Chapter 3: The Truth Behind The Seven
-Level 5 Homecoming-
Part 1
At one of the most esteemed schools in Academy City, there exists two certain individuals that are considered as Urban Legends. One of them had the epithet of "Tokwadai's Ice Empress". She was given this title not only because of her esper abilities but also due to her icy personality. Her mere presence would be enough to send chills down anyone's spine... except for a certain someone who is of equal peculiarity. "Tokiwadai's Joker" was the only person who freely interacted and associated herself with the anti-social genius, Misaka Sakurako. Rather, it is better said that Mirai Kuroko is Sakurako's only friend in the entire school. The rest of the student would grudgingly admire the distant empress from a distance while going out of their way to avoid her at the same time.
Furthermore, these two enigmas shared one thing in common... Sakurako and Kuroko are ranked 6th and 5th respectively among the seven Level 5 espers of Academy City.
In a certain dorm room of the Tokiwadai Middle School dorm, Misaka Sakurako lazily laid on her bed even when the rays of the sun had already permeated throughout the dorm room. It was a school day yet all she wanted to do was to slack off and continue to lie on her bed all day. Unfortunately for her, her roommate wasn't going to allow that to happen.
"Ojou-sama! Get out of bed already. The sun's high up in the sky and yet you're still sprawled over there. It's a weekday, you know. Besides, turn down the damn AC a bit. It's already cold enough for penguins to thrive in here!" Kuroko grumbled while shivering from where she stood.
"The teachers are so boring and I already know most of the lessons. If it's meeting the required attendance rate, I can still make it since there's still a few more weeks before the term ends. If I'm just gonna spend a day doing nothing then better do it in the comfort of my own room. And besides, you're the one forced your way here to the point that you drove away my previous roommate.. If you don't like it here, by all means, you are free to move out." Sakurako retorted.
She always had a particularly sharp tongue tongue when talking to her junior not because she hated her only friend but rather all those years of solitude rendered her unable to converse with anyone in a more conventional manner. Fortunately, Kuroko seems to understand very well the reason behind this even though she hasn't been told the specifics of her past circumstances. However, another reason for Sakurako's foul mouth towards her best friend was due to the latter's clinginess and perverted tendencies. Much to Sakurako's chagrin, Kuroko seems to be ignorant that her advances towards the "Frostbite" aren't appreciated at the slightest.
"Alright, Ojou-sama. If that is what you wish."
"Eh, you're seriously going to move out?" Sakurako asked a little too enthusiastically.
"No No No No No No No! Why would you ever think of such a thing! I was referring to your taking a day off!" Kuroko quickly protested as she flailed her arms wildly in the air.
"Aww! I suppose that's fine too... Still, knowing you, you're gonna start stalking me the moment I step out of the dorm. Maybe I should just stay here all day after all... Or i could turn Kuroko to a block of ice. Then I can roam around Academy City all I want without the need to worry about getting sexually harassed in public."
"I can hear your evil plots, Ojou-sama!" Kuroko exclaimed.
"Well, as long as you don't do anything weird, I don't mind you tagging along." She said nonchalantly before getting off the bed and heading to the bathroom to take a shower.
Outside the fogged up glass door of the shower, Kuroko battled her urges to rip the aforementioned door from its hinges just to get a glimpse of the Empress' body. Instead she asked her a question cautiously.
"Ojou-sama, do you have any specific place you want to visit today?"
"Hmm... I think I'll head straight to Joseph's for breakfast, drop by 7 Mist to do some light shopping, then have lunch at the usual place. After that, I'll spend the remainder of the day at the bookstore. I have to catch upon the latest chapter of Gekotales." She replied from the other side of the door with an apparent bored tone. "Why'd you ask?"
"Well, I wanted to introduce you to some of my other friends. They're Judgment members so I was wondering if we could drop by their office later." Kuroko replied.
"Judgment, huh? They're like the police, right?"
"That's partly true. The actual police force of Academy City, per se, is Anti-Skill but they work hand-in-hand in upholding the peace of the entire city. One distinct difference between the two is that Anti-Skill members are employed and consists mostly of adults while taking part in Judgment's activities is voluntary and majority of them are students. Another thing to keep in mind is that fact that all Anti-Skill members are Level 0's while Judgment members may have esper abilities."
