Here we are once again, with another original!
Sometimes, like with all of these, there is the risk the idea presented is either good or bad but I think having the courage to go over that small hurdle is something anyone who posts on this site needs to have. It's surprising how many times I've done this in my own way but I only hope the courage I have mustered to bring this to you is one you will think is worth it.
But enough with this small prelude! It's time to hit the core of this one-shot!
Before we begin things, I'd like to do the usual with the Q & A:
BlueJack22: Hahahaha, thanks so much. I really appreciate it. It feels weird that Index has been going on for 17 years, doesn't it?
whwsms: Yes! I managed to get a massive laugh! I'm glad that you noted how Touma facing an overprotective father is his greatest challenge to date; has he ever faced something so serious!? The only reason that the chapter was a one-shot was because the title is the maximum amount of characters you can have…however, as you can see, the chapter name changed, so perhaps that's a hint of the future to come?!
Anime-ted Life116: I have to agree; last chapter did have the ability to become something in and of itself, but where that potentially goes is entirely unknown, even to me. I don't think that entering the airspace is something to consider too heavily though; it's just part of the plot.
Guest: Glad you liked it!
wildarms13: I didn't think that the story would be as popular as it turned out to be…but if you wanted another chapter of it, I'm more than happy to provide!
akitousen: Is that a request!? Because I'm more than happy to accommodate for that if that's what you want. But still, even if it will be a wait, I hope you can look forward to whatever I end up having planned!
craytherlay: Part of me feels like Tabigake, when observing Touma, only ended up seeing the things that would create the worst impression of Touma, per his usual misfortune. But still, I'll leave the reasons for why the war would be happening for another time, even if it means you'll be speculating for some time!
paeluclucas: ¡Muchas gracias!
AngalaconTheBlack: Hahahahaha; really glad you liked it and the subtle avoidance that Misuzu had when it came to her own experiences with Touma. Not many people managed to catch that!
DNWorks: Glad to see that you liked the chapter with how crazy it was! Although, I'd definitely like to see a family outing with Touma and his family; the last time it happened, the world almost ended!
Deku: Hehehehehehe, given the response to the chapter, another part is in the works for sure!
TheDarkPublisher: Actually, Part 3 of Futures Kaleidoscope was finished just recently so the only thing that you need to do is patiently wait! Who knows what would happen if Touma tried to meet the parents of a potential girlfriend? As for the harem of Futures Kaleidoscope; it's a bit of strange line because while the harem is 'confirmed', given Touma's position regarding it, it's not really set in stone and as such, it's on a line where it's both confirmed and not confirmed. If you wanted a specific list though, I'm happy to provide (it'd be long though). As for your suggestion with Seria-senpai, I'm actually gotten something in the works but when that is posted is the next question…
Aminadab Brulle: The reaction to last chapter was a bit of a surprise if I'm being honest; there was nothing 'new' about it and there were a few clichés as well but your reaction was more than enough to make me know I made the right choice! One day…
WwEpsilonwW: Hahaha; love the Anchorman reference! I'm glad you liked the chapter though; that's what makes it the best!
Zatil Hidayah Spensa: Is a request!? Because I'm more than happy to have a crack at this idea!
Guest (another one): I'm pretty sure that another fanfic writer out there has managed to cover this type of thing when it comes to Touma having to confront his past in some way (and Kamachi has done this in part too). I do have agree though; one of these days, Touma is likely going to have that past hit him front and centre.
And the thanks. Firstly, to my beta reader PokeRescue18. He's been MIA recently but for the work he's done on BTL up until this point, I really want to thank him all the same. Really man, from the bottom of my heart, you have my endless thanks for the massive support you've given me over the years.
And to you, the reader. Again, I've said this so many times and I will continue to say it. But the things you have done for me are things I will never be able to properly repay. I hope the small things I have given you in the form of this work and the words I have are things you can realise are the personification of my thanks. Still though, from the bottom of my heart; thank you.
And from me, I hope you do what you always do with these works:
Enjoy.
Mr Question Mark.
Source Material Expectations. The_Truth_Is_Out_There.
Academy City.
While the metropolis of Science had made many an eye turn towards it to discover and learn about the wonders contained within, there were mysteries about it that were not always observable from outside. Despite tales of fantastic technology and esper powers, for those living there, such things got old and fast given how much the citizens were exposed to things of that nature.
Which meant that for the true treasure hunters of Academy City who wanted to always feel surprised, there was only one thing that would sate their thirst for new and wonderous adventures within the City that drew so many in with its tales of technology and powers.
Urban rumours and legends.
They were there in the multitudes if you knew where to look.
In this City of Science, the rumours here were so fantastical it made the technology and esper powers that baited so many people look small in comparison.
After all, how could you ignore tales of a Maid Robot Project even when there were real life maids in front of you? How could you put to the side the legend of Shadow Metal, formed when numerous espers clashed together and was the result of a spectacular battle? How could you simply shrug off tales of Specimen #502, the source of the groaning that sometimes came from the manholes of the City? Or that there was a cursed maid outfit that would never come off when you put it on? Or the tales of A Certain Unknown Level 0 who had defeated Accelerator? Or a Level 0 who had the ability to negate others' powers and had met more than half the Level 5s?!
They were everywhere and their ambiguity only gave them charm, if not a sense of mystery and danger when pursuing them. The legends and rumours spread either through word of mouth or through the internet were meant to entrap those who knew about them and for many, that hold was such that they could never find themselves looking at the technology and esper powers of Academy City and think that that was the only thing of interest.
But some rumours were different.
Some rumours, very rarely, had enough specificity you could look into them if you knew where to look.
Yes.
For example.
There were the rumours around one Kamijou Touma.
The boy said to run around Academy City at night, knocking even the mightiest of warriors out his nothing but his fist and snatching up girls in his path, indiscriminate of their age. The tales of his exploits were legendary and the fact his name was mentioned among the rumours and legends only gave a sense of mystery to the boy in question.
Although this was a rumour spread by word of mouth and among unfavourable types, it was the keen nose of Saten Ruiko, rumour and legend hunter extraordinaire who had learned about it and, even now, had her keen eye on the prize she had known to be the centre of the rumour. Her gaze was keen, her eyes were sparkling and with every single bit of emotion within her body, she knew the rumour she was chasing was one that was once again filling her with excitement and anticipation for the future.
And like all legends, she was not alone.
"To think…! There he is! I've met him before, but you have no idea how much the rumours add new light to old concepts. That is the appeal to them! Uncovering the secrets behind what you thought were mundane things! Ah, I'm trembling with excitement right now, just thinking about it!"
"Even though you say that, aren't we just stalking him?"
"Quiet! It's observation, Kanou-chan!"
"(I really hope you're saying that as a way to indicate we're friends and not because you think I'm a girl.)"
"Huh? Did you say something?"
"N-No! Not at all!"
"Hmm…? But whatever the case, I'd be really stuck without you, Kanou-chan! To think someone else had heard about the rumours as well. Like a test of courage, this is something you can only do with other people for the maximisation of fun!"
"Y-Yeah, something like that…"
It was winter and Kanou Shinka shivered despite wearing a coat. The bear ears on the black hooded jacket stood out apart from anything else and this, along with his cute face, shoulder length brown hair and androgynous appearance had more than once given the impression he was a girl rather than a boy. Much to his frustration, his classmates often called him 'the cutest looking trap you'll find anywhere' and although he knew they were joking, it always brought tears to his eyes that the girls of his class always squealed over.
It had been nothing more than a coincidence that he had called out to the girl he had overheard while walking through District 7. The lecture she was giving her friend with a flower headband was loud and cheerful but the moment she had said she knew there were rumours about one Kamijou Touma, the interest Kanou had had in her had skyrocketed.
It seemed that, although she had ulterior motives, Saten Ruiko wanted to investigate Kamijou, not only because she knew him but also to see if the rumours were true: if he did get up to the crazy stuff he was said to get up to. Apparently, this was for a 'friend' Kanou did not know. The flower headband girl had clearly disagreed with Saten, saying it was an invasion of privacy for one and that the rumours she was involved in were more trouble than they were worth.
