Project Device

The absence of fear stirred the yokai’s instincts. It leered at Noel, wondering what her flesh would taste like.

Noel approached the creature and cocked her fist. She drew first blood as she swiftly punched the yokai across the spacious hallway. Kotaro watched wide-eyed. Despite her smaller frame, her foe was hit several meters away from them.

The yokai heaved to its feet. The excruciating pain she inflicted as her fist bludgeoned its jaw aroused the sadistic monster. Its grotesque grin escaped its lips, masochism seemingly evident.

“Before I exterminate you, how did you access the Outside World?” Noel questioned. “No one from Densetsu is allowed access to the Outside World unless permitted.”

“Human from Densetsu? I from Densetsu!”

Noel sighed, “Always the dumb ones…”

It approached Noel at high speed, almost appearing instantaneous for Kotaro. Each claw was the size of machetes, sharpened for precise execution. Noel dodged the first swing. Kotaro saw the creature slash through the lockers, scattering debris into the nearest classroom. It went for another, failing the first time.

Noel ducked under its swipe. The yokai, lacking combat experience and primarily focusing on its violent instinct, left itself completely exposed. A glowing aura emanated in her right fist. She got up and delivered an uppercut to its chin.

The impact sent the creature crashing into the ceiling. Debris fell around it, and it was left dangling like a ragdoll. Noel didn’t stop there; she unleashed a series of swift punches, treating the yokai like a punching bag.

Unfortunately, the yokai adapted. Despite its battered state, it swung its large claws in desperation. Noel backed away, but not before sustaining a minor cut to her cheek. This small window allowed the yokai to free itself. It dug its claw into the ceiling, and it began cutting.

Once it was free, the yokai found itself adorned with a makeshift collar made of debris from the ceiling. “Human strong. Human must burn.”

Its claws shrunk as it extended the right arm towards Noel. A flicker of flames manifested at the palm. It soon enveloped into a large sphere.

An odd phenomenon happened to Noel as a beam of light struck her. A bow formed in Noel’s hand. The bow gleamed and shimmered.

Kotaro’s eyes glazed. For a moment, he thought he was going blind.

“Attack Skill—” The yokai’s incantation was abruptly interrupted. An arrow of radiant light pierced through its heart.

“The Skill Rules don't apply in the Outside World,” Noel remarked. A snap of her finger engulfed the yokai in blue flames until it was nothing but ash.

「Yuuki’s perspective」

Hidden behind his portals, Yuuki watched Noel’s fight in amusement. Though separated between realms, Noel directed her gaze at him, a subtle indication in her awareness of his concealed presence. “Now this can’t be any good for my name.”

He averted his sight to Kotaro, a knowing smile playing on the corner of his lips before fading away. Yuuki opened his parasol, resting it on his shoulders. The Gap Yokai created another portal to his homeworld. “Someone must be tampering with my portals. Wouldn’t want Yanluo or Navarasa to accuse me.”

「Kotaro’s perspective」

As the blue flames dissipated, Noel turned her attention back to Kotaro. Her eyes harbored a touch of concern. She reached out to him, ensuring he was unharmed by the chaos that had just unfolded.

“W-What are you?” Kotaro asked. His mind raced in a whirlwind of questions. She approached him, breaching his personal space. “If it’s a kiss you want, maybe get to know me first?”

“This is kept between you and me. Once the bell rings, I will ex—”

The school bell conveniently rang, interrupting Noel.

“Okay, explain,” Kotaro demanded sharply.

“I’m not from this world.”

“I got that from the way you interacted with that…thing.”

“It’s a yokai,” she corrected. “And the world you discovered last night—”

“Hold on!” His brows shot up with intrigue. “How do you know about that?”

“Everyone in Densetsu knows.”

His thoughts churned. They resumed their lives. Fate seated them together in the next class and so forth. Each encounter frustrated him more. Noel teased him with elusive answers, then avoided him like an ex.

It was lunch, yet Kotaro remained persistent to learn more. “So you’re telling me I’ve been discovering this other—”

“Will you stop blurting this information?” Noel shoved a handful of fries into his mouth. “This is kept between you and me!”

