Fumitzuki Rune Knights

by Sharingan-kun

As the righteous enforcers of the National Magic Council, it is a Rune Knight's duty to uphold peace and order within the Kingdom of Fiore by bringing unlawful mages to justice. However, the odds are against Fumitzuki Academy's F Platoon. They have poor grades, horrendously useless equipment, and Yoshii Akihisa... possibly the most dense Rune Knight in the history of the Academy.

Prologue

It was a warm spring day at the Fumitzuki Rune Knight Military Academy. The sky was a fresh clear blue with barely a cloud in sight. And the path leading up to the Academy was lined with blooming cherry blossoms, ushering in the students, both new and returning, with a dazzling scene of serene pink beauty.

Cadet Yoshii Akihisa normally wasn't the type to appreciate such simple elegance. Things like natural beauty were all but part of the background for him. But today Akihisa felt different. Today, he felt like he could do anything. He felt confident. He stopped to admire the cherry blossoms and breathed in the sweet scent all around. Then he let a smug smile tug at his lips. It truly felt like today would be the beginning of a new era for him. Because in a way, it was. Today marked the end of his boring classroom-only student life. Today was the day he would finally be assigned to a real Rune Knight Platoon.

- x -

Nishimura's Office

"Good morning Iron-err-Instructor Nishimura." Akihisa tensed up at his near fatal mistake. Military Instructor Nishimura was known as 'Ironman' to nearly every student at the Academy due to his hard, excessively muscular physique and his unwaveringly strict personality. But nobody dared to call Nishimura 'Ironman' to his face unless they wanted to die... or face remedial military training. And seeing as how Akihisa had never yet experienced death, he couldn't decide which was worse. "It's been a while. You look... healthy, sir." Akihisa hoped to forge a friendly relationship with Nishimura for the new year.

But Nishimura frowned. Hard. "Yoshii, you're late! And on the first day of your second year..." rose his commanding voice. "Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Uh... well... sir... it's a beautiful day isn't it?"

Akihisa wasn't sure if it was just the sun glaring in through the nearby window, but Instructor Nishimura's face seemed to turn a shade or two angrier. "Yooo...shii... don't you have something a little more appropriate to say than to comment on the weather?"

"I don't really know what you..."

Ironman not-so-subtly waved his eyes towards a nearby clock on the wall. Akihisa squinted and raised a questioning eyebrow. Ironman then gestured to his watch and then clapped his hands together as if in prayer. Akihisa struck realization and hammered a fist into the palm of his hand in happy understanding.

"Ah, sorry I'm late," said Akihisa as if he were answering a question on a test. "I slept in because I didn't really feel like getting up today." Then he grinned and awaited the praise that was sure to come for his one-hundred-percent correct and honest answer.

"Yoshii..." Instructor Nishimura seemed to sigh with something akin to deep resignation. But Akihisa was sure he had just imagined it because right after that, Nishimura continued with, "You know, Yoshii... you never fail to suprise me." From the drawer behind his desk, Instructor Nishimura pulled out a sealed envelope and presented it dutifully to Akihisa. "These are your placement exam results. And your platoon assignment."

Akihisa's eyes lit up and he picked up the letter like it was the most precious thing in the world. Like it was a newborn babe. Like it was made of platinum and diamonds. Like it was a pretty girl's panties. "Can I open it, sir?"

Ironman nodded. "In a way, you're special, Yoshii," he said. "I can honestly say that I've never met a person like you before. You're unbelievable. No. Amazing..."

With a compliments like that, Akihisa tore into the envelope with a heightened sense of awe, nearly fumbling in excitement when he pulled out the single sheet of paper that was inside. I knew I aced the placement exams, he confidently thought.

Nishimura had his arms folded and knowingly nodded to himself. "Yes, I believe amazing is definitely the right word here..."

Yoshii Akihisa
Placement Examination Results
Cumulative Score: 778/3000

Platoon Assignment:
Platoon F

"Amazingly stupid that is," finished Nishimura.

Akihisa's shaking hands nearly tore the paper in two. "I... but... you gotta be kidding me. There has to be some mistake." Akihisa was sure that he answered every single question on the placement test. He was able to give two... sometimes even three answers for some of the questions. So how could he have possibly done so badly?

"No mistake, I marked your test myself. I was hoping you would show at least some improvement at the end of the first year. But I see now that I'm going to have to beat some more sense into that thick skull of yours. You are to come to remedial training at the end of the day."

Akihisa winced. "But sir... after classes I have-"

"Your pathetic excuses will not work on me, Yoshii. I expect you to be there as soon as the last bell sounds, do you understand?" Nishimura demanded. "Now get to the F Platoon armory and get suited up. The rest of your platoon is already waiting."