He Will Surely Save, part eight: A Light Makes No Sound
I do not own the RAILDEX universe.
Author's Note:
Welcome back, dear readers!
We have now reached Friday in the story.
Today Saten is being scanned by Kirigaoka Girls' Academy and Kakine is meeting up with ITEM.
The overlap of the storylines may confuse some, but it is important to remember that Kakine can be multiple places at the same time . . .
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It was early Friday morning and two girls were on the way to their middle school. The girl on the left was wearing her standard winter uniform, accented by the field of flowers on her head and a small white beetle clipped to her skirt. Her name was Uiharu and she was nearly bouncing with each step, so great was her excitement.
"Isn't this Exciting, Saten-san?!" The flowery girl was holding her fists at chin level and hopped in place as she cheered. "Kirigaoka has the most advanced AIM scanners in Academy City! Not even the KRI can beat them!"
"Uiharu-san . . . " The beetle clipped to her skirt spoke up. "I believe we talked about the jumping thing before. Motion sickness and all . . . ."
The long-haired girl shook her head but couldn't help having the small grin pulling at her lips. Her friends were just what she needed to calm her nerves. Usually.
Unlike her friend, the girl in question was wearing the gym uniform favored by her school at the request of the Academy. This made her slightly uneasy at the possible reasons for it. She secretly hoped the day wouldn't turn into some sort of bizarre stress test.
She had enough of that as it was, thanks in no small part to the pair of individuals right next to her.
As the school finally came into view, these playful thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the small beetle calling out to attention.
"Wait! Uiharu, stop here!"
The girls froze in place. Uiharu looked down to her passenger. "What's wrong, Beetle-san?"
The beetle seemed to hesitate for some time before replying. ". . . Not . . . sure . . . "
He pulled himself from his clipped position and flew in a small circle around the girls.
"There's something out of place here . . . " It landed on Uiharu's shoulder. "Uiharu-san, put on your armband."
The girl pulled the familiar green band from her pocket and pinned it to her arm. "Is there trouble, Beetle-san?"
"I can't tell yet . . . " The beetle turned towards the other girl. "Saten-san, please wait here and tell the others that we are checking the place out first. Don't go into the school until you are all together."
" . . . Okay?"
"Are you sure it's safe to leave her here, Beetle-san?" Uiharu tilted her head as she looked over at her friend.
The beetle bobbed on her shoulder. "I have seen the others converging on this spot. They should be here momentarily."
Saten waved the two on. "I'll be fine. You two try to see what's up."
With that the pair sent her a determined nod and walked with purpose onto the school grounds, quickly disappearing from view.
Saten glanced furtively around in the quiet of the morning until the sound of rapid footsteps caught her attention. She spun in place putting her fists up in a guarding posture as a familiar spiky-haired boy came running into view. Saten felt her body relax for a moment before it went rigid once more as the boy slipped on a twig. His body seized up as his arms windmilled in place, but miraculously, he managed to stay upright. Putting his hand on his chest he let out a sigh of relief, before muttering.
"Such misfortune . . . " He looked up at the girl with rosy cheeks standing before him. "Hi, Saten-san! Are you ready?"
"Ready when you are . . . "
" . . . Pardon?"
"Nothing!" The girl waved her arms at the boy. "Just a little distracted, that's all!"
"Just do your best, Saten-san." The boy pointed at himself. "This Kamijo Touma is here to soak up all the misfortune in the room, so everything should go fine!"
The girl smiled widely at the self-deprecation and opened her mouth to speak, but tensed up when the boy placed his hands on her shoulders and continued.
"You're living the dream of countless level zeros right now . . . " Touma leaned a little forward to look her in the eyes. "Your friends are all behind you one hundr– Saten-san are getting a fever?"
" . . . " Saten wobbled in place as the boy steadied her.
"Let me check your forehead!" He leaned even closer as his hand brushed her hair away from her face.
Saten's eyes grew heavy as the boy's face approached her own. She felt her lips pursing in anticipation as his warm breath washed across her blushing cheeks. So . . . close . . . .
"URGH!"
"Saten-san!" A familiar skinny girl had teleported onto the boy's shoulders. He was currently doubled over with his arms flailing about, the girl now seated on the back of his neck with his head squeezed firmly between her knees. "Onee-sama and I are so excited for you!"
Kuroko's face was being pulled by a complex smile as she grabbed her friend by the shoulders. She then began to shake the poor girl until the level zero saw stars.
"Kuroko!"
"My, Onee-sama . . . " She sent a sweet smile back to the Railgun. "Kuroko is just congratulating our friend on a job well done . . . "
"She can't achieve level five if you give her brain damage!"
"Duly noted." The slender girl stated and teleported off of our poor hero's back.
The spiky-haired boy straightened up and cracked his neck. He looked about to say something when another pair of girls briskly approached the group.
"Are we late?"
Saten smiled and shook her head. "Not at all, Haruue-san. We're still waiting for–"
"That would be us~" The group turned to see a fan wielding girl leading a trio of girls in Tokiwadai uniforms. "But fear not. As I, Kongou Mitsuko, would never miss out on a friend's big day!"
"Speaking of big days . . . " The girl pointed her fan at the sole male. "Kamijo-san! We're scheduling a full body wax for you. How's your afternoon looking?"
Touma seemed to be turning green. "I've never been so happy to say that I will be busy at school later."
The girl with the ample forehead simply snapped open her fan and waved it in front of her face. "You can run Kamijo-san, but you can't hide . . . "
"Wanna bet . . . " The boy muttered before addressing the two girls behind Kongou. "I don't believe we have been introduced. I'm Kamijo Touma."
"We know . . . " The girl on the left began. The two girls bowed, their eyes averted somewhat and color washing over their cheeks. "Kongou-san told us . . . a lot . . . about you."
Saten, Kuroko, and Mikoto could all feel their jaws dropping. Oh, come on now!
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you." Touma turned to Saten. "Is this everyone then?"
Saten nodded "Beetle-san wanted us all together, so I think we can head in now."
Mikoto broke in. "Why all the way out here?"
"Ah, he felt something strange . . ." She noted the confused looks. "He wasn't sure what it was, but thought it would be fine if we were all together."
"Well, that works for me. Why don't we head inside?" Touma turned and waved for everyone to follow.
"Hey, stop trying to act cool!" Mikoto stormed up to the front to walk alongside the boy. "I can handle myself in a fight."
"Most of them anyway . . . " Touma smiled at the girl and placed his hand on her head when she started sparking.
She angrily swept it off. "I told you already. I'm not your cat!"
"Right, right . . . " He glanced back at the long-haired girl walking behind him. "We need to get inside before Saten-san ends up late."
The girl in question felt her face light up as she nodded and looked away. She said nothing as the group passed through the schools outer gate and made a detour to the gymnasium. When all seemed quiet, the group hesitantly entered only to find it crammed full of enough tents and bizarre equipment to put a county fair to shame.
Saten looked around in awe. It was like a science fair being staged at a mental hospital! The group cautiously began to walk around the various contraptions and barriers until a familiar white boy and flowered Judgment girl came into view. They were deep in conversation with a young blonde girl whose back was turned to the newcomers, a red backpack by her feet and green band pinned to her arm.
Upon spotting the group, Uiharu waved at them to come over. The blonde girl turned around and flinched at the sight of the Railgun and teleporter. The girls themselves were regarding the blonde with suspicious eyes as they approached, causing her to put up her hands defensively and take a step back.
"Hey everyone!" Uiharu pointed at the young, slightly terrified, girl next to her. "This is Nayuta-san from one of our special divisions! She is volunteering with the scan today!"
"That so?" Mikoto and Kuroko each grabbed on of the girl's arms. "Excuse us, we need to have a word with her . . . "
The tense faced girl was quickly dragged off several paces away. The group watched as the pair began whispering very close to the girl's face as she furiously shook her head. They were a bit confused at the display, but were soon interrupted by the appearance of a stern looking woman in a well tailored business suit.
