Chapter 3 - Ashes in the Wind
The freezing cold of the night was the only thing brave enough to pierce through the dense silence. Kamijou understood that things were far from ideal. He hadn't expected it to be a walk in the park, where he could just clench his fist and swing it around and everything would be resolved by the end of the day. But this was only his first day and the whole situation had already exceeded any expectations he had.
"How many people are in this state?" Kamijou asked, unable to bring himself to look at the lifeless body on the ground. A lump formed in his throat every time he tried. "At least tell me there are more monsters out there than people who were forced to become one."
"We don't know," replied Leader, her head nodding lethargically. "I'd venture to say there are more regular PBs than Shattereds. You don't typically come across hordes of them alongside PBs during the day, but who's to say for sure?"
The best course of action was to hope he wouldn't encounter any more of these things. At least the 'normal PB' didn't appear to possess any form of life or soul. He understood the same probably applied to the Shattereds, but dwelling on it now made him feel queasy.
"We need to deal with the body," Leader stated. "Yakumaru, did you bring that solvent today?"
"Yes, but this is too close to the base. It would attract too much attention. We'd be better off burning it."
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Kamijou exclaimed in exasperation. "Dissolving? Burning? Isn't that too extreme?"
If he was going to be honest, his opinion on cremation was indifferent at best, but he believed that it should be the choice of the deceased person or their family. Simply going ahead and burning someone's body like that seemed ethically wrong to him.
"It's necessary," Leader stated firmly. "Even if he wasn't a Shattered, allowing his body to decompose out here in the open is a terrible idea. But the fact that he is one makes it even worse." She approached the body and ran her hand slowly over the crystalline thing coming out of the body. "A wound like that is no guarantee that he'll stay dead, this parasite will do anything to keep its host alive."
"Are you telling me that this thing can make this guy stand up with his brain destroyed like that?"
The very thought of such a gruesome scenario turned his stomach.
"Probably," Leader continued, stepping back and adjusting her backpack. She retrieved another map. "That's why we need to get rid of the body. Burning it to ashes is the best option." She examined the map in her hands, her attentive eyes gliding over it with haste. "That incinerator east of here is still operational as far as I remember. Does anyone volunteer to go there?"
"Wouldn't it be better if we all went together?" Yakumaru asked, her voice filled with concern. "I'm not keen on wandering alone with a body during the early evening."
"We must complete our mission today," said Leader. She traced a route on the map with her index finger for Yakumaru to examine. "The incinerator is significantly off our planned path. If we trek there as a group, we won't have much time to rest and continue on to the radio tower before dawn."
"But even so," said Seike, entering the conversation with a serious tone. "Splitting up is not a good idea. If we have to deal with PB, then let it be the whole team."
"In that case," Kamijou captured everyone's attention, "leave it to me."
As a ritual to gather his resolve, he took a deep breath and slammed his fist into his open palm. He wanted to do something for that person who couldn't even rest in peace, even if it was something that seemed so cruel. If Kamijou just went with the flow and didn't act, that whole river of bad feelings would drown him, so he needed to move, to keep his mind occupied.
"Are you sure?" Leader inquired, offering him the map and indicating a location. "The incinerator is roughly five kilometers from here. It might not seem like much, but you have to face the cold night and any potential monsters that may unexpectedly emerge while you're transporting a body."
Kamijou had already begun to respond, but his words were cut off by a female voice.
"I'll go with him," said Naru, giving Kamijou a friendly nod. "If we stick together, it's safer, right?"
The way she said it caught his attention. It even sounded as if she believed she had done something wrong and was trying to make amends. That was reassuring, as it suggested that this girl wasn't someone who felt no remorse after taking a life like that without any hesitation.
A simple smile appeared on Kamijou's face, and he received a smile in return from Naru.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," complained Seike. He sighed and stared at the sky above him. "Truth be told, you two are our best fighters."
"Thank you, Seike-kun," Naru said, waving her hands in a cute manner. "But shouldn't that be a good thing? We can handle whatever comes our way, right, Kami?"
"Kami?" The boy with spiky hair didn't quite know how to react to that.
"That's the problem, Naru," explained Yakumaru, moving closer and draping her arm around Naru's shoulders. "You're our ace, and that scary guy over there can take down a PB without even breaking a sweat. If our best leave us like this, what will become of us?"
"Oh! That's true!" Naru shook her head and pouted. She then squinted at Kamijou. "But..."
Naru appeared torn about her decision, but Leader cut her off before she could make up her mind.
"Naru is right."
"Um... what?" Seike narrowed his eyes in Leader's direction.
"These two can truly handle anything that comes their way. Their combat prowess is so exceptional that if they go to the incinerator together, it will be a swift task, so we can regroup afterwards at the nearest outpost."
"Hmm..." Yakumaru looked skeptical, fixing Leader with a sharp gaze. "You're making it sound like you're using them both as bait or something. But you're our leader, so I won't complain." She then turned her serious gaze toward Kamijou. "You there, you'd better take good care of my innocent Naru-chan. She's strong, but she can get carried away easily. Can I count on you?"
To reassure the girl, Kamijou smiled and clenched his right fist firmly.
"Don't worry," he said, now looking at Naru. "I'm the kind of person who doesn't go down easy when it comes to protecting someone. Your friend is safe with me, I promise."
Yakumaru seemed to appreciate the response, nodding several times in satisfaction.
"I think that settles it," said Leader, looking at the time on her wristwatch. "We've lost a lot of time, let's get on with the mission. Good luck, you two."
x-2-x
The Scavenger group dispersed and embarked on their separate paths through the chilly night. Kamijou now held a map with a prominent red X marking their destination. It struck him as odd that Yakumaru had taken the trouble to mark the map for them. If he had been alone, it would make sense, but shouldn't the girl accompanying him already know the place?
"Look, Kami, did I do a good job?" Naru asked with a smile.
The girl was gesturing toward a 'mummy' lying on the asphalt. She appeared so pleased with her accomplishment that she had her arms outstretched toward the body wrapped in paper, like someone introducing a famous person before the curtains opened to reveal them on stage.
"Not bad," he said. "You have a very useful power, I'm glad you chose to come with me."
"Heehee... it was nothing." She gave a childlike smile and glanced away, seeming somewhat embarrassed. It appeared she enjoyed receiving compliments. "Your power is incredible too, although I still don't understand how it works."
