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Ryūtaki Shinobu (
Appearance[]
Shinobu is a beautiful young woman. She wears the Magic Division girl's uniform. She has long black hair and golden eyes. Her Decorteo Brigieux (Magic Dress) consists of a white bikini outlined with blue on the left side and red on the right side, decorated with fur that made the one seeing it think of a Demon Beast’s pelt. It also possesses armor made of mysterious red and blue metal and wings made of red crystal on the back. Her hair becomes wavier and is now in a ponytail.
Personality[]
Shinobu has a very serious personality, she hates everyone who is not Miyabi. Prior to the Mount Fuji hunt, she was very dependent on her sister. However, during and after the event, and with help from Kazuki and Miyabi, she breaks out of her shell and, with her sister's help, apologizes to him for her rude behavior and develops feelings for him.
After opening up, Shinobu showed that she was actually quite innocent and lonely, more so than she previously let other people know. She started to enjoy other people's company and became happy when they helped her out. Surprisingly, Shinobu is a glutton and enjoys eating a lot of different types of foods especially meat.
Originally, Shinobu was always the one who tried to stop Miyabi when she would do something bold to catch Kazuki's attention, such as the time she tried to entice him with a string swimsuit. After falling for him herself, she started doing similar things with her, such as wearing a naked apron or the same string swimsuit her sister used to great effect.
History[]
Background[]
Around age 3 Miyabi became an Elf, and at that time the public didn’t know why and reacted in fear and suspicion. Most of those girls were ostracized by society, even family members and treated horribly. The thing that saved Miyabi was the fact her twin refused to accept that she had become an Elf. She developed some sort of psychological block that prevented her from recognizing or accepting any sings of the truth. This saved Miyabi from suffering the kind of loneliness that other Elves did as kids. But her sister grew to have everyone who treated her sister badly, even if she didn’t recognize the reason for it. This was why the two girls never socialized during their first year. They always worked as a pair during Quests, and despite their reputations as being powerful, never engaged in any duels. Nyarlathotep, who had corroded the mind of the former Headmaster, was conducting horrible experiments on Elves. Hayashizaki Kazuki learned of this and destroyed the evil Diva and turned over evidence which destroyed all the powerful people who were involved in these projects. Miyabi learned of this despite the secrecy and became interested in him.
Plot[]
Volume 4[]
It was arranged by the new Board Chairman of the National Knight Academy Takasugi Takayoshi that the election for Chief Student Council President would be preceded by a tournament. Each candidate would form a team made up of two people from the Magic Division and two people from the Swordsmanship Division. This contest was meant to display the fighting and leadership skills of all the candidates. All students would then get to vote based on their impressions of them. There were several with fine reputations at the Academy and they got together at the Witch's House to discuss it. But in the end only three decided to enter the race.
The new Headmaster Mr. Amasaki had nominated Hayashizaki Kazuki. His teammates were the Headmaster’s step-daughter Rank-A Amasaki Miō as well as Sword Division President Hikita Kōhaku and her best friend Tsukahara Kazuha, an incompetent swordsman who was also an Illegal Magician. The strongest candidate Magic Division President Otonashi Kaguya partnered with Rank-A Hiakari Koyuki. Also joining her was former Sword Division President Hayashizaki Kanae and her fellow former council member Torazō Yamada. The third candidate was Magic Division Vice-President Hoshikaze Hikaru, who teamed up with foreigner Rank-A Charlotte Lieben Frau and former Sword Division Vice-President Kamiizumi Iori. This left a space on her team vacant for another swordsman. Kimura Tomomi was delighted to accept her invitation.
