Chapter 10: Aleister

The room they found themselves in was modest yet cozy. Soft yellow lights illuminated the space, casting a warm glow upon the walls adorned with framed landscapes. The wooden furniture exuded a rustic charm, showcasing the inn's traditional aesthetic. Misaka and Aisa took a seat on the edge of the bed, positioning themselves slightly closer to each other. They sat with their backs straight, facing Tsuchimikado, who perched on a chair. His restless legs tapped against the wooden floor, a subtle rhythm echoing throughout the room as his fingers unconsciously tapped in unison. "So how did you know you could find us here, asks misaka suspicious of the weird guy in front of her" "Well, I am the type of guy who has so many friends. Just look at me. If I was curious about something or someone, I could always rely on my extensive network to gather information," Tsuchimikado replied with a confident smirk. Misaka raised an eyebrow."So, you just happened to know exactly where to find us in this city just by asking a few friends? Asks Misaka still skeptical of the weird guy's claims" Tsuchimikado chuckled, crossing his arms. "Let's just say that my friends are well-connected and have a knack for finding the right information at the right time. It's all about being in the right circles, you know?" (We were just discussing the need for someone with connections, and in the next instant he magically appears at the front door... a coincidence?) "...So, you went through all this trouble just to join a team without a name? Asks misaka" "Yet... a team with someone who came so close to defeating the strongest esper in the city can't remain nameless for long, don't you think?" Tsuchimikado replied with a grin. "...you have so many friends, don't you? Says Misaka" "That's just me, baby. But anyway, that's not my only reason." "And what's the other reason? Asks misaka" Tsuchimikado leaned back in his chair, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "A team with two beautiful girls. What more could I ask for?" "..." "..." Misaka exchanged a knowing glance with Aisa. "That's a good reason, confirms Misaka" "I can't blame him for wanting to be on the same team as me. I am so beautiful, after all." (For the first time, I didn't receive that disgusted look. Maybe there's a chance...) "But he's not my type." "Neither is for Misaka..." They both nodded in agreement. (...Never mind.) "So... am I officially part of the team now?" (...He didn't hide the fact that he's aware of what happened between me and Accelerator... It might be better to keep him close and learn more... and he would be useful as well.) Misaka extended her hand towards Tsuchimikado. "Welcome to the team. We're glad to have you, says Misaka" Tsuchimikado shook her hand enthusiastically. "You won't regret this" (At least for now...) Aisa remained silent, observing the interaction between Misaka and Tsuchimikado. She had her reservations, but Misaka was the boss. "Well, to start, what about naming our team? You haven't named it yet, right?" "Not yet. We'll do that when all the current members of the group gather together, says Misaka" "Are there still more people with you?" "Just one more, Her name is--" (Sister, we found her. I'll send you the coordinates, informed Misaka #19002.) Tsuchimikado raised an eyebrow, curious about the sudden interruption. "Is something wrong?" "...Misaka remembers she has something to do right now. We'll continue later. For now, let's meet again around 6 PM, says Misaka as she hands a card with a means of communication and the team's base location to Tsuchimikado and Aisa" Aisa took the card and nodded in understanding. "Got it, but..." Tsuchimikado took the card, but his eyes remained fixed on Misaka as she headed toward the window instead of the door. "The door is over here. Where are you going?" "Hmm?" Misaka reached for the window and opened it. "Oh, Misaka prefers this way. It's faster, replies Misaka casually." "But that's the 17th floor..." Without waiting to hear the rest of Tsuchimikado's sentence, Misaka jumped out of the window. "Well... that was kinda badass, don't you agree?" Tsuchimikado turned toward Aisa, only to find that she had already left, leaving his words hanging alone in the room. Sighing as he scratched the back of his head, "You guys are so mean to me" Part 2: Her entire body cracked and creaked as she was racked with agonizing pain from within. It felt like an iron file was shaving down her teeth, except over all of her. She didn't feel that she was stopping the fist. The immense, hopeless power, like that of a landslide tumbling down a mountain slope, just kept coming. Her fingers holding back the garbage-assembled iron fist of the golem snapped. Her feet on the ground were pushed backward into the asphalt. Her calves couldn't withstand the pressure and bent and warped out of shape with a smashing sound like tree branches losing to the weight of snow atop them. Pain exploded inside her body. It felt as though someone had slammed a hammer into her shins. At full force. The golem must have decided it would crush the pitiful resistance with brute force, and like Tightening a vise, it directed more power into its fist. "Ah, aaaaaaaahhhhhgh!!" Kazakiri screamed and strained against it. Her limbs expanded vigorously. She wasn't straining her muscles. Like blowing air into a balloon, her limbs that were being crushed with sheer force