[SS] Red Fairy

August 13, Northern District 9, in a park.

The night scene was a strange one: Street lights and some buildings were still lit, illuminating the streets and paths. Yet, there would be no one walking them. It made for an eerie nightscape created by the needs of the few and the rule known as curfew. This current scene was not located in such a place, but to get there, one would certainly have to walk through this.

Braving the streets of a ghost town would bring tonight's adventurers to one of the parks of the artistic District 9 of Academy City. Some of them were renovated bi-annually to display the architectural skills of the most outstanding students. Others were permanent, set as scenery to surrounding shops and as a place for the other kinds of artists. In these parks, lights were more scarce, leaving the only source the moon and the stars.

Tonight's adventurers were here in the parks searching for one existence: The urban legend of the Red Fairy. Thought to be a student or a hologram or perhaps some other existence altogether, it remains a consistent story that sightings of flickering, red-colored lights can be seen in one of these parks at night. It does not seem to be a regular occurrence, not was it always at the same park, but all sightings were located in the north. These were not just some sort of red LED going off; they resembled something more like... a fire. That obviously warranted investigation.

Little did the adventurers know that they would be lucky enough to meet the existence today.

9:18 P.M. Somewhere in District 9

Night time in Academy City. A sight to behold. The skyline was illuminated by bright colourful lights emitted by the many futuristic buildings harboured by the capital of science. The many colours mixing in with the dark space and the tiny little points that were the stars making up the sky. With all that enveloped by a peaceful silence that’d defy the usual hustle and bustle of the all too busy city streets, a truly beautiful scene to enjoy for all those that could appreciate such moments in time was born.

A price that was even worth to break one of those rules set up as a safety measure.

Wearing red shorts, a pair of white sneakers with red stripes and a black sweater jacket with hood over a simple t-shirt with standard print you’d find at any department store, a young boy was currently on his way through the tranquil city scene. The hood over his head, its shadow hiding his face. He was walking slowly, his body had been covered in sweat, he was exhausted. Just a moment ago he had been following his evening routine of taking runs around the city, even though it conflicted with something he actually held dear. But even for someone like him there were times where he needed to step past the line. At least he had an excuse with daytime being way too busy to follow the entirety of his schedule. And as long as he wouldn’t be caught, he could shrug it off, somehow, even if it pained him.

However that still did not explain how he came from District 7 to District 9.

There were of course reasons, but explaining those would place even him in an awkward position. To put it bluntly, he was a teenage boy as well. A kid so to say. One that at times could behave quite normally and thus feel attracted to things that left the category of the completely normal.

The Red Fairy.

While he was usually the type to ignore such tales entirely, this time it had actually reached him. It was said to be a mysterious being of beauty and elegance, as if straight out of a fairly tale. Dancing in the dim lights of a park in District 9 it was a sight many students held interest in, leading to eager pursuit. However that alone was only a tale he had come across plenty of times. And plenty of those times he hadn’t even cared, until a certain senpai at his work place had begun talking about it with a certain sparkle in their eyes.

That moment he hadn’t been able to help it. Maybe she had been wishing to witness its existence. Maybe he would score a point on her board by bringing her a photo or something like that. Maybe telling the tale of how he saw it would gain her attention. Maybe then she would fall for him. Maybe that or maybe not that. In the end, though, there had been more to him coming here than just that simple motif.

In the end, the hooded boy would step into a certain park somewhere in the north of District 9, because he felt attracted to that myth himself. Maybe he was just curious himself.

Maybe that was what was going on in Furuhashi Gou’s head, as he snuck carefully through the night scene, avoiding all main roads and even the sparsely spread street lights.

9:15 P.M. Somewhere in District 9

Oda was many things, but he was never good at waking up in the morning. The cause of this has varied from studying too much or helping others late into the evening. And tomorrow morning will be the same as like every morning; the boy is going to be rather grumpy when he wakes up and that is because once again he was out on a request.

A classmate was frightened of going out at this time of night and had requested from Oda help to obtain evidence about a local rumour.

The Red Fairy.

He was told about it for the first time then, never generally paying attention to such things he couldn't lie though his interest was peaked. But this wasn't about his curiosity; it would only be secondary to his request to obtain evidence, and that can be solved with a simple picture.