"Eh? How come you didn't join, Kuroko? You seem to be quite knowledgeable about Judgment." Sakurako asked quizzically.
"Ehehe... well you see... I flunked out of the initial training program. Instructors said I wasn't fit enough to join" Kuroko laughed nervously.
This, however, didn't come as a surprise to Sakurako. While one may perceive Kuroko Mirai as a perfect girl, boasting both beauty and brains, she knows that her friend is physically weak. For quite some time, she had observed that Kuroko had been increasingly dependent on her powers. So much so that there had been an instance wherein she had to utilize her psychokinetic abilities just to operate the basic motor functions of her body and move around. Sakurako managed to get her back in shape when she convinced Kuroko to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle in exchange for letting the eccentric, perverted, redhead sleep in the same bed as her for an entire month. Reminiscing that event sent chills down her spine. That must have been the second most dreadful experience she ever had.
"However, I heard there were 2 Level 5 Judgment members that work in the same branch my friends are posted. I don't know their identities but I heard from Yukiharu that they're supposed to be complete monsters." Kuroko chimed in an astonished voice. She wasn't sure why they would let people that powerful into an organization meant to uphold peace. With their level of power, they are more likely to destroy all peace rather than protect it.
Hearing Kuroko's description about these Level 5's made Sakurako ponder on how strong these people really are.
"Do you at least know their ranks?" She asked inquisitively.
"I'm afraid not. Though I think one, if not both, of them is of a higher rank than both of us. You're number 6, I'm rank 5th. If one of them is Number 7, then at least one of them should be ranked 4th or higher. If both of them are of higher rank, then they must really be crazy powerful. Heck maybe one of them is Number 1." Mirai stated her thoughts aloud as she pondered on who the Level 5's of Judgment really were.
"Heh? I wanna find out how strong these Level 5's are though."
"Hmm... I think I recall Yukiharu saying something about one of them being adept at handling machines. Perhaps an Electromaster?"
"Electromaster? The most powerful kind of electricity-based ability, huh? I see!"
After turning off the shower and drying herself up, she wrapped a towel on her wet hair and covered her body with another body towel. Afterwards, she opened the door and stepped out of the shower.
"Alright, I'm coming with you, then. Partly to meet your friends and partly to meet those Level 5's. Perhaps spar with one of them if given the chance!" She declared as if she was delivering an Imperial Decree.
Unfortunately, Kuroko capitalized on the momentary vulnerability that Sakurako showed by lunging at her friend's body. Sakurako, on the other hand, was used to Kuroko's perverted tendencies since she deals wih this aspect of her roommate on a daily basis. Sidestepping out of harm's way, Sakurako touched Kuroko's body using her index finger whilst the latter was still in mid-air. The point where the Ice Empress' index finger met the Joker's body suddenly froze up and soon enough, the girl on heat turned ice cold literally as her entire body, save for a few holes for breathing, had been encased in a block of ice.
"O... jou-...sama..." Kuroko cried weakly but Sakurako merely treated her plea with indifference.
"You never learn, do you? Well that ice will thaw at around 5 minutes and I made sure to leave a gap for you to talk and breathe. Take a shower when you've cooled off."
Sakurako stiffed her laughter upon saying the last line. It was one of the rare instances that she would permit herself to smile. Even though she knew a lot about Kuroko, it doesn't mean that she knows everything about her only friend. Of course, this applies to Kuroko as well. She may be her best friend but Sakurako hasn't revealed to her the darkness that continues to haunt her to this day. A wall of darkness that engulfed her entire life... so thick that she was certain that not even her best friend can break through it.
Part 2
Judgment 177 Branch
It was supposed to be the usual fleetingly boring day for the Judgment Members assigned to the 177th branch. With two of the highest ranked Level 5's as fellow members, the relative crime rate in the area they are posted at was reduced exponentially There are a few Skill-Outs who are stubborn enough to cause a ruckus every now and then but they are dealt with rather quickly.
The workload among the 4 members at Branch 177 were divided among Patrol and Office work. While the two Level 5's were often doing Patrol duty, it was Yukiharu Kazuki and Sakaki Sachi that were in charge of the office work.
