A Certain Missing Esper (Arc 4 Main Story)

Aiko opened her eyes.

She wasn't actually sure when she had closed them, it felt like she had passed out for a moment, but it must have been after they stopped because the van was pulled up next to the motorcycle. It looked like her passenger had already hopped out and was making their way towards the two they had been following.

“Hey, it seems like the two of you made it! So… uhh, did you know that guy?”

Aiko opened the door of the van and almost collapsed stepping out onto the ground. Her legs were shaking and her body was becoming heavy as the adrenaline from the confrontation was wearing off.  

"I'm okay too, thanks for asking."

Aiko walked over to the group just in time to see the girl pass out. Luckily it looked like she was only exhausted for her run and subsequent  escape. Though her being okay was good, it didn't explain any of the details surrounding this whole situation.

"It's probably not safe to stay here," Aiko spoke up to the other two, gaining back some of her composure after a moment. "who knows how long we have before they catch back up to us. With the girl unconscious like that, I don't think you'll be able able to carry her on your bike." Aiko continued, gesturing towards the Motorcyclist. "Sorry, I didn't catch any of your names. Anyway, the van is still running for now, so I think we could put the girl in the rear seats and the motorcycle in the back and try and get out of here. That would just leave finding a safe place to bring her. Any ideas?"

Aiko had thought of one place, the School Garden. The security there was top notch, it would be impossible for any skill out thugs to get in there. Although, looking around at her companions, it would probably be difficult if not impossible to bring them in as well. Aiko mentally tabled that idea unless there was no other place they could come up with.

For a moment a deep red blush would envelope Kisaragi Anko’s face as she was taken aback by the sudden, entirely unannounced stripping of the other girl. However, it was only for that very moment until she would realise the stranger was actually the kind to wear an inappropriate amount of layers for this season of the year. Unfortunately, that had still been enough for her to tense up and fall softly onto her panty-clad butt.

Then, followed even more shame.

Entirely flustered and embarrassed that average girl would immediately grab the offering, turn away and put the black shirt on.

The black long sleeves were enough to cover her upper body, but that was all. The brightness of her panties would remain just as visible as before, slightly underlined by the contrast between the two tones. Still, it was an upgrade compared to the lack of anything from before.

«…Mhm..! Thank you.»

Still failing to suck her shame up entirely, the proud kunoichi would instead turn away to direct her focus elsewhere. After all, the requested information had been provided. And with one of the possible escape routes, the emergency ladder, close-by she wouldn’t waste the opportunity to scout right away. Ideally, she would have taken the first best solution, but that would have been way too naive.

So, boasting her skills as a stealth professional she carefully snuck towards the edge of the roof, easily dodging possible peeks taken by people from within the building. From there she would immediately take a look around the hospital’s immediate surroundings. And within these she would immediately find the odd thing out.

«Talk about amateurs. They really aren’t cut out for this kind of job. There is a black van parked right across the street. No back windows. No view inside either. All windows there are are tinted.»

She had only intended to mutter to herself but accidentally kept it audible enough for her new comrade to hear, leaving the wrong impression of actually meaning to share it.

«But isn’t this a bit sparse? I see nobody else as fishy as them. So didn’t they expect me to run away? But that doesn’t make sense, either. I ran away already so they should be more on edge. Then why is there nobody…?»

As she tensed up, she fell silent. Something wasn’t right. Call it experience or intuition. Whatever that something was, it itched.

It was then that she would raise her head ever so slightly.

Her eyes would widen.

«Damn! We need to get moving! These bastards have been watching us the entire time!»

Something was floating in the sky. Under the light blue sky and bright sun it had remained hardly visible. To anyone on the ground it may have seemed like nothing more than a bird travelling through the air. But it wasn’t. Made of a lightweight aerodynamic material it was neither organic nor in any other way alive. Instead of flapping wings a set of four rotors was keeping it afloat. A drone.

«The laundry chutes! Take us there! Quick! They’re coming!»


They had already been on the move. Layla and Thomas had gone down different paths than him, but Bradly had kept contact with them by means of their private intercom. Earlier, after the girl had fled his attempt at capture, someone had caused an additional ruckus by alarming the staff, so the hospital security and other staff had been on the move as well. Everyone was searching for the girl now, so they had to be quicker than her.

Fortunately for them, they hadn’t just been a group of three. Hell, it lay in the nature of their very organisation not to work alone and instead link their capacities to achieve maximum efficiency.

One such contribution had come from Dick who was manning the van alongside Sarah, monitoring the hospital from the outside using a high tech drone.

They had a location.

That’s all they needed to strike.

Thus, he’d rush through the hospital’s hallways, straight into a random patient room and take a jump outside the window with his gun at the ready. All in hopes to catch them off guard.

Why use a gun in abduction scenario? You see, apparently their prey was no longer alone…

«Gotcha!»

…and it would be a shame to waste an opportunity at letting their true specialty shine.

«Fine. I will help you.»

Hana glanced to Alice with half-closed eyes that said plainly 'I told you so'. The blonde girl shrugged, the side to side tilt of her head sending her blonde locks swaying about in a wide fan that tickled the end of Index's nose.

«So, what’s next?»

"Next, we get breakfast, of course." Hana clapped her hands daintily and declared in the manner of a mother surprising her children with an unexpected treat. Alice's face immediately melted into a faraway stare as she began imagining the various delicacies that could only be found in Academy City. Even Index, who had been very clearly on guard since her rude awakening, gawped in delerious anticipation. She had gone a whole 8 hours without eating, so of course, she was famished.

A rapid series of knocks on the door startled the girls. Alice sprang into a wide stance, her fists held level with her shoulders as she glared towards the doorway. Hana merely turned her face to the door, but otherwise remained unmoved, her composure intact.

"Hey, Kami-yan~" It was the voice of Touko's neighbour, Tsuchimikado Motoharu. "It's time to go to class. You don't want to be late, do you?"

Hana spoke quietly to Touko.

