[SS] Curfew Carnival

«…got…cha…»
As Hirashi witnessed the short fight below him, he concluded that this girl was either extremely skilled or extremely lucky to have pulled off such a self-destructive plan. It was a shame that there was no exchange of words between the two before they started going at each other, but now that the threat is gone, maybe he should get down there and try to figure out what this girl knows.


«Fine. Go and investigate the explosions, Saito. But only investigate. If there should be any danger, stay away from it and call us in.»

Just having a chat surely would not warrant a call to his captors at the moment, she seemed like those typical hero types who still believed in ideals such as justice so Hirashi doubted she would attack him, but he flipped open the phone and checked the number before making his way downstairs just in case.

“Hey uhhh, I am looking for one Kamijou Touko-san, do you possibly know where she is?”

Hirashi asked a question rather than a statement as to leave the option of feigning ignorance, and also to test his own theory on Kamijou’s personality. How she answers would let Hirashi determine how to handle her later on.

She had fought and won. But that didn’t mean she had reached the end of it all. All she had done was clear the path. There was still someone innocent in need of saving. Therefore, stopping here was out of question.

No matter how battered her body.

No matter how weak her breath.

She needed to move on.

«Hey uhhh, I am looking for one Kamijou Touko-san, do you possibly know where she is?»

Hearing this voice and only now realising someone had closed in on her, the Kamijou Touko in question flinched. Then she’d turn her head towards the new comer quite robotically.

With how things had gone today and yesterday, it was hard for her to determine her next move. Especially, given that she had just escaped being chased around a fusion of a shopping mall and an amusement park by what clearly was a hailstorm of death, she no longer understood what was right and wrong.

Her mind was beyond confused.

«Uuuh. Hello…?»

And with that look of confusion she’d face the boy she had never met before, but couldn’t deny the existence of the possibility, looking at how ordinary he appeared.

«That’s me…? I guess?»

Still, knowing her own luck Kamijou couldn’t expect anything but the worst.

The situation was as bad as it could get. They had taken a hit. The enemy had revealed itself alongside the field advantage they held.

«Whichever it is, picking a direct fight with them isn’t a good idea.»

Tsuchimikado Motoharu had become tense. Essentially having lost his strong arm his combat potential had been greatly reduced. He wasn’t useless just yet, but he understood the impairment this had inflicted upon him.

As such he’d gladly break away from the white hallway for now.

«Oh myyyyy~! Do you really think the stairway is gonna be your safe haven~?»

That voice blaring through the desolate hospital once more naturally didn’t bring any good news to them.

«I see. Their equipment is this sensitive.»

Whoever or wherever this person was, their means of surveillance were not to be underestimated. They could catch onto anything nearly immediately and respond accordingly. As of right now they likely were the greatest threat.

However, that didn’t change the fact that there was another one lingering right around the corner.

One announcing its presence through the horrendously ear piercing noise of cold steel scraping against marble floor.

It was still distant, but loud nonetheless.

«They’re putting pressure on us. They know we’re weakened. And they know they have the upper hand.»

The fake blonde explained as he slowed down his sprint.

«Taking control of the situation. That’s their real strength. They might not be expert fighters or anything. Just because they are assassins it doesn’t mean combat is their strong suit, after all.»

Before long they had made it out of the hallway and into the stairway. By the nature of things even the stairs were marble white and brightly lit, leaving no space for traces of dirt or anything the like.

Now, haunted by the pursuit of a murderous blade’s howling and surrounded by the relentlessness of all seeing eyes, the two invaders would stand before a fork in the road.

Up or down. Which was the better choice?


Within moments of doors opening and mascots appearing from any nook and cranny, they had been surrounded. To call the path blocked was an understatement. But that had only been the least of their worries, given that the entire hallway had been flooded by an army as colourful as a bag of sweets.

However, before she could even muster a proper response to the sudden shift in odds, her partner in crime decided to break one of the big taboos that was her very own no-touch-policy and dragged Kisaragi along in what was an instinctive charge to safety.

In response to that the choir of mischievous chuckles erupted into an orchestra of crazy shouts and laughter, as the colourful newcomers broke off into a wild charge to pursue their prey.

«If you have any idea on how to beat an army of mascots in Shed Shell now would be the time to share.»

They may have broken through and gained some distance, but that didn’t suffice to lift her mood at all.

«What?! Just because I am a proud kunoichi you suddenly assume I am a miracle worker? Run, you idiot! And let my hand go!»

Having freed herself of his grasp, Kisaragi would further increase her speed. Yet, in tandem to her charge doors flung open left and right with more and more fluffy assailants jumping out.

«Usually the best strategy when put up against a whole army is avoiding any attention in the first place. But that’s no longer an option here. We could fake our deaths but that’d need preparation so I woudn’t rely on that either.»

They were coming at them like a tsunami, flooding the narrow hallways in their crazy chase.

«We have no chance at victory in an open fight. We can’t escape them either. So all that leaves us with is demoralising them. Something like a hostage could serve that purpose. But taking any of the lower goons wouldn’t do. We’d need to find someone higher up the ladder. So let’s do what we came here for: Let’s go for the head!»

As insanely overpowering their strategy of literally drowning their prey with their numbers was, it did give them one particular insight. No matter where they would look, any door that shot open contained mascots and therefore underlings. Meaning, the rooms containing mascots of any kind could be excluded from the list of possible hideouts. And the more of them came, the less places to look would be left. At least in theory.

They came over and over again. Door after door opened. Cuddly hostile after cuddly hostile emerged. But none of that would stop the tracksuit kunoichi. She’d keep running, dodge or knock over whoever was jumping into her path.

Until she spotted it.

«Over there!»

A single door remained closed at the end of the hallway. It was a tad larger than the others, seemingly belonging to a similarly sized room.

There was no saying whether she was correct with her guess or not, but right now any straw to grasp was a welcomed one.

Thus, with every ounce strength she could muster, she’d increase the velocity of her sprint, barging right through.

«Welcome!»

What awaited the couple upon breaking into the unknown space with a loud bang, was a single girl sitting at the far end of a single large conference table.

Her smile as she greeted the two was sugar sweet, much like the long pink fluffy hair which she wore tied to a pony tail and  her large chestnut coloured eyes. She was young, frail and small. Something she easily expanded upon by wearing a cute black lolita dress, which for some reason she paired with really unfashionable hiking boots and girlish diadem.

Overall, though, Kisaragi could only label what she was as a ‹frail princess› archetype.

One underlined by the old western looking tea set placed before her.

«I’ve been waiting for you! My heroes!!!»


Not all too far away from the commotion there remained a wall of dry ice, or whatever was left of it. Had it been strong enough to repel anyone possibly going after is creator moments before, now there was a large gaping hole right in its centre.

Someone had broken through.

Someone had stepped into the corridor beyond.

The sound of a pair of fine leather boots crushing splinters of dry ice was the announcement of a new arrival.[/color]

«What?! Just because I am a proud kunoichi you suddenly assume I am a miracle worker? Run, you idiot! And let my hand go!»

