Episode 2: In London, Brick Lane

There was no direct route from Azure Academy to Chaos Institute. As a result, I had to transit through Changi International Airport in Singapore before heading to Heathrow Airport in London.

(Whoa! This place is incredible!)

Changi International Airport was an outrageously stylish facility that didn't look like an airport at first glance. Inside an enormous glass dome were numerous tropical gardens and countless commercial establishments. ...There was even a waterfall.

(I'd love to come sightseeing here with everyone someday.)

I killed time by mailing souvenirs for Koito-senpai and the rest of the team, then boarded the flight to London.

"Please enjoy the in-flight meal."

Singapore Airlines' in-flight meal was a noodle dish called laksa, made with coconut milk and seafood broth—it was incredibly good.

(Still... you know.)

I gazed out the airplane window at the sky and idly thought.

(So far, this has been really fun.)

Nah, nah—I was here for my mission, for my purpose. I hadn't come to play around—or so I almost told myself, just for a moment.

(Dangerous. Right. That's not okay. I have to enjoy everyday life.)

This ordinary life was built on miracles. I was in the Apocalypse Stagnation Committee because I wanted to protect it. If that was the case, I had to cherish and celebrate these miracles.

(Even if we're marching into hell—we'll go laughing the whole way.)

That was exactly the kind of thing Koito-senpai would think. I truly respected her, and she had rubbed off on me. That made me proud and left me feeling a little warm inside.

I arrived at Heathrow Airport in London and took the Piccadilly line to King's Cross St Pancras station. That massive station with the famous Platform 9¾.

(I was originally planning to transfer to the Circle line, but I've got time before the meeting.)

According to the map, my destination was only a few kilometers away. I decided to walk there, treating it as a stroll.

(The smell of damp stone. A faint mist. The subtle scent of people's cologne.)

The air tickling my nostrils made it clear this was a foreign land. Was that hint of sea breeze mixed in because the Thames was nearby? This city, like a movie set, was fun just to walk through.

"Sob sob..."

Walking toward me while I was floating around in full tourist mode was a small girl. Punk-style clothing, her right eye hidden behind long bangs. But what caught my attention most was how she was walking while crying, her face completely drenched in tears.

"Sob sob..."

It was honestly a little scary, so the British ladies and gentlemen passing by pretended not to see her and walked on.

Wahhh. I got separated from Aimée. I'm definitely gonna get yelled at~~

It seemed she had gotten lost. I felt sorry for her, so I tried to speak to her.

And I lost 700 million yen on FX trades~~

I froze.

(The reason she's crying is way too heavy.)

Of course she's crying. She lost 700 million. I'd cry too if I were in her shoes. But why did she make such a reckless gamble when she had 700 million in assets in the first place?

I'm definitely gonna get yelled at by everyone~~ ...Nngh, I'm getting excited♡

Scary scary scary scary. Why does that excite you? I hesitated.

Hm? Why's that person looking at me? Those face scars are intense. Scary!

But since I'd been noticed, staying silent while staring would be bad. I nervously opened my mouth.

"Um... are you okay? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

H-h-h-he spoke to me! Why? A scam!? A mugging!?

"...You looked like you were crying, so I got worried and called out. Are you all right?"

What a good person! Wow, he's actually paying attention to someone like me...

Her approval rating shot up instantly. She was so easy to win over that I ended up worrying about her instead.

"Are you maybe lost? I'm... a bit concerned, so would you like me to show you around?"

She looked around nervously, as if frightened.

He really is a good person? He's even being considerate like this...

Huh? Maybe... I like him...? ♡

Seeming embarrassed, she nodded with her head down.

"Um... I'm heading to... Brick... Lane..."

She seemed to be shy around strangers. But Brick Lane was the same destination as mine.

"Oh, same as me. Then shall we walk together until we get close?"

She nodded silently. I thought about chatting to help her relax, but she didn't seem comfortable with talking. I just smiled and decided to walk with her.

Wh-wh-what do I do. What if this is actually a pickup and after this I get dragged into an alley or hotel...

...and get shot up with XX and strangled while losing my first XX to XX... ♡

Seriously, this girl.

I'd definitely be unable to resist~~~♡♡

I came to deeply regret my decision.

Brick Lane, located in the east of London, was a colorful and vibrant street. Modern, stylish shops stood alongside traditional London architecture.

"Um... th-thank you... very much... I'll be... fine from here..."

I made a point of smiling like a nice guy. I didn't want this person to have any frightening experiences. She looked up at me, studying my face.

M-maybe I should ask... for his contact info... But that might be rude...

...Heh. I want to... fall together with someone like him... to the bottom of the abyss...♡♡

Her thoughts were too scary, so I should make my escape quickly.

"Well then. Take care."

"W-wait... please... Um... your name..."

I had almost been terribly rude. I straightened my posture and told her as she looked away, face red with embarrassment.

"I'm Kotoyorozu Kotoha."

"K-Kotoyorozu-san... I... I'm... D-Danae Whitmore, plea—"

She said that with her face bright red, then fled the scene.