That was why right how he was carrying a high-definition camera in his hands, and while he was no photographer the one who made this request was a member of the art club. She wanted to capture the image of the Red Fairy, this untold beauty and then recreate it through a painting. This was an innocent request and while it involved roaming the streets at night for Oda such behaviour wasn't abnormal for him before joining Judgement. And he had learned from a long time ago how to travel through Academy City at night without attracting much attention.

His experience from travelling through the city without catching the attention of local gangs has only further increased thanks to his time in Judgement. But for now, he shouldn't be relying on that position in the organisation since he will be breaking the rules for being out here at night. Oda had decided to dress differently to not easily get recognised, and that started with leaving his Judgement sash at home while wearing a black hoody covering his head along with wearing blue jeans. He even put eye contacts in because he wouldn't be able to wear this dog mask with his glasses on right? So Oda was now wandering around as a hooded individual with a dog face, though you wouldn't be able to see the mask unless you was up close to him.

This shouldn't take long Oda had thought, sure he was breaking curfew, but all he need to do is capture a picture of the 'Red Fairy' at the right location and head home.

Simple, right?

9:17 P.M. Somewhere in District 9

Why did I make that damn bet?! This was the was thought occupying Nori’s mind as he made his way through the alleyways and backstreets of Academy City. Not only was he being forced to break curfew, which honestly he wasn’t to concerned about, but he was also giving up time he felt could be better spent sleeping. He had a powerful hatred for mornings and lack of sleep only fueled this anger as such he was desperately hoping that the  urban legend of District 9 would appear sooner rather than later. All he needed to do was snap a quick picture of it and his job would be complete.

His reason for being out on this search despite his obvious distaste for it could simply be explained with an event that took place earlier that day during his visit to the hospital. Due to the time he had to spend studying for school and the recent increase in the number of jobs he was going on Nori hadn’t had the time to pay his hospital bound friend a visit. However, today he had carved out just enough time to meet up with his old friend.

The visit wasn’t much different from all the others, Nori would talk about interesting subjects he was learning about in school along with anything else that came to his mind while he was there. Then Nagata would respond to something interesting he heard Nori say or move on to a different subject, most of this time this subject was recent rumors that he had heard about. For someone restrained to a hospital bed Nagata always seemed incredibly well informed about all the most popular rumors and stories. During this visit he seemed particularly fond of one rumor he had heard about.

The Red Fairy

Nagata talked about it endlessly but Nori thought nothing of it until it was too late. Just as the Gambling Fool was about to leave his friend challenged him to a quick game of poker with loser having to do one thing the winner requests without complaining. He couldn't think of one thing he could actually gain from winning since his friend was restrained to a hospital bed but he couldn't resist the challenge. Full House, Straight Flush, followed by a Royal Straight Flush. Nori couldn't believe what just happened, Nagata had drawn the highest hands possible right in a row and had thoroughly beaten him. “You cheated and you know it!” “No complaining that was the rule we agreed on. Now since I’m the winner you have to do what ask and I want you to get me a picture of the Red Fairy.”

Nori finished recalling these memories as he stepped out from an alleyway into the light shining down from a nearby street light. The light revealed that he was dressed completely differently than his usual attire. He wasn't wearing his usual red ribbon eye mask which was replaced by a fake pair of glasses and below that was a black bandana covering the lower section of his face. He had even changed out his usual blue track outfit for a pair of jeans and green t-shirt. He may not have cared about breaking curfew but getting caught for it was a completely different matter and thus the disguise was necessary.

As he walked into the park he took at his phone and began to turned on its camera. He never promised a quality picture so a quick picture from his phone would be good enough. He walked into the park looking down at his phone without paying attention to his surroundings. It wasn't like he had to worry about running into anyone else at this hour so as far as he was concerned until the fairy appeared his surroundings weren't an issue.

The hunters have gathered, here in this park. There were three of them and only one Red Fairy. It would be much more likely for them to meet each other first. In fact, they would, since they had to (or at least intended to) search the entire park.

That brought up a different question - Now where is the hunted?

She was already there, of course. Being familiar with the dark from doing this so often, she had no trouble finding herself one secluded spot somewhere and stretching. Today she was wearing a red tracksuit like she always did. Yes, this has occurred often enough for her to be casual and use such casual terms. It did not mean that she wasn't careful, since if she really wanted seclusion, she had to be up and around at this time and it gave her a chance of running into the less savory crowd.

