Around 30 years ago, a new kind of disaster suddenly struck the world. That event became known as the Eurasian Sky Disaster, and the disaster itself was named Spacequake.

That disaster destroyed a large portion of the Eurasian continent, killing 150 million people, and leaving many more homeless or generally harmed in some way. And that's not to mention the economical and political effects it had.

And unfortunately, that was not the last incident of the kind. It wasn't long until a Spacequake struck Japan, however, this one was luckily much smaller than the first. But after that, similar Spacequakes began to happen around the world.

No one knew how or why these disasters happened. It seemed that mankind had no choice but to wait for its eventual destruction, as if the gods had decided this was the end.

However, it seemed that mankind still had some luck. A woman named Mio Takamiya founded a company named Deus Industries. Although the company had no focus and seemed to dab a bit into everything, it not only survived, but quickly thrived and became a big name in all fields, unlikely as it seemed.

That was all thanks to the technology Mio introduced, which seemed nothing short of magic. Deadly wounds could be healed as if they were a simple cold. Food shortages that were happening around the globe soon became a distant memory. Even the Spacequakes, previously unstoppable and unpredictable death sentences, became just another natural disaster.

Yes, thanks to Mio and Deus Industries, humanity was able to develop tools to detect when and where a Spacequake would happen, built enough shelters for everyone, and also repair all damages quickly and effectively, as if nothing had ever happened. It was not perfect, and by no means it ended the threat of the Spacequakes, but it was much better than the nothing they had previously.

Mio called this technology a Realizer. She never disclosed how it worked, even to the world's governments, and yet no one could sanction her in any form, that's how much power and influence she had.

Truly, she was like a goddess walking the earth. And to many, she might as well be. Despite the huge amount of money her company naturally brings her, she's always investing in research, charities and generally finding ways to help people.

It was to the point where other, more normal companies, started getting bad press for not doing as much as her. You would think that this would make them try to find or plant some dirt on Mio, but that didn't happen. The thought of riot that would happen if this nigh divine being were soiled was enough to scare even the most courageous man. It was best to simply regard her as a goddess and themselves as lowly mortals and live on.

In any case, despite many thinking as much, Mio was no divine being. She was a human woman like any other. So much so that she had a son.

His name was Shido. He was currently 16-years-old, although he would be turning 17 soon by the end of May, and he was heading to a certain building, which also happened to belong to his mother's company.

"Um, excuse me. Could you tell me where the new recruits are gathering?"

"Huh? O-oh, you are… allow me to guide you."

Needless to say, being his mother's son, Shido also had his fair share of fame, though Mio made sure he could also live a normal life. But that wasn't the only reason why the receptionist he had talked to reacted to him.

The building Shido had entered was the Neighboring World Exploration Team Headquarters. This is where the Neighboring World Exploration Team, or NWET, of Japan gather before going on a mission.

The Eurasian Sky Disaster 30 years ago didn't simply end. In its place was left something like a portal. A portal to another world.

The world on the other side was called the Neighboring World. It was a strange world, as if it had come straight out of a fantasy novel.

As the name implies, the Neighboring World Exploration Team is in charge of exploring the Neighboring World. Studies showed that there is some relation between the Neighboring World and the Spacequakes. As soon as that became known, Mio naturally founded the creation of the NWET in the name of putting a stop to the Spacequakes. Although, there were also many other interesting materials found only in the fantastical Neighboring World, and those had numerous uses as well.

To explore the Neighboring World, something called a Combat Realizer Unit, or CR-Unit for short, is used. And that is related to the reason why the receptionist was surprised when she saw Shido.

For some reason, men have very low compatibility with the CR-Units, often less than 1%, whereas women tend to vary considerably, though even the highest historical records were only just around 10%, with the only exception being Mio herself.

Enlisting into the team was not compulsory for any reason, though many still did it for the good salary, but taking the compatibility test is. It's often done during the teenage years, when the natural compatibility is at its highest. If a person keeps using a CR-Unit, their compatibility might grow a bit in their adult years, but similarly, if they don't, it'll lower and lower.

Shido took the compatibility test recently. That's when he got the surprising 100% compatibility score, completely smashing all other men and getting in a tie with his mother's score from when she first presented the technology.

This surprising score, a sense of responsibility and duty, a boyish desire for adventure, and a certain other reason were what led Shido to enlisting. And thus, he became the only man in this den of women.

"The speech to the new recruits will take place here."

"Thanks for guiding me."

"N-no problem, anything you need, just ask."

Shido couldn't help but make a wry smile. He wasn't entirely unused to people wanting to treat him as special, and maybe the woman was just afraid of losing her job, so he decided to just leave it at that.

For now, Shido decided to head into the room where the speech would be given. He knew he should find a few familiar faces, so he decided to look for them.

"Look, it's onii-chan!"

"Shido!"

As luck would have it, the familiar faces found him first. And both tackled him into a hug.

