The three's eyes widened. As the young man entered the room, he gazed at the surprised group with his default expression.

"You," Tsumugu said, pointing. "How long have you been eavesdropping?"

"『Why, I just came in. I know nothing of your business with me. Nor do I consider Mankanshoku to be an ex-friend.』"

At that last bit, Mako flinched with a pang of guilt.

"Kumagawa Misogi, I presume."

"『That's the name my parents gave me! And you must be Tsumugu Kinagase.』"

Tsumugu's heart skipped a beat. "How do you know that name?"

"『Your friend was quite generous with that information. He told me about a whole lot of things.』"

His friend? The only person that could refer to was...

Tsumugu gulped.

If they had made contact, and Aikuro's radio would not answer throughout the whole day, then that could only mean...

"You bastard. What did you to him!?" Tsumugu brandished his weapons.

"『Hey now,』" Kumagawa said, shrugging his shoulders. "『You're the one who came all the way over for me. And now you're going to flush all your hard work down the drain because of a little acc~id~ent?』"

To this, Tsumugu threw a grenade at Kumagawa, who had only a few seconds to respond before it exploded right in his face.

"From what I've gathered, you have regenerative abilities, so this much shouldn't be enough to kill you." Though using the needles would be the quickest way to incapacitate a life-fiber hybrid, they could end up becoming lethal, so they were the last resort in capture-missions. "Get up. I know you're not down from that. I wanna see all your limbs flying off before I come to collect."

From the cloud of debris, a screw shot off and nearly impaled Tsumugu, who dodged in the nick of time. As the fog cleared, Kumagawa emerged. His left arm was torn off at the elbow and his left face had some of his skull showing. Despite it all, he still maintained a somewhat light-hearted smile.

It was enough to make both Mako and Tsumugu puke. Shinjiro simply eyed the scene with a blank expression.

"You life-fiber hybrids sicken me," Tsumugu stated with a sneer. "Go ahead and regenerate. I have plenty more where that came from."

"『Thi-s d-d-discrimination is unbecoming.』" His hoarse voice turned into a more relaxed one as soon as his damage had disappeared, returning him to the state he was in before the explosion. "『We 'hybrids' have feelings too, you know.』"

Tsumugu's eyes shot wide open at the speed of the regeneration. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before—well, not like he had any real frame of reference other than Ragyo Kiryuin and the Grand Couturier. But even they could not recover from injuries instantaneously like that, as far as the reconnaissance tapes showed.

"Oh, I know you have feelings. I want you to feel all the hell I'm going to put you through for what you did to my friend."

Brandishing his screws, Kumagawa smile deepened. "『Oh, but I just want to be friends.』"

The entire campus was still on high alert. Not only was it searching for one person now, but an outsider as well.

The searching students probably didn't have to look all that far, however, what with the explosions happening all over the school building.

"You may have regeneration, but you're pretty slow for a hybrid."

"『Please don't remind me. I've flunked P.E. five times and now I'm fighting a soldier? What's my life come to?』"

As Kumagawa threw several more screws, Tsumugu hid behind rcover and then returned with several shots of normal gunfire, prompting Kumagawa to take cover on his own.

"You're also a one-trick pony. Are those screws seriously the only thing in your arsenal?"

"『And now you're just rubbing it in.』"

As Kumagawa threw another screw in, Tsumugu casually dodged it and approached his seemingly exhausted opponent. Turning to run away, Kumagawa fell to the floor the moment his leg was shot off by the other's shotgun, causing the young man to wince in pain.

Stepping on the wound made from the severed leg, Tsumugu pointed his shotgun at Kumagawa's face and said, "Quit the act. I know you can heal from this. The question is, how much can you put up with before you decide to hand yourself in nice and quietly?"

"『The offer's kind of you, but nice and quiet isn't really my style.』" Turning around, Kumagawa opened up his jacket to reveal—much to Tsumugu's shock and horror—several grenades with all of their pins having already been removed. "『Who's the one-trick pony again?』"

In that split moment, Tsumugu just nearly evaded the explosion that would've taken his life. Upon landing on the ground, he proceeded to run as far away from the blast zone as he could. All the while, his mind rushed with thoughts and questions.

How did that boy manage to get his hands on live grenades? As far as he was concerned, Tsumugu was the only one who had access to such an arsenal. Also, it didn't seem like that boy was armed with anything of the sort at the time. Then again, this was an individual who could pull absurdly huge screws out of thin air, so nothing was beyond possibility at this point.

"Tch."

Tsumugu delved behind a wall and reloaded his pistols. It looked like he was going to have to use the anti-life fiber needles after all.

But seriously, blowing yourself up to get one on your opponent? Not even the Grand Couturier was that callous with her own life.

"『Oy, Mr. Kinagase?』" Kumagawa's voice called out from a distance Tsumugu could not discern. "『Where have you run off to? I just want to talk.』"

Tsumugu held tight to his hiding place. He needed to think of a plan of attack. By all accounts, it might have had to turn into an escape plan. If this were an individual of equal power to the smiling demon known as the Grand Couturier of REVOCS, then coming back empty-handed would be the least of his worries.

