Year 20XX, Summer
It was recorded as one of the warmest days in history.
A high humidity, coupled with temperatures over 30°C in the city; it was hellish. However, it was a Saturday, and many people still crowded the shopping mall to shop or to just stroll around.
11:15 AM
When the sun was high up in the sky and it was hotter than ever, a gate to another world opened in the middle of the Ginza district in Tokyo.
From it emerged a horde of horsemen and footmen donned with armor reminiscent of Medieval Europe. They were accompanied by the sort of monsters one would usually find in fantasy novels; orcs, goblins, and even giants.
They assaulted everyone who happened to be there.
Disregarding age and nationality, their objective was to massacre anyone they could find. As Japan had been at peace for a long time, people did not know how to defend themselves and could only scream in terror in the face of the attack.
Whether they were merely shoppers, whether they were parents or even foreign tourists, not one was spared from the horses' hooves, the sharp spears of the soldiers, or the swords that struck to kill. The streets were painted black and red with blood. If there were one word to describe the gruesome scene, it would be 'hell'.
The army from another world planted a black banner on a mountain of corpses and loudly declared to no particular audience that this land was now theirs in a foreign tongue.
The 'Ginza Incident'.
This was what historians called the first encounter with the people from the other world.
The Japanese Prime Minister at that time – Houjou Shinegori, declared in the National Diet that 'the place beyond the Gate did not exist on any known map.'
'What could lie beyond the Gate? What natural environments could be found there? What kind of lives could the people beyond the Gate had? How developed could their civilization be? How technologically advanced could they be? What religion could they follow? What type of government could they have?
Following the Gate's opening, many people were arrested.
However, the term 'arrest' is awkward here. Prisoners of war are not covered by the law. In Japan, prisoners of war do not legally exist. According to the judiciary system, the invaders from beyond the Gate are simply criminals that broke the law.
Although Japan was accused of using questionable justifications, Japan still considers the land beyond the Gate to be a part of Japan.
As one would expect, the land beyond the Gate is completely unknown to Japan; it knows nothing about the land and population there, let alone if there is even a government.
Even if a government did exist, without establishing the borders of that country or even setting up diplomatic relations with it, it could not be recognized as a sovereign nation.
At this stage, the invaders were merely armed terrorists who slaughtered innocent people.
Although there had been suggestions to begin a diplomatic dialogue with them, the other party would have to be willing to sit down with them and negotiate. Yet how would we do that? There was no immediate way of communicating with them.
We will engage the other party in a dialogue, even if we have to use brute force to do it. We will do our best, even if we have to grab them by their hair.
In order to come to terms with them, one must know the enemy first.
Once we arrested those criminals, we managed to glean some information from them despite the language barrier. But that alone is not enough. We need to see the other side of the Gate with our own eyes.
Therefore, people must be sent beyond the Gate. However, they will not harm innocent civilians and they will also be constantly vigilant, as they will be in a place completely alien to us.
Also, going in unarmed would not do. Based on our initial experience in Ginza, there is a probability we will need to fight. In these uncharted lands, the judgment of who is friend and who is foe will be left to the onsite personnel.
Some of our colleagues in the Diet suggested that there is no point to venture into such a dangerous place when we could simply close the Gate through demolition. However, would that really be a good decision?
Many citizens are afraid that the Gate could appear somewhere else. It could materialize right in front of your family home. Also, there is the issue of justice and compensation for the families of the victims.
Should a government exist beyond the Gate, Japan would not hesitate to extradite the leader and request his or her sincere apologies and reparations for the Ginza Incident.
Should the other party refuse to oblige, Japan would flex its muscles, apprehend the ones responsible for the incident, and sentence them by our law. Should the ones responsible own any assets, they would be used to compensate the families of the victims of the Ginza Incident. From their perspective, that would only be natural.
Thus, the government of Japan has decided to deploy the Japanese Self-Defense Forces beyond the Gate. Their mission is to find, apprehend, and demand compensations from the ones responsible.'
Although there were some objections from the opposition party, the decision to deploy the JSDF beyond the Gate proceeded without a hitch. The government of the United States of America declared that it 'will not hesitate to aid the investigation of lands beyond the Gate with its utmost strength'. Prime Minister Houjou replied that it was 'currently not necessary' and 'would request for it should the situation call for it'.
