00:00In modern-day Japan, a clandestine force operates from the shadows,
00:04a unit of elite intelligence operatives known as ninja. Their existence is a secret to the public,
00:09their purpose to eliminate threats to the nation's peace from behind closed doors.
00:14These are the ninja public safety force, wielding the exceptional skills of ninjutsu to fight evil.
00:19Our story follows a young, orange-haired ninja, codenamed Yadaka, the Nightjar. We're thrown right
00:25into the action as he single-handedly neutralizes a room full of assailants to rescue a kidnapped
00:30politician. With swift, precise movements, he takes them all down, completing his mission
00:36flawlessly. But Yadaka has a crippling weakness, one that makes him completely hopeless when it
00:41comes to human interaction. After rescuing the politician, he's instructed to hand the man
00:46over to the recovery team. However, the man, eternally grateful, offers to repay him.
00:51The sheer awkwardness of the five-minute conversation is too much for Yadaka to bear.
00:56In a classic ninja move, a stealth retreat, he distracts the man and vanishes into thin air,
01:02leaving the politician bewildered. His reason? He just couldn't stand the social pressure of
01:07talking to a stranger. This social anxiety is his greatest challenge. His superior notes.
01:13God forbid I ask you to talk with a stranger for five minutes. And his next mission will force him
01:19to confront this fear head-on. Yadaka is assigned a new task, a bodyguarding mission for the
01:24foreseeable future. His target? At first glance, she appears to be just an average high school girl.
01:31For a ninja who can face down a room of armed thugs without flinching, this should be easy.
01:36But for Yadaka, it's his worst nightmare. He's terrible at talking to men, but as his colleague
01:41points out, who can you talk to then? He's absolutely awful at talking to girls. As our socially
01:47anxious ninja, Yadaka, begins his bodyguard assignment, the stakes are immediately raised.
01:53His superiors are well aware of his unique personality. While he excels in combat, they
01:58know his social skills are non-existent. The mission requires him to interact with people,
02:03a concept that goes against everything he's ever been taught about stealth and staying in the shadows.
02:09His target is Aoi Mukai, a first-year high school student. And right from the get-go,
02:14it's clear why she needs protection. As she's dropped off at school, she confidently tells her
02:19driver not to worry, that she's not a little kid, only to immediately take a spectacular tumble out
02:25of the car, scattering her belongings everywhere. Yadaka, watching from a distance, sees his worst
02:30fears realized. This girl has been classified as one of the most challenging wards to protect.
02:36Of course she has. After she falls, she drops a small panda keychain. Yadaka sees this as a perfect
02:42opportunity, a great excuse to give it back to her. But his social anxiety kicks in hard.
02:48His first thought isn't to walk up to her, but to stealthily return it to her later without her
02:53knowing. He's immediately reprimanded by his handler through his earpiece. Don't be ridiculous.
03:00No stealth. Go talk to her. Forcing himself, Yadaka awkwardly approaches Aoi. He's a stuttering,
03:07flustered mess, but manages to return the keychain. Aoi, completely unfazed and friendly,
03:13thanks him and introduces herself as a fellow first-year. This simple, kind interaction seems
03:18to give Yadaka a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, this mission will go fine. But the situation
03:24is far more complex than a simple bodyguard detail. As Yadaka is introduced to his new class,
03:30he's seated near another operative, codename Hibari, the Skylark, also known as Kana Fujimiya.
03:35She's there to provide support. It turns out the school is already crawling with other ninja.
03:41Yadaka can feel it. He picked up on their, scary looks, the moment he arrived.
03:47These other operatives are embedded as students, teachers, and neighbors,
03:50all part of a massive effort to protect Aoi without her ever knowing.
03:54The pressure is immense. Yadaka's specific role is to be the last line of defense,
03:59to ensure the assignment's safety when none of the other ninja are capable of helping.
04:03If he fails, the other ninja will surely resent him. The mission must be accomplished,
04:08and for Yadaka, that means not only protecting Aoi from physical threats but also surviving his own
04:13crippling social anxiety in a school full of hidden enemies and allies. The school's entrance ceremony
04:19is about to begin, and students are heading to the gym. Yadaka, however, dreads the idea of walking
04:25down the aisle with hundreds of people staring at me from either side. His social discomfort is so
04:30extreme that even the thought of it makes him imagine himself shaking uncontrollably like a
04:35supercharged washing machine. Aoi, sensing his discomfort, playfully teases him about being
04:40pathetic for not liking attention. Meanwhile, other ninja operatives are also present in the school,
04:46blending in as students. One of them, codename, Uminiko, known as Takeyutsumi,
04:51chats with a classmate named Yunozaki. It's revealed that part of the long-term plan for Aoi's
04:56protection involves these. Standin'. Ninja eventually adopting the roles of her best friend and boyfriend
05:02to ensure she lives a fake life. With excellent friends and a good social circle, all while
05:08remaining unaware of the true nature of her surroundings. Yadaka is distraught upon hearing
05:13this, exclaiming, I want friends, even if they're fake. During this time, Aoi decides to go to the
05:19bathroom before the ceremony, leaving her bag unattended. Yadaka's handler instructs him not to
05:25leave the assignment, alone, forcing Yadaka to confront his fears and follow Aoi. Now Yadaka
05:31is nervously watching Aoi from a distance. He's having an intense internal struggle because he's
05:36supposed to approach her, but he's too anxious, worrying that she will think he's a creep.
