Rewinding the clock seven hours.

0810

Fuutarou Morikube stretched his neck as he hefted the rifle in his hands. His face looked as if he was about to complain but he had enough discipline to keep his mouth shut lest he'd get scolded to no end. However, he wasn't currently in any sort of combat-ready state despite being fully geared up; his mental state was of a salaryman on a Monday morning, tired as all hell but with no choice but to get up and go to work especially after taking the previous day off.

He was currently standing in a line alongside six of his comrades, all of whom were also armed to the teeth like himself. Wondering if it was time for his squad to take a break, he glanced at his watch but before he could actually check the time, something appeared in his peripheral vision that completely distracted him. His full attention redirected to that something, he focused his vision and made out the form of a beautiful foreign girl, aged somewhere in her high school years.

She kept coming closer and it was only after she got within ten meters that Fuutarou noticed the sword strapped to her waist. Despite being a normal person, he could immediately tell that that sword was leaking power; it was an okatana, meaning, the girl in front of him is a Toji. Fuutarou hefted his gun and aimed it at the girl, demanding, “Stop! You clearly aren’t among the Toji that were sent with us. Who are you?”

“Now, now…” the mysterious Toji sang as she continued walking and appeared out of the morning mist. Alice Sakayanagi held both of her arms up as she said, “I’m no one suspicious. I’m just a Toji who just happened to be passing by, desu~.”

During Operation Morning Star.

The Sword Administration HQ.

0706, nearly an hour earlier.

“What did you say?” Azusa Hachimiya demanded. “They have found the traitors? Are you sure about that?”

A female operator seated at a computer repeated, “Yes, we have just received word that Special Officer Satsuki has cornered them. They are currently engaging in battle with Shidou and Konohana.”

Azusa’s face immediately twisted into one of displeasure. She bit her thumb, angrily thinking, Yomi… That damned half-wit…! She can’t even properly use an okatana and yet…! I need to hurry to complete that project. The strongest Toji that will live for Nanae-sama and die for Nanae-sama…!

At the same time in the drawing room.

As she opened the door, the girl timidly asked into the room: “Umm… Sayuki Asahina-chan?” The girl in question turned her head to look at the door to the room to find Honami Mitsumine. “May I have a moment of your time?” Honami sat down across from her and asked, “What happened to Suzuran-chan? I heard that you were sent out to go capture them.”

“I was indeed, yes, but I was defeated and came back here,” Sayuki replied.

“Oh, thank goodness…! So Suzuran-chan is safe,” Honami sighed before she put her hand on her mouth and apologized. “Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be saying this to your face…”

“No, it’s fine,” Sayuki rebuffed. “The fact of the matter is that I did lose. The winners are the ones that leave their marks on history; I just simply failed to become one of them.

Honami was forced into silence by Sayuki’s stoicism. She couldn’t help but squirm at the way the conversation had turned extraordinarily awkward. Under the table, she pinched her thigh, the pain shocking her brain to start turning again. She then mustered, “Sa-Sayuki-chan, you’re from Renpu, aren’t you? Aren’t you supposed to return to your own dormitories by now?”

“I’ve been given orders not to leave this room,” Sayuki flatly declined. She then nodded to Honami’s follow-up question, asserting the fact that what she said was true (“Huh? Did President Hachimiya tell you that?”).

Honami yet again squirmed in discomfort at how the conversation died again. She had wanted to speak with Sayuki ever since the tournament when she was able to fight on equal terms with Suzuran, albeit only for a few moments before she was cut down. As a fellow swordswoman (although, not as “addicted” to the blade as Suzuran, so to speak), she was deeply interested in the way of the blade that Sayuki followed.

As she tried to find something else to talk about, she glanced at Sayuki’s cheek which was cut. “Oh, your cheek is wounded… Please wait a moment.” Sayuki’s emotionless face showed a tinge of surprise as she watched Honami reach into her personal purse where she pulled out a small medical kit. Pulling out an alcohol wipe, she got out of her chair and walked to Sayuki’s side. “I’m sorry but please bear with me for a moment. This will sting.” Even the stoic Sayuki couldn’t help but flinch as the alcohol solution seeped into her open wound, disinfecting it at the cost of a sharp jolt of pain. When she was finished, Honami placed a bandage on the wound. “Alright, there. You are a girl, Sayuki-chan, you need to take care of your appearance.”

