And we left it at a climax point last time didn't we? In the end having these points in the story is really what brings you guys here. So I'll keep on having moments like this in order to keep having the readers come here. And I hope that you keep on reading these stories.
For the most part I hope that these chapters have really changed since the first 50 chapters so I hope that everyone keeps on supporting this project.
And for the first time in a while, a guess there's a few questions that have to be addressed in order to fully progress.
Kage15oni: As for the incident regarding Shirai Kuroko, Konori does know about it. After all, what's pushing her forward is the idea that maybe Shirai can get some peace when MINUS has actually been disbanded. The only thing that she is unclear on is the involvement of Touma.
Alastar Dunkirk: You'll have to see Konori's and Touma's reactions to each other after the ark has ended. However as for a Uiharu arc….I can say that I have an IDEA for it that I seem satisfied with so I hope that pleases everyone looking forward to their favourite Judgment member.
And I'd like to thank everyone that has made it this far and to my beta reader PokeRescue18 for his contribution to this story and the adventures here.
After all, like this story, Touma has also changed in how he views himself. I felt that taking a situation that he would usually get involved in and twisting it to meet his ideals if something that I can always do so at the same point, I had to introduce some NT ideas. I hope that you all approve and continue to work with me on this one point.
And from me, Mr Question Mark-
Enjoy
The air was suddenly damp as the girl held her hand forward in order to attack both Kamijou Touma and Konori Mii. The boy however had yet to recover and was about to follow the girl's lead however it was Kamijou that moved in order to start the assault on their side.
The girl let loose something that was similar to a pulse of water towards Kamijou and Konori behind him however he quickly moved his right hand in front of him. As soon as the water touched it, it disappeared into the air, leaving nothing that had even suggested that it was there in the first place.
Everyone looked at the action in surprise, even Konori who had been told about Imagine Breaker from the owner itself. Even though she had believed what he had said, seeing the effects up close was another thing altogether. What functions did it base itself on? How did Kamijou's Personal Reality mould to reject the physical manifestations of other's Realties? However she could question things later. Like Kamijou, she had to deal with the threat that was in front of her. And so she moved.
Konori Mii stepped forward from behind Kamijou and with frightening speed closed the gap between her and the girl, her surprise being broken as she received a knee to the gut by the Judgment officer. The boy seemed to realise that he was going to be next so he moved towards Konori's back in the tunnel however a kick to the jaw from Kamijou made him fall back.
He stumbled however managed to get his balance and leaped towards Kamijou, his wounds from earlier making it easier for the boy to push the two of them onto the ground where the boy sent a punch towards Kamijou's nose. He moved his head at the last minute and the boy let out a pained gasp as he punched the ground. Kamijou head butted him and tried to pull away from under him and was successful.
Konori on the other hand had had more success. Due to the fact that she had received very little injuries, she was more active in the fight that she had been placed in. After her knee to the chest she had followed it up with a blow to the back of the neck that had caused the girl to collapse. However she had managed to retaliate with her esper power and now that she had lost her shield, Konori was hit in the chest and thrown back as a result. She did not fall over and that in itself was neither good nor bad as the girl ran towards her and threw her hand towards Konori's face, sharp fingernails scratching at her face.
Konori cried out in pain however she also caught the hand and shoved a palm into the face of the girl, right in the nose. She too cried out and stumbled to which Konori grabbed her arm and placed her leg between the girl's, pulling and resulting in her falling onto the ground, to which Konori grabbed the back of her head in middle of the fall, slamming it into the ground with extra force.
Nearby, Kamijou had crawled out from under the boy and sent a kick towards his face, the boy holding his nose and standing up in order to get some better chance at attacking and he ran towards Kamijou, who had also tried to stand up, but was not fast enough as the boy sent a kick towards his gut.
Kamijou let out a gasp however still managed to get up and received another kick to the leg. He gritted his teeth and withstood the pain, running forward and slamming his shoulder into the mouth of the boy, grabbing his hair with his left hand before sending a punch with his right into the face. The boy stumbled and Kamijou used the opportunity to send another punch towards his face as he fell to the ground as well.
The girl underneath Konori, despite having been shaken still had managed to grasp her own ability and held her palm up so that when Konori had placed her knee on the small of her back and she fired. Konori was flung backwards and she almost lost her glasses, trying to get up before the girl had flung herself over her and the two of them struggled on the track.
"Who are you?!" she declared. "Why are you here?!" Part of her question was answered as now that she had a good look at Konori, she saw the armband that was on her arm. She had not noticed it before with the sudden interruption that she had received and her eyes widened at it as it seemed to only fuel her rage as she sent a punch towards Konori's face.
"Judgment? What the hell? How did you manage to get past the tunnel?! What about our guys?! WHAT ABOUT THEM?!" she shouted as she sent another punch towards Konori's face however she had already reacted. She sent her leg up into the nearest thing that there was the stomach of the girl and she gagged as she had the wind knocked out of her.
Konori switched their positions and, like the girl, sent a punch toward her face. She recoiled and before she could act, Konori had already stood up and grabbed the girl's arm, twisting it in such a way that she cried out in pain and as Konori pressed her head on the metal of the track.