"Go. We don't want to arouse suspicion if we can avoid it. We can reconnoitre the city in the meantime. We might be able to find out something more about where the enemy is located."

It may not have been the conclusion not-in-the-mood-for-yet-another-thrill-ride highschool girl Kamijou Touko may have hoped for, but at least one had been reached. And now that she had given in and accepted the request she no longer had any right to complain. Now then, what would the first step be.

«Next, we get breakfast, of course.»

Ah, yes breakfast. She had nearly forgotten with all the serious talking going on. Wait? What? breakfast? Weren’t they supposed to avert another big catastrophe? Weren’t these things urgent?

However, before she could complain, she noticed a certain silver haired nun and blessed by nature blonde’s enthusiastic agreement to the suggestion. One of them was already too much to keep at bay, but two wasn’t a battle proud maiden Kamijou-san was ready to take. Besides, her stomach had kind of sided with them as well.

Sadly, coming to terms with the good things in life was her greatest mistake once more. Just as she was about to voice her agreement with the remaining party, fully embracing that good turn of events a knock and entry at the door would shove a bad turn right into her face.

«Hey, Kami-yan~“»

«Tsuchi…mikado?»

«It’s time to go to class. You don't want to be late, do you?»

Oh, right. She had entirely forgotten! School! Make up classes! The goal line of the school year! The top priority of any student! That one thing she shouldn’t mess up!

But, could she even? Turning her head towards Tanimoto, Touko not only asked for her assessment regarding what fit the current situation but also secretly sought an opportunity to cling to what very well could have been her last chance at a proper breakfast.

Not that she already knew the gist of the story that was her life.

«Go. We don't want to arouse suspicion if we can avoid it. We can reconnoitre the city in the meantime. We might be able to find out something more about where the enemy is located.»

So, after having changed from her bear teddy bear pyjamas to her typical sailor uniform, the already starving girl would tag along that oddly motivated neighbour of hers. However, not without crying a river internally.

After finally putting on the shirt, she seemed slightly relieved. No doubt the young lady was still embarrassed, but this was definitely going to be some measure of improvement for her, especially since she was moving around and muttering out her thoughts.

Though Kohaku really could not understand exactly what constituted an amateur when it came to something like abduction. Despite the young woman (who she realized never introduced herself) speaking loud enough for her to hear, there was a clear disconnect between whatever she was saying and what Kohaku could fathom.

It really wasn’t until the now pantsless girl looked up that Kohaku really had a feel for what was going on. There was a speck in the sky. It was something she really couldn’t discern, but given the panic in her companion’s voice, she could surmise what was going on.

A drone…

That girl’s panicked shouts were more than enough to tell her that she was exactly right. They were being watched since they got here. Hell, there was even a chance that the so-called amateurs heard her voice and would try to intercept them on the way there.

Still, Kohaku walked towards another nearby window—not the one they escaped through, but one that was closer to the linens chute and opened it up before walking through it and into the (luckily empty) room.

Once she was certain the panties girl could see Kohaku’s lips, she immediately started mouthing her idea.

They’ll likely intercept us on the way there. Plus, there’s a large drop from this floor to where the laundry is collected. So, let’s take a different route. There’s a side-exit used mainly by the employees near the Conference Center.

Pulling out her phone while she ran, she directed a path on the map that led through the pediatrics floor, down a staircase, and towards an emergency area used by the academic center of the hospital. It was hardly a perfect route, but it would get the job done and they could likely escape more easily that way than through her shortcuts in the ICU or the Emergency Department.

They’ll likely intercept us on the way there. Plus, there’s a large drop from this floor to where the laundry is collected. So, let’s take a different route. There’s a side-exit used mainly by the employees near the Conference Center.

Very good. Take the lead.

With a satisfied smile average girl Kisaragi would appreciate the suggestion, indirectly implying that she had developed a similar intention of altering the escape route. Hell, having picked up on the sound of someone having moved to the outside openly announcing their presence, just as they had passed through that other window, she couldn’t exclude the possibiltiy that her words must have made it to them. Still, that very fact gave them reason to hurry their steps even more.

There was no doubt the enemy was right behind them.

However, if they would communicate the wrong information to the rest of their team at least the entire swarm wouldn’t be on their trail.

Thus, she would leave the task of navigation to her comrade while taking care of their defences, or rather their back.

As such, the very moment they would have crossed through that hospital room out into the hallway, she would ensure to close the door behind them quickly and swiftly. Then once out on the hallway, she would lay her hands on whatever small items such as pens, clipboards or tableware meant for the patients she’d be able to find in her immediate surroundings, carefully dropping them onto the floor in uneven intervals that still fit into the many possible paths a chaser could take. After all, while stealthy movement wasn’t an option with the additional weight of an amateur working besides her, setting up tiny little traps in the surroundings was still a valid option.

Even if the majority of them would fail, the success of one or two would be sufficient to slow the predator behind them down. And each lost moment for them, meant more of a chance at breaking away for the girls.


Those little bitches had gotten away momentarily, but that wouldn’t stop Bradley. Convinced of his superiority the man who had undergone years of military training as was evident by the shape his body was in, would break into chase the moment he had realised nobody was on that outside roof anymore, immediately following the feedback he’d receive from his colleague controlling the drone by jumping through the window they had taken.

He would have broken into a sprint, hadn’t someone shut the hospital room’s door right in his face. Usually he would have just continued on and easily broken through it, but his current role denied him that option. ‹Don’t attract attention› had been the order. So he would at least pretend to follow it. So instead he slowed down, opened the door, glanced around and then built up pace.

They were still in sight. Their steps were still audible. And they were just girls of high school age or whatever. What physical prowess did they have compared to someone who had seen multiple war zones? You see, that was it.

So, convinced that it would only be moments before he’d catch up, he charged.

A bit too carelessly, as he would realise upon stepping on an uneven, slippery piece of ground. An aluminium spoon to be precise. Unable to adjust his balance he’d loose control of his motions, sway and bounce right into a trolley meant to transport the not all too popular hospital cuisine.