"Excellent, you're here." The woman gestured to herself. "I am the head of the scanning department at Kirigaoka girls' Academy. I look forward to working with you."
Saten shivered at the slightly chilly tone. " . . . Thank you. If you don't mind me asking, what are all the tents for?"
"They are to protect the equipment." The woman replied. "You were a Level Upper user, correct?"
"Yes . . . "
The woman continued. "And your resulting powers were air based, correct?"
Saten nodded, not enjoying the memory. Mikoto, Kuroko, and Nayuta finally rejoined the group as the rather humorless woman continued to talk.
"Today we will try to trigger your powers using various methods and analyze the results to improve your future instruction." She turned to the remainder of the group. "For safety sake, the rest of you will stay behind the wind barrier at the room's perimeter."
She glanced over at the two level fives. "It will also prevent your AIM fields from confusing the equipment."
Saten looked around in surprise, uncertain if she was capable of producing an effect that would call for such cautious treatment. As she glanced around the room a person standing on the upper balcony of the gymnasium caught her attention.
"Hey!" She pointed to the boy in the sweater vest and blue slacks leaning against the railing. "It's that boy from yesterday!"
"Oh, him?" The woman waved off the question. "He is observing for the Kihara Research Institute."
"They're part of this too?!" Mikoto growled and clenched her fist. The white boy crossed his arms and glared at the boy. Why did he look so familiar?
"Actually . . . " Nayuta spoke up, shivering as the boy on the balcony sent her a frosty smile. "I think he's here in spite of the KRI . . . "
"Regardless, we need to begin." The woman grabbed Saten and pointed to the far corner of the room. "The rest of you will please remain there until we say otherwise."
This was followed by Saten being dragged to the center of the room and placed on a large platform. The blonde girl followed the pair to a point near the platform and crouched down behind a small barrier, fixing her eyes on the level zero.
"Well, at least we can still see her . . . " Touma took the initiative and began to usher the group to the safe area.
Kakine looked around cautiously. "Just keep your eyes out for anything that looks suspicious."
Mikoto grumbled, remembering how much the woman reminded her of the Dorm Manager.
"Agreed."
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The blond haired delinquent boy sat by himself in his room. It was not a large room, but considering the company he was keeping in this particular apartment, he considered himself lucky to have it.
He was Hamazura Shiage, associate of ITEM, and carjacker of some renown. Currently waiting with a small folder of data sheets, for some kind of sign from above. Considering that these signs were to be sent by the Second of the Seven, Hamazura was certain that it could come at any time and in any form. With that in mind, he made the logical decision to skip coffee that morning in order to limit the odds that the Beetle would show up when he was in the bathroom.
With Two's sense of humor being what it was lately, this seemed to be an ever present danger . . .
The delinquent let out a brief sigh and began thinking about lunch, naming off possible dishes in his head in alphabetical order in order to pass the time. He had just gotten up to 'Kyo' when the sound of skittering on the wall behind him entered his ears.
"Beetle-san?" Hamazura turned around and was greeted by the sight of a small white beetle clinging to the wall. He flinched as it exploded into a riotous mass of white ribbons that floated across the room and reformed on the other side of the table as a slender pure white boy.
"Good morning, Hamazura. Sleep well?" The boy with the wicked grin and glowing green eyes opened his introduction.
"I need coffee."
"Yeah, I hear that a lot . . . " The white boy nodded and the pointed at the folder in front of the delinquent. "I take it you have what I need?"
Hamazura nodded. "There isn't much to say about the girl, but that Mairo guy was interesting . . ."
"Well, I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible. I have other things to deal with." The number two pointed at the wall behind the boy with a vague gesture of distance. "I'm also visiting Fremea-chan right now to save some time."
"You in some kind of a hurry?"
"I need my undivided attention in a school gymnasium as soon as possible."
Hamazura paused for a moment before snapping his finger in realization and pointing at the white boy across from him.
"Girls' Basketball right?" Hamazura nodded sagely with his hand on his chin. "I always thought you were that type . . . "
"Don't make me smack you."
"Now, now . . . I'm not one to judge . . ." The blond boy picked up the folder before the other boy could start throwing out wings. "Why don't we start with the short file first?"
The white boy leaned forward with a scowl. "Lets."
Hamazura opened the file and handed it across the table.
"That Saten girl's entry reads almost exactly like mine."
Kakine picked it up and began to peruse it. The blond continued.
"Level zero. Negligible power progression and low level stabilization ceiling."
"Top level?"
"Under advanced curriculum she would top out at level two. Probability of level three: 1 in 17,000."
Kakine looked up. "So, no level five candidate then."
Hamazura shook his head. "She'll be wasting away under standard curriculum for some time."
"What if she started showing signs of greatly exceeding expectations?"
"She would be labeled an anomaly." The delinquent made an uneasy face. "I would be very concerned about her safety in that situation . . . . "
Kakine sat silently, the tension growing evident on his face.
"Ah, why don't we move on to the other one now?"
Hamazura picked up the folder and handed it to the pure white boy.
"I think you'll agree, it's a very interesting read . . . "
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A young blonde girl was seated at her desk in her dorm room, furiously drawing on a sheet of paper. The desk itself was a mess of colored pencils and crayons scattered about seemingly at random as the girl, in turn, picked up one only to discard it the next moment. Small pieces of paper littered the desk further away from her, each one covered by drawings that could be said to range from crude and childish all the way towards brilliance in simplicity. More than a few seemed to feature a certain blond boy . . .
The current drawing, though, was the one that she was pouring her heart into at the moment. In broad lines and bright contrasting colors, it depicted a small girl with yellow hair holding hands with two individuals. On her right was a smiling boy with black hair set up in grass-like spikes and on her left there stood a ghostly figure of white and gray lines with jagged wings flowing at sharp angles from his back. Two globes of green marked his face. These two boys stared directly out of the page while holding the little girl's hands. Despite their smiles, they seemed to be challenging the world to dare take this girl from between them . . . .
While deeply engrossed, the girl slowly became aware of the sound of a quiet tapping coming from her window. Looking over, her face lit up with delight as she recognized the small white beetle clinging to the outside of it. Her bright blue eyes were glittering as she ran over to the window.
"Beetle-san!" She cried out as she threw open the window's latch. "It's been so long!"
She watched as the beetle unwound itself into filaments that drifted through the open window and reformed themselves as a pure white boy kneeling next to her. She blinked in surprise as he threw his arms around her for a tight hug, burying his face in her shoulder.
"Nyah, what's wrong, Beetle-san?" She returned his hug. "Essentially, you're shaking!"
"It's just been awhile Fremea-chan . . . "
He finally pulled away a bit and sent her a small smile. "I have been very busy lately, but I wanted to see you in person."
" I was wondering where you were . . ." She pointed to the desk she had left previously. "I thought you might have gotten lost, nyaa! Essentially, I have been drawing pictures to aid in the search effort!"
"No, Fremea-chan . . . I have been found." The white boy chuckled at the cuteness. "And accepted by people who are helping make me a better person."
The little girl seemed confused for a moment before looking over once more at her desk. Her face brightened again.
"Come look at this picture, Beetle-san!" The little girl scampered over to the desk and picked up the paper she had been working on at a feverish pace. "It's me, you, and Touma-onii-chan at the park!"
"Why does Kamijo get to be onii-chan?" Kakine muttered under his breath as he turned his head to the side to conceal the pout.
"Did you say something, Beetle-san?"
"I said that you really captured us . . . " The white boy turned back and smiled. "How has school been going?"
"Nyaa! It's going great now that I finally proved that the dark Santa is real!" The little blonde pumped her fist in the air. She then caught the look of confusion on her friend's face. "But don't you worry! Essentially, I'm ready to protect my friends from that scary person!"
"You've really grown up, Fremea-chan!" The boy nodded as he remembered, his face tilting towards the floor. "After you stopped the incident, I was so proud of you."
His face tightened somewhat as he spoke.