The government of the People's Republic of China released a statement that 'the Gate is an unnatural phenomenon' that 'should be investigated through a multilateral, international effort', insisting that although the Gate had appeared within Japan, its potential benefits should not go to Japan alone.
Just as people of Japan began to make peace from those from the other side. Another gate appeared in China. Then another in Africa. In just a few months. The world was filled with gates joining our world and the other side.
This was the beginning of a new war. One that goes way outside of everything previously known.
Science vs magic.
The kind of war that could only happen in myth. It took two years of pain and tears for the different sides to understand that such a war had no benefit and was only weakening them for nothing.
The solution?
[The cultural exchange between species act.]
What was once mythical became slowly but surely common.
Harpies. Centaurs and all manner of fabulous creatures flooded the world and assimilated with society.
What those gates brought wasn't just unknown assailants but also an unknown form of energy known as mana.
Nowadays. Magic is as much an everyday circumstance as science and there's nothing weird about a catgirl walking her Cerberus in the street while holding hands with her human lover.
------ Akira pov
'Why the fuck I am reading the introduction of GATE-JSDF mixed with monster Musume and Solo leveling in what was supposedly a history book?'
"Argh!!! this is bullshit."
I couldn't help but scream my indignation even though I was in a library and I nearly threw the heavy history book I was holding.
One week went past since I fainted after being shown in heaven. During this time I tried to gather as much information as possible but everything I learned was only a source of headache.
"I thought you were taking forever to return, and here you are monkeying about in the library."
The frigid voice made me stop as I turned toward its origin while sighing. After all, this voice belonged to another source of my troubles.
Behind me was a girl standing there.
She had pink hair and was wearing a shortcut maid outfit. Her cerise eyes looked apathetic, and though she was cute, there was nothing cuddly about her.
[Name: Ram
Alias:
Race: Oni
Affiliation: Mamako
Age: 14
Affection: 25
Specialties: Wind manipulation
Unique skill: Clairvoyance, Synesthesia, Berserker
Thought about you: Curiosity, Slight appreciation
Minor Secret: She is a broken Oni
Major Secret: She feels inferior to her sister
Most guarded secret: She hates how useless she feels and nearly committed suicide]
"Ram. How many times did I tell you to stop sneaking up behind me? Do you want me to have a heart attack?"
As I said that I got up from my chair and hugged her tightly.
"Kyaa...I am being molested by a pervert."
Those words could have been more interesting if they weren't being told in such a monotone tone.
"Sigh! You are so boring."
"Sob sob, the master decided to throw me away after using me. Isn't he a fiend Rem?"
"Ram, I believe the master is much more than a friend. He is a pervert of unrelenting might."
"But Rem, what can we do? Is it our destiny to be eternally violated by him?"
"Ram I believe that our only way is to kill the master and flee."
"And cut. This was truly a good scene. Now, how about we forget death threats and the like and clasp hands in a sign of friendship."
I said as I let out go of Ram while internally sweating. What a joke. Death threats when coming from Rem's mouth were not funny. People are so entranced by her beautiful dedication that they forgot she is a girl who didn't hesitate to brutally kill a guest without any proof in order to protect her sister.
As I looked at the blue-haired maid appeared out of nowhere like her sister and who emanated a yellow aura that only I could see, I couldn't help but let out a sigh.
[Name: Rem
Alias:
Race: Oni
Affiliation: Ram
Age: 14
Affection: 0
Specialties: Water magic, Ice magic, Healing magic
Ability: Synesthesia, Berserker
Thought about you: Wary, distrustful
Minor Secret: She sees her sister as her world.
Major Secret: She feels inferior to her sister. She hates herself.
Most guarded secret: She felt joy for a short time the moment her sister lost her horn.]
"My life is really crazy—Don't say anything."
Forestalling anything Ram would say. I turned toward Rem.
"So? What brings you here? I had already said that I didn't want to be disturbed while I was doing research."
Understanding that the time for banter ended, Ram bowed calmly as she said.
"The Madam asked for you. She is worried that you aren't taking care of your health. She also wishes to dine with you and the lady."
"Dining?" I raised my eyebrow before looking toward the clock. Only to see that it was already 7 pm.
*Growl*
As if it was reminded to work properly, my stomach also began to make his protest known. Patting my stomach, I nodded toward them as I said, "Please guide me. I still have difficulty remembering all the rooms in this house."