[SS] MissFits

"Ah. She ran."

Jin remarks, as though he wasn't the one responsible for that. If he was perturbed at having his target stolen by some random yankee, it didn't show on his face. Well, the truth was, he didn't mind at all~ The more the merrier~ It seemed things would be a bit more interesting with this guy around~

He clasps his hands behind his head as he watches the girl vanish inside a building. Somewhere behind him, there is a metallic sound, as he grows bored of holding the poles in midair, and allows gravity to retake its hold on them.

"Well, that was worth a chuckle~ Nice assist, Hair Sniffler-san."

He shows no interest in chasing after the girl. It appears that holding up rods isn't the only thing he's grown bored of.

The likelihood of Judgement getting involved if he takes this joke too far also comes into play, of course. Jin may be the city's number one nuisance, but that's as far as it goes. Once it changes from "Being Annoying" to "Harassment," then it becomes NG! NG! That is to say, No Good!

And, most importantly of all... Someone even more interesting had shown up!

Like, okay. The middle school girl was probably interesting in her own way. People... Well, most people, don't wear casts for no reason. But how could she possibly compare to a kindred spirit (Read: Nuisance), with such a striking appearance as this new challenger! Dyed hair, piercings... Jin had a feeling that something fun would show up if he stuck around this guy!

"And so! Let's get along, ne?"

As always, Takamiya Jin moves at his own pace.

"By the way... You didn't see anything... Of note. In those bags of hers did you? I hope she hasn't gotten herself into doing "deliveries" or something... You start off with safe packages, easy money, pocket change... And in a week, they'll have her laden with... Well, laden with nothing good if you get caught."

It didn't surprise Kana much that the topic returned to the underclassman with her reappearance. She wasn't too interested in discussing her, but it's an understandable concern in this case. She had paid close mind to the bags, enough to even return the objects where they were originally. It seemed pretty unlikely she had anything strange in there that she had overlooked, so she felt confident enough to answer him.

"No, it seemed like it was just normal groceries. I don't think there was anything unusual"

She stood up when Natsuki did, though she noticed it seemed like he only did due to the man now vomiting near them. Upon noticing it herself she couldn't help but feel sick, almost to the point of gagging. She turned her attention away from it quickly, listening to her companion.  The information itself wasn't particularly interesting, and she could've done without Natsuki's attitude, but she didn't pay it much mind. Instead she was ready to go ahead and enter, and seeing that Natsuki had begun to head in, she was happy to follow along. At least, that's how it was at first. Not too long after they began to descend did the disgusting smell already hit her. It did match her mental image and expectations, however the experience was a bit less enjoyable.

The inside was a little different than she expected, and was more like a party than a hive of thugs like she had thought she would see, though. She already felt uncomfortable and out of place not just a minute within entering. "Were you planning on drinking?" She was somehow caught off guard by the question. It was a reasonable question given their location, but she had managed to never consider the event in question. In truth she wasn't sure. Though after considering it for a moment she decided it probably wasn't a good idea. "I don't think so."

After they had found a place to sit, it wasn't long before Natsuki had began to chat. The initial portion being directly about her, to her surprise."I actually didn't think you were coming tonight, you know... When I heard you mention the Missfits, I thought you were interested just on a fad or something and you'd get cold feet before coming out... But here you are. I can't imagine it was easy to slip out of your dorms... The Missfits really are something though aren't they? A mysterious, masked gang stomping out gangs left and right and vanishing again without a trace! Hahah, what I wouldn't give to know more! ..."

Initially she was a little confused, since it felt out of nowhere, but not too long into it became clear. This was his plan? This was how he planned to bait the information? It seemed even worse now that she was here listening to and experiencing the plan first hand, but maybe someone really would be lured in by it. Even more surprising was just how long Natsuki could keep throwing out topics about the Missfits like this.  It seemed like he would be handling the talking almost entirely, so she simply feigned enough attention to not seem too suspicious to anyone watching in, though she was trying to pay attention to the others around her, to see if she could even catch some interest from them.

A bunch of steps later legendary ninja Hattori Hanzou formerly known as Kamijou Touko was about to reach the exit. Finally. But just when she was about to heave a sigh of relief or rejoice over the successful exfiltration, she nearly bumped into someone about to enter the packed establishment. A girl. One with an oddly familiar face.

The same long brown hair, the same physique and that highly similar face from only a bunch of days ago.

Hujisaka-san…? No, if she sees me here!!

Quickly turning tails Kamijou dove back into the crowds, becoming yet again the legendary ninja of her imagination. She couldn’t afford to run into anyone she knew, especially the ones that would mean trouble. Hold on, did she even know someone who didn’t mean trouble?!

Following her temporary retreat she already made plans on regrouping with herself, back in the toilet and then seek another possible path to escape or wait up for the girl to pass away from the exit. But as she did, she spotted another pair of familiar faces: The ones she’d just met on the outside.

It was bad and gradually worsening. Her misfortune was at work all over again.

She’d have to do something about it urgently! Before…!


«OK OK, little darlings that was amazing!! Sooo for my next song I’d like someone to accompany me on the stage!!»

As the energetic music faded out into silence, the pink haired gothic lolita karaoke stage diva spoke up through the microphone. She sounded cheerful, yet at the same time didn’t manage to hide the fact that she was slowly losing her breath. She had likely spent the whole evening performing and immersed herself into it entirely, bringing forth choreographies, cutesy fan service and now of course the standard special event of crowd interaction.

«Annnnd I choose you over there!»

At the point of her fingertip the spotlight struck immediately.

«Yes, you, Miss honourable Nagatenjouki Academy, sneakily meeting the bad boy thug archetype!! ✧»

The stage diva had chosen, the power of the spotlight was absolute. All eyes were on her now.

What would she do?


Such…fortune…?

Even thinking that felt surprisingly odd. The chance had been 99.9% for her to be chosen and yet Kamijou Touko had somehow avoided the circle of death entirely. Even better, the entire attention had wandered on someone else; actually even the very same people she’d wished to avoid.

She finally heaved a sigh of relief, rejoiced internally and hurried on to exploit the loss of attention.

«It’d be booooring if it was just one, right? But not with Aki-rin! The second one will be yoooouuu ✧ Miss spiky haired sailor uniform tomboy-chaaaaan ✧»

All that, just for it to be crushed right the very next instance.

The spotlight shattered all hope there was left.

Such misfortune.

«Now come come come!! The stage is waiting!!!»

With the girl gone, Tsuchimikado couldn’t help but chuckle and give himself and the other guy a thumbs up on the great performance. He hadn’t grown rusty yet, had he? At least he didn’t feel like chasing after her, turning to his newfound company.

«And so! Let's get along, ne?»

«Why not? You’re some fine pal aren’t ya, nya?»

Cheerful as usual, he’d just give the other guy a nod and hold out his hand for some kind of casual handshake to seal the deal. They didn’t know each other, but it seemed both of them were laid back enough and of the entirely same wave length.

«Now now, I only hope she doesn’t actually end up running into those famous roaming perverts. The hair sniffler’s not the worst to worry about and now we can’t protect her any longer, nya~»

Adding one last line to the joke, he’d discard it right afterwards.

«So watcha up to? I’m new to this turf. There anything fun to do or see? Like nice spots, cool dudes, cute girls, good booze? I just wanna make the best of tonight. It’s still young after all, nya.»

"What the..." Suddenly basked in light, Natsuki raised his hands to both shield himself from the spotlight and prepare for any attack.

«Yes, you, Miss honourable Nagatenjouki Academy, sneakily meeting the bad boy thug archetype!! ✧»

After a moment, Natsuki realized the spotlight wasn't shining at him, but more specifically, his companion. He had been unprepared for such a situation, having not been paying attention to what was occurring on the stage, but judging from the relative silence and attention suddenly basking them, it was easy to assume the Elite was being called out for the next song.

He didn't have long to speak before their hesitation would become unnatural, so he gave his companion only a quick shrug and said lightly, "We're supposed to be here to have fun, remember? Good luck, I'll collect and bury your remains afterwards, don't worry." With that, he made light clapping motions to his surroundings as if to ask the audience to welcome her with applause and showed off a decidedly relaxed smile, attempting to cover the nervousness of being put on the spot so suddenly. He would whisper a parting snark, "Your fault you're in uniform. Heh." before waving at her as if sending her off.

«It’d be booooring if it was just one, right? But not with Aki-rin! The second one will be yoooouuu ✧ Miss spiky haired sailor uniform tomboy-chaaaaan ✧»

Ah, there she is. Natsuki's smile hardened somewhat upon seeing Kamijou similarly being abducted towards the stage by the light, like how you'd see a UFO do so in cartoons. If this is what she's here for... Hm. Then what? What kind of nonsensical plan would involve getting a first-timer on stage at an underground bar? The mystery that is Kamijou...

