Aoi Kunieda
"Aoi..." Nene said, leaning forward with a serious look on her face.
"Wh-what?" Kunieda asked, nearly dropping her chopsticks as they ate lunch together in an empty classroom.
Chiaki sat beside them, quietly sipping her juice box like she was watching a crime documentary.
"Tell me honestly," Nene said, leaning in way too close. "How do you feel about that Oga guy?"
"How do I feel... I don't feel much about him..." Kunieda answered, looking anywhere but at her friend.
"Liar!" Nene snapped. "Your head's been in the clouds all day. I can see it! Don't tell me you've really fallen for this guy."
"Wha- Whoa, whoa, wait a second. It's not like that! Sure, having him say that to me so suddenly was surprising, and the more I think about him, the less I see him as a bad guy... the baby is kinda cute too..." Kunieda stammered, poking her fingertips together.
Nene and Chiaki shared a slow look. Chiaki raised a brow. Nene's eye twitched.
"And it's not like I can become the kid's mom!... I'm still in high school, there's a process to this..." Kunieda kept going, cheeks burning brighter with every word.
By the time she finished, both Nene and Chiaki had the same expression. This woman was a lost cause.
"...Aoi, don't tell me you've forgotten the one iron-clad rule of Red Tail? NO BOYFRIENDS! That is a tradition inherited from our predecessor's predecessor! The moment we get a man is the moment we quit Red Tail!" Nene slammed her hands on the desk hard enough to make the food jump.
"That is the one and only rule that has kept the team together. At this rate, you won't be able to set an example for the lower ranks like this," she finished, breathing through her frustration.
Kunieda let out a calm sigh. "I told you, it's not like that." Her earlier fluster was gone, replaced with that composed leader voice she used when she wanted to end a topic.
Nene stared at her for a long moment. "Can I believe you, Aoi?" she asked, tone dropping into something serious.
"Yes," Kunieda answered firmly.
Before Nene could push further, a voice shouted from the hallway, "Oi, look, MK5 are gonna fight Oga and Furuichi!"
Kunieda froze for half a second. The instant Oga was mentioned, her cheeks went pink again.
"Tsk, those guys again..." she muttered, but the annoyance didn't quite match the blush creeping up her face. The memory of earlier flashed through her mind, and she suddenly stood. "I'm gonna go look!"
She bolted out of the classroom before either girl could stop her.
"Aoi!" Nene called after her, but Kunieda was already halfway down the hall.
'...Should I go look too?' The thought hit Nene before she could stop it. Her face lit up red. She shook her head hard enough to make her ponytail sway.
'No, no, I don't need to see his damned perfect face again!... Ahh, what am I thinking?!' Her hands flew up to cover her face as she tried to banish the image of Furuichi's stupid grin popping into her head.
Across the room, Chiaki watched silently, sipping her juice box.
'Cute,' she thought.
----
"Amazing."
"Unbelievable."
"MK5 got beaten in seconds."
"That girl is vicious."
Kunieda made her way to the window, gawking at the fight and overhearing their words.
'Girl? What girl?' she thought. She peered out and saw a beautiful blonde standing near Oga. 'Who- who is that woman?!'
"That woman took 'em down so fast."
"Yeah, no wonder she's married to Oga. She's just as strong."
'Married!?' Kunieda's hands shook. "What do you mean by married?" She tapped one of the guys on the shoulder.
Without looking back, he answered, "I mean that blonde bombshell. She is Oga's wife," he pointed.
"Nice, right? Ku, Kunieda!" The other guy turned around, only to find the leader of Red Tail letting off an oppressive aura.
"Hoh? I see, so that's how it is. Not once, but twice!" She swung her sword. The two guys barely dodged, and a giant slash appeared in the school wall.
'Tatsumi Oga, I'll kill you!' she thought, storming away with a terrifying glare.
Nene watched and turned to Chiaki. "Looks like we've got something to do."
Chiaki just nodded.
----
Takayuki Furuichi
"So, Oga, please enlighten me to your foolish plan that will inevitably fail," I asked, hands in my pockets as we walked.
"What do you mean fail? My plan is foolproof!" he argued, sitting up straighter as if that somehow made it true.
"I mean no, it's not. Sure, Kunieda is strong, but she's not like you, who has that passive evil aura thing you've got going on. You really think Beel's just gonna get attached to her so easily?"
