Aaaaand I'm back after so long! I've had such a busy month that I always find myself lacking sleep so I have to delay this chapter. -.-"
That and because I wanted to revise a chapter before releasing this one, namely chapter 8, but I guess I'll postpone that for now.
Now then, a new volume of the light novel is about to be released and I'm wondering if I can pull out some ideas for my next project from that one. I will be doing a new work centered around Accelerator after this arc and the following arc, so Paradigm will temporarily we be on hiatus for a while. Attractor Field is on my lowest priority list so that will most likely not be updated soon.
Anyway, I found this chapter difficult because there were so many characters appearing and I had to show them no matter what. Hopefully it came out as good as I expected.
So with that, hope you enjoy and leave some reviews afterwards!
Chapter 25 - Mental_Contradiction: Ruckus
Differences
"Please don't forget, Queen. There's a convenience store just two streets from here. You can get most of the supplies from there. For the cake, it definitely has to be from the bakery at the corner of this street. We may want to have something big enough for four or five people, okay? Oh, and do please invite Misaka-san. She is from a different dorm, but I'm sure our dorm manager will understand. It will be quite fun with the fellow Level 5 who you get along with at our party. The more the merrier after all! Huh? What about me? Well, I have no friends! So, in any case, please do invite Misaka-san. After all, I know you love being around her so much!"
The Number Five Level 5 of Academy City frowned when she remembered the instructions of her supposed clique member who had her status recently upgraded to roommate.
She was holding a basket with her left hand and a soda bottle with her other hand. For some reason, the Queen of Tokiwadai Middle School was uncharacteristically looking at a cheap soda bottle that usually only commoners had the mindset to buy while having a troubled look written on her face. Casual footsteps and small conversations could be heard around her inside the convenience store.
The reason for this was simple. While she was savoring the heavenly taste of her delicious cake roll, a topic was suddenly brought up by the glasses-wearing girl. It was to have a party to celebrate their being new roommates. She absentmindedly agreed, and the girl ran away in an energetic dash before she could take back her word.
She must have given up on buying items because she dropped the soda back to its bin and angrily stomped away from the store.
"Honestly, that beansprout sure knows how to order people around! And instead of helping me, she ran away to her dirty garage with a big grin on her face!" shouted Shokuhou as she now faced the street with nothing in her hands that could help in preparing for the party.
It was unthinkable.
For someone of such a high status as her to be ordered around, it was unthinkable. But it was her fault in the first place so she could do nothing about it.
Since moving in, Yuzuki Megumi had filled up their room with various power tools, far from what a high-class girl of Tokiwadai would do. The scent inside gradually changed from the melodious combination of honey and lemons to dirty crude oil. She was indeed a spontaneous girl who just does whatever she wants without concern for other people. Shokuhou just recently learned about this.
The blonde-haired girl looked exhausted as she stood by the street, deciding what she should do next. She could be relaxing by a café full of sweets right now and enjoying the nice afternoon if only this errand wasn't pushed onto her. She was not too far away from the School Garden which was the exclusive area meant for high-class girls so she could easily turn back now and head to that direction, but for some reason, she didn't.
This area looked a bit familiar. Taking a few seconds to realize that this was an area that certain spiky-haired boy frequents, she shook her head angrily. This was not the time to be getting mushy.
She was about to move on when a voice suddenly called out to her.
"Hm? Is that Shokuhou-san? What are you doing here?"
Swaying with the wind, the long, black hair of a girl whom Shokuhou vaguely remembers as one of the friends of that flat-chested Number Three caught her attention, and said girl returned her stare with an unsure smile.
"Golden hair, weird gloves, and outrageous breasts, just like what Misaka-san described. You really don't look like a middle schooler. Ah, did I sound overly familiar? I'm sorry." The girl named Saten Ruiko politely bowed a little when she was just within reach. A bag pack was loosely hanging behind her back which made Shokuhou slightly curious. "You probably don't know me, but I'm friends with Misaka Mikoto. My name is Saten Ruiko."
For a moment, Shokuhou Misaki's glistening half-closed eyes looked at her with disinterest. She had got into contact with her only once and that was during Daihaseisai when the matter with the Misaka clones had arose, but she had completely wiped all of Saten Ruiko's involvement with her so it was unlikely she recalled anything in particular.
"May I ask what brings you here, Saten-san? If I recall correctly, classes are still in session."
In any case, Shokuhou Misaki and Saten Ruiko were two people who were like the abundant and rich planet of Earth and the poor planet of Mars. Even if she wanted to, Shokuhou couldn't think of anything to say about her because of their differences. For whatever reason, it was a bit unnatural for them to meet up like this. She wondered if they were involved with this, but it seemed unlikely.
"Ohh… Classes just ended a bit early for me because of some meeting between the teachers, so I was just wandering around to kill time." Slightly nervous, Saten replied as she became more wary of Shokuhou's eyes.
But those eyes finally gave up and she let out a short sigh. "Well, it's none of my business what you do."
"But since you're here, doesn't that mean that classes have already ended for you, too? No, wait. Since you're a Level 5, your curriculum must be completely different from everyone else's!"
Level 5's were after all considered as honor students so a special schedule was often created for these special children who have advanced so far ahead in the standard curriculum. Saten must have imagined that case every time she thought of Level 5's. "They must have given you a pretty loose schedule and so you must have a lot of free time on your hands! Gahh! I'm so jealous!"
The starry-eyed girl took a brief moment to reply. "Yes, that's exactly it. You're very well informed for someone who goes to an ordinary public school." She smiled and nodded happily.
But Saten had missed her mark completely.
Hmph! It makes no difference whether I attend that 30 meter dash or not! Making someone overly exert stress into their muscles is a grave sin that no one should force on such a refined lady! In the end, it all comes down to one's own intelligence and academics!
As the super refined lady Level 5 continued to lead the normal Level 0 down the wrong path, a blonde-haired boy ran past them while being chased by some people.
Surprised, Saten turned her attention towards them while Shokuhou just casually side-stepped away and tried not to get involved.
"So anyway, I was thinking if you know this bakery," said Saten as she pulled out a pamphlet from her bag when the commotion disappeared.
Shokuhou twitched upon reading the name of the shop written on that paper, which only made the black-haired girl curious.
"Is something the matter?"
"N-nothing! I just felt a cold breeze all of a sudden!"
"Really? I didn't feel anything."
As Saten tilted her head a bit in a questioning look, Shokuhou was reminded of the troublesome errand she wanted to get away from. In this situation, she had to quickly change the subject before things take a turn for the worse.
