This is the famous Rubin's vase.
Depending on how you look at it,
it could either be a vase or two people facing each other.
The Müller-Lyer illusion.
The two lines are the same length, but the top one looks longer.
This is the checker shadow illusion.
Tiles A and B appear to be different colors,
but when extended, so that they overlap, you see that they're the same color.
The human brain's cognitive ability is surprisingly iffy and unreliable.
If our brains were, for whatever reason, to become altered,
the world we perceive would become vastly different.
For example, entities thought to be fictitious till now,
could appear before us in our reality.
Like me!
Ever since an incident over a decade ago,
the human brain has undergone a drastic change.
Fact and fiction intertwined,
and a myriad of phantasmal entities emerged into the world.
I'll elaborate the details later,
but this is the story of those of us living in such an age.
Don't go back to sleep!
Ow, ow, ow!
Stop it!
What are you doing?
It's your fault for not getting up, Haruhiko!
Look!
No way.
Ow!
Damn it...
There.
Crap, crap, crap...
If I'm late, Mai-senpai will roundhouse-kick me again!
You're so slow, Haruhiko.
Take a break from reading for once, and play some sports.
That's none of your business!
It's already here.
Wait up!
I did it.
Crap, it didn't work!
You're late, Haruhiko!
Hosea Academy
Sorry.
Are you done yet?
It keeps moving around. It's hard to draw.
Why are you even dressed like that?
I was in the middle of getting changed.
Go, Mai-cchi!
Isn't that the Phantom that's been interrupting gym class
and wrecking the flower gardens?
It's kind of a pain...
Shouldn't you go help, Ruru-chan?
Nope.
I'm an expert observer.
Hey, can you two handle it by yourselves?
Maybe you should ask a better team for backup.
I was just getting warmed up.
I'll show you what I'm made of.
Haruhiko, move!
Why can't you be more nimble?
You know I have terrible reflexes!
Morning.
Morning, Kurumi-chan.
Is your cold better?
Yeah.
What are you all watching?
Some high schoolers are fighting a Phantom.
This is getting nowhere.
Is there anything I can do?
That's it.
Mai-senpai, what are you...
They're coming this way.
There.
Nice, Mai-senpai!
Haruhiko, this is your chance.
Right.
Thrashing Phantom, reveal your secrets to the Book of Thoth!
Yay!
Haruhiko and Mai-cchi win!
See how good we are now?
That was lame.
Normally, you fail more spectacularly.
At least it was a good way to kill some time.
Let's go, Kurumi-chan.
That was exciting, huh, Albrecht?
They're all leaving.
Let's finish up, Haruhiko.
O-Okay!
Judging by color, fire is this Phantom's attribute.
Based on the law "water extinguishes fire," its weakness is the qi of water.
Of the five elements, the power of water extinguishes fire.
Her huge boobs never cease to amaze me!
I summon the water phase to my fists from my kidneys.
Quit ogling!
Neural Error Corrections Room
I have to buy a new sketchbook again.
You earned nothing today!
Why, Sensei?
You destroyed school infrastructure.
You earned just enough to pay for it.
No way.
How will I get by?
I'll find you more work, so be patient.
Okay, that's it for today's meeting.
Get home safely!
Good work, Mai.
Better luck next time.
Don't get so down, Haruhiko.
Some days it rains, some days it shines.
Thanks, Shosuke.
Quit sighing.
You're letting your happiness out.
You were sighing, too.
Hosea Academy Neural Error Corrections Room.
It's like a Phantom-hunting club.
But Team E, Mai-senpai and me, has the worst performance record.
This is bad.
This is really bad.
I was counting on today's reward.
Are you so cash-strapped this month?
This month, next month, and every month thereafter.
It isn't easy for a high school student to live on their own.
Maybe our team needs more than just us.
We need to recruit members somehow.
Go Hosea!
Hosea Academy is a private school.
I, Ichijo Haruhiko, entered its high school division this April.
My hobby is reading.
I've read all the books in the school library,
so I mainly go to the public library now.
Hey, isn't there anything better to read?
Like something smutty or something smutty?
You won't find anything like that here.
Hosea Academy covers grade school to high school,
but some students enter high school from other middle schools.
Some of them might have special abilities like ours.
