Chapter 6 - Deep Within the Mist
Kamijou's survival instincts kicked in at that very moment. He wasn't quite certain why revealing his name had triggered this response, but the reason was irrelevant now. His allies were turning their backs on each other, each one meticulously ensuring there were no blind spots in their formation. Out of the corner of his eye, Kamijou noticed Maidono forming two pistols with her fingers, pointing one in each direction.
They were outnumbered, with dozens of foes strategically positioned for an advantage. Kamijou briefly considered shouting something to assist his allies, but the spectacle of various abilities being activated around him stole his attention, forcing him to focus on the unfolding battlefield.
"It's coming!" yelled Yakumaru, clutching a small bottle of clear liquid. "Kamijou, you've got to do something!"
"Huh? What do you mean, 'do something'?"
The girl's sudden display of confidence in him interrupted his train of thought. Rather than bolstering his alertness, it seemed to have the opposite effect. He realized that her group had drawn near to him, as though they had foreseen a crisis and aimed to provide support. When had he become the primary combatant and their sole hope? This mounting pressure threatened to suffocate him before he could take any action.
Fortunately, a rigid voice cut through the tension like a beacon in the darkness.
"Look at this, what an intriguing situation."
A newcomer had arrived on the scene, a young woman.
"It seems 'Mai-san' received my message."
She appeared nonchalantly, strolling across the concrete floor, the sounds of her heels now seeming so close to Kamijou's ears. He quickly turned to look at the person who had momentarily cut the tension.
Maidono moved at that moment, her posture stiffening.
"It's her," was just a whisper blown in Kamijou's direction. "Keep your guard up."
There was no need for that warning; Kamijou's body had already sent him all the necessary danger signals. With time, he had developed a profound understanding of the sensation of danger, so much so that it felt like they were old acquaintances, having weathered countless trials together. And that girl, in particular, spelled trouble.
"I must admit, you've got some balls showing up here with so few people," Mugino said, her expression overly serious. Her soft, tea-colored hair swayed gracefully in the night breeze as she idly ran her only hand through it.
That girl possessed an elegant appearance with delicate features. For a moment, she hardly seemed like a threat. However, the smile that spread across her serious face was far from ordinary. It wasn't just a smile; it was a warning, an omen, as crooked and dangerous as a crack in the frozen surface of a lake.
"Do you have anything to say to me before we start the fun, Mai-san?" said Mugino.
"We didn't come here to fight," replied Maidono. Her decisive voice snapped Kamijou out of his state and made him pull himself together.
"Oh, now that's unusual." Mugino looked genuinely surprised. "But you and I both know that's not how things typically go between us."
"Let's change that then. I'm open to dialogue and finding a resolution. How about we negotiate and reach an agreement? I'm sure there are plenty of misunderstandings at play here."
Mugino's face twitched, but it shifted so swiftly to a neutral expression that it was difficult to discern its meaning.
"'Misunderstandings', eh?"With her hand resting on her waist and a deadly serious face, the girl looked at Kamijou's group and gave her answer. "Alright, I'll hear what you have to say."
Apparently, no one had anticipated this, not even Kamijou.
x-2-x
The group was quickly guided into a spacious room, with neutral-colored walls and well-lit by a soft glow of white light. There were many tasteful decorations, showing a keen eye for design, from the selected classical works of art that dotted the walls to the meticulously chosen furniture that added a touch of modern style, forming a kind of juxtaposition that was pleasing to the eye. A large rectangular table stood in the center of the room, its polished surface gleaming with a deep mahogany finish reminiscent of the elegant designs often seen in luxury office meeting rooms. And the sturdy, high-quality leather chairs looked so comfortable that it was as if they were inviting everyone to sit down. This made the refined taste of that serious-looking girl obvious.
Mugino was sitting on the edge, on the other side of the table, her posture firm and her gaze sharp in the direction of the six people there, four of them on high alert, while two were reasonably well, at least on the outside. Kamijou was one of those on high alert, by the way. He was to the right of Maidono, who was sitting at the other end of the table, with Naru right next to him and Yakumaru next to that side. The other two were the most worried on the other side, throwing glances in Kamijou and Naru's direction, silent messages of discomfort and near panic.
"Nice place you've got here," said Maidono, a whistle of admiration escaping her lips. "That rubble earlier left a bad impression, but this part of the mall appears fully functional. This was a VIP area, right? You're the kind of girl who will always try to stay in luxury, even now."
"Did you come here to negotiate or to chat?" Mugino's voice carried a clear tone of irritation, yet her expression remained composed, signaling her intolerance for idle conversation. "Get to the point and say what you have to say so I can attend to more pressing matters."
"Are you busy? Doing what exactly?"
"Reading," she replied monotonously. "And other things that, in case it wasn't clear, are none of your fucking business."
Kamijou recognized the tactics Maidono was employing, likely because he would have done the same in this situation. When someone was willing to engage in conversation, the best approach was to converse, even about seemingly trivial matters. People let things slip unintentionally in conversation, even non-verbally, and it was the job of someone like Maidono to try to understand everything that was going on and turn it into something that would help her get what she wanted.
But unfortunately, she wasn't up against an amateur. The other girl gave away nothing.
"Straight to the point then," said Maidono. "First, I want to understand why you attacked my base."
"You know very well why," Mugino replied, her gaze shifting to Naru. "That little bitch over there is getting in the way of our business again."
"Hey, that was a bit rude," Naru complained seriously.
"Be quiet," whispered Yakumaru. "Do you have a death wish?"
