Good day everyone, thank you for reading the latest chapter. Shutaura Sequenzia at your service. I was asked to do the opening segment, it'll be quick and efficient.
Readers, prepare yourself.
The first point will be about the review section and Author's response to it. Understood, let's get down to it.
Vergo 58: Yes the story will pick up from the Duchy's leftovers, the ones I will be supervising from this point on. The idols will make their debut in the next chapter and finally complete the 9 member idol group but this chapter will explore further to the story threads that has been previously set in the first season.
Awron: Kamisato Kakeru is coming and he's getting closer to making contact with the main characters. As for the relationship between Sakai and Kurozuma, I can safely say that was a girl who's also looking out for him in Judgement, no? Will that result in any conflict?
Finally Mikagami and Victoria, I can say that you're getting what you wish for in this chapter.
Second point is about the update about the 'villain's weapon' on the artpage and a character illustration of Kurozuma Wataru, do check it out for the extra content and story uploaded there.
Okay, that's about it. Let's get to the story. This chapter will feature me and him, right?
Did I say that out loud? I apologize for that.
PLAY MUSIC
Arknights OST – Caerula Arbor Main Theme.
It was a sweet dream.
A fleeting one where she saw the memories of her past. Down on a falling stage where stars are showering down around her where two figures were standing in front of her, fighting for the beliefs that defined who they are as a person.
One of them was someone who she held close to her heart, a boy with steel blue eyes that matched his iron resolve to see things end according to his will.
The other was the other side of her, a side who was bitter at the very concept of wish and miracle that could happen because of it.
'He wanted everyone to have a happy end.'
It could be seen as a childish dream to have such a simple minded approach, a selfish one even. But in such a precarious and desperate moment his resolve looked like a beacon of hope for her, one that disregards the overwhelming stack of odds being placed against him.
Yet those steel blue eyes did not care.
The happy ending for her and the other girl was the only thing in his mind and he's willing to throw every fiber of his being to get it.
At that moment the image of Kamijou Touma burned itself into Meigo Arisa's soul.
The image of a miracle that found his way to her and into her heart.
'I believe it's what I would call love dear.'
That single line of voice awakened the girl from her sleep. Arisa looked around and raised her hand so it could be seen clearly by her eyes, then she looked to the window to look at her own figure whilst looking at the birds perched on a tree branch while being bathed by the warm morning sun that just barely rose.
She draws in a deep breath and thinks to herself.
'It was not a lie.'
'I'm really here.' Arisa thought to herself as she continued to look at the body that now she could call as her own. She traced her fingers on the sharp yet doll-like features of her own face, she looked at the used to be icy blue eyes that have turned into a warm pink color and the light pink hair that used to be silvery blue.
Her right hand slowly reaches down to hold her left chest, placing it right on top of her heart. The faint yet steady beating that could be felt by her fingertips serves as reassurance.
It told her that it was real and wiped any doubt left in her mind.
She's living in Miyagawa Chifuyu's body.
"Keep lying in bed then there won't be any breakfast left for you."
A familiar voice made itself into Arisa's ears as she rose from her bed and ran out from her room, then she looked at the girl who called her.
Shutaura Sequenzia.
The once cruel girl was changed, Arisa could definitely see said change in disposition within Shutaura, furthermore she knew who caused it as she once existed within the crevice of Shutaura's mind. A peculiar boy who reminded her of the same person who she regarded as her own beacon of hope, a boy with blue hair and no filter when it comes to sharing his own thoughts which mostly consist of perverted thoughts.
The girl could even recall the comments about Shutaura and how her bodysuit was something that closely resembled a fetish outfit.
But she could look over it as she could see the eerie similarity between him and Touma that made her asked herself whether the two were connected in one way or another, in particular she remembered of how he threw himself in front of Shutaura and tried to protect her when she just beaten him in combat and tried to apprehend him to the city's security body.
The boy did not give any words that made her tear up just like Touma did but his action managed to move Shutaura's.
And she changed because of it.
"Meigo, get up and come out quickly. You have some shopping to do, I still haven't buy you any necessities for your daily needs."
"M-Meigo-san, who's that?"
Another new yet familiar voice Reached Arisa's as she looked to the side and saw another girl with bobbed styled hair, the two gazes met and for a moment they froze in place. Arise remembered that Shutaura regarded her as her competition while Kiyoshi was taken aback because of Arisa's silhouette that looked similar to the duchess that previously used her and her friends as pawns.
"So, you're going to stand there all day or what?"
Shutaura broke their silence as the two snapped out of their thoughts and looked at her as Arisa took her seat.
"I never saw her around."
"That's a given, my roommate rarely stepped out of her room."
"Hikikomori?"
"N-No, why did you say that Shutaura." Arisa tried to retort as Kiyoshi takes a moment to take in all her features that resemble Chifuyu so much.
"Do you have any better excuse for your situation?"
"I don't have one."
"Then you're a hikikomori." Upon hearing this Arisa fizzled out and glanced to the floor of the room.
"Your name is Meigo-san, correct? I'm Kiyoshi Kessai…" Kiyoshi was quick to introduce herself, trying to get to her next point, "I can't help but to overhear the conversation but by any chance are you…."
"Ah, it's Meigo, Meigo Arisa." Arisa gave her full name and Kiyoshi stopped all thoughts in her head, changing the question that she previously wanted to ask into, "The missing idol?"
"That's her."
"H-How? She has been missing since…"
"The Endymion incident." Shutaura adds, "Some problem occurred because of it and I took her under my custody. Currently she is under strict observation and keeps her interaction with the outside world to a minimum. I hope that you two can meet in different circumstances but it seems that I've missed said opportunity."
"I think Mikagami-san will be shocked by this." Kiyoshi slumped down into her seat, glancing at the missing idol every now and then.
"Even I believe it will be the case." Shutaura nodded in agreement.
"Mikagami-san?"
"It's one of Kessai's acquaintances." The officer answered Arisa's question before looking at Kiyoshi to ask, "Where is she? I thought you and her were supposed to invite them on behalf of the chief for tonight's meeting."
"Mikagami-san is heading to their place right now."
"Their place?!" Shutaura suddenly straightened her back upon hearing that juicy information and wanting more, "Share the details."
"I don't know, she only said that she knew how to reach one of them personally."
The words that Kiyoshi said means one thing, that Nagisa is probably on her way to the group's meeting place and the only place that she had in mind was the bakery where a certain blue haired boy lives. One thing popped up in the no-nonsense girl's mind is that she has to cut down the competition in the bud.
So in a swift motion she rose up from her seat, wore her jacket and took out a key that she put inside it.
It was clear that she intended to go there before Nagisa did, the thought of Nagisa maybe knowing another place where the group might gather just flew over her mind as the prickling sensation in her chest wouldn't subside.
"Shutaura, you're leaving already?" Arisa commented, surprised by her sudden change in demeanor.
"I want to grab something before I head to work."
"We're eating breakfast right now, don't tell me…" Kiyoshi stopped eating and looked at Shutaura's unfinished meal. Then as if her woman's intuition struck her, Kiyoshi shouted, "You're going to Aogami-san's place, aren't you?"
Right after she shouted it Kiyoshi saw that Shutaura wasn't there anymore, moments later the roaring sound of a motorcycle engine resounded and followed immediately by tires screeching.
Kiyoshi was frozen in place because of this.
Arisa on the other hand looked at the unfolding and thought, 'She even uses the bike… you're letting your feelings be seen as clear as it could be.'
Then she smiled, recognizing how cute the serious 'no-nonsense' girl could be.
PLAY MUSIC
Ao Haru Ride OST – Awai Kioku.
Mikagami Nagisa twirled the side part of her hair and used the faint reflection of the elevator door to check on herself as she believed that her time away from the blonde spy gave her a chance for her to improve her standing. The previous calls between them told her that the group's attack on the tower was personal.
The connection between the group and Siren Si9n is a clear and present threat for her and the headlines about Kami's involvement with the British coup only made it worse.
'What happened back there?'
'How was Britain?'
'Siren Si9n, how did you meet them?'
'Got anything to share with me? Anything?'
Questions piling up on her head as the elevator rang and slid open, revealing the floor where his room was located.
'It was only natural for me to do this. We're already well acquainted with one another, right?'
She said in her mind as walked forward and prepared herself to do something to close their distance.
'This much should be fine.'
Nagisa reassured herself while pressing the bell to Motoharu's place, she believed her plan was perfect as she came to his place early in the morning and even brought a homemade breakfast for him.
The door opened and she greeted the boy with, "Good morning Tsuchimikado-san…"
But before she could finish her sentence Motoharu quickly reached out and pulled her inside.
It was as quick as the blood rush that quickly turned her face red.
Click!
Nagisa glanced at the door handle as the boy quickly closed it. In said silence she ran her eyes along the arms and found the proximity between her and him was barely there, so much so that her bangs were practically touching his shirt.
A moment later she realized another sensation, a certain pressure was being placed on the back of her head.
