Igawa Asagi - 2 (Total War Protocol)
In the Simulation Room, a clear sound of metal colliding echoed in the air.
Kotaro managed to parry a dagger aiming for his chest. A second dagger swung down, sparks flew once it clashed with the edge of his sword.
Today was the day the core Task Force members gathered for practical field training. The purpose of this was to elevate a Taimanin's senses and abilities. Ever since the Task Force establishment, they had gone through many failures and successes.
Fuuma Kotaro, the Weakest among the anti-demon shinobi, also participated in the training to prepare for certain situations involving enemy encounters.
"Don't let your guard down, Fuuma-kun!"
His current opponent was a young Taimanin from the Igawa clan, Igawa Sakura. Even though Sakura wasn't relying on her Ninja Art, his combat skills was proven to be no match to her. Kotaro had little chance to win this battle, but they weren't doing combat training, the objective was for him to reach the designated point in order to escape from Sakura, he just needed to get past her.
Kotaro remained alert, thinking rationally and waiting for Sakura to make a mistake. Taking steady steps, she closed in, daggers readied to intercept his ninjato. Kotaro shifted his right feet, her vision lured to its movement.
"Woah!" Kotaro suddenly shouted as he pointed at another battle across the room. "Rinko-senpai got the upper-hand!"
"What?!"
Sakura turned away, now was his chance! The only way he could make her slip up was to distract her using a feint and strike the opening.
"Too slow!"
With just a glance thrown over her shoulder, Sakura easily dodged the slash and counterattacked, deeming the feint useless. The tip of her dagger stopped by his neck while she gripped his arm.
"Match's over!"
Watching from the side, Asagi declared the result of their training. As Kotaro had been caught, Sakura took the win.
"Tee-hee, I win again~!"
Kotaro crouched down with a heavy sigh. He was truly no match to Sakura who didn't even need to activate her Ninja Art.
"Every day training and experience makes a difference, hehe!" She perked up before giving him a pout "But that was such a sly move, Fuuma-kun. You made me look away at the other team's direction."
"Nothing is sly in the battlefield, Sakura. His strategy to escape the battle was a good one."
Kotaro planned to use the battle between skilled individuals like Yukikaze and Rinko to get Sakura's attention. Compared to them, he was barely a threat, their match would draw more attention than his performance. If she looked away for a few seconds longer, he could have reached the flag.
"Though, Fuuma-kun, you do need to train your physical abilities more."
Apparently, Murasaki had been taking care of that matter in the gym.
"It's okay, Sakura." Appearing next to Asagi, Su said. "I escaped from Yukikaze in the end."
"Fuuma! There's no point if you get caught. I was just about to grab Su."
Yukikaze walked towards them, fuming. Her victory against Su was robbed clean at the last second. Kotaro knew his lost led to this result. However, to be up against someone like Sakura, the chance of winning was certainly not on his side. An ordinary shinobi got nothing on those who had awakened their Ninja Arts.
"Hmph! Even though this is clearly a losing game to you, I still think you could handle it better than this." Yukikaze didn't agree with his reason.
"Well, he almost got me. Almost." Sakura grinned confidently. "Cheer up, Yukikaze-chan. There'll be next time."
"Sorry, Fuuma. It's my fault I wasn't able to help you in time."
Rinko's match was over. Yet, she had a disappointed look on her face.
"I noticed you were struggling. Had I didn't waste time testing Su's abilities."
"Oh?" Su raised an eyebrow. "Test me? It seems I had successfully lured you in with my combat skills, eh. Well, it's not like I have shown it all to you, Miss Savage Hunter."
"Yes." Rinko let out a sigh. "And I feel ashamed for falling into the trap so quickly."
"Would you like to have a rematch?" The Vice-Captain suggested.
"Could I?!"
Stars filled Rinko's eyes, the warrior spirit in her was eager to make that idea a reality.
"Everyone, that's enough for now." Asagi clapped her hands, regaining everyone's attention. "It looks like you all still have strength left to make small talks, let's move on to the next training."
"I knew it." Sakura's voice began to lost its cheery tone.
What came next would be a hardcore sparring session for the whole team. Each member of the Task Force would be prepared for a solo match with the Almighty Taimanin as the final training lesson.
It was impossible.
It was the most difficult challenge to cross at Gosha Academy.
Asagi effortlessly held up to her title as the strongest of the Taimanin as she knocked out the majority of the team. A natural outcome that surprised no one.
The Task Force full-on attacks barely warmed her up. Rinko and Yukikaze were definitely not weak, the two were considered the Future Aces of Gosha. Yet, they couldn't get through her simple movements, something she had pushed to the level of mastery.
