"A shield can't be a weapon."
Everyone laughed at Kokonoe Tooru's Blaze—a pitiful, dinner-plate excuse for a soul armament. But they don't know why he enrolled at Rakuryou Academy. They don't know about the little sister he buried two years ago. And they don't know that the man who killed her is still out there.
Tooru doesn't need their respect. He needs strength. He needs a partner.
But in a school where Blaze partners are bound by fate and compatibility, who would ever choose to stand besid
Absolute Duo if: The Other Duo - First Mission, and the Shadow of the Seven Luminaries — Show Me What Your Partner Can Really Do!
The morning air was a little tighter than usual.
Kokonoe Tooru was in his dorm room, preparing for a mission. His short black hair, prone to cowlicks, swayed gently in the breeze from the window. His deep green eyes were fixed on the screen of the Blaze Fang device in his hand.
—First mission, huh.
Yesterday, the chairman had sent out the notice. An investigation of suspicious persons at the old steelworks site. His first real combat mission since forming the Bonded Duo.
Tooru gently traced the black wristband on his left wrist with the fingers of his right hand. His little sister's keepsake. Its touch always calmed his heart.
"Tooru, are you ready?"
He turned at the voice.
Tachibana Tomoe stood in the doorway. Her long, straight black hair was tied back in a single tail today. Her piercing jet-black eyes looked straight at Tooru. The edge of a gauntlet peeked from her uniform sleeve. Perhaps because of her serious expression, a faint crease had formed between her brows.
This overly earnest girl was Tooru's Bonded Duo partner.
"Yeah, coming now."
Tooru pocketed the Blaze Fang device and stood up.
Tomoe gave a small nod.
"Are you nervous? Your face is stiff."
Tooru smiled wryly.
"I'm not. ...Probably."
"Probably? That's so like you."
Tomoe let out a small laugh. Her smile was charmingly girlish, fitting for her age.
Tooru felt just a little saved by that smile.
The two of them passed through the academy's main gate and walked through Blaze Fang Town.
In the morning, Blaze Fang Town's shops had only just opened, and the streets were sparse with people. As they passed the weapon shop "Tetsusa-do," the owner, Tetsusa Genzou, was sweeping the front of his store.
"Hey there, Tomoe! First mission, I hear. Go careful out there."
Genzou's deeply wrinkled face crinkled into a smile. A former Blaze Fang user, he was also Tomoe's master in the iron chain.
"Yes, Master. I'm off."
Tomoe bowed her head politely.
Tooru gave a light nod as well.
"So you're the Shield boy. Take care of Tomoe."
Genzou's eyes fixed on Tooru.
"...Leave it to me."
Tooru answered briefly.
Genzou nodded, satisfied.
The old steelworks site was about fifteen kilometers south of the academy.
They got off the bus and walked for ten minutes. The scenery around them grew steadily more desolate. The houses disappeared, replaced by empty lots overgrown with weeds.
The sky had been cloudy since morning.
Heavy gray clouds covered the entire sky. Each time the wind blew, the grass rustled noisily.
"...That's it."
Tooru stared at the building that had come into view ahead.
The ruins of the steelworks.
Rusted steel frames propped up the crumbling structure. The window glass was shattered, and vines crawled along the walls. A place where many people must once have worked had now become an abandoned ruin with no one left.
"What a creepy place."
Tomoe murmured softly.
Tooru came up beside her.
"Tomoe. Do you understand the danger level of this mission? The suspicious person could be a criminal Blaze Fang user, depending on the case."
Tooru spoke with a serious expression.
Tomoe looked straight back into his eyes.
"I know. But it'll be fine."
Then, in a voice only Tooru could hear, she said clearly:
"I'll protect your shield. After all, I'm the heir."
Tooru was caught off guard.
(...She's saying the same thing again.)
Protecting was supposed to be the shield's role.
And yet, Tomoe said she would protect Tooru's shield.
Deep in Tooru's chest, something grew quietly warm.
"...You really say incredible things sometimes."
Tooru muttered, as if to hide his embarrassment.
Tomoe blinked.
"What did I say?"
"...Nothing. Let's go."
Tooru turned his face away and started walking.