"Oh, don't worry about them. It's not in Judgment's business to kill people. So relax and let me tell you something. In the name of Judgment, I arrest you for the following crimes of-"
There was a yell in front of the two girls and they both looked in front of them in order to see that the boy had lunged himself at Kamijou from the ground where he had been knocked down, tackling him in the chest. They both fell and Kamijou managed to get the upper hand by twisting his body at the last minute causing the boy to fall down onto his side with Kamijou down.
Kamijou sent another punch in and the boy spat blood into his face however Kamijou didn't bother wasting time by blocking the spit before sending a final punch towards the boy's head. He went limp and Kamijou breathed heavily before sitting on the track and wiping the blood off his face, looking at the boy and looking satisfied.
He knew very well that his fighting ability was still that of an amateur, despite everything that he had been through, however that meant that he did not have to enter into fights with the fear that the might accidently kill someone. He looked over at Konori and stood up, Konori saw that the fight that clearly taken a toll on him. The girl underneath her saw the opportunity and tried to use her ability however Kamijou had already thought ahead and approached them, touching the girl's hand with his own in order to negate the ability. Her power was sealed and she once again looked at him with a surprised expression.
"What now?" asked Kamijou as he looked towards Konori.
She looked to the girl that was underneath her and stared at her for a moment. That was a good question. Now that they had overcome their obstacle, what was going to happen now? What could they possibly do in the situation that they found themselves in?
"First, what is MINUS doing here? Your base of operations is reportedly in District 19. Why are you in the tunnel that leads to District 16?" Konori asked. She did not have a power that could look into in the minds of others however she could only hope that the girl underneath her assumed that they were more powerful than they actually were. Psychological tactics replaced by fear and defeat twisted the opinions of the loser and Konori hoped to take a hold of them in order to extract as much information as possible.
"Suck shit Judgment." She spat out from under Konori. "You and your boyfriend there can go and rot in hell. There's no way that you're going to get anything from me about MINUS."
"B-Boyfriend?!" blurted Konori with a blush as she looked at the boy that was squatting near the girl's hands. He looked back at her, looking flustered for a moment before realising something and hanging his head. "He's not my boyfriend!" Konori denied the notion however did not really pay attention to Kamijou agreeing due to the fact that 'he did not have that many encounters' or something that he was mumbling. Not only that but she really felt like some higher power wanted her to punch Kamijou right in that moment. Yet she maintained some self-control and proceeded with her work.
"What? Do you think I care? Judgment has interfered and looked down our backs for so long and then when we reach this point in our operations, why is it that you have to interfere?" protested the girl. "Fuck, where the hell is everyone else?"
"There's more of you?" asked Konori in concern to which the lips of the girl curled up as she smiled.
"Hell yeah. The rest of us and one of our leaders. But if you think that you can merely take us down easily, you are in a whole lot of pain ahead of you." Replied the girl. She tried to struggle once more however to no avail as Konori had her grip too tight. She turned towards Kamijou who was looking down the tunnel with a light in his eyes.
Down that tunnel….was the starting point for the end of MINUS. Like with God's Right Seat and GREMLIN, if you took down the leader…..
Still there was this girl to deal with. There was no way that he was merely going to leave her here. She could attack at any moment and as Konori had no handcuffs on her there was no way that she could prevent an attack on them. They either had to knock her out or simply make her give up, the former seeming the logical choice out of the two.
"We were so close! Why did you guys have to come here now?!" complained the girl and Konori tightened her grip on her arm.
"What do you mean? What were MINUS doing here?" she asked once again but there was no answer. She gritted her teeth and tried hard to think of something that she could do in this situation. There was only way in order to make sure that the girl did not attack them and that was to-
"Are you proud of yourself?" Kamijou's voice came from to her left and she looked at him. Was…was he talking to her? She knew the answer as he found his gaze turned towards the girl that she was on top of and the girl twisted her face in order to look straight at the boy.
"What the fuck are you talking about? Am I proud of myself?"
"For your actions. What you are doing here today. Can you truly say that this was something that you want to be remembered for? Causing harm to others and causing pain to others? All Judgment wants to do is make sure that this City is something that everyone can call home. Are you proud of what you are doing to stop that dream with one of your own?"
The girl and Konori were silent as they looked at him however the silence was broken by the girl's protest.
"What the hell are you talking about? Safe? Dream? Do you know what it's like for the dreams of others in this City to be stepped on by the strong? What have the we-"
"I am a Level 0." Kamijou butt in with those 5 words and the girl fell silent as she looked at the boy. Of course he would know her pain. As a Level 0 there was no way that he would not.
"But even then, all that pain, the hopelessness of not growing strong…..Is that something that you should try and gain by pushing that pain onto others? The Level 0 you fight in the name of, that Certain Unknown Level 0 is someone just like me. Someone who has fought in order to protect others, not to simply emphasis their strength. That is something that I can tell you for sure. He is someone that wants this City to be the place where others that he cares about can live in peace. So are you proud of what you are doing? Can you truly hold your head up high and say that you are stepping on the dream of others who want to be safe?"
"…" The girl simply laid her head on the train tracks as Kamijou spoke and Konori looked at him with a somewhat surprised look. He stood up from where he was and moved closer as he looked down at the girl, squatting near her face.
"But, are you someone that can say that you tried to protect someone else's dream? Can you gladly say that you acted for another person with no hope of repayment or power or anything like that? I can't answer that for you." He stood back up and walked over to the boy, picking him up and laying him down next to where Konori was. He straightened out and began walking further into the tunnel, turning around one last time before looking at the girl.