Though both of them are Level 0's, they are exceptionally talented in handling anything related to computers or any electronic device.
During that seemingly uneventful day, just as the clock had ticked half past noon, the two girls received a distress call alerting them of a robbery that took place in the vicinity of Academy City's shopping district. The call had a certain peculiarity about it since the report included stealing something yet not stealing it at the same time. As far as Yukiharu knows, for a crime to qualify as a theft, items must be stolen in the first place. As far as conflicting testimonies go, this one takes first place.
"Judging from that report, it should be an esper-related incident..." Yukiharu thought aloud. "Sacchin! Do you know if anyone's near the shopping district?" Yukiharu asked in an urgent manner.
Sakaki Sachi, however, maintauned a composed and non-chalant demeanor as she responded to Yukiharu's request.
"Yes. Yes. Hmm... we're in luck. Ouryoushi-kun and his partner are in the vicinity of the incident-" Before the brown-haired girl could finish what she was saying, her cellphone began ringing. Hastily picking up the device, she immediately pushed a button in the touch screen device to answer the call and put the receiver near her hear.
"Hello? Oi!, Ouryoushi-kun?! What?! You're currently in pursuit of the suspect? Wait, What?! It's him again?! Haven't you apprehended him five times already, are you sure it's the same guy?!" Sakaki fired off a barrage of questions towards her subordinate frantically, destroying the image of the once level-headed individual that approached matters calmly.
"Okay! I got it. Stop shouting at my poor ear. Do anything in your power to apprehend him again. And try not to cause too much collateral damage this time."
With an exasperated sigh, she put down the phone on her desk.
"Guess we should type a formal apology now, Sacchin." Yukiharu mused.
Somewhere in School District 7
*pant* *wheeze* *pant*
Ouryoushi Shin and his partner were currently in pursuit of a very familiar and equally troublesome suspect. It had been quite some time since he was engaged in such a heated pursuit as evidenced by his rapid and continuous breathing. Compared to him, his junior was having no trouble running which pissed him a lot. Actually a lot of things pissed him off. But undoubtedly, this recent partner of his was annoying him more than anything else. The guy just shows up one day, fresh from boot camp and he starts outperforming the veteran in every aspect of the job.
But now wasn't the time for petty jealousy for at the moment, they were chasing the most resourceful rat in Academy City.
"Oi, Rookie. I don't care if you are one rank higher than me. This is one slippery rat we're chasing. Arrested the bastard a couple of times. But he still manages to escape the detention facility every damn time." Shin said begrudgingly to his black haired companion.
"Eh, doesn't that mean you're just doing a lousy job at keeping him at bay?" The black haired boy asked passively, much to Shin's chagrin.
"Shut up, just make sure he doesn't get away. Otherwise I am gonna let the Brass grill your ass for letting him get away." Shin retorted. "Now I'm gonna try to route him to a dead end. There's a narrow alley that would serve as the perfect choke point. However, you should go up to the rooftops in case he uses emergency ladders. That way, we could cut off his only escape route. Understand, rookie?" Shin barked in an authoritative fashion.
He only got a dismissive nod, however, which only added to Shin's chagrin.
They split up at the entrance of the alleyway though his partner vanishing into thin air might have been the more appropriate term for the case.
No matter. With his ability, not even the Rank 7 Level 5 wanted Criminal, Hikigaya Kageru, otherwise known as Equalizer can stand up to his Phantom Shackles. He isn't the Rank 4 Level 5 for nothing.
Soon enough, his predictions came true as Kageru was cornered at a dead end. He looked panicked at first, but upon seeing that it was an all too familiar Judgment member tailing him, his panic turned into a playful grin.
"Ora? Why if it isn't Shin-chan! It's been a long time since we last hang out, man. How have you been?" Kageru spoke to Shin with such familiarity as if he were speaking to a friend he hadn't seen in years. This, of course, pissed off Shin even more.
"I got a migraine chasing you around town, bastard. This time, I'll make sure you can't even move your limbs before sending you to the detention facility. Maybe then you'll think twice before escaping again." The blond esper roared in a threatening manner that was all too ignored by his prey.
