Assassin’s Creed x K-ON!: Another A
Stage.02: Hemolysis – Part I
November 11th, 2003
Japan (Somewhere in Memory)
5:24 pm
Azusa ran. She had only been running for a minute but she was already becoming a bit winded. It wasn’t hard to run in her school uniform but her guitar case weighed her down. Azusa reflected ruefully that had not been keeping up with the fitness regimen she had been assigned, instead preferring to practice with the guitar which currently felt like a boat anchor strapped to her back.
Her friends had already turned and begun walking home. She snuck a glance back at them and nearly stumbled on the sidewalk. Yui and Mugi as usual were walking away from Ritsu and Mio, as they lived in opposite directions from the high school they all attended. She looked forward again. Azusa thought to herself that she should focus on what was in front of her while she ran.
She could hear the familiar whine of the approaching train. Azusa was going to miss it at this rate. She sucked in air and tried to run faster. The station was just ahead! She put on as much of an extra burst of speed as she could muster. Her guitar case bounced up and down on her back as she ran, threatening to unbalance her enough to knock her over.
The train pulled into the station and the doors opened as Azusa ran past the ticket counter. There was no one in the booth at the moment but that didn’t matter. Azusa had been riding this train after club activities so often the past five months that all the people who worked the ticket counter knew what she looked like. They would have waved her through regardless.
Azusa darted inside the train just between the closing doors. She caught the handrail behind the nearest row of seats to check her momentum, spun herself round with practiced agility, and fell neatly right into the seat closest to the aisle. This surprisingly acrobatic move had the repetition of routine; Azusa had lost count of the number of times she only barely caught this train. She was nearly doubled over trying to catch her breath as the train began pulling out of the station.
It was already dark by the time Azusa reached the apartment building on the south side of the city. Her watch indicated that it was just after six o’clock. She had been quietly visiting this building twice a week since mid-June. Not even Jun and Ui knew where she was going when she got on the train.
Azusa normally came here on Tuesdays and Fridays, but last night she had received a phone call from the strange man who had taken it upon himself to train her in Kendo. He wanted her to come here today on her birthday. Azusa thought he sounded a bit strained on the phone. Honestly she was slightly mystified as to why she was here today. Her friends were a bit disappointed that she had to leave her own birthday celebration so early. Well, that couldn’t be helped.
Azusa climbed the narrow stairs in the building until she reached the third floor. Down the hall, fourth door on the left; apartment number 307. Azusa paused a moment in front of the door to straighten her long pigtails, then knocked. It opened immediately as it always did, and she walked in.
Her instructor was a man who called himself Shen. He was there in his usual slightly goofy red track suit, but today there was another man with him. This strange man had short hair in nearly a buzz cut which looked out of place when combined with the formal black suit he was wearing. Azusa was used to having people tower over her. However, this guy had to be at least two meters tall. Whoever he was, Azusa could easily tell he wasn’t Japanese. He had to be Chinese or Korean, though she couldn’t guess which. He wore a severe expression on his face. She couldn’t help but look at him and immediately feel like she had done something wrong.
Shen spoke quickly without a greeting first: “Azusa, this is the man I told you about. He just wants a few words with you. Excuse me.” He walked straight past Azusa out the door she had just entered through, and closed it behind him. Azusa stared up at the tall man a moment. He was inspecting her with what seemed to be an appraising gaze. “You are Azusa, correct?” he asked after a brief period of looking at each other. Azusa nodded silently. She wasn’t sure why, but something about this man seemed familiar to her.
The man continued: “You are the adopted daughter of the Nakano family?” Azusa nodded. “Your adoptive parents are Souichiro and Midori?” Azusa nodded again. “You turned fourteen years old today?” Slow nod. Who was this guy? “You are currently attending Sakuragaoka Girls’ High School?” Nod. “Your best friends are named Jun and Ui?” Nod. “You are a member of the Light Music Club in your high school?” Nod. “The other members of your club are named Yui, Mio, Ritsu, and Tsumugi?”
This was getting unsettling. Azusa nodded at one increasingly personal question after another, feeling the color starting to drain from her face. Why did this man know so many details about her life? Was he stalking her? She stared up into his cold brown eyes. He could easily overpower her and do whatever he wanted to her right now. They were standing less than a meter apart; Azusa momentarily considered swinging her guitar case at him to knock him back and then turning and trying to escape through the door behind her.
He moved closer to her. Azusa trembled as he approached. His right hand reached out towards her. Azusa was paralyzed by her indecision. What should she do now? His hand touched the top of her head. Azusa was shaking from head to toe; she closed her eyes and waited for the end. It was too late to run. Then, the hand started petting her uncertainly. She opened her eyes in surprise. Azusa would never admit to anyone, especially Yui that she enjoyed being petted. But how did this guy know he that should pet her to calm her down? She looked up as the hand was withdrawn. He was smiling gently at her.