It had been then that Kanou Shinka had made one the biggest mistakes of his life.
Having met the boy in question and knowing (to some extent) the fight he got into especially after the incident with the Dianoid and St. Germain, he had called out to the girl. Simply for the purposes of being a Good Samaritan, he had told her that intentionally trying to see if the rumours around Kamijou were true was a dangerous exercise, especially if something were to come of it. He had spoken from experience; he was partially responsible for Kamijou being involved in the Dianoid incident.
Even if the Dianoid incident had involved no running around Academy City at night, no defeating people with a punch to the face and no picking up any girls, Kamijou had still been involved in something pretty dangerous and for this alone, he wanted to ensure that both this girl and Kamijou were not pulled into some dangerous situation.
Given that even the Dark Side had feared the name of that boy, intentionally seeking him out would create nothing more than misfortune. For this alone and to save both Kamijou and Saten from being exposed, him calling out to Saten had been for her safety.
But the light in her eyes as soon as he had indicated he had heard those rumours was one that had made her push over her friend, race over to Kanou, take his hands and drag him through Academy City until they had passed by Kamijou merely by chance. All the time, the girl had spoken, having introduced herself as Saten Ruiko, and had blabbed on and on about the appeal of the rumours and what was included in them, something Kanou had already known. However, now that their target of observation was in front of them, she was silent, staring at Kamijou in the distance.
"S-Saten-san, I told you this before! Please listen to me. Not only is this going to bother Kamijou-san, but if something comes of this, it's going to be really serious!" Kanou pleaded, tugging on Saten's clothes but she swatted his hand away absently, that look in her eyes like she was in a trance.
"No, it'll be really good! You'll get to see the legend in action! Will he take down whatever opponent he faces with a clenched fist and will he manage to snatch a girl's heart?! How can you not want to see this? Besides, he knows me! And this will be perfect for letting Misaka-san know what he's up to."
"He knows me as well so I can tell you perfectly that this is going to do nothing but trouble him! Please listen!" Kanou once more pleaded, tugging on Saten's clothes as they both hid behind the sign for a café. Kanou could feel the stares of the patrons against his back and apologised profusely, tears entering his eyes slightly.
His friend Frenda Seivelun, who was now gone, had once said his personality of being a cry baby was not necessarily a bad thing, but it was clear in the way tears were filling his eyes that Kanou had yet to fully discard that part of his personality. He trembled in the face of the stares directed his way.
Still with tears in his eyes, he tugged once more on the clothes of Saten and peeked across from the café sign, seeing their target. It had been a while since Kanou had last seen Kamijou Touma and while the two of them had parted on friendly terms, Kanou had a difficult time judging the distance between the two of them. Were they friends or merely passing strangers? Given the incident they had been through, it seemed it was the former but coming out and asking "Are you my friend?" between guys was more embarrassing than Kanou thought possible.
Still, as Kanou's life after the Dianoid incident had continued, it seemed Kamijou's had as well. With a shopping basket in hand, the convenience store he was in was run of the mill which seemed to match him entirely. Kanou shivered as he stared at the high schooler frowning and holding two different watermelons, seeming to try and judge their weight using his hands instead of scales.
"S-Saten-san?"
"Look," Saten said, her eyes flashing with irritation for the first time. "This is the experience of a lifetime! You only live once, right? Why not take this chance and see if the rumours around Kamijou-san are true or not? I mean, look at him! He looks so ordinary and we both know there's something underneath that unassuming exterior! A legend, a hero! But how can we prove the rumours are true unless we see it for ourselves? Proving stuff like this is where the fun is! While we were running here, we compared what we knew, right!?"
Kanou winced at that. While the girl had blabbed on and on about rumours and the like, the boy had simply run on autopilot, unsure of how to respond to the flood of words heading for him. It had because of that that Saten had learned his name and the information he knew about the rumours circulating Kamijou. The pressure given by the forceful girl made him tremble as she turned and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Wh-What if he sees us?! How are we going to explain ourselves?" Kanou tried his best to think of something, anything, that would chase Saten away from this escapade he wanted nothing to do with. Saten blinked once, tilting her head and answering simply with a grin on her face and a pat on Kanou's shoulder.
"I'll tell him it was all your idea."
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!"
Kanou screamed, making the patrons of the café jump in fright and glare at the boy who had made an awfully girlish scream. Saten went wide eyed, covering Kanou's mouth with a hand and hiding behind the sign, poking her head around the corner and seeing that Kamijou had also noticed the scream. However, at the same time, one of the watermelons in his hands had fallen onto his foot and with a pained expression the watermelon became his focus.
"I-I was joking!" Saten hissed frantically to Kanou. "We'll figure it out and I don't think Kamijou-san is a bad guy to get angry at us for something as minor as observing him a little!"
"Mmmmfff! Mgmf ff mfbfnbf,b fm fbf,mf mffn fj fff!"
Kanou tried to say something in reply but could not, the hand over his mouth preventing him from doing that. She was not having any of it though, looking up and going wide eyed as she stared at the convenience store.
"Oh crap! He's moved further inside! Come on Kanou-chan, we're missing the greatest adventure of a lifetime here! This is our chance!"
"What is our chance – Saten-san!?"
Saten, however, had already raced off, Kanou groaning and chasing after her. Forget Kamijou getting her into trouble, with her personality, she was more likely to end up in trouble all the same. Groaning and realising that leaving her alone and going his own way would probably cause more problems than solve, Kanou went after her as she dived across the street and hid behind the sign of another café across the road, getting a good look at the inside of the convenience store.
Kanou joined her a moment later and saw what she did; a perfect vantage point of Kamijou as he stood in front of the bread aisle, browsing the products with an air of curiosity. He was doing nothing and part of Kanou felt himself incredibly bored, the only thing serving to be exciting being the actions of Saten which he felt would give him a nervous breakdown by the end of the day.
"S-Saten-san, he's doing nothing! Besides, the rumours says he runs around at night and it's the middle of the day! Y-You don't plan on stalking him for the entire day are you!?"
"No. It's observation. Besides, I won't have to. The rumours about Kamijou running around at night aren't the only ones, you know. There are tales that he's willing to fight gods to save girls and that his esper power is to attract women to his side and make them fall for him as well as being the world's best – and worst – trouble magnet! So the only thing we have to do is see if that is all true. We are observing a specimen in its natural habitat, Kanou-chan. We have to see how much of those rumours are true and sort fact from fiction. This is for science!" Saten said with energy, fire burning from all around her even though she was a Level 0 Aero Hand.
Kanou sweatdropped, gulping slightly but staring apprehensively towards the boy in question. Just as when he had first met Kamijou, he still gave an average presence but at the same time, Kanou was shocked to feel irritation at how nothing was happening.
Sure, the rumours had made Kamijou turn into something he was not, but even so, the image that had formed around Kamijou was so different than to how he actually was that it was somehow irritating when nothing was happening that would allow Kamijou to break out of his shell and turn into the person from the rumours and urban legends. As much as Kanou wanted to deny it, the words of Saten had pierced into his soul and made him wish for one very basic thing:
For something to happen to Kamijou.
It could be anything at all, but it had to be something that would allow that spiky haired boy to transform from the normal guy into the hero so many knew him to be. Kanou himself, after having seen Kamijou in action, knew how overwhelming such a presence could be and had to admit he had gotten lost in it when they had been fighting in the Dianoid.
But now?
He was nothing more than a normal high school boy you could find anywhere.
And Kanou Shinka found that to be disappointing.
He knew he was scum for thinking that but the words of Saten and the desire to see that hero back in action sent an anticipation running through Kanou. The time when he had seen the Kamijou Touma in action had been exhilarating and Kamijou had given off a vibrant energy and determination that Kanou had felt in himself too when they had fought together.
…If only for one more time, Kanou Shinka wanted to see it again.
He wanted to see Kamijou Touma do what he did best and break free from his shell of normalcy, even if that required something to happen. He wanted to see the boy from the urban legends and rumours which told of a demi-god type of human, a hero, who stood in the way of injustice and fought for justice, all so he could defeat the oppressors and save the oppressed.