In Kotaro's eye, they all fell down the moment it started. Asagi appeared as a blur, her blade shredded through the air without hesitation. The Headmistress was usually kind, but she could be just as unforgiving during training.
Due to his own personal circumstance, Kotaro was made the referee. Asagi tasked him to count the timer to see how long each member could hold up against her.
The result...
None of them made it past the five minute mark.
Rinko's sword was knocked out of her grasp mid-swing, and the dulled back of Asagi's ninjato struck her in the stomach.
Su's fists couldn't reach her. When Asagi feinted an opening with her head aligned to one of her attacks, Su exploited it without knowing she'd made a fatal mistake. Asagi easily dodged the jab and ended the match with a knife-hand chop to the neck.
Yukikaze's lightning didn't work much as a mean of self-defense. Asagi straight up threw the ninjato toward her like launching a spear. The tanned Taimanin managed to shoot it off, but a split second of that reflex had created a gap for Asagi to close in. The palm-strike knocked Yukikaze out cold.
Sakura decided to go all out with her Shadow Art. Even so, she got swiped off her feet as Asagi slammed her to the ground using a shoulder throw.
"Ouch...big sis is so mean."
"You are simply not there yet, Sakura."
The sparring was over. Asagi dusted off her hands while looking at Kotaro and shared a knowing look. He was next, everyone could see the outcome as cleared as day.
"Good work, everyone. Let's wrap up today."
But Asagi decided to end things here. His turn would be reserved for a different lesson.
At the lounge of the Training Room, Task Force members took a break before heading home.
"Aww man, we really did our best." Sakura stretched her arms. "That's my big sister for ya."
"Maybe I should have taken off my limiter, that way we might have a chance to win." Yukikaze pondered.
"I don't recommend it." Su quickly said. "Your Ninja Art could easily break the facility equipment. Though, I doubt it would work against Master Asagi anyway."
"It's like she said, we're not yet there." Rinko recalled before looking around for a certain young man. "By the way, I haven't seen Fuuma since we got here? Where is he?"
"It seems Master Asagi requires him to stay to check on the simulation program."
"Eh?!" Yukikaze looked shock. "What do you mean?! I didn't damage the equipment by accident, didn't I?!"
"I'm sure it's nothing like that, Yukikaze. Could be a routine examination, the Task Force has been using the Simulation Room a lot after all."
Su nodded at Rinko's explanation.
"I believe so too. It's up to him as our Captain to maintain the equipment that can help us to further improve our skills."
"Whelp~! Now that the training is over, let's go home and play some games!"
Humming, Sakura grabbed her school bag and strolled off. The rest of the members also called it a day and left for their evening routines.
...
...
"How is the data, Fuuma-kun?"
"After combining it with the previous compilation, we got enough to generate a variety of situations, err, let's say..."
Kotaro and Asagi observed the monitors. the running numbers, images and code lines flickering in rows, displaying multiple solution.
"About eighty different combat scenarios, including ones incorporating into the environment assets."
"Good work, now we can simulate these data with the additional Mode." Asagi wiped her finger on the hologram. "Activating Total War Simulation."
"Eh? We're testing it now?"
"Of course. Fuuma-kun, use the data collected from our previous battle against Nomad. In particular, Edwin Black's Archon transformation."
"Okay." Kotaro typed away on the keyboard. "I know we are using artificial intelligence to simulate the battle but does it has to be the most dangerous enemy right off the bat?"
"I want to see how it goes with just these members of the Task Force. Set the time limit to three minutes."
A desolate battleground appeared in the vast room. The holograms of Su, Yukikaze and Rinko formed on stage, facing the simulated data of Edwin Black's final form.
"Simulation, start."
The three Taimanins immediately charged at Edwin Black, weapon unsheathed and attacked. After a short clash, the battle came to an end. While Asagi watched on with no change in her stoic expression, Kotaro gulped harshly at the final result.
In no time, the Taimanins had been wiped out after Black swung his weapons. He watched the timer, it read one minutes and fifteen seconds. It was a one-sided battle, they were only testing the water but to think the team would lose this quickly, the simulated scenario had left Kotaro with a concern for real life situation.
"Unbelievable. We all trained harder ever since." Kotaro said bitterly. "This makes it sounded like the Task Force'd just won by pure luck back then."
"No, I don't think so. This simulation doesn't necessarily reflect our actual strength. What do you think is the reason for this lost?" Asagi asked.