"I was so proud of you that it hurt." The voice was coming out strained at a halting pace. "It hurt. I cried inside for a long time . . . ."
The boy felt a pair of tiny hands on his shoulders. Her voice was reassuring.
"Essentially, What are your new friends like?"
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The white boy glanced over the folder he was given and looked up at the delinquent.
"What should I be looking at?"
"First off, his starting power isn't much higher than the first girl, but look at the length of his entry."
The white boy looked down at the page "It's a bit verbose . . . "
"It's longer than your or Mugino's entries."
"Seriously?"
Hamazura nodded. "Yet he isn't listed as a potential level five. In fact it advises against it."
"Why?!"
"His level stabilizes around level three, which is normal for a level zero." The blond tapped part of the page. "But it says right there that he could be used as a potential check for a level five even then. Also more controllable."
"I get that part, but this city isn't exactly one to take safety into consideration." He gestures at the web of angry red boxes on the page. "These warning flags almost look like a challenge to me . . ."
Hamazura shrugged. "That could be part of it. The boy is listed as being creative, but not a genius."
"And with a degree of control over probability . . . "
"Right. More power, more danger."
Kakine rubbed his face. "So this is an issue of degrees of freedom then."
"The warnings seem to imply that if his level is raised too quickly he might not have the mental discipline to avoid collateral power activation."
"Then why is he listed as a level five counter?"
"Two possibilities." The delinquent leaned back and crossed his arms. "First, at some undetermined level he is projected to have the power to 'un-esper' an esper."
"Turn them back into a normal human? Even One?" Kakine blinked. "Have they been reading my dream diary?!"
The blond was confused. "You still dream, Beetle-san?"
"Not any more." He waved the boy on. "What about the second possibility."
"At level three, he would have the ability to stop a person's heart from over a kilometer away . . ."
The white boy's jaw dropped.
"Scary, I know." Hamazura's face was locked in a tight grimace. "Their level five projection for him is rather interesting as well . . . "
The white boy began to read down the page. Hamazura decided to save him the trouble.
"It gives him the power to raise every human being in a 1000 kilometer radius to level three."
Kakine froze. The blonde continued.
"That is, if he didn't end up accidentally killing every living thing in that same radius first . . . "
"I can see why they would want him to stay a level three . . ." The white boy drew his tongue over the roof of his mouth. "I can't imagine trying to put a leash on that boy."
"I read that thing eight times." Hamazura stated. "It seems to think that the power could be more predictable and controllable, even at level five, if there was some form of immutable baseline for the power to work against. I don't know what that means though . . ."
Kakine stiffened and found himself going whiter than he already was. (An impressive feat.) He was, at that moment, struck by a vision of a certain spiky-haired boy.
" . . . Crud."
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With the girl's scan adjourned for the moment, Sogiita stepped outside to clear his head. Or at least that was what he would have told anyone who would have asked . . .
He had been unable to shake the feeling that had come over him shortly after arriving at the school. He couldn't quite point out the source, but he had a very good idea where he last felt it.
He briefly paced back and forth, tracing his fingers against the wall as he did so. At on point he stopped abruptly and looked in every direction around him. Finally he began to speak to someone . . .
"I know you are here."
. . .
"And I know you can hear me . . . " He tapped on the wall next to him. "I felt you flinching."
. . .
"I don't know what you are, but I have a very good guess."
. . .
"This feeling . . . " He turned his head the other direction. "The same cold, oily feeling I get when I stand too close to Angel-boy . . . "
He turns and faces the wall behind him and begins to place his hands seemingly at random upon it.
"I can feel it right now . . . " He traced his finger over the masonry. "Melted into the brickwork like your namesake would imply . . ."
. . .
"Why are you here? It's the girl, isn't it? That poor girl whose life you are turning upside down."
. . .
"I can think of only two reasons for doing what you are doing . . . "
. . .
"If it's the good reason, then fine . . ."
The boy's fists clenched against the wall for a moment.
"But if it's the other . . . . Then go tell you handler that one of the enemies you are making . . . "
The boy looked up to the sky.
"Isn't as kind as he used to be."
. . .
The boy smiled with grim satisfaction as he felt the errant feeling dissipate into nothing. He shook his head one final time and started back inside the building.
"Honestly . . . " He muttered as he walked. "How can you even exist so close to him?"
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The scans Saten were undergoing up until now had been routine and, to put it mildly, fairly boring . . . .
She was feeling tired from all the standing and began to wish that the platform had a chair. She jerked briefly when the voice of the woman finally came over the loudspeaker.
"Saten-san? If you are comfortable, we would like to try some power resonance tests."
Saten nodded.
"Excellent. Nayuta-chan, can you help her with the safety restraints?"
The blonde girl jumped up onto the platform with alarming speed and placed a belt with ropes attached to the four corners of the platform around her waist. She then unceremoniously jumped back behind her barrier. Saten looked up confused.
"In the event your power activates abruptly, these will keep you upright."
The girl felt herself going pale.
"Now we are going to go through a randomized frequency sweep based on field data from individuals with powers most similar to your own." The sound of a strange hum began to fill the air. The woman continued the explanation. "When we find the fundamental frequency, we can construct a harmonic series tailored for your powers."
". . . What?"
"Never mind the specifics." The woman seemed unperturbed. "You remember what using Level Upper was like?"
Saten nodded uncomfortably.
"Then try to use your powers in the same way. When we find a match your powers should activate."
"Why doesn't everyone use that thing then?"
"Because it doesn't give people a power, it just makes existing ones more evident." The reply sounded a bit exasperated . . . "It's like moving a decimal point to make a small number more readable."
A thought struck Saten at that moment. "Then the only reason it will work for me . . . "
"Is because you used Level Upper. It's ironic, I know. Now please commence your process."
Saten blinked and raised her hands to about chest level and began to concentrate on them, letting the memories flow back. She did her best to keep her focus as the humming grew louder and more grating with each passing moment. Upon reaching a particularly nauseating tone, the air pressure between her hands dropped so suddenly that she nearly slammed them together.
Saten's head snapped up. "I got something!"
"Strange . . . " The woman muttered through the loudspeaker. "Saten-san, we seem to have found a match. Not one I would have expected though . . ."
" . . . How so?"
The woman blithely continued. "We're going to have to pull some data from our archives before we proceed. We might as well stop for an early lunch while it's being retrieved."
Saten felt a bit disappointed, as her previous fatigue had vanished. It was just starting to get interesting! Still, she didn't complain when Nayuta came up to unstrap her from the platform. She spied her friends emerging from behind the barrier and ran up to them. A glomp from Uiharu was followed by the two girls interlacing their hands and jumping in place, cheering like preschoolers.
"It's working, Saten-san!"
"I know, right!"
When the two girls finally calmed down, the rest of their friends moved to congratulate Saten. After a few moments basking in the wash of praise, she noticed the boys seemed a bit distracted. She waved at them.
"Guys, are you okay?" The concern evident in her voice. The boys snapped to attention.
"It's nothing, Saten-san . . . " The white boy tried to explain. "When your powers activated, I was reminded of something, but I can't quite put my finger on what . . . "
"As for me, it's getting close to my leaving time." Touma smiled apologetically. "I should probably head out."
Uiharu put up her hand. "Why don't you two go outside so you can say goodbye properly?"
Several red-faced girls heard their necks cracking in their haste to look at the flowery girl. Kakine sent her a grin and thumbs up, while Touma simply nodded.
"That sounds fine. Are you ready Saten."
"I–I . . . Yes."
"We'll stay right here. Right girls?" The white boy put his arms around the shoulders of a certain Railgun and teleporter. They flinched as he clamped down. "Take your time~"
Touma smiled and waved goodbye to the rest of the group as he led the wobbly-legged girl outside. Oblivious to the, more than a few, betrayed looks.
They walked together in a comfortable silence until they reached the gate. Well, comfortable for one of them anyway . . . .