«Now come come come!! The stage is waiting!!!»

As he pondered this, idly watching how his companion and Kamijou reacted, his pitcher of beer arrived, with a small stack of wet cups. Nodding and passing the payment he had prepared beforehand, Natsuki took the pitcher and cups and headed towards the front, quickly gauging the seated groups to find one with a tougher looking crowd with the most chance of being from his walk of life. When he found one suitable, he would simply place the pitcher and cups on the table, and give the excuse, "I actually haven't seen her sing yet, I hope you don't mind if I join you here at the front?" and attempt to mingle with the group.

A loud, exasperated sigh was lost amidst the noisy crowd.

The source of that sigh no one would notice was the young girl that had attempted her escape into the nearest building she thought she could actively lose the annoyances she had started to gather.

Alas, her miscalculation was to not have expected students to throw a party in a club in the evenings. Often, they simply went for full night-time in order to accommodate those who had supplementary lessons, but this time it seemed quite early to her for such a heavy body of students to gather; perhaps simply not being aware of the time it currently was.

Peeking back out the entrance, she could see the two idiots were still talking to each other, though didn't express any particular intention to follow her. That was good, but if she stepped out now then she would only trigger the misfortune.

As such, and it pained her to justify to the dorm mistress why she would be even later, her only option was to simply settle down for a few minutes until they'd inevitably grow bored of standing in one place.

Natsumi moved a bit aside, sticking to the entrance's walls in order to have easy access to it though without being easily spotted by anyone who were to come in. Not only due to the two idiots, but also because of the public image she would give as a student in her clearly recognisable and not easily forgotten uniform as per Tokiwadai's stern protocols. It wasn't like she, herself, minded the idea, but her school would probably disapprove of anyone giving the impression that their students were young girls partying at night-time, especially since parties were definitely not her thing.

And then again, with how crowded it was, the chances of her finding a table to sit in were highly unlikely. But in any cases, it was now solely a waiting matter; and with any luck, perhaps she could even hear of interesting rumours amidst student gossip in order to tune out the massive noise already giving her a headache.

With a cheeky grin, Takamiya Jin grasped the proffered hand for a light handshake. It was rare for someone to intentionally stick around with Academy City's Number One Nuisance (Self Proclaimed)... Which of course, meant that those who did were invariably interesting.

Just that was enough to tell Jin he'd made the right choice.

"No way, man! Did ya see her face? If any roaming pervert runs into her, I bet her arm won't be the only one broken afterwards!" Jin cackles at the thought, before suddenly looking serious.

"Darn, that would be fun to see. Maybe I should have followed her, after all... Well, whatever!" The nuisance mutters, his serious face at complete odds with his words.

"Hmm? Things to do...? Oh! That reminds me! Have you heard of that craaaaazy group of troublemakers that have shown up recently? The Midgets, or whatever? (Weird name, if you ask me.)
Well, I was thinking about paying them a visit, you know? Letting this [Academy City's Number One (Nuisance)] teach them a lesson about the true meaning of troublemaking."

The grin on Jin's face grew wider and wider as he spoke. As expected, nothing fired Jin up like being a nuisance... Well, nothing except freedom, at any rate.

"Whaddya say, partner? Wanna come wreak some havoc with me?"

That said... Even before wreaking havoc, isn't it important to note that Takamiya Jin doesn't have a clue where to find these Midgets in the first place? Well, as Jin would say, "Don't sweat the small stuff!"

While Kana had been trying to listen in on what others had to say around herself, she hadn't been paying much attention to the singer on stage. She did hear that she was calling on someone from the audience, but just what that could mean hadn't registered to her yet, even if it had she wouldn't have imagined she would become one of the victims. As the spotlight shone down upon her she turned around in shock, trying to understand what had just happened. "Eh..?" As she realized everyone was staring at her, and the singer pointing right at her she began to slowly realize she had been chosen to go on stage and participate.  "M-me?"

She wants me to sing... in front of this crowd? She didn't even feel welcome here, much less as though she should be trying to entertain them. Not to mention with Natsuki here it was extra embarrassing. It wasn't that she couldn't sing, she had a little practice, but she didn't feel comfortable in this situation, on the spot with no warning!

Kana turned to Natsuki, as though he would have some way to remedy everything. It was after all his idea to come here. He would have a solution, it was his domain.

"We're supposed to be here to have fun, remember? Good luck, I'll collect and bury your remains afterwards, don't worry."

While her expression had been shock, with perhaps a bit of fear before, it had managed to quickly become a combination of disappointment and annoyance. She regretted having any expectations from him. Given that her only option had fallen through, unless she really just wanted to make a big showing by refusing, she was practically forced to going through with it. "Guess I have no choice." She quietly whispered, sighing a bit.

Just as Kana was about to stand up and head for the stage, Touko had been called as another to join the stage. For some reason it had annoyed Kana, since at this point it felt like nothing they did would ever escape Touko's presence. Earlier it had been a distraction when she simply wanted to go through with the investigation. After a moment, though, Kana resigned that it was impossible that Touko had in any way planned to be paired up with her for something like this, and just sighed. Walked up to the stage, ready to resign herself to her own funeral. What was it that they were even supposed to be singing exactly, she wondered?

Once she stood atop the stage, she gazed around at the crowd. It was uncomfortable before as is, but now she felt like anything she did would immediately be judged. She awkwardly manged to smile and wave out to the crowd.

The end of the world.

The best way to describe the state and situation Kamijou Touko had been forced into right now. As that ray of light went down on her, paired with the joyful announcement all had come to an end. Everything of it. Just absolutely anything in the universe.

She had tried her best to somehow make it out of here alive by avoiding as many troublesome situations as the world would throw at her, but now that was over. She had been the centre of all attention. All eyes on her, digging into her with their unending expectation.

She couldn't do anything. If she ran, they’d catch her and force her on stage. If she declined her reputation would drop to below zero with consequences she didn’t even wish to ever feel.

So the question wasn’t what to do anymore, but rather how to pull it off.

Cracking the most awkward smile she ever had managed, she’d fake enthusiasm and just go along with it.

Just head up there, play along, sing and search a back exit to make a run through. You can do it Kamijou Touko!


Seeing how the two of the girls had given in without any further complaint the stage diva of course began to beam even brighter than before, immediately beginning to heat up the crowd some more. A good crowd was a hyped one after all! And one could never go overboard with the hype, right!?

«OK everyone! They’re in! IN I SAY! Give them all a heavy CHEER! MAKE SOME NOISE!!!»

Overflowing in any aspect of her own, she just began to pour her all into that small device in her hands, making even further moves and gestures to underline how she felt. It was all fluent, perfectly on point and obviously a work of intense practice.

Answered by the loud outcries of the masses.


On the road formed by the people straight up to the scaffold the spiky haired girl could feel the entirety of her being shake; not just her arms and legs, but the whole of her body, from the tips of her toes up to the points ends of her hair. The fact that she was still carrying the squishy squashy convenience store bags didn’t soften anything either, was an irregular rustling her steady company.

Finally on stage along with the blond twin tailed honour student, she’d try her most to build up some distance to that bundle of energy that had triggered her doom in all that euphoria. But that was another thing that just couldn’t be helped. Slowly but surely she managed to turn towards the true core of everything. The audience. That large mass of free spirits, no-goods and night walkers. They all were there, watching intensely. Digging. Staring. Expecting.

She gulped, slowly lifting her hand that still carried one of the bags to wave, still keeping that awkward smile — which had grown even more awkward — as her only protection.


Yet none of that would save her.

That pink haired gothic lolita wanna be underground idol was just a caliber too high. She quickly took notice of the hesitant behaviour both of the girls showed and thus began her counter action immediately. Not waiting a moment to cross the space, she suddenly reached out to grab both of their arms to pull them more towards the centre-front-section of the stage, placing them right at the attention of the entire crowd, straight into plain view, before handing them each a microphone she’d had prepared before.

«Now then you two, this is your stage! No our stage! A new adventure! A new experience! A new life! Maybe the birth of another pair of super immensely popular and loved stage divas!!?? We’ll see! Find out! Explore!!! Yes, explore all of iiiiit!!!!


Kamijou couldn’t help but sigh nervously, holding on to the microphone rather unwillingly. Being placed on a stage like that was one thing, but this bundle of exaggerated motivation next to her had been something else entirely. She could hear the sound of whispers passing through the crowd’s silence after each of the loud shout-outs they gave as reaction to that «idol’s» mood-raisers.

The pressure was real, it was heavy, it was terrifying…

At least the worst case hadn’t occurred just yet.

