Chapter 28 - Mental Contradiction: Dead Night


Harmony

Once the curtain of the night fell over the sky, Academy City's nightlife began. Schools closed, streetlights turned on, and students were ushered back into their dorm. The night sky hung over all. Not all students had curfews however, so a lot of them could be found roaming the streets along with the adults. It was usually at this time that you might find troublemakers who do not obey the city's laws doing nothing worthwhile out in the open.

A boy named Takayama Akito had once been one of those troublemakers back when his hate for espers was on the line of unforgivable. Now it was more of a slight irritation. He did not have any kind of piercings, tattoos, or body modifications that could attract the attention any discipline committee member, but he did have dyed blonde hair that was messy in every sense of the word and a strange habit of wearing only clothes with hoods on them.

Dirt had managed to get through his school blazer and into his white hoodie, but he did not mind all that much. He was more concerned of the fact that his tired body might not be able to make it back to his dorm. At any rate, he limply walked through the side streets of the city with a tired face and a bag holding a single special burger which had an odd name of Nutritious Burger-kun. That part was important. He was only able to salvage a single burger of the two he bought. It was a given that he had to give it to that girl staying at his dorm, which only left with the question of what he will do with his own dinner. His allowance was limited so he didn't have any choice but to excavate his refrigerator for leftovers.

He let out a long sigh as his bruised hand opened the door to his room. "I'm back… ughh…"

"Welcome back, shishou!" The girl named Athena immediately stood up once she heard his voice. "What is that you are holding?"

The warm atmosphere of the dorm eliminated any worries left in his head, or it could have just been that girl who walked up to him hastily like a child. Inside, an average-sized TV was showing some random romance drama which that girl was probably watching before he arrived. It was the usual sight of the Takayama dorm. He did not have any extravagant furniture, and the overall space was not suited for two people to live in, but even so, this was home. This was the only place where he did not have trouble being himself.

"Dinner," Takayama replied with no energy in his voice. "Anyway, eat up while I go find any treasures that might be hiding in our stock."

Athena tilted her head slightly under the light of the room as Takayama handed over the bag to her and trudged through the kitchen towards his only salvation. His footsteps echoed as it landed on the carpet and wooden flooring.

"But if I remember correctly, there is only a piece of seaweed, dried mushrooms, and eggs which have roughly expired in the refrigerator."

"What?! You've got to be kidding me!" Takayama instantly pulled the handle once he heard that. The refrigerator door swung open with a loud whoosh. Cold air escaped, providing a gentle breeze.

Empty.

Disregarding the pitiful pieces that could hardly be called ingredients, the interior looked clean enough that one might start thinking that it was fresh from the manufacturing facility. Takayama stared at the sparkly space with his jaw hanging open. He was supposed to receive the all-important hero's reward after slaying the demon king and bringing fortune and peace to the kingdom, but there was nothing in front of him. The world seemed to tilt on him in that moment.

"D-do not worry, shishou! I will not simply leave you behind to starve!" Athena announced with a determined look while the boy remained in a state of shock. His brain seemed to be searching for something that wasn't there. "We can surely find a way to solve this if we put our heads together. How about I ground up those ingredients into powder form and combine them with the tablets lying around? I can surely make a mixture that can fool your brain into thinking that you are not hungry! We only need a beaker, a flask, and a small burner!"

"Don't turn my room into a chemical laboratory! That knowledge is great, but you need to direct it into something that a person can find ethical!" Takayama snapped out of his dazed state and began thinking of an alternative in order to prevent himself from starving to death in the middle of the night. He had avoided that ending countless of times before during his life here in Academy City, but this was the first time he got this dangerously close to facing death. Even if he ate all those tiny scraps which were being obscured by the glittering sparkles of the interior of his refrigerator, he would still starve. He needed something that could last him even a night so he can find a permanent solution tomorrow. "Alright, I think I have an idea."

"Yes…?" Athena watched the boy regain his composure.

"There's a convenience store not far from here which sells super cheap bentos. They're not that good, and they're expiration dates are questionable, but they're edible."

