( ＾▽＾)
She was a woman with a slender, well-endowed figure and green eyes. Her black hair was tied back in a long braid, with slightly parted bangs framing her face. She wore a short black kimono that reached mid-thigh, with a white undergarment underneath. The sleeves of her kimono, along with the upper parts of her arms, were puffed. Around her waist was a traditional wide white obi, fastened with a red sash cord.
On her left sleeve, she wore an armband. She had white gloves that covered the backs of her hands and wrists, and a dark red choker around her neck. For footwear, she wore white split-toe socks and black low-heeled sandals with many straps.
Clipped to the side of her chest was an ID badge attached to her kimono. Written on it was her name:
Nemu Kurotsuchi.
Nemu was an assistant at the Research and Development Institute of UA, where her father served as the head. Unlike others, she was an Enhanced Artificial Body.
She had once been involved in an accident during a Hollow rampage—an incident that nearly killed her. But her father, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, did not allow his precious daughter to die.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi was a well-known scientist. His appearance had a skeletal quality, with a skull-like visage. His face was painted entirely white, with the inner portion painted black except for his nose. His eyes were golden, and he constantly bared his teeth, giving the impression that he was always smiling. Both of his ears were replaced with stubbed golden cones. His fingernails were blue and short, except for the nail on his right middle finger, which was as long as the finger itself.
He wore a white hat with two ends pointing to the right and a large purple scarf around his neck. His entire body—including his face and hands—was painted black and white. He repainted his makeup every morning, as he always removed it before going to bed.
Without his makeup, Mayuri had blue hair and honey-gold eyes. He had small, slatted portcullises with multiple earrings where his ears would normally be, and his body was covered in scars. His appearance often changed depending on the occasion, but one thing was certain—he had modified his own body countless times.
To save Nemu, he had to modify her as well, using advanced biological modifications. Her body became an artificial physical vessel that carried an Involuntary Cell Division Acceleration Organ for rapid regeneration, along with internal repositories for chemicals and toxins.
Her father succeeded in saving her life—but at a cost.
Nemu lost parts of her emotions.
She became a very shy, withdrawn, and introverted individual, preferring silence in the presence of others. Her expression was almost always melancholic. Her emotions had entered a self-protective "shutdown," where the mind disconnected from both painful and positive feelings following overwhelming trauma—an emotional numbing.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi could save her life, but not her emotions.
However, he had a solution.
Through his research, he discovered that in cases of trauma-induced numbing, the brain's reward system became less responsive. Such individuals required more intense positive stimulation than others to break through the numbness and experience pleasant emotional responses again. Trauma had locked the stress response into a permanent state of collapse or overdrive, preventing standard positive events from registering emotionally.
That was what Mayuri Kurotsuchi had been doing.
He brought his daughter to UA Academy so she could be around people her own age. But so far, there had been no reaction. He knew it would take time—a long time—for her to truly make a breakthrough.
Today, Mayuri instructed his daughter to serve as one of the monitors for the examination. Nemu's body had been modified, and her intelligence and thinking abilities had been greatly enhanced, so she was permitted to take the role. And who could say no to her father?
Mayuri Kurotsuchi had one thought in mind—perhaps she would find something interesting while watching the monitors.
And it seemed fate truly did play its part.
(*´ー｀*)Because it wouldn't be long before Nemu unlocked her emotions.
The one she was monitoring was a man with long black hair and dark red eyes. He wore a black hoodie, black jogger pants, and black socks tucked into his Crocs.
And Nemu was staring at him with pure curiosity in her eyes.
[ Nemu's POV ]
It was early morning, as usual. I woke up at exactly 4:00 a.m. I cleaned my bed and went to the kitchen to prepare food for my father and myself. While we ate, Father told me that today I would be part of the monitoring team. I would be observing a participant taking the examination.
I nodded and said yes.
Father's lips curved upward as he looked at me. I didn't understand what that expression meant, but I had monitoring duties to attend to.
After breakfast, I changed into my black kimono and followed Father out of the house to his hovering car—an invention of his. It was a BlackFly, a new brand only authorized individuals could drive for safety reasons, though it would soon be introduced worldwide.
I sat beside him as the vehicle lifted into the air and flew toward UA. Father often brought me here; he even made me his personal assistant.
Soon, the massive white fortress of UA came into view. After passing through the gate, Father escorted me to the monitoring facility. He said goodbye. I nodded. He looked at me once more, his lips curving upward again, before entering the UA building.
I waited in the facility until I received my assignment. Midnight gave me a number—the student I would monitor. She looked at me with wide eyes and said, "Good luck, Nem-Nem."
I nodded and walked straight to the monitor labeled 1013. I sat down on the white dragon-shaped armchair placed in front of the desk. The monitor was still loading, meaning the examinee hadn't entered the Chamber yet.
After about twenty minutes, the screen flickered.
A man in black appeared.
The black ribbon had its own wireless system, linking directly to our monitors and providing an omniscient view of the examinee. It functioned as a tracking device. Once he entered, the system activated, displaying multiple angles of him simultaneously.
I watched closely.
He stood still. I couldn't see his entire face because of the hood, but slowly, it was pushed back. His long black hair became visible, along with dark red eyes, a high nose, blade-like eyebrows, and a sharp jawline.
I had seen handsome faces before—but this one felt different.
I studied him carefully. In his red eyes, I saw something… something I couldn't understand. I had never seen anything like it before.
Curiosity stirred within me.
I straightened my posture and leaned closer to the monitor. My hands rested on the keyboard, ready to add or deduct points.
It was my duty, after all.
(・・;)