A Certain Missing Esper (Arc 4 Main Story)

Hirashi also noticed Gown Girl’s not-so-subtle riffling but likewise decided to keep quiet. The Doctor seemed to have a soft spot for her, this was a good opportunity to get more info out of this office without dirtying his own hands.

As Miss Scary Eyes lead them back to the van straight through the gate, Hirashi cannot help but feel nervous. Even though there were no guards, just waltzing through the building like that just felt wrong.

«I’m not going to question what happened in here while we were out, but keep yourselves focussed on what’s coming next.»

There was an unmistakeable aura of awkwardness in the air, it amused Hirashi. He climbed into the van, taking care not to wrinkle the documents, and began looking around him for clues on what might have happened while he was gone.

"Nice to see you too. Looks like you got the files. Anything noteworthy?"

"Wasn't how I expected things to go down, but it seems promising, although we won't know for sure until we read this."

With the last of their passengers on board, Naoto signaled the driver with a flick of her hand. The van took off at a hair over the speed limit. There may not have been anyone in pursuit, but she didn't like the idea of lingering any longer than needed. Not when their enemy had been one step ahead of them until now.

"Run into any trouble in there?" She asked, turning in her seat to look back through the window into the back compartment.

Reina's fingers flicked at the edges of the file in her hand as she wavered between opening it or not. The answers inside were as intimidating as they were enticing. What would she find in those documents? Was she even the same person as the one described in their pages?

But that wasn't the reason they had come all this way. Her attention pulled towards the identical folder in Saito's hands.

She put aside any thoughts of her own selfish desires. There were more important matters to deal with first. She looked to him, then to Anko, and finally Tsubasa, for whoever would take the initiative.

The documents inside the folder were dense with small type, graphs, and other figures. Much of it was dry and clinical in its language. Details of interviews, past appointments and other technical data provided little in the way of clarification. However, towards the end of the thick sheaf of papers the tight curls of handwritten English told a different story. These were Dr Reiner's own personal notes. And they were far more enlightening.

Alternating between short bullet point notes from their sessions and longer, more composed summaries of Dr Reiner's thoughts following said sessions, they painted a vivid picture of the boy known as Kurama Kenji.

"Past trauma (survivor's guilt? Parental neglect?)"

"Inferiority complex stemming from lv 0 status and family pressures."

"Kenji is having difficulty adjusting to life in the city. He remains reluctant to discuss his social circle and I am beginning to suspect he is having trouble connecting with his classmates.

"Given Kenji's lack of emerging ability and the recurring injuries I suspect he may be the target of harassment from his more gifted peers. I have recommended he be moved to another educational facility with students of similar aptitude. Kenji himself has fiercely rejected such proposals. It appears he is concerned for the wellbeing of his younger cousin, who is also attending the same school."

"I am apprehensive about the company Kenji is surrounding himself with. It appears he, much like many of my patients, has fallen in with the collective known as 'Skill Out'. It is likely they have been able to prey on his insecurities to..."

A page filled with calculations and equations scribbled in ink followed.

"Recent events prove troubling. The appearance of an ability at this point in the curriculum is, if not unprecedented, rare enough to warrant further investigation. We have not yet been able to formally test his ability but current indications suggest that the ability developed shares similarities with the Esper known as Accelerator. Though applications are limited in comparison to [redacted] the magnitude of output when performing his 'Kinetic Drive' appears at first glance to be roughly the same as documented in the reports of [redacted]. Objects in physical contact with the subject can be propelled in a linear trajectory with tremendous force until making contact with solid matter, at which point the 'projectile' will impart the entirety of its kinetic force into the 'target', losing all inertia and momentum and causing a violent explosion in the 'target'. Interestingly the 'projectile' does not seem affected by air resistance or other sources of friction. Time required seems to scale with the mass of the object as detailed in figure 2c. "

"My suspicions have been confirmed. Kurama Kenji's newly developed ability is not a result of the power curriculum, but rather from exposure to the substance known as 'Intensify'. Though undoubtedly powerful, these abilities pose significant risk to Kenji's health and life. Prolonged and repeated use of Intensify has been known to lead to mental instability and death. Kenji remains indifferent to the risks. I fear that his existing psychological issues have grown into a fixation with acquiring power as a means of exerting control over his environment."

"In particular, Kenji has made explicit that he needs an ability in order to ensure the safety of his cousin, and to a lesser extent, the other level zeroes in his immediate social circle."