"I'd expected a three members squad would be able to hold off a bit longer. There was no strategy involved, just a full-on assault to do as much damage to the enemy as possible." Kotaro explained. "But now that the opponent is Edwin Black, just by attacking head-on won't make the situation any less difficult. That's to say we haven't taken his gravity magic into account, and we don't have all the data about those weapons that came with his transformation."
"Plus, the commands given to the were mostly attacking the appointed target on sight. If we added the description of Black's personality, he would not take this battle serious at all. He'd love to see us struggled in the boast of that ancient power." Asagi added. "Admittedly, the difference in strength is too significant. A squad with only three members doesn't have the necessarily manpower to handle both offense and defense against an opponent like Black."
"How about a different formation? We add Noah, Su and Rinko-senpai to the vanguard positions. Let Sakura and Yukikaze take care of the planks. The combination of Maika's Scorch Art and Kirara-senpai's Ice magic can create a small opening for the team to close in for the kill."
Simulation started once again, the team was able to prolong the fight for over three minutes.
"Well done."
Asagi patted his shoulder with a smile. Kotaro leaned back on the seat, his shoulders loosened up in relief. The whole team survived the imminent chaos long enough to let him know the strategy worked. He still wanted to scream at the infinite health bar though, the vampire's regenerating ability was such a hax.
"You see? It's not like we don't stand a chance. Gosha has a trump card right here."
"..."
Kotaro shot a brief glance at Asagi and shifted his focus back to the terminal. Based on the expression, Asagi knew he was thinking of the same answer, but the silence was not the respond she expected.
"Such lukewarm reaction. Do you still have doubts about our capabilities, Fuuma-kun?"
"The Task Force defeated Black by a hair's breadth. We were only able to accomplished such a feat because you and the other Elites were there to provide support. Otherwise, I don't think the result would stay the same."
"Perhaps." Asagi replied vaguely. "But let's not forget that I was following your command. It's your wit that helped us overturn the tide of battle."
"And it's also thanks to everyone's strength that got us through the ordeal."
The thin smile on Asagi's face faded away.
"Let's stop here."
At her words, Total War simulation program turned off. Asagi walked out the Control Room and motioned her hand to Kotaro.
"Follow me." She said.
...
...
Taking the elevator to the surface, the two left the facility where most of the training activities were done. As Asagi led the way, they reached a small opened field deep in the forest, Asagi turned to face him.
"Asagi?" Kotaro called out, not knowing what they were about to do.
"No one will interrupt us here. What comes next will be a private lesson." She revealed, clutching the ninjato on her back. "Fuuma-kun, spar with me."
"Eh?!"
While Kotaro uttered in shock, Asagi simply smiled. Sword drawn and vanished into thin air, she reappeared in front of Kotaro before he could even lift a finger. The sharp blade stopped inches away from the closing right eye.
"You seem to have something on your mind. That won't do, we need our Captain to clear up his thoughts before taking on another important mission." Teal eyes locked into his left. "Your private lesson starts now. Speak up your mind."
He froze. It was until Asagi spoke up that Kotaro finally detected her, she'd already stepped into his personal space, her cold blade gleamed a warning to his slow reflex. This would be a hardcore private lesson that etched into his mind.
"I don't..." He muttered. "I honestly don't know where to start. Ever since we defeated Black, the stakes have been higher than ever."
Asagi lowered her weapon. Then, she swung.
Kotaro anticipated the attack, but he couldn't draw his sword in time. The sharp edge of Asagi's blade struck his scabbard, he'd decided to pull out the whole thing in one motion to block the slash.
"Using the scabbard as a shield to compensate for sword-drawing speed." Asagi commented. "Quick thinking."
Her other free arm shot up, she intended to grab him by the collar. He caught her by the wrist, yet Asagi didn't resist, she leaned toward him as he pulled. Strange, Kotaro noticed the lack of strength in her arm, her muscles had loosened.
"!"
Asagi cocked her blade, a sign for her next strike. It was intentional! She could have easily avoided his hand with her speed, but here she allowed him to get a hold on her. Footwork shifted, Kotaro let go of her wrist and skipped back some steps to create a safe distance.
"I expected you to counter my next move." She said. "But this is also a wise decision."
Asagi was going easy on him. Had he been any slower, that blade would have reached his arm.
Kotaro couldn't afford to remain in close-range with her, he wouldn't stand a chance. Asagi exceeded in close-combat techniques and a swordmaster of her own league, it would be too risky for him to face her head-on.
"Just for today, I'll be lenient."
Right after saying those words, Asagi disappeared. Kotaro's normal eye saw a shining glint shot through the air. Gripping his ninjato tightly, he blocked the incoming attack.
