Early morning.
Rentaro tied his necktie, his messy hair casually styled. He looked at his listless, fatigued reflection in the mirror and sighed.
"...My head hurts so much... I'm sleepy, so discouraged... My laziness is flaring up again..."
"I really don't want to go to school..."
Although he had registered and worked under the title of Civil Security Officer for a year, Rentaro was still just a high school student, a 16-year-old boy. He even had another year left before graduation.
Since yesterday, his bicycle—the only means of transportation in his house—had been left in another area. Moreover, the distance from home to school was not short. Walking would take a lot of time.
"Tch, I'll be late anyway, so I might as well skip entirely."
"Don't get cocky, Rentaro! I managed to borrow a bicycle!"
"..."
"Damn it..."
...
In the fresh air of the early morning, Rentaro pedaled his bicycle with Enju riding behind. Enju held onto his jacket with one hand, the other hanging loose, occasionally waving to someone nearby. Her face was full of smiles and happiness.
"Enju, stop waving your hand around."
"What are you saying? I'm greeting a beautiful new day with a happy mindset."
"Teaching philosophy today, are we..."
Rentaro gave a wry smile, inevitably recalling the memories from a year ago, when he first became a Civil Security Officer and was paired with the girl as a Promoter and Initiator.
Hatred, hostility, numbness... a complete contrast to now.
"Rentaro, Rentaro! That's Rome! Do you know what Rome is?"
"Enju."
"Yes?"
"Is going to school fun?"
"It's so fun! School is the best!"
Glancing at the jubilant Enju behind him, the corner of Rentaro's mouth involuntarily curled up.
He wanted to protect things like this, forever.
After the Gastrea War, humanity's territory had shrunk to an alarming degree, leading to scarce resources and a rapidly plummeting standard of living. Industrial parks had virtually disappeared, and traffic using combustion fuel also sharply declined, which was why the air in an urban area could become so fresh. Currently, the main forms of transport for the populace were electric trains and bicycles—things that did not consume fossil fuels.
After dropping Enju off near the school, he still cautiously warned the girl.
"Though I've told you many times, remember..."
"Rentaro..."
Enju's face suddenly darkened.
"I know, I'll keep the secret about being a Cursed Child, and I'll be careful in crowds too."
"Well... well, that's good..."
Rentaro scratched his head, something in his heart aching slightly.
The distance between society and the Cursed Children was impossible to erase. Being able to walk normally on the street was already a relative luxury, so how could they attend school with countless other children?
Although there was no official law prohibiting Cursed Children from going to school, the danger from the Gastrea virus's erosion capability combined with the social stigma was more than enough. The reason Enju could attend school was clearly because Rentaro had concealed her identity, as long as the girl did not reveal her red eyes.
After dropping Enju off at school, Rentaro, feeling a bit troubled, arrived at his own high school. He had barely settled down before his phone chimed with a notification sound—it was from Kisara.
Tendou Kisara, the nominal director of the Tendou Civil Security Company where Rentaro worked, and also his childhood friend.
Seeing the notification, Rentaro felt even more discouraged, but just as he intended to pretend he hadn't seen the message, a dark shadow appeared in front of him.
"Not answering your phone, are we? It seems you're tired of living, Satomi?"
"Ki... Kisara!"
Rentaro jumped up in surprise, nearly falling backward. In front of him was a female student in a black skirt school uniform, with a curvaceous figure and beautiful features. However, her expression was extremely cross, and her slender arms resting on her slim waist made her stand out distinctly—a blend of charm mixed with the delicate elegance characteristic of a Japanese maiden.
"You... why are you here?"
"Whatever, it doesn't matter. Come with me to the Boneishou."
Rentaro was astonished. Wasn't the Boneishou the location of the National Defense branch? What did that have to do with Civil Security?
"Why?"
"Because we've been summoned, of course."
"No, I mean the reason..."
Kisara suddenly signaled for silence.
"Do you think we can discuss that here?"
Rentaro realized with a start. He now noticed they weren't in a private office, but right in the middle of his classroom. Moreover, due to Kisara's appearance, many whispers had started around them.
"Hey, hey, isn't that uniform from that girls' school?"
"No way, only rich kids attend that school."
"Why is she talking to Satomi?"
"..."
"Satomi, let's go. It's not convenient to stay here long."
Kisara quickly pulled him out of the classroom.
Rentaro felt dizzy. Deep down, or perhaps it was just a personal feeling, he sensed that today would not be peaceful at all.
When he and Kisara stepped into the conference room reserved for Civil Security Officers, both couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Inside were only major players and big shots of the Civil Security world, all top figures in the Tokyo Civil Security market.
Compared to them, Rentaro was far too inconspicuous. Although he was a Civil Security Officer, his achievements were sporadic and his track record nothing remarkable; one could say he was relatively unknown.
From Kisara, he guessed that the reason he was summoned here was likely because he had encountered the source of the spider-type Gastrea. That was the only thing noteworthy. So, perhaps this mission was related to that?
But Rentaro didn't quite understand. Was an array of this size necessary just for one Gastrea?
"Tch! What the hell is going on with Civil Security?"
"Why are there a couple of wet-behind-the-ears brats here?"
A booming, unpleasant voice rang out, directed straight at Rentaro and Kisara. The person who uttered those words was a man at least two meters tall, with a body as large as a bear, covered entirely in muscle, his wild eyes narrowed. Strapped to his back was a broad greatsword; compared to a sword, it looked more like a slab of steel.
"If you're here to play, go home."
"Watch your words."
Being young and being insulted directly in the middle of a crowded place like this, Rentaro didn't hesitate to retort. He took a step forward, both hands tucked into his pants pockets, staring straight at the big guy.
Even though the size difference between the two was significant, he didn't show the slightest hint of fear.
But just as the tension between the two was about to escalate into a confrontation, someone spoke up to intervene.
"That's enough, Shougen. Don't forget our purpose here."
"If you disobey, please pack up and leave. After all, His Highness is personally presiding over this meeting."
After the person spoke, the big guy, Shougen, ceased his outburst, his hand retreating from the sword hilt.
Meanwhile, Rentaro and Kisara keenly picked up on the words "His Highness". It seemed this summoning had some other hidden reason.
Just as they were wondering, the large screen above the conference table suddenly turned on, and in the center of the screen appeared a beautiful young woman with white hair, possessing a face that no one here was unfamiliar with.
"Her... Her Highness Seitenshi!"
"Good morning, everyone."