Those who ceaselessly hone their killing arts are known as "Masters."
After many generations, they have gained lethal abilities
called "Modified Bloodlines."
This is the story of one such Master, the Poison Master, Hikaru Gero,
and his attempts to get married.
Cheers!
Okay, thanks for waiting!
Shinei College Camping Club
Here's your lemon sours.
I hope Gero's up to this.
So this is a college welcome party? I've heard the legends.
I never thought my job would take me to one.
New students, gather round.
Coming.
Okay. To all of us starting college and meeting each other.
Cheers!
You're a first-year, right?
How's the party? Having fun?
Huh? Uh... Huh?
I'm h-having a blast.
What did I do?
Whatever we did, sorry.
S-See you around.
That was my chance to talk with older students, and I blew it.
I want to hire you as a bodyguard for my niece, who starts university this spring.
But if possible, without standing out.
I'm Shiori Ureshino.
Her father, my older brother, built this company from the ground up in one generation,
but illness took him a year ago.
He left a will stating his daughter, Shiori,
Yeah! You got it!
Hold still while balancing a tray!
will succeed him as CEO once she comes of age.
Keep going!
But someone has other ideas.
My older sister.
She claims Balzak is rightfully hers.
Second Son Mitsuhiko
Eldest Daughter Futae
Eldest Son (Deceased) Kazuhito
I don't exactly know what Futae will try,
but rumor has it she's hired someone who uses strange techniques
that no ordinary expert has a hope of stopping.
Um, thank you very much for taking this job.
Student ID
Name:
Daigo Oshima
Date of birth:
20**/11/24
Blood type:
Date issued:
20**/**/**
We certify that the above is a student of this university
That's your student ID.
Starting today, you're Daigo Oshima, a third-year student.
Seriously?
E-Excuse me.
I know this is, uh, sudden, but I'd like to, well...
go to a drinking party.
A party? That's a risk you don't need.
Please.
O-Oh, all right.
Shinei College Camping Club
Okay, next person.
I-I'm Shiori Ureshino, a first-year economics major.
A-And, uh...
What should I say now?
My favorite games. Where I'm from. A funny joke. Some generational thing.
Ria coasts. Aging society. Romantic gossip. A time I messed up. My hobbies.
TV shows. Another failure. Tomorrow's weather. Hot yoga. Macroeconomics.
That café's new item. The Tokugawa Shogunate. Particle physics. Inverted triangle-shaped back.
Swahili. Part-time work. Inclined barbell bench press.
Dorms. Green iguana. Home run.
Welcome party. Aristotle.
P-Pleased to meet you all.
Huh? Uh, thanks.
Okay, next person.
Can you handle a party, Gero?
I've gone drinking with the Bug Master plenty of times.
I'm worried. I'd better sneak in.
I'll show you that a top-notch Master is also the life of the party.
Daigo Oshima, economics major.
Watch as I chug all eight of these.
There's no way that flies these days.
This next part is the clincher.
Should we call an ambulance?
That'll get applause for sure.
It's nice to meet you.
I-It's a water-absorbent polymer. Completely harmless.
What a disaster.
Okay, who else hasn't introduced themselves?
Hey, he's calling you.
Ultimate Relaxation
Man of the Alps
Campfire ASMR
I'm Naruko.
That's all.
Uh, what about first name? Your major? Stuff like that?
I forget.
What really matters is that I got to meet all of you here in this moment.
I super thank my lucky stars.
What's his deal?
He's been spacing out this whole time.
I super thank them.
He barely said anything.
Why'd he say it twice?
He's the one for me.
Naruko, is this seat taken?
Mind if I sit here?
Wish I got the benefit of the doubt like that.
It's gotta be his looks.
Drinking parties have hidden depths.
Aw, paid by the hour.
Listen, Ureshino.
I'm so sorry.
Don't make her cry, Gero. Did you take your screwup out on her?
No, I didn't say anything about that.
But I mean, why did you force yourself to go?
You're inheriting a company, so you went to work on your communication issues.
I get that, but even so...
H-Hey now.
Really, Gero?
No, I'm just so glad you're thinking about how I feel.
But, well, it's not just about the company.
I want to be part of the group.
At the very end, my dad said...
Give drinking a try when you turn 20.
Shiori, you're a nice girl,
but you worry too much about what other people think.
Life's more fun when you take what's rattling around inside your head
and bam! You let it all out.
Enjoy yourself with people.
That's what I want for you.
I can't do it.
Even here, a flood of words sometimes just overwhelms my brain.
Ureshino.
I know. I just need to take the first step.
Everyone will accept me.
My brain knows that, but I can't help worrying.
What if I make people annoyed or angry or sad instead?
I never even managed to really talk to my dad before he...
I didn't even get to ask why he named me his successor.
So...
I want to improve myself.
To get to the point...
where I can laugh away my fear.
You realize someone's out to kill you, right?
Gero.
But if you've got someplace you want to go, I won't stop you.
My job is to keep you safe.
Madam, I have something to report.
Her bodyguard is good.
He acts all natural, but he leaves no openings.
I super forgot to charge it.
The Sound Master
You think this is funny? You've been at this for a month and made zero progress.
Do you realize how much I'm paying you?
As if that little girl could run a party supplies brand
with a market cap of 1.5 trillion yen.
Tell me: When do you plan to "dispose" of her?
3 more days
The time is not yet ripe.
Excuse me? Don't give me that crap.
