Chapter 57

“Did that hurt? Well, a 12-gauge wouldn’t have even given you the time to feel pain. Gotta be careful. Ugh. The last thing I want to do as a competitor is pick a fight with the sponsor. So don’t make me rescue you again, got it?” Grabbing Kamijou’s still-rigid arm, Saflee began dragging him along behind her like a stuffed animal. Not toward the mystery, obviously, but in the other direction. She had to get them both to safety before figuring out what to do next. Avoiding tragedy was harder than creating it. She’d need appropriate time to prepare for her thrill seeking. “Competitor Saflee Opendays?” Saflee heard the voice of an old man, and her face instantly soured. She turned around to see an executive accompanied by several guards. Weissland Strynikov. You didn’t need to open a Baggage City pamphlet to know who he was—one of Natural Selector’s sponsors. He led one of the three major groups comprising the Anti–Academy City Science Guardians. It wouldn’t have mattered if she’d already accomplished her goal but angering him now would not be a good idea. “I thank you for doing your part as a civilian to keep the peace around here, but you’re trespassing on private property. How we deal with you will depend on how you respond. Is that all right with you?” “…Are you going to ask me to hand over the boy? Is that the idea?” “If you have anything else to make a deal with, then you’d best tell me now.” Saflee clicked her teeth in annoyance. “I took him out. He’s not a threat anymore. But you still want to land the finishing blow, eh?” “Should he be handed over safely, then that possibility can be eliminated.” Personally, she didn’t have any reason to be stubborn about this Touma Kamijou boy. She had several rules when it came to getting her kicks from destruction. One of them went like this: Never let it leave a bad taste in your mouth. That was the premise underpinning almost everything. In all honesty, Touma Kamijou had been the one to sneak into Baggage City unannounced, so she’d have had no hesitation handing him over to the authorities, if not for… “Is it still possible that once the handoff is complete, then the muzzle of a gun might be stuck through the portcullis afterward?” asked Saflee. Weissland didn’t answer that. However, his guards all took a few steps forward. And that frivolous-looking blond-haired man continued to grin at her in glee. “…Great,” she said. “This would have been so much easier if you’d lied and promised me otherwise.” “If I had, would you have lied to yourself and handed him over?” “Nope. But it would have given me an excuse to label you a bad guy and beat the crap out of you.” “Then am I to assume there are not one but two trespassers on this property?” “I mean, it wouldn’t be a lie. So go for it,” said Saflee, giving him the go-ahead nonchalantly. “But that would mean my fate is now linked with the boy’s, so we’ll have to run away like our lives depend on it.” “And what about Natural Selector? You came all this way—I know you must want something from winning.” “Then I’ll put on my best ‘mysterious masked beauty’ act and dive right in. Ignore tournament regulations, stir up trouble—all that. I mean, I only have to prove I’m the best. That’ll get me to the finish line. And there are plenty of ways to do it.” “You’re a strong one.” “I wish you would have waited until you saw the results to say that.” “My last question to you, then. Is using your strength to help an intruder endangering Baggage City and the Anti–Academy City Science Guardians not a crooked act?” “Oh? Actually, I think leaving this kid here to die would be much more crooked of me.” A distinct bloodlust emanated from Saflee and the security guards. Common sense would say that someone holding a limp man in her arms wouldn’t stand a chance against multiple people wielding shotguns. On the other hand, though, Saflee was one of the candidates for facing off against the Academy City’s psychic powers. She was a freak, and she’d been invited here because everyone was hoping she could defy common sense. However, before the two sides could actually clash, something else happened… …courtesy of the fallen Touma Kamijou. “…Gah…gah.” “?” “You’re wrong. I don’t think…that I’m the intruder you’re looking for.” His remark was incomprehensible. Saflee had her attention on him now, of course, but even Weissland, who had just been dominating the space around them, was looking at the boy. “I came here to stop that intruder you guys are talking about.” Eventually, Weissland opened his mouth to speak. “Are you referring to Gremlin, perhaps?” he said. “Judging by your actions in Hawaii, you seem to be on opposing sides. But our webs of interest are separate from yours. Whatever their ultimate goal is, there will be no attacks on the Anti–Academy City Science Guardians or Baggage City until it’s achieved. And it’s fine that way. Not one bit of me wishes to remain allied with Gremlin until the end.” “…That’s not it,” said Touma Kamijou sharply. “I mean, yeah, we gotta address Gremlin, but something else got into Baggage City already.” “I… What?” “…Did you really think Academy City would sit around waiting for you to start doing things? Of course not. This is too big for the city not to come straight here to settle things. They’ll throw their best into this. Do you really think that’s some high school kid who gets knocked out by a single clothesline?” “……” “They’re coming,” he said quietly. “They’re coming here—your real enemy. Number 990910991, from the city’s darkest shadows.” “…Eh?” said Saflee, looking at him dubiously. And then, a moment later… …they were here.