Mokushiroku Alice Vol 1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Transfer Student with a Bad Personality

My little sister has been gone ten years.

I'm already seventeen years old.

A high school student's summer.

A cla.s.sroom.

The blazing rays of the sun.

From the balcony, the view of a common schoolyard can be seen.

The boys and girls from the normal curriculum, clad in their summer uniforms, are smiling at one another happily.

Looking at that peaceful scene, "...... The trash are living with a trashy face huh."

With half-opened eyes, I murmur sneeringly with the corner of my lip raised in a slightly sardonic manner.

As I do that, a voice from the side speaks to me.

"Who are you referring to as trash?"

It is a female voice.

"Contrary to your docile appearance, you have quite the nasty tongue huh."

I turn my eyes in the direction of the voice.

There, standing beside me, is a girl I did not know.

She is in a sailor uniform. With madder red hair and fair skin. Eyes with large irises. Perspiration lines her neck.

"Who?" I ask, to which she replies.

"Are you asking my name? Or my number?"

She asks, smiling despite being the one who called out to me.

By the way, we are on the balcony of a cla.s.sroom of 『Metropolitan Kichijouji High』 in Tokyo. I am there to take a transfer interview examination.

Right now in the cla.s.sroom, there are about fifteen guys and girls waiting for their names to be called.

I look into the cla.s.sroom, and after ascertaining that there were still more than ten people remaining, ask "Has my name already been called?"

She smiled.

"I don't even know your name, so how would I know whether your name has been called?"

"Then why did you come out of the cla.s.sroom? It's hot here, isn't it?"

"I can't deal well with air-conditioners."

"Fuuhn."

"And I'm not good with making friends either."

She gazes into the cla.s.sroom with a bored look. In the cla.s.sroom, students are waiting nervously for their interviews, their backs erect.

"At any rate, only a few of the people inside can enroll in the school. Besides, even after getting in a number of them will die, right?" she says suddenly.

A number of them will die.

That's right.

This is that kind of school.

But I smile and say, "So talking to me doesn't count as making friends, I guess?"

"Uhm, I'm just showing pity, I suppose?"

"Ah?"

"You don't seem like you have any friends. So I came to talk to you."

What a s.h.i.+tty, unnecessary favor.

I look at her in exasperation and say, "I see. Putting aside how many friends I have, at the very least I don't have the confidence of making friends with a girl like you."

"Ah-haha. You really are pretty brash despite your docile look."

"Not as much as you."

"Ah-ha."

Laughing, she stretches her hand out to me.

"I'm Kiryuu Kiri. If I manage to get in, please look out for me."

I look down with half-lidded eyes at that slender, arrogant hand that was demanding a handshake, then once again turn my eyes to the schoolyard. I take out the headphone specially used with my right ear, and affixed it.

"Hey, don't ignore me. You won't be able to make any friends with that kind of att.i.tude you know?"

Shut up, I think, no longer bothering to reply.

Music starts flowing from my headphone. The streaming music stimulates my brain stem intensely.

As before, Ah-haha, Kiri laughs. A strange woman.

At that moment, a faint voice came from the cla.s.sroom.

"......nosuke. Arisu s.h.i.+nnosuke, are you here?"

No one answers. Obviously. Since Arisu s.h.i.+nnosuke is my name.

From beside me, Kiri laughs with deep interest.

"Ah~, I know your name now, s.h.i.+nnosuke-kun."

"............"

"Sensei is calling you. If you don't go, you might not be able to get into this school. Or is it that the music from your headphone is too loud and you can't even hear my voice?"

"My left ear is empty," I reply.

I push my back off the railing of the balcony, and open the window to the cla.s.sroom.

The teacher looks at me and asked, "Are you Arisu s.h.i.+nnosuke?"

"Yes."

"We're going to do your transfer interview. Come."

I nodded, and leave the cla.s.sroom.

From behind, Kiri's voice rings out, "Do your best, okay~. It'd be nice if we meet again."

I'm not the least bit interested.

Ignoring her, I close the cla.s.sroom door.

♦

Nothing but a name, the Interview Room is just a normal cla.s.sroom.

There are four interviewers. Men and women in their early twenties.

All four of them are seated, their pens running across what appeared to be doc.u.ments on their desks.

One of them, a woman, asks me, "Your name is Arisu s.h.i.+nnosuke. Seventeen. Transferring from Sangenchaya High. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

I nod.

I smirk with half-opened eyes.

Right now, I wear the school uniform of Sangenchaya High.

"During middle school, you were abroad but ——— what were you doing there?"

"I was just a rather normal middle school student."

"Haha, I don't think a rather normal middle school student would come to this school though."

"Really?"

"This is a school where you might die, you know?"

"I know."

"The students here put their lives on the line and work hard to kill young girls to save the world."

"Yes."

"Then the reason why you chose this school is because you want to save the world?"

I shake my head at that question.

"No."

"Because you are a patriot?"

"Not that."

"Then what?"

"Purely for money. Because this school pays based on ability. To be honest, I don't care about what happens to the world."

"............"

"Ah, or is it that you are looking for the pa.s.sionate type? If that's the case I can also act like that, you know? Aah, I really want to save the world," I say in a monotone and the female teacher waves her hand in displeasure.

"We don't need you to do that. Answer honestly."

"Then, it's for money. Fame. Power. I have no interest in other things."

The teachers start whispering among themselves. Their pens run across the doc.u.ments. Perhaps they are writing, "Someone with a terribly bad personality showed up." Or maybe it is something like, "It's really good that he's honest"?

Well, whatever it is, it doesn't matter to me.

The female teacher says, "Well then, we are going to evaluate your ability."

"Here?"

"Yes. This time, the vacancies number four. The number of people taking the test number seven hundred and twenty. Which means most will fail. Especially those who have impure motives and only have eyes for money, like you."

