I'm back! This time, we've got a primarily flashback chapter! Those are always fun, right? Everyone loves stories that expand on and give context to the previous events of a story, right? *Looks at Star Wars Prequels* Well, I do, anyway.
So, this chapter will be introducing another key player in the story and give us context on her expanded past. This one is definitely going to be interesting, to say the least. Whether or not its good is up to you, the readers.
For now, let's do some Q&A!
OnePunchPlayer: Well, it's Kuroko and Tsuchimikado. Pretty in character for them, if I do say so myself.
Bluejack222: Huh, nice to see someone thinks so.
icedshadows: ... I can tell... but it also... makes you seem... indifferent... you do you... thanks for reading...
ahsoei: When Mikoto first met Nunotaba, the older of the two tended to attack her junior when faced with disrespectful tones, at least in the anime. The first time was with a chop to the head with a school back, which was a surprise. The second time was with the same kick to the side she attempted on Touma, which was painfully telegraphed and obvious to anyone not running their mouth and being disrespectful (like Mikoto).
GhostofTime: The final fight is for, well, the finale. You're just going to have to wait.
ArmoredCoreNineBall: Oh, trust me. I've read his fanfictions. I know how long his chapters can get. Yeah, the last chapter was pretty much just an intermission with some world and character building and comedy.
mohamadstar94: Here you go.
Aquadude: That's actually a really good idea. I think I will write the fight from Shizuri's perspective. I'll try to change the dialogue a bit more in the future, but really heavy important stuff will most likely be the same, mainly the emotional bits.
RPGPersona: That kind of is the central flaw of every character in this universe, they are so confident in their abilities, supernatural or otherwise, that they don't want to involve others if they don't have to, especially if the problem is personal. Tsuchimikado has admitted to seeing Touma as a real friend, so I've always though of his tongue in cheek commentary was actually his way of cluing Touma in. Had to throw in one joke about Touma's punching strength while I had the chance, especially if it gets followed up by a low-key interrogation. To be fair, the clover episode was more about showing Kuroko's concern than Mikoto's struggles, so I always gave it a pass. You got to love it when misunderstandings and vague characters mess with other characters.
RedSS: ...You are having way too much fun with the FanficSins business. Seriously, make a fanfic about it, why don't ya? Still glad to have you reading.
Guest (1): Is that so? Huh, adaptations, everyone! I think I'll just stick to what I know.
Guest (2): Here you go.
Kami (Guest): That actually is in line with his character.
Chroma (Guest): She's been living with Saten. I kind of established that earlier on, like, Deep Blood early on.
Guest (3): Eh, two out of three of those predictions aren't bad.
And that's all of them. Disclaimer!
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 30: A Past Item
In the middle of Academy City was an unsuspecting van, parked on the side of the road. Apart form its large size and armor plating, the van looked normal enough, not worth investigating for most people's standards. Unknown to anyone, however, was that four young women were currently situated at the back of the van. Collectively, these girls were the underground freelance group known as ITEM.
Currently, the group was having a video call with their intermediary. She had a job for the group. Given their line of work, the video call had no actual video of the callers. The sole purpose of the video call was to share relevant images for the assignment.
"An Esper with the power to control electricity, huh?" the leader of the group, Shizuri Mugino, mused, looking over the several images of destroyed research facilities.
"The attacks have been conducted via communications lines and no intruder has been caught by electronic security," the intermediary explained, "Actually, the client seems to have this narrowly profiled already."
"So they have a suspect in mind?" a young girl in an orange hoodie, Saiai Kinuhata, asked in confusion, "Why don't they just set up their own counterattack? I think it would be ultra easy to stage an ambush."
"You are only to act once the target is within the facility," the intermediary continued, "And you are not to pry into the particulars. Those are the client's orders."
"Um, what's with these guys? I don't like how the job is going so far," a blond girl in a beret, Frenda Seivelun, complained.
"What more do you want? A job's a job. We don't take them because they're fun," the intermediary asked, slightly annoyed, "Anyway, they sought you out for this gig. I'm sure they have their reasons. So quit your whining and get to work!"
"Okay!" Frenda replied, not appreciating the intermediary's tone.
