Vol 0
The Monsters in the Elite
Chapter 9: Icarus's Delusion
After returning to Tokyo alongside my associate, we continued our investigation.
Most of what we uncovered led nowhere.
Dead ends.
Rumors.
Contradictions.
Half-truths.
Then we found the journal of a surgeon.
At first, it seemed ordinary.
The writings were mundane. Long shifts. Exhaustion. Medical notes. Complaints about hospital management.
Nothing unusual.Nothing important.
At least, that was what I believed.
Then I noticed something.
The deeper I read, the more apparent it became.
The surgeon had wandered dangerously close to the truth.
Closer than he ever should have been.
So we turned to the final entries written before his disappearance.
And this is what we found.
2025
The operating room was silent except for the rhythmic beeping of machinery.
Several surgeons stood around a young boy lying unconscious on the operating table.
Among them was a twenty-five-year-old surgeon named Yutaro.He was gifted.
Some would even argue he was the most talented surgeon in the entire hospital.
Recently, one of the hospital's head surgeons had died under circumstances that remained unclear.
Since then, Yutaro had inherited many of the responsibilities left behind.
The operation was progressing smoothly.
Then the doors opened.A hospital staff member stepped inside.
Every surgeon immediately turned toward him.
Yutaro's expression darkened.
"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped.
"Can't you see we're in the middle of surgery?"
The staff member swallowed nervously.
"Yutaro, they need you somewhere else."
The room froze.
"These orders came from above. I have nothing to do with it."
Yutaro stared at him.Then he looked back toward the boy lying on the table.
One of the surgeons beside him grabbed his arm.
"We can't do this."
His voice shook.
"Without you, he's not going to make it."
Yutaro smiled confidently.
He gave the man a thumbs-up.
"I promise you this."
His voice was unwavering.
"This boy will live to see tomorrow."He turned away.
"I alone can solemnly swear it."
Then he left.
As they hurried through the hospital corridors, Yutaro frowned.
"What's the situation?"
The staff member answered immediately.
"The patient is an associate of Mr. Sukamo."
Yutaro's expression changed.
"He was involved in a car accident an hour ago."
"He needs surgery immediately."
Yutaro looked back toward the operating room they had left behind.
"What about the boy?"
The staff member didn't even hesitate.
"Forget the boy.""He'll live."
"Focus on the task at hand."
Yutaro clenched his jaw but continued forward.
As they rounded a corner, they passed a tall blond foreigner.
The man briefly glanced at Yutaro.
Yutaro glanced back.
Then both continued walking.
Neither knew that moment would matter later.
For eight straight hours, Yutaro operated.
By the time he finished, the sun had risen.
Exhausted, he returned home and collapsed onto his bed.
Within seconds, he was asleep.Several hours later, his phone rang.
Yutaro groaned and answered.
The voice on the other end belonged to one of the surgeons from the previous operation.
The man's voice was trembling.
"Yutaro..."
Immediately, Yutaro sat upright.
Something was wrong.
"The little boy from yesterday..."
Silence.
"...he's gone."
Yutaro froze.
His mind rejected the words.
"What do you mean?"
The surgeon's voice cracked.
"He passed away."Yutaro dropped the phone.
It slipped from his fingers and hit the floor.
"No..."
His breathing became uneven.
"No... that's not possible..."
He remembered his promise.
His promise to his colleagues.
His promise to himself.
Tears filled his eyes.
"I swore..."
"I swore he'd survive..."
Later that day, Yutaro returned to the hospital.
The boy's mother was waiting.
The moment she saw him, her expression hardened.Yutaro lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
His voice shook.
"I'm sorry we couldn't save your son."
The woman stared at him.
Tears welled in her eyes.
Yet beneath those tears was anger.
A terrible anger.
"Is it true?"
Yutaro slowly raised his head.
She continued.
"Is it true that you left in the middle of surgery?"
Yutaro looked away.
"I was doing my job."
The woman laughed bitterly.
"Your job?"She stepped closer.
"Tell me."
"Was your job saving lives?"
"Or saving the rich?"
Yutaro couldn't answer.
The woman continued.
"I've seen people like you before."
"People who pretend they're helping others."
"But all they care about is money."
Yutaro shook his head.
"No."
"I didn't care about the money."
"All I wanted was for your son to survive."
"I swear—"
"THEN WHY DID YOU LET HIM DIE?!"
The hallway fell silent.Yutaro stopped speaking.
He had no answer.
None.
The woman pointed at him.
"Open your eyes."
"Look at what you've done."
"It wasn't your colleagues' fault."
