[SS] Curfew Carnival

Aiko followed Natsumi in the direction of the enemy and Kisaragi. Luckily she had moved to follow Natsumi's lead, otherwise there would have been a good chance that the sudden rain of nails might have hit her. Just because she wasn't hit however, didn't stop her from being surprised when the handful of nails suddenly changed directions mid air and went flying out randomly colliding with things. Based on the randomness of that attack however it was likely that the enemy didn't know exactly where they were. Following the hail of nails was a second attack, this time in the form of a small package. Natsumi quickly took cover behind one of the vehicles and Aiko not knowing what could be in the package quickly followed suit. However since Aiko was further away from the vehicle than Natsumi, she didn't quite make it in time before a huge flash lit up the inside of the bubble.

Upon being exposed to the flash Aiko, now crouched behind the vehicle next to Natsumi, covered her eyes with her arms as she waited for her vision to return. Aiko was used to bright flashes, she'd exposed herself to quite a number of them getting the hang of her abilities, so it would only be a few moments till her vision returned. In the meantime, Aiko focused entirely on tracking the movements of everyone within her bubble. Things had gotten a bit chaotic so it would be good to get a better grasp on the situation. The vaguely human shaped object that was Kisaragi in Aiko's perception moved closer the other object that Aiko had assumed was the perpetrator of the previous attack. Right as it looked like she was in the position to strike however, she instead seemed to tackle them, knocking them both to the ground. Aiko didn't even have a moment to consider why she had done this as immediately she felt something moving extremely fast pass through her field followed by the sound of it slicing through the roof of a car. Another projectile entered her field, then the sound of one of the support pillars exploding.

It happened so fast that it wasn't until the third projectile that Aiko was able to pull her thoughts back from a panic and ascertain where the attacks were coming from.      

"Where are Kisaragi and the enemy now? And is there any out of place machinery in the area?"

"Kisaragi and the enemy are by that pillar!" Aiko exclaimed, gesturing with her arm in the direction of the support pillar that had just taking the impact of one of the high speed projectiles. "I don't feel anything out of place from the machines inside my range, but those attacks aren't from the enemy the Kisaragi engaged. They're coming from outside the field! From that direction!"

Aiko moved her outstretched arm to point in a direction angled somewhat away from the direction she had been pointing. Aiko opened her eyes, blinking them a few times to get rid of the last of the effect of the flash. Starring out into the darkness however she couldn't see anyone. There were too many shadows and not enough light to see the source of the projectiles.

Professional or not. Anyone could tell that the situation had grown far out of her control. She had taken down the first enemy with expected ease only to be greeted by something far more troublesome: Projectiles travelling through the air at speeds easily surpassing most military issue sniper rifles all the while carrying a destructive force exceeding anti-tank weaponry. Any hit could be lethal at this point. Having been able to escape the first one and even surviving up until now was nothing short of a miracle.

How would things continue from here on out, though?

«But I have a way to cut off the beam person’s pursuit if we can get out of this corridor.»

It took her a moment to remember the fact that she was currently pressing her fallen prey to the ground. Hadn’t his words perfectly hit the mark likely wouldn’t have paid him any more heed than he would cause her danger. With this, however, she immediately felt grateful for not having finished the deal right away.

«Show me what you got. Run on my signal.»

Skipping all of those unnecessary formalities average girl Kisaragi Anko would immediately jump to the most important part, spitting the command that was her reply with little to no compassion.

To follow up on her word immediately after she would await the next two shots, both coming in perfectly timed 2.5 second intervals, one aimed slightly above their current position, the other going right for where the other two had been.

Something was off.

How could the enemy track them? For herself and that boy it made sense that they may have used their sight, Aoki and Hujisaka on the other hand were concealed behind the effects of that electron sphere. Had they estimated their approximate position based on the size of the dome? No, with how dim the lights were inside the facility and zero knowledge of the ability’s actual workings such a feat would be nearly impossible. So, what had it been?

«They're coming from outside the field! From that direction!»

A shot followed shortly immediately after, slicing through the cover only to barely pass by that lucky baggy sleeves girl’s face.

Lucky? Had all of them really been lucky in the first place?

«Those shots aren’t fired with the intention to kill! That bastard is toying with us!!»

Sharing her thoughts loudly with everyone present, she gave the signal all the while inviting another shot to be fired. This one only missing her by a hair’s breadth. There was no accuracy. No sign indicating that any of these shots had been fired with a perfect aim. If at all, it seemed as though all of them had been triggered in response to something. Something that was surely attracting each and any of them. But what was it? What was the true nature of this unknown attacker? The answer was as straight forward as the existence of three constants.

The time intervals. The timing. The point of origin.

«Show me what you got. Run on my signal.»

Hirashi wouldn't hesitate to focus his telepathy on the thermite he had placed on the roof supports earlier, in case things had gone gone awry. Unfortunately, even for a genius such as himself, he underestimated the people before him. It was quite irritating how much planning this all took, only for him to actually skip Plan A, B all the way down the Z since everything's been screwed beyond repair.

He didn't know who these people were, or what would happen to him if he somehow survived with the older girl and her party. But the current situation was involving certain death already, and with no clear plan of escape, he had no choice, but to temporary rely on the mercy of his enemy.

«Alright. Give me, a moment..»

Hirashi would find the lighters tied to the thermite, and wouldn't hesitate to depress the triggers on them systematically from the far end of the building to them. That way it gave them more time to run and avoid taking any unnecessary damage. There was not enough to collapse the entire roof, but the internal wiring, lights, security and parts of the ceiling will surely break off.

But upon finally lighting all the charges, with a few seconds before they actually start doing damage, the older woman began to yell to anyone and everyone who wasn't deaf.

«Those shots aren’t fired with the intention to kill! That bastard is toying with us!!»

Hirashi was perplexed to say the least, but there was no time to ask to ponder on what's happening. The thermite charges finally went off, as loud sizzling and cracking noises resounded from the roof. The lights would flicker, and even pop in some cases, as the room became darker, and parts of the ceiling would collapse with a loud clanging noise on top of impounded cars and concrete, revealing a vibrant red and orange flames bursting from the upper ceiling.

Hirashi didn't hesitate to start running once Anko jumped out of position, seemingly confident that the projectiles being fired off would not hit her.

«They are missing on purpose? Why would they deliberately miss? I'm not sure if it's because they are sadistic, toying with their prey or there's a reason they aren't outright killing them? This has gotten far more interesting than I predicted..and everything's changed so fast.»

Hirashi was already attempting to make sense of it all, as he ran down toward the nearest exit path among the chaos. He didn't do anything crazy such as to try to escape from these strange girls, as Anko was right behind him, ready to snap his neck most likely. He felt helpless knowing that he had no real strategy to get away, having no confident way of knowing what their respective esper powers are.

As soon as they'd gotten out of the area and he didn't see anyone coming after them, Tetsuya had allowed himself to slow a bit. Maybe he'd been a bit paranoid, and Touko really wasn't faking her confusion. Still, he kept a fairly brisk pace on the way to the mall.
Tetsuya wasn't that easily convinced, and the only way to guarantee the two weren't going to be attacked - either by some gang this Touko was working with, or by any Midgets in the area who might be intent on keeping her inside that car trunk for longer - was to get to a place where there would be other witnesses.

Mandara Mall. Exactly the sort of place that you would expect to see in District 6, and especially the sort of place you'd expect to be tucked away in District 6 close to its border with the less-desirable real estate of District 19. Most of Academy City tended to follow the same stark, austere form of architecture: plain white buildings, places with lots of glass, and windmills.
There were exceptions, like the School Garden modeled after a European-style town, but even there the forms were rather traditional. Not that Tetsuya had ever been in there, or even been close. Either way, this place was totally different from all that.

Mandara Mall turned Academy City's architecture upside down, sideways, and backwards in the same way that a person might feel while going on this district's famous rollercoasters. Even traveling through it was like a carnival ride, which was probably a reason for its popularity. The sprawling complex offered new entertainment at every turn.

The boy who looked like a delinquent shoved his hands into his pockets, walking inside the strangely-shaped sliding doors. He'd spent a share of his time at the arcade in this place, and some of its other shops as well. It was the closest mall.