"Kenji has refused invitations to further sessions at my office. At risk to myself I will continue contact at the following location, which I believe to be the base of operations of his 'Skill Out' group."

This last note was followed by an address. And at the bottom of the page a final footnote read;

"Refer to related notes re; cousin. Y. Reina."

Kisaragi Anko did not need anyone to tell her how to proceed, immediately picking apart the folder as she digested the information written upon the countless pages Doctor Reiner had compiled. A deep dive into the personality of a troubled boy. Nothing unexpected. Albeit, of course, valuable knowledge for the eventual confrontation ahead of them.

She read it all, then handed the parts she had digested away to those who couldn’t hash a glance over the edges of her shoulders.

Eventually, however, she stopped in her tracks, staring blankly at the paper in her hands before tilting her head to the girl at the centre of it all. The girl whose name had come up yet again, perhaps flipping the whole ordeal on its head by the freak nature of this finding.

She did not stare at her for long, only to attempt an intrusion into her mind by means of her gaze along. «Your file. Hand it over to me.» Not a request. Not even a polite ask. Just an order, barked without any sense of tact whatsoever.

Aiko, seemingly deciding to tease Tsubasa even further, decided to push the point, and blatantly asked:

"It's fine, nothing to worry about. Though I do want to know... what was it that had you so distracted."

As the other girl sat a bit too close to Tsubasa, the idol became hyper-aware of their closeness, and she could feel a pleasant warmth enveloping her senses. She hesitated for a while, not knowing if it was more appropriate and respectful to distance herself or remain in place. She selected to stay put, out of purely selfish reasons.

Tsubasa, against her better judgement, and despite her embarrassment deep inside, decided to play along with the teasing.

“Eh, you know, nothing much,” she answered in a lighthearted tone, “just the cuteness sitting next to me~”, and she leaned even closer against Aiko’s shoulder.

Immediately thereafter, the back door was torn open, which made her jump and scootch over to the side. It was Kisaragi and the rest of the team.

«We got what we needed. Let’s go. I’m not going to question what happened in here while we were out, but keep yourselves focussed on what’s coming next.»

“Yo!”, Tsubasa made an attempt at a casual greeting, though she was in no way as composed as Aiko appeared to be. The younger girl surely recollected herself very quickly.

"Nice to see you too. Looks like you got the files. Anything noteworthy?"

"Wasn't how I expected things to go down, but it seems promising, although we won't know for sure until we read this."

They had succeeded in their mission and managed to retreave the files they needed. This was good news. They now could start collecting information and understanding the truth of the situation.

When Kisaragi handed the file over, a few things struck Tsubasa as very familiar yet alarming. Survivor’s guilt, familial pressure, level-related inferiority complex, etc. It all reminded the girl how much her fate was intertwined with those who called themselves Skill-Out. If her life trajectory had been even slightly different, she’d probably have ended up right among those people she was fighting right now.

She pushed this thought aside for now, as this was no time for self-reflection.

It was at the end of the reading that Kisaragi’s facial expression changed to a blank stare, and shortly after, she ordered Reina to hand over her file, rather bluntly.

“Hm? Something wrong, Kisaragi?”

Hirashi dared not to object as Miss Scary Eyes snatched the documents out of his hands. He could not get behind Miss Scary Eyes for a peak in the pages as she read, but her reactions told Hirashi whatever was written inside was very juicy indeed.

Hirashi eagerly took hold of the document as Miss Scary Eyes demanded Gown Girl to hand over her profile. This was an excellent turn of events, with Gown Girl taking the initiative to steal her own file and now Miss Scary Eyes playing the villain and demanding that file, Hirashi will be able to get the information inside without ever acting himself.

“Hm? Something wrong, Kisaragi?”

Level 0, Intensify, Accelerator…

Just seeing that name sent a chill down Hirashi’s spine. The top ranked level 5, even a fraction of his power would be a formidable opponent. And for a level 0 to acquire that ability, a level 0 with self-destructive tendencies at that, makes for an unpredictable and dangerous adversary.

As Hirashi’s eyes fell on the end of the report, Miss Scary Eyes’ reaction made perfect sense. Gown Girl’s folder might contain information that will get them ahead for the first time. The nature of Intensify, Kenji’s connections, and Gown Girl’s past which she had forgotten…

"Wasn't how I expected things to go down, but it seems promising, although we won't know for sure until we read this."

