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EnzayneName: Yatsujima Akio
Age: 18
Appearance: "Let's finish this."
At an above-average 176cm, Akio doesn't really stand out from his peers at a glance. More often than not, it's the fight wounds that cause him to stick out like a sore thumb; hard to cover up bloodstained clothing and bruises from fighting, after all.
Personality: Stubborn at heart, Akio is the type of person who refuses to back down in the face of danger. Regardless of how many times he is beaten down, he rises again and again to face what is in front of him until his body physically cannot support him in doing so. This is not to say that he is persistent to the point of being suicidal, though; so long as he feels that there is a chance of victory, he will not give up. That persistence does not only apply to fights, of course; when given a line of action or a promise to keep, Akio will hold to it until the job is done, regardless of the toll it might take upon him.
That being said, he can be a bit blunt at times and often wears his heart on his sleeve—a combination that has led to him getting into more than a bit of trouble with those more inclined to solving problems with than him. With that said, Akio is the type of person more inclined to fight for the sake of others and not his own. It just so happens that all of these things bundled together often leads to his mislabeling as a delinquent in his own right.
Abilities: Beyond the parameter boosts that his Contract bestows him? Nothing of note.
Skills: Akio is fairly proficient at swordplay—a talent which would not have been cultivated had Fumi not decided to train him on a whim. Coupled with the ability to 'read' the flow of a battlefield and his own nature as a person, though, and Akio is a force to be reckoned with.
Equipment: The only real thing of note is the katana he wields in combat. Though it is a normal katana forged with modern methods, the magical energy that flows into it from Fumi means that it is rather durable compared to an unaugmented blade of the same make.
History: Growing up in a fairly unassuming middle-class family, Akio lived his life fairly free of problems for most of his early childhood. The young child had spent his formative years as many a child would—reading manga, playing video games, and slacking off between classes—and as he entered his final year of middle school, he had assumed things would remain much the same.
They did not.
A freak incident at his school had led to a Grudge wreaking havoc on the building and it's surroundings—to say nothing of the other students and staff there. Though he had come out of the mess uninjured, the barely-too-late arrival of emergency forces to settle the incident coupled with what he had seen had left a deep impression on the boy. Counseling was a given, but given how there were children who seemed to be more shaken than him about the incident, the young Akio was left to the side in favor of the people who needed it more.
High school, then, began no better. News of the incident had long since made the rounds around the city, and a gang of delinquents thought it funny to press-gang a few of the incoming students more shaken up by that gruesome past into "helping them out", as it were. Stepping in, though, only served to put him on the receiving end of a rather unceremonious beatdown.
Time and time again, the young Akio would try and step in, only for the routine brawl to break out to try and put him in his place. Eventually, though, Akio began to be able to fight back rather than be placed permanently on the back foot. One or two people being knocked out of the fight was a great improvement from none, of course, but against the overwhelming odds he pitted himself against, even that much could be considered progress.
It was at this point, though, that one of his senpai—a tengu by the name of Takenohara Fumi—stepped in and offered to teach him. Akio had blown her off at first, of course; this was his problem now, and getting other people wrapped up in them was the last thing he wanted to do. But the tengu replied in turn; this was not an offer made of pity, but of honest belief—belief that was rather absent, given his apparent reputation as the local punching bag (that was occasionally fighting back). She wouldn't help him fight herself, of course, but being taught how to fight was different from that, no?
And so the lessons began. Compared to leaving bruised and battered and possibly with a lighter wallet than when he had left, training with Fumi was far more palatable—even if that training left him feeling far worse for wear afterwards. Learning how to use a sword was incredibly straightforward to him, who had only ever picked up a makeshift weapon in those brawls to try and defend himself with, and the constant drills and training exercises had left his body in a far better shape to fight in than before.
Three months had come and gone in the blink of an eye, and Akio soon found himself in yet another brawl with those same delinquents, who at this point had moved on from their initial scheme and only wished to pick a fight with the plucky idiot that served as their stress relief. This time around, though, Akio came armed with a bokuto and experience in fighting beyond that of the simple street fights his opponents were armed with.
