Chapter 76: Sacrifice

"! It went through! Hello, Shokuhou-san!?"

We were in the middle of escaping through the sky using our abilities. During that time we’d tried calling Shokuhou-san multiple times, and finally, after moving about a kilometer away, the signal got through. Fortunately, the Kihara clan’s encirclement wasn’t completely airtight. …Maybe things are a mess on their side too?

『Whaaat? What’s with the sudden call? More importantly, how’s the decoy strategy going?』

"We were attacked by the Kihara clan!!"

『……Ha???』

A shrill, bewildered voice came back through the phone. Well, can’t blame her. But we don’t have the luxury of indulging her confusion right now. I pushed ahead with the explanation.

"To be precise, the one who attacked was Kihara Souji—one of the ‘Kiharas’ who manipulates sound waves. And it seems he was targeting me under the orders of Kihara Amata—another ‘Kihara.’ …In other words, I’m being targeted by the Kihara clan on an organized level!"

『Wh……Whaaat!?』

What came back was a scream closer to a shriek than anything else. …Well, that figures. The Kihara clan. If you’re a high-level esper in Academy City, you’ll naturally hear about them. They’re more like an urban legend, but the rumors always say they’re dangerous. …Though, honestly, Academy City is overflowing with rumors about “dangerous researchers.” Still, if someone tells you they just ran into the Kiharas, this is the normal reaction. I reacted the same way.

After that sympathetic shriek, Shokuhou-san pressed on.

『Wh-Wh-Why are you dumping such high-risk intel on me at a time like this!? So what are you doing now!?』

"Of course we’re running! Staying there would’ve meant a slow death! We have to regroup, quickly!"

『Like hell we are!? You’ve got to be joking! Why should I get dragged into your mess!? I already have my hands full just dealing with Gensei, thank you very much!!』

U… Uwaah! R-R-Rejected!? Well, knowing Shokuhou-san’s personality, I guess I should’ve expected that she wouldn’t just say “okay.” B-But this puts us in a seriously bad spot! The only other people I can count on are… Misaka-san and the GMDW crew…

《Relying on the faction is out of the question》

That was Reicia-chan’s interjection. …I know. I’m not stupid enough to drag them into this when waves of Kiharas are swarming us. Doing that would be like binding everyone with words like friendship and goodwill just to drag them into hell. Bonds aren’t supposed to be used that way.

《That means the only ones we can rely on are Misaka-sa,》

《We should call Kamijou》

《Haeh!?》

K… Kamijou-san!? Now!? No way! He’s a terrible match-up! Our enemies are Kiharas, using ordinary science tech! Imagine Breaker won’t work on that! The compatibility is just way too awful!

《Shouldn’t we be relying on Misaka-san here? The Railgun Electromaster is perfectly matched against scientific weapons》

《Shiren. Did you forget?》

I thought I was being reasonable, but Reicia-chan sighed in exasperation.

《This whole incident is likely the one depicted in “A Certain Scientific Railgun.” If that’s the case, then Misaka should already be caught up in a different strand of the incident. …If we barged in to join her, what do you think would happen?》

《…The fact that we joined up could make it look like Misaka’s incident and the Kihara clan are linked》

《Or the mastermind might try to team up with the Kiharas, only to be devoured from the inside by them. If that happened, the incident would twist into a grotesque kaleidoscope and we’d be forced to stumble through it blind.》

………True.

《In that sense, Kamijou Touma is definitely free right now. This is a side story, after all. The main protagonist barely ever shows up. And besides, Kamijou has a way of making things work out somehow.》

《B-But… isn’t calling Kamijou-san dangerous? We’re talking about the Kiharas…》

《…You’d drag Misaka in without hesitation, but hesitate with this lovestruck fool? Unbelievable…》

Did I just get slammed with the most outrageous slander!?

