Yodaka, the Nightjar, is one of the youngest and most powerful shinobi of Japan’s Ninja Public Safety Force. He can take on any opponent thrown at him and defeat them with the greatest of ease. But now he must face his greatest challenge yet: high school. He’s tasked with protecting an orphaned rich girl; the only way he can do that is by talking to her. Facing deadly killers is one thing, but making friends to maintain one’s cover? His knees are shaking just thinking about it.
You Call that Stealthy?
Fresh off one Frontline, Yodaka is thrust towards another, going undercover as a first-year high school student. His assignment: protect Aoi Mukai, a high-value target for the criminal underworld. His first task was to become her friend, which, by the way, goes against the whole shinobi hiding in the shadows type of philosophy. Making direct contact with “the assignment”, a phrase that will be used unbearably frequently throughout the manga, so very anti-stealthy, as well as anti-Yodaka, it would seem. Yodaka has crippling anxiety when it comes to talking to people, men or women, it doesn’t matter. One of the most feared ninja in his organization would.
Cover Blown?
The whole ploy had been set in motion years in advance, from Aoi’s bodyguard and driver, a covert operative by the name of Usami, codenamed Mimizuku the Horned Owl, all the way down to her predetermined best friend Kan Fujimiya, codenamed Hibari the Skylark, and boyfriend Taki Utsumi, codenamed Umineko the Gull. Even with her lack of depth perception or even the simplest form of coordination, Aoi feels very self-aware of how her life has been predetermined for her by assuming everyone around her is a spy, planted into her life with a purpose she has yet to discover.
This self-awareness has put her at odds with whom she makes contact with, always wondering if she’s developed a genuine relationship with someone, or if it’s completely fake and that person in her life has some sort of ulterior motive. It’s that kind of direct contact with her that makes her so strangely attracted to Nozuki (Yodaka). His anxiety towards just being around her seems to make him appear more emotionally natural. His uneasiness made him more human than the ones who were trying to “act” human around Aoi.
The Art of Friendship
Hibari has a hard time taking criticism, especially when it comes to “acting naturally” in a high school setting. Even without direct criticism, she feels inept when it comes to seeing Yodaka becoming friends with Aoi so effortlessly. Now she has no choice but to abandon her pride and begrudgingly ask him how he does it. Her shinobi training from switching between disguises is unparalleled, but it’s not enough when one persona acts as though she’s some kind of anime character brought to life.
She’s a kawaii, but no one is that kawaii, and it could be a bit unsettling, to the point that even Aoi can see right through her charade. Even worse when confronted by her first adversary, Miyaki, even he berates her mid-fight about her mannerisms, so the more she tries to blend in, the more she stands out, which was why, when Miyaki was assigned to eliminate Aoi’s ninja protectors, it was easy for him to single out Hibari so quickly.
His Helping Hand for Her Heart
She may be a force to be reckoned with in terms of combat, but Hibari couldn’t take on Miyaki alone after catching her off guard. For the most part, Yodaka tends to run interference by snatching up Aoi and getting her out of harm’s way while Hibari takes on the attacker. But once Aoi’s secure, Yodaka flies back to help Hibari. A much-needed saving in the nick of time, to be sure, but surely it was Yodaka’s ninja code that made him come back to protect Hibari no differently than if it were Aoi. Hibari knows the sheer strength Yodaka wields, and has no other qualities that accommodate him that call the need of his expertise, but in that moment when he saves her, Hibari realizes there may be more to him than he lets on, which may have begat a strange attraction from her to him.
Final Thoughts
The main takeaway, as mentioned before, is the excessive use of the codename or phrase “the assignment” when referencing Aoi. The author, Ippon Takegushi (Candy Flurry, 2021), is very inconsistent regarding maintaining anonymity, with the ninja trying to hide in plain sight, trying to befriend Aoi, but still treating her like a fragile object more than a person. We only read the first volume, and already they’re knocking out civilians left and right in order to keep them safe, including Aoi. We’re sure there’ll be less painful ways to keep their protectee safe, but for now a quick judo chop to the back of the neck will have to do. As for Yodaka, we’re still not sure what role he was supposed to fill for Aoi, but it seems she inadvertently found him, all he had to do was be incredibly nervous, and that made her laugh. It’s just that easy.
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