A Life Surrounded by Abnormality
As Kenji grew up in their very ordinary home, his parents—Hirachi Keisuke and Hirachi Mai—grew increasingly worried.
Even the weakest Devils—the Insect Devil, the Rat Devil—never dared to approach their house, as if repelled by some invisible force. At the same time, strangers in dark suits (unidentified Public Safety Devil Hunter officials) began to linger in their alley, and neighbors started to whisper about the "creepy white-haired kid."
Kenji learned bodily movements perfectly without effort. He could see details others missed, and most frighteningly, he never cried out of fear. When his parents tried to startle him, Kenji merely stared back with vacant azure eyes, as if he didn't grasp the concept of fear.
Keisuke and Mai tried to conceal their son's abnormality. They always bought Kenji hats and sunglasses to wear when going outside, and they prayed every night for their son to simply be a normal boy.
Age 6: Secret Data Leaks to Public Safety
Time flew by quickly. Kenji was now six years old. He was a quiet, exceptionally precocious child, but his very existence was attracting increasing attention.
Over the past week, Keisuke felt their house was under constant surveillance. He noticed an unmarked black car parked at the corner of their alley.
At the Public Safety Headquarters in Tokyo, Makima received a classified report on her desk.
Makima:
Kenji Hayashi: Six years ago, medical personnel reported the birth of an unnatural child: white hair, unnatural azure eyes, and a complete lack of normal infant reactions.
3 Years Ago: Low-level Devils, observed by Public Safety surveillance, unnaturally avoided the home, as if being "driven away" by an unseen power.
1 Week Ago: An anonymous source provided the most precise information yet on a power to distort the rules of an area.
The information that arrived was not a tip from a Devil, but a human report with shockingly accurate details about a certain boy. The report outlined the boy's abnormal birth and, in great detail, his ability to 'distort the rules of an area'. The data came with a severe warning that this was a 'human or Devil power' that Public Safety had never encountered before.
Makima read the entire report with a faint smile on her face. Her eyes glowed with anticipation.
Immediately, an emergency order was dispatched from headquarters: A Special Assault Unit must be deployed to quickly apprehend the boy named Hirachi Kenji.
Saturday Afternoon
One Saturday afternoon, while Kenji was quietly playing with plastic blocks on the floor, Mai received a call from a neighbor.
"Mai-chan! I just saw several cars that looked like police cruisers driving toward your house... Is anything wrong?"
Mai dropped the phone in shock. She looked at Kenji, her beloved son, whose existence was like a danger signal in a world filled with Devils.
"Keisuke! They're here!" Mai rushed to the front window and looked out.
And then she saw them... A group of people in dark suits, fully equipped with weapons and gear, were silently moving toward their home. This was a Public Safety Devil Hunter assault team.
Keisuke rushed into the living room. He looked at Kenji, still sitting motionless and playing with blocks on the floor, and then at the door that was about to be breached. "Kenji! You must run!" Keisuke quickly scooped up his son.
BANG! BANG!
The front door was blasted open by an unknown force. Several suited Devil Hunters instantly poured into the room. They ignored the parents and focused solely on the white-haired boy. "The kid! Secure the Anomaly!" the team leader ordered.
Kenji, held in his father's arms, stared at the Devil Hunters' faces with vacant azure eyes. He sensed the danger rushing toward him.