of a bother are you!?
Neko: Shut up! Shiro’s up first!
Shiro: W-wait, sto-!
Neko: What’s going to happen? I’m so excited!
Kuro: Y-you foolish girl!
Shiro: Neko, what was that for, all of a sudden?!
Neko: Huh?
Kuro: Huh. He didn’t change that much. So not everyone becomes serious individuals when they put on the glasses.
Neko: Boring!
Shiro: Geez, and we were just talking about keeping it safe. If you can’t mind your own business from now on, I’ll abandon you in a faraway place…
Neko: Nya?!
Shiro: Don’t ‘Nya?’ me. What’s up with that? You mimicking the sounds of a cat? Are you getting too into the act? Painting yourself as a moe character? To begin with, aren’t cat characters a little bit outdated right now? It was more than three generations ago that cat ears were popular, wasn’t it? Well, I guess you don’t have cat ears. Did you think you could become XQS like that?*
*A reference to Sakamoto Ryu, a really popular 60s~70s Japanese singer who once released a single under the name XQS(pronounced as excuse). Weismann, your age is showing….
Kuro: H-hey…
Shiro: You too, Kuro. You went on and on about killing me and not killing me, but you ended up cooking my meals now. Self-devoted stalkers are worse than normal stalkers in that they feel like they’re gaining something in return, right?
Neko: S-Shiro, Shiro has…
Kuro: …become an unlikable person!
Shiro: Who is unlikable now? I’ve always been like this. You know, on the airship-
Kuro: Take it off! We can’t let him go on!
Neko: Nyanya-!
~*~friendly reminder that Shiro is protected by fate and coincidences as a King as he casually/accidentally/somehow avoids Kuro’s and Neko’s attempts to take off his glasses~*~
Shiro: What are you doing? Please stop this violence. And drop that act of yours, too.
Neko: I-I’m not acting!
Shiro: Why don’t you just go and wear a maid costume….?
Neko: This…this…this isn’t Neko’s Shiro! (takes off glasses)
Kuro: When someone puts on these glasses…either they become a serious person, or an unlikable one. Which means that…the Blue Clan consists of only serious people, unlikable people, or serious and unlikable people. Terrifying.
Shiro: Did I become an unlikable person?
Kuro: Yes, a very unlikable one. If you were actually like that, I would’ve killed you without second thought upon our first meeting.
Shiro: W-was it that bad?! Hmm….
Kuro: What’s with that expression?
Shiro: Hey, Kuro, what do you think is the most important factor in maintaining human relationships?
Kuro: Hm? What are you saying?
Shiro: I think…it’s fairness. If someone becomes happy, then the two others should share in his happiness. If one becomes unhappy, then the two others should bear his misfortune with him. This kind of fairness is the most important factor in any sort of relationship….
Kuro: So you’re teling me to put on the glasses as well?
Shiro: Yep!
Kuro: I refuse.
Shiro: Come on, don’t be like that.
Kuro: I refuse.
Shiro: Well then!
Neko: Here we go!
Kuro: W-what, you!? S-stop it! Let me go!! You two….do you not learn from your past experiences!?
Neko: Someone from long ago said this…”so what if I don’t!?” Prepare yourself! (slams on glasses)
Kuro: Uwaaaaaaaaa!
Shiro: How is it?
Neko: Did he become serious? Or unlikable?
Kuro: Hmph.
Shiro & Neko: !?
Kuro: My, my. What hopeless people you are. Even though I’ve warned you about the danger so much…you still commit foolish acts such as these. How hopeless.
Shiro: T-this is…!?
Kuro: Well, no matter what may befall us, you do not need worry so long as I am here. Still, we should always prevent danger before it’s too late.
Neko: He’s become a big shot!
Shiro: Kuro, whose selling point used to be ‘a hardworking and loyal dog’, has become such a calm and collected big shot!
Kuro: What are you saying? I have always been like this, no?
Shiro: I-it feels kind of…
Neko: Creepy! He’s creepier than the usual Kurosuke! What should we do, Shiro?
Shiro: I shouldn’t be saying this since I’m the one responsible, but I can’t let this go on anymore! Kuro, take off your glasses! Go back to your normal self!
Kuro: What are you doing? Stay put! I won’t treat you badly.
Shiro: Things have already gone from bad to terrible!
Kuro: Well then, if you’re going to go that far….(draws sword) we shall advance with swords in hand, for our caus-
Shiro: Don’t you go using other people’s catchphrases! (takes off glasses)
Kuro: (gasp) W-what did I just…?
Shiro: L-let’s put a seal on this.
Neko: T-that’s right! This might just be a little too dangerous…
(doorbell)
Shiro: Huh? It seems like someone’s here. Oh, maybe it’s one of those blues.
Neko: I’m sure it is! Let’s just give this dangerous thing to them as soon as possible!
???: S’rry! I be from SCEPTER4!
Shiro: Coming right away!
???: Gee, thanks! I’m really really sorry, man, for dropping mah glasses.
Shiro: !?
???: Were you the one who picked ‘em up for meh? Thanks a bunch! Man, you may be small, but you sure are kind! Won’t you join our happy family when you grow up?
Shiro: Um, excuse me, but that’s just a garden gnome.
???: Huh, for reals? Gee, hahahahahahahaha! I’m s’rry! I don’t see nuthin’ when I don’t have mah glasses! I’ve crashed into about 11 poles on mah way here! Hahahahahahaha!
Shiro: This person wearing a jersey, sandals, with disheveled hair, looking like he hasn’t shaved in weeks, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and the appearance of someone who failed university several times over is….who?
Kuro: The Blue King, Munakata Reishi. What a pitiful sight…!
Neko: 3! It’s 3! His eyes look like 3s! It’s the first time I’ve seen that!
Kuro: Shut up! You don’t have to point it out.
Neko: I suppose…you like ramen?
Munakata: Yeah man.
Kuro: You don’t have to reply either!
Shiro: Umm…these are your glasses, right?
Munakata: Aahh~ Yup yup, those are the ones~ Can I have them back?
Shiro: Please.
Munakata: Thank you! Let’s see let’s see…(puts on glasses) huh. You are?
Shiro: H-he went back to normal?!
Munakata: I see. You came to deliver my glasses.
Neko: Not really deliver…you were the one who came to pick them up.
Munakata: I suppose I shall have to give you my thanks. It is our duty to capture Strains such as yourself, but I will overlook that for today.
Neko: Nya….
Munakata; Well then, I suppose I should be excusing myself. For some reason, I seem to have vague recollections of Awashima-kun shedding tears while looking at me…be as it may, as their superior, I cannot cause my subordinates unnecessary worry. Now, if you would excuse me.
Neko: …he went.
Shiro: Why did things end up like that?
Kuro: It seems like…when he puts on those glasses…
Neko: He’ll become a serious….
Shiro: …and unlikable…
Kuro: …person of importance, huh.
Shiro & Neko & Kuro: So when he takes them off, he becomes like that…?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
episode 1 & episode 3 --
Munakata: We will advance with swords in hand! For our cause is pure! Men! Draw your swords!
SCEPTER4: Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!
SCEPTER4: Akiyama, ready! - Benzai, ready! Kamo, ready! - Domyoji, ready! Enomoto, ready! - Fuse, ready! Goto, ready! - Hidaka, ready!
Munakata: Munakata, ready!
Munakata: Munakata, ready!
Munakata: I'll handle this.
Munakata: In compliance with Protocol 120, I am taking you into custody.
Munakata: Any objections?
Suoh: Unfortunately, I have none.
Suoh: Take good care of me.
Munakata: Well, look who's here...
Munakata: Suoh, let's get straight to the point.
Munakata: Your Weismann level is pushing its limit.
Munakata: If the Sword of Damocles should fall, we'll have a repeat of the Kagutsu crater.
Munakata: If you insist on drawing more power from the Dresden Slates, I will have to kill you.
Suoh: I have no idea what you're talking about.
Munakata: I'm telling you to renounce your throne.
Suoh: You're just a stick in the mud, aren't you, Munakata?
Munakata: If that's your answer, I'll have to come up with a way to keep you locked up for life.
Suoh: Actually, there is one way to keep me locked up here forever.
Suoh: You could do it, Munakata.
Suoh: The Blue King can keep an eye on me personally.
Suoh: 24 hours a day, inside this cell.
Suoh: If I become violent, you can restrain me by force.
Munakata: The thought of having to breathe the same air as you makes me ill.
Munakata: And besides, I'm afraid I'm quite busy.
Munakata: I can't spend all my time with you.
Suoh: I'm sorry you feel that way, Munakata.
Munakata: Yeah, me too, Suoh...
Munakata: Restraining him with fire-retardant phenolic resin...
Munakata: That sounds like a good idea.
Munakata: But I don't know how effective it'd be against that man.
Awashima: I do not know what the Red King, Mikoto Suoh, has in mind, but this gives us a good opportunity.
Awashima: If I may be so blunt, short of killing him, we should try every available option.
Awashima: For example, under proper medical supervision, how about administering doses of muscle relaxant or tranquilizers?
Munakata: That's quite a radical idea and a good one at that, Ms. Awashima.
Munakata: Your blatant disregard for Suoh's human rights makes me shudder.
Munakata: All right. I'll consider it.
Munakata: Did you learn anything about the weapon used to murder Tatara Totsuka?
Awashima: Apparently, it was one of many modified guns that the mafia was dealing.
Awashima: The man in charge of their smuggling operation has gone missing, along with the truck.
Munakata: Was there anything else on that truck?
Awashima: A few volatile chemicals, explosives, and enough weapons and ammo to open up a gun shop.
Munakata: Those bastards...
Munakata: Well, if the suspects have their hands on that much firepower...
Awashima: Metro P.D. is taking this very seriously, and is about to form an investigation unit.
Awashima: I'm thinking of putting in a special request for a release of information.
Awashima: Shall I issue the order under Level: Prussian Blue?
Munakata: No, make it the next level: Royal Blue.
Munakata: I want to know of every incident that has occurred in this city in the past two weeks, as well as everything that may or will happen until this case is solved.
Munakata: I want every set of eyes and ears you have on this.
Awashima: Understood.
Awashima: And those who can't handle it have no need for eyes and ears.
Awashima: It is our duty to manage and make use of them.
Munakata: You are an exceptional woman, Ms. Awashima.
episode 7 --
Munakata: Granted.
Fushimi: We seem to be lacking the winning edge.
Fushimi: Maybe it's time you went to work.
Munakata: (sips tea)
Munakata: Well done...
Munakata: Thanks to your efforts, I have a grasp of the situation.
Awashima: Sir!
Munakata: Guess I'd better get to work.
Munakata: It seems Mr. Fushimi is growing impatient.
Munakata: As I suspected, a third party, an unknown Strain, was behind this.
Munakata: By projecting her powers within a perimeter with herself at the center, she can interfere and manipulate the human senses and perceptions of those around her.
Munakata: It is an all too dangerous power.
Munakata: I see... So you chose to sacrifice yourself.
Munakata: The celebrated sword Kotowari...
Munakata: It used to belong to the late Seventh King, Ichigen Miwa, the Colorless King.
Munakata: I suppose you could try and kill me with that.
Munakata: Didn't you hear me?
Munakata: I told you to draw your sword.
Munakata: That's more like it...
Munakata: What's this?
Munakata: Such a disobedient child.
Munakata: If you insist on being so stubborn, you leave me no choice.
Munakata: Mr. Yatogami, what do you say we end this game?
Kuroh: I refuse...
Munakata: Now then... Let's get to the subject at hand.
Munakata: You showed magnificent self-sacrifice against me.
Munakata: That young man... Is he the master you serve now?
Munakata: The Colorless King. The Seventh, and weakest king.
Munakata: He is not a powerful presence alone, but he is the wild card who could tip the balance of power between the kings.
Munakata: In other words, he is the one person I need to be most wary of.
Munakata: That young man is the new Colorless King who will replace Ichigen Miwa...
Munakata: Am I correct?
Munakata: Answer me.
Kuroh: Master Ichigen told me to vet that man.
Munakata: Oh? And what is your verdict?
Kuroh: I will not let anyone lay a hand on him until I make that decision.
Munakata: I see...
Munakata: That might have been his plan from the start.
Munakata: Remaining neither good nor evil...
Munakata: As long as he maintains that ambiguous position, he can keep the "Black Dog," Kuroh Yatogami, as his bodyguard.
Munakata: He could not ask for a more powerful pawn.
Munakata: Using that young female Strain, deceiving you and the people around him would be a simple matter.
Munakata: All of us might be puppets in that young man's scheme.
Munakata: Wouldn't you agree?
