Prologue

"Sorry, but we're currently not hiring!"

"It's alright. Thank you for your time."

I thanked the shop owner and make my way out of the building. I sighed as warm sunlight welcomed me back, the light breeze of early May wind caresses my skin as if to comfort me. I look up to the sky, watching as the clouds drift lazily up in the troposphere.

How envious…

At this moment, I had a fleeting wish, to just become a cloud. At least they won't feel the sting of rejection, even though they didn't 'live' for long. Though, as quickly as it appeared, the wish faded away. I cracked my neck before slowly walking away.

It had been like this for the last few days. Facing rejection after rejection to the point I grow numb to it. Of course, at first, I felt sad and disappointed, but by the third rejection, I simply didn't care anymore. Just going through the motion like a gear, the words 'complaining solves nothing' pushed my feet to where would most likely be my next rejection.

Who would've thought looking for work in a nowhere town can be so hard?

On my way, I stopped at a nearby rundown store. It hadn't been used since my middle school days, the building was rotting where it stood. I stood before its moldy glass, looking at the blurry reflection of myself. I promptly flattened any wrinkles on my white button-up shirt and swatted the dust off my black pants. I also slicked back my slightly unkempt hair, even though my two bangs kept rebelling. Feeling presentable, I flashed my reflection a smile. My cheek hurt from all the smile I did today, it felt like my lips could fall off at any moment.

Finished, my expression flattened and I returned to walking.

It didn't take long for me to arrive at my destination, a well-known photocopy shop in town. Gathering what spirit remained inside, I entered the shop with a smile and confident posture.

◇◇◇◇

Unsurprisingly, I was rejected again, this time however because I forgot that this shop was looking for female employees.

Huuuuuuuh… well, whatever. I think that's enough for today.

With that, I decided that I filled my quota of rejections and made my way home.

But alas, it seems some higher being hadn't finished playing with me…

As if the onslaught of 'No' wasn't enough, I was bombarded with numerous bad luck on my way home. I was chased by dogs three times almost back to back, then some asshole who breathed exhaust smoke almost run me over and he had the gall to be angry. Oh, and I stepped on dog shits. Four. times.

Honestly, today was the unluckiest day I had in my entire life. It felt like I was living in a fails compilation. It was honestly so exhausting that I decided to sit down and cool myself.

I sighed heavily in my seat, slumping on the rickety table. I felt a pitying glance directed at my back, probably from the seller who was manning the food stand. I ignored the feeling and looked up at my half-empty iced tea, racking my brain for where to go next but I simply couldn't muster up anything.

Once again I wanted to just shout my frustration to the sky, but that would be tantamount to social suicide. They would instantly label me as a lunatic if I do it. So I refrained.

Honestly, with all this luck, I won't be surprised if I would just drop dead here and now. Hell, I'm waiting for the sudden 'stroke' of luck…

To be quite honest, I don't really need to look for a job. I was, well… not quite well off, but I had enough.

I lived with my aunt and uncle after my father passed away when I was 7. With my mom's… complicated situation, it was decided that it was for the best for me to live with them. I am practically a local here, growing up most of my life in this nowhere town in the middle of Borneo. It was a nice quiet town even. I loved it here more than the times I had in the city. Though I was probably biased…

Thinking about this town dragged a tidbit of thought that had been in the back of my mind for quite some time: I was now in my final years of high school with two semesters left before I graduated. And because of that, my uncle suggested something… well, it was more of a passing grumble than a suggestion, I guess…

He just disapprove when I spent too much of my time doing jackshit since the start of my highschool. He never outright said his disapproval, however. I just know it. And I can't stand the disappointment of my father figure…

I fished my phone from my pocket and checked my WhatsApp. I had asked some of my friends for a job vacancy and they agreed to keep an eye out. They haven't DMed me about it, just the usual nonsense in the chat group. I put away my phone and finished my tea. Feeling rested, I paid the seller and made my way home.

I hadn't walked far from the stall when a small cry caught my attention.

"Ouch!"

I turned to see a familiar girl sitting on the sidewalk. Dressed in a worn yellow dress with faint brown patches and a pair of sandals that looked like they would snap at the slightest movement was Sinta, a girl who usually sells snacks with her grandma near my school gate. My eyes then went to a bag beside her, inside it were bundles of yellow rice.

