The doll-like girl showed no outward change in expression, but the shifting light in her eyes suggested that Haruki's reaction had struck a chord deep within her.

  After being paired with Kayo Senju, Haruki Aizawa finally received his formal Civil Security license. Along with it, he was assigned his global IP Ranking.

  His starting rank was in the six-digit range—practically at the very bottom of the world's registered Civil Security officers. This was only natural; Haruki had zero official records to his name. To climb the dder, he had to sy Gastrea and complete high-risk missions.

  Now that he was officially a Promoter, Haruki felt no need to rush. Instead of sprinting headlong into battle, he decided to secure his footing. If he were alone, he wouldn't mind sleeping under a bridge, but he now had a nine-year-old girl in his care. He needed to provide at least a baseline of stability.

  Using the identity provided by the System, Haruki located his apartment. It was an older building, but the interior was surprisingly well-maintained and fully furnished. After moving in with Kayo, he spent some time organizing the space so it could accommodate two people.

  During this time, he kept a close eye on Kayo. Just as the official had said, her IQ was astronomical. She was hyper-aware of her surroundings, but because she saw through the world so clearly, she had stopped reacting to it. When you understand the ugly essence of reality too well, you lose the desire to engage with it.

  Miko was protecting herself through a shell of nihilism. Haruki didn't have the desire or the specialized skills to "save" her from her mental state; he simply provided for her basic needs and looked after her in his own blunt, straightforward way.

  As for meals... Haruki was a disaster in the kitchen. Since Sakiko wasn't here to handle the cooking, Kayo was effectively doomed to a diet of convenience store bentos for the foreseeable future.

  "This bento... it's good."

  When Haruki first tossed a convenience store meal onto the table for Kayo, he expected her to hate the processed taste. To his surprise, she ate with a quiet appetite and even initiated a conversation.

  Haruki didn't dwell on it, returning his focus to his meditation.

  "The things you said before..." Kayo began softly. "About not letting the Initiator fight... what did you mean?"

  "Exactly what I said," Haruki replied, opening his eyes. "I can handle the Gastrea by myself. There's no reason for a kid like you to be on a battlefield."

  "But Initiators are tools... Cursed Children were born for the sole purpose of eliminating Gastrea. It is our only meaning."

  "Is that so?" Haruki gnced at her.

  He didn't know much about the social climate of this world, but if a child believed her only value was as a biological weapon, it meant the entire world shared that warped perspective.

  Haruki despised that mindset. Regardless of their power, these girls were children with immature hearts and minds. For a society to force them onto the front lines spoke of a level of collective insanity he couldn't abide.

  His goal was to complete the System's mission and leave, but Haruki Aizawa was not a man who could tolerate sand in his eyes. If the rot of this world reached a point where he could no longer stand it, he wouldn't mind using his bde to "reset" the minds of the people here.

  That was his way of life. That was his Way of the Sword.

  With Kayo as his official partner, Haruki finally had the authority to hunt. However, he couldn't just wander out of the city whenever he pleased. Most Gastrea were locked behind the Monoliths, and crossing the barrier required strict clearance.

  His only option was to wait for IISO notifications. Occasionally, Gastrea would bypass the Monoliths through underground tunnels or waterways, entering the civilian zones. That was when Civil Security was called in.

  A few days ter, Haruki's first mission arrived. He told Kayo to stay home and headed to the site alone.

  The target was a Tokyo park. An Octopus-type Gastrea had crawled through the sewer system and emerged in the city. When Haruki arrived, the police on the scene immediately blocked him, questioning his ck of an Initiator.

  Haruki didn't care for their opinions. He had a formal license; no one had the right to stop him. He walked straight through the police cordons and entered the hot zone.

  The Gastrea looked like something out of a horror movie—deformed, alien, and moving with predatory speed. But to Haruki, its "speed" was ughable. Even by the standards of his previous mission world, this thing was only a low-level threat.

  He drew his bde and, with a single flick of his wrist, severed every one of its tentacles.

  The monster showed its true strength then: its regenerative factor. It began to heal at an impossible rate. This was why normal soldiers couldn't kill them and why Promoters needed Initiators. But Haruki had his own way. If it regenerated, he would simply kill it faster than it could heal.

  Minutes ter, Haruki walked out of the park. Behind him y a pile of minced meat that no amount of regeneration could fix.

  The police stood frozen in shock. By the time they regained their senses, the "Sword Ghost" was already gone.

  With that victory, Haruki's IP Ranking began to climb. More importantly, his System XP surged. Killing monsters was apparently equivalent to defeating powerful human foes. At this rate, he would level up and unlock new techniques in no time.

  Time flew. Haruki had been in the world of Bck Bullet for half a month.

  During this period, he soloed dozens of Gastrea incursions. His IP Ranking skyrocketed from the six-digit gutter to the four-digit range. He was only halfway to his next System level-up.

  Naturally, his reputation began to spread through the city.

  "The Promoter without an Initiator."

  People viewed him with a mix of awe, confusion, and disdain. The disdain came from other Promoters who saw his refusal to let Kayo fight as a personal insult to the "efficiency" of their trade. To them, Initiators were tools; Haruki's "protection" of Kayo felt like a mockery of their reality.

  Haruki ignored them all. He continued his one-man war, eventually reaching Rank 1500. In Tokyo, he was no longer an unknown. He was now known as the "Sword Ghost," Haruki Aizawa.

  As the System predicted, a higher rank granted access to higher-level targets. The IISO began assigning him tougher cases, including Stage III Gastrea.

  A Stage III was a behemoth—the size of a building with a regenerative factor that would have given Haruki trouble when he first arrived. But now, he was better equipped.

  Because he was in the top 5000, the IISO provided him with a specialized service: a custom-made Varanium weapon.

  Varanium was the only thing Gastrea truly feared. A bde made of this metal would suppress a Gastrea's healing factor on contact, turning a long battle into a quick execution.

  Haruki now carried two swords. His trusty Kanesada for regur combat and his new Varanium bde for Gastrea.

  He named the new sword Onikiri (Demon Ssher).

  With Onikiri in hand, Haruki became a whirlwind of death. He was so efficient that his name inspired as much fear as it did respect. Every Civil Security officer in Tokyo now knew the name of the "Sword Ghost."

  After another successful hunt, Haruki returned to his apartment.

  He had earned more than enough money to move into a luxury penthouse in the heart of the city, but he didn't care for status. He was a traveler here, not a permanent resident. Besides, Kayo seemed to have developed a strange attachment to their cramped, quiet apartment.

  "I'm back."

  Haruki stepped inside and pced the usual bentos on the table. Kayo, who had been watching TV, was already waiting at the door. She moved with practiced ease to help him put away his gear.

  Over the past two weeks, she had gradually opened up to him. The dead light in her eyes had softened into something resembling a normal girl's gaze, though a deep, cynical maturity still lingered in the corners of her soul.

  Their interactions were usually silent—both were introverts by nature. But today, Kayo spoke up as he sat down.

  "Aizawa-san... why won't you let me fight as your Initiator?"

  ***********************************************

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