There might be some hidden talent nearby.
Like Zhuge Liang or Pang Tong from Records of Three Kingdoms.
I don't remember that.
Your stories always go off on stupid tangents.
Huh?
Was there always a cemetery here?
You must have taken the wrong path.
I always come this way. How could I have?
There's a phenomenon called "jamais vu."
It's when you feel like you're seeing a familiar scene for the first time.
That might be what this is.
Haruhiko, look!
Phantoms!
A girl?
I have to help her!
Please don't stare. It's embarrassing.
No!
A Phantom Eater!
She's a special ability user!
That was delicious.
Wow!
H-Have you heard of Gaius Plinius Secundus?!
G-Gai...
An ancient Roman naturalist!
Also known as Pliny the Elder...
There's an animal called the manticore in his book!
It would eat anything. Not even an army could slow it down.
Just now, you looked like the manticore!
Is that supposed to be a compliment?
This animal's also mentioned in Aristotle's books—
See? Going off on tangents!
Oh, yeah.
You're wearing a Hosea Academy uniform.
What's your name?
I-Izumi Reina.
Izumi Reina-san...
I'm Ichijo Haruhiko.
Have you chosen your club yet?
Would you like to join the Phantom-hunting club?
I-I... Sorry, I'm going home now!
Look out!
Crap!
This is turning into a super clichéd dating-sim encounter.
Don't fall!
S-S-Sorry!
I didn't see any blue stripes!
How dare you?!
W-Wait.
Aw, she ran away.
All because you had to meddle.
You're so awful! I helped you out!
Izumi-san, I'm not giving up on you.
We need you.
You jerk!
Please! I'm begging you!
I don't know.
You're a Phantom Eater. You have a rare gift.
It'd be a shame if you didn't use it.
Are you pissed about yesterday?
If you want, you can kick his ass.
I'll allow it.
Why are you the one granting permission?
N-No, it was just an accident.
I'm sorry I threw you.
It's fine.
But I'm sorry. I really don't think I can.
Come on...
W-Wait.
Oh, yeah. Have you had lunch?
I'll treat you.
At the school cafeteria.
The school cafeteria?
School Cafeteria Today's Menu Meal of the Day Lunch A Lunch B
The food here is so delicious.
I could keep eating forever.
She has such an appetite...
Awesome!
I've always wanted to come to the school cafeteria.
But I don't get an allowance, so I don't have any money.
You don't get an allowance?
Never mind. It isn't important.
Anyway, would you please explain?
All right.
Let's begin with what Phantoms are.
It's common knowledge, but I'll explain anyway.
"Phantom" is a broad term for ghosts, youkai,
monsters, and other supernatural beings.
They used to be considered fictional, or only perceptible to certain humans.
Explosion at Research Facility
Government declares state of emergency Large-scale biohazard
A little over a decade ago, a facility owned by a company called Alayashiki
Explosion at Alayashiki Research Facility
was hit by a terrorist bomb.
A virus that infects the brain got out.
The large-scale biohazard affected the population,
New Virus Special
Effects of Infection on Brain Function
causing changes in brain function.
As a result, everyone became able to perceive Phantoms.
In other words, Phantoms are the beings that emerged as the wall between reality and myth broke down.
Neural Error Corrections Law Comes Into Effect Today
Special
Further, breast-feeding infants manifested superpowers.
Children like you and I...
Children with special abilities capable of fighting Phantoms were born, one after another.
Most Phantoms are harmless.
But some can lead people astray, like the one you sealed.
We ability users made club-like groups within each of our schools,
Neural Error Corrections Curriculum
to seal or expunge such troublesome Phantoms.
We even get paid.
Albeit in goods, not cash.
So Ruru-chan's also a Phantom, right?
Yeah!
But I'm a good girl,
so I don't get hunted down—
Good girls don't steal food!
Well?
Cheapskate!
Would you be willing to join my team?
You don't get an allowance, right?
It'd be like a part-time job.
Mai-senpai gets paid in rice and everyday goods.
It helps her get by.
You can't say no after you made us spend so much, missy!
You should come and watch, at least.
Sure.
Izumi Reina-san, right?
Neural Error Corrections Room
I'm Kawakami Mai, a second-year.
