《Toaru Majutsu no Index SS》


 Volume 1, Prologue: The Calm Before the Start of War. Breakfast.

    Volume 1, Prologue: The Calm Before the Start of War. Breakfast.


    There was one tube-shaped kamaboko[1] left over.


    "Hmmm..."


    In the kitchen, Kamijou Touma let out a groan, as the tube-shaped kamaboko would reach its expiration date at 10 AM today...


    Devoting oneself to salad instead of ham was the latest trend. The kamaboko''s coloring had shown that it had gone beyond bad, but on the other hand, there was another two or three hours before the expiration date passed.


    For students, morning was an important time.


    "I can''t always be troubled by my luck, but what do I do with this leftover kamaboko?" Kamijou was in a quandary when he looked over from the kitchen to see a calico cat assaulting him by constantly purring. As its winter coat was growing in, it seemed a little bigger.


    ...


    Kamijou, from the kitchen, turned his gaze towards what quietly sat on the bed.


    There was a single nun there.


    Her name was Index.


    Despite the principle of "early to bed, early to rise", she was always lazily idling on top of the bed. Yet this time her back was straight and crisp, her knees were on the floor, and her hands were together as she underwent a quiet prayer this morning.


    The calico cat came this way, as if trying not to bother Index.


    (Phew...)


    Kamijou took the remaining kamaboko in a column and, leaning over the kitchen floor, spoke in a low voice to avoid alerting Index.


    "...Do you want to eat this kamaboko?"


    "Meoww!" the calico cat let out in a loud voice.


    Feeling that his happiness maxed out from the look of the small pet''s tail, Kamijou Touma squeezed down on the tube.


    The calico cat sank its teeth into the center of the tube, almost like a dog with a bone, before running off from the kitchen once again.


    When cats ate their own food, if it exceeded a certain size, they would sneak off and eat in privacy.


    It would likely sneak off to underneath the TV or somewhere similar, Kamijou thought appropriately, before going back to making breakfast.


    Replacing the calico cat was Index, who came in and started her assault.


    "Are we eating kamaboko!?"


    "Hah? No, that was the last one!!"


    The calico cat stared quietly at the glittering glare of Index''s eyes on the kamaboko. Moreover, she was giving off a muddy "How was the calico cat secretly eating without my approval!?"-like feeling. Kamijou quickly stopped her.


    She wasn''t picky. From foreign food to Japanese food, at that rate, everything in the kitchen would be gone instead of one kamaboko.


    "Wait, Index, ten minutes¡ªno, just seven minutes and breakfast will be ready!! So, please don''t raid the fridge...!!"


    "Kamaboko is kamaboko!!"


    "I don''t know what you''re saying anymore! And what the heck were you praying back there for!? You, Sister-san, whose stomach is never full!!"


    Wait, it''s only halfway done, so wait!! But Kamijou didn''t have time to stop Index, who raced into the kitchen and started moving her mouth.


    October 3rd, 7:02 AM.


    Kamijou stood, and found himself dumbfounded that, aside from the side dish in one hand, his own share of food had been eaten up, too.


    Notes


    1. ¡ü Also known as fish paste. Wikipedia entry here.

 Volume 1, 1: Pot with Meat and the Appetite for Great Tactics. A_Required_Thing.

    Volume 1, Chapter 1: Pot with Meat and the Appetite for Great Tactics. A_Required_Thing.


    Part 1


    Various things were presented during lunch break.


    "Bwah. My stomach is growling like an animal..."


    Missing out on breakfast due to various circumstances, Kamijou somehow made it through the morning classes.


    As soon as break started, he dashed from the classroom to the cafeteria to make a purchase.


    From the hallway, you could hear, "Hey, no running in the hallway...!!" coming from a small teacher. "...if you''re going to run, take off your indoor shoes and slide on your socks!!"


    "Unfolded socks drift!!" a sports club member''s voice mixed in.


    What speed! The sports club''s way was the Doppler effect.


    Even with his average strength, Kamijou would always get a late start.


    Always being delayed to lunch break would be fatal, but today was fine. With a bang, he pulled a thin student bag out and placed it on his desk, and from it he pulled out a killer bento box.


    "Now, time to eat," he said while pulling off the lid, but the cell phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated by chance.


    Checking, he saw that the latest number and email address came from Misaka Mikoto.


    "Ah?"


    Seeing that, he scratched his head while staring at the LCD screen.


    Data is corrupted, this mail cannot be opened appeared.


    (What? How did she send mail over here in the first place?)


    Kamijou, little by little, pressed the buttons to send a message saying that he couldn''t read the mail, and to resend it.


    He shoved the phone back in his pocket, as it was time for lunch.


    "Mnmn. Today seems weird, somehow."


    Getting closer while holding a small bag was Himegami Aisa.


    She was a very Japanese-looking girl with long black hair, and would bring a bento every day.


    "Again, you''ve brought something delicious."


    "The side dish isn''t divided. I''ll trade you."


    After saying that, Himegami dragged over a chair with a "zuzuzuzuzu" sound.


    Kamijou himself pulled open the top of his bento.


    "...There was food left over from yesterday, and I had packed a decent breakfast, but...it was eaten this morning by that girl..."


    "?"


    Kamijou felt faint as Himegami tilted her head to understand.


    After lunch break started, the majority of the class disappeared into the hallway to buy food from the cafeteria. The remaining took out their lunches and encamped at some desks, without worrying about space.


    Kamijou pulled out the cold barley tea that he had obtained on the way to school (and was lukewarm now) from inside his bag.


    "Himegami, you have the drive to make nicely prepared bentos every day. I just pack leftovers and it''s tiring to do."


    "Once you make a habit of it, you won''t have so much trouble."


    The difference between their bentos was obvious. Himegami''s had vegetable tempura as the staple food, and it wasn''t mixed with rice; it looked very tasty.


    While Kamijou had merely packed in leftovers, Himegami had planned from the beginning to make her bento. Even worse, because of his way of cooking it, the broth surprisingly had eroded and leaked into the rice''s zone.


    There was a small look of pity in her eyes while watching him grip the plastic chopsticks.


    "This doesn''t look like a bento. The broth has unexpectedly, skillfully soaked in."


    "...Sore loser?"


    "I am not! Today''s meal is simmered in broth made from the perfect soft potato; soaking it into the rice was clever! Tch, if you wanna make that kind of face, then try this taro! You''ll know Kamijou Touma''s underlying strength of using Mirin to kick it up a notch!!"


    Then Himegami and Kamijou''s chopsticks crossed each other''s as they swapped her Pumpkin Tempura.


    (What a hassle, frying it in the morning, but it''s good; just how early does this person get up?)


    Maybe she was a surprisingly hard-worker, Kamijou thought as he put the Tempura in his mouth. It was frustratingly delicious. It should have been a long time since it was put into the Bento box, but it was still crisp. He pleaded with her to teach him the recipe.


    On the other hand, Himegami vaguely recalled her learning to cook after her father''s work-related transfer left her alone.


    While staring at the Taro, she said while chewing, "Hm. Not bad¡ª"


    Her words were suddenly cut off with a "Nugh!" and a moan. Like that rounding out the back, she placed her hands on her throat.


    Apparently her throat was blocked.


    "A-are you okay!?" He reflexively said in a loud voice, but she didn''t reply.


    With tears in her eyes, she reached for the bottle of mineral water. Kamijou panicked when she grabbed his hand and pulled it to her back.


    "Eh, what? I''d better pat you on the back?!" he cried, as Himegami was nodding with water in her mouth.


    Touma moved her long hair to expose her back, while deciding to gently rub her back up and down, as she painfully shivered in her seat.


    "Damn!! I should take you the infirmary¡ª!"


    "Mugu! Mugugu!"


    "Oh, you want me to do it harder!?"


    As she pointed at her back with his hand, she nodded little by little. Kamijou, who wanted to help her as soon as possible, lost himself in her instructions and patted her back, when suddenly, a snap was heard.


    The irregular feeling of her bra unhooking could be felt on his fingers.


    To that, she silently molded her hand into a fist, and mercilessly drove it into his stomach (Her breasts shaking upwards slightly).


    *Zudom!!* It was as if his stomach was making that sound as his body flew backwards, rolling on the floor. Himegami held her chest area as she ran to the bathroom.


    "Guagh. I¨CI just did it like she said to do it. What were those unpleasant eyes for...?" Kamijou was on the ground, shaking little by little from his core when a classmate with long brows, long black hair, and huge breasts named Fukiyose Seiri came in while holding a Side Bread Plastic bag in one hand. It seemed she had gone to her locker to get the food she had there.


    In an amazed voice, she said, "What are you doing?"


    "Fu¨CFukiyose?"


    He slowly got up and sat in a chair while looking at her lunch.


    "Why are you always eating that sort of horrible bread?"


    "It''s not horrible! It''s perfectly delicious!!"


    She shouted shamelessly while holding a bundle of the bread with the wrapper that said "Carries 21 nutrients to increase the brain''s capacity." It was like medicine for lunch.


    Frowning, Fukiyose sat at Kamijou''s desk while she bit into and guzzled down the bread, which still didn¡¯t look appetizing.


    "If you don''t have any side dishes, you can have my taro."


    "I''ll tell you now: today I''m wearing a front hook."


    "?"


    Not understanding the reason for that outburst, he tilted his head in confusion. While she watched him in that state, she cleared her throat.


    "Still, it''s rare for you to make a bento."


    "Earlier, Himegami said the same thing. Even I find it unusual."


    Kamijou once again started poking at the bento with his chopsticks, while the rest of his classmates, who had gone to buy side dish bread at the last moment, began returning to the classroom in groups with it in one hand. It seemed the cafeteria would be set a little later. Now that the ban had been lifted, the season¡¯s trend seemed to have been about going outside the school to buy things like Oden at convenience stores. That was how students passed their lunch break.


    After eating, they rolled up a handout flier to play catch with, and others pulled out their cell phones to watch a variety show while eating. But there was one topic that everyone was discussing..As if listening to them aimlessly, the same thing came out of Fukiyose mouth.


    "...War, is it?"


    She sighed as those dangerous words came out, and Kamijou unintentionally stopped his chopsticks.


    Fukiyose, while hiding a frown on her face from his visage, said, "What, you don''t know? Try checking the news a little more."


    "I know. I really do."


    Rather, he knew better than anyone. Still, he could never tell her that.


    "Well, at least you know about that. Some fighting from sects of a religious group somewhere has caused a worldwide movement of protests."


    The degree of that second-hand story Fukiyose had heard somewhere was a bit unreliable.


    "Maybe I''ll go."


    Her tone held a sense of anxiety and fear in those words. Kamijou''s face went dim. He stopped noticing his chopsticks and she let out a sigh before continuing.


    "But if war started, the price of things¡ªsuch as meat and vegetables¡ªwould rise. So would the usual oil."


    Those sudden, out-of-place words confused Kamijou a little.


    However, there were rumors about it circling around as well.


    The sports club group, who were watching TV on their cellphones, said, "They''ve placed tighter restrictions on the exits, so the story is that there won''t be any more school field trips."


    "Really!? Ichihanaransai will still be affected!!"


    Other things were said by girls next to them.


    "But earlier in the staff room, I heard from the Anti-Skill teachers that because of the counter-plan, the midterm test got lost."


    "Lucky~!! I wasn''t confident in the body inspection, so this saved me!!"


    "Excuse me? I''ve been training extra hard to outdo everyone at bending a spoon with one hand; what am I supposed to do now?"


    And they all laughed.


    This school...or rather, this entire city was filled with the current "War causes big problems" issues.


    Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church disputes happen; even if they knew that, they were so cemented into their positions that they couldn¡¯t even imagine it.


    (So good,) Kamijou thought.


    So that such an environment where one could imagine such a blood drenched battle, was at an end.


    So that it didn¡¯t happen, Kamijou Touma took action.


    "Why''ve you been quiet for so long?"


    "N-no-nothing!"


    "...Stop looking at other people''s breasts when they''re talking. Geez, what were you imagining?"


    "I''m not imagining anything like that! Once in a while I have to shoulder serious things!!"


    In a fit of irritation, he thrust his chopstick into the taro in the bento box.


    "But, why would meat and vegetables be so expensive? Academy City clones meat and has artificial vegetables. Look, there are agricultural buildings everywhere. Even District 17, which is famed as the industrial area."


    "Besides, isn''t there a limit? There''s no such thing as complete self-sufficiency¡ªfrom working with partner organizations, you can just take it from somewhere else!"


    "Hmph."


    Kamijou saw that Himegami had just returned to the classroom at a glance from the corner of his eye.


    "Then, I wonder if it''s better to get Nabe now. After the price rises, you can''t help but think it is a good value."


    "Well, there''s a reason. The prices in the supermarket rise bit by bit during the winter. It''s still early, but I better buy Nabe quickly."


    And after those words, he could hear Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado Motoharu near the blackboard in a deep discussion.


    "Like I said, the lap pillow doesn''t really exist. That was only a product of fiction!"


    "...No, it does, nya~."


    They stopped their conversation and looked over to Kamijou. Aogami Pierce said, "So Kami-yan, do you want to go out for Nabe today?"


    Tsuchimikado followed up, "Nya. If it''s Sukiyaki, I know a cheap but delicious shop."


    That conversation spread to the neighboring student.


    "It''s October and too soon for Nabe. Right?"


    The circle of the conversation expanded from there at once.


    His classmates got closer, one-by-one.


    "What? You guys aren''t going to the store somewhere today?"


    "We won''t allow you to have a monopoly of the delicious shops."


    "I prefer Nabe to Yakiniku, personally."


    "Wait, wait, everyone pull out your cash. We''ll let the majority decide where we go."


    "Huh," Kamijou''s eye spotted it.


    The subject of the conversation went from "I''ll eat nabe" to "Go out to eat with everyone in class."


    "Why did it suddenly go to nabe again?"


    "The launch of this was the Daihaseisai some time ago."


    "This feels like preparations for the Ichihanaransai, doesn''t it?"


    The group surrounding Kamijou exchanged a variety of suggestions, until he finally said "Never mind the reason! Just Nabe will be fine!!" to change the direction. But Kamijou, who was at the center of the conversation, was left alone.


    "Majority voting!!"


    "Sukiyaki!!"


    "BBQ!!"


    "Oden!" "I want oden too!!"


    "Who was using ventriloquism?"


    "Sha¡ªbu¡ªsha¡ªbu¡ª (x 6)"


    "5.1 channel surround sound!? Someone raise the sound!!"


    Then the whole classroom became like a stadium with an explosion of loud noise.


    In the end, Tsuchimikado screamed out "This Tsuchimikado-style hidden store can meet all of your needs nya~!"


    Aogami Pierce countered with "Hop by my place where there''s waitresses! There''s one with huge tits and the smile of an angel with no boyfriend!"


    An uproar of, "No, I want cheerleader uniform waitresses!"


    "I''ve seen it, it''s more like tennis-wear."


    The debate was moving on to a point where it wasn''t understandable.


    Kamijou let out a nervous "Gyaa."


    "Fukiyose-san, what should we do about this difficult thing!?"


    "Geez..."


    Fukiyose took a short breath, hid her face with both hands, and then raised them both behind her head at once, sweeping her back hair behind her ears perfectly. After that, she fixed her hair clips.


    She was serious.


    Kamijou let out a small cry reflexively.


    "¡ªFukiyose forehead deluxe!!?"


    "Now!! I''ll take care of the voting quickly and quietly!!"


    Fukiyose went to the podium and cleanly cleared the blackboard.


    Part 2


    The female teacher with the appearance of a twelve-year-old, Tsukuyomi Komoe, and the female gym teacher with enormous breasts and who wore a jersey all year long, Yomikawa Aiho, were walking along the corridor. Lunch break would be over soon.


    "So they say that a neko-chan''s brain is roughly the same as 1?-year-old human''s. Academy City''s curriculum begins at 5-years-old at the earliest: this conclusion was drawn from the neko-chan''s being unable to use abilities... This was the basis of Isoshio-san''s thesis from the Kirigaoka Female College, but¡ª"


    "Seems like a lie to me. How would you even know if a stupid animal''s ability manifested itself? Well, the irregular ability development is the gimmick of that place. It wouldn''t be strange if various ideas like that came flying out of the place."


    Yomikawa halfheartedly swung around her bundled black hair, while she said, "Kirigaoka is where that runaway girl under your care is from, right? What''s up with her?"


    "Tee-hee. When Himegami-chan enrolled in the school dorms, it was a little lonely, but since Musujime-chan came, it''s fine now. She must''ve had a bad experience over there, but Sensei will wait for her to tell me. Because it''s different from doing housework, she can study better now."


    "Oh really?" Yomikawa let out an admiring, honest tone.


    "My freeloader heartlessly left rather quickly. He didn''t even leave a note. I get the impression it had something to with the scrap of paper I found this morning from Nagatenjouki Academy. Seems like he got into the dorms over there."


    "Eh! They are said to be the number one when it comes to ability development! Look at this year''s Daihaseisai festival, they even beat Tokiwadai Middle School and became the champions."


    "Maybe, but still. Somehow, it doesn''t make sense; for other freeloaders to go where yours left from seems unnatural... well, there are various things over here, too."


    Be it an argument or whatever else, each one respectively took charge as Komoe-sensei and Yomikawa''s classes were next door to each other.


    They may have been the same class grade, but the atmosphere¡ªor so to speak, the "color" of the classes¡ªwas different. Yomikawa''s way of ending lunch break was to gather up the next history book and the like about five minutes before the end, and use the remaining time to show each other homework assignments. Her being in charge of gym had nothing to do with history. It was said that the history teachers were crying in their minds from happiness.


    Komoe-sensei''s class on the other hand...


    "It''s settled!! Everyone''s going out for Sukiyaki tonight!!!"


    "Doooh!" Like after lost time in a goal in a soccer stadium had been decided, a cheer could be heard. That loud cheer toppled Komoe-sensei. Even the glass windows in the hallway were shaking from it.


    Komoe-sensei struggled to get up.


    "Waaaah! Yo-Yomikawa-sensei, I tried to take control of the class earlier, but I''m sorry¡ª!!"


    Komoe-sensei jumped into her classroom, all shook up with anger.


    Looking at her back, Yomikawa sighed and felt dizzy.


    "It''s fine. It looks like it''s just a stupid issue..."


    Part 3


    Various things led tonight''s dinner being Sukiyaki.


    The party that consisted of the entire class, Index, Komoe-Sensei, and Sphinx walked to the nabe shop that Tsuchimikado knew. Since the start of the Daihaseisai, Index had already barged into the class five times and had become familiar with them, so there was no need to explain to others anymore.


    Since it was past the time to go home, no buses or trains were running. So it was decided they would walk to the store in District 7.


    There was a complicated corner inside the underground shopping complex, which had various experimental school cuisines and nutrition shops. Thinking that Tsuchimikado''s stepsister''s home economics school''s shop must be there as well, Kamijou silently sighed.


    As they entered the passage to the sukiyaki shop...


    "Uwah.."


    Kamijou unintentionally let out a moan.


    Maybe it was because every store in that underground mall was built around a modern design, but the sukiyaki shop looked uncannily run-down. A wreck, to be more familiar. There was no sense of it trying to attract customers.


    "You wouldn''t expect this place to be surprisingly good, but the stubborn old boss won''t paint it."


    "On the contrary, because it looks so rundown, wouldn''t it serve as good cover?"


    Attempting to gain confidence by taking a deep breath, Kamijou was in the front row as they pulled open the door with a rattle.


    They only found an unmotivated-looking student clerk near the cash register, but from the interior of Kamijou''s group, whose total count was forty people, heard an exchange, with thick provincial accents.


    "Whoa¡ª!! We''ve got a big catch!! The sales from today alone will top the charts," an exposed voice said in a flurry.


    Kamijou''s shoulders dropped. "Well, they don''t seem to be organized."


    "In the first place, it''s strange for forty people to come without calling ahead. I wanted to see that guy''s smiling face instead of his boring empty one, nya," Tsuchimikado said. In the middle of it,


    "By the way," Komoe-sensei interrupted. She was leaning on the wall while viewing a somewhat, seemingly oil-stained catalog. "Tsuchimikado-chan, this shop has thirty kinds of beers, and that''s only the local brews. Also, their alcohol is top-notch. How did you come to know about such a place?"


    "Guh!? N¨CNo!! It''s unthinkable, nya!! How could a high school senior even drink alcohol, nya!!"


    "Tsuchimikado-chan? Tsuchimikado-chaaan?"


    Komoe-sensei''s infinitely shady eyes pointed at him until the long awaited nabe finally arrived. Touma''s classmates grabbed her whole body while saying "Now-now-now" and forcibly took her to the banquet hall for the group.


    Sensei tried to say something, but they seemed to ignore her.


    Naturally, having one table of nabe for forty people to peck at would be impossible to do, so it was decided to split off into different groups and tables.


    "Let''s eat!" "Let''s eat some nabe!" Everyone''s tension rose; some twisted the knobs on the gas-range on the tables for no reason, while others kept busy with a contest on who could cleanly divide the wooden chopsticks.


    The calico cat''s little nose began twitching in delight as it meowed while watching, as it was banned once again from sukiyaki that had negi[1] in it.


    Pitying it, Kamijou had lumped in an order of onigiri earlier with the nabe, and placed it in front of the calico cat. "Curses!! Everyone gets meat while I only get salmon," the calico cat seemingly pouted while raising its tail, as it grabbed both sides of the onigiri with its front paws and nibbled on it in jealousy.


    While waiting for the order of nabe, the class began talking on the topic of the chaos on the "outside" of Academy City.


    Himegami, in a whispering voice, was talking to Fukiyose while back-to-back.


    "Come to think of it, apparently there is talk that children with higher abilities should submit papers ascertaining their identities."


    "If you''re talking about stronger esper abilities, it''s a proper way to handle them, isn''t it? Humph, as I thought, if it becomes very bad we might be the ones paying the dearest price!"


    On the contrary, sitting next to Fukiyose, Touma pondered about it quietly. Nearby, Index tilted her head in confusion.


    As seen by the relationship between Misaka Imouto and Misaka Mikoto, ability could be determined by DNA information. Truthfully, they wouldn''t want to lose students with valuable skills. Especially Level 5 espers alone, who had been worth enough to make a professional laboratory.


    In a related topic...


    "Hey, is it true Tokiwadai Middle School''s buses are bulletproof and explosion-proof? Rumors like that have suddenly popped up; I''m worried."


    "Nya. Gossip like that being whispered on the School Garden reeks of lies. Information there is highly classified, so I doubt it''d be leaked without reason."


    Sitting across from Kamijou was Aogami Pierce, who had left to use the telephone and came back during Tsuchimikado''s speech, felt it was ridiculous but had a strange credibility.


    For example, if the Ojou-samas of Tokiwadai Middle School were lost, it would without doubt be a major blow to the financial and political worlds. People''s lives weren''t all worth the same, Kamijou sighed.


    "Haa! The number of parents making inquiries that say "If war breaks out, Academy City will be dangerous for their children" has multiplied."


    "Eh, such conversations are being raised as well?"


    Komoe-sensei spoke in a small, tired tone, while Kamijou was puzzled. She was sitting across the table from him and waiting for the nabe to come with a glass of cold water at her mouth.


    "Well, getting their children may be important. But I can also understand...where is there another place safer than Academy City? Whether inside or outside the country, I don''t think any other security measures are enough."


    Doubting it, Kamijou made a bitter smile. He couldn''t even count how many times he had been sent to the hospital in the last few months.


    Sitting next to Touma was Index.


    "Touma, I''m hungry."


    "...The nabe will come soon. But you really go at your own pace."


    "I want an Onigiri, too."


    "Forget it! That''s for the cat!"


    Kamijou¡¯s shout made the calico cat''s fur stand on end. "Gimme a break! I can''t eat meat and now you want to take the salmon away from me?" in a menacing purring voice.


    And then...


    "Here comes the Nabe"


    Tsuchimikado cried out in a liar''s voice.


    Kamijou''s group noticed several employees were bringing a large black pot with both hands. There was already a low simmering sound coming from the pot, just as Tsuchimikado said, a scent that couldn''t come from one made from drifted through the air.


    "Let''s see" Kamijou said as he peered into the pot the employee brought.


    He was suddenly captured by his classmates surrounding him, Index let out a small shriek, and Fukiyose sighed with a gloomy look on her face.


    "Gwah!? What are you bastards doing!!?"


    "Fool!! If you keep that up you''ll overturn the nabe!"


    "So suddenly! Look especially at that cute face and huge rack on that employee are ultra-dangerous!!"


    "With your luck, we''ll probably starve once you make a mistake!"


    He would like to argue, but he was outnumbered. The Imagine Breaker that dwelled in his right hand would have no effect on his starving classmates.


    Perhaps because of that specific event, misfortune failed to happen this time around, without warning.


    Except for that store clerk, the cute one with the big boobies. She more or less caught Kamijou red-handed, and said "Is-is everything alright?"; which had his classmates think he was screwed, after all...


    "...If his bad luck doesn''t butt in now at least, I''ll get really, really mad"


    "Don''t poker-face when you say stuff like that, it''s scary!"


    There was much waving and flailing of arms on Kamijou''s part as he cried that out, but the class''s attention was all on the nabe.


    He pulled himself back together and picked the raw eggs for the sukiyaki, banging them on the corner of the table, cracking the shells open and dropping the contents inside a bowl.


    A clatter of chopsticks could be heard as he beat the eggs, but then Fukiyose, who was sitting nearby suddenly voiced, with great discontent, "...Damn you, Kamijou. Whatever the hell is taking you so long to scramble those eggs?"


    "Eh?"


    "Gaah I''m already irritated just by looking at you!! Let me have that for a bit, when it comes to eggs you have to do it fast! Look, you do it just like this!!"


    "Hiii, a direct controller!?"


    Kamijou, with his rice bowl taken away, nonchalantly distanced his chopsticks from Fukiyose. At that rate it was likely only vegetables would be heaping on the long-awaited sukiyaki.


    Meanwhile, Aogami Pierce, as if he totally read what was happening, kept a safety zone with a fixed distance from Fukiyose, then nonchalantly called out to Kamijou.


    "When we limit ourselves to the menu, the prices still haven''t changed, no?"


    "Y-yeah. But we''re probably on the stocking-up phase. We''re waiting and seeing whether or not this is temporary, but the truth is there definitely might be an immediate price hike."


    "In other words, we have to eat these at once! Yahoo¡ª!!"


    "''Yahoo¡ª'' my ass, you meat-only-picking bitch! And Fukiyose-san is somehow a carnivorous bastard who''s like a black bass destroying the nabe''s contents¡ª!!"


    Undeterred, Kamijou reached in with his chopsticks, but in no time at all, to see broth-soaked shirataki when he thought it was meat with only tiny scraps of it remaining when he grabbed them, was painful. And to make matters worse, he unreasonably got a fist from Fukiyose for saying ''stop churning up the pot with chopsticks; you''re destroying the tofu''.


    Nevertheless, no matter what one said, everyone was having fun partaking from the pot. Or rather, why he himself didn''t get much from the pot, Kamijou puzzled over, but then...


    "Ha!? Oh yeah... Index''s gastric problem is¡ª!?"


    Way faster than him realizing his concerns, the white-habited girl''s eyes sparkled.


    He felt an unexpected, unpleasant premonition.


    Part 4


    For adolescent high school students, only nabe sets were insufficient, so until additional orders arrived at their tables, everyone was doing his or her own thing. The majority of the class was screaming *gyaa! gyaa!* noises inside the store, but Kamijou went out and was resting for a bit. One might say, as they were in the underground mall, there was not much of a feeling of being outside.


    (War, eh...)


    (An unreal word¡ªno, it''d be better as an unreal word,) Kamijou suddenly reminded himself.


    In the underground mall, oriented for college students, people a little older than Kamijou were walking back and forth. And everyone was pleasantly smiling. That was itself peace. It was everywhere in the townscape. And it seemed to diminish the credibility of the word ''war''.


    Even so, scars certainly remained.


    With the turmoil on September 30th, several buildings in a street block were mowed down, and the outer sections of Academy City took a land-transforming scale of a bombing. Those kinds of scars wouldn''t go away in a day or two.


    After this, ''that'' would probably occur around the world.


    There was no definite promise that world-shattering event would definitely not occur.


    The Roman Catholic Church.


    And the God''s Right Seat.


    (...Seems I have to do something.)


    He didn''t know what he could definitely do. In the first place, he had a feeling that he would be doing more than what a mere high school student could do.


    However, Vento of the Front, who had arrived in this town the other day, said, "¡ªI''ve attacked Academy City to eliminate Kamijou Touma."


    Kamijou was not in the middle of a large flow.


    The large flow was happening with Kamijou as the center.


    (I dunno what''s what, but if so, even I can probably do something; I''m not a spectator here. I dunno who decided this, but if I''m the axis of the story, is there no room left where I can change the flow of the events?)


    Even with the long-awaited pot, the more he thought about it, the more he was feeling depressed. With his mood changing, Kamijou took out his mobile and opened it, unaware that he had mail.


    It came from Misaka Mikoto.


    (The usual from lunchtime eh,) he thought as he tried to open the mail, but even as he opened the inbox, the message [no new mail] was being displayed. Somehow, her address was treated as spam and was automatically segregated into a different folder, but even as he punched his way into it, that spam folder couldn''t be found at all. That function wasn''t used much, so he had no idea.


    "?? ...What was that?"


    He tilted his head and figured he''d deal with it later, so he put his mobile back into his pocket.


    "Kami-yan."


    A voice reached Kamijou''s back.


    Turning around, Tsuchimikado Motoharu was standing there.


    He was holding a small fifteen centimeter metallic bottle in one hand. Its contents might have been whiskey. He had probably come there to secretly drink it and keep it from Komoe-sensei.


    Tsuchimikado''s appearance was totally normal. Without even a single plaster. However that lad had probably risked his life in battle; looking closely, his gait was suspiciously awkward.


    As usual, the self-styled spy Tsuchimikado could see that from looking at an amateur like Kamijou the latter was suspecting [awkward]. As expected, his was no minor injury.


    Tsuchimikado probably knew why Kamijou was secretly excluding himself from the class.


    He smiled as he said, "...You''re mistaken if you think the war that will occur from here on is all your fault. Thanks to you, everyone in the class is not dragged in. You were able to protect those around you. And so you experiencing feelings of alienation is too unreasonable."


    "...I see."


    "That''s right. The war occurred because someone behind the scenes blundered. For an amateur like Kami-yan, to be angry that it''s the fault of someone somewhere else is enough."


    On hearing that, Kamijou instinctively smiled.


    After all, both Kamijou and Tsuchimikado were really similar, burdening themselves with their own baggage.


    Tsuchimikado said, "It''s starting."


    "Yeah."


    "The scale of the war is changing. This is totally beyond a mere brats'' squabble. You better be on the lookout, Kami-yan. From the way it is now, it might be difficult to escape situations from here on."


    "...I get your point."


    Kamijou slightly glanced downwards.


    Onto his own flexing right hand.


    "Even I didn''t think this would end up good. It''s because that rather than ''something is insufficient'', there are many with their own insufficiencies. What happened up to this point is miraculous. Perhaps, if they were rightly recognized, I wouldn''t have advanced to this fate."


    "The other side won''t be waiting leisurely for our preparations."


    "That might be the case. Even so, I know what I must do. No matter how small, I''ll have no choice but to learn it in detail."


    Having said that, Kamijou shifted his gaze up.


    "It''s no use complaining over the insufficiency. We''ll be advancing little by little. It''s a difficult problem even in the best of cases. But if we don''t do it, we can never get close to our intended people."


    "Kami-yan..."


    Tsuchimikado tried to say something, but held it in.


    He was a professional spy, different from Kamijou. A person who knew the darkness of the world far better than Kamijou. The hesitation had disappeared from Kamijou''s tone, which caused Tsuchimikado to fumble for the right words.


    "I''ve depended on others until now. And I''ve left it all to others for the world I don''t know myself. I believe even I burdened you with troubles. These will be no more from now on. I have to walk on my own to the new world I haven''t seen up to now!"


    Kamijou had gotten the attention of Tsuchimikado Motoharu.


    He silently clenched the Imagine Breaker, his right hand.


    "Tsuchimikado, I''ve decided."


    In a voice filled with a strong will, he clearly said it.


    In a sense, to the senior of that business.


    "That''s right, from now on I''ll study English!!!"


    .....................


    "Hah?"


    Aware that Tsuchimikado was reflexively and completely agape, Kamijou brought out his mobile from his pants.


    "Now look, Tsuchimikado! I''ve downloaded a mobile app called Easy English Training! I''m onto Level 3 of daily conversations, but as I thought, it''s tough. But I have to reasonably remember non-Japanese words, so the Roman Catholic Church and God''s Right Seat are not always limited to always talking in our language!!"


    "Errr..."


    Stepping too far back, Tsuchimikado''s unintentional expression was like he was talking to someone for the first time.


    "Why English for this situation?"


    "Eh? If they''re in Rome then Italian will do. However, there are two billion of them. For that, English will do."


    Kamijou''s puzzling answer came back.


    For something like a definite way to survive, that was the last thing on Tsuchimikado''s mind.


    It seemed that Kamijou was somehow hell-bent on beating words into two billion opponents.


    "Well, I was thinking that words won''t go through, but if the soul is sent along, one would expect that they should understand, I think. There''s no reason why everyone should be fluent in Japanese like Lidvia or Biagio. Or rather, everyone is talking to one another in Japanese, but we shouldn''t be too dependent on that. Hence that''s my reason."


    "¡ª"


    A thick *BAM!!* sound resounded in the underground mall.


    Because of the extreme stupidity, Tsuchimikado almost reflexively unleashed his fist.


    Tsuchimikado exasperatedly shook his head, ignored the lad rolling nearby, and went back inside the sukiyaki restaurant as he lowered his shoulders.


    Afterwards, it went without saying that Kamijou Touma was unable to get even a bit of the additional pile of meat.


    Notes


    1. ¡ü Negi is a type of green onion and onions can cause anemia in cats, along with liver damage.

 Volume 1, 2: A Dull Gray Alley. Skill_Out.

    Volume 1, Chapter 2: A Dull Gray Alley. Skill_Out.


    Part 1


    It was early morning the same day, October 3rd.


    However, Accelerator was in a rectangular underground area surrounded by thick concrete, so he couldn¡¯t tell if it was morning or night. And it didn¡¯t really matter. He was standing with his cane underneath fluorescent lights that gave off uniform illumination.


    He was in a shooting range.


    The room went about 50 meters back, but only the front 10 meters were made for people to walk in. The rest was cut off by an oblong table. There were a great number of human-shaped targets beyond the table and a training program could freely move them anywhere along a mesh-like series of metal rails.


    There were a number of thin dividers on the oblong table creating 13 lanes for the shooting area. The space for each lane was about the size of a phone booth.


    Accelerator was standing near the middle at the 8th lane.


    His slender hand was gripping a small handgun and the area smelled a bit like fireworks.


    ¡°Exercise Number 42. Begin.¡±


    A recorded woman¡¯s voice gave that announcement as 5 targets began to move.


    (I¡¯ll go in order from closest to farthest. I just have to blow them away one at a time.)


    Accelerator held the handgun in one hand and accurately shot each target.


    Gunshots rang out in the large underground area. The loud noise bounced back adding even more pressure to his eardrums.


    Accelerator was right-handed, but he was forced to shoot with his left hand because of his cane.


    ¡°Exercise Number 43. Begin.¡±


    He only needed about 70 seconds per round.


    (I can¡¯t focus too much on the sight. I have to watch everything. Even the motions at the edge of my vision.)


    As he thought, Accelerator was intent on his shooting. For him, reloading was more of an issue than the firing itself. As he had his cane in his right hand, he had to do so with only his left hand.


    He removed the magazine, spun the gun around so the slot for the magazine was pointed up while his pointer finger remained on the trigger, pulled a magazine from his left sleeve with his mouth, put it in the gun, spun the gun halfway back around, put the slide in his mouth, and pulled it back.


    It all took about 2 seconds.


    But Accelerator felt that was too slow.


    ¡°Exercise Number 44. Begin.¡±


    He had tried firing plenty of other guns.


    (I have to choose a gun based on the speed with which I can reload, the weight when I¡¯m swinging it around in one hand, and the recoil when I fire it.)


    The table in front of the lane had military, self-defense-use, sports-use, and plenty of other types of handguns on it. It also had shotguns, submachine guns, and rifles.


    There were empty cartridges scattered about his feet like a pile of fallen leaves. Because of the various types of guns, the shells had different sizes and shapes. Some were copper-colored metal and some were made of blue plastic.


    ¡°Exercise Number 45. Begin.¡±


    He shot the targets moving at high speed on the rails.


    (Don¡¯t rely on the destructive force of a single shot. Shooting multiple times with an easy-to-shoot bullet works best as a generic strategy.)


    The targets picked up pace and they could turn sudden, sharp corners at the numerous switching points, but he precisely hit every single one regardless.


    Members of Anti-Skill underwent formal training and even they couldn¡¯t do that. He had just barely started using guns and his posture was unsteady because of his cane, but he could already handle a gun like he¡¯d been doing it for years.


    But...


    ¡°...I can¡¯t use this.¡± Accelerator said in an annoyed voice before the machine output his stats which were a personal record.


    He pushed a few buttons on a calculator-like device on the lane¡¯s table and the training program stopped. He then threw the handgun onto the table.


    He spoke without turning around.


    ¡°What do you want, you disguised bastard.¡±


    After he spoke, a purposeful sounding footstep could be heard from behind him. It was most likely in place of a knock.


    ¡°I was trying to suppress my presence, but it seems I need to practice some more,¡± spoke a soft male voice.


    Accelerator turned around to find a thin brown-haired boy standing there. Accelerator recalled that his name was Unabara Mitsuki. But just after naming himself, the boy had said that his face and name were both fake.


    ¡°I¡¯d actually like to consult with you on that matter. You were in the middle of target practice, so it couldn¡¯t have been that I made a noise. So how did you detect my presence?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always blabbering about something, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m not gonna help you with that.¡± Accelerator spat out, but he honestly hadn¡¯t noticed Unabara Mitsuki¡¯s approach.


    At least not with any of his normal sensory organs.


    But...


    (Tch. They¡¯re trembling again...)


    The hand that had held the handgun was hurting for a reason other than fatigue.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but this had been happening ever since he had first met the guy a few days ago. Whenever Unabara Mitsuki was nearby, his fingertips would tremble unconsciously. And he would feel a pressure on his chest like there was a basketball there.


    One thing always came to his mind when it happened.


    (Kihara Amata.)


    The pouring rain, a dull pain, and the iron-like taste and smell of blood.


    (Last Order.)


    That small life that had been tormented by unreasonable violence and seemed like it could slip away even now.


    And...


    (...Those black wings that appeared on my back.)


    It was nothing more than a vague, abstract image in his head. He had only started to become aware of that existence when he had joined GROUP...no, it had actually been from the point when he had crushed the researcher known as Kihara Amata.


    But he couldn¡¯t exactly discuss that with the man before him.


    He would gain nothing from showing any weakness here.


    ¡°I asked what you wanted.¡±


    ¡°Have you decided on a weapon?¡± Unabara¡¯s smile did not go away. ¡°You won¡¯t have time to do too close an examination. You have an urgent job to do. You need to learn how things work around here as soon as you can.¡±


    ¡°So far, nothing¡¯s felt just right,¡± Accelerator spat out and looked down at the large number of guns on top of the table. ¡°But somehow I doubt I¡¯d find one that did if I checked every gun in the world.¡±


    ¡°How about you put together a list of equipment you can use along with your powers?¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t fucking get it, do you?¡±


    He tapped the choker-style electrode on his neck.


    ¡°I can¡¯t rely on this thing.¡±


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s been improved, right? The report from GROUP¡¯s technical team said that the time you can use your powers was upped from 15 minutes to 30.¡±


    ¡°GROUP...¡± Accelerator repeated as if he didn¡¯t care.


    On September 30th, some people in powered suits had appeared after he had pulverized Kihara Amata and taken him away to join a unit by that name, but even a formal member like him didn¡¯t know the details. Currently, it seemed GROUP acted as a 4-member set including him. But he didn¡¯t even know how many other such units there were or even if there were any others. The people in those powered suits may have been members of a different ¡°GROUP¡±.


    He had transferred to Nagatenjouki Academy.


    That was what Yomikawa Aiho and Yoshikawa Kikyou had been told happened. Even Accelerator thought that was a nice method of explaining it. It was true that no one would find it odd that the top school in Academy City had a special class that stressed secrecy. There could very well be a single research room that even the other students didn¡¯t know about.


    Taking advantage of that, he was registered as a student there, but didn¡¯t actually attend the school.


    (It¡¯s the people who control GROUP. I can¡¯t see the whole picture, but the people above us must have the power to do that and a goal that requires that they go to that much effort. Sounds suspicious to me.)


    Accelerator knew there were a number of subordinate organizations that worked under GROUP. They developed and maintained equipment, transported personnel, and completely destroyed all evidence of GROUP¡¯s actions. A huge number of people must be needed to do all those various jobs and it was all for the sake of just four people.


    One of the recipients of all that, Unabara Mitsuki, had a look of puzzlement on his face.


    ¡°Are you displeased with how the electrode is tuned?¡±


    ¡°Ha. Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s 30 minutes or 3 days, it¡¯s still fundamentally the same. If something fucks up, it¡¯s all over. If the electrode breaks down, I can¡¯t fight and then I¡¯m dead.¡±


    These were his feelings after facing a formidable opponent like Kihara Amata with the battery having died. He could no longer feel safe while he was relying on something.


    From now on, he had to fight no matter what situation he was driven into.


    ¡°Ha ha. So you¡¯re saying all the effort the technical team went to in analyzing the electrode was a complete waste?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking care,¡± Accelerator responded. ¡°Is that all you wanted?¡±


    ¡°No, I was about to get to why I¡¯m here.¡±


    Unabara paused for a beat and continued.


    ¡°GROUP has gotten an order for a job from the Board of Directors.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Academy City is currently fortifying its anti-Roman Catholic battle lines, but due to the focus on anti-Roman Catholic things the defense on the inside has gotten thinner. Our job is to do a clean sweep of a force that is going to use that gap in the defences to do some damage to the functionality of Academy City.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Ha ha ha.¡±


    Accelerator laughed without meaning to after hearing that.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve fallen so damn far that I have a collar around my neck and have to be ordered to take out the trash? Life really is full of surprises.¡±


    His red eyes turned to lines in enjoyment and his lips became a shape of scorn.


    ¡°I was told I had to make up for what that fucker Kihara did, but I never thought I¡¯d be doing boring shit like this! Ha ha. I guess the higher ups see me as the same kind of trash Kihara was!!¡±


    ¡°You brought it on yourself. No one made you fall this far.¡±


    In response to those words, Accelerator stretched out his slender arm and grabbed Unabara by the collar. He purposefully aimed for the very center of his chest.


    He grabbed Unabara with those fingertips that could alter various vectors. He could even reverse the flow of Unabara¡¯s blood with them.


    ¡°Listen up, kid. There¡¯s something you need to learn.¡± Accelerator¡¯s expression did not change as he pulled on Unabara¡¯s shirt. ¡°A human life is a fragile thing. I can destroy one with a touch of my finger. So watch yourself. If you don¡¯t, I might break something you¡¯d rather I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    But Unabara¡¯s words did not match the smooth tone of his voice and there was a calm smile on his face.


    ¡°Tch,¡± Accelerator lightly clicked his tongue and let go of Unabara¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°May I continue?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°The target is Skill Out. You probably know more about them than me.¡±


    Accelerator frowned at Unabara¡¯s words.


    Simply put, Skill Out was an armed group of Level 0¡¯s.


    One¡¯s status in Academy City was decided by academics and powers. Being a Level 0 was like living your school life with a test you got a 0 on hanging from your neck and it seemed some people couldn¡¯t stand to be treated like that.


    Potentially, there were around 10,000 Skill Out members in Academy City. Most of those were people who rented out a dorm but never went to school and people who went to school but acted as Skill Out members at night. The Skill Out members that never returned to the dorms and gave them the image of an armed group was only about 1% of the total.


    They had no clear objective.


    If a group of Level 0 boys gathered in the streets at night, they were treated as part of Skill Out. Consequently, there were Skill Out groups that were just 3 or 4 people gathered in a convenience store parking lot and some that made teams of a hundred and strutted around the streets.


    ¡°Hey, now. The scale of this job keeps getting smaller and smaller. The higher ups aren¡¯t betting on how far I¡¯ll go before I snap, are they?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Just so you know, Skill Out has apparently reorganized recently. When an Anti-Skill unit tried to suppress them, they turned the tables on the unit forcing them to retreat. So it isn¡¯t all that surprising that this has come to an unofficial unit like GROUP.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Accelerator said in annoyance.


    Strategy or force. The good-for-nothings in the back alleys must have come by one of those.


    ¡°It seems Skill Out is making some toys.¡±


    ¡°Toys?¡±


    ¡°They are drilling into oak wood and packing explosives inside. They are about 5 cm in diameter and 70 cm in length. They are probably supposed to be rockets as they are completely streamlined and have been confirmed to have 3 PVC fins on the sides.¡±


    ¡°Wait, they¡¯re making pole fire arrows?¡± Accelerator couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Those were experimental weapons in the Edo period. What, have they gotten obsessed with archeology or something? They were said to fly 2000 meters, but they weren¡¯t all that powerful. If you packed ¡®em with high grade plastic explosives, things would be different, but they¡¯re probably using handmade explosives. They can¡¯t make a single fucking scratch on a research facility wall with that. How are they supposed to be causing problems?¡±


    ¡°It seems that with some preliminary arrangements, they can be quite effective,¡± Unabara said in a calm voice. ¡°For the past few days, they have been doing a lot of work. They have been moving abandoned cars into the designated emergency paths and clogging the drains around the entrances and exits to VIP facilities with trash. It¡¯s all small things like that that aren¡¯t treated as security issues.¡±


    ¡°...When the hell did we get stuck with cleaning up kids¡¯ pranks?¡±


    ¡°But it seems that over 20,000 of these problems that are too minor to qualify as errors have been prepared already. And even though they could be ignored in peaceful times, when the alert is at orange or red, they are detected as errors. Which means...¡±


    ¡°So an attack by those pole fire arrows could cause a problem?¡±


    ¡°If they use those rockets, they could trigger a Code Orange. And as soon as the alert level rises, the 20,000 ¡®bombs¡¯ Skill Out has been setting up over the past few days will trigger as error reports all at once. If the large number of error reports knocks out the server that provides security for the communications network, Skill Out will be able to do whatever they want around the city without Anti-Skill coming.¡±


    ¡°Also, it seems this ¡®hole¡¯ in the security is not one that can be filled in just a day or two,¡± Unabara added.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a story... But how can you be so sure of their aim? Isn¡¯t this just your guess?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. I have captured a number of them and separately made them talk, so there¡¯s no mistaking it.¡±


    Accelerator remained silent for a moment after hearing Unabara¡¯s words, but he decided it wasn¡¯t his place to criticize him. After all, he had taken out about 10,000 more people than that himself.


    ¡°So they can¡¯t fight without making preparations? To think about all that little stuff, they must be nothing but cowards.¡± Accelerator spoke as if he was spitting out the words. ¡°So what are they after? Are they going to attack a military research facility and steal some powered suits?¡±


    ¡°No. Facilities like that have independent security departments. Most likely, Skill Out is simply attempting to rebel against the espers.¡±


    ¡°Ha. So they¡¯re just cutting off the communications network and overwhelming them? Using pure numbers does seem like the kind of strategy Level 0¡¯s like.¡±


    Anywhere from dozens to hundreds of them would corner a single esper and crush them. If they went around the city repeating that strategy, even a group of Level 0¡¯s could cause quite a disaster.


    ¡°...If Skill Out¡¯s plan succeeds, the communication network for at least 2 or 3 districts will go down. Which means we should assume the damage caused would be rather high.¡±


    Unabara tilted his head to the side in puzzlement and asked Accelerator a question.


    ¡°Skill Out seems to have quite a showy plan, but will it really work? Even if a few dozen of them surrounded a Level 5 like you armed with handguns and other self-defense equipment, I doubt they could do anything.¡±


    ¡°Even a small opening can look attractive, and those idiots will jump at the slightest chance. Their plan will probably end up being a dud. A half-assed plan will give you half-assed results with only a half-assed amount of damage done.¡±


    The ones that Skill Out hated most due to their clear inferiority complex was the Level 5¡¯s like Accelerator.


    But he didn¡¯t think any Level 5¡¯s would be defeated with a plan like this. So the members of Skill Out must have settled for a target they could attack more easily.


    The only espers that would be defeated with this were powerless Level 1¡¯s and Level 2¡¯s.


    Level 2¡¯s.


    Mass produced military espers and the single girl that controlled them from above.


    Who was going to pay for this violence that had lost sight of its goal?


    ¡°...This is bullshit,¡± Accelerator mumbled.


    Then he spoke to Unabara.


    ¡°The danger doesn¡¯t come from Skill Out.¡± Accelerator spat on the floor. ¡°The danger comes from the possibility of some religious group attacking at the hole opened up by the Skill Out attack. Those bastards on the Board of Directors don¡¯t give a fuck about the people in the back alleys.¡±


    ¡°I see you have a good understanding of how things work.¡±


    ¡°So what are you waiting around for? If you know what they¡¯re after, can¡¯t you just turn off the automatic alert system? If Code Orange is never triggered, the communications network won¡¯t go down, right?¡±


    ¡°If we weren¡¯t at war, we would do so. But that would be like turning off your computer¡¯s security software when an attack could be coming at any time.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯ve got enemies on the outside and inside. Academy City really has pissed off a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°And it is our job to deal with those people,¡± Unabara said while smiling. ¡°Redoing Academy City¡¯s security system won¡¯t fix the problem in time. Anti-Skill and Judgement are working to fix the obstructions in the emergency paths and the entrances and exits of VIP facilities, but there is no guarantee that Skill Out will just wait until they finish. That is why we need to physically stop them.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha. So it needs to be done in a way too dirty to ask Anti-Skill to do, huh?¡±


    ¡°The target¡¯s name is Komaba Ritoku. He is currently both the leader and brains of Skill Out.¡±


    Unabara pointed to a picture on the screen on his cell phone.


