“…Looks like that person really is unfathomable.”

This was Kusanagi’s overall assessment of Munakata Reishi, the person who had become the new Blue King, after the Homura XO investigated him as much as he could.

It was 7 P.M., and the midsummer heat abated, but it still was bright outside. The sky was bisected in 2 colors - light vermillion and deep ultramarine; down on the ground, the radiant city lights were beginning to come to life.

Bar HOMRA had opened its doors and was now crowded, as always - although not with customers, much to the chagrin and migraine of the bar’s owner. People who assembled inside the classy interior of the t were boisterous youths. Like all youngsters, who have more energy than they know what to do with, the rough feel about them that their manner of speech and conduct created stood out. On the other hand, though, no twistedness warped the smiling faces they showed now and again, and the light that dwelt in their eyes was bright and clear.

They were the of Homura, who gathered under the Red King, Suoh Mikoto. Among them, there were a few key , frequent patrons of the bar HOMRA. It went without saying that Kusanagi and Totsuka were present, as well as Suoh, who was seated on a bar stool at the counter and drinking from a small bottle of beer, and Anna, who sat unmovingly next to him.

It was always noisy when the gathered, and the latest hot topic about the freshly enthroned new Blue King was not helping. Although very few others could boast an informational network like Kusanagi’s, in general, the Homura had a lot of influence in the underworld. That’s why it only made sense that all of them heard the gossip in question one way or another even if they didn’t try to hunt for it specifically.

“The guy woke up with a weird power one day, becoming a king out of the blue, yet he took it as if it was completely normal and is getting about like nobody’s business. He put Scepter 4’s rebuilding on the rails in no time at all… On top of that, he’s forming the actual combat troops from the scratch because he wants to handpick and train the personally. You gotta hand it to the guy, he’s no slouch, really.”

A cigarette in his mouth and a glass he was wiping in hand, Kushanagi shared his impressions with the others. He sounded both impressed and amazed. All the clansmen paid attention, listening carefully to the explanation the team’s XO provided.

“Looks like he was always one hell of an overachiever. To make things worse, he’s now getting about with such zeal that you have to wonder when the guy even sleeps. A polar opposite of certain other kings who only know how to eat and sleep.”

It was said on purpose, and Kusanagi sent a meaningful sidelong glance in Suoh’s direction. Suoh snorted and, smirking with only the corners of his lips around the bottle, gulped his beer.

“…That new Blue King is really that impressive?”

The one who asked that was Kamamoto, a tan-skinned blond. He was Homura’s prided heavyweight class fighter - except that he apparently had a constitution with low tolerance for heat, so in summer he would lose a great deal of his weight and look like a different person entirely. But, radical summer slim-down aside, in Homura, choke full of oddballs, he was the type with well-developed common sense that could rival Kusanagi’s and played the role of the voice of reason.

“See for yourself,” Kusanagi replied to Kamamoto’s question, taking a drag of his cigarette. “A youngster who’s barely 20 is having the government and the army wrapped around his little finger. Even with the Gold King’s backing, he has to be exceedingly heavy handed, himself. And yet, despite that, he’s shrewd enough to play his cards just right, no mistakes made. Just what kind of life he had to lead to grow up into such a superman, I wonder.

“Apparently, his crackdown on strains is going smoothly, as well.”

“That’s right.” Kusanagi nodded to Totsuka’s comment and elaborated disionately, “His Majesty personally goes to the scene and takes command of his forces. Well, I have yet to see it for myself, but… so far, I didn’t hear of any blunders or errors in judgement on his part.”

For Homura, the Blue King was someone who could become a threat in the near future. Yet, the way Kusanagi spoke of him could be very well taken as him enjoying the appearance of a worthy rival. Those sentiments precisely might have been part of the reason why someone like Kusanagi was a Red clansman.

Kamamoto, who listened attentively, folded his arms and nodded a couple of times to his words. The other , however, were making slightly displeased faces.

It wasn’t easy for them to stomach that the XO they respected forgot all about Suoh and was raving about some other king instead. For better or for worse, that childish pigheadedness was one of the defining traits of Homura as a team.

“…But that’s the Blues’ boss we’re talking about, right? I bet he’s a creepy and dodgy asshole, no matter how you slice it.”

The boy who made this remark, scowling deeply, was of a small stature and conspicuously baby-faced even among the young . Beneath the summer knit cap he wore, a pair of big lively eyes glared at Kusanagi from under his knit brows.

The boy’s name was Yata Misaki. Among the gathered at the bar, he was a relative newcomer, and younger than the rest, at that. But, he possessed one of the greatest strengths in Homura and was trusted by the .