Based on the fact that the away team had returned with two files, Aiko assumed that they had managed to fine Reina's file as well. Immediately opening and looking through the file, Aiko was glad there was something else for everyone to focus their attention on since the blush on her face from Tsubasa's last comment still had not faded. While Aiko couldn't read the file while it was in Kisaragi's hands, just the was the expressions on her face changed as she read and eventually finished reading the file were telling. A brief moment after finishing, Kisaragi demanded Reina's file from her.

“Hm? Something wrong, Kisaragi?”

Saito took the file Kisaragi had been reading, and Aiko used that opportunity to read over his shoulder. The contents were enlightening to say the least. It felt like this was the biggest step forward they'd made in a while. Not only did they now have insight into their opponent and his location, but also information regarding their amnesiac companion.

"Well, we know where to go and what we're up against now. Though Reina, it seems like your file there might hold even more important information then we thought."

«Your file. Hand it over to me.»

Reina recoiled from the sharp demand that came unexpectedly from the brusque girl. Without thinking she held out the manila folder in front of her but then, as though recovering her presence of mind she pulled it back.

"Why?" And she clutched it defensively to her chest.

Standing up for herself did not come naturally to Reina. But recent events had forced her into the habit, even if it was a strange and ill-fitting one. She fixed Anko with as close to a stern expression as her soft, rounded features could manage. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What did it say?" She nodded towards the other file, now held in Anko's hands. "If it involves me, I deserve to know."

Whatever it was, it had something to do with her own report. She stubbornly opened the binder and devoured the contents with eager eyes.

Y. Reina, ability name: Heart Reading. Level 3.

She skimmed over the first few paragraphs of text quickly.

Few friends. Shy disposition. Introverted. Possibly related to overstimulation from ability? Complaints of headaches and nausea began shortly after admission into the power curriculum. Causal link? Requires consultation with AIM researchers. If an individuals' AIM field can cause physical side effects, this could indicate a larger problem within the power curriculum. If my own theories are correct, could psychological issues be at the root of the problem?

Reina complaining more of more severe headaches. I have increased dosage of medication, but she has expressed concerns that it is affecting her academic performance and limiting her ability's potency.

A knot of dread formed in her stomach as she read deeper into the file. It was as if she was searching for a word at the tip of her tongue. A memory that pushed against the very back of her awareness.

Reina admitted into hospital today following an incident at school. The knot in her stomach fell away, replaced by a sinking sensation. Her eyes flicked across the following words, barely registering their meaning. Panic attack. Paranoia. Risk of self harm. She closed her eyes tight, fighting to focus. To push the memory down as it threatened to bubble up uncontrollably. Her heart thundered in her ears. Voices, the smell of blood, and a cruel black colour staining her vision like smeared ink.

Following the incident Reina's cousin, (see patient file K. Kenji) has indicated his intention to take Reina into his own care. He insists that her safety is at risk from individuals seeking to use Reina in 'experiments' of some sort. I have advised him against this course of action but as her sole surviving relative...

Reina's vision blurred. She felt the bottom of the van fall out from under her, sending her into a vertigo-inducing freefall. Her wide and fearful eyes met Anko's, then in turn darted between the others with increasingly erratic flickers. Her quivering hand held out the file for Anko to take.

Devoid of any emotion, Kisaragi Anko’s eyes would oppose those of the girl, solely mirroring her shocked face within their lenses. But only momentarily was it the mechanic actions that continued to drive her forward as she opened the second report and flung through it in search of the secrets she should have no right to trespass upon.

But what were pain and fear but clutches that would hold you down.

Still, there was something more than cold efficiency within that girl at the end of the day. Perhaps she hadn’t noticed it or possibly it had simply grown impossible to surpress, but as she laid aside the report after having studied it, this time keeping her hand placed upon it to prevent the others from committing the same hideous crime she had committed, her eyes returned to meet those of the other girl. And when they did her lips parted.

«It seems we were wrong. Kurama Kenji is not our enemy. Or at least not in the manner we assumed», she declared. Not with the wisdom of a seasoned assassin but simply as one who tried to calm the heart of another. Yet coated in her typical detached tone and further drven by her natural lack of kindness and the like, completely veering off course.

Still, she tried. «I’m sure there is a good explanation to everything.»

