Welp, I tried my best.
This chapter is about Tatemiya Haruka, Takayama Akito's friend and self-proclaimed rival.
Here's hoping for more feedback.
Chapter 3 - \FLAre_CloAk_
Tatemiya Haruka walked along the streets of District 7. It was 4:50 pm.
She was a member of Judgment's 164th branch and a skilled Level 4 Esper hailed as the pride and joy of her entire school.
She had extremely good grades and was very athletic.
Her 'cool beauty' attracted a lot of male and female students whom also idolized her.
She often scolded boys who try to break the rules, but for some reason, they always end up enjoying it.
A few rich boys from other schools came up to her once with bouquets but she flat out rejected them in the end saying that she did not have the time to mess around.
"Tatemiya-san is very reliable! One time, she protected me from a big malfunctioning military robot all by herself!" A young girl commented with great praise.
"I'm the founder of The Great Tatemiya Haruka Support and Admiration Fan Club so ask me every single detail you want to know about her!" A boy wearing a white headband excitedly declared.
"Tatemiya-san is an innocent and gentle maiden. Actually, I'm on my way to propose to her right now." A young and handsome gentleman pointed at a foreign sports car. "I bought this hoping that it would be up to her tastes."
"Hmph, you do not know who Tatemiya Haruka-sama is? I'm not surprised because only I know of her true greatness!" A middle-aged man wearing business clothes reached out to the heavens.
"Never have I met such a formidable rival in my entire life. We are good friends but someday I will definitely surpass her. As the great Level 3 Cyclone Hand, it is only my destiny." A brown-haired bishoujo said explicitly.
"Hahh? That idiot? Well she has a bad temper so watch out. We've known each other since middle school so I know a lot about her clumsiness, though… she is kind and always thinking about the people around her I guess." A young blonde-haired boy who appears to be a bit shorter than your average high school student said.
"Haruka-san is…."
"Tatemiya Haruka-san could be the…"
"In all honesty, Tatemiya Haruka can…"
Many knew of Tatemiya Haruka's amazing display of bravery and elegance but only few know that…
"Eh? Didn't I pass through here before?" The long pony-tailed girl looked at her cellphone's map."What's with this cross-shaped thing and all these blue lines? I swear Academy City makes things too complicated."
Tatemiya Haruka who was on duty at this time wandered around District 7, clueless of where her destination was.
About an hour earlier inside Judgment's 164th branch….
"The warehouse which has been raided by Anti-Skill contained several types of weaponry including handguns, assault rifles, SMG's and grenade launchers." A girl named Mifune Hisako pointed at the image being projected on a large flat screen.
The Judgment's 164th branch had a similar office structure as any of the other branches in Academy City. The members here included Mifune Hisako, Hajime Kaiji, Mitogawa Hideki, Tatemiya Haruka and Yamagishi Kairi.
"Also, the Skill-Outs said to be responsible for hoarding these illegal weapons were said to belong to an organization called REBEL, a faction that is being financially backed up by some unknown source. Anti-Skill speculates that it is a foreign company with some vendetta against Academy City." Hisako added.
"Because of this incident, Judgment has been asked to survey several areas for suspicious activity specifically, Skill-Outs amassing in great numbers. Are we all clear on this?" Hajime Kaiji, a boy wearing a flat hat who seems to be their leader continued the briefing alongside Hisako in front of the three other members.
The three nodded in response.
"So the assignments will be… Mitogawa to Area A, Yamagishi to Area B, Hajime to Area C, while Mifune and Tatemiya will stay here as back up. Anyone who sees anything suspicious must contact Mifune immediately and wait for further instructions. Do not act recklessly, any questions?" Hajime gave out orders one after another with a voice that seems to be a bit lacking in emotion. It was monotonous but none of the members were concerned. He has been the chief of Judgment's 164th branch for over a year now. He was a stern leader who often trusts in his member's strengths and insights.
Haruka who was the last to join (and is still undergoing training during her off days from school) held great respect in Hajime Kaiji's leardership.
Everyone agreed on their leader's decision including Tatemiya Haruka however...
"I wish I could have gone out on the field instead."