She’d embarrass herself for sure that was clear, but…

«Explore…? YES THAT’S IT!!! We have to explore you entirely! You two! Please! This crowd at least deserves to know the artists that are gonna blow them off now!! TIME FOR AN INTRODUCTION ROUND!!!»


Crowds oftentimes were a difficult thing. This one just perfectly fit the image. They were demanding, had they been entertained by their idol for the entirety of the evening and now that entertainer had granted them a special fan service session by calling two commoners up on the stage.

Two commoners entirely different from each other, yet still part of them just a moment ago. Obviously they had felt excitement at the announcement that there’d be special guests picked from among the guests and when the first one had been called up, even turned out to be quite the babe, their enthusiasm had been truly explosive. Their cheers had broken out in ways that showed the usual dominance of male presences at such gatherings.

However once the second girl had been called, it had died down rather notably. Yes, there were still cheers, but they had been dedicated more to the idol’s attempts to keep them boiling, not really to that rather bland tomboy type that lacked all sex-appeal. In the end the world of entertainment was just a cruel one no matter where one went. Big stages or small ones, they all watered down to the same poor result.

But a crowd was not just a crowd. There was more to them than just sheer enthusiasm for some shining goddess on the stage. Casual communication. Whispers. Chats. Arguments. They were spread all over. Voices here, there, everywhere.

«There’s been an announcement this morning…I was all hyped! …but turns out it’s just another single. Where’s the album goddammit!?»

Some were crying over their own frustrations.

«Have you heard, Hitotsui Hajime has been caught dating.» «REALLY!? Who is it? Who is it?»

Some were sharing the latest gossip.

«Word has it the MissFits took down some small fry Skill-Out outfit again.» «Huh? Heard they’re actually gonna strike again tonight.» «Seriously? They sure are tireless.»

And some delved into he current topics.

«The Midgets, huh? So that’s what they were called! Yeah, heard of ’em. Some group running around in costumes doing all kind of stuff lately, nya.»

Tsuchimikado quickly confirmed his own knowledge of the thing, chuckling a bit at the failed attempt to produce the name, playing along by pretending it was the real one, though. He wasn’t serious at all with the entire matter, taking it the same laid-back way his new friend did. That was how it should be after all.

«Let’s check them out. I mean if they’re cool and all that we could probably hang with them, but if they’re the losers we expect them to be why not get some fun of that? Both sounds nice, nya. Count me in~!»

That was all it had taken the sun glasses enthusiast to agree on the matter. From what it seemed he wasn’t all too bothered by anything else concerning them, besides the entertainment aspect. But in the end that was the best kind of logic to apply on a boring evening. Go to the party, see what it’s like and then crash it if necessary or join in if good enough. Both were good options in the end, weren’t they? Maximum fun ensured.

«Issue is where to find them. I heard they’re the kinda people that find you, not the other way around, nya. I meeeaaaaaan we could go asking around, but that’s boring with how plain it is and probably just leads them to grow aware we’re out looking for them ruining the surprise when we crash the thing. So how about we go around searching for them at the fancy places we come up with, nya~?»

If it were normal people looking for them, just following the whims of creativity wouldn’t be all that promising. With the two of them here however things would turn for quite different a flavour. They were minds like no others. The MissFits Midgets were, too, apparently. So wouldn’t that mean 100% chance at success? Even if they’d fail at one or two of the places it’d still be fun to go there just for the sake of doing so. So once again it’d be a win-win situation. Not that there was anything else for no-goods like they were.

While she herself had felt the nervousness of the situation start to arise within herself, she could tell that it was nothing compared to what Touko herself had was going through. As she watched her walk on the stage, and turn towards the crowd. It was actually somewhat surprising to Kana that Touko was able to stand up still, given how afraid of what they were about to face she seemed. I'm starting to worry even more now. Will Touko even be okay? She felt her own stomach sinking, as she looked out towards the crowd once again, and she felt her concern for Touko fading away. Kana would just had to make sure she herself could go through this without embarrassing herself. Even if Kana doesn't care about any of them, especially not her own companion to this establishment, she wouldn't want them to see her fail.

While focused on the crowd, the diva had pulled her by the arm. Centering her, along with Touko, and handing them microphones.  She immediately gripped it with both hands, though didn't bring it up closer to her face yet. Still trying to mentally prepare herself for what was to come. Being suddenly pulled like that didn't help, while she was still trying to find a way to make the situation more comfortable mentally. To think, this diva could somehow thrive off of this kind of situation, with so many staring at her regularly, and with as much energy as she had. It seemed completely unnatural. Kana herself was capable of speaking in front of the student body, or even singing in choir. However neither situation could prepare her for this. Or at least, that's what she currently believed.

«Now then you two, this is your stage! No our stage! A new adventure! A new experience! A new life! Maybe the birth of another pair of super immensely popular and loved stage divas!!?? We’ll see! Find out! Explore!!! Yes, explore all of iiiiit!!!!
«Explore…? YES THAT’S IT!!! We have to explore you entirely! You two! Please! This crowd at least deserves to know the artists that are gonna blow them off now!! TIME FOR AN INTRODUCTION ROUND!!!»

Introductions? Kana turned towards the idol, but just for a moment, before returning her gaze to the crowd. Strangely, when not looking at the crowd, it somehow seemed even more nerve-wracking, knowing they were staring at her, from out of her own sight. The idol wanted the two of them to introduce themselves? Kana began taking several deep breaths, before pulling the microphone a bit higher, so she could actually speak through it. She tried focusing on a random object behind the crowd, rather than looking at them directly. While she still didn't feel comfortable in front of this type of crowd, she would try to zone them out as much as she could.

"Hello everyone, and thank you for waiting. I am Tsukomata Kana, a 3rd year student of Nagatenjouki. Like many of you, I'm sure, I've been living here in Academy City for many years now, devoting myself to furthering not just mine, but the educations of other students as well, making sure we can all reach our full potentials together. And while, that is not why I'm here today, if any of you ever feel like you are falling behind in your studies, you are welcome to reach out to me for anything you may need.

I can understand that many of you may have negative opinions of how the education system may be structured. Even within Nagatenjouki, their are some criticisms from students like us who feel the same way. I, too, feel there are some reforms which should take place, however, just because you feel this way, doesn't mean you should let your future fade away. Even if you don't like it, you should do everything you can to make your future brighter. There are many things in life that we do not like, but we must persevere through it anyway.

I would love to speak with you more on this, and other topics, however, that is not why we are here today. Thank you for your time."

Kana had entirely lost herself into an introductory speech. And while it may sound like it was, it wasn't anything she had memorized, but it was a topic she had been over before, of course. Her strategy of focusing out the crowd had made it significantly easier, and while that was certainly not the type of introduction that was expected, Kana felt within her comfort zone, for now, her smile now genuine.

The group Natsuki had wedged himself into had listened with interest when Natsuki had spoken about his companion on stage, but with the odd lack of music and the start of her own honor-student-entrance-ceremony'ish speech, interest in the stage seemed to wane, returning the group's attention to their own topics of the night. Natsuki had picked out his group well, it seemed, as they went into the topic he had hoped for.

«Word has it the MissFits took down some small fry Skill-Out outfit again.» «Huh? Heard they’re actually gonna strike again tonight.» «Seriously? They sure are tireless.»

"Under Level.", Natsuki interjected, to allow himself into their conversation. "That last one they took out was called Under Level... Another one though, jeese, how many does this make now? Anyone know?" He had latched onto the word "again", implying his own gang was not the first. He had to know about their history if he were to grasp their motives. He served his question with beer, neatly taking a cup off the stack he had brought, filling it himself before sliding it down.

"They kick some into the dirt, break a few bones here and there, but also do ridiculous things like that tea party that was on the net last night... It's been getting the attention of Honor Students like her..." Natsuki nodded towards the honor student still giving her class's graduation address on stage. "And over there, another one... Tokiwadai, was it? And that cast... Hope that's not their handiwork as well... Oi!" He shouted at the uniformed girl, beckoning her over and gesturing to his table to make room in case she wanted to sit; she wasn't all too far, just against a wall nearby, but the crowd had reclaimed their voices in full and if he hadn't shouted, she might not know he was addressing her.

A quick glance at her would provide a similar conclusion to examining Touko or Kana; neither of them was used to this place and yet here they were, for their various, unfortunate reasons. Middle first? or Second year? Hmm...? He couldn't quite place it, but... From the way she seemed to take in the world only to return contempt and disgust, like she was displeased with everything she saw; her stance unyielding to the flow of bodies passing in-front of her... Is she really younger than I am? How scary.

