SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE - PRESENT DAY
Of all the places in the world, she chose this one.
The red-haired man, early twenties, had a storm of thoughts swirling behind his calm expression as he drove a convertible beneath the blinding midday sun. The weather was perfect—warm breeze, cloudless sky. He allowed himself a small smile.
Brings back memories...
He adjusted his glasses, glanced at the rear-view mirror, and, seeing the road ahead clear, pressed down on the accelerator.
It's been five years now. He reflected.
Hey, Sensei... I wonder how you've been.
I'm graduating soon, you know. Them too—those three idiots. We actually made it.
And you were right. College wasn't so bad after all. We had fun. We really did.
But then his smile faltered. He eased the car to the edge of a cliff, the sea stretching endlessly before him. The engine idled, but everything else stood still.
But you know what's bad?
He froze. The words stuck in his throat.
"…Ah, shit."
He let out a shaky breath, dragging a hand down his face.
I promised the others I wouldn't drag this emotional baggage with me today. I swore I'd keep it light.
"But I just... I just can't help it, can I?"
His voice cracked as the tears finally came.
"I really do wish I could turn back time, Sensei…"
And there, on the edge of the world, he broke down.
JAPAN – 2018
Damn it… looks like I'm dying, huh?
Figures. It's not like some bright, promising future was ever waiting for me. Fate's never really had my back.
Honestly, my life? It's the textbook definition of a series of unfortunate fucking events.
This stinks.
Still… even with everything, I'm grateful—for this short, messy life of mine.
I had fun.
Even if it was just for a little while.
ONE HOUR EARLIER
In the heart of Tokyo—a city that never truly sleeps, where neon lights blur into dawn and the air hums with constant motion—there lies a forgotten little shrine nestled between the Shinjuku and Yoyogi districts. Time and calamity had tested it, but the shrine had endured for centuries, weathered and unyielding.
Until today.
Today, the ancient structure lay in ruins—shattered by the reckless charge of a fifteen-year-old delinquent barreling toward yet another street brawl with a group of equally ill-behaved punks.
Unbeknownst to any of them, the shrine was more than an old relic. It was a seal. A gateway to a realm hidden beyond human understanding. And breaking it, especially without permission from the Higher-ups of the Soshiki, was no small mistake.
It was a serious offense.
Far from the chaos, on the outskirts of Tokyo, the Soshiki had already caught wind of the disturbance.
"I'll check it out. Probably just some stupid accident," came a calm, almost lazy voice, just as its owner stubbed out the black cigarette she'd barely lit.
"That would be most unlikely," another voice replied, sharper, more formal. "But the old farts won't shut up about it. Don't be so damn casual, V."
"Tch." V clicked her tongue, her expression cold—though, truthfully, that was her default setting. Resting bitch face is underrated. Without another word, she turned on her heel and vanished from the academy grounds. But not before tossing one last jab over her shoulder to provoke the ever-straightlaced Secretary.
"Tell the Old Geezer not to send backup. I've got this. Alone. Got it, Secretary Saiaku?"
She smirked as she said it.
Predictably, the reaction came instantly.
"It's Saiaka, dumbass!" Secretary Saiaka shouted after her, teeth gritted.
But V was already gone.
**
Back at the scene, V arrived just in time—mere seconds before the gate could fully open. With practiced precision, she sealed it shut, preventing what could've turned into a full-blown disaster.
Clearing out the few rogue Spectres that had slipped through was child's play for someone of her caliber. Still, she summoned her two retainers by snapping her fingers—not out of necessity, but simply because, truth be told, she couldn't be bothered to handle the grunt work herself. Fighting was easy. Getting up the motivation? Not always.
Perched on a nearby rooftop, V watched the chaos below. Her eyes landed on one of the delinquents—the one still standing, barely, bloodied and gasping, yet fighting with everything he had.
Not bad.
She smirked.
His strength is above average… for a punk. Hm…Then she noticed it—one of the other brats had pulled a knife.
Tsk, tsk.
"Kids these days have no respect for a fair fucking fight."
Descending soundlessly to the ground, V made her presence known. The remaining teens turned, wide-eyed—not at her words, but at her appearance, stunned silent by the sheer force of her presence. Long black hair, red eyes, pale as paper, tattooed—daunting ones.
While they stood dazed, V raised a hand and whispered, "Sieste."
One by one, they dropped—unconscious before they hit the ground.
All except one.
Wait, what?
Her eyes widened.
He's still awake?