"But I believe that you can do it. That anyone can do it. Even someone like you can truly look for something that doesn't have to be looked down by others in terms of good or evil. And that answer is surely one that can be achieved by the simplest of people. All we have to do is work towards it." He smiled at her and Konori felt like something inside her felt it was right to simply let that boy have that hope. There were people that were not motivated by words or speeches. There were people that would not change simply by pouring out their feelings on the table. She knew that.
However that boy hoped that things were not that way. The thought that people….no humanity could be the same, all trying to protect what they wanted and their dream. There was no reason to stand up to help someone. They had a dream to protect as well. But was stepping on the dreams of everyone else as they moved forward something to be proud of? Even though one was weak, or weaker than those around them, was that any reason to step on those that were unrelated, those that had managed to acquire people through blood, sweat and tears?
So Konori Mii felt that the only thing to do in that situation was…..
She let go of the girl's arm and stood up, looking down at the girl and she looked back at her with a blank face. Konori let out a smile, before walking forward and reaching Kamijou where they walked side by side in the tunnel.
And the girl merely lay on the ground. She was silent was a moment before something inside her mind seemed to click before reaching a conclusion. She stood up, reaching for the boy and putting his weight over her shoulder in order to support him.
"Come on." She said silently. "We've got to get out of here."
Yet at the same time, a question filled her mind, as well as that of Konori's.
Just how did that boy know, or so confidently state, that the Certain Unknown Level 0 was a boy?
"That was quite the speech." Said Konori as the two of them moved through the tunnel. With the last encounter, they wanted to move slowly in order to not get caught however since they did not know how many people were left, they had no idea what they were up against. Both of them felt rather stupid for not asking the girl when they had left.
Kamijou turned towards her and blinked before shaking his head. "Not really. Everyone has something that they have to protect. Working to protect that is natural. But what makes us human is our ability to raise our hands and protecting someone else's dream. That is what MINUS doesn't realise. They don't realise that their own dream and the way that they are working towards it is stepping on the dreams of others. In a way, they might have become the same people that they look down upon. Surely, that contradiction is something that they haven't realised but if they have they've pushed it aside. But when they look at what they're doing in that new light, they'll probably understand their own errors."
He turned towards her. "But that's also your dream right? That there can be an ending where Academy City is safe? As Judgment, you can do that. And I have no idea how long that you've been working towards that. So I'm confident that Academy City can be left in the hands of someone like you."
He smiled at her and even in the situation that the both of them were in, that pure smile provided the warmth of hope and faith. Hope that they would get out alive and the faith that they would as well. And somehow Konori felt that in this situation, should she choose anyone in Judgment that she could get caught in this place in, she had been glad that it was the pain in the ass responsibility that he had become.
Here, it was two people against the rest of a fragment of a bigger group. Konori Mii could feel nothing but tension in the air however the smile that they boy gave seemed to relax the entire atmosphere by a large amount of points.
He had once fought the entire world and made it out alive, with nothing but that smile to reassure that one girl that had been by his side. And even then, it was surely something of a miracle that he could maintain it even here. Was it because he had become accustomed to this complete lack of odds? Or was it because he could truly say that whatever happened, he was working forward for the right reasons?
One might not say however Konori felt that one thing was certain: Kamijou Touma cold maintain that pure smile and truly hold nothing but positive feelings behind it.
However one thing stuck in the back of her head as she recalled what had transpired just moments before. She felt her face go slightly red as she asked her question.
"B-But what did you mean back there when you said you didn't have any encounters? Y-You know back when she suggested that we were …" She didn't go into detail however Kamijou merely hung his head and started to laugh in a deep voice.
"Hehehe. Yeah, I really am lacking in encounters. One of these days I really want to have that one encounter that has ultimate normalcy. No BiriBiri or trying to kill me or having my skull crushed or having to run around the City or having my right hand crushed! Just a normal one!" Of course he discarded all of the encounters that he had on the street with girls needing help that he ran into mainly they usually resulted in him being bit on the head or something else. So he didn't really count them as encounters. In truth when someone counted them into his list of 'encounters' with the opposite gender and the ….effects that these had on them, one truly wondered why Kamijou Touma complained about this sort of thing.
"But what about o-" Konori stopped mid breath as she recalled their first meeting and deciding to stay silent. However there was something ahead of the two that made them stop.
Ahead, lay a large area from what it seemed like. However it was not the area that was interesting. It was what was in it. There was a train on the tracks however it was hard to tell if it was going to travel south or north but it was probably both ways. However it to the left of the train that was what caught both of their attention.
The lights of the platform were on and they could see people moving back and forth between the train and whatever was further in on the platform. There was only one thing that it could be called.
"There was a station way down here?" asked Kamijou as Konori and he made their way against the wall in order to try and hide their view from the others however they stuck their heads around the corner in order to get a better look. Currently, they were just on the corner of the station and were next to the platform that allowed them to stand up onto the station itself.
It was possible for them to climb on the platform however that would mean that they would have to climb onto it and in that time a number of things could happen that were bad. Observing the situation for now was just as safe. The people that were moving between the train and further inside were carrying boxes. It was hard to tell what was inside however the boxes held no distinct features that made them stand out. Lights were on in the train and there was someone stacking up the boxes on the inside like a Tetris game and Konori frowned.
