My avatar is the heroine

However, a closer look reveals that this lovely girl doesn't seem to have any real control. Her assistant, the elderly man named Kikunojo Tendo who always stands by, is probably the true controller.

---Dividing line---

P.S.: This is toxic; the prohibited words are different in each chapter.

Chapter 117 Some chilling truths

Su Lin thought that shifting the blame would arouse people's suspicion, but he underestimated the extent of people's hatred for the cursed son.

Almost immediately after a police officer or policeman dies, the news reports extensively on the "cursed son murdering others" incident, without mentioning the skull on the ground at all.

The street protests were even more brutal, with countless families taking up arms to find any lone cursed children and beat them up.

The Holy Son's program, which aimed to reconcile the cursed son with ordinary people, was completely ineffective, just as it had been in the beginning.

"Whenever there's a problem, there's no need to ask why; the first thing to do is shift the blame. Anyway, even if it's not wrong, it's still the cursed child's fault?"

Su Lin was initially angry, but quickly realized that her previous thinking might have been flawed.

This is no longer simply a matter of the public being foolish; rather, it is a deliberate attempt by some to create conflict and misconceptions.

The image of Kikunoomi's calm expression and the slight upturn of his lips resurfaced in my mind.

"What's wrong? Did you think of something bad?" Perhaps she was preoccupied, because the hostess looked puzzled as they ate at Ayako's house.

"Auntie, I want to ask you something. If you don't know the answer, you don't have to tell me." After thinking for a long time, Yukino decided to ask anyway.

The hostess nodded: "Go ahead and ask?"

She took a deep breath: "Is it always the cursed child's fault whenever there is disaster?" These words made the hostess's hand tremble, and she looked at Ayako, who was smiling and holding a bowl beside her.

She seemed to have something to say, but dared not.

After a while, perhaps having made up her mind, the hostess sighed, "Some things... were told to me by Chunming. He told me not to discuss them with other people."

"Doesn't your aunt trust me?"

"No." She quickly shook her head, then hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "Do you think it's the police's responsibility to kill Gastrea?"

Yukino nodded, recalling the official propaganda, and said, "In the current view, that's true. After all, the establishment of the civilian policing system is fundamentally aimed at making full use of the police force to deal with Gastrea that have broken into the city."

“Indeed… but why do you think the authorities would respond to such a crisis by using police officers?” She was very nervous, her hands were trembling, as if what she was about to say might endanger her life.

"From what I understand, the initiators are all children under ten years old, who may not be obedient, so facilitators are needed to manage and guide them. This way, children can contribute their efforts to help people fight against enteroviruses."

“Yes, but how should I put it? Even you've been misled. The actual situation is much worse.” The hostess gave a bitter smile. “Chunming said that before the war, defeating the enemy was the official responsibility. When a war was lost, people seemed more willing to blame the incompetence of the higher-ups than to blame the soldiers who risked their lives on the front lines. But now… whenever a problem arises, the police officers who fail in their duties have to step forward and take the blame. People will say that resisting Gastrea is your job, and if you don't do it well, you have to be punished. In other words, the people who should be protected have become the targets of the people’s own blame.”

Yukino's heart skipped a beat: "So this is why the government doesn't have an officially recognized army?"

"Shh." The hostess quickly made a shushing gesture. "The government does have an army, and the Ground Self-Defense Force is very powerful. In several large-scale battles against the invading Gastrea, the Self-Defense Force was at the forefront. Moreover... Chunming said that the government even has some kind of modification plan to train super soldiers. These forces are enough to fight against the Cursed Children. But he told me all this, so I'm not sure."

"Is that so?" Yukino vaguely grasped the key point.

"That's the reason. The Gastrea are too powerful. In the early stages of the war, several major powers even used their trump cards—nuclear weapons—but they were still driven into small cities. Enemies lurking on land were manageable; at least they could be defeated. But what about those in the sea? What about those in the sky? The government's army, though strong, simply didn't have the power to counterattack. They were already exhausted from dealing with several invasions. So Chunming told me that the Cursed Children were the scapegoats pushed onto the government's side under these circumstances. Whenever they failed in their duties, people's first thought wasn't the government's incompetence, but the ineptitude of the police force. Because everyone knows that resisting the Gastrea is the responsibility of the Promoters and Initiators. They have the power and should actively save the world. But these police forces, time and again, plunge the people into suffering."

Yukino understood a little, but what the mistress said next was what truly chilled her to the bone.

"Especially in recent years, countless cursed children from the outer regions have turned into Gastrea due to a lack of injections. Why does the government allow such beings to roam freely inside the Huashi monument? Knowing that these children are a destabilizing factor, why don't they do anything about it? Do you really think that all the Gastrea here sneaked in from outside the monument?"

