Chapter 90: Before the Closing

"Hey… are we really doing this…?"

After that.
Baba-san and I headed together toward the hospital in District 7—toward the room where Kongou-san was hospitalized. As for Baba-san, well, as expected, he wasn’t remotely enthusiastic. But, I couldn’t really blame him.

"…Look, this all started because that woman decided to stick her nose into the Dark Side’s business. The fact she wasn’t killed is already a miracle. Why should I, the one whose mission got sabotaged, be the one apologizing? That doesn’t make any sense, does it?"

"If you dislike it that much, I don’t particularly mind. You can throw away the once-in-a-lifetime chance to settle things with the classmate of the Third and Fifth-ranked espers, thanks to the backing of the hidden Fourth-ranked Another Four."

"Ugh…"

Reicia-chan’s words left Baba-san momentarily speechless.
Yeah, exactly. If he reconciles with Kongou-san through our mediation here, Baba-kun won’t have to stay on bad terms with Tokiwadai. Tokiwadai Middle School now has three Level 5 espers in its ranks, making it one of the most powerful esper forces in Academy City. Anyone with decent risk-avoidance skills wouldn’t want to stir up trouble with them.

……Except that’s not the real point here, is it.

"…I’m sorry. Honestly, that isn’t it. I simply don’t want you and my classmate to be at odds with each other."

"…"

At that, even Baba-san couldn’t keep up his snide remarks anymore. After fighting alongside us this time, I think he’s gotten a pretty good idea of what kind of people we are.

"At first, I was desperate to run away. I dragged you into the fight because I wanted the Dark Side’s wisdom to lean on. …For that, I sincerely apologize again. But even so, you stuck with us to the very end. I believe that was a courageous decision. In some ways, far more courageous than us."

"…Cut it out already! I’m nothing like that. Don’t lump me together with those naïve idiots who get swayed by kind words and have a sudden change of heart. That was all just lip service! The only reason I didn’t run was because your overbearing persistence robbed me of the chance! I only thought things through desperately because I didn’t want to die! The only reason it all worked out was because the pawns available to me happened to be exceptionally competent!! That doesn’t make me some kind of saint!"

Baba-san spat that out and turned his face away.
Still, he didn’t stop walking with us.

Well… yeah. We were in extreme conditions, so there may have been misunderstandings. But even so…

"Even now, you’re still following along with me."

Doesn’t that mean something inside Baba-san has changed, even if just a little? At the very least, he’s willing to keep associating with us to this point, instead of running away the second the fighting ended. Doesn’t that mean he feels some kind of connection to us?

When I said that, Baba-san gave a sneering smile, filled with scorn.

"Hah, still hopelessly optimistic as ever, huh. Isn’t it obvious? I risked my life for this. If I don’t get a fitting reward, it’s not worth it. Do you think this can be settled with money? No way. From now on, as the hidden Fourth-ranked Another Four, you’ll serve as a card in my deck. Otherwise, it doesn’t balance out. That’s all there is to it. …Well, I suppose. If that’s the necessary expense for keeping you as a resource, then I’ll swallow my pride and bow my head to some clueless surface-level brat. Unpleasant as it may be, I can tolerate that much."

"Yes, yes. That’s exactly right."

Yeah. He still talks like this now, but even Baba-san is moving forward in his own way. People don’t change overnight. We don’t yet have enough history together to change him. That’s why we’ll keep building that up. Our connection doesn’t end here.

《Shiren, at this point it’s perfectly fine if I slap this pig, right?》

《Reicia-chan, let’s hold back just a little longer, okay?》

If we acted now, it’d ruin everything we’ve worked toward.

"………………"

That’s when Baba-san stopped walking.
We had arrived at Kongou-san’s hospital room. Baba-san looked slightly uneasy, and I gave him a small, encouraging smile before knocking on the door. Soon, a voice answered from inside: "Ah… yes."

With permission granted, I pressed the button beside the door. With a mechanical hum, the door slid open.

Inside were Misaka-san and Kongou-san. Huh, looks like someone had gotten there first.

"Ah, Reicia—wait, you!?"

"Sorry for disturbing while you’re resting. It’s a long story, but… after the quar-rel with Kongou-san, he and I deepened our personal ties a little. And so…"

That’s when Baba-san bowed his head, cutting me off mid-sentence.

"I retract my words."

Bowing deeply, Baba-san continued.

"I once said that acting for the sake of someone else is just mental dependence on others. I retract that."

With just that, Baba-san raised his head. Still wearing a sour expression, he turned on his heel and walked out.
His reconciliation was so brief it left me a little stunned, but Misaka-san’s reaction was far more explosive.

