-Episode 4: Ikaruga, Student Council President!-

-The Night Before-

On the same night of the previous episode in the rundown slums of the city, where the poverty-stricken residents had a hard time getting by because of a lack of income or through other means, a long-haired ravenette was seen performing a play for the impoverished kids of that part of town. They cheered as the heroine struck down the villains in the show. She wore a mask of steel and an outfit consisting of a white gold-trimmed jacket with six buttons and a few golden tassels strewn across. She has a short gold-trimmed white skirt and boots of similar colors to her jacket, accentuated by black tights. Her movements were graceful and stylish as she struck down the villains one by one.

"Huah!"

She cried out and struck down the last of the bad guys... or in this case, girls.

"Curse you, BC Mask!" the villain cried, upon being struck down by the ravenette's nodachi blade. Of course, she just pretended to be a villain for the sake of the play. She then struck down her blade and gave a speech to cap off the play.

"Citizens! You are all safe now! And to any evil that may lurk in the shadows.. if you walk the path of evil.. I, BC Mask will find you and hand down the swift justice that you are due!"

She then swung and sheathed her blade, and as soon as the click is heard, the kids cheer in appreciation for the show they had just watched, thrilled with what they had just experienced. Later that day, the ravenette girl is seen making a donation to help out the impoverished kids that she had just performed for.. before she then set off into the night. As she's walking home, a male voice is heard playing in her mind.

"You stole everything that was mine, you little bitch!"

This echoed in her head every day as she grappled with the reality of being unable to get along with what seemed to be her own brother, who alleges that she stole his inheritence.

-The Next Day-

It was now Wendesday, just after school. In Hanzo Academy's Shinobi Room, Ikaruga comes across the girls fighting over something.

"What seems to be the matter, everyone?" she asked, her tone polite and formal. She went ignored and the fighting continued. She tried again.

"...I said I'd like to know what the matter is."

Once again, she was ignored.

So she tried a third time.

"All of you! Cease, desist, and listen to me!"

"Eep! W-we're sorry, Ikaruga-san!" Asuka and Koichi both yelped, clearly frightened by Ikaruga's yell.

"Well, it wasn't really a big deal at first.. we were just wondering what to eat on our way back to the dorms." Asuka explained, her head looking down sheepishly.

"But nobody could agree and.. we all started arguing about it.." Koichi added, grabbing his arm awkwardly.

"I see.. What did everyone wish to eat, then?" Ikaruga asked.

"I wanted futomaki rolls, Kat wanted ramen, Yagyu voted for dried squid, Hibari wanted sweets and Koichi-kun opted for beef bowl." Asuka explained, lining out all of the foods everyone chose.

Ikaruga's expression was then one of bemusement.

"... Well, that's... certainly a rather eclectic selection.. It seems nobody can agree on anything.. I understand. As difficult of a matter this may be, as class representative it is my duty to help."

The smile on the ravenette's face was warm despite her cool demeanor she puts on. Her air of professionalism was admirable.

"I'll go with you, Ikaruga-san." Koichi volunteered with a smile.

"O-oh! Well.. thank you, Koichi-san.." Ikaruga said, a little taken aback by his offer. However, deep down.. she couldn't help but feel a little happy that he asked this. Feeling her protective instinct kick in, Asuka stepped in ready to object to this.

"Hang on, Koichi-kun! Are you sure you should do this? I don't want you to-" Asuka said before being cut off by Ikaruga.

"Asuka-san, we're only going to the store.. Koichi-san should be fine." Ikaruga attempted to assure her. However, the brunette was still unsure about Koichi going.

"But-!"

"Asuka-san, I'll be okay. Don't worry." Koichi said, backing up Ikaruga with a smile. Asuka then looked down and pouted before looking back up at Koichi, before adorably pointing at him.

"You come back safe, you hear me? If anyone hurts you, I will show them no mercy!" Asuka said, still pouting adorably.

"My, you two really are close.." Ikaruga noted, after letting out a slight giggle.

