Chapter 138: Ending in Defeat
──When I woke up, I was lying in a bed.
I sat up and scanned the room. It looked like we had taken shelter in one of the Members’ safehouses. The space was about the size of a karaoke box, and inside were Xochitl, Nayuta, Index, and Kamijou Touma.
Touma was asleep on the bed next to mine. Index sat on a round stool beside him, with Nayuta nearby. A little farther away, leaning against the wall in her maid outfit, was Xochitl.
…And just as I finished taking in the situation, Xochitl noticed I was awake.
“…So, you’ve come to.”
“Reicia! Thank goodness, you woke up so quickly!”
“Adabana, Index… I…”
As I murmured that, my memories slowly began to return.
I had been fighting Souji, and when I deployed a “Rift”… wait, after that I don’t remember anything. What ended up happening?
“It was one of Big Brother Souji’s traps. When you deployed the black-and-white ‘Rift,’ he used the electromagnetic field disturbance it created to his advantage. That’s when you were shocked and blacked out, Ms. Jagged Edge.”
………..!
《…I was caught off guard, wasn’t I》
《Reicia-chan》
There was no doubt—I had completely walked into Souji’s scheme. Which meant the only reason we weren’t all captured right now was… most likely thanks to Nayuta.
“I owe you one, Kihara Nayuta. You have my thanks.”
“No, it’s fine. More importantly, I’ve got bad news. …Actually, Mental Out was kidnapped.”
………..!!
I’d had a bad feeling the moment I noticed she wasn’t in the safehouse, but…!
“…So, what do we do now? If things continue like this, Misaki will be reduced to a husk, and the balance between science and magic will collapse. Is it even still possible to make it in time?”
“That much is fine. …Even someone like Uncle Amata will need time to break through the multiple anti-telepathy barricades I’ve set up in my brain. Let’s see… probably about an hour, I’d say.”
Anti-telepathy barricades… She said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But thanks to that, we’d barely managed to hang on. All we had to do now was storm Amata’s hideout and rescue Misaki.
…Ah, but wait.
“Do we even know where Amata is? If he moved his base to avoid us, we’d have to start searching from scratch…”
“That’s not a problem either. This cyberbody uses the same tech as Doppelgänger. That means it also has the function to receive A.I.M. diffusion fields.”
With that, Nayuta opened and closed her hand.
…Ah, in other words—
“Right now, I’m receiving my real body’s A.I.M. diffusion field. Normally, that wouldn’t be enough to pinpoint a location. But since my ability directly interferes with A.I.M., I can adjust it enough to track where my real body is.”
So that solved the location issue. At last, all the major concerns were cleared. Souji’s movements were still a loose end, but we already knew his tricks. This time, we wouldn’t fall for them twice.
Now then—how should we go about this?
“…Only, there’s still one problem.”
Just as I was considering strategies, Nayuta lowered her head and spoke.
“…A problem?”
“Yes. …I’ll give you the conclusion straight.”
She raised her eyes to meet ours, and—
“…In this next battle, Ms. Jagged Edge and Mr. Imagine Breaker cannot participate.”
………..What?
“Big Brother Souji staged it like his gear was designed around Mental Out. But that was almost certainly a bluff. The true concept behind his setup was to counter one person and one person only: Ms. Jagged Edge.”
“…Which means, in other words, Kihara Souji’s target wasn’t Misaki like Kihara Amata’s, but me.”
It wasn’t something I wanted to admit, but otherwise the pieces didn’t fit. Sure, we’d been careless, but no matter what, devising a first-strike tactic that could knock me out so precisely was too suspicious. If Misaki had been the true target, then our clash would have been irregular, impossible to prepare for.
Yet Souji had perfect countermeasures ready. Which meant—from the very start, he had intended to fight me. He stepped onto that battlefield for exactly that purpose.
“That’s right. I can’t see the exact goal, but without a doubt, Big Brother Souji designed everything to lock onto Ms. Jagged Edge. Which means you absolutely cannot win against him. He built his entire setup to guarantee that outcome—so it’s the natural conclusion.”
Nayuta went on,
“But… the flip side is this: since Big Brother Souji tailored his entire setup to counter Ms. Jagged Edge, that leaves him vulnerable to everything else. That’s why leaving you out of the fight is the most effective way to defeat him.”
“…”
In other words, if I set foot on the battlefield, I’d almost certainly clash with Souji… and lose without being able to do a thing.
From our perspective, Nayuta’s reasoning was solid. If removing me from the board tilted the game in our favor, then the answer was obvious. In terms of manpower, the Members could always deploy one of their doctors or specialists to fill the gap I’d leave behind.
“And… the bigger problem is Touma.”
With that, Index—who had been silent until now—pulled up Touma’s shirt.
Beneath his school uniform and polo, his stomach was wrapped tightly in bloodstained bandages. …I had suspected something was wrong when I saw him unconscious, but Touma had been badly injured as well.
