The central district of [Fumetsu] was the heart of the entire island. The main headquarters of the [Black and White Corps] were located there, along with many other essential institutions for governing all districts.
Most of the territory was urbanized, but there were also large rural areas outside, away from the chaos typical of big cities.
In one of these places was a villa equipped with a large swimming pool, a spacious garage filled with luxury cars, and every comfort imaginable, bought with a lot of money.
Within a radius of at least 20 kilometers, there was no other residence, so no neighbors could complain about the loud music that was shaking the windows of the villa.
A party—or rather, a reckless illegal gathering—was underway.
Several people danced to erratic rhythms, while drinking alcohol and consuming drugs.
A [White Corps] member, with black hair and Asian features, entered through a sliding door and strode toward the center of this chaos.
None of the partygoers paid him any mind or was remotely disturbed by the presence of a law enforcement officer, who, under normal circumstances, would have thrown everyone in jail.
The only reason was a woman, rather young, who was toasting with her "friends."
"Come on! The night is still young! Let's have another round!!!!!"
She gulped down another glass and leaned slightly toward one of the guys nearby, giving him an open-mouthed kiss.
"Good kiss! For being a kid! What do you say we go to my room now? We could—"
"Miss, I'm sorry to disturb you, but..."
The [White Corps] interrupted her drunken ramblings.
"What?! Can't you see I'm celebrating! I deserve some fun after months of working!"
*(If by "months of work" you mean begging your beloved daddy to turn a blind eye while boats pass through the Japanese naval blockade, then you deserve to die, cursed whore!)*
No trace of disgust or contempt appeared on the law enforcer's face, despite his internal feelings toward the woman he was supposed to "protect."
Holding back his urge to slap the contemptible woman before him, the [White Corps] slightly bowed as a sign of apology.
"Again, I'm sorry to bother you, but I really need to speak with you privately. It's an important matter."
"Tsk! Fine, get your ass moving!"
She stood up, sighing and cursing, angry about the "injustice" she felt she was suffering.
Her spoiled, egoistic attitude persisted even as they reached the secluded area of the house.
"So? What's the matter?"
"Ma'am, a few minutes ago, a hacker infiltrated our computers..."
"And that's my problem!?"
"...And he sent a message addressed to you: 'You're dead. You can't escape us.' I think it's necessary to take the threat seriously. With your permission, I'd like to discreetly remove the guests and secure the property."
"Absolutely not! This isn't the first threat I've received. I won't be intimidated by some computer freak who wants to mess with me! A top [Black Corps] elite!"
"Ma'am..."
"I don't want to hear anything! You're paid to protect me , do your job! I'm going back to the party!"
The [White Corps] said nothing until he was sure the woman was out of earshot.
"Fuck! That spoiled, arrogant bitch! I'd gladly feed her to the lions if I could!"
His unprofessional remark was understandable.
The woman he and other colleagues protected seven days a week, 365 days a year, was named Yuki Mikan.
She was the only daughter and relative of the vice admiral, head of the naval forces surrounding [Fumetsu].
About 14 years ago, young Mikan lived in Japan as a child, rarely seeing her father.
Why? Because at the time, the vice admiral was mostly uninterested in caring for his family. His efforts were entirely focused on climbing the ranks.
His daughter, despite being young, did not accept this situation well. One day, in an outburst of childish anger, she accidentally activated her [magic].
The results were catastrophic. The entire vice admiral's house was instantly frozen.
His wife and everyone else inside at that moment died, killed by their own daughter. Only little Mikan survived the incident.
To avoid the media scandal that would follow—and the serious danger of being locked away somewhere if the public learned what had happened—her father decided to manipulate the facts.
Instead of an accident, it was presented as a targeted attack by some rogue [mages] against a promising member of Japan's self-defense forces.
The chaos that ensued had negative repercussions on the entire population of [esper]s and [mages].
But the man didn't care; he staged his daughter's death, spending a huge sum of money to make the world believe she had died along with her mother. To keep her safe from prying eyes.
For a couple of years, things went well. Mikan had erased the event from her psyche entirely. She missed her mother, that was certain, but thanks to her renewed closeness with her father, she managed to overcome her grief.
