Hey, don’t be so impatient. Even with my skills, I can’t finish my analysis that fast!

You’re not as good as you claim to be, then?

Don’t be ridiculous! Naoya wrote this encryption program.

A normal man couldn’t solve this in a week, but I’ll have it done in a matter of hours!

All right, all right. You’re Naoya’s best apprentice, we get it.

That’s exactly right, Yoohoo!

Don’t call me Yoohoo!

Heh heh heh!

Let’s go, Nickname! He can stare at that screen until his eyeballs explode!

Hmph... Anyway, I’ll be a bit longer, so go find something to do!

Now... What should we do? Wanna go watch a movie, or do some karaoke? Hmm...

Atsuro might call us, so we should go somewhere with cellphone reception...

...And lo, the smiting from God against the Tower of Babel returns!

Oh, man... What’s with that bunch of weirdos?

Now, along with our Shomonkai, let us bring the world together.

With the power of the Internet, the world will be as one once more...

The ”power of the Internet,” huh? Gimme a break... Are you interested in this, Nickname?

Huh... I didn’t think you would be.

Oh! Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean that in a bad way.

Yeah, I wouldn’t think so. Their clothes are weird, too.

Well, even I think it’s great how the Internet lets you connect with the world.

But all this stuff about gods and bringing the world together... I don’t know.

Ugh! Why are we even talking about this? Let’s go somewhere else, Nickname!

Tonight and for the next three days, fellow members who believe

in the power of the Internet will gather in Tokyo. All are welcome to take part.

Believe in His Majesty and prepare for the ordeal. That is when we shall...

Hey, Nickname! Over here!

Yo, how’s it going?

Real nice of Naoya to make us meet him outside on a hot day like this, isn’t it?

So, how’s your summer been? We usually meet at school, so it feels like it’s been forever.

Is everything good?

Ah, that’s the Nickname I know! Young guys like us need to be full of energy!

Still, I couldn’t think of anything to do, so I spent all day on my laptop. Haha!

Uh-oh... Did something happen?

Well, I couldn’t think of anything to do, so I spent all day on my laptop. Haha!

This is great timing though, man. I just ran into this problem with my coding.

It has me completely stumped, so I was about to go ask Naoya if he could help...

Oh, there you are! I’ve been looking for you guys!

Hey, here comes Yoohoo!

Don’t call me ”Yoohoo!”

My name is Yuzu! Sheesh, will you stop calling me that stupid nickname?

Even boys at school call me ”Yoohoo,” and it’s your fault!

Hehe, it’s not that bad, is it?

It’s a friendly nickname!

And it’s not just our class. Some of the teachers actually think your name is ”Yoohoo.”

That’s because people like you keep calling me that!

Haha, it’s working!

He keeps calling me ”Yoohoo”...!

Huh...? Oh, that’s right!

I ran into Naoya a moment ago, and he asked me to give these to Atsuro and you.

He said that something’s come up and he won’t be able to make it.

Aww, what’s up with that? Naoya stood us up! Wait, what did he want you to give us?

Here, take them. They were a pain to carry around in my bag, too.

Aren’t these those Communication Player things?

Yep. Aren’t these those Communication Player things?

I’ve seen commercials for them before. They’re like, ”Play with people around the world!”

Oh, you know about them, Yoohoo? That’s exactly what these are.

The name ”Communication Player” is a real mouthful, so people just call them COMPs.

They have email and a web browser, so they’re more like cellphones than game systems.

Huh... Is that so?

Naoya said, ”You’ll all need these. Don’t let go of them.”

Eh? ”You’ll all need”...? Well, there are three of them.

...Still, why would we need these? I mean, I’ve got a COMP back at my own-- Huh?

What the...? I’ve never seen this menu. Did he homebrew this?

What...? Do you mean he made this himself? Is that even possible?

Huh? Don’t you know, Yoohoo? Naoya’s famous among us programmers. He’s a genius!

Something like this would be no problem for him.

Huh... I had no idea. Is he really that good?

Hmm... I can’t open this folder. Looks like it’s protected...

Protected...?

You mean, it’s set so other people can’t mess with it? We can’t look inside, then.

Heh heh, that’s right! Good thing I brought my laptop along...

...Huh? H-Hey, Atsuro! What’re you doing?

Heh heh! What does it look like? I’m gonna hack this folder wide open.

