[SS] Easy Money (Side B)

How had it come to this?

Just a moment Kamijou Touko had been running like crazy from that maid and now she was seated on the back of her bike, clinging to her in a way that could only be described as hugging. She had grown from threat to saviour, a perfectly round 180° turn.

Wasn’t that a little to perfect? Sparing the cat in her arm a short look, as if asking for their advise, the girl would still have their head pressed against the other’s back. Meanwhile the bike was soaring through the city like a whirlwind.

«Why did you save me, uh, us? Weren’t you after the cat yourself just a moment ago?»

Kamijou couldn’t avoid voicing her concerns over that whole scenario. It couldn’t be helped after all, was this a rather pressing manner and as long as she didn’t have any answers, how could she come to fully trust her saviour? This could very well be a plot to actually corner her once and for all. It didn’t seem like she had any means of running away right now, for example, basically making this a check mate situation.

Still, for some reason she didn’t believe in her doubts all that much. For some reason she actually felt no hostility or malice from her apparent saviour.

«And where are you taking us? Hasn’t everyone started going berserker for some reason? Or do you know of some safe area?!»

On that hot summer day, riding that bicycle at top speed was enough to allow a nice breeze to flow around her. For the maid who had been running and riding this whole time without rest, it was nice to have that constant flow of air around her. If it were not for the fact that she was pedaling to escape she would actually have tried to enjoy the feeling of the breeze as she soared through the city streets.

«Why did you save me, uh, us? Weren’t you after the cat yourself just a moment ago? And where are you taking us? Hasn’t everyone started going berserker for some reason? Or do you know of some safe area?!»

The spiky-haired girl spoke a flurry of understandable questions. But, there was one main issue that poked itself out. It seemed the girl had no idea of the significance of the cat.

“I’m still after the cat, make no mistake about it. Milady requested that I capture the cat, so I am not dropping that order under any circumstances. I can’t fulfill milady’s orders if the cat is hurt before I can get to it. Oh, and allow me to reassure you, I’m not just helping you out because you have the cat. I don’t want to see someone innocent like you injured because of a berserk mob.” Regardless of the situation, the young maid held fast to her guiding principles as part of the profession she aspired towards. “But…you really don’t know why everyone is chasing after the cat…?”

It was surprising considering how widespread the announcement of the cat’s big reward was, but in the end, it was not like a TV announcement would reach everywhere. She gave a deep exhale before starting to answer. “A rich executive has offered a 120 million yen reward for the capture and return of his cat to his possession. As you can probably guess from that, the cat in your arm is the missing cat. As for escaping, the best thing to do right now…”

Maria paused to think. Was there even anywhere to run to? Anywhere they could enter could just as easily be easily invaded. “Wait…how about the School Garden? Or the Ryouran Student Dormitories?”

«I see. So that’s what’s going on.»

Saiai noticed that she shown some interest in the conversation. As someone who's known Mugino for years now, she certainly wasn't interested in it as much as others. She had the spare time, that spare time could be used to reek a reward. A reward that can be more easily taken then it would be on the usual missions they are hired to take on.

«Anything else about it?»

Saiai took a minute to think. "It's safe to say that the cat is being super hunted by many others in the city. Though it is unlikely any of them will capture it due to it's super agile nature. The animal is easily startled. Though one person managed to grab it earlier." She commented as she would look around before pulling out her tablet. She would try to open up her public transportation app that gives you the location and path of all the buses in academy city. It is very helpful for time management. She didn't get the exact number of the bus, but she can probably look at their history to see which one stopped on this street recently.

"Ah...this might be the bus. Chances are the person carrying it got off. But to be super honest, it is likely the cat might be killed. People trying to capture it have been...more than polite in trying to retrieve it. It won't be super easy, especially when our powers aren't allowed to be used outside of work." Saiai explained, trying to think of what other information could lead them too the cat. There was the maid chasing after it, but there was little way to track her with out some sort of contact information on her. The girl running with it was pretty much a nobody as well.

"...I wouldn't say the same about Frenda..." She mutters that last part with a grain of salt. "So what is our super course of action?" She tilted her head to Mugino, wanting her opinion on the situation obviously.

The shocking truth was finally revealed.

That absurd truth that had lead everyone in Academy City to turn into brainless zombies, chasing after the cat without any care for common sense, it had finally reached the only remaining ally of that small animal and it had truly forced said ally into silence.

Nowhere in the imagination of an ordinary high school girl was there ever place for such news. It sounded like something that could happen in cheap movies, anime or a video game, but real life? It wasn't the fact that someone actually placed such a sum on an animal’s head that made this whole thing so absurd. The truly shocking thing was this luck.

Kamijou Touko had always been accompanied by misfortune, day in and day out. Even today all opportunities for her to have proper lunch were cruelly removed from her fingers just when she had finally been able to reach out towards it. Right afterwards she had ended up being chased through all of the city, eyed by merciless carnivores and probably escaped another hospital bill only by a hair’s breadth.
And now she had somehow, without any effort at all, gotten her hands on the greatest possible jackpot?

Silence.

The cat’s small, button like eyes were seeking Kamijou’s. It was as if it was seeking an already lost hope. Likely that small one had already understood the change that had occurred all of a sudden, clinging to the final straw, fearing the loss of even its last remaining friend.

And then finally, that girl’s eyes would reveal the result.

«Don’t worry. I already settled on keeping you safe, haven’t I?»

That was all there was to say. Maybe luck had come over her for the first time in a life filled with suffering, maybe she could now clear all her financial worries, maybe she had finally gotten the opportunity to change her life all over, maybe all of that was fact. But she was unfortunate enough to have already made up her mind before being informed about all that. Now nothing of that mattered anymore. What a weird kind of misfortune.

Turning to the maid, who was still pushing forward their escape at bullet train like speeds, Kamijou would finally pick up on the conversation she had drifted away from.

«School Garden? Ryouran? No, those wouldn’t be safe enough. Even if we make it there, we can’t allow for little furball to go through even more of this. We can’t even say if the situation over there is actually any different!»

With everything she had gone through, Kamijou Touko just couldn’t allow for her decisions to be driven by naivety. Nothing as simple as running to an obvious safe area could actually work out without any problems attached, that she was 100% sure about.