Once the pair had entered and Touko spoke up, he paused and turned back to her.

"The way I see it, we got three things we want from here." He counted off on his fingers. "One, we want to know what's going on out there after you got stuck in that trunk last night. Two, you're probably kinda hungry and I said I'd get you something to eat. Three, new clothes. There's a fairly normal store for that where you can change out of your school stuff."

He nodded, crossing his arms. "Don't care what order we do 'em in, so take your pick. Whichever one it is, I'll show you the way. This place ain't easy to get around in your first time. And don't get too distracted, I guess."

At the very least, they'd definitely be traveling at a slower pace than the past few minutes. The complicated nature of this place made that a necessity.

Something was off.

Kisaragi Anko and Hirashi Saito were the first two to notice. As they made their way to the proposed escape route something was found at the very centre of the exit. A sphere of metal, hardly larger than a plate and equally flat. To anyone with at least some imagination it would have been clear that the item before them was a device of some sort, placed there with a certain intention. Two others of the same kind were placed close-by. In fact, those devices had been spread all over the facility, always right where the escape routes had been.

Mines. Their position and shape would immediately allow for that deduction, even from someone who had been hardly skilled. Aoki would notice with her ability that some sort of wiring had been installed and linked with a sort of sensor and semi-complicated mini-computer. Their exact means of function were entirely unknown, however. There was no information to grasp. No indicators nothing. A black box, the most dangerous of all threats.

And yet that wasn’t even the end.

The thermite had been triggered, causing a rain of fire, damage to the structure and a sense of chaos. But it wouldn’t end there. In tandem with its activation heavy tremors would come to shake the fortified building that was Academy City’s central impound. Something was exploding everywhere. It hadn’t been the thermite. No, someone had placed bombs all across the ceiling and pillars, picking perfectly sensitive positions to deal maximum harm to the building’s structure itself, slowly but certainly ruining all effort that had gone into the structural engineering.

Yes, the building was actively collapsing with debris raining down randomly. All exits had been blocked by mines of unknown purpose. Someone was still sniping with extremely dangerous high-speed projectiles.

Alone none of these conditions would have been efficient. Together, however, they formed a true death trap.

Their last hope had gone up in flames. No, it had been turned against them mercilessly.



Clothes, food, information. That had been the order chosen by Kamijou Touko, blindly chasing her own desires over anything else. Now dressed, in simple white hoodie boasting a white pinkish rabbit and Hawaii style beach shorts (the cheapest items found in the special offers section, scoring less than 1000 yen together), she was mowing down on the second set of tasteless burgers and fries she had ordered from the tackiest of all fast food ventures in the entire food court while sitting next to Adachi. There was no longer any sign of any etiquette you’d usually expect from a refined lady, had everything been overturned by the growling hunger’s despair. She had to dig down, eat, eat, eat, fill her tummy and somehow drown in her very own guilt while she was at it.

«I’ll pay back everything! I swear! I swear!»

Words she had been repeating for the seventh or eight time since their arrival.

However, the location they sat in was no ordinary foot court, had it been part of Madara Mall. There was a twist and truly specific design to it. Yet, neither was it a pirate ship theme nor one associated with dungeons and dragons. No, the core idea of this place and its surroundings was inspired by the very country of entertainment, the US, and its holy shrine, the typical American living room. As such the customers were seated on couches equipped with all kinds of massage and comfort instruments while having a height automatic height-adjusting coffee table in front of them. Beyond those tables sat TVs, designed to look like the old classics from the 90s and early 2000s, yet equipped with HD screens and smart set-ups. On their standard setting they were presenting only a single channel, however, if one paid additional money the users were granted to ability to choose between 9999 different channels from all over the world. Still, diligent student Kamijou Touko wasn’t intent on wasting even a single unnecessary dime, forcing them to wait for the actual news program to come up.

Fortunately, after a wait of about ten minutes that time was finally coming.

Apparently last night’s incident had been troublesome and recent enough to make it to the very opening section of the news, yet not important enough to warrant a truly lengthy program.

«Last night an ambulance was attacked when returning to Mizushima University Hospital. The investigations revealed that the attackers had placed a military prototype airbag in a sewer hole, using it to knock the ambulance over as it passed above it. The driver was hospitalised as a result. No other victims have been reported. Anti-Skill has confirmed that the group behind the attack are the so called ‹MissFits›, an uprising street gang that has been linked to numerous other incidents that have occurred over recent weeks. As of right now there is no further information available to the public. However, investigations with the objective of bringing this crisis to an end are still ongoing. If you should have any leads helpful for the investigation, please contact Anti-Skill immediately.»

It had been a standard report, accompanied by only a select series of images. The core focus of those had of course been the ambulance in its poor state, as well as the site of the incident. Or at least it should have been.

«That isn’t the place.»

They had been there less than an hour ago. She had been right there last night. That is why she could tell: the place they were showing on the broadcast – no matter how authentic it looked – hadn’t been the one. It had been somewhere entirely else. Somewhere absolutely different from the actual site.

Something was off.

Information, one who is able to derive knowledge from the tangle of information in one’s surrounding in turn gains the power to steer any situation to one’s advantage. To be without a strategy is akin to a boat without rudder, no matter how much power one might have, it will all be rendered useless without direction.

“Hah, hah, hah.”

Hirashi panted as he tried to keep up with the girl in the ridiculously impractical hoodie in front of him, while behind him was the woman with the scary eyes. The was obvious that scary eyes was more than capable of leaving him in the dust, and Hirashi seriously doubted that she was the all for one and one for all type who saved nosy level two's. Therefore she must be there to keep me their prisoner. Hirashi would have groaned in annoyance if he was not already groaning from exhaustion.

“The shots seemed to be triggered passively rather than by active targeting, given the power and the speed of the shots, this is the only explanation on why they were not mincemeat already. So what was the trigger?” Hirashi recalled the first shot, “what has caused it? There was the possibility of infrared tracking via either heat or motion, there was also sound from our impact, the AIM interference of my telekinesis, or maybe radar. However, the second and the third shots were placed in such a way that their origin had no line of sight with the targets they were intended for, that ruled out infrared and radar. The possibility of a remote operator or an AI were also highly unlikely as they fall under the category of active targeting. That leaves just the AIM or sound tracking, and between the two, AIM tracking is incredibly unstable and it would be highly unlikely that a sane person would mount such a flimsy targeting system on such a powerful weapon, after all, it would be akin to a ship without a rudder. Power without direction is no power at all.”

Hirashi risked a glance behind him and as expected, scary eyes was right behind him with a gaze which could bore a hole through his back. Seeing that again gave Hirashi a bit more motivation to keep running as he turned his head back in front of him, and that was when a second problem presented itself.

“STOP, THAT EXIT IS MINED”

Hirashi abruptly brought himself to a stop as he saw the flat metallic device attached to the doorway ahead of them, but his tired legs did not quite make it as Hirashi’s knees gave up on supporting his weight. Following the inevitable consequences of gravity, Hirashi twisted his body just in time to avoid imprinting his face into the ground. Now lying on his back, Hirashi was given a front row seat as another shot tore through the space above him, obliterating yet another pillar.

“Ah, the shot are targeted via sound.” Hirashi thought as he allowed himself to tremble a bit on the floor.

Bright flashes of molten metal rained down around them as the termite packs were ignited, creating temporary barriers from both visual and thermal tracking, whilst also damaging the roof structure . However, a split second later, the section of roof truss behind them collapsed completely as a deafening blast shook the facility.

“That was…”

Hirashi was bewildered as more explosions followed, turning the roof into dust and debris. This was clearly not the effects of his thermite, but rather of high explosive. Hirashi rolled his eyes, “It looks like trouble do really love to come in threes. I sure hope scary eyes is able to tell the difference between my thermite packs and those military grade bombs so she will not become a forth one”.

Still lying on the floor, Hirashi twisted his head towards scary eyes as he said, “I can explain…”

The boy who looked like a delinquent slouched back in a Bakelite-colored plush chair that looked straight out of a historical documentary, nodding with some strange form of approval at the girl's disorderly eating. That was a level of hunger he could definitely respect - someone who could keep up that kind of pace even halfway through the second hamburger. 

