Disclaimer: I do not own To Aru Majatsu No Index/Railgun and/or Devil May Cry. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appears in this story belongs to me.

A Certain Stylish Devil

Chapter Thirty Seven: Before Showtime

(Realize the intentions of your allies)

Saten was walking to where the entrance to the circus was as per what the directions of the poster pointed out She took one more look on her phone to make sure she would get to the circus on time. The long haired girl smiled at the knowing she'll make it with some extra time to spare. Out of all the rumors she heard on the internet, this one was the biggest one yet. Saten knew the risks of going to this circus but danger comes with stories like these. It was also nice to hear the concern of her friends but this time they were more cautious than usual. Saten didn't know but maybe they knew something she didn't. If they did then they would've told her and Uiharu as well. Speaking of Mikoto and Kuroko, Saten also noticed how much closer she was to the teleporter. "Maybe, just maybe she could have feelings for Shirai-san. Heh and here I thought Misaka-san would be interested in boys."

"Excuse me!" Saten turned around to see another girl with blonde hair coming towards her. Soon as she reached the other girl, the blonde smiled. "Sorry to ask you this out of nowhere but you wouldn't happen to be going to that circus thing."

Saten smiled. "Yeah I am. I'm going there early so I won't miss it. Did you see the poster too?"

The blonde giggled. "Yeah I thought it would be interesting hence why I'm going too."

"Awesome we can go together. What's your name? I'm Saten Ruiko."

"Miya Hikari. It's nice to meet you Saten-san." Hikari smiled.

Saten smiled back at the girl. Suddenly her phone vibrated and she took it out to see it was a text messaged from Mikoto. "We're on our way."

Hikari stepped behind Saten to look at the text and saw the name of the sender. "A text from your friends?"

Saten put away her phone. "Yeah they're coming to the circus too. I told them about it."

The blonde girl smiled. "Well that's good. The more the merrier."

Saten laughed and turned around. As soon as she did, the long haired girl felt a tap on her shoulder. "What is i-" The last thing she saw a bright flash of light and the last thing she felt was her body hitting ground.

Hikari giggled darkly. "It's so much easier when the target comes to you. Looks like I did your job Cold Knight. Serious good luck on my end and now to present you to Master Peteano."

B

"Did you let her know?"

Mikoto put her phone back into her pocket. "I did but we're still going to need our usual stuff if we're going to this circus. I have a feeling this will be tougher then what we fought so far. I can get my coins easy from the nearest ATM but you still need your needles and I'm sure you're not expected to show up to Judgment."

"I think I'll no problem with that onee-sama." Kuroko walked up to a bench and closed her eyes as she extended her arm. In the next second, her straps along with the needles she used appeared on the bench.

The electromaster was surprised by this. "How did you-"

"I visualized them with my needles. Like I said, it's not about calculating anymore. I can just visualize them to appear where I want them by just thinking about them and not touching them." Kuroko teleported the needles into the right place in her straps. Soon she put the straps around her thighs. "And with that I'm ready."

Mikoto nodded. "Right now let's move on. Knowing Saten-san she's already at the entrance and waiting on us." Both girls ran to the nearest ATM. If that didn't work then Kuroko could always summon coins for her onee-sama.

B

Darkness was all that Saten could see at the moment until she figured out that her eyes were still closed. Saten opened them to see a white ceiling but she was laying on something soft. She groaned. "Man what happened to me? Last thing I remember seeing a bright flash of light."

"And she awakes."

Saten didn't recognize the voice she heard. She turned to her left to see another girl with long blonde hair and stars in her eyes. Saten didn't recognize her but she was wearing a Tokiwadai uniform. Saten was about to say something but she heard a familiar voice next to her. "Saten-san, you're awake."

Saten turned her head around the other way to see Kongo by her side with a worried look on her face. Needless to say Saten was surprised to Kongo. "Kongo-san? What are you doing here? In fact where is here and where have you been. Also who's the blonde chick? She's wearing a Tokiwadai uniform but I don't recognize her."