Still struggling to breathe, still fighting to stay conscious. Resisting the spell.
That's not possible. No human is spell-proof... well, at least not to my knowledge.
She stepped closer, her curiosity piqued.
"Hey, kid," she called out. "Did you destroy that stupid shrine? Or was it one of these assholes?"
The boy coughed, blood spilling from his lips. "I... I'm sorry. Tell the priest I didn't mean it. It was…" Another wracking cough. "...an accident, Miss. I was just trying to hel—"
He collapsed mid-sentence. Barely breathing. Blood pooled beneath him from the deep knife wound.
V approached slowly, eyes narrowing. For a long moment, she simply stared.
Then she touched him by the wounds, and shock flickered behind her cold gaze.
After a good while, like a crack in glass, a sneer split her lips.
She crouched down, cupping the back of his head in her hand.
"Well, well... isn't this fucking tragic?"
TWO DAYS LATER
Huh?
Where the hell am I?
Ren blinked up at the ceiling—clean, white, unfamiliar. He sat up, slowly. The room had the sterile feel of a hospital ward, but something was... off. Too quiet. Too tidy. No machines, no nurses rushing about.
A clinic, maybe?
Then it hit him.
Wait. Wasn't I... dead?
"Ah, you're up."
A voice cut through his thoughts. Ren jumped slightly, scanning the room until his gaze landed on a woman entering through the sliding door.
She had a short, wavy bob and a smug little smile that screamed I-know-something-you-don't. Stylish glasses perched on her nose like they belonged there permanently.
Hot damn. Onee-san materialized from a daydream.
Ren blinked again, trying to stay focused. Maybe she was the doctor who treated him? A young one at that. The glasses really suited her too.
"How are you feeling? Does the wound still hurt?" She asked, casually.
Ren instinctively touched his torso where he remembered the stabbing. Odd. No pain. No bandage. No trace of a wound, even.
"Uh… not really? I mean, I just woke up, but I think I'm fine?" He hesitated, then looked at her. "Are you a doctor or something? Kinda weird you're not wearing a white coat."
The woman squinted at him as if trying to decide if he was joking. "Akai Ren, right? Your student ID was in your pocket." Her smile widened. "And no, I'm not a doctor. Though, I did want to be. Failed the entrance exam, ended up working as a secretary for the second most annoying person on the planet."
Ren blinked. "Oh. Uh... thanks for healing me, I guess? Secretary Saiaka, was it?"
"Correct. And sure, I'll check the wound, though it's already closed up." She stepped forward. "Mind if I take a look?"
Ren nodded awkwardly, still processing everything. As she checked him over, his mind wandered back to that moment—bleeding out, the world going dark. "I really thought I was dying," he said quietly.
"You weren't wrong." She replied.
"Huh?"
"I wasn't the one who saved your life."
"…Eh?"
"It was that dumbass."
"Sorry… which dumbass?"
"The most annoying person on earth."
Ren furrowed his brows. "Right. Uh… I'm confused?"
"She said you admitted to have destroyed the shrine."
"Oh. That lady..." He suddenly remembered the striking figure, the revolver tattoo on her thigh. "Yeah, about the shrine... I didn't mean to. It just... happened. Shit. I should probably find the priest and apologize."
"Priest is dead."
Ren's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Dead?"
"Yup. Dead." Saiaka smiled again, like she was enjoying this just a little too much. She finished examining him and stepped back."
"Okay... but like... how bad is this?"
"Destroying the shrine? Pretty bad. Classified as a major offense."
"Punishable by...?"
"Death." Her tone was chipper. "Soshiki Law."
Ren stared at her, pale. "D-D-DEATH?!"
With a long, tired sigh, Secretary Saiaka turned toward the window, muttering under her breath.
That dumbass. She just had to drag some poor kid into our fucked-up world…
TWO DAYS AGO
"Are you freakin' serious right now?" Secretary Saiaka practically squawked.
"Can you not yell?" V groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's annoying. Just patch him up and keep him alive till he wakes. He lost a lot of blood getting here. I pumped him with a Power Force, but it wasn't enough. So yeah, do your Arata voodoo or whatever."
Saiaka stared, incredulous. "For fuck's sake, V. What did you do? You said he's the one who destroyed the shrine."
"Yep." V retorted without shame. Then added, "Also, he beat the shit out of a Siluman. With his bare hands."
"I'm sorry, what?!"
"He didn't mean to." V said, holding up a finger like that somehow justified it. "There was this gang of punks messing with the old priest. Kid stepped in to help, turns out the priest was actually a hungry-ass Siluman in disguise. It was trying to lure the brats in."
