Akuyaku Reijō (Kari) No Funtō

Chapter 5.5: How Rebecca Came Around to Naming Her Subordinates

 (Kimura-sensei got this question and decided to answer it by explaining with a short oneshot)

 
Q: Why is Rebecca giving her subordinates goofy organization names and code names?
A: It is a product of history.
It seems to interfere with the story to put it in the main plot, so if you like, please read the following short story.

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“Lady Rebecca, could you please explain more about ‘Shadow’?”

“Oh, Jade.
You' re a member of ‘Shadow’, aren't you? You should at least know how the
organization works.”

“No, I'm talking about the fact that you agree that your nickname, Princess of the Moon, is embarrassing, but you're not embarrassed by our code name, Shadow.”

“Oh … this is going to take a while.”

“Please keep it short.”

“It's a product of history.”

“That' s too short to make any sense.”

　I asked my father, “I want a subordinate who will work for me.
Please give me the right to negotiate the withdrawal of 'Onyx' for my birthday,” I asked him one fine day, just before I turned seven.

“If I pull him out, Rebecca, as his employer, you would be liable of his wages.”
　He's a member of House Howard's “Darkness” organization.
That's not cheap.
What are you going to do about it?”

　Basically, my father never says “no” to my requests.
Instead, he gives me a kind of test like this.

　If I pass, my request will be granted; if I fail, it will be rejected.
Knowing this, I had prepared in advance.

“I'm going to use the money to pay for my dress.
I'm going to use the money to pay for half of the dresses you tailor for me each season.”

“…… Hmm.”

　Putting his hand on his chin, Father thought for a moment and then allowed me to pull out Onyx.

　The Howard family has a private army group called “Darkness”.
　Their main focus is espionage, and depending on the team they belong to, they can be stationary or wandering, they can double as guards, or they can be underground … and play a variety of roles.

“Father.
Why do you name your teams after dogs and cats?”

“Originally, ‘Darkness’ was an organization that didn’t exist externally.
Those who belong to it have code names separate from their private names.”

“Yes, I understand that.
But …… the name of the organization, the name of the team, and the code names have all changed since the founding of the organization, so I was curious.”

“It' s the sensibility of the head of the family when it was formed.
　I'm sad to hear from Husky, the team dog, that  ‘Doberman and a Pomeranian got into a brawl in a bar and have been suspended,’ or from Lop Ears, the team rabbit, that “Amefaj is getting married to Bengal, the team cat, and has applied for leave.
　So I'm adopting inorganic names for my newly created teams.”

　He asked me if it was intentional that I chose Onyx for the team mineral.
But I only replied, “They’ve always guarded me from the shadows.”

　When I succeeded in persuading Onyx to become my direct assistant, father asked me to organize it as a secondary organization of “Darkness”.
　In short, Onyx was to create a new organization and operate it while remaining registered with Team Minerals.

“You will be responsible for instructions and funding.
　We' ll work with the ‘Darkness’ for information and supplies.
It should be mutually beneficial.
　But at the same time, it means that Onyx has a place to return to.
You'll have to work hard to make sure they don't escape.”

　Thus, the name of the organization under my direct control was changed to “Shadow” in order to maintain a balance with the existing “Darkness”.
　Since then, the code names of the members of “Shadow” have been chosen from the names of jewels in reference to the color of their eyes.
　I heard that the members of the original “Darkness” were envious of this beautiful name.

At the time, I was seven years old.
I thought the name “Shadow” came from my own words … “He who guards us from the shadows.”

　A shadow is a shadow.
　No matter how much effort I put into it, no matter how friendly I treat it as if it were family, it is not allowed to stand in the sunlight, nor is it allowed to reveal its existence.

　What if my father, in order to keep me from forgetting this, had successfully induced me to name it “Shadow”?

“Lady Rebecca? Did the shadow have something to do with …?”

　Gazing softly back into the jade eyes of Jade, who looked at me curiously, I simply said, “You are my pride and joy.