They gathered for the meeting to officially join the tournament. The next group to appear was a pair of twin girls Miyabi and Shinobu. They were quite powerful but anti-social and only worked with each other. The twins were identical except Miyabi was an Elf. She thanked Kazuki for disposing of the former Headmaster, who apparently had been trying to capture her as a test subject. She made her romantic interest in Kazuki obvious. They had been recruited by twin boys from the Sword Division Takasugi Shūsui and Takasugi Harunari. They were radicals who advocated that Magika Stigma should be deprived of civil rights and locked away and brainwashed to prevent them from endangering the public. Another team was led by the delinquent Mibu Akira paired with her best friend Asamiya Anna. These girls were forced to attend the Academy against their will because they received an Enigma. The swordsmen in their group were Katsura Karin and her foster sister Hayashi Shizuka.
16 teams signed up when teacher Liz Liza Westwood called the meeting to order. She laid out the ground rules for the tournament. Magic users couldn’t bring in weapons. Swordsmen could only use standard magic and Sacred Treasures were banned. This was particularly restrictive for Kazuki’s team which otherwise would be a much more imposing group. A lottery was used to set the bracket for the tournament. The Headmaster became worried after seeing the list of candidates. All but 3 of the 16 people were unknown and potentially irresponsible people. He worried they were all on the payroll of the Board Chairman. If he could install a puppet he could seize full control of the school. By doing so he could not only use that to derail the key reforms they were pushing for but he could influence generations of Knights in the wrong direction, just as the former Headmaster had done. Such theories were impossible to prove, as was their suspicion that he was among a number of Chinese agents who had infiltrated the Academy.
Kazuki’s team fought in the first match. His tactics concentrated on covering for each other and relying on teamwork. This went exactly as planned and they won without much trouble. In the second match Kaguya’s team dominates the other side, employing the exact strategy Kazuki predicted. In the third match against Iwatami Reiko the twin brothers covered the twin sisters until Lunatic Labyrinth drew them all into a mental world where the other side lost quickly. Kazuki had prepared enough lunch for their whole group to eat together. Kōhaku hadn’t predicted that and had also prepared a feast so there was plenty of food. Even Miyabi snuck into their group and snuck some food. Before being dragged off by her sister she encouraged Kazuki to beat Kaguya and face them in the semi-finals. In the fifth match Hikaru’s team used excellent teamwork and skill to defeat the opponents easily. In the sixth match, Mibu’s team stunned everyone when their swordsmen didn’t even participate. The spell casters were trained enough in Chinese Kenpo to counter the enemy swordsmen and were able to dodge incoming magic. It became a decisive victory for them.
The second round began with Kazuki’s match against Kaguya. In a direct confrontation they could never win, but he had seen through the weaknesses of their opponents. Again using teamwork and the tactics Kazuki devised they are able whittle down the other side and they finally gang up on Kaguya and win. The twin sisters won the second match exactly as they had before. Hikaru faced Mibu’s team next. The swordsmen on that team had hidden their true power before. While Hikaru and Lotte weren’t disadvantaged in magic, their opponents kept mysteriously getting back up every time they were beaten. It was clear they were cheating somehow but the Board Chairman refused to declare the match forfeit without proof. Hikaru received a savage beating from Hayashi who was able to pierce Defensive Magic and injure her gravely while laughing about it. Kazuki called for the match to end, while everyone else was slow to react. Realizing Hayashi intended to murder Hikaru, Mibu just barely managed to end the fight with her magic first.
The day of the semi-finals arrived. Confronting the twin brothers with dangerous ideals in the first match, Miyabi acknowledged Kazuki’s power, but said this would be a test of his heart instead. They were unable to prevent the casting of Lunatic Labyrinth and they were all drawn into a mental world. Kazuki’s group started off separated so they could be picked off. Miyabi chanted high-level magic and suddenly Kazuki’s companions turned on him. Kazuki dodged incoming magic and deflected the attacks of the brothers. He realized the magic used might amplify negative feelings. Kazuki expresses his true feeling to each of his companions in turn, snapping them out of it. Kazuki’s group then ran as the sisters flew above them on Marchosias dropping powerful magic down on them. Miyabi cast a spell that suddenly conjured a mirror in front of him that made him pass out.