Oga froze mid-step. A bead of sweat slid down his temple. The gears in his head were turning so loudly I could almost hear them grinding. 'So that is exactly what he thought would happen, huh?' I shook my head. 'Dumbass.'
He turned to me with the most serious face I had ever seen him make, his brows drawn down like he was about to reveal some ancient warrior wisdom. "Taka... Men are all about fighting spirit."
I stared at him for a long moment. "Ah, uh... What the fuck does that mean, Tatsumi Oga?"
"C'mon, man! She's a queen, right? There's no way a prince of hell won't like her!" He grinned proudly, like he had just solved world hunger.
"That's just a nickname, you moron. She's not actual royalty." I deadpanned, leaning back as Beel drooled happily on top of Oga's head, completely oblivious to the stupidity happening below him.
"Oga~ Furuichi~ I heard you guys went a round with the Queen and her Red Reagent. Sucks it ended so fast, I didn't even get to see it."
We looked over to see Natsume leaning out of a first-floor window, resting his arms on the sill like he owned the place. That same unreadable grin was plastered on his face.
'Red Reagent? I don't remember Nene having that nickname in canon.'
"Taka, who's that?" Oga whispered.
I leaned closer. "The weird dude who was with Kanzaki."
Natsume ignored our whispering completely and continued. "She's strong, that's for sure. Well, I guess you guys didn't actually decide a winner, huh? Not that it really matters. Anyway, all that's left for you two to meet is Tojo."
His grin widened. "I'm looking forward to it. He's Ishiyama's strongest."
"You two!" We all turned to see Nene and Chiaki standing there, arms crossed and expressions serious. "You two are coming with us."
Oga raised an eyebrow at this, while I, on the other hand, was about to have some fun.
"Oh, back for round two, red?" I asked, a grin making its way onto my face.
Nene stiffened for half a second. A tiny twitch pulled at her eye, like she was deciding whether to punch me or pretend she did not hear it.
"Do not call me that," she snapped as she stepped closer. Her glare was sharp, but the faint pink creeping up her ears ruined the effect.
Chiaki quietly watched her reaction and nodded once, as if confirming something she already suspected.
I leaned in just a little. "Okay, Nene, it is then."
Nene opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again with a louder inhale. "I did not say you could use my first name either."
"Yeah, but you can call me Taka. Everyone does anyway. Never cared for the whole honourifics thing. My parents gave me my first name for a reason, so I am going to use it." I shrugged.
"I did not ask for your opinion either," she argued.
"Yeah, but you still heard it," I said with another shrug.
Her blush deepened. "Tch. You know what, I am going to hurt you." She marched toward me.
'Oh, she is fun,' I thought to myself, but that is when I noticed something. Beel was no longer on Oga's head.
Instead, he was off to the side, wrestling with a stray cat. "Uhh, Oga." I pointed toward the scene, which everyone was now staring at, just in time for the cat to bite the baby's hand.
'Uh oh.' Beel was about to start crying, and I could see the lightning sparks coming off of him.
"Beel!" Oga shouted, scooping the kid up and taking off at a full sprint. "Let go, you wicked cat. Do not cry, Beel, it is just a scratch!" He yanked the feline off as he ran, but Beel still puffed up like a balloon and exploded into a wail, flailing in Oga's arms while they tore down the walkway.
"I always forget how weak that kid is without Oga..." I muttered, watching them go. I turned back to Nene. "So, you still wanna fight?"
She looked completely thrown off now. "Not really in the mood anymore. What is with that guy?" she asked, mostly to herself.
"Oh, you know, magical demon babies will do that to you."
"What?" she asked again.
"What?" I replied, acting clueless.
Chiaki watched the cat trot away with that same blank expression. 'Cute, kitty cat,' she thought.
"Aww, no fights? Well, I am out. See ya." Natsume waved lazily and disappeared back inside, leaving me alone with the two Red Tail girls.
"Well, maybe we should start over. We are not as bad as you think." I said, turning to them. Nene did not look convinced in the slightest.
"Oh, please. We have heard all about what you two have done since you started here." She crossed her arms like she was about to give a speech at a podium. "We do not care what you do to the guys, but the Red Tail were formed for a reason. To protect the girls of Ishiyama from barbarians like you and Oga." Her voice sharpened with every word. "And now, because of what Oga did, Aoi has been completely thrown off."
