Somewhere in France – Present Day.

Of all the places in the world, she chose this place.

A red-haired man in his early twenties had a lot on his mind while he drove a convertible under the bright sun on a mid-day. But the weather looked nice though, he smiled. Brings back memories..

He then fixed his eyeglasses, looked over the rear-view mirror, and pressed on the pedals once he confirmed the road was clear for a high speed.

It had been five years now, he thought.

Hey Sensei..

I wonder how you’ve been.

I’m graduating soon, you know. Them too, those three idiots..

I think you were right. Turned out college wasn’t so bad after all, we did enjoy it.

But you know what’s bad? He was frozen for a moment, before he drove the car right next to the cliff, and stopped.

Ah shit.

I promised the others that I wouldn’t bring the emotional baggage with my visit.

But I just can’t help it, can’t I?

I really do wish I could turn back time, Sensei..

He broke down in tears.

**

Japan – 2018

Ahh, it looks like I’m dying, huh?

Oh well, it’s not like a bright future is waiting for me anyway.. fate wasn’t really fond of me. My life is the exact definition of a series of unfortunate events.

This stinks.

But regardless, I’m still thankful for this short life of mine.

I had fun.

Even just for a bit.

**

One Hour Earlier

In a bustling city of Tokyo, where the nights are restless and the days are relentless, just in between Shinjuku and Yoyogi districts, there’s an old, little shrine which was always unnoticeable by passers-by. The shrine had stood there for centuries, strong and unbreakable, against times and calamities.

However oddly, today was different.

The little old little shrine was severely destroyed by a fifteen year old, as he was hustling toward some fights with some other badly behaved students.

Unknown to delinquents, the shrine holds a power to open a gate toward a mystical realm.

And the punishment is heavy, to those who dare to open the gate without permission from the Higher-ups of the Soshiki.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the outskirts of Tokyo, the incident has been quickly noticed by the Soshiki themselves.

“I’ll check it out. Probably an accident.” A soft voice spoke-out, before she put off the black cig that she has just lit up.

“That would be most unlikely. But the Old Geezers won’t stop mumbling about this, you know. Don’t be so casual about it, V.”

“Tch.” V responded with a cold face –which happened to be her default face— and left the academy in a flash, but uttered out some words to annoy Secretary Saiaka in advance. “Tell the Old Man not to send any backups, I’ll handle this on my own. Got it, Secretary Saiaku?” She then smirked. (*saiaku /最悪; worst)

Irritated, Secretary Saiaka reacted with a shout. “It’s Saiaka, dumbass!”

**

Back to where the incident happened, V arrived just in time before the gate was fully opened and was able to seal it close before things have got worse. Finishing off some of the loose Spectres who were able to get out of the gate was a no problem for someone at her calibre, but she did summon her two retainers to help her out –not because she couldn’t handle the case, but she does get lazy at times to deal with the fights—. She then observed the dying punk from a rooftop nearby, he was still fighting with all his might.

Not bad.

His strength is above average. She smirked.

Hm.. but the other brats seemed to have played dirty with the knife. Tsk, tsk!

“Kids these days have no respect in a fair fight.”

Interfering with the affair as she landed gently on the ground, V took some steps closer towards the kids. But the kids were rather stunned by her beauty than her words. And as they’re enchanted with her presence, V casts a spell to put them to sleep.

“Sieste.” V muttered. And all were knocked unconscious at once, except for the dying punk.

Wait. What? V was surprised, her pupils widened.

He’s immune to the spell?

Why?

No human is spell-proof.

Not to my knowledge, that is.

“Hey kid, did you destroy that stupid shrine? Or was it these guys?”

Coughing in blood, the kid replied. “I, ehh, I’m sorry. Tell the priest that I didn’t mean it. It was.. *another coughing* ..an accident, Miss. I’m really sorry. I was just trying to hel..” the kid then collapsed after his last words, barely breathing. There was only so much blood that spilled out of his body from the knife’s wound.