“Umm… Thanks.”

“I do apologize if the design looks childish,” Honami added. “My little sister just loves designs like these…” She was referring to the fact that the bandage she applied to Sayuki’s face had a particularly cute design: an assortment of drawn flowers that looked like it was penned by an elementary schoolgirl was spread across the bandage.

“Uh… That’s fine,” Sayuki replied, still with an expression of empty confusion.

For a third time, Honami tried to find a new topic to discuss before she suddenly remembered. “Ah, that’s right, I’m hoping you’ll enjoy these.” Honami dug around in her purse and extracted a small pouch of cookies. “Here, hold out your hand.” Honami stood up and placed the pouch of cookies in Sayuki’s outstretched hands. She looked at it in confusion all the while Honami’s smile remained unbroken. She giggled softly as she said, “They’re cookies. I was trying to calm my nerves after being stuck here for so long and I ended up making too much. Do you like sweets, Sayuki-chan? You can have those if you do.”

“Yeah… I do,” Sayuki mumbled, her expression unchanging but stars were forming in her eyes as well as a small bit of drool beginning to escape from her lips. “Thank you.”

“That’s a relief! It’d make me really happy if you would eat them.”

Taking her eyes off of the cookies for the first time, Sayuki looked up in confusion. “Happy?”

“Yes, I hope you enjoy them,” Honami replied. She then stood up. “Anyway, if they find me here, I’ll be in trouble, so I’m going to leave now. It was fun talking to you, Sayuki-chan.” Opening the door, Honami was about to leave before she remembered one last thing. “Oh yeah, if you ever meet Suzu-chan again, challenge her to another fight, will you? That girl loves crossing swords.” With that, Honami closed the door and left.

Sayuki, meanwhile, was lost in thought. As she stared at the closed door, her hand went to touch her cheek as she felt the bandage. She then turned back to her pouch of cookies. Setting it on the table, she undid the red string holding the cellophane bag closed and opened it up. She picked up a cookie and placed it in her mouth, savoring its sweetness. She couldn’t help but mutter, “It’s sweet…” A small smile blossomed on her face as she continued munching.

Honami couldn’t help but keep a smile on her face as she walked down the hallway, softly humming to herself. However, she suddenly killed her smile as she spotted Yume Tsubakuro happily skipping down the hallway, humming all the while as well, albeit, with a higher volume than Honami. She passed Honami by without even a second glance. Honami watched Yume as she slipped past her. Isn’t that the direction of the head of the Origami Family’s office…?

Stopping in front of Nanae’s office, Yume knocked twice and waited. From the inside, a muffled voice ordered, “Enter.”

“Na-na-e-sa-ma~!” Yume sang as she entered and gently closed the door. “Let’s play~!” No sooner had she said this, a deranged smile crossed her lips as she leapt across the room, drawing her sword. She thrust her sword at such speeds that when the sword sunk into the leather of Nanae’s chair, a minor airblast exploded outward from the point of impact, rustling Nanae’s hair. Yanking it out, she made a follow-up thrust directly at Nanae’s chest which Nanae avoided by rolling her chair back. She then drew her sword at her waist and clashed several times with Yume’s own, an okatana of exquisite design that carried the name of Nikkari Ao’e.

Each successive collision between the two swords wielded by the two Toji of extreme strength sent shockwaves blasting throughout the office, knocking over items in the room and culminating in the shattering of the glass windows behind Nanae. Yume then jumped off of the desk she had used as a perch and hit the ceiling. “I got you!” Using the ceiling as a foothold, she pushed off and rocketed straight down to Nanae’s face but she discarded her sword and summoned her own okatana, two of them, and blocked Yume’s strike. She was not only capable of this but she also blew Yume back who crashed into the wall near the door. Her legs sprawled out beneath her in what looked like the letter “m”, Yume childishly shook her fist as she complained, “Dang it, I lost again!”