I let out a slow breath. "Okay, so let me get this straight. You want to beat us up to protect the girls from us, and because Kunieda has an obvious crush on Oga. And before you answer, let me clear a few things up."
Nene narrowed her eyes, but she stayed quiet. Chiaki simply blinked once, calmly absorbing everything.
"Number one," I held up a finger, "anybody who has gotten their ass whooped by us has always been the instigator. We have never started shit at this school. Not once."
Nene's frown twitched, like she wanted to disagree but knew she did not have much ground.
"Number two, we do not usually fight girls unless they swing first. Equal rights mean equal fights. Plus, this is a delinquent school. Half the girls here throw punches harder than the guys anyway."
Chiaki nodded at that, deadpan as always.
"And finally," I continued, "Kunieda's liking of Oga is not some catastrophe waiting to happen. It is her life. She can do whatever the hell she wants. Crushes happen. She is not signing a marriage contract."
Nene looked caught between frustration and embarrassment, like she did not know which part to argue with first.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she sighed. Nene jabbed her finger at my chest again, clearly done holding anything back.
"Alright, my turn, so listen carefully."
I crossed my arms. Chiaki tilted her head, which for her meant she was settling in to observe something very amusing.
"First of all," Nene said sharply, "just because those morons start fights with you two does not make you victims. You still send half the school to the infirmary. You and Oga are like tornadoes with shoes."
I shrugged. "Not our fault, they pick the fight."
"Quiet, I am not finished," she snapped, cheeks heating. "Second, you keep talking about equal rights, but Red Tail has rules for a reason. Our job is to protect the girls here. That is why we exist. That is why we do not take boyfriends. That is why we hold that one rule above everything else. No boyfriends. Ever. Once you get one, you quit. Simple."
Chiaki nodded once in solemn agreement, as if Nene had just quoted scripture, but that statement made me raise an eyebrow. Though I didn't interrupt and let her finish.
"Our predecessors followed that rule, and their predecessors, and we are not about to break it because some guys with too much attitude wandered in one day. Structure matters. Discipline matters."
I raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, that doesn't sound right," I muttered.
Nene ignored me. "And third," she continued, now pacing in her irritation, "Aoi is the leader of Red Tail. The leader. She cannot just start acting strange because of some delinquent with a baby. Especially not Oga of all people. She has responsibilities. She is supposed to lead by example, not blush every time someone says his name."
I blinked. "So Kunieda having a crush is basically a national emergency to you."
"It is a problem," Nene snapped. "A real one. And I cannot punch feelings out of her, which makes it even worse." Chiaki lifted a hand and pointed at me, silently suggesting there was still someone here who could be punched.
Nene groaned and dragged a hand down her face. "Look, the point is, Red Tail has rules. We do not break them. We do not bend them. And we definitely do not let two disaster boys like you and Oga run around acting like the school is your personal playground. So yes, we want to deal with you. Preferably with our fists."
I smirked. "You could have just said you wanted to spend more time with me, red."
She froze. Chiaki blinked slowly.
Nene's face went bright red. "That is not what I said. That is not even close to what I said. Do not twist my words, you idiot!"
"Sure, sure," I said with a lazy shrug. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Nene looked like she was about to explode. Chiaki calmly stepped to the side, ready to watch the fireworks.
"Alright, as much fun as it is teasing you, you said something that doesn't make sense."
She calmed down faster this time, her shoulders easing while her expression shifted from angry to confused. "What are you talking about?"
"The Red Tail don't have any rules about no boyfriends. When was that rule made?" I asked, watching both of them closely. Seriously, I didn't remember that ever being a thing. "That wasn't a rule when Misaki was the leader. In fact, I remember Haruka's boyfriend Seiji being around sometimes, too." I muttered that last part to myself.
"...What the hell are you talking about? It has always been a rule. The first leader came up with it herself." Nene fired back, her frustration flickering, while Chiaki tilted her head in agreement, gripping her water gun as she stared.
"Really, because that wasn't a rule when I was with Red Tail?" I said, letting the sentence hang. Their confusion deepened instantly. Nene actually blinked twice, like the words broke her internal logic.
