Yurui The Cursed One

I wait for her to explain exactly how screwed I am, only for Maevis to keep walking as though she hadn’t heard me.

“You’ll be joining the Ninth Squad.”

“Ninth Squad?”

“Yes.”

“What’s wrong with Ninth?”

“Nothing, really.”

The way she says it so casually only makes me more suspicious.

“Then why do I get the feeling there’s a ‘but’ coming?”

Maevis sighs.

“Ideally, I would have placed you somewhere quieter. One of the more comfortable squads, where you could settle in without being thrown straight into the deep end. Unfortunately, none of them had an officer vacancy, and I wasn’t about to start manufacturing positions just to make your first few months easier.”

That doesn’t sound very good, which makes me nervous all over again.

“Sooo, the ninth squad, what are they like ?” I ask both nervous and curious at the same time.

“Competent.”

Maevis follows it up immediately.

“Very competent, actually. Their captain has an excellent reputation, the officers are capable, and their field agents are arguably among the best in the entire force. In terms of pure abilities, Ninth could easily compete with the top squads.”

“So where’s the problem? They don’t sound too bad.” I ask, probably sounding a bit accusatory.

“Vice captain.“ She replies in a dry tone.

I stare at her.

“What about them?”

Maevis’s mouth tightens.

“She is, without exaggeration, one of the most comprehensively incompetent officers I have ever had the displeasure of working with.”

I blink.

Maevis continues before I can say anything.

“Her judgment is atrocious. Her instincts are worse. She mishandles assignments that should be routine, ignores advice from people substantially more experienced than she is, and possesses a remarkable talent for turning minor problems into catastrophes. Put simply, she’s a walking disaster.”

Somehow I found all that hard to believe, it sounded too much like exaggerated fairy tales.

I give Maevis a suspicious look.

“Surely, she can’t be that bad ?”

“Ninth Squad would be comfortably mediocre, if not outright competitive, without her. Instead, they sit at the bottom because their vice captain spends most of her time dragging everyone else down with her.”

I wait.

Maevis glances at me.

“That’s it?”

“I thought there’d be something worse.”

“Worse?”

“I don’t know. Based on the way you look like someone slipped poison into your coffee every time you mention her, I assumed she’d done something spectacularly awful, like accidentally setting an orphanage on fire while on duty or something."

Maevis considers that for a moment.

“If that were all, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. An arsonist we can work with, assuming they have an ability worth the trouble. Behavioral issues can always be corrected. Incompetence is harder to excuse. Talent doesn’t mean much if the person can’t be relied upon.”

Oh boy, I don’t like where this is going.

“How incompetent are we talking?”

Maevis gives me a flat look.

“Yurui, if incompetence were a qualifying criterion for an officer’s commission, she would be overqualified.”

“And she’s still vice captain?”

“Yes.”

“How?” I ask dumbfounded.

“I’ve been asking that myself for years.”

We cross the last row of parked vehicles and step onto the path leading toward the entrance.

“If she’s really that bad, why don’t they get rid of her?”

“Captain Uden won’t allow it.”

“The captain?”

Maevis nods.

“Uden herself is one of the best captains to ever serve in the Security force, and believe me, I do not say that lightly.”

“She’s dedicated to a fault and always gets the job done, no matter what. Unfortunately, she’s just as determined to keep her vice captain. Uden unequivocally shuts down every attempt to move that dammed woman anywhere she could do less damage.”

“Are you telling me no one at Miracle Inc. has tried to get rid of such a massive liability?”

Maevis lets out a long breath.

“Of course we tried, child. But there is only so much we can do when one of the best captains in the Security force is standing behind her every step of the way. At some point, forcing the issue would have created a bigger mess than simply leaving things as they were.”

She gives me a tired look.

“So we left things as they were.”

I hum in agreement.

“So what exactly did you do when you tried to get rid of her? Did you threaten to dissolve one of her organs unless she resigned or something?”

Maevis gives me a mildly offended look. “Nothing that dramatic, if that’s what you’re imagining. I found an opening overseas and offered to arrange the transfer myself.”

“Overseas.”