"Oh? Isn't that it?! Shokuhou-san, I found it!" Saten pointed towards a certain direction.
"That's nice," replied Shokuhou as if it wasn't her concern. Her chance to finally split with this girl has finally come, she thought as she smiled in her victory.
"Come on, let's go!"
"Wa-wait, why am I coming too?! Is your ability to read between the lines the same as your level?!"
Just when the Level 5 Mental Out finally thought she was free, the Level 0 girl, whom was the representative of the normal students, crushed her authority and pulled her arm to the area across the street.
"Let's buy a nice cake and invite Misaka-san as well!"
"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
Judgment_Situation_No._1.
Mifune Hisako was one of the senior members of Judgment's 164th branch. She was a very serious member who took her job very, very seriously, especially when she was usually in charge of handling communication between them. Perhaps her talent with communication was related to her gaining the kind of ability she possessed. Apart from that talent, she was just an ordinary girl who liked pleasant and silent mornings accompanied with tea, earl grey if possible.
In any case, she was someone who couldn't stand for recklessness and unruly behavior within Judgment. One particular person she was constantly trying to keep an eye out was the rookie girl who just joined this year.
As she entered the empty office, she was reminded of what she had to tell that same rookie regarding the other members of Judgment.
"Ah, Hisako-san, good afternoon!" A girl with straight, black hair which rested on her shoulders stepped out of the bathroom at one corner of the office. It was Tatemiya Haruka, the rookie Judgment member. For some reason, her hair was not tied up in a pony-tail, and even more so, it was wet from taking a shower from that bathroom. Apparently, their office came with a large bathroom, equipped with a shower area. "I came in early since my tests at the lab were done. Anyway, where's Hajime-san?"
"…"
"What's wrong, Hisako-san?" asked Tatemiya as she rubbed the towel hanging around her shoulders on her wet hair that was usually tied up.
"Who are you?"
"IT'S ME! IT'S ME, HISAKO-SAN!"
"That voice… Haruka?"
"Why did it take you five minutes to realize that?!" retorted the rookie Judgment girl.
"Ahh, sorry, sorry, I didn't recognize you without that annoying pony-tail of yours," replied Hisako nonchalantly as she moved on and placed the laptop she was holding on a desk not too far away.
"Wait, I feel like something is definitely off with how you just put the topic aside like that! It's like you just decided that my existence was something trivial just now!" shouted the young girl.
After brushing off the issue of Tatemiya Haruka's existence, they began their usual Judgment work, which in this case were tons of paperwork. Just like usual, Mifune Hisako typed on her laptop peacefully while Tatemiya sat on the couch with stacks of paper sitting in front of her on a coffee table.
"Hmm... seems like Anti-Skill's handling of the exhibition for the newly developed Powered Suits is going smoothly, but they might still ask for help from us to handle the traffic around the event area," muttered the rookie Judgment member.
Judgment was a student organization which handles public safety and affairs around schools. They handle jobs such as finding lost objects, stopping streetfights, checking the security around schools, and so on. In more serious cases such as a bombing or a group of espers running rampant, Anti-Skill was usually called in, but there were times when the two would work hand in hand to resolve certain situations.
Hisako nodded and added a note in her desktop. She then took a brief glance at her young colleague and noticed something different about her. "Did something happen, Haruka? You seem kind of mature. And I mean that not because of your appearance."
The girl in question stared at her senior quizzically. "What do you mean?"
"I don't really know. I just sense something different from you. I guess it's kind of like when someone climbs a tall mountain for the first time and returns a changed person. I'm not sure, but I just feel you matured a little."
Haruka paused for a while before giving her reply. "Maybe it has something to do with my fight against Takayama." Her words carried a little weight more than usual. It was a mixture of acceptance and resolve.
"Takayama? That Level 0 who came to Academy City at the same time as you?"
"Yeah..."
"Takayama, the one who helped saved your butt after stupidly getting caught by Skill-Outs?"
"Y-yeah... wait, you're still mad about that?!"
"So what did fighting Takayama get you, you battle addict?"
"You're really on a roll today, Hisako-san! Have you finally decided to let out all that pent up rage you have within towards me?!" Since the time when she was starting out as a trainee, which had only been 4 months ago, Tatemiya Haruka was aware of that terrifying other side of her superior, Dark Hisako-san. Haruka brushed the back of her head for a while and then released the things which have been on her mind. "Ahh... I guess I was all wrong about Takayama, and myself as well. Unlike me, he's not chasing anyone, while I've just been obsessed with getting ahead of him every chance I get. I may have thought that in order to become a Level 5 you need a goal or someone to chase, but that's just not it. There is more to it than that, though I'm not completely sure myself."
Hisako listened to her and then replied, "hmm... there's really nothing I can say about that since I'm not too concerned of reaching Level 5. But changing the way you think about things can be good sometimes. That's how scientists usually begin their innovations in our world after all." She rested her elbow on top of her desk and pressed her cheek against her palm, "But if you really do want to find a good opponent, then why don't you ask Hajime?"
"Eh? Is there someone Hajime-san knows?"
Hisako gently shook her head in response. "You'll learn eventually."
Haruka tilted her head slightly as she wondered what Hajime Kaiji had to do with this.
"Anyway, Haruka, it's going to be lonely in the office soon. I hope you're prepared for more work." With a gentle stroke, Hisako brushed away the black hair obscuring the lens of her glasses and set it behind her ear.
"Eh? Why?"
"Because Kairi and the rest are graduating soon, and their busy schedules won't allow them to have the time to come to the office. Once they graduate from high school they'll immediately try to find work, except Kairi who is going overseas, which leaves only the three of us here in this branch."
"I see..." Haruka replied as her eyes fell to the floor.
Hisako looked at her and seemed to get an idea. "Why don't you get your friends to join?"
"Eh?"
"We will probably need some help in the future. The ones who rescued you seem capable enough. What were their names again? Atsuchi, Tsuyuri, and Takayama...? Anyway, why don't you ask them to join Judgment?"
Watching the rookie liven up after hearing the idea, Hisako couldn't help but smile. That was the other side of Hisako as well.
A TV was playing some news in the background, displaying the current strife in Europe and the increasing negativity of the people of the Church towards Academy City.
Hisako was grumbling over the news while spinning her pen around her thumb when Tatemiya's phone suddenly let out a soft ringing tone.
"Hello... ? Ms. President? What's up?" The girl could hear a soft but expressionless mumble over the phone. If one were to listen to it closely, then it's obvious that the voice belonged to a mature girl. Its last few words made Tatemiya Haruka jump in surprise. "Takayama did whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"
Troubles_Conclusion.
