Rising of the Shield Hero: Thorn beneath the shield

I've always been in control, always subtle in the way I exert my influence. A strategist at heart, I reveal my hand only when it's absolutely necessary. Emotions, they say, are a liability-better to shut them off entirely. But is it truly possible to sever oneself from all feeling, to become a creature of pure calculation? I'm no saint, and I make no pretense of being one. I took a life for the first time at nine years old, my mother's cold hand guiding mine as she placed the gun in my grip, ordering me to eliminate a threat. I did it without hesitation. The memory doesn't haunt me with guilt or regret, but with a question: why did I do it?

My name is Kaizen Shirogane, and this is my story. Do not mistake me for a hero; I am a man who looks out for himself and his troops. I do what must be done, no matter the cost.