Fifty years ago, monsters emerged from an unknown place and began slaughtering humanity. Traditional weapons were useless against them.
However, the situation did not remain the same. A few years after this event, a child was born in every million people, possessing a special ability in their eyes, with varying levels of power:
S
A
B
C
D
E
No matter how many years it took to refine their power, it would never increase by more than 1%.
Despite this, these children were the only ones who could affect the monsters. Organizations were formed all over the world to train individuals who could resist these mysterious creatures. This new generation of humans was called "The Balancers."
My name is Keni. I live in a poor neighborhood in Japan called "Sakai District."
My parents died in an accident caused by a monster that emerged from a gate on the highway.
I am currently attending "Sakai High School."
I don't enjoy talking to people much. No, I'm not some brooding protagonist or anything like that. The truth is, the past was a little painful, but things are fine now. I wake up at 7 AM, take a shower, put on my clothes, eat a quick meal, and head to school. After school ends, I go to work.
Oh, right. I forgot to tell you—I'm a Balancer. Yes, me.
A Balancer of rank E.
Honestly, even though I'm considered special among regular people, I'm not special at all among Balancers. And that makes sense. E-rank is the weakest rank.
In the world of Balancers, an E-rank is essentially a death sentence.
The gates we handle are small, and the tasks inside are minor. Usually, we deal with the weaker monsters while leaving the bosses to higher-ranked Balancers, probably those ranked C or above.
But even so, I don't care much about this so-called talent. I mean, I only work as a Balancer to earn a living—I don't care about anything else.
Oh, right, I'm 16 years old.
Alarm sound: Trriiiiin, Trriiiiin!
Keni's thoughts: Damn.
I got home yesterday at 3 AM. I only slept for four hours, so now I have to drag myself through the day.
I head to the fridge to grab something to eat, but… there's nothing. It's completely empty.
Putting on my school uniform, I head out the door.
The uniform is black trousers with red stripes and a matching black shirt with similar red stripes.
Keni: "This feels repetitive. I've been living this same day for nearly four years now. I haven't even found time to complain. After my aunt raised me until I was 12, I've had to manage everything on my own."
I buy my own food, cook it myself, iron my clothes, clean my room… everything.
I've kind of gotten used to this life, but damn, man! Can't I do something else for a change?
As I walk toward school, I step into my first class.
The sound of laughter fills the room.
Keni: Oh god, here we go again—seeing those same faces.
A boy laughing loudly walks up to me and taps my shoulder. "Hey, Keni! Where've you been, man? Class is starting soon."
Keni: "If it hasn't started yet, then I'm on time."
The boy laughs with his two friends. "Man, you're so formal all the time."
Keni's thoughts: "Oh, I forgot to tell you—this is Kiro. The class clown and bully. He thinks he's the best. I mean, we all have guys like this in our schools, don't we? So don't feel bad for me—I can handle it."
As I walk to my seat, I accidentally bump into a girl, making her drop all her books.
Keni: "Ah, sorry about that. My apologies, Miss Naomi."
Naomi: "It's alright, Keni."
Keni: "And this is Naomi—the smartest girl in the class, maybe even the entire school. She wears glasses, has fair skin, and beautiful brown hair. Honestly, this is probably my type of girl."
I sit at the very back as the teacher enters.
Teacher: "Alright, today's lesson is about…"
Class ends, and I walk out the door. "It's 2 PM now. I have no money, so my day as a Balancer begins."
Oh, I forgot to mention—we Balancers can hide our abilities. When we use our power, one of our eyes changes color. The common abilities for Balancers include summoning magical weapons and shields based on our rank. We can also manipulate nearby objects, with the range and strength depending on our rank. For instance, I once managed to control my fridge door from 5 meters away. That was hard for me, so please don't laugh.
Ranks are determined by a measure of magical power. My magical power score is 15.
I'm not the weakest in my rank—in fact, I'm one of the strongest in the E rank.
But facts are facts. I'm still E-ranked.
Oh, we're here.
The squad I work with is a small group of 25 people affiliated with the Japanese Balancer Association. We work independently and handle these weak gates.
Or maybe they just leave them to us out of pity for us poor Balancers.
Keni: "Good afternoon, Mr. Takamura."
Takamura: "Keni, there you are, right on time as always."
Keni: "Yeah, I finished school early today, so I'm ready."
Takamura is a D-rank Balancer. Despite his low rank, he could destroy us all with one hand while eating a hamburger with the other. He's a man in his forties, his face covered with scars, and he's been working as a Balancer for over 20 years.
Takamura: "Alright, team. Looks like everyone's here. But we only need ten for this mission."
Keni's thoughts: "Damn, I'll polish your boots after clearing the gate for just 10,000 yen. I need food… Pick me, Mr. Takamura."
Takamura points at nine others before finally picking Keni as the last one. The rest head back home.
Keni's thoughts: "Yes, that's right. Go home, you losers. This spot is mine. I said I needed food, and I meant it."
The gate in front of them is a glowing green circle radiating eerie sounds.
Keni: "Oh man, all this trouble just for a plate of fries and a few slices of meat?"
Takamura: "Alright, everyone. Let's head in."
Bored, Keni steps into the gate, activating his ability as his left eye turns bright blue.