“My name is Park. I’m sorry that we couldn’t have met before today. I don’t have a lot of time to talk, but I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon. So I will be brief. I knew your mother a long time ago. Your real mother.” Azusa was sure the man could read the surprised expression on her face. “My…real mother? But…my real mom’s dead! How did you –?” Park interrupted her, “I can’t tell you how I know your mother right now. It’s something that will have to wait for another time. One day you may be ready to hear it.” Azusa was confused. This man suddenly appears, mentions her mother, but refuses to give her any details? She demanded, “What do you mean, one day I may be ready?”
Park suddenly looked sad, a jarring change from the smile he wore just a moment before. Quickly, he forced a smile back on his face. “It’s a rather long story better saved for another day. Besides, today is your birthday, and I have a gift for you!” Azusa wasn’t fooled; she knew the sudden change in subject was triggered by this suspicious-looking man suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He was easier for her to read than he thought. She didn’t even believe at this moment that he really had known her mother.
The after-effects of the petting were still keeping her calm for the moment. Azusa didn’t know how much longer it would be before she started getting angry at this strange man who was confronting her in some empty apartment in the cheap part of town and spouting off nonsense about her deceased mother.
Whoever he was, he seemed to have regained his confidence. He turned and walked through the vacant living room. This was a surprising development. Azusa didn’t have anything else to do but follow him. There was nothing in this small apartment; Shen only used it for Azusa’s Kendo lessons. Where he actually lived was a mystery. Park walked down the hall and into the single bedroom with Azusa in tow. This room was also empty except for a long unwrapped case leaning against the wall, which he walked directly to and picked up.
Turning around, he handed the mysterious case to Azusa. “Happy birthday, Azusa. You can consider this to be fourteen years’ worth of presents from your absent godfather.” Azusa was mystified again. “Godfather? What is that?” Park seemed prepared to explain this. “In the Chinese tradition, the godfather is a designated individual who could be a family member or a friend of your parents. Before she passed on, your mother asked me to look after you. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to, except from afar. I won’t be able to visit you again for some time after today. But until then, please make sure that Master Shen teaches you how to use this properly.”
Park smiled again. “Well, I’ll leave you to your training. The day may come very soon when you will have use for this, so learn well from Master Shen. He is one of the finest swordsmen of my Order. And keep up with your fitness regimen. It is likely you will be doing more running on your birthday in the future.” (How did he know that I ran to catch the train? Azusa wondered.)
“My understanding is that certain people are looking for you. I just hope that Master Shen and I reached you first and with enough time to spare. I would advise you to be aware of your surroundings, and not to trust any suspicious strangers. For your reference, I am the kind of suspicious stranger you should not trust in the future. Until we meet again, may Hassan always walk at your side.” He reached out again and patted Azusa’s head just once. Then he turned and walked out of the bedroom without another word. Whoever he was, he certainly did have a sense for the theatrical.
Azusa looked down at the long case in her hands. It was made of wood and covered in a dark blue felt material. Though it wasn’t very heavy, something about it gave her a sense of foreboding. She put the case on the floor of the empty bedroom and opened it. Inside, wrapped in velvet, was a long and slightly curved object. Azusa carefully removed the object from the case and unwound the velvet. She gasped in surprise.
It was an exquisitely carved sheath, which meant – Azusa grasped the hilt of the sword, and slid it smoothly out of the sheath. It wasn’t actually the first sword Azusa had ever seen; Shen had demonstrated sword forms to her using his own katana. She looked closely at the polished steel blade and saw the reflection of her own hazel eyes in it. It was considerably shorter than Shen’s sword, but obviously much more valuable. From her limited knowledge of such things, she guessed correctly that this was a wakizashi.
She looked up, but the man who called himself Park was gone. Why did he give her a sword for her birthday? What did he mean that she might soon have use for it? Surely he wasn’t saying she was going to be fighting with this thing? That was preposterous; even the yakuza didn’t run around sword fighting with each other in the streets. As far as she knew, Azusa was living in modern Japan and bandits weren’t waiting around the corner to run her through after forcibly taking her possessions from her either.
Azusa considered that she didn’t even know who Shen really was. One day she had just received a phone call from her adoptive father, who told her that he wanted to meet her and that it was all right to go with him. After that, she had been training with him twice a week. After five months, she still didn’t even know Shen’s first name. Park said that he was a swordsman in his “Order,” but who were they and why did they require swordsmen in this day and age?
Azusa looked up from her reverie to see Shen quietly observing her from the doorway. He had returned to the apartment after presumably exchanging a few words with Park. He said, “Well then. Are you ready to try that out?” Azusa stood up, and swung the sword straight down to point it down at the floor. It felt well-balanced in her hand and seemed to be just about the right length for her too. “Yeah, I suppose so. Happy birthday to me, Master?” Shen nodded once. “Happy birthday, young Azusa.” He led her back to the living room.