The year is 2247. Humanity clings to existence within the vertical mega-cities known as the Cages, where the ruling Holders feast on luxury while the Resources beneath them are property—nothing more. Article Seven of the law says it plainly: killing a Resource is merely property damage.
Kaito has known nothing but the lower levels since birth. He learned young how to erase his own expression, how to survive in a world that sees him as disposable. Now eighteen, he has clawed his way through the
A Will for the Survivors - The Declaration of All Things — The Silent Supper
There was no wind.
The corridor near the top floor of the Tower of Veruna was wrapped in thick walls and heavy carpet, sealed off entirely from the outside air. Kaito walked through that stillness behind the servant who served as their guide. He could barely hear his own footsteps, or the servant's. The plush carpet swallowed the sound of their soles.
(This place is far more suffocating than the game arena.)
Kaito found himself tracing the old scar above his left eyebrow without thinking. Back in the ruins of Sunadokei Ward, when he'd been hunted by the red lens of that surveillance drone, breathing had been easier. There had been wind there. The smell of iron and blood and dust. But this tower had none of that. Only clean, quiet air held at a constant temperature.
Ren, walking beside him, had also closed his usual smart mouth. His brown, curly hair clung flat in the motionless air. His freckled cheeks looked far younger than usual under the pale lighting. Only his amber eyes moved restlessly—the shadows of pillars, the corners of the ceiling, the far side of each turn. Ren was observing every inch of this mansion.
Kaito understood.
(This guy's doing the same thing.)
On the rooftops of Sunadokei Ward, the two of them had protected each other's lies. They hadn't confirmed the rings, had staged themselves as dropouts, and then, before they knew it, they were here in this tower.
—As winners.
—As those who had obtained human rights.
But what those words actually meant, Kaito still didn't quite understand.
The guide servant didn't say a single word. A thin man in a gray uniform. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. But his eyes were clouded like an old man's. At the base of his neck was a small brand mark indicating he was a Resource. Kaito tracked it with his eyes alone.
(A former Resource.)
(Maybe every servant in this mansion is.)
Paintings hung along the corridor walls. Portraits. Men and women in lavish dress gazed back at him. Every face wore a similar expression—a faint smile at the lips, eyes looking somewhere far away.
"...Hey, these are all past winners, apparently."
Ren said it under his breath.
"Yeah."
Kaito answered shortly.
"They're all wearing nice clothes. Look happy enough."
Ren's voice was light. But his eyes weren't smiling.
"...They just look that way."
Kaito looked away from the portraits.
(Just because they look happy doesn't mean they are.)
(That's something we know better than anyone.)
At the end of the corridor stood a large set of double doors. Heavy black wood. An hourglass pattern was carved into the surface. The guide servant pushed them open without a sound.
Light spilled out.
Kaito squinted for a moment.
It was a dining hall.
The ceiling was high. Looking up made his neck ache. Countless small lights hung from above. Candle flames flickered, casting the wall of portraits in orange. There were far more portraits here than in the corridor. Dozens of men and women filled the walls of this hall.
(So this is the history of Tokeybako.)
Kaito scanned the walls.
(Dozens of winners came to this mansion—and then what?)
A long table ran down the center of the hall. White tablecloth. Silver candlesticks. Polished tableware. The water in the glasses caught the candlelight and glittered.
"...Whoa."
Ren murmured softly.
"Everything looks delicious."
He said it in a light tone, but there was a faint tension in his voice.
"...Are you hungry?"
Kaito spoke low.
"Of course I'm hungry. How many days do you think it's been since I had a proper meal?"
Ren shrugged.
Kaito didn't answer.
He was hungry, true enough. In Sunadokei Ward, there had never been a proper meal. Rationed nutrient paste, rainwater, and occasionally hard bread won in a scuffle. That was all. But now, faced with this lavish dinner, appetite strangely refused to surface.
(The smell of the food is making me sick.)
That's what Kaito thought.
The smell of roasting meat. The smell of spices. The smell of sweet sauce. They mingled and clung to the back of his nose. The smell of blood and iron from Sunadokei Ward would have been far more calming.
"Please, be seated."
The guide servant spoke for the first time.
Kaito and Ren exchanged a glance.
(So we're to sit here.)
Kaito slowly lowered himself into the chair at the end of the table. Ren sat beside him. The chair was soft. His body sank deep into it. Nothing like the hard concrete floors of Sunadokei Ward.
(I can't relax.)
Kaito stopped leaning his weight against the backrest.
The servants began to move without a sound. Pouring wine, carrying dishes, arranging silverware. All of them wore gray uniforms. All of them were expressionless. All of them had Resource brands at the base of their necks.
(Every servant in this mansion is a former Resource.)
Kaito tracked them with his eyes alone.
(And every one of them has had their memories erased.)
(Otherwise, they couldn't make faces like that.)
He couldn't tell where the servants' eyes were focused. They weren't. They repeated the motions of serving like dolls, mechanically. Kaito just watched in silence.
"...Kaito."
Under the table, Ren lightly poked Kaito's knee.
"...What."
Kaito answered in a hushed voice.
"Look at that. The portraits on the wall. The newest one."
Ren indicated a corner of the wall with his gaze alone.
Kaito moved his eyes.
At the very edge of the wall. A painting slightly more vivid in color than the others. A portrait of a young man. Around twenty. Black hair. Sharp eyes. His mouth seemed to smile but didn't.
"...Someone you know?"
"Probably. He was the winner three years ago. I've seen him in the game's announcement footage."
"Three years ago."
"Yeah. His name was—Ordo Weiss, I think. The man who killed over twenty people in Sunadokei Ward and survived. He should have come to this mansion as the winner."
