CHAPTER 11 : First Mission (2)

Hello everyone,
I’d like to sincerely apologize for the confusion regarding character names in recent chapters.

This story was originally written in a language other than English, and during the translation process, a naming inconsistency occurred. In several recent chapters, the instructor who has been teaching and accompanying the main group was referred to as “Daichi.”
However, this was a translation mistake.

To clarify:

The instructor who teaches and oversees the main cast is Daigo.

Daichi is a different character—the one who went away together with Alice.

From this point forward, the name Daigo will be used consistently for the instructor, and Daichi will refer only to the other character mentioned above.

I sincerely apologize for any confusion this may have caused and truly appreciate your understanding and continued support. Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

— Kiryu Jagan

Mira was the first to realize it.
Her face went pale instantly.
She reflexively pointed at Shiru, her voice rising, half-panicked.

“No—no, no, no. Anyone but that guy.”

Daigo turned toward her casually.
“Why?”

Mira spun to face him.
“I have BAD memories with him!”

Daigo went silent for a second.
Then—he laughed.

“Oh? Hahaha, that’s good,” he said lightly.
“That means you can really be friends again now.”

Mira exploded.

“THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS, YOU DAMN OLD MAN!!”

Ren and Kurogane instinctively took half a step back.

“She just called Sensei an old man—”
“This is gonna be a huge problem—”

“SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!!” Mira snapped.

On the other side of the room, Shiru finally turned fully toward the commotion.
His gaze stopped right on Mira, who was still pointing at him like she was staring at a walking trauma.

“…It seems,” Shiru said quietly, “we’re being talked about.”

The guy in his group frowned.
“Talked about, or cursed at?”

The short-haired girl crossed her arms.
“Judging by the volume, I’d say cursed.”

The other girl tilted her head.
“…Should we go over there?”

Shiru gave a small nod.
“Yes. Better to address it directly.”

They started walking closer.

Mira immediately panicked a little.

“He’s coming this way.”

Shiru stopped right in front of them.

“Morning, Mira,” he said lightly.
“You look… healthy.”

Mira only turned halfway toward him, clearly avoiding his eyes.

“…Morning.”

One word.
Flat tone.
Emotional distance: a concrete wall.

Shiru raised an eyebrow slightly.

“That was short. Are you always this economical with words when you talk to me?”

“No,” Mira replied quickly.
“…With everyone.”

Ren covered his mouth and whispered to Kurogane,
“Damn, that’s colder than a server room AC.”

Shiru let out a small chuckle.

“I see.”

He leaned forward slightly—still polite, but close enough to be unsettling.

“Back then, you were quite… expressive.”

Mira stiffened immediately.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hm?”
Shiru pretended to think.

“I clearly remember you being very honest. Brutal, even.”

“STOP,” Mira cut him off.
“Let’s just focus on the mission.”

Shiru smiled—this time wider.

“You always do this when you’re nervous.”

“I am NOT nervous.”

“Oh?”

“Then I guess you always avoid eye contact with me?”

Mira clenched the sleeve of her jacket.

“…You’re annoying.”

Ren swallowed.
“This isn’t a conversation… this is psychological warfare.”

Shiru still didn’t stop.

“I’m just curious. You remember me, right?”

Mira stayed silent.

Shiru added, his tone teasing,
“Because I remember you very clearly.”

Kurogane, who had been watching Mira grow increasingly uncomfortable around Shiru, exchanged a look with Ren.
They both nodded—as if the same idea had crossed their minds.

“Wait.”

Everyone turned to him.

“Hey,” he said, pointing at Shiru.
“You’re the one who—back when you were a kid—cried in the park, right?”

Shiru blinked.

“…What?”

Kurogane nodded confidently.

“The one who got hit by—”

“DON’T,” Mira cut in, panicked.

Ren immediately jumped in.

“—SHIT.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

The atmosphere collapsed.

The guy from Shiru’s group stared.
“…What.”

The short-haired girl:
“…What.”

The other girl:
“…I misheard that, right?”

Shiru froze.