"But—"
"Naru!" Seike and Leader synchronized at that moment.
"My subordinate can be a tad impulsive at times," Maidono continued, casting a serious glance at Naru before refocusing on Mugino. "But she hasn't caused any serious harm to your underlings, so I'm not sure why she seems to have provoked such anger."
"This time, you mean, don't you?"
Now the girl's expression shifted to a blend of irritation and annoyance. Her fingers quickly tapped on the wooden table.
"You know, you can consider yourself lucky," said Mugino, looking at no one in particular. In fact, she seemed more bothered by the appearance of her nails than the people there. "I'll let it slide this time, but the truth is that I wanted to rip her head off as soon as I saw her earlier."
There was no fanfare on her part when she said it, although it was obvious that she was angry with Naru, but it was something so natural and casual that it made it all the more sinister. Kamijou knew that people like this existed, he himself had met several in the past, but the strange thing was that he felt there was still something different here, something hidden beneath the surface of those cold words and empty expression.
"Back to business." Mugino stopped staring at her well-polished nails, her attention now on Maidono once more. "You only brought this bunch of misfits, so I'm guessing you don't really want to fight, or you're just trying to keep my guard down. Don't tell me you're trying to trick me into having our rematch. By the way, how's the eye? I hope I didn't cause any permanent damage."
Her tone was far from concerned; it was dripping with mockery.
The girl with the eye patch didn't seem fazed by the comment.
"Not really," replied Maidono, her hand resting on her eye patch. "And what about your arm? Have you found a replacement?"
"Unfortunately, no," Mugino replied with a casual shrug. "That hurt, by the way."
"That was the intention. I kept the prosthesis as a memento, right there at the head of the bed."
"Oh, clever girl," said Mugino, now with a shit-eating grin. "So you're using my arm as your new toy on cold nights? I won't judge you, those fingers work wonders."
Maidono clicked her tongue at the remark, even letting out a soft growl like an animal. But someone else was confused.
"Ya-kun, what's she talking about?" asked Naru, receiving a gentle nudge from Yakumaru.
"I'll tell you later." Someone was blushing.
After a few uncomfortable seconds, Mugino finally stopped smiling, this time her gaze directed at Kamijou. He had to swallow dry at the intensity being thrown in his direction.
"You're no stranger to me," she said, putting a hand to her chin. "No, I guess I'm wrong, I've never seen you. "
"Actually-"
"Ahem," Maidono interrupted him, silently telling him that she was the one who should lead now. "So... 'Mugino-san'. As I said, I want to negotiate. We're both not interested in mutual destruction, so I propose a truce, what do you say? That way you can continue your reading days without worrying about my subordinates getting in your way."
"That doesn't sound bad."
Her tone of sincerity and the way she barely thought about it almost made Kamijou sigh with relief. Almost.
"To be honest," said Mugino, "I've got a lot on my plate at the moment." Her expression held a hint of doubt and something else, as if something had been bothering her for a long time. "If you promise me that you'll turn a blind eye to my allies doing whatever they want, I'll promise the same."
"Sounds fair."
That sounded good, but not to Kamijou. Letting those guys do whatever they wanted was not something he thought would bring him any peace of mind. Luckily, Maidono still seemed dissatisfied with the whole thing.
"I'll tell you what," Maidono said. "My people will stick to not bothering them, as long as none of our people or territory is threatened."
"Fine," Mugino replied dismissively, waving her hand in boredom.
"And you'll also compensate us for the damage to our base."
Now it was Maidono's turn to wear a sly smile on her lips. She probably expected Mugino to react to this, but Mugino remained resolute. She didn't appear to deliberate, her mind was already made up.
"Were you already considering that, or did you just think I was being too gullible and decided to push it?"
There was so much aggression in Level 5's words, but incredibly, she remained completely calm, her gaze focused on that top illusionist on the other side of the table.
If Kamijou had to offer a comment, he'd say that Maidono likely had this condition in mind from the beginning. Mugino seemed to sense this, which is why she attempted to preemptively interrupt her, as if she knew what was coming. Kamijou knew that, typically, people would start with a harsh proposal that was challenging to accept, and then, when it was rejected, they'd present a new proposal with more reasonable demands, making it easier for the other party to agree, as it seemed like the negotiator was showing leniency. It was a simple trick, one he had seen used many times.
But this didn't appear to be the case here.
"So, 'Mugino-san', do we have a deal?"
"Deal?" The tone in which she asked remained unchanged, not shifting a single octave.
Now, for the first time, she genuinely appeared to be contemplating. Something discernible was evident, doubt reflected in her eyes, her breath slightly out of rhythm.
Mugino placed her hand on the table, scanning each person in the room with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Right," she said, relaxing in her chair and stopping her serious gaze on Maidono. "We have a deal. "
"Good-" Maidono tried to speak but was quickly interrupted.
"The deal is," said Mugino, raising her index finger inquisitively. "All you bunch of idiots get the fuck out of my base and maybe, just maybe, I'll leave you with all your limbs attached to your bodies. What do you say? I'm a generous girl, don't you think?"
As though she had anticipated it, Maidono remained perfectly composed. The same could not be said for everyone else present, who seemed restless and cowering like frightened children.
Kamijou shared neither of these states. His primary focus was on Maidono, and his eyes silently implored her to relent, to cease making demands. He wasn't naive. He fully understood that things were destined to come to this. He recognized that making such straightforward demands would not end well. More importantly, he understood that the apparent calm on Maidono's face was illusory. So when Maidono pressed her hand firmly onto the table and leaned toward the girl on the other side as if to raise her guard, he immediately placed his hand on her shoulder.