"Ohh. That will be problematic~"

I smirk.

The female teacher says, "Then we shall begin. Sak.u.ma-sensei."

The male teacher whose name was called stands.

While he stands, I snap the fingers of my right hand three times. That is the activation signal for the Headphone Fuzz《 Intra-Cerebral Magic Activator 》[1] affixed in my right ear.

A roaring sound streams from my headphone.

Rhythm.

Beat.

Melody.

Along with them, the cursed song jolts my brain stem intensely.

The curse fills the area responsible for memory, and as a result of that scattering, the memories in my brain are boosted and the preparations for using magic are completed.

Sak.u.ma-sensei or something, also sticks a headphone in his ear. Sensei's right hand lights up with purple flames.

It is a magic drawn forth by his 《Headphone Fuzz》.

As expected of Sensei.

His activation is fast.

Well, that's all there is to it though.

Sak.u.ma-sensei grins broadly and says, "In this school, people die even during interviews."

"Is that so?"

"You might die. You have been smirking and making light of us for quite a while; that kind of att.i.tude p.i.s.ses me off."

"Haah. Sorry about that."

"Then, shall we start?"

"Sensei, please feel free to come at me."

While saying that, as if picking up the rhythm ——— as if I was waving a conductor's baton, the finger of my right hand dances in mid-air. Doing that causes three-dimensional light to swim in the air. With that light, I manipulate my 《Headphone Fuzz》.

I can load six magic songs into the 《Headphone Fuzz》 that I can select from. I select one of the available songs and activate the 'acceleration' song.

Looking at my moving finger, the female teacher cries out, "Sak.u.ma-sensei, be careful! This kid is using a magic art brought back from the high level 《Flash-Node Labyrinth》......"

But it's already too late.

My gray matter is already filled with the song of magic.

From the headphone, the cursed piece continues to replay in my mind. Repeatedly, repeatedly, the curse is gently sung to me.

【In an instant ♪   In a flash ♪   In the time of a flash ♪

The flash of time, the flash of an instant ♪   In an instant ♪   In a flash ———】

I murmur, "...... Acceleration switch ———"

Clink, a switch flips in my body. Due to the magic activation. I can tell that my body is accelerated. I can only accelerate for one second, but that is plenty. I kick the floor. In an instant, I reach Sak.u.ma-sensei and am right before his eyes. I take a knife out of the pocket of my uniform and place it against Sak.u.ma-sensei's neck. I could have killed him, but...

"Oh my, did I miss the doc.u.ments that would exempt me of responsibility in the event that I killed a teacher?"

Sak.u.ma-sensei glares at me.

"d.a.m.n you......"

Ignoring him, I withdraw my knife. Kept it away.

Furthermore, I take a step back and say, "Aah, and I also brought a sharp object to school......"

The female teacher then replies, "If you need that as a weapon, then if you apply through the proper channels......"

"There won't be a problem?"

"Correct."

"Well then, I'll make the application once I'm accepted."

On hearing those words, the female teacher says, "What're you talking about? There's no way we will let a talent like you—who can overwhelm an interviewer—out of our grasp, right?"

I look at the female teacher with half-opened eyes and say, "In other words...?"

"You've pa.s.sed. Welcome to 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》. Let's save the world together," says the female teacher as she extends her hand.

——— Let's save the world together.

I take a knife out of the pocket of my uniform and place it against Sak.u.ma-sensei's neck. I could have killed him, but...

On hearing that delightful response at my successful enrollment, I replied, "Erhm, I said this earlier, but...... I have no interest in the world so please spare me that. To be frank, it's stifling."

♦

Upon coming out of the interview cla.s.sroom, the next interviewee looks at me and says in a familiar manner, "Orh, we meet again, s.h.i.+nnosuke-kun. How did it go?"

It is Kiryuu Kiri, the girl who spoke to me earlier.

I look at Kiri and answer, "Nothing special."

"You got accepted?"

"Probably, I suppose."

"As expected, you are good."

"Which part of me makes you think that it's an 'expected' thing?"

"The moronic aloofness part."

"Ah-haha, you went and said it, huh."

I laugh and smirk sardonically.

"So, is someone like you any good?"

Kiri puffs out her chest and replies, "Well~, with my beauty, if I'm no good, then I would just be a girl with only outer beauty, right?"

I look at Kiri's face. She might indeed have a face that was a little well-featured. You could call her a beauty, I suppose. And her body is slender and, to top it off, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s are big.

I look at that bulging chest with half-opened eyes.

"...... Aah, you'd call that a brainless big-breasted woman, I suppose?"

"Ah-ha, if you get ahead of yourself I might end up killing you, you know, Mr. Aloof b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"Ha, try me, Miss Breast-Only Woman."

I snap my fingers three times. My 《Headphone Fuzz》 activates.

At the same time, a sound also comes from Kiri's fingers. She takes out a small headphone from her pocket.

Just from that movement alone I could tell that Kiri was stronger than that Sak.u.ma-sensei. As to whether she was stronger than me... well, that would be a different story.

Kiri grins and says.

"Just kidding. Jokes aside, I'll see you later~, s.h.i.+nnosuke-kun."

She opens the door.

"I'm Kiryuu Kiri. Please look kindly on me during this interview."

The cla.s.sroom disappears.

She is really a strange woman. I didn't want to see her again for all the trouble it would cost. Fail the interview, woman.

I stop the sound from the headphone. And sigh. Then turn around and continue down the corridor.

No one is in the corridor.

The school is divided into 《Normal High School Curriculum》 and 《Labyrinth Diseased Girl Killing Curriculum》, and this is the building for the 《Girl Killing Curriculum》, where people dying is a daily occurrence.

I exit the school building.

As before, the blazing rays are strong enough to make one feel faint.

The schoolyard is filled with the lively sounds of boys and girls.