His face—usually calm and pale—slowly…
turned red.
Very red.

“T-that—that—” Shiru choked.
“That was a LONG time ago!”

Ren leaned forward, eyes sparkling.

“SO IT’S TRUE?!”

Kurogane clapped his hands.

“HOLY CRAP. YOU’RE ACTUALLY A POOP VICTIM.”

“IT WAS CAT SHIT-,” Shiru shouted reflexively—
then immediately covered his own mouth.

Too late.

Mira covered her face.

“I want to die.”

Shiru ran a hand through his hair roughly, his cool aura completely shattered.

“I WAS A KID BACK THEN, OKAY?! AND IT WAS TRAUMATIZING!”

The guy in his group patted his shoulder.

“…Bro.”

The short-haired girl grinned.
“Wow. So that’s why you’re allergic to cats?”

“I’M NOT allergic—that’s different!”

Daigo finally cleared his throat loudly.

“Enough.”

That single word cut through everything.
Not a shout—his tone was calm, but strong enough to make everyone fall silent on reflex.

“Your little reunion is touching,” Daigo continued flatly,
“but we have a mission. Get ready. We move now.”

Mira lowered her hands from her face, still flushed.
Ren and Kurogane stopped laughing—though clearly with effort.

But before anyone moved, Ren narrowed his eyes.

“…By the way,” he said slowly,
“I’ve been wondering.”

Kurogane turned to look in the same direction.

Beside Daigo, Toma stood upright.
Xentra uniform neat.
A wide smile.

Too wide.

“…Why is he just standing there silently, grinning?” Kurogane asked.

Mira looked Toma up and down.

“What’s wrong with him? Is he decoration?”

Ren added,
“Or Union’s new mascot?”

Toma’s smile didn’t move.

But—
a small vein twitched on his forehead.

Daigo didn’t respond.

Kurogane grew bolder.

“Hey, Tom. You’re joining the mission but not bringing a weapon?”

Ren chimed in,
“Or is your job just to boost team morale with that smile?”

Mira snorted.
“Honestly, your smile just stresses me out more.”

Toma’s smile twitched.
Tick.
The vein on his forehead became more visible.

But he stayed silent.

Daigo slowly rubbed his temple.

“…You three,” he said at last,
“don’t need to know the details right now.”

Ren frowned.
“Sensei, this is suspicious.”

“Very,” Kurogane nodded quickly.

Mira stared sharply at Daigo.
“Why is he here?”

Daigo fell silent.

Then—

a flashback surfaced in his mind.

Union corridor.
Nighttime.
Silent white lights.

Daigo was walking casually…
when he heard a thump—thump—thump coming from one of the empty rooms.

He peeked inside.

Toma was standing in front of a table.

On top of the table:
a large teddy bear.

And on the bear’s face—
a neatly pinned photo of Daigo’s face.

Toma was punching the bear over and over.

“WHY IS THE TRAINING ALWAYS INSANE—”
THUMP

“WHY A HUNDRED LAPS OF RUNNING—”
THUMP

“WHY A CREATURE LIKE YOU IS EVEN ALIVE—”
THUMP

Daigo froze at the doorway.

Toma was still panting, his hands trembling slightly after the last punch.
He stepped back.

One step.
Two steps.

Thud.

He bumped into something—someone.

“Ah—”

Toma turned around.

Daigo was standing behind him.

Not shouting.
Not moving.
Just standing quietly under the corridor light.

But his aura—
was heavy.
Oppressive.
Like an oni demon holding back its rage.

Daigo’s eyes stared straight at Toma.
Slow.
Deep.

Toma froze.

“……”

Time seemed to stop.

The photo of Daigo’s face was still stuck to the teddy bear, crooked, half peeled off.
Clear marks of the punches covered it.

Daigo stepped forward once.

Tap.

Toma swallowed hard.

“S–Sensei… when were you there?”

Daigo glanced briefly at the bear.
Then looked back at Toma.

“…Continue,” he said quietly.

That calm voice was far more terrifying.

Toma snapped straight.

