I was sleeping peacefully in my bed, dreaming of being surrounded by attractive people who were all pining for my attention. I was about to be cuddled to death but these attractive people slowly disappeared once I heard a voice calling out to me. “Master! Wake up! Rise and shine! Mornin’!”
“Mm… Just five more minutes…” I pulled my cover over my head, trying to block out Salomon who was trying to wake me up. I wanted to sleep a bit longer… Keep dreaming about attractive people who want to cuddle me…
“That’s, like, so cliche! I’m a level 3 wake-up caller! There’s no sleeping in on my watch!” Salomon pulled my cover off of me and I let out a long groan at this. I sat up in my bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
“Now it’s time for Sal’s special morning call! Once you hear this, all your worries will disappear! Classes? Strategy meetings? No problem!” Salomon was talking with a proud look on his face but my mind was still half asleep so only half of what he was talking about was going through my head.
“W-What’s with that face? Are you still half asleep? Need me to pinch your cheek? Didn’t you say you were going to have a strategy meeting with Shiro and the others today after school? Of course, I plan on eavesdropping, so there's nothing for you to worry about! Now, off to class with you! A student’s number one duty is their studies! Go get ‘em!” With Salomon urging, I got out of bed and got ready for school.
I left my room and headed to my class. When I reached the class I saw Mr. Mononobe outside the classroom door. My eyes brightened when I saw him and I went over to him quickly. Mr.
Mononobe noticed me coming and gave me a wave in greeting. “Good morning, Masato.”
“Mornin’” I gave him a half-ass greeting since my brain was still in the fog of wanting to sleep still. Mr. Mononobe raised an eyebrow at my greeting, having an amused smile on his face.
“Mornin’...? Who taught you that? Ryota?” Mr. Mononobe patted me on the head, giving me a gentle smile that causes me to let out a giggle. “Anyway, it’s been a while since you transferred to our school. Have you gotten used to life here at the academy? Because of the temporary closure, classes have all been pushed back, and I’ve had a hell of a time dealing with the police, but… Enough about me. So, have you made any friends?”
“Shiro has taken great care of me and helps me out when I need it. Kengo is really keeping me on my toes with all that training he does. Ryota and I have been having a lot of fun!” I couldn’t help myself as I talk happily about the people I became friends within the school
“I’m glad you have people you can call friends. As your homeroom teacher and guardian, it’s a relief to hear. You only get to be a student once. It’s good to see you’re making the most of it.”Mr. Mononobe had a pleased smile on his face as he told me this and I couldn’t help but grow even happier at that.
“Ever since our school was closed due to the incident, there seem to be problems popping up at other schools, too. And you have a tendency to get into trouble. You’ve been sneaking around for some reason, haven’t you?” The smile on my face froze as Mr. Mononobe gave me a knowing look. I was thinking fast about what I could say to him that will throw him off the things I have been doing.
“I reserve the right to remain silent!” I said this with a serious expression as I crossed my arms in front of me. I still felt bad about doing this to Mr. Mononobe since I know he isn’t doing this for a bad reason.
“Sorry, there goes my teacher instinct again. Haha, you did fall for my bluff, though. I’ve been a teacher for years. I can sense when something is up with my students.” Mr. Mononobe pats me on the head again and I couldn’t stop my face from growing warm again.
“Even if you think you’ve succeeded in hiding your secrets, you’d be surprised how many people can see through them. Anyway, I don't mean to lecture. Just come to me if something happens, all right?” Mr. Mononobe ruffles my hair, chuckling when I pout at him and heads into the classroom.
After school….
After classes were done me, Shiro, and Kengo met in a dorm room. Shiro pours some tea, which three D-Evils places on a tray and deliver to where I am seated, completely devoted to their task. I couldn’t help but take pictures of this on my phone, gushing at how cute they were. Once everyone has a cup of tea, the D-Evils take a seat to the side. Shiro stands as if signaling the start of the meeting. “Now, let’s begin.”
“Hold it right there, Shiro! Why are you the one calling the shots?!” Kengo got up quickly from the spot he was sitting in, almost knocking over his cup of tea, and pointed angrily at Shiro.
“The reason is obvious. It’s my duty as advisor to Masato.” Shiro said this simply like it was the obvious reason. This didn’t calm down Kengo who still looked annoyed. “Advisor? Who died and made you “advisor”?! You’re always so bossy!”
