Toaru Un no Renshō

A Certain Streak of Luck

"I'm fine Kuro," Kuroko insisted once again

You're not fine. That shock was far harsher than that pereskia's usual. It was even worse than last night's, and to a far more sensitive location. You can't even stand up right now.

But as much as Kuroko tried to downplay the situation, Kuro was right here. Ever since her less than pleasant awakening her legs hadn't actually been able to support her own weight. She managed to make due with her ability, teleporting from her spot on the floor over to her closet and from there teleporting out of her pajamas and then changing into her clothes. After doing a few more things around the dorm she had sat up straight and teleported outside onto the roof and from there to a more secluded location. The pain that was flaring from her leg, her bullet wound, her chest, and her lower back was considerable, even more painful due to the fact that she had been on pain medication up to this point. It hindered her ability to teleport, making the process both slower and far more inaccurate than usual.

Still… "I am a teleporter; even if my legs were torn off I would still be able to move. Standing up is unnecessary. And you know that she was still asleep when she shocked me, I can't blame her for it any more than I can blame her for breathing," she reasoned, defending her Onee-sama. But, truth be told, she had been scared when she had first woken up. She thought she had done something wrong to raise her Onee-sama's ire to such a degree to warrant such a brutal treatment. When she saw that she was still asleep she wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even more worried.

Either way she didn't want to alarm her Onee-sama and make her feel guilty about something she had not meant to do, so she had left her a note explaining that she had something that she had forgotten that she had gone to get and some work that she needed to do. With that loose end tied up she decided to spend the morning out and about, glad that, after today, they did not have school until next Wednesday. And though, as she had said to Kuro, the ability to stand was unnecessary to her, she still decided to wait until the feeling came back to her legs to do anything further. In the meanwhile she watched the sun rise over the horizon, basking in the beauty of nature. The sky was heavy with clouds, beautifully tinged with the colors of dawn. She sat on the edge of the building, watching the red and orange sky as she flexed her leg muscles, trying to work out the numbness that coursed through them.

When she was again confident in her ability to move, she teleported over to a perch closer to the ground. Then she slowly slid off of it onto her feet onto the edge of the sidewalk. Her legs could easily support her and she smiled, happy that she could walk again. She took a step forward but when she lifted her foot to move her other leg buckled, unable to support her weight on its own. She found herself stumbling, she tried to catch herself but the railing she had teleported onto slipped out of her grasp and she fell into a puddle of rainwater from the storm two nights ago. She lay there for a second before teleporting back to her previous perch, now half drenched in muddy water.

You overestimated your abilities. You should know better than to try walking so soon after such a severe shock to such a sensitive place.

Kuroko responded with some words that she felt were most appropriate for this situation.

Hmmm… such language is unlike you, who holds the values that make up a lady so highly. Besides, since we share a body doing such an action would be as unpleasant for you as it would be for me.

This was followed by a few minutes of Kuroko thumping her head repeatedly against the nearest hard surface. "What a bloody brilliant week," she spat sarcastically, "First Birdy, bikers, Riko, a bounty hunter, three separate crime families, and, to top it all off, FREAKING NINJAS!" She reached into her bag and took out the crest that she had acquired yesterday, if only to prove that it really existed. She felt the fabric and metal in her hand but could not, would not believe it was there. Or at least she would not believe that she had gotten it from that old man last night.

It must have always been there and she just hadn't noticed. She must have bought it from a little novelty shop recently. She must have…

She gripped it tightly and tried to calm down. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a little hand towel and began wiping away the muddy water on her face and uniform, cursing the fact that it was her last clean one. Well… second to last anyway, but the last was for emergencies more dire than this. "And on top of all of that, because of this stupid quest and my Judgment work, I hardly got to spend any time at all with Onee-sama this week. Either she was late home or I was…"

But you managed to acquire two of them. Considering that we have 4 so far and there are only 6 in total. It means it will be over pretty soon. After that you can spend as much time as you want with her.