Still, he would shake the thought from his mind and called out to her the way he knew best, "Young miss... That actually looks pretty bad." Natsuki started lightly, trying to draw her into conversation and gesturing at the cast she wore, "I doubt you could drink like that, much less sing and dance. I take it you're here for something else, then?" An open observation that he hoped would lead to an explanation. "And how does a straight student like you end up messed up so bad?" It was an optimistic mind that hoped she would have a story to give about the Missfits, but regardless, introducing another outsider to the table might open up the group he sat with even more.

Originally meant to snap repeated pictures of the scene welcoming a Nagatenjouki student in the fashion of a paparazzi looking for the latest scandal to spread over the media, though with a superior smirk that reflected well the rivalry between the two elite schools, upon catching wind of an interesting rumour, the purpose of Natsumi's phone had been switched from its camera to its online search engine

«Word has it... -Fits took down some... again.» «...they’re... strike again tonight.» «Seriously? ...tireless.»

Unfortunately, it was taking a little time to gather any concrete info: amidst all the noise it was quite difficult for her to make out the details of what she was hearing. She found herself having to rely on search engine's most popular results from a recent time-frame to auto-fill in the bare amount of content she had comprised her query of, and that to an annoying extent.

(Ngh... This thing is slow, I should really get around to changing phones...) She grumbled in frustration as a board, finally looking like it contained some content of interest, was taking much longer to load than it should for technology belonging this city. Though she had checked out that link hoping for actual info, this particular thread seemed to be mostly filled with mindless reactions over anything else

“Tokiwa-... was it? And that... handiwork as well...”

Words concerning her were flying around, but having lost herself in deep internet-immersion displayed by furious-like tapping on the phone's physical keys as she decided to look elsewhere, she was also unbeknownst missing out on them completely despite the words referring to her by her more than peculiar appearance for a Tokiwadai student...

“Oi!" Almost as if to fix that, the forceful beckoning dragged her back to reality as she lifted her head up and analysed her surroundings in confusion, barely attempting to hide her following annoyed tongue-clicking once she found its source.

(...The hell? Skill-Out? No, they're rarely this sociable in public areas, not to mention towards Espers let alone Tokiwadai students... Oh God, am I just attracting creeps one after the other today? What does he want?) She questioned, taking a wild guess that the boy was someone likely only barely older than her, in what she couldn't describe as anything but sporting a trashy demeanour.

Shutting her phone and returning it to its assigned pocket, Natsumi sceptically approached as the boy had already started to question her before she could even ask what he wanted.

"Young miss... That actually looks pretty bad. I doubt you could drink like that, much less sing and dance. I take it you're here for something else, then? And how does a straight student like you end up messed up so bad?"

“None of that is any of your concern, is it? Why did you call out to me?” She spoke in heavily unladylike words, somewhat justified that she couldn't exactly explain her injuries as being part of a rebellious counter-attack against the city's hidden, cruel side alongside a group of idealistic idiots. Especially when only a few people knew of the worst of it barely underneath her shirt. “I'm not here to exhibit myself publicly like that Nagatenjouki student over there, if that's all you're interested in, though I'd be curious to know what that's about.” She muttered the last part under her breath as she spared the public scene a sidelong glance, filled with amusement to replace her previous annoyance. It seemed like the matter of a Nagatenjouki student partying wasn't one she would let go of easily, especially when remember her less than stellar previous encounters with other students from that school...

"Yes... Yes... An excellent idea..." Jin murmurs as he strokes an imaginary beard.
Now then, were I a gang of teenage miscreants, where would I, as they say, hang out?"

Just ignore the fact that he is doing his best impression of an old man. He does this sort of thing sometimes. Something about getting ready for his million dollar acting gig.

What? A boy can dream!

"Let's see, the sewers? Nah, too smelly. Oh, maybe a rooftop! But it seems too easy to see for a group so hard to find... Unless it's the Windowless Building! But it seems a bit ridiculous to get a large enough group onto the roof of that place. Hmm."

Jin seems more than happy to monologue about so called 'fancy places' until his new companion stops him.

"Oh, I know! The basement of Ryouran Maid School! No one would ever look there!
Well, except me, of course... Oh, who am I kidding. I just want an excuse to sneak into that place at night."

And at this point it's fairly obvious he's not even taking this seriously. Well, as seriously as Takamiya Jin takes anything. Which isn't very.

But if we're talking about things that are likely to work, well, have you have heard that these Midgets have been attacking Skill Out? If we really wanna catch 'em, we should just pick a gang and just sit and wait. Hmm, I wonder if there's a pattern in the attacks we can use to pick a gang that's actually likely to be targeted... Oooh, tonight is going to be so interesting!"

It's almost as if he's completely ignoring anything Tsuchimikado may have to say!

…

The entire crowd fell silent when the twin tail elite’s speech concluded. Time stood still. All just seemed to implode turning into a singularity absorbing all life and hope.

Kamijou Touko’s jaw dropped. What had she just heard. What just happened? That couldn’t have been for real, right? Just like that this girl had taken this entirely dreadful walk to the gallows only to transform it into…this? She’d seen all kinds of people, but this…? Could that even be considered turning tables?

There was no resonance whatsoever. Just silence. The kind that can neither be blamed on awkwardness or surprise. All it was was silence. Plain and simple.


«O-Oh that was…life…changing? YES! LIFE CHANGING! Don’t you agree!? Come everyone MAKE SOME NOISE for Kana-chan!!!»

It seemed even that stage diva had been dumbfounded enough to be at loss of a better retort than that. However like the true wanna be professional she was she somehow managed to bring back the mood, as immediately after the place shook under the power of the shouts yet again.

However even then, knowing fully well that her feisty manoeuvre wouldn’t be enough to salvage the day, she’d quickly move the show on, tossing the figurative ball to the sole idiot available to become cannon fodder.

«Pssst! Quick take the lead, pokey-chan!»


«R-rrrright! My turn…! Eeeeeeh…»

Even if it was the most logical conclusion Kamijou for a second felt rather confused over the entire matter, being entirely at loss of words. With  the pressure entirely on her like that and the idol casting her lethal glances she didn’t find herself able to back off in any way anymore. She was trapped, entirely.

Before her the crowd, at her back the vicious tyrant of the spotlight.

«H-here I go……..?!?»

Her legs shaky, her heart breaky she gripped the mic tightly before lifting it towards her mouth. This marked the arrival of the moment of truth.

Unlike the girl before her she held no method to calm her mind, had she never been forced in front of an audience of strangers — especially not one filled with expectations they had kept failing so far. Truly it was the same as trying to salvage a concert after an entirely terrible opening act.

«Everyone…my name is…!! I am Kami-yan!!! I am a newcomer, but know this: I WILL GIVE MY ALL FOR YOU!!! SO PLEASE BE GENTLE!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!»

…

Silence. Again!?

Her shouts, her energetic explosion of energy, her entire newly developed passion, it just crashed against a wall of cold indifference, shattering, much to her dismay.


«Hehehe…that was…intense…don’t you think so, too…?»

Not even that stage’s ruler could contribute anything anymore. Much like the introductions her experience and skill hit a wall. Truly she’d never dealt with anything as underwhelming as that pitiful presentation……………………

For a moment there was nothing. Her hands and tongue were bound, much like her entire mind. She broke a sweat, looked left and right, pondering.

«OK…let’s just move on, yeah? Yeah!? Goodie! Perfect? Nya? So…uuuh…right. RIGHT!!!! We are going to sing!!!! Uuuuuuuuuuuuu.»

Failing to cover up her own despair the pink haired goth lolita turned to her partners in crime — or rather the empty husk that was the spiky haired tomboy and the post graduation speech honour student —, her eyes filled with whatever hope of minimum expectation there was left.

«So…what can you actually sing…?»

This couldn’t get any worse, could it?


Give someone a beer, a friendly smile and everything goes well; at least in this kind of surroundings. The two boys, both the epitome of outlaws in their ripped skinny or baggy jeans and graffiti print hoodies, were entirely welcoming to the invitation of the other one who’d just forced his way into the conversation.

«Nah, wasn’t Under Level. That’s already an old thing. Latest target is Barking Wolf. Y’know those violent assholes.»

The baggy pants boy happily revealed after nodding in gratitude, then took a sip to salvage the fresh booze. There was no need for him to state any more than the name of the group that had last fallen victim, was it a rather infamous and unpopular name. Barking Wolf had made the rumours recently with their rather brutish and violent actions.They’d often gotten into trouble with Anti-Skill, sometimes even dragging other gangs into it. But that was natural considering how short their fuses were and how quickly they relied on violence as a reaction to that.

«’s probably their seventh or eight target. They do whatever they like, whenever they like. Man it’s annoying. Usually that shit should just be a matter of the people from the street, not the elite students or whatever. Siiigh. Shit’s really going down right now.»

The other boy in his ripped skinny jeans added, having taken a sip himself. They were, even though slightly worried, talking in a rather laid back manner, befitting of what was considered cool by some fools.