Then again, what other options were there?

«You know the place where we can hand in the cat? Bring us there!! No matter how troublesome the pursuers have become, nobody would actually be dumb enough to pull anything strange right in front of the guy with the money!»

Everything would come down to something as simple as that. The only means of saving the cat was returning it to their home. Once it would arrive there this insanity would come to an end and with that every reason for this giant ruckus that had likely spread all over the city already. Wouldn’t this day ending peacefully make the perfect end?

However in order for this plan to actually work out another condition was necessary to be fulfilled.

«Don’t worry. Just get your ‹Milady› to go there as well. If she wants the money or whatever, she can have it, I just want to save my little friend here.»

All the wile she had been baring an amused smile on her face. What a weird kind of misfortune this was indeed!

«Don’t worry. I already settled on keeping you safe, haven’t I?»

Maria could not help but find herself cracking a smile at the sound of Touko's reassurance towards the cat. Perhaps it was the fact that what she had heard was within expectations. After all, any normal human would have probably just cut the dead weight that the cat was and ran. Touko was definitely fully aware of the fact that the mob had been chasing after the cat, after all. She was merely the collateral damage.

«School Garden? Ryouran? No, those wouldn’t be safe enough. Even if we make it there, we can’t allow for little furball to go through even more of this. We can’t even say if the situation over there is actually any different!»

That was, unfortunately, a fair point. Even if the chaos had not spread to the places that she had mentioned, they would undeniably be forced into a mental battle of attrition. The mob would find some way to spread itself across the exits and the chase would only be delayed. They would inevitably have to plow through and escape from the mob once again.

In that case, what options were there?

«You know the place where we can hand in the cat? Bring us there!! No matter how troublesome the pursuers have become, nobody would actually be dumb enough to pull anything strange right in front of the guy with the money!»

It was a simple and clean solution that should lead to the end of all the chaos. Of course, that was assuming that the people in the mob had not lost all sense of reason. Greed was such a dangerous corrupting factor, after all. Still, it was the best option available for them and while it was still risky and hinged on an assumption, success would lead to the best possible outcome.

«Don’t worry. Just get your ‹Milady› to go there as well. If she wants the money or whatever, she can have it, I just want to save my little friend here.»

Unaware of Touko's own smile, she let her smile grow as she saw a light at the end of the tunnel for this entire incident. She would successfully fulfill the orders of her mistress and finally be able to get some rest if all went well.

“I like the way you think. In that case, hold on and watch your tongue, I’m going to make a turn right abouuuuut~”

As she continued to pedal, she paid attention to her the street numbers until “Here!” With that, she deftly made a sharp turn with the bike.

As soon as she was certain that she was heading in the right direction, she immediately let her left hand off the handle and picked up her mistress’s…what was her name?

Maria tilted her head only to realize that they had never exchanged names. What a faux pas that was. She was definitely not gonna be able to live that one down for a while.

She picked up her mistress’s phone and opened it up. Luckily, it was unlocked, so she promptly dialed her own number and after the first dial tone, she was immediately connected. Before her mistress could even speak, she immediately blurted it out.

“Ojou-sama! Hurry to the Dianoid’s entrance. I’ll meet you there with the cat in a few minutes!”

Mugino would listen carefully while the two of them proceeded further through the city’s streets. Wearing a bored expression while playing with a strand of her hair, her thoughts on everything said were bland obvious. It wasn't that she just was a girl that stood above for whatever unwritten law society held in stock; at least not by the standard definition. In fact, though, to someone living in the same world as her that chase for a stray cat was hardly anything special, no matter how far it made people go.

However, even for something of that easy a difficulty level, she still spared a certain amount of mental work, drawing the blueprint for something close to a plan.

«Chasing a bus or any other sort of vehicle wouldn’t be effective. The same goes for attempting any other chase after a run-away. With the whole city against them, keeping a distance actually sounds a tad impressive. They must at least be somewhat skilled.»

Speaking in a calm yet bored manner, Mugino Shizuri did something she would only rarely do: She committed the act of praising another person’s ability. Whenever she’d do that it was a honest sign of respect, something rather rare for the likes of her. Clicking her tongue in annoyance when trying to further her thinking, she finally made up her mind on what the best course of action would be.

«We’re heading for the Dianoid. I guess that’d be the place where they’d have to hand in the cat, right? So we’re simply gonna wait for them there. If it’s really the same person you’ve been describing then they will already have wasted most of their stamina, making them a rather easy target; especially since we’re still quite fit.»

A plan didn’t have to involve some over complicated thinking. The best ones would be straight to the point, without any over exaggerated tactics actually making one lose trace of the original intention. Especially with a situation from the ordinary world there would hardly be any need for anything beyond, was the difficulty level not even comparable to their usual standards.

Still Mugino ended up stretching one of her locks.

«Who ever said that we’ve got to hold back anything, Kinuhata?»

Breaking her bored demeanour, a deep voice indicated a different world of malice.

Common sense and the city’s laws may have been the rules they were forced to follow outside of their work, but what did any of that ever matter to Mugino? There was but one characteristic that made her stand out among the masses, one characteristic that would ensure instantaneous victory on any battlefield, so why not use it if you held it?

That was her basic philosophy in life. That was how bad the #4 was at holding back.

She’d even use it to squash a fly if she felt like it.

Saiai listened to Mugino's advice carefully, not so much bothered by it. She was correct that using a vehicle would get them no where in terms of trying to find a bust. Even then they'd be looking blindly for the maid and the spikey haired girl. Should they find her would she still have the cat?

Most likely not.

«We’re heading for the Dianoid. I guess that’d be the place where they’d have to hand in the cat, right? So we’re simply gonna wait for them there. If it’s really the same person you’ve been describing then they will already have wasted most of their stamina, making them a rather easy target; especially since we’re still quite fit.»

Saiai nodded, agreeing with her plan thus far. Anyone racing for that cat and bringing them to the Dianoid would be signifigantly exhausted. Even if it's only to half of their stamina. Saiai could easily subdue them, and could chase the cat should it try to escape again. Mugino wouldn't be able to. She was a tank in Saiai's mind. Slow. Petite. Destructive. Though her power was definit-

«Who ever said that we’ve got to hold back anything, Kinuhata?»

