Prologue____No-proud blue guardian

The ceremony took place on an autumn day when light rain fell. The ground’s earth had gently been soaked and the lined up squadsmen and staff members’ hair and uniforms too, had soaked in the moisture and stuck heavily. The scenery blurred by the fine rain was dyed blue by the uniforms’ color and it looked like the whole ground sunk into the water’s depths.

“Fushimi Saruhiko, to the front”

Called Awashima, the female lieutenant out with an energetic voice. The surrounding attention was simultaneously turned to that one person. “He again has taken in an extremely young one, our Captain…” “Seems like he’s sixteen!” “Sixteen?! Isn’t he still a high school student then?” —— While being attacked by eyes filled with all sorts of feelings from all directions, Fushimi proceeded through the middle of the line.

Apart from the normal squad members stood, with a dashing step at the front of the line, a man dressed in the first rank’s expensive uniform with the lower part of the coat fluttering in the wind. The coat’s shoulder repelled the blue rain, yet from within the man’s body a blue color leaked out faintly.

“The blue king” —— Munakata Reisi.

The squadsmen’s whispers calmed down like a tide fading.

Hmm…muttered Fushimi inwardly to himself and quietly raised an eyebrow.

The gazes Scepter 4 directed to Munakata Reisi and the gazes the comrades from Homra directed to Suoh Mikoto, they were different, one filled with unquestionable respect and one filled with yearning.

Even on the inside, there are enemies———even without approaching that enemy, some of them watch Munakata’s slight efforts intently, hoping to pull the rug from under him when they have the chance.

A so called clan is the entirety of all clansmen who hold unconditional loyalty towards their king and are convinced they also have to form strong bonds with their comrades. Munakata’s clan however seems to not be like that. Fushimi understood for the first time that a clan’s shape does not always have to be one.

Even if he was wrong, he was relieved and his breathing calmed down.

“Captain”

Awashima handed the saber over to Munakata with one swing. Munakata took it with a nod and unsheathed it. From the thin sword’s body blue scale-like things fell.

“Fushimi”

Said Awashima with a low voice and with her eyes moving down, she told him to get down. Fushimi kneeled down in front of Munakata exactely how Awashima had drilled into him before the ceremony. His knee got immediately soaked by the water in the ground.

Munakata stretched his arm out straight and touched Fushimi’s left shoulder with the edge of the sword so he could become one with the sword’s blade. The cold feeling surprised Fushimi slightly and with his head hung down he lowered his eyes to the tip of Munakata’s shoes.

For heaven and earth to become serene

The dwelling heartbeat’s strength

The performed sound held in the heart

To certainly protect the order, you——

Become the blue justice’s guardian

Not much intonation was added, however the beautiful voice with a deep tone like the low echo of a string being strummed, extended piercingly in the wet air. Without shaking, a voice filled with pride and pretension. The king’s voice fit well with a pompous speech like this.

“Take the sword, you who is worthy to be swordsman, who holds honor and faith, and vow your conduct to the sword.”

The sword that had touched his shoulder left. Fushimi raised his eyes from Munakata’s tip of the shoes which straightly faced him. The direction of the kneecap too, the location of the voice too, the bridge of the nose too, and the eyes too, all from straight ahead pointed at him. Fushimi’s discomfort was enjoyed by Munakata for a short while.

Munakata put the blade back into the sheath, and held it out posed horizontally on his hands.

“Even if you say so, it’s neither like an honor or a vow.”

Said Fushimi with a cool voice, and the people watching attentively from behind started to mumble. “Hey…”, with an impatient face Awashima started to walk, but Munakata held her back with a glance.

Side-eyeing Awashima’s and the other people’s irritated atmosphere, Munakata was the only one to smile in an odd way.

“Heh, it sure is so. People who themselves have made a vow are angry, those who clearly understand the present stage sure are little. It’s also not certain if a person who’s vow was said forced can be trusted.”

Because the vow “had been said forced” and because Fushimi had looked down on the majority of the squadsmen with his choice of words , a commotion was caused and had been suppressed in a seemingly embarra.s.sing way. Why did this person raise special troubles with his way of speaking?

“However, it is also okay to not speak such a truth in this place. In the end it’s a formality”, declared Munakata in regard to the self prepared ceremony.

