Editing BlazBlue:Spiral Shift - Hyokujin no Eiyu (section)

===Part 2===

Through the large window, the orange sunlight of the dusk streamed into the room.

The walls were white, and painted with several gold symbols that looked like wings spread out. The floor was a deep blue, covered with a red carpet and intertwined with golden thread embroidery.　

The room was clean and tidy, without a speck of dust.

At the back of the room, Jin-Kisaragi was standing in front of a large desk.

This was a room in the Yabiko branch of the Novus Orbis Librarium.

The Yabiko branch was located in the territory of the Ikaruga Federation, which is currently in the midst of a civil war, but it still functions as a branch of the Librarium, and because of its security, it has become the general command center for the civil war zone.

Although it was originally a large branch, it was smaller in scale and had fewer guards than the headquarters of the Librarium. However, morale was high and above all, the branch was very well organized. On top of that, despite the chaos of the civil war, it was managed in a very rational manner.

Colonel Kagura=Mutski was in charge of this branch.

As for the Ikaruga Civil War, He was the commander-in-chief of the Librarium Guard Battalion, and like Jin, he was a member of the Duodecim. He was also the current head of the Mutsuki family, the first of the Duodecim families. Moreover, he was the man who sat in a chair at the back of the room in front of Jin’s eyes with his arms folded and a sullen look on his face

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“Good grief... As soon as you came here, you did something this flashy.”

He shook his head in dismay and sighed loudly.

Black hair, deep purple eyes, a fearless face and a somewhat frivolous atmosphere. That was the impression of this man at first glance.

However, underneath the rough clothes he wore, the robustness of his body could be seen and his crossed arms were much tighter than they appeared. It was a body that had been built through actual battles, which could not have been acquired through training in a well-organized environment, much less by living as frivolously as he appeared.

Jin looked back at Kagura with an almost irreverent calmness as he stood between him and a large office desk with a red ornamental cloth hanging from it.

"I didn't mean to cause a scene. I was just stopping by and happened to run into the red devil."

“That's what problem is what I'm saying."

It was not Kagura, but a slender young man standing beside him, who replied to Jin's words with a stinging tone.

While Kagura's collar was wide open, this one had it tightly closed up to the topmost clasp, giving him a serious and sturdy look. His fine black hair, which suited his thin face, and his gray-black eyes, which were only mildly colored, created a neutral impression.

His name was Hibiki=Kohaku. He was often underestimated for his appearance due to his boyish voice, but over the past few years, he has been supporting, disciplining, and scolding Kagura, who tends to have a disorderly personal life together his skills have certainly gained recognition from those around him.

Hibiki's narrow eyebrows furrowed in discomfort as he continued to advise Jin.

"Lieutenant Kisaragi. Your actions have been nothing short of rash. We are in the middle of a civil war and you have been assigned to a war zone. One person's selfish act may cause an unexpected situation, and someone may lose their life because of it. I ask you to understand that very well."

"...I know that much."

"You don't understand!"

Hibiki’s words flamed Jin’s answer with a flat denial. 

Jin looked at Hibiki, somewhat annoyed. Crossing his gaze, Kagura rose from his chair and walked over to the desk.

"Ah, don't get so worked up, Hibiki."

"But, Lord Kagura!"

"...Just for now."

Kagura waved his hand briefly at Hibiki, whose eye corners were lifted to ease the strength of his voice and then turned to Jin. Immediately after, Kagura's expression disappeared for a moment to which his fist struck Jin on the cheek.

There was no mercy in the dull sound.

Jin's head was shaken by the impact, but he kept frowning at the same angle without change. The edge of his lips was cut and something red oozed.

Hibiki looked slightly upset.

A tense silence descends in the room for a few seconds.

“I'll give you credit for not dodging."

As Kagura said grumbly, he walked back to his seat with a far from tense pace. He flumped into the chair deliberately and looked at Jin again.

"Tager, or better known as the Red Devil, has been pursued by the military authorities for quite some time now, but you just happened to show up during the capture mission. Because of that, the mission was ruined. Do you understand?"

Kagura said in a tone of voice that sounded more like a reminder than a condemnation.

Jin did not speak back, but instead raised his eyebrows slightly.

The countless people that he thought were surrounding him at that time seemed to be a unit of the Librarium organized for the capture of the red devil. It was certainly Jin's fault for wandering in unaware that this was the case.

Kagura smiled bitterly at Jin's expression. He had no intention of asking the blonde recruit in front of him for an apology or words of remorse here. He didn't believe there was any point to such things, and even without that, Jin's self-admonition would convey the meaning without words.

"Normally, this would be a court-martial, but this time I'll let you off with just one special punch. It seems like it was really just a coincidence."

However, Kagura continued as he erased his smile, placed his folded hands on the desk, then leaned forward. His strong-willed raised eyebrows were narrowed as if he was trying to look into Jin's inner heart through his purple gaze.

"This... wasn't like you. What's wrong?"