Lunatic Labyrinth ended, the brothers were out already and the sisters were dropping Burning Icicle on the party from the sky. Miō was trying to defend them but her magic wasn’t very effective. Kazuki woke up and cast Storm Fort to remove the threat. Miyabi was impressed by how quickly he had woken up. She told him the sword that appeared in his hand was his reward for conquering his trauma. The sisters cast their Union Magic but Kazuki cleaved the incoming attack in two with this sword. The audience cheered and Miyabi was stunned and impressed. She landed and immediately surrendered over her sister’s objections; they had no way to win any longer.
Her sister and the twin brothers question why she surrendered like that but she didn’t give any clear answers. But Kazuki had seen through her true motives. She admitted she was testing him and his worthiness as a leader. Miyabi suddenly kissed Kazuki on the cheek, shocking everybody, most of all her sister. Miyabi clearly confessed her love over her sister’s objections. It was revealed that her sister refused to recognize her as an Elf. Her mind wouldn’t accept reality and she wouldn’t spend time with anyone but Miyabi. But this fact also saved Miyabi from the loneliness other Elves experienced. She suggested that Kazuki should conquer them both. Leme accused Gremory of leaking information on his power. This had been another test of his worthiness he had passed, and Leme was also impressed with his performance. But the real battle was against the team he would face in the finals. As expected the most dangerous team won the second match.
Volume 5[]
Before the finals a series of exhibition matches were held. This allowed the eliminated teams to display their talents again. It wound up being Kaguya and Hikaru in a battle for third place. The only other people who had been impressive were the twin sisters. But ever since being freed from mind control Kaguya had gained the ability to resist mental attacks and was easily able to turn the tables. Miyabi and her sister sat with Kazuki’s group. Kazuki was asked who he was rooting for. He wisely sidestepped the issue by cheering for his sister. In the end only the leaders were left. Those two had fought many times and as always it ended with Hikaru’s loss.
Before the final match Kazuki spoke to his friends about the plot behind the scenes. How the new Board Chairman had arranged this tournament. He also seemed to be in cahoots with that delinquent team to seize control of the Academy by installing a puppet. He also told them of the assassination attempts on him and that the swordsmen on the opposing team were contracted with Divas from China. Over the past few weeks Hayashi had brainwashed a number of students. Some of the candidates only signed up due to this brainwashing. He also told them how China was pulling the strings behind this whole plot to weaken Japan. Kazuki also confirmed that it was Divine Protection by Hayashi’s Diva that allowed Mibu and company to continually regenerate magic. Apparently those with her blessing could regenerate 70 times. They couldn’t win unless they could beat Hayashi first or cut off that blessing. It was possible that Hayashi had brainwashed her entire team and if so Kazuha should be able to free them.
Liz Liza-sensei acted as referee. As was the plan Kazuki took grave risks to take on Hayashi and Karin alone. His team displayed excellent teamwork holding the magic users back. He was able to utilize numerous types of magic at once, shocking the audience and frightening Hayashi. She forced Karin to act as her meat shield, who suffered terrible pain as a result. Kazuki managed to attack Hayashi directly and forced them to use their Summoning Magic. Despite the danger the Board Chairman still refused to stop the match, having a logical argument prepared. Kazuha generated a weapon she was able to use to cut off the Divine Protection from the magic users. Though Kōhaku was forced to withdraw due to the damage she took while protecting her. But due to an attack by Mibu, who had never been brainwashed, her weapon was lost before Kazuki could use it to free Karin. Hayashi forced her sister to use a dangerous wide-area attack despite the risk to innocent people. Miō managed to rescue the enemy magicians and Kazuki did the same for Kazuha. In that desperate situation he had only one choice. He apologized to Kazuha before kissing her. Doing a full summoning of her Diva allowed him to disperse all the dangerous magic, free Karin from control and force Hayashi to escape while vowing revenge.
