Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Toaru Kagaku no Railgun/Toaru Majutsu no Index
The Trinity of Tokiwadai
Chapter Fifty Two: Prelude to Comeuppance
Beta:
It was a nice day in Academy City and much to Kurozuma's disappointment he was on a mission for the Stoic Jouchan. He'd honestly have preferred spending the day out riding his bike and enjoying the weather but sadly he had a job to do.
I'm practically a salary man nowadays considering how regular my hours are becoming lately, the former Skill-Out thought as he walked into a janitor's closet of a large department store which had been re-fitted into a small bar that was frequented by low level members of the Dark Side, though the place was empty of patrons at the moment.
"K-Kurozuma-san, hello." The place's owner, Management, an independent operator in the Dark Side of Academy City dealing with aiding parties in their various schemes, greeted him with a nervous grin. "Playing delivery man?"
"Yup," Wataru said with a nod said as he put the data drive containing the intel he was here to deliver on the top of the bar.
"So, uh, want a drink while I double check the intel?" Management said as he put a cup on the bar and pulled out a carton of Musashino milk.
"Oh! You know what I like. Thanks. I'll take you up on that offer." Wataru said with a happy chuckle as he took a seat and poured himself some of the offered milk.
"I started stocking it since you started stopping by," Management informed him with a self-deprecating grin as he took the data drive that Wataru brought and plugged it into a computer behind the bar to review it as he said he would.
"Really now?" Wataru said with a knowing grin.
"Y-Yeah," Management said with an anxious laugh.
Wataru shook his head and enjoyed his drink, utterly amused by the other man's behavior. He had dealings with the fixer dating all the way back to his time as Big Spider's leader but even though the other man was a lot less well established back then he used to treat him a lot less respectfully than he was being now. He certainly wasn't offering free drinks when Wataru was a mere leader of a Skill-Out gang at least.
"I guess that my Jouchan bosses are just so scary huh?" Wataru said as he leaned back in his seat and leveled Management with a pointed look.
Management froze before he took a deep breath and continued what he was doing whilst replying in a surprisingly calm voice.
"You work with them. You, of all people, should know how terrifying the Trinity can be. Especially the Number 2 and Number 3."
"I guess they can be," Wataru said with a shrug. "But they're great bosses too. They give plenty of benefits."
"I'm sure they do," Management said disbelievingly as he looked up from his computer. "On another note, the intel checks out."
"Just in time too," Wataru noted as he finished off his glass of glorious Musashino and stood. "You got the Stoic Jouchan's payment?"
"Of course," the fixer said as he lifted a briefcase onto the countertop. "Here you go."
"Thanks," Wataru said as he picked up the briefcase in one hand and the unfinished Musashino carton in the other. "I'll make my move then. Thanks for the drink."
"Not going to check I provided you the right amount?" Management asked curiously.
"Nah," Wataru said with an exaggerated shake of his head. "You wouldn't dare cheat us. You know what'll happen to you if you did. Don't you?"
The way Management vigorously nodded his head had Wataru chuckling in great amusement as he turned to leave.
Wataru was almost at the door when Management called out to him.
"Kurozuma-san, uh, I know it's not my place but if she doesn't already know, I think you should tell Saten-sama that Simon Gruber is moving into town and has brought a lot of men with him."
"I have no idea who that is," Wataru admitted with a laugh. "But I'm sure the Stoic Jouchan already knows."
Management nodded skeptically.
"Anything else you want to tell me? If not-"
"No, that's all Kurozuma-san," the fixer said with a forced smile. "Have a nice day."
"You too, buddy." Wataru shot back as he left the man's hideout, money in hand and with yet another mission accomplished.
Whilst Wataru was busy working, Kongou Mitsuko was sitting at a small table in the outdoor area of a tea shop with Naru-sama, Wannai-chan and Awatsuki-chan in the School Garden enjoying the fine day just like he would have liked.
They were all sipping tea, eating small slices of tea cakes as the heiress regaled them with her latest tale about what had ruffled her feathers.
"And then he had the nerve to call me unmannered! Me!" Mitsuko said indignantly as she recalled a recent run in with a certain spiky haired boy. "All I did was defend myself from those Skill-Out hooligans who attacked me and he had the gall to criticize me because a few of them had to spend a night in the hospital? Can you honestly believe that, Naru-sama?"
It still amazed her that Naru-sama insisted that Mitsuko call her by her first name. That she had brought a warm fuzzy feeling to the young heiress' heart and she was only too happy to oblige the request.