You’re hacking it...? Hey, Naoya’s gonna be angry if you do that!

Huuuuh? Are you sure about this?

You don’t get it, Yoohoo! Naoya’s my teacher.

He’s right. C’mon, Atsuro, stop it!

You guys don’t get it! Naoya’s my teacher.

If he took the time to call me up and give it to me...

That means he wants me to break his protection scheme! It’s like a friendly greeting!

That doesn’t make any sense! Why can’t he say ”hello” like a normal person?

Let’s take a look here... What’s his encryption scheme this time?

...Heh heh heh!♪ Isn’t this intense?

No! Only someone like you would find this exciting, Atsuro!

Hrrrrmmmm... Ah, there we go!

You can at least check your mail for now. Here, these are yours.

At around 16:00 in Shibuya-ku Aoyama, a man... will be killed?

He’ll be attacked by some carnivorous beast...

...? What kind of news is this? That’s so creepy...

I know, right? The way it’s written so offhandedly just makes it even creepier...

Huh? No, it’s totally freaky! And the way it’s so casual makes it even freakier!

Hey! That’s not the point!

It also said there’ll be a blackout in Tokyo today... What is this?

It says it’s today’s news... But none of this has happened today.

Why would Naoya put a lock on this...? Ooh, maybe it’s code for something!

Aoyama, Aoyama... Hmm... Naoya’s place is near there, but is that important...?

That’s enough! This is way too creepy!

I bet Naoya knew you would tinker with the COMPs and played a trick on us.

I don’t know... He’s amazingly smart, so I think he must have meant for this to happen.

Hmm... I can’t figure it out from just this. I’ll try the rest of these files, too.

I’m gonna go find somewhere I can think. Go kill some time. Oh, you can take the COMPs!

Some of their functions still work, so you might as well try them out. See ya later, okay?

I bet it’s all just a prank. Atsuro always acts like such a kid with stuff like this!

Um... What should we do, Nickname? Why don’t we wander around until Atsuro’s done?

The stores around here are really fashionable. They’re all, like, so mature, y’know?

I used to go to Harajuku all the time, but I always wanted to fit in in Omotesando.

Hey, do you think I stick out like a sore thumb here?

No way, really? Aww, thanks!

Yeah, I see... Just a little longer.

Don’t you think that Harajuku and Omotesando have different images?

Omotesando feels more like Aoyama’s style than Harajuku’s...

Speaking of Aoyama... Hey, Nickname... What time is it right now?

Huh...? Oh, sorry! I was just thinking about that email in the COMP...

16:30, ugh... I was just thinking about that email in the COMP...

You know, the one about someone being attacked by a ”carnivorous beast...”

It said the attack happened in the Aoyama area, right? It’s around the right time, too...

Those police cars... They’re heading towards Aoyama...

Ah... Ahaha! There’s no way that it could be true, right?

......

Hey... Naoya’s apartment is in Aoyama, right? Shouldn’t we... go check it out?

Y-Yeah.

I’m a little scared... But, he should be okay. Let’s go!

Are you sure? I think we should see what happened.

Yeah! Let’s hurry, Nickname!

Something’s still bothering me... We should go, Nickname!

Naoya...?

...I’m surprised to see you, Name. What are you doing here?

Safe? ...Oh, you mean the incident in the building.

Th-That’s right! We thought something might have happened to you, Naoya!

...Oh, you mean the incident in the building.

Of course that’s what we mean! What’s going on, anyway?

That weird email you made us read made us all jumpy!

I see...

You’re right... Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to frighten you.

The person who was eaten was a student, like yourselves. He lived next door to me...

He was eaten...? No way!

Is what that email said really true?

But, we got the email before the incident happened, so...

Nickname, what does this all mean?

...I see. You’re saying that I sent the email, then I carried out the murder...

That does seem like a logical explanation. But, no, that’s not what happened.

...Your thought process never ceases to amaze me.

Usually, one would suspect that the one who sent the email carried out the murder.

No wonder you’re my cousin...

I understand why the two of you came here, Name.

But, our meeting here is an accident. We shouldn’t be talking like this.

Hurry and find Atsuro immediately. It’s going to begin soon...

Begin...? What are you talking about?

...There isn’t much time left. Listen carefully to me, both of you.

Do not turn away from what is about to happen now. Do not be afraid to stand up against it.

That is when the door of truth will open... Overcome your fate.