"But, Shin-chan. Haven't you ever learned from all the times we played tag? You can't lock me up for long." He mused mockingly, the final trigger that sent Ouryoushi Shin to succumb to his anger.
Thrusting his hand towards the delinquent Esper, he willed the gravity around Hikigaya Kageru to increase, effectively pinning him to the ground. This was an all too familiar routine for them. But something was wrong... Instead of feeling panic or resignation on his current state, Kageru started laughing maniacally.
" Hihihihi... Shin-chan. Your senses have gotten rusty."
"!.."
Where Kageru had lay, his body dissolved into white wisps of smoke much akin to the escape techniques of ninjas.
"Tch... a clone. " Shin bit back a curse and looked up, only to see Kageru racing up the emergency ladders towards the rooftop. From this distance, he could still see the victorious grin on his adversary's face but as Kageru made it to the rooftop, his whole body suddenly went limp and he fell face first on the cemented rooftop unceremoniously.
"Checkmate."
It was true that Hikigaya Kageru is quite the clever adversary but Shin had been by himself every time he confronted and arrested Kageru. Looks like the latter didn't anticipate the former having a partner this time around.
At the rooftop, Hikigaya Kageru stared begrudgingly at his captor. He had short black hair, blue eyes that are much akin to that of a dead fish and a deadpan look on his face. He was wearing a black trench coat that extended to his knees over a white undershirt, black pants and black combat boots. The familiar Judgment armband was wrapped around his left arm.
"A new guy, huh? How did you paralyze my entire body in less than a second?"
It was quite simple, really. I simply scattered a bunch of particles super electro-conductive metals on the rooftop then I channeled electricity on them once you set foot on it. In your hurry, I assumed you would lose a shoe or two while ascending the stairs. Actually, I made that happen.
Right... when Kageru was going up the emergency stairs, he felt as if a couple of the steps were slightly more elevated than the rest were so he lost his shoes when he tripped several times while climbing up.
"I see... Then may I have the honor of knowing my captor's name?" Kageru asked in grudging admiration. Unlike Ouryoushi Shin that's predictable mainly because he's practically a loose cannon, this guy managed to give him the chills he hadn't felt in quite a long time. He certainly needs to exercise a lot more caution around him.
"Airou... Akaze Airou."
"Ai-chan, huh? It's a pleasure to be working with you." He jested.
"The feeling isn't mutual. Hikigaya Kageru, for your crimes of vandalism, destruction of public property, grand theft auto and robbery, I hereby arrest you in the name of Judgment."
"Oh! Quite traditional aren't we. Shin-chan was just like that when he first arrested me. I do hope you can maintain that attitude since I feel like this isn't the last time we'll meet."
"If you ever wanna play again. You can try escaping. Though I assure you, I'll hunt you down each and every time you do so. " With that, Airou wills some iron fillings to wrap around Kageru's hands turning into handcuffs afterwards.
"
Judgment 177 Branch
"CHEERS~!" The four Judgment Members of Branch 177 shouted triumphantly as they bumped their assorted glasses of tea with each other. They are currently having hotpot as a celebratory dinner for capturing the Rank 7 Level 5 Hikigaya Kageru for the sixth time and causing virtually no collateral damage to the area in the process.
"Hehehe. We didn't need to type an apology letter after all, Sacchin~ And it was all thanks to Akaze-san. " Yukiharu said enthusiastically.
"I know right? I mean, if we had known that Akaze-kun would be able to subdue Equalizer without causing any damage whatsoever... think of all the paperwork and apology letters we could have avoided if he had joined Judgment sooner. " Sakaki said dreamily.
"Oi, why does it look like I've been causing you trouble until this rookie showed up?!" Shin complained.
"That's probably because you have. Every time you went after Kageru, you'd topple a building or two in the process. Why that one time, you leveled an entire city block! We had to grovel to the higher-ups just to pardon us for your recklessness!" Sakaki retorted, effectively silencing Shin.
"Now now, cut Shin some slack, guys. It's actually his plan for us to split up and effectively cut off all of his possible escape routes." Airou said modestly.