It hadn’t been that painful, nor in anyway lethal, however it still led to an unpleasant outcome.

«This is Bradley. I lost sight of them.»

«Doesn’t matter. We know where they’re headed. Adjust your route.»

Yes, their cockiness had denied them the ability to form a better conclusion than that.

The girls couldn’t have known, but this group was the kind to shoehorn their own abilities to a point where they looked down upon the amateurs of that city of science and students.


And after having picked up on both the audible crash and the absence of another set of hurrying footsteps following them from behind, Kisaragi upon making it down the flight of stairs, would lay her hand on the other girl’s shoulder, signalling her to slow down a bit.

Before we leave. Let’s change.

They couldn’t possibly know how far the enemy’s visual feedback on the outside would reach. The drone probably had allowed them to pick up on their current appearances. Further, they were obviously looking for two students with one of them not wearing any kind of proper attire, so any change to these conditions would be much appreciated. This was another necessity to throw a hunter of ones trail…

Tsubasa could feel the girl’s grip on her, and she truly felt bad. The girl seemed to be deeply shaken up by what happened. Tsubasa regretted asking her if she was okay. Her pale face told the whole answer. And the question now sounded more like sarcasm at this point, even though she genuinely meant it as a way to reassure the white-haired girl.

“Hey, it seems like the two of you made it! So… uhh, did you know that guy?”

The voice prompted her to look up and see their two allies heading their way.

“Yeah, miraculously.”

Reina staggered in her reply, and suddenly slumped against Tsubasa who made sure to hold her firmly.

“She’s exhausted, she needs some rest… We have to take her somewhere safe”, she said, worry could be heard in her voice. Her eyes, the way she looked at the girl, betrayed her stoic face and revealed all of her hidden emotions.

"It's probably not safe to stay here, who knows how long we have before they catch back up to us. With the girl unconscious like that, I don't think you'll be able able to carry her on your bike. Sorry, I didn't catch any of your names. Anyway, the van is still running for now, so I think we could put the girl in the rear seats and the motorcycle in the back and try and get out of here."

The biker couldn’t help but clench her fist in frustration at her own powerlessness as demonstrated in the earlier unfortunate encounter, and she could feel her rage building up about what those scumbags have made this fragile and innocent girl go through.

It was as clear as daylight that she wasn’t meant for this sort of shenanigans, this cruel world isn’t for her.

“You’re right”, she spoke to the middle schooler, “Name’s Watabe Tsubasa.”

“That would just leave finding a safe place to bring her. Any ideas?"

After thinking for a while, she decided to reveal a bit more about herself to them. She recalled that one conversation she had with Aizawa a few months ago…

---

“Watabe-kun, you can’t go on like this forever. Everytime, you come back with some sort of bruise or injury. I know you don’t care, but it creates problems for me too! Fans will start getting suspicious. Makeup can’t hide everything, not when it’s a broken limb. Besides, one day you might seriously get yourself killed…”

“Hahahaha, you jest! There’s no way I would die at the hands of those idiots.”

The manager sighed heavily.

“Listen to me, please. You’re young, you’re immature, you’re too reckless for your own good. I know you’ll get your ass kicked one day. I’m just worried about your safety. For this reason - and yes, I know this will make you angry - I gathered a team of bodyguards for you. If the day comes when you get yourself in a mess that you can’t handle on your own, just give me a call and I’ll dispatch them to your location.”

Just as he thought, his words truly ruined her mood and made her lose her temper. He truly knew her too well.

“What the hell?! I already told you that I don’t want you meddling in anything concerning my private life! Keep your nose out of my fun! Ugh, can’t you take no for an answer, for fuck’s sake? I don’t need your help, geez!”

“I’m going to ignore that foul mouth of yours this time, because I need you to drill this information in your head, and quarreling with you right now would only make you more stubborn. Just tell me that you heard what I said.”

She wanted him to shut up, so she did as he wished and pretended to obey, just to get him off her back.

“Alright alright!! But I’ll never need those fuckers of yours, you'll see.”

Alas, she didn't know back then, that his words would come to be true, and the irony of the fates would make it so that things would play exactly as he predicted. Is it the experience gained by living in Academy city for decades? Or maybe it is the wisdom of being an adult, or perhaps it was merely a lucky guess on his part.

---

She truly hated relying on Aizawa or owing him any favors, but this was an urgent situation, there was no time for being a spoiled brat. If Reina hadn’t been involved, she probably would have never resorted to using Aizawa’s help in a million lifetimes. But the girl’s safety came before her own pride.

Unbeknown to her, the girl seemed to have a deep and mysterious impact on Tsubasa, making her behave in ways she’d never have, otherwise.

As for telling the others about her plan, it was the most awkward things for the biker to do. They'd probably start asking about her identity. She didn't want people knowing she was a rising star. Their attitude usually changed after knowing who she was.

“Actually, uhh… I have a manager, you see. And he kinda assembled a team of pro bodyguards for me to use when needed, so… should I call him?”

Unaware of the other girl’s actions, Kohaku continued down the route she had directed and found her way to the stairs that would lead to the academic center. And after making her way down the stairs, the loud sound of a crash had reached even her ears.

Was it the sound of their pursuer getting into some unfortunate accident? Kohaku was unable to really tell as she was more focused on getting towards their destination. But, the sound of the crashing seemed to herald a reaction from the girl who she was pulling along as she pulled back at Kohaku’s shoulder.

The pull from the hand on her shoulder was enough for her to look back and see what her new companion was mouthing.

And she seemed to be preoccupied on maintaining deception as best as possible. But, she was right. They probably had some conception of their image, even if vague so running out anywhere would be a bad idea especially if their pursuers could catch sight of them with such a vague recollection. (Plus, the other girl stuck out way too easily.)

In other words, they needed to disguise themselves and rid themselves of the impression that they had now. The question was whether there was an easy place to find any clothes they could change into before they left.

