The Oni incident in Bunkyo’s residential district ended in the strangest way imaginable.
Publicly, the Metropolitan Police Department and the upper levels of the Japanese government remained united in silence.
Their official statement was simple, consistent, and insulting to anyone with eyes.
A violent explosion caused by aging gas pipes.
That was all.
As for the dozen police officers who had died grotesque deaths at the scene, the cultists from the Meiyuan Church, the sacrificed girl, and the “monster” that had been reduced to a mass of flesh by sniper fire, every detail was classified as top secret.
Leaking information was strictly forbidden.
But truth had never been something that could be buried forever.
Especially not in an age where a single image could cross the world faster than any government order.
Absolute suppression no longer existed.
For ordinary people, Bunkyo had simply suffered a tragic gas explosion.
For those standing at the top of the power pyramid, for senior officials, corporate tycoons, old families, underworld brokers, intelligence agents, and anyone with the channels to obtain first-hand information, an invisible storm had already begun.
It was a storm that overturned common sense.
Ibaraki-Douji.
The legendary leader of the oni of Mount Ooe from the Heian period had appeared in modern Tokyo.
She could manipulate hellfire.
She could withstand bullets with her bare body.
She could fly freely through the sky.
And, most terrifying of all, she seemed capable of transforming an ordinary human into a powerful, bloodthirsty, cruel oni.
Fragments of intelligence, along with blurred photos and shaky footage from the scene, spread through Tokyo’s underground channels like a virus.
From there, the information moved outward, carried by fear, greed, curiosity, and desire.
Panic spread.
So did ambition.
After all, fear was not the only emotion awakened by the appearance of supernatural power.
There were always people who, upon seeing a monster, thought not of survival but of ownership.
And the instigator behind all this, the so-called mastermind who had lit the fuse, was currently sitting peacefully in a high school classroom in Tokyo.
Tachibana Hibiki wore black-rimmed glasses and looked down at the textbook on his desk with an earnest expression, as if the chaos outside had nothing to do with him.
Midday sunlight spilled lazily through the clear classroom windows, falling across his desk and illuminating the face of a slender, slightly delicate boy.
His complexion was pale from long-term sleep deprivation, giving him the faintly sickly air of someone who spent more time at a keyboard than under the sun.
On the surface, he was nothing more than an ordinary male high school student.
Of course, anyone who thought he was actually studying would be badly mistaken.
All of Hibiki’s attention was focused on the system notifications ringing inside his mind.
[Detected that a mysterious event related to “Ibaraki-Douji” is continuing to ferment…]
[Observed slight increase in human society’s awareness of “Mystery”…]
[Human Order Energy +1]
[Human Order Energy +1]
[Human Order Energy +2]
…
Last night, the “Ibaraki-Douji” he had performed was like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond.
The angle had been calculated.
The force had been chosen.
The target had been selected by his own hand.
And now, that small stone was finally creating ripples.
Slowly, but without stopping.
Humanity’s fear, awe, curiosity, worship, suspicion, and desire toward the unknown were being converted into Human Order Energy and deposited into his system account.
By modern standards, the growth was painfully slow.
By the standards of a world where Mystery had long since faded, however, it was already a beginning.
In just one morning, his originally empty reserve of Human Order Energy had broken into triple digits.
“System,” Hibiki asked silently, “what was the exchange rate between Human Order Energy and Saint Quartz again?”
The system’s lively electronic voice answered immediately.
[Reporting, Master!
The current exchange ratio between Human Order Energy and Saint Quartz is 100:1!]
[Based on the current growth trend, you are estimated to accumulate enough Saint Quartz for one ten-pull summon within one to two weeks!]
“One ten-pull every one or two weeks…”
Hibiki’s brows twitched.
He knew Human Order Energy would not be easy to obtain in modern society, where Mystery had nearly dried up, but this was still slower than he had imagined.
“Is it because the various forces are still suppressing the news, and the general public has no idea what happened?”
That was probably the main reason.
Right now, the incident was spreading only within special circles: government agencies, corporate elites, underworld channels, religious groups, intelligence networks, and private factions with enough influence to bypass normal information control.
Ordinary people had yet to truly participate.
And without the public, the volume of Human Order Energy would naturally remain limited.
“One explosive event isn’t enough.
Follow-up operations and controlled hype are necessary.”
Hibiki tapped the edge of his textbook with one finger.
“If I just wait quietly, I’ll need half a month or even a full month for a single pull.
That kind of life is too miserable.”
As expected, everything was difficult at the beginning.
The pioneering period was bitter no matter which world one lived in.
Just as Hibiki was sighing inwardly and beginning to consider how to stir up the next round of trouble, the lunch break bell rang.
The teacher on the podium announced the end of class with visible relief, and the classroom immediately came alive.
Chairs scraped against the floor.
Students gathered in small groups.
Laughter and chatter filled the room.
Lunchboxes opened one after another, and the air was soon filled with the warm smell of rice, fried food, curry, tamagoyaki, and the noisy freshness of youth.
Hibiki transferred into this school during his second year.
On top of that, he was too lazy to maintain relationships he considered unnecessary.
As a result, he existed in a state close to invisibility, not only within his class but across the entire school.
No friends.
No fixed group.
No lunch circle.
No after-school club companions.
That suited him perfectly.
It saved him from useless socializing with peers whose minds were full of romance, club activities, exams, gossip, and weekend karaoke plans.
Of course, in the eyes of others, his solitary appearance probably looked like social isolation.
Hibiki did not care.
He calmly took his smartphone from his desk drawer, unlocked the screen, and prepared to pass the lunch break in a more meaningful way.
Then his eyes paused.
On the home screen, an app icon had appeared at some point.
It was incredibly familiar.
And, at the same time, strangely foreign.