The schoolyard is shared by both curricula and it was thus filled with the untroubled laughter of boys and girls reveling in their youth.

"...... Ha-ha, reveling in their youth, what fools, ain't that the truth?"

As if I were singing a cursed song, I murmur a rhyme. A dry laugh escapes me when I think of how lame my words were.

I could never understand how they could laugh without a thought in their brains, innocently and unconditionally. Somehow, it seems like ever since my little sister contracted the 《Labyrinth Disease》 and was gone from this world, I had forgotten how to laugh.

But at the very least I am sure that I'm not the only one who can no longer laugh.

The reason being, aside from taking away my smile, this bizarre and strange sickness called the 《Labyrinth Disease》 brought a dramatic change to the world, I supposed.

The sickness is defined as:

《Labyrinth Disease》

A strange sickness that afflicts only girls who are sixteen or younger. With herself as the center, an afflicted girl will give rise to an extra-dimensional labyrinth around her. The scale, structure, and composition of each labyrinth varies. It can take on the form of a shutdown school, an abandoned hospital, a gigantic house, plains like those in a game, et cetera. It appears to be influenced by the past personality of the infected girl. The area of effect is at least two kilometers in radius and can extend to hundreds of kilometers. If the girl in the center of the labyrinth is not killed before the enveloped area becomes anch.o.r.ed to the real world as an 《Eternal Labyrinth》, it becomes impossible to return the affected area to normal.

All these things started just ten short years ago.

The world was of course thrown into chaos.

Most of the countries that were unable to deal with the sickness had their lands transformed into 《Eternal Labyrinths》 and disappeared.

Right now, probably a quarter of the lands in the world have been turned into labyrinths. It was especially bad in the third-world countries, whose military technologies were not that advanced.

Almost all of Africa was transformed into labyrinths.

The mountainous regions of countries like Australia and China were also nothing more than labyrinths.

Even advanced countries like America, Europe, and j.a.pan lost a number of their large cities.

But even so, the human race, tough as they are, survived.

And during that time they raided the labyrinths and brought back from within them technologies that were completely different from the modern sciences, and achieved even greater prosperity.

That new technology was, "...... magic."

In that peaceful schoolyard, I once again snap my fingers.

What humans retrieved from the labyrinths was a technology called 'Magic Converted from Labyrinth Spoils'.

Flooding the inside of a human brain with encoded sounds and vibrations, accessing the spiritual domain within the brain and drawing forth something from nothing ——— was the explanation given for this new technology.

I tap the 《Headphone Fuzz》 in my right ear twice.

Depending on whether the headphone is attached to the right or left ear, the magic resounds primarily in the left or right brain respectively. I love to have my left brain jolted. I love to manipulate words to activate my magic.

Exiting the schoolyard, I see a motorbike parked on the street.

Astride the motorbike, looking at me, is a strange-looking girl who wears a white lab coat over the sailor uniform of 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》.

"Onii-sama...... how was the interview?" asks the girl.

However, it isn't like she's my little sister. She's my cousin.

Sanae Yayoi.

Fifteen years old.

A first-year at 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》.

The daughter of my uncle who had been researching the labyrinth disease.

The daughter of my uncle who died when he was caught in my little sister's sickness during its onset.

I say, "I thought I said that I don't need you to pick me up."

"But Onii-sama, you are not yet familiar with the area here."

"That's not possible, right? I was born here in Kichijouji you know?"

"That's only relevant until you were eight, isn't it? When your little sister, Saki, died, you immediately left the research faci...... home."

I stare at Yayoi with half-lidded eyes, then start walking.

Yayoi hurriedly gets off her motorbike and, pus.h.i.+ng it, comes up onto the sidewalk close to me. Because of her pet.i.te figure, the 750 cc looks huge.

"Why are you turning your back on me? Please hop on."

"Because I told you not to come pick me up."

"No way."

"And also, Yayoi, let's get something straight."

"Eh, ah, yes."

Astride the motorbike, looking at me, is a strange-looking girl who wears a white lab coat over the sailor uniform of 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》.

I say to Yayoi while smirking, "To me, my little sister isn't dead. She's someone I'm going to save. That's why...... don't go spouting such nonsense. I'll kill you."

Yayoi's eyes widen in surprise. Oh no, she seemed to say. But I ignore her and walk on.

"Well, that's how it is. So don't come talk to me again~"

"...... Ah, erhm, I'm sorry. I don't really mean that."

Yayoi desperately pushes her bike alongside. Since I'm being mean, I don't relax my pace.

Being short of breath, with her chest heaving, fuuh fuuh, she goes, "I, s-spoke out of line. Regarding the research on how to save Saki, I too, am trying to get the maximum amount of cooperation possible. Onii-sama, I do understand that your infiltration into 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》 is all for the sake of saving Saki."

I look down at her with half-opened eyes and smirk.

"Haha, so what if you understand? All the researchers at the facility laughed at the seven year-old me, didn't they? A girl who has turned into an 《Eternal Labyrinth》 can never be saved. Saving your little sister is just a silly thing a kid like you would say. Didn't they say things like that?"

"Those weren't my words. Besides, I was only six then. I can't remember what the adults said then."

"But that's their research policy. The country's policy."

"But that's not my policy ——— at the very least not the policy of the research lab that I'm in charge of."

I look at Yayoi once again.

Sailor uniform with a white lab coat.

At just fifteen years old, she is a genius entrusted with one of the research labs of Taikou Pharmaceuticals—famous for their research on the labyrinth disease.

Both her father and mother had been researchers at Taikou Pharmaceuticals, and she too is one.

But still, it is common knowledge that from the onset of the labyrinth disease in a patient, she definitely couldn't be saved. No, perhaps it was more like the world's policy was that they shouldn't be saved.