I bit my tongue! I bit my tongue! I want to die of embarrassment...!

(Danae Whitmore—)

A name I'd heard before. That's right. I'd seen it in a TV news broadcast yesterday. The name of a Chaos Institute student who had brought down "Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno."

I was about to call out to her when—suddenly, my vision went black.

"...Guuuess who~♪"

Warm palms. Slender fingers. A voice that jingled like wind bells. There was no way I could mistake this voice.

"Léa!?"

I turned around. The one who had touched my face had silver hair, like my close friend—but no, it wasn't her.

"Heh, you made a mistake. Careless of you, wasn't it?"

"Who are you!?"

A tall woman with silver hair, like a prince. She was giggling with amusement.

"How cruel, how cruel, Kotton! To mistake your best friend!"

Léa popped out from around the corner. She was adorably puffing out her cheeks.

"Nice to meet you. I'm a third-year at Chaos Institute and one of the vice-chairpersons of The Council. Aimée Cœur de Lumière. You're Kotoyorozu Kotoha-kun, yes? I've heard about you from my little sister."

So, Léa's older sister? Indeed, those clear eyes and the silver hair like a work of art were practically identical. I was momentarily overwhelmed by her expression—like a prince straight out of a picture book.

"Oh, Danae! Finally found you. He—y! Danae—!"

Aimée-san noticed Danae and called out to her in a loud voice. Danae-san, her name shouted in the middle of the street, flinched—and then, seeing them, came pattering over.

"I told you not to leave my side, didn't I?"

"I'm... I'm..."

"Kotoyorozu-kun. This is Danae Whitmore. She'll be serving as your bodyguard during your stay."

""Huh?""

Danae-san and I said it in unison. A person this dubious as my bodyguard... meaning she'd be by my side the whole time I was at Chaos Institute? She clearly didn't seem reliable, and she was a pervert.

Th-the gentleman who helped me earlier is my protection target!? Th-this is... this is...

Such a romcom development...♡ Ahh, ruination♡ Ruination♡

I had absolutely no idea how romcom and ruination connected, and it was scary. Truly scary.

"Oh goodness, goodness, Kotton! I'm so happy to see you after so long, I'm all fidgety!"

"OOOOOHHH!! Same here!"

"L-let's do a high-five for now!"

""Friendship high-five!!""

Danae was watching us with a look of pure disgust. Which, coming from her, was rich.

"This is sooo delicious, dear sister~♪"

"Hehe, Léa. You've got some on your mouth."

We went into a nearby curry house for lunch. As Léa ate, Aimée-san gently wiped around her mouth. Léa accepted it as if it were perfectly natural, purring contentedly.

(Still, these people really stand out.)

The noble silver-haired aristocrat and young lady. They stuck out conspicuously in this down-to-earth curry house. This table alone sparkled like a royal dining room.

"Now then, let me properly introduce myself. Kotoyorozu-kun. ...May I call you Kotoha-kun as well?"

Aimée-san asked, and I nodded, of course.

"In return, you can call me Aimée, or senpai... or Silver Prince, if you like."

I could practically imagine beautiful white roses behind Aimée-senpai. What a flamboyant person.

"W-you can... totally call me... Danae too... if you want?"

"Thanks. Got it, Danae."

"You can call me... more like you're addressing garbage... scornfully, even."

At that moment, I decided to put her in my mental folder of "people I can treat casually."

"By the way, Aimée-senpai. What's this mission I'm supposed to do?"

It was Léa who answered that question.

"It relates to this very place."

"Here? ...To London?"

"Yes. —Bonfire Night."

That was a British festival that started around the 17th century. Everyone celebrates with lots of fireworks and bonfires. A quick search online showed it was happening in three days.

"Bonfire Night is an enormous camouflage. ...For a massive fire ritual."

"A fire ritual?"

"It's the ritual to seal the 3,500-meter giant sleeping in the Land of Bonfires—'The Static Man.'"

[No. 951: "The Static Man"] — Stage 8: Conflagratio

Nature: Old God

Details: A 3,500-meter giant sleeping beneath the Land of Bonfires. The seal must be renewed through an annual ritual. "The Static Man's" dreams possess an R-value of 30.55 or greater, and when "The Static Man" awakens, current foundational laws are expected to be completely destroyed.

Addendum: The Three Great Academies must each send a representative to participate in and witness the annual "Fire Ritual." This is mandated by treaty of the Apocalypse Stagnation Committee.

"I see. So I was dispatched as Azure Academy's representative to witness the ritual."

What's the "Land of Bonfires"? and Isn't that casually mentioning something really dangerous?—I thought, but after my time in the Apocalypse Stagnation Committee, I'd gotten somewhat used to it.

"Your reputation at Chaos Institute is quite good after the Tokyo defense battle. Everyone will be pleased."

A bit embarrassing, but if I could help bridge the two schools, that would make me happy.

(But that's a bit different from the vibe of what Ter-senpai told me...?)

He had said it was a solo mission. He'd also implied it was a secret request from someone.

"Aimée-senpai, are you the one who requested this mission through Ter-senpai?"