    ¡°He is supposed to be quite an influential person in the back alleys of District 7. Have you heard of him?¡±


    ¡°No. I have no reason to remember those people.¡±


    ¡°This time the Skill Out plan can be preemptively stopped by quickly taking care of Komaba Ritoku.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t going to stop those bastards. Their preliminary arrangements are complete, right? As long as the alert goes to orange, they win. Currently, all of Academy City is at yellow. They¡¯re halfway there before starting. Their leader dying isn¡¯t going to stop the rest from-...¡±


    ¡°It will,¡± Unabara cut off Accelerator. ¡°They have a specific spot prepared for the explosives. As I said before, they have been setting things up at the entrances and exits of VIP facilities and in emergency paths. Well, it seems there is a characteristic way that they are doing it. An explosion in a specific area will cause that area to go to orange or higher which will cause the automatic security to look for errors there. The system will find a ¡®problem affecting the safety of a facility¡¯ in the area, so it will check the nearby areas that personnel will be moved through. It seems their plan is that this will continue and the error area will grow exponentially.¡±


    ¡°And,¡± Unabara continued, ¡°it seems only Komaba Ritoku knows where the spot for the explosion where it all starts is. At the very least, the Skill Out members I captured didn¡¯t know it. It seems there was a need to hold the reins tightly to ensure the success of the plan and to prevent anyone from starting it prematurely.¡±


    ¡°Keh. He¡¯s just making sure he¡¯s important enough to keep around.¡± Accelerator spat these words out and shook his hands lightly. ¡°I¡¯ll take out that Komaba guy if you want, but I¡¯d be worried about me trigging a Code Red. Unlike you people, things can get a little crazy when I fight.¡±


    ¡°If Code Orange or higher is triggered someplace other than the place Komaba has set up for the explosion, his plan won¡¯t work. Because Academy City is divided up into such small security areas, that would likely only trigger an alert for a small area. All the preparation they have gone through is needed for it spread to a large area.¡±


    ¡°...Fuck, if you know this much about it, how can you not know where that critical explosion point is? With that, you could just get someone to guard that area.¡±


    ¡°Well, the only way to get that information is to ask Komaba Ritoku directly...¡±


    Unabara Mitsuki grinned as he spoke.


    ¡°And if we¡¯re going to do that, we might as well take him out while we¡¯re at it, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Part 2


    Accelerator headed to the scene in a truck.


    He was sitting in the passenger seat of a garbage truck. But its body was jet black and all of the windows were smoked.


    ¡°We have to clean up bodies too, so this is just more convenient,¡± said the middle-aged man gripping the steering wheel next to him. ¡°The interior of the storage area in the back can be taken out and discarded. After each collection, it¡¯s disposed of along with the bodies and replaced.¡±


    (So it¡¯s like a disposable pack for a vacuum?)


    Accelerator was amazed.


    ¡°So the garbage this truck takes is corpses, huh? That¡¯s a pretty grim job.¡±


    It seemed to run on electricity instead of gasoline. Because of that, it made almost no noise when it ran. It was perfect for covert actions.


    Accelerator watched the scenery go by out the window and spoke.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the smoke-tinted glass? I doubt you cart anyone rich around in this thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t have our faces seen in this job.¡±


    The truck and the driver¡¯s outfit didn¡¯t look thrown together. They had been formally prepared by Academy City for this type of job. He didn¡¯t know how they got their funds, but with this equipment it looked like an entire Anti-Skill district¡¯s worth of funds had been used.


    The middle-aged man spoke to Accelerator during a break in the conversation he was having over the truck¡¯s radio.


    ¡°You¡¯re part of GROUP, right? And I hear this is your first job.¡±


    ¡°Your point?¡±


    ¡°Nothing really,¡± the driver said while looking straight ahead. ¡°I just think sometimes that, even though I have no skills beyond being able to drive you around, there are people who wouldn¡¯t be dragged down to hell if I wasn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure they can get plenty of other drivers, but I still think about it. For instance, if I just held down the gas now, I might be able to save at least one person.¡±


    ¡°Ha. You¡¯ve got guts. With guts like that you shouldn¡¯t be wasting your time on a job like this.¡±


    ¡°Everyone else like Tsuchimikado-san and Unabara-san says the same thing. I wonder why.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a sentimental, good person,¡± Accelerator muttered under his breath.


    The GPS navigation system informed them that they had reached their destination with a recorded woman¡¯s voice. The electric garbage truck silently came to a stop.


    Accelerator opened the passenger side door, put his cane that had a modern design on the ground, and finally put his shoe down on the dirty roadway.


    He heard a voice from behind him.


    ¡°As I was instructed, I¡¯ll be back to pick you up in 20 minutes. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ll be taken away on that thing whether I win or lose. Either as I came or as a corpse.¡± Without turning around, he responded with a slightly amused voice.


    The truck drove off behind him. He ignored it and looked around slowly.


    It looked like most other parts of the city.


    But this place had a different atmosphere. It was a strained atmosphere and it felt like evil presences were watching from the various entrances to the alleys. It felt like a swamp you would never be able to leave once you entered it.


    While standing at an alley entrance, there were numerous iron stakes driven into the road surface at his feet.


    The partially rusted stakes were at varying heights from 10 cm to 30 cm and were closely packed together from the entrance to about a meter in. It was like a thicket of iron.


    (I see. This is to keep the security robots out.)


    Accelerator laughed scornfully.


    The drum-shaped robots in Academy City were made to climb up over various changes in the terrain and they could operate elevators using infrared signals.


    But an intentionally made barricade like this was too much for them to get through.


    After their ¡°dangerous object evasion sequence¡± had repeated a certain number of times, they would put that area on hold and overlook it for the time being and then go elsewhere.


    ¡°...¡±


    Looking up, there were plastic sheets stretched between the buildings almost covering up the sky. Most of them were blue and some were red or yellow, but it was clear they were just covering the space with whatever they could get across. Because of this, the sunlight was tinted oddly so they looked like speckled stained glass.


    They were there to avoid satellite detection.


    Anti-Skill would forcibly remove this obstruction on a weekly or monthly basis, but Skill Out would put it back up soon afterwards. It was a purposeful endless cycle on their part.


    That was how they did things.


    Easily made. Easily abandoned. Easily redone.


    If their barricade was destroyed, they would prepare a new one. If their base was destroyed, they would make a new one elsewhere. If their organization was crushed, failing people would gather together and a new one would be made.


    That was why they would never be gone.


    For the same reason that roaches would never go extinct, they learned little by little and strengthened their resistance.


    This was the result of a type of evolution focused on the negative that no one wanted.


    ¡°...What a nostalgic atmosphere.¡±


    Accelerator¡¯s mouth loosened on its own.


    The dark alley spreading out before him was a lawless area where the security robots and the satellite could not reach. Whatever happened, no one would see it. It was a world where no one coming to save you was normal.


    ¡°Now then...¡±


    As he was about to go in, his cell phone rang.


    He took it out with an irritated look on his face and the display said ¡°Entry 3¡±.


    ¡°Tsuchimikado.¡±


    ¡°I realized you were starting your first job. Before you begin, I wanted to give you a warning.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re giving me a warning, are you?¡± Accelerator spat out. ¡°What is it, senpai.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust us,¡± Tsuchimikado responded. ¡°You, me, and everyone else in GROUP are people who would find it problematic if what we¡¯re doing became public. As GROUP was created using people like that, there is no way out.¡±


    ¡°...Were you hoping I¡¯d be grateful you told me that?¡±


    ¡°If you just follow the rules the Board of Directors has laid out, they aren¡¯t going to let you out. This is made so they profit no matter what happens. You need to think about how you can win in this situation. We both have things we need to protect.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Accelerator briefly remained silent.


    He was reminded of a girl who must have been in the hospital at that time.


    But he sealed up his expression, his actions, and his words before that could be seen by anyone else.


    ¡°Is that all you wanted?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was. Finish this up quickly and come on back. Musujime should be starting her job about now. Make sure you don¡¯t get caught up in that.¡±


    (Her job?)


    Just as Accelerator started looking confused...


    Boom!!


    A high-pitched explosion resounded from down the narrow, narrow alley.


    It sounded pretty far away, but a lukewarm wind hit his face. While he was being bathed in the dust- and dirt-filled air, Accelerator asked Tsuchimikado a question.


    For a second, he had thought Komaba Ritoku¡¯s plan had started, but Tsuchimikado seemed oddly calm for that to be the case. After thinking for a second, he came up with a good guess.


    ¡°Is Musujime using bombs? And no one told me this was going to be a fucking competition.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t aiming for people; she¡¯s aiming for money.¡± Tsuchimikado replied in an unconcerned voice. ¡°Skill Out has funds for their activities. They have various ways of decentralizing its storage, but she¡¯s taking it out anyway. After all, burning it is better than giving them a chance to run off with it.¡±


    The sound of explosions continued.


    But Skill Out was used to fights that used that kind of weapon. They wouldn¡¯t falter from that alone. Someone with a suitable power was needed to stand in this battlefield.


    He was pretty sure Musujime Awaki¡¯s power was Move Point. She could move objects wherever she wanted free of any three-dimensional restrictions.


    She must have been using that power again.


    ¡°So she can still be useful. And I thought she was just GROUP¡¯s decoration. Wasn¡¯t her unstable mental condition keeping her from using her powers?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the same as you,¡± Tsuchimikado responded while listening to the explosions over the phone. ¡°That¡¯s being compensated for.¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine. So, I can just use this confusion to take out the Skill Out members here before they can regroup, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, with their money supply being attacked, I doubt their leader will just run away, but your main target is Komaba Ritoku, the bastard leading them all. Don¡¯t let him get away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about doing too much destruction. Digging flesh out of rubble sounds like a pain in the ass.¡±


    Accelerator decided to hang up.


    He put the phone in his pocket and moved his other hand up to the back of his neck without letting go of his cane. It looked like he was checking the movement of a joint, but that was where the switch for his choker-style electrode was.


    ¡°Well, I guess I should get started.¡±


    He sensed a number of people around him.


    There were over 20 sights of handguns and bow guns pointed towards him from within the alley, from the windows of the buildings, and from any other cover someone could find.


    In response, Accelerator ever so slightly smiled.


    This was the place he had once wanted to make his way out of even if he had to crawl through the dirt.


    ¡°Looks like I have some cleaning up to do. I¡¯ll be done in 10 minutes.¡±


    He was back with a smile on his face.


    Part 3


    Musujime Awaki was walking through a dark alley.


    Because there were variously colored plastic sheets spread from building to building above her, the sunlight was tinted in various colors such as blue, red, and yellow. The flow of air was stagnated and the smell of trash and dirt permeated the area. The walls were covered in crude graffiti and a rusted remnant of an ATM that had been brought in from somewhere was lying on the ground with its cover pried open. The area must have had no shortage of activity because there were things like a saw with broken teeth and broken lumber lying around.


    And as she walked through that area, Musujime was wearing a piece of cloth wrapped over her bare breasts as innerwear and a blazer that looked like it was part of a school uniform worn over her shoulders. That and her incredibly short skirt made it look like she was asking for something to happen.


    But no one touched her.


    Not a single one.


    ¡°...Too easy.¡±


    The large man who had tried to swing a metal pipe at her and the skinny woman who had tried to shoot her with a bow from a window had been dealt with the same way. Musujime used her Move Point power to take things like rusted broken down cars and metal dumpsters that were in the area and forcibly move them in front of her as shields. After defending against the attack, she would take the corkscrews she had and directly stick them into her opponent¡¯s arms and legs. It always ended with that same pattern.


    Spinning in her hand was a military flashlight that could also be used as a baton. She used it to assist with her power by aligning her aim with it. Because her power had too high a level of freedom, if she didn¡¯t establish her own point of reference, her aim was too vague.


    She spoke in a bored voice while swinging the tool in her hand around.


    ¡°You don¡¯t necessarily get an advantage by gathering a large group of people and you don¡¯t necessarily win by gathering weapons. But I suppose only people who can¡¯t figure that much out would join a back alley gang in the first place.¡±


    In contrast to her calm, the area erupted into a roaring storm.


    To defend against attacks from all directions, Musujime had created a tiny tornado with herself at the center. It was formed from a number of thick metal objects like a manhole lid and an iron plate. Her Move Point made no noise, but the number of projectiles hitting those shields made quite a din.


    Musujime pulled the pin out of a grenade with her mouth and threw it towards the now lidless manhole.


    A muffled explosion could be heard coming from the sewer.


    From the information they had gathered, a safe about the size of a handbag was hidden down there.


    ¡°That¡¯s #9. ...This just isn¡¯t satisfying enough.¡±


    Ever since she had caused an incident on September 14th and had the tables turned on her by Shirai Kuroko of Judgement, a mental irregularity had put her in a slump where she couldn¡¯t use her powers.


    The reason she had recovered from that was...


    (...When I first heard about this, I thought it was complete bullshit, but I guess the technical team is just that good.)


    She had electrodes stuck on her shoulders and her back that looked like compresses. It was a small low frequency vibration treatment device. Simply put, it was a massage machine that sent electric currents into her body. The machine measured the disturbances in her brain waves and created the most effective pulse pattern based on that.


    It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it certainly helped keep her stress down to a certain level.


    (On the other hand, walking around with compresses all over your body isn¡¯t exactly how a girl wants to live her life.)


    Even though she had been able to get back in action with the help of these machines, there had been a major effect on the incident from September 14th.


    The ringleader of that incident had been Musujime Awaki, but she was not the only one in the criminal group. In order to steal the Remnant, a part of Tree Diagram, she had gotten the help of a few dozen espers who shared her ideals. Most of them had been defeated by that Railgun and captured by Anti-Skill.


    And she was the only one that had made it back out on the streets.


    Currently, there was no clear crime in Academy City called treason. But no one was going to protect the civil liberties of a traitor who threatened the peace of the city. So the punishment was carried out in secret regardless of the law. And it was done in a brutal way that took advantage of that lawlessness.


    She had to do something.


    Her comrades who had once walked on the same path as her were in trouble.


    ¡°...¡±


    Musujime threw a grenade into a crack on a large outdoor air conditioning unit and the bundle of bills hidden inside was blown to pieces.


    And she continued further into the alley.


    (Cash, gold bars, an access card to an IT Bank under a fake corporate name...This really is quite spread out. How did they gather all this money?)


    Apparently, Komaba Ritoku the leader running everything in the area had banned the prostitution of girls. Since he had sealed off one of the quickest methods of gathering funds, he must have had some other method.


    (I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter. I¡¯m just here to make sure it¡¯s all destroyed. Just another 14 areas and I can leave.)


    As she thought cheerfully, she slowly spun the flashlight around in her hand.


    ¡°...I¡¯d like for you to stop that, esper.¡±


    A male voice suddenly cut off Musujime¡¯s thoughts.


    About 10 meters in front of her in the straight, narrow alley, a large gorilla-like man was standing. He must have come from one of the buildings¡¯ back entrances. His hard muscles were covered by a cheap jacket, but it looked like it was going to rip apart if he flexed his muscles even slightly.


    He looked like an incarnation of destruction, but his voice was quite melancholy in comparison.


    His voice sounded like he had copy paper coming from his mouth as he spoke.


    ¡°We distributed our money like this to prevent it from all being lost at once. You could say it¡¯s like how a coward afraid of being mugged carries several wallets. Having all of your possessions stolen at once isn¡¯t a very popular option.¡±


    Instead of responding, Musujime pulled out her cell phone right in front of her enemy.


    She looked at the screen, checked the photo there, and gave a surprised gasp.


    ¡°Komaba Ritoku. Oh, my. It seems I¡¯ve run into the target first.¡±


    At some point, the Skill Out members who had been surrounding her had disappeared.


    Komaba must have used his authority to have them evacuate.


    He didn¡¯t want them to get in his way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, Accelerator.¡±


    ¡°That name... I suppose I should have abandoned the money instead of being greedy if someone like that is coming...¡±


    Musujime wasn¡¯t really paying attention to Komaba¡¯s words.


    She closed her cell phone with a snap and put it in her pocket.


    She then slowly brought her flashlight up at the ready.


    ¡°Move Point, huh? A troublesome power.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s only troublesome?¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. I hate it much more than something that is only troublesome.¡±


    It may have been a characteristic trait of members of the Level 0 group Skill Out, but Komaba¡¯s copy paper-like words had dark emotions mixed in.


    (It doesn¡¯t really matter), thought Musujime.


    He was 10 meters away on a straight, narrow path. She would use her corkscrews on him. No matter how strong Komaba was, he would fall to the ground before he could take 3 steps. And even if he was hiding a handgun or other long-distance weapon, Musujime could just call in a ¡°shield¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ll end this with one right between the eyes.¡±


    ¡°So you¡®ll spare me any pain? ...I¡¯m so moved.¡±


    Without saying anything else, Musujime swung her flashlight and sent a command to a corkscrew in her pocket. Ignoring the visible three dimensional vectors, the corkscrew flew through space using the theoretical values of the 11th dimension and headed right towards Komaba Ritoku¡¯s forehead.


    And it missed.


    ¡°Wha-...?¡±


    Seeing the corkscrew appear in empty space, Musujime¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She felt a slight pain in her back. In response to her tension, the stress-lowering low frequency vibration treatment device had sent out a stronger pulse.


    It wasn¡¯t that Musujime Awaki had aimed incorrectly.


    Komaba had suddenly disappeared.


    A roar like a dump truck driving by came from directly behind her.


    ¡°...Too slow.¡±


    Along with that quiet voice, she felt a dull pain on the very top of her head like something heavy had fallen on her. As her consciousness fluttered in and out, Musujime realized that Komaba had forcefully swung his fist down at her.


    An electric current ran through her shoulders and back.


    Up until now, the device had helped her, but now it was just being a bother.


    ¡°Kh!?¡±


    She looked over her shoulder and called an old abandoned car to the spot Komaba was standing in. This was no shield; she was trying to crush her target.


    But Komaba was no longer there.


    He had jumped 7 meters straight up into the air.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised...¡±


    A sign or an air conditioning unit must have been installed there at one time, because Komaba was standing on a rectangular prism of a metal bar sticking out from the wall at the 2nd floor.


    With an explosive noise, he kicked the metal bar, breaking it, and the pieces flew towards Musujime with enormous speed.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking this seriously,¡± he continued.


    Musujime couldn¡¯t hear the sound of Komaba landing.


    This was because the many sharp cross-sections of the metal bar quickly came at her all at once.


    ¡°!?¡±


    She hurriedly called the old car she had attacked with to appear right in front of her.


    She had intended to use it as a shield, but the metal bars were moving quickly enough to easily pierce through it. Musujime instinctually held her hands up to cover her face, but they only grazed her thigh and the brutal weapon stabbed into the asphalt and stopped.


    As she watched the metal bars vibrated slightly, a chill ran down Musujime¡¯s spine.


    (A shield is useless if it¡¯s destroyed so easily...!!)


    ¡°...Don¡¯t look so dissatisfied. When fighting against a monster like you, I deserve some kind of preparation, don¡¯t I?¡±


    Komaba Ritoku¡¯s low laughing voice reached Musujime¡¯s ears.


    Looking through the rusted car¡¯s windows that had no glass in them, she managed to spot Komaba¡¯s face. He was standing about 10 meters ahead in the small alleyway with concrete walls on either side.


    (I¡¯ve got him!!)


    Musujime concentrated. She gave a slight wave of her flashlight calling for 5 corkscrews that were lying on the ground nearby and moved them all at once to coordinates inside Komaba¡¯s body.


    But...


    ¡°...You won¡¯t hit me.¡±


    There was a loud roar that didn¡¯t sound like something that could come from a human body. Komaba zigzagged left and right down the narrow alley at a tremendous speed avoiding all of the teleported attacks Musujime sent at him.


    And that wasn¡¯t all.


    ¡°You can have these back. I prefer cheap booze to fine wine.¡± Komaba lifted his leg as he dodged the corkscrews. ¡°I have no use for corkscrews.¡±


    He gave a kick that sounded like a whip. His leg accurately hit the corkscrews that were still falling from the air and launched them at terrifying speed towards Musujime.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    She had no time to move her flashlight and use Move Point.


    The corkscrews flew through the car windows and straight for her.


    She immediately moved her head to the side and received a light scratch on her right cheek. The sound of the air being split sounded from right next to her ear and the electrodes on her back and shoulders pumped out its relaxing signal to its limits.


    (Ow... How can a flesh-and-blood human move like that?)


    Komaba¡¯s movements weren¡¯t like those of an automobile that just moves straight ahead.


    His movements contained the subtle and minute adjustments characteristic of a living being.


    ¡°That mobility... You have Hard Taping under your clothes, don¡¯t you!?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve figured it out.¡±


    Komaba slowly approached Musujime with undetectable footsteps.


    The broken down car was between them, but Komaba would easily be able to jump over it.


    To stop him, Musujime took irregular steps back about every time he took one to put some distance between them.


    At some point, the roles of attacker and defender had been completely reversed.


    ¡°In my case, I have 6 ligaments in my knee protected and the muscles in my leg that are connected to my femur, my tibia, and my fibula reinforced from the outside. I also have metal plates in my shoes to keep my foot from being destroyed... Getting a hold of this special military-use ultrasonic wave elastic taping wasn¡¯t easy.¡±


    The taping was mainly on his legs, but he must have had it lightly reinforcing his entire body as well. You couldn¡¯t balance with just your legs and, if you lost your balance while moving at high speed, you would collapse spectacularly.


    ¡°You could say this is just the portion of a powered suit that gives it its mobility taken out and isolated. If you want to kill me, you should have brought something with enough firepower to take out an armored weapon...¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Is Hard Taping really that convenient?¡± Musujime spoke with a smile in her lips.


    But a cold sweat was appearing on her face.


    She could move various objects ignoring the three dimensional limitations by using theoretical 11th dimensional vectors, but one exception was herself. If she moved herself, it caused her extreme mental damage. The low frequency vibration treatment device was supposed to compensate for this, but she didn¡¯t know if she could actually pull it off. The odds were probably worse than 50/50. It was even possible that she wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the mental pressure and her memories would distract her keeping her from using her powers properly or making any proper judgements.


    She couldn¡¯t get out of this easily.


    But even if she could turn this around, she had to create the opportunity to do so herself.


    With that in mind, Musujime moved her mouth in an attempt to stall for time.


    ¡°Powered suits aren¡¯t that big because the parts needed for mobility and the thickness of the armor take up that much space. It¡¯s because they have to put in safety devices for the pilots as well.¡±


    As she spoke, Musujime carefully examined her surroundings.


    The alley was straight and narrow. If Komaba attacked, escape would be pretty much impossible. The broken down car was in between them, but she doubted that would stop him.


    ¡°A powered suit has much higher mobility than a fully-equipped vehicle. It can move at speeds greater than 10 times what a vehicle can. But it¡¯s still a flesh-and-blood human inside.¡±


    Dodging or blocking Komaba¡¯s attack was going to be difficult.


    Musujime gripped her flashlight tighter and continued analyzing.


    ¡°I see. ...You¡¯re talking about the body protection.¡±


    ¡°If you suddenly go from a standstill to high speed, there is a risk of pulled or torn muscles. That¡¯s why the powered suits have multiple safety devices created to prevent that from happening. Similar to this low frequency vibration treatment device I¡¯m using, the muscles are constantly having electrical stimuli given to them so that they are always in a state similar to after having performed warm-up exercises. That way the damage from sudden motion can be prevented.¡±


    In the end, her only choice was to use Move Point to defeat Komaba Ritoku before his attack arrived.


    If she didn¡¯t end this before his first attack, her life could be in danger.


    ¡°Your Hard Taping has no such safety features,¡± Musujime informed him while spinning her flashlight in her hand.


    Komaba Ritoku¡¯s expression did not change.


    ¡°That¡¯s a defective item that failed Anti-Skill¡¯s tests. It may do quite a bit of damage to your body. Although, it won¡¯t be anywhere near as much as I will.¡±


    ¡°Heh...¡±


    Komaba laughed even as a clear weakness was pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m prepared for that much... I have been ever since I swore I would fight monsters like you even though I¡¯m a Level 0.¡±


    His giant gorilla-like body swelled up another size bigger.


    Most likely, he was working to resist the damage as much as possible by regulating his body in a rational way even more subtly than a professional athlete would. His body had turned into a single giant weapon.


    ¡°I need to finish this as soon as possible.¡±


    (Tch.)


    ¡°...I have a lot I need to do!!¡±


    (I¡¯m really not going to get a chance to get away!!)


    A loud roar sounded out.


    Komaba Ritoku shot towards Musujime with a speed at which he would have been able to outstrip a train.


    ¡°!!¡±


    Musujime instinctually took a step back and spun her military flashlight around.


    She threw a giant sign at the spot Komaba Ritoku was in.


    But by the time the command had been sent, he was no longer there. He ran further and further forward like a rocket shattering the asphalt under his feet.


    (Kh... He¡¯s too fast. I don¡¯t have time to indicate his coordinates!!)


    Musujime¡¯s throat was dry.


    Komaba flew towards her with a roar and landed on the roof of the abandoned car she had been using as a shield. The red, rusted metal cracked under the force and his feet sank deeply into it. Ignoring that, Komaba lifted his foot. He was going to crush Musujime under that foot as she hid behind the car.


    He was only a step away now.


    ¡°Ah-ahhhh!!¡±


    Musujime moved back while feeling a chill.


    She gave up on attacking and moved a nearby metal dumpster in front of her. The thick metal box was big enough to hold 4 unit baths and she used it to block Komaba¡¯s attack.


    But...


    ¡°So thin...¡±


    Musujime heard a faint laughing voice from the other side of the supposedly thick wall.


    And...


    ¡°...You can¡¯t stop me with a mere membrane like this.¡±


    Musujime Awaki clearly saw the dumpster explosively expand from the inside out right in front of her eyes.


    Komaba Ritoku used one of his legs which were reinforced by the Hard Taping to kick into it like his leg was a metal stake.


    An explosive noise reached Musujime¡¯s ears directly afterwards.


    Komaba¡¯s foot slammed into the dumpster like a dump truck, tore into the thick metal box, and smashed the contents to pieces scattering them everywhere.


    An unpleasant clanging noise rang out from the metal falling to the ground.


    The wreckage flew over 10 meters in front of Komaba. It looked like a giant dragon had vomited everywhere.


    There was no way to determine where the body was. There was just something reddish brown mixed in with the partially decayed trash. The purple pieces must have been the organs. Her military flashlight was lying on the ground. After being cruelly crushed, there was only a red liquid stuck to the ground.


    ¡°Hmph...¡±


    Even after seeing the hair mixed in with the blood, Komaba Ritoku¡¯s expression did not change.


    He merely spoke in his usual way that sounded like copy paper was coming from his mouth.


    ¡°...That was too quick. I didn¡¯t even get to use my specialty...¡±


    Part 4


    Just as he had announced, Accelerator had quieted the Skill Out group within 10 minutes.


    But he hadn¡¯t used his powers that entire time.


    At first, he had manipulated the atmosphere to create a gust of wind greater than 50 m/s knocking most of his enemies to the ground. He then turned off his powers and shot them while their movements were in disorder. When they were about to counterattack, he would create another gust of wind and start shooting again once they were rendered helpless. That pattern had repeated again and again.


    He had easily won after 10 minutes.


    Because of this strategy, he hadn¡¯t even used 30 seconds of powered time.


    In his battle with Hound Dog and their leader Kihara Amata, he had learned just how much a weakness the electrode¡¯s battery was. He had to learn how to economize in his use of the battery.


    ¡°Now then. Where¡¯s that bastard Komaba Ritoku everyone¡¯s talking about? He wasn¡¯t in that group I just took out, was he?¡±


    Accelerator moved his hand to the back of his neck and flipped the switch off. He looked around to make sure there were no enemies left and headed further into the alley.


    He had blown everything away with the wind, but, after walking a mere 100 meters in, the scenery was back to rusted metal trash and colored plastic sheets hiding the sky.


    Accelerator suddenly stopped and leaned on his cane.


    Musujime¡¯s explosions had stopped.


    ¡°Tch. So her quota¡¯s done. I don¡¯t like being the last one done.¡±


    He tilted his head to the side in annoyance, but...


    ¡°Then...I suppose I can let you take a break.¡±


    Those words abruptly reached Accelerator¡¯s ears.


    He continued down the narrow alley and found a building that looked only partially completed. It was only made out of a steel frame, so it looked like a giant jungle gym. And on the 4th floor, which was about halfway up, a large gorilla-like man was standing.


    The man spoke in a quiet voice that sounded like copy paper was coming from his mouth.


    ¡°Accelerator...Quite a famous visitor. But I never thought you¡¯d be hunting us down as a dog of the Board of Directors...¡±


    ¡°So you must be Komaba Ritoku.¡± Accelerator looked up at the steel framework. ¡°I suppose I should ask. What was the reason for this plan of yours?¡±


    ¡°Even if I told you, you don¡¯t actually care why Skill Out is attacking espers.¡±


    ¡°Hah. From that I take it that when you got out on the streets you would be attacking everyone indiscriminately.¡±


    ¡°No, not indiscriminately... We would choose our targets carefully...¡±


    ¡°You seem pretty calm. Do you really understand the situation here?¡±


    ¡°There was a girl telling me the same thing just a bit ago.¡±


    As he spoke, Komaba took something off of his belt and lightly tossed it down.


    It was a blood-smeared military flashlight.


    It hit the steel frame a few times on the way down and finally fell onto the asphalt where its glass lens and light bulb shattered.


    ¡°I killed her.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Accelerator remained silent for a second at that quick comment.


    Komaba frowned.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking this peacefully... This isn¡¯t the kind of person I was told you were. So you really have changed. Loners usually don¡¯t hesitate at times like this. And they end up dying because they try to stand up to me. I¡¯m well past the point where I worry about how to clean up a corpse...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Accelerator smiled slightly as he spoke. ¡°Did you know that people who stand up to me tend to end up as mincemeat?¡±


    Still smiling, he moved his hand to the switch on the back of his neck.


    ¡°Hoo...¡± Komaba exhaled. ¡°If you¡¯re going to try to act cool, at least be battle ready before hand...¡±


    ¡°You do realize you¡¯re talking to Academy City¡¯s strongest Level 5, right?¡±


    ¡°...Confronting monsters like you is what Skill Out does best.¡±


    Komaba tapped the back of his neck with his pointer finger.


    ¡°That electrode...is a transmitter for some kind of electronic information, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Tch!!¡± Accelerator clicked his tongue and flipped the switch for the electrode.


    He altered the vectors for his legs. The asphalt beneath his feet cracked and he shot like a rocket towards the fourth floor where Komaba was standing.


    But Komaba was faster.


    He pulled what looked like a spray can from his pocket and hit it with a whip-like kick. His kick was delivered with a force one wouldn¡¯t expect from a normal person and it tore the metal can to pieces like it was made of paper. Its contents scattered through the air.


    The contents were thin sheets of metal about the size of the lead to a mechanical pencil. They glittered in the dim back alley. They were composed of two thin wings so they looked like tiny helicopter rotors.


    Hundreds of these thin sheets of metal stopped in midair while slowly rotating like bamboo copters.


    ¡°...These are a type of radio jamming weapon called Chaff Seeds. ...They use a micro motor to float in the air using the structure of the seeds of plants in the Dipterocarpaceae family...¡±


    Komaba¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he spoke.


    ¡°I originally had this to knock out Anti-Skill radios.¡±


    ¡°!!¡±


    Accelerator¡¯s power of ascent suddenly stopped.


    He didn¡¯t reach the 4th floor Komaba was on; he fell down and landed on the framework of the third floor.


    Even his reflection ability must have been knocked out, because pain spread through his back like it would for a normal person.


    ¡°Gh..ah!?¡±


    He let out a cry, but he didn¡¯t have room to writhe around.


    ¡°I had seen something like that just a bit before.¡±


    When he heard the quiet voice come from above him, Accelerator quickly looked up.


    ¡°The teleporter who attacked had something like that on her back... Hers probably works differently than yours and I don¡¯t know exactly why the two of you are wearing them... But I¡¯m betting they assist you with your powers.¡±


    A shadow stretched out.


    Komaba jumped down from the 4th floor aiming for Accelerator¡¯s gut with both his feet.


    If that hit him, his organs would rupture.


    He had a handgun, but that giant body wouldn¡¯t stop if he shot it.


    ¡°Tch! Fucker!!¡±


    Accelerator gave up trying to attack, brought his arms and legs in, and rolled like a ball backwards on the narrow frame.


    Komaba¡¯s feet landed forcefully in the spot Accelerator had just been in.


    A loud dull noise came from the metal.


    Stopping his roll, Accelerator brought his handgun up and fired in response, but Komaba moved his upper body dodging the 3 shots fired. He wasn¡¯t watching the bullets; he was keeping away from the barrel.


    The cartridges that smelled of fireworks fell all the way to the ground.


    ¡°...How unsightly.¡± A smile spread across Komaba¡¯s face. ¡°If your powers were perfect, you wouldn¡¯t need a gun...And you wouldn¡¯t have avoided my attack.¡±


    (God damn it. I just have to stop his movements by shooting him in the lower back!!)


    Accelerator gritted his teeth and altered his aim. But...


    ¡°Heh... Don¡¯t fall off.¡±


    As he spoke, Komaba brought his foot down and the 3rd floor framework broke in half like a tree branch.


    (...!? That strength...!!)


    No normal human could produce that attack and Komaba was Level 0. That meant he must have some kind of equipment supporting him.


    ¡°...Kh!!¡±


    As his already unstable footing slanted to the side, Accelerator¡¯s aim strayed a good ways from Komaba. And before he could bring it back, Komaba¡¯s gigantic body was headed for him.


    (I still can¡¯t use my powers!!)


    The numerous glittering metal Chaff Seeds were still floating in the air like bamboo copters. They were spread evenly all throughout the area, so trying to brush them away with his hand wasn¡¯t going to help much.


    Accelerator clicked his tongue as Komaba Ritoku approached.


    There was a roaring wind.


    Even with the unstable footing, Komaba had moved a few meters in an instant.


    And...


    He was using his powerful leg to attack with a crushing kick.


    ¡°!!¡±


    Accelerator immediately twisted his body, but that leg knocked his gun off of the frame. Komaba had been aiming for the gun the whole time. His speed had been too fast to react to.


    ¡°...You¡¯re going to burst open and paint this area red.¡±


    Komaba pulled a handgun of his own from his belt. It was a large handgun with an odd form that had two thick magazines sticking into it just in front of the trigger.


    This wasn¡¯t an attack Accelerator could avoid by moving his head to the side.


    (Shit!!)


    He prepared himself and jumped with all his might to the side and then right off the framework.


    The 2nd floor was next.


    But since he dove off without looking, he messed up the timing on his landing and struck the framework without being able to soften the blow. He fell down another floor because of it. The impact made a dull noise. He had partially landed once partway down, but he had fallen to the ground from the 3rd floor all the same. The pain was more than one could bear just by gritting one¡¯s teeth. And for someone who left everything to his powers instead of training his body like Accelerator, it was even worse.


    ¡°Gwaaaah!!¡± Accelerator yelled while holding the top of his shoulder.


    Komaba ignored his scream and pulled the trigger.


    As he rolled on the dirty ground, Accelerator somehow managed to avoid the bullet.


    The power of the bullet was much greater than a normal one. It pierced a steel frame partway down and the thick piece of metal exploded from the inside. The frame was transformed into a large number of small metal pieces and they rained down on Accelerator. He was rolling on the ground, but he still received small tears on his skin.


    ¡°Tch!!¡±


    Accelerator searched the ground with his gaze looking for something.


    (...! There it is!!)


    He grabbed his handgun that Komaba had kicked down.


    He rolled onto his back, held the gun up in both hands, aimed towards the framework above, and pulled the trigger.


    The gunshot rang out.


    But Komaba wasn¡¯t there. The bullet flew through empty space and hit the edge of one of the plastic sheets covering the sky. The bullet must have hit the clasp because the sheet blew to the side.


    ¡°Checkmate...¡±


    Accelerator heard this monotonous voice that sounded like the written words were being expelled from the speaker¡¯s mouth coming from a blind spot diagonally up from his position.


    Komaba must have already moved to a different frame.


    ¡°I give you one final choice... Where do you want me to shoot you when I kill you?¡±


    ¡°...So you have a Smart Weapon.¡±


    Accelerator muttered that in annoyance, but it was hard to aim towards Komaba in his state.


    He heard the voice coming from outside his vision again.


    ¡°My Smart Weapon uses infrared rays to accurately measure the target¡¯s composition, solidity, and distance. ...And then it mixes the powder that will cause the most appropriate level of destruction. ...Then the plastic instantaneously hardens forming the bullet. It can shoot through a steel plate or it can leave the bullet in a piece of tofu. If you have a way you would prefer to die, tell me now. I am confident that I can create almost any type of death while operating it on manual...¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± muttered Accelerator.


    If Accelerator was defeated here, Komaba Ritoku would trigger Code Orange which would knock out the communications network. Then he would take advantage of the confusion and indiscriminately attack the espers in the area. But nothing would be gained by it. Skill Out just wasn¡¯t powerful enough to gain control of the entirety of Academy City.


    That was why they had changed from the original target of their violence and were aiming for an ¡°enemy¡± they could actually defeat.


    They were attacking a low-level ¡°enemy¡± instead of the Level 5¡¯s and the Board of Directors who they truly hated.


    The skin on Accelerator¡¯s face distorted into a smile.


    The law of the back alleys was ruled by strong vs. weak instead of good vs. evil. He was so familiar with it, he wanted to vomit. And Accelerator had parted from the world of light and plunged into the depths of GROUP in order to fight that type of law.


    Accelerator gritted his teeth.


    --Are you trying to rule Skill Out like this?


    ¡°In your case, it may be better if you remain suspicious of others¡¯ kind words. Especially if you know the value of what you want to protect.¡±


    --Are you just going to enjoy causing trouble at your own convenience like this?


    ¡°No matter how unsightly it may be, you have no choice but to keep paying back every yen, every fraction of a yen, you can. If you keep adding it up, your path will surely open up before you. After all, you have power unlike me. There are plenty of ways you can pay it all back at once.¡±


    --Are you just going to continue bringing misfortune to innocent people like this?


    ¡°I¡¯m back, says Misaka as Misaka gives the standard greet-...Ow! Why are you repeatedly chopping me without saying anything!? says Misaka as Misaka holds her head and pretends to cry!!¡±


    (Is he just going to devour other people¡¯s happiness just to vent his own pent up anger and satisfy no one but himself!?)


    ¡°Fuck that, you piece of shit!¡±


    And with those words, two guns fired.


    Part 5


    And with that the battle was over.


    Who won and who lost was as clear as day. Accelerator¡¯s last ray of hope was that his gun was pointed towards somewhere other than the metal Chaff Seeds scattered throughout the air that were obstructing his powers or his target, Komaba.


    And Komaba Ritoku¡¯s Smart Weapon was accurately pointed at him from a blind spot. In shogi, that was called a perfect checkmate. It was a situation where his attack couldn¡¯t reach and his opponent¡¯s attack could take his life.


    The fired bullet pierced soft flesh.


    The bullet from the Smart Weapon tore through the meat of a person¡¯s side. The scraps of clothes torn off were soaked with blood and the weight kept them from floating. The scraps merely fell to the ground.


    A second later, a burning pain ran though that side.


    But there was no time to even put a hand to the wound.


    ¡°Why...?¡±


    The words naturally seeped out.


    The taste of blood spread through that mouth and that red liquid spilled from those lips.


    ¡°Why is your ¡®reflection¡¯ back?¡±


    Looking at Komaba coughing up blood above him on the framework, Accelerator gave a thin smile while still lying on the dirty ground.


    ¡°You idiot.¡±


    It was a thin, thin, thin, thin, ever so thin smile.


    It was a smile that looked like it had been split open by a razor blade. It was a smile that starved for blood.


    ¡°After you scatter that foil called chaff into the air, it jams electromagnetic signals. So the solution was simple. I just had to get those thin sheets of metal out of the air somehow. With ventilation, for example.¡±


    ¡°You...don¡¯t mean...¡±


    Komaba looked up.


    One of the various colored plastic sheets that were spread from building to building as a satellite countermeasure was blown out of the way. Accelerator¡¯s bullet had knocked off the clasp.


    Due to the sudden wind, the Chaff Seeds had blown well out of formation. They could float under their own power to a certain extent, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stand up to a strong blast of wind. A large hole had been blown in their compact formation from before.


    ¡°Now then...¡±


    The sound of the ground being struck was heard.


    Accelerator must have altered some vector or other because, from lying on his back, he stood straight up without bending like a door being opened.


    ¡°You need to rethink what it means for a Level 0 to pick a fight with a Level 5!!¡±


    ¡°...Tch!!¡±


    Komaba slowly reached for his pocket.


    Whether he used his special gun or strong legs, Komaba Ritoku had no chance of winning now that Accelerator¡¯s vector conversion ability was back.


    So he must have been trying to disseminate more Chaff Seeds and retreat.


    ¡°Too slow!!¡±


    Accelerator kicked some pebbles at his feet.


    That was all he did.


    Nevertheless, the vector converted pebbles shot strait through Komaba¡¯s palm. A loud roar could be heard after the flesh on his hand was torn open.


    ¡°Gwaaaaahhh!?¡±


    The Chaff Seed container Komaba had taken out fell and he crouched down holding the wrist of the hand hit. But that was when he lost his balance. While crouched down, he fell from the 3rd floor frame.


    Komaba Ritoku wasn¡¯t going to die from just that. His legs were strong enough to break those steel frames. If he could regain his balance partway down, he could easily make a proper landing.


    And for that very reason, Accelerator showed no mercy.


    ¡°Ha ha! C¡¯mon, let me have a little more fun!!¡±


    He altered the vectors of his legs and shot forward like a rocket. He grabbed Komaba¡¯s gut just as he was about to land and slammed him into a nearby steel pillar.


    He had converted Komaba¡¯s falling vector to one straight ahead.


    The thick steel pillar bent unnaturally from the impact. Komaba¡¯s giant body trembled. His cell phone and the reserve Chaff Seed containers came from his pocket and scattered across the ground.


    ¡°Gh...bh...!?¡±


    Komaba coughed up blood, but, regardless of whether it was going to reach Accelerator¡¯s face or not, he repelled it to the side so not a single drop landed on him.


    He rejected even that.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s checkmate. You have no feeling left in your lower body, right?¡±


    ¡°Kh...¡±


    ¡°You did a good job of actually managing to keep your Smart Weapon in your hand through all that. I¡¯ll give you that much. If you want to continue this, go for it. Seeing people kill themselves like that can be quite fun.¡±


    While holding his target by the gut, the edges of Accelerator¡¯s lips lifted up.


    ¡°It¡¯s true Level 0¡¯s are weak, but being weak doesn¡¯t make you evil.¡±


    He was enjoying disgracing this man who was on the verge of death.


    ¡°People like that are treated like nuisances because it¡¯s always people like you in Skill Out causing the problems. Give you rights? A guarantee of safety? Fucking ridiculous. Can¡¯t you tell you¡¯re strangling yourself by doing things like that?¡±


    ¡°...Heh.¡±


    All his teeth were stained red, but Komaba still laughed.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a...hypothetical question...¡± he said in his voice that sounded like copy paper was coming from his mouth. ¡°These ¡®harmless Level 0¡¯s¡¯ you¡¯re talking about... If attacking them for no reason became popular among you rotten espers...what would you do?¡±


    Accelerator¡¯s eyelids closed slightly out of disinterest.


    ¡°Problems with a person¡¯s personality aren¡¯t taken into account when it comes to whether they get powers or not... There are some people who have powerful abilities but are weak people. These horrible people can do nothing but gloat about it. ...I have seen dozens of espers like that who are nothing beyond their powers.¡±


    Komaba Ritoku didn¡¯t beg for his life; he merely looked Accelerator in the eye as he spoke.


    Skill Out.


    That group was originally created in order to protect themselves from powerful espers.


    ¡°And if...it became popular among those people to play a game where they hunted down Level 0¡¯s who weren¡¯t part of an organization like Skill Out...what would you do?¡±


    There was something glowing on the ground.


    It was Komaba Ritoku¡¯s cell phone that had fallen when he had struck the steel pillar. The phone had unfolded when it hit the ground and light was coming from the standby screen.


    The screen showed a low-resolution photo.


    It was of a small elementary school aged girl and Komaba Ritoku standing uncomfortably next to her.


    It was a scene far removed from the Skill Out and the back alleys.


    Perhaps Komaba had gone to a lot of effort to distance himself from that kind of thing for that photo.


    (This bastard...)


    The reorganization of Skill Out.


    The objective of this incident and its result.


    What Komaba Ritoku had with him.


    ¡°Heh. I knew if I kept taking out-of-place actions it would eventually end like this...¡±


    Accelerator lifted his head when he heard Komaba¡¯s voice.


    ¡°But I got to see something good in the end. I suppose it all worked out...¡±


    Komaba looked at Accelerator¡¯s expression and smiled with his blood-covered mouth.


    What exactly had Komaba taken from the change in the look on that Level 5¡¯s face?


    With slow motions, Komaba pointed his gun right between Accelerator¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It seems...you and I are living under similar circumstances.¡±


    A gunshot shook the area.


    Accelerator¡¯s ¡°reflection¡± made no exceptions. The bullet bounced back and flew back into the Smart Weapon¡¯s barrel. The iron weapon was smashed to pieces from the inside and the bullet continued on its path and hit Komaba¡¯s face. And with that Komaba Ritoku¡¯s face was gone. There was a raw noise. The torn pieces looked like a bowl with chipped edges. It looked like a crude container with skin and hair on it that had only brains inside.


    Accelerator saw it from point-blank range.


    He saw it from closer than anyone else.


    ¡°...¡±


    He let go.


    The body fell to the ground and the arms and legs bent limply and remained stuck where they were. Komaba wasn¡¯t going to say anything more. He had been a troublesome enemy when he stood in Accelerator¡¯s path, but all resistance had left him.


    And Accelerator¡¯s job was over.


    His first job had been completed without a hitch.


    Part 6


    ¡°Well done,¡± Unabara Mitsuki said from the other end of the phone. ¡°All that remains is transportation of the bodies as well as elimination of evidence. We¡¯ll take care of the empty cartridges and blood stains. That black garbage truck is on its way, so get on that.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Accelerator responded while holding his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll come back on my own. I don¡¯t want any favors from you people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but try not to run into anyone you know. There¡¯s a reason we keep ourselves hidden; standing out isn¡¯t going to bring you any favors. I wouldn¡¯t advise it for any of us.¡±


    ¡°Quit speaking down to me. Do you want me to fucking kill you?¡±


    Accelerator gave that parting comment and hung up.


    (...Chaff, huh? So there¡¯s an artificial way of jamming electromagnetic waves. Maybe I could carry a bomb or something around to knock that kind of thing out of the air.)


    He looked back at the dirty ground as he thought about what he should do in the future.


    Komaba Ritoku¡¯s corpse was there with the top half of its face gone. The military flashlight that had broken in its fall was, too.


    ¡°Keh.¡± Accelerator made a noise of annoyance. ¡°I know you¡¯re alive, Musujime Awaki.¡±


    After he spoke, he heard footsteps coming from farther into the back alley.


    ¡°I was watching from a window for some of it, but when did you notice me?¡±


    ¡°Heh. It was obvious you were there.¡±


    In order to avoid Komaba Ritoku¡¯s gunshots, he had jumped from the 2nd story of the framework.


    Accelerator had retrieved his gun from the ground afterwards and counterattacked. However, when he thought about it now, it was obvious that that was just too much good fortune. It was pretty unlikely that his gun would be within reach after he fell. Musujime Awaki had used Move Point to move it within reach.


    ¡°Don¡¯t interfere in other people¡¯s fights.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that any way to talk to the person that saved your life?¡±


    ¡°...Do you want me to kill you?¡±


    ¡°Right back at you.¡±


    A thin smile appeared on Musujime¡¯s face and she got so close he could feel her breath on his face.


    Her eyes were open so wide they looked like dinner plates.


    ¡°Did you forget? The only reason I¡¯m here is because you interfered with my fight on that day. If it weren¡¯t for you, I could have hidden and gotten more people to help me. Then I could have attacked the facility my comrades are restrained in and rescued them.¡±


    The smile on her face looked like it was slicing her head in two as she slowly spoke.


    ¡°Heh. Heh heh. If you use your powers to help me with my work in GROUP and my comrades are released as a result, I¡¯ll forgive you. But if you get in my way, you¡¯re dead. Make sure your value to me doesn¡¯t fall any farther. If you don¡¯t you¡¯ll have corkscrews all over your body.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, woman.¡± Accelerator cracked his neck as he responded. ¡°You¡¯re the one that doesn¡¯t understand. You¡¯re the one that got so upset just because I smashed some of your luggage. Try and get this in that defective brain of yours. If you waste even a second of my life, you¡¯re going to be nothing more than a stain in a back alley.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two stared at each other for a bit, but then a car horn sounded multiple times with short intervals between. It seemed the black garbage truck had arrived at the entrance to the alley.


    The tension between them disappeared when they heard that.


    ¡°Fucking ridiculous,¡± Accelerator spat out.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got that right,¡± Musujime Awaki nodded and stepped back.


    It wasn¡¯t time for that yet.


    ¡°How did you trick Komaba?¡±


    ¡°It was actually quite easy. Because his legs were so powerful, he wasn¡¯t going to leave a corpse. So I used a dumpster as a shield. It was behind a restaurant, so it had a pig bones and organs in it.¡±


    ¡°I used Move Point to move myself, so I did vomit once partway through,¡± she added.


    To add more detail, she had apparently wrapped some hair she had pulled out with Move Point around her flashlight. She could teleport something as particular as specific hairs, but she still found moving herself difficult.


    ¡°...So you used a dumpster full of organs that just happened to be there. That was lucky.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was. I would have just used something else as a shield had I not been so lucky. I could have used one of the other Skill Out members. I do consider it fortunate that I didn¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    Musujime picked her flashlight up from next to the corpse.