At the onset of the disease in an infected girl, if she isn't killed within a limited time, the surrounding area will be permanently turned into a labyrinth. That's why she must be killed without wasting a second. Once a labyrinth becomes eternal, there will no longer be any way to find the girl in the labyrinth. The area and its people that have been transformed into the labyrinth can no longer return. That's why the girl must be killed without wasting a second.

This is the common knowledge that the world held.

In other words, after the onset of the disease in an infected girl, she could no longer be saved. To begin with, there isn't any research being done towards saving them.

Thus, even a company like Taikou Pharmaceuticals is primarily involved in developing 《Medicine》 or 《Magic》 to kill the girl without wasting a second.

Theirs is a completely different ideology from mine, which holds on to the foolish, childish thought of "I want to save my little sister".

Thus I shouldn't have anything in common to talk about with my cousin, who heads one of their research labs.

"Onii-sama," Yayoi says.

"I'm not your big brother."

"I adore you like a big brother."

"You are a bother."

"Onii-sama."

"You're annoying, you know?"

"Onii-sama, you traveled the world...... went around the labyrinth disease research facilities in the world, you managed to find out more about the labyrinth disease, didn't you? I also heard that you did some considerably dangerous things for the sake of saving Saki."

"............"

"So how were the other countries? Like the way they are treating the girls whose illnesses acted up ———"

I interrupt her and say, "So, you are a spy after all? Did Taikou Pharmaceuticals order you to come and steal the intelligence I gained?"

On hearing that, Yayoi shakes her head frantically.

"I-It's nothing of the sort. I just want to be of help to you, Onii-sama."

"You are lying."

"I'm telling the truth. I...... have always been, in......"

The words stop instantly as Yayoi shuts her mouth with a troubled look, for some reason.

"What is it?"

I urge, but Yayoi shakes her head.

"It's nothing. But, please believe in......"

Cutting her off, I say, "I won't believe you. Except for myself and money, I don't believe in anything."

"Ah......"

"Are you done? Then leave."

"Please wait......"

"I won't wait. If someone sees you with me, you will lose your position. Don't talk to me again."

Yayoi's eyes go wide immediately.

"Ah, ah, could it be that your cold att.i.tude is all for my sake......"

But still, I interrupt her.

"Not that. Don't take it wrong, idiot. It's purely because I hate you."

"That's a lie!"

"Whatever. Since I won't be seeing you again."

"Onii-sama! Allow me to prepare a place for you. So let's...... let's both think about Saki's situation and what we should do from now together......"

"You are really annoying," I say, turning around.

With a start, Yayoi quivers.

And with that, it ends.

My cousin, who is on the verge of tears.

The me who is smirking.

"Goodbye then, Yayoi. It was nice to see you."

I wave my hand and leave.

♦

I go home ——— though even when I say that, the place I am staying at is a small hotel.

I have five pieces of luggage in my room.

The red bag contains mostly 《Headphone Fuzz》s for employing magic.

The green bag is filled with fake pa.s.sports and identification doc.u.ments which I use for ident.i.ty fabrication in order to get into the research facilities of various countries.

The remaining bags are filled with my daily necessities. It wouldn't be a problem even if I were to lose them.

I open the green bag used for ident.i.ty fabrication, which is protected by a high level of security.

Then, from the schoolbag I've been carrying, I transfer the fake doc.u.ments (relating to my status as a student at Sangenchaya High and my home-stay in America during middle school) to the bag.

By the way, the truth is I went around to various research facilities in various countries. I was even once part of a secret intelligence inst.i.tution where magicians were raised in inhumane ways.

"...... To think that someone like that could enter a Metropolitan school, j.a.pan's security is really c.r.a.p."

I smirk to myself.

Furthermore, the place I'm enrolled is the one burdened with the country's most cla.s.sified military secrets, 《Labyrinth Diseased Girl Killing Curriculum》.

Ever since high-level magic technology was discovered in the labyrinths, the world was caught in an ongoing race of military expansion.

Be it countries.

Be it large scale corporations.

Dangerous radicals, mercenaries, terrorists, and even religious organizations were embroiled in it, gunning to be the first to get more power and technology.

Since whoever can get hold of better and more powerful magic technology will control the world.

Thus, the technologies used for clearing 《Labyrinth Diseased Girls》 possessed by each country become their most important cla.s.sified secrets.

"...... Or could it be that they were already done with investigating my background?"

Saying that, I take the headphone out of my right ear. What I had been wearing was a 《Headphone Fuzz》 which could be found anywhere and easily handled by anyone.

General purpose, type 2 《Headphone Fuzz》 ———

If I were asked to comment, I'd say such were popular among the brainless magicians who could only be found in a peaceful place without advanced training... like j.a.pan. The one that Sak.u.ma-sensei used was just such a headphone.

However, with these I wouldn't be able to employ the complicated magic that I love and often use. I throw the general purpose type 2 headphone into the red bag roughly and take out a 《Headphone Fuzz》 which has luminous green and black as its base colors.

General purpose type 1 ——— a headphone made out to be activated by a totally different mechanism.

It is a German 《Headphone Fuzz》 called 《Willer Corp. Manufactured Prototype 42》.

Due to the fact that it places an overly large burden on the body and mind, it never entered production, but I loved it. I loved using it to simulate my brain to the point of almost wrecking it.

I put the headphone in my ear and closed my bag. That is all I need to do. With this, I would probably be able to deal with any threat that comes a.s.saulting me. At least, I had always been able to before.

I sit on the bed, and look at the door to my room. If my real ident.i.ty was found out, and if my real purpose was discovered on top of that, then it wouldn't be strange for 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》 to set a.s.sa.s.sins on me, but ——— it doesn't seem to be the case.

"Ha, haha."

I laugh thinly and lay down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Like I thought, they are all trash."

At that moment, my cell phone rings. I take it out from my pocket and press the 'accept' b.u.t.ton. A voice sounds through my headphone.

