Shujin here… I really don't know why they pushed me to do this but sure I'll read some stuff before we get to the meat of the show.
First stop, answering the comments and reviews:
Vergo58: You can never go wrong with that pick because the emo boy himself used to be an assassin, and yes the 'Kingsman' reference is a good one, good job. Kamisato is working together with Ibara and I think you'll get your answer in this chapter.
Wildan: The blonde vixen and her sister are minor characters, well think of it as a chance for Atsumu to broaden his circle of friends, that would be the case if you can count her as a friend… I think it's about time to give that timid guy a massive headache, am I right? And to shed some light to the upper management duo of IVORY, They're no assholes but they ain't no hero either. You'll get your answers in this chapter and the author also added extra contents about them on the artpage, so check them out dear reader.
Visit this story's dedicated artpage 'bitbitbit11' at deviantart for illustrations and extra contents dear reader. I've uploaded the opening and ending video along with voiced short animations for the OCs in this story, search for 'A Certain After School Secret' on youtube dear reader, those videos were such a treat to make, plus it will give the original characters voice to flesh out their character even more. (Kakeru and Ibara's character pages are up on the artpage, do check them out for their background and insight. I'll also be posting some links for videos there. I made some videos that gave some characters their own voices, so check them out and share your thoughts about em.)
Now let's get going to the main dish!
PLAY MUSIC
Darker Than Black Ryuusei no Gemini OST – Underground Sophia.
Down on an open field beside the river loud clunks could be heard, but being away from any residential area was an assurance for the white haired boy that no one will witness the sight of a large steel container being moved by kicking it into the air and catching it while in the process of landing, "So… How will we do this? I'm just here to stretch some muscle so make it brief, kicking this container full of flour and sand is a damn hassle."
Accelerator gave his protest towards the blonde spy who was already busying himself with his phone and using a marking device that looked similar to a spotter's scope to calculate several points of interest on IVORY's building. He checked at the white haired boy shortly after he finished his measurements then replied with a grin with, "You know you will have a good time with it, what's with the stress?"
Accelerator looked to the side, recalling the unpleasant reason that irritated him before he came clean by saying, "The brat and the bigger brat are asking my whereabouts…"
"So that's your weakness? an aggressive yandere, a loli and right hands?"
Motoharu replied while trying to keep his chuckles by covering his mouth with his hand.
Not finding it funny, Accelerator threw a glare at the blonde spy while giving a growling response, "Funny."
"It'll get funnier, listen to the audio from inside the building."
The spy looked at the esper hand hands him an in-ear monitor, after Accelerator placed it into his ears he could hear the current events that was unfolding inside the building through the hacked security cameras, none of them were connected to the secured private floors, but he could hear the utter chaos that is currently happening inside their club. One thing was clear by a brief observation, the ones who's having their ass handed to them were shocked that a non-esper was the one who beat them.
Accelerator sneered upon finding the situation was awfully familiar, it must have been a shock to their cores once they found out that their power didn't mean anything in the face of someone who knew how to deal with espers, the white haired boy thought to himself.
The very soundscape of Wataru beating a whole club worth of espers reminded him of his first encounter with Kamijou Touma.
After he had enough of his share of entertainment he looked back to the spy to ask, "Hmm… No espers? Where did those two espers go?"
It was weird that Motoharu didn't send his esper operatives to fight but he just shrugged his shoulders and gave his answer by simply saying, "I gave them some time off, I already worked them to the bone."
"And leaving them to fight some level zeros?"
The answer fell to Motoharu's ear and caused him to throw a hair of a smile and answered with, "You have to admit they can hold their ground, the impromptu zombie horde and a damn mech are a whole nother matter though."
Motoharu showed some blurry pictures to Accelerator and he could feel it brushed him the wrong way from the first time he heard about 'zombies' but his uneasiness was quickly answered when he saw the following pictures. It was familiar to him, he had fought something akin to these mindless creatures with humanoid shapes and the appearance of giant mechs with weird abilities only made the memory much clearer.
With an honest tone Accelerator gave a reply, "Zombies? Necromancy? That mechanical scrapheap looked awfully familiar to me."
"You know about that?"
The boy huffed a small sigh and continued to explain, "The magician I mentioned back on the flight is one and I think I already fought one of those things with her… Some pain in the ass scientist was trying to create a level 6 esper by using the brains of deceased espers."
"Give me the details later."
"You have more pressing matters at hand, right?"
"Yeah, I'll move in on your signal."
Motoharu moved with haste to approach the building, leaving Accelerator to 'do his thing', the boy looked at his ally who's carrying a lot of guns before he smirked at the prospect of a proper entertainment while replying with, "I'll make it loud enough that you won't miss it."
He was left alone with his thoughts, but the outline of the plan is clear. It was a basic surprise attack where the first wave of attack was made to lull the enemy into believing that Motoharu had thrown all he had at them while keeping him as the 'ace'. The thought of being a living 'silver bullet' was surely flattering especially when he had a significant role in cleansing the so-called wolves den for the upper class's debauchery.
"Better make this a show that they won't forget."
PLAY MUSIC
Kidou Sentai Iron Saga OST – Sea of Fire (By Hiroyuki Sawano).
The white haired esper whispered slowly to himself as he stomped his foot on the ground and created a force that launched the steel container flying towards the top of IVORY's building, then he looked at the empty upper loading bay and tried to look for an obvious target.
The mech with a halo on top of it.
The single reason behind said decision was simple, It was personal for him.
But upon short observation he picked up several miscellaneous details that made him wonder for a short moment. One, why did the surrounding area of the usually crowded nightlife district look so empty. Two, why did Antiskill take so long to pop up and secure the riot from going any longer.
He shook the thought off as his window of attack tightens and he had to make the decisive strike now.
He has to make an impression and he's willing to put on a show that the members of IVORY along with their associates will burn into their minds.
So he kicked the steel container again with a force strong enough to turn the essentially large steel box into an artillery piece similar or stronger than the ones mounted as a battleship's main cannon. The sudden acceleration caused the metal edges to deform the structure and turned the box's face and rear side into a bulging bullet shape as it cuts through the air, the paint also peeled off as the sheer force also caused the steel container to heat up significantly.
BOOOOM!
The Oversized bullet made its way towards the floating mechanical angel and ram it with such violent force that the snake-like frame broke away completely, leaving the three sphere structures tumbling down along with the rest of the container.
The straight path of the container also ruined the hanging garden by ripping the hanging vines or straight up burning them into ashes. It punched through the floor and created a clear path that Atsumu and Pierce use as an escape path, but the two realized such a path had been opened as they were still occupied with their respective battle and had their own escape plan in their mind.
The only one who realized that path was meant for their use was Wataru who saw the container crash into the private club. Wataru ran and took it as a sign that he should get out of the premises as fast as possible.
But before he made his exit he saw a small figure fall from the fallen mech and something urged him to check what it was. It was probably the softer side speaking to him but couldn't push aside the urge because he could have sworn that he saw a trailing blonde hair as the figure fell to the cold ground.
If the figure was a victim of IVORY's then he will do all he could to help.
Moments later, the members of IVORY collected themselves as the smoke finally dissipates which enables them to see and breathe without any problem, but much to their surprise they didn't find the lone figure who had been beating them, instead they could see a figure descending from the hole where slivers of moon light could illuminate the outlines of said figure. He looks lanky and weak but the fact that he is floating also plants some seeds of unease and worry to the IVORY members present.
But it was enough for the esper because Accelerator puts on his act the very next moment by saying. "Well… Well… What do we have here…Some rich kids and old classmates heh!… Decided to play some villain shit."
The backlight is still hiding the white haired esper's face and some of the espers on the opposing side looked up in irritation and shouted, "WHAT NOW?!…"
Some of the IVORY members also joined the first boy as they also voiced out their protest towards the lanky figure who hung his head and intentionally hid his face from them, they took it as a sign of cowardice.
But it was a part of his act, he wanted them to rile themselves up first before he revealed who he actually was, looking their expression contorted into one of fear is some sort of a twisted entertainment for him.
