Chapter 184: The Fuyuki Script
The lights of the training room hummed, casting a sterile white glow over the padded floor. The session had just ended. You stood in the center, breathing evenly, your new body still an unfamiliar tool you were learning to operate.
Opposite you, Firefly wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. She deactivated the combat simulation, her expression a complex mix of annoyance and grudging respect. "You learn... fast," she admitted, her voice tight. "Your body still remembers how to fight, even if your head doesn't."
"Muscle memory, I suppose," you replied, flexing your fingers. The combat instincts were there, carved deep, a violent ghost in a new machine.
"Hmph." She tossed a towel at you, hitting you square in the face. "Don't get cocky, newcomer. You're still just a peeping—"
"Orion, Firefly. Report to the briefing room. Now."
Kafka's voice, lazy and magnetic, suddenly filled the air via the intercom, cutting Firefly's insult short.
Firefly's entire demeanor snapped to attention. The disgruntled teenager vanished, replaced by the focused Stellaron Hunter. "Right. Let's go."
The briefing room was dark, illuminated only by a vast, slowly rotating holographic map of the galaxy. Kafka was lounging elegantly in the command chair, one leg crossed over the other, sipping something dark from a delicate cup.
"You called," you stated, stopping a respectful distance away.
"I have a mission for you," she said, not bothering to turn around. Her wine-red eyes watched the holographic stars.
"A mission?" Firefly's eyes lit up, her earlier annoyance forgotten and replaced by professional eagerness. "Finally, some action!"
"Hmm, a little something to foster the relationship between our newcomers," Kafka glanced over her shoulder, a slight, knowing smile playing on her lips. Her gaze flickered between you and Firefly. "I've decided to partner the two of you for a beginner-friendly mission."
The eagerness on Firefly's face vanished, replaced by open horror. "What?!" she jumped. "Why do I have to go with him!"
"Oh?" Kafka's smile widened. "Do you have an issue with him?"
"He... No, not at all..." Firefly visibly deflated under Kafka's amused gaze, sputtering into silence.
You decided to steer the conversation back to the objective. "May I ask, what exactly is the mission?"
Kafka turned her chair to face you fully. "To acquire a Stellaron," she said casually, as if discussing the weather.
You paused, your rebuilt mind sifting through the sparse data Kafka had provided. "Stellaron... the 'Cancer of All Worlds'." You looked at her, processing the organization's name for the first time. "Wait, we're Stellaron Hunters, right? So, our goal is... literally, to acquire Stellarons?"
Firefly shot you a look usually reserved for a particularly dense rock. "You just figured that out? Were you dropped on your head? Oh, wait..." She clamped her mouth shut, realizing her words hit a little too close to the truth of your "head-only" arrival.
"He's new, Firefly. It's normal for him not to know," Kafka interjected smoothly, her voice soothing. She turned her full attention to you, her gaze both instructive and alluring.
"You're right. As the name suggests, we are a group who hunt Stellarons."
[Inorin's Note: Stellarons, known as the "Cancer of All Worlds," are cosmic entities that appear on planets, causing massive disasters by distorting reality and physical laws according to the planet's underlying desires.]
"But we're not mindless collectors," Kafka continued, her fingers steepled. "We follow a script, one written by Elio. We don't just hunt them; we hunt the right ones at the right time. Our methods... are merely tools to ensure the script plays out as he has foreseen. Don't think too much about that for now."
The holographic map behind her dissolved, replaced by the image of a beautiful, swirling blue planet.
"Look, what a beautiful planet," Kafka's voice sounded beside you. "This is our next stage. A primitive, self-contained world. The locals call it 'Earth'."
You stared at the vibrant blue, white, and green. It looked... peaceful. A stark contrast to the sterile corridors of the ship and the blood-red haze of your fragmented nightmares.
Kafka zoomed the image, focusing on a small archipelago. "According to Elio's script, the Stellaron we're looking for is currently lurking on this planet. It's incubating, disguised, hiding in a coastal city in this region: 'Fuyuki City'."
She continued, "The Stellaron has parasitized a local energy source, a powerful wishing device known to the mages there as the 'Holy Grail'."
"The Holy Grail?" Firefly leaned closer, her curiosity piqued. "The legendary item that can grant any wish?"
"Yes, but this one is a fake, a vessel corrupted and parasitized by the Stellaron," Kafka replied. "It's a clever parasite. It hasn't fully manifested its power because it requires a specific, bloody ritual to descend. A ritual the locals call the 'Holy Grail War'."
[Inorin's Note: The Holy Grail War is a ritual where seven mages (Masters) summon seven Heroic Spirits (Servants) to fight in a battle royale. The last pair standing wins the Holy Grail, which is said to grant any wish.]
"Our mission," Kafka's voice became sharp, "is to intervene in this war. We don't care who wins or loses. We wait for the ritual to reach its climax, for the Stellaron to fully manifest. And then..." She made a delicate, snatching motion with her fingers. "...we recover the Stellaron and leave."
"So, how do we intervene? Find a Master and take their place?" Firefly asked, already slipping into combat mode.
"No. The script requires subtlety. The war hasn't begun. We must infiltrate and wait for the trigger." Kafka swiped the console, and two images appeared on the screen—your face, and Firefly's. Below them were student identification cards for a place called "Homurahara Academy."
"Before that... you need to infiltrate the local academy first and wait."
Firefly stared at the picture of herself in a school uniform, her face paling in horror. "Wait... School? Like, with desks, and books, and... teenagers? You can't be serious."
"It seems interesting," you mused. A "normal" life, even as a cover, felt like a bizarre, alien concept.
Kafka stood up and walked over, gently patting your face. The touch was cool, her glove brushing your skin. "If you complete the mission, there'll be a reward."
"What reward?" you asked, your voice steady.
"It's a secret." She winked, a gesture that felt both playful and deeply dangerous. She then turned and walked towards the door. "The script has been sent to your terminals. Prepare well."
The door hissed shut, leaving only you and Firefly in the dim light of the briefing room. A heavy silence filled the air.
Finally, Firefly let out a long, suffering groan. "Great. Just great. Stuck babysitting the new guy on a stealth mission in a... school."
She turned to you, her professional demeanor returning, though her expression was still deeply annoyed. "Orion," she said, her voice suddenly serious. "Stellarons are really dangerous. This isn't a training exercise. When the time comes, you stick close to me. Don't do anything stupid, and don't get in my way. Understand?"
It was the first time she had spoken to you without a trace of her "peeping tom" grudge, her voice holding only the genuine concern of a senior partner.
"Understood," you nodded.
"Good then," she stood up, reverting to her usual tsundere self, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Let's go check the stupid script."
Watching her brisk departure, a faint warmth surged in your amnesiac heart. Although she was always fierce towards you, she was actually... quite caring.
This mission was going to be very interesting indeed.