『So then, Blackguard-san, where exactly are you fleeing to? If you’re really going to clash with the Kiharas, you’ll need prep work, right?』

At that point, Shokuhou-san’s question came through. Thank god… at least she didn’t just hang up right after refusing.

"…For now, we’re heading toward the 2nd District."

『…Th-The 2nd District?』

In response to our answer, Shokuhou-san asked back like she couldn’t believe her ears.

That’s right. We were heading for the 2nd District.

The 2nd District—the headquarters of Judgment and Anti-Skill. Among Academy City’s many districts, it’s the one most heavily watched over by the eyes of security.

I don’t know what intentions the Kihara clan has for targeting us, but… even they wouldn’t dare launch a large-scale attack in the middle of an area swarming with official law enforcement. Push too far and they won’t be able to cover it up.

…Of course, they’ll still find some way to pierce through the defenses and attack us. But that’ll take time.

The plan is to buy breathing room by forcing a delay in the Kiharas’ pursuit, and in the meantime, find some kind of opening.

…And well, it’s not like we don’t have an idea where their Achilles’ heel might be.

『Th…The 2nd District… could you maybe… not? I don’t think that’s a very good idea.』

"Eh? And why not?"

『Isn’t it obvious? It’s way too conspicuous. You already attract enough attention as it is. If you go somewhere like that, you’ll get bogged down by eyes watching you from every direction. You’ll lose your freedom of movement.』

………She’s… not wrong.

《So then, there must be something in the 2nd District. Or perhaps she herself is there right now. In which case… let’s head straight for her and drag her in.》

《Wha—no, no, no, that’s not the answer, Reicia-chan!》

《Why not? You’re too softhearted, Shiren. She’s clearly ready to cut us loose, so why bother worrying about her?》

《That’s not the point!》

…Ahh, as I thought. Reicia-chan loses her cool when it comes to people like Shokuhou-san.

But if you think calmly about it, the answer is obvious.

《You’re the one who said it earlier, weren’t you? If this incident really is the one depicted in Railgun, then Shokuhou-san is one of the central players. If we shove the Kiharas into her story, things are guaranteed to spiral out of control.》

《……True enough.》

Guaaah!! So I can’t borrow the power of a Level 5 esper after all!? You mean I have to take on the Kihara clan all by myself!? Those monsters!? Ughhh, I guess I have no choice…!

And then—

As I continued fleeing at high speed through the air using the invisible “cracks,” I suddenly spotted a familiar figure below.

A girl wearing the Tokiwadai middle school gym uniform. I knew her name. She had transferred in just this autumn—Kongou Mitsuko.

Back when she first arrived, she even tried to recruit me into her clique. I had to turn her down, of course—telling her I was the leader of GMDW would’ve just been pitiful for her, so I gave her some vague excuse instead…

And now, that very girl was being kicked around by a chubby boy.

“…I’m hanging up now.”

『Eh? W-wait—』

“I’ll call back later.”

Beep.

I cut the call, and in my mind, addressed Reicia-chan.

《…Reicia-chan.》

《You don’t need to say it. I already know.》

Yes, we’re in the middle of a crisis.

The Kihara clan is after our heads, and we should be hiding somewhere, desperately plotting countermeasures.

But.

If we turn our backs and abandon her here—then something even more important would be scarred.

Even if we somehow survive this ordeal, the wound would never heal. It would follow me forever, like an ache that never fades.

And so—

“…You there.”

I touched down lightly behind the chubby boy.

“Kongou-san!!”

At that very moment, from the opposite side—on the far side of the boy—another voice called out to her.

Her friends? …Wait, that’s Saten-san! And with her… right, those must be Awatsuki-san and Wannai-san.

Alright. Kongou-san’s care can be left to the three of them. My priority is this boy.

The way he carried himself didn’t feel like any ordinary student. But he didn’t have the rough aura of a thug either. It was something stickier, more clinging—like the suffocating presence I’d felt last summer from those STUDY people.

