Evening, 6:05 PM.
The Kato household.
"I'm home..."
With those words, Megumi Kato pushed open the front door, schoolbag slung over one shoulder in her Toyogasaki High School uniform, and stepped into the entryway. She immediately sat on the small stool beside it and began taking off her shoes.
Hearing the sound, a middle-aged woman who bore some resemblance to Megumi but looked considerably more mature emerged wearing loungewear. Seeing her daughter changing shoes by the entryway, she couldn't help asking:
"Megumi, you're home much later than usual today. Did you go out with friends again?"
Normally, Megumi would usually be home by around four o'clock, with a few exceptions.
This two-hour delay naturally made Mrs Kato somewhat concerned.
"Ah, I joined the school's Astronomy Club, so I'm back later."
Megumi said this matter-of-factly as she slipped on her house slippers, adding:
"Sorry, I've already eaten dinner out. I'll head to my room now."
With that, she made her way towards her bedroom.
Because Megumi's expression remained so perfectly calm, as if stating the obvious, Mrs Kato didn't suspect anything. In fact, she seemed pleased:
"You joined a school club? That's wonderful! Does this mean you'll be coming home late every day from now on?"
"...Mmm, probably." Megumi paused on the stairs, answering without turning around.
"I see. Just remember to let me know in advance next time so I can cook less. No point making extra food that'll go to waste."
Hearing this, Megumi nodded. "Then I'll go do my homework now."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
Mrs Kato waved her off, smiling as she watched her daughter ascend the stairs. Only when Megumi was out of sight did she relax with a sigh:
"So she's finally made some friends?"
Megumi always came straight home after school, either helping with chores or holed up in her room on her phone, reading fashion magazines. Mrs Kato had genuinely worried her daughter might be too withdrawn, potentially developing psychological issues.
Hearing that her daughter, who'd never joined any school clubs before, had suddenly become a club member actually put Mrs Kato more at ease.
"Come to think of it, she's never shown any interest in astronomy before. She must have joined because of friends. I'll ask what kind of friends they are after some time has passed."
While Mrs Kato had some concerns about whether her socially inexperienced daughter might encounter problems, she was mostly just happy Megumi was finally growing up.
However, unlike her delighted mother, Megumi - now safely in her room - leaned against her bedroom door, clutching her chest, visibly shaken:
"That scared me to death!"
The girl's soft voice made the dramatic statement utterly unconvincing.
No matter the situation, Megumi's expression always remained placid, as if nothing could ruffle her emotions.
As the amateur psychologist Utaha Kasumigaoka would put it: 'Too little contact with peers has left her unsure how to express emotions properly.'
Megumi Kato was well aware of this fact, which was precisely why she could exploit it.
"By taking advantage of Mum's habitual thinking, I managed to bring this bag home safely..."
Megumi removed the khaki shoulder bag from her shoulder, suddenly at a loss for words.
The bag in her hands wasn't hers - it had been retrieved from the Hidden Management Department's garrison. Essentially, it was just one of many casually discarded bags Mira Tsubakihara had left at the garrison, apparently a designer brand at that.
For Mira Tsubakihara, this was merely a forgotten container no longer of any use. For department members, it was simply a tool to be taken as needed.
So when Megumi mentioned needing a backpack to carry the reading materials and tools issued by the department, Yukino Yukinoshita casually handed her one without a second thought.
However, unlike Yukinoshita, who came from a wealthy family herself, Megumi, having read fashion magazines and knowing the bag's price, felt considerably more nervous.
After all, a high school girl suddenly bringing home a designer bag far beyond her allowance would inevitably invite unsavoury assumptions.
"But compared to what's inside the bag, the bag itself seems rather insignificant."
Megumi muttered to herself as she quietly carried the bag to her desk, set it down, opened it, and retrieved its contents.
A pitch-black object small enough to fit in one's palm - the kind of item that could make any thug reconsider their life choices.
A Chinese-made Type 54 pistol, 8-round capacity, effective range of 50 metres.
Its concealability, compact size and widespread black market circulation made it particularly popular among certain circles.
Of course, the Type 54 in Megumi's hand wasn't the original version, but a modified variant developed by the SDS Research Department—a special model capable of firing Dying Will Flames ammunition.
Yet currently, these modifications meant nothing to Megumi.
Her immediate concern was how to carry the firearm discreetly.
According to Yukino Yukinoshita, firearms were tools strongly recommended by department head Luo Shu, described as highly effective "translators" and "sedatives" for communicating with ordinary people.
Whether for self-defence or deterrence, all members were advised to carry one.
In Luo Shu's view, firearms proved more effective than supernatural abilities when deterring civilians, hence his recommendation.
But...
"A high school girl suddenly bringing home an unaffordable designer bag while carrying a firearm... If discovered, there'd be absolutely no way to explain this."
Megumi examined the pistol in her hand, then peeked inside the bag at the three spare magazines and stack of blank documents, her expression growing increasingly troubled:
"Following Senior Yukino's instructions, the department head wants us to carry personal defence weapons and keep additional supplies at our residences..."
"But how on earth am I supposed to hide these things... Mum cleans my room thoroughly every week..."
"Then simply give her a suggestion to overlook specific areas during cleaning."
The sudden second voice prompted Megumi to calmly turn around, levelling the pistol's muzzle towards her bed.
At that very moment, Luo Shu, who had a gun pointed at him, was sitting on Megumi Kato's bed with a faint smile:
"It seems you've adapted to the environment even better than I imagined, Megumi."