Kuroh: You have a point...
Kuroh: He's constantly laughing like a fool and everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie.
Kuroh: That's the sort of fellow he is.
Munakata: Is that man worth risking your life for?
Munakata: Oh? Did you forget something?
Kuroh: You fool! Why'd you come back?!
Yashirou: Well, I guess I can't just leave my friends behind, can I?
Munakata: I see.
Munakata: So you came back to share your fate together.
Munakata: That is a noble gesture.
Munakata: But meaningless.
Munakata: I should have known better...
Munakata: I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
episode 8 --
Awashima: And so far, the traffic surveillance network hasn't shown us the suspect.
Munakata: I see...
Munakata: So not only did he get away from me, he also managed to escape Fushimi, who was leading the pursuit.
Munakata: His ability to stay under the radar until now was no coincidence.
Awashima: Currently, we're retracing his possible escape route and narrowing our perimeter around Ashinaka High School.
Munakata: Apprehending him will be a tall order.
Munakata: He seems quite difficult to pin down.
Munakata: And on top of that, the two with him are a real handful.
Fushimi: Captain, Fushimi reporting.
Munakata: Enter.
Awashima: What is it?
Fushimi: I just received a report that one of our pursuit squad members was attacked and transported back here.
Awashima: Which unit was he in, and exactly what time was he attacked?
Fushimi: Officer Chikushi from the Third Division in the East District.
Fushimi: Happened about fifteen minutes ago.
Awashima: Was he badly injured?
Fushimi: Only some bruises, but his PDA was stolen.
Munakata: His PDA?
Fushimi: I'm pulling up his assigned areas.
Munakata: Have you identified the assailant?
Fushimi: Everyone's favorite black dog.
Awashima: Chikushi says he didn't see the other two...
Awashima: Yatogami Kuroh is still hanging around here?
Awashima: No, that can't be...
Munakata: That wasn't an attack. It was a warning.
Munakata: Fushimi, was there anything left at the scene that might have served as a message from them?
Fushimi: Just one item.
Munakata: I see.
Awashima: Fushimi, why don't you come in and have a seat for now?
Fushimi: Huh?
Fushimi: I'm fine where I am.
Awashima: Fine.
Awashima: Then alert anyone on standby at HQ to prepare for an emergency deployment.
Fushimi: Yes, Ma'am.
Munakata: Munakata Reishi speaking. Who is this?
Yashirou: Isana Yashiro, or so I'm told.
Munakata: I suspected it might be you.
Munakata: You have executed a rather aggressive approach.
Yashirou: I apologize.
Yashirou: I couldn't think of any other way to contact you without getting caught.
Munakata: I see.
Munakata: All right, let's hear what you have to say.
Yashirou: I'll try my best to make this short, then.
Yashirou: There's a man in an airship who is directly involved in that murder investigation, especially regarding my treatment as a suspect when I know nothing about it.
Munakata: Do you even understand what you're saying?
Yashirou: Excuse me?
Munakata: What do you know about the man in the airship?
Yashirou: You might say I got the crash course on him.
Munakata: Then you should realize that he's far too important to be dragged into this just because you claim to be innocent.
Awashima: Awashima here.
Munakata: I think you could at least demonstrate good will by turning yourself in.
Awashima: Fushimi is headed for the Tokyo Expressway.
Awashima: Follow him immediately.
Yashirou: Screaming my innocence from a jail cell would be pretty pointless.
Yashirou: I've seen enough crime dramas to know that much.
Yashirou: That's why I'll only give myself up for the right price.
Munakata: Indeed. You are quite the shrewd one.
Yashirou: Why, thank you!
Yashirou: As for our deal—
Yashirou: If you promise to help me question that guy in the airship, I'll turn myself in to you.
Yashirou: How does that sound?
Munakata: I wish I could agree since you're willing to go to such lengths, but I'm afraid that such a demand from the likes of you isn't adequate enough when it comes to the man in the airship.
Munakata: Besides, even if you turned yourself in, I have no doubt that your two friends would come to rescue you.
Yashirou: Exactly!
Yashirou: I guess I got carried away.
Munakata: No. I accept your terms.
Yashirou: Huh?!
Munakata: I'm saying that I, Munakata Reishi, the fourth king, the blue king, will detain the man in the airship, also known as the first or silver king, Adolph K. Weismann.
Munakata: Come and see us if you're up to it.
Munakata: I'll arrange a meeting to get to the bottom of this.
Munakata: One caveat, however.
Munakata: All three of you will turn yourselves in.
Awashima: We have yet to receive any response from the first king.
Awashima: The third request was sent at 1700 hours.
Munakata: We've completed the requisite formalities.
Munakata: Now it's time to take him into custody.
Awashima: But Captain, according to Protocol 120, we don't really have the authority to conduct an investigation of the Himmelreich, which is within a domain of the first king.
Awashima: I think we should obtain permission from the second king before we proceed.
Munakata: His Excellency would not allow us to do anything to the first king, regardless of our reasoning.
Munakata: And that's precisely why we'll do whatever we can get away with.
Munakata: I'll personally explain the situation afterwards, so you shouldn't worry.
Awashima: Then could you please at least tell me why you're taking this so far?
Munakata: All right.
Munakata: First of all, this was not an impulsive decision instigated by Isana Yashiro.
Munakata: While it's true that I decided to take action because of his request, I'd been keeping an eye on the first king's suspicious behavior already.
Awashima: By suspicious behavior, are you referring to the recent series of events?
Fushimi: Isn't the silver king just some urban legend about a guy who lives in an airship floating in the sky?
Fushimi: How can he be possibly be related to the current case?
Munakata: Let me explain the time line.
Munakata: For the past several decades, the Himmelreich cruised the skies, following several paths.
Munakata: Except for deviations that could be attributed to the weather, it flew along these fifteen patterns.
Munakata: But if you looked for a correlation between the patterns and weather conditions, it seemed like it always took the optimal course.
Munakata: But these days, its route is like this.
Munakata: I became aware of this change just a few days ago.
Munakata: At first, I assumed it was just taking a less regular path.
Munakata: But because of who I was dealing with, I got a hold of air traffic control at Ukita Airport, and had them investigate the issue further.
Munakata: It turns out that the airship changed its usual route in the sky immediately after a certain incident.
Munakata: Routes it had kept for decades had changed abruptly from that moment on.
Munakata: It's only natural that I became suspicious, no?
Munakata: It approached the stadium last night, as well.
Munakata: Scepter 4 will now commence the operation to apprehend the first and silver king, Adolph K. Weismann, as a person of interest in the murder investigation of Totsuka Tatara.
Munakata: We will advise the Himmelreich to land at the appointed airport.
Munakata: In the event he does not comply, we will commandeer the vessel.
SCEPTER4: Yes, Sir!
episode 9 --
Subordinate: The rabbits are already here!
Munakata: He sure is quick, all right.
Guy: The fourth king, Lord Munakata Reishi, is here to see you now.
Kokujyōji: A king hath come to the Slate. I ask of thee, art thou here to fight, or to talk?
Munakata: I come without my sword. I have come to talk.
Munakata: That is my wish.
Munakata: It's good to see you again, Your Excellency.
Kokujyōji: No need for pleasantries.
Munakata: First, allow me to thank you.
Munakata: Thank you for interceding in the recent Royal Blue situation.
Munakata: We were able to use all of the information obtained through extralegal means, for the good of the public...
Kokujyōji: Get to the point.
Munakata: All right. I'll get right to the point.
Munakata: I believe that the body your men retrieved from the Himmelreich was the first king, Adolph K. Weismann.
Kokujyōji: That is correct.
Munakata: Weismann, the silver king, started it all.
Munakata: And his physical appearance was never to change, correct?
Kokujyōji: What do you mean?
Munakata: The "Immortal King," who retained the youth and vigor of his prime for more than a half century, has suddenly died...
Munakata: The circumstances beg many questions.
Munakata: I'd like to be allowed to examine his body.
Munakata: So, the monster is alive and well...
Munakata: And that's how it should be.
Munakata: That old man still has to function as the country's backbone.
Munakata: But mighty as he may be, immortal he is not.
Munakata: That's also true of the silver king.
Munakata: The crisis continues.
Munakata: Remain alert and ready.
SCEPTER4: Yes, sir!
episode 10 --
Awashima: Not only did I allow the Red King to escape, but I've also allowed what has transpired afterward.
Awashima: I take full responsibility.
Munakata: The look on your face as you embrace humiliation... isn't bad at all.
Awashima: Captain!
Munakata: Feeling responsible for not being able to stop the Red King is a sign of considerable arrogance.
Awashima: Yes...
Munakata: But we do have a troublesome situation.
Awashima: Yes.
Munakata: The Red King, Mikoto Suoh, taking over the high school on the island could only mean...
Awashima: He's here to apprehend Tatara Totsuka's murderer.
Munakata: Yes, that's right.
Munakata: But if that person is another king, this could get really messy.
Awashima: You're referring to the Colorless King?
Munakata: The Seventh King, the Colorless King... is unlike any of the other kings.
Munakata: Each successive generation exhibits a unique power.
Munakata: No one knows what that power is until it shows itself.
Awashima: A "trickster" who agitates the relationships between the kings...
Awashima: Like the wild card in a deck of cards.
Munakata: Awashima, I loath the wild card.
Munakata: It reeks of trickery...
Munakata: I feel it lacks fairness.
Munakata: Especially when it's not in the hand I'm playing.
Munakata: Good grief, it'd be so much simpler if he had remained a recluse in the mountains like his predecessor, Ichigen Miwa.
Awashima: But now, we have the short-fused Red King, who can potentially be mixed in with the unpredictable Colorless King.
Awashima: You'd have to call this an extremely volatile situation.
Munakata: What's more, given that we haven't captured the Colorless King, our only alternative is to detain the Red King.
Munakata: An all-out war with the Red Clansmen appears to be inevitable.
Awashima: All units are ready for battle.
Awashima: You may give the order at any time.
Munakata: Awashima...
Munakata: Mind if I make a rather selfish request?
Suoh: I thought sharing the same air with me made you want to puke.
Munakata: Sometimes I feel like breathing toxic air.
Munakata: I'll be very direct.
Munakata: Relinquish this school peacefully.
Munakata: I can't overlook the way you're involving innocent high-school students.
Munakata: If you comply now, I can settle this before things get out of hand.
Suoh: "That's a fine idea"...
Suoh: Is that what you expected me to say?
Munakata: It's not an idea, it's an ultimatum.
Munakata: You've gone too far, Suoh.
Munakata: That being the case, allow me to slay Tatara Totsuka's killer, the man who calls himself the Colorless King.
Munakata: If you'll consent to that, I'll execute him in any way you wish.
Suoh: That's very generous of you.
Suoh: But no thanks.
Munakata: I'm sure you've seen the shape your Sword of Damocles is in.
Munakata: The sword is the symbol of a king and manifests the truest image of its king's condition.
Munakata: Your sword will come crashing down soon.
Suoh: Oh really?
Munakata: Your Weismann level is at the brink.
Munakata: The added burden of killing a king here will certainly exceed your limit.
Munakata: You'll cause a repeat of the Kagutsu Crater tragedy.
Munakata: You no longer have any right to be a king.
Munakata: It's time to step down, Red King.
Suoh: I've never taken any action as a king.
Munakata: There are innocent high school students here who have nothing to do with this.
Munakata: Your men are here too.
Munakata: Do you understand?!
Suoh: I will settle my own business, while you take care of yours.
Suoh: Isn't that all there is?
Munakata: Barbarian!
Munakata: You're beyond reason.
Suoh: You didn't think you could actually change my mind, did you?
Suoh: That's so not your style.
Munakata: Not really...
Munakata: I just came here to see a friend.
Suoh: Go.
Munakata: Suoh...
Munakata: Are you sure you won't change your mind?
Suoh: I'm sure.
Munakata: Fool.
episode 11 --
Awashima: Captain...
Awashima: Captain?
Munakata: Ms. Awashima...
Munakata: I'm leaving you in charge.
Munakata: A cheap trick.
Munakata: But as I suspected, this is the work of...
Munakata: So it's you...!
Awashima: Captain!
Munakata: I have a grasp of the situation now.
Suoh: Then we can cut to the chase.
Suoh: You keep quiet and watch.
Yashirou: Kuro!
Suoh: Munakata!
Suoh: Stop it, Munakata.
Suoh: You're making me start to enjoy this... even though you're not the one I'm after.
Munakata: That's...!
episode 12 --
Suoh: You can go help them if you want.
Munakata: And ruin this perfect moment?
Suoh: You have a point. After all...