“Kengo, I don’t mind if you lead the meeting.” Shiro motion for Kengo to take over like it wasn’t a big deal to him. Kengo crossed his arms when Shiro said that, looking off to the side. “Hah! Why would I do that?! You’re better at this brainy stuff. “
“Glad you agree. Now may we continue?” Kengo sat back down in his spot, still looking a bit annoyed but more willing to listen to Shiro. “The first order of business is the guild we’re forming.”
“Hey, Shiro, I don’t really get it, but…” Kengo cut in again and Shiro just shook his head with a sigh. “You never get it.” Kengo glared at Shiro when he said this and I could only drink my tea awkwardly at this.
“Quit dunking on me every chance you get! So… Why do we have to start a guild, anyway?” As Kengo said this I realize I didn’t fully get it either. I knew it was important but didn’t know the reason why.
“Please enlighten us, Shiro!” I look at Shiro seriously and the serious look he was giving Kengo went away quickly, being replaced with a bright smile. “Leave it to me, Masato! I’ll be sure to tell you everything you need to know!”
“What’s with the special treatment?! That’s totally different from how you treated me!” Kengo looked at Shiro with an offended expression which was ignored as Shiro went on to continue what he was saying.
“First, allow me to explain our current situation. Kengo, you were a member of the Ikebukuro Guild until recently, weren’t you?” At what Shiro said Kengo nodded his head with an awkward look. “Yeah, though they kicked me out… I mean, I would’ve quit anyway.”
“Why were you a member of the Ikebukuro Guild in the first place?” I was also curious as to why he was in the guild as well. I mean he could have still gotten money without fully joining the guild.
“I guess… because it was convenient?” Kengo's answer felt more like a question like he wasn't sure about his reasoning.
“Of course. That’s the usual reason for such decisions. Guilds are convenient, in and of themselves, after all. The key to regaining Masato’s lost memories are in this App. We must uncover the truth behind this mysterious App that allows us to use otherworldly powers… And as long as we’re involved with the App, we should take advantage of all the benefits guild membership grants users. For example, you can detect whenever a guild member has been challenged to battle. You can power up guild members, too.” At what Shiro just said, Kengo perked up with a newfound interest.
“Wait. Then why don’t we just join some other guild? Maybe we can’t join the Ikebukuro Guild, but there’s plenty of others. All we need to do is find one we trust.” What Kengo said did make sense but I knew Shiro wouldn’t just suggest we make our guild unless it was for a good reason.
“I thought of that… but we can’t. Allow me to explain why. First of all, when a guild is established there must be a Guild Master who acts as the leader. Basically, they’re the head of the guild. Of course, they have certain responsibilities, as well. And the Guild Master also has the right to interact with the GMs.” I tilt my head in confusion when Shiro mentions GMs, not knowing what it stands for.
“GMs? What’s that stand for?” Kengo voiced my confusion and I felt rather happy he was here with me because I would have probably just nodded my head in understanding.
“Game Master. They’re the ones who run the App. No one knows who the GMs are, but their existence has been proven. Guild Masters are able to connect them using the App. I find it hard to believe that some other Guild Master would be willing to contact a GM on our behalf. So we need to be able to do it ourselves. That’s why we need to form our own guild.” Shiro made a really good argument about us making our own guild. But Kengo was frowning, looking displeased still.
“That sounds like a pain… Can’t we just barge in on these GM people?” I couldn’t help but disagree with what Kengo said. I mean the people who created the App would be really hard to just barge in on. Also really strong in many ways.
“I already tried to research the App’s developer, but there wasn’t even a building at the address listed, let alone a company. The GMs are the only lead we have to start solving the mysteries behind the App.” The displeased look on Kengo's face went away after hearing Shiro's reasoning and he gave a nod in understanding.
“I guess I understand why we need to make a guild. So the next question is… How do we set one up? During the Ikebukuro incident… We registered on a temporary basis, right?” As Kengo mentioned this, I realize that since it was temporary that must have meant we didn’t have all the things we needed to be an official guild like everyone else.
“That’s right, but we couldn’t proceed with the official registration. After some research, I found out that there are three requirements for establishing a guild. We need a Guild Master, guild members, and a Portal. The Guild Master is the central figure of the guild. In the Ikebukuro Guild, for example, that would be Claude. I want to recommend Masato as our Guild Master. Any objections? Masato? Kengo?” I was taking a sip from my tea when Shiro said this causing me to choke a bit and give him a shocked look.
