Chapter 13: Case of the Nutcracker
Act II: Baker Street Irregulars
After dinner, I found myself in the backseat of a taxi-cab, being driven across town. We were traveling westbound towards district 13, where most kids of my age went to school. Sadly, Oni-chan couldn't come with us. Due to his injuries, he had to be shuffled off to the hospital.
Misaka-san was in the front, texting on her lime green Getoka phone, while Index and I were in the back. As we got onto the highway, Index pulled a little calico kitty out from her robes and was playing with it.
My eyes widen when I saw it, and I screamed, "Wah! Kawaii!"
Index beamed. "Her name is Sphynx! Say hi, Sphynx!"
The little cat mewed at me. I giggled and extended my finger. The little cat sniffed at it and nuzzled my hand.
"Nyah!"
"Jou-to!" Misaka-san snapped her phone shut, "Don't tell me that you've been keeping that cat in your robe this whole time. What if that monster came and hurt it?"
"It's fine," Index replied smiling, "My Walking Church provides protection to any being who seeks sanctuary within its walls. Sphynx is in no danger when he has sanctuary with me. Fenrisulfr couldn't hurt a hair on Sphynx's head."
"Hmm?" Misaka-san said, "Ma, as long as she wasn't harmed."
Four exits later and we arrived at Matsuume Elementary School's dormitory. They were built like small brick houses, resembling a European village. The snow-covered walkways were illuminated by old fashioned two-light street lamps. Our taxi drove up to the gated entrance, and we trudged our way inside.
The cottage in which I would live in was called "Baker Street" and the signpost next to the path said "London".
Misaka-san showed me how to swipe my key card on the reader next to the door. There was a loud click, and the door swung outwards. Once we were inside, we stood in a dark carpeted hallway, and hardly any sound could be heard. Only thing I could hear was the air piping out of the vents. Someone had left the heater on.
"No one's here," I said quietly, unwilling to disturb the peace.
Misaka-san sighed, "Well, that isn't surprising, since most people have gone home for the winter."
"At least it's warm in here," Index said, smiling.
Together, we marched up stairs to the second floor, and I started looking for my room. "…213…215…217…219…221…found it!"
I pulled out the key Oni-chan had left for me, and it slid in easily. I turned the key and the door unlatched. Once inside, I turned on the lights and was greeted with a rather strange sight. Two bunk beds stood at opposite ends of the room, both with built-in writing desks underneath. A leaning ladder granted access to the beds, next to which stood a four-drawer dresser. Two double-hung windows were set into the far wall, under which stood a pair of bookshelves, one for me and one for my future roommate.
My side of the room fully stocked with all my things in their proper places. My bed had been made and my school supplies were already laid out on the desk. Even my clothing had been put away in the dresser, and my little pull-up stood next to it. I blushed as l opened the underwear drawer. To think he took the time to fold them so neatly.
Coming out to the hallway, I found Index in the common room playing with Sphynx. Misaka-san wasn't there. I found her standing in the shared bathroom, talking on her phone.
"Are you kidding me?" she snapped, "You knew you had a case and still let yourself get hurt!? How can you be so irresponsible?"
"Oi! Oi! Why are blaming me for something I have no control over?" the voice shouted back, so loud that even I could hear it.
"You always say that!" Misaka-san growled back, "You always blame the circumstances of your injuries! You are as much to blame as that monster!"
"What was I supposed to do?" he cried, "He was in so much pain, I didn't know what else to do!"
"Well, in the first place, you didn't have to get your hand bitten off! You didn't have to showboat your abilities in front of us!"
"I don't showboat!" The voice snapped, "Anyway, I'm going to have to cancel my meeting with Fremea-san and Hamazura this evening. Ja-na!"
The connection ended, and Misaka-san snapped her phone shut. "Ta-kke! He's such an idiot!"
"What is it?" I said as Index came in with Sphynx. "Was that Oni-chan?"
She nodded. "They've taken him to a hospital in District 7. He's going to stay there overnight."
"Oh no," I said, stricken, "But I thought he was going to meet with Fremea tonight! He had a case ready and everything!"
Misaka-san sighed, "He'll just have to cancel the appointment then. There's no way he can be running around all night, especially not when he is in that condition."
"But…" I said, but Index-san shook her head.
"For once, I agree with Short Hair," Index said, earning a glare from Misaka, "Touma is in no shape to go anywhere. He'll only hurt himself more."
"Then we can go!" I blurted out at once. "We can go in Oni-chan's place!
"Absolutely not!" Misaka-san said sternly, "It's dangerous to get involved in such a case!"
"Besides, we don't know anything about the situation," Index chimed in, "We have no idea who was involved, or what was even going on!"
"But I was there and heard everything!" I said, "Fremea's friends are in trouble, and she reached out to us!"
"Us?" Misaka-san said, "She went to that Idiot for help!"
"But we can help her!" I said, "We must help her!"
The two girls shared a glance.
Misaka-san sighed and ruffled through her hair. "Ta-kke! You're just like him. Stubborn to a fault!"
She ushered me to my dorm room and pulled out the chair from my desk. She motioned me to sit. I obeyed, and she walked over to the opposite desk and leaned against it. Then, she nodded to Index who came in and sat down on the chair.
"So?" Misaka-san said, looking pointedly at me.
I stared back at her. Was she expecting something from me?
She sighed, "Come on, I don't have all day. You're going to have to fill me in on everything. After all, I had to leave before I heard anything, and Silver Sister here doesn't even know what you are talking about."
Index glared at her.
"Ah!" I smiled sheepishly. "Well, it seems the case has something to do with the Nutcracker story."