Saiaka blinked. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Oh, speaking of hungry. Can you make me a sandwich?"
"WHAT?"
"Chocolate spread."
"SERIOUSLY?"
"Very. Anyway, long story short," V continued, totally ignoring her, "the kid beat up the gang, got stabbed in the process. Couldn't dodge in time thanks to a Dark Spell. Mindfuck-level confusion. I think he also killed the Siluman, though probably without realizing it. The thing tried to run to the shrine, thinking it could escape or recharge or... hell if I know. Terrible plan either way. That seal was Spectre-proof on the outer layer. Dumbass monsters ended up getting annihilated by the twins after I summoned them."
Saiaka just stood there, motionless.
V shrugged. "The kid probably wrecked the shrine in some kind of berserker blackout. Either that, or the Dark Spell scrambled his brain enough that he won't remember jack shit when he wakes up. Or maybe he will, but it'll be vague as hell. Honestly, I'm starting to think he might be a Halfie. He's way too strong for a regular-ass human."
She turned, already walking off. "I'll dig deeper. You do your thing. Heal him, babysit him, whatever."
A beat.
"…oh, where's that sandwich?"
BACK TO PRESENT
"Yeah, that's basically what that crackhead said." Saiaka explained dryly.
Ren, still blinking through the mental fog, stared at her. "That... doesn't explain anything, though. And how would that lady even know what really happened?"
"You healed way too fast," Saiaka said with a slow, almost predatory grin as she stepped closer. "That's not normal for an average human."
Ren's brows furrowed. "Okay... and?"
"You're going to Soshiki Academy," she said matter-of-factly, like she was assigning him a dentist appointment.
ONE WEEK AFTER THE SHRINE INCIDENT
Everything's been happening so fast, I can barely keep up. Feels like I've been thrown into some fever dream with no pause button.
Secretary Saiaka explained what she could, but there's still so much that doesn't make sense. Like, actual monsters in the shadows? Real Spectres just lurking around?
I keep pinching myself, half-expecting to wake up in some hospital bed, high on painkillers.
When she asked me for my decision, I said yes without really thinking. Not because I'm brave or some noble idiot—I just didn't have anything better to do. Hell, I'm a dropout. No plan, no future, nothing to lose. So if this is what fate handed me, I guess I'll take it.
Also... the uniform's kinda sick. Jet black with these bold-ass gold buttons. Stylish as hell. No idea what kind of school this Soshiki Academy really is, but my heart's been pounding ever since I put it on.
Ren's Flashback:
"To sum it up," Secretary Saiaka said, "long ago, humans and supernatural beings—what you guys used to call Yokai—coexisted in peace. That lasted until shit hit the fan. Some massive tragedy kicked off a full-blown war. And humans? We were getting our asses handed to us. Until the Soshiki rose up—clans from all across the land, each with their own power, came together and somehow turned the tide. They called the supernatural threats Spectres. And ever since then, we've been at war with them."
A beat, and she continued, "The thing is, that Great War? It technically ended a couple decades ago, but the public doesn't remember any of it. History swept it under the rug. Spectres still exist—they live in their own realm now, sure—but they slip through sometimes. Not for sightseeing. Usually for meat. Human meat. That so-called priest you saw? That was a Siluman. One of the deadlier Spectres. Battlefield freaks. They can shape-shift into humans, charm you, then eat you alive. If you hadn't stepped in, those punks probably would've ended up as his dinner."
I blinked. "Right, and... that shrine?"
"A gate. A sealed Yomi Gate, actually. Looks like a shrine, but it's a direct door to the Underworld Realm. There's a handful of them scattered across Japan, but they've been sealed for centuries… until you blew one up."
I gulped.
"Relax," she added, noticing my expression, "it was a small one. Still, it's a hell of a feat for a so-called 'mere-human.'"
"Uh... thanks? But, uh, mere-human sounds kinda... rude."
She had laughed. "Don't sweat it. Remember that revolver-tattoo dumbass who saved your sorry ass? She already cleaned up the mess. You're lucky, Akai-kun. That woman's got serious pull in the Soshiki world. You're under her protection now."
"Pro-protection?" I'd echoed.
"Yep. She's way up the ladder. Both of us are Soshiki-blooded, if you hadn't figured that out yet. Our whole damn purpose is to eliminate Spectres. That's our legacy. And now? You're a part of it too, Akai-kun."