Nagisa had a good guess about what it probably could be but she doesn't want to admit it, but a quick glance to the boy's raised shoulder confirmed that the boy used his other hand to pull her in by the head.
It was almost romantic if the tug was not so quick and hard.
But none of those details mattered when the distance between them turned to zero as she placed her forehead on the spy's chest.
She tried to desperately hide her reddened face from him until she was sure that it was safe for her to look up and not look like someone just threw a tomato at her face.
"What are you doing here at this hour?"
"I Just want to say good morning and give you a quick visit."
"Is that all?"
"Do you want me to rant about you who just left in the middle of a crisis and has the guts to return and immediately blew up a building."
"At least I did call you and did not end up in the hospital."
"It did not help lessen my worry…" Nagisa breathed out as she recalled the unpleasant memory, "And how long do you plan to hold me like this, it feels weird to say the least."
"Ah…" Motoharu glanced down and noticed that Nagisa's head was currently buried into his chest, only now he could feel her shallow heaves that brushed against his skin.
"Is that all that you have to say?"
"I'm sorry."
Nagisa nodded and added, "Yes and you can let go of my head now, it'll look weird if the others see the back of my hair all ruffled so early in the morning."
"Ojou-samas and their standards." The blonde replied, letting his grasp on the girl's head loose and not failing to notice the perturbed look on her face while the strands of her hair left his fingers.
"And to think that I want to say thanks for dealing with the Duchy clique…" Shyly she fixed her hair and picked up a fancy looking paper bag, "I even brought something for you."
"At this time in the morning?" The boy cocked an eyebrow in surprise while keeping his body gestures to a minimum, "Well you have to forgive me for thinking that it looked a little shady… Furthermore."
"Furthermore?"
"I can't let anyone see you coming here at this hour, especially my neighbor or my sister."
"I know about your sister but what's up with your neighbor…"
"Do I have to spell it out for you…" Motoharu drew and formed the word 'you know him' without voicing it.
"O-Oh…" Nagisa looked at the dorm room's wall for a moment before looking back at him to say, "I think I understand."
The two of them walked into the middle of the room, taking a seat at the coffee table placed next to Motoharu's bed. Eyeing the unopened paper bag, Nagisa pinched the boy's arms to say, "Aren't you going to open it?"
"Hmm…" The blonde opened it and noticed the lunch box inside it and when he opened it a plethora of neatly tucked combinations of brioche rolls, Parmesan garlic bread, cheese and ham sandwiches and a small jar of honey mayonnaise on the side. He quickly gave a reaction to it, muttering a simple, "Sandwiches."
The reaction was not what Nagisa hoped for but she was willing to push it aside as she pointed her finger at something that she tucked beside the extravagant looking meal, "And a letter, you should be familiar with the one who wrote it."
A single glance at the letter and Motoharu felt like some of his spirit was taken away, he knew who wrote it as he was once tangled with her in something similar to Nagisa and the Duchy Clique.
Now he looked at the girl while swallowing his spit, trying to hide his feeling of guilt.
'Did I drag her to be tangled with her? Is she going to use her as a way to get me back in line again?' The boy questioned himself as he took a small bite and looked at Nagisa's side profile, the sun just started to rise and accentuated her lightly freckled cheeks while also accentuating her green colored pupils.
For all the emotional guilt that the boy was feeling towards the girl he couldn't deny that she really has that 'ojou-sama' air to her.
His lips flapped up and down repeatedly, trying and failing to utter any word.
Nagisa took the little gesture as something peculiar, Nagisa was quick to ask, thinking that the meal that she made might not be up to standards.
"Is it good? I just used anything that was available in the fridge."
"The quality is way different from a store bought one."
"Are you trying to make fun of a maiden's sincere effort?"
"I'm just telling you that the quality is way different, now I'm sure that your world is wholly different from mine."
Upon hearing this Nagisa felt a slight prickling sensation on her heart.
"But you received the same thing from one of them too…"
A sulking tone crept into her voice, the images of his friends who already grew close to the members of Siren Si9n flew into her mind. The feeling is unfamiliar and uncomfortable to say the least.
"Them?"
"You know, Siren Si9n… It's obvious that your gang was well acquainted with them."
"I got nothing from them actually, I haven't asked the others though."
"So this is the first time you received something like this?"
"When you put it like that, yes…" The blonde boy glanced down at the half eaten sandwich, "This kind of visit is the first time as well."
Her voice was lost in her throat as she couldn't give any reply to that.
'The first time'
'For someone who already saved so many, this is the first time that someone ever showed their gratitude?'
'If so that perhaps I could… No, I should just do it.'
Nagisa fell silent for a short moment but propped her head up and looked at the boy, eyes to eyes as she said, "I never said my thanks, you know, for handling my problem… Dismantling the Duchy clique and saving my friends in the process."
"Will it hurt you if I said that we already got used to it?"
"Pardon?"
Hearing it somehow stung a cord inside Nagisa, be it pity or sadness but the fact that her eyes saw was the boy that she held in high regard seemed to be desensitized to his and his friends' situation, thanking someone is something that he should be able to accept.
But once again her voice is lost in her throat.
"I've been doing this for years and doing something while receiving nothing in return has become the norm."
"That applies only to you and everyone?"
"Well you already heard about my whimsical dream, and I believe the others have similar thoughts." A somber look now appears on the blonde's face, "Protecting others, redeeming themselves, finding something akin to family. You name it."
"Then why are you only garnering attention now?" A sense of regret and frustration started to well up inside Nagisa upon hearing his story, "I for one was surprised by the appearance of your level 5 leader and… You."
"Things were simple back then and now it felt as if everyone just popped out of the woodwork, bringing their own quirk in the process. You experienced it first hand, I got to commend the Duchy for being able to keep a low profile."
"That's different, everyone there got hurt in one way or another… But you…"
"Who said nobody got hurt… Most of the guys were seen as misfits, leftovers or failures."
The lingering feelings continued to swell up as she continued to say, "You provided a place for them to stay, even I can see that."
"And licking each other's wounds in the process."
"Selling yourself short?"
Now there was a change in Nagisa's tone.
"It's the truth."
"Think of it from my perspective at least."
"Why are you so riled up about this?"
"Because it's infuriating to see you grow dull for not receiving anything in return, I was thinking of how to give my gratitude after you dealt with the duchy but…" Nagisa raised her voice but quickly plopped her body back down, quickly regretting her course of action she weakly continued with, "I was supposed to say something different but why did I…"
"Did… Did you get irritated because..."
"Because of how you see yourself. It's not your group problem, it's because of how you downplay your deeds even after you got sent to the hospital because of your fight against the Duchy." "Your contractor already said that she contacted you before you rescued me from School Garden, but still…"
"Okay, hold on… I'm starting to feel as if I was the bad guy here."
'Because you are, you fool!' Nagisa thought as her eyes started to feel the burning sensation.
"Then be more kind to yourself, everyone who has been saved by you would weep if they knew that you never appreciate your own acts."
She uttered out, holding back the flood of emotions as strong as she could, but the simple act of thinking about the blonde spy and how he saw himself only made her feel even worse. So in a gesture that felt alien to Motoharu, Nagisa plopped her head slowly onto his shoulders and looked away so he couldn't see her face.
Nagisa knew that Motoharu was puzzled by her action, linking it to a case where someone who downplayed his or her sense of self way too much that receiving a simple gesture of gratitude was seen as something irrational.
The Darkside of Academy City excels at dehumanizing children into monsters, but turning a child into becoming numb to the warmth of others stepping into another side of cruelty that she never felt before.
She tightened her hands, turning them into a ball as she tried to think of a way to change the odds.
One blonde haired boy in particular.
But much to her surprise she could hear a chuckle coming from him.
"Feeling better?"
Upon hearing the question Nagisa felt defeated and replied to it with a simple, "Depends…"
"I heard your message loud and clear." A thin smile forms on his face, piecing together the puzzle pieces Motoharu could tell that Nagisa was in distraught because of his response or his chain of responses that made him look like someone who saw himself as another part of the city's darkside who failed to see the positive side of his actions.
His world is full of secrets, betrayals and sides who want to devour each other constantly, it keeps him on his toes.
'I danced so much on the palm of others that I saw myself as a pawn in their deadly games, I guess that side still lingers on.'
'I saw people like her as someone who should stay in the light and not have any place in the dark unless I was the one who reached out first to get them out of the dark.'
'It was a constant thing, one case to another without any moment to think about…'
'?!'
'Is it because I always think about the next case and didn't take any moment to think about those who found themselves back in the light?'
'I need more time to think about this but for now let's just accept the gratitude from those who are thankful.'
'And I will start with…' The boy said in his mind as he glanced at the girl who's also lost in her own thoughts.
The awkward atmosphere grew as both lost in their respective silence.
Motoharu didn't know how to break the silence as he's in the middle of processing something new.