"You're right I suppose," Kuroko sighed. Then she tried standing up again, this on a place with no puddles. She took a few hesitant steps and seemed alright. You should rest for a little longer still. As stubborn as Kuroko was she knew that Kuro was right here. So she sat back down and waited another 15 minutes or so until she could walk without risk of falling down again. Her gait was still a bit unsteady but she had expected as much.

After that she teleported back down onto the street. It was still early in the morning so there were not many people wandering around. There was still around an hour before school began so Kuroko decided to do some shopping, though not the shopping that one would expect from a girl her age.

She needed to pick up some pain medication and more of the wakefulness pills. Luckily Academy City never truly slept and most shops were fully automated, allowing them to be open 24/7[1]. So she put on her glasses, which she had already uploaded her personal map of the city (which included her secret spots ((except her ultra-secret spot which she had never put down and never would)) as well as teleportation paths and other additions she had made) onto, and searched for the nearest pharmacy. She walked there, trying to get the numbness out of her legs through exercise.

On the way she stopped to pick up some hot breakfast which she ate on the go. In her hurry she ended up burning her tongue and dropping the food almost immediately, but she caught it before it hit the ground with her ninja-like reflexes. "Freaking ninjas," she muttered again as this thought crossed her mind.

After far too long a walk she reached the pharmacy with just enough time to get what she needed and teleport to school. She got some over the counter pain pills as well as the wakefulness pills and several nutritional supplements that allowed her to keep her body fit and healthy despite her diet which had recently been quite lacking.

She took her pills with a drink of water from a nearby fountain then headed off to school, talking with Kuro on the way. "This has not been the best of mornings. I'd call it bad luck, but luck and God are two things I will never believe in."

So you will go to your default opinion that the Universe is punishing you, correct? Or will you perhaps admit that it is you who is punishing yourself?

"What is with you this morning Kuro? You aren't acting like yourself…" Kuroko said, surprised by the blunt words that were coming from Kuro's "mouth".

I apologize. Things have been difficult recently and this transition to being awake all the time is quite hard to adapt to. It hasn't been like this since elementary school. 'And back then your problems were easier to deal with' Kuro did not express that last part, though it was the core of the problem. She had already said something that she should not have said.

"At least it means I won't ever be alone…" Kuroko said to which Kuro simply replied, No you won't. Never again.

After that she arrived at school with plenty of time to get to class. After that the day proceeded normally. The test they took yesterday was handed back. Kuroko got an F and a note at the top that said to see the teacher during lunch.

She did so and received a slightly concerned interrogation. She had always been at the top of the class and such a dive in performance was unexpected.

"Don't think I don't notice how the other students have been treating you. Is that what has been affecting you? I know I've offered before but are you sure that you don't want me to do something about it?" She said.

"I'm sure. I can handle it on my own, but thank you for the offer. That actually has nothing to do with this though. It's just that I've had a few problems getting to sleep recently, nothing that won't pass in time. I'm sure I'll be better by the time the break is over." Kuroko replied.

"All right. If you say so. But if this continues then I will take measures to fix the problem myself, understand?"

Kuroko nodded, "hai."

After that she was excused and she teleported down to the cafeteria to spend the rest of lunch with her Onee-sama, who was a little surprised to see her. "Hey there Kuroko, I half expected you not to show up again. What's up?"

"Sorry Onee-sama, I was talking with the teacher," she said as she sat down.

"I see. Hey, what are you doing after school today?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I have a detention. "

"A detention? For what?"

"Being out past curfew and insubordination. It was what I worked out with the dorm mistress. I have to clean the pool on my own after school. And then after that I have Judgment work. Things still need to be taken care of. I won't be home until 7-ish."

"7! For that much work? It took so much time to clean the pool last time, and that was with two people."

"Don't worry about it. I have a plan." Kuroko replied with a grin just as the lunch bell rang, signaling that they should return to class.