"Well to be completely honest I was really hoping you were! After all you're not only a kunoichi but a kunoichi wearing the same type of battle armor that are enemies have though apparently they somehow got their hands on a better model"

Nori would let go of Kisaragi's hand the moment she told him to and he had no plans to stop running until he was as far as way as possible from the mascot freaks behind them. He'd listen to Kisaragi's analysis of the situation and for the most part he completely agreed with it. He just saw one major problem that would ruin everything. If their boss was wearing the same battle armor the rest of them were than how the hell were they going to take them hostage. After all, from what he understood about the enemies shed shell it would be nearly impossible for them to harm them with what they had on hand now. If they had time they could probably figure something out but with an army on their back it seemed unlikely they'd be bless with such a thing.

To make matters worse Kisaragi was far better at maneuvering through situations like this then masked villain ever was and while that was great for her it meant Nori was progressively falling further behind. He'd managed to dodge the mascots and get over the things the kunoichi knocked over but the distance between them was growing. Fortunately, she seemed to finally find what they were looking for before he lost her.

The very first thing he did was grab a chair from the conference table, shut the door Kisaragi had knocked open, and wedged the chair underneath the doorknob to hopefully keeping the army behind them out. It was likely they'd find a way in but this would hopefully buy them some time and was relatively easy to undo if they had to get out the door again.Once that was done he'd look around the room and find something he definitely wasn't expecting. The person in front of them didn't look like they'd be the head of the group that was chasing them. No mascot suit though her outfit was similarly eccentric. She referred to them as her heroes, which would be really weird if she was the boss they were after.

"Welcome indeed! Now who the hell are you?"

«Whichever it is, picking a direct fight with them isn’t a good idea.»

«Oh myyyyy~! Do you really think the stairway is gonna be your safe haven~?»

«I see. Their equipment is this sensitive. They’re putting pressure on us. They know we’re weakened. And they know they have the upper hand. Taking control of the situation. That’s their real strength. They might not be expert fighters or anything. Just because they are assassins it doesn’t mean combat is their strong suit, after all.»

"Unfortunately, Combat isn't exactly my strong suit either..."

The pair was sprinting now, trying to make their way to the stairwell to escape from this horrid place. No matter where they ran in this hospital their pursuer could hear and see them. The only means of escape from them was escape from the hospital itself. There was no doubt that their pursuer would have considered their plan to escape via the stairs before even engaging them like this. Their mocking tone earlier had made it perfectly clear that they had no intention on letting them get away that way so easily.

When they came to the stairwell they were met with a decision, up or down. Down was the way back to the ground and back to the exit, but knowing this, there were certainly going to be complications set up if they tried to go that way. Up on the other hand was the unexpected choice. Their pursuer may not have expected that decision and it may be less dangerous. However, even if it was a bit safer, the further they got from the exit, the longer they would have to deal with this guy and Tsuchimikado was definitely not in the position to be playing an endurance game. With her decision in mind, Aiko jumped onto the banister and started sliding down the stairs, silently praising her decision to swap to an outfit with pants. Their may have been traps laid out on the stairs, so she hoped she could avoid them by sliding down the banisters instead. Her field was still active at max range so she should have a fair warning if she was about to encounter anything.

"Lets go!"

«That’s me…? I guess?»

Well that was more straightforward than he expected, but that can be a sign of his luck turning. Hirashi took a closer look at the girl in front of him, aside from the cuts and bruises (likely from the fight earlier) and her head of shockingly spiky hair, there was not much else to note.

“Oh that is good. Will you be able to please answer a few questions that I have regarding… this?” Hirashi said pleasantly whilst gesturing at the chaos around them.

“And before you deck me like you did to that poor sod over there, whom I am obligated to say I have no connection to, I would like to stress that I only want to chat. Under normal circumstances I might even invite you to an icecream bar or a cafe.”

Spiky Hair seemed tense, perhaps rightfully so, however, Hirashi needed answers, answers which apparently this girl can give. He had no choice but to press on.

“Buuuut given the status of this mall, I doubt any are open currently, so shall we at least go take a seat there?’

Hirashi pointed at a nearby bench, miraculously unscathed by the chaos around it.


It will be for the best if she did not know about my morally flexible captors for now, besides, they might be busy.

Up or down. Neither had been promising in Tsuchimikado Motoharu’s eyes. Luckily, he hadn’t been the one to make the choice, did his crossdresser friend take the initiative by sliding down the stairs’ railings.

A bold move he gladly followed, only skipping out on the sliding aspect, picking the more secure method of running instead.

But where would their escape lead them? There was no way they could leave the building. Even if they wanted to, given that the assassins at their back had grasped full control of the situation the likelihood of there being an open exit was zero. However, on top of that they had come to this hospital for a reason. A reason they hadn’t satisfied just yet.

At least as far as the gold chain and sun glasses boy was concerned, leaving this death trap of a hospital empty handed wasn’t an option.

So why had he chosen to tag along on Aiko’s path?

Because the very moment they would arrive at the ground level, he knew, the trap would shut.

And that was exactly what happened.

«There is no escape. None at all. Not as long as I stand in your path!!!»

The moment the duo would reach their presumed goal on the path down that stairway, something would come to greet them. A minuscule, hardly visible to ordinary eyes something. Only underlined by a short glimmer, tiny projectiles had come flying their way. Aimed precisely and quickly they were the type to achieve easy hits on unprepared prey.

This time around, however, the prey had been prepared. Jumping in front of his comrade, Tsuchimikado made the sacrifice of becoming a human shield, taking all three of the hits with the swing of an arm.

«You fool! Playing the hero won’t make you immortal! All you did was draw your end of the line once and for all!!! Or did you forget what the last hit did to you???»

But that was fine.

«…hurry…they’re straight down that corridor…you can get them…»

Pointing his finger with his remaining strength, the boy revealed his true intention.

The choice between going up or down had been a tough one to make. However, if one pondered the circumstances a little they would understand the weight behind them. Up was the less obvious path. One leading into a dead end. As such the effort their enemies had to put into keeping control of the situation would be minimised. Down on the other hand was both the obvious choice anyone would take as well as the one that promised a safe haven at the horizon. Given that, what was a more appropriate method to exert control other than taking that idea of a safe haven and crushing it before your victims’ eyes? Surely, Tsuchimikado assumed, that would have been something to savour in person.

Taking into account the fact that he’d been a dead weight all along, weakened as the poison had left him, the only use for himself in that situation was as a stepping stone for his partner in crime. Therefore, he had chosen to become the bait to lure out whatever lurked in the shadows.

Even if it meant collapsing on the battlefield right there.

Such was the first step of his winning move.


«Me? I’m the hostage! And you are my heroes~!»

The stranger declared with a high pitch voice while swinging her arms around to strike a pose. An act that – while meant to be cute – only struck a wrong nerve with Kisaragi. In fact, everything about this had struck all the wrong nerves it could have struck. Everything was off about this.

Steeled by that relentless chase from only a mere moment ago, the kunoichi would not loosen her guard one bit. No, she would face this so called ‹hostage› with as much skepticism as she could have held – hoping Kinoshita would do the same. After all, the entire situation had become too peaceful too suddenly.

«Hey? Hey! Heyyyy!!! Why the gloomy faces? You should rejoice, my heroes~!! You’re about to save the dayyyyy~!!!»

«How so?»

«‹How so?›?»

«Yeah. Who said we came here to rescue a hostage?»

«Huh?»