"Well, Kamijou-san has high standards when it comes to how he deals with his opponents." Naru-sama commented. "He's all no permanent injury, heck if he can manage it no injuries beyond a little unconsciousness is more his style."
"Hmph! He felt so self righteous. Like he was some action hero type." Mitsuko slapped her thigh in a small petulant display.
"I agree with you," Wannai-chan said with a nod that had her curls bouncing. "I've heard about how he interacts with Misaka-san from Shirai-san and it's just-"
"Terribly condescending of him?" Awatsuki-chan offered.
Wannai-chan nodded.
"Yeah, he gets that way at times." Naru-sama nods. "He always thinks everyone else but him is made of glass and he needs to protect them even when he knows they can take care of themselves."
Everyone made some sign of displeasure at that ranging from Mitsuko's huff of annoyance to Wannai-chan's demure frown.
"I'm sure you could tell him what-for, Naru-sama."
"Hell, no. I'm never getting close to that heroic nutjob!" The blonde shook her head. "He's a freak of nature."
"Enough of Kamijou-san," Awatsuki-chan interjected. "Why don't we talk about something else like why you were accosted by Skill-Out again Kongou-san?"
"Were you taking a back alley shortcut again?" Wannai-chan asked, looking at Mitsuko in a way that oddly mixed a healthy dose of worry with accusatory rebuke.
Mitsuko felt her face grow hot. "I-I, uh, there was a timed sale going on and I really wanted a pair of those limited edition sapphire earrings-"
"And did you manage to get those earrings?" Awatsuki-chan asked pointedly.
Her cheeks felt like they were a roaring inferno and she ducked her head. "No… By the time I was released by Anti-Skill after the incident, the sale had ended and they were sold out."
"So you got into danger for nothing," Wannai-chan said with a frown. "Was it worth it, Kongou-san?"
"Checkmate," Naru-sama said with a giggle at Mitsuko's expense.
"I-I promise to stop using those shortcuts?" Mitsuko offered, raising her hands in surrender.
Both of her best friends nodded in satisfaction and Mitsuko breathed a sigh of relief.
"Eh?! It's Namikaze-sama!" A shrill voice called out suddenly, pulling all four of them from their conversation to see who had spoken.
The girls turned to see a large group of girls from Private Shidarezakura Academy. Girls which proceeded to uncouthly swarm their table, mostly around Naru-sama.
"Naru-sama! Can we get a picture?" "What tea are you drinking? I'd love to know!" "Are you doing another modelling shoot in the Garden?"
On and on they went with their questions, it boggled the heiress' mind just how popular the Level 5 was. Then again, the Eurasian was a mascot for their school and Academy City as a whole.
"Of course, I'd be happy to take a picture with you and answer your questions," Naru-sama said with a perfect idol's smile. "But one at a time, okay?"
"Okay~!" The mob of fans chorused happily.
"But let's not take too long 'kay? I don't want to keep my friends waiting too long."
This was met by another chorus of agreement from the blonde's adoring fans but Mitsuko barely noticed.
Naru-sama really does regard us as friends! The heiress cheered in the privacy of her own mind as she exchanged grins with Awatsuki-chan and Wannai-chan.
Truly their friendship was a wonderful thing! Even if some murmured that her budding clique- Sorry, old habits die hard it seems. Ahem! Even if some murmured that her budding circle of friends were hiding behind Namikaze-san's reputation.
As the fans left, Naru-sama's phone rang, making her pause mid-sip of her tea.
"One sec girls." She said, taking her phone out and answering it.
As the blonde listened, her face grew more serious the longer the call went on. It was an unnerving look on the usually cute blonde girl's face.
"I'm on it," the Level 5 said in a frigid voice that sent a shiver down Mitsuko's spine.
"Is something the matter, Naru-sama?" Awatsuki-chan mustered enough courage to ask the blonde.
"Girls, I'm going to have to leave. Tell them to put it on my tab." She informed them with a kind smile before teleporting away.
"What was that about I wonder," Wannai-chan asked, eyeing Naru-sama's unfinished tea. "It must've been urgent for her to just leave like that."
"Somehow I can't help but think that we're better off not knowing." Mitsuko opined.
"Yeah," Awatsuki-chan agreed with an apprehensive smile. "I'm sure it's nothing. Let's not worry about it."
Wannai-chan didn't look convinced but acquiesced to their wishes and let the matter drop.
With that the trio continued hanging out doing their best to ignore the unease they felt at Naru-sama's sudden departure.
Frenda Seivelun, veteran Dark Sider and member of the elite outfit ITEM, was leaving her little sister's dorm in District 13 when she ran into someone unexpected.