Suoh: This is our last fight.
Munakata: Munakata... Ready!
Suoh: We're not finished, are we?
Munakata: No, I'd say we're just getting started.
Suoh: No more time outs from you, got it?
Munakata: Like you'd listen to me even if I wanted one.
episode 13 --
Suoh: Is that all you've got?
Suoh: I know you can do better.
Munakata: It's because I don't have my glasses.
Suoh: You're not taking this too seriously, are you?
Munakata: One cannot afford to be so nonchalant when locked in battle with the Red King himself.
Suoh: Damn.
Suoh: I've always hated that overly polite manner of yours.
Suoh: Can't you speak like a normal person?!
Munakata: It is my mission as one of the Seven Kings, and my duty as the leader of SEPTER 4 to defeat you.
Munakata: Personally, as Munakata Reisi, I want to help you, Suoh.
Suoh: That's not like you at all!
Suoh: Thanks for bringing him here.
Munakata: Stop it, Suoh!
Munakata: Don't do it!
Suoh: Sorry...
Suoh: For making you do the dirty work...
Munakata: Don't give me that rubbish while looking at peace with yourself. {I think rubbish might be more polite with this guy being so polite}
Munakata: If you really feel that way, couldn't you have done something about it... before this happened?
Suoh: You've said enough... Munakata.
Suoh: I'm sorry... Anna.
Suoh: I won't be able to show you that beautiful red anymore.
side:blue chapter translations
prologue: sword of damocles ( pt 1 )
"The Chosen Man" stands in the rain.
A cold rain which, at any moment, may turn into ice. However, the chill seeping into his skin and the uncomfortable sticking of his wet clothes are irrelevant to him. Each raindrop falls to the ground without a single one touching him, coincidentally avoiding his body entirely. Almost as if there is an invisible umbrella open above him.
"The Chosen Man" stands on a battlefield.
The exploding grenades, falling to the ground like a torrential downpour, however, stray from their vertical trajectory before impact, so he is unharmed by the scattering fragments. The stronger the power of the grenade, the further diagonally it strays from above his head.
So, what if an atomic bomb was to be dropped above "The Chosen Man?" Even if it glides diagonally away and misses ground zero by a few kilometers, he can no longer escape injury to his body.
However, destiny will preserve his safety to the last. As a result, what would happen?
Nothing.
The bomb will neither fall, nor will it explode. It will continue to exist, paused in mid air still full of its fatal energy, above the invisible umbrella--
The above is a thought experiment called casually, "Umbrella and Bombs." It's an allegory for the Weismann Theory's concept of a probability point. The nature and abilities of the leaders chosen by and who could control destiny were first defined, measured, and theorized in Germany in 1944. Then, the following year the first scientifically defined "King" was born in the middle of conflict. In the midst of death and destruction, a shining sword hung over his head. This is neither an allegory, nor a fairy tale. This is historical truth.
But, perhaps--
If thought of as the point in time where the rules of the real world were rewritten, maybe it should be called a certain kind of fairy tale, a myth of creation. They twist, stop, and dominate with their will the laws of nature once controlled by microscopic coincidences and macroscopic certainties--the era of demigods.
201X - In a corner of the world, set on an island in the Far East, the prologue to this myth is still continuing.
†
Casually, they're "superpowered."
Said a little more politely, they're "uniquely powered individuals."
Scientifically, they're "probability-inclined psychokinetics."
Legally, they're "persons retaining abilities caused by a unique phenomenon."
In the jargon within the police organization, they call them "supes."
When police officer Kusuhara Takeru first saw that, it was his second month as a part of the Metropolitan Police Department Riot Squad. It was his nineteenth summer. The strong rays of the sun reflected off of the asphalt. His protector and helmet were burning him up on both sides, and the sweat forming inside his uniform dripped to his feet and pooled in his boots.
"…It's hot," he murmured quietly.
Next to him, head patrol officer Tamura Atsushi, still facing forward, said shortly, "Don't lose focus."
"Ah… I'm sorry." As he answered, he moved his head slightly to catch a glimpse to see how Tamura was doing. He was six years older than Kusuhara. The younger members of the squad adored him like an older brother because of his more mature calm demeanor and good humored personality. That Tamura was unusually nervous. He couldn't see his expression behind the face shield, but he could feel a strong wariness from his small movements.
The robber had taken hold of a bank in the office district--that was how the situation had been explained to Kusuhara. They stood directly in front of the bank with its shutters down, gripping their riot batons and making a blockade line with their riot shields. It was a dangerous mission where they were literally bearing the brunt of the theft, but since Tamura had experience in scenes like this, he always kept a collected composure. To Kusuhara, that was reliable… But what about now?
He could overhear bits and pieces of the correspondence a platoon commander in the back row was having with command headquarters. There were two robbers. They had threatened the clerks at the teller window and taken the money, but since emergency communications were prompt and they ran into trouble retreating, they had failed to escape. They took some of the bank staff and customers as hostages and shut themselves inside.
It had been two hours since the incident. With communications open with the criminals on one hand and the information gathered from off-duty clerks and customers kept out from the hold, they were able use both to get a grasp on the situation. How the criminals looked, the number of hostages, the facilities within the bank--and most importantly, the weapons the criminals had. Most of the customers witnessed the gun pointed at the teller clerk and testified, "They shot the ceiling as a threat," "One of the fluorescent lights broke." On the other hand, there were others saying, "I didn't hear a gunshot," "It didn't go off," and that contradiction led investigation headquarters to call to mind one possibility.
"--Inclination levels have moved from 3.5 to 4. Assuming suspect as a supe."
"Understood. Assuming suspect as a supe and guard--"
Tamura's mouth stiffened at the overheard exchange coming from behind them.
"So it is a supe… Be careful."
"…What's a soup?" Kusuhara whispered back. Since Tamura had talked to him, he figured it would be alright to talk just a little bit. Rather, if he dared to open his mouth in a situation like this, then he might have something important to say.
"A superpowered. You've heard of them, at least?"
"Ah yeah, like, a superhero--" When Kusuhara spoke, Tamura stirred and stood at the ready. The side entrance opened slightly, and a man in a brown beanie poked his face out. In his hand, he held a gun. Once in a while, the robbers would come and look at the outside situation like this. "…But he looks surprisingly normal."
"It's weird that he looks normal."
"Huh… Ah, okay," Kusuhara nodded. What felt "normal" was, more than the man's appearance, the impression he got from his movements. Whether it be a blade or a gun, the one holding the weapon will move with their consciousness centered on it. Holding it in front of them at the ready in order to use it at any time, or holding it with the muzzle or tip pointed down at the feet in caution--it would be an obvious thing were it a real gun. But were it to be a model gun or some other bluff, then they would most certainly try to deliberately show it as a real one. But this man wasn't showing the characteristics of an armed person. He was treating the gun in his hand carelessly, like a toy.
-- Why, in a tense scene of a crime, walking around carrying something like a gun, isn't he treating it like a weapon?
If Kusuhara put the "unnatural naturalness" he felt into words, that's what it would be. The answer was--
--Because the criminal had separate weapons for show and use. Then why didn't he show the weapon he used? He could think of two reasons: He didn't want to show his real weapon… Or, that weapon was invisible.
"--Look carefully. There's something like a heat haze coming out from around his body, right?"
"Ah, you're right." At Tamura's words, Kusuhara nodded. "Kinda, like, waving…"
"By gravity or light or whatever, it's warping bit by bit."
"Ooh, gravity. I don't really understand, but that's awesome… Do they fly and shoot beams like superheroes in movies?"
"Nah, if his power's in the single digits, then he's got the strength of a kid at most."
"What," Kusuhara gave a wry smile. "His gun looks like a fake, so why don't we just charge in and hold them back?"
"Don't let your guard down," Tamura said with a hardened voice. "I almost died because of that."
"What?"
"This eye… I've only got half my eyesight in it." With a gloved fingertip, he tapped his face shield. "It'll be four or five years ago now… Had a run in with one of those supes. When we ran in with our shields, an invisible finger stuck me over my shield and into my eye. Like… twisted."
"Ew…"
"There were some other guys who got their brains smashed. You be careful, too."
"…Yes." Kusuhara nodded meekly, and stood on his toes to look over the riot shield. "If that's so, then we should definitely stay as far away as we can… Oh." His movement must have stood out within the group; the man in the beanie, who had been looking around at his surroundings, locked his gaze onto him and gave a light wave with his gun.
"…?" Kusuhara leaned forward--
"--Idiot! Don't stick your head out!" Tamura said sharply, and Kusuhara involuntarily shrank back. At that moment, the man in the beanie swung his gun downward. It was almost like he was trying to hit someone in front of him with the grip, but--
Thump.
With a hard sound, the top of the riot shield was sliced off diagonally.
"Wah!?"
Kusuhara threw his head back, and Tamura yelled, "He's in range!"
"--Pull back! All men pull back!"
The policemen around them withdrew like the receding tide. Kusuhara, who had fallen on his behind, and Tamura, who was grabbing onto his collar and dragging him, were left behind.
"Get rid of your shield! It's not gonna help!"
"O-Okay… Wah!?" The shield he had just tossed away was split in two in front of him, and a number of cracks ran through the asphalt at his feet. They were long, straight cuts, much like an invisible knife cutting butter. That "power" was surely no more powerful than a child's strength. But at the same time, it had more range and density than Tamura and the others had imagined. The unseen blade the superpowered himself materialized from over twenty meters away passed through the road surface on Kusuhara's sides and arrived at Tamura's feet.
Tamura fell with a grunt. The blood from his calf scattered on the asphalt.
"Tamura-san!?"
The moment he turned around, Kusuhara felt a strange sensation on his back. That omen of the wavering of narrowing space, an echo without a sound. The next attack was closing in on them.
His body moved reflexively against that invisible phenomenon. He got himself up, gripping the fallen riot baton by his feet and posing on one knee, he swung.
Clang! There was the sound of clashing metal. Then, the asphalt behind Kusuhara's left side cracked open. The wooden baton hit the invisible blade and made it change directions, and hit the road.
The man standing in the door at the far end of his sight was looking his way, puzzled.
-- That was…?
Kusuhara himself was also looking at the baton with wide eyes. Something like a faint haze on his hand and baton wavered, then disappeared. When he looked back at the door, the man in the beanie was raising his gun again. Most likely, he used his attack with swinging his arm down like a sword. Timing it with the instant the man lowered his arm, Kusuhara stood, raising his baton in an uppercut.
Clang! Again, he flung away the invisible blade causing a hard and heavy response.
-- I can do this…!
Keeping his labored breathing under control, Kusuhara held out his 120 centimeter baton at the ready out in front of him, like kendo. He was able to block the "invisible attacks," which had been able to slice in two with no problem a thick polycarbonate shield, with a wooden baton - as irrational as that guess was, he had an intuitive belief. The feeling of the hit from just a moment ago still remained in his hands.
"Don't move!" The voice from the speaker he heard from above him was directed at the man in the beanie. Behind him, using the personnel transport vehicles as shield, a number of troops held submachine guns at the ready, pointing them at the man. This was no longer an average crime, and the response had changed to that of dealing with an armed terrorist attack.
"Put down your weapon and come forward, slowly!"
In this case, he didn't know how much meaning there was in making him throw away his "visible weapon." Were the man able to use his power unarmed, then wouldn't taking away his weapon be impossible? But in any case, in this situation it seemed that his side would settle it in their advantage. With all the guns pointed in his direction, the man was no longer able to move. Were he to try to cut Kusuhara and the other troops, he would be showered with tens of bullets in the next instant. He had no choice but to obediently step down.
When Kusuhara let his guard down just a little, another man appeared from within the side entrance. It was the second man of the two criminals. His clothes were similar to that of the first man, but he was a bit taller, and his beanie was black. From his demeanor, he looked to be the leader. He seemed to be saying to the first man, "What's taking so long!?" In one hand, he was holding a simple gun.
"You two, throw down your weapons!"
At that voice, it seemed as though the man in the black hat realized the situation for the first time. Or he may have put on such an act on purpose. He looked around, and gave a shrug of his shoulders at the number of guns facing them. Then, the man tossed his gun as he was told. He let it go with a big, slow movement, as though it was a display to Kusuhara and the troops. Then--he swiftly swung his arm to the side.
Boo- boo- boom!
Suddenly, three personnel transport vehicles behind Kusuhara exploded. The mass of heat and impact from the inside of the vehicles ripped the frames off, and scattered iron scraps at high speed with the blast. His colleagues were blown away like splinters and hit the ground.
"Wha…!?" Kusuhara winced, and at his feet Tamura groaned.
"Beta Class…!"