Unlike the last fight he had been involved in, Akio came out of this one on top. Against all odds, the young man, though bruised and battered as ever, had left all of the delinquents lying at his feet this time around. If that had been the end of it, all would have been well. If only.
With their pride wounded, the delinquents (after licking their wounds) came back—this time, armed with a few more weapons and a bit more wariness about them. Though Akio had won the second engagement, the tighter margin by which he had done so had left him with a bad premonition. And so he returned to Fumi once more, earnestly asking the upperclassman if she could help continue training him. She obliged.
Fights had become the norm for Akio by this point, and despite what the adults in his life were trying to do to get him to stop, getting wrapped up in brawl after brawl seemed almost inevitable. Juggling academics, training, and fighting was tiring, of course, but it wasn't like he had much of a say in the matter. Though the delinquents that he had first dealt with were no longer a threat, rumors of his purported strength meant that others were coming to look for him, too.
And so went Akio's first year of high school. By this point, though, the young man had set his sights on something more than simply shutting up the people picking fights with him—no, with this sort of power in hand, he could do something meaningful about the Grudges that continued to pop up across the city. An influx in recent years had not slipped past his attention, of course, but the young man was always left wary after what had happened a few years prior, and if he could help resolve or even prevent another incident like that from happening, then there was no reason not to try.
The only matter on that front that remained to be settled, though, was the matter of being Attuned. Using a Weapon had crossed his mind, of course, but the price of one was no small thing; it made much more sense to simply seek a Contract...
And who better to ask than the youkai who had set this whole thing into motion?
His earnest request on the day of Fumi's graduation was met with a conditional 'yes'—so long as he could show growth in mind and body without her, she would consider it. Given everything that he had gone through, though, Akio took this to mean 'handling the delinquent problem once and for all while also keeping up with his studies'. But with a goal in mind, the young man had no reason to shy away from that challenge now; after all, if he couldn't handle such a thing, what good would he be against Grudges?
Two years and a new reputation as a fighter (and a bunch of people who had decided to tag along for their own reasons taking up his mantle as a vigilante peacekeeping group) later, Akio once again returned to Fumi to ask her to form a Contract with him. Though the results were not exactly what she had envisioned, the tengu had no real reason to decline.
Other: Has a little sister who really doesn't care much for the incidental reputation her brother has gained over the last few years. With their father working overseas and mother in a different city, though, the two siblings are surprisingly close despite their apparent butting heads half the time.
Age: 18
Appearance: "Let's finish this."
At an above-average 176cm, Akio doesn't really stand out from his peers at a glance. More often than not, it's the fight wounds that cause him to stick out like a sore thumb; hard to cover up bloodstained clothing and bruises from fighting, after all.
Personality: Stubborn at heart, Akio is the type of person who refuses to back down in the face of danger. Regardless of how many times he is beaten down, he rises again and again to face what is in front of him until his body physically cannot support him in doing so. This is not to say that he is persistent to the point of being suicidal, though; so long as he feels that there is a chance of victory, he will not give up. That persistence does not only apply to fights, of course; when given a line of action or a promise to keep, Akio will hold to it until the job is done, regardless of the toll it might take upon him.
That being said, he can be a bit blunt at times and often wears his heart on his sleeve—a combination that has led to him getting into more than a bit of trouble with those more inclined to solving problems with than him. With that said, Akio is the type of person more inclined to fight for the sake of others and not his own. It just so happens that all of these things bundled together often leads to his mislabeling as a delinquent in his own right.
Abilities: Beyond the parameter boosts that his Contract bestows him? Nothing of note.
Skills: Akio is fairly proficient at swordplay—a talent which would not have been cultivated had Fumi not decided to train him on a whim. Coupled with the ability to 'read' the flow of a battlefield and his own nature as a person, though, and Akio is a force to be reckoned with.
