The End To Revenge
Negative_Influences

Across the street from Kumagawa was the high-rise building where Tsugutoshi Kaizumi, a member of the board of directors for Academy City as well as the target for Tsuchimikado's revenge, had hid himself. This was where Kumagawa's plans had led him to. He had baited Tsuchimikado and Touma with the kidnapping of Maika so that he could reach this place without any interruptions. Settling things with Kaizumi was the other bird meant for the stone he had thrown when he had enacted his plan.

Kumagawa bends down to pick up the cup he had so violently thrown across the street before putting it in a nearby trash can.

[I know I did it for dramatic effect but as the mild-mannered citizen I am, I can't just leave this litter where it's at. Could just use All Fiction but it's the principal of the matter, you know? I gotta say though, Enshuu-chan needs to work on the taste. It's like ass. Not the good kind either. ...Man, I didn't realize how lonesome it is to be talking to myself. I always do it but I've been around so many people lately that I just haven't done it in a while. Feels weird.]

It's not often that Kumagawa feels out of sorts with himself. Granted there is still a considerable amount of self-loathing and cynicism that he usually feels but it would make anyone feel odd to play both roles of your standard Japanese comedy act. It's just not as fun.

He remains restlessly silent for a time before he suddenly shouts out at himself.

[Hey asshole! Stop rambling and get your feet moving! We got anime to watch dammit!]

Kumagawa does an about face with all the crisp movements of a seasoned military man before standing at attention and giving a salute to the Lieutenant Kumagawa in his imagination.

[Yes, sir! Operation Kick Ass is a go!]

He performs another about face and marches into the building. It was dark in that empty lobby. The space was wide and exuded an air of extravagance and high class tastes. Tropical plants and waterfalls decorating countless waterways ran through the space around a semicircular reception counter ahead of the entrance. On either side of the counter were security gates and conveyor belts meant for vetting visitors that come by.

But there was no one around. No receptionist to glance up from her phone. No guards to tower over and mean mug anyone suspicious. No workers bustling about the place. Not a soul.

Then the echoing of footfalls shatters that desolate atmosphere. At the other end of the room was a set of stairs leading up to the second floor that looked more like a stage prop than a proper set of stairs for all it's ceremonial air. Kumagawa looks up at the black-haired, sailor uniform wearing girl who stands at the top holding the right side's railing as she looks down on him both literally and figuratively.

"I admit, this is unexpected. I had thought that it would be Tsuchimikado Motoharu I'd see but it's just as well that you've come here, Kumagawa Misogi."

[Sorry to betray your expectations but Tsuchi-san is a bit tied up at the mo. His role in this shall be replaced by his stand-in! Kuuuuuuumagawa Misooooogiiiiiiii!]

Kumagawa takes a running start as he jumps over the reception counter, landing on the other side.

[Wait, wait, wait. Hold up for a second, Seria-chan. I know this is the part where we both sneer at each other with smug monologuing but can we please just step back from that for a moment and appreciate the fact that I actually nailed that landing? Seriously, I need you to acknowledge this or I won't be able to accept that it actually happened.]

"Haha! Well, you are certainly more entertaining as an opponent than Tsuchimikado."

[I'm not fucking around woman. Acknowledge the miracle that has just occurred here or so help me, with Zordon as my witness, I will molest you with every fiber of my being.]

She sighs with a small smile as she walks slowly down the steps.

"Yes, yes. Jumping over that counter was impressive. I was honestly surprised that your feet hadn't gotten caught onto the edge or something, let alone being able to clear the distance between either end of the desk."

[Right? I might have screwed myself by using up what little luck I have for that but I have no regrets. Even if you were to kill me now, I could die satisfied that I managed to make that jump.]

"Is that so? That would certainly make it convenient for me."

[No can do on that end, I'm afraid. But...I'll go ahead and make a small break from my usual character settings in light of that sweet jump. Will you surrender here? I can make a mess out of a normal girl like you but I'm willing to-]

"You can quit with that. I told you just a bit ago that even if you weren't Tsuchimikado, it was just as well. Meaning that even if an aberrant to the Curriculum like you has shown himself, it changes little of my actual planning. You should have realized as much when I used your full name."

By now, Seria has reached the first floor. Kumagawa narrows his eye's at her words, dropping his frivolousness for a moment.

"...You've made contact with Anshin'in-san then, I take it?"

Seria raises an eyebrow as she chuckles at him with a hand on her hip.

"Who the hell is that? If it's someone that can make you get all serious like that, then I kind of wish I had known about whoever that is. All I did was utilize the data collected from all the little misadventures you've had in the city. From there it is rather easy to make a proper plan to counter your insane abilities. Nothing more or less than that."