There it was, the red flag that Kinuhata knew very well never spelt good news. It was one thing for her to use her power unrestricted in a mission, but it was different in terms of civilians.

"Mugino, as much as a super agree that we should use what we can to capture the target. I must advise against using your power on Civilians. My power is super subtle at the very least. Yours however is much more blatant." She would try to act as the voice of reason for once. Mugino would face little consequence from using her power, but with these circumstances, she may not get off scott free, or will probably kill the target in the process.

Himegami Aisa was listening to the interactions of the young girl who had spoken to her earlier and someone who seemed to be their friend or acquaintance, having apparently been completely forgotten. After the former girl had declared her intent to steal the spotlight she had been chasing after, and she had accepted it, no further conversation took place. And when the acquaintance appeared, she had completely failed to notice Himegami's very existence. That is to say, it was just the usual. All in all, it appeared that her role in the cat chase had ended. There was nothing left for her to do but go home and continue to wait for summer break to end.

Or so she had begun thinking before the ringing of a phone distracted her, banishing those sorts of idle thoughts. After removing her phone from her pocket, she was momentarily confused by the fact that its make and model had seemingly changed when she wasn't looking. But when she saw her own name on the caller ID, she answered immediately. Her phone's disappearance was a mystery, but in all likelihood it could be solved easily enough by just answering the call.

“Ojou-sama! Hurry to the Dianoid’s entrance. I’ll meet you there with the cat in a few minutes!”

Mystery solved. The culprit was the flashy maid from earlier. She must have swapped their phones in the panic earlier. Detective Himegami Aisa had solved yet another case. Applause.

It was true that they could easily communicate without having to exchange their contact information this way, as doing such a thing was impossible in that chaos earlier, but now she was quite troubled. She'd already given up on the cat, but she couldn't just leave her phone in the hands of such a suspicious-looking maid, regardless of what school she claimed to attend. But on the other hand, Himegami would have to go out of her way to stop by the Dianoid before going home, and though it wasn't as bad now that she was wearing something lighter, the heat still wasn't pleasant. In the end, though, it simply couldn't be helped. A mobile phone just wasn't something a student accustomed to the advanced technology of Academy City could live without. So she would have to endure just a little while longer, just until she could retrieve it.

"Understood. I'm on my way."

And then she hung up. There wasn't anything else left to say, and it was dangerous to walk while on the phone, so hanging up was the obvious course of action. The thought that doing so without a word of farewell might be considered rude was a consideration that she failed to make.

Looking up, it didn't seem like Kinuhata and Mugino, whose names she had learned by listening to their conversation, had gone too far, so she began following them. They had bluntly declared to anyone nearby who had been listening, such as herself, that they were going to the Dianoid, so there was no problem with her current course of action. Their destination was the same, so their path would be the same as well. It was only natural.  And if she just followed in their footsteps she wouldn't have to think about navigation at all.

And it's definitely not like staring at their backs and following them step by step across the city was suspicious or anything. Who would possibly think such a thing?

17:59 PM
District 15
In front of the Dianoid

The Dianoid was a gigantic building sticking out among all the others. Reaching 70 stories high into the sky, it’s hexagonal shape wouldn't escape anyone’s attention. It’s colour, even though it was apparently made entirely of diamond was ever changing through the usage of lighting, making it work as a piece of optical art, further increasing it’s eye catching trait. It was truly a beautiful sight, high class and thus strongly inviting, yet only for those that actually held money. For anyone else it was just the distant dream of a world they were never able to enter, simply for the fact that if they found something to purchase its price would be too high to ever truly end up in their hands.

Kamijou Touko, Kumokawa Maria, that was that flashy maid’s name who had still been her enemy just a couple of minutes ago, and of course the little cat, that had become the center of everyone’s attention on this chaotic day, had arrived at the plaza in front of the eastern entrance to the diamond tower. As their bike steadily decelerated, at least Touko was captivated by the shopping temple’s all mighty presence.

«So this is the Dianoid. I’ve never seen it from up close…»

She would mumble to herself in shame over the fact that she was just some poor commoner who had to go by with only reduced convenience store items.

However, before she could fall into depression over her own lack of standing in society, a grim memory came to mind again, forcing her too look down towards the cat currently hidden underneath the top of her plain sailor uniform.

«You’re gonna be home soon!»

Her smile was true to her believe, then again she was still questioning whether everything would actually work out or not. They hadn’t had the time to go through deeper preparation, since they had been on the bike all this time. If there was no time to acquire new means like disguises or a proper layout of the terrain of the final battle, you held a disadvantage, no matter how smart you’d play out your strategy. Unfortunately even said strategy was bit too optimistic. In the end it was lacking weight.

However, that was just how things were.

Kamijou Touko at least had made sure to assemble what she had in the right way. She had made friends with an enemy, thus acquiring two allies needed to stand through things with her. While she may have gone a little too far by allowing them to take all of the reward, due to only caring for her little friend’s safety, she had still done those things because she had believed in them…back then.

«Uuuh…say…would it be fine…if you…actually shared a tiny tiny tiny tiny bit of the reward with good old Kamijou-san…now that we’re friends and stuff…? I do need to have lunch at some point, you see.»

As they approached the entrance still on the bike, only a bit slowly, Touko dared to make a shy attempt at at least get something out of this; strongly underlined by a growl of her stomach that seemingly was fed up with holding back all that time!

As Maria made it to the east entrance of the Dianoid, she began to decelerate. Once again, she returned to the tall, gaudy hexagonal structure. Once again, it was because of some form of work, though it was purely self-imposed this time.

«So this is the Dianoid. I’ve never seen it from up close…»

She heard her temporary partner-in-crime muttering under her breath from the sight of the building up close. Maria could not help but chuckle at the sound of Touko's reaction. She had long since already had her own first reaction to the magnitude of the building, but watching it from outside was always an interesting experience.

«You’re gonna be home soon!»

