1.
What is Veritas?
Some might call it a club of the best hackers from Millennium Academy, others might term it as a pseudo-club pretending to be a real one, and yet others might describe it as a gathering of oddballs with questionable ethics who claim to be white hackers but only cause trouble.
However, whatever the opinions or descriptions may be, there’s one thing that everyone can unanimously agree on about Veritas—its unparalleled excellence in hacking.
“Hacking skills. I’m pretty sure that if you search all over Kiburatos, you won’t find anyone better at hacking than them.”
That was their skill.
This unofficial club, consisting of a total of five members including Akeboshi Himari, the leader of the Special Paranormal Affairs Division, was nothing less than a collection of the brightest minds at Millennium Academy.
Perhaps that was why, with their motto of promoting the free flow of information and preventing monopolies, this group was one of the few that could actually challenge the power of the student council in Millennium—a school that lacked other balancing forces.
In the realm of Kiburatos, where an autonomous district and academy jointly represent the roles of a nation and a government, the political systems and environments of each school are extremely important.
Therefore, every school has a force that monitors and restrains leaders to prevent tyranny and dictatorship.
Gehenna has the Vanguard to counterbalance the Ten Thousand Demon Temple, while Trinity operates under a triarchy where each head checks the other.
Meanwhile, Millennium, despite professing to be a centralized autocracy similar to Gehenna, had no such political or administrative counterbalance to its student council, posing a significant risk politically and diplomatically—like how a single action from a world leader could destabilize an entire nation.
That’s why when I thought about the political structure of Millennium, I was reminded of a manga I had read deeply on Earth with the following phrase:
“Who will guard the guards themselves?”
(Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
A famous line from ancient Roman poetry and also featured in the DC Comics graphic novel ‘Watchmen.’
The meaning of this phrase is simple.
To protect individuals, people form groups. These groups watch over and protect individuals, but if the heads of these groups act arbitrarily, who will stop them?
Politically, those in power are inevitably subject to checks and balances—that is, surveillance. However, such surveillance was nonexistent in Millennium, making this a glaring issue.
Though it originally criticized the surveillance of citizens, in ‘Watchmen,’ it served as a fundamental question regarding superhero activities, but in this case, it brought attention to Millennium’s malformed political structure.
To supervise individuals, a transcendent entity was created—the Student Council President, Tsukatsuki Rio. But who would restrain her?
I had already come to a conclusion in response to this question.
This was the reason I wanted to make contact with ‘Veritas.’ I believed they held one of the keys to solving the numerous incidents that might occur in the future in Millennium and Kiburatos.
2.
Hence, I decided to meet with Veritas.
Partly out of gratitude for what they had done so far for me, and also through a rational decision to establish better relations with them. As strange as people thought they were, I found them to be decent individuals personally.
But…
“What is this? Harehara?”
“What’s that weird nickname…? Anyway, let me explain—this money is what we earned from that broadcast you did when you fought Kosaka Wakamo.”
“You made money from that broadcast?”
Upon meeting them, I realized something.
These kids are angels. They offered me money as soon as we met.
“…I almost blurted out ‘I love you’.”
As I watched the white-haired girl, ‘Omegari Hare,’ coolly drinking a caffeinated beverage while transferring an astronomical amount of money into my account, I couldn’t help but let a tear fall—wondering if she might be an actual goddess.
Still, I couldn’t help but ask about the specifics.
“How exactly did you get this kind of money?”
“You see, we sort of swayed public opinion a bit?”
The reply came from ‘Konuri Maki.’ The girl with red hair and blue eyes similar to mine waved her hand, munching on a snack.
“Yo. We only talked on the phone last time, right?”
“Nice to meet you again, Maki. So, what’s going on here?”
“It’s simple. We left our team’s name at the bottom of the broadcast we aired, and right after it ended, we sent out a message to all the citizens of Millennium and D.U.”
“…?”
“And we kind of… used your name a little to ask for donations. Quite a few people sent in contributions. Hehe.”
I was shocked. What did these people do…!?
“Isn’t that phishing?”
“To be precise, it wasn’t a voice scam; it was a phishing email.”
“That’s practically the same thing…”
“On second thought, it wasn’t even phishing since we just asked for donations—we didn’t force anyone to give.”
The next reply came from ‘Autose Kotama.’
A beige-haired girl wearing a headset around her neck, she didn’t even look up as she typed away on her keyboard and addressed me.
No, this shouldn’t be something to be proud of…
So this was why everyone called them an oddball group. Suddenly, I felt a massive headache coming on.
Seeing my shocked expression, another member, ‘Kagami Chihiro,’ the girl with navy-blue hair, chuckled and tried to justify it for me.