Inside the steelworks, it was even dimmer than outside.
Part of the ceiling had collapsed, letting in faint light. Scraps of iron and shards of glass littered the floor. The air was a mix of rust and dust.
Tooru advanced carefully, minding his footing.
"Be careful. The floor might give way."
Tomoe called from behind.
"Yeah. You too."
The two pressed on toward the depths of the building, as if guarding each other's backs.
After walking for a while, Tooru's feet stopped.
"...Tomoe, look at this."
Tooru pointed at part of the wall.
Tomoe came to his side and caught her breath.
A strange crest was carved into the wall.
Seven stars arranged in a circle. In the center, a flame-shaped mark.
—The Crest of the Seven Luminaries.
Tooru clenched his fist.
(Seven Luminaries...)
Naraku Sakaki might be involved.
The man who had killed his little sister.
Tooru's heart made an unpleasant sound.
The scene from two years ago came flooding back.
The dojo at dusk. The smell of blood. Otoha, collapsed. The red spreading from her back. And Naraku Sakaki's cold profile as he swung through with a blade that had a white body and a black edge.
"Tooru?"
Tomoe's voice brought him back.
"...I'm fine. Let's go."
Tooru forced his expression back.
Tomoe was staring at his face.
But she said nothing.
They went further in.
As they approached the center of the building, the air grew even heavier.
Something is here.
Tooru's intuition told him so.
"Tomoe, incoming."
Tooru spoke in a low voice.
Tomoe nodded silently.
That was the moment.
A clanking sound echoed from the darkness ahead.
The sound of metal striking something.
Tooru and Tomoe braced themselves at the same time.
—And then they saw it.
From the darkness, three shadows slowly emerged.
They were humanoid. But clearly not human.
Their entire bodies were covered in something like black metal. Their eyes glowed red. Their movements were stiff.
—Mass-produced automatic doll puppets.
"Kugutsu...!?"
Tomoe said sharply.
Tooru deployed his Blaze Fang on his left hand.
A single shield, gleaming dully.
The Shield Blaze Fang.
Tomoe also manifested her Blaze Fang on her right hand.
Her Blaze Fang was an iron chain.
A black iron chain appeared, coiling around Tomoe's arm.
"Three of them... that's a lot."
Tomoe said.
"Yeah. But we have no choice but to do this."
Tooru raised his shield.
The puppets moved all at once.
One charged at Tooru.
Clang!
The puppet's fist slammed into Tooru's shield.
A heavy impact.
Tooru gritted his teeth and took it.
(...Heavy!)
The puppet's strength was greater than he'd imagined.
Another one attacked Tomoe.
Tomoe swung her iron chain like a whip.
Whssh!
The sound of air being torn.
The iron chain wrapped around the puppet's arm.
"There!"
Tomoe pulled the chain.
The puppet's stance broke.
But the puppet didn't fall.
It strained, trying to tear the chain apart.
"Ngh... it's strong!"
Tomoe let out a pained voice.
The third puppet circled behind Tomoe.
"Tomoe, behind you!"
Tooru shouted.
Tomoe turned.
The puppet's fist closed in on her.
—No time.
Tooru moved on instinct.
Still holding his shield, he slid behind Tomoe.
Thud!
The puppet's fist sank into Tooru's shield.
"Tooru!?"
Tomoe cried out in surprise.
"...You take the one in front. I'll handle this one."
Tooru said, deflecting the puppet's attacks with his shield.
"But...!"
Tomoe tried to argue.
"Tomoe! Trust me! Fight your own fight!"
Tooru raised his voice.
Tomoe bit her lip for a moment.
Then she nodded firmly.
"...Fine. You cover my back!"
"Leave it to me!"
Tooru reset his shield.
Tomoe swung her iron chain.
Whssh! Whssh!
The iron chain tore through the air.
Tomoe's chain moved like a living thing.
It threaded through the gaps of Tooru's shield, targeting the puppets with precision.
Clang!
The chain struck one puppet's head.
The puppet's movement stopped for an instant.
"Now!"
Tomoe shouted.
Tooru thrust his shield forward.
Thud!
The shield slammed into the puppet's torso.
The puppet was blown backward.
It crashed into the wall and stopped moving.