However, unlike their new friend they didn’t let the newly discovered presence of the Tokiwadai student affect them all too much. Such things were rare sights, but for them it didn’t matter. People were people out in the night, no matter where they came from. Everyone was accepted, at least as long as they fit in in their minds. And their behaviour quite well gave that out, did they just smile, but not barge in just like that.

«Well, everyone their own, eh? Wanna have anything? ’s on us, naturally, jou-chan. I mean you look like you had a really hard time.»

It seemed something about that girl had been enough to warrant her to be accepted with open arms and a man’s pity.

«Who wouldn’t want to do that, nya~? Maids as far the eye can reach~! But that’s a challenge too hard for just an action on the whim. One would need a ton of preparations, plans and analysis to pull that off, not just some amateurish indecisive stroll, nya~!»

The expert gave his input, entirely captured by the suggestion. His smile as wide as ever, however with with a faint sparkle from behind his dark shades to top it all. In fact, though, it hadn’t been all too far from the truth that he’d actually thought this option through some other day and some other time. For right now, though, it wouldn’t matter. Unless there’d be a sequel or spin-off.

When the next suggestion was raised there was only a long drawn out sigh to be heard from Tsuchimikado while he readjusted his position, leaning against a street lantern.

«That sounds boring, mate. Just waiting and watching like a bunch of cops from a cheap TV show just isn’t cool, nya. Imagine, you keep sitting and waiting and sitting and waiting and sitting and falling asleep and sitting and sleeping. That’s all, nya. If we were watching some cute girls or somethin’ the story’d be different, but Skill-Out usually are the typical dumb thug type. Dumb, tall, sweaty, hairy, ugly, thuggish. You wanna keep staring at that the whole night, nya? I won’t stop you, but seriously that’s gross!»

In the end that was just how it was. They were guys looking for fun, not for something that’d just drag them down. A sight like that obviously fit into the latter category, especially considering the uncertainty of the situation. Besides that wasn’t really all that creative was it? Where did the overflowing energy from a moment ago go?

«What about rodeo? Ever done that, nya~?»

Contributing to the suggestion gathering he suddenly shot forward with something he didn’t even bother to explain, just leaving it at the designation, period.

But that was the kind of people they were. That was the kind of place nighttime Academy City was. No explanation needed. Just boom.

"None of that is any of your concern, is it? Why did you call out to me?"

Uwa. Natsuki winced a little. Her security is on full alert.

"I'm not here to exhibit myself publicly like that Nagatenjouki student over there, if that's all you're interested in, though I'd be curious to know what that's about." Natsuki traced her attention back to the stage, just in time to catch:

«Everyone…my name is…!! I am Kami-yan!!! I am a newcomer, but know this: I WILL GIVE MY ALL FOR YOU!!! SO PLEASE BE GENTLE!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!»

Natsuki’s face contorted with an almost tangible pain upon hearing his underclassmen’s rallying cry. Shaking his head slightly at the crowd’s lack of reaction, he turned back to her, "Y… Yeah, no, I had no expectations of the sort. Just, you know, people tend to come here to chat. Enjoy themselves. Meet new faces… You looked like you were lacking in… Well, all the above." … Natsuki took a moment to append in his mind, Namely the "enjoy yourself" part. With good timing, however, the table’s host put forth his own invitation,

«Well, everyone their own, eh? Wanna have anything? ’s on us, naturally, jou-chan. I mean you look like you had a really hard time.»

Ah, the magic of alcohol. Natsuki chimed in, "We won’t bite! So if you’ve got nothing better to do, you should come over! More the merrier!" He felt that with potentially more strangers at the table, he would have an excuse to revisit the intriguing topic from just before; he decided to push the topic forward.

"Ugh, so, the Missfits have been doing this for a while then, huh, longer than I’d heard… You said they were planning another attack tonight? That’s what, three attacks in two nights?! Jeese, someone’s looking for trouble… I’m shocked we haven’t rounded everyone up and strung them up yet... " Natsuki would then realize he would be ignoring the girl they were trying to include; to rectify this, he turned back towards her, adding lightly, "With a cast like that, I imagine you’re no stranger to this kind of stuff, huh? The fighting in the streets, Skill-Out and Missfits are old news to you?" In case she didn’t care for the topic, Natsuki played some insurance, popular rumors that anyone in a fight might know about; He needed to find common ground and her injury and demeanor were all he had to work with, "Or the Level 5’s getting swatted down like flies these days, hahah! One of them by a Level 0, no less! I bet it’s stories like those that’s got everyone looking for a fight. You know any of your own?" Natsuki nonchalantly passed the topic to her, making an exaggerated, lighthearted boxing motion.

"Is that a challenge?" Jin asks, his mind already spinning on how we would attempt exactly that... How could he possibly escape Academy City itself, if he couldn't break into one lousy school?

Oh, whoops. He accidentally let his true intentions slip into his thoughts.

At least he didn't say it out loud.

His face momentarily slipped as he re-gathered himself and focused on the task at hand- That is to say, having fun.

Jin frowned as his new ally pointed out the flaws in his flawless brilliant scheme. What a spoilsport! But a spoilsport with a point, in the end, still had a point. "Welllll... There are all-girl Skill Out gangs, buuuut.... I see your point."

The face Jin made told the whole story of the time when, in his youth and naivety, he imagined female delinquents to be the beautiful tsunderes they inevitably are in manga.

Real life is rarely so convenient, and Takamiya Jin, for one, is unlikely to forget that soon.

"You can't really call /those things/ girls, after all." He mutters under his breath, to complete the ensemble, and distract from his earlier mishap.

Aaaand he smoothly transitions into his next thought, a thought totally based on what his male-delinquent buddy had to suggest.

"A rodeo? Hmm, an interesting thought... But where would I get a bull at this time of night? I'll have to look into it... But a good idea nonetheless! But as for finding Midgets... Hmmm... Oh!
I know!"

Jin raises his finger to the sky as epiphany strikes, a grin spreading across his face.

"As an expositing turtle once said, 'The view is always better from the rooftops!' Clearly,
we just need a better angle on things! To the skies!"

If there is one thing Takamiya Jin can never get enough of, it's being a nuisance. But shortly behind that on his list of things he enjoys, is swinging around in the sky like a psychic raised by monkeys in some rainforest!

After her own speech, she looked around the crowd. The silence was something that should be expected given the circumstances, but Kana herself was slightly surprised for some reason. She had expected interest or an applause, and find herself taken aback slightly. However, it was no longer her turn to speak. She quietly stepped aside, allowing the introductions to continue.

When Kamijou-chan introduced herself, it was almost painful to watch. Even for Kana who had taken the introductions into an entirely unintended direction, it was plain to see. Kana felt a little bad for her, knowing that the silence that now awaited her, after her attempt to rile up the crowd seemingly. Kana turned towards the stage idol, expecting things to move on, but even she seemed unsure of how to proceed.

«OK…let’s just move on, yeah? Yeah!? Goodie! Perfect? Nya? So…uuuh…right. RIGHT!!!! We are going to sing!!!! Uuuuuuuuuuuuu. So…what can you actually sing…?»

Ah, right. Kana hadn't thought too much about it, having been somewhat concerned with the environment and crowd, but she did have to sing a song to them. It wasn't like she didn't know songs, though. She had been in choir before, and on top of that she knew songs from various arcade games. Would it be fine to sing anything like that here though? She pondered on it, but there wasn't really much other option but to  at least tell her tell her as much.

Kana went over a list of various songs from choir, and several songs from arcade games with the stage idol. It turned out her list wasn't particularly expansive beyond those categories. It turns out she rarely listened to normal music, which is something Kana had never really considered prior to now.

Kana hadn't thought too much of it, but she realized there could be some incompatibility in songs that both her and Touko might know, so she felt the need to apologize to the idol.

"I'm sorry if this causes any troubles." Kana gave a slight bow, to further show her sincerity. Kana now wondering just how she and Touko were going to proceed from this point.

Keeping a slight glance on the stage as if seeking an answer to the question she had asked, Natsumi was however rewarded by a very piercing cry reaching her ears instead.

«Everyone…my name is…!! I am Kami-yan!!! I am a newcomer, but know this: I WILL GIVE MY ALL FOR YOU!!! SO PLEASE BE GENTLE!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!»

There were no words for the second-hand embarrassment she was feeling at the sight of such a... manly hedgehog.

Afraid that this stupidity would somehow get to her, she simply turned her head back to the group she had been beckoned to join and found herself amused by the boy's very “sharp” observation, though she still was at a rather considerable loss of why she had been called out.

Was it out of a simple altruistic intention of ensuring everyone had fun even if they didn't know the person, or did he want information regarding her peculiar injury?