He noticed the abnormality in his surroundings. One would expect a throng of students celebrating Noel's triumph over the yokai. However, reality was quite the opposite—it was as though the yokai encounter never took place. Everyone went about their business as if nothing unusual had occurred.

“About that yokai? Why is everyone acting like nothing happened?” Kotaro addressed.

“It’s my master’s doing,” Noel answered.

“Your master?”

She nodded, “You may not sense it, but he just warped reality. One where the yokai never existed. It’s like it never happened in the first place.”

Kotaro, still processing this information, scanned at the seemingly unaffected surroundings. “But you and I are the ones who saw it?”

“Exactly—” Noel stood and carried her tray to the nearest trash can, “now…I don’t want to continue this conversation. At least, not here.”

As the school day drew to an end, Kotaro stowed his textbooks. The clatter of lockers faded into the background. He closed his locker, dead to his surroundings until he sensed a nearby presence.

He turned and saw Noel beside him, looking strangely calm. Her silence spoke volumes, as if she had awaited this precise moment.

“You’ve been wanting answers,” Noel stated, her tone unwavering.

Kotaro raised an eyebrow, slightly taken back. “Yeah, but at least warn me you’re here.”

“Follow me.” Noel turned and strode across the hallway. Kotaro followed. The construction site loomed ahead, its skeletal frame a frozen sentinel against the gray sky. It was once a bustling hub. Now, abandoned for the season, it stood silent, a monument to halted progress.

The cranes loomed motionless, draped in snow and frost. Tools lie scattered, frozen amidst the half-structures and piles of steel and nails. Who knew how long this slumber would last. The wind seemed to whisper of suspense, the Board of Education’s plans submerged.

“Densetsu,” Noel blurted.

“What?” Kotaro responded, shivering by the icy embrace. Suddenly, the layers of snow began to melt, as the air grew warmer by the second. He felt a strange tingling sensation as the numbing cold was replaced by an unexpected but comforting warmth that penetrated deep into his bones. “Is this your master’s doing again?”

As the snow transformed into glistening puddles, his attention was drawn to the visible aura surrounding Noel. It shimmered with a radiant energy, casting a soft glow that danced against his skin.

Kotaro lost his patience with her cryptic responses. “I have so many questions, and you’re not answering any of them. First, I want to know what Densetsu is. Second, I want to understand why it’s getting warm!”

“Densetsu is the world you discovered last night,” Noel answered as she rested her back against the wall. “It is the world of the Legends, hidden behind an elusive border within the Outside World.”

“You mentioned that everyone in Densetsu knows that I discovered it. How?”

“This isn’t the first time you discovered Densetsu. In fact, you’ve been to Densetsu multiple times. On the same day.”

Kotaro’s eyes widened. “But I don’t remember any of it. How could I have been there without knowing?”

“The days repeat themselves, resetting everything that has been done by your actions. Because you’re not a resident of Densetsu, you’re unaffected by my master’s doing.”

“Let me guess, he manipulated reality to reset the days again?” Kotaro replied, his voice edged with frustration.

Noel nodded. “Yes. Each time the cycle resets, our memories remain intact—but you remain untouched by these altercations. You’re an anomaly—a visitor to our world, trapped within a loop of forgotten moments.”

“Care to explain why he’s causing this?”

“Let’s start from the beginning…” Noel sighed, a weariness in her eyes as she braced herself to reveal the grim reality. “The Sylvan Supreme enforced the Project Device production to combat the monster crisis, allowing the people of Sylvia to expand their homes. Unfortunately, he failed to mention that the production would create dangerous vapors for people to breathe in. Additionally, the Project Devices come with a dark price to be paid. They’re artificial beings known as fakers, lacking a heart and a soul.”

Kotaro’s face warped in shock and concern. “So, these fakers are created without genuine life?”

Noel nodded gravely. “That’s correct. They’re mere imitations of life, tools designed to serve a purpose without the essence of true existence. And to operate these fakers, a crucial element is required.”

“What do you mean?” Kotaro asked, his curiosity piqued.

“What do you think is required to operate a faker like the Project Devices? Take a guess,” Noel prompted, her tone carrying a weight of anticipation.

Kotaro shrugged, “I don’t know. Some sort of battery. It almost sounds like they’re creating a robot.”