Accelerator had had enough of their rambling so he lifted his face up and allowed them to see his features. Then he grinned, playing a character of the villainous 'One Way Road' the unfeeling monster who could and can end a life with a touch of a finger.
…
…
…
"Fuck…"
A single trembling response could be heard as many of them started to take a step back, realizing who the esper before them is. Mumbling voices could be heard as they took their steps back while some of the members were still trying to guess the esper's identity.
It was no secret that some espers tried to copy a certain esper's look to look more intimidating and they'd usually crack and run once their ruse was blown, but before long another voice croaked out from the crowd, "Pale skin, white hair and red eyes… You're…"
The boy didn't finish his sentence as the white haired esper stared at him dangerously and said "You're damn right… The Accelerator."
His growling tone told everyone that he's the real deal, that he's the first ranked esper in Academy CIty.
So some of the members exploded and shouted at him as a defense mechanism, one of them called him out by saying, "Shit! What's the meaning of this?! We don't have any beef with you!" and "What he said, we even tried to ask you to join us!"
Accelerator gritted his teeth in annoyance before he gave his response, "You don't but I do, even villains have standards you dipshits."
"We did nothing wrong…"
A trembling voice replied to him.
Accelerator huffed a breath out in annoyance and continued while tapping his foot on the deformed Steel container, "Yea, you keep telling yourself that to make you sleep easier, don't you?" The boy asked with palpable hate and growl in his tone, "Then why does this laundry list exist then? You sure have your fun, playing around and hurting those you regarded as playthings. I have the list right here… Each one of you have two offenses here, stalking, disturbing public peace and safety, endangering others, assault of various kinds, blackmailing, and other vile things that made me want to vomit."
…
…
…
Silence fell before Accelerator sharpened his gaze at them while saying, "Original, you're playing the role of a low life scumbag so well that I actually felt pity for those who got wronged by you. They approached those girls while playing the role of a charming prince, then you took advantage of them, and when you had your 'fun' you decided to throw them aside like scrap, and when they tried to get justice you used your connections and money to shut them up in more ways than one…"
"Says someone who rolls around with Kami." A protesting voice could be heard.
Accelerator looked at him like a feral animal then replied with, "That's where you wrong, fucking wrong. That bastard had his fun but he never touched those who fell on his lap…"
Realizing that Accelerator won't budge from his stance, some of the IVORY members tried to come up with a plan.
"Dammit, what should we do?"
"Just swarm him, even a level 5 would get overwhelmed by all of us."
Accelerator could filter those exchanges and called out the two responsible with, "Well you turned to violence so quick… I'm here only to deliver a gift for you, so rejoice."
The very word 'gift' just alarmed the ones who still hung around the private club as they reached for their arms or tried to use their ability, but Accelerator reacted quickly as he kicked the container and blew all the contents outside and turned the deformed container into a flower with four petals made out of wall steel panels.
Then.
White.
All they can see is white that powders everything inside the club, then a gust of wind blows into several cyclones that spreads the white powder and sand mix to the inner parts of IVORY's building, even the upper floors got covered by the powder mix.
"You called yourself IVORY, didn't you? Did this seem like a fitting gift?" Accelerator growled in a demeaning tone, taunting them to do anything to set him off the edge.
Cough!
Cough!
He did not get his desired response as everyone in the room was coughing because of the spreading powder is still thick and filling the air around them, so he huffed and called out to one of them, a terrified boy with glasses by saying, "You seemed smart, can you tell what's going to happen? It's not just a practical joke, I remind you."
Cough!
Cough!
He couldn't answer and continued to cough, so with an exasperated look he stared at the ones standing around him and said, "Haaaa… I'll make it quick then, You know what powder explosion is, right?"
…
…
Suddenly terrified look and widening eyes could be seen in each and every one of the IVORY members, Accelerator was satisfied with their response as he grinned like a maniac and shouted, "Well fuck around and find out! KEHAHAHA!"
The mix of flour and sand was a fatal one, it was an intentional move on Accelerator's part as he was the one who wanted to deal severe damage and made it look like it was as if someone just dropped an actual thermobaric bomb inside the building. The concentration of the powder was just right and with the small amount of sand mixed in it became more volatile because he only needed to intensify the air currents inside the building to make said sand particles to collide and ignite sparks.
Moments later a series of sparks ignited the powder and turned them into flames that engulfed the inner part of IVORY's building at such intensity that the water sprinklers could do nothing because the water already turned into vapor from the sheer heat coming from the inferno.
The base concept of Accelerator's thermobaric rampage was something similar to a military weapon that has been considered as a 'war crime' weapon, traditionally it uses fuel-oxidizer mix to ignite the surrounding air and spread the shockwave at such violent force it could collapse reinforced underground tunnel system and bunkers. Accelerator broke said concept down further to 'powder explosion' something that he used to fight against Touma but revised it so it became much more fatal by executing it inside closed space and using his ability to saturate the building with more oxygen.
It made the building into a huge beacon as the flames ate the building's insides but the air current keeps the flames from getting out of the building and spreading the damage. That's where the cyclone of winds come in, he purposefully created vacuums and cyclones to keep the fire in and direct it to a single way out, the openings that he made by punching a hole through several levels of the building.
The hole and the amped up powder explosion were a conscious decision that the esper made to keep any association from the following investigation away from him, he intentionally made it look like as if an actual bunker buster bomb with thermobaric warhead just exploded inside the building.
His mission was to eliminate any form of resistance remaining after the initial assault and to deter any means of aggression afterwards.
The thermobaric bomb did just that.
So it was fitting that he just flew upwards and left the ruined building right after his role was finished and set himself on another course after noticing an interesting object flying between the clouds, leaving Motoharu in awe as he looked at the carnage while rappelling up to the building's rooftop by using the service gondola that was left unattended on the ground floor of IVORY's building.
PLAY MUSIC
Kidou Sentai Iron Saga OST – Sea of Fire (By Hiroyuki Sawano).
'That's a sign alright… But did you have to make it that obvious…'
The spy said to himself as he turned his attention to his phone, he's trying to recount his plan and made it so he will execute his part perfectly after Accelerator passed his part with flying colors.
'Where is she? No, where are they…'
He muttered in mind as his eyes tried to locate the exact floor where they were located and locked his gaze when he found it while commenting, 'The penthouse floor… That's no surprise at all…'
He felt bitter as he told himself that.
Motoharu kept said bitterness for later because he's in the middle of counting the exact length of the rope that he will use, then checking his guns again along with every gear that he needs to turn the tables around, but he couldn't shake the simmering anger as some part of his mind is still thinking back about the details of the Siren Si9n members who found themselves in a dire situation and why they complied to come with a repeat abuser in the first place.
'Was it because Koga was their senior and a member of an equally famous boy group, was LIGHT's influence really that powerful or was it because of their agency that was famous for using its tentacle-like connections.'
A thought makes itself known inside the spy's mind before another follows.
'Or was it because of the girl's trauma from being through so much and not wanting her friends to experience the same hardship as her. Did he leave his hooks so deep into her that a simple reminder of her prior experience was enough to break her?'
One after another, the thoughts keep on coming and piling on Motoharu's mind.
'Then why did her friends also come? Because they also wanted their group mate to be safe and try to do anything they could to help her despite the tumultuous odds on their part?'
Then he slapped himself, huffing in exasperation and muttering something to ease his own mind, 'I'm using logic when the ones who I tried to help are hanging by a thread… Screw it, don't think, just do…'
Then he looked at the rack used to store emergency fire hose as a sly grin made its way to his face.
'That will do…'
He whispered to himself as he made his way to it, preparing himself for his assault while releasing the rack from the sockets. Creating a line for him to descend into a burning hell mouth.
The very word hell found itself in Victoria's mind as she shifts her body restlessly inside a penthouse floor room with an eloquent looking idol who has an unhealthy obsession towards her, she hid one of her hands behind her back and tried to open a door where her friends are being locked inside the next door room. The bob haired idol tried her best to control her breath under the intense pressure of being left alone with a monstrous figure from her past, but her shaking hands failed her as she slipped and rattled the door handle which was being noticed by the Koga ever since he pushed Yona and Fei into the other room.
