The Raven Dark Hero 93

Chapter 93 : The Hanagekitai and Byakkotai

TL:SummerPeanut

Author’s Note:

As announced in the activity report, I have decided to publish this work as a book! I'll keep you posted on the details! (^^)

In addition, I have changed my pen name accordingly, so please continue to support me! m(__)m

National Defense Force・Hanagekitai…….

After Air Force Major General Mizutani Fuuka resigned from her post as captain of the Byakkotai, she appealed directly to her superiors to form a new organization made up entirely of female members.

It had only been three months since its formation, but it had already become a highly respected organization within the NDF with its combination of military strength, attention, and popularity. It had gained a lot of support from outside.

――Hanagekitai Headquarters.

The Hanagekitai HQ is located within a room at the NDF General Headquarters in the central area of New Eastern Kyoto.

In a room with a glamorous atmosphere, perhaps because it was made up entirely of female members, the captain, Mizutani Fuuka, was working at her desk.

“Captain, please, a cup of herbal tea.”

“Ahh, thank you very much, Haruka-san.”

As Ijuin Haruka, a member of the Hanagekitai and a classmate from high school placed a special herbal tea on Fuuka's desk, the door of the room opened vigorously.

“Everyone, I’m backー！”

There stood Asakura Azusa that had just returned after completing her mission and a tall, beautiful woman with her all back hairstyle overflowing with dignified beauty.

“Welcome back, Azusa-san and Yoshida-san. Looks like it went well.”

“Of course! If I and ‘Naru’-chan are teaming up, the filths around here will be no match for us!”

The beautiful woman that looked like a Parisian model, Naru-chan, was Narumi Yoshida, who was feared to be the strongest woman in the human primate family.

“That's right……But, it's a pity that Azusa still has a tendency to get carried away. Even today, if you're not careful, then……”

Over the past year and a half, Yoshida has undergone a severe physical transformation. Her originally strong body was further strengthened by using her own gift to tighten it up.

In addition, she is still known as the strongest woman in the primate family. She was second only to Fuuka in terms of fighting ability in the Hanagekitai.

“Another review session? Good work, both of you. Here's some herbal tea.”

“Mmm~, it smells so good!”

“I'm not done talking to you, you know…… sheesh. Haruka, please put some protein in mine.“

Azusa and Yoshida also sat down on the sofa and enjoyed some herbal tea.

In the NDF, hierarchy is absolute. Even in the Hanagekitai, hierarchical relationships are strictly enforced outside.

However, in the space where they were alone, Fuuka had set the rule of no honorifics, so the atmosphere was very friendly.

“……By the way, Kuroyume is becoming recognized by the public as a good organization, and not as a filth organization, huh-.”

While sipping her herbal tea, Azusa looked at the morning newspaper on the table. The headline read ‘Kuroyume donates large sums of money to orphanages across Japan; children are grateful’.

“Yes, that's true. However, the number of crimes committed by filths organizations other than Kuroyume is on the rise, so it's not as if public safety has improved in general.”

“That’s right. It’s as if they are trying to oppose the sudden change in policy by Kuroyume, the leading filth organization, the criminal activities of other organizations, including Kagero, have been increasing. ……That’s why we're going to crush all such filth organizations."

Azusa, Haruka, and Yoshida had a bloody battle on the day Suou Kouki died. It was the result of their uncontrollable anger towards the way they had behaved up to that point to the dead Kouki, but thanks to that, the three of them were able to form a solid bond.

Afterward, Azusa and Haruka, who had been distrustful of the NDF because of the incident with Kouki, were planning to cancel the offer they received to join NDF but Yoshida put a stop to that.

Yoshida was worried about Fuuka who had quit school due to her grief over the loss of Kouki and went to visit her. It was then that he learned that Fuuka was a NDF major general.

She felt guilty about Kouki. This made Yoshida stand up. She explained the situation to Azusa and Haruka and suggested that they could support Fuuka together.

It may have been self-satisfaction, but she wanted to at least give back to Fuuka, whom Kouki loved, and also fulfill her atonement to Kouki that was no longer possible. But even knowing that, it was something she still wanted to do. She decided that self-satisfaction or not, it was much better than not doing anything at all.

Later, the strongest female primate trio of Watanabe, Okubo, and Kondo also got involved, and soon after graduation, they joined the NDF and formed the Hanagekitai under Fuuka.

While the three of them were talking about their favorable evaluation of Kuroyume, only Fuuka disagreed with them.

“No matter how much Kuroyume is recognized by the world, the crimes they had done in the past will never disappear. There are many people who are still suffering because of them. Even if they keep quiet for now, Kuroyume might make a big move someday, you know?”

Fuuka said with a stern expression. Underneath her expression was a conviction. Because at that time, Kouki had come to say goodbye to her.

Fuuka had thought that after Kouki said goodbye to her that day, they had become adversaries that would never cross paths again. However, from that point on, Kuroyume began to operate as if it had been reborn as a clean organization, and Bright, for example, was recognized as the ally of justice.

