Hanako "Tanuki" Ikezawa

**Hanako Ikezawa (池沢 華子)**, also known as the "Tanuki" or "Tanuki-chan" is an Officer of the Awataguchigumi's Black Ops division. She works under Goro Makima's Makimagumi, the same woman who rescued her from the cult she grew up in. A victim of experiments, she was given unstable body enhancements meant for a super soldier by the leader of the cult and was thankfully saved when the Awataguchigumi raided his compound. Makima pulled some strings to prevent Hanako from being "turned tranquil" by the Japanese Bureau of Mystics and instead be assigned to the Black Ops where she can be taken cared of instead of a life isolated in a magical workshop. Hanako is greatly thankful because of this and is a devoted agent under Makima, despite the Shenanigans that tends to happen around the Makimagumi.

## Background

A rather sociopathic mage ran an apocalyptic cult in the forests of Tokushima. Those unfortunate enough to fall for his charisma ended up being locked in a self-sufficient compound, where the cult members became part of the mage's experiments. Hanako was an infant when her mother was convinced to join the cult, and she was raised within the walls of the compound, were she grew up to be part of the mage's flock.

The cult leader, however, has slowly gotten the attention of the Japanese government for many suspicious activities, such as bribery, smuggling of narcotics and magical resources into the country, and he slowly got a target painted on his back. At first, only lawyers were after him, which resulted in the death of many attorneys. He had the gall to intimidate the government into leaving him alone, but it did the opposite. Soon enough, Awataguchi were sent to capture the compound and arrest him. But he somehow got the heads-up and was able to prepare one final stand.

Hanako, alongside other cult members, were experimented on throughout the years by their cult leader, injecting them with all sorts of experimental magical drugs, in the hopes of making an army of loyal super soldiers. Hanako had a new organ implanted into her that produces hormones to help in combat, with a very noticeable side effect of increasing anxiety.

The moment the Awataguchi arrived and it was clear that the cult leader wasn't going to win, he went on a rampage, trying to burn down all of his works, including his followers and himself. Hanako was lucky enough to not be at the front rooms of the compound were the combat started. She froze in panic when the lights were killed and screams of agony echoed throughout the halls. Their cult leader began to incinerate everyone, and Hanako saw friends who she grew up with and her mother burn before her eyes. The cult leader would have set her on fire too, were it not for the hormones that kicked in. Hanako's body moved on its own and she narrowly avoided the fireballs and fire streams sent at her. This distracted the cult leader just in time for the Awataguchi agents to take him out. There were no other survivors, and the entire compound ended up being a pile of ash and rubble in the end. Hanako feared for her life, as she thought these men in suits would kill her too. But they were kind enough to take in a girl who has lost everything. The Awataguchi soon learned of the experiments conducted in her body, and so they sent her to their research division for further examination.

The combat hormones produced inside Hanako's body interested the Bureau of Mysics since it could be recreated and used to aid their organization's research and pharmaceutical experiments. Hanako, with no were else to go, simply accepted her fate. The trauma of watching her friends and family die did leave her little ability to run away, after all. The trauma in the girl gave the Bureau the idea to just make her "Tranquil", cut off from memories and emotions and simply turned into a tool. Goro Makima decided that Hanako has potential to be more than just a sample in a lab so she took her under her wing as a 'newbie' for the Makimagumi. Thankful for the opportunity to avoid a fate worse than death, Hanako gladly joined Makima, despite the training that she was soon subjected to. In the present, Hanako Ikezawa remains a trainee under Makima, who is slowly overcoming her crippling anxieties, albeit thanks to drastic solutions. Thanks to the training that came with being part of Makimagumi, Hanako technically qualified for a rank in the Awataguchi, and she us currently a lowly officer in the same division, Makima is in. She also has a coved identity of 'Intern for Makima Construction'. Although she wishes that her sensei to be more transparent and say that she just wants her to cosplay instead of telling her that *'Oh, this maid outfit is part of your training. Who knows when you need to infiltrate an area as a maid?'*. Her agile and elusive nature when the combat kicks in has earned her the moniker of Tanuki, while others prefer to add the affectionate chan in the end.

## Appearance

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## Personality

Hanako is a nervous young woman, prone to stuttering and still carrying the trauma from the events that happened in the compound. She has developed a phobia of fire, and it has become the easiest way to have her survival instincts kick in. Although she is not as much of an anxious girl as before thanks to therapy and training kindly provided by the Makimagumi, she still has her moments. If stress builds up too much for her, perhaps due to a very stressful combat situation, she tends to cry it out.

She polite and timid, always using respectful speech to every Awataguchi member she interacts with. She does not have much confidence in herself, however, and is prone to overthinking. The only time she doesn't get hindered by constant worries is when in combat when her hormones give her tunnel-vision, and all she can think about is survival. She is very thankful to the Awataguchi for providing her a new home, and providing proper education, since she found the idea of living in that compound being controlled and brainwash by a sociopath to be terrifying. She looks up to Goro Makima, a fearless woman that she strives to become someday, although her saviour’s eccentricities does unnerve her at times and she is yet to get used to it.

On her off time, Hanako secretly enjoys finding clothes to wear, with the Awataguchi increasing her taste for androgynous and snazzy fashion. She is surprisingly a good driver, and despite her nervous nature, she seems to be able to drive properly while under constant pressure, but the moment she gets physically hurt, she might overload herself and crash the car.

## Abilities

Hanako was not raised to e a mage, and has only learned the basics of magic and combat after working under Makima. Makima comments that Hanako Ikezawa is very proficient in defense and self-preservation, but still has a lot to learn when it comes to offense. She always makes sure to wear her uniform suit mystic code, since she wants to be certain that she is protected at all times.

### Combat Hormone Gland

Courtesy of sociopath cult leader magi, Hanako's body was implanted a special gland that produces hormones that greatly intensify her survival instincts, to the point were her body moves on its own for the sake of avoiding danger. Makima comments that when Hanako's *'Tanuki instincts'* kick in, even she could probably not land a hit on Hanako if she was given enough training and body conditioning. Most untrained assailants will have a hard time harming Hanako, and even trained attackers would need to focus if they wish to take her down. The hormones kick in when Hanako feels threatened, but the fastest way to do it is to expose her to fire. A small lighter flame might not do it for her immediately, but shooting a fireball aimed at her face would definitely make it happen. The hormones come at a cost of making the body constantly neurotic. Although Hanako improves her composure over time, there will always be anxiousness stalking the back of her mind thanks to this.