She watched Kamijou talking to the furry companion hidden beneath her top. As much as Maria wanted to drop a tsukkomi on the odd image she was seeing, now was not the proper time for that. The more they drew attention to themselves, the more that people might try and chase after them. After all, being a flashy maid and a girl with something relatively large hidden under her clothes were already large enough risk factors for the two of them.

“Now, all that’s left is to wait for ojou-sama to show up.” She said, taking out and looking at Himegami’s phone. Himegami had given zero objections to arriving in her vague time stamp of ‘few minutes’ so that meant she was still close.

But, things would start to get hairier and hairier with each passing minute. Regardless of how simple the plan was, there were far too many points where things could go wrong and there were a plethora of risk factors that were plaguing the situation. But, the plan was currently in progress so all she could do was wait until Himegami showed up.

So, as she was slowing down, Touko spoke up.

«Uuuh…say…would it be fine…if you…actually shared a tiny tiny tiny tiny bit of the reward with good old Kamijou-san…now that we’re friends and stuff…? I do need to have lunch at some point, you see.»

As she finally ground to a halt, she heard the magical sound of Touko’s growling stomach. As she thought back to where she had run out of, it made sense that she likely had not gotten the chance to eat.

“Well, I’m not going to really be taking any of the money, heh.” She gave a quick laugh. “Still, I’m sure milady would be willing to share some of the reward with you and should worst come to worst, I’ll be happy to treat you.”

It was rare that she got the chance to interact with someone from her sister’s school, so Maria was definitely not going to let the chance slide.

«Well, I’m not going to really be taking any of the money, heh. Still, I’m sure milady would be willing to share some of the reward with you and should worst come to worst, I’ll be happy to treat you.»

«Some of the reward…ehehe…»

Something about Kamijou changed as her imagination ran wild, spinning things together that may have come astray of the true meaning behind those words or her true intentions. But that was the outlook of wealth for you. The plague that was greed, had she…?

«Argh! Such misfortune! Stop Stop! Stooop!»

All of a sudden Kamijou Touko’s voice was twisted by pain, as her body would cringe in rather comedic ways, trying to fight off the attacker striking from within the borderlines that were her clothes, hopelessly. Striking from within using its rather sharp claws the fluffy little companion proved to be quite a skilled guerrilla themselves. While it was still questionable if it actually could understand human language or not, it was at least clear as day that its danger instincts had been fine tuned by this terrible ordeal.

Unleashing even more sounds of suffering, the spiky haired girl shook the bike enough to nearly have both riders fall off.

«OK! OK! I get it! Kamijou-san will not stray onto the path of sin! Kamijou-san will stay a pure saint, yes yes? OK?»

Desperately attempting to calm the feline that had obviously become the ruler over her body, she lowered herself until the cat was convinced, probably even beyond that. That little thing was quite mischievous in its own right, wasn’t it?

With everything back to normal, they had to set their eyes back on their original goal, which they basically had been pursuing all this time anyway: Waiting.

Taking a glance over the strangely rather empty plaza, Kamijou wondered about both, the whereabouts of the young miss they were supposed to meet up with and the overall lack of human presence.

«Isn’t the Dianiod a popular spot for both tourists and locals…?»

In fact the plazas in front of all four entrances to the Dianoid had been purged of life and presence. Originally it had been because of those infected by the corruption that was greed, however that had changed as well.

Now that those two had arrived, they would soon come to notice that among the low number of people present there was one certain girl, a young miss in her own way, clad in a lavender coloured designer dress, her long wavy and glossy hair glittering upon contact with the light of the evening sun. She was a strong presence that was for sure.

A presence that was drawing closer, with terrifyingly elegant steps.

«Good evening.»

Only when that girl that stood above everyone else stopped right in front of the odd couple, it was actually sure she had been addressing the two of them. An odd atmosphere and pressure had been her company.

Mugino Shizuri knew it all. She had taken up all information Kinuhata had been able to deliver, ranging from the possible directions those that held the cat would approach from, up to the outer appearance of the important players. With all that it had been quite easy to prepare for their arrival. The first step had been to get rid themselves of all those greedy zombies by making use of simple tactics, the army or police would use against riots in certain countries, then it had just needed some waiting. Fortunately there was no interference by Anti-Skill, which was likely due to the fact that said «zombies» had been bothering the officials and customers of the Dianoid enough to warrant their support, which took the shape of silence.

Anyway, everything had worked out perfectly well in the end. Having walked all the way up to the bunch of girls, the plan had already reached its final state.

«I take it you know why we are talking? If so, then there is no need to explain myself any more.»

Mugino’s way of wording had been a rather blunt and cocky one.

«So, just hand over the cat. Or I will have to kill you~»

That was as simple as it was.

That was all she felt she needed.

And it was 100% sure.

Zero chances of survival.

Maria could not help but find watching Touko’s own internal conflict about her own greed to be amusing. It was one thing for a maid like her to be in control of her greed, but Touko was just a normal girl. She neither had the chains of being an ojou nor the responsibility of a maid to bind.

Really. You should accept your more selfish thoughts a bit more. There’s nothing wrong with being a bit carried away by greed. Though, I guess you want to comfort the cat. Not sure how well that’ll work, though.

Maria gave off a light chuckle as the thought passed her head. While she let Touko continue speaking to the cat, Maria’s eyes scanned over the area. But, something was odd.

She could feel an odd atmosphere similar to a desert for one simple reason: emptiness. For a thriving commercial spot like the Dianoid, there was an uncharacteristic low density of people for this time of the day. It was nowhere near closing time for any of the stores so it made no sense for crowds of people to not be out and about.

«Isn’t the Dianiod a popular spot for both tourists and locals…?»

It seemed Touko echoed her thoughts. “It is…it’s not like this is an area with a low number of stores so why are there so few—“

Her words were interrupted by the sound of eerie, yet elegant footsteps.

«Good evening.»

Maria quickly turned to face the source of the voice and footsteps. What faced Maria and Touko down was a young woman in a lavender colored designer dress with wavy and glossy hair. At first glance, one could almost mistake her for a fashionista. But, there was something else about her that was far more crucial.

«I take it you know why we are talking? If so, then there is no need to explain myself any more.»

