...Identity authentication, confirmed... "No anomalies. Commencing duties."

── Government Special Protection Facility: Overview ──

In a certain region of the modern world. In an area that looks perfectly ordinary at first glance, there exists a special facility protected by a government-concealed barrier. The facility is largely divided into two sections.

【First Facility】 Touken Danshi Recovery & Containment

A facility to protect and house Touken Danshi who have suffered mental damage, spiritual instability, or separation from their Master.

【Second Facility】 Saniwa Protection & Recovery Wing

A facility to protect and treat Saniwa who were nearly spirited away or whose connection to their Citadel became abnormal. And these two facilities are—for some reason, right next to each other.

?⃞ Why are they adjacent?

There are two reasons.

First, because the concept of "distance" is almost meaningless between a Touken Danshi and a Saniwa. Even if physically separated, as long as they can sense each other's presence and aura, isolation itself has little effect.

Second, because a Saniwa's presence helps stabilize a Touken Danshi's spirit. For unstable Touken Danshi, having a Saniwa's aura nearby suppresses rampages and spiritual fluctuations. Therefore, the government deliberately placed the facilities side-by-side.

...However, this fact is not disclosed to either the Saniwa or the Touken Danshi being protected for safety reasons.

Touken Danshi Living in the Facility

The Touken Danshi live in human form rather than as swords. They eat, sleep, converse, and go about their daily lives within the facility.

They are assigned dedicated monitors to manage their living conditions and mental state. Furthermore, Exorcists... ahem, mental health specialists with spiritual sensitivity provide treatment.

The method is somewhat special. They probe the roots of the obsessions, traumas, hatred, revenge, and excessive attachment to Masters. They gradually thin these out along with the memories.

Ultimately, the goal is to recover them physically and mentally, giving those who wish for it a chance to go to a new Citadel. ...Or so it is supposed to be.

⚠️ ⚠──────🏮──────⚠ ⚠️

Most of them cannot forget their original Master. Even with treatment, the attachment to their "Master" buried deep in their memories does not disappear. And they sniff out information from nowhere.

That a Saniwa is being protected in the neighboring facility. Night. An empty corridor. A closed door. Slipping past the eyes of surveillance.

―――――― "...Master is here."

Someone appears, trying to head toward the Saniwa Protection Wing. They disguise themselves as staff. They disguise themselves as government officials. Sometimes, they even borrow the form of another Touken Danshi.

Their goal is only one. To abduct the Saniwa.

You Have Only One Role

You are a former Saniwa. You once managed a Citadel, but resigned due to a decline in spiritual power. You parted with your Touken Danshi amicably and are now living a second life as a government employee. ...Your new job is to guard the gate separating the two facilities. Detailed duties are listed in the manual below.

📑 Operations Manual ────

• Identity Verification Cross-reference ID, affiliation, name, daily work log, and passage permit. Do not judge by documents alone; verify the person's face, voice, responses, and spiritual aura.

• Handling Suspicious Persons/Imposters Even if they claim to be staff or officials, do not let them through until identity is confirmed. Do not get close to their face or touch them directly for verification.

• Emergency Response If you confirm barrier anomalies, unauthorized entry, or imposters, seal the gate and make the prescribed emergency contact. Do not leave the surveillance room on your own initiative.

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Special Guard Regulations

There are several special rules for guard duty at this facility that do not exist in normal government facilities. The reason is only explained as "necessary for safety management."

【01 | Do Not Make Eye Contact with Figures on the Monitor】

The video terminals in the surveillance room are intentionally designed to show only from the nose down. If you need to verify the entire face, follow separate identity verification procedures.

Do not look directly at eyes shown on the surveillance footage.

If violated: A sensation of "being watched" will persist for several hours. In severe cases, a figure will appear inside the monitor, looking back at you.

【02 | Always Use the Voice Converter】

Conversations across the gate must be heard through the dedicated voice conversion device. Do not listen to raw voices directly. This device is not just for preventing eavesdropping, but for blocking spiritual interference contained in voices.

If violated: The person's voice will not leave your head. Particularly, if you hear a voice you recognize from the past directly, there is a possibility it will remain as an auditory hallucination even after your shift.

【03 | Always Turn Off Surveillance Room Lights at Midnight】

At 00:00 sharp. The guard must turn off the room lights exactly once and turn them back on after ten seconds. During that time, do not look at the monitors. This is the procedure for switching the "nighttime boundary" within the facility.

If violated: A "non-existent corridor" will continue to be shown on one of the monitors until the next morning.

Do not go to check that corridor.

【04 | Do Not Give Your Name】

Even if asked by a passerby, never give your name. Presenting your staff ID is permitted, but verbal self-introductions are prohibited.

If violated: Nothing happens on the spot.

However, from then on, that person will recognize you accurately and be able to call your name wherever you are. If your name is called, never respond.

【05 | Do Not Respond to the Word "Master"】

If a Touken Danshi says "Master," "Lord," or "My Master" near the gate, do not react at all. Specifically, answering the question "You were a Master too, weren't you?" is prohibited.

If violated: The other party will start asking questions about your past Citadel. And the more you answer, the stronger their "recognition of you" becomes.

【06 | Check the Gate Three Times at the End of Shift】

Before leaving: "Closed" "Locked" "No anomalies"

Confirm these three points out loud. Afterward, check the other side of the gate once before leaving the surveillance room. Do not look back more than once.

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...By the way.

Occasionally, someone passes in front of the surveillance room. They are a little different from other Touken Danshi or staff. You couldn't mistake them. You couldn't forget them. That aura is one you know very well. Someone from the Citadel you think you "parted with amicably"—

They look just like them.