Just one more time.
That was all Kanou wanted.
It might be selfish for him to wish that (the same could be said for Saten) but the desire to view the boy from the rumours and for something bad to happen to Kamijou had filled Kanou, if only because Saten had reminded him of how exhilarating being in the presence of the legend was.
Kanou felt himself glare slightly at Saten, realising she had made him feel something and he involved in this despite not initially wanting to. Somehow, the energy of the girl was infectious, as much as he wanted to deny it.
But still, the voice of reason and disappointment for Kanou was obvious and spoken.
"But he's not doing anything."
"…What is he doing anyway? Shopping?" asked Saten, squinting and trying to get a better look. "I know we caught him by coincidence but is that all he's doing? Wait…do you think he's shopping for materials for the suit he wears when fighting crime?"
"Who do you think he is? And besides, if he wore a suit, his name wouldn't be in the rumours, would it?"
"…Spoilsport."
"Hey!"
"No, look! Something's happening!"
Kanou instantly felt his head turn up, staring and seeing that it was just as Saten had said. Something was happening but…was that it?
Kamijou had picked up something from the bread aisle, but the moment he had touched it, he had instantly pulled his hand back. Saten and Kanou clutched onto the café sign together, staring intently and watching whatever was going to unfold with interest and concentration better put into their studies but they could not turn their eyes away from the sight.
Kamijou, having pulled back, now slowly approached the bread aisle once more, carefully reaching with his hands for something there like he was handling a snake and picking out something barely visible from a distance: a piece of yakisoba bread. He held it by the top, his face seeming to distort as he stared at it as if something was wrong with the bread before bringing his face closer.
That was all he managed though, dropping the yakisoba bread onto the ground and taking a step back, covering his nose and having a look of disgust on his face –
Only to crash into the woman behind him.
The woman collapsed, Kamijou turning in shock at the same time as he hit the woman accidentally, trying to reach out to grab her before she fell. However, his foot caught something before he did.
The yakisoba bread he had dropped onto the ground.
He slipped on it, falling forward and instead of catching the woman, felt right into the part his head was now level on: her chest. He had no time to feel excited about it however, the two of them now collapsing to the ground where they fell into a crumpled head, the woman (who was well endowed despite looking quite young) having a high school boy with his face in her chest.
Gagging and pale faces came from Saten Ruiko and Kanou Shinka, but a totally different reaction came from the woman he had crashed into.
She screamed, everyone on the street stopping what they were doing and turning their heads, just in time to see Kamijou leap up from his position and step backwards, shaking his head and hands in front of him but never realising the mistake he had made. Incidentally, it was the same one as before.
His foot once more stepped onto the yakisoba bread but in the reverse direction now given how he was moving, meaning one thing.
He fell backwards instead of forwards.
His back collided with the aisle housing the bread, smashing into it with a fair amount of force. With his entire body weight pressed against it, it did not support and fell, Kamijou falling with it.
Right into aisle next to it.
Like dominos, the adjacent aisles smashed into each other, the one hit dislodging slightly and moving a bit because of the impact but falling all the same. And just like dominos, the chain reaction that caused meant that another aisle was smashed into and also fell, being dislodged at the same time and turning in the same way as the one that had hit it initially.
Sounds of glass breaking and falling aisles resounded through the air, everyone just staring as they saw the convenience store aisles smash into each other and dislodge each other with each time a 'domino' fell. At first, the dislodging meant nothing but as more and more aisles were felled, the dislodging and what it would do became more and more obvious.
The physical change of the dislodgement only became apparent though when it resounded through the air.
While the convenience store aisles had been falling straight and would have fallen right to the counter, the dislodgement had turned them ever so slightly, a distortion that had continued on and on until the final aisle did not fall onto the counter where it should have.
Instead, it fell right through the glass automatic doors adjacent to the counter.
They smashed apart, the sound echoing through the air. There was only silence afterwards, Kamijou, who was on the first shelf he had knocked over, raised his head to assess the damage…only for himself to go pale. He went wide eyed, unsure of what to say as was everyone else.
But it was movement behind him that attracted the attention of everyone else and Kamijou as he turned his head.
Only to be slapped in the face by the woman whose chest he had fallen into.
He rolled to the side from mere shock, going wide eyed as the woman hugged her chest and ran away, tears in her eyes. Kamijou lay there on the ground, blinking from the shock of the slap and not sure what to do, just like everyone else.
Saten Ruiko and Kanou Shinka did nothing but stare for a single second before looking at each other for a single moment, their pale faces telling each other all they needed to know.
They had wanted something to happen, so they could confirm at least one part of the urban legends and rumours around Kamijou Touma.
And they had got it, as if in response to them testing the world.
"Such misfortune."
That voice and phrase resounded oddly loudly in the street wide silence.
There truly was no question about it.
From this alone, it definitely felt like Kamijou Touma was the world's best – and worst – trouble magnet.
"We were fools for doubting it."
"We tested fate, Saten-san."
"Does that mean…"
"…Everything that happened today is our fault?"
Existential questions filled the minds of the boy and girl as they walked slowly through the streets of Academy City. They felt drained but not because they had been running after their target to validate exactly what rumours and urban legends about him were true, in fact, it was the opposite: they had learned so much and validated so much it was mind boggling.
What they had learned was only half of the picture painted of Kamijou through the urban legends about him.
But that half was more than enough for the two of them to feel as though they had seen into the abyss and failed to come out.
They had followed Kamijou for the good part of the entire day and because of it, if there was one thing they could definitely prove true beyond anything else, it was that Kamijou was a trouble magnet.
No, that was not enough to properly express it.
It was like he was a planet, with a gravitational force so powerful that no matter the misfortune, if it existed, then it would be drawn to him in some way.
They had seen him destroy a convenience store using nothing but slipping on an expired piece of yakisoba bread.
They had seen him fall out of a third story window and survive only because of the truck which had broken his fall.
They had seen him get his arm stuck in a storm drain after he had dropped his wallet down there which had led to traffic being stalled across three different Districts. It had not been until the sidewalk had been destroyed that he finally managed to get his arm out.
And Saten and Kanou had seen it all.
Saten had started this merely because it had seemed like fun. The boy himself did not seem all that bad and despite the connection Misaka Mikoto seemed to have with him, there was excitement that seemed to surround him from all angles judging from the rumours. Tales of a knight in shining armour who could take on anyone with a mere fist were tales rarely heard of in a City where technology and esper powers ruled so Saten had felt as though it was fate which had brought her closer to the rumour and legends of Kamijou Touma.
But the more she believed one half, the less she believed another.
After all she had seen over the past few hours, there was no doubt in her mind: Kamijou was unlucky. That was the understatement of the year and while that was the case, it definitely proved one half of the legends about him in that he was a trouble magnet and managed to get caught in the most unbelievable of things.
For this alone, Saten believed those parts of his legend.
But the parts where he was a mighty warrior that could take on anything and anyone? The tales that he picked up girls no matter how young or old, the tales that he had fought gods and the legends that he could wipe out the mightiest warrior of Academy City with nothing but a single fist?
Saten would believe it if someone told her his body was made of metal and that he was built like a tank: he had simply been through that much today and Saten had seen him go through it all. Of that she had no doubt. But the idea he was some hero who would always help you if you were in trouble?
The rumours of shouting out "Help me, rhinoceros beetle!" resulting in a hero coming to save you were more reliable. The idea that Kamijou would be able to save anyone when he could barely save himself from the things he had been through made the latter half of the legends seem ridiculous and Saten felt some disappointment come through the corner of her mind.
It was probably nothing more than a coincidence in the first place that Kamijou was mixed up with that type of hero. Knowing him, Saten could imagine him being caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time and having to fight for his life but there was a big difference between that and the way the legends around him had been spun.
One was accidental, the other was on purpose. The difference between the two rapidly changed the impression Saten had of Kamijou and she felt somewhat bad for what she had done for the entire day in following him around and wishing with all her heart that something would happen to him so she could validate the legend and urban rumours herself.
Something had happened whenever she had wished for something to happen, that was for sure.