Kumagawa frowns as he thinks on the implications but eventually his smile returns.

[Guess that's alright then. That might have complicated things a bit more but at least I have no need to waste my time with you! If you really don't want to give up then I'll just have to screw all the way down to the marrow to get at that ego of yours!]

"Are you sure you really want to do that?"

[Hm? Well, yeah? Or are you twisting what I just said into a sexual innuendo? Because I can totally switch gears for that if need be. It wouldn't be a problem for me at all.]

Seria runs her other hand through her hair as her smile grows savagely arrogant.

"Sorry to disappoint but no. What I refer to is whether you should just recklessly attack me as you usually do."

Kumagawa's confusion only fuels Seria's amusement.

"You and Tsuchimikado may be different in terms of technique and skill sets but how you two operate are fundamentally the same. You manipulate people's perceptions, do anything for the sake of your goals, and act in ways no one else would expect. Once you take all your qualities into account, a counter is achievable. The video you had put out of Tsuchimikado's sister, for example, helped a lot in the preparations for defeating that double-sided assassin. Once I had seen the backdrop, I knew the location and had a bomb set there."

She pulls down the collar of her shirt slightly to show some kind of metal lump protruding from the center of her chest.

"This is a special device that is directly linked to the activation of the bomb. Should my heart rate go above or below the established norm, Tsuchimikado Maika and anyone else in that building will die. I had wanted to see that guy's expression when I told him as much but I suppose it's fine to be happy with the knowledge that I can use both of the siblings for this."

[So? I can just use All Fiction-]

"Now I'm just hurt. Did you really think that was all that I would do? You aren't as simple an opponent as you make yourself out to be."

With her arms outstretched to either side of her, Seria bares her teeth in triumph.

"This lobby is being pumped full of a specially concocted airborne virus that was created with the DNA of the Tsuchimikados as it's foundation. I had it made to counteract the Wild Card Coccus in the odd possibility that assassin had the balls to bring it into this fight so it isn't harmful to our health but it's a perfect weapon to use against someone who fakes their sadistic actions like you. That power of yours can somehow spit in the face of causality by making whatever you wish into nothing but not even you can predict just how far that power can extend in certain circumstances, correct? Like your fight with the number 2, should you start throwing those screws imbued with that power, you might just risk making those two into nothing as you do so. Sure, you may not be targeting them specifically when you do attack but can you say for sure whether or not it is enough for that power to simply touch the virus riddled air for it to erase them?"

[This isn't like how it was with Dark Matter. DNA is DNA. It's not equivalent to the people they belong to.]

"But can you really say for sure that is the case? It may be a bit of a stretch but that power of yours is already pretty ridiculous. Do you really have the proper knowledge of how this virus works to know that it won't have your power extend onto the ones used as it's base?"

[…]

One arm goes across her chest to hold up the other arm's elbow as she places a hand on the side of her face.

"Just like Tsuchimikado, you don't have the balls to act so irresponsibly in your actions at this point when you don't have enough information to make a proper decision. You could use Non Fiction to bring them back, after you've erased them. But you can't do that either huh? Not when you have already so callously manipulated the two of them as you have. They may never even realize that they had stopped existing for but a moment however you'd know, wouldn't you? Can you really accept the guilt of rejecting the existences of those you had made suffer all for your own designs for even one second?

By now her smile had all the mental pressure of an approaching tiger, hungry for the prey before her.

"Once you really take it all into perspective, can you do anything at all?"

This was an attack that had gone beyond what anyone else had been capable of so far in Kumagawa's experiences here. With only the information she had received of his short time in Academy city, Seria had created an overwhelmingly powerful offensive. It was to the point where it would not be surprising for any normal person faced with such intimidation to completely collapse under the weight of her will. That was the type of person she was.

Kumokawa Seria had no tangible powers to speak of, despite being put through the Curriculum like every other student in the city. Instead, she had sharpened and honed her ability to manipulate the hearts and minds of others to the point where even Shokuhou Misaki, the most powerful mental power based esper, thought her ability to be on par with her own. This was the true power of the one that had acted as the brains of Kaizumi Tsugutoshi and allow him to stay several steps ahead of several of his fellow board members.

But there was still a few key pieces of information that she was missing to be able to totally oppose that otherworldly Minus. This isn't something she can be faulted for. No one else to this point in Academy City has used such methods on him after all.

The first, and perhaps the most crucial, is that forcing a Minus into a corner is the absolute worst thing you can do.

[Heeeeh. That's an impressive job you've done in sealing off my actions.]

"What? Stalling for time now?"

[Nah. Really I should thank you for being so thorough on your planning.]

Seria frowns.

