Nagayama Keiichiro got out of the car looking travel-worn, and his partner, Yoshino Kenichi, followed behind carrying bags of all sizes.
"I say, can't you be more considerate of me?"
"You're walking ahead looking all handsome in your trench coat, but these bags are super heavy!"
Yoshino Kenichi grumbled from behind; from the start of the mission until safely 'returning home', he had been the one carrying these two clumsy suitcases the whole time.
Nagayama Keiichiro paused and looked back.
"I remember you used to do twenty-kilometer rucks in the army every day. How many pounds was that again?"
Yoshino Kenichi rolled his eyes. "Is it the same? In a weighted cross-country run, everyone is suffering. But me?"
"I have to watch you stroll around casually every day, even finding time to flirt with girls—while I'm stuck here looking like a hotel bellhop."
A hint of a smile flickered across Nagayama Keiichiro's cold face, but he didn't address his partner's complaints. He simply slowed his pace to walk side-by-side with him.
"It's thanks to you that we could 'go home' safely this time. In the report, I'll list you as the primary contributor."
'Going home' meant safely extracting from a mission and returning to 'ordinary' society.
This did not take into account whether the mission was completed, or whether one's limbs, mind, and spirit were still intact and normal.
For people like them, being able to 'go home' safely was already the best one could pray for. Asking for more would seem too greedy.
His partner, Yoshino Kenichi, was a bit surprised to hear such words from this 'cold city guy' and said with some astonishment, "Well, not really. Actually, it's also thanks to that kick of yours, Keiichiro. That monster almost bit my arm off."
Speaking of that monster, Yoshino Kenichi still felt a lingering fear even now.
Although the two were walking on a bustling street, surrounded by brightly dressed girls passing by, it seemed as if their souls were still trapped in the mission, fighting that monster.
It was as if that cold, eerie other World was tightly pressed against this space, without a single gap.
Nagayama Keiichiro shook his head imperceptibly, contradicting his partner. "Speaking of which, when I first heard my partner was a marksman specialist—a SWAT officer who had won many shooting championships—I was a bit dismissive. Heh."
As if his current self was mocking his past self, Nagayama Keiichiro said gently, "As it turns out, I had to rely on you to save my life this time."
"If you hadn't accurately shot the gemstone on that altar and interrupted the ritual, the two of us would probably be on the Cenotaph together by now."
The two were officially registered Ritualists of Sakura.
As a special service unit directly under official leadership, the people here were, at the very least, former SWAT officers.
As an 「Origin Point」 rank Ritualist, Nagayama Keiichiro was the primary person in charge of this team and the Captain leading Yoshino Kenichi on 'missions'.
Official Ritualist teams were generally paired like this: one Ritualist and one ordinary soldier.
A few teams had two or more Ritualists, perhaps even more—of course, that meant the missions such teams performed daily would be extremely difficult.
Don't let the Ritualist + ordinary person combination look unremarkable; in fact, every 'ordinary person' participating in the operations was someone who had been exposed to the power of order or Chaos, known internally as a 「Contactee」.
While well-trained, they were also very sensitive to mystery powers; they just hadn't obtained a ritual object or met the conditions to hold a ritual.
Because 「Ritualists」 were a scarce resource in today's World.
More precious than anything else.
Nagayama Keiichiro paused, thinking of something. "Since the Mystery Recovery began, you've partnered with me to resolve many Chaos incidents. Perhaps this time we can apply for 'that'."
'That' referred to a ritual object.
"Re-Really?!" Yoshino Kenichi opened his mouth in surprise. "Isn't it said that only those with outstanding merits can get one? Am... Am I qualified?"
Nagayama Keiichiro had a smile on his face. "You're right, the organization indeed doesn't have many ritual objects on the order side. However, we also need to increase the strength of our own unit."
Speaking to this point, his expression turned serious again, as cold as a frozen mountain. "Recently, more and more Chaos creatures have been appearing, and those Chaos-side Ritualists are constantly performing rituals. Society is becoming increasingly unstable."
His brow was cold. "Ordinary people might not see it in the news, but I've kept an eye on internal documents. This month alone, four large-scale sacrifices occurred in Tokyo."
Yoshino Kenichi scratched his buzz cut, having ignored the weight of the suitcase in his hand by now. "Tokyo? I wonder if Reiko is okay..."
Yoshino Kenichi was twenty-six years old.
Three months ago, he had set a wedding date with his fiancée Usami Reiko; he was a man about to become a groom.
Nagayama Keiichiro shook his head. "She'll be fine. All four sacrifices were resolved by other teams. There are too few official Ritualists right now, so we can only form two-man teams."
"In fact, back when I was training, a tactical combination required at least five people."
But there were too few Ritualists, far too few.
And ordinary people who had seen and could safely survive the baptism of mystery power were even fewer.
Most who saw Chaos went mad, while those who saw the power of order became like plants, staring blankly every day and repeating some unintelligible language.
Did they really think that being named order meant it represented kindness?
order and Chaos were just names. To humans, they were always the weak side.
"Heaven and Earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs," Nagayama Keiichiro muttered a phrase.
"What?" Yoshino Kenichi didn't understand.
Nagayama Keiichiro said mischievously, "This was taught to me by the unit's master instructor for combat, an Easterner. It means..."
"'They're all bastards, who did we offend?' Something like that."
Yoshino Kenichi looked like a dead fish, with a face that said 'you're kidding me'. "If you didn't have that expression, I might have believed you..."
"I can't remember the specific explanation," Nagayama Keiichiro shook his head helplessly. Facing that combat mentor was probably more troublesome than the cultural exams he once took in the unit.
"They're all a bunch of bastards, a bunch of bastards... That's true, though."
Yoshino Kenichi suddenly looked up. "Isn't that just how it is? Why should their war involve us? What order, what Chaos—why must it be at the cost of human lives?"
Hearing this, Nagayama Keiichiro looked at Yoshino Kenichi very seriously. "Kenichi, because this matter concerns our survival. We are on the side of order, and we will only uphold the rules of order."
"Even if many comrades lose control or die while ascending in order or observing order, it doesn't mean order subjectively harms humans."
"It's just that we haven't found the way to observe Him yet, nor do we have strong enough spirit and knowledge to interpret the side He reveals to humanity."
After all, the more one knows, the more powerful one becomes.
And the crazier.
Yoshino Kenichi sighed.
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