His popularity stemmed from his straightforward and honest personality and his absolute adoration to Suoh. Excluding the three leaders, that young boy was the core of Team Homura.

“So what if he’s a king? He’s nothing special, it’s obvious. If he tries to mess with Anna again, we’ll deal with him and his Blue stooges, so that Mikoto-san won’t have to dirty his hands himself. Right, guys?”

Yata shot out with vigor, calling out to the others and urging them to him. The next to him didn’t take long to: “Sure thing,” Bandou Saburouta nodded; “Right,” Chitose You laughed, his expression plainly saying that it would only be natural. Those two were always quick to in, but the other also seemed to agree with Yata.

Incidentally, “Blues” was a popular term of reference to Scepter 4 that stemmed from the fact that their uniforms were, indeed, blue. From where Homura stood, with the ’ rough street fashion choices in clothing, the military styled uniform of Scepter 4 was too formal, too pompous and too dull - in other words, it fully qualified as the symbol of those “creepy” people.

Totsuka smiled with his usual grin. “That’s Homura’s vanguard for you. So reliable.”

“ ‘course, Totsuka-san! I’ll never forgive shits who dare to underestimate Homura!”

Homura was a street gang. Fights were welcomed, and there could hardly be found someone among the who would shy away from them. Of course, it wasn’t like Bandou and most of the others were aggressive usually, but when a fight was brewing, they jumped into the fray head first without thinking of the consequences.

Saying that such recklessness was in this clan’s very nature would only be true. As far as Kusanagi was concerned, however, it was reassuring, but at the same time dangerous.

Said Kusanagi stubbed out his cigarette on the ashtray.

“First, calm down, Yata. No need to worry, the Blues have no reason to try anything with Anna anymore. Like I said to Totsuka the other day, for now we’re adopting a wait-and-see attitude.”

“But Kusanagi-san!”

“It’s all good. If we talk kings and clans, we’re the senpais here, you know? No need to throw our weight around with a young upstart as our opponent. First, we’ll see what he’s got, getting ready in the meantime, okay?” Kusanagi said with a smile, and it instantly worked, putting Yata back in a good mood.

“Oh well, maybe you’re right,” he replied elatedly with a broad grin of his own. That unadulterated simplicity was probably another reason why the senior loved Yata so much. “Alright then, I’ll make sure to keep watch on the new Blues so that they won’t start looking down on us. If something happens, as the veterans, we’ll teach them how this town works!”

“Hahaha. The Blues sure will lose face if they’ll need Yata, of all people, to teach them anything.”

“That was uncalled for, Totsuka-san! After all, it’s been a whole year already since I became a clansman, myself!”

Yata made a hurt face and the bar got filled with laughter.

Only, a small click of a tongue, coming from the corner, was mixed in with all the chuckling voices.

“…Are you sure we should be taking this so nonchalantly, Kusanagi-san?”

A quiet muttering voice, almost a whisper, followed the click. Despite the low volume, the cold ring present in the voice stood out starkly, like a foreign object, and all the who were laughing only a moment ago found themselves focusing on the owner of the voice.

“The main duty of Scepter 4 is to police strains. And it clashes with our business in many ways.”

The only person to voice this cool-headed and somber view, refusing to be swayed by those around him, was Fushimi Saruhiko. He was a slender boy with glasses who had a somewhat gloomy, unapproachable air about him. Despite that, he was proficient at fighting and, being a sharp individual in general, excelled at electronic warfare as well. He ed Homura at the same time as Yata, making him a relatively fresh member, and, like Yata, this boy, too, was acknowledged by the team, only in a very different sense.

Kusanagi only shrugged his shoulders at Fushimi’s opinion. “You mean the trouble resolution that we’re often commissioned to do? Well, once Scepter 4 is fully operational, I expect the number of requests to drop greatly, yes.”

“Ehh? But isn’t that bad for us?”

“Kamamoto. If you’re that worried about something like that, go study your family’s supply tricks more. They’ll make for a decent source of income for you.”

“No, no! Please don’t put it in a way that invites misunderstandings. It’s not like we’re ripping off our customers, alright?”

One of Bar HOMRA’s suppliers was “Kamamoto liquor store”, owned by Kamamoto’s family. Kamamoto was flustered, and Yata shot a sharp questioning glare in his direction. That made Kamamoto lose his cool completely. “We’re not, I swear!” he denied in a shrilly voice.

This was when another member decided to in the discussion.

“…For one, even if they’re specializing in strains, in the end, Scepter 4 is a government-associated organization. Those who come to us for that kind of service are mostly in - well, not exactly illegal stuff, but, in, let’s say, gray business… so I don’t really think Scepter 4’s rebuilt is gonna affect us all that much?”