“Sounds good to me. No objections here.” Kengo agreed with no hesitation and I was being stared at by the two childhood friends as they waited for my reply. I felt like maybe I was too much of a dumbass for this but hey, they voted for me so they must see something in me that screams guild master.
“I’ll gladly take the role of Guild Master!” I gave a huge smirk as I took the title of the Guild Master and they just smiled at me. I mean me being a guild master doesn’t mean I would have to think that much, I have Shiro for that.
“And I’ll do my best to support you, too! You can count on me for anything! Now let’s move on to discuss the guild member and Portal requirements. Currently, Kengo and I have been automatically set as guild members. The problem is the Portal. That refers to the location the guild is tied to. The area surrounding the Portal will become the guild’s territory within the game. Portal ownership is wagered on and transferred by winning and losing App Battles. The goal of the game is occupation. You win by bringing the territories in all 23 Wards of Tokyo under your guild’s dominion. On the other hand, if a guild loses all the Portals under their dominion, that means it no longer has any territory and will be disbanded.” Shiro pushes up his glasses as he tells us this.
“Then how about we make this dorm room our Portal? That way, anyone not affiliated with our school would have a hard time getting in. It’d be foolproof! Great idea, right?!” Kengo crossed his arms in front of him with a pleased look and I was nodding my head in agreement with him, thinking that idea was foolproof.
“That was an uncommonly smart suggestion, coming from you. However, that would be against the rules of the game. Only places approved by the GMs can function as Portals. Portals are approved based on a set of rules. One is that they must be in a public place that anyone can access. Libraries, art museums, and other public facilities, for example. Colleges and historic sites are also acceptable.” Even though I could feel my shoulder sagging in disappointment, I could understand why it couldn’t exactly be a dorm room as a Portal.
“I see. So schools are a no-go, then… Because not everyone can access them. That’s a bit limiting.” Finding a Portal for our guild seems like it will be a rather hard process and that is so much trouble. How can a high schooler with not that much money find a bunch of places for Portals for their guild?
“That’s right. That’s why we can’t make this dorm room into a Portal. For now, let me take care of the Portal issue. I’m making arrangements with Andvari. We’re preparing to have a Portal outside the school ready by the time our guild becomes official.” I was looking at Shiro with shining eyes, feeling so amazed by how prepared he was. I would have never thought about this at all. I would probably be getting many jobs and saving up for a place.
“Hehe. This is kinda exciting. It’ll be like a secret fort!” Kengo was shaking with excitement and I couldn’t help but join him. We were getting a secret fort for our guild! This would be so cool!
“I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation. This isn’t some kids game.” Shiro gave Kengo a sharp look and I quickly stopped my excitement when I realized my reaction wasn’t appropriate right now.
“Oh? Which one of us got all excited every time we played fort in your closet when we were younger?” Kengo didn’t get rid of his excitement as he gave Shiro a teasing smile.
“T-That was then, this is now! But… I do understand your excitement.” Shiro cleared his throat as he tried to get rid of the blush on his face. I couldn’t help but look at the two of them with envious eyes. It must be nice being able to talk about pleasant memories from your childhood… I wonder if I have some of them myself.
“Wait, so… you were saying something about by the time our guild becomes official? Haven’t we ticked all the boxes already?” Kengo asked Shiro this and I couldn’t help but realize we did have everything needed for the creation of a guild.
“Not yet. In addition to the Portal, we still need to gather more members. We need a minimum of four members who can participate in battle for our guild to be officially recognized. And in order to make use of all the guild functions, we need one more… so a total of five members.” I couldn’t help but frown at what Shiro just said. There were only three of us. Where can we get more members we can trust?
“Five? With you, me, and Masato… We’d need at least two more.” Kengo was holding up one hand, looking at the three fingers he was holding up with a frown on his face.
“That’s right. And I have one recruit in mind.” As soon as Shiro said that the door to the room swung wide open and standing outside the room was a smiling Ryota who had a hand in a salute motion to his forehead. “Ta-dah! Looks like I’m right on cue!”
“I’ve been waiting for you, buddy!” I couldn’t understand what was happening but all I knew was that I was excited to see my friend, Ryota.