"So, Saten-san . . . " The boy smiled at her making her heart flutter. "I guess you'll have to tell me how it turns out later . . . "
Saten nodded and brushed a wisp of hair away from her face, unable to look him in the eye.
"I'll have Uiharu give you a call."
"Sounds good!" The girl stiffened when he abruptly threw his arms around her and drew her close to him for a moment. Saten shivered as she felt his hands gently rub her upper back and struggled not to cry out as he pulled back.
"T–Touma-san . . . "
"Yes, Saten-san?" The boy drew closer, alarmed at her newly feverish appearance. The girl toyed with her hair while looking off to one side.
"I . . . I–I just wanted to . . . "
She broke off for a moment as she took a deep breath.
"T–Touma-san . . . would you please–"
"Excuse me! Saten-san?" Saten twitched as the voice broke her concentration.
The blonde Judgment girl from earlier dashed up to the pair.
"We're putting out lunch. What would you–" The girl flinched when she was met by Saten's icy stare. "Um . . . I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
"Well, I was just about to leave anyway . . . Remember to give me a call later!" Touma gave Saten's shoulder a brief squeeze before turning away, the girl feebly grasping at his back as he jogged off.
Then, very slowly, she turned her head to face the blonde. Nayuta could hear the other girl's neck bones creaking as she did so. She held both hands out in front of herself and began to take one step after another, backwards away from the girl with fire in her eyes.
"I'll . . . tell them you want a salad . . . " The tiny girl from Judgment squeaked before turning on her heels and dashing off like the number one was after her.
Saten stood silently where she was and inclined her face up to the sky, refusing to allow even a single bitter drop fall.
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"WAHAHAHAHAH–WAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA~"
A certain stubborn healthy girl was currently seated in front of a small desk. She was twitching every so often with her arms firmly crossed over her ample chest.
"AH–AH–AHAAAA–WAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA~"
Himegami leaned over to the angry girl sitting next to her. "It's been five minutes. How long is she going to do that?"
"I don't know." The girl of (rusting) iron walls muttered between clenched teeth. "But she's about to get her laugh-hole filled with 'Cloud Brand' sports drink if she doesn't quit soon."
At the moment Fukiyose and Himegami were sitting in a small private office, borrowed for the purpose of a talk with A Certain High School's 'beauty sempai'. The proceedings were going about as well as one would expect . . .
"HAHAHA–Snort–WAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA~" Seria pounded on the desk in front of her and began leaning back . . .
THUD!
"OW! . . . . Hehehehehe . . ." Seria picked herself back up off the floor and sat back down. "Ahem . . . . Anyway, you girls came to the right place."
"I'm starting to doubt that . . ."
"Oh come on now . . . " Seria leaned forward with a raised eyebrow. "You knew I was just devious enough to be of use to your little 'get Kamijo' plan, right?"
"There's that." Fukiyose stated with a cold tone. "There was also the possibility of seeing you crushed by the number two instead of me. Seemed win-win."
Seria only grinned at the pouting tsundere in front of her. "I note that you didn't deny your interest in the boy . . . "
"It's mostly for Hime's sake that I'm doing this, not my own!"
" . . . Right." The two other girls gave a simultaneous deadpan response.
While the healthy girl fumed in her chair, the beauty sempai tented her fingers and asked the only question she needed to ask.
"Are you girls willing to do whatever it takes to get our boy?"
Himegami nodded without a moments hesitation. Fukiyose was currently frozen . . .
As the two other girls stared at her, she felt her shoulders finally relax and let out a little sigh of exasperation.
"If it means the difference between Kamijo living the life he wants to live and the one he has thrust upon him, then yes. Yes, I will."
"Marvelous." Seria pulled out her cell phone. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a blonde witch to gloat to."
The two girls sat bewildered as their sempai dialed and brought the phone to her ear. They leaned forward to listen when the call connected.
" . . . ~"
"Hello yourself, Princess."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
With their discussion of the parameter list out of the way, Kakine moved into ITEM's common room in order to address its members as a whole. After a few minutes of playfully implied threats, the group was seated comfortably in various chairs while the pure white boy stood in front of them.
"I'm glad you could all be here while I give this little speech."
Kakine made a wide gesture with his hands as if bidding welcome to ITEM in their own house . . .
"Ordinarily, I would do things one by one, but I'm on a schedule . . . "
Hamazura leaned over to Takisubo and whispered. "Girls' basketball."
The girl's sleepy eyes widened for a moment before nodding in understanding. Kakine pointed at the pair.
"No talking in the back!" He then glanced at the rest of the group. "Now, does anyone need to use the restroom before I begin? If so, please do so now."
"One was right." Mugino crossed her legs and leaned back into her chair. "You may be different, but you're just as annoying as the old one . . ."
"I ask that you save any questions or comments for the end." He clapped his hands together. "So then, shall we start?"
Taking the blank stares as the sign to proceed, he did so.
"First off, I'm not going to insult your intelligence by pretending to like any of you." The boy made a sweeping wave with his hand. "So let's get that out of the way right now."
The room collectively blinked at the blunt statement.
"Well that's super comforting . . . "
Kakine held up his hand. "That said, I am thankful to each and every one of you."
"Oh, I have got to hear this." The number four leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees.
"For one thing, if it wasn't for your group and Fremea-chan, I wouldn't even be standing here right now. I don't think I can thank you enough for that . . . "
The white boy then grinned and gave the group a thumbs up.
"In fact, if it wasn't for Fremea-chan, none of you would be sitting here right now. So we should all be thankful!"
The group exchanged glances. This talk was becoming less and less comfortable as time went on . . .
The white boy held up his hands in front of himself.
"That said, please don't get the wrong idea."
"How could we possibly do that?" Mugino stated as she crossed her arms over her chest. The boy continued without missing a beat.
"Last Saturday, when I thought Three was trying to kill my friends, I told them to go to you for protection." He smiled at the group. "What does that say to you?"
"That if we super failed to protect them, you would have felt justified in liquidating us?" Kinuhata muttered under her breath.
The white boy pointed in her direction. "That too."
Kinuhata groaned in frustration and leaned back into her chair, covering her eyes with her hands. "Wake me when this is super over or he tries to kill us . . . "
"Wouldn't dream of it, stumpy." Kakine grinned as the girl threw her head forward to glare at him once more. "I think that my suggestion of sending them to you really puts you in your best light. I think you should be proud."
Takisubo put up her hand. "Is the string of insults about done? You're probably hurting some of our feelings . . . "
"Well, I suppose it is about time to reel things in." The white boy nodded in agreement with the girl's rather detached logic.
"But before I leave, I have a few things that you may want to hear about . . . "
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Essentially, What are your new friends like?"
The smile returned to the face of the small blonde girl as she watched the light return to the eyes of the pure white boy kneeling in front of her. She let out a shallow breath of relief as he began to speak again.
"I think you would like them, Fremea-chan." A warm smile pulled across his face. "They are very fun to be around."
"Do I know them? When did you meet, nyaah?"
"Only one of them, I think. Kamijo-san is one of them." The girl brightened at the sound of the boy's name. "The four of us met in an alley last week. Kamijo and I saved them."
"Nyaah! So romantic!"
"Ah . . ." Kakine waved his hand in front of himself. "I wouldn't go that far. Though, on the other hand . . . "
Fremea tilted her head to the side as she waited for the level five to continue.
"I think that Saten-san could become very special to Kamijo-san." The boy gave a wicked grin. "At least if I have anything to do with it . . . "
"Nyaah . . . " The little girls face bunched up into an adorable pout. Kakine continued immediately.
"Ah . . . but Uiharu-san is a very special girl as well!" He nodded his head as he drew the girl's attention back to himself. "She seems inexplicably immune to Kamijo-san's . . . problem . . . ."
"Onii-chan has a problem?" The blue eyed girl was troubled by this revelation.
"More than a few . . . " The boy could feel his face twisting in annoyance. "And those are just the ones that I've met. I think the real problem will be figuring out how I'm going to keep his wedding from turning into a bloodbath . . . ."
