There's a person whose profile card has only a name written on it. That's me. ——Takatsuki Taisuke, 27 years old, unemployed. 　　　◇ In the outskirts of Nerima Ward, there's an apartment building called "Corpo Hinata." Built 34 years ago. Corner room on the second floor, Room 201. Rent: 47,000 yen. At 9 PM, Taisuke was slurping cup noodles while staring blankly at his smartphone screen. *"After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that we cannot accommodate your application."* Thirtieth one. By the time the standard phrase "we regret to inform you" started looking like "we have zero expectations for you," he'd already stopped bothering to close the screen. *(If I had a skill, my resume would get through.)* Taisuke set down his noodle fork and opened a different app. A job site exclusively for skill holders——every listing had "Origin Code Required" plastered across it. A-Rank Welcome. S-Rank Preferred. Skill Type: Any (holders only). He closed the screen. Stared up at the ceiling. Thirteen stains. The biggest one, the vague smudge in the upper right corner——Taisuke had named it "Fumiko-san." No particular reason. Just, when you're alone in a room for long enough, you start naming things. He pulled out a convenience store receipt. This month's balance: 31,240 yen. Rent could be paid two more times. After that——he didn't want to think about it, so he didn't. *(If I had a skill.)* He noticed himself thinking the same thing again and exhaled quietly. March 14th, 2012. Approximately 143,000 people disappeared worldwide. The phenomenon was called the "Great Shift." Japan lost a little over 12,800 people. They came back from another world years later with "Origin Skills"——supernatural abilities. The government passed legislation in 2016 and issued a 12-digit "Origin Code" to all returnees. Those with codes got preferential treatment in employment, insurance, housing applications——everything. Taisuke was in fifth grade then. He remembered his parents turning pale in front of the TV. And now, at 27, Taisuke had nothing. No code. No skill. Nothing. He opened the closet. A single black suit for job hunting hung there, worn and tired-looking. "Guess I won't be needing this anymore…" He muttered it to no one in particular. The doorbell rang. 　　　◇ When he opened the door, Rina was standing there. "Matchmaking party had extra tickets. Come." She shoved a slip of paper at him. "…What?" "Matchmaking." "Me?" "You." Taisuke took the paper and stared at it for a second. The words "Invitation Slot • Free Entry" caught his eye. "[serious]Matchmaking for me is impossible, obviously." "Free." "I know that." "High-end hotel." "…" "The food's good." Silence. "Apparently your blank skill section doesn't matter." "…It says invitation slot though." "That's why it's free." "Why am I even invited?" "Dunno." Rina shrugged lightly and turned toward the door. Walking down the hallway without looking back, she said: "It's about the food, okay? Go and you can eat. So go." ——The next morning. Taisuke reluctantly pulled the black suit from the closet and chanted "it's for the food" seven times in his head before leaving. 　　　◇ Five minutes' walk from Toranomon Station. "Grand Tour Tokyo" rose up on the corner of the main street. Art Deco white stone facade. Two doormen in white gloves stood at the entrance. Through the glass, a chandelier caught the morning light and scattered it in glittering refractions. *(This place…coffee costs 2,800 yen a cup, doesn't it?)* While Taisuke was internally panicking, his back got shoved. "Let's go." "Wait. This feels really out of place…" "Once you're inside it's just a hotel." "It's definitely not just a hotel." The doorman politely opened the door. The moment they stepped into the lobby, Taisuke's pace slowed. Marble floors. Fresh flower arrangements. Blinding lighting. Everything was gleaming. The air smelled different. Flowers, faint leather, and something else——something expensive. *(My room has thirteen ceiling stains, and Fumiko-san is the biggest one…)* Rina was talking to the receptionist. Taisuke stood by a pillar in the lobby, staring blankly at the floor's shine. His black suit felt apologetic. "Taisuke, fifteenth floor." "Got it." Rina apparently couldn't go past the lobby. It was an event for participants only——escorts stopped at the first floor. "You're on your own from here." "[scared]Huh? Alone?" "[sarcastic]It's a matchmaking event. Going alone is obviously how it works." "Yeah, I know, but…" Rina had already turned away, so Taisuke reluctantly pressed the elevator button. 　　　◇ Fifteenth floor. Pavilion Hall. The ceiling was high. At least six meters. The walls had Art Nouveau gold leaf decorations that caught the light in dull gleams. Eight place settings. One tall flower in the center. When he gave his name at the reception, a staff member handed him a business-card-sized card. "This is your profile card, sir." He took it and checked the contents. Name: Takatsuki Taisuke. Occupation: (blank). Origin Code: (blank). Skill Name: (blank). Aptitude Rank: (blank). Good, at least his name was there. That was all there was. While Taisuke stared at the card with a strained expression, the other participants casually showed their cards to each other. Naturally, like a business card exchange. "A-Rank Blade Link, pleased to meet you." "Management-type skill——rank is confidential, but I have results to show for it." "Healing-type B-Rank. I'm a bit bad at output control though." His card entered the field of view of a man standing nearby. "Oh, your skill section…is that a printing error?" The voice was 100% well-meaning. The lack of malice made it sting more. "Not an error. I just…have a blank." His voice became mosquito-thin. "Ah! You're a support-skill type where classification is difficult? There are cases where code notation gets omitted, right?" "Yeah…" *(No.)