"Ugh, so, the Missfits have been doing this for a while then, huh, longer than I’d heard… You said they were planning another attack tonight? That’s what, three attacks in two nights?! Jeese, someone’s looking for trouble… I’m shocked we haven’t rounded everyone up and strung them up yet... With a cast like that, I imagine you’re no stranger to this kind of stuff, huh? The fighting in the streets, Skill-Out and Missfits are old news to you?"

It seemed to be the latter, though with a reasoning which was growing to be another source of curiosity for her.

“...Hold on a minute. I hope you're aware that it's possible, even for the elites of Academy City, to actually get injured? Why am I being automatically associated with the delinquents just because I have an arm in a cast when I could've simply gotten injured during P.E or something?”

To be fair, the actual truth behind her injuries was far worse than any petty delinquent association she could've gone with.

(Actually, I kinda wish it'd been delinquents. In hindsight that sounds like something that'd be a lot more easier to live with, wouldn't it?)

Things would very likely grow awkward if she mentioned the truth that, rather than a P.E class gone wrong, her injuries were born from an association with a group of pseudo-terrorists led by a troublemaking meddlesome electromaster and a troublemaking lucky idiot trying to take on the most advanced subject of Level 6 research in the entire city.

“Hell, what is this MissFits thing you've been talking about for a while now, anyway?”

The time it took for them to go through the list of songs Tsukomata knew hadn’t been healthy for them at all, absolutely. With silence enveloping the entirety of the stage, seeping into the crowds and growing into a heavy mass there, the amount of pressure directed at the three of them was impossible to adjust to.

Kamijou gulped as she took note of that while taking a careful glance around.

Everything had been silent. Not in the peaceful way. The world seemed frozen. She could tell people either didn’t mind or they were just terribly disappointed. Except for some commotion at the entrance there was literally nothing. Much like a wasteland.

«…haha…haha…ha…»

A disheartened laughter escaped her lips weakly as she slowly turned to stone herself.


The stage diva was at her wits’ end entirely. She hadn’t expected a special service like this to turn out this badly. She’d thought the worst could be her co-actors screwing up lyrics or simply be overwhelmed by stage fever. But this was beyond hopeless. The ship had sunk entirely.

Their introductions, their behaviour, the impossibility of finding a song for girl A…

She hurriedly turned towards spiky hairs seeking for help, only to notice the girl had been frozen by the ice cold pressure she’d been left all alone with.

«Eeeeh. Really now?»

She’d wave her hand in front of her face, try shaking her, but there was zero reaction whatsoever.

Both were down in their very own sense.

Looking for any way out, she caught her stage roady in the corner of her eyes, giving a rather direct hand signal to cut this farce for now. Yes, she agreed with that decision. Nodding quickly she’d bring the microphone back to her mouth; not as confidant as before but in desperately shy matter.

«O-Ok! We’re going to have a shoooort break. Like really short. Sort our heads and then we’ll be right back! Yes?»

After announcing it to the crowd she quickly titled her head to the failed warriors, using her eyes to direct their attention to what most obviously was the door to the backstage area.

«Yes…?»


The first time Kamijou would find herself able to relax a bit was indeed after heading through the backdoor leading them to cramped area behind that strange karaoke stage abomination. The first few steps still being a harder task considering her mental state of only a moment ago, she felt safe there rather quickly, shrugging everything off forcefully.

She took a few glances around the area, but didn’t mind beyond that. It was just what one would expect. A lot of equipment stashed everywhere, a bunch of people running around and a long corridor leading further in the back, likely harbouring at least one room for artists to relax and of course an additional exit somewhere far in the back.

«…phew…that was terrible…sorry!»

Everything had just gone down the drain somehow and she figured it was mostly her fault over anyone else’s. Therefore she bowed before both the stage diva and twin tails honour student Tsukomata, wearing her most apologetic smile.


Ripped skinny jeans and baggy pants both breathed out happily as the pitiful performance on stage finally came to an end, being replaced by the more relaxing noises of typical idol pop and anisong. A strange combination considering the get-up of the entire place, but it seemed to have been a commonly accepted thing. Another reminder of the guests’ youth.

«Nah. This time ain’t about Skill-Out. MissFits didn’t always go after them, y’know. Shit started only a bunch of days ago, but they’re older than that. ’s other business. Weird shit.»

Baggy spoke up lightheartedly just again, not minding the grimness of the topic.

However while they still did appear rather friendly towards their fellow no-good, they actually did feel a bit taken aback at how blatantly the elite student had ignored their kindness, actually supporting the bad impression rumours and things gave off.

Actually, even worse than that.

Yet in the end they were still polite, so all they’d do was shake their heads, comment on it silently, moving on with the topic, or rather with what the girl herself had thrown into the ring.

«Hell, what is this MissFits thing you've been talking about for a while now, anyway?»

«You don’t know? Seriously what is it with jou-chans. Have no respect and don’t know shit.»

Skinny was the first to jump on the matter, just dropping off a cold comment that’d build on his frustrations from before. Baggy however still seemed to be the friendlier and more talkative kind as he immediately jumped in to deal with the rest. Obviously gossip was his thing.

«MissFits are some new brand of assholes. They’re masked idiots running around the city causing trouble. Started off as pranksters and shit, made fun of others and all that. Apparently anyone can join as long as they’re crazy enough to follow the links posted on some message boards or something.»

«They’re annoying, though, really annoying. They’re like this fun club thing. Not a real gang like Skill-Outs, but something without any sense or meaning. They just run around, do whatever they please, not minding rules or codexes. So they naturally have a bad vibe around them.»

As the grimmer of the two, Skinny’s voice was strongly underlined by annoyance when he interfered.

«Anyway. A month ago or something the MissFits suddenly started showing up. At first all they did was pranking. Sometimes they’d rob stores or transports. Sweets, foods, costumes, then medical appliances, weapons dealers, flower shops, toy stores and whatever weird shit one would come up with. But they’d never actually harm anyone or mess with anyone all too much. They were reckless fun junkies, that’s all. Hell they even minded Anti-Skill and stuff. But then, for some reason they went after Skill-Out gangs just like that. At first people thought it was some revenge strike taken against someone who attacked them or whatever, they used to do that too, but then it started becoming regular. Weird shit.»

The moment he was done, Baggy already began drinking his second glass he’d ordered with experienced hand signs in between of everything.

The two of them most certainly had their vibes going. Tsuchimikado couldn’t help but pity his new friend upon hearing that indication on a rather unfortunate history, patting his back with his hand, while giving him the exact kind of glance one gave to a brother who’d been through hell. However in order to not allow for the humiliation to linger around the other boy, he’d spare him from the painful words.

«No no no. Not get ond. There’s a place. Or more of an area, I guess. Not far from here actually, nya. Totally something worth checking out! All kind of weirdos around, nya~!»

The glasses flashed as his mischievous smile deepened. Obviously there had been more to it than just simple rodeo, but that was something for his goggle wearing buddy to find out about sooner than later. For now what mattered was actual progress, right?

«The skies? That’s perfect, nya~! So wanna climb a building or what? We’d need to find a high one to see everything. I hope you won’t mind breaking in a bit here and there, nya~?»

No-goods till the end of the world. Crimes. Reckless activity. Whatever it was. Those two would dare anything it seemed. Didn’t that alone already make them something to compare to the MissFits? He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. A perfect basis.

Jin accepted the comfort in silence, an unusual act for the city's greatest nuisance. Surely this can only be explained by the sheer level of trauma imprinted upon him by that event... Or by the whims of said nuisance.

Sadly, the moment doesn't last long, as he bounces back as boisterous as ever. "Well,
why didn'tcha say so in the first place! If you knew about a convenient place like that, why'd we have to stand around here talking like a two-bit comedy gang!?"

Jin emphasizes his point with a hearty clap on the back. ""Aren'tcha forgetting something?
Why would we need to break and enter when there's such a convenient thing as ESP! Point the way to that rodeo, partner, and we'll look down from above as we head to check it out! Or my name isn't Takeuchi Sora,
the Sky King!"

Suddenly looking thoughtful, Jin puts up a finger. "Ah, but hold that thought. I'll be right back."

So saying, the Sky King (Self proclaimed) doubles back to grab those metal rods he dropped earlier. Sigh. What a bother, to have a power that needs props to work efficiently. A shame he doesn't have, say, one more of these. Or that rock he dropped earlier. But what the hey, worrying about consequences are for other people. Besides, it's not like he doesn't carry around an emergency supply of pebbles for exactly this reason.

Figuring it'll all work out somehow, the boy makes his way back to his partner in crime.

"Okay! Let's get going! The night won't last forever, ya know!"