"『Are you okay? Are you hurt? Is it cold? Do you like the dark?』"

Shut up, shut up, shut up. "Aikuro, forgive me."

"There's the outsider!"

Turning around, Tsumugu saw several one-stars rushing towards him.

"Now of all times!?"

Returning fire, the agent fell out the window and onto the campus grounds, where an entourage of one-stars was waiting for him.

"『So you think I'm one of these hybrids? And that's why your organization is interested in having me on their side to fight the REVOCS corporation?』"

Aikuro nodded. "It's the only possible explanation."

"『Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that theory is completely broken. But I can't blame you for coming to that conclusion. It seems that the people in this region don't have much exposure to Skills.』"

"Skills?"

"『Yes, like knowing how to read or write. Or how to levitate or shoot lasers out of your eyes.』"

Aikuro hunched over at the last two. "You mean, like super powers?"

"『Mm, yeah. Though, if you were talking about me, it would be more accurate to call my Skill a Minus.』"

"A Minus? I don't understand."

"『Let me put it like this. When someone gains an ability that makes them different from the average person, they're prone to getting an ego boost. They think things like, 'As the one who has inherited this power, it is my duty to guide humanity on the righteous path' or some such nonsense. These individuals, we refer to them as Plus. Us Minus, however, have no delusions of grandeur with regards to our powers. In retrospect, our powers end up hurting more than helping us in the long run.』"

"Interesting. And you're saying that your Minus is responsible for the feats you have shown since coming here."

Kumagawa nodded. "『All-Fiction. That's my name for it. I can explain how it works, as thanks for the tea and for giving me a place to hide.』"

Aikuro mused on this for a solid minute. Chances are, this man was lying, but he saw neither motive for the lie nor not to humor him.

"Sure. Go ahead."

It didn't take long for Tsumugu to clear out the crowd of one-stars that had gathered around him. They were like paltry to him in comparison to what he just had to deal with.

Looking at his guns, Tsumugu sighed a breath of relief upon seeing that he still had plenty of ammo left. That relief was short-lived, however...

"『Looks like they brought the whole cavalry.』"

The agent immediately spun around and aimed his pistols at the other.

"『Hey now, don't shoot. I had to deal with my own fair share of faceless henchmen.』"

"Whether I shoot or not depends on whether or not you choose to surrender."

Following Kumagawa, Mako and Shinjiro rushed into the scene, where they witnessed Tsumugu and Kumagawa standing in between a plethora of unconscious one-stars.

"It's like a warzone," Shinjiro commented.

"『As tempting as that sounds, I still have some business here. Perhaps, late-.』"

Before Kumagawa could finish, Tsumugu pulled the triggers on the needle pistols, sending numerous anti-life-fiber needles into his body.

Keeling over, the young man said, "『W-what is this?』"

"You like that? It's specially made bullets designed for disrupting life fibers. As long as those things are in your bloodstream, you're just a normal human like the rest of us."

Kumagawa let out several coughs. "『O-oh no, I feel l-like...I'm getting weaker...』"

This was bad, thought Shinjiro. Kumagawa was not going to last long now that his life fibers were getting disrupted. Of course, if it was Nui, she would've dodged such disgusting things, but it looks like her fellow life-fiber hybrid got a little too cocky for his own good.

What a shame. If this Nudist succeeded in his mission and was able to bring Kumagawa back to his base, then Nui's plans would suffer.

At this point, Shinjiro was pretty much prepared to reveal himself. He would shed his disguise and kill both the agent and the annoying girl beside him. Then Nui would grab Kumagawa and bring him back to the REVOCS building. It wasn't as climactic as she had hoped, but, given the circumstances, she didn't really have much of a choice in the matter.

However, before Shinjiro could take a single step, Kumagawa stood back up and said, "『Just kidding!』"

Tsumugu's and Shinjiro's eyes widened.

"『Your friend told me about your anti-life-fiber pistols, so I knew ahead of time. It's a shame I don't have a single life-fiber in my body, though, else your plan might've worked.』"

"Y-you don't have any life fibers? That's impossible!"

"『Lots of things are impossible, till you make them possible.』"

Tsumugu took a step back. Assuming this young man was telling the truth, that meant his regenerative abilities came from something else entirely.

"You're lying!" In his anger, Tsumugu was momentarily distracted. And in that momentary distraction, he failed to dodge a screw thrown straight into his torso. "GAH!"

"『You're free to believe whatever you want to believe.』"

The screw, and the damage it caused, immediately disappeared, leaving a perplexed Tsumugu clutching his chest, "What the-", before getting stabbed again.

Kumagawa approached. "『Frankly, I've had enough of your antics. People who don't know when to give up are the types I despise most.』"

As soon as the injury to his chest was healed again, Tsumugu fell to the floor upon seeing Kumagawa close up. The latter was devoid of anything resembling sanity.

"You... What are you...?"

"『Not sorry.』"

Afterward, Tsumugu blacked out.