«Now would you kindly piss off? I still got a guest to entertain.» Such was the biting comment Marybeth ultimately gave the man, who – by all means – was far from her equal. If anything, she, too, was just an easy prey to him. And she understood it. However, who admitted such a thing openly? Bluffing was the trump.

When Saito took the file from Kisaragi, imitating Aiko’s action, she made an attempt to read the rest that she missed earlier over his shoulder. However, being the slow reader that she is, she still did not get to finish reading the last part, which seemed to be important because not only Kisaragi made that weird command earlier, but Aiko’s comment and Saito’s subtle physical change, both indicated so.

Although, her pride did not permit her to ask them about it. So she was relieved when Reina herself asked what the file said. Hopefully this will give Tsubasa the answer she wanted.

Reina opened her own file. Assuming this report and the previous one were somehow related, going by Kisaragi’s words, this would contain crucial information. Tsubasa hesitated if she should. It felt like an invasion of privacy, especially concerning someone she knew personally and who was on her side, rather than a stranger or an enemy.

So, there was no simpler solution than to directly ask.

“Rei–”, as soon as she muttered the word, she noticed the girl’s sudden intense fear and when their eyes met, she could not ignore her pain.

“Hey, easy... You okay?”

At that moment, Kisaragi explained the situation, giving Tsubasa the general context, which was enough, it was all she wanted. Tsubasa did not care for the nitty-gritty details. Kisaragi's intonation was monotonous and detached as always, but her eyes made it clear that it was an attempt to calm Reina down, rather than her being purely analytical. Tsubasa was truly amazed by that balance in her demeanor.

“Huh, that's cool. Maybe we can make a new ally,” she blurted the first thing that came to her mind, without analysing the information rationally beforehand. She then looked at Reina and said in a gentle way, to not overwhelm her frightened self, “Things will get better, and everything will be explained, believe me. After all, we’re all in your corner. You're not alone. We will get to the bottom of this, and we will keep you safe.”

Now done with Kenji’s file, Hirashi was right on time to pick up Reina’s folder, which Miss Scary Eyes had discarded to one side.

As Hirashi’s eyes flicked through the lines, the file proved to answer some important questions he had. So Gown Girl was really stronger than she seemed, and also more troubled than she seemed as well.

While Miss Scary Eyes was trying to comfort Gown Girl with her conflicting signals, Mad Biker also tried to ease Gown Girl’s mind, but by attempting to invoke the power of friendship through her sheer volume of upbeat sayings.

Hirashi wanted to also chime in and earn some points with Gown Girl, however, it was kinda difficult to make a good impression while holding someone’s medical file. Hirashi slowly put it down halfway through reading it while acting uninterested in its contents.

“Well what is in the past cannot be helped, it is much more important what we do in the future.”

Ironically, the ever-nosey Hirashi actually did not care for Reina’s family ties, he had always found things like “blood relations” and “familial bonds” quite silly. But her abilities on the other hand…

A level 3? If I make her snap out of it and break through her inhibitions we may gain a powerful new way to engage our opponents.

It must be a lie.

What did it mean? Her already fragmented and scattered thoughts clashed as she tried to fit them back together like pieces of a broken puzzle. What she thought she knew, what she expected to be true, what she had assumed to be false, all these things had been recontextualised in a moment to turn her world view upside down.

It couldn't be true.

But she couldn't know that for sure. She'd woken up a blank slate, no memory, no knowledge, only an instinct that told her to run. But if that file was to be believed... the 'incident' and her erratic behaviour... could she even trust herself? If she could see her own 'aura' what colour would it be right now?

Who could she trust?

“Hey, easy... You okay?” Tsubasa said, as if in response to her unspoken plea.

“Well what is in the past cannot be helped, it is much more important what we do in the future.” Saito joined in. Still shell-shocked, Reina nodded, mute and numb.

The ring of Tsubasa's phone jolted her out of her stunned trance. The call was coming from an unknown number.

"Hey there." The voice on the other end wasn't familiar, but it oozed with arrogant indifference.

Across the city, the red-haired assassin held the phone up to his ear while glancing up at the building in front of him.

"This wouldn't happen to be... " He checked his intel again, skimming Tsubasa's file. "Watabe Tsubasa, would it? Famous idol, occasional troublemaker?" He continued without waiting for a response. "Don't worry if you can't remember my name. I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself." His words left her a trail of hints that led to his identity. "How are Saito's ribs doing? Didn't leave too much of a mark, did I?" He gloated.