"Beta…?" When he tried to ask, the blast, delayed by a few seconds, hit his back, and he fell forward a step.
Clonk!
prologue: sword of damocles ( pt 2 )
Preparing himself for the next attack, Kusuhara held the halved baton at the ready, and brought it up to his face. Then the man in the black beanie pulled back the man in brown, and took a step forward.
Beta Class. That's what patrol officer Tamura had just said. It was probably about that guy. What did it mean? Was it the strength of his power? Or the type?
The man in the brown beanie attacked with an invisible blade, but the man in the black's weapon was most likely invisible bombs. Would he be able to block it with a stick? Hit the bombs he throws like a baseball… Could he do such a thing?
As he churned these thoughts, the expression of the man in the black beanie reflected in Kusuhara's eyes. His cheeks were twisted in a smile, and he thrust his fist in his direction--
As he opened his hand, in the far distance in front of Kusuhara a small thing burst out. A clump of very high energy with neither color nor shape--it seemed like the very air itself was compressed. In the next moment, it shone like the sun--
-- Will it explode!?
Kusuhara dropped the baton and covered his face with both his hands. At that moment--
Ting! With a high pitched noise, the explosion was sealed.
"Wha…" Kusuhara opened his eyes partway.
The strange and dangerous bomb was like a small sun the size of a fist, but an even more mysterious thing was covering the dazzling ball of light. It was a shining blue cube, about ten centimeters on each side. Like the bombs and the blade, it was not a normal object and seemed like a distortion of space, but it appeared in a shape he could clearly see. The bomb sealed inside was violently pulsating to release its fatal amount of heat, but it was firmly constricted, like shut inside a living crystal.
The blue crystal sealing the pulsating ball of light was a strange work of art that slowly spun before Kusuhara's eyes.
As his eyes were enraptured with that unrealistic sight, a voice from far behind him spoke, "…You are quite the natural at this." It was a calm, well-carried voice. He turned around, and in the black smoke that lingered over the road, there was a strange group.
It was a group of about twenty, wearing an unfamiliar blue uniform. Each carried a long saber at their waist, and walked together at a calm pace. The image of them in two lines was almost like that of blue castle walls. Kusuhara was used to the sight of blockade lines made of armed riot policemen, but what made him still think so was that each man's existence was filled with some sort of energy; an immensity of each presence. The man standing in the middle of the line stood out even among them. He was most likely the leader of this group. From his rather thin and tall body and spectacled, intelligent features he had a presence that almost overwhelmed everything around him.
"There are many of those who manifest their power in the shape of a sword. That is because the sword itself is the symbol of the most fundamental offensive ideal and the will--it is an extension of your arm in a hard and sharp form." Keeping his pace, the man in glasses spoke to Kusuhara.
His interest was for some reason directed not to the bombs that destroyed the large vehicles, nor the injured lying here and there, nor the superpowereds who caused their injuries, but to Kusuhara.
"However, those who can use their sword for protection are few. You strike against and stop a sharpened and concentrated will off attack with your own just as, or even more, concentrated will. An innate talent over simply technique is necessary for such an unusually difficult action." When the man came in front of Kusuhara a smile appeared on his face, and he placed a hand on the protector's shoulder. "Indeed. That was you just now. It was truly excellent. …But afterwards was not so good."
"Huh…?"
The man in glasses concentrated power into his hands slightly, and Kusuhara took a step back. Then he extended his hand to the crystal remaining in mid air, and it moved to his palm and began to slowly spin there.
"If you hold on to your will strongly, everything within reach of your sword will become the sanctuary your will controls. Even the most primitive of accidental power discharges will not encroach on that." Playing with the crystal in the air, the man turned to the superpowereds in the doorway. His associates also passed Kusuhara and stopped a few steps in front of him.
"…Scepter 4!" The man in the black beanie flung his right hand sideways at the ranks. Five bright balls of light appeared in front of them and--
Ting! They were all sealed within cubic crystals without waiting a second for an explosion, and floated in a stack on the palm of the man in glasses. In that opening, the man in the brown hat attacked with his invisible blade. But, a woman in the blue uniform jumped out in front from behind the man in glasses, cutting into the blade's path and repelling it with the saber scabbard in her right hand.
She then held her scabbard at her waist and saluted him. "1315, transfer of authority in this incident as a Beta Case has been recognized by the Metropolitan Police Department."
"Very well."
The man's finger met with the bridge of his glasses and he gave a faint smile. He then looked up and spoke as though he was chanting to the heavens--
We of Scepter 4 carry out duties of the sword.
Forgiving of neither war in the sanctuary, nor chaos in the world--
We will advance with sword in hand, for our cause is pure!
"Men, draw!" The uniformed woman waiting at the man's side commanded the other men.
They all drew their swords at once, and held them in front of them at the ready with the blade standing. A blue, wavering atmospheric distortion spread out in a circle from each of their feet. This must be the "sanctuary" that the man in glasses had mentioned earlier.
Kusuhara, too, had heard of their name in rumors. Created by superpowereds, the superpowered-response public security organization "Scepter 4" - this ground was already their territory.
The situation was already far from the hands of normal people. When Kusuhara tried follow Tamura, who was being carried off on a stretcher by the relief crew, the man called to stop him. "Ah, you. Please wait. I'd like to show you an example."
"An example…?"
The man in glasses moved his right hand lightly, and all six blue crystals flew into the air. As he unsheathed his saber he gave a single slice in an elegant motion, and with that one blow all the crystals were cut in two.
Boom!
Said simply, six times the energy of the bombs that had destroyed the vehicles earlier was released in one fell swoop, and engulfed Kusuhara and the Scepter 4 troops in explosive flame. No, the blue sanctuary created at the same time as the explosion from the feet of the man in glasses spread much larger and stronger than those of the other troops, and protected them all.
And still, the energy pushed to the boundary of sanctuary and normal space swirled up to the skies and concentrated overhead at a mechanical equilibrium point, pressurizing.
"…!" Kusuhara Takeru looked up and saw what was being born--a huge crystallization of concentrated space and energy.
It was a sword of bombs.
It was a symbol of a will suited for order, a symbol of a spontaneous discharge of power, and a symbol of an authority to control the world.
His nineteenth summer, the first time Kusuhara Takeru saw that--
The Blue King, Munakata Reisi, and his Sword of Damocles.
chapter 1: fencing practice ( pt 1 )
In a corner of the Scepter 4 headquarters, nicknamed "The Camellia Gate," was a partially forgotten file room. The tens of file shelves lined up within the room were reminiscent of a walled maze, or cliffs exposed from layers of dirt. They were the rejected and heavy accumulated deposits of history.
Beyond this pressure and weaving through the rows of dusty shelves was a lone man at the single desk by the window. He was around his mid-thirties. His huge musculature was set, hunched slightly over an old computer. It was almost like he was a fossil buried in the layers of documents -- no, upon closer inspection, his hand was moving leisurely on the dirtied keyboard. His typing was slow, and sometimes stopped in hesitation. He used only the fingers on his right hand. This was because he had no left arm. The left sleeve of the internal affairs division uniform covering his massive body was knotted carelessly in the area above his elbow and dangled down.
The one-armed man shifted his reading glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. There was a large, old scar that ran from the ridge of his nose to his left cheek. Rubbing that scar with his finger he made a stern expression, then gave a big sigh and turned to the monitor once again. He was no good at typing, and he was even worse at operating machines. His job of simply inputting the small amount of written reports into the computer once a day was the biggest task of his -- of Zenjoh Goki's[1] daily routine. When his rough right hand began to hover, searching for the key he wanted to hit--
A cherry blossom petal landed softly on the back of his hand. It was probably carried in on the spring wind from the rows of cherry trees planted on the outside of headquarters. As though being invited by the petal, he turned his gaze outside the open window.
On the grounds surrounded by trees, he could see a uniformed group forming a line. The pink of the flurry of falling cherry blossoms and the blue of the uniforms glowed vividly in the afternoon sun. The sight of the lined troops, their posture carrying a supple power, was a sight to behold. Part of that must have depended on the weight of the sabers worn on their waist. These swordsmen division troops were the core of the superpowered-response organization Scepter 4, but also could conceptually be called Scepter 4 itself. With swords at their waist, they were also the very “Sword of the King” itself. That was the foundation of their existence.
"Men, draw!"
The command, dominating the grounds and carrying all the way to the barracks, belonged to the lieutenant of Scepter 4, Awashima Seri. Though she was a woman, her dignified vigor completely controlled almost a hundred men. The troops all drew their sabers at once and held them in front at salute. The group of blades pointed to the sky looked like a pinholder from far away.
"Row formation!"
The troops pulled their sabers to their side and changed formation, from eight lines to four rows, with a trot. Space was kept between the rows while the troops were rather close to each other - the "wall" formation.
"Fencing method, first form! Begin!"
The troops moved their blades to the front and lunged.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"Four!"
With each command, a hundred blades pointed in each direction, followed through and then once again pointed forward. Every single movement was completely synchronized.
The fencing method was Western swordsmanship arranged for group action and then simplified, but there were points that were definitely different from what is called "swordsmanship." The first is that they were not assuming that their enemy would have a sword like them. And right now, they were not aiming to cause damage with their sword.
The members of the swordsmen division all had high-level superpowers. Just with the inclination field that they created, they were able to repel bullets and knock down enemies several meters away. The sword as a weapon and swordsmanship were both essentially unnecessary.
Then… If it wasn't a weapon, what was it? What was a "sword" to them?
It was most likely something like a "symbol," or a "guide." Give a formless power the image of a sword, and then control it. Specifically, the drawing motion was the trigger that released their power, then they concentrated on the image of a blade and used their powers with the movement of the sword. The sabers worn by the troops of of Scepter 4 were the very symbol of "controlled power." The very ideal of the Blue King, Munakata Reisi.
"--Serrate formation!"
Every other member in each row advanced, or perhaps retreated, taking the shape of a jagged line.
"Fencing method, second form! Begin!"
The back row covered the gap created by the front row's attack. Then, the front row defended as they retreated, switching with the back row - almost one hundred troops were moving systematically and without hesitation, like a complicated machine made of cog wheels. They were beautiful movements, reminiscent of a group dance.
-- How dazzling.
The reason Zenjoh narrowed his eyes was not just because the reflection of the sun off the blades was bright. Like a hard, transparent mineral crystal, it was complete beauty that rejected all impurity. There was no room in there for such a foreign thing as himself.
That didn't mean he was unhappy. Much like his habit of touching his scar, it was just that realizing everything that he lacked with every little thing was something he'd been doing for many years. He rubbed his eyes, dazzled by the sight outside, and turned back to the monitor. Then--
"Hey, watch it!"
"Ah, I'm sorry!"
One member made a mistake in his movements, and seemed as though his blade had grazed another. Luckily, neither seemed to be injured, but--
"Kusuhara!"
"Yes ma'am!"
The one that lowered his head in apology, Kusuhara jumped up straight at Awashima's sharp voice.
"Ten laps!"
"Yes ma'am!" Kusuhara hurriedly put his saber back into its sheath and ran off.
"Watch yourself!"
"Yes sir!"
The member that got hit by the saber called out to Kusuhara as he passed, but--
"Hidaka, you too!"
"Wha!?"
Then, as the two troop members began to run side-by-side, still uniformed with sword at their side, "--Third form, from the top! Begin!" The lesson continued with Awashima's command.
It wasn't long before the two, ejected from the ranks, came around in front of Zenjoh along the inner edge of the grounds and happened to hear their conversation.
"…Dammit, I don't get it… I wish that woman'd make her huge tits the joke, yeah?" Hidaka was taller and seemed to be older. He was speaking in a rude manner to Kusuhara at his side. "I'm a victim!"
"Huh? …Ah, huh." Kusuhara, on the other hand, was smaller than average. His face also looked a bit like a boy's. "Isn't that where I say something like, 'you couldn't avoid it and that's slacking too?'"
"You're in no position to say that. Know your place!" Hidaka stuck out his elbow and poked Kusuhara's shoulder.
"Ah, ow, I'm sorry, that hurts… Wah!" Kusuhara raised his voice. His eyes met with Zenjoh's beyond the window, almost ten meters away.
"What are you making weird voices for?"
"Oh, there was someone… I heard that over there was storage, so…"
"Hah? There's at least someone in charge of it."
"No, I thought it was a monster."
"You a kid?"
"Ow!"
When Hidaka hit the back of Kusuhara's head, "Hidaka! Kusuhara! What are you fooling around for!?" Awashima's sharp voice interrupted them. "Five more laps!"
"Ueeei!?" Hidaka made a strange sound and increased his pace.