Maidono's gaze met his instantly. To his relief, she seemed to have calmed down. For real this time. She took a deep breath and nodded in apparent agreement with the boy.
"I see," she said, her words thrown with veiled anger in Mugino's direction. "What else would I expect from someone like you anyway?"
"Don't talk as if we're so different, 'Mai-san'," said Mugino, her tone disinterested, almost emotionless.
"If we were so equal, we'd still be in the same faction."
Kamijou couldn't resist and reacted with a confused look and a tilt of his head. The girl across the table noticed his confusion, he felt it when her gaze rested on him, but she didn't comment on it.
"You left us because you're a coward, that's all," said Mugino casually. Again, she hardly seemed interested, even picking at her nails nonchalantly.
"Me? I'm the coward?" But unlike her, Maidono was clearly upset. "We both know-"
"We both know that whatever you have to say, it doesn't change my decision one bit." Mugino now became serious. She made an exaggerated gesture with her hand, pointing towards the door. "We're done here, 'Mai-san'. Go back to the shithole you call a base and leave me alone."
"Is that your last word?"
"No, " said Mugino, and then gave a smirk. "I'd tell you to 'fuck yourself' now, for old times' sake, but..." She looked in Kamijou's direction. "You seem to have found someone to do that for you."
What escaped Maidono's mouth at that moment was almost a growl. Kamijou even put his hand on her shoulder once more to make sure she didn't explode.
"Look, someone's got a little collar around her neck now. Isn't that cute?" teased Mugino, still with that smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.
"Maidono, ignore her," begged Kamijou. The tension coming from his side was too great for him to keep quiet. "We tried. Let's go, okay?"
Maidono took a deep breath without looking at him and nodded.
"Yes, we tried," she said, looking at that hand on her shoulder. She seemed much calmer now. "And I'm sorry about that."
"It's all right. I didn't expect we'd be able to convince her."
At least things didn't end in a bloodbath. Their base had been destroyed, but they could always rebuild. All they had to do was swallow their pride and no one would get hurt today.
"That's not why I'm apologizing."
But Maidono's cold voice shattered the illusion of peace in an instant.
In the next instant, Kamijou's hand was pushed away. A second passed, but it seemed like slow motion. And in the next, the whole room shook as that table was thrown by an invisible power towards the girl sitting on the other side of it.
Explosions rang out, a cloud of dust appeared, beams of light scorched the air and walls without mercy.
There was no more room for negotiation.
x-3-x
The truth is, Maidono never had any intention of negotiating.
But, she genuinely made every effort to secure a fair agreement that would benefit both factions, even though she was well aware of the girl's occasional unfairness. Perhaps more than just occasional. After all, considering the length of time they had worked together, she should have known better.
At that moment, her heart was racing and heavy simultaneously. It had been an impulsive action, and now it was too late to ponder over it.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
The cloud of dust that she had purposely raised with her powers was still hovering there, reducing visibility. Right next to her, she saw Kamijou throwing himself down to shield his teammate, Naru. It was admirable of him. Clever. It was as if he knew that Naru would be one of the main targets and moved as soon as the confusion began.
"I'm in one piece," Kamijou responded, brushing dust off his clothes.
He was the only one who verbalized a response; the others were too alarmed to do so, except for Naru, who seemed more thrilled than anything else.
"Thank you." It wasn't Naru who spoke these words, it was Yakumaru, approaching Kamijou with genuine sincerity in her voice.
Kamijou appeared bewildered by the expression of gratitude, but Maidono knew precisely why the girl was thanking him. Yakumaru and Naru were best friends, a fact well-known to all. Thus, when she witnessed the boy swiftly protecting her friend, it was only natural for her to show her appreciation.
There was no time to recover. Rays of light cut through the air violently, the sound shaking the eardrums of everyone there. No one was hit. However, a voice rang out through the dense, dissipating curtain.
"You almost got me," said Mugino. Several spheres of electrons swirled around her. "I wonder if that was your intention all along."
It was evident that she had grasped the situation quickly. Yet that wasn't the whole truth. Her heart wouldn't feel so heavy if it were. Could she face Kamijou with a sympathetic expression after all this? Maybe not.
Her life had changed when she first met him. And here she was, repeating the same old mistakes.
"What's going on here?"
Along with the male voice, a group of boys and girls entered the room, armed, with clenched fists and powers illuminating the surroundings. They were once again surrounded.
"Isn't it obvious?" Mugino said, casually straightening her hair, seemingly unfazed by the entire situation. "Come on, help me take out the trash. I still have a book to finish today."
Her nonchalant tone contrasted with everything that was unfolding, and it irritated Maidono to no end. In a way, they were alike in this. They both had great confidence in their abilities. As the Level 5 had mentioned, they were similar.
"Kamijou, stay close to me," ordered Maidono, making two little guns with her hands and pointing at the ground below them. "All of you, take care of the others."
"Got it!"
Naru wasted no time and went all out from the very beginning. She began by flinging her papers into the air, creating a swirling whirlwind of sharp-edged projectiles that she expertly directed towards the oncoming foes, knocking down several opponents in rapid succession.
Meanwhile, Yakumaru, positioned right behind Naru, demonstrated remarkable coordination as she unleashed her explosive arsenal. The bottles erupted in bursts of fiery chaos, dispersing a barrage of flames and shrapnel.