“…Hah. Honestly. Again, you’re here to play hero ‘for your friends’? How endlessly tedious. You’re just like cockroaches, scuttling out one after another…”

The boy’s voice was dripping with provocation, yet he still didn’t even bother to glance my way.

On the other side, Saten and the others finally noticed me. Their eyes went wide, their mouths falling open in surprise.

And then—

"…………You there."
"Kongou-san!!"

Hearing those words one after another, Baba Yoshio let out a sigh, not even bothering to hide his growing irritation. A fool who not only relied on someone else—the so-called Railgun—but even lost using that borrowed strength, and then had the gall to lecture others as if he had any authority. He had just finished teaching that ignorant brat, who knew nothing of how the world truly worked, her place… and now this.

Four of them… though one, judging from her uniform, wasn’t a high-level esper. From the brief glimpse earlier, the one standing in the back was a Tokiwadai student.

That left three high-level espers against him, a little unfavorable—but the weapons handed down from the Doctor still had plenty of fight left in them. And if he just tricked some rich girl with sweet talk and then pulled the rug from under her, it would be more than enough. In fact, it might even make for a decent way to blow off some steam.

"Haa… really now. One after another, all for ‘your friend,’ is it? Honestly, you people are like cockroaches…"

Baba’s tone dripped with mockery, his arrogance and complacency showing clear as day. He was too blind to realize it himself, but his own overconfidence was seeping through.

Then he noticed something strange. The expressions of the three girls before him suddenly shifted. As if they had just seen something terrifying.

"You three… take Kongou-san to the hospital. If it’s the one in District 7, she’ll be treated right away."

The voice was icy enough to send a chill through the air. For a pampered Tokiwadai lady to speak like that was unusual. Baba had always assumed that even if they trembled with anger, at worst their rage was nothing more than the yapping of a chihuahua—something laughable, even endearing.

"Y-yes. But, um… are you going to be all right?"

The flower-adorned girl asked nervously. The Tokiwadai student at her side also furrowed her brows in concern. Even from such small exchanges, Baba’s mind was already extracting information.

(Oh, I see… They know each other. She’s furious, no doubt, but the fact that her friends are worried about her shows she’s not all that strong in a fight. Typical rich girls.

Letting their anger get the best of them, charging at opponents they can’t possibly beat. Guess it’s up to me to give her a little lesson about how harsh the real world is.)

It didn’t look like the three standing before him intended to join the fight. So Baba turned, glancing back to see just who this foolish girl was supposed to be—

"Of course. Who do you think I am?"

—And his brain outright rejected the reality before him for several seconds.

Why? There was no need to ask. Standing there was the brand-new Level 5 esper whose announcement had only just been made public days ago, the one still stirring chaos throughout the entire Dark Side.

(Wh… wha… whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?!?!?!?!?!?!? H-how the hell is this possible!? Reicia = Blackguard!? Why is she here!? How did she catch wind of this!? She was supposed to be working with Misaka Mikoto just minutes ago to defend that facility! That place is kilometers away from here!?)

Despair. That was the only word that flashed through Baba’s mind. The flower-adorned girl’s feeble "R-Reicia-san, um, maybe don’t overdo it too much…" pierced his back, but he had no room left to care.

His brain was firing at its fastest pace in his entire life, desperately searching for a way to survive.

(Wh-what do I do!? What do I do!? The T:MQ is way too slow! Against a Level 5 esper, every move of mine will already be seen through! If I try anything, I’ll be torn apart instantly by that ‘fracture’! The T:GD won’t stand a chance either, and the T:MT can’t get here in time! On top of that, I already attacked one of her allies! There’s no reason—none at all—for her to hold back now!!!! Think… think, damn it! There has to be some way to live through this!!!!)

"There’s no need for words at this point, is there? You’ve already prepared yourself, haven’t you?"

Reicia = Blackguard extended her right hand. Of course, it wasn’t for a handshake. Far from it. That hand was about to unleash the crushing strike that would spell his defeat.

In that instant, Baba Yoshio knew. Whatever he said next would decide his fate.

Switching sides? Impossible. He’d be purged on the spot.
Begging for mercy? Equally impossible. He’d attacked her allies—why would she ever accept that?

The only way to live… was to present Reicia = Blackguard with a reason to keep him alive.

(Thinkthinkthinkthinkthink!! Reicia = Blackguard! The ‘Member’! Orders from the Board of Directors! Her alliance with Misaka Mikoto! The broken engagement! Her injured allies! The Sisters’ whereabouts! The Misaka Mikoto I left in a coma!)

And then.

And then.

"……………………We were… deceived?"

Suddenly.

He realized it.

In interfering with Gensei’s schemes, Shokuhou had carried out information manipulation—piling all the blame squarely onto Misaka Mikoto.

And meanwhile (though they themselves didn’t know it), the “Member” hired by Gensei, in order to remove that interference, had injected Misaka with nanomachines to incapacitate her, and attempted to retrieve the Sisters.

As for Reicia = Blackguard, the intel said she was allied with Misaka, and that she had barricaded herself inside a building to protect the comatose girl.

But.

If that was true—then why was Reicia = Blackguard standing here?

It didn’t add up.
If Reicia abandoned her guard post, then the unconscious Misaka would be completely vulnerable. Reicia wasn’t so foolish as to overlook something that obvious.

And if that piece of information was suspicious, then the very claim that Reicia = Blackguard was protecting Misaka was suspect to begin with.

For that matter, the supposed “alliance” itself was strange. If they were truly working together, then why had there been that broken engagement just yesterday? That incident had thrown the entire Dark Side into chaos. Even for Misaka, who was supposed to be obstructing the “Member,” such chaos would have been a serious inconvenience.

One thread of doubt unraveled, and suddenly all the intel around him seemed questionable.

At the most fundamental level—was it really Misaka Mikoto who had been interfering in the first place?

A third party had pinned the crime on Misaka. Such a possibility was more than reasonable.

“W-wait!! I’ll take responsibility for hurting your ally, I swear it! Just—please, hear me out! I… I was deceived, too! Our ‘organization’ was fed false intel on purpose, driving us to clash with Tokiwadai’s Level 5! That’s the only explanation!!”

Yes. That was the optimal move here.

Turn the shadowy figure who had fed them false intel into a common enemy, and redirect Reicia = Blackguard’s hostility away from himself!!

If he could do that, he wouldn’t be crushed where he stood. With luck, they might even become temporary “allies,” giving him an opening to slip away later. If an opportunity arose, he could always use the T:MQ’s nanodevices to neutralize her anyway.

All he needed was to survive this moment…!!

“I see.”

Skaaaah.

In an instant, the case holding Baba’s precious T:MQ was sliced clean apart.

“Wh—huh?”

“‘Organization.’ That’s what you said, yes? Then you’re not just some civilian. You’re a professional of some sort.”

“Uh… y-yes…”

“Perfect. That means I don’t have to feel guilty about dragging you into this. You’ll help me, won’t you?”

“Wh… wha…?”

With his last lifeline, the T:MQ, destroyed before his eyes, Baba’s mind blanked out for a moment. But Reicia pressed on without the slightest hesitation.

And the true shock came immediately after.

Because the very next thing out of her mouth was this:

“…Actually, I’m being targeted by the Kiharas. I’d like your assistance in fending them off.”

The man—Baba Yoshio.

His reaction was, of course, a single word.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!”

He sustained the scream for a full ten seconds.

Chapter 2 – I Won’t Choose Between Two Options — PHASE-NEXT.
Episode 64: Sacrifice — New_Partner.

Reicia: "In that regard, Kamijou Touma is obviously free this time. After all, this is a side story. The main series protagonist hardly ever shows up, you know?"

Kamijou: "A dragon just sprouted from my right arm."

Reicia: "………You idiot!!!!!!!"