The next day, in the Black Bullet world, Tokyo Area, within the Tendō Civil Security Corporation office.
Gulp!
A girl with hip-length black hair, meticulously groomed to hang smoothly down her back, stood primly in front of her desk. Her skin was incredibly fair, her face pretty.
Normally, she had a strong presence among her peers. But in front of the person before her, she fidgeted like a young girl, seemingly pondering how to greet him.
Should she say "Amen"? Kneel on one knee? Or simply prostrate herself to show the reverence in her heart?
Only at this moment did the girl's previously icy gaze switch to an expression befitting the JK uniform she had carefully chosen—anxious and a little conflicted, like a young girl with her first crush.
"L-L-L-Lord Su Mo! I didn't expect y-you to come so soon... Did you rest well last night? Ah, no! I mean, I'm deeply honored to have an audience with you in person!"
Feeling the atmosphere was too stiff, Tendō Kisara took the initiative to speak, her words so jumbled she couldn't believe they came from her own mouth.
Seeing her flustered performance, the members of the chat group were amused.
Rin Tohsaka: "That's a rather pointed question. If you want to know how he's feeling, you'd be better off asking Kanae, who still isn't out of bed."
Jibril: "Actively hinting at that sort of thing... Newcomer, are you planning to get a head start too?"
Compared to the newcomer's nervousness, they were clearly more interested in other things. For instance, the fact that they hadn't managed to seize the opportunity themselves.
March 7th: "Huh? What are you all talking about? What does Kanae not being out of bed have to do with Lord Su Mo?"
March 7th: "You guys have been acting weird since yesterday!"
Madoka Kaname: "...Big Sis March 7th is a lost cause."
Rin Tohsaka: "If even Madoka says you're a lost cause, you're really a lost cause."
Jibril: "+1."
Reading the group's teasing and remembering what had happened after their talk yesterday, a blush crept onto Tendō Kisara's pale cheeks. She was solely focused on revenge and had no romantic experience; this topic was still too much for her.
However, after chatting with the others yesterday, she had become more familiar with the chat group's atmosphere and knew that these powerful figures were quite easygoing in the chat. Seeing their suspicion and teasing, she couldn't help but respond.
Tendō Kisara: "I-I-I'm not trying to get a head start! Don't mind a small-fry like me, esteemed members."
Tendō Kisara: "I just don't know how to face Lord Su Mo. After all, unlike Miss Kanae, I can't put on a grand reception."
As she spoke, she glanced at her own shabby rented office and the dilapidated scenery outside, her face falling.
Tendō Kisara: "The company's been in the red recently, and I can barely afford to eat. I didn't expect Lord Su Mo to arrive so suddenly, so I had no time to prepare."
While speaking, she peeked at Su Mo. Having witnessed his world-altering power, she normally wouldn't have the courage to speak to him directly. But now, with the chat group as a buffer, some things were much easier to say.
Furthermore, Su Mo's attitude was far better than she could have hoped for.
"No need for formalities. Treat me as you would a normal person," Su Mo said with a wave of his hand, unconcerned with such things. "Kanae was worried about the safety of her world, which is why she was so serious. You are different. You only need to fulfill your duty as a guide."
"Yes, sir!"
Tendō Kisara let out a small sigh of relief, but her nerves remained taut.
It was a good thing that Lord Su Mo was easy to talk to, but what did he mean by "treat me as you would a normal person"? Did she have the guts for that?
With this in mind, she thought for a moment and said, "Lord Su Mo, would you like me to introduce this world to you?"
Since Su Mo's request was for her to act as a guide, a more detailed background introduction was naturally her responsibility.
"No need."
Su Mo shook his head, his dark pupils reflecting the entire world like a clear mirror. The moment he had descended, he already knew many secrets that even Tendō Kisara was unaware of. His grasp of cosmic truth allowed him to even glimpse a corner of this world's original ending.
Therefore, a more detailed background introduction was meaningless to him.
"Just take me to see the Cursed Children of this city," he requested, looking in a certain direction. "Humanity's final hope... the cause of world destruction... They are the key to deciding this world's fate."
"Yes, sir!"
Tendō Kisara naturally wouldn't refuse Su Mo's command.
Hearing Su Mo's words, the members of the chat group grew curious.
Rin Tohsaka: "The Cursed Children? Kisara, I think you mentioned them yesterday, right?"
Shiroyasha: "I remember. That term refers to lolis who were infected with the Gastrea virus in the womb. These lolis gain animal-like abilities from the virus, but they also risk being consumed by it and turning into monsters."
Rin Tohsaka: "I remember now!" The twin-tailed girl tapped her head, then looked confused. "Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask since yesterday. What's with the name 'Cursed Children'?"
Shiroyasha: "I was wondering the same thing. It sounds like the result of stigmatization, doesn't it?"
Shiroyasha: "Didn't the newcomer say that although the Cursed Children have a risk of losing control, they are also the only individuals who can fuse with the Gastrea virus and exert extraordinary combat power, easily fighting Gastrea even at a young age?"
Shiroyasha: "If so, their social status should be quite high, right? At the very least, they shouldn't be called 'Cursed Children'!"
Both of them had questions about the newcomer's world.
In response, Tendō Kisara answered while leading Su Mo.
Tendō Kisara: "The situation is rather complicated. In short, many people harbor hatred for the Cursed Children, feeling that they are more like Gastrea than humans."