A boy named Takayama Akito had bad rumors circulating around him while he was hospitalized due to getting injured during the several conflicts he had got involved with, and most of it were true. He had been a menace to espers. He had sent them to the hospital one after another. And since no one knew exactly what fate they had ended up with, it's a possibility that they never recovered... or even died. It was an atrocity, and he was the one responsible for it.
Because of this, he was running with all his might through a series of crowded streets, back alleys and shopping centers from people who want to take revenge for their fallen esper friends or obtain fame by turning in a notorious criminal. He was being pursued by three people, previously six but the other three got wiped out along the way due to some weird people helping him for some unknown reason.
Using his knowledge of the back alleys and the maze-like structure of Academy City's streets, he took detours and forked paths, but the pursuers were annoyingly persistent.
"Damn it, just how much does he want us to run?!" shouted one of the three who seems to be the oldest.
"This coward... When I get my hands on him, I'll beat him up so badly he won't even recognize his own face." Another one howled.
The long chase did not make them exhausted as Takayama wanted. Unfortunately they just became more annoyed and frustrated so the chase became even more difficult.
Takayama took a right around a corner and rushed towards the nearby alley to his right again the moment it caught his vision. He had already lost count how many streets he had crossed. His breath turned into a cold mist as he grasped desperately for air. This reminded him of that one time he was pursuing an esper who can increase velocity during his days as an enemy of espers, except that right now, he was the one being chased. He wondered if that guy he had been chasing before was making a similar face to what he was making right now.
Regardless, he had to get away from this situation to return to his annoying errand.
The frantic sounds of hard leather and rubber stepping on pavement filled the alleys as they advanced.
This time he entered a mall through its loading dock where various delivery trucks were bringing out their goods to be added to the mall's inventory. But he did not stop there and went deeper inside. He didn't stop even stop when he had already reached the mall's interior.
He looked back when he had reached a considerable amount of distance.
People were walking in multiple directions and some were blocking his view, but this could also serve as a cover for him. He stayed like that for a while as he blended in the surroundings and listened to the mixed noise of people shopping.
It seemed like he finally lost his annoying pursuers. Outrunning people was not especially a talent he had, but the conflicts he had recently been involved with had toughened up his body.
"Finally..." The boy breathed a short sigh of relief. "Will this go on for a while? I don't like having people chase me every time I take a step out of school. If I'm lucky and they continue with this routine, these damn idiots will eventually get caught by Anti-Skill. I have to make sure she doesn't get involved with this as well."
Multiple shops lined up on both sides, emitting bright lights from their LEDs.
He took a minute to confirm where he was before deciding a route to his destination. He hadn't strayed too far on his original route so it made things easier.
Takayama continued his walk until a text message coming from the phone in his pocket interrupted him.
A frown appeared on his face when he read the message displayed on the screen of his rectangular phone.
It read as: "Hey, Takayama-san! Sorry I could not come to school today. I sudden got a fever and had to rest. Anyway, how are you? Are you getting along with the class? Are you perhaps missing my company? Now, now, no need to miss your beloved best friend just because he's not in school for a day..." What followed was a long stream of text full of delusional self-conversations and random remarks, and lastly, a cheeky emoticon often used by young female Japanese middle school students who share secrets with one another and often partake in intimate girl's talk.
"Tch..." An ominous click from the boy's tongue sent chills down the spine of everyone who was near the blonde-haired boy. It seems that his plans to beat up espers have been revived and taken up to a new, more brutal level that could immediately send him to jail.
The phone went into sleep mode after having its message closed, and the boy walked on, until it vibrated again just after he had taken two steps. This time, it was not a text but a call.
"Hello?"
"Takayama, what the hell are you doooooooing?!"
A female voice replied with an agitated tone and with a familiar choice of words. Takayama jerked back for a moment in surprise, but the loud voice continued.
"What the hell are you doing raising your fist against the student council president?!"
"I seriously don't know what you're talking about so could you stop screaming in my ear? You're seriously giving me a headache. And what's this about a president?" Takayama's brows ruffled together with every bit of his confusion.
A short pause followed Takayama's remark. In all likelihood, Tatemiya Haruka, the one on the other side, couldn't believe what she was hearing. "W-what the hell? Seriously?! Are you really a student at our school that you don't even know the president?! You even tried to punch her on the rooftop!"
Hearing the words "punch" and "rooftop" together immediately sent some sort of realization to the boy, like lightning coming down and striking his puny brain. Because of this, he can no longer retort back when someone calls him an absolute idiot. "Does this president have really long hair?"
"Yeah!"
"How about a face that doesn't move an inch even when you splash her with hot udon?"
"I-I don't really get it but that's possible!"
"... Okay."
"'Okay'?! That's all you have to say after doing all those stupid things?!"
Takayama knew he was going to receive a long and annoying lecture so he just left the phone on as he walk without listening to a word the girl was saying. By the time he reached the window of a small coffee shop, his phone emitted a faint beeping sound telling him that she finally hung up with a few words which probably sounded like, "... anyway, I'm glad you're back in school," although the blonde-haired delinquent probably didn't hear that.
"Finally, no more distractions," he said to no one, but a minute hadn't even elapsed when his phone started ringing again. This time it came from the small phone hanging around his neck that was attached to a strap and a tiny rubber mascot toy which looked like a burger with mean boggle eyes. The text from Atsuchi and the call from Tatemiya came from his other phone which was now inside his pocket, but this one was being received by the tiny seed-shaped phone which was reminiscent of an old MP3 player. Takayama had not implemented a particular sorting method in his contact lists so that a person can only contact him through a particular phone, or rather, he had only left two numbers registered on this tiny phone, one was his dorm's number and the other was from a person outside Academy City.
Through the small screen, Takayama peered over and saw a name whose face he hadn't seen for a long time.
"How are things? Have you encountered any problems as of late?" A calm voice said over the phone. The voice belonged to none other than Nunotaba Shinobu.
The blonde-haired boy did not need any hints in order to know what the exact topic of this conversation was going to be. "Yeah, seems Academy City completely gave up on that project. She's safe at my dorm, but I still feel that she should have come with you when you left."
"Well, don't let your guard down regardless. That other side of Academy City is completely unpredictable. If they felt like it, they would attack your dorm without a second thought if it means that their objective will be accomplished. We don't know if they have found out about our trick after all. Academy City's higher ups have a vast information network."
Hearing that, Takayama's heart began to race a little as he gripped his phone.