"I-Ikaruga-san?!" Asuka exclaimed in surprise, a blush flushing across the brunette shinobi's face.

And with that, Koichi and Ikaruga set out on their way to the mall to pick up the food everyone wanted. After Asuka saw them off, a voice started speaking from across the room.

"Asuka-san." the voice said. Asuka quickly turned around to see that the source of the voice was Yagyuu.

"Y-Yagyuu?" the brunette asked.

"...What happened on the day we split up during that mission?" she asked, a question Asuka responded to through her widening eyes at how perceptive Yagyuu really was, as if she's been caught with her hand in a cookie jar.

Asuke then looked down, feeling a pang of guilt in her gut as she knew she couldn't break the promise she made to her grandfather.

Meanwhile, Koichi and Ikaruga were seen walking around the mall looking for items the school representative wrote down on a piece of parchment. This list contained the items that everyone requested for lunch.

"Hmm.. dried squid, ramen, futomaki rolls and sweets.. there should be a place to buy each in the area.. where do you think we should we start, Koichi-san?" Ikaruga inquired, looking to the boy at her side.

"Oh! Um.. Maybe we should head to the grocery store first, see what we can find there?" Koichi suggested. Upon arriving, the two make a grim discovery.. their now-downtrodden expressions and body language conveying the grim nature of the situation.

"The shops.." Koichi started.

"seem to be closed.." Ikaruga finished.

It was then that both of them heard a series of windows breaking and property being damaged, and they immediately deduced the source.

"Of course. It appears we have some delinquents causing some trouble around here.." Ikaruga noted, before looking to Koichi.

"Koichi-san, please take cover. Find somewhere safe to hide, this should only take a moment." Ikaruga said, obviously unaware of Koichi's power. However..

"Alright. I'll let you handle this, Ikaruga-senpai." Koichi said, bowing in respect of her status, something that caused Ikaruga to let out a small giggle.

"There's no need for that, Koichi-san. I'm only protecting my classmate." Ikaruga said with a warm smile, causing Koichi to blush ever so slightly.

"Y-yes, Ikaruga-senpai!" the boy said, before following Ikaruga's instruction and heading off to somewhere safe to hide from the chaos that's about to unfold. It was then that the ravenette turned to face the group of delinquents.

"You are interfering with this district's daily business, and that, I'm afraid, is something I cannot overlook. Prepare to face justice!" Ikaruga proclaimed, before the delinquents then began charging at her. Before they reach her, Ikaruga draws her Nodachi blade known as "Hien", a prestigious sword belonging to the girl's family. She took down the delinquents with ease, using her swift, agile, elegant and devastatingly powerful movements, not to dissimilar to that of a dance from a ballerina.

Now faced with an even larger group of enemies before her, Ikaruga sees little option but to summon her Ninja Arts Scroll.

"Shinobi.. Transformation!" she cried out as a light consumed her body, changing her outfit and the very nature of her abilities. She now wore a short gold-trimmed white skirt and boots of similar colors to her jacket, accentuated by black tights, identical to the outfit she wore when performing as BC Mask.

Meanwhile, Koichi could be seen walking around near the construction site of a new building due to open later in the year. As the boy then stood around and waited for Ikaruga, a series of footsteps could be heard.

"Oh? Are you one of Ikaruga's worthless classmates?" said the voice of a male, causing Koichi to look in the direction of the speaker. He was an older male who has long black hair, which covers most of his forehead due to his long bangs, and even going further, as to cover some of his eye, and going down to his nose. It also goes well down to his ears, nearly covering them up as well. He wore a dark blue vest or shirt underneath his long white coat, and both tops are also constantly unzipped, he wears white pants as bottoms, and black shoes.

"Who are you?" he asked, already on guard due to his rude remark.

"Me? You believe you have the right to speak to me like that, peasant?" the man said, walking a circle around Koichi, who then looked at the older male with suspicion.

