As always, hello and thank you for opening this little fic of mine!
It has been a long journey for me and it still feels like everything is just getting started! I still have so much to write about, if only I just had more time to write.
This chapter was originally supposed to be longer but I had to cut it up into two because it had gone well beyond the usual length(past 10k words!).
Anyways, I won't take any more of your time so please go on ahead and read!
Chapter 21 - Mental_Contradiction: Quiet_Blade.
Mistaken_Image - Fesitval_Prelude
"Show what you have learned from your everyday—"
"SHOW THE RESULTS OF YOUR EVERYDAY TRAINING AND GUTS!"
A large crowd was forming near the center of Academy City's District 7.
It was a wide street with dozens of colorful tents, but the amount of people present had no trouble filling up that space. The most noticeable thing about this was that there were people from outside Academy City, most of whom were the family of the students studying here. It was a rare sight.
The cheerful crowd was watching a giant widescreen monitor atop of a tall glass-covered building while eating the food they ordered from a nearby stand.
With his parents not too far from him among the crowded urban district, a small boy took a bite of his corndog and looked up towards that giant thing that's almost like a super-sized household TV, just as the speakers somewhere around it suddenly let out a graceful, well-mannered voice. Through that giant monitor screen which seemed to be the size of a large billboard, he could see a girl with long, honey-blonde hair speaking through a microphone in front of hundreds of people in the middle of a large sports stadium.
"By showing how much you have progressed, show thanks to your parents —"
But in contrast to this, a loud voice blasted through the speakers and overshadowed the female one.
"SHOW OFF THAT SPLENDOR AND GUTS TO THOSE WEAKLINGS WITHOUT IT!"
The reason why there were lots of people from outside Academy City enjoying the city's attractions was because of an annual city-wide sporting event, the Daihaseisai.
The boy tilted his head, not knowing exactly what was going on in that live video feed.
"By overcoming all sorts of obstacles through trial and hardship and getting up every time we fall down..."
The boy's mother curiously approached him and asked what was going on only to sweat-drop at the unreasonable scene.
"OVERCOME EVERYTHING WITH GUTS!""
Without warning, pillars of explosions rose from the ground and filled the sports stadium. The entire crowd witnessing that scene let out awkward smiles and confused faces.
Seriously, what was happening?
A second after that live broadcast of Daihaseisai's opening ceremony, which had failed apparently, Tsuyuri Aki and Tatemiya Haruka stopped and took a short break to catch their breaths at the landing of a small staircase leading towards a nearby park, after walking around the large street.
"Are you okay, Tsuyuri-san? Don't push yourself," said Tatemiya Haruka with concern towards the sweating girl. She stood towering above her while carrying both of their large handbags over her shoulders. She looked tomboyish, having no problem with the weight of the bags while still looking fresh like she had just gone out of the shower, in stark contrast to the frail Tsuyuri Aki. They were both wearing sports jackets over their white T-shirts and navy-blue shorts due to the sports festival.
"Yes, I'm fine…" replied the girl with a weak smile, with her hands down on her knees. "More importantly, you should go on ahead to your event. A lot of our classmates are counting on you so it would be bad if you missed it."
"Our classmates are counting on me? I don't recall being the representative of our school."
"Well, the Daihaseisai is an event which allows students to use their powers, with certain restrictions, so students with higher Level's have a greater chance of winning. As you may know, our school's student population is mostly composed of Level 0's and Level 1's so we are fairly weak. But since we finally have a Level 4 this year, which is you, we finally might have a chance at increasing our school's standing. So you are at the core of our plans. A lot of our classmates will be relying on you throughout the event to get us some points."
"Really? I don't think that way." Tatemiya nodded to herself after hearing how important her role was in securing victory for her school. "This is a team effort so everyone's efforts are taken into account. If anything, I'd say you have done most of the work. Your ability has been at the center for a while now."
"Oh, it was no big deal, though, I was really lucky. I didn't think the research lab would allow me to use my Inhibitor as I do not have full control of my abilities yet unlike other Precognition users."
"But repeating the entire six days of Daihaseisai has to be incredibly tough, right? Really, you're a lot more resilient than you appear."
"I do admit that going through the entire Daihaseisai to record information on the events and using Déja Vu to pass on that information to our school's strategy committee is no easy task. Much like yourself, our student council president is unusually soothing when she is not scolding people. She was surprisingly easy to get along with, along with Makoto-san and Isshiki-san."
"But didn't you have to painstakingly memorize every bit of detail regarding Dahaseisai before using your Déja Vu? That's like cramming before a big exam."
"Yes, it was. But really, I don't mind. It's common for Precognition users to be given some work before the event to gather some information. Each school has to exploit all the espers at their disposal after all. But what really encouraged me to do it was…"
The small girl's voice grew with each word.
"Was… ?"
"Seeing energetic young men pour their all into a clash of muscles!"
The usually quiet and timid Tsuyuri Aki's eyes sparkled beneath her bangs after giving a great announcement. Some people turned their away after hearing her and Tatemiya Haruka just let out a look of confusion.
"Don't you just love it when they press their body's against each other?! And to experience that all over again is like a dream! If given the chance, I would do it again!"
"Ahhh… ahh…. I don't really get it though. Are you a fan of wrestling by any chance, Tsuyuri-san?"
"Oh? How did you know?"
"It's nothing. So, who won Daihaseisai in the end, Tsuyuri-san?
"It was Nagatenjouki at first place while Tokiwadai at second, just like last year. Our school was just below the middle of the rankings."
"I see. Then it's our chance to change all that. Let's improve our rankings this time around!"