"Hey, hey, I already said I'd take care of the food, all right? Adachi Tetsuya ain't the kind to go back on his word once he's given it, you know."

Adachi Tetsuya wasn't the kind to run a charity either, though. He'd gladly take a repayment for those clothes at some point in the future. At least he appreciated Touko's efforts to keep everything on the cheap side, and within the limited range of his wallet.

The conversation fell off after that while the pair kept their eyes on the television screens. Tetsuya took the time to think over what exactly had brought him to this point - and exactly when he might pass the point of no return in this situation. A few months ago, he'd have jumped at the chance to scrap with another gang. Today, that was looking a lot less appealing. If these people were high-profile enough to be on the news, then if he got involved too deeply he might find himself in the same position. Something that Anti-Skill would definitely not look favorably on, which in turn would jeopardize his chances at getting into Judgement. 

Maybe he could contact Shizuka and ask her to keep an eye out for his sake.

The word "ambulance" came across the television screens, and Tetsuya immediately let his train of thought derail in favor of the newscast. Guess it isn't the "Midgets" after all, huh? The boy ran a hand over his hair, making sure it was still slicked back properly while he digested the words coming through the TV - and the words coming out of the mouth of the girl across the table.

"Isn't the place? Whaddya mean that isn't the place? How many ambulances do ya think one gang can take out in a night?" That offhand remark about the prototype military airbag meant that this gang was almost definitely in a higher rung of the ladder than he was, or had been - he'd heard rumors of some unsavory organizations sometimes getting slipped equipment from higher-profile secret patrons, but the Lost Party had never gotten one of those. Even if they'd somehow stolen it legitimately, that would take some strong planning on their part, and enough manpower to pull it off. 

These MissFits didn't seem at all like the kind of people he ought to be tangling with right now. The boy squinted as he recalled the uneasy feeling of that intersection the pair had passed on the way here. Touko was probably right, according to his gut. Something was definitely strange about this, and Adachi Tetsuya had a sinking feeling that before long he was about to get dragged into a fight he hadn't been looking for.

Aiko was terrified. The shot was so close to her head that she felt she might have lost a few hairs. She was so scared her mind had gone straight past panicking and back to rational thought.

«Those shots aren’t fired with the intention to kill! That bastard is toying with us!!»

Aiko didn't believe this. Even if she hadn't been able feel each shot as it passed through her field, and been able to tell that they were coming at perfect intervals, the power behind that weapon didn't seem like something you could just casually miss easily to toy with people like that. "It's probably an automated weapon, like some kind of turret. But how is it targeting us... Visuals and Thermal are both out, Natsumi and I are making sure of that. There must be something triggering it then..."  

All of a sudden the ceiling started exploding. Lights were flickering while sparks and small debris rained from the ceiling. Aiko started spinning around, trying to get a grasp on why everything was suddenly falling apart when the real explosions started and the building itself started losing pieces.

"What's going on!" Aiko exclaimed. Anko and the Boy she had attacked had gotten up and started running in a direction and Aiko saw fit to do the same. A good thing she did because if she hadn't the next shot from the "turret" would have turned her head to mush. It was at this point that Aiko though of something... She had only been fired at when she spoke... could it be drawn to sound... maybe voices since it seemed to be only shooting at people. The three of them moved swiftly dodging falling debris until Aiko felt something enter the range of her field... something on the ground. She felt electrical signals and when she looked down on the ground she saw something flat and metal. Were those...?

“STOP, THAT EXIT IS MINED”

She knew it, mines had been laid out in front of the exit. Getting through them would be a hassle... but more importantly, a new shot came flying out of the darkness narrowly missing the boy as he contorted himself and fell to the ground. Aiko felt as the shot passed through her field. Based on where the shot passed through her field and the direction it came from, Aiko now had a very precise idea of where the shots where coming from. Time for her to try something risky. Aiko pulled both her Laser pointers out of her pockets while shifting her shell from one that blocked vision, to one that would enhance the power of the lasers. With all that was going on stealth was the least of their problems at this point. Aiko pointed both lasers in the direction of the turret and putting as much power as she could into her shell, fired them. The continuous beams passing through the field had the potential to melt metal. It wasn't something that would cleave through the turret, but if Aiko's thinking was correct the lasers would find their mark to be the barrel of the weapon, that's where the shots were coming from after all. If she could deform the barrel even slightly then there was a good chance she could cause the weapon to misfire or potentially even self district. Aiko stopped firing the beams after a moment and returned them to her pockets. She had no idea if she had been successful or not since she could not see the turret, but she would know after her next move. Aiko let out a loud scream to bait the turrets next shot before throwing herself to the ground.

"COME AT ME YOU STUPID GUN!!!!!"

«I have no idea…»

Kamijou’s first response to Adachi was only to admit her own insecurity about the situation. The locations did not match. Her memory was as different from the factual reality offered by the news as it could be. Seeing the crime scene there it didn’t simply feel different. It was different. There was no blaming a wrong angle she hadn’t seen or assuming that night time lighting conditions could alter some things. This was a matter of structure and terrain. The intersections were fundamentally different on too many levels.

So, could it have been an entirely different incident matching the one she had been involved into? She had been knocked out after all. Anything could have happened afterwards.

«Then why were there no traces of an incident when we crossed that other intersection. Why was there nothing at all.»

She pondered, but in the end, it didn’t actually help her find a solution other than her primary impression.

«This is bad…this is really bad! I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t let that girl get involved in any of this!»

It didn’t matter. She didn’t even wish to seek an explanation any longer. However, Kamijou Touko – having lived in this city for long enough and gotten herself involved with things beyond the ordinary scope – could only describe these events as fishy. And if something was fishy in Academy City it would be a danger to anyone involved. In this case someone she knew had been involved. Someone who clearly didn’t seem cut out for any of this.

The wannabe stage idol Akirin had been a strange person. But overall, she had been just a weirdo stuck in her own small fantasy world. A frail girl, defenceless, obviously naïve and on her own.

«I need to do something! I need to find that stupid idiot and help her!»

Guns had already been fired. There had been turmoil. And Kamijou Touko was certain that no one else would come to help.



A shout. A shot. And yet no danger.

Unlike before the projectile of unknown nature hadn’t narrowly passed by its target. This time it had obviously been derailed somewhat. Had that floppy sleeves girl’s plot worked out? Or had it just been a lucky instance?

Kisaragi Anko wouldn’t know about such things, nor did she care right now. Everything was falling apart. The explosives were harming the structure with each additional explosion and on top of it the projectile bombardment, even though it hadn’t landed a single hit on them, had done additional damage to the structure by slicing one too many pillars. One didn’t need to be an expert in structural engineering to foresee the incoming threat.

Time was running. And yet, the path to escape was blocked by mines.

They were locked in, ready to be slaughtered by one of those three lethal traps. A death trap solely leaving the option of choice to its victims.

This is dishonourable. Whoever is behind this needs to pay.

Her anger was real. Clenching her fists and biting her lips she would internalise the grudge that was born from this, only to shed all that would waste her time instantaneously.

Instead of remaining linear or tripping due to her own haste, she immediately sidestepped to avoid possible targeting while remaining on her two feet. A move that would help keep the reign over her own life in this situation. For a little longer, she could still hope to avoid falling debris and those inefficient yet lethal rounds.

Still, even with that she knew something had to be done to move forward.

Acting to help another, she would bow forwards to pick up the fallen boy without any hesitation. She would seem like she was attempting to help him return to his legs so that they could seek another way out together, confirming that she had already understood that it hadn’t been his fault altogether.

And right when he was on the verge of gaining stability, she would push him full force, straight towards those mines.

«Make yourself useful.»

That average looking girl had never been an angel of kindness. To her anyone that wasn’t an ally was an enemy. Especially right here and right now. There was no use in him anymore, had his attempt to help them only lead to more chaos and vain. Therefore, in order to draw maximum benefit out of him, she would use him to trigger the mines.

He had been outplayed. There was no saving him, would he land right on top of all three of them.