“I’M SORRY, SENSEI.”

Silence wrapped the corridor again.

Daigo finally turned and walked away as if nothing had happened.

“Tomorrow,” he said without looking back,
“we’ll talk.”

His footsteps faded.

Toma collapsed weakly onto the floor.

“…I’m dead.”

Back to the present.

Daigo looked at Ren, Kurogane, and Mira expressionlessly.

“…In short,” he said flatly,
“this is a form of punishment.”

All three stiffened.

“Punishment?” Ren repeated.

Daigo nodded slowly.

“For anyone who rebels, disobeys, or harbors ill intent toward their superior.”

Mira slowly glanced at Toma.
His smile was back—too neat.

Kurogane whispered,
“So… he’s not here voluntarily?”

“You could say that,” Daigo replied.

Toma finally spoke, his voice bright but stiff.

“My name is Toma, and I am a magical girl who will help you have a bright and fun day!”

The vein on his forehead twitched again.

The room fell silent.

Ren swallowed.

“…Sensei.”

“Yes?”

“From now on,” Ren said quietly,
“I will never complain again.”

Daigo smiled faintly.

“Good.”

Mira felt chills run down her spine.

The mission hadn’t even started—
yet hell was already walking alongside them.

In the end, they agreed to accept the mission.
One by one, they headed to their respective lockers to retrieve the custom combat suits specially made by Union.

It didn’t take long before they were fully geared up and made their way toward the Union vehicle area.

The moment they arrived, they were greeted by an enormous space—filled with futuristic vehicles of every kind. Giant robots, fighter jets, tanks, extreme-looking motorcycles, and cars with technology far beyond their era.

“W–whoa… this is insane. They’re huge as hell. Like robot beep beep beep,” Kurogane said, mimicking robot movements with a clueless expression.

“Hahaha, yeah,” laughed the long-haired girl from Shiru’s group.

“What’s wrong with that guy?” Mira whispered to Ren, pointing at Kurogane.

“Nothing new,” Ren replied casually. “Just a lunatic.”

Daigo stood before them, raising his hands dramatically.

“Okaaaay! Everyone! We’ve arrived at the best vehicle in the entire Union fleet!”

“Whoa, which one?”
“Where, where? I wanna see!”
“WAIT—ARE WE ACTUALLY RIDING THAT JET?!” Mira shouted, pointing at a gleaming fighter jet.

“T–that’s crazy… so cool—HUH?!” Ren suddenly froze, his eyes slowly shifting to the right as if he had just noticed something else.

“YOHOOO! YESSS! Finally get to try a luxury vehicle! YUHUU!” Kurogane yelled while jumping around, even grabbing both hands of the long-haired girl beside him.

“Y–yeah… ehehe…” she replied awkwardly.

“Hahaha! I knew you’d be excited,” Daigo laughed.
“But I don’t know what you mean about that jet, hahahahaha.”

“Huh?” Mira frowned. “Isn’t that the one we’re using?”

“Hm? No,” Daigo answered casually. “Our vehicle… is that one.”

He pointed at an old van, its paint faded, covered in weird stickers reading “Feeling Good,” “Sugar Daddy,” and “No Bitch Allowed.”

Mira and Kurogane froze instantly. Their eyes went blank, lifeless—as if their souls had just been dragged to the afterlife.

“Haah… what did you expect from someone like him,” Ren muttered as he walked toward the van.

“M–my dream…”
“M–my healing…”

With heavy steps, they followed Ren.

“Sit in the seats I’ve assigned for you,” Daigo said.
“I’ve adjusted them based on each of your comfort levels.”

“Huh?” Kurogane looked suspicious. “How do you even know what’s comfortable for us?”

“I have all the information on Earth,” Daigo replied flatly.

Kurogane shivered.

Mira climbed in first and searched for her name on the seats.

“Ah, there it is… perfect corner seat, next to—”

She froze.

The name beside hers: Shiru.

Shiru entered right after, looking for his seat. When he realized they’d be sitting together, his face lit up. He grinned widely and hopped into his seat.