The one who pointed that out was Dewa Masaomi. Among the Homura , he, like Fushimi, was a - relatively - cool headed man.

And he was actually right: Homura was a street gang and people who came asking them to settle some kind of trouble were, with rare exception, close to the underside of society themselves. If they had to choose between Scepter 4 and Homura to take care of their disputes, most of them would prefer the latter.

“What I’m talking about is that Scepter 4 can intervene on a unilateral basis even before a request is made. If things are left like this, we’ll just end up bumping heads with them at the site,” Fushimi clarified in an annoyed tone. “On top of that… and that’s more of a problem - it’s not only strains that Scepter 4 polices. If, say, a Red clansman breaks the law, Scepter 4 will be sure to swoop down on them.”

When Fushimi said that, he cast a razor sharp look at Kusanagi.

“…Are you sure you want to just leave things like this? Even knowing that many of Homura’s low ranking clansmen have been getting carried away lately? Frankly speaking, we’re "full of holes”, ourselves, and if the Blues so desire, they’ll find all the room they could possibly ask for to get a drop on us even without really searching. The Blue King is a gogetter, right? If he’s being so energetic about his job, it means he’s got quite the ambition to fulfill, no? So if we sit on our hands affecting airs and stuff, we might be in for some really rough times, don’t you think?“

"Hey, wha- Saruhiko!” Yata interrupted, flustered at Fushimi’s provocative words.

Fushimi turned to him with an irritated look, “What?”

Yata and Fushimi had known each other ever since before Homura. They were complete opposites in personality, but when they teamed up in a fight, even someone of Kusanagi’s level would find them more than he could handle, and the fact that Yata managed to distinguish himself almost immediately after he had ed Homura was due to Fushimi providing him necessary .

Kusanagi gave the two a peculiar look and addressed Fushimi with a serious tone that was in stark contrast with the expression he wore on his face, “—So you think so too, huh?”

Fushimi remained silent, his eyes focused on Kusanagi and seemingly saying that he saw no need whatsoever to confirm every little thing verbally.

It was true that the Red clan’s present situation was such that should the Blue King “so desire”, he could find any number of valid pretexts, because Homura was a fertile ground in that sense. If it did come to that, and the clan still wanted to defend its clansmen - well, Homura would have no choice but to violate Protocol 120.

And in Homura, sticking up for a comrade against an outside enemy was the unwritten law, consequences be damned. It wasn’t like someone had set this rule explicitly, but the notion came to be trusted, becoming what ed the team’s unity. It was hard - or rather, considering its nature, downright impossible - to change that, even if sticking to that principle meant opposing Protocol.

In other words…

“…Eh? Then, doesn’t that mean a possible war with Scepter 4? Like, for real?” Bandou asked gingerly.

A moment of silence followed, and then…

“Bring it,” Chitose snorted with laughter. “The Blues are still in the middle of filling their troops, right? Then we just need to do the same and round us up some new , and then strike. If we do it now, it’s obvious that we’ll be able to gather a lot more people than half-dead Scepter 4.”

“Huh? Why do we have to add any more fools to our ranks? It’s obvious that the only ones who aspire to right now are trash that think Homura is a sweet place to do what they please.”

“Huuh?”

Fushimi really didn’t mince his words, and Chitose was about to lash out at him, but Kusanagi pacified him with a wry smile. “Easy, now. That won’t do for the one who was just saying how full of holes we are to be picking fights and adding to those holes.”

To change the atmosphere, Totsuka chirped in lightly, “So full of energy, eh. If you ask me, I understand where Chitose is coming from, but, uh… Right, Kusanagi-san?”

“That’s right. I had a talk with Totsuka the other day, and allow me to be blunt: at the moment, Homura is too uselessly swollen. It’s like Fushimi said: we don’t even have any semblance of control in place. …Speaking of, could you maybe make effort and crack down on the guys under you to keep them in line a little better, Mikoto?”

Totsuka had ed the buck to Kusanagi, and Kusanagi, in turn, was looking to the buck to Suoh in the form of light teasing. Suoh, meanwhile, was sipping his beer as if the discussion had nothing to do with him. Having been chastised, Chitose affected a sulky pout, and Dewa, seeing him like that, couldn’t help a little chuckle.

“—If we’re going with the crackdown route,” Fushimi spoke up again, “then in a sense, revival of Scepter 4 can work in our favor. We can use it as a pretext to bring the brash cocky fools under control. …If push comes to shove, we can even let the Blues have a few people, as a warning to the rest.”

“Hey, now, hold it, Fushimi. That’s clearly going too far, no matter how you look at it!