"You okay?" I asked as I approached her.

"Huh? Oh, the big bro from school! I'm okay, just a scratch!" She was holding her knee where a small bleeding scratch can be seen.

Without much thought, I ushered her to the table, went to the nearby store, and purchased some bandaids and tissues. After cleaning her wound, I patched it up with a bandaid dotted with stars. Satisfied, I bought her a meal and sat back as the girl eat the food with gusto.

I idly opened my phone but quickly lost interest. Having nothing to do, I talked to her.

"So, Sinta. Where do you live?"

"Hm? Oh, I lived nearby! Just by that alley there!" she pointed at an alley between a supermarket and a small-time record store.

"I see....where's your parents?"

"Mama went to work in the city! Grandma said she will return when I'm older…but I kinda miss Mama sometimes… but, But! Sinta is a big girl! She will wait for Mama to return because she will bring a lot of toys and sweets!"

I smiled at the bright grin the girl was sporting. even the blemish on tan her face was unable to cloud her optimism.

I talked with her about mundane things for a while. It was 4 pm when she decided to go home, but before that, I bought five of the yellow rice and told her to keep the change. Honestly, that smile of hers was enough of a change for me. I was watching her entering the alley when the seller suddenly chimed in.

"She's a strong girl, that one."

"Yeah, she is…" I agreed and turned to the man, "Sir, do you know what really happened to her mom?" I had seen the man coming in and out from that alley, so I thought he might be her neighbor.

"Ah, Sinta's mom?" the man's expression turned somber, "that poor girl…to think such a sweet girl came from someone so selfish." The man then told me what happened to Sinta's mom.

Sinta's father died when she was 4 and her mother remarried a year later. It turns out that her new husband didn't want a child from her previous marriage and the woman dumped the poor girl with her grandparents who barely could support her.

Honestly, I can't understand why some people can be that selfish…

◇◇◇◇

When I arrived home, I was immediately greeted by my cousins. They told me of their first day back to school before asking me what I brought home. They were at the same age as Sinta, they just entered their 4th grade.

They were also one of the reasons that I wanted to look for a job. As their big brother, I wanted to set a good example for them.

I had an early dinner with them where they regaled me with more stories of their first day at school. After they finished, I washed their plates and cleaned the table. When I threw the crumpled papers used for packing the rice, I noticed that one of them was a flier of sorts.

I picked it up from the trash bin and read it.

It was a Job Vacancy flier for a place called 'Sugarstar,' a cafe it seems like. I read further and saw that they didn't need too much specification. It looks almost brand new as well, hm… maybe I could try this?

Deciding on giving it a try, I folded the flier and put it inside my pocket.

I spent the afternoon helping my aunt around the house before retreating to my room. After a quick shower and with barely anything other than my shorts, I booted up my PC and started playing some games. It was already 11 PM by the time I went to bed.

As I stared at the ceiling, shrouded by darkness, my thoughts returned to the flier in my pants that was hanging on the wall. My immediate thought was of course rejection, but after a while, I didn't give a shit anymore.

If I get rejected again then it is what it is. I still have one last option left…

And that was one of my relatives that runs a car workshop. The reason that I didn't go to him first was because he was really, really strict and some of my childhood fear of him still lingered. I was a little shit back then though, so it wasn't surprising that he was angry that one time.

