Chapter 4: The 10% Fee and the Hyper-Sincere HeroThe commute from Section 35 to Section 01, where the Aegis Metropolitan Chaser Academy (AMCA) stood, was a sociological study in motion. As the transit train crossed the invisible sector boundaries, the train cars shed their grim reality and acquired luxury.
Ren, dressed in the AMCA-issued uniform—which, humiliatingly, had to be paid for with his own money (part of the 10% fee)—slumped low in his seat. The uniform was plain and scratchy. Ren had deliberately wrinkled the collar and worn his thick, black glasses, forcing the appearance of dishevelment. The only unique item he wore was a sleek, unadorned silver bracelet on his left wrist.
'The cost of the required uniforms, specialized footwear, and textbooks has already put me 150,000 AC in the red for this semester alone, Handler,' Ren calculated with venomous accuracy. 'I will recoup this debt with interest. Mark my words.'
AXIOM-02 (V.O., attempting a motivational tone):Ren, the debt is a necessary incentive! Focus on the positive! This academy is the pinnacle of hero development! You will be trained alongside the best minds in the world!
'I will be wasting time alongside the richest narcissists in the world,' Ren corrected. 'I need low-level, high-frequency threats I can milk for VMP, not high-level, high-risk world-ending events.'
The AMCA campus was a fortress of polished granite and reflective glass, an overwhelming display of wealth.
Inside the grand, echoing marble lobby, Ren felt the weight of every rich, entitled gaze on his cheap glasses and nervously twitching posture. The bracelet, however, was his secret armor, a silent promise of the power he could instantly unleash.
He quickly located the administration desk for the Hardship Fund recipients. Waiting there was a young man radiating manic, infectious enthusiasm.
The other recipient of the Iron Lotus Harduship Fund's 90% scholarship was Juno. Juno was the absolute antithesis of Ren. He was tall, perhaps a year older, with perpetually wind-swept, dark brown hair and a face so genuinely open and friendly it hurt Ren's eyes to look at him. He wore his new AMCA uniform as if it were a suit of celestial armor, his posture ramrod straight, his hands neatly clasped behind his back.
Juno immediately noticed Ren, his face breaking into a wide, honest smile.
"Ren Shiroishi? I'm Juno! Juno Aoki! We're the only two Iron Lotus scholarship recipients for the year! It's such an honor to meet you!" Juno practically vibrated with sincere gratitude.
Ren offered his best, weakest-link handshake, letting his palm be slightly damp. "O-oh! Hello, Juno-san! It's… it's a tremendous shock. I keep thinking they called the wrong name. I'm terribly clumsy, you see. I trip over air."
Juno's smile didn't waver. "Don't say that! You must have incredible latent potential to have been selected from the entire 35th sector! We're here because we're the best of the best—or at least, the most desperate of the best! We have to make Momo and Ken proud, right? We're carrying on their legacy!"
Ren winced internally. Juno was the kind of hero Ren hated: utterly pure, genuinely motivated by legacy, and therefore, utterly predictable and easy to manipulate. He's a walking plot device, Handler. And a perfect shield.
AXIOM-02 (V.O., approvingly):Juno Aoki. Alignment: Lawful Good. Motivation: Altruism and Community Defense. High social compatibility. Excellent! This is a vast improvement in narrative synergy, Ren!
'He's an expensive distraction, Handler. But useful,' Ren thought. 'He'll be my primary witness for my incompetence.'
"You know, Ren-san," Juno continued, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "it's terrifying, the 10% fee. I had to sell my childhood collection of heroic action figures just to cover the initial deposit. How did you manage it? Section 35 is tough."
Ren immediately slumped further, lowering his gaze to the expensive Italian marble floor. "My poor, poor brother, Haru. He donated all of his savings from selling lemonade on the corner. He cried when he gave it to me, Juno-san. I feel like such a failure, forcing him to make such a sacrifice. I must honor his tears by being extremely careful with my gear."
Juno's eyes went wide with sympathy. "That's so inspiring! What a wonderful brother! We'll get through this 10% debt together, Ren-san! We have to use this opportunity to save enough to get our families out of the sectors!"
Ren nodded weakly, a masterful portrayal of noble suffering. He hated the lemonade story, but it was far more effective than the truth: that he paid his 10% with one minute of profitable, high-velocity violence.
The first session was a mandatory Mana Signature and Latent Potential Assessment. Ren knew he needed the Protagonist Underperformance Paradox: Show enough latent power to justify the Aether Mark, but enough ineptitude to require years of training.
The assessment instructor, a cold woman in a lab coat named Professor Lyra, placed a glowing orb on Ren's palm. "Hold it steady, Shiroishi. Just let your natural mana flow."