The relationship between Kagura and Jin is not a small one. Even before they were part of the Librarium as soldiers, their link through the Duodecim brought them together many times. For that reason, they were well aware of each other’s position, who were they as humans, and what sort of things their eyes have been exposed to.

Jin is a non-biological related son of the Kisaragi family, one of the Duodecim. He was taken in by the head of the family when he was very young.

Originally, the Kisaragi family did not place much importance on bloodline, and the more talented people were given important roles. Even so, it was unusual for someone like Jin to be recommended as the next head of the family despite being adopted. Just as there were many expectations for him, and allies by his side, he also has a lot of enemies and people who want to take advantage of him.

He was in such a dangerous position, but the fact that he left the discipline arbitrarily right after graduating from the military academy was a matter of concern that would affect the future of not only him but also the people around him.

Jin is well aware of that much, and Kagura also knew that.

“There's nothing in particular, to talk about.”

After a few seconds of silence, that was all Jin had to say in reply.

There was no way he could say that he felt something calling him. It was not only lacking in credibility, but also not a viable explanation.

Kagura would probably take him seriously, but he didn’t feel the need to dare to put it into words, because he couldn’t explain enough to deserve that seriousness.

Kagura gave a disgusted sigh and leaned heavily back in his chair, wondering to what extent he had foreseen.

“However, the guys in charge of the operation were amazed. Now they're all talking about you."

“I don't want to talk about it."

Jin interrupted Kagura, looking unhappy. Even if the red devil was interrupted by him, the fact remains that the operation was ruined. It was a complicated feeling to be evaluated on that basis.

“But who are these people?"

Feeling the need to change the subject, Jin suddenly looked behind Kagura.

It had been bothering him ever since he entered the room. At the back of the room, near the wall, away from the light coming in from the window, there were two unfamiliar figures. Both of them were completely covered by white capes and hoods, and even their personalities were hidden by white masks.

The mask with the single eyeball painted on it and the white uniform were known to most of the people belonging to the Librarium, along with their ominous two names.

Zeroth Squadron — “The Wings of Justice”... and the second rumored name was the Librarium’s "Garbage Disposal" squad.

It is a special unit that investigates and brings justice to traitors and dangerous people within the Librarium, but that's just the surface of the story. In reality, it is whispered that they are the ones who dispose of - in other words, assassinate - the rebels who rebel against the Librarium. Therefore, they are the "garbage disposal" squad.

"Oh.. As you can see, I've got two scary babysitters from headquarters. Good grief. I wonder what they are not pleased with regarding me, the example of irreproachable conduct..”

Looking back at the white outfit, which would raise the eyebrows of any guard who knew what it meant, Kagura shrugged his shoulders in an amused tone. Then, without a moment’s delay, sharp words from Hibiki flew.

“I would like you to look up the meaning of the word "irreproachable" right away.”

His manner was polite, but it didn't seem like something he would say to his immediate superior. When Jin glanced over at Hibiki, the boyish-looking second-in-command remained nonchalant and looked down at the documents at hand.

Kagura didn't seem to mind, and gave Jin a good-looking smile.

"Well, anyway. I'm glad you're here. I know you're leaving soon, but in the meantime, why don't you take it easy in Yabiko? I'll show you a good place to eat if you want."

Jin couldn't help but smile at the joking remark. Remembering the presence of Hibiki and the Zero Division standing silently behind him, he quickly pulled back and shook his head.

“I'll pass. I don't think you know the kind of store I prefer. Besides, Tsubaki will scold me if she finds out that I've been in and out of "irreproachable" stores.”

"Tsubaki... the daughter of the Yayoi family! She went to military school too, right? How is she doing?"

"Who knows. I haven't seen her since we graduated."

Kagura's delightful and lively question caused Jin to shake his head again.

Tsubaki Yayoi is the name of a girl born into the Yayoi family, anther one of the Duodecim families. For both Jin and Kagura, it was a name that they had known for over ten years.

"Yeah, right. Well, I guess so."

Kagura twisted his mouth bitterly and scratched his head.

It was as if the distant images of their childhood days were proof of the years they had spent together.

Regaining his composure, Kagura sat back down.

"Do you want a tour of our branch?"

"No need. I know where the quarters are."

Jin didn’t intend to rove around the branch, so he didn’t shake his head this time.

"I see. Then..."

Kagura took a short breath and stopped talking.

The necessary formalities had been completed and all the documents were in order, because Kagura had allowed it. He had let go of his formal attitude, but he couldn't just sit here and talk about private matters forever. This man in front of Jin is the commander-in-chief of the Librarium.

At least for the last time, Jin adjusted his posture formally.

“Excuse me, Colonel Mutsuki."

"Oh... Jin."

He raised his hand in response and then looked at Jin with a very serious face.

The purple eyes that turned straight seem to have strong resolve on something, and at the same time seemed to suffer from that something as well.

“Don't die so easily.”

It was an ill-omened farewell gift.

Jin turned his heel in silence, bowed once in front of the door, and walked out of Kagura's room.