"What are they packing on? Where are they even going? Reports state that MINUS headquarters in in District 19. Why are they in a tunnel from District 16?"
"Maybe the track connects down the rail?" asked Kamijou. "Wasn't this the only entrance that Anti-Skill came down? Then isn't it possible that maybe they connect further up here or something? Is there another entrance?"
Konori frowned. "Not that I think. The old blueprints of this place and tunnels didn't say anything like this…..Have MINUS getting extra funding? With that….then this makes sense. But what is going on? Who exactly has the funding to fund this kind of project in Academy City?" she asked what both of them were thinking.
Not even Judgment had been told about this. If that was the case then who exactly had been moving behind the scenes? Had the benefactor decided to call it quits for some reason? There was nothing stopping Anti-Skill and Judgment from entering this investigation. With the amount of funding that this would have taken, an injunction on the activities of Judgment would have probably have been sleight of hand.
Both of them had left their phones back at the outpost that Anti-Skill had been set up before they had been attacked and there was no way to contact anyone. Probably any signal that was received in here was cancelled pout because of the tunnel itself as well, otherwise, the phone signals could be traced to whoever was in MINUS. Kamijou looked at everyone that was passing by and pointed something out to Konori.
"There's the same amount of people moving back and worth, only carrying different stuff. How long is the train cart?" Kamijou tried to move towards the train however was stopped by Konori as she looked at the amount of people that were moving back and forth. She counted 7 of them before the cycle repeated itself and looked towards the boxes.
"I'm more concerned with what's in the boxes. Look. See how careful they are with them?" she asked. Kamijou looked at now that it was pointed out, the cautious movements of the people that were carrying the boxes were that of slow movements, each step seemingly to be accurately placed on the ground as the next in order to maintain direction. What the hell was in those boxes?
The two of them pressed themselves against the wall and Konori looked towards Kamijou. "You seem awfully calm for this type of situation." She needed someone to vent out her thoughts as she tried to silently assess the situation and how she could deal with it, IF she could deal with it.
Kamijou looked at her. Sure his heart was racing from the situation, whose wouldn't, but there was no way that he was panicking like he would have if he had been thrown into this situation when he had been 'born'.
"I did something like this in London once. Except there was a paper giant…..Actually there was also a train there as well when I was heading to Folkestone. But to be honest, it isn't as bad as what happened to Thor. To be honest, I'm not going to be saying I like trains anytime soon." He blinked a few times before shuddering. It appeared that there was no way that he was going to England of his own free, well not really, will anytime soon. As well as what happened with Thor and Denmark, he somewhat felt that staying in Academy City was the only way to prevent accumulating a damage bill against him.
Konori had no idea what he was talking about before she posed her question that she had wanted to ask him for a while now.
"Who are you?"
Kamijou blinked a few times before answering. "W-Well my name is-"
"That's not what I mean." Said Konori with a serious tone.
When they had first met, she had mistaken him for a kidnapper due to a situation of immense misfortune. He had had no hard feelings whatsoever. She had later found out that his misfortune had not been limited to that but rather to many incidents as well. There was a comment saying that he had been blacklisted from detention facilities however she did not put much thought into that, it was obviously a joke. He had a power that negated other powers but no machine could detect it so he was the only 'true' Level 0. He was literally the weakest and dumbest esper in Academy City. However he had managed to move forward with injuries that Konori did not want to have herself and reach this stage. He understood that he did not have to do this. He understood that there was a chance that he would not make a difference. Despite the fact that running away would have not been something that everyone would have expected him to, he had still moved forward.
And that was Konori's question.
Just what kind of person was that? What motivated them? What pushed them forward? He knew Endo Hanshiro, who seemed to be quite intimated by him, someone that had been involved in the incident with Shirai Kuroko. Was he involved in that too? Yet he was still standing? Just what kind of person was that?
Kamijou seemed to realise her question and simply gave an answer that only raised more questions.
"I'm just a simple high school student. My grades aren't that good but in the end they don't determine what I should do in something like this. I can just put this down and leave it but in the end, I want to move forward. MINUS is doing something that is stepping on the dreams of everyone that works with you. Why shouldn't I fight to protect that? Why shouldn't you?"
Konori wanted to say something however was interrupted by a voice that made her turn her head towards the people that were on the station platform. Although there some names that she did not recognise put in there it seemed that some of them were talking about two espers that had left earlier. An esper groaned and jumped down from the platform, Kamijou and Konori pressing their backs to the wall in order to hide themselves.
The boy grumbled, walking away and the others went back to their work.
Kamijou and Konori looked towards each other.
This was the time to act.
"How far have we gotten?" yelled Yomikawa over the sound of the machinery that was moving. In the face of adversity, Yomikawa had simply decided that waiting around for something that could not be done. The processes and paperwork that was involved in getting the Powered Suits or FIVE_Overs that they wanted was going to screw things up for the people that were sitting in their offices with big decisions in their hands. So they would try and find some other solution while someone else had to sit on their thumbs.
So Yomikawa had simply come up with something different.
One of the Anti-Skill members stopped the crane that he was operating and the wrecking ball stopped in its movement.
"The ball is too big! Every time we get into the tunnel, another part of it caves in!" Yomikawa swore and moved towards the tunnel which led towards District 19, over the sound of the machinery that was moving backwards in order to swing the wrecking ball forward.