Nagisa felt that she ruined the mood but the girl was willing to admit that her sudden outburst earlier was out of her care for the blonde boy. The way he described himself and his friends was honest but it made her feel uneasy because of how it lacked the part where the group had an actual 'heart'.
Be it fake or just a place where they licked each other's wounds, the group that the spy built had become a real family for them.
If Nagisa couldn't get that point across then she'll be willing to get her clique and even asked Hasekura and Danshan's clique to share their point.
That's how far the blonde girl is willing to go.
"So my point is this… don't put yourself down, well since you're one of Kami's friends doesn't mean that your acts didn't have any merits."
"You don't have to repeat yourself." The boy said, heaving out a long breath.
"I have to because I don't want to slap you again."
"Getting slapped by an Ojou-sama again might wake something weird inside me, it'll be weird if I started liking it."
"Your friend's humor is rubbing off on you."
Chuckling because of the reply, Motoharu continues to say, "I'll take that as a praise, thank you."
"Surely you do…" Nagisa followed suit with a chuckle, placing her hand over her mouth while doing so, "Geez… Now my plan is already gone out of the window, isn't it?"
"No it isn't, you're still here and that already said something."
"Honestly, those words are definitely laced with honey."
"Perhaps, but thank you anyway." His eyes darted towards the fancy looking paper bag before continuing to say, "I'm not lying when I said it was the first time I experienced this."
"Now you sound honest and it was a pleasure for me as well and after hearing this I know one thing for sure."
"What is it?"
"You and Kami are not that different at all." Nagisa noticed the grin on his face immediately and added a point or two so her words did not cause any misunderstandings, "Not the harem part! Not the harem part! Honestly you!..."
"What?"
The boy stopped the hand that Nagisa raised as she tried to hit him out of embarrassment, once again putting the two in a somewhat compromising position. Both knew that if any of them lost their balance it would result in both of them falling on top of each other, that would be the case if the two could break from being frozen in place.
'If I moved any muscle then he… he will… aaaaaaagh.'
'Calm down, you can do this… control your breathing and move as if you're trying to defuse a bomb and just think about Maika… think about Maika damn it!'
It was downright dangerous, both were inches away from each other and could feel each other's breath in the dimly lit room. The fresh memories of how the distance between them reduced to zero flooded back and immediately an impressive hue of red painted the young lady's face.
For better or worse the two just collected themselves back and just readjusted their pose into a rigid one, trying to push the previous moment away which resulted in another awkward silence.
That is the case until…
CRASH!
Thud!
Something just bumped against the wall from the other side, loud enough to snap both of them from their train of thoughts.
"What was that?!" Nagisa yelped in surprise.
"Well that's my cue to go…"
"Is that…"
"Kami's morning routine." Motoharu answered as he picked up his bag and puts on his school jacket, "He's about to leave I think."
"W-What is he up to?!"
"Harem king shenanigans."
"What are you saying?! Is he… is he doing something inappropriate?!"
"Inappropriate no, but… weird, definitely." He said with a grin, "anyway I have to go now."
In response Nagisa also picks up her bag which makes Motoharu raise his hands in a panicking manner.
"Eh?! Waitwaitwait… Damn, this is bad." Now he sported the same panicked look,"If kami saw I'm leaving with you then it'll be bad."
"What's so bad about it? You're his friend and I'm willing to bet that he's also staying with a girl."
"I'll lose my right to tease him." He replied and changed his expression to a somber one, "And I'll probably get beaten too…"
"Seriously?" Nagisa is now just taking in all his excuses and thinking that his reasoning was ridiculous.
But the clearly uncomfortable spy continues.
"How about this, here's the key for this room…" A single key was handed to her and he immediately placed it into her palm, "You can leave about five minutes after I left this room and by no means you should go here… I can't risk my sister finding out that you have a key to my place."
"Hmm…" Now the young lady is just holding her palm on her cheeks with a slightly mischievous look, "You don't want me to meet kami, do you? More than me meeting your sister?"
"Eh? Where is this coming from?"
"Hehe… Nothing, forget what I said… Just remember that I like this act better than your somber one." "And don't forget what I told you earlier."
"Or what? You're going to slap me again."
"That option is still on the table."
It took him a couple seconds to recollect himself, breathing in and out to make himself stable before he left through the front door, then as the door closes Nagisa could hear him saying,
"Sup Kami-yan."
A/N: Yup it connects directly to ACIP chapter 61. The part where Touma heads to school.
PLAY MUSIC
Ao Haru Ride OST – Doukei.
In another part of Academy City, Shutaura quickly parks her bike and steps down from it while fixing her hair and brushes it back, trying to make herself look proper as she walked into a small alley to meet the blue haired boy who's currently handling a growing number of regulars who's getting their breakfast from a certain bakery.
"You're coming here for breakfast now?" Pierce asked her as soon as she reaches the open window that serves as the bakery's takeout counter.
"I think so, did any of my acquaintances come earlier?"
"Didn't see any…"
"Where did she go then…" Shutaura whispered to herself, letting the words form on her lips without actually saying it.
"I'm still waiting on your order, do you need a menu? Usually the ones who bought breakfast here already know what they want, not that I judge you for it."
"You're already judged me by saying that."
"Am I now?"
The exchange did not shorten the line, this is something that the Headbaker noticed and from behind the sweltering kitchen he called out to the blue haired part-timer with, "Boy! Quit yapping and take her orders, the morning rush is almost here!"
"U-Uh… Sequenzia-san, your order please." Pierce quickly changed his tone.
"A sandwich should do, add extra olives if you could."
"Coming right up…" He quickly punched in her order and quickly noticing that she's still looking at him which prompted him to ask, "What? Do you want something else?"
"Something different? Yeah, when will you leave for school?"
"Probably half an hour before school starts… What's up?"
The Headbaker overheard the two's conversation and popped his head out to see who his part timer was talking to, he instantly recognized the girl who often visits Pierce during the Golden Week and breathed out a long breath in response.
He stepped back into the kitchen as his eyes softened, thinking of how the boy changed during the short time the two acquainted with each other. Small changes felt big to him especially when he had known the blue haired boy for a long time and saw how the ones who he met pulled him out from his shell.
Little by little looking past through the 'hardcore pervert' mask that he put on.
First it was his friends from school.
Second came the middle schooler girl with dark bobbed hair.
Then the older girl who clearly had an interest in him.
And finally the change in atmosphere between him and his waitress.
So what's wrong with pushing the boy further out, a father-like thought entered the old man's mind.
That was his line of thinking when he let out a long breathy "haaaaa…" before looking at the girl and said, "He'll be out shortly."
"Eh?! What?" Pierce replied with a genuine surprise "Really?! I can take an early leave?"
"Even I can see the obvious… Don't worry, I won't tell Asami about this." The Headbaker replied, waving his hand in assurance that the waitress with a dotting personality won't find out about Shutaura's visit.
"E-Eh…"
"Grab your things and go, it'll be nice to arrive at school on time."
Pierce replied by tilting his head a little to the side, dumbfounded by the Headbaker's previous sentences.
The older man huffed and looked at the girl instead and gave her a nod in which Shutaura's eyes brightened a little, causing her to pat the boy's shoulder while saying, "I'll be waiting at the roadside, see you in the next five minutes."
"I need more time to prepare…"
"You heard her, five minutes."
"..."
Confused by both Shutaura and the Headbaker, the boy just quickly puts on his uniform and picks up his school bag before scurry's his way out of the bakery front door.
Five minutes later he found himself on the backseat of Shutaura's bike.
"Well, first time for everything…"
Pierce commented as he remembered how Shutaura just gestured with her eyes for him to get on as soon as he walked out from the bakery and how he just understood said gestures and followed her whims without saying a single word.
Then he glanced down to see the whipping hair of said older girl who takes him for a ride to his school, thinking to himself of how it looked like a scene from movies where it resembled a scene where the main hero picks up the heroine.
The role was simply reversed but it managed to throw him for a loop.
"What do you mean?"
Shutaura asked after hearing the comment, not thinking too much about the reason behind it.
"This is the first time I got a ride from a girl, wait did I just trigger a death flag or something…"
His answer's tone grew weaker towards the end.
"I don't know what you're talking about and I'm pretty sure you didn't trigger anything dangerous." Shutaura darte her eyes back towards him for a split second, "It's just my way of saying thanks, plus I have some business to attend near your school."
"Near the school or inside it?"
"One of your teachers to be exact, the physical education teacher who's also an active member of Antiskill."
"Yomikawa Sensei then." Pierce said with a questioning look, "Did something happen?"
"You exposed the rogue elements inside Judgement and left a clear gap in the city's security governing bodies, that gap was something that needs to be patched quickly."
"You're not asking her to join your unit, right?"
"No, but I want her to assess the security volunteer program, in short… We're recruiting students to be more active and involved with the city's security until Judgement could get their footing again."
"That's going to be tough for everyone involved."
"It'll only last a week, the higher ups are trying to apprehend the rogue officers and rebuild Judgement's chain of command, which brings me to the second question..." Shutaura took a moment to ready herself before asking, "Danshan Sha, ever heard of that name?"
