Tokyo, Chiba.
Yukinoshita Yukino held an umbrella, tiptoeing carefully as she crossed the potholes filled with water.
Her mood mirrored the bad weather and overcast skies. It was midday, when the sun should have been shining brightly, yet the world looked as though it were coming to an end.
She walked hurriedly—running away.
There was a red light ahead, and Yukinoshita Yukino came to a stop.
By chance, a news report was being broadcast from a building on the street:
> [At 11 o'clock last night, a man in his thirties was found dead in a pool of blood in an alley in the central district of Chiba City. The body is suspected to have been bitten by a ferocious beast. This is the fourth "beast killing case" this year. We will continue to follow up on the results of the police investigation.]
> [The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has classified this as a special case and is investigating!]
> [The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department issued a notice: Please pay attention to safety and do not go out unless necessary!]
> [Next news: After noon today, in Chiba's Hanamigawa District, a 35-year-old man named Naoki Usagi was arrested as a murder suspect for violently killing a 25-year-old woman he lived with…]
Yukinoshita Yukino's expression was gloomy. The same things repeated day after day—the world was rotting.
Order teetered on the brink of collapse.
Ever since the "Gun Devil" appeared ten years ago, beings known as demons had begun to manifest in the world. People's moral values and respect for the law had gradually deteriorated, and more and more people were taking part in the feast of crime, driven by fear and a desire to live for the moment.
Furthermore, Japan was now on the verge of abolishing the death penalty, giving rise to an ideal breeding ground for crime.
Events involving supernatural or demonic activity were handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Anti-Demon Special Operations Section 4. Cases born of the evil within human hearts were handled by the Criminal Division.
But now, the collapse of order had reached a point where even the police found it difficult to distinguish between the two.
And the right to live alone that Yukinoshita Yukino had fought so hard to obtain was about to be taken away—because of a serial killer who had recently been active in Chiba.
Before leaving the apartment where she lived alone, her sister, Haruno, had told her:
> "If the murderer hasn't been arrested by the police... Yukino, you have to come back home."
> "Mother and I don't want anything to happen to you. So please, stop being so stubborn, okay?"
"Ah…" Yukinoshita Yukino sighed softly. "You two had a fight again, didn't you…?"
She understood, of course—this came from the goodwill of her mother and sister. But if she went back now, the independence she had yearned for so long would be reduced to nothing.
She had only just managed to break free from the chains of her family.
Now that things had come to this, she might as well go to class.
Before long, Yukinoshita Yukino arrived at Sōbu High School.
Due to the worsening public safety and the appearance of beings like demons, security in public places such as schools had been greatly strengthened. At the very least, the guards were no longer powerless old men.
Even with all the chaos, nothing could interfere with Yukinoshita Yukino's will to study.
As the second-ranked student with the second-highest deviation score in her year at Sōbu High School, she paid close attention in every class.
But today, she had something out of the ordinary to do—
To establish a club.
This decision had come after much careful thought.
She had written the club application during her free time and planned to submit it to her guidance counselor, Shizuka Hiratsuka, as soon as school ended.
She rose to her feet, holding the application form with both hands, and walked toward the faculty office, step by step.
A passing breeze stirred the paper in her hands, letting a glimpse of the written purpose be seen:
> [Service Department]
> [Those who possess wealth and give to those in need out of compassion are called volunteers. This department's activity is to extend a hand to those in need.]
- –
- —
- –
Hiratsuka Shizuka held the club application in her hands, with a lady's cigarette pinched between her index and middle fingers, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"I say, Yukinoshita..."
"Can you tell me what reason made you want to start a club like this?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked up and carefully examined the girl in front of her.
Her long black hair was thick, silky, and smooth. Her skin was fair, her features delicate. She appeared cold and stunningly beautiful.
She sat there with her back perfectly straight. Her bright blue eyes were sharp and deep, like a noble warrior or a flower blooming atop a distant mountain, far from the dust of the world.
Yukinoshita Yukino spoke without hesitation, reciting the words she had prepared long ago: "There is no torch in this world; I am the only light..."
"Teacher Hiratsuka, you know me," Yukinoshita's gaze was clear: "Outstanding humans have a duty to help the poor. I want to do something."
"To change the weakness in people's hearts, and thereby change this terrible world."
Hiratsuka Shizuka stubbed out her lady's cigarette, somewhat unable to meet Yukinoshita Yukino's burning, sun-like gaze.
She did not mock her, although deep down she thought that this rotten social environment was not something a high school club could change. But since it was a child's dream, as a good teacher she naturally supported it.
She could disapprove of Yukinoshita's idea, but the world could not be without people like Yukinoshita.
Thinking this, Hiratsuka Shizuka rubbed her temples in mild headache and said, "Well... Yukinoshita, in principle, this is possible. I'll try my best to help you get it approved."
Yukinoshita Yukino frowned and caught the implication in Hiratsuka's words: "Teacher Hiratsuka, do you think my reason isn't sufficient, or do you think I lack the ability?"
"It's not that," Hiratsuka Shizuka cleared her throat gently. "Yukinoshita, as the second-best student in the grade, I shouldn't stop you from starting a club. I understand and support your thoughts and ideals. But recently, a male student already established a similar club before you."
"Putting aside the club's name, I think if two clubs have nearly the same purpose and meaning, there's no need to establish another one."
"Similar club?" Yukinoshita Yukino's brows furrowed with deeper confusion as she asked, "What is the purpose of his club?"
At this question—
Hiratsuka Shizuka paused, then spoke with some passion:
"I have never thought that having the power to help others is a misfortune. Having this power makes me the happiest. And I want to use this power to create the most beautiful world!"
"If it were me, if it were only me, I could do it... No, only I can do it!"
"..."