"NYAAH! Onii-chan is getting married!?" The little blonde looked like she couldn't decide if she was about to faint from joy or horror.
"Well not right now, but some day." The boy reached out to steady the little girl. "I'd like to put off the start of World War IV as long as possible, thank you."
"Essentially, this is awful!" Fremea's face was bleached in terror as she looked around her room in a panic. "What am I going to do?!"
"Well I know it's a bit of a shock." Kakine tried to calm her. "But I'd hardly call it awful–"
"I have so little time to pick out my dress!" The tiny blonde was flapping her arms around frantically as she ran over to her closet. "If I can't do that, how will I manage to keep a level head in my all important role as Onii-chan's flower-girl, nyaah!"
Unable to help himself, the white boy clutched his sides as he doubled over in laughter.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The white boy glanced around and made certain that his captive audience was still with him. Other than a vibe of annoyance, ITEM seemed receptive and attentive. He decided to lay everything out.
"You may or may not be aware of this, but this week I have been visiting with the other level fives." He gestured towards the Fourth. "Obviously we know her well enough that I barely needed to bother . . ."
Mugino gestured at the boy with her favorite finger. He ignored her and continued his speech.
"Three and Seven seem irritating, but largely benign. I can't see any reason to bother with them further . . ." He nodded to himself. "On the other hand, Five and Six appear to be part of something that I am not comfortable with . . . "
"Wait a minute!" Mugino practically launched herself forward. "You actually met SIX?!"
"Apparently." The white boy put on a sour face. "I can't tell you much about him other than the fact that he seems to be incredibly fast and physically strong. He was, or still is, involved with that boy we were talking about earlier, Hamazura. I'll let you fill them in later . . ."
Remembering their earlier talk, the blond boy went pale at the implications.
"As for One . . . " Kakine gritted his teeth and ground his fist into the other hand. "He may be borderline decent now, but that isn't going to stop me from punching his pale-faced lights out next time I see him . . . "
Kinuhata leaned over and whispered. "I'd super like tickets for that show . . . "
"Here, here . . . " Mugino muttered back.
"Anyways!" The white boy shouted over the peanut gallery. "I need to remember the reason that I came here today."
He put his hands over his chest.
"Thank you." ITEM blinked in surprise. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your parts in making me the man I am today . . . "
"I thought you said you were done with the insults." Mugino muttered as she turned her head away from the boy. Once again he ignored the surly level five and continued.
"But most of all, thank you for being so special to Fremea-chan." The white boy spread his hands as though embracing the group, a smile blossoming on his face. "Please take care of her for me."
"Because if you ever stop being special to her . . . " ITEM gradually became aware of the sound of skittering coming from the walls and ceiling behind them. They flinched and glanced around with wide eyes as hundreds of small white beetles swarmed into view, clinging to every surface.
The white boy's smile was unchanged from before, but now it looked far less friendly.
"Then you will stop being special to us as well . . . "
Without warning the boy and beetles dissolved into nothingness, leaving the bewildered ITEM in their apartment alone. Kinuhata took the opportunity to speak up.
"Yanderes can be super scary . . . ."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Seria was grinning from ear to ear as she listened to the person on the other end of the line.
" . . . ?"
"I'm calling because I just secured two winning pieces!"
" . . . ?"
"Two lovesick school girls. From his own class no less . . . "
Fukiyose felt her grip tightening on the desk in front of her.
" . . . ?"
"That's right, every day. Morning until afternoon with lovey-dovey lunch breaks in between."
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
" . . . ?"
Seria glanced over at the girls in an appraising way.
"I'd give them an A minus and a C plus for that . . . "
The two girls slapped their arms over their chests and glared at her.
" . . . ?"
"Why? 'Because anything that keeps you on edge is fine with me'."
" ! ! !"
Seria chuckled at the outburst.
"You are missing the big picture here, princess."
Silence.
"You have too much baggage with the boy and I'll be killed if I spend longer than ten minutes in the janitor's closet with him. Not that I'd need more that that . . . "
" . . . ~"
"Oh yeah, like you wouldn't wake up your entire dorm if that happened!"
Seria rolled her eyes at the giggling from the other end of the line.
" . . . ~"
"Fine. I'll see what we're working with and then we'll decide where they fit later."
" – "
Seria turned back to the girls who seemed to be wondering what they just got themselves into . . .
"Now then . . ." She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the desk and supported her chin in her hands.
"Tell me all you know about our 'competition' and I'll make your problems . . . disappear."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The girl's scan had only recently resumed when Sogiita felt the buzzing from his cell phone and quickly left the room to answer it. He scowled as he read the number and answered the call with a clipped tone.
"I thought I told you lot that I would give you a report on the proceedings if and when I felt like it."
" . . . "
"Then why are you calling me?"
" . . . "
Sogiita broke down in laughter.
"That's hilarious." The boy finally stated when he calmed down. "The phrase 'reaping what you sow' comes to mind . . . "
" . . . !"
"Yeah, good luck with that. I'm probably the person with the fewest reasons to hate you."
Silence.
"Regardless, you're on your own with this one." Sogiita could hear the fuming on the other end of the line. "Things like this should be kept within the family."
" . . . !"
"That's all she ever wanted. Now she found one on her own."
" . . . "
"If you're worried about the facility, don't be." The boy's smile suddenly turned malicious. "I'm sure you will remember that blood cleans up very well."
" . . – "
"Oh don't you worry! I'll be certain she has a nice place to stay after she finishes . . . "
" ! ! – "
The rant on the other end of the line was interrupted by the boy's calm press of the disconnect button.
"So long and good luck, you lesser of how many evils . . . "
After blocking the prior number, he dialed a far more friendly one.
" . . . ?"
"Haratani-san! I just got the next week off."
" . . . ?"
"Oh, there's a staff adjustment going on at the Institute, but never mind that." He redirected the conversation. "How are you with homemade pastry?"
" . . . "
"Excellent . . . "
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lunch break proved to be strangely tense for the Railgun gang, even if most of them couldn't put their fingers on why . . .
Saten picked at the salad placed in front of her while the blonde Judgment girl did her best to stay as far away the sullen girl as possible. Other than glancing around every now and then, the rest of the group chose to keep to themselves. When the tension seemed to be getting unbearable, Erii cleared her throat and brought everyone's attention to herself.
"Hey, everyone . . . " She started quietly. "Banri-chan and I need to leave soon as well . . . "
Banri nodded and continued for her friend. "We are having some new furniture delivered today, so we need to be there to receive it and put it together."
Erii broke in with an apologetic face. "We're sorry, Saten-san . . . "
Saten twitched her head upright at the sound of her name being spoken and returned a weak smile. "Wha– oh, that's fine guys. We'll call you later then . . . "
Hearing this confirmation, the girls then gathered their belongings and, after saying one last goodbye to everyone, left to get their dorm room prepared for the delivery.
With the ice then broken, the rest of the group began to chat amongst themselves about random harmless topics until the stern woman in charge of the scans finally made herself known to the group.
"Saten-san? We have reacquired the necessary data and can begin as soon as you are ready."
"Fine." Saten stood up and waved the woman on. "Let's get this over with."
The woman hesitated. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Saten narrowed her eyes at a certain blonde girl. "Just a missed opportunity that's all . . ."
"Regardless, please try your best." The woman lead Saten back to the platform. "We'll try another resonance test with the new data first and then move on to a controlled overload."
A strange determination entered the long-haired girl's eyes as she was once again strapped to the platform. "Bring it on!"
"Excellent . . . " The woman chuckled. "This time, please do your best to create an air vortex around or between your hands."
Saten nodded and shivered as she felt the sudden tingling from the machine's artificial field being activated. A tuneless grating sound like precision machinery increased in volume until everyone in the room struggled against the urge to clap their hands over their ears.
