Estimated reading time: 7–8 minutes
Chapter 47
Urairo Aika is an undercover agent. She heard from the mama who was in charge of managing her that she was born in a back alley slum. From a young age, she was made to do menial labor, and the moment she turned 16, she was forced into prostitution. As a result of the failure to amend the law regarding the marriageable age, women can still legally marry from the age of 16, and there is no issue with sexual relations with their marriage partner, even if that partner is under 18 years old.
Therefore, Urairo’s alternate family register is filled with nothing but records of marriages and divorces. It’s a loophole-exploiting trick. The fact that the family register is forged and litigation regarding this matter is difficult fueled the prosperity of the business. She would typically be bought by a customer for several months at a time, earning large sums of money that were immediately siphoned off by her superiors. She spent nearly two years in this situation. To sell for a higher price, she underwent repeated cosmetic surgeries, replacing her face, breasts, and even her voice for the sake of the business.
This changed in the autumn of her 17th year. While walking the streets with a customer who had bought her, a man suddenly approached and spoke to them. It didn’t take long for her to realize that this man was one of the 「Reformists」.
「…In other words, Orange directly contacted Nakamoto Tsuyoshi and they reached a friendly relationship.」
「That’s correct, Chief. However, my relationship with Nakamoto Tsuyoshi is being maintained.」
The person on the other end of the call is the chief of Public Security Division 6, one of the 「Reformists」 and also the model for her disguise. By having the same hair color as the chief, she implicitly indicates that she is on the Public Security side. The division she has infiltrated seems to be quite fond of this face, but Urairo Aika believes that as long as it serves her purpose, it’s fine. For her, who has never harbored romantic feelings towards anyone, it is merely a tool. On the other hand, the chief on the phone responds to her apology with a melancholic tone.
「I’m very sorry!」
「…There’s no need to worry about it. Fortunately, we had a bountiful harvest this time, so there’s a high possibility it will be overlooked.」
「Meaning?」
「We have exclusive information on scandals involving current administration and opposition politicians. Of course, I’m talking about the future.」
「!?」
Urairo Aika well understands the value of that. Exclusivity.
「We also have a large amount of other information. Of course there’s technical information, but we also have information on politicians and influential figures who will commit suicide. It seems our previous selves did a good job this time. This will speed things up.」
「I see, so you’re going to use the politicians’ scandals to blackmail them?」
「Yes, that way we can increase the number of ‘Reformists’ within the system and suppress the chaos when things are ‘fixed.’ The independent cities created this time are all under our influence, naturally including Paris and London. If we can expand this situation…」
In the first place, the 「Reformists」 are not a Japanese organization and their goals differ from those of Japan. They are a group that transcends national borders, born from the Espers who emerged after the 「Base Collapse」 in 2030. There is a rumor that one Japanese cabinet minister has been chosen to be part of their leadership council, but beyond that, they are shrouded in mystery.
And their objective is simple: to overcome the year 2050 and dominate the world themselves. Currently, the existence of Espers is being kept secret. The reason for this is to reduce chaos and monopolize power. In other words, the moment one becomes an Esper, they can no longer lead a normal life.
This is why the 「Reformists」 have risen up. As saviors, they aim to secure the position of Espers and solve the world’s problems. The means they employ to achieve this is overcoming the destruction of 2050. There are many problems in the world that remain unsolved due to vested interests and tradition. The situation where these collapse once due to the destruction in 2050 is optimal for constructing a new order.
That’s precisely why Orange’s existence is a threat. The establishment of countermeasures against the Machine Beasts and Strains using mass-produced Apollyons. His stance of not joining the 「Reformists」 despite possessing an extremely powerful ability. Before they knew it, numerous forces began to gather around him and Kōmitsu Motors. These include those who have learned the truth through 「HAO」, as well as those who simply aim to expand their power. And what’s most frightening is that they are not fixated on vested interests.
The forces currently existing in the world can be divided into three categories: those who don’t know about the future, those who try to protect the existing framework while profiting and overcoming 2050, and those who aim to destroy everything and create a new order to dominate. Amidst all this, a strange faction has emerged that doesn’t care about vested interests and just wants to save the world as quickly as possible, all while throwing absurd information out into the world.
「It would have been good if this could have been done from Ver1.00.」
「At that stage, almost no one would be alive, so it would be difficult to find a ‘medium’. Moreover, there was the problem of having to choose a Beastkin or else they would die due to the lack of oxygen. That’s why we had no choice but to invest money in introducing the 」Character Making System,「 and Hereafter ended up achieving their goal of monopolizing the technology to interfere with the future. No, to be precise, it’s not the future, it’s that 2040 is 2060.」
Feeling the conversation straying from her own mistake, Urairo Aika sighs with relief. However, at the same time, she is concerned about the consistently gloomy tone in her superior’s voice. It was a tone that seemed to be carrying something. Before she could question this, her superior continued with a question: 「The next update is in 3 days, no?」 She replies with a 「yes,」 and an ominous silence engulfs the surroundings.
There was a tremor in the next words.
「–We’re discarding the next cycle. I’m sorry.」
Urairo Aika understood the meaning of those words all too painfully. The truth that Hereafter had tried to hide, which was not revealed in the previous Ver. The essence of the system that interferes with the future. The reason it produced a large number of suicides.
She doesn’t know which Ver she belongs to. But if she is unlucky enough to be from Ver2.01, then Urairo Aika will probably be 「fixed」 in the ruined future.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link