«As far as I am concerned. I see no reason to care about any of that. As a matter of fact, all we came here searching for is a means to crush these filthy mascots. Nothing more. Nothing less. A hostage kept by them is in no way a bargaining chip that could prove useful for that. If that’s all you are. We will pass.»

Ignoring the other girl’s exasperation, the professional shoved her ice cold side right into the other party’s face. No matter how energetic she was. No matter how convinced of her role she was. Kisaragi Anko didn’t care. In the end, the facts remained the facts.

«So? Any reason I should care about you?»

Those scary eyes were fixed on the mystery girl at the other end on the table. Like daggers they were searching for any vulnerability in her facade. Anything, no matter how tiny, she would find.

«I see. That’s the kind of people you are, my heroes? Stunning~!»

That response may have come quite cheerfully, but the situation had tensed significantly. The girl was no longer just hyper. No, she had hardened, much like her facade. Her eyes blatantly meeting the death glare of her interrogators’.

«But you made a mistake. In face of the hostage – the damsel in distress – bargaining chips and the like shouldn’t matter to the hero. The hero storms the castle and saves the day at the end of the story. There is no way around that.»

And yet, all that girl would spout was nonsense.

Nonsense.

Utter nonsense.

«Therefore, my dear heroes, don’t fear! Don’t worry! Don’t fight it! Your moment of glory is just ahead~!!!»

And yet, she would immerse herself in it. Wallowing in the ecstasy invoked by those delusions.

After everything the newcomer was a refreshing degree of normal. Neither a delinquent, one of those crazy folks nor someone throwing about their killing intent. Just a normal boy, whose habit of speech may have resembled that of a shady salesman a bit too slightly.

Still, the naive (and admittedly pretty worn out) high school girl that she was, Kamijou Touko didn’t hesitate to accept his proposal to take a seat on that bench.

«Honestly…I don’t think I can tell you much about anything going on. Things just happened the way they did. We were only having a chat about where to go from there on out, picking up on the news and then suddenly someone announced a hostage scenario. Then the mascots attacked us and then that other guy showed up, chasing me with whatever these projectiles were.»

A completely by the books and normal experience. Somehow.

At this point questioning how she could talk this casually about all this madness actually felt more otherworldly than the idea of accepting it. That was the state of normality that spiky haired girl had fallen into.

«Aaaaaahhhhh. Taking a short break once in a while feels so gooooood….»

Stretching out her legs and letting her back sink into the bench, her attitude easily shifted from energetic youngster to old lady at the end of a work day.

«Honestly…I don’t think I can tell you much about anything going on. Things just happened the way they did. We were only having a chat about where to go from there on out, picking up on the news and then suddenly someone announced a hostage scenario. Then the mascots attacked us and then that other guy showed up, chasing me with whatever these projectiles were.»

The spiky haired girl took up his offer and sat on the bench, that was a good sign. The tone she used to describe the events leading up to this moment however, was not an indicator of a normal highschool life and was probably not a good sign for her.

A new normal, Hirashi, unfortunately, was able to relate.

«Aaaaaahhhhh. Taking a short break once in a while feels so gooooood….»

“Sooo you have no idea who those animal suits are, nor why that guy was trying to murder you?”

This was a small set back, but it was hardly the end of the world. Miss Scary Eyes’ source (and she looks like the type to have reliable sources) said this girl was in the center of everything, so as long as he stuck around her, he should get some leads.

“Well, would you be interested to do some digging and find out why?”

Sliding down the banister had proven a very quick method in reaching the bottom of the stairs. Tsuchimikado followed running just behind her. Just as they had reached the bottom, the voice of their assailant rang out.  

«There is no escape. None at all. Not as long as I stand in your path!!!»

Just at that moment, Aiko noticed a number of tiny objects enter her field at great speed. She'd been distracted for a moment when the assailant had started talking, and that moment was just long enough that she didn't react in time to dodge the projectiles. The projectiles would have collided with her had Tsuchimikado not been there to jump in front of her and take the hit.

"TSUCHIMIKADO!!!!"

«You fool! Playing the hero won’t make you immortal! All you did was draw your end of the line once and for all!!! Or did you forget what the last hit did to you???»

«…hurry…they’re straight down that corridor…you can get them…»

With that weak final sentence, Tsuchimikado slumped to the floor. He'd given her the direction of the adversary and his confidence that she could take him down, but she wasn't so sure. Slowly, Aiko checked the gun and made sure the safety was off, firmly grasped her laser pointer in her other hand, and stepped into the corridor. She couldn't see anything, but that was nothing new for this guy. All she could tell was that he wasn't already close to her, otherwise she'd feel him.

"Alright, time for the showdown. Stop hiding and face me!"

Normally Aiko wouldn't have given quite the deceleration, however her body was basically 90% adrenaline at this point and the words of her partner in escape were pushing her on. Aiko started firing the laser down the corridor, sweeping it back and forth to try and find a sign as to their location. Ranged attacks were more Aiko's speed. If someone got close there was usually nothing she could do. This time was different though. Aiko's hand tightened around the grip of the gun as she silently dared the assailant to show his face.

«Actually, I know. Those guys are probably Izumii’s guys. The MissFits.»

Oh sweet calm, coming to an end always too quickly.

«They’re the ones who took over the whole mall. They got everyone to obey by claiming they have a hostage.»

There was no need for her to mention the previous night. The events that had unfolded today were too pressing for that. However, she still remembered everything. Therefore her rest was cut short once more. Not that she had wanted it any other way.

«I have no clue what the other guy wanted. He’s down, right? So all should be good. I can worry about that later! There’s something more urgent than that!»

Just a few moments after she had sat down, that high school girl you could find anywhere got up from the bench, acting like an action hero from a stupid drama. Her blood had begun pumping again.

«I need to find Izumii. I need to get to the bottom of all this and save her!»

That had been her motivation all along. Investigating didn’t matter. Trying to make sense of any of this was fruitless anyway. With everything that had happened, there was no purpose behind that.

Still, she’d forgotten of the very same detail that had left her stuck before the murderous bomber had appeared: Where to start looking? The animal suits had overtaken the mall in a rush. They had been everywhere and watching everything. Even if she went up against them, she was just an ordinary girl with a right fist that had already been proven useless in the situation. There was no way that – even if she miraculously found the MissFits’ headquarters – she could simply waltz in there and fight her way through.

Stinger and Edge were an infamous duo. Originally they had started out as simple back alley grants with no perspective on anything whatsoever. They had always believed to be somewhat better than their peers. Seeing themselves as more intelligent and blessed by the world, those two were the kind of troublemakers nobody could stand. Expelled from even the broad majority of Skill-Out, the two were drifters without purpose. Until the day they got their hands on rare technology disposed on a supposedly restricted scrap yard. That’s when they found a key to a new life. One in which they could prove their superiority. That was how they had become assassins, murderers who would only serve the right amount of gratification.

Stinger would do the talking and frighten the prey while Edge would sneak up to deal the finishing blow. That had been how they operated.

However, now things had diverted from that standard plan.

The sunglasses boy may have fallen, but when he did he’d sent his partner in crime straight towards Stinger.

Hiding at the far end of the hallway behind a corner, he barely escaped the hectic barrage of lasers.

He assumes I use the same stealth technology as Edge-chan. Huhuhu, foolish boy!