"You what? You're a first-year, and on top of that, a man; there has never been any male member of Red Tail. When could you have ever been-" I cut her off by holding up my phone and showing them the picture.
It was a photo of me around fourteen, standing with Shizuku, Haruka, Misaki, Seiji and Oga. I was wearing Shizuku's white coat while she hugged me from behind, Seiji had an arm around Haruka's waist while she kissed his cheek, and Misaki had her brother in a headlock while he struggled to get out.
"Wha… what is this?" Nene asked, completely out of it, while Chiaki nodded so fast her short hair bounced.
"It's a photo of the first generation of Red Tail. This was just after they had all graduated from Ishiyama," I said with a smug little smile. "I don't know if you know, but Misaki created the group in the first place." I pointed to the brunette in the middle.
"How… how do you know…" She did not even finish her sentence, her mind tripping over itself.
"What? How do I know them? Misaki is Oga's sister. I've known her as long as I've known Oga."
Nene stared at me like her brain had just blue-screened.
"What? That cannot be right. Misaki created Red Tail, yeah, everyone knows that, but there has never been a guy in it. Ever." She pointed at the photo like it personally offended her.
Chiaki leaned closer, eyes wide, studying every detail like it was sacred evidence. If she could have taken the phone right out of my hands, she probably would have.
"It is a real photo," I said, enjoying every second of this. "And before you ask, yes, that is Shizuku's actual coat. She insisted I wear it for the picture."
Nene blinked at me, then at the photo, then back at me again. "Why… why are you in it at all? Why is that girl hugging you? Why is Misaki smiling like she did not just destroy half the school an hour before graduation?"
"Because I was with them," I said simply. "I trained with them, hung out with them, fought alongside them, watched them cause problems, watched them solve problems. They treated me and Oga like one of them."
Nene opened her mouth, closed it, then pointed again. "But… you are a guy. Red Tail has never allowed guys."
I gave a thoughtful hum. "So this no boyfriend rule of yours. When did that start?"
Nene's confidence wavered hard. You could see it, like someone had kicked out the leg of a table. "I… I told you. The first leader made it."
"Misaki never made that rule," I said. "Trust me. If she did, she would have carved it into the group with her fists."
Chiaki nodded. She agreed with that mental image.
I tilted my head. "So if your rule did not come from her, where did it come from? Haruka and Seiji were dating the whole time. No secret. No drama. Nobody got kicked out."
Nene looked betrayed by reality itself. "But… the second leader told us… she said the rule was tradition."
"Ah, I see now. Should have figured the bitch had something to do with this."
"What?"
"Ringo Hojo. She hated me and Oga, and Seiji just for the fact that we were guys. We never got along, so when she became leader, we bounced. Makes sense that she would make up a rule about no boyfriends. For such a beautiful woman, she sure has a shit personality."
"But… but… that rule is everything. It is what holds Red Tail together," Nene muttered. She sounded like someone watching their favourite childhood cartoon get retconned in real time.
"Pretty sure what held Red Tail together was Misaki's right hook," I said. "And Shizuku's terrifying stare. And Haruka smacking sense into people. Not some fake rule the bitch made up."
Chiaki gave a solemn nod. She agreed with everything.
Nene looked like her world had been shattered. "I cannot believe this…" she whispered. "I have been preaching a fake rule… loudly… for years."
"Hey, look on the bright side," I said with a grin. "At least you learned the truth from someone handsome."
Her entire posture snapped back to life. "Do not start!"
I shrugged. "Had to."
Chiaki raised a hand. She pointed at Nene, then at me, then tapped her fingers together in a little gesture I could only interpret as encouragement to continue flustering her.
"Nene, maybe they are not as bad as we thought," Chiaki said softly.
"Chiaki, not you too!" Nene whined while I smiled.
That was about the time when we were rudely interrupted, not with words, but with a bang.
I felt something tap my shoulder. Glancing down, I saw a small metal bead roll across the ground. 'Did someone just shoot me with a modified BB gun?' It stung a little more than the cheap ones.
"Well, that is odd. Usually, when I land a hit, most people go down, but then again, I guess you are not most people."