One down.
"Not bad!"
Tomoe said happily.
"Right back at you."
Tooru answered, short of breath.
Two left.
The puppets, undeterred, attacked again.
Tooru kept blocking their attacks with his shield.
Tomoe restrained the puppets with her chain.
The chain wrapped around one puppet's leg.
Tomoe pulled, tripping the puppet.
"Tooru, that one's yours!"
"Yeah!"
Tooru rushed to the fallen puppet and brought his shield down.
Bam!
The puppet's head was crushed.
Two down.
One left.
The last puppet watched the two of them carefully.
Then, suddenly, it changed direction.
It charged at Tomoe.
"Tomoe!"
Tooru stepped forward to shield her.
But the puppet's movement was faster than expected.
Its fist slipped past Tooru's shield and closed in on Tomoe.
"Kyaa!"
Tomoe flinched.
—In that instant.
Snap!
Tomoe's iron chain moved on its own.
The chain coiled around her body, covering her like armor.
Clang!
The puppet's fist was repelled by the chain armor.
"...Huh?"
Tomoe looked down at herself.
The iron chain was protecting her.
Tooru's eyes widened at the sight.
(The chain protected Tomoe...?)
The Blaze Fang had moved independently of its user's will.
Tomoe was stunned.
"Tomoe, now! Finish it!"
Tooru shouted.
Tomoe snapped back to her senses.
"...Right!"
Tomoe raised her iron chain.
The chain howled and struck the puppet.
Crack!
The puppet's body bent like a bow.
Thud.
The puppet fell with a heavy sound.
Three down.
Silence returned.
Tooru let out a long breath.
"...It's over, huh."
Tomoe was also breathing hard.
"Yeah... somehow."
Tomoe dismissed her iron chain.
Tooru dismissed his shield too.
The two stood there in silence for a while.
The puppet wreckage lay scattered on the cold floor.
Tomoe's iron chain had moved on its own.
What had that been?
Tooru didn't understand.
But one thing was certain.
There was still something hidden within Tomoe's iron chain.
That was what he felt.
With the mission complete, the two left the steelworks behind.
The sky was as cloudy as ever.
But the wind felt a little softer.
On the way back.
Walking beside Tomoe, Tooru said:
"You're strong. Your chain movements had no wasted motion."
Tooru praised her honestly.
Tomoe stopped for a moment.
Then she fell silent.
(...Huh? Did I make her mad?)
Tooru grew anxious.
But the next moment, Tomoe puffed out her chest.
"Of course. I'm the heir to the Tachibana style dojo, after all."
Tomoe's voice was a little fast.
Her cheeks were faintly red.
Seeing that expression, Tooru couldn't help but laugh.
"...What, are you embarrassed?"
"Wha—I'm not embarrassed! What are you saying!"
Tomoe protested even faster.
Tooru laughed out loud.
(She's really clumsy outside of combat, huh.)
Somehow, that struck him as oddly adorable.
Tomoe turned away with a huff.
But the corners of her mouth were just slightly relaxed.
When they returned to the academy, the two were summoned to the chairman's office.
Opening the door, Tsukumo Sakuya was waiting, seated in her chair.
Her appearance was that of a girl around ten years old. Small, delicate, with large eyes—an adorable child.
But deep within those eyes lurked something unfathomable.
"Welcome back. Good work on the mission, both of you."
Sakuya smiled sweetly.
"...Reporting. There was a Crest of the Seven Luminaries at the old steelworks site."
Tooru spoke, suppressing his emotions.
Sakuya nodded, "Hmm."
"I see. Just as I thought."
Sakuya's voice was calm.
"Just as you thought... you knew?"
Tooru's voice rose involuntarily.
"Rather than knew, it's closer to expected. Remnants of the Seven Luminaries appear at that place from time to time."
Sakuya poked at the documents on her desk with a fingertip.
"...Then why did you send us?"
Tooru glared at Sakuya.
Sakuya received his gaze with a cool expression.
"I was testing you. How you would act when you encountered the Seven Luminaries' remnants."
Sakuya said it plainly.
"Testing us...!? Don't mess with me! We're not your toys!"
Tooru's anger showed.
But Sakuya was utterly
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