Chapter 102: Dire News

"Have you ever heard of the 'Legacy'?"

In the Seventh District at night.

Walking alongside Kamijou, Kakine brought it up.

At a glance, they might have looked like two delinquent friends out for some late-night fun. In reality, however, both the situation and their conversation were far removed from anything so trivial.

"Legacy… whose?"

Kamijou tilted his head in confusion.

Even he could guess that the boy walking beside him wasn’t just an ordinary inhabitant of his world. It was something in the atmosphere—similar to Tsuchimikado Motoharu or Stiyl Magnus—those who lived fighting in the shadows. That same "distance" clung to Kakine.

But that didn’t mean Kamijou distrusted him. After all, whatever his motives at the time, Kakine had stood alongside him to defend this city.

"Tch… Guess there’s no point worrying about how soft your brain is. Kihara Gensei. That bastard whose entire scheme crumbled after you decked him. He’s still locked up somewhere in Academy City. He’s not dead, but… well, with all his resources destroyed, calling him ‘as good as dead’ wouldn’t be wrong."

Kakine’s offhand tone made Kamijou drop his gaze slightly.

So Gensei wasn’t dead—that was at least some relief. But it still left a sour feeling. Kamijou didn’t really understand the law, yet the fact that the resolution of the incident had slipped beyond their reach gnawed at him.

"Anyway. ‘Kihara Gensei’s Legacy’ has been left scattered across this city. I need to dig into that. Been running investigations up until recently."

His words carried a casual air, but his eyes held a genuine seriousness, a sincerity that reminded Kamijou of the way Tsuchimikado thought of Maika. It made him quietly glad.

"…Hah? What’re you grinning about? Nothing I just said was funny."

"Sorry, sorry. …So, what about this Legacy of Gensei’s? I’m just your run-of-the-mill high school student. I don’t even know where my next New Year’s money is coming from, let alone some Legacy."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. Doesn’t matter if you don’t know. I’ve already tracked down one of ‘em anyway. …‘Personality Awakening Makeup.’ Ring a bell?"

Personality Awakening Makeup.

At that phrase, Kamijou involuntarily sucked in a breath.

Ring a bell? More than that.

He had once saved the Sisters caught up in that very project, crushing the plan in the process. And later, he had used the data from it to save a certain girl.

"You know it, don’t you. That’s what I figured. Here’s the main point… Tell me what you know. Without it, I’m in a bit of a bind."

Kamijou didn’t notice it, but Kakine’s pressure in that moment was enough to make any other denizen of the ‘darkness’ recoil.

In Kakine’s worldview, to interfere with a project was to possess its experimental data. And in this scientific city, such data was priceless ‘property.’

Given that Kamijou had brought the plan down himself, he should have been fully aware of its importance. And there was no way he would simply hand it over to someone from the dark side like Kakine.

In other words, Kakine had known from the start this negotiation would fail.

And so, for the sake of his goal, he intended to crush Kamijou Touma and tear the information out of him.

Unaware of that, Kamijou scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.

"Sorry, Kakine. Honestly, I only helped out a little bit after the fact. I don’t really know much about the data. Misaka or maybe Reicia would probably know more, though."

"……………………"

Kakine listened, his face slackening with genuine disappointment.

And then, he understood.

That people like this idiot—or like Reicia Blackguard—simply didn’t operate by the ‘rules’ of darkness.

How many times had he already been thrown off balance by this alien sense of ‘atmosphere’? Maybe it was time he finally learned to keep the proper distance.

If malice was to be surpassed, it had to be with malice.

If goodwill was to be deceived, it too required malice.

Shifting his mindset, Kakine put on a charming smile, all while hiding the blade he was ready to drive into Kamijou’s back.

"Then do me a favor. Take me to White-Black Saw Blade Jagged Edge. I don’t have her contact info."

"Sure, but… does it have to be right now? It’s not lights-out yet, but it’s still an ojou-sama school. Dropping in’s gonna be…"

"It has to be now."

As he spoke, three pure-white wings burst from Kakine’s back.