But what she had wanted to happen never did.
She had never once seen the second half of the legend surrounding one Kamijou Touma, the legend that he had the ability to take out even the mightiest opponent with nothing but a fist and picked up girls no matter the age left, right and centre. Certainly, today, he had been surrounded by numerous women but Saten was unsure whether the attention he got from them counted as being the attention noted in the legends about him; not being the kind she had expected at all.
Saten felt herself sigh as she walked with her newfound friend, only feeling the strong wave of disappointment flood through her. Although she was always an advocate for discovering more and more about urban legends and rumours, it was sometimes that she felt this wave of disappointment when she learned the truth.
After all, sometimes the fiction of the legends and the rumours were just that: fictions that took away from an otherwise dull reality. By no means was Saten saying she hated the dull reality, but sometimes, on occasion, she wanted something more. Just something a little bit extra to make her life more interesting.
But while she had found it in the urban legends and rumours she always chased, the risk of chasing them was that sometimes you actually ended up discovering the truth.
Sometimes legends and rumours were just that and when Saten learned the truth, despite going into the search for them with high expectations, the hole left was one she found she had to sit and reflect on before bouncing back onto another legend. Saten knew she would bounce back but just like always when she learned the disappointing truth behind the legend that was not what it was made out to be (this was not always the case mind you and sometimes the legends were above and beyond what she had expected), Saten knew the mood she was in was going to fill her for the next few days.
But it was not only disappointment at learning that Kamijou Touma was only half of what everyone said he was (and that the legends around him were just that) but also guilt in that she might have had some part to play in what had happened to him today. It was a confusing feeling to say the least but Saten wanted to go home and rest after everything that had happened today.
"Today was chaotic, Kanou-chan."
"You can say that again."
"Today was chaotic, Kanou-chan."
"…I'm not even going to reply to that; I'm too tired." Kanou replied with a groan and Saten turned towards him, frowning slightly.
She had said nothing over the time they had been together, but if there was one mystery Saten had yet to figure out, apart from why it was Kamijou who found himself in the worst situations known and not-known to man, it was which gender Kanou Shinka was.
Was he a boy?
Or a girl?
Instinct told her the former…but just because Kanou was lacking a chest did not mean Saten could assume he (or she?) was a boy because of that. There were some flat chested girls Saten knew, such as Shirai Kuroko, so judging based on that was right out.
Kanou's attitude and way of speaking was a bit boyish…but also a bit girlish and it didn't help that Kanou was wearing a bear hoodie that would look great on a girl but also match some boys who were open about the cute things they liked. With effeminate features and an androgynous name such as 'Kanou Shinka', Saten was unsure whether this…person next to her was a boy or a girl.
Was it a trap? Or a reverse trap? Saten had no idea but the exhaustion that came from everything she had seen today weighed down on her mind and made her look forward.
"Same here. …Ah, I wanna go home." Saten said with a bored tone, raising her head and speaking into the sky which was slowly heading towards the sunset.
"Do you live in this District, Saten-san?"
"Yeah. My school is Sakugawa."
"Saku…gawa?"
"Yeah, I didn't think you would have heard of it. Do you go to a well known school, Kanou-chan?" Saten silently thanked her way of addressing Kanou as it was a way to address both girls and boys one was familiar with, even if Saten felt a bit embarrassed to be referring to him in this way if Kanou was a boy.
"Not really. But my dorm is in this direction so…"
"I-If that's the case, do you want to exchange phone numbers and email addresses? Maybe next time we have the same amount of information on a rumour, we can go hunting!" Saten's mood seemed to perk up and all energy Kanou seemed to have in response went to surprise rather than instant rejection.
"You want to do this again!? After what happened today!?"
"Come on!" Saten chided, leaning over her friend and smiling. "This was a one-case thing! I don't think there is any other rumour or urban legend out there that is that specific when it comes to names and the topic of misfortune! Everything else is arbitrary and that's the fun of it!"
Saten turned and walked backwards as she talked to Kanou, smiling with a massive grin on her face. Kanou seemed extremely sceptical, which was granted given everything Kanou had been made to go through with Saten today. Saten pouted at that; although they had had a chaotic experience, it was still fun all the same and a bit more disappointment came through her given how Kanou was reacting to the chance to go legend hunting again.
Kanou only seemed to turn to the side, rubbing the nape of the neck with a hand and speaking with some reservation.
"I-I don't know. I mean, there's not many legends I'm aware of apart from the odd one here and there…"
"Which ones?! Oh, this gets me so excited!" Saten jumped and pumped a fist, still walking backwards all the same. "Tell me you at least know of the Imaginary Numbers District legend?! Or even the – "
Saten was interrupted, but not because Kanou had spoken in between them, but rather she had slammed into someone while walking backwards. Not watching where she was going at this hour where everyone was ready to go home, she had collided with someone on the sidewalk despite it not being too crowded.
"Hey, watch where you're going!"
A gruff voice came to her and Saten turned around, ready to apologise but felt herself faltering, seeing she had collided with the lead male in a group of three, his burly appearance and delinquent aura with tattoos and a shaved head giving her slight pause. The boy's friends were much the same, one of them having piercings in his nose and the other a cigarette in his hand despite clearly being underage. The person Saten had crashed into seemed to stare at Saten with disapproval before speaking once again.
"I'm speaking to you! You slammed into me!"
"A-Ah, right! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going. It won't happen again!"
"That's it? You bump into me, ignore me and that's all you have to say for yourself? Brats like you need to learn a thing or two about respecting your elders! What the hell do you think you're doing in the middle of the street? Can't you see this is a public space and there is plenty of room on the sidewalk for the both of us? Is there some reason you felt you could take over the entire sidewalk?"
"N-No, I-I don't want any trouble. It was just an acc – "
"Trouble? What do you mean 'trouble'?" Something flashed in the delinquent's eyes, making Saten step back and gulp. Something icy cold went down her spine, the middle schooler cursing herself for her choice of words and trying desperately to calm herself. "What, do you think you know me and my story just from a first impression?"
"N-No, not at all!"
"E-Everyone, let's just c-calm down, shall we?" Kanou rose his voice, desperately trying to get between Saten and the delinquent trio, however, that in itself only seemed to add fuel to the fire, making the already unfavourable company even more sour in terms of their attitude.
"Calm down? After your friend bumped into me and thought she could read me like a book after our first meeting, you expect me to calm down? Every one of you is just the same, making the exact same impressions about people like me and my friends without even giving us a chance. Maybe next time you'll learn to watch your mouth before you say something stupid?"
"…Or we could teach these two a lesson."
One of the other delinquents chimed him, his tone snide and basically rippling with ill intent. Saten and Kanou felt themselves jump at the tone of the delinquent, the ones with the piercings and both felt their hearts race as they pressed up against each other a bit more in response to the words said. The reaction was not unnoticed by the others, the boy with the cigarette grinning and revealing yellowed teeth which only told of his lifestyle and how he took care of himself.
"Oh, that's an idea. Maybe then we'll have you girls learn how to respect your elders and how not to say anything that crosses the line, wouldn't you say?" His tone rose at the ends and he threw the cigarette to the ground, stepping on it, something that made Saten take a step back, pulling Kanou along with her slightly.
"W-We said we're sorry! There's nothing else we can do for you so can you please just leave it at that?"
"After what you said and assumed about me? And I'm sure you've made the exact same assumptions about my friends here too." The leader of the trio spat that out with a sinister grin on his face, all eyes locked onto the duo of Saten and Kanou, both who trembled. "I think having you taught a lesson is going to be the perfect thing to set you on the right path."
"P-Please, leave us alone."
"W-We won't bother you anymore. We've learnt our lesson and you've made your point! So please, leave us alone!"
Kanou started to say and took a step back but the main delinquent reached out and grabbed him before he could even move. Saten, behind Kanou, went wide eyed as she saw the older and larger boy bring Kanou forward, causing her to tumble and let go of her friend who was brought closer to the main delinquent, the emotion in the delinquent's eyes telling her exactly what he planned on doing and how to 'educate' the two of them.
