Chapter 1

Shin Nosuke Setagawa had come to the festival.

The main street was closed off, bustling and lively as it was the annual spring festival. As a child, he used to come here often, filled with excitement, but now, in his mid-twenties, he hardly felt such emotions anymore.

The surroundings were vibrant and overflowing with colors, loud music playing, and throngs of people walking to and fro, with laughter and boisterous voices echoing from all sides—it was somehow exhausting. Of course, this was mentally exhausting.

“Such a hassle,” he muttered.

Dressed in a plain white shirt and a black jacket, Shin Nosuke sat on a conveniently high concrete wall at the edge of the street, unfolding a newspaper he had bought at a convenience store.

Glancing through the pages, he noted—talks between the Eastern Japan Shogunate and the Western Japan Government, the state of trade balances, corruption scandals in high-ranking shogunate positions, reports of phantom beast disasters in Tohoku, and celebrity marriages—nothing particularly surprising.

While phantom beast disasters that threatened society constantly occurred, they were ultimately dealt with, so overall, things were relatively peaceful.

Lost in such thoughts, he suddenly heard:

“Geez, where have you been?”

His younger sister, Himari, came running up.

Her straight black hair was styled in a semi-long cut. She wore a white shirt under a blazer, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and a black skirt. While enjoying an ice cream at the festival was nice, he wished she would show a bit more composure for a high school student.

Shin Nosuke folded the newspaper.

“Finally, you made it. You’re late.”

“I’m not late! It’s hard to find you since you don’t use location apps, you know. I’m so tired. Seriously, install an app already!”

“Back in the day, people lived just fine without location services, you know.”

“Come on, I can’t believe that. This is ridiculous; give me your smartphone. I’ll install it.”

Himari pretended to pounce on him, reaching for his phone, then hid it behind her back, pulling at his clothes to chase her down.

“Stop it! Don’t try to put weird stuff on my phone.”

“Smartphones aren’t just for calls. They can do a lot. You can even read newspapers on them! Reading a newspaper on paper these days is something only you would do.”

“They sell newspapers at convenience stores. There are probably people who still read them. So? Aren’t you going to eat that ice cream?”

Shin Nosuke’s remark snapped Himari back to reality.

“Oh right! Here, take this. Have some ice cream; it’s hot out!”

The ice cream thrust in front of his face was glistening in the sunlight, threatening to melt back into liquid form. But that didn’t matter much to him.

Gratefully accepting his sister’s gift, he took a bite while the ice cream was still solid.

“Cold treats are quite nice.”

“Right? Be grateful for your kind sister!”

“I bestow my praises upon you.”

“Stop it with that. But can I film you while you eat?”

“I’ve told you before, no.”

Himari was an influencer, earning a bit and contributing it to the household finances. While that was nice, wanting to use her brother as content wasn’t ideal.

“Come on, cooperate a little! You’d look good in a shot, right? Just a little bit? Enough to make it decent?”

“Right now, the path to cooperation is completely closed off.”

“That’s harsh! Wait, you don’t seriously think that taking a photo will steal your soul, do you?”

“What do you think I am?”

“A super analog person who can’t even use a smartphone.”

Shin Nosuke sighed at such an accusation and stood up, attaching the sword he had been holding to his waist as he walked away.

He glanced at the digital clock on a nearby building.

—It’s about time to head home.

Walking through the crowd, he felt fine, but he could see signs of fatigue on Himari’s face. In that sense, it was probably a good time to go home.

“Are you okay? Should we head back?”

“Hmm, not yet. But what about those takoyaki over there?”

“Are you still hungry!?”

Shin Nosuke responded, exasperated, but he furrowed his brows as he looked around.

He recognized a nearby two-story building; it belonged to a complainer he often dealt with at work. He was frequently summoned and was expected to go back tomorrow. It was exhausting. He had no choice but to endure it, thinking he could earn a paycheck by just pretending to listen.

“Even if I try hard, I’m not from a family that can climb the social ladder, anyway…”

Shin Nosuke let out a quiet sigh.

Himari, who was looking around, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the festival, seemingly unaffected by her brother’s mood. It must have been nice for her. Just as he was feeling impressed, she suddenly pointed ahead.

“Look! Onii-chan, there seems to be an event over there!”

“An event, huh?”

“Ugh, that voice sounds troublesome.”

“Of course it does. You’re just going to use people as shields to get through the crowd again, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right. If you understand, then please help.”

Himari laughed as she shoved Shin Nosuke’s back. He let out a wry smile, thinking what a pain she was, and moved forward while being careful not to inconvenience others.

—What a troublesome kid.

He might grumble internally, but Shin Nosuke enjoyed this time. His younger sister, the only family he had, was happy, and that was the most important thing.

“So, what’s the event about?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Wait, are you going in without knowing anything?”

“Well, um… you know, there’s a talk event featuring samurai.”

Still clinging to his back, Himari popped her head out and pointed toward a special stage visible through the crowd. The event had just begun, and a smiling female host was waving her hands.

“Thank you for waiting! Today, we have the samurai of the Owari clan here with us! Heroes who fight against phantom beasts to protect everyone’s peace! Let’s hear them speak!”

The microphone was poorly adjusted, causing the sound to crackle painfully in their ears. However, the gathered audience was oblivious and cheered enthusiastically.

—Samurai, huh.

Shin Nosuke gazed at the stage with a mix of admiration.

Samurai are specialists who wield the power of the warrior spirit to combat phantom beast disasters. As the host introduced, they are heroes who fight against these disastrous phantom beasts. He had admired them as a child. However, it was a profession he could never aspire to.

As a result, he now held a complex mix of admiration and resentment.