From the small couch on one side of the office, Haruka sighed as she skimmed through reports from other Judgment branches.
"It couldn't be helped, Haruka," replied Hisako who was so engrossed in operating a computer on top of her desk. "These past few weeks have been hectic so who knows what might happen."
"I agree but… "
"No buts." Hisako replied immediately.
Haruka pouted for a bit before returning to her work.
"I've been meaning to ask you something, Haruka."
"Hm?"
"Aren't you cold in that?" The glasses-wearing girl pointed at what Haruka was wearing.
Haruka, apart from her Judgment armband and necktie, did not wear a blazer or even a vest outside of her dress shirt. She even folded the sleeves to make them shorter. It was October in Academy City and the temperature was so low that anyone would be called ridiculous if they wore such light clothing.
"What do you mean, Hisako-san?" Haruka tilted her head.
"Uhh… nothing…" Hisako made a wry smile.
Several minutes later…
"I-I can't take it anymore!" Haruka mentally cursed inside her head as her sweat dropped profusely.
There were several gigantic stacks of paper in front her, mostly records about Skill-Out activity in the past few days.
She knew that what she was doing was important to the investigation but the amount of work seemed endless.
"Umm… Hisako-san?" She said in a low voice, making a friendly smile while hiding her pain from the other girl.
"Yes?"
"Can I take a quick break outside?" She asked with the sweetest smile she could while mentally pleading for the other girl to say yes.
"Well if it's just a quick one, then sure. But don't go too far or someone might send for an immediate backup request while you were gone." Hisako replied thoughtlessly without looking away from the computer screen as continued to type something.
Without another word, Haruka hurriedly dashed off with incredible speed.
Reaching the vast, clear space outside the red bricked building that is their headquarters, Haruka stretched her thin arms and looked around the street. "Ahh… finally… Now where was that convenience store again?"
With a carefree smile on her face, the pony-tailed girl moved onward not knowing that serious trouble is awaiting her.
"Hm?" Haruka stopped near an intersection.
An old lady who had a hunched back and an old-style cane was fretting over when she should cross the wide, four-lane road.
"Ah! obaa-san, are you trying to cross the road? Let me help you." Haruka grabbed the old lady's hand and helped her cross the road.
"Take care now, obaa-san."
The pony-tailed esper made a refreshing smile which was known for grabbing the hearts of every boy in her school.
"Hmm… you would be a perfect bride for my son." The old lady stated while thanking her savior.
"Eh? I don't understand but I have somewhere I must-"
Suddenly a man wearing a black suit and briefcase bumped into Haruka before dashing away.
"S-sorry!"
"Geez… what was that abou-" Haruka suddenly noticed something fell off the man's pocket. It was a long and expensive-looking black wallet.
"Hey~! Mister! You dropped your wallet!" Haruka picked up the wallet and chased after the man with all her demonic might.
It did not take long for her to reach him.
"Huh? Oh! Thank you! Here, as a reward." The man pulled out a large bill from the wallet.
"EH? No I can't possibly-" Haruka was gonna reject the man's money when…
"WAHH!"
Suddenly, a young boy cried out in the park beside them.
"What's wrong little boy?"
The boy cried for a bit before pointing at the red balloon stuck in the tree.
"No problem."
Haruka jumped but was not able to reach the string of the balloon and suddenly, a tiny explosion occurred under her feet which then propelled her upwards, finally grabbing the balloon.
"Thanks onee-san!" The boy who now had his balloon back went towards the playground.
Haruka let out a sigh of relief before noticing something again.
"Ara ara? Misaka wonders where that boy wandered off to says Misaka as Misaka makes a pose that mothers do when their child is nowhere to be found." A young girl who seems to be around 10 years old looked around the park.
"KAWAII~!" Sparkles can be seen in Haruka's eyes as she headed towards the cute young girl.
"Ow! Ow! yells Misaka as Misaka tries to get away from the person who suddenly came up to her before pinching her cheek."
The little girl had short brown hair with an unusual ahoge sticking out.
"Misaka? Is that your name, ahoge-chan? Are you lost?" Haruka still brimming with excitement.
