September 2023

Five Months Before Augmentation

It was eight in the morning.

The start of the day.

Erika Janome got up and she stretched her limbs, opening her closet and grabbing her blue Lycoris jacket along with a jet-black helmet. After a couple of minutes of basic morning routine, she finally got ready for the day. She opened her door as she walked past the other Lycoris in her dorm. None took notice of the girl as they chatted about a multitude of topics, enjoying the early Saturday day off.

While assassins and masters of combat, at the end of the day, Lycoris were still schoolgirls. From Monday to Sunday, they had class with a day off on Saturday. That even meant missions weren't an excuse to skip out on homework much to Erika's (and many others') dismay.

"What was your kill count last mission?"

"Ugh…. zero. One guy got the drop on me and knocked me out. Commander Kusunoki chewed me out for that. I'm lucky she's got other things to take care of. Word around the grapevine is that she might be replaced soon. The Majima mess was that big of an issue."

"No kidding. A live televised terrorist attack like that doesn't go away. People are still talking about it even with the cover story DA put."

Erika passed by a group of Lycoris.

"Heard from some technicians that Nishikigi's coming back to Japan this week. They had to reprogram back in her certification or something."

"Is she technically in DA still? I thought Lycoris get a retired status or something when they turn 18."

"I guess she's gunning for a role as an DA consultant. Well, probably with her psycho hubby anyway."

"Hold up are they a thing?"

"It was sarcasm."

"Still a valid question! You saw how touchy Nishikigi got with Inoue those couple of months ago at the fountain."

Erika passed by a group of Lycoris.

"Anything on that psycho Majima?"

"Nothing. Still out in the wind. Damn it! It's been a year and we still can't find that idiot!"

"I hope we find him soon….so I can wrap my hands around his neck!"

Erika passed by a group of Lycoris.

"Wait…. isn't that damsel in distress?"

"Oh yeah! You better stay away from her. If you do, you'll get demoted!"

"I'm surprised she wasn't sent to LycoReco for her screwup."

"She'd probably be happy to go there anyway. She's some Chisato fangirl or something. She doesn't kill or something just like her."

"Great just what we need in DA: another pacifist dork. We're a mess enough already."

"Tell me about. We don't need a Chisato Junior."

Erika wilted a bit as the other Lycoris took sneering glances at her. Even after her performance at the Majima Incident and her excellent mission performances then, the other Lycoris wouldn't let her forget her biggest screw-up: getting captured and getting Takina sent off to Café LycoReco.

Erika tried her best to not get embarrassed as she made her way through DA headquarters. She wanted to start the day out good after all! She took a breath and held her head up high as she approached the entrance to the DA garage, a glass door separating mechanical heaven from the jeers of the devilish world she operated in. She opened her eyes as a retinal scan activated, blue light washing over her eyes. A loud beep confirmed that Erika was indeed Erika, and she entered the glass door, punching in the code in the elevator.

A couple of minutes later, the doors opened, and the girl smiled as she took in the scents of grime and oil that emitted from the DA Garage. Sparks flew as blowtorches activated and oil splattered as it was replaced, getting onto her clothes. Doors of various sizes peppered the walls, ready to open at a moment's notice to deploy squads of Lycoris Assassins.

Most Lycoris, even the ever-adventurous and ever-positive Chisato Nishikigi, never found this place particularly fun to be in.

Smelly.

Grimy.

An "engine blocking falling on your head" accident waiting to happen.

It was the best place in the Direct Attack Headquarters.

"Hey, Erika!" a nearby worker called out, turning off her blowtorch and lifting her welding mask, and waved to the young Lycoris. Erika waved back as she gave her a quick hug, "Glad to see that mission went smoothly yesterday and you aren't a grave marker."

"Morning, Miss Kanzaki! And yeah, me too. No one had to die too which was a relief," Erika responded as her face reddened a bit at Yui's praise, "How's your brother doing? Did he get the job?"

"Yup! Assistant Researcher at Advent Laboratory! He says hi."

A small snort erupted behind Erika as she turned around to see another worker, his covered in oil and scrap metal. She giggled a bit at his messy face, looking almost like some kind of mutant bat monster, "If it isn't our favorite terrorist butt-kicker. Glad you didn't kick the bucket yesterday on that mission."

"Very funny, Mister Akiyama," she laughed as the two friends fist-bumped. Ren ruffled the girl's hair a bit, staining it with a bit of grime, although Erika didn't mind, "Is Eri doing all right?"

"Thankfully, yeah. The diagnosis was just stress and overworking. Thank you for checking. I'll be sure to tell her you said Hey," Ren responded as Erika gave one last wave. She made her way through the garage, making sure not to bump her head on hanging engine blocks and wheels. Despite DA's advanced technology, it always confused her why they would stick to such conventional means for their garage. She wasn't complaining, of course, she still loved the place, but it always made her laugh a bit.

After a bit of walking, Erika finally made her way toward the end of the garage where she kept her own motorcycle. While most Lycoris shared vehicles, the DA Garage workers liked her, especially setting aside a bike just for her. While unprofessional and a bit of favoritism, the general DA command didn't particularly care as long as it didn't interfere with operations. DA workers taking a liking to specific Lycoris weren't unheard of anyway such as Mika Kurama essentially taking a family role to Chisato Nishikigi.

The young Janome placed her helmet on as she sat on her bike, stretching her arms back as she got ready for a morning ride, "Hey, Mister Kido! Can get an opening!"

"Is it that time already?" the worker called out enthusiastically as a small garage port opened for her. Erika grinned behind her helmet as she revved the bike.