Airou creditting Shin managed to rejuvenate the latter's spirits just when he already began sulking. A prideful grin can now be seen on the blond esper's face while he sticks his chest out in pride.
"Mm. Indeed. It was my brilliant plan that led to Hikigaya Kageru's capture!" He boasted.
"But... Ouryoushi-san. In the end, you can't change the fact that Akaze-san's the one who apprehended him. " Yukiharu reminded.
And with that said, the Rank 4 Level 5 reverts back to sulking in a corner.
With the hotpot about ready to be fully cooked, they started bringing out their chopsticks in anticipation. Even the previously sulking Shin has now joined the fray in eyeing the tender pieces of meat greedily.
*knock* *knock*
Just as everyone was about to say "Itadakimasu" and dig in, their anticipation was cut short by the sound of someone knocking on the door. Much to Shin's frustration.
"Goddamit! Who could it be at this hour?" Shin grumbled but his complaints were otherwise ignored by his 3 co-workers.
"Come in. It's open." was Yukiharu's quick response while never taking her eyes off the hotpot. She understands the importance of focus and attention in this situation. One wrong move and everyone could have gotten all the meat before her.
The mysterious guest seemed to comply to her invitation to come in as the door slowly swung open. For a moment, everyone's attention was on the door but seeing that it was only Mirai Kuroko, Shin immediately returned his attention to the hotpot.
"Oh! Kurokon? It's been a while. What brings you here?" Yukiharu asked without taking her eyes off the hotpot.
"Oi. You could at least look at me when you're talking to me! Anyways. I brought my friend over since she wants to meet all of you." She explains with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Ojou-sama! Stop hiding behind the wall and get over here!"
Upon realizing that there was another visitor, all 4 Judgment members redirected their attention towards the entranceway. They collectively saw a girl with long chestnut-brown hair hiding behind the frail Mirai Kuroko.
"Oh, is this your friend who's also a Level 5, Kazuki?" Airou asks inquisitively.
"Yeah. Kurokon, please come in! We're having hotpot for dinner." Yukiharu beams at the two of them as she beckons them to come inside the office. Sakaki and Shin made a silent agreement and nodded discreetly to one another before launching a waylay for the juicy meat. Airou was swift to act, however, as he was able to deftly give each of the two partners in crime a karate chop on the head, ending their preemptive strike for the meat.
"It's very rude not to wait for the others, you two" He chided.
Kuroko and her companion sat next to Airou and that's when all hell broke loose.
"YOU!" Kuroko's friend hissed when she recognized Airou. Unfortunately, thr black haired boy failed to recognize the angry woman.
"Me?" He asked in genuine confusion.
"Yes you! Don't you recognize me, you prick?" She bellowed.
Much to her chagrin, Airou just shrugs nonchalantly.
"You shoved me out of the way earlier when you were chasing the thug who took my bag!" Kuroko's friend roared.
"Oh. Now that you mention it, I do recall doing that. I never got to apologize, didn't I? Well, I apologize for the misconduct I caused earlier. I assure you that it won't happen again." He apologized half-heartedly while keeping his eye on the hotpot.
Seeing that the black haired boy wasn't paying much attention to her, she dips her finger into the boiling contents of the hotpot and freezes it in an instant.
"Oi, do you have a death wish wom- umm mngh! Hmmmmfffff!" As Shin tries to berate Kuroko's friend, the latter pushes her finger on the blond esper's lips and freezes them shut.
"Listen here, bub. I am the Rank 6 Level 5, Misaka Sakurako. I do not want your half-assed apology. I demand that you fight me outside this instant! I'll make sure that you repent for putting me to such shame earlier." She roared vehemently.
"Hmm... Alright. I haven't had a good sparring match in a while. Let's go around the back. It's an open space so we should be able to let loose without causing much collateral damage." Airou says enthusiastically as he quickly stands up and beckons #6 to follow.
"Uhhh... not this again, Ojou-sama! Why must you always challenge everyone you meet to a brawl?" Kuroko groaned in frustration.
Yukiharu also whispered her concern to the troubled Kuroko.
"Kurokon, is this really alright?"
"Yeah. She won't beat your friend up too much... I think."
"I'm not worried about Akaze-kun. I'm more worried about your friend."