Her swords still in her hands, Nanae sighed. “Are you really that bored?”

Yume got up and sheathed her sword before approaching the table again. “Yes, and if you’d let me leave, I could handle those traitors faster than those weaklings ever could…”

Feeling a small oncoming headache, Nanae replied, “Just be patient for now. I’ll have an entertaining game prepared for you soon.”

“Really!? Then I’ll wait like a good girl!” Yume beamed.

“This especially will affect you, the bride of my son, Kazuyuki,” Nanae added.

Yume’s smile faltered for a second before it regained its radiance, albeit, this time, there was a slight tinge of embarrassment to it. “Ehehe, I can finally see my darling again?”

Nanae smiled warmly, “Yes. I shall make sure you will see him.”

0820

Maya Shidou and Suzuka Konohana looked at each other. The girl in front of them was surrounded by several members of the special forces they had brought along with the operation, all of their guns trained on her. As such, the girl had no choice but to put her hands behind her head. Suzuka began, “A freshman in the senior high division of Minoseki Academy, Alice Sakayanagi, do I have that right?”

Maya added, “Hmm, you were one of the participants in the tournament matches, weren’t you?”

“Aha, how embarrassing,” Alice quipped. “That was a very disappointing result if I do say so myself.”

“I see that you’re planning on feigning ignorance this entire time,” Suzuka muttered.

“Heeeey, may I put my hands down now?” Alice asked. “I have no intentions of fighting with you, considering that I did turn myself in.”

“In that case, relinquish your okatana,” Maya demanded.

“Eh?”

“Your cell phone as well,” Suzuka added.

“Hmm, alright…” Alice mumbled as the members of the special forces gently unclasped the okatana at her waist and reached into her pocket to pull her phone out (the man who did this whispered, “I’m sorry, it’s protocol.”). “Yay, I have to admit that my hands were going numb.”

“So, what were you doing here?” Maya asked.

“Well, I’m sure you saw how my match turned out, yes?” Alice began as she began making gestures with each word. “Knowing Principal Asuka, she would absolutely kill me if I came back empty-handed so I thought I’d earn some credit by capturing the traitors that pointed their blades at Nanae-sama.”

Suzuka was not amused as she inquired, “Then the reason you brought out the S-Equipment was to capture the traitors?”

Alice tilted her head in confusion. “S-Equipment…? Whatever could you mean, desu?”

Crossing her arms, Maya explained, “Last night, two S-Equipment containers of unknown origin were launched to Asamayama. It would be natural to assume that due to their unknown origins, they were prepared to assist in the escape of the traitors.”

“There is that, yes, but there’s also the fact that we cannot deny the possibility that those S-Equipments could belong to either you or the other representative of Minoseki, Manaka Ichinose.”

Alice showed nothing on her face as she continued to smile innocently, perfectly playing the part of the unknowing maiden. Suddenly, her stomach rumbled, releasing a rather loud growl. “Ahaha, it seems that I’m hungry!”

Narrowing her eyes, Suzuka declared, “It seems that we are in further need of interrogation.”

One of the men (the same one that apologized for reaching into her pockets to extract her phone) said, “Come with me.” Alice turned around and allowed herself to be escorted by them. She then began to look around, making sure to misdirect her intentions. She looked at everything of note that she could write back about. One especially ostentatious occurrence was a group of men either placing or attempting to remove a white container from the trunk of a car. However, she was unable to get a good view as she was led into a tent.

As Suzuka and Maya watched her go, Suzuka said, “Maya, I don’t think you should interrogate her.”

“Huh? What is that supposed to mean? You don’t want me interrogating her?”

“I meant what I said.”

“Do you intend to ignore the fact that Nanae-sama put me in charge of this operation?”

“Goodness me, using your position as a shield certainly isn’t like you at all.” Maya let out a small growl at that comment before her eyes glowed crimson. “Look, see? You’re telling me you’re going to let that girl see your eye? When I, personally, am suspecting of being part of Mokusa?”