Her heart raced, Saten taking a step back and feeling her brain unlock its entire potential to the problem at hand but coming up with nothing in how to fight the three older and stronger boys and help save her now teary-eyed friend from their clutches. Right now, it didn't matter if Kanou Shinka was a boy or girl (although she was sure these three bastards were in for a surprise if it was the former); Kanou was in just as much trouble as Saten was right now.
Saten reached out, grabbing Kanou by the other arm and pulling towards her in the hopes that doing so would release her friend from the clutches of the delinquent.
"Please! We don't want any trouble. We just want to go home!"
"So did we. Unless you just had to open your big mouth." The main delinquent said. Kanou turned to face Saten, the look in those teary eyes telling her all she needed to know: Kanou was just as terrified as Saten was and she could feel the shaking through her arms. It only added to her own sense of fright and she opened her mouth to try and say something but realised it was her and her own big mouth that had gotten them into this in the first place.
Her mind raced but each option that presented itself to her only made her realise how powerless she was to do anything about this. After all, no matter what she felt and what she had to do, the only thing that came to her mind at the end of the day was reaching for her cell phone and calling someone else, someone more powerful to handle this and save both her and Kanou.
She was nothing by herself and that fact only stabbed at her all the more as she felt herself tighten her grip on Kanou's arm. What was she even going to do now she had that grip? Fight these three? Pull Kanou towards her and hope her strength was greater than the grip holding the same person as her? It was laughable and shame filled her as Saten felt the only thing she could do was pointlessly hold on and hope something would happen.
She was a Level 0.
And like all Level 0s, she couldn't do anything about something like this.
She was weak and both her and the delinquents knew it. It was the only thing allowing them to do as they pleased and a bitter frustration filled Saten like never before. She had thought she had gotten over her own weakness during the case with the Level Upper, but it was here and now that she came to realise just how weak and powerless the stigma of being a Level 0 was once more.
What could she do?
How could she solve this?
Every fibre of her being told her to run away but she knew it was only because of the trembling she was feeling from Kanou through her arm that she did not. Kanou was just as terrified as her and she knew that even if she were to run, these older boys would catch up to her with no one bothering to help her in this crisis.
If someone was going to help her, then they would have done so already: the street she was on was not abandoned after all.
Saten Ruiko though, was.
No one was going to help her and as a Level 0, there was nothing she could do in this situation.
Having no power, the only thing she had was her weakness and her words.
…
Her…
Words?
Saten's eyes went wide, realising it was a long shot but realised it was the only thing she had in this situation to help her. Her mouth had gotten her into this mess and hopefully it was going to get both her and Kanou out of it. Literally having no other choice, this was the only thing she had in her hand and without even hesitating, with sweat pouring from every pore and a freight train running through her chest, she stammered out the words that shakily escaped her mouth.
"I-I would just let us go home if I was you!"
"Oh?" The delinquent with the piercings sneered and rose an eyebrow, slowly stepping forward. "And why is that?"
"B-Because I know Kamijou Touma! And let me tell you, the moment he gets here, he's going to knock you so hard into the crowd that you'll be the one who has learned your lesson!"
There was silence for a single moment, Saten's heart racing as she stared at the delinquents, hoping to see some kind of reaction, getting one from Kanou who had gone wide eyed. She had had no idea what had made her mind go to an urban legend she had just finished disproving but given it had been on her mind the entire day, it was the only thing that had come to her mind when it came to trying to get her out of trouble. Because even if she knew the urban legend was entirely false, the same was not said for the trio in front of her.
The only thing the Level 0 could do then was hope.
Hope that, on some level, the legends and rumours of Kamijou had reached them and struck their hearts like it did for so many and, in their fear of the monstrous boy as described by the legends, would let them go.
"Who?"
Yet, the voice of the cigarette delinquent made her heart fall into the pit of her stomach, Kanou's expression falling as well. The delinquent with the piercings grinned and the one who had spoken, the cigarette delinquent, showed those yellow teeth.
"Hell if I know who Kamijou Touma is, but if you think you can just spit out names like they mean something, then you have got to be f – "
"Hmm? Did someone say my name?"
The delinquents turned their eyes up and they went wide as soon as they had heard the voice. The grip on Kanou's arm had loosened but it was with stunned shock that he stood exactly where he was, wide mouthed and pale faced at the appearance of the newcomer.
Saten though only turned around, her heart racing through her chest for an entirely different reason and feeling something within her soar as she stared at the person who was now in front of her, previously behind.
The spiky hair, the unassuming face and expression; Kamijou Touma in all his (false) glory stood before them. His spiky hair was a mess and what looked to be soot covered his face, his phone in his hand which was probably the reason why he had not noticed the group of five sooner; the phone screen was broken and, most likely, Kamijou had been trying to fix it in some way.
The moment he saw the scene in front of him though, the laziness and the bored aura that came to him immediately snapped to attention, catching the sight of both Saten and Kanou and the situation they were in, his body straightening somewhat as he stared at the trio of delinquents currently causing strife for those two.
"…Alright, what's going on here? Saten, Kanou, are you OK?"
How he knew Kanou Saten did not know or care. The only thing that came through her was a relief that almost made her want to collapse then and there…as well as surprise he had come exactly when she had called for him, as if he had been summoned. She opened her mouth to say something, but it was the main delinquent of the trio who spoke first.
"You."
The word was spat out, almost scathingly and the other two were also brought to attention and glared at the spiky haired boy.
"We meet again."
"…We do?" Kamijou asked in response to what the delinquent said and tilting his head. The face of said delinquent went wide eyed as he stared at Kamijou, the others having a similar reaction.
"Y-Yes, we do! Don't tell me you forgot me! It was last month, you bastard; you charged in while we were hitting on that girl and ran away with her when things were getting good! We were this close. This close!"
"…Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"W-Well, you sound sure, but I mean, there are a lot of you in Academy City. And I have to deal with a lot around the clock so it's fairly understandable I would forget you… But if you're doing the same thing you're doing last time with no variety, can you understand why I would forget you? How many times do you think I walk in on stuff? What's with you guys anyway?! Can't you figure out something original to do instead on hitting on girls and guys?!"
"A-Are you seriously giving these guys a lecture on what they're doing and how they've got no originality?! This was a serious crisis for me!"
"No, this is a serious issue, Kanou!" Kamijou replied to the small boy's cry and pointed at the delinquent trio. "Can you not see that nipping this in the bud prevents a number of problems arising in the first place!? Do you know how many times I've come across the same scene again and again? A lot happened to me today and this Kamijou-san needs to vent! You! The delinquents! Does that hitting on girls thing even work!?"
"H-Huh? W-Well, when you think about it, it doesn't…"
"Does anything change no matter how many times you do it?!"
"Y-You never know if you don't try!"
"Why do you have the tenacity of a light novel protagonist!? If you put at least 1% of that effort into your studies then you wouldn't be delinquents! Can't you do something else with your time instead of fapping to any girl who happens to look cute and passes your way?!" Kamijou yelled into the air, drawing blushes from Saten and Kanou, the girl in question staring at Kamijou with both shock and confusion.
Sure, she hadn't expected him to appear. She had hoped for Kamijou to do something that would confirm the second half of the legends about him that she had been unable to confirm for herself. And yet, here he was, disappointing her once again by…giving a lecture to these delinquents on how they were harassing others?
It boggled her mind and the image she had felt for the urban legend about him came crashing down, replaced with the idiot in front of her. She felt her mind swirling in confusion as Kamijou continued to talk all the same.
"Do something else with your time. Picking up girls isn't going to get you laid and it's not going to do well for your prospects if you want to live in a proper home, unless you intend to live in prison your entire life! Sure, they give you a food, a bed and a toilet but you can get the same thing if you live in a landfill! It's also going to make my life easier with my misfortune, so I'm begging you here!"
"You son of a bitch… You think this is funny, don't you? You take us down, you escape our clutches, you don't remember us…and now you're telling us that we're not even worth your time because we're unoriginal and because we don't pick up chicks successfully?" The main delinquent spat out, his eyes flashing with anger before he spat to the side, reaching for something behind him.