"That's good."
She came into his view as their swords pressed against each other. Asagi took a step forward, beginning to push her advancement. Kotaro took a step back, focusing on parrying a series of light hits.
"As a Taimanin, you should understand the risks we've faced from the missions. Everyone in the Task Force will eventually have to prepare themselves for the worst possible situations."
Kotaro firmly planted his feet on the ground and pushed Asagi back in the next exchange of their blades. With a steady pace, Asagi kept her movements slow enough for him to catch on.
Then, the match tempo changed, Asagi made a wide swing of her sword. Seeing an opening on her part, Kotaro thought twice before closing in, a shuriken left the holders strapped to his thigh as he threw it at Asagi.
Missed. Asagi simply tilted her head to the side to avoid the weapon.
"But there're values one should always remember."
Suddenly, her whole body spun.
Her right leg raised clock-wise, going for the side of his head. Kotaro ducked the roundhouse kick. The amount of force that grazed the back of his neck sent chill down his spine, there was zero hesitation in that kick.
"The principles that sharpen our minds like cold steels."
In his vision, the other leg also turned, the roundhouse kick hadn't stopped its track. She was going for a leg sweep, he jumped. But Asagi halted the spinning of her body, it was a feint and he completely fell for it. Kotaro gritted his teeth, the body of his ninjato braced a straight kick.
This time, he wasn't able to fully stop it.
Taima Particles filled the air, Asagi had enhanced her kick with such energy. Her heel smashed Kotaro in the stomach, emptied the air in his lung and sent him flying a distance away.
"The objectives which encourage us to live up to the purposes of our lives."
As he hit the ground hard, flashbacks from Murasaki's gym sessions came to mind. Nothing about Asagi's movement just now that spelled out a hint of leniency. Her heel literally dug into his stomach, the pain from that alone was comparable to being hit by a bullet. Kotaro barely had enough strength to stand up while enduring the intense sensation around his stomach.
"Lastly, the powers that serve us the dedication to quell evils in any forms and shapes. We continue to stick by these values, to achieve something better in the name of justice. Should we doubt ourselves now, nothing will change."
Asagi stood before him, the cold blade dangling by her side as she looked down at his scrunching face with the usual stoic expression.
"So speak up your mind, why would you think the effort you spent for the team is so insignificant that you won't give yourself the credit for it?"
For a moment, the question sunk in. Kotaro didn't say anything and slumped down, lying on the grass. His arms crossed, making a time-out sign. This sparring match was beyond him, the gap between them was too big for him to do anything.
"I..." He finally spoke up. "I trust them...as long as everyone sticks together to complete the mission. But it feels like things are changing ever since the battle with the Vampire King."
"So you believe our victory against Nomad would lead to something much worst, huh. Personally, I'd consider it a milestone for the Task Force."
"You're right, Asagi. That was something we did together, everyone accepted it...but I can't."
Kotaro rejected that idea.
"I won't take that milestone for granted. Black's defeat opened a whole new can of worms, the world starts paying attention. We became a target to criminal organizations around the globe, and those who want to make a name for themselves. Just because some of us can single-handedly wipe out an army, I still can't ignore the fact that they are still vulnerable to something much, much worst than the evils we've fought every single day."
That was certainly the case. More and more shady movements from the shadow were happening, bloody claws and poisonous fangs would be readied to strike Gosha at the first moment the Taimanins lost focus.
"It seems you've caught on to the situation. As expected of my Captain."
Kotaro blinked at Asagi's calm words, her sword withdrew.
"You knew?"
"I suppose it's something that you would eventually figure out on your own, sooner than the others. Knowing you, I decided not to say anything because I wanted for that moment to come naturally, and I'm glad you did, Fuuma-kun. With the Taimanins being pulled closer to the spotlight of the world, you can't afford to let down your guard no matter what. However, don't stress yourself out because of it."
"That's hardly convincing coming from you, Asagi. I saw stacks of papers in your office this morning, untouched."
As the Leader of all Taimanin, she had to manage every aspects of Gosha and the Academy, going as far as to borderline exhausting her mental strength to make efficient choices in the dangerous world of politic.
"Well, I have you to help sharing my burden. I was worried you would complain about it some day." Asagi smiled. "Would you?"
Kotaro admitted the amount of paperwork needed to be dealt with was absurbed. But Asagi was smiling, it looked like the kind of smile that would twitch the instance he nodded his head to contradict the expected answer.
"Oh, so you would."