"Explaining it wouldn't be an easy task."
It was better that he didn't start talking about magic and the collective will and fear of its users in wanting to remain in the world not distorted too much by it. Instead, he approached the paper 'mummy,' gripping it firmly and hoisting it onto his shoulder in a single fluid motion. He took care not to nullify the girl's power. It was heavy, considering it was dead weight, but he was used to carrying people around on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"But it's still a first time," he muttered to himself. His heart felt heavy at the thought of someone dead in there, wrapped in countless layers of paper, destined for incineration. "Stay focused, Kamijou Touma."
"Did you say something, Kami?" asked the girl. Her face was a little too close to his, her sweet scent lingering.
"Eh? No." He shook his head nervously. "Let's go, there's no time to waste."
Their walk was now even faster than before, but the reason for this was that the two weren't worried about any monsters that might come their way, unlike before. Consequently, they crossed wide streets and parks without attempting to locate strategic points for cover that might grant them an advantage against a PB.
Kamijou couldn't be entirely blamed for this recklessness. He would have preferred a bit more caution, especially given the fact that he was carrying someone. The issue was that this girl, for lack of a better term, was exceedingly 'restless.'
Naru not only walked nonchalantly by his side but occasionally broke into circles around him out of the blue, with steps resembling a dance. She would also perform a few jumps and then descend gracefully, using her umbrella as a makeshift parachute. Kamijou had no idea if this behavior had a specific purpose. Probably some survival technique he was still too much of an amateur to comprehend.
"So much fun!" she exclaimed, landing with her umbrella right beside him
Or maybe she was just a complete idiot.
"Aren't you too relaxed?" he asked exasperatedly, adjusting the 'luggage' on his shoulder. "You're making me nervous."
"Don't be such a spoiler, Kami." She touched his nose with the tip of her index finger and smiled playfully. "After all, you're different from the others."
"What are you talking about?"
"I have no idea." She shrugged. She genuinely didn't have any idea. "I just know you're different."
"I think you're mistaken. I'm just a normal boy you could find anywhere."
"Most 'normal boys' can't walk for kilometers with a weight like that on their shoulders without getting all out of breath." Naru gestured with her umbrella toward the load on his shoulders. "Are you using your powers for that, or are you just crazy fit?"
"The latter." He sighed so loudly that it echoed through the night. If there had been a cat in an alley nearby, it might have meowed in fright. "I've had my fair share of trouble in the past, thanks to my bad luck. At least now I have a lot of confidence in my endurance."
"Bad luck?" Naru grimaced, but there was a strange glint in her eyes. "Is that a problem for you as well?"
Wait a minute, was that girl trying to imply that she was one of his kind? Kamijou even stopped walking momentarily. His arm trembled, and his lips moved slowly, as if savoring the words to come.
"You mean..." He swallowed the saliva forming. "Are you trying to tell me... that you're cursed by misfortune too? Is that what I'm hearing, Sakuragi Naruha?"
"Why did you use my full name, Kami? I'm getting scared."
"Answer the damn question!"
"Eek!" Naru staggered awkwardly and almost fell on her butt. "Yes, I tend to be unlucky and have to face invincible monsters constantly, even before the world got like this. My horoscope? It only gets it right when it predicts doom and gloom, even though it's nonsense most of the time. I've pretty much learned to ignore anything good. So, yeah, that's me. Anyway, please stop looking at me like that!"
"Hahaha." He nodded after letting out a dry laugh. A tear almost welled up in the corner of his eye at this revelation. "That was oddly beautiful."
The boy regarded her with the expression of someone who had just witnessed a train collision, one of those involving freight trains that were automated, so no one was harmed. It was a spectacle both magnificent and dreadful, with its own kind of beauty. He would have applauded if he hadn't been carrying someone.
"Are you making fun of me, Kami? Mean." She gave him a cute pout and nudged him lightly with the tip of her umbrella.
"Not exactly making fun. It's just that it's so rare to encounter someone so thoroughly disliked by the universe that I can't resist making a remark." Kamijou wiped his face to ensure no tears had escaped. "By the way, why did you start calling me Kami out of the blue?"
"Isn't it obvious?" She smiled and then extended her right hand. One of the papers from the sleeve of her clothes detached and landed in her open palm. "That's what I'm going to call you now, 'Kami'."
His head tilted at the gesture. It wasn't as if he opposed nicknames, and this one actually made sense coming from her.
"Paper, huh?" he mused, a smile forming at the corner of his lips. "Playing with the pronunciation of my name like that, clever girl. I like it."
"Heehee... you're making me blush... heehee."
Perhaps it was the weight of the world around him, but he was genuinely happy to find amusement in something so trivial. In that moment, he felt light. There was still hope as long as he could maintain that feeling.
x-3-x
"We're here," said Kamijou, confirming the location on the map.
They had been walking for just over an hour, maintaining a steady pace but with a few stops for Naru to take a few leaps forward to check that everything was safe. In the end, she wasn't an incompetent idiot, although it seemed that way at times.
The place appeared to be a warehouse that looked abandoned, nestled within a desolate vacant lot, overgrown with weeds, and cluttered with debris, encapsulated by mottled, towering walls. The entrance was guarded by a rusted, creaking gate, a relic of better days long past. If Kamijou remembered correctly, this place had once served as an arms factory for Anti-Skill. However, now it seemed that people were using it as a disposal site for corpses that would otherwise litter the streets.
"Hold it!"
Kamijou barely had time to step into the territory when someone immediately halted him. It was a male voice, muffled behind a metal mask resembling those worn by plague doctors in the past. If the mask didn't intimidate, the assault rifle in his hand certainly did.
Imagine Breaker was not effective against bullets made by completely normal means, so if he was alone, this was a good time for him to look around and try to run for the nearest cover.
"Can you put that thing down?"
But Naru took a determined step forward toward the masked man who stood beyond the chain-locked gate. Her expression was unlike her usual demeanor, appearing almost angry.
"We have a body for you," she continued, her voice sharp and her expression serious. She pointed her umbrella in the direction of his gun. "Now, be of some use, you parasite, or I'll force you to swallow this useless toy before any of your friends arrive."
Even with the mask concealing his face, you could tell by the way his shoulders slumped that the man there was quite intimidated by those cold words.