I guess the locker room for the surgeons would have spare white coats and clothes. That’s just outside the academic center to the right of the elevators. But most of the clothes there belong to someone and are kept under lock and key.

Kohaku left her hand on her chin as she tried to ponder for more locations but came up empty. She was, after all, just a student and not even affiliated with the hospital. She didn’t know every nook and cranny in the hospital after all (and neither would most employees, logically).

District 7, 22:00

"Let's get married."

"Eeeeh!?" Kimiko gasped in alarm, her eyes widening behind the thick rims of her glasses. The girl with twin braids clutched her hands to her chest and blushed. "But we just met! I don't even know your name!"

"I don't need to know your name to know love." Guy cupped the girl's hands between his own and stared into her eyes. From the way he looked up at the bookish girl from one knee, one could easily have mistaken the situation for a genuine proposal. Anyone who didn't know the young man doing the proposing, that was. A hopeless womanizer (in more ways than one), he had probably tried this bold approach on at least three other girls that night alone.

"I-" Kimiko withdrew her hands, shrinking away coyly as her blush deepened and spread to engulf her entire face. "I-" She was stumbling over her words. "I can't!" She turned and ran.

"Hey! Wait!" Guy called out feebly after her, knowing it was a lost cause. His shoulders sunk in a deep sigh.

"Oof. That was painful to watch." A cheerful yet mocking voice whistled from close by. The blonde girl perched on a nearby railing kicked her legs and winced. "Don't tell me you're hopeless with women as well as fighting?" Rachel hopped down from her perch and marched over to Guy with a confident swagger that matched her beaming grin.

"What makes you think I'm hopeless at fighting?" Guy's lips drew back in a thin smile of distaste. Rachel gestured to her arm, holding it at an angle to imitate the older boy's cast.

"Hey. I'll have you know I got this fighting the city's strongest Esper." It wasn't the kind of thing he tended to boast about, but his pride was hurting enough that he needed to claw back some dignity. Even if it was from an ill-advised boast.

"Yeah, right." Rachel scoffed. "I bet you got it falling down the stairs drunk one night." She stroked her chin between her thumb and index finger. "Or maybe one of your girlfriends beat you up." She clearly decided that was the real answer, because she nodded proudly to herself. "Yep. That's it. You got beaten up by a girl."

"Hey. There are some tough ladies in this city." Guy shuddered a little.

One of said tough ladies was currently intruding into a locker room meant for surgeons. Fortunately for her and her silver haired friend it had been abandoned temporarily, meaning that they didn’t have to worry about being caught in the act right away.

It gave them time. Not enough time to just hide out in there, but a sufficient amount to handle errands.

Just leave it to me.

She may have been dressed in nothing but light coloured panties and a black long sleeves shirt, but Kisaragi Anko was by no means to be underestimated. She was a professional in the area of intrusion after all. Picking up scissors and paper clips she had found on the way, the girl would simply proceed to meet the employees’ lockers. From there on it would just take some short, careful and purposeful fiddling before a not too loud clack followed.

«Let’s not just the the first best thing we find.»

After she had gone through the contents of the locker she had forced open, unsatisfied by what she had found she didn’t take any of its contents but instead move on to the next one. They needed to trick the eyes of onlookers, so unfitting disguises were as undesirable as to be caught in the first place.

So, one after another the locks would be picked and quite many strangers’ privacy intruded upon.

And all that for her to make the next evolutionary jump, from panties, to a long sleeved shirt to a full on surgeon’s gown, complete with the standard issue blueish green hospital wear, ordinary sneakers, cap to hide her hair and face mask. Not what she was used to and certainly not anything she’d prefer to wear, but right now that was the kind of wear that’d allow them to blend in more than ever before. At least until they would make it out of that mousetrap of a hospital.

However, before moving on she had to voice at least one thought of hers.

«Apologies. I didn’t mean to drag you into this.»

Those words weren’t to her liking, but recent events had denied her the ability of ignorance.


Surely, though, this was the calm before the storm. Only an idiot would have hoped for the status quo to remain unchanged. Any and all crisis would find a sudden outbreak at one point in time. The global scale and the small scale weren’t that different in the end.

And gears had already clicked into motion.

Those mercenaries weren’t fools. They weren’t slow. Once they would realise they had been tricked there was nothing to stop them from seeking out their trail. And from there on out it was just a matter of time before they would come chasing again.

«No sign of them. Anyone else seeing anything?»

«Negative.»

«Negative.»

That was all it’d take.

Even if she was the one who suggest this option, the silver-haired girl could hardly say that she was particularly unabated to it. The two girls were breaking into some surgeon’s locker and stealing their clothes.

Moreover, her partner-in-crime (quite literally at this point) was running through locker after locker, breaking whatever sanctity those private spaces once held.

It was hardly the option she had expected to go with. Just one she had thrown out there as a back-up in case she couldn’t think of one that was better and less ethically questionable.

As she did so, Kohaku undid the ribbons and miniature braids that adorned her hair as she let it all down. She then walked up to one of the white coats that lay upon the hangers on the walls of the locker room. She reached her hand out and ran her fingers across it before taking a deep sigh.

It was necessary. As much as she didn’t want to do something like steal from another person, right now, the situation demanded it. It was better to act with rationality rather than emotion and sentiment in this case. They just needed to escape.

Swallow your pride, Kohaku. Now is not the time for that.

She grabbed the white coat she had put her fingers on and grabbed a black button-down shirt from one of the lockers that her kleptomaniac companion had opened up and passed by.

The very presence of a white coat and collared shirt would be enough to give a more professional aura and she could easily pass as someone else like this without having to hide her face.

«Apologies. I didn’t mean to drag you into this.»

Kohaku couldn’t help but smile. The girl she had been in a purely serious mode with had finally let herself be some level of vulnerable in front of her. It was nice to see.

“Leave the apologies for when we’re actually safe. We’ll have plenty of time then. You’re finished up too, right? Then let’s not waste time.”