If Kuroyume's policy was to continue walking on the right path, was there the need for them to split up? Even if they were enemies in the past, if an organization as powerful as Kuroyume is willing to seek peace together, the NDF might be willing to put down the hostilities and embrace a new ally. In fact, some members of the military are voicing their desire to form a friendly relationship with Kuroyume.

Still, Kouki chose to leave. He decided that he would have to part with her, an NDF soldier.

“I wonder-？ I'm not so sure, but I think Kuroyume is going in the direction of a clean organization.”

“I believe so too. The Darkflash Bright is already extremely popular among children.”

“The jet-black demon said to be the strongest in history……. I would love to have a chance to fight him.”

Azusa and the others didn’t know that Kouki is alive and that he is the very Bright that they were talking about. By order of Zaizen, who is now practically the head of the National Defense Forces, there is no one in the National Defense Forces who knows this fact except Fuuka and Hiro.

Darkflash Bright. Every time Fuuka hears that name, she realizes that she still hasn't been able to forget about Kouki.

’Why? Why didn't Kouki take me with him at that time?’ She found herself thinking things like this over and over.

At that time, if Kouki had asked her to come with him…… Fuuka might had given up everything to go with Kouki.

But Kouki did not. He said he would come to see her someday, but his expression was full of sorrow.

At first, Fuuka was willing to believe his words, but as time passed, she changed her mind. The look on Kouki's face that day when he told her that, wasn't it possible that in his heart he didn't believe that they would be reunited peacefully anymore? Wouldn't he kill her without mercy when they eventually meet as enemies? She had come to believe that was why he had said goodbye to her with such a tragic expression on his face and left.

That's why she was trying to force herself to abandon her sweet feelings for Kouki and Kuroyume with thoughts like the ones she just had.

“……There are still a lot of people in the military who look down on us, the Hanagekitai, just because we're women. So let's not be naive about this.

Kuroyume is filth and nothing will change that. No matter how many good deeds they do now, we have to assume that it’s for their bigger plan... otherwise we might get hurt when the time comes.”

Fuuka stood up and looked out the window.

When she thought that somewhere in this world, Kouki is still living as Bright, her heart felt torn apart. Was this anger or lingering affection? She couldn’t even understand it herself.

(Darkflash Bright……. The next time we meet……)

――National Defense Force, The Air Force Training Area

The Byakkotai is a group of young elites in the NDF. After suffering a crushing defeat in their mission to defeat Shiroyume, they only have one member left.

Fuuka, who was the captain, was discharged after failing the mission to defeat Shiroyume. The other members of the group were either had yet to recover from Vendetta's psychological attack or chose to become police officers after being discharged from NDF.

At the training grounds, Sagara was working as the deputy commander, strictly instructing the newly selected young men.

“ORAORAORAAH! You won’t last a second against the Kuroyume Numbers with sloppy movements like that! Is that any way to keep the country’s peace!? HUH!?”

The young elites were left breathless from Sagara's hellish torment.

The only survivor of the Nature Stranger, Eguchi, the former Nature Blue, who had been promoted to captain of the Air Force and was temporarily serving as captain of the Byakkotai, showed up.

“Captain Eguchi!? All units line up! Salute!”

Despite their fatigue, the members of the Byakkotai saluted Eguchi with agile movements.

“Sorry to interrupt your training. I'm here today to give you a report. I've been serving as your provisional captain for over a year now, and as of today, I've been relieved of my duties.”

The members of the Byakkotai fell into confusion. That was because it was so sudden, even for Sagara himself.

“What!? Does that mean we are going to have a new captain!?”

“That’s right. I'm not really young enough to be in Byakkotai, you know. Today, the new captain of the Byakkotai was officially appointed.”

Sagara, who had been hoping in his heart just a little bit that he might be the next captain, was disappointed inwardly but he pulled himself together quickly.

“A new captain……. Who exactly is it?”

“Let me introduce you. The new captain of the Byakkotai, Second Lieutenant Hiro Sanada, come!”

At Eguchi's urging, Hiro, who was also a former member of the Byakkotai, entered the training ground.

“Sanada……? You, the captain?”

To Sagara, Hiro was nothing but a cowardly rookie. He thought that Hiro was a cowardly newcomer, and even the cause of the collapse of the squad because he had arbitrarily gone deep into the enemy base to defeat Shiroyume.

Since then…… This was the first time Sagara had seen Hiro but he had heard that he was coming, and he was furious with Hiro for surviving on his own while his other comrades had been suffering from mental attacks.

“Don’t you fuck with me! Why the fuck it’s you!?”

“Sagara, that’s not the attitude to display against the captain right? You're the second-in-command, you can't be so undisciplined.”

Eguchi scolded Sagara but Hiro interrupted him.

“No, it's only natural that Sagara-san who knows me from the previous Shiroyume raid mission would be dissatisfied with me. I'm really sorry for rushing into the enemy's camp so carelessly at that time.”

