Chapter 114: The Aurora of Ruin, Once Again

──The first thing that caught my eye was the sight of Adabana-san collapsed on the ground.

Her maid uniform was shredded down to a surface area barely larger than a bikini. Strange, though—despite her clothes being torn that badly, her body itself didn’t seem to bear any serious external wounds. Could it be that the fabric was ripped purely by blunt strikes? Just what kind of brute strength and bodily durability does that imply?

"Tohma-san."

"Yes."

"Close your eyes."

"Yes."

Pulling myself together.

Standing opposite Adabana-san were two Tokiwadai students.

One of them I knew well. The number two of Tokiwadai’s largest faction—Hokaze-san.
Her clothes, too, were torn all over. Most likely she’d gotten snagged by Adabana-san’s macuahuitl. The scrapes on her bare skin peeking out from the rips seemed to confirm as much.

And the other one.
Thanks to information I’d gotten from Baba-san, I recognized her as a participant in a "previous incident."

Her name was Yumiya Iruka-san. A third-year at Tokiwadai, captain of the archery club. She had been one of the perpetrators in the kidnapping attempt against Shokuhou-san. Though the ringleader, Houjou Arei (also a Tokiwadai third-year, and despite being Level 2, admitted as a "special exchange student" thanks to her own skill), had in a sense covered for her, claiming "Iruka was only being used." Because of that, she had been practically let off scot-free.

If I remembered correctly, she’d also been acting together with Hokaze-san during the whole near-miss Internal Evolution Ideal case.

…Which means, I really should have noticed earlier. Yumiya Iruka-san must be related to that "School" sniper—Yumiya Rakko-san. Probably sisters.

That would explain her presence here. But still… why had Adabana-san been defeated by the two of them, and why on top of that was Rakko-san being protected???

"──That’s enough!!"

For now, things looked like they’d spiral out of control, so I stepped forward and helped Adabana-san up.

Hokaze-san and Iruka-san both looked shocked, but from my perspective, I was on Adabana-san’s side here.

"(Y-you idiot…! Take a hint…! You’re not supposed to be on this side!!)"

…???
Adabana-san said something like that, but I couldn’t quite grasp what she meant. She was my employer, so obviously I couldn’t side with Hokaze-san.

There must have been some kind of misunderstanding going on. If we didn’t clear it up, things would just get even messier.

《…Ahaaa?》

《Reicia-chan? Did you figure something out?》

《Mmm… I think so. But Shiren, just stay the way you are for now. Adabana seems to be needlessly overthinking things. Honestly, this kind of overprotectiveness crosses the line into boorishness.》

With a sigh laced with exasperation, Reicia-chan whispered in my mind, then seized control of the body.

Hokaze-san and Iruka-san stood poised for combat—but…

"You two. I think you’re misunderstanding something. The villains this time are your side."

A plain and straightforward explanation dropped from her lips.

"………………Eh???"

Naturally, Hokaze-san’s side was the one blindsided.
After all, they’d been fighting this whole time under the impression that they were protecting Rakko-san.

While Hokaze-san’s complexion steadily paled, Reicia-chan continued.

"The trigger for this conflict was my former fiancé, Nurikae Onorei, having his body taken over by a certain researcher. We chose to find a way to save him before his body suffered fatal damage. Meanwhile, the sniper over there—Yumiya Rakko’s group—decided to sacrifice Nurikae in order to obtain the information stored in that researcher’s brain. Therefore, we were the ones fighting to protect Nurikae."

"Th-th-th-that means…"

"And besides, Rakko had attacked us even before that. We even handed her over to Anti-Skill once. Somehow she escaped, though."

"……………………"

Ah… that look of pained realization…

…? Wait. So Hokaze-san was fighting Adabana-san without realizing the truth? That doesn’t seem like her—she’s not usually the type to jump in hotheaded without questions. Something about this feels strange.

As if—Adabana-san deliberately let the misunderstanding stand, just so they would fight…

"(Y-you idiot! You’ve ruined it!! I was trying so hard to play the villain…!)"

Adabana-san hissed at me from the side, and only then did the full picture come into focus.

Most likely—when she had defeated Rakko-san, Hokaze-san and Iruka-san had arrived on the scene.
At that moment, Adabana-san had realized Rakko was close to them, and in order to give them a reason to protect her, she chose to play the villain herself.

《…But I still don’t get it. If she just wanted them to protect Rakko, couldn’t she have simply handed her over? The two of them fought so desperately for Rakko, they would have accepted her no matter what.》

《You don’t understand, Shiren. Adabana’s reasoning is this: “It’s easy to let the two of them protect Rakko here. But Rakko’s soul is far too tainted to simply accept salvation.”》

………Wh-what does that even mean???

《You, Shiren, tend to think everyone deserves to be saved, right? But unconditional salvation only leaves the one saved with lingering guilt. It’s like how I could only truly move forward once I settled the relationships you set up for me with my own hands.》

………Ah. I see. So basically…

《Adabana chose to play the hated villain, in order to force Rakko to face her sins, to give her the chance to struggle for her comrades’ sake… is that it?》

《Exactly. Though, from my point of view, it’s an overprotective, utterly graceless move.》

《Ehh…? Maybe it’s roundabout and clumsy, but I think it’s kind.》

《You fool!》

Reicia-chan sharply rebuked me.