“Isn’t this…
Fate/Grand Order?”
Hibiki stared at the icon for a moment.
“I didn’t expect to see it again in this form.”
He was not especially surprised.
The Heroic Spirit Summoning System had never been limited to that old computer at home.
Since the system’s voice could sound directly inside his mind, the so-called computer terminal had most likely existed only to match his habits as a modern person.
Compared with directly manipulating a complex database through consciousness, an interface disguised as a mobile app was far more convenient.
He tapped the icon.
[Ta-da!
Welcome to the Heroic Spirit Summoning System: Portable Mobile Terminal!]
The system’s cheerful voice rang out in his mind.
[This is a mimic app specially tailored for you, Master!
Now you can operate the system anytime, anywhere!]
[In the eyes of others, it is merely an ordinary, unremarkable mobile game.]
[You can check system messages, search the system warehouse, and once you have saved enough Saint Quartz, conduct exciting summoning rituals here!]
“Well done.”
Hibiki praised it sincerely in his heart.
Although this was not his first time dealing with the system, he still had to admit that the user-friendliness of his Heroic Spirit Summoning System was absurdly high.
Compared with those rigid “tool systems” that only issued missions and handed out rewards with cold mechanical indifference, his little assistant was considerate to an unreasonable degree.
He had already heard the latest system notifications, and he was still far away from his next summon.
Naturally, his gaze fell on the [System Warehouse] option.
Last night, he had used the thirty Saint Quartz from the beginner gift pack for a ten-pull summon.
The result had not been bad.
Although he had only obtained one golden four-star Heroic Spirit Card, that card was currently his greatest trump card.
Ibaraki-Douji.
Aside from her, the summon had also produced several Mystic Codes that served as filler in the summoning pool.
Because the situation had been urgent last night, and because he had been far too excited after obtaining Ibaraki-Douji, Hibiki had only glanced over them roughly.
Now, he finally had time to check his meager assets properly.
He opened the warehouse interface.
Rows of familiar card faces appeared before him.
[Blue Black Key]
[Green Black Key]
[Red Black Key]
“Good grief.”
Hibiki’s eyelid twitched.
“I collected the three-colored Black Keys right at the start.
My luck really is something.”
His Heroic Spirit Summoning System had not necessarily inherited everything from Fate/Grand Order, but it had certainly preserved the fine tradition of stuffing the card pool full of Black Keys.
He could only comfort himself silently.
At least he had not been unlucky enough to pull nine lonely keys in one ten-roll.
He patiently continued scrolling.
As expected, the remaining Mystic Codes were mostly the same sort of low-star filler.
Nothing especially eye-catching appeared at first glance.
“System, what exactly are these Mystic Codes used for?”
Hibiki was unwilling to give up.
[Reporting, Master!
The functions of Mystic Codes are exactly as described on their card faces.
Their usage is literal!]
The system quickly explained.
[For example, armed-type Mystic Codes can be used directly by you, Master, manifesting as weapons or armor.]
[Workshop-type Mystic Codes can manifest specific environments, temporary workshops, or barriers.]
[The most basic conceptual Mystic Codes can act directly on you or on a target you designate, granting a corresponding “concept.”]
The explanation was simple.
Clear.
Almost too clear.
Hibiki’s eyes lit up.
His finger moved quickly across the screen.
After digging through a pile of apparent trash, he finally found an unremarkable one-star Mystic Code.
The card face showed a golden sun.
All light seemed to radiate from it.
The name had only one word.
[Awakening]
In the Fate/Grand Order from his previous life, this was the kind of low-rarity card players disliked pulling.
Even using it as enhancement fodder felt like a waste of space.
But now…
After hearing the system’s explanation of conceptual Mystic Codes, Hibiki realized that this card could not be dismissed as mere garbage.
“System.”
His gaze fixed on the card.
“What does [Awakening] do?”
The system’s reply came almost instantly, bright and excited, as if it had sensed his anticipation.
[Yes, Master!
Your intuition is very accurate!]
[The Mystic Code [Awakening] can act directly on the human body.
Its core concept is “Opening.”]
[It can forcibly open the dormant Magic Circuits within your body.]
[If conditions are favorable, there is even a chance of awakening the Origin buried deep within your soul during the process.]
Magic Circuits.
Origin.
The two terms struck Hibiki’s mind like thunder.
Both were core concepts from the Type-Moon worldview.
And now, this insignificant one-star Mystic Code could allow him, an ordinary person, to step onto the path of a true Magus.
Hibiki’s heart began to beat faster.
A heat he could not describe rose inside his chest.
For a moment, he wanted to stand up, rush into the restroom, and use the Mystic Code on himself immediately.
Reason quickly suppressed the impulse.
No.
Not at school.
Using a Mystic Code in a place crowded with students and teachers was asking for trouble.
There was no telling what kind of abnormal phenomenon might occur during the Awakening process.
If it caused a commotion, or if he lost consciousness midway, the consequences would be disastrous.
He had to endure.
At the very least, he needed to wait until he returned home after school and could perform the process in a safe, undisturbed environment.
“Hehe…”
The corner of Hibiki’s mouth rose before he noticed.
“Hehehe…”
If he could become a Magus, if he could awaken Magic Circuits and perhaps even his Origin, then his options would expand dramatically.
He could create events more efficiently.
Manipulate the spread of Mystery more precisely.
Use the world itself as a stage.
And place every actor, monster, god, government, cult, and secret organization in the palm of his hand.
Just as Hibiki stared intently at his phone screen, sinking deeper into plans that were becoming increasingly dangerous, a teasing female voice suddenly sounded above him.
“Tachibana, smiling that disgustingly at your phone during lunch break is suspicious.”
A bento box was placed on his desk with a sharp slap.
“Are you playing some kind of bishoujo-raising gal game again?”
…..