Taira Danjo's Summons

I had returned to Japan from the United States a few days earlier than originally planned, so my vacation wasn't quite over yet. I still had several days of free time before I needed to return to work.

I decided to invest that free time into preparing for the future. After all, the world was only going to grow more chaotic from here on out.

Ever since the Dignity Health Sports Park massacre caused by Famine, the world had been buzzing with talk of superhumans. It was such a massive incident that not only America, but the entire globe was in an uproar.

That was only natural. The superhuman who had appeared this time wasn't one of those minor abilities people usually imagined—like levitating objects or bending spoons. This was a literal monster capable of killing twenty-six thousand people. Most of the public was terrified. Some people had even fallen into full-blown panic at the thought that Famine might appear at any moment and slaughter them and their families.

A small portion of people refused to believe the incident was real, calling it a hoax or conspiracy theory. Another small group had begun to worship superhumans. The main objects of that worship were Aitana, who had stepped forward first to stop Famine, and me—the one they called Black Knight. A few worshipped Famine as well, but they were an extreme minority.

Since only three superhumans had been publicly revealed so far, it was inevitable that all eyes would be focused on those three.

However, Famine had vanished as a wanted criminal, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had kept my identity hidden behind my armor. Only Aitana's identity was known. Thanks to the American government's propaganda campaign, she had been appointed as the commander of their superhuman unit and turned into their public face. As a result, she had become the most famous and popular superhuman in the world right now.

Regardless of Aitana's popularity, the sheer scale of the shock had led people to demand the creation of a Superhuman Registration and Enhanced Punishment Act—one that would require superhumans to register their information and impose heavier penalties if they committed crimes.

"So this is how it all begins?"

In Megacorp's Youngest Son, it had been presented simply: a superhuman terrorist attack occurs in America, and Congress tries to pass a superhuman bill.

Players who received that information could choose the protagonist's stance. Since most players had already acquired at least one trait that could be called a superpower by that point, the majority chose to oppose the bill's passage.

Once that information spread, superhumans operating in the shadows issued statements claiming that passing such a bill would only lead to assassinations of lawmakers or superhumans fleeing to other countries, which would be bad for Korea. Similar events unfolded around the world, marking the beginning of global chaos.

Even players who had already picked a side had multiple options. They could secretly support terrorist groups in passive ways, or they could take a more active role—personally assassinating politicians who suppressed superhumans or carrying out terrorist acts themselves.

In the end, the superhuman bill would fail, and afterward both nations and corporations would begin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a fierce competition to recruit superhumans. Since there were countless different abilities in the world, even excluding purely military applications, there were plenty of ways to reap enormous benefits if handled well. That was what sparked the scouting wars.

Incidentally, even if a player chose not to select a trait they could call a superpower and instead supported the bill that was disadvantageous to superhumans, the future would still unfold the same way.

Even if the player didn't commit terrorism or assassinations, other superhumans would. The only difference was that the player would be labeled a superhuman discriminator and become unable to recruit any superhumans. In short, it was a choice that offered no benefits and only raised the difficulty on its own.

When I looked into what would happen in Japan, I found that a bill disadvantageous to superhumans was being prepared here as well.

"I suppose I should sponsor some superhumans myself."

There were a few Japanese superhuman terrorist groups that came to mind. If I supported them even a little, they would probably handle things well on their own. Without me having to dirty my own hands.

There were many people I needed to talk to about this incident. I had to consult with Han Yuhyeon back in Korea, and I also needed to speak with the people from Seryu Military Company—who, along with East Weapon, represented my greatest military assets.

I couldn't head to Korea right away, but Han Yuhyeon was scheduled to come to Tokyo soon for work related to her collaboration with the dark merchants. So for now, I decided to head to the training grounds where the Seryu Military Company members were training the children I had rescued.

The training grounds were located in Okutama-machi, the westernmost town in Tokyo Prefecture.

Although it was technically part of Tokyo, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Okutama-machi had the largest administrative area and the second-lowest population—in other words, it was the countryside. Mount Kumotori, Tokyo's tallest mountain, was located there, and the surrounding area was full of mountains. It was a popular spot for PMC training grounds near Tokyo.

Since Seryu Military Company had a small number of personnel and no training facility of their own, they were currently borrowing East Weapon's training grounds.