"I have no idea who the hell you think you are, but we owe you for last time. Kamijou Touma? Who gives a shit about that? I've never even heard of it but if it's so well known, we'll carve your shitty name all over the landfill we'll dump you in!"
He responded and quickly threw Kanou towards both Kamijou and Saten, the boy leaning down fast to catch the falling boy, Saten bending down as well. But the girl had already spotted the movement of the delinquent in front of her. Her eyes went wide and she screamed, stepping back, Kamijou catching Kanou and going wide eyed as well as the delinquent stepped in front of him.
Holding a switchblade he had taken from behind him and brandishing it like a sword.
Kamijou went wide eyed as well, spotting and seeing the other delinquents had moved as well, carrying their own knives and charging forward. Saten next to Kamijou only stared, shaking and holding a hand to her mouth, realising exactly was going to happen.
Kamijou Touma was a Level 0, as was she. And given that she had been unable to do anything when these delinquents had been unarmed, there was nothing that could be said when the three of them were armed. The fight had already been decided and the fate of the spiky haired boy had been sealed the moment Saten had mentioned his name. Guilt and disgust at having caught him in this when it had nothing to do with him filled Saten and it was no conciliation to know he probably would have been involved with his misfortune anyway.
The legends about Kamijou were not true. At least, not the ones Saten had wanted to have true and right now, the one who was going to suffer for that was the spiky haired boy standing in front of her.
As Level 0s, they could do nothing but die.
And that was a reality about to be faced by Kamijou right in this moment.
The delinquents closed in so fast that Saten could not even blink, Kamijou's entire body glistening with sweat as he held the shocked Kanou Shinka within his arms. Kamijou's eyes were wide but even though Saten was frozen on the spot, it was that spiky aired boy who moved as frantically as he could.
"Saten!"
He called out her name, the girl snapping to attention, only to have Kanou thrown towards her. The two cried out in surprise, Saten's eyes transfixed on the sight happening in front of her, gazing so intently that she knew she would never forget it…and as a result, she would always have the same never-ending nightmare of this one moment and how she did nothing.
At least, that was how it was supposed to go.
Kamijou Touma, his entire body sweating and face tense, moved without even hesitating.
He moved his left hand, closing the phone within it and using it to intercept the knife heading his way. The knife that was swung hit the phone and easily broke it in two from the force of the swing, both parts cracking within Kamijou's left hand. But at the same time, having hit a solid target, the momentum of the knife's movement slowed.
And that was the only thing Kamijou needed.
He tightened the grip on his left hand and threw the broken phone at the first delinquent, the boy crying out in surprise. Without even waiting for a single second, Kamijou slammed a foot into the solar plexus of the delinquent and sent him tumbling backwards into his two friends, who collapsed to the ground.
But instead of focusing on them, Kamijou turned and grabbed the hand of Saten who was holding Kanou, yelling at the top of his voice.
"Run!"
"Eh?"
Saten only belatedly registered the word but Kamijou had already taken off, dashing away from the three delinquents on the ground and heading the other way, the way everyone had initially come. Kanou, having recovered faster than Saten, ran to the side of Kamijou as the older boy dragged the middle schooler along, the girl looking awfully stunned at the sudden action.
"Eh!? Y-You're not going to fight them!? They're on the ground so can't you use some judo move against them?!"
"What good would that do!? My kick was hardly a blow and a one hit knock out, unless it's to the face, is basically impossible for a high schooler like me. And even if I did manage it, the other two have got knives! I know a lost fight when I see one! Two-against-one using fists I can handle but with weapons, it's a different story!"
"Do you plan on ruining the entire second half of the legend with your logic!?"
"What legend? What are you even talking about?"
"…At the Dianoid, there were more than just three delinquents with knives."
"That was a special case, Kanou! Nice to see you again by the way!"
Kamijou rounded the corner with the other two, panting heavily and turning back around the corner they had just come with sweat rolling down his face. Kanou joined him and Saten leaned against the wall and held her racing chest. The rush she had just felt was something she never wanted to experience again even though she felt as though she could run a marathon now easily but at the same time, in the heat of the moment, she stared at the high schooler who had had so many legends said about him.
And even now, she still felt he was a disappointment.
She knew it was unfair to think that, especially when she had felt the legends about him taking out even the mightiest of opponents with a clenched fist were untrue, but when he had come when she had mentioned his name, there had been a small part which had hoped he would disprove what she had thought about him.
But he had still run away.
For that alone, Saten felt the unfair emotion of disappointment run through her, as if she had dreamed of meeting Santa Claus in the middle of the night and stayed up for it, only to discover her parents were the ones doing it all themselves. She stared at him, unsure of what to say, realising the complicated things running through her were hardly justified and ran a hand through her hair.
Only to feel something wet.
She frowned, bringing her hand down and feeling as though her heart would stop right then and there.
Blood.
The red liquid covered her hand and she almost felt herself panic and collapse from the sight of it. She had had no idea when it had happened, but had she been cut somewhere when the delinquents had brought out their knives?! Terror ran through her as she grabbed her bleeding hand with her unwounded one to ascertain the extent of the wound…only to find there was no pain.
Frowning further, Saten brushed the blood on her hand to see where she was bleeding. However, as she cleared the blood, she found she was not. Uncertain where the blood had come from, she turned her gaze up, but paused as she saw the source of the blood right in front of her.
On Kamijou Touma's left hand.
Her eyes went wide: when he had caught the knife blade using his phone and it had snapped in two, had the blade sunk in deeper than she and everyone else had thought? He had grabbed her with that hand, meaning the blood that now trickled down his arm onto the ground had transferred over to her.
Shame filled Saten like never before.
For all intents and purposes, if Kamijou had not run away, then there was a serious risk she would have died. And yet, when Kamijou had done the smart thing by running away, the only thing she was concerned with was that he was not following some stupid legend about him? Not only had she been ungrateful but more than anything, she had acted shamelessly and for this alone, Saten turned her head down for failing to realise the most basic thing.
Mere seconds ago, Kamijou Touma had seriously saved her and Kanou Shinka's life. He had been caught up in the moment but there was nothing preventing that boy from throwing Kanou into the way of the delinquent when he had first approached and make his escape. But instead, he had chosen to take the damage himself and protect both her and Kanou.
And the thing he got in return for that? Feelings and a mental treatment directed at him that he did not deserve. Saten realised more than anything her own twisted soul and heart, turning her head up and facing Kamijou with that same look on her face.
She opened her mouth to say something, but never got the chance to say it.
"Oh, that's not good."
Kanou said that with a pale face, Kamijou having the same expression on his own as they both turned to each after having poked their heads around the corner to see the status of the delinquents they had knocked to the ground.
"D-Does this normally happen with you?! This escalated way too quickly!" Kanou asked in a stammer and with teary eyes.
"Not usually!"
Both turned, Kanou going ahead of Saten and Kamijou grabbing Saten's hand once more with the bloodied one of his own. He barely showed any discomfort at that though, the girl feeling a chill go down her spine from the blood being pressed into her hand. Struggling to keep up with the faster boy, Saten spoke up with a fearful voice.
"K-Kamijou-san? What's going on?"
"Something not good!"
"What could – "
Saten turned her head as she spoke but went wide eyed as she saw it, almost collapsing on the spot.
The sports car came around the corner with the roaring of tyres, Saten spotting two faces in the open windows and assuming another was at the wheel. But even so, the recognition she had in those faces appearing from the sports car windows made her entire body freeze up.
The delinquents laughed and looked at the fleeing Kamijou, knives still in their hands as the others ran as fast as they could down the sidewalk, using the sports car to drive ever closer towards them and bridge the distance between them.
"S-Since when did they have a sports car?!"
"They stole it! I can't believe they chose to do that instead of chasing after us! Are they insane?!"
"Who cares about that, Kanou!? Just run…!?" Kamijou responded to that shout of Kanou's but went wide eyed as he stared back, seeing the sports car was headily dangerously close for them…but not parallel but rather going for a straight bee line for them even though they were on the sidewalk.
"How's this for original!?" One of the delinquents shouted, his voice growing in volume as he managed to get closer and closer towards the trio.