"If I may voice my disapproval, I think my suggestion would be a better choice than that. I will make sure the nutrients you will get will accelerate your growth rate and wipe out any harmful bacteria in your system."

"No thanks! It has been a while since I've tasted real food! I'll settle for anything at this point as long as it's something I can sink my teeth into without tasting something bitter and empty!"

After changing out of his dirty school uniform, Takayama hurriedly led the way out of the dorm while Athena, with cheeks puffing angrily and somewhat cutely, looked displeased at her suggestion being rejected. The two walked side by side, passing the lamp posts that shone bright lights on the pavements and restaurants that made Takayama's stomach grumble. His fatigue had eventually been replaced by the thought of food and his survival instincts. They crossed a road and entered a street which was surrounded with a variety of stores on both sides.

"Come to think of it, shishou, why were you late in heading home? I was really worried." With her innocent sky blue eyes, Athena glanced over to the delinquent boy, who had his hands inside his pockets.

Takayama lightly scratched the back of his head before replying to that question. "I got a little sidetracked on the way by something absurdly stupid."

"Sidetracked...?" The girl tilted her head to the side a bit as she pondered on that word.

"It means taking a detour."

"Hm hmm... Does this happen often? It has not been long since I took residence at your dorm, so I am quite curious of shishou's daily routine." The girl said in her usual graceful voice.

"You're curious of what I usually do?" The boy replied with a surprised looked, and the girl blushed and looked down as she met Takayama's stare. That would have made anyone's heart skip a beat, even just a little. But Takayama was different. "Well, you're only going to be disappointed. I'm just a normal Level 0 who is sometimes being treated as a guinea pig by this lazy scientist just like any student here, except I'm just a past time for him thanks to his honor students. But most of the time I just head home after school since I don't have clubs or extracurricular activities. It's a pretty normal life."

"If I remember correctly, you are classmates with Atsuchi-san and Tsuyuri-san. It must be fun having friends like that in school."

"It's not bad. Although, I think Tsuyuri is kinda weird." Takayama crossed his arms and wondered why that girl who sat beside him in class was always trembling and looking like she was about to face the guillotine.

"So shishou's daily activities constitutes of normal things that any Academy City student would be familiar with, I see."

"That's right, normal. You'll never find any more normal student in this strange city than me. Normal. Normal. Normal."

While Takayama tried to mimic a job applicant in an interview, Athena brought her slender hand to her chin and looked lost in thought for a while. The two had slowed down their pace and were now walking casually in a normal street which had the occasional car passing by and with hardly anyone around.

"I do not mean to sound intrusive, but…." Athena suddenly spoke up when they had reached a crossing. "That lazy scientist you mentioned, who exactly is she?" The voice which always had that graceful tone suddenly turned grave.

"Kihara Kiyosu, an auxiliary teacher at my school and my power developer. Why'd you ask?"

"So I was correct…." Inside her head, a bright light suddenly eliminated all her doubts.

And then a storm suddenly appeared.

"You have been spending time with this Kihara person after school while you allow her to seduce you!" The normally composed Athena waved her arms around on her sides like a child complaining about how unfair adults are.

"W-what?!"

"It is all clear now! Shishou has been spending time with a woman, that is why you are so late in returning home! This is essentially called 'cheating' in my databanks!"

"Gwaaaahh! He's actually a guy so you calling him a 'she' is giving me disturbing visions of a female genderbent version! Dammit, is this what they call a wild imagination?! Anyway, you're completely wrong! I was just chased around Academy City by a bunch of no-name students! And I definitely won't do anything with that guy, in fact, I won't do anything with any guy! This is all so wrong that I wish there was a reset button somewhere in my brain. Do you have a memory erasing functionality in your system, because I sure could use one right now!" Takayama's body flailed around like an odd ethnic dance as he grabbed his head with both hands.

The scene which looked like a weird mix of a lovers' spat and a decisive world-ending revelation eventually ended with the misunderstanding cleared up and with Takayama's dignity restored. The boy managed to dispel her suspicions temporarily, but he sensed that she has put some kind of leash on him.