"And also, no matter what we would have said to her, she would definitely rather choose to stay there with you instead of leaving Academy City with me."
"Huh? Why's that?"
A brief silence took over the phone, but if one were to listen to it closely, then he would definitely hear a low exasperated sigh of someone who was giving up after having a conversation with an utterly clueless person who had absolutely no idea what was happening around him.
"What? Did you say something?"
"No, never mind. Anyway, don't forget about that thing we agreed upon."
"Yeah, her maintenance is coming up. Have you decided on the date where you can do it, yet?"
"Before October ends, at the earliest. I will pull some strings so that you two can come here in England so that I can take a closer look at her."
"Got it."
"Stay safe."
After the conversation ended, Takayama released his hold of the phone and moved on inside the mall.
Battle: Enclosed_Hangar_Arena – Wind_Distortion.
Wind rattled along the cabinets and walls of the enclosed hangar being used as a laboratory for eccentric machinery. Although it could only be identified as wind, its unseeable appearance made it difficult to say what exactly it was. For example, it could be tiny particles of sand being moved about sporadically from one another. Or, it could be nanomachines which could crawl through surfaces at high speed. A lot of things could imitate wind without actually being wind themselves. Something artificial could easily imitate something that was natural, just like an artificial diamond that was created in factories using tools that could exert high amounts of temperature and pressure, and a regular diamond that was naturally formed within the earth.
Regardless, the one in control of this phenomenon was the boy with a long, red scarf, standing in the middle of the wide open space surrounded by musty shelves and mechanical parts. Coincidentally, his jacket was also the same shade of red. His brown, chestnut-like hair hovered over his calm face, and smile, as they parted ways and formed some carefree words. "In any case, I'm just a normal hero you see anywhere, who came here to save you. Despite your cheerfulness, you're actually being used and over-burdened as a clique member because of Academy City's Number Five, right?"
The eyes belonging to the girl named Yuzuki Megumi became more fierce as she heard Shokuhou Misaki being mentioned.
"To that end, I came here to fight for you. Even though we have not met each other before, I'm willing to secure your freedom without any reward in return, just so you could smile in peace here in Academy City." His words were flamboyant, just like a hero coming to save the damsel in distress. That was truly indeed the words of a hero. "Without a doubt, I will save you no matter what kind of obstacle tries to block me."
Had he really came here to save her?
Whether this question appeared in the back of Megumi's mind or was just tossed away as swiftly as it came, it will remain a mystery. It was not because he didn't sound serious at all. In fact, he sounded too serious. It was abnormal for someone to have such great desire to save someone he doesn't even know.
"So make my job a little easier will you and tell me where Shokuhou Misaki is."
But that last line instantly set Megumi's doubts straight.
The girl took a few skips back and stuck her tongue out playfully. "I don't like liars so please stop spouting at words which are the exact opposite of your actions." As she said that, the noise inside the hangar continued its mild attack on the containers and parts along the shelves. "Just because you use the words 'save' and 'protect' together doesn't make you a hero, not like I really know or care what a hero is anyway, but I'm sure you're absolutely not what you say you are."
Amatsukaze's expression turned slightly bitter after hearing that.
"Essentially, for you to refer to the Queen as a villain is already a messed up delusion. You don't even know who she is so how can you tell that she is abusing me?" Megumi spat out "Someone who has spent a long time admiring her, like me, knows that she is a wonderful person, but even if they weren't, then it should be obvious to them that the Queen is not the type of person who causes problems."
The supposed hero, Amatsukaze Shiki, shook his head to those words. "Delusion? I think you're completely mistaken. Isn't it you who is being delusional?"
Megumi's narrowed eyes stared at him. "What do you mean?"
"The Number Five Level 5, no, Shokuhou Misaki."
That was the name of one of Academy City's seven Level 5's, the strongest mental ability, Mental Out.
"Don't you think you're just being manipulated by her?"
His words came out one after another, and in exchange, Megumi silently listened.
"Don't you think it's strange that a couple of high-class girls are wordlessly following her?"
Tokiwadai Middle School was home to the prestigious and rich. All of the students there were considered elites based on their academics, psychic ability, and social class, Yuzuki Megumi was no different. And standing above all of them as the most influential person was the "Queen." These high-class girls were voluntarily lowering themselves and becoming her followers.
Amatsukaze continued further. "She has the strongest ability when it comes to the field of the human mind. You yourself are aware that she can control people with the push of a button, so why is it so hard to believe that your words are not yours but hers? Why is it so hard to believe that the reason you're denying this is because she is making you? Why is it so hard to believe that you're just a puppet?"
That may have been the truth. Megumi had no way of knowing if she was being controlled or not. Even if she had been the one to ask Shokuhou to make room for her various power tools in the dorm, even if she had been the one to order Shokuhou to have a welcome party, there was no absolute proof that she was being controlled and that Shokuhou was just playing along. The puppet had no way of looking up and confirming if there was a puppeteer holding the strings attached to its back. The puppeteer wouldn't let him.
"But that doesn't change things." Megumi replied with strength in her words.
She may have been just an ordinary clique member, one of those countless, faceless Tokiwadai students who follow the Level 5 around, she may have only been a side-character whose universe only centers around Shokuhou Misaki, she may not be the one shining in the spotlight, but even so, there were things she knew that never changed whether she was the heroine or the side-character.
"I don't care if I'm being manipulated by the Queen. If she asked me to become her puppet, I would do so without any questions." Without looking away, Megumi slid her fingers around the synthetic fiber of the large cloth that was covering something even bigger beside her. "Whether she is just forcing me to believe in notions that aren't my own or not, doesn't change what I have to do."
Amatsukaze gave a look of someone who refused to believe anything.
"I won't mind being deceived if it means that I can stand here protecting someone, especially if it's the Queen," Megumi finally said and let go of the synthetic cloth.
That's when it happened.
A sudden wave of gust raged on towards her direction, blowing away anything and everything in its path like a giant tsunami. The entire hangar was filled with a loud noise similar to an airplane crashing. All the parts were sent back against the opposite wall instantly. And despite this sudden phenomenon stirring the inside of the enclosed space, Amatsukaze, the one who caused all this, stood still with a bored look, his scarf fluttering freely. "If that's how you're going to be, then so be it. I'll save you even if it means dragging your limp body away with your legs all broken and disoriented."
It all happened so quickly that it was hard to get a good grasp of what actually occurred.
Amatsukaze merely took a small step to his side then an absurd amount of pressure raged towards the direction he was facing.