The vice admiral's family became a symbol of the danger of [mages], which helped him advance quickly in his career thanks to the support of powerful allies.
The political machinations he was involved in unknowingly, allowed him to reach his current military rank and gain full control of the naval blockade around [Fumetsu].
That day marked the beginning of his nightmare.
A few days later, Mokuro Goto visited Mikan's father under the pretext of discussing the island's future, now that he was in charge.
"It would be a real shame for your career if your 'supporters' found out that your daughter is like 'us,' don't you think?" (Goto)
"I don't know what you're talking about! I buried my daughter alongside my wife because of your kind! Now get out of my office!"
"Really? Then it means there's no problem if I talk to the press about what I've uncovered, right?" (Goto)
"Such baseless accusations are—"
"Do you think I don't have proof of what you did? You were clever in hiding your tracks, but I'm not one of those naive politicians who believe your lies just because it suits you. I know what you've done, and I know what your daughter did. If you don't want everything you've built to fall apart and for your little girl to be dissected by some crazy scientist, you'll listen to my 'offer,' got it?" (Goto)
The leader of the [Black Corps] knew how to threaten someone even to the point of trapping them.
The vice admiral had no choice but to hand over his daughter to Goto.
"This is how it will be: your little girl will be safe with me, on my island. I promise, on the life of my little Kaori, she will be treated like a princess, and she'll never lack anything... if you do as I say." (Goto)
"What do you want?! Just tell me, that's enough!"
"Nothing too difficult. She just needs to turn a blind eye when I tell her to, and ensure your men do the same." (Goto)
Thus began the "collaboration" between the two men. The vice admiral allowed ships filled with weapons, people, and God knows what else to pass the naval blockade without issue, as long as he was certain his daughter was alive and well.
To prevent any enemies from discovering Mikan, Goto created a cover for her.
Officially, the girl worked for him, though in reality, she did nothing but enjoy her days.
Even among the [Black Corps], her true importance was carefully kept secret, partly due to Goto's growing paranoia.
This also meant that Kaori's father couldn't place many of his subordinates close to her, instead relying on numerous [White Corps] and a single [Black Ghost] for protection.
"Aomori-san, are all units in position?" (Fumio)
"Yes, Fumio-sensei. We're ready; just give the order." (Kohaku)
"Good, my boys. Remember the plan and don't get caught... Owari-san, you can start."
Yuki Mikan's house protection system was state-of-the-art.
In addition to 50 [White Corps] veterans, serving as "guard dogs" and an elite [Black Ghost], as an extra.
The entire house was equipped with formidable defenses that would have challenged even dozens of highly experienced mages and assassins. A frontal assault on the house was impossible.
Fumio had long dismissed that option. The only way to hit the target was to make her flee, sending her into panic and drawing her away from the villa.
According to intelligence from the leaders, Mikan had absolute control over her guards, who also acted as glorified butlers for her, the pampered daughter of the vice-admiral.
Therefore, even if Fumio had gone for a better strategic option, the woman's orders took priority.
Goto wanted to give his hostage a golden cage, as he had promised his father. Confident that he had kept his existence hidden, he had overlooked this important detail.
Not even the leader of the [Black Corps] was perfect, contrary to what everyone else believed.
This mistake of his would cost him dearly.
"Have you tracked down the hacker?"
"Not yet. They've hidden their tracks well."
"Damn it. Our 'boss' doesn't want to interrupt the party. Let's hope everything goes smoothly, but stay alert."
The [White Corps] was talking with the three IT specialists of their team, who were managing the computers monitoring every inch of the property.
Thanks to a dense network of sensors—motion, heat, night-vision cameras, and mana detection—not even a fly would escape the eyes of the three security experts.
"Let's do it. It might look like some stupid prank, but I highly doubt a nerd with a regular computer can send us messages without leaving traces."
"Wait... maybe... no!"
"Is he entering our computers!?"
"Impossible!!!!!"
The three [White Corps] began typing furiously on their own computers, running codes and algorithms to block the attack they were experiencing.
"What's happening?! Answer me!"
Their superior, who was still there, watched the scene with growing concern.
"We're being attacked, sir! Our security systems are being disabled by the hacker!"