It was a sickening, odd pressure. It was bearing down on Maria so much that she felt a cold sweat running down her back. She instinctually clenched her fists and took a step back. The pressure on its own was one thing. But, the contrast between that pressure and the glamorous young woman before them added a new sense of eeriness.

«So, just hand over the cat. Or I will have to kill you~»

But, beyond this sickening nature or the eerie nature of the pressure, there was one thing that grabbed at Maria’s heart and dried Maria’s throat even further.

---

“Fine, then. I’ll kill you too. I’ve long since given up any qualms I have about taking lives.” The boy brandishing a knife muttered, slowly letting out hot breaths while he stared down the black-haired teacher.

In contrast to the confused despair and crazed focus in the boy’s eyes, the teacher’s eyes seemed to lose all emotion. The teacher who had been gritting his teeth and clutching at the shovel in his hand just moments ago had lost all sense of panic or worry. He simply moved forward with the shovel in his hand.

The knife-wielding boy, almost in a panic, ran forward, thrusting the knife towards the teacher.

And…

“SENSEI!”

The deafening sounds of primitive violence echoed from violence that was far from primitive.

---

It’s the same type…as that man. Her memories flashed back to the knife-wielding assailant who had been killed by her sensei. And the same type as…sensei’s…

Her knees were starting to shake as her mind seemed to unconsciously focus on those few short minutes when she had encountered that man. Her eyes seemed to play tricks on her as that man’s visage started to meld in with the woman’s.

There was no way they could keep this encounter going any longer. After all, those who emitted that pressure had no qualms killing whether they got what they wanted or not. She simply had one option.

DAMMIT!

She grabbed at one of Touko’s hands. “Kamijou-senpai, we’re running! NOW!”

Without even waiting for her response, she immediately pulled Touko towards the Dianoid entrance with her. After all, the insides of that building would definitely be much safer than out here with her.

A cold sweat ran down Kamijou’s back. A powerful, yet terrifying sensation was creeping up to her from all sides. She was all too familiar with it. It hadn’t been long since her last encounter. The memory was still fresh. The scene of that building, died in the red of the evening, just like right now.

Killing intent.

For a moment her eyes were truly glued on the threat that had suddenly appeared right in front of them; she was frozen in face of that danger. Even if they’d appear completely normal in the eyes of any bystander, that girl’s pressure was for real. Kamijou could tell, the cat in her arms could tell. It invaded their minds, conquered their bodies, destroyed their inner peace. Her stare intensified, she gritted her teeth. She was agitated, panicking, lost.

«Kamijou-senpai, we’re running! NOW!»

It was the sudden pull from Maria that broke the pointy haired girl free from that utterly helpless state. As the maid was making a quick dash she had given up on the perspective of using the bike any longer, simply jumping off and pulling Kamijou plus cat along. Once she had adjusted her legs, Kamijou began sprinting as well, lessening the burden on her comrade.

Kamijou only took a glance backwards. The girl clad in a lavender designer dress, with perfectly soft skin and glossy hair looked far from a dangerous street brawler that’d solely rely on their physical strength and combat experience to overpower the weak, neither did they carry anything like a machen gun, an anti-tank canon or a handheld surface to air missile launcher - things that actually could be expected to fall into the hands of simple individuals in this city - , so this had to mean she likely held the most obvious category of Academy City threats: An Esper ability, likely a powerful, lethal one.

This was bad news, yet good ones as well.

If the enemy truly was the kind to grow cocky over whatever strong ability the Power Curriculum had granted them, the seemingly inferior defenders of that little feline actually held an unforeseen trump card.

«You lead us, I’ll take care of our backs!»

Still focussing more on the back while allowing herself to be guided by Kumokawa Maria’s pull, Kamijou Touko was bracing herself for her time to shine. Shape, power and output of the enemy’s ability still remained a mystery; however whatever would happen, as long as she’d hold her final shield at the ready, Kamijou felt that she was able to somehow deal with it. After all that was the only thing her Level 0 ability was good for.

That right hand that could destroy all miracles, Imagine Breaker.

Saiai just stared between Mugino and the people who had come with the cat. Unfortunate...however at least that other girl is not here. She couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic toward the two girls. They just wanted to grab the cat and take it to the owner for a nice bit of money. It's hard living in this city after all, and some people need to take what they can get. So when the spiky haired girl showed up, along with the maid, she couldn't help but feel bad knowing Mugino was now involved, and they had no chance of success at this point.

She certainly wasn't going to go against Mugino, even if she was out of line. How could she say no? She was her idol. The person who led ITEM. She was a person who would always get what they wanted. If they couldn't, they would make it happen. Though, even Saiai could've thought of some more...peaceful solutions at this given time, to make things not only safe, but have less complications.

«Kamijou-senpai, we’re running! NOW!»

And soon, both girls were suddenly sprinting away at full speed. Did one of them recognize Mugino for being a level 5? Unlikely, but with the look in her eyes and the presence she gave off, anyone would think she was capable of killing random bystanders. Saiai was rather taken off guard on how quickly they acted though, but wasn't too phased about it.

"Couldn't we have super asked them first, before going straight to the threats, Mugino..?" Saiai said in a slight lazy tone, as because of the threat, they were both sprinting into the Dianoid, which is a rather unpleasant scenario, especially with Mugino's destructive capabilities. Though before long, Saiai had begun sprinting at rapid speeds. "I will pursue at a different angle." Saiai was going to take the longer route, specifically another entrance. It was better than chasing them from one direction when they can trap them entirely.

As she followed the two girls, a cold pressure slowly sank deep into Himegami’s gut.

It felt familiar. She had felt a pressure very similar to this several times in the past. She was not going to say something like she couldn’t remember where; the memories came readily. Some were clearly of the same kind as this one, though they differed in weight or temperature. And others were clearly different. Though similar enough that they would remind her of the other, they differed on a fundamental level.

What came to her mind was a warm sensation on the nape of her neck. An image of men, praying. An image of a hand, reaching out to her. And a vivid memory of that same hand being utterly crushed by many others, and distorted beyond recognition.

As she followed Mugino and Kinuhata, she felt grateful for her lack of presence for the first time in a long while. Without it, what she was doing now would have been impossible. She wasn’t sure what specifically the two of them intended to do, but they had made their intentions quite clear.