Well, if this wasn't habitual there wouldn't be an urban legend about her after all. No, she wasn't exactly aware that she became an urban legend but since hologram data (and thus a 3D model) of a younger version of herself was available to art students, she expected that would at most just attract glances from passerby.

She started with her joints, then her waist. Unlike some mythical creature, Kohane was an actual person, so she couldn't get away with dance practice without warming up.

What Kohane wasn't expecting was the search for the existence that was her was also starting to warm up as well...

Eventually there was no occurrence.

With each and every step he’d wage, Furuhashi Gou’s advance through the park was brought forward, yet not with any sort of fruition. As most of his movements would lead him through she shadows in places where light was absent, he didn’t have much he’d actually run across or experience. If at all, everything remained the exact same.

Not that he didn’t welcome it, did every little creaking branch cause him to flinch.

Calm down calm down calm down. The only people around are rule breakers. Even if they find you, they wouldn’t run towards Anti-Skill or Judgement or the news papers or…hold on, even if they find me…I don’t wanna be thrown into the same pot as them!!!

Why had he even come here to begin with? Right. Her. If it wasn’t for her he would have never dared to step over that invisible line. He would have never lowered himself this much and he would have never gone that far. But for that reason alone, the only viable reason, he’d decided to do it. And now he was searching for it; for that Red Fairy.

But like many were probably doing, he wondered how to actually find it. Word was sparse. It existed, that he knew. It was red, that he knew. It was said to appear in this park, that he knew. Where exactly, that he didn’t know.

However it was when his focus had entirely shifted towards wondering about these questions, drawing itself away entirely from the outside, he totally ignored that someone was coming his way. The moment he’d actually seen them was when the distance was only eight or nine metres.

♪♫

Shit! Someone is coming! They mustn’t see me or my reputation is dead!!! Then everyone will know that I’m rule breaking scum! Judgement will kick me out and senpai will never ever look my way ever again!! ARRRGH!!

Triggered by the sudden shock, he’d quickly throw his head left and right, desperately seeking a means of escape. But as he did, he could see the shadowy individual not cease its advance. Like a giant marble in an ancient aztec dungeon, the end of his life came drawing in bit by bit, threatening to crush his very existence mercilessly. He had to dodge! He had to do something! Anything would go!

He jumped. Not forward, not backwards, but sideways, right into the bushes. With a heavy thud and only four to six metres between them, he had thrown his own body into the green. As his weight and physical force crushed the bush’s branches and his side went into full collision course with the dirty earth and occasional small rocks, his mind couldn’t suppress the natural reaction that was a comical scream. But in the end, he felt that he’d achieved the last second retort quite perfectly; not knowing that both his legs were actually sticking out perfectly visible.

Oda wasn't one for wasting much time, the longer he was out, the more chance he would've gotten into trouble. Well, that would only be the case if they recognise him behind that dog mask. Either way, he had effectively made use of his Backstreet knowledge to find his way through the cold and harsh maze that is academy city at night. Every time the coast was clear the boy ran with all the strength he can muster, someone like him had the stamina of a bull who could keep going for a while, and he intended to just that until he reached his destination.

And so he ran faster with the camera still on hand, the faster he could get this done the quicker he could sleep and maybe for once he could walk up half dead in the morning. But deep down inside Oda honestly never believe that will ever happen.

One reason for it was obviously clear; the boy had accidently stumbled upon a rather 'new' meet up in one of the backstreets. Thuggish looking students stared at the dog mask wearing boy while standing near a warm bin fire and while they were surprised by the sudden arrival of this 'strange' person. The thuggish looking students started to slowly step closer to the dog mask wearing boy in an attempt to grab him and only after a few glances each other's way.

"Good teamwork" Oda had thought to himself watching this happen, they were moving to get him without even exchanging words. "Woof?"" Oda taunted as he stumbled backwards before legging it back the other way. "GET HIM; HE KNOWS WHERE WE HANG!"
one of the thuggish students shouted as they gave chase. "HES GOT A CAMERA!" Shouted another as they all ran after him.