[If you had allowed me even one avenue of action here, I might have had more of a chance to win here. That wouldn't be good at all. If my odds of success are too high, I'll just mess it all up at the most critical moment and lose before I could do anything of worth.]

A screw appears within Kumagawa's clenched hand as he points it at Seria.

[Now that it's like this, I can truly act as I wish to. After all, the best of foolproof plans can always be ruined with the ingenuity of a true fool. I mean, there's no way you could have actually prepared for every contingency. Like what if I were to spontaneously combust? Wouldn't that be weird?]

Multiple screws appear in the air, all aimed for Seria. Her only response is a raised eyebrow as they rain down at her.

"Really now?"

She casually walks through that hurricane of death without a worry. Her body merely twists and turns around the falling objects like she was in the middle of an impromptu dance.

"I've already mentioned that you can't even touch me without the worry of harming those two. What makes you think I'd balk at this feint of yours?"

As she moves toward him, Kumagawa closes the distance in an instant with the screw he wields swinging for her temple. Her eyes aren't focused on his left handed attack, however, as she glances at the right hand coming for her chest.

"Hahahaha! You think I can't see through this one either!?"

From her sleeve, a small gun slides into the palm of her hand. It only had two shots and, despite her skill shown thus far, she was no marksman. But even an amateur had no fear of missing at this distance. The pistol's business end slams into his gut as she fires both rounds in succession.

It was at this moment where another missing piece of information comes to bite at Seria.

It was at this moment that Kumagawa Misogi exploded into a gory splatter of limbs and organs.

Her pistol had no such ammunition loaded. At the most, he'd be missing his stomach in that case. It couldn't be possible for the explosion to cause her to fly all the way across the floor back to the stairs she had descended from. But regardless that's where she finds herself now, struggling with a fading consciousness as she tries to prop herself upright.

Through the smokey crater his death had left, all she sees is what's left of Kumagawa Misogi all over the lobby. She wearily turns her head to the side as she looks over a detached arm that had made it to her side.

"What...what the hell was that?"

She couldn't wrap her head around the insanity of what happened even with her sizable intellect at her disposal. Before she could make any progress on clearing her confusion, screws pin her into the floor by her clothes.

[Whew. That really is one hell of an aftertaste to that drink. Thanks Enshuu-chan-sensei!]

Looming over her was a completely put together Kumagawa, smiling with not a care in the world.

"How?"

[Well, I'd say it wasn't for you to know but since you had flaunted your knowledge advantage over me, I have to say that it's all your fault for being so blinded by my greatness that you couldn't see the forest for the trees!]

Seria could only groggily wrinkle her brow at that. Just what could she have overlooked? Then it hits her.

"Kihara...Enshuu?"

[Yep, yep, yep! She made a special drink while she was intoxicated on a different kind of drink. It was made to cause the one who imbibed it to explode once their blood is exposed to air. I didn't think that you wouldn't have some sort of method for stopping myself or Tsuchi-san in the event we got close enough to you. It would be just like a sneaky bitch like you to have such a tiny gun up their sleeve. I'm a little insulted that you thought you could take me on with something like that but hey, I forgive you! Anyway, that explosion was all it took to release that seal you had put on All Fiction. Since you can't account for suicide bombing, you couldn't have prepared the virus to be heat-resistant. Though, the virus is still being distributed into this place so I suppose I can't use All Fiction for the time being. Well, I guess I can just slam my head into a wall until the gray matter comes spewing out and let the virus die with me before making my death into nothing to clear that bad blood!]

The mastermind among masterminds sneers at his gloating.

"Yeah? And what about the bomb this device is linked to? I was able to control my heart through all the other attacks but if you come at a frail girl like me with such an explosive attack, of course I may be liable to unwillingly skip a beat or two."

Kumagawa slaps his hands against his face in surprise.

[Ooooooh Nooooooo! What have I done!? They're dead! I killed them! Waaaaaaaaah! I mean...you technically killed them since you set it all up to begin with but still. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!]

Great globs of tears pour from his face like a river onto Seria's face as she she tries to fruitlessly avoid the seemingly accidental attempt at waterboarding.

"Stop that damn you! You can't be so genuinely unaffected by their deaths so quit the act already!"

The deluge stops as suddenly as it began. Kumagawa's cluelessly gazes down on her with a grin.

[Huh? What do you mean? They didn't die. The Tsuchimikado siblings, Enshuu-chan, my Skill Out buds, and a certain idiot that we are both well acquainted with.]

Seria's eyes narrow before they widen at the implication.

[Ahhhhh. I see now. You still want to continue acting like you're that kind of monster huh? Geeze, if you were any more similar to me, I might fall for you! Or off you for my own peace of mind. But I digress. Do you really think I would be as dense as a certain someone we know and love to tease? You aren't the only who has done their homework, Seria-chan.]