"So that's the job. Just lie and wait and take out the opponent," the last girl, the quiet Ruiko Takitsubo, summarized.
"Basically," Shizuri agreed, "With one catch though. There are two facilities that our mystery attacker can potentially target."
"Oh! I'll cover one of them by myself," Frenda cheered, raising her hand.
"Huh?" Kinuhata asked, confused, "I thought you didn't like this job. Why are you so up for it now?"
"Liking the job has nothing to do with it," Frenda clarified, "I mean, if I'm the one to take them out, then I get the kill-shot bonus, don't I?"
The rest of ITEM could only stiffly laugh at Frenda's reasoning.
"Alright Frenda, just make sure you stay in contact," Shizuri agreed, "Don't get in over your head, alright?"
Frenda simply gave her boss a confident smirk.
Later that night, ITEM had split up in order to cover their bases when it came to their mystery target. Frenda took one of the facilities while Kinuhata took care of the other. As for Shizuri and Takitsubo, they waited in their van, positioned an equal distance between the two facilities. The members of ITEM sat in the back of the van while one of their associates sat in the driver's seat with a pager on standby. If the attack hit either one of the facilities, the remaining members of ITEM would be alerted by their on-post members and rush in to help.
"Ma'am," the driver called into the back of the van, "Miss Seivelun has confirmed contact with the target. We are moving out now."
"Move along," Shizuri replied, waving off the driver to start driving.
As the van started to move, Shizuri pulled out a photo from her pocket that she always had with her. The photo itself was rather old, but it didn't look any worse for wear. Clearly, it had been meticulously maintained over the years. It was only natural. The photo held a special place in Shizuri's heart, as did the people depicted in it.
"What's that, Mugino?" Takitsubo asked curiously.
"Just and old photo of me and my brother," Shizuri replied nonchalantly, "It helps me to remember why I do all of this."
Starring at the photo, Shizuri took in every detail, reminiscing on the days she spent with her younger brother. The photo had a younger version of Shizuri and a younger boy standing in front of a Child Error facility known as Asunaro Park. Shizuri had her hair tied back in a ponytail and stood behind the boy with her arms hung over his shoulders, smiling down on him. The boy had spike black hair and had a few bandages here and there but smiled brightly back at his older sister. Looking back at the photo, Shizuri couldn't help but think back to how she ended up where she was today.
12 Years Ago
Shizuri sat at the hospital's waiting room with clammy hands. Her parents sat right next to her, with her father swallowed in grief and her mother trying to comfort him. She couldn't blame them for their reactions. It was only natural given what had happened. It was hard to believe, but it happened. Who would have though a man would have stabbed a four-year-old boy in the back over a little superstition like bad luck?
Eventually, a doctor came into the room, a grim look on his face. He approached the family calmly, trying to maintain his professional appearance.
"How is he?" Shizuri asked, instantly jumping out of her seat.
"Your brother is fine," the doctor said reassuringly, "Even with how bad his wound is, he is expected to make a full recovery. Your brother is quite the fighter for his age."
"Can we see him?" Shizuri's mother asked.
"Of course," the doctor nodded, "Please, follow me."
Following the doctor through the hospital, the family was lead into a single, child's hospital room. Opening the door, the doctor revealed the only son of the family sitting at his bed. He had bandages wrapped around his entire torso, visable even under his hospital gown. He starred off out the window, looking wistfully at the world outside. Upon hearing the sound of the door open, the boy turned his head of spiky hair towards the door, giving his family a sad smile.
"Hi, everyone," the boy greeted.
"Touma!" Shizuri yelled, running over to her little brother in concern, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sis. Don't worry," Touma insisted.
"Is he really?" the father, Touya Kamijou, asked the doctor.
"Aside from a few scars on his back, he'll be just fine," the doctor confirmed.
"Thank goodness," the mother, Shiina Kamijou, sighed in relief.
"He just needs to stay the night to recover. I'll give you some time alone with him," the doctor said as he left the room.
Now alone, Touya approached his soon with a sad smile on his face.
"Hey, son," Touya said, "How are you feeling."
"I'm fine," Touma replied, "Really, I am."
"Touma," Shiina cut in, "Your father and I have been talking, and there is something we need to tell you."