《If she really wanted to give Rakko a chance at spiritual redemption, this isn’t the way! Such a thing isn’t achieved in the flow of a single skirmish. Besides, those two don’t even know the full extent of Rakko’s past crimes. Redemption earned under such conditions is meaningless!》

…Ugh. She might have a point.

《If it’s to be done, then everything must be laid bare. The ugly parts, the shameful parts, all of it spilled out. Only then can judgment be passed. Only then can atonement be made. That is what true redemption means. …Do you really think that women who, even when battered and bleeding, still stand up to protect their comrades would lack the strength of heart to accept that kind of taint? What I call ‘boorishness’ is precisely that shallow underestimation of their resolve.》

……………………

Yeah. On this point, Reicia-chan was absolutely right.

"S-so without realizing that… I-I’m terribly sor—"

"No need. It seems Adabana here understood all that, and chose to fight anyway—"
"Exactly! And thanks to her, one of our precious fighters is now completely out of commission!!"
"Reicia-chan???"

Oh no. Oh no no no, Reicia-chan! Don’t tell me…

Y-you’re trying to use this perfect opportunity to recruit Hokaze-san to our side, aren’t you!?

"I-I can still fight—"

"Silence, you fake-cold-hearted, meddlesome woman."

"F-fake!?"

Ah. Even Adabana-san’s attempt to stop her got cut down…

Well, I mean, yeah. Gaining two Level 4 powerhouses here would be… way too much of an advantage, honestly.

But still—both of them are, in the end, members of Shokuhou’s faction. If we just rope them in like this without care, won’t that cause political headaches later? Then again… Shokuhou’s faction did smash one of our people, so unless we settle this with some kind of compensation right now, that would cause even bigger problems down the line…

Dammit. Reicia-chan’s logic makes more sense than mine…

But still, I don’t want to drag uninvolved outsiders into our mess. Even if, realistically, factional pride means they’re already involved… Ugh. How did it come to this…

"In any case—are you prepared to make amends? In exchange for overlooking this little outrage, you two will work yourselves ragged for us today. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to explain everything properly to Shokuhou."

"…Understood."

"…Doesn’t seem like we have a choice."

And so, Hokaze-san and Iruka-san—two new fighters—ended up joining our side.

Ah, and by the way, Adabana-san was retrieved by some of the women from our sub-organization. Not just because she was injured, but because her clothing was far too shredded to be ethically acceptable anymore. I’m pretty strict about those things.

Of course, Rakko-san was also taken with them. After seeing what just happened, there was no way she could be left to fester in the dark side any longer…

Chapter Three: The Worth of a Soul Is Worthless – Double(Square)_Faith.
Episode 94: The Ruinous Radiance Returns – Revenger.

──About five minutes later.

With Tohma-san, Hokaze-san, and Iruka-san on board, we were heading toward the peak of a certain mountain in District 21—the place the other Kuriba-san had supposedly gone. Well, "mountain peak" sounds impressive, but it’s really just a halfway point between a hill and a mountain, about 200 meters high—a light hiking course at best. Still, being part of a mountainous area, it’s a spot even in District 21’s "Messages from Mars boom" that few people come near.

That’s probably exactly why the other Kuriba-san headed there. But even so, I still don’t understand her true goal. Why did she escape from the lab in the first place? If it was just to avoid being treated as a test subject, then using that kind of flashy destructive power seems counterproductive. Just where is she planning to end up?

"Before we arrive, let’s go over our movements at the site."

During the aerial journey, Reicia-chan spoke to those stored inside the cocoon of the "Rift" on her back.

"First, our objective is releasing Nurikae Onrei. To do that, we must cancel the 'possession' by Kihara Gensei."

"……"

The moment those words left her mouth, I noticed Hokaze-san’s body stiffen slightly. It wasn’t so obvious, but she definitely twitched at that.

"…Hokaze-san? Is there something troubling you?"

"N-no… It’s just, by 'cancel,' do you mean there’s actually a way to do that…?"

"Hm? Oh. I just need to touch it with my right hand and that should do it."

Kamijō-san replied to Hokaze-san’s question like it was nothing. Not much finesse in that answer, but yeah, it’s probably the fastest way.

"………………"

For some reason, Hokaze-san subtly shifted away from Kamijō-san after hearing that. …Why? Not that it matters, but…

《Could it be that Hokaze herself is under some kind of ability effect? Like carrying around a buff from Shokuhō.》
《Ah, yeah, that’d make sense.》

If that’s the case, then sure, I can buy it. But her reaction to the word "possession" is still puzzling…

"Um, Kamijō-san, why do you think she avoided you just now…?"

"Well, well, no need to fuss over it. In her place, I’ll move in closer to you."
"Reicia-chan, boundaries!!"

"Are these people really going to be okay…?"

Anyway, back on topic.