Saten stared in muted shock, feeling her lower legs stumble over each other, the girl tripping just from the mere fright of the experience she was having now she was being chased by the car. She landed roughly, hitting the ground and Kamijou roughly pulled her along for an instant before turning back and staring in surprise.
"Kanou! The wall!"
That was all Kamijou said as he reached down, grabbing Saten by the legs and the back of the head in a makeshift princess carry. The sports car vaulted onto the sidewalk roughly, Saten staring and feeling as though her life was flashing before her eyes before she felt sudden pressure on both the back of her thighs and head.
Kamijou, holding Saten in his arms, jumped to the wall, throwing himself against the brick of it and trying to get as flush as he could against it while holding Saten up. Kanou followed suit, Saten screaming as the sports car barely missed her, the turn not sharp enough to hit everyone who was now leaning against the wall.
But even if the car missed, the passengers with their knives were the reach they needed to bridge the gap. Moving at whatever speed they were, one of the delinquents, the one with piercings, held out his arm. The knife moved along with the car at the same speed meaning it was far deadlier than if he had swung it, the blade sinking into Kamijou's arm and piercing the flesh.
Blood sprayed into the air as the blade traced along the surface of Kamijou's arm, missing Saten by mere millimetres. Kamijou held back a scream, biting into his teeth. The delinquent who had slashed Kamijou did not even bother looking at Kanou who the sports car passed (and the knife barely grazed) and continued to speed along the sidewalk.
People screamed, jumping out of the way on the street as the sports car continued along it before jumping off…and going wide for a U-turn which had clearly malicious intentions. Kanou, who had gone pale at the image of a knife and sports car barely grazing him, went wide eyed.
"Th-They're coming back around for another go!?"
Saten went wide eye as well, staring at Kamijou who was holding her with a bleeding arm and a bleeding hand. His eyes were narrowed as he stared at the car which was making a turn, all eyes on the street either looking at the people who had been attacked or the car which had already demonstrated the malicious intent it held.
"K-Kamijou-san?!" Saten cried out, not even asking the obvious questions on her mind. Was he alright? What were they going to do? The questions were so lame in this situation and Saten was so frightened that she struggled to find the words, especially given how the grip holding her was slowly getting weaker from the gash in his arm.
Saten stared down at the wound as well as the one on his hand, seeing the fresh blood flowing from it and going cold. She knew the answers to both questions before she had even asked them and her heart beat out of her chest because of the obvious conclusion about to follow.
Was he alright?
Of course he wasn't.
What were they going to do?
Nothing. Because right now, they were merely three people who could do nothing against the trio in the sports car which was turning around and getting ready to make another pass straight for them.
They had mere seconds before the car made the turn and a few more before it slammed into them for sure now. The thought they would be able to avoid the car forever was ridiculous just in this one pass, Kamijou had had his arm sliced into so the future was obvious.
Saten trembled in his arms, realising with a heavy heart this had all happened because of her. She clutched onto Kamijou tightly, tears coming into her own eyes now as a fear that she had rarely felt echoed through the very depths of her soul.
She was going to die.
That very basic and terrifying reality came through her like a freight train and she found herself unable to say or do anything, Kanou Shinka much the same as they stared at the car turning. But, much like Kanou, they found their eyes turning towards Kamijou who only stared at the car with those same narrowed eyes.
But not out of fear.
Out of defiance.
"So that's how it's going to be."
That was all he said as he slowly let Saten to the ground, his left arm and hand hanging limply by his side and dripping blood onto the ground. This was the first time Kanou had seen the wound Kamijou had sustained and went wide eyed, Saten trembling as she was forced to let go of Kamijou. The boy in question stared in front of him, turning to the side and spotting something right next to them, turning his body fully to face it.
He stared at it for only a moment before turning back to the others.
"Stay here."
That was all he said before walking backwards for a bit and turning.
Not to run away.
But instead, to walk right into the sports goods shop the trio had stopped in front of.
Through the glass of the shop, eyes were wide as they stared as the bleeding Kamijou walked right into the goods store, Kanou and Saten following him with their eyes as he reached for something and grabbed it without even hesitating. Not even bothering to run as he hurriedly threw cash onto the counter, Kamijou Touma emerged from the sports good store with his new weapon.
A baseball bat.
He was calm, at least on the exterior. From the way he was clutching the baseball bat in his hands, it was clear his heart was pounding a thousand miles a second and he was trying his best to force it down with all he had. He barely managed it, the car having made a full turn now and racing straight for Kamijou and Kamijou only. Holding the baseball bat in his hand, letting it drag along the ground while his blood dripped down it, he did not merely sit and wait on the sidewalk.
But instead, he walked right onto the road, the sports car heading right for him in a straight path.
"K-Kamijou-san!?" Saten screamed out, her entire body wanting to move but finding herself stuck to the spot, her feet like lead and refusing to move. Kanou beside her did the same, going wide eyed much like everyone else who called out to him in both surprise and shock but he didn't even bother listening, stepping right into the lane the sports car was in and raising the bat in his hands.
Like he was preparing for the greatest shot in his life, he rose the bat over his shoulder, staring at the approaching car with blood and sweat dripping down him. The way his legs trembled slightly told of his true emotions when it came to what he was doing…but he was doing it anyway. Saten could only stare at the action with wide eyes, the pure insanity of what he was doing filling her eyes and she turned her focus to the car approaching, realising she had only seconds to say something, anything.
They could not outrun the car.
Nor, as Level 0s, could they do anything to it.
It was a hopeless situation and the small defiance Kamijou held meant nothing. There was only one reality and it was what mattered in this terrible situation.
He was going to die.
Being hit by a car at that speed with practically nothing to stop it, there was no chance he would survive. Kamijou Touma was going to die...merely because he had been in the wrong time and place and had someone say the wrong thing about him.
This was all Saten Ruiko's fault.
If she had not bumped into the delinquents, if she had not been so obsessed with proving a legend that was not real, if she had not said Kamijou's name right at that time…
None of this would have happened.
She had to say something.
Anything at all to at least relieve the pressure from her heart for what was going to happen.
She forced herself to look, feeling something wet rolling down her cheek all the same, forcing herself to choke out the words she had to say.
"I-" She faltered for a moment, staring at the boy she could not help or save because of how powerless she was as a Level 0 and because of the fear coursing through her.
But if she did not say this now, she would regret it forever.
"I'm sorry!"
The words leaped from her mouth, making Kamijou pause for a single instant before he turned to her with an impossible expression on his face.
The fierce grin was burned into her eyes and the steel expression in Kamijou's eyes was something she could not turn herself away from no matter what. Despite the situation, despite the fact Saten had put him in it, he still had the heart and the ability to grin in that way. It seemed almost blinding to Saten who could only stare in shock but even so, Kamijou winked at her, letting that grin fill his entire being.
"There's nothing to apologise for. Remember this, Saten."
Kamijou stepped forward, holding nothing but a metal baseball bat in his hand with his left arm bleeding, challenging the sports car racing right for him at an impossible speed. No matter what he did, it was going to be pointless but even so, he spoke words that Saten Ruiko would never forget for the rest of her life.
"There's nothing a Level 0 can't do."
She, as a Level 0, would had felt as though she could do nothing watched, transfixed much like Kanou Shinka next to her. People screamed at the sight in front of them but too scared to do anything about it, leaving Kamijou all by himself in front of the impossible enemy he was staring down.
But even so, with that fear within him and more importantly, with that impossible grin, he acted.
"Oraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Kamijou roared at the top of his lungs, swinging the bat with all his might as the car raced towards him –
And let go.
The baseball bat, swung with the force of a high school boy, sailed through the air at a low angle, heading right for is target: the bumper of the sports car. It struck with a resounding clang, Saten and Kanou, much like everyone else watching it bounce away with a dent in it, their hearts sinking as they knew what was going to happen next.
The delinquents within the car grinned.
Only for the bumper to finally register it had been hit with a metal force while moving at an incredible speed.
There was only one thing that could happen as a result of that.