“Like I care. The new guys’ve been a pain in the ass lately,” Fushimi spat out in reply to Kamamoto when even the calm blond couldn’t stay silent hearing his outrageous proposal. Even among Homura’s not the most upstanding lineup Fushimi’s underhandedness was notable, as well as his lack of care for his comrades. For that reason, the often chose to keep him at an arm’s length, but it was precisely because he didn’t get swayed by the whole Homura family spirit that he could provide an objective opinion on matters, and to the team, that was valuable.

Yata’s face was solemn when he asked, “…Saruhiko. Are the new guys really that bad?”

Fushimi frowned, “I should’ve known it already, but you sure live without a care in the world, huh. Well, I’m not saying they all are rotten, but almost all of the more or less notable ones are. They brandish the name of Homura and Suoh Mikoto and swagger in front of punks and strains.”

“Whaat?! They use Mikoto-san’s name?!”

“There’s lots of guys like that. "I’m the Red King’s buddy”, “I’m his favorite”… Oh well, those who ed Homura had cleared the installation, and to people who know nothing they do look credible, I guess.“

With that, Fushimi threw an accusatory look at Suoh’s back, the man in question still just sitting idly behind the counter.

Generally, Suoh didn’t turn down anyone who came to him. He also didn’t regard the installation as something special, so it was a fact that this kind of attitude that made receiving the power too easy was one of the causes of the present predicament the clan faced.

That, and…

”…Ahh…“ Bandou showed an awkward and strained smile. "Come to think of it, an old friend of mine begged me to introduce him to "Suoh-san”… We were drinking, and I promised him thoughtlessly… I think…“

”…I can’t believe you man,“ Kamamoto said shocked.

Bandou, now being the focus of his comrades’ cold stares, hastened to apologize defiantly, "What! Did I do something bad?! Alright, I it I did, and I’m sorry, okay?!”

What was bad about it, though, was that a ton of similar stories took place. There was a constant undrying stream of not just delinquents from Shizume town, but also from other locations who came to Shizume specifically because they longed for Homura’s prestige. Unlike them, for Suoh himself, as well as for quite a few of the key who were present at the bar at the moment, every opportunity to see each other was a valued experience.

From the start, the of Homura were originally outcasts ostracized by the world. But at present, to this neighborhood, Homura had become the “authority”. And the , harboring only unpleasant feelings towards anything with “authority” label on it, didn’t find it amusing in the slightest.

And…

“Can I ask something…?” A man who was keeping silent until now opened his mouth. His name was Fujishima Kousuke, and he was a young man of few words, but honest and artless. “What’s the probability of a war with the Blue clan?”

Most considered Fujishima a quiet, unsociable guy, but when it came to caring for his comrades, he was vying for the top or runnerup spot even among Homura. In his calm face, turned to Kusanagi questioningly, unshakable resolve could be glimpsed.

“No idea,” Kusanagi replied honestly. “But well, fighting won’t do us any good, so I’d want to avoid it, if possible, but… that will depend on what our opponent will be up to.”

“So in the end, the Blues get to call the shots and we’ll just depend on them?”

“Yes, but there’s no need to make such a scary face just because of that, Yata. When I say we’ll wait and see, I also mean that we’ll be thoroughly ascertaining the Blue King’s character in the meantime,” Kusanagi clarified with a wry smile.

Kusanagi’s conclusion had already been reached and would not change no matter how many times he had to repeat it: for the time being, they would take the wait-and-see stance. Needless to say, before deciding on this plan, he had already considered all the easy to see arguments that had been voiced so far.

In any case, caution could absolutely not be disregarded this time around, because they were up against none other than the Blue King. As the XO of the Red clan, this policy was only reasonable.

After all, the Blue King—

“There is also the fate of the previous generation to consider,” Fushimi said suggestively.

All the present - that is, all except for Suoh - winced instinctively and sent a glare Fushimi’s way.

It went without saying that among the , currently assembled in the bar, there was no one who didn’t know about the Kagutsu incident.

“Red and Blue are like oil and water, both in power and in the clan’s nature. —Surprising as it may seem, it could be that right about now the Blues are having similar thoughts about the situation, trying to guess what move the Red King will make. Their nerves are also high strung as they’re gauging us, I imagine.”

In all likelihood, it was precisely that way. No doubt, the Blue King, too, was watching Suoh’s every move closely. And if he really had a far-reaching “ambition”, like Fushimi said, then it was highly probable that his gaze was heavy with dangerous agenda.

All the sunk into silence.

A lone voice broke it.

“What do you think, King?”

It was Totsuka who asked Suoh that in his usual light tone. Anna, sitting next to Suoh, visibly tensed. “…Mikoto…?” She was gazing up at Suoh.