She had sundered the opportunity to accept the apology. To introduce herself. To ask her partner’s name. When going through the list of things that would have been infinitely more tactful, Kohaku could not help but feel a tinge of disappointment.

But now really wasn’t a time for tact, after all.

District 7, A Certain Studio

A few hours had passed since their escape, the group was currently hiding in the studio where Tsubasa and her team would usually rehearse for their shows. Thankfully, the dance team

She had contacted Aizawa asking for help because the group ended up agreeing to her plan. True to his word, a squad of bodyguards came to escort them, in a large black van, to this location. She put her motorbike in the back of the van. Changing vehicles would help confuse their pursuers.

The manager accompanied them as well, but he kept silent during the whole ride, and the biker girl could feel his anger miles away. The others probably thought he was a really disagreeable person.

Of course, upon arrival, the first thing he did was scold her, and then demanded that she filled him in with what was going on, so she recounted the story, to the extent of her knowledge at least. There were a lot of things that she wasn’t aware of, like what was truly going on behind the scenes, the reason Skill-Out were chasing the girl, etc…

But before she did any of that, she made sure to put Reina down on the sofa and covered her up with her own jacket due to the lack , so that she could rest until she regained consciousness.

After talking to her manager, Tsubasa left the group to their devises, they were discussing something: maybe what to do next or how to devise a plan or whatever…

But Tsubasa was preocuppied by something else. She would occasionally join their gathering, but she had decided to take it upon herself to take care of the unconscious girl, so she spent most of the time checking up on her. Reina shifted a lot in her sleep. She was probably having a nightmare, Tsubasa assumed.

It took a few hours for the small girl to finally wake up.

“Ah, you woke up.”, she said with a hint of relief in her voice.

Upon realising that she had been unknowingly anxious this whole time, she smiled slightly to herself.

“Guys! Come here! She’s awake!”, she ultimately called the others.

That girl was right. Now wasn’t the time. What had led her to think it was in the first place? Shaking her had to rid herself of whatever unprofessional idiocy had poisoned her mind, Kisaragi Anko would attempt to get back onto the right path. However, not without staggering just one more moment as she saw herself forced to support her weight on the exterior of one of the lockers. A short moment of weakness, brushed away by the strength of the next.

«Take the lead.»

Now clad in their new disguises the two girls would return to their escape path, making their way past the employees’ space, towards the hospital’s conference centre. Fortunately for them the journey hadn’t been that eventful.

That alone sparked the experienced one's caution.

When they arrived at the exit door, instead of remaining the back light, the kunoichi in a surgeon’s gown would move to take over the lead. Much like the professional that she was, she would neither push it open carelessly nor violently. No, she would do it slowly and carefully, as though she was expecting it to be wired to some sort of explosive. Then, catching her breath in her lung she would take a cautious peek.

Silence.

Calm.

Stillness.

All she saw was a completely normal yet empty side road.

It was exactly the outcome she had hoped to achieve. And yet she remained frozen momentarily.

Yes, there was something. Something her ear had caught onto. Something so small and unnoticeable, only someone searching for it actively could catch onto. The sound of minuscule pebbles being crushed under the sole of a heavy boot.

«Clumsy.»

In tandem with that provocation Kisaragi would push the door open full force, perform a small roll on the ground and then leap straight for where she assumed for her enemy to be.


Unfortunately, that simple and straight forward operation had grown slightly more complicated than ever expected. Not only had their target managed to break away at the crucial moment, but entirely outplayed them with the help of another unknown individual. Unknowns like that could easily become a major obstacle one didn’t need to escalate. Thus, they had to recover urgently.

The hospital had numerous exits. Even excluding the ones that were in plain sight from their escape vehicle and the drone they used for air surveillance, their number exceeded that of their available personnel. So, how would they catch up with the alpha target?

All it took was to achieve another valuable asset, the hospital’s security room and with it the access to the surveillance cameras. Had they had a more proficient technician on their side they could have possible resorted to hacking, but that hadn’t been within their scope either. Instead, they had been forced to go down the annoying, undesirable route. Entirely away from the covert nature of their mission, the group would begin to resort to violent measures. Layla and Thomas would form the strike force, storming and taking over the security centre within moments, while Bradley would run to right his wrongs.

«Alpha target is moving towards the conference centre.»

«Copy that.»

There was nothing that would stop him anymore. Nothing would hold him back. This was no longer about the job, but revenge. She had gotten him good two times. The third would be his victory. Rushing through the building at the speed of an ace athlete, the fake nurse would make it to his destination within minutes, breaking through one of the windows on the building’s outer side instead of taking the slow route of leaving through a door.

Once sure he had outrun them, he would take position in the blind spot of the actual exit, keeping his gun at the ready. There was no longer a need to hold back. No longer a need for complex strategies. He would wait there and shoot those bitches right the very moment they would leave the building. There was nothing more than that. The mission? Screw that. Spilled blood was the only way.

The door moved slowly.

His grip tensed.

He understood, so he’d wait.

They were checking the road ahead before proceeding. They were careful, but they couldn’t see everything.

Come on! Move! Move already!

«Clumsy.»

Suddenly things accelerated when the door was flung open. Responding immediately Bradley would fire three shots to meet their anticipated path of motion. But it wouldn’t suffice. A running person would have been taken out right away, however that girl wasn’t running. Picking a roll instead of a charge the girl outmanoeuvred the gunfire and before he was able to adjust target, she jumped him right where he stood.


One perfectly precise blow was all it took.

There was no elegance, only efficiency.

She hadn’t needed to think. She hadn’t needed to plan ahead. Once she had gotten him into her range she would win immediately. This time there was no need to hold back. They were out. A few more steps and they’d be in the wind. Nobody would come to notice and even if they did, it would be too late. In fact, right now they needed to keep the attention as low as possible, while clearing all obstacles out of the way.

And to achieve that she would unleash her trademark.

There was no other choice. Her enemy had been that strong.

Death in a single blow.