Dust flew about everywhere so it was difficult to get a good look around.
The girl who stood there should've been blown away like a kite flying in a storm. Once the dust settles, her body will be revealed sprawled around somewhere.
But that wasn't the case here.
"Hm?"
Amatsukaze didn't see the girl but something else. The first thing that caught his attention when all the grey blocking his view disappeared was the giant synthetic cloth that was covering something. Its outline formed something like a large hill. That thing's size could almost reach the roof.
A second later, it made a sudden movement. Its bulky body tilted to the side a bit. A portion of it lifted itself up from the ground, making the cloth grow restless. It looked like it had arms pressed on the ground and was trying to lift one of them. Perhaps it was due to the remaining wind that the cloth was gradually blown upwards, completely revealing the iron giant hiding inside it.
It looked like a Powered Suit but much, much bigger, with metallic gray paint all over its exterior. It had giant arms which were drastically bigger than its stubby legs. Its torso was rounded like a bloated balloon. Its head was like a small drum with one long, horizontal slit around it, which was most likely where its eyes were to give it its vision.
"Good job, Mark I. You reacted faster than I predicted, although, you probably need some more oil in your right arm." Megumi appeared from the space behind the large arm. The giant had shielded her from the blast of wind with its arm pressed on the ground. The girl did not have a scratch on her.
"Is that what they call a Powered Suit? It's the first time I've seen one." With his hands in his pocket, Amatsukaze glanced at the machine which stood up menacingly.
Megumi shook her head, although she looked like she was enjoying herself at unveiling her creation. "Nope, unlike a Powered Suit, Mark I doesn't need a pilot operating inside him, but he still needs someone controlling him remotely. I was planning to show him at the next big science conference, but he's still kind of incomplete. I'm still optimizing the fuel I created which can be used on rockets instead of the ones which use hydrazine."
"So you're planning to fight me with that?" Amatsukaze said with a sneer.
"That's right, Mark I should be more than enough against a wind manipulation esper like you." Megumi took a few steps behind the robot. "That's Aero Hand, right? There were some students at Tokiwadai with that power so I know more or less what you can do."
Amatsukaze's lips formed a scowl as if he just tasted something disgusting. "Wind manipulation esper? Aero Hand?"
Perhaps she had not heard it, but Megumi did not react to Amatsukaze's dubious questions. It was as if he was hearing the terms for the first time even though they were widely used inside Academy City, the city where espers were developed daily inside classrooms.
"Now how should I deal with you?" Megumi raised that question up in the still air of the hangar. "The best course of action here is probably to knock you unconscious and bring you to the Queen so she can extract information from you with her power. Well, Mark I needs exercise anyway so this works well for me as well."
A loud crash followed. Mark I had raised its fists at chest level, wound up its entire body, and slammed a fist down towards the boy. Despite its largeness, the giant moved as if ignoring its weight. The ground greatly shook due to the immense force.
"W-wait, Mark I, that's too much power you're putting in there! I don't want you to flatten him up like a pancake! Oh no, did I kill him?!"
After a second, Amatsukaze appeared away from the robot's fist.
"I didn't get him? Did he create a tornado with his hands and pushed himself back to evade Mark I's attack at the last second?" Megumi glanced over towards the brown-haired boy.
Amatsukaze stood there lazily on the other side. "What are you talking about? This damn thing just swung and missed."
Megumi raised her fist in unison to the robot. A second later Mark I took a few thundering footsteps forward and made a huge sweep with its wide arm towards Amatsukaze. But the boy seemed unconcerned. As if he almost forgot about it, he took a step back at the last moment and avoided the strike which could knock him all the way to the far side of the hangar.
Megumi noticed something strange with this. She was sure that he did not have room to evade even if he did the action he had just done. Mark I's strike should have been deadly accurate. There shouldn't be a flaw in its distance perception.
Amatsukaze took the initiative this time. He zoomed in past the giant at a speed that was hard to follow. It looked like a jet gliding through the air at Mach 1. But Megumi noticed something strange about this as well.
In an instant, he was right in front of the girl with his arm stretched out to her.
Megumi couldn't react in time, and even if she had, something was preventing her from moving. "Wh-what?!"
She struggled to comprehend what was obstructing her. It's not like she couldn't move at all, it's just that moving itself was extremely hard, like being inside quicksand, or like two giant cushions were squishing her body. She moved her arms, but just moving them a few centimeters made for a hard task.
"You're controlling that thing using your movements with motion capture, right? If so, then all I have to do is stop you from moving. I swear everywhere around this city is full of strange technology." Amatsukaze said as he stood in front of the girl with one open hand placed directly in front of her. "Now shut that thing down and I promise no more harm will come to you. A hero must prevent excessive damage and casualties after all."
A shadow loomed over Amatsukaze just as he stopped speaking. It was the giant's fist hovering above him like a guillotine.
A loud cracking noise resounded. The floor beneath the robot's fist was entirely devastated, and cracks ran along in all directions from the point of impact.
"I said you're putting too much power, Mark I!" Megumi said, slightly annoyed. "Well, it's not like I got him anyway." She looked over to the left and saw the boy standing a few feet away. "Those are some nice reactions you got."
Amatsukaze patted his jacket. He didn't look arrogant, angry, frustrated, or anything else. He was just placid, as if doing a task with a small degree of motivation. "So it wasn't motion capture?"
"Of course not," Megumi shook her head. "You probably know what a transducer is, right? Things such as sound can be converted into another form of energy. A transducer in a microphone can convert sound into an electric signal. The same can be said for a loudspeaker. That's why electricity or radio waves aren't needed in order to control Mark I, unlike UAV's. I only need to send a signal and the special transducer inside Mark I will translate it for me."
"That's related to your power, isn't it?"
Although Megumi was confident in her ability, she was really starting to wonder what kind of wind manipulation was causing all this, but she had more than enough time to know what after she incapacitates him and deliver his body to her queen. As long as he doesn't find out I can generate micro-vibrations in metal and the ground as a signal for Mark I, and he doesn't lift me off the ground to cut off my signal, I'm safe.
The giant did another sweep along the ground towards Amatsukaze, and this time, Megumi was able to see it. That attack had not missed just as she expected. Something had changed its direction. No, it was more or less like something invisible had deflected the attack as it came. The attack's course was changed, getting its long arc disrupted and replacing it with an unnatural, crooked one.
"Wind? But Mark I's weight and aerodynamics shouldn't be a problem against wind. You're going to need more than a typhoon to move Mark I," Megumi proclaimed from a fair distance.