"But, since I'm feeling generous right now, I'll tell you. My name is Murasame.. the rightful heir of my family.. until my adopted sister stole everything from me.." Murasame said, introducing himself before showing some of his resentment towards his own family.

"Adopted sister?.." Koichi asked, wondering what he meant by his remarks.

"You know her as Ikaruga, do you not?" Murasame noted, smirking at Koichi's perceived ignorance.

"Wait, you're Ikaruga-senpai's brother?!" Koichi exclaimed, shocked to hear that such a rude man was Ikaruga's sibling.

"Since you're here, commoner, I'm here to kill you and then my 'dear' sister.." Murasame said with a smile, summoning a pair of kusarigama before then spinning one above his head. Koichi then jumped back and summoned his katana sword.

"Well think again! I won't let you harm Ikaruga-senpai!" Koichi said, looking on defiantly at Murasame.

"You certainly have some balls to oppose me, don't you?.." Murasame snarled, a psychotic grin spreading across his face before he then swung his weapon at Koichi, who managed to deflect it in time.

"I know you can transform, so do it! It's the only the beat me!" Murasame growled, swinging the second chained blade at Koichi, who was knocked back from the harsh impact.

Meanwhile, upon finishing her work clearing up the delinquents who vandalized the stores in the shopping district, she sheathed her blade and looked around.

"Right, the stores should be safe now-Hm?.. It seems Koichi-san hasn't arrived back yet.." Ikaruga uttered to herself, before she then heard a series of blade clashes in the distance. Wondering what was going on, she rushed over to the direction the commotion was coming from.

"Gah!" Koichi exclaimed, rolling on the floor violently as he dropped his katana blade onto the ground.

"How pathetic.. how did they let someone worthless like you in, yet I was thrown by the wayside?.." Murasame snarled, as he walked towards Koichi before them kicking him in the gut while he was down.

"GH!.. Your technique.. has no soul, no heart.." Koichi breathed, speaking as he held his gut from the pain inflicted by Murasame's kick. He then let out a cough from the injury.

"Come on.. show a little more spine than that, boy.. I know you can transform.. he said you could too.." Murasame snarled, grabbing Koichi by the chin harshly.

"H-he?.." Koichi wondered. Before he could ask anything more, Ikaruga arrived and clashed with Murasame, who responded by somersaulting further back in the construction site.

"Murasame! Why are you assaulting my classmate?!" Ikaruga shot out, clearly angered by Murasame's actions.

"I wanted to see why this boy got into Hanzo.. I thought he would have been something special, but he's clearly just a weak commoner! Clearly, he must have cheated in the entrance exam! There's no way someone this weak could enter Hanzo without bribing someone!" Murasame said, insulting Koichi and denegrating his legitimacy as both a student of Hanzo and as a shinobi.

"Koichi-san didn't cheat! Unlike you, he has the aptitude to be a shinobi! Being a Shinobi isn't just about being strong.. it's about having the courage to what's right, even when faced with the incredible odds before you!" Ikaruga shot back, speaking up in the boy's defense.

"Ikaruga..." Koichi thought to himself.

"Then come on sis.. come at me right now! But don't expect this to end the same way it did last time!" Murasame roared, the psychotic grin once again spreading on his face. The two siblings clashed blades throughout the construction site, the conflict raging on as the two siblings duel it out. As Ikaruga deflects the first of Murasame's kusarigama, causing sparks to fly, the second one manages to disarm the ravenette, much to her shock. Distracted by this event, she was hit by both of Murasame's weapons, causing her Shinobi attire to tear and her to roll on the ground violently.

"AGH! GH!" Ikaruga exclaimed painfully as she rolled on the ground, before she then layed on the floor defeated by her brother. He was then grinning as he took his steps towards Ikaruga, before raising his blades above her as his opponent was on the ground.

"You took everything away from me, you little bitch.. I am the rightful heir to the family's fortune! You're just some adopted peasant from the slums! You're nothing! Less than nothing! I HATE THAT YOU EXIST!" Murasame screamed, blaming Ikaruga for every bad thing that has happened to him ever since she arrived in their family household. Her eyes filled with sadness and regret as her brother's words cut her deep.