As their leisurely walk continued, Athena closely examined the night scenery of Academy City while Takayama had his attention fixated on the light of the small building up ahead.

The small chime rang as they both finally entered the store which will hopefully bring his salvation. He immediately engaged in his mission the moment he set foot in the interior while Athena was left in the entrance, looking around with curiosity written all over her face.

The delinquent boy glided through the store until something caught his eyes in a small aisle of perishable foods.

"Tsuyuri?"

"U-ueh?!" The frail girl jumped up for unknown reasons when Takayama was within reach.

"Oh, it's Takayama-san." An expressionless girl with long, black hair approached them from the other side.

"You…? Weren't you the one from the rooftop who was spouting weird phrases?"

"T-Takayama-san, you are speaking to our student council president…" The weak-willed Tsuyuri Aki tried to put the delinquent in line, but it sadly failed.

Takayama was about to say something regarding their appearance but stopped when he suddenly noticed the clothing the expressionless girl was wearing. It was a black hoodie.

"Hmm… I see, I see. So it works well with that body type as well." He stared straight at the girl's hood with the critical eyes of an artisan.

"I'm surprised. You have quite the one-track mind, Takayama Akito. All this time, I always took you for the intellectual type, but I guess boys are still boys." The girl let out a soft sigh of disappointment as the delinquent missed his chance to rebuke because he was still focused on the hood that was not his own. "At any rate, since I forgot to introduce myself earlier, my name is Yukimoto Yuuki. Just like what Tsuyuri-san said, I'm the student council president of our school. I hope this does not change your view of me, although you could clean your act up a little." She dropped the introduction once she noticed Takayama was still not listening to her.

Having finally snapped out of his hypnotized state, Takayama brought his attention to what's really important. "Why are you two here?"

"I won't reply to that question unless you refer to me by my proper name," said the long-haired student council president in a monotonous voice.

"Yukimoto..."

"W-we aren't so close that you can call me without an honorific..." She quietly replied and let her feet stagger backwards after having her composure instantly destroyed.

"We were buying some things to bring over for our small party." Having decided that the conversation wasn't moving along, the frail Tsuyuri Aki weakly replied in her usual small voice.

The conversation began as fluidly as if it was between a small group of friends. Takayama had completely forgotten what he was there for and so he continued the conversation with the two girls without meaning to. "You mean the two of you live under the same dorm?"

The fact that the girl with the weakest presence in the entire school and the almighty student council president belonged to the same dormitory was surprising. He found it embarrassing that he was almost always uninvolved with what goes on in his school, which he made him more or less a stranger to other people's relations.

"I guess you're roommates, huh?"

"No, we actually have our own individual rooms. Yukimoto-san is a second year, so her room is on a different part of the dorm, and usually, if dorms were to put two students together, they will only pair up students of the same year. B-b-but you probably already know this Takayama-san..."

"So you don't have to bother with a sleep-talking roommate?! I'm so jealous!"

"From what I gather, our rooms are twice the size of yours."

"That's so unfair! Don't tell me they rewarded you with nice rooms just because your levels satisfy them a bit! Now I feel like going on a grand search for a dorm or a cheap apartment to live in that would treat espers of all levels equally! My wallet is crying nonstop just thinking about the utility expenses I pay every month!"

A generous amount of salt was added to the blonde-haired delinquent's wounds by the super-calm student council president. Living in a strange world of luxury made her oblivious to the everyday troubles of average delinquent Takayama Akito. Regardless, that didn't stop her words from rolling over his inferior being.

"You guys have everything..." Takayama sighed, admitting defeat. It was high time he moved on, nothing he could do now to get an affordable place which could perfectly accommodate two people. With that said he directed his attention to the girl named Yukimoto Yuuki, the one who he spoke to earlier during his lunch break at the school rooftop about something he didn't quite understand. "So you're the president, huh? Judging from your looks, you might well be one of those uber superhuman types who can do anything perfectly just by putting their mind to it."

"I do not quite understand these 'types' you speak of, but I'm most definitely not perfect. At best, I can only play the piano, violin, trombone, and have mastery of three forms of martial arts."

