Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

The Comet and the Unwanted Visitor

September 26, 2112

Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture

In contrast to the dazzling skyscrapers, there is a particularly dilapidated two-story apartment in a slightly old residential area. In one of its rooms, a woman lives alone. She was beautiful but had no education due to innate poverty. It was rare for this era, but she worked as a prostitute. However, as she grew older, her life became increasingly difficult. And now, she was staring intently at the news displayed on her mobile device.

'In the news, I saw my daughter for the first time in six years...'

The news featured a young girl. She was an adopted child of the Ryūjin race and, as a result, had been involved as a hostage in an unprecedented terrorist incident. The girl shared the same last name as the woman. The woman was gazing intensely at the girl's image.

'Her emaciated limbs and the dirty skin... all traces of the time we lived together had vanished. Seeing my daughter in such a state reminded me of a fairytale princess who escaped from a tragic fate and found happiness. The man also mentioned in the news article must be the high school student who took her away six years ago. I thought he had become quite handsome.'

The woman's memories from six years ago flashed through her mind. She once had a past where she gave her daughter up for adoption to a newly wealthy family in exchange for money.

'I later found out that the family who took in my daughter was the Hasena family, one of Japan's greatest business families. No wonder they could easily hand me over two million yen. I sold that girl. And she ended up marrying into one of Japan's most prestigious families. She... must have obtained the most elusive 'woman's happiness' in this world.'

The woman threw her mobile device aside. Then she picked up another mobile phone she used for work, left her home, and disappeared into the streets of the night.

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September 27, 2112

Yokohama Hisui Gakuen Academy

Comet Mizuo 3, discovered by an amateur astronomer in Hokkaidō, will make its closest approach to Earth in four days. It has been covered in the news, and the Astronomy Club, which has resumed its activities, was preparing for its observation. In the midst of this, Ryuji, Teru's guardian, visited the school. He was led to the reception room and sat facing the high school principal, Mika Chagawa.

"...Thank you for coming all this way, Ryuji Hasena-san."

"Yes, Teru is in your care. So... what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well... it's about Teru Kadoma-san."

Mika activated a virtual display in front of Ryuji and showed him footage from the surveillance cameras. It captured the front entrance of the school, where a dirty-looking man was arguing with the reception guard.

"Yesterday evening, a man visited the school to see her. He wanted to meet Teru Kadoma-san. Of course, we refused to allow someone who isn't a guardian to meet her. However... this man claimed to be her 'father.' But Kadoma-san only has a mother. I explained that to him and practically forced him to leave the school."

"...Teru's... father!?"

In 22nd-century Japan, the My Number system, which started in the 21st century, has completely permeated society. Not only financial, transportation, and medical activities, but even the biometric data of each individual is under government surveillance. Therefore, it is a well-known fact among the teachers that Teru has no father, her ties with her mother have been severed, and she was adopted by the Hasena family due to Ryuji's 'selfishness.'