I've spent over a month—
This bodyguard, Oshima.
You say he's good, but he's still a nobody.
He won't last a second against a Master like you.
Madam, I'm super a man of my word.
In any case...
Either get her to decline the job,
or leave her incapable of taking it.
You can kill her if that's what it takes.
Gero, you're not a real student. Why even bother to listen so attentively?
This is all new to me. I'm having a great time.
You've got one hell of a tragic past.
Economics \hDepartment
ORIENTATION
Tomorrow.
Okay, you there.
Name a product that revolutionized its industry.
Huh? Uh...
Mixy-Mix Max Mix.
Only 100 of these legendary kits were made for the brand's 30th anniversary.
Well, well. You know your stuff.
Liberating the Mixy-Mix market!
A return to the Mix-aissance!
In other words, Mixy-Mix...
Max Mix!
As long as there are passionate students like you,
I can make way for the next generation without—
It looks like...
since they can't separate me from the target, they're using brute force.
I don't feel so good.
Who here seems suspicious?
Someone outside?
But I already checked that no one had a line of sight.
We were attacked all at once.
However, this is a well-ventilated environment. That means it wasn't a gas.
In which case...
He injected himself with something, then sprang into action.
Were sound waves transmitted remotely to shake the room and the people inside?
I scrambled his sense of balance, and he super recovered in no time.
That should be impossible.
No one could pull off a precise, large-scale attack except...
No one could whip something like that up in an instant except...
...a Sound Master.
...a Poison Master.
Gero!
I informed the client.
Every hitman knows that making it look like an accident saves trouble.
Ureshino, they planned to kill you for sure.
So, Gero, should we skip the camping trip tomorrow?
Economics Department
ORIENTATION
That's up to our client.
Of course you can go.
I-I can?
You've been looking forward to this trip for ages.
Shiratori
There's no substitute for friends you make at school.
So go make lots of them.
With those two around, you have nothing to worry about.
Morning.
See you, Uncle Mitsuhiko.
Sorry for keeping you waiting.
It's no problem. That's a huge bag, though. What's in it?
A collapsible umbrella, and uh... The rest is secret.
Have a safe trip.
We can't guarantee her safety even if she stays home.
The only way to resolve this is to face the enemy.
And unlike with Himekawa, we don't know when the Sound Master will strike.
Is the plan to settle things on this trip?
Hey, what's this?
1 more day
A super important promise.
You're such a great guy, Naruko.
I'll make a promise, too.
Oh? Then, make a promise with me, too.
What? No fair.
Super important.
A man who can cook attracts triple the ladies (Kinosaki approved).
I'll show you I can cook with the best of them.
Um, would you like some yakisoba?
Would anyone, uh, like some yakisoba?
Yakisoba?
Hey, Kinosaki.
"Don't worry about me."
That's what Ureshino told us, remember?
She wants to "figure it out" for herself.
How do I become part of the group?
Yakisoba. Sauce. Noodles. Flour. Red pickled ginger.
Cabbage. Adding water. Throwaway chopsticks. White birch.
Tapioca. 100 yen each. Dance practice.
Club activities. Fjords. Transporting flamingos.
Water-absorbent polymer. Wild chihuahuas. Rice-field property law.
Plate tectonics. Adam Smith. Fortune telling.
Is she okay?
If talking to people doesn't work...
I'll try something else.
What's with the magical girl getup?
Nothing up my sleeves.
What's this?
And here goes nothing.
A magic trick?
Pan-puru pin-puru pom-po-pun.
Pin-puru pan-puru pom-po-pun.
Whoa!
For my next trick, an extra big helping.
Pin-puru pan-puru pom-po-pun!
Huh?
You okay?
Those were some cool magic tricks, Ureshino.
I got them from my family's business.
I've never done that in front of people before, and I messed up the finale.
I'm not good with words...
But I remembered the performance Mr. Gero put on at the party,
and I thought "That's it!"
Thank you very much.
I didn't really, um...
Hmm? What was that?
I mean...
You're welcome.
That reminds me. Have you all heard...
about the curse of Lord Chladni?
Huh? What's that?
This used to be a village.
The locals made "offerings" to the local deity right up until World War II.
Once every two years, when the crops failed,
they would pick out the youngest child in the village,
and lock the child up in that shrine there.
They abandoned the custom after the war,
Another Fire: Suspected Arson Continues
but landslides, fires, and a bunch of other disasters followed.
And although nearly a thousand people lived here at its peak,
it wasn't long before not a soul remained.
But even now, Lord Chladni waits for his next offering.
And that is...
you!
He made all that up.
Oshima, no one likes a spoilsport.
Sorry, Ureshino. It's all true.
I think that's enough buildup.
Yup.
Now, let's get this party started.
It's the moment you've all been waiting for: the test of courage.
Wait, for real?
Oh, come on.
Hey, have you seen Naruko?
I'd love to pair up with him.
The melody of this forest is super perfect.
Shiori Ureshino.
My killer session with your screams...
...begins now.
Translator: William Varteresian Timer: Andy Ellis Editor: SMR Quality Control: Salem Alabanza Final Quality Control: Michelle Tymon
Escape is super impossible.
What the heck is—
Why the ears?! Why carry her like that?!
I've never been in better condition.
Hang on tight!
You've gotta seize this opportunity.
I'll super enjoy this.
That's water-absorbent polymers.
Lord Chladni
Next time: "Lord Chladni."