“We’ve already started, Ryota. So far, we’ve covered what I already told you yesterday.” Shiro didn’t seem surprised to see Ryota was here, making me assume that he was aware that Ryota was going to show up during our meeting.
“I went to get some snacks and it took longer than I expected. Sorry!” Ryota held up a bag of snacks and I could feel my stomach grumbling as I looked at the bag. Ryota smiles at me and he took out something from his snack bag, a pocky, and handed it to me
“Man, you’re always so out of it. But I guess you’re better than some stranger.” Kengo just let out a sigh toward Ryota and I finally realized that Ryota was our other member. I was so happy to see him that I didn’t even think that.
“Hehe! I won’t just loaf around if Masato needs a hand.” Ryota took a seat next to me and bumped his shoulder next to mine. I gave him a huge smile while I was eating a pocky stick.
“Wait… Ryota, can you even use the App?” Kengo narrowed his eyes at Ryota, not fully believing that Ryota could use the App as well.
“Don’t underestimate the great Ryota! I told you, I’ve been using the App for a while. Well, I didn’t know it had all these crazy features, but that’s another matter. As they say, those who crow most speak least! Show yourself, my Sacred Artifact!” Ryota fact got serious as he went to summon his Sacred Artifact.
“Yeesh… It’s those who ‘know’ most, Ryota.” Shiro was shaking his head at Ryota's wrong wording but I couldn’t help but find it rather adorable. He is a bit dumb but he is cute so it cancels out.
“Ta-dah! Behold, the great Ryota’s Sacred Artifact!” There, in Ryota’s outstretched right hand, is a goblet shining with bright light. I was looking at it with bright eyes, wondering what it can do. I bet it was something really powerful!
“What is that? That Chalice is your Sacred Artifact?” Kengo was looking at Ryota Sacred Artifact with a confused expression, not fully on board with Ryota Sacred Artifact.
“Yeah. I think.” Ryota shrugged his shoulder as he kept holding out the Chalice in his right hand in front of him.
“You think?! Are you kidding me?!” Kengo slams a hand down at Ryota's response, not liking how carefree he was acting. Shiro just lets out a sigh as he rubs between his eyes. “Unfortunately, Ryota still doesn’t understand how to use his Sacred Artifact.”
“What the hell? What’s going on, Ryota?! You summoned it, didn’t you?! Then you should know how to use it!” Kengo was staring down Ryota, who just frowned at him with a displeased expression.
“I don’t know what to tell you. Besides, how do you guys know how to use yours?” Ryota looked at all of us and everything got quiet for a second as we all looked at each other.
“Well, books are for reading… and the instructions were all in there.” Shiro gestures to the book in his hand and Kengo nods his head as well as he motions to the belt on his arm. “Same. Belts are for wrapping, and the more layers I wrap around me, the stronger I feel.”
“That’s not exactly helpful. Not that I expected much from you. What about you, Masato?” Ryota looked at me with curious eyes and I awkwardly looked at my tea, trying not to look at him.
“There’s not much you do with a sword besides swing it…” I mumbled to myself as I felt Ryota staring at me with interest. I could feel my ears grow warm as I realized I didn’t understand how I knew to use my sword. I mean when you get a sword you just swing it and hope for the best.
“Hmm. Beats me. Now I’m completely lost.” Ryota just shrugged his shoulders again, giving up on figuring out how his Sacred Artifact works.
“What are you gonna do? How can you expect to get by like that?!” Kengo looked ready to punch Ryota and Shiro quickly held him back before he could do anything to Ryota. “C-Calm down, Kengo. Let’s hear Ryota out.”
“Well, I showed it to some friends I met in the App Chat. It turns out one of them knows something about this Sacred Artifact of mine. I couldn’t get more details out of them at the time, but I was gonna try asking again. I already arranged to meet up with them. I was thinking of heading there now.” Ryota unsummoned his Chalice from his hand and got up from sitting next to me.
“If they know about it, does that mean they’re also App users?” Kengo had a distrustful look on his face and Ryota just nodded his head with a smile on his face, not paying attention to the look on Kengo's face. “Yeah. They said they’re part of a guild, like us.”
“I have some things I wouldn’t mind asking about, too. Shall we all go together?” Shiro didn’t seem to think much about it either as he got up from sitting as well.
“I guess something’s better than nothing… You know whoever it is you’re meeting up with, right?” Kengo reluctantly got up as well, letting up on his distrustful expression on his face.