"No... they are transformed from the cursed children. Once such Gastrea appear, people will angrily accuse you, the police, of being unable to handle even a Gastrea. And people hardly see members of the Self-Defense Forces representing the government on the streets, only police officers everywhere. And these police officers patrolling the streets every day can't even handle a Type I Gastrea, it's a joke. So tell me... who should the people blame?"

"..."

Yukino never expected that the old man would say such a thing.

Yes, because the government is powerless to counterattack. It's not that they haven't tried, but that they are powerless. Those in high positions are rarely fools. If they genuinely can't deal with the Gastrea themselves, yet want to maintain their rule and preserve their luxurious lifestyle, then who will take the blame?

Cursed child!

Do not……

On the surface, the one who takes the blame is indeed the cursed child, but the hidden victim is the police officer.

The police officers are the pitiful scapegoats who are taking the blame for the government.

The police only need to maintain order, and the Self-Defense Forces only need to remain invisible. It is the police who are constantly fighting against Gastrea and still can't do a good job that have inexplicably become the root cause of the poor public order.

"A significant number of police officers are of very poor quality, bullying the people and causing trouble all the time. Why do you think the government still allows these people to become police officers? Why are the requirements for police officers so low that so many people can set up security companies and make money from them? Of course, it's to make the incompetence of the police officers stand out even more."

Yukino remained silent, her thoughts drifting deeper into her mind.

Why does the image of a holy emperor garner such widespread support?

Why is it that a little girl, who clearly goes against the mainstream ideology and whose actions—such as advocating for the harmonious coexistence of the cursed child and ordinary people, which is almost a violation of "political correctness"—can still receive support?

Because people can see that she genuinely cares about the good of society.

This is enough.

The people representing the government are already doing things for everyone, and it is very likely that the real controller, Mr. Kikunoomi, can maintain a glorious image on the surface with the higher-ups and keep shifting the blame to the police and the homeless cursed children behind the scenes. No one will blame the government for its incompetence.

In this way, they can continue to rule peacefully.

P.S.: Some people say the government could launch a counterattack, but that's a heavily modified version from other fanfiction. The original novel repeatedly mentions in its background setting that humanity was no match for the Gastrea and was defeated only after exhausting all their strength. Moreover, after the war, their technology, economy, and military strength all regressed to the level of the 20s, and they only survived thanks to the metal flower. This isn't my opinion; it's from the original text of the novel, specifically the first two chapters. You can check it out if you don't believe me.

After reading the novel, I thought about it and decided not to change the original settings. After all, rewriting something that's already been written is pointless. So… the governments in this book are the same as in the original; they genuinely lack the ability to retaliate. They don't hide their strength through conspiracy theories; they simply can't win. They fight on land, then emerge from the sea. Please don't take other fanfiction's heavily modified settings as the original. Besides, what's the point of writing every book exactly the same? Why should I write something identical to other people's fanfiction?

Ultimately, no matter how wrong the protagonist's actions were, it doesn't change the fact that the cursed child is weak. As I said before, "Don't take your imagination as if things have already happened." At least wait until I've written that part before saying anything. Just because something hasn't appeared doesn't mean I'll write it that way.

Chapter 118 The Correct Approach

After the chat ended, Su Lin knew he was in trouble. This society had become hopeless. He had originally hoped to save one more child before teleporting away, but now it seemed like a complete joke.

It's fair to say that nothing he does will make a difference, because he can't control public opinion.

"So, the root cause is that group of high-ranking rulers led by Tendokiku no Suke?"

Her heart was truly cold; how could society have become like this? The light of the past world couldn't even be seen in this place, not even a ripple.

"System, did my killing of those two police officers make the situation worse?"

[There's this guy named Hiruko Kagetane who kills police officers in public every now and then, and he goes to high-level meetings to humiliate the Emperor, and nothing happens to him. The news even hides the truth and conveniently shifts the blame to the cursed son.]

"..."

After a moment of silence, she was utterly speechless.

"So, the media offensive hasn't stopped every day, right?"

Unfortunately, yes.

Furthermore, Hiruko Kagetane is a member of the "New Human Modification Project," belonging to the Self-Defense Forces' 787th Specialized Mechanized Unit. His very existence is a tool used by those with ulterior motives to create conflict. Even if you don't kill him, he'll still go and kill the police.

[The above is the information currently known to the system; it may contain some terrible secrets.]

"Ok."

After consideration, Sulin temporarily changed his main objective from "shifting the focus away from the contradictions of the cursed son" to "finding the good and innocent people hidden among the wicked," or better yet, to do nothing at all.

She really regretted it, feeling that she had been incredibly reckless.

The only thing that satisfied her was that the mission to mark the teleportation array was almost complete.

At this time, the outer area

hum-

The little girl cut a large tree in half.

Although it was far inferior to Kurohime's, the power of that sword strike just now already felt like a sure-kill decapitation.