"Misaka is identified as a Misaka but Misaka much prefers to be called Last Order. And Misaka is not lost but is actually looking for that boy who promised to meet up somewhere around here says Misaka as Misaka remembers his vague promise," the young girl said.
"Eh~? Then should I help you look for him?" Haruka reached a hand out to the young girl named Last Order before the latter hesitatingly grabbed hold of it.
"Misaka hesitates to accept this teenage girl's help for the boy might, in the small chance, experience love at first sight and be stolen from Misaka says Misaka as Misaka expresses her doubt especially when the girl in question is wearing such light clothes."
"What is this boy like?" Haruka made an inquiry to Last Order.
"Well he is handsome, and strong, and always looks after Misaka says Misaka as she makes an approving nod."
"No I mean is what does he look like? Does he have any identifying features?"
"Hmm… he has white hair and uses a crutch says Misaka as Misaka thinks carefully."
"White hair? That's certainly an identifying feature." Haruka thinks that it is impossible to miss such a weird looking person as she looks around.
"He might be this way! Exclaims Misaka as she points towards a certain direction." Last Order ran towards a certain direction while dragging Haruka along. Her ahoge pointed towards the same direction as well.
"W-w-wait! Where are we going?"
"Just trust Misaka says Misaka as she reassures her passenger~!"
The two ran around the entire area, passing through places like coffee shops, department stores and narrow alleys. The pony-tailed esper girl was beginning to feel dizzy because of all the sudden turns she had to make as she followed the girl named Last Order.
After a while, the two girls stopped at the same park where they began their sudden adventure.
Haruka sat down at a nearby bench to catch her breath.
"He wasn't there either sighs Misaka as Misaka feels down." Last Order's ahoge curiously bends down.
"Maybe I should take you to my branch's office," said Haruka while still out of breath.
Suddenly, a person came up to them. He had white hair, red eyes like that of a beast, and a crutch extended from his hand.
"Is that him?" Haruka muttered while not taking her eyes off the white-haired boy, looking bewildered.
He reminds me of a certain someone.
The boy took a few more steps before stopping in front of Last Order.
From out of nowhere, the boy landed a hand-chop on the little girl's head.
"Oi! You brat! I've been waiting here for 10 whole minutes." The boy known as Accelerator said in an angry tone.
Haruka stood up to protest but the boy ignored her and continued to scold Last Order.
"Misaka was here a while ago but you were nowhere to be found so Misaka decided to look for you with that person from Judgment, says Misaka as Misaka points towards the girl with the pony tail." Last Order pointed towards Haruka but Accelerator ignored it.
The boy who seemed to be on the verge of popping a blood vessel paused for a bit before letting out a sigh instead.
"Is that so? Then don't you have something to say to that person, you damn brat?"
Last Order tilted her head before realizing what the boy meant and then she turned towards Haruka.
"Misaka wishes to express her gratitude to you for staying with her throughout her journey, says Misaka as Misaka makes a quick but dramatic bow to the person." Last Order cheerily did as she was told.
"Ahh no it was nothing." Haruka started to get confused by the minute.
"Let's go." Accelerator headed towards the park's exit.
"Uhh ahmm… do you need some help?" Haruka showed concerned for the boy with the crutch and approached him from the side.
However Accelerator ignored her, still walking forward.
"See you pony-tailed Judgment person! Says Misaka as Misaka waves goodbye." Last Order twirled around a bit before running towards Accelerator.
Haruka just stood there in the park, watching the two as they left.
"Hahhh… what was that seriously? And what is up with that boy?" Haruka scratched her head in frustration.
She had only met one other person who could make her feel this way. If it had been that boy, then she would have flat out punched him square in the face but she was well aware that she couldn't do such a thing to a disabled person.
She remained in that position for a bit before letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Well whatever. It's not my problem anymore. Time to get going." Haruka took a step but then stopped immediately."Eh? Where was I again?"
Afterwards...
"Let's see… I was near an intersection before I arrived at the… or was it a department store?" Haruka operated a light red cellphone in her hands.