The fear written on Reina's face after reading her file was clear to everyone. It didn't stop there either. The poor girl was hyperventilating and her whole body was shaking.

«It seems we were wrong. Kurama Kenji is not our enemy. Or at least not in the manner we assumed. I’m sure there is a good explanation to everything.»

Kisaragi was the first to speak up, though despite what Aiko assumed was an attempt to calm Reina down, the monotone delivery probably didn't have quite as much impact as Kisaragi had wanted.

“Hey, easy... You okay? Things will get better, and everything will be explained, believe me. After all, we’re all in your corner. You're not alone. We will get to the bottom of this, and we will keep you safe.”

Tsubasa's words seemed to resonate more with Reina, though she was still looking panicked. Aiko slowly moved over to sit by Reina's side and pulled her into a gentle hug. A warm hug often did a lot to help people calm down after all.

"Tsubasa's right. Everyone here is a friend. Even Kisaragi. Whatever happens we'll back you up."

Before Aiko had a chance to see what affects her words would have on Reina, Tsubasa's phone being to ring before a voice could be heard from the other end of the line.

"Hey there. This wouldn't happen to be...  Watabe Tsubasa, would it? Famous idol, occasional troublemaker? Don't worry if you can't remember my name. I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself. How are Saito's ribs doing? Didn't leave too much of a mark, did I?"

Aiko given the context clues, Aiko recognized who was calling them, though his name escaped her. Aiko considered briefly cutting of the call immediately with her ability, though after a moment of thought, it was probably best to let it continue. The red head had called out Tsubasa by her name and profession and also called out Saito by name. Likely the only reason he did this was to display that he had easy access to information about all of them. It was curious that Aiko herself wasn't mentioned though. She was a little offended that she wasn't worth remembering after biting him. Though perhaps thanks to T.A.S.K. her info was just harder to dig up, or maybe he had info but though calling out the two he did was enough. Whichever it was, Aiko thought it might be best to antagonize him a bit and see if she could find out.

"What's the matter? Calling to deliver the dry cleaning bill for your suit? Or is there something else you want?"

Moments of peace were hard to come by. A lesson Kisaragi Anko would remember she had learned, the moment the phone’s ring flipped the whole situation on its head. And although the number calling them was entirely foreign to them, the fools would not hesitate to pick up. A grave mistake, perhaps?

Having listened to each of the words spoken by that man she had never met in person, the kunoichi opted to remain silent. However, not idle. The moment the enemy’s nature and his ploy had put themselves on open display she had immediately confiscated the phone with a quick snatch. An act she would couple with finger signs to Saito, ordering him to restrain and mute Tsubasa, the phone’s owner, in whatever way he would come up with.

As for herself, she had little to add, leaving the actual communication to Aoki.

For now it was time to see how much their opponent knew.

And where that knowledge would take them.

Silence, as usual, was golden.

The ringing of the phone broke the brief silence in the van, and the voice which came after was unwelcomely familiar to Hirashi.

The voice’s discovery of Hirashi’s identity was a serious problem. Whether for better or for worse, he was in this for the long haul now, running away was no longer an option.

Hoodie Girl proceeded to answer for Mad Biker, taunting the caller and asking for their demands.

As Hirashi observed Miss Scary Eyes's silence, a thought occurred to him. Hirashi immediately gestured towards Tsubasa to end the call, making a chopping motion at his neck, wanting to stay quiet and not give away as little usable information as possible to the caller.

Unless Mad Biker’s phone had some fancy idol anti-tracking capabilities, this was a seriously bad idea. In fact, as the caller already knew their identities, their position may have been tracked for who knows how long.

Hirashi turned around to the driver and waved his hand forward, signalling him to drive. The phone will pick up the sound of the engine, but getting on the move is far more important now.

"And that must be Aoki." The caller didn't rise to Aiko's provocation, but he spared a second-long glance at his sleeve where the bite had left a horse-shoe shape scuff mark. He shook it off as he continued. "So who does that leave? The Fuuma girl?" He paused for confirmation of Anko's presence, though he suspected she knew better than to answer. "Maybe one or two of the Skill Out rabble we didn't manage to mop up? Can't be many of you left, by now..."

Naoto motioned to snap back but caught herself in time and physically bit down on her lip to suppress the urge. All she could do was glare furiously at the phone in Tsubasa's hands and imagine the wrath she would inflict on the man on the other end when she got the opportunity.