And not feeling tired the slightest, the boy with the dog mask ran faster and faster with a group of bad mannered lads on his tail. But Academy city was a maze, and if one knew the way, they could easily vanish into the darkness of the night. Though it seems for one dog mask boy, the luck would go his way and in the style that suited Taichi Oda had crashed out onto the street only to stumble back onto his feet in a rather coincidental roll as he attempts to escape the hooligans behind him. The park which luckily was only ahead had many covers for someone to hide in the darkness. So once he reached it he could easily escape the ban mannered lad's attention. And so coming to this conclusion the dog mask wearing boy ran further with his large legs to rush straight into the darkness of the park and once he reached it the boy vanished from his chasers sight.

They followed him as you would expect but there was nothing as they reach the exit, no sight of the boy who stumbled onto their hiding place besides benches, bushes, trees and the bridge that crossed the lake. A thought crossed their mind that he must have picked up his paced once he entered. All of them knowing the park was a jungle of secrets of its own like the urban one right outside.

Especially at night.

And so they decided to stick together and continued looking for the strange boy who crashed their hideout throughout the park not knowing they passed him as they crossed the bridge. You see the dog mask wearing boy was just dangling off the side of the bridge which in daylight he would be easily seen. But at night everything changed, the few lamp posts dotted around the park had barely lit the side of the bridge and was a perfect quick hiding spot with only the tip of his fingers on view holding onto the side.

If the boys weren't in a rush to find him, they may have found him out but being in a 'rush' had made them overlook he was just there and all the luck was with the dog mask wearing boy tonight at least up to this point.

As the hooligans passed by enough distance, the boy had climbed back over and collapsed to the ground exhausted. He was breathing heavily from all the running and pulled down his dog mask.

"Ahh" Oda said to himself as he tried to compose himself. "They're rather territorial tonight. But I better remember where they were originally for future note.  But.. still.. Dammit, I just led them to the one place I needed to go. Oda said as he struggled back to his feet and checked if the camera which only remained in his hand due to the strap that came with it was still working.

"Why do I always makes things harder for myself Oda said as he moved on but carefully listening out for anyone else around. He may have just made it harder to make progress around the park, but at least he was in the right place. He just only hoped those guys don't scare of the 'Red Fairy' that's only if it exists anyway.

Sticking to the pavement, Oda moved closer to the centre of the park where the 'Red Fairy' was supposed to have originated but a snag occurred along the way.

"Dammit the camera is broken." Oda said oddly loud suddenly no longer caring about being hidden when an annoying problem like this had happened. It must have been damaged during the chase. He either had to get it working, use his phone or literally just go home now. Though the third wasn't really an option as for the very least he could at least confirm it himself and come back another day

It was silent, why wouldn't it be? He was in the park alone so the only sources of noise were the twigs snapping beneath his feet and the sound of his foot colliding with the ground with every step he took further into the park. Though he hated having to come out here so late to look for an urban legend he truly had to admire the silent tranquility of the park after curfew but just as he appreciate the quiet of the park his ears began to pick up on distant voices.

He couldn't hear what was being said but Nori could definitely hear shouting coming from somewhere else in the park. He had thought he would had been the only one out here this late, unless it was the Red Fairy. He turned from the original path he was planning to take to the center of the park and began heading off in the direction of the noise. Losing his admiration for the park as quickly as he gained it he headed in the direction of the sound in hopes of finding the Red Fairy and getting to go back to his dorm.

His phone's camera was turned on and he moved as quickly as he possible could while remaining as quiet as possible. If it was the Red Fairy he couldn't risk scaring it away so a stealthy approach seemed to be the best option. The sound of the voices had stopped but he continued onward in the direction he believed they had originated from. This was his opportunity to get the job done and he wasn't going to let it go.

As he made his way through the trees and bushes a someone's silhouette appeared in the corner of his eye. He couldn't tell who it was but he knew one thing for certain if they were out in this park past curfew they were either the Fairy or knew something about the urban legend. The individual he was observing didn't seem to have noticed him yet or just wasn't concerned about his presence. Either way Nori began his approach towards them if he was lucky maybe it would be the person responsible for the appearances of the Red Fairy and he would be able to bring Nagata back more than just a picture of the phenomenon.