She moved to Academy City several months ago, took the Judgment Preliminary Entry Test shortly afterwards which allowed her to work as an honorary member while undergoing training, and became the top of her class.
So why does she not know the way to her own branch office?
"Huh? Where was north again?"
Haruka continued to move aimlessly around, believing that she was still in District 7 when suddenly,
"Oi! Be careful or you will break the stuff!"
The girl suddenly heard a loud voice within a dark alley just ahead.
"It's fine~! They're pretty durable! I've tested them before."
Haruka hid behind a dumpster close by and took a small peek around the corner where she saw two men being surrounded by a pile of boxes and a delivery truck. She immediately noticed peculiar things about them.
Both of them did not wear work clothes or uniforms. And even if they were, this was a strange place to be loading packages. They were not being brought up from a loading area of a store, but instead, the rough asphalt if the street. It's like the packages were just left here by someone and then picked up by another.
The truck, which had its back wide open, did not contain any indication that it was affiliated with any company or organization such as a nameplate, label, or a sign on the sides of the truck. It also looked a bit rundown, clearly not made by Academy City.
Among the pile of boxes was one which was not closed and was showing its contents for the world to see.
"What are those things?"
Haruka peered over and saw little black and white solid objects like toys.
"So it's District 10 this time?" said one of the men who was wearing a black jersey and had piercings around his ears.
"Yeah, the boys there must be pissed that we took so long." This time, a man with long hair and leather jacket.
Both of them picked up each box and placed them inside the truck.
"It can't be helped though. We have to deposit these things in small places and have other members pick them up so we can avoid Anti-Skill checkpoints."
"Could they be…" The girl muttered as she furrowed her brows.
"Who the hell came up with this idea anyway? It's a real hassle using such a roundabout way."
The two finished their packing and prepared to move out.
The truck released smog out of its muffler before moving out of the alley, confirming that it was indeed not a standard Academy City vehicle.
Haruka was now absolutely certain they were…
"Skill-Outs…" The pony-tailed Judgment member kicked the ground suddenly, shifted her center of gravity, and landed on the adjacent wall.
A trail of molten steps can be seen as she ran on the completely vertical brick wall. Just as the truck left the alley and turned left, she made an explosive jump which propelled her forward, surpassing the speed of the truck. This time, she gently fell down above the delivery truck as if she was wearing a parachute.
"I don't know how long this ride will be but I should stay hidden in the meantime." Haruka said that as she drew a circle on the truck's roof which then made an opening she could enter.
To a normal stranger, this feat was like something out of a movie's special effects but what Tatemiya Haruka did was very simple: She generated and manipulated heat around her.
Back at Judgment's 164th branch office,
Hisako, the only one left behind was still typing away on her computer.
She was absolutely calm, only briefly...
"You've got some nerve ditching your work, you damn trainee!" The bespectacled Judgment girl crushed the keyboard in her hands.
"Huh? Was the roof always like this?" A man noticed a circular pattern above the interior of his delivery truck which used to be a gaping hole that one pony-tailed esper made.
The delivery truck was now parked inside an underground parking lot.
"Hey, stop slacking off!" Another man stood in front of an entrance to some kind of building some distance from the truck.
Haruka now hid behind the truck's front which was facing away from the building. She got out via the same method she used in the first place.
"I should contact Hisako-san quickly. The Skill-Outs seems to be planning something big." Haruka took a peek at the Skill-Outs that were outside the building.
Haruka reached to her pocket for her cellphone but was stopped by a hand which suddenly grabbed her arm.
"What's a pretty girl like you doing here?" The man grabbing the girl's arm had a nasty smile but immediately noticed the green armband around Haruka's right. "Tsk. Judgement eh?"
"Shit!" Haruka then used her esper power without a second thought.
A searing pain coursed through the man's hand. Smoke emanated from it suddenly.
"ARGHH!" The man bellowed as his hand touched an extremely hot surface that could be compared to a sizzling frying pan. The man then withdrew his hand, then the girl wordlessly unleashed a side-kick to the man's stomach to knock him away. It was all executed so smoothly even though she was still a rookie.