[The drug increases strength tenfold; current physical fitness is 2300% of an average person.]

"Very good."

The downside is that there is still a lack of skill.

Fortunately, most of the Initiators in this world haven't received any special training in any techniques, so in real combat, it depends more on their ability to adapt to the situation.

With this level of combat capability, they are basically able to protect themselves. This is because the police are basically controlled by the higher-ups, and the higher-ups are unlikely to be foolish enough to send a large number of high-level combat forces to hunt down the cursed children. On the contrary, they need to ensure that these children live well.

Possessing this level of power already gives one an advantage against most persecutors.

Ultimately, it's always the underdogs who bully these children. If they actually discover the Cursed Children's power is increasing dramatically, they might actually become afraid and hesitate to act rashly.

And what about the higher-ups?

They wouldn't be willing to indiscriminately kill powerful Cursed Children; strong individuals are excellent tools for dealing with Gastrea.

Ultimately, bad people only bully those who are weaker than them, because they will take advantage of the vulnerable.

"Forget it, thinking about it is useless. I'll just start being more careful now, or maybe I should just do nothing at all."

She hadn't expected society to be like this before, but now that she understands, she should learn from her mistakes and not act blindly.

Perhaps the system brought her to this world as a form of training. After all, the current task is completely easy; it's simply a matter of letting her take a trip through this world.

Surrounded by the little girls, Yukino felt a rare warmth in her heart as she watched the adorable children's laughter.

All they need is to live safely and have enough to eat.

"Let's try to ask the Holy Emperor for help. Even if she's been sidelined, with her kindness, she should be able to secretly get some money to help these children, right?"

As Yukino thought this, she felt that something was amiss. Perhaps that girl was simply too far away to reach the outer areas.

"So... I have to go to her myself to ask for the money. Oh, right, I should contact Rentaro."

However, as soon as she stood up, Yukino suddenly remembered the word "coward" she had used, and felt a little embarrassed.

Before it got dark, she inquired about Rentaro's information and eventually found out the location of the "Tendo Civilian Security Company" where he worked.

The company's boss was a girl who looked somewhat like Akame, which completely stunned Kurome.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" The other person was startled by the dark eyes and shrank back, saying, "You said you wanted to contact the Holy Emperor through the police, but you couldn't find any connections?"

"Mm." Yukino nodded.

"I understand. If it's to save the children in the outer districts, I'll do my part." She nodded heavily, agreeing to the request.

Before leaving the company, Yukino suddenly stopped and turned back to ask, "Your name is Tendo Kisara, right?"

“Ah, yes!” the girl replied.

"I see. Thank you."

Downstairs, Yukino repeatedly pondered the name Tendo Kisara, suspecting that the girl had some connection with Tendo Kikunoomi.

"If the other party can quickly contact the Holy Emperor, then they must have a connection."

Less than two hours later, the Holy Emperor actually sent someone to find her.

Following two staff members into the magnificent building, Yukino was still somewhat amazed to see the girl who had appeared on the television screen in person.

She is very beautiful and kind.

"I just learned that the little girl next to you is also a cursed child, and a very powerful one at that. I happen to have a request here, and I can temporarily use my authority to promote you to the rank of police officer. Regardless of how well you perform, you will be rewarded with a certain amount of money in the end for your merits."

"Thank you." Yukino was secretly delighted.

"This mission is to retrieve a box called the Seven Stars' Legacy. It has been lost in an unknown place, and if it is taken by someone, it could summon Gastrea, a Stage V being, leading to the destruction of all of Tokyo."

"Stage V?" Yukino's expression changed slightly.

“Yes, during a recent meeting, a masked man named Hiruko Kagetane attacked the scene, killing a large number of police officers and threatening to take away the Seven Stars’ legacy. If he takes it, this city will truly be doomed. Therefore… this mission is of paramount importance.”

"Okay, I'll go."

No wonder

This dangerous situation is perfect precisely because the protagonist is involved; she, as an outsider, can just obediently wait for the outcome.

Chapter 119 (End of Volume) Farewell and the Future

Two days later...

"Emmm...why aren't you here?" The Holy Emperor was a little speechless. Of course, she didn't know that Su Lin had been hanging out with the little girls in the outer district for the past two days and hadn't paid any attention to her mission.

As it turned out, the swordsmanship instruction had some effect; several little girls defeated the civilians and police who had harmed them. The result was a city-wide parade, but that was all; people were powerless against the powerful Cursed Children.

Faced with the Holy Emperor's questioning, Yukino innocently said, "I did go to the scene, and I personally witnessed the Stage V monster being killed by the Heavenly Ladder Electromagnetic Cannon."

"Fine, then you can take the 1000 million reward this time." The other party looked furious.

"So many?"

“Please protect the cursed children well!” the Holy Emperor emphasized.

"must."