The other girl sighed. "It's a long story but I'll start with the other girl in the room. Her name is Shokuhou Misaki also known as the Queen at our school. She is a level five much like Misaka-san."

Saten looked back at Misaki. "You're a level five same? Like Misaka-san?"

The rich blonde smiled. "Yes I am though I'm ranked fifth. How do you know Misaka-san?"

"I'm one of her friends. Isn't that obvious?"

The star eyed girl giggled. "I wasn't aware she had friends other than Shirai-san who follows her like a lovesick puppy."

"I'm not her only friend. Uiharu is her friend too. You say it like she doesn't have any friends at all." Saten stated.

Misaki gave her hair a flip. "I don't know Misaka-san that much. I try to get to know her but she rejects me every time."

Saten had a feeling that this girl was what she thought Mikoto was supposed to be. "Don't you have any friends?"

"Sadly I do not but I'm doing quite well without them. Loyal subjects who follow me are enough." Misaki replied.

"Royal subjects huh? So what's your power?"

This time Kongo answered the question. "Her power is known as Mental Out which means she can control people to do whatever she wants them to do."

"Mind control? Really? That's scary."

"However she can't use her powers because Misaki-san does not have her remote in her possession." Kongo further explained.

"Wait you need a remote to use your power? I've never heard of that before."

The blonde girl waved her hand. "That's enough about me. Tell me this Saten-san was it? What level are you?"

Saten laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. "I'm only a level zero."

Misaki closed one eye as she wasn't impressed by what the other girl said. "Really? I'm surprised that such a low level is around one of seven level fives. You must've need saving many times."

That statement right there made Saten a little mad. "Hey just because I'm a level zero doesn't mean I'm useless. I've helped out Misaka-san and Shirai-san plenty of times."

The level five ESPer smiled. "Really? I find that hard to believe."

Saten growled at the other girl. "Cease Saten-san. You're letting her win her little game." Kongo said.

The other girl huffed. "Anyways, where am I? I remember going to this circus when I met this one girl. Next thing I knew I saw a bright flash of light."

Before anyone could answer, the door opened and Peteano walked into the room with Hikari and Chimera behind him. "Allow me to answer that my dear. In a case you are in the circus. My circus."

Already Saten had a weird feeling about the clown. It was like there was something off about him. Then she saw the two girls behind him. "Hey you're that I girl I met before!" She pointed out.

Hikari snickered. "Yes that was me. I have to say I wasn't expecting one of our targets to come to us."

Saten was confused when the blonde said "targets." She looked to the side to see another familiar face. "Nia-san? You're here too?" Saten took a closer look at her eyes. They weren't the same eyes she saw the first time Saten met the girl.

The heterochromatic girl smiled. "Seems you figured it quickly. I give you points for that. It took these two dumb bitches a while to get it."

"Yeah definitely not Nia-san." Saten looked at the clown in the middle. "And you are?"

The demon clown giggled. "I'm so glad you asked. So very very glad indeed. I am the ring master of the circus Peteano. I welcome you Saten Ruiko-chan." He greeted as he bowed and took his hat off.

The sense of creepiness continued to increase from the clown. "Okay so why do you have me here?"

The clowned giggled again as he put his hat back on. "You're here because you have a relationship with two certain girls we set our sights on."

"Two girls?" The idea came to Saten quickly. "Wait you mean Misaka-san and Shirai-san!?"

Peteano clapped his hands in joy. "Oh we have a smart girl here. So very very smart indeed. You are correct my dear."

Saten shook her head. "What do you want with them and why kidnap us?"

The clown giggled at her question. "My dear, questions like those can get a person killed but I'll tell you anyway. You see, you and your friend Kongo-chan are close to our target. Therefore I decided to gather the ones closest to her. Misaki-chan was an unexpected development but it was because of her that I was reminded of your friend and thanks to your unexpected encounter with Chimera, I mean Nia-chan was that this was all possible."

Some things began to piece together. "Wait was the destruction of Tokiwadai you're doing?"

