Recommendations from Iwamoto-Senpai (岩元先輩ノ推薦)

We just need to deal with it in the factory, and that'll be that.

I just hope that even the returners can rest in peace.

Returners?

Why put a corpse in a factory?

Let's head back.

Yeah.

Shoot! They're leaving!

What now?

Let's find a way into the refinery.

Think we can get inside through that door?

I'll check it out.

Just be careful.

You're talking to a seasoned phantom thief.

Returners... Then that body is most likely...

NO SOURCES OF FIRE IN FACTORY. CLOTHING MUST COVER BODY AT ALL TIMES.

NO CHEMICALS TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THE FACILITY WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Uh, Iwamoto-san?

Sorry about this. The enemy found me.

THE LEGEND OF THE DEAD AND THE GAS REFINERY

F-Fire?

How? No one's supposed to have a way to produce a flame in here!

Damn it!

N-Nicely done.

Man, Iwamoto-san, I didn't know you had moves like that.

Close-quarters combat falls under basics.

What were you even doing?

Well, the door was locked, so I thought I'd lift the key.

So much for the "phantom thief."

You need to come to our school. Even I can teach you basics like this.

Hey, the body from earlier...

Iwamoto-san, is it just me or is this factory weirdly cold?

Okay, raise 'em up.

They're frozen?

What are they doing?

Wh-What are you people doing?!

I belong to a government agency.

I've been investigating powered individuals across the country.

Iwamoto-san got hot under the collar.

You people are shattering your neighbors like it's nothing.

Did that body have some kind of strange ability?

Did you make an appointment?

Oh, you're with the military.

We could've shown you around if you'd let us know ahead of time.

This is liquid nitrogen.

It has a temperature of -170 degrees, meaning it can freeze most things solid.

A quick application and even this flexible flower becomes rigid and shatters.

They explained everything without so much as a hint of guilt.

This village has an area where, for as long as anyone remembers,

strange children are occasionally born.

This doesn't apply to everyone, but after dying,

certain members of the community revive as zombies.

That matches the story I've heard.

Oh, you mean the legend of the undead?

There's a record about how, 150 years ago,

a group of corpses revived all at once and wandered the town at night.

I'm sure it must've been a terrifying sight.

We're talking about cremated bodies regrowing flesh and wandering around.

The incident ended with the dead being captured and re-cremated, but...

News about monsters like that was no good for anyone.

Since burning bodies still leaves behind bones,

they started shattering the bones with hammers.

And after a period of time, we built this factory that handles liquid nitrogen.

It lets us freeze the bodies instantly, then we shatter them with hammers.

It's a method for reducing the humans who revive to dust.

We load the powdered remains into a hot air balloon and send it out over the lake.

The remains are then scattered over the water.

A complete funeral.

We're not murderers or anything.

We're just disposing of corpses in a way that suits the village's needs.

It came as a real shock, though.

The bodies that were shattered were still able to revive in the lake.

During the dry season, some of them washed ashore.

It was rather a sad state of affairs.

If I had to guess, the remains belonged to people who'd died 70 to 100 years ago,

before we pulverized bodies.

The plan is to dispose of them the modern way.

The powered individuals I investigated after learning of their presence...

Here are the bones I mentioned. The ones that washed ashore.

really did exist.

I can see why Kitsujo-san didn't want you digging around in this.

The ability to regenerate, huh?

Sounds great, but if it takes 70 to 100 years,

it can't really be put to military use.

Put that down, Amaba-kun.

These are our comrades. Our forebears.

Oh, it's all right. They're just going to be disposed of.

Can I ask you something?

How do you know this is right?

Did it never occur to you that, given enough time, they might fully revive?

Do you know for sure you're not murdering these powered people?

Have you given what you're saying a moment's thought?

There has never been an account of someone actually coming back to life.

And if they revive as monsters, they're just causing trouble.

You need to look at the facts.

They could still be in the process!

Iwamoto-san, you're gonna kill him.

Who else do you expect to look after rotting corpses?

Suppose your own child dies, and they have this regenerative power.

Who does that work out for? This power is a curse!

Kind of anticlimactic now that we know what's going on, huh?

I can't deny it's kinda frustrating.

It's probably fine, though, right?

"This power is of no use." The end.

And it's not like the locals don't have a point.

There's no telling how long it'd take for them to go back to normal, if they can.

You can't expect someone to look after them in the meantime.

The current state of affairs doesn't support it, no.

I'm going to propose that this area comes under my authority,

and for the bodies to be brought in for study.

You are? When you weren't even supposed to be here?

I mean, I hate to say it, but this power really isn't of much use.

I get the feeling Kitsujo-san told you not to come here

because he wanted to avoid you taking on a burden like this.

There is no hierarchy of powers in my view.

That's why you ignored the warning?

I never really bought that you were just one of Kitsujo-san's agents, but damn...

He and I just happen to share a few mutual objectives.

Your special treatment of powered people seems almost noble when you go this far.

Fair enough, then. This one's all yours.

It's the regenerating skull from before.

Wait... You stole it?!

Force of habit. Thought I could maybe sell it on the black market.

Damn it, Amaba...

Whoa, now. No lectures, okay?

I'll see you around campus.

Will you actually show up?

Iwamoto-san, I can tell how much you care about folks like us,

but pretty soon, you're gonna find it hard to stick to that policy of kindness.

A little bird told me some grown-ups have realized the value of people with powers

and are thinking more ruthlessly.

As in "these powers are weapons."

For all we know, Kitsujo-san might be one of them.

Can't say I'd ever agree to that.

I have no intention of letting any of you die on a battlefield.

And I'll do all I can to prevent it. I'll strengthen you and protect you.

I consider that to be my duty.

I'll be rooting for you, then, Iwamoto-san.

In this country and this era,

those who are different often meet with misfortune.

I'll increase the standing of these people who are treated like monsters

until I can guarantee their human rights.

And if anything intends to get in my way...

I'll simply punch through it.

SEIHO MIDDLE SCHOOL QUARANTINE FACILITY SECOND-YEAR, AMABA TOICHIRO

DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS A "PHANTOM THIEF."

MAKES A POINT OF CONCEALING HIS POWER WHEN AROUND OTHERS. IN FACT, HE

URGENT NOTICE TO STUDENT COUNCIL SECRETARY IWAMOTO KODO

"Iwamoto Kodo-dono. I have urgent orders for you."

"An incident involving someone with powers has caused over 80 fatalities."

"You are to head to the Ryugu Palace restaurant

and dispose of those responsible at once."

"Given the nature of the situation, you must not go alone."

Iwamoto-san, when he says "dispose of," he means murder, right?

There's no doubt about it.

But this person might have powers!

What are you gonna do? Just follow Kitsujo-sensei's orders?

I won't kill them or let them go.

Iwamoto-san's got a plan. I wouldn't worry.

Who exactly is this, Iwamoto-san?

He's got zero class. And I've never seen him around school.