“Hehehe, Mira… we’re sitting together,” he said, smiling in a way that somehow felt unsettling.

“Mr. Daigo, I want to change seats,” Mira said quickly.

“Huh? Sure, whatever,” Daigo replied. “But you won’t be comfortable later.”

“I don’t care.”

“Come on, Mira. What’s wrong with sitting next to me?” Shiru tried to defend himself.

“Disgusting.”

Mira looked toward the back. The two girls from Shiru’s group were sitting on either side of Kurogane, who was grinning smugly between them.

Mira approached.

“Um… can we switch seats? I need to talk to Kurogane.”

Before the short-haired girl could answer, Kurogane immediately pulled her closer.

“Oi, a thug like you doesn’t get to talk to my princess.”

“WHAT?!”

“HEY, SIT DOWN ALREADY!” Daigo shouted from the front seat.

Mira glanced at the long-haired girl next to Kurogane—but Kurogane was already glaring at her sharply, like he wanted to kill her.

“Tch.”

In the end, completely against her will, Mira went back and sat beside Shiru.

Shiru glanced at Mira for a moment, then broke into a wide grin.
“Hehehehe… Mira, we’re finally together again.”

Mira let out a long sigh.
“Shut up, please. If you don’t, I’ll throw poop at you again.”

“Damn, that’s harsh,” Shiru laughed lightly. “Saying that to your own fiancé.”

“Fiancé my ass.”

“Heeey… why don’t you want me anyway?” Shiru leaned a little closer.
“Don’t tell me you already have another guy?”

“Yeah,” Mira replied lazily, her tone flat. “I already have a boyfriend.”

She hoped that would be enough to make him back off.

“Seriously?” Shiru narrowed his eyes. “Who? Don’t tell me it’s that guy named Ren.”

He pointed toward Ren.

Mira followed his gaze.

Ren was spacing out while… picking his nose.

“Disgusting,” Mira muttered flatly.

Before Shiru could respond, the van door opened. Toma climbed in with his bag and started looking for a seat.

Not long after, he stopped.

The only empty seat was right next to Ren.

On the seatback, written in big bold letters, was:

— IDIOT —

“…Huh?” Toma frowned in confusion.

He looked toward the front.
“Hey, Mr. Daigo, I think there’s a mistake. There’s no seat with my name on it.”

“Huh? They’re all there,” Daigo replied casually without turning around.

“The only thing written here is ‘idiot.’”

“Yeah, that one’s yours, idiot.”

Toma stared at the seat for a long moment.

“…Damn it.”

Not long after, the van drove off through the silent road.

Long story short, they arrived at the Cursed Village of Kagami.

One by one, they got out of the vehicle.

“What is this place… it’s creepy, it’s all foggy,” Mira muttered as she stepped down from the van.

“Brr… it’s freezing,” Ren said, pulling his jacket tighter.

The area was wrapped in thick fog. Old, ruined houses stood scattered around, some nearly swallowed by puddles of water and mud everywhere.

“Kyaa!!”

The scream rang out as a long-haired girl slipped in the mud. She nearly fell, but Kurogane quickly caught her.

“Are you alright, my lady?” he asked in a deep voice.

“Ah—yeah, thanks,” the girl replied awkwardly.

“Tch, trying way too hard to look cool,” Mira shot Kurogane a sharp look.
“Even though you’re basically an idiot too,” Ren added.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, ASSHOLE?!”

Kurogane and Ren immediately started pinching each other’s cheeks and shoving one another, turning the scene into chaos. Mira sighed and walked toward Shiru’s group.

“Hi, I’m Mira. What are your names?”

“I’m Mya. Nice to meet you,” said the short-haired girl with a smile.
“My name’s Natsumi! I hope we can be good friends!” added the girl beside her cheerfully.
“I’m Kenta,” a man said briefly.

“You guys seem really close,” Mira commented.

“Hahaha, not as bad as your group,” Natsumi replied with a small laugh.

“Nope. My group’s completely broken,” Misa said casually.