The rest of the day proceeded normally and soon school was over. Kuroko obediently reported to the pool which had been emptied, as usual, for the weekend. She changed into her gym uniform and waited for the dorm mistress to arrive. She did shortly afterwards.

"You know what you need to do. Clean the entire pool then cover it with the tarp. I am going to Cypress Park, I will be back to check your work in 4 hours so finish it before then or there will be consequences. Is that understood?"

Normally four hours for such a task would be impossible but as she had said before to her Onee-sama, she had a plan. "Hai," she said to the Dorm Mistress, bowing low in respect. Maintaining the bow until she had left. Then she straightened up and got to work. She went over to her athletic bag, in which she had smuggled a few toys. First were her sunglasses which she put on and switched to infrared scanning to warn her if there were any people nearby. After confirming that there were not with both infrared and T-ray, she pulled out her pair of tonfa.

Gripping its handle she lifted her fingers in code and pushed the button activating one of its utility functions. It released a piton and a carbon nanotube cord, which was very thin but very long and very strong. She tied one end to one of the diving blocks and then looped the other end around the opposite block. Then she put on a rolling clip, much like the ones on zip lines. Onto this she hoisted one of the buckets of cleaning solution that she had been given.

The next step was simple. She tilted the bucket just enough that a steady stream came out of it and then walked down the pool with it doing so, applying the cleaning solution evenly onto the walls and floor of the pool in a greatly reduced amount of time. She then teleported the entire mechanism onto the next block and repeated the pattern. She continued to do so until the cleaning solution had been evenly applied to the entire pool. Then she took down the mechanism, retracting the cord and putting the tonfa away.

This left only the rinsing, which would normally be the biggest consumer of time. However she had come prepared for this as well.

First things first, however, she would need to put the tarp over the pool. The tarp was too heavy to teleport so she attempted to do it by hand. She managed it but in the process tore open her bullet wound. The pain flared and her t-shirt became stained with the blood that soaked through the bandage. But she braved past such trivial sufferings and finished hauling the tarp over and securing it.

She checked once again for any people. Seeing that there were still none she began the next part of her plan. Digging around her bag she retrieved a large cylindrical device, about the size of two adult-sized fists. It had been one of the things that she had found in Jango's suitcase. It was a "grenade" with the function of storing liquids in high pressure then releasing them in a powerful directional burst. It was used either to incapacitate someone or to put out fires. It released the fluid stored inside (which could be filled and refilled with any type of liquid) in a funnel from one of two ends, or both ends at once. Because of Newton's second law it would need to be secured if done from only one direction but if done from both then it would balance out.

With the tarp over the pool she triggered the grenade, setting it to go off in both directions. She waited 2 seconds then teleported it into the pool. Half a second later she saw the tarp jump slightly at both ends. She did this again with the other one she had brought to the same effect, then she teleported down into the pool beneath the tarp. She turned on the glasses night vision filter and retrieved the two devices. She checked on the pool to see how clean it was. The high tech night vision was almost perfect, showing her the pool as clear as day. The high pressure water had easily cleaned off the sides and floor leaving it almost sparkling.

With a smile she teleported back up and refilled the grenades, repeating this once more to get the last of the uncleaned spaces. Then she retrieved it and activated the pools draining mechanism to drain away the water.

Having completed the 5 hour (or more) job in just over half an hour, Kuroko smiled and changed back into her uniform, washing the blood out of her gym uniform with the leftover cleaning solution. Then she put everything away and left.

She soon arrived at work. Uiharu wasn't there but Konori was. When Kuroko entered the office Konori turned and looked at her with a look eerily similar to a pissed off dorm mistress.

When Konori had returned yesterday from a dead lead she had been surprised to find the office empty and a message from Anti-Skill flashing on her desktop. She had been even more surprised once she had read its contents.