"It wasn't fate."
"It was yours."
The woman turned and walked away.
Leaving Yutaro alone.
Later, he stood inside a hospital bathroom.
His reflection stared back at him.
For the first time in years, he hated the face looking back.Moments later, he walked outside.
Then collapsed to his knees.
A scream escaped his throat.
People stopped and stared.
Some looked concerned.
Others looked disturbed.
Yutaro didn't care.
The hatred he felt toward himself was overwhelming.
Eventually, he made his way to the CEO's office.
He opened the door.
Three men were inside.
The CEO.
Mr. Sukamo.
And the blond foreigner from the previous night.The CEO looked terrified.
The foreigner merely observed.
Mr. Sukamo smiled.
"Ah."
"You must be Yutaro."
He walked forward and shook his hand.
"I heard you performed excellent surgery on my associate."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Yutaro forced a smile.
Then turned toward the CEO.
"I'm resigning."
Everyone went quiet.
The CEO blinked.
"What?"
Yutaro looked down.
"I can't do this anymore."Mr. Sukamo exchanged a glance with the foreigner.
The foreigner sighed.
Then, in flawless Japanese, he spoke.
"I think you're safer here."
"This is where you belong."
Yutaro ignored him.
"A boy died because of me."
Then his gaze shifted toward Mr. Sukamo.
Anger appeared in his eyes.
"And it's your fault too."
Mr. Sukamo tilted his head.
"My fault?"
"If you hadn't taken me out of that surgery," Yutaro said, "that boy would still be alive."
Mr. Sukamo placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If we hadn't taken you away...""...my associate would be dead."
His voice remained calm.
"Are you saying his life mattered less?"
Yutaro immediately shoved the hand away.
"Don't twist my words."
"I'm asking who gave you the right to decide who lives and who dies."
Mr. Sukamo's expression softened.
"The boy contributed nothing."
"My associate did."
Yutaro grabbed him by the collar.
The room tensed.
The blond foreigner finally spoke.
"I suggest you let him go."
After several seconds, Yutaro released him.
Mr. Sukamo calmly adjusted his clothing.
"You should learn to control that temper"
"You never know what might happen."
Then he smiled.
"Please reconsider resigning."
"We'll speak again soon."
"Now, if you'd excuse us."
Reluctantly, Yutaro left.
But he didn't go far.Instead, he stood outside the door.
Listening.
The foreigner spoke first.
"So we're really not going to tell him?"
Mr. Sukamo chuckled.
"Tell him what?"
"That we ensured he became an attending surgeon."
Yutaro's eyes widened.
Mr. Sukamo shrugged.
"He would've gotten there eventually."
"We merely accelerated the process."
A sharp pain shot through Yutaro's chest.
Everything he had achieved suddenly felt tainted.
Artificial.
Manufactured.Controlled.
Then another statement reached his ears.
One that changed everything.
Mr. Sukamo turned toward the CEO.
"Don't forget tonight's meeting."
"I heard my colleague is renaming the Superhuman Project."
Yutaro frowned.
The Superhuman Project?
What was that?
The conversation continued.
"Bring your mask."
"Bring your cloak."
Then the foreigner added:
"And don't forget the password."
A pause followed.Then a single word.
"Puppeteer."
Yutaro stepped away from the door.
His heart pounded.
Questions filled his mind.
Too many questions.
Curiosity overpowered caution.
By the time evening arrived, he had already made his decision.
That night, a massive mansion stood illuminated beneath the darkness.
Luxury vehicles lined the property.
Politicians.
Executives.Businessmen.
People with power.
People with influence.
People who could shape nations.
Yutaro arrived in a taxi.
A cheap outsider among giants.
He adjusted the mask covering his face.
Pulled his cloak tighter.
Then stared at the mansion.
A strange feeling settled over him.
Fear.
Excitement.Curiosity.
All three at once.
He took a step forward.
"I wonder what I'll find..."
And then he entered.
Vol 0
The Monsters in the Elite
Chapter 10: Icarus's Downfall
I continued reading Yutaro Fujiwara's journal.
The final pages were stained, worn by age and time. Yet the words remained.
And so did the truth.
---
Yutaro approached the gates of the mansion.
Two guards stopped him.
"Password?"
Yutaro hesitated for only a second.
"Puppeteer."
The gates opened.
He stepped inside.
The mansion was unlike anything he had ever seen.
Its halls stretched endlessly, decorated with expensive paintings and polished marble floors. Men and women wandered through the corridors wearing masks and cloaks, speaking quietly among themselves.
Nobody paid attention to him.
At first.