"What is it?" Touma asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Touma, after some debating, your mother and I," Touya explained, "we decided we are going to transfer you to Academy City."
"What?" Shizuri asked in confusion, "You're sending him away? By himself?"
"It's not a decision we like, but it's for your own safety, Touma," Touya continued, "The superstitions about you being unlucky are nothing new, but they have been escalating incredibly fast. First, they call you the God of Pestilence, then a TV studio tries to turn your life into a reality show, and now this attack. You're just not safe in such a superstitious town. Academy City is different. The are grounded in science and won't believe in anything like luck. You'll be free from all the superstition."
"So you're just going to get rid of him?" Shizuri asked, outraged.
"Dear, it's not like that," Shiina clarified, "We'll still be in contact with him. We just want him to be safe."
"But he's so young. He can't take care of himself," Shizuri argued.
"He doesn't have to. The city takes care of children until they can support himself," Touya explained.
"Touma, you can't be okay with this, can you?" Shizuri asked her brother.
"Well," Touma trailed, "If mom and dad think it's best, I'll go. A lot of people think it's best that I stay away from them. If that is what it takes to make those people happy and leave them in peace, I'll do it."
Shizuri couldn't believe what she was hearing. Touma was essentially condemning himself to exile, voluntarily, under the pretense that it would help people. She knew he loved to help people, but to go to such lengths didn't make sense to her. She just couldn't him go through with it. At the very least, not alone.
"In that case, I'm going too!" Shizuri declared, "If Touma's going, I'm going with him to take care of him!
"Are you sure, Shizuri?" Touya asked in concern, "Sending one of our children away is bad enough. Do you really want to go to Academy City?"
"Some has to keep an eye on Touma. Knowing him, he's going to get himself into trouble if no one is there to watch him," the young girl insisted.
"What about you, Touma?" Shiina asked her son, "Are you okay with this?"
"If Shizuri is coming along, I'm sure everything will be just fine," Touma replied with a gentle smile.
"Well, she has always taken after her mother," Touya mused, scratching his head, "Okay then. It's settled. You will both transfer to Academy City starting next term. Remember, I want you two to look out for each other. We won't be there to solve every little problem for you."
"Right!" the children affirmed.
The brother and sister's first day in Academy City was met with mixed results. It started off nice enough with their welcome into Asunaro Park, their home until they reached middle school and could take care of themselves. The director of the facility, Kazuko Shigenomori, was especially nice, treating the pair like they were her own children. When they first moved in, the pair took a picture in front of the building, which Touma later added to the journal he started keeping.
Since school wasn't going to start until the next day, Touma and Shizuri decided to explore the city for a bit. Eventually, the ran into a playground, where the two of them decided to check out. Sadly, Touma ran into a lot of bad luck while they were playing. In the sandbox, he ended up stepping in a piece of dog poop that was buried in it and the sandbox itself started to leak. When he tried to sit at a swing set, the chains suddenly snapped, dropping him and his seat on the ground. And to top it all off, as soon as he sat down on the top of a slide, the whole thing came loose from its upper joints, causing it to fall over and drop Touma off it.
Shizuri had to treat the slight cut he got on his head after that last incident. Unfortunately, this string of misfortune was not unnoticed by the other children of at the playground. A group of boys Touma's age approached the siblings as the older of the two treated her brother's wounds, clearly annoyed by all the broken equipment.
"Geez, what's wrong with you, kid? You managed to break everything in the playground," one of the boys complained.
"Yeah, every time you stepped even remotely close to something, it broke and became unusable," another boy added.
"What, is you power the ability to break everything you touch?" the last boy asked mockingly, earning a laugh from the other boys.
"Leave him alone," Shizuri demanded, finished with Touma's injury, "It's not his fault everything broke. We haven't even been through the Power Curriculum Program yet."
"Oh look, his girl friend is defending him," one of the boys teased.
"I'm his older sister, thank you very much," Shizuri corrected, standing up to face to boys.
"Oh, like that makes much of a difference."
"Even if you haven't been through the curriculum yet, he could be a Gemstone," another boy pointed out, "You've heard of those, right? Natural born Espers?"
"Yeah, maybe he's got the ability to ruin everything since he was born!"
"Look, the brat's starting to cry too!"