They continued onward to their destination in that large street after the tired Tsuyuri Aki regained her energy.
The sun was at its brightest and there was not a single cloud in the sky.
As they walked through District 7, they saw a lot of students preparing for their event with their P.E. uniforms on. This made Tatemiya Haruka, the infamous hot-blooded Judgment member, get really excited.
After crossing two streets, they parted ways in a large road surrounded by detachable guard rails and shock-absorbing mats. The white lines drawn at equal intervals on the road suggested it was most likely a running track for an event.
Tatemiya returned the girl's bag before she walked towards her event.
There was still some time before her own event, she realized, so Tatemiya Haruka decided to wander around the stands for a bit longer.
It was her first Daihaseisai. Although she said it was a team effort and that everyone's hard work will pave the way to victory, she couldn't help but get fired up on her own at the competition lined up for her and steal the glory for herself. In short, it was just her usual hot-bloodedness acting up.
She hummed a tune as she checked out numerous stands selling shaved ice, sports drinks, ice cream, soba bread and other street foods.
By the time she had reached the end of the street cluttered with food, she noticed a certain boy accompanying a child towards a pair of adults. The child must have been lost and he had accompanied him while looking for the lost child's parents. The child had stopped crying and ran towards his parents once they had gotten near, leaving that certain boy.
I never knew he was the type…..
She thought that but she immediately noticed the lack of change in his expression. His dull, brown eyes remained, lacking in any sort of emotion even after seeing his work done. Something must be wrong with him, or rather, something must still be wrong with him, she thought.
"Good job," she said cheerfully after approaching him.
"Yeah…" Takayama Akito replied weakly and monotonously.
Unlike the rest of the students around, he was not wearing his P.E. uniform, and instead, he was wearing a white parka over his blue shirt, faded blue jeans, and sneakers. That boy seemed to be like one of those problem children who did not like participating in school events, but Tatemiya Haruka knew there was a different reason.
"Want to get something to eat? You're not planning on participating in anything anyway, aren't you?" Ignoring the boy's truancy, she changed the matter without much thought. This may have sounded odd for her as a role model student in her school and as a Judgment member, but in reality, she wasn't really concerned if that boy was doing something troublesome. What's his decision was his alone. She only saw him as a target for her growth and nothing else. He was her goal, her finish line. So if he was just skipping school or just lazing around at his dorm, she wouldn't mind, as long he was still there. As long as he was still there, she could continue to challenge herself.
"Sure…"
In truth, she didn't really know much about him, even though she had known him for a long time.
All she knew was that boy named Takayama Akito was a silent, cold-hearted boy who was only obsessed with studying, but she still pondered if there was something else about him. In truth, she didn't knew exactly if they could be called friends. She may have regarded him as only a goal, but she eventually found herself approaching him for some reason, so their interactions continued.
She turned around and walked towards a stand selling shaved ice with the boy quietly following behind her.
That's right, he was only just a goal to her.
But he was only just a Level 0 and she was a Level 4. How could someone like him become her goal?
In reality, that was false.
Her goal was not the Takayama Akito walking slowly behind her, but the strong Takayama Akito in her mind, walking straight forward with incredible pace. It was the Takayama Akito she had subconsciously sculpted in her mind that she was focused on. As long as the physical Takayama Akito was present, her image of the strong Takayama Akito would remain.
Admittedly, she actually never regarded him as strong. There was a potential that she saw in him that made her chase him and that potential may have been the reason for her desire to chase after him.
As long as that image of him was there, she could continue on preaching, "It's only just a matter time before he overtakes me", "He's strong, he just hasn't showed it yet", or "You shouldn't let your guard down on him."
That's right, it was not this Takayama Akito who was egging her on.
This Takayama Akito was a weak Level 0 and could never ever be able to reach her, she had subconsciously determined in the end. He was too slow in the chase and had faltered before the starting signal had fired so his chance had been lost and he got left behind by her to her dismay. So she accepted that he was weak in the end, subconsciously.
But it didn't matter to her if he was weak. As long as he was there, the mental image of a strong version of him which she sculpted would continue to exist and she will be able to continue her chase.
"It's been a while since we met each other like this, huh?" she asked before taking a bite of her shaved ice underneath a large umbrella.
They had came across an eating area with small, elevated round tables below an umbrella. There were no seats so people had to eat while standing.
From across her under that umbrella, Takayama Akito didn't respond.
"It's good to see you not locking yourself in your dorm anymore."
"…. Yeah."
Shrugging off that lacking response, she continued eating her shaved ice. The desert spread a numbing chill around their palms, in contrast to the warm Academy City weather.
Silence fell between the two, but Tatemiya Haruka will not allow it stay like that for long. There has been something on her mind recently regarding that boy, or rather, the mental image of the boy. That something was also most likely related to his current apathetic behavior, and this was the perfect opportunity to bring it up.
"Hey, why didn't you tell me? It was so obvious with all the patients around."
"…"
"They called me into the hospital just as everyone had woken up. They must have had trouble identifying your contact persons because they didn't contact me immediately, even though you had apparently been admitted there for so long."
"…"
"Hey, why didn't you tell me you used the Level Upper?"
There was an urgent matter she had to face. If that boy continued walking down that terrible path, it would negatively affect her mental image of him. If he deviated too much, then that strong Takayama Akito would cease to exist. She had to stop that.
"Yeah…"
Her emotions must have grew wild just now because the ice inside the cup she was holding had just melted entirely and turned into a puddle of watered-down strawberry juice.
No, no, that's not it. I have to encourage him or everything else will fall apart. Yeah, he may have just been curious and decided to try it out as a one-off thing so there's really nothing to worry about. She stopped biting her lip and let out a small breath to compose herself. She mustn't let the image inside her brain to fall apart or it will all be over.