Quite like his partner, Stinger was clad in modern equipment from head to toe. However, unlike him what he wore wasn’t a stealth suit. It was armour. Thick enough to make him bullet proof, except for the obvious gaps. On top of that he wore a tank of compressed air on his back, connected via small tubes to his right hand. There he wore a high-tech glove with a 50 centimetres long cylinder attached to his index finger. It was the same gun he had used earlier to fire the needles at the invading duo. However, that wasn’t all of his gear. Much like Edge, he, too, wore a set of futuristic looking goggles containing all sorts of sensors while also being capable of accessing the footage from the surveillance tools spread all over the hospital. Linked to that, the glove on his other hand held all kinds of remote control buttons meant to complete his mobile control centre.

Yes, he had been well equipped. That’s why he believed there was none who could oppose him.

«Do you really think that poor display of your ability will suffice? I already have seen what you’re capable of and it is nothing before us!!»

That cruel murderer bragged about his superiority through the speakers. Yet, at the same he’d move backwards, retreating further down the hallway he had gone down.

«All you can do is create spheres of darkness and shoot insignificant lasers!! You might feel mighty because you can sense our presence, but that’s not going to take you anywhere!!! This is our territory and its rulers we will crush you underfoot!!!»

There was no weakness in his declaration as he assumed position about eleven metres away to the right side of the intersection he had been at previously. From there he’d watch the lasers dance through the corridor.

It was natural that the intruder would come down this path. That was the one fixed rule of this situation. He could watch each of their movements through the cameras, listen to any ever so little sound they emitted through the microphones and in tandem take aim with the cylindrical gun on his finger.

That fool would make an easy target.

Yes.

And with Edge due to arrive soon, victory had been sealed either way.

Nope. Nori was not doing this. He was not going to deal with any of this. Last time he decided to act like a hero he ended up getting hit over the head with a flat end of sword by person dressed as a pirate alpaca. Being a hero sucked and there was no way he was going back to that willingly. At the same time he had to wonder why this person was being held as a hostage here when this mascot freaks already had the whole mall under control. They had taken everyone in the mall as a hostage without a need to drag them into individual rooms, so why was this girl in a room guarded by what could basically be described as an army. Something was definitely weird about this.

The girl's attitude to the whole situation only made Nori more suspicious while also pissing him off. She was a hostage yet she seemed to be having the time off her life. Very different from all the other people outside who were running around the mall in a panic while being chased by mascots. Also Nori had a feeling that after this girl referred to him as a hero or talk about them storming some castle and saving the day he was going to strangle her. Then again maybe he could just hit her over the head with a bat. It would shut her up and they'd have an easy to use meat shield.

"Well that does it. Clearly everyone in this mall is out of their minds. Mascot freaks, a spiky haired girl who thinks of herself as some hero, and now a hostage who thinks we are some kind of heroes. Honestly, I think coming into this room only to run into another mascot would've been better then this."

For a moment Nori would pinch the bridge of his nose and just let out an exhausted sigh. He was set here to get a bunny plushie, not deal with all this strangeness. Then again, he was set her by his boss so maybe he should've expected this. It was starting to feel like this had all been some kind of set up from his boss. Told him he was getting a bunny plushie despite knowing full well the mall was going to be taken over. Was it possible that she knew this was going to happen? He'd have to think about that later for now they just needed to worry about their current situation.

"Lets just do it Kisaragi. There is only a door between us and an army of mascots. What harm could taking in one more person do? I mean if worst come to worst we can just use her as a meat shield or something. After all they kept her as a hostage in her own separate room with an army in front of it so I'm assuming she's important to them in some way."

Nori didn't try to hide the fact that he was willing to use the girl as a meat shield. For one thing it might stop her from calling him a hero and secondly he doubted she'd refuse to come with them now. After all at least coming with them gave her a chance to get away instead of just waiting in this room for whatever the mascots had planned.

"Before that though is there anything you want to tell us about this mascots, hostage girl?"

«Do you really think that poor display of your ability will suffice? I already have seen what you’re capable of and it is nothing before us!! All you can do is create spheres of darkness and shoot insignificant lasers!! You might feel mighty because you can sense our presence, but that’s not going to take you anywhere!!! This is our territory and its rulers we will crush you underfoot!!!»

As much as she'd hate to admit it, they were right. Aiko's ability wasn't well suited for combat. As much as she's used it in creative ways to evade and detect attacks and enemies, she had never incapacitated an opponent. Her laser was strong enough to burn things and melt metal, but for the best effects it required prolonged contact and she doubted her enemy would just stand there an let her do that.

"SHUT UP! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ALL YOUR GADGETS!!!

With her outburst, Aiko continued down the hallway. This hospital and this situation were starting to get to her. She was walking now instead of rushing like before. She was on the first floor now, the only space left between her and freedom and her enemy definitely wasn't going to miss their chance to try and stop her. Aiko turned her head, scanning the area around her for any sign of her foe, occasionally glancing behind her in case of a rear threat. As she continued down the hall, Aiko came to an intersection with another hall. Right around the corner would be a great place to spring a trap, but Aiko didn't sense anyone directly around it. Still, it didn't hurt to be cautious. As she came to the intersection, she switch her shell into darkness mode, hoping to remain relatively hidden inside. The second she was about to step into view of the adjacent hallway, she broke back into a sprint, trying to clear its distance as fast as possible. After a few steps out in the open, she'd quickly shift her shell to the output blinding light in a large flash. If they had switched to some kind of night vision to try and see through the darkness, she was hoping the quick change to blinding light my overload their senses for a moment.

Unlike Kinoshita, Kisaragi had remained level-headed. However, even she – who had made a broad degree of experience throughout her life – had a hard time coping with the situation. Everything had been too out of control and unusual.

Still, if one looked at today’s events closely and put them into the context of the nonsense the so called ‹hostage› had just spouted some gears naturally clicked.

«Shut it, Kinoshita.»

She simply cut his verbal rage fit short, not even bothering to look at the boy. Instead, her scary eyed glance would continue to pierce the girl with the tea set.

«Taking her as a hostage won’t change anything. If we take her, she will interpret it as us fulfilling the role she chose for us.»

If one looked at the entire situation from above the entire mall was nothing more than a gigantic playing field, with everyone trapped inside of it being the pawns. All of this was nothing more than a huge game.

«Asking her anything won’t take us anywhere, either. She already explained it, didn’t she? She is the hostage that needs to be saved by the heroes, while the mascots are the obstacle said heroes have to overcome.»

Their eyes collided once more. That oddly cheerful girl’s and the ice-cold professional’s.

«How exactly did we end up in this room? Was it chance? No. From the beginning on it was the only path to take. All other rooms were filled with mascots who would chase after us, until we arrived here. There is no logical reason for them to not follow us into here. Except for the option that they weren’t supposed to for a given reason.»

Yes, the more she pondered everything, the better she understood all of this nonsense. She had found a way to make sense of it.

«All of this was your doing in the first place, wasn’t it?»

Silence born from the heavy pressure put between the two girls as they exchanged intense stares.

However, at the end of all that collision the pink haired one broke out into laughter, nearly toppling over as her frail figure shook back and forth.

«Excellent! Simply excellent! At first I was really sad that she hadn’t made it down here, but you folks are even more excellent! What great heroes you are! Truly!!! Not only have you made it into the hostage’s cell, but you also managed to deduce the inner workings of the machinery, discovering the hidden plot line with little failure!!!»

