Mizuki

[Code Name] Mizuki

[Gender] Male

[Combat Experience] None

[Place of Birth] Higashi

[Date of Birth] Mar 22

[Race] Ægir

[Height] 161cm

[Infection Status]

Medical tests have confirmed that no infection is present.

[Physical Strength] Standard

[Mobility] Normal

[Physical Resilience] Standard

[Tactical Acumen] Normal

[Combat Skill] Normal

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Flawed

Mizuki came in contact with some of our operators in the Bolívarian city of Dossoles, and accompanied them back to the landship. After preliminary operator-related interviews and inspections, he was approved for a temporary stay.

His learning ability is rather exceptional, and at this stage, he is suitable for civilian work or and we may consider training him to become an operator. After further investigation and evaluation, he was approved for a long-term stay aboard the landship.

Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, this individual is believed to be uninfected.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 0%

This individual shows no signs of Originium infection.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.07u/L

This individual rarely comes into contact with Originium.

Warning: Insufficient clearance. Higher authorization from the Medical Department is needed to view certain detailed physiological parameters.

Mizuki, according to his own account, was born in a remote village near the coast of Higashi. When he was young, his village was razed, looted and ransacked by deserters-turned-bandits from the nearby mountains. As he laid dying amongst ruins and corpses, he was fortunate enough to have been saved by a traveling elder, who then took him to the nearest nomadic city for treatment.

The process was actually a detour for us— after all, Rhodes Island can't just take in strange children or any old runaway— We contacted local operators via Messengers to cross-check the region's records, confirming that there was a case of bandits slaughtering, razing, and burning an entire village some ten-odd years ago. At the time, when the authorities were tipped and moved to apprehend the bandit gang, they discovered all that remained was a few, semi-conscious individuals, babbling incoherently while curled up in their makeshift dens. When pressed about the whereabouts of their fellow perpetrators, these people only stared back with horror, shouting broken phrases such as 'I don't have it' and 'Don't eat me.' As strange as this situation was, the trail went cold and the authorities were no longer able to track down the other perpetrators, leaving the case in limbo.

Neither here nor there. Who could object to taking in a polite, well-behaved boy who never causes trouble? Not that I've got anything against our rowdier, less well-behaved troublemakers.

During the investigation, our operators learned Mizuki had been an apprentice in a local restaurant after being rescued as a youth. Though these events occurred many years ago, the restaurant owner was more than glad to talk about the past upon our operators' request. At first, the owner saw Mizuki as a thin and feeble country boy, but discovered that he was unexpectedly nimble with his hands and feet, and was an exceptionally fast learner, with an even greater knack for cooking. His savvy earned him the praise and acceptance of the head chef, and some of his suggestions to adjust the condiments and portions of certain dishes were accepted, to the great acclaim of customers. Unfortunately, the dishes Mizuki made with his own hands always went somewhat awry, and after many failures, Mizuki left this matter behind without regret.

As a matter of fact, we tried to get him to show us some of his handiwork, and well... how should I put this... The food itself was in line with his own self-assessment, the freshness and vitality of the dish's ingredients having been retained, any fishy odors eliminated, and seasoned to perfection. Yet despite the final product clearly being static, the food gave off the impression of life within it, which made it difficult for diners to enjoy... But for the more courageous colleagues who were able to try the food, they could only praise the flavor.

Though I have no hard proof and this is just a hunch of mine, but — did he use some special method to lock in the freshness of the ingredients, and in the process, also fix a portion of the ingredients' 'vital force' as a form of 'nutrient?'

I don't look at all like a kid from the sticks dressed like this? Ah... Well, money isn't much of an issue for me nowadays, but I'll admit, things were rough back then. After all, I didn't exactly have a lot of choice for ways to earn my keep at such a young age.

Luckily for me though, a lot of people helped me out along the way. The owner of the restaurant, the manager of the retro games store, the magazine editor, the young talent scout of the brokerage... Of course, there were some not-so-nice people along the way too.

Still, they gave me what I needed to travel all over, to learn about all different kinds of stuff, and see all the incredible things in the lives of people across the world. That's its own reward.

I guess you could say I followed the old man... The one I mentioned before, the old man who saved my life. He was always thinking about things, recording them, but wouldn't talk about them.

As he used to say, we should absorb the good from around us, and expel the bad from within us to better ourselves; and as long as everyone does it that way, we'll make the world under the stars that much more beautiful. I tried to live that, traveling the world and learning as much as I could to better myself. I eventually figured out this isn't just a theory, it's a truth of the world. It's easy for evil to wipe away good, but in the end, it's got nothing to offer.