A group of thugs noticed the commotion and began to alert the remaining Skill-Outs inside the building.
"SHE'S AN ESPER!" The man whose hand got burnt really hard shouted a warning to his comrades.
Soon, Haruka found herself surrounded by countless armed thugs.
Several members open fired at the young high school girl, their weaponry consisted of lightweight SMG's and handguns, however the girl to stood motionless.
Was she so scared that she couldn't move? Was what some of the members thought.
Then the one-way firefight lasted for a several seconds. The barrage of gunshots echoed throughout the parking lot. However a peculiar phenomenon happened, the shower of bullets exploded like firecrackers as they approached a certain distance from Haruka.
A cloud of smoke and gunpowder accumulated together between the mass number of Skill-Outs and the young girl.
The first thing they saw was a set of amber-colored eyes. The young esper was unharmed. Not a single bullet touched her body.
The Skill-Outs stood there witnessing the unnatural event occur with their eyes. They were unable to ascertain what this girl's power was.
Suddenly, the entire group of thugs was swept by an unpleasant sensation like being cooked inside an oven.
The temperature rose inside the parking lot.
The Level 4 esper was not done yet.
Guns dropped from the Skill-Outs' hands one after another. Their surface became too hot to hold with bare hands.
Taking this opportunity, Haruka aimed her palm towards the middle of the group's formation before releasing several shots of condensed thermal radiation in the form of spheres.
The shots exploded as they hit the ground, knocking away groups of men.
This was the ability of Tatemiya Haruka. Her code name given to her by researchers, apart from The Great Tatemiya Haruka-sama~ , was Flare Cloak.
By manipulating the molecules around her with Telekinesis, Haruka is able to release an intense wave of heat in a specific radius. She was also capable of emitting heat in various areas around her body to form something like a thin layer of heat.
Haruka looked around, slightly exhausted. There was no one left standing.
"That takes care of that, now then to contact Hisako-san." The young girl dialed the number of her coworker but got interrupted suddenly. A bullet hit her phone, smashing it to smithereens. Bits and fragments of the phone fell to the ground while her hand was unscathed.
"Why don't you keep me company for a while?"
A carefree and almost singing voice rang throughout that underground parking lot.
A figure appeared out of the shadows beyond the entrance to the building. It steadily took a step each through the darkness as it approached the girl.
The young Judgment girl took a fighting stance. She focused hard as this new enemy approached. I missed one? There must be more in that building. I have to get out of here quick and find some means of contacting Hisako-san.
The man approached Haruka casually. She could see the sly grin on his face which seemed to mock her entire being. He had a high caliber handgun in his right hand and wore a high school uniform. It was dark so she couldn't fully see his face but judging from his stature and clothes, his age was most likely not too far from her's.
Taking the man by surprise, Haruka quickly activated her power and roasted the man like turkey—that didn't happen.
After noticing the lack of reaction from the man, she held her fighting stance, not showing the deep confusion in her mind.
Why aren't my powers working? His gun should've exploded by now, is what Tatemiya Haruka thought. She focused hard on this new enemy which approached her with every passing second.
"Did you know? Capacity Down works best in enclosed space since sound bounces from the walls. You won't be able to hear it though since it is a special model." He said with a smirk on his sly face.
Sweat drops formed on the young girl's face.
"Don't worry~ I'll stop Mikoshiba from taking a peek at your panties tonight." After saying those words to the girl, who got confused even more, the man closed their distance instantly. His speed was almost inhuman.
Haruka reacted instantly and moved to deliver a strike with her left elbow but was countered by Shin's right. Their strengths seemed to be on par which other. Her eyes widened, but his mocking smile never faded.
With smooth movements, the Skill-Out shifted his position, rotated his body clockwise into a semi-circle and slammed his gun's handle against Haruka's temple, knocking her with a dull impact.
The Level 4's consciousness faded into darkness.
END AN:
Bishoujo means beautiful girl in Japanese
Ahoge is a lock of hair that sticks out of a person's head
The Areas stated by Hajime are all within District 7
Haruka picked up fighting techniques during her training in Judgment.
Panties are panties.
EOF