Kumagawa squats down to get closer to Seria as his voice lowers in both volume and the pace.

[Since you know so much about me, you should already know that I'm involved only because of that, currently, deflated pin-cushion guy being someone Misaki-chan cares for. Otherwise, I couldn't possibly have given two ounces of rat shit about his little problems. Since I know a lot more about you than you do me, I already know the sort of relationship you two have. If you knew where both of the Tsuchimikados would be, then there's no way you wouldn't have accounted for his being there too. You couldn't possibly kill him. Maybe Tsuchi-san, hell maybe even Maika-chan, but definitely not Touma-kun. He's too important to you. You aren't even capable of letting him be witness to their deaths. How could you possibly have the balls to expose him to that level of danger?]

He leans down with his hand putting his body weight onto the fake device on her chest, causing Seria to grimace with pain.

[Once you've put that all into perspective, were you really able to do anything at all?]

Kumagawa stops putting pressure on Seria's chest and swipes her phone from a pocket in her skirt.

[It's a shame that you've sealed All Fiction for this room. I might have been able to take away your pain and injuries otherwise. It's just as well. You might try to stab me in the back when I least expect it. Don't get me wrong though, I actually like that quality about you! So I'll do you this freebie and call you an ambulance.]

He makes an anonymous call to a hospital that Enshuu had told him about before he searches through the call logs.

"Do...you really think that you can get past all the traps I had set in place?"

[Do you really think I give a shit, Ambulance-chan? Once I leave the lobby, I'll kill myself to rid my body of the virus so it'll just be down to a brute force method of reloading saves as I die all the way up to the boss of this level.]

He turns her phone to her face as he points out a number.

[This one is him right? Your boss? Not like you'll tell me but whatever.]

Kumagawa stands up as he puts the phone up to his ear. An old and weary voice speaks from the other end.

"...Is it done?"

[Nope. But I'll finish it.]

He ends the call and carelessly drops the phone near Seria as he climbs the stairs.

After a while, the screws disappear and cease to keep Seria imprisoned. She knew she needed to stop Kumagawa but warning Kaizumi would be meaningless. There were several anti-Kumagawa countermeasures around up in the office he might be able to use. But it could have only worked if it was Seria that used them or, at the very least, anyone with a proficient level of fitness could have done so. Kaizumi was only an old man without any combat skill to speak of. If Kumagawa reached his office, it would be over for him.

The only stroke of luck she had was the fact that Kumagawa had deliberately chosen the most difficult path available to him. His method of throwing himself through all the traps she laid out would be a long and arduous one. Even if she decided on getting help from someone on the other side of the city, they would have plenty of time to get here.

She needed someone who could fight that monster on equal footing.

She needed someone she could trust.

And most of all, she needed someone who would come running with only minimal information to go off of.

She had her answer. But Kumagawa had been right when he said she couldn't in good conscious involve him in this. There was no other choice, however.

She was battling against her body shutting her down for repairs however. Her fingers shook as she tried to operate the keys. She then attached a file that would automatically release her trap and allow the signal to be classified as a cell phone signal. Finally, she weakly pressed the send button.

With her finger still on the button, a thought occurs.

"...Wait..."

Could she say that the ones they had been fighting hadn't foreseen this?

"...No."

Could she really believe that she hadn't been set up to call him into play on their game board?

Before she can do anything more about this, she passes out.

Tsugutoshi Kaizumi had just finished the entire bottle of Irish whiskey that he had started on about 45 minutes ago. Despite the already hefty amount of alcohol in his system, he looks around the shelf where he keeps the drinks meant originally for just guests to get another bottle in him before time ran out.

Kaizumi is by no means an alcoholic. He was the sort who lived a life of luxury and excess, so it wasn't a choice he made out of any sort of moral logic. It was merely that he wished to live his life to the fullest of his ability and he believed that things like tobacco, alcohol, and other such substances could only dull the experiences he strived for. Though, as evident by the shelf, he had no qualms about letting others partake. He was simply the sort to only drink in the worst of times.

And with the appearance of the worst possible opponent, even the most pious of men who fight against the legality of alcohol would become the worst possible drunkards.

He had expected Tsuchimikado Motoharu. He expected that if he got past Seria, he would have one glass to still the nerves before his death.

Kumagawa was an unexpected variable, however. With what little information the Chairman had passed down to him a few hours prior, he could tell that things would not be alright at all for him. He shakily pours a glass of brandy, droplets of the stuff occasionally shaking this way and that.

Then he hears, to his left, the door on the other side of the room open. His hands steady themselves as he finished pouring and steeling himself for what's to come.

"So. You've come. I did not expect you to get involved here."

