Hello internet! I'm back from my unfortunate, unplanned trip. Thank you all for all the support you've shown regarding my grandmother. It means a lot. I've had plenty of time to heal, and plenty of off-time after the funeral to write, so here's the next chapter of my new original story arc. Although, in hindsight, it feels more like an expansion on the Three Stories Arc than anything else.
Regardless, I have decided on a name for it. Taking Isokage's suggestiong, I have decided to call this arc the Revelations Arc. Congratulations, Isokage!
Now, let's get the reviews from the last chapter out of the way.
OnePunchPlayer: Already started and moving forward.
0 Jordinio 0: Yup, Ezekiel is in for a rude awakening. I actually have showed off Touma's precognition in previous chapters. I just don't really make it too blatant. I'll try to make it a bit more obvious in future chapters.
ahsoei: I originally didn't plan on having the rest of ITEM involved, but readers like you convinced me otherwise. Thank you for that.
jonathanblade00: Thank you so much. I figured with changes in certain character's characterization and relationships, new arcs like this are a necessity to further explore these things. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.
Idle Knight: Thank you for being so patient.
Anime-ted Life116: Maybe I'll find another opportunity for them to interact again. Shizuri finding someone completely normal scary would be pretty funny.
Anti-Mage 29: Yup. You'd be right to believe this is how Shizuri is introduced to Magic. Of course, that doesn't mean she's fully understand what she's encountered just yet.
fencer29: No, I will not be skipping those events. This Arc actually happens the day before the Three Stories Arc, so no issues should come about with time conflicts.
vampireharry the 2: Glad you liked it.
ArcaRoz: Thank you for being so supporting and understanding.
Rajarshi Sarkar: I'm glad you like that I've started this new arc. I understand that you think Shizuri is out of character, but that's kind of the point. Out of all the characters I've worked with, she is the most drastically different in backstory, being Touma's older sister and suffering a mental condition that can best be described as something similar to Bipolar Disorder and Multiple Personality Disorder. She is constantly conflicted between her desire to be a good older sister to Touma and her lifestyle living in Academy City's Darkness. It's an internal battle of nature vs nurture for Shizuri, but even she's not entirely sure which is the nature and which is the nurture. The fact that's she being tolerant of the Railgang is simply her trying to be a good sister, being courteous to Touma's friends to keep him happy, even if her dark side does not necessarily like Mikoto in specific.
linkjames24: Thank you for the support.
GhostlyStranger: It's Touma Kamijou. He's never given a break from anyone.
Healthcare (Guest): Glad you find Ezekiel to be a potentially interesting character. Not sure if I'll be able to make him anyone of particular significance beyond this arc, but I'll see what i can do.
Isokage (Guest): Congratulations on having your idea used as the name of this arc. I'm glad you liked the first chapter of the arc. The arc as a whole is pretty much meant to serve as an exploration of my version of Shizuri, as well as set up for the future. I think I can agree with all of those answers for favorite movie. Although, I think I would switch Touma's Big Hero 6 with Avengers Endgame.
II (Guest): Thank you for your condolences.
Stitches (Guest): I know all about Baka-Tsuki. The main issue for me is that navigating that site is like wandering a maze, and you can't exactly hug the wall to help you find your way through. You've actually perfectly described the main conflict between Touma and Yuri that I have planned. Yuri will continue to find himself living in the Darkness even after reuniting with Touma, making him feel like Touma is failing him a friend, even though the reason Touma does not help is because he is largely unaware of Yuri's misadventures. This is something that will come to a head come WWIII.
Lone Sheep: Glad you liked the chapter.
ArmoredCoreNineBall: Exploring Shizuri's reinvented character was a major goal of the last chapter, so I'm happy to see I succeeded in that. Oh, you have no idea how accurate the phrase "fight Darkness with Darkness" is going to be in the next chapter. Truth be told, I originally didn't plan to have ITEM involved, but after readers like you brought up the idea, I realized the arc would be much more interesting with them included. That's the beauty of writing a serialized story in real time, the readers are able to contribute.
gemma110605: I wouldn't count on it too soon. Just because they're not trying to kill each other doesn't mean Mikoto and Shizuri will necessarily like each other, at least not at this early of a stage.
mohamadstar94: Thank you for the kind words.