That was when Xochitl, still leaning against the wall in her maid outfit, finally spoke up.
“…We came under attack by Kihara Amata. We were holding our own, but then, by misfortune, the Fifth tripped over something. Amata seized the opening, and this one was seriously injured while shielding him.”
She probably felt at least half responsible. There was a faint guilt in the way she explained the situation.
“First aid has been administered, but the wound is deep—his side was pierced clean through. If he exerts himself, the injury will reopen. He must not move.”
Then Xochitl turned to me.
“That’s why I want you, Lady Blackguard, to stay here and watch over him.”
“…”
I see. So that’s how it all connects.
It wasn’t just a sound strategy—it was also about protecting Touma, someone important. With that much laid out, I couldn’t oppose them recklessly. Besides, even from my own standpoint, Nayuta’s reasoning was airtight.
“…Understood.”
I nodded and turned my eyes to Touma lying in bed.
In these escalating battles, he often ended up hospitalized mid-incident. And every time, he would break out of the hospital and charge back to the frontlines. Looking back, that was terrifying. If it were up to me, I’d never allow it.
So I spoke firmly.
“Leave things here to me. …Nayuta, Xochitl, Index—the rest is in your hands.”
The three of them nodded, then left the safehouse.
We stayed behind, quietly watching their backs as they departed────.
Final Chapter: Turning the Whole World Into an Enemy — Are_You_Ready?
Episode 112: Ending in Defeat — No_Way.
"—So."
The door shut behind the three as they left. At that exact moment, Reicia-chan and I opened our mouths in perfect unison.
"So, what should we do now?"
The question was aimed at the patient lying on the bed.
The spiky-haired boy’s injuries were severe, painful just to look at. His eyes remained shut, and of course they would be. A deep wound pierced his side, far from healed. By all rights, he should have been unconscious.
But.
"Of course we’re going. That’s obvious."
Contrary to every expectation, the spiky-haired boy answered without a second’s hesitation.
…Well, yeah. That’s just how Kamijou-san is.
"Do you understand how dangerous this will be? Kamijou-san, you don’t even know the girl you’re about to risk your life to save."
I spoke as he opened his eyes and pushed himself upright. It was only a formality—confirming the intent I already knew he held.
"There’s no reason not to go."
With that, Kamijou-san slowly climbed out of bed. His movements were stiff, his body clearly screaming from the injury—obvious to anyone watching.
"Sure, I don’t know who this Misaki girl is. Can’t picture her face, don’t know her personality, never even spoken to her. But somehow… I get it."
Kamijou-san clenched his fist. His body wavered, yet he forced himself to stand tall on both legs.
"Seems like the shock of the injury knocked a lot of my memories loose… Even so, I feel like I really wanted to protect her. That much, I know. …And really, isn’t that reason enough?"
…Yeah. This really is Kamijou Touma.
Continuity of memory doesn’t matter. He’s long since stepped past such trivial obstacles. At the deepest root of his soul, he can define for himself the reason he fights.
That’s the kind of boy he is.
Reicia-chan and I also climbed down from the bed, moving to Kamijou-san’s side. I slipped under his arm, offering my shoulder as support.
…Honestly, I’d rather he stay here and rest.
But I’ve known all along Kamijou Touma isn’t that kind of person. And it’s exactly because he isn’t that I care about him so much.
It’s not just “a weakness for someone you love.” Not quite. But it does mean I could never suppress this side of him.
Still—if I can’t stop him, then I’ll find another way to protect him.
By staying right here beside him. By lending him my strength.
"…But what about you two? You realize it’s been said you absolutely can’t win. If you go now, you’ll just lose—100% guaranteed. Do you actually have some kind of plan?"
"No, we don’t." "Of course we don’t."
Kamijou-san’s question was met with our united reply.
"True, if Kihara Nayuta says it’s a guaranteed loss, then it probably is. Rationally speaking, Jagged Edge doesn’t have what it takes to defeat Kihara Souji. The balance of power has been arranged that way. …But tell me—does that sound like a reason to abandon victory?"
Nayuta-san’s analysis made perfect sense. I’m not the type to spout nonsense like, “I’m a Level 5 Esper, so I can’t lose!” I can judge calmly.
…But.
When it’s laid out like that, backing down quietly feels wrong. Being told “absolutely impossible,” and then bowing out while a friend is in danger? No—that’s the wrong choice.
That would betray the pride of Reicia Blackguard.
Besides.
"…You’re all completely mistaken."
The words spilled out like venom.
Or maybe like someone ready to turn the entire world into their enemy.
Defiant as ever, we declared:
"We are not White. Nor Black. Nor Jagged Edge. We are Reicia Blackguard."
If people think everything can be decided by numbers on a spec sheet—by matchup tables and compatibility charts—
Then even I feel the urge to overturn it.
To shatter those rotten predictions they dare to call “common sense.”
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