But that fight didn't matter to her.
"Hold on," said Maidono.
With an easy gesture of her hands, she unleashed a titanic force that shredded the space in front of her. The way the place twisted was like witnessing a ship breaking up on the high seas, each fragment coming apart with impressive speed, following opposite trajectories. The imminent threat of crushing loomed over everyone until, with precise skill, she seized the very roof of the place using her telekinetic pistols, tearing it off its post with supernatural dexterity. Fragments of concrete and metal floated in the air before being flung away and rolling across the shattered floor, which had been erected beneath her feet.
The others' fight was behind them, now it was one against 2. The destruction caused by that girl split the place in two, turning everything into a pile of rubble. The air was charged with the smell of dust and something burnt, perhaps from the exposed electrical wires that dangled like dangerous tentacles. Shards of glass glittered on the floor like broken diamonds, while distorted reflections danced in the puddles of water formed by the leaks.
The first move came from Mugino, but instead of aiming at them, she threw her Meltdowner at the uneven ground in front of her. The explosion propelled her in the opposite direction with great force, yet she landed gracefully on the intact floor beyond the ruined one, standing beside a disused escalator.
Now on stable ground, she adjusted her tea-colored hair and gestured towards the two of them.
"So you don't have the confidence to beat me on your own, 'Mai-san'? Whatever, at least I'll have a fun fight."
Maidono ignored the provocation and watched her opponent walk slowly towards them. The large place they were now in was once the central square of the mall, now dotted with crumbling pillars and twisted beams. It was a better place to move than the room they were in, but that wasn't exactly an advantage.
"Go ahead, I'll cover you," she said quickly to Kamijou.
"Right."
A minute ago, his body seemed shaky, but that single word exuded confidence. She admired that about him. The way he was ready to face adversity no matter what, the way he stood tall and confident even though his heart was heavy. She wished she could be as strong as him. She never could.
Kamijou Touma bolted toward Mugino at full speed, while she remained nonchalant. They were approximately 30 meters apart in that open space, and he covered more than half that distance in just a few seconds. However, his advance was halted halfway.
"Silly way to lose, but I admire the courage," said Mugino, although there was no admiration in her voice, unlike what she claimed.
A beam of white light cut through the air, aimed straight at the boy who had rushed forward recklessly. Although Maidono had said she would cover him, she didn't even move to help him. The reason for this?
Without breaking his stride, the boy took a casual step to the side, flawlessly evading the deadly beam that shot past inches from his body. The maneuver was executed so smoothly that the girl who had fired it momentarily lost her concentration. Although there was time for her to fire another beam before the boy could close the remaining distance, Maidono seized the opportunity during the momentary gap.
Using one of her "little guns", she grabbed the entire escalator behind Mugino, and as if it were a joke, she spun it in the air and turned it into a ball as if she were wrapping a present. The escalator, now a writhing mass, dragged debris along the ground with it, destroying what was left of the central square on its way to Mugino.
The Level 5 wasn't intimidated, all she did was raise the only hand she had. Pure electrons concentrated there in a kind of blinding mantle. The impact between the "escalator ball" and the electric shield caused an explosion of light and energy. The floor shook under the force of the shock, but Mugino remained standing, her hand still raised like a beacon of pure electricity. The melted and vaporized debris, once solid metal, was now nothing more than dissipated remnants.
But that was okay. That flashy attack was just a trick.
"Now!" shouted Maidono to his companion.
Mugino was completely exposed after spinning around to intercept Maidono's attack, so Kamijou now had all the time in the world to attack. And that's what he did.
"Not so super fast."
But before the attack could connect, that female voice sounded, and soon after, a piece of debris left over from the destruction was thrown by that little girl who had suddenly appeared.
Maidono had expected that eventually that girl, Kinuhata Saiai, would show up to help. And just as she said before, Kamijou would have cover. The rubble stopped inches from hitting him, but Maidono's invisible power did the job. This caused the boy to lose his timing a little because of the fright, but his fist was clenched, shooting towards Level 5's face.
However, the girl reacted with surprising agility, turning her face in the opposite direction at the last second, considerably reducing the impact.
Before the surprise could fully set in, Mugino, in an almost choreographed move, raised one of her long legs. The blow connected with frightening precision, hitting him on the side of the body almost immediately after she herself had been hit.
Kamijou staggered from the unexpected attack, but before he could recover, Kinuhata leaped towards him and descended like a rocket. If he hadn't taken a desperate step back, he would have been crushed, just like the ground that split beneath his feet. But the little girl wasn't finished. She simply lifted a piece of the cracked concrete like someone flipping a table, striking the boy who tried to block by crossing his arms, but it was already too late.
The impact was overwhelming. The boy's body was catapulted off the ground, thrown in a series of disordered rotations for a few meters. He finally met his fate when he hit the fountain of dirty water in the center of the square, creating a muffled bang and an explosion of splashes.
Without wasting any time, Maidono moved to where Kamijou had landed.
"Are you all right?" she asked, helping him up. He was a little breathless and his clothes were soggy and dirty from the debris in the fountain.
"I've been hit by worse," he replied, massaging where he had been hit.
"Yeah, I know that."
She herself had tried to kill him with everything she had that day. However, Kamijou's unexpected resilience had thwarted her efforts at that moment.
"Have you finished talking there?" asked Mugino. Maidono watched as she discreetly put her hand on her cheek where she had been hit. "Thanks for your support, Kinuhata. Let's make this quick. Those two are annoying."