He planned all this and only wanted to see how Victoria crumbles underneath the stress he placed on her, he tore her walls little by little until the hooks that he placed on her took away her reasoning and turned her into his plaything again.
Fear and manipulation were his preferred method of control and he picked to play on Victoria's trauma to pull her into his lap. It was obvious to his eyes when he saw the girl shake, he still had a certain amount of control over her and all he needed to do was strengthen his iron grip.
"Why did you lock those two away?! What are you planning to do with me?! LET GO!"Each of her cries and pleads sounds like music for him because they told him that he's getting closer to breaking her will.
With a sadistic glee Koga chuckled and said, "I don't want to and remember that you agreed to this." He approached the frightened idol and held her wrist tightly and leaned his head closer to her neck attempting to bite her swan-like neck, in response Victoria used the side of her head to headbutt Koga while screaming, "Not this! NO! LET ME GO!"
"Fuck! You're a handful!"
Koga shouted and in a fit of anger raised his free hand and delivered a painful reminder to Victoria about who she just hurt.
SLAP!
Koga kept his iron grip on Victoria's hand as her eyes shook in panic, her head recalled her prior painful experiences with the sadist until she flinched and actively tried to avoid his gaze. The male idol looked at this and used the cards available on him as he whispered his threat, "Do I have to remind you about the mark that I left on you or do you need a new reminder… Or I can just give one to Yona or Fei, then we'll see if they can endure it better than you…"
…
"Feeling compliant yet?" Koga asked as he could see that Victoria just fell silent after he mentioned the prospect of getting her friends in his line of fire, so with a trembling tone she replied to him with, "Y-You're a monster."
"Better than those monsters you associated yourself with, never questioned why they worked with you? Aren't they just playing the long game to get close to all Siren members?" A sly grin painted over his face and earned him another reply from the bob haired idol, "They're not like that… You're the deluded one here."
"Still talking back, but I do like that part of you."
"What are you trying to do?"
The girl reeled back once she noticed that Koga tried to lean over to her neck again, she closed her eyes and expected the worst when Koga leaned slightly to her ear and whispered, "Reliving old memories, if you know what I mean."
"I was a fool back then." She replied but didn't move her head out of fear after knowing what Koga would do if she didn't comply with his wishes.
"I beg the differ, I think it was beneficial for both of us."
"It's only beneficial for you! What do you think I was?! A convenient booty call?!"
"That's a matter of perspective, Tori."
Victoria closes her eyes in panic as her body frozen, she found anchored in place…
Until…
CLANG!
Those were his last words before a fire hose rack fell right next to the penthouse window.
"Well Screw that notion." Then a voice called out, a playful veneer that failed to hide a torrent animosity hiding underneath it, Koga reeled back and looked at the window and shouted, "Who was that?!"
"Idol Onee-san, would you kindly duck down and cover your head."
The voice continued to call out towards Victoria, the idol found the voice extremely familiar and promptly ducked while clutching the sides of her head as if the action was instinctual.
"T-Tori?!"
The male idol is surprised by the sudden change in Victoria and as he looks back to the window he's about to find out why. A blur of black hits it and subsequently explodes, shattering the hose rack and amplifying the blast so much so that the glass window also shattered and throwing both Victoria and Koga away to the middle of the room.
The concussive blast was shocking and unbearable for the two of them, Victoria could feel her ears ringing even after she covered them before she lifted her head to look around the ruined room. When she opens her eyes slowly to see a line being thrown down right next to the shattered window before a figure reels down and enters the room, his steps are deliberately loud and she could hear the sounds of boots crunching pieces of broken glass with palpable disgust.
He was not happy at all to see what was happening and expressed it by using his gestures, even the thin smile and eyes hidden underneath his shades still couldn't hide his contempt towards the male idol who's desperately trying to get his bearing back.
Victoria continues on to observe the figure from the ground up and noticing further details like the style of clothing that resembled undercover mercenaries in old spy movies, said outfit choice was being contrasted by several single point slings and holsters around his shoulders. A gun with a large barrel and fresh traces of smoke was on his left and two pistols were placed on his left shoulder holster and hip holster.
Then she finally saw it, his face. blonde hair that looked like a perfect fit for a delinquent along with a pair of shades.
She continues to dart her eyes on his arm and froze as she sees him pointing a sub machine gun towards the disoriented Koga. It was small in size but she knew that Koga would stand no chance if he decided to pull the trigger and riddle the other boy full of bullets, even when Victoria hated him she thought that death would be an easy way out for Koga.
Not when she knew he had to answer for much more, more than just her.
So it made her feel a mixture of two contradicting feelings when she heard the blonde haired boy's heavy steps.
Step.
Crack.
Step.
Broken glass was being stepped and the male idol knew it was heading towards him, so with an anger filled shout, he called out to the looming figure. "You dare! The entire occupants of this building will tear you to shreds!"
Silence was the only response, His threat fell on deaf ears because moments later he could see a shade and a blur coming closer to his head at an alarming speed.
"GAH!"
Motoharu made his move.
A blunt force strike just decked Koga across the face and sent him rolling in anguish, Motoharu's boots just made contact to the idol's face and he did not hold back at all, not after reading the details of the idol's covered crimes.
A simple kick was only the beginning in the spy's eyes because he wanted to do so much more, especially when the asshole used Victoria's trauma and threats upon her fellow group members against her.
Said message didn't reach Koga yet as he found himself in immense shock from being on the receiving end of a violent kick.
He even dared to call out the blonde boy for his seemingly reckless action.
"Don't you know who I am?! I'll make sure that they get you! Then everyone you know will suffer… GUGH!"
Another kick was delivered straight to his stomach and Motoharu made sure that he drove all his strength into it before he twisted his foot. Koga spazzed and winched in pain before the sheer pain to his abdomen made him spat out a considerable amount of saliva.
" You're dead hot shot… They'll make sure of it and I'll take my time to make it painful for you and everyone you hold dear." He threatened while feeling an immense pain on his stomach spread deeper and actually caused him difficulty to breathe.
Motoharu scoffed after hearing his empty threat and said, "Amateur, all bark no bite… At least make it believable you little shit."
Motoharu twisted his body and prepared another kick, Koga knew that another kick was coming so he made sure that he covered his stomach and face with each hand, he's preparing for the inevitable.
Or so he thought.
CRACK!
The kick is being aimed at his left hand placed above his stomach and the spy deliberately aiming at the knuckles to break the joints of his fingers in the process. It is a standard practice in torture to aim at someone's hands because there were many nerve endings which will make any strike against them are much more painful.
And Koga is currently having first hand experience in said excruciating amount of pain.
"FUCK! AAAaaaaaaaaahhh… My hand… Uuugh… Something just broke…" He looked at his broken fingers and continued screaming, "My fingers… My fingers… My fingers…"
"Like I said, amateur." The spy whispered.
Motoharu's cold glare could be seen by Koga who finally could see the ice cold smile belonging to the spy, the hierarchy is clear in Koga's eyes and he could see that he's looking at the face of a predator playing with his prey.
This idea would bore itself into his mind further when he heard, "I just bent them the other way, what's wrong with that…"
His response to the idol's painful cries was ice cold as if he was trained or was used to these kinds of things.
Then he continued.
"You used those fingers to touch her, didn't you? I only broke four out of ten… We still have a loooong way to go." There was a slight pause as Motoharu saw his other hand before continuing with, "I'll make sure each of every finger joints get the same experience."
"Sick bastard! You're a psycho!"
"Just like you I presume."
CRACK!
His kick is now being aimed at the same hand to increase the amount of pain delivered to Koga and the effect could be seen in an instant as Koga cried out and winched in the fetal position. On Motoharu's part his actions were being calculated to the last bit of detail from the first kick until the act of breaking Koga's fingers, all of it was to make it look like that Koga just had a nasty accident like a nasty fall from the stairs.