That explosion of emotions, that outbreak of volume in her voice, the ecstasy she wallowed in. It was pure madness.

«Yes!!!! I am not simply a hostage! I am the evil mastermind as well! This is my world, my creation! And you have to save me from that, my dear heroes!!!»

Reason didn’t work here. Logic didn’t work her. That girl would simply make everything her’s, always regaining control of the situation, no matter how direly one tried.

She was crazy. And that was what made her the most difficult adversary.

That naturally meant she could make things even worse.

«Now then! You have reached the conclusion of the cutscene! You know what this means! It’s time for the boss to spawn~!!!»

As if triggered by that command, suddenly the ventilation shaft installed into the ceiling began to rattle strongly. And only moments later, the grid keeping it closed burst open, revealing the form of a new visitor jumping out of it and onto the centre of the table.

«Here I come!!!»

Fluffy cherry coloured fur. Eye-patch. Pirate hat.

Now, blocking the path between Kisaragi and Kinoshita and the crazy girl was a pirate alpaca mascot pointing an oversized scimitar straight at the two intruders.

«It has been a while. But once more I will return to the stage to challenge you fools to the fullest of my pride! This will be the battle of your lives! The greatest you shall ever face! Bring it all, or you will fail! En garde!!!»


«SHUT UP! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ALL YOUR GADGETS!!!»

Reflexively and visibly affected by that provocation, Stinger fired the very moment anything crossed the intersection. His aim – assisted by an AI implemented in his visor – was flawless. Three hits to tactically important points across the body would easily suffice to defeat any human in a single swipe.

One, two, three. That was all it would have taken.

Assuming his target had really been a human.

What?!

However, that shadow crossing the intersection was neither human, nor shaped like one. It was a an abstract dome of black darkness in stark contrast to the perfectly lit white surroundings.

Thus, the assumed tactical target points wouldn’t help him. No, all of his shots went off into thin air.

Before he could even adjust ,the sphere moved to cover the entire hallway ahead, robbing him of all sight of its inside.

«Don’t assume just because you can shroud my vision, you can evade my all seeing eyes~!»

He declared, immediately switching the feedback for his visor to a more appropriate one. Not night vision, but something even more advantageous. After all, the countless sensors and cameras placed throughout the hospital’s hallways were still all under his control, reporting absolutely any of the ongoings to him right away.

With those eyes, no matter where his prey hid, he would find them. Find and ki…

«WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!»

The echo of Stinger’s surprised voice upon the blinding white all cameras returned simultaneously, reverberated through the hallway’s countless speakers, announcing the state of temporary shock he had fallen into upon realising his sudden loss of vision.

How had she cut them all off at once?!



It had gotten noisy. With Mizushima hospital’s supposed role as a front for the real business, its supposed nature of tranquility should have reigned supreme. A nature guarded by him and Stinger. However, the one at fault for the sudden shift had actually been Stinger.

Edge had never taken a liking to his loud nature, but it did help him gain an advantage out on the field. Stinger always was the distraction, the source of pressure and the game master, while Edge was the one to finish the job. He was a master of stealth and a master of easy killing. That’s what he believed in. That’s what he took pride in.

Clad in a suit that was both capable of seamlessly blending him into the surroundings as well as erasing all sound emitted by him, he saw himself as the perfect assassin. It didn’t matter whether or not technology had been the decisive factor. No, it simply made up skill and natural talent the same way Esper powers did.

After he had ensured that the distance between him and the intruders had grown enough, he had finally begun to hurry instead of carefully stepping forwards. Thus, finally crossing the stairway to the ground floor.

There, he knew, awaited one of the two intruders, laying on the floor incapacitated.

The first he would take off the board.

Not hesitating, he would immediately step close to the limply lying boy, readying the sharp blade in his hand.

A single thrust would be all he needed.

No need to be nervous.

All was the same as always.

?

«Actually, I know. Those guys are probably Izumii’s guys. The MissFits.»

Name names and more names. Names which may or may not be real, but Hirashi catalogued them anyway, you’d never know when you need it.

«I have no clue what the other guy wanted. He’s down, right? So all should be good. I can worry about that later! There’s something more urgent than that!»

Even before the girl continued with her next sentence, Hirashi had already suspected what she was going to say.

--and save her!»

Hirashi’s face betrayed no emotion, but he was slightly annoyed by the personally of this spiky-haired individual. Noble, yes. Maybe “more correct” in the eyes of society, yes. However, it is in complete contrast with Hirashi’s way of approaching things. Even if saving lives was the first priority, it is still wise to establish the reason of why this situation occurred, the nature of the adversary, and have some semblance of a plan before going in. Else you would risk the safety of the hostage, both during the operation or after the operation in their daily lives.

“Judging by the firepower they are bringing is enough to lock down an entire mall, I doubt they needed the hostage to guarantee their safety. That means the hostage has value beyond just a human life, maybe she is some hotshot researcher or related to one. Either way, there is no rush, the hostage is safe, relatively speaking.”

Hirashi turned his eye to the fallen assailant, maybe he can get something useful from his unconscious body. Hirashi gestured at Touko to stay put for a bit before searching the man’s clothing.

«I don’t think you understand. Nothing they do makes sense. They just do whatever the hell they want!»

There was a fundamental difference between Kamijou Touko and that polite yet slightly strange boy: She had undergone enough today and the previous night to develop an understanding of the MissFits and their M.O. Even if it was just nonsense, there was still a visible pattern.

«And as long as she’s with them, she’s definitely in danger!»

Last night’s fallout with these pompadour thugs as well as what had happened to the ambulance had been more than enough evidence to arrive at that conclusion. Things had ultimately gone well for everyone involved, but that didn’t mean that lucky stream would continue indefinitely.

No. Any moment danger could appear from around the corner. And then things wouldn’t be as jolly anymore.

She had to hurry before…

«Stop right there.»

As though invoked by the nosy boy overstepping an invisible line a jet black projectile would rush past his head, barely grazing his cheek. Then, a distorted voice spoke up when he was still four metres away from the incapacitated figure.

«Unless you want to die.»

Announcing this warning, the strange person covered in all kinds of technology slowly raised its upper body from the ground. With how strictly their face and body were covered there was little humanity to be found in them. Ice cold from top to bottom, from shell to core.

«Hirashi Saito. Kamijou Touko. You made the mistake of not ensuring that my turret was disabled when you assumed my defeated me. In fact, you should have checked on my state as well. But what to expect of amateurs such as you.»

There was no telling when they had regained consciousness. With how little attention the pair of ordinary high school students had paid them, there had clearly been a big enough window to make all sorts of preparations. A fact that mysterious figure would immediately lay out on the table like a good hand of playing cards.

«Let’s make this a game with three conditions.»

Following a swift motion of their fingers atop the surface of a small handheld device, numerous heavy banging noises reverberated in the distance.

«Condition A: My turret just now deployed a number of bombs at structural key points of Mandara Mall. If I blow them up, the entire building will collapse, possibly killing everyone inside. That entails you, the hostage, the hostage takers and the innocent civilians still trapped in the mall. This should not only terminate you but also solve the MissFits problem. The bombs will go off the moment any of you makes physical contact with me, my cardiac and bio-electric readings change or I leave this building.»