TeotakuFantasia: Thank you for being so patient.
Generation Zero: I like working with parallels and shadow archetypes, so drawing parallels between the Kamijou siblings was a must for me. Although, I wouldn't count of Shizuri finding a way out of the Darkness just yet. I really wanted to create a sorcerer with a new brand of magic, specifically something that could provide cloaking, and the story of Moses felt the most appropriate considering he was hidden among Egyptian royalty for most of his early life. Plus, he is tied to a massive number of Biblical miracles associated with him, so that also provided a massive number of potential spells. You'll see what those are in the near future. You won't be seeing Accel fight Ezekiel since Accel is currently docile at this point in the story, having no real reason to act on anything until he meets Last Order.
aw022597: Thank you for your support.
GENO BERSERK: Sorry to tell you this, but you're probably not going to see him for a long while.
English patch (Guest): Sorry, no Aogami in this arc. What part of the last chapter made you think he would have any significance? This is clearly a Shizuri focused arc.
GunsAndMagic: Glad you love the story so much. Characterization is a must for me, so I'm glad I'm nailing it in your eyes.
Well, that took a while. You all know the drill. Disclaimer time!
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 52: Hide and Seek
The next day, the Kamijou siblings were enjoying a delicious breakfast prepared by Touma himself. Coupled with the housewarming they had last night, Shizuri could safely say that the last few hours were rather enjoyable. While she did have to spend a considerable amount of time in the same room with the Railgun, the two Level 5's were able to keep an uneasy truce and stay courteous for Touma's sake. Neither liked nor even trusted the other very much, but if it meant keeping Touma happy they could at least try to get along.
The housewarming itself was rather enjoyable all things considered, albeit a little chaotic. Touma's friends were even nice enough to give the siblings a few gifts to make their new home feel a bit more… homey. Most prominent of those gifts was the set of picture frames that now sat in the living room bookshelf. Touma himself saw it fit to put in a few photos from his journal in these frames and on display. Among those photos included the picture of the siblings standing in front of Asunaro Park upon their arrival in Academy City, the picture of Touma and his friends seeing Nunotaba and the Chemicaloid twins off, and a picture of Touma and Yuri as children, among other photos. Even with all those photos, there will still many picture frames waiting to be filled, all of which surrounded the milagro the Kamijou patriarch gifted his son.
However, as enjoyable as the housewarming was, Shizuri could not fully enjoy it. The entire time, she was plagued with the feeling that someone was watching her family closely. At first, she had been led to believe it was simply Kuroko keeping an eye on the siblings throughout the day to make sure she didn't discover their surprise. But when the feeling didn't leave when the party started, she knew there was something more going on, something she needed to investigate.
"Crap, is that the time?" Touma cried as he checked the clock, "I have to go, or I'll be late."
"You're going to help train your Judgement Branch in using those new weapons you helped field test, right?" Shizuri inquired, "You have everything you need, right? Old prototypes? Hoverboard? Armband?"
"Yeah, don't worry. My rotten luck has trained me to be careful with my things," Touma chuckled as put on his shoes, "I'll be at the Judgement Training facility in District 2, so you know where to find me. I'll see you tonight."
"Try not to do anything too crazy," the elder sister warned.
"I'll try, but the crazy usually follows me," Touma joked as he stepped out the door, "Love you."
"Love you too," Shizuri waved as Touma left.
As soon as Touma was out the door and Shizuri was certain he was gone, she pulled out her phone and wrote a quick email for the rest of ITEM. If she was going to track down whoever was watching her family, she was going to need all the help she could get.
At a certain family restaurant, the four field members of ITEM gathered as per Shizuri's request. According to the email they all received, they were gathered to talk business, but not the kind they normally got involved with.
"So, Mugino," Kunohata asked curiously, sipping on a drink she ordered earlier, "What did you need all of us here for?"