The group felt their teeth gritting together as the noise reached a climax. After a moment, Saten's hands began to shake as she struggled to keep them level. The tents nearest the platform began to flap as a wind field formed around the level zero's hands. The railgun gang did their best to pop their ears as the pressure changed dramatically up and down for several seconds, finally dropping as the vortex stabilized. Kongou shouted to the teleporter standing next her.
"These powers are nothing like my own . . . it's like there is an in-and-out loop going on!"
"The field is strange in the higher dimensions!" Kuroko shouted back. "It's not exactly teleportation, but it's like she's moving massive volumes of air from one point to another in a similar way!"
Mikoto and Kakine stood silently as they watched the girl on the platform manifest her powers. They shivered, unsure of reason why this field felt so familiar . . .
"All right, everyone brace yourselves!" The voice of the stern woman came roaring over the loud speaker. "Start the overload!"
Nayuta clamped down on the barrier in front of her and concentrated on the windswept girl, just barely keeping herself upright. As her powers activated she watched as Saten's AIM field blossomed and seemed to take a new form. A chill of recognition stole the color from the blonde's face when it's final shape became apparent and the memory resurfaced.
The wind field around the girl abruptly expanded and then contracted to a fraction of its former size. This effect was repeated in pulses as the girl struggled to remain standing.
Saten froze as the vortex disappeared without warning. She was then pitched forward as a slender tornado of wind erupted from her shoulder and began ripping away the nearby tents. It was soon followed by a second tornado on the opposite side that ground into the barrier near the platform and sent the blonde taking refuge there into the air, shooting her to the other side of the room. The small girl caught the hollow look in the other girl's eyes and felt dread wash over her.
The first two tornado-like vortexes were followed by a third and then a fourth.
The long-haired girl's feet left the platform as these vortexes began to rip the room apart. Her body twitched feebly as the power coursed through her and took a form sourced from dark memories which were not her own. The panicked voice of the woman could be heard over the din.
"Cut the power! CUT THE POWER!"
The Railgun gang cowered behind the barricade with only the two level fives still remaining upright.
Mikoto's jaw was hanging as her face went as pale as the boy next to her. "No . . . "
"It can't be!" Kakine gripped the railing in front of him as he shouted out in a rage. "THIS ISN'T RIGHT!"
At that moment, power was lost.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Nyaah, Beetle-san!" Fremea poked the cackling level five in the back of the head. "Essentially, this is serious business!"
"Sorry, Fremea-chan." He winked with a glittering green eye and gently nudged her on the shoulder. "That was just too adorable."
"Nyaah . . . ." The little girl turned away as she pouted. Kakine gently turned her back around to face him.
"I would be honored to have your help planning out the ceremony."
"You mean it!?" Fremea started hopping up and down in excitement.
"Sure I do!" The white boy pumped his fist with a grin. "The look on his face alone would be worth it, but we have issues in our way to deal with first."
The little blonde tilted her head in confusion as he continued.
"There is something dangerous in this city and it's getting close to our friends."
She took on a determined look. "Essentially, I'll protect you Beetle-san!"
"I know you will." The boy smiled and nodded. "But remember that there is nothing wrong with asking others for help."
"You need to protect your friends like only you can. " Kakine placed his hands on the girl's shoulders and looked firmly into her eyes. "I'll do my best to protect mine in my own way."
"Nyaah! It's in our hands to save them now!"
"Yes!" He pointed at his chest. "What you feel in here is the right choice to make. I need to do the same."
The boy looked about to say something further when his head rapidly twisted to the side as though he had just heard a gunshot. His face went slack as his jaw dropped in horror.
"Beetle-san!" Fremea's blue eyes were wide with shock at the sudden motion from her friend. She heard him mutter.
"No. Please no . . . ."
She moved forward to touch the boy's arm when his head snapped back towards her, causing the the small girl to jump back in surprise.
"Fremea-chan, I need to go!" His face was frantic as he looked about, seemingly confused at his surroundings.
"Beetle-san, run to them!" The little blonde threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "Essentially, go make it right . . . "
Fremea felt her arms go slack as the pure white boy dissolved from underneath them. She blinked for a moment before moving towards the window.
"You are a good person, beetle-san." The little girl whispered as she stared out into the distance. "Essentially, I hope you never forget that . . . "
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Are you sure we should be walking back here, Banri-chan?"
Banri nodded to her friend and waved off her concern.
"Of course, Erii-chan!" The girl gestured to her wrist. "Considering the time, we need to take the shortest route!"
Erii looked around uneasily at the grimy alley around them. "It just feels so unfriendly in here . . . "
"Just relax! It's broad daylight, nothings gonna hap–"
The tomboyish girl was interrupted by the loud sound of someone in a nearby alley. It sounded like a cheer, but not a welcoming one . . .
Banri put her finger to her lip and sent her thoughts to her friend.
'We need to connect, no talking . . . '
Erii nodded. 'Agreed.'
The pair crept up to the corner and furtively peered around it. They were met with the sight of five rough looking individuals pulling off black masks with bags of what the girls could only assume was money surrounding them.
'Bank robbers!' The girls thought in unison.
'We need to get out of here and call Anti-skill!' Erii projected to her friend, who nodded.
Just as they were about to back away, a phone rang. It was Erii's.
The girl scrambled for the button, but it was already done.
"HEY!"
One of the thugs had spotted them, and yelled at his cohorts.
"You three bring the truck! We'll get the brats!"
With that, the girls turned and fled as fast as their legs could carry them. Unfortunately, in one long stretch of alley, Banri's foot met an uneven section of pavement and she went down hard. Erii stopped to pick up her friend, but it was too late, the thugs had caught up to them.
"Well, that was fun . . . " One thug growled and cracked his knuckles. "But it's time we took care of the two of you!"
Without further hesitation, the girls screamed out at the top of their lungs.
"SAVE ME, RHINOS– "
Their cry for salvation was then interrupted by the flight of a garbage can out of an alley just behind the two girls. It smashed into the thugs and knocked them into the ground. The girls turned to see their savior and immediately flinched.
There was a girl with spiky red hair and terrifying eyes standing on one leg behind them. The other leg was held perfectly still in the air far above her head, post kick. In a smooth motion, she returned her foot to the ground and took on a fighting stance with her right hand leading.
The thugs slowly picked themselves up off the ground and shook their heads to clear them. They yelled at the newcomer.
"What?! YOU WANNA DANCE, PRINCESS!?"
A pair of young men stepped out from the alley behind the girl.
The first one was at least a head taller that his companions, with close cropped black hair and a rugged face holding calm eyes. Terrifyingly calm eyes.
"Know this." He gestured to Erii and Banri on the ground. "These girls are under our protection."
The boy next to him stepped forward. He was only slightly taller than the girl and was slender, with a sharply featured face and long black hair down to his shoulders. The girls could see the glittering from his dark red earrings and flinched when they saw his eyes. They were a piercing black except for a strange silvery-blue splotch over his left. He addressed the Thugs with a chilling voice.
"An attack on these girls is an attack on the Middle Line . . ." The thugs flinched as he casually drew his fingertips over his black painted fingernails. "People who do that usually don't live very long . . . "
Erii and Banri were shivering as they held each other tightly. Their saviors were scarier than the first group of thugs!
The thugs in question did their best to save face . . .
"We don't care who you are!" The first one created a ball of fire above his palm. "We're not Skill-out Punks!"
The tall boy turned to the other. "Yakiin-kun, This look like your specialty . . ."
The boy with long black hair grinned and stepped forward. "So you boys like playing with fire, huh?"
He reached his hand upwards toward the sky with a brutal smile. "Then why don't you try this on for size? Enjoy!"
An eruption of fire that would put a volcano to shame erupted upwards, cracking the stonework of the buildings next to him. The heat first shattering, then vaporizing, the shattered glass from the windows.
By this point however the thugs were flying the other way through the alley as fast as their legs could carry them. The fire from Yakiin's hand disappeared.
"Well, that was easy." He smiled at the girls, who then flinched in terror.