**
My head was spinning then—and honestly, it still is. There's only so much a guy can process in one go. But hey... I get the gist.
What's given is given. And maybe, just maybe, this is my second chance in life. I don't know what comes next. But I'm ready.
Whatever the hell it is, I'm ready.
Guess fate isn't so shitty after all.
**
"Listen, Akai-kun," she'd said before I left. "There's good and evil. Right and wrong. Divine and damned. Light and dark. I could go on forever, but the point is, do you really understand what any of that means?"
"…"
"What you define as good... might be someone else's nightmare. Morality? That's the foundation of everything. Your faith, your beliefs—they'll either build you up or tear you to pieces. So whatever decision you make... give it everything. Every. Damn. Thing."
My eyes widened for a second there.
"The choice is yours. And yours alone. But let me warn you, kid: life's only gonna get rougher from here on out… should you say yes."
PRESENT
"You're all set. That's really all you've got?" Secretary Saiaka gave me a once-over, her eyes lingering on the uniform. "Looks like it fits you pretty well."
A freaking convertible? Is she seriously driving me to school in that? I've never even been near one, let alone sat in it. Damn…
"Yeah," I said, lifting my duffle bag. "This is pretty much everything I own. And yeah, the uniform… it fits. Thanks, Secretary Saiaka."
She smirked, already sliding into the driver's seat. "Then hop in. You wouldn't want to be late on your first day at Soshiki Academy, would you?"
**
"Have you thought this through, V?"
Tucked away behind the furthest fence of the Soshiki Academy grounds, sat a small, half-forgotten pavilion—part hideout, part war room. Cloaked in shadows and sealed tight with ancient blood rites, it was a place no student—or even most Fighters—could enter without permission. V's permission that is. At its lone, cracked window, a cloud of smoke curled into the night sky, rising from the fingers of a woman who'd been expecting this call.
"I can see the smokes from here," the voice on the other end crackled through the comm. "How many times do I have to tell you not to smoke on campus? You're a disgrace to educators everywhere."
V took a long drag, exhaled with gusto. "Then why the hell did you hire me in the first place? This whole place is sealed tighter than your moral compass. No kids, no nosy Fighters. Not even you can get in without my say-so."
"You're missing the point." The voice shifted tone, dry with irritation. "You're making me feel like a failure as your former teacher."
With a flick of her wrist, the room sank into pitch black. "That better? Feel more in control now, Mr. Big-Shot Principal?"
"YOU'RE STILL SMOKING!"
"Yes." V replied casually. "But now you can't see me doing it... aha!"
"Goddammit, V." There was a sigh—one of those long, exhausted ones that carried decades of regret. "Forget it. You're a pain in the ass. Let's talk about the new student."
"What about him?"
"Don't play dumb. He's an outsider. This isn't some prep school for kids with weird vibes. You know what we're dealing with here."
Another pause. A deeper, more personal sigh.
"You're stubborn, V. More than your late brother ever was. Letting this kid in because you 'feel something'? That's a gamble. He steps into this cursed world and drops dead, that's on you."
V narrowed her eyes, blowing smoke like she had all the time in the world. "He didn't accidentally destroy the shrine," she said slowly. "He cast a spell to break it."
Silence. Then…
"You're joking."
"I'd never joke about that kind of thing, Old Geezer. When I hit him with the Memory Force on his near-death bed, I saw it. Kid didn't just survive, he triggered the damn thing. Unconsciously. That shrine didn't fall apart because he tripped—it shattered because he willed it. His Power Force is real."
The line went quiet.
"I still don't have the full picture." She added, lying through her teeth. She knew. She knew the moment she scanned through his memory. "But I'll get there. You saw the red hair, too. Don't pretend your old ass didn't put the pieces together."
"And the Elders?" He asked grimly.
"Pfft. Hell no. Saiaku doesn't even know the uncut version of this drama."
"It's Saiaka dumbass. She's gonna kill you one day. Sigh, you know most of the Higher-Ups still want your head on a silver plate, right?"
"Let 'em come. I'll gift-wrap it for 'em when I'm done."
A tongue-click. The sound of defeat.
"Fine. Do whatever you want. But if something goes wrong—"
"Enough." Her tone dropped like a hammer. "You know how much I respect you, Oyakata-sama. Always have. Always will. But I need you to trust me on this. I won't let the kid die… even if it kills me first."
With that, V cut the call, smoke curling around her like a storm cloud, her eyes sharp, daring the world to prove her wrong.
She was V.
The strongest Soshiki of the modern age.