"That sounds superhuman to me! Are you the daughter of a CEO of a big business conglomerate as well?! Is there a helipad on the roof of your mansion where your private helicopters land on?! Ms. President, I hope you're not planning on running for a cabinet position in Japan's government in the future!"

"Don't be silly, having a helicopter land on your own roof would make too much noise for anyone to sleep through. That's why we have it on an open field."

"Those last words were kinda suspicious, don't you think?! Somehow my brain can't keep up with everything you are saying!"

A figure approached from Takayama's back and gave a casual voice to the heated conversation. "What's going on? You guys are oddly having fun, so I came to check up on you. Did you meet with a classmate or something?" That figure was a girl with short golden hair and bright green eyes. Her clothes were as casual as the other two girls.

The only boy in the group turned to look at her. Their eyes met for an instant followed by silence. The new girl gave a questioning look for a brief, brief moment until she realized something and let a small yelp. "Y-you... ?!"

"?"

"What's wrong, Meme-chan?" Tsuyuri tilted her head to the side slightly as she looked over, confused, towards the golden-haired girl.

"It's him!" Mashiro Meme pointed a trembling finger towards the delinquent.

"... What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! Don't look at me like I'm some kind purse-snatcher!" Takayama instantly replied to the class president's accusing gaze.

"Regardless, please don't get close to me. I do not want to be harassed by the one who can illicit such a reaction from a young girl."

"Those are some pretty damn cold words, you damn ice queen!"

"I must go. We're still not finish with our shopping and it's getting quite late," was the only thing Yukimoto Yuki said before heading towards the other end of the convenience store.

"I'm telling you, I'm innocent! Hey, are you going to clear this up or what?" Takayama faced Mashiro Meme with a mean glare.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... But more importantly, don't you remember me?! I'm the one you helped last summer. My name's Mashiro Meme!"

"... Who?"

"Ughh..."

"Wa-wa-waahh why are you collapsing like that, Meme-chan? You know Takayama-san can be really tactless sometimes."

The golden-haired girl fell onto her knees as the life got sucked out of her by some mysterious force. Her best friend, Tsuyuri Aki, came to her help without wasting any time.

Witnessing this, Takayama casually walked up to them to find out what was wrong. "Are you okay?"

Still on her knees, Mashiro regained a bit of her strength and quietly nodded with red all over her face.

"Anyway," Takayama changed the subject. "My damn memory has been fogging in different places. You'll have to give me a big hint so I can remember."

A figure suddenly appeared, exuding tremendous dark aura from around the corner of the potato chips section.

It was the innocent girl with blue eyes.

"Cheating… cheating… cheating… cheating… cheating… cheating…"

Although he was facing the other direction, Takayama felt something crawl under his skin for a moment.

"Shishou, you are cheating again…" She got in close in just an instant to address the boy, but Mashiro caught her attention instead. They wordlessly exchanged glances for what seemed like an hour until both them seemed to understand the same thing.

"…"

"…"

Sparks flew as Athena and Mashiro glared at each other inside the store. Some kind of odd rivalry formed without anyone saying anything. Unknown to any of them, Takayama slipped out of the scene to finish what he came there for.

This was the crucial point of the night. It was Takayama's fight for survival. In order to win, he needed to find the most cost-efficient, natural, and edible instant meal in the convenience store. He was hoping that the impressive science of Academy City could address this small problem by providing him with a product that is a result of some great scientific breakthrough, something like an artificial pork bowl that costed less than a yen.

"Damn, there should be something here. Convenience stores are built for situations like this aren't they?"

"You know this is the first time I have shopped in a place like this. All the items here are so small and so cheap, I'm truly speechless." President Yukimoto commented when Takayama appeared to her side. "So how is your new power, Takayama Akito? Having fun being an esper yet?" Her eyes swayed to her side, hoping to observe Takayama's reaction carefully without him knowing. There was a right and wrong answer to her question. And she wanted to know which that unstable boy would choose.