"Huh, how come? Even I have a hard time dealing with Sakurako Ojou-sama."
"Well that's because you have a frail body even if you are one rank above her. But if she said she's just Ranked 6th... then" Yukiharu leans closer to Kuroko's ear and whispers something that instantly drains the color out of the latter's face.
"Are you serious?!"
"Yeah. But we'll just have to see how this turns out." Yukiharu turns to Sakaki who was desperately clasping her hands in rigorous prayer to the gods.
"Please don't wreck things. Please don't wreck things! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE DON'T WRECK THINGS!" She wailed.
Seeing her best friend like this was pitiful and it prompted Yukiharu to slap Sakaki in order to calm her down.
"Pull yourself together, Sacchin! If things get out of hand, Ouryoushi-kun and Kurokon would stop them, right?"
She turns to the two only to see them devouring the meat of the reheated hotpot. It was then thaf something snapped inside her. Yukiharu Kazuki's wrath descended upon the two Level 5's. No one knows what horrors those two experienced except for the fact that their screams and wails are evidence that they had been scarred for life.
At the back of the 177th Branch of Judgment, 6 people have gathered. Four of these six acquire certain abilities that makes then stand out among the rest. And right now, two of these individuals who bear the title of Level 5 are about to clash.
However, the Rank 6 Level 5, Misaka Sakurako was not aware that her opponent is as much as a monster as she is.
"I'll show you, you dumb bastard the power of a Level 5."
Without even giving Akaze Airou ample time for a comeback, she willed an icy mist to envelop the area, drastically dropping the temperature close to 0 degrees. She then created several icy blades and launched them at Airou's general direction. But she was not finished yet. She willed all of the mist to envelop Airou and froze it afterwards.
"See, this is what you get for humiliating me. I'll let you grovel before my feet in repentance once the ice thaws."
"Hmm... so you completely miss your target when they humiliate you? Quite the fatal flaw you have there, Ace. "
Sakurako's eyes widened as she turned behind her. There stood Akaze Airou, completely unscathed.
"How did you?"
Airou merely fings his wrist upwards, raising inumerable amounts of iron sand around him. After muttering some inaudible words, the iron sand morphs into multiple spheres the size of marbles. He then sends these projectiles flying towards #6 , giving her barely enough time to erect an ice barrier to defend herself from the attack.
She managed to breath a sigh of relief before the iron marbles started emitting simultaneous beeps. Upon realizing their true nature, she only managed to jump a few feet away before am explosion leveled the area she was just standing on mere moments ago. Her skin and hair were singed, however and she was gasping for air as the explosion managex to suck the air out of her lungs.
But there was no rest for the weary and no time outs in combat. Before she even realized it, iron shackles quickly wrapped around her limbs, effectively cutting off her movements. Now she was leff at the mercy of her opponent who was slowly approaching her.
This was all too surreal for her. She hadn't lost a fight ever since she discovered her powers and being defeated by an opponent, specially by someone she promised to give a beating to was extremely humbling.
By now, she was standing face to face with Akaze Airou as her limbs were shackled to resemble Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. He thrusts his hand towards her and she was powerless to do anything. All she could do was close her eyes and wait for the final blow.
*flick*
The final blow to end it all... was in fact the black haired esper flicking her forehead. With a start, she opens her eyes, startled at his actions.
"Owie! What are you doi-"
But she was cut off abruptly when she felt something soft pressing against her lips.
"Mmph! Ngggh! Mmmph!" Was all the sound she could produce upon realizing that her lips were locked in a kiss with Akaze Airou's.
Stunned silence. The shock and awe quickly spread through the four spectators of the battle. Apparently, nobody saw that one coming.
"Finishing this farce of a battle" Was Airou's simple response after seperating his lips from Sakurako's.
After a long moment of silence, he sighs tiredly and before speaking again.
"You're too full of yourself. Clinging so desperately on your title of Level 5 just to feel superior over others. Let me tell you something. Being a Level 5 just means that you're just one of the seven greatest guinea pigs of Academy City. Here's another reality check... Don't feel too cocky unless you have an absolute advantage over the situation. You aren't the only Level 5 around, Ace." Airou said in an admonishing manner before snapping his fingers and releasing her from her bonds.