"Hah!? That’s it!? Hold it right there! After everything you did to Kongou-san, that’s all you’ve got to say!? Are you kidding me!? I should beat you to a pulp right here and now!!"

I get how she feels.
But for Baba-san, that was probably the maximum concession—or apology—he was capable of.

"It’s fine, Misaka-san."

The one who stopped an agitated Misaka-san was, surprisingly—or maybe predictably—Kongou-san herself. She then called out to Baba-san’s back.

"To be honest, there are still parts of me that can’t quite accept this. However, if you’ve come to understand, even just a little, what it means to trust someone else… then that’s enough."

"………………Honestly, you noble girls really are hopeless fools."

Still with his back turned, Baba-san spat the words like venom.

"You can say things like that only because you were born blessed. From birth, you’ve always had enough luxury in your hearts to allow such tolerance."

"You know, saying things like that just to sound bitter—"

"Be grateful. Thanks to that luxury, you get to buy the services of a brain as brilliant as mine."

With that, Baba-san walked out of the hospital room.

"……What exactly did he just say?"

"He claims we now owe him a favor," Reicia-chan replied, sounding utterly unimpressed with Kongou-san’s question.

Yeah… Baba-san’s not the honest type, that’s for sure.

"…Because of the environment he grew up in, Baba-san has no one he can trust. I was essentially the one who forced my way into his world. If possible, I’d like him… to live in the same world as me. In a way, I dragged him along with my selfishness this time."

"…You’re one to talk, Shiren-san. Honestly, you’re pretty forceful yourself. Definitely fitting for ‘Reicia = Blackguard’…"

"Even so, I didn’t feel there was any lie in his words just now."

Kongou-san said this as she suddenly snapped open her fan.

"There’s a phrase: mizu zui hōen—‘water conforms to the shape of its vessel.’ I’m still only a student of such teachings, but…"

Smiling gently, Kongou-san continued,

"If that person cannot trust others because of his environment, then as long as Reicia-san stays by his side, I’m certain that someday he will learn to trust."

"That’s… quite the responsibility, isn’t it?"

After all, if things go as they originally did, Baba-san would eventually get caught in a Dark Side conflict, and as far as I recall, his fate was left as “unknown.” The novel ended there, but I can’t imagine the Dark Side just leaving him be. By the time of New Testament, Academy City had even suffered a citywide blackout… At this rate, who knows what will happen to him?

But if I can change something in Baba-san, even just a little… maybe he really could face a different future.

"I’ll lend what little strength I can. And Misaka-san, you will as well."

"Eh!? Me too!? …Well, I guess I’ve gotten a bit more used to dealing with people like him, but still…"

"Fufu, thank you very much. Both you, Kongou-san, and you, Misaka-san."

Ahh… how should I put it? This kind of friendship really is something precious. And it’s only thanks to the steps we’ve taken and the bonds we’ve built up until now. I need to keep working hard, so I don’t disgrace that trust and accumulation.

《I’ll leave all the self-sacrificing noble stuff to you, Shiren.》

《Reicia-chan, you always say things like that~…》

Reicia-chan isn’t exactly honest either.

While we were exchanging those thoughts, I noticed Kongou-san fidgeting, glancing toward Misaka-san. Huh? Why does she look like some maiden in love?

《…Oho?》

《? Reicia-chan, did something click for you?》

《Somewhat. Just watch.》

With that, Reicia-chan gave a quiet, knowing smile, clearly with no intention of stepping in. She meant to just watch and enjoy how things unfolded.

I wanted to help out, but honestly, I had no clue what was going on. In times like this, I really curse my own density.

"Um… Misaka-san, you and Blackguard-san seem… rather close, don’t you?"

Kongou-san quickly added, almost as if she realized something.

"No! I don’t mean that’s a bad thing, of course!? It’s just… I had heard that the two of you used to be on opposing sides. And yet, for all that, you both interact without any grudges at all, so openly and directly…"

"…Ah."

Hearing that, Misaka-san let out a small, wry laugh.

And I found myself nodding in agreement too. Yeah, when you think about it, she had a point. We weren’t exactly “enemies,” just classmates—but we sure were at each other’s throats in the beginning. From an outsider’s perspective, it probably does look strange that we get along so well now as friends of the same age.

"Well, a lot happened. But in the end… I guess it’s thanks to Shiren-san’s efforts."

"Not at all."

Well, okay, I did make the first move back then.

"When I first stepped forward, Misaka-san didn’t brush me off, not even once. She accepted my words seriously. That’s why I was able to keep going afterward. …So I’m also grateful that you, Kongou-san, took Baba-san’s words seriously. Whether that acknowledgment is there or not makes a huge difference in how reassuring it feels."

