A Brother's Love

PONKO’S WHEELS GRINDED TO A HALT, parking outside the Nakano Central Business Plaza. It was an aging, three-story multi-tenant building, as depressing as it was old… yet for Ryuuji and Akari, it was also a place they visited every other day, thanks to the branch office of the Auxiliary Tactical Corps located inside.

“Good evening, Shindō-san!” greeted Akari, waving her hand at the elderly guard by the entrance as she hopped off the passenger seat.

“Evening,” he replied, his voice firm and raspy.

“Social as ever,” Ryuuji muttered, following after Akari.

“How’s the night going?” she asked, undeterred by the guard’s frigid expression. “Got anything new for us?”

“Ren-san came looking for you,” the guard replied. “He’s still inside.”

“Geh!” Akari groaned, stumbling in her step. “Ryuuji…” she slowly turned to him, her neck almost creaking from the tension. “Let’s turn in the lantern tomorrow. I just remembered, I have something urgent to do.”

“No can do,” Ryuuji shrugged. “I’m out of money, and Ponko needs gas. So unless you want to push her all the way home, we’re going in.”

“Beep! Beep!” honked the car, excited about the idea. Akari, on the other hand, slumped reluctantly. Out of the blue, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Fine…” she said, her voice a step away from crying. “I’ll push Ponko.”

“No you won’t,” replied Ryuuji, dragging her along by the back of her collar.

“No!! Unhand me!!” she protested, but to no avail.

In the end, Ryuuji took her up the elevator and into the local branch of the Auxiliary Tactical Corps. It was the plaza’s main feature, occupying the entire second floor, though still a far cry from the main HQ in Shinagawa.

“He’s your brother,” said Ryuuji, turning to Akari as she struggled to hold back her tears. “Is it so bad to see him?”

“He’ll jump on me,” Akari replied. “He always does.”

Ryuuji sighed.

He knew Akari was right, because he’d witnessed the scene time and again, but…

“Does that bother you so much?” he asked.

“No, but…” she started, hesitant to elaborate as her cheeks were flushed red.

“But?” Ryuuji pressed her.

“It’s embarrassing!” she burst out. “I’m nineteen, okay? And he’s twenty-five! We’re too old for this!”

No argument there, Ryuuji thought.

Callsign “Blade” of the Amaterasu Unit, Minase Ren, was an old acquaintance with a mixed reputation. On one hand, he was a master swordsman with an impeccable record, decorated with all kinds of awards and medals.

But on the other hand, as the doors to the A.T.C. swung open…

“AKARIII!!” came the cry of the largest siscon in Tokyo.

“Hmph!” she grunted, getting glomped and picked off her feet by a young man in an impressive suit of tactical samurai armor. “Waaah!!”, her voice squeezed out by the sheer momentum as her brother spun her around.

“My sister dearest, I’ve missed you terribly,” said Ren, rubbing his cheek against her. “Where have you been all this time? You didn’t answer any of my calls!”

“I saw you yesterday, you jerk!” she yelled, before headbutting his forehead.

“Ah, the sting of love!” he replied, letting go of her as he stumbled backwards.

“Glad to see you’re doing well, Ren,” Ryuuji stepped in, Akari hiding behind him.

“Oh…” said Ren, his voice dropping an octave as he glared in return. “It’s the other one. What do you want, Hasegawa?”

“I want to get paid,” Ryuuji replied. “What about you?”

“I want not to see you,” Ren shot back. “So why don’t go along and collect your chump change? Akari and I have plenty to catch up.”

“No can do,” Ryuuji shrugged. “The lantern has her spiritual print. I can’t collect anything if she doesn’t turn it in personally.”

“We don’t need you for this. Go home!” Akari added, sticking her tongue out.

“Oh, but you do,” Ren replied. “The Bureau of Harmony issued a safety guideline two hours ago. Due to a rise in spiritual corruption levels, women and children are advised not to walk alone at night. Thus, as the exemplary brother that I am, I’ve come here to escort you.”