Hearing this, the well-versed Shiroyasha, who had a good understanding of human nature, wasn't particularly surprised.
Shiroyasha: "Those who are not of our race must have a different heart? After all, they carry Gastrea genes and risk losing control. It's normal for them to be ostracized."
Rin Tohsaka: "Even so, that's not right!"
Rin Tohsaka: "There are plenty of settings where the enemy and ally share the same origin. Even if they're ostracized for it, they should at least have a status similar to Kamen Riders or Valkyries, right? Why does even the government use the term 'Cursed Children'?" she pointed out the inconsistency.
No matter how blind the public's anger was, no matter how great the risk the Cursed Children posed, as long as they were essential for humanity's survival, the government couldn't possibly use such an extremely derogatory term. That would be too unprofessional. Who would risk their lives for an organization that denied their very existence?
Shiroyasha: "Oh, right! I almost forgot, that's the official term!"
Reminded by Rin, Shiroyasha also realized this.
Shiroyasha: "Huh? Then what's going on? Does the government have a force that can replace the Cursed Children? Or are these children unwilling to serve the government, which has deepened the conflict between them?"
In the blink of an eye, she thought of several possibilities. For the government to use such a derogatory term so recklessly, either the Cursed Children had no value in protecting human civilization, or they were uncooperative. Other possibilities were slim.
After all, rationally speaking, one couldn't just assume the public and the government were all insane, right? Who would curse and verbally abuse the very people protecting them?
However, in the face of Shiroyasha's experienced speculation, Tendō Kisara's answer was surprisingly simple.
Tendō Kisara: "No, it's neither of those."
Shiroyasha: "Then what is it?"
Tendō Kisara: "Compared to the mechanization project, which has already been halted due to cost issues, using the Cursed Children to maintain public order is the most economical, safest, and practically the only choice now."
Tendō Kisara: "In summary, we have both maintained absolute discrimination against the Cursed Children and have been mobilizing them to risk their lives for society."
Her words silenced the entire chat group.
Rin Tohsaka: "?"
Shiroyasha: "?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Outrageous. Truly outrageous!"
The newcomer, despite being from a low-level world, had managed to open the eyes of everyone in the chat group.
Shiroyasha: "Are you all insane?"
Shiroyasha: "If the Cursed Children are your society's greatest force for maintaining order and the heroes who preserve human civilization... even from a purely pragmatic standpoint, there's no reason to completely deny them, right?"
Who would turn on their own main army? Isn't that self-mutilation?
Shiroyasha: "By doing this, isn't your government afraid that the Cursed Children will rebel?" she asked, shocked and confused.
By enraging a group whose average combat power far exceeded that of humans, weren't they afraid of the consequences?
To this, Tendō Kisara sighed and shook her head slightly.
Tendō Kisara: "No, they won't rebel."
Shiroyasha: "Why are you so certain?" Shiroyasha was still puzzled. How could a group with superior combat power not rebel under such oppression?
Faced with this question, Tendō Kisara fell silent for a moment. Just as she was about to answer, someone in the group already realized the reason.
Erica Blandelli: "Lord Shiroyasha, have you forgotten? These Cursed Children are infected in the womb. Therefore, the oldest among them is no more than nine years old. They are still just children."
Children under the age of nine, indoctrinated from birth with the idea that they are sinners.
Growing up in such an environment, they would only believe that the discrimination they faced was deserved. How could they possibly rebel?
March 7th: "Children... no older than nine?" The pink-haired girl covered her mouth, a look of horror on her face.
So, in the newcomer's world, they not only made children under ten risk their lives to protect adults, but they also discriminated against them in every way?
Even in the Star Rail world, there was nothing so monstrous... well, there were similar things, like the Glamoth Iron Cavalry who fought against the Swarm.
But at most, the Iron Cavalry were brainwashed and forced to sacrifice their lives; it never reached the point where they had to both die and be cursed for it.
Shiroyasha: "No, even if your government is braindead and actually did that! Don't your citizens oppose this kind of behavior?"
Forget the rulers ignoring their own interests; the common people should at least have some empathy, right? What normal adult would stand by and let a child protect them, only to spit on that child afterward?
Faced with Shiroyasha's perfectly normal question, Tendō Kisara shook her head with a hint of nostalgia.
Apart from her deceased parents, it had been a long time since she had seen such a normal reaction, so long that she had almost started to think she was the abnormal one.
Then, she glanced indifferently at the seemingly ordinary citizens on the street and said, "Unfortunately, no."
Tendō Kisara: "In fact, the public's malice towards the Cursed Children is even deeper than the government's. The government, considering their combat value, won't take too many extreme actions. But the public often retaliates against stray Cursed Children."
Tendō Kisara: "Protected by the Cursed Children, they don't have to face the Gastrea themselves, so they simply direct their hatred for the Gastrea onto these children... In reality, cases of ordinary people torturing or killing Cursed Children are innumerable."
Because they were too well-protected, they vented their hatred on their protectors.
Rin Tohsaka: "..."
March 7th: "..."
Jibril: "..."
This time, even the word "outrageous" couldn't express their shock. Everyone fell silent. Even Jibril, who was the most indifferent to life and had the least interest in the weak, couldn't help but ask a question.
Jibril: "Is a world like this... really worth saving?"
Even she was disgusted.