Suoh drained his remaining beer in one swig and put the bottle on the counter with a little clicking sound.

“I’ll think about it when the time comes.”

His response was unconcerned.

But in no way it precluded the possibility of a war with the Blue clan. The king’s words instantly dominated the place and the clansmen. It felt as if the temperature inside the bar suddenly jumped.

In the wake of the moment, Kusanagi, sour expression on his face, exchanged a look with Totsuka, who was also having mixed feelings. Anna’s upcast gaze, fixed on Suoh, betrayed a smidge of anxiety.

†

The headquarters of Scepter 4 were provided at Tsubakimon.

It was officially ed as nothing more than “Annex 4 of Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau”, and the nameplate at the gate said as much, as well. Except it was a humungous installation, on which grounds, besides the office facilities like the main, the west and the south buildings, there could also be found a dojo, a garage, warehouses and even dorms for the troops. One look at those headquarters was enough to realize that the sign designating it as a simple annex was there only pro forma.

The men in blue uniforms with sabers strapped to their hip were currently lining up in orderly rows on the grounds of Scepter 4 HQ.

Midsummer sunshine blazed down from above, casting short and dark, ink-like shadows near their feet. The sakura trees planted along the outer perimeter of the installation were resplendent with the emerald of fresh leaves, and buzzing of cicadas could be heard from their branches.

The sky was cloudless and colored transparent blue.

Awashima Seri, clad in a blue uniform like the rest of the rank and file, was facing the troops.

She pulled her chin up and nodded. “Men, draw!”

On Awashima’s command, the troops unsheathed their sabers all at once. The blades, freed from their scabbards, sucked in the sunlight as the synched motion released sharp flares of silver light at equal intervals.

All the troops assumed the stance with sabers held to their chests, blades held up vertically and the points of the bristling sharp swords sundering even the sunlight that rained down on them.

Awashima’s face became stern and she gave another order, “Swordplay practice, figure 1, ready!”

“…One! …Two!” Awashima’s carrying voice echoed throughout the grounds. With each command dozens of sabers rendered the air, repelling the glittering sunrays.

The synch was perfect - or it was supposed to be but actually wasn’t, due to the division having been formed only recently. However, if anything, one had to rate highly how well the corps had come together in only such a short time. The division was mostly comprised of former of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, National Defense Force, or Fire Defense Agency, so it didn’t take them long to adapt to the organization’s activity; their stamina and potential were also high. It could be said that the division was taking shape, though imperfect, precisely because the rank and file possessed a talent to excel as soldiers.

They were the combat troops that were to function as the core of Scepter 4 - its swordsmen division, comprised of only newly enlisted .

“…Three! …Four!”

They swung their sabers in time with the commands. The “kata” they were practicing were very different from kendo, fencing, and other existing types of swordplay. Actually, rather than fencing, their style might have been better described as “sword dancing”, and that was because they swung their swords not with the objective to physically kill the opponent.

All the troops had already gone through the Blue King’s rite of age - the installation - becoming his clansmen. That is, supernatural power holders. So naturally, it was their special power that became their greatest weapon.

Consecutively, for special power holders, the most important thing was the ability to control their power. Such was the ideology of Scepter 4.

For that reason, in Scepter 4, releasing one’s power without authorization was prohibited. Also, in order to ensure that it would not go out of control under the influence of emotions, it was enforced that invocation and manipulation of the power were to tie in closely with the sword “kata”. In other words, this practice was held with the purpose for the troops to master how to manifest the power they possessed as the Blue clansmen with precision.

The saber they held in their hand was the “staff” that allowed them to manipulate their power, as well as the “tact” to discipline themselves.

Awashima continued to give orders.

Yes, at this point it was hard to call their coordination flawless. But the day when their synch would be perfect was not far. At first, the plans for Scepter 4’s reorganization and the schedule that they were supposed to follow seemed outright reckless to her, but as of now, it was looking more real by the minute. Presently, the force was already operational, and the fruits of training were starting to show.

…Still.

Awashima came to her senses and suppressed the urge to break into an ironic smile.

—To think that I…

Until a short while ago, Awashima was just a normal college student you could find everywhere.

…No, it was probably wrong to say that people like her could be found everywhere. She was always a high achiever and a changeless top student in her academic grade, talented in both leadership and business. Predictably, she was appointed as the vice-president of the student council. She was also good in all types of sports, but especially in kendo where she held the 4th dan. All in all, she was a classic example of a person accomplished both in academics and sports, and on top of that, she also had beauty and a killer body that won her landslide victory in Miss Campus contest at her university with the 2nd place finisher’s score doubled - the fact that she didn’t entering that pageant in the first place notwithstanding. Despite being that gifted in both intelligence and beauty, she was always humble and polite, so no one hated her, and she was considered an excellent student all around.

