It was early morning the same day, October 3rd.
However, Accelerator was in a rectangular underground area surrounded by thick concrete, so he couldn't tell if it was morning or night. And it didn't really matter. He was standing with his cane underneath fluorescent lights that gave off uniform illumination.
He was in a shooting range.
The room went about 50 meters back, but only the front 10 meters were made for people to walk in. The rest was cut off by an oblong table. There were a great number of human-shaped targets beyond the table and a training program could freely move them anywhere along a mesh-like series of metal rails.
There were a number of thin dividers on the oblong table creating 13 lanes for the shooting area. The space for each lane was about the size of a phone booth.
Accelerator was standing near the middle at the 8th lane.
His slender hand was gripping a small handgun and the area smelled a bit like fireworks.
"Exercise Number 42. Begin."
A recorded woman's voice gave that announcement as 5 targets began to move.
(I'll go in order from closest to farthest. I just have to blow them away one at a time.)
Accelerator held the handgun in one hand and accurately shot each target.
Gunshots rang out in the large underground area. The loud noise bounced back adding even more pressure to his eardrums.
Accelerator was right-handed, but he was forced to shoot with his left hand because of his cane.
"Exercise Number 43. Begin."
He only needed about 70 seconds per round.
(I can't focus too much on the sight. I have to watch everything. Even the motions at the edge of my vision.)
As he thought, Accelerator was intent on his shooting. For him, reloading was more of an issue than the firing itself. As he had his cane in his right hand, he had to do so with only his left hand.
He removed the magazine, spun the gun around so the slot for the magazine was pointed up while his pointer finger remained on the trigger, pulled a magazine from his left sleeve with his mouth, put it in the gun, spun the gun halfway back around, put the slide in his mouth, and pulled it back.
It all took about 2 seconds.
But Accelerator felt that was too slow.
"Exercise Number 44. Begin."
He had tried firing plenty of other guns.
(I have to choose a gun based on the speed with which I can reload, the weight when I'm swinging it around in one hand, and the recoil when I fire it.)
The table in front of the lane had military, self-defense-use, sports-use, and plenty of other types of handguns on it. It also had shotguns, submachine guns, and rifles.
There were empty cartridges scattered about his feet like a pile of fallen leaves. Because of the various types of guns, the shells had different sizes and shapes. Some were copper-colored metal and some were made of blue plastic.
"Exercise Number 45. Begin."
He shot the targets moving at high speed on the rails.
(Don't rely on the destructive force of a single shot. Shooting multiple times with an easy-to-shoot bullet works best as a generic strategy.)
The targets picked up pace and they could turn sudden, sharp corners at the numerous switching points, but he precisely hit every single one regardless.
Members of Anti-Skill underwent formal training and even they couldn't do that. He had just barely started using guns and his posture was unsteady because of his cane, but he could already handle a gun like he'd been doing it for years.
But…
"…I can't use this." Accelerator said in an annoyed voice before the machine output his stats which were a personal record.
He pushed a few buttons on a calculator-like device on the lane's table and the training program stopped. He then threw the handgun onto the table.
He spoke without turning around.
"What do you want, you disguised bastard."
After he spoke, a purposeful sounding footstep could be heard from behind him. It was most likely in place of a knock.
"I was trying to suppress my presence, but it seems I need to practice some more," spoke a soft male voice.
Accelerator turned around to find a thin brown-haired boy standing there. Accelerator recalled that his name was Unabara Mitsuki. But just after naming himself, the boy had said that his face and name were both fake.
"I'd actually like to consult with you on that matter. You were in the middle of target practice, so it couldn't have been that I made a noise. So how did you detect my presence?"
"You're always blabbering about something, aren't you? I'm not gonna help you with that." Accelerator spat out, but he honestly hadn't noticed Unabara Mitsuki's approach.
At least not with any of his normal sensory organs.