Oh...! W-Wait a second!

...He’s gone.

Something... didn’t seem right with him, huh? I wonder what’s wrong.

Yo! I figured out how to crack the encryption on those COMPs!

I need yours so I can unlock them. Meet me in front of the Electric Museum in Shibuya!

Um... Why don’t we meet up with Atsuro?

I’m all confused from everything that’s happened so suddenly...

Maybe Atsuro’s figured something out on his end!

Yo, what took you guys so long? How far away did you go when you were killing time?

What do you mean, ”nowhere”? Somebody was killed!

What? Hey, tell me everything!

Um, well...

Huh? You guys went to see Naoya?

Oh, yeah. Well...

Wait, what? Are you saying that the email actually came true?

Hmm... Anyway, if you ran into Naoya, why didn’t you call me? I had some stuff to ask him.

Sorry. So much was going on that we kind of forgot you.

Oh, well. That’s okay. Bringing it up now isn’t gonna change anything.

So, what’s going on? Is what was written in that email actually coming true...?

C’mon... There’s no way an email can predict the future.

Are you sure you didn’t just fall for one of Naoya’s pranks?

...See?

When you put it that way... Well, Naoya’s human, too. He must have a sense of humor.

But someone really did get killed! The police were there!

I can’t believe they’d be part of his joke!

Hmm... If Naoya was telling the truth, that email wasn’t a warning, right?

Unless someone really did predict the future, it’s probably just a coincidence.

What do you mean? Oh yeah, it mentioned an explosion and a blackout, too.

If it really was predicting the future...

It would be odd if those don’t happen. Still, they seem pretty unlikely.

The email also mentioned an explosion and a blackout, too, right?

If it really was predicting the future...

It would be odd if those don’t happen. Still, they seem pretty unlikely.

What...? But...

Who cares, anyway? Once I crack these COMPs and look inside, it’ll all make sense.

Hrmm... I’m still not convinced, but tell us what you’ve figured out for now.

You did figure something out, right, Atsuro?

Yeah, well... I was completely fooled. I think Naoya knew I’d try to get inside one myself.

It seems these three COMPs are always monitoring each other, so I can’t crack one alone.

See, the COMPs are constantly transmitting certain signals to each other.

Without that input, several parameters are set in such a way that makes it impossible--

Argh, my head... Enough with the explanation, just hurry up and do it!

Man, you never change... Anyway, I’m gonna unlock the systems, okay?

Turn your COMPs on, you guys!

Okay, done! I’m restarting the COMPs!

I... I’m still alive...

We’re all still alive! Aaaaah, that was so scary!

What’s going on? What was that? Atsuro, what did you do?

I don’t know, either! I just undid the encryption! The program activated itself!

Then... The COMP is what made this happen just now?

That doesn’t make any sense! That’s just impossible!

Let’s go to the police! We can’t hold onto something this dangerous!

I know, right? ...C’mon, Atsuro! Let’s go!

H-Hey, wait a minute! Calm down for a second!

How can anyone be calm after what just happened?

We still don’t understand anything yet! Shouldn’t we take a close look at all this?

Check them out? What more is there to see?

Calm down, Yoohoo. I think Nickname’s right.

Huh? What are you saying? What’ll we do if demons come out of these things again?

Will you settle down a little? I know why you’re freaking out! I was there too, you know?

But even after what just happened, is it right to throw everything out immediately?

We don’t even know if that’s the safest thing to do at this point.

Ugh... Well, that’s true... But, still...!

Ugh... He did say that we would need them...

I’m going to take a deeper look into these COMPs, okay?

Y-Yeah, okay. But if something comes out, we’re making a run for it! I’ve had it with this!

Ah... I get it. So that’s why...

What, did you figure something out?

Yeah. First, this process is named the Demon Summoning Program.

Demon? You mean, like... from books and myths and all that stuff?

How should I know? I can’t wrap my head around how a computer can summon them...

Yeah... We really saw them, so we have to believe what happened...

Rituals... You mean like in fantasy manga?

I suppose it’s possible to convert the spells and procedures to programs, but...

...Anyway, the other function I found in this COMP is named the ”Harmonizer.”

To ”harmonize” means to match, or adjust.

I suppose so. The word ”harmonize” means to match, or adjust.

It’s similar to the summoning program, and I have no idea what principles are behind it.

But it seems to match some wavelength so that our attacks work on demons...

