In 2029, Japan was thrown into chaos by the sudden outbreak and spread of the "Apocalypse Virus."
Japan, reduced to a state of anarchy, was subjected to armed intervention by a multinational organization known as "GHQ" and placed under its rule. Roppongi in Tokyo became a sealed-off district.
Later, triggered by an incident known as "Lost Christmas," Japan lost the substance of its sovereignty as an independent nation and was granted only superficial autonomy. Thus, people began to enjoy a brief period of peace.
And so, as time flowed on, ten years later in 2039—that is, now...beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of Tokyo, undercurrents were surging.
Tap tap~!
A rapid set of footsteps echoed through the massive complex of buildings in the Tokyo Bay area, near GHQ's headquarters—District 24.
Splash~!
A foot stepped into a puddle, sending up a spray of crystal-clear droplets.
"Haa...haa..."
The owner of those footsteps was a girl dressed in a somewhat revealing, phoenix-like bodysuit dress. She had long pale-pink hair, the ends tied into two braids that hung down over her shoulders, and a delicate, beautiful face. She was gasping for breath, yet even so, she did not stop. Clutching something tightly in her hand, she fled without hesitation.
Whirr~
A spherical robot, moving at the same speed, followed at her side—it appeared to be her companion.
"Inori, did you get the key?"
A man's voice came through the concealed communicator at her ear.
"Haa...yes..."
The pink-haired girl named Inori answered the man through the communicator while sprinting down the passage ahead. With every stride, her breathing grew more ragged.
"Good. Follow the route I provided. We'll rendezvous in thirty seconds."
The man gave her brief praise before outlining the next step.
"Mm..."
Click!
Hearing this, the girl quickly scanned her surroundings, found a dim, inconspicuous corner, and stopped. Leaning against the wall, she caught her breath, then pulled a small terminal from her pocket. She flipped it open, revealing a touchscreen display.
Beep—
The next second, a map of District 24 appeared on the screen, with her designated escape route clearly marked.
Beep beep—
After tapping it a few times, she folded it shut with one hand and slipped it back into her pocket. She glanced behind her. At the instant a searchlight swept past, she darted out from cover. The robot agilely followed close by.
The sheer scale of District 24's architecture was exaggeratedly vast. Without a map, escaping would be nearly impossible. Moreover, this was GHQ's headquarters, heavily guarded. One careless move, and she would be finished.
She was certain the enemy had already detected her presence. After all, what she carried was something extremely valuable. It wouldn't be long before a large pursuit force arrived.
She had to be fast.
Faster—!!
Vrrrr~!!!
The moment she heard a mechanical roar that sent a chill down her spine, she instinctively turned her head. A several-meter-tall mecha burst out from a slideway on the opposite end, its destination clearly the second-level platform where she stood. Worse still, it had already unlocked its weapons. A gatling gun, dark as a black hole, began sweeping fire toward her platform!!!
"!!"
Her pupils shrank. Instinctively, she shielded the vial in her arms.
Boom boom!!!
In the next instant, a rain of bullets tore from the base of the bridge toward her position. Shockwaves and thick smoke, accompanied by deafening explosions, assaulted her eardrums mercilessly.
Bang! × N
The iron bridge was instantly blasted apart, snapping in the middle. One shell exploded directly beneath her feet. The violent shockwave hurled her slender body through the air, her back slamming heavily into a nearby iron railing.
Crack...
"Ugh~!!"
The sharp pain in her back forced a muffled groan from her throat. She crashed back onto the bridge deck, her body rolling several times along the ground before finally coming to a stop.
Clatter~!
"Cough...cough!"
Fallen debris stained her body with gray grime. Forcing herself to shake off the dizziness from the blast, she pushed up her trembling body. She instinctively glanced at the vial clutched to her chest. Fortunately, it had not shattered. She let out a small breath of relief.
Slowly rising, she noticed droplets of blood falling onto the ground. Her gaze shifted to her arm, grazed by shrapnel. She pressed her lips together and ignored it, turning once more to stagger toward the extraction point ahead. Blood continued dripping from the wound, leaving a dark trail along the way.
Vrrr~
Midway through, she was forced to activate the optical camouflage on her body. Her figure gradually blended into the surroundings until she vanished from sight.
Tap tap~!!
Splash!
She vaulted over an upper platform and dropped into a puddle. Blood from her arm spread crimson through the water, and a burning sensation surged through her nerves.
"Ugh~"
Gritting her teeth against the pain, she forced her nearly collapsing legs to move again and struggled up to the higher level. Raising her head, she finally saw the familiar black sky.
She was outside.
Before her stretched a broad, elongated steel truss bridge spanning the sea—the only route connecting District 24 to Tokyo Bay.
Her ruby-like eyes brightened slightly, as though glimpsing hope. She glanced at the vial in her hand, then back at the mecha rapidly closing in behind her.
"Fyu-Neru!"
She called out to the robot at her side.
