Chapter 4

Disruption・Harassment・Chaos

“A phantom thief?” [En]

Saver’s Headquarters, Akebono.

During lunchtime, Akatsuki En, who was quietly chewing on a hot dog by himself in the cafeteria, received a rather peculiar and hard-to-respond-to bit of news.

The source of this news was "Kazaoka Tsubasa," who sat across from En without permission, crossing his long legs and giving a cocky smile.

“Has Lupin the Third appeared or something?” [En]

“Who knows? Maybe it’s Kid the Phantom Thief?” [Tsubasa]

Although their words are light-hearted and joking, their eyes aren’t smiling.

The Savers act as an enforcement unit for supernatural crime. If someone was causing harm to the public, this wasn’t something they could brush off as mere entertainment.

The phantom thief rumored around town—Tsubasa, with a knowing smirk, seemed to have already gathered the details about this case.

“Do you know something about this phantom thief?” [En]

“Apparently, they don’t steal gold or jewels, but ‘supernatural abilities.’ No one knows their range of activity yet, but it won’t be long before they make themselves known across the country. After all, this person has been able to steal abilities from fighters and mafia members alike without any trouble.” [Tsubasa]

“! They steal abilities…?” [En]

A phantom thief that steals supernatural abilities. It’s certainly an intriguing topic.

Kazaoka Tsubasa, who had unique connections with the police, occasionally brought such interesting cases to En. These cases often ended up becoming official Saver missions later on, so even though En was in the middle of his meal, he listened seriously.

Perhaps encouraged by En’s attention, Tsubasa continued discussing the “Supernatural Ability Phantom Thief.”

“All the victims were highly trained individuals with rare abilities. If someone could easily steal abilities from those kinds of people, they must be incredibly skilled.” [Tsubasa]

“...Could it be remnants of PSYence?” [En]

“I can’t rule out the possibility, but if it were them, the approach is a bit too soft. The victims were all unharmed and in perfect health, with no signs of anything other than their abilities being stolen.” [Tsubasa]

“I see…” [En]

It is hard to believe that someone with the strength to steal abilities from mafia members and arena fighters is operating in this town. En’s first suspicion was that it might be related to PSYence, an organization with whom Savers had a long-standing enmity.

PSYence conducted ruthless research on supernatural abilities, often using inhumane methods to create artificially enhanced ability users, like Mea, a Fairy Child.

While the boss was arrested and the remaining members were rounded up six months ago, there was always the possibility that some remnants still remained.

However, if Tsubasa’s information is accurate, the likelihood seems slim. If the phantom thief was part of PSYence, they would have likely abducted the victims and sent them off to a lab for experimentation. En’s deep distrust of the organization comes from bitter experience.

Sipping a can of coffee, En grimaced as the memories left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Thankfully, the victims reportedly regained their abilities after a few days. It’s unclear whether the thief kindly returned them or if it was due to the victims’ natural recovery, but doctors are investigating. If it’s the latter, the threat level might be lower than we thought.” [Tsubasa]

“No, it’s still a threat. Even if someone is born with that kind of ability, stealing others' abilities without permission is still a crime.” [En]

“Haha, can’t argue with that.” [Tsubasa]

The missions assigned to Savers, especially to elite units like En’s, are typically high-priority cases with significant threat levels, such as terrorist operations or rescue missions. Recently, they had been tied up dealing with the Holy Beast Rampage incidents, so having a peaceful lunch break like this is a rare luxury. Even En’s childhood friend, Mitsui Akari, often send him concerned messages like, “Are you getting enough rest?” and “At this rate, you’re going to fail your classes!”

After all, En is still only 17, a high school student whose primary responsibility should be his studies. But being in a public service role with the Savers, it’s no surprise that people are worried about whether he could keep it up.

As he sighs and thinks about how he hadn’t made it to school today either, Tsubasa gives him a teasing grin.

“You were thinking about Akari-chan just now, weren’t you?” [Tsubasa]

“...Not really.” [En]

“Your eyes are darting all over. Well, you do have a workaholic streak, don’t you? If you'd just ask the commander to let you focus on your studies, he’d probably cut you some slack.” [Tsubasa]

“I’m only here because I think I’m needed. Failing a grade isn’t a big deal compared to the peace of the town.” [En]

“Yeah, yeah, if you say so.” [Tsubasa]

Being alone in the world, En even works to cover his own school fees. He can confidently say that failing a grade only hurts himself. Tsubasa scratched his head in exasperation at En’s unyielding sense of duty.