And in an instant the boy answered.
"One of Tokiwadai's beauties. I did my homework on checking the backgrounds of high profile girls from School Garden."
"Somehow I'm not even surprised." The girl almost nods her head low in disappointment, "There's much more to her than meets the eyes."
"To my defense, she's really popular with the wide male population."
"To you as well?"
"I admit that she's beautiful…" Then a slight pause, "But honestly this is rare for me to talk about girls with… You know…"
"What?"
"Talking about girls with another girl?" Pierce's nose scrunched a little as he continued to ask, "Is she to your liking by any chance?"
"G-Gah?!" The allegation managed to shock her, so much so that the bike swerved to the side, "Do you want me to drop you off the bike?! Are you really that foolish? Are you not getting what I was trying to say?!"
"..."
"Not planning to answer my question?"
"Can't you take my silence as an agreement…" The boy is visibly puzzled and perturbed, "This is weird, what are you trying to do? Scouting for competition?"
"N-NO!" A burning blush instantly paints Shutaura's face, "I'm saying that be careful with her, from what I heard she and Kessai Kiyoshi used to be close… And you know how she ended up."
"She… She uh… I don't know, from what I see, both of them needed help… From their past and from the scars of the Duchy."
"Not interested in their history."
"It will give context as to why they became like that, if you're going to say that they used to be selfish and were up to no good then I'd believe you."
Pause.
"But…"
"I think it won't change me or the way I treat them in any way."
Smile.
A thin smile grew on Shutaura's face upon hearing his answer, something that went unnoticed by Pierce.
"That sounds like you…" A whisper-like voice left silently through her breath, confirming her feelings that the figure who hugged her from behind was not too different from the spiky haired boy who saved Arisa and her. It was a warm and familiar feeling to her, similar to how a father's warm embrace that she once felt yet she shook the feelings off for a moment as she revised her previous sentence to, "Not a surprise."
Only the latter part of her sentence reaches the blue haired boy's ears.
For better or worse it seemed like the 'cool girl' is trying to live up to said image.
But it landed differently to the boy who held Shutaura for his dear life as he leaned his head closer to her ear to ask in between the whips of wind that pelted his face.
"Then are you going to ask about that girl too?" Pierce asked in a worried manner, "Yumiya Rakko, what happened to her?"
After a brief pause he asked again.
"Sequenzia-san?"
"She's under arrest, we're going to investigate her for Duchy relations and the tower incident… My superior will inform your group for future details." Shutaura kept her answer brief before turning her attention to another point that she wanted to get off her chest, "As for the name, I think you should just call me by my first name."
"Is it fine though?"
"It's up to you."
"Hmm…" The boy shut his eyes tighter than usual to think and gave his reply, "Shutaura does sound better to the ears but there's another reason to consider it like the image of an older girl or..."
"Make up your mind already."
Shutaura flared at the boy's slow response and Pierce reacted favorably with, "Okay! Shutaura then."
In an instance a smile albeit a small one made its way to the girl's face.
And she was just enjoying the moment as she took in the fact that Pierce was holding onto her in a way that reminded Shutaura of something that she held dear. A warm and protected feeling that has a tender quality to it.
But on the other hand,
She was not paying attention that Pierce was hanging on to dear life and it will not be a better experience for him as Shutaura uttered, "Well you better hold on, I'll make sure that you won't be late for school."
She's going faster and the engine roared as it took in more air to squeeze every amount of performance out and direct it at the road, taking the already dizzy boy into a fit of panic. Her way of hiding her feelings is dangerous to say the least, especially the terrified blue haired boy.
Yet another problem is waiting for him as the two nears the school and Pierce made his feelings known by simply saying, "Ahhh… Those stares hurt."
"Hmm?" Shutaura looked to the side as the bike stopped because of the red light near their destination, "AH… they're your classmates."
She commented once she noticed some familiar faces that walked across the road, they're the members of the opposing team that she played against in a basketball game during the Golden Week. The girl thought that they're looking at the boy with spite because they were lost but Pierce knew the reason behind it was different.
It was something that he usually felt when he saw Touma being accompanied by another girl.
In short, pure and unadulterated jealousy.
But saying that to Shutaura could mean that he just dug his own grave even deeper as he doesn't know how the older girl would react to said information, for all he knows Shutaura could just call the boys out for it and paint a huge proverbial bullseye on his back.
So in response Pierce just responded to Shutaura with a meek, "Yes…"
"They're still thinking about the basketball game? Sore losers, aren't they?"
"That's one thing but I think there might be another reason for that…"
Pierce mumbled before he looked at the burning stares being pointed straight at him and in his head he could feel what states were saying.
'Traitor!'
'Lucky bastard!'
'What did she see in him!'
'You're no different from Kamijou, Tch!'
It hurts and he could feel it in his soul but more than that he could feel something more important…
'I can feel my position to make fun of Kami's harem diminish by the minute…'
The boy genuinely pondered about his right to attack Kamijou.
And he let out a dispirited protest that came out from his soul.
"Rotten luck…"
With Pierce's spirit at its lowest point and still oblivious Shutaura, the two reach A Certain High's gate and head straight to its parking space where the contrast between the cars and bicycle that the usual teaching staff brought were pale in comparison to the special officer's personal ride.
It was not an overstatement that the officer garnered the focus of many high school students, she was the image of a girl crush that many of the girls wanted to be and the ideal type that some of the boys wanted to be with.
So the currently uneased and alert boy who stood by her side at the moment was perceived as an unpleasant sight, judging stares and spite filled glances being thrown at Pierce, forcing him to think that he better get the hell out of there and run into her class.
PLAY MUSIC
Ao Haru Ride OST – Ano Koro Ni Wa Modore Nai.
But a voice breaks through the murmur and whispers.
In an instant he knew that he's in for it now.
"What is she doing at the school ground?"
Stern and strict that was the character of her voice, an awfully familiar voice which made him want to turn tail and run.
But he decided to turn and greeted her back with, "F-Fukiyose-sama, good morning…"
"Aogami, what is she doing at the school grounds?" Seiri crossed her arms in annoyance, "Furthermore, bringing a motorized vehicle is prohibited, even when you're just catching a ride."
"Well, how do I say it…"
Seiri's actions caused Shutaura to cross her arms to mirror her gesture, she gets in between Seiri and Pierce to block her from him while saying, "Cut him some slack, he's giving me direction and I'm here to meet your teacher, It's an official business."
"It… It's you…"
Seiri seemed to forget her name or never heard her introducing herself in the first place.
"Shutaura Sequenzia." The officer introduced herself in a flat tone, tilting her head slightly before carrying on to say, "I work for the city's security council."
"Ah, Fukiyose Seiri… Do you need someone to guide you to the teacher's room."
"I already have him."
Thumb pointing at Pierce who used the chance he had to slip away but quickly got reeled in by the collar by the young officer, in response Pierce was wiggling his body like a worm in a weak attempt to escape. He even looked at his male classmates for help but they just veered their glances away and continued to walk inside their building.
Their thoughts could be read as clear as day.
'I hope we can have the same problem as you! Damn traitor…'
'Death to Delta Force members!'
Then with a swift turn and tug Shutaura continues to drag Pierce with her inside the school building.
"W-What's her problem?!"
Fukiyose protested with a slight tinge of displeasure upon looking at the figure walking away from her, the obvious was because of her curt answer and standoff behavior. But more than she felt a slight prickling sensation from within as if something deep was starting to crack, the images of said blue haired boy back during the basketball game returned to her mind and showed him standing beside Shutaura.
Then she remembered that he was also getting along with Kessai Kiyoshi, a girl from School Garden.
Then Asami Ami, the older college student who introduced herself as the boy's senior at his workplace.
Before she realized it she felt the burn at the corner of her eyes.
Disturbed by it she just wiped the glassy look off from her face as the prickling feeling that she felt moments ago disappeared, sinking back to the trenches of her mind.
'What am I thinking, more importantly why did those were the first that popped into my mind!' The Iron Wall girl proceeds to slap herself lightly on the cheeks while propping herself back up, pushing her fingers to her cheeks to form a smile. After doing so Seiri just continues to walk inside the school building, trying to bury the weird uncomfortable feelings with each step before reaching her classroom.
MUSIC STOP
While the students keeps on coming none of them knew that they were being watched from a safe distance, two scopes are looking over the school where Stepahnie Gorgeouspalace who held said military grade scope with marking function looked rather satisfied, she marked one of the girls who managed to capture her colleague back at the tower and her blue haired companion for safety purposes.
She's in the middle of creating a personal dossier for herself, creating a behavioral pattern of her target that she could use as a benchmark before she makes her move and deals a fatal blow, the automatic shotgun that sat beside her was a reassurance that she needed for her job and style of combat.