As he grew closer the silhouettes behavior started to become frantic and it only became worse the closer he got until it suddenly throw itself sideways, at which point he lost sight of it. He increased his pace until he was sprinting over to the location that the shadow had previously been he couldn't let them get away especially after he had gotten so close to what possibly could have been his reason for being out in this park. Once he got to the previous location of the subject of interest, however, he realized that his concern for losing his opportunity was quite unfounded.

Look over at a bush in the direction that the individual had jumped in, Nori could see a pair of legs sticking out of it. Had they lost consciousness? Surely they wouldn't have been foolish enough to leave their legs so blatantly hanging out if they were trying to hide. Reaching into the bush with his right hand he grabbed at the shirt of the person hiding inside and began to pull them out.

Are you some kind of idiot or did you think I was stupid enough not to notice your legs sticking out of the bush?!

Nori was yelling as he brought the subject of his suspicion out of the bushes. As he pulled them out of the bush it quickly became obvious they weren't the Red Fairy. There was no glowing red light on them and it was a guy. He guessed he couldn't completely rule him out since the light could have been produce by an ability, though why would he make the light take the shape of a girl unless he was a pervert. Before he made any assumptions along those lines, he wanted to see how they reacted to his question.

Under cover agent Furuhashi Gou’s breath stuck in his throat as all of a sudden he felt the sensation of his sweat jacket being grabbed by something or rather someone. The safety of his cover had been entirely pierced through and the enemy had grasped the very core of it all.

He shuddered, gulped, but did not resist to being pulled upwards.

«Are you some kind of idiot or did you think I was stupid enough not to notice your legs sticking out of the bush?!»

Directly meeting the furious deep blue eyes of the delinquent and being yelled at in rage actually weren’t the last thing he’d expected. If at all, this was exactly what he had feared. Sweat running down his forehead, his breath still stuck somewhere and the reaction time of a snail, he’d just stare at the citizen of the night, mustering an overall diverse expression somewhere in between surprise, panic and his face’s natural «I’ll beat the crap out of you!».

I’ve been found out already! Shit! What do I do?! What do I say!? This must be one of those night-out delinquents we usually can avoid because they’re too scared of Anti-Skill and Judgement to actually step out at night. Or maybe it’s the type too high up to get themselves associated with the daytime back alley scum?

Wait…wait…wait…wait…

Hold on.

I need to reply quickly or my cover will blow!

After about 30 seconds of throwing the perspective of progress overboard a change occurred on Gou’s face. The surprise disappeared. The panic vanished. All that remained was the natural trait his looks had been blessed with, the full power of his rather rough facade. The looks of a picture book delinquent.

«Yo. Got any problems or what? I mean, you probably don’t know who you’re messing with right now, so it’s fine if you’ll let me go now. But if you don’t, I can’t guarantee for your survival. I’m a legend out here, y’know?»

Melting like a popsicle at the beach on the inside and as sharp as an icicle in the midst of a blizzard on the outside, he’d make his comeback. His facade seemingly bullet proof, as his grey eyes became like a shield blocking the lance that was the other boy's glance.

Tactic #2: Pretend to be a big name in the forbidden nightlife of Academy City. Commence!

While a ruckus started to rise around the different areas of the park, the so-called "elusive" Red Fairy knew none the better, despite one of the hunters approaching her spot. Yes, she was used to the dark, but it didn't mean that she could detect people in the vicinity - especially when she wasn't specifically looking for them.

Thus, having already finished her warm-ups, she started to dance. She didn't know that this was the point a certain someone would be the first to find her.

Raising a hand to the air, she started to wave slowly, increasing her speed. This was both her final warm-up and the beginning of her dance. She operated her own ability as an Esper. Following her pace, a fluctuating wave of red began to form, becoming brighter and denser. From a gentle red aurora the light transformed into dense river of red. As soon as she reached the desired brightness and density, the rest of her body began to move.

---

Her ambitions were simple: Create a dance not even the computers can replicate through a hologram. That said, with the technology of Academy City, this is far easier said than done. Not to mention that in the event she does, they'll likely just improve technology to the point it can.

She had studied many forms of dance: beginning with figure skating, ballet, even those in pop culture. However, those were the forms of dance that were easily replicated. Thus, she had to go further. After years of searching, she found one that even the most impressive programs and simulators were hard-pressed to replicate.