Kazuki had spent the week in isolation with the captured spy Karin. In the end his kindness won her over and she became his ally. He returned to class just in time for the formal vote. Those radical twin brothers had put on an elaborate election campaign in his absence. Kazuki had left his own campaign to his teammates Miō and Kōhaku. The students were called to a meeting where the results would be announced. The sixteen candidates were up on stage with the Headmaster and Board Chairman waiting for the official tally. Kazuki worried about funny business with the vote count. But in the end Kazuki was elected by a wide margin and gave a speech focusing on unity between the two divisions.
An election had been held and Kanae became President again with Kōhaku as Vice-President. Yumeno Shiori won the post of chairman of the new school newspaper. A few days later the Board Chairman and his entire family had vanished without a trace. That night news reports stated there had been a massive coordinated strike on all Knight Order posts in western Japan by a mysterious force including mysterious Illegal Magicians. All of western Japan had now been conquered by this unknown army and was now under a complete communications blackout.
The former Board Chairman appeared on TV announcing that western Japan was declaring independence and calling itself Yamato. All the politicians with secret ties to China appeared to be involved in this plot and had made an alliance with Loki. They were claiming legitimacy under the banner of the Japanese Mythology rather than the 72 Pillars, which people weren’t necessarily opposed to. By doing so they could maintain the facade that Yamato wasn’t just a puppet state of China. The Japanese Divas appeared to have fallen into a Wild God state after being ignored for so long. Their contractors had apparently all joined this movement too. Kazuha had avoided this fate by building her Diva a shrine and caring for him. A border wall was being constructed.
The Student Council met with two third years Kodzuki Kanon and Yagumo Akane who were already serving in the Knight Order. They were the Student Council members from last year. The students were called into a meeting. To respond to an urgent request for reinforcement at the border, Kazuki would be leading an elite force of students from both schools to reinforce them. Kazuki told them this was entirely voluntary but urged those with the courage to fight to volunteer. They wound up with a force of about 150 people. The school had become the headquarters for the war effort. 10 more third years who escaped enemy territory gathered there. They were suddenly joined by the German Knights Beatrix Baumgard, Damian and Eleonora Abendroth too. They offered to cooperate as allies. Kazuki vouched for their strength. The Germans and the Student Council members were put in charge of squads under Kazuki’s command. They would meet up with the 200 Knights who escaped the west. But Kazuki insisted the seniors must rest first and prepared a meal.
On the way to the front lines Kazuki chatted with Miyabi and her sister Shinobu. He made his first attempt to get through to Shinobu. The parents of the twins lived in the west and there was concern for their safety. Miyabi had evidently forgiven them for treating her like a monster but her sister had not. They passed quite a few people on the road who seemed to be refugees. The buses were suddenly fired on and destroyed. The students were slow to react due to shock but finally came to their senses. It was a perfectly executed ambush. Kazuki too was slow to react when he realized that Hayashi had brainwashed those ten third years and ordered them to target the leaders Kanon and himself. He only survived because Beatrix shielded him and fell deep into Magic Intoxication. Kazuha freed those girls and the enemy fled as the Knight Order arrived. They took several enemy prisoners.
Kazuki and his close friends raided their classmates’ rooms and confiscated their cell phones. Given what happened that day, Kazuki suspected an information leak. There might even be a spy among the students. He told them they were conducting a surprise raid on the enemy. They were able to slip away because his friend was on guard duty and owed him a favor. Once they had escaped he explained his plan in more detail. He divided the students into squads based on their specialty. His friends’ unique skills allowed them to conceal their approach and take out the guards. They surrounded the enemy garrison and Kaguya and the twins were able to destroy the building despite being detected and fired upon. With perfect coordination between the squadrons they attacked them from different angles and they fell into confusion. Miyabi used her powers to help Kazuki protect himself from Hayashi's powerful attack. Kazuki made sure to capture Hayashi alive, though she later committed suicide in her cell. Kaya appeared on the back of a dragon and ordered the troops to retreat. She offered her praise to Kazuki for this bold action. Behind her, Maya was clearly terrified of heights. They returned to camp with captured prisoners and freed allies.