"Hm? No, not me. I just came along because I was worried about my sister."

"I came to take care of Kotton during his stay♪"

Originally, a random person from Azure Academy should have participated. But someone had deliberately gone through Ter-senpai to dispatch a different person—in this case, me.

(There's something behind this mission.)

I should treat investigating the situation as part of the job. According to Ter-senpai, "the request will be explained on-site," so there might be a reason for keeping information from me for now.

"With that said, Kotoha-kun. I'll give you this ahead of time."

Aimée-senpai produced a pair of glasses from her pocket with a princely flourish.

"While you're staying at Chaos Institute, you'll need to wear these glasses."

Glasses? Confused, I looked at Léa. She wore a slightly apologetic expression.

"These are 'Sight-Dampening Glasses.' A piece of equipment recently developed at Chaos Institute, still in testing..."

"Sight-dampening...?"

"Chaos Institute views you, Kotton, as a Humanoid Apocalypse with the ability to 'see into others' hearts.' These 'Sight-Dampening Glasses' have the effect of suppressing your Apocalypse."

So Chaos Institute accurately understood my Apocalypse. That was the first important thing. Part of it was probably because I'd acted too conspicuously, but there were almost certainly spies inside Azure Academy too.

(My ability is supposed to be secret even at Azure Academy, but... quite a few people have probably noticed.)

Everyone was leaving it alone. They must trust my judgment.

"I'm sorry, Kotton. I told them such a thing wasn't necessary, but—"

"Léa has nothing to apologize for. More than that..."

I hated this Apocalypse of mine—the "Whisperer" that could peer into people's hearts. You could even say I despised it.

"If something this convenient exists, I'd love to wear it!!"

"O-oh, really? Well, that's good then..."

When I happily put on the glasses, the arms moved as if by magic and gripped the back of my head.

"...I forgot to mention, but in addition to a transmitter, once you put them on, no one except Léa can remove them. If you try to force them off, the glasses will—"

"—D-don't tell me they'll explode!?"

"O-of course not. They just beep a warning and notify the monitor."

Aimée-senpai looked surprised. I'd gotten too used to Azure Academy's complete lack of ethics. Because from a humanitarian perspective, you obviously shouldn't blow people up.

"...Ugh."

When I looked around through the Sight-Dampening Glasses, I felt momentarily dizzy, like I might collapse.

"Wow... this is... incredible...!"

The people's hearts that had been screaming ceaselessly until just now—they were gone. For the first time, I felt like I was truly seeing the world. It was quiet, so quiet, and inside my head—only I existed.

"Whoa... this is... I'm moved... This is the best...!"

No other people's voices in my head. I was captivated by that sight.

"If your Apocalypse Stage rises, the glasses' effectiveness might be lost. But it seems sufficient for now. If you like them, you can take them home once the mission ends."

Aimée-senpai said that. Her voice held faint traces of bewilderment and astonishment.

(... It seems they can't completely suppress my Apocalypse.)

I could vaguely tell what color a person's emotions were—enough to understand the surface of their feelings. My Apocalypse Stage might be more advanced than they thought.

"Well, now that we're ready, shall we go?"

The three stood up.

"To our homeland—Chaos Institute."

Entrances to Chaos Institute existed all over the world. A single history book in an old library, the center of a circle of sleeping cats at the end of a narrow lane. Or the depths of an underground passage accessed through a certain manhole.

"You can really get there from a place like this...?"

And the entrance in London's Brick Lane was hidden inside a certain gallery. Deep within a concrete building, I stood staring at a "painting."

"This 'painting' is the entrance, Kotton♪"

Painted on the concrete was "a pitch-black hole that continued endlessly." From a distance it just looked like a hole, but up close, you could clearly tell from the texture of the paint that it was a painting.

"What do I do with this painting?"

"You fall into the hole♪"

Ignoring my tilted head, Aimée-senpai smiled like a prince and stood before the hole painting.

"There's just one trick. Believe. In magic."

Aimée-senpai stepped back a few paces, then immediately kicked off the ground. I thought she'd crash into the wall. But just before hitting it, she jumped and—in a dropkick-like pose—fell into the hole.

"Whoa!"

I couldn't help but cheer. Léa was giggling, which made me a little embarrassed.

"Chaos Institute's portals often use paintings. ...Pretentious. ...Idiotic, and I hate it."

Danae also kicked off the floor and jumped, then was sucked into the hole painting and fell through.

"Shall we go as well, Kotton?"

"Wait, hold on. I'm still not confident about this—"

"It's fine. I'm here with you."

Léa's soft hand wrapped around mine. My cheeks burned hot. Not wanting Léa to notice my agitation, I looked away for a moment. By then, she was already preparing to run.

"Here we go, Kotton! Don't hesitate!"

(Crap, I'm gonna crash!)

The moment I thought that, Léa hopped into the air.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Still gripping her hand tightly, I fell into the hole in the wall. A deep, deep hole in a painting.

"Ahahaha♪"

Léa was laughing like she was having fun. Why though? I thought, a little put out.