With that thought, I finally drifted to sleep.

~~~~

Blearily, I opened my eyes to a bright light.

Something was off, I can feel it in my bones.

I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus my vision. Blinking a few times, I finally was able to see clearly. And I immediately knew that I wasn't in my bed anymore, instead, I was in an office room.

Oh, it's one of those dreams…

it seems my plan for tomorrow was dragged into my sleep. It was strange, though, why was it an office and not a cafe?

Meh, probably some weird dream shit. I concluded as I looked around.

The office was big, definitely much bigger than my room. It was like one of those higher-up rooms you'd see in movies. The room was sparsely decorated; on the wall, there were some paintings of landscapes with a small house in the middle, and there was also a painting of a galaxy right above them. On the corner of my vision, there was a potted bamboo, with tags hanging on their leaves. I looked down, wiggled on my rolling chair, and moved it around a bit. This might be the most lucid dream I had in a while. Might as well enjoy it

I raced around the office with my rolling chair. I looked around the place too, spying on every nook and cranny of the room. I got back on my chair and blitzed around the place again but faster than earlier—

"Ahem!"

—I instantly slammed my feet on the floor and stopped my rolling chair's acceleration. an expensive-looking urn helped my deceleration. The urn was now a piece of modern art on the floor.

Slowly, I turned around and gulped at what I saw.

Behind a well-crafted mahogany desk, sat a woman with long, braided blue hair, hands folded over her cream-colored business wear. Her plum-colored eyes held an amused shine as she smiled at me. How didn't I notice her?

…Ah…it's one of those dreams where I make a fool of myself…

Hesitantly, I stood up and dragged my chair to where it was when I woke up before sitting down.

I cleared my throat, smoothened my job-hunting suit (the white shirt and black pants combo,) and flashed her the most professional smile I could muster. that smile wavered by a tilt of the woman's head after she stared at me for what felt like an eternity.

"I see you're having fun…" the woman started with an amused smile.

"...I'm sorry."

Despite being in a dream, I still felt the shame crawling on my skin.

God, if this was real life I would jump through that big window behind her.

The woman chuckled at my apology and shook her head from side to side, "There's no need to be sorry. It's only natural to act as such in this condition…"

"..."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just nodded and met her eyes once more. The woman then placed her hands on the desk, fingers intertwining.

"My name is Satin, overseer of this branch. Without further ado, let us start your interview. First of all, what's your name?"

"Dimas. Dimas Adi Prayoga, Ma'am."

"Your age?"

"I will be 17 next month."

The interview went smoother than all of my previous interviews. I hadn't stuttered one bit, no blanked on important questions, and most importantly I hadn't broken a sweat like I usually do in a social environment. Damn, if only this was real then I might already be hired! If only I could substitute this dream with what will definitely be a trainwreck tomorrow…

Miss Satin stopped her lines of questioning with a long hum as she sunk into her much bigger (comfier) chair.

A small sigh escaped her lips, "I think continuing this interview would be a waste of time…"

She had her eyes closed for a while with a somewhat neutral expression. Wait, am I going to be rejected in my dream too?!

I gulped as I waited for the verdict. After what felt like eons, she swiveled to me.

A smile on her face.

"...Congratulations, Yoga. you're hired."

I nodded with a big grin on my face. Man! Now I want this to be real!

Miss Satin stood up and I followed suit. She walked me out of the office while explaining a brief history of her company. So much of it was a corpo jargon jumbled with sci-fi technobabble that flew above my head and to the stratosphere, I couldn't remember any of it. Her explanation only dragged me to the reality that this was some illusion conjured by my brain. And now that I was near the door, I think it was almost time to wake up.

"...anyway, Yoga. I expect you to be punctual tomorrow. It will be bad for your rapport if you are late on the first day at work."

"Yes, ma'am!" I get it brain, I won't be late tomorrow.

"Good. Now with that out of the way, let's meet your teammates."

Huh? Why do I need a team?

Miss Satin swung the door open and I was greeted by three people; Two girls with orange hair, one was standing like she was a mannequin, her short curly hair had an ahoge, while the other was more relaxed with her hair done in a side-ponytail; Beside them was a plain looking brunette boy whose eyes zeroed on Miss Satin's rather gifted bust.

For some reason, they looked familiar to me.

Before I could say anything, suddenly something yanked me back into the office, and the next thing I knew I was falling down into a void.

I sighed heavily.

Of course, I wake up when it's getting interesting…

~~~~~

When I woke up, I cursed whoever controlled my dream.

It was just getting interesting damn it! Why does it end just like that!

With a bad mood and a migraine, I made my way to the bathroom. The clock on the wall showed that it was barely 6 am. There was still an hour before I needed to go to Sugarstar. After checking on my messages, I helped Aunt Mei prepare breakfast for the family. Recalling some parts of the dream, I couldn't help but snort while I was watching over the fish my aunt fried.

"So those games finally drive you insane, huh?" Aunt Mei chimed as she re-entered the kitchen.

"Being rejected daily will do that to a man… Oh yeah! Aunt Mei, is Uncle Budi still looking for an employee?"