"Shattered?" asked the man, lowering his gun. Kamijou also noticed that he was making an effort to keep his voice steady. He removed the chains and opened the gate to allow them to enter. "Or did you kids get carried away again?"
"Our leader is avoiding trouble at all costs, so the answer is obvious," Naru replied, making a nonchalant gesture as she casually pushed the gate and the man aside. "Give it to him, Kami. The vultures will take care of the rest."
After the boy left the body in the man's care, he followed the girl who was walking around as casually and lightly as ever. They walked through that vast place, with peeling walls and rusted beams, casting their contours onto the refurbished concrete that had once borne the relentless force of heavy machinery. The freshly polished floor displayed old scars, remnants of the arduous battle between degradation and renewal. But the most striking aspect there was the presence of the people who worked here, clad in their black attire and faces concealed beneath characteristic masks adorned with long beaks.
"Did you call them vultures?" asked Kamijou, looking at the group of people dressed in black.
"That's what we all call them. They are a subordinate group of the 'Coalescence', one of the four major factions and made up of several adults. They usually take care of the corpses in exchange for favors, among other things."
That place had undergone a complete metamorphosis, now playing a dual role as a night shelter and a colossal furnace. Its appearance, although highly technological, revealed, on closer inspection, the mark of meticulous manual labor, perhaps a necessity imposed by the scarcity of energy. Dark sacks, contoured around the human form, waited in rows, silently clustered in front of the room, destined to disappear into the hungry bowels of the flames.
"Are there that many Shattereds?" asked Kamijou, unable to take his eyes off those dead people whose faces he couldn't see.
"I think most of them are normal corpses. We've seen a lot of faction wars lately."
The way she responded came across as excessively cold, primarily due to her abrupt and direct manner. Her voice remained soft, a departure from the way she had spoken to the man earlier, but it retained a certain hardness, almost devoid of emotion.
So many people there. So many lives ended. This was the new reality before him, one that was hard to swallow. Kamijou knew that he had to accept that there was nothing he could do, that people would continue to be brought to this place to be burned, discarded, with the simplicity and naturalness of someone throwing away a spent match. But... if he could find a way to put an end to it...
"The PBs," said Kamijou, stopping near a wall to lean towards it. "Where did they come from?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure." Naru touched her chin with her index finger and then also leaned on the wall to stand next to him. "All I know is that it was the adults' fault."
"That doesn't explain much."
"I know, but nobody knows for sure what happened. The most accepted theory is that they are monsters created as an Esper countermeasure. Some stupid adult ended up letting them escape from whatever laboratory they were created in and then... it happened."
Something didn't quite add up. Kamijou narrowed his eyes, his thoughts turning contemplative as a nagging suspicion gnawed at the corners of his mind. The notion that these entities were lab-engineered didn't quite align logically. If they were entirely products of scientific creation, the Imagine Breaker should have been ineffective against them. His right hand worked even better on those things than on the elements, judging by the explosive effect he had witnessed, so something was wrong, there was no doubt about it.
"At first, it was easy," the girl continued, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, her expression pensive. "Those things were weak, and there weren't many different types. It was almost fun to take on a dozen of them, like a good warm-up. But things got out of hand pretty quickly."
"Because of what you told me, about them evolving?"
She nodded, turning her gaze toward him.
"The more of them we destroyed, the stronger they became. There came a time when high-level espers found it hard to fight a single PB." She sighed, as if remembering something bad. "Then the dumb adults got this crazy idea of trying to control it all by making the city super hot. They thought those things didn't like that kind of stuff."
"Like last time, then?"
"Yeah, but this time, it barely lasted a week before the creatures adapted and ended up liking the heat. They came back more aggressive, and much more deadly too. To make things even worse, the whole microwave fried a bunch of the city's stuff. They even locked people in here, turning it into a quarantine zone. And now you can see the mess we're in."
As she said this, Naru shot a venomous glare at the people in bird masks who were disposing of the bodies there. Kamijou could now understand a bit more why she was so furious with that guy at the gate.
"It's not their fault," said Kamijou softly. "The people responsible for this may be adults, but not all of them are bad."
"Don't be sure of that." She shrugged. "Adults, and especially teachers, are a bunch of useless failures. They could all die for all I care."
This was the first time he had seen Naru speak in such a cruel tone. The energetic and friendly girl could no longer be seen there, the shadow of the hatred she felt towards those people had hidden it until it left no trace.
But he wasn't intimidated, this wasn't the first person with shadows like that in their expression that he'd dealt with.
"Thinking like that will only hurt you in the long run," he said, looking deep into her eyes. "One day you'll be one of them after all."
"It's not gonna happen." She didn't seem to want to talk about it. "Drop it, Kami. I know what you're doing. Don't let appearances fool you, I'm not an idiot."
"All right then." It was his turn to shrug nonchalantly.
"Huh?"
It was nice to see her let her guard down like that, her angry face becoming confused, her head tilting in contemplation. He really took her by surprise.
"The adult world is a strange thing," he continued, now looking around that place turned into a furnace, "so it's only fair that children like us object to the way they do things. I'm one of those children."
"So..." Naru seemed to be choosing her words carefully, something that seemed strange in Kamijou's opinion. "Do you hate adults too?"
"I don't think so." Again he shrugged, then raised his index finger and wagged it. "They keep causing me trouble, playing tricks on me, using me and most of the time without giving me anything in return."
"Heehee... exactly!" Naru seemed proud of something.
"But I can't say I hate them."
Naru's expression became momentarily unreadable. She seemed to expect him to add something, but Kamijou remained silent and smiled. How confused should she be now?
"You're strange, Kami," she said in a neutral tone.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because if people are mean to you, it's only fair that you hate them."
"Really? Well, I must be strange then. But don't worry, it's fine with me if you hate people who are mean to you. It's a natural thing after all."
"Yeah, I'm right, aren't I?"
"Of course." He nodded and then pointed to a specific person among the bodies. "For example, that guy over there who greeted us at the gate, he probably hates you. You were pretty mean to him after all."
"Yeah... I mean, I don't like him so..." She suddenly stopped talking and looked in the guy's direction. "I hate him then... it's only fair that he hates me but... I'm the one who's right here. Right?"
The question was not directed at him, but at herself.