Ren's voice dropped slightly.
"...Do you know where that man is now?"
"No. That's why we're looking into it."
Ren looked into Kaito's eyes.
"We're here to investigate that."
Kaito said nothing.
(Right. We're here on Kusabi's mission.)
(To dig up information that exists outside the game's rules.)
But that was something he couldn't say aloud. Neither Ren nor Kaito had revealed to the other that they were members of the resistance organization Kusabi. They both suspected. But they never said it outright. That was the unspoken understanding between them.
"...Quiet. He's coming."
Kaito returned his gaze to the front.
The door at the far end of the hall opened.
Without a sound.
A man entered.
Long silver hair swept back. Cold, pale blue eyes. Lips that seemed perpetually smiling. On his left hand, a ring with a large jewel. His footsteps were nearly silent.
Duke Veruna fon Arusutoremu.
Head of the Veruna ducal house, one of the five great noble families at the apex of the Cage's ruling class. Host of Tokeybako. Chairman of the Holder Council. And now, for Kaito and Ren, the most dangerous man—and the one closest to them.
"Ah, welcome, welcome."
The Duke's voice was gentle.
"You both must be tired. Let's skip the stiff talk today. I simply want you to enjoy the meal."
The Duke slowly lowered himself into the seat at the head of the table.
"You may call me Veruna. Everyone here does."
Kaito watched the Duke in silence.
(This man is smiling.)
(But his eyes aren't.)
The Duke's pale blue eyes were cold as ice. His gaze moved between Kaito and Ren, observing them carefully, one then the other. Appraising eyes. Eyes inspecting merchandise.
"...Please, help yourselves."
The Duke raised a hand lightly.
The servants moved all at once. Appetizer plates were set before Kaito and Ren. Colorful vegetables and thinly sliced meat. The sauce was drawn in artistic patterns.
"...Thank you for the meal."
Ren said it in a light tone and picked up his fork.
Kaito glanced at Ren's profile for just a moment.
(This guy can act normal even in a place like this.)
(That's his weapon.)
Kaito picked up his fork too. He brought a bite to his mouth.
(It's good.)
(But I can't taste it.)
Kaito chewed slowly and waited for the Duke to speak.
The Duke picked up his wine glass and swirled the contents.
"You two put on a truly magnificent fight in Sunadokei Ward."
The Duke spoke quietly.
"Two who should have been processed as dropouts, and yet they were alive. To use that loophole in the rings so cleanly—I must admit, even I was surprised."
Kaito's hand stopped for an instant.
(He knows.)
(This man knows everything.)
"...Well, I won't ask for the details of how you slipped out of that situation. But there is one thing I want to say."
The Duke took a sip of wine.
"You belong to me."
The hall fell silent.
The candle flames wavered.
Kaito set down his fork.
(...What did this man just say?)
"I wonder how you've interpreted the phrase 'obtained human rights.'"
The Duke continued, smiling.
"What do you think human rights are? The right to live freely? The right to decide things by your own will? ...Unfortunately, in this Cage, the human rights granted to those of Resource origin are not that."
The Duke set his glass on the table.
"What you've been given is the right to be owned. The right to be permitted to live as someone's property. And that owner is me."
Kaito slowly steadied his breathing.
(So human rights meant the right to be owned.)
(I see.)
(So that's how it is.)
He felt something cold and hard settling deep in his chest. Not anger, not sorrow. Just a heavy sensation, close to resignation.
(I've just become an object again.)
(No different from when I was in the Sodaya.)
(No—it's different. Only the owner changed. From the facility to this man.)
Kaito raised his head.
His face was expressionless.
No fear, no anger—nothing showed. That was the first skill he'd learned in the Sodaya.
"...I see."
Kaito said it shortly.
The Duke's eyes fixed on Kaito.
"You're not surprised."
"Being surprised wouldn't change anything."
Kaito answered quietly.
The Duke narrowed his eyes slightly.
"...Truly interesting."
The Duke's lips slowly curved.
"Yes. Exactly. Being surprised changes nothing. You understand well."
The Duke signaled to a servant standing nearby.
The servant poured wine into Kaito's and Ren's glasses.
Kaito watched the servant's hands.
(These hands aren't trembling.)
(Every servant in this mansion is like this.)
(Their emotions have been erased.)
"...So what are we supposed to do from here?"
Ren asked the Duke in a light tone.
"You will stay in this mansion as my guests. Rooms have been prepared. Food, clothing—everything you need will be provided."
"Ooh. Fancy."
"However, you cannot leave the mansion. You are my property, after all. Property is not permitted to wander outside on its own."
The Duke's voice remained gentle throughout.
"...Will we be watched?"
"Of course. Every action you take will be under my eye. But don't worry. As long as you don't betray my expectations, I've arranged for you to live comfortably."
The Duke looked at Kaito.
"I intend to entrust you with an interesting job before long. Today, think of this as a preliminary meeting."
"...A job."
Kaito repeated it low.
"Yes. A job that will put your abilities to full use. Look forward to it."
The Duke said nothing more.
The meal progressed.
Kaito kept bringing food to his mouth in silence. He still couldn't taste it.
Ren was quiet too.
No usual banter.
Only the faint clink of tableware echoed through the hall.
—
After a while, one of the servants came to Kaito's side and poured wine.
Kaito casually glanced at the servant's hands.
And noticed.
(These hands are trembling.)
The servant's hand was trembling faintly.
Kaito slowly raised his head.
A young woman with long black hair tied back in a single bundle. Narrow black eyes. An expressionless face. A small mole behind her right ear.
Sara Nokkusu.
Tokeybako operations assistant. Affiliated wit
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