"Well, don't let it get you so down. Everyone's curious to know what it's like to —"
"I think I'm going to transfer out of Academy City."
When she heard that, time felt like it had just stopped.
"What?"
"I'm going to leave Academy City and enroll at a different school outside."
"W-Why?!"
By this time, the boy had finished eating and laid his cup down on the table. His half-closed eyes wandered about in the crowded area.
"I can't find any meaning in me being here anymore. Just looking at the streets make me realize just how much I can't do anything. I want to leave right away. Academy City won't miss a pathetic Level 0 like me so there'll probably be no problems at customs."
"If this is about your level not getting higher, then I'm sure it will work out in the end as long as you remained here in school."
The boy narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low, displeased voice. "This isn't just about powers anymore…"
"Then what?!"
"…"
July 24. That was the date when the victims who used the Level Upper had woken up from a coma. They were students who had desperately sought after the ability to grasp power they could not achieve on their own, and the Level Upper was the answer they had found. That device enabled them to increase their levels, and thus, their powers. But it all came with a price. Those who had used the Level Upper would fall into a coma shortly after its usage.
Takayama Akito was one of them.
At that time, Tatemiya Haruka had been called into the hospital as an acquaintance and found numerous comatose victims caused by the Level Upper. It had all occurred suddenly during that hot summer. The exact moment she got into the room full of hospitalized people, the boy had woken up with lifeless eyes that seemed like it had witness the loss of something valuable to him.
After that, the boy had distanced himself greatly from the entire school. Tatemiya couldn't do anything and only watched from afar as the boy's life gradually became a complete unknown to her. At first, She found him locking himself up in his room for several weeks, then she began hearing rumors of him getting in contact with people he shouldn't have. But still, she remained where she was, believing that this boy had not gone astray. After all, that's the only thing she could do as their relationship was an ambiguous one.
In the end, she didn't receive her reply again. Yet another secret he had thrown into the pile with the rest. It frustrated her that another secret had just been kept from her, but she still had to take control of the situation.
"Alright."
After hearing that single word which came out from that girl's lips, the boy's dull eyes shifted his look towards her.
"Takayama, listen... I really need you!" She let out a loud shout which echoed throughout that space full of people enjoying Daihaseisai.
For some reason, that phrase invited several stares from the people around that area.
"My, oh my….."
"Kids these days..."
"Ohhh… how sweet!"
"I wish my girlfriend was like that…"
And then that boy's blank stare became even blanker, if that was even possible.
"… Huh?"
"You know, I think your just being too hasty. It hasn't even been a year since we transferred so there's really no reason to give up already. Everything will definitely turn up okay in the end so you shouldn't just transfer away like that and leave me behind!"
"W-well, I guess…"
"Everything will be alright! Believe in me!"
Takayama looked at the girl's amber-colored eyes. He was sure her eye color didn't always had that intense color before they had transferred into Academy City so it must have been one of those side-effects which occurred during one of the experiments which had been done on her to become an esper.
"I don't know what you are going through, but you shouldn't just escape from your troubles, alright?"
"Escape… from my troubles… ?"
Several minutes passed as the boy quietly thought what he should do while Tatemiya Haruka just patiently waited for him. She could not allow that boy to leave or else that mental image of him she had sculpted due to his potential would crumble. She could not allow the race with that strong Takayama Akito in her mind to be over yet. In order for this to happen, this weak Takayama Akito should remain here in Academy City.
"… Alright, I'll try."
Those were some small words, but they were enough to calm her heart in the meantime.
Takayama nodded and the girl cheered up. Now, all her worries were gone, but she had forgotten something very important which she should have been focusing on several minutes ago.
"Oh, crap! I completely forgot!"
"What? Did you lose your keys or something?"
"No! I completely forgot about my event! I should have been there ten minutes ago!"
"Ahhh….. I see you're still the same old idiot," remarked the boy.
"Shut up! You're partially responsible for this! Arghh! Keep this for awhile and don't lose it!" The girl threw her bag at him and suddenly began a full on sprint towards a certain direction.
Takayama caught the bag in hand and frowned at the troublesome task he has been given.
"If you got some time, why not try out that event you were assigned to?!"
He heard the girl's shout from far away as she slowly disappeared into the crowd. With the girl out of the picture, he had no idea what he should do now. "Guess I'll be staying here for awhile," he muttered as he looked down on the blue sports bag in his hands.
He had several options. He could meet up with his two senpai's, but he wasn't in the mood for that gorilla-like senpai's drunken uproars and that mischievous one's ridiculous ideas.
"No, that's out of the question. I don't feel like seeing those bastard's faces right now."
Alternatively, he could just return to his dorm and laze around.
"But I have her bag with me. It'll be troublesome if I have to meet up with her again when I have already returned to my dorm…"
Or, he could take that other route…
"Try my event, huh? I don't really like the idea of running around and doing all those athletic things. Daihaseisai's an event wherein you could use your powers to get the upper hand so those with high levels have a clear advantage over those who don't."
A clear image of a tiny girl overtaking him in a marathon because of a power she possessed, such as negating air-friction or buoyancy manipulation, popped in his head.
"Like hell I'm just gonna be satisfied with that!" From his pocket, he took out a white envelope containing all the events which have been assigned to him. "Like hell I'm just gonna lose to these damn espers!"
He may have understood that he had a clear disadvantage over espers with powers, but he couldn't stand losing to them as well. No matter how much out of shape he was or how weak he was, he couldn't surrender the victory to some esper using some outrageous power.