    ¡°You did quite a number on him,¡± she said in a disinterested voice. ¡°Unabara called you, right? What did he say?¡±


    ¡°He said to get on the garbage truck that was coming. I said I¡¯d go back on my own.¡±


    Musujime gave a puzzled look at that.


    ¡°Oh? Do you have somewhere you want to go? It¡¯s a bit too soon for lunch.¡±


    ¡°That elegant-acting man asked me that too, but it¡¯s nothing much.¡±


    Accelerator had another cell phone in his hand.


    It was a plastic electronic device that was covered in the blood of a man who was now gone.


    The standby screen showed a young girl smiling.


    And when he pressed a few buttons, a number of phone numbers appeared.


    The entry category was ¡°People Requiring Special Attention in Regards to Attacks on Level 0¡¯s¡±.


    He looked through the entries.


    As he did, he relaxed and spoke.


    ¡°I still have a job left to do. A special bonus job.¡±

 Volume 1, 3: Women’s Dorm of the Anglican Church. Russian_Roulette.

    Volume 1, Chapter 3: Women¡¯s Dorm of the Anglican Church. Russian_Roulette.


    Part 1


    Morning came 9 hours later in London than in Academy City.


    With soft sunbeams and the chirping of the birds coming in the window, Kanzaki Kaori stood dumbfounded in the changing room of the women¡¯s dorm.


    In front of her was a state-of-the-art Academy City fully automated washing machine.


    ¡°I told you...Just because the box said it could wash an entire futon doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s true.¡±


    Because it had been getting colder lately, Kanzaki was wearing a jacket that came down to her navel in addition to her usual T-shirt and one-legged jeans. The jacket had its right arm completely cut off, so her shoulder was visible.


    ¡°The way this washing machine works is always giving us trouble...¡±


    There was a sound of an object falling to the ground. It came from Shichiten Shichitou sliding down from where it was leaning against the wall. However, Kanzaki didn¡¯t even notice.


    October 3rd was her day to do the wash, but this had all been caused by Agnese Sanctis saying she might as well stick the futon in there too, wrapping the thick futon up tightly, and throwing it in the washing machine.


    The fully AI-run appliance seemed like it was about to start spewing black smoke because it was emitting a worrying low rumbling moan as it rattled back and forth.


    ¡°...¡±


    Speaking of Agnese, she looked like she was half-in-tears and had her back pressed to the changing room wall as she tried to keep as far from the washing machine as she could. She looked like someone who had been driven into a corner and she was trembling enough to give the washing machine a run for its money. Because Agnese¡¯s shaking looked like it could whip cream, Kanzaki wasn¡¯t sure if she should berate her or not.


    That was when Orsola Aquinas came in.


    The large-breasted nun¡¯s smiling face was all that could be seen because she was covered from head to toe by her black nun¡¯s habit.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too soon!! Can¡¯t you give a little thought to the flow of things so far!?¡±


    ¡°Oh. But I would think that having breakfast at the same time as usual would be the natural flow of things. In fact, isn¡¯t the washing machine the only irregular aspect?¡±


    Kanzaki fell silent.


    When she thought about it, Orsola was right.


    While her attention was pointed elsewhere, Agnese sang out ¡°B-b-b-breakfast. Breakfast!¡± and ran out of the changing room.


    Kanzaki sighed, scratched her black-ponytailed head, picked her katana up from the ground, and headed for the dining hall. Orsola must have been tired, because her body swayed left and right as she smiled and walked down the hallway.


    ¡°Oh, right. Kanzaki-san.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°What was that package that came addressed to you the other day? I¡¯m pretty sure it was from Tsuchimikado-san in Japan.¡±


    Kanzaki¡¯s shoulders jumped in surprise.


    She messed with her bangs using her thumb and forefinger as she spoke.


    ¡°O-oh, it wasn¡¯t really anything. I didn¡¯t feel it was anything worth mentioning.¡±


    ¡°I see. The label had ¡®Fallen Angel Maid Set¡¯ written on it in large letters, so everyone found it to be rather disturbing. But it wasn¡¯t anything to worry about?¡±


    ¡°N-no!! Not at all!!¡±


    Kanzaki shook her head back and forth as she trembled at a high speed.


    Orsola either didn¡¯t notice how Kanzaki was acting or her thought pattern had gone forward or backwards to somewhere else.


    ¡°By the way, doesn¡¯t that long katana get in the way?¡±


    ¡°F-for me, one with a little weight to it is easier to wield.¡±


    ¡°My, my. And I thought its length had some religious meaning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it does have a meaning from Japanese legend.¡±


    Kanzaki was relieved that the subject had finally changed and she continued speaking while walking down the corridor with Orsola.


    ¡°The only reason there are a lot of religious katana is that the ruling classes of Japan held katana and other types of swords in high esteem. If they had held axes to that same esteem, there would be a lot more axes. It¡¯s the same as how in some areas the people are proud of their fish and vegetables and in others it¡¯s their kitchen knives and pots. It all depends on what people in that area find most important.¡±


    She ran her fingertips along Shichiten Shichitou¡¯s hilt.


    ¡°In Shinto, everything is based on the theory of the 8 million. In other words, it is thought that gods reside in everything and therefore anything can become a magical tool. The Amakusa church often uses this idea by creating spells out of the objects at hand. But because a different god resided in each object, a single object cannot be used for various different kinds of spells.¡±


    ¡°Yawn...I am quite sleepy.¡±


    ¡°!! You asked the question and you aren¡¯t even paying attention!?¡±


    Kanzaki yelled in amazement, but Orsola merely rubbed her eyes and quickly headed into the dining hall.


    Left behind, Kanzaki¡¯s shoulders drooped as she entered the dining hall as well.


    It was a large room.


    Originally, only about 70 people used it, but the recent arrival of the former Agnese forces had added another 250 to that. The fact that there had been room for them was a good indicator of how much space there was.


    There was no set time for Necessarius activities, so the nuns ate their meals at different times. Because of this, the dining hall almost never filled up.


    But...


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that whenever Orsola is in charge of the meal, every seat is full. Talk about only caring about yourself.¡±


    Kanzaki reached her table while still in amazement.


    Agnese, Orsola, Lucia, and Angelene were sitting nearby. Seeing Lucia with her pointed eyes pulling on Angelene¡¯s cheek, Kanzaki guessed that the small girl with a bent back must have snuck some food before the meal.


    ¡°Bh-bhut I only want to ask Sister Orsola for her secret.¡±


    ¡°Her secret? Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°But I want to know how to get big breasts.¡±


    (...What are they talking about?) Kanzaki thought as she covered her face with her hands in exasperation.


    Meanwhile, Lucia and Angelene continued their argument.


    ¡°Sister Angelene. A nun does not need breasts. A nun is supposed to cut herself off from every kind of desire and breasts only bring the danger of tempting men. It is Sister Orsola and I who have the fault here.¡±


    ¡°Wah! You say all that, but still declare yourself as having large breasts!? I won¡¯t let you draw the line as cruelly as that! And someone like you who complains about her breasts getting bigger even though you¡¯d thought they¡¯d stopped growing and saying they hurt wouldn¡¯t understand how I feeghaah!?¡±


    As Angelene was speaking, Lucia¡¯s face had turned red and she pushed down on Angelene¡¯s braided blonde head as hard as she could. As they struggled, the knives and forks on the table rattled.


    Kanzaki gave them a warning as she watched on in utter amazement.


    ¡°Angelene. And you too, Lucia. It¡¯s time for the pre-meal prayer. Quit making such a racket.¡±


    But Angelene wasn¡¯t listening.


    She looked at an area a little bit below Kanzaki¡¯s face.


    ¡°And the point goes to Japanese food!!¡±


    ¡°Enough with this sacrilegious conversation, Sister Angelene! And you, Kanzaki Kaori. If you¡¯re a nun, put those filthy things away!!¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t like this to draw attention to them!!¡±


    Kanzaki shouted in return without thinking, but the humble (in both mind and body) nuns averted their gaze and clicked their tongues lightly.


    And in that strained atmosphere, they prayed and started breakfast.


    Nothing particular was made for breakfast in the women¡¯s dorm. The day before, cards indicating what people wanted for breakfast the next day were counted and then a single type of meal was made all at once in a giant pot.


    But Orsola was skilled enough to make a number of meals all at once. She couldn¡¯t make hundreds of meals on her own, so a few dozen other nuns would help her. However, Orsola knew the recipes to a large number of foods and she was good at accurately instructing others.


    So in front of Kanzaki was white rice and miso soup, in front of Agnese and Lucia was pasta, and in front of Angelene was French food.


    Kanzaki muttered ¡°itadakimasu¡±, picked up her chopsticks, and spoke.


    ¡°Really, what¡¯s with that washing machine? First it took all the color out of the obi to my yukata and today it broke so easily. Academy City didn¡¯t send us a washing machine that would eliminate the spiritual effects equipped on our clothes, did they?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Ah ha ha. Let¡¯s focus on our food. Okay?¡± Agnese tried to change the subject with an overly dry smile.


    Meanwhile, the tall Lucia and the bent-backed Angelene were speaking.


    ¡°Uheh? Sister Lucia, that much will hold you until lunch? The pasta only covers half your plate.¡±


    ¡°Sister Angelene, you are taking too much food. What kind of menu is that? A nun does not need chocolate drink or ice cream with her breakfast. If you maintain a spirit of moderation and are thankful for the food with discipline and faith, a single plate of noodles will fill you up. You could even say that I am being blessed with too much.¡±


    ¡°Hehh... Well, if you don¡¯t need all that, I¡¯ll eat it for you.¡±


    ¡°!? Stop entwining my pasta around your fork, Sister Angelene!!¡±


    As the large and small nun combo struggled, Kanzaki removed the bones from her grilled fish and sighed. From the way they had just been talking about breasts, it was hard to believe that those two had been pointing weapons and asking for their deaths while calling them heretics just a few weeks before.


    (It seems one¡¯s assessment of people can change given a chance...)


    Kanzaki finished removing the bones from her grilled fish in an oddly solemn mood, popped open a small container and pulled out an umeboshi. No artificial dyes must have been used in it because it was more of a beige than a red.


    And...


    When Kanzaki looked up, Lucia and Angelene were looking wide-eyed in her direction.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    Kanzaki was taken aback and the two nuns whispered to each other.


    ¡°(...Sister Angelene. The Asian is about to eat something I¡¯ve never seen before. Is that the ¡®umeboshi¡¯ from the country of the samurai I¡¯ve heard about?)¡±


    ¡°(...I bet it¡¯s necessary for an Amakusa spell. I¡¯ve heard they have something called a ¡®hinomaru bento¡¯ there. It has something to do with imitating their flag.)¡±


    ¡°(...Does eating their flag have some kind of religious meaning? This could be our chance to learn about what peculiar direction Amakusa spells have taken.)¡±


    Kanzaki couldn¡¯t decide whether to correct their misunderstanding or not, and Agnese nudged her shoulder.


    Looking over, Kanzaki saw that Agnese¡¯s eyes were fixed on her umeboshi.


    ¡°What does that taste like? Can I try one?¡±


    ¡°S-sure. I don¡¯t mind... Wait, on your pasta!?¡±


    Kanzaki was shocked to see Agnese put the umeboshi on top of her pasta that was cream-colored as she had already put white sauce on it. As Agnese mixed it around, the pasta turned to a light pink color.


    Kanzaki¡¯s face paled as she saw that, but surprisingly enough Agnese smiled in enjoyment when she took a bite.


    ¡°Hm, this is quite fresh. It has a refreshing flavor.¡±


    ¡°Really, really!?¡± said Lucia and Angelene in excitement. But Kanzaki was the most surprised. Japanese-style pasta with soy sauce or mentaiko was one thing, but she doubted cream sauce with an umeboshi in it was actually good.


    Orsola hadn¡¯t been getting into the conversation very much and she had had her head tilted to the side for a while by that point. With a completely happy-looking expression she muttered something about wondering how many meters long her pasta was as she continued to spin her fork around in thin air. She was probably asleep. Kanzaki tilted her head to the side in puzzlement at the fact that Orsola had been able to make food this good while in a state like that.


    And then...


    ¡°K-Kanzaki-san! Me, too! Me, too!! I want to try an umeboshi, too!!¡±


    Angelene was yelling while leaning forward on the table. Looking down, Kanzaki saw that her main dish was a soft croissant. Kanzaki was about to ask her what exactly she was going to put the umeboshi on, but she suddenly stopped.


    (No, I can¡¯t give her the preconception that an umeboshi is eaten on top of something. She¡¯s open to new things like Agnese. Once she has tasted an umeboshi, she should make her way to true Japanese food with no problem.)


    ¡°S-sure. I have plenty, so if you want to try one, go ahead.¡±


    She consented humbly, but Kanzaki had actually dried them in the sun herself on the roof of the women¡¯s dorm because she wasn¡¯t satisfied with the commercial ones. Because she had been worried about not getting enough sunlight with London¡¯s frequently changing weather, she had made a plastic greenhouse for them and had gone back and forth on whether she should just use magical light or if they had to be completely sun dried. The fact that people were praising them made her extremely happy on the inside, but she made sure she was a true Yamato Nadeshiko by hiding that feeling behind a calm fa?ade.


    Kanzaki took an umeboshi out of the container with her chopsticks and put it on a small plate. Angelene took it with a cheer.


    Kanzaki examined Angelene¡¯s face to see how she would react to it.


    ¡°You put an umeboshi on something to eat it, right? I can actually be a bit weak to fruit pastes like jam and marmalade, though.¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡± Kanzaki said as her eyes turned to dots.


    She had a feeling there was a grand misunderstanding going in here, but she didn¡¯t do anything in regards to those fears.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the same thing as an Eastern sweet, right? I think those are called ¡®wagashi¡¯. I¡¯ve been interested in them for a while.¡±


    Angelene popped the umeboshi into her mouth without any caution at all.


    And directly afterwards...


    Her eyes turned to X¡¯s, her lips puckered up, and she fell backwards in her chair.


    She abandoned her meal and ran from the dining hall screaming something.


    An umeboshi full of the history and techniques of the Amakusa church was nothing like commercial ones.


    Part 2


    Once breakfast was over, it was back to battling the washing machine.


    ¡°Owner¡¯s manual ¨C check. A screwdriver and other tools ¨C check. The warranty card just in case... Eh? The support center is in Japan? That means it¡¯ll be at the international rate!¡±


    Kanzaki was right at the line between being determined to finish and deciding to give up as she trudged along a hallway in the women¡¯s dorm.


    That was when one of the doors along the hallway suddenly opened.


    Sherry Cromwell came out looking sleep deprived and scratching her disheveled hair. Her blonde hair looked like a lion¡¯s mane and her light brown skin made her look wild. The sun had already risen high into the sky, but she was still wearing a black negligee.


    She was holding a chisel and hammer for sculpting in her hands.


    ¡°...Oh, Kanzaki. Is there any breakfast left?¡±


    ¡°I see you got so absorbed in sculpting that you forgot what time it was again. There¡¯s no breakfast left, but Orsola¡¯s in charge of the food, so if you clasp your hands and beg I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll make you something.¡±


    As she spoke, Kanzaki looked over Sherry¡¯s shoulders and into her room.


    Sherry had rented out two rooms in the dorm. One to sleep in and one to work in. There were plenty of people that rented out multiple rooms to help manage their spiritual items, but renting a room for something that was no more than a hobby was quite rare.


    Sherry¡¯s room was labeled as the ¡°Sculpture Room¡±, but there were no sculptures in it. There were only piles of the shattered pieces of former sculptures in the four corners of the room.


    Except for a statue of a small boy in the center of the room.


    It was a life-size marble statue with ¡°Ellis¡± carved into its pedestal.


    ¡°That one was a failure, too.¡± Sherry muttered when she saw where Kanzaki was looking. ¡°Even though it¡¯s a failure I can¡¯t bear looking at, I just can¡¯t bring myself to destroy it.¡±


    Sherry was almost speaking to herself and Kanzaki only knew that Ellis was the name of the golem Sherry used. Because of this, Kanzaki asked a simple question.


    ¡°So that isn¡¯t the name of the spell you use?¡±


    ¡°...When I was naming it, that was all that came to mind.¡± Sherry responded sulkily. ¡°I was creating a puppet to protect me and when I got to the stage where I had to give it a name, his was the one that came to mind first. I¡¯m aware it makes it look like I¡¯m clinging on to regret.¡±


    Sherry chucked the sculpting tools she was holding into the room, locked the door, and headed for the dining hall without saying another word. Kanzaki didn¡¯t know the details, but Sherry¡¯s back looked somehow smaller than usual.


    (Well, asking further wouldn¡¯t accomplish anything. Sticking my head into other people¡¯s business doesn¡¯t necessarily lead to the path of salvation.) Kanzaki was the bearer of the magic name meaning ¡°reach out the hand of salvation to those with none¡± so she was itching to do something, but she forced herself to remain silent.


    ¡°O-oh, there you are, Kanzaki-san...¡±


    Now Angelene was half-running toward her. She had gotten up and left halfway through breakfast, but now she was holding what almost looked like a tube of toothpaste in her hand for some reason. It most likely contained ganache.


    ¡°What is it, Angelene? Where have you been? Oh, I think your breakfast was already cleared from the table.¡±


    ¡°Kh... N-no, that doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t mind. That just means lunch will taste even better.¡±


    ¡°Then, how about you try another umeboshi at lunch. This time you can actually put it on rice and...¡±


    ¡°No thank you!! I¡¯m not going to have any more of that devil¡¯s food you call an umeboshi! It messed up my mouth and not even drinking hot milk made it go away! That¡¯s why I¡¯m eating chocolate now!! All my admiration for Japan was destroyed in an instant!¡±


    Hearing that disheartened Kanzaki Kaori, but she gracefully controlled her emotions like a true Yamato Nadeshiko so there was no outward change. Or so she thought. In reality, her shoulders drooped.


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t force you to try... So, what did you want me for?¡±


    ¡°O-oh, that¡¯s right. Um, well, I¡¯m not actually the one that wants you...¡±


    ¡°Oh, were you asked to pass a message along to me? Is it from Agnese?¡±


    ¡°N-no. It isn¡¯t a message. You¡¯re needed as a representative of the dorm... Um, um, and it isn¡¯t from Sister Agnese.¡±


    ¡°Lucia then?¡±


    ¡°Um, well, it isn¡¯t from Sisters Lucia or Orsola. Nor is it from Sisters Catarina or Agata. In fact, it isn¡¯t from anyone in the dorm.¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    (This is the Anglican Church¡¯s women¡¯s dorm, but there¡¯s someone else here?)


    Kanzaki tilted her head to the side in confusion.


    ¡°Umm, I think she said she was...¡± Angelene tilted her head to the side a bit, too. ¡°Oh, right. Sasha. It was Sasha Kreutzev.¡±


    Part 3


    Sasha Kreutzev.


    She was an official member of the unit of the Russian Orthodox Church that specialized in magical combat, ¡°Annihilatus¡±. They specialized in the annihilation of non-human things that ¡°shouldn¡¯t be¡±. To do so, they would not hesitate to use magic that had been completely banned ever since Rasputin¡¯s corruption of the government. It wasn¡¯t rare for them to destroy everything in the area their target appeared in leaving no remains behind and making major changes to the terrain. Because of this, there were currently limitations in place on entry to the country by people from certain nations that wished to protect the cultural properties there.


    One of their magicians would not be quite as strong as a magician from the Anglican Church¡¯s Necessarius in a one-on-one battle, but by equipping herself with saws and hammers and other British-made spiritual tools of torture, Sasha compensated for that. She looked like a short blonde girl, but with the 7 tools around her waist, she was an almighty magician who could deal with any kind of situation by changing her tactics accordingly. She had great value as an agent of her organization due to her ideal level of skill.


    Kanzaki had seen a different side of her on the coast of Japan, but it was best to think of that as a different ¡°her¡±.


    Sasha Kreutzev was an agent of the Russian Orthodox Church.


    Why was she in London and why was she at the women¡¯s dorm of the Anglican Church?


    It was unlikely she was sightseeing or had gotten lost.


    The Roman Catholic Church and Academy City were in an explosive situation, so Kanzaki could naturally sense a political scent to Sasha¡¯s visit.


    She could have been there for a negotiation, to discuss something, to try to work out a deal, or even to give a warning.


    As Angelene brought her to the dorm entrance, Kanzaki braced herself.


    ¡°My first answer: I am lost.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh!?¡± Kanzaki yelled out without thinking.


    Seeing Kanzaki¡¯s astonished face, Sasha nodded slightly.


    ¡°My second answer: Thank you for the excellent reaction.¡±


    ¡°You were kidding!?¡±


    Kanzaki didn¡¯t remember Sasha Kreutzev being the kind of person who made jokes, but then she remembered that that was a different ¡°her¡±.


    ¡°My third answer: As I am sure you have guessed, I have come here as an envoy of the Russian Orthodox Church. But I would like to add that this is not a formal meeting on the part of my church. As I will be expressing my personal feelings, this is no more than an unofficial conversation.¡±


    It seemed this wasn¡¯t a clear display of hostility from the Russian Orthodox Church.


    Kanzaki let her guard down slightly.


    ¡°I see... Well, I doubt you want to stand the whole time we talk, so come on in.¡±


    ¡°My fourth answer: Thank you for-...¡±


    Sasha¡¯s words cut off suddenly.


    When Kanzaki turned around to look at her, Sasha was moving her right hand behind her.


    It looked like her fingertips were shaking unnaturally.


    ¡°My first question: There are magical defense on this facility, are there not?¡±


    ¡°No... There is some bait here meant to lure in anyone within England who wishes to bring unrest, so those kinds of defenses are purposefully left off.¡±


    ¡°My second question: Then are there other magical operations occurring within this facility?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Kanzaki thought for a second. ¡°Now that you mention it, some of the people in the dorm cast storage spells to protect their spiritual items. But I wouldn¡¯t think very much magical power would seep out to here from that.¡±


    Kanzaki wondered if this had anything to do with Sasha¡¯s trembling fingers.


    Meanwhile, Sasha nodded slightly as if to show she understood.


    ¡°...My fifth answer: It is nothing. Let us go to somewhere where we can talk.¡±


    She brought her small hand to her chest and breathed deeply before looking forward again. Kanzaki may have been mistaken before, because her fingertips looked the same as ever.


    Kanzaki moved to the side as if to show Sasha the way and wondered where she should take her. This was the women¡¯s dorm so there weren¡¯t any areas for taking visitors. But since Sasha was a special envoy of the Russian Orthodox Church, she couldn¡¯t exactly take her to a private area like her own room.


    It seemed the dining hall was the only option.


    ¡°But why are you here? There are representatives of the Anglican Church at St. George¡¯s Cathedral.¡±


    ¡°My sixth answer: Vasilisa...That is, a superior of mine whose personality I would rather not discuss, is headed there. She has entered England for a conference there and I have entered as her aide.¡±


    Kanzaki, Angelene, and Sasha walked down the hallway to the dining hall.


    ¡°Then your being here makes even less sense. If you¡¯re the aide, you should be by the Russian representative¡¯s side during the conference.¡±


    ¡°My seventh answer: There are various circumstances on the Russian side. It may sound rude to you on the British side, but I personally feel my being here is more important.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Given the unstable state of the world, a Russian magician wouldn¡¯t have been able to get into England easily, so Sasha had used the conference as a means to get in.


    This seemed suspicious, so Kanzaki brought her guard back up.


    ¡°(...U-um, Kanzaki-san.)¡±


    Angelene was tugging on Kanzaki¡¯s pants.


    ¡°What is it, Angelene?¡±


    ¡°(...Do you know her? And...she has a fairly unique way of dressing.)¡±


    Sasha Kreutzev¡¯s shoulders gave a large twitch.


    She was wearing only a revealing straitjacket-like collection of black belts as innerwear with a red cloak over it.


    ¡°Shh!¡± Kanzaki said as she held her index finger to her mouth.


    ¡°(...There are different cultures out there. That outfit must have an important meaning in the Russian Orthodox Church.)¡±


    ¡°(...E-ehh? Really? It just looks like something a weird middle-aged man you run into on a deserted street at night would be wearing...)¡±


    ¡°(...Angelene! Don¡¯t say that. You¡¯d get mad if someone mocked the way you expressed your faith, wouldn¡¯t you!?)¡±


    Sasha was trembling slightly, but she never reached the explosion point. There were only fragments of sentences occasionally escaping her lips such as ¡°I¡¯m not dressed like this because I want to be...¡±, ¡°The Russian Orthodox Church isn¡¯t a collection of perverts...¡±, and ¡°I will kill Vasilisa....¡±.


    As this was going on, they reached the dining hall.


    Breakfast was over, but a number of people ¨C mostly former Roman Catholic nuns ¨C were sitting at the tables chatting. They had no set time they had to get to work, so when they were on standby they did nothing else.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Sherry turned to look at the three who had entered while stuffing her mouth full of a ham and lettuce sandwich Orsola had made with whatever food she could find (Orsola really must have been tired because the contents of the sandwich were sticking out from the bread).


    ¡°Someone¡¯s wearing a swimsuit and it isn¡¯t even summer.¡±


    A vein showed up on Sasha¡¯s temple. She must have been overly shocked by having someone wearing an extremely revealing negligee say that. She muttered ¡°I will kill Vasilisa. I will kill Vasilisa. I will kill Vasilisa.¡± under her breath in a frightening way.


    Kanzaki put her index finger to her mouth to keep Sherry from saying anything else and spoke.


    ¡°U-umm. This is Sasha Kreutzev. She is an agent of the Russian Orthodox Church and she¡¯s come here to have an unofficial discussion.¡±


    Everyone in the dining hall was listening to Kanzaki with the possible exception of Orsola. She was so tired she was walking to and fro between the tables while holding a fancy tea set on a tray and wobbling back and forth.


    In her place, Agnese who was holding some playing cards responded. Across the table from her was Lucia¡¯s poker face, Catarina was next to her with tears in her eyes, and Agata was diagonally across staring at her own cards. Agnese turned from them and looked at Kanzaki.


    ¡°Is the unofficial discussion this Sasha wants to have about her wanting to flee her country and take refuge here?¡±


    ¡°I see. It looks like this is a literal case of escaping ¡®with only the clothes on one¡¯s back¡¯. Well, you¡¯ll be fine here. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    In response to Agnese and Lucia¡¯s words, the sides of Sasha¡¯s mouth fell. In response to this, Kanzaki Kaori gestured frantically telling them not to bring up her clothes.


    After pulling herself together, Kanzaki offered Sasha a nearby seat.


    It seemed Orsola¡¯s sleepiness had finally faded and she brought over a cup of black tea.


    Sasha sipped the tea to moisten her tongue and spoke.


    ¡°I have a third question for you all today.¡±


    Her words seemed to spread throughout the entire dining hall.


    And as they did, the atmosphere turned solemn.


    ¡°Which side do you intend to take in the war occurring between the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City?¡±


    Part 4


    War.


    That was a word that none of them could ignore anymore.


    Up to that point, wars had occurred in areas marked by national boundaries, but this one was different. There were no national boundaries in a conflict between ideologies. It was possible that every part of the world could suddenly become a battlefield. There were no countries that could be considered safe and no areas that could be considered to have impenetrable defenses. There was even a danger of conflicts breaking out within a single unit.


    ¡°My eighth answer: This is a nice city.¡±


    Sasha was looking out of a large window.


    ¡°To explain further: There are not very many demonstrations being carried out by the Roman Catholic Church or the science side in London. Incidentally, Russia is in a very tense state at the moment. There is a fear of sudden riots even during the day, so more and more stores are closing their shutters.¡±


    The Anglican Church and the Russian Orthodox Church were both state religions, but the people of the country were not required to follow that religion. Because of this, there were plenty of Roman Catholic believers in Russia. And as for science, there were very few people who did not rely on it by that point.


    Kanzaki was reminded of these facts before she began speaking.


    ¡°But why did you come to us? We are only one part of the Anglican Church and a single organization is forbidden to act completely on its own judgement. If you want to know what actions we will take in this forthcoming war, you need to go to St. George¡¯s Cathedral and talk with the Archbishop...¡±


    ¡°My fourth question: Is that really true?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Kanzaki, Agnese, Lucia, Angelene, Sherry, and the others displayed suspicious expressions at Sasha¡¯s words. Except, that is, for Orsola who looked like she was nodding off.


    ¡°My fifth question: Do you really intend to continue obeying the Anglican Church during this war?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The words of the Russian Orthodox Church rang throughout the large dining hall.


    ¡°To explain further: Kanzaki Kaori and Agnese Sanctis are in a symbolic position as members of the former Amakusa Church and the former Agnese Forces respectively. And most of the other members of Necessarius are in the Anglican Church in order to accomplish their goals instead of being in Necessarius because they are a part of the Anglican Church.¡±


    Her words were blunt. She had clearly done at lot to prepare for this meeting beyond simply gaining entrance to England.


    Sasha continued.


    ¡°To explain even further: In the Russian Orthodox Church¡¯s opinion, the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City are currently about equal when it comes to strength in a war. Therefore, third parties like the Russian Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church can have a great effect on the outcome. The Russian Orthodox Church has no real interest in this war. We do not mind who wins, but we would like to ally ourselves with the victor so as to have the upper hand when the war is over. We need to know what the British side will do in order to have a more accurate opinion.¡±


    The Anglican Church was a major influence in the magic side.


    It did not get along with the Russians because of the differences between the denominations. At the same time, it had a special pipeline with Academy City.


    It was difficult to predict which side this major magic organization would choose.


    Not to mention that the Anglican Church also had a number of people like Kanzaki and Agnese who belonged to smaller organizations that were affiliated with the church. Individuals could be the same. Stiyl would go anywhere and do anything for this one small girl and it was unclear what side Tsuchimikado was really on. Sherry was a genuine member of the Anglican Church, but due to problems between factions, she had tried to kill Index, a member of the same organization.


    The key movements in this great war that would shake the world were completely unreadable.


    It was certainly worth looking into.


    (...Or maybe she¡¯s trying to throw a stone to guide our movements in an easier to understand direction.)


    Kanzaki Kaori thought about the meaning of the war after hearing Sasha¡¯s words that could be interpreted as telling them to split onto different sides.


    She had already removed herself from the Amakusa Church, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she still needed to protect them.


    And the Amakusas had fought against the Roman Catholic Church when rescuing Orsola Aquinas. Since there were only 50 battle-ready Amakusa members, it was next to impossible for them to survive without the protection of the Anglican Church.


    At the same time, the former Agnese Forces had truly become an enemy of the Roman Catholic Church ever since the Queen of the Adriatic incident. They would gain nothing by leaving the Anglican Church during this war.


    And then there was the fact that, in the past, Kanzaki Kaori had had a number of people important to her saved by Academy City...no, technically it was by a single boy who lived there.


    (My heart tells me to side with Academy City...)


    If the Roman Catholic Church won this war and their influence spread throughout the world, the Anglican Church would lose some of its weight and the Amakusas and the former Agnese Forces could be destroyed. Thinking of that, she wanted to side with Academy City.


    (But that¡¯s the science side...)


    If Academy City won, it would still be a very dangerous situation. It was possible the science side would ride the wave of victory and annihilate the magic side all at once. Then it wouldn¡¯t matter how much influence the Anglicans had. All magical powers throughout the world would be destroyed and that would include the Amakusas and the former Agnese Forces.


    This war had a great meaning behind it.


    If the war ended in a standard winner/loser fashion, it seemed like the Anglican Church would lose quite a bit no matter who the winner was and who the loser was. That meant the Archbishop wouldn¡¯t let it end it like that. She must have some kind of plan prepared.


    Sasha and the other Russians were worried about which direction England would take.


    To get through this, they had to do a lot of planning.


    And how England would act played heavily into that planning.


    (Kh... It looks like we have no choice but to fight in this war.)


    All this thinking with only the benefit of one¡¯s own side in mind was hard for Kanzaki Kaori.


    (I have the magic name I do because I hate thinking like this, but I can¡¯t see any way of avoiding it right now...)


    Depending on the situation, she may have to turn her sword on the ¡°enemy¡±.


    She would have to have a set ¡°enemy¡± and she would be fighting with the intent of killing instead of saving.


    It was possible she would destroy the peaceful life that boy and girl had grasped with their own hands.


    Sasha Kreutzev was here for the answer to one main question.


    Which side would they choose in this war?


    (I...)


    Kanzaki instinctually gritted her teeth.


    (I...!!)


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Orsola Aquinas suddenly said even though she had been dozing off up until then.


    Everyone in the dining hall turned toward her.


    It was unclear how much of the conversation she had heard, but her words were quite definite for someone who hadn¡¯t been listening.


    ¡°My sixth question: What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°I mean exactly what I said,¡± she responded immediately.


    She hadn¡¯t thought too deeply about it. Or perhaps she didn¡¯t feel it was something she needed to worry about.


    ¡°Whatever happens, what we need to do remains the same. If there are people asking for help, we will reach our hand out to them. If there are people in pain, we will heal and comfort them. If there are people who do not wish for conflict, we will arbitrate for them. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°My seventh question: This would not be a problem if we could do that. To explain further: The war that is starting is not so simple a-...¡±


    ¡°Even so,¡± Orsola cut off Sasha¡¯s words. ¡°What we need to do remains the same. Just because a war has started is no reason to deny those who are asking for help. Nor is it a reason to whip those in pain or to force a sword into the hands of those who do not wish to fight.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sasha Kreutzev remained silent after hearing those decisive words.


    Orsola Aquinas was an expert in spreading the Christian Churches in pagan lands.


    She had been subject to hostility from all sides and ideological violence countless times and yet she did not carry a weapon. She was a person who accomplished what she felt she needed to do with her words alone.


    ¡°Do you understand the meaning of the small power we have?¡±


    It was for that very reason that her words here held weight.


    At least more weight than the words of someone like Kanzaki who picked up a weapon whenever a conflict broke out.


    ¡°That small power allows us to continue forward without giving in when faced with a dispute that seems inescapable or it seems inevitable a life will be taken. That power gives us the opportunity to save the future of our allies, to not have to deprive our enemy of their future, and to all gather here in a single building afterwards. ...¡®He¡¯ had no power and ¡®he¡¯ did not have the proper background, but he was able to do it. So why are we not able to? If ¡®he¡¯ can save so many people on his own, just think how many more we can save if we work together. There is no meaning in giving up. If you want to find meaning, it is crucial that you never give up.¡±


    Everyone listened to her speak.


    Agnese looked the other way and Angelene grabbed onto Lucia¡¯s clothes. Lucia placed her hand on her small colleague¡¯s shoulder and Sherry narrowed her eyes. The other nuns did pretty much the same thing. They all were reminded of a certain boy while listening to Orsola¡¯s words and their thoughts moved on from there. They began thinking about what path they should continue on from there.


    Kanzaki was naturally reminded of the first time she had run into ¡°him¡±.


    That boy¡¯s fist had been sliced by her wire-attack, Nanasen, he had received blows all over from Shichiten Shichitou¡¯s scabbard, and yet he still stood his ground before a Saint. She remembered what he had said at that time.


    ¡°Then what are you doing here!?¡±


    She tried to...


    ¡°If you have that much power, if you have that nigh-almighty power...then why are you so powerless...?¡±


    Kanzaki Kaori tried to remember what her expression had been.


    ¡°Then...¡± The one person there who did not know that boy cautiously asked a question. ¡°My eighth question: How will you all act?¡±


    ¡°Do not place the decision on me alone. Everyone has their own things that they must do. But,¡± Orsola Aquinas smiled as she spoke, ¡°I personally do not at all see this in black and white terms of winning and losing. There is a third option. If we do not prepare the kind of happy ending where no one is defeated, we will not be living up to what ¡®he¡¯ would want.¡±


    A war was about to break out and yet she was able to say such a shining and pure thing and mean it.


    Part 5


    Sasha Kreutzev left saying that she had been unable to get a solid grasp of the situation.


    Afterwards, Kanzaki Kaori leaned against the back of the dining hall chair she was sitting in and stared at the ceiling.


    (What I should do...)


    The circumstances were different for her than for Orsola. She was one of the fewer than 20 Saints in the world. Her battle potential was similar to that of the nuclear weapons the science side had. Once it came to war, she wouldn¡¯t be able to stick with only words; she had the ability to truly accomplish something and thus she would be made to act directly.


    (How can I carry out the meaning carried in my magic name...?)


    She didn¡¯t have enough power to decide the overall winner of a large war, but she could completely alter the progress of a local part of the conflict.


    And it was possible that that small victory could start a chain reaction that could affect the war as a whole.


    There was a mountain of options spread before her eyes.


    Kanzaki was troubled by this war not because she couldn¡¯t do anything but because she could do something.


    (The power that only I possess, huh? That certainly is an arrogant way of thinking. I¡¯d rather be getting a headache from that washing machine than this.)


    She sighed.


    Her benevolent spirit made the burden of her power as a Saint seem even greater. Essentially, she felt that she was better off than those around her due to her powers so she had to save even more people in exchange. Depending on one¡¯s viewpoint, this could be taken as her looking down on others. It was quite an ugly character trait.


    To Kanzaki, people like Orsola or ¡°that boy¡± who were powerless (Kanzaki felt that that way of viewing of them needed work) and yet reached a hand out to others were almost too bright to look at.


    ¡°Kanzaki-san. What is it?¡±


    As Kanzaki had been slowly thinking, Orsola had reentered the dining hall.


    Kanzaki found it hard to meet her gaze, so she continued to stare at the ceiling.


    ¡°...I¡¯m embarrassed by my own lack of discipline. It scares me to think that someone this immature was the leader of the Amakusas even for a brief time.¡±


    ¡°The road to maturity is not an easy one. It¡¯s simple enough to want to understand the teachings of the Lord, but truly understanding that path is extremely difficult. In fact, I feel that I said something rather immature before.¡±


    ¡°You did? I mostly agreed with what you said. Just because there¡¯s a war doesn¡¯t mean you should stick to a path of killing. I completely agree.¡±


    ¡°Hee hee hee.¡± Orsola giggled for some reason.


    Kanzaki looked over at Orsola while still leaning back in her chair.


    ¡°Mostly, you say?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing. That just means that you feel there is a different reason to fight. It seems Tatemiya-san and the others were right on target when they said that there is someone you love in Academy City.¡±


    Kanzaki fell backwards in her chair.


    She yelled while still lying on the floor.


    ¡°Wh-why would they be saying something so inaccurate!? What¡¯s going on in the Amakusa Church!?¡±


    ¡°My, my. It was when the Knight Leader nervously showing up in Japantown with a single flower in one hand and the substitute pope, Tatemiya-san, was speaking with him. The Knight Leader wanted to invite the Amakusa Priestess to a dance, but Tatemiya-san told him it wasn¡¯t going to happen and they got into a heated argument. In the middle of all this, Tatemiya-san shooed the Knight Leader away with his hands telling him that the Priestess prefers to lead younger guys than to be led by older guys and then mentioned what I said earlier. It has become something of a legend.¡±


    ¡°B-but that¡¯s completely untrue! And why has that been passed around as a legend!! Dammit, Tatemiya Saiji! There are better excuses you could have come up with!!¡±


    ¡°Also, during this incident, another Amakusa member, Itsuwa-san, was heard to comment ¡®I-I have to do my best!!¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying that like you¡¯re a news anchor reading from a teleprompter!?¡±


    Kanzaki was making quite a fuss over this, but Orsola was being true to her habit of not listening to others. She smiled faintly, mentioned something about the stock of black tea, and headed into the kitchen.


    Now that Kanzaki had much too late become aware of how the situation had spiraled out of control, she could do nothing but be dumbfounded and blush.


    But then...


    ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!¡±


    Now she heard Agnese¡¯s scream coming from outside the dining hall.


    ¡°Agh! If it¡¯s not one thing, it¡¯s another!!¡±


    Kanzaki stood up and ran out of the dining hall.


    She didn¡¯t know exactly where the scream had come from, but she knew the general direction, so she intently ran down the hallway.


    She spotted Agnese Sanctis sitting on the floor outside the changing room.


    As Kanzaki approached, Agnese pointed towards the changing room while still sitting down.


    ¡°Th-the washing machine... The washing machine...¡±


    An unpleasant noise came from Kanzaki¡¯s temple when she heard Agnese¡¯s broken up words.


    It was that washing machine again.


    It had caused a problem before breakfast and now it was causing another one before the previous one could be dealt with.


    Her head was full of thoughts on the war and people saying she had fallen in love and now it was the washing machine again.


    (Is that thing really some detestable high-tech AI spy sent by Academy City!? I can¡¯t imagine it would cause this many problems otherwise!!)


    Kanzaki entered the changing room with enough intensity that she felt she would simply chop the thing in two with Shichiten Shichitou if it caused any more problems.


    The bath was a large type that was rarely seen in the West and the changing room was large as well. She knew the washing machine should be in a corner of the changing room along with a scale.


    She turned her gaze in that direction.


    Academy City¡¯s useless piece of trash of a washing machine that had taken the color out of her yukata¡¯s obi and malfunctioned while washing a futon was...


    Making a loud washing noise.


    It was properly washing the futon that had been stuffed inside it.


    ¡°Wha-...?¡±


    Kanzaki had trouble breathing.


    The washing machine was sold as being quiet, so it was irregular for it to be making this much noise. That meant that it was forcing itself to move. It was over its designed maximum load and had been ordered to go through an operation far from its normal operating environment. Even so, it had endured and endured and endured and was finally carrying out its task of washing an entire futon.


    (Amazing...)


    All strength left Kanzaki¡¯s body and she fell to her knees on the changing room floor.


    Her feelings of anger had turned to ones of raging embarrassment.


    (I was just reflecting on my own immaturity, and now this...)


    That washing machine had had a giant futon there was no way it could wash stuffed inside of it, had nevertheless had its switch turned on, and had Kanzaki give up on it and leave. And yet it had been working on its own the entire time since. It had endured the pain and suffering continuing to do what it should and it had finally accomplished its supposedly impossible task. And yet she had been about ready to cut it in two...


    The washing machine said nothing.


    Its AI had no conversation functionality, so that was obvious.


    But Kanzaki Kaori heard it nonetheless.


    She heard the voice of the washing machine.


    ¡°Kanzaki-san. I did it.¡±


    ¡°~ ~ ~ ~!!¡±


    Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.


    No words came to her. She merely threw Shichiten Shichitou aside and embraced the square body of the washing machine like it was a long-lost family member.

 Volume 1, 4: A Drunk Mother’s Circumstances. The_Two_Leading_Roles.

    Volume 1, Chapter 4: A Drunk Mother¡¯s Circumstances. The_Two_Leading_Roles.


    Part 1


    In Academy City, ten at night was relatively late.


    This was because the city¡¯s trains and busses stopped running after all of the students were supposed to have left school. In some places, stores would close at that time too, so it seemed that the only stores open were ones geared towards adults.


    Because members of Anti-Skill who functioned as both teachers and the security forces were patrolling the city, students who weren¡¯t prepared to get scolded would stay in their dorms.


    For that same reason, Academy City was full of delinquents at night so a normal student could easily get caught up in some small bit of trouble if he went walking around then.


    In one of those streets, the sound of a cane tapping against the ground could be heard.


    It was Accelerator.


    (Ahhh... Dealing with that leftover work kept me out pretty late...)


    He was not returning to Yomikawa Aiho¡¯s apartment.


    He was registered as a first year at Nagatenjouki Academy, but he wasn¡¯t going to one of that academy¡¯s dorms either.


    He was heading for a building that was referred to within GROUP as the ¡°Nap Room¡±.


    It wasn¡¯t required for members of GROUP to sleep there. Apparently, Tsuchimikado Motoharu attended a normal high school and lived in a student dorm and Musujime Awaki was living as a freeloader with some nosy woman teacher. Unabara Mitsuki hadn¡¯t said anything about his living arrangements, but it seemed he had his own place. As long as they didn¡¯t do anything too noticeable in the open, they had some freedom as to their basic activities. At the very least, the higher ups hadn¡¯t complained about where the GROUP members were living.


    Accelerator didn¡¯t care where the other members were or what they were doing, but he was sure they had to be thinking the same thing he was. Simply put, he would have no problem if the organization called GROUP was destroyed so long as it didn¡¯t damage him any.


    (That would make this all easier.)


    It was past the point where they could conspire together and change things for the better.


    ¡°...Tch. I guess I¡¯ll stop by a convenience store and buy some coffee...¡±


    The can he was currently drinking was pretty much empty so he started walking in a different direction to go get a new one. He headed towards the convenience store on the first floor of a nearby building as if he was being attracted by the various fluorescent lights that made up the scenery of Academy City at night.


    ¡°Uhh...Uhhhhnnn...¡±


    A voice that sounded like someone talking in their sleep came from next to him.


    But there shouldn¡¯t have been anyone there. After all, there was only a red mailbox there. And that metal mailbox that made one question its usefulness in that age of email was clearly not a bed.


    And yet...


    ¡°U-ugyahh...I don¡¯t feel so gooood...¡±


    A strange drunk woman was clinging to the mailbox¡¯s support post like it was a dakimakura and rubbing her cheek against it.


    She looked like she was a college student. She was wearing a simple shirt and slender black slacks, but they were probably some expensive brand. Also, a small handbag that couldn¡¯t have held anything more than a wallet had fallen to the ground a little bit away from her. Everything about her was screaming ¡°Attack me, dumbass!¡±. She seemed so ¡°welcoming¡± in that way that it made you not want to try to help her.


    Accelerator was about to ignore her and head into the convenience store, but..


    (Hm? Her face looks familiar...?)


    He suddenly stopped.


    He looked closer at that drunk college student¡¯s face. He looked at her shoulder-length light brown hair and the well-proportioned lines of her face. Her eyes were closed so he couldn¡¯t tell, but he easily guessed that her eyes would be filled with excess energy. Her height and proportions were completely different, but oddly enough that girl still came to mind.


    She obviously couldn¡¯t be part of Last Order¡¯s family.


    Clone espers did not have families.


    (...Who is she? Don¡¯t tell me this is just a coincidence...)


    Accelerator couldn¡¯t help but be curious and he was staring at the woman¡¯s face from close by.


    ¡°Yaaawwn... Yes, yes. I¡¯m Misaka Misuzu-saaan...¡±


    Just when he saw her eyes suddenly open, the drunk grabbed onto him. She moved slowly, but Accelerator used a cane.


    They both fell down onto the dirty road.


    The woman was grabbing him around the waist, but she didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    ¡°My hobbies are number theory and studying. My special skill is swimming and my boobs are 91 cm... Oh, whoops. I¡¯m married. C¡¯mooon, don¡¯t touch me so familiarly, it¡¯s rude to papa.¡±


    As she spoke, she pushed Accelerator to the side and sat on the ground a bit away. For a second, he felt the urge to shoot her in the head, but...


    ¡°Huh...? Where¡¯s the Dangai University database center? Hey, white guuuy. Do you know?¡±


    She was completely drunk.


    She probably would have said the same thing to anyone, be it the Chairman of the Board of Directors or the President of the United States.


    (Th-this is so fucking stupid that I¡¯d be an idiot to pay her any heed. I just need to go and buy my coffee. Fuck dealing with that woman.)


    Accelerator stood up while supporting his weight on his cane and wiped the dirt of off his pants with one hand. He then sighed and started to leave.


    ¡°Heeey, don¡¯t be like that. Don¡¯t ignore me, white guuuy...¡±


    The drunk grabbed on to his ankles.


    Accelerator fell again with a yell.


    The strange drunk climbed on top of him and spoke.


    ¡°Hey, white guuuy. I¡¯m the kinda person that¡¯ll kiss anyone ¨C boy or girl ¨C if they¡¯re younger than meee.¡±


    ¡°Quit blathering on about meaningless shit!!¡± Accelerator yelled back without thinking, but then realized what he had done.


    Now that he had actually acknowledged that lonely drunk¡¯s existence, he saw a most unpleasant smile appear on her face.


    ¡°Like I said... Do you know where the Dangai Universtiy database center is? Misuzu-san has to do some studying theeere. I¡¯ve got reports piling up after allll. Bwaaah...¡±


    The strong stench of alcohol slowly surrounded Accelerator.


    ¡°Why the fuck would I know that!? Go call a taxi or something!!¡±


    ¡°Ahhn. How do I do thaaat?¡±


    Luckily, a taxi happened to be coming by. Accelerator had been pushed to the ground and had someone clinging to him, but he still managed to get his hand in the air and wave it vigorously.


    The taxi slowly stopped and the driver, a middle-aged man, jumped out.


    ¡°A-are you okay!? Did something happen!?¡±


    ¡°...If anything else happens here to annoy me, I¡¯m going to beat everyone here to death...¡± Accelerator muttered in a low voice.


    He shoved the drunk off of him to the side. He ignored the strange woman saying something about the taxi and yelled at the taxi driver telling him to deal with her. He finally managed to walk off. He no longer cared about the convenience store or a can of coffee. He just wanted to get as far away from that drunk as possible.


    Academy City¡¯s strongest esper was human and it seemed there was at least one thing he had trouble dealing with.


    Part 2


    ¡°I¡¯d say croquettes qualify as a type of nabe meal,¡± Kamijou Touma explained to Index who was walking next to him.


    They had left the sukiyaki restaurant, split away from the rest of his classmates, and were headed back to the dorm. They had stopped by a convenience store, so they weren¡¯t with the guys who lived in the same dorm building (And he didn¡¯t want anyone to find out Index lived with him, so they had needed a time delay).


    ¡°See, it¡¯s the most delicious when you put a cassette stove on the table, put an oil-filled pot on that, and put the ingredients in the oil with breadcrumbs already on them. It can take a while to cook, but you can fill that time by eating other food until the croquettes are finished frying.¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t any food taste better right when it¡¯s made?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but...¡±


    ¡°Ah!? Then food is the best if I eat it all while you¡¯re making it right in front of me!? Wh-what a discovery!!¡±


    ¡°Screw that!! You would deprive me of getting even a single bite of that delicious food!?¡±


    Kamijou gave the same excellent objection anyone would, but Index and the three-colored cat did nothing but sulk and mew.


    Kamijou was casually counterattacking by saying he didn¡¯t feel much like cooking so they would only have frozen food for breakfast the next day when he saw a taxi stopped on the road they were heading along. Its yellow blinker was flashing, the back door was open, and the upper body of a woman who looked college-aged was sticking out onto the ground.