"Who is it?" I said, and the voice of the caller belongs to the female interviewer from earlier.

"Even the way you answer a phone call is rude, isn't it, Arisu s.h.i.+nnosuke-kun?"

"Well, I never thought that I would receive a call from Sensei. So how may I help you?"

"Cla.s.ses start tomorrow so please come to school."

"Where to?"

"The 《Girl Killing Curriculum》 building, cla.s.s 5."

"Cla.s.s 5...... I understand. Anything else?"

"Sak.u.ma-sensei was outraged at you treating him like a fool."

"Who cares about that."

"Ah-haha. Your mouth really stinks."

"No, no. It's not my mouth but my personality that stinks, Sensei."

I hang up the phone.

Cla.s.ses start tomorrow.

Cla.s.ses for the sake of killing sick girls like my little sister.

I look up at the ceiling with half-opened eyes, and murmur to myself, "...... Well, I've finally returned to j.a.pan, Saki."

♦

The next day.

Was a transfer student's first day, filled with excitement and antic.i.p.ation.

I walk, smirking.

Silence greets me at school.

In the corridor.

Looking up at the plate with 《Girl Killing Curriculum Cla.s.s 5》 on it, my feet halt.

The time is 8:15 AM.

The morning homeroom started at 8:10 AM so I was, without a doubt, late. I heard that transfer students should go to their cla.s.srooms a little late. Since during the morning homeroom, the teacher would want to announce that there would be a new transfer student and introduce me, it seemed. But well, it should be a good time now, I suppose.

I open the door to the cla.s.sroom.

Take a step forward.

The students in the cla.s.sroom number twenty.

It doesn't seem like there are an equal number of guys and girls. Perhaps, the number of girls might be a little bit more.

While a 《Headphone Fuzz》's power was also determined by the user's sensitivity to the cursed song, according to a certain research paper I saw from somewhere, girls are a little more sensitive than guys in that respect. Though since I'm not a girl, I'm not the least bit interested in that research so I don't really know the details.

The students look at me.

Following that, the person who appears to be the homeroom teacher ——— actually the female interviewer from yesterday, turns her gaze on me.

She seems to be around twenty-two. Deep blue suit. High heels. A 《Headphone Fuzz》 which resembles an earring in her left ear. It seems like she's one who likes to stimulate her right brain. An emotion-type. She is stronger than Sak.u.ma-sensei, I suppose?

"Hi, Arisu s.h.i.+nnosuke-kun. Welcome to my cla.s.s."

"This is your cla.s.s, huh?"

"Ah-ha, I can't have you coming into the cla.s.sroom with that manner of speaking......"

"So this is your cla.s.s, huh, Sensei? I'm really honored."

The female teacher's lips, lightly painted in pink, curl up into a grin and she says, "I'm Honjou Tsukasa. Twenty-one. It's okay not to address me as Sensei, so you can call me Tsukasa-chan ♪ ."

"Yes, Sensei."

"You really are an unpleasant guy. Well then, let me introduce the new transfer student. This kid is Arisu s.h.i.+nnosuke-kun. He's transferring into our school from the normal curriculum of Sangenchaya High. Despite that, as a magician, his skills, learned from heaven knows where, are not too shabby and he probably won't be a burden when it comes to clearing labyrinths. He's only interested in money and fame and power, according to himself. During the interview, I was really surprised to meet a piece of trash who had the audacity to declare that openly. Well, do you have anything you want to add?"

I say, "Nothing in particular."

"Then, you don't need to introduce yourself anymore?"

"If that's okay."

"Well, in that case, it's not. Please introduce yourself."

My expression clouds, and I look at the students with half-opened eyes. By now, I was already done checking the faces of most of the students.

Eight guys.

Twelve girls.

All of them had a headphone in either their right or left ear. Obviously. If you don't have a 《Headphone Fuzz》 here, you can't do a single thing.

Such headphone-type magic activating devices were special devices whose use was only granted to individuals belonging to either the military or police organizations in j.a.pan, or those who were tasked to raid 《Labyrinths》.

Individuals who were not granted permission were forbidden from using them.

They are treated like guns from before (though in the present day, the military does not use weapons from the previous era like guns), except that their power is on a different level from guns. Their versatility is different. The operating subtleties are different. Since they are packed with a genocidal amount of power that can create major incidents if they are mishandled.

Thus, they are heavily restricted devices. The civilians are only allowed to use magic technologies employed in consumer electronics or other manufactured goods. Even for the military, their headphones are adjusted to a level usable by the majority.

Therefore, the only ones allowed to employ magic that can forcibly stimulate their brains almost to their limits are a small portion of the elite, each tagged with an ID number and officially controlled by the country.

And even among such elites, only the considerably talented ones were allowed to enroll in a place like 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》.

Elites.

"...... elites, huh."

With half-opened eyes, I smile faintly to the elites gathered in this cla.s.sroom. Then gave a simple introduction of myself.

"...... it's troubling when I'm suddenly asked to say something about myself but ——— just as said, I'm trash. I just want to become a lowly member at the edge of the cla.s.s, so please don't concern yourself with me too much."

A few of them appear uninterested in me.

A few of them appear to dislike me.

A few of them, who looked like goody-goodies, direct a pleasant, friendly gaze at me.

And I have zero interest in any of them.

Honjou Tsukasa-sensei says, "Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Then sit down. In the empty seat."

The empty seat is located in the last row beside the window.

And the top of that desk is decorated with a flower that appears to be mourning the dead.

It probably isn't intended as hara.s.sment of the transfer student, I suppose.

The person who originally sat in that seat had probably died.

It was a flower placed for that deceased.

This was that kind of school.

I sit at my desk.

I look down at the flower with half-opened eyes, and gently put the vase containing that flower down on the floor.

I can feel the gazes of a few people turning hard. Were they the friends of the person who used to sit here?