“Huh, I did try to stop them quite a bit. Sorry, Nanashi. But since there was no use of illegal means or coercion involved, at least you can rest assured of that part.”
“Of course, the term ‘phishing’ did come up, but since we actually conducted this campaign, there shouldn’t be any issues. Besides, all the donations have gone to the main person involved.”
“Hmm, that’s right. It’s practically a good deed.”
“I agree as well.”
“…”
I just sighed in defeat.
I didn’t even know where to start with their explanation. Even as I saw the substantial amount of money in my account, an uncanny sense of unease crept in.
So, I decided to ask them.
“Should I return this money…?”
“Necessarily?”
“Just keep it.”
“I think so too.”
“…Honestly, I feel this time, it’s fine to just accept it and later thank the citizens.”
Even Chihiro, who seemed to represent the level-headed side of Veritas, told me to take the money.
“…Is this okay?”
Alright. Let’s think rationally.
They never coerced anyone into sending the money; the citizens themselves wanted to show their appreciation by sending it. There’s no way to ignore and return it now, right?
And if I tried to return it, it wouldn’t be me who’d handle it—it’d fall on Veritas or Himari-senpai.
It wouldn’t be right to make them go through that trouble because of me.
“…Alright, I’ll accept it with gratitude.”
“Good on you.”
“Yeah!”
With a slight bitter laugh, I closed the matter.
Never could I have guessed money would come this way.
So this is why people should do good deeds, huh?
It felt strange but good at the same time.
3.
Even though it was initially odd, my first official meeting with Veritas went surprisingly well.
Because I revealed my identity from the start, I found it easier to relate to them.
Of course, the money still lingering in my account weighed on me a bit, but I was planning to let it go gradually.
As I was exchanging plenty of stories with the Veritas girls, akin to breaking the ice, I decided it was time to bring up the main topic with them.
First, the question I wanted to ask.
“Hey, I’m curious—why did Veritas help me when I first asked for assistance?”
It was still a mystery to me.
Even when Himari-senpai stepped forward and offered assistance, there was no obvious connection or personal acquaintance between me and them, so why did they personally step in to help?
Chihiro offered the explanation.
“There are various reasons, but the biggest one is that all of us here are rooting for you. Ever since the Kaiser PMC incident, thanks to your activities, Millennium has seen less of certain headaches.”
“My activities? A headache for Millennium?… Was that really the case?”
“Urban security is directly tied to the academy’s security—whether online or in real life, that doesn’t change. That you’ve contributed significantly to maintaining Kiburatos’ peace and order is a clear fact.”
“…”
“Anyway, as long as you continue to contribute to Kiburatos’ peace and order, we’ll assist you in anything you need, and this is the consensus of everyone in Veritas.”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected such a serious answer.
My face felt hot.
I had assumed our relationship was purely based on mutual gain.
This was the first time I might have directly received words of support or thanks.
Next, Kotama spoke.
“Of course, that’s part of it, but also because we believe our collaboration with you will yield great benefits for us.”
“Benefits?”
“Regardless of your own objectives, Silk’s actions align with our motto quite a bit. After Sentum Tower’s shutdown, illegal activities by the Black Market, corporations, and other organizations increased, posing risks not only to Millennium but also to us in Veritas. Thanks to Silk’s efforts, our situation has improved considerably.”
“That’s true…”
“Even more, Silk drawing a lot of public attention has made it easier for us to act covertly, which is true to some extent.”
Then Kotama added:
“In this way, just by forming a bond with you, Veritas has gained significant material and informational advantages.”
“Alright, let’s stop talking about this now.”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“Nope. Not at all. I’m confident.”
“Hm, alright. I’ll take that as confident.”
To directly hear praise… Even from not mobs or citizens but protagonists from the original story feels… like receiving validation. It’s a prickling sensation.
Please, stop already…
I tried to ignore Hare and Maki teasing me and attempted to steer the conversation toward the next topic, until Hare abruptly brought up an unusual subject.
“So, Nanashi.”
“Yes, yes?”
“You’re going to keep working with us, right?”
“…Huh?”
Why the sudden talk?
A little unease surfaced as I looked at her.
She smiled enigmatically and said something that made me completely dumbfounded.
“So, how about we stream together?”
“Uh… what?”
“Villain-hunting broadcasts. Instead of doing it unofficially like before, let’s do it officially and accept sponsorships.”
“What…?”
I hadn’t expected this.
Perhaps that’s why I instinctively leaned toward rejecting her suggestion.
A hero broadcast, how absurd…
“Isn’t money necessary?”
“…”
Hm.
About streaming…
I think I need to take some time to seriously consider this.
![[Blue Archive] I Became a Superhero in Kivotos](https://i1.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/gsyet.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "[Blue Archive] I Became a Superhero in Kivotos")