“You really are dense for someone in their teens…” [Tsubasa]

“Stop talking about Akari. Let’s focus on the supernatural ability thief.” [En]

“Let’s call them ‘phantom thief,’ at least. Calling them just a ‘thief’ makes them sound small-time.” [Tsubasa]

“That’s true.” [En]

When the topic shifted to his childhood friend, En felt uncomfortable and quickly steered the conversation back to the phantom thief.

The one who brought up this topic was Kazaoka Tsubasa, a 19-year-old Saver with top-class information-gathering abilities. Since he chose to bring it up during lunch, En doesn’t think it’s just idle chit-chat.

“What’s your take on this phantom thief?” [En]

With a cynical smile on his handsome face, Tsubasa replied, “Normally, this would be a police matter, but I think it’ll come our way soon enough.”

“What’s your reasoning?” [En]

“I’ve got my reasons. I’m actually looking forward to it.” [Tsubasa]

Tsubasa shrugged, as if saying “what a pain,” but there’s a hint of amusement in his expression.

He can’t seem to contain his excitement at the thought of facing off against a seemingly fictional figure like a phantom thief.

En, however, reacts with cool indifference.

While not as severe as the criminals they usually deal with, the phantom thief is still committing crimes by using supernatural abilities to harm others. En can’t understand the thrill of facing a criminal as if it were entertainment.

He tilts his head seriously.

“I doubt HQ will prioritize this over the Holy Beast Rampage incidents… But you still think it’ll come to us?” [En]

While En personally believes that any incident involving people in need should be addressed, there’s only one Saver team. Given that they are already dealing with the critical Holy Beast Rampage incidents, En doubts how seriously headquarters would take this shady phantom thief.

Tsubasa, now with a serious look, responded to En’s question.

“It’s because the phantom thief might be connected to the Holy Beast Rampage incidents.” [Tsubasa]

“What?” [En]

Speaking in a low voice, as if not wanting to be overheard, Tsubasa continued, “It’s a bit of a stretch, but... The thief left a statement: ‘I have arrived from beyond the dimensional wall.’”

“The dimensional wall…? Could it be a gate!?” [En]

“Exactly. Nowadays, when people hear ‘dimensional wall,’ that’s what they think. It could just be a prankster trying to stir things up, but they’re committing these crimes right here, in our town, where the Savers’ headquarters is. I doubt this person is just seeking attention.” [Tsubasa]

To stage such a bold heist in this town, where the Savers are based, and at a time when the organization is already on edge due to the repeated Holy Beast Rampage incidents, seemed too calculated. If the goal is simply to steal abilities, there are plenty of easier times to do it. The thief’s actions seem unnatural.

Is it just to satisfy an inflated ego, a provocation against the Savers, or sheer idiocy?

If the ability theft is just a means to an end, and the phantom thief has another goal—what if, by some mistake, that goal is tied to the Holy Beast Rampage incidents?

Though they might be overthinking it, the possibility isn’t zero, and that means Tsubasa is right: it can be a Saver matter. If Tsubasa’s theory is correct, this case can offer a clue to solving the Holy Beast Rampage incidents.

“Tsubasa, you’re already investigating this, aren’t you? I’ll help.” [En]

“Don’t bother. For now, it’s still a police case, not an official order. You should just be prepared for when the time comes.” [Tsubasa]

“...At least tell me the phantom thief’s name.” [En]

If catching the thief can help progress the Holy Beast Rampage incidents, En is willing to work overtime.

Tsubasa, looking at him, muttered, “This guy really is a workaholic,” and then resigned himself to revealing the name, thinking it would become public knowledge soon enough.

“T.P. Eight Olishua… that’s what the statement said.” [Tsubasa]

“!” [En]

The moment that unexpected name was uttered, En dropped his can of coffee onto the table.

Tsubasa stood up, trying to avoid the splashes, and looked flustered by En’s unusual reaction.

“Hey, are you okay? Don’t tell me that name sounds familiar?” [Tsubasa]

“...Aah.” [En] (tl note: unless stated otherwise, all “Aah”s from now on will mean affirmative)

En’s eyes widen in shock as he recalls the image of a girl in a tailcoat whom he recently met.

T.P. Eight Olishua—It is the same name as the girl who left behind cryptic words to both Mea and himself before disappearing.

Whether it’s an alias or not, it can’t be a coincidence.

In other words, that girl’s the phantom thief. En found himself naturally accepting the idea. Come to think of it, even her outfit seemed fitting for a thief.

But what shocks En even more is that, if he assums her to be the phantom thief, both the hypothesis Tsubasa just laid out and the cryptic words she spoke to him before now fit together seamlessly.