“A human soul, at least twenty-four souls to operate a single Project Device,” Noel answered, her voice laden with a grim solemnity. Kotaro’s chest became tight, the weight of her words sinking in. “When it comes to the Project Devices, they require a virgin girl due to their high compatibility. Because of the purity in their virginity, it makes the Project Devices feel human. Girls from Densetsu and the Outside World have gone missing these past few days. Which is why the Kamiyama Shrine Maiden opposed this decision altogether.”

His fist clenched. His mind reeled. Using a soul for such purposes. Such a violation. The person that came to mind was Ashley. “Tell me, is this the reason why the girls in our school have gone missing?”

“Precisely,” Noel confirmed. She pushed herself off the wall, her gaze fixing on him with intrigue. “This is where you come into play.”

“Me?”

“The production of the Project Devices is protected by a powerful wall, the Makai Barrier. Its lethal defense prevents anyone from entering, and those who enter will face imminent death,” Noel explained. She pointed directly at Kotaro. “But you, you’re different. Like I said, an anomaly. The Makai Barrier doesn’t perceive you as living or dead, making you immune to its fatal coding.”

Why me? He questioned the responsibility placed upon him. “Look, none of this still explains why I discov—”

“I’m not finished,” Noel interrupted. “It isn’t your first time discovering Densetsu. In every iteration, you would stumble across an obstacle. A faker like no other. Project Device Type-0013 Never-Ending World, or NEW for short. No matter how many times my master has been resetting the days, the results remain the same.”

“I die,” Kotaro answered. The weight of the responsibility pressed heavily upon him, the gravity of the situation both daunting and empowering. The fate of not just one world but two now rested on his shoulders.

What have I gotten myself into? His mind raced. The task ahead loomed. The stakes could not have been higher. He teetered between great danger and inaction.

“I just don’t understand. Why can’t your master manipulate reality and change it altogether?”

“In theory he can, but doing so will violate the Skill Rules,” Noel answered.

Kotaro recalled Noel saying that before, and his curiosity piqued. “The Skill Rules?”

Noel expelled a wisp of energy from her hands, the same aura radiating from her body. “This is reiki, the essence that emanates in all lifeforms and even non-lifeforms. I am a reikishi, someone who practices the use of reiki. When one learns how to harness it, miracles are born. These miracles are called Skills.”

“There are those, with great ambition, who use reiki to exploit the weak. The Skill Rules is a universal law within Densetsu that all reikishi must follow. It was created in order to prevent the destruction of both Densetsu and the Outside World, limiting what could be utilized in one’s repertoire. Violating those rules would mean death by punishment,” Noel explained.

Kotaro better grasped the delicate balance of power and restraint. It was a matter of perseverance.

“But the Skill Rules don't apply here?” He recalled her phrase against the yokai.

“Exactly. Thus my master was able to manipulate it here freely versus what he can do in Densetsu,” Noel confirmed.

Kotaro now understood the weight of his new destiny. His emotions were conflicted. Few would have to decide the fate of an entire world where they did not belong. But it carried his lost memories. Out there, somewhere. He felt it to his core.

「Ms. Rosenfeld’s perspective」

Ms. Rosenfeld watched them through her office window. She sat down and raised her finger, slicing the air and forming a rift. She peered in and saw something of the perspective of another within Densetsu.

“Lady Delilah!” The men sensed her reiki presence, immediately halting their tasks to salute their mistress.

“The Scarlium is currently with the Azzurum. I expect you know what to do,” Ms. Rosenfeld reported.

“But milady, Nox wouldn’t approve. You’re meddling with his plans!” The tallest man protested.

“Does your loyalty lie with me or with Nox?” Delilah’s glare pierced the man. Her voice shifted to a terrifying yet authoritative tone. The men dared not avert their gaze, sweat beading on their foreheads in silent fear. “You are to awaken the Scarlium no matter the circumstances.”

“How do you suppose we start the gegeru, milady?”

“That imbecile of a yokai killed no one for his gegeru. I dispatched him into the Outside World, only to be eliminated by the Azzurum. So bring me another candidate worthy to participate in the gegeru!”

“Right away, ma’am!” The men abandoned their tasks and focused on Delilah's orders.

As the rift closed, Delilah turned her gaze to the azure sky. “Soon, mother. You will be awakened.”