Ren immediately forced a nervous twitch. He focused, not on releasing mana, but on suppressing the tidal wave of Aether energy within him. He released a tiny, controlled trickle—a weak blue glow barely illuminating the orb.
"Latent Mana Output: 35. Acceptable, but low for a Hardship Fund student," Professor Lyra noted, looking disappointed.
Next was the Reflex Assessment. Ren dodged expertly—the speed of Raid was impossible to hide completely. But as he landed, he executed a classic maneuver: he completely forgot to coordinate his feet. He tripped over the air, sprawling onto the padded floor in a heap of perfect uniform and theatrical despair.
"Oh, my goodness! I told you I trip over air!" Ren wailed, scrambling to gather his dignity.
Professor Lyra sighed, marking his clipboard. "Gross Motor Skills: Catastrophic. Reflex Speed: Excellent, but hampered by crippling lack of coordination. Verdict: High potential, high risk."
Perfect. I'm a diamond covered in banana peels. Axiom-02 should be pleased, Ren thought.
AXIOM-02 (V.O., cautiously):The deception is working, Ren. Your cover of 'talented but cursed' is surprisingly effective.
Juno rushed over, helping Ren up with genuine concern. "Don't worry, Ren-san! You have the fastest hands I've ever seen! We just need to work on your footwork! I can help you! We're partners, remember!"
As the afternoon classes began, the campus alarm blared—a deep, resonant sound reserved only for threats close to Section 01.
The intercom crackled with Professor Lyra's urgent voice: "ATTENTION AMCA! A high-density Dimensional Residue is destabilizing the Section 12 Boundary, near the old Port Authority docks! This is NOT a drill! Chaser Response Teams are mobilizing!"
Section 12 was the perfect target: abandoned, dilapidated, and lucrative.
CRITICAL ALERT: Section 12 Anomaly. Threat Assessment: B-Class. Estimated Villain Money Point potential: 8,000,000 AC per Subdual Loop.
Ren's red eyes, hidden behind the black frames, glowed with sudden, calculated greed. Eight million AC. That was enough to pay off his 10% debt and fund the next five semesters.
Juno immediately stood up, his face set with fierce determination. "A B-Class threat! We have to help the response teams!"
"No, Juno-san! We must evacuate!" Ren wailed, grabbing Juno's arm with a paralyzing grip. "We are trainees! We would just get in the way! Think of the collateral damage!"
He forced himself to fall against the wall, clutching his chest.
"My asthma! The dimensional flux is triggering my asthma! I—I need my inhaler! I can't move! Juno-san, please, go to the nearest bunker! I'll just… I'll just hide here!" Ren stammered, his eyes watering convincingly.
Juno, seeing his new friend collapse in what looked like a legitimate medical crisis, immediately shifted focus from heroism to compassion.
"Oh, Ren-san! Don't worry! I'll stay with you! My priority is my partner!" Juno declared.
'Dammit, Handler. Your Lawful Good choice is actively blocking my ability to make money,' Ren thought in genuine frustration.
Ren reached into his pocket, pulled out the 10,000 AC cash, and thrust it into Juno's hand.
"Juno-san! Go to the vending machine on the third floor! It has the super-rare grape-flavored energy drink! I need the sugar! Please! Hurry!" Ren pleaded, forcing a cough that sounded like a dying seagull.
Juno blinked at the wad of cash. "Grape flavor? But Ren-san, that's too much money! Are you sure?"
"Go! Go! It's an emergency sugar rush! My life depends on it!"
Juno, seeing the desperation, finally sprinted toward the door. "I'll be right back, Ren-san! Just breathe!"
The moment Juno's footsteps faded, Ren's demeanor snapped back. He ripped off his glasses, the red eyes shining with cold, focused malice. His white hair flared slightly.
He raised the silver bracelet to his lips and murmured a single, private activation phrase. The bracelet unfolded instantly with a sharp, shhhk-click sound, wrapping around his body in a flash of dove-grey light. The cheap uniform vanished, and in its place, he was clad in the perfectly tailored, dove-grey suit from Valerius Tailoring—the fighting uniform of Raid. The suit fit his graceful, lethal frame like a second skin.
AXIOM-02 (V.O.):You just spent 10,000 AC to buy a friend a grape soda to save the world for 8 million AC. This VMP system is a financial horror show!
'It's called capital investment, Handler,' Ren retorted, his voice low and dangerous. 'And I always pay my debts.'
He channeled the Aether power, feeling the rush of overwhelming strength, and walked calmly toward the emergency exit, ready for a highly prolonged, extremely lucrative B-Class fight.