Maidono didn't even have time to react, a beam of white light shot out where she was, but her body was thrown to the ground with force, although she wasn't responsible for this precise movement. Kamijou had pushed her out of the way at the last moment, and then rolled on the ground to avoid being hit by the other two beams that flew.
"I see," said Mugino. Her posture had changed, her tone serious. "The precision is too great to be attributed to luck or desperate moves. You must have some kind of precognition."
"What if I don't?" Kamijou asked, grounding himself with both feet, his expression just as serious and unwavering. "Does it really matter? Maybe your attacks are just too flashy."
Maidono observed as she steadied herself. She recognized that Kamijou was attempting to exert some psychological pressure, just as he had done during their previous encounter. His mysterious power remained inexplicable to her and everyone she knew, yet the boy consciously chose not to use it. It was a calculated risk, one that kept his adversaries second-guessing.
However, Maidono knew that relying solely on Kamijou's strategy wasn't enough; she needed to take action as well.
"Go forward again," she ordered, pointing at the very air around her. "Talking won't work with her."
There was no point in hesitating, so she grabbed that air above her and compressed it, bringing it down like a hammer in front of them. Mugino had realized what she was trying to do, so she didn't hesitate either and threw her Meltdowner, using the recoil of the attack to dash backwards at high speed. But the other girl didn't even try to dodge or anything like that.
"That's super not enough against me," said Kinuhata calmly.
With an upward punch, the air hammer was partially dissipated. It didn't look like someone defending herself using a trick, it was more like she had faced the blow head on, she was a monster of that level. However, it wasn't as if she hadn't paid a price.
Off-balance, she stumbled briefly just as Kamijou closed the distance entirely between them. His fist shot out once more, aiming for the girl's face.
But he missed.
Not only did she evade the attack with a small leap backward, but she continued to retreat until she stood close to Mugino. The latter appeared slightly exasperated at how far the girl had retreated.
"Um... Kinuhata, did that blast of air shake your brain?" asked Mugino. She even deactivated her ability because of the confusion.
"What do you super mean?"
"You're my front line, why the hell are you almost behind me?"
"I'm playing it super safe." She pointed with her finger in the direction of the boy who had almost hit her. "That guy over there is Kamijou Touma."
Mugino looked completely expressionless, tilted her head to the side, and then alternated her gaze between Kamijou and Kinuhata.
"That name doesn't mean shit to me. Why did you say it like it was a big deal?"
"I'll super explain later."
"Have you finished talking?" asked Maidono. Jokingly, she blew out the tip of her finger as if she were holding a real gun there. "What's the matter, Kinuhata-san? You were braver once. "
"It has super nothing to do with-"
"She's right, move your ass. You're embarrassing the whole of New ITEM here."
Mugino interrupted her and reactivated her ability, but Maidono intervened by causing the ground near her to collapse, compelling Mugino to redirect her aim towards the ground and move farther away. This presented a potential issue, as she had initially been anticipating Kamijou's approach to close the distance, but now it had become more challenging.
"Kinuhata, go!"
Gathering her courage, the little girl jumped across the ruined floor. She landed next to Kamijou, who rolled across the ground a few times, the floor cracking just below where he was. The boy would have been crushed if he hadn't reacted in time. As soon as he adjusted his center of gravity, he once again tried to attack the girl.
That was a mistake.
"Look out!" shouted Maidono.
As soon as the boy approached Kinuhata, two white spheres made of pure electrons hovered, one on either side of him. Maidono thought about how to help him, but it was too late. Those two spheres formed a beam that tore through the air, burning everything in its path.
The boy remained unharmed.
And all he did was duck at the last moment.
However, this turned out to be nothing more than a distraction, as Kinuhata exploited the close proximity to attempt a punch.
"Don't even think about it," Maidono intervened once again, reshaping the environment as she lifted the shattered floor and propelled Kinuhata several meters backward. The little girl came to a halt only when her body collided with a storefront window, causing it to shatter. "Kamijou, go after her,"
"Huh?" He looked at her in confusion.
"These two have been fighting together for years. Their chemistry is far superior to ours, we're at a disadvantage."
"We'll have to get it out of them then. I see." He looked in the direction of where Kinuhata was getting up in the store and then in the direction of Mugino, who was standing there adjusting her clothes in a relaxed manner. "Are you going to be all right? That girl's pretty tough."
"Worry about yourself for now." She tried to sound as confident as possible.
"Okay." His eyes locked on hers. "If all goes well, we'll have the surprise effect as an advantage."
That's all he said. Speaking the fight strategy out loud, or even speaking too much, gave the opponent the advantage. Maidono had to mentally praise him for understanding so quickly what she wanted him to do. All she did was watch from afar as he threw himself at the little monster girl, causing her to recoil in fright for some reason. Mugino didn't just watch, she aimed an electron beam in Kamijou's direction.
"That's between us now," said Maidono.
Splitting her arsenal, she elevated the floor adjacent to Mugino. The area was once more divided, positioning the two of them on the right side of the space, at the higher level, while Kinuhata and Kamijou found themselves on the lower left side.
"Could you stop destroying my base?" complained Mugino, nonchalantly smoothing her hair. "I already have enough shit to worry about, and now look at this."
"Consider it revenge for shooting up my supply depot."
"You've always been a vindictive girl, 'Mai-san'. That's not attractive."
"Are you speaking from experience? No wonder you can't get a boyfriend."