But, that doesn't matter. Since we aren't here to have fun.

I narrow my eyes.

And look out the window.

Once again in the schoolyard, the Normal Curriculum students are having fun preparing for their P.E lesson. Not one among them wears a headphone. It isn't because a headphone would interfere with their P.E lesson.

It was because they aren't allowed to use one.

Or, they aren't interested in absurd things like 'putting their lives on the line and killing girls that bring forth extra-dimensional labyrinths'.

That is indeed a wise choice, I think.

Since Even if I can't become strong, someone will protect me: parents, school, or the local government.

Or, Even if I can't save the world, someone will save the world: the country, the military, or corporations.

In that case, putting my life on the line and becoming a magician is an idiotic thing to do ——— I can understand that kind of reasoning.

Thus, this was a cla.s.sroom where idiots known as elites were gathered.

A cla.s.sroom with a bunch of morons trying desperately, risking their lives using magic, while others lived peaceful, tranquil, ordinary, happy lives.

Sensei says, "Well then, this concludes our homeroom. s.h.i.+nnosuke-kun, while waiting for lessons to start, take the time to read through the school handbook."

I look up, then open my bag. And take out a reasonably thick booklet.

Metropolitan Kichijouji High

《Labyrinth Diseased Girl Killing Curriculum》 ——— School Handbook

The contents of the handbook are:

Metropolitan Kichijouji High is an inst.i.tution established by the government, with the approval of the country, for the purpose of dealing with labyrinth–diseased patients at the onset of their illness. This school deals primarily with clearing age-limited labyrinths, which can only be infiltrated by those who are nineteen years or under. It is primarily entrusted with dealing with cases occurring in Kantou region. (In the event that the labyrinths which appear in North-East range, Central range, or Kinki range are too much for their respective high schools to handle, there's a possibility that we will be deployed there.) In the event that infected girls having an onset of their diseases appear, the cooperating research center attached to the school will immediately send their researchers to begin investigations of the labyrinth brought forth by the diseased girl. (The main cooperating research center currently is Taikou Pharmaceuticals.) The investigation focuses on: The girl's personality. The structure (map) of the labyrinth brought forth by the girl. The obstacles inside (enemies, traps). The girl's weak point. The time limit before the girl becomes an 《Eternal Labyrinth》 and envelops and anchors the surrounding area with the labyrinth. In parallel, the school charged with dealing the target girl will conduct a lesson/lecture covering the investigation's results for the students of the 《Girl Killing Curriculum》. In most of the cases, the time limit for such a lesson about the labyrinth girl is five hours. In the last hour, infiltration of the labyrinth to deal with the girl will take place. In those six hours (in total), everyone should work together and, with the resultant increased efficiency, kill the girl and save the world.

Please do your best.

Well, that was basically what the handbook was about.

I smirk and murmur, "Work Together, huh."

I drop the handbook onto the desk with a thud.

Before I knew it, the homeroom was long over and more than half of the break-time that followed had pa.s.sed while I was reading the handbook.

Then I realize that a number of students are crowding around at a distance, looking at me.

The atmosphere coming from them is tense, yet lukewarm.

From among them, one person comes forward.

She is a slender, pet.i.te girl about 150 cm tall. Her beautiful blond hair is tied up into a ponytail. However, it doesn't look like it was dyed. Her natural hair color. Her eyes are pale blue. With fair skin. I wonder, is she a mixed-blood? Her eyes radiate a strong spirit. Her 《Headphone Fuzz》 is in her left ear.

In other words, she is an emotion-type.

A genius type.

A type that is hard to deal with.

The girl points straight at me and says, "Hey transfer student, I shall now tell you the rules of this cla.s.sroom."

See, she's hard to deal with.

I look at her with half-opened eyes and smile.

"Aah, that'll be a life-saver. I'm kind of disconcerted by a new cla.s.sroom."

However, ignoring me, the girl folds her arms against the chest area of her sailor uniform, which hardly bulges, and speaks. Raising her sharp, pointed chin arrogantly like she doesn't care.

"First, you must know the most important thing of this school. And that's me. My name is Mizuiro Gunjou. I have the best grades in the school year and the boss of this cla.s.s."

"Hehyh, Boss-san huh."

"I have already cleared labyrinths twice without dying, killed the labyrinth diseased girls and saved the world."

"Fuuhn."

"Furthermore, I have raided eternal labyrinths four times and succeeded in bringing back 'Magic Converted from Labyrinth Spoils' without dying."

"Ah, that's amazing."

Four times.

She had raided eternal labyrinths four times.

That really was an amazing thing.

By the way, I have already raided eternal labyrinths seven hundred and twenty-four times ——— but, I don't feel the need to say that. Since it was a number I could achieve at places where inhumane activities took place thanks to the mad scientists and powerful people of small countries who went berserk, which resulted in me raiding labyrinths on a daily basis without even any safety gear and I had to keep using magic at levels which could have ripped my brain to pieces while in the labyrinths.

Thus, in a peaceful, safe, quiet country like j.a.pan, for a person the same age as me to have raided eternal labyrinths four times, she would be quite competent, I suppose. Since compared to diseased girl labyrinths that still had a time limit, eternal labyrinths are much more dangerous and the chances of dying in them is high.

In other words, this girl is competent and managed to bring back 'Magic Converted from Labyrinth Spoils' alive. Then, it wouldn't be strange if she was a super star with a number of corporate sponsors ——— at the moment I think about that, Gunjou speaks.

"It's not something I need to be proud of, but I currently have 7 corporate sponsors supporting me."

She is pretty openly proud of that. More like she gives no signs of trying to hide her br.i.m.m.i.n.g confidence and puffs her chest out. The size of her chest couldn't quite match up to the magnitude of her confidence, it seems.

With that, I knew what kind of person she is.

A haughty, impulsive idiot.