He also calculated the part where said action could break him mentally and he planned to do more damage on that part, so he used his foot to roll Koga's body over so he could place his foot on top of the idol's stomach and add pressure to it.
Koga gasped and winched like a wounded animal.
It was impossible, the thing that happened to him now is damn near impossible, he purposefully allied himself with IVORY for protection and the show of force and tour that experienced told him that he already made the right call. They should have made his safety their top priority so how could this happen in the middle of their stronghold. He had done all the homework, He already made sure that he had the right connections and checked the background of IVORY who specializes in handling things like private information selling, controlling information leaks, blackmailing and covering any tracks.
He should be safe. The group who decided to ally themselves with him guaranteed it.
That's what he thought as his mind sputtered into a chaotic mess.
So the blonde shaded figure's appearance was outrageous and he dared to hurt him as if it won't bring him any harm in near future, any sane person should have known there's a hefty price for making a case with someone who's as famous as him.
The thought of files being charged by an army of legal team and the social terror should be enough to deter anyone from doing something foolish like leaving a hair of a scar on his body, but the figure before him just went through that barrier and broke his fingers and brutalized him until he was turned into a sobbing mess.
"I know that look, you thought that you can just do anything and you're way too big to be touched by anyone."
Motoharu said with a slight sadistic glee on his face. It was as if the spy could read his mind and it managed to strike fear into Koga's heart. Now the idol found it necessary to defend himself from being brutalized any further.
It was weak but he managed to mutter out, "There wasn't any proof…"
Somehow those words are the only sentence that he could give as a reply towards the spy, but the very sentence only acts as a trigger for the spy to break him further.
"18 cases of criminal charges being covered and buried by your agency, one of them are being filed by Victoria and the rest of them are being filed by other celebrities or other idols, all of them were considered your junior."
Motoharu's shades acted as a shield that hides his murderous glare, one that his tone couldn't hide.
Koga's eyes went wide upon hearing the information, then while still in shock he asked, "Wha… How?…"
"Welcome to Academy City, shitstain. Your petty tricks don't work here…"
"There will be many who will chase you down… Just wait." Weak gasp lined with threats once again met his ears.
"You mean them?" The spy asked and with a smirk Koga could feel the atmosphere change drastically as his senses took in and registered new sensations that were absent only moments earlier.
Unknown to the Idol, Motoharu is linking up with Etzali who had set up a barrier spell around the building and the sentence 'you mean them' was the cue for Etzali to lift said spell.
It allowed Koga to hear the sounds of burning and explosions erupting around him, filling the boy with terror that he never once known before, he felt that he could do nothing to go against the blonde haired spy and said sensation cemented itself when he hear, "They're fucked, well not all of them… But it was clear that they couldn't help you any more."
"Who… What are you…"
Koga asked reluctantly as he accepted the fact that he was at a disadvantage, a major disadvantage.
"Garm, a demon dog straight out of hell… One that will drag you down with me."
"..."
The boy couldn't say anything in return but the spy who towered above him still has some verbal venom that he wants to spit at Koga.
"Your files are being uploaded right now and I made sure your agency could do nothing to take them down. Trust when it's done it'll be really hard for you to get close to anyone," Motoharu scoffed upon looking at Koga's terror and continued with, "Well… I can just drop by along with my friends if I hear anything about you again, next time it won't be pretty."
"The agency, they're going after you in a heartbeat… I'm their asset! You know that right!" He screamed once he realized that it'll be the end of him if what Motoharu said was actually true. The blonde spy strengthened his press on Koga's chest and replied with, "Does it look like I actually give a damn? If they come after me or Siren… Any member of the Siren, they'll be next. I have many regrets but taking you down and picking a fight with your associates afterwards would not be one of them."
"Hope you prepared for what's coming! Damned asshole…. AAAAAAAArggh!... STOP! WHAT NOW?!"
Koga didn't finish his sentence because Motoharu started to drag him by his foot towards the edge of the window and he knew the chance of him being thrown out from the burning building was not out of the table.
"An extra treatment for you, call it my special hospitality." A cold reply could be heard by the terrified idol, his eyes trailing to his foot and he saw that Motoharu had tied a rope on his leg, then Motoharu unceremoniously threw him out from the window.
A loud trailing scream could be heard and Victoria watched in horror as she planted her back on the penthouse's wall, it was understandable since it was her first time seeing another person being brutalized in front of her but the horror factor goes up further when she actually met the boy responsible for it a few times before.
First, when she met him up on the District 21's mountainside rest area, she saw a boy who she thought was a fan and tried to get close to her.
Second, when she saw him doing his work, she saw his other side where he destroyed several gangsters alongside his white haired friend, one who she predicted as the one responsible for the massive destruction inside the building.
She never once spoke to him but she could hear recollection about him through his peers and that girl who got mad and slapped her really hard, which made her think about what kind of person he really was because the anger behind said act was genuine and personal.
A leader or handler of a group composed of dangerous and volatile teenagers.
A figure who was seen by a certain girl as someone who gave her salvation and protection.
And now, someone who barged in during her desperate moment and turning the situation into his favor instantly and gave the boy from her nightmares a taste of his own medicine of terror.
PLAY MUSIC
86 OST – Vivid (By Hiroyuki Sawano).
She could stand her ground and not cower away as she knew that the blonde spy won't hurt her, but what about Koga, did he just really decide to throw him out of the building and plummeting to his death. Her eyes looked out and darted around with apparent panic while she tried to utter out sentences that just won't leave her tongue.
Motoharu looked at the idol and explained as he could pick up the stirring emotions within the idol, "The bungee rope around his leg will break his falling momentum, rebound his body up and down several times and it will give out when he hits the ground. He'll live but it'll definitely scar him… Is that good enough for you, miss idol Onee-san?"
Victoria looked him in the eyes and could only answer by trying to utter out a response that never left her tongue, Motoharu looked at the idol and her worried eyes already gave him the answer that he needed.
"You know he deserved it…"
The boy gave his reply.
"..."
The same silence followed suit.
"Not one who was fond of revenge huh? Well, let's get your friends out and leave this place first, you have questions and I will answer them to the best of my abilities." The boy continued as he dropped his 'dark' act with a single chuckle.
"I heard what he said to you earlier… About calling his agency to…"
"Is that bothering you?"
"Yes! They're fighting on a different ground… I experienced it first hand…"
"I did whatever necessary to get him off from you, don't worry about the backlash."
"I can't if it means you and your friends are taking them head on, he's my problem… Siren Si9n's problem…"
"That doesn't justify it when you put your own well being on the line, does it?"
"You don't understand, Blondie…"
"On the contrary, Idol Onee-san. That stubborness of yours is eerily similar to an acquaintance of mine, selfless to a point of annoyance."
"Pardon?!" Victoria twists her expression into a surprised one.
"You hear me. It's fine to ask around for help."
"Not when you're dealing with him and the ones who stand behind him." The bob haired girl kept her previous position as she gave her reply, Motoharu scratches his head before replying with, "This again? I think we have enough proof that we can handle the aftermath."
Not satisfied with Motoharu's reply, Victoria raised her voice while asking, "How do I get the message into that thick skull of yours?"
"I'm willing to listen when your plan doesn't involve you taking the fall. You think that I was stubborn? Then ask yourself what your friends will think when you decide to go against Koga all by yourself?" A tone of steel crept into his voice, "If you think that sacrificing yourself is the best thing that you can do for them, you're dead wrong."
"..."
"Saving others while forfeiting yourself from being saved is a damn cruel joke, and if all I have to do is pick a fight with an office full of assholes then so be it." The boy paused and gave time for Victoria to process his sentence, he huffed then continued, "Like I said earlier, I'm all ears once we get over this 'selfless act that puts yourself in danger' talk."