Just as he raised his blade to deliver the finishing blow, and with Ikaruga now too demoralised to fight anymore, Koichi finally ran in, picking his katana up off the floor and clashed blades with Murasame.

"Y-you..!" Murasame snarled as he pushed against Koichi's blade.

"Don't you dare talk like that about Ikaruga! She's your own family! She loved you like you were her own, blood-related sibling and you treat her like trash because you care more about money than the life of your own family!" Koichi roared, defiantly looking on at Murasame, who twitched with rage.

"Damn you, you filthy commoner!" Murasame yelled as he raised his blade, before clashing blades with Koichi again.

"Murasame.. you said you wanted a fight, right?! Then I'll give you one! A fight you'll never forget!" Koichi shot passionately, as he summoned his Secret Ninja Scroll.

"T-that's!-" Murasame exclaimed in shock at the scroll appearing in Koichi's hand.

"Shinobi...Transform!" he shouted before his clothes shattered to pieces, before energy enveloped his body and formed his Shinobi attire, which consisted of a white coat with a white scarf, long black fingerless gloves, black sports pants, and black combat boots. He then sliced down his Katana sword and prepared to battle Murasame.

"K-Koichi..s..san..?!" Ikaruga whispered, looking on in shock at the fact that Koichi has a Secret Ninja Scroll after all.

At that moment, Murasame yet out a yell as he dashed towards Koichi. The two of them clashed blades, clanging steel as sparks fly in the air from intense battle. Unlike before, Murasame noticed something different from before about Koichi.

"What the hell..?! Why didn't you show any of this before?!.. Were you holding back the whole time?!" the older man yelled out at the boy, who then smirked defiantly in response.

"You still don't get it, do you Murasame? You rushing headfirst into battles like this.. is why you never became a Shinobi!" Koichi said, enraging Murasame further. As the man dashed towards the boy, one last clash could be heard.. Murasame's Kusarigama was seen launching into the air as the man was disarmed of his weapon. In response, he dropped to his knees in despair. Ikaruga looked on at this moment, her eyes wide in amazement and her mouth agape at what had just taken place.

"If you serve evil, then there's only path for you.." Koichi said, before his Shinobi attire reverted back to his school uniform.

"Agh!.." the boy exclaimed in pain, falling to one knee as he held his side.

"Koichi-san!.." Ikaruga called out, standing up and running over to help up her classmate. It was then that she saw Murasame in a state of total despair at his loss.

"Nii-san.." the ravenette uttered sadly. After this ordeal, Ikaruga and Koichi returned to the shopping district for the very reason they went there in the first place; to buy everyone's foods. Ikaruga took a breath and calmed herself before she began to speak once more.

"Now, after that long distraction, it is time for us to purchase everyone's food of choice." the ravenette said, to which Koichi nodded enthusiastically. Upon returning to the school, the two of them saw Yagyuu walk out of the door with a frustrated look on her face, as it seemed that she was unable to get any answers regarding Asuka's mission out of her. The ravenette and the boy looked at each other in puzzlement before walking through the door. After preparing everything, the ravenette class representative began to speak.

"That should be enough for everyone." Ikaruga said, with Koichi standing at her side.

"All right!" Asuka chirped happily.

"Looks like everyone's happy.." Koichi said with a smile on his face, showing how contagious Asuka's smile truly was. It was then that Ikaruga, who walked off for a moment, came back as she wheeled a table covered by a cloth into Hanzo's Shinobi Room.

"And I had a chance to cook it all myself, in my own style." Ikaruga said, with professionalism behind her smile, before then unveiling a cloth that covered.. what could be described as a fusion of foods that do not fit together in the slightest.

"Huh?!" Asuka exclaimed in shock at the sight in front of her.

"I-is that even edible..?! It looks..." Koichi thought to himself, as the sight of this fusion of mismatched produce laid bare before him.