"Naru-sama, what are you doing here?" Frenda couldn't help herself from asking as she spotted the Level 5 teleport into a spot down the street whilst lugging around a duffel bag.
School District 13 was where the City's kindergartens and primary schools were located. What on Earth would someone like Naru-sama be doing here? Was she here on a mission!? Was Fremea in danger?
"Oh hey, Frenda!" Her fellow blonde replied with a wave as Frenda jogged over. "Are you here visiting your sister?"
"Yeah. Just got done with that actually." Frenda replied warily, knowing there was no reason to lie about something so obvious. "But what are you doing here?"
"I was here on a mission," the [Elemental Empress] said in a whisper even as her mouth didn't move and she instead looked around to make sure they were alone.
She's learned how to duplicate audiokinesis? That's just bullshit! Frenda couldn't help but whine in her head. Why are all of the Top 4's powers so bloody insane!?
"What kind of mission?" The Scandavian fished in as low a whisper as she could manage.
"Okay, there shouldn't be anyone in earshot." Naru-sama said as she turned back to Frenda. "We can talk normally. As for your question, well, there were some crazies scoping out the District and I was called in to flush them out."
"They're dealt with?" Frenda asked, as her hands instinctively moved to the various weapons she'd strapped to her thighs under her skirt. If these people were operating in District 13 then they might be a threat to Fremea and if they were…
"Don't worry about it, I got them." Naru-sama reassured her. "See for yourself."
"What do you mean?" Frenda asked curiously as the other blonde unzipped the duffel bag and showed her its contents.
The beret wearing girl gulped not at the sight of the severed heads and hands inside, but just how casually her fellow blonde was toting them around.
"Must you really lug those around?" Frenda said, recoiling at the sight. "It's disgusting."
"Unfortunately, yeah." Naru-sama said sheepishly. "I kinda lost my temper with them and went overboard so now I've got to bring these to a lab to get them identified. For the investigation into who these people were and all that."
"You lost your temper?" Frenda asked, blinking in confusion. "What did they do?"
"They were spying on little kids. That's not kosher in my book, whatever the reason they might have."
"I can commiserate, but still! Lugging those things around is just disgusting."
"Preaching to the choir here, Frenda. So, if you don't mind I'd really like to get these to a lab ASAP-"
"Go, go," Frenda said, waving the Level 5 off playfully. "Don't let me delay you."
Chuckling at her antics, the [Laughing Joker] shot her fellow Dark Sider a salute and teleported away.
That same night that Naru was taking out some trash in District 13, Yomikawa Aiho, agent of Anti-Skill, arrived on the scene at the Tokiwadai Exterior Dorms in response to a call made by its Dorm Supervisor.
As she and her colleagues pulled up in front of the fancy dorms, Aiho found the stern woman standing outside waiting for her alongside two girls that she had the pleasure of knowing from various Incidents in the past, Shirai-san and Misaka-san, even as a gaggle of schoolgirls watched from the lobby. Oh and there was also a group of bound, unconscious men directly in front of the two Espers. Certainly couldn't forget about that.
"Anti-Skill, good." The Dorm Supervisor said in a lieu of a proper greeting.
"Misaka-san here spotted a group of people acting suspiciously nearby. With Judgement Officer Shirai-san, the two investigated and ended up detaining these men after they pulled firearms on them when confronted. Minimum force was used of course, so they shouldn't be too injured for transport." The stern woman said, adjusting her glasses without a care in the world.
Aiho blinked. That was blunt. Usually she and her men had to actually ask some questions first before someone explained to them what happened. Then again this woman was former Special Forces if what Aiho remembered was correct, so perhaps she'd learnt to be so up front and concise in reporting an incident from her time in whatever covert operation she'd been a part of?
"That's good to hear. We'll still be taking statements of course. Men, get these degenerates cuffed and in the transports."
"Ma'am!" Her subordinates saluted and got to work.
"Before we get down to the formal statements though, Misaka-san-"
"Yes?" The [Railgun] said, looking away from the men she'd knocked out being dragged away to face Aiho.
"Why didn't you inform your Dorm Supervisor and instead choose to confront these men on your own?"
The Level 5 shot her housemaster a nervous look before gulping and replying.
"When I spotted them, I just acted on instinct. So you could say that I, uh, forgot?"
"Do not worry, she will be reprimanded for this later." The Dorm Supervisor informed her with a frightening smile.
The gulp the Level 5 gave made Aiho give a weary smile.
"Don't be too harsh on her," Aiho advised. "You should know how Level 5s are like. Being reckless comes with the territory it seems."
