Aki Kurokawa, Strategist of Aogiri

Thump! Thump! Thump! A banging sound reverberated throughout the entire room (generals were given their own private quarters).

Wait, I can’t reuse exact lines like that. That would be too lazy!

Anyways, I woke up from my bed and slid the door open. Just as I expected, it was my favourite muscle-brained soldier, Mr Samurai. Seeing his familiar moustache woke me from my drowsiness.

“Good morning, General Kurokawa. The Emperor is expecting you.”

“Hey, this may sound like a weird question, but what is your name? I forgot to ask.”

We’d known each other for roughly a day, and I still hadn’t got his name. I guess it just never came up from the flow of our conversations, but it was still weird and particularly rude of me. We’ve even gone running together. As comrades, it was only right to ask now rather than later.

“Now that you mention it, I completely forgot to introduce myself! How rude of me! Allow me to commit sepukku, sir!”

He brandished his katana and kept its blade at his throat. The insanity of this man!

“Stop! Don’t kill yourself, please!” I begged him.

“But-”

“It’s just a name! There’s no need to kill yourself over that!”

I forced him to sheathe his blade. Phew, that was a close call.

“I apologise for my reaction, sir. As you can tell, I’m a little stupid and reactive in nature.” Mr Samurai cried softly. His expression was downcast, betraying his appearance completely.

“Yes, I can see that. Please don’t ever do that again.”

“As you wish, sir.” He bowed in apology.

“Now, please tell me your name. I can’t just keep calling you Mr Samurai in my head forever.”

“My name is Hideyoshi Kanagawa, sir. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” We both bowed as he introduced himself.

“Do you mind if I call your Mr Hide? Hideyoshi is a little long.”

“Of course, sir. You can still call me Mr Samurai if you wish.”

I wasn’t going to do that to the poor guy. That would be evil.

—------------

“Good morning, your majesty. Apologies for keeping you waiting,” I greeted Emperor Nobunaga.

“Good morning, Mr Kurokawa. May the light of hope shine on us today as well.”

Just like yesterday, he was sitting on the raised platform, overseeing the army’s training. Beside him were two guards. I assumed the other generals were training elsewhere.

“I’d like to introduce you to the army and announce you as a general. Will that be okay with you?”

“Well, I don’t believe I have a choice. But will the army accept me?”

To them, I was just an outsider who suddenly shot up to general status. I didn’t go through the gruelling training they went through to reach their position. It was worse than nepotism. Not to mention, I was much younger than most of the soldiers here and had zero experience to boost my status. Any way I looked at it, my introduction was going to be a disaster.

“Leave that to me and the others. We’ll be there to support you.”

That was the best solution. The soldiers were sure to trust the generals' and the emperor’s words.

“Go and prepare your speech. I’ll call you in a few minutes,” commanded Emperor Nobunaga.

I nodded and returned to my room. A suit of armour was laid on my futon, though it looked lighter and flimsier to fit my build. It was then that the reality of the situation hit me. I really was the tactician of an army. I was really going to war.

I thought long and hard about my words, about how I could reach their hearts. In the end, I decided to be honest. Faking my emotions would make me seem artificial and untrustworthy. I would just speak my mind.

Once again, Mr Samu- Mr Hide came to pick me up. We arrived at the dirt ground that was about 6 acres in area. I felt its rich roughness on my slippers. Yet, it was still slippery and uneven. I was amazed at how all these soldiers were able to train in these conditions.

Approximately 50,000 soldiers assembled, their faces covered in sweat and grime for training. They surrounded the wooden makeshift stage made just for this announcement. Emperor Nobunaga and Mr Arakawa stood in the centre facing the front, while Yukino, Chiyo, Riku, and I faced the opposite side.

Shivers ran down my spine. Having this many serious, hard-boiled eyes stare right at me was tearing me apart from the inside. I could feel their high expectations, their contempt, their jealousy and their hatred. I thought I proved to myself that I deserved to be here. Was I wrong this entire time?