"How about the teacher and his blonde sidekick? Are they with you, or...?" He trailed off, brushing the thought aside with a flippant wave of his hand. "Nevermind." There was no need to go any further. He'd made his point. He knew their names. He knew their identities. And he may not know where to find them now, but he knew where they had been. "It's a nice place you've got here." He gave his honest appraisal of Tsubasa's apartment building. "Your manager and his lackeys are still inside, right? Do they know?" His voice lowered, losing the jovial tone in an instant. "Do they know what kind of hell you've gotten them involved in?" He collected himself, flexed the fingers of his free hand and clenched it into a fist. "I'm going inside now. I'm going to take back the asset you took. I'm going to take something in return. And if you don't want a life on your conscience, you and the rest of your friends are going to meet me at the address I specify, at the time I specify." He approached the door to the apartment.

"Don't be late." He tapped in a quick message consisting of a location and a time, snapped his phone shut and slipped it into his pocket.
Imai relaxed with a long, slow breath. And with a smooth, effortless motion stepped across to one side and turned his back to the door. He raised his foot up...

The apartment door blasted off its hinges as though struck by an explosive.

The answer to her curiosity was a bitter pill. The worst case scenario in a sense. However, only if one let themselves be swayed by the suddenness of bad news. For anyone else those were simply facts to react on. And react she did immediately. Not audible. Not even towards their enemy. But towards the one individual she deemed a threat to the whole of the situation. Tsubasa, whom she had already tried to mute and figured would not spiral out of control, given that her own ‹family› had become endangered. Knowing that and her overall personality, only one solution stood at the forefront:

Knock her out and fast at that.

Which Kisaragi Anko would do with a single swipe of her hand towards her bare forehead.

Only then, once the line was cut would she properly break the silence as she heaved a sigh.

«Their information seems to run quite deep. But it’s nothing that should sway us. We know what we are up aganst. We have known for a while now. The difficult path will be breaking out of it. At least for you», she summarised her initial thoughts on the matter, passing her glance across her audience taking in their initial responses to figure out her very next steps. Which would begin with a course correction. «We should do as he said. He still has a purpose for the manager and his people. And we have what he needs. So long as we pursue the agreement we can aim for an exchange. That is what we should make him believe.»

There was but another pause. «And then, when they’re entirely hung up over their victory, we will strike back.»

"And that must be Aoki. So who does that leave? The Fuuma girl? Maybe one or two of the Skill Out rabble we didn't manage to mop up? Can't be many of you left, by now... How about the teacher and his blonde sidekick? Are they with you, or...? Nevermind."

Unfortunately, it seemed even Aiko and Kisaragi weren't able to avoid the reach of his information network. It didn't seem like he knew where Guy and Misaki were though which gave Aiko some relief.

"It's a nice place you've got here. Your manager and his lackeys are still inside, right? Do they know? Do they know what kind of hell you've gotten them involved in? I'm going inside now. I'm going to take back the asset you took. I'm going to take something in return. And if you don't want a life on your conscience, you and the rest of your friends are going to meet me at the address I specify, at the time I specify. Don't be late."

This was bad. Very bad. Aiko could tell Tsubasa was about to explode. If not for Kisaragi's swift incapacitation of her, Aiko could have seen Tsubasa's jumping out of the van and sprinting right back. Aiko quickly caught Tsubasa to keep her from hitting the ground.

"Well, that's not great."

«Their information seems to run quite deep. But it’s nothing that should sway us. We know what we are up against. We have known for a while now. The difficult path will be breaking out of it. At least for you. We should do as he said. He still has a purpose for the manager and his people. And we have what he needs. So long as we pursue the agreement we can aim for an exchange. That is what we should make him believe. And then, when they’re entirely hung up over their victory, we will strike back.»

"We'll have to handle this carefully. I don't Tsubasa could handle it if something happened to them because of her. What's the time and place for this deal. If possible we'll want to prepare ourselves as much as we can before this confrontation."

Just when they thought they had made some progress, their adversaries were proving they weren't just sitting around idle either. The situation as a whole had been bad already but them having hostages just made everything worse. Tsubasa was Aiko's friend after all and she didn't want anything to happen to her or the people she cares about.

«And then, when they’re entirely hung up over their victory, we will strike back.»