Shirai Kuroko stood there however out of the Judgment members there she was the most relaxed. It was that or that she was good at putting on the perfect façade. Yomikawa approached her as she shone her torch don the entrance.
Due to the absolute failure that had happened, everything had come to a stop. When they had requested the AI Powered Suits and FIVE_Overs, questions had come flooding in and there was a giant scene. Those people in their offices had decided that using those Suits would only attract more attention and had requested that Anti-Skill and Judgment stop movement completely before anything went out of hand in regards to MINUS or their reputation.
In the end only one member of Judgment and a civilian were unaccounted for. There was always someone that could be sacrificed for the greater good. However despite that, it was Shirai Kuroko that seemed the most calm out of the Judgment members there.
"How are you holding up?" asked Yomikawa as she came over. Shirai looked towards her and then frowned before indicating with her head towards the tunnel.
"Just fine. But something bothers me. District 16 runs on commerce. If anything there is there, it's only economic based and MINUS doesn't have any really skilled hackers to our knowledge. That might change but….." Shirai shook her head as she went off on a tangent. "Anyway, it's been confirmed that members of MINUS frequent District 19. But here they are attacking out of District 16."
Yomikawa nodded. "Yeah it's almost like…"
Both of them thought the same thing. They looked at each other and their looks confirmed it.
It was almost like their ability to move around from District to District had increased. It was either that or….
"We can't do anything though." Spat out Shirai. "What we've been left is with this red herring and trying to make an entrance so that Konori-senpai can escape. Assuming that of course she's still there."
Yomikawa froze as she made that comment. She looked at her however there was no emotion on her face. She was talking about her senior in that fashion, almost with a resigned tone. Was that why she looked so calm? She had assessed the situation and come to that logical conclusion. Death was a reality. And what had happened here….death was more than likely a likely possibility.
Shirai looked towards her and got the impression of what Yomikawa was thinking. She let out a small smile before shaking her head. "Not that. There's no way that Konori-senpai would end things here on something like this. I'm talking about her not being in the spot that we think that she is."
"What do you mean?" asked Yomikawa.
"Don't you remember who she was left with? In any case, one thing I know about that ape that was with Konori-senpai…there's no way that the opportunity to strike at the heart of MINUS will be passed up. There's no way that he will skip the opportunity to save everyone inside that tunnel. You're the one that brought him along right? After all that ape….he tries his hardest and endures anything in order to make sure that he saves everyone in the end." she said.
Yomikawa Aiho looked at the girl and noticed the tone in her voice as she said that. It was light and confident.
And it held the tone of someone who spoke from experience. Of course she had already known that. She had seen what that boy had done with her in the Misawa Cram School incident. And she had never thought that things would escalate like this however there was one thing that she knew.
There was no way that Kamijou Touma would stop after simply being caught in that tunnel. And so she sighed.
"Well at least I hope that that guy doesn't do anything rash. Tsukuyomi-sensei will give me a large lecture for causing her students harm."
Shirai Kuroko gave a smile in response that told her that that thinking was an illusion, something that Yomikawa did not respond to. There was another bang and Yomikawa turned towards the tunnel entrance and saw the wrecking ball make another hole, something that rubble only covered up as it collapsed on the new hole. She clicked her tongue and moved towards the crane.
"Alright! New strategy! Let's go and hurry up with those office bastards!"
And as the members of Judgment and Anti-Skill, Yomikawa Aiho could only sneak a glance towards the Teleporter that she had just spoken to.
There was something there….something that was there when she had been talking about that boy. Faith…and something else. It was hard to place however Yomikawa had a feeling that she knew what it was.
She sighed as she thought about the more obvious thing that had taken place.
After all that ape….he tries his hardest and endures anything in order to make sure that he saves everyone in the end.
That tiny blush that had been on her cheeks was something that could not escape the eye of a perceptive Anti-Skill officer. And somehow, just somehow she felt that she kind of understood what that guy's class was always talking about.
"What was it called?" she asked to herself. "The…Kamijou Disease?"
"Well? Is there anything that can tell us what they're up to?" asked Konori as she looked down at Kamijou.
The person that had been set in order to check up on things had been knocked out and Kamijou was currently searching his pockets as Konori made sure that no one was coming their way. Although there was little that she could actually do about it if anyone came, she wanted to make sure that no one actually did.
Kamijou shook his head and lifted up the boy, moving him towards the wall. "There's not much. Only this." Kamijou held up something towards Konori and she gave it a look. She didn't know what it was but it seemed to be a key of some sort and she didn't know what it belonged to. Was it some kind of key that allowed them access to something?
"Step back." She said and Kamijou did as she said, as she used her Clairvoyance upon the boy and found that there was nothing that she could determine from him. She sighed and looked back down the way that she came. "What are we going to do?" she asked.
Kamijou looked down at the boy. From what they had seen, the total of people that were now on that platform were 6 however that was taking into account that there was no-one else and there was no way to tell if they were or were not. The only way to actually do that was to get in amongst them and talk to them.
Kamijou ran a hand through his hair. How were they going to do that though? The boy was wearing boring clothes, a strange hoodie that could cover his face and some other daggy clothes, jeans and a simple t-shirt that looked like it had seen better days. Even his sneakers were worn. With the clothes that Konori and Kamijou were wearing now, there was no way that they would mix in with the crowd.