Upon questioning a Japanese Diva who had calmed down they were told all the shrines in western Japan had been destroyed. Those people said they were working for the government, to show their devotion to the 72 Pillars. But the 72 Pillars didn’t demand such things and it was easy to guess the deception. The Yamato guys had fooled them with that simple trick, to drive them into a Wild God state. They used that to turn them against Japan and the 72 Pillars and get them to support a new state based on Japanese Mythology. If they could calm them out of their Wild God state and explain the truth Yamato would fall apart.
Volume 6[]
Their group was headed to the beach in cars driven by Akane, Kanon and Lotte. From there Kazuki and Kazuha would slip away on a boat to infiltrate Ise Grand Shrine by sea. Some girls were unhappy that only the two of them were going, but since this was an infiltration mission, having a small group was essential. The plan was to calm the rage of the Chief God there, which was the fastest way to calm all the Japanese Divas down. After all, the Diva they had already calmed out of her Wild God state had been easy to convince of the truth. If they succeeded Yamato’s base of support and facade of legitimacy would crumble. In order to hide their purpose from the spy, it was said the group was allowed to take a brief vacation. They were given two beacons they were expected to light up after the mission to indicate success or failure.
The Knight Order had arranged to rent a beachfront property, complete with changing rooms. Kazuki, as the only guy present, was the fastest to change. As the girls gradually arrived he planned to offer them honest praise on their swimsuits. Miyabi turned up in a string swimsuit. Shinobu soon dragged her away to change into a more modest swimsuit like hers, but in the process a great deal more was exposed. Kazuki and Lotte went out on the boat, which was small due to the need to avoid detection. It was equipped with GPS and a silent motor but was designed to appear nondescript to avoid drawing attention. The Ryūtaki sisters wandered off alone. After he got back Kazuha took her turn learning to operate the boat.
Kazuki went off to find the twins. Miyabi was encouraging Shinobu to socialize with the others but she refused and ran off as soon as she saw Kazuki. Miyabi apologized for her earlier “wardrobe malfunction”. As much as she wanted to hang out with him and ignore her sister he said no. The sisters had been psychologically dependent on each other for years. Miyabi may have been ready to move on but Shinobu was in a fragile state right now. He told her he intended to add them both to his Harem, but it was important they be patient until Shinobu was ready to take that step too. Miyabi was deeply touched by his sensitivity and thanked him. Kazuki and Kazuha changed into casual clothes that wouldn’t look out of place in Yamato and they boarded the rather cramped boat. They weren’t carrying swords, to seem less suspicious. Their friends waved goodbye as they set sail.
Kazuki unlocked a new skill and was able to contact Miō with Telepathy. He let them know the mission was a success. He said many enemy magic users will have fled and urged them to attack new. Akane and Kanon arrived at the front lines for what should have been a surprise assault. But thanks to the spy Yamato knew their movements and were amassing their forces to protect the targeted garrison. Though this strike was no longer a surprise Kazuki said that large numbers of the Yamato magic users would have already left the battlefield. He also believed that the professional training and experience of the Knight Order would give them an edge. Akane selected the tactic for the battle. The students from the Knight Academy were among the rear guard. The other side didn’t seem to be lacking in numbers but Akane had faith in Kazuki. Indeed when they called Yamato’s bluff most of the rear guard turned out to be fakes without the ability to use Summoning Magic.
Lotte flew above the battle using Deep Striker. While dodging incoming magic she kept in constant contact with Akane letting her know about the situation. Thus they could redeploy their forces quickly when needed. The discipline and training of their swordsmen was definitely superior to their opponents. They were able to break through the enemy lines. When the front line got into trouble students led by Hikaru jumped in to help. Lotte was playing a vital role here, but it took persuasion by Kazuki and Akane before the Knight Order would allow her to help, due to her being an Illegal Magician. Japan’s success in this battle so far could be said to be a combination of Kazuki’s creative style and Akane’s knowledge of traditional tactics.