He was not wearing his P.E. uniform but he'll find a way.
"Damn it, what kind of event is it? Three-legged race? Pole-jumping? Ball toss? Bread-eating?" He gnawed at his teeth in frustration as he imagined all the possible events those espers will be participating. He slowly opened the envelope and slowly slid the paper up. "It's just gonna be one of those lame events, right? If it is, then physical strength is more than enough. Yeah, yeah, even a Level 0 like me has a chance of winning if it's just something simple like bread-eating or a borrowing race!"
But he was wrong.
Shine! The First Ever Super Ultimate Esper Arena Grand Prix! Have You Got What It Takes?!
"…"
Only those ridiculous words were printed in bold letters in that small piece of paper.
"...….. Nope."
He crumpled the paper, tossed it aside, and headed towards the direction of his dorm with the girl's bag in his hands. "Ahh... It's impossible. I'll just charge my phone and wait for her call to meet up at the dorm."
"Hey! That's him!"
"We found him, guys!"
"Takayama Akito's here!"
"Huh?" Takayama stopped and turned to see a group of four students charging straight at him. They were wearing his school's P.E. uniform.
Without warning, they grabbed his arms and restrained his movements like capturing an escaped lunatic.
"We've been looking everywhere for you!"
"You're the only one who hasn't attended an event yet!"
"You should do your part as well so that the stress on our dear Princess Tatemiya Haruka-sama can be relieved!"
"Hey! Hey! Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Get off me!" Takayama struggled as he was dragged away from the busy food stand area and into a giant stadium not too far from where he had been.
At some point, he was forced to sign some paper and was dragged inside the participant's hall.
"H-hey! What the hell was that, 'Academy City is not responsible for injuries and death'?! This is a sports event, right?! This is a ball toss event, RIGHT?!"
Eventually, the four boys tossed him into a wide, sand-covered ground.
The poor delinquent's wild blonde hair shook as he looked around frantically. He found himself in the middle of an incredibly large coliseum.
"HELLO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE FIRST EVER SUPER ULTIMATE ESPER ARENA GRAND PRIX WHERE THE MIGHTY STUDENTS OF ACADEMY CITY BATTLE IT OUT TO BECOME THE ARENA MASTER, THE NUMBER ONE, AND THE SUPREMELY POWERFUL ULTIMATE ESPER!"
Fireworks shot through the sky and loud music that has a theme of death metal played loudly through the multiple speakers.
The coliseum was then filled with an extremely loud roar coming from the hundreds of spectators sitting on the surrounding stands. Young and old, everyone made a great applause as they cheered for the couple of students down at the bottom of the stadium.
"Where the hell am I?!" No idea where he was or what was happening, Takayama looked left and right frantically. He had been dragged to some unfamiliar place without any idea why. More or less, he was the same as a lost puppy. The puppy, or rather, Takayama Akito saw some students from different schools he didn't recognize.
"Come and face the great Metal Shifter of Youei Academy!"
"Hmph… You're all no match for me, Reverse Razor!"
"I am Structurator and I will steal the show!"
"Energy Lock is here! You all best give up right now!"
"Bow down towards... "
The delinquent furrowed his brows enough to create a great amount of wrinkles on his young face as students began announcing their title and ability. "Urghhh… why does this always happen to me?! Don't drag a normal person like me into you monster's all-around freak shows!"
Suddenly, something large hit his back with great force and he fell face forward toward the ground.
"Oh? There's another one?"
With his face planted on the ground, he shifted his eyes up, just enough to catch a glimpse of a man wearing a leather jacket standing with his shadow hovering over his fallen body.
"Well, it's no big deal. Even if you bring in an entire army, it won't be enough for the Number Six, Aihana Etsu!" The man spoke with a wide grin on his mouth.
"….." Still lying on the ground, a sudden change came over the boy. His eyes lit up with burning flames, as if rekindling a lost part of his soul. "I…"
Chaos began in that arena full of battle-hungry espers.
"I…."
Beams, concrete, and unknown objects flew up in the air.
"I HATE YOU DAMN ESPEEEEEEEEEEEEERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"
Hospital_visit_Part_4
"… like that." Takayama Akito pointed upwards to an imaginary thought bubble above his head after explaining the series of events which happened to him during the Daihaseisai, while Tatemiya Haruka remained seated on a chair beside his hospital bed, intently listening to his explanations.
"What are you talking about? There was no such event. If there was, I would have taken part in it in a second."
"No! There really was! I almost got killed there!" He began scratching at his head in frustration. "I swear. When I meet that asshole Number Six again, I will tear out his organs and sell it to the mafia!"
From her seat, the girl kept teasing the boy for his laughable shortcomings while the same delinquent boy kept on rebuking and growing his frustration even further.
It was just an hour before the visiting hours were over inside the hospital. The day had flew by without the two knowing it as they talked the entire time. The boy had just woken up the day before yesterday and was now feeling a lot better than ever. He will soon be discharged tomorrow.
Daihaseisai, huh? That was a really long time ago…. Now that I remember, we haven't talked much during that time. But now, we have begun to meet up more frequently. I guess we've gotten closer than before. Tatemiya thought to herself as she kept mocking the young boy.
They were now reaching the latter half of October. Autumn's colors were already present all around Academy City, accompanying the chilly weather. Despite that cool weather, the girl was still wearing the sleeves of her dress shirt in a rolled-up fashion with only her red necktie serving as fortification from the cold.
"That aside, don't you think our powers are a bit alike?" asked the girl.
"They're more than alike... They are basically under the same power category. We are just calculating the numbers differently. But I wonder… No, I must be imagining it."