And, likewise, it attunes their attacks to lessen the damage we take from them.

*sigh* I’m totally lost... I don’t get any of this! What is Naoya trying to do?

Summoning demons, protecting us from them... What does he want us to do?

His email...? Oh, that prediction letter? Yeah, that’s creepy, too!

What email? The one that predicted the death in Aoyama...?

Haha... After all this, something like predicting the future feels pretty normal...

...? Wait a sec... I got it!

That’s it, Nickname!

But why? Are we supposed to bring about world peace or something?

Huh...? Wait a sec... That’s it!

What? Don’t tell me it’s really for world peace...

No, it’s not that. Do you guys remember that email?

The one with those predictions? Y-Yeah...

I thought about how the COMP’s functions would work in conjunction with it...

Take this, for example... The death in Aoyama was blamed on an animal attack, right?

Huh...? Yeah...

What if it wasn’t an animal... but a demon, like the ones that appeared earlier?

...! Wh-What are you saying?

If you’re trying to scare us, knock it off!

I’m not trying to scare you. I want to sort this thing out.

Okay, to start out... If the email delivered to our COMPs really did predict that...

Then we would have known when and where the attack was due to occur before it happened.

So, if we wanted to, we could’ve been there at that moment.

In addition, the COMPs are modified to summon demons and fight against them.

So, what conclusions can we draw from this?

Hey, c’mon, don’t be like that! Give it some thought!

I don’t get it...! What are you getting at?

Yeah... That’s what I think, too.

Huh...!?

There’s been a lot of weird stuff in the city recently. The Internet’s full of rumors.

There have always been strange things happening, but there have been a lot of them lately.

What if they were all ignored by the public... but they were actually caused by demons?

And what if we can use these COMPs to fight those demons?

...!

Then... are you saying these COMPs were made to fight the demons who are doing all this?

Yeah... That is, if demons are really the cause of these things.

I’m so not doing that! Why don’t we just give these back to Naoya or somebody else?

No, that’s not what I mean, but...

Naoya’s really good at planning things in advance.

I don’t know why he chose us to have these, but there must be a good reason behind it.

See? You know we’re right, Atsuro!

Then... We’re really going to get rid of the COMPs? Is that the best thing to do?

I mean, I don’t want to have to fight monsters like that again, either...

But... If we get attacked by demons like the other victims, I can’t give this COMP up...

Without them, we’re just normal people. We don’t stand a chance against demons!

If... If you’re right, Atsuro, and this weird stuff is being caused by demons...

And even if these COMPs were made to fight those demons...

Then, why us? The police should be the ones dealing with this stuff!

We can give them to the police, but if we do, we’ll never get them back.

That said, do you think we can really protect ourselves without them, Yoohoo?

I’m sick of all this... Why is this happening...?

...?

What’s wrong, Nickname? Why are you staring above my head? Is something there?

Don’t lie to me like that! Just tell me what you’re looking at!

A number over our heads? What are you talking about?

I don’t see anything, but you look serious... What’s going on?

Man... Is that because of the COMP, too?

We know so little about all this... I feel like my head’s about to blow up!

Hey, why don’t we go back to Naoya’s place, after all?

All this about the COMP, the email, and everything else... We really need him to tell us.

It’s better than sitting around here. C’mon, Nickname. Let’s try to see him.

Yeah... I need to talk to Naoya, too.

Let’s go to Aoyama, Nickname!

Man... We’ll never get near Naoya’s room like this...

Hey! Over there!

Hmm... Isn’t that Naoya’s mailbox?

Hmm... That’s what it looks like.

You guys were lucky that you ran into him today, huh?

I suppose so. It looks like he hasn’t been to his apartment for quite a while...

What... Who’s writing these? Can he hear what we’re saying or something? This is crazy!

Haha... Naoya’s insight is his greatest strength.

He’s a genius when it comes to knowing what people are going to do next.

Anyway... Did you guys read the other email?

Yeah, I wanted to point that out.

Remember what those demons said during the battle?

About submitting to us, contracts, lending their power... Sound familiar?

Wait a sec! Gah... I can’t keep up with all this! It’s all so unreal...!

Um, so, basically...

The demons we fought can now be summoned from the COMPs? And they’ll be our allies?

Yeah, but I can’t say for sure until we actually try it out...

After we got that email, something called ”Teams” got added to the COMP menu.