Kumagawa walks in and sits right on top of a coffee table as Kaizumi goes to get his office chair.

[Been getting that a lot. Maybe I should start charging. But yeah, the Siscon is involved in some other stuff right about now. Or maybe not anymore.]

Kaizumi lets out a deep sigh as he pulls the chair out in front of where his enemy sits.

"Perhaps it's fate that the one to come here now should be someone so ignorant of the situation."

Kumagawa's smile turns upside down in a look of irritation.

[Don't flatter yourself. It's not just this but everything that I remain ignorant of. Being a willful fool means having a clean conscious when it comes to ending things.]

"So you don't care at all about the Agitate Halation Project?"

The mouth of the fool does another 180.

[Does it involve cute girls?]

Kaizumi takes a sip of his glass at the question before answering.

"...Never mind. You'd just make things far worse there. I doubt even they know how much of a mess of things someone like you could make of their plans."

His response is giving the old man the most benevolent smile he could offer.

[It's what I do worst! But anyway, it's time to torture you to death.]

Kaizumi was in the middle of taking another sip when the room's temperature had dropped by 30 degrees with those words and began to sputter on what liquid had been caught in his throat. Though this was not out of fear or surprise, as one might expect, but rather due to the laugh he eventually let out over his coughing fit. The fact that his sense of fear was dulled on top of the others was a small part of why he had drank as much as he had.

"Why do that? You have no relation to Motoharu's farce of a revenge. There's no way you could be so ignorant that-"

[That he just set fire to his own apartment and faked Maika-chan's death to allow him to go all out in killing the ones that targeted her? Yeah, I know. That's a part of the reason for getting him and his sister to air out all his dirty laundry. I'm sure he knows as much by now.]

An eyebrow raises on the old man's face as Kumagawa jumps up and walks over to the alcohol shelf, picking up a bottle and taking a swig of what was left before twisting his head the other way to wince at the taste without Kaizumi knowing. As anyone could imagine, he failed in that endeavor.

"What stake do you have in accomplishing that revenge in his stead, then?"

Kumagawa holds his left hand out to Kaizumi with the index finger up. The position stays until he feels his face is no longer frozen shut in the look it had before turning to face him again with an unintentionally, teary smile.

[None. It's not really any of my business, I suppose. But I did promise to save the guy. Part 1 of that, as I mentioned, should be finished up by now but that dude might still be pissed enough to want to mess you up like he wanted to do. So I'll just beat him to the punch! I'm sure if he hears that you have been tortured past the point he would have gone to, then he'll just call it quits.]

"That won't make his anger go away. It'll just fester within him until he blows up again."

[Obviously, he'll be mad about it. I would be at least. But that's why I have his sister playing the part of the soothing nurse, if you'll excuse me for borrowing your metaphor.]

Looking at the long and oversized screw in the psychopath's hand, there was nothing more he could say. But it would feel too pathetic to quit now. Kaizumi downs the half-full glass in his hand before speaking what he believes might be his last words.

"Then if his sister will help wash over his need for revenge, why continue? He shouldn't come after me if you've set things up like that."

[I already told you, I have no reason. Well, maybe that's not right. Even I have some reservations about seeing and having cute girls get hurt. I'll just use that shitty excuse to let out all my other unrelated frustrations out as I kill you over and over again. This ignorant fellow is going to give you the slowest death possible for the flimsiest of reasons.]

The elevator dings from behind him as it goes up to their floor, catching the two off-guard as they look over. Kaizumi's eyes widen in but a second at a realization.

"It all makes sense now. They weren't just thinking of having you or Motoharu take me out here. Hell, I wasn't even the target!"

Screws bore through his weak arms to trap him in his chair, eliciting a horrified scream.

[Yeah of course. I get it. ...But explain anyway so I know you get it too.]

The pain of it forced sobriety onto the old man but regardless, Kaizumi grits his teeth as he speaks through the toothy grin he bares at Kumagawa.

"You aren't just some random passerby anymore. Congratulations, Kumagawa. You, and whomever is coming here, have become players in that person's game. The two of you will be taking yourselves out by your own efforts here and now!"

[Doubt it. Think I know who it is anyway and it's simply in our cards to be so unfortunate as to be pitted against each other in someone else's plot. But we still have a common goal so we'll see eye to eye. Oh. That is unless he wants an eye for an eye. He's probably mad about, well, everything I've done today. Meh. We'll just settle it fists then. Guess that's cool.]

The elevator dings once more as it's occupant reached their floor. Metal doors swing open as Kamijou Touma slowly enters the room with clenched fists and a weary, yet angry, look on him.