Ah yes, the good ‘ol double cross. Hirashi cannot say he is not tempted, but given the disparity between their intel and firepower, it is a dangerous game to play. However, now that his identity is known, not playing is not exactly an option either.

"We'll have to handle this carefully. I don't Tsubasa could handle it if something happened to them because of her. What's the time and place for this deal. If possible we'll want to prepare ourselves as much as we can before this confrontation."

But as much as Hirashi disliked the idea of messing around with such a big disadvantage, they do ultimately still have something they want. Hirashi glanced over at Gown Girl, any plan they do make will most likely involve significant risk to her to succeed. He wonders if the group has the ability to carry out something like that.

The situation had unfolded with such a dizzying speed that Reina hadn't the time to even utter a cry. The awful calm of the stranger's words ushering in grim realization. The sharp, lashing speed of Anko's hand darting out. The hushed but unmistakably wary talk of plans and confrontation.

"We've got to help them!" Reina threw herself against the back of the driver's cab and hammered at the small door separating it from the passenger compartment. "If we hurry, we can-"

"No!" Naoto barked sharply from beside the driver. Her tone was so clipped and harsh that Reina's words were seized in her throat. "It's already too late." The Skill out girl looked past Reina towards Tsubasa's unconscious form. Guilt gripped her.

"What do you mean?" Reina whispered, looking to Aiko and Saito in turn, then finally to Anko. But she could see in their faces they wouldn't take her side in this. "We can't just do nothing!" She yelled. The force of her anger transformed her tiny, meek voice.

Tears welled up in Reina's eyes. Not tears of sorrow, of self-pity, or of fear. These were tears of fury. A boiling, searing anger.

"We- we can't just let them get away with all of this."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Naoto meant the words to cool off Reina's head.

It didn't work.

"Make them pay." The small girl said.

Naoto couldn't argue. She didn't want to argue. Instead she looked to the other three.

"Well, since you guys seem to be the experts at this stuff, what do you think our chances are?" She realized too late she didn't want an honest answer to that question. "Anyone got a plan?"

It was an open question to all three.

As soon as the call disconnected Reina charged to the front of the vehicle and began banging on the window, pleading with Naoto.

"We've got to help them! If we hurry, we can-"

"No! It's already too late."

"What do you mean? We can't just do nothing! We- we can't just let them get away with all of this."

Reina's eyes tried to find confirmation for her words in any of her companions, but Aiko could barely even return her gaze, let alone support her. Naoto was right after all. Their adversary was smart and there was no way they'd get there in time to stop them before the place became a trap, let alone in time to help anyone. Likely the only one here who would have supported Reina's desire to charge right to the rescue was laying unconscious in Aiko's arms. Likely for the best.

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"Make them pay."

"Well, since you guys seem to be the experts at this stuff, what do you think our chances are? Anyone got a plan?"

"Our chances? I'll just say I don't like them, but we can at least plan something. I agree with Kisaragi. We should go to the exchange like they want. Not taking any drastic actions before that should at least guarantee that they'll keep the hostages alive until then. Based on their call, they know who we all are already, but they don't necessarily know who's together. If we arrive at the exchange down one of the people they confirmed, they'll be suspicious, but if we're missing, say, Kisaragi who they don't know is with us, we might be able to pull something off under their noses."

Luckily the one person they didn't manage to confirm was with the group with also the member who was probably best at combat and stealth.  With an untethered Kisaragi it wasn't unreasonable to assume they could at the very least scout the place out ahead of time and perhaps even get the drop on their foe with a well timed ambush.

Instead of engaging further, Kisaragi had opted to fall silent until the exchange between their driver and the girl had come to a conclusion. And when it had, she left the stage to Aoki, letting her speak almost exactly what she had concluded herself. Almost.

«I think there might be an even bigger element of surprise on our side», she cut in eventually, her voice entirely devoid of the confidence her words’ contents may have implied. «There is someone whose paths I have crossed recently, who might have some reason to involve themselves in the matters surrounding Kurama Kenji.» Perhaps it was a stretch. Perhaps it wasn’t. Right now, however, the kunoichi felt as if throwing a little dice wasn’t all too wrong. No, when in need it was always best to exploit as many options as there were. Even if they wouldn’t fruition. «Komaba Ritoku. You should be familiar with him, Naoto.»

Naturally, she chose not to speak of their exact relationship and reality that all they were was acquaintances who had started out as enemies.

Yet perhaps none of it would come to play in the end.