Peteano laughed. "Oh we have such a cleaver girl. So very very cleaver indeed. You see Kongo-chan was at the school when order was given. I admit destroying the school was not part of the plan."

The long haired girl clenched her hand. "I have a two more questions to ask you. Why are you targeting Misaka-san and Shirai-san?"

"They are involved in something grand, so very very grand indeed. It was deemed that they should be killed since they know a bit too much but with that pesky devil hunter with them, it would be a tad difficult. So very very difficult indeed."

Saten wanted ask what is a devil hunter but she already thought up her final question. "For my last question is what's up with the mask you're wearing?"

She tried to touch the mask but Peteano grabbed her arm. "Ah, ah, ah. I'm afraid my mask is off limits. This mask is dear to me. So very very dear to me and I would hate if something would happen to it." He let go of Saten's arm. "Now then please be patient. The show will start soon and you three are guests of honor as well as three others." Peteano turned around and left the room with Hikari close by to him. Chimera looked at Saten before leaving the room as well.

Saten gave a sigh as she relaxed. "Man this is almost too much to handle. I can see why Misaka-san and Shirai-san were worried about me but I'll know they'll kick their butts."

"That's where you're wrong." Misaki spoke up. Saten turned around to face the other girl. "These people are more than what Misaka-san can handle."

"Why do you say that?" Saten asked.

"Because one: it was Nia who destroyed that street yesterday. I should know because I was there. I saw my group lying dead before me." The truth hit Saten hard. She couldn't believe that innocent Nia would do such a thing. "The second fact is that this is no ordinary group of ESPers. Believe it or not, all of these people are demons including the clown."

Saten gave out a scream of surprises. "Eh!? Demons? Are you serious?" Misaki nodded. "So demons do exist! All those reports of supernatural activity are real after all!"

"Is she all right?" Misaki asked Kongo.

"Yes. Saten-san has an interest in this kind of stuff."

"But…" Both girls looked at Saten. "I know Nia-san wouldn't do that kind of thing. Whoever I saw isn't Nia-san. It was like a different a person was using her body."

"She did say she was two people in one body. I don't quite understand what she meant by that." The blonde said.

That fact caught Saten's interest. "Two people in one body?" She put her hand under her chin while she was thinking. "For some reason that sounds familiar."

"You've heard something like this before Saten-san?" Kongo asked.

"Yeah and that clown referred to her as 'Chimera.' Ah something like that is ringing a bell but I can't remember what it is. I think it was something in biology class."

"At least someone here has an idea but now what? How are Misaka-san and Shirai-san going discover we are here?" Kongo asked.

"Oh I told them about this circus earlier today. When I told them I wanted to go, they were a little worried about me." A thought struck through her head. "Hold on! They knew about this way before. That's why they didn't say much to me. Even if they told me, I would've believed them."

"Now that you mention it, I didn't think about that either. They must've known about this demon thing for a while now." Misaki guessed.

"I'm sure they didn't tell us about it because this is something that can't be explained. It can also be that this is more then what regular forces can do." Kongo added.

"Yeah I can see why they didn't tell us about this. If these people are demons then they're going to be a lot tougher than regular ESPers." Saten stated. She laughed. "Demons in a city of science. That's clever but I'm wondering why they're here in the first place?"

"It must be connected to what Misaka-san and Shirai-san are involved in." Kongo assumed.

"What they're involved in is what I want to know. I feel like I shouldn't be in the same mess as you two. I was just minding my own business when this all happened." Misaki complained.

"Well you're in it now and I get the feeling this isn't over yet. Not by a long shot." Saten suspected. There was something else that girl wanted to ask. "By the way, what did clown mean by 'devil hunter?'

B

17:45 is what the time was. Kuroko was teleporting herself as well as Mikoto to the entrance of the where the circus was. Soon they ended up to a building that looked abandoned. "This is the place? I can't imagine a circus doing well here."

"Remember onee-sama, not everything is what is seems." Kuroko stated.

"Well said brat. You're beginning to learn." Both girls looked up ahead to see Dante waiting for them. He smiled. "It's about time you two showed up."