Ch.40 The Day of the Social Gathering. The High Confidentiality Level of Mahiro's Abilities

April 24th.

The day of the social gathering.

"Well, I will be off now. Make sure you lock the doors properly."

"Mahiro, be careful not to get attacked by a pervert."

"Actually, it seems like Mahiro-san is more likely to be in danger, given her appearance."

"Don't go with strangers!"

"....If a suspicious person approaches, run."

"...I am a high school student though."

Well, I understand that 'tis because I am about the same size as an elementary school student...but even so, I am a high school student. And to top it off, I do possess some abilities.

...Although, the only thing that seems useful is 'Beast Transformation'. If I use it at the wrong time, I will either have to spend an hour in that state or be completely defenseless.

"Well, I do not want to keep them waiting, so I will be off. I will be back before noon tomorrow."

""""Take care.""""

"Umu, I am off."

What is with this exchange? We sounded like a newlywed couple.

No, 'tis not like a newlywed couple, we actually are.

But I wonder what the social gathering will be like.

With my heart filled with anticipation at the prospect of meeting other people who had contracted the disease, I head towards the place where my chaperone would be waiting.

"Mu? Oh, 'tis you ja."

"It's been several weeks, Mahiro-san."

When I went to the place where my chaperone was supposed to come, I found Inogawara there, the same person who had driven me to and from the hospital on the day I first caught the disease.

She still looks like a typical career woman.

"Could this organization called O3 possibly be part of the government?"

"Let's discuss that while we're on the move. Now, please get in the car."

"Umu."

The car I was instructed to get into is an extremely luxurious-looking black car, and it also seems to have very strong defensive capabilities.

Fuumu, I wonder what this VIP treatment is all about.

Well, I do not feel bad about it, so all is fine.

I get into the car and talk with Inogawara.

"So, what kind of organization is this O3? Unfortunately, all I know is that 'tis an organization to which those who have developed the disease belong, and that it exists outside of Japan as well."

"Let me explain it simply. First of all, as you, Mahiro-san, probably know, O3 stands for 'Onset of Organization,' which is, to put it simply, an organization composed solely of people who have developed the disease. This organization isn't exactly a secret society, but it's not the kind of organization that comes into the open. If you had searched for it on the internet, you probably wouldn't have found anything."

"Umu, I certainly did not find any lead."

On the day I received the invitation, I became a little curious about the organization, so after finishing my preparation and review, I did a quick search, but I could not find a single thing.

No, to be precise, it did find something in the form of an urban legend, but the crucial element was missing.

"This organization was founded by the first person in the world to develop 'TSF syndrome,' and its activities are similar to those of a charitable organization."

"Hou? Is that perhaps an activity using abilities?"

"That's right. That said, it's not entirely pure charity work, and we do receive some compensation. However, the source of all that compensation is known and there are no issues with it. We would never accept requests from the underworld or anti-social forces."

"Fumu, that does sound like a good thing."

Certainly, all abilities are useful in their own way.

Whether you only have one or, like me, have multiple, I hear they are all very useful.

Moreover, it seems that some of these abilities have multiple effects.

That ability to "become able to use magic" seems to be related to that as well.

...Fumu. If that is the case, then perhaps my 'growth regression' and 'beast transformation' are also related in that way.

On one hand, it gives me the ability to grow and regress, and on the other hand, it gives me the abilities of three different animals. Fumu. It could be interpreted as one thing, but it could also be interpreted as multiple things.

However, fundamentally, they are all considered as one ability.

"The abilities that those who develop the disease manifest are almost always things that can be misused."

"There are aggressive ones as well. Well, they are irrelevant to me though. I only have peaceful ones."

"Ah, well, if I had to say, the 'growth regression' ability is a bit of a problem..."

"Mu? Why ja? That just lets me grow or regress my body at will, does it not? In terms of danger, 'beast transformation' is far more dangerous."

I do not think the ability to transform into an adult or a toddler is all that dangerous...

In that case, the "beast transformation" that manifests animal abilities should be more dangerous.

"No, that's not what I meant. If, by any chance, researchers were to find out about Mahiro-san's abilities, you would undoubtedly be in danger."

"...Huh, seriously?"

"I'm serious. Being able to freely grow or regress one's own body is like being immortal."

"...Now that you mention it, that Kami did say something about it. She said it might be possible for me to become immortal."

"Yes. So, it would be quite dangerous if that ability, which could grant immortality, were to become known. That being said, we would absolutely never allow that to happen. The information is protected by the world's top-notch security program."

"Oh, something like that exists?"

O3 is quite impressive, is it not?

I cannot believe they even have things like that.

"Yes. Some of those who have contracted the disease possess abilities so powerful that they could easily overturn the course of global affairs. Information about such individuals is protected at a Level 5 classified level."

"Oh really? By the way, what level am I?"