"I call it the 'Dried Squid Ramen: Futomaki Edition Plus Sweets'!" Ikaruga said, a bright and prideful smile beaming across her face.

"So this is why you told me to wait outside.." Koichi said, trying to keep a smile on his face, though he felt this facade failing somewhat.

"In my estimation, friends should be happy to partake of each other's favorite foods, no?" Ikaruga said, her beaming and prideful smile still very much there despite Koichi and Asuka's look of displeasure and horror at what is before them.

"W-well, uh.. how do I put this gently...?" Asuka asked with a tone of worry in her face, which also reflects the expression on her face as well, tilting her head to the side slightly in dismay of everything.

"Ikaruga-san! Since I'm the boy in this group, I shall be a gentleman and try your cooking first!" Koichi said frantically, bowing his head all in an effort to stop Asuka from hurting Ikaruga's feelings.

"K-Koichi-kun?!" Asuka yelped in shock at what he had just volunteered.

"What are you saying, Koichi-san?.." Ikaruga wondered.

"Aaah.."

Koichi then took a bite of the delicacy, chewing it a few times.

"..."

"..."

"..Urk?!" he exclaimed, seemingly in disgust of the food's texture.

"Koichi-kun?!" Asuka called out in worry, with Ikaruga also showing a look of concern for her classmate who had just volunteered to try her cooking.

"...It's actually not bad." Koichi said, with a smile on his face.

"See?" Ikaruga said, happy that the boy liked her cooking. Asuka, seeing this, pouted slightly with a hint of jealousy.

"Oh really? Then I'll try it too!" Asuka said, before walking over to the dish and grabbing a piece, then taking a bite.

"..."

"..."

"Oh wow! This IS good!" Asuka exclaimed with a huge smile on her face.

"Right?!" Koichi exclaimed, agreeing with Asuka's comment.

"...But I was in the mood for a plain old futomaki roll." the brunette also said, ruining the good mood in the air that was there just moments ago. Ikaruga then hung her head low at this comment, downtrodden at her overanalytical nature at times like this. Seeing this, Koichi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and smiled awkwardly.

"Eheh.." the boy sheepishly laughed.

That night, Koichi was laying down in bed as what had happened at the construction site played again and again in his mind. Murasame's words to Ikaruga bothered him.

"..You're nothing! Less than nothing! I HATE THAT YOU EXIST!"

"Why would someone say that about their own family?.." he wondered to himself. It was then that he heard a knock at the door. He got up from his bed and walked to the door before opening it.

"Ikaruga-senpai?" Koichi gasped, wondering what she's doing here at this hour.

"I realize that it's late, but.. I wish to say thank you.. for today. You really saved me back there.. and I really appreciate the kind words you said about me to Murasame nii-san.." Ikaruga said, her tone softer than her usual dignified demeanor.

"Of course!.. I couldn't stand the bad things he was saying about you Ikaruga-senpai.." Koichi simply said, showing a smile, which unbeknownst to him, caused Ikaruga's face to blush a shade of red.

"L-listen.. if it's okay with you.. perhaps you would..like to.." Ikaruga whispered softly as she looked down shyly, twiddling her fingers.

"Ikaruga-san?.." he asked.

"F-forget I said anything!.. H-have a goodnight, Koichi-san.." Ikaruga said, before bowing and then departing. Koichi then watched her leave as she ran a little down the hallway. Confused, but putting it to the back of his mind, he closed the door before heading back to his bedroom. Just as he opened the door, an envelope slid in under his door.

"What the?.." Koichi wondered as he walked towards the envelope. He then picked it up before opening it.. and then his eyes shot open as wide as saucers.. he was in abject shock as he took out what was in the envelope; it was.. a pair of..

"...WUUUUAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"

His scream was the last thing that was heard as the camera panned out of his room to the outside of the dorms.

Before the episode ended, a certain blonde female could be heard snickering to herself as she walked away from the boy's dorms.

-To Be Continued-