"Sensors, cameras, mana detectors—all offline! We are blind and deaf now!"
"They're cutting off our communications! We can't call for reinforcements! It must be an organized group! A single person couldn't do this alone!"
Far from the villa, an excited Kohaku was continuing her task.
Her right hand and left hand were respectively writing complex codes on two keyboards, connected to two different monitors.
Her amber eyes shone brightly, a clear sign she was exercising her powers as an [expert].
"Ah! You're good, but not good enough! I am in a league of my own!"
Pushing her powers even further, causing herself to nosebleed, the girl, Cloe's best friend, succeeded in cutting the [White Corps] out of their own system. Now she was in control of the house.
"It was harder than expected... but I did it... Kimiko-chan, you can go now! I'll prepare the drones!"
"Got it!" (Kimiko)
She was the first to move, reaching a specific position. About 800 meters from their target's villa, there was a streetlight pole, a small part of a transformer vital for electricity distribution in this rural area.
"Bye-bye, Light! [Flash]!"
Throwing electric shocks from her hands, the young [mage] struck the pole. The result was immediate.
The transformer exploded, severely damaging the entire power line. Under Kimiko's amused gaze, she couldn't help but laugh slightly at the spectacle.
"Did it, Guys!" (Kimiko)
"Excellent work. Kusanagi-san, now it's your turn." (Fumio)
"Understood, I'm moving into position." (Kuro)
With the transformer destroyed, the villa lost power. The guests at Mikan's party, and she herself, were surprised when the lights went out and the music stopped.
Everyone was left in complete darkness, except for the glow of their phones, though they were too drunk to realize the severity of the situation.
Fortunately, the [White Corps] guarding the house were not amateurs. Each of them took their positions, following protocol, waiting for a possible attack.
Meanwhile, in the computer room, the head of the protection team was increasingly realizing how dire their situation was.
"Why isn't the backup generator kicking in!?"
"Before the power went out, the hacker blocked it, sir! We are completely cut off!"
"Fuck! You three, lock yourselves in here and don't come out for any reason. If the power returns, find a way to regain control of the house!"
"Yes, sir!"
The three responded without hesitation. Being mostly incapable of fighting—since they were only IT specialists—they would be useless in case of an attack, only burdens to their comrades.
("My phone has no signal, and our radios are patchy! This is not good at all!")
Unbeknownst to him, on the roof of the house, several drones belonging to Kohaku were positioned, transmitting a continuous signal that was disrupting communications.
The reason Fumio chose to attack this house instead of any other place was because of how easy it was to isolate the [White Corps] from their central network.
If they had carried out a similar plan in the city, in places frequented by Mikan, within minutes, another hundred law enforcement agents would have arrived, thwarting the operation.
But here, in total wilderness, they were alone and unable to call for help.
"Okay, listen up. Now everyone must evacuate! Miss, we need to get to safety!"
"What the hell do you want now!? I told you! You must protect me, but don't ruin my fun!"
If she had been sober, perhaps the daughter of the vice-admiral would have understood her life was in real danger. Unfortunately for the head of the [White Corps], she was not.
The other guests at the party also seemed unaware of what was happening.
"Damn! This is just what I didn't need! We don't have time for-"
Only the well-trained reflexes of the man allowed him to grab the flying knife aimed at the woman's head.
Had he not noticed that suspicious movement in the shadows, there might have been a corpse in front of her.
Mikan froze in terror when she saw the weapon flying toward her. All her drunkenness vanished instantly when she realized how much she was risking. In that moment, chaos erupted.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
Someone screamed, and everyone panicked, rushing toward the exits as fast as possible.
In the darkness, many pushed and trampled each other, knocking over glasses, bottles of alcohol, and more.
In all that chaos, the daughter of the vice-admiral was dragged out by the man who had saved her life.
"Stay close to me, miss! We need to reach a safe room!"
The figure who had thrown the weapon was Kuro. The 17-year-old infiltrated the house using his stealth skills and his [magic], which was perfect for moving silently in the darkness.
Maintaining a safe distance, the boy silently followed Mikan and her protector.
Other [White Corps] members joined the first, escorting the Woman to safety, while their leader issued orders.
"(This isn't good... I think I have to take a risk.)" ( Kuro )