expanded and forcibly regained their original form. Her vision blinked in and out at the pain, which felt like a nearly closed wound had been torn. Back open. The stone monster gave even more pressure to its fist. Her body was caught between the force trying to crush her from without and the force trying to return her to normal from within. It gave Awful creaks and groans like old floorboards. Kazakiri bit back against the intense pain, but she still didn't let go of the golem's fist. There was no way she was ever letting go. A girl she needed to protect was behind her. The girl in white wasn't a monster like Kazakiri was. She didn't have the strength to stop the fist of a behemoth. Monsters must be the ones to fight other monsters. (But...) However much she struggled, there would be no saving Kazakiri Hyouka. Even if she saved Index, she would be defeated by the golem in return. She'd never tested the limits of her body before. And she couldn't even imagine what would happen to "Kazakiri Hyouka" if her flesh were assimilated into the golem-like pillars or bicycles. "Guh...!!" She gritted her teeth. If that was how it was going to be, then she made up her mind and made Her final choice—she would buy enough time for that girl to escape. Kazakiri reflexively shut her eyes at the destruction that was sure to come a second later, when... "Finally found you..." She heard a familiar voice followed by the sound of an explosion. Though she still felt the cold of the golem's fist, there was no power behind it. The golem remained still, motionless. Opening her eyes slowly, Kazakiri's gaze fixated on the golem as it knelt on one knee. The ground beneath it bore a massive crack. Lifting her gaze to the golem's head, she saw someone atop it. Her white hair billowed behind her as she maintained a graceful posture, balancing on her tiptoes. Her body leaned slightly forward, while one leg was bent in a kneeling position. With a gentle hand resting on her knee. "You could have at least left a way for Misaka to communicate with you before leaving back then, says Misaka as she scolds her friend" Kazakiri attempted to respond, but her words were abruptly interrupted by the monstrous golem's terrifying roar. The ground shook beneath its tremendous power. "Hmm?" The golem swiftly withdrew its hand from Kazakiri's grasp. With a fierce determination, it prepared to strike at the one who dared to challenge it. Its massive arm swung forcefully, aiming to crush its target under its immense power. Kazakiri's eyes widened in horror, "Misaka!" "Yes...?" "Huh?" The response came from her left. There, by her side, stood Misaka, her gaze locked on the fallen golem. "Isn't that golem rather foolish to strike itself? Well, anyway...hmm" Misaka turned her gaze towards Kazakiri, noticing the cracks on her arms mending on their own. Noticing Misaka's gaze, Kazakiri attempted to conceal her hand behind her back in shame. "I'm not human...I'm sorry...for lying to you this whole time." Misaka tilted her head to the side, her attention shifting to her arm. "..." "Hey, look at Misaka's right arm, says Misaka" "Huh...?!" Kazakiri followed Misaka's indication and her eyes widened in shock. Misaka's right arm was missing, with blood trickling from the empty socket where it should have been. "Y-Your arm... H-How...?" "Well, Misaka was a bit slow, and the monster managed to take Misaka's arm..." (I lied) "Well, that's not our current topic, watch..." Kazakiri's eyes widened as Misaka began to heal her arm. It was an incredible sight. New flesh and bone grew, replacing what was lost. Kazakiri felt a tingling sensation as if electricity filled the air. "Misaka thinks she doesn't have to say more, but there is one more thing... Misaka is the Monster, not Kazakiri. Kazakiri is the hero. Don't take on other identities or steal nicknames, says Misaka as she scolded Kazakiri for stealing Misaka's nickname" "A hero? Not Monster?" "And that hero's name is Kazakiri, adds Misaka as she tried to smile but failed as usual" Kazakiri stood in blank amazement, facing Misaka. A black shadow flew by her like a javelin. That was when the golem chose to launch another fist. However, despite her back still turning towards the menacing golem, Misaka fearlessly intercepted its fist with her own, As their hands collided, an unusual vibration coursed through Misaka's hand. And in the next moment, the bloated golem began to crack apart and crumble down to the Ground. Gray dust soared into the air. "W-what happened?" "Oh, that..." Misaka raised her hand, a cloud of smoke swirling around it, "Misaka harnessed the kinetic force of the monster's punch, storing it within her hand, and retaliate it back to its source, explains Misaka as she regrets doing something that painful to look cool." "I see..." Kazakiri Hyouka smiled to herself. (It's over...) Part 3: Kamijou stood by himself in a corner of the ruins. When the gray dust cleared, Kazakiri Hyouka was nowhere in sight. Only two or three drops of water fell to the ground, even though it wasn't raining. Having overheard the commotion, Mikoto and Shirai arrived quickly. They said that Anti-Skill and Judgment members would arrive soon, and it was best to run away before things got sticky. The two of them pulled along Index, who was trying to stay with Kamijou, and used teleportation to leave the area. Shirai's ability had a limit on how far it could go, so they were probably