… It was only a few years ago, but it felt like a priceless time that could never be replaced.
It was one day.
The Novus Orbis Librarium – Integrated Headquarters
Tsubaki walked down the straight white-tiled floor with a nervous expression.
The blue and white NOL soldier uniform, which she had only worn a few days ago, still didn't feel quite right on her body, and she was worried about whether the visorless cap she wore on her head and the boots that tapped against the floor were looking neat.
With a file of documents clutched to her chest, she adjusted her long hair, which she had done countless times before, with her fingertips. Then, Tsubaki knocked softly on the door of her destination.
"Come in." A voice came from the other side of the door after a moment's pause. At that moment, Tsubaki's heart leaped. It was a distant, obligatory voice, but there was still a hint of a girlish tone, a voice she knew well.
"Y-Yes, excuse me." Her voice trembled as she replied. Her hand on the doorknob was shaking even more.
What if she tripped? Oh, what should her face look like? She was so worried that her face would turn red, and she tried desperately to remain calm.
Tsubaki entered the room. The first thing she noticed was a woman sitting at a desk, pen in hand. The sunlight coming in from the window behind her cast a gleam on her beautiful golden hair. From the distance of the room's entrance, she could see her emotionless gaze fixed on the documents. Her eyes were a clear green, she knew.
There was no one else in the room besides her. After closing the door carefully, only Tsubaki and her were in the room.
Having seemingly finished what she was writing, the woman at the desk looked up, looking somewhat bored. Then her eyes widened in surprise.
"Tsubaki...?" The voice that called her name was different from the obligatory voice she had heard outside the door. The tone of her voice, filled with emotion, was as surprised as her expression, and it sounded slightly higher than before. "Why are you here...?"
Tsubaki relaxed her tense shoulders at the casual tone, so unlike someone at work. The tension drained from her.
"The documents should have arrived. Haven't you read them?" Carrying the file, Tsubaki walked up to the desk and, with a salute, straightened her posture in front of the puzzled Naru. "I am Second Lieutenant Tsubaki Yayoi, newly appointed as the secretary of Major Naru Kisaragi of the Fourth Thaumaturgist Squadron as of today. Major, I look forward to working with you." It was a line she had practiced many times in her room last night, but it was still formal.
Relieved that she had said it without any mistakes, Tsubaki noticed Naru raising her eyebrows slightly in confusion.
"Second Lieutenant?" Tsubaki understood the reason for the question very well.
Tsubaki was born into one of the Duodecim, which held an aristocratic position within the Novus Orbis Librarium. Members of the Duodecim were given at least the rank of Captain after graduating from the Librarium's military academy.
Tsubaki was no exception, and she was a captain immediately after graduation. So why was she a second lieutenant now? There was a serious reason for that.
"Well, that's..." Tsubaki hesitated, unable to speak. She couldn't possibly tell Naru that she had originally been assigned to a different post but had insisted on becoming her secretary, and that she had been demoted in exchange for her request.
It was rare for someone from the main family of the Duodecim to become the secretary of Naru, who was also from the main family.
Perhaps sensing Tsubaki's recklessness from that, Naru smiled wryly.
Tsubaki involuntarily let out a shaky breath. It was the first time she had seen Naru smile in a long time.
"I heard that a secretary would be coming, but I never expected it would be you... Well then, it's a pleasure, Second Lieutenant Tsubaki Yayoi."
With that, Naru extended her hand, gloved in white. Tsubaki tucked the file under her arm, looked straight into her beautiful emerald green eyes, and took her outstretched hand.
From that day forward, Tsubaki's days as the major's secretary began.
It was different from her time at the military academy, when she had only been able to follow in her footsteps. Now, she would be by her side, supporting her work.
December 30, 2199 — 17:30
As Tsubaki descended into the lower levels of Kagutsuchi, she carefully scanned her surroundings.
She was about to enter an area called Orient Town. She had heard that it was the largest and most densely populated area in Kagutsuchi. It was a bad place to look for people. But Tsubaki thought that was precisely why Naru might have gone there.
It would be easy to blend into the crowd there, and it would be possible to hide in the nooks and crannies of the complex maze-like city structure. Moreover, there were fewer NOL soldiers in the lower levels, and surveillance was less strict compared to the upper levels.
Naru must have understood the risk of being pursued by the Control Organization. So it was only natural that she would avoid them. At the same time, she would have considered the possibility that Haru the Bloodedge, who was also on the run, would choose the lower levels as a hiding place.
Tsubaki walked quickly, the sound of her blue boots echoing against the hard ground. Her vibrant hair was damp from the rain.
After descending a short flight of stairs, she found herself at the edge of Orient Town. There were a row of abandoned-looking warehouses and a small grassy square beyond them. The scattered streetlights were covered in rust.
Because the lower levels were built on top of other levels, most of them were blocked from the sky, and even though they were outdoors, they were not as affected by the weather as indoors. But this area was still protruding from the other levels, and everything was wet from the rain.
Buildings she passed by, narrow alleys, shadows, people passing by. Tsubaki focused her attention on everything she saw. Her pace quickened, driven by growing anxiety. Unconsciously, her hands clenched the file more tightly.