Takayama suddenly stopped checking out the price label of the instant shoyu packets and placed his hand in the warmth of his jacket's pockets. "I don't understand what you mean about fun. It's not something that you play around with just because it is yours." He shook his head as he rejected the idea. "In the end, nothing's changed much. Everyone's still the same and I'm still Takayama Akito, but I do want to mature a bit and look at things differently without any biases. And turning things to frozen popsicles really gives me a headache. I don't have full control of this yet and it's been bugging me."

Yukimoto grabbed a small cup from the shelf and looked at it thoroughly. "It's often misunderstood what a Personal Reality means, or rather, it is difficult to give it a single, concrete description. Our teachers have told us that it is rooted in the very nature of science, but when it comes to us espers, a Personal Reality is something that is connected to our minds and hearts, a belief. You must keep in mind that this is your reality." The porcelain cup in her hands changed in an instant. Sparkly white frost suddenly covered its entire body. This was obviously not because of the cold weather. It was the influence being generated by the girl's fingertips. "You dictate what your reality is. Just having mere intelligence is not enough. You have to freeze the world and everything in it. Time and space does not matter. Everything is contained in your own world." The frosts continued crawling towards the inside of the hollow cup and began forming a small, transparent crystal orb. It was a tiny representation of the globe with all its small details. Takayama watched the process with a bit of amazement.

"I hate to admit it, but that's pretty damn good, esper-" Takayama paused and scratched the back of his head before correcting himself. "Pres..." The girl did not notice this change.

"So that's what you meant earlier. You have the same power as me."

"Try it, Takayama-san."

Takayama put his hands in front of him but what came out wasn't an elegant masterpiece but a crude, barbaric piece of blade made of rough crystals.

"Your personality is quite straightforward..."

"I can't argue with that…"

"Well, I do not see how frozen water molecules could be useful as a weapon."

"I focus on tightening their bonds so that they won't break on collision. I can match steel if I just focus on the one part of the blade."

"You live quite the violent life, delinquent-san..."

"I-It can't be helped, for some strange reason I find myself involved with people who lack common sense for ordinary life."

"Well, come on then. Once more, I won't be satisfied until you display some degree of complexity and dynamics with your powers."

"Why are you doing this? We hardly even know each other."

"Oh, I know all about you Takayama Akito. I know the good sides and the bad. But at the moment, just consider me as a teacher."

When a few minutes passed and Takayama was able to shape something smooth and detailed, the calm, expressionless student council president muttered, "That's alright for now..." and left. Some other person appeared just as Takayama decided on getting a packet of cheap soba noodles, which he intended to cook when he gets back to the dorm.

"Umm... Is that supposed to be your dinner? That's too unhealthy! Will you really get full by eating junk like that?!" The golden-haired Mashiro suddenly went wide-eyed when she saw the pitiful scene.

"Hey, don't look down on soba! You probably already know this but soba has been curing world hunger for a long time now, like in post-disaster areas for example!" Takayama's survival instincts already had full control over his delirious mind when he spouted these sketchy facts.

"Is soba really that grand?! Regardless, a student shouldn't stoop to this level! Here, I'll help you out. I can get you this lunch box set as a compromise."

"No way! I chose this soba of my own free will!"

"Oh dear, you're already hallucinating... Come, the cashier's over here."

"Damn, I don't like owing someone."

"It's alright. I've been wanting to pay you back for a long time now. I just didn't imagine that it would be like this."

Takayama reluctantly accepted while intent on paying her back in the future.

"It's really good to see you again. I couldn't go to school earlier so I'm glad we bumped into each other here instead..."

Athena interrupted the scene with a blank look in her eyes and began another silent fight with the golden haired girl. This time, Takayama was able to intervene because he desperately wanted to eat before his stomach decided to eat itself whole, leaving the three girls from school.


Battle: Kihara_and_Kihara

"That's another day done..." Takayama leaned against the balcony of his dorm, satisfied with his unusual dinner. The evening was quiet and peaceful. Only he was there enjoying the fresh air.