“I believe that the formality too has efficiency. People suited for this responsibility tend to tighten up themselves, the consciousness faced to clearly do their goal is not clouded, but sharp.”

Fushimi could not object to that somehow. He thought it was a stupid ceremony, moreover he himself who had gotten on it was also stupid, however putting on airs like that, the truth was he did not hate “the old days” that much.

With the lecture Awashima had given him with sour words in his mind, he was about to grab the sword that was presented to him with both hands.

——and, in the same moment he had a hunch that next to him was a person with his hand stretched out.

“…?”

He unconsciously looked next to himself, but there was n.o.body. He was alone in front of Munakata, and the arranged saber too had no choice but to wave lonely.

Without his voice getting out he laughed a little at himself.

He exchanged a look with the somebody next to him, who had moved synchronously, but he was not there this time. During this second ceremony, this installation, in his life he was alone.

Awashima had instructed him to receive the sword from below with both hands. But Fushimi grasped the sheath with one hand from above.

In this moment, the whole sheath radiated a blue light. The blue that seemed to absorb the surrounding rain grew in its concentration and crawled up from the back of his hand to his arm. Fushimi unconsciously closed his eyes and prepared himself for the impact that was about to happen in his body. However, nothing happened. Neither the cells in his whole body boiling with heat or hurt running through his heart, nothing struck him.

He opened his eyes slightly. The phosph.o.r.escence cladding the sheath wore off little by little. Right after Munakata had let go of the saber, it was only Fushimi’s arm that struggled from the weight of the saber which was heavier than it appeared, and because he shook dangerously he grasped the sword again with both hands.

Receiving a mighty power with his hands———however, if it had been declined, his whole body had not been burned by the flames of a scorching heat and his life would not have been taken, it was not like the all-or-nothing gamble back during the time with Suoh. Munakata’s way was more formal, or rather followed a per-established tradition. Only granting power to the people who he had made sure ahead of time were surrounded by success, something like that seemed just how Munakata did things.

Suddenly realizing something, he pulled on the left side of his collar and stared at his own body.

It didn’t……vanish……?

Staring at it and confirming that thing was still there, he unintentionally raised his eyes and met those of Munakata who showed a little unusual, troublesome smile. Fushimi made an uneasy face and Munakata acted as if he had not noticed, and using a megaphone he said to all the clansmen with an echoing voice.

“It is sudden, but I order the swift pursue and the safety of Minato Hayato and Minato Akito who are in the middle of their escape before they go into hiding. From now on I entrust to you the absolute authority in this matter. If there is the need for personnel, power and the like, tell Awashima-kun about it and use whatever you need. Awashima-kun, that is okay, right.”

“Yessir.”

“Will you do it?” He asked in front of all the squadsmen as if to test Fushimi.

Not more than in a bold way Fushimi answered.

“I’ll do it. That was what you had enticed me away for, wasn’t it.”

Receiving the answer he had wished for, Munakata nodded satisfied.

“I am antic.i.p.ating it.”

Still not used to the saber’s weight that he carried in his hands, he returned to the formation. He again was bombarded by the lined up people’s gazes. The newcomer had suddenly gotten the captain’s whole trust. Their doubting whispers were also audible. “Enticed away?” “Didn’t you know? That newbie was formerly with Homra.” “I collided with him first hand. One of Homra’s troublesome kids, Fushimi the hidden weapons user.” “Did you see that? Just now, on that guy’s neck…”

Fushimi was flabbergasted, aren’t you on the same level like a middle school kid complaining about the principle’s long speech? Can’t you stand quietly during the morning a.s.sembly. And you guys are properly working adults?

Unaware of it, he touched his left collarbone with his right hand and he realized that it had been watched carefully.

Seemed like the “mark” he had gotten during the other clan’s installation had not vanished. It would have been good if it would have vanished. But, since it had not vanished, this ugly scar will be a reminder to himself and that guy that the antfarm continues, is what Fushimi thought, and in that case it was an amus.e.m.e.nt.

If they had interest, looking at it was okay. n.o.body in particular hid it.

Shoving his hands inside his collar, giving his surroundings a peek as if flaunting off to the crowd, he scratched his skin.

Engraved under his left collarbone was a mark symbolizing flames———where just now his scratching fingers ran along the shape of four long swellings that had been hideously caused by burning.