"Come on, Touma. Let's go," Shizuri said with a huff, grabbing her brother's hand.
Clearly, not the best start for the pair. First day in the city and already, somebody is making claims that Touma creates misfortune just by being in the area. Things only got worse the next day when they learned the boys teasing Touma were also in his class. Every day, the boys would tease Touma, saying he was a Gemstone that caused calamity just from existing. This got even worse a when the class had its first system scan and Touma was revealed to be a Level 0. His scores were so low that they were nonexistent.
With no alibi that he had an ability, the tease quickly shifted into claims that Touma was the embodiment of bad luck, just like back at their home town. Granted, it wasn't as bad since Academy City was a place of science and superstitions held little weight, but the idea still stuck in Academy City's rumor mill. Soon enough, Touma's entire school had heard of his incredibly bad luck, and every student either avoided him for their own safety or bullied him to make themselves feel better about their lack of progress with their Esper abilities. The later option was especially prominent when it was discovered that Shizuri had already advanced to Level 2 as early by her first system scan, fueling the bullies with jealousy.
Every day, Touma came home to Asunaru Park with at least a few injuries, either from accidents involving his misfortune or bullies that occasionally got physical. Miss Shigenomori and Shuzuri found themselves constantly preoccupied with treating Touma's injuries, so much so that they had a first aid kit dedicated to Touma in specific. Touma couldn't make friends because of the rumors, and bullies only made sure that other kids kept their distance. His only real respite had been the comfort that his sister was there with him.
However, that all started to change within a month. One day, Touma had a particularly bad day, so Shizuri took him out to get some ice cream to cheer him up. After exploring the city for a bit for an ice cream parlor, they found one just outside of a park. Shizuri left Touma at a bench, telling him to stay put until she got back. When she went to the ice cream parlor, she was surprised by how long the line was. By the time she got to the front, they had run out of ice cream and only had popsicles left. Settling for what she could get, Shizuri bought them two bagged popsicles. When she returned, she found Touma not sitting at the bench she left him. Rather, he was standing in front of it, holding the hand of an albino boy his own age.
"Hey, sis, look!" Touma cheered, waving to his sister as she approached, "I finally made a friend!"
"Did you now?" Shizuri asked, inspecting the albino boy, "And who might you be?"
"Y-yuri Suzushina," the boy replied meekly.
Shizuri couldn't help but smile at the reaction. The boy seemed genuine enough. She could tell based on how nervous he seemed. It was the kind of nervousness that came with meeting someone new, not the kind that came when you thought you've been caught in a lie. It was a sign that things were starting to look up.
"Well, Yuri, I'm Touma's older sister, Shizuri," she said, offering both of them the popsicles, "I hope you'll treat my brother well."
Things really started to look up after Touma met Yuri. They later learned that Yuri had been going to the same school as Touma, a mere one classroom over. Thus, Touma finally had someone to be with during school. Yuri apparently faced similar problems to Touma, being an outcast due to his power constantly hurting people whenever they reach out to him, literally at metaphorically. This revelation also led to Touma's discovery of his ability to negate other abilities with his right hand, an ability that while hard to believe, quickly spread like wide fire within Academy City's rumor mill.
With Touma no longer alone all the time, he was also able to start making other friends since people were less afraid to approach or be approached by him. His naturally helpful nature drew him a lot of attention from his peers, especially from girls. Of course, with Shizuri's watchful eye constantly on her precious little brother, the girls kept their distance form the surprisingly popular young man. Shizuri wasn't about to let her brother get a girlfriend yet, especially not at his current age.
Of course, that was not to say that everything was peachy from then on. Touma still faced misfortune day in and day out, though the blow was handled much more easily thanks to support form his sister and friends like Yuri. The more concerning problem was the bullies that continued to target Touma for his rotten luck and resentment of his sister's ability. Touma always said he could deal with them, but the bruises that he always came home with after meeting them told Shizuri otherwise.
Still, those first two years in Academy City were some of the happiest Shizuri could remember. During their time at Asunaro Park, Touma decided to take up cooking. It started out messy at first, but his improvement was incredible. The food he made was some of the best she ever tasted. When Shizuri reached Level 3, Touma made her a special cake to celebrate. It was one of the sweetest thing he had ever done for her, and the smile he gave her upon presenting the cake made coming to Academy City so much worth it.