Hence, she could only keep her best poker face as she made her bet. «He should be able to help us create an additional element of surprise they might not see coming.»

Still, as if to regain some standing here, she finally added, slipping from that cold and detached facade as she’d let her emotions boil: «Either way. We will make them pay. For the manager and Kohaku’s sake.»

Everyone seems to be feeling sufficiently cross with the voice on the phone. Hirashi glanced again at Gown Girl, at least this solves the question of if she would be willing to act as bait.

Hoodie Girl was right, hiding the one team member capable of most violence was a valuable trump card, even if she was discovered, her affiliation and goals can be obscured and be framed to be the actions of an independent 3rd party.

Hirashi doubted the hostages were in any serious danger. After all, Gown Girl is technically an even more valuable hostage that they hold. There will be room to negotiate and to mess around without instantly breaking down the negotiations.

“Having Kisaragi-san act alone would be wise. What is the location and time he sent though, anyone familiar?”

The message gave a plain street address. It wasn't a well known location. Nor was it somewhere they had been before.

It was a hospital. And not any hospital. A privately-owned facility specializing in cutting-edge therapeutic treatments for a select clientele. As a front for trafficking it was ideal, if a little conspicuous. Victims could be moved in and out without arousing suspicion and the veil of privacy would deflect any and all questions arising from outside. Only official inspections would be able to penetrate that veil. And anyone with enough money power to own such a facility would have no problem influencing those inspections...

"Okay, so we split up with Kisaragi-san..." Reina nibbled the end of her thumb thoughtfully.

Naoto cast a subtle glance across to Anko under the brim of her cap. She was still uncertain about the reserved and standoffish girl but she had to admit that she was capable. And it seemed the others had no reservations trusting her. She bit her tongue and listened.

Reina checked the message again. The time specified was still several hours away. Why? Why give them time to prepare? She felt like this was another part of the trap she couldn't fully understand.

"...and we have enough time to contact this Komaba-san. If he can lend support as well, maybe we can even the odds..." Her face creased in a wince of uncertainty. "Kisaragi-san. Can we rely on you to get his help?"

"Okay, that's great and all, but even if we take care of the gang, what about Kurama's ability? Our gangs have been butting heads for close to six months now and we still haven't been able to figure out a way around it." Naoto pursed her lips as though rolling her tongue around something sour. "If that document is for real then he's basically a walking cannon and anything he touches is a shell. That's bad news no matter how you look at it." She shifted uneasily against the wall of the van. "Unless we used you as a human shield?"

Reina didn't blink at the suggestion. If Naoto hadn't made it then she would have said it herself.

"

Was that it? Was that really it? Kohaku was well aware that they were in a very precarious situation there. Marybeth had been saving face as she continued to curtly speak to the man before them.

But there was no way she could give up like this. The thought of a bluff had not even crossed her mind as her brain raced to form some sort of coherent plan to get the small girl out of the situation. After all, she was being taken against her will to an unknown place by a large man.

Was there really no way to rescue her?

The obvious answer was to wait until the man’s back was turned but that assumed too many things. That the man would even be willing to turn his back to them. That they would be able to communicate this plan to each other without him even realizing.

There had to be a way.

There had to…

There had to…

The girl’s thoughts raced at a mile a minute as the world became almost distant to her.

“We can’t…”

She muttered under her breath. But she could not even complete her thoughts like this. She couldn’t do anything.

She was truly powerless here.

«Reasonable. If it is as Naoto claims, we will need to exploit any weakness we can find in Kurama Kenji.» Kisaragi’s response to the suggestion came almost immediately, denying any influence of a moral dilemma on her judgement; instead, she would pursue her usual route of analytical calmness devoid of any space for distractions.

«Still, even with a shield in place, we might need a sword as well. Not just against Kurama Kenji but his allies», she’d add, rubbing the conditions they were dealing with into the wounds of the past. After all, their encounter with those mercenaries hadn’t been too long ago either. Not to forget whoever that other enemy had been – that monster they had only barely managed to slip away from.

Nonetheless, this was almost all she could contribute to the situation at hand. Therefore, she’d utter one final request, or rather a justification for what she’d do next. «I’ll need a phone to reach out to Komaba.» That was all she’d say, presenting Tsubasa’s phone she still held on to, ahead of using the unconscious girl’s finger prints to unlock the screen and – right after – opting to push open the door.