Still, all her accomplishments didn’t change the fact that she was very much an “ordinary person”.

And there she was now, standing on the grounds she had never seen before, clad in a military style uniform, with a saber - no less! - strapped to her hip, and racking her brains over how to improve proficiency of the troops which were pretty much an urban legend. Frankly speaking, her current reality looked less convincing that a dream. She couldn’t help thinking about the rapid developments her life underwent.

Everything started with that plane hijacking incident. Or, to be exact, with her meeting a young man named Munakata Reishi and being selected by him.

Munakata had stopped the falling plane from crashing - she was aboard that plane, and when he had put it under his control, Munakata’s reign extended to her world as well. When he suddenly declared that he was a king all along, her reasoning faculties, desperately searching for a logical explanation, arbitrarily concluded that he went crazy from fear, even though her instincts readily accepted his words. At that moment it struck her: she would serve this king.

Her premonition came true very soon.

She recalled the first time she visited the HQ she was currently on the grounds of. It was the morning of the day following the release of the engers of that hijacked plane. Munakata left the airport and headed to Tsubakimon, Awashima following him. Munakata invited her, but the reason why she agreed was because she had too many questions that needed answers. She was sure that if they went their separate ways there with everything still shrouded in mystery, she simply would not be able to return to the life she had been living till then.

Unlucky for them, about that time, thunderclouds rapidly developed and caused local downpours in several areas of the city.

When they arrived, they found most of the headquarters facilities tied-up. The swordsmen corps had been disbanded, and almost all of the logistical staff were working at Mihashira tower. Under the dark clouds, the HQ building, with its facade of old-fashioned design, getting beaten down with whips of intense rain and almost devoid of human presence, appeared to be taken out of some horror flick.

At the time, only a handful of clerks remained in HQ.

It was those few who heard it first.

“Nice to meet you. I am Munakata Reishi, the newly enthroned Blue King - that is, your king. I will be in your care from now on. It may be sudden, but I wish to familiarize myself with the documents stored in this facility. I would like one of you to show me the way.”

The clerks stared on in mute amazement as Munakata called upon his Sword of Damocles specifically to show it to them. Since the first time it manifested Awashima was inside the plane, it was her first time seeing it with her own eyes, too. The giant sword, blue and solemn, soared high amidst the dark clouds surrounded by flashes of lightning. Moreover, the sword pushed away the heavy rainclouds, making a tear in them. The sky above was overcast, as if it was still the gray of early morning, with hardly any sunrays making it through, but one area - around the sword - was clear and white sunlight shone through it brilliantly.

Awashima could only stare fixedly at the sword floating above, not even realizing that she dropped the hand holding the umbrella and her body was being beaten down by the rain, which was beginning to let up. She got herself involved with something immense and incredible. What that conviction sparkled in her, however, wasn’t fear. It was excitement and something akin to a hair-raising sense of inspiration.

After that, Munakata entered the office building, and, drawing on all of the clerks, began to read through all the documents - from paper ones to the electronic database - that were stored at HQ. The next day, a messenger from the Gold King appeared, inviting Munakata to Mihashira tower; Munakata received him politely, but turned down the invitation and kept doing so with every next messenger for the next few days. In the end, Munakata didn’t take a step outside HQ for the whole 3 days, reading through the documents and not sleeping even an hour a day.

And then, finally…

“Well, that should do, I suppose.” With this, he suspended his reviewing of the documents and, later, accepted the Gold King’s invitation.

Returning the documents to where they belonged, he showered in the troops’ dorm and chose a uniform of a suitable size from among the standard issue articles that were left in the warehouse.

“I would have liked to have this, too, made anew for me, but I shall make do for the time being,” he commented, equipping a saber from the ones that were also left.

Then, he slowly took another saber, turned to Awashima and presented it to her, his accompanying words sounding as lightly as if he was offering her to lunch together.

“—The choice is yours, Awashima-kun.”

Awashima took the saber, and underwent the Blue King’s installation.

Now that she thought about it calmly, she found it baffling, but at the time, it was as if she had forgotten what doubts and hesitation were. Munakata didn’t even attempt to say or do anything to coerce her, and she didn’t her composure failing her at the time. For all intents and purposes, even Awashima, a firm believer in swift decisions and quick actions, should have taken a moment to consider her choices there. Except in reality she didn’t - she felt no sliver of hesitation to compel her to.

And it couldn’t be written off as the heat of the moment either. If, for argument’s sake, she was presented with the same choice once more this very instance, she would not hesitate again, even if it baffled her immensely. What decided her was not reason. It was some kind of instinct that the young man Munakata Reishi roused in her.