"Y-Yes. If it ends up helping that person’s future, then I’m glad as well."

Wow. Kongou-san really is a remarkable person.
…In the anime she came across as kind of a ditzy ojou-sama, but she’s nothing like that here, is she? If anything, Reicia-chan’s the one who fills that role.

《Shiren, you really are hopeless.》

《…Eh? In what way?》

《This whole flow of the conversation. You didn’t even stop to consider the real intent behind Kongou Mitsuko bringing up how you call each other by name.》

…? Calling by name…? What does she mean…?

《She was probably envious, seeing how we call Misaka by her given name. That’s why she nudged the topic that way—so she could ease into doing the same herself.》

《E-Eh!?》

W-Wait, seriously…!? Then when I steered the conversation back to Baba-san, I totally wrecked her moment!? Sure, I really did want to express my thanks, but… this wasn’t the time! I completely thought she was making a closing remark there!!

《…Shiren, you really are a virgin.》

…Don’t tell me I’m the one actually carrying the “ditzy ojou-sama” trait here…!?

Chapter 2 – I Won’t Choose Between Two Options – PHASE-NEXT.
Episode 76: Before the Closing – How_to_Call.

After that.

After parting ways with Baba-san, for some reason we ended up having dinner with my father and mother together with the Kamijou family.

…There’s a deeper story to this. Actually, what happened was that afterward, Reicia-chan proposed we should have a small get-together to celebrate after everything that happened this time, and both Shokuhou-san and Mikoto-san agreed. But when we were about to call out to Kamijou-san to invite him, Father caught us.

Apparently, he had somehow already caught wind of this after-party plan. He went on about things like, "If you’re inviting a guy to the party, then I want to meet him face to face," and, "My information network picked up a sighting of Reicia walking arm-in-arm with a spiky-haired boy. Now what’s that supposed to mean?" He absolutely refused to back down from tagging along. (Incidentally, Reicia-chan genuinely called him gross, and in exchange for forgiving him, he was forced to promise full access to his information network. Too stupid…)

"Ahh, sorry about that, Touya! Seems it was all just a misunderstanding!"

"Wa-ha-ha-ha! Don’t worry about it, Gilbert! You know, my boy Touma here, he may not look it, but he’s actually pretty shy when it comes to girls…"

"Cut it out, you idiot old man!"

Touya-san and Father were laughing with their arms around each other’s shoulders, while Kamijou-san looked somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable with Touya-san’s words.

And me? Well, I also felt incredibly awkward. Having your family show up in front of your friends—there’s just no good way to deal with that. Index, sitting with us, just looked completely baffled.

By the way, the place we were in was a relatively high-end family restaurant. It was a chain, but the prices were high enough that coming here felt like a special treat.

Most likely, Father steered things this way, and the Kamijou family strained themselves a little to come along. I feel bad about that. Honestly, Father, not knowing when to be considerate is a real flaw.

"Um, Kamijou-sa—" "…Calling someone by their last name in front of their family feels kind of awkward and distant, doesn’t it?"

…! R-Reicia-chan…! Y-you’re bringing that up now, right after Kongou-san failed to call him by his first name!?

"Hm, when you put it that way, you’re right…"

"Then I’ll call you Touma. Right, Shiren?" "Eh, ehhh… W-well… yes, I suppose so. Then, Touma-san it is…"

"My, my, Touma-san, it feels like you’re enjoying the sweet days of youth, doesn’t it?"

Ugh, this is unbelievably embarrassing…

"…Shiren, hold on. Your face is red. If you get this flustered, could you give me some warning first? Your face is burning hot!"

"Wow, Reicia, your face is super red. Do you have a fever or something?"

"Silence! I’m not embarrassed at all, nothing of the sort! It’s just a heat fever, yes, that’s all it is. I used a lot of my ability so it’s just heat fever, that’s all! And besides! Yes, about the celebration—I was inviting everyone to an after-party for our efforts this time, s-so Touma-san, Index, would you like to join us!?"

"O-oh…"

"After-party!? Lots of tasty food!?"

…Phew, good. The topic’s been changed. I just need to calm down before those idiot old man teams over there pick up on it…

"My, my, Touma-san, you were already looking quite cozy with another girl at lunch, and now this. Care to explain? Depending on the details, as your mother I may need to give you some education as a 'victim of the predecessor'."

"Sigh… I’d also like to hear this in detail. I need to know exactly what situation my beloved daughter is caught up in… And Reicia, you’re telling me everything too, understand?"

"…………ugh"

────What happened after that… I really don’t want to talk about.

If I had to put it in a single word—hell.