"I have a job for all of us," Shizuri explained seriously, "It's just not one given to use from our liaison."
"Does this mean we're not getting paid?" Frenda inquired, "All told, I don't really like the idea of doing a job for free."
"Don't worry about money. I'll cover all of your labor costs," the Level 5 reassured, "This is my personal job request."
"What's the job about?" Takitsubo asked, surprised that Shizuri would be the one requesting a job.
Reaching into her pocket, Shizuri pulled out a generic picture of her brother pulled from Academy City's Data Bank. She placed said photo in the center of the table, giving all the members of ITEM a good look at Touma's face.
"This is Touma Kamijou," Shizuri explained, "A student here in Academy City. I have reason to believe that someone is spying on him, and I want all if you to help me flush out the culprit."
"This guy? Seriously?" Frenda asked in shock, "Isn't this the Judgement Officer from the restaurant? Why would someone want to spy on him? All told, he doesn't look too interesting."
"Honestly, this guy looks ultra normal," Kunohata agreed, "He doesn't look like anyone of interest."
"You'd think so, but there's more to him than meets the eye," the Meltdowner explained further, "He's registered as a Level 0 in Academy City's Data Bank, the weakest Level 0 in fact, but he actually has one of the most powerful Abilities you'll ever see. In his right hand is an unregistered Ability known as Imagine Breaker, which allows him to negate any other Esper Ability he comes in contact with. He's even managed to best Level 5's like the Railgun and Accelerator. Of course, fight him with regular weaponry and martial arts and he'll be completely helpless in most cases."
"Seriously!? Wow! All told, he seems like a really interesting guy to fight!" Frenda beamed in interest.
"How did you even know about all that?" Takitsubo inquired, "You said that a lot of this information is unregistered, so how did you know all of it?"
And there it was. The question Shizuri had been dreading ever since she decided to get the rest of ITEM involved. She honestly would have preferred to keep ITEM and her brother as far away from each other as possible. Unfortunately, the threat of a spy she could not spot was too great to ignore and required the help of her team. Her only real reassurance was the fact that if ITEM was going to learn about her brother, it was going to be on her terms.
"… The truth is… he's my younger brother," Shizuri sighed after a moment of silence, "I recently reunited with him and I'm determined to keep him safe. Please, I'm begging you, help me keep him safe."
The rest of ITEM could hardly believe what they were seeing. It was so unlike Shizuri to beg for anything. She was always such a confident Esper, so sure of herself and her abilities. To see her this desperate for help was just off-putting, especially since it was for the sake of someone else.
Frenda in particular was especially put off by the act, not only for how strange it was, but for how much she could relate to it. Frenda herself was an older sister and could understand Shizuri's plight to want to protect her little brother. There was nothing Frenda wouldn't do for her little sister Fremea. Even if the age gap between siblings wasn't necessarily the same, Frenda understood the desire to keep a younger family member safe. Besides, she did owe Shizuri for embarrassing her in the restaurant in front of her brother,
"Well. since you asked, I guess I can take this job," Frenda replied, pretending to not care too much to maintain her image, "All told, I suppose doing a slightly different job from normal can be interesting."
"I'm in too," Kunohata agreed, "This job looks like it will be ultra interesting."
"We're behind you all the way, Mugino," Takitsubo added, confirming the team's decision.
"Thank you," Shizuri said gratefully, "I promise I'll compensate you all as best as I can."
"One quick question?" Frenda interrupted, "You said your brother's name is Touma Kamijou, right? Why is his name different from yours? Shouldn't it be Touma Mugino?"
"Mugino is actually an alias I took on when my brother and I were originally separated. It's actually my mother's maiden name. My full name is Shizuri Mugino Kamijou. You can all just call me Mugino to keep things simple."
"All told, I guess that will work," Frenda shrugged.
"Ultra simple," Kunohata agreed.
"So, what's the plan, Mugino?" Takitsubo asked, ready to get to work.