Kuroko had solved the case. The mysterious lead she had left to follow shortly before Konori had left to follow her own had apparently payed off. The leaders of the races and the gambling ring associated with it were arrested and the list of the racers and vehicles was captured, shutting down the entire operation in a single sting.

In addition the evidence gathered by Kuroko made their conviction assured.

Ever since Kuroko had joined Branch 177 their record had been immensely improved. She and Uiharu had helped solve case after case. It had been even better since their friends had begun helping out.

But as time went on Kuroko seemed to rely on her less and less. She always tried to do things on her own even if it meant disobeying orders or breaking rules. Still she would always talk to her friends and Konori about the case and ask for their help when necessary.

This time she hadn't done that at all. She hadn't told Konori anything about this lead nor anything that she was investigating. Ever since that incident with the "infighting" gang of thieves, she had seemed so distant from everyone. She turned her microphone off frequently when out on patrol and was always so quiet when she was at the office.

Now she would take even greater risks. She would charge in against over a dozen opponents. She would go to a warehouse full of criminals and attempt to spy on them. And the thing is… she always won.

This worried Konori. She saw Kuroko as a little sister and everytime she flung herself into the fray she couldn't help but be concerned for her. She knew that every victory would be proof to Kuroko that she didn't need help. It would feed her ego and she would take bigger and bigger risks. And one day Konori knew she would bite off more than she could chew and get herself hurt, really hurt. She was terrified of this and this fear quashed any pride that she had in Kuroko's accomplishment.

Of course Kuroko knew none of this. All she heard were the angry rantings of a boss who was yelling at her for doing a good job.

Konori knew nothing . She didn't know how carefully Kuroko had planned that sting nor how much work she had had to put in to even get to a place where it was a vague possibility. All that Konori knew were the results, and those results were as impressive as could be. Yet she was still being yelled at?

She heard the yelling but did not listen. Bitterness welled inside her with every word until finally she had had enough and left, teleporting out without a word.

She teleported away without so much as a glance back. She stopped after a while, finding herself in a little park. It was familiar, she had come here often with Onee-sama, Uiharu, and Saten.

'Even if Konori doesn't care I still have an Onee-sama who loves me,' she thought as she got out her phone, still shaking slightly from anger.

"Hey Onee-sama," she texted, "I got done a bit early, want to hang out?" She smiled knowing that her Onee-sama wouldn't let her down. She was a bit thirsty so, as she waited for a reply, she walked over to the vending machine that her Onee-sama was always kicking.

She put in the note just as the reply came. She pushed the button as she read the message. "I'm busy until seven. You have other friends, why don't you go spend some time with that Jericho girl." It read, bitterness apparent in the last sentence.

She gazed at her phone screen for a minute or two, still not sure she read it correctly. She looked up to see that the vending machine had not as of yet dispensed with her beverage.

Fifteen seconds later she walked away from Vending Machine#7116, leaving even the heartless, pitiless, merciless Kuro feeling sorry for it. Kuro literally felt the anger coursing through every vein in Kuroko's body, the anger and the sadness and the self-pity and self-loathing. She knew that nothing she could say could calm her down when she was like this and decided to simply sit back and wait for a while.

Suddenly, as Kuroko was walking down the street, the safety shutters of one of the banks along the main road slid down as an alarm began blaring. Kuroko turned to the site of the noise and stood for a second before reaching into her pocket for her green Judgment armband. "First bit of luck I've had all day," she said to herself as she put her armband and glasses on then teleported inside.

There were five people in the building. The teller stood behind a counter, holding his swollen cheek and looking terrified. There were three people in one corner, standing in a straight line with their hands behind them on their heads, looking as terrified as the teller. Around four feet from them in front of the counter stood a man with a coat who was yelling at the teller.

"I told you not to push that button, now I am going to give you five seconds to give me the money before I start hurting people."

Kuroko had heard enough. "I am Judgment, surrender immediately."

