Knock Knock, Is the Landlord Home?
A boy emerged from a house far too grand for living alone. He smiled toward a gravestone in one corner of the yard and said,
"I'm off."
No one was around to hear, making it a bit embarrassing, but it was a habit he'd kept up for years now. With so many souls to greet—grandfather, father, mother—he skipped the usual farewells. Kenichi stood in silent prayer with a faint smile for a while, then hopped on his bike and pedaled off.
Screech, screech. The piercing winter chill had eased, replaced by a crisp spring breeze in the morning air. Was it the gentle wind, or his body swaying with each pedal? Either way, the cross necklace around his neck jingled softly.
The perfect temperature, the breeze on his face, the strain in his muscles—it all felt just right. Even the swaying necklace added a rhythmic bounce that lifted his spirits. He hadn't ridden much lately, but now he thought he might keep it up for a while. Of course, he might change his mind tomorrow, but for the moment, that's how it felt.
"Ahh, this is nice."
His mind had been a whirlwind since morning, so this little escape was exactly what he needed. No wonder it felt so good.
Kenichi blankly faced the headwind as he recalled last night's events.
His former friend—or sworn enemy, or perhaps the true mastermind behind the world's darkness—Ichimaru Shiki had spoken with his usual sly grin.
"As I mentioned earlier, humanity is currently facing an apocalyptic crisis. We're all racing toward the end for our own reasons, and Japan will meet its doom with the unsealing of Tokyo's spirit vein."
Seeing monsters was one thing. Summoning a peculiar sword from a necklace was another. Producing mystical results through magic and shamanism was yet more. But this was on a whole other level of absurdity—yet no one in the room could refute it.
Not after Shiki had personally torn open the night sky to reveal a blood-red moon.
Even Eris, who had dismissed it as nonsense, listened with a slack-jawed expression. It was unlikely to be a mere illusion. Kenichi, notoriously insensitive to magic, had felt an ominous chill clearly enough—and with their heightened sensitivity, the other two certainly had too.
He'd suspected as much before, but seeing the grim looks on their faces drove it home for Kenichi.
"Japan's eastern region, particularly the core in Tokyo, rests on three pillars: Reizan, home to the Fire Shrine; the spirit vein where the spiritual energy of the eastern lands converges; and the dragon vein that suppresses all evils. These three."
This is really happening, he realized.
"Reizan, where gods once dwelt, is a natural fortress. The dragon vein is similarly untouchable, as it houses an existence beyond reach. But the spirit vein, guarded by humans for ages, is different. It needed resealing every few decades or centuries—and last week, it was utterly shattered."
If the red moon was real, then so was this.
"That's why I need your help rebuilding Tokyo's seals. Not for me, mind you, but for another classmate here. Isn't that right, Kenichi? ...Or would it be better to say it like this?"
Ichimaru Shiki grinned wickedly.
"Are you prepared, Hero of Tokyo?"
What a ridiculous title and tone. The other two whipped around in shock, and the heavy atmosphere left everyone at a loss—that was last night.
...And back to the present.
His feelings about the situation hadn't changed much. Kenichi pedaled harder into the wind and muttered,
"Hero my ass."
The day his Demon Sword awakened, he'd gotten cocky and run wild without knowing his place. But the past few days had taught him humility, whether he liked it or not.
'Haha, this Kenichi might actually be useful?'
He'd learned this world teemed with horrors beyond imagination. Unfortunately, there was no time to wallow in despair. The monster in question had pulled him aside before heading home last night.
"Kenichi, think of it this way: Japan's fate—nay, the world's—rests in your hands. If that's too grand, just imagine your precious loved ones dying."
Not exactly motivating. More like a threat. But it steeled his resolve, at least.
Screech. After vigorous pedaling, Kenichi arrived at school. He locked his bike behind the teacher parking area and headed to Class 1-A.
He thought he'd come early, but the diligent ones always beat him there. Like his hardworking childhood friend, for instance.
"Kenichi!"
His childhood friend Ichinose Hotaru, already in the classroom, greeted him with a bright smile utterly unlike that damn narrow-eyed creep's.
Kitagawa Kenichi froze at the classroom door, staring at her. Seeing him linger without entering, just gazing at her, Hotaru tilted her head.
"Huh? What's up? You okay? Feeling sick?"
Apocalypse? Hero's destiny? Inherited bloodline? So much didn't make sense. But one thing was crystal clear: he wanted to protect this oblivious girl.
Yes, this last remaining bond in his life—he'd protect it no matter what.
With his usual embarrassing thoughts, Kenichi stepped inside.
"Nah, it's nothing."
He smiled and took the seat beside his childhood friend, hoping desperately that he could keep doing this without incident.
How much time passed as they prepared for roll call? By the time Kenichi noticed something off, someone else had too—and come looking.
"I can't wrap my head around it, so I came..."
Eris Betelgeuse approached, eyes shadowed from a sleepless night of worry.
Less to see the newly revealed "hero" Kenichi, more to confront the sinister Shiki in the seat behind him.
She scowled and muttered,
"Why the hell isn't this guy here?"
But the man himself was absent. The bomb-dropper from last night had vanished like a con artist on the run.
Kenichi glanced back uncomfortably at the empty seat.
...What if it was all a lie?
He prayed fervently. Even if it was bullshit, he wouldn't hold a grudge—just let everything stay normal.
Unlike a typical delinquent truant, he hoped this guy really was a fraud.
So why isn't he here?
Kenichi didn't know either, so he checked Shiki's desk mate. Sawamura Cento, class rep of Class 1-A. As eyes gathered on her, she replied calmly,
"Sick leave."
"...What?"
"Came in earliest today, then left early saying he felt ill."
"..."
As Kitagawa Kenichi slowly processed the nonsense, Eris Betelgeuse twisted her doll-like face in fury and growled,
"What a load of crap."
Kenichi wanted to agree—afraid Shiki might overhear somewhere—but he nodded vigorously anyway. He couldn't picture that lunatic shivering with a cold. Not in a million years.
At the same time, in the mountains of Shizuoka Prefecture.
"Phew, it's been ages since I hiked—quite tiring."
I wiped my clear brow and muttered.
A short distance from Tokyo lies the mid-sized city of Shizuoka to the southwest. No famous specialties or booming commerce, but it profoundly influences Tokyo.
Shizuoka Prefecture hosts part of Japan's premier peak, Mt. Fuji. And the domain of the dragon vein's master.
Dressed in hiking gear like any other trekker—school uniform would draw eyes—I swung my trekking pole up the slope.
Early for the episode's timeline, but arriving ahead couldn't hurt.
"Whoops, hand slipped!"
Touching the barrier's stone and slipping inside? Pure accident, of course. Despite precise footwork.
I'd acted convincingly, so the owner would buy it. I stepped deeper into the cave.
The barrier's interior had looked ordinary at first, but it gradually shimmered emerald as I advanced. The high mana of the domain's master had warped the terrain itself.
"Knock knock, is the landlord home?"
I called out like an accidental wanderer. The cave's master abruptly rose, its massive body shaking the earth.
Rumble...!
So enormous that merely standing caused an earthquake. Soon, emerald scales filled my vision, and a reptilian vertical pupil fixed on me intently.
─Are you begging to die with that insolence, whelp?
The dragon vein's master—the dragon—greeted me.