    A middle-aged man who appeared to be the driver was arguing with the woman who was partially sprawled on the ground.


    ¡°I told you not to open the door and get out like that!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d you saaay!? Are you challenging the All-Japan Half-Open Door Alliance!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re the only member of that whatever alliance, so quit talking about it and please get back in your seat.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it... Now I¡¯m not getting back in no matter what. Heh hehhh...¡±


    This conversation where both sides seemed to be talking about completely different things reached Kamijou¡¯s ears.


    (Wow. What a horrible customer!!)


    Kamijou seriously began thinking about going down a different street.


    It wasn¡¯t the conversation that woman was enjoying; she was the kind of person that enjoyed having people look after her. If he got wrapped up in dealing with her, he would definitely continue getting wrapped up in trouble until she sobered up in the morning.


    Since Kamijou was indelibly stained by misfortune already, he was the last person who should deal with someone like that.


    ¡°Hm?¡± The drunk woman said as she turned her head towards him.


    Her lower body was still inside the taxi and her upper body was still on the ground.


    ¡°Ahh ahh ahhhh! It¡¯s Kamijou-kun! It¡¯s Kamijou-kun!!¡±


    Kamijou shoulders gave a large jump.


    (Why does she know my name!?)


    Kamijou looked at the drunk again and realized it was Misaka Misuzu who he had met during the Daihaseisai. She was the mother of Mikoto, that electrified middle school girl.


    ¡°...Well, I guess this is about right for someone in her family.¡±


    That was a rude thing to say, but, when Misuzu heard it, a relaxed smile appeared on her face.


    ¡°The earth sure has a lot of gravity, doesn¡¯t iiit?¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡±


    ¡°Misuzu-san doesn¡¯t need anything ellllse. I¡¯ll just go to sleep here. Nighty niiiight.¡±


    That was followed by what really sounded like the breathing of someone asleep, so Kamijou was unsure if he should wake her or not.


    But then Misuzu¡¯s eyes suddenly opened.


    ¡°Oh, no. I haven¡¯t done my stretches or taken off my makeup! Dammit. All this work I have to do to keep my skin healthy. I am a mother of a child after all!! Ugh, I¡¯m gonna vomit!¡±


    Kamijou swore to himself that he would never let Mikoto drink any alcohol.


    It was against the law for minors to drink anyway.


    Meanwhile, the taxi driver was looking towards Kamijou with sparkling eyes as if to say ¡°I-I¡¯m saved! Someone who knows this drunk has shown up!!¡±.


    Also, Misuzu seemed to have changed her target from the driver to Kamijou and tried to get up while having her lower body inside the back of the taxi and her upper body sticking out onto the road.


    ¡°Oof, oof. I-I can¡¯t get uuup...¡±


    It seemed she couldn¡¯t get up, but she was adding in a lot of unnecessary motion so she looked like a seal in an aquarium.


    Kamijou didn¡¯t want to approach her, but he couldn¡¯t just leave her, so he carelessly approached. That was when Misuzu grabbed onto him with all her might.


    ¡°Yaaaay!! I got a young guuuuy!!¡±


    ¡°Gwooooaaah!?¡±


    If it had just been a hug, his heart would have been throbbing, but it seemed Misuzu didn¡¯t slack off on exercising because a creaking noise started coming from the area of his backbone.


    ¡°Why was Misuzu-chan wandering around so laaate? Bwaaah...¡±


    ¡°Gwaah! You reek!?¡±


    ¡°Huuhh? You don¡¯t find a mother who stinks of alcohol and has drunk eyes sexyyy?¡±


    ¡°None of those were positive traits!! H-help me, Index!!¡±


    Kamijou called for help, but Index was staring at him with cold eyes and showed no sign of trying to help him. The cat in her arms must not have liked the smell of alcohol because it was struggling trying to get away.


    Misuzu stared vacantly at Index.


    ¡°Heeey, who¡¯s she? Introduction pleeease.¡±


    ¡°H-hmph. I see no reason to tell someone like you my name.¡±


    ¡°What was thaaat!? If you don¡¯t introduce yourself, I¡¯m gonna stick my fingers up this guy¡¯s noooose!!¡±


    ¡°Wah wah!! Index! I¡¯m Index!!¡±


    And like that, the Misuzu Typhoon blew in getting the upper hand of even Index.


    ¡°Hey, heeey. Do you know where the Dangai University database center is?¡¯


    ¡°Hah?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know...The storage facility that has a whole buncha information on programs dealing with AI and operational software...¡±


    ¡°N-no, you don¡¯t have to describe the database center to me. Um, Dangai University is...¡±


    ¡°Oh, right! Let¡¯s exchange phone numbers and email addresses!¡±


    ¡°That was sudden!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve exchanged them with Mikoto-chan, riiight? I want in, too. My address is...¡±


    Misuzu carefully lined up some numbers and letters of the alphabet. Mikoto had worked hard and set up a large plan which involved getting a new phone to accomplish this and her mother had done it in all of 3 minutes.


    ¡°Okay, okaaay. I¡¯ve put your number in the ¡®Friends¡¯ category.¡±


    ¡°Why does talking with you remind me of Orsola¡¯s conversational pattern...?¡±


    Kamijou suddenly felt exhausted and finally managed to tear off Misuzu who had been holding him like a vise.


    ¡°Actually, why are you here? You wouldn¡¯t have been able to get into Academy City without permission.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yeees. Misuzu-san is a college student, so I have to turn in a report. But the data for it is only in Academy City, so I had to come aaaallll the way here.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you need to get to the database center... It¡¯s not surprising this is the only place with a database on AI.¡±


    It seemed the taxi driver was making his escape, but Kamijou glared at him to get him to stop.


    ¡°And I thought I¡¯d go see Mikoto-chan while I was heeere. But apparently Tokiwadai¡¯s girl¡¯s dorm is strict so I couldn¡¯t. You can¡¯t treat parents like that!¡±


    ¡°...Well, no one¡¯s going to believe some drunk who comes saying she¡¯s the mother of a student there. And you don¡¯t look like a mother at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this guy just casually complimented meee. But it¡¯s not like that. I work haaaard to stay like this. I swim around in an indoor pool each week and put on a moisturizing cream after taking a bath. And if I slack off even a bit, it all falls apart. Kwaah! I hate you teenagers with perfect skin even though you don¡¯t do anything!!¡±


    Misuzu started acting violently, but the alcohol must have been taking even more effect because her footing seemed unstable. This was good because Kamijou was able to grab the taxi driver who was trying to escape again and had him help get Misuzu into the back of the taxi.


    ¡°Heeey! I¡¯m not done yeeeet!!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. We can finish this conversation some other time when that alcohol¡¯s had a chance to leave your system.¡±


    ¡°Dammit! You¡¯re treating me like a child!!¡±


    Misuzu tried to continue, but Kamijou waved his hand and the taxi driver drove off with a look on his face that said, ¡°Is she really going to be able to pay me?¡±. Kamijou heard the sound of the car¡¯s exhaust in the distance and sighed.


    ¡°Now then...¡±


    Kamijou suddenly felt the presence of someone seething with anger behind him and shuddered.


    The source of this presence was of course the nun holding a three-colored cat.


    ¡°How am I going to get out of this one?¡±


    Part 3


    Kamijou ended up having his head bitten magnificently and he unlocked the door of his dorm room while rubbing the back of his head.


    ¡°Nn...It¡¯s a bit chilly in here.¡±


    He turned on the lights in the room, grabbed the remote to the air conditioner, and turned it on. Index ran over to the TV and sat down while Kamijou headed for the unit bath and used the panel next to the tub to turn on the automatic hot water mode. Today was the day to wash the cat, so he prepared a wash basin.


    (It¡¯s nice not having to make dinner or wash the dishes...)


    Kamijou raised his arms to stretch and left the bathroom. He was full, so all that was left was to soak in the tub, brush his teeth, and go to bed. It was just too nice. It tempted his heart towards eating out more often, but, according to the account data on the finance app on his phone, he¡¯d have nothing to eat but water and salt for the second half of the month if he did that.


    He had started to wonder how much the nabe had set him back and had started to operate his phone with his thumb when the phone suddenly started ringing.


    When he changed the mode, he saw Misaka Mikoto¡¯s number on the screen.


    Kamijou hit the talk button.


    ¡°??? Do you need something, Misaka?¡±


    ¡°When are you going to reply to that email!?¡±


    (Email?) Kamijou tilted his head to the side in confusion.


    ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t quite remember what you¡¯re talking about...¡±


    ¡°!? How careless can you-...¡±


    Mikoto was yelling something, but it sounded like her voice was becoming more distant and then the call suddenly ended. Kamijou looked at his phone¡¯s screen, but he still had a strong signal.


    (...Misaka must have lost her signal.)


    Kamijou dismissed it and went back to the finance app.


    He plopped down in front of the glass table in the center of the room.


    ¡°Index, you shouldn¡¯t sit so close to the TV.¡±


    ¡°B-but the ¡®Thinking Power-Increasing SF Health Quiz¡¯ is reaching its climax!!¡±


    ¡°...There have been a lot of that kind of science and brain related quizzes lately, haven¡¯t there?¡±


    (Well, some of the stuff comes up in Academy City classes.)


    Kamijou didn¡¯t really care about the quiz show, so he looked over at the cat on its back basking in the heat of the air conditioner.


    ¡°Hm. If you¡¯re not doing anything, I guess I¡¯ll wash you first.¡±


    He took out a bottle of animal shampoo and a mini-sponge shaped like a cat¡¯s head, but the cat must have sensed something because it ran to hide in the kitchen as if to say, ¡°I hate water and bubbles!!¡±. It was probably trembling in fear while hiding between the fridge and cupboard.


    Now it was covered in dust so Kamijou was going to have to wash it even harder.


    But then...


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    His phone started vibrating.


    It wasn¡¯t from Mikoto this time.


    The small screen showed the number that had been newly recorded just a little earlier.


    Part 4


    Misaka.


    That was what that drunk woman collapsed in the road had said.


    (...Is it just a coincidence? No.)


    Accelerator walked alone down the dark road with his cane and thought.


    The provider of Last Order¡¯s genes was Misaka Mikoto...but that wasn¡¯t her. So that must have been her older sister. If she was in Academy City, she may have been some kind of esper, but he hadn¡¯t heard anything about that. But since he didn¡¯t really care about others, he didn¡¯t know very many details about other espers.


    However, there was one thing he found odd.


    (Her clothes. Elmo, Az, Scale, Losib, and her perfume is a new Zero Plus product...Wait, aren¡¯t those all for teens? Well, she was still covered in brand name clothes and all from companies outside of Academy City. The fact that not a single thing came from here is odd.)


    It was conceivable that someone would order an entire outfit from a brand they really, really liked, but that drunk¡¯s clothes were all from different brands. The shirt, the slacks, the belt, the shoes, and the handbag were all different as if she had thrown a bunch of things she liked together. It didn¡¯t look like she was particularly picky about the brands she wore.


    But then one would expect for there to be at least one thing from within Academy City.


    Since there weren¡¯t any...


    (It¡¯s possible she came from outside.)


    While he thought, Accelerator was purposefully choosing paths people rarely went down even though not many people were out at night.


    (Then why is she here? She said something about needing to go to the Dangai University database center, but would they really let someone in for that while preparing for a war? They¡¯re not only thoroughly checking the background of any guests, but they¡¯re doing it to the delivery workers too. So does that woman have some other reason to be here?)


    A reason.


    A reason for someone in the Misaka family to be here at this time.


    It could very well have to do with the original, Misaka Mikoto. Or...


    (...It could have to do with that kid.)


    ¡°Tch,¡± Accelerator clicked his tongue and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.


    He opened the address book and moved the cursor to the entry only labeled as ¡°Entry 3¡± and pressed the call button.


    It was the number of his fellow GROUP member Tsuchimikado Motoharu.


    He put the phone to his ear and it connected without even ringing.


    ¡°Accelerator. Do you need something?¡±


    A polite male voice answered. But Accelerator¡¯s eyes widened when he heard it. It wasn¡¯t Tsuchimikado Motoharu¡¯s voice and the speech pattern was completely different.


    (So they cut in on the call.)


    ¡°You bastard. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re the guy in charge of GROUP.¡±


    ¡°I can answer any questions you might have.¡±


    ¡°Tch. ...I¡¯ve got nothing to ask you. I can handle my own problems. So quit commanding us like you¡¯re our fucking guardian. You¡¯re gonna get your eyes gouged out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Well, that¡¯s too bad. There was a matter I was hoping I could inform you of if you weren¡¯t busy.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Misaka Misuzu-sama. Although, I suppose you would need more than just a name.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Accelerator looked around.


    Nothing about the night-time street seemed out of the ordinary.


    (Did someone give them the information or are they watching from a satellite...?)


    ¡°And who is this Misaka Misuzu? Is she related to Railgun?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is. And this is perfect timing, things are just starting.¡±


    (What?)


    Accelerator frowned.


    With a boom, a sudden explosion lit up a certain part of the city with a red light.


    It was fairly distant. The sound came a few seconds after the light.


    Accelerator turned in that direction with the phone still pressed against his ear.


    An unnatural light was flickering near the building-covered horizon.


    ¡°That Misaka Misuzu-sama applied for permission to use the Dangai University database center, so we have attacked it. She is the only one using it and a few private guards have been confirmed to be there, but, well, it¡¯s within what we¡¯re allowed to do. All of the main data is backed up over the network, so there is no need to worry about any losses there.¡±


    ¡°Attacked?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...Who is this Misaka? She isn¡¯t some professional agent, is she?¡±


    ¡°As you may have guessed, Misaka Misuzu-sama is Miss Misaka Mikoto¡¯s mother. Her background check was clean. So you need not worry about that.¡±


    (Her mother?)


    Accelerator recalled Misuzu¡¯s face and a dubious expression appeared on his face.


    But what bothered him more was...


    ¡°Why are you attacking her mother? And her background check was clean? What the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°An ordinary person can be dangerous in her own way. Now I¡¯m getting to the heart of the matter I mentioned before that I wanted to inform you of.¡± The voice on the phone spoke quietly. ¡°Do you know what a recovery exercise is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that thing that¡¯s been happening a lot lately. Academy City might be becoming a battlefield, so parents are coming to take their kids somewhere safe.¡±


    ¡°That reasoning itself is nothing more than foolishness brought about by a complete lack of understanding of the situation of this country¡¯s defenses, but it is still a problem. Having a great number of students leave Academy City is a problem for a number of reasons.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Why was that a problem?


    Did they not want to let go of the students who could fight a war for them?


    Did they not want their research samples to be leaked outside of the city?


    (That isn¡¯t it.)


    He was speaking with the person ¡°above¡± GROUP. Someone like that wouldn¡¯t have a normal opinion. If it was a problem for them, it had to be a problem relating to some deeper plan.


    For instance...


    There were the various pieces of things behind the scenes he had caught a glimpse of on September 30th. Things like Kihara Amata, Hound Dog, that giant winged monster, the virus injected in Last Order, and that silent attack on Academy City.


    ¡°Misaka Misuzu-sama is a parent attempting to carry out a recovery exercise. We know that she is not intentionally causing a problem for us, but an accidental problem is still a problem. It has to be stopped here.¡±


    That drunk¡¯s face came to the surface of Accelerator¡¯s mind for an instant.


    She was an irritating woman, but that was no reason to drag her down into the world of darkness.


    But it was too late.


    The explosion had already occurred. Misaka Misuzu had most likely been blown to pieces in the first blast.


    However, the voice over the phone spoke.


    ¡°You will join in too, Accelerator.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying you can earn quite a bit here. Skill Out was hired to take care of this, but...their performance is lacking. It had been concluded that bringing a problem like this to GROUP was too dangerous from an exposure point of view, but that thinking appears to have backfired. If you assist us here, your points will go up quite a bit. It will be the first step towards making up for the losses on September 30th. You want to pay back the around 8 trillion yen you owe as soon as possible, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Accelerator thought about it.


    If the person on the other end of the phone wasn¡¯t screwing with him, Misaka Misuzu was still alive.


    ¡°No, thanks.¡± He responded. ¡°Skill Out? You really want me to do odd jobs along with those Level 0 fuckers? And I don¡¯t need to bow down to accommodate someone like you. I¡¯m not here because of that debt.¡±


    As he spoke, he checked the choker-style electrode on his neck.


    He had had a bit of fun earlier, but the battery still had plenty of time left.


    It was more than enough to take care of one little Skill Out group.


    He was going to save Misaka Misuzu.


    That was his natural decision. It was the same feeling he had had during the incident with Kihara Amata. A tiny life was in danger from an unreasonably large power. It almost made him laugh how unpleasant a feeling it was. It made him want to beat the shit out of the people who brought about the situation. It reminded him of when he had fought for Last Order.


    Even though he was of the darkness.


    ¡°Someone like you may not understand, but my life is my own. I don¡¯t give a fuck what you expect me to do. I decide what I do. I¡¯m not your tool. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Is that so? If you aren¡¯t going to do the job, then just come on home.¡± The voice on the phone sounded a bit discouraged. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of your power until you make it back.¡±


    The electrode on his neck gave a strange beep.


    (Wha...t!?)


    Accelerator hurriedly put his hand up to the switch, but there was no reaction. There was nothing more than a clicking noise. He couldn¡¯t switch between normal mode and powered mode.


    ¡°You put something in my electrode!!¡±


    ¡°Oh, is there something you need your powers for?¡±


    ¡°Tch,¡± he clicked his tongue.


    In order for GROUP¡¯s technical team to improve the battery, his choker-style electrode had been confiscated temporarily, but they must have messed with its internal workings in that time. The person over the phone most likely had a safety device that he could freely operate remotely.


    Don¡¯t trust us.


    Accelerator now had an idea what Tsuchimikado Motoharu¡¯s words from earlier that day had meant.


    ¡°If you have no more questions, I¡¯ll be going. Good night, Accelerator.¡±


    The connection ended.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Accelerator made an uninterested noise.


    (Excellent. Now I feel like doing this even more.)


    There was a villainous look in his eyes.


    Accelerator put his phone back in his pocket and gritted his teeth.


    (...All I can use is my handgun and I have about 50 shots left. I have no idea what Skill Out has in regards to numbers or equipment, but I bet I can get that drunk out of there with this.)


    It was a tricky situation, but at least it wasn¡¯t as bad as when he had taken on Kihara Amata¡¯s Hound Dog. Skill Out could take on a normal esper with weapons, but they hadn¡¯t had professional training.


    The biggest problem was Misuzu.


    The attack was already underway. A group of Level 0¡¯s ¨C or rather, a group of delinquents equipped with weapons and self-defense items ¨C would be enough of a threat for a normal person. It was possible she could even be killed before he got there.


    ¡°...¡±


    For an instant, Komaba Ritoku¡¯s face appeared in the back of his mind, but he ignored it.


    He had no reason to be remembering a villain taking out-of-place actions.


    He had made up his mind and he was going to charge in there.


    That was all.


    (Tch. I just need to get this pain-in-the-ass problem over with as soon as I can.)


    The attack was taking place at Dangai University¡¯s database center.


    It was a few kilometers away. As he used a cane, he had no choice but to find a vehicle somewhere. As he headed for a major road...


    The back of a certain boy dashed by Accelerator.


    ¡°...¡±


    He recognized the boy.


    In fact, there was no way he could ever forget him.


    He had a medium build and black spiky hair and was clenching his right fist. He was talking with someone on his cell phone while heading toward the blazing site of the attack. It was obvious what he was going there to do. It would have been harder to not figure it out.


    (That...bastard!!)


    Either Accelerator was in the shadows or that boy was completely focused on the database center, because he didn¡¯t seem to notice Accelerator at all. If they had run into each other there, they probably would have gotten into a fight to the death. That was how strong an opponent he was.


    Accelerator shook his head trying to refocus.


    (Tch. This isn¡¯t the time for that. I need to destroy Skill Out here. I don¡¯t give a fuck what those people ¡°above¡± want. I have no duty to do what they say. I just need to think about how I can solve this with only 50 bullets.)


    He gritted his teeth and started walking with his cane.


    Misaka Mikoto¡¯s mother.


    He had no reason to interfere with her life, but she still had a connection with that kid. A Radio Noise clone had no physical parents and Misuzu probably didn¡¯t even know about that small life that had been created, but there was still a connection between her and that kid.


    The two would most likely never meet (it would be a problem if they did), but that didn¡¯t mean he should just let her die. That connection was probably something that mustn¡¯t be lost here even if neither of them would ever know about the other.


    Accelerator was a villain.


    However, he did not put restrictions on himself because he was a villain. He threw away the preconceived notions that an evil person could not save a good person or those who were not good people couldn¡¯t advance along the righteous path.


    (Now then...)


    Academy City¡¯s strongest esper came out to a major road, stared at the headlights of a taxi wandering around looking for drunk customers, and gave a thin smile.


    (I¡¯m not going to be doing out of character things with a serious look on my face. I¡¯ll save her in the way that¡¯s furthest from what one would call ¡°saving¡±. There¡¯s going to be blood everywhere.)


    Part 5


    A bit earlier, Misaka Misuzu was in the database center.


    The center had a 50 meter dome-shaped building at its center and a number of rectangular structures around that. At first, Misuzu was in the domed building looking something up on a computer, but she was currently in one of the adjoining buildings.


    This was because something unusual had happened.


    First, there was an explosion so loud she thought her eardrums were going to burst. Next, all of the lights in the facility went out. There was auxiliary power to preserve the data, but only the computers were still functioning.


    (Wh-what? What¡¯s going on?)


    Misuzu was keeping her breathing quiet in a space about the size of 3 school classrooms in one of the buildings next to the domed facility. She was not happy.


    It felt like her good mood from the alcohol had been blown away.


    There had been a rather large fire along with the explosion, but it seemed to have been put out right away. On the other side of the wall ¨C that is, inside the main domed structure ¨C people were coming and going and the situation seemed to be quite irregular even for the ones who had caused the explosion.


    ¡°Shit, who forgot to cut off the security!? God damn it. We were supposed to get out of here after the first blast!!¡±


    ¡°What time is it!? If the automatic report was sent in, we¡¯ve only got 5 minutes!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just the independently deployed security to protect the computers that¡¯s up. The normal security was taken out.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s just the fire alarm, huh? Well, we still don¡¯t have time. Okay, let¡¯s find that woman.¡±


    Voices like that were flying back and forth.


    From the sound of the voices and the manner of speaking, they must have been boys in middle or high school. There were somewhere from 10 to 20 of them. She didn¡¯t know any details about what they had, but the clattering of metal was enough to make her cringe in fear. Since they had caused an explosion, they probably had guns and bombs.


    (Woman. They¡¯re going to find a woman? W-was there anyone here but me?)


    She had a feeling that she had been the only one using the facility at this time of day and that the guards had all been men. And from the way they were speaking, they weren¡¯t here to rob the place or to destroy it; they were here for ¡°that woman¡±.


    (No. It has to be me. I¡¯m the only woman here! What¡¯s going on!?)


    Misuzu leaned back against the wall and slid to the floor.


    The room seemed to store the substitute processors; it was lined with metal shelves almost like a library. But instead of thick books, the shelves had a large number of motherboards in clear cases on them. The CPU¡¯s were liquid-cooled instead of air-cooled, so there was no sound of fans. Instead, blood vessel-like tubes were running all over the room.


    In the room darkened due to the fluorescent lights being out, the red and green access lights flickered.


    (Th-the exit. Where¡¯s the emergency exit...?)


    She looked around, but couldn¡¯t find a door that looked like an emergency exit.


    She couldn¡¯t run away. Misuzu accepted the fact that it was all over if she was found and felt a bit excited. Perhaps her drunkenness had come back in an odd way, because it was a strange feeling. It was like the uplifting feeling one felt just before a marathon. She had thought her drunkenness had been knocked out of her, but there was some left. In this situation, it would be best if she was fully sober, but it wasn¡¯t so easy to switch over.


    (What¡¯s going on...?)


    Misuzu pulled her cell phone from her pocket.


    There was a 3 digit number in the most recent entry of her call history. It was the emergency number for the city¡¯s keepers of the peace, Anti-Skill. She remembered having called even in her drunkenness. She had called just after the attack and a man with a polite manner of speaking had answered. The boys strutting about the main domed facility were afraid of an automatic report, but Misuzu had put in her own report. It had been a few minutes since then, so Anti-Skill should be showing up before long.


    But for some reason there was no sign of them coming.


    (...Why?)


    Misuzu stared down at the call history.


    The number there was correct. She was sure she had properly contacted the Anti-Skill station. But no one was coming. Anxiety crept into her heart. Was that really Anti-Skill? Who had that oddly polite man been?


    (Why? Why won¡¯t they come!? I called. I did everything right! So why does this have to go badly for me!?)


    The trembling in her fingertips increased.


    Her fear had been diffused by her drunkenness, but it finally reached her core.


    It was all over if she made the slightest noise and yet she wanted to forget it all and scream.


    (I can¡¯t do this alone. I can¡¯t do this alone. I¡¯m cornered all alone. A conversation. I don¡¯t care what about. I don¡¯t care who with. I just need to get this out before it explodes out on its own.)


    She opened her phone¡¯s address book.


    For someone reason her husband¡¯s face didn¡¯t come to mind at a time like this. She could call some third party outside of Academy City and get them to report this to the police, but for the most part Academy City had extraterritoriality, so the police couldn¡¯t intervene. (Technically, they had their own ¡°regulations¡± not their own ¡°laws¡±, but most people viewed that as really nothing more than a method Japan used to keep its pride as a nation.) Because of this, she had to contact someone inside the city.


    But she hesitated to call her own daughter. That was most likely due to the last of her pride as a mother. If she showed weakness to her daughter here, she would probably never be able to name herself as the parent again.


    She needed someone within Academy City she could contact right away.


    And it had to be someone other than her daughter.


    Only one person fit those criteria.


    (Ha ha...)


    Misaka Misuzu operated her cell phone with her thumb.


    In order to at least slightly relieve the great pressure in her heart that felt like it was crushing her, she called a certain boy.


    Part 6


    When all students were supposed to be back from school, the trains and busses in Academy City stopped.


    ¡°Damn it!!¡±


    So Kamijou had no choice but to run down the dark streets. He started seriously thinking about getting a scooter license as he intently ran towards the Dangai University database center.


    At the same time, he practically yelled into the cell phone pressed to his ear.


    ¡°Misaka-san. You said they have weapons, right? They¡¯re probably a Skill Out group. If it was a group of normal espers, they would rely only on their powers!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of this Skill Out.¡±


    ¡°Basically, they¡¯re an armed gang. Think of them as a group of delinquents with dangerous weapons!¡±


    He could finally see the silhouette of the facility.


    As he ran, Kamijou realized that the flames he had originally seen were gone. Just as Misuzu had told him, the database center¡¯s automatic firefighting system was functioning.


    ¡°Why are those delinquents targeting me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    Kamijou thought it might have something to do with Mikoto...but then he realized something.


    ¡°Misaka-san, have you called your daughter?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s one of the only seven Level 5¡¯s in Academy City! She¡¯d be a lot more help than Anti-Skill! If you haven¡¯t called her yet, you-...¡±


    ¡°Wait!!¡± Misuzu interrupted him with more force than she¡¯d spoken with up to that point. ¡°I won¡¯t call Mikoto-chan! I don¡¯t care if she would be helpful here. If I got her wrapped up in my own problem, I could never look her in the eye again!!¡±


    Normally, Kamijou would have felt that that was just an optimistic view.


    It sounded like the kind of argument one would give while reading the newspaper.


    But Misuzu¡¯s life was actually being targeted.


    And yet she still immediately refused to have Mikoto brought into the picture.


    ¡°...Understood.¡±


    Kamijou clenched his phone as he ran.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go. You¡¯re hiding in the ¡°Substitute Processor Storage Room¡±, right!?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Wait...I didn¡¯t ask you to-...!!¡±


    (That¡¯s enough out of you,) Kamijou thought.


    He was right in front of the database center.


    The facility was adjacent to Dangai University, but the database center was about two sizes bigger than the university itself. He could hear sporadic gunshots and sounds of destruction coming from within the domed silhouette. Perhaps due to the initial explosion, there were a number of people gathered looking on. And yet there was almost no Anti-Skill presence. They may have feared a sniper, because they were calling for backup while hiding behind their vehicle. But there must have been some kind of trouble, because there was an argument going on between the Anti-Skill members.


    Kamijou ran past them and towards the facility.


    The Anti-Skill members called for him to stop, but he paid them no heed.


    (I¡¯ve fought members of Skill Out a few times in back alleys, but...)


    One stroke of good luck in this bad situation was that the search inside the building left Skill Out¡¯s focus on the outside lacking. This meant he wasn¡¯t going to get shot at while heading through the plaza that had no cover.


    (Basically, I¡¯ve only ever run away or hidden around a corner and counterattacked. This may be the first time I¡¯ve gone in on the attack like this!!)


    He entered through the main entrance that had had all its glass broken out and complained to himself about how much the situation sucked.


    Part 7


    Hamazura Shiage was pissed.


    The original plan had been to approach the facility in a vehicle stolen under the cover of darkness, fire 8 of their handmade incendiary rockets, and run off. They had a rough sketch of the facility so they had known where to shoot their rockets in order to block off all the exits and have a good chance to fill the area with smoke.


    The first failure had been that 3 of the 8 rockets had misfired.


    And then the other 5 had been easily extinguished by the database center¡¯s automatic firefighting system shortly after igniting. The explosion had screwed up the structure of the building, but not enough to utterly destroy the building as if the outer walls had been made of soap bubbles. Since they hadn¡¯t been able to use their primary weapons of fire and smoke, the target was probably still alive.


    Because of this, Hamazura and the others couldn¡¯t leave. They had to kill the target themselves.


    Also...


    ¡°Have you still not found that woman?¡±


    Their client had only given them a photo of her face and the only real fact about her they knew was her name. If she managed to get out of the facility, hid the characteristic aspects of her face with sunglasses and a wool hat, and mixed in with the crowd, they would have no way of searching for her. They had to take her out here. But...


    ¡°I asked you if you¡¯d found her yet! God damn!!¡± He yelled in a throaty voice, but his equals in Skill Out only glanced over at him and started searching again without opening their mouths.


    That was right, his equals in Skill Out.


    A few hours before, their leader had been a man named Komaba Ritoku. As Komaba had disappeared, Hamazura had ended up in that top seat, but the new balance of power hadn¡¯t really sunk in yet. And he mostly had an atmosphere of dissatisfaction about the whole thing. After all, whenever the entire organization screwed up, the blame was shoved onto him.


    The difference between Komaba Ritoku and Hamazura Shiage was clear. Komaba was the kind of person who naturally stood at the center, where all that Hamazura did was push jobs he didn¡¯t want to do on others. So no matter how easy a job it was, he couldn¡¯t shake an out-of-place feeling inside of him and he made the others feel uncomfortable.


    Hamazura was pissed because he knew that.


    It made him feel like not being able to find the target, not being able control this search properly, and everything else was due to the others betraying him and tripping him up.


    He touched the piercing on his nose with a fingertip while looking pissed off. He had gotten it pierced just the month before, but it wasn¡¯t doing well. The slightest touch screwed with his concentration and sweat collected there.


    ¡°...We¡¯re fucked. We¡¯re totally fucked. Damn it, Komaba. You come up with this grand plan and then go off and die. What are we supposed to do now...?¡±


    A number of boys gathered in front of a door.


    It seemed they had found a room they hadn¡¯t searched yet. For the most part, there were no doors in the facility that locked. When the boys entered, a woman¡¯s scream came from within.


    It looked like they¡¯d found her.


    None of them were using radios, so Hamazura had to give his instructions to the others who were searching himself. He felt more like he was doing odd jobs than being the leader. He headed for the room a bit later than the initial group.


    ¡°This is the central dome. The target has been found in the Substitute Processor Storage Room. We¡¯ll take care of her here, so you prepare to withdraw. Bring the vehicle around.¡±


    He expected some half-hearted reply as opposed to something like ¡°Yes, sir!¡±, but...


    ¡°Gah!? Hey, you! Wai-...Ksshhshshhshshhh!!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what to make of the words and the horrible static hurt his ears.


    And then he heard 2 gunshots from somewhere in the facility.


    (Anti-Skill? Tch. We took too long!)


    Hamazura watched the target being dragged from the room by the back of her neck and thought about what orders to give over the radio.


    ¡°Heeeellllloooo, you fuckers.¡±


    Hamazura¡¯s shoulders suddenly twitched.


    Even with the horrible sound quality of the radio, he could tell. This clearly wasn¡¯t one of his comrades. He could tell because a voice that sounded like metal being rubbed together wasn¡¯t something you heard every day. And whoever it was wasn¡¯t trying to disguise their voice in the slightest.


    ¡°Listen up all of you. I¡¯m going to be giving you a nice day trip to heaven. Oh, and it¡¯s quite a nice one, too. You¡¯ll probably like it so much you¡¯ll never want to come back. I suppose I¡¯ll start by giving you a nice near-death experience.¡±


    After speaking, the radio cut off.


    And then...


    A succession of gunshots pierced Hamazura¡¯s ears.


    Part 8


    Kamijou Touma had his back pressed up against a corner of the passageway.


    He was holding the rectangular piece of bulletproof glass that had been taken out of a window frame in his hands. The heavy piece of glass weighed somewhere between 7 and 10 kg and was about a meter across.


    He had found it inside the facility, so its bulletproof functionality probably wasn¡¯t that great. After all, the glass in the main entrance would be the strongest and it had all been broken in the attack.


    Nevertheless, it was better than nothing.


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for Skill Out to be armed with handguns.


    He felt that was at least safer than going in after sticking manga magazines down his shirt.


    (...)


    A man holding a stun gun was collapsed unconscious at his feet. He had hidden until the man got near and swung the bulletproof glass so the stainless steel frame hit the man on the bridge of the nose. The man had fallen backwards like he had slipped on a banana peel and ceased moving.


    Kamijou had already taken out four Skill Out members in that fashion.


    If he was going to fight with enemies who had weapons, the rule he had to follow was to not even give them a chance to attack. If they both had time to prepare, he had already lost. But if he could keep them from using their weapons, he didn¡¯t have to fear their weapons. Whether it was a knife or a handgun they were using, that remained the same.


    (If they were moving in groups of 2 or 3 this tactic wouldn¡¯t work. Thank god they¡¯re idiots. Every single one of them is wandering around on his own. Someone needs to teach them how to use their numbers effectively.)


    He picked up the stun gun.


    He was making sure to take the weapons away from the Skill Out members he defeated, but that was more to make sure they couldn¡¯t use them again than to arm himself.


    Either way, he couldn¡¯t exactly use other weapons while holding the bulletproof glass in both hands.


    ¡°Now then...Where¡¯s the Substitute Processor Storage Room?¡± Kamijou mumbled while picking the giant piece of glass back up.


    The center of the database center was the main domed facility and there were small 2 or 3 story adjoining buildings around that.


    Skill Out was clearly gathering in the main facility, so Kamijou was using the passages linking the smaller outer buildings to circle around.


    There were some buildings that only connected to the domed facility, but Kamijou hadn¡¯t come to a dead end yet. He started heading for the next building thinking he would try to go all the way around using the linking passages.


    Bang! Bang!!


    He heard gunshots.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    For an instant a chill ran down his spine and he thought he had been too late, but this sounded more like the kind of disturbance that came after poking at a bee hive. Misuzu didn¡¯t have a gun of course. So it must have been someone else returning fire.


    (Is it Anti-Skill? Or is there fighting between different Skill Out members? Well, whatever it is, this is my chance!!)


    Every time Kamijou came to a corner, he would carefully check around it and only move to the next building when he had made sure no one was there.


    But before long he came to a dead end.


    More accurately, he came to a point where the only path led to the main domed facility.


    (Agh. I had a feeling it was going to come to this! Well, I can¡¯t just stop here!)


    He ran along the passage and approached the door leading to the central dome.


    He held his breath, stretched out his hand, hesitated, and then slowly touched the doorknob.


    With the delicacy of someone defusing a bomb, he slowly turned the knob. He heard the small click as the latch moved. A thin line appeared between the door and the door frame.


    He peeked inside.


    A great number of business desks with computers on them were aligned in concentric circles like tree rings. The facility¡¯s lights were out, but there was a dim light covering the room so the monitors must have been working.


    Four or five boys were gathered on one side of the domed building.


    And a woman who appeared to be Misaka Misuzu was being forced to sit in the middle of them.


    They were about 10 meters away, but the boys must have been fairly high up in the Skill Out ranks because they were all armed with handguns. If he carelessly approached them, he would be turned to Swiss cheese.


    (...This situation is almost laughably hopeless. How am I supposed to save her like this!?)


    The boys appeared to be arguing. Apparently, there was a disagreement over how to deal with the firefight that had started. One side wanted to just kill Misuzu and get the hell out of there and the other side wanted to use her as a hostage.


    The pro-killing side kept pushing their guns against Misuzu¡¯s head and the pro-hostage side kept pushing them away from her. At this rate, they could end up accidentally pulling the trigger and killing her without meaning to.


    ¡°Damn it...¡± Kamijou muttered and stepped back from the door.


    (There are 4 or 5 of them. All of them have guns. I can¡¯t just yell and run in there.)


    He checked the weapons he had taken from the Skill Out members he had defeated.


    He had a stun gun, a baton, and a long-range pesticide sprayer that could be used similarly to pepper spray. None of them were going to be much help here.


    (This bulletproof glass takes both hands to carry. I have to choose between a weapon or a shield here...)


    Kamijou looked back over at the giant piece of bulletproof glass.


    (No, I can¡¯t get rid of the glass. I can¡¯t take out someone armed with a gun in one blow using a stun gun or pesticide. And after the first shot, they¡¯re sure to counterattack.)


    This meant he had no choice but to go into that domed area with the bulletproof glass.


    Kamijou used his palms that were damp with sweat to grab the glass again. He then approached the metal door and slightly opened it again.


    The situation hadn¡¯t changed.


    The 4 or 5 boys were arguing while surrounding Misuzu.


    They were about 10 meters away, but rows of computer-covered desks were blocking the way.


    He couldn¡¯t get to them in a straight line.


    (That¡¯s pretty far away.)


    But Kamijou noticed a dirty bag set down near the entrance he was standing in. It had been carelessly left on the ground right next to one of the business desks. It most likely belonged to one of the Skill Out members. The zipper was open and spray can-like object and a handgun were sticking out.


    (...)


    Kamijou swallowed some saliva.


    The bag was about 3 meters away, so he couldn¡¯t just reach out to it. To grab the gun inside, he would have to open the door farther and slip into the domed area.


    (Can I make it?)


    The facility¡¯s power was out.


    The only light was the faint glow from the computers that were powered by the emergency power. He could barely see his own feet.


    And the floor was covered in a thin carpet.


    He couldn¡¯t exactly approach Misuzu and get her away without being noticed.


    But if he only had to make it 3 meters...


    He didn¡¯t know if he could actually shoot the thing, but he wanted to get that handgun.


    He didn¡¯t have to make it all the way to Misuzu who was the center of attention.


    He just had to make it 3 meters without being noticed.


    (...I have to do it.)


    Kamijou adjusted his grip on the bulletproof glass.


    (I have no idea how to use a gun, but I should be able to at least threaten them if I have the same type of weapon they do. And I have this bulletproof glass. If things get bad, I have the advantage.)


    Kamijou forced himself to find any little thing to be optimistic about, brought strength into his shaking legs, and placed his palm on the slightly opened steel door.


    He slowly pushed forward.


    The Skill Out members showed no sign of noticing the slight movement of the door. Kamijou knelt down and headed into the domed area. He moved very slowly. The bag with the handgun in it was a mere 3 meters away, but it felt terribly far.


    And then Kamijou¡¯s eyes met with Misuzu¡¯s 10 meters away.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The very second she let out that noise without thinking, the Skill Out members all looked his way.


    Kamijou forcefully jumped under a nearby desk.


    (That stupid woman!!)


    He was trembling in fear and in real trouble. He may have hidden before they saw him, but they had clearly noticed the door standing open unnaturally.


    He could tell someone was coming his way.


    From under the desk, Kamijou couldn¡¯t tell who was coming or how they were armed.


    He could only hear the person¡¯s footsteps approaching.


    The space between footsteps wasn¡¯t uniform. As the floor was a thin carpet, it was possible the person was stopping to check for footprints left on the carpet as he approached. Kamijou wasn¡¯t sure if you could actually see the carpet clearly enough for that in the dark, but it was all over if this person could.


    (Where¡¯s that handgun!?)


    Kamijou looked around the area while hiding, but the bag was on the other side of the narrow pathway made from the gaps between desks. He could probably reach it if he stretched out his arm, but he¡¯d be found right away if he did.


    Imagine Breaker would have no effect on their handguns.


    He could feel a cold sweat covering his back.


    If felt like his heartbeat was all he could hear.


    (Shit...)


    He felt like his teeth were about ready to start chattering together from his trembling.


    He was so tense that, the more he tried to silence his breathing, the more erratic it became.


    He could hear the footsteps approaching from an area he couldn¡¯t see.


    (I have to do it. If I just stay curled up here, I¡¯ll be found for sure. So I have to do it! I just need one blow. If I can get him to flinch back from that, I can pull this off. After that, I should be able to jump over to the bag with the handgun in it and counterattack before he can recover!!)


    And then...


    A large foot stepped down right next to Kamijou as he was kneeling down.


    He couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    If he did, his opponent would get the first attack.


    ¡°!!¡±


    Kamijou inhaled deeply and sprang up from his position under the business desk. Along with his sudden rise, he swung the bulletproof glass to the side.


    A large man with a nose piercing looked at him in shock.


    An instant later, the man¡¯s face disappeared from Kamijou¡¯s field of vision. With a dull noise, the Skill Out man¡¯s body was knocked to the ground. The metal piercing must have ripped from his flesh, because it stayed oddly in the air just a bit longer.


    One down.


    But Kamijou was far from happy.


    The bag with the handgun was right next to him, but he had forgotten to reach over to grab it.


    And a boy with an oddly pale face was standing only a meter away from him.


    (Two of them came looking for me!?)


    Kamijou¡¯s body stiffened, but it seemed his opponent¡¯s did too. The student may have had a handgun, but he had no training or experience. He couldn¡¯t hide his shock at seeing his colleague suddenly taken out.


    Kamijou heard a small metallic noise.


    It was the sound of the nose piercing finally hitting the ground.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Kamijou and the pale boy both started moving, but something else happened first.


    One of the men standing next to Misuzu aimed his gun at Kamijou. He must have brought up the handgun¡¯s hammer, because there was a sharp metallic noise. There were two of them next to Misuzu and one, a man with small chains wrapped around his arms and legs, held his gun with shaking hands. The other, a boy with numerous cuts in his shirt and pants, tried to stop the first, but the trigger had been pulled before he could.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding meee!!¡±


    Kamijou hadn¡¯t yelled that; it was the pale boy next to him.


    However, there were numerous gunshots.


    The thunderous roar and shockwaves from the shots made a tremendous noise.


    Pain shot up Kamijou¡¯s wrists as he held the bulletproof glass. They hadn¡¯t been hit by the bullets; that was just from the shock being applied to the glass being transferred to his bones.


    Meanwhile, the pale boy near Kamijou was knocked to the floor as if he had been hit by a hammer. When he noticed a dark red liquid coming from the boy¡¯s side, Kamijou gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do about it now.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if he should take cover behind something again, but...


    (Shit! I have to put a stop to that...!!)


    He kept the bulletproof glass in front of him and ran towards Misuzu...or rather, towards the two Skill Out members standing next to her.


    They were about 10 meters away.


    Kamijou ran between the lines of desks.


    But the next round of shooting came.


    The bullets hit the glass, but it was enough to almost knock Kamijou to the ground. He just barely managed to regain his balance, but more bullets hit the glass and his hands slipped from the frame around the glass.


    The large window fell to the ground with a metallic noise.


    He didn¡¯t have time to pick it back up.


    He moved his gaze up from his hands that were covered in sweat due to pain and tension and saw two gun barrels staring back at him. This time it wasn¡¯t just the man covered in chains; the one with the sliced-up pants didn¡¯t hesitate either.


    They were only 5 meters away.


    Even with the fluorescent lights out, Kamijou could see the expressions on the Skill Out members¡¯ faces. He could tell one of them had sweat dripping from his nose to his lips. The trembling gun sight, the index finger moving like a rusted puppet, and everything else in that instant that seemed devoid of all sound was burned into Kamijou¡¯s retinas.


    Finally, Kamijou saw Misuzu¡¯s face at the edge of his vision.


    She was sitting on the floor while yelling something in shock.


    Her lips were moving, but her words didn¡¯t make it into Kamijou¡¯s head.


    He couldn¡¯t move at all and it felt like time had stopped...


    But then a high-pitched gunshot rang out.


    Sound returned to normal.


    In that instant, Kamijou seriously thought his heart had stopped.


    But there was no 9mm hole in his body. He could tell that one of the two aiming at him, the one with the chains wrapped around his arms and legs, had been blown to the side. A dark red trail of blood followed him and he fell to the floor with no resistance.


    Kamijou could hear Misuzu¡¯s meaningless scream.


    The boy with the sliced-up pants turned his gaze to the side.


    He turned in the direction of a different entrance from the one Kamijou had come in from.


    Someone had shot the Skill Out member from there.


    ¡°Y-you bastard!!¡± yelled the boy with the sliced-up pants as he held his handgun.


    The feeling of paralysis finally left Kamijou.


    Now that his freedom had come back to him like a rope hardened with glue being bent to regain its pliability, he immediately hid below one of the business desks.


    Staying there, he yelled to Misuzu who was sitting in shock a few meters away.


    ¡°Get behind cover!!¡±


    And yet Misuzu continued to sit in shock and showed no sign of moving.


    ¡°Misaka-san, get behind cover!!¡±


    A number of gunshots drowned out Kamijou¡¯s voice.


    He didn¡¯t know who had started this firefight, but a stray bullet could easily hit Misuzu like this.


    (Damn it!!)


    While hiding behind the business desk, Kamijou inhaled slightly.


    (Can I do this...? Damn it. I have no choice but to go out in that!!)


    He jumped out while still kneeling down low.


    He ran 5 meters, and ran into Misuzu so as to cover her up while pushing her to the ground.


    The gunshots continued.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting out of here...¡±


    There was no point in helping to bring this battle to an end.


    ¡°Hurry!!¡±


    Kamijou grabbed Misuzu¡¯s arm and ran towards an exit to the domed area as quickly as he could.


    Part 9


    When Accelerator entered the main domed facility, he started by shooting everyone holding a gun. First, he aimed his gun at one of the two men standing near Misuzu, a man with chains wrapped around his arms and legs, and casually pulled the trigger.


    A dry gunshot rang out.


    Seeing the man being blown to the side with blood spewing from his body, Misuzu gave a short scream.


    Humans were quite inconvenient.


    No matter how big they got, a mere 9mm hole could take them out.


    ¡°Y-you bastard!!¡± the remaining Skill Out member yelled and aimed his gun towards Accelerator.


    However, he hid behind the steel door, let a few bullets come, and then sprayed back some bullets of his own.


    The man who had cuts in his shirt and pants hid behind a desk, but Accelerator silenced him by shooting straight through the desk.


    (Now then...The only Skill Out member left is...)


    ¡°Him.¡±


    Accelerator aimed and fired towards a dark figure that was dragging Misuzu by the arm towards one of the doors.


    ¡°Waaaaahhhh!?¡±


    He heard a loud yell, but the bullets passed a bit to the side of the figure. Accelerator must have been worried about hitting Misuzu as she was next to the target. His aim had clearly been lacking.


    In order to escape Accelerator¡¯s aim, the figure continued running along with Misuzu. Apparently, raising his hands above his heads and stopping never even occurred to the guy.


    ¡°Tch,¡± Accelerator clicked his tongue. ¡°Heh, now this is interesting... You¡¯ve got guts to not give up on your job after all this.¡±


    A smile sliced its way across Accelerator¡¯s mouth and he aimed after adjusting his grip on his handgun.


    ¡°You¡¯re just a fucking failure! I might as well scrap you here!!


    ¡°Shut up, you asshole! What did Misuzu-san do!? You Skill Out bastards just targeted an innocent woman and then started fighting amongst yourselves!! Just kill yourselves off and don¡¯t bother us!!¡±


    Accelerator heard a whining voice, but he concentrated on pulling the trigger instead of listening to it. But Misuzu¡¯s back was in the way so he couldn¡¯t fire.


    And then the two had reached a different exit to the building.


    Accelerator scratched his temple with the barrel of his gun.


    (...Wait? You Skill Out bastards?)


    He thought about the words he had just heard.


    (Did he think I was one of them? So he wasn¡¯t one of them? I thought Misaka Misuzu was the only person that was supposed to be using this facility... Was he part of Judgement?)


    It also bothered him that the guy hadn¡¯t returned fire with a gun. Also, his movements hadn¡¯t seemed like those of someone who had gone through Anti-Skill or Judgement training.


    (It¡¯s also odd that he knew Misaka Misuzu¡¯s name... Well, I guess it wasn¡¯t necessarily someone that knew her. Skill Out may have been told the name of their target.)


    For some reason, Accelerator fired his gun after them a few times and then headed further into the domed facility.


    ¡°Now then...¡±


    He decided to chase after Misuzu and the figure that had run off with her.


    He didn¡¯t know who that guy was, but, even if the guy was with Skill Out, he probably wasn¡¯t going to kill her before he got to a safe place judging from the fact that he hadn¡¯t just shot her and ran off. And since no counterattack came when Accelerator entered the domed facility, he really must not have had a gun.


    Which meant...


    (I just have to catch him and finish this before he gets off of the database center grounds.)


    After deciding on that, he heard a number of footsteps approaching from a number of different directions.


    They must have heard the firefight.


    It looked like he wasn¡¯t going to be able to continue on easily.


    (I need to fall back and take them out from there. These business desks won¡¯t block bullets.)


    Looking for a place to fight, Accelerator looked around the area, but then his head suddenly stopped.


    There were 3 pieces of trash collapsed in the domed area.