Equipment: The only real thing of note is the katana he wields in combat. Though it is a normal katana forged with modern methods, the magical energy that flows into it from Fumi means that it is rather durable compared to an unaugmented blade of the same make.
History: Growing up in a fairly unassuming middle-class family, Akio lived his life fairly free of problems for most of his early childhood. The young child had spent his formative years as many a child would—reading manga, playing video games, and slacking off between classes—and as he entered his final year of middle school, he had assumed things would remain much the same.
They did not.
A freak incident at his school had led to a Grudge wreaking havoc on the building and it's surroundings—to say nothing of the other students and staff there. Though he had come out of the mess uninjured, the barely-too-late arrival of emergency forces to settle the incident coupled with what he had seen had left a deep impression on the boy. Counseling was a given, but given how there were children who seemed to be more shaken than him about the incident, the young Akio was left to the side in favor of the people who needed it more.
High school, then, began no better. News of the incident had long since made the rounds around the city, and a gang of delinquents thought it funny to press-gang a few of the incoming students more shaken up by that gruesome past into "helping them out", as it were. Stepping in, though, only served to put him on the receiving end of a rather unceremonious beatdown.
Time and time again, the young Akio would try and step in, only for the routine brawl to break out to try and put him in his place. Eventually, though, Akio began to be able to fight back rather than be placed permanently on the back foot. One or two people being knocked out of the fight was a great improvement from none, of course, but against the overwhelming odds he pitted himself against, even that much could be considered progress.
It was at this point, though, that one of his senpai—a tengu by the name of Takenohara Fumi—stepped in and offered to teach him. Akio had blown her off at first, of course; this was his problem now, and getting other people wrapped up in them was the last thing he wanted to do. But the tengu replied in turn; this was not an offer made of pity, but of honest belief—belief that was rather absent, given his apparent reputation as the local punching bag (that was occasionally fighting back). She wouldn't help him fight herself, of course, but being taught how to fight was different from that, no?
And so the lessons began. Compared to leaving bruised and battered and possibly with a lighter wallet than when he had left, training with Fumi was far more palatable—even if that training left him feeling far worse for wear afterwards. Learning how to use a sword was incredibly straightforward to him, who had only ever picked up a makeshift weapon in those brawls to try and defend himself with, and the constant drills and training exercises had left his body in a far better shape to fight in than before.
Three months had come and gone in the blink of an eye, and Akio soon found himself in yet another brawl with those same delinquents, who at this point had moved on from their initial scheme and only wished to pick a fight with the plucky idiot that served as their stress relief. This time around, though, Akio came armed with a bokuto and experience in fighting beyond that of the simple street fights his opponents were armed with.
Unlike the last fight he had been involved in, Akio came out of this one on top. Against all odds, the young man, though bruised and battered as ever, had left all of the delinquents lying at his feet this time around. If that had been the end of it, all would have been well. If only.
With their pride wounded, the delinquents (after licking their wounds) came back—this time, armed with a few more weapons and a bit more wariness about them. Though Akio had won the second engagement, the tighter margin by which he had done so had left him with a bad premonition. And so he returned to Fumi once more, earnestly asking the upperclassman if she could help continue training him. She obliged.
Fights had become the norm for Akio by this point, and despite what the adults in his life were trying to do to get him to stop, getting wrapped up in brawl after brawl seemed almost inevitable. Juggling academics, training, and fighting was tiring, of course, but it wasn't like he had much of a say in the matter. Though the delinquents that he had first dealt with were no longer a threat, rumors of his purported strength meant that others were coming to look for him, too.
And so went Akio's first year of high school. By this point, though, the young man had set his sights on something more than simply shutting up the people picking fights with him—no, with this sort of power in hand, he could do something meaningful about the Grudges that continued to pop up across the city. An influx in recent years had not slipped past his attention, of course, but the young man was always left wary after what had happened a few years prior, and if he could help resolve or even prevent another incident like that from happening, then there was no reason not to try.
The only matter on that front that remained to be settled, though, was the matter of being Attuned. Using a Weapon had crossed his mind, of course, but the price of one was no small thing; it made much more sense to simply seek a Contract...