Behind them, Ren and Kurogane were still fighting. Meanwhile, Toma was busy peeling stickers off Daigo’s van.

“HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” Daigo shouted when he noticed.

Not long after, everyone finally gathered. Daigo stood in front of them and began the briefing.

“Alright, I’ll keep it short. We’re here to find the missing child. You’ll split up to search,” he said firmly.
“I know this forest is dangerous, but with Toma and Shiru, everything should be fine.”

He paused, then continued,
“I’ve divided the groups based on your abilities so they’ll be balanced.”

Group 1:
Mira
Shiru
Ren
Kenta

Group 2:
Kurogane
Mya
Natsumi
Toma

“Wait, wait, wait,” Mira interrupted immediately, her face annoyed.
“Why do we even need groups? And why am I the only girl in this one?”

Daigo, Ren, Toma, and Kurogane all turned toward her at the same time and said almost in unison,

“Are you even a girl?”

“WHAT?!” Mira’s eyes bulged. “ARE YOU ALL BLIND OR WHAT?!”

Ren chuckled. “I mean… statistically.”

“STATISTICS MY ASS,” Mira pointed at her own face.

Daigo laughed lightly and waved his hand.
“Hahaha, just kidding, just kidding. Of course I chose the groups based on your abilities. Don’t overthink it. You’ll understand later.”

“Easy for you to say—” Mira sighed tiredly.

“Hahaha, come on. We’re a good match,” Shiru said casually.

“Shut up,” Mira replied without looking at him.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot. There’s one important thing,” Daigo continued, his tone suddenly serious—though his face stayed relaxed.
“If you see a dog later… don’t even think about approaching it.”

Everyone turned to him.

“If you do,” he added, “you could die.”

“Tch, guess I won’t bring it home then,” Kurogane muttered.

“Mr. Daigo,” Kenta asked hesitantly, “which team will you be joining?”

“Huh?” Daigo looked surprised. “Of course I’m not joining.”

He had already climbed up and was lying on top of the van, one hand supporting his head.
“I’ll just wait here and eat.”

“That’s so unfair,” Mya complained.

“Relax,” Daigo said as he pulled out his phone.
“If there’s danger you can’t handle, I’ll come.”

“From here?” Ren raised an eyebrow.

“Yup. I can sense everything,” Daigo replied casually.
“Now hurry up and go. The drama’s about to start.”

“Hah… totally useless,” Toma muttered.

Without waiting for a response, the two groups walked off in opposite directions, slowly disappearing into the fog-filled village.

The fog thinned slightly as they moved deeper into the village. Mira walked in front, her eyes constantly shifting left and right. Not out of panic—more like a bad habit that kicked in whenever the ground beneath her feet felt too soft.

Plok.

“…Seriously,” she muttered, lifting a shoe that was half-sunk into the mud.
“This place feels like it was designed just to piss people off.”

Ren, walking behind her, stopped as well.
“You sure we didn’t wander into a buffalo mud pit?”

“At least buffaloes would be better,” Mira shot back.
“This is cold, smelly, and slippery.”

Shiru walked calmly as if the road were dry and solid.
“The terrain is like this. Don’t stop too often.”

“Yeah, easy for someone whose shoes aren’t sinking into the mud,” Mira replied.

Kenta laughed quietly.
“At least nothing’s happened yet.”

“DON’T SAY THAT,” Ren snapped, turning around in panic.
“That’s usually right before—”

“Ren,” Mira cut him off.
“If you’re gonna be scared, at least don’t spread it.”

“I’m just being realistic,” Ren said, pulling his jacket tighter.
“Fog, ruined village, mud… it’s the full package.”

Mira clicked her tongue softly, though she agreed. Her hand instinctively tensed every time ripples formed in the puddles near their feet.

A few steps later, Shiru suddenly raised his hand.

“Stop.”

All four of them froze.

From within the fog came low growls—not just one, but several. Followed by the sounds of impact and rough roars that definitely didn’t belong to humans.

“…Please tell me that’s not for us,” Ren whispered.