"Ah… hello," Kusuhara stopped for a moment and gave Zenjoh a small bow, then once again followed after Hidaka. Zenjoh gave a wry smile as he nodded back, and watched as Kusuhara ran off.
A few minutes later when they came around the track again Kushara nodded his head to him, and on the next time around he passed without paying any mind to him. And then--
--Yet again, there are no more special notes from today.
Zenjoh finished typing up the brief report after a long time and when he lifted his head, Kusuhara and Hidaka were still running. They had at some point removed their uniforms and sabers and just had on their inner shirt. The other troops were nowhere to be seen. They had finished their scheduled lessons and seemed were already done for the day.
Neither of them were saying a word, and were now just mindlessly driving their bodies forward. A distant scene that reminded him of two animals running across a field. Zenjoh, gazing on this, was also mindless. As he caught a glimpse of a radiant time that he would no longer step foot in, his rough hand was just barely touching the scar on his cheek.
†
"The point is, your tempo was off."
On their regular parting, Hidaka laughed and smacked Kusuhara on the back. Moody Hidaka was quick to anger, but it washed away just as quickly. "Think about what you did! Think about it!"
"Ah, I'm sorry. I will do just that." Kusuhara, scratching the back of his head with a wry smile, actually thought that there might be something off about himself.
The one who would fail to sing together in a chorus, or the one who would somehow end up on the opposite leg in a march. Now that he thought about it, he was that kid. His athletics weren't bad, but qualities such as a sense of rhythm and precise movement were things he was born without. And though he had decided that he would never do work that involved singing or dancing, he had been careless about one last thing. There were marches and lines in the riot squad which he used to work in, and he was pulled from there and switched to Scepter 4, which also required group movement. Especially the fencing methods, where everyone wields actual drawn swords - if one messes up the timing, that could cause injury to coworkers in the area. It wasn't something one could get by with being bad at.
That was the reason why he thought about practicing on his own after lights out. Kusuhara left the dorms in his tracksuit, and with a bamboo sword in place of his saber in hand, wandered around the premises of headquarters for a place he could swing it around to his heart's content. Inside a building he would probably hit a wall or a window, and in the middle of the grounds… would kind of make him stand out a lot. After he thought of several locations, he headed toward the dojo at the edge of headquarters. It was a rather normal association that if you use a bamboo sword, it's in a dojo.
If the dojo was open for night training, then he'd at least ask for a corner to practice swinging. As he thought this, he went to the front of the building.
…But. For some reason, he got a strange feeling.
The lights of the dojo were off, but the entrance and windows were all wide open. Because of its old fashioned and open structure, the separations inside were few and the night air just entered. And, inside--
-- There's something scary in there, Kusuhara thought.
A savage beast that lurked in a dark brush, or a demon that lived in the attic of a deserted house - Kusuhara shook his head and chased out the images that appeared in his head. His instinct has always been sharp, but he didn't think there was any way a bear or a boar would be in the middle of the city, and he wasn't the age to be actually afraid of monsters. If something was actually there it was most likely human, and most logically a member of Scepter 4 like himself. Though he did wonder what they were doing with the lights off…
Kusuhara gave a slight peek through the door and into the dojo. Then,
Wham! --
The sudden blast of wind that blew from inside the dojo - no, something like the shock of a huge taiko drum being struck in front of him hit Kusuhara in the face. More precisely, it wasn't actual wind or sound at all. It was some sort of unseeable presence.
"…Who's there?" A low, calm man's voice asked him who he was, and he reflexively fixed his posture.
"H-Hello! Um…!" Ah Kusuhara became flustered, the owner of the voice appeared from the darkness within the dojo. It was a huge man. He could tell from over his training uniform that his over-190 centimeter body was covered in bunches of thick muscle. He had his left hand in his pocket… no, it seemed as though that arm only went to the elbow. And in his right hand he held an unsheathed odachi, long enough to drag. It was an exposed, lethal weapon that radiated a dangerous aura incomparable to the regular sabers.
-- Is he going to kill me!?
Kusuhara reflexively pulled himself back and held his bamboo sword at the ready in front of him. A moment later, a faint blue light appeared on the part of the blade. A spectral phenomenon produced as a result of the inclination field. Since his appointment to Scepter 4 six months ago, his special powers had grown remarkably. By the connection of his power and the draw of his sword, a certain invocation and control became possible - like the other troops, he was taking lessons like that. To put it in Hidaka's words, "the beam swords you see in manga." The blue phosphorescent blade was pointed at the armed giant.
"Mm? …Ah, no." The man, after observing Kusuhara, turned his back to him and once again made his way inside, picking up something long off the floor.
His eyes just getting used to the darkness, Kusuhara could tell that it was a huge sheath. The man held it under his left arm and put away the weapon with one hand, then took it back with his right hand and returned to him.
"Sorry for scaring you. I was practicing my iai."
"Ah, no…" Seeing the blade put away, he was finally able to relax. On a closer look, the man's demeanor was rather proper. The large scar on his left cheek stood out, but the eyes behind the glasses were smiling softly.
"And you are?"
"Um… Kusuhara Takeru, Swordsmen Division Troops, Fourth Squad." Kusuhara relaxed his stance, and the blue light disappeared from the bamboo sword.
"The sword troops… Ahh, from this afternoon." The man scratched his left cheek with the back of the hand gripping the longsword.
"This afternoon…?" Kusuhara tilted his head, and the man gave his name.
"Zenjoh Goki. 'The person in charge of storage.' I'm not a monster."
"…Ah--" He was the person who had been watching them from the window in the barracks when they were running their punishment laps during the day's lesson. Kusuhara realized that person was the man in front of him, and he flushed. "…I see, and you're practicing on your own. Um… If I'm in your way, I'll come back later." Kusuhara said without explanation to Zenjoh, who had easily grasped the situation, half out of awkwardness. But--
"Nah. You have admirable intentions, Kusuhara-kun." The old scar cutting across his cheek moved, and he gave a half-smile.
Then--
First he asked if he needed light or not, but he could see his feet by the light from the window. Zenjoh himself had said that his senses were sharper in the dark. Then they took their places on practically opposite ends of the dojo and started training on their own.
Imitating the sheathed saber, Kusuhara held the bamboo sword against his waist as in the fencing method. From the first form draw, he held it at the ready, followed through, and changed his feet - as he did so, he glanced over at Zenjoh.
He had said that since he was using a real sword it was dangerous and had put a large distance between them, but Zenjoh was sitting perfectly still, facing the small altar further inside the dojo, longsword placed at his side.
-- Still, that's an incredible sword.
Kusuhara recalled the sight of the naked odachi he had seen with his own eyes earlier. A thick blade holding a glittering light. Something that could probably cut even a human, vertically or horizontally, easily in two.
-- But something that big is probably hard to use.
chapter 1: fencing practice ( pt 1 ) cont
-- Since he's practicing alone in the middle of the night that probably means he doesn't want others to see. I'll finish up here quickly, then peek in through the window…
"--Kusuhara-kun. Your focus is all over the place." Zenjoh said, his back still turned to Kusuhara.
"Eh…!? Ah, right, I'm sorry!" Kusuhara hurriedly fixed his posture and bowed.
Zenjoh continued to speak without laughing at or scolding him. "It's good that you're paying attention to your surroundings, but dropping your form for that isn't."
"Okay, I'll be more careful!" Kusuhara responded, posture still stiff.
"And… your beat is inconsistent."
"Hah… my beat?" Kusuhara tilted his head, "…Ah--"
And he realized.
-- This is that thing about "tempo."
"An 'inconsistent beat'… isn't good, right?" Kusuhara asked curiously, and Zenjoh's appearance wavered slightly.
"In this case, no… but it's right for swordsmanship."
-- Not good, but right.
They were words almost like a riddle, but to Kusuhara he felt they grasped the core of something.
"Um, do you think… you could explain a little more about that please?" When he involuntarily took a step towards Zenjoh--
Boom--!
With an attack that was like piercing his chest, the point of the huge sword was pointed at his throat.
"…!?" Kusuhara jumped back reflexively and gripped his bamboo sword.
But--
As before, they were on opposite sides of the dojo. They were apart by 30 or so meters. The point he had seen was an illusion his body created when he had felt the frightening energy. Zenjoh was on one knee, his longsword drawn. Kusuhara didn't see the moment when he had drawn it or how he did it at all. The blade that was the very extension of his single arm was filled with vigor, and his face looked like that of a terrible demon.
The tip of the demon was pointing to Kusuhara's throat-- no, to the doorway over his shoulder.
"My, what an impressive draw. It chills me."
He heard a smiling voice from behind him.
"Heheh… That's no good for a body just out of the bath. You'll probably get sick."
He turned around, and a tall man stepped lightly through the door. His image was a bit different, due to his yukata and just-washed hair, but--
"…Director?[2]"
"Good evening, Kusuhara-kun. It seems you were having quite the enjoyable conversation." The man said Kusuhara's name, but wasn't paying any mind to his existence.
The "Director" was the Blue King, Munakata Reisi. His eyes were fixated on the devilish swordsman who was pointing his blade at him.
Munakata pushed up his glasses with his finger, and gave a faint smile. "'Zenjoh the Demon,' fencing master--do you mind doing me a favor?"
†
-- I'm surrounded by scary people.
Kusuhara froze, bamboo sword still grasped in his hand. He couldn't make a single movement, much like he was being pressed on both sides by walls.
Munakata Reisi and Zenjoh Goki. They were both men with overwhelming presences, but their impressions were strikingly different.
Zenjoh's scariness - the oppressiveness of his bare weapon - was familiar in a way. The vigor of a fanged beast that a kendo master or a higher officer in the riot squad had. Something that fundamentally existed in that extension. Size, speed and strength from decades of simply training body and technique to the utmost. Like one would be eaten in one bite if they carelessly got too close - an easy to understand "scariness."
On the other hand, Munakata was unlike anyone Kusuhara knew. His age was most likely around 23 or 24. He could say his age was roughly the same as his own. He was too young to be the top of an organization that held more authority and combat strength than the regular police… That's what one would think looking at the number alone.
But those thoughts vanish when seeing Munakata himself.
Though Zenjoh's intent was pointed squarely at him, this man was not moving. He was even smiling faintly.
Another huge presence, directly facing a huge and explosive power. But this was more like an iceberg beneath the water, an unknown magnitude.
…Or rather, what showed the entirety of his power was probably that.
What Kusuhara once saw in the summer sky. A huge sword whose tip pointed to the ground, above Munakata's head, far above in the sky - The Sword of Damocles. Munakata was hiding that giant mass of energy within his deep, bottomless shadows. Though he seemed unarmed at first, he was more strongly equipped than anyone. So even if he was confronted with a sword, no, even perhaps attacked by a gun or missiles, he would most likely remain composed.
Zenjoh, his long blade unsheathed, and Munakata, hiding a huge "sword." Their confrontation lasted for tens of seconds in the strained atmosphere. …No, it was most likely only a few seconds. That felt so much longer to nervous Kusuhara.
Finally,
"…You must be kidding."
Zenjoh relaxed his shoulders and let down his blade. Munakata didn't answer. He still had a faint smile on his lips. Zenjoh picked up his his scabbard and sheathed his sword, then stood and approached. "Kusuhara-kun."
"Yes…!?" Kusuhara jumped aside to clear the way and Zenjoh passed slowly in front of him, like a large beast.
"Sorry. I said too much."
"Yes! …Ah, I mean, not at all!"
Zenjoh bowed to Munakata who was standing in the doorway, then turned back to the entire dojo and bowed again, and just walked away. It felt as though the pressure inside the dojo lessened as the huge figure vanished from sight. But Kusuhara continued staring in the direction that Zenjoh left, still tense.
Because--
When Zenjoh left, Munakata's attention was directed at him. He felt that, and his entire body froze. Undoubtedly a frog being watched by a snake.
-- This has gotten even scarier.
What was Director Munakata thinking right now? How was he feeling? He had no idea. This unknowable, gigantic existence was peering at him from the corner of his vision.
"…There's no need to be so nervous, Kusuhara-kun."
"Y--… Huh? Ah--" Prompted by Munakata's actions he looked at his hands, and the blade of his bamboo sword was bathed in a blue light. His cautiousness had unconsciously shown itself. "Sir, my apologies!" Kusuhara stood at attention. He lowered the tip of his bamboo sword and the light on the blade quickly weakened, then disappeared.
Munakata gave a faint smile and gazed away from Kusuhara, looking toward the direction Zenjoh left. "It seems as though Mister Zenjoh hates us."
"Huh? Me too?" Kusuhara responded reflexively.