He extended his hand to Akari with cordiality, but she just grimaced at the sight.

“No, thank you,” she shot him down. “Ryuuji here is a gentleman, and he offered to drive me home. Right, Ryuuji?” she pressed her mentor, pinching his ear.

“Agh! Yeah, right. It’s just as she said,” Ryuuji gave in, ignoring Ren as he stared at them incredulously.

“You didn’t lay a hand on her, did you?” Ren asked, his voice stone-cold.

“Not a chance,” replied Ryuuji without hesitation, Akari frowning behind him.

“Listen,” said Ren, his expression softening. “I know I’m in debt to you. If you hadn’t been there ten years ago, Akari and I wouldn’t be here today. I’m grateful for that, I really am. But no matter what you’ve done for us before, it doesn’t change what it means for Akari to stick with you nowadays.”

“I know. That’s the first thing I told her,” Ryuuji replied, remembering the day Akari came chasing after him. But try as he may to deter her, to keep her away from a life of scarcity and dishonor, she wouldn’t budge an inch.

She remained adamant, demanding to become his apprentice. In the end, Ryuuji had no choice but to give in, lest she follow him into danger unprepared.

“Ren, we’ve talked about this,” Akari reminded him. “You gave me your blessing back then, and you’ve boasted over and over that a real man doesn’t go back on his word. So which one is it? Will you respect my choice or not?”

Her brother clenched his fists, enduring the heartache. Indeed, when Ryuuji saved their lives during a yōkai attack a decade ago, she had vowed to work with him when she grew up.

At the time, Ren had endorsed her, and he even joined the military to help Akari when she was old enough to enlist. But mere weeks after Ren became a cadet, Ryuuji deserted his unit during a major operation and was banished from the army.

Overnight, their hero had turned into an outcast.

Ren lost his role model before he even learned anything from him. He wound up leaving the military a year later, when a representative from a fledgling mercenary unit came with an offer. His blade was sharp and true, but without a clear purpose. Amaterasu, they said, would give him one.

The mercenary unit lived up to their word, and Ren became a local legend together with his new comrades. Akari, he believed, would follow after him… but she kept chasing Ryuuji instead.

In the end, it was his sister who had stuck to her convictions, no matter what happened along the way.

She owed Ryuuji her life, and she wanted to live it by his side.

It was that simple.

Whether Ryuuji was a decorated officer or a disgraced mercenary, it didn’t matter to her. He was still the brave, kind man who had risked his life for her, and no dishonor would stop her from seeing that.

Now, as she confronted her brother while holding onto Ryuuji, it became clear to Ren there was no way for him to dissuade her. Minase Akari would stick to her savior, no matter how thorny the path ahead may be.

Understanding this, Ren let out a sigh in resignation.

“Fine,” he said, steeling himself. “I’ll respect the path you’ve chosen, but I want you to know this. If you ever need my blade, call me. I’ll be there for you.”

Akari tilted her head in confusion, having expected her brother to resist.

“Um… Thanks?” she said, unaware of Ren’s realization that his sister was in love.

“And you, Ryuuji,” he added, squaring up to him. “Don’t you dare make her cry, or I will end you.”

Ryuuji stared back quietly, understanding the nuance of his words. Ren looked like a father acknowledging his son-in-law, even though Ryuuji had never asked for Akari’s hand to begin with.

“You have my word,” he said, putting whatever remained of his honor on the line. As far as Ryuuji was concerned, Ren had misunderstood Akari’s sense of gratitude for love. Time would eventually correct that notion, Ryuuji figured like a blockhead, but he would look after Akari as best as he could in the meantime.

“I’ll hold you to it,” Ren said, before turning to Akari and lightly ruffling her hair.

“Hey, knock it off,” she objected, smacking his hand away.

With that, the Blade of Amaterasu made his exit, leaving Ryuuji and Akari alone outside the branch office of the Auxiliary Tactical Corps.