«Who ever said that we’ve got to hold back anything, Kinuhata?»

That one sentence had stood among the others. She doubted that there was even a hint of insincerity in it. Whatever that woman did, Himegami was certain. Left on her own, blood would be spilled. Just like all the other times she’d felt pressures like hers. So she wouldn’t leave her on her own; she’d follow and interfere.

Their destinations were the same. That was why it was okay for her to follow them. They were both going to meet the yellow maid, who had only entered the chase for the cat because of her in the first place. It was her fault that the maid was going to involved in this. She would not let things end like they had in that tower. This time, she would act.

---

«So, just hand over the cat. Or I will have to kill you~»

“Kamijou-senpai, we’re running! NOW!”

Things had flowed exactly as she had predicted. Not with a mere threat, but a promise to enact violence. And they, merely being normal people, had no choice to flee before the force of that violence. But the girl’s—Mugino’s—pressure was abnormal. Simply fleeing would not allow them to escape. And not to mention…

"Couldn't we have super asked them first, before going straight to the threats, Mugino..? I will pursue at a different angle."

The young girl she had spoken to so carelessly earlier was standing carefreely, and conversing with the one had just declared her to intent to commit murder as if it were normal. Before, she had felt nothing particularly strange about her. Just that she may have a been bit more mature than was usual for her age. But seeing this now, those small observations took on a new light, and she marveled at how many more like her must be hiding in plain sight.

Himegami watched Kinuhata run off, doubtless to interrupt the maid's flight. Running would not work, and she doubted those two could win in a fight. Even if one of them happened to be a high-level esper or a world famous martial artist, light things such as that could only go so far against something as heavy as a genuine intent to kill.

But she did not attempt to stop Kinuhata or chase after the maid and the spiky-haired girl who was with her. It was already impossible for her to catch up, and the place she needed to be now was not there. Bracing herself, she took a breath and then spoke.

“You don’t need to go after them.”

She revealed her presence to the monster without hesitation, She had to speak up before she joined the hunt. If she did that, then the situation would truly become hopeless.

“I’m an acquaintance of that maid. If you use me as a hostage, you can lure her back here.”

Winning against Mugino had never been Himegami’s intent. To begin with, such a feat was obviously outside of her capabilities. She could not maneuver others like pieces on a chessboard, and she held no direct battle power either. However, if she used herself as a piece, then things were different.

The two had fled because of Mugino’s pressure. Their instincts must have granted the standard choice between fighting and fleeing, and the maid had chosen the latter. But that only served as a provocation. She would simply hunt them down and kill them, just as she had promised. Both choices led to dead ends.

So she would change the game. It would not be a hunt, but a hostage exchange. Her for the cat. Their side would lose, and Mugino would win. It was undeniably a surrender. But there was no reason to fight in the first place, nothing to gain. So she wouldn’t. Using her life as collateral, she'd open a path to a different result.

Mugino Shizuri remained unfazed as her prey followed the most natural path. They ran, desperately clinging onto the safety they hoped to gain from escape. They ran towards the building, likely in hope of finding a way to rid themselves off the cat, putting an end to this whole crisis. Or maybe it was just their natural urge to seek cover and safety.

«Couldn’t we have super asked them first, before going straight to the threats, Mugino..?»

Shrugging Kinuhata’s comment off like any other, she didn’t even watch her leave. Those things did not matter to her personally, was everything scripted perfectly well. She had foreseen the eventuality of her prey fleeing. Actually she had even hoped for it to turn out this way, as only that solution was the most entertaining. Who’d enjoy the normal end anyway?

However just as she was about to set forward to join in on the hunting game, someone spoke up; an event forcing Mugino to click her tongue in annoyance.

«You don’t need to go after them. I’m an acquaintance of that maid. If you use me as a hostage, you can lure her back here.»

Turning towards the voice’s source, Mugino’s eyes met with those of the black haired girl that’d look quite good in a miko’s attire. Again she clicked her tongue.

«You’re wasting my time.»

Her words were clear as day. The short interruption that girl’s heroic act had created had likely taken another few precious seconds. Yes, it was only seconds, but even those could matter a lot in a chasing scenario. If one imagined how many steps a fleeing person could take in such a short time span, the amount of corners they could turn or even the chances they were given to think, due to the pressure letting off, it’d become clear how great the impact of a few wasted seconds would turn out on the scales.

She accepted it, though, did she not take any further move, allowing the proposal the mercy of consideration.

«I have a better idea. You are already well within my range. I could kill you any moment if I felt like it. Your life belongs to me. And guess what? You’ll tag along with me when I go after them. That way we can lure in that scum quite easily and then I will just kill all of you in a single swipe. How does that sound?»

Again she had used the word «kill» just casually. She wasn’t trembling, she wasn’t oozing with insanity, she wasn’t excited, she wasn’t scared. She was just flinging around the intention of creating a massacre as if it was nothing more exciting than a short walk to the convenience store.

Despite the killing intent Maria had felt from Mugino, there was no hint that she was even giving chase. Touko had said to leave watching their backs to her, but there was no sign of any need. Maria was unable to even detect the subtle ever approaching feeling of someone chasing her.

Was that woman planning to lure them into a trap? Was she planning to enjoy the thrill of the hunt by giving a few minutes of head start? She had no way of figuring out what this woman was capable of or what she even wanted. Would Anti-Skill be able to help them in this situation when nothing had really even happened?

There was also the question of what happened to…

I still don’t know her name…What a blunder…

Well, as long as the girl she designated as her ojou-sama did not encounter those two, she would be fine. Maria worried if she would be able to detect or understand the killer intent radiating from that woman and keep her distance, but for now, she probably would not interact with strangers and would focus on the rendezvous. So, she should be safe.

As Maria kept running, pulling Touko behind her, she looked at the top that was hiding the wanted cat.

No, we know her end goal. She wants the cat. That just means we have to work our escape around that goal.

So, what were the possible options? They could go find the drop-off location for the cat or go into hiding. They had long since forsaken the idea of biding their time by coming to this structure. So, the only option they had left was to make a mad dash for the finish line.