* Taisuke smiled ambiguously. In returner society, the very existence of a person without an Origin Code was——unexpected. A blind spot. Unclassifiable. A place not on the map. The man nodded without suspicion and started talking to another participant. Taisuke tucked the card into his chest pocket and took a quiet deep breath. For the food. For the food. For the food. 　　　◇ Eight people sat at the table. Self-introductions began. One by one, they stood and gave their names and brief backgrounds. What each person said naturally included stories from the other world. Careers in the Kingdom of Carnelia. Positions in the other world. Activities since returning. They spoke about it like overseas study abroad——naturally, casually. Taisuke was quietly dreading his turn. Nerima Ward resident, unemployed, half-price convenience store bentos as survival strategy——how was he supposed to talk about that? "I'm Kageyama Kei. Pleased to meet you." A boy stood up at the next table. That was when it happened. The air in the room changed. It became softer——though he wasn't sure that was the right word. Something that had been taut simply dissolved. The participants across the table naturally lifted their mouths into smiles. Their shoulders relaxed. Someone smiled. One by one, everyone's expression became relaxed without them noticing. The boy——Kageyama Kei——stood with his slender 168-centimeter frame, silver-white hair slightly long and carelessly brushed back. His right eye was silver, his left a deep purple. Heterochromia. Those two eyes traced a gentle arc as they surveyed the room. "Everyone seems so friendly! What a wonderful gathering!" His voice was pure. Innocent joy itself, without a trace of doubt. The surrounding participants were returnees, so they were used to sensing skills. They didn't particularly react to "feeling relaxed." They simply accepted the subtle shift in atmosphere and smiled. Only Taisuke was screaming in his head. *(Wait. It wasn't this warm a second ago. This kid said something and suddenly everyone's smiling——that's definitely your skill doing that! And you're the only one who doesn't realize it!?)* His expression had become a strained smile. Kageyama Kei glanced at Taisuke and tilted his head slightly. His silver hair flowed smoothly. "[gentle]Are you enjoying yourself too?" "[scared]Uh, yeah…I'm having fun…" *(Not fun at all! I'm confused! Is this a skill malfunction!?)* Kageyama Kei smiled warmly and sat back down. Taisuke took a sip of water and managed to get his facial muscles back into something resembling human. 　　　◇ After introductions finished, a door at the back of the hall opened quietly. Almost silently. No footsteps, no creaking hinges. When you noticed, the person was just there. Tailcoat. Silver-rimmed glasses. Hair with gray streaks, perfectly arranged. A man who appeared to be in his fifties walked to the front of the table with a serene smile fixed to his face. He wasn't holding a microphone. His voice still carried clearly. "I am Houjou Shinobu, manager of Grand Tour Tokyo. Thank you all for gathering today for Vortex Link's Tetra Trial." With just those words, the room's atmosphere tightened. The softness that Kageyama's skill had created moments ago hardened——or rather, became slightly harder than before. Taisuke watched a participant taking notes and considered whether he should too. He hadn't brought a notebook. No paper. "This event will proceed over four days with four trials." The participants nodded. "During each trial, our matching system will measure participants' actions, cooperation levels, and emotional responses in real-time, calculating compatibility scores." The participants nodded further. "After four days of trials, we will announce matching results on the final day. However——" Houjou paused for just a moment. His serene smile didn't change at all. "Participants ranked last or with no match will be forcibly sent back to the other world." The room froze. After half a second of silence, Taisuke slowly raised his hand. "[surprised]Um…" "Yes?" "I'm not a returner." "Yes." "So…where would I be sent?" Houjou's smile didn't waver by a millimeter. "Thank you for the question." And he moved on to the next explanation. Taisuke's hand remained suspended in the air. 　　　◇ As Houjou's explanation continued, Taisuke observed the other participants' reactions from the corner of his eye. There was light tension. But——they were relatively calm. "Well, as long as we don't lose, right?" "Skills definitely give an advantage, but…" "The conditions seem better than the previous transfer." For returnees, world transfer was old hat. The weight of the word "forcibly sent back" was fundamentally different between them and him. *(I've never been there! And where even is the other world!? Physically where!?)* While internally screaming, Taisuke surveyed how calm everyone else was. *(Only I think this is bad.)* A small voice reached him from beside. "[gentle]…Being forcibly sent back must be scary for someone who's never been, right?" Taisuke turned back reflexively. Kageyama Kei was looking at him with quiet eyes. *(Wait, you get it!?)* Something in his chest warmed slightly. Then—— "[gentle]But the other world is nice! I could use magic there!" An innocent smile. *(That's not the point at all!!)* Taisuke almost said it out loud, then swallowed hard. Houjou seemed to be looking at him, so he forced his face back into a strained smile. 　　　◇ After the first trial explanation ended, participants headed to their rooms on the seventeenth floor. Taisuke remained alone in front of the elevator. No particular reason. He'd just gotten lost in thought and been left behind. He pulled out his profile card again and looked at it. Name: Takatsuki Taisuke. Occupation: (blank). Origin Code: (blank). Skill Name: (blank). Aptitude Rank: (blank). He held the card up to the hallway's fluoresc