The first was a girl about 3 years younger than Shido. She has red hair tied with white ribbons. She was Kotori Itsuka, the daughter of Haruko, a friend of Mio's, and so she and Shido had been raised almost like siblings.

The second was a girl about the same age as Shido. Her long dark hair was very beautiful. Her name was Tohka Yatogami, a girl who had been a victim of a Spacequake and whom Shido met after his mother helped her.

It was actually Tohka deciding to take the compatibility test to try and join the NWET that led Shido to take his test. Kotori… well, she probably just saw them both doing it and thought it was fun.

"It's nice to see you two as well."

Maybe noticing everyone looking at them, Tohka separated from Shido with a bright red face. Even Shido was a bit embarrassed by all the girls looking at him, so he asked Kotori to let go of him as well.

Luckily, as mentioned before, Shido had a bit of fame to his name, and the 100% result was a hot topic for a while, so the girls knew who he was. If this were a manga though, this is where Shido would be accused of being a pervert.

In any case, as much as Shido would have loved to mix in with the crowd, he stood out like a sore thumb in this garden of flowers. Thankfully, Tohka and Kotori talking to him and the other girls pretending to not pay attention to him was somewhat helpful.

As he waited, Shido decided to take a look around and see the other new recruits that would soon become his colleagues.

"Kaka, so you've also come from the farlands. I congratulate you on your journey."

"Explanation. We also came from the countryside."

… Shido happened to notice two girls, who seemed like twins, and also seemed… like quite the characters.

"W-what should we do, Natsumi-san?"

"... It's probably best to just stay quiet on our corner…"

On another side, Shido saw two girls who looked to be at an age similar to Kotori's. It seems they were both quiet types, as they were having difficulty starting a conversation with anyone. But at least he now knows that there are more people close to Kotori's age, so she probably won't feel lonely.

Still, as expected of a place packed with girls, it was quite noisy. Shido felt like he could barely hear himself think. Thankfully, that would soon come to an end.

"Everyone, please quiet down. … Thank you. I'm sure everyone is waiting to hear the fabled speech, so I won't keep you any longer. The person behind Deus Industries, Mio Takamiya."

The blond haired woman who had taken the stage was Ellen Mathers. She was one of Mio's secretaries, so Shido knew her. Though she was also quite famous herself, for being considered the strongest person currently active with a CR-Unit and also the person in charge of the NWET as a whole.

After Ellen's introduction, Mio took the stage. For a second, it seemed like the crowd would erupt as if this was a show, but the girls contained themselves. Still, Shido could hear a few girls crying and some doing their best to contain their excitement.

It couldn't be helped. Again, for a lot of people, Mio was basically a goddess. Knowingly or not, she had probably helped them in some way or another, and some might even feel like they owe their lives to her. Shido himself had already seen a number of people like that.

Still, Mio simply continued smiling and waited for everyone to calm down. Once all the nerves had been controlled, she began her speech.

"I can't even begin to imagine the story of everyone who is here. Maybe you were once a victim of a Spacequake and now you want to help avoid others becoming like you. Maybe you got a good score on the compatibility test and felt like it was your duty to be here. Maybe you just thought that this was a good job. Maybe it's something else entirely. Again, I don't know your personal histories, but I am glad that you're all here, whatever the reason that brought you."

Mio continued, giving a brief history of how they learned of the Neighboring World's connection to the Spacequakes, how this team was formed, and their achievements so far, both the big ones that everyone knows, and the small ones that only a handful of people knew.

It might sound like the contents of some boring lesson, but everyone was paying careful attention. Maybe it was because it was Mio saying it, or maybe because they thought back to their own lives and how it has been affected by what Mio is saying.

"Well, I don't want to bore everyone too much, so I'll end it here. In summary, what I want to say to everyone is: we're all working towards a common goal. You don't have to beat yourself over it if you aren't strong or if you don't get any big achievements. All I can ask you is that you do your best. If everyone can do that, I'm sure we will see the end of the Spacequakes soon. Thanks for listening to my rambling, everyone."

Mio ended her speech and began to leave. But, a second after she took her first step, an applause rang out. Although it wasn't the intention behind the speech, this was something that often happened, and Mio couldn't deny that it made her happy.

"Your mom is amazing, Shido."

"Yeah, I know."

Even Shido wasn't an exception. He had to agree with Tohka's words. He knew her personally and knew it wasn't simply her wearing a mask. She really was an amazing person that helped inspire others.

Regardless of the reason why they came here today, everyone got fired up. Some wanted to be the ones who figured out the cause behind the Spacequakes and put an end to them, others wanted to support those efforts. Everyone felt like doing their best in their own way.

Normally, this is where Ellen takes the stage again to give a few brief words and then begin to show the new recruits around the building. But this time was different.

Karen, Ellen's sister and Mio's other secretary, was the one who took the stage. Shido got curious at the unusual event.