-- There shouldn't be a like or dislike to him when it comes to someone small like me.
That's what he thought, but--
Munakata's eyebrow moved slightly.
"…!" Kusuhara involuntarily straightened his back and looked away from Munakata. He was usually the type to just say what he was thinking. His for better or for worse, honest personality had never really caused any problems until now, but… only today seemed to be fatal. "Um… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
And again there was a long, scary silence when,
"…Hm." Munakata gave a small sigh. Unlike the sharp, calm smile he had been wearing before, it was one that surfaced from the depths of his body. "Apologies. It's as you say." As though it was a habit when he talked, he adjusted his glasses with his finger as he spoke. "That man hates me."
"…Hah." Kusuhara gave a vague response and peeked at Munakata. The expression partially hidden by his hand showed he was worried about the situation, or that he was ironically enjoying it. His gaze out the door and relaxed smile was much more human than before, but--
-- He really isn't someone I understand, after all… Kusuhara thought.
Finally--
"Please lock up." Munakata said and then also left the dojo, leaving Kusuhara alone.
Finally, he could practice calmly.
Within the empty space, dimly lit by the moonlight, Kusuhara repeated the standard motions two, three times.
Though the two giants had left, their impressions had left there some sort of a lingering scent. Even now he wondered, would a metal edge come flying out of the darkness? Or at this instant, would a cool gaze see straight through him? When he thought that, he felt something invisible go through his behavior. A bit of his tension rose through his feet, through his center of gravity and up his spine and lit his bamboo sword in a faint blue light, then radiated around him from the movements and watch at the end of it. In the dim light filled with potential dangers, Kusuhara almost mindlessly checked the range of his perception and weapon, and then--
His own breath.
The weight of the bamboo sword, the sound of it slicing the air.
His toenails brushing the floor, the feeling of it creaking as he stepped.
The dim light. The movement of the air. The sounds of the nighttime bugs.
All of that soaked into his body, or probably his own existence melted into the space around him. Only he was in this space right now. No, the space was him.
When he happened to look at his hands, the blue phosphorescence within his wooden sword was still spreading faintly. The floor at his feet, too, was giving off a faint ring of light.
"Ah… This is…" Kusuhara was bewildered, and then--
"--If you hold on to your will strongly, everything within reach of your sword will become the sanctuary your will controls--"
Those were the mysterious words that Munakata had once said. That he had recalled, with a feeling he couldn't put into words, he suddenly understood them.
-- Okay. Kusuhara took a deep breath and strengthened the grip on his bamboo sword. Then, he imagined transmitting that strength from his hands to the sword, then to the entire space of a strike. And then, on the floor, with Kusuhara in the center, a circle of light about two meters in radius appeared. The space his own will, the "invisible sword" controlled--
-- So this is that "sanctuary" thing…
Kusuhara continued the fencing methods with the sanctuary still spread. While the circle of light - no, even the half sphere of space above it was filled with Kusuhara's will, or rather was strengthening his own power, stabilized in that condition. The complete power he didn't used to have was stretching into the space beyond himself.
-- This is awesome.
He didn't think he was a strong person. He almost never thought about competing with others with power. But now, in this space, in this instant, he didn't feel as though he would lose no matter who he fought. No matter how strong his opponent was. No matter how strong their weapon was--
-- No, that's definitely saying too much.
For example, if he was up against Zenjoh's iai, he'd probably be cut down before he even had the chance to ready his weapon. Or if he was against Munakata, he would probably be crushed along with his sanctuary. Of course, he felt the need to become stronger as a member of a fighting organization, but,
-- Well, I do have my limits.
Kusuhara let slip a single wry smile, and then with the movements of his technique worked on stabilizing his own small sanctuary.
However--
Kusuhara was now, by his own scale, putting himself with the men he had only vaguely recognized as giants until just a few minutes ago.
This is what it meant to have his own "sanctuary."
Kusuhara hadn't realized that truth yet. Right now he was just swinging his bamboo sword, creating small circles of light in the dimness--
excerpt: munakata and zenjou's conversation
“….Zenjou-san. Let us talk a little bit in private before we call in Awashima-kun.”
“Huh…”
Munakata said to Zenjou, whose expression was one of confusion and surprise.
“I believe that Kusuhara-kun said something similar to you before - but has the being Zenjou Gouki lost all value when he lost his left arm?”
Munakata directed his gaze towards Zenjou’s left arm, fixating on it in a manner that could even be considered impolite.
“…I don’t think so. Rather, I think that you have presently become complete by losing one arm.”
The kitten purred and rubbed its head against the fingertips of Zenjou, who remained silent.
“In the same vein, by losing the member Kusuhara, my SCEPTER4 is nearing its completion. Perhaps I can even say that…one death was necessary for the sake of the organization’s completion.”
“…are you”
Zenjou said, after a long pause.
“Are you saying that Kusuhara was supposed to die?”
Zenjou stood up. As if sensing the tense atmosphere, the kitten ran off.
“Well then…”
Munakata adjusted his glasses. His expression, half hidden by his hand, remained unreadable.
“If I said “yes”…will you slay me?”
Munakata said,
“Much like how you slew your own master - the Blue King, Habari Jin.”
“….!”
Zenjou’s expression underwent drastic changes.
Shock, rage - no, feelings even more intense than that displayed themselves on his face.
“199x, July, the Kagutsu Incident, in that decisive moment - caught in the area of influence of the “Red King” Kagutsu Renji’s Damocles Down, Habari Jin could not stabilize his own Sword of Damocles. In other words, there was a high possibility of a chain reaction occurring as a result.”
Munakata said to Zenjou, frozen with the look of a demon on his face.
“If two Damocles Downs were to occur at the same time, in the same area, then the amount of energy, multiplied by each other’s influence, should theoretically be enough to burn up the entirety of Kanto, leaving it to sink into the waters…it is even possible that the repercussions will be enough to lead to the downfall of the entire country.”
Observing Zenjou’s reactions, Munakata continued.
“In that moment, the life of one King and the future of one country was put on the balance of fate. Your swift strike saved the entire country - by instantly slaying the Blue King, faster than his sword could fall, and making his Sword of Damocles disappear-“
Zenjou did not answer. He let his gaze fall to the floor wordlessly.
-indeed he had slew Habari. He had no intentions of shying away from that fact.
However, at the same time, that wasn’t out of his own judgment…he thinks. He was spurred into motion - neither by his own will, nor by the expectations of others - but by some great impulse, and drawing his sword from its sheath came naturally.
Regardless-
He had slain Habari. The fact alone won’t change. The weight behind it will never ease up.
Even after the passing of ten years, he has yet to gain confidence in the justness of his actions.
But, the figure of Habari burnt in his mind-
“-Yes. That’s fine as it is.”
He found support in the memory of Habari, who smiled dazzlingly as he said that with a serene expression.
And now,
“Indeed….you are correct.”
The figure of Munakata before him overlapped with the figure in his memories.
-no, that’s not it.
This man isn’t Habari. He is not the master who was as bright as he was clearly fair.
Zenjou’s hand extended towards the hilt of his saber. His hand came to a stop upon it.
He had his doubts.
-Just who is this man? What does he hide behind that smile of his?
An evil and terrifying nature that toys with human life?
Or, the special caliber of one who can carry out justice with decisions beyond that of normal men?
That is a question he had asked himself thousands and thousands of times ever since meeting Munakata Reishi. It was a complicated question that he has yet to find a clear-cut answer to.
Zenjou growled like a beast, like a demon. The ferocious will he harbored inside him bared its fangs against the chains that imprison it.
-should he slay the man before him, or should he not?
Two wills and two sources of power raged and clashed within his body, stretching the chains to their limits.
There was something that rushed up from his chest. He felt like his blood was boiling, his muscles tense to the point when they could snap at any moment.
Zenjou raised his downcast eyes and stared at Munakata.
If only looks could kill - despite being on the receiving of such a deadly glare, Munakata smiled fearlessly.
At that moment-
Zenjou felt something exploding within him - something even greater than his own will.
A huge amount of power erupted from the insides of his sword’s sheath.
The demon’s sword rushed forth, flinging off the broken shards of its sheath.
-
Epilogue
The Sword of Damocles
Zenjou’s sword, bathed in blue light, broke out of its sheath and drew an arc across the air just centimeters in front of Munakata’s nose.
-No.
At the same time, the glass window on one wall shattered, a shower of sparks bursted along the path of the demon’s blade, and a portion of the wall was blasted off, leaving a fist-size hole.
One thing was responsible for shattering the glass window, causing the shower of sparks and opening a hole in the wall.
A 12.7mm round.
With his saber, reinforced by supernatural powers, Zenjou deflected this high-caliber bullet that came bursting through the window at supersonic speeds.
The black kitten meowed in distress and slipped beneath the sofa.
-Sniper…!?
Zenjou, the very person who deflected the sniper’s shot, was shocked.
It wasn’t a conscious action on his part. His beastly intuition has picked up on the presence of the supersonic bullet, and his bodily instincts urged him to draw his sword and strike it down.
Furthermore, Zenjou twisted his body from the posture he’d taken after swinging his sword, and, with his back to the window, flung his sword behind him.
Once again, a shower of sparks bursted in the air. The second bullet was struck off course and pierced the wall as well.
Zenjou, with his seamless movements, faced the window again.
He waited two seconds, three seconds - it doesn’t seem like there’ll be a third shot.
Munakata pressed a switch on his intercom.
“Fushimi-kun - we were attacked just now.”
Munakata took one glance at the hole in the wall,
“The weapon is probably a high-caliber AM rifle. The sniper is perhaps-“
“On a tall building two kilometers southwest.”
“There. Contact the police.”
“On it.”
Fushimi had already made an estimation of the sniper’s location from the layout of the room that Munakata is in, as well as the range of the rifle itself. He had arranged for the local police to capture the sniper on urgent notice.
“Excellent.”
Munakata cut the intercom’s connection.
-sniping with an AM rifle from 2000 meters away.
Munakata did not expect the ‘enemy’ to have enough power to arrange for and utilize weaponry and snipers of this caliber. SCEPTER4 has special permissions to inspect various public and official sources of information in the capital, but they’re sometimes one step behind on information unrelated to supernatural elements.
If Zenjou wasn’t present, then the “enemy“‘s bullet, which had slipped through the cracks of their information network and into their perceptional blind spot, would definitely have blown off Munakata’s head.
“So this is the last trick for today…or rather, all the “enemy“‘s movements up till this point has been nothing but a plan to lure me into this situation, so it seems.”
Munakata said dispassionately, and Zenjou spoke up.
“….why?”
“Why…did I step into the enemy’s trap and expose myself to danger?”
Munakata answered,
“High risks yield high returns. Using my own life was the fastest way to get a reaction from an unknown enemy and draw out information - of course, this is something only possible with the best bodyguard there is, Zenjou Gouki.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Zenjou said,
“…why did you provoke me?”
“Ah, you were asking about that….”
Munakata chuckled, and Zenjou’s expression darkened.
“This world is something like a puzzle; one that you can only piece together through perseverance and determination. That’s what I think….but sometimes I feel like throwing reason to the winds and entrusting myself to fate.”
“Fate…?”
“Zenjou-san. Your sword is yours, yet at the same time, it isn’t.”
Munakata let his eyes wander to the drawn saber that Zenjou was holding.
“I believe that your strike, brought to motion faster than you are conscious of it yourself, is the manifestation of some sort of Providence.”
Zenjou did not answer. He simply let out a low growl, with his teeth scrunched together.
Two eyes, harboring within them the presence of a demon, found Munakata.
They stared straight at Munakata’s fathomless smile; an ambiguous smile.
Zenjou poured strength into his right hand holding the saber. But as long as that smile remained ambiguous, Zenjou’s hand would not move. He could not swing his sword.
“Let’s go.”
Munakata turned his back to Zenjou and began walking.
“…someday, when you see through the very depths of my being, perhaps you will slay me.”
Zenjou did not answer. He followed Munakata, all while glaring daggers into the back of Munakata’s neck.
“You are the swift strike of a sword, as well as a bomb on the verge of explosion. That will become my strength, as well as something beyond my own control. In other words, Zenjou-san-“
Munakata smiled while exposing his defenseless back to the demon’s gaze.
“You are also a “Sword of Damocles” much involved in my fate.”
zenjou gouki information
by
side:blue reinforces that particular idea in my mind by revealing an interesting parallel to Kuro in the form of Zenjou Gouki - a vassal of the former Blue King who’s only reason for serving Munakata boils down to ‘he needs to see for himself what kind of person Munakata really is, slaying him if necessary’.