Even if the move would be predictable, it was a certain path to victory. With that in mind, she took Touko with her to a set of elevators which would lead to the upper levels. They just needed to find the cat’s owner in whatever office or apartment he used as storage space there. “Alright. Let’s go for broke here.”

In the end, Imagine Breaker hadn’t been needed.

They had kept running for quite a while, however there had been no events whatsoever. Kamijou couldn’t shake off the urge to check behind their backs, even if there was not a thing in sight. She felt awkwardly useless in doing so, only becoming a weight for the yellow-black maid’s pull.

Was this all there was to this?

She could feel a warm sensation on her belly as the cat somehow clung to her underneath the shirt she had at least tucked into her skirt to prevent her little friend from falling out. It was a sensation of safety, yet again a catalyst for the terror. She was trembling. Wasn’t this a peaceful outcome? So why did she feel this insecure? Why was there the illusion of danger welling up around every corner?

She didn’t even dare to consider.

They were running with all their might, trying to make an escape.

«The elevator? Isn’t that a bit too risky? We can’t move while we’re inside! Shouldn’t we take stairs or something? Then again we would only end up exhausting ourselves more than necessary…dammit…»

She was obviously caught in a state of panic. Thoughts were conflicting on the inside. Security and insecurity. Uncertainty. They were running from something they did not see, yet they couldn’t say they broke free. In fact, Kamijou could tell that this wasn’t the end. That pressure had not left them. It was weighing down on her continuously full force. Her lungs were giving in. Her body was. What were they even running from? Would they wear themselves down pointlessly before the calamity would even arrive?

Taking a deep breath Kamijou finally faced the maid again the moment they had entered the cabin.

«I want you to take the cat.»

The instance the doors shut, the pointy haired girl had already passed the fluffy little being into the maid’s hands with care.

«Bring it to your ojou. I’ll take care of the rest. I can’t risk to endanger it or you. We can’t say what that girl can do or what she is up to, but I might be able to do something about it. You just take care of the rest, OK?»

Even though she was out of breath, with her whole body covered in signs of fear, her eyes bore the flame of determination. She couldn’t do much, that was something the both of them knew, but that was alright since it was the same for everyone when facing the unknown.

«You’re wasting my time.»

It was a failure. That was made immediately apparent to her. Mugino had immediately rebutted her proposal, her clicking of the tongue a clear indication of her lack of interest in it. However, even though her initial plan had failed, it did not mean she been driven to a wall just yet.

«I have a better idea. You are already well within my range. I could kill you any moment if I felt like it. Your life belongs to me. And guess what? You’ll tag along with me when I go after them. That way we can lure in that scum quite easily and then I will just kill all of you in a single swipe. How does that sound?»

'Your life belongs to me.' That was slightly wrong. Himegami's life was still in her hands, and it was still her sole bargaining chip. Normally, a death threat like that would put someone into checkmate. Faced with the fear of death, they would run out of options to play, and have no choice but to comply with Mugino's demands. They would lose the ability to manipulate the sole piece they had to play. No matter what they did, they would lose. However, that was contingent on the other party seeing death as a condition of defeat.

Mugino had misread things. Himegami was playing by different rules. She had already resolved to use her own life to ensure the survival of that maid who she had inadvertently involved in this, no matter the cost. Her best option had already been wiped away, but more still remained. She could buy them time. The certainty of this method was far less than what she would have hoped for, considering that Mugino would still go after them in the end, and they would still have to deal with that other girl, Kinuhata, but it would grant them more hope than they had had before. It wasn't much, but it was the most she could hope for. If it was to obtain that, she didn't care if she died.

"I refuse. There is no reason for me to accept that proposal."

She would not cooperate and allow another person to die because of her. That, not death, was her lose condition.

And so she ignored the utter casualness with which Mugino spoke of murder. She ignored the pressure she still emitted. She ignored all the fear that would normally be felt here. She spoke as if none of those existed, like they were so inconsequential as to not even be noted. There was no sign of a desire to die within her; she was not suicidal. She simply did not look upon that eventuality as an undesirable outcome. And because of that, she was able to simply continue her 'negotiation', disregarding the near complete control that Mugino had over the situation.

«I refuse. There is no reason for me to accept that proposal.»

An annoyed sigh escaped Mugino’s lips.

She was displeased and she wouldn’t make a secret of that. There was no need for good manners or whatever other concept could be applied here anyway. It was a situation that was quite close to actual combat, a competition. She wanted to win; not for the money, not for the fame, not for anything, only for that simple pleasure. And yet, this was holding her off. At least it had been.

«Fine. Fiiiii~ne.»

There was an extraordinarily scary ring to her voice.

And then, she simply closed the distance in a single one or two steps, cruelly piercing through all invisible lines of defence a simple human being would wave, making it to point blank range in only a split second. Once there she would ready her fist, only to hammer her knee into the girl’s stomach first, full force, enough to make even a grown man sink to his knees. Following up the first blow was finally the strike of the fist, a simple one aimed straight for the side of the girl’s head, powerful, yet still simple. She’d immediately be knocked out, maybe carry away some unhealthy after effects, but who cared?

«Thank Kinuhata for your life.»

Muttering that sentence towards one who should no longer be capable of receiving it anyway, she would simply close another chapter of this day.

Admittedly the intentions behind Kinuhata’s request hadn’t fully been the reason behind this, yet there was still some credit she’d give her. The attention attracted by a high level Esper’s rampage would be something that’d grow too troublesome over the course of the events. Anti-Skill would come and if not them, someone else. While there were people to deal with it in the background, it still would turn dealing with said people into another troublesome mess. That wasn’t something you’d want on a day off.

If not for that, there was still the thought of the competition that clung to Mugino. The other players were so clearly inferior to her, the only means of at least drawing some excitement from it, was to tone down her own advantage.

After all, even when not relying on her ability, it was dead obvious that she was still clearly superior to those bathed in normalcy.

With the elevator door finally beginning to open up, Maria made her way in, not even responding to Touko’s own confusion and worries. She too had her doubts about taking the upward climbing tiny enclosure but now was not the time to validate those. The elevators were the quickest and best way to make it to the top. At the very least, running up 60-70 flights of stairs or trying to scale the building would be a terrible idea especially after Maria’s long chasing and biking episode. Her legs could only take so much more strenuous exercise before finally collapsing. She may have had her pride as a maid but she was still a middle school girl.

