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On the outskirts of Tokyo stood a pharmaceutical research institute under the banner of Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals.
As one of Japan's largest pharmaceutical companies, Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals boasted a history spanning over a century. Since receiving an infusion of capital from the shadowy Umazawa Group in the 1950s, the company had experienced rapid growth. Many of Japan's well-known drugs bore ties to this conglomerate.
However, this particular research institute was no ordinary facility—at least not beneath its mundane exterior. In reality, it served as a secret base for the Black Organization, conducting highly classified and critical drug research.
At just eighteen years old, Miyano Shiho had already become the lead pharmaceutical researcher at this institute.
To outsiders, her future seemed bright and limitless. But deep down, Shiho knew better—her life had been nothing more than that of a puppet on strings, devoid of light or freedom.
In her private office, Miyano Shiho sat before her computer. Her desk was cluttered with data related to pharmaceutical research, but amidst the scientific papers lay fashion magazines—items starkly out of place in such a setting.
Her gaze briefly flickered toward the corner of the room, where a surveillance camera silently monitored her every move. Every aspect of her life here was under constant scrutiny.
Today, however, Shiho found herself unusually idle. Browsing online videos out of boredom, she stumbled upon a live stream of Tokyo University's entrance ceremony. Though she typically paid little attention to such events, something inexplicable drew her in today.
The president's speech at the beginning of the ceremony was dull and uninspiring, lulling her into disinterest. Just as she began questioning whether she'd accidentally clicked the wrong stream, the freshman representative took the stage. His words finally piqued her curiosity.
"An unfair world, huh? Heh… This world is indeed unfair—but these sheltered freshmen wouldn't understand that, would they?"
Though only eighteen—a year younger than most of Tokyo University's incoming freshmen—Shiho's tone carried a maturity far beyond her years.
Her eyes were cold, tinged with a bitter mockery of society and her own fate.
If the students admitted to Tokyo University were considered geniuses, then Miyano Shiho was a genius among geniuses. Last year, she had graduated from Columbia University—not as an undergraduate, but as a dual Ph.D. holder.
Had the organization not suppressed this information, Shiho's name would have long since spread across America.
From a young age, she displayed extraordinary intelligence and talent. Though the Black Organization was an international criminal syndicate, it adhered to its own set of principles, placing great emphasis on nurturing exceptional individuals.
Thus, Shiho was sent abroad at a young age to study in the United States. She advanced through grades rapidly, entering a prestigious American university at thirteen and earning two doctoral degrees by seventeen.
Compared to ordinary people, her abilities were a glaring testament to the world's inherent inequality.
Yet, rather than pride or joy, all Shiho felt was sorrow.
She often wished she could be an average person, free from such extraordinary gifts. For her brilliance came at a cost: her freedom. From birth, her destiny had been predetermined.
Shiho had once contemplated rebellion. Yet, the more she learned about the organization's vast power and terrifying reach, the weaker her resolve became. Eventually, despair consumed her, leaving her resigned to her fate.
The drug she was forced to develop disgusted her—it was poison, not medicine. She didn't want to be a hidden executioner.
But threats loomed over her family, and her own fear of death kept her compliant. All she could do was protest silently while dutifully continuing her research.
Lately, though, her interest had grown slightly. The toxic compound she was studying exhibited strange properties, sparking new avenues of exploration.
"This drug builds upon my parents' research," she mused. "Perhaps if I delve deeper, I can uncover what they were working on for the organization."
Unraveling the truth behind her parents' deaths and tracing their final work was one of the few things that stirred any motivation within her.
Though she strongly suspected the organization had killed them, logic told her that valuable researchers like her parents wouldn't have been eliminated so easily. Only by uncovering the nature of their original project could she hope to approach the truth.
Shiho closed the live stream.
She regarded both the Tokyo University freshmen and their charismatic representative with disdain. To her, they were merely ignorant youths, oblivious to the true darkness of the world.
And yet… she envied them. They enjoyed the vibrancy of youth, the privilege of living carefree college lives filled with promise.
What did she have? Nothing.
"Recently, even my sister hasn't sent any messages… Everyone in the organization speaks vaguely when I ask about her. Please, Akemi, don't let anything happen to you…"
A pang of unease gripped Shiho's heart.
Her sister was her last bastion of warmth, the sole emotional anchor keeping her tethered to this bleak existence.