And who better to ask than the youkai who had set this whole thing into motion?
His earnest request on the day of Fumi's graduation was met with a conditional 'yes'—so long as he could show growth in mind and body without her, she would consider it. Given everything that he had gone through, though, Akio took this to mean 'handling the delinquent problem once and for all while also keeping up with his studies'. But with a goal in mind, the young man had no reason to shy away from that challenge now; after all, if he couldn't handle such a thing, what good would he be against Grudges?
Two years and a new reputation as a fighter (and a bunch of people who had decided to tag along for their own reasons taking up his mantle as a vigilante peacekeeping group) later, Akio once again returned to Fumi to ask her to form a Contract with him. Though the results were not exactly what she had envisioned, the tengu had no real reason to decline.
Other: Has a little sister who really doesn't care much for the incidental reputation her brother has gained over the last few years. With their father working overseas and mother in a different city, though, the two siblings are surprisingly close despite their apparent butting heads half the time.
Name: Takenohara Fumi
Race: Tengu
Age: 20
Appearance: "You know, I don't actually mind wearing this. Bit too outdated for my liking, though."
With a height of 165cm, Fumi is by no means a physical anomaly, and if she chooses to hide her wings, blending into a crowd as a human is quite a simple feat for her.
Personality: At heart, Fumi is a bit of a capricious person; though her dedication towards a task or topic when given direction is admirable in it's own right, the tengu only truly shines when her interest is piqued. Ordinarily, though, Fumi is somewhat lax, placing in just enough effort into things to not stand out. Fueled by her desire to fulfill the 'obligations' levied upon her by her family and surroundings, the young tengu's lack of grander aspirations left her with just enough motivation to live life as it came. Though her skills might not stand out, the results that she puts forth are good enough to leave her unperturbed. When it comes to things that interest her, though, Fumi's focus seems to spike. Placing her usual demeanor to the side, Fumi quickly places her entire self—body, mind, and soul—towards whatever goal she has set for herself.
Aside from that, the young tengu is rather affable—a skill gained from having to help out at her family business growing up—and willing to lend aid to those who ask—and, when the mood strikes her, to those who don't. Whether or not that is a good thing is up for debate.
Abilities: As might be obvious given her wings, Fumi (like most tengu) is able to fly in the sky. She is also rather quick, regardless of if she is on the ground or in the sky. That speed is more suited for sprints than marathons, though; she can quickly close in on a target or retreat from them easily enough, but moving large distances or extended fights can easily burn her out if she isn't managing herself carefully.
Skills: Beyond knowledge of military tactics and strategy drilled into her from a young age, Fumi is also quite adept at using arms of war. Her preferred weapon is a naginata, of course, but she is knowledgeable enough at other forms of armed combat to at least be 'passable' when it comes to using anything else.
Aside from proficiency in combat, Fumi is also a fairly decent chef, if only by dint of having to help her parents out at their restaurant every now and again.
History: As a youkai born in the 'modern era', Fumi never had anything too far off from what people might call a 'normal' time growing up. Born in an era of peace (unlike her predecessors from the last few centuries), the young tengu had little need for the principles of war and combat that were drilled into her from a young age. "As descendants of the tengu of Mt. Kurama, such studies are to be expected", or so she was told, and so every day after classes the young girl would return home to study how to fight—from small-scale conflicts to grand battles, nothing was left untouched. Fumi, of course, felt she had no real reason to learn such things; she had no desire to throw her life away in service of some nebulous goal, and aspirations for power were the furthest thing from her mind; a life of peace and quiet was more than enough for her.
It was about then, though, that Fumi met Yatsujima Akio, a young man who seemed a bit too gung-ho for his own good. Her underclassman by two years, Akio found himself getting wrapped up in one mess after another with the local delinquents, which would inevitably result in him getting a thrashing and being left bloodied and beaten somewhere nearby after school. Even so, the tengu was left curious about her kouhai—doubly so given the frequency of his purported fights—and eventually chose to watch one of those street brawls from the shadows.