"And don’t worry. School rules at an ojou-sama academy—"

With no clear logic, Kamijou’s body suddenly lifted into the air.

Watching him float, Kakine grinned boldly.

"—don’t apply to me."

"Wait, hold on! That may sound cool, but this is just gonna get us arrested as suspicious intruders!?"

Kamijou’s perfectly sensible protest—

—of course, had no effect whatsoever on the Number Two.

Chapter 3: The Value of a Soul Is Worthless — Double(Square)_Faith.
Episode 86: Dire News — Scientific_Occultist.

Elsewhere—Reicia and Misaka.

Having let Kinuhata slip away after being outplayed, the two of them were now moving together with the girl leader, Iisui Rita.

After entering the building in pursuit of Kinuhata, Misaka had discovered Rita collapsed inside. (Thanks to Rita’s quick thinking, her "Disgraceful Achievement" had managed to stay hidden.)

Later, Rita posed as a member of Judgment on the spot. Since her goals aligned with Misaka and Reicia, who were chasing the Doppelgänger, they decided to work together temporarily.

《She’s obviously from a dark side organization.》

Reicia’s suspicious gaze bored into Rita’s back as the girl led them forward.

《It’s just too shady. Judgment suddenly recruiting local collaborators? If nonsense like that were true, Kamijou Touma would already be the very symbol of Academy City’s public safety.》

《No, I don’t think that’s the kind of thing Touma-san would ever get involved in…》

Shiren answered with a wry smile to Reicia’s sharp words, but he did not outright deny her suspicions either.

In fact, given that even the dark side’s information networks had only just detected the incident (implying an information lockdown was in place), there was no way an "official" group like Judgment could have mobilized this quickly. That was the obvious conclusion.

Still, for now, Rita didn’t appear to harbor any hostile intent toward Misaka or Reicia. Since she possessed abilities useful for reconnaissance, the two decided not to press her for now and let her move freely.

"There… over there."

In the nighttime factory complex, surrounded by high-pressure gas holders and coolant facilities, Rita whispered.

Below them, a lone girl walked with soft, steady footsteps.

She wore surgical scrubs, and aside from her ashen-gray skin—which matched no known human race—she looked like an ordinary girl. Yet the sight of such a "normal girl" casually walking through an industrial factory in the dead of night was in itself inhuman.

"Reicia. I don’t need your help for this."

"Please wait. Let me speak with her before you resort to violence."

Misaka, ready to use magnetism to pin down the Doppelgänger by binding her in steel beams and concrete, was stopped by Shiren.

Misaka gave an exasperated look—seriously, at this point?—but she had to admit, the Doppelgänger hadn’t been destroyed yet. Maybe words could still reach her.

If the Doppelgänger really did share the same mentality as Kuriba Ryouko, then someone who already knew her might have a chance of finding a path to reconciliation.

"Doppelgänger-san!"

From atop a building, Shiren spread the black-and-white "fracture" wings from his back and descended in front of the Doppelgänger.

The move was so reckless that everyone froze in disbelief, but Shiren continued without hesitation.

"I heard about your escape from the lab. And about your attack on Kuriba-san. If your consciousness is truly Kuriba-san’s own, then it’s nothing but tragic. …I have no intention of treating you like some lab animal. Isn’t there a way we can walk a path together?"

Up to now, every single character had regarded the Doppelgänger only as a "dangerous monster."

But let’s add another premise here.

Until she escaped, the Doppelgänger believed herself to be "Kuriba Ryouko."

In other words, she thought of herself as a human being. If such a "person" were suddenly told she wasn’t human—then looking at it that way, it wasn’t strange to feel sympathy for her actions so far.

More than that—

Wasn’t it only natural for a softhearted fool to cling stubbornly to dialogue in such a case?

"……White-Black Saw Blade Jagged Edge, is it. To think such words would come up at this point… no, at this point in time, I must admit I didn’t expect it…"

With a sharp thump! the Doppelgänger leapt, instantly closing the distance to Reicia.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a rejection of dialogue. On top of that, given Jagged Edge’s attack speed, retreating any further would only get her restrained. Which meant a preemptive strike was her only option.

