Haruaki Azuma (chapter)

Short Summary
Azuma Squad, Tamakoma Second, and Kageura Squad strategize for their upcoming battle.

Long Summary
Yuiga adamantly refuses to battle Osamu because it would hurt his pride to lose to a B-Rank agent 100 times. Izumi reminds him that anyone that had pride wouldn't act like that, and Osamu and Yuiga begin to battle. In 10 matches, it's 8-2 points, with Yuiga in the lead. Osamu remembers what Karasuma and Arashiyama told him about how he stiffened when trying to hit opponents. Osamu believes that if he can move more freely, he can win. They continue to fight.

Meanwhile, at Tamakoma Branch, Karasuma reveals that Yuiga is the son of Border's biggest sponsor. When he joined, he was put in the A-Rank #1 squad as per his request. Karasuma notes that being in A-Rank without any skill is particularly difficult.

On February 11, Chika's birthday, Usami asks why she didn't tell her in advance so they could celebrate. Chika expresses disappointment in herself for revealing to Ema that she cannot shoot people. While she is rebuked by Osamu, Yūma points out that Ninomiya and Azuma probably guessed her weakness due to the resemblance she had to Hatohara. The team agrees that they should make sure Chika is extra-well hidden. Yūma recommends to Chika to shoot when the enemies think she cannot, though she seems to disagree. Now all that had to be done was analyze and train.

Azuma Squad strategizes for the battle. Koarai suggests choosing a map with gimmicks like Nasu Squad, though Okudera disagrees. He notes that Nasu Squad's strategy was too dependent on luck in spawning areas. They begin arguing, which is settled by Hitomi. Azuma asks them to agree on something, and they agree that the other teams had ranged attackers, and they should choose a map that neutralizes ranged attacks. Azuma would need support from Mako since his line of sight would be affected, and notes that he could take on Chika and Kitazoe, whose attacks weren't affected by landscapes, as long as a non-gimmicked map was chosen. Now that they had a general strategy, they needed to analyze their opponents for more specific strategies.

Kageura Squad watches records of Tamakoma Second, and Osamu continues to battle Yuiga, at 152-48 points, Yuiga in the lead. On the day of the Rank War, Ayatsuji is the narrator, while Kazama and Kako appear as commentators. The map chosen was City B, which had high and low buildings, and the weather was snowy.

Characters in Order of Appearance
Characters in italic are only seen briefly and have yet to make a proper appearance.
 * Takeru Yuiga
 * Osamu Mikumo
 * Kōhei Izumi
 * Tetsuji Arafune (flashback)
 * Rei Nasu (flashback)
 * Kōtarō Suwa (flashback)
 * Kyōsuke Karasuma
 * Yūma Kuga
 * Masamune Kido (flashback)
 * Kei Tachikawa (flashback)
 * Yuu Kunichika (flashback)
 * Shiori Usami
 * Chika Amatori
 * Masataka Ninomiya (mentioned)
 * Noboru Koarai
 * Tsuneyuki Okudera
 * Mako Hitomi
 * Haruaki Azuma
 * Masato Kageura
 * Kō Murakami (pictured on Kageura's laptop screen)
 * Hiro Kitazoe [debut]
 * Yuzuru Ema
 * Reiji Kizaki
 * Kirie Konami
 * Yōtarō Rindō
 * Haruka Ayatsuji
 * Sōya Kazama
 * Nozomi Kako
 * Sumiharu Inukai [debut]
 * Masataka Ninomiya (actual appearance)
 * Shinnosuke Tsuji [debut]

Triggers in Order of Appearance

 * Scorpion (pictured on Kageura's laptop screen, and Yūma)
 * Raygust (Mikumo)
 * Asteroid (Handgun) (Yuiga)
 * Egret (Kizaki)
 * Sōgetsu (Konami)