Ultimately though, Akio left sprawled out on the floor, bruised and battered—as was the norm whenever she happened to catch a glimpse of the young man in the hallways—but what was more intriguing was the fact that he had actually managed to take down a few of the delinquents in the process. Against such overwhelming odds, to find this sort of success...
Maybe it was something in her bloodline that had flipped a switch, but Fumi found herself wanting to see him succeed—and to that end, teaching Akio a bit more about the art of warfare and fighting seemed like the best way to do so. After all, all those lessons had to be useful for something, right?
So teach him she did. The young man was a bit reluctant at first, not wanting to get someone else involved in his 'problems' on a whim, but Fumi's reasoning and logic ultimately prevailed. Thus began the most entertaining days of her high school life—constant training and putting her learned theory towards more practical applications. It helped, of course, that Akio took to her lessons in kenjutsu like a fish to water, and her drive to help him spurred her own studies onwards. The only thing that remained to be seen, though, was how well those lessons would translate to combat proper.
Three months of unfettered training later, and Akio once again took to the battlefield—this time, with a new bokuto in hand—and Fumi, as before, watched from the sidelines. Compared to the wild and chaotic fistfights he had against the delinquents before, the Akio now seemed to be able to strike down his foes without getting swept up by their flow. And so when he emerged victories, with only a few injuries on him...
Well, it was hard for either of them to call that anything but a win.
Of course, that was only the beginning; the delinquents, with their pride wounded, would inevitably end up trying to strike back at Akio time and time again. Fumi had never actually dug into the reasons why he had gone so far in the first place, but seeing as how he continued to request for her aid in training and practice, she count only assume the constant assaults were at fault.
And so went Fumi's last year in high school; eventful as it was, the young woman could only hope the lessons she had imparted onto the boy would allow him to eventually settle the matter once and for all. But fate, it seemed, had other plans in store. On the day of her graduation, Akio had pulled the tengu aside and asked if, after he graduated, they could form a Contract. The young man had other motives beyond just revenge, it seemed—Grudges seemed to be the reason behind his recklessness. Given that she had seen his growth firsthand, Fumi agreed, though only on the condition that he didn't slack off in his training or his studies.
What she didn't expect was that Akio would take that matter quite as seriously as he did. And so, two years later, the tengu kept true to her promise and applied to a new Grudge-hunting startup—Icelit, it was called—as a pair of Attuned.
Other: Her family owns a somewhat popular izakaya within the city.
Race: Tengu
Age: 20
Appearance: "You know, I don't actually mind wearing this. Bit too outdated for my liking, though."
With a height of 165cm, Fumi is by no means a physical anomaly, and if she chooses to hide her wings, blending into a crowd as a human is quite a simple feat for her.
Personality: At heart, Fumi is a bit of a capricious person; though her dedication towards a task or topic when given direction is admirable in it's own right, the tengu only truly shines when her interest is piqued. Ordinarily, though, Fumi is somewhat lax, placing in just enough effort into things to not stand out. Fueled by her desire to fulfill the 'obligations' levied upon her by her family and surroundings, the young tengu's lack of grander aspirations left her with just enough motivation to live life as it came. Though her skills might not stand out, the results that she puts forth are good enough to leave her unperturbed. When it comes to things that interest her, though, Fumi's focus seems to spike. Placing her usual demeanor to the side, Fumi quickly places her entire self—body, mind, and soul—towards whatever goal she has set for herself.
Aside from that, the young tengu is rather affable—a skill gained from having to help out at her family business growing up—and willing to lend aid to those who ask—and, when the mood strikes her, to those who don't. Whether or not that is a good thing is up for debate.
Abilities: As might be obvious given her wings, Fumi (like most tengu) is able to fly in the sky. She is also rather quick, regardless of if she is on the ground or in the sky. That speed is more suited for sprints than marathons, though; she can quickly close in on a target or retreat from them easily enough, but moving large distances or extended fights can easily burn her out if she isn't managing herself carefully.