At the Judgement Training Facility in District 2, Touma arrived on the scene on his hoverboard at the neck of time. Already present at the training grounds was the rest of Judgement Branch 177, including Kuroko, Uiharu, Konori, and Aomi. Also present was Yomikawa and Doctor Bakuya with a box of the finished versions of ODD. Basically, everyone got to the sight before Touma did.
"Sorry I'm late!" Touma cried as he jumped off his board and ran to meet the others, "Didn't mean to keep you all waiting."
"Don't worry about it. You came just in time," Doctor Bakuya insisted, "You brought the old prototypes, correct?"
"Have them right here," Touma replied, pulled out the two devices from his shirt.
"Excellent," the good doctor said as he took the devices off the Level 0's hands, "I can't thank you enough for field testing these for me."
"Now, how about you hand out one of these to each of your Branch members?" Yomikawa instructed, handing Touma the box of finished ODDs, "Don't forget to take one for yourself as well."
Doing as he was instructed, Touma took the box from his physical education teacher and went around to his fellow Judgement Officers, handing each of them a mass-produced version of the completed ODD. Once everyone had one, he grabbed one for himself and handed the box back to Yomikawa.
The latest version of ODD was structurally identical to the Mark 2 prototype. The only real differences were some new programming and a stronger and lighter alloy being used to construct it. Functionally, the device was the same as the last prototype, but overall more effective.
"Alright everyone, listen up!" Yomikawa called out, gaining everyone's attention, "In your hands is the latest in Judgement weaponry, the Omni Defense Device, or ODD for short. Developed by Doctor Roku Bakuya and tested by Judgement Officer Touma Kamijou, this device will be the latest addition to your arsenal in maintaining peace within Academy City. As such, it is imperative that you learn to use these weapons to the best of your abilities. Thus, Touma Kamijou will be guiding you in basic operation. What this tool lacks in power, it makes up for in versatility. I expect all of you to make the most of your new weapon's capabilities. I will now give the floor to Kamijou."
"Well. look at you, big shot," Kuroko mused smugly, "Feels like only yesterday I was teaching you protocol. Looks like the student has become the teacher."
"Please don't patronize me," Touma sighed as he took center stage, "You know as well as I do that I'm still really just a rookie."
"An extremely proficient rookie," Uiharu complimented, trying to spin the conversation in a positive light.
"Alright kids, that's enough messing around," Yomikawa interrupted, "We don't have all day."
"Right, sorry," Touma apologized, straightening out, "Alright then. I guess the first thing we should work on is how to equip your ODD."
Outside the Judgement Training Facility, ITEM was positioned in a triangle formation around the area with binoculars in hand. Frenda was located to the southeast, Kunohata to the southwest, and Shizuri and Takitsubo to the north. from each of their positions, they had a clear view of Touma's position, as well as each other's. Each member had a disguise to help them be inconspicuous. Instead of her usual sweater dress, Kunohata wore a hoodie to help hide her face. Instead of her usual beret, Frenda wore a pair of sunglasses and wore a baseball cap. Since she was with Takitsubo, Shizuri wore a matching tracksuit with a pair of sunglasses and her hair tied in a low ponytail, making the pair look like a couple of joggers.
The plan was simple. ITEM would observe Touma from a distance at different positions to look for anyone suspicious. If any of them found anyone questionable, they would contact the rest of ITEM so they could all converge on the suspect and trap them in a pincer maneuver. Shizuri couldn't find the spy before by herself. But now that she all these eyes at her disposal, as well as Takitsubo's AIM Stalker if this spy was an Esper, she was sure they would be able to snuff this person out. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to have too much luck so far.
"Did you girls find anything yet?" Shizuri asked over her commlink impatiently.
"Nothing," Kunohata answered.
"Same," Frenda added, "Though I did just see that girl with the flower headband smack herself in the face with the recall function of her new weapon. It was hilarious!"
"Frenda, please try to stay on task," Takitsubo reprimanded halfheartedly.
Shizuri didn't like the way the situation looked at all. From where they were all positioned, they should have been able to easily locate anyone who would have been within observation range of Touma. But they have been in position for at least an hour now and have yet to find anything. She would have liked to use Takitsubo's AIM Stalker to point out any Espers within the area with some sort of cloaking ability or long-range observation ability, but overloading Takitsubo's Ability puts a massive strain on her and could put her out of commission in they're not careful. At this rate, they might not be able to find any leads at all.