They would go off right away.

It was bright, blinding, burning and deafening

But bear no explosiveness.

Disorientation?!

Immediately on point a hammer struck three times, unleashing three jet black projectiles simultaneously, all directed towards the point marked by the mines.

An immediate execution.

Or so it would have been, hadn’t they all missed in a ridiculous manner.

“Make yourself useful”

Adrenaline flowed, and time slowed. The floor, hard and unforgiving, was what to behold.
With a push he fell, and a surprised cry he yelled; his saviour, his ally, his betrayer, was the one to ring his knell.
If only he was not sold, by the help her hand had told, the sight of a new sun would perhaps still greet him, clad in gold.
But the cards had been dealt, useless were the regrets felt, and now by hellfire shall his body melt.
Alas! Life is a one way road, water up a mountain cannot flow, he shall go as all souls go, taken by the Reaper’s blade so cold.
Well shucks... Life sucks.

“Hmm, not bad, The Muses are in high spirits today. It is a shame th-”




White.



There was white as far as the eyes could see. Hirashi sense of direction was completely shot, he tried to look around him, but he did not even know which way was up. It was almost like flying in the clouds. There was a curious ringing, almost musical, pushing aside all other sounds and was coming from inside his head, it sounded like a B flat.

“Is… is this heaven... Am I dead?” Hirashi managed to croak out before his nerve endings finally reconnected with his brain and his body begun letting him know that it really did not appreciate the way it had been treated.

“Urgh… If I am dead, why does it hurt so much.”

The unending screen of white had begun to fade from Hirashi’s vision at this point. Falling through the soft and fluffy haze, Hirashi managed to make out the disapproving face of one Miss Scary Eyes.

“Ah, that explains the pain, I am stuck in hell…”

With a hard jolt, Hirashi returned to reality, after lying down for a few seconds longer, he giggled as he rolled against a pillar and started pulling himself up. Between the getting tackled by a ninjette, getting shot at by an anti-tank rifle, and now falling on to not one, but three landmines, Hirashi felt that he was getting a little too stressed out for his mental wellness.

“Well, nothing that a cup of tea and a good book cannot fix.” Hirashi thought rather happily as his shook-up brain decided on which type of tea to buy when this is all over.

Somewhere in the corner of his head, what little logical thought Hirashi had left deduced that he was most likely in shock. Those logical bits then recalled that sweet tea is great for treating shock, then decided to buy some breakfast tea from that fancy looking corner-shop next to the family restaurant which served the most delicious french toast even though it is weird that french toast is not actually French but had its origins in Laos or was that the country that played a part in the Bach’s Badinerie as the second violins oh on the subject of oboe players they keep making reeds because of water and sodium reacts violently in water which was why we have the seven seas which should really be named the seven large bodies of water instead because it created the British tea culture and its famous breakfast tea oh yes tea can help me clear my head go get tea go get tea go get tea.

Pleased that his train of thought had come to full circle, Hirashi swayed and wobbled as he stood himself back up, now more determined than ever to get out of this crumbling building alive. Hirashi had seen a glimpse of the other side of the river, and it was a brief moment of respite followed by an eternity of Miss Scary Eyes. Hirashi found the notion of being stuck with Miss Scary Eyes until the end of time oddly funny and laughed involuntarily, letting go of the pillar and standing upright. Hirashi was feeling better than ever.

“Now thanks to my noble sacrifice and miraculous recovery, can we go riding into the sunset yet? I need to go get tea.” Hirashi, still a tad light headed, faced the girls and pointed at the freshly cleared exit as he put on his most radiant smile.

Timing, precision, and a will of steel. Those were the skills Nori needed to complete the task his boss had given to him while the rest of the group was sent on a different mission. A drop of sweat began to form on his brow as he looked through the glass window in front of him at his target that was just sitting on the other side. He needed to get this right this time or he'd be sent back all the way back to square one. With his eyes glued on the scene in front of him he moved his ultimate weapon into place and slammed his fist on to the red button positioned in front of him.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

The masked villain's exploded with frustration as he watched his entire plan fell apart and he was sent mercilessly back to square one. You may be asking what Nori had been after or what nefarious mission his boss had sent him on. To put it simply, his target had been a stuffed bunny. A stuffed bunny contained inside a gigantic claw machine. Yes, while the rest of his group was facing down explosives, fake mines, and horrible inaccurate projectiles the false hero was sent to play a claw machine and he was hating every second of it.

This time around when he dropped the claw down it had grabbed the item his boss had asked for, ultra rare golden Bunny Grey plush, by the ear. It had seemed as if he was actually going to succeed but just as he was about to release a sigh of relief it had fallen out of the claws grip back into the plushie pile inside the machine. He had been standing in front of this machine for longer than he would even care to admit and what did he have to show for it? A pile of plushies, all of which were not the one he was looking for, and a wallet that was almost empty. At this point freezing the glass, smashing it to pieces, and just taking the bunny was starting to seem like a reasonable option to Nori.

Yet at the same time dealing with the authorities would just make this entire situation more exhausting. While he wanted to quit and never come back to this amusement park of a mall ever again this was a mission he had been given. It was a ridiculous mission but still an assignment he had been given by his boss nonetheless. He couldn't come back empty handed but at the very least no one had told him he couldn't take a break. After all failing miserably at a claw machine build up quite the appetite and there were plenty of interesting places to eat in this mall.

So after taking of his ribbon eye mask and using is to tie all his plushies together, to make them easier to carry, he made his way over to a nearby American style food court. He'd use the last of his money to get something to eat, maybe find someone to pass on all these plushies to, and if not he'd just drop them off at one of Academy City's orphanages later.

After buying himself a burger and some fries Nori grabbed a seat at one of the coffee tables and looked over at the TV while he enjoyed his meal. Unfortunately, like everything else today it seemed even the media was out to mock the poor masked villain as only shortly after he sat down the news began to talk about the ambulance. The ambulance that the rest of his team was investigating while he was losing all his money to a claw machine. Ah, how he envied them for being sent on that mission or at least he would've if it wasn't for what he overheard just a few tables away.

That isn't the place? What girl?

Being completely honest Nori had no idea what the girl at the other table was talking about but what he did know was that it was in response to news report on the ambulance. Whoever this girl was she knew about the vehicle Aiko, Anko, and Natsumi were sent after. It wasn't suppose to be his mission but the masked villain was interested and he couldn't resist his curiosity. Whatever was going on with that car it was definitely far more interesting than what he'd been up to all day. So without hesitation he made his way over to the pair that had caught his attention.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. It sounds like someone's in trouble. What can I do to help?"

Just like that Nori put on his hero facade and stepped in as if he was trying to help someone in need. The masked villain may have been a horrible lair but he had spent his entirely childhood dreaming of being a hero so the good guy act was something he had down to an art form. Though his usual nosy, blunt, and straight to the point mannerism hadn't changed in anyway.

All along the way, Natsumi had followed quietly after Kisaragi's lead without making any significant waves. There was little point in doing so, after all: with what little info they had on whatever was attacking them on top of their distance from it, her ability was of little use, and Kisaragi had the boy well in hand. So she dutifully hid their thermal signatures, ducked her head down, and tried to make herself less of a target. She was simply waiting for a chance.

She'd anticipated what Kisaragi was going to do the boy, and knew well enough the countermeasures to take beforehand. Protect the ears, protect the eyes, minimize target area and vulnerability of the skull. Step back some. But because of that, she almost missed blue girl's actions. She almost missed her chance.

"COME AT ME YOU STUPID GUN!!!!!"

As she stood up and recovered from the effects of the rather un-explosive explosives, she gave Aoki a rather odd look, like someone looking at a strange animal in a zoo. Fascinating, interesting, but strange enough that you'd perhaps prefer to keep it at arm's length.

It seemed an accurate enough evaluation, at any rate.

At the same time, she stepped away from the boy and offered some words of advice in a voice quiet enough to not be picked up by the turret, though whether it mattered at this point after Aoki had done her work was still in the air.

"Shut up. You're not going to be saved twice."

With that done, she moved onto the main topic.