"All the more reason to try and root it out."
Shinobu was babysitting the twins at the Kiyama home watching as Febrie and Janie played. Febrie was playing with her toy SMG, shooting imaginary bad guys as she ran through an obstacle course made out of her many other toys. Whilst her sister ran around their playroom pretending to be a soldier, Janie was in a corner she'd transformed into a mock operating room where she was dissecting a teddy bear she'd laid out on the table she'd dubbed her operating table.
"No~! Mr. Fluffington! You flatlined again!" The girl playing doctor cried out in almost genuine sounding dismay as she hugged the stuffed toy she'd mutilated tight. "I'm so, so sorry~!"
Much to Shinobu's amusement, she kept it up for a whole minute before she sighed and let go of her toy, patting the bear on the head as she did so.
"Don't worry, Mr. Fluffington. I'll have Mama sew you up later. We can try again to cure you of Stuffings Disease tomorrow."
Shinobu was smothering her giggle at Janie's antics when the doorbell rang unexpectedly. Turning to her charges, she addressed them.
"Girls, be good while I answer the door."
"Okay!" "Yes Shinobu!"
Heading off, she answered the door to see Accelerator and Last Order standing there with the clone clinging to the Number 1's waist like a limpet and looking very much upset.
"Yo, Babysitter. Is Ruiko around?" The limping albino Esper asked.
For a moment Shinobu froze at the sight of Accelerator as her mind flashbacked to the myriad of gruesome ways he'd massacred the Sisters during the Level 6 Shift.
He's not that person anymore. Shinobu forcibly reminded herself. Or at least he's trying not to be. At the very least I can respect that and be civil.
With that resolution made, she stiffly shook her head. "I'm afraid not."
Accelerator hissed angrily under his breath and looked like he was a hair's breadth away from cursing but a quick glance down at the girl clutching his waist had him restraining himself.
"Why are you looking for her anyways?" Shinobu asked, providing a helpful distraction.
"There were some suspicious people hanging out around our apartment." He told her, sounding just a tad bit relieved. "I wanted to ask Ruiko if she knew anything about who they might be."
"Couldn't you have just called her?" Shinobu asked, raising a brow pointedly.
"Misaka wants Mama," Last Order whined. "Misaka Misaka confesses."
"What happened?" Shinobu asked worriedly as she frowned at Last Order's uncharacteristic behavior.
"The thugs scared her before I managed to scare them off." The Number 1 said with an angry snarl.
"Papa? Onee-chan?" Janie said as she padded into the entryway, her oversized doctor's coat covered with fluff. "What's wrong? Why's Onee-chan sad?"
"It's nothing," Accelerator said, patting Last Order's head comfortingly. "She just wants her Mama."
"Mama is out right now," Febrie said as she popped her head out from behind Janie's back. "We can call her to come home?"
"Yes, please." Last Order begged. "Misaka Misaka pleads. Misaka wants Mama."
The twins frowned at their sister's uncharacteristic fear before rushing over to hug her, muttering comforting words to the clone.
"I'll call her right away." Shinobu said as she pulled out her phone.
Accelerator nodded as he added his own comfort to the love being showered upon Last Order.
The scene before her almost overcame Shinobu's fear of the Number 1 but only almost. He might be a good father but that did not take away from him being a murderous monster. She would never forget that.
As her call connected however, she put the thought aside to deal with matters at hand.
Chao Lingshen was having lunch in the Tokiwadai campus with her friends in the Rabbit Faction when she sensed a massive buildup of static nearby through her EM sense. The special sense that she had as an Electromaster was usually incredibly useful, once she had got a handle on it of course, but sometimes it was a burden. Especially when there were other Electromasters in the City who were a little too free with outputting a distracting amount of electricity with their abilities, with one notable Level 5 being the worst offender of such.
"Sorry everyone," she said to her friends with a frown. "But there's something that I have to check on."
"Misaka-sama's got her panties in a twist again?" Her friend Onaga Sakuko replied with a roll of her eyes. Sakuko was a girl with short brunette hair and a boyish physique that befit her tomboyish tendencies.
"I wouldn't quite phrase it in such an uncouth manner," Chao said with a sigh. "But yes. How did you guess?"
"You have the look you always get when Misaka-sama loses her cool and starts overloading your EM sense." Another of her friends, Arai Azumi, explained in the shy murmur that was characteristic of the demure girl.
"I have a look for it?" Chao asked, surprisingly causing the criminally introverted Azumi-chan to shrink into her seat a little and making the already petite girl look positively tiny even as she tried to hide her rounded face behind the spiky green mass that was her untamable hair.