    And yet there were 4 handguns on the floor.


    Part 10


    Kamijou and Misuzu left the main domed facility and headed to one of the smaller rectangular buildings via one of the linking passageways. They managed to get outside through an emergency exit there.


    There had been onlookers gathered at the main entrance, but no one was out by this back entrance.


    Kamijou spoke while still pulling on Misuzu¡¯s hand.


    ¡°We should find somewhere with a lot of people. There are onlookers and Anti-Skill out front, so we should be safe if we circle around to there.¡±


    ¡°Sigh. Why are boys always like this? I end up relying on you from the very beginning to the very end. As a parent, I¡¯m supposed to be the guardian.¡±


    Misuzu seemed a bit down, but it would have been hard not to be given what had happened. Kamijou certainly didn¡¯t want to have to do all that again.


    Because of this, he decided to urge her forward rather than criticizing her.


    ¡°Hurry. We managed to get outside, but there are still some of them left. If we get attacked again here, it¡¯s back to square one.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Please just hold my hand and escort me.¡±


    Hearing that, Kamijou suddenly became embarrassed. He started to let go of her hand, but Misuzu strengthened her grip.


    It looked like she was teasing him, but she might have actually been afraid.


    Kamijou continued to walk through the database center grounds.


    The dome was about 50 meters in diameter and, even with the surrounding buildings, it wasn¡¯t that big. It would only take a few minutes to walk around to the main entrance. The most dangerous part was getting out of the building, so he felt safer than his words had let on. Unless they were up against people who would kill the onlookers along with them, Skill Out would give up on their own once the two of them made it to the main entrance.


    But...


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    A figure was standing blocking the path to the main entrance.


    It was the guy Kamijou had hit with the bulletproof glass back in the dome. He must have come to shortly afterwards. Because his nose piercing had been ripped out, he had some dark red blood on him. He hadn¡¯t really had a chance, but Kamijou really should have tied him up after knocking him out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move... Who the hell are you? Why did you have to show up at a time like this? Was that job a fake? Were we set up?¡±


    Kamijou frowned at those words.


    ¡°Job?¡±


    ¡°What the hell kind of question is that? You know full well what I¡¯m talking about. Komaba was killed forcing me to take command in his place. I had to clean up for him. I had no choice but to make it up to ¡®them¡¯ to keep us from being wiped out in the operation to take back control of the back alleys. ...Shit. You were planning on using us and taking us out afterwards this whole time, weren¡¯t you!!¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Kamijou tried to sort out the fragments of ideas this man was saying and responded.


    ¡°I came here because she called me. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re imagining, but this isn¡¯t that complicated.¡±


    After hearing that, the man¡¯s mouth fell open.


    Then he gave a small laugh.


    ¡°Ha ha.¡±


    The laugh held no amusement at all.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened? We¡¯re all done for here. We¡¯re all going to get taken in by Anti-Skill and the guy at the center of it doesn¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on? My life, the life of Hamazura Shiage, is about to end. This is the finale... I thought I had at least gotten wrapped up in some conspiracy or been dealing with some genius tactician, but I wasn¡¯t even being tricked? Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!¡±


    As he spoke, the man naming himself Hamazura brought his right hand behind his back.


    He pulled out a retractable baton that must have been tucked into his belt and forcefully swung it out to full length.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fucking stand it. I just need to beat someone to death.¡±


    Hamazura headed straight towards them.


    Kamijou pushed Misuzu to the side.


    He was one beat slow because of that and heard something slicing through the air. It sounded like a tennis racket being swung and it was, of course, the sound of the baton.


    ¡°!!¡±


    He immediately lifted up his left arm to protect his face.


    The blow was aimed for his temple and it hit the bottom of his wrist with a dull noise.


    A disconcerting groaning vibration went through his bones.


    As Kamijou¡¯s face twisted in pain, Hamazura jabbed his knee into Kamijou¡¯s gut.


    A loud noise like a drum being hit could be heard.


    ¡°Gh...ah!!¡±


    Air escaped Kamijou¡¯s mouth.


    The shock caused the objects stuck into his belt to fall to the ground. These objects were the stun gun, the baton, etc. that he had taken from the Skill Out members he had defeated.


    (Damn it. Imagine Breaker is no help against a Level 0!!)


    Kamijou gritted his teeth and quickly leaned over to pick the stun gun up from the damp ground. But...


    ¡°Did you really think I¡¯d let you do that?¡±


    Hamazura stomped full force on Kamijou¡¯s hand as he grabbed the weapon.


    There wasn¡¯t enough time to just sit there feeling the dull pain.


    ¡°I know better than anyone how to use this kind of thing!!¡±


    An unpleasant noise rang out.


    While standing on Kamijou¡¯s hand, Hamazura had used his other leg to kick Kamijou in the jaw.


    ¡°Bh...gah!?¡±


    Kamijou¡¯s consciousness wavered.


    At the very least, he hadn¡¯t bitten his tongue.


    Kamijou¡¯s body arced backwards and he fell to the ground on his back. Misuzu gave a small scream, but no one was paying any attention to her. Kamijou grabbed some dirt from the ground and threw it at Hamazura¡¯s face.


    ¡°!!¡±


    Hamazura protected his face with one hand so he wasn¡¯t blinded, but he still flinched and took a step back.


    Kamijou quickly got up to a half-risen posture and tackled Hamazura square in the gut. A loud noise like a door being smashed in came from somewhere near Kamijou¡¯s shoulder.


    Hamazura¡¯s legs slid along the ground.


    Even so, he did not fall backwards.


    (He¡¯s still...!?)


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m a Level 0,¡± came a whispering voice next to Kamijou¡¯s ear.


    Hamazura spoke at point-blank range while Kamijou almost looked like he was embracing him.


    ¡°To deal with espers in the back alleys, you need to build up a strong body. It¡¯s fucking stupid really. We do the same thing as athletes, but no one praises us for it!!¡±


    As he spoke, he slammed the bottom of his baton into Kamijou¡¯s neck.


    A sharp pain unlike any in the fight so far ran along Kamijou¡¯s back bone.


    He groaned and Hamazura brought the baton down 2 or 3 more times. Kamijou was swaying and about to fall when Hamazura grabbed his collar with his free hand.


    He laughed at point-blank range.


    ¡°I see, I see. If you aren¡¯t with ¡®them¡¯, then the deal with them is still good. So if I take the target over there¡¯s dead body to them, they might still shelter us. Ha ha ha!!¡±


    However, those words might have been a mistake.


    A definite power could be seen in the light in Kamijou¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Try saying that again, dammit!!¡± Kamijou yelled from his bottom of his gut and aimed for the area between Hamazura¡¯s chin and lower lip with his forehead. With a sound like a flower pot that had been dropped from somewhere high up, Hamazura¡¯s neck bent backwards.


    Kamijou then slammed his clenched fist into the top of Hamazura¡¯s nose.


    Hamazura¡¯s body arced backwards and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Agaaaaahhh!!¡±


    Hamazura rolled on the ground holding his nose and Kamijou tried to kick him. But the damage he had taken must have affected him more than he had thought, because his footing faltered.


    ¡°Shit...You have a sloppy way of fighting.¡±


    Hamazura had managed to stand back up.


    The previous head butt must have knocked one of his front teeth crooked, because his lips were stained red.


    ¡°Enough with the pointless resistance. Just hand over that woman¡¯s body already. That¡¯s the deal. Since Komaba failed, we have nothing left. We have to finish this job...¡±


    Despite all his aggression, his words were oddly frail.


    Kamijou frowned, but then figured it out.


    He was from a group of Level 0¡¯s who gathered together out of fear of being unilaterally attacked by those stronger than them.


    So no matter how strong he was, he wasn¡¯t used to being punched by others.


    Realizing that, Kamijou spat out his next words.


    ¡°Fuck that.¡±


    As he spoke he realized his words were rather sharp.


    ¡°Enough about your job. I¡¯m not going to be killed by someone with no reason to kill who¡¯s treating it like their homework or something. What the hell do you think a human life is? Do you really believe it¡¯s something that has monetary value? How can you be so fucking stupid!?¡±


    ¡°I have no choice. Level 0¡¯s like us can¡¯t live without doing this kind of thing! We get mocked wherever we go and, when we make a place for ourselves, it gets destroyed in the name of making the area look nice. With things like that, what path other than preying on others is there for a Level 0!? Well!?¡±


    Skill Out.


    A group of Level 0¡¯s created in the name of self-defense.


    To do that, their circumstances must have driven them to it.


    It was a spiral of violence and absurdity that remained hidden from public view.


    But...


    ¡°...Don¡¯t put me in the same category as you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you not to put all Level 0¡¯s in the same category as pieces of shit like you.¡±


    ¡°You...Wait? What¡¯s your power...? You haven¡¯t used it at all...¡±


    Hamazura wiped blood from his mouth and moved his eyes across Kamijou¡¯s body as he spoke.


    Kamijou ignored him and said what he wanted to say.


    ¡°Is there a place for Level 0¡¯s? Of course there is! Is there a path for them other than preying on others? Of course there is!! There are Level 0¡¯s all over Academy City. And they go to school like normal, make friends like normal, and just live normal lives! They don¡¯t get mocked wherever they go. You¡¯re the ones that are making a mockery of Level 0¡¯s by thinking that way!!¡±


    ¡°I see... So you¡¯re the same as us...!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the same. At the very least, I don¡¯t act like you do. I don¡¯t think my lack of power is any reason to attack those who do have power! I may be Level 0, but I have no intention of becoming a ¡®minus¡¯ who enjoys tripping up others!!¡±


    ¡°A minus?¡± Hamazura frowned as he repeated back what Kamijou had said. ¡°You¡¯re saying we¡¯re minuses? Ridiculous. If anyone¡¯s a plus, we are! Just because someone doesn¡¯t have any power, is no reason to reject them. People like us in Skill Out are 100 times better than those that have power but don¡¯t help us at all!!¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, have you ever reached out your hand to someone who was asking for help?¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t answer, then you¡¯re the same. Fucking ridiculous. Who¡¯s going to help someone who refuses to help people themselves? Who wants to be around someone who assumes they should be happy and never thinks about the happiness of others!? That¡¯s where your problem lies!!


    ¡°You people are such idiots,¡± Kamijou yelled.


    This Level 0 was just too weak.


    Not only was he weak, he gave excuses for his weakness so he would never grow stronger.


    ¡°If you had only used the strength it took to form Skill Out and used it to help those weaker than you, things would have changed for you!! If you had only used that strength you used to fight back against powerful espers to help those in need, the people of Academy City would have accepted you!! I shouldn¡¯t have to tell you this kind of thing!!¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!!¡± Hamazura¡¯s face distorted as he yelled. ¡°Our Level 0 leader, Komaba Ritoku, lived like that and he died earlier today. He died while trying to protect the weak! In the end, it just isn¡¯t that simple for us. When the dropouts in the back alleys try to do that kind of thing, we just get laughed at!!¡±


    ¡°I see. But that guy must have had something you don¡¯t. I¡¯ve never seen this Komaba guy, but he must have lived in a much wider world than you! Isn¡¯t that why he stayed and fought to the end!? He wouldn¡¯t have called the people he was protecting ¡®the weak¡¯; he would have called them his ¡®comrades¡¯! Was that Komaba really getting laughed at from all sides? He actually fought to the death for them. If he cared for his comrades enough to protect them like that, he, unlike you, must have been loved by his comrades!!¡±


    ¡°Fuck that...¡±


    Two words seeped from between Hamazura¡¯s lips.


    His words were like a pool of filth overflowing.


    ¡°You¡¯re mocking us. You¡¯re a Level 0...You don¡¯t have a power...and yet you¡¯re still mocking uuuuuuusssss!!¡±


    Hamazura brought up his baton and ran forward on shaking legs.


    Kamijou Touma clenched his fist.


    He was no longer afraid of that guy.


    Hamazura had been revealed to be not much of a man.


    ¡°The reason people mock you has nothing to do with your lack of a power. I¡¯ll show you that now.¡±


    Even though Misuzu tried to stop him, Kamijou stepped forward.


    Ignoring the incoming baton, he merely clenched his fist tighter.


    ¡°This is the difference between you and me! You can do something about that boring illusion of yours on your own!!¡±


    A thick noise rang out.


    Baton and fist hit their targeted faces, blood flowed from split foreheads, and they both lost their balance.


    But only one of them fell.


    The other would surely not fall.


    Part 11


    Kamijou wanted to go back to this dorm and sleep, but Misuzu said he was bleeding too much to ignore, so he ended up having to call an ambulance. It was a bit pathetic, but these medical fees and hospital expenses were a major reason his finances were in such a bad state.


    At the moment, he was being taken to the ambulance on a stretcher. Misuzu was standing with a white-helmeted rescue worker when she suddenly looked over at Kamijou.


    ¡°It seems Academy City really isn¡¯t safe. Although, I suppose it¡¯s the same in any city. I wonder if there¡¯s anywhere in this country where a parent can raise her child without having to worry.¡±


    The noise of the stretcher¡¯s wheels was so loud, Kamijou could barely hear her.


    ¡°...The truth is, I came here to take Mikoto-chan away.¡±


    Even so, those words rang oddly clear in Kamijou¡¯s ears.


    Misuzu closed her eyes partially.


    ¡°Things are getting dangerous with that war starting after all. They said on the news that Academy City was safer than any other city in the country, but I could just take her overseas, right? Well, leaving my college studies would be a problem, but you could say it would just be an extended break from school. I don¡¯t care if I have to repeat the same year again. I¡¯m not ready to quit yet though, so I was serious about having a report I need to get done.¡±


    After saying all that, she smiled.


    It seemed to come out naturally as she looked at Kamijou¡¯s face.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not worried anymore.¡±


    Before Kamijou could ask why, she continued.


    ¡°Basically, this problem is like the one that boy from before had. No matter how far you run, there¡¯s no safe place. And the feelings of one person there can greatly change things. So instead of moving Mikoto-chan somewhere else, she may be safer having someone like you by her side.¡±


    They had arrived at the ambulance. As the legs holding up the stretcher were folded up, Kamijou felt a slight vibration in his back.


    The ambulance must have been about to leave.


    Misuzu must have thought so too, because she finished speaking in a hurried voice.


    ¡°In other words, if you all and people like you protect Mikoto-chan, there¡¯s no problem.¡±


    The stretcher Kamijou was lying on was put on the ambulance.


    At first, Kamijou just listened to Misuzu ramble on, but then he frowned.


    (You ¡°all¡±...?)


    Before he could bring that question to his lips, the ambulance¡¯s back doors were slammed shut and the ambulance, along with its siren, started.

 Volume 1, Epilogue: A Single Will and a Small Key. The_Present_Target.

    Volume 1, Epilogue: A Single Will and a Small Key. The_Present_Target.


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Hidden in the darkness, Accelerator looked over to the main entrance of the Dangai University database center and averted his gaze when he found Misuzu¡¯s face.


    There had been more Skill Out members than he had expected remaining in the facility and taking them out had eaten up a lot of time.


    But since Misuzu was fine, the person he had met in the dome must not have been her enemy. She was seeing an ambulance off, so that person must have gotten injured at some point.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± concluded Accelerator as he exited the database center grounds through a back entrance.


    That was when someone spoke to him.


    ¡°I had heard you were here. From the look in your face, I assume it went well.¡±


    ¡°Unabara,¡± muttered Accelerator as if he didn¡¯t care and he looked over towards him.


    The darkness didn¡¯t suit that silky brown hair or that agreeable and youthful face. And as he approached, Accelerator began feeling an odd pressure in his chest.


    He didn¡¯t allow it to show on his face and casually kept his distance from Unabara.


    Unabara who seemed out of place spoke to Accelerator who made the darkness his own.


    ¡°So was this another leftover job? You shouldn¡¯t overwork yourself when you aren¡¯t even getting paid.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your opinion,¡± Accelerator said rejecting the comment.


    Looking closer, he could see Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Musujime Awaki standing near Unabara. That meant all 4 members of GROUP were here.


    ¡°...What do you want? Did the higher ups send you here to punish me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. We¡¯re just here to confirm a few things.¡± Tsuchimikado stared at Accelerator from behind his sunglasses as he spoke. ¡°First on the list is about Misaka Misuzu. From what I could hear at a distance, she has decided against taking her daughter from Academy City. So her death has been called off. It may have been mainly due to some injuries, but that matter is settled.¡±


    ¡°Will the higher ups really accept a vague conclusion like that? That¡¯s just what she said. She could easily change her mind at any time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be accepted. ...That idiot Unabara worked pretty hard in that regard.¡± Tsuchimikado muttered as if he was almost surprised about it.


    Accelerator looked towards Unabara with a dubious expression on his face, but Unabara merely smiled in the darkness and spoke.


    ¡°Well, that boy was carrying out his ¡®promise¡¯ to protect the world around someone I have feelings for, so I thought I should help out some myself. It seems I overworked my shoulder a bit.¡±


    ¡°...Damn pretty boy. He¡¯s been saying things like that without giving us a straight answer this whole time. He must have used a fairly unsightly method.¡±


    Musujime brought her hand to her forehead and shook her head.


    Tsuchimikado relaxed his shoulders.


    ¡°Anyway. Misaka Misuzu is fine. Good work on your first job + extras, Accelerator. How¡¯d you like your first GROUP job? Basically these jobs are cleaning up after the messes other people make, but there are plenty of ways to find them worthwhile.¡±


    ¡°God damn it. Today was just violence, betrayal, and killing on parade.¡±


    Tsuchimikado nodded in response to the words Accelerator spat out.


    ¡°Exactly. But we have to protect our own weak points amongst it all. Our lives may be easier if we abandon those weak points, but we just can¡¯t make ourselves do it... They¡¯re our worthless treasures.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I have my step sister, Unabara has the person he has feelings for, Musujime has her comrades who once worked with her, and you have the clones.¡±


    Tsuchimikado¡¯s lips twisted up in a cynical smile.


    ¡°To protect those important things, we can¡¯t use normal methods. The higher ups lined things up for their victory from the very beginning, but that¡¯s basically a lie. It¡¯s like making a rigged bet. It¡¯s made so you can¡¯t win and you lose your money. There¡¯s no way to get out of here by following the rules. We can try to win by the rules anyway, we can try to find a loophole in the rules, or we can throw the chess board to the ground and go on a rampage. Those are our options.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this? I doubt you¡¯re suggesting we all get along and work together.¡±


    ¡°Because you could become a card we could use,¡± replied Tsuchimikado lightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re planning, but you seem to be quite important to the higher ups. For now, they seem content with only having messed with your electrode, but that means you have a chance. Let¡¯s work together, Accelerator. We¡¯ll teach you how to live in this world, so you won¡¯t die easily.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Accelerator looked at the other members of GROUP.


    Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Unabara Mitsuki, Musujime Awaki.


    All three of them were peculiar people and he had no idea what any of them were actually thinking. But he was the same. He would have no problem using them in order to save Last Order.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± he said. ¡°But if you get in my way, I won¡¯t hesitate to cast you aside. This only lasts as long as you have value to me. If you want anything more than that, you¡¯re out of luck.¡±


    ¡°Hah. Excellent attitude.¡±


    Tsuchimikado laughed and turned his back on Accelerator.


    He waved his hand urging the others on as if he was inviting them out to karaoke.


    ¡°Come on. The higher ups are going to counterattack before long.¡±


    The biggest restraint on Accelerator was the safety device for his electrode that the higher ups could operate remotely.


    As he couldn¡¯t use the Sisters¡¯ substitute operations when in an area where electromagnetic waves couldn¡¯t reach him, he had no way to block the remote safety device. Anything that would block it would block his connection with the Sisters as well.


    At first glance, it seemed to be a perfect method of control, but, if he only managed to get past that, he had a good chance of escaping them.


    (First I need the blueprint.)


    He would go to the frog-faced doctor and get the blueprint for the choker-style electrode. I can figure out how the safety works from here. And if that takes too long, I may be able to make a second one.


    (This is gonna be fun.)


    A smile naturally came to his face.


    From a distance, they might have looked like friends chatting as they walked along the street at night.


    But Accelerator only felt something hot squirming around inside him.


    There was that ¡°man¡± that had talked with him on the phone right before his electrode had been cut off remotely.


    He could be relaxing at his home on a couch or he could be walking around in the very same area Accelerator was. A voice over the phone could be artificially altered, so he couldn¡¯t even be sure it had really been a man.


    From what that bastard had said, there was someone behind all this.


    Someone behind all this misfortune.


    (Having a goal really is fun.)


    In a hospital at night, the frog-faced doctor received an emergency message while making adjustments to Last Order¡¯s body. It seemed the usual boy had done something crazy again and had been brought there. He thought it was odd that the rescue worker had reported an emergency patient with a bitter smile on his face.


    The virus Kihara Amata had inputted into Last Order¡¯s head on September 30th had been completely eliminated. With a bit of light rehabilitation, she would be back to her normal life.


    (A virus, huh?)


    Of course, getting rid of that virus wasn¡¯t enough to hinder even a part of Aleister¡¯s plan. If that was at all possible, Last Order would not have been so easily released. As usual, all the important parts had been blotted out and everything was left looking peaceful.


    But it was clear that Last Order¡¯s special characteristics were being used in the plan. If he followed that line of thinking, he might be able to actually accomplish something.


    The frog-faced doctor looked at the girl lying on the bed.


    She physically looked around 10 years old. The girl was so small it made you think the bed had mistakenly been made too big.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough adjustments for today. I have another patient I have to work on. Just go to sleep without messing around, okay?¡±


    The girl gave a slight nod at his words.


    Then Last Order moved her lips slightly and spoke.


    ¡°Where...?¡±


    The frog-faced doctor remained silent and listened.


    ¡°...Where is he? says Misaka as Misaka asks her question.¡±


    That was most likely a question no one could answer. The frog-faced doctor didn¡¯t know of course and apparently not even Accelerator¡¯s temporary guardian, Yomikawa Aiho, or the creator of the clones, Yoshikawa Kikyou, knew where he was.


    Even so, the frog-faced doctor responded.


    ¡°Soon. He¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah ... Misaka misses him, says Misaka as Misaka nods.¡±


    The frog-faced doctor said good night and left the hospital room.


    He walked down a long, dark hallway to the area Kamijou Touma had been brought to.


    As he did so, Last Order¡¯s words were carved into his heart.


    He was the person who would get his patients anything they needed.

 Volume 1, Afterword

    Volume 1, Afterword


    To the readers who bought each book one at a time, it''s been a while.


    To the readers who bought the entire series at one go, we meet for the first time.


    I''m Kamachi Kazuma.


    This time, it''s a little different. This volume is numbered as SS. Editor-sama''s request was ''write a story you can''t normally write''. I wonder if I''m successful this time?


    Thus, there''s no key word about magic or science; it''s impossible for this volume. Also, I don''t know if the readers have realised that the ending of each chapter has a subtle spice to it. The hedgehog head actually using something else other than his fist, and that white guy having an intention to join a group; there''s a lot of developments in the volume that didn''t exist before.


    The basic script is about how after the main events that happened, the scraps of information are added in to form a linear story. This is the series of ''stories that can''t be written normally''. I''ll be very happy if the readers can accept this lack of balance.


    I''m very grateful to the illustrator Haimura-san and the editor Miki-san. It''s because of your activeness that I can write this side story like another story. I''ll look forward to working with you two again.


    And I''ll also like to thank the readers for buying this side story.


    And now, this will be the end of SS.


    I hope the the next volume will be the main story again.


    I''ll put my pen down now.


    -Kamachi Kazuma-

 Volume 2, 1: Those Who Seek Bundles of Cash and a Battle. The Third Friday of January.

    Volume 2, Chapter 1: Those Who Seek Bundles of Cash and a Battle. The Third Friday of January.


    A single station wagon was roaring through Academy City which was created from the western portion of Tokyo. Three boys were onboard. Komaba Ritoku, Hanzou, and Hamazura Shiage. They were all members of a delinquent group known as Skill-Out.


    The one gripping the steering wheel, Hamazura, was clearly too young to have a driver¡¯s license. But there were two rules they were in violation of that made this seem irrelevant.


    First, that station wagon was stolen.


    Second, an ATM (they used the heavy machinery to pick it up) was stuck in the station wagon¡¯s back seat.


    The station wagon the boys were in flew down the road lined with wind turbines and below an airship floating in the blue sky.


    ¡°Oh, wow. One of these things has twenty million in it?¡±


    Hanzou¡¯s eyes shined as he looked at the ATM with its cracked screen and crushed body. He spoke to Hamazura who was sitting right in front of him in the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°We were right to scout you. We never would¡¯ve been able to rip out and steal a device reinforced against earthquakes without someone who could operate construction equipment.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, how did you gather money before?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Steal something easy and get the fuck out of there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty lame!!¡±


    ¡°Well, dragging someone weak-looking into a back alley and punching them a few times is faster, but, y¡¯see, Leader Komaba won¡¯t let us lay a hand on fragile girls.¡±


    ¡°But this way¡¯s pretty exciting!!¡± said Hamazura as he and Hanzou laughed unintelligently.


    Komaba gave no reaction to having been brought up in the conversation. Hamazura checked in the rear-view mirror and saw the large guy sitting heavily in the back seat like someone on the bench at Koshien.


    ¡°What¡¯s with Komaba-san anyway?¡±


    ¡°You saw that thing before, right? There was that bow gun guy who invaded that elementary school at the start of the 3rd term and Leader Komaba sent him flying 5 meters with just his fist. It may seem out of character, but when a little girl is fond of him he gets really shy.¡±


    The shoulders of the gorilla-sized man who would silence a crying child twitched.


    ¡°Eh...? Komaba-san¡¯s looking at an online store on that PDA, right? He stopped and has been staring at an XL-sized Santa outfit and white beard set for almost 10 minutes now.¡±


    His shoulders twitched even more.


    ¡°Yeah, I remember what she said, leader. She asked if Santa Claus really existed, right? So is a delinquent Santa gonna be visiting her at the end of the year!?¡±


    As the two idiots laughed uproariously at that, Komaba suddenly squeezed the PDA in his hands as if he were wringing out a cloth.


    ¡°Fgaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!¡±


    ¡°E-eee!? Leader Komaba¡¯s shyness is making him go crazy!!¡±


    Komaba wasn¡¯t operating the steering wheel, but the station wagon still slid to the side unnaturally.


    ¡°Hey, Hamazura. Is there a specific way to open up an ATM?¡± Hanzou asked while they were still heading back to their hideout in the station wagon.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll take it apart. It¡¯s got a capsule in the safe so it can¡¯t be opened improperly.¡±


    ¡°A capsule?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s got fluorescent paint in it. If you open it in the wrong way, it makes all the bills unusable. So don¡¯t touch it until we¡¯re back to the hideout.¡±


    But just as Hamazura finished giving his warning...


    ¡°...Hamazura. What do you think this is...?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Komaba-san!! Just 5 seconds ago, I told you not to to¡ªWait, what?¡±


    Hamazura looked toward the back seat via the rear-view mirror and then stopped moving.


    Held in Komaba Ritoku¡¯s thick fingers was a long, narrow stick similar to a USB drive.


    Hamazura¡¯s face paled and he whispered to Komaba.


    ¡°...It looks like a...GPS transmitter...¡±


    As soon as he did, a shrill siren rang out from behind them. The red lights made it unnecessary to check. It was a high-speed sports car driven by Anti-Skill, the keepers of the peace in the city.


    And in the middle of the road about 100 meters ahead was a large cylindrical special barricade robot with thick cushioning on the front. It looked like a large scroll stood up on one end and it was unrolling creating a cushioned wall that blocked the road.


    Just when it finished, 2 or 3 Anti-Skill cars drove up on the other side of the barricade and strengthened it.


    Hanzou held his head in his hands.


    ¡°Trouble up ahead and behind!? Hey, Hamazura, what do we do!?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    Hamazura thought for a second.


    ¡°We break through.¡±


    The station wagon roared with enormous speed toward the barricade as if the accelerator were pressed down as far as it would go and the Anti-Skill members waiting near the barricade hurriedly jumped out of the way. Just after an Anti-Skill woman jumped out of her car that was stopped on the road just in case, the station wagon broke through the barricade taking everything out.


    Eighty percent of Academy City¡¯s residents were students, so most of the crimes in the city were juvenile crimes. The barricade didn¡¯t have the strength of a concrete block where hitting led to an instant death. Also, the station wagon had aimed for the very front of the cars parked lengthwise, so it opened a space between two of the cars and broke through the barricade spreading metal parts from bumpers everywhere.


    The car pursuing the station wagon from behind frantically slammed on its brakes before it hit the remains of the barricade.


    Before long, the station wagon took a sharp turn at an intersection and disappeared.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The Anti-Skill woman who had landed on the asphalt after jumping from her car that had formed part of the barricade looked at the state of things and smiled in enjoyment.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve found an idiot who promises to be a lot of fun.¡±


    Hanzou turned his head around looking at the scene disappearing behind them at high speed and whistled.


    ¡°Wow!! I can¡¯t believe you broke through a barricade like that with force alone!¡±


    ¡°Well, you have to figure out what kind of wall it is. If it was the kind that will stop you even if it destroys the car or that purposefully lets you through and punctures your tires that method would¡¯ve ended badly.¡±


    With no expression on his face as usual, Komaba opened the car window and threw the GPS transmitter out.


    ¡°...Maybe we should get a different car...¡±


    ¡°We need to get farther away first. There¡¯s no sign of pursuit, but it¡¯s better to be su¡ª¡±


    Hamazura¡¯s words were cut off midsentence.


    A large specialized vehicle that looked like tanker truck had driven out of a side street. It looked like a tanker truck, but it was an extremely tough looking truck with a lot of, what looked like, angular armor on it.


    ¡°!?¡±


    Before Hamazura could respond, the front of the truck hit the station wagon as if it had grazed the back corner. The station wagon kept its speed but was forcefully rotated about 60 degrees. The guardrail that should have been directly to the side now looked right in front of them. Hamazura didn¡¯t even try to compensate by turning the steering wheel; he let the vehicle slide and managed to avoid ending up in a spin.


    The tires screeched and black lines were rubbed into the road surface.


    If he slammed on the brakes, he would actually lose control, so Hamazura stepped on the gas and stabilized the vehicle.


    ¡°What the fuck was that!?¡± Hamazura yelled turning to look behind him.


    That was when his eyes turned to dots.


    He saw a tiny red light on top of the large specialized truck.


    ¡°You idiot!! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to pass that off as an Anti-Skill vehicle!!¡±


    Just when Hamazura yelled that, the truck took a sharp turn as if it was swinging the tanker portion on the back straight towards the station wagon.


    Hanzou¡¯s expression changed.


    ¡°Oh, fuck!! They¡¯re really trying to kill us!!¡±


    A woman with large breasts was sitting in the truck¡¯s driver¡¯s seat as if she had shown her badge and forcibly borrowed the truck. She had a voice amplification device like a megaphone in one hand.


    ¡°U-umm. This is Yomikawa Aiho of Anti-Skill Branch 73. With charges of theft, property damage, attempted murder, and interference with a public servant¡¯s duties, I¡¯m taking you pieces of shits down to hell!¡±


    ¡°Tch!! Miss Tits there must have a grudge to put interference with a public servant¡¯s duties at the list¡¯s climax!!¡±


    Just when Hanzou had yelled that and taken out a handgun, the truck approached with tremendous horse power as if it were responding.


    Yomikawa Aiho operated the truck¡¯s hula hoop-sized steering wheel and tried to overtake the station wagon. The boy with a bandana tried to lean out the window with his handgun, but Yomikawa turned the steering wheel swinging the back of the tanker portion of the truck and striking the side of the station wagon.


    She heard an enjoyable crash.


    The station wagon was pinned between the truck and the guardrail and forced to move forward, but the guardrail must not have been able to withstand the impact because the metal sheet tore off. The station wagon had lost all control and it slammed into an uninhabited warehouse along with the truck.


    After destroying the thick metal wall and scattering a mountain of cardboard boxes in the warehouse, the station wagon and the truck¡¯s trajectories separated. The station wagon headed further into the cardboard box mountain range and the truck struck the inner wall of the warehouse.


    The airbag in the steering wheel activated and struck Yomikawa in the face.


    ¡°Uwpphh! ...You damn kids. Now I¡¯m going to chase you down to the ends of the earth!¡±


    She decided to try backing out of the wall, so she moved the shift lever and stepped on the gas, but the truck wouldn¡¯t move back at all.


    When she realized that either the frame was crushed or it was caught on something, she saw 2 or 3 boys with guns.


    ¡°Oh, crap,¡± muttered Yomikawa.


    She opened the driver side door and jumped out.


    A second later, a number of bullets flew in from the passenger side.


    (...Three-shot burst?)


    Yomikawa frowned while hiding behind the tanker portion of the truck. Three-shot burst meant that three shots would automatically be fired every time the trigger was pulled. It did increase the firepower, but...


    ¡°Oww!? Hanzou, you idiot! Why did you make that huge magnum three-shot burst!? And you can¡¯t even change the mode!¡±


    ¡°Eh? But isn¡¯t it powerful and cool to fire a bunch of bullets at once?¡±


    ¡°...You even adjusted the length of the magazine for that?¡±


    (Okay, they¡¯re all idiots, so I should be able to pull this off.)


    At any rate, the boy was losing to the recoil of the three-shot burst modified handgun so he couldn¡¯t aim it properly. Yomikawa secretly believed she could win this, but then she noticed the soccer ball-sized objects rolling from the truck and around her feet.


    ¡°Geh.¡±


    This time, she ran at full speed.


    The entire concept of Hanzou¡¯s three-shot burst magnum was a testament to his idiocy, but it still had a reasonable amount of firepower. Hamazura felt that the truck the Anti-Skill woman was hiding behind was in the way, so he focused his fire on the fuel tank underneath driver¡¯s seat.


    Then he saw the woman running away.


    She must have been worried that the fuel tank was going to explode.


    ¡°Okay, we drove her out. I almost want to capture that woman and her huge tits and show her what¡¯s what.¡±


    ¡°...No sexual crimes...¡±


    ¡°I know, Komaba-san, I know. Anyway, the ATM. It¡¯ll be a pain if she calls in backup and we¡¯re surrounded. I wonder if the station wagon¡¯ll still run.¡±


    As Hamazura started to walk back towards the station wagon that had struck the mountain of cardboard boxes, something hit his toes.


    When he looked down, he saw a soccer ball-sized sphere on the ground.


    Hamazura¡¯s face stiffened, Hanzou went pale, and Komaba remained as expressionless as ever.


    ¡°Hey, Hamazura. Is that...?¡±


    ¡°...Yeah...¡±


    It was the large kind of firework normally only seen at a fireworks show.


    Looking back at the large specialized truck, they saw the words ¡°Fukuoka Fireworks Manufacturing¡± on the side. And they saw similar ball-shaped silhouettes spread around the warehouse.


    That was when they saw something flash.


    It was some kind of electric cord that had been torn off near the fuel tank under the driver¡¯s seat by the three-shot burst magnum. The bluish white light that was emitted headed for the gasoline that had spilled to the ground.


    ¡°!?¡±


    ¡°!?¡±


    ¡°!?¡±


    The three idiots¡¯ yells were drowned out by large flowers flying up into the winter sky.


    In the end, Hamazura, Hanzou, and Komaba had been blown into the sky like in the explosive ending of a comical story and Yomikawa had come back to arrest them and throw them in jail. There were a few other ill-bred looking delinquent boys in the room, but they must have sensed something about the three who were covered in soot and beaten up, because none of them were looking those three in the eye.


    Hamazura grabbed the bars of the cell with both hands and limply hung his head.


    ¡°...I agree that stealing an ATM isn¡¯t a good thing to do, but isn¡¯t the worst one that woman with the huge tits!? Because of her all of the cash in the ATM was burned up!!¡±


    ¡°...She makes it so things would be more peaceful if she just let the criminal go. ...What a horrible Anti-Skill. You do see idiots like that in police dramas, I suppose... I really hate large breasts...¡±


    ¡°Ah, fuck!! Hey, Komaba-san, she doesn¡¯t count as a fragile girl, right!? When I get outta here, I¡¯m gonna show her what¡¯s what! I¡¯ll grab ¡®em like this and stick it between ¡®em!!¡±


    Unusually, Komaba was complaining alongside Hamazura, but Hanzou hadn¡¯t said anything for a bit. Maybe the shock of having the fireworks blow up in his face had been too much for him, because he was sitting on the floor in a corner of the cell with his arms around his knees and not moving.


    Finally he worked up his resolve and opened his heavy mouth.


    ¡°Sorry, Hamazura. And Leader Komaba, too. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with you?¡±


    The other two looked at him and Hanzou turned his face to the side as if he couldn¡¯t bear having them look directly at him.


    Then he quickly spoke.


    ¡°...I think I¡¯m in love.¡±


    ¡°Ugheeh!?¡±


    ¡°Ugheeh!?¡±

 Volume 2, 2: A Warrior and Dancer from Norse Mythology. The First Friday of February.

    Volume 2, Chapter 2: A Warrior and Dancer from Norse Mythology. The First Friday of February.


    There was a certain small jeans shop in London.


    ¡°No. I have nothing to sell to you.¡±


    ¡°Wh-why not?¡± Kanzaki Kaori slammed both of her hands on the small counter. ¡°I have the money right here! I brought enough money to pay your exorbitant price that ignores the market price for vintage jeans and enough for a tip, so why won¡¯t you sell them to me!?¡±


    ¡°Because look at you!!¡±


    The shop owner pointed towards Kanzaki¡¯s thigh.


    The jeans she was wearing had one leg cut off all the way up to the top of her thigh. This brought out an asymmetric beauty and just straight up sexiness, but...


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you cut up the vintage jeans I travelled all over the world to get!! Here, I¡¯ll explain it for you since you don¡¯t seem to understand their value. These jeans are full of all sorts of creativity for the sake of the men who worked in the mines during the Gold Rush!!¡±


    ¡°I know that. And like I said, I¡¯ll make sure to make a bag out of the pieces I cut off.¡±


    ¡°Mohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    The shop owner tore at his head with both hands and yelled like an enraged bull.


    ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t sell anything to you and I won¡¯t work with you either! If you don¡¯t like it go crying to the god of jeans and premium items and apologize!!¡±


    ¡°...I see. And I haven¡¯t even explained what the job entails yet... If you really won¡¯t help me...that¡¯s too bad...¡±


    Kanzaki¡¯s shoulders drooped.


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to do something about the rumored Jeans Slasher myself.¡±


    ¡°Mention that kind of thing sooner.¡±


    Kanzaki Kaori¡¯s job was to defeat evil magicians.


    It was the kind of vague occupation you would see in a picture book, but it was true. And because she belonged to an organization connected to the national church, it actually had the stable income of a government job. England¡¯s heavy taxation went to things like this that the people didn¡¯t even know about.


    (Like in a picture book...?)


    Kanzaki felt a bit of self-derision.


    Her heart was actually shut tight due to certain circumstances. ...Except that it was impossible for humans to keep just a single emotion in their hearts. Unless a person twisted his own fundamental personality beyond repair, natural decency and compassion would come out on his face.


    ¡°By the way, where is that bastard Stiyl.¡±


    Stiyl was Kanzaki¡¯s colleague.


    ¡°He¡¯s pursuing that girl.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still doing that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t my place to say anything about that. I¡¯ll just be praying that some idiot gallantly comes running in to interfere.¡±


    After saying that, the shop owner changed the subject.


    ¡°...Oh, Kanzaki. Aren¡¯t you cold dressed like that in this February weather?¡±


    The shop owner had his arms wrapped around himself and was shivering. In London, February was the season of snow. And that year all of Great Britain was wrapped in the kind of cold wave that would kill the little match girl. Small lakes were frozen solid enough to walk over.


    And yet Kanzaki had one of her legs completely bare up all the way up the thigh.


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable...¡±


    The shop owner had blue lips, visible exhalations, and was dressed as thickly as someone taking on Everest.


    ¡°So what¡¯s this Jeans Slasher you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly what it sounds like. Some unknown person is cutting up the jeans of passersby in the street. So far, all the damage has been to their jeans and no one has been injured.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to kill this guy, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too soon to decide that.¡±


    ¡°The Jeans Slasher, huh? I¡¯m amazed you aren¡¯t the prime suspect.¡±


    ¡°??? Why would I be a suspect?¡± Kanzaki asked with her head cocked to the side in puzzlement and her thigh exposed.


    The shop owner sighed.


    ¡°So do you have an idea where the criminal is?¡±


    ¡°A little. This person¡¯s actions have the smell of Norse mythology on them.¡±


    ¡°...Do you have any proof? Who investigated it?¡±


    ¡°Theodosia.¡±


    ¡°Her? Can we really rely on that? ...Ah.¡±


    An old bearded man collapsed to the floor in front of the shop owner and Kanzaki. Both legs and part of the crotch of his jeans had been completely cut off making them more like briefs than even cut jeans.


    The shop owner instinctually covered his face with his hands.


    ¡°How horrid! This proud English gentleman has had all his pride taken from him so he doesn¡¯t even have the willpower to fix his beard!!¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you¡¯re going to cut them, it has to be done more elegantly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not going to sell anything to you!¡±


    Then Kanzaki heard what sounded like metal plates rubbing together.


    It sounded just like a pair of scissors.


    ¡°!?¡±


    Kanzaki immediately spun around and swung the scabbard of her long sword at about the same time as someone carrying a blade approached at high speed. The two figures crossed. A meaningless ¡°dopah!¡± sound effect split the air, but Kanzaki¡¯s jeans did not become denim briefs.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡± Kanzaki yelled while glaring at her opponent.


    The identity of the attacker who must be the Jeans Slasher was a woman about Kanzaki¡¯s age. She was a beautiful woman with hair that was more silver than it was gold. She was wearing a special breastplate made of an arrangement of various pieces of steel over a piece of cloth, similarly made waist armor, long gloves on both hands that reached her elbows and were decorated with a cow print for some reason, and long boots that reached her thighs and were decorated in the same way as the gloves.


    Kanzaki Kaori¡¯s eyes turned to dots.


    The jeans shop owner was in complete shock. He spoke as his body shook.


    ¡°That¡¯s...the legendary bikini armor.¡±


    Kanzaki Kaori was a bit flustered with that ridiculous outfit in front of her.


    ¡°Um, uh...where do I even start!? Well, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re wearing enough of a top, so do something about that!!¡±


    The mysterious exhibitionist swelled up her ridiculously large chest and spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wearing enough of a top either. Even I¡¯m impressed with that sexiness.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°Wait, Kanzaki!! It¡¯s too soon to draw your sword!! And let me say that objectively you¡¯re dressed much too sexily as well!!¡±


    ¡°Wh-why are you holding me back and agreeing with her!? Did you forget that I have to fight that exhibitionist Jeans Slasher!?¡±


    ¡°No, we might still be able to settle this peacefully!! We have to bear with it for now!!¡±


    ¡°R-really!? To be honest, I¡¯m about halfway to giving up!! Shouldn¡¯t I hurry up and take out that pervert!?¡±


    ¡°Just bear with it a little longer!! Although, it¡¯s true that as a clothing professional I can tell you that outfit is ridiculous. That cow print is meaningless! It¡¯s just there to accentuate the idea of breasts!! And that¡¯s caused my gaze to become fixed on them this whole time!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just because you like them!!¡±


    The shop owner flew 5 meters through the air like in a Hong Kong movie after being hit by Kanzaki¡¯s fist.


    Seeing that, the bikini woman giggled. It was a quiet, charming laugh that was the complete opposite of her outfit.


    ¡°That man can¡¯t be blamed for being aroused. After all, that¡¯s the whole reason that I, a Valkyrie, exist.¡±


    (A Valkyrie?)


    In Norse mythology, a Valkyrie was a celestial maiden or a term for a human warrior girl. They were said to have the duty of sending the souls of warriors to Odin¡¯s Valhalla in preparation for the coming final battle of Ragnarok, but there were sects that believed that they were not originally angels or spirits or anything else ¡°not originally human¡±. Apparently, human girls could become Valkyries by wishing for the battle more than anything and being given power by Odin. Basically, courageous girls could become deified by heading down a special path.


    Humans could become Valkyries.


    As such, it wasn¡¯t surprising for someone in the magical business to run across a sect that was trying to artificially do so. Magic was like an artificial diamond. It was purposefully causing the miraculous phenomena that occurred by accident. So it wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong to want to create an easy and simple recipe for becoming a Valkyrie.


    ¡°Why is a Valkyrie apprentice doing something like this? If you¡¯re looking for a macho soul, you aren¡¯t going to find one here.¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk. Transporting the souls of warriors isn¡¯t the only duty a Valkyrie has. It¡¯s much more important that she serves the warriors in Valhalla drink and charm him with her dancing and have that soul train for the sake of Valhalla. My goal is to use my charm to increase my Einherjar and amass as much power as a magic cabal all on my own.¡±


    ¡°In other words,¡± said the warrior girl as she swelled up her chest even further, ¡°this is my answer to what a Valkyrie should be!! Sometimes I fight, sometimes I dance, and I contain both courage and beauty!! I am the dancer in the sexy armoooooooooorrrrrrr!!¡±


    (...So she¡¯s not just idiotically dressed? She¡¯s an idiot, too?)


    For an instant¡ªjust an instant¡ªKanzaki Kaori felt like completely giving up, but she shook her head and managed to pull herself together. Kanzaki¡¯s magic name was Salvare000. She couldn¡¯t give up here.


    But she couldn¡¯t deny that she was distracted.


    ¡°Okay! I lost heart there for a second, so let¡¯s talk this over and fight!!¡±


    ¡°Hah hah!! We have both thrown away our humanity to wear these embarrassing outfits! A Valkyrie like me cannot be stopped by a magician like you!!¡±


    ¡°So you still have a sense of shame! Good, you can still be saved...!!¡±


    Kanzaki was oddly overcome with emotion, but the sexy Valkyrie¡¯s attack was relatively fast and strong for someone who was merely calling herself a Valkyrie. And as their blades clashed, the Valkyrie spoke.


    ¡°This is the true value of being a warrior girl. ...This is Nine Support!!¡±


    After she called out in a loud voice, the shadow at her feet suddenly split into nine parts. Kanzaki cautiously observed the mysterious shadow that became much like a magic circle.


    ¡°!?¡±


    However, nothing really happened with the nine shadows, Valkyrie spun around in the center, and the shadows disappeared. Then Kanzaki heard something while sitting there confused.


    ¡°Muhoooooooooohhhhhhhhh!?¡± came the sudden scream of the jeans shop owner.


    ¡°What? What? What happened?¡± Kanzaki said as she turned to look.


    The shop owner who had been collapsed on the floor up until then was standing up in an odd angular way. No. Actually, 9 girls were grabbing his hands, his legs, his waist, and his neck forcing him to move.


    ¡°Hee hee hee. When magically calling in warriors, a Valkyrie can pull off 9 at once. My spell uses 9 girls to control a man as my pawn!!¡±


    ¡°And what about his will?¡±


    ¡°The spell is easier to use on someone who is thinking ¡®What incomparable ultimate feminine beauty! You are simply too beautiful!! I want to just throw all other women out of my life and serve you!! In fact, your beauty is so great that things like god seem insignificant in comparison!¡¯.¡±


    Kanzaki Kaori interpreted that to mean that she wore that sexy bikini in order bring out sexual desire in men so she could control them. Kanzaki looked coldly at the shop owner.


    He averted his gaze awkwardly and just said ¡°sorry¡±.


    Kanzaki simply nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll chop off your head.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait, Kanzaki!! My sense of justice is in conflict inside my mind right now!! I¡¯ll break free of this cowardly magic with love and courage, so just watch my manly way of living!!¡±


    Valkyrie then bent over, put her palms on her lap and used her upper arms to squeeze together her breasts while she closed one eye in a wink.


    ¡°If you take her out, I¡¯ll show you all sorts of things. Do you prefer to do things or to have things done to you?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, Kanzaki. My heart just moved past the point of no return.¡±


    ¡°Okay, your head¡¯s coming off.¡±


    Despite what she said, a bit of kindness must have remained within Kanzaki, because she struck the jeans shop owner with the back of her sword and he flew through the London air.


    Having taken care of the traitor, Kanzaki returned to the battle and asked about the core of the situation.


    ¡°By the way, why are you only slicing up gentlemen¡¯s jeans?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my specialty for the warrior¡¯s reception is humiliation play (S-side).¡±


    Kanzaki¡¯s desire to kick her ass for being a nuisance to others increased by 20%.

 Volume 2, 4: The True Strength of the Seventh of the Seven. The Third Friday of March.

    Volume 2, Chapter 4: The True Strength of the Seventh of the Seven. The Third Friday of March.


    March 15, 8:10 PM.


    Not much had happened on White Day for Haratani Yabumi. It was the day after, and he was casually walking aimlessly around the shopping district when some ill-bred older Skill-Out boys grabbed him by the nape of his neck and dragged him into a dark, damp back alley¡ªa very shounen manga-like bit of trouble. He was punched a few times, and then had his wallet and his cellphone, which doubled as a digital wallet, taken from him. If he didn¡¯t contact the service center soon, he would end up experiencing a disaster akin to having his credit card stolen.


    ¡°Okay. We don¡¯t want him getting his phone shut off, so how ¡®bout we tie him up to buy some time?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really? But the city¡¯s birds are brutal. If some meat that can¡¯t resist falls in front of them, they¡¯ll end up pecking at it.¡±


    ¡°Wallet phones sure are convenient. As long as you can get the number out of the guy, there¡¯s no credit limit.¡±


    Pyaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!? Why did I get a new phone with functions I¡¯ll never use just because the lady at the service center recommended iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttt!?


    It used to be that muggers would only take his wallet, let him go, and that was that. The conveniences of civilization could be horrible sometimes. Just by possessing them, the user¡¯s crisis experienced a major evolution.


    Haratani Yabumi, surrounded by five or six older boys, wondered how he was going to get out of this one.


    But then a voice suddenly rang out.


    ¡°You lack guts, mister. You aren¡¯t gonna satisfy anyone that way!!¡±


    Looking at the entrance of the alley, Haratani saw a figure striking a pose.


    The five or six boys turned towards the figure and remained silent for a second.


