day two. continued from chapter 43.
The drive down to where they were going to dine was smooth as can be expected. In less than 30 minutes they arrived. There were a group of people standing at the street corner, staring at the four large black SUVs as they pulled to the side of the street and stopped. The rear tail lights cast long crimson streaks across the deep black paint as the doors opened and heavily armed women, dressed in military armor, stepped into the coming dusk. From each of the first three SUVs, they moved quickly, efficiently taking positions around the fourth black SUV. Three women moved to the end of the line of trucks, facing the group of six standing at the corner. The group looked at the women, wondering if it was anti-skill or some unsuspecting foolish businessman but…
This section of Academy city was far from the path that tourist cared to wonder, espers dared to walk. This was district 10, a stronghold of skill out gangs. A bastion of urban decay. It had fallen into despair, disrepair ignored by the governing body of Academy city. A few wind turbines still turned, others no longer functioning like old crosses marking graves of those long dead. Numerous cleaning robots broken, lying on the ground, long overdue for maintenance. There was trash and debris, empty buildings with broken glass covered in filth, grime and graffiti. In the darkened alleys, soft sounds of destitute people sleeping, wandering aimlessly.
"You boys staying?" One of the women asked. "Piss off!" One of them yelled back. The others laughed. "Problem!" Another woman asked, emerged out of the shadows of the last SUV. "Nah!" The woman asked, answers, "they're just being themselves." She laughed. "Fuck!" They hear. "It's one of them." Another one of the group standing in the corner quickly whispers. "I can hear you! Dumbass!" The woman who emerged from the shadow of the SUV spoke, chambering a round of her automatic weapon. "Fucking wolves." The group of six quickly turned and ran away.
"No wonder you can't get a man, Cassandra." One of the women spoke, looking at the tall slender woman. She was attractive, confident. Her dark eyes glimmered in the dying light of the evening, her smile like a straight line cut into her wolf features. She was an elder wolf, more wolf than human. Cassandra shook her head, "I don't know," she said, her voice going soft, "maybe it's the ears, you think?" she grinned, running her tongue over her large canines, lowering the muzzle of her automatic weapon. "you're tail? maybe?" The other woman spoke with a grin on her face. "Oh well." Cassandra answered, shrugging her shoulders, "I'm in the mood for female company." She quickly smiled, "any takers?"
"Let's go!" They heard before she got her answer.
Touma nervously stepped out of the SUV, straightened his shirt and looked at the ground, down the line of black SUV's. He noticed the last SUV. Three women dressed in military armor saying something to a group of guys loitering near the intersection. They turned and ran as a fourth emerged from the other side of the SUV and joins them, saying something to the group.
They laughed, quickly nodded and moved to the sidewalk, raised their heads, looked up the side of the building. The building, eight stories tall and in desperate need of repair. All the doors and windows had been removed. Looking very empty and very dead. The women quickly crouched, leapt high into the air onto the face of the building, grabbing the empty windows, pulling themselves up and scaled the eight-story building, disappear over the edge.
"How?" Touma whispered, wondering if his eyes deceived him. He turned slowly, wide-eyed looking at Index, Aisa and Kanzaki. Index and Aisa have the same surprised expression but Kanzaki's is professional. She looked peaceful, serene almost, her eyes scanning the rooftop as if she was impressed, or wanted to join them. Touma's heart beat a little faster, his cheeks blushed, starting to perspire. The cool breeze sent chills across his warm skin, looking longer at Kanzaki. His eyes never leaving her warm face and smile, he feels embarrassed as if he were intruding on a special moment until she gently lowered her head, catches his gaze. Their eyebrows quickly arched, surprised, their cheeks blushed. "ssorry..." Touma quickly spoke, as his voice shook. "nnooo" Kanzaki nervously returned, pushing strands of her long black hair behind her ear with her fingertips. "We should go." Yumiko's Interrupted their nervous conversation.
"Where's the restaurant?" Index said, stepping out of a large black SUV. "Down this way." Colleen spoke stepping out. Index cocked her head to the right, looked down the slowly darkening street. "Odd place for a…" She quickly sniffed the air. The very slight smell of cooked meat rolled into her nose, wetting her tongue in anticipation. She smacked her lips, drool peeked from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes glazed, nearly satiated. Sanae looked over shoulder, thinning her eyes and thought, "are you sure she's not a Wolf…" She spoke softly.
Touma let out an embarrassing sigh, covering his face with his right hand, shaking his head in dismay, "I must apologize." His voice broke. Kanzaki blushed as Touma brushed against her arm. Sanae slowly grinned, her ears pricked tight seeing the high priestess's cheeks turned red, hearing her heart beat a little quicker. "Kanzaki?" Sanae started to speak. "Sanae…" Colleen spoke softly, thinning her eyes as she shook her head, seeing the mischief in Sanae's eyes. Sanae arched her eyebrows in a what do you mean look? Sanae is a shewolf. A pretty young Wolf. More human than Wolf. But still Wolf. Wolves love to tease, wolves love to flirt. She blew out a breath, twisting her lips, a little disappointed, "just kidding." She spoke. "Ask what?" Kanzaki spoke hearing Sanae's chuckled. "She asked?" Sanae's face lit up as she quickly spoke.