Kotaro flinched upon hearing her deep voice. Crap! She read his expression again! His face always exposed his inner thoughts to others so easily like that.
"Now, are you going to stay there and admire the view or should I stop being lenient?"
With his concern being resolved, their focus shifted back to the sparring match.
"I do like the sky at dusk."
"Fuuma-kun, is that all you can say?"
The smile on her face was gone.
Gulp!
"I-Is it okay if I ask you to be gentle?"
"I will consider it if you put your effort into this. Murasaki told me your endurance has improved."
She approached and offered him her hand.
"Yeah. Murasaki-sensei did give me more than a brutal kick to the stomach."
As Kotaro grabbed it, she didn't pull him up. Teal eyes grew sharp while his golden left eye widened. The realization came too late, Asagi didn't do this with the intention to help him get up. This was one of her close-combat techniques!
"Uwaahh!"
Gripping his hand tightly, Asagi - with her whole arm enhanced by Taima energy - twisted her torso and plunged her young student over the shoulder.
Puff.
Then, a short burst of wind snapped above her. From her grip, a wooden stick was thrown past the tree lines. Kotaro who was supposed to be in its place had turned into a puff of smoke.
"Substitution Technique?" The phenomenon caught Asagi by surprise. "No, that's not it."
She could feel a faint trace of Taima Particles before it vanished right after that wooden stick replaced him mid-way. Kotaro was well-known as the weakest Taimanin due to his lack of Ninja Art. However, it was a former fact that must remained the truth in place for a secret to be undisclosed to the world.
"Fufu~. A Shadow Clone Art. Now you're finally motivated enough to use that eye."
A smile rose on Asagi's lip.
This became a moment she'd been looking forward to test the hidden potential he'd kept to himself. But it had been a minute ever since Kotaro's shadow clone dispersed, he had yet to make a move from the hiding spot. Asagi scanned around, her senses picked up nothing. Asides from her, there was no other presence concealed itself among the bushes and trees.
Did he just...?
Ting!
Her phone rang. It notified Asagi that she had a new message. The sender's name made her eyes go wide.
"Fuuma-kun?!"
He'd just sent her a picture of the paperwork on her desk. Next to the stamp, a private notebook they'd been using to exchange info was placed there. At this moment, the real Fuuma Kotaro was inside the Headmistress Office, and he went through the documents in her stead.
[It's done. I summed up the details in the note.]
Asagi recalled he was following her closely the whole time. When? When did he switch out with the shadow clone? With such a Ninja Art, did the real Fuuma Kotaro even attend the training session at all?
"You switched place in the dressing room, didn't you?"
It took a moment for him to reply.
[...busted.]
Sigh.
How irritating. Perhaps she should stop holding back on him like Murasaki did.
Shadow Clone Technique was about creating a physical copy of the original, it was a highly versatile jutsu. However, not all Taimanins could perform it without suffering the drawbacks. Insufficient amount of Taima energy used to activate the ninjutsu could some times result in terrible consequences.
"This is not a way you should use to avoid my sparring match, Fuuma-kun. Minus point to your attendance."
[I'm sorry! My right eye is nowhere near ready for that!]
Asagi decided to post-pone their match for now.
Since the paperwork had been dealt with by Kotaro, she was able to have some free time in the evening. It would be a lie to say that she didn't feel the slightest bit pleasant and wanted to thank him, despite his questionable approach in doing so.
"If you want to make up for it, join me for a walk in the evening."
He was typing a reply. The notification popped up and out repeatedly as if he was considering his life choice for a single night.
[Okay.]
Asagi looked at his respond in delight.
...
...
Kotaro's head fell limply on the desk, exhausted.
Once the Shadow Clone Art deactivated, the after-effect kicked in, he hugged his stomach and whimpered into the cold flat surface of the desk. That gut kick from Asagi to the clone now transferred to his body as an experience. It was something ordinary human could never withstand, an attack like that came from Asagi would cause the interior organs to rupture.
Throughout the whole match, it was the only combat move she held nothing back. It felt intentional, this was a lesson not taught in her usual style. This was the Almighty Taimanin persona, she wanted to invoke a reaction from him, an emotional calling that made him spill out the low self-esteemed concern after their conversation in the Control Room.
Well, he didn't anticipate a sparring match with her today out of all the days anyway.
Kotaro groaned, he mustered up what was left of his strength to tidy up the desk. As the Nameless Evil Eye returned to slumber, he staggered toward the door and exited the office.
He needed to go home, to get ready for that night walk with Asagi. His bottom rock attendance score depended on that.
"Ah...right."
He forgot to ask her at which time they would meet.
/