Chapter 2

Liars Follow the Ways of Misunderstanding



In modern society, where supernatural abilities have become part of everyday life, these powers were not originally part of this world.

 

The moment that set this change in motion occurred on one day near the end of the century. A gate to another world suddenly opened, and from it, a dragon appeared. Although this dragon, now known as the "Holy Dragon" in modern times, returned to its world after only a few days, that event marked the point where people on Earth began awakening to supernatural powers. Over 100 years have passed since then, and by now, the existence of people with abilities has become commonplace across the globe.

 

People used this newly gained power for their own and society's development.

 

However, not everyone mastered the proper use of these abilities.

 

Some lose control and cause accidents by letting their power run wild, while others use it for crime purely for their own benefit. Power that exceeds human control often warps people’s minds in unexpected ways, leading to tragic events in the world.

 

And there were those who hammered down such people.

 

The special task force for dealing with supernatural abilities, known as "Savers."

 

They have been continuously fighting against various supernatural crimes since their inception. Most recently, they are famous for their battle with the criminal organization "PSYence," which had repeatedly conducted inhumane human experiments for the sake of studying supernatural abilities. The fierce battle that ended with PSYence’s destruction was still fresh in people's memories.

 

As defenders of justice who fights against evil, their image as protectors of peace became a symbol, and among children, "Savers" consistently ranks in the top three of desired future professions.

 

Akatsuki En, captain of the Savers' mobile units, reflected on the enemy he just defeated as he stood at the site of the battle, gazing at the aftermath.

The Elemental Wyvern, a holy beast from another world.

 

The holy beasts are the origin of the supernatural powers that have spread throughout Earth. It is speculated that the Holy Dragon, which visited Earth once, was also one of the holy beasts that live in another world.

 

This world, which began when the Holy Dragon brought the power of supernatural abilities to humanity, was not originally supposed to intersect with the world of the holy beasts. However, ever since the Holy Dragon’s visit at the turn of the century, the gates between the two worlds have been opening from time to time.

 

Recently, the frequent openings of these gates in various places had become a pressing problem for the Savers.

 

In the past, the gates would open only about twice a year, but recently they had been appearing several times a week, with holy beasts crossing over from the other world. Clearly, this was an abnormal situation.

 

However, that wasn’t the only issue.

 

Until now, most of the holy beasts that accidentally wandered into Earth had not intentionally passed through the gates, and as long as communication was possible, they could be returned peacefully.

 

But the holy beasts that had been arriving lately bore clear hostility toward humans.

 

The Elemental Wyvern that En and his team had just repelled was one such creature. It had emerged from a gate that had opened suddenly and attacked towns without hesitation. Although the team managed to stop it with minimal damage, if they had arrived any later, the situation would have turned into a disaster.

 

“That Wyvern... it seemed like it was angry at us…” [En]

 

There was... something humans on Earth had done to make the holy beasts on the other side hold a grudge.

 

One prime example is the evil organization "PSYence"—they had been conducting illegal experiments.

 

They captured holy beasts by forcibly bringing them over from the other world, modifying and dissecting them alive in order to use them as tools.

 

It wasn’t enough for them to wreak havoc in this world; they continued to disturb the other world as well, which is why they were called an evil organization. While not all holy beasts probably thought of humans this way, it would be hard for the ones who had been harmed to let go of their anger.

 

The gates that connected the other world and Earth... The advancement of science that led to the study of these gates was frightening, as though humanity were tampering with forbidden knowledge.

 

Imagining where this might lead filled En with a sense of unease, and his expression tightened involuntarily. He had overcome past traumas, but by nature, En was a sensitive person.

 

As he stood there, lost in thought, a small hand tugging at the hem of his jacket brought his mind back to the present.

 

“En, you have a scary look on your face…” [?]

 

When he looked down, he saw a silver-haired girl gazing up at him with a worried expression.

 

Feeling guilty for scaring her, En gave a wry smile and awkwardly placed his hand on her shoulder.

 

“I'm okay, Mea... I’m just a little tired.” [En]

 

“Really?” [Mea]

 

The girl who looked up at him with innocent eyes was Mea.

 

Her exact age is unknown, but based on her appearance, she seems to be around ten years old. Despite her youthful and innocent look, there is a strange, otherworldly presence about her that sets her apart from other children her age.

 

They first met exactly one year ago.

 

On that day, during a mission to infiltrate the illegal organization "PSYence," En encountered her in a dimly lit basement that bore traces of human experimentation. She had been sleeping inside a test tube when he found her.

 

PSYence’s horrifying experiments involved embedding the genetic material of holy beasts into humans to grant them superhuman powers. She was one of their victims, a "Fairy Child."