"Enjoying the peace, Takayama-chan?" A small girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere, sitting on the railing while enjoying the moonlight. Her presence was entirely out of place. She looked like a character from a story book about a foreign world of the occult. Her sudden appearance replaced the numbing silence of the dorm.

Takayama did not let his eyes stray from the scenery because he was aware the moment he acknowledged her, he will be pulled away from the lull of ordinary life. He did not want that. He did not want to be tied with this enigmatic person. All the nerves his gut told him stay away and be wary of any signs of danger.

"You've been having a pleasant dream all day, but I think it's about time you return to reality so we can get down to business." The girl voiced her control over him under the rim of her witch's hat. "You remember why I have been observing you all day since we met?"

Exerting all his will in ignoring her, Takayama stopped himself from showing his surprise at learning that new fact even though every single word stabbed at his nerves.

"There's some place I want to go that will help me bring my task to a conclusion and I need you to accompany me. There's no use arguing here, you'll see that helping me will actually benefit you."

"What do you mean it will benefit me?" Sadly, her words won over him.

"By helping me, you ensure the safety of Academy City. Now isn't that a nice thing to have?" Morgan smiled and looked like the young girl she was supposed to be.

"I don't care about Academy City. Did you expect me to be some sort of hero? Well sorry to burst your bubble, I'm not a person who is meant for such great things." The boy gave a dry laugh at the idea.

"Whether you are one or not does not matter to me, Takayama-chan. I just need someone who will act when something dear to them is in danger." The blonde-haired girl nodded her head in the direction of the figure sleeping on his bed.

The boy's eyes went very sharp, like a fierce animal that has been provoked.

"If something bad were to happen to Academy City, won't she be affected as well?" She said in a low but emotionless voice that didn't seem human.

The night slowly became dyed with a queer shade of black, one that Takayama disliked the most. He put on his white hoodie and faced the cold night with that so-called magician. He did not know their destination. What could a magician possibly want to visit in this scientific city? There was no ancient tomb or ruin here. Was it a place that housed a suspicious-looking person? Another magician? There were a lot of different possibilities entering Takayama's mind as they walked along quietly in the shadows of the streets as Morgan lead the way. He did not know how long they will be walking until they reach their destination. They might even end up in some secluded area of the city which cannot be found anywhere on a map.

But the only place he did not expect was the one right in front of them. It was the building he had been to earlier, and it was the building he was closely acquainted with.

"This is..."

"That's right, it's one of the many facilities of the Kihara Group."

"What are we doing here?"

"You'll find out soon. You just have to worry about assisting me with the science-side part of things since I am after all not knowledgeable of that side."

If, for instance, there was a method to break away from the current circumstance, what would that be? From the very beginning, the only factor that was constraining him was the unknown possibilities of magic. He was an amateur to all this. He did not know how big was the hand that was binding him. If it was just some esper power that she was using, then he could make up a plan to counter it using science. But then again, those might just be empty threats. The reason why the magician was here to begin with was that something was using magic to stir science, not the incident with the cabal. It was the catalyst the group called Necessarius was after. Could it be that there was a different reason from the one he knew? All of it did not make any sense. It was as if there were full of holes in the information he was given. There was a feeling in his head that told him to not follow the mysterious void. Even though he helped them, was this group called Necessarius really good? Was everything real and not just an illusion? He could not come up with an answer. He could not reach a conclusion.

That is why a broad arc slashed through the magician's head. The weapon was like a morning star but with a narrow body covered with brittle spikes. It was the blonde-haired boy's arm turned into a deformed oddity.

Instead of connecting everything delicately in its rightful place, he will grasp the answer with force.

"I think I'm beginning to understand you now. Just like how esper powers reflect their owner's personality somehow, this is how you are actually like as a person. The first instance you showed it was back in the hospital," Takayama let his voice ring through the cold air. "I don't know if you are capable of many other abilities, but I can't trust a person using such dirty tricks. You have one sick mind to be using illusions."

"Oh my, this is quite suspicious. Is there some sort of secret you do not want me to find out in this facility?" The girl let out a faint giggle as she appeared behind him. "Or perhaps are you on that Kihara's side?"