…..The clothes…..now?
Kamijou looked down at the boy and had a crazy idea. There was no way that it would work, probably and there was everything on the line. If one thing went wrong it was him that would suffer. Not only that but…
Kamijou looked at Konori and considered the thought however there was no way that he would agree to it. Even if Konori was fine with it, the idea went against everything that he went against. It was through the idea Konori would be the one on the front line, the one that would be hurt the most. If it was Kamijou that would be fine. However Konori had followed him down here and he had to make sure that-
"Hey. Why don't you swap places?" she asked seriously. She had noticed Kamijou's stare and had come to the same opinion however was surprised that Kamijou had not suggested the same thing that she knew he was thinking. Was it because he thought it was a bad idea? Of course it was. There was no reason to think that it wasn't. However it was the only thing that they had right now.
Kamijou looked at her with a surprised expression and then his facial expression went grim.
"You….know what that means right?" he asked. "If I take this guy's place and pretend that I saw you sneaking around…you do know what will happen? I won't have something like that happen to you. I know what MINUS does to people who get in their way. That's something that I wouldn't wish on anybody."
Konori slightly blushed at his words however snapped herself out of it and gave Kamijou a hard look. "Well what else do you suggest? There's nothing else that we can do in this situation. We might not make a difference. But right now there is something that we can do in order to achieve something that can help everyone. I'm a member of Judgment. I knew the risks when I entered this position and I have a dream that everyone can return home safely." She smiled towards him. "Can….you help me achieve that?"
She knew that what she was doing was manipulative. She was using the words of the boy against him using them in a way that he might not like and it made her feel bad that she had been put into this position. However in the end, the only way to move this boy and make him do what she had set out to achieve in the first place…..
"Are…..you sure? I have no idea if I can save you if you go somewhere that I don't know. I'll be among the enemy as well." Said Kamijou.
Konori chuckled a tiny bit. "I don't think that I should be your first concern. Perhaps trying to stop whatever is on that train?" Kamijou didn't say anything before walking over towards the boy that they had knocked unconscious before undoing his own belt.
Konori watched as he did so and went red in the face. Kamijou looked over at her and it seemed that he knew what he had to do in order to complete the illusion.
"Um….Is it OK if you can turn around when I change?"
Konori did so immediately and found it hard to resist the temptation to look. While she had dealt with the wounds that Kamijou had on his chest when she had applied her treatment, seeing the slightly muscular chest of a high school boy was something that numerous girls her age wanted to do. But now was not the time to do that sort of thing. She had to mainta-
"Ah!" she said as she turned and held up the key that she had gotten. "What do you think we should do wi-"
She stopped mid-sentence and Kamijou stopped as he looked at her with a pale face. He was not wearing any pants.
Well neither was the boy that had been knocked unconscious however it seemed that Kamijou had gotten the half on when she had decided to turn around and she could see everything that would have usually been covered them. While it was not the comedic scene that Kamijou had love heart pattern boxers, it was hardly something that a boy his age and a girl Konori's age should be put through. However this kind of thing happened to Kamijou all the time.
"Could you…..perhaps turn around again?" he asked. He was NOT going to overreact like the unreasonable times when he had seen other girls naked. He understood the biting on the first occasion, but as the biting grew in level and experience there was a limit! So all he had to do was make sure that he maintained a calm exterior. Calm exterior.
Konori flustered and then hung her head before turning and Kamijou though that he could see her shaking however he was not sure. He really didn't want to make sure though.
It was a while until Kamijou was done and he pulled the hoodie over his head in order to hide the face and other features that could make them tell the difference between Kamijou and the boy. Their height was the same so that was lucky on Kamijou's part and the disguise was complete.
"Ok. Then let's go." Said Konori however Kamijou stopped her.
"Hang on. I need you to punch me."
"…..What?" she asked.
"Think about it." Said Kamijou. "There are bruises on your face after that fight. There's bruise everywhere for me however none of my clothes. Those guys aren't going to think that you fought without resistance. So we have to make sure that it seems that I ended up having to fight you. If I show my face they're bound to recognise me and then the game would be out. So….punch me. Since we ambushed the guy there there's no sign of a struggle on the clothes. Blood or whatever. Just I need you to punch me."
"Are you serious?" asked Konori. "I'm not going to punch you just because of som-"
"Then do it for your dream. Do it in order to get back at those that have put us here. I don't want you to be hurt Konori. So I'm willing to do anything to make sure that that happens. So I need to make sure that this illusion is maintained until it needs to be broken."
Konori knew what the boy was doing. He was turning her words against her. But even so….it meant that the boy seriously wanted to make sure that everyone went home properly. To make sure that everyone ended up home safely.
That was the exact same thing that Konori wanted. So how could the both of them stop there? There was a goal in sight. There was something that the both of them wanted to reach in the end.
And neither of them were going to budge an inch.
So Konori Mii went in for the strike. She did not do it for her own pleasure. She did not do so because she wanted to.
She did it because that boy who wanted the accomplishment of her dream wanted her to.
"Jesus! What the hell happened to you?! Fucking Judgment!" said one of the boys who held the box that were being loaded onto the train.
While Konori simply had to ruffle her hair in order to make it look like she had been in a fight, the same was not for Kamijou. Most of the mouth area of the hoodie was bloodied and he had spread some of it onto his hoodie that he had borrowed. His clothes overall looked as though he had walked into some kind of zombie massacre game rather than had a fight with someone.