    *Bang!!*


    Before anyone knew who the figure was, one of the delinquents suddenly pulled out a handgun and fired it.


    The mysterious figure collapsed to the ground. The delinquent clicked his tongue in disinterest. Haratani¡¯s dissatisfaction with God leaked out from his heart.


    What kind of ridiculous turn of events was that!?


    ¡°Frwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!¡±


    The mysterious figure stood right back up. The whole thing took only around three seconds. Unsurprisingly, the figure standing right back up like a self-righting doll messed up the delinquents'' pace.


    Despite having clearly taken a shot right to his heart, he had the tension of someone who had stayed up all night and approached with heavy steps.


    ¡°You truly lack guts if you¡¯re willing to just shoot someone without warning. Or is it restraint? Is it restraint you lack? Well, overall I¡¯d say you¡¯re just a kid that throws a tantrum too easily!! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s sad that it¡¯s gotten so bad that you¡¯re in a position where the media can just say whatever it wants about you!?¡±


    The delinquent didn¡¯t understand what was going on at all, so he decided to shoot again. He continued to pull the trigger, but the figure only shook a bit instead of falling to the ground.


    Unsurprisingly, the boy was getting rather angry and he lowered his gaze to the gun in his hand once.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you die...?¡±


    ¡°Guts! It¡¯s about guts!!¡±


    ¡°There has to be more to it than that!?¡±


    ¡°If you insist on me telling you, I¡¯m also the seventh of the seven Academy City Level 5¡¯s known as Number Seven Sogiita Gunha, but that¡¯s just an insignificant detail. The issue here is about the overflowing guts burning within me!!¡±


    The mysterious guts guy naming himself Sogiita spread his arms wide, bent his back like a bow, and announced this to the heavens. Haratani didn¡¯t know how it worked, but an explosion of colorful red, blue, and yellow smoke appeared behind him.


    Haratani was completely dumbfounded.


    The delinquents gathered together a bit and started whispering amongst themselves.


    ¡°If he¡¯s the seventh of the seven, that means he¡¯s the weakest of the Level 5¡¯s, right?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like something Level 0¡¯s like us could handle.¡±


    The very Number Seven they were discussing could not remain silent.


    ¡°Non non!! I already told you! That whole Level 5 and Number Seven thing was all a boring digression!! What¡¯s important here is guts!! It¡¯s not too late! So just listen to m¡ªOw! Stop beating me with a bicycle chain lock and stabbing me with an ice pick! Ow ow ow ow! You all lack guts!!¡±


    It looked like a comedic scene, but about ten episodes worth of material for two hour-long suspense dramas was present in the storm of violence.


    And after it all, Sogiita Gunha simply wouldn¡¯t die. His assailants began to find this odd, although their attacking hands did not slow in the slightest.


    ¡°Daaarashaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡±


    Yelled the irritated Number Seven, forming an explosion centered around him. The villains were thrown off of their feet along with a special effects-like ''BOOOM!!''.


    ¡°You¡¯ve just been doing whatever you want this whole time!! I won¡¯t allow it anymore! I will now show you what true guts are!!¡±


    There was no real excuse for getting all worked up on his own like that, since his last attack had knocked the delinquents out cold. The fact that he threw in additional attacks made it a little unclear who the villain was. Haratani began calmly thinking that the delinquents were the ones that were going to have to show true guts to get out of this.


    Then...


    ¡°Heh. I suppose that¡¯s all that can be expected from small fries like them.¡±


    A new presence appeared from the darkness. Haratani heard footsteps as an urban monster born from the darkness of Academy City approached. A huge muscular human weapon of a man made his appearance. He looked like the kind of person who had passed through three countries with a foreign mercenary group on his way there.


    ¡°I am Yokosuka the Organ Crusher. It seems you were showing some love for my boys.¡±


    Lower middle class Haratani Yabumi thought that this man should be off plotting some master plan to overthrow the foundations of the world somewhere away from him instead of mugging people in back alleys, but the voice of Haratani¡¯s heart did not reach that muscular final boss.


    ¡°However, you¡¯ve stuck your nose where it doesn¡¯t belong. There is no repentance here. Now that you have stood before an anti-esper battle expert like me, Yokosuka-sama the Organ Crusher, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I farted!!¡±


    ¡°Wait, aggh! Stay quiet and listen to what people are saying!! So, um, fuck, where was I? Oh, right. Ahem. Now that you have stood before an anti-esper battle expert like me, Yokosuka-sama the Or¡ª¡±


    ¡°Amazing Puuunch!¡±


    ¡°I said listen to what people¡ªBgrh!?¡±


    Yokosuka-san the Organic Something-or-Other was trying to say something, but he suddenly rotated at high speed like a bamboo copter. There had been more than ten meters between Number Seven and Mr. Organic, but some kind of odd shockwave or psychokinesis had gotten a clean hit on him.


    ¡°Wait... cough... What... What was that...?¡±


    ¡°Hh hh hhhnnn. That was the true worth of Academy City¡¯s Number Seven. I create an unstable wall of psychokinesis in front of me and destroy it with a stimulus provided by my own fist. That causes it to send an explosive after-effect a long distance. It¡¯s my special move, and I call it Attack Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssshhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    He revealed this new fact with an explosion.


    But Haratani spoke up calmly.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think just applying a stimulus to a field of psychokinetic power would have that kind of reaction. My chosen field of study in the psychic power development curriculum is about that kind of thing, so I know a lot about it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The attacker and the attacked both held an awkward silence.


    Sogiita Gunha lowered his gaze to his clenched fist briefly.


    ¡°Then what did I do and how did I do it?¡±


    ¡°Heeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy!! What the hell!? What kind of half-assed way is that to treat your special move!? Think about how the people who were taken out by it feel!!¡±


    ¡°Amazing Puuunch!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the same as the first ti¡ªBrrhhfd!?¡±


    Yokosuka-san the Organic Whatever flew into the air spinning around.


    Haratani¡¯s shoulders drooped. He had been saved, but he wasn¡¯t happy about it at all.


    It seemed Mr. Organic would rather die than lose to someone who would look more at home at a festival, but the physical damage he had taken was real. He tried to stand up, but his legs were shaking uncontrollably.


    ¡°Kh. I-I would expect no less of Number Seven.¡±


    Mr. Organic didn¡¯t have the strength left to run away, much less fight.


    He must have known how this was going to end, because he looked up at Sogiita¡¯s face and spoke.


    ¡°...Just grant me one thing.¡± A genuine smile one wouldn¡¯t expect to see on a villain appeared on his face. ¡°At least finish this with some extraordinary attack¡ªnot something as boring-sounding as ''Amazing Punch''. Give me a genuine attack that almost sounds worth losing to.¡±


    Hearing that, Number Seven quietly nodded.


    He slowly clenched his fist, and...


    ¡°Amazing Puuunch!¡±


    ¡°I said not tha¡ªBibrchfsda!?¡±

 Volume 2, 5: What is it That the World Lacks? The First Friday of April.

    Volume 2, Chapter 5: What is it That the World Lacks? The First Friday of April.


    Brazil.


    Following China and India, it was the next country expected to have considerable economic growth, but that blessing was not yet shining upon all of the country. Even in the large city of Rio de Janeiro, the boundary between the poor and the wealthy was evident. This made it seem like there was an invisible line dividing people¡¯s lives.


    In that large Brazilian city, an Asian man was standing in an area that was dyed deeply in the color of shadows. He looked to be between his mid to late thirties, was of a reasonable height, and had a well-featured face. His appearance would have made him stand out in the country of his birth, but here he actually blended in.


    However, he wasn¡¯t exactly the kind of person you would feel the urge to approach.


    He looked like he had plenty of money, but looked nothing like a sightseer who didn¡¯t know what he was doing. He was the kind of good looking man who looked at home in the back alleys. No one knew what kind of trouble they would get caught up in if they approached him.


    ¡°Oh, miss. You¡¯ve got something nice there,¡± said the man addressing the darkness.


    No response came. However, there was an unmoving presence in the darkness. The sun did not reach that area much, but a human silhouette could be seen. A girl with a Latin face and light brown skin was standing there.


    The girl seemed fairly tense and she stared at the man.


    ¡°What do you want? Are you going to go so far as to steal a kid¡¯s money?¡±


    ¡°You have a gun in that handbag, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The man pointed and the girl gave a start. It was less that she moved and more that she tensed up further. The man didn¡¯t seem to mind and continued speaking almost as if he were humming.


    ¡°Oh, so not just a suicide. A double suicide. And the other person isn¡¯t a family member or a lover. It¡¯s someone you hate. Perhaps you¡¯re planning on killing a debt collector to help out your family.¡±


    ¡°...How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I have a very discerning eye.¡±


    The man pointed towards his right eye with his index finger and a mischievous expression came across his face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk. Unfortunately, now that I know what you¡¯re planning to do, I will be guilty of accessory to murder if I don¡¯t stop you. This conversation might end up being a good thing for you.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Nn...Misaka. Misaka Tabigake.¡±


    Now that the Asian man had given Misaka as his name, it was the girl¡¯s turn. She said her name was Ines. It may have been a fake name, but Misaka¡¯s instinct told him that wasn¡¯t likely. Simply put, Ines wasn¡¯t in the state of mind to even think of giving a fake name.


    ¡°Are you Japanese? What¡¯s your job? And do you have money?¡±


    ¡°My job is...Well, I guess you could say I¡¯m a consultant. I have no money. My job is to create money, not to save it up in the bank. I do receive rewards, but I leave the financial management to my wife. I have so little money to actually use that I¡¯m seriously considering putting an end to my drinking habit.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re useless.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so two little words and you¡¯re done with me? It¡¯s too soon to give up. Your conversation with me could give you a hint towards a way out of this situation you¡¯re stuck in. I know quite a few people who have broken out of problems in their lives like that.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°My job is to point out what the world lacks.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Simply put, I present possibilities for new businesses. If you manage to pull off the idea I present, you¡¯ll be the president of a company and rolling in a bed of money.¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous,¡± interrupted Ines.


    She looked around the area and pointed toward an area piled high with electronic waste.


    ¡°Trash is all there is here. There are plenty of things in Rio de Janeiro, but all we can touch is that. Understand? We can¡¯t afford to pay trash collectors, so it all just piles up. Even if there was a chance right in front of us, we would only be able to look on in envy.[1]That¡¯s the difference between the poor and the rich. The wealthy don¡¯t want anything to change, so they even take away any chances we might have.¡±


    ¡°Ah, an excuse. Excuses feel good, don¡¯t they? I¡¯d almost say they are the best entertainment there is. So you¡¯ve gone for one about circumstances created by the government or society, have you?¡±


    ¡°What do you know?¡± Ines could only become enraged. However, it was a silent rage. ¡°I¡¯m young and have no education. All I can do is clean car windows or something like that. How am I supposed to live off of small change like that? I can¡¯t even pay off the interest from the debts with that. It would be gone once I tipped the men who came to collect the debt.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t what I mean,¡± Misaka readily replied to her expression of resignation. ¡°There is a chance lying all around you. You just aren¡¯t seeing it. ...Oh, hey. Let me ask you one question. You don¡¯t think I¡¯m some saint overflowing with a virtuous volunteer spirit, do you? I have my own objective here, so don¡¯t worry. Think about it. I¡¯m not just going to say some useless things to you and then be satisfied with just that. I make sure to look after the people I use.¡±


    ¡°An objective? You¡¯re not saying I should make money by sleeping with you, are you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lovely offer, but I couldn¡¯t do that to my wife and at your age you remind me of my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Well, what else is there? What kind of chance could there be here? The area¡¯s nothing but a bunch of illegally dumped oversized trash! Don¡¯t fuck around with me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°To be completely honest, I received a request from a certain person. I was asked to do something about all the illegally dumped trash in Brazil, so I have to do something even if it is a pain-in-the-ass job.¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous. There¡¯s nothing you can do. Are you going to put up signs that say ¡°Don¡¯t Litter¡±? No one¡¯s going to obey them. The people dumping the trash aren¡¯t doing it because they want to. They all know it isn¡¯t right. The illegally dumped trash isn¡¯t going anywhere. We don¡¯t have the money to spare.¡±


    ¡°Is that really so?¡± Misaka smiled. ¡°As I told you, my job is to point out what the world lacks. This small slum filled with illegally dumped electronic trash and poverty is a type of world. What is it that world lacks? Okay, Ines-kun, raise your hand if you know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obvious,¡± Ines immediately responded with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s money.¡±


    ¡°Bingo!¡±


    ¡°...And that was when you met that Asian who called himself a consultant?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t really believe him at first, but I decided I should bet on the possibility that he was right. At the very least, it seemed better than running towards a mafia-like debt collector while carrying a handgun.¡±


    Ines was in the lounge of a high class hotel that was considered to be either the best or the second best in Rio de Janeiro. The writer with the recording equipment was dressed in a brand name suit, but Ines was dressed the same as ever. That said, no one was going to complain.


    The writer spoke.


    ¡°So you decided to go into the business of collecting all of the rare metals inside the electronic trash?¡±


    ¡°Everyone knew that there were tiny amounts of gold inside the ICs and LSIs. It was only because of how much of a pain it is to collect it all that no one did it. I just didn¡¯t have any other choice, so I did it. It¡¯s not because I was especially determined or anything.¡±


    At first, she hadn¡¯t had any tools or a place to work. She had actually broken open the plastic of the ICs by hand and patiently gathered up the tiny fibers of pure gold. When she had gotten a pile the size of a bento box, she was finally able to exchange it for paper money. She used that to develop machine tools in order to more efficiently collect the rare metals. That let her gather even more gold. It hadn¡¯t taken much time for this to continue until she had expanded enough for it to be called a business. It hadn¡¯t even been a year since then.


    ¡°It was fairly difficult to prepare an arm machine that could accurately pry open the covers of integrated circuits of various different sizes, but, once I realized it could use ultrasonic waves to calculate the size, it was pretty simple.¡±


    ¡°Ultrasonic waves...?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think that¡¯s an idea a kid who never went to school couldn¡¯t come up with? If you really want to learn, you can manage it somehow.¡±


    The boundary between poor and rich in Rio de Janeiro was a difficult thing to cross, but that also meant that, once you had a foundation, you could expect to have stable growth. Ines had used that system well.


    ¡°It seems that illegal dumping of trash has gone down by about 70% not just here in Rio de Janeiro but all over Brazil. And I heard that the Minister of the Environment is going to be giving you a public commendation soon.¡±


    ¡°The people wouldn¡¯t get paid if they didn¡¯t throw the trash away. People who are driven into a corner aren¡¯t going to listen to some moral speech about how people are fundamentally good. If you want to stop them, you have to tell them how they can make some money.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve changed the flow of the world by passing on the idea that trash can be made into money?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ines remained silent in response to that comment.


    She realized that this was what the man calling himself Misaka had been talking about.


    The world would change.


    As long as the people who would change it stood up, it was sure to.


    The important thing was to act.


    It was his job to give people the power they needed to do so.


    ¡°Next, we¡¯re going to use the funds we have to find a way to efficiently recycle plastic and metals like iron and copper. If we succeed in that, almost 100% of the electronic trash can be turned into usable resources.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I look forward to that. And I was just wanting to get on the topic of a bright future,¡± the writer said in an attempt to curry Ines¡¯s favor.


    Ines ignored her and suddenly recalled Misaka Tabigake¡¯s words.


    What is it that world lacks?


    Most likely, he was battling the world even now.


    He had said that was his job after all.


    [edit] References


    1. ¡ü She uses the Japanese phrase "yubi wo kuwaeru (Ö¸¤ò¤¯¤ï¤¨¤ë)" which is literally "to hold your finger in your mouth" but has the meaning of "to look on enviously while doing nothing".

 Volume 2, 6: Getting to the Heart of the Discussion at the Beauty Salon. The Fourth Friday of April.

    Volume 2, Chapter 6: Getting to the Heart of the Discussion at the Beauty Salon. The Fourth Friday of April.


    The chime linked to the automatic door sounded.


    ¡°Hm? Oh, a customer.¡±


    ¡°...Just put down that handheld game if you don¡¯t want me to give you some trauma to associate with the term ¡®customer service¡¯,¡± said the young lady with two brown pigtails, Shirai Kuroko, as she stared at the hairdresser and shop owner who showed no sign of wanting customers in his shop. A few young male staff members immediately came from the back of the shop and started bowing in apology to Shirai.


    She couldn¡¯t believe that it was only the workers who had only been there 3 months that were worried about the store, but she had to admit that the owner was skilled. Shirai entered one of the spaces that was partitioned off by hanging sheets much like in a school infirmary and sat down in what looked like the chair in a dentist¡¯s office.


    The unmotivated shop owner circled behind Shirai and removed the ribbons from her hair with his fingers that were much smoother than one would expect for a man.


    The owner, Sakashima Michibata, stroked at his goatee with one hand and spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten pretty hooked on using the irons lately and I want to try out the Ultra 14 Drill one, so how about it? Wanna try out a croissant? You can be pretty domineering, Shirai-chan, so I think high-class ringlet curls would look good on you.¡±


    ¡°My hair is naturally curly, so cut the crap and give me a straight perm in order to get it under control.¡±


    ¡°Umm...so an afro?¡±


    ¡°I said a straight perm!!¡± Shirai yelled eyes bulging when Sakashima started putting a hemispherical bowl-shaped device over her head.


    ¡°Fine, fine. You¡¯re no fun at all... Now then, to get your ends under control.¡±


    He pulled out a thin pair of scissors.


    ¡°You really must have it tough, Shirai-chan.¡±


    ¡°With what?¡±


    ¡°At a prestigious psychic power development school like Tokiwadai, you have to get a teacher¡¯s permission for the shop you choose to get your hair cut at, right? Although, since the school chose me as a designated shop, I get a lot of easy money out of it. It must feel pretty constrained having all those rules.¡±


    ¡°Well, complaining about it won¡¯t get you anywhere. You can get a basic genetic sample from hair and blood, and they don¡¯t want someone secretly collecting it and mapping someone¡¯s DNA.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    In his left hand, the owner held a number of different combs each with different sizes of gaps between the teeth. He looked up above his head at a large collection of cameras both large and small. The excessive number of cameras had been installed by Tokiwadai Middle School, not a security company.


    Sakashima Michibata grabbed a tuft of Shirai¡¯s hair between his fingers.


    ¡°Come to think of it, I heard that there¡¯s a new subsidy for research on developing Teleportation powers. Apparently, dealing with 11th dimensional coordinates is hard enough that it¡¯s pretty unpopular even with the scientists.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that. The 11th dimension mostly comes up in the quantum theories related to Schr?dinger. The higher ups just feel like there¡¯s a crisis because there aren¡¯t very many Teleportation espers. People use the term ¡®psychic powers¡¯ to refer to every kind of power, but there are some abilities that show up easily and some that don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the mysteries, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m pretty sure that all 1st graders go through the same Curriculum with no elective classes and yet it ends up splitting into different powers where some can produce fire, some can produce wind, and on and on.¡±


    As he chatted, Sakashima cut off about 5 millimeters from the tips of Shirai¡¯s hair. The blade was set at the optimum angle so that it did not destroy the cells and left a clean cut.


    ¡°Of course, I also wonder why they¡¯re developing these powers.¡±


    ¡°...Please don¡¯t deny Academy City the very root of its reason to exist.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I understand that it¡¯s an attractive prospect, but it makes me think there¡¯s some influential person behind it all who¡¯s dreaming of eternal life or world domination or something.¡± Michibata cracked his neck as he moved the scissors. ¡°I wonder if the text books on psychic powers for students like you talk about the uproar over developing psychic powers back during the cold war. The Americans and the Soviets invested ridiculous amounts of money in it as part of their childish antagonism with each other and...well, it all ended in a failure.¡±


    ¡°That was the Stargate Project, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you know about it!¡± Sakashima responded in an idiotic voice and Shirai sighed.


    ¡°We learned about it in history class. They had no idea what they were doing and repeated their large-scale experiments again and again even though they didn¡¯t even know whether the readings they were getting qualified as a success or a failure. In the end, it was just a bunch of scientists fumbling around and wasting federal funding.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Officially, the project was developing psychic powers for military use, but I wonder if that was really true. I think there was a more personal motive full of selfish feelings behind it. You know, someone with an extremely cheap wish to be ¡®special¡¯ or ¡®chosen¡¯.¡±


    Sakashima combed Shirai¡¯s hair and grabbed the next tuft of hair.


    (It pains me to admit it, but that doesn¡¯t feel bad.)


    ¡°...But what was all that about?¡±


    ¡°What was what all about?¡±


    ¡°The psychic power development during the cold war. I mean, it was Japan¡¯s Academy City that finally succeeded in actually developing them, right? So where did the Americans and the Soviets get their ¡®esper samples¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Well, they wouldn¡¯t get any funding if they had a 0% success rate, so maybe they were bluffing,¡± responded Shirai.


    ¡°But even now you see this kind of thing on TV. You know, like with former elite investigators taking on unresolved cases. I somehow doubt they¡¯re all fakes. At the very least, I don¡¯t think anyone would wish to create something like an esper in the first place if no one had ever witnessed one.¡±


    ¡°...Do you know about the alchemy fraud during the Middle Ages? The royalty and nobility all believed in alchemy because they thought they had witnessed it with their own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Bah. Sorry, but I¡¯m the kind of person that believes in alchemy, UFOs, or the New Jersey Devil.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Shirai¡¯s expression turned to one of shocked disbelief. It was the kind of expression she would have had if she had been told that a chain restaurant¡¯s hamburgers were made of earthworm meat.


    ¡°Then what are you saying? That some information on Academy City technology was leaked to the Americans and the Soviets during the cold war?¡±


    ¡°At the time, it would¡¯ve been the Soviets. Ah, but that¡¯s impossible. The scientific technology inside and outside Academy City is off by 20 or 30 years. Even if all of the information got out, it wouldn¡¯t have helped them much because they wouldn¡¯t have had the technology to break the advanced encryption. That would have been a difficult path to take.


    ¡°An ¡®outside¡¯ super computer from back then wouldn¡¯t have been powerful enough to run that handheld game I was playing.¡± Sakashima laughed. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have been able to read anything off of an Academy City disk, much less crack the encryption.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Shirai-chan, have you never heard of gemstones?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear. Have I upset you?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. Day in and day out, my power is studied by having stimuli applied to my brain through electrodes, drugs, and even hypnotic suggestion, so I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t bring that up.¡±


    ¡°I just see it as the difference between an artificial diamond and a natural one,¡± said Sakashima as he moved the scissors to her bangs. ¡°If a certain phenomenon has been caused artificially, then, as long as the same circumstances as in the experiment are recreated in the natural world due to some factor or another, the same phenomenon will occur with no help from humans. If you don¡¯t like the diamond example, how about a stun gun versus a bolt of lightning?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hypothesis,¡± responded Shirai in a bored-sounding voice. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like that, and, if it actually exists, the sample size would be extremely small. It would be regarded as an error in the data and wouldn¡¯t even show up in the total results.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Sakashima narrowed his eyes in a pleasant smile.


    He suddenly stopped moving the scissors and spoke to Shirai as if he was challenging her.


    ¡°Do you think that lightning strikes rather frequently?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although it is extremely rare for it to strike a specific person.¡±

 Volume 2, 7: Someone Behind the Scenes is Unprepared and has to Clean Up. The Second Friday of May.

    Volume 2, Chapter 7: Someone Behind the Scenes is Unprepared and has to Clean Up. The Second Friday of May.


    He had dropped in for a visit at the city of Milan and utterly destroyed a human trafficking organization.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I get that much.¡±


    The tall woman standing in the open front door, Silvia, stared at the man, Ollerus, with suspicious eyes.


    Or more accurately, she was staring at the area behind him.


    ¡°What is that behind you?¡±


    ¡°O-oh, well, you know. I was intending to go destroy their headquarters and then call it a day, but these kids just kept coming out. If I just left them, it was possible they could get captured by someone else, so what else are you saying I should have done?¡±


    ¡°So you brought them with you?¡±


    ¡°Uuh...¡±


    ¡°So you brought back almost a hundred kids like you¡¯re the Pied Piper of Hamelin?¡±


    Ollerus had no answer to Silvia¡¯s question and remained silent for a bit.


    Silvia sighed and closed the front door.


    ¡°No!! Wait, wait!! I have the best possible answer for you!! I¡¯m not saying we have to turn our apartment into a boarding school!! It just has to be until they can find foster parents!!¡±


    ¡°Throw them out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too cruel!! There¡¯s no way I can do that, you heartless woman!! Are you someone¡¯s animal-hating mother!? Reaching out a hand when someone is in need is the basic law of the world!!¡±


    ¡°You damn dust-covered ruined noble...If that was really how the world worked, things wouldn¡¯t be so haaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrdddddd!!¡±


    Silvia quickly swung the door open again hitting Ollerus who flew through the air like in a Hong Kong movie.


    Silvia stood angrily in the doorway with her hands on her hips.


    ¡°You can say all the self-important things you want, but how do you think we¡¯re going to feed all of them, hmm!? You¡¯re always making these promises you can¡¯t keep! Come here a second!! I think I¡¯ll tie you up with rope and make you straddle the dog house!! Since you don¡¯t seem to know what it means to anger Bonne Dame Silvia, I need to carve it into your body!!¡±


    ¡°Higyaaaaaaaahhhhhh!? Is this a wooden horse that can easily be made in the house!?¡±


    And like that, Ollerus was being split down the groin in the yard in front of the apartment. Silvia didn¡¯t seem to be able to just leave the almost 100 children out there, so she invited them inside the apartment building.


    Once Silvia and the large group of children had disappeared into the building, one small child approached Ollerus who was still on top of the dog house near the entrance.


    ¡°I want to repay you for what you did for me,¡± said the little girl.


    ¡°Heh...heh heh heh. I didn¡¯t save all of you because I wanted anything in return.¡±


    The girl stared at Ollerus as he straddled the dog house.


    ¡°...Is everything fine now?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t,¡± responded Ollerus plainly. ¡°In the end, it was all meaningless.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°I am glad you adore me, but I didn¡¯t really do anything. Chaining those human traffickers up and making them do manual labor is no different than what they did. That isn¡¯t what I want.¡±


    ¡°But I still want to repay you.¡±


    ¡°If you truly think that, then bring yourself happiness with your own power.¡±


    The dog house dug into Ollerus¡¯s crotch, but his expression was a very serious one.


    ¡°I saved you even though it meant I had to face Silvia¡¯s wrath, so of course I want you to be happy. In fact, it doesn¡¯t make sense for me to wish for anything else.¡±


    Even so, she wanted to repay him for his kindness.


    She just didn¡¯t feel right being in someone¡¯s debt like that.


    In order to find out what she could do to make Ollerus happy, she first needed to know more about him.


    The girl next went to Silvia. Silvia was bowing in apology to the apartment¡¯s landlord and wondering how she was going to cook enough food for 100 people and whether there were enough blankets and space for them to sleep in. She responded to the girl¡¯s question.


    ¡°He is the man who should have been a majin.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the god of the demon world[1]; I¡¯m talking about the person who completely masters magic and steps foot into the domain of God. That¡¯s what I mean by a Magic God.¡±


    Silvia spoke slowly.


    ¡°A normal human is likely to die from reading a great number of grimoire originals, but the power he would have wielded as a Magic God is so special it would have been an even greater problem. Even if you have the needed knowledge, it¡¯s meaningless if you don¡¯t have the energy needed to implement it. In the end, he uses the theory of Hlieskj¨¢lf to purify life force so that it transforms into a special magical power. This just barely allows him to survive the process.


    ¡°If there were someone who used the power of a Magic God with only normal magical power, they would be a genuine monster,¡± added Silvia. The girl got the impression that she had been given a simplified explanation, but she still didn¡¯t understand what any of it had meant. Silvia looked at the girl¡¯s face and sighed.


    ¡°Basically, it¡¯s like the kind of job that everyone dreams of having. Think of it as being a major leaguer or a player in the World Cup.¡±


    ¡°...You said he should have been one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, just listen to what that dumbass did.¡± Silvia spat the words out like they disgusted her. ¡°It was the kind of chance that only comes once in 10,000 years. If he let it go, no one knew when it would come again. And guess what he did. No, he wasn¡¯t even saving someone. He let that chance slip through his fingers while he ran around town looking for an animal hospital for an injured kitten.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He should have just become a Magic God, but he half-assed it and failed and now he keeps getting wrapped up in all sorts of problems. ...Not to mention that he¡¯s an idiot. Although I suppose some people would call it being sentimental. He isn¡¯t perfect. Even now, he sometimes remembers that time and cries late into the night.¡±


    Silvia sighed yet again.


    Then she continued speaking.


    ¡°But you know what he says about it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He says that he¡¯s always regretted it and if he was in the situation again, there¡¯s no guarantee he would do the same thing again. However, he still says that he truly thought that was the best thing to do at the time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just who he is. He¡¯s an idiot to the core. And whenever I look at that idiot, I get the idiotic idea that I should protect him. Thanks to that, I haven¡¯t gone back to England and just stay here.¡±


    After managing to procure enough blankets for 100 people and getting the children wrapped up in them and asleep, the giant mass of exhaustion that was Silvia lay sprawled out on the table as if she had been crushed. She then uttered the magic words.


    ¡°...I¡¯m going to give you a taste of the horror of lacquer after this.¡±


    ¡°Ee!? Having my crotch crushed by the wooden horse isn¡¯t fun, but a hell of itching isn¡¯t great either!¡±


    ¡°Well, you just have to bear with it until we can pass them on to a local church. ...That¡¯ll take a week tops, right? It¡¯s going to be tough, but it¡¯s a good chance to discipline your heart.¡±


    ¡°Wah!! You mean I have to keep it on the entire time!?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I assume they were marked?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they matched with the list. It was only a few of them, but that human trafficking organization seemed to have dealt with people that had certain idiosyncrasies.¡±


    ¡°...So it¡¯s been verified?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Ollerus as he stretched. ¡°It looks like I¡¯m going to be busy again.¡±


    The little girl had said she wanted to repay him.


    But time wasn¡¯t going to wait around so she could.


    The man who should have become a Magic God left the city that very day and did not return.


    [edit] References


    1. ¡ü The Japanese word "majin" can either mean "Magic God" or "Demon God".

 Volume 2, 8: A Kunoichi is Someone who Appears Unexpectedly. The Fourth Friday of May.

    Volume 2, Chapter 8: A Kunoichi is Someone who Appears Unexpectedly. The Fourth Friday of May.


    (Dammit, Komaba. Why get so fucking serious and say that I would replace him as the leader of Skill-Out if anything happened to him?)


    Hamazura Shiage, an Academy City delinquent, was in the middle of his usual battle with the keyhole on a sports car¡¯s door using a number of wires.


    ¡°...Hamazura-shi.¡±


    Upon suddenly hearing a female voice, Hamazura stopped working and looked around. However, he saw no one in the area of the parking lot the sports car was parked in.


    He decided he must have been hearing things and started moving the wires again.


    ¡°...Hamazura-shi.¡±


    (What!? Is there some strange fountain spirit here or something!? Is water going to come pouring out of a nearby manhole and I¡¯ll be asked whether it was a gold sports car or a silver sports car that I dropped in the fountain?)


    ¡°Hamazura-shi!!¡±


    Suddenly, a mysterious figure popped out from beneath the sports car like a mechanic.


    ¡°F-fwa!? I dropped a normal sports car!! Ah, wait!! I didn¡¯t drop anything at all, so that isn¡¯t being honest either!!¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    The mysterious figure slid out from under the car with its head tilted to the side in puzzlement.


    It was a girl.


    She may have been wearing a yukata, but she was not a Yamato Nadeshiko at all. While her hair was black, there was some brown in it around the bangs. She also had ornate hairpins of various colors with beads on them in her hair and glittering nail art on both hands. She had a lace glove on one arm. What she wore on her feet were more like a type of sandals than geta and thin straps stretched up to around her knees. For some reason, she had what looked like a metal shackle around one ankle.


    The bright yellow mini-yukata she was wearing would make an old strictly-traditional artisan do a spit-take. Her dazzling thighs were completely bared and the left arm was sleeveless up to the shoulder for some reason. The wide obi was made of a transparent material and the yukata itself bared her midriff to match. She had two thin leather belts wrapped around over the obi and, on top of all that, she used a long chain as a decoration.


    To a delinquent that had no choice but to wear a collection of cheap clothes like Hamazura Shiage, it seemed a waste that such high quality materials had been used for that yukata.


    (...Wow, I¡¯m surprised I have enough of a Japanese heart left for this to piss me off.)


    Hamazura was surprised that his Japanese heart would appear in a negative way like that, as it usually only showed up during the Olympics or the World Cup.


    However, this was hardly the time for love of his country to awaken within him.


    ¡°You¡¯re Kuruwa-chan, right? If you¡¯re looking for Hanzou, I haven¡¯t seen him either.¡±


    ¡°Kh, so he has forestalled me. But if you do not know of Hanzou-sama¡¯s whereabouts, where is he...?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her manner of speech was as odd as her outfit.


    (Well, she¡¯s got a nice rack and that¡¯s what matters.)


    In actuality, Hamazura didn¡¯t know very much about the girl known as Kuruwa. Apparently, she used to be a friend of Hanzou¡¯s who he would rather not have had who hung around with him a lot. Hamazura¡¯s first time seeing her had been only a week before, when he and Hanzou were forcing open the door to a safe they had stolen and Kuruwa came by looking for Hanzou.


    It seemed Hanzou was avoiding Kuruwa and she was coming to Hamazura and Komaba Ritoku now that she had lost his trail.


    (Dammit, Hanzou. Why avoid someone with tits like that?)


    Hamazura stared at the bulges pushing up on the front of the thin summer yukata and gave a slight groan. However, Kuruwa¡¯s excessively modified yukata looked more like a kunoichi¡¯s outfit than a type of kimono.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    That was when Hamazura had a thought.


    A kunoichi.


    A female ninja.


    A ninja chasing after Hanzou.


    Hanzou.


    ¡°Ah hah hah. Hattori Hanzou! Just kidding.¡± Hamazura muttered without really thinking. ¡°Ha ha, yeah right. Hattori Hanzou? Damn, I¡¯m an idiot.¡± He resumed working on unlocking the sports car.


    ¡°I-I-I-I-I-I must...I must eliminate Hamazura-shiiiiiii!?¡±


    ¡°Gwebh!? What kind of obvious foreshadowing is that? And that¡¯s a pretty stupid reaction for a ninja!! ...W-wait, is that really true? Is Hanzou the surviving descendant of a near future-like Shinobi Soldier!?¡±


    From Kuruwa¡¯s flustered reaction, he seemed to be on the right track and an odd image came to his mind.


    (The descendant of a ninja? Don¡¯t tell me he uses mysterious ninja techniques or something...)


    ¡°Wait? But then why is he being pursued by a kunoichi?¡±


    ¡°Uuh!?¡±


    ¡°If Hanzou is from the Hattori family, then what group do you belong to, Kuruwa-chan?¡±


    ¡°Uuuhhh!?¡±


    ¡°The term Hattori Hanzou brings an ultra important person to mind, so is there some a conspiracy involving some ninja faction that¡¯s going to plunge Hanzou into some kind of miracle battle!?¡±


    Hamazura snapped his fingers while he imagined the crisis his friend could be in.


    Sweat was dripping from all over Kuruwa¡¯s body and her gaze shook.


    ¡°...If you know that much, I truly cannot let you return alive!!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me!! The conspiracies in your world are pretty cheap!!¡±


    Hamazura buried his head in his hands, but Kuruwa seemed to truly be at her wit¡¯s end. Hamazura started wondering if he should give up on the sports car and run for it when Kuruwa pulled a black piece of metal from within the right sleeve that was so long only her fingertips stuck out of it.


    The kunoichi girl spoke confidently.


    ¡°Tah-dah, it¡¯s a handgun!! Prepare yourself, Hamazura-shiiiiiiiiiii!!¡±


    ¡°Ehh...?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what kind of unmotivated reaction was that!? This is serious!! C¡¯mon, don¡¯t close the door to your heart! Come a little closer!!¡±


    ¡°But...is it really okay for a ninja to use a handgun?¡±


    Hamazura was assaulted by an absurd sense of disappointment and the modern kunoichi girl must have felt some guilt because she started hurriedly explaining herself.


    ¡°A ninja is always armed with the latest equipment! So it¡¯s fine!! The ninjas who fought from the Warring States period into the Edo period used arquebuses camouflaged as staffs and inro!! So it¡¯s perfectly fiiiiine!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I don¡¯t care about what you know about how it worked historically. Just don¡¯t destroy people¡¯s dreams!! I want to see you split into multiple versions of yourself in a puff of smoke!! I give up! And yes, I know I¡¯m the idiot for having weird misconceptions!! Just let me go over by the river and cry!!¡±


    ¡°W-wait! Please wait!! Ahh, don¡¯t run away with such a sorrowful look in your eyes!!¡±


    The atmosphere between Hamazura and Kuruwa was like that of a husband and wife hugging just before they got divorced.


    (Tch. I thought I could get away like that.) was what Hamazura thought on the inside.


    Kuruwa didn¡¯t seem to have realized Hamazura¡¯s ulterior motive and she had completely forgotten about searching for Hanzou.


    ¡°O-o-o-okay! I¡¯ll show you! Onee-san is going to show you a ninja technique now!!¡±


    ¡°...Ehh? Quit making shit up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious!! I¡¯m going to show you a true ninja technique!! O-oh, you really are lucky, Hamazura-shi. A chance like this doesn¡¯t come along often!!¡± Kuruwa¡¯s expression was the half-smile and partially tear-filled eyes that were characteristic of someone driven into a corner. Hamazura was a little interested at the idea of seeing a real ninja technique and he entered a back alley when Kuruwa invited him in with a waving hand.


    ¡°Oh, so I take it you can¡¯t let your secret ninja technique be seen in public.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s that, but it¡¯s also embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡±


    He heard the sound of sliding cloth.


    And before him, he saw...


    ¡°Eh? W-wait!? What the hell are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°But, Hamazura-shi, you said you wanted to see a kunoichi technique.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t what I said I wanted to see!! But, wait, you¡¯ll show me? You idiot, you¡¯re really going to show that to me!? Gwaah! Daddy isn¡¯t going to let this go any further! Wait, why are you twisting your hips like that!?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? I just move this part like this and then...¡±


    ¡°Fwaaaahh!? Ah! This...this is...!! What, at that angle!? I can see but I can¡¯t see but I...geblch...fwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?¡±


    ¡°Ah hah, an opening ¡î!¡±


    By the time Hamazura realized something was wrong, it was too late.


    With the thick sound of an impact, Hamazura Shiage collapsed to the ground.

 Volume 2, 10: Would You Accept or Decline an Invitation for the Night? The First Friday of July.

    Volume 2, Chapter 10: Would You Accept or Decline an Invitation for the Night? The First Friday of July.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s due to the Foehn phenomenon or El Ni?o or what, but nights in summertime London are just so damn hot and humid it feels like I¡¯m gonna die.¡±


    ¡°...You need to watch how you speak, Tanaka-kun.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s still too fucking hot.¡±


    Kamijou Touya listened wearily to the words of the new employee who looked like the only effort towards professionalism he took was to take out his piercings.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that said you wanted to go for a drink after we finished with our work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and we¡¯ve been wandering from place to place cause you keep whining about every bar that has women in it, Kamijou-san.¡±


    ¡°...Have you thought at all about the fact that I¡¯m married? Or are you trying to destroy my relationship, you damn bachelor.¡±


    ¡°Keh. How can you say that after you run into a school girl with wavy blonde hair walking around a corner and then lead a blind nun with ringlet curls by holding hands only to trip and dive straight into her tits? And what was with that girl yesterday? Even if it¡¯s July, that wasn¡¯t very much clothing.¡±


    ¡°Well, that girl was wandering around near the train station, so I called out to her thinking she might be lost. I wonder what was with her.¡±


    Tanaka wasn¡¯t listening to what Touya was muttering. Basically, what he was saying would only infuriate a bachelor. Tanaka couldn¡¯t believe that someone like Touya had such a young and beautiful wife.


    ¡°I need a drink because it¡¯s so fucking hot, but finding a bar is just making me even hotter.¡±


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s just go to the next place we find.¡±


    ¡°Well, it at least has to be somewhere we can sit down.¡±


    The two set off with that vague objective, but the bar they ended up entering as if they were sleepwalking had a surprisingly delicious dark colored local beer. They chugged down the beer with some fried fish and, before they knew it, some drunk was talking to them.


    ¡°Yeah and they were saying not to cut down the trees because it was bad for the earth. But those people won¡¯t get paid and can¡¯t support their families if they don¡¯t cut ¡®em down. Like hell those people are gonna listen to some ecological moral speech. People do things because of greed! It¡¯s greed! So to protect the environment, you have to make a way that those people can support their families without cutting down the trees! Those dumbasses just don¡¯t understand!!¡±


    ¡°...Um, who are you?¡±


    ¡°Hm?? Misaka. Misaka Tabigake. Ah, fried foods are all about the flavor. Yeah, it¡¯s more of a kid¡¯s kinda flavor, but damn it¡¯s good!¡±


    Misaka-san introduced himself and then stuck his fork in someone else¡¯s fried fish. He looked like the kind of dandy gentleman who would normally be in a high-class black-colored car, but apparently the alcohol in the local beer had done quite a number on him.


    ¡°And I¡¯m Japanese! We¡¯re the people who are always yelling to cut down the trees so we can build the wooden houses we love so much! How the hell am I supposed to go up to the workers in the Amazon and tell them they¡¯re wrong!? Quit yelling at me about global warming! Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re better ¡®an me when you don¡¯t even change the setting of your air conditioner, much less turn it off altogether! If you don¡¯t like it, find a way to protect everyone while raising your precious trees!!¡±


    ¡°U-um, Kamijou-senpai? What¡¯s with this drunk?¡±


    ¡°...By the way, what jobs do you two have?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we work in the counter measure group that prevents purchases for our company.¡±


    ¡°Ah, what? You¡¯re the company president!? Hey, wait a second, I¡¯m a person that points out what the world lacks. Anyway, the Amazon is a bit hot right now, so will you listen to me?¡±


    Misaka-san kept going on like that and a sigh came from a table farther back. Touya looked back wondering if they were being too much of a disturbance. He saw a blonde-haired blue-eyed lady wearing a tight suit. He didn¡¯t know if it was intentional, but the way she was drinking alone in the dim lighting and her weary expression made her seem to have a pink glow.


    Suddenly, Tanaka turned his attention away from Misaka-san and his back straightened.


    (Oh, no. I know what that reaction means.)


    Tanaka spoke before Touya could do anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna talk to her! I¡¯m totally gonna do it!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. You¡¯ll be shot down in 2 seconds.¡±


    Touya started laughing, but then Misaka-san suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°No, he should be fine with her.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    Touya looked at Misaka-san¡¯s face in wonder and Misaka-san responded with no interest on his face.


    ¡°After all, she looks like a whore.¡±


    Touya and Tanaka simultaneously did a spit-take. Touya pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the odd sweat that had suddenly appeared on his face.


    ¡°W-well, I suppose you could say he¡¯d be fine, but that also makes it not fine at all. The law is pretty clear here!¡±


    ¡°But this isn¡¯t Japan.¡±


    Touya realized he was right.


    That was when Tanaka put on a gentlemanly expression, filled his chest with determination, and stood up.


    ¡°I win.¡±


    ¡°You win what!?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh. Kamijou-san, as a married man, you can¡¯t do anything here! But for a bachelor who doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend, it¡¯s a different story!! I have the complete victory here!! Ha ha ha. Damn, this feels good! I¡¯m gonna get back at you for showing off that young beautiful wife of yours!!¡±


    After shouting that, the new employee dashed for the table in the back. The young beauty looked at the approaching Asian with suspicious eyes and he got right down to the topic at hand without so much as a greeting.


    ¡°How much!?¡± he said in English.


    Immediately, the blonde-haired blue-eyed woman with a nice body formed a fist while still sitting in her chair and swung it directly forwards. With a thick noise, her fist sunk into Tanaka¡¯s crotch. He doubled over on the ground. Touya and Misaka-san covered their faces and Tanaka crawled back to them because he couldn¡¯t get up and walk.


    Tanaka then yelled at Misaka-san.


    ¡°Sh-she was just an OL, you drunk!!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Odd, I was sure she was a whore,¡± said Misaka-san carelessly and the young beauty glared at him. Apparently she understood Japanese.


    For some reason, Touya started bowing down in apology. He felt a cold sweat coming on and drank another beer.


    ¡°Ordinary corporate warriors like us shouldn¡¯t be having these kinds of adventures.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Tanaka responded.


    ¡°Talking to a prostitute in a rundown bar in a stylish city like London seems pretty dangerous to me. Not even the protagonist of a manga that¡¯s always getting in trouble would do something as dangerous as this. It¡¯s like stepping out on a suspension bridge when the ropes are about to snap.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Do you guys know about gemstones? It¡¯s a different system from Academy City.¡±


    Touya continued speaking instead of paying any heed to the drunk.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be sticking our heads in places that could end up being a lot of trouble. Doing things we aren¡¯t used to is just asking for something to go wrong. You don¡¯t want to get wrapped up in all sorts of trouble, do you? Just look at my son. That¡¯s no laughing matter. It¡¯s quite scary really.¡±


    ¡°But I want to meet someone and that isn¡¯t going to happen if I don¡¯t have a bit of an adventure.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to make a gamble. You¡¯re young, so you can wait to meet someone in an ordinary way.¡±


    ¡°But meeting a beauty is out of the ordinary in itself. I¡¯m betting you did something to get where you are! It makes me want to punch you.¡±


    Touya laughed and then felt a sudden tug on his sleeve. He looked over and saw a thinly-dressed girl in her late teens. She stared Touya in the eye without speaking.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the lost girl that was wandering around the station the other day when you were gone. I called out...to her...and...¡±


    Touya trailed off.


    He wasn¡¯t looking at the girl¡¯s oddly sexy face or the feminine body lines that could clearly be seen through the thin material of her clothes. He was looking towards the mysterious girl¡¯s right hand.


    There was something shining around her thin wrist.


    It was neither a watch nor a bracelet.


    It was a pair of handcuffs.


    The other end of the handcuffs was connected to the handle of a tough-looking attach¨¦ case she was holding in her other hand.


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Misaka-san who had been left alone and he pointed at her. ¡°A gemstone. You don¡¯t see that every day.¡±


    He uttered that mysterious word.


    Touya had a bad feeling about what was to come and then the door to the bar was kicked in.


    A mysterious group of men dressed in black entered.


    However, those men were not the most dangerous ones.


    With an amazing noise, the girl took out the entire group of men in one blow.


    ¡°Patrons of this bar that has become an area of danger,¡± calmly spoke the girl in her late teens without turning around. ¡°I seem to have gotten you involved in a worrisome problem, but do not fear. I will ensure that you survive.¡±


    Kamijou Touya didn¡¯t stick around to listen to what she said.


    He disappeared through the bar¡¯s back door at Mach speed. This was one of his management strategies as a global corporate warrior who had visited areas of strife in South America. His survival instincts were nothing to laugh at. He was arguing with Tanaka-kun as they ran away together.


    ¡°See!? It¡¯s exactly like I said! Ordinary corporate warriors like us shouldn¡¯t try to go beyond our limits! I told you it was dangerous to go for things that are out of the ordinary!!¡±


    ¡°But, Kamijou-san, you were the one that ultimately brought in the trouble! This is why I thought being with you was dangerous! Your wife would cry if she knew about all the delicious trouble you get wrapped up in everywhere you go!!¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe none of this had to do with that girl and that OL you talked to was the daughter of that mysterious group¡¯s boss!¡±


    ¡°If that were the case, it¡¯s possible this could still play out as a lovely romantic comedy, but look! That girl came with us.¡±


    ¡°Damn! So she was definitely the cause!?¡±


    Looking behind him, he saw the mysterious girl with handcuffs and attach¨¦ case.


    Those corporate warriors continued to get wrapped up in more and more trouble and, in the end, they faked their deaths by blowing up an unmanned Cessna airplane as it flew through the air. However, they had something to say before the story moved that far along.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!! If we work together, we¡¯ll make it through somehow!!¡±


    ¡°No! There¡¯s no real way we can win this!!¡±


    ¡°Ha ha ha. You¡¯re not with your mommy anymore kid!!¡±


    ¡°No! How can you take this so lightly!?¡±


    And like that the exciting London night wore on.

 Volume 2, 11: Every Field has Exceptions. The Second Friday of July.

    Volume 2, Chapter 11: Every Field has Exceptions. The Second Friday of July.


    A girl was taking a nap in the cafeteria after the lunch break was over and everyone should have left.


    ¡°Hey. Hey you. You¡¯re fairly conspicuous there.¡±


    A male teacher who had happened by yelled at her, but the girl wearing a white short-sleeved sailor uniform did not respond. She had lined up 3 or 4 of the cafeteria chairs and was lying sprawled out on top of them.


    Once she had confirmed that the teacher wasn¡¯t going to just leave, the girl finally drowsily turned her gaze towards him.


    ¡°...The infirmary beds are the best, but you get kicked out of there right away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking the life of a student lightly, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. In fact, I love this life.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you probably are enjoying what you¡¯re doing, but the life of a student isn¡¯t one of pure enjoyment. What year are you and what class are you in? I¡¯m going to go call your homeroom tea¡ª¡±


    The male teacher¡¯s words were cut off by his phone ringing. He looked annoyed and hit the talk button, but his back straightened at the first word he heard.


    ¡°Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I will check on it immediately,¡± he said politely and then hung up.


    The girl spoke in an uninterested fashion with her expression still one of drowsiness.


    ¡°It seems you have some urgent business.¡±


    ¡°Damn it. I¡¯ll be calling in another teacher to deal with you. Someone¡¯ll be here right away!¡±


    The male teacher left the cafeteria sounding like he had lost but was unwilling to admit it. When the girl told him not to run in the hallway, she received a shout of anger in response.


    (Looks like he was at his wit¡¯s end.)


    The girl checked that no one was in the cafeteria and then reached up to the handheld terminal on the table while still lying in the chairs.


    The line was already connected.