"Hang on! I think I found something!" Frenda suddenly cried out.
"This better not be a joke, Frenda," Shizuri warned.
"It's no joke! I swear!" the explosives specialist insisted, "I took out my phone to take a video of the Judgement Officers failing to use their weapons when I saw him on the feed! He was wearing this wear scarf and carrying around a really big stick! When I looked away from my phone, he didn't have those things on him anymore and blended into the crowd."
'Could this guy be an Esper?' Shizuri thought to herself, 'I know I've heard of an Ability like this somewhere before. Dummy Check, I think it was called.'
"Stay where you are, Frenda. We're converging on your location now," the Meltdowner ordered, "Come on, Takitsubo."
Racing towards Frenda's location, the rest of ITEM rushed through the crowds of Academy City in a desperate attempt to catch their prey. When they finally arrived, they couldn't see anyone of the description Frenda provided.
"Where is he?" Kunohata asked upon arrival.
"Takitsubo, you're up," Shizuri ordered, handing the girl a box of Ability Crystals.
Steadily, Takitsubo took a pinch of powdered crystal from the box and swallowed it. In an instant, the drug took effect and overloaded her Ability, dilating her pupils and tightening her eyelids open. In an instant she could detect all the AIM Diffusion Fields in the area, both familiar and unfamiliar. She could see the AIM Diffusion Fields of ITEM, as well as those of the Judgement Officers nearby, but no one else.
"No other Espers in the area," Takitsubo reported sadly.
"I lost track of him just before you all arrived. Sorry, Mugino," Frenda lamented.
"Damn it! We lost him," Shizuri growled.
"Looks like your brother is ultra done with Judgement training for the day too," Kunohata pointed out, "If this guy is following your brother, he would likely have left the area already."
A moment later, Takitsubo's eyes returned to normal as the effects of the Ability Crystals wore off, leaving her with a small headache and holding her head.
"Are you okay?" Frenda asked in concern.
"I'm fine," the AIM Stalker insisted, "I just need a break from the Ability Crystals. That's all."
Seeing Takitsubo in such a sorry state, Shizuri couldn't help but let her sisterly side show. Ever since she reunited with Touma, that side of her has been showing more and more. Even if she wanted to get this guy as soon as possible and insure Touma's safety, she couldn't do so when their current plan of attack was failing and Takitsubo was suffering because of it. It was a game of chess they were playing. If they wanted to make an advance, they would sometimes have to make a retreat.
"Alright, it almost lunchtime anyway," Shizuri instructed, "Let's take a break and rethink our strategy."
Once again at a certain family restaurant, ITEM had gathered together, this time to reevaluate their attack plan over lunch. The restaurant they were in just so happened to be across the street from the Joseph's Touma and his friends regularly visit, so Shizuri could still keep an eye on her brother from afar when he inevitably showed up for lunch. As soon as their meals arrived, Shizuri and the rest of ITEM got to planning their next attack right away.
"So, do you think we have an Esper on our hands?" Shizuri inquired as she ate her salmon bento, "Some sort of Cloaker, perhaps?"
"Not likely," Takitsubo answered, "Even if we arrived just as he got away, I still should have been able to detect his AIM Diffusion Field. If his power involved cloaking his presence, there's no way he could have gotten away quickly enough to get out of range of my AIM Stalker."
"So, we're either dealing with a Teleporter with a cloaking device, or a non-Esper with a cloaking device," Kunohata deduced, "Either way, this guy will be ultra hard to catch if we can't rely on Takitsubo's AIM Stalker."
"Even so, we do know of at least one weakness of our target's cloaking method," Shizuri pointed out, "Frenda, you were able to discern his true appearance by looking at him through your phone camera, correct?"
"Yeah," Frenda replied, turning her attention away from her canned mackerel, "I was able to see him just fine through the camera, but when I looked at him directly, I couldn't make him out from inside the crowd. All told, it was really annoying. What's your point?"