And revved it…

And revved it…

And revved it…

And…

*BLAM!*

The motorcycle shot into the tunnel, the lights of the bike illuminating the dark. For a second it was all dark and cold. All that was there was Erika and her thoughts.

But only for a second.

Bright light erupted as another panel opened in front of her and soon Erika went driving through a forest. Quickly looking around as she veered through bushes and trees, she turned onto a nearby empty backroad and sped ahead, "All right…here we go!"

The wind blew through her clothes as she laughed, the unzipped jacket flying around. Even with her helmet on, she could feel the cool air tingle against her face. The country scenery blurred past her as she blitzed forward, with no signs of ever stopping.

Riding.

There was nothing else like it.

She breathed in the air as she let her worries melt away.

No Kusunoki to listen to.

No Lycoris to mock her.

No terrorists to avoid.

No worries about becoming a damsel in distress.

Just the wind at her back and the road ahead.

When riding…

The power to control her destiny was in her hands and hers alone.

Erika brought her cycle to close as she parked right in front of Sakura Catholic Church. She quietly set her helmet on the handlebars of her motorcycle. The girl didn't fear that much of anyone taking it; Sakura Catholic Church was generally a safe area.

After saying a quick hello to the church's pastor and his family (except for his daughter, Kyoko, who was currently out with her girlfriend), Erika made her way through the graveyard, eventually finding….

"Hey, Mom. Hey dad. Hey big brother," Erika said warmly as she knelt by the graves of her family gently brushing some cobwebs off their graves, "How are you all doing? I'm doing pretty good. I had a mission yesterday. Some civilians found some leftover guns from, ugh, the Majima Incident. We had to take them out. We didn't kill anyone just an easy knockout and tie 'em up."

"I still get strange looks whenever I'm relieved that I didn't have to kill anyone. They think I'm a Chisato Fangirl or something. They keep calling me Chisato Junior. I really like Chisato and respect her weird moral code, but I can't be her."

"I'm not…I can't think like that as much as I want. Some guys are just bad and have to get taken out. That's…. that isn't the Lycoris training talking but just life experience. But that doesn't mean I enjoy it. All the other Lycoris think I'm weird for thinking this, but I hold firm to it. Doctor Midorikawa says that it's good to hold onto morals like that. He says it 'separates the humans from the inhumans' or something like that. He always tries to be wise but ends up sounding kind of goofy at times. But he's kind all the same."

"Ruriko is still…. well…. Ruriko but I don't mind! I'm glad she's around. Although now that I think about it, those two have been pretty off lately. I dunno. I just get that vibe. I'm probably overthinking it though."

Erika cranked her brain as she thought about what else to tell her family, "Fuki and Sakura are doing well. Sakura is gunning for a Red Uniform promotion, so she's been cranking work out like crazy. If she isn't doing mock battles, she's practically throwing herself into missions! I shouldn't judge though. I've been gunning for a Red too! The instructors say that I've made lots of progress when it comes to my CQC. They say I've got the legs of a kangaroo now! Still though….part of me feels like I should be Blue since…well that big screw-up all that year ago. I mean, I've moved on from it but…. I still feel terrible from time to time about what I did to Takina…"

Erika laughed a bit, her face blushing, "Guess we've got to talk about her now. I…. I still haven't told her that…. you know…. that I like her. I mean it's not like I can tell her since she's still in the States. Nor do I have her number or any of Café LycoReco's numbers. Well…even if she was…"

Erika shook it off, "I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to. It's…. It's embarrassing you know. Opening up like that! I can fight off half a dozen gunmen and disable packets of C4, but I can't say: 'I like you'. Pretty sad, huh?"

"But what scares me even more…. but what scares me, even more, is that she's always with Chisato," Erika lamented, "I'm not saying Chisato is bad! She's beautiful, skilled, an absolute ball of positivity, and... She's everything I'm not. Not only that but they've been in Hawaii together since September! What if they're already a thing? But every time I think that I feel guilty!"

"I mean Chisato just got another heart and Takina's been through so much with getting permanently demoted and almost losing her partner! They deserve to be happy! God, I feel like such a mess."

"Mom and dad…it's times like this where I could use some parenting advice you know?" she sighed as she rubbed her eyes, "I wish I could hug you, big brother, and just….and just let it all out."

Erika shut her eyes.

Suddenly, she was a four-year-old sitting in her living room. Her mother was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Her big brother and her father were playing cards, laughing as the two exchanged quips and jokes.

The sound of the door busted open.

The bullets echoed out.

Speeding through the air.

The screams of her family.

The smoking barrel of the home invader was ready to shoot her in the head.

The cold eyes of the Lycoris that had shot the invader and saved her.

The emotionless eyes of Commander Kusunoki as she dropped off the girl into a bed of Lycoris Training Camp dorm.

"I miss you all…I miss you all a lot."

She took a breath as she opened them back up, wiping the tears away. The girl looked up at the sky, the bright sun sending rays upon her face.

"But even so…I'll keep moving forward….no matter what. I'll keep protecting people and make sure what happened to me doesn't happen to anyone else."

She took a breath as she began to walk away from the graves.

"I'll keep…I'll keep you all in my heart. I promise."

So if you didn't figure it by then, Erika Janome is the main character. There wasn't a lot of backstory on her in the show nor in any supplemental materials I could find. So enjoy this take on her!

In terms of inspiration for her backstory, I definitely came a lot from Shin Kamen Rider's Hongo Takeshi. Although, Erika does have a very different moral alignment from the man. Although, the two will have more commonalities soon enough...

And also time skip! It's been a year since the events of Lycoris Recoil. Since Lycoris Recoil Season 1 ended its run in September 24, 2022, story begins around the middle of September 2023.

Next Chapter: July 22nd