Someone hadn't liked that comment at all.
x-4-x
It was an old and ordinary clothing department, its store windows now empty, and shelves stripped bare. The vast space was well-lit, with mirrors everywhere, and dusty mannequins stood as silent witnesses to the unfolding battle. Kamijou and Kinuhata were separated by a distance of about ten meters, slowly advancing toward each other while carefully navigating the wreckage of toppled shelves, and keeping a watchful eye on the mirrors that seemed to peer from every corner.
Kinuhata couldn't help but express her unease, her gaze shifting towards the raised floor on the right. There, a fierce confrontation was taking place between two formidable adversaries, the battleground set amid the merchandise displays that had been left untouched.
"Something tells me that was a super mistake. When Mugino is done with Mai-san, you're in trouble."
"Or Maidono will defeat her again, and then we'll both finish this. I just need to buy some time."
This strategy seemed sound to him, but the little girl cocked her head, looking at him with the most perplexed expression he had ever seen. He couldn't quite pinpoint the reason, especially as she quickly regained her composure.
Kamijou had to concede something: that girl was a formidable hand-to-hand combatant. Her stance was impeccable, leaving virtually no openings. If he were to engage her head-on, he risked being overwhelmed and defeated by an unforeseen maneuver. He needed something that could provide him with an advantage. Fights were not typically won solely based on superior power or fighting skills; there was much more to a fight than met the eye. This boy had been in enough fights to know how to exploit any advantage, and there was an evident one here.
He initiated the first move, a simple one. Fearlessly, he advanced toward her, fist clenched.
"That's what I thought," he said, stopping midway when the girl stepped back. "For some reason, you don't want to face me head-on."
"Normally that's exactly what I'd do, but I've heard super things about you, and they're a bit worrying."
As soon as she said that, she grabbed a wooden shelf with one hand and swung it casually in his direction. The boy was almost crushed, but the tip of that improvised weapon came within millimeters of his face as he desperately threw himself backwards with all his might. But the little monster girl jumped high and came down still holding onto the shelf. Kamijou rolled out of the way, watching the weapon shatter into dozens of pieces, which were dangerous in themselves.
"Alright, things are escalating too quickly," Kamijou said, taking cover behind the store's reception desk. "Did Hamazura tell you about me?"
"Among others," she replied, yanking out the cash register and hurling it in his direction.
By now, Kamijou had shifted entirely into a defensive mode, exerting every effort to evade the barrage of projectiles hurtling toward him. The girl kicked over shelves, sending them crashing at alarming speeds in his direction, hurled metal chairs that were bolted to the floor, and even tore off a handrail from one of the staircases, causing it to collide with the wall just behind him, narrowly missing his position.
His heart raced so rapidly that his thoughts barely had room to navigate through his mind. He desperately needed space to catch his breath, and fortunately, the girl came to a sudden stop.
"You're really just trying to buy time," she said, walking up behind him as he gasped loudly. "Are you super holding back or are you not as impressive as the rumors suggest?"
"I have no idea what you heard, so how the hell would I know?"
"I'm going to wager on the former. Your sudden appearance can't be a mere coincidence. You're the person that #1 was super guarding the 'tomb' until a few weeks ago, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
It even calmed the spiky-haired boy's heart momentarily. What "tomb" was she talking about? It couldn't be something symbolic made for him by people who thought he had died, so he bet she was referring to the place where he was in cryogenic sleep. This realization made his head spin, so much so that he was momentarily distracted from the fight.
Kinuhata had lunged at him when she saw the opening, this time aiming a punch at his face that seemed to tear the air. The spiky-haired boy had to force himself out of his dazed state, and in that moment that seemed to stretch out when the girl's hand moved, his also moved by reflex, intercepting it.
An expression of bewilderment and a little mixed fear appeared on her face as soon as the boy took her hand in his. She even broke out in a cold sweat.
"Damn," she said, frozen, "that was super stupid!"
"My turn," said Kamijou, with a thin smile on his face.
His right hand dropped hers and then was thrown towards her face, but the girl took a step back and tilted her head to the side, a move similar to a dodge used in boxing, but a little desperate. Something told him in that instant that trying to hit her with anything other than his right fist was a bad idea, he'd heard of the "bulletproof little monster girl with the bob cut" after all. Not that he minded. He pursued her, trying not to give her space and throwing his fist several times, but the girl totally focused on defending now didn't give an opening. Desperate, she lifted her leg and tried to kick him in the side, but Kamijou was quicker and stepped back, making her hit nothing but air. But now she was away from him, out of reach of his fists. He had to close the distance.
But the girl wasn't finished.
Kinuhata threw another punch in his direction, which almost made Kamijou look confused, he clearly wasn't in her range. Which meant...
He didn't have time to think straight, not when he thought for a second that he was safe, but in the next instant, a blast of compressed air hit him hard in the stomach. It even felt like a repeat of a certain fight he'd had in the past.
His body rose with that attack, sending him flying for a few meters, his body bounced on the ground and then went through one of the store's mirrors, a sharp pain settling in his body as soon as his senses returned to normal.
His hand instantly went to his shoulder.
"Damn it," he exclaimed through gritted teeth, his hand clenching a shard of mirror embedded in his shoulder. It was a long piece, slicing through his flesh and causing an intense, searing pain. Blood flowed profusely, staining the ground and filling the air with the acrid scent of iron. He winced, his face contorting in agony."That's the price to pay for overconfidence."
"Did that work?" asked the girl, approaching with a minimum of caution. "Well, at least it proves that you're not super invincible or anything. I don't need to buy Mugino any time, I'll end this now."