"Anyway. It reacts to sound. That little show from before and the trap make that clear." She paused to take a bullet from its cartridge and roll it between her fingers before continuing, still in a whisper-quiet voice. "Whether we get out of here or go after it, I can use these to draw its fire away and trigger any traps in advance. So what do we do?"

With this the game was over. Even if there was any rubble in their path, given the ridiculous power of that turret, she could make use of that very same firepower to clear away the debris. If there was any doubt or worry left in her mind, then it could only really be one thing.

"It had quite a bit of shock value at first, but when it comes down to it it's a pretty half-assed way to try and kill someone. Deadly, but not at all decisive. So what's their angle...?"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, Kamijou-san. You're putting me in a kind of difficult position here, right?"

The boy who looked like a delinquent laid his elbows on the table, staring across at the worried girl who seemed all too eager to help out someone else. Again, a few months ago, he wouldn't have had much of a problem joining up with her. Well, aside from gang obligations and such. But at least he wouldn't have been on probation like he was now.

"We've got people that already do that as part of their job, right? Judgement and Anti-Skill, people like that. You really think you're gonna do a better job on your own than the people who do this sort of thing on the regular?"

It hardly seemed as though he'd get anywhere convincing her of anything. If she was the kind of girl to get in the sort of situation he'd found her in this morning, then it didn't look like he'd be able to keep her from doing something about this whether he was coming along or not. And, considering that same situation from this morning, if she ended up going alone there was a pretty good chance that there'd end up being two people Judgement would need to save instead of one.

"Gh. I guess it's time to come clean here now, huh? Here's the short version. I can't fight."

There were no options left to Adachi Tetsuya. He sat up straight and began to explain things.

"I made a promise to someone that I wouldn't be getting into any more fights until I can finally get into them on the right side of the law. I can't break something like that because a girl I don't know got captured by a gang I ain't heard of before."

It was a hard thing to say, but probation was probation, and its terms were clear. He shook his head. Rotten luck that he'd run into a prime opportunity to rush forward and be a hero just a few weeks before he'd be transferring schools and actually have his restrictions lifted. 

As if to drive home his own inability to do anything, a boy in a tracksuit with a bunch of stuffed animals walked over and started talking to them. He, the boy who gave up a gang for a girl, couldn't do something to save someone else, but even a normal mall patron was able to walk up and offer help freely. The laws and regulations weighing him down felt like the steel balls used in earlier, long-since-obsolete systems of justice. 

Still, if this guy could help... that was better for Touko, and for the idol girl. The least Tetsuya could do was give him a brief rundown.

"Yeah. Name's Adachi, and this is Kamijou-san. She swears that the ambulance wreck they're showing on the big screen isn't in the place where it actually happened. The real wreck site's supposed to be a place in District 19, and I'm thinking she might have something to that angle. Seems like there's a girl involved, too. Though, I ain't seen anything about that on this station. Right?"

The boy looked over to Touko for confirmation. He hadn't been paying attention too closely, and she was the one most familiar with the incident anyway. If there'd been something he'd missed on the broadcast, she'd probably be the one to point it out.

"Either way, it's a real big ball of confusing at this point. You sure you wanna throw yourself into the middle of this stuff?"

Aiko lay crouched on the ground and watched as the shot she anticipated came flying out of the darkness... but too wildly off course to actually hit her. Had it worked? Had her plan been successful? It was at this point that she saw Kisaragi helping the mystery boy to his feet... scratch that, pushing him to his doom. It seemed she was going to help him up, instead however she sent the boy tumbling onto the mines. Aiko prepared herself for the explosion of viscera that was sure to follow, but was pleasantly surprised to see that rather than being torn to pieces, the boy was simply engulfed in bright light and loud noise. Mines for disorientation? Immediately after the mines went off, three more shots from the turn were sent careening in their direction. However those shot also went flying way off course. Yes, her plan had an effect. The shots from the turret were going off course.

Aiko took a moment to collect her thoughts while she got back to her feet. The turret's shots were now flying off course. The mines on the ground were meant for disorientation so that the turret would finish them off. The ceiling was currently exploding and debris was falling all around them. While this situation wasn't good, the exit was in sight just past the mines and now was the chance to make for it. Aiko shifted her shell to something she doesn't normally do, in fact the opposite of what it was when they came in here, blocking light from entering. This plunged her into darkness, and she took a small flashlight out of her pocket to light her way so she could at least see the ground. Aiko moved towards the mines and walked through them. If they went off additional times the blinding light would be stopped by the edge of the shell, any debris falling from the ceiling would pass through the edge of the shell and give Aiko a small warning to avoid it,  and the turret shots were going off course. Aiko pressed forward towards the exit.

The sudden intrusion by a stranger didn’t allow Kamijou the time to reply to Adachi. However, this gave her the opportunity to chew on his words for a bit. So, being a bit surprised and overtaken by the shift, she’d leave the talk to her saviour and ponder his words in the meantime. Was she really right in what she wanted to do? There were people whose job had been exactly this, so why didn’t she trust them with handling it? Why couldn’t she?

Hold on.

Only then the spiky haired girl’s eyes would meet the tracksuit boy and his absurd pile of stuffed animals. His demeanour for some reason appeared like that of an oddball. The way he wore his clothes. The way he carried his luggage. It made her uncomfortable. Brought back memories of last night yet again. Could he have been one of them?

She…

«Either way, it's a real big ball of confusing at this point. You sure you wanna throw yourself into the middle of this stuff?»

«Yes. Because that’s my responsibility. It’s my fault that she got caught up in this in the first place, so I gotta take her right back from there!»

Kamijou could only be serious about this. She hadn’t been in the place of an authority meant to handle this situation, but she had been the one to blame for most of it. If she hadn’t failed last night things would be different. That girl, Akirin, she would be safe, jollily enjoying that colourful life of hers.

«You don’t have to help me. You already did enough, Adachi-san. This is my fight. Not yours. I’m grateful for everything you did for me, though! And I’ll make to sure back each yen!!»

Getting up from her comfy massage seat Kamijou would bow before the boy and the newcomer one last time. It was obvious from all signs that she was intending to leave them right here and now to pursue things on her own. She’d shrug off anyone who’d try to get involved, simply because that was her resolution. This was her fight. Nobody had to be dragged into this mess anymore. Nobody had to––

A loud pi-ro-rin sound interrupted her just then. It came from the public announcement system usually meant to point out closing hours, special discounts and lost children.

«Good afternoon, everyone! The weather is nice today! A fine August day without any rain, but only bright shining sun. Summer vacation is the time to live. Yesss!!! We hope you have been enjoying the shopping tours and rides to your utmost. Chilling with friends, family or simply loitering around. We sincerely hope everything has been to your absolute enjoyment. We really do.»

It was your typical announcer voice, just slightly off character.

«Oh, and before I forget it: This is a hostage scenario~!»

The entire mall would be dipped in confused silence.

«The guards have been taken care of, all entrances and exits are sealed and we have full control of the security system. The rules are simple: Call Anti-Skill or Judgement – the hostage dies. Try to break out – the hostage dies. Fail to play along – the hostage dies.»

With another of those pianos the fake announcer’s speech concluded. And what happened next was the overly natural process of confusion slowly becoming fear. Fear that would soon traverse into something else. Something simpler. Something pretty primitive.

Panic.


«I see.»

Visibly unimpressed by the ‹explosion› she had just triggered, Kisaragi finally managed to understand the true purpose of the scenario for herself. The enemy had become identified. Their workings were no longer a mystery. The turret had fatally missed three times in a row. The mines had been about nothing else than making sure it wouldn’t, so their purpose was wasted as well. The last remaining problem was the building’s collapse. But even with that for just a moment, she paused, turning towards Hujisaka.

«Their objective is toying around with their target. This person wants to humiliate, before taking the head. A sick game devoid of all honour.»

She didn’t bother to wait any longer, simply stepping forward as though all of this had been a minor hindrance.

«Do your thing. We need to get out of here.»