They explained carefully, not allowing for any tension to surface. Instead, all they did was continuously run their fingers across that digital keyboard.

«Condition B: I recalibrated my turret to set target onto you. Unlike what you have seen before I set its targeting mechanism to no longer react to sound or fire after a short delay. Instead it will trace a combination of varying biological signals, raising its accuracy to 99%. You should already be aware that the projectiles it fires can easily pierce through the entire building. Thus, no shelter will protect you. Its firing mode was set to automatic. It will be triggered if there is any abnormal change to my heart rate.»

Everything had been planned out already. Down to the finest details. However, those facts were not meant to frighten the listeners. The true purpose behind it all was to follow the basics of any game. Rules were that important of an necessity.

«Condition C: Anti-Skill will storm this building any moment. I took the freedom to send your data to them, framing you as part of the main culprits. On top of that, our people are still mixed in with them. As a result some of these officers will not only be after you to take you into custody but to end your life.»

None of these two could deny that that person held the reigns of the situation. What may have been presented as a minimalistic list of neutral facts in truth was a carefully executed announcement of superiority: Early on they had confirmed knowledge of their personal information as a side fact, then built on it with the bombs they had spread amidst the conversation, only to ultimately drag them down into despair by underlining the urgency of everything. Such was the assassin known as the Vicious Cycle.

Now, with everything said and done, the balloon like object rose into the air, once more floating above their head. A silent rotating noise blending into the acoustic scenery.

It was time to go.

What?!

It seemed she had guess correctly after all. Her pursuer had been waiting just around the corner out of range of her ability to sense him. The sounds of three quick shots being fired from whatever manner of gun this guy was wielding, followed by their impact in the wall beside her was enough to let Aiko know that if she hadn't attempted this ploy there might not have been much of her left.

«Don’t assume just because you can shroud my vision, you can evade my all seeing eyes~!»

The man's declaration of visual omniscience would have worried her, had she not already take a precaution against this as well.  

«WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!»

It worked. For the first time in a while, Aiko wore a confident smirk on her face. She could tell from his cry of surprise that the bright light had thrown off his vision again, at least for the moment. This moment she had created was her chance. While she ran, Aiko seized the opportunity to strike back. She had felt where the projectiles had impacted her shell, so swiveling to face that direction Aiko gripped the handle of the gun tightly, steadying herself with her other arm, and fired a single shot in that direction. The recoil and noise we more than she expected. The gun firing right near her ears was almost deafening and had she not braced herself she might have dropped the gun entirely. The movies all make it look so effortless but it was more than she had expected.

With her chance moment past, Aiko broke into a full sprint down the hall and towards the hospital lobby. She had passed her pursuer and he was now behind her. As long has she kept her field up, it would be difficult for him to get a clear shot. Since they were on the first floor now, this was the final stretch. Just a bit further and she would be out. She hadn't been in here very long but it felt like and eternity.

“Well sounds like you have all your bases covered doncha.”

Hirashi stood upright and lazily drew a nail from one of his many pockets.

“Damned if ya do damned if ya don’t, is that what you are going for?”

With the nail on his hand, he pointed at the figure in front of him.

“If you’re lying, there is no reason for me to not finish what this lovely lady has started.”

Hirashi curled the rest of his fingers, making the iconic finger gun gesture.

“And if what you say is true, I am in quite the pickle. The odds of me making it out of here is pretty grim, and even if I do, Antiskill will probably track me down anyway. So I might as well take yer down with me, do you think you can take me out before I send this through your skull? It may be the last gamble you ever make.”

Pulling any signs of emotions deep within himself, Hirashi looked back at his masked opponent equally coldly.

“Either way, unless something changes, it seems to me my best option is just to slot this bastard standing in front of me.”

Hirashi recognised he was at a strict disadvantage, this mysterious person had control over everything. Even Hirashi’s identity, which he had made sure not to advertise, was exposed by this person. Perhaps it is surveillance, or some form of facial recognition.

The fact he was still alive meant there was some benefit in keeping him alive, but he cannot allow himself to be dealt such an unfavourable hand with nothing of his own.

Whatever it is, Hirashi cannot let this person escape his range and lose his only bargaining chip in this scenario.

Being told to shut it didn't make Nori particularly happy but he would do what she said for now. He'd listen as Kisaragi broke down their entire situation and pointed out the absurdity of it all before outing the girl in front of them as the source of it all. The masked villain had expected the so called hostage to at least try to refute the claim, proclaim her innocence and try to keep the story of heroes, villains, and hostages alive. Instead he was met with a completely different response, the girl admitted to being the mastermind without any hesitation. Not only that but even after admitting her guilt she acted as if her original story of heroes rescuing a hostage had been completely uneffected.

It was in this moment that Nori decided to give up on trying to rationalize this situation. Their enemies were completely psychotic, living in a fantasy world of their own design without any regard for reality. To make matters worse it seems this girl had gathered them all together and united them under one grand delusion of her making. A delusion that led them to taking over a mall and taking all the customers as hostages. With all this in mind Nori stopped caring as well. His frustration with the absurdity vanishing as their was no point in trying to impose any kind of logic or order on this situation.

At least that had been his plan until a certain mascot came crashing in through the ventilation staff. The greatest source of irritation the masked villain had encountered all day and also a source of shame. His old enemy-

"I'm sorry but what's your name again? I feel like you told me earlier but I completely forgot. All I remember about you is that you bragged about your pride as a swordsman only to find out you were too much of a coward to participate in a fair fight. I mean that shockwave ability of yours is a cool skill but battle armor, really? I mean even someone like you who so willingly follows along with this girl's delusions should at least recognize how unfair that is."

Nori had lost to this person before, he was fully willing to accept that failure. The mascot in front of him had bested him with ease and as such the goal of this trash talking wasn't to try to refute that. Instead he was trying to warn Kisaragi about the alpaca's ability while also hoping to provoking the alpaca into attacking recklessly. Finding a swordsman in advanced battle armor fueled by rage was likely going to be incredibly difficult but certainly it would be easier then fighting the alpaca when he was in complete control of his own thoughts. It was a risky bet but hopefully the trash talking would make their opponent slip up. Meanwhile he'd entered a more relaxed looking stance to provoke him further while simultaneously keeping a close eye on his movements so he could react to an attack.

"As for the girl behind you. I don't see any reasons to keep up this act any longer. You just told us you were the mastermind and we aren't heroes. So I don't see any reason at all why we should 'save' you. However, I think we could strike a deal as it seems we are both looking for someone. We could help find this girl you were originally expecting to come save you and in exchange you help as find the one we are looking for. How does that sound?"

«Either way, unless something changes, it seems to me my best option is just to slot this bastard standing in front of me.»

A bold declaration, executed in a tone of unlimited bravery. That boy must have either been a fool or desperate enough to ignore all threats to his life. Whichever it was, it did not change anything.

That figure of technology reminiscent of a lantern fish remained standing on the spot. Not undergoing any change whatsoever.

No. There was no need to.

«Reap what you sow then.»

Their reply fell flat and cold. They did nothing outside of that. There was no need to, after all. Any and all actions were entirely unnecessary. The turret’s target had already been locked. The bombs carefully deployed. A single action would be all it needed. Period.

Thus, he’d only await the boy’s carelessness to get the better of him.

«I won’t let you.»