Still, there where things she wished the city was without. For one, she wished the city wasn't so harsh on lower level Espers when it came to stipends. As a Level 3, Shizuri made a decent amount. However, her brother, being officially the weakest Level 0, barely received enough money to survive on his own if he budgeted. It just struck her the wrong cord. However, the thing she really wanted to get rid of was the bullies, the ones that targeted her brother. Ever since they arrived in Academy City, those same bullies made Touma their main target. Touma was unlucky enough to end up in the same class as them for two years straight, so there was no way to shake them loose. Never in a million years could Shizuri forgive them for what they put her precious little brother through.
One day, Shizuri was out on the town by herself, just minding her own business. It was then when it happened. That was when she met the bullies torturing her brother, face-to-face, alone.
"Hey, you're Kamijou's sister, right?" a familiar voice said behind her.
Turning around, Shizuri saw the three people she detested the most, her brother's bullies. They stood stiffly, barely moving their feet and twiddling their thumbs. The one at the front of the group stood the stiffest out of all of them, holding a rather large box in his arms.
"Oh, it's you three," Shizuri said with a hint of disgust.
"Uh, yeah," one of the boys said awkwardly, "We were just wondering if you knew where your brother was."
"Yeah," another boy added, "We wanted to talk to him about something, but we didn't know where to find him. We figured you might know, since you're his sister."
"He's busy right now," Shizuri replied coldly.
"Oh, well, could you give this to him for us?" the middle boy asked, holding out the box he was carrying.
"What's in the box?" Shizuri asked skeptically, "Mud pies? Dog poop?"
"What? No, we where just- Agh!" the boy on the left cried, gripping his right shoulder.
Before the boy could even finish he sentence, Shizuri held up her finger and fired a small, green blast of condensed electrons at the boy's shoulder, tearing his sleeve and grazing him. Her gaze remained indifferent as she committed the act.
"Are you okay, man?" the boy holding the box asked.
"What was that for? We just wanted to tal-Arg!" the boy on the right screamed, holding his grazed left arm.
"You just wanted to talk?" Shizuri asked menacingly, "You've tortured my little brother for two whole years without end and you expect me to believe you just want to talk?!"
"Please, listen, we don't want any troub-Ow!" the last by cried as he held his burnt hand, dropping the box on the ground, ruining it.
"No, you listen to me," Shizuri demanded, "Those three blasts were warning shots. If I ever see or hear about you picking on Touma ever again, the next shots will be much worse. Have I made myself clear?"
The three boys in front of her were frozen in fear. She could see it in their eyes. It was the kind of fear that showed that they knew she meant business, that she would own up to her threats. Eventually, the boy's all nodded frantically with tears in their eyes before running away like wounded dogs. She wasn't going to hear from them any time soon.
With the boys now gone, Shizuri looked down at the box they had dropped, now bent and broken beyond any presentable form from the drop. Sticking out from the edge of the ruined box was a white piece of paper. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Shizuri lifted up the lid to find the box full of store-bought chocolates and a hand-written note. Picking up the note, Shizuri read it contents, only to find herself shocked at what was written.
Dear Kamijou,
We wanted to give these to you as a token of our gratitude and sincere apology. We know we haven't gotten along in the past, especially with use constantly teasing you like we did. However, we will always be grateful for what you did for us. If you didn't intervene, we would have been at the mercy of those older kids when we wandered into the wrong part of town. We hope you accept our thanks and our apologies.
Shizuri could hardly believe what she had just read. Everything in the note sounded so genuine, it would be hard to believe it to be a lie. The boys truly did want to talk, simply wanting to say thank you and apologize to Touma. Yet, she stopped them from doing so, threatening their lives when all they wanted to do was make amends. What would Touma think? He was always a pacifist, preferring to talk things out before they got violent. What would he think of her if he ever found out.
Horrified by what she had just done, Shizuri dropped the note and ran home, abandoning the ruined box of chocolates on the ground. When she got back to Asunaro Park, she curled up on her bed, trying to forget what had happened. She could never let Touma find out. She couldn't bare to think how he would react to what she had done. However, she was interrupted when Miss Shigenomori came into the room, telling her someone had come to visit her.