Making her declaration, she would simply grab the stupid boy by his arm pulling him along as she would close in to the mines. With everything she had learned, she knew that this game was over. All threats had been removed and the rest would surely be handled by Hujisaka. Trust? Belief? No, if at all it was common sense. They were part of the same organisation. Allies as long as their business relation went on. As such it would bear only little gain to backstab another. At least for now.

And thus at long last they would leave that death trap…

The way to the outside had been surprisingly easy to handle. Some more of those disorienting explosions she’d take like a true warrior. No further traps. Just the ever pressing danger of falling debris. To Kisaragi herself it had been nothing worth the sweat, was paying attention to her surroundings a standard practice she’d pursue passively all day long. She didn’t know or care about the others. However, even with things being that way she took a sigh of relief when they had finally stepped out of the building. All three of them.

The sun was still up in the sky and compared to what Academy City’s general impound lot had been before the flames had broken out, it was quite hot with the typical japanese humidity lingering all over.

«So, what do we do now?»

She asked, making sure to increase the distance between her and the thick reinforced concrete walls.

Sirens were blustering all around. Red lights were shining. Security robots racing here and there. Panic was all over the area. Surely, it would only be moments until the official forces would arrive. By nature they couldn’t afford to be caught, but they were still within the perimeter of the facility, still within fences and concrete walls. In fact, the area they had chosen to rest in had been a small but long reaching backyard like section, only divided from the open streets and neighbouring properties by another of those thick and three metre high walls. There were two paths to take: One leading straight to the main entrance and the other further into the back.

Saori cursed her friends for abandoning her at the mall.

Which in all honesty wasn’t quite true, she had been distracted by a claw machine that had a number of adorable plush toys inside. In the time she nabbed her first one, her friends had unknowingly left without her. There was no sign of a Tokiwadai uniform in the direction they were headed. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she held the toy up to eye level to look at it in contempt. It was a bunny; specifically a golden Bunny Grey plush. It had the qualities of something that would be cute— it was fluffy, had big eyes and floppy ears— but the head was too big, and those eyes were a little too unnerving. It also brought up bad memories of a CG cartoon she watched when she was younger.

She didn’t like it.

With her friends gone, she didn’t want to risk grabbing a more appealing plush from the machine and further the distance between her and wherever they had gone. She also didn’t want to head towards a security guard or cashier like a lost child separated from their parents. It was a predicament where she was forced to find her comrades on her own, or risk even more teasing than what she already anticipated.

‘Oh ho, not only did you lose us after getting that creepy rabbit, but you actually went to a cashier to call us over the intercom? What are you, five?’ She sighed, there was no way they would actually be that cruel. She was sure they just noticed she was missing, and were probably going to the intercom themselves.

Pi-ro-rin.

As if on cue, she heard a voice come over the intercoms. Her hopes soared in her chest.

«Good afternoon, everyone! The weather is nice today! A fine August day without any rain, but only bright shining sun. Summer vacation is the time to live. Yesss!!! We hope you have been enjoying the shopping tours and rides to your utmost. Chilling with friends, family or simply loitering around. We sincerely hope everything has been to your absolute enjoyment. We really do.»

«Oh, and before I forget it: This is a hostage scenario~!»

«The guards have been taken care of, all entrances and exits are sealed and we have full control of the security system. The rules are simple: Call Anti-Skill or Judgement – the hostage dies. Try to break out – the hostage dies. Fail to play along – the hostage dies.»

Pi-ro-rin.

‘...Huh?’ The crowd around her seemed to have the same trouble processing those words, and in typical mob mentality it clicked for everyone at the same time. Those around her quickly descended into their own unique yet similar ways of dealing with panic.

Saori, to her credit, managed to remain somewhat calm in the fashion of being completely baffled by the situation. It could be accurate to say she was in shock. She had never been in a hostage situation, let alone face any situation where someone’s life were threatened in such a cheerful manner. Was it even true? Was this some elaborate prank, or a high-intensity special event held at this entertainment mall? Were there really terrorists taking hostages?

It would be smart to defuse the situation before the crowd went out of control, but she didn’t trust her own words to not backfire on her. So much for Tokiwadai elite. She clutched the plush rabbit tightly between her hands and approached a group that stood out from the others— a group located in an American-themed restaurant. “Excuse me,” She interrupted, ”But did I hear that correctly? Hostages? This isn’t just some ploy by Mandara Mall to get everyone involved in a massive group event, right?”

"Sounds interesting and if there's an innocent girl involved than we have to do something, right?"

Disgust. That was all Nori felt for himself right now as he tried to play the part of a heroic, goody two shoes citizen. He had always been a horrible liar and there was a clear change in body language as he talked about saving whatever girl had gotten involved. The only reason he was even getting himself involved in the first place was because the ambulance in question was the same one his group was investigating. The girl, whoever she was, could get herself out of whatever mess she got involved in. It wasn't his responsibility to save every fool who got themselves involved with the darker elements of this city.

"It is weird though that the news stations would lie about what happened. Makes it seem like they are trying to cover something up. Doesn't that make you want to investigate it even more? We could really be on to something here!"

Yup. The boy definitely hated every moment of false enthusiasm he had to express as this conversation went onward. Yet this time he wasn't lying. The entire situation really was starting to intrigue him. A false news report, an unreported missing girl, and his team's mission to check on the ambulance. There was definitely something going on here and it was far more interesting than any ultra rare golden bunny grey plushie. The false hero was really going to have to talk to his boss later about sending him on such an absurd mission, especially considering how much money he had lost to that cursed claw machine.

As Adachi asked if he really wanted to get involved Nori was prepared to continue his Good Samaritan act but before he could even respond Touko spoke up. Within a moment it became very clear to the masked villain that the girl in front of him was completely serious about getting involved in this mess. With just a few sentences she had completely upstaged his act, though being honest Nori's hero impression wasn't the best.

Everything seemed to be working out perfectly. Kamijou was serious about getting involved and was there when the event had taken place. All he would have to do now is follow the girl and try to piece together the mystery from information contained inside her head. At least it all seemed so simple until she got up, clearly planning on trying this problem all on her own. It was in that moment that Nori's act fell apart and a look of clear irritation spread across his face. There was no when he was just going to be cut off just when things were getting interesting.

However, before he could take any action to prevent Touko's flight a voice rang out from the mall's intercom. At first it sounded just like any other mall announcement, despite the strange beginning. Until the the messages true purpose was revealed and silence fell throughout the mall. A hostage situation. Now this was definitely not something Nori usually got to see in broad daylight, especially not the extent the voice seemed to have been implying. Whatever group this was had taken control of the entire mall without alarming anyone to their intentions. Despite the fact that he was now there enemies he had to admit he was impressed.

"I guess none of us really have a choice in the matter anymore. The trouble came looking for us instead of the other way around. What a pain in the-"

Before the track suit clad higher schooler could finish his sentence another voice entered the fray as the mall's crowd began to descend into chaos. Now before the masked villain even attempted to comprehend the new person's word his attention was grabbed by something else. A certain rabbit plushie that the girl was holding on to.

It was it. The plushie his psychopath of a boss sent him after. After all of his failures it had finally presented itself to him and the only thing that stood in his way was whoever this newcomer was. If they had been alone he'd would've simply taken the bunny now but given the current situation there were bigger things to deal with. So instead he just made a mental not to himself to steal it later.

"Unfortunately, I don't think it is. A hostage situation would be a pretty extreme fake event even for a place like this."

There was no sign of reassurance in his voice. He put no effort into trying to make the new girl feel any safer. He simply stated what he believed without any level of restraint.

Everything around Hirashi was crumbling, the walls were falling to pieces and fire engulfed parked vehicles. The nails in Hirashi’s pouch clanked as he turned to face the Ridiculous Hoodie Girl, despite the lack of tea, Hirashi’s head was slowly but surely coming back to its senses. Things were looking up, although the falling concrete and raging fire were worrying, they were improvements over being blown up or shot by the contraptions of their mysterious companion.

Hirashi watched as the Ridiculous Hoodie Girl walked past him without a word whilst brandishing a flashlight. Her incredibly serious expression and the flashlight sticking out of her sleeve made for an amusing sight, Hirashi could not help but to let a chuckle slip out of his mouth.

“He hehe h-urk!”