Whirr~
The robot immediately obeyed, rolling up beside her and opening the hatch atop its head.
"Please...take this to Gai."
She spoke softly, inserting the vial into a perfectly fitted slot inside its head before closing the hatch.
Vrrr~
Hearing a locking tone in the distance, her heart trembled as she looked up.
As expected—the distant mecha had already locked onto her.
Bang!
Its cannon flared violently. She could even hear the shrill scream of the shell tearing through the air.
"!"
She instinctively shielded the robot in front of her.
Boom!
Flames erupted beside her!
The enemy mecha charged forward, intending to deliver a fatal blow. However, it was suddenly blocked by an invisible force—almost as if something had lifted it.
Vrrr~
In the next second, another mecha, emerging from optical camouflage, positioned itself in front of the girl, intercepting the enemy unit.
"...!"
Inori lifted her slightly dazed head, her vision still blurred.
"Leave this to me! Get that to Gai—now!"
A female voice, processed through interference, sounded from within the mecha.
...It was Ayase.
She recognized it.
"Go!"
Sensing her hesitation, Ayase shouted again.
"...! Let's go, Fyu-Neru."
Snapping back to her senses, she called to the robot and ran once more without looking back.
Pain from her arm stimulated her nerves, making her steps feel unreal and drifting. Even her vision was beginning to blur.
But she could not stop.
If she lost consciousness now, everything would be for nothing.
She didn't want the team's plan to fail because of her.
"Your opponent is me!!"
Bang!
Ayase's mecha threw a punch into the enemy unit's face with a thunderous crash.
Step step...
The enemy mecha staggered back a few steps. After glancing at Inori, who had already run far ahead, it opened the missile pods on its shoulders and launched several missiles skyward without hesitation. After ascending, the missiles arced downward—hurtling straight toward the pink-haired girl on the ground!!
"Damn it!!"
Ayase reacted, but it was already too late.
"..."
At this point, Inori could no longer hear anything. She was running purely on instinct.
The missiles slammed into the ground behind her, erupting in violent flames. A dense shockwave and scorching heat crashed into her back, instantly blasting her into the air!
"Ah~!!"
Inori let out an involuntary cry as she and the robot were thrown to the ground. The wound on her arm tore open again, blood flowing even more heavily. Her body rolled to the edge of the bridge—and, carried by inertia, tipped over.
"!!"
In that instant, her pupils contracted as she realized her situation.
She was falling toward the distant sea below. The blaze atop the bridge rapidly receded from her sight.
She immediately forced her body to turn, wrapping her arms around herself to minimize the surface area of impact.
Splash!!!
She plunged straight into the water.
"Inori—!!"
Seeing this, Ayase, piloting her mecha, felt a surge of dread and shouted instinctively.
...
Where is this...?
A dream?
No...not a dream. It's reality.
What entered her vision was a darkness as deep and dim as the abyss, like a pair of massive hands wrapping around her again and again, imprisoning her within this murky cage, leaving her unable to struggle free.
Mio...Shogun...
At the very moment her muddled consciousness was about to sink fully into the dark, the image of the purple-haired woman who must be waiting for her at home flashed through her mind.
That streak of violet light.
A warm light.
For the first time, it had made her feel that she was not so strange...that she was not a 'monster.'
No...
I can't...
I can't let this happen!!
I have to go back to her side! I can't just die like this!
"!!"
With those thoughts surging through her mind, Inori suddenly opened her eyes at the brink of death. In the depths of the sea, her sakura-pink irises glowed faintly as her vision gradually sharpened.
All around her was the dim seabed. She was still sinking.
The light above grew weaker with increasing depth. The seawater stung her eyes, and her chest felt as though it were being crushed by the pressure, causing a piercing pain. The water pressure continued to squeeze her eardrums and body, leaving her unable to move.
Glub~!
She swallowed another mouthful of seawater, instinctively covering her mouth and curling in on herself.
Her tightly shut eyes opened again. The faint sakura glow reappeared.
In the next second, soft ripples resembling metallic silver threads began spreading around her body, expanding outward.
Bang!
A burst of shockwave radiated from her as the center, sweeping across the seabed and stirring up violent currents!!
Snapping back to herself, she waved her arms experimentally. In that instant, her body felt slightly lighter than before—no longer as unbearably compressed.
But the stabbing pain from the pressure remained.
She knew it would not last long.
She had to get out—now!
Buzz buzz~
The communicator at her ear emitted harsh static. Even though it was waterproof, it could not withstand such extreme conditions. Without hesitation, she tore it off and let it sink into the seabed. Hugging the floating robot beside her, she twisted her body, using the residual power of her Void to guide the surrounding currents and propel herself swiftly along the seabed toward the distant city shoreline.
On the other side—
Boom!
After blasting the enemy mecha to pieces with a single shot, Ayase hurriedly piloted her own unit to the edge of the bridge and shouted into her headset.
"Inori—!! If you can hear me, answer!"