Kamijou had employed a psychological tactic based on the concept of "confirmation bias." People are naturally inclined to seek information that supports their existing opinions and tend to dismiss new information that contradicts their beliefs. By never attempting to prove her wrong, Kamijou ensured that she wouldn't feel compelled to disprove him, which would have forced her to question her own beliefs. Consequently, she remained entrenched in her own way of thinking, regardless of how the conversation concluded. It's a good thing Kamijou Touma paid attention to Komoe-sensei's lessons.
"Well, that doesn't change anything," he continued, after letting the girl think for herself for a while. "Adults help us, so we should try to get along with them regardless of what we think. Not all of them are bad people, I've met many who are much better people than me."
"If you say..."
One day she would understand the cycle she was trapped in, but that day wouldn't be today. At least, he received that adorable pout as a response to his efforts to alter her way of thinking. That girl wasn't a bad person either, maybe she'd just had a hard life. Just like so many children here in this city.
x-4-x
The two had to wait a few minutes for the process to be completed. Shattered had priority in the sorting for obvious reasons, which was convenient at the moment considering the number of bodies there.
But Kamijou wondered why they had to wait in the first place, but his answer came soon enough.
"Sign here," said a masked man, handing Naru a clipboard.
The girl did as he asked without complaint. When she had finished, the man signaled to another "employee" there, who came up to them with something strange in his hands.
It glowed in a peculiar way, distorting the very light that touched it. It was like a strange crystal or prism and stretched for at least half a meter. It was a creature that resembled a mixture of a centipede and a scorpion.
"Your trophy," said the man, handing the thing to Naru. "Take care-"
"Yeah, I know," Naru cut him off, slightly annoyed.
That in Naru's hands was what was left of the body of that poor boy she had 'killed' earlier. Actually, to say that it was left over from his body was strange. It was nothing more than the parasite that was lodged in his body, everything else around it had been charred to ashes, but that thing was still intact.
"You could take care of burying this one too, it would save us the trouble," Naru grumbled, unfurling her umbrella to wrap the creature in paper.
"We're understaffed," the masked man replied, scratching his head and avoiding eye contact. "That faction is causing chaos. One of our units got attacked and looted by that level 4 girl with the bob cut. Our weapons were useless against her, she's a real monster."
"Are they trying to arm themselves?" Naru inquired. "Wasn't usable ammunition becoming scarce?"
"Scarce is an understatement, we're running low on almost everything. They probably intend to trade these weapons for something valuable from an unsuspecting minor faction that's unaware of the situation. I've heard they're running short on medicine too. There have been reports of some of their goons kidnapping people in the neighborhood for extortion. You should be cautious."
Kamijou hardly understood what the conversation was about, but it was good to know that he wouldn't find so many firearms out there. If he had to fight espers and monsters, he would probably be fine, but the situation would be complicated if an armed group lurked around.
After a sigh of relief, the spiky-haired boy touched Naru's shoulder to get her attention.
"Um... Kami?"
"Can I take a look at this?" He referred to the crystalline creature wrapped in her hands.
Even the man there seemed curious about the boy's intentions.
Kamijou held the thing with his left hand, Naru undoing the wrapping and turning the papers into an umbrella again. Just one touch of the index finger of that right hand and a distinctive sound rang out through the place. Even though he was masked, one could tell that the man blinked in confusion as he contemplated the scene.
"What?" The masked man even raised his palms in a bewildered gesture. Evidently, it wasn't an everyday occurrence for him to witness a PB being obliterated in a controlled explosion. "What esper power do you have there, kid?"
"None," Kamijou replied casually. "I suppose that settles it, doesn't it, Naru?"
The girl smiled in response and nodded.
As they exited, the men accompanying them appeared somewhat uncomfortable, maintaining a cautious distance, especially from Kamijou. Just like the time he destroyed that abomination, people seemed to be wary of anyone who seemed so powerful. The boy couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.
"Your powers are seriously awesome, Kami," Naru said, extending her umbrella and taking the lead. Her stroll caused the bunny tail on her outfit to sway back and forth, something he found very cute. "I bet Leader's gonna be seriously impressed when we hit the outpost this fast."
"Did she expect us to spend more time burying that parasite or something?"
"It's like, standard procedure stuff," Naru replied, turning toward him. He awkwardly averted his gaze because he'd been focusing a bit too much on that bunny tail. "Some of the others were kinda unsure about you joining our crew, but I was totally stoked from the get-go. Having someone this strong with us is gonna be amazing!"
The energetic tone and sense of relaxation had returned in full force as soon as they distanced themselves from the adults. It was a welcome relief. His heart appeared to be slowly dispelling the dark emotions that had been consuming him, cleansing his body of all that negativity.
But what was it about that adorable girl praising him like that? Well, from her perspective, he might come across as someone amazing... perhaps... just maybe. It was probably best not to dwell on it too much.
"So," he said, clearing his throat loudly and pulling the map out of his sweatshirt pocket. "Next stop outpost, right?"
"Yep." She approached him from his left side. The soft skin of her arm brushed lightly against his, but she didn't seem to mind. "It's right over there, by the radio tower. Chances are it got raided, but fingers crossed, right? It'd be awesome if we scored some grub."
"Hmm... if there's a stove there I can prepare something for us."
"Do you cook, Kami? That's cool. How about making me some sweets?"
"Let's see what options we have when we get there."
"Yay! This night is shaping up to be absolutely fantastic." Naru threw her hands up in the air and celebrated with a few joyful jumps. "I swear, if that outpost has been raided, I'll go alone to New ITEM's base and kick #4's ass myself. Nobody messes with my sweets!"
Kamijou had to hope the girl was joking, he doubted she could protect herself from a pure electron beam using paper.
"Hey, Kami, hold my waist."
His thoughts stopped for half a second when the girl said that, her gaze on him as she smiled nonchalantly.
"What?" He was sure he had heard wrong.
"Here." Naru was already on the boy's left side, so she grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her slender waist without hesitation. She didn't even seem to mind his blood pressure going out of control momentarily. "Hold on tight, okay? I won't be responsible if you fall face-first onto the asphalt."
"What are you-"
Before Kamijou could say anything, the girl also held him tightly, and soon he felt the ground beneath his feet suddenly move away.
The girl sported paper wings on her back, and with a mere flutter of her wings, they ascended to a height of five or six stories. The boy found himself tightening his grip around the girl's waist as his initial embarrassment gave way to sudden fear. They landed on a building after the girl used the umbrella as a kind of hang glider.