Martial Arts. The moves of the grandmaster could be replicated, but the sound of the step, the flutter of their clothes and the subtle differences between each master showed the years of painstaking practice. However, Kohane had no intention to become a martial artist. What she desired was to be able to perform something inherently unique to her that cannot be replicated.

Yes, the fact she was an esper with an ability helped on that end a lot, but it produced a dangerous substance, even if it was beautiful. With high enough density she could slice with it and if it wasn't dense enough it's shine was smaller and simply unimpressive. To make things worse, the intensity was derived from her physical momentum. So, she had to go fast to produce it at high intensity. Which meant just performing with it was very dangerous. Therefore, her dances tended towards figure skating, since leaving the substance behind like a trail (as her ability's name suggests) was much safer.

---

Stepping forward, a burst of strength from her legs thrust her forward as she broke into a sprint before leaping forth and taking off. Two streams of red trailed behind her, growing longer as she flew forward, curving as her path did. At the tail end, this river broke into crystalline fragments before finally decaying into sparkling dust.

This trail did not last forever. First was the jump. First, she cut off the right of the two emissions that kept her airborne before swinging her right foot, creating a blast sending her upwards as the left trail was cut. Then, she began rotation in a clockwise direction, her red ponytail whipping across her face as she went.

One revolution.
Two revolutions.

A line of red was born anew under her right foot. No one could tell how well that double axel jump was, or if it was cheated - after all, she started and ended mid-air. However, if all she was doing was just aerial skating, then it really wasn't that special. Her biggest advantage was that she could move in all three dimensions...

So she included that into her routine. Stretching a hand behind her back, jets of red burst out from her two feet and her palm for a total of three, giving her the speed she needed to begin weaving through the air. She was finally flying like a true fairy, her paths the flow of an artist's brush as it made strokes of cerise across her canvas: the empty park.

Meanwhile, those who were still busy arguing and missing this (supposedly) awesome sight would notice something was wrong: the atmosphere around them continuously brightened and dimmed as if some light source would keep advancing and retreating. It was a lot less noticeable before as the source of this light was not moving very quickly, but now that she was, things were really obvious: The result of her A.I.M, but at the moment only one other person would be able to understand this, and he was likely being entranced by the Red Fairy.

Whether the other hunters would see it depended on how they valued their priorities.

So he carried on, there was no point turning back now as the ruckus caused by getting here would be for nothing. Hearing the voices of those hooligans in the background had only made Oda glare to the side, thinking he was safe to move freely seeing they were now going in the opposite direction. But the problem be would be leaving, meaning he had to think of an alternative route home without causing further trouble with that group.

That was a problem he could deal with later as he now approached closer to the inner sanctum of the park, which seemed much larger in the cover of darkness than it did in the day time. Though that cover of darkness seemed to fade with flashes of light, turning towards the light his eyes glistened seeing a beautiful display before him.

The flash of light, the movement of her body, fluid in her motions and yet wholly decisive. The faster she had got, the more beautiful the display and the Judgement member who's been in some rough situations couldn't believe his eyes. His body felt like stone, he struggles to act or move, and he felt entranced.  

Was this love? No, it couldn't be as Oda didn't know what Love was and so he had no faith in the arrow shot in the dark. But maybe it was this strange feeling that trick his mind because what Oda saw was a fairy flying in the night sky, effortlessly without drawing attention the reality of how it was done.

Oda had seen this from his position, he was nearby but not enough to be in the way. Though not so far his actions or words wouldn't go unnoticed. Though he didn't intend to district the Fairy.. yes... "This was the Red Fairy" Oda said without doubting his own eyes, not even attempting to hide he begun to clap as the airborne dance through the sky had come to its conclusion.

While Oda had been completely entranced, some sense of self-awareness returned with a slight disappointment. You can see it in his eyes, the feeling of regret that he missed his chance to record this amazing display on his phone the very least.

So he continued to clap, not only to applaud a wonderful display but also to hide his shocking misstep of not being prepared.

The person that Nori pulled out the bush seemed to be about his age, had grey hair, and a pale complexion that almost made him look sickly. However, his body was built quite well making Kinoshita a bit nervous about releasing his grip on the poor individual he had found hiding in the park. Usually, he would have forced his prey to answer his question if they took this long to answer it but the intense mixture of emotions being displayed on the boy's face caught him off guard. While Gou may have spent thirty seconds trying to figure out how to reply, the perpetrator of the judgement members panic spent it trying to figure out the expression on his face.