Hirashi’s chuckle was cut short as Miss Scary Eyes gripped him by the arm and proceeded to drag him forcibly behind her. This final bit of reality was what finally brought Hirashi thoughts back to his present and dire situation: Hirashi was stuck with a group of what looked like to be high level espers who, judging from the earlier mine incident, had little concern regarding his well-being.

The journey outside was hardly an enjoyable experience. Bits of the building rained down on Hirashi as the fires competed for what little oxygen there was in the impoundment lot. Despite her surroundings and Hirashi’s occasional slips and stumbles, Miss Scary Eyes vice-like grip remained clamped onto Hirashi’s arm.

The sun was still up when the group made their way out into a courtyard-esque area surrounded by high concrete walls. Hirashi could hear traffic just on the other side - they were at the outer perimeter of the facility, and the only thing separating them from freedom was this wall. Hirashi observed the concrete structure before them, the wall looked to be about three meters in height and rather sturdy. There was a path towards the main entrance, but Hirashi discarded that option immediately; security forces would arrive soon, and the main entrance was much too risky and conspicuous.

As he took a step towards the wall to get a better look, an idea popped into Hirashi’s head. It may be possible to bypass any existing exits by using his nails to create handholds in this wall. Hirashi glanced back at the rest of the group, they most likely had no idea what his power was yet, and this not only could be his ticket out of this facility, but to also escape the potential wrath of his new-found companions. Thinking this, Hirashi kept quiet as took a step back from the wall and waited for the group’s next move.

Tetsuya cursed his situation yet again, for what seemed like the hundredth time. Here was a cause that was just, righteous, and completely in line with doing good - and he couldn't do anything about it. As the girl stood up and bowed to him and the newcomer, the boy felt like a piece of driftwood tossed up on the beach, watching the wave that had delivered it there recede into the distance.

Pi-ro-rin!

And then, with that sound, the wave came back.

Adachi Tetsuya was not the brightest bulb in the Christmas illumination. His test scores were all average or below. But even so, he could put two and two together. The unrefined mechanisms of his brain began turning as the announcement finished its course, and after. Even as the mallgoers around him erupted into chaos, Adachi Tetsuya stood his ground stoically, deep in thought.

The newcomer girl interrupted his concentration just as he was about finished. 
”Excuse me, but did I hear that correctly? Hostages?”
The boy who looked like a delinquent nodded in response.

"Hostages? I'm tryin' to figure out if I'm hearin' this correctly myself. 'Cause..."

He took a look around. Nowhere in the immediate vicinity could he see any green armbands, or the characteristic uniforms of Anti-Skill. Nobody was attempting to corral the ongoing chaos of the crowd, to calm them down, or to get them out of the mall safely. Probably all as part of the attackers' plan.

"If there's no Judgement around, and if the cameras're all feeding to the hijackers, then..."

The boy dressed all in blue seemed like he was pretty serious about this, too. The iron stare and matter-of-fact statements coming from that direction would be enough to make someone less convicted easily fear for their lives. This guy seemed like he was exactly the type to want to do something about this. The newcomer girl wasn't panicking yet, either - which meant she was probably solidly reliable as well. He'd have to see. And then there was Touko, who in spite of being somewhat foolhardy and willing to take on too much on her own, definitely had the right intentions.

He couldn't let himself be left out of this, with this opportunity.

"...Then nobody can prove nothing, and anything I do here ain't gonna make it to anyone who cares."

No officers and no cameras meant no evidence. This mall was basically a black box until control of the cameras returned to the city authorities. No way to pin anything me might do inside here to him specifically. The boy who looked like a delinquent cracked his knuckles, clearly anticipating a fight. His first in a while, and even if it were for a different situation than the girl they'd originally been looking for... It was definitely still for a good cause. A smile crept across his face, dripping with determination.

"Don't count me out just yet, Kamijou. I'm gonna go ham on 'em."

Adachi Tetsuya was back in the ring.

They were out.

The odd group of characters came spilling forth from the impound lot and into the blazing summer sun above them. Taking a brief moment to catch her breath and look around, Aiko noticed that even through they were out of the lot, they were hardly free yet. In front of them stood walls of solid concrete no less than three meters high. Sirens could be heard off in the distance but coming ever closer. Their endeavor had not gone unnoticed by the authorities and time was running out.

«So, what do we do now?» Kisaragi asked of no one in particular.

Aiko shifted her shell to boost the output of her laser pointers and fired them at the wall... Nothing. Of course not, what had she expected. These walls were concrete, not flammable like wood or melt-able like metal. Giving up on that solution, Aiko shifted her shell back to her tried and true summer time favorite simply blocking out the roasting rays from the sun giving her a nice cool area to catch her breath.

"Well, that's all I've got..." Aiko sighed turning to face Kisaragi "You're a ninja right? Don't you have some kind of grappling hook or something?"

Aiko knew that none of them could afford to be caught here, especially not her as she still had the small metal box she'd pulled from the ambulance earlier. However, despite the many applications of her ability, blowing holes in concrete walls or getting herself over them were not among it's utilities.

Aiko took a deep breath composing herself. There was one unknown factor in their group of escapees. She turned to the boy that Kisaragi had dragged out of the facility with them. "You've gotta have a trick or two up your sleeve too right? Not just anyone could have snuck into this place by themselves."

Kamijou Touko was the last one to catch on to the situation.

«A hostage scenario…?»

Just as she had sharpened her conviction to chase after Akirin, the sledgehammer of misfortune had been dropped down upon her. However, this time instead of her slipping over a banana and falling into the boys’ locker room, things had taken a much more serious tone.

The surroundings had fallen into either a quick panic or just straight out confusion. The place was an amusement park, after all. Who wouldn’t expect something like this to be tied to an event of some kind? Still, amidst it all stood that spiky haired girl. And her thoughts were as simple as they always were.

Just give me a break already!!!

However, before she could just crouch down to the ground and cry about her misery or even run to get the hell out of here, something like a party of heroes formed…with her as the very centerpiece.

And to make matters even worse than that, it turned out to be Adachi – whom she still owed – who would declare his support in solving this matter. She could tell he was truly eager. So eager she couldn’t possibly imagine to let him down. She did owe him after all.

Just give me a break already!!!

Therefore, involuntary heroine Kamijou Touko would have to step up and fight! Forming a fist with her right hand and lifting it into the air while crying internally, she would declare:

«Let’s do this! Let’s beat the bad guys and save the hostage!!!»

Then her charge would begin. Where to? She had no clue. To do what? Like she knew. Mind you, Kamijou Touko was no action heroine. All she had ever done was fight street thugs, Magicians and a zombie invasion. Her Imagine Breaker could negate the super natural and punch people really hard. But that was it. She herself went to a Japanese high school and somehow even managed to fail at that. So how would she know how to handle something as delicate as a hostage scenario?


Mandara Mall had been overtaken within minutes. For an establishment situated close to District 19 the security had been too lax. The invaders hadn’t needed more than a bunch of minutes to deal with the humans while the electronics hadn’t even posed a danger to begin with due to just a minimum of button presses.

Their number was unknown and so was their purpose. However, they hadn’t followed any special formation or even a deeply designed plan. They had come, struck and taken over. The exits had been sealed. However, everything else was still up and running. Jolly music was playing all around. Flashy lights remained flashy. And all the rides would just keep on moving. It was all fun and games, just like before. Hell, even a presence as unnerving as a guard had disappeared entirely.

Or hadn’t it?

Among the mass of average visitors and colourful clerks another subculture had slowly spread. They had been everywhere, but at the same time entirely unnoticeable, did they blend in that easily.

«Upper level 2. Secure. Over.»

«Central escalator. Secure. Over.»

«Main food court. Code…salmon?»

Mascots taking the shape of varying animals. Wearing full body costumes covered in oddly colored fur they had settled everywhere without attracting any unwanted attention. Or so they would have thought.

As a certain spiky haired idiot had openly declared war on an unknown enemy, a walking alpaca with pirate hat, eye patch and belted scimitar was watching carefully.