Maybe this is why Naoya entrusted us with these COMPs.

Geez!

If that’s what he wanted all along, he could have just told us!

Haha, yeah, I think so too. Sometimes he’s so smart I can’t understand him...

In any case, the email from Naoya... It said to go to Aoyama Cemetery, right?

It mentioned someone ”who will influence our actions,” but... who could that be?

Sounds like someone we’re destined to meet... Do you think it’ll be human?

Who knows...? Considering all that’s happened, anyone would be suspicious...

Yeah, you’re right. It does say ”person,” after all.

This is Naoya. He would have said ”monster” or ”someone” if he meant otherwise.

Haha... Well, no matter what it might be, we’ll never know unless we go there.

...Fine.

I’d rather ask Naoya about this than sit around feeling scared and stupid!

Well... I guess I’ve got no choice! If you two are going, I’m coming too! Let’s go!

Here we are... So, who would be at a place like this?

Don’t tell me it’s a ghost... I feel like there’s something out there... All those graves!

Hang on a second... Aoyama Cemetery... That rings a bell...

Yeah... I feel like I’m forgetting something important...

...! Crap! I remember now... It’s that email...!

Huh...?

Eeeeeeeek!

*gasp* We made it through, somehow... I’m still shaking...

Th-There’s nothing we can do about it...

What we just went through... A... A person was killed...

......

Hey, the animal that attacked that person in the apartment... It was a demon, wasn’t it?

Yeah, that’s what I thought...

You know... It would be less scary to believe it really was some animal...

Demons, huh...? Looks like we’re prepared for the worst...

In any case, I never thought the Shomonkai would be fighting against demons...

They were using COMPs, too, and the demons didn’t really scare them.

That explosion must’ve been caused when they were fighting earlier.

They knew about the demons way before we got our COMPs!

That means... The demons have been around for a long time, right...?

What are the Shomonkai...?

Yeah... We really don’t know anything here...

I kind of doubt that. But still, we don’t know anything here...

Anyway... There’s no doubt that that Shomonkai girl had amazing powers.

That big demon, Wendigo, seemed to be afraid of her, too...

Could she be the person mentioned in that email from Naoya?

I wonder, too. She seemed really strong, and I got this feeling from her...

The emails, the demons, and now the Shomonkai... Damn it! Too much to think about!

All we can do now is pray that nothing more happens today...

What the--? The streetlights went out!

What’s going on?

A blackout...? Wait a minute... That’s it!

The email...? O-Oh, yeah! That’s it!

What’s wrong, Atsuro?

...Nickname’s right. It’s a blackout!

Remember what was in that first email? It said there’d be a blackout!

Is this for real...? We don’t know if it’s city-wide, but so far it’s all coming true...

No way! I can’t use my phone!

Huh...? Why not? How can you not have reception in a place like this?

Is this because of the blackout?

But the phone centers have their own backup power, right? This doesn’t make sense!

I don’t know! I just can’t use my phone!

*sigh* I hope it’s only temporary... I’m really tired.

It’s pitch-black... I never thought Tokyo would be so dark at night...

Hey, what are we going to do now...?

Wait...! Someone’s coming!

So you are all safe. It’s as I thought... You’re demon tamers, as well.

...! Aren’t you that girl from a little while ago...?

I am Amane Kuzuryu, maiden of the Shomonkai. It’s nice to meet you...

R-Right. I’m Atsuro Kihara, and she’s Yuzu Tanikawa.

It’s a pleasure. Oh, and you are...?

Hey, Nickname! This is no time for jokes! Get with the program here!

Kihara, Tanikawa, and... Surname. I shall remember your names.

The Wendigo seems to have released his minions into this cemetery.

I have set a simple barrier around this place tonight. It’s best if you stayed here.

M-Minions? You mean, demons?

You said we should stay, but... this is a cemetery!

It’s better than dying. Wait here until dawn, then head for the station. Now, I must go.

Hey! W-Wait!

...Damn, what’s going on?

She said to stay here until the sun came up... Wh-What should we do...?

We don’t have a choice. If she’s right, then it’s too dangerous to go anywhere now...

B-But... This is a graveyard...

Are we going to be okay?

Y-Yeah... I don’t think I can go far anyway... My legs are like jelly...

We don’t have a choice. Let’s take turns keeping a lookout...

Ugh... I’ve never wanted it to be morning so hard in my life!