Yutaro kept his head down and blended into the crowd.
As he walked, he noticed several groups gathered around tables.
They weren't discussing business.
They were studying files.
Children's files.
One folder was labeled:
Best Physical Prowess
Underneath were three names.
Scarlet.
Dusk.
Iron.
Yutaro frowned.
He flipped through a few pages.
Psychological evaluations.
Medical records.
Performance reports.
The amount of information was disturbing.
Yet nothing immediately appeared illegal.
"Perhaps it's some kind of educational research..."
Yutaro muttered.
Eventually he decided he had seen enough.
He attempted to leave.
Unfortunately, the mansion was far larger than he expected.
Within minutes he was completely lost.
After wandering through several hallways, he opened a door and entered what appeared to be a research laboratory.
The room was abandoned.
Dust covered the desks.
Stacks of papers sat scattered across the floor.
Most had been burned.
One had survived.
Yutaro picked it up.
His eyes narrowed.
SUBJECT X EXPERIMENT
He immediately began reading.
The report described an orphaned boy.
A victim of severe bullying.
A child who had apparently been selected for an experiment designed to create a "superhuman."
The document claimed the boy had been relocated to Washington D.C.
Placed into an American high school.
Observed for months.
The report referred to him only as Subject X.
Further down, another name appeared.
Subject N.
A female student.
The report described how Subject X became emotionally dependent upon her.
Obsessed.
Unstable.
Dangerously attached.
Yutaro continued reading.
The report stated Subject X had eventually been detained.
Official cause of death:
Overdose.
But beneath that section another sentence began.
The actual cause of death—
The remainder had been burned away.
Yutaro slowly lowered the document.
Something about the entire report made his stomach turn.
Suddenly the laboratory door opened.
A masked man entered.
Yutaro quickly placed the paper back down.
The man approached.
"What are you doing in here?"
Yutaro forced a calm expression.
"I got lost."
The man sighed.
"These are old files from two years ago. Ignore them. Head downstairs to the main hall."
Yutaro froze.
That voice.
That accent.
He had heard it before.
"Paul..."
The man stopped.
"...Is that you?"
Silence.
Then the man grabbed Yutaro's arm.
"Yutaro."
Paul's voice became serious.
"So you're the one who arrived in the taxi."
Yutaro swallowed.
"I was just curious—"
"That curiosity is going to get you killed."
Paul's grip tightened.
"They already know someone broke into areas they shouldn't have entered."
Yutaro's face paled.
"They just don't know it's you."
The door burst open.
Several masked figures entered.
One stepped forward.
"Is this the intruder?"
Paul closed his eyes.
For a moment he looked genuinely disappointed.
Then he released Yutaro.
"Yes."
The men seized him.
Yutaro struggled.
It accomplished nothing.
He was dragged upstairs.
---
The room they brought him to was dark.
One figure sat alone.
Black cloak.
Black mask.
A permanent frown carved into its face.
The figure studied Yutaro.
Calmly.
Coldly.
"So."
The man said.
"This is our intruder."
Silence.
"I suppose we'll have to dispose of him."
Paul stepped forward immediately.
"Wait."
The masked man looked toward him.
"Why?"
Paul spoke carefully.
"He's valuable."
The room fell silent.
Paul continued.
"He's spent years maintaining your assets."
"He possesses skills that are difficult to replace."
"He saw almost nothing important."
The masked man considered the argument.
For a long moment.
Then he laughed softly.
"You make a fair point."
He stood.
"He's valuable."
A pause.
"But not irreplaceable."
The man waved his hand.
"Escort him out."
---
Paul personally led him outside.
Once they were far enough away, Paul removed his mask.
His expression had become deadly serious.
"Listen carefully."
Yutaro stared at him.
"Do not come back."
Paul stepped closer.
"Do not tell anyone what you saw."
His voice lowered.
"If you do..."
"They will find you."
Yutaro's breathing became shallow.
Paul continued.
"They are always watching."
"Even during your weakest moments."
The last thing Yutaro felt was a sharp impact against the side of his head.
Darkness.
---
Morning.
Yutaro woke up on his bedroom floor.
His head throbbed.
For several moments he convinced himself everything had been a dream.
Then he entered his bathroom.
And froze.
Hanging from the mirror was the golden mask he had worn.
His blood ran cold.
It had happened.
Every bit of it.
Yutaro immediately searched his house.
Something felt wrong.
Not messy.
Not damaged.
Wrong.
As if someone had rearranged reality itself.
After unscrewing one of his lightbulbs, he discovered a microphone.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
An hour later he had found twenty-four surveillance devices hidden throughout his home.