“Actually, uhh… I have a manager, you see. And he kinda assembled a team of pro bodyguards for me to use when needed, so… should I call him?”

Aiko was a little stunned. The person in front of her looked like any other high school, student. Why did they have a team of pro body guards. Wait, they also mentioned a manager. Could it be they were some kind of idol or something. The name Watabe Tsubasa also stood out, but Aiko couldn't remember from where.

"Yes, absolutely! if they bring a new car too that would be great."

After a few moments, faster than Aiko would have expected, the body guards summoned by Watabe arrived at their location in a large black van. They all piled into the van, laying the unconscious girl down across one of the seats. Aiko sat in the back next to the unconscious girl and, after waiting for a moment when she though no one was paying attention, snapped a quick picture of the girl's face. Aiko then sent that picture along with a brief description of the events that had transpired to the one person she knew that new more about the goings on of the city then anyone. Her boss, Ichigo Ai. Perhaps she could find something out about the situation she was currently stuck in.

After driving for a bit, the group eventually arrived at some kind of studio. Upon entering, it was clear that it was some kind of dance studio. While waiting for the girl to wake up, Aiko finally made the connection in her head. A high school student, that has a force of body guards, a manager, who's hide out is a dance studio, and who was named Watabe Tsubasa. All the pieces fit together.

“Guys! Come here! She’s awake!”

Hearing the call, Aiko hurried back into the room where the previously unconscious girl had been laying on a couch. The girl was just waking up so Aiko didn't want to bombard her with any questions, however she did pull on Watabe's sleeve to get their attention before whisper a question to them.

"Hey, you are THE Watabe Tsubasa right? The singer?"

Kohaku raised an eye but said nothing. The girl had staggered for a second before telling her to take the lead. It was a short moment of weakness, fatigue. Yet, it seemed to have almost been an illusion as any signs of that weakness faded away into oblivion as the girl told her to take the lead.

So, she simply did. If that moment of weakness was truly as transient as she had seen—even if it wasn’t, there was no need to question it now. Even moreso if it was ephemeral. Safety came first. Once they had achieved reprieve with certainty, she could ask then. So, she nodded and led her out of the locker room.

In stark contrast to what had been happening for the past few minutes, the trip to the side-exit was silent. It was a nice relief from what had happened, even if the underlying tension still remained, much like a recently stabilized patient.

Though, that seemed to be the very reason that the other girl took the lead back when they were approaching the door. She was peeking through the door and her body tensed up. Clearly something was wrong, even if Kohaku had no idea what.

To a certain extent, she had to wonder what kind of world this girl lived in given how almost pointed her actions had been despite her situation. So, it need not be said what happened next. The opening of the door, the sound of gunshots, and the sound of what was obviously some sort of collision.

It truly felt foreign to her. No matter how much one read about stab wounds, he would never truly be prepared for the moment he saw the knife in the chest pulsating with the rhythm of the victim’s beating heart. The gap between the books and reality was something that was truly surreal.

But, Kohaku had to swallow it all down and let it hit her later. That was the best she could do in this sort of situation. So, she took a peek through the doorway that was now left open and faced the direction that the girl had rolled into.

“Is it over?” As curt as that may have been, time was clearly of the essence and she could not just dawdle, so she was ready to get out, move on, and let reality hit her when she finally had a moment to relax. It was hardly ideal and she hated the idea that someone was definitely going to get hurt but there was a time for idealism and there was a time for pragmatism.

“If so, let’s get going.” Though, the big question was...where to from here?

«Is it over?»

«For now it might be.»

Living in this world meant understanding that there was no such thing as safety in the first place. Even if one obstacle was overcome, there was no telling when the next one would follow or if it was already about to plummet down on oneself. Still, her quick action had bought them what they so urgently needed: Time.

«Wait.»

However, instead of moving over to the natural next step of walking away as long as they still could, lethal weapon Kisaragi Anko instead knelt over the incapacitated foe. Not to search for vital signs or anything the like, but clues.

With the nonchalance of a leeching child asking their parent for money she put her hand out towards her silver haired ‹friend›.

«You have a phone on you, right? Give it to me.»

That pair of scary eyes had caught onto something. Something that stood perfectly out in the open.

«One of those is going to lead us into the right direction.»

That man's body had been ornamented by a good number of tattoos. While some were simple messages expressed by numbers and words, others were artfully drawn pictures. No matter what shape they took, they all must have had some sort of association to something. And, especially in military contexts, they could have originated in some kind of foolish pride tied to being part of a special group.

So wasn’t it all that far fetched to expect a loyal dog to wear the insignia of their pack out in the open?

Once she would have used the other girl’s phone camera to quickly record the very surface of that man’s cherished skin art, there was nothing stopping them anymore. Thus, she’d take the lead unhesitatingly.

«Let’s take the subway for now.»

Even though she had done her most to hurry up, that had still cost them some of their newly gained time.

Meaning, now was the time to run. But the surface would pose just another problem. The number of enemies was unknown. Even if there hadn’t been any reinforcements coming yet, a drone was still floating somewhere in the sky, possibly tracking them down any moment. As a result the only good choice was leaving its range. And what would serve that purpose better than going underground? As aggressive as this enemy was, attacking their prey out in the open when countless witnesses were around shouldn’t be their style. Not after how they had originally approached this situation.

Not to forget that sometimes blending in and lying low was the best escape strategy.

Kohaku was not sure what the other girl needed her phone for but she passed it on anyway. Perhaps she needed it to get into contact with someone. Whatever the case, she seemed to be the one in control of the situation, seeing as she was the one who took care of their assailant (just thinking that was enough to make Kohaku want to retch). As much as Kohaku preferred to maintain control, this was hardly the time to be worrying about that. The other girl was more knowledgeable about the situation, even if it may have been by a marginal amount, so she had to defer judgment.

It didn’t take long for the girl to finish her business—filming the unconscious form at various angles, based on what she had seen. She knew not what merit there may have been to doing so, but the other girl seemed to be aware of it.

