Takino Retsu

Takino Retsu

Scholar • Recluse

Age14
Height5'4" (163 cm)
Birth DateMay 27
EthnicityJapanese and Chinese
EyesSteel Blue
Social StatusReclusive Scholar
FactionStarlite 7th (Secret)
Key AttributeUninterested
"I should warn you... this isn't going to be a fair fight."

Overview

Takino Retsu is one of the youngest members of Starlite 7th, selected under circumstances that strongly imply the involvement of the Royastellan System rather than institutional or political influence. She is characterized by extreme social detachment, minimal emotional display, and an unwavering preference for intellectual solitude.

Despite her reluctance toward social interaction or exertion, Takino functions as one of the team's most strategically vital force multipliers. Her presence dramatically increases the operational ceiling of allied Runic Knights, frequently determining the outcome of large-scale engagements.

Personality

Core Traits

  • Quietly Observant: Constantly analyzing environment
  • Socially Hesitant: Prefers minimal interaction
  • Intellectually Immersed: Deep focus on literature and solitary pursuits
  • Emotionally Restrained: Not unfriendly, just reserved

Behavioral Traits

  • Strong preference for reading and scholarly isolation
  • Avoids outdoor environments whenever possible
  • Communicates minimally in casual social settings
  • Frequently mistaken for aloofness or indifference

Takino is often described as someone who appears approachable from a distance yet remains emotionally inaccessible in direct interaction. Photography and staged appearances frequently portray her as friendly or gentle, though this perception rarely aligns with her reserved interpersonal habits.

Her conversational engagement is typically limited to subjects of intellectual interest. Outside those parameters, she tends toward brief responses or silence.

Starlit Mikado

Starlit Mikado

Force Multiplier

RoleForce Multiplier
Elemental CoreEarth
Casting LanguagePortuguese
WeaponLotus Dominion (Hook Blades)
Starlight BlessingAmplification
Combat StyleEfficient / Surgical
"Let's end this quickly."

Combat Profile

As the Starlit Mikado, Takino transitions into a combatant defined by calculated efficiency and ruthless optimization.

Her battlefield philosophy is centered around minimizing exertion through maximized effectiveness. Every movement is executed with surgical precision, eliminating unnecessary flourish or redundancy. This results in a combat style that appears almost mechanical in its exactness.

Lotus Dominion

A modular pair of short hook blades designed for adaptive engagement.

Base Configuration:

  • Dual independent hook blades optimized for close-range slashing and disarming maneuvers
  • Balanced for both melee retention and precision throwing

Combined Configuration:

  • Blades interlock to form a butterfly sword-style weapon
  • Provides extended reach and rotational attack patterns
  • Allows rapid transitions between offensive and defensive stances

Starlight Blessing: Amplification

Function: Doubles the output of Mana-based techniques and Starlight Blessings affecting allied units.

Standard Application:

  • Multiplies magical potency and System-granted skill effectiveness by approximately twofold
  • Significantly enhances group combat viability during coordinated engagements

Advanced Realization:

Takino later discovers that Amplification can be recursively applied to herself. By increasing her own output parameters, she extends her amplification effect to approximately threefold when applied to allies.

This recursive enhancement transforms Mikado into one of the most strategically influential figures among Runic Knights, as her presence can exponentially increase overall team capability.

Tactical Role

Within Starlite 7th, Mikado functions as:

  • The team's primary enhancement catalyst
  • Strategic combat stabilizer
  • Efficiency optimizer during large-scale confrontations

Takino demonstrates little interest in dramatic displays of strength, instead prioritizing rapid engagement termination and resource conservation.

While not emotionally expressive, Takino demonstrates consistent loyalty through performance reliability rather than overt interpersonal warmth.

Relationships

Thematic Significance

Archetype: The Force Multiplier

Themes Represented:

  • Power derived from quiet intellect rather than overt ambition
  • Efficiency as a philosophical worldview
  • Isolation as both shield and limitation
  • The System's capacity to recognize value beyond social visibility
  • Latent potential concealed beneath emotional restraint

Her existence challenges assumptions that leadership, influence, or strength must originate from charismatic presence.

Trivia

  • Name Etymology: Takino (滝野) — suggests proximity to waterfalls, symbolizing contained but immense natural force; Retsu (烈) — translates to "fierce" or "intense," reflecting her hidden combat ferocity
  • Hair: Spiked, layered black hair with extended side strands; skull hair clip on left side
  • Appearance: Lean compact frame; steel blue irises; small beauty mark beneath left eye
  • Design Notes: Dark grey-blue strapless corset, layered belts, fingerless arm warmers with pink trim, pleated mini-skirt, reinforced tall boots
  • Accessories: Black choker with metallic plate accents; minimalist star-shaped pendant necklace
  • Youngest Member: Selected by the System itself rather than by Itami or Marate
  • Recursive Amplification: Can amplify herself to amplify others threefold - exponential team enhancement