The three of us turned toward the voice. A tall guy stood there with a heavily modified BB rifle slung over his shoulder, the kind of thing only a delusional delinquent would bother souping up. I recognized him immediately. One of the cannon fodder from MK-5 that Hilda wiped the floor with earlier. The tall one with the glasses, trying too hard to look intimidating.
Nene's expression shifted from confusion to annoyance.
Chiaki's hand drifted under her skirt toward the handle of one of her upgraded water guns. She was already analyzing the target.
I sighed. "Great. One of these idiots again. Shouldn't you be in the infirmary after that beating Hilda gave you? You know what, forget it. You shot me." I turned to Nene and Chiaki. "Do you see what I mean about people starting shit with me? I am never the one who attacks first."
"Hmm, I did shoot you," the guy said, adjusting his glasses like that would make him matter. "But I actually was not here for you. I just needed you out of the way. Unfortunately, that did not go as planned, so I will need to do this the old-fashioned way."
Hearing that, Nene and Chiaki jumped back in sync, both sliding into fighting stances with the kind of precision that told me they had done this a hundred times. I just stood there.
"So you are not here for me, but you shot me, and I am not gonna let that slide. So here is what is gonna happen. I am going to hurt you. And I am going to keep hurting you until you tell me and these nice ladies why you are here. Understand?"
I focused a tiny bit of magical pressure on him, causing the guy to stiffen, and for the first time, he looked like he might be regretting every decision that led him to this moment.
The guy barely had time to shift his footing before I stepped forward and grabbed the barrel of his stupid rifle. I squeezed, bending the metal with a sharp crunch that echoed across the courtyard.
His eyes went wide. "H-hey, what the hell, that took me weeks to modif-"
I cut him off with a punch to the stomach. Nothing fancy, just enough power to fold him like wet cardboard. He hit his knees, gasping.
From the side, I heard Nene mutter, "oof…" before she caught herself and straightened up. Chiaki nodded, agreeing with her.
The guy wheezed, trying to stand, so I grabbed his collar and hauled him up. "You are already on thin ice, man. Do not make this take longer."
He swung at me in panic, a sloppy right hook. I caught his wrist and twisted. Not enough to break anything, just enough to make him yelp and drop the rest of his broken weapon. He hit the ground again, clutching his hand.
"Alright," I said, crouching in front of him. "Start talking. Why are you here, and why shoot me instead of asking nicely like a normal dumbass?"
He looked between me and the two Red Tail members watching like judges at a performance. Nene crossed her arms, unimpressed. Chiaki tilted her head, waiting for his answer.
He was taking a bit too long to answer, so I grabbed his hand and broke his trigger finger. "Ahh!"
"Start talking, or I'll break the next one," I glared.
"Okay, okay! I-it was Miwa!" he finally blurted. "He wanted Omori and Tanimura to be beaten up so he could start a rumour that Oga did it and force a fight between Kunieda and him!"
"Miwa? Who the fuck is that?" I turned to the girls, who now looked pissed.
"He's a loser who is mad that everyone calls Aoi Queen instead of him," Nene said.
'Oh, right, the flamboyant guy. Pretty sure he got his nose broken or something in canon.
"Hehehe, it does not matter if I fail here, I was just one part of the plan. You are not the only member of Red Tail this school has," he laughed.
Nene, hearing this, grabbed him from me while Chiaki pulled one of her guns and pointed it at his head. "What do you mean? Talk!"
Instead of answering, he just kept laughing, making her frustrated, and that was when I saw her circuits light up crimson. She punched the guy in the jaw, knocking him out.
"Hmm, so I was right, you are magus," I said, casually enough to make her eyes widen as she snapped her attention to me. Guess she was caught up in the moment and forgot I was here.
"You, you," she stuttered, not knowing what to say, but I just held up a hand.
"Relax, you think you are the only one who knows about the moonlit world?" I turned on my own circuits, causing purple lines to run across my skin.
"You are a magus too?" Chiaki asked as blue lines ran down her hand and onto her water gun. 'Well, that explains how she got a water gun to have so much pressure when firing.'
"Yes, I am. Kinda, but that is not important right now, is it? It seems members of the Red Tail are in danger, and my friend has found himself in the middle of a conspiracy, so why don't we deal with that first, and then we can come back to this, shall we?"
They both nodded, and we were off.
====
If you like this story, leave a review in English. It helps. Love you, bye ;)