"Well it was a delightful surprise, Never thought that I would see her here… I know tracking down the school that Kami represented in the tournament was the right move and that boy beside her, I know by body language alone that he was also there…" She smirked at the other girl beside her and continued to say, "It's getting more and more interesting."
"We're going to hit them as soon as they get off school, right? Riiiiight?" Kuroyoru Umidori replied with a barely restrained anger in her eyes.
"Not yet." Stephanie said while patting Umidori's head to calm the mad esper down and shared her reason, "Your partner's choice of weapon hinders our movement."
"I think it'll work better if you pull them into a place that plays to our advantage."
"You enjoyed this, didn't you?"
"We're cats who toy with mice, playing with them until we're bored before delivering the killing blow."
"Play with them until you get bored before devouring them? That's a dangerous game."
"Speaking from experience? You didn't expect that they'll hit you with their entire arsenal, did you? I planned something different."
"Tch!" Umidori spat with utter annoyance while typing the data that she needed in the upcoming combat situation, "You're one of those chess player type hunters huh?!"
"I see it as an interesting game, that's all." Stephanie shrugged her shoulders, "Let's see, this city has an underground city… I think we can use that, there's a lot of service tunnels for him to use and spaces where you could use your ability freely."
"Are you being careful of anyone who might get caught?"
"I am."
"Boring… I take back what I said."
"You're missing the importance of planning." Chuckles left her lips for a brief moment, "Let's end it for today, we have some prepping to do while watching a show that the boss had set up"
The mercenary and esper duo proceed to gather their things and set a beacon to send their encrypted data to Silver Crow that was lying in wait inside his mechanized fort, similar to how a large predator is waiting for the moment to strike.
All three of them thought the same thing.
Yet they didn't think about one crucial detail which was of the convenience of their scouting position. It was far enough but it's still located inside the city, in an area where students saw everyday despite it not being publicly accessible.
A ripe chance for counterintelligence measures.
Which was why on another observation point there were three figures who were also collecting a lot of data about Stephanie and Umidori with similar looking military grade scopes, palmtop computers and communication devices to encrypt their datas.
Yes.
The backstabbing spy was thorough and created a detailed map peppered with points of interest branching out from his high school since the name 'Kami' grazes the public consciousness.
And Wataru is currently looking at the map peppered with an absurd amount of detail with a sense of disbelief, but as he observed the ones who scouted the school it finally clicked for him as of why the map had so much detail being marked in it like rangefinders, access routes, surveillance spots and how to counter them by widening the range of the surveillance spots.
The absurd amount of details were meant for safety.
But putting the thought aside, Wataru commented to his spotter, "They didn't think that some of us were school dropouts, did they?" Voicing the clear error of the opponent's part where they thought that it was safe for them to assume that they're not also being watched.
To this Nora answered flatly, "I'm not going to any educational institution in the first place, so your opinion is only half right."
"Don't sweat the details, Nora."
"What did that supposed to mean?"
"Handler and Blue didn't lie when they said that you're still clueless about everything…"
"They did not give you false information."
"Still…"
The half noise and half breathy response coming from Wataru prompted Eri who sat in her car and left the driver's side door open to call out to him, "Kurozuma, focus on the mission. Did you pick up anything from their conversation?"
The girl was caught by surprise before, leaving herself and others in danger. A mistake that she hopefully won't repeat again. That's why she took the process of gathering information much more seriously from before, setting her usual chirpy attitude aside to focus solely on her job.
"They're going to lure us to the underground District, that place is small but buried deep underground."
"The verticality will give us problems if they use certain pockets in it to take us one by one, do you recognize anyone familiar?"
"The girl that kidnapped you is there."
"..."
Eri froze upon hearing Wataru's response, the change was being noticed instantly by the red haired boy.
"Eri?"
Wataru asked, trying to snap her out from her own thoughts and by the slight shiver on Eri's form, he knew that he had to do something, but before he could move he could hear, "N-No, carry on with your observation."
This made him think for a good minute before he reached out to Nora and whispered to him, "Well this won't do. Nora, take over for me. Someone is in need of a little help."
"You're going to help her?"
"Hmm? I think so."
"I can hear a spike in heart rate after you mentioned the hostile elements, I think it was a psychological matter which I'm not well versed with in dealing with."
"Okay…"
"So I can only rely on your ability in this matter."
"Weird way of saying 'I'm counting on you' but thank you."
Wataru and Nora nodded at each other and shared a hair of a smile on each of their faces, understanding that both of them have good intentions towards the disturbed girl.
So Wataru left his scope with Nora as he walked back to the yellow car, Eri noticed that Wataru was walking towards her so he waved at her while asking, "What's up, need some rest?"
"No, I'm fine" The gray haired girl waved back with a slight dismissive tone, "Why are you here? We're not done with the stakeout yet… H-Hey?! What are you…"
"Take some rest first." The boy said, picking up a bottle of water and a piece of bread on the backseat before placing them right beside Eri, "And remember to eat well before you take your meds."
"I know, I told you that you don't need to babysit me."
"Well I have to, especially when the person in question doesn't really know how to take care of herself."
"Geez… What's your play here?"
"Do you want the straight answer or the roundabout one?"
"You know my pick."
"Okay, I don't want you to deal with them by any means so I let Nora handle the notes."
"I can handle them…" Eri answered dismissively, trying to downplay her own condition.
"Surely, but at what cost?"
"You're so… Ah… Okay, I'll play… So if Nora can handle the rest then what should I do?"
Pleased that he started to go through her walls, Wataru changed his tone again into a much relaxed one as he asked, "I don't know, what do you do to pass your time in a relaxing manner?"
"Ruining bad guys' plans."
"Yep, you got to cross that one off for now." He said while closing Eri's laptop, "I know, let's just go around town once Nora is finished."
"Then how are we supposed to track their movement?"
"Simple, use the data from the maintenance tunnel gates, cross reference them with the existing one and find the gates that opened under unexplained reason."
"T-That was actually a good plan…"
"And it gave a way for you to observe them from a safe distance."
Eri looked to the side for a few moments, her face changed into a much focused one as she tried to think of various reasons for them to continue their watch, but at that moment she couldn't find any.
So there was only one answer that she could give for his request from earlier.
"You win, Kurozuma."
The girl replied with a thin smile.
"Alright!" The ex gang leader proceeds to wave to Nora so he could start packing up the surveillance gear, then he turns his attention back to Eri and asks a single question, "So, where do you want to go?"
PLAY MUSIC
Horimiya OST – Let's Go to the Karaoke.
The two who called the shots for Stephanie and Freshmen's action are in the middle of their way to their own school. Both of them are using a classic red car that Ibara Isshin stole during the IVORY tower's fall as means of transportation, for the grim eyed boy it also serves as a personal memento.
Kamisato Kakeru on the other hand was focusing on the connected building of his school where a middle high school and high school coexist. Looking to the side he could see his schoolmates in their respective uniform, giving him some sense of normalcy as he glanced down to see his own uniform.
The two sported a melancholy look, both stems from their respective regret and mistake.
But a heavy sigh was all that was needed for one of them to break the silence.
"So we're not skipping school… This will be a pain."
Isshin said, his eyes looking to the sides as the clear glass did not hide their faces from their schoolmates.
In contrast to a rumored boy who captured the hearts of many young girls and remained oblivious to it, Isshin and Kakeru knew well that they had attracted attention from the girls from inside and outside of their school. However Kakeru saw it as others willing to help him and he's limiting the amount of those who approached him based on their usefulness, while Isshin just downright dismisses them because of the unwanted attention.
Both did not realize that their attitude only gave them a mysterious quality, some say it 'playing hard to get' and some saying that they're just like the newly recognized level 5 esper known as 'Kami' who showed their face.
One thing was for sure, the two are known as the princely duo from said school.
Hence why Isshin was reluctant to show his face at school alongside Kakeru and it only occurred to him that bringing a personal vehicle would only raise the humor surrounding them.
The dark haired boy raised his left hand to play with his metal collar cuffs and protested again, this time just heaving out an exasperated breath.
Which caused Kakeru to reply with.
"Keeping up a good image is a positive thing, it'll be suspicious if we're away for too long." Then he picked up his phone to show a picture of a certain white haired girl with their school's uniform, "Besides, today is Yuriko's first day at school, it'll be interesting to watch."
"You're the only one who cared about it."Isshin waved his hand so that Kakeru would put his phone away, "I still haven't finished with my project."
"STUDY already received your blueprints so they could help lighten some of your burden." Kakeru shared, trying to ease the test pilot's worry, "But there's something else bothering you, isn't there?"
Universal Peace Enforcement's design is probably beyond their reach, the brains behind Peace Initiative have the same approach to designing things in Academy City which was to overdevelop things and make it as complex as it humanly possible " It took him a moment to answer before Isshin shoots down his question, "And would you kindly shut up, I know where you're going with the last part."
"I already know that both of them used to go to the same school."
"Threading on thin ice now, Kamisato."
"You'll do good by coming here, I'm sure that they also wished for the same." Kakeru glanced at his friend, "Locking yourself away inside that hangar won't do you any better."
