Prologue
Morning. A deserted fishing port somewhere in Hokkaido, Japan.
In a long-abandoned warehouse tucked away from prying eyes, an illegal arms deal was taking place.
"Everything here comes highly recommended."
A foreign arms dealer in a trench coat showcased his top products, pulling them from a container and presenting them to his Yakuza clientele.
"For instance, take this—an American-made 5.56mm assault rifle. These are surplus military stock, but they come with ammunition and can be supplied in bulk at a reasonable price. And for a limited time, we’re throwing in a complimentary water dispenser."
"We don’t need a damn water dispenser."
The Yakuza lieutenant, dressed in a crisp white suit, rejected the offer in a low, menacing voice.
"What we need is something stronger. We’re planning to take over the National Diet Building to legalize our syndicate. I want something big, something that goes ZUDODODO like in the movies."
"Hmm… sounds like you’re talking about a 13mm heavy machine gun, typically used for trench suppression?"
"No clue, but yeah, that sounds about right."
"Understood. Give me a moment."
At the dealer’s signal, his men rolled out a significantly larger container with a deep, metallic scrape.
"Heavy machine guns don’t come cheap, you know. They’re in high demand. But, if you’re willing to sign up for the water dispenser, I could offer a discount—"
"I told you—we don’t need the damn water dispenser. Just show me the goods already."
"Very well."
The arms dealer sighed theatrically before unlocking the container as requested.
But inside, instead of a gleaming black heavy machine gun, they found—
The very same Yakuza lieutenant who had just been speaking, crammed inside the crate.
His face was battered, blood dripping from his nose, unconscious.
The arms dealer recoiled in shock, stumbling backward onto the ground.
The remaining Yakuza members immediately drew their pistols and knives, tensing as the tension crackled through the dim warehouse.
A moment of chilling silence spread through the air—
And then, a voice cut through it.
A girl's voice.
"—Move, don’t move. Do as you like."
At some point—
The 13mm Browning heavy machine gun that was supposed to be inside the container had been taken out, fully assembled, and mounted on a tripod in the dead center of the warehouse.
But that wasn’t the real issue.
The real issue was the girl.
She sat atop the gun’s metallic frame, using it like a throne.
A black-haired girl, calm and composed.
"Who… who the hell are you?!"
The arms dealer’s voice trembled as he demanded an answer.
The girl slowly stood up.
Morning light streamed through the high windows, catching on her jet-black, silk-smooth long hair, glistening like dew.
Her uniform wasn’t from any school in the area.
Tall, with a flawless, snow-white complexion. A beauty so perfect she seemed artificial, expression frozen, as if carved from ice.
Her faintly crimson eyes narrowed, and she spoke, her voice as cold as a verdict.
"Time’s up."
"…What?"
"Your time is up. Savor it while you can—the final moment where filth like you still stands on two legs."
And then—
"Not that there’s even a second left to savor."
In that instant—
The arms dealer, the Yakuza, everyone in the warehouse—
Their bones shattered simultaneously, limbs crushed into dust.
Their bodies slammed headfirst into the concrete, one after another.
All of them. Unconscious.
One second.
That was all it took.
And when that second passed—
The only one left standing was the girl.
She retrieved a smartphone from her pocket and dialed a number.
"It’s me. It’s done."
『Good work, Agent Chronosia.』
That was her name.
Codename: Chronosia. Real name: Shia Kurono. Seventeen years old.
『Flawless execution, just as the reports said. We’ll handle the cleanup on our end. We’ve booked a hotel nearby, so take the day off from school and return to your home in Tokyo tomorrow—』
"No. I’m going back now."
『Huh? But, um, there aren’t any urgent assignments in Tokyo at the moment—』
"There is. So I’m going. No need to arrange transportation. I’ll run."
A second-year student at a Tokyo high school.
An S-Class Agent of the Secret Division of the International Police Organization, waging a covert war against the world’s criminal underbelly.
『R-Run? But that’s… It’s about 900 kilometers from your location to Tokyo…』
"Yes. Which is why, for me, it won’t take even a second."
The strongest esper in the world.
As she ended the call, Shia’s right eye gleamed a deep crimson.
And in that instant—
All sound vanished.
Everything stopped.
In the sudden, frozen silence, only one pair of footsteps echoed.
This was a world where only she could move.
Time Stop.
That was her ability.
She glanced at her wristwatch. The second hand, having lost its momentum, remained frozen at precisely 6:00 AM.
Leaving the abandoned warehouse behind, she tilted her gaze toward the rising sun to confirm her direction.
Then, she stepped forward—onto the ocean, frozen in time.
The water’s surface, halted in time, was harder than diamond. Yet, paradoxically, it rebounded with a force greater than a trampoline, sending her step soaring.
With the superhuman physical abilities unique to espers, Shia expertly controlled the exponentially increasing repulsion, converting all momentum into pure forward velocity.
And in the blink of an eye—
She broke the sound barrier.
Crossing the frozen Tsugaru Strait, she shot straight through Honshu and all the way to Tokyo in a single leap.
Before long, she touched down—right at the entrance to her apartment complex.
Opening the door, she stepped inside, slipping off her shoes with a quiet breath.
Not from exhaustion—far from it.
Rather, it was anticipation.
The anticipation of the most crucial personal mission of her daily life.
"Alright…"
She released her Time Stop. Electricity and gas could function again.
Quickly undressing, she stepped into the shower.
With a fluffy sponge lathered in body soap, she meticulously washed away every trace of blood and sweat from her slender yet perfectly feminine figure.
After drying her hair with a dryer, she stood before the bathroom mirror.
And stopped time once more.
Dressing in her spare uniform, grabbing her school bag, and heading to the entrance.
She stood before the full-length mirror.
Her summer uniform—a short-sleeved white blouse paired with a neatly hemmed blue plaid skirt—reflected back at her.
She reached for the ribbon holding her hair in place at the side and retied it ten times.
"…Alright. This should be fine."
She murmured, her expression still unreadable—yet a faint trace of uncertainty lingered in her voice.
Even surrounded by a thousand blades and loaded gun barrels, she would never falter.
But now, in this frozen world, her heart was pounding.
Her pulse raced, deafening, as though it would burst from her chest.
She released her Time Stop and focused her hearing.
Soon—she caught the sound of a door opening in the apartment next door.
Now.
Timing her movements perfectly, she reached for her doorknob with trembling fingers.
The morning sun greeted her as she stepped outside, narrowing her crimson eyes against the light.
Feigning coincidence, she turned—just as planned—to the boy stepping out of the neighboring apartment.
"Good morning, Kai-kun."
"Morning, Kurono-san. You know, lately, we keep leaving at the same time, huh?"
"Just a coincidence. By the way…"
Short white hair.
A lean yet well-proportioned frame beneath his short-sleeved dress shirt.
A classmate at the same high school.
Kairo.
"Since we’re already here, um… w-would you like to walk to school together?"
"Sure. It’s more fun with company."
Inside, Shia screamed with joy.
But outside, her face remained perfectly blank as she quietly stepped in line beside him.
The black silk of her hair shimmered as the ribbon at her side bounced excitedly.
The world’s strongest esper.
An S-Class Agent of the International Police Organization’s Secret Division.
Chronosia.
Shia Kurono was in love.
Post a Comment