The pressure had not let up. However, there was no sign of them pursuing. Maria could only wonder what was going to happen now.

However, the next set of events already went out of anything she could have predicted.

«I want you to take the cat.»

The elevator doors shut behind Touko as she quickly faced and handed the cat off to Maria.

«Bring it to your ojou. I’ll take care of the rest. I can’t risk to endanger it or you. We can’t say what that girl can do or what she is up to, but I might be able to do something about it. You just take care of the rest, OK?»

She could almost feel her brain stopping its thought processes as she heard that.

“You can’t be serious. You felt that killer intent, right?” With the cat in one arm, she clenched her other fist, letting the force of her fingers digging into her palm oscillate wildly. “That’s not someone you should take on. Not to mention you’d be running two on one.”

She looked into Touko’s eyes. In contrast to her exhaustion, her eyes bore a sense of clarity and firmness. She was absolutely determined. However…

“I’m not letting you put yourself at risk right now. Splitting up would be disastrous. So, stay with me right now. I’m going to call milady and inform her about the switch in the rendezvous point.”

In reality, Maria was too afraid to face the possibility of those two alone. She was even more afraid of letting Touko go away and walk into something far more grisly because she had not stopped her.

But, she still needed to maintain as much of an air of calm as possible, even if it was falling apart. She unclenched her fist and picked up the Himegami’s phone which remained in her pocket and began to call her own number. Hopefully, the girl would pick up.

«Fine. Fiiiii~ne.»

Her refusal of Mugino's ultimatum had broken her composure. Nonchalance was replaced with irritation. This was no prize, no one could possibly call it an award. And as Himegami heard it, she remembered. How those people had entered uninvited, ignored everything which had been prepared ever so carefully, and destroyed the game board and player alike instead of moving even a single piece. She remembered seeing that violence.

She had no way of opposing it. No way of denying it. All she could do was use her own life as a flimsy shield. And even by going that far, all she managed was to buy a few seconds of time. When the fist came, she didn't even feel any fear. After all, what was crushing her was not the girl in front of her, but her own weakness. It was her own inability to change the course of events in a significant fashion that had led to this result.

She had done what she could. She had tried using the best method and failed, but had still managed to achieve something, however small. But that wasn't enough. One couldn't possibly be satisfied by so little. She had wanted to do more, she had wanted to help them more, she had wanted to banish that worst future she did not have the power to touch, like that man had. So what filled her heart as the impact to her gut bent her body was not trepidation, but regret. And just before the second blow struck her head and stole her consciousness away, one last thought came to her mind.

So I couldn't do it after all...

«You can’t be serious. You felt that killer intent, right?»

Kamijou remained silent, keeping hidden the expression on her face in the shadow cast by her lowered head.

«That’s not someone you should take on. Not to mention you’d be running two on one.»

For a moment the only reply she would give was her body’s shaking.

«I’m not letting you put yourself at risk right now. Splitting up would be disastrous. So, stay with me right now.»

She was clearly absorbing each and every word the girl in front of her spoke. The entire emotionality behind Kumokawa Maria’s talk was seeping into her, drenching her. Yet she remained fully silent, like a small child being scolded by their mother.

«I’m going to call milady and inform her about the switch in the rendezvous point.»

It was that moment, the action of the flashy maid pressing the keys on the phone, that minimum amount of distraction, that Kamijou Touko finally lifted her head, revealing a smile of sadness. The kind of sadness of one who perfectly well understood the wishes and emotions of another person, yet was forced to spit them right in the face without seeing any other choice.

«Sorry, but I can’t put the two of you on risk, either.»

The moment the doors of the elevator opened, Kamijou Touko was gone; sprinting straightly along the corridor of whatever level she’d find herself on.

«I’ll treat you to Kamijou-san’s unique flavoured special house cooking once all this is over and force you to forgive me through any and all means there are to be found in the art of Japanese food bribery! You’ll see!!»

She had already made up her mind, so there was hardly anything left to halt her. It may have been idiotic, it may have been unwise, but that was the type of person she was. Already looking forward to the scolding up ahead, she tried to suck everything up with the most stupid promise she could have possibly come up with. But she’d keep it, if it helped her to make up for her selfishness.

Now, onwards to the battle field.

Watching the simple result of her simple attack, Mugino actually felt satisfaction over the simplicity.

She recalled the faces of two mercenaries that had opposed her not too long ago, scratching a part of her cheek where there was thanks go Academy City technology no longer a visible trace of a burn mark. She wondered how things would have gone had she applied the same kind of simple action there as well. Would those men’s fates have turned out even crueler?

Then again, as she watched the girl lying before her, unconscious and still alive, the difference between her and them was clear. They stood in her way for their own sakes, actually clinging to the arrogance that made them assume they could overcome her, while said girl had only acted for the sake of others, knowing fully well that she stood no chance. So maybe, things were this cruel only in this exact situation? After all, only for that girl would the rejection of her selfless sacrifice be truly painful; that other scum would have simply laughed their asses off, going for it again and again, driven by their pointless self centred world views. In the end, though, hadn’t she given all of those three cold simplicity for all the speciality they had brought up?

An unfamiliar melody was what dragged Mugino out of her entrapment in thoughts.

She titled her head, seeking for the source, only to find it in the limp body.

Lowering herself, she used her hands to frisk that girl, until she’d finally made out the sound’s source.

Wearing a sadistic grin on her lips, she simply went ahead, pressing the button to accept the call while bringing the phone to her ear.

Undeniably she was curious, yet not in a way that’d stop her from storming straight through the door violently.

«Moshi Moshi~! It seems the partner you’ve been trying to reach is unavailable, so you’ve got to stick with me~even if you mind!»

There was no ability to predict the future or read another’s mind in her skill set, but she was quite good at making guesses. So she’d guess this time around as well and her guess was a fairly simple one, the one right on the mark.

So with a cheerful ring to her voice, she’d announce «check» to that girl’s friends, making sure that even the last bit of ambition in their hearts would gruesomely crumble.