"Damn you…"
"Do it for them." Kakeru continues while starting to notice the many eyes that were focused on them and especially their car, to this he gave Isshin an advice, "And word of advice, park your ride in a place where the teachers couldn't see."
"You don't have to tell me that."
"If I might add, that Universal Peace Enforcement… The UPE, how did they get involved with a military focused organization?"
Silence.
But then the grim looking boy relented, sharing a part about his previous organization, "They made the connection through me, UPE showed a kind facade at first and took them in because they said that their powers could be used as beacons to better the world and that was enough to convince them."
"Your sister and your past beloved one."
"Yeah, plus they saw the organization as saints who took in an useless esper like me and found worth in it."
"But then you found out that they were just being used as leashes to control you."
"To put it simply, yes."
"It doesn't justify the abuse that led to their deaths, you never told me the reason why they…"
Kakeru's sentence was being cut short because of another car that cut them suddenly, inside it a number of students were laughing together and looked way too cocky for the dangerous stunt that they just pulled earlier.
It was evident that the sudden screech managed to make some of the students nearby to run away from the roadsides in clear display of fear.
Isshin and Kakeru raised their hands to apologize before searching for a place to park their car.
Then the brunette could feel that his friend's expression grew dark before he said, "It was because asses like them. UPE's high ranking officer has a son and a true low scum of the earth to boot."
"That scum took a liking to your sister or…"
"Both, he liked them both and did not take a liking to my position as UPE's peace initiative main test pilot… I mean subject."
"Well we'll have to save the rest for later." Kakeru said as the two walked out from the car and pointed his index finger to the distance, "Your fans are here."
"Mine? They're yours… Deal with them already." Isshin replied, "But out of curiosity, what do you plan with the rest of the IVORY leftovers?"
The boy known as Isshin looks at the boastful group who cut them earlier entering the front school gates, which caused a grin to grow on Kakeru's face, he snorted in clear display of disrespect and said, "The ones under our thumbs will have a trip. Let's just say We're willing to aid them if they manage to pull a favor for me."
"An impossible task huh, one designed to ruin them all in one go."
"Yeah, the rest of the Sirens are coming tonight and I asked them to bring them all to me."
"While knowing that they'll cross paths with Kami's gang."
The smirk on Kakeru's face remains, a slight curl on the edges now gives a dark quality to it. Isshin also smirked while looking at them and commented, "You're not kidding when you said that you'll wipe their pride and anything that holds value to them."
"This will ensure that IVORY will be long gone."
"One piece of advice, fix your smile… You look rather evil for a moment there."
PLAY MUSIC
86 OST – Lilas (LoFi Version by Paul Auguste).
Sitting on her desk and looking out of the window, Yuna found herself thinking about the roller coaster of experiences that she took part in just before the Golden Week's long break. The revelation of the city's darker element now puts a lot of context behind her curiosity towards the various baseless rumors roaming across various chat rooms.
A simple search with her phone reveals the bases for said rumors, be it experimental theories being tested, hypotheses from various research organizations within the city and the espers taking part in their power development program.
All of them start to form a clear picture, as a secretive group that she acquainted to was rather active in shedding a light to the city's nefarious elements.
The latest thing that they did was an assault on a supposedly high end circle filled with young elites of the city in which one of the members used to be together with her close friend, Nakano Hibiki.
'To think that one of them beat him up and dropped his body right next to Hibiki.'
Yuna thought to herself, scrunching her nose to find any further links.
'There's something more to this…'
'Them included.'
Yuna threw her glance to the side, noticing the number of the students who attended class was increasing.
No longer the girls who were long absent belonged to a large clique and with an influx of numbers came another topic of conversation that seemed all too familiar to her, the mention of the level 5's affiliated group slipped in between their talks.
The ponytailed girl could sense something interesting was going to happen soon and smiled thinly in response.
'I think I want to talk to Wannai-san about this if I can. I wonder how the two of them are doing right now…'
Right before Yuna could wander with her thoughts any further she heard a humming tune and a thud, a bag was placed on the table next to her and upon looking at the owner of it her ears perked up.
"Mikagami-san, you're back."
It was Mikagami Nagisa, twirling a simple looking key in between her fingers and trying to hide said act from her classmates.
"Ishikawa-san, good morning to you." The former clique leader greeted Yuna
Yuna noticed the small change in her usual expression yet couldn't figure it out yet, not wanting to be rude she then asked, "Have you recovered? I heard that you were absent for a long time because of sickness."
"I'm fine, much better in fact… Thank you for asking."
"Mikagami-san… Why are you smiling… And."
"W-What?" Nagisa stammered, mildly shocked by Yuna's sentence, "What are you talking about?"
"Just look at the window."
Yuna gestured at her to look at her reflection as now the blush on her face was definitely noticeable.
"AH!" Nagisa looked at her own face that looked like the textbook example of a 'maiden in love' and in response she ran out of the classroom, "Excuse me!..."
When she left the classroom all of the girls could only look with awe, some covering their mouths and whispering that it was cute of her to only realize it when Yuna asked her to look at her expression.
Except for the Nakano who just walked into the classroom.
"What's up with her?"
"Yuna, is that Mikagami-san? Is she really back?"
Hibiki and Hanabi asked Yuna who's still puzzled yet slightly grinning because of Nagisa's antics.
"Haven't seen her around for quite a while."
"That was because of her work with her former clique right?"
"Hanabi, that clique where she was a part of is really weird you know."
"But still…"
"Hibiki, we're not going around talking about baseless rumors." Yuna stepped in to join the conversation, "Look around, most of the girls who used to be involved with them are back… And I got to say that they seemed happy?"
"I have to agree with you. I saw that Mikagami-san rushed her way to the bathroom earlier and she has a perturbed look."
"Oho… In what way, if I might ask."
"One that resembles when she talked about Kami."
"H-Hibiki!"
"I'm not lying, aren't I?"
"Talk about it again then I…"
"You will do what?"
"I will tell everyone the name that you mumbled in your sleep."
Then silence…
Deafening silence follows right after Hanabi's shout and her threat directed at her twin sister and Yuna in an attempt to continue the conversation poked Hanabi in the shoulders and said, "I didn't expect the conversation to go this way but it hits the topical target right on the mark."
"Y-Yuna."
"My sense couldn't be wrong and the evidence is pointing at a certain case." Yuna placed her hand on her chin and continued, "Mikagami-san is in love!"
The members of the Mikagami clique looked away from Yuna in response, not agreeing but not refusing her case downright.
"See…"
"Goodness me…" Hanabi awed as a slight blush appeared on her face.
"I can't believe it, her… Out of all people, we're talking about the Mikagami, right?" Hibiki looks around, trying to pick up the expressions of the clique members and adds, "That girl who sulks often for no reason."
"It's not good to talk about her that way, Hibiki."
"Hanabi's right, we might just witness something amazing."
"Which is…"
"A maiden's first love of course." Yuna stopped and looked at Hibiki before delivering her line, "Ah, you can't compare your own experience to this, Hibiki."
"Yuna, you're really asking for it aren't you."
"Well she didn't have the same experience as you."
"H-Hey!"
PLAY MUSIC
86 OST – Lilas (LoFi Version by Paul Auguste).
Right after the school period is over Yuna decided to follow Nagisa and bring Hanabi and Hibiki with her which followed the ponytailed girl out of concern for her and Nagisa.
The first thing that Yuna thought was a sense of apparent surprise.
The same also found their way to Hibiki and Hanabi's face after they saw a certain gray haired girl cross paths with Nagisa alongside two others.
A familiar slender white haired boy and another red haired boy with athletic physique.
"I've seen them before. Hanabi, aren't they…"
"They're Wannai-san's acquaintances."
"Ara! Isn't this a surprise."
Yuna beamed with apparent curiosity and mumbled, "Arara… Where did they possibly meet or…" She held a finger on her lower lip, trying to think about a possible case and made a slight smile after she made the obvious connection.
Keeping the thought about how she once met the group as a secret, Yuna chose her words carefully.
Then she spoke a line that caused the twins to look at her in another surprise.
"Another charmer has entered the scene it seems."
"Y-Yuna, you can't be serious…"
"Why don't we just act normal and approach them, by this point we can just walk up to them, can't we?"
"Yuna, It'll be rude to do so." Hanabi commented as she had the first row seat of Yuna trying and failing to hide her curiosity.
"It won't be, trust me." Yuna reassures Hanabi and takes her steps toward the unlikely group.
The three now walked closer together and kept their proper composure to adhere to their formal teachings, but upon walking closer she could hear.
"It'll be better for the both of us…" Nagisa said towards the gray haired girl, "I hope you can see the benefit of this deal."
'As I expected.' Yuna chirped inside while trying her best to keep calm, that was the case for all three of them until Yuna heard another voice coming from behind her.
"It's a step to ensure your safety, do we have a deal?"