The boy places the first bar in the air over his head, locking it in with an imaginary click before hoisting himself up. As he repeats the process with the second bar... Well, it's not as flashy as he would like, but what can he do? Not everyone can be as fabulously acrobatic as the Sky King!

Well, building one's own ladder has it's charms, as well.

The boy called Tsuchimikado Motoharu was truly one of a kind. That prove when he not only answered the surprisingly reckless travelling method suggested by his partner in crime with an impressed whistle, but actually tagged along on the ride with a wide grin on his face devoid of any concern.

He’d just jump from one pole to the other with the ease of a certain plumber who had made video game history.

The journey went on for a while, until they reached high up in the sky. High enough for them to get a good view of the many rooftops the city had, or at least the majority of those.

The colourful lights from all kinds of facades, the electronics spread out throughout the city. LED, light bulbs, sparks, whatever it was, it formed a beautiful mandala like structure robbing anyone of their breath; just so much more beautiful than the actual night time sky you wouldn’t perceive properly from down there either way.

Giving directions for quite a while, the sunglasses boy finally gave a signal by raising and then pointing with his hand.

«Found our place! Right over there. The infamous Academy City rodeo, nya~!»

It was just a bunch of metres, about two or three, below them. Something was flung through the air wildly at speeds that hardly allowed for it to be followed by anyone’s eyes. It travelled quickly, shook heavily and was entirely out of control, seemingly at least. What was it? The panicky yet excited shouts would clearly reveal it to be human. However it wasn’t just that, either.

A boy clang to an object many times smaller than him. It had a somewhat cylindrical body with something akin to a fin sticking out. A hilt?

If one cast a closer look at the object the person was riding on, a hardly visible steel rope would come into notion, one stretching out in a straight line leading below. Its destiny being a high rise building’s roof top, harbour to a collection of people.

«Academy City has many kinds of inventions. Weapons, vehicles, robot animals, super sonic jets, all that kinda stuff. There’s so many ideas coming in everyday and so many being manufactured. However not everything turns out well, hence there’s always prototypes before the actual production, nya. Some are quite messy, some destructive, some are just impossible to use — as in they turn out life threatening, nya~! So of course quite many would be discarded and put into a special scrap yard where they’ll recycle the entire thing to regain the production materials fully ecologically.»

Not minding the act of giving a drawn out exposition whilst doing the impossible climb the boy actually lowered his voice for the proper mysterious flavour.

«However sometimes some of those discarded prototypes disappear just like that. No one checks for them, so it isn’t taken note of anyway, but still there are rumours. Apparently some people actually find use for that trash, nya. Just as you can see over there. Some guy found an old malfunctioning Academy City brand blow dryer, originally designed to offer 300 different output levels to cover all wishes while also being super energy saving, yet somehow ended up threatening to blow people’s heads off when put on the highest setting, had a genius and ta-dah! Rooftop rodeo, nya~!»

Of course there was more to it than just what the joyful speed climber had mentioned, like the addition of the roof top scenery to serve the hardcore thrill seekers, but as a major summary that probably sufficed.

Some people truly were crazy enough to pull it off. Looking at the crowd from above those boys and girls with their colourful hair and clothes pretty much fit that bill. Their shouts from below, paired with the screams of the rider gave off quite a peculiar impression. One that quite well aligned with that of the two boys currently proceeding by jumping from floating pole to floating pole with the very same lack of safety measurements.

«Your call, nya?»

“...Hold on a minute. I hope you're aware that it's possible, even for the elites of Academy City, to actually get injured? Why am I being automatically associated with the delinquents just because I have an arm in a cast when I could've simply gotten injured during P.E or something?”

Natsuki shook his head dejectedly, taking a moment to contemplate the prickly response. Haa~, A miss, then, how boring. Natsuki had optimistically probed for a story... Any story to corral her into discussion about the Missfits, but..., "If could have been an accident, of course. I just hoped the story was something more exciting, you know, something like "Oh, this? You should have seen the other guy!"... It's too bad." He quickly appended without sincerity, "I sympathize though, I'm sorry for your injury." He gave up the lighthearted gestures and went with a nonchalant shrug, happy to end that topic.

“Hell, what is this MissFits thing you've been talking about for a while now, anyway?” Oh. Natsuki was surprised she had taken the direction he had hoped anyway. How lucky. It seemed this prickly customer held at least a passing interest in the unusual name. As he had hoped, at least one of the pair seemed happy to talk to the girl about the Missfits; at least happier than they would have been talking to another guy, free drinks or no. Instead of pressing his own questions, this allowed Natsuki to sit through a recap of the topic; most of this he already knew, but some bits of it were news to him. "They recruit through a message board? What the hell... You'd never know who you're getting..." He pondered aloud, not truly expecting a response. He mulled over the strange concept long enough that it actually offended him enough to rant, "It's ridiculous. It makes no sense... Gangs are supposed to be like... Family, you know? Enemies and allies, family and outsiders; brothers, sisters, and backs to watch your back... That kind of deal... And if not that, then there's ones like the drug gangs... The few at the top with all the power and say; the ones at the bottom simply there to lick up what trickles down... If the Missfits are neither... Where nobody REALLY knows each other, they just know each other through some message board... Well, shit, I suppose it makes sense that they'd be so... Unusual." Just the thought of recruiting outside of people you could trust or control gave Natsuki the creeps, heavily preferring his romanticized notion of a gang as a family built on trust.

Seeing Baggy gesture for another drink, Natsuki was reminded that he had his own glass to drink. It had been left relatively untouched as Natsuki grew engrossed in pursuing the Missfits, so he took a moment to make up some of the difference. As he lowered his cup, and Baggy finished with his order, Natsuki leaned in a little, giving a winning smile, "You said that tonight wasn't going to be about Skill-Out though? You know, you're making it sound like you might know who they're actually going after... Come on, I'll pay for that drink you ordered when it gets here, so don't hold back. Who do you think they're going after tonight?"

A small, awkward laugh escaped her lips as silently as possible. It wasn't due to an apologetic feeling from disappointing the boy sitting in front of her, but rather due to the accuracy of his words; an accuracy that he would never know about.

(I guess what's worth seeing about “the other guy” would be less of the injuries he got and more of how powerful his survival instincts are...)

Barring those comments she found wiser to ignore than to accidentally hint at how deeper the issue was in reply, Natsumi found herself analysing rather deeply on the matter currently being explained to her by an entire group of people, showing that it was indeed no group unheard of by the masses.

It wasn't like she cared much about any group of delinquents, especially having led the life of an elite girl, but this case seemed peculiar on its own seeing how it had almost reached the level of an urban legend amongst the crowds.

(MissFits, huh... Those attacks must have been rather considerable ones if they managed to make the news around students like that. But gatherings like this are still allowed? Wouldn't Judgement be at least overseeing part of it to ensure no further incident happens? They could be hiding in the crowd right now to apprehend the delinquents more easily, but that would still be a risky approach especially if the entire problem only arose recently...)

Her brainstorming was especially encouraged by the impression that this boy, despite his rough features, was quite naïve when it came down to it.

“You're not getting it, are you? What's that about camaraderie in delinquent groups anyway...? The most logical idea to go by is that they want something, though whether that's fame or another goal they have in mind is what's actually up for debate. And if they recruit at random, it not only prevents them from getting nailed by Judgement almost immediately, but also gets their name spread around nicely.” With a pause, she took a small breath and a smirk appeared on her face.

“After all...”

She lifted her finger, and slowly but surely, she proceeded to point at every boy in front of her.

“Any of you could be part of the MissFits, or part of the “planned attack” of tonight, trying to shamelessly advertise.” She then pointed towards herself. “As much as I could be. That kind of manipulation gives birth to a lot more fame than just one group causing trouble only to potentially never get the attention on their actual cause for it. So as I said, the actual question should rather be what they're aiming to do by carrying out attacks at random intervals and with randomly recruited members.”

It's not like she was any particularly familiar with delinquent groups, so much of what she had spoken was a simple deduction of the matter. Perhaps she was right, or perhaps completely off the mark, but in either case she found herself intrigued by this sudden appearance of a group making their name known.

And in these times of dire boredom whenever away from Tokiwadai with her injuries, this rumour had been perfectly timed to captivate her often difficult-to-catch attention.

After going through the list of her songs Kana noted that the idol seemed to be growing increasingly frustrated. Not that Kana could help it if there wasn't any songs she knew that were convenient, however. Kana could only hope that somehow they could get through this without making even more of a scene. It felt as though she were getting further from her actual goal now, glancing towards the crowd to see Natsuki apparently chatting with a few others. It was possible he was actually getting some information on the missfits, while she was stuck up here on the stage. Kana sighed a bit, glancing to see a petrified Touko. It seemed that the idol had noticed as well, announcing a break and gesturing for them to come into the back with her.