The man turned around, in his hand he had a machine pistol. Her scanning revealed no other weapons on him or the "hostages". "Drop the weapon and lay down on the floor," she ordered.

"Seems I gotta show you just how serious I am," he said quietly to himself, then to Kuroko he simply said, "No," and pointed the gun towards one of the hostages, a child whose eyes widened in fright for the half second they spent looking down the gun barrel before the man pulled the trigger.

For the next one and a half seconds the thunderous noise of gunshots filled the building as thirty shells, one by one, were ejected from the gun as their bullets found their marks: the chest of the little Judgment girl who had teleported in between the gun and the child. The shooter smiled when he saw this. He had meant to kill the child, he hadn't known that the girl was a teleporter. It seemed that today was his lucky day.

He kept firing until he heard the click of the firing mechanism. He grinned as he heard the tinkling of sixty pieces of hot metal hit the ground one after the other.

…60?

Each and every bullet had found it's mark, hitting Kuroko directly in the chest. The recoil had caused each one to hit progressively higher, climbing up and hitting her at every point between her stomach and breast. Each one ricocheting off her armor, each one hitting her with force akin to a powerful punch, each one falling harmlessly to the floor, severely warped by the impact.

The pain was immense but Kuroko didn't care about that right now. She had something to do. She grabbed the gun with her left hand and pulled it away as her right fist sped towards the man's neck. It hit his windpipe hard, not quite hard enough to damage it permanently but hard enough to cause him to let go of his gun and hunch forward clutching his throat. Kuroko tossed away the gun then stepped forward and hit him on the back of his neck, knocking him out.

Mindlessly she cuffed him as the hostages ran over and tried to ask if she was alright. She didn't hear them. When she was done she stood up and teleported away. She was in a trance like state right now, like she was in denial of the pain and the rest of the world. The adrenaline rushing through her system holding the pain off for now.

She made her way to her safe house, changing out of her uniform, now shredded to pieces by the bullets, into the backup she kept here. Looking presentable again, she then teleported to her dorm, into the bathroom.

Only then did Kuroko begin to feel the pain. She hunched over the toilet and retched into it, emptying the contents of her stomach once… twice.

She felt like crying. She was angry, she was in pain, the day had been nothing but a series of more and more miserable events, and nobody even cared about her except a little voice in her head who didn't even have the emotions necessary to truly care.

She didn't cry though. It wasn't time yet.

When she found she could stand, she did so. She straightened herself up. She couldn't sit in the bathroom hiding for the rest of the day. It wasn't time yet.

Afterall… "I don't think this day can possibly get any worse…" Kuroko sighed as she opened the bathroom door and went into the main room. She turned towards her bed and the rest of the dorm only to see…

[1]: There isn't much evidence to this in the manga/show/light novels themselves but I don't see how it cannot be true. 80% of the population is comprised of Students. The power curriculum program has been running for 20 years so even assuming that some of the first ESPers which have all grown up are counted among that 80%, it still leaves a minority percentage of people capable of working. Thus I propose that, like the cleaning robots, many manual labor positions have been similarly replaced. Since automated shopping is already a reality in our world and Academy City is 30 years ahead I wouldn't be surprised if this was true.

Author's note: Way to tempt fate Kuroko, can't wait to see how that turns out... Bwahahaha.

Anyway, I would like to talk for a bit about the concept of luck. In the show Touma is shown to be a very unlucky person with random misfortunes happening to him frequently. However it is my belief that most misfortunes are self-inflicted, or inflicted by the malice/idiocy/clumsiness of another person. That was what I was aiming for in this chapter. Rather than have a series of unlucky events, I was trying to go for events which seemed unlucky but could still be traced back to Kuroko's actions and frustration. Having an unlucky hero is a cheap way to garner sympathy or, when played for laughs, an easy method of comedy. Seeing someone's day spiral from bad to worse as a result, if only as an indirect result, of their own actions is far more realistic and relatable.