"It's 5."

"The highest level?!"

I asked about it casually, and it turned out I have the highest level of confidentiality.

...But, you see, luckily, I only showed that ability to Kengo, Yuya, Miho, and Mizuki.

The store manager also knows this, but...it might be better not to use it too much.

"Well, given the nature of the ability, immortality is, in a sense, a dream for humanity. Especially for those in the medical field."

"That is true. By the way, what kinds of people have abilities that are classified as Level 5 confidentiality?"

"I can't say too much because I don't know where it might leak from... but if you'd like an example, I can tell you."

"That is fine with me."

"I understand. Well, to put it simply, it's like having a button that allows you to launch a nuclear missile whenever you want, at any time you want."

"...That is certainly deserving of the highest level."

"If they wanted to, they could wipe out humanity all by themself."

How outrageous, those who have contracted the disease.

But it seems like there are indeed some rather dangerous abilities...

I am relieved mine was not something dangerous like that.

"Ah, we have gone off on a tangent. So, about the organization..."

"Ah, yes, that's right. Um, where were we?"

"You do not accept requests from the underworld or anti-social forces."

"That's right. So next, let's talk about the organization's reason for existence. In a nutshell, it's 'protection of those who have developed the disease.'"

"Fumu. Is that not the government's job?"

"On the surface, at least."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I think Mahiro-san contacted the 'TSF Department' directly, but actually, that department isn't part of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare."

"Is that so?"

That is surprising.

I had assumed it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare...

"The staff there are all people born in the 'O3' era, and actually, I'm one of them too."

"Oh, really? Is that so? ...So, is that the case with the Kami as well?"

"Yes, that's right. She's the research director of the O3 Japan branch."

"...That person is in a really outrageous position."

"She's an unusual person who loves research, though."

"I understand that very well."

Apparently, we are related.

"Well, in this country, the doctor who takes people like you through medical examinations is practically only Kami-san."

I see. As befits a researcher, she personally go out to test those who develop symptoms.

Well, I suppose you could say impressive...

"So, what exactly does 'protection' mean? I believe that those who develop symptoms receive financial assistance through an account..."

"That's a form of protection, too. Those who develop the condition are few in number, but they are also valuable resources. They have a certain ability to be useful to people. And if they were to be exploited by bad people, that would be a disaster. We are protecting them to prevent that from happening."

"I see."

Now that I have just learned about one of the most powerful abilities, I can understand it completely.

If you consider that they possess the dangerous capability to launch nuclear missiles, then this is a perfectly reasonable action.

"By the way, that card, which is also a credit card, was actually half-created using a certain person's abilities. If the owner moves to a location a certain distance away, or if someone other than the owner possesses it, or if malicious intent is detected, it will notify O3 headquarters."

"What is with that unnecessarily convenient effect?"

"To begin with, I think the concept of 'TSF syndrome' and the abilities themselves are just convenient plot devices." (TL: We're breaking the 4th wall with this one)

"That is true."

A change of gender, the manifestation of supernatural abilities—these things can only be described as plot convenience.

Come to think of it, this illness is a complete embodiment of opportunism.

"So, are there any other organizations?"

"Well... most of the people who developed the condition during their student days ended up working at O3, and this social gathering is more of a complaining session disguised as social gathering."

"The letter said it was a complaining session... but is it really that bad?"

"Changing gender can be inconvenient in many ways."

"Yes, I agree. I have also been dealing with a lot of troublesome things lately, so I can certainly relate."

Mostly my husbands.

"So even Mahiro-san feels that way?"

"Well, more or less..."

I almost died just the other day, you know.

If only I could meet someone who could share that pain with me.

"Oh, that reminds me, there is one more thing about the organization."

"Mu, what is it ja?"

"One of the reasons the organization was established is, to protect those who have developed the illness, but actually, the other reason accounts for 70% of the reason."

"So ja, is there a reason other than protection?"

"Yes."

"So, what is it ja?"

I have absolutely no idea what it would be beyond protection, but... 'Tis probably for some noble reason. After all, they are going so far as to establish their own organization.

I was thinking something like that when,

"Apparently, the reason is that the founder wanted to have a gathering with other people who have also developed the illness. There aren't many like that. And they also wants to vent their frustrations."

"...Ah, I see."

In the end, all they wanted to do was complain.

For some reason, I am starting to want to meet the founder.

"We'll be arriving at our destination soon, so please prepare to disembark."

"What, are we arriving already?"

"Well, we use an underground road exclusively for our organization. It's faster than the highway, and since very few people use it, it's quite comfortable."

"...So you guys even have things like that."

I did not realize the infrastructure was so well-developed...

Well, that person might be quite an amazing individual in many ways.

Anyway, the gathering.

I wonder what kind of people will be there... I am looking forward to finding out.

If possible, I hope there are others who are in the same situation as me.

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