Moments later Victoria saw that the boy moved to the locked door and struck the locks with his gun and disabling it, letting Fei and Yona to enter the penthouse room to help their friend. Yona stepped out from the room with fire in her eyes and shouted, "Get away and let Tori go!" "Eh?!... Who…"
She stopped when she saw the room was practically ruined and Victoria was standing in the middle of it with a blank expression while Koga was nowhere to be seen, in his place Yona could see another boy decked with firearms which made her took some steps back until she hear the boy spoke to her by saying, "I'll explain things later, I'm one of Fox-kun's friends and that should be enough to tell you that I mean no harm-nya."
The sudden shift knocked Victoria out from her daze as she instantly gave a response to Motoharu's act by saying, "A verbal tic and a cute act won't just cut it…"
"At least I tried."
"And failed miserably, Blondie."
A small argument broke between the two of them while Yona and Fei watched from the side and wondered about what just happened between these two, this is something that both Motoharu and Victoria picked up rather quickly and the boy decided to step aside from the idols while saying, "Idol Onee-san, you're up… I gotta make a call first for our ride out from here."
They heard him and Victoria promptly take the chance to explain what happened to Yona and Fei, Yona was understandably pissed because he just brutalized Koga into submission and basically gave an open letter for LIGHT's agency to a fight while Fei was awed to meet the 'Fox-kun's' handler. Both of them also acknowledged one thing, the blonde boy in front of them knew what he was doing and incredibly bold in his actions in dismantling Koga's allies first before tearing him down until he breaks.
Yona even stole glances at the blonde spy to process the fact that he's the one who runs the mysterious group that her group was connected to, Fei also felt the same but had a more positive outlook because of her prior experience with the member inside the very same group. Same as Victoria, both of them will ask some questions of their own later, nodding to each other in a silent agreement.
Motoharu just finished his call and lead the three girls into the toasted corridor and into a still working elevator that leads them to the underground parking area, the three of them even could hear his side of conversation especially the part where he said, "You're here, yeah just go right next to the basement elevator… It'll work, just give me five minutes and we'll exfil out of this hell hole."
After the harrowing elevator ride towards the basement the three walked out to the eerily silent basement with silhouettes of many expensive and exotic cars, the three idols even looked at the blonde haired spy who whistled in glee upon looking at these dream while thinking to themselves whether he decided to steal one of them or not.
It won't be weird, the group's activities didn't clear them from much criminal misconduct.
The three thought in unison.
But much to their surprise a white colored car with humble styling lit up its headlights and approached them while Motoharu called out to the driver, "Etzali, let's bring them back home. I'll tell the others to go back to their usual place…"
"And how about us?"
Etzali asked.
"We have some explaining to do, a proper one." The boy said while looking at two idols in particular.
PLAY MUSIC
Guilty Crown OST – Miss Te Ri As.
Rikuri opened her eyes and found that her entire body sore from all the fighting that she had endured, her arms in particular were aching so much that she winched back and alerting the dark haired boy who dragged her out from the ruined building to a small park outside the building which was the group's meeting point.
Once she realized that she was outside, Rikuri quickly tugged at Atsumu's collar and yelled, "Why?! Why did you drag me out with you."
"You were hurt."
A flat-sounding whisper could be heard and it made Rikuri raise her tone, "My sister is still trapped in there! Dammit!"
The older girl tried to stand up and walked back to the building, a tug on her hand stopped her as Atsumu reached out and said, "You can't go back!"
"Let go!"
"It's burning."
"It's my sister! She's still trapped in there!"
"I can't let you go to your own death!"
"Then help!"
Their screaming match was stopped by Wataru who walked on them with a little girl being carried 'princess carry' style, he quickly defuses the situation by saying, "Why are you two so loud, do you want to get swarmed by Antiskill or those police looking group that just barged inside the building?"
Atsumu looked at the little blonde haired girl with fair features and wondered how did he end up carrying her around, her clothes consists of a skin tight monitor suit with cables and electrical nodes attached to it, it was so weird that the assassin just deadpanned at the former gangster and asked, "You're here… Who is she?"
"This little girl?" The red haired boy tilted his head to the side slightly and gave his answer, "I found her unconscious underneath that giant snake looking thing… That place was not a place for her so I took her out."
Then Wataru noticed the blonde busty beauty beside Atsumu just looked in awe at both him and the little girl, which prompted him to ask, "What's wrong?..."
"That's… That's my sister…" "Oh thank you… You were safe, thank you… Amazora, I'm never going to leave you again…" Rikuri moved her body forward to grasp Amazora's body and cradled her tightly in her arms, the pain she felt from earlier was not mattered in the slightest.
"Did I interrupt you or something?" Wataru asked in a whispered tone and asked more when he saw Atsumu's arms trembling and moving rather rigidly, "What's up with your hands btw?"
"No. You just saved me from a lot of hassle and about these…" He looked at his arms and then back at Wataru while adding, "Just keep this as a secret."
"No sweat but how about that lady?"
"I'll take care of it, now how do you plan your exit?"
"I parked my bike next to you."
"You go first then, I have to take care of some things."
Wataru glances at both Rikuri and Amazora before he whispers, "Them?"
Atsumu nods in response, Wataru smiles in response as he takes his leave while saying, "Just keep them safe, especially that little girl… I mean why the hell would she show up in the middle of a chaos like that?"
"I'll explain later, just go to the safe house first."
Before he turned on his motorcycle, Wataru looked to the distance and back at his colleague to say, "I'll ask some friends to notify me if some of them escaped."
Wataru made his exit and Atsumu followed suit as he flipped the kickstand on his motorcycle and fiddled with the switches on its bar. Rikuri watched this and protested by saying, "You're just leaving, you're still as cold as ever."
"You already got your freedom and my teammate just saved your sister." The assassin answered as he turned his gaze on the blonde beauty, In response shook her head and responded with, "So infuriating, if you're doing this out of hero code then you're doing your job terribly wrong."
"Huh?"
"Remember what I said about 'ruining the bad guy's plan, beating him and saving the girl' part?"
"You're doing a bad job at the 'saving the girl' section right now?" The girl asked in irritation, while an uneasy feeling made its way to Atsumu's stomach as he asked, "What are you saying?..."
"You're just leaving me and my sister here, do I remind you that both of us are hurt and she's still unconscious."
"Cut to the chase, what do you want?" He asked in a flat tone.
"Do the 'save the girl' part of your job properly." She looked at him and pointed her gaze back at her sister, "Take responsibility for your actions."
"I don't like where this is going."
"Wha…"
"Let me guess, You basically lost all of your things inside that burning building, well used to be a burning building and you have no place to stay."
"So accura… No, at least stay with me until my sister is fine…"
"You said that just because you wanted to convince me along the way."
"No."
"You made it obvious when you lie, you know that." His eyes looked at Rikuri as if he already figured out her intentions.
"Heh?! How?!" The girl responded by Pulling out her small powder case with a small mirror built in and taking a look at her face. A tint of red made its way to her face because she was embarrassed, so much so she even asked, "Is it that obvious."
"It was a blind guess." A huff left Atsumu's mouth as he started to take off his jacket.
"You…" Rikuri was about to scold him but stopped once he placed his jacket over her and Amazora, then he said, "I'll walk you to the hospital and use this to cover yourself and your sister, that's the least I can do."
"W-Wait, don't just walk away… You're a handful, aren't you?"
Even when she was infuriated by the boy's action, she couldn't help but smile a little as she walked beside him and the very sight of her sister in her arms only made it even sweeter for her.
PLAY MUSIC
Guilty Crown OST – Miss Te Ri As.
Wataru and Atsumu believed that Pierce already made his way back to the safe house, but the reality is bleaker than what they have in mind because on the lower loading ground the boy is being laid against a wall in an unconscious condition. He exerted his body way too much and fought while keeping Rakko in check and it gave the enemy chances to get their licks in until he fell from being overwhelmed.
Only then Rakko saw it fit to join the fight, finished it and then dragged the boy out to her exit point. She has her own qualms about killing the blue haired boy but now she could have all the time in the world whether she should pull the trigger or not.
She raised her rifle's barrel and pushed it on the boy's temple before lowering it, raising it again before lowering it as the thought of getting revenge and affection fought inside her head. The girl was mentally and physically exhausted, so she voiced her thoughts out loud in an attempt to speak with herself, with her own conscience.