"Naru," Kamijou sighed deeply, inhaling the brisk night air. "Could you at least give me a heads-up when you're about to pull off such a daring maneuver? Poor Kamijou-san's heart has been through quite a lot in the last 24 hours."
"Aw, come on, Kami. You totally had a blast." she teased, playfully tapping his nose with her index finger. "Plus, we needed to get up high so I could check something out."
Naru sounded much more serious than usual. He followed her as she walked to the edge of the building's terrace.
"Take a look." Naru leaned over the parapet and pointed to a distant spot.
People were there, about 70 meters away. It was a group of eight walking in the deserted streets, but there was a ninth person there. Kamijou's fist clenched the moment he realized what was happening.
"That guy mentioned they were kidnapping people," Naru continued, her eyes fixed on those boys who appeared to be their age. "But this is just too much."
A black-haired girl was being forcibly dragged away. What made it even worse was that the boys weren't carrying her while she was unconscious. Instead, the girl was gagged, bound with ropes all over her body, and being dragged through the city streets. The duration of her ordeal remained unknown.
Kamijou's anger surged at the sheer cruelty of the situation.
"Looks like it's not a new victim," said Naru, leaning over to try and examine the scene better. "Our bad luck must be pretty bad for us to come across something like this."
"Good," said Kamijou, a grim expression on his face "If my bad luck gets me into these situations, then it's not something I should complain about." There was no time to lose, so he grabbed the girl around the waist once more, pushing the embarrassment away. "Naru, take me there."
"Kami, what are you thinking of doing?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
The girl smiled slightly at that.
"I see," she said as she opened the umbrella. "You really are different. But just so you know, if we approach suddenly, they'll probably kill her before we have a chance to do anything. Unless they want to make an 'exhibition'."
"What would that be?"
"You can think of it as a kind of 'ritual'." Naru made a serious expression, she seemed to be thinking about what she would say next. "That girl was probably taken to a hideout to be interrogated. They start by leaving the person without food and water for at least two days, so it's difficult to use esper powers. But that girl... she's tough."
There was a certain admiration in her tone, but Kamijou was more interested in getting down there and resolving the situation once and for all.
"She's lucky I saw her from a distance," said Naru, preparing to jump. "If no one helps her, she'll be nailed to a post or wall and left to be killed by a PB or Shattered."
"What kind of cruelty is this? Why on earth would anyone do that?"
"It's like a message to her faction. But don't worry, luck is on her side tonight."
x-5-x
"Okay, it could be here," said a boy with bleached hair, pointing to a wall of a ruined building.
"Are you sure you want to do this, boss? It's too early to pick a fight with that faction of girls."
"Our leader doesn't seem to give a damn, so why should I?"
The boy with the bleached hair, the leader of the group, stepped forward among the boys to take a closer look at the poor girl tied up there. Her empty eyes locked onto his. In her deplorable state, tying her up like that was an exaggeration.
"Take the gag off her," the boy ordered. He waited for one of the men to obey him and then bent down to get closer to her face. "Last chance, cutie. Tell me where you rich little girls keep your things."
The girl with the long, black hair clenched her jaw in unwavering resolve. She didn't even bother to part her lips, perhaps because her frailty had left her voiceless, or maybe it was a conscious choice to let her unyielding spirit shine through. Her pallid face remained devoid of expression, as cold as stone, acting as a shield, an attempt at intimidation. It was difficult to discern whether this was accentuated by the scratches etched upon her body and face, with each mark serving as a testament to the trials she had faced and conquered, akin to battle scars on a fearless warrior's armor.
"Tough as ever," the boy commented, a wicked smile sliding across his lip. "Maybe we've just been too kind to you. Watch this." He touched her cheek with the back of his hand, but the girl pulled her face away. "How about I leave a mark on that pretty face?"
A snap of his fingers later, a small flame like that of a lighter appeared on the tip of the boy's index finger. He gazed at it, looking through the glow reflecting in the bound girl's empty eyes.
"So, do you want to start talking now?" He brought the flame perilously close to her face, and a strand of her hair sizzled upon contact, releasing a puff of white smoke into the air.
The girl remained undeterred, her gaze locked onto his eyes, her words emerging with effort.
"Go... to... hell..."
"Oh, that's a sharp tongue you've got there," the boy replied, seemingly unfazed by her retort. He grinned mischievously and directed the flame towards her face. "Maybe I should start by burning it then. After all, it doesn't seem like you have any intention of using it for anything worthwhile, do you?"
The flame on his fingertip intensified, and the mere touch of it would inflict a substantial wound on the girl. In her current state, the shock or agony alone might prove fatal.
But, another kind of fire still burned in that world.
Just as the boy was about to unleash the fiery assault on her, one of his henchmen was sent hurtling through the air, crashing into the wall of a nearby building with tremendous force. It was as though a medieval mace had struck him, shattering into multiple fragments that returned to the source of the attack.
"Paper?" asked one of the boys, before being thrown flying by a shield blow to the chin.
Forgetting the weak girl for the moment, the boy turned his back to try and understand what was going on. Just then, another person was sent flying into the night, but by a different, more traditional method.
In this case, a certain boy with spiky hair had punched him hard in the face.
"Nice hit Kami!"
There were only two of them. One was a girl with short purple hair, wearing an outfit that looked like a maid's and with a skull tattoo below her eye. She had an umbrella in her hand, which turned into a giant spear when she swung it sideways.
"Focus on saving the girl, Naru. We don't need to defeat all of them."
The other was a simple-looking boy. The only feature that stood out was his spiky hair, but the expression on his face was rather intimidating. It would work if he wasn't facing a high-level esper.
"But it would be much more fun to finish them all off." The girl swung her spear towards the group.
"Leave that one to me!"
One of the henchmen threw himself at the spear, as if in an act of desperation. Yet, instead of being impaled, he swiftly maneuvered his arm upward, causing the spear to veer off in that direction, as though he had forcefully redirected it by colliding with an unseen object.
"Huh?" The girl tilted her head and turned the spear back into an umbrella. "Psychokinesis I imagine. Now I'm excited. Hey Kami, I'll leave the others to you, that guy over there is mine."
"What did I say about not having to defeat them?"