“Uh, well…” Ryota scratches his cheek with an awkward expression as he doesn’t make eye contact with Kengo, who started to stare hard at him.
“The biggest guild in Tokyo is the Aoyama Guild. Their territory spans across Shibuya Ward to Minato Ward. And the person Ryota is talking about… is the woman acting as their current Guild Master.” As Shiro said this I imagine the Guild Master of the guild. I bet she is super cute… ‘Masato, keep yourself calm you fucking loverboy!’
Aoyama Guild…
“And here we are at Aoyama! Wow, this place is so trendy!” Ryota had his arms raised as we stood in front of a church… I was just looking at the church with a confused face, wondering if this was really where the guild was.
“Is this… a church?” I felt like I needed someone to confirm to me this was a church so I could fully process that the guild headquarter was a church. ‘I feel like this may be breaking so many religious laws but I am not religious so I am just going to pretend this is okay.’
“Yes. We’re on the grounds of Shibuya ward’s Daikanyama Academy. This is their chapel. It seems that Aoyama Guild is using this as their Portal.” I could feel myself grow even more confused as Shiro said this, I thought that a Portal can’t be in a school?
“What the heck?! I thought you couldn’t set your Portal inside a school!” Kengo was glaring at Shiro, who just waved it off with a frown on his face.
“I thought the same thing, but apparently this place is open to people who don’t attend the school. Originally, Daikanyama Academy went all the way from elementary school through to college. This is considered a college facility, so it’s open to the public.” I still couldn’t believe that this church was considered a college even though Shiro told me this. Does this mean people learn in this church as well? How do they dress as they go to this school? I am so curious!
“That so? Seems rather convenient…” Kengo just accepted it and I did as well because thinking too hard on it may give me a huge headache.
We started to walk through the entrance to the guild when we were stopped by an… Angel Transient?
“You there. Stop.” I was just staring at the wings on their back, not paying attention to the harsh look they were giving us. This was my first time seeing an Angel Transient! I wonder if they can fly with those wings!
“Wow, look! He’s got a spear! And wings!” Ryota was looking at them with wide eyes as while and I finally noticed that they had spears in their hands. I was too busy looking at their rather beautiful wings.
“Is something the matter? I heard this church is open to the public.” Shiro was calm as he spoke to the stern-looking Angel Transient.
“You are App users, and you are in contempt of our commandments.” The winged Transients address you in an interrogative manner while looking down at their Apps.
“We just came here to meet someone. Are you… Urk?!” Shiro took a stumbling step back as both of the Angel Transients raised their spear at him. I quickly moved to Shiro's side and put an arm in front of him, trying to get in the way of their spears.
“Shut your filthy mouth. We are the ones asking the questions.” The Transient continue to hold their weapon up in mine and Shiro direction, radiating hostility. The air was getting tense around us as this quickly went bad. ‘Are angels usually this quick to draw weapons…?’
“Place your hands against the wall and do not make any suspicious motions. We must first perform a pat-down procedure.” The brown-haired Angel Transient motion for us to go against a nearby wall, still glaring at us.
“Hey! Why’re you treating us like criminals?! That’s it, no more mister nice guy!” Kengo grabs the tips of a spear pointed at him and jerks it away. He looks like he could blow a fuse at any moment.
“Fool.” As the blonde-haired Angel Transient said this suddenly, Kengo’s palm burns with pain. I look at him with concerned eyes and look back at the blonde-haired Angel. This was going bad so quickly right now.
“Agh! That’s hot! What the hell did you do?!” Kengo was holding his hand to his chest as he glared at the blonder haired Angel.
“Kengo! Your hand is marked! Are you all right?!” Ryota was at Kengo's side, looking at his injured hand with worried eyes. I could see a pattern appear on Kengo’s palm, almost like he’s been branded.
“That is the Stigma that marks those who defy our commandments. You stand in defiance of the enforcers. We are the enforcers. Now, we shall enforce our commandments.” The brown-haired Angel Transient moves to hold his spear in a fighting position and the blonde-haired Angel copies him as well.
“Here they come! Watch out, everyone!” As Shiro shouted this I quickly pushed him away to an area that wasn’t that close to the spear attack range and quickly summoned my Sword. Kengo flinched slightly as he put his hands into a fist and got to my side as we got ready to fight the Angel Transients.