But... well, she must be pretty rich if she has seven corporations backing her. She should also be well-connected among the rich. Even if she is capable of getting results, to have such connections at her age, she might possibly belong to the higher echelons of society.

Her high cla.s.s 《Headphone Fuzz》 is proof of that.

《Mitsutomo Heavy Industries Made ・ Water-Death Type 1》.

One can tell from the name that it is j.a.panese-made.

"...... so?"

On hearing my words, Gunjou just says, "You don't get it?"

"In other words, in order for commoners like you all to survive, you have no choice but to follow me. A genius like me. This is the only rule. Get it?"

Gunjou stretched her fair hand out.

"Don't tell me that you want me to grab your hand?"

A smile then surfaces on Gunjou's face.

"I want you to humble yourself and subordinate yourself to me. Most of the cla.s.s are under my command ——— they survived because of my protection."

"Hehyh. I see."

"Or are you going to make an enemy out of me? Like him?"

Gunjou points her finger at the corner of the cla.s.sroom.

Directly opposite from my seat, the last row of the cla.s.sroom. The seat before the door.

A guy with gray hair sits there. He has sharp eyes. The color of his irises is a little strange. They are red. A cold red. Those red orbs look at me.

"It's not like I'm making an enemy out of you though?"

"You are, aren't you? You don't want to come under my protection and kept interfering with me, His.h.i.+ro s.h.i.+ro."

Gunjou speaks the guy's name.

His.h.i.+ro s.h.i.+ro ——— seems like it's this guy's name. Despite his red eyes, his name is 'White(s.h.i.+ro)'. What kind of joke is this?

s.h.i.+ro too had a 《Headphone Fuzz》 in his left ear. Hey hey, is this cla.s.s full of emotion-types?

He is using a 《ROLAND Corporation Special Use Type 0》. j.a.panese-made. It isn't anything special but it is hard to handle and no simple thing. If he had it modified, then he would be a force to be reckoned with.

s.h.i.+ro says, "Hah, anyone who doesn't listen to you is an enemy? Queen-sama."

Gunjou spreads both hands and smiles.

"That's right. Useless ordinary people should just follow me obediently."

Dohn, while remaining seated, s.h.i.+ro kicks the desk of the neighboring student. The student whose desk got kick quivers with a start.

"WTF. We haven't determined who's better yet."

"I thought it would be obvious from our grades...... or do you want to have a go for real? I don't really mind though."

In an instant, snap snap snap sounds ring out from both their fingers.

Their 《Headphone Fuzz》s are activated.

Their movements are incredibly fast.

It seems their strength isn't just big talk.

The cla.s.sroom tenses.

No one can move from the murderous intent flowing out from them.

It looks like the entire cla.s.s revolves around the two of them.

It really is something I wasn't interested in.

"...... well, just go ahead and do what you want."

Both of them are just trash that stands out.

I stand up. Start out of the cla.s.sroom, completely ignoring what is happening.

"Hold it right there."

"Stop."

Both s.h.i.+ro and Gunjou speak at the same time. Which reminds me, Gunjou's name is also a color. White(s.h.i.+ro) and Ultramarine(Gunjou). What color will you get if you mix them together?

It looks like the entire cla.s.s revolves around the two of them.

Gunjou says, "You haven't said who you are going to follow."

s.h.i.+ro says, "...... your aloof att.i.tude also p.i.s.ses me off hey."

They are really troubling people. This really is a cla.s.sroom where a bunch of moronic elites, isolated from the world, are risking their lives to save the world.

I smirk with half-opened eyes.

"Don't bully the nervous transfer student, please."

"Then come under my wing."

"Forget about her. If you prove useful, I'll protect you."

"Haha, I'm sure popular. Don't tell me my time has come? Then, how about this? I'm really a wh.o.r.e on the inside, so whoever pays more, I'll join that person. Now, bid to your heart's content."

""Wha!?""

Both of them look at me with slightly surprised faces.

"Ah-hahaha."

Laughing, I walk out of the cla.s.sroom.

I can hear the raging voice of Gunjou from the cla.s.sroom.

"A great person like me even came to talk to you, what's with that att.i.tude!? Everyone, just ignore that fellow! Ignore him completely!"

On hearing that, s.h.i.+ro laughs.

"Ha, hahaha, the rich girl is getting angry for being made fun of."

"You are also being ridiculed, aren't you! I'll kick your a.s.s!!"

"Try me, b.i.t.c.h!"

I gradually put distance between me and that meaningless conversation.

Along the corridor.

The ten-minute break is already over. The students start going back to their respective cla.s.ses. Down the corridor stands the girl I met during the school transferring interview.

Kiryuu Kiri.

A 《Headphone Fuzz》 is in her right ear.

A left brain type.

The type who manipulates magic rationally.

Different from before, she is now wearing the sailor uniform of 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》. It seems she was also accepted into this school, which makes things bothersome.

"Yaahh, we meet again, Mr. Aloof b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"Who are you? I don't remember you at all."

"Liar liar. You reacted to my face, and your eyes immediately dropped down to my b.r.e.a.s.t.s right? Big pervert."

On hearing her words, I do what she said, and look at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with half-opened eyes. I stare at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, bulging fully against her clothes.

"Hey, I'll be embarra.s.sed if you keep looking at them," she covers her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with her arms from my relentless gaze and says poutingly.

"Eh, but I'm a pervert right?"

"Jeez, your personality is bad as usual. Did you manage to make any friends?"

"Of course. Roughly about hundred people."

"This school has five cla.s.ses of twenty students each, so there should only be a hundred people in total though."

"Aah, in other words, I'm friends with everyone except you? Sorry, I just couldn't click well with your physiology."

"Ah-haha. Should I kill you, jeez."

Her words, unlike Gunjou, are probably a joke. Those who wear 《Headphone Fuzz》s in their right ear wouldn't be swayed by a moment of emotion.

