Mentioned Characters: Mokou, Tewi

Fujiwara no Mokou, the Defiant Blue Phoenix, was devising battle plans at the Lunar Base. With the support of her allies, she serves as the commander of the rebel army, Ys. Like her counterparts from other worlds, she is a person of Hourai and, thus, immortal. But whether the mechanism granting this Mokou immortality is identical to that of her otherworld selves remains unknown.

Tewi Inaba, the Bunny Rebellion Strategist, was helping Mokou devise battle plans at the Lunar Base. She serves as Ys' military strategist but refers to herself as "a foolish strategist." Over her many years of service, she has fully adapted to life in the rebel army. However, she originally came from a world far from this one, making her a marebito. She is an adviser, a scholar, and a writer, yet claims to be none of these.

In the command room of the rebel army, Ys, rows of devices stood in formation. In the corner, Commander Mokou sat alone, deep in thought. "What's with the frown?" Mokou spun around to see her military strategist, Tewi, taking a seat. "How long have you been in here?" asked Mokou. "Catching your opponent off guard is the key to a good strategy," replied Tewi, dodging the question entirely. Mokou sighed and said in a hushed voice, "I'm thinking about how to defend the Lunar Base. There's no telling when the enemy might show up again." "You worry too much." Brushing off Tewi's teasing remark, Mokou asked, "Got any ideas?" Tewi looked straight into Mokou's blue eyes. "You'll never come up with anything good... until you develop a strategic mindset."

"Special abilities aren't needed in war. What you need are resources and a commander who knows how to use them," said Tewi, using one of the larger devices as a makeshift lecture stand. Just as she was about to continue, Mokou butted in. "And for that, I need a strategic mindset. Yeah, I get it. But we need a plan to defend the base NOW." "Relax. Good plans don't pop out of thin air. They take time to craft." "How did I know you were gonna say that?" Unfazed by Mokou's sullen expression, Tewi continued, "First, to make a good plan, you need a clear objective. Defense can mean many things depending on the circumstance. So, what exactly do you want to achieve here?" Mokou looked Tewi in the eye and declared, "I want to keep everyone alive." "You do, huh?" remarked Tewi, sharpening her gaze. "Then, we're on the same page."

"Whoa..." uttered Mokou as she glanced through the document Tewi had handed her. Inside were several defense strategies, all of which guaranteed the safety of every last soldier. "Real battles can be unpredictable. Don't go thinking everything will play out exactly as I've written," said Tewi, crossing her legs. She was acting as casual as ever, yet the document, with all its crossings out and sprawling details, was proof of her diligence. "These strategies are incredible," said Mokou. But seeing that all of the strategies kept her far from the frontlines, she added, "But you've made one false assumption: I'm willing to put myself in far more danger than this." As if she had anticipated Mokou's comment, Tewi smirked. "You're forgetting I'm a foolish strategist. And only a fool would try to keep a phoenix from harm." With a glint in her eyes, Mokou said softly, "If you think I'll be hiding away when the battle breaks out, then you really are a fool."