From the Scepter 4 grounds, a row of sakura trees could be seen. The view was nothing short of magnificient when the sakura trees, planted on the outer perimeter as if to encircle the headquarters, blossomed out into flowers all at once.
The Scepter 4 members had no time to pay attention to the scenery during the intense everyday training sessions, but on their days off they did look around and couldn’t help heaving a sigh at how breath-takingly beautiful the view was.
There were 6 men clad in blue, sitted in a circle on a blue sheet, surrounded by all that blooming sakura. All but one looked ill at ease and strongly irritated. Their eyes were bloodshot, as if in testament to the fact that at the moment they couldn’t see, much less enjoy the elegant scenery around, as they, one after another, extended a hand to rummage in the box put in the center of the sheet. Each of the five drew one of the wooden sticks from the box and checked it. Every single one ended up with disappointment painted all over his face.
The last one, regarding the expressions of the other five calmly, put his hand into the box. Taking out a wooden lot, he checked it quietly and gave a faint smile. His smile was that of a man accustomed to dominate those around. Yes, it was a smile of a ruler.
With that thin smile still playing on his lips, the man - The Blue King Munakata Reishi - announced with a deep resonant voice, “Who is the king?”
You, who else…?! The five other men around him - in other words, the members of the Scepter 4 troops, namely Enomoto Tatsuya, Fuse Daiki, Gotou Ren, Hidaka Akira and Fushimi Saruhiko - bit their lips at the same time, sharing one thought.
As if he read their minds, Munakata revealed his lot. Its end had a red mark on it. The mark symbolized the king of this gathering - in other words, the wooden stick with it was the sword of Damocles in regards to this First Big Flower Gazing Party of Scepter 4.
“Seems like I am the king yet again. Well then, what should I order this time…?” Munakata put his hand to his chin, considering. Throwing sidelong glances at the man, a king both in game and reality, the gloomy Hidaka Akira thought back to how it all came to this.
***
“Mhuhu… no, Fuse. Hidaka wants to ‘flower gaze’; there’s a slight difference”, Gotou replied.
Hidaka nodded. “Yeah. And what I propose is not simple flower gazing”.
“I suggest we invite some girls from the general affairs and hold the First Big Flower Gazing Party of Scepter 4! Simply put, it will also be something like a mixer!”
“Mhehe. You mean Yoshino-san, doncha”.
“I can’t imagine Awashima-san doing something like mixers…”
“I actually wonder about that. In my opinion, that depends”.
“Well, for example, if captain Munakata attends…” Their imagination helpfully provided them with an image of the Blue King, Munakata Reishi, gazing at flowers while drinking customary sake, and all four of them burst into laughter simultaneously.
“Hell would freeze over sooner than captain would attend a drinking party!”
“…Whatever, I don’t give a damn, that’s not where the problem lies anyway. What you morons do is up to you and none of my concern. The problem here is why the hell did I have to get dragged into your mess…?!”
Needless to say that the one grumbling this under his breath angrily was Fushimi Saruhiko. While in the new recruits squad, due to his prodigious talent, he had quickly risen to a position ranking directly below lieutenant Awashima’s. One might wonder how he ended up attending this flower gazing party. The truth is, he just happened to pass by and was spotted by Munakata. That is to say, he was simply unlucky.
Hidaka whispered back, “Well… saying this to me is kind of useless, you know…”
“I would if I could…! Besides, Fushimi-san, would you yourself please hurry up and draw the winning lot…!”
Fushimi and Hidaka kept bickering in hushed whispers, and they had a very good reason for it. Under the premise of flower gazing, the six participants kept playing King game for what felt like hours, and all that time none of them - with the one and only exception of Munakata - managed to become the king.
“Oh. It seems like it is I again”.
Yes, no luck for them this time either. Even though the lots were drawn randomly, the wooden stick with the red mark on it, symbolizing the king, magically ended up in Munakata’s hand all the time. So far, it had been ten times in a row. They didn’t know how it was possible, but as things stood, this was the outcome that kept repeating time and time again. Munakata cheating was inconceivable, which left only one possibility: what they were witnessing was a live demonstration of favorable luck the real-life kings possessed.
Munakata had already gotten into the way of smoothly giving out orders. “Now then, number five and number three. Hmm… As far as I remember, the door to the general affairs file room doesn’t fit into the frame properly, so I would like you to fix it until next week”.