Tatemiya noticed the boy was strangely choosing his words carefully, as if trying to figure something out which she had no idea what. His thoughts were heavy as always, and as usual, she can't figure them out.
"If one of us reaches Level 5, it's likely that we would cross each other's borders…"
"Hmmm…." A suspicious glint appeared in her eyes. "We should have a duel."
The Level 0 choked for some reason. "Let's not. Don't you know, a human body can only sustain so much damage until it breaks! I've already spent enough time in the hospital to drain my entire wallet! You damn Level 4! If you want a duel, then go to Tokiwadai or some school with strong espers!"
"You're so boring, Takayama."
Soon, the sun had already began to set.
"I should get going now." Tatemiya got up from her seat.
"Wait." The boy suddenly reached out to stop her but was too far.
She stopped where she stood and saw him avert her gaze for a moment. "What's up?"
"Have you ever… experienced pain when using your power?"
Tatemiya gave him a short pause to think it over. As someone who just transferred not too long ago but had experience and connections as a Level 4 esper, Tatemiya had heard a lot about things related to the conditions and usages of psychic abilities. "No, I haven't, but there are times when one overexerts himself, the overall stress of doing mental calculations can put great pressure on one's own physical condition. Put simply, when you push yourself too hard or when your ability is being forcibly stretched past its limits, or rather, your brain's limits, there's a possibility you can experience pain when using your powers."
"I see…"
"Why do you ask?" Tatemiya raised a brow. The boy had gone quiet for a moment, so she patiently waited for him to answer, waiting if he will just conceal the answer from her again, or if he will finally reveal his deepest thoughts.
"It's… It's nothing. I'll tell you someday, I promise."
"If this is about that medicine you were always taking before, then you have nothing to worry about. It's just vitamins. The container was lying around so I took a quick peek at it. I took something similar before so I know."
"Alright."
"…..." After a moment, the girl regained her carefree smile, lighting up the atmosphere around the room. "If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! I'll always be here when you need me."
"... Yeah, thanks."
"We'll come to pick you up tomorrow so get ready. Later!" She waved goodbye as she left the hospital room with a small smile on her face and walked across the hallway. That tiny, shallow smile soon died down and her clouded thoughts drifted away to somewhere else.
Takayama Akito was left in the hospital room, alone. The small room looked entirely clean, much like the previous ones, to which he was reminded how many times he was sent to the hospital.
His attention went towards the ceiling for a while, with his hands beneath his head. He looked at the rubber toy on the small table beside his bed and then back to the ceiling again. A few hours passed with him looking about anxiously. Despite his behavior, there was nothing particular on his mind except for the last thing he remembered prior to being admitted to the hospital.
In a silent motion, he stretched out his hand upwards and gazed at the card being held by that hand. A portrait of a man carrying a sack tied to a stick covered the entirety of the card. Beneath the portrait of that man was a title written in English letters, "The Fool", followed by the number zero. He had a lot of questions in his mind, and to his dismay, there was nowhere he can retrieve the answers from. What happened to that airport in District 23 in the end? Was all that mysterious power really real? Why did he felt strange pain when using his own ability? And most of all…
What happened to that woman?
The silence inside that lonely hospital room was deafening, just like that short span of time when he was offered a position at that estranged woman's side. She had offered him power. It was not esper power which he knew fully well, it was a different kind of power with a different set of laws, but it was still power nonetheless. And in the end, he rejected that offer and stood up for what he truly believed in deep in his heart, that there were much more important things than power.
Her goal had been to wipe out those who had great power and create a world for those who were weak and defenseless. For Takayama Akito, that might have been something he had tried to do in the past, that's why he understood what she was trying to achieve. Although, he understood it was delusional. Yes, he understood it because he knew he had delusional dreams as well in the past.
"Ughh… Remembering it gives me a headache…."
"What gives you a headache?"
At first, he furrowed his brows in annoyance, but then he remembered the hospital room door was locked and he was alone. That cute and unfamiliar girly voice came out of nowhere. The reason why he recognized it as girly was that it was so disgustingly high-pitched that one could immediately determine it came from a young girl, not older than a middle schooler.
A cold sweat ran down his spine.
"Over here, over here, Takayama-chan!"
He tensed up, turned his head rigidly to the side, ever so slightly, like a rusty, unused gear, and created a gap in his left palm to generate ice in preparation for a fight. His left hand was behind covers so he could easily project a hidden weapon without this person's knowledge, fully prepared for the after effects to take its toll on him. That voice had likely came from a young girl, but he knew better than to judge people by their appearance.
This disturbing feeling was just like that time with that woman. An ordinary stranger would not be able to understand it at first, but someone who had came into contact with that side should be able to easily. They should easily recognize the representation of this warped feeling that was similar to unforeseeable terror.
His vision came within range of the presence of two people. One was a tall man with dark priest clothes and long, red hair and the other was a small girl with fluffy, cotton candy-like, blonde hair, an odd-looking dress suited for parties and a big black witch's hat. The man he could recognize, but the small girl was an unfamiliar face. She was around 12 years old and had likely been born in a foreign country because of her unique features. Underneath the rim of that pointy witch's hat was her eyes which were a pale blue, like the clear waters of a lagoon.
That girl stared at him mischievously while the tall man only glanced at him with no interest.
He recognized this man as the one who had previously tried to kill him, and one of those people who fought that battle at District 23.
If I recall correctly, this guy's name is Stiyl Magnus. What does he want with me? Takayama narrowed his eyes and focused his hostility on him.