"There goes my advantage," the boy lamented. He grimaced and then pulled hard on the piece of mirror stuck to his shoulder, his face being reflected there as he gasped. "Hmm..."
"It looks like you still want to super fight. So be it. That won't last long from what you've said."
"Yeah... you got me," he said, still looking at his reflection in the shard of mirror, and then finally turning to her. "I was hoping that I could use the circumstances to win this, but now I've thought of something else."
"Another super thing?" The girl was skeptical, but her face still held a trace of doubt.
"Yes. If you're confident now that you can defeat me after having wounded me, then all I can do is use my secret technique."
Those words even made Kinuhata swallow and back away on instinct, that right hand he raised seemed more intimidating than a firearm in that girl's eyes.
"You could say it's a trump card," he continued, still holding up his bloody hand. "Something I often use in desperate times."
"Do you have a super trump card?"
"Of course," he nodded before planting both feet firmly on the ground. "In moments like this, when I feel trapped, the best course of action is..." Kamijou hesitated as he noticed the girl raising her guard and stepping back. "Simply run away!"
With that, he sprinted in the opposite direction with all his might, leaving a bewildered Kinuhata with a blank expression on her face.
x-5-x
The battle in the mall wasn't limited to just the four of them; it had escalated into a sprawling battlefield that extended in every direction. Beams of light, ice fragments, and concrete chunks were scattered in all directions as various other espers unleashed their abilities.
"They don't have many high-level espers," said Leader, hiding behind a wall in an empty store. "Naru, you can handle the whole rearguard by yourself if you want to."
"Leave it to me!"
The Scavenger group was doing a good job of attracting the attention of all the rest of the New ITEM faction in the Mall. Naru and Seike were serving as the front line, parrying most of the attacks so that their numerical advantage wouldn't be such a problem. Yakumaru and Leader were at the back throwing Molotov cocktails and other types of explosives to stop any advance.
Everything seemed under control, but suddenly the ace of the group got distracted by looking in someone's direction.
"Hey! It's Kami," she shouted excitedly as she saw the boy running in the distance. "Hey, Kami, look at me!"
"Hey, Naru," he said, and then looked back with a tense face. "Bye, Naru!"
And then he shot off at full speed as if his life depended on it.
"He looks like he's having fun," she said, smiling, as she threw a paper spear at a poor esper who was knocked out instantly.
x-6-x
Kamijou sprinted at full speed until he reached the mall's entrance. The battle wasn't over, and he could still hear the distant explosions. He swiftly slipped into one of the nearby stores, resembling a jewelry shop. The lighting in this place was dim, a stark contrast to the well-lit area where their fight had commenced.
"Tired of super running?" asked Kinuhata. She entered the place by blasting the wall behind him with a punch. "A warning, you won't be able to escape me here, I know this place like no one else, so stop running away and fight like a man."
"Can I convince you to fight like a little girl?"
The "little girl" gave a shy smile when she heard that. Her posture had returned to the fighting stance, her deadly fists in front of her face.
"And it's not like I need to win here," said Kamijou. "As I said, buying time is enough."
"This is a super terrible strategy. I doubt Mai-san can win."
"I don't need to buy time just for her. I have other allies here, after all."
As he said that, he wore a confident expression and relaxed his posture. Keeping her guessing was the ideal approach in this situation. There was no way to predict how things would unfold with time, so that young girl's mind had to consider all possibilities. For example, if his group won the fight, Naru could be of great assistance.
But, of course, it was just a bluff. One that seemed to have been bought by that girl. Excellent, he was gaining an advantage once more.
"I have something to confess," she said, making a semi-circle with her movements around him. "I'd rather this super fight ended with both of us alive, he'd prefer it that way, but I feel you won't just surrender, so I'm sorry if my next attack kills you."
"Are you planning to go all out now?" Kamijou almost smiled at the question, one of his hands in his jacket pocket. "I figured you were holding back a bit, considering I'm alive after that attack."
"I certainly wasn't holding back. I kind of got desperate actually and attacked harder than I expected, since I thought you were going to block. You were super careless."
"That was your fault. That kick of yours distracted me with all that skin showing." He made a broad gesture with his hand towards her legs. "What is it anyway? It's like you've calculated to show off enough that you're almost up against a 'paywall'."
"Oh, you realize? I'm super flattered, but I'd rather you kept your fantasies to yourself."
"Fantasies? Heh. Don't get all smug little girl, you're not even my type."
It was difficult to discern whether the girl was offended or not by the sincere comment, as she only sharpened her eyes in his direction.
Kinuhata got super serious soon after.
"I'm not sure how your esper power works, but a ranged attack isn't going to work against you again, so the ideal is to bet everything on a direct super concentrated blow, hopefully, I'll get through your defenses. You're a fist fighter, just like me, so you know what I mean."
"I see."
The two stared at each other. The little girl must have mustered up a lot of courage to say what she intended to do like that. In this case, she was betting everything on a cross punch. Earlier, he had caught her fist, stopping it midway, but she had then hit him with a blast of air. Her logic was that if a direct attack got through his "defense" she would win. However, if he hit her with a direct punch before she did, he would be the winner.
It was all or nothing.
"People like us always super prefer to sort things out like this, don't they?" she asked, thrusting her fist forward as if in greeting. "Hmm... I think I remembered something from that time on the Dianoid. You were punching those monsters without any fear, so much so that you left your guard open."