Kamijou, in disguise, and Konori walked up to the boy who had spoken.
"What do you want me to do with her?" Kamijou asked. Luckily, when they had attacked the boy he had spoken to them, mainly swears and the like and Kamijou had managed to get a grip on the voice however it wasn't perfect.
"Dude, what happened to your voice?!" the boy asked as he held the box that he was about to load onto the train. Konori lowered her gaze in order to have a look inside however all she could see was a box cover. However even then her eyes widened in shock at what she saw.
"This bitch punched me in the goddamn throat." Replied Kamijou quickly, thankful for his adlib abilities. "But what do we do with her?" Konori focused upon the box and the contents that were surely inside, her mind moving fast as she thought about what the contents of the box meant for both her and Kamijou.
However the boy in front of her responded to Kamijou's question by pointing down the platform, to a room that was opposite the train, something that they would not have seen without having been on the platform.
"You'll have to ask the boss. You know where he is." The boy walked away with the Kamijou led Konori.
"Did you see that box cover?" she asked without moving her mouth to much in order to make sure that the people that were looking at them would not seem suspicious.
"Why *cough*?" Kamijou's voice was awfully hoarse due to the treatment that Konori had given him and he felt that she had been too harsh in her treatment. Mind you though, in the end the illusion was maintained and Kamijou gradually felt his voice coming back after Konori had punched him in the throat. After all, the best way to tell a lie was to mix it in with a tiny bit of the truth to make it more believable.
"They were explosives. They had the label of some equipment that Anti-Skill use in order to blow some debris in collapses in the City. I didn't think that MINUS would actually use it here though…"
"Wait." Said Kamijou as the two of them went past the doorway and into the large room that was in front of them.
It was circular in nature and there were only three entrances, the one that they had just come in, one that was opposite where they were currently and one that was to their left. The room itself was fairly large and people went from their doorway to the one that was opposite them and Kamijou and Konori guessed that that was where the explosives were coming from. The only doorway that was not being used was the one of the left however that was not what Kamijou had stopped in order to ask.
"Explosives? Are you saying that Anti-Skill would be able to get past the rubble?" he asked.
Konori slowly shook her head and with little movement in order to not attract attention. "No. Remember the vehicles that exploded? Some of the vans that did so had those explosives in them and it will take a lot of paperwork in order to request some more. I have no idea what's happening outside however I'd say that by now they have those explosives. But sitting around and waiting for things when we can get something done…."
She was silent as Kamijou led her into the room and Konori still wondered what the key that they had found on the boy was for. She had still held in it in her pocket and there was nothing that she thought that it could be used for? So what was its purpose?
"Come on." said Kamijou in a loud voice in order to make sure that everyone heard him. He led her towards the room on the left, noticing the nature of the room that he found himself in. It was almost like it was some kind of storage space that was how much room there was in it. The circular nature of the room itself made Kamijou wonder if it could be used as anything else however he did not think too far into it as he made his way into the room on the left.
While the spacious room before had been daunting, the aura that came from this room seemed to fill the air around him. It practically spoke authority. Kamijou didn't need to think twice that someone important to MINUS was in here.
There was a table in the room and nothing else however the person that was looking at the table with a confident look on his face looked up at Kamijou and the person that he had brought in and the expression on his face showed his surprise.
Kamijou however got a good look at him before he even spoke. The boy's messy green hair was all over the place and the clothes that he wore were respectable, giving off that image of authority. He wore an old school uniform, a shirt that had black and white horizontal stripes over it however in thing stuck out as odd; the red sleeve that covered his left arm. Kamijou had no idea if it was a design flaw however he spoke in order to address the boy.
"Sir. I caught this one when I was sent out to look for the others. She had already knocked them out and caused some trouble. I didn't know what to do so….."
"Good." Said the boy as he walked forward and looked Konori in the face. "But what are you doing here Judgment? I thought that Ryusaki and the others had managed to deal with those that were at the entrance to District 7."
"What are you doing here? Why do you have explosives? What is MINUS planning to do?" she asked the boy.
He blinked before frowning. "Hmph. Demanding as always. But I won't have you calling me without a name. Everyone is equal here. My name is Chojiro Wada. I guess you could say that one of the main players in MINUS is me. I suppose you don't know much about us do you? After all, we only came into existence in August. Unfortunately there's not much to say about what we are and what we are doing. In the end, I want to know what you are doing here Judgment." Chojiro's words were sharp and he looked at Kamijou.
"She got you good huh?" Kamijou nodded. "Well then you can go. I have some…..words to have with this Judgment here."
"Sir? What do I do then? This Judgment officer is pretty good at what she does and she is not restrained. Can you handle yourself?"
"Tch." Chojiro clicked his tongue. "Just who the hell do you think I am? I am one of the three Lieutenant Generals. I may be a Level 0 however I can take care of myself." Kamijou nodded and pushed Konori forward as lightly as he could without looking suspicious before walking back into the room that he had just entered. Chojiro closed the door with squeaky hinges, revealing to Kamijou that this place must only exist for convenience for their operations.
Wanting to not look suspicious and also wanting to check out those explosives, Kamijou moved towards the room that was opposite the one that he had entered from. The room itself was larger in depth than the other room and served its purpose as storage, the boxes covering what seemed to be only halfway through the room however there was no way that Kamijou could tell.