He glances at the melancholic Kumagawa before seeing Kaizumi, the old man's arms still bleeding freely onto the floor as he struggles for his consciousness to stay with him. Touma's eyes linger there and slowly move onto the Minus before him as he walks toward him.

"...Do you even feel the slightest bit sorry for what you've done?"

Kumagawa shrugs indifferently.

[Huh. That's strange...I don't even feel the slightest bit like apologizing.]

Touma stops just a foot or two away as he sighs out of pure exhaustion.

"Somehow that's even worse than what I expected from you."

[How is any of it been out of character for me?]

Touma's hair obscures his eye as he looks down for a moment.

"Heh. Fair enough. Hey, can I ask you something?"

[Shoot.]

The semi-delinquent's head shoots back up to look Kumagawa in the eyes with a cruel smile.

"Sphinctersayswhat?"

[Wait, wha-]

Touma slams his fist into Kumagawa hard enough to send him into the bookshelf, his back breaking the wood on impact.

[Ooow. Fuck.]

Satisfied with having let all his pent-up anger out on him, Touma walks away from Kumagawa and over to Kaizumi. He speaks to the one laying on the ground behind him without looking over.

"Kumagawa."

The one being called on gives Touma an ugly, hateful expression as he answers.

[What, cunt?]

"Use All Fiction on this guy's consciousness to wake him up, please."

Kumagawa's face goes from pissed to smug, expecting his next words to get back at that boy for the sucker punch.

[Oho? You don't want me to make his injuries into nothing first? How cruel of you.]

The response, however, smacks the sneer or any kind of expression from the face of that Minus.

"His health isn't a concern right now. I only need him responsive to my questions. Feel free to pressure him however you like should he do anything other than give us what we need."

[…Alrighty then. Let's mess him up.]

He stands back up and moves to Touma's side, placing his hand onto Kaizumi's head. The old man wakens with a start.

"Bwuh! Huh? What's-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Kaizumi screams from the pain of the screw in his left arm being twisted about in Kumagawa's hand.

[Ooooiiii. Stop asking stupid questions, my man. I've just been given clearance to continue with my plans for you if you do or say anything we don't give a shit about. You should realize that I really don't care about anything you have to offer but this guy does. He's the only one that stands between me and your endless death. So consider your next words carefully.]

"W-wait a minute damnit! You, boy! You're Kamijou Touma, right? Why are you trying to act so cold about this? You aren't-"

"Shut him up for a second."

Kumagawa twists the screw, causing the man to writhe in agony once more as Touma grabs a chair and despondently drops himself into it. He looks at the old man's face before gesturing for Kumagawa to stop.

"Here's the thing, Kaizumi-san. I don't really care about the fact that it was Tsuchimikado who faked his sister's death and involved himself into this of his own accord or whether or not you are really the one responsible. What matters is that you people forced him to act as he had. If you hadn't had your collective heads stuck up your collective asses, then maybe you could have seen that and prevented any of us from meddling with things to this extent. Yes, it was Tsuchimikado's fault for doing what he did to railroad himself to revenge. Yes, it was Kumagawa's fault for manipulating Tsuchimikado and his sister into hurting each other on every level possible. But it was you. You bastards who sit on high with your plans that totally overlook those down below that forced them to act. It was your actions that forced Tsuchimikado, Kumagawa, and even Seria to do the horrible things they had done. You might have been someone good. This could all be some poor misunderstanding between Tsuchimikado and yourself. In all likelihood, you may be someone that I could say is on our side of this. But like I've said, I don't care anymore about it. Your reasoning. Your purpose. You. All of it. I don't care. I'm done caring about those things for right now."

Touma leans forward as he glares deep into Kaizumi's eyes.

"Now tell me why Tsuchimikado was involved here, who's behind it, and where I can find them."

Kaizumi had been shocked at the boy he had heard about being transformed into someone, no, something totally different. The novelty wears off as he returns Touma's glare.

"Or what? Will you kill me? Will you kill the one I give up, even if it's someone unrelated to this? Just how many-"

"I will kill no one. I can't say that I'm actually capable of that despite how I act at this moment. I'm not quite that far gone. But that one there, why, he can murder whoever he wants as many times as he wants. As long as he promises me that your death or injuries won't be permanent and that he'll make them nothing as soon he gets the answers to those questions, then I'll just head back to the lobby and wait until he's done here. No matter how callous I act right now, there's no way I could stomach watching the sort of things Kumagawa would do get information."

Kumagawa looks over at Touma with annoyance.

[Oi. Not only are you putting pressure on me with your high expectations but you seem to be getting the wrong idea by ordering me around. You ought to know how I'd feel about something like that.]

"Do you not want to torture him? Isn't that what you came for?"

[Well. Yeah. But I ain't some minion for you to be bossing around!]