Narrowing her eyes, V stepped closer toward the dying kid. A shocked state entered her mind for a good one minute, but then a sneer appeared in between her lips, as she reached him and held him by the head.

Well, well.. what am I going to do with you then, kid? Destiny seemed to have its way around. What a surprise.

**

Two Days Later

Huh?

Where am I?

Ren had woken up in an unfamiliar place.

The room has somewhat a similar vibe with a ward in a hospital, but yet it doesn't look like a hospital room at all.

Am I in a clinic, then?

Oh yeah, I was.. I thought I was.. dead?

"You're up."

A voice startled Ren, and he scanned the whole room looking for its source. A lady with a short wavy cut then entered the room, sly smiling.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

What a beautiful Onee-san.. Ren thought as he analysed her, thinking that she must've been the doctor whom had healed him –although she does look a bit younger for a doctor—. Her eyewear suits the current situation too, or at least that's what he thought of. (*onee-san/お姉さん; elder sister / honorific terms used to address girls older than oneself.)

"How do you feel? Is the wound still painful?" She asked.

"Uhm.. well, I'm not really sure. I've just woken up. I guess, not?" Ren touched his healed wound and doesn't feel any slight of pain at all. His mind starts wondering how weird it is before he raised a question toward the lady. "Who are you, by the way? Are you a doctor? It's odd that you don't wear the typical white coat, though."

Squinting, the lady replied. "Akai Ren, isn’t it? Your Student ID was in your pocket. And no, I'm not a doctor, Akai-kun.” She smiled. “Well, I wanted to be one but I failed the entrance exam and ended up being a secretary to the second most annoying person on earth. I do however, have the skill to help you. My name is Arata Saiaka. You can call me Secretary Saiaka. Let me check those wound. May I?"

"The second most annoying person on earth?” Ren raised his thick brows, his pupils narrowed. “Oh.. well, thank you for saving my life, Secretary Saiaka." He then paused for a moment as his mind took him back to the moment where he thought he was losing his life. "I really thought I was dying.. for sure."

"You're wrong."

"Huh?"

“I wasn’t the one who saved your life.”

“Ehh?”

“It was that dumbass.”

“That.. that dumba, who?”

“The most annoying person on earth.”

“Ahh, uhm.. I’m confused?”

“She said that you admitted to have destroyed the shrine.”

“Ahh, that lady.. she had this revolver tattoo on her left thigh now that I remember it.. well yeah, about the shrine.. I mean, I didn’t mean to do it. Argh shoot. I should probably find the priest and apologize to him in person.”

“Priest is dead.”

“What? Dead?”

“Yup. Dead.” Another smile crossed Secretary Saiaka’s face. “Anyway.. it was a considered as a great crime, you know.” She took a step backward once she finished checking on Ren’s wounds.

“You mean, the shri..”

“Yes. Punishable by death. Soshiki Law.”

“Soshiki? Wait. DEATH?” Ren arched his brows in shock.

Sighing out loud, Secretary Saiaka made her way toward the window just a few steps away from Ren’s.

That dumbass. She had to drag this poor kid into our world.

**

Two Days Ago

“Are you freakin’ serious?” Secretary Saiaka squawked.

“Geez, lower your voice. It’s annoying. Just nurse him until he’s all well and awake. He lost a lot of blood on the way here. I was able to revive him with a Power Force but it wasn’t enough. So do your Arata thing for this kid.”

“For goodness sake V! What have you done? You said that he was the one who smashed down the shrine.”

“True.” V paused. “He also smashed down a Siluman. With his bare hands.”

“What?”

“Well, he didn’t do it on purpose. There was this group of punks who ganged up on the old priest. This kid helped that dude out. Turned out it was a hungry Siluman in a priest form, tried to trap on those brats.. oh, speaking of hungry, can you make me a sandwich? Chocolate spread.”

“WHAT?”