'We've been discovered!' The ponytailed looked back in surprise followed by a shocked gawk coming from the twins as they saw a girl with long dark hair and cold looking eyes noticing them.
"I saw you tried to follow her, it'll be better to come clean now." Shutaura said as she walked up from behind the three, her no-nonsense vibe told Yuna Hibiki and Hanabi that whatever excuse that they have would not work against her.
They were caught red handed after all.
"Ahahaha… Busted…" Yuna replied in a slight chuckle and defeated tone
"Yuna!" Hanabi and Hibiki protested at their friend's response.
There was a pause coming from the group's direction, but upon seeing Yuna's form Nagisa and Eri shouted in unison.
"Ishikawa-san?"
By this point the three definitely knew that their plan had already gone up in flames. They couldn't just say that it was a mere coincidence, but it also represented an opportunity for Yuna to just go out and ask Nagisa with, "So they're your friends, am I right, Mikagami-san?"
Taken by Surprise, Nagisa just answered with, "I guess you can say that."
"We all know each other then, Nice to meet you again, Sakai-san."
"My pleasure, Hibiki and Hanabi too."
"But who is this? I've met Nora before but you…" Yuna looks at Wataru with a questioning look, in which Shutaura also stares at the red haired boy in question. Noticing the stares, Eri turns her head to look at Yuna and Shutaura, breathes in and replies, "Kurozuma Wataru, he's showing me around the city."
Unknown to her, the former gang leader is about to drop a bomb on all of them.
"And taking care of her for the time being."
"G-GAH?!" Eri gawked and immediately grew red to the eartips before shouting, "What are you saying out of the blue?!"
Nora just kept his expression flat as usual while Shutaura raised her eyebrow, a questioning look on her face was apparent. Yuna on the other hand had her jaw slacked as enthusiasm for the sudden development entered her mind, the group is interesting enough, the peculiar silky haired boy and her junior's relation also being held with the same regard, but the rough looking guy's nonchalant answer was just too intriguing for her to handle.
The expression was akin to a paparazzi who just found a huge scoop, Eri immediately recognizes it and pondering whether she should shout to defuse the understanding or smack Wataru right on the head.
One thing was clear, both actions will only paint her as someone who tried to bury the real issue.
Hibiki and Hanabi who just held their hands over their lips are also not helping her case.
So she just hoped for someone to break the deafening silence.
Leave it to her supposed little brother to muddy the waters, because Nora looked at her with a slightly tilted head before he asked, "So this is the kind of guy who piqued your interest?"
"N-Nora, it's not what you think!"
"Whoa, you actually have something to say about this." Wataru added.
"I believe you have to give a clear answer, please answer accordingly."
"Ha… Haha… Hahaha…"
'I used to be a professional thief and a test pilot for god sake…' Eri shouted in her mind again and again as her train of thoughts spirals down into completely messy misunderstandings, yet there's a contrast where she reminded Shinobu's words about she's refusing to admit that she was at least letting the former gang leader into her sphere of consciousness rather quickly.
This basically means that Eri's mind turned into a twister of her own making, so much so that her body reacted as her legs grew weak and she plops down like a sack of potatoes.
"Sakai!"
Eri surely thought that after a second or two her body should hit the ground, yet she could only feel that she was being helped up by someone, something sturdy was holding her and she could certainly flex and contract as it moved her into a better position.
She really hoped that it was Nora, but the reaction that followed suit will add up into a completely different case. The squeals that could be heard coming from the high schoolers told Eri about who just caught her, she just had enough and closed her eyes.
'I'll save tomorrow's problems for tomorrow's me.'
"Didn't expect that it would devolve into a scene like this." Shutaura commented, trying to start a conversation with Nagisa.
"In a way, I was glad that became the case." Nagisa answered and twirled the sides of her hair, rolling them to her index finger into locks while heaving out a relieved breath.
PLAY MUSIC
Girl's Frontline OST – MACHINES ARE TALKING.
The night fell on District 23, Yuu and Shujin were waiting for the Sirens' arrival and keeping an eye on it from a safe distance. The two of them agreed to use the ruined hangar where Shujin's fighter plane used to be assembled which gave them some time to explore the ruined facility for any parts that they could use down the line.
"Well today was a nice one, nothing happened and we can kick back for once." Yuu commented as he took a seat on the hangar's floor.
Hearing the naive response from Yuu, Shujin replied by saying, "Matchstick, if that was your standard for leisure then you already registered Handler's antics as something normal."
"I… Uh… But… You're right, I think he worked us to the bone."
"See, even this bodyguard job seems like it could just go bad any second."
"You're already looking at this as an accident waiting to happen."
"Have I ever been wrong before? Siren Si9n has been a massive magnet for problems." Shujin even find it fit to gesture with his hands to prove his point, "They're volatile bombs that attract the worst players in the city… I mean remember how the Chisa debacle went."
"Mercenaries…"
"Mercenaries with mechs." The ruffly haired esper tapped his finger on the hangar's wall, "And now they're meeting up at the private terminal to welcome the last three members. A powder keg, mark my words now."
"You're looking forward to it huh…" Yuu gave a suspicion-filled response, thinking that was something more behind Shujin's enthusiasm.
"Anything to mess up your relationship with that rainbow girl."
"Nothing happened!" The silky haired esper raised both arms in exasperation, "You're just venting out because you don't have a clue on how to handle the Nunotaba situation."
"Have. You. Ever. Handle. A. Confession. Before?"
"No."
"Then screw you…"
"You and your barely restrained anger." Yuu eyed the ruffly haired esper with a palpable amount of irritation, "Shush… Hear that? A crowd is coming…"
"The rabid fans are here, I bet some of those freaks are mixed in there somewhere."
"Checking the air traffic control screens, there's a private jet nearing the airstrip and currently circling the airspace."
"Bingo." Clenches fist.
"Now I really hope that someone else will come to help this team…"
Somehow right after Yuu said his dispirited response the notification sound rang on both of his and Shujin's phone, which means that someone from the group is trying to give them an update.
"Fuck, I hate it when my gut feeling was right." Shujin picked it first and called out the caller's name, "Sakai, make it quick."
"I planned the same. Listen, there are movements from the service tunnels underneath you and it seemed sporadic but the patterns of the hijacked gates gave me a clear picture."
"Get to the point."
"It's a crowd of vehicles, the data from vibration sensors told me so."
"So the horny dudes are at it again." Shujin massaged the temple of his nose out of frustration for the sudden update, "Did you get that Matchstick, the rich kids are going to try to take them again."
"I heard the whole thing, it'll be only us this time."
"Go wild then, one of your girls is going to find herself in trouble."
"Screw you."
It was a surprise on SHujin's part as he saw Yuu raise his middle finger at him, in which he also returned the favor in kind. Raising his middle finger at the silky haired esper as the two part their ways to complete their respective objective.
"Screw them first. I'm going into the crowd, picking them off if any of them are mixed in."
PLAY MUSIC
Girl's Frontline OST – Y2064.
The only thing left on GARM's worklist was their invitation to meet with the group that took in the members of old Tokiwadai cliques, SF or Sleeping Forest.
And inside the crevices of District 15 that was filled with communication centers and the city's major shopping district Seria picked one of the empty buildings to be used as the meeting place between the two groups.
It gave her the advantage of calling for Antiskill backup as she set the group to be a special case unit under the city's security council. A clear advantage when Motoharu's group was being regarded as a criminal after the stunt they pulled during the Duchy's uprising. The rich communication centers spread throughout also gave her group an edge for any jammer interference which was a trick that the other group preferred once they found themselves in a pinch, it also gave her a chance to expose the group because of the meeting location proximity to public areas.
It was perfect ground for her to corner the blonde delinquent, giving her a chance to reel him back once more along with some useful espers and miscellaneous members that he had gathered under his wing.
But more importantly she wants to know each of the members and how close they were to a certain Kouhai of hers.
A perfect plan.
Seria thought to herself as she stepped out to meet the members of her personal group, none of them were under the level 3 threshold and were trained by the duchy in various types of operations while being able to keep the facade of noble young ladies.
Now uniformed under her with a coat that looks like an upgraded Antiskill vest that looks more like a combination of a special ops gear and a fashionable fashion coat, in which she herself wore one with a distinguishing feature of pure white coloration. Said coat was being matched with a form fitting white trousers and a sporty looking black crop top that screams 'femme fatale'.
A/N: There's a pic of her on the artpage dear readers. Let's hope I can be quick enough to draw Reiri and Sha.
"Kumokawa-sama, why did you pick this place as the meeting place?" One of Seria's operatives called out. Hasekura Reiri, another edge that she deliberately picked to attend the meeting as her combat expertise and team training turned her and her clique into a combat focused group.
Seria looks at the brunette girl who fashioned her long hair into a simple yet elegant style, when she turns her head she realizes why some said that piercing blue eyes reflects her ability.
A master at controlling water, bending it to suit her needs.
The Freezing blue that made the ocean and sky bow before her.
The Absolute Zero.