Touma's grin becomes almost a mirror of how Kumagawa's usually is.

"Come on now. This is classic good cop, bad cop."

[No! It sure as shit isn't that at all! It's more like bad cop, even worse cop! Wait...HOW THE FUCK DO YOU GOT ME BEING THE ONE TO CALL OUT THE STUPID SHIT!? THAT'S YOUR DAMN JOB! STOP GOING OUTSIDE YOUR PARAMETERS!]

Touma impishly shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head at him.

"Do you really want me to do this then? Because you know it'll be pathetic as hell."

[WELL OF FUCKING COURSE IT WOULD! YOU'RE A GODDAMN AMATEUR TO THIS SIDE OF THE MORAL COMPASS!]

The boy nods in agreement.

"Right? Why do it at all if it's not done correctly?"

Kumagawa fumes for a good minute before he starts bobbing his head as he amps himself up.

[...Yeah. YEAH! YEAH, FUCK IT! WATCH THE MASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!]

Just before he could put screw he holds through Kaizumi's chest, the old man ceases being a mere observer to this act and spills everything he knows about the Agitate Halation project.

Several ambulances had arrived half an hour ago as they cart the building's only two occupants away. From a good distance, Kumagawa and Touma watch as they wait for Misaki and Enshuu to track down Yakumi Hisako, the one behind all of today's events. They had sat in a spot by the roof's edge without saying a word to one another. Kumagawa decides to break the silence.

[Sooooo, that was completely different.]

"...Yeah."

[Do uh you wanna talk about all...that?]

"Not really. ...Honestly I'm sick to my stomach when I think about it. I can't fault you for how you act because that's your way and, as much as I hate to admit, it works. But I'm not strong enough for that."

Touma glances over at his partner in crime as he gives him a tired smile.

"Or would you say that I'm not weak enough?"

[…]

Kumagawa can't think of a thing to say but Touma does have other things on his mind so he moves past the awkward silence between them.

"Why did you send me over to that arcade to begin with?

[...Shouldn't that be obvious at this point?]

"I doubt that keeping me busy was all there was to it. If that was the case, then there was no reason to put me through all that. Instead of having me get angry all on my own over the brutality of your plan, you could have just dropped me off someplace with some lie about it being easy if we split up."

[And risk you meddling with things anyway? Besides, you really do have a knack for exposing one's mental weaknesses. If your friend went too far before realizing who his sister was, then it would have all been for nothing. With you there, I could have some insurance on both grounds in terms of things going well over there as well as here.]

Touma shakes his head at the logic presented.

"I don't buy it. By kidnapping his sister, you had already sealed off Tsuchimikado's usual methods. Without his preparations, he can't really do that much to anyone when he knows his sister is in danger. As to you killing Kaizumi, I don't think you would have done that either. Maybe you really would have tortured him, but even when you have a cheat like All Fiction, you aren't the sort for killing people without an actual reason. His death was what Tsuchimikado wanted and since you have taken that away from him already, it'd be a wasted effort for you. That's not to say that you don't do things like that on a whim but there's still more for you do before this is finished right? You clearly had it set that I'd interrupt before you got too far. That was just an act so you could find out why Maika was targeted to begin with because you thought my normally good nature would appeal to Kaizumi. Even though I was by no means my usual self up there, it all worked out in the end. But even with all that in mind, there's still some other factor. There's still more to the over-the-top performance you played out here."

Kumagawa dismissively waves his words off. He chuckles to himself as he shakes his own head before responding.

[Please! Do you actually believe I'm smart enough for something on that scale? I'm flattered but you should fix that paranoia of yours or you might start hurting my feelings.]

Touma speaks nothing in return to this. He was asking Kumagawa to say whatever the reason was because he hadn't a clue about it. It is true that Kumagawa was more the sort to act on a whim or in the moment than plan ahead for anything. For the most part, if you were observant enough, you could see where his plans lead through bits and pieces that Kumagawa tends to foreshadow every now and again. It's like his desire for a fair fight shines through his cheats and lies but nothing comes to mind for Touma. There's nothing...no, something does comes to mind.

"...You were testing me, weren't you?"

[...]

"You mentioned that you approached Aogami to gather information on me. But he either couldn't or didn't want to. That's why you had Enshuu there. She could analyze everything I did there and relay it to you later. Did you...did you really-"

[Set all of this up for the sole purpose of analyzing you? Ridiculous. You should ditch the narcissism on top of the paranoia. I just wanted to finish things so I could catch my show on time. That's 90% of my motivation here.]

"There's still 10% being unaccounted for. You did say that you could stab me in the back at any time if you thought that it could bring you closer to saving Ajimu. You might as well fess up at this point."