"Why am I saving this liar, this charlatan… You're the one who took everything from me…"
Then she pushed the barrel of her gun against Pierce's temple, looking at his unconscious face she talked to herself again, "I think it was because I want to finish you myself…"
But
She struggled and couldn't move her finger to squeeze the trigger, she even protested to herself by yelling, "Why won't it move…"
Infuriated, she shouted again.
"All I have to do is pull the trigger and there will be one less of them…"
That was the last thing she said before a gust of steam exploded and obscured her vision and threw her off balance.
"Kugh!"
Rakko reeled back and blended herself into the shadow, moments later Kiyoshi walked in and made a beeline towards Pierce while looking to the sides to find where Rakko could be hiding. She realized that she couldn't sense anything around her and asked, "I can't detect it?! Why?"
"Kuh!" Kiyoshi yelled as Rakko bends her body forward and uses the momentum to throw the girl who locked her arm forward. The sudden change in situation prompted the girl to call out to her ally.
"Tch!... Shutaura-senpai! Now."
Pssh! Pssh!
The very call caused Rakko to let Kiyoshi go before a sudden and violent wind pressure cut through the air and missed her body. She knew by instinct that someone tried to open fire at her as she checked her surroundings and saw a shadow with alluring dark hair darted around between the thick white steam. Her choice of using a suppressed firearm also posed another kind of threat to Rakko because she couldn't pinpoint her angle of attack.
Pssh! Pssh!
"Traitor! How dare you!" Another series of fires made Rakko lose it as she shouted to Kiyoshi in anger, in response Kiyoshi just breathed out calmly and aimed her gun at Rakko while taking position in the hallway before using her laser sight to tag Rakko on the forehead.
Then another red dot also tagged Rakko on the chest.
Then another set of red dots tagged her on both her thighs.
She froze upon realizing that she had been tagged by numerous dot sights and it made Rakko look to the side to find that the girl who fired the initial shots had dragged the boy back, she looked at her sharp eyes and she responded by giving her the same look and Rakko could swear that she would fight her but could see that the safety of the blue haired boy took higher priority in her mind.
"Dammit, who are you?!" Rakko decided to call out Kiyoshi who stood her ground before her allies walked out from the darkened hallway and made their presence known.
It was a show of confidence and a subtle way of saying that they have the higher ground as Rakko realized that her ability to lower her presence won't help her because there were too many eyes focused on her, so she put down her gun and decided to prepare for a close combat.
That was the case until she could hear a voice calling out to her and answering her question.
"We?"
An Ojou-sama voice met her ears as Ayu stepped out from behind the firing squad and looked directly at her, Her clothes are similar to Kiyoshi and the other girls but she wore it in a relaxed manner and letting the sleeves slid down from her shoulders and letting the customized sash that was stitched to the sleeves to look like sash made out of crow feathers.
In short she looked graceful yet devious and Rakko will feel said sentiment even further when she hears Ayu continue her sentence by saying, "We're the ones who will take over Judgement on assignments such as this."
"SF? Special Forces?"
Rakko asked.
"Sleeping Forest, and it will be pleasant for me if you surrender now… I'd rather have you alive." Ayu answered with a hair of a smile, giving an image of a mastermind as she did so, an image similar to the Duchess herself which made Rakko think about her own chances if she decided to fight.
…
…
…
Understanding the near impossible odds of winning, Rakko puts her hands up and hangs her head in defeat. Ayu nods and gestured with her hand to let the combat members of SF to put handcuffs on Rako and commented, "Delightful, It is gladdening that I won't have put another Ideal's child down like a rabid animal."
Rakko widened her eyes in response, those words managed to anchor her on the ground and kept her from doing anything any further.
Shutaura walked to Ayu, holding Pierce by her shoulder and with a worried expression on her face she called out to Ayu.
"Mitsuari-san, I…"
Mental Stinger looked at her and at the unconscious boy for a brief moment, then she gave an understanding look at her before saying, "You want to bring him back home to his friends, don't you… You're an easy book to read, Sequenzia-san."
Shutaura doesn't refute her as she nods and leaves with the blue haired boy, in Ayu's eyes her sharp and stern aura were all gone and being replaced by a genuine worry with underlying tone of affection beneath it. The word 'protect' popped up in her head as she nodded to the side and gestured to Shutaura that she should get going before looking at Kiyoshi and said, "Kessai-san, I believe you would want to join her as well."
Kessai follows Shutaura shortly and bickered with her along the way causing some former members of Hasekura clique to chatter amongst themselves. A few minutes passed as the girls continued to talk to each other until one representative approached Ayu and asked, "Mitsuari-san, why do you let them leave before Leader arrives?"
Ayu glanced away from the girl who asked her and tried to come up with a smart sounding excuse, moments later she decided to come clean and huffed while saying, "A whim? I just want to mess a little with the leader…"
The girl showed a mischievous side to her, one that was viewed by plentiful questioning looks coming from the other girls who decided to brush the topic aside and continued to ask another question.
"How about Mikagami-san, where did she go?"
"Hmm… You know that someone helped her out during her escape from the Duchy, correct? It probably left an impression on her, no? It should be obvious now that she was trying to pay his kindness back." "I think her act and change in behavior lately spoke clearly enough for her."
"Ah! That elusive gentleman." The previous girl commented with glee as her friend replied with an assured look on her face while saying, "He's a member of that gang then?"
"Oh my…"
"It must be true then, she visited someone before she made her way here."
"Mikagami-sama stayed in his place while on the run… Does it mean?"
"No! What are you insinuating here?!"
Several girls who used to belong to the Mikagami clique joined the conversation, each of them giving their own thoughts about the change in their leader while the other girls who belonged to the Hasekura clique talked about Kiyoshi's change as well. Ayu looked in wonder as her simple gesture caused the conversation to delve into the SF members personal romantic relationship, the girl with the cotton candy hair also became conscious about such a topic but decided to give a neutral response of, "Take that information as you may."
Ayu just kept her mouth silent because the overly active imagination of her current group will delve into mere gossip talk or something that she should redact from her mind. It has the air of innocence but could turn into an obscene talk the next moment, the curiosity of Ojou-samas who just started to discover themselves is something rather tricky when it comes to the topic about relationships.
PLAY MUSIC
Guilty Crown OST – O No Sonzai.
"You managed to secure the upload?"
Kakeru asked Ibara who just stepped out from his parked car, a red colored compact frame American classic muscle car with roaring engines. The grim looking boy stepped out from the car and started to explain his side of the story with, "Barely and it was because that 'Angel Dragon' replica of yours doesn't work, I still don't understand why you were so opposed about sending Shundan out during a crisis like that…"
After letting out a tired sigh he continues.
"But it will be a nice show once those scumbags look at all their data being spread on the city's public network, all of their proofs being laid out in the open… Heh, let's see how they deal with this one. It will be a lesson about not trusting a deal when it looks way too sweet."
The grim face on Ibara's face caused Kakeru to tilt his head lightly to the sides and tried to crack it, then he shared his response, "It's hard to refuse when you practically pushed it as something safe and useful to them, while using me as an example… Much to my displease."
With a snicker Ibara looked at Kakeru in the eyes and replied, "You're the one who was chased around by a Harem for a lack of better word."
"Really, we're still talking about this?"
"I don't want to believe it at first, that was the case until your sister came around and was all jealous about those girls. That's the reason why you sent her on a separate task eh?" Ibara asked before looking around the deserted underground mall to search for Kakeru's missing sister.
Kakeru kept his calm demeanor as he answered with, "Clearing the remaining armories that belongs to the rogue Judgement and Antiskill's Disciplinary Action, but another faction has beaten us to it and they were an actual elite by the looks of it."
"It was rare to hear that from you, probably because you got your hands occupied with IVORY huh?"
The question made Kakeru massaged the bridge of his nose for a good minute before he gave his answer.