I told them about Fremea's tale about Fritz and Marie, and their fight over a Nutcracker that a man called Dousa-Mai-ya had brought during Christmas Eve. Then I told them about the children's disappearance, and miraculous repair work done on the toys. I told them that the children were still missing, and we needed to find them.
When I was done, Misaka-san and Index traded glances.
"What do you think?" Misaka-san asked.
"Hmmm," Index crossed her arms and closed her eyes, "Dorsselmeyer, Marie, Fritz…They're all characters in the original story. It's strange how the events match up so well. I don't know if there's some sort of magical ritual going on, but it's worth a look."
"Obviously, we need to find out where the children went," Misaka-san said, "There's a lot of details we don't know. Who are Marie and Fritz? Who is Dorsselmeyer? Why was he giving out toys? There are so many questions that I'm not sure where to start."
"Well, why are we still sitting around here for?" I stood up. "We could knock around those questions all night, but there's only one way to answer them, isn't it? We have to go see Fremea!"
"Ano-sa, Otohime!" Misaka-san said, "We're not playing a game of Cluedo here. We don't have the faintest clue of what trouble Fremea is in, we need more data."
"Besides, it's much too dangerous for you to go," Index said, "What would Touma say if we let his adorably tenacious cousin waltz into some trap!"
I puffed out my cheeks. They were totally sidelining me! How dare they treat me like some kid!
"Well I'm going whether you like it or not!" I said, jumping up from my desk. "I'm the one who has all of the information! I was there when there when Fremea told her story. Besides, Fremea is my friend and I can't just leave her alone!"
"Otohime!"
"Otohime-chan…"
"No!" I crossed my arms tightly, "If you don't want me to come sneaking after you, then you will have to tie me up in this room!"
"Ugh!" Misaka pushed off hard from the desk. "Fine! Have it your way then!"
She stomped to the door and wrenched it open. For a heartbeat, I thought that I had gone too far. I thought for sure, that she was going to leave me behind, but then she stopped at the doorway.
She sighed. "You remind me of myself. How long did it take him to accept me? How long would it take me to accept you?"
She looked back at me and smiled "Come on then. It's a hard knock life for us. Let's see how you can handle it."
Between the lines: A certain scientific marvel
"Could you please go over your plan one more time? Just so I can understand how crazy it really is?"
Yomikawa looked up at the monitors, each showing a member of the Board of Directors. In front of her, Kaizumi Tsugutoshi was massaging his temples as he sat in his armchair. He was a grizzled old man with graying hair and a voice ravaged by age. He wore an old-fashioned pin-striped suit, and his knobby hands were studded with gold rings.
She took a deep breath and spoke her mind. "Kaizumi-dono," she said, "Have you ever been in a war? In a firefight? Have you been in a situation where you don't have an abundance of control? Currently, this city is at its weakest state, and we are at the mercy of the world."
"We have an army," Oyafune Monaka sat serenely at her desk, stirring a cup of tea, "Anti-skill and Judgement have served us well in the past and continue to show loyal service." She took a sip before going on. "We have the six wings and ten legs to protect our borders. Why would we need anything else?"
All the heads were nodding in agreement. Honestly, they were still so certain of their technology that, they ignored everything that had happened recently.
Yomikawa tried a different approach.
"Ichihanaransai, GREMLIN, Othinus's attack, the Magic God invasions, Elements… do any of these terms mean anything to you? Just yesterday, a monster evaded our security team, dug its way into the heart of the city, and wreaked havoc in an underground shopping center! Every time some maniac decides to invade our city, even with our technological advancements, we've always been woefully, hilariously underprepared."
There was silence as the board members traded glances with each other. Then came the voice of Shiokishi, garbled by a voice modulator. "Certainly, Academy City is surrounded by enemies, and we are short on staff. I don't trust any of these newcomers who have infiltrated our very borders."
"Are you referring to the missionaries?" Oyafune said, "They only seem to aid our students and help in the education. If we maintain good relationships with them, then there won't be any problems."
"They're poisoning the minds of our students!" The deeper voice of Nakimoto Rizou boomed out. He was a hard man, chiseled with by his time in the military. His muscle bulged out of his suit, and his sharp goatee bounced as he spoke. Yomikawa struggled to contain her displeasure. According to her sources, this was the man who financed the DA and who blocked her from acting against STUDY.
He went on," Those so-called schools are filling the minds our students with unscientific teachings. They must be stopped or at the very least kept check!"
She bit back her vitriol and replied, "There is a lot that we don't agree with, Rizou-dono, but you are right on one thing. We need a response team!"
She turned to the other board members. "There are some among Anti-skill and Judgement members, who want to try out this plan," she said, "To bring together a group of remarkably talented people, and to see if they could work together and fight the battles we never could."
"In other words, you want some faction of super heroes to protect us," Oyafune mused, "It's a pretty old-fashioned concept. A very unscientific sentiment."
"War isn't won by sentiments," Yomikawa replied, "It's won by soldiers."
Tsugutoshi scoffed. "Are you seriously going to leave the fate of this city to a handful of freaks?"
"I'm not leaving anything to anyone!" Yomikawa snapped, "These people need to be watched over or even controlled, but I believe that with the right push, they can be exactly what we need."
There was a long pause as the directors shared a glance. Finally, Oyafune spoke for the group. "Very well, we must discuss this privately," she said, "You've given us a lot to think about. In the meantime, you may cobble together the people you want in this new faction."
"Thank you." Yomikawa bowed.
The viewscreens all winked out, and she left in high spirits.