Kumagawa clicks his tongue out of frustration as he runs his hand down his face.

"...Haaaah. Fine. You are partially correct. I am interested in seeing what makes you tick but that was really only a small part of it. I don't base my actions on what whatever consequences that I can perceive. All of this happened outside of my expectations due to my not having any. I only acted with the general idea of saving your friends and if I happen to get a better idea of how you fight, then that's a bonus. I really do just want to get this night over with. It's all been such a pain in the ass. I really have no idea how you can stand these working conditions. Fuck this more than 2 hour bullshit."

Touma smiles a bit at his complaints.

"Haha. Yeah, it's pretty bullshit alright."

"So what now then? You gonna beat the shit outta me for what I've done or what?"

He shrugs at Kumagawa's questions.

"If manipulating my friends into hurting each other was at least 90% you wanting to resolve the situation then I can just be satisfied with that punch I gave you a bit ago. There's no point in being upset now."

"...It's not my place to say but you really are odd."

Touma glances over and sees the strangest look on Kumagawa's face. He couldn't figure out what it was that made it strange but then an epiphany alights. He couldn't know for sure since he never had seen what he looked like when it happened but he was positive that expression was the same one Touma wore each time his assessment of Kumagawa had changed. It was...curiously refreshing to be on the other side for once, he thought.

"What? You rather we duke it out?"

"No, of course not. Well, I do want a round 2 eventually but that would be a waste of time as things are now."

"Then?"

Kumagawa lets his thoughts brew and formulates his words as he carefully lays out his beliefs on Touma's character or what he had thought of it previously to around half an hour ago.

"You're just...not what I was expecting of you. From what I had heard, I thought you to be some stereotypical MC hero. Some dense bastard that throws himself into crises because of justice or something. But now I see that you aren't like that at all. You shove your ideals down other people's throats regardless of whether it's actually right or whether the ones you side with are actually right because that's just what you personally hold to be right. You may have heroic qualities and do things befitting of that but your reasons are completely hypocritical of your actions. You'd even let a guy like me help you and accept my methods as long as it saves the ones you care for. Even if that means it wears down on you mentally. I just don't get it."

"...Someone I know had fought with me because of something similar. He kept calling me a hero and saying that I wasn't acting accordingly but I'm no hero at all. Your assessment of me isn't wrong. I really do butt into other people's problems just because something about it bothers me. I guess I'm like you in the aspect that I fight because I can't stand people being unfortunate."

Kumagawa stares at Touma for a bit before looking back to the ambulances below as they wrap things up.

[How much further are you willing to go with this?]

"...I'd rather dial it back to normal for the rest of this honestly. I don't know about you but that act I put up with Kaizumi had worn me down plenty enough. Let's just end this quickly without those sorts of moral shortcuts. At this point, I'll be satisfied if everyone involved from here on out can go home happily.""

[And you actually believe that can happen?]

"Yeah. I have to."

Their phones buzz in their pockets and after they had checked the messages they had been sent, Touma and Kumagawa give each other a slight nod before leaving for the next fight.

Happy Halloween! Got the week off so hopefully I can wrap up this story arc later this week for you guys. I was going to go back and give all the chapters proper Index styled titles but this site apparently has a character limit there. I'll get around to putting them into the chapters themselves but that'll take me a bit and I'm way too lazy right now. Maybe tomorrow. Shit got a bit dark here huh? Touma has always been a broken character, mentally speaking. Sure, he'll do the sort of things that appear all heroic but he could give a damn about that. He helps Stiyl, an executioner, Tsuchimikado, a spy/assassin, Accelerator, who has killed thousands, Othinus, who destroyed the UNIVERSE AT LEAST A BILLION TIMES OVER, and even in the most recent volume for NT, he protects Aleister who has been the one behind fucking everything wrong in not just Academy City but has also fucked up Touma's life since birth. You could argue that most MCs would just forgive them because their lives have meaning but for Touma he just saves people because they need saving. He does what feels right to him as opposed to what is actually right. Oh and if you happen to question his ruthlessness in this chapter then I recommend reading the Virtual-On crossover novel or reread OT 2. That aspect of him has always been there but I would think the combination of the days events and being influenced by Kumagawa would bring that out of him temporarily. Though, as with the Virtual-On novel, Touma would of course heavily regret his actions. Well, I also need him to have that slight personality change in preparation for the next story arc. The next chapter should be the last one of Agitate Halation before that all gets down on paper, er, computer screen. One thing to keep in mind from here on is that Touma is working along side Kumagawa. There's no way that, with their misfortune combined, things won't get completely messed up and start resulting in at least a few bad ends. In other words, the story is going to veer off the road in terms of how the story follows the events of NT.