“Yes.”

I glance at her. “Was this an actual transfer, or were you trying to ship her somewhere far enough away that you’d never have to hear her name again?”

Maevis’s mouth twitches.

“Child, if someone ever pushed me that far, relocation would be the least of their concerns.”

Noted. Best not to find out exactly where Maevis draws the line. Then again, considering our previous interactions, I might already have one foot over it.

I swallow hard.

Maevis’s expression becomes more serious.

“I find incompetence intolerable, especially in a position where it can get other people killed.”

The air between us seems to tighten.

“When I still worked with the Science and Medicine Department, Ninth occasionally handled our security. Whenever Uden was unavailable, that woman was technically responsible for protecting research that could have killed millions if anything went wrong.”

Maevis grimaces faintly.

“I still shudder at the thought.”

I swallow again.

Maevis looks ahead.

“So no, I was never particularly fond of her.”

Okay. That does put things into perspective.

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“Pay attention.”

I frown at her. “To what?”

“To everyone, Uden, the other officers, the field agents. Your first priority is to learn as much as you can, as quickly as you can. Contrary to how people tend to overglorify it, Miracle Inc. security is bloody work. People get hurt. People die. It’s a constant revolving door of new faces.’’

Maevis glances at me.

“Even people like Uden don’t last forever. As capable as she is, I’d be pleasantly surprised to see her still running Ninth a few years from now.”

Well, fuck me, it would have been nice to know before agreeing to join them.

She smiles.

“Don’t worry too much about it. Pay attention, learn quickly, and you’ll be fine. You have better instincts than you give yourself credit for.”

Riiiiight. Very reassuring.

I nod.

Maevis glances down at me.

“And stop staring at the pavement.”

I lift my eyes just enough to glare at her. “I’m not staring at the pavement.”

“You’ve been studying the same three meters of concrete for a while now.”

I look up instead, only to immediately regret it as a pang of envy flares up in my chest. Seeing well dressed employees with their dark suits walk by elegantly has yet again made me extremely self conscious about my own ragtag state.

“I look ridiculous,” I mutter under my breath.

I make it another step before realizing she is no longer beside me. When I turn, she is already reaching for my face, two fingers hooking gently beneath my chin. My body stiffens on instinct. Her touch is careful, almost reassuring, which only serves to make me more wary.

“Chin up, kid.”

I swallow and gather my breathing back under control.

“You’re new, it’s perfectly normal to feel out of place at first. Half the people walking past us probably looked just as lost on their first day.” Her thumb shifts faintly against my jaw. “Give yourself some time. Soon enough, you’ll feel as if you were born here.”

I hold her gaze for a second longer than I mean to.

“...You really believe that?”

Maevis’s expression softens.

“I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t.”

A faint smile touches her mouth before she lets me go, and we start walking again. I rub my thumb along the side of my hand, trying to ignore the tension her touch left behind.

Maevis has hurt me before, badly enough that my body still flinches whenever she gets too close. But she is also the reason I am standing here at all, walking toward a future I never thought I would have. I still don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about any of it.

“Besides,” Maevis says, “Ninth’s little problem may eventually work in your favor.”

I glance up at her. “How?”

“At this rate, she won’t keep the position much longer. A little bird tells me the rest of Ninth is just about fed up with her, the entire squad is on the verge of full blown revolt.”

Maevis glances down at me.

“And that’s where you come in, right as she’s on her way out. There are technically two officers ahead of you in seniority, but one only recently stepped into the role as a fill in, and the other has been thoroughly unremarkable.”

She gives me that same cold smile.

“The position is practically yours. All you have to do is reach out and take it.”

I really don’t like the way she’s phrasing any of this. Or that smile. The whole thing reeks of trouble.

Besides, making a grab for power the moment I walk in seems like a spectacularly bad idea, especially when I’m already underqualified for the position I have. Becoming an officer in Miracle Inc.'s security force is already more than I ever thought I could achieve. I’m not about to risk a cushy new job just for the chance to make it slightly cushier.

I watch her for a few steps, but by now the suspicion has been gnawing at me for too long to keep quiet.