Maya calmed down as she looked away. Her voice bleeding disappointment, she muttered, “I apologize. It seems that I am lacking in tranquility after falling behind in this morning’s fight.” She then turned around and walked away.

“Where could you be going?”

“A place to calm me down,” Maya said with finality. “I cannot serve Nanae-sama at my fullest if my state of mind is this askew.”

As she watched her go, Suzuka sighed. “Perhaps I teased her too much…? After all, I too am lacking in calmness.” She herself turned around and muttered, “If I find out you were indeed their friends, I will have you pay the appropriate price, Sakayanagi-san.” As she continued walking, Suzuka’s own eyes began glowing crimson.

Returning to its normal shade, she then visited one of the cars and pulled out a store-bought bento. Entering the tent in which Alice was detained, she gave her the food which Alice happily munched on. Finishing it, she put her hands together. “Thank you for the food.”

“Was it to your liking?”

“Yes, indeed!” Alice replied. “However, it is slightly annoying that they microwave the pickles with the convenience store boxes though.”

“Hmm, really?” Suzuka nodded. “I don’t have particularly any qualms about that myself.”

“You’re quite an interesting person, desu…” Alice quipped.

Seeing that she was finished, Suzuka began, “About the previously mentioned S-Equipment, it seems they were already retrieved and carried away.”

“As I’ve said, I have nothing to do with that,” Alice declared.

“Hmm, well, Sakayanagi is quite an unusual name.”

“Eh?”

“I do feel like I’ve heard of that name somewhere before…” Alice watched Suzuka as she elegantly tapped her head, trying to recall what it was. “Ah, now I remember why. I have only read about it but it seems that the chief engineer of the S-Equipment affiliated with the DARPA development team that transferred here had that name… If memory serves, her name was Alexandra Amberlynn Sakayanagi?”

“Ah, Alexandra is my mama, desu,” Alice smiled. “Just for extra information, my papa, Hayate Sakayanagi, works with her, but…”

Continuing from Alice’s train of thought, Suzuka said, “Even the head of development does not have permission to launch an unregistered unit. After all, both the development and creation of the S-Equipment are all done under the supervision of the Origami family… However, what of your grandfather?”

“Grandpa, desu?” Alice asked. She then put her finger to her chin as she thought. “Um… Grandpa is…”

“Yes, Oswald Blackbourne, the extremely brilliant scientist who became the forerunner of the use of yousai for military purposes and pioneered the development of the S-Equipment. Five years ago, he sold off the technological development company he had founded himself then suddenly disappeared, right?”

“Yes.”

“Are you aware that there is evidence that Professor Blackbourne had entered Japan? Along with the fact that he had been in contact with Mokusa. Hmm, actually, no, it would be better to assume that he himself is one of the core members of that organization. Isn’t that right?”

Alice tilted her head. “Mogusa? Is that like moxibustion?” (Alice is pretending to mishear “Mokusa” as “Mogusa”, the Japanese pronunciation of the mugwort plant which is used as a remedy in traditional Chinese medicine; this remedy is called moxibustion.)

Narrowing her eyes, Suzuka said, “So you insist on playing dumb. Well, not like it matters too much. Ah, yes, concerning your friend, Manaka Ichinose… Are you aware that she had drawn her sword against our comrade, Yomi Satsuki, last night?” An expression of shock made its way to Alice’s face, however, it was only skin deep. Nevertheless, Suzuka was able to see through that veil of obfuscation. “It seems that this is the first you are hearing of it. Or perhaps you are still using your specialty of playing dumb? Regardless of the reasons why she did so, turning one’s blade against any member of the Elite Guard is synonymous with turning one’s blade against Nanae-sama. That is a sin that can only be absolved with execution notwithstanding of whether or not you or Ichinose-san are connected with Mokusa.”

For the first time, Alice began showing a sliver of defiance. “Where is Manaka now?”

“Who knows?” Suzuka replied. “I will speak with you again later. I have some other duties to attend to at the moment.”