Mira peeked out from behind a half-collapsed old house. In a small, flooded clearing, several creatures were fighting.

Short, muscular bodies—strange humanoid shapes with rough skin. In front of them, several large wolf-like monsters with glowing eyes fought back, their fangs and claws glinting under the dim light.

“Whoa…” Kenta whispered. “They’re fighting each other.”

Mira kept watching their movements.
“Ew… that’s disgusting.”

“What kind of monster is that?” Ren swallowed hard.

Shiru answered without taking his eyes off the clearing.

“Velkan.”

“Velkan?” Ren repeated quietly.

“Low–mid level humanoid monsters,” Shiru continued calmly. “Their bodies are short, but their muscle density is high. Strong, tough, and they barely feel pain.”

“They look disgusting as hell,” Ren replied.

From behind the half-collapsed house, they watched a fight that was anything but balanced.

Five wolf-like monsters moved at once, muddy ground splashing beneath their feet with every stride. One of them opened its jaws wide—wild, pulsing light gathering inside its mouth.

An energy blast slammed into the Velkan formation.

One Velkan was thrown hard, its body smashing into the ground with a heavy thud before rolling uncontrollably. Mud coated its face, yet it still rose, roaring loudly as if it felt nothing at all.

“Insane…” Ren whispered. “That hit was direct.”

The other Velkans retaliated brutally. They didn’t dodge—they charged. One Velkan rammed the wolf head-on, while another crushed in from the side. The wolf’s body was pinned between two masses of muscle before being flung away and falling still in a pool of water.

The second wolf tried to attack from behind.

Light burst from its mouth again, striking the back of another Velkan. The short body was pushed forward—but before it could fall, it twisted around and lunged, smashing into the wolf with its full weight.

The impact was loud enough to be heard even from where Mira stood.

“Two…” Kenta muttered. “They’re down.”

Now the numbers were starting to favor the Velkans.

Three Velkans surrounded a single wolf. Every time the wolf tried to leap away, another body slammed into it from a different direction. It was dragged backward, its feet slipping in the mud, its movement completely cut off.

The remaining wolves howled—not as an attack, but as a warning.

The Velkans only grew more feral.

One of them sprinted forward, stomped hard into the ground, then leapt high. Its shadow swallowed the light above the last wolf.

“N-no!” Mira cried out reflexively.

The Velkan’s body plunged downward, ready to crush anything beneath it.

Mira didn’t think.

She burst out from behind the building—

“HEY, MIRA!” Ren shouted—

her shoes slamming into the mud as she crashed into the Velkan’s body from the side with all her strength, shoving it away just before it could hit the wolf.

The Velkan was sent flying sideways, slamming into the ground with a heavy sound.

But Mira didn’t stop.

Her running momentum was too great.

Her foot slipped on the slick mud—

and the world spun.

“—DAMN IT—!”

Her body hit the ground hard, her back slamming into the muddy earth. The air was knocked from her lungs, her vision going dark for a moment.

Plap.
Plap.
Plap.

Footsteps.

Many of them.

Mira coughed, trying to lift her head.

When her vision finally focused, her heart dropped into her stomach.

Velkans.

One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
More.

They stood in a circle around her, their short, muscular bodies soaked in mud and water, chests rising and falling rapidly. Their eyes—small, dark, and empty—were fixed on her.

“Ah…” her breath caught. Her hands pressed into the ground as she instinctively tried to crawl back.

One of the Velkans snorted loudly.

The sound wasn’t angry.

It was more like… interest.

Another Velkan stepped closer.

Then another.

The circle tightened.

“Mira—!” Ren’s voice sounded distant.

Too late.

The largest Velkan stepped forward. It raised its arm—muscles tensing, veins bulging clearly beneath its rough skin.

Its fist clenched above Mira’s head.

Its shadow completely covered her face.

Mira froze.

Her mind went blank.

No plan.

No words.

Only one bitter realization struck her in sync with her pounding heartbeat—

I messed up.

The fist started to fall.

And Mira’s world—

went dark.