Thanks largely to Akane’s leadership, it was looking like a great victory for Japan. She was suddenly contacted by Lotte who detected powerful enemy magicians approaching at high speed. The Yamato government had made an alliance with China and a group of their magicians had turned up at the last minute to help Yamato. As the enemy charged on horseback their efforts to take them out with long-range attacks were ineffective. Akane tried to organize the shocked troops, stunned China was brazenly getting involved here. The enemy pushed through their lines easily, their tactics were meaningless. They approached the headquarters where Kanon and Akane were. They decided to end the battle by killing the leaders, Akane was immobile from shock.
Kazuki arrived on the battlefield carrying Kazuha and Kamimura Itsuki. They would be unable to reach their friends in time so at Kazuha’s suggestion they were thrown. They weren’t able to hurt the enemies but succeeded in distracting them. Kazuki also launched a high-speed attack and failed to affect anything. Kanon used a spell that removed the Sacred Treasures held by the enemies. The allowed them to fight back to some degree. But the Japanese Knights were still in disarray and helpless. It seemed things would get worse when Lotte detected more strange magicians approaching. But these figures on horseback had come to help Japan. Their leader used a Sacred Treasure that disrupted all the magic in the area. The enemies were left vulnerable by this and fled along with the Yamato troops. The Knights were ordered not to pursue. The strangers offered to join their ranks. It turned out they belonged to an alliance of Asian countries opposed to the aggressive expansion of China.
Kazuki attended a meeting that also served as a mission debriefing. The leaders of Ryōzanpaku were hoping to form an alliance with a Magically Advanced Country. Japan had always remained neutral in these conflicts. Soon the international community would step in and force a cease fire. They would then investigate and issue a judgment of which government was the legitimate ruling body of Japan. If there was a divided opinion on this, things might not be settled until the battle between Kazuki and Ikōsai Aisu ends and Japan had am official King. They were interrupted by the German Knights, including the newly recovered Beatrix. They announced they would be suspending their agreement with the government of Japan until this matter was settled.
Powers and Abilities[]
Ryūtaki Shinobu is a contractor of Marchosias.
10 Inherent Powers:[]
Level: 1: Blade Tusk: Creates twin swords that have boorish blades and look like the polished fangs of giant beasts they then attack the enemy as if they were being wielded by unseen swordsmen.
Level: 2: ?
Level: 3: Cross Conflict: Summons red crystal wings that expand from the caster's back and emit both heat and cold. It protects the user’s body from the double elements of fire and ice.
Level: 4: Crimson Wolf Pack: The caster summons a pack of fire wolves that attack enemies.
Level: 5: Iceblue Wolf Pack: The caster summons a pack of ice wolves that can act as defensive shields or attack the enemy.
Level: 6: Burning Icicle: Summons a clone of Marchosias, a giant wolf with red crystal wings. The user sits on its back and as it flies through the air and drops red crystals that are laced with both heat and cold and explode.
Level: 7: ?
Level: 8: ?
Level: 9: ?
Level: 10: Awakening Killer Instinct: Reinforcement magic that gives the caster physical capabilities amplified many times over by Marchosias’ strengthening.
Union Magic[]
Moon Strike: A magic created by combining the powers of Gremory and Marchosias, creates a moon made of magic power in the sky that is launched at enemies.
Etymology[]
- Ryūtaki means "dragon" (龍) (ryū) and "waterfall" (瀧) (taki), which literally means "Dragonic Waterfall" altogether.
- Shinobu means "endurance, patience" (忍).
Trivia[]
- Shinobu hates everyone except her older twin sister Miyabi. This is because of the discrimination her sister went through when she turned into an Elf.
- Kazuki obtained the Key to Shinobu's Heart and shared his first kiss with her in Volume 8, Chapter 4
- Kazuki mentioned in Volume 14 that he had already had a three-way with Shinobu and her twin sister