Suddenly, the confusing mixture of expression vanished from his victims face and Nori found himself looking at what seemed like an average delinquent looking for a fight.

«Yo. Got any problems or what? I mean, you probably don’t know who you’re messing with right now, so it’s fine if you’ll let me go now. But if you don’t, I can’t guarantee for your survival. I’m a legend out here, y’know?»

The moment those words came out of his prey's mouth a madman like smile spread across Nori's face. It had been so long since he had been able to cut loose on some poor, cocky, low level thug. The person in front of him seemed to think they were pretty big stuff, a bit of a beating and maybe a quick visit to the hospital would fix that.

"So you're quite the hot shot here, eh? Why don't you show me what makes you such a legend?

The villain prepared his ability and began to focus on Gou's arms, it would be much easier if the thug couldn't use his arms to fight back. However, he suddenly began to notice the area around him was suddenly growing lighter only to dim again. Could this be the doing of the Red Fairy? Even though he wanted to beat the daylights out of low level thug, who was really a high level member of judgement, in his grasp he still had his priorities.

"It seems we will have to continue this another time. I have a fairy to catch."

Kinoshita released his grip on Gou letting the judgement member fall to the ground before running off in the direction of the light. He wasn't going to let it get away not when it was the only thing keeping him awake at this hour. Dashing towards the light he entered the inner section of the park just as the dance was coming to a conclusion. He had missed he chance to even confirm that it was truly the Red Fairy he was looking for. Just as a sense of failure began to wash over him he noticed someone else standing in front of him. What is with all these people in the park at this hour?!

"Hey! Was that the Red Fairy just now? Did you manage to get a picture of it?!

Even if he didn't manage to get the picture maybe the person who was here before him had managed to. If that was the case he would just need get them to give him a copy and he could go home. As he approach this person, however, he saw the look in their eyes and was given a pretty good idea of what the answer was.

The moment he’d made his move, Gou’s confidence on his newly created special tactic had been rising exponentially.

«So you're quite the hot shot here, eh? Why don't you show me what makes you such a legend?»

Until it backfired. It was the sight of that smile, the sensation of that pressure. He felt cold, panicked, he feared it. It was strange. It was serious. Like really serious, far from the kind he’d seen back in the days. Even after the many beatings he had gotten in those back alleys, this was something that went beyond his own experience. He could tell, right now he’d ended up in a really bad spot. In really serious trouble.

He tensed up. This time even a bit for real. Maybe his own big talk had gotten to himself. Maybe it was just his danger instincts. Whatever, he was ready for it. For that fight that would break out.

Or at least it would have, if it wasn’t for that light.

A sudden glow, crimson, red, but not fire, more like light itself. Yet not even the kind you’d see in the city, on signboards or at concerts, it was different. Maybe he simply perceived it as such, but the word he felt inclined to use the most this moment was «magical».

«It seems we will have to continue this another time. I have a fairy to catch.»

That was when that citizen of the night’s grip had finally loosened, coldly dropping him back into the woods. It hurt a bit, for his reflexes hadn't returned entirely. Groaning under the pain, it took our pretentious big shot a moment to recover from everything. Not just the fall, but from that very confrontation. Once he regained a bit of composure, though, he began chewing on the words he’d just heard for a little while.

Letting them rewind again and again, he noticed which felt the most chewy about them.

I have a fairy to catch.

Shit! Why didn’t I consider this! Why didn’t I notice earlier! Shit!

Misinterpreting what he had just been told a fair bit, in accordance with what he had experienced and seen himself, the alarm bells rang all at once. And those bells’ ringing immediately brought him back to his legs, carelessly, stupidly and at foremost a tad painfully. Once he stood however, not even that would stop him, he’d just run to chase after that no-good evil doer.

«Hey you! Wait Up! I won’t let you get away that easily!!!»

A shout would announce his comeback as he came jumping out of the bushes like some insane man. The demeanour he’d take on, the same as before. Even playing the hero, he wasn’t Furuhashi Gou, defender of regulations and order, but that big shot of the night life back alleys he had become for tonight.

And with those things confirmed, he just had one thing left he hadn’t confirmed at all…