Zenjou Gouki is the lieutenant of the former Blue King, Habari Jin, whom he slew when the Blue King’s Weismann level went out of control as a result of the Red King’s Damocles Down (a Damocles Down tends to cause a chain reaction with nearby Kings and their Swords of Damocles - if any one of the four Kings’ Swords in the last episode fell, Japan would’ve probably been blown off the map). As a result of the trauma of being forced to slay his own master, he departed from SCEPTER4 soon thereafter and lived in recluse for a decade - until the new Blue King, Munakata Reishi approached him.
Zenjou Gouki was absolutely loyal to Habari, and even believed that he was born to meet the Blue King. On that fateful day in 199x, July, Zenjou lost an irreplaceable part of himself along with his left arm during the Kagutsu Incident. SCEPTER4 was left without a King, and Zenjou believed that SCEPTER4 as it is - has no ‘justice’ that Habari asked him to uphold, nor a master that he can honestly serve -, and so departed to live in recluse. When Munakata visited him a decade later, Zenjou believed that he could see hints of Habari in the new Blue King, and even thought that this was a sign from Habari himself - telling him to “Go ahead and rest now.” However, Munakata evidently had other plans for Zenjou-
“Ah, I have no need for such pleasantries - I am here, after all, to welcome you back.”
Munakata said with a smile.
When Zenjou saw that smile,
“….!”
His entire body tensed. His intuition came to him like a shock.
-He’s different.
The man in front of him certainly shared some similarities with Habari Jin - perhaps their Kingly natures.
That much is certain, but-
-but the man is clearly different.
(omit)
-“What you should protect is our justice.”
For the past decade, those words were the foundation of Zenjou’s belief - no, his entire existence. There is no hesitation to be found in his dedication.
-But is this man-
Is Munakata Reishi a “King” that will bring forth justice with his own methods?
Or is he something entirely different, a being clouded in mysteries?
He had to judge for himself.
To uphold Habari Jin’s and his own justice.
And such, Zenjou Gouki agreed to rejoin SCEPTER4 to evaluate Munakata Reishi as a King - whether he is someone befitting of being Habari’s successor, or a shadier existence with hidden agendas.
Returning to SCEPTER4 certainly had its benefits. Zenjou met Kusuhara Takeru in SCEPTER4, an energetic youth eager to prove his worth to the world - it is in Kusuhara’s encouraging words that Zenjou finally found salvation and release from the guilt of Habari’s death that plagued him for the past decade, and it is in Zenjou’s wordless and sometimes harsh guidance that Kusuhara found a new source of strength within himself. All that came crashing down when Kusuhara took a bullet for Munakata and died in his stead. In a sense, one could even see Kusuhara as a parallel of sorts to HOMRA’s Tatara - both were the mood-makers in their respective organizations, much adored by their teammates, and both had a way with words that can ease one’s worries and fears like no other can.
The death of Kusuhara eventually became a tense topic between Zenjou and Munakata, with the latter believing that Kusuhara’s death contributed significantly to the growth of SCEPTER4 as an organization - just like how the loss of Zenjou’s left arm made him even more ‘complete’ in a sense. Very similar in idea to the words that Kusuhara gave to Zenjou, yet the nuance is completely different when spoken by Munakata like this.
“Are you saying that Kusuhara was supposed to die?”
Zenjou stood up. As if sensing the tense atmosphere, the kitten ran off.
“Well then…”
Munakata adjusted his glasses. His expression, half hidden by his hand, remained unreadable.
“If I said “yes”…will you slay me?”
Munakata said,
“Much like how you slew your own master - the Blue King, Habari Jin.”
“….!”
Zenjou’s expression underwent drastic changes.
Shock, rage - no, feelings even more intense than that displayed themselves on his face.
“199x, July, the Kagutsu Incident, in that decisive moment - caught in the area of influence of the “Red King” Kagutsu Renji’s Damocles Down, Habari Jin could not stabilize his own Sword of Damocles. In other words, there was a high possibility of a chain reaction occurring as a result.”
Munakata said to Zenjou, frozen with the look of a demon on his face.
“If two Damocles Downs were to occur at the same time, in the same area, then the amount of energy, multiplied by each other’s influence, should theoretically be enough to burn up the entirety of Kanto, leaving it to sink into the waters…it is even possible that the repercussions will be enough to lead to the downfall of the entire country.”
Observing Zenjou’s reactions, Munakata continued.
“In that moment, the life of one King and the future of one country was put on the balance of fate. Your swift strike saved the entire country - by instantly slaying the Blue King, faster than his sword could fall, and making his Sword of Damocles disappear-“
Zenjou did not answer. He let his gaze fall to the floor wordlessly.
-indeed he had slew Habari. He had no intentions of shying away from that fact.
However, at the same time, that wasn’t out of his own judgment…he thinks. He was spurred into motion - neither by his own will, nor by the expectations of others - but by some great impulse, and drawing his sword from its sheath came naturally.
Zenjou was thrown into an emotional turmoil as a result of Munakata’s words - he asked himself time and time again, was Munakata someone who could make unpleasant yet necessary decisions for the sake of justice? Or was he simply someone evil who manipulated the lives of others with no regards whatsoever? He was not able to come up with an answer on a spot, but the same impulse that drove him to slay Habari spurred him into motion again - he swung his sword and deflected a bullet headed towards Munakata. Munakata believes that the great impulse behind Zenjou’s actions was something akin to providence - something that exceeded the limitations of human will, and of course, his own control as well.
In the end, Munakata chooses to leave his own fate in Zenjou’s hands as well, noting that Zenjou may choose to slay him if there ever comes a day Zenjou sees who exactly Munakata is. Zenjou is a representation of Munakata’s power, as well as someone who can put an end to him, if necessary. In other words, Zenjou is the other ‘Sword of Damocles’ to Munakata. Yet until the day when Munakata is deemed evil or unworthy by Zenjou, he will serve the Blue King.
Recall back in episode 7, whose script was written by the same person responsible for side:blue, Munakata said to Kuro, “He remains in a position neither good nor evil. As long as he maintains his ambiguity, the “Black Dog”, Yatogami Kuroh stands by his side.”
Suddenly Munakata’s words take on an entirely new meaning in the context of his relationship with Zenjou.
Both Kuroh and Zenjou possess the potential to slay Kings, both are extremely powerful characters who can easily take out numerous Clansmen/Strains at the same time, and both started out at their respective Kings’ sides in an attempt to evaluate them. Yet Kuro has developed true loyalty to his King and willingly took his hand, staying by his new master’s side of his own volition. Will Zenjou and Munakata ever reach a similar conclusion, or will Munakata face a similar fate to that of his predecessor? Only time can tell.
100daysxvisual
( Source )
You are indeed an excellent person.
That cool-headedness of yours is quite befitting of my right-hand woman.
Commentary: Today’s 100DAYSxVISUAL is Munakata. Even though Munakata is on the side of justice, you still get a sense of malice from him somehow! He’s really suited to having terrifying conversations with his subordinate, Awashima-san while keeping a calm face.
I think our initial concept for Munakata was more along the lines of the “ideal boss”, but as we discussed various things, his personality became…a little twisted for some reason. However, I think that just adds to his charm! (Pink)
Day 43
I dislike the Joker card.
It seems unfair no matter how you look at it. Especially when it’s not in my hands.
Commentary: “I dislike the Joker card.” What a philosophical musing, but actually, there’s an even more wonderful line after this. When will that line show up, I wonder? …or rather, it’s possible that it appeared in the Animate version already.
I think you’re beginning to realize, but the amount of blue people wearing glasses is quite unusual. Even Awashima-san, the only one with normal eyesight, is on the verge of having a “she actually has bad eyesight” setting slapped on her. Someone please send help.
If Awashima-san also gets glasses, then their team’s name will change. It’ll become SCEPTER MEGANE. Though Megashima-san seems pretty nice..there is such a thing called balance!
And so, this is Orange from the anti-glasses faction. See you next week! (Orange)
Day 55
To crush in my hand
It’ll only be complete after attaining perfect alignment.
There is no need for unshapely or mistaken pieces.
I can already see the vision of completion.
Commentary: It’s Munakata. I think you probably know this by now, but Munakata’s hobbies include jigsaw puzzles. We originally planned to integrate a blue version of it into the effects of his power manifesting, but when that idea got scrapped we turned jigsaw puzzles into a part of his character.
I feel like he tries his hand at quite a wide variety of jigsaw puzzles. From incredibly challenging ones like pure white puzzles, to scenery, anime, painting; he amuses himself without particularly caring for any one genre - that’s my image of him.
Personally, I think he might even become unsatisfied with products that are already on the market, and might even make jigsaw puzzles out of his own photos, the interior appearance of SCEPTER4, and maybe even pictures of Awashima-san and the likes. I think it’s really interesting if Awashima-san puts on a somewhat confused face when he starts piecing those together. (laughs)
So, the completed jigsaw puzzles get put on display in his room, and they’re changed every once in a while (sometimes it’s refined scenery paintings, sometimes himself), but the man himself is a calm and collected guy with a penchant for poker faces.
At first, he might seem as hard to characterize as Fushimi, but I think he might be a surprisingly straightforward person. He’s a character I’ve grown to like more and more as I write. (Red)
k radio drama story 7: sharing a table
Suoh: -smokes, exhales-
Bartender: Welcome. Would you like to sit at the counter?
Suoh: Ah.
Munakata: What a troublesome person. Isn’t there many other shops out there, Team HOMRA’s Suoh Mikoto?
Suoh: Why would I leave a shop that I had just entered, SCEPTER4’s Munakata Reisi?
Munakata: Don’t you get it, the sake is getting bad, that’s why.
Suoh: I see. Then hurry up and get lost.
Munakata: You’re insolent as ever. And you’re the one who comes later.
Suoh: When or where I go, I don’t want to hear any complaints about it.
Munakata: That’s why I’m calling you insolent, can’t read the air.
Suoh: Air, huh?
Munakata: Then, can you put out that cheap cigarette? It’s dense.
Bartender: Umm, sir?
Suoh: TURKEY, double.
Bartender: Certainly, sir.
Munakata: Honestly, it’s an unlucky day.
Suoh: What a coincidence. I was just thinking about the same thing as well.
Munakata: Even though I was here for occasional relaxation.
Suoh: Yeah, same here.
Both: Hmm?
Bartender: Thank you for waiting.
Suoh: Ah.
Munakata: Bourbon is it? That kind of liquor, you can just drink it at your bar as many as you please, right? There’s no reason for you to go and visit another shop in the first place…
Suoh: At where or what kind of liquor I drink, you don’t have to say a thing about it.
Munakata: Did you pick a fight at me? And here I thought you’re quite good in pretending to be friendly.
Suoh: You’re one to say. There’s no sign of those loyal underlings of yours. Have you been deserted by your subordinates at last?
Munakata: I merely have no interest to bring any subordinate to drink, that’s all. I’m different from you.
Suoh: Unfortunately, they would always follow me around willfully. Guess it’s what so-called popularity is. Unlike you.
Munakata: My my, popularity? I would never have thought to hear that from you who went out to drink alone at a bar aside from his men’s bar.
Suoh: Huh. I just feel like drinking alone tonight.
Munakata: Hmm. Well then, let’s just leave it at that. Bullying a lonely stray dog is quite a pathetic story.
Suoh: …As usual, your way of quarelling is full of twist and turns.
Munakata: It’s not that I want to pick a fight. Being quite frankly is pitiful.
Suoh: Well whatever, just brush it off. Anything that comes out from that mouth of a superior is nothing but sarcasm. Don’t think there’s even one subordinate who wants to have a drink with you. I suppose all they’ll be hearing are insults anyway.
Munakata: How annoying. I am sure that I’ve said it’s merely not my interest.
Suoh: Therefore, just let it be that way. It’s a pathetic conversation anyway.
Munakata: You too.
Suoh: Hmm?
Munakata: If you had one sip of strained bean paste martini, you won’t even think of asking your subordinate along for a drink, will you?
Suoh: Hah? Strained… bean paste?
Munakata: -drinks- This is not good. Seems that I’m a little drunk.
Suoh: Oh? Oh, that so? -drinks, smokes again-
Munakata: I feel like I’m in the mood to drink alone.
Suoh: Huh?
Munakata: Hmmph, nothing. It’s just that…
Suoh: Just that?
Munakata: You look like one of the crowds, but you’re also a King after all.
Suoh: Hn.
Munakata: Oh my, I really am drunk.
Suoh: Well then, it’s about time you leave.
Munakata: I’ll leave my seat if I can’t bear it. Drinking sake right next to me must be quite tense, isn’t it?