"Don't get me wrong, I didn't intentionaly push you out of the way earlier. That criminal we were chasing a while ago, the one that duplicated your bag, was Rank 7 Level 5, Hikigaya Kageru. He's one slippery bastard and we could not afford to lose him again."
"As for your bag, I'm sure you are aware that after your bag was duplicated, the one you were left behind with disappeared after a period of time. That's a side effect of his power. After duplicated objects get too far from one another, the objects tend to revert back to its original singlular form. This is particularly used by Hikigaya Kageru during robberies. We'd get reports of objects suddenly vanishing into thin air every now and then and we knew he's the culprit. If you want to beat him to a bloody pulp, as I have observed as part of your nature then it's too late since we've already given Anti-Skill his custody. On the other hand, your handbag is back at the office. We'll be handing it over to you shortly." Airou explains nonchalantly before turning away from her.
"Oh and if you haven't figured it out yet, the blond guy over there is the Rank 4 Level 5 Singularity, Ouryoushi Shin and I am the Rank 3 Level 5 Magnetizer, Akaze Airou. I hope you learned a valuable lesson today, Ace."
With that said, #3 walks back to the office, leaving a dumbfounded Misaka Sakurako staring at him.
"So cool." She blurted unintentionally. Her face flushed upon realizing what she had said. But it was strange. Instead of feeling disdain towards her own weakness or anger for being defeated by such a person, she felt relief wash all over her body. She doesn't have to act strong anymore because there are stronger people than her. And this particular person... it feels like she could depend on him from now on.
"O... Ojou-sama... you look like a teenage girl in love just now..." Kuroko's nervous voice managed to bring her back to her senses.
"Me? In love? Perish the thought! There's no way I could be in love! You should be well aware of that, Kuroko. Ahahahahahahaha!"
Crap. Did that guy really have that much of an effect on her?!
"But the way you were looking at him just now while blushing furiously. There's no mistaking it!" Kuroko argued, her face filled wiwth horror.
" How could you be so sure?!" Sakurako was panicking by now. She needed to change the subject fast.
"I'm a girl too, Ojou-sama!"
"Well, we should get ingredients for hotpot. I did ruin everyone's dinner now, haven't I? She said bashfully.
"Right, right. That guy really looked like he was looking forward to the hotpot earlier."
"Re... Really?! Alright. Let's go get some ingredients at the supermarket right away!"
"Hmm... You sound so energetic all of a sudden, Ojou-sama. Suspicious." Kuroko says in suspicious manner while glaring incredulously at the Ice Empress. "In any case, we can't go to the supermarket yet."
"Huh, why not?"
"Because your bag is still inside their office. And if I reckon, your purse is in that handbag of yours so you don't have any cash with you."
"Ohohohoho! I forgot! Silly me. Nice save, Kuroko."
"I'm going to say that you're really out of it ever since that guy kissed you so I'm not even gonna even bother trying anymore." Was Kuroko's exasperated response.
Yukiharu Kazuki and Sakaki Sachi both released exaspwrated sighs after witnessing the utter defeat of Mirai Kuroko's friend, the 6th ranked Level 5 Misaka Sakurako under the hands of their co-worker, the 3rd ranked Level 5, Akaze Airou. Even though they haven't directly seen Airou's powers in action, the sheer difference in rank would have already proven to be a disadvantage for #6. Even without putting ranks into consideration, Airou had passed boot camp at the top of his class and had shown impecable skill in combat
Compared to him, an amateur like Sakurako would not stand a chance.
"But to think that we'd be surrounded by these monsters... I think we're Level 5 Magnets, Yukiharu." Sakaki Sachi, a Level 0, said with grudging admiration.
"Well, we have our own duties and fields of expertise, Sacchin. We should do our jobs just as well, if not even better than Akaze-san and Ouryoushi-kun." She replied enthusiastically.
"Yeah, you're right. From now on, let's not just put a hundred percent into our work but a a hundred and ten percent!:" Sachi cries with determination.
"I'll take it that you'd be taking care of most of the paperwork from now on. Thanks for the work, Sacchin!" Yukiharu beams at Sachi mischievously.