"You set up a place where every upper class scum and unhinged espers come for entertainment and glory, you need someone to keep the facade going and not suspecting that you're just collecting their sensitive info before burning them to the open." He glanced to the upper right towards the expanse of dark blue tinted sky, trying to find some sort of solace before turning to Ibara to ask, "But the question remains, Ibara, are you satisfied with all of this? The city will move to arrest most of these bastards whether they throw everything they have to defend themselves."
"Not yet, the ones who were responsible for their passing are still around."
A cold response reached Kakeru's ears, so with a hint of irritation he asked.
"Even after this? Then why did you decide to upload all the data now."
"Because I can shift the blame to Kami's gang or whoever those bastards were. Now it is personal, the ones who liked to capture and turn girls into playthings are next." The irritated response was being met with a knife-like look from Ibara. With an understanding look Kakeru held himself back and asked the real purpose that drove Ibara to this degree, Kakeru changed his tone when he asked, "Still having a hard time to say her and your sister's name? Then why bother stealing a car that you said looked similar to her?"
"It was a way for me to cope, the red color reminded me of her eyes…" Ibara looked at the classic car before turning to Kakeru who sat on top of another car draped in cloth material, it was something that he also took from IVORY.
Then he glanced up when he heard Kakeru ask.
"And how about your sister? Didn't she go through the same?"
"We went to the research center together, I never thought that those bastards decided to sell her to a lecherous scum who liked her at the first sight though…"
"Now I know why you seem so disturbed when you're talking about her."
A pitying look made its way to Kakeru's face and Ibara turned his gaze away with a small tongue click, "I know that judging look everywhere, you'll feel the same if the position were reversed."
"I went through the same, that's why I understood your anger."
A huff left Kakeru's lips as he gave his response.
…
…
…
An awkward silence fell upon the two until Ibara shook his head, looked to Kakeru and asked a question, trying his best to get a response from him with, "So what should I do? What's next?"
"I'll try to secure a place for us to settle for the next few days. For you… I think you should try to look for the Endymion incident, then we can decide how we will make our move."
"I'm going back to the dorms after I put that Freshmen girl inside." A hint of bitterness was present in his response as he walked away.
"You managed to take her back as well?"
"Yea… They just left her around with one of those guys that you jacked up with an enhancement program. See you on school day, Kamisato."
With another bitter reply the boy made his exit.
Moments later a girl walked out from the inner halls, a girl with snow white skin and hair who quickly sat beside Kakeru and made her presence known by saying, "Leader."
"Yuriko."
"I've returned and I managed to cleanly shake him off from our tracks." A flat robotic-like voice left her lips.
"Who? I thought you just stayed around as the rear guard during the evacuation?"
"It is better for you to confirm it yourself, the Monarch gunship should captured a better image for you to process." Yuriko replied while handing a phone over to Kakeru, but he covered the screen of her phone and instead looked at the pale girl and said, "I can work by initial assessment from you, don't sell yourself short, Yuriko."
She fidgeted a little before she gave her response.
"If you believed in my report then I have to say this. Leader, we're dealing with the original."
"And what that might mean?"
"The one who burned the building, It was the real Accelerator."
"We're dealing with the real Kami's gang then… Tad bit excited to hear that." The boy replied as he lifted his hand and looked at the picture of the charging white haired esper with four wings of whirling gale around his back, instinctively he looked back with a smile as if saying that he was prepared for whatever the city could throw at him as several figures looked back at him with a reassuring look on their faces.
It drove the boy to solidify his belief in his own faction while whispering out.
"It was ridiculous that the road to the New World would be paved in gold, let's see how we fare against Kami's own hit squad if they decided to get in my way."
Tori opened up her eyes as she found herself waking up from a deep sleep in her room, she immediately looked around in disbelief as she already had a sleeping disorder that made it difficult for her to sleep soundly. The idol even believed that it stems from her own deep seethed trauma and tried many things to heal herself from it.
She was in for a surprise when Kagami who sat beside her reaffirmed her suspicion and said, "I thought you were a light sleeper, Tori-nee, it's already noon, you should really wake up."
"Huh?! Did I fall asleep?! When did I…"
Victoria raised her body and looked around in surprise but Kagami just looked at her with an indifferent look before saying, "You already fell asleep when you, Yona-nee and Fei-nee returned… And uh… Those two who brought you back here are still around, they said you wanted to speak to one of them."
"Blondie's here?"
Victoria asked in an unusual high pitched tone.
"Blondie?... Ah! He's here but…" Kagami answered while looking at the door that was slightly open and tried to look out from the gap before saying, "He's bickering with his friend because of what kind of breakfast that they will have…"
The two idols lined themselves up on the door's opening and looked at the two boys who were in the middle of an aggresive argument, a brown skinned boy with dark hair is trying to get a cup of coffee as far as away from the other boy present who looked infuriated for obvious reason, then Kagami and Victoria along with the all residents are in for a surprise when they hear.
"You foolish oaf, the coffee's burned." The blonde haired boy shouted before the other boy replied with, "No it isn't, it's supposed to smell like this, did the British never tell you anything about brewing coffee?"
"You tell me that after you managed to burn the omelet as well, You already looked like a dandy gentleman then acted like one."
Motoharu replied with a raised tone which made Etzali look at him in irritation and responded with, "What did you say? You're the one who's getting in the way and ruined both of these."
Kagami glanced up at Victoria and let out a huff and called out to her to move outside and do something about the two bickering boys.
"See, I think Tori-nee should step in and stop them first before it gets any worse."
"How about the others? And where's Kanade?"
Victoria tried to reach for the door handle but stopped to ask her question.
"They're inside their own room and Kanade's going out to do light shopping alongside that white haired boy… Wha?! T-Tori-nee, Why did you need to wash your face first?!" Kagami tried to answer but stopped when she saw Victoria walking to the back and tried to clean up her look first as a shocked look replaced her smile in a heartbeat.
She was shocked by Victoria's action but the older idol just shrugged Kagami's response away as she explained herself with, "Don't mind me, and what happened between Kanade and that white haired boy? We're talking about the same one who brought those swords around with him, aren't we?!"
"Yes, It was because you, Yona-nee and Fei-nee were missing yesterday and missed the whole Incident with… Nevermind, I'll save it for later because seriously where did you go off to?!"
"I'll let him explain, let's go out first."
PLAY MUSIC
86 OST – Vivid (By Hiroyuki Sawano).
Victoria answered after she finished cleaning her face and walked out to meet the two boys. The two boys nodded and as if on cue Etzali walked away and gave some space for Motoharu and Victoria to continue from where they left off, once the two take a seat and faced each other Motoharu started to explain what he had planned when he decided to attack Koga and his allies inside the city directly, first he explained that he wanted eliminate the foothold that Koga has in Academy City and that means IVORY has to go by any means necessary.
Fortunately for the blonde spy, he has the means to clean their home in one fell swoop.
He carried on to say that LIGHT's agency will have a hard time entering the city because of Koga's leaked information, he purposefully uploaded and sent all of them to several big name entertainment media that focused on idol related news that made sure he couldn't dodge his allegations any longer.
This means Victoria was free from any influence coming from Koga and his allies, the boy smirked as he finished his explanation while asking, "Do you have anything else to ask?"
"One, what do you mean about me being so stubborn?"
"Huh?"
"You know what I mean, Blondie." She asked the question because of the very mention that she had reminded him of someone else, in response Motoharu sighed and answered with, "It's going to be a long story."
"Well I just happen to be free today, so please start if you feel like it… You already read me like a book so it won't hurt for you to tell me a little something about yourself." Victoria fiddled her thumbs in worry as she started to explain to herself, "You probably knew and verified the thing that happened between Koga and I in the past…"
"Well I can't do anything to change the past, but I sure as heck can do something about the future…" Motoharu cuts her as her tone was mixed with regret, "I said what I said because you were infuriating to see, struggling alone in such a situation and still trying to think about others before yourself…"
"I knew about that, I'm asking about…"
"It reminded me about a friend who was so selfish and refused help from others, thinking if he did so then everything is going to be fine. Both of you were similar because both of you didn't see the ones who you left behind wanting to help by standing by your side, that much is obvious when I see how your peers treat each other."