In a one-on-one, he would stay and fight as long as it was within his ability. If it was a two-on-one, he would find a way to retreat so he could come up with a countermeasure. Despite this small hospital room, if he could just take out that light bulb at the center with his power, it would rob them of their sight and a chance will surely appear, no, he will make it appear. Once the light bulb was out, he will dash through the gap between them, slash door open, and run towards a safe zone in the hospital. They were about less than 10 meters so a full-on dash should be enough. If they split up looking for him, then he will snipe them one by one. But the only problem was that girl. To some degree, he knew what the tall man, Stiyl Magnus' ability was, despite working on completely different laws than science, but that girl was a completely unknown factor. If it was some ability that could bend reality, then it would all be over. After all, the laws they use were a complete mystery to him. Bending reality may not be all that too farfetched when it comes to their unknown rules.
"No need to be alarmed," said the girl with a beaming smile, but that only made him even more tensed. "We only came here to visit and to give you this." She gently tossed a medium-sized object towards his figure which was lying on a hospital bed, and he caught it hesitatingly. It could very well be a bomb for all he knew.
He felt that hard object in his hands. It was wrapped in something like dark lambskin leather. It was rough and looked out of place, especially in this modern day era. The length was just a bit longer than a TV remote and the width changed with each portion. Just by examining its size, he could already determine what this strange package contained, after all, he tried to replicate it just a minute ago.
"It was a good thing you woke up when you did and not later or we would have died like dogs in starvation," said the girl.
"What do you mean?" asked Takayama with every bit of caution in his words.
"Before she was imprisoned, Lucina put a curse on that thing to whoever was not its designated owner. That curse would eventually take shape at the designated time unless it was returned to its owner," replied Stiyl. "So we were unable to store it in the British Museum or Sword Sanctuary. The curse was crafted with old methods and eccentric symbols so we couldn't remove it no matter what we did."
"It was such an embarrassment for us at Necessarius, even though we claim to be the leading organization in Anti-Magician countermeasures," added the small girl.
At this point, Takayama felt his head had just took a long, rocky voyage in an accident-prone ship, and his head was very susceptible to seasickness.
"Wait, wait, wait, what the hell are you talking about? And who are you exactly?"
The small girl nodded, still with that carefree smile. "Sorry, that must have been rude of me. I am Morgan Le Fay, a member of the Church of England's 0th Parish, Necessarius. This scary-looking guy right here is called Stiyl Magnus, also a member of Necessarius, but you must have already known that."
The boy tried to take the information in with a grain of salt. Of course, not all of it was sinking in. But there was something which had took his interest.
"Magician?"
"That's right," replied the girl. "We are those who have no talent, those who use a different set of laws from that of science."
"That woman called herself a magician as well," said the boy. "She called herself Nemesis, I think."
"True, but not quite, Takayama," replied Stiyl. "That was only an alias she used for the ceremony they would be holding had they accomplished in retrieving the grimoires. Her real name is Lucina Greyheart, just a petty magician of a small magic cabal."
"What? I don't get it. Why change your name like that?"
"Heh, I guess it is hard to understand for someone from the Science side as you," said Stiyl in a mocking tone to which Takayama scowled. "The name Nemesis is the name of one of the four angels of the two elder gods, Nyx and Erebus, and it was part of their plan to play the role of these angels, however, they were lacking a fourth so that might have been next on their list."
"Wait, you're not making much sense again! What's with all these gods and angels!"
The girl, Morgan, let out a small sigh. "Ahhh… guess we have to explain from the beginning. Well, it's part of the reason why we're here."
"You didn't come here to silence me? I thought you would try and kill me after learning all these stuff about your laws."
"Actually, we considered that route, but we determined that it will be much more beneficial if you stayed alive."
The boy breathed a small sigh of relief, without losing his suspicions.
"We will tell you about Magic so that a novice like you won't stumble around and create any mishaps. We wouldn't want you arranging a ceremony unintentionally, and create chaos. Nope, we wouldn't want any of that," said Morgan. "So to begin with, you have to open your mind and accept that this world exists."
Takayama took a moment to recall all the recent events which have transpired. It was hard to believe, but he already had notions about other factors which exists in this world that do not fall into the category of Science, one of them was the Imagine Breaker. "My mind is already open." He wouldn't have if he hadn't indirectly used it back at that time. "I can accept that such unknown variables exist in the world."
That was the world he lived in. Science was not the only thing that exists, there was also Magic. He accepted it. Somehow the world has gotten bigger for the young Level 0.
"Good. You see, Magic has been in existence for a very long time, long before the establishment of your Academy City."
Takayama imagined one of those stereotypical role-playing games in a fantasy setting. There was usually an old man there who will teach the player about magic and will then give him ancient texts which were centuries old or send him to a quest to retrieve some mystical item.
"It is a special phenomenon created by refining one's life force and giving special meaning to one's actions, symbols, and objects. Of course, magic has no relation to scientific laws…"
At this point, the two have already sat down on the two chairs near the door, keeping their distance from him. The way they positioned themselves close to the door made him uneasy.
"Much like that odd energy you espers create, I guess you call it AIM, we of the Magic Side create mana, an energy used for manifesting magic. Of course, there is also natural mana all around us, it's just that mana we create is much easier to control."
Though he wasn't aware of it, the magician named Lucina had used that knowledge to create a disturbance in her opponent's spell, specifically, the clearing field which drives people away from an area, by stabbing her weapon on the ground, the weapon will disrupt the natural mana on the area she had stabbed.
"The phenomenon magic creates is much like those who use science. With the right techniques, one can shoot fire from their hands, become invisible, summon vast amounts of weaponry from thin air and create an excruciating amount of pain from a distance."