"That means that his method of cloaking himself only works when people are looking at him," the Meltdowner explained, "If we can find some way to constantly look at him indirectly, we can track him down and smoke him out."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Kunohata inquired.
"I think I have a couple of ideas," Shizuri replied, looking out the window.
Across the road, Shizuri could see Touma and company enter the neighboring restaurant. Seeing all of them, particularly the headbanded hacker Uiharu, gave her an idea.
When Touma, Uiharu, and Kuroko arrived at Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant, they were greeted by Mikoto, Saten, and Index waiting for them at a table. After a long morning of Judgement training, it was nice for them all to be able to relax together over a meal in an airconditioned building on a summer day. The break was especially welcome considering how training that day actually went.
"Hey guys," Mikoto greeted, "How did training go?"
"As well as it could with my luck," Touma chuckled, rubbing his head as he and the girls sat down.
"What happened to your head, Kazari?" Index asked, noticing the small bandage on Uiharu's forehead.
"I had a bit of trouble using an ODD for the first time," Uiharu admitted sheepishly, "The first few times I tried using the recall function, I ended up getting smacked in the head. Kamijou makes it look really easy."
"I didn't think it was even possible for that to happen," Saten mused, "Don't those things lock on to the bracelet on your wrist or something when you recall them?"
"She kept flinching every time she tried to because of how fast it moved," Kuroko explained in exasperation, "Every time she did, the neuro-command was interrupted and her ODD went inactive, leaving it with the momentum to hit her in the face."
"No worries though! She got the hang of it eventually," Touma cheered halfheartedly, "With the help of her new ODD, Kazari Uiharu will finally be a useful field member of Judgement!"
"What do you mean 'finally'!?" Uiharu cried, earning a good-natured laugh from everyone else.
"Well, anyway, while we were waiting for you guys, we ordered some cups for the drink fountain and told the waitress to come back a little later. You guys ready to order?" Mikoto asked.
"I'll order once we get everyone they're drinks," Touma replied, "I'd be happy to get them for everyone. What would you girls like?"
"I would really love some ice-cold cola right about now," Uiharu sighed, rubbing her bandaged forehead.
"Orange juice for me!" Saten requested.
"Water is fine," Kuroko added.
"Anything will do for me!" Index cheered.
"Alright then! You mind helping me get all these drinks, Mikoto?" Touma asked with surprising politeness.
"Um, sure, I guess," the Railgun replied, getting out of her seat and following the Level 0 to the drink fountain with the group's cups.
Now alone at the drink fountain and out of hearing range from the rest of the group, Mikoto felt it was the right time to ask Touma what the real reason was that he asked her to come along. Touma Kamijou wasn't the kind of person to ask for help. He offered help but never asked for it. He was just stubborn like that. If Touma was asking Mikoto for help, then there must have been some sort of ulterior motive.
"Alright, spill it," Mikoto demanded, "What's the real reason you asked me to come along?"
"That transparent, huh?" Touma chuckled as he filled up one of his cups.
"You're a good actor, but when you act that out of character, the whole illusion is shattered," Mikoto mused, "So, why did you ask me to come along?"
"… Remember when you confessed to me earlier this summer and I said I would give it some thought before answering," Touma said as he moved on to the next cup.
"Yeah, and I've been nothing but patient about that," Mikoto replied.
"And I thank you for that," Touma said gratefully, "But at the same time, I feel like I've been keeping you waiting for too long now."
"So, you have an answer for me?"
"Unfortunately, no," Touma admitted sheepishly, "But, I thought, since tomorrow is the last day of summer break, maybe we could do something to help me come to an answer faster, just you and me."
"…Touma Kamijou, are you asking me out on a date?" Mikoto asked slyly as she filled up some of her cups.
"We can call it that if you'd like," Touma chuckled awkwardly, "Sorry, I've never asked a girl out before."
"Well, consider this your lucky day," Mikoto replied with a smile, "We'll met up tomorrow morning in front of my dorm. Sound good?"