When she stepped outside of the building, she found herself faced with a man in a black suit and sunglasses. He had a purely professional feel to him.
"Who are you?" Shizuri asked.
"Who I am is of no concern," the man replied, "All you need to know is that I am a representative of the city's board of directors."
"Why are you here then?" Shizuri asked.
"The board has a particular interest in you, Shizuri Kamijou," the main explained, "They believe you have the potential to become much stronger regarding your Esper ability and wish to give you access to special training, so you can reach that potential. All you need to do is come with me and my men to a special facility, alone."
"As enticing as that sounds, I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
"You need to take care of your little brother."
"How did you-"
"We have been watching you for a very long time. Including your little incident earlier today."
Shizuri bit her lip at that revelation.
"Have you ever considered what lies beneath the surface of Academy City's towering skyline?" the man continued, "There are many powers working in the shadows, taking advantage of unsuspecting citizens, such as your brother. If you come with us, we can give you the chance to disappear, leaving that accident earlier today behind and grow stronger so you can fight against the forces that seek to feed off of the ignorance of citizens like your brother. Even the board of directors can be corrupted, but you can be the one to keep them in line and make sure this city is a place for your brother to live his normal life. We will also do what we can to ensure that he is properly catered to and can live on with a sense of stability even after he leaves this facility. Is that not what you wanted? A normal life for your brother, free of danger and hardship?"
Shizuri thought about it for a minute. She didn't want to leave Touma all alone, but this is the perfect opportunity to accomplish what she came to Academy City to do in the first place. Touma had seen enough hardship in his life with all of his bad luck. If should could maintain the city from the shadows, make it so Touma didn't have to fight to live a normal life, make it so he didn't have to be put in danger, that wouldn't be so bad. And if she had to disappear from his life, that would be okay too. At the very least, he wouldn't learn about the horrible act she committed.
"Okay," Shizuri responded, "I'll go."
Having received an agreement, the man spoke into his radio and called in the rest of his men. In not time flat, the men gathered all of her belonging and loaded them in several vans. During the chaos, Shizuri entered the room that boys slept in and found Touma's journal. Flipping through the journal, she managed to find the only picture he had of her, the photo they took when they first moved to Academy City. Taking the picture out, Shizuri then returned outside with the men taking her away with a limousine ready. As they drove through the city, she saw Touma walking home from school, completely oblivious to her absence.
Since then, Shizuri took on her mother's maiden name, Mugino, further hiding her identity from her brother. She learned she had a sadistic side to her, the development of her powers most likely being the driving force behind her personality's development. After learning so much about herself and about Academy City's Underworld, she didn't want Touma to ever find out. Some things were better kept buried.
Present Day
"Ma'am we have arrived," the diver said, stopping the van.
"Good," Shizuri replied, putting away the photo, "Come on, Takitsubo. Hopefully, Frenda didn't blow the place up too much."
When the two remaining members of ITEM entered the facility, they were greeted with a rather large mess. The entire room was blown to smithereens, scorch marks covered the walls and floors, and an entire flight of stairs had been taken out. Throughout the room, remnants of stuffed dolls could be seen, a clear indicator that Frenda was responsible for the explosions. After a bit of work, the pair was able to find an alternate route up to the floor with a large, mechanical door. Knowing Frenda, she most likely lured the Electromaster there to corner and confront them. This was only confirmed by the sounds of struggling, explosions, and electrical buzzing on the other side.
When the sound final began to die down, Shizuri decided to take matters into her own hands and check for herself. Unleashing her ability, she fired a single beam of condensed electrons, melting a hole through the door. On the other side was a collapsed Frenda, held at zap point by their mysterious Electromaster.
"It got quite in her all of a sudden," Mugino noted as she stepped through the door, "I was sure the Electromaster finished you off. Looks like I got here just in time. Hello, Frenda."
And that's one flashback chapter covered! Now I can finally cross that off my bucket list.
So, next time, I will be covering the the Mikoto vs Shizuri fight, which my or may not be written from Shizuri's perspective. Who knows? I certainly don't, and I'm writing this thing.
See you all next time. Leave a review if you like.