《Foolish… just like a moth to the flame!》

《No, Reicia-chan… you’re wrong!》

While Reicia prepared to capture her with ease using the "fractures," Shiren shouted in denial and used his "fracture" wings to launch into the air, dodging.

Against a Level 5 esper’s mobility, even superhuman speed meant nothing. Before the Doppelgänger’s charge could connect, Reicia had already escaped skyward. But—

"…Hmph. So she’s cautious by nature. This is going to be troublesome."

The Doppelgänger stood still in an unnatural position.

Yes—if Reicia had attacked just now, the "fractures" she intended to use for capture could very well have torn the Doppelgänger apart instead.

《I knew it… I don’t know the exact reason, but the Doppelgänger is deliberately moving in ways that let herself get destroyed without actually shutting down. The whole ‘soul diffusion hypothesis’ might be far-fetched, but… even so, it’s clear destruction itself is the trigger for whatever phenomenon she’s trying to cause.》

《……Capture without destruction, then. With White-Black Saw Blade Jagged Edge, that would normally be simple. But if she keeps thoroughly forcing herself into situations where she’ll be destroyed, like just now… that’s going to be troublesome.》

To a certain extent, Reicia could control the movement of her "fractures." But if the other side was intentionally trying to get herself destroyed, she would have to account for that with every move.

And for Shiren, who wanted dialogue before anything else, this kind of standoff was far from ideal.

"Why would you deliberately move in ways that get you destroyed!? Tell me your goal! At this rate, you’ll only end up being broken apart! If we both tried to reach out, surely there could be another path…!"

"Sorry, but I’ve no intention of humoring you with words. As for the Railgun—"

The Doppelgänger cut herself off and leapt nimbly aside. An instant later, a chunk of concrete wall, torn apart by magnetic force, slammed into the spot where she’d just been standing.

"──I’d already predicted a possible fight ever since we crossed paths at the lab, but… in this situation, things are looking a little worse."

"Then allow me to give some super cooperation."

Zash!

From the shadows, a girl emerged.

Kinuhata Saiai.

Like the Scavenger squad, she was one of the forces pursuing the Doppelgänger—but…

"…………,"

"Our ‘client’ just gave us a change of orders. For now, I’ve been told to follow your wishes for how this should play out. Rest assured, I’m super on your side."

The Doppelgänger’s response was simple.

Gonnn! A fist slammed into Kinuhata’s cheek.

"…………I said I was covering for you, so super just obey and go along with it, you puppet!"

Kinuhata’s glare sharpened, and she delivered a kick to the Doppelgänger’s side.

The impact sent the Doppelgänger flying several meters, yet her frame showed no signs of damage—likely because Kinuhata had held back. It was less a kick and more a shove with her leg, pushing her away.

That was when Misaka moved.

Caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, she had hesitated for a moment. But now, realizing the Doppelgänger could end up abducted by Kinuhata if she did nothing, she wasted no more time. Unlike in their earlier battle, there was no one here the Doppelgänger could use as a shield. Which meant…

"…For now, you can just sleep!!"

A flash of purple lightning.

A spear of thunder roared forward, straight toward Kinuhata—

"Don’t you super get why I kept my distance just now?"

Whoosh! From Kinuhata’s side, silvery feather-like fragments scattered upward, dispersing the lightning.

Amidst the flurry of silver snow, Kinuhata spoke.

"Disruption Feathers, Chaff Seeds. Normally they’re for jamming radar, but used this way, they super work as a counter to electricity too. …Don’t forget, I am Item."

"Tch…!!"

Her lightning was neutralized.

Reicia could have pierced that defense using her wind manipulation, but that wasn’t the point—their goal wasn’t defeating Kinuhata, but capturing the Doppelgänger.

So Reicia ignored Kinuhata for now and closed in on the Doppelgänger, who had been blown back and was trying to create distance—

But Kinuhata wasn’t the only intruder.

This wasn’t just Scavenger anymore—Item had been dispatched as well.

Shiren and Reicia, unfamiliar with the deeper workings of the dark side, didn’t think much of it. But in reality, it was strange. If the same client had given the order, even to different squads, the jobs would never conflict. It wouldn’t make sense for Scavenger to risk being eliminated by Kinuhata on the same mission.