Before anyone could move the sound of squealing tires filled the alley. A large truck was tearing through the alley right for them!
Yakiin looked at the tall boy. "Should I take care of this, Ikari-sempai?"
Ikari shook his head. "I'd rather not kill them if possible. I'll take care of it . . ."
The tall boy calmly stepped out in front of the others and stood in the path of the truck. This was too much for the girls
"He's going to be killed!" They yelled to the boy and girl who were dragging them behind a nearby dumpster.
"No." The girl with scary eyes grinned and replied with a patronizing tone. "This is Ikari-sempai."
The two girls slapped their hands over their eyes as the truck hit the boy at full speed. The sound of crunching steel and shattering glass made them peek out in terror.
They watched as the front end wrapped around the boy like he was an insurmountable barrier. The boy didn't move an inch as the back end of the truck was launched nearly 90 degrees before falling back to the pavement. The remains of the truck rolled back from the boy whose position had not changed at all during the ordeal.
After a moment, he seemed to twitch as though he was just waking up and took a step back. He grinned.
"Still got it . . . " He turned back to Erii and Banri. "Would you mind giving Anti-Skill a call? They'll need to do a little clean up."
"W–we can call our friend Uiharu in Judgment . . . "
The Shorter boy and girl nearly spun around to look at the girls with something like disbelief. Ikari raised his eyebrow.
"Uiharu Kazari?" He asked them. "The Hacker?"
"Y–yes . . ." Erii spoke up hesitantly. "She told us a lot about you guys . . . "
The shorter newcomers dropped their jaws and looked at each other. The tall boy only looked thoughtful as he scratched his chin.
"Well then . . . " He shrugged and grinned at the girls.
"Why don't you tell us what you know? We'll fill in the gaps . . . "
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Queen removed the phone from her ear and groaned in irritation.
"Miserable witch . . . " She shook her head. "What is going through her head, bringing girls like that into this? This is personal!"
Misaki rubbed her forehead for a moment to work out the tension before she finally stopped and raised her eyes toward the ceiling of her private workroom. She spoke out quietly to the empty room.
"Facade, sweetie, can you hear me?"
. . .
"Wonderful~ Did you learn anything this morning?"
. . .
"Wait. He 'found you'? How is that even possible?!"
. . .
"I think I'm going to be sick . . . "
. . .
"Just keep an eye on him. As far away as possible."
. . .
The Queen shook her head as though she was trying to clear the cobwebs from it. She muttered to herself as picked up her phone.
"Looks like we're going to have to attack this on two fronts now . . ."
She dialed and held the phone to her ear.
" . . . ?"
"Afternoon, General~ I just found a fly in our ointment. How is your feeling of security?"
The Queen smiled at the silence from the other end of the line.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Banri and Erii were finally winding down their description of what they were told about the Middle Line. After several minutes worth of speaking . . .
The shorter pair of the newcomers had jaws hanging low, unable to fathom how these girls could know so much. The tall boy on the other hand simply continued scratching his chin for a moment before speaking up.
"Wow. That was . . . " He hesitated for a moment. "Disturbingly thorough . . . "
The girl turned to Ikari. "They even know about Mairo-sama and the General! How is that possible?!"
"Obviously, the Hacker has earned her reputation." Ikari pounded a fist into his palm. "With a little more information, she may even be willing to help us!"
"Um . . " Banri meekly spoke up. "Help with what?"
"We were hoping that she would be able to help us locate Mairo-sama." Ikari began to explain. "We hoped to acquire her help last week, but we were repulsed by the number two."
"That was you guys!?" the girls cried out in disbelief.
The trio held up their hands in front of them in a non-violent gesture. Ikari tried to put the girls at ease. "The extraction was the General's idea. We weren't going to hurt anyone."
Yakiin nodded. "The idea was a bit extreme, but Myuri-kun's power works best when she is surrounded by good actors."
"We have recently decided that handing Mairo-sama over to the General isn't in anyone's best interest." Myuri said and looked away from the girls with an embarrassed look on her face.
" . . . ?"
"In the weeks leading up to Mairo-sensei's disappearance, his power was growing increasingly unstable." Yakiin tried to explain and then added bitterly. "The Body Crystal that Six gave him didn't exactly help . . ."
Ikari took over. "It was the General's idea to raise his power as quickly as possible in order for him and Facade to take out the number One."
The girls were confused. " . . . Facade?"
The trio hesitated before Ikari did his best to offer the girls an explanation "It's a little hard to explain . . ."
He waved his hands in the air for several seconds before finding the right words. "Whatever it is, it is being jointly controlled by the General and the Number five."
"It has aspects of a psychic network." Myuri added. "We have used it in the past to coordinate actions telepathically between hundreds of individuals during assaults."
The two telepaths felt their jaws dropping.
"It also apparently can block communication between parts of the number two." Yakiin continued. "We aren't sure how exactly, but the General was surprised when Two appeared during that Giant robot battle she set up . . ."
" . . . "
Ikari waved to get the girls' attention. "The bottom line is that we don't know exactly what it is, but it can connect to the powers of others."
The tall boy gestured next to him. "For example, if one of you were connected by Facade to Yakiin-kun here, you would be able to use fire powers like he can."
"But nowhere near as well, though." Yakiin wagged his finger in the air. "I am the City's top pyrokinetic esper, after all . . . "
The girls' faces went pale as Ikari continued.
"Facade can still access Mairo-sama's powers, but they are severely weakened." He explained. "This means that he is still alive somewhere, likely being held captive."
The three clapped their hands together in front of their faces and bowed towards the girls.
"Please help us find him!" Ikari cried from his position in the center. "He is a good person, who only ever wanted to help and protect others!"
Myuri nodded. "If he falls into the wrong hands in such a weakened state, thousands of innocent people could be at risk!"
"Will you ask them?"
The girls though for a moment. They could easily tell that this was a serious plea from the heart. They glanced at each other and nodded once.
Banri and Erii smiled as one.
"We'll help you!"
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"From the readings we were able to salvage, it is clear that your power output should make you at least a level two" The stern looking woman did her best to explain to the bewildered and rather embarrassed girl. "The problem lies in that you possess some form of power block which is preventing you from manifesting your powers . . . "
A dark-haired girl named Saten was currently making a face that wouldn't look out of place on a toddler being lectured in astrophysics. Standing at either side of her was a level five, each with arms tightly crossed and metaphoric laser beams where their eyes would be normally. Despite the tension, the woman continued normally.
"For that reason, the Academy would like to extend you an invitation to join our program in order to better improve your most rare ability."
"I'll (SHE'LL) Pass (! ! !)" The trio each gave their own response. The level zero with an exhausted wave of her hand and the level fives with nearly deafening shrieks of rage, which managed to make even this most professional of women flinch.
"I'm happy where my life is right now . . . " Saten tried to keep the feelings of being overwhelmed at bay. "I believe I will be able to break through this block on my own in due time."
"We would be happy at Kiriga–"
"She's made her decision!" The sparking girl and white boy shouted as one. "I'M NUMBER (TWO/THREE) AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE!"
"Come on, Saten-san, Let's get your things and get out of here." Mikoto ushered Saten away from the woman, with the white boy following close behind.
As the woman watched them retreat to the far side of the room. She turned to the blonde Judgment girl and remarked casually.
"We'll let the news sink in a little bit and ask again later. Maybe some brochures . . . would be . . . effective?"
The woman realized that her companion's face was fixed with absolute terror, as white as that boy had been. Nayuta was shivering as she looked over the woman's shoulder. The reason for this was made clear to her when she felt a hand grip the back of her neck with the grip of an industrial clamp.
"Now here's the thing . . ." A voice whispered as a white hand seized the Judgment girl in a similar grip and held her by the neck, even with the woman's face. "That isn't going to happen."
Out of the corner of her eye, the woman could see that the same white boy accosting them was currently chatting pleasantly with the group of girls. And seemed to be blocking their view . . .
"I know why you went back to your archives."
" . . ."