And now she was listening to her orders, an instrument to fulfill her ambition.
It took Seria a moment but she finally turned her attention to her and answered with, "It's placed in the middle of the commercial district, any commotion that might happen will be immediately noticed by Antiskill and the larger public."
"W-Why are you insinuating that there will be conflict?"
"Hasekura, preparing for everything is a good thing and to be honest I did have some unsavory past with one of the leading figures in Kami's gang."
"If you're fine with it, will you share it with us, Kumokawa-sama."
"I won't mention it if I'm not planning on sharing it with you." Seria flashed a smile, "So, would you like to listen to it?"
"Very much so."
Reiri took a step closer to listen better and each of the members present also took a chance to listen as Seria started to tell some of her stories.
"The relationship between me and him turned sour because I took things too far, I got overconfident to say the least and a little opening was all that he needed to get the upper hand in a fight. From said experience I knew that once I pushed someone too far, things will turn worse as the very concept of reason is absent."
"As for Kami, well…" Seria intentionally paused to let his name sink in to the SF members, giving them the time to focus on each of her every word, "I can say that his antics were different from the persona you saw on his public appearance."
"D-Different."
"All I can say is that he is a fine example of a gentleman, not in the traditional sense but it just made him so unique."
"Then what about his gang? I heard that some level 5 have a dedicated group that follows them."
"Yes, I hear that as well but in his case…"
Before Seria could continue a radio transmission cuts in, in response Reiri looked at her and nodded right before she picked up her radio and received the message.
["Someone's approaching. Hasekura-san, I believe that the guest is here."]
Everyone could hear it but Reiri made sure to call out to her commanding officer by saying, "Kumokawa-sama, they're here as scheduled."
"Let's continue this in the future. Now, shall we welcome our guest."
"You heard her, get into position."
Some of the members moved into their designated position to guard the meeting, some for outside interference and some to guard Seira in case the talks devolved into a dispute between her and the blonde haired spy.
That was why she assigned Reiri by her side, giving her a force to be reckoned with even with someone similar to Reiri at the spy's side.
Seira flashed a confident smile as the gate rose up, revealing the group that she was supposed to meet.
"The tactical forecast was spot on, there's no way those bastards won't do anything when Sirens gather in one place for the first time." Motoharu said as he and Pierce just opened a door and found themselves walking towards a bigger gate that was sealed within, "I bet they're itching for some action."
"Wanting to woo them, too bad they picked the obvious approach by using the tunnels."
"You trust Yuu-kun and Shu-kun to handle it?"
"You saw their growth when I was away, refuse it all they want but those two made a solid team."
"But doing this right after the abduction incident, you really think this is wise."
"There's a change in variable tho." The spy grinned confidently, "This time I'm here to foresee things."
"Cocky."
"Not if it matched with the correct expertise."
"Okay. An asshole then."
"Take one to know one, have you looked in the mirror this morning, 'Mr. I brought a cool no-nonsense girl to the school courtyard'." Motoharu obviously refers to the scene where Shutaura went to the school together with Perce, "Trying to cover it up by attacking Kami-yan because of his harem right away didn't make me overlook the intricate details."
"In my defense, I didn't know that she'll give me a ride to school."
"Then Fukiyose had to see you with her."
"..." Pierce went completely silent before replying with a simple, "Yea…"
"The deal between us is still in place, you know."
"But was it really able to…" Pierce's tone started to quicken, "I mean did the procedure that you used to hide this from Fukiyose was strong enough to…"
"As long as you didn't do anything to weaken the mental tape… That's why it was disastrous for a combo like you and that officer to meet her, the correlation might do something to loosen the bond."
"I-I understood." Pierce hung his head, "Then what can I do to keep the bond together?"
"Mental bond? Just keep your distance with her…" The spy was about to continue when he broke the locks on the bigger gate, a beep followed suit as the heavy gate started to open, "Ah… We're in."
"Why the hell is this meeting so complicated?"
"Meeting? What meeting?"
"I thought we're going to meet with Shutaura's group?"
"Mikagami's group? I didn't say that we're the ones who're going to go there, did I?" Motoharu huffed, "I don't want to meet a certain person in particular, just thinking about her made my skin crawl."
"How bad was your relationship with… Her? You never ever once told me that the contractor was a girl?!" "Traitor! Go to hell!"
"Bad! Abysmal! And what the fuck are you going on about?! We're here to break out that Yumiya Rakko girl! So tell me why the hell I shouldn't blow your kneecaps off." The spy pulled out his silenced gun and pressed it on Pierce's thigh, in which Pierce also pulled his dagger and placed it on Motoharu's thigh. Exasperated by their situation Motoharu Shouted, "Don't go off asking about my acquaintances when we're here to save yours!"
"You're showing signs of Kami-disease!" Pierce shouted back.
"Check your ass first! You should be asking about who went to the meeting instead."
"Atsu-kun it's obvious!"
The increasingly louder screaming match suddenly ended as both realized that Motoharu probably picked the worst person for the meeting.
Only then he realized that Atsumu's ability to speak with girls was scarce at best except for a select few. Now a cold sweat ran through their backs as they walked deeper, wishing for the grumpy loner priest to bear with it.
Back at the supposedly important meeting Atsumu walked in with his usual dark colored attire.
Contrary to the Delta Force's member expectation, the decision to send the priest managed to catch Seira by surprise. It was either bravery, blind trust or stupidity that the group only sent one member to the formal meeting. The clear lack of the group's signature helmet also told the Sleeping Forest's side that the guest was not in the mood to fight, which was something that did not be reflected by Atsumu's alertness.
Baffled by the sudden turn, Reiri asked, "I'm sorry, but where's the rest of your group? If I may inquire."
"I was the only one assigned to this."
"I didn't expect this…" Seira raised her hand to cover her lips that curled in displeasure and called out to Reiri, "Hasekura, you should ask where the blonde is?"
"The blonde one?"
Reiri was puzzled by her leader's words.
So the leader in white uses the moment to explain, making sure her words are being listened to by the lone member of GARM.
"Their leader, I'm sure that Mikagami sent the invitation to him personally."
For one reason or another, Seria deliberately shared that it was Mikagami Nagisa's task, in response Atsumu just slightly cocked his eyebrow upon hearing the name being mentioned.
"Personally."
"Mikagami-san, sent it personally."
"That was why she left even before the sunrise today."
"W-Wha… C-Chief-san, why did you have to share that very detail?!" Reiri asked, a mild blush made its way to her face.
"To make it clear that I supported their budding relationship."
"H-HUH?!"
Whispers, a hushed one but the seasoned assassin could tell that many members of the other group were lying in wait, extra measures for a group that supposedly be under a level 5 esper was to be expected but the assassin found that it was an overkill.
He had read a short report detailing about the Sleeping Forest notable member, using Hasekura as a bodyguard was way too much. The number of members present was also way too much, everyone was at least a level 3 esper and decked with high end gear that has been modified to support their ability.
Recognizing the scenario before him, Atsumu starts to think.
'It was subtle but I know why you don't want to come here handler, This girl is a serious manipulator, an expert chess player where everyone moves unconsciously as her pawn.'
'By telling this she made a positive image for the former Mikagami clique members, making it seem like she was a friend and supporter for their leader's interest.'
'It was just my feeling but I think she's trying to bait a reaction from me, trying to figure out my identity I suppose.'
'So this is the hag that Mitsuari Ayu mentioned…'
'For her to regard her as such could only mean one thing, she's dangerous.'
The boy huffed out a short breath, knowing that it'll be a long night for him.
Motoharu: Word choice dammit! It sounds like Atsu-kun is going to hog all the former clique girls!
Pierce: If that happens, he'd immediately move up to third place, just behind Kami-yan and Kakeru-kun.
Motoharu: Scary…
Atsumu: I'm not interested!
Pierce: You already have a cute Kouhai and a bust Onee-san! Get a break! And you! If I see you getting it on with Fei in the next chapter then your ass is toast!
Yuu: Blue, believe me that I'll burn your ass first.
Touma: Welcome to the club…
Yuu: Kamijou… You're up there and uh… Uh oh…
Touma: What?... Aaaaa…
Seiri: So After two seasons the Author finally gave a story thread to me?
Motoharu: I for one knew that it wouldn't be a walk in the park.
Touma: Figures. More like cry a lot and tragedy and stuff…
Seiri: Well, if that was the case… I can do something about it.
Pierce: Where did she go? She just arrived.
Touma: She's probably going to suplex the Author.
Shujin: I for one can see that coming. Good luck Author I hope she didn't break your spine.
Kazari: Misaka-san, this is the first time I saw so many Tokiwadai students.
Ruiko: Yeah, what's the deal with this Hasekura-san?
Mikoto: Her? She has mastery over controlling liquid, that means that she's…
Author: A JACKED UP COMBINATION OF YUU AND WANNAI! GAAAAAAAH!...
Shujin: Well there she goes, the suplex has a nice form.
Touma: Rough luck for him…