She ruffled my hair and said, "Don't worry, I've called him already. Just do your best for today, okay?"

I smiled and thanked her. Not long after that, my cousins joined us in the dining room. My uncle already went to work as early as 4 am, so we rarely had breakfast together unless he was on his night shift.

After delivering my cousins to school I immediately headed to the Sugarstar. School hasn't started yet and my brain told me to get here early in a dream.

I arrived at a small building near a roundabout with a big 'Sugarstar' logo plastered on the windows. This cafe looks brand new and it makes me even more nervous. Mustering whatever courage I had, I pushed the cafe's wooden door and entered the shop.

A ding welcomed my entrance.

"Right on time, good."

And so was a familiar voice. My eyes nearly popped out of my skull when I saw who manned the counter.

It was Miss Satin. And unlike in my dream, she dressed more casually and wore an apron. She approached me and pulled me into a chair in the corner of the cafe before sitting across from me.

"…"

"Hm? You were more confident last night, Yoga. What is it? Cat got your tongue?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

What would be the right thing to say at this moment? A woman you met in your dream suddenly knows you by name and casually says something about your dream.

"A-ah…um.."

That's right, there's none.

"Ufufu~ by the look on your face I can see that you're confused…" hell yeah I'm confused! "But unfortunately, this is no time to be confused, my dear. Come, follow me."

the woman suddenly stood up with a rather serious expression. Hesitantly, I followed her when she went further into the cafe. We entered the kitchen and stopped before a door. she pushed it open and I was gobsmacked by the sight before me.

I was sure that behind this building was a narrow alley separating this cafe and an apothecary. But how the hell has it suddenly expanded and gone straight to a road?!

"Come on, Yoga. mental breakdown can wait, we still need to pick up your teammates!" Numbly, I was pushed into the door by Miss Satin.

I think Aunt Mei is right…I'm totally losing it…

◇◇◇◇

After crossing over to… wherever this was, Miss Satin excused herself and re-entered the door leaving me behind alone in the alleyway.

I wasn't brave enough nor adventurous enough to know where this was so I sat down on the ground and waited for my boss to come back.

The only thing that was clear to me was the fact that this place was a city. Beyond the mouth of the alley was a skyscraper and occasionally I saw people or cars passing by, though it was too far for me to see clearly.

After a while, my anxiety all but vanished and I feel somewhat relaxed again. I fished my phone out and noticed that I didn't get reception despite being in a city, and seeing that the sky was dark as shit…

Great, either this was a different country or another world entirely. I sighed and decided to kill time browsing my gallery since all of my games were online.

Sometime later, the door opened again and Miss Satin stepped out along with three familiar people.

"Sorry for the wait." Miss Satin apologized before clapping, "Now gather around and listen carefully. I will give you all the rundown for your first mission."

I stood up and joined the three teenagers. A holographic screen suddenly appeared between Miss Satin and us, catching most of us by surprise. Ignoring our surprise, Miss Satin began explaining.

"Listen up. Firstly, let me congratulate you four on passing the interview for our company. Let me introduce myself again. My name is Satin Satana, overseer of sector 21 on behalf of the Grand Aegis. Our mission is to keep the balance, security, and prosperity of the omniverse."

Her voice was different from the time she interviewed me or when we met at Sugarstar, much more stern and commanding like she was a sergeant of some kind (which she might be).

"You four should be proud. from gazillions of people, you four have been chosen as Keeper…well, part-time Keeper. Your job is to stop and apprehend illegal system users. I believe some of you might have an idea of what I am referring to, but to those who do not, let me explain…" Miss Satin went on to explain what was considered an 'Illegal System User' to us.

Apparently, the stories where people died or were kidnapped by a ROB and then got systems like Gamer and the like were real to an extent. When a world was in a dire state or in a state of stagnation, an overseer would pick a person from another world, give them a system to help them, and shove them into the world they were watching over since they can't interfere directly. Once these System Users were released to the wild, they would no doubt affect the world be it directly or indirectly.

The difference between illegal users and legal users was the fact they were chosen by Outer Gods or similar entities that weren't under the Grand Aegis' banner. their goals varied but there was only one outcome of their meddling: the Pruning.