 

It's a sickening memory, but all the researchers has been captured, and En himself had taken down their leader.

 

Since then, as a victim of the organization and with no known identity, Mea is now under the protection of the Savers.

 

She has no memories from before the experiments. The only things she remembers are her name and how to fight. En found it heartbreaking when she had told him that.

 

No one knew when she might recover her memories. Even so, En hoped that she could live the rest of her life as an ordinary girl... but that hope was shattered today.

 

When the Elemental Wyvern had appeared through the gate and attacked the town, it relentlessly targeted Mea.

 

It was likely because of the holy beast factor embedded in her body.

 

En deeply regretted that she had once again been caught up in the chaos, and worse, that he had forced the physically and emotionally young Mea to fight. He cares for her like a little sister, and that only intensifies the guilt he feels.

 

“I’m sorry I was late. You must have been scared…” [En]

 

“Mea’s okay. You look like you’re the one having a hard time, En…” [Mea]

 

“I’m fine. After all, I’m the sword that protects peace.” [En]

 

“Thank you, En.” [Mea]

 

When they first met, Mea’s expression was as lifeless as a doll’s. But now, she's smiling and even thanking him.

 

En had originally chosen this path to fight for revenge for his father... but now, it's people like her who have become the main reason he fights as a Saver.

 

He wants to protect the smiles of the townspeople. That is all that drove him.

 

 

“I see, your flame is not meant to burn down those who stand in your way, but to warm the children shivering in the cold.” [?]

 

Just as he was about to return to headquarters with Mea to report on the incident, a voice interrupted them.

 

“! Who’s there!?” [En]

“!” [Mea]

 

En immediately shielded Mea with his back as he turned toward the voice. It came from the east, from behind a collapsed building.

 

Despite the heightened sensitivity that should have been triggered by the earlier battle, he hadn’t noticed this presence until now. As a result, his caution was heightened, and he glared in the direction of the voice.

 

“You have beautiful eyes. Eyes that were once crushed by sadness, but now shine brighter than anyone else’s, having overcome that sorrow... so pure and gem-like in their brilliance.” [?]

 

The figure, undeterred by En's wary stance, is casually leaning against the wall. In their hands, they hold a silver harp like that of a minstrel, strumming a soft, wave-like tune after their words.

 

They wear a gentleman’s tailcoat with a royal blue cape draped over it. A black silk hat, adorned with a white ribbon, is pulled low over their small face. Despite the figure’s androgynous build and voice, the long skirt they wear made En quickly realize they are a woman.

 

Until just a moment ago, he hadn’t detected any sign of her presence, and her aura is just as otherworldly as Mea's. Clearly, she isn’t an ordinary bystander who happened to pass by.

 

Moreover, despite the oddly elaborate way she spoke, it was clear she knows who En is.

 

Smiling at En’s sharp glare, the woman glanced briefly at Mea, who is being protected behind his back, and then responded with an amused tone.

 

“Who am I, you ask? I’m… that child.” [?]

 

“What?” [En]

 

“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.” [?]

 

“What... are you talking about?” [En]

 

Her words are vague and elusive. When En pressed her for answers, she responded only with a faint smile and a soft note from her harp.

 

Peeking from behind En’s back, Mea curiously looked into the mysterious girl’s emerald eyes.

 

“Are you… talking about Mea…?” [Mea]

 

“…Mea?” [?]

 

When Mea asked, the girl stopped strumming her harp and gazed back at her from under her silk hat. Her lips moved slightly.

 

“I see... Mea… So, you’ve been named Mea. Heh... That’s fate, in a way.” [?]

 

At the sound of Mea’s name, the girl showed a brief look of surprise. However, she quickly curled her lips into a playful smile, as if she knew something more—perhaps even her real name.

 

“Do you know who Mea is?” [Mea]

 

“You mean you?” [?]

 

“Mea doesn’t have any memories of the past... Do you know anything about Mea?” [Mea]

 

“...Memories... I see, you’ve lost them, haven’t you?” [?]

 

Mea has no memories from before her time in the research facility. En knew how much it pained her to not know who she really was.

 

Could this girl know something? En didn’t think she is just some suspicious stranger and awaited her response, following Mea’s question.

 

When the girl heard that Mea had lost her memories, she lowered her eyes in sadness. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again.

 

“Your memories, your true identity... the answers likely lie with them.” [?]

 

“With En and the others?” [Mea]

 

“? With us?” [En]

 

That cryptic remark was the last thing she said.

 

In the next moment, as she twirled her cape, her figure vanished as though it had been nothing but a mirage.