Amatsukaze stood motionless. "Why don't you try that again?"
The giant continuously stomped on the floor as it approached the boy. Sounds of steel clunking and scraping together filled the space. Its fist was directed towards him, but Amatsukaze did nothing to circumvent this. He remained calm as usual.
As the arm approached, it bent inward by a few millimeters and fell right in front of him. The metal fist created a large crack on the floor.
"You think someone like me can be beaten with this? You espers of Academy City are getting too full of yourselves."
Megumi's face formed signs of deep confusion. Something was not right. She felt something was not right even from the beginning of the fight, but it only became noticeable at this moment. The power Amatsukaze Shiki possessed was odd on a fundamental level, she thought.
For instance, while he was fighting with Mark I and deflecting its attacks, she could not feel the wind at all unlike when he tried to blow her away earlier. A large amount of wind pressure was needed in order to disrupt its movements because of its immense weight and its corrective algorithm reacting to anomalies in its movements, which will allow it to move precisely if it detects any errors, and she would have definitely felt that if it occurred.
At the start, the wind definitely surrounded the walls of the hangar because of how objects made a sound as they tried to resist it, but she did not actually feel it. That's right, she did not know it was wind because she felt it, she knew it was wind because she heard it. It's as if the only way to feel the wind was to become its target.
The way he addressed espers was odd as well, as if he was not one of them.
After some much thinking, she came up with a conclusion.
"Wait, don't tell me... you're not an esper of Academy City?! But even something like this shouldn't be out of science's scope!" Megumi shouted out loud. "Surely a wind manipulation esper can do this!"
Something artificial can easily imitate something that was created naturally, just like an artificial diamond that was mass-produced in factories based on regular diamonds that naturally formed within the earth. Sometimes an artificial diamond can easily be mistaken for a natural diamond by non-experts. Due to their popularity and numbers, artificial diamonds became more prominent than the real ones. Due to their convenient characteristic of being easy to manufacture, artificial diamonds outnumbered the natural ones by a distinctive margin. It made the natural diamonds rarer, but that also made artificial diamonds more sought after. The value between the real and the artificial became blurred and people eventually switched their attention to the artificial ones and began investing scientific means to their production, making those stones formed within the earth abandoned. Most people already don't know what a real diamond looks like.
This situation was similar. Yuzuki Megumi had mistaken the identity of the diamond she was facing.
Taking a step forward and instantly pushing the giant's fist planted on the ground away with his abnormal power, Amatsukaze Shiki finally had enough of being mistaken as one of the research subjects of this city of science, one of the inferior, cheap, mass-produced artificial diamonds.
"Don't you dare compare me to you espers of Academy City! None of you know what having real power means!"
A great noise blew away everything around Amatsukaze Shiki.
Gemstone
After walking a long distance, Takayama finally reached his destination. He entered the facility known as the Kihara Research Institute, a long and narrow building covered with platinum grey walls and dark blue windows, and was immediately met by a strange golden retriever at the entrance.
"Well now, I didn't expect to find you here again, boy."
If one were to hear it up close, then he would either be confused or startled. But nonetheless, words escaped from the dog's mouth as if it was a regular occurrence. It was indeed strange, but for a city so technologically advanced, a conclusion involving something like a voice transmitting device will eventually come up to whoever witnessed that phenomenon. Nobody around heard it except for the blonde-haired boy. But the boy treated it like a regular occurrence as well.
"Ahh… umm… what was it again… ? Kihara… Noukan?"
The golden retriever looked at him apathetically. "What brings you here today?"
With a look of annoyance, Takayama scratched the back of his head and replied. "I just need to ask that bastard a couple of questions."
The golden retriever, Kihara Noukan, watched as the boy leave his presence and ran further inside the facility, even though that boy might get caught by security once they find out that he was unauthorized to be here.
When Takayama reached the office that he had visited countless times before, a man was standing and facing the window towards the clear blue skies of Academy City. He had jet-black hair and glasses with a narrow frame. He wore a white lab coat under his expensive-looking business suit. He was handsome, but not outwardly unique. In general, he didn't have anything which made him especially stand out apart from his looks.
"Did something happen, Takayama?"
The boy walked towards the middle of the office where a low table with a glass top lie.
The man in front of him was known as Kihara Kiyosu, a researcher of the inner depths of an esper's brain and its relation to the laws of Quantum Mechanics. If one were to put it, he was someone who looked towards the brain's characteristics and made analysis of it based on the wide, open field of psychic powers which worked on the laws of Quantum Mechanics. And he was a power developer for Level 0's who have yet to display something that could be considered as a supernatural phenomenon, although Takayama Akito has yet to meet any of the other Level 0's.
"I want some answers. I figured you were the best choice for these kinds of stuff since you know so much about the brain. I may know some things about Personal Reality, but this is completely out of my league. Actually, I'm not even sure whether this is a problem with Personal Realities or not. It's like I'm trying to figure out whether it is a problem with the hardware or the software."
Kihara Kiyosu turned towards him and spoke in a lax voice. "Is this about your power? Cryokinesis was it?"
"You knew?"
"News travels fast, Takayama." He casually walked towards his desk facing the table and the young delinquent boy.
"How did you know?"
"I have my sources," replied Kiyosu as he sat down on his comfy chair made out of pitch-black leather.
Takayama looked annoyed but decided not to press that topic. "So? Do you know anything about this?"
"Not a clue," he gave a small shrug and a glimpse of mischievousness, which Takayama was already used to. "And I don't have any interest in pursuing it. You know me, Takayama. I focus on my work first and foremost. If you have any conditions or anything related to that, then go see a doctor, or even your school counselor."
The boy focused his glare at the researcher, who didn't seem to care. "You're lying. Someone such as you who've researched a thousand brains can easily notice if something is wrong."
"Well, how did you know it was a problem with the brain?" Kiyosu replied as he rested his elbows on the desk and leaned forward, all the while not losing any composure at all.
Pausing for a moment to gather his findings, Takayama spoke up clearly. "Because it always happens when I use my ability at a certain level, and if I take it beyond that, I might as well be dead."
In a slow a motion, Kihara Kiyosu adjusted his glasses and sighed. "Have you ever heard of cases where an esper uses his power too much and receives a negative impact in his body?"
Takayama remembered what Tatemiya Haruka said to him while he was in the hospital.
"You see, Takayama, it's not all that a curious case. I remember something similar with a boy who had the Thoughtography ability. It was the same. Ask the doctors and they will surely tell you the same thing."