Motoharu paused for a moment as he tried to look at her face that was covered by her bangs, but decided to continue on with a softer tone.
"Wanting to protect others is a noble cause, but I already had enough of such self serving reasons especially the ones who threw themselves at danger usually have many others who worried about them."
There was a pause, it was as if Motoharu picked his words really carefully before he continued.
"So if you asked why I was stubborn, it was because I had enough of seeing noble people such as yourself get hurt. I'm no hero, far from it but I'll make sure that I fight for those who need a helping hand, no questions asked."
Victoria still doesn't want to show her face, but could feel something welling up inside when she hears the next sentence coming from the blonde haired spy.
Pfft!
For the other boy who hid himself in the kitchen, he had other ideas as he got choked on his own drink and Motoharu decided to comment on his action by asking, "Seriously, did you just choke yourself with that coffee, one that you made for yourself?"
"You should hear your own words, for someone who says that he's different from the 'hero' you really started to sound like him who gave a long winded speech before punching someone."
"Speaking from experience?"
"Really?"
While the two go back to bickering with each other, Victoria is having a private moment while hearing the news about the data leak where the revelation about Koga's action being aired in the air and for everyone to witness, that was solid proof that the spy's action matched his words. 'Actions speak louder than words' and she felt the full gravity of said sentence.
She's having a honest talk with herself as she recalled the relief that she felt ever since she opened her eyes earlier, the paranoid thoughts of Siren members being in danger were gone, her trauma that manifested itself as phantom pains around her right eye that drove her into a complex where she needed to hide her right eye was gone.
She looked at him from the gaps in her bangs and still tried to hide her own expression from him while at the same time thinking back on his sentence that etched itself inside her psyche. "I'm no hero, far from it but I'll make sure that I fight for those who need a helping hand, no questions asked."
Then the realization struck her, but she couldn't lift her head and show herself yet because she was feeling something that she never thought that she could feel again, not after losing a part of herself and becoming frail because of Koga's attempt to control her.
It felt different from creating walls around her by creating mental walls around her and being overprotective toward others because of it.
To feel whole and protected was something she thought was impossible to feel again.
But another peek out of her own bangs reassured her that she was safe as the feelings that welled up from before still remain.
And Victoria will feel ever grateful for it.
PLAY MUSIC
Kick The Can Crew – I Hope You Miss Me a Little.
A/N: I just love the lighthearted and summery mood of this track, it compliments the shift to a lighter part of the story.
At another location, the sun is shining at the city's public pool complex that is in the middle of being cleaned by swimming clubs from various schools and students who volunteered to help. On a sectioned pool located on the furthest section of the complex, two boys are sneaking and heading into the furthest pool while avoiding any security that was present there. One of the boys has a neat look with a dark themed outfit that looked out of place during summertime, the other has a wild look to him that was solidified further by his choice of wearing a leather jacket.
Atsumu and Shujin made their way towards the pool because they got a message from Yuu who asked for their help to clean the pool. It happened because he walked Kinuho home over Tokiwadai's strict curfew and got her into trouble with the Dorm Manager who was having none of her or his excuse any further and sent Kinuho to the Public pool used by the swimming club and cleaned it as a punishment.
The boy decided to drop in the very next morning to help Kinuho while also asking for help from Atsumu, Kinuho followed suit by asking Maaya who gladly followed along after hearing that the junior counselor would also be present.
So it was a complete surprise when Yuu saw Shujin also popped up alongside Atsumu and even more so when the dark haired boy started to call him out.
"So how did you find yourself in this situation?"
Atsumu asked.
"I bet it was your fault that Fluffy hair got home late."
Shujin with a sneering grin.
"And you decided to help her out by cleaning the pool together with her."
"Make sure you pay us back for helping you!"
"Awatsuki-san was the one who informed me about this, you joined because Nunotaba kicked you out and you got bored from hanging inside the safehouse."
"Don't sweat the details."
…
…
…
"Just go down and help me already!" Yuu replied with an irritation in his tone, Shujin looked down and gestured with his head as he looked to the changing room and said, "Fluffy's friend is still changing her clothes."
"Fluffy's friend? Call her by her name." Atsumu glanced at the ruffly haired boy and gave his comment with a tinge of annoyance. Shujin just shrugged his shoulders and corrected his previous response with, "Guh… Awatsuki is still changing her clothes, btw, did she say that she will bring some of her friends to help?"
"I hope…"
The assassin answered.
"Dammit, I got kicked out from my own room during my day off and now I have to work…"
"You got your freetime yesterday."
"Didn't feel like it. Not when I wandered around the city and ended up sleeping inside the safehouse, I swear my back is killing me…"
While the two boys on top of the pool are not helping anytime soon, Yuu continues to scrub the bottom part of the pool alongside Kinuho until he huffs and pants in exhaustion. The fluffy haired girl saw this and approached the silky haired boy to say, "Hinote-san, you don't have to do this, Awatsuki-san already asked to bring some friends from our class and swimming club to help."
"The club is already busy cleaning the Tokiwadai pools right? I was the one who dropped you late last night, let me help with this one… The fault's mine…" The boy said in between his tired huffs.
"Count this as a workout, Matchstick. You need it…" Shujin commented as he took off his leather jacket.
"Not. Helping." Yuu commented with a clear present of irritation.
"Hinote-san, you should stop and rest… I can do something to make this quicker." Kinuho called out to Yuu as she raised one of her hands and pointed her palm at a puddle of water that had been mixed with cleaning solution. Yuu looks as the water whirls and turns into a vortex that wipes the pool's floor.
"I can do this, see… some of the floor already looked clean."
Kinuho commented with a growing smile on her face, it earned a positive reaction from Yuu who just awed because of Kinuho's help while letting out a resounding, "Whoa…"
"Whooooaaaa…"
Shujin added, which caused the Silky haired boy to shout at him.
"Just get out if you're not going to help!"
"I can't go home on my own!"
"Work it out with Nunotaba-san already!"
"Not when she resorted to clawing and biting me like a cat!" Shujin shouted back and Yuu closes Kinuho's ears as he slid for about ten meters to reach the girl who was blushing because of what she just heard, Yuu shouted when he found out he was too late, "Don't turn this into something kinky!"
"I'm not!"
"You are!"
"Cut it out! Awatsuki-san and her friends are here." Atsumu shouted and cut the two bickering boys, the two looked into the distance and stopped in their tracks as they saw that Maaya had finished changing into her school swimsuit, but the thing that caught the three boys' attention was the fact that Maaya is not alone.
By her side she had brought a friend, a girl with red hair and tomboyish look who also wore a Tokiwadai school swimsuit. The girl's name is Kirifu Megumi and she was shocked by the scene that unfolds before her eyes.
Jason: Swimsuit special part two?
Pierce: Seems like it… Where did Kami-yan go?
Touma: TSUCHIMIKADO!
Motoharu: KAMI-YAN, I CAN EXPLAIN… I DIDN'T MEAN TO!
Touma: Clench your teeth you glorious thieving bastard!
Motoharu: I was not responsible for that! Help! Someone?! Anyone?!
Jason: Is it safe to say that this room is full of national level thieves?
Pierce: Level 5 espers, magician, models, idols, high class socialites… Yeah, seems legit.
Jason: Gotta ask, did Wannai-san already wore her swimsuit?
Pierce: She probably hid it underneath her white shirt… Oho… She plays with layering, can't wait until someone splashes her with water… GYAAAA! HOT! HOT! HOT!
Yuu: I'll toast your butt for making me imagine that, Come here!
Ruiko: Btw, what did he say about Nunotaba-san biting him like a cat… Hmm… U-Uiharu?
Kazari: I think I know what he meant by that…
Jason: Yup, let's stick a cat ears headband on Shinobu and call it a day, let's just hope that she actually purrs like a cat.
Shujin: Dude… No… Now say your prayers, I'm going to rip you a new asshole.