“To cut the story short, the kid beat the gang up but got stabbed. He couldn’t dodge it because the Siluman casted a Dark Spell turned him confused. I’m guessing he smashed down the Siluman too out of his unconsciousness. But then that monster had to runaway to the shrine thinking that he could escape, probably. I’m at lost here too on what that Siluman was thinking. The seal on that shrine was untouchable for the Spectres. That monster’s dead by the way, the twins finished him off when I summoned them. This kid destroyed the shrine out of rage and he probably wouldn’t remember what had really happened when he’s up. Or he could have an unclear memory because of the Dark Spell. I wonder if he’s a Halfie, he’s surprisingly strong for a mere-human. Well, I’m going to investigate. I’ll leave the rest to you. I shall see you when I see you..

..ohh, where’s the sandwich?”

**

Back to Present

“That’s pretty much what that crack-head said.”

Still in vague mode, Ren has no clue on how to respond. “That doesn’t explain much at all, though.. and how could the lady know what really happened?”

“You healed fast. That wasn’t a normal pattern for a mere human.” Grinning, Secretary Saiaka approached Ren. “You’re going to the Soshiki Academy.”

**

One week after the shrine incident..

Everything went so fast, I can barely keep up with the things that going on recently.

Secretary Saiaka had only explained so much and yet there are still things that I don’t understand. I mean, there are actually eminence in shadows in this world.. I’m still pinching myself if all these are real.

When Secretary Saiaka asked for my decision, I wasn't really thinking. But if I could tell her the truth, I really haven't given a thought about my future either. I mean, I’m a drop-out and all. So maybe, if I really have to do this, then I would.

Anyway.. this pitch black uniform looks kinda cool, the gold buttons stand out the most. I wonder what kind of school it is. My heart is pounding.

Ren’s Flashback:

'To sum it up, long ago, both human race and the supernatural beings.. or well, what you guys called Yokai in history, co-existed and lived in harmony, until a tragedy took place, and that tragedy led to a great war between the two parties. But on the edge of human losing the battle, some mysterious group of clans called the Soshiki, rose with powerful force from each corners of this country and was able to dominate the war. The Soshiki would later name those supernatural beings as the Spectres. They've been fighting the Spectres since then on for centuries. Time passed by and the knowledge of the Great War has been forgotten.. although it only ended a couple of decades ago. However, those beings still exist, and although they reside in their own realm now, they do wander from time to time in human world. Probably to just hangout, but most of the times, it's because of their hunger of the human flesh. The old man whom you thought was a priest last time was an example of that. It was a Siluman, a type of Spectre that was and still is highly skilled in the battlefield. They could also turn into a human form and fancy human flesh as its meal. If it wasn't for you, those punks who had almost kill you would've probably been eaten..'

'.. but you did mention about the shrine before.. or was it a ga..?'

'Yes. That was a sealed Yomi Gate, in a form of a shrine. There’s quite a few of them all across the country. And that gate is an in and out way to the Underworld Realm but it’s been sealed by the Soshiki for hundreds of years now.. until you wrecked it that is. But not to worry, it was a small gate. Although you did shock the entire Soshiki with that news. I mean it took such strength for a mere-human to destroy that kind of thing.'

'Uh, yeah.. once again, I apologize, Secretary Saiaka.. but uhm, mere-human sounds a bit off..'

'Hahaha.. don't worry. That dumbass with a revolver tattoo who saved you had already took care of that. You were lucky, Akai-kun. She holds a great power within the Soshiki world. So enough with the apologize, you're pretty much under her protection now.'

'Pro.. protection?'

'Uhuh. She's like, all the way up there. We're both of the Soshiki blood, if you have yet to notice it. The Soshiki existence is crucial as long as the Spectres still roaming around this earth. Our very purpose of existence is to eliminate that kind of evil force. And you, Akai-kun, will soon be a part of it.'

Man. My head is kind of spinning. Everything happened so fast and there's only so much for me to understand with all that short explanation.. but oh well, I guessed I get the gist of it. When it is given then it is given. I'm grateful for this second chance in life. What's next, I don't know. But I'm ready. Whatever it is I'm ready. I guess fate isn't that bad after all, huh?