When Takayama couldn't disprove anything Kihara Kiyosu said even though he desperately tried to in his head, the room was engulfed in silence. The boy couldn't think of anything else that can shed some light on this matter. All he could do now was wait or look for some other specialist.
"Hey, have you ever heard of a 'Gemstone'?" Kiyosu inquired with a hint of playfulness in his words.
Takayama got out of his silent state and shrugged. "No, what's that?"
Kihara Kiyosu smiled and nodded. "Well, before that, are you aware of the goal every researcher who has worked on since they started here in Academy City? Have you ever heard of the theory called 'SYSTEM'?"
Takayama looked as annoyed as he replied, "I've heard the term 'SYSTEM' before, but I don't know what it is."
"Not like I expected you to." Kiyosu let out a sigh of disappointment, and a cross-shaped vein popped up on Takayama's forehead in response. "SYSTEM refers to the final stage of an esper's growth."
The boy's eyes widened as he heard that.
"It refers to Level 6." Kihara Kiyosu smiled.
"L-Level 6?! But espers have only known to reach Level 5! How can Level 6 be possible?!"
Hearing the boy's confusion, Kiyosu couldn't help but smile and chuckle. "Yes, that's right. So far, we have reached the wall that is Level 5, and only seven were able to reach that stage. But whoever said that it ends there? As a Kihara, it is stupid to get trampled over by such norms. There is no other way but to crush that boring crap and prove that science go beyond such meaningless boundaries." Kiyosu found himself changing his tone to something aggressive. "That is why the Kiharas and the rest are trying to go beyond Level 5 and enter Level 6, God's calculation."
"And what does Level 6 have to do with this 'Gemstone' huh?!"
Kiyosu readjusted his glasses again before giving his reply. "Ahh... that's right. Gemstones are what you could call espers who did not obtain their powers from Academy City's Power Curriculum Program, or from any form of drugs and hypnosis. In other words, they are the espers who got their powers naturally. Whether they were born with that power from the start or their environment groomed them into getting it, we are unsure."
Takayama froze up when he heard that. "Wh-what... ?!"
That was like a gigantic blow to all the efforts he had done so far. For Takayama who had worked so hard to obtain a power and had lost some of his friends because of it that sounded like a cruel joke. "Unforgivable," sounded a deep, dark voice deep in his mind which sounded too familiar. Everything suddenly faded.
"Unforgivable," said a boy hooded in pitch-black. Rain and thunder seemed to materialize as the room grew dark. If an esper who trampled on the efforts made by Level 0's could be considered as a foul villain, what more was a Gemstone who did nothing to obtain his power? Somewhere in that darkness, a thin smile seemed to appear. A Gemstone was someone who received their power whether they liked it or not. Those without that power may have deserved it more than those who did. One could not help but protest at such an unfair conditions.
But suddenly, the sound of a mascot toy thumping against a cell phone screen echoed. It was a soft sound, but it had so much clarity that it overpowered the rain and thunder. It was like a water droplet falling down on a still pond and creating a ripple in its wake. Everything seemed to disappear, the rain pelting against the wet glass, the thunder reverberating against the broken concrete walls, everything except for that toy and that phone.
The scenery went back to normal in a blink of an eye.
"The Gemstones have a queer power. Each and every one of their abilities is difficult to understand when comparing it to the abilities found in Academy City. So, have you ever heard of the Number Seven Level 5?" Kihara Kiyosu spoke from his desk. "His name is Sogiita Gunha and he is a Gemstone. He is also a candidate for SYSTEM. A natural esper such as him can also overtake the artificial ones and become Level 6. Anyway, I just wanted to share this information with you since I have taken an interest in them lately. I might make them the focus of my research for a while."
Takayama scratched his wild blonde hair and didn't look interested at all. "If that's all you have to say, I'm leaving."
He put his hands in his pockets and headed for the door when Kiyosu suddenly called out.
"I forgot something. Since you are now able to display your power, I thought that you'd be suited for this." He reached out for something within the desk. "In any case, why don't you have a look at this for a while?"
Kihara Kiyosu placed a sheet of paper out front for Takayama to see. It had a long notice printed in tiny letters which were hard to read. Looking puzzled, the blonde-haired delinquent had to pick it up and stare at it closely.
Since it would take long for Takayama to finish reading every single detail in that paper Kiyosu went ahead and explained the point of it. "It's called the Physical Aptitude Remedial Tests, students call it PARTs for short. Anyway, it's a new form of method for crediting students in advancing their rank, and with the possibility of advancing their level as well. Students are given the choice to take part in it in order to obtain some points which will be counted in their grades in school. If you score high enough in that test, you will get an instant pass in your final grade for this term. The overall structure is simple, you will compete with other students in a series of physical tests, think of it like P.E. Anyhow, once you pass a test, you move on to the next, and your grades go up. If you fail, then you will have to wait another term in order to compete again. If researchers monitoring the tests see you have what it takes, then your level will go up, which in this case, Level 1, but that is only true for Level 0's who have some form of power." Kiyosu rubbed his temples and looked troubled. "Really, the guys at the department come up with the strangest things."
"Isn't this just a wrestling tournament for espers?! It's practically the same as that esper arena back at Daihaseisai!" The boy shouted at the top of his voice which made the researcher plug both of his ears. "No way in hell I'm doing that again, you bastard!"
Battle: Enclosed_Hangar_Arena – Conclusion.
"So she found out in the end…" Amatsukaze muttered as he sat idly on a bench inside the hangar.
"You're a Gemstone, aren't you? That power isn't wind manipulation but something different, though not completely unrelated. What you're doing isn't really generating wind and controlling where it will go. What you're doing is something like changing the air resistance around an object and at specific points," she had managed to say in the final moments of the battle. "But that is something that completely disobeys the laws of science..."
Amatsukaze remembered waiting patiently.
"The sizes, dimensions, and the weight are completely disregarded... It didn't matter if the wind was only a gentle breeze, or if the object weighed a ton. You only need to alter the resistance of whatever you want to be blown away and it will."
But he had replied scornfully, "No, no matter how much you try, you will never understand. A test subject like you can never truly understand what this power is, not even that coward called Jetstream."
And then he ended everything instantly. The girl's unconscious body lay on the floor not too far away. She was sound asleep, but the rest of the hangar was busted up and chaotic. Everything was scattered everywhere. The containers were smashed into pieces, the walls were filled with holes, and what lay scattered across the floor would have broken the heart of that girl were she to see it. The metal giant was completely destroyed. Its limbs were torn apart and sprawled around the floor.