05:41He screams in his head that they're not at the stage in their relationship, where he can just
05:46talk to her. Suddenly, he hears a loud crash from down the hall. Panicking that something terrible
05:51happened in the one second he looked away, he rushes to find out what it was. He discovers Aoi
05:57lying on the floor, completely buried in trash with a large recycling bin covering her head.
06:02She had apparently tripped and caused a huge mess. Yadaka runs to her and asks if she's alright.
06:08Buried in the garbage, Aoi dryly asks,
06:10Am I okay? Can't you tell? A moment later, however, she sits up and with a straight face tells him,
06:16I'm completely fine. Leaving him bewildered. Despite the chaotic start, Aoi thanks him for
06:23helping her clean up. As they head towards the gym, it becomes clear that Yadaka and Aoi have
06:28yet to reach a comfortable stage in their relationship for casual conversation, much to
06:32Yadaka's frustration. Back at the gym, Hibari, Kana Fujimiya, reports that Aoi hasn't arrived.
06:39Another operative assures her that Yadaka has. Eyes on the assignment. Hinting at Yadaka's
06:44reputation within the ninja cohort. The scene shifts to a tense encounter as Yadaka and Aoi
06:49are confronted by a male teacher, who questions why they aren't at the entrance ceremony.
06:54He demands their names and classes, while secretly preparing a syringe disguised as a pen.
07:00Yadaka, with his heightened ninja senses, immediately recognizes the danger. He realizes the pen's tip
07:06is a syringe, and the teacher is a potential threat. As the teacher, identified as Shun Nakamura,
07:12attempts to inject Yadaka. The young ninja swiftly counters the attack with a precise strike.
07:17He effortlessly disarms and incapacitates Nakamura, all while maintaining a calm demeanor and ensuring
07:23Aoi doesn't notice the true nature of the confrontation. Yadaka's superior instructs him to
07:28eliminate him before the assignment notices. And Yadaka confidently responds,
07:33Roger that. Despite being injected, with what he presumes to be a tranquilizer,
07:38Yadaka reveals that. Things like drugs won't work on me. Showcasing his unique resilience.
07:44He quickly deduces that Nakamura is either an incredibly skilled teacher or, more likely,
07:49an enemy. Meanwhile, Aoi expresses a profound sense of understanding, sharing with Yadaka that
07:54she sometimes can't comprehend why others act the way they do, particularly when people
07:59do things for me. She reveals that this feeling of artificiality, of a fabricated,
08:04normal life, has been present since she was young. This implies that she may have subtly noticed the
08:10presence of the public safety ninja watching over her throughout her life. The scene transitions to
08:15after the ceremony, where students are heading to their classrooms. Yadaka's attention is on Aoi,
08:21who is approached by Hibari, the fellow ninja operative, inviting her to go home together.
08:26Yadaka's handler reminds him that his job is to protect Aoi, and to do so, he needs to
08:31befriend her. This directive throws Yadaka into a state of internal turmoil. As a shinobi living in
08:38the shadows, his training dictates. Forging no ties. And the thought of forming a genuine connection
08:43fills him with panic. He struggles with the idea of actively seeking friendship, mumbling to himself
08:49about his inability to handle the social aspects of joining a new organization or being asked about
08:54his background. While Yadaka grapples with this new demand, Aoi observes his distress and innocently
08:59asks if he's interested in making friends. Her directness startles him, causing him to flinch
09:04and turn away. Unaware of his internal ninja code, Aoi then boldly suggests.
09:10Ben want to be friends with me? This direct invitation completely stuns Yadaka, who lets out a shocked gasp.
09:16Aoi, still perceiving him as a shy, awkward classmate, simply states that if he wants to be a
09:22loner all three years. That's his choice.
09:25This further highlights her frank and perceptive nature. Yadaka is left grappling with the profound
09:30implication of her offer. His handler, observing from a distance, calmly reiterates the mission.
09:36Befriend her.
Comments