『Yes, I am that child, and that child is me. We are two parts of one color, blended into the canvas you paint... an unusual shade that was never meant to exist in this world.』

The words that T.P. Eight Olishua said seems to hint that she and Mea might be the same entity.

At that time, En already suspected that she, like Mea, might have been one of the "Fairy Children" created by PSYence. However, what bothers him was the phrase she used as a phantom thief: "I have arrived from beyond the dimensional wall."

For a Fairy Child born from a test tube, using the phrase "dimensional wall" with a hint of sarcasm feels unnatural. That means she’s not a Fairy Child.

If that’s the case, then the words, "I am Mea, and Mea is me," point to something more essential… and if that refers to the "holy beast factor" inside Mea’s body…

Could it be…?

(T.P. Eight-Olishua… Could she be…?)

It really is just a possibility.

Even though En knows it's a far-fetched theory, once the thought crossed his mind, he can't help but feel it’s likely.

"Could she be… a holy beast?" [En]

—Could the true identity of that girl, T.P. Eight-Olishua, be a holy beast from another world?

“Seriously!?”

Me, a holy beast!?

Whoa, that’s shocking... So, that’s how I appeared to En-kun. I see, that’s totally unexpected. I was so surprised I must have looked like Beauty-san.

Amazing! I’m totally being mistaken for an overpowered original character!

But, looking at the circumstantial evidence, it’s not entirely unreasonable to think that. After all, the phrase "I have arrived from beyond the dimensional wall" was supposed to mean "I’ve come from 3D to 2D."

Still, in a world where dimensional walls and gates to other worlds are physically recognized, that interpretation makes more sense. I was careless in writing something extra just because I got carried away. Though, to be fair, that line was also meant to hint at the existence of other reincarnators besides Mea. It wasn’t just written because it sounded cool.

But, it’s fine… En-kun, keep making these misunderstandings!

After all, misunderstanding stories are such a popular genre that they've become a staple. Hah, once again, I ended up making an original protagonist in a pretty good way… yare yare, even though I really don’t want to stand out, fufufu.

Yes. That concludes the Clairvoyance Report from the Savers Akebono Headquarters. This is your reporter, Eight-chan.

Man, this supernatural ability is way too overpowered. The range of my Clairvoyance isn't that wide, but being able to peek inside a building from the outside is just broken. It’s way too useful for an ability I stole from some pervert. Now I can’t live without it.

I’ve been hunting supernatural abilities for a few days now, and rumors about me are starting to spread. It’s only a matter of time before a full-scale investigation is launched.

Of course, there’s no way the police could catch me. As is often the case in stories like this, the police are even more incompetent than they were in my previous world. Right now, the only ones capable of catching me with all the stolen abilities I’ve stockpiled are probably the Savers at full strength.

There’s a decisive difference between the police and the Savers, especially in terms of raw power, if not investigative skills.

So, while I haven’t felt much of a sense of crisis, it seems that due to an unexpected turn of events, En-kun and the others have set their sights on me. They’ve been preoccupied with the Holy Beast Rampage incidents, so I figured they wouldn’t seriously go after me, who isn’t a major criminal (by their standards), but it turns out that same focus on the incident has led them to notice me. That was a blind spot.

Still, it's not bad… in fact, it’s a better situation than I anticipated.

As I’ve mentioned before, when introducing multiple original characters in fanfiction, you have to give each of them an appropriate backstory. If the very existence of these characters isn’t meaningful, no matter how powerful they are, readers will start to wonder, "Does this character even need to exist?" Power without purpose is undeniably strong, but it leads to a tragic end because no one can relate to it.

In that sense, my existence is now recognized as an important character by the protagonist. On top of that, this misunderstanding has unexpectedly strengthened my relationship with the other main protagonist, Mea-chan, so I can’t stop laughing. Not to mention, there’s now a rumor going around that I might be a holy beast in human form. Well, TS original characters are often seen as "holy beasts" of a different sort, though.

Honestly, En-kun's theory is pretty convenient. If I were actually an original protagonist with that backstory, I could create a pretty interesting story out of it. I wonder what the goddess-like person would think? That’s how I see it, at least.

…Okay, that’s fine. It's important to be tolerant and accept these kinds of added-on settings as long as they’re useful.

The reason that I hadn’t rigidly defined the story from the start was to allow for this kind of adaptable improvisation when new developments arose. Of course, it’s always best to prepare a solid plot, though.

So, sorry, holy beasts, for randomly adding more of your kind.

But, you see, I’m an original protagonist. That’s just how it is.

That’s just how it is.

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