But…
(Tch. They're trembling again…)
The hand that had held the handgun was hurting for a reason other than fatigue.
He didn't know why, but this had been happening ever since he had first met the guy a few days ago. Whenever Unabara Mitsuki was nearby, his fingertips would tremble unconsciously. And he would feel a pressure on his chest like there was a basketball there.
One thing always came to his mind when it happened.
(Kihara Amata.)
The pouring rain, a dull pain, and the iron-like taste and smell of blood.
(Last Order.)
That small life that had been tormented by unreasonable violence and seemed like it could slip away even now.
And…
(…Those black wings that appeared on my back.)
It was nothing more than a vague, abstract image in his head. He had only started to become aware of that existence when he had joined Group…no, it had actually been from the point when he had crushed the researcher known as Kihara Amata.
But he couldn't exactly discuss that with the man before him.
He would gain nothing from showing any weakness here.
"I asked what you wanted."
"Have you decided on a weapon?" Unabara's smile did not go away. "You won't have time to do too close an examination. You have an urgent job to do. You need to learn how things work around here as soon as you can."
"So far, nothing's felt just right," Accelerator spat out and looked down at the large number of guns on top of the table. "But somehow I doubt I'd find one that did if I checked every gun in the world."
"How about you put together a list of equipment you can use along with your powers?"
"You just don't fucking get it, do you?"
He tapped the choker-style electrode on his neck.
"I can't rely on this thing."
"Why not? It's been improved, right? The report from Group's technical team said that the time you can use your powers was upped from 15 minutes to 30."
"Group…" Accelerator repeated as if he didn't care.
On September 30th, some people in powered suits had appeared after he had pulverized Kihara Amata and taken him away to join a unit by that name, but even a formal member like him didn't know the details. Currently, it seemed Group acted as a 4-member set including him. But he didn't even know how many other such units there were or even if there were any others. The people in those powered suits may have been members of a different "Group".
He had transferred to Nagatenjouki Academy.
That was what Yomikawa Aiho and Yoshikawa Kikyou had been told happened. Even Accelerator thought that was a nice method of explaining it. It was true that no one would find it odd that the top school in Academy City had a special class that stressed secrecy. There could very well be a single research room that even the other students didn't know about.
Taking advantage of that, he was registered as a student there, but didn't actually attend the school.
(It's the people who control Group. I can't see the whole picture, but the people above us must have the power to do that and a goal that requires that they go to that much effort. Sounds suspicious to me.)
Accelerator knew there were a number of subordinate organizations that worked under Group. They developed and maintained equipment, transported personnel, and completely destroyed all evidence of Group's actions. A huge number of people must be needed to do all those various jobs and it was all for the sake of just four people.
One of the recipients of all that, Unabara Mitsuki, had a look of puzzlement on his face.
"Are you displeased with how the electrode is tuned?"
"Ha. Doesn't matter if it's 30 minutes or 3 days, it's still fundamentally the same. If something fucks up, it's all over. If the electrode breaks down, I can't fight and then I'm dead."
These were his feelings after facing a formidable opponent like Kihara Amata with the battery having died. He could no longer feel safe while he was relying on something.
From now on, he had to fight no matter what situation he was driven into.
"Ha ha. So you're saying all the effort the technical team went to in analyzing the electrode was a complete waste?"
"I don't fucking care," Accelerator responded. "Is that all you wanted?"
"No, I was about to get to why I'm here."
Unabara paused for a beat and continued.
"Group has gotten an order for a job from the board of directors."
"…"
"Academy City is currently fortifying its anti-Roman Catholic battle lines, but due to the focus on anti-Roman Catholic things the defense on the inside has gotten thinner. Our job is to do a clean sweep of a force that is going to use that gap in the defenses to do some damage to the functionality of Academy City."
"Heh. Ha ha ha."
Accelerator laughed without meaning to after hearing that.
"So I've fallen so damn far that I have a collar around my neck and have to be ordered to take out the trash? Life really is full of surprises."
