Chapter 7

INTERLUDE THREE It was primarily Skill-Out’s fault that Level Zero were targeted so frequently in attacks. They made the first move and provoked espers. It wasn’t as if it started as brawls on the streets, though. The first flashes of conflict were just mild exchanges of insults. One side just happened to be the obviously ill-mannered Skill-Out, so they stood out a great deal. But when the espers started retaliating, Skill-Out weren’t the only ones affected. Any Level Zero walking around the city could rub someone the wrong way and wind up in trouble. The true victims hadn’t been the armed members of Skill-Out—it had been truly innocent Level Zeroes. The espers didn’t discriminate. They’d go after grade-schoolers and university kids alike. And their methods were often grisly. Consequently, the scope of the violence expanded almost overnight. Nothing was more fun than violence that carried no risk. Calls for righteous vengeance on the internet met with a flood of joking responses. As things escalated, many powerful espers expressed their intentions to “formally” participate. They didn’t care who was involved and who wasn’t. They just wanted to go wild, beat people up, and vent their stress without risking anything and without feeling guilty afterward. That was the only reason so many people began ambushing others. And in the midst of all this, a notice appeared on a bulletin board: Found a school of idiots. Everyone there’s a Level Zero. Things are more dangerous here because schools like them exist. Stamp out the root of evil! Requesting help to take out the trash. The post had been referring to an elementary school—one just like any other. None of the students going there had any relation to Skill-Out whatsoever. But that logic did nothing to stop the attackers. After all, they were only doing this because a Level Zero had made fun of them once, and they couldn’t let it go. Even the people holding the weapons didn’t know whom they were targeting. Ritoku Komaba deeply disliked fighting. However… …it was for that reason… …that he began to feel like it was on his organization to take responsibility.