"Here we go!"
x-6-x
Kamijou's blood was boiling at that moment. If the two of them had taken a second longer, that guy with the bleached hair would have mercilessly burned the face of that poor girl tied up on the cold floor like someone branding an animal. Though consumed by anger, Kamijou fought to maintain his composure and think logically. However, his partner had a different agenda in mind.
"What a troublesome girl," said Kamijou in a whisper, looking at the two espers who had moved away from the group to fight without interruption. "Leaving me here to fight the rest alone."
It was four against one. They didn't have any weapons with them, but he still had to keep an eye out to make sure one of them didn't pull a knife out of a pocket, something not so uncommon in an alley brawl. Besides, fighting more than two people in such a place was complicated. Kamijou could deal with up to three opponents directly, but he had to make sure he wasn't surrounded, something that was practically impossible on a wide street like this, and trying to lure them into a narrower place was out of the question.
"Are you an esper, boy?" asked the leader of the group, crossing his arms arrogantly. "That was quite a punch but I don't know if you used any power. Something tells me you're a level 0."
"Come here and find out," spat Kamijou, clenching his fists and raising his guard.
"Sorry, I'm busy right now." He made a disinterested hand gesture and looked in the direction where Naru was fighting. "You're not worth my time. Take care of him."
Kamijou's strategy revolved around luring their leader, aiming to catch him off guard and incapacitate him swiftly, consequently shattering the morale of the remaining adversaries. But taking him out of the fight momentarily like that was also a good thing.
The three henchmen advanced towards the boy, but they weren't coming in a coordinated fashion. One of them, the middle one with dyed gray hair, advanced carelessly in front of everyone. His fighting stance was good; trying to face him head-on could be bad.
But that's exactly what Kamijou did.
With rapid strides, he closed the distance between himself and the boy with dyed hair, intercepting him before the other two could join the fray. Kamijou's fist surged forward, and a faint smile played across the delinquent's face as he effortlessly sidestepped the sluggish and feeble attack.
"Nice try, asshole," spat the delinquent, but Kamijou just smiled.
A scream rang out in the night, coming from the dyed-haired delinquent's mouth just after Kamijou had stomped down on his foot with all his might. It turned out that the punch was nothing more than a feint, thrown with little energy so as to be easy to dodge on purpose, the real attack hit hard when the opening caused by the boy's arrogance distracted him.
Without waiting for the delinquent to recover, Kamijou hit him with a headbutt, he didn't aim for the forehead, he actually broke the boy's nose mercilessly. Blood spurted from the broken nose, and the poor delinquent fell to the ground, losing consciousness from the impact and the sudden pain.
But it wasn't over yet. Two more to go and the leader.
One of them tried to hit him in the face, while the other kicked him in the side. Instead of focusing on dodging the attacks individually, the spiky-haired boy simply threw himself to the ground and rolled twice, taking distance from any attack coming his way. But it didn't last long. The two of them chased him, preparing their attacks before he had time to plant both feet on the ground. However, Kamijou had expected this.
The moment the two remaining delinquents advanced at the same time, the boy swung his hand and opened his fist. It wasn't an attack, at least not a traditional one. Throwing himself to the ground like that was deliberate, not just to dodge the attack, but to grab something from the ground without anyone noticing.
"You cheating bastard!"
One of the boys screamed when he got a load of dirt straight in the eye.
Kamijou was not a martial artist. He had experience in alley fights, sure, and he could hold his own in one-on-one combat, but he wasn't someone with military training. If he was at a disadvantage, then he would use everything at his disposal to level the playing field.
One day he was defeated by a certain spy who overwhelmed him with forbidden and unconventional techniques, and although he himself couldn't reproduce many of those techniques, some were quite simple. A mere stomp at the right moment to throw the enemy off balance, depriving them of their sight using dirt or his own blood, or even biting them in sensitive places in a desperate measure. It was all in the deck of possibilities that someone who had to adapt to survive like him could use.
And his fist would take care of the rest.
"Back off, you idiots," bellowed the gang's leader, prompting the boys to hastily retreat at the commanding tone of his voice. "You asked for it, you fucking cheat!"
Someone had gotten angry, that giant fireball forming in his hands made that clear.
x-7-x
Nearby, a paper mace struck the building's wall with great force, sending debris scattering in all directions.
"How boring," said Naru, throwing another paper spear in the direction of the black-haired delinquent. "Couldn't you just let yourself be hit? I don't like these kind of boring fights."
"You could just give up then." The boy shrugged. "My psychokinesis allows me to twist the air around me. That way I can change the direction of projectiles thrown in my direction. No matter how hard you try, you won't hit me."
"So that's it?" Naru nodded and then looked at the fight going on a few meters away. "Kami seems to be taking it easy on his friends, so I thought I could do the same, but this is too boring." Her clothes moved, detaching from her body and turning into purple paper rippling in the night. "If your power is psychokinesis like mine, then this is easy to solve."
"What the hell are you doing, you exhibitionist?!"
Naru's clothes fell apart, causing her pale skin to be shamelessly displayed, but she at least took the trouble to leave the important parts covered by a few pieces of paper. With a wave of her arm, a swirl of paper formed around her.
She snapped her fingers with an air of theatricality, her eyes locked on the heavens above. The papers, under her masterful control, moved with grace and precision, resembling an orchestra's musicians playing in perfect harmony. They unfurled in all directions, resembling colossal yet delicately thin hands that began to snake around her opponent, morphed and twisted, forming intricate patterns and shapes in the air, as if engaged in a mesmerizing dance.
"That's useless," said the man confidently, moving his arms to ward off the hands coming towards him.
"So all I have to do is keep attacking."
The sheer abundance of papers obscured the man's view to the point that he couldn't possibly discern the girl standing amidst the cluttered street. She clapped her hands together, the papers crashing against something invisible around him, some were deflected, but others continued to force their way through the invisible barrier.
"What?!" He finally looked worried, his face showing tremendous effort. "What kind of trick is that?"
"It's not a trick," she said simply, as casual as someone saying what time it is. "As I said, I just have to keep attacking. Tricks are unnecessary against someone so boring, I just need brute force and that's all."
The papers closed a cage around the man, advancing, shattering that invisible shield as several spread through the night in a whirlwind of death and destruction. The ground around the boy cracked, his face now contorted into a grimace.