Takayama pondered on this. He wondered if he himself can use magic. If it's something like this then it should be no different from learning under the Power Curriculum Program, though he was still just a Level 0 and he flunked a lot in that curriculum.
"But don't get your hopes up, Takayama-chan." Morgan said as if reading his mind.
"Why not?"
"Because magic is only available to those without talent. If someone who had gone through that special program here in Academy City, became an esper, and used magic, there will be dire consequences. You will feel a gigantic stress on your body. It depends from person to person but some cases include internal bleeding and the popping of blood vessels," said Stiyl casually as if he had just dictated this dozens of times before, but Takayama was greatly surprised.
"…..What did you just say?"
"What's wrong, Takayama-chan?" Morgan noticed the unease in the boy.
"It's nothing…."
Takayama had gotten permission to leave the room and was now standing in front of a vending machine in the dark hallway of the hospital. The flood of information was too sudden so he had to take a break or else everything will just spill out. He was not alone, however.
"Hey, is this coffee jelly true? How can people drink from it if the coffee is entirely made out of jelly?" The magician named Morgan was peeking through the window of the vending machine. It was just an ordinary vending machine but the girl stared at it with curious eyes as if it was an invention from the future.
"Just go away, damn brat. I'm not some kind-hearted character who warms up to children." Takayama put some money into the machine and selected a certain brand of coffee, ignoring the small girl beside him.
"Ehhh? Why are you only nice to that doll-like girl? Something tells me you aren't being true to your heart." Morgan placed her fingers on her cheeks and put on a cute smile between her fluffy shoulder-length hair which looked like it was made out of cotton candy.
"That's none of your business."
"You know, if you buy me one, Morgan-chan's affection points will go up by 50!"
"Does it look like I care?"
That smile faded from her small face and he felt the atmosphere around her grew heavy abnormally. "I don't think you understand your situation, Takayama-chan."
"Wha-what?"
"I can destroy you with one flick of my finger."
"Where the hell did that cute act go to?!"
Morgan had eased herself and was now her cheerful self again. "If that won't work, then how about this?" An instant after she said that, purple smoke suddenly rose up from beneath her feet and circled around her. When the smoke had cleared, her entire form had changed, except for her sleeveless dress. She was now taller than him by roughly two inches. Her cotton candy hair was switched with a straight, almost bright brown with a mix of red, hair. Just by looking at her face, Takayama was immediately reminded of someone he knew. "Oh, my~ The chest part is really tight. I feel like they're just going to escape out of my clothes." Her dress was now stretched to its limits, outlining her extremely feminine form. She looked just like Athena in a sexy witch's outfit. That usual innocent face made a mischievous one and glanced over to the young boy. "So, how is it?"
She had expected him to give a funny reaction, with a nosebleed hopefully, but she was surprised by something entirely different.
"Are you done now?"
Through the ambient light coming from the vending machine, she saw his eyes filled with murderous intent. His hand which was out of reach of that light and in the midst of the shadows of the dark hospital hallway was holding an almost transparent blade.
"Sigh…. You can't take a joke, Takayama-chan?" She said in Athena's form.
"I can as long as you only involve me. But if you involve her in any of this, then I just won't let that go." Her earlier remark may not have been a bluff, she could really destroy him with a flick of a finger, but he was not concerned with that.
Her eyes narrowed and a crescent smile appeared from that peace-loving face. "You think you can protect her with just your meager powers? Your ice is as fragile as your heart. If a Saint were to appear in front of you to take her away, will your heart be ready to face death? Do you still think you can fight your way to protect her from this world you had just been introduced to?"
The boy snorted in disgust. "Tch… You're wrong. I don't fight because I think I can protect her, I fight because I have to protect her. Level 5, Magicians, whatever kind of monster comes my way, if I see that carefree smile of hers disappear, then I'll show them hell, and that includes you."
By this time, Morgan had regained her true form and shrugged. And suddenly, a cold feeling had touched her cheek which made her jolt up.
"That's enough, alright?" Takayama held out a can of coffee to her.
She blankly stared at the can before receiving it. Then she saw the boy walk in the opposite direction like nothing happened. "You really aren't being true to your heart. I think my points just increased by ten folds!" She smiled and followed him back.
The lecture went on for a while and topics became even more complex.
"So how do magicians draw their power exactly?" Takayama now gaining some foothold into the knowledge.
"You see, most of us draw our power through the worship of great religious gods and symbols. By giving special meaning to our movements and weapons through the correspondence of symbols we are be able to draw a portion of that power. We call this Idol Theory. Christianity, for example, puts on crosses around churches to create a protective charm because it is the representation of the Son of God and his powers manifests on to them. "
"But will it really work out just like that? Just because your regarding it as some important object, will it really create such special phenomenon?"
The girl grinned and put her hands to her hips. "That's just how the world works. And it's not just regarding them as important objects, you yourself must believe that magic exists! Oh, I'll give myself points for that one."
The boy frowned after hearing the last part of that statement.
"That weapon your holding is also proof of that. Magus Fornias, or what you call Mage Killer, is a spiritual weapon for cutting through lines of mana. It was originally made by the kings of old in the Dark Ages. The kings feared the mysterious power of the magicians so they supplied assassins with weapons to disrupt magic circles and runes."
"…. Why did she give it to me? You said there was some kind of curse attached to it which will kill anyone who is not its owner right? But shouldn't the owner be that woman?"
The girl shrugged. "We are not sure, but, she made it so that you are the real owner now, we don't know why though. She probably just wants to give you a gift or something."
Takayama stared at the package and felt its weight sinking in his hands.