    The girl yawned slightly and spoke towards the terminal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started, old man.¡±


    ¡°Get what started?¡±


    ¡°Our dangerous conversation.¡±


    The girl¡¯s name was Kumokawa Seria.


    And the old man on the other end of the handheld terminal was Kaizumi Tsugutoshi.


    ¡°I hear things have been getting noisy ¡®outside¡¯ recently,¡± she said, getting down to business.


    ¡°As usual, it¡¯s a complete mystery where you get your information from. ...I assume you¡¯re talking about the gemstones?¡±


    ¡°You should be glad that your ¡®brain¡¯ is so excellent.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well you ruin it by digressing so much.¡± Kaizumi sighed in a manner that he would never show his secretaries or other subordinates and continued. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°We should leave it be. They can¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°...Do you really think there¡¯s an idiot out there who would accept that kind of report?¡±


    ¡°Sigh. You¡¯re quite the petit bourgeois, aren¡¯t you?¡± Kumokawa tapped her temple with her fingers while still lying on the chairs. ¡°What if one of the 12 members of the Board of Directors, one of the leaders of Academy City, was to write that report? If you just stared them down, you could suppress any complaints those around you would have.¡±


    ¡°Bureaucracy isn¡¯t that easy.¡±


    ¡°As bureaucratic positions go, you have a pretty major one, you know.¡±


    As Kumokawa spoke, she reached up to a convenience store bag sitting on the table. In it was a dessert-like sandwich with whipped cream and fruit in it.


    ¡°Fine, then. I¡¯ll think about this seriously.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak with food in your mouth.¡±


    ¡°About those gemstones,¡± continued Kumokawa lying down with her mouth full of sandwich. ¡°It¡¯s true that the creation of the list is a little late. Because of this, America and Russia have gotten wind that Academy City is making it. Instead of cooperating, they have started making lists for themselves. At this rate, they might even get in the way of our work.¡±


    ¡°...If you knew that, how did you end up with ¡®We should leave it be. They can¡¯t do anything.¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished,¡± said Kumokawa bluntly. ¡°Am I correct in assuming that our current issue is finding a way to efficiently ¡®eliminate¡¯ the problem presented by the gemstones scattered around the world?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And what you all are worried about is other organizations acquiring and analyzing these gemstones and then creating their own psychic power development institutions?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then it isn¡¯t a problem. Right now, American and Russia are the ones on the move. Heh heh. They failed during the cold war and they still haven¡¯t given up that dream. However, they can¡¯t complete the research. No matter how many samples they gather up, they don¡¯t even have a way of knowing what the data means.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± a slightly puzzled Kaizumi asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about Russia¡¯s research. The ¡®esper¡¯ they claim to have created through a crystallization of all their greatest technology is someone who activates his special power by fervently praying to Mary. ...Well, I¡¯m not really trying to deny religion, but that kind of focus on the spirit will only get you so far. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say? Why did they establish a ¡®scientific¡¯ research institution? They can¡¯t distinguish between what is miraculous and what is not. They don¡¯t even know what kind of miraculous thing they¡¯re searching for. If they just treat everything miraculous as the same, they¡¯ll never catch up to us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Anyone can eventually catch up to a type of human skill, but someone that doesn¡¯t even know what path to go down can¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Kumokawa Seria¡¯s expression was one of boredom.


    Her drowsiness was leaving bit by bit as if she was sipping on some unpleasant tea.


    ¡°Are you still not willing to accept it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. You have no proof.¡±


    ¡°Then you just have to prepare the proof yourself.¡± Kumokawa¡¯s words were as blunt as ever. ¡°There have been any number of institutions claiming to be developing psychic powers, but gemstones are actually quite rare. There are probably only 50 of them in the entire world. Unlike the strange scientists, you can¡¯t find gemstones just anywhere. Which group do you think would be easier to take care of: the irregulars who wouldn¡¯t even fill 2 classrooms or the eccentrics who are crawling around everywhere like bugs?¡±


    ¡°...So that¡¯s your conclusion.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary, but, if you really won¡¯t accept my view, it¡¯s the only option. Just bear with the extra paperwork. That¡¯s all I¡¯m going to tell you as your brain.¡±


    There was a short period of silence.


    Finally, Kaizumi spoke.


    ¡°What exactly is a gemstone?¡±


    ¡°That question is one only someone influenced by Academy City science would ask. You¡¯ve always assumed that espers could only be created here.¡±


    ¡°No, I understand the theory behind it.¡±


    It seemed Kaizumi was choosing his words carefully. However, the very fact that Kumokawa had picked up on that meant he had failed. Because he had employed the use of her as his brain, he didn¡¯t need to act smart around her.


    ¡°I know that, if what Academy City creates are artificial diamonds, then gemstones are natural diamonds created when the exact same circumstances are recreated in the natural world. Given that, what is a gemstone?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We have a few here in Academy City. Deep Blood and Imagine Breaker for example. ...But they just don¡¯t seem like proper powers. It feels like those powers lie in a different direction than the easily displayed powers that create fire or electricity or something.¡±


    ¡°Heh. It seems idiots worry about idiotic things,¡± responded Kumokawa. ¡°If we add in Academy City¡¯s Number 7 that you wanted an explanation for, it seems that¡¯s a special characteristic of theirs. It isn¡¯t that they¡¯re powerful; they¡¯re just rare. But that alone gives them value to us.¡±


    (But the obvious problem with espers that are useful because they¡¯re rare is that there aren¡¯t very many of them,) Kumokawa added silently.


    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I should tell you as your brain.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best if you don¡¯t put Imagine Breaker in the category of gemstones. I don¡¯t know the details, but he¡¯s probably something...much more interesting than we think.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kaizumi Tsugutoshi remained silent for a short bit.


    His brain had said there was something she didn¡¯t know. He thought about what that meant before speaking again.


    ¡°...You sound like you¡¯re enjoying yourself.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Thinking is my job.¡±


    Let us move the stage to after school. A boy with spiky black hair was walking with a large number of other students as they headed to their club activities or out to have some fun.


    However, that boy had the misfortune of having the sprinkler malfunction in a way that caused it to spray him and him alone directly on the head. When the one-person shower came down on the boy¡¯s head like a theater spotlight, he yelled out in surprise.


    ¡°Fbaahh!?¡±


    That was when a girl in a white short-sleeved sailor uniform showed up.


    She came over next to the boy with the wet spiky hair and just laughed at him without lending him a towel or a handkerchief or anything.


    ¡°The most meaningless things always happen to you, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°...Shut up. It¡¯s just my usual misfortune.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how that misfortune works. If you looked into it, you might be able to find an interesting set of rules behind it.¡±


    ¡°You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself, senpai.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am. It¡¯s because of things like this that I love this life so much.¡±


    She giggled and then continued speaking.


    ¡°This school is overflowing with exciting things.¡±

 Volume 2, 12: A Debate Between a Sniper and a Bomber. The Fourth Friday of July.

    Volume 2, Chapter 12: A Debate Between a Sniper and a Bomber. The Fourth Friday of July.


    This occurred three days prior.


    ¡°Sniping is so old fashioned,¡± came a voice to the front.


    ¡°...¡±


    As a man who earned his living expenses by being hired as a sniper, Sunazara Chimitsu was at a loss for words. However, the woman in front of him continued speaking as he cleaned out the slight bit of soot that had gathered inside his gun.


    ¡°Actually, doesn¡¯t sniping have a lot of pointless things in it? Whether it¡¯s 5 mm or 7 mm, aiming for someone¡¯s head or chest with such a small bullet is just pointless. Just a little bit of wind and the bullet¡¯s trajectory is off, the target just has to sneeze and you¡¯ve failed, and, if they¡¯re wearing any bulletproof equipment, you might not kill them in one shot. That all just makes it pointless.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was a tall woman. She was even taller than Sunazara, who was solidly built himself. She was also thin. She might even have been thin enough to be said to have a model¡¯s figure. She was a beautiful woman with a well-featured face, but she wasn¡¯t fit for this job. She was so beautiful that it harmed her ability to hide herself.


    There was more to hiding oneself than putting on camouflage and hiding in the jungle.


    For example, when sniping in a large city, a sniper would mix in with the crowd, head for an elevated area, and then mix back in with the crowd to leave once the attack was complete. She wasn¡¯t suited for that kind of job.


    Her name was Stephanie Gorgeouspalace.


    (She should really just get up on the stage rather than working as an assassin.)


    ¡°Hm? Sunazara-san, are you sulking?¡±


    ¡°...No, I am not,¡± responded Sunazara in a whisper. ¡°But as a fellow assassin, I¡¯ll ask you this: What other way to carry this out is there besides sniping?¡±


    Sunazara assembled his gun that was now free of dirt and pointed with his chin towards the diagram spread out on the table. It was a diagram of the locations of a stereotypical villain and the guards surrounding him.


    ¡°These idiots are faking psychic powers and made an enemy of a group of overseas Chinese merchants. They¡¯ve been gathering money by saying that they¡¯ll develop psychic powers in a different way than Academy City if they get investments. How would you take them out?¡±


    They weren¡¯t people who you could take on by charging at them with a blade and they weren¡¯t stupid enough to let someone rig their cars with bombs. Sunazara felt the most efficient way would be to put a bullet through the leader¡¯s eyes in the few dozen seconds between leaving a building and entering his bulletproof car.


    ¡°Oh, you misunderstood me. I¡¯m not saying every single kind of sniping is old fashioned. I¡¯m just saying that using a sniper rifle like that is. I¡¯m not denying the usefulness of every kind of sniping.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Now I know you¡¯re sulking.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not,¡± responded Sunazara as he replaced the cover over the bare inner portions of the gun and reached over to the sight.


    Stephanie looked at Sunazara and then continued speaking.


    ¡°There¡¯s no rule that says that sniping has to be done with a bullet. We have all sorts of weapons these days and we should be finding new ways to do things with them.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°To be blunt, wouldn¡¯t this be easier with a missile launcher?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Wha-!? Sunazara-san, don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m a heretic!! Y¡¯know, it really would be easier. When you¡¯re sniping, missing a vital spot means you¡¯ve failed, but a missile just has to hit somewhere nearby and the target will be killed in the blast, right!? And it¡¯ll kill them even if they¡¯re wearing bulletproof equipment, so it¡¯s easier in every way!!¡±


    ¡°...Heh.¡±


    ¡°A scornful laugh!? With a rifle, you can shoot from at most 1000 meters away, but you can aim with a missile from 5 times that distance! It opens up whole new possibilities for missions, doesn¡¯t it!?¡±


    ¡°Fine then. This is your job. You can carry it out with whatever supplies you want.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do!!¡± Stephanie said proudly as she brought out a brand new-looking missile launcher that was supported over the shoulder. It seemed she had chosen a surface-to-air launcher instead of an anti-tank one for the sake of accuracy and distance. And yet she was attacking a target on the ground.


    ¡°...You really are a heretic.¡±


    ¡°So what!? I just have to kill the target!!¡±


    And now for the continuation of that conversation from 3 days before.


    Stephanie Gorgeouspalace was sobbing in front of Sunazara Chimitsu.


    ¡°...You failed.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°...They¡¯re saying on the news that he miraculously survived.¡±


    ¡°But that isn¡¯t true!!¡±


    Stephanie jumped towards Sunazara to take the remote control from him.


    ¡°I blew him away with the missile launcher!! Him and his bodyguards all at once!! Even my withdrawal was perfect!! But they hid the body and the fact that he died and then reported that he survived!! That¡¯s not fair! The client is breaking his promise by not paying me!¡±


    ¡°...This is why I told you not to use a missile.¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t! You never said anything as kind as that!!¡±


    While nimbly avoiding Stephanie¡¯s attacks, Sunazara changed the channel. Every station was telling essentially the same story.


    ¡°Blowing all of them away makes it a catastrophe. If you efficiently ¡®display¡¯ the body, they can¡¯t fool anyone.¡±


    Sunazara sighed and then continued.


    ¡°To the client, it doesn¡¯t matter if the target is truly alive or dead. Socially, the target is still alive. The ability to reliably kill the target in every meaning of the word is the quality looked for in an assassin.¡±


    ¡°...Uh huh.¡±


    ¡°That is why we go out of our way to hide within heavily guarded parades and put a bullet between the target¡¯s eyes while everyone is watching. Not causing so much damage is better at preventing anyone from making excuses and a shot to the head is especially effective in that regard. Old fashioned methods are used in modern times because of how effective they are. Really, how stupid can you be?¡±


    At that point, Sunazara threw the remote control to the side and pushed Stephanie away.


    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±


    ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°...Now that you have failed so spectacularly leaving your target alive in a social sense, it becomes exceedingly hard to re-kill him. In a way, you have created a situation even more difficult to deal with than before. This is more than enough to make the client resent you.¡±


    ¡°Ugeh.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t even think this through... Stupid isn¡¯t a strong enough word to describe an idiot like you.¡±


    Stephanie finally started to get flustered and panicky and Sunazara sighed. He grabbed the sniper rifle case lying on the table.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Are we making a run for it?¡±


    ¡°The client is with the overseas Chinese merchants, so crossing national borders wouldn¡¯t help. If you want to survive, you¡¯re going to have to re-kill the target.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    Stephanie tilted her head to the side in puzzlement and Sunazara pointed with his chin towards the TV screen.


    ¡°I thought some writer had created a script and it was all an act, but there¡¯s too much of his characteristic persuasiveness there. ...He must really be alive.¡±


    ¡°Eh? But...¡±


    ¡°Did you actually see the body? And even if you did, it could have been a body double. Either way, the target must be using this to let the residents of the underworld believe he is dead to prevent any further pursuit.¡±


    ¡°Um. Does that mean...I have a chance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, aren¡¯t you glad? You¡¯ve been given a chance to live on due to your complete lack of skill. An assassin that doesn¡¯t even get proof that she has killed her target is more vulgar than a housewife wielding a heavy ashtray against her cheating husband. One thing I know is that I will never die in an explosion no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!! Sunazara-san, you¡¯re being unusually bitter!¡±


    (Of course I am,) Sunazara spat out in his heart.


    After all, he was heading out to snipe someone for no pay because he had to clean up for some idiot that missed her target.

 Volume 2, 13: The Accuracy of Their Collective Fortunes. The Fourth Friday of August.

    Volume 2, Chapter 13: The Accuracy of Their Collective Fortunes. The Fourth Friday of August.


    Around 10 girls with the exact same face were hospitalized in a hospital in Academy City¡¯s seventh district. They were the military clones known as the Sisters created from the cells of a certain Level 5. Because their growth rates had been forcibly increased with drugs, their life-span had been decreased and a questionable-looking doctor was performing ¡°adjustments¡± in order to fix that decreased life-span.


    Their basic appearance was white skin, brown eyes, short brown hair, and the gray pleated skirt, white blouse, and beige summer sweater that made up the Tokiwadai Middle School summer uniform. There was no reason that they had to dress the same just because they were clones, but they still all matched. It may have been due to the effect of the brain wave network connecting their minds and it may have been due to all their personalities being set the same when they were created.


    Currently, they were in a part of the hospital called the clinical research area. The area wasn¡¯t strictly off limits, but it was removed from the routes connecting to the wards and the main facility. This made it a mysterious place that not many people approached.


    Misakas #10032, #10039, #13577, and #19090 were standing blankly in a small waiting room at one end of a hallway in the clinical research area. The waiting room had a commonplace sofa and table and a magazine rack full of magazines to kill time with. The four clone girls had taken one of those magazines out, opened it up to a certain page, and were staring very intently at it.


    It was the fortune corner.


    There was nothing genuinely occult written there; it was the kind of fortune corner that could be found in any magazine tucked away in a corner like sushi ginger. The page was divided up into 12 sections and each zodiac sign had its luck, health, economic fortune, love, and other simple parameters listed. They also had their lucky colors and lucky items listed.


    ¡°If Misaka looks up her creation date in the 12 Greek signs...¡±


    #10032, the girl that a certain spiky-haired boy called ¡°Misaka Imouto¡±, looked down at the zodiac signs.


    ¡°This month is your chance for a change of occupation! Now is the time to say adios to that boss you¡¯re indebted to but you don¡¯t like too much!!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A military clone like her didn¡¯t even have an occupation. #10032 tilted her head to the side slightly.


    The other Sisters felt the same way for the most part as they found the sign that matched their creation dates and read the column of text tracing it with their fingers.


    ¡°Will this uncertain information really benefit the Misakas? asks Misaka #10039.¡±


    ¡°How is this lucky item supposed to bring luck to Misaka? asks Misaka #13577 as she decides to look for a cat key chain.¡±


    ¡°M-Misaka simply cannot accept that her love fortune for this month is minus 5, says Misaka #19090 as she demands a redo.¡±


    #19090 continued mumbling, but those girls were not the type to pay it any heed. That was when #10032 looked up as she realized something.


    ¡°...Actually, what time should the Misakas consider to be their birth? asks Misaka #10032 as she rechecks a basic definition.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°The Misakas¡¯ creation dates match the time they were taken from the culture equipment, but the Misakas were not taken from the container at exactly 0 years of age. They were taken out after being aged to a physical age of 14 with drugs, says Misaka #10032 as she gives a lengthy supplementary explanation.¡±


    ¡°So it is like the Misakas were growing in what for humans would be their mother¡¯s belly for 14 years before finally coming out, says Misaka #10039 as she joins in with the Misaka next to her.¡±


    ¡°...No, it doesn¡¯t matter how long the Misakas grew. Isn¡¯t the time someone comes from their mother¡¯s belly a good enough definition for their birthday? says Misaka #13577 as she takes the opposing view.¡±


    ¡°No, the Misakas were taken between various machines while growing. How does one classify it in that case? says Misaka #19090 as her head is filled with?¡¯s.¡±


    The Sisters continued to mumble and complain between themselves.


    ¡°Perhaps the date that should be commemorated as the Misakas¡¯ birth is the day the plan to create them from the DNA map was approved, says Misaka #10032 as she proposes a different idea.¡±


    ¡°But that would be analogous to the day a human¡¯s mother and father had sex, says Misaka #10039 as she gives a rebuttal.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s more like when the sperm was created inside the father¡¯s body before they have sex, says Misaka as she goes back even further.¡±


    ¡°Bfee! Says Misaka #19090 as she expresses her shock at the current direction of the conversation.¡±


    The Sisters could play their own straight man.


    Misaka #10032 began scratching her temple.


    ¡°...Actually, the project that created the Misakas was split between two stages: the Radio Noise Project and the Level 6 Shift Project, says Misaka #10032 as she lets things get even more complicated within her head. Which project¡¯s acceptance should be under consideration?¡±


    ¡°Well, shouldn¡¯t that just be whichever one was first? says Misaka #10039 as she vaguely expresses her estimation.¡±


    ¡°Technically, the former wanted a full Level 5 and the latter wanted mass produced experimental subjects, so getting a proper definition may be difficult, says Misaka #13577 as she stealthily adds to the confusion.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, whatever happened to Full Tuning, #00000, who was created by Amai Ao and cut off from the network? says Misaka #19090 as she lays out a new piece of foreshadowing.¡±


    The four girls decided that they didn¡¯t understand the whole zodiac signs thing and gained the positive view that they would open up their futures on their own.


    However...


    ¡°...Misaka has found this, says Misaka #10032 as she adds more fuel to the fire.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    The three girls turned her way and saw a different magazine in #10032¡¯s hand. A page in the back of the magazine had a corner even smaller than the horoscope from before.


    It was a blood type horoscope.


    ¡°...What are they doing?¡± asked a young nurse who was watching the 4 girls from a distance.


    The frog-faced doctor next to her took a sip of coffee from a paper cup and responded.


    ¡°It looks like they¡¯re arguing.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. But still...what are they doing?¡±


    While those two had that mysterious conversation, the 4 girls with the exact same face were arguing.


    ¡°Mh! The love fortune for Type AB isn¡¯t bad! reports Misaka #10032!!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but Misaka is Type AB too, so hers isn¡¯t bad either! reports Misaka #10039!!¡±


    ¡°No! Of all of the Misakas, this Misaka is Type Super AB, so Misaka¡¯s fortune is super not bad! says Super Misaka #13577 as she snatches it all up for herself!!¡±


    ¡°No, no. This Misaka gets the last laugh, says Misaka #19090 as she declares herself to be the supreme ruler of the AB World!!¡±


    As they argued, they grabbed at each other¡¯s hair, pulled on each other¡¯s clothes, and grabbed the magazine away from each other. There were panties visible everywhere.


    The young nurse spoke with a blank expression on her face.


    ¡°Those girls have a giant network that they use by converting brain waves to electric signals, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the Misaka Network. Why?¡±


    ¡°I had taken that to mean that each individual one had an ego, but the giant network functioned as a single brain that held a single will that intervened with the individuals.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how it works.¡±


    ¡°...And they still argue?¡±


    It seemed the young nurse didn¡¯t understand how that could be possible.


    The frog-faced doctor took a sip of coffee and stuck out his tongue because it was slightly too bitter.


    ¡°Normal people choose a single option from several and act on it. For instance, if you see a cake in front of you while dieting, you have two thoughts: ¡®I want to eat it even if it will make me fat¡¯ and ¡®I won¡¯t eat it because it will make me fat¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes...¡±


    ¡°A normal person whittles down the multiple options one by one until only one remains and then acts on that option. We only have one body, so we can only act on one view even if we hold several.¡±


    ¡°...So you¡¯re saying that¡¯s what that is?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those girls have a single large will that intervenes with the many physical bodies, so they don¡¯t need to narrow their thoughts down to only one opinion. This doesn¡¯t work with everything of course, but with options like the cake example they don¡¯t have to choose because they can choose both. After all, they actually have multiple bodies.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The young nurse looked back at the girls whose panties were on full display.


    Was it possible she was viewing a very precious sight?


    ¡°As a result, they have a single large will unilaterally intervening in their minds and the different individuals have started to choose different paths of action. That¡¯s why they can have conversations and they can fight while still all being Misakas. I think it¡¯s a good thing. It¡¯s very human.¡±


    It seemed the frog-faced doctor didn¡¯t really mind.


    He lightly rocked the paper cup full of bitter coffee back and forth and continued speaking in a casual-sounding voice.


    ¡°I pray that this will lead to them growing individual personalities.¡±

 Volume 2, 14: The Dance between Gatekeeper and Intruder. The Third Friday of September.

    Volume 2, Chapter 14: The Dance between Gatekeeper and Intruder. The Third Friday of September.


    To be clear, Uiharu Kazari was not superhuman.


    ¡°?¡±


    It was afterschool and she was in the Judgement¡¯s 177th Branch munching on a cookie. She looked as if she had realized something and then looked towards the notebook computer sitting atop a steel desk.


    (Mgh!? Someone troublesome is here!!)


    It was an intruder.


    However, this was not someone breaking into Uiharu¡¯s computer or to Judgement¡¯s 177th Branch. Currently, electronic attack after electronic attack was being carried out on the Bank that managed all of Academy City¡¯s data and Uiharu was carrying out counter measures. One link in the Bank¡¯s defenses was to send all data being sent to the Bank through Judgement¡¯s large server first.


    Some data was ignoring that detour and heading directly for the Bank.


    That flow of data was impossible through normal operations.


    Someone was hacking.


    And it was no normal hacking. This access wasn¡¯t being made through a security hole that Uiharu hadn¡¯t thought of before. And she had already filled all the boring holes anyway.


    That meant...


    Misaka Mikoto, a young lady from the prestigious psychic power development school Tokiwadai Middle School, was sitting on a station bench. The portable terminal she was operating in her hand was connected to the network via a wireless LAN.


    She was one of the only seven Level 5¡¯s in Academy City.


    She was Railgun.


    She was ranked 3rd out of the entire city and she had the highest class electricity control power.


    Mikoto was controlling various things by directly touching the screen with her index finger, but the screen was displaying a lot more going on than what her finger could be doing. Symbols and strings of characters were scrolling by too quickly to easily read and Mikoto wasn¡¯t paying attention to each and every one. She had started picturing the machine in her head and the computer was taking care of everything on its own almost as an after effect.


    Mikoto was attempting to access Academy City¡¯s Bank.


    She had made it this far in a few times before, but this time no one was stopping her. She was sure people on the other side were probably concerned that someone might have hacked in, but she hadn¡¯t done enough to give them a reason to disconnect from the network and isolate the Bank.


    (...Well, it must be a difficult decision. Cutting off access to the Bank would bring about a greater time loss than stopping the trains for an emergency.)


    While staring at the windows appearing and disappearing, Mikoto exhaled softly.


    She wanted to use her full power and just get it over with, but she didn¡¯t want to destroy her own machine either.


    (...Hmm.)


    Uiharu used her eyes to follow the data attempting to directly access the Bank and returned her half-eaten cookie to its plate.


    (This has happened before. This time seems to be at a higher level though.)


    She looked at the screen and exhaled.


    She was seeing something that would be impossible to do by operating a computer in the normal way.


    In other words, she was up against an esper hacker.


    Academy City was a city of espers. That of course meant that there were tons of espers who could use their power to hack. Some read a user¡¯s mind to get their password, some used electricity to seize control of the computer, and some could even control the ¡°information¡± directly.


    It was difficult to drive back people like that while using a computer normally. The difference between a normal user and a hacker was how well one could use the visible system and how much of what was going on underneath one could read, but esper hackers had something even further underneath at their disposal.


    However...


    This was a city swarming with espers.


    (If I hesitate here, how am I supposed to protect the peace of this city!?)


    Uiharu renewed her resolve and rechecked the flow of data. The data was not going through the ¡°shortest route¡± that Uiharu had previously set, so the hacker wasn¡¯t reading Uiharu¡¯s thoughts. Also, the data wasn¡¯t being removed while completely ignoring the defensive walls, so the hacker wasn¡¯t someone who could directly contact the information.


    (That means...)


    Most likely, she was up against an esper who could control electricity. However, electricity powers were popular, so it was near impossible to determine who the hacker was from just that.


    ¡°...¡±


    Uiharu frowned and used her eyes to follow the pattern with which the data was moving.


    That little bit of interaction with the data brought the ¡°flower¡± that the system was to her mind.


    Currently, she was looking at the end of a root. She imagined the stalk and the leaves from there and then the flow of water and nutrients. It all created a large image of the whole flower in her head. This way of calculating within a kind of organization by imaging it from various angles was what Uiharu did when she hacked.


    If Uiharu Kazari actually had a special ability, she might have been able to construct a tremendous Personal Reality and display enormous power.


    But...


    (...)


    Uiharu bit her lip.


    Her image that began from the tip of the roots suddenly burst when she had reached the stalk. Her opponent must have been using extremely high-level calculations, because she couldn¡¯t read the path taken by the event she was seeing happen in front of her eyes or the Personal Reality causing it.


    And if she didn¡¯t understand what her opponent was doing, she wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with a way to stop it.


    (What do I do...?)


    Uiharu¡¯s fingers wandered around above the keyboard.


    It was a similar action to when someone couldn¡¯t decide what item to choose and it was a symbol of her distress.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Looks like it¡¯s around here,¡± muttered Mikoto as she stared at the quickly changing screen.


    Currently, she was performing a standard password cracking.


    Just because she had the power to control electricity didn¡¯t mean that she could break through every kind of security with it. In fact, Academy City was full of espers so special defenses against that kind of irregular attack had been developed.


    However, no matter how one thought about it, someone with a psychic power had the advantage over someone who didn¡¯t.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t break through everything just by using her power.


    After all, there was no reason to get fixated on doing so.


    She would use her power to overcome security that was difficult to break with a normal computer and she would use the computer for the special anti-esper security. Mikoto was hacking into various targets using the most effective method at each point.


    And then her work was complete.


    Mikoto tapped a few keys and was through the final piece of security.


    (Now then, where is that data...oh?)


    Mikoto stopped moving.


    As she stared at the screen, only her eyebrows twitched.


    The screen was displaying the mass of data in the Bank as it was being encrypted at overwhelming speed.


    (No way...)


    From the characteristics of the random strings of characters the symbols and numbers were turning into, it was most likely Omega Secret. Omega Secret was a random number encryption that had won an absolute encryption contest held on Academy City¡¯s internet.


    (No, no, you¡¯ve gotta be kidding me!)


    That absolute encryption contest wasn¡¯t something with any actual benefit like letting a computer play chess with a human. In fact, it was famous for having unpleasant effects. The Omega Secret created in that contest was famous for being unbreakable, but the data was randomly encrypted making it impossible for even the program itself to decrypt it. It was said that something encrypted by that monster would take even an Academy City supercomputer 200 years to decrypt.


    (What idiot decided to use that!?)


    The most troublesome part about Omega Secret was that every file from the smallest to the largest would take the same 200 years to decrypt. The differences between each file was made up for with random numbers so there was no pattern to decrypting that could be used on all files once it was discovered. After decrypting one file, the next one would need another 200 years.


    The entirety of the Bank was being encrypted, so she couldn¡¯t even tell where the data she wanted was within the gigantic archive. The only way to ensure she had the data she wanted had changed from choosing what she wanted and stealing it to preparing a gigantic databank the size of that storage server and transferring every piece of that ridiculous amount of data.


    There was nothing she could do.


    The mere act of preparing a large server like that would allow her to be tracked. And even if she had the server, who knows how many hours it would take to transfer all that data. The people watching the network would never miss a data transfer that huge.


    However...


    (...They¡¯re crazy. The Bank server¡¯s control and maintenance files are being encrypted, too!! That gigantic server is going to be completely useless after this!!)


    Even a long-time high-class girl like her paled at the thought of how much the machines used for the Bank must cost. All of that had been unhesitatingly thrown away. Opening up the server¡¯s case and pouring water in seemed like it would cause less damage than this.


    (If they¡¯re willing to fight back like this, they must have the data on the Bank backed up somewhere else. If I attack there, I might be able to get that data...)


    Mikoto looked back at the disaster occurring on her screen.


    She had the feeling that her opponent would stop at nothing to stop her. Even if she managed to reach that back up data, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that her opponent wouldn¡¯t hold back.


    (A hacker does best when she isn¡¯t found.)


    Mikoto couldn¡¯t decide what to do for a bit, but she finally ruffled her hair with one hand as if she had given up.


    (If I stick to that theory, I should withdraw for now. I¡¯d rather not go so far as to be taken out along with whoever that moron is.)


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s it for today,¡± said Uiharu Kazari as she stared at the screen.


    If the intruder had stuck around a little longer, she might have been able to trace him, but she had still been fairly successful. Instead of chasing the intruder too far, she should analyze his attack pattern and put up some defenses against it.


    It might seem doubtful that kind of normal method would work on a hacker that directly controlled electricity, but it would. The intruder was doing nothing more than using his power to enter a hidden part of the system. He only looked like he could do anything because he could freely move through those areas of exception.


    As long as the intruder was only sending and receiving electronic information, Uiharu just had to find those exceptions and fill the holes there. That kind of normal method was more than enough to prevent an esper from hacking in.


    (This has been quite educational. That intruder was quite skilled, but in the end it added to my skill.)


    As she was thinking, Uiharu reached her hand for the cookie sitting on its plate.


    ¡°...Uiharu.¡±


    She turned around at that whispered voice and saw her fellow Judgement member, Shirai Kuroko, standing in the entrance to the room. Shirai was hanging her head down and Uiharu tilted her head to the side in puzzlement. Her pigtailed colleague pointed towards the door with her thumb and continued to whisper.


    ¡°You went too far, so it¡¯s time for your lecture, you idiot.¡±

 Volume 2, 15: Art is Divided between Geniuses and Eccentrics. The Fourth Friday of September.

    Volume 2, Chapter 15: Art is Divided between Geniuses and Eccentrics. The Fourth Friday of September.


    A great number of the Anglican Church¡¯s battle members were gathered in a women¡¯s dorm in London. One of them was Kanzaki Kaori, a woman with her long black hair tied in a ponytail.


    As always, she had Shichiten Shichitou, her Japanese sword that was over 2 meters long, hanging at her hip.


    She was trembling alone in the dining hall with a leaflet in her hands that said, ¡°The scabbard is a lovely and stylish outfit for your sword. Wouldn¡¯t you like to dress up your beloved sword even more beautifully?¡±


    The pretty four-colored leaflet had a number of sample photos in small boxes and animals made from black cloth and finely cut vermillion maple and gold leaf much like would be seen on the outside of a multi-tiered bento box.


    Kanzaki heard a gulping noise.


    She did not realize that it was the sound of herself swallowing.


    (...M-mhhh...!! I-it¡¯s true I was thinking that this plain black scabbard wasn¡¯t enough. If I just got that Vermillion Maple or the Yellow Crane...N-no, no!! The core of the Amakusa-style Church needs to draw out the magical meanings of the objects around her and use them! If I just change the meaning of the scabbard so simply...b-but...the meaning of this Evening Cherry Tree might not be a problem...)


    The always cool and collected Yamato Nadeshiko that was Kanzaki Kaori continued to groan in indecision. As if to kick her while she was down, a different leaflet slipped from her hand and landed on one of the dining hall tables.


    This one said, ¡°Armor is the ultimate partner that protects your back. You should feel the breath of this wonderful partner that will stay with you no matter what predicament you are in.¡±


    ¡°M-mhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    Kanzaki glared at the pictures on the advertisement that looked like the dolls from the Boys¡¯ May Festival.


    (I suppose an entire set of armor is a bit much...but with just an arm or a leg or even a breastplate I could wear it under my normal clothes and...no, no!!)


    Kanzaki continued like this until she suddenly returned to her senses.


    She looked up, cleared her throat, and slowly put the leaflets aside. It was no time to have her heart stolen by those leaflets that had been left there almost as a trap.


    Kanzaki moved from the dining hall to the kitchen area.


    As a large amount of food had to be prepared, the kitchen was a fairly large area. It had a business-use oven, a business-use refrigerator, and a business-use sink. Kanzaki entered the kitchen that was full of business-use objects, opened the large silver fridge, and pulled out a small storage container from the back.


    It contained the leftovers bits of a sea bream.


    Kanzaki had been in charge of the food that day and she had saved the sea bream bones. She had used a kitchen knife to scrape off the little bit of flesh from the thick bones.


    The small Sister Angelene who was always sneaking food had commented ¡°Wah! Are you that much of a glutton?¡±, so Kanzaki had been feeling a little down, but now she could admit that Angelene was exactly right. This was one of her favorite foods.


    Kanzaki took the last little bits of rice from the large rice cooker one would usually see at a school, put it in a rice bowl, and then put the sea bream leftovers in the center. She then took the broth she had made by boiling the bones and head of the sea bream, put it in a small teapot, and poured it into the rice bowl.


    She slowly put down the small teapot and brought her hands together in front of her face in a small clap making sure not to make any noise.


    ¡°Hee hee. Hee hee hee. ...Sea bream chazuke¡î¡±


    Kanzaki continued her excited silent clapping half feeling that someone should point out that she had used broth instead of tea, but it didn¡¯t really matter. She simply preferred broth. Someone might complain that she wasn¡¯t doing it right, but it wasn¡¯t going to stop her.


    She took some chopsticks from a cupboard and hurried back to the dining hall with her rice bowl. She was smiling widely and couldn¡¯t keep her butt from swaying rhythmically while wrapped in her indigo-dyed yukata.


    ¡°Now then. Time to eat.¡±


    ¡°Hey, who¡¯s eating something that smells delicious this late at night!?¡±


    ¡°It smells so good!! It¡¯s making me so hungry I can¡¯t sleep!!¡±


    Kanzaki started panicking once she heard a couple of female voices suddenly come from the ceiling. She heard hurried footsteps getting closer and closer.


    She only had one sea bream chazuke, so there was no way she could comply with the request that was sure to come now that those girls had smelled it.


    That left only one path.


    (At this rate, they¡¯ll start fighting over it...!?)


    Kanzaki Kaori built up her resolve, grabbed the rice bowl that still had steam rising from it, put her lips to the edge, and stared quickly moving the chopsticks. Her eyes filled with tears, but it was hardly the time to worry about that. That was the only way to stop a pointless fight from occurring. It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of having someone else take the sea bream chazuke from her.


    Kanzaki threw the empty rice bowl and chopsticks in a dishpan full of water and disposed of the small bit of broth still left in the teapot and pot. Finally, she sprayed a deodorizing spray around the area.


    It all only took about 30 seconds.


    Just as she straightened up after putting the can of deodorizing spray back in its proper spot, the starving nuns noisily entered the kitchen.


    As expected, the first one in was the short nun with braided blonde hair, Angelene. She was sniffing around with her small nose.


    ¡°K-Kanzaki-san! Did you see some mysterious person with food that smelled amazingly good wandering around here!?¡±


    ¡°N-no. I didn¡¯t see a mysterious old man delivering ramen or anything.¡±


    ¡°...Odd. I could have sworn the smell was coming from around here...¡±


    Angelene wandered around the kitchen sniffing like a war dog that had lost its prey. Kanzaki slowly turned her gaze away from Angelene and the other nuns behind her and looked to the window. She noticed a grain of rice on her mouth and hurriedly pushed it into her mouth with a finger.


    As all this was going on, the tall nun with cat¡¯s eyes, Lucia, entered the kitchen having noticed all the noise. She began speaking to Angelene.


    ¡°Sister Angelene. ...What is going on here?¡±


    ¡°This is the autumn of art! And so I thought I¡¯d try my own hand at art.¡±


    Kanzaki looked over at them questioningly and saw a choco cornet in Angelene¡¯s hand. The bread had three silver-colored forks stuck into either side. The look in Lucia¡¯s eyes eloquently expressed her anger over the wasted food and that she was going to spank Angelene 100 times later.


    Angelene spoke while holding the dessert bread with its wing-like forks.


    ¡°This is an expression of the anger swirling around inside me.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡°The anger in my heart wants to leap from my chest, but energy is needed for it to do so. The exchange of energy means that anger directed towards others comes back to you. Basically, what I¡¯m trying to say is that getting too angry makes you even hungrier!!!!!!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Okay, now that Master Artist Angelene¡¯s audio commentary is over, I¡¯ll be spanking you 100 times,¡± said Lucia with a heavy sigh.


    That was when Sherry Cromwell, a Gothic Lolita magician with light brown skin and blonde hair like a lion¡¯s mane, entered the kitchen.


    Sherry was the manager of the magical side of the Royal Academy of Arts and, when she entered the kitchen, she completely ignored the issue of Kanzaki and the sea bream chazuke and looked over at the dessert bread with forks (Title: Anger Burns the Self) that Angelene was holding in both hands as she was being spanked.


    ¡°Art...!?¡±


    ¡°D-don¡¯t make strange jokes that are so difficult to understand!! Look, now that you¡¯ve said that, Sister Angelene is yelling out as if she has had her eyes opened to some mysterious truth!!¡±


    The real reason Angelene was yelling and opening her eyes wide was because Lucia had added 80% more force to her spanking as she snapped at Sherry, but Lucia didn¡¯t seem to realize that.


    Meanwhile, Sherry must have had great respect for the mysterious dessert bread with forks that frankly expressed human emotion because she started putting on thin gloves as if she were about to handle a true antique.


    ¡°Hey! Nuns number one and number two!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t refer to us like we¡¯re levers on the toilet!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t refer to us like we¡¯re levers on the toilet!!¡±


    ¡°...C-can I touch that dessert bread? No!! I understand! I¡¯m well aware I¡¯m making an inelegant request!! But three dimensional objects always make me want to look at them from every angle!!¡±


    It seemed the brown sculptor was suffering, but Lucia said she could have it as long as she would actually eat it. However, as soon as Sherry took it she started speaking as if she was moaning.


    ¡°The direction of the forks...this wing shape... I see. This says that the anger over an empty stomach empties the stomach further...!!¡±


    All of the nuns left the kitchen muttering that they just didn¡¯t understand artists. Kanzaki left along with them and sighed as she walked along the hallway in her yukata. Then she tilted her head to the side in puzzlement.


    (Huh? Why did we end up on the topic of art?)

 Volume 2, 16: There is a Reason They Do Not Look Like Mothers. The Fifth Friday of September.

    Volume 2, Chapter 16: There is a Reason They Do Not Look Like Mothers. The Fifth Friday of September.


    There was a members only sports gym a short distance from the hottest spot in Kanagawa prefecture.


    The walls and ceiling around the indoor pool were all made of glass and the pool was a more extravagant and precise version of the standard rectangular pools found in schools. The types of the guests were quite mixed. There were some athletes who were working to shave off 0.1 seconds from their time, there were some housewives being taught how to swim by young instructors, and there were some people trying to stay healthy or trying to help their diet.


    Misaka Misuzu was swimming in the outermost lane of that pool.


    Misuzu looked to be in her twenties, but she was actually the mother of a 14 year old daughter. She swam in the pool after her university lectures every day. She was exercising because, ¡°When I slack off on my health, it immediately comes back to bite me in the ass.¡± Despite exercising for such a dubious reason, her speed was amazingly fast. The female athlete in the lane next to her decided to treat Misuzu as her rival, but the athlete didn¡¯t stand a chance against Misuzu who was plunging through the water like a torpedo.


    And yet Misuzu¡¯s thoughts were in a completely different direction.


    (...Not good.)


    She raised her head with a splash as her hand struck the edge of the pool and sighed despite the instructor looking shocked at her time.


    (This swimsuit is too efficient. What¡¯s the point of exercising in something as resistant as water with something like this?)


    What Misuzu was wearing was more the kind of black wetsuit surfers loved than it was a swimsuit. The arms and legs cut off around the elbows and knees respectively and it emphasized her body lines much like a one-piece swimsuit.


    She had ordered it without really thinking about it when she saw it was a swimsuit that let you swim fast, but it regulated the flow of water too well. It would have been great for a serious swim meet, but Misuzu just wasn¡¯t the kind of customer it had been made for.


    Then...


    ¡°Oh, are your classes done for the day?¡±


    ¡°Ah, hello, Kamijou-san.¡±


    Misuzu took her hand from the water and waved it in response to the voice that called out to her from the poolside as she supported herself on the coarse rope.


    The Kamijou-san she addressed was a woman named Kamijou Shiina. It seemed she had moved to the area recently and had become quite a celebrity in the neighborhood as the ¡°flying young lady¡± because of her powered paragliding hobby.


    Also, despite being referred to as a ¡°young lady¡±, Shiina was a mother with a child in high school. Misuzu guessed that Shiina was even older than her, but the resilience of her skin and other such things were quite excellent. The arms and legs stretching from her graceful white one piece swimsuit (it only looked graceful. It was actually quite aggressive in every possible way) looked like those of a teenager.


    ¡°Kamijou-san, are you doing the same thing you always do?¡±


    ¡°Yes. My hobby requires that I train my lungs quite a bit.¡±


    Misuzu checked Shiina¡¯s upper arms and thighs during this casual conversation and grumbled in her heart over how perfect her body was.


    (...D-damn. What kind of stretches does she do to stay that young looking?)


    Of course, Misuzu was quite beautiful herself. She looked young enough that she could mix in with the students and attend university lectures without seeming out of place. However, she knew that people were putting hidden extra words in their comments about how young she looked such as ¡°she¡¯s so beautiful (for someone who isn¡¯t a beauty)¡±, ¡°she looks so young (for someone with a kid)¡±, or ¡°she looks like a college student (even though she¡¯s a middle aged woman)¡±. The monster known as old age had opened its mouth and was trying to swallow Misuzu whole as she ran as quickly as she could away from it!!


    Misuzu just couldn¡¯t help but be jealous of Shiina.


    Because she went to so much effort, she could tell. Kamijou Shiina was older than her and yet she did not go to any of the effort she did. And even so, she had youthful looks to spare.


    ¡°Here I go,¡± said Shiina as she held onto a kickboard with both hands, stuck her face in the water, and just lay floating there like a corpse.


    (...Maybe I should get Mikoto-chan to introduce me to an amazing health machine from Academy City. No, no. If I just diet, it¡¯ll eliminate the fat that gives you glossy skin and I¡¯ll just be all dried out...)


    Misuzu continued muttering into the water until Shiina was done with her corpse mode and the two women moved to the poolside.


    ¡°Ah, living alone as a housewife is surprisingly comfortable and enjoyable. Of course, that¡¯s only because I know he¡¯s coming back periodically.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Misaka-san, did your husband move elsewhere for his job?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I wouldn¡¯t really say he moved...I just never know where he is or what he¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°Mine still technically lives at home, but he has lots of overseas business trips. Also, he always comes back with weird souvenirs. I sometimes feel like he¡¯s delving into some great unexplored area of the world.¡±


    Misuzu and Shiina laughed together.


    The two women did not know that their husbands (as well as the Tanaka-kun the new employee and the people they met on their journeys) were actually getting into real trouble all over the world.


    Drying herself with a long towel, Shiina suddenly spoke.


    ¡°I heard that my son¡¯s school wasn¡¯t having their midterms.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah. It¡¯s the same for Mikoto-chan¡¯s school. I think they said the grades for two terms were going to be decided at the final exams. She doesn¡¯t feel that kind of pressure though, so she¡¯ll do the same as ever.¡±


    ¡°Whether my Touma-san does the same as ever or not, he¡¯ll still end up with supplementary lessons due to a failing grade.¡±


    The two laughed and giggled, but then Misuzu suddenly realized something.


    ¡°...Our conversation certainly took a motherly turn, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, but we are housewives after all.¡±


    A college girl passing by looked at them quizzically, but that was nothing new.


    Misuzu thought for a second before speaking.


    ¡°There¡¯s been one thing that¡¯s been bothering me for a while.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Is what our kids do in Academy City really what you would call studying? That city uses leading edge technology to develop psychic powers.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose...¡± Shiina said before silently adding, ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that¡¯s true with my Touma-san.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what it is that determines if someone can gain psychic powers or not?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t really know anything about that, but doesn¡¯t that have to do with genetics and DNA?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± said Misuzu as she nodded. ¡°But then...¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I was just wondering if the fact that Mikoto-chan became Academy City¡¯s Number Three Level 5 meant that I could have electricity sparking from my bangs if I underwent the Curriculum.¡±


    ¡°My,¡± was Shiina¡¯s refined expression of surprise.


    Maybe it was because she had left her child to Academy City, but Misuzu¡¯s thoughts continued on that path and ended up elsewhere.


    ¡°When I think about the possibility that there could be tons of people like that in the world, it gives me a mysterious feeling. My Mikoto-chan is ranked Number Three, but what if there were people all over the place who had even more amazing powers but no one realized it?¡±


    With that last question, she was more speaking to herself than to Shiina.


    Perhaps there were people who never realized their own ability and lived their entire life as a normal housewife. And perhaps there were people who thought they were normal people and yet they had used a mysterious power without even realizing it.


    Perhaps there were powers that were not as easily noticed as having fire come from one¡¯s hand or sending lightning from one¡¯s bangs. Perhaps the everyday phenomena that people experienced such as having good instincts, having neater handwriting than the average person, looking younger than you actually were, or any other silly little ¡°mysteries¡± had laws and theories behind them. Perhaps certain idiosyncrasies were actually special powers the people lived with.


    ¡°Oh, then how about you transfer to a university within Academy City?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. That does sound like fun, but someone my age can¡¯t take part in the Curriculum that develops psychic powers,¡± Misuzu said with a laugh. ¡°In the end, I don¡¯t know the truth, but I feel that it would truly be wonderful if these dreams of mine were true.¡±

 Volume 2, 17: B Movies and Unpolished Gemstones. The First Friday of October.

    Volume 2, Chapter 17: B Movies and Unpolished Gemstones. The First Friday of October.


    Due to various circumstances, Hamazura Shiage had quit Skill-Out and begun doing subordinate work for a small organization from the dark side of Academy City known as ITEM. ITEM had only four members, but those four were powerful enough that they received a large budget that came from somewhere or other.


    This story begins with a request from Kinuhata Saiai, a girl of about twelve who was a member of that mysterious organization.


    ¡°Hamazura, Hamazura. Can you get me an ID super fast?¡±


    ¡°It may have been temporary, but I once led a Skill-Out group of over 100 people. Why are you giving me odd jobs like that?¡±


    ¡°Quit complaining. I super need an ID.¡±


    ¡°Damn it. So you¡¯re asking me to make one? I suppose it depends on the kind you want. I can get you an IC card right away, but a passport will take some time.¡±


    Hamazura was quite an outlaw, and he didn¡¯t deny that he could do it.


    Kinuhata waved her small hands quickly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need something as super elaborate as that. I just need to fake my age, so I¡¯m super okay with a student ID from some high school.¡±


    ¡°??? What kind of job do you need that for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an extremely super important mission,¡± Kinuhata responded to Hamazura¡¯s simple question. ¡°I super need to see a movie rated R18 that¡¯s opening this week!!¡±


    And that was how the first job of Hamazura¡¯s second life was decided.


    Kinuhata Saiai¡¯s hobby was watching movies.


    The term ¡°movies¡± could refer to a large number of genres and ranks, but she was a movie enthusiast who was drawn in by very obscure ones. If you told someone the title of the movies she watched, their reaction wouldn¡¯t even be ¡°Never heard of it¡±; it would be ¡°What?¡±.


    ¡°...Is there really a movie theater here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re only going to a B movie this time. This place is super good for B movies. If you wanted to go to a C movie, you¡¯d super have to go even deeper.¡±


    ¡°Uehh...¡± Hamazura groaned.


    They moved from the main road into a back lane, then into an even smaller path that branched off, and they continued on and on down narrower and narrower paths until they reached a place that seemed like no more than a small gap. There, they found a building that looked like it was being crushed by all the multi-tenant buildings above it.


    The theater was in an area so thick with buildings that it would be hard to check on that place with a satellite. It seemed to be Kinuhata Saiai¡¯s secret spot. Of course, since it was a theater for specialty films, it only showed minor films that you couldn¡¯t catch somewhere else if you missed it. It held an aura that just told amateurs to go to sleep.


    Kinuhata put her hands on her hips and snorted in excitement.


    ¡°You did get the ID for me, but I wanted something else to reinforce my appearance. If two people with IDs buy a ticket at once, it¡¯ll super trick the lady selling the tickets.¡±


    And so, the two of them managed to make it past the cautious gaze of the ticket seller who seemed like a bookworm of a librarian, and entered the theater building. They walked down a dirty Western-style hallway that felt right out of a horror game, and opened the double doors to the actual theater.