—Whatever the case, the path to take has already been shown to me and is now fixed.

All what was left to find out was whether she had what it took to walk this path or not.

“…Next. Swordplay practice, figure 2, ready!”

Following Awashima’s command, the troops changed the “kata”. But in the next moment, a few faltered ever so slightly in their motion.

She already knew the reason. From one of the office buildings, a single young man came out - their king, Munakata Reishi.

Awashima tossed a glance at him, and he acknowledged her with a small nod.

Awashima then ordered to a member standing in the front row, “Akiyama! Take over!”

“Yes, ma'am! Swordplay practice, figure 2!” As ordered, the member continued giving commands in Awashima’s stead. “One! Two!”

Once the practice resumed, Awashima left the training grounds and walked up to Munakata.

He was tall and lean. His posture was very nice, and even if all he did was stand there, his perfectly proportioned and balanced frame was striking. With intellectually added by the glasses, his entire countenance gave off the feel of refinement and elegance.

But what it made the observer feel even more was likely the presence of an enigma.

There was no telling who this person was. Yet, he absolutely could not be ignored. The measure of that enigma - its depth - varied depending on the beholder. The keener an insight said beholder was capable of, the more unfathomable Munakata would seem to them.

“It appears it is going smoothly,” Munakata commented, addressing Awashima, who stood by his side, as he gazed at the troops. Awashima looked up at his profile and found a calm, peaceful smile on his lips. This was the countenance he always showed, and that smile was one of the causes that made Munakata seem such an enigma.

“Yes, it is, sir”, Awashima affirmed in reply to the King’s remark. “As you predicted, this swordplay style proves working. At a glance, it may seem old-fashioned, but in order for beginners like us to grow accustomed to manipulating a supernatural power, it is a very fitting and effective choice.”

“That is not its only purpose. The true value of the fencing motions it drills into the troops lies in their application in group combat. Through coordination between several people, the individual ability can be enhanced and amplified, which, in turn, would tie in with strengthening our "power” as a whole. In that sense, the effect that this style produces is connected at a fundamental level to Scepter 4’s ideology,“ Munakata said with satisfaction - at least to Awashima it sounded that way.

The idea to reinforce the ability of the force, as well as that of its individual , through special swordplay practice belonged to the previous King, Habari Jin. Munakata found it when he was going through the materials left at HQ, refined it further with his own original improvements and put in practice.

It was strictly Awashima’s personal sentiments, but she thought she really could feel the overarching "philosophy”, that wasn’t limited to swordplay style only, lying at the root of Scepter 4 as an organization, and the Blue clan as a gathering of people. In the beginning, there existed the philosophy, which then defined the structure of the organization and its policy as one; the disposition its were to possess was determined by the nature of the clan’s ability; as a result, everything about Scepter 4 was built upon that philosophy as the foundation, from the means like swordplay style to various regulations enacted within the corps.

Summed up in one word, that philosophy was “order”, or, perhaps, it could also be called “rationality” or “integrity”.

Giving that what should exist its proper shape. Guiding events and things to their “right shape”. And then maintaining said shape.

Use of “power” in the process of doing so was permissible - or even necessary, in her view. The “rightness” that Scepter 4 set - at the moment Awashima couldn’t find a better word to describe it - was the optimum rightness: macroscopic, long-lived and all-encoming.

It was the kind of rightness that was extremely difficult for an individual, no matter how great a position he was in, to create on his own.

But what if that individual were to be a “king”?

—Can the Captain…

Could Munakata see that “rightness”?

Presently, under the young King named Munakata, Scepter 4 was in the process of rapidly becoming the embodiment of that philosophy. What kind of organization would Scepter 4 that Munakata Reishi was building become in the end? What would it accomplish? When she tried to imagine it, a small shiver of excitement ran down her spine.

“…I have to wonder…”

“Yes, sir?”

“If I… If the Blue King is like this, then what the other kings are like?”

It wasn’t only Munakata who wondered about that; Awashima was very interested - or rather, extremely worried - to know that, too. After all, the Dresden Slate was said to choose 7 kings, and Awashima had yet to meet any king besides Munakata.

According to Munakata, the Gold King, Kokujouji Daikaku, was a figure of immense importance and greatness. Seeing that that description came from someone of Munakata’s caliber, the Gold King apparently was far beyond anything Awashima could imagine. He was the true leader of this county, Munakata explained, but to Awashima, who didn’t have any experience of being a working and fully functional member of society, it was something straight out of a fairy tale, just like the kings’ existence.

What begged a question, though, was that if there existed seven kings in total, then were the other five as remarkable as Munakata himself and Kokujouji whom Munakata appraised so highly?