Skit 2: Similar Characters React to Each Other

Medaka and Satsuki

Satsuki: "What a peculiar woman. Though I am a Kiryuin, I don't hold myself in such high regard as to call myself perfect. However, it seems the Kurokamis are a different breed entirely. I have never seen an individual excel in so many subjects before. The only thing stopping me from extending a hand is the highly likely outcome that Kurokami Medaka would choose to oppose me rather than be one of my subordinates. I do not believe I would be able to overcome her in a direct confrontation or even in a battle of wits. Suffice to say, I am glad she's neither an enemy nor an ally, though having her as an ally would make achieving my true goals a cakewalk."

Medaka: "Hm. Almost every person out there was good at some point. I'm sure the same can be said for Ms. Kiryuin. I don't know what happened in her life to make her into such a dictator, but it had to be tragic. If I knew where this Honnouji was, make no mistake, I would go there and redeem Kiryuin Satsuki myself. That, you can count on. Her actions notwithstanding, I do hold some respect for her leadership and fighting skills. The fact that she can unite such powerful people under her charge through charisma alone is quite impressive. Dare I say, I may need to take a few pointers from her on the subject."

Akune and Uzu

Uzu: "Eh? A pretty boy with a dark past. Talk about cliché. But nah, you know I'm kidding, man. As a former delinquent myself, I can get behind having your ass beat by a woman, falling for her, then subsequently becoming one of her elite Student Council members. Except, in your case, you had to work as an enforcer for that Kumagawa creep back in middle school. Yeah, I figure why you'd want to ditch that role and jump straight into Medaka's oversized," (whistles) "heh, heh, he- Ow!"

Nonon: "Perv."

Akune: "I really respect your dedication to the sword, man. I think you and Habataki would get along well. As for me, I've always been a lady's man through and through. But if it's a competition in destroying, I think you and I might need to settle that score. Other than that, I respect your dedication to your master, and I hope it brings you as much happiness as mine for Kurokami Medaka has done for me."

Zenkichi and Ryuko

Ryuko: "Honestly, it looks like you go through a lot of shit 'cause of your eccentric childhood friend. It's like one weirdo after another. I can empathize, man. I really can. What else to say? Oh yeah, you got that former delinquent vibe going. Name all your attacks Devil-something. And you use a martial art that uses lots of kicks. That's probably where I mostly differ. I'm a weapons gal myself. Just use my trusty scissor blade and wack the weirdos away like nobody's business. Though, if it comes to a straight-up brawl, I ain't shying away from a fistfight, alright?"

Senketsu: "Where do I fit into all this?"

Ryuko: (whispers to Senketsu) "I'm getting to that part."

Ryuko: "But I wouldn't have gotten through all of it without my trusty partner, Senkestu."

Zenkichi: "After seeing what you've gone through, I have to say, I have mad respect for you. A whole heaping devil's worth of it. It's one thing to lose your dad. It's one thing to journey throughout the entire nation looking for the killer. It's one thing to be made public enemy number one by an unreasonably fascist school system. But to have to fight while wearing what I can only describe as battle lingerie? I would not be able to do it. I would die of shame. Medaka may have no shame, but you and I are not like her, so the fact that you can do all that while transforming into a stripper's outfit? My hat's off to you. Oh, and I hope you catch the bitch who killed your dad. I'll be rooting for you."

Kumagawa and Nui

Kumagawa: "『My first thoughts on her are, 'She must be a Minus.' But she isn't. She's got life fibers in her body that give her super strength and regenerative abilities. It's almost like my All-Fiction, except" (looks at her eyepatch) "it doesn't seem like life fibers are able to repair all injuries. What a shame. As a quote-on-quote 'redeemed' villain, I'm sad to say that her arc most likely won't end with her learning the errors of her ways and deciding to join the good guys. The stuff she's done is something not even I can make into nothing. Unfortunate. As for her demeanor. Don't get me wrong, she is a cute girl, but I'm a little creeped out. Particularly by how she always smiles. That, for me, is very creepy and disturbing. Imagine meeting someone who smiles 24/7, regardless of what situation they're in. I would feel very uncomfortable around such a person.』"

Zenkichi: "Hello, pot? It's the kettle. You called?"

Nui: "What can I say about Misogi? I rate his fashion sense and creativity as 2 out of 10 and 4 out of 10, respectively. Seriously, buttoned-up sailor uniforms are so last century. His ability to get a rise out of his nemesis, however, is a perfect 10 out of 10. If Ryuko were to react to me like that, I would positively melt. I'm a little peeved to know that you're not a life-fiber hybrid like me. We would definitely get along much better if that were the case. Oh, but your ability is very interesting. 'To make anything into nothing.' I wonder if there are any limits to that. Could you make this whole universe into nothing? Erase humans, life fibers, everything from existence? The thought's pretty scary. I might need to let Maman know about this. What else? If I do have one pet peeve, it's that he never stops smiling. Like, what are you so happy about? For some reason, I just find it incredibly annoying."

Ryuko: "Look who's talking."

Nui: (clears throat) "《It's not my fault.》 Did I do it right?"

Kumagawa: "『Almost. Keep practicing, and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it.』"