    The building itself was small, but the theater was even smaller; it was like a slightly bigger school AV room, and the multi-level seats reminded Hamazura of the university lecture rooms he''d occasionally see on TV.


    But something else caught his attention.


    ¡°...Hey. I thought you said this was the only place in Japan you could see this movie. So, why is there no one here fifteen minutes before it starts?¡±


    ¡°Ahhn¡î¡±


    Hamazura looked over in shock after hearing a heavy breath in response to his question. He saw Kinuhata Saiai looking like she was about to faint with her folded hands on her cheek.


    ¡°I¡¯m the first guest at an exclusive screening. That means I¡¯m the only one that understands how super wonderful this film is!! Yes, yes, I know it¡¯s only a delusion, but right now, what the director is trying to get across super only belongs to meeeeee!!¡±


    While the idiot went off in an odd direction on her own, Hamazura went to buy some popcorn. When he returned to the seats right in the middle of the theater, Kinuhata laughed scornfully at the popcorn.


    ¡°Hah. Caramel popcorn will make you super thirsty, so it¡¯s a horrible choice for the theater. You super don¡¯t understand, do you, Hamazura?¡±


    ¡°Then quit reaching over and munching on it even more than I am. Here, I got a drink, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that supposed to be a counter-measure for the thirst? A drink, especially a large carbonated one like that, will just make you need to use the bathroom during the movie. Hamazura, in the end, you¡¯re just super Hamazura-y.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a girl who took the drink from me and is now swinging her feet around under the seat.¡±


    Eventually, the theater¡¯s lights lowered. A commonplace electronic buzzer sounded, and the screen lit up. Usually, the first ten minutes would drag on with all the previews from the distribution company, but here, the movie started right away. Apparently, they weren¡¯t even able to introduce other films.


    It was the golden age of CG, yet the caption for the title looked like it had been cut out with scissors and directly placed on the film. Hamazura decided to ask a simple question.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°What is it that requires interrupting the super greatest moment of my life, Hamazura?¡±


    ¡°...We¡¯re only thirty seconds in, and there are a whole bunch of youthful zombies who''ve only had their faces made blue with make-up. How am I supposed to react to that?¡±


    ¡°You super don¡¯t know how to enjoy a B movie, do you?


    ¡°Normally, talking during a movie is strictly prohibited, but whatever,¡± started Kinuhata as she munched on the popcorn Hamazura had bought. ¡°It¡¯s expected for a B movie to not look so good; it¡¯s a film people super desperately made with no money or personnel. It isn¡¯t going to look polished without a lot put into it.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we doing in these tiny economy class-like seats in this small theater? We should just go to a huge theater and watch a huge hit from Hollywood.¡±


    ¡°Really? The huge hits may break records again and again, but finding a shining treasure of a B or C movie sticks with you more. It may seem stupid at first, but before you know it, you¡¯re super enjoying it.¡±


    ¡°Sigh. I just don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Hamazura decided that it was no use asking someone who was enjoying something from the start what was so good about it. It was like having the appeal of a band you had no interest in explained to you at length.


    So a surprisingly good B or C movie shines more than a shitty blockbuster, huh?


    He felt like the same could be said for them.


    Some people in the world had all sorts of abilities, but how many people were actually given a situation to display those abilities? How many people had undisplayed abilities that were hidden because they lacked a large budget, an excellent staff, or the proper facilities and equipment?


    It had been determined that Hamazura Shiage was a Level 0, but it was possible that was just due to a problem in how the teachers had tried to bring out his ability. If Kinuhata Saiai went somewhere with more sunshine, perhaps her power would display itself in a healthier way. There were only seven Level 5s in Academy City, but was that really all? Perhaps in the large world stretching out beyond Academy City, there were people that possessed the qualities to become an eighth or a ninth, but no one knew it and they ended up selling flowers by the roadside.


    Thinking like that, maybe the magnum-toting police officer shooting the blue zombies displayed on the screen of that tiny theater was a challenge to that unfair world. Maybe the message was, ¡°Fate may have kept me from fully displaying my ability, but I¡¯m still going to enjoy my life more than anyone else in the world.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The information on the screen became a moving scene inside Hamazura.


    Once he had started letting those emotions enter him, he felt that the way he viewed the film changed. He wasn¡¯t feeling sympathy, but an odd sense of understanding. He couldn¡¯t say that it was a good film, but he felt like he could expect it to get good. It was a mysterious feeling that wasn¡¯t really trust and wasn¡¯t really uplifting. It was a continuous feeling that made him want to search out this director¡¯s work.


    This must be what Kinuhata is so drawn to.


    Hamazura casually looked to the side. Kinuhata didn¡¯t notice his gaze while her face was covered in the reflected light from the screen. As she focused on the screen, her expression was one that could be seen as a type of earnestness.


    Then, she suddenly opened her mouth.


    ¡°Ahh. This is super boring.¡±


    Hamazura Shiage fell out of his seat, scattering caramel popcorn everywhere.


    ¡°Heeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy!! You had me fake an ID and come with you to this minor movie!! You¡¯re the one that was going on excitedly about how much you love movies, so can¡¯t you at least look like you¡¯re enjoying yourself!?¡±


    ¡°This is weird. When I read the pamphlet, it sounded super good, but about ten minutes in, I lost interest. I guess movies really are something you have to see before you can tell how good they are. Very deep, very deep...¡±


    ¡°Wait a second. Then what was that feeling of understanding B movies and sense of identifying with the movie that was growing within me!?¡±


    ¡°What? What kind of understanding could you get from a super crappy movie like this? I at least know you definitely can¡¯t learn how to enjoy B movies here.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    After having his question dodged, the door to Hamazura Shiage¡¯s heart slammed shut for the movie. As if to kick him while he was down, Kinuhata continued to speak while yawning.


    ¡°Yawwwn... Ah, the heroine is super definitely going to die in twenty minutes; the staff''s been giving all sorts of signs that they want to just kill her off.¡±


    ¡°Have you already cut off all empathy for her!? I-I say she won¡¯t die!! The heroine will survive this zombie hell and see the morning sun with the protagonist!!¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s make this a super bet. I wager a pack of gum she dies.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t die!! After all, a brave heroine that doesn¡¯t speak much like that matches my tastes perfectly!!¡±


    As he spoke, a portion of the screen turned crimson as she was eaten. Instead of dying instantly, her skin turned paler and paler.


    Hamazura buried his head in his hands, and Kinuhata Saiai¡¯s unmotivated voice rang out through the theater.


    ¡°I super got some gum!¡±


    When going to a movie, go with someone who won¡¯t give up on it halfway through.

 Volume 2, 18: Worthy of Carrying On That Name. The First Friday of October.

    Volume 2, Chapter 18: Worthy of Carrying On That Name. The First Friday of October.


    ¡°I finally found you, Hanzou-sama,¡± quietly spoke a ninja girl, a chain wrapped all around her body.


    She was in the above-ground section of District 22. Unlike the other districts, almost 100% of District 22¡¯s functionality as a city was underground, so the above-ground area was entirely covered by a wind farm. A metal framework that was built up to about thirty stories above ground spread out in every direction like a jungle gym, and wind turbines were placed all over it.


    Standing amid that odd turbine-filled scenery was a boy with a bandana wrapped around his head.


    His name was Hanzou, and he was leaning up against a piece of metal framework that was standing up on end like a pillar. He was staring at a girl named Kuruwa who was wearing a yellow mini-yukata that had a see-through midriff.


    ¡°Really. I went out of the way to disguise my status and hide in this city, yet you still spend half a year running after me. What has you so intent on hunting me down?¡±


    ¡°The revival of the pure line of Hattori and the revival of the Iga,¡± Kuruwa responded without hesitation.


    However, Hanzou only sighed when he heard that.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re a little confused about what a ninja is.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°A ninja was originally a bandit hired by some powerful military commander; it wasn¡¯t something that had ¡®pure lines¡¯ or anything. Sure, some of that started later, but the farther you look into our origin, the more it becomes clear that a ninja can really just be anyone.¡±


    Hanzou put his hands in his pockets as he spoke.


    ¡°Listen up, Kuruwa. A ninja should be like a weed and think like a poisonous insect and have a supporting role... By the time we have ¡®pure lines¡¯, we can¡¯t survive in this world. Do you know why? We live hidden in the darkness, so if we give off that much light, people will send a concentrated attack on that light and kill us all.¡±


    ¡°That just shows that we ninja are afraid of influential people. But an age where we can move on more efficiently has come.¡±


    ¡°Do you want a place to be that badly?¡± said Hanzou, shaking his head.


    What was truly unfortunate was that he thought she was an idiot, yet still understood how she felt.


    ¡°Look, let me give you a tip: learn to be like a weed, think like a poisonous insect, and honor your own supporting role. Weeds are everywhere, we will never be rid of poisonous insects, and the supporting roles blend into the background. Taking all of that together and condensing it gives you the essence of what a ninja is.¡±


    ¡°So, you refuse to understand.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not putting much effort into convincing me.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    A metallic noise was heard from Kuruwa¡¯s sleeve. Her left arm was bare up to the shoulder, but her right one was covered by a long sleeve. When she moved even slightly, the chain wrapped around her body could be heard.


    ¡°If I cannot convince you, I will force you to surrender and make you become a part of the Hattori revival by my own hand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather extreme proposal. Do you want to have my babies or something?¡±


    ¡°If it is necessary, yes. Even if it is by force.¡±


    Hanzou sighed at Kuruwa¡¯s completely serious response.


    ¡°Are you going to pull out a gun?¡±


    ¡°I-I stopped doing that. I was told it was not ninja-like.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°A-also, guns are complex, so their operation can become unstable, and there are ways for others to intentionally cause such instability.¡±


    Hanzou looked puzzled, and Kuruwa spoke as calmly as she could.


    ¡°There are some guns that can be made to fail by bending the magazine by as little as 1 mm. I felt it was better to face you with something simpler.¡±


    A loud metallic noise rang out.


    A sickle about 30 cm long flew out from Kuruwa¡¯s sleeve. The chain wrapped around her body came off, and the end was connected to the sickle. The other end of the chain was at the metal shackle around her ankle.


    ¡°A kusarigama.¡± Hanzou narrowed his eyes with his hands still in his pockets. ¡°That isn¡¯t a ninja weapon. It is an unconventional hidden weapon, but it stands out too much.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kuruwa did not respond.


    However, this was not because she was trying to defeat him silently without exchanging words.


    It was because Hanzou had leapt straight towards her with tremendous speed.


    Kuruwa gasped and attempted to fall back, but Hanzou had already taken his final step forward. At some point, he had taken his right hand out of his pocket. He brought his hand back as if readying a punch.


    However, there was something shining up his sleeve.


    By the time she noticed that, his five fingers were already soaring towards her face.


    ¡°!?¡±


    He was moving too quickly for her to move her entire body out of the way, so Kuruwa moved her head to the side, barely managing to avoid the incoming attack.


    ¡°An uchine...!!¡±


    ¡°This is a ninja weapon.¡±


    In Hanzou¡¯s hand was an extremely short arrow only about 15 cm long. This arrow was used for stabbing, not throwing. Because of this, this type of assassination blade was known as the world¡¯s shortest spear.


    As Hanzou¡¯s next strike came, Kuruwa had no choice but to wrap the thick chain around her hand and use it for defense. The proper way to use a kusarigama was to create centrifugal force, throw the weighted chain, and then strike with the point of the sickle once the chain had been wrapped around the enemy¡¯s weapon. However, with multiple attacks coming from right in front of her, she didn¡¯t have time to swing the chain around to create centrifugal force.


    Kuruwa gritted her teeth as she was forced to go on the defensive.


    Hanzou wasn¡¯t fighting seriously.


    A true ninja technique would kill on the first strike, and if that failed, the ninja would quickly flee. If Hanzou was violating that theory, he must have been intending to quietly take care of her in order to silence her.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking me lightly...!!¡±


    Kuruwa abandoned her polite manner of speaking and swung the chain while she held it in both hands. The attack had no centrifugal force behind it and was a bit like a jab, but Hanzou still had to swing his head back to avoid it.


    In the opening that was created, Kuruwa managed to put a good amount of distance between them.


    She moved behind the metal pillar to one of the wind turbines perhaps in order to get behind cover.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Hanzou immediately moved forward.


    Without even giving Kuruwa a chance to compose herself, he used the momentum he obtained from swinging around the pillar to attack from the side.


    The uchine¡¯s arrowhead stabbed forward, tearing through fluttering yellow cloth.


    However, Hanzou¡¯s face darkened.


    All that was there was the abandoned yukata.


    He heard the sound of air being sliced.


    He looked over and saw Kuruwa coming around the other side of the pillar as if she had gone around at the same time he had. She, now only wearing her underwear, had used the time that she had bought for herself to start swinging the chain around. The chain was travelling in a circle with a meter-long radius. Hanzou felt a sense of danger as he saw the weight go around again and again, building up speed and force.


    Here it comes!!


    The thrown chain was used for being wrapped around weapons, and the tip of the sickle was used for attacking once the enemy¡¯s movements had been cut off.


    The one good thing about the kusarigama was that it was easy to guess its timing. As it swung around, amassing power, it had to be released at the right angle with the right timing or else the weight would fly off in some odd direction.


    As the weighted chain spun, it made a whooshing noise.


    Hanzou concentrated, and heard a conspicuously louder whoosh.


    Dodge...!?


    He moved his center of gravity to the side in preparation to jump, only to realize that Kuruwa hadn¡¯t let go of the chain yet.


    The louder whoosh he had heard had just been Kuruwa mimicking the noise with her mouth.


    ¡°Oh, shi¡ª¡±


    Hanzou had realized what had happened, but he couldn¡¯t correct his altered center of gravity instantly. Due to this hesitation, when the chain actually soared towards him, he couldn¡¯t move in time.


    When she released the weighted chain, Kuruwa was convinced of her victory.


    Hanzou could not avoid her attack. The thick chain would wrap around his right arm, and seal his movements. Then, Kuruwa just had to pull hard on the chain to unbalance him, and finish it with her sickle.


    She had the absolute advantage, but she was wrapped in a kind of loneliness.


    Was this all that Hanzou¡¯s power, the power of the Hattori line, was?


    As she ground her teeth, her chain headed accurately for Hanzou¡¯s arm.


    The chain headed for the area between his armpit and elbow, and started to wrap around his arm, clothes and all, like a snake.


    However, the chain slipped right through Hanzou¡¯s arm, and continued on at an unexpected angle.


    ¡°Wha¡ª?¡±


    Kuruwa stumbled forward from the momentum of the chain continuing on unexpectedly.


    Instead of wrapping around Hanzou¡¯s arm, the chain had flown right through it like it was made of Japanese paper. It took Kuruwa a second to realize what had happened.


    Hanzou¡¯s right arm swayed loosely.


    He had taken his arm out of the sleeve, and Kuruwa had attacked the empty sleeve.


    Hanzou¡¯s actual right arm must have been in the main body of his jacket.


    He couldn¡¯t attack with his uchine like that.


    However, there was no guarantee that he only had an uchine in his right hand.


    Hanzou dashed forward. Kuruwa attempted to defend with the chain, but it didn¡¯t work the way she wanted it to due to her body having been pulled forward by the momentum of the chain.


    She only lost a split second due to that, but it was enough for Hanzou to make a decisive approach.


    ¡°E...¡±


    In that instant, Kuruwa smiled for some reason.


    As that strike approached before her eyes, the girl wishing for the revival of the Hattori line smiled.


    ¡°Excellent, Hanzou-sama!!¡±


    Something was shining in Hanzou¡¯s left hand.


    Hanzou silently looked down at Kuruwa¡¯s face.


    The girl was collapsed on the ground wearing nothing but her underwear, but she had no obvious bleeding. At the last second, he had drawn in the uchine in his hand and struck her with his fist.


    ¡°...Dammit. Don¡¯t look so happy when I defeat you.¡±


    Hanzou clicked his tongue.


    She did not live like a traditional ninja. Her willingness to even die for a single goal was more of a samurai bushido kind of thing.


    He couldn¡¯t do that.


    He was a ninja that was like a weed, like a poisonous insect, and had a supporting role. Even though he had permanently lost his friend Komaba and at least temporarily lost his friend Hamazura, he was just living his normal life alone.


    A ninja wasn¡¯t particularly strong or remarkable.


    As the previous fight had shown, the way of the ninja was to use some kind of trick to bring the rhythm of battle in their favor, and then use an opening to attack from a blind spot.


    Because of this, someone who was no one special like Hanzou wouldn¡¯t take part in fights where he couldn¡¯t take out the enemy in a single blow. He understood the basics of living as a spy.


    What a pain in the ass...


    Hanzou shook his head, and picked up Kuruwa¡¯s abandoned mini-yukata. Even though she was a kunoichi trained in those techniques, he couldn¡¯t let her stay there half-naked. He started to drape the mini-yukata over her like a sheet.


    ¡°...¡±


    But then he felt a piece of paper.


    He searched through the mini-yukata¡¯s sleeve, and found a small report inside.


    A Gemstone list...?


    Even within Academy City, there were rumors of natural espers known as Gemstones. Kuruwa may have been trying to create a new ninja group out of those people.


    Strictly speaking, ninja were scientific people, and unlike Hanzou, Kuruwa was aiming to create a flashy, extravagant, and pure ninja group. With that goal, a unit made up only of Gemstones must have sounded pretty appealing.


    However, that wasn¡¯t what made Hanzou frown.


    He held the list of Gemstones in his hand and thought,


    ...Why does Kuruwa have a classified Academy City document?


    She was a ninja descendant, but it had taken her almost half a year to corner Hanzou. She may have specialized in blending into the background and mixing in with a group, but he didn¡¯t think she had the ability to gather information from a wide area.


    Whoever prepared this list was using Kuruwa to do something. But who? And what were they after?


    He thought for a bit, but couldn¡¯t come up with an answer.


    ...What is happening in this city?


    The sound of the report being crumpled came from Hanzou¡¯s hand.

 Volume 2, 19: Shining Gemstones and Blood-Stained Rights. The Second Friday of October.

    Volume 2, Chapter 19: Shining Gemstones and Blood-Stained Rights. The Second Friday of October.


    It pissed her off that every single member of Academy City¡¯s Board of Directors was rich.


    The genius girl Kumokawa Seria placed her fingers on her temple as she looked around at Kaizumi Tsugutoshi¡¯s personal home theater.


    The domed room he called his home theater looked out of place for a personal residence and was made with acoustics in mind. Speakers were spread 360 degrees around the room and every gap in the wall was filled with them. There was even a speaker on the back of the door.


    ¡°An acquaintance of mine is a conductor,¡± said the old man wearing formal clothes that would have fit in more in an antique setting, ¡°so I wanted to make something that would make even a live performance enthusiast jealous and, before I knew it, I had this. My wife and my daughter were shocked, too.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care, but you must need a special kind of music media to use all of these speakers.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. The sound quality is wonderful, but each song costs about twenty million yen.¡±


    ¡°Go to hell,¡± spat out Kumokawa as she looked over to the theater¡¯s giant monitor. This was no cheap projector; it was a super high density display. The money spent on the display could have been used to buy an entire movie theater including the land it was on.


    Displayed on the screen wasn¡¯t some huge hit of a movie that was forgotten a year after it opened.


    It was a boring man¡¯s face.


    Kumokawa sat down in a leather-covered chair so soft she felt like she could have fallen into an eternal sleep in it, reached over to the drink on the side table, and looked back to the screen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this nouveau riche style, but it¡¯s soundproofed which lets us talk in private. ...So why don¡¯t you tell us what your complaint is?¡±


    ¡°W-we haven¡¯t done anything we need to make excuses about,¡± said the large face displayed on the screen. ¡°Explaining it all is a pain, but we aren¡¯t involved in these incidents. Just do some research and you¡¯ll know I¡¯m telling the truth. The entire chain of events happened naturally without our even knowing.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Kaizumi as he placed his hands on the back of Kumokawa¡¯s chair.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you had no part in the sudden and simultaneous targeting of gemstones for research samples in France, India, Austria, Thailand, Argentina, and elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The man on the screen nodded. ¡°In the past we created and implemented projects such as the Stargate Project thinking we could seriously use espers for military purposes. But this is different. Look into the origins of each of the organizations and you¡¯ll know I¡¯m telling the truth. They aren¡¯t connected and they weren¡¯t created from our investments.¡±


    ¡°True enough.¡±


    Kumokawa took a sip of a pink liquid through a straw and looked over to the documents sitting on the side table like a fruit garnish. They were the investigation reports on the organizations that were after the gemstones.


    ¡°Academic organizations, scientific thought groups, sports engineering groups, and even some peculiar human trafficking organizations. It¡¯s true that there is no proof that this is a network you created, and I can¡¯t imagine you would be backing them.¡±


    ¡°Of course we aren¡¯t. Just because the CIA is well known doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re behind every conspiracy in the world.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. By the way, I have a question for you.¡± Kumokawa tossed the documents aside. ¡°In each one of these academic organizations, scientific thought groups, sports engineering groups, and peculiar human trafficking organizations, there are two CIA spies. Why is that?¡±


    ¡°!?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think we wouldn¡¯t notice? You have a network between these independent organizations and they don¡¯t even know it. ...But why? I doubt the leader of your country approves of this method.¡±


    The man on the screen started talking on about something, but Kumokawa cut the connection without listening.


    Kaizumi looked down at Kumokawa¡¯s head.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± responded Kumokawa as she shook her glass causing the ice inside to lightly spin around. ¡°We don¡¯t need to worry about the individual organizations. No matter how much they tinker with those gemstones, they aren¡¯t going to gain the techniques needed to actually develop psychic powers. They¡¯ll just fail, so we can leave them alone.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But the Stargate group is obtaining the information on all those failures and bringing it together. And failures are the seeds of success. If they refer to the data on countless failures to create an outline, they may be able to succeed.¡±


    ¡°What are the odds of that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡± responded Kumokawa sluggishly. ¡°0%. We don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±


    Kaizumi sighed at her blunt response.


    It was not a sigh of relief; it was a sigh of exasperation. He had most likely predicted her response.


    Kumokawa continued.


    ¡°Even with all that, they¡¯ll fail. They don¡¯t know how to use all the data they gathered, so they¡¯ll end up at a standstill. But as long as they don¡¯t realize they have failed, they will continue to use up the gemstones.¡±


    ¡°I see. My trifling fears are gone now,¡± was Kaizumi Tsugutoshi¡¯s short initial response. ¡°Now let¡¯s get down to the real issue at hand. What are we going to do from now on?¡±


    ¡°Heh. You¡¯re as na?ve as ever.¡±


    ¡°I know that each individual organization and group will fail on their own, but I don¡¯t like that the gemstones will be used up. ...No, let¡¯s stop referring to them as gemstones. The ones in danger here are just kids who happen to have a certain ability.¡±


    The capture operations could have already begun. If they wanted to safely shelter the children known as gemstones, they had to settle this before each group¡¯s ¡°research¡± began. These groups referred to themselves as ¡°research institutions¡±, but their cumulative knowledge of developing psychic powers was close to zero. Their assumptions and preconceptions might even lead them to dissect the gemstones and put them in formaldehyde the second they were captured.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I already answered that question,¡± said Kumokawa in a voice that showed how little she cared. ¡°There are only around 50 gemstones. On the other hand, there are countless eccentric scientists after them. As such, it would be faster to take care of the gemstones themselves.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Invite them to Academy City. Taking them in is the most efficient method. You said something about those kids having lives of their own, and, in the end, you didn¡¯t do anything. It was your kindness that forestalled you.¡±


    ¡°I admit I was at fault,¡± said Kaizumi in a stiff voice. ¡°And now I have an impossible order for you, my brain. What exactly should we do? They are using the gemstone list that the CIA prepared via different routes than ours to begin ¡®mining¡¯ the children nearby. Even if we dispatch Academy City people, we can¡¯t make it in time to stop the ¡®mining¡¯ taking place simultaneously across the world. How are we supposed to stop that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that we wouldn¡¯t make it if we only dispatched people from Academy City. Even with supersonic passenger planes, there are still geographic limits.


    ¡°However,¡± Kumokawa added, ¡°the situation changes if we use the organizations around the world that work with Academy City. If they can all act at once around the world, so can we.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound simple,¡± said Kaizumi expressing his disapproval. ¡°You say they work with us, but it¡¯s nothing much. Most of them are basically companies we make business deals with and groups we supply with resources. There are fewer than ten organizations we work with that have a military side fit for leaving something like this to. It would be impossible for them to immediately gather up the around 50 gemstones.¡±


    In Academy City¡¯s modern society that relied on science, almost everything was controlled indirectly, but that indirectness caused the execution of orders to be slow and lessened the ability for adaptation. There was no nice, convenient card that let them send troops all over the world that very instant.


    ¡°That may be true on the surface.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like owing people favors, but we should just bow down and ask that frog to help us.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Kumokawa sipped the rest of her drink through the straw and smiled before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m just going to have some girls with identical faces fight for us.¡±

 Volume 2, 20: How to Respond to a Number of Simultaneous Tragedies. The Second Friday of October.

    Volume 2, Chapter 20: How to Respond to a Number of Simultaneous Tragedies. The Second Friday of October.


    It was time for the periodic reports.


    ¡°''Galashiels, UK, Higher Contact Society. Misaka has suppressed the fourth, eighth, and thirteenth domes,'' reports Misaka #17000.¡±


    ¡°''Lausanne, Switzerland, World Intellectual Club. Misaka has taken out an armed guard,'' says Misaka #18022 as she provides her confirmation.¡±


    ¡°''Guadalajara, Mexico, Sixth Sense Headquarters. Misaka has blown up the main entrance to the research building,'' says Misaka #14333 as she heads further in.¡±


    ¡°''Deseado, Argentina, Human Sports Analysis Center. Misaka has finished taking control of the secure electronic lock,'' says Misaka #15110 as she opens the route to the secret area.¡±


    ¡°''Davao, Philippines, Humanity¡¯s Wisdom Headquarters. Misaka discovered an escape boat and is going to take care of it beforehand,'' says Misaka #10090 as she begins her attack.¡±


    *Ksshh...*


    *...Kssshhhhh...* *Ksssshhhh...*


    *Ksssshhhhh...* *Kssshhh*


    ¡°''Ahmednagar, India, Blueprint of the Gods Headquarters. Misaka has destroyed Blocks A, D, and L,'' says Misaka #12053 as she continues her work.¡±


    ¡°''Beijing, China, Human Evolution Committee. An attack helicopter has appeared,'' says Misaka #19009 as she sighs.¡±


    ¡°''La Paragua, Venezuela, Special Energy Laboratory. Misaka has succeeded in destroying 80% of the research equipment,'' says Misaka #11899 as she is chased by unending work.¡±


    ¡°''Moosonee, Canada, Universe of the Heart Research Room. Misaka has succeeded in cutting all power, including the emergency generators,'' reports Misaka #16836 in the darkness.¡±


    ¡°''Salzburg, Austria, International Superior Gene Bank. Misaka has spotted a white kitty, but it¡¯s hardly the time for that,'' says Misaka #10501 as she reluctantly returns to the battle.¡±


    *Thud!!*


    *Slam!* *Bang bang!!*


    *Boom!!*


    ¡°''Antarctica, Extraterrestrial Chaos Observatory. Misaka has met some resistance,'' says Misaka #19900 as she fights back.¡±


    ¡°''Chiang Mai, Thailand, OOPArt History Archives. If this is all, Misaka can handle it on her own,'' says Misaka #12083 as she gives her assessment of the situation.¡±


    ¡°''Starogard, Poland, Anti-Electromagnetic Wave Relief Committee. It seems this is the last bit of resistance,'' says Misaka #10855 in a plain report.¡±


    ¡°''Faenza, Italy, Wings to the Future Core. All of the tanks are making this a bit difficult,'' says Misaka #17203 dejectedly.¡±


    ¡°''Logro?o, Spain, Precise Micro Faith Association. Some assassins who seem to be former soldiers have appeared,'' says Misaka #19488 as she takes them out with a swift attack.¡±


    *Crash!!*


    *Boom!!* *Bang bang bang bang!!*


    *Roooooar!!*


    ¡°''Gunsan, South Korea, Leading Edge Science Laboratory. Misaka has restrained all of the main researchers,'' reports Misaka #15327.¡±


    ¡°''Angoul¨ºme, France, National Oneiromancy Analysis Laboratory. Someone has just commented that Misaka will regret this one day,'' says Misaka #13072 as she blows them away anyway.¡±


    ¡°''Codaj¨¢s, Brazil, World Awakening Alliance. Misaka is leaving the restrained ringleaders for someone else to deal with and hurrying on,'' says Misaka #17403 as she steps foot in the deepest area.¡±


    ¡°''Zacapa, Guatemala, Brain Distribution Clarification Center. As there is no resistance, Misaka is about to seize the Gemstone,'' says Misaka #10050 as she heads for the Seventh Research Building.¡±


    ¡°''Salzgitter, Germany, Paranormal Inquiry Encyclopedia. Misaka has discovered a hidden door,'' says Misaka #10840 as she peers inside.¡±


    *Creak...*


    *Step...* *Step...*


    *Squeak squeak*


    ¡°''Celje, Slovenia, New Energy Mining Agency. Misaka has found a Gemstone,'' reports Misaka #12481.¡±


    ¡°''Bergen, Norway, Proof for Miracles. Misaka has also found a Gemstone,'' reports Misaka #18072.¡±


    ¡°''Rovaniemi, Finland, Ecliptic Access Line Diffusion Committee. Misaka has begun protecting the Gemstone,'' says Misaka #19348 as she stretches out her hand.¡±


    ¡°''Sydney, Australia, UMA Ability Clarification Club. Misaka has confirmed a path of escape and is leaving the facility with the Gemstone,'' says Misaka #17009 as she begins to move.¡±


    ¡°''Bragan?a, Portugal, Seventh Age Weapon Laboratory. Misaka¡¯s escape was a success, and she has guaranteed the safety of the Gemstone,'' says Misaka #15113 as she takes a short rest.¡±


    ¡°''No, it is too soon to relax,'' says Misaka #10032 in an emergency report!!¡±


    ¡°''? Isn¡¯t #10032 in Academy City?'' asks Misaka #14014.¡±


    ¡°''Why is there an emergency report coming from there?'' asks Misaka #18829 in a request for an explanation.¡±


    ¡°''There is an intruder. A single intruder.


    The intruder¡¯s target seems to be Academy City¡¯s strongest Gemstone, the seventh Level 5,'' says Misaka #10032 in a supplementary report!!¡±


    *Kssh...*


    *Ksshhh... ssshhh... sshhh...*


    *Kkkkksssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhssssssssshhhhhh!!*

 Volume 2, 21: Those with an Undetermined Identity. The Second Friday of October.

    Volume 2, Chapter 21: Those with an Undetermined Identity. The Second Friday of October.


    The scene was a strange one.


    In a container storage area in District 11, around nine girls had collapsed next to a line of giant metal boxes. The girls¡¯ clothes, hairstyles, heights, physiques, and even faces were all identical. They were the Sisters who had been created from the cells of a certain Level 5.


    Rifles were on the ground, empty shells were scattered about, and the girls were on the ground unconscious. One man was standing amidst it all.


    He was unscathed.


    The man who should have become a Magic God, Ollerus, took in the nighttime scenery, and his eyes narrowed slightly.


    This man was so powerful that the entire Magic Side was after him, yet he had managed to crush every single one of his pursuers. He had not faced defeat even in the headquarters of the Science Side, Academy City.


    ¡°Wow, this is pretty amazing,¡± came a sudden voice.


    A boy was standing a bit away from the collapsed girls. He was Number Seven, Sogiita Gunha: Academy City¡¯s seventh Level 5, and also a true man of love and guts.


    His face showed displeasure for the scene before him.


    But that was not because of the existence of nine girls with the same face.


    Sogiita was not bothered by such trivial things.


    ¡°...These nine gorgeous girls... I guess that¡¯s what I¡¯d call them. Well, anyway, you seem pretty pleased with yourself for mercilessly beating up some girls. Amazing. I¡¯ve never seen someone with less guts.¡±


    ¡°I have my reasons.¡±


    Ollerus smiled slightly.


    He slowly turned his head to look at Number Seven.


    ¡°If Academy City was just going to gather up the estimated fifty Gemstones in the world, I wouldn¡¯t stop them, but there is a risk that they''ll use them for some unknown kind of research here.¡±


    With the irregular method with which the Gemstones had been invited to Academy City, they were a rare existence for Academy City''s scientists. It was possible that some perverted scientist would imprison them in some dark laboratory.


    ¡°I thought I should give them a warning. It¡¯s not quite as vague as having a check on them; it¡¯s more like a forceful negotiation. If I can just easily defeat the strongest Gemstone who is also Number Seven in Academy City, that should be enough. That should get across to him what I plan to do if anything happens to the Gemstones while they''re here.¡±


    ¡°Heh...¡± Number Seven smiled slightly. ¡°Excellent. Now that¡¯s a line with some guts in it. So, you¡¯re negotiating with the darkest depths of Academy City by basically picking a fight with them for the sake of only fifty kids. And you¡¯re going to physically clash with a Level 5 to do it. Good, good. That¡¯s a spirit with quite a bit of guts in it.


    ¡°But you know,¡± said Sogiita after remaining silent for a moment, ¡°I don¡¯t know who these girls are, yet they risked their lives to put up a fight full of guts. They may have even been fighting to protect me, someone they had never even spoken to.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any real reason to risk my life here, but I¡¯ll show some guts. And as such... I¡¯m going to truly crush you.¡±


    The action Number Seven took immediately thereafter was simple.


    He rushed up to Ollerus, grabbed his face, and threw him against the nearby wall of containers.


    However, what would happen if that series of actions was done at twice the speed of sound?


    A tremendous noise rang out.


    The steel containers were easily crushed, and Ollerus¡¯s body flew through the mountain of containers and a few dozen meters beyond it after he slipped from Sogiita¡¯s grasp. The mountain of containers collapsed like a house of cards and rained down on top of Sogiita and the collapsed girls, but after he raised his hands above his head, the containers were blown upwards in midair like a volcano.


    Dust enveloped the area.


    An ominous metallic clattering continued irregularly for some time.


    Then, Number Seven narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Tch. Your guts may be rotten, but you certainly are showing some warped guts.¡±


    ¡°No, I really have no guts,¡± said a voice from within the dust.


    A silhouette could be seen where the sound had come from, and Ollerus slowly walked forward.


    He hadn¡¯t changed even slightly. Not one hair was out of place.


    ¡°But I have my reasons. Unlike you, I have a reason to fight.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Number Seven didn''t respond.


    Sogiita tried to approach Ollerus in order to drive some guts into the gutless man before him.


    That was when Ollerus showed the true value of his own power.


    Simply put, it was an unexplainable phenomenon.


    Even Sogiita who received the attack couldn''t even slightly understand what had happened to him.


    Before he realized it, he had been blown away a great distance. His entire body, from the surface to his very core, had received damage equally. The shock didn''t just come from one spot and spread from there; it was more like an unnatural force had permeated his entire body like a cloth being dunked in water.


    ¡°...?¡±


    After receiving that clean hit, strength left his legs, and he collapsed to the ground. Even so, the only thing in Sogiita Gunha¡¯s mind was not fear, but a flood of questions.


    He didn¡¯t even let himself feel any danger to his life from Ollerus¡¯s attack.


    ¡°The most fearsome attack in this world is an unexplainable power,¡± spoke the man who should have become a Magic God. ¡°No matter what kind of mysterious power your attack uses, if you swing it down like a sword, it can be stopped as if it were a sword. If you shoot it like a gun, it can be blocked as if it were a gun. Any kind of unknown attack that can be understood is pretty much the same.¡±


    ¡°Ghhh.¡±


    Number Seven attempted to stand up from his face-down position.


    Ollerus didn''t move.


    He didn''t make a single action that was explainable or understandable.


    He merely caused some phenomenon, and Sogiita¡¯s body was blown back even further.


    ¡°But an unexplainable power cannot be dealt with the same way,¡± Ollerus spoke slowly and quietly. ¡°The most fearsome thing in this world is to be defeated by an attack that uses an unexplainable power and comes from an incomprehensible place while you have no way of thinking up a countermeasure. The attack is so vague that you can''t assign conditions to it, and you don¡¯t even know if there''s a direction you can go to avoid it or if you can escape its reach after getting tens of thousands of kilometers away. You now know how horrible that is firsthand.¡±


    Sogiita didn''t voice any surprise.


    It may have been incomplete, but he had taken two direct hits from Ollerus¡¯s Hlieskj¨¢lf. That legendary throne did not actually have any attack functionality, but that was exactly why Ollerus¡¯s spell had evolved to something unexplainable when he forcibly used it as one. Hlieskj¨¢lf¡¯s attack was a vague thing that didn''t have a defined range or force, so Number Seven had most likely already lost consciousness from being on the receiving end of it.


    ¡°There is no major difference between us,¡± muttered Ollerus as he relaxed. ¡°One of us is aware that he wields an unexplainable power, and the other isn¡¯t: that is the only real difference between us. You are the delicate yet complex Number Seven that not even Academy City''s researchers could do anything about. In fact, you¡¯re a special esper that they aren¡¯t even sure should really be classified as a Level 5. If you yourself understood that, you may have been able to defeat me.¡±


    The objective of the man who should have become a Magic God was to defeat Number Seven with overwhelming power.


    It was a slight check on Academy City''s gathering of the Gemstones.


    Ollerus decided that he had accomplished his goal, and silently turned around.


    ¡°I did have a reason for not letting myself lose. It may have been unfortunate for you, but just accept your defeat. This isn¡¯t a problem that can be dealt with using guts.¡±


    Then...


    ¡°...Now that¡¯s a comment I can¡¯t just let go.¡±


    A presence stood up.


    Ollerus slowly turned around once more. A boy was standing there, wounds covering his body. He had received the unknown attack of Hlieskj¨¢lf twice and should have lost consciousness, yet he stood up. Ollerus had not seen this coming. However, this was the world Ollerus lived in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t treat people like they have no guts before they¡¯ve given up, you bastard.¡±


    Blood was oozing from his forehead.


    His breathing was erratic.


    But Number Seven ignored the pain, and stared at Ollerus.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be defeated so easily. I¡¯ll show you that being arrogant and full of yourself isn¡¯t the only kind of strength! Guts aren¡¯t something you lose just because you¡¯re at a disadvantage!!¡±


    An unknown power wrapped itself around Sogiita Gunha.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you what true guts are!! You don¡¯t need some great reason. A man who isn¡¯t twisted or rotten, even if he¡¯s a complete stranger, can stand up for some injured girls!!¡±


    Number Seven ran forward with the momentum of the power gushing forth.


    Unlike Ollerus¡¯s unexplainable power, anyone could understand his simple approach.


    Ollerus smiled in response.


    As he smiled, he took no action that was explainable or understandable.


    The third instance of Hlieskj¨¢lf, and the seventh Level 5.


    Those two inexpressible, unexplainable, and incomprehensible monsters clashed.


    And...

 Volume 2, 22: The Conclusion Cannot Be Grasped Individually. The Second Friday of October.

    Volume 2, Chapter 22: The Conclusion Cannot Be Grasped Individually. The Second Friday of October.


    A cold sweat was pouring from George Kingdom¡¯s body.


    During the Cold War, he had (unofficially) been the leader of the Stargate Project to develop psychic powers in a certain country. That project had failed, but he was still rumored to be a skilled person who was behind various different projects. He was in charge of those projects both because the CIA could freely control him and because his value was legendary.


    However, he was cornered now.


    It was odd. He thought he had prepared for every possible circumstance, but reality had slipped through the cracks and brought it all to an unthinkable conclusion. There had been over fifty research groups that all had independent financial backing and different methods of being funded. All of them had simultaneously seized Gemstones all over the world, yet all at once, someone had destroyed them and the projects they were working on before any progress could be made.


    The word ¡°self-protection¡± floated into the back of his mind.


    All those projects had been carried out under each organization¡¯s individual judgement, and they had all resulted in great losses without a single result. The Senate wasn¡¯t going to let George get away with this one. He wouldn¡¯t just lose his ability to act; he would lose his life.


    However, there was something other than fear filling George¡¯s head.


    What...?


    A question.


    He didn¡¯t need to ask who it was that had physically stopped his project. It wasn¡¯t as if the people who had attacked each organization simply hadn¡¯t been seen. He had received the final reports from the spies in each place.


    What happened...?


    He had a question beyond that.


    The operation had been top-secret. Only George Kingdom himself had all of the information; that was why George was the only one in the operation that was asking this question.


    How had girls who looked exactly the same attacked simultaneously all across the world?


    A small bit of static sounded in his ear. He had only given his radio frequency to his closest associates, and all of them had been taken out in the attack.


    ¡°Are you done sorting everything out? It¡¯s pretty underhanded to not even give you a trial. I¡¯m sure someone who lives in the dark side is well aware of what it means to make an enemy of an entire country.¡±


    ¡°Kumokawa...¡±


    George was dumbfounded at hearing the voice of the brain of the Board of Directors.


    He simply asked a question, forgetting to even be angry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you people... mass-produced those...¡±


    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s it,¡± responded the genius girl Kumokawa Seria cheerfully. ¡°Cloning humans from cells is against international law, and more importantly, making those girls take military action was an unnecessary risk. I owe someone for that, so I thought I should at least help take care of the aftermath.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    George Kingdom had a feeling that he had set foot somewhere he shouldn¡¯t have. He was currently standing inside a special facility that could function as a shelter, but that didn¡¯t ease his mind at all. Ever since ancient times, the fate of fools who touched something they shouldn¡¯t have was always the same.


    He heard a small footstep.


    ¡°Really... I finally make my super return and they have me taking care of some fat old man who¡¯s super misunderstanding things. Well, once I¡¯m done here, I can go watch a super movie. I¡¯ll have a festival of minor movies that aren¡¯t released in Japan.¡±


    He heard a young female voice.


    George Kingdom did not turn around.


    Before he could send a signal to the muscles in his neck, it was already over.


    Number Seven, Sogiita Gunha, lay collapsed on the ground with obvious wounds all over his body.


    He was lying face-up, staring at the starry sky.


    The intense fighting had left its mark on the area. One side of the mountain of containers had collapsed, the asphalt had been ripped up, and in some places, the ground itself had split and was rising up like a cliff.


    Even after doing all that, he hadn¡¯t been able to win.


    During that fight, the man who should have become a Magic God had been above Sogiita Gunha.


    Wow...


    He had been beaten down with an overwhelming power, yet his eyes were filled with a pure light. It was the light of hope. The world was still overflowing with ridiculous monsters, and there were plenty of things he didn¡¯t know about. The world was vast. That was the honest feeling wrapped around Number Seven. It was obvious, but the world was vast.


    The world is filled with amazing people.


    Number Seven hadn¡¯t been up to it this time. And most likely, that man who should have become a Magic God had been holding back. It had felt like he was playing around. Number Seven had faced him with all his might, but the man had easily dealt with it, and then spared his life to boot.


    It had been overwhelming.


    Sogiita Gunha understood that truth as he stared up at the starry sky, and then he slowly stood up.


    It was much like the action of someone waking from a midday nap.


    He spoke as he raised his hands and slowly stretched.


    ¡°Now then... I need to renew my guts and train myself all over again.¡±


    A single vaguely defined road stretched along an Arizona desert.


    A man holding a cell phone was sitting on the hood of a parked off-road car.


    It was Misaka Tabigake.


    He was the man who led the world in a better direction without relying on violence by proposing what it was the world lacked.


    ¡°It seems something rather troublesome happened.¡±


    ¡°It is just the usual violence. It was nothing that required you.¡±


    ¡°True enough. I don¡¯t use that kind of method. I can come up with at least three more peaceful methods off the top of my head.¡±


    ¡°It is a matter of cost. It depends on the situation, but this time, a violent method was cheaper.¡±


    ¡°What a boring reason.¡± Misaka sighed, and picked up the coffee cup sitting on the hood. ¡°So, now the small bits of possibility that were spread out around the world have been gathered up by Academy City. They didn¡¯t have much of a chance to begin with, but now pretty much every hint towards successfully developing psychic powers has been cut off. You really are the only one that profited from this.¡±


    Misaka smiled, and took a sip of the bitter liquid before continuing.


    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something I wanted to check with you about regarding that violence.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Those areas were pretty chaotic, so people¡¯s accounts of what happened aren¡¯t too reliable, which is why I¡¯m just ¡®checking¡¯. Academy City is a city of espers, though, so maybe there¡¯s someone who can make copies of herself or some monster who can teleport hundreds of thousands of kilometers.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve heard that identical-looking girls were spotted near the estimated fifty research facilities all over the world.¡±


    Misaka Tabigake¡¯s manner of speech changed.


    It wasn¡¯t a change due to a wave of emotions, but there was definitely a change.


    ¡°As I said before, the eyewitness accounts can¡¯t be relied on, and Academy City is a city of espers. Even if something that seems contradictory happens, you can just say that there was actually a special power behind it, and the conversation ends there.¡±


    ¡°I will leave this one to your imagination. However, I will tell you this much: this is not a problem you need to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± responded Misaka.


    He then asked a further question.


    ¡°...So, are you also saying that I shouldn¡¯t worry about the information saying that the girls who were spotted resembled my daughter?¡±


    ¡°...Hrm.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Aleister. If you say I don¡¯t have to worry about it, then fine; after all, I can¡¯t trust what you say in the first place. But there¡¯s one thing you need to keep in mind: if you do anything to my wife or daughter, what do you think will happen once I find out? Do you know what it means to make an enemy of a mere father? Think about those things.¡±


    ¡°How would you do it?¡± Aleister¡¯s voice asked a simple question. ¡°How would a normal freelancer attack the Chairman of Academy City¡¯s Board of Directors?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that there may not be anything in this world that can take you out in one blow,¡± admitted Misaka Tabigake. ¡°However, my job is to point out what it is this world lacks. If the world is lacking such a thing, then the ball¡¯s in my court; that''s why I gave you that warning. So, keep that in mind.¡±


    The conversation between the two adults was over.


    After that dangerous exchange, they both slipped back into the darkness of the world.


    Silvia was vacuuming the apartment¡¯s hallway.


    Most of the kids a certain idiot had brought in had been taken in by churches or had found a new life with foster parents, but a few remained in the apartment. This was not because no one was willing to take them in; the children themselves wanted to wait for that certain idiot to return.


    She sighed.


    Why was she here? Her extended overseas training to polish her skills as a Bonne Dame was over, and the United Kingdom had ordered her to return again and again. She wasn¡¯t getting paid, and she wasn¡¯t doing it out of a traditional master-and-servant relationship. She earned her own living expenses, so there was no real reason tying her to this particular apartment. Now that the idiot had left, there was no real meaning in staying. Returning to England or moving to a nicer place would have been the better option, but Silvia simply did not feel any urge to leave the apartment.


    Her reason was a silly one.


    She refused to put it in words because it was too ridiculous.


    When Silvia sighed again, she spotted something. She brushed her hair, put down the vacuum cleaner, and headed for the entryway. She opened the door like always, and said the same thing as always.


    ¡°Hey, welcome back, you dumb bastard.¡±

 Volume 2, Afterword

    Volume 2, Afterword


    To those who have read through the books one at a time: welcome back.


    To those who read through all of the books at once: welcome.


    This is Kamachi Kazuma.


    This is SS2!! I wrote these stories as events that weren¡¯t in the main story but are nice to know. I wonder how well I did. I think this one displayed the world of the series from all sorts of angles with the Magic side, the Science side, and even the normal side.


    The overall theme was the passing of the days and months, and the key word was Gemstone.


    Surprisingly, this volume takes place over almost an entire year.


    The story of the Gemstones was completed here in SS2, but those who have read to the end must be wondering about some things; for example, ¡°Is the Gemstone story really complete?¡± or ¡°Why wasn¡¯t that person collected with the others?¡± You¡¯re right to ask those things because, while the Gemstone storyline was solely in SS2, there are other storylines that haven¡¯t been declared yet. It may be fun to speculate about various things.


    Oh, right. About the two people with the highest rank who appeared in this volume. Those two are basically the kind of characters who are against the rules in this kind of battle story. As for why, well... they have no real battle procedure. I suppose there is the forceful approach of going with a great frontal attack of power that exceeds the total amount of unexplainable power, though.


    Speaking of unusual people, there were two ninja in this volume. This world does have that area and that kind of angle in it. The ninja here ended up having a confusing talk about the ways in which ninja are not the same as samurai and what to do about it. It might be fun to look further into their story, but that might be difficult because they are characters with a subtle rule about staying side characters. In a way, they¡¯re further below the surface than the magicians.


    Personally, I feel that the strongest character this time was Misaka Papa, but what did you think? He is from yet another section that is separate from the main Index series, and he changes the world via means other than battles. That said, it isn¡¯t that he doesn¡¯t fight; he just has a different way of fighting. He isn¡¯t the kind of good person who denies fighting itself. He rashly interferes with the foundations of society, so he might be even more dangerous than the children who merely clench their fists and punch each other.


    Also, one person who could oppose Misaka Papa is Kamijou Touya. Those dandies have their own way of fighting. Well, one of them is a corporate warrior who''s never promoted and is even used by his own subordinates, and the other leaves the finances to his wife, so they¡¯re rather difficult dandies.


    ...Come to think of it, if you follow SS Volume 1 to Volume 2, you will be astonished to see how little they are connected. I suppose you can just barely make a connection with the destruction of Skill-Out. It makes me want to make fun of myself for saying the two SS volumes are a ¡°series¡±, but I felt it would be more interesting to do away with that kind of definition and restraint in order to make it a stage where anything could happen. As such, if a third volume ever comes out, I¡¯m betting the connections between SS volumes will fade even more.


    Many thanks to my illustrator Haimura-san and my editor, Miki-san. The setting kept changing, which made this difficult, not to mention how many chapters there were, so thank you for sticking with it.


    I would also like to thank all the readers. Thank you for reading this SS that I started solely on the idea of destroying the theory that each volume ends after a short period of time.


    And now you will be closing the page.


    I pray that you will be able to open the cover of the next volume.


    And I will lay down my pen for now.


    A lot is happening that Kamijou-chan doesn¡¯t know about, you know?


    -Kamachi Kazuma