Shizuru

Shizuru remembers vividly that on the day her presence was demanded in the chief's office, she had sucked in three sharp breaths before opening the door.

She solemnly read the three documents on the desk that the chief slid toward her... Shooting, precision bombing, sprinting, and melee combat... These three people, as soldiers, all had results that stood out in these aspects. In fact, she could tell from the written results what kind of position they would be assigned to and felt like her abilities were nothing to write home about in comparison with theirs.

To her surprise, the chief still expressed his hope for Shizuru to lead this little team. She practically froze in her spot, unable to comprehend why she could receive such an opportunity. Thereafter, bearing the immense pressure from herself and the outside world, she worked hard to become a competent captain.

When she accepted that opportunity, some thoughts about the things she could do with that title came to mind, albeit only for a moment, and they involved a certain person who remains oblivious to this day. The question that she has asked herself umpteen times will perhaps only be answered in a more distant future.

Team Ratel's efficiency in mission execution is leading among the BCRL teams who have been in service for the same number of years. Just this fact alone is enough to make Shizuru, the captain, proud for ages. It's precisely because of this brilliance that Team Ratel is continuously assigned to all sorts of dangerous missions, making them face numerous life-threatening situations altogether. To Shizuru, there's no one in her team who she wouldn't trust her life with.

Yet, for some reason, opinions of Team Ratel within BCRL were differing. There were other teams who were jealous of Team Ratel's success and also some people with grudges against specific team members. Though mission results couldn't be forged, their reports, evaluations, and colleagues' opinions never failed to cause some kind of problem.

Shizuru never once shirked her responsibilities in these times in spite of being poor at managing these complex interpersonal relations. Time and time again, she stepped forward as the captain to iron things out, gradually earning the understanding and respect of others. Even her teammates couldn't really make sense of this perseverance of hers. They all felt that there was no need for Shizuru to take it upon herself to shoulder these extra responsibilities, saying that they didn't mind not being welcomed.

But Shizuru answered, "It's exactly because you guys think this way that worries me. I genuinely believe all Team Ratel members are exceptionally outstanding and should be given the respect we deserve..."

"In other words, Shizuru, you're also tooting your own horn, huh?"

"...I didn't say that. Anyway, I hope we can all be proud of our team as a whole."

From high school to the BCRL training camp and then the BCRL Agency... Shizuru finally found where she belonged after all these twists and turns. At first, she had left Fortress City to join the BCRL only to lighten her father's financial burden and gain independence earlier, but now, she has come this far. This thought always leaves her finding everything surreal.

In truth, Shizuru, who was one of the people her friends and classmates trusted most since young, often felt as though she had long lost touch with her past life. The friends she met in the city had all begun their own separate journeys, while the person she cared about most had also become a conductor and started a new life. All this while, what motivated her to work hard was her goal of becoming someone stronger and more remarkable so as to stand alongside, and even protect, the people she cares about. But before accomplishing that goal, she had no idea what to do with herself.

After much contemplation, amid work and continuous self-improvement, Shizuru eventually tried to reach out to Conductor with simple greetings like "I've arrived at a new Bonfire City," or "The route you're driving isn't safe lately." Even though these texts were of little importance, Conductor never failed to reply to each one earnestly, which made Shizuru feel like their relationship hadn't changed, though they had indeed grown apart in distance.

That said, Shizuru still lost her cool upon seeing the numerous speeding and violation tickets issued by the BCRL to The Eternal. She whipped out her communicator angrily and contacted Conductor, exclaiming, "Keep doing anything so reckless for any reason, and I'll go over right away to teach you a lesson!"