—To begin with, what’s the meaning of the kings’ existence?

She felt she could have understood it somehow if there was only one king - the absolute king the Slate gave birth to so he would lead mankind. This way the Slate’s purpose could also be explained.

But the Slate produced not one but seven kings. And not only kings: it was also said to be what caused strains to appear as beings who failed to become kings.

—Is there some meaning in several kings existing?

If the Blue King’s attribute was “rightness”, then what were the other kings’ attributes?

If that was what determined the nature of their power, the answer would be a little easier to grasp. For instance, the Blue King’s power was symbolized by “order”. The Gold King’s by “prosperity”. If those two could be combined, the unity would probably produce a mutually beneficial property.

But what about the other kings?

—That’s the question. Especially when it comes to…

The tragedy of the past floated through her mind. Awashima was aware of the real circumstances behind it since she first visited HQ.

The other side of having a majestic sword floating high in the sky in the gray of a rainy morning. The reason why the symbol of the king’s power was christened “Sword of Damocles”.

“One cannot help being curious about the Red King, can they?”

It was as if a bucket of cold water was dumped on her.

She snapped her head up to look at Munakata who apparently observed her as she allowed herself to get lost in thought, and was now looking at her with an all-knowing gaze, his trademark smile still firmly in place.

He saw right through her, it seemed, and she felt her cheeks heat up against her will. But she didn’t try to awkwardly gloss it over, opting for a honest confirmation instead, “Yes, sir.”

“I, too, am wondering about that,” Munakata smiled. “When I had the audience with the Gold King the other day, I inquired about the character of the person in question.”

“And what was the Gold King’s answer, if I may ask, sir?”

“"He, too, is the Red King,” was all he had to say on the matter.“

Hearing that, Awashima bit her lip. Though terse it was, from where she now stood as a trusted retainer of the Blue King, she didn’t like the characteristic the Gold King provided one bit.

So Awashima spoke up with conviction, "Now that we know that the cause of that crater was the previous Red King… and that the previous Blue King, Habari Jin, was also involved, we simply cannot ignore it. Of course, I would like to think that Kagutsu Genji’s case was an exception rather than the rule, but still, concerning the current Red King–”

“Suoh Mikoto.”

“Yes, concerning Suoh Mikoto, I strongly believe that we need to see with our own eyes just what kind of person he is, as soon as possible. Additionally, as far as the duties of Scepter 4 are concerned, there is quite a few issues to work out in Shizume town. Sooner or later, our paths are bound to cross.”

Munakata nodded in agreement.

In the absence of Scepter 4, Homura came to rule Shizume town which they made their home base, with their “power”. As such, it was highly probable that the Red clan, Homura, would become a big obstacle in the course of fulfilling Scepter 4’s duty of ing and supervising strains.

Moreover…

“I have investigated the situation in Shizume town as well, and it does seem that currently there is a warped kind of pecking order in place with Homura at the top.”

“As I suspected…”

“The lower part of that organization especially appears to have a group of exceedingly violent individuals. Just the other day, there was a conflict between them and the mafia. I have confirmed that that, too, was because the group in question carried their show of force too far.”

“And that group, sir…?”

“As you have guessed, I have already identified them. If left them to their own devices, it would only be the matter of time before they caused another disturbance.”

With that, Munakata shared the information on the of said group with her.

Awashima bit her lip again.

ittedly, a certain order did exist in Shizume town. But it was hard to call it “proper”. At present, the rate of crimes attributed to strain power holders was on the rise. Moreover, a certain percent of those crimes evidently was committed by the of Homura.

No Blue clansman and no member of Scepter 4’s troops could turn a blind eye to that. At the very least, Awashima couldn’t.

Awashima might not have understood all the nuances of the relationship between the kings and their positions in regards to each other, but…

“…Captain. In my opinion, that group could serve as the ideal pretext to intervene in Shizume town,” Awashima suggested in words loaded with implications.

Munakata didn’t give an immediate answer. He only nodded lightly with a smile, like a teacher looking at his favorite pupil who gave a satisfactory required answer to the problem they were presented with.

“Indeed, but…”

“—Yes, sir?”

“I feel it is a bit premature for us to venture that deep. I do not know that King, Suoh Mikoto, yet,” Munakata said and turned on his heels unhurriedly.

Awashima fixed his back with an intense stare as if questioning his real intentions.

But…

“…Please carry on. Proficiency of the swordsmen corps still leaves much to be desired.”

With that offhanded comment, Munakata headed towards the office building.

Awashima continued gazing at the King’s back until he disappeared in the building.

After that, she went back to her original spot and followed the King’s order.