Fuse and Enomoto’s faces fell. Apparently, they were the ones to draw numbers five and three. Not being able to voice even a single objection, they could only hung their heads under the Blue King’s calm gaze and express their consent, “Understood…”
There was only one way to stop this nightmare, and that was for one of them to become the king and declare this so-called flower gazing party over, but so far, none of them was able to accomplish that.
“…Th-This… This is no King game. It’s Tyrant game…!” Enomoto mumbled, his hands clenched into fists and shaking uncontrollably.
It seemed his remark reached the ears of Munakata who was about to announce 'Who is the king?’ for the 11th time but stopped, raising one brow and staring at Enomoto. “Enomoto-kun, you are saying some interesting things… that this is no King game?”
“It should be obvious! King game is, well, you know, how should I put it… funnier and cosier, and it provides a perfectly legitimate chance to flirt with cute girls! It just won’t do if this game doesn’t make your heart pound sweetly! It’s absolutely not this, this… this one-sided pushing of chores onto people by their superior!”
Nicely said, Eno…! Hidaka was nearly moved to tears. That’s right. You’re absolutely right. One person ending up the king ten times in a row is not the problem. But the lack of cute girls and all the orders being chores is! When there’re girls among the players, the king, no matter who it might be, will give the others orders like, 'Numbers one and three, play the pocky game’, 'Numbers two and four, hug each other’ and similar, and that’s sure to make your heart beat faster…!
Munakata blinked a couple of times, and said quietly, “…In short, the problem is the lack of females? Well then, shall I ask Awashima-kun to j–”
“?!” All the present felt tension running along their spines.
The nose glasses. We shall omit the detailed explanation as to why such a thing was in a place like that. Let us just say that it was among Gotou’s possessions, and Munakata, being a sharply attentive man, had spotted it about five minutes earlier.
Meanwhile, Munakata shifted his gaze to Enomoto and smiled, “…This is what you meant, is it not, Enomoto-kun?”
“I see. I think I was able to grasp its essence to a certain degree. Well then, who has number three?” Munakata surveyed all the present until his gaze stopped at a certain one.
A blue aura was rising off Fushimi Saruhiko - the blue energy that the members of military divisions of Scepter 4 called upon when in battle. Releasing it in a place like that was uncalled for, but it stood to show just how badly Fushimi was irritated.
However, Munakata, with a deepening smile, simply quietly presented him the nose glasses. “It is your number, is it not, Fushimi-kun. Here, please put these on”.
“………………Next”.
“Next round. Let’s move on to the next round, quickly”. Fushimi’s blue aura flickered. Even the glasses with a huge false nose attached to them were tinged with his killing intent, twinkling maliciously.
Munakata sensed it, washing over him like a gentle breeze, as he took the box with the lots. “I’m happy to see you so full of enthusiasm, Fushimi-kun. Well then… Oh?” Mukakata made a surprised face, staring at the lot he had drawn.
The light of hope flared up in the souls of the squad 4 members. One by one, they drew the lots. Fushimi, still glowing with blue light, was the last one to put his hand into the box, and when he retracted it… a huge grin, threatening to split his face in two, appeared on his lips. “I’m the king”.
Oh shit, Hidaka thought as his instincts sounded the alarm. They were going to put an end to this nightmare if one of them became the king - only it didn’t look like this kind of thought still survived in Fushimi’s head.
Fushimi took his time staring at Munakata with a snake-like gaze, before finally saying, “Number one, put on the nose glasses”.
Munakata shrugged his shoulders and showed the others his lot without prompting. It had “1” written on it.
Fushimi took off the nose glasses, smirking widely all the while.
“Hm…” Munakata’s shoulders moved with a sigh as he took off his own glasses, putting on the nose ones, when…
“Captain?” A commanding voice came.
It belonged to none other than the Scepter 4 lieutenant, Awashima Seri. Back straight, she bowed respectfully to the king under whom she served and briefly stated her business. “I apologize for interrupting you when you are busy, but it’s about the regular report from the Nanakamado precinct…”
“Oh, it is already time for it. Thank you for reminding me. Now, you will have to excuse me…”
Enomoto, Fuse, Gotou, Hidaka and Fushimi dropped their eyes in unison.