In order to discover the truth
The evening news doesn't tell you
How many things aren't broadcast
Who loses
Who is obtaining it, and for whose sake
Being pure is a beautiful and dangerous thing
The world that surrounds us won't show itself
All it does is force a different truth from yesterday's on us
At the very least, I will try to change the feeling of the reality that is right in front of me
Into something certain, surely
There aren't any irregularities in either his EKG or his brain waves.
The overwrite is complete, Chief.
Good work.
What's going to happen to him now?
He'll be joining us, of course.
Awakening him now.
Minus four, minus three, minus two, one, zero.
Blood pressure rising. Heart rate rising.
Everything is within acceptable boundaries.
The new member's code number will be Eleven Eight. Everything is within acceptable boundaries.
The new member's code number will be Eleven Eight.
No, if that's the case, then Double One Eight would be better.
Double One?
Yeah.
That is truly what is appropriate for them.
He's awakening.
Welcome to Ashurum, Kai.
Episode One A Superficial Peace
Come on.
Yes, sir.
So that's the new guy that Eiji was talking about?
Jeez, he's a really stringy guy, isn't he?
He might be kind of nice.
Shin-Lu?
Mr. Eiji...
Is this an Ashurum military installation?
Did you envision a much more brutal place?
Oh, no...
I told you that we're not an army, didn't I?
We are under the military's jurisdiction,
but AESES is an independent organization.
AESES?
Yes.
"The force of trained psychics employed by Ashurum" is too long, right?
That's true.
Yeah, he might be nice.
Are you serious?
The special powers you psychics possess
are to be envied and feared by those normal people who do not possess them.
Yes, sir.
That is why we shelter psychics.
We wish for them to use those special powers for the sake of all people.
Yes, sir.
This is a home for psychics.
And from today on, you're one of them too, Kai.
Eiji!
Mr. Eiji!
Let me introduce a new friend.
Where'd you go?
Nowhere.
Just out for a bit.
Go ahead.
I'm Kai Kudou... Er...
Nice to meet you! I'm Chris.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Ruri. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Well...
I'm Shin-Lu! Shin-Lu Belvedere.
Nice to meet you.
Hey.
Are you really a psychic?
I'm asking you if you have, at the least, enough ability to join AESES.
Wait a second, Shen-Lon!
Eiji, let me have a mock battle with him.
A mock battle?
I want to see what kind of abilities he has.
That'll be obvious from the training that starts tomorrow, right?
Kai, your quarters should already be assigned. I'll show you there.
Yes, sir.
Eiji is showing him around personally.
If the commander is doing this personally,
does that mean he's pretty powerful?
Hey, rookie!
What are you up to, Shen-Lon?
Just a little game.
Shen-Lon...
Yes?
As his senior here at AESES,
what you just did is questionable, don't you think?
I wasn't doing it to pick on him or anything.
I just... I just wanted to know what his powers were.
That's fine, then.
Yes, sir.
Starting today, this is where you'll be living.
It's really spacious...
That's not a problem, right?
It looks like your luggage has already been delivered.
Yes, sir.
Even during your training period, you are granted a salary.
This crid stick also functions as your credit card.
Buy the things you need.
Mr. Eiji?
What is it?
Hikaru... My little sister's going to...
No need to worry.
She will be receiving treatment from Ashurum's medical staff.
Our hospital is so excellent that VIPs from other corporations come here to be admitted.
Thank you very much.
Go and visit her on your off days.
Yes, sir.
Kai Kudou, I'm Naozumi, your instructor.
Sharpshooting, piloting, martial arts, electrical equipment operation...
You're going to master every combat technique.
Yes, sir.
Looks like he'll be starting from scratch.
No powers, got that?
You'll train with those at another time.
Kai...
It's difficult doing this all of a sudden, isn't it?
Everyone else started from a much younger age, after all.
Is that so?
I came here eight years ago.
Shen-Lon and I came here six years ago.
Mr. Eiji said that AESES isn't the military,
but if that's the case, why are we undergoing this training?
The world isn't as tolerant of psychics as they are here in Ashurum.
Maybe it's for when push comes to shove?
What are you doing this afternoon?
I got a special break for this afternoon.
If you're going shopping, want me to help?
I'm going to check in on my little sister!
He has a little sister?
So he's got a sister complex?
You're one to talk.
What do you mean by that, Chris?
Nothing.
Big brother!
How are you feeling?
I think I'm doing pretty good.
How is it here?
Everyone's so nice!
I see.
Mr. Eiji might be the nicest one. I see.
Mr. Eiji might be the nicest one.
Mr. Eiji came to visit?
Yeah. How are things with you, big brother?
I'm undergoing training so I can become a member of Ashurum's staff.
Is it hard?
I don't get many days off.
It looks like I won't be able to come here much either.
But I'll definitely come here on my days off!
Really?
Yeah, I promise.
Big brother?
What is it?
I'm glad we came to Ashurum.
Yeah...
I...
Hikaru?
Hikaru, what's wrong?
Hikaru, Hikaru!
Hikaru...
Double One Eight, Kai Kudou!
Yes, sir.
You've been given orders for a mission.
Show me the results of your training.
Yes, sir.
The criminal that killed a police officer is currently fleeing in the heart of the city.
It appears that the criminal is a psychic who is aligned with a guerilla organization.
AESES has received a request to move out.
This is your first mission. I'm counting on you.
When you left him with me, I was honestly at a loss, but...