Sighing in annoyance, Kisaragi Anko folded her arms in front of her chest. Weren’t these two supposed to be specialists of some kind? If something as simple as being trapped in a backyard while the police was closing in could break them, what purpose had there even been in this mission in the first place. Any B-list criminal would have handled this situation better. Or at least she would think they would have.

«Unfortunately, I don’t. Academy City confiscated all my equipment when they captured me. It’s surprising they actually granted me clothing for this mission.»

In the end not even she found herself able to do anything other than expressing her disgust towards her capturers and the treatment she had been given at their hands.

None of this was in any way enjoyable. Her pride taking even more cracks than that surely didn’t help it.

So, instead she would turn towards her ‹comrade› Hujisaka and their mutual ‹hostage›.

«I would really appreciate any helpful idea right now.»

To make matters worse she couldn’t ditch the two girls or get captured either. Whichever bad ending there was, to her it would be a truly certain one.

«Unfortunately, I don’t. Academy City confiscated all my equipment when they captured me. It’s surprising they actually granted me clothing for this mission.»

Aiko cursed under her breath. She wasn't one to swear but as the sound of the sirens in the distance grew closed she was starting to tense up, her mind racing, searching for any possibility to escape. Aiko took a deep breath and looked around, taking in all the resources available. She had her electron shell, a ninja with no tools, a random boy of indeterminate ability, and a pyromancer. The obstacle was a solid concrete wall... but wait... As Aiko looked back at the wall she noticed something she hadn't originally in her panic. Aiko moved closer to the wall to confirm her suspicions. Right were her laser had made contact, the concrete had started to chip and fall apart. Aiko's laser wasn't powerful enough to damage it on its own, so what had caused this. It only took a moment before she realized...

Water.

That was it. The leftover water trapped inside concrete from it's manufacturing. When the water gets heated it turns into gas and expands. If it gets too hot too fast, the gas trapped inside the concrete has nowhere to go and the pressure continues to build until... boom. But for this to be of any use, they'd need to be able to rapidly heat up much more than a laser dot of the wall. Aiko chuckled under her breath. Now if only they had someone who could put out a lot of heat.  

This was it, this was the way out.

"NATSUMI!!!" Aiko yelled to the girl over the sound of the exploding building behind them and the ever approaching sirens. "I need you to blast this wall with as much heat as you can!"

Without question Natsumi let loose a wave of super heated air directly at the concrete wall. At the same time Aiko moved next to Natsumi so her electron shell could encase them both. Setting it to amplify the strength of outgoing infrared radiation, the heat from the air became immense. "Natsumi's ability can ignite the air, and fire is already extremely hot. Much hotter than my laser pointer," Aiko thought to herself. "If I can make some small chips by amplifying the laser, then by amplifying Natsumi's fire we should be able to cause some real damage!"

Aiko could feel some of the extreme heat bounce back as it passed through her shell and collided with the wall. Aiko held her breath. This had to work, if not, she was all out of ideas...

Aoki Aiko’s plan and Hujisaka Natsumi’s effort would be rewarded by multiple cracking sounds leading right into a loud boom as the concrete wall would burst from within. A storm of dust would whip in their faces while the rubble would mostly be launched to the other side of the wall. And once it cleared a hole large enough for a human or two to pass through would greet them. An escape route had been secured.

Instead of an open street, however, the group would find another premise. Namely Academy City’s Driving Center. It was a large space of similar size to the central impound and its gigantic garage like structure. The reason for that was that, while there was a large number of administrative offices present, the facility would also pose as a training ground for all drivers to be. Here, over the course of multiple floors, obstacle courses had been build to allow for applicants to both learn driving and be tested on various possible circumstances. Unlike with an open street scenario, the facility would provide thousands if not millions of possible driving scenarios, by combining an entirely adaptive course with virtual reality technology.

Unfortunately, none of that mattered right now. The sound of sirens had stopped growing louder had it already reached its peak. Now, one could hear doors slamming followed by adult voices shouting what were clearly commands. The official forces had finally arrived.

«Hurry up!»

Fortunately, for the escaping party they hadn’t been thrown exactly out into the open either. The area bordering to the wall from the Driving Center’s side had actually been decorated by stretches of green with a strong accent on trees and bushes to cover the dull grey. Said green area would cover the entire area around the main building, like a small park surrounding an even more beautiful structure. In fact, unlike your average District 1 site, the main building had been constructed as cylinder which was covered by a transparent glass facade. While some portions of said facade would still block off sight, the majority was entirely see-through, not only letting in a good view on the administrative offices but also the winding roads making up the driving courses.

Thanks to these windows the group was allowed to see that the alarm raging from the impound lot had reached over to the Driving Center as well. Here all courses had come to a stop, with the cars being abandoned while a general evacuation plan had been commenced. From the distance it was also visible that the guards assembled at the main entrances were busy leading the panic crowd to the outside. Given the overall size of the building it was also very likely that all guards, even those in the security rooms, had been forced to help the evacuation. Taking this into account, it was plausible that their little explosive stunt had remained entirely unnoticed.

When Nori had come to this mall to grab a bunny plushie he hadn’t expected to burn through a majority of his wallet doing it nor had he intended to join up with a rag tag group of heroes. Yet here he was with a group of complete strangers, planning on overthrowing the group of terrorists that had taken over the mall. The irony of him having to actually be a hero was sickening. Situations like this were much more amusing when you got to be the villain. Regardless he still needed to find a way out of his mall with the bunny plushie his new companion was carrying without getting killed in the process. Before he could think on that matter any further, however, his train of thought was interrupted as he flinched in response to the spiky haired girl.

“Keep your voice down. We don’t even know how they managed to take over the building without anyone knowing until now nor do we even know what they look like. I don’t particularly feel like being killed because one of them happened to be nearby and heard you yell about saving the hostages”

As he spoke his eyes scanned the area around them to see if anyone was approaching them after the outburst. If one of their enemies had heard them and decided to take action they would be in hot water. There was no way to tell between civilian, friend, and foe in the panicked crowd of people and mascots. Yet even with all that in mind Nori’s mood only grew worse when he turned around and noticed Touko had already begun to run off. Had she started charging before he even spoke or had she just willfully ignored him? He honestly had no clue but for now he had to stop the crazed girl before they all ended up being killed.

“Are you trying to get all of us killed?!”

Despite his own advice about keeping their voices down Nori yelled as he ran after the spiky haired girl and reached out to grab her. Oh, what he would do to be with his actually team right now instead of this group of vigilantes. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about people running into the fray with no play and full purely by their own self righteousness. If they somehow survived this whole incident without getting killed he was definitely going to get his revenge for the stress this girl was putting him through.

With a minor application of her ability and a swift explosion, they had managed to escape their predicament through the creation of a third path. For how stumped they had been before, what had saved them was a relatively simple solution. It made the others' initial confusion seem stupid, it did. But having made it through there didn't mean they were out of the woods of yet. Before they could relax, they had to make it back to a safehouse, where they could deliberate over recent events and decide how to deal with the unfortunate interloper at their leisure.

Surveying the surroundings, Natsumi soon recognized the surroundings. This was, indeed, Academy City's Driving Center. Where the immature youth of the city came to earn the right to ride vehicles made of literal tons of metal around at dangerously high speeds as they pleased. Apparently, outside of the city, learners practiced on the open streets; imagining how some of the people she's come across would be on the street even after learning how to drive, she found herself pitying all of those who had to suffer the presence of their like even before. Truly, these vehicles were a cancer.

Looking closer, taking advantage of the clear walls, she noticed the panicked evacuation that was ensuing down below. Clearly their escape had caused no small commotion. But rather than any concern for the civilians being potentially trampled down there, what came to mind first was a much more pragmatic thought.

"If we can slip into that crowd, we should be get away from here smoothly. It looks like the security guards are all pre-occupied, too," she commented. "Kisaragi, could you make sure he doesn't take the chance to slip away?"

Out of all of them, Kisaragi appeared to be the most suited to the task of handling of their captive. Physical exertions hardly seemed to be Aoki's specialty, and any 'restraint' that she herself might engage in could only consist of bright flames and burning flesh. Hardly the most subtle of things. And so she chose to leave the job to her.