"Wait!" he pleaded, struggling to keep up that invisible shield. "If you keep pushing everything like this I-"
"Who says I'm using everything I have?"
A mocking smile appeared on her face, and then the papers finally broke through that defense. Sounds that shouldn't escape a human body rang out in the night, and the boy's scream echoed as he was crushed by that oppressive attack that pierced his defense.
"Boring," said the girl, snapping her fingers once again. "You've probably felt the same way at some point, haven't you?"
As she said this, the papers around the man stopped. The whole attack was canceled and the papers came together again to form the girl's clothes. With the lightness of someone strolling in a park, she went over to the man lying on the ground, crushed by all that pressure, but still breathing.
"I could have put an end to that," she said, throwing the umbrella over her shoulder and smiling childishly, "but being without clothes for so long at night will make me catch a cold, and that would be a threat, don't you think?"
"You... fucking monster."
"Huuh?!" The girl even sounded exasperated. "I don't like that kind of praise. It's like someone praising a person after they've crushed an annoying ant." She leaned over to look at the almost unconscious boy's face. "To put it harshly, it makes no difference whether I'm strong or not, after all... you're just too weak."
She finished the job by delivering a forceful stomp to the boy's face, resulting in his immediate loss of consciousness. Following this act, a look of uncertainty quickly washed over her features.
"I didn't kill him," she muttered. Her gaze drifted to another fight going on right there. "I guess that's how he prefers it. Is that how strong people act?"
x-8-x
"Burn until there's nothing left!"
A mass of flames consumed all the air around them and spread out in a crimson explosion. They concentrated and went straight for the spiky-haired boy standing there, who reflexively raised his right hand to cover his eyes because of the glare.
The sea of flames closed in, burning so intensely that even the asphalt melted like sugar in some places. Any normal person would have been burned beyond recognition, and if the flames continued, he would have been nothing but ashes within minutes.
"That settles it, " said the bleached-haired boy, leader of that gang. "Now let's get rid of that paper bitch"
The flames twitched strangely at that moment. From an outsider's view, it was as if a great gust of wind was blowing the heat away, causing it to recede.
The face of the leader and also of the other two boys there contorted into a strange grimace, his eyebrows slightly raised, his mouth slowly opening in surprise. It made sense, it was a senseless scene after all.
From the middle of the flames that had turned part of the street into an inferno, a right hand appeared. It was like a windshield sweeping away raindrops. The heat receded as if it were running away from something. That completely normal boy appeared in the middle of it, unharmed, and with the face of someone who was not at all happy with the situation.
A collective gulp resonated from the onlookers, as they watched in astonishment.
"W-what?!" The esper responsible for the flames took a startled step backwards. "Not even a scratch?"
He was so surprised to see the boy emerge from the sea of flames that he stopped momentarily, his eyes focused on that threat.
"Get out of my way," said Kamijou simply.
His right hand shot towards the flame esper's face like a speeding arrow, and he unleashed a powerful punch, channeling all his strength and weight into the blow. The unfortunate boy hurtled several meters through the air, landing near the other two boys who remained.
They gazed uncertainly in Kamijou's direction, their legs visibly quivering, almost on the brink of collapse.
Ignoring their hesitation, Kamijou extended his right hand toward the remaining flames that still encircled him, making contact with them fearlessly. To any observer, it would seem insane to casually touch something that had effortlessly reduced part of the asphalt to ashes. However, Kamijou remained unfazed, his fingers moving with the same nonchalance one might use when turning the page of a book.
And then he looked right in the direction of the last two enemies there.
"So," he said, clenching that right fist that had pushed those flames away so easily. "Who's next?"
The frozen boys exchanged a look of pure terror. They didn't even think twice. Not two seconds later, they both ran with all the strength they could muster in their legs, stumbling halfway but ignoring and getting as far away from that boy as possible.
"That works too," Kamijou remarked, letting out a weary sigh and running his hand through his hair.
"Hee-hee-hee."
After that familiar laugh, someone touched his cheek in a childish gesture. He turned to see Naru standing there, playing with her umbrella and with a strange smile on her face.
"You really scared them, Kami. I like that."
She was far too satisfied with all this for his liking. Kamijou wondered if it was wrong to start getting used to someone treating him like this.
"You did a good job too," he said, looking at her opponent on the floor. "Thanks, I couldn't have done it without you."
"I'll take that compliment. I guess that's just normal among strong people after all."
Kamijou didn't quite understand what she meant, so instead of focusing on that, he shifted his gaze to another girl, who was also watching everything that happened there.
Her outfit was familiar to him. A thick, fancy-looking blazer and a pleated skirt, as well as a white blouse underneath. It was very reminiscent of the clothes Misaka Mikoto and other girls from that prestigious school used to wear, but it was different, modified to look more like a military uniform.
"Garden Guardians," said Naru, examining the girl as well. "They all dress the same, so there's no doubt."
This was the famous all-girls faction. He had heard that they were led by two level 5s, which meant that Mikoto was out there somewhere. The other level 5 was supposed to be that mental esper.
Kamijou bent down next to the girl and reached out to check the ropes, but she squirmed and moved her parched lips with difficulty.
"Get... away..." she said weakly.
"What?"
"She thinks we want something from her," said Naru casually. "It's a pretty common deal. I mean, she just got dragged away by those dudes, so it's only fair she ain't gonna trust a random guy just because he kicked their butts."
It caused his lip to twitch. There are people out there at this very moment, desperately in need of assistance, pleading for someone to extend a helping hand and rescue them from their dire circumstances. Others are not even fortunate enough to have that option. Kamijou had saved numerous individuals in the past, and almost all of them managed to find solace and wear a smile once the ordeal was behind them, finally basking in the warmth of safety. Bur this girl couldn't even fathom such feelings. This world had calloused her to such an extent that her only perception was that she had escaped the frying pan, only to plummet into the flames below.
What was the right way to act here?
"Naru, can you remove these ropes using your powers?"
"Of course, Kami."
Naru promptly complied, swinging the umbrella, which disintegrated into several dagger-sharp paper fragments, rendering the ropes almost useless. Her actions were precise, with great care taken to ensure the other girl's clothing remained unharmed.
"Can you walk?" he asked, taking care to keep his tone as calm as possible.
The girl didn't answer. Her expression was unreadable.