"I think that's enough. We can get to the matter at hand now," said Stiyl from his seat.
"Right, right, we should tell you why exactly we're here now."
"This is because of that incident at District 23, right?"
"That's right," Stiyl replied before placing a cigarette on his mouth without lighting it up. "At the end of that affair, we were all unconscious so we have no idea what had happened. That troublesome spiky-haired boy was the last to arrive at the scene and was no help at all with the deriving of the conclusion of the fight. We only saw the leader of the cabal dead and his assistant frozen in ice so we were hoping you would give us a clear picture."
It did not take long for the boy to recall the turn of events that day. He told them what happened right after they fell in the hands of the man wearing a military uniform and his fight with the magician woman who had betrayed him.
"I see… Guess your death sentence has been delayed thanks to your contribution."
"How can you say stuff like that so casually?!" The boy shouted at the tall magician at the far end of the room.
"Still, she will be imprisoned. She is a dangerous criminal after all, that much is expected of her."
The boy's eyes widened. He had just realized something that he had buried away. A… criminal….? He might have forgotten about it intentionally or unintentionally, but nonetheless, that word had a direct connection with him.
"Moving on, there is something else we have to discuss with you."
Takayama frowned at that. He just wanted them to go away and let him get some rest. The night was already late. Now that he thought about it, not a single nurse came into the room to take care of the dinner platter and cups he had laying around, or even in the dark hall ways. These two must have done something to take care of that.
"You see," Morgan spoke up. "We have been investigating the root of this incident and we have found that someone unrelated to the Magic Side was involved."
"Someone who is not a magician or some cultist?"
"Most likely. But we don't know who. This person gave away secret information on grimoires stored here in Academy City to the magic cabal you fought."
"Didn't you question…. Lucina or whatever? And these grimoires, it's obviously Magic Side so why is it here in Academy City, the representative of the Science Side?"
"Of course we did. We even used all the spells at our disposal to question her, but we didn't get anything, sadly. It's as if all her memories of her encounter with that person had been erased. She said she could recall it during her mission, but the instant she left Academy City, all of it just disappeared. And about that last question…" Morgan let out a mysterious grin underneath the shadow of her witch's hat. "It's best you don't involve yourself with that affair."
"So now, we will be keeping an eye you."
"Wait, why me?! " The normal Level 0 boy protested. "I don't have anything to do with all this! You can trust me to not get involve with the Magic Side!"
"That's where you are wrong, Takayama Akito." Stiyl stood and was about to reach for the door. "This has everything to do with you."
"What?!"
"Because even though we couldn't find information on that person, we were able to find out one thing." Morgan stood up as well.
"And that is… ?"
"In compensation for the information on the grimoires, they were told to make contact with you."
Mistaken_Image - Reveal_First_Half
Athena, Tatemiya Haruka and Takayama Akito were walking across the bright streets of District 7. With Athena's secret out, Tatemiya decided to show Athena around Academy City.
"There's a lot of people around, huh." The boy looked on around the area. He was wearing his usual clothes, a white hoodie with a curious design imprinted on it and jeans. A small phone, almost like a music player, hung around his neck with a mascot strapped to it.
"So where should we go first?" Tatemiya Haruka asked her two companions. She was wearing her school uniform for some reason and her Judgment armband was not on her shoulder.
"I wish to eat at a restaurant with a special selection of gourmet burgers please," Athena suggested. "My conquest still has not reached its conclusion."
"Eh? But it's not even lunch yet."
"I'm fine with whatever," said the boy.
Tatemiya thought of where to go since her friends were of no help. Really, one cannot expect a normal answer from these two.
"How about you, Tatemiya-san? Where do you wish to go?"
"I honestly don't know. There's so many places to go to. However, some districts really don't have any places where you can stroll around, and I still only have places for five districts in my mind."
"Wait, are you thinking about going all around Academy City?!"
"Huh? Wasn't that the point of all of this?"
"You idiot! That's gonna take us all day! You're talking about walking around one-third of Tokyo!"
"Well, what else can we do?"
They walked for a while until the pony-tailed girl just stopped in her tracks.
"Do you guys mind if we stop at the 164th branch for awhile?
"The 164th branch?"
"Yeah, I'm a member of Judgment's 164th branch. Do you know what Judgment is, Ath-chan?"
"Yes, they are a student organization who keeps the peace in the city. One of their activities include arresting dangerous criminals who can threaten the lives of people living in Academy City."
For a second, the boy's face went blank right after hearing the brief casual exchange of words while Athena happily nodded.
"I forgot something at the office and it'll be really bad if it gets lost."
She heard the girl agree, but the boy's answer never came.
"What's wrong, Takayama?" She looked at him curiously. His eyes were very distant as if his mind was on a whole different place, and his expression was oddly serious, more serious than she had ever seen before.
Something had clicked in that boy's mind that the others had no way of knowing.
"… It's nothing," he casually replied as if nothing happened. His expression regained its calm and denying any of their previous suspicions."... just some unpleasant memories. The office is not too far, right? Let's go."
END AN:
I wanted to keep this chapter short as I don't want to bring the focus too much on Takayama Akito, but I felt that I had to tie all the loose ends first before heading towards the heart of the plot, and before I knew it, I had to cut Chapter 21 into two chapters. Well, at least the next chapter will come out sooner.
With this chapter and beyond I hope that the ties between the canon and non-canon will get tighter and hopefully the non-canon becomes a full member of the ToAru universe.
As always, reviews are much appreciated! I love reading reviews! If you got something in your mind or want to suggest something then please do review! I'll entertain your comments to the best of my ability! And if you want, follow and favorite as well!
EOF.