And so I realized humanity needs a lot more than just getting along and learning if it's going to make that future...

[Miscellaneous Records]

Why must we go out of our way to spread suffering to our fellow man? Is it a weakness in the way our species lives? Or is it due to a lack of bridging and communication between individuals? Or is it perhaps a fundamental inferiority planted within our species?

What should we do to make ourselves better and more beautiful, so that we may escape from all this? In this regard, even my like-minded colleagues have vastly different opinions, and make great haste to confirm their views.

As for me, well, the older I become, the more confused I become, and the less I understand whether the things I've done to this point objectively move me closer to the answer. I've even come to doubt some of my original views, and I feel like I'm unable to answer with confidence— when confronted with calmly accepting one's demise, or struggling to live on at any cost, which option is true fortitude That is why I chose to go beyond the Church in Iberia, to embark on a pilgrimage, and to entrust this matter to the people that I would meet – to those people who had no choice but to make that choice. Of course, people tend to choose the latter option out of instincts, but most specimens have confirmed that instinct alone cannot give rise to true fortitude. Those who choose to swallow the contents of the box I give them in order to continue to live are easily crushed, easily destroyed, easily lose themselves. But at least they still survive, and have a healthier body and constitution that consumes fewer resources. However, these cases are not enough to answer my question — can this truly count as making their 'self' better?

But within the most unlikely of happenstances, there will be those like this child. Those who can attain victory through their own will and perseverance, and better their 'self.' I have neither the qualification nor authority to teach them how to continue improving in the future, as they should have their own answers after enduring their trials. The best thing for me to do is to leave quietly and wait to bear witness to their future.

Perhaps I've long lost the resolution and tenacity I had when I first walked down this path until I became the Bishop. Perhaps the way I've explored this question has been but trickery, using deception and exploitation that cannot be refused. But no matter what, I am absolutely unwilling to give up the answer to the pursuit of kindness and beauty.

[Encrypted Message]

If you're seeing this information, it proves that you've at least realized the strategic value of the object's behavior – let us use the unfitting term of mercenary for now — from the simulated data, and may even be planning to include him in your normal operational capabilities.

Indeed, the information in the publicly available records surrounding this subject are largely vague or fabricated. This is also a result of the agreement we reached. As the guarantor and commander of this person, you are required to know more.

In fact, most of the subject's actual results on our comprehensive examination reach or even exceed the excellent mark by the evaluation standards, with the exception of Originium Arts assimilation. You should already be aware of this — yes, of the supplementary combat methods which he is unwilling to disclose too much. The methods that disrupt vision, hearing, and tactile perception, or even cause hallucinations, are not Originium Arts, but perhaps more biological in nature. Currently, we suspect some form of electrical signal or pheromone. Furthermore, the subject's performance on indices such as physical strength and fitness are likely not inferior to those of professional Operators who've undergone lengthy training, and these lofty results are just what he can achieve with his body.

Perhaps you might not thoroughly understand what the implications of these test results mean, but I must remind you: he is not one of our operators, nor can he become one of our operators. The subject can only secretly exist as the subject of Rhodes Island Medical Department's cooperative observation project, because in all senses of the word, he is an anomaly. And from the information we already have, I'm afraid that there are at least twenty paranoid researchers permeating all corners of this world, tirelessly working for the same beliefs yet different purposes, increasing the number of cases similar to our subject - intentionally or otherwise. Though there are a few cases in which the subject has enough mental fortitude to not be overwhelmed by an overly powerful biological signal and turned into a thrashing Sea Terror, it doesn't matter if he's supported by his pure survival instinct or something altogether different.

Now to get back to the point. The Oripathy problem is the chief focus of Rhodes Island, but humanity faces far more threats than just this, many of which have not yet made themselves visible. Therefore, we must ensure that our operators firmly stand with us, and with humanity, in facing the common problems of the future.

As for this subject, there are some prerequisite questions that must first be addressed. He may still have the opportunity to choose what he wishes to be, to help whoever he wishes to help, but he has not yet been able to make his own decisions. These are not simple matters, as we don't always understand ourselves correctly. Perhaps you'll be more than happy to provide him with some inspiration, or perhaps you'll want to give him the liberation of free thought?

Before you've found the answers to those questions, don't let him draw needless attention. This is to protect him, but also us.