"I have information for you about your classmate," said Mitsuru Kirijo. "Niru?"
The large man with glasses and black-suit nodded and read from his clipboard. "Ranma Saotome. Considered a Lord within the mystic ninja village near Nara."
"There's a ninja village near Nara?" asked Junpei Iori.
The large man named Niru frowned at Junpei for a moment before continuing. "He's a martial artist. Taijutsu specialist as they put it. Mostly excels at unarmed combat, but has some weapon training as well. He's engaged to a girl of the village named 'Konoka Konoe' and he has a ninja retainer named Kaede Nagisa. He demonstrated a few ninjutsu manuevers while sparring this morning, but apparently he is still learning the basics."
"Which ninjutsu?" asked Minato.
"He manifested a Shadow Clone and performed a chi projection technique he called 'Mouko Takabisha' during the sparring match," said Niru.
"So that odd aura of magic around him I sensed earlier is this ninjutsu sort of thing?" asked Minato.
"Most likely," said Mitsuru, waving her servant back. "His fiancee is fairly powerful as a white mage, though she's still in training. When Niru sent off an inquiry, we received little information back regarding her or her bodyguard Setsuna Sakurazaki."
"So a martial artist boy, his ninja follower, his fiancee a mage, and her bodyguard?" asked Junpei. "Guy's with three girls? Man, some guys got all the luck."
This drew cold stares at him from both Mitsuru and the unusually quiet Yukari.
"I've asked Fuuka to investigate further," said Mitsuru after the tense moment passed. "Niru, you may go now."
After the big guy had left, Yukari broke her silence. "What was that guy? One of your retainers?"
"Niru is a retainer to the Kirijo family," answered Mitsuru. "He has no magical ability to speak of, however he DOES have a number of talents useful in the corporate world."
"Oh?" asked Minato. It was a pity that his own family wasn't more highly placed, as the Heir of his family line (his parents having died while he was a child in a car accident) he would have been entitled to a retainer of his own.
A pity he didn't have one, except for that old mysterious note about someone with the first initial of the English letter "A" - but that was a mystery he'd never solved.
"This could develop in interesting ways," said Evangeline A.K. McDowell, sitting at a small table while Satsuki Yotsuba worked at her small streetcar-restaurant in the background.
"How so?" asked Chachamaru, deciding the comment from her mistress was a cue.
"What do you know of the SEES 'gang'?" asked Evangeline, lazily considering the crowds.
"One of the school's less disruptive gangs, mainly formed to deal with supernatural menaces, one of the groups that patrol the school grounds - their patrol period beginning shortly after midnight and lasting a single hour," said Chachamaru. "So far they have not directly encountered you, Mistress."
"That will eventually change," said Evangeline. "Go on."
"Their full gang name is the Supernatural Extracurricular Execution Squad," said Chachamaru. "Most of the other gangs leave them alone for a variety of reasons - not the least of which is that they are outside the normal ranking systems as their martial arts skills are not their main focus of ability."
"Exactly why I've worked around them," said Evangeline. "Fighting them would be difficult. Mainly because I'd rather not kill any of them and if I did encounter them - it might come to that. They cut down on some of the other groups around here that might annoy me after all."
Chachamaru inclined her head, noting the point. "Mistress, if you still plan to attack the son of the Thousand Master - it increases the chance of a conflict with SEES by a considerable margin."
"If I have to, I have to," said Evangeline, acknowledging the concept. "Now that those ninja are in my class, and that lord of theirs in the same class as that Death aspect, there's a chance of both groups getting involved in my affairs. What about individual members?"
"Mitsuru Kirijo of the Kirijo group," said Chachamaru. "Magic specializing in Ice, also a Sensor. Uses an heirloom sword Queensmarch in melee combat."
"She's not a powerful Sensor," appended Evangeline. "And Queensmarch simply bears three enchantments of note. A simple sharpness charm, a speed charm, and a durability enchantment."
"Fuuka Yamagishi," said Chachamaru, "on the other hand IS fairly developed as a Sensor - but has only minor magical skills otherwise except for her Barrier."
"She can do well with Barriers?" asked Evangeline.
"Yes, I observed with a clash between gangs," said Chachamaru. "She was able to shield herself when an attacking group bypassed her patrol and went for the perceived weakest link."
"Hmmm, I'll have to keep that in mind," said Evangeline, digesting that. "Continue."
"Also in the Boxing Club is Sanada Akihiko," continued Chachamaru. "Magical specialty is Thunder. Uses specially made gloves in combat where his boxing skills can be applied. Yukari Takeba - archery club. Magical specialties are healing magic and wind. Junpei Iori - magical specialty is Fire. Weakest of the actual combat-oriented members of SEES."
"Which brings us to the most powerful of the magic-wielders, and the most dangerous both to his opponents and allies," said Evangeline, her attention flicking fully to Chachamaru.
"Yes, mistress, Minato Arisato - current heir of the Arisato family. Mitsuru Kirijo is a fairly skilled and experienced minor mage, the remainder of SEES tend to be single specialty and low power."
Evangeline nodded. "THAT boya has inherited the full measure of his family's dark powers. He's only accessing levels along the lines of his team-mates but if he ever feels sufficiently cornered might well dip beyond his ability to control. If I find myself having to face him and his team, I'll either have to kill him immediately or use a distraction. It would be a bother if he blew up half the campus after all."
"As you say, Mistress," said Chachamaru. "His specialty is Darkness. Not currently on campus are two provisionary members: Koromaru and Ken Amada and one delinquent ally Shinjiro Aragaki."
"A dog, a boy in elementary school, and a surly dropout," summed up Evangeline. "So, to sum up, there is: an ice princess, a watcher, a boxer with lightning, an windy archer, a fiery clown, and an aspect of Death."
"Yes mistress," said Chachamaru.
"Maybe I can arrange the ninja boy and his group to fight them," said Evangeline. "That might just be amusing."
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(Posted Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:56)
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