His red eyes turned to lines in enjoyment and his lips became a shape of scorn.
"I was told I had to make up for what that fucker Kihara did, but I never thought I'd be doing boring shit like this! Ha ha. I guess the higher ups see me as the same kind of trash Kihara was!!"
"You brought it on yourself. No one made you fall this far."
In response to those words, Accelerator stretched out his slender arm and grabbed Unabara by the collar. He purposefully aimed for the very center of his chest.
He grabbed Unabara with those fingertips that could alter various vectors. He could even reverse the flow of Unabara's blood with them.
"Listen up, kid. There's something you need to learn." Accelerator's expression did not change as he pulled on Unabara's shirt. "A human life is a fragile thing. I can destroy one with a touch of my finger. So watch yourself. If you don't, I might break something you'd rather I didn't."
"I'll be careful."
But Unabara's words did not match the smooth tone of his voice and there was a calm smile on his face.
"Tch," Accelerator lightly clicked his tongue and let go of Unabara's shirt.
"May I continue?"
"Go ahead."
"The target is Skill-Out. You probably know more about them than me."
Accelerator frowned at Unabara's words.
Simply put, Skill-Out was an armed group of Level 0s.
One's status in Academy City was decided by academics and powers. Being a Level 0 was like living your school life with a test you got a 0 on hanging from your neck and it seemed some people couldn't stand to be treated like that.
Potentially, there were around 10,000 Skill-Out members in Academy City. Most of those were people who rented out a dorm but never went to school and people who went to school but acted as Skill-Out members at night. The Skill-Out members that never returned to the dorms and gave them the image of an armed group was only about 1% of the total.
They had no clear objective.
If a group of Level 0 boys gathered in the streets at night, they were treated as part of Skill-Out. Consequently, there were Skill-Out groups that were just 3 or 4 people gathered in a convenience store parking lot and some that made teams of a hundred and strutted around the streets.
"Hey, now. The scale of this job keeps getting smaller and smaller. The higher ups aren't betting on how far I'll go before I snap, are they?"
"Not at all. Just so you know, Skill-Out has apparently reorganized recently. When an Anti-Skill unit tried to suppress them, they turned the tables on the unit forcing them to retreat. So it isn't all that surprising that this has come to an unofficial unit like Group."
"Hmph," Accelerator said in annoyance.
Strategy or force. The good-for-nothings in the back alleys must have come by one of those.
"It seems Skill-Out is making some toys."
"Toys?"
"They are drilling into oak wood and packing explosives inside. They are about 5 cm in diameter and 70 cm in length. They are probably supposed to be rockets as they are completely streamlined and have been confirmed to have 3 PVC fins on the sides."
"Wait, they're making pole fire arrows?" Accelerator couldn't help but laugh. "Those were experimental weapons in the Edo period. What, have they gotten obsessed with archeology or something? They were said to fly 2000 meters, but they weren't all that powerful. If you packed 'em with high grade plastic explosives, things would be different, but they're probably using handmade explosives. They can't make a single fucking scratch on a research facility wall with that. How are they supposed to be causing problems?"
"It seems that with some preliminary arrangements, they can be quite effective," Unabara said in a calm voice. "For the past few days, they have been doing a lot of work. They have been moving abandoned cars into the designated emergency paths and clogging the drains around the entrances and exits to VIP facilities with trash. It's all small things like that that aren't treated as security issues."
"…When the hell did we get stuck with cleaning up kids' pranks?"
"But it seems that over 20,000 of these problems that are too minor to qualify as errors have been prepared already. And even though they could be ignored in peaceful times, when the alert is at orange or red, they are detected as errors. Which means…"
"So an attack by those pole fire arrows could cause a problem?"
"If they use those rockets, they could trigger a Code Orange. And as soon as the alert level rises, the 20,000 'bombs' Skill-Out has been setