Extra: The Kihara Clan, Assembled

“…Ahh? What the hell is this supposed to be?”

A man muttered absentmindedly.

His golden-dyed, spiked hair and feral aura made him look like a wild beast. With a look of exasperation, he gazed down at that.

Lying there on the ground was the defeated Kihara Souji.

“Fu, haha—! To think you’d update your data at the very last moment. That’s hilarious. You really are entertaining, Blackguard-san…!”

“Ahh, damn it. Oi, Souji… rushing in on your own and getting yourself taken out like that…”

“Huh? Ah, Amata-san!”

Still sprawled on the ground, Souji finally noticed the man standing beside him. His eyes lit up as he lifted his gaze.

Amata Kihara.

That was the name of the man in a lab coat, half of his face covered in tattoos. With a sullen expression, Amata grabbed Souji by one arm and pulled him to his feet.

“Get up. Even if you’re hurt, you’ve at least got the prep work done to ‘substitute’ your muscle strength, don’t you? Stop lying around here slacking off. I’ve still got work for you.”

“Hahaha, come on now, Amata-san. I’m not slacking. I was just thinking about how to break through that thing… At that growth rate, even if you prepare countermeasures, it’ll just evolve past them on the spot. That growth speed—no, the growth fre-quen-cy—we need to predict that, or…”

“That’s what being a ‘Kihara’ is all about, dumbass. Think and act at the same time.”

Smack! Amata slapped Souji on the head before stepping into the car his subordinates had waiting nearby.

He leaned out the window and called out to Souji, who was still standing there mumbling to himself.

“We’re moving. You wanna get revenge on Black-and-White Sawblade Jagged Edge? That’ll have to wait. …First, we’ve gotta clean up some mess left behind by our own family.”

Chapter 2 – I Won’t Choose Between Two Options – PHASE-NEXT.
Extra: The Kihara Clan, Assembled

The Kihara Clan didn’t actually see that much value in her.

Of course, her ability, Black-and-White Sawblade Jagged Edge, held little worth in their eyes. Normally, what might have fascinated them was her growth outside the Talent Ranking Parameter List, a trait that should have caught their attention most.

But—

『Well now, thank you all for gathering here.』

That hypothesis was dismissed outright by this old dog.

Thus, within the Kihara Clan as a whole, those who saw research value in Reicia were virtually nonexistent.

The only exceptions were Amata Kihara—whose “materialistic” instincts were so strong that he stood as something of an anomaly among the clan—and Souji Kihara, who admired him. Those two had at least some curiosity about her.

As for the jamming signals, Reicia had yet to realize it, but that was nothing more than Souji setting up interference to prevent outsiders from disturbing the fight. He canceled it the moment he was defeated. If she had remained calm for even a little longer, she might have assessed the situation differently, and her future could have shifted ever so slightly…

In other words, Reicia was only accelerating her sense of crisis because of a complete misunderstanding.

“...Tch. Damn mutt.”

“Amata. If you mouth off to Sensei, I’ll kill you.”

『Yuiitsu-kun, Amata-kun. Enough quarreling.』

The old dog chided them gently. A robotic arm was mounted on his back, and it plucked the cigar from his mouth.

Even Souji, who knew nothing of cigars, could tell at a glance it was top-shelf quality.

『Now then. As you all know—he has made his move.』

“You mean Gensei-san… right?”

Souji spoke in response to the words of the golden retriever, Nōkan Kihara, a dog with a robotic arm that spoke fluent human language.

Gensei Kihara.
The ruinous mad scientist who spearheaded the Level 6 Shift Project using Misaka Mikoto, intending to drive Academy City into collapse in exchange for observing what lay beyond—only for himself.

Naturally, that information had already reached the deepest corners of Academy City’s “backside.” Yet in “true history,” the Kiharas never appeared on the stage, and the matter was resolved without them. Why?

“Didn’t that bastard Aleister say he’d just sit back and watch? So why the hell are we all gathering here? Even at New Year’s you don’t see this many Kiharas in one place.”

Grumbling, Amata looked around the room.

In the dim hall, the number of Kiharas present could fill an entire classroom.

At the center stood the golden retriever, Nōkan Kihara.

His student, Yuiitsu Kihara.

The spiky blond Amata Kihara.

Souji Kihara, who looked up to him.

By the wall sat Byouri Kihara in her wheelchair, pushed by Enshū Kihara.

There was also Ransū Kihara, dressed in a style influenced by Amata; Therestina = Kihara = Lifeline, in her business suit; and Nayuta Kihara, carrying a school backpack.

Every one of them was a bearer of scientific malice that exceeded human limits… though, of course, exceptions did exist.

『The truth is, something occurred that was outside Aleister’s calculations.』

“…Hah? Outside his calculations? Sure, that faker over there rolling around in a wheelchair gave up on trying to ‘make’ old man Gensei give up, but still…”

“That geezer won’t give up even if he dies. And right now, my science can’t kill him either, so it can’t be helped.”

『No, that part is fine. We were never that concerned about his experiments themselves.』

Nōkan continued,

『It’s the matter of Reicia = Blackguard.』

“Ahh, you mean her… the so-called ‘Another Four,’ right?”

『Her confession about being a Level 5 esper. Most of you here already knew, of course. But scientists without access to “the Backside’s” information network wouldn’t. And we Kiharas, for all our clout, are a minority among scientists. In the flood of the majority, “he” chose to disappear from sight.』

In true history, he had plotted to use the Misaka Sisters as a medium to raise Mikoto to Level 6.

That much was already well-known in Academy City’s darkness. But the concrete method to accomplish it? Still unclear.

However—that was not the real issue.

『The problem is this: there was never any need for “him” to hide in the first place.』

Even so, the Board Chairman had initially chosen to “observe in silence” when it came to Gensei’s schemes, and not even the Kiharas, Noukan included, raised any objections.

Granted, Byouri—whose very role was to maintain Academy City’s order—did attempt some token resistance, but… in the end, even she only had enough will to give up easily.

In other words, Gensei’s plan had never been considered that significant by the Board Chairman.

No—he believed it was the kind of thing that would be purged in due time by the benevolent self-correcting function this city possessed.

Exploiting that arrogance, Kihara Gensei had made use of the city’s “darkness,” moving in such a way as to flaunt his deeds before the Board Chairman himself.

But now, suddenly, Gensei had gone to ground. Clearly, this ran contrary to every principle that had guided his actions up until now.

『In short, “he” realized—upon the true awakening of Reicia＝Blackguard—that at this very stage he needed to obtain “something.” And that “something” was inconvenient for Aleister.』

“…‘Something’? Noukan-chan, that’s so vague it doesn’t explain anything at all.”

『Mm. A good question, Enshuu-kun. We, too, have a fair idea what it is, but—well, it’s classified. Revealing its existence now would also be inconvenient for Aleister.』

Thus, Noukan continued,

『Locate and neutralize Kihara Gensei. His life or death is irrelevant. …This is a fight to protect the city. By the measure of good and evil, it is good; by the measure of like and dislike, it is favorable. It’s rare we get one of those.』

“…Makes me sick.”

“What a coincidence, Amata. I feel the same.”

With words spat like poison, the two “Kiharas” headed toward the hall’s exit. A boy and a girl bearing the same family name followed after them—

“But if White-Black Jagged Edge is tangled up in this, that’s another story. I can use him in my own research.”

“Me too. Letting myself be the only one to give up doesn’t suit me at allll.”

They stopped cold.

“Oho? Since when was your domain about ‘copycatting,’ Byouri-chan?”

“And you. Haven’t given up yet, have you, Amata-kun?”

“…You little—”

“Now, now! Both of you, we do share the same goal here, right? So there’s no need to tear each other apart. Don’t you agree, Auntie Byouri, Uncle Amata?”

As the atmosphere turned explosive, Enshuu stepped between them, trying to mediate.

The sharp glare of the two “Kiharas” fell upon the girl, but then the robotic arm of the old dog at her side gave a loud metallic creak. At that, the two finally lowered their weapons.

“…Well, it’s not like a half-baked Kihara like you could understand anyway.”

“Amata. I’ll be leaving with Enshuu-chan… but if you get in my way, I’ll kill you.”

“Right back at you, bitch. Let’s go, Souji.”

And with that, the two pairs of “Kiharas” left the hall without another word. The remaining Kiharas, in turn, began to act on their own.

Among them, one particular pair.

Therestina＝Kihara＝Lifeline, clad in her business suit, watched the movements of Kihara Nayuta with her schoolbag still slung on her back.

The blonde girl with twin tails—strikingly un-Japanese in appearance—stared straight at Therestina.

“…So. A ‘defective product.’ Is this the first time we’ve met face-to-face? Come to settle accounts for those other test subjects, have you?”

“Banri-chan and the others… they’ve already woken up properly.”

It was an exchange meaningless to anyone unaware of the history lying between them.

But there was a very real rift there—and with just a single sentence, Kihara Nayuta had taken her first step across it.

“So that’s why I won’t do anything to you, Auntie Therestina. …But Grandpa Gensei is a different story. His plan is one that will destroy this city. And I… I want to protect this city.”

“… …”

“You’ve been through it too, Auntie Therestina. Just like me, you were dragged into all sorts of experiments as one of Grandpa Gensei’s test subjects. In that sense, we both watched his way of thinking up close—as guinea pigs.”

“So now you want us to pool that precious insight and sniff out the old bastard’s hiding place, huh? …Hah! Don’t make me laugh. You really think I’d go along with that crap? For the record, yeah, it pisses me off if that geezer gets ahead of me. But the birth of an absolute Level 6? I’d welcome that with open arms.”

“That’s a lie.”

Therestina sneered as if it were a joke, but Nayuta’s reply came calm and certain.

“Then why did you come here? You want to stop Grandpa Gensei’s plot too, don’t you? I know. Because I can see your unconscious AIM, Auntie Therestina.”

“…Tch.”

Clicking her tongue, Therestina refused to answer, turning on her heel to leave the hall.

Nayuta silently watched her back—until finally, Therestina gave a weary sigh and stopped walking.

“…Fine. Tag along if you want. But one warning: I am not an auntie. I’m still a lady, thank you very much.”

“…Got it! Big Sis Therestina!”

And with that, another two “Kiharas” disappeared from the hall.

The last ones left behind—a woman and a robotic hound—settled into an unhurried conversation in the dimness.

『Well then… who do you think will reach “him” first, I wonder.』

“Hmmm, that’s a tough one. That old geezer’s stubborn as a monster, after all. And when Kiharas fight Kiharas, it’s just pointless bloodshed.”

『True enough. That’s why, to counter a Kihara, it would have to be Accelerator… Or perhaps, if she functions properly, that might do the trick.』

“Oh, you mean White-Black Jagged Edge’s… Reicia＝Blackguard, right?”

The woman in her recruit suit didn’t bother to hide the skepticism in her tone as she continued:

“《Rinshin Contract Near-Death Promise》. Do you really think something like that could actually come true?”