"I can carry you if you need me to," insisted Kamijou, seeing the girl narrow her eyes at him. At least he got a reaction. "Don't look at me so suspiciously, I'm not like those guys." He pointed with his chin at the knocked-out boys. "You don't trust me, I understand, but I can't just leave someone in this state here. I'll drag you out by force if necessary."
It seems that those words had a rather aversive reaction, considering that the girl bit her lip and moved weakly in an attempt to sit up. Kamijou tried to help her, but she moved her trembling hands to keep him away.
"I can walk," the girl finally said. Her rigid voice still lacked any strength. "Then leave me alone."
There were doubts as to whether she could really walk in that state, and even if she could, she wouldn't get far. This made him shake his head in denial. He understood. What would it mean if he reached out to her for help? He was just a kid who didn't even know anything about this world. Was he someone who was in a position to really help her?
He was just a wanderer in a world reduced to ruins. He was just a wanderer who clung to the remnants of a lost civilization. A mere survivor emerging in the aftermath of a catastrophe, lost and hopeless, discovering only scattered fragments of what was once a prosperous society, where people like that girl battled the scars of human ambition. Yes, it was as if there was no place for him here. It was as if he were the faint echoes of a forgotten symphony amidst a desolate cacophony.
But none of this mattered in the end.
Kamijou Touma would do what he wanted anyway.
"You're coming with me," he said, holding out his hand to her. "I don't care if you trust me or not."
She sighed and her face became rigid.
"I see," she said weakly, looking away to the stars above. "Maybe Shirai-san was right about boys."
The harsh way she said it gave the impression that Kamijou had taken a wrong turn, but he smiled, an important piece of information had emerged after all.
"Shirai-san?" asked Kamijou, nodding. "Are you a friend of hers? I haven't seen her for a while, I hope she's okay."
The girl looked at him suspiciously. That was to be expected, since she probably thought he was trying to deceive her with an obvious trick.
"What's she like?" asked the skeptical girl. "Don't think I'm just going to accept that you know her."
"She was part of Judgment, wears a twin-tailed hairstyle, and likes to refer to Misaka as Onee-sama."
It was only for a furtive moment, but he saw her face form something like hope. Her large eyes now looked at him as if she were staring at a precious treasure.
"And she kind of hates me." The boy shrugged.
"Huh?"
"At least that's the impression I get. But she's helped me a few times in the past, and I've helped her too. I also know Misaka, one of your leaders, right? I have no way of proving it, but if you give her the name 'Kamijou Touma' there's a good chance she'll remember me."
"Kamijou Touma?" The girl was now examining him carefully, her quick eyes gliding over his expression. "That name is not unfamiliar to me. And your face... I think I've seen it before. Have you ever been to Tokiwadai?"
"Yes. It was in a situation similar to the one we're in now."
"Oh! It's you! That gentleman Misaka-san talked about so much!"
Her voice became a little energetic, which ignited hope in the boy's chest. Even though he hadn't met many of the people from his past, the ones who made up his normal life, they were helping him in an indirect way. Their connections with him were still worth something even in this ruined world.
"Do you know Railgun, Kami?" Naru cut in, staring at him while keeping her index finger on her lower lip. "Accelerator and now her, I'm starting to see a pattern here."
"Anyway," said the black-haired girl, drawing attention back to her. "If you really are that boy, then I think I can trust you."
Kamijou curled his lip as he saw the rigid tone of her voice become soft, life returning to those big eyes.
"Good. Now let's go."
"Kami, aren't you forgetting something?"
"What... damn it, our mission. But I can't leave her like this. We have to bring her with us to the outpost. Leader should know how to handle it from there." He stood up and extended his hand to the girl, who hesitated for just a moment before accepting it. "How would you like to be carried? Is it okay if I carry you on my back?"
"I have no objections."
Kamijou hadn't anticipated piggybacking a girl that night, and it felt somewhat peculiar how she had hopped on without hesitation. He adjusted her position on his back, ensuring her comfort, all the while trying not to dwell on the oddly soft sensation against him or the warmth of her breath gently tickling his neck.
"Hey, I don't think I asked your name," said Kamijou, starting to walk with the girl clinging to him.
"Indeed." Her tone had shifted, becoming oddly formal, reminiscent of a privileged young lady. "My name is Kongou Mitsuko, and I'm in your care now, Kamijou Touma."
Hey, readers, how are you doing? More on factions here and what they're up to. And Kamijou saves a girl from a rival faction. She'll be with us for a while now.
Let's look at the reviews:
Jonnysebas Pardo Veliz: Yes, these are underused characters, both in canon and in fanfiction. Glad you like the idea so far. I don't intend to abandon this story, I like to finish everything I start, so it would take a big event for me to stop writing halfway through.
INFINITYKAPP97: Absolutely. Let's see how he adapts to all this.
5queso: Oh, finally the rest of the story LOL. I wasn't sure if I was going to laugh while reading it or not, but that girl had "good taste". We had a happy ending then, technically. We'll have more of him reacting to this and other things, but he's certainly not taking it well. Thanks as always.
5had0wHand: Thank you. I'm trying to give information little by little, some of it very vague at first to keep everything more mysterious. We've had one more faction mentioned here, but the leader's name hasn't been revealed, it's an adult character who hasn't appeared much. He's definitely going to have problems dealing with this kind of thing. I like her, I wanted to read more about her. Things are going to get worse for him. But not yet.
Emzt20x: Thank you very much. There are more not-so-popular characters in Kamijou's faction, we'll see them later.
Onilink500: Naru is going to be one of the most recurring characters here, but not by much. At the beginning, perhaps. Academy City is basically a quarantine area. This will be explored further later. Hamazura will appear eventually, it's kind of obvious which faction he belongs to. And we had a girl from Tokiwadai here, which kind of seals Kamijou's upcoming destiny.
BlueJack22: We'll have some popular ones soon, and some not so popular. It was a nice surprise, I imagine.
KHVSFF: Hey! From what we've seen in this chapter, yes, things are complicated. The answer was given in this chapter. She is the leader. Mugino? Appearing in one of my stories? A rare event xD
Until the next time!
By the way, technically Kongou wasn't the first girl from Tokiwadai that Kamijou came across in this new world. He was in the same room as another 'student' from there in the previous chapter. Do you know who that was? That's all I have for now. I'm leaving.