“Why are you doing this?”

Maevis glances down at me. “Doing what?”

“This. All of it.” I gesture vaguely between her and the building ahead. “You keep going out of your way for me. More than anyone reasonably should. Getting me into the Security force, the officer position, now this…” I let my hand fall. “I don’t understand what you’re getting out of it.”

My hand drops back to my side.

Maevis studies me for several seconds.

Then she reaches over and smooths down a section of my hair she had disturbed earlier.

“You’re overthinking things”

“Okay, feel free to humor me then.”

Her smile returns.

“I think you have potential, and I’d rather not watch it go to waste. For now, that’s all the explanation you’re getting.”

“For now?”

“Oh, one more thing.”

Something in her tone immediately puts me on edge.

“I did call in some fairly significant favors to get your position approved.”

I eye her warily. “And I’m guessing you’re telling me this for a reason.”

Maevis catches my expression and smiles.

“Consider it advance notice that I may collect on those favors eventually.”

Well, the cat was out of the bag now. Of course none of this had come purely out of the kindness of her heart. Sooner or later, I’d be paying every favor back in full, probably with interest too.

That’s what I get for making a deal with the devil.

“What kind of fav—”

Before I can finish, the glass doors ahead of us swing open, and a girl in a black Security uniform comes rushing outside, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. Her long golden hair whips around her face as she catches herself and hurriedly looks around.

Then she spots me.

Her whole face lights up.

She’s pretty, I realize. Freckles scattered across her cheeks, bright smile, the whole thing. Not supermodel pretty, exactly. More like the cool older cousin everyone secretly wishes they had.

“You’re Yurui?”

I glance at the large white 9 printed across the front of her vest.

Looks like the rest of my questions will have to wait.

I nod.

The girl practically beams as she hurries over.

“I’m Maya. First officer of the Ninth Squad.”

An officer, huh.

My eyes drift to the small star-shaped insignia pinned near her heart, and for some reason, that is what finally makes everything feel real.

By the end of the day, I might be wearing one just like it.

She offers me her hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

I shake it.

“Likewise.”

Maevis takes a step back. “I’ll leave you two to it.”

By the time I turn toward her, she is already heading across the parking lot.

“Don’t forget about the weekend,” she calls over her shoulder.

Right. The field trip.

“I won’t.”

She lifts a hand in acknowledgment without looking back, and for a moment I simply stand there watching her go. There are still half a dozen things I want to ask her—about the favor, about Security forces and what they actually do, about whatever exactly she expects from me after all of this, but when I finally speak, the only thing that comes out is:

“Thank you, Miss Maevis.”

She stops and looks back at me. For a moment, her expression is unreadable. Then it softens into a small, genuine smile. She says nothing before turning back toward the car.

Maya catches hold of my sleeve and gives it a light tug.

“Come on. I’ll show you around.”

Before I can answer, she is already pulling me toward the entrance. The glass doors slide apart, and warm air brushes across my face as the lobby comes into view. The first thing I see is a constant stream of Miracle Inc. personnel moving through the wide hall. As the crowd clears up, it reveals a giant reception desk sitting in front of us, with an enormous silver Miracle Inc. emblem mounted on the wall right behind it.

For a moment, I get lost in thought.

Not long ago, my biggest concern had been making it through another day at school without giving anyone a new reason to make my life miserable. I had only ever seen Security officers when they came sweeping through the slums whenever a riot broke out.

And now one of them is impatiently tugging on my sleeve.

“Yurui?”

Right.

I step forward.

The doors close quietly behind me.

Whatever happens from here—Ninth Squad, the vice captain, Maevis, and whatever favor she eventually decides I owe her, I can deal with it when the time comes.

I pause for a moment and take in my surroundings—the marble walls decorated with gold, fancy wooden furniture that probably cost more than an average house. The sheer amount of money poured into every corner of the place was enough to make my head spin.

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.

Somewhere along the way, my life had gone completely off the rails, and for the first time in a long while, I found myself looking forward to whatever came next.

End of Arc 4.

End of Prologue.

End of Book One.

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