"Now to bring her to that noisy girl." Amatsukaze got up from where he sat and approached the unconscious girl. "This should stop those buffoons from creating such a ruckus."
Battle: Grand_Stadium – Start!
Takayama Akito got escorted out of the building by two buffed up security guards wearing cheap suits.
He was now standing by a street in front of a fast food restaurant. On one hand was a plastic bag carrying two hamburger boxes for that curious girl at his dorm. On the other hand was the piece of paper Kihara Kiyosu gave him.
"Guess I have no choice huh... If I want to continue on living on this tight budget, I have to fight for it." He took one last look at it before folding it and putting it back in his pocket. "This time, I'm going to do it right. I'm going to become a Level 1."
It didn't take him long to walk through the streets under the sun, which was starting to set, and reach his dorm.
I've found you...
"Huh... ? Kamijou?" Takayama found the spiky-haired boy lounging by the foot of the staircases near the entrance. "What are you doing here?"
"O-ohh... I was just taking a breather. Studying in a cramp room these days can be distracting." The boy named Kamijou Touma shrugged and tried to put a carefree smile.
Takayama frowned and sensed something off. "What's up? Something troubling you?"
Kamijou scratched the back of his head and leaned against the wall in order to look up towards the sky which was turning orange as the clouds drifted in the distance. "For a while now I feel like I've been walking around without a clue in the world. It feels like I've been missing a lot of things. I feel like I've met that girl from that night before, but I can't remember..."
I've finally found you...
"I think I understand what you mean. All these people have been pushing things on me non-stop." Takayama did the same as the plastic bag rustled in his hands. "But since I'm no longer alone, I just have to suck it up. I'll just hear complaints from her if I don't."
Suddenly, a disturbing presence stopped its steady advance from a fair distance away from the two.
"I've finally found you." A figure spoke in a raspy voice.
It did not take long for the two to realize that they were being watched.
"Who are you?!" Kamijou faced the stranger looming under the dying sun at the end of the path leading to the street. He couldn't quite clearly see that stranger's face because of the long, grey hair hanging over his face. His shadow seemed to meld with his black figure, or the other way around.
"At last, you pathetic runt, I finally get my chance at getting rid of you."
As the sunlight passed through the dark face hidden underneath that hair Kamijou seemed to have an idea who this person really was.
"Hey, wait. I remember you." Kamijou gritted his teeth. "You're that old guy who tried to mess with this city's peace a week ago. Didn't the Anglican Church already take you in?!"
Something like a smirk crept up on the face of that person known as Hypnos. "I didn't let myself get caught unlike those children of the cabal."
Kamijou seemed to get annoyed as he clenched his fist. "Alright, you're after Index aren't you? Well come on then! I'll beat you up just like how I did back then!"
"I'm sure you haven't noticed it, Kamijou Touma."
Kamijou gave him a curious look as soon as he heard that, while Takayama just looked really confused at what was going on.
"I have been the only one in control of that spell which affected Academy City. But did you know what the range of that spell was? Did your allies from Necessarius ever tell you?"
Kamijou recalled it. He was inside Academy City's District 7 the entire time. The overall situation was a massive traffic caused by some drivers losing their consciousness and undergoing a hypnotic state, his classmate, an agent of Necessarius, told him. The area under its effect was huge. It would have taken a huge amount of mana to pull it off. No normal magician was capable of that even within the ranks of Necessarius.
"Please do not look down on me because of your frivolous victory during that time. I was weakened because I had to carry out that spell at such a big area."
Takayama stepped forward. "I don't really get what's going on, but can you quit bothering us? I know some people at Judgment so you'll think twice if you know what's good for you."
The man clicked his tongue. "I only came here to get my revenge on Imagine Breaker. I don't care for a stupid boy like you."
"What was that, asshole?! You tryin' to pick a fight or what?!"
"D-don't get too agitated, Takayama."
"Damn it, Kamijou. I still can't completely stand espers acting high and mighty even after fighting that Nemesis woman, but I also don't like how this guy thinks he's some kind of king!"
The man chuckled to himself arrogantly, but then something caught his attention. It was the black boxes being held inside a plastic bag by that blonde-haired boy's hand. His eyes widened and it seemed like he was getting a stroke. "Tho-those are the grimoires! Where did you find them?!" He screamed in a disturbed voice with no idea that those were just cheap cheeseburgers of a famous chain store found everywhere in the city. Takayama and Kamijou nearly jumped when they heard his voice.
And then a sudden change occurred. Takayama fell to the ground and let go of the plastic bag he was holding, and Kamijou nearly fell as well, but he reflexively touched his head with his right hand.
"Wh-what happened?!" Kamijou shouted out loud and looked towards his fallen friend. He felt his head ache from the sudden occurrence.
In the next second, a dark smudge-like object appeared from the estranged man's shadow, raced through the walkway, and snatched the plastic bag.
Kamijou went over where the blonde-haired delinquent was lying and touched his head with his right hand. Takayama awakened in an instant and looked around curiously.
"I now have the grimoires!" Hypnos raised the bag holding the cheeseburgers with his skinny hand. A weary expression appeared on the two boy's faces due to the awkward scene. An uncontrollable laughter escaped his lips as his body shook heavily. "Hahahaha! Wonderful! This is absolutely wonderful! With these grimoires, I have all the power I need to perfect that ceremony! Perhaps I should thank you, blonde-haired boy. You just allowed me to get my hands on the very things I need! But I still have to get my revenge on you, Imagine Breaker. So, if you don't want any harm to befall on this city, come to the West District Grand Stadium before the sun sets. And if you call any of your Necessarius friends, then you'll find out that this city will have a bleak future ahead."
The magician disappeared in an instant and left the two boys staring dumbfounded at the space where he had been.
But there was only one thing that was on Takayama Akito's mind throughout all this.
"Give me back my damn burgers, you burger thief!"
END AN:
And let the mayhem begin! Damn, I love battles! First off, the initial plan for this arc will be a separate story line for the current main characters: Shokuhou Misaki, Kamijou Touma, Takayama Akito, and Tatemiya Haruka. This may change depending on which part of the story though. Focusing on so many characters is quite hard, but I really enjoy exploring their field of vision. Next is the Level 5's. Though not completely centered around them specifically, I will try to show how much the other espers of Academy City regard them, and with Shokuhou Misaki as the representative.
Lastly, I will end this chapter with the beginning of a short magic-related conflict because I felt that I have left a lot of things out, although I hope that this will be a welcome detour for you all.
Okay, I think I covered everything, but just in case, please leave a review and some feedback! Thank you!