"Yeah, you flinch a bit then your face scrunches up in annoyance for a second before you sigh as you school your features." The last of her friends, the plump, red haired Irish American named Emily Wilson, elaborated. "It's quite an obvious tell."
"You guys never mentioned it before," Chao said incredulously.
Her three friends shrugged.
"Well, it's not like you get it often." The foul mouthed Sakuko-chan said on their behalf. "Misaka-sama might be a bit of a loose cannon when she really gets riled up but she's usually quite good at keeping her cool."
"Especially since she started hanging out with the Trinity." The green haired Azumi-chan pulled herself enough out of her funk to add, earning nods from the other two.
"They have been good influences on each other." Chao agreed with a nod of her own. "But enough dallying. I better go see what's got Misaka-sama so upset this time. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can defuse things before she creates a disturbance."
"You want us to come with?" Emily-chan offered.
"Nah," Chao said, shaking her head. "If Misaka-sama is really pissed than it's better that only one of us is in line for getting electrocuted. And since I'm an Electromaster and can walk it off I volunteer."
"Shirai-san is a bad influence on Misaka-san," Sakuko-chan said with a shake of her head. "She was never so trigger happy with her electric bolts before they started rooming together."
All of them nodded in agreement at that.
"Like I said, enough dallying. I'm off." Chao said as she finally made a move to leave. "Wish me luck.
"Good luck!" Her friends cried out as Chao departed.
Zeroing in on the powerful static charge that was dominating her EM sense, Chao found Misaka-sama easily enough. The [Railgun] was seated in the pavilion in the school's garden where the Trinity usually had their lunch together and was having a heated discussion with Saten-sama and Namikaze-sama.
The Trinity had garnered a crowd, but they didn't seem to mind.
Guess they're used to it. There's always people who want to 'admire' them from afar like they're some idol group.
Though the way nothing of their conversation could be heard suggested that Saten-sama had raised a sound dampening barrier. A fact that had Chao deeply worried. The Trinity usually never went so far to protect their privacy which likely meant that whatever they were discussing now must be very important and judging by Misaka-sama's agitation, not in a good way.
The Trinity are scary powerful, what could possibly get them so concerned?
She wasn't the only one thinking that either.
"Whatever's got them riled up is gonna be trouble." A girl that Chao recognized as one of Namikaze-sama and Saten-sama's classmates said with a wince. "Time to get the hard hats girls!"
"I think we need more than hard hats…" Chao whispered under her breath. "Maybe we should start some bunker drills like the others suggested? Something to seriously consider."
The worst part of things? She wasn't even joking.
"Are you two seriously telling me that there's nothing to worry about!?" Mikoto shouted at her two kohai from across the table they shared inside the pavilion they always had lunch at. "There's been a whole lot of suspicious people spotted around us lately. Some of them even scared Last Order and you two aren't concerned!?"
"Order-chan is fine." Saten reassured her as she took a sip from the flask of lemon juice that the twins had squeezed for her. "I talked to her. Plus Accel knows to be more careful now."
"Ugh, don't you get it? These guys were pretty damn interested in us! They keep getting caught around us."
"News flash, Sempai," Namikaze replied with a condescending roll of her eyes. "Of course they'd be interested in us. Our group has three Level 5s."
"They're just a new player on the Dark Side sloppily setting up shop." Saten added. "As a big player, these newcomers are naturally curious about us and are trying to learn about us. They are just very bad at doing it covertly."
"What Rui-chan said," Namikaze said with a nod. "And it's not like these goons weren't spotted elsewhere either. They've been seen throughout the City."
"Exactly, there's nothing more than meets the eye here." Saten insisted. "No need to blow it out of proportion."
"You two better be right," Mikoto said unhappily as she stood, sparks arcing off her body in her agitation. "Or I'm so gonna tell you to eat your words."
"If something does happen then we'd happily oblige." Namikaze said with an uncaring shrug even as Saten nodded in agreement with the blonde's sentiment.
Growling in frustration, Mikoto picked up her finished lunch tray and stalked off.
They better be right. Because I have a very bad feeling about this.
Done and done! Thanks to Nameless as always!
And thus the creeping foreshadowing has begun! What is going to happen? What's with all these new guys coming in on AC turf? You'll have to wait to see, but know this… it ain't gonna be fun. Mwahaha!
Nameless: If anyone wants a clue to where this is going then look up the name that Management dropped in the first scene. It isn't a big one but it should get your gears on the right track. ;)
You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!