'Listen, Akai-kun. There are good, and bad. Right, and wrong. Godly, and evil. Black, and white. I could go on and on but you get the point. The question is, do you really understand the very meaning behind those words? What do you distinguish as which is which? If you think about it, really think about it, moral argument is indeed a foundation in one's life. Faith and believe, they could either make you or destroy you. So you better give it all.. all that you've got. For whatever decision you would make. And the decision is yours and yours alone. But let me assure you this one thing, Akai-kun.. your life won't get any easier from this moment on, should you say yes.'

"You're all set. Is that all you've got? The new uniform fits you well, I see."

A convertible? For real? She's going to drive me to the new school with a convertible? I mean it's my first time to even seeing it up close.. wahh..

"Yes. I guess I am. I don't have much stuff, this duffle bag carried all that I have. And seems like the uniform fits. Thank you, Secretary Saiaka."

"Hmm.. Well, hop in now, you wouldn't want to be late on your first day at your new school, would you?"

**

"Have you thought this through, V?"

At the Soshiki Academy ground, there's a small enclosed pavilion located almost like a hideout at the very last fence around the backyard of the school, and its space can only be illuminated by a special Power Force. At this very moment, there's one powerful Fighter blowing a cloud of smoke toward the dark sky by the small window of the pavilion, receiving a call she's been expected.

".. well? I can spot you from here. How many times do I have to tell you not to smoke on the premises? You’re really unfit to be a teacher."

"Then WHY did you even hire me as one in the very first place? Besides I sealed this place with my own blood. Neither students nor the other Fighters can really enter without my permission. Including you, that is."

"You're missing the point here. Now you're making me a feel like a failure as your former educator."

Feeling annoyed, V darkened the entire pavilion. "Feeling much better now, Mr. Big-shot Principal?"

"YOU'RE STILL SMOKING!"

"Yes. But you CAN'T see me."

"Oh for goodness' sake. Forget it, V. You're a headache! Back to the point. The new student."

"What about him?"

"Don’t act clueless. He's an outsider. This isn’t just a regular school for a kid like him, V. You, of all people, know exactly how the things are in our world." Principal Minamoto paused for a moment and letting out a heavy sigh before he continue.. "You are too stubborn. Way too stubborn. A lot more stubborn than your late brother. You're letting that kid in just because you think he is someone special? The child could die in any given moment he step foot into this cursed world we're born into, and that would be YOUR responsibility."

Narrowing her eyes, V puffed another blow of nicotine to the sweet air of the Tokyo’s outskirts before replying the principal. "He didn't destroy the shrine.” She paused. “He casted a spell to break it." There was a moment of eerie silence, but V can only afford to smirk. "Ohh? You're shocked, aren't you? I guessed I failed to mention it the other day. But the Memory Force I performed on him on his verge of death wasn't a joke, Old Man. He did that unconsciously. That was the main reason why he was at death’s door. Losing so much blood was only contributing to it. That kid has a Power Force in him to begin with."

"What are you saying, V?"

"The truth. Although I still don't know a lot about it. But I'm on it.” That was a lie. V knew everything the moment she performed a Memory Force on Ren, she just had to make sure with the evidences. “It may take time but I’ll get to the bottom of the investigation. You did notice his red hair too Old Man. I know you have your suspicions. At the meantime, please do have an eye on the kid. I’d be gone for a moment and he seemed to have a heart of gold. That, I didn’t fail to mention."

"Did you inform the Elders?"

"Of course not. That Secretary Saiaku doesn't even know the full version of the drama."

"It's Secretary Saiaka, moron. She’d kill you one of these days for sure. And both the Elders and Higher-ups will find out about it eventually. Don’t forget the majority of them have opposed your position.”

"Well, when it happens, then it happens. “

Tsk. Principal Minamoto rolled his tongue. "Alright then.. do as you please, but if anything would ever happ.."

"Enough. I respect you, a lot. You know that. But it's enough. You know I'm a person of reasons. So trust me on this. I wouldn’t let the kid die, even if it would cost me my life."

V ended the call with a firm voice, assuring the principal that she is who she is.

The most powerful Soshiki of modern era.