Hiro then bowed deeply. However, Sagara's anger did not subside.

“You are sorry? Do you really think that's enough!? The Byakkotai was destroyed because of your selfish actions back then! You can't even take responsibility for that and you expect to walk around as my captain? There’s no way I can accept that!!”

It was not only Hiro's fault that the Byakkotai was destroyed. But it was certainly Hiro who created the impetus.

If Hiro had not infiltrated the Byakkotai hideout alone, the main Byakkotai team wouldn’t have infiltrated the hideout under Senzaki's direction.

Hiro kept his head down, silently accepting the reprimand from Sagara. And Eguchi, too, chose not to stop Sagara from doing so for a while……

“Sanada, raise your head. ……Sagara, no matter what you say, it's already been decided that Sanada will be the captain. However, I understand your feeling of not being able to accept it. That being said, let’s do a test to see whether you can accept Sanada or not.”

“A test? What kind of test?”

“It’s easy. We’re going to have a mock battle between 30 of the most promising members of the Byakkotai here against Sanada alone. ……Sagara, you will observe with me, though.”

At these words, the members of the Byakkotai, including Sagara, were stunned. They wondered if they were being mocked.

“30 vs 1? Nonsense, there's no way he can win! These guys might still be amateurish, but they're all promising individuals with high potential, you know?”

“That's why I said it’s a test, didn’t I? Are you ready, Sanada?”

Hiro's expression never faltered, and he looked around at the other troopers……

“……I'm good with that. I don't think that will be enough to convince Sagara-san, but I believe it will be an opportunity to teach the new members of the team the harshness of the battlefield.”

When Hiro suddenly said that with a stern expression, Sagara felt an aura that made him wonder if he really was the same person a year ago.

“……Tsk, if you say you can do it then show it. You all! Keep showing those disgraceful looks and I will double your training!”

When they heard that the training would be doubled, the faces of the troops turned pale and they turned hostile towards Hiro.

“Alright, Then, begin.”

…………A minute passed since Eguchi gave the signal to begin.

“……Eguchi-San ……Sanada, he, what exactly did he do?”

“Sagara, seeing that Sanada don’t you remember that day? The absolute strength that is no less than that existence that causes us to feel even despair that day.”

Sagara could not believe the scene that had just unfolded in front of him.

Without taking a single step from his initial position, Hiro had quickly neutralized all the members of the Byakkotai without a single scratch. Just by simply moving his hands from his spot.

It wasn't just a matter of twisting the baby's hand, it was an overwhelming difference in power, as if he had subdued them with just a light stroke.

“World Master. An S+ ability, the highest rank among the known gifts. That is Sanada's gift.”

“World Master…… that, the same gift as the strongest specialist in history who died in Armageddon against phenoms……”

“Right, it’s that same gift. Sanada awakened that day when he fought Darkflash Bright. Can you believe it? He fought that Bright and survived?”

Sagara had seen the overwhelming power of Bright with his own eyes that day. That's why he realized how incredible Hiro was from the fact that he actually is still alive.

“……For a year and a half since then, Sanada has been undergoing special training…… No, he was undergoing hell-like special training. A one on one with the hero, Onijima.”

“With Former General Onijima……”

“When I saw Bright, I’m sure everyone thought the same. That you can't win against that guy. Perhaps the hero, Onijima, also had the same thought as us. That's why Onijima-san, who saw Sanada's potential, trained Sanada as his last task. Perhaps…… as his successor.”

After the battle, Hiro arrived in front of Eguchi and Sagara.

“Sagara-san. Please give me a chance to make amends for what I did a year and a half ago.”

“Chance? What do you mean?”

“The Byakkotai was a great organization made up of young elites. However, I once led Byakkotai to collapse. So now I want to lead the Byakkotai into a strong organization once again with my own hands. And I want you, Sagara-san, to be my right-hand man and work with me to make the Byakkotai stronger. Please.”

Sagara was confused, wondering if he really is the same person he was a year and a half ago.

Even so, Sagara couldn't help but acknowledge Hiro as the new captain due to his sincere attitude and not being conceited despite having gained so much strength.

“Just one…… Can I ask you one thing? The current you…… Are you confident that you can defeat Bright now?”

Hiro could not give an immediate answer to that question. However, he looked up and declared with a powerful look in his eyes.

“I don't know. But I'm sure I can make him take me seriously. I'm the guy…… who's going to be Bright's rival.”

On this day, the Byakkotai grew to become the most powerful fighting force in the National Defense Force.

And it was Hiro Sanada that would become the face of NDF, as the only hope they have against the feared last boss, Bright….

Author’s Note:

Various things happened to Fuuka and Hiro. What do you guys think? And Yoshida-san, too. If it's well-received, I'll increase the other characters’ screen time in the story, so look forward to your continued support!

Well, it's back to the Kouki side next time! Look forward to it!

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