"Oh, right. Thank you for your support that day." He also thrust out his fist as a sign of respect.
"Are you super ready?"
No more words needed to be exchanged. These two close-range combatants were ready to settle this the way they liked, with a good punch to the face. They took a deep breath, almost in sync. It was like a duel, the winner would be the one who struck first.
Kinuhata was the one who made the start, a long, determined stride towards him, her silhouette barely illuminated by the dim light of the room. And then Kamijou took a step, but not towards her. As soon as the little girl realized that he had no intention of advancing, she came at him with even more intensity, driving her foot hard into the ground and leaving cracks there. They were very close to each other now, a meter at most, and Kinuhata once again took the initiative, her fist launched towards Kamijou's face.
However, the little girl stopped, frozen momentarily as soon as she saw the boy finally take his hand out of his pocket. Her distracted gaze saw what he was holding there.
"Shit," she said, braking as quickly as possible. "That's super bad!"
Kamijou still had the shard of the mirror he had painfully removed from his own shoulder, and he swung that makeshift weapon forward. Now, the funny thing was that it couldn't even be considered a weapon, not against that little monster girl. But who cares? It's not as if she knew that detail. In her vision, someone who had somehow managed to get past her defenses was holding a dangerous piece of glass, and no matter how she looked at it, someone with a weapon had the advantage against someone with bare hands in a cross attack. If he slit her throat with that, it was game over. Her insecurity at this bluff made her take a step back, canceling the cross punch.
And then the boy smiled, without moving from where he was.
"By the way," he said, turning the piece of mirror deftly, "you didn't really think I was just running away from you, did you?"
The little girl grimaced in confusion, but remained focused, desperately trying to escape the coming attack. But just like a stage magician, Kamijou made an exaggerated gesture to attract her attention exactly where he wanted it, in this case, this poorly lit spot.
"You're exactly where I wanted you to be."
He changed the angle of the piece of mirror in his hand. He wasn't using it as a weapon, at least not one that would cause any damage. His trick was simple, he just pointed the mirror in the dim light of the room, reflecting it straight into her eyes. The human eye has the ability to adapt to light, but it takes time. If someone points a flashlight in a poorly lit place at someone's eyes, they will be dazzled more than if they were in a bright place. He knew that this trick would probably only work once, so he pretended to be running away to lure Kinuhata to this place and get the maximum effect.
Of course, it wasn't as if it would blind her, but as a reflex, she covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head. Not even half a second had passed and the girl had already recovered from the distraction, but an opening was an opening. Kamijou had already completely closed the distance between the two of them, and as she had turned her face away, she didn't know which direction he was coming from, which made it difficult for her to retreat. Out of options, Kinuhata desperately threw her fist towards the boy who had already started his movement. The cross punch finally landed.
In the span of a mere moment, one of them reached their target first, swinging their fist with unyielding force. The defeated one was sent hurtling through the air, sailing several meters before crashing into a shop window where precious jewels from the past used to be displayed. Their body went limp, consciousness slipping away as a cacophony of shattering glass signaled the end of that close-range fight.
With a tired face, the winner looked down at their fist.
"That was a super tough fight." The winner's head swung from side to side. "Wait, I started talking like her. Is that contagious?"
Kamijou Touma gazed at the unconscious young girl in the shop window, then released a sigh of relief. He needed this moment to regain his composure.
"I wonder if the battle between those two is finished."
Regardless of the response, his victory had granted them the upper hand. They simply needed to know how to leverage it. His hand once again ventured into his pocket, clutching a retro-looking device. It was time to send a message.
Hey, welcome to the end-of-chapter notes. We've had a confrontation and also some questions raised here. One question, were the action scenes here too short? Too long? Or are they a good length?
Let's answer the reviews:
5had0wHand: *Checking the notes for the next chapters* Ahem… good thing we won't have so many cliffhangers *cough, cough*. With Kamijou's luck, what can go wrong usually does. What happened to Hamazura will be partially revealed in the next chapter, but the hostile reaction was a series of events. By the way, " goat ", hmm… Thank you very much for your comments.
Oj: Thanks! I'm kind of trying to emulate the reaction of some people to an unknown power, just as the author sometimes does in the canon. All this will be revealed in the future. As for the magic side, we'll have a small reference to that in the next chapter.
Emzt20x: I hope the wait was worth it. Let me know.
GG Vegito: We had Kinuhata vs Kamijou here, and a bit of him against Mugino too, I hope it was satisfactory. Glad you enjoyed it.
Trjz: Thank you for reading. How was the fight? Was it worth the wait?
Guest: He's trying his best, xD
KHVSFF: Hamazura and Kamijou are good bros, there's nothing bad going on between them. But he's too dangerous, lol. Thanks for the compliments. Mugino had plenty of screen time here, and more in the next chapter. It would be nice to hear from a fan of hers what you think of the characterization so far. Thanks again for reading.
Uzunami1: Glad you liked it. Maybe I'll increase the chapter lengths in the future, but not by much, I'll take a look at my notes later. This was an action-packed chapter, what did you think?
Zatil Hidayah Spensa: Kamijou has moments when he's the epitome of "I'm not going to elaborate", so the impression he gives others can sometimes reach that point. You seem to really like this kind of characterization of him. It's a good thing since his fame will grow over time, which will make the situation more "intense".
Dasgun: :)
See you next time!
By the way, did you know that Kamijou likes to watch low-budget movies sometimes? Question totally unrelated to this chapter... probably. That's all. I'm just leaving.