Skills: Beyond knowledge of military tactics and strategy drilled into her from a young age, Fumi is also quite adept at using arms of war. Her preferred weapon is a naginata, of course, but she is knowledgeable enough at other forms of armed combat to at least be 'passable' when it comes to using anything else.
Aside from proficiency in combat, Fumi is also a fairly decent chef, if only by dint of having to help her parents out at their restaurant every now and again.
History: As a youkai born in the 'modern era', Fumi never had anything too far off from what people might call a 'normal' time growing up. Born in an era of peace (unlike her predecessors from the last few centuries), the young tengu had little need for the principles of war and combat that were drilled into her from a young age. "As descendants of the tengu of Mt. Kurama, such studies are to be expected", or so she was told, and so every day after classes the young girl would return home to study how to fight—from small-scale conflicts to grand battles, nothing was left untouched. Fumi, of course, felt she had no real reason to learn such things; she had no desire to throw her life away in service of some nebulous goal, and aspirations for power were the furthest thing from her mind; a life of peace and quiet was more than enough for her.
It was about then, though, that Fumi met Yatsujima Akio, a young man who seemed a bit too gung-ho for his own good. Her underclassman by two years, Akio found himself getting wrapped up in one mess after another with the local delinquents, which would inevitably result in him getting a thrashing and being left bloodied and beaten somewhere nearby after school. Even so, the tengu was left curious about her kouhai—doubly so given the frequency of his purported fights—and eventually chose to watch one of those street brawls from the shadows.
Ultimately though, Akio left sprawled out on the floor, bruised and battered—as was the norm whenever she happened to catch a glimpse of the young man in the hallways—but what was more intriguing was the fact that he had actually managed to take down a few of the delinquents in the process. Against such overwhelming odds, to find this sort of success...
Maybe it was something in her bloodline that had flipped a switch, but Fumi found herself wanting to see him succeed—and to that end, teaching Akio a bit more about the art of warfare and fighting seemed like the best way to do so. After all, all those lessons had to be useful for something, right?
So teach him she did. The young man was a bit reluctant at first, not wanting to get someone else involved in his 'problems' on a whim, but Fumi's reasoning and logic ultimately prevailed. Thus began the most entertaining days of her high school life—constant training and putting her learned theory towards more practical applications. It helped, of course, that Akio took to her lessons in kenjutsu like a fish to water, and her drive to help him spurred her own studies onwards. The only thing that remained to be seen, though, was how well those lessons would translate to combat proper.
Three months of unfettered training later, and Akio once again took to the battlefield—this time, with a new bokuto in hand—and Fumi, as before, watched from the sidelines. Compared to the wild and chaotic fistfights he had against the delinquents before, the Akio now seemed to be able to strike down his foes without getting swept up by their flow. And so when he emerged victories, with only a few injuries on him...
Well, it was hard for either of them to call that anything but a win.
Of course, that was only the beginning; the delinquents, with their pride wounded, would inevitably end up trying to strike back at Akio time and time again. Fumi had never actually dug into the reasons why he had gone so far in the first place, but seeing as how he continued to request for her aid in training and practice, she count only assume the constant assaults were at fault.
And so went Fumi's last year in high school; eventful as it was, the young woman could only hope the lessons she had imparted onto the boy would allow him to eventually settle the matter once and for all. But fate, it seemed, had other plans in store. On the day of her graduation, Akio had pulled the tengu aside and asked if, after he graduated, they could form a Contract. The young man had other motives beyond just revenge, it seemed—Grudges seemed to be the reason behind his recklessness. Given that she had seen his growth firsthand, Fumi agreed, though only on the condition that he didn't slack off in his training or his studies.
What she didn't expect was that Akio would take that matter quite as seriously as he did. And so, two years later, the tengu kept true to her promise and applied to a new Grudge-hunting startup—Icelit, it was called—as a pair of Attuned.
Other: Her family owns a somewhat popular izakaya within the city.