When she had, she laid forward the next step. Given where they were being watched and attacked, Kohaku surmised what the logic could have been. The assailants had been trying to maintain some form of stealth until things had gone wrong. As such, the public was the optimal location. Hiding a leaf in the forest was the course of action.

“Got it. The nearest one is about a block and a half down and should be at the corner over there.”

As the girl took the lead, the she followed behind. They weren’t too far from the subway station, so it wasn’t too hard to get anywhere close to them. It would grant the two of them enough of a reprieve to start talking in some earnest. Hardly an ideal location, but they could calm down, regroup, and plot their next actions on the long term.

Moreover, there was the one issue that seemed to plague Kohaku’s mind.

She still did not know the name of the girl who had roped her into all of this.

It was still no time to soothe in the calm, but at least they had managed to make it out of that death trap. Kisaragi felt relief when taking a breath of fresh air. To any outsider it may have appeared as though she had entirely watered down the very moment they had made it out alive. A foolish mistake when someone was chasing after you. A mistake she would never make.

No, she wasn’t relaxing. She was just pretending to.

They may have acquired disguises but given that their enemy had caught up to them in the last moment, their quality was questionable at best. Additionally that group had at least air surveillance on their side, possibly eying all ongoings in the neighbourhood. They had to do their most to slip right past that. And the best way to do so out on the open street was to be as little suspicious as possible. Thus, she’d assume the behaviour of any other passerby on the outside, toying around with ‹her› phone while strolling around, all the while staying on edge behind exactly that innocent facade..

Like that they made it to the station entrance without any further incident.

«There is no knowing what means they have on their side, so we shouldn’t rely on any personalised information. As far as I can tell depending on who is backing this operation, they could have a far greater reach than you might imagine. So buy two pre-paid cards with enough for a short ride. We’ll have to buy another set at the next station and then another. At least as many as our budget might allow.»

Losing the pursuers was their topmost priority for now. Simply taking a train to their actual target destination would be too naive to achieve that. No, they would have to switch trains a lot and with that unique cards as well as their combination. The messier the trail, the better.

And then, upon arrival at the tracks she once more broke her mechanic professional demeanour.

«By the way…what is your name? I…uhh…need something to address you by…you know. That’s all!»

Thinking back on how she had dragged an absolute stranger along with her, taking their money and phone as though it was for granted, this realisation was a pretty awkward one to make. Awkward enough to fluster that scary eyed teenage assassin heavily.

It was an acceptable explanation. As usual, the concepts of stealth and escape eluded a mostly ordinary girl like Kohaku. Fragment and dissociate the trail to obfuscate any pursuers. She was hardly averse to lending money for this purpose.

Their pursuers were dangerous people, after all. The faster they could lose the pursuit, the better things would go for them in the long run.

But, it was as they had finally reached the platform that Kohaku finally found a chance to latch onto.

«By the way…what is your name? I…uhh…need something to address you by…you know. That’s all!»

Her personality seemed to break as she finally seemed to ask a question and luckily enough, it was a segue into asking a question of her own.

“You can call me Kohaku. And what about you? They say it’s rude to ask for someone’s name without introducing yourself first.” The tone of her voice was so blunt that one could almost believe that she was berating the girl. But, she was trying to be a tease. Even if it wasn’t showing very well. Though she did her best to lift her finger quizzically to show it.

“And, I guess I should ask...is this kind of thing normal for you?”

"Hey, Kami-yan. If you're going to have an all-girls sleepover, the least you can do is warn your next-door neighbour. We're supposed to be friends, after all."

The blonde-haired youth with an odd sense of fashion complained while flashing his toothy grin. "So to make it up to me you can introduce me to them next time." It was hard to see through the dark sunglasses, but there was a definite twinkle in his eyes. "I know I have a reputation for having a 'certain type'..." He made a not so veiled reference to his well-known fondness for Maika. "But those two seemed way too interesting to just ignore."

***

Reina jolted upright at the sound of voices. She was in an unfamiliar room. She thought for one grim second that she was back in that cell, lying on the cold, hard cot in a windowless room that smelt of disinfectant. But this place was different. The surface was soft and she was warm. It was not the thin, itchy woolen sheet that she had become used to.

“Ah, you woke up.”

Reina turned her head suddenly towards the voice.

“Guys! Come here! She’s awake!”

Reina clutched at the jacket that had covered her and curled her knees to her chest in anxious anticipation.

"Wh-where am I?" She uttered.

***

"So what are you doing here, anyway?" Guy asked, looking down at Rachel, who sat crouched in front of a gacha machine, carefully turning the dial like a safecracker as if she expected she could somehow alter the outcome. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Pssh." Rachel shook her head dismissively. "No one really bothers checking on us dirty little orphans." She chuckled dryly. "And District 7 has the best games. I ain't old enough to be vandalising things, so what's a delinquent to do apart from scam arcade machines?" Despite her self-effacing humour it wasn't hard to detect the strong vein of bitterness beneath. She turned the dial little by little, jostling it back and forth before cranking it to the side. The capsule rolled out and Rachel snatched it readily.

"Haha! See! It's an ultra rare." She turned the capsule over in her hands. "Those rich kids pay stupid money for these." She stuffed the capsule into the pocket of her oversized jacket.

"You're pretty good at cheating those machines, eh?" Guy wasn't sure whether to be impressed or to chastise her. He settled for an uncertain smile.

"Some jerk told me that it's only cheating if you get caught." She tilted the brim of her cap and beamed.

"Sounds like someone worth listening to." He raised his chin a little with pride.

"Meh, they're not as smart as they think, but occasionally they say some smart stuff." She played along.

«You can call me Kohaku. And what about you? They say it’s rude to ask for someone’s name without introducing yourself first.»

«Huh? Ri..right! I didn’t mean to—apologies!»

The rare sensation of being cornered in an entirely foreign field – a time for the child behind the professional facade to break through.