I was (somewhat) familiar with the concept of Pruning. Basically, when there was something wrong in a timeline that led to stagnation or mankind's total demise, that timeline would be pruned by the world and reset the timeline. At least that was how I understood it.

Miss Satin's company goal was to keep the world from pruning its timeline unnecessarily since it would accelerate the Heat Death of those universes.

Our job as part-time Keeper was to defeat these Illegal System Users that threaten the worlds' stability and keep it from its premature death.

"With that all out of the way, let us start the briefing."

Right on cue, the holographic screen that was projecting an image of the company logo: a shield with a ring of globes in the middle, vanished and was replaced by a photo that was taken from a distance.

More photos appeared afterward, they were taken from different angles and much closer distances. In the photo was a young man probably in his early twenties or late teens with long, snow-white hair that looked unkempt. His wild red eyes bore a twinkle of glee in some photos with a trail of blood. I had a feeling that this man was lacking in the sanity department.

"The man before you is Ken Kurusu. An ordinary young man who has been dealt a bad hand in life and was forced to survive by resorting to petty crimes," The boss lady began explaining as data regarding the man appeared on the screen.

"Until recently, he was just some petty thief who had been going in and out of the juvie a few times. Approximately two days ago, an illegal system user—let us call them Apostle, was detected by an overseer of this world, and As you can guess this Apostle was in fact Kurusu-san."

She crossed her arms, "We don't know whether he was a reincarnated or a local selected as an Apostle, whichever it was doesn't really matter. What matters is the fact he has been using his power to do his criminal act that starting to threaten a whole city. Due to the Apostle's insane growth, we fear that he's slowly turning into country scale threat."

Miss Satin stopped talking and letting us stew on the information. When she continued her briefing, what came out of her mouth surprised some of us.

"...there was a report that a few hours ago, a Servant summon was detected in this world."

"H-huh!? A Servant?!" the girl who stood beside me cried in shock.

A clipping of an old newspaper appeared on the screen. By seeing the text on the image, I finally knew where I was; Japan. And also a clue which corner of the universe this was.

Miss Satin then explained the Servant's identity.

His name was Toxiclaw, a B-class villain who terrorized this part of Kyoto at the dawn of the Quirk era. His simple but deadly Quirk turned him into a monster at a time when Heroes was still considered a vigilante. He was killed after a group of vigilantes ambushed him and his name was forgotten by the public as time went on. Toxiclaw was suspected to be summoned as a Berserker class so we were asked to tread with caution. She told us to ask the girl beside me if we got any questions regarding the matter of Servants.

After finishing the briefing, Miss Satin gave us our equipment and a gift for me and another boy in our group before wishing us good luck and leaving through the door.

The equipment was a jumpsuit and a green bracelet. The white jumpsuit with blue accents was surprisingly comfy. I was expecting it to be tight since Miss Satin asked us to wear it over our clothing. The bracelet looked techy for something so small, its circuit patterns also glowed at times making it look cool. Boss lady said it will act as our Pseudo System. I guess since Apostles often have cheats skills or items this gauntlet was a way for us to even the odds. She also gave us something and left after explaining what it was.

We stared at the floating door in front of us for a minute before one of us felt brave enough to open their mouth. It was the girl beside me.

"So, um… I guess we're coworkers now, huh?" her question received hums from us. "Well, let us know each other then, my name is Rio Emiya… or Emiya Rio? Well, just call me Rio, nice to meet you all!"

Rio introduced herself with a big grin on her face. She was the girl with bright orange hair with a side ponytail tied by a yellow headband. Her amber eyes sparkled with enthusiasm when she stood before us.

"Oh, um, I'm Hyoudou Issei. I'm from Kuoh town. I-it's nice to meet you, Rio-san, everyone!" The only boy beside me introduced himself. He was a plain-looking boy with brown hair that looked slightly unkempt.

"Greetings friends, my name is Penny Polendina. It is delightful to meet you all." The other girl with vivid orange hair like Ritsuka bowed at a perfect 90 degrees.

"...Dimas Adi Prayoga. Call me Yoga please." I kept my introduction short to not show how anxious I was near these guys.

Dangit, how did a job hunt on a whim get me into a multiversal security firm!?