Suoh: Ah?
Munakata: Oh, I intended to take in your situation though.
Suoh: Hmm. Munakata.
Munakata: Yes?
Suoh: You’re not pleased with me, are you?
Munakata: But of course, there’s no need to say so.
Suoh: It’s nauseating to be sitting next to you.
Munakata: Exactly what you said.
Suoh: It’s irritating and pissing me off.
Munakata: Yes.
Suoh: Is it because I’m terrifying?
Munakata: Certainly not, that point is far too off, no?
Suoh: I suppose. Me too.
Munakata: Hmm?
Suoh: Be pleased, Munakata. Even though I hate you, I’m not afraid of you. I’m one of those very few people.
Bartender: Sir, what do you want to have?
Suoh: TURKEY.
Bartender: Very well. How about you, sir?
Munakata: Let’s see… I’ll have the same drink, then.
——-end——-
k drama cd track: megane of blue
Neko: Shiro, Shiro, I’m home!
Kuroh: Don’t just throw everything on the floor! What are you going to do about it if the ice cream melts?!
Neko: Shiro? Where are you? We’re home! You can come out and greet us!
Kuroh: Listen to me! Good grief…hm, this is…?
Neko: Ah, it’s a pair of glasses!
Kuroh: That’s strange. Why would this be in the room? Neither me, you or Shiro should have any problems with our visions…
Neko: Look here, look here, Kuro! Does it look nice on me?
Kuroh: Hey there, don’t just go ahead and wear them.
Neko: What’s wrong with that? Oh, ooooooh…..everything looks big-…nya? Nyanyanya! Hmm, mm….
Kuroh: Hey, Neko. What’s wrong?
Neko: What insolence!
Kuroh: !?
Neko: To think that you would dare to caress the skin of a fair maiden…that’s certainly not what a man with self-restraint would do. That sort of behavior would not only reflect badly on your person, but also dishonor your master, Miwa Ichigen! Reflect on it, Yatogami Kuroh!
Kuroh: !?
Neko: Come to think of it, I feel unnaturally cold. W-what is this!? Why am I as good as naked?!
Kuroh: Y-you…
Neko: Yatogami Kuroh! Explain yourself! Depending on your answer, I may have to slay you, and then end my own life by piercing my throat…
Kuroh: You…who are you?!
Shiro: I’m home! Oh…you’re back already? Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t really find a 10-yen coin…
Neko: What a relief! Isana Yashiro!
Shiro: Eh?
Neko: Yatogami Kuroh has…forced me into this…humiliating outfit…
Shiro: Kuro?
Kuro: Y-you’ve got the wrong idea! I have nothing to do with this! Rather, isn’t this what you always wear?
Neko: What sort of nonsense are you spouting?! Have you fallen so much as to resort to such senseless remarks, Yatogami Kuroh? You make me sound like an indecent woman who’d run around with her butt showing all day long! I’m afraid I cannot let that just slide.
Kuro: That’s exactly who you are!
Shiro: Wait a moment! Let’s all calm down. More like, why are you wearing those glasses, Neko?
Neko: What are you saying? Haven’t I always been wearing glasses?
Kuro: That’s it! She began saying strange things when she put on those glasses! I’ll take it off for you.
Neko: Stay away, Yatogami Kuroh! If you mean to humiliate me even further, then I will…choose my own death by biting off my tongue!
Kuroh: (angry noises)
Shiro: Umm…is it okay if I do it, then?
Neko: Of course. Because…Isana Yashiro, aren’t I your Neko?
Shiro: O-oooh.
Kuroh: …..
Neko: W-what’s wrong, Isana Yashiro!?
Shiro: Well, enough with this love comedy. (takes off glasses)
Neko: Ah! …huh? Oh, it’s Shiro! Where were you? I was looking for you!
Shiro: Hehe, sorry, sorry! I don’t have a PDA, so I went to look for a public phone.
Kuro: Hey, Shiro.
Shiro: Well, I did end up finding one, but I happened to not have any 10 yen coins on me…and when I thought about it, I don’t have the blues’ telephone numbers either…really, it’s good that Kukuri just happened to pass by.
Kuro: What…do you….mean? (draws sword)
Shiro: H-hey, time out, time out! Don’t just draw your sword! I’ll explain it to you now!
~*~
Kuro: In other words, this pair of glasses was something that someone dropped…
Neko: …and it belongs to those blue people?
Shiro: Yep. See here, ‘SCEPTER4’ is written on it, right? On the opposite side are the words ‘issued by’, so that’s probably the case…
Kuro: So, when you picked it up, you went to search for public phones so you can let the Blue Clan know?
Shiro: That’s it. Never in my dreams could I have expected things to turn out like that when someone wears the glasses…
Kuro: How does that even work?
Shiro: Well, maybe it’s because they’re wearing glasses like these that all the blues are so serious about things.
Kuro: That’s not the problem here!
Shiro: But it seemed like it was something important. When I called the blues, they sounded like they’re in a real panic…we’ll be over immediately! They said.
Kuro: I suppose we’ll just have to keep it safe, somewhere out of sight, until the Blue Clansmen come to retrieve it. Judging from how Neko behaved just now, it’s too dangerous to simply leave it lying around…
Neko: Hey, hey, what did I do just now?
Kuro: You don’t need to know.
Neko: Oh really!
Kuro: What? The glasses…have disappeared!
Shiro: N-neko? What are you doing?!
Neko: Nyahaha! It’s unfair if I’m the only one left out of the loop! I’ll have both of you wear the glasses too!
Kuro: How much of a bother are you!?
Neko: Shut up! Shiro’s up first!
Shiro: W-wait, sto-!
Neko: What’s going to happen? I’m so excited!
Kuro: Y-you foolish girl!
Shiro: Neko, what was that for, all of a sudden?!
Neko: Huh?
Kuro: Huh. He didn’t change that much. So not everyone becomes serious individuals when they put on the glasses.
Neko: Boring!
Shiro: Geez, and we were just talking about keeping it safe. If you can’t mind your own business from now on, I’ll abandon you in a faraway place…
Neko: Nya?!
Shiro: Don’t ‘Nya?’ me. What’s up with that? You mimicking the sounds of a cat? Are you getting too into the act? Painting yourself as a moe character? To begin with, aren’t cat characters a little bit outdated right now? It was more than three generations ago that cat ears were popular, wasn’t it? Well, I guess you don’t have cat ears. Did you think you could become XQS like that?*
*A reference to Sakamoto Ryu, a really popular 60s~70s Japanese singer who once released a single under the name XQS(pronounced as excuse). Weismann, your age is showing….
Kuro: H-hey…
Shiro: You too, Kuro. You went on and on about killing me and not killing me, but you ended up cooking my meals now. Self-devoted stalkers are worse than normal stalkers in that they feel like they’re gaining something in return, right?
Neko: S-Shiro, Shiro has…
Kuro: …become an unlikable person!
Shiro: Who is unlikable now? I’ve always been like this. You know, on the airship-
Kuro: Take it off! We can’t let him go on!
Neko: Nyanya-!
~*~friendly reminder that Shiro is protected by fate and coincidences as a King as he casually/accidentally/somehow avoids Kuro’s and Neko’s attempts to take off his glasses~*~
Shiro: What are you doing? Please stop this violence. And drop that act of yours, too.
Neko: I-I’m not acting!
Shiro: Why don’t you just go and wear a maid costume….?
Neko: This…this…this isn’t Neko’s Shiro! (takes off glasses)
Neko & Kuro: (panting)
Shiro: ….? What’s wrong, you two?
Neko: H-he’s back! I’m so glad, Shiro!
Shiro: Wait what? What’s wrong, Neko! Geez….there, there.
Kuro: When someone puts on these glasses…either they become a serious person, or an unlikable one. Which means that…the Blue Clan consists of only serious people, unlikable people, or serious and unlikable people. Terrifying.
Shiro: Did I become an unlikable person?
Kuro: Yes, a very unlikable one. If you were actually like that, I would’ve killed you without second thought upon our first meeting.
Shiro: W-was it that bad?! Hmm….
Kuro: What’s with that expression?
Shiro: Hey, Kuro, what do you think is the most important factor in maintaining human relationships?
Kuro: Hm? What are you saying?
Shiro: I think…it’s fairness. If someone becomes happy, then the two others should share in his happiness. If one becomes unhappy, then the two others should bear his misfortune with him. This kind of fairness is the most important factor in any sort of relationship….
Kuro: So you’re teling me to put on the glasses as well?
Shiro: Yep!
Kuro: I refuse.
Shiro: Come on, don’t be like that.
Kuro: I refuse.
Shiro: Well then!
Neko: Here we go!
Kuro: W-what, you!? S-stop it! Let me go!! You two….do you not learn from your past experiences!?
Neko: Someone from long ago said this…”so what if I don’t!?” Prepare yourself! (slams on glasses)
Kuro: Uwaaaaaaaaa!
Shiro: How is it?
Neko: Did he become serious? Or unlikable?
Kuro: Hmph.
Shiro & Neko: !?
Kuro: My, my. What hopeless people you are. Even though I’ve warned you about the danger so much…you still commit foolish acts such as these. How hopeless.
Shiro: T-this is…!?
Kuro: Well, no matter what may befall us, you do not need worry so long as I am here. Still, we should always prevent danger before it’s too late.
Neko: He’s become a big shot!
Shiro: Kuro, whose selling point used to be ‘a hardworking and loyal dog’, has become such a calm and collected big shot!
Kuro: What are you saying? I have always been like this, no?
Shiro: I-it feels kind of…
Neko: Creepy! He’s creepier than the usual Kurosuke! What should we do, Shiro?
Shiro: I shouldn’t be saying this since I’m the one responsible, but I can’t let this go on anymore! Kuro, take off your glasses! Go back to your normal self!
Kuro: What are you doing? Stay put! I won’t treat you badly.
Shiro: Things have already gone from bad to terrible!
Kuro: Well then, if you’re going to go that far….(draws sword) we shall advance with swords in hand, for our caus-
Shiro: Don’t you go using other people’s catchphrases! (takes off glasses)
Kuro: (gasp) W-what did I just…?
Shiro: L-let’s put a seal on this.
Neko: T-that’s right! This might just be a little too dangerous…
(doorbell)
Shiro: Huh? It seems like someone’s here. Oh, maybe it’s one of those blues.
Neko: I’m sure it is! Let’s just give this dangerous thing to them as soon as possible!
???: S’rry! I be from SCEPTER4!
Shiro: Coming right away!
???: Gee, thanks! I’m really really sorry, man, for dropping mah glasses.
Shiro: !?
???: Were you the one who picked ‘em up for meh? Thanks a bunch! Man, you may be small, but you sure are kind! Won’t you join our happy family when you grow up?
Shiro: Um, excuse me, but that’s just a garden gnome.
???: Huh, for reals? Gee, hahahahahahahaha! I’m s’rry! I don’t see nuthin’ when I don’t have mah glasses! I’ve crashed into about 11 poles on mah way here! Hahahahahahaha!
Shiro: This person wearing a jersey, sandals, with disheveled hair, looking like he hasn’t shaved in weeks, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and the appearance of someone who failed university several times over is….who?
Kuro: The Blue King, Munakata Reishi. What a pitiful sight…!
Neko: 3! It’s 3! His eyes look like 3s! It’s the first time I’ve seen that!
Kuro: Shut up! You don’t have to point it out.
Neko: I suppose…you like ramen?
Munakata: Yeah man.
Kuro: You don’t have to reply either!
Shiro: Umm…these are your glasses, right?
Munakata: Aahh~ Yup yup, those are the ones~ Can I have them back?
Shiro: Please.
Munakata: Thank you! Let’s see let’s see…(puts on glasses) huh. You are?
Shiro: H-he went back to normal?!
Munakata: I see. You came to deliver my glasses.
Neko: Not really deliver…you were the one who came to pick them up.
Munakata: I suppose I shall have to give you my thanks. It is our duty to capture Strains such as yourself, but I will overlook that for today.
Neko: Nya….
Munakata; Well then, I suppose I should be excusing myself. For some reason, I seem to have vague recollections of Awashima-kun shedding tears while looking at me…be as it may, as their superior, I cannot cause my subordinates unnecessary worry. Now, if you would excuse me.
Neko: …he went.
Shiro: Why did things end up like that?
Kuro: It seems like…when he puts on those glasses…
Neko: He’ll become a serious….
Shiro: …and unlikable…
Kuro: …person of importance, huh.
Shiro & Neko & Kuro: So when he takes them off, he becomes like that…?
drama cd: mikoto & munakata
Part 2
Translated by fencer_x at september scanlations