leapfrogging a hundred meters or so at a time. Kamijou, as usual, would nullify her powers, so he was left to run away by himself. He wasn't aware of where his feet had taken him as his mind was disconnected from the real world. But what he did know was that he found himself in a small park, and from a distance, he could see the figures of two girls sitting closely together on one of the park benches. "Kazakiri and the white Misaka Imouto?" Taking cover behind one of the park trees, he watched both of them in silence. He didn't quite understand why he felt the need to hide, but something inside him told him it was the right thing to do at that moment. ... "Did you have any idea how long it took for Misaka to find you? Next time, please leave a way for Misaka to communicate with you, says Misaka as she is furious that her friend betrayed" "Um... I'm so sorry. A lot happened, so..." Noticing the sadness on Kazakiri's face, Misaka let out a sigh. "Anyway, we have to meet our other members - friends, to discuss a few things about the team. But first..." Misaka's eyes focused on Kazakiri's clothing, feeling a pang of sympathy for her friend's current state. "... we need to get you some new clothes, says Misaka as she feels bad for her friend's condition" "N-No need," As Kazakiri spoke, in the next instant, her clothes started to repair themselves. Within a few seconds, all the rupture and dirt vanished, leaving her attire as good as new. "Misaka thought you had the same ability as Misaka, but it seems you're a little different, says Misaka as she feels a sense of joy at having such an amazing member on her team." "Umm...yeah...well..." She was smiling. "My body, it's really...like a big, rolled-up ball of esper. Abilities...I'll always be unstable like this, no matter what...since I won't exist forever...," "...Well, everyone is meant to die in the end, says Misaka" (I don't know about my case, though.) "My body is...made up of the power of 2.3 million people. So, in terms of lifespan, I have many times longer to live than all of you. But from time to time, I may disappear, and right now seems to be one of those times." "..." Even though Misaka's expression was like a blank white paper that you couldn't read anything from it, Kazakiri could see the sadness in her eyes. She smiled gently at her. She looked like a child who had been left behind by her parents. "You don't need...to worry. Even if my body disappears...I won't...die or anything. You just Won't be able to see me...or feel me, that's all." "...we have a meeting at 6 PM, make sure to be there or Misaka will scold you even more, confirms Misaka" Kazakiri Hyouka smiled. She smiled and answered. "Sure." Misaka raised her hand, ready to bump it with Kazakiri's. Kazakiri raised her hand as well, ready to reciprocate the gesture. But in the end, Misaka's hand passed through the empty space, leaving her with a heavy heart as she lowered her head, gazing at the ground. "...Are you okay?" A voice could be heard, accompanied by the sound of approaching footsteps. She didn't need to raise her head to know who the voice belonged to. "You should be asking yourself that question, says Misaka as she sees the condition of the boy named Kamijo Touma" "... Why though, I'm fine," "..." Supporting herself with her hands, she rose to her feet and approached him. Extending her hand, she gently wiped away the tears from his eyes. "Don't act tough if you can't handle it, You will only end up hurting yourself more, advises Misaka" "...The same could be said for you," (I can handle it because I'm used to the pain), She was about to respond, but instead... "Right now, Misaka isn't acting tough. Misaka is just a clone, trying to find her own identity. Misaka doesn't fully understand human emotions yet... but Misaka can tell you that she's feeling sad right now, explains Misaka" After making sure there were no more tears in his eyes, she gently patted his head and handed something to him. "Here, that envelope Kazakiri leave it for the little nun, give it to her" Then, without another word, she continued on her way, leaving him behind, watching her receding figure. "Was being maturely really in biri biri DNA?" Part4: "Are you happy now?" spat Tsuchimikado Motoharu, taking his eyes off the image floating before his eyes, in a room of a building with no doors, windows, hallways, staircases, elevators, or even air vents. Aleister, who was floating upside down in the giant glass cylinder before his eyes, smiled lightly. There was no response. The unnerving silence made Tsuchimikado force his words as if it bothered him. "And so by manipulating your human pawns, you're closer again to the completion of the key to bring the Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution under your grasp. Honestly? You look like a monster to me." The Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution, constructed with AIM diffusion fields, was something that would appear wherever espers were present, such as in this city. Nobody even knew if it was harmful or benign. "So that's why you were interested in Kazakiri Hyouka. She might be a part of the Imaginary Number District, but planting an artificial ego into her and aiding in her materialization? You must be out of your mind...However, I don't understand why you specifically asked me to keep a close eye on that clone?" "Well." Aleister answered with one word, in a bored tone.