Aoyama Nanami softly reminded,
"Kira-kun really is a student. We go to the same school."
Kameda Tomozō choked on his words, his expression turning irritable.
"Then what do you want?!"
Yoshikage Kira looked down at him from his taller height.
"I've only worked here for half a year, and I'm not a formal employee. Calculating N+1 compensation would be excessive. So I won't ask for much. Just 100,000 yen."
Kameda's breathing became rapid, fists clenched tight.
"You brat, you—!"
He almost lashed out physically, but when he saw the calm look in Kira's eyes, he held himself back. Reality was clear—he couldn't beat someone who had just taken down three armed robbers.
"Fine! I'll give it to you!"
Grinding his teeth, he pulled out a stack of bills. Counting carefully, he had 90,000 yen in his wallet.
Together with the 10,000 yen from earlier, that made 100,000 yen.
"Thank you."
Kira accepted the money politely, grabbed his backpack from the counter, and left without looking back.
He could have asked for more—but the manager only had 100,000 yen on him.
And Kira had other matters to attend to.
Furious with nowhere to vent, Kameda turned to Aoyama Nanami and began scolding her—
"Nanami Aoyama, look at what you've done! You—"
"Manager."
For the sake of her job, usually timid Nanami interrupted him. She raised her head, eyes firm.
"I quit."
Before he could react, she ran out of the bookstore.
She was utterly disappointed in both the store and its manager. She only wanted to find Kira and make sure he wasn't injured.
But when she stepped outside, he was already gone.
---
In a dark alley near the bookstore—
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! That little bastard!"
The three robbers, covered in dust, supported each other as they walked, cursing angrily.
"Boss," the timid one lifted the money bag. "At least we still have the money. We made a profit!"
Just a beating. The money was still theirs.
"Can you see me?"
A black, miasma-covered evil spirit hovered beside them, persistently asking.
The leader seemed comforted.
"That's true."
"For trash like you, 130,000 yen is indeed a big harvest."
A calm voice echoed.
At the end of the alley stood a tall boy. Under the dim streetlight, his shadow engulfed them.
"You!"
The three froze and drew their knives.
Kira stepped forward calmly.
"My name is Yoshikage Kira. I am 16 years old. I live in Ōta Ward, Tokyo. Unmarried."
"I worked at Kameyu Bookstore…"
He paused slightly.
"Though I've now been dismissed."
"What do you want, brat?!"
The robbers shouted.
The evil spirit continued asking, "Can you see me?"
Kira remained composed.
"I return home before 10 p.m. every day. I don't smoke. I drink only lightly. I go to bed at 11 and ensure I get eight hours of sleep. Before sleeping, I drink warm milk and do twenty minutes of stretching to relax. I sleep soundly until morning."
"When I wake up, I feel like a baby—no fatigue, no stress. Even doctors say I'm normal."
"What are you even talking about?!" the robber roared.
Kira continued calmly:
"What I mean is, I am someone who pursues a peaceful life. I don't entangle myself in victory or defeat. I avoid enemies that would keep me awake at night. That is my philosophy. That is my happiness."
"And you… are troubles that disturb my sleep. Therefore, you are my enemies."
As he spoke, a pink, cat-like humanoid figure emerged beside him.
"Killer Queen. That's what I named it."
"I will eliminate you before you cause me further trouble, so I can sleep peacefully tonight."
"Kill him!"
The robbers didn't understand a word—but they knew only one side would leave alive.
Three against one. With knives.
They believed they had the advantage.
This time, they were prepared.
They charged.
Kira pressed his right thumb.
Silently—
One robber turned into black smoke and vanished.
No sound. No explosion. No trace.
The remaining two froze in horror.
Too late.
Two more clouds of black smoke bloomed and dissipated.
The alley returned to silence.
Kira walked forward. Killer Queen picked up the fallen money bag and counted.
Exactly 130,000 yen.
Combined with the previous 100,000 yen—
230,000 yen.
It sounded like a lot.
But in Tokyo, even a bowl of ramen costs 800 yen.
It wouldn't last long.
"So…"
"I'll look for another job tomorrow."
He put the money away and looked up at the sky.
"Can you see me?"
A grotesque creature blocked his path—five meters tall, bloated like a giant catfish, dozens of arms sprouting chaotically, exuding black mist.
Boom.
He pressed his thumb again.
The creature exploded silently into mist.
Above him, the night sky glittered with stars. A deep-purple Milky Way split the heavens like a scar.
Since the Great Rift tore through the galaxy, psychic energy in this world had grown increasingly active.
Evil spirits were born from human imagination, roaming freely, seeking those who could see them.
Because people believe in evil spirits, they exist.
Gods are the same.
If this continues, the world will become a paradise for evil spirits and fall into the abyss.
Fortunately—
Most people cannot see them.
If you can't see them, you won't be hurt.
Even if you're pretending.
As long as daily life hasn't collapsed, reality still exists.
Even if it's a false reality.
Kira lowered his gaze and left the alley toward the subway.
He worked in Shinagawa.
He studied at Shuchiin Academy in Minato Ward.
He lived in Ōta Ward.
Shinagawa lay conveniently between them.
And Ōta Ward had cheaper rent.
Shuchiin Academy had built large apartment complexes there for transfer students from bombed schools—affordable and well-equipped.
But instead of heading to the nearest station, Kira chose to walk to Ebaramachi Station.
Because at that station, one could often "pick up" a wild fallen girl—
Literally fallen.
A year ago, terrorists calling themselves the "Anti-Intellectual Cult" began bombing schools across Japan.
They didn't kill people or kidnap.
They only bombed schools.
Their ideology: knowledge harms people. They wanted to free youth from the sea of knowledge.
Within a year, over a hundred schools were destroyed. They attacked on holidays, minimizing casualties—but countless students lost access to education.
Tokyo schools, led by Shuchiin Academy, accepted many displaced students.
As a result, student numbers surged.
And so did suicides.
In the past six months, over 2,000 suicides occurred in Tokyo alone.
Six hundred were train-track suicides.
Most were students.
They jumped just as trains arrived, leaving no time for rescue.
Kira's target—
These girls who attempted to jump.
Not to save them.
But because before they died, perhaps they could make some final contribution.
It was the only legal way he could obtain their hands.
Ebaramachi Station was one such "suicide hotspot."
Every night, he passed through—
To see if he might find a "fallen" girl.
--