There was someone else in there, a girl and she was carefully handling the box that held the explosives, Kamijou understanding the careful actions that she had taken from the get go.
She too, like the boy and everyone else he had met wore the casual clothes that made them not stand out at all. However there was one thing that Kamijou had to note inside his head. With that Chojiro person, that made 7 people here together. There was no way that he could take them on all at once so he had to think of some way to deal with them…
He walked next to the girl with his hoodie still on and bent down in order to pick up one of the boxes before feeling something slap him on the back, hard and almost making him wince with his injuries. He turned and saw the boy that he had spoken to before come up to him with a smile.
"Hey man! That was some good work. Those Judgment bastards sure are tricky but it was good that you got one. Seriously though what was she doing here?" The boy's gaze turned grave and Kamijou wanted to say something however the girl that had been with them spoke up.
"Hey! Akutaro! Watch it! These are fragile! Did you not understand that when we got the fucking briefing?" she said annoyed, as she put down the box and glared at the boy that had spoken to Kamijou.
He groaned and then gave a glare towards the girl while Kamijou looked inside one of the boxes. While the contents didn't seem much, something like a black cylinder, they would surely cause some major damage. He took it out before taking a good look while no-one was watching before placing it one of the other boxes that were stacked up. He covered the lid and stood up with the box, wanting to not draw any attention at all if he could.
"Why are you always at me? Far out! For a Level 1, you sure get cocky when you want to towards us Level 0s!" He leaned in close to the girl and pressed her forehead with his finger in a mocking gesture and Kamijou saw that some others had come over in order to observe the scene.
"What? You think that there's nothing to back me up? Wanna fight?" she asked as she did the same action that the boy had done back to her.
"Excuse me." Said Kamijou as he made him past them and entered the room that he had entered in the first place, heading back towards the train as he saw two other people walk past him and frown at the squabbling boy and girl.
"Far out." Said one of them. "How did those two even get asked to come out here?" The other agreed and Kamijou moved back towards the train and walked towards it, entering it and looking around as he entered it. There was someone else in here, directing him and where to put the boxes.
The train cart itself seemed normal, boxes being placed anywhere but the seats for fear that they would probably fall over and Kamijou placed his box on the floor in order to start a new pile. This was something that he had seen before, well something similar. It was almost exactly that train that he had fought Freyja one and the boxes that had been stacked up there.
There were other carts behind him, four more however there was one of them had no such boxes placed in it. Instead there was a control panel and there was something similar to the next car over to his right. Kamijou frowned. Were those different panels to make the train move in two directions?
If that was so…..then it was possible to get back the way that they had come back. Kamijou set down the box and walked behind the person that had been stacking the boxes as well, someone who had left before him as he entered the same room as before.
"Fuck! Get the door closed!" Shouted some of the people that were down the other end of the room. The guy and girl that had been fighting before had placed their backs against the door and the other two guys had done so as well. The person that had been loading the boxes as well with Kamijou looked at him and they looked back at the people that were trying to get the door closed, one of the guys placing his hand on it as it glowed green, a green that covered the door as well.
The girl turned towards the boy that she had been fighting.
"You fucktard! Why did you put that fragile bomb on that place? What the hell were you thinking when you knocked it over trying to start a goddamn pointless fight? Hurry it up!" She shouted to the esper that covered the door with that green energy.
Kamijou and the other boy froze before heading over towards the door and Kamijou paled. She couldn't mean…..the bomb that he had placed upon the other box when he had taken it out?! However that was not at the forefront of his mind. Instead, how long would it be before the bomb actually-
There was a flash of bright light and Kamijou Touma was thrown back.
When it came down to it, something like this solved all of his problems and put them into a shamble as well.
While there was the problem of the bombs gone, there was still something else that had to be dealt with.
And that was that of the thing that had weighed down on his conscience for so long.
MINUS.
Well we got a bit of everything here? Fights, Anti-skill, Touma placing some hope within Mii and even part of the Kami-yan disease? But now that the final stage has been reached here, I hope that everyone will stick with me until the end. And I can positively say that this part is the next to last one. I hope that everyone has enjoyed it and looks forward to the next and final part!
But the final part here, while it does seem rushed, it kind of puts the justice of the world against the evil that is MINUS. Coincidence does seem to strike in the worst of places right?
But now we have all the players on the scene. Konori, Kamijou, A Lieutenant General, and some other members of MINUS. But enough about that. In the end I hope that all of you are willing to take a break from Science until we enter Magic soon…
Also I had Touma truly defeat the ideals of someone who was a main player in the story. That kind of nameless antagonist is one of the pushing points of the story however at the same time, it also shows that everyone has their own story in regards to their own actions. I feel that somehow, Touma would respect that if you get what I mean?
Not only that but we had Konori truly question the main point of the story, the Certain Unknown Level 0. From a standpoint of someone who fights for justice, I feel that she might think of Touma as the strange one who fights for nothing more than keeping people happy. Although he understands her dream, she can't really understand what drives him. I felt that that was important in itself in a way.
Regardless though, I hope that everyone enjoys the final part.
And as always,
Review of you please
And I'll see you when I see you and I won't if I don't.
Just now that I think of it…..is there a pause button for the Kami-yan Disease? It never stops!