With a start, Sachi realized the trap she had just walked into.
"No. NO! That's not what I meant. Geez. Yukiharu, you idiot!"
Yukiharu feigns ignorance and skips cheerfully back to the building followed by a dejected Sachi.
On a seemingly ordinary facility in the middle of District 21, the dark side is stirring. The huge concrete building hidden from plain view by thick vegetation was intended to be a geothermal energy research purposes. However, it was abandoned due to the various difficulties the researchers encountered in maintaning the facility twenty years ago. Now Dr. Takasura Katsugi had turned it into his personal laboratory.
Deep within the facility, the sound of heavy footsteps of what seemed like an army being mobilized can be heard in conjunction with the whirring of countless machines. A multitude of humanoid figures that perfectly resembled one another stood before a man wearing a lab coat. He had a permanent scowl on his face, a sadistic gleam in his eyes and an unsettling aura emanating from him. In the expanse of ten years, Takasura Katsugi's lock of black hair was already gradualy turning gray but he felt younger, fresher and more powerful than he had ever been his entire life. He now commanded two of the most powerful espers in Academy City as well as a personal militia and not to mention a bunch of other toys at his disposal.
"My faithful children, soon enough we will show the world our true strength! They said it couldn't be done... artificially producing Level 5 espers. They laughed at me, called me a fool and mocked my research but these two standing before you today are a testament to not just the authenticity but the success of my studies. Together, we will prove ourselves to every citizen of this city, especially to Aleister and the Board of Directors-"
Before the maniacal scientist could finish his speech, one of the mercenaries he had hired hastily yet clumsily made his way from the very back of the crowd towards Takasura. He had a frantic look on his face which was easily recognized by the scientist. Whatever this grunt had to say, it was definitely bad news.
"Sir. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have an urgent matter to discuss with you." The mercenary said in a half-polite, half-terrified tone.
"Well, spit it out. It better be of importance just as you said. Otherwise, you will pay dearly for disturbing my speech." Takasura growled.
"Sir! Serial Number 9969 has resisted the virus and has breached containment. What are your orders?" The mercenary stated nervously.
"Oh? Recon-chan has escaped? Heh... it doesn't matter. She is no longer of any use to us no-"
As if fate was cutting him off and contradicting his statement, an alarm sounded from the display behind Takasura. He instinctively turned to his assistant, Kitamura Sougo for a report.
"We're getting faint AIM readings similar to the ones we pinpointed at that rooftop in District 7. This is also similar to that certain AIM Diffusion Field we monitored 10 years ago... I hate to break it to you, Sensei but Magnetizer is alive!" Kitamura reported enthusiastically. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his chest knowing that he hadn't participated in the murder of Akaze Airou. Now what boggled him is how the boy survived a gunshot like that at close range but he didn't let it bother him too much.
However, when Kitamura Sougo looked at Takasura Katsugi, he expected the head scientist to be scowling more than ever. However, a chill run down his spine when he saw that that mad scientist was beaming ecstatically.
Takasura turned to the similar-faced humanoids that were still standing at attention.
"Did you hear that, my worthless children? An opportunity has appeared for you to finally prove your worth! Now go! Go and bring me Akaze Airou. Whether dead or alive." He ordered and upon hearing that command, the similar-faced humanoids all gave a salute to the scientist before mobilizing.
"Finally... my prodigal son has returned!"
Author's Notes: Hello! It's me again. First of all, I'd like to apologize for taking months to update this and upload the chapter. The past few months had been hectic for me as it had been a roller coaster ride of good things and bad things happening. But I promise I won't take as long to update anymore since I've got a little more free time in my hands.
Anyways, this chapter mainly focuses on Akaze Airou but the Rank 6 Lost Level 5, Misaka Sakurako also makes her debut here. Now some of you may be curious on what her relationship with Mikoto would be and you'll find out in the chapters to come. The two Level 5's have different viewpoint on what it's like to be a Level 5 and even had a slight conflict along the way but they managed to straighten out (more or less).
Disclaimer: I do not own To Aru Majutsu no Index nor any other titles linked to it. Credit for this series goes to its original Creator, Kazuma Kamachi