Before anything else could happen Kamijou Touko suddenly stood in between the two. Her arms stretched out and facing the boy who had declared his willingness to pick a fight here. As she formed a human shield protecting their common enemy the expression on her face was dead serious.

«I don’t think they’re lying. If we so much as lay our hand on them they’ll either kill you or destroy the building killing many more. I can’t let that happen.»

As long as there was a single life at stake she wouldn’t allow for it to be lost. No matter what it took, she wouldn’t allow for anything bad to happen to anyone else anymore. After all, with everything that had happened and everything she had seen today, there was no opening for any more risks.

«We’ll find a way to deal with this guy. But not right now. Not like this.»

That spiky haired girl may not have looked like it, but she understood the situation fully well. She understood the stakes. She understood what was ahead. And she understood that just because they would leave him be right here, this wouldn’t be the end.

A single gun shot in the brightly lit whiteness of the corridors.

Then the shooter would simply rush past their victim, making an escape further away from the heart of the hospital, instead focussing on the outer boundaries. The exit.

They ran like there was no tomorrow.

Towards the gate of their desired salvation.

But what awaited there was a pair of locked sliding doors.

The sensor didn’t react, the doors wouldn’t budge. Not towards simple pushing or extreme violence. After all, while glass had been used it had been the reinforced type usually used for building spacecrafts. Highly resist-able to both heat and cosmic forces.

A dead end.

«Did you…assume…I was just some pushover? Or why didn’t you even make sure to check that I was really dead or injured?»

A heavy breathing voice resounded from the speakers all across.

Its owner entered the intruder’s side at the same time, appearing in the corridor about ten metres away. Still clad in a balanced combination of armour and technology the assassin pointed his right index finger at the girl, taking aim with the long tube that served as the needle gun he had used earlier.

There was hardly anything to read him by, except for an unnatural heaviness in his step. One that coupled with a large dent in his torso armour revealed the outcome of her earlier attack.

«I won’t let you slip away, you little bastard. I will take my revenge. I will make you suffer until the point where you regret ever stepping up to me!! And then I’ll do the same to your friends and you will watch!!! Only then I will kill you.»

At one point Stinger had lost his mind and given in to the anger. However, while in many situations that could be described as a disadvantage or even mistake, right here it formed his conviction. He wouldn’t let the intruder go. Neither the one before him, nor their friends.


Pirate alpaca. Princess in need mastermind. Kinoshita Nori. The number of annoyances was on the rise. At this point it was even questionable of how any of this would bring her any closer to that infamous assassin that had be on her and Saito Hirashi’s back, but there was no going back now, was there?

The problem at hand, however, wasn’t the fact that arguing with ‹hostage› wouldn’t lead them anywhere, but the one who had just made an appearance. That pirate alpaca had been the one who had taken Kinoshita down earlier. That alone – while she didn’t wish to admit it – spoke for his skills. After all, that partner of hers was a Level 4 Esper.

And that idiot partner had to provoke said skilful enemy.

«I’m sorry but what's your name again? I feel like you told me earlier but I completely forgot. All I remember about you is that you bragged about your pride as a swordsman only to find out you were too much of a coward to participate in a fair fight. I mean that shockwave ability of yours is a cool skill but battle armor, really? I mean even someone like you who so willingly follows along with this girl's delusions—»

Hadn’t Kisaragi reacted immediately by tackling over the masked dumbass, the quick jump sword swing that sliced through the wall like a hot knife through butter would have easily decapitated both of them.

«So? I fight with what I was given. So do you. Don’t you?»

The mascot replied upon landing on his squishy feet behind the toppled over pair.

«I am the captain of Souhoku High School’s fencing club. The greatest swordsman in all of Academy City. But I am also a member of the MissFits. Thus, I will combine these two facts in my armoured sword style!»

Another high velocity scimitar strike. Another instinctive last second dodge in the form of a quick roll that saved Kisaragi from becoming cleanly sliced like the floor below her.

«Great job. You enraged him!»

There was nothing more terrifying than a combat master’s rage. She couldn’t make out the majority of the movements that went into that adversary’s attacks thanks to the fluffy suit shrouding his physique but the execution was still top notch for that condition. Given that, they could call themselves lucky for not facing that boy without the hindrance that was his mascot suit combat armour.

Still, with all Kinoshita had listed up as part of his earlier provocation, the conditions were still pretty bad. So far he had only relied on the oddly sharp scimitar in his hand. Knowing he had an Esper ability on top of that and his overly powerful defence really didn’t make the situation better. That pirate alpaca was a dangerous enemy.

The kunoichi had to strike and she would. Immediately translating the momentum of her roll she would twist her body to perform a double-kick leg swipe that would first rob the alpaca of a stable stance, then knock them to the floor and lastly allow her to get on top of him for the finishing blow to be dealt.

However, the more the merrier.

Just as she was moving to mount her prey, that martial arts girl was hit on the head. Not simply by baseball bat or any type of club, but by something as absurdly clichéd as a flying kick.

Landing swiftly on the table, the fourth competitor of that massive brawl praised the flight his own overly flashy move had launched the girl into, before greeting everyone else with a loud mouthed question.

«What the hell is going on in here?!»

«Hide~!!»

«Vice president-dono!?»

Covered from head to toe in classic biker’s gear manufactured from thick black leather, occasionally wearing some thick looking metallic protectors at the relevant places as well as a belt that looked as though it was made to hold shotgun bullets but was carrying other kinds of containers, he left another kind of odd impression. However, if it wasn’t for those, his orangedyed  hair and black skull-mask covering the area above the toothy grin ornamenting his mouth surely would do the job as well.

«Name’s Izumii.»

The true star of the show introduced himself to hero mask and the girl he’d kicked into the wall as he moved across the table towards the princess who had put her tea aside to celebrate the arrival of the one that naturally made her eyes sparkle.

Yet, as he arrived in front of the pink pony tail lolita’s tea set, he’d turn back once more. No longer boasting that joyful grin.

«And I’d like you to leave now. Party is over.»

Well the angering the mascot plan had definitely worked but the part where the anger would interfere with his fighting prowess had failed miserably. Not that there was much time for Nori to considered this error as he was suddenly tackled by Kisaragi. Usually he'd be angry about this but seeing the blade swing over their head as he fell to the ground quickly shut him up. Well wasn't this just fantastic. Now he owed his life to a ninja, a ninja who had massacred the plushie he had originally been sent to retrieve. This entire day was just a stain on his reputation wasn't it? A dark side agent who lost all the money in his wallet in his vending machine, had his ass kicked by a mascot, and now had to be saved by his teammate from the same mascot.

However, there wasn't any time to consider his failures now. After all a scimitar was being swung at them once again with the intention of cutting them off from this mortal coil. As Kisaragi rolled out of the way Nori's escape from the strike would be more of a frantic sprawl. Well not the must graceful sight it worked and as far as Nori was concerned that was also that mattered for now.

"I can see that!

Now the masked villain was going to have to make up for his mistake. He had riled up the swordsman so he should be the one to take care of it. With the speed of Kisaragi's counter attack though he'd wasn't even given the opportunity. With the ninja dealing with the alpaca Nori would shift his target to the girl. Regardless of whatever delusional beliefs she had about being a hostage needing saving she was still the mastermind. If he could take out the mastermind maybe they could bring this whole thing to an end. Even that plan had to get thrown out the window though as Kisaragi was hit by a flying kick to the head.