The fact that there was a conflict at all meant someone else had also placed an order to capture the Doppelgänger.

But who?

Even if her origins were unusual, she was just a runaway cyborg. What kind of eccentric would place such value on her—?

"──Yo, yo. Looks like you’re in a real pinch, huh? Two Level 5 espers teaming up? That’s a bit of an overkill for this playground, don’t you think?"

Wild blond hair.

Tattoo covering half his face.

A lab coat hanging from his shoulders.

A man radiating rough, violent energy—

"…Kihara Amata…!?"

"Pinpon! Correct answer, well done! And since you did your homework like a good little student, you get a reward!"

Kew! Amata whistled through his teeth.

"N…gah!?"

Reicia’s body, which had been suspended in midair by the aerodynamic energy of her 『Cracks』 wings, suddenly shook violently from side to side. Neither she nor Shiren understood what had just happened.

The airflow she had been able to manipulate so effortlessly was completely thrown into chaos by nothing more than a single whistle. She had no idea what principle was behind it, but the only thought that stuck with her was a resigned "If it’s Kihara Amata, he’d totally pull this off."

"Kh…! Why are you here…!?"

"Why? That’s obvious. ’Cause it looked fun—and if things just ended here, it wouldn’t be any fun at all. That’s the only reason. C’mon, puppet. Ending things here wouldn’t be much fun for you either, right?"

"……"

"Well, I guess there’s no way you can judge in a situation like this. Fine then, your kind uncle will input just one, very important parameter for you."

With one unexpected turn after another leaving the Doppelgänger at a loss, Kihara Amata leaned in and whispered something in a low voice. That seemed to settle the Doppelgänger’s decision. Extending its right arm straight toward Amata—

"Now then, science girls. ────It’s occult time."

Without the slightest hesitation, Kihara Amata tore the Doppelgänger’s arm clean off.

Immediately after— The rubble scattered around them began to rise into the air on its own.

──From that point on, Misaka and Reicia had no moves left.

With Reicia’s mobility stripped away by Kihara Amata, Misaka—already hindered by Kinuhata, who nullified her electricity with the Chaff Seed of Confusion Feathers—had no way to pursue the Doppelgänger. And with both girls forced to deal with the possessions occurring from 『Soul Diffusion』, the Doppelgänger and Kihara Amata were able to escape unscathed from not just one, but two Level 5 espers.

Kinuhata also fled the moment she realized Reicia had returned to the battlefield, and in the end, the three of them were left unable to even fight properly, let alone capture the Doppelgänger.

But the real shock to Reicia and Misaka lay elsewhere.

"Wait…what the hell is going on!? That was the same guy who showed up when we fought Gensei, right!? Why was he here!?"

"I have no idea, don’t ask me! And more importantly, why was Amata-san helping the Doppelgänger…? Sure, a fully robotic construct through cyborg technology might be an interesting theme, but it’s hardly the kind of thing a ‘Kihara’ would have their eyes on…"

That, too, was something Reicia and Shiren couldn’t understand. They didn’t know why Kihara Amata would target the Doppelgänger.

What they didn’t know was that Kihara Amata wasn’t driven by any scientific theme or academic curiosity. He usually acted purely out of immediate, pragmatic reasons… but that aside—

"(…Damn it, even the Kihara clan has to get involved… in a place like this…)"

Iizumi, completely discouraged, still refused to give up and kept using her ability to pursue the Doppelgänger’s trail. If she failed this job, she had nowhere left to go. Not to mention, her arm had literally been blown off—making her state as a "capture operative" more than a little questionable.

And then— In the middle of all the confusion, Reicia received a transmission.

From the comms device that was always linked for contact with their "Members," came the urgent voice of their partner, Baba.

"Reicia! Shiren! Thank god I got through… Listen, you two need to stay calm and hear me out!"

What he reported carried such overwhelming impact that it swept aside every hardship the girls had been facing up to now.

"──── Nurikae Onrei has broken out of prison!!!!"