"But seriously, it won't do if you don't make any friends. Once you enter a labyrinth, you won't make it alone," Kiri says.

"Hehyh, I see. I didn't know."

"I'm not kidding, a lone wolf will die, you know?"

"Then, did you manage to make any friends?"

Kiri grins.

"Of course, with my beauty."

"Shut up."

"Ah-haha. Well well, let's both work hard. I'm in cla.s.s 3 so our infiltration points in the labyrinth might be different but the goal is the same, so do look out for me when we meet there."

"I don't want to."

"Here we go again."

Ignoring her, I start walking.

And pa.s.s by Kiri.

She turns around and asks, "What about cla.s.ses?"

"Skipping."

"Eehh, maybe I should skip too?"

"Do as you like. But, don't come near me."

"Ah-ha, even though you are just a lonesome kid~"

"............"

Feeling gloomy, I no longer reply.

She was probably making friends. Calling out to potentially strong talents, and then in times of danger in the labyrinth, she would be able to get their help, I suppose.

Though I have no idea why she would think that I was strong ——— maybe she knows my true ident.i.ty to a certain extent. While a little investigation wouldn't reveal much about me, if she actually belongs to some intelligence inst.i.tution overseas, and I had clashed with the said organization, then the possibility of her knowing who I am was not zero.

I turn around for a moment.

And narrow my eyes at Kiryuu Kiri's back.

Then I begin to consider the possibility that she's an agent of another organization. It is possible.

Because, even when compared to the other labyrinths in the world, there is an abnormally special 《Eternal Labyrinth》 under the influence of this 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》, which was surely mining special types of magic technology from it.

I s.h.i.+ft my gaze. To the wall opposite the cla.s.sroom along the corridor.

Beyond the wall is the back of the school.

Behind this school lay a 50 km radius 《Eternal Labyrinth》.

Each 《Eternal Labyrinth》 has its own code-name as well as a ranking to differentiate one from another.

The harder it is to return alive from a raid, the higher the ranking, and it ranges from 0 ~ 666.

——— Angel 121

——— Flames 65

——— Flash-node 10

——— Water-Death 7

And so on and so forth.

At present, humans are able to clear a rank 12 labyrinth with no casualties. Beyond that rank, deaths would definitely occur. Or the raiders might have to retreat before getting their hands on any kind of technology.

However, the higher the rank of a labyrinth, the higher the level of magic technology that slept in it, and anyone would want to raid a high level labyrinth and bring back its technology.

And behind this 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》, ten years ago, the hardest labyrinth in the world appeared and lay there.

The labyrinth was coveted by military-affiliated personnel around the world ——— but, it was at an overwhelming, ultimate level of difficulty where no one had brought back anything.

By the way, the name of the girl who came down with the 《Labyrinth Disease》 and became the 《Eternal Labyrinth》 of this Kichijouji, was ———

Arisu Saki.

The code-name of the labyrinth is Apocalypse.

Its rank is 666.

《Apocalypse 666》 ——— is its official name but, in truth, this isn't what it's called.

The name of the girl who came down with the disease was Arisu. And, the raiders who returned were as good as none. From these two points, to parody the world where one would easily be lost and find it hard to return from in the famous story of 『Alice in Wonderland』, at some point in time, the labyrinth was dubbed:

《Apocalypse Alice》 ———

In other words, my little sister is managed by this 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》 for its own interests.

"............"

I further narrow my half-opened eyes, but say nothing.

And at the same time, the bell rings.

The break is over.

Biih Biih Biih, a siren-like sound rings throughout the school.

"What a strange bell," I mutter. To which Kiri, who is a short distance away, speaks. Her expression is, for some reason, tense.

"s.h.i.+nnosuke-kun, did you properly read the handbook? This isn't the bell."

"Hn?"

"This is the sound to signal the appearance of a diseased girl."

"Wha......"

My eyes widen slightly as I look at Kiri.

The siren continues.

"This is an announcement to the students of the Girl Killing Curriculum. Please return to the cla.s.sroom ASAP. A labyrinth diseased patient has appeared in Kanagawa Prefecture. We'll begin the lesson in killing the girl."

Kiri starts running.

"Let's postpone the skipping of cla.s.ses. I'm going back to the cla.s.sroom. And, also, please really look out for me over there. Let's work hard together to kill the girl."

As Kiri is about to pa.s.s me by, she stretches out her hand to hi-five me.

——— Let's work hard together to kill the girl.

I don't return her hi-five.

"Haha, as expected, your personality is really bad."

I don't want to hear that from someone who talks about killing girls, I thought but didn't say.

I too turn around and head back to my cla.s.sroom. Just at about the same time, Honjou-sensei is about to enter the cla.s.sroom, with a thick stack of doc.u.ments in her hands.

They are probably doc.u.ments on the diseased girl in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The profile of the girl.

Her interests and hobbies.

About the labyrinth brought forth by the girl.

The results of the investigation by the researchers and scouting corps are all there.

I ask, "Sensei...... what's the name and age of the girl?"

It'll be a b.u.mmer if the diseased girl is the same age as my little sister, I think.

Sensei answers, "That kind of thing doesn't matter! Anyhow, you have to kill the girl. We only have six hours so hurry back into the cla.s.sroom!"

Dohn, she knocks on the door to the cla.s.sroom.

"Now, quickly kill the girl and save the world!"

I enter the cla.s.sroom.

Kill the girl and save the world.

I look at her with half-opened eyes,

"Hahh...... this world is really disgusting."

In a low voice, I mutter as I smirk.

Translator's Notes and References ↑ Headphone Fuzz: Always written as Intra-Cerebral Magic Activator (脳内魔導起機), and read as Headphone Fuzz (ヘッドフォンファズ). Subsequently in the rest of the volume, I will only use the reading in the translations.