Hopefully when this is said and done, Natsuki will have learned something. She thought, as she walked into the back after the two of them. Seemingly nearly right away Touko seemed to relax. Not that it was uncommon to have stage freight, but it did seem a little extreme in this case.

Kana observed the room, noting that it was what you would expect for a back room behind a stage. It didn't seem unusual at all. A little disappointing to her, but it didn't matter much. Kana was expecting the idol to try to come up with some way to save the act, but before they even got to anything like that, Touko  apologized and bowed. It seemed as though she thought it were entirely her own fault. Kana knew that it were definitely to some degree her own fault, though.

"It's not entirely your fault Kamijou-san. It seems I don't know a lot of songs for this kind of situation, so it is my fault to share as well." Kana smiled happily, to try to show a bit of sincerity, and hoped it would make Touko feel better, but she sort of doubted it would have any sort of effect. Touko seemed like the type who just doubted herself at every turn from what she had seen so far.

Kana decided to leave that matter aside, and turned to face the stage idol who led them here. She must have some sort of plan, right? Or perhaps she just wanted to get away from the crowd briefly.

"So are we still going to go through with this? What do you plan to do, exactly? Have us rehearse?" In truth Kana would prefer if it simply was ended before it began, but she wouldn't run from it. If the idol still had plans to continue, then Kana would go through it with it and perform as best as she could.

Everything was alright. Everything was normal. Everything was calming down.

They had fled backstage just a moment ago, but for that short time petite gothic lolita karaoke idol Akirin had taken a short break, not only mentally. She’d shut herself off, taking a bunch of breaths, only to come back the moment both the girls’s apologies concluded.

«Ah, no. Let’s grab a bite! There’s some super good underground pizzeria in some nearby school’s basement!? You heard~!?»

A gearshift. Not only had she pushed aside the entire deal that had put those two through a terrible amount of trouble, she’d simply discarded a portion of her idol persona just like that. Where did the spirit of serving the crowds go? Where did the great performer go? Where did the frustration go? Where the hell did that overly casual talk come from!?

The idol formerly known as Akirin simply smiled at the two of them, as she declared her new intuition, not minding that she had basically just wasted their time more or less.

Yes, she had wasted their time, entirely.

Dumbfounded Kamijou Touko with her shopping bags still at her hands lost it entirely. She’d been trying her most to avoid anything that’d keep her away from her original goal of just making it home somehow, yet this girl had simply come to shatter all of it with not even an ounce of mercy, only to now show her how little that stuff had actually mattered to her.

Biting her lips she tried her most to resist the urge of falling into a raging tantrum, realising for the first time how different the girl seemed compared to back on the stage. She was petite, frail even. Being the smallest of the group and taking into account her soft features she didn’t seem to be much older than 13, which made her seem even more vulnerable. Her brown eyes and pink hair that was tied to a long fluffy pony tail actually added a somewhat squirrel like accent to the matter, yet as she was currently wearing a diadem she more or less suited the fairy tale princess trope, too. Going back on the lolita aspect, though, it would have been perfect if it wasn’t for the hiking boots she’d currently been wearing, which then again brought forth her frailness even more.

The worst part of it, though, was that smile. Innocent, filled with expectations, overly convincing, simply that of the little princess no father would ever find themselves strong enough to resist.

Still…

«No! No! No! I’m not gonna fall for that! Kamijou-san is not gonna fall for another one of those! I’m late already! I need to get home before that freeloading sister decides to turn my head into full dinner replacement! Not that I can escape it anymore, but I can still try keep the damage as low as I can! So no! Sorry. But nooo!»

Her guts exploding Kamijou broke free from the course of the eternal yes-man, transforming into the absolute no-woman instead. Indeed, though, she couldn’t afford to lose any more time did she quite well mind the danger of alopecia continuous gnawing teeth might trigger.

«You’re boring. OK, so I’ll have you tag along for sure ☆»

«I JUST DECLINED DIDN’T IIII!?»

This girl’s entirely carelessly not minding reaction was just too much for the pointy haired idiot, leading to another explosion of her vocal chords. Yet even that wasn’t anything the former stage idol, now totally not normal girl would mind. She’d just sparkly like the little princess of oddity she was.

Leaving the tomboy who was too stupid to notice the easy way out of this at the verge of a breakdown, the girl simply turned towards the Tsukomata, giving her the same cutesy unmindful smile she’d wrecked Touko’s psyche with.

«So you in, too?»

Not that she had a choice.

«We’re gonna have lots of fun tonight I can te–…huuh!?»


«Any of you could be part of the MissFits, or part of the “planned attack” of tonight, trying to shamelessly advertise.»

«Hahaha, nice one. Nice one. Nah, both of us aren’t with them. We’re just some dudes enjoying hangouts, no gang stuff or whatever. The talk’s just thrilling! But ’s why we’re here. Those guys actually do frequent this joint!»

It was Baggy who just couldn’t hold back a short laughter at the Tokiwadai girl’s implication. It was odd to see someone present this high level of deduction in these kinds of circles, so maybe the secondary reason for his laughter was his own lack of capability to follow anymore. Whichever it was, his face turned a bit redder, as he nearly fell backwards holding his stomach.

«They’re prolly after nothing at all. Because if they actually are, I’d be scared shitless about that. I mean, what exactly does someone have to be after if that’s what it takes to do it? That’s gotta be some really severe shit.»

Skinny was most obviously the less trouble enduring type. Thinking to deeply into matters like that obviously didn’t do him well. At least he proved to be smart enough not to, knowing that. Still, even as he spoke there was a tiny ounce of intrigue visible in his eyes.

With his friend still busy getting over the smart-ass ojou's interpretation of the entire deal, he’d turn to the other guy at their table again.

«No need to get him even drunker. He’s already handful to carry home as he is. Siigh. All I know is that there’s another medical transport to some hospital or somethin’. They’ve been robbing these frequently. It’s odd how they’re only targeting one hospital’s, but for some reason even with that set in stone catching them never worked out properly. Might be because they wanna keep Anti-Skill out of that. Odd stuff. Shouldn’t mind that bullshit too much, tho. There’s really dark talk here’n’there…besides…we shouldn’t in here…really.»

Lowering his glance as his words proceeded, his truly gloomy side surfaced. He’d either gotten involved in some of those events that became contents to said dark talk or he may have known somebody who had. Whichever it was, he made it clear that he didn’t wish to have anyone dig further.

It was exactly that time his friend cut in by pushing a freshly poured glass into his hand, smiling kindly while patting on his back comradely for cheering him up’s sake.

Bang!

It was exactly that time the entire space’s completely alright, normal and calm mood was shattered by the roar of gun’s muzzle.

Bang!

It was exactly that time someone’s violent shouts echoed throughout the entire space.

Bang!

It was exactly that time panic erupted among the crowd.

Three bullets had been fired, someone had forced their way in through the entrance, shouting loudly, stirring up everything and throwing that peaceful oasis of teen spirit into chaos.


The no-longer-stage-idol’s eyes widened as all of a sudden the shadow of a person appeared from behind, forcefully grabbing her arm.

However, it was then Kamijou and Tsukomata would first realise it. As they would try to grasp the attacker’s shape, they would feel it for the first time. The world’s haziness, their bodies’ heaviness. From one moment to the other it had come over them, an extreme amount of tiredness, feeling as though they hadn’t slept for a week straight.

From one moment to the other they would fall from casually lively, to dead tired.

So tired…

…they would only see what seemed to be the frail princess being dragged away by a…owl?…

…before the curtains fell.

The ease at which his temporary partner keeps up brings a dangerous grin to Jin's face. He can't help but up his speed gradually, as the artificial blonde directs him across the sky. He notes that the boy never responded to the obviously fake name Jin gave... But hey, with it being so obviously fake, who would!? Still, a fake name was better than having nothing to call someone, no?

Off in the distance, an owl rose to the sky- The darkness of the night obscuring it enough to make it seem a lot smaller and closer than it actually was.

Suddenly, the inexplicable nighttime-sunglasses wearer called out their destination.

Moments later, a living projectile launched just beneath them.

This was the rodeo.

Jin listened to the explanation of what was going on with a grin- Especially the part about dangerous, experimental, and poorly tracked tech. If he could find this scrapyard, maybe he could find something to help him get out of this prison city. Who knows, worst comes to worst he just gets to have a good time fussing around with weird stuff.

Or, you know, blows his own head off with a hairdryer. But Jin isn't known for pessimism.

"I see, I see. I have just one question..."

Jin looks pointedly at the human canonball holding tightly to the overpowered hairdryer.

"How long's the line for that thing?" Jin asks, as he grips one of the poles between his feet, and pivots using the other pole in order to maintain his strange ladder.