"In any case, Tohma touching Nurikae with his right hand is our victory condition. Of course, we’ll face obstacles like the Doppelgänger and Kihara Amata. Those two pieces seem to be hostile toward Nurikae, but considering Frenda and Kinuhata Saiai showed up, we can probably expect 'ITEM' to intervene as well."

"Item?"

"It’s the small elite group that included the likes of Kakine Teitoku, whom you defeated, Yobou Banka, whom I defeated, and Iruka-san’s elder sister Yumiya Rakko. Basically, think of them as a villain organization and you’ll have the right idea."

Reicia-chan brushed past that part almost deliberately and continued,

"Well, I already beat their leader to a pulp, so I doubt they’ll come charging straight at us. But if they do, we’ll just toss them over to Mikoto this time."

"Misaka-sama is here as well?"

Hokaze-san tilted her head at Reicia-chan’s wicked grin.

Ah, right. We hadn’t mentioned that Misaka-san was around. So I nodded and explained,

"Yeah. Misaka-san has been pursuing the Doppelgänger—the other Kuriba-san—since the beginning. She should also be heading to the mountaintop. We’ll need to be ready to coordinate once we meet up with her."

"As for me… as you know, all I can do is fight unarmed. It’ll be difficult for me to oppose this Kihara who’s said to be possessing Nurikae-sama."

"I can manipulate vibrations… but even for me, handling an opponent that Hokaze-san would struggle against is no easy feat."

Both Hokaze-san and Iruka-san grimaced as they said this.

They’re both Level 4 high-level espers, and Hokaze-san especially—I mean, she only seems overshadowed because she’s always beside Shokuhō-san, but honestly, she might as well be a Level 5. She’s that amazing. Still, with Gensei-san pumping out what feels like angel-tier power this time, anyone lacking serious defensive capability is going to have a rough time…

"Regarding Gensei-san and the other Kuriba-san, Tohma-san and I will handle them. Rather, what we’d like from you two is to keep the rest of the enemies off our backs so that we can focus on the fight."

(If she’s here,) Mugino-san can be left to Misaka-san, but there are still people like Amata-san and Kinuhata-san—dangerous ones you really don’t want to ignore. Just dealing with Gensei-san and the other Kuriba-san is going to push us to the limit. If those two decided to butt in on top of that… yeah. Honestly, thank god we secured the cooperation of these two. Without them, we might’ve been dead already.

"Understood."

"Got it."

Right as the two of them nodded, it seemed we had arrived at our destination.

We safely landed just below the summit, hiding ourselves among the brush. …If Mugino-san and her lot were already waiting at the top, swooping in all casually would’ve been like saying “Please, shoot us.”

Now then, the summit… good. Nobody’s here.

As for Misaka-san… hopefully we didn’t miss her on the way. Maybe I should give her a call?

"Ah! You…!"

It was Misaka-san’s voice.

Looking over, I saw her climbing up the mountain toward us. It didn’t look like the Masked one was with her though… Guess they must’ve retreated halfway—well, it is a dark side group, so that’d make sense.

"Misaka-san! What about the Masked one?"

"Hm? Oh, her? She’s moving separately right now. I’ve got her tracking the Doppelgänger."

Huh. Unexpected. So she really is still playing the navigator role after all.

"…More importantly. They’re he-re."

…Eh?

The chill ran down my spine the instant Misaka-san spoke.

A beam of annihilation carved into the earth as it rained down from the summit straight toward us.

The only reason I didn’t immediately dive for cover was because I saw Misaka-san step in front of us as our shield at the last moment.

With a crackling ZZZRRRT!! of blue-white sparks, Misaka-san twisted away the incoming Atomic Collapse Meltdowner barrage as if it were nothing.

…Yeah, that was the kind of attack that even with Jagged Edge we’d never stand a chance of blocking.

"…So you come out first, huh. You could’ve waited a bit longer, since you already had the summit. Or what, did you just get impatient?"

"Hahh? You slowpokes were taking too long, so I came to pick you up. Men hate women who can’t keep time, y’know, Miss Third Rank."

"………Haah? Who cares about being hated by men, it’s not like that even matters to me, and it’s not like I was waiting for hi—"

"Yes, yes. Try not to forget the tension of the situation, if you please. …Really, to think you can slide into comedy in front of the Fourth Rank…"

Suppressing Misaka-san, who had just stepped right onto a landmine and was about to explode, I moved up beside her and set my sights on the "enemy" descending from the summit.

There stood the Fourth Rank—Atomic Collapse Meltdowner, Mugino Shizuri.

At her side, the Nitrogen Armor Offense Armor, Kinuhata Saiai.

And behind them, the figures of Amata-san and the other Kuriba-san.

Seeing this, Kamijō-san shouted,

"…! After them! If we lose sight now, they’ll get away!"

"You really think I’ll let that happen?"

A chuckle.

From behind Mugino-san, two colossal arms formed of destructive radiance manifested.

…Okay.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but… Mugino-san feels like she’s gotten powered up, hasn’t she?

"U-sing-that-bastard’s-hand-me-down-tricks-pisses-me-off-but-hey-if-it-lets-me-kill-yo-u-I-don’t-care!"

………………!!!!

"Time for some revenge, you fake Fourth Rank—Another Four!!"