"Uh, sure, sounds great," Touma stammered.
"Great," Mikoto cheered, grabbing her share of the cups, "Now come on! Let's get these cups back to the others before the start suspecting things."
As he watched Mikoto walk back to their friend's table with their drinks, Touma couldn't help but smile to himself. For the first time in either of his lives, he was going to take a girl out on a date. Sure, it didn't technically mean they were dating, but it at least meant he was in the running to date a girl who genuinely liked him. It was almost enough to make him forget about his normally rotten luck. Almost.
Even if he was graced with the good fortune of getting a date, he couldn't help but feel like he was in store for some major misfortune later that day. Little did he know someone else was about to suffer from some much greater and more immediate misfortune.
Ezekiel could hardly believe his luck. Day two of his infiltration of Academy City and he's already found evidence of the threat that Touma Kamijou posed. From his outdoor seat at Joseph's, the Roman Orthodox spy was able to clearly hear the conversation between the heretic Touma and the Level 5 Railgun. From what he heard, the Electromaster was clearly in love with the Imagine Breaker and the latter was considering the former as an option for a girlfriend. An alliance built on a romantic relationship was sure to be a strong one, and if such a powerful Esper were added to the blossoming Kamijou Faction, it would certainly add a boost to their strength. With such blatant evidence in favor against the unlucky Kamijou, Ezekiel would have no issue finding a reason to eliminate him.
All he had to do now was wait for the opportunity to strike. Attacking now while his target was in public and surrounded by allies would be suicidal. For now, he would wait for Touma to be alone, when he would be most vulnerable. Although Imagine Breaker could easily dispel any magical attack thrown at it, it could be overpowered, and it could not defend against attacks it cannot reach or did not see coming. All Ezekiel had to do was wait for his chance, and Touma Kamijou would be dead, never to threatening the balance of power ever again.
As Ezekiel plotted on how he was going to eliminate Touma Kamijou, he couldn't help but notice a young girl in a hoodie staring at him from the sidewalk. It didn't help that she started walking directly towards him, as if she had business with him. Checking his neck, he saw he still had his Levite cloth, so his cloaking magic should still be in full effect and he should still look like an inconspicuous man. Thus, she should not have any reason to be suspicious of him. Just to be safe, he decided to act natural and assume she didn't suspect anything.
"Hello, young lady," Ezekiel said calmly, maintaining an even voice, "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes, actually," the girl replied in a strange mix of cheerful and monotone.
A moment later, the table Ezekiel had been sitting at was reduced to splinters, completely crushed under the girl's fist. Ezekiel himself would have been crushed had he not reacted quickly enough and jumped away.
Looking up from his shattered table Ezekiel could only stare in shock at the girl who blatantly attacked him in public.
"I just wanted to say you've been ultra caught," the girl said with a smirk.
Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple
"What's up everybody!?" Animan yelled as he kicked down the front door of his own temple, "Guess who's back, and better than ever!"
"Master, don't you think that was a bit unneccesary?" Priestess Number 1 Himegami asked in exasperation as she followed her overexcited master out the door.
"Nope!"
"Well, it would appear that the Meltdowner and the rest of ITEM is having their first encounter with magic," Himegami observed, "And to top it all off, it seems they've already managed to exploit a weakness in Ezekiel's magic to track him down."
"Seems like it!" Animan agreed, "Of course, I left everyone on a cliffhanger just as he was found out so everyone will have to wait until the next chapter to see how it all plays out."
"I've also noticed this shares some similarities to the Dummy Check incident covered by the Railgang prior to the Graviton Bombing," the psudo-priestess mused, "Any special reason for that?"
"What can I say? I like paralleled story structure," the master of the temple shrugged, "George Lucas always said that story telling is 'like poetry... it rhymes'."
"I will never understand your thought process," Himegami sighed. utterly baffled by her master's sporadic behavior.
"Anyway, we'll see you all next time for the next chapter, and the finale of the arc, More than Meets the Eye!" Animan cheered, swinging his sword wildly.
"See you all then," Himegami said with a bow.