Midnight Occult Civil Servants (真夜中のオカルト公務員)

Yes. Yes.

Shinjuku Station

Kabuki-cho Ichibangai

Shinjuku Ward Office

This is the place, right?

April 1st

Shinjuku Ward Office Main Building

Visitors during off-hours are required to check in with security prior to entry.

#1 "Angels and Tengu Above the Shinjuku Skyline"

Um...

Yes?

I've been assigned to the Nocturnal Community Relations Division.

My name is Miyako Arata.

Oh, you're their new kid, huh?

Sakaki-kun told me about you.

Come on in.

Holiday/Night Entrance

Follow the hallway to the end and turn right,

walk by the elevator hall,

turn at the corner with the closed cafeteria,

and then it's the first door on the left.

Storage #1

Here?

Excuse me...

Huh? It's not storage.

Jeez, that's weird.

Did I use the wrong stuff?

I had the sulfur, and the aluminum...

And the goat gallstones.

Did I get the proportions wrong?

U-Um...

Is this the Nocturnal Community Relations Division?

Yeah, but who are you?

Well, I'm starting here today—

Oh, you're the new kid!

I remembered Reiji-kun saying something about that.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Himezuka Seo, I work here.

Seo's written in katakana. Call me Seo.

Katakana?

I used to be British.

So make it sound British.

Seo!

You did it again, didn't you?

The smoke got all the way out to the cafeteria.

You didn't use any fire, did you?

The one in the wrong here was...

you, Kyouichi!

You used my photo again, didn't you?!

As an excuse to dump a girl?!

You found out?

It's just so much easier to show them a pic of you and say you're my girlfriend.

And because of that,

every day there's some angry woman glaring at me from my doorstep!

Really?

Don't make me deal with the fallout from your bad habits with women!

I swear,

if you do it again I'll make you regret it.

Oh, you're a woman, Himezuka-san?

I thought for sure you were a man—

I am a man!

And call me Seo!

S-e-o!

Okay...

How do you get that wrong?

Oh, hello there. It's Sakaki.

The new recruit is here. Miyako Arata-kun.

Should I send him in?

Roger. Introductions can wait, then.

That's Sakaki Kyouichi.

A former host who loves women and drinking.

He's the shift leader for the division.

Despite looking like that, somehow.

That's right.

Ask us if there's anything you don't understand.

Th-Thank you.

It's 7:00.

Let's get to work, then.

Change into the outfit in the far right locker.

We're going outside for your first shift.

Miyako

Our division spends most of its time outside the office.

I'll give you a nametag for inside the office later.

We work a different shift from everyone else,

so you won't use it much.

Um,

what are we doing outside at nighttime?

What were you told?

Um...

"To build relationships with people of various ages,

in various fields and social positions, as well engage in planning and promotion".

That's right.

Shinjuku is a city where people from a lot of

different countries do different jobs in different places.

So what do we do to make this a better place to live for them?

Figuring that out is our job.

At least, that's what the paperwork says.

You ever see a youkai, or an angel, or a devil?

Am I supposed to answer that seriously?

From the look of it, the answer is no.

But if you were assigned here,

it means you hit that little trick in the employment exam.

He's probably the type who isn't aware of it.

So we'll need to do a rite of passage.

What are you talking about?

Shinjuku Gate

Imperial Gardens

April 1st

Where are we?

You've never come here?

The Shinjuku Imperial Gardens.

Shinjuku Imperial Gardens

I have but, um...

Isn't entry forbidden at night?

We're here a lot as part of our work.

So we have a key.

There's barely any lights inside, so be careful.

Oh, okay!

We work in the Imperial Gardens at night?

What do we do, exactly?

I think that's a good spot.

Yeah.

Let's do it, then. The rite of passage.

Um, what is this thing you keep talking about?

Don't worry.

Even if you scream and pass out, I'll take care of you.

This job is easier to experience than explain.

There.

There's a fairy right there.

Huh?

It's there.

You can't see it right now, though.

Youkai, angels, devils...

Most of the occult creatures you see in fiction,

you can assume really exist.

That's the first thing you need to learn, here.

Um, are we really talking about work right now?

Of course.

It's an important discussion about the job we do.

Seo.

Right, right.

What are you doing?

The Spray of Ibn Ghazi.

It's a helper item for people who have trouble seeing them.

It's made from the soil of ancient tombs, Amaranth flowers, and then ground ivy...

Oh, look in front of you.

What do you see?

What?

I see light... it's changing?

A little girl?

With wings on her back?

A-A fairy?

That was a pixie.

You can find them everywhere.

I can't believe it...

Believe what you see.

Otherwise you'll just have to assume you've gone insane.

Wh-What is this?

You can see without help already, huh?

You've got good instincts.

This big boy is a Cu Sith.

It's friendly.

They all have their own unique names,

but they're what you might call occult creatures.

Angels. Devils. Youkai. Fairies.

We have a name for all these non-human creatures we use in our work.

"Anothers".

Huh? You don't seem scared.

No...

I'm surprised. Very surprised.

If that's all you are, then the rite of passage was a big success.

We got a good one this time, huh, Kyouichi?

Most pass out after their first time,

or at least their legs give out.

But you're okay, huh?

Um,

what is our real job here?

Maintaining relations with the Anothers,

and if they get into any problems with civilians,

taking care of it.

That's the job of the Shinjuku Ward Office Nocturnal Community Relations Division.

Our job as public servants.

What's wrong?

Um...

I'm a little worried.

Don't worry.

Like I just said,

if you see an Another and stay calm enough to talk, that's amazing.

Don't worry.

Just do what you're told, and focus on the things you can do.

We won't ask for more just yet.

Okay...

Now, welcome to the Shinjuku Ward Nocturnal Community Relations Division,

Miyako Arata.

Let's talk about our duties.

Tonight we're investigating some loud noises that

have been reported in Shinjuku Imperial Gardens at night.

Loud noises?

Yeah. There's no events being held,

March: Imperial Gardens Noise Complaints Graph