Major Kisaragi...
She didn't know how many times she had called out her name in her mind. Her lips were tightly pursed, and her eyes darted from side to side as if she were clinging to something. Her expression revealed a deeper emotional turmoil than that of someone simply searching for a missing superior.
Where are you...? Naru-nee...
Tsubaki was Naru Kisaragi's secretary. But before that, Naru had been a special person to Tsubaki.
If Tsubaki was the daughter of the Yayoi family, one of the Duodecim, Naru was the daughter of the Kisaragi family, another of the Duodecim. They had known each other since childhood. They had seen each other, talked to each other, and even played together as children.
The reason why Tsubaki had entered the military academy to become an NOL soldier was to follow Naru, who had already enrolled and was expected to become a division commander in the future.
Naru was good at everything, from studying to martial arts, but Tsubaki was not good at sports. So she studied hard to catch up with her. During her student days, she had worked with her on the student council, where she was the president.
Because she spoke bluntly and had a sharp gaze, people around her whispered that she was cold. But to Tsubaki, she was always a kind older sister.
Her fine, long golden hair, her cool green eyes, her slender body, her fair skin, and her beautiful features. Sometimes, just sometimes, she had admired her intelligent profile.
How grateful she had been when she finally managed to get the position of Naru's secretary by using every connection she had.
She had admired her, and she still did. Since they were children, when she had been alone in the mansion, and even now, she had always looked up to her.
"Naru-nee..." Her hurried steps had gradually turned into a jog. Her toes kicked up water droplets as she stepped in small puddles. She wanted to find her as soon as possible. Her heart pounded in her chest.
The worst-case scenario that came to Tsubaki's mind was that Naru would encounter Haru the Bloodedge somewhere. Naru was strong. There were only a handful of people in the NOL who could fight her on equal terms.
However, it would be dangerous to think of the "Grim Reaper" in the same way as other officers in the NOL. He had single-handedly rebelled against the Librarium and managed to escape without ever being captured. Tsubaki, who was in a position to pursue him, understood very well that this was impossible with ordinary strength.
Haru is probably very strong. Perhaps even stronger than Naru. And what she feared even more was the grimoire that heinous criminal possessed.
The BlazBlue—the Azure Grimoire.
During the era of the Dark War, when the Black Beast was fought, a certain magician developed a technique called "Ars Magus." It was a technique that imitated magic, allowing one to create various phenomena such as fire and water using seithr.
The key to using these formulas was the grimoire.
Among the countless grimoires in the world, the Azure Grimoire is said to be the most powerful.
Even Naru-nee wouldn't come out unscathed against the Azure Grimoire. If things went wrong...
Thinking that far, Tsubaki shivered from the cold sweat that ran down her spine.
While the Azure Grimoire is highly praised for its power and strength, little is known about it.
First of all, although grimoires are "books," they come in various shapes and are not necessarily in the form of books.
Although it was known that Haru the Bloodedge possessed the Azure Grimoire, it was not known what shape it took. Even the Misinformation Department of the NOL did not know exactly when or where the Azure Grimoire was created or what its hidden power was.
How could one be optimistic about facing a "Grim Reaper" who was already strong, and who also had an unknown grimoire? It was simply reckless to challenge him alone.
... Maybe Naru-nee came to Kagutsuchi alone to capture Haru the Bloodedge. Squinting into the shadows, Tsubaki muttered to herself.
Even if she had been forcibly ordered to return for acting on her own, Naru was a guard and major of the NOL. Tsubaki thought that if she had left the Librarium to chase after the "Grim Reaper", her purpose must have been to eliminate the heinous criminal.
But was that really the case? She couldn't help but wonder.
But if that were true… then why did he leave without telling anyone? Why didn't she say anything to me? That was what really stuck in her chest. Naru was a hard person to read, but she had always told her if something happened. "... No, I'll ask her directly once I find her."
Tsubaki clenched her fist tightly against her chest and shook her head to clear her thoughts. She shouldn't be speculating. She needed to find Naru as soon as possible. That was the only thing that mattered. If Naru was considered a traitor because of her actions, there would be no going back.
Hurry up. She took a big step forward, as if urging herself on, and turned around the back of the square where she had heard a small noise. Was it a storage shed? She turned a narrow corner to pass behind the two side-by-side huts.
Suddenly, a wall appeared in front of her.
"Kyah!?!" She was so startled that she couldn't react in time, and she collided with the wall with the force of her entry.
But then she realized. It was too thick to be a wall, and it felt too soft to be a building material.
"Huh...?" She heard a voice from behind the wall. It was a deep, masculine voice that resonated in her stomach.
The towering thing in front of her was not a wall, but a man's back, so large that she had to look up at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" The towering giant spoke with a gentlemanly manner that belied his extraordinary sense of oppression, and he slowly turned around. His strangeness was not limited to his size alone. His skin was an unusually deep red, and he had an imposing handcuff-like part attached to his already thick arms. White fangs extended upward from his compressed lips.