Onee-sama...
I-I'm sorry.
In the girls' school I went to, it was customary to call upperclassmen "Onee-sama."
So...
Wow, that sounds like a rich girls' school.
We just got a new request from our supervisor, Himeno Arisu-sensei.
This time, we'll do it right.
My livelihood depends on it!
What kind of Phantom is it this time?
Utility pole Phantoms.
It's like a Miyazawa Kenji fantasy.
That looks fun!
Those poles were made with lumber harvested on this mountain.
Looks like they've come back as Phantoms.
Seriously, though, you're so out of shape.
What do you want me to say?
Those Phantoms aren't really doing anything bad, are they?
Do we really need to chase them off?
Apparently, those Phantoms are causing radio disturbances around here.
Our club's ultimate goal is coexistence with Phantoms.
But if they're pesky Phantoms that can't be reasoned with, we need them to get lost.
Limbo!
Of the five elements, the power of metal cuts wood.
I summon the metal phase from my lungs to my fists.
Let us do battle for what is right.
Who's next?
Electric shocks?
Mai-senpai!
Onee-sama!
Mai-cchi, are you all right?
Barely.
Tsukumogami?
Yeah.
Youkai born from the anger of tools built and abandoned by humans.
In the past,
people used to dance in honor of trees they cut down on this mountain.
I guess they're doing that dance for themselves now.
But why limbo?
"Limbo," in Christianity, is the world between this one and Heaven.
They've fulfilled their roles, but they can't pass on.
Maybe the Phantoms are trying to express that grief by dancing the limbo.
The Christian Limbo?
Is that the source of the word for the dance?
Nope, they're not related whatsoever.
Are you kidding me?
They're not very particular, I see...
But you're pretty knowledgeable, Ichijo-kun.
I'm impressed!
He's just a nerd.
He reads books all the time.
Yet all he has is trivial knowledge that's totally useless in battle.
That's not true.
Now that we know what these Phantoms are and why they're dancing,
we can devise a plan.
Hang in there, guys!
Is this really going to help seal the Phantoms?
It should...
These tsukumogami want to be honored by humans.
Be careful not to touch them. You'll be electrocuted.
Yes!
That should quell the tsukumogami.
When will the tsukumogami get over their grudge?
Reina-chan fails!
Don't worry.
I'll make up for y—
Haruhiko fails!
I-I should've known I-I wasn't a-athletic enough for limbo!
Yes!
All right!
Good job, Mai-senpai.
Wow!
We're still not done?
Hang in there, Mai-oneesama.
Don't push yourself.
I have to. My livelihood depends on it.
It's down.
Now if Mai-senpai succeeds...
Look over there.
Mai-cchi's huge rack...
...is going to hit it!
We'd be better off with Reina-chan here!
That's not nice to Reina-chan!
What is that supposed to mean?
Mai-senpai, what are you doing?
Oh, I see!
You're bouncing your breasts and waiting for the moment when they're at their lowest.
Ready, set...
Go!
All right!
Yes!
You did it!
Amazing!
That's our Mai-cchi!
Piece of cake, I guess.
The Phantoms...
The tsukumogami are appeased.
They want us to seal them.
Haruhiko, where's your sketchbook?
Crap, I forgot to buy one!
How useless can you get?
Leave it to me.
Reina-chan, that was amazing.
You seriously need to join our team.
Okay, if you insist, Mai-oneesama.
Thank you!
That resolves our lack of personnel.
And we have a perfect formation.
I fight, Reina-chan seals...
Wait, do we even need you?
So mean!
Look! The poles!
Now that the tsukumogami are gone, they've gone back to being utility poles.
I feel a bit sorry for them.
I'm sure they were helpful to humans before.
If they're reborn as trees again,
would they still be willing to serve humans?
I see, so you're set on going it alone?
Himeno Arisu
Preparation Room
Yes. That's how I've always done things.
All right.
But if you ever feel like it, please come and help with our work, too.
If I have the opportunity.
Excuse me.
Who's that? I haven't seen her before.
Maybe she joined in April, like Reina-chan.
Phantoms: real hallucinations, born of the human brain.
We live in this shaky world, where the line between reality and fantasy
has become blurred.
I do, too!