«My name is Hasa…no…it is Kisaragi Anko.»

The truth wouldn’t hurt. Not that there was any trace to pursue based on that name. She was no official citizen of Academy City in the first place and beyond that no other publicly available files existed. All there probably was were classified documents.

Besides, standing on the platform and chatting like completely normal people gave her opportunity to melt a little.

«And, I guess I should ask...is this kind of thing normal for you?»

«You could say so. At least it is the closest to the world I come from. Just not entirely. Being chased down like this isn’t exactly something I’m used to either. Academy City is a strange place of its own right, but that doesn’t change that it is odd to have someone come after me like this.»

As she talked her emotional state visibly moved from professional calm to subliminal tension.

«There should have been no way or reason for anyone to. Not in this city. But they still came. Why?»

Kisaragi couldn’t and didn’t want to hide the fact that this situation was troubling her. While she hadn’t been explicitly forced by the circumstances to do so she still deemed it a necessary aspect of moving alongside the other girl. Not that it mattered. A complete outsider would never get to the bottom of what any of this meant in the first place. So ultimately speaking like this was more akin to thinking aloud than seeking emotional shelter.

“Actually, uhh… I have a manager, you see. And he kinda assembled a team of pro bodyguards for me to use when needed, so… should I call him?”

Hirashi blinked at the mad biker, half-expecting the statement to be brushed off as a joke. A few moments later, however, the abovementioned manager-san showed himself and as advertised, was accompanied by serious looking men dressed in seriously looking clothes driving a serious looking van, a far cry from the messiness of the biker’s attire and demeanour.

After arriving at what looked like a studio of some sort, No More Hoodie Girl’s eyes widened as if she came across a stunning revelation.

"Hey, you are THE Watabe Tsubasa right? The singer?"

“The what?”

Hirashi glanced over besides him and turned back to look at the mad biker. Following pop culture was never a concern for him so it was not too surprising of a reaction for Hirashi to stare blankly at the supposed star. Hirashi was more interested in Gown Girl, who seemed to have a talent for attracting interesting events. She was awake now and Hirashi decided to move his focus there instead.

From the sounds of it, teasing was probably not the best idea. Especially if not only was she bad at making it come off as teasing, but if the girl with her had taken said tease as a genuine sentiment. Even if she did divulge her name quite quickly in response, Kohaku couldn’t say she was particularly happy with how she got the result.

Sometimes, the ends don’t really justify the means and she definitely could say that that statement applied.

Still, she had a name to refer to the girl by.

Anko-chan.

“I guess you’re right. Being chased like this definitely isn’t normal.” While that was true, there was something about Anko that made her seem like she was still used to this kind of thing. The violence, the furtiveness, the underhanded nature of it all.

True, having muscle-laden people chasing one around was not a scene normal to anything but a gag manga, but her general response to the situation was hardly what one could consider normal either.

“Even so, you do seem used to this kind of thing. Most people wouldn’t really be able to think about hiding their trail in such a systematic manner, but you’re doing this effortlessly. I hate to ask this, but is there possibly some unsavory person’s path you may have crossed, Anko-chan?”

Of course Tsuchimikado had to jump onto the worst available topic. And, of course, he’d do it in his usual carefree teenage boy manner.

«I don’t think you understand what an all-girl’s sleepover is about!»

Sadly, Kamijou Touko had to somehow fend him off. Yet, the truth wasn’t anything to go with. Hell, the truth was the absolute worst option to go with!

How to keep someone so vividly intent on getting involved uninvolved?

«Look Tsuchimikado. I don’t want to say it. But…maybe you should realise that you’re a bit…uuuh…out of your own league here?»

It pained her to resort to this, but a gut punch was the only way to extinguish the fires of teenage romance. After all, this was for his is own safety.

«Those two are the really classy type. The kind to only ever date the young entrepreneur or rising idol that never leaves house without at least a formal jacket who can quote classic western literature from memory and opens the first date with a bottle of Dom Perignon. While you… Well…»

There were things a man should never hear in his life. Usually, the well kept secrets of the women world should remain a black box none of these fools should ever open, however, this situation openly called out for drastic means.

«Gold chains, sunglasses and anime quotes don’t even get you far with a regular high school girl. They may act like it does, but in reality they just try not to hurt a pitiful boy’s honest attempt after he mustered his last ounce of courage. Yes, they smile at you but in secret they text their friend to ask for advice on ‹how to get rid of this wannabe tough guy›!»

«Even so, you do seem used to this kind of thing. Most people wouldn’t really be able to think about hiding their trail in such a systematic manner, but you’re doing this effortlessly.»

«It’s not something you should get used to. Once you do that means you no longer live in the normal carefree world everyone else is in.»

The pain of that truth had only come to her recently, so the sour taste it left in her mouth was a fresh one. However, it was far too late to do anything about it given that this state was deeply rooted into her very raison d'etre. She hadn’t chosen it. She had been born this way.

«I hate to ask this, but is there possibly some unsavory person’s path you may have crossed, Anko-chan?»

Fortunately, there was more urgent talk to drown those needless thoughts with.

«There is none who would operate like this. Neither the Hattori nor the Koga would. And the others should have already been dealt with.»

The world had been a vast place. The number of enemies she may have amassed wasn’t little, but most of them didn’t come into question. Thinking beyond the other clans, however, only left shady figures from Academy City’s underworld on the table. An environment she had only been a newcomer in. There had been the PHARMACY and Vicious Cycle incident the other day, but that had already been resolved. So what did this leave her with?

«Besides, if someone who knows me was truly after me, they would not approach it like this. These people weren’t suited for the approach they chose. Like this only an amateur would have fallen into the trap.»

This thought had crossed her mind previously. Now she finally found the time to think it through a bit more. What if they hadn’t been after Kisaragi Anko in the first place?

Hold on.

«Anko-chan??????????»

Entirely exasperated with the eyes of a deer in the headlights, Kisaragi stared into the abyss that was this girl’s innocence.

Not again!