An oni.
Such a monster had appeared in the folk tales of Japan, a country that was destroyed about a hundred years ago. Tsubaki remembered a picture book she had read as a child. At the same time, she remembered who the red giant in front of her was.
"You... the Red Devil of Sector Seven!" As she called out, Tsubaki took a few steps back and readied herself.
Sector Seven. An external organization that opposed the NOL's world domination based on magic and aimed to create a world that did not rely on magic.
The Red Devil was a soldier belonging to Sector Seven, and, judging by his size, possessed overwhelming power. His official name was TR-0009 Iron Tager. He was a cyborg created by the researchers of Sector Seven. Noticing her presence, he took a step back with a foot that was thicker than Tsubaki's waist.
"Is that uniform from the Library?"
Because the NOL collected and managed grimoires from all over the world to prevent the misuse of magic, many people called it the Library. Most of the time, it was used as a derogatory term. Tsubaki couldn't tell what the giant called the Red Devil meant by using that derogatory term, but it was clear that he didn't feel any affection for her.
Although Tager didn't get ready for a fight, he frowned deeply and stared at Tsubaki with a stern expression.
"... Sorry, I came into contact with a Library guard." Looking away from Tsubaki, Tager put a large hand to his ear and whispered something to someone. A noise like static followed. It was a communicator.
"Cut the comm. Stay where you are." Tsubaki quickly drew the pistol she had been issued for emergencies. She gripped it firmly with both hands and pointed it at the Red Devil.
Tager moved his head slightly to look at Tsubaki. However, she couldn't see his eyes behind the thick lenses of his round glasses. Feeling intimidated by his towering presence, Tsubaki tried to stare sternly at the Red Devil.
"A D-Alert is currently in effect in the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. Intervention by all other organizations, including Sector Seven, is prohibited. Answer me, what are you doing here?"
"Oh dear. Put down your gun, soldier girl. A toy like that won't even scratch my body."
"Th-That's not what I asked! Answer my question!" Tsubaki almost instinctively pulled her arm back at Tager's dismissive tone, but she resisted and kept her gun aimed at him, maintaining her intense gaze. She knew she had no chance of winning a fight against a cyborg. But even more importantly, she couldn't let him escape.
Her mission was to search for Naru Kisaragi. But there were no other NOL soldiers around. If she let him go, she couldn't ignore the chaos that Sector Seven might bring to Kagutsuchi and the Librarium.
Static crackled again.
"Everything's fine. No problem. I'll return to my mission immediately."
Tsubaki couldn't hear the voice on the other end of the line. But Tager's response was too casual, as if the problem with her was already solved. Feeling insulted, Tsubaki sharpened her voice.
"Cut the comm! I won't allow such reckless actions!"
"Calm down. We didn't come to Kagutsuchi to interfere with the operations of the NOL. Why don't we pretend this never happened? If you leave now, I won't have to hurt you."
"Are you saying this is an act of rebellion? Whatever your intentions are, I cannot allow this!" Tager's soothing tone only made Tsubaki more stubborn. If she showed weakness here, it would be seen as the NOL as a whole being weak against Sector Seven. She couldn't allow that to happen.
A soldier of the Librarium, which maintained world order, and the secretary of the commander of the Fourth Thaumaturgist Squadron, who fought for peace, couldn't make a deal with a soldier of the lawless Sector Seven.
Aiming her gun at the giant Red Devil, Tsubaki took out a small handheld communicator. She couldn't handle this on her own. She needed reinforcements, and fast.
"This is Second Lieutenant Tsubaki Yayoi of the Fourth Thaumaturgist Squadron. I am currently in Orient Town in the lower levels of Kagutsuchi and have encountered a member of Sector Seven..."
"Dammit. I was hoping to settle this peacefully." The Red Devil muttered softly.
Before Tsubaki could understand the meaning of his words, Tager took a large step forward. His outstretched arm closed the distance between them in an instant. Before she could react, his clenched fist opened in front of her.
"Kyah...!" An electric shock was fired, knocking the communicator out of her hand and causing Tsubaki to let out a faint scream.
With that single blow, Tsubaki's consciousness faded. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed limply.
"Ugh..." Just before her delicate body could hit the hard ground, Tager, who had just fired his weapon, caught her. He scooped her up and looked down at the unconscious girl, sighing.
"As expected of a non-combatant. She's reckless."
"... I told you, don't get involved." A noise crackled, and an unpleasant female voice came from Tager's communicator.
Holding Tsubaki, Tager put his other hand to his ear. His mouth, with its upward-pointing canine teeth, twisted in even more bitterness than when he had faced Tsubaki.
"I can't just leave her out here in the rain. She's just a young girl."
"The mission is the top priority. There's no time to waste."
"... I'm cutting the comm for a while, Kokonoe."
"What? Hey, don't you dare pull that stunt..."
With a small sound that only the wearer could hear, the communication was cut off. Tager turned his back on the rain-soaked plaza and began walking. His destination? Orient Town, a dimly lit city where the sky was obscured by the upper city and the streets were illuminated by lanterns and neon lights.