 

It must have been some form of teleportation type ability, En thought. The girl seemed to have some connection to Mea from before she lost her memories, but since she isn’t a criminal, En couldn’t justify chasing her down.

 

“What was with that guy…?” [En]

 

En muttered honestly, his thoughts spinning.

 

The memory of their fight with the powerful Elemental Wyvern is already fading in comparison to the lingering mystery of the girl.

 

At that moment, Mea noticed something and pointed.

 

“Ah... En, look! Something’s on the ground.” [Mea]

 

“Hm? That’s... a card?” [En]

 

At the spot where the girl stood, a card is lodged into the cracked wall of a nearby building.

 

When En pulled it out and inspected it, he found out it's a note written by the mysterious girl.

 

 

《Until we meet again, O Savior of Flames and the Nameless Princess.

—With prayers, from T.P. Eight Olishua》

 

 

That's likely her name.

 

En sighed as he wondered whether or not to report this to his superiors when they returned to headquarters.

 

The frequent attacks by mythical beasts, Mea’s lost memories, and now T.P. Eight Olishua…

 

Just when he thought the battle with PSYence had finally ended, En couldn’t shake the feeling that another storm was brewing.

 

 

 

 

 

Hello, this is T.P. Eight Olishua.

 

To become a good original protagonist, it’s crucial to have a solid game plan. Today, I’ll introduce the original protagonist moves I recommend.

 

It’s simple: make a cool move, catch the attention of the main character or heroine, adjust their favorability, and then dominate the plot from there! (ZIP HIT!) I even made it onto the rankings recently! (Just kidding) Now I won’t go on hiatus or get trashed in the comments! (Total lie)

 

...Well, here I am, feeling a bit weird after finishing a job.

 

I never imagined my first contact with En, the protagonist, would go like that. Dealing with multiple reincarnated original protagonist characters is tricky. But I like it.

 

This time, it was an almost improvisational original protagonist move with no prep time, but I’d give myself a score of 90. The 10-point deduction comes from the fact that I wasn’t expecting the backstory of that other original protagonist. I was so surprised that I ended up playing the harp more times than planned.

 

What’s that? You’re asking why the harp? Ah, that’s just a prop for misdirection. When in doubt, play an instrument, and it’ll fill the awkward silence. Plus, music calms my nerves, so it’s a win-win. I don’t actually know how to play, but it works great for setting a mysterious vibe.

 

...So, why did I go through all the trouble of making such a cryptic, enigmatic move? Well, of course, it was to gather information on that original protagonist.

 

If I had gone right up and said, “Who the heck are you?! Are you a reincarnator too?!” the atmosphere of the original story would’ve been ruined. That would be like someone excitedly watching an anime, and then someone next to them says, “It’s just a drawing.” Pure blasphemy.

 

Fairy Savers is a “stylish” show. I don’t want to break the fourth wall in front of anyone else.

 

That’s why I put on this outfit and made a stylish entrance. Honestly, I think I looked pretty good. I designed the outfit with a phantom thief vibe in mind, inspired by my cheat ability to steal powers. This was my first time wearing a skirt as a TS! Feels good, doesn’t it? Sorry, I got carried away.

 

It’s roleplay, but it’s not too far from my real self, so I plan to continue portraying Eight-chan as a mysterious character.

 

Once I understood my cheat ability, I intended to be a mysterious helper character, showing up at key moments to assist En and the others.

 

...But the biggest issue is still that other original protagonist.

 

I got a general sense from our interaction. That girl is likely a reincarnator without knowledge of the original story or a native character to this world.

 

Before arriving, I had stolen an ability from a mafia-looking guy that lets me see through lies. So, I can at least confirm that her claim of memory loss is true.

 

A heroine with memory loss is a classic trope. Around the time Fairy Savers was airing, that was a trendy element in other anime as well. So, I don’t think her presence as an original protagonist stands out too much. In fact, it’s a convenient setup, and I had even considered using the memory-loss angle myself to approach En before meeting her.

 

One of the challenges of multiple reincarnated characters is making the original characters the author creates fit within the story’s world.

 

Since the author made the original world, it’s naturally hard to fit characters created by someone else into it. And it’s even more difficult when there are multiple original characters, often resulting in a mess.

 

Still, it's good news that she doesn’t seem to have any knowledge of the original plot.

 

On top of that, a heroine with memory loss is almost guaranteed to play an important role in the latter part of the story.

 

If she’s an original protagonist… then I can go ahead with my plan.

 

That plan is to compactly organize multiple original protagonist characters and have them shine in style… I call it the “Two-in-One Original Protagonist Master Plan.”

 

As long as a third one doesn’t show up, this will work. I feel a sense of euphoria imagining the bright future of my original protagonist life.

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