Yutaro stared at them in disbelief.
He was being watched.
---
Using old professional contacts, Yutaro tracked down a retired investigator.
A man known only as Mr. Yamada.
He arrived at the apartment.
Knocked.
The door opened.
The elderly man looked at him.
Then immediately pulled him inside.
"Are you insane?"
Yutaro blinked.
"What?"
Yamada slammed the door shut.
"They let you walk away."
"And this is what you decide to do?"
Yutaro slowly realized something.
"You were there."
Yamada sighed.
"You weren't the only intruder."
"I simply knew how to blend in."
Yutaro stared at him.
"If you know what they're doing then why don't you stop them?"
Yamada laughed.
A tired laugh.
The laugh of a man who had spent too many years staring into darkness.
"Stop them?"
He shook his head.
"You're still young."
Yutaro clenched his fists.
"Think about the lives we'd save."
Yamada's expression hardened.
"Save?"
He pointed toward the window.
"If the wrong governments learn what is happening here..."
"If the wrong people panic..."
"If the wrong countries react..."
"We could create another international catastrophe."
Yutaro remained silent.
Yamada lowered his voice.
"I heard them discussing you."
"They consider you useful."
"The perfect pawn."
His eyes locked onto Yutaro's.
"You are not a hero."
"You are not the man who saves the world."
"Know your place."
---
Yutaro stormed out.
As he entered his car, Yamada stepped outside.
For the final time he spoke.
"Don't fly too close to the sun, Icarus."
Yutaro drove away.
He didn't understand.
Not yet.
---
Hours later he sat alone in a restaurant.
Eating far too quickly.
A waiter approached.
"Slow down."
Yutaro apologized.
The waiter smiled.
Then said:
"Don't fly too close to the sun, Icarus."
Yutaro froze.
The smile never reached the waiter's eyes.
For the first time that day, genuine fear entered his heart.
He immediately paid and left.
As he exited, every employee in the restaurant was staring at him.
Watching.
Waiting.
Observing.
---
He spent the rest of the afternoon wandering Tokyo.
Trying to calm himself.
Trying to convince himself he was imagining things.
Then he noticed footsteps.
Behind him.
When he sped up.
They sped up.
When he slowed down.
They slowed down.
Someone was following him.
Eventually he bumped into a stranger.
The man apologized.
Then handed him four photographs.
"They're yours."
Yutaro looked down.
His face drained of color.
The photographs showed him meeting Yamada.
Speaking with Yamada.
Entering Yamada's apartment.
Attached was a note.
Written in red ink.
DON'T FLY TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN, ICARUS.
Yutaro spun around.
Across the street stood a familiar figure.
Mr. Sukamo.
Watching him.
The traffic light changed.
A vehicle passed.
And when it did...
Mr. Sukamo was gone.
---
Shaken, Yutaro finally returned to his car.
Only to discover one of the tires had been slashed.
He stared at it.
Then laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because he finally understood.
They weren't trying to kill him.
Not yet.
They were playing with him.
And they wanted him to know it.
Yutaro slowly clenched his fists.
Then made a decision.
If they intended to watch him...
Then he would walk directly into the lion's den.
And so Yutaro Fujiwara returned toward the mansion.
Toward the sun.
Toward his downfall.
---
The journal ended there.
No final entry.
No explanation.
No conclusion.
Only silence.
Neither my associate nor I knew what happened to Yutaro after that night.
Yet as I stared at the final page, a memory surfaced.
A memory from years ago.
---
2026.
I was fifteen years old.
My father had decided I was unworthy of the family.
The N.I.F.L. was my final chance.
At least according to him.
As I packed my belongings, my older brother barely acknowledged my existence.
The distance between us had already begun.
My father drove me to the academy.
Halfway through the journey I noticed something sitting in the passenger compartment.
A golden mask.
Decorated with jewels.
The same mask from Yutaro's journal.
At the time I ignored it.
I wish I hadn't.
Moments later we drove past a missing-person flyer.
One name stood out.
Yutaro Fujiwara.
Missing.
My father glanced at the poster.
For a split second his expression changed.
Then he looked away.
As if the man had never existed.
Back then I didn't understand.
Now I do.
---
It is the year 2035.
This has gone on long enough.
The burden was never mine.
Yet somehow it became mine.
Paul placed his final faith in me.
Natalie showed me compassion.
Aoi entrusted me with the future.
And my ancestors left me their curse.
My name is Kei Fushimiya.
And I will find Toshiro Sobu.
No matter what remains of me when I do.
END OF VOLUME 0