Musashi Number Nine

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Musashi Number Nine

９番目のムサシ
(Kyūbanme no Musashi)

Genre

Adventure, Action, Military

Manga: Musashi Number Nine

Author

Miyuki Takahashi

Publisher

Akita Shoten

Other publishers:
CMX Manga

Demographic

Shōjo

Magazine

Kirara 16

Original run

September 1996

Volumes

20+

Musashi Number Nine (９番目のムサシ, Kyūbanme no Musashi^?) is a Japanese manga series by Miyuki Takahashi about a secret agent working for a mysterious world organization known only as "Ultimate Blue". Kou Shinozuka is their top agent, a 16-year-old girl who goes by the code name "Musashi #9". The series starts as a collection of unconnected stories which feature Musashi #9 but focus mainly on the more ordinary people she comes into contact with in the course of saving the world. Gradually, a story thread is woven between these one-shot stories, in which Kou strikes up a relationship with the solitary and depressive Shingo Tachibana. Their lives become irrevocably intertwined in spite of her fairly drastic efforts (for his sake) to leave him behind. Although the series is relatively graphic (Musashi's chief activities involve assassinating bad guys).

[edit] Plot

At the 2nd book Kou's new mission is to protect Shingo Tachibana. Shingo's best friend was a photographer and accidentally took a picture of a sniper shooting someone from the top of a building. His best friend was murdered, but never revealed where the picture was hidden. Lonton (the sniper working for the Chinese Triads who'd killed Shingo's best friend) is now after Shingo, thinking he knows where the picture is located. In the end Shingo and Kou take out Lonton and he is sent to prison.

Kou stays with Shingo for the next few books, and not soon after Shingo begins to fall in love with Kou. Kou tries to remain emotionless and focus on the mission at hand, to protect Shingo), but she too is falling for him. Shingo goes through a lot trying to tell Kou he loves her; the first time her told her was when a car had just hit him and he was dazed. She heard him, but instead pretended that it was her double and that in his daze he couldn't recognize the difference between 19 (her male double) and her. She pretend she never heard, and Shingo remains quiet about it, thinking of a better way to tell her.