"Let me ask you this…" He turned around to look at her.

The cold wind blew from the facility. There was no one around except for the two of them.

"Was that Stiyl in the hospital an illusion? Did you really come here to solve some stupid magical mystery?"

The small girl skipped along the path as she listened. Each second she inched closer to the building.

"Are you really a member of Necessarius?"

The girl did not answer for the second Takayama finished speaking, Morgan's lips moved and the nearby gate disappeared as if it had been made of water and evaporated by heat.

"Damn yooouuuuuuu!" Takayama rushed after her, an echo of laughter could be heard ahead.

Despite the gate disappearing and them entering the inside of the facility, he did not hear any alarms ringing or any signs of activity. "Shit, did she do something to the staff before coming here?!"

"It is true I could have made an illusion of Stiyl so that you will believe I was a member of Necessarius. It is true I could be here doing something entirely different. I could just be another magician plotting something awful just like the ones you met and I'm just fooling Necessarius into thinking I was one of them so they would turn a blind eye. Indeed those are possible." The voice seemed to come from everywhere.

Takayama had difficulty closing the distance from the magician's vague figure through the empty lit halls.

"Let me tell you a short story about the beings people once feared that they don't even want to utter their name." The voice continued further and further inside without a clear destination. "They are often referred to as the guardians of the forest or the 'good people' because saying their name is the same as having misfortune brought upon you, but I could care less about that. I have no problem calling them as the Fae. The Fae are what you might call the fairies or sprites that live in nature, away from humans. They appear and disappear as they wish for they are very mischievous. You can say that they have their own form of magic, Fairy magic. Words and names are actually very powerful, Takayama-chan. Magic symbols are always associated with a word and even people's names are derived from the symbols in nature. Your last name, for example, is a character for 'Mountain' and 'Hawk'. Even onmyoudo arts recognize the power of a name. The Fae have a natural gift for controlling and attuning these names at their will, which is why, from Germanic to the Gaelic tribes, people feared that if they spoke a certain name near a forest, a would Fae come to greet them. Why am I telling you this? Well, you said that I use dirty tricks when you knew nothing about me. And it breaks my heart that you would say such horrible things about my roots."

Continued to follow her footsteps until she completely disappeared, leaving him in a wide, unfamiliar room filled with large cylindrical containers with pipes connecting them overhead.

Takayama looked left and right around the room but there were no signs of her. "Damn it, what the hell is she doing?! Why did she come here in the first place? This is the least place connected to magic so there's absolutely no reason to come here!"

He stood there for a moment trying to think of his next move when a set of footsteps slowly made their way towards his location.

"This is strange. I didn't expect an intruder to break in here of all places."

"Nee-san, technically we're intruders as well."

Before Takayama could hide behind one of the containers, the two people muttering to themselves spotted him from far away.

"I don't know what your reason for being here, but this is an off-limits area. Only a Kihara is allowed in here." A girl wearing a private school uniform let out what could be called a smile unbefitting a sane human being. She look no older than a high school student, and at the same time, a business-like air surrounded her. Her jet-black hair was long and straight, free of any accessories or ornaments. It was merely kept in its purest state.

"You'll probably won't believe me, but a small girl led me here!," Takayama replied as the two moved slowly until they were a fair distance from him. "I have no idea what she's after, but if you are looking after this place, then you should focus on her instead!"

The girl simply shook her head. "I really don't care what reason you give us. It's already far too late for that don't you think? You're here and we found you, it's obvious what our best course of action would be, right?"

"Again, nee-san, we're intruders too. It's not our place to judge what he is doing…" The boy beside her let out a quiet criticism. He was completely pale as if he hadn't eaten in months. The sweater above his school uniform seemed to sag as it hung from his thin body.

"Oh, shut up, you stupid kid! I'm bored to death out here so what's a small breather once in a while?" Her eyes that looked like a muddy shadow moved towards the hooded, blonde-haired delinquent. "Now let's get down to it. My name is Kihara Noriko and this is my younger twin brother, Kihara Byoki. You cannot runaway from us so you might as well provide entertainment, blondie."