"...(static)!!"
The only response was piercing noise.
The signal had clearly been cut off.
"How could this..."
A tremor entered her voice.
But she had no time to grieve. GHQ reinforcements were already arriving from behind. She had no choice but to retreat.
"Damn it...!"
Abandoning the search for the fallen girl, she activated her mecha's thrusters.
Boom!
With a powerful surge, her unit reactivated optical camouflage, blending into the environment as she sped away.
"Gai! Can you hear me?!"
While sliding across the ground on the mecha's leg turbines, Ayase called out to the commander.
"Ayase...what happened?"
Gai's voice responded immediately.
"Inori was hit by a shell and fell into the water! She's missing!"
Ayase reported breathlessly as she ran.
"...!"
Inside a concealed seaside house in Roppongi, the blond man's expression shifted sharply at the news.
Beep—
"Inori! Inori Yuzuriha! Can you hear me?!"
Bzzzt!!
As expected, only dead static answered him.
The connection was severed...
"What about the item?"
He asked again.
"The vial fell into the sea with Inori."
Ayase replied.
"Damn it..."
His gaze darkened as he cursed under his breath.
"What should we do, Gai?"
Ayase's voice grew heavy, as though her confidence were wavering.
"No—it's not time to lose heart. The plan can still be salvaged. In any case, you did well with the interception. We can't control everything. Regroup first. We'll think of a countermeasure."
"Mm...sorry...Gai."
Click.
Ayase cut the connection.
"..."
Gai lowered his head in deep thought. Though his expression remained cold and composed, the tight press of his lips betrayed his mood.
"Tsugumi..."
He called out.
"I'm checking~!"
A lively girl's voice came through the communicator. In another room, Tsugumi's fingers flew across floating virtual screens, streams of data flashing rapidly before her eyes.
"The result?"
Gai urged.
"Hold on, will you..."
She grumbled lightly, then opened a new panel—only to be met with system failure messages.
"Tell me you've found something."
He said.
"'Found it~!'—I wish I could say that, but no...all communication devices have short-circuited. Probably due to immersion. Little Inori might still be soaking in the water."
Tsugumi shook her head regretfully.
"I see..."
Clatter~
In the next moment, Ayase reunited with the rest of the unit.
"Gai...I—"
The wheelchair-bound girl was about to apologize when—
"This isn't your fault. It's mine. I failed to account for this possibility."
He cut her off decisively.
"..."
Ayase fell silent.
"Tch...how could something like this go wrong? What the hell was Inori doing..."
Argo, one of the members, scratched his head impatiently.
"How can you blame Inori?! She worked the hardest on this mission! Don't stand there making cold remarks, idiot~!"
Tsugumi stormed out of the computer room, glaring at the yellow-haired punk and scolding him mercilessly.
"Huh? You—"
"Now's not the time for infighting! And Tsugumi's right. Argo, you need to rein in that temper of yours!"
The burly man named Oogumo barked at them.
"Tch..."
Argo clicked his tongue and turned away.
"Gai...what do we do next?"
Shibungi, the strategist, adjusted his glasses. Even his steady voice carried uncertainty this time.
"Haa...staying here won't help. We withdraw. The only thing we can do now is wait for Inori to contact us herself."
Gai finished speaking and turned to leave.
"...You mean Inori is still—"
"Mm. She's not someone who dies that easily. Otherwise, I wouldn't have entrusted this mission to her."
He glanced sideways at the group, offering them a confident smile—an anchor for their shaken hearts.
"..." × N
The group exchanged silent looks before nodding in agreement.
Thus, under the cover of night, the members of Funeral Parlor moved out and withdrew to their temporary safehouse in Roppongi.
...
After Funeral Parlor retreated, at the coastal edge of Tokyo Bay, a figure slowly emerged from the sea.
Bathed in moonlight, she climbed out of the water and onto the seawall.
"Haa...haa..."
Inori collapsed onto the ground, gasping heavily. The effects of her Void gradually faded. In that instant, her body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
She glanced at the robot in her arms.
The vial inside remained intact.
She let out a breath of relief.
Then she looked at the wound on her arm. The seawater made it burn fiercely. There was no sign of the bleeding stopping—it continued dripping onto the ground. It even looked as though it might be getting infected.
She gently pressed her palm over it.
"Ugh~!"
The pain forced another muffled groan from her lips. Her face had gone pale. Completely soaked, her sakura-colored bangs clung messily to her forehead and cheeks. She looked utterly disheveled.
And yet, her exquisite beauty remained undiminished.
If anything, the haggard fragility only made her seem more striking.
"...Mio..."
She murmured the name in her heart.
Then she pressed her lips together and forced herself to stand once more.
Cradling the robot, she staggered step by step toward the drainage channel beneath the street.
It was more concealed there.
At the very least, it would slow down any pursuers.
Right now, she had nothing left to contact Funeral Parlor with.
There was only one option.
She had to go back.