"Everyone, please pay attention. I would like the people whose names I'm about to call out to come with me. The rest will follow my sister on the usual tour around the building."

Karen then began to read out names that had been written on the paper in front of her.

Tohka Yatogami, Kotori Itsuka, Natsumi Kyouno, Yoshino Himekawa, Kaguya Yamai, Yuzuru Yamai, and…

Shido Takamiya.

Everyone looked around, trying to find the people who were called out. The people themselves had no idea why they were called out though, so they timidly revealed themselves. Once Karen came down from the stage, the people whose names had been mentioned gathered around her.

As much as it looked like it, it was hard to think that they would get some warning or something. They didn't do anything worth noting during Mio's speech, nor were they being especially noisy before that. There didn't seem to be any reason for them to be called out, but it still made them nervous.

"Don't worry, this isn't anything bad. You'll understand soon. Although, maybe Shido already knows."

"... Ah!"

That's when Shido realized it. The last reason that made him choose to enlist himself. The girls all looked at him with a curious expression, and Shido blushed after looking at them.

As he didn't say anything, no one pressed him for an answer. Although they would be lying if they said they weren't curious.

Karen guided all of them to a certain part of the building, one that had been added recently. There, she guided them into a room. Once they entered, Mio and a few other girls were already there, as if waiting for them.

"Oh, welcome. Please take a seat, everyone. By the way, these are your colleagues that have already entered the NWET before you. Origami, Kurumi, Miku and Maya, meet Shido, Tohka, Kotori, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Yoshino and Natsumi. Well, you'll have time to introduce yourselves properly later, so this will do for now."

Mio casually introduced the group that had just entered the room to the four girls that were already there. Well, Shido and Tohka already knew Origami, but still.

Everyone lightly greeted each other, but it seemed like the veteran girls were just as confused as everyone else. Karen took her place beside Mio, who continued to speak.

"Okay, this is enough suspense. I'm sure everyone's wondering why you're here. To get to the point, you've all been selected as part of a special experimental squadron. For now, we're calling it the Spirit Team. To give a brief explanation, we've recently discovered the possibility of making a new kind of CR-Unit, and you've all been selected to test them. Of course, you can refuse, but this is a chance like no other, so I'd be really grateful if you'd give it a try."

Hearing that, all the girls let out surprised voices. Shido wasn't part of this surprised group, as he had already heard a little about this, though this is the first time he's hearing the details.

Mio gave the girls a second to get over their surprise and also to ask any question they might have. Origami, a girl with a doll-like face and white hair that reached her shoulders, was the first one to raise her hand.

"These new CR-Units, are they more powerful than the current models?"

"Yes, much more. To the point where the usual dangers of the Neighboring World may as well not even exist anymore."

"Ara. In that case, it's not a chance we can let by."

Origami and Kurumi, a girl with long black hair, and whose left eye was covered by said hair, have already gone on a number of missions into the Neighboring World and they knew of the dangers there, and how hard they had to fight with their current CR-Units. The promise of something like that was not something they could ignore.

The same seemed to be true for Maya and Miku, who stayed quiet, but seemed to nod in agreement with Kurumi.

Next, Natsumi timidly raised her hand to speak.

"U-um, is it fine for us new recruits to be here? I don't want to screw up anything."

"Yes, it's fine. I have specific reasons why I picked each and every one of you. That said, I won't stop you from leaving if you really want to."

"W-we want to help."

Yoshino was the one who replied in Natsumi's stead. Although Natsumi seemed to be trying to make herself smaller, as if she was prey hiding from a predator, maybe out of embarrassment because of the question she asked. She seemed to realize something and then nodded her head.

For a second, it seemed like no one else had anything to say, but then Miku raised her hand.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but I'm not sure if I can handle being on the same squad as him."

Miku said, and it was obvious who "him" was. Shido was the only male in the building, let alone this room, after all. And, if he was being honest, he did expect a reaction like this, regardless of which team he entered up on.

"Oh? I'd like to ask everyone to get along, or at least try to, but if it's impossible, I'd have no choice but to ask you to leave."

Mio said, and Miku was surprised that she'd be the one kicked out. Of course, a certain thought passed by everyone's head, but Mio quickly cut them off.

"Just to be clear, this isn't because Shin is my son, it's because he's the cornerstone of this team. Without him, there's no new CR-Unit, and consequently no special team. That's why, if you really can't get along, I'll have no choice but to find a different girl to substitute you, Miku. But I'd really like it if you made an effort. As I said, I have my reasons for choosing each and every single one of you."

After hearing this, Miku shut up, although she still didn't seem happy. She probably wants to stay in this team more than she wants Shido out.

Seeing that the matter seemed to be settled, Mio continued speaking.

"Well, since I've already said as much, I might as well come out and say why Shin is so important to this team. Follow me."

Mio left the room, and Karen followed behind her. A bit stunned Shido and the girls followed not long after.