4 - First Battle

“Next, let’s assign the Touken Danshi and Troops you have made into a Team. You can manage your teams from the Saniwa room.” 

Konnosuke leads us again to another room. We entered a big room with a complicated device in front of a big screen. 

“Here we have the Formation Screen. First, let’s take the name of Touken Danshi you have just made to place them into a Team.” 

Konnosuke gestured to one side of the screen. I fiddled around and successfully arranged a team in the touch screen, and put Hachisuka as the captain with Yagen as the member of the team.

“This now completes the Team placement of your Touken Danshi. Next, let’s equip the selected Touken with Troops.” 

Thankfully, for this one, everything can be arranged on the touch screen. The design is like a retro game, but as long as it’s easy to understand, I guess that’s what is needed. 

I quickly put the troops on Hachisuka. 

“Understood. I'll show you I'll make good use of it!” Hachisuka reacted. 

“I know you can do it!” I smiled at him.

“We have now completed the placement of your Team. I have explained all there is to it. We have received a report that the enemy has made their move.” 

Konnosuke pressed a red button and the screen changed to Japan’s map. 

“We have detected the enemy in Hakodate, Meiji Era.” 

I can see the spot in the map has been marked with a red dot. 

“By proceeding through a battlefield and defeating the enemy leader, a new one becomes available. Let’s set this battlefield for our first battle.” 

Konnosuke tapped on the green button to designate the team’s destination. 

≪Memory of the Meiji Restoration – Hakodate≫

“Wait, don’t we need to do training for battle first? Are we going straight to battle?” 

I throw a concerned look at Hachisuka and Yagen. 

“Master, I still remember how to fight.” 

Hachisuka shakes his head, he must be thinking my concern is unnecessary. 

“I already told you, Captain, I’m used to fighting. Leave it to me!” 

Yagen tapped on his chest with his fist. I frowned regardless. 

“Can’t I also go to the battlefield?”

“No!” The three of them said in a stern voice at the same time. 

“Master, we can’t have you injured. The Honmaru system can heal us, Touken Danshi, when we are injured. But we can’t do anything if you’re injured, Master.” Hachisuka explained. 

“That’s right, Captain. We are here to do the mission, but protecting you–the one who gives us the ability to move–is more important to us.” Yagen added. 

I sighed. 

“Alright, I will trust you guys. Please be safe.” 

I tapped on both of their shoulders. 

“Now let’s go to our first battlefield and sortie. Touken Danshi can stand on the platform over there. If you’re ready, just press the blue button.” 

Konnosuke jumped down from the table towards the platform inside the room. 

“Let us depart, to our battlefield,” Hachisuka and Yagen stepped up to the platform. 

“Oh wait, can I be the one who presses the button?” 

At least I can do this much, right? 

“Well sure. Saniwa can’t be teleported to the battlefield. So you can do it, Shiromi-sama.”

Konnosuke allowed me.

“Alright, then. Good luck.” 

I stepped on the platform and pressed the blue button. 

A light shined from the platform, and the second later, they’re gone. 

“We can watch their battle progress on this screen. Shiromi-sama.” 

Konnosuke turned back to the screen. 

I can only see their stationary picture with a health indicator, marching on the battlefield. 

“Wait? I can’t see what’s happening on the battlefield?” I frowned. 

“Yes, Saniwa can only watch over their battle progress and you will get a report after the battle is finished. Currently we have engaged with the enemy team. They already did reconnaissance on the enemy, and doing so reveals the enemy formation that helps you decide on which formation is most beneficial for you. Choose your formation and begin the battle.”

There are 6 choices of battle formation. 

“When you choose the formation, your Touken Danshi will get the signal and commence the battle.” 

I can see the formation with “Advantage” label and “Disadvantage” label. 

I pressed on the “Advantage” one, of course. 

I can see my team start attacking the enemy team, and also they attack my boys too.

“Konnosuke, they hit Hachisuka!” 

I’m a bit panicked. 

But then Hachisuka started glowing and attacked the enemies even more fiercely.

“That’s called Shinken Hissatsu or Awakened State! Once activated, your power will greatly increase until the end of the battle. It’s likely that Shinken Hissatsu will be activated when you receive damage. If one Touken uses Shinken Hissatsu, others can also continue the attack.” 

The battles quickly ended with victory on our side. 

“Master, we can continue the battle. We need to decide on the route we will take. Please roll this dice to decide it.” 

Konnosuke pointed to a 12-sided dice, and a place to roll it on the table. I take the dice reluctantly, but still roll it. The dice indicator is based on the 12 chinese zodiac. 

The tiger (寅) side of the dice showed up and we went to the north-east of the map. 

“It’s the enemy boss…” 

I frowned with concern when I heard Konnosuke. 

My heart sank when Hachisuka’s health bar dropped to red, and Yagen also lost half of his health bar. 

“Are they gonna be okay?!” I leaned close to the screen. 

“Mmf… Unfortunately, we have been defeated. Losing a battle will force you to retreat. Let us return to Honmaru and heal the injured Touken Danshi.” 

I quickly looked back to the platform, and it shined again. 

The injured boys are appearing on the altar. 

“Hachisuka! Yagen!” I approached them. 

“It's nothing, getting injured is also part of the job.” I frowned at Yagen’s words. 

“Let's go to the repair room, Master. You can revert them to their sword form first.” 

Konnosuke suggested. 

“Ah right. We can do that.” 

I nodded and touched them instinctively with an intention to revert them back to their sword form. 

They glowed a bit before they turned into their sword form. I hold them tightly in my arms and start following Konnosuke to the repair room. 

There are two rooms to heal the swords. I put Yagen and Hachisuka in both rooms. A sword repairing tool is appearing in the rooms and it slowly starts to repair them. 

“You can use some resources to heal the injured Touken Danshi by auto repair, or you can heal them manually too.” Konnosuke explained again. 

“Then I’ll help repair Hachisuka.” 

I entered the repair room and started to repair Hachisuka just like the auto repair did to him. 

“Shiromi-sama, you can also speed up the repair using Help Token.” 

Konnosuke tapped on the door, and asked me to speed up the repair. But I want to practice healing them manually, so I can help them if needed. So I decided to ignore Konnosuke.