The airbags went off, blasting the balloon into the face of the driver and throwing his arms away from the wheel, causing the car to spin out of control, swerving and moving to the side, missing Kamijou by mere millimetres. The car continued to move, driving in an S shape before it slammed into the mouth of a nearby alleyway, the crunch of metal and glass being the only thing that resounded in the air.
The impact to the alleyway had been enough to knock the two delinquents hanging out of the windows unconscious and the sudden bursting of the airbag meant the driver was silent in the tangled mess of the car. But even though that was the case, the silence that came over the entire street was one that was deafening, all eyes on the car.
Before they slowly moved to the high school boy who had managed to take out a sports car using nothing but a baseball bat by causing the airbags to go off. Blood dripped down his left arm and he wiped his brow, slowly moving across the road to the wrecked car and reaching for each of the occupants, slowly checking their pulse and nodding to himself.
Kamijou turned and started to walk across the road towards Saten and Kanou. People only stared, the boy reaching the frozen duo and opened his mouth, preparing to say something before the sound of sirens made him pale. He turned his head around, his face looking even more frightened than when he had been almost hit by the car before turning to the duo.
"You two OK?!"
"H-Huh?"
"B-but… Y-You… And that car… With a bat…?!"
"From that, I think you are. That's good…" Kamijou said with a sigh of relief to both Kanou and Saten who answered before turning his head to judge where the sirens were coming from and looking in that direction. "I'm…going to be going now. I've had too many encounters with Anti-Skill today and I'm sure they don't want to be having anything to do with me for a while. This is where we part ways! Kanou, nice to see you again! Saten, you too! Bye!"
Kamijou turned and didn't waste any time, racing down the street in the opposite direction to where the sirens were coming from, Saten going wide eyed and watching him go. Hastily, words came to her mind and they were said with the same hastiness.
"Th-That's it!? You're just going to leave?! After what you did?"
"Basically!"
"H-How did you do that!? You're a Level 0, aren't you? Just now…how did you…"
Kamijou only grinned at the question that Saten barely managed to get out.
"I told you! There's nothing Level 0s can't do! Especially when it comes to protecting what's important! Stay safe!"
Kamijou Touma disappeared into the distance, Saten staring after him in shock. Kanou Shinka beside her only stared after him as well before spotting something off to the side of the road, parting from Saten to pick it up and returning with it in hand. Saten turned her eyes away from that retreating back and to the item Kanou had brought, finding a small smile come onto her face as she looked at said object.
The baseball bat which was bent into a 'V' from the impact it had had made both parties silent as they stared at it, the two of them turning to each other and finding nervous smiles come onto their faces.
They had ended today thinking it could not get any crazier than it already had and yet, they were standing here right now after having witnessed an impossible sight. It was barely something they could have thought possible but that did not deny the reality of what had just happened in front of them. Despite having confirmed one half of the legend around Kamijou Touma, the last thing the two of them had been expecting was to be surprised anymore today.
But they had.
Because, right now, they had confirmed something they had believed to be false.
It was nothing close to fitting the exact legend itself: after all, there had been no dealing with mighty opponents using nothing but a fist. But even so, taking out three delinquents and a sports car using nothing but one swing of a baseball bat was pretty damn close. The absurdity and the chaos caused simply because Kamijou was in the wrong place at the wrong time was mind boggling but at the same time, it was because it was such that the both of them came to understand one very simple thing.
When faced with how absurd and chaotic what Kamijou had done was, how could it not become the stuff of legends?
They had thought that the man, the myth, the legend, was nothing more than that: a legend and having no basis in truth. But as the two stared at the bat, a relic that proved exactly that the legend was no such thing but in fact real, there was only silence between them before they stared up at where Kamijou had just run to, away from the sirens.
There had been many things said about Kamijou Touma.
It was said he was a being filled with misfortune.
That much was definitely true. There was no question about that.
It was said he ran around at night, dealing with the mightiest opponent with a clenched fist.
And right now, while he had not done that, there was nothing suggesting it was untrue either. He had already taken out a pretty mighty opponent using nothing but a cheap trick and a bat so there was no doubt in the minds of those two that that part of the legend was true.
It was said he picked up women, no matter the age as a matter of course from his actions.
Kanou Shinka himself was unsure what to think about that point in particular. Still particularly stunned about what had happened, he stared after where Kamijou had just been running, only barely hearing the voice beside him.
"(There's nothing Level 0s can't do when it comes to protecting what's important? How…How am I supposed to react to that when you spent most of that time protecting me?!)"
Kanou Shinka turned his head, going wide eyed but at the same time shaking his head.
No…perhaps there was some truth to that part of the legend after all.
It was ironic though.
Being the one chasing after the legends and seeing if they were true or not, there was one thing Saten Ruiko would never notice if she tried to use her own perspective to look at things.
And that was the blush faintly hidden within her cheeks as she stared after that single boy.
There are tales.
Legends if you know where to look within Academy City.
Stories so crazy and fanciful you have to doubt their validity, but among them, no matter what anyone tells you and what you think about it, there is at least one of them out there that is by all accounts real.
The legends about him might be twisted and they might entirely leave your expectations, but they aren't stories. They aren't half truths and they aren't weaved for dramatic purposes.
You know how some myths are based on truth? Well, it would be more accurate to call this one a biography: that is how true it is.
So, when you hear the name Kamijou Touma, take a moment to reflect.
Reflect on how everything you've heard from everyone else, everything passed down and everything hidden within the legends…
Is true.
And there we have it!
So, what did you think!?
I had way too much fun with this one. In a number of ways, this started out as just the simple thought and it being focused on the legend of Touma as it was introduced by Kanou in NT 12. However, part of me felt as though while it would have started as that, there was always the chance for it to be a strong look into the 'entire' legend of Touma. The beginning part was really just a red herring for both Saten and Kanou who both felt the only thing even remotely true about Touma would have to be that he was surrounded by misfortune…only to discover the second half of the legends were true as well! Having the duo feel so downhearted when they thought that Touma was nothing but misfortune, only to be stunned into silence when they were exposed with that second half of him was a really fun thing for me to do and I hope you felt the same when you read the chapter.
But what did you think of the Dynamic Duo this time around? Saten was an obvious choice when it came to this idea but I felt that introducing Kanou allowed for some fun to really be given in its own way, especially how the delinquents did not notice or think he was a boy the entire time. Dealing with traps was a surprising thing in its own right but I hope you found the interactions between them just as fun as each other.
Judging from this alone, I think that really explains the layout of this chapter with its 'three' parts. The first is, naturally, misfortune. Part of me really felt like doing another part for that but at the same time, I felt like it was appropriate to just leave it brief but just as chaotic to really give a layout to the type of things Saten and Kanou see during their time sta – I-I mean 'observing' Touma.
The second 'part' is then a little bit longer but if only to show how that second half of the legend of Touma comes into play; it's not something you just 'come' across but something that needs the exact conditions for it to appear, as it did. The chaos in this second bit was miles higher than the first but at the same time, I hope you really felt the whole 'legend' sort of feel when Touma is standing on the road with the baseball bat over his shoulder facing a sports car. If anything, the moment when Touma manages to start off the airbag and 'defeats' the car and the people inside it, I hope you fell silent much like everyone else in the story did at just how insane but also extremely badass that small moment was. But it was the entire lead up to that single moment that made the entire second half so glorious, as was the confirmation of the legend at the hands of Saten and Kanou. To be honest though, that scene was really inspired by the Virtual On crossover, where Touma does something similar. Although, if I hadn't said that, how many of you would have thought I came up with it by myself?!
And the third 'part'. I really felt as though this entire chapter felt a bit like one of those stories where it's an analogy into something larger. And because of that, I felt like having that small bit that might have worked better in the beginning at the end, if only to give that larger picture of what exactly Saten and Kanou were involved in. Even though this chaos crossed one day, for Touma, it was just Tuesday in its own way!
Whatever the case, there's not much to say here: it was fairly cut and dry. But if anything, I hope you enjoyed it with everything you had and came to really love this chapter.
And as always,
Review if you please.
And I'll see you when I see you and I won't if I don't.
For Saten, I guess what Touma said can also translate to: "There's nothing a bat can't do."