I followed the navigation system along a rough road that was just barely paved enough for cars and drove up the mountainside. Soon, buildings that were clearly part of a training facility came into view.

There was a large, crude two-story rectangular concrete building that completely ignored aesthetics, along with several container structures and what appeared to be an ammunition depot with a guard post in front.

I parked in the lot on one side and got out of the car. The children who had been training were coming down from the mountain and heading into the main building. They must have rolled around quite a bit; their digital camouflage uniforms were covered in dirt, their faces were streaked with dust, and they were carrying heavy-looking military packs on their backs.

The person leading them was Sawayanagi Tobe. When he saw me, he looked somewhat surprised.

"Ryuta-kun...! I hadn't heard you were coming..."

"I contacted Azuma yesterday. I guess you didn't hear about it."

"Ah, we were on a three-day, two-night field training exercise. That must be why."

His speech patterns were as peculiar as ever. Sawayanagi Tobe usually came across as a refined and dignified man, but in battle, he transformed into a fierce warrior with a savage expression.

A three-day, two-night field exercise? They must have suffered quite a bit in this weather. There were probably tons of mosquitoes too.

"What's on the schedule after today's training?"

"Since everyone worked hard for three days and two nights, today is set aside for maintenance and rest."

Maintenance before rest, huh? Maintenance was a hassle in its own right, but since I wasn't the one doing it, I didn't particularly care.

"Then how about we have a dinner party for the entire Seryu-tai tonight? My treat."

"If the president allows it..."

Sawayanagi Tobe nodded at my suggestion, and the trainees must have overheard because they let out a loud cheer. At that moment, someone came dashing out from among the trainees and stopped in front of me. It was Aleksandra Smirnova. Had she grown a bit since I last saw her? Her previously skinny frame had filled out slightly, and her chest seemed even more developed than before.

Was she finally growing now that she had proper nutrition? Or was it because of her trait? It was fascinating.

"Ryuta..."

"How was training, Aleksandra?"

"Call Alik. Call me Alik."

Aleksandra Smirnova—Alik—looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if being called by that nickname was some incredible reward. She insisted on the pet name. Well, she calls me Ryuta, so calling her Alik is only fair...

"Alright, Alik. How was training?"

"Alik thought training was easy. Before, Alik used to just sleep in fields or alleys."

She was probably referring to her days wandering around before being captured by the slave traders. From Alik's perspective, even sleeping in a tent must have felt like a huge improvement.

"And Alik got praised for catching bugs with zap-zap."

Using the infamous mid-boss Aleksandra as an electric bug zapper... I was a little dumbfounded, but I praised her anyway and patted her head.

"Is there a conference room ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠here?"

"Yes..."

Sawayanagi Tobe nodded at my question. Come to think of it, all the children from Krasnaya that I had brought were superhumans too. They had the right to hear this information.

"Since this concerns superhumans, please wash up and gather in the conference room. That includes the new kids."

"Understood, Ryuta-kun. Then..."

Sawayanagi Tobe led the trainees into the dormitory building. Alik seemed reluctant to leave; she grabbed onto my pants and fidgeted until she heard Sawayanagi Tobe's sharp shout. Then she quickly ran off and rejoined the group.

Following the directions Azuma had given me earlier, I entered the building and headed to the second-floor training officers' room. Inside, Sawayanagi Azuma and Seryu-tai's operator, Lianna Holden, were working on something at their computers.

"Investor-nim~!"

"Oh, handsome guy! Hello!"

Both of them greeted me warmly. I returned their greetings and looked around, but there was no one else in the training officers' room.

"Where is everyone else?"

"They're out on missions. We take turns teaching the trainees in our respective fields, so the rest have to go earn money!"

I see. It was a different system from the military training camps I knew from before my possession. Since there were only five new trainees, it made sense that not every member of Seryu-tai needed to be stuck at the training grounds.

Still, it was a bit awkward. I had wanted to hold a meeting with everyone in Seryu Military Company to discuss our future plans. With only three people left if we excluded the trainees... Well, there was nothing I could do about it. Since I was already here, I might as well talk with whoever was available.

"You've heard about the incident that happened in America, right?"

"Yes. Twenty-six thousand people dead... The future looks worrying."

"Famine? I hate him!"

Both Sawayanagi Azuma and Lianna Holden looked grim. Since they were both superhumans themselves, they seemed deeply concerned about what kind of oppression they might face because of this event.

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