This time Nori wasn't going to hesitate, his eyes quickly moved to the new target. He definitely seemed to be a member of the same organization of the others. What was with these people and their outfits? Also apparently the mastermind here was the vice president? Also why the hell did this guy think he could just tell them to leave?! Even still it was a tempting offer considering their objective wasn't even here. This had all been like some strange side quest. However, after Kisaragi had tackled him to get him out of harms way he couldn't just simple forgive the man for kicking her in the head right? So the answer was simple Nori would lower his bad and relax his posture.

"Unfortunately Izumii, you just kicked my comrade in the head. Not only that but your two friends here along with all the other mascots in this mall have caused us quite a bit of trouble. I'm sure you realize that we are going to want some compensation."

Three targets; his mask, shirt, and belt. Even if Nori had relaxed his posture he had no intention of simply letting this go and all he needed was one second to finish his calculations. If his calculations went uninterrupted the moment that second was up the three objects he targeted would become as cold as dry ice. With the mask and shirt pressed up against his skin that was sure to be a painful experience. The belt on the other had he froze purely to make it more difficult for the man to grab the canisters around his waist.

Aiko tore down the hallway, her escape was so close. At the end of the hall, a last set of doors. Through those and it would be straight to the lobby and then out into freedom. As she grew closer however, a sense of dread washed over her has the doors didn't slide open to meet her. Someone, as if she even needed to contemplate who, had locked the doors. Without being unlocked they wouldn't budge. In a vein attempt to break through, Aiko smashed the butt of the gun against the window, however this was enough to let her know that force wasn't an option she could take here.

«Did you…assume…I was just some pushover? Or why didn’t you even make sure to check that I was really dead or injured?»

Aiko froze. She hadn't expected the bullet to kill her assailant, but she was hoping she would've had a bit more time before he caught up, how'd he move so quick in all that gear anyway? It didn't matter, he was here and he was angry.

«I won’t let you slip away, you little bastard. I will take my revenge. I will make you suffer until the point where you regret ever stepping up to me!! And then I’ll do the same to your friends and you will watch!!! Only then I will kill you.»

Oh yeah... he was angry all right. Aiko needed to think and fast. She was staring down the barrel of the man's strange gun. If only she could control electricity in a more useful way, she might be able to unlock the door, but that was far beyond her capabilities. She had already tipped her hand a bit in what her ability was capable of earlier when she had run past, so it was unlikely that she would be able to keep him from hitting her for more than a few moments, though she was pretty confident she could probably dodge at least his first shot. But what would dodging the first shot do if it only managed to secure her a few more seconds without her having any plan. She needed more time to think. A distraction was in order. The man was already proving to be quick to anger, perhaps she could play off that.

"What if I consider you a friend? Does that mean you'll kill yourself for me?"  

Aiko mind raced, what did she have with her, a gun, her lasers, and nothing else of note to deal with her enemy's powerful weapon.

"Wait a minute... a powerful weapon... and my lasers. Wasn't I in a very similar situation earlier today in the impound lot? Maybe I could pull off the same feat again."

Where the man was standing, right at the edge of her range, if she just contracted her field slightly, she could easily blind him for a moment, giving her the time to execute her plan. Paying no mind to any response the man gave to her provocation, Aiko contracted her field slightly and created a blinding flash, during which she ducked quickly to the side to avoid any shots fired in reaction, then shifting her field back to laser mode, firing her laser straight into the barrel of the weapon, attempting to seal it shut, or at least, throw off it's accuracy enough to make all it's fancy tracking worthless.

Only a split second. That was all it took for that masked trickster Izumii to react.

Only in a slit second had he pulled a handgun from his belt and fired it with perfect accuracy, aimed at the masked boy’s temple.

As though he had sensed the boy’s intentions from a mile ahead, he’d fire to interrupt the vicious attack. This time, however, Kisaragi wasn’t able to keep up anymore, leaving Kinoshita entirely to his own devices.

Still dizzy from the hit she had taken just a mere moment ago, her death glare would witness the newcomer spinning the gun as though he was some hero from a cheap western.

«The fastest colt in the east, haha!»

Annoyingly enough, he really acted that part.

Surely, that flashy display of clumsy skill was quite unenjoyable, not to say humiliating. However, it was what gave her the conditions she needed. Everyone was occupied, after all. Everyone – even if just for that split second – had let their attention sway from the girl who had just been knocked down. That was all she needed.

The greatest threat had made itself easily identifiable.

His focus as he still spun the gun was on Kinoshita.

The alpaca’s as he returned back to his legs on Kinoshita and Izumii.

The ‹hostage’s› as she had begun to munch biscuits she’d placed on the table before her, too.

Thus, Kisaragi Anko, could make her move.

Slipping past everyone’s line of sight, the master of stealth would close in on that pretentious western hero rapidly. The moment her figure and thus her intentions would occur to anyone, it would be too late. A single strike to the gunman’s neck was all she needed to incapacitate. Swift and minimalistic.

«You again?»

Not even remotely shifting his focus away from the tracksuit boy, Izumii would side step the sneaky ninja at the peak of her victory strike, evading it with the same amount of minimalism she’d put into it. Given the stage of the move’s execution there was no longer a turning back, nor enough time to adjust.

He spun, smashing the nuzzle of his gun against the side of her head with force. Then, right next to her ear, he’d push the trigger again, firing another round.

It was then that she finally understood that masked maniac’s true colours.

Somewhere between the impact of the hit and the deafening pop, she understood it.

After all, he had managed to keep the gun steady amidst it all, firing another well aimed round at Kinoshita while he was at it.


Anger was a dangerous emotion.

Yes, it could fuel ones abilities to a degree.

Yet at the same time it clouded ones judgement. Ones ability to follow through with plans and strategy.

Stinger’s entire routine was build upon these two pillars. He hadn’t been a skilled combatant but an assassin who enjoyed to draw out his game, until he crushed is prey. As long as he’d keep the distance, both emotional and physical, he would win 100% of the time. Normally, he would have understood that. It was always like that.

However…

«What if I consider you a friend? Does that mean you'll kill yourself for me?»  

«Shut it!!!!»

He had become entirely blinded. Not only by that flash of light, but by his rage as well.

Of course he would fire. He would fire his needles into the unknown with as little hesitation as he had left. He forgot the need to rely on his equipment to erase the hindrance the blinding light had put on his eyes. He forgot the need to exploit the cameras all over. He forgot the need of a single perfect shot that’d seal the deal once and for all.

He forgot all that, just because he chose to unleash his fury.

And that’s how it happened.

As the laser struck the barrel of his finger gun, he could feel the increased heat travelling through the metal down to the hand that was connected to it. And with that, he understood his failure.

«What??? No…!!!»

Quickly pulling away his arm to dodge the counter attack, he’d readjust posture, take aim and activate the electronic trigger. Once. Twice. Multiple times.

At first a needle flew, but entirely off-course. Then another, even more off the mark. Until nothing left the nuzzle anymore. A cluttering sound echoed throughout the hallways.

He gulped. He shed sweat.

The gun was useless now. All more continues firing would do, was damage the sensitive tubes piping the air into the chamber.

Now, it was paramount to retaliate. But...how?