A warm touch in my hand woke me up from my despair. Her fingers intertwined with my own, and she tightened her grip. I turned towards the source of that touch. Yukino continued to stare at the soldiers with a serious expression. She shifted her eyes to me and smiled at me subtly. On my other side, Riku grabbed my shoulder tightly and smirked at me. Even Chiyo nodded and pumped her fists at me (a peculiar way of encouragement, but I still appreciated it).

That’s when I finally realised. I was not alone. I had friends and comrades to support me. If I fell, they would rush to pick me back up. If I made a mistake, they would be there to fix it with me. There was no reason for me to worry.

“Soldiers! Attention!” Emperor Nobunaga’s voice boomed around the area. His voice was louder than a loudspeaker. My eardrums felt like they were about to explode from his unexpected volume.

Thud! All the soldiers’ feet stomped in unison. A mini earthquake erupted below my feet.

“Today, I’d like to introduce our latest general. Even though he is young, his bright mind has surpassed our expectations and is sure to be the key to Aogiri’s victory. I trust him with my life!”

The soldiers remained silent, listening to their leader’s words.

“Aki Kurokawa, may your strategies on the battlefield annihilate our enemies and bring us glory!”

“Raaaah!” The soldiers shouted with valour, vibrating the air they breathed with a seismic impact. I could feel their emotions directly as though they passed through my body.

“It’s your turn to speak now, tiger. Give it your all,” Yukino whispered in my ear.

I moved forward and looked at the crowd in front of me. Everyone’s eyes were staring expectedly. They wanted to see what was special about Aki Kurokawa. They wanted to see what I could do.

“Good morning, everyone! I’m Aki Kurokawa, strategist for the army of Aogiri,” I bowed as I introduced myself. Gasps softly erupted around me. It was unprecedented for a noble to bow to his soldiers.

“As you probably have guessed, I am an outsider. I was summoned here just to fight this war. But, looking at my physique, you all must be disappointed, huh? How could a scrawny kid like me possibly be overzealous enough to command my seniors in a war when I haven’t even fought one myself?”

I made sure to make eye contact with as many soldiers in the crowd as possible. Some familiar faces caught my eye, like the emperor’s guards and even Mr Hide. In the end, these people weren’t just soldiers; they were people. If I couldn’t connect to them as a general, then I would connect with them as a person.

“That’s why I need your help. I need your cooperation and your trust. I need your strength and your skills. Because this war cannot be won by just the orders of us generals. It can only be won thanks to you all. Every individual standing on this ground is essential to Aogiri. I’m not here to take credit for winning this battle. It’s the opposite. I’m here to help you bring glory to the Aogiri name!”

“So use me! Use my wits! Use the strategies in my head! Use anything that I can provide to defeat our enemies! And let me use you, too. Let me use your power so that we can all go home with the joy of victory! I’d like to end this speech by telling you not to just believe in me. I want every single one of you to believe in the me that believes in you!”

I gasped for oxygen to breathe. My lungs were empty, devoid of any air. Every single word in my mind had been spoken with no filter.

Silence enveloped the ground. Not even the wind’s breath made a sound. I could feel my body weaken from exhaustion and embarrassment. Did my words work?

“Glory to Aogiri!” a man shouted from afar. I scanned the crowd for the source. It was Mr Hide. He smiled brightly at me, still shouting the battlecry.

All of a sudden, his voice wasn’t alone. One by one, soldiers started shouting the same words in unison. It felt like an orchestra of soldiers, singing a melody of patriotism. Even though I wasn’t an Aogiri native, I felt like crying for the country.

“Hear that, Mr Kurokawa? This beautiful moment is because of you. Don’t treat yourself like an outsider. You are as much a part of Aogiri as all of us.” Emperor Nobunaga’s words lightened my mind and body.

I had no more doubts. This was where I belonged. I would fight for Aogiri with pride.