"He was too much to handle . . . so you want one you can control."
" . . . " The two females felt the grip tightening. The girl started to whimper to herself. The boy continued . . .
"I want you to go back to your handlers, both of you, and tell them this . . . "
His face drew near to them the glowing from his green eyes cast eerie shadows over their faces. The boys black mouth twitched.
"If any Kirigaoka or Kihara gets within 5 kilometers of Saten Ruiko . . . " The white boy hissed. "Then the number one himself will flinch when he hears what I did to all of you!"
The two females were frozen in terror. Kakine gave them a broad grin.
"I think we understand each other now. Have a nice day!"
The small blonde girl dropped to the floor with a thud as the boy's body dissolved into smoke without warning. The pair met each others eyes and found the expected terror there. Nayuta scrambled for her back pack and called out to the other woman.
"You're on your own, Grandma!" With backpack in hand, she tore out of the gymnasium with all the speed her cyborg body could muster. With a blur and a light breeze, she was gone.
Blinking for a moment, the woman place her hand to her chin an pondered for a few moments. She then smacked her fist into the palm of her other hand and declared resolutely.
"Brochures it is!"
. . .
Meanwhile, across the room the girls were doing their best at congratulating the dark-haired girl, choosing their words wisely.
Except for Uiharu . . .
"That was so AWESOME, Saten-san!" The flower-headed girl was beaming in excitement as she hopped in place, flapping her arms like a baby bird. "This place looks like it got hit by a typhoon!"
" . . . Uh, right . . . " Saten looked away, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.
Kuroko tried to reel in her partner. "Uiharu . . . "
"You should join Judgment now!" Uiharu ran up to her friend and began shaking her by the shoulders. "You could clean an entire alley by yourself in 5 seconds!"
"I. Can't. Control. It. YET!" Saten sputtered as her brain was rattled, finally managing to break away.
MAN, that tiny girl had a freakishly strong grip!
The dizzy, long-haired girl held her hands to the side of her head for a moment as she waited for her vision to clear again.
"You should really think about it, Saten-san!" The famed hacker was bouncing on her toes, unable to keep still. "We could be Judgment's premier girly-girl plus tomboy detective team!"
"Who are you calling a tomboy?!" Saten yelled back, shaking her fists in front of her as her cheeks were stained red with embarrassment. "My chest is bigger than yours!"
"Ah, that's right . . . I believe the literature would call you a 'boob hoyden'!"
"GAH!" The now crimson faced Saten looked about ready to try knock some sense back into her friend when the two level fives standing next to her quickly grabbed her arms.
"Uiharu, don't you have calls to make?" Mikoto asked and pointed outside.
The flower-headed girl pointed to the ceiling in realization. "That's Right! I'll be right back!"
As Uiharu scampered out of the gym, Kuroko and Kongou took her place in front of Saten.
"Well what Uiharu said about you being impressive was correct." Kongou snapped her fan open and waved it in front of her face. "While my powers aren't exactly the same as yours seem to be, I would be happy to give you some pointers, Saten-san."
The girl with the large forehead frowned behind her fan as Kuroko shoved her way in front of her.
"Kuroko would also be pleased to give you tips!" Kuroko nodded to herself and began tracing out bizarre shapes in the air in front of her as she explained. "Your power seems to touch on the higher dimensions in a way. Almost like teleportation!"
"The difference is that the air isn't being projected up into 11 dimensions and then back down into three. That would be way too complicated for anyone to do. Instead . . . " Everyone flinched and grimaced as the slender girl plunged her index finger into the curled fingers of her other hand. "It's like a wormhole gets opened connecting two points with massive suction!"
The room was now silent enough to hear the crickets.
" . . . What?" Kuroko was bemused by all the red faces surrounding her. " . . . Come on, What?!"
"Shirai-san . . . " The white boy shook his head. "There's something wrong with you."
Kuroko was about to make her retort when the group heard the sound of a girl sniffling. They turned to see Uiharu slowly making her way back to them, struggling and failing to restrain her tears.
The group was struck dumb as she finally reached Saten.
"I–I couldn't get a hold of Erii-san . . . " Uiharu choked briefly before continuing. "So I tried to call . . . K–Kamijo-san . . . "
Uiharu threw herself into her friend's arms and began to sob into her chest.
"The hospital answered his phone!" She began to wail. "He's in s–surgery right now! The hospital is closed to v–visitors until tomorrow!"
Saten felt herself beginning to break up. "H–Homemade . . . "
She held Uiharu tighter as she began to sob herself.
"What's i–important is that they are homemade . . . "
She lifted her head up and locked eyes with the boy leaning against the railing of the balcony. His face remained blank as she screamed.
"REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU GO TO VISIT ! ! !"
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Author's Note:
There it is!
For those of you wondering: by the time Saten calms down enough to explain to the others why she is screaming, Sogiita has already left the building and disappeared. Because of his change in appearance and subdued personality, none of the others realized he was Seven.
Kakine is particularly emotional in this chapter. I blame Kirigaoka's interest in Saten as well as his meeting with Fremea. Personally, I would think having the person you swore to protect stop needing you would be a very difficult thing to come to terms with.
As to why Touma is 'Onii-chan' to Fremea and not Hamazura or Kakine, my argument is this: Fremea considers herself to be Hamazura's little 'big sister' who needs to take care of him. Kakine is more of the 'loyal steed / faithful sidekick'. Finally, lets be honest here: Touma is Touma.
I believe that Kakine likes ITEM a lot more than he lets on. He just enjoys making them nervous. His threat was likely serious, though . . .
Moving on, I took liberties involving Saten's scan. It may help to think of the 'resonance machine' as a 'Capacity Down' in reverse.
The Stern woman running the scan is not Nayuta's actual grandmother. Nayuta is basically just calling her an old woman as she flees the scene.
The 'thing' that Sogiita talks to and then scares away when he walks outside the building is Facade. That is also who Fraulein Kreutune is talking to in the alley in part seven. In both of these cases, Facade is not speaking back to them. It does speak to Misaki in this chapter to relay Sogiita's warning, though. The Middle Line's description of what Facade is, is only partially correct. Expect more information later . . .
Middle Line makes an appearance saving Banri and Erii. This group put the City's most powerful pyrokinetic (Yakiin-kun) in charge of their armory. That's either brilliant or scary . . . .
We also see a little more of the group's powers. Ikari and Yakiin are both level 4, while Myuri is level 3. Expect more information on that in the next chapter . . .
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Thank you(! ! !): Kage15oni; guest; LoveMadness; Alciel; The Azure Heart; Dimak; Han-Ko; Loopsy!
I'm glad you guys are still enjoying the longer chapters!
Loopsy: Thanks for stopping by! Seria is in the game, but is worried that getting involved with Touma will lead to her getting killed. So mostly, she finds enjoyment in preventing Misaki from getting Touma.
Kage15oni: Nayuta's power seemed like it would be helpful in a power study, so I just had to have her make an appearance. Kakine's speech to ITEM is on of my favorite parts as well . . .
LoveMadness: That was my absolute favorite part of this chapter to write. Touma can't stay oblivious forever . . . .
Dimak: Once again, a review novel! You are getting impressively close. The last chapter of this story and the first chapters of the two sequels should offer most of the confirmation of the details. Exterior (does/did) exist in my story. Facade is similar to it, but different: if Exterior is a net, then Facade is a spear.
Saten's 'aero hand' power looked different than Kongou's version when she was using it during the level upper arc. I made it more (air current / air pressure) manipulation based. Her power is being made more similar to Accelerator's by the General's (and Facade's) intervention.
Seria is mostly bringing Fukiyose and Himegami into the plan to irritate Misaki. It may not stay that way, however . . .
The Middle Line knows that Touma would be able to stabilize Mairo's powers, so that is a factor, but they are mostly trying to find Touma because Mairo asked them to find him. Myuri has her own reasons . . . .
As for NT9, I am eagerly anticipating it.
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Until next time, Enjoy!