He's made significant progress in the past year.
Well, he's cleared the practical standards.
As a psychic, his level doesn't seem to be all that great,
but I'll hold off on commenting about that.
I'm not a psychic, so all I can give is a relative evaluation.
I've received the report from the laboratory in regards to his psi-rating.
So what is your bottom-line evaluation in regards to Kai Kudou?
As a conventional combatant,
it's still too early to send him on a solo mission.
But you decided that his powers would compensate for that, didn't you, Major?
In that case, there's no problem.
Thank you, Naozumi.
Your desire for a transfer to field operations is sure to be approved soon.
Hey, Eiji, is he really that special?
Even I don't know that yet.
Would you please not shoot me?
Are you one of Ashurum's psychics?
I've come to take you into custody.
Custody, you say?
Hey, boy, Ashurum is a money-making corporation.
Don't you see that if they're replacing the military and the police,
they have to have an ulterior motive?!
After the war, the ones that brought about order in the weakened government's stead
were Ashurum and the federation of the twelve corporations.
You guerillas are just clinging onto an old order.
Ashurum's psychics sure are obedient.
Please surrender quietly.
I won't let you kill me!
Stop it! Please don't kill me!
All I'm doing is preventing you from moving.
Save me! I don't want to die! I'm begging you!
I've taken the psychic into custody, Mr. Eiji.
Save me! I've taken the psychic into custody, Mr. Eiji.
That was incredible, Kai. I guess that's the result of your training.
If it is, then I'm glad.
The mission is over. We'll take care of the rest.
Well...
What's going to happen to him now?
If he used his powers to murder someone,
then under normal circumstances, there would be no escaping imprisonment.
But in cases when psychics like them commit crimes,
there are many cases where it wasn't their own will,
but that they were being used, or that their powers went berserk.
It's all right, you don't have to worry.
Our work may be dealing with crimes that the military and the police can't deal with,
but at the same time, we also have a duty to take into our custody
psychics that hide underground, living in fear of persecution from society.
That is the purpose of AESES.
There's no reason to worry.
Thank goodness.
Welcome back, Kai!
Shin-Lu! You're still awake?
I was waiting for you, after all.
I want you to come to my room for a bit.
But it's already late.
We can wait until tomorrow...
Tomorrow's no good!
Tada!
What's with all of this?
Kai, you've forgotten what day it is.
Wait... Today?
Well, your birthday's already passed. And it's not mine.
Just kidding!
I know that you're careless about those kinds of things.
Today is the first anniversary of your arrival here.
I see! It's already been a year.
Right, since Eiji brought you here. That's why we're celebrating!
I even baked a cake made especially for you, Kai.
A celebration?
Shen-Lon!
Honestly! Don't just go eating it without asking!
I've told you to use the door when you come and go, haven't I?
That's a bother.
It's not like we're human.
We are human.
They said that you went on a solo mission. How'd it go?
All right. There weren't any problems.
Thank goodness.
But it's amazing, being given a solo mission in your first year.
Rank E, he was the lowest class of criminal.
Rank E?
Shen-Lon! You hacked into Ashurum's computers again, didn't you?
Even if you have that ability,
you're not supposed to use it when you're not on a mission, right?
It's because Kai's getting a swollen head!
I want him to learn what his powers are.
And the real reason why Eiji favours him.
I'll tell you too, Shin-Lu.
Kai has a little sister, right?
That little sister is a psychic that they're still researching.
So far, all they've learned is that she seems to have incredible powers.
Hikaru... My little sister isn't like that.
In that case, why is Eiji giving a pathetic psychic like you such special treatment?
He's expecting things of you, since you have the same genes as that little sister.
In place of your sister, whose constitution is so frail that she can't move.
What are you doing?!
Damn, I should have just blown you through the window.
Shen-Lon!
If you don't stop, I'm going to get mad too.
Man, you're scary.
Okay, okay, I'll leave.
Shin-Lu, make a sweeter cake next time.
That one's a failure, right?
Kai, I'm sorry.
Shen-Lon's jealous, because Eiji pays attention to you.
He also doesn't want to admit that your powers are increasing.
More importantly... the cake.
I'm sorry.
It's Shen-Lon's fault.
I'll make another one, so eat it next time, okay?
I'll eat it now.
It's sweet.
It's still sweet?
You're no good with sweet things,
so I cut down on the sugar quite a bit!
I'm sorry.
Ashurum's city...
Ashurum's people...
I'm glad we came to Ashurum.
I'm glad we came here.
But...
This is the psychic that Double One Eight captured,
but his psi-rating didn't meet the nominal value.
As expected.
How should we deal with him?
The same as always.
Ashurum has no need for him.
Contacting the third research group.
We'll leave disposal of the psychic to you, so please come pick him up.
I can't see the stars from this city.
The two of us had already started to get wet from the rapidly pouring rain
We snuck out in a hurry, throwing away everything
We wrapped our fingers together so that no one else could see it
That's our secret sign
So take me away from here, take me right away
Tonight midnight
So don't stop anymore, touch me right away
Tonight, it's true love
The night that can't return is going to begin
Gald, a city in chaos.
AESES mobilizes in order to sweep the area of the guerillas hiding there.
For the sake of order, for the sake of protecting people,
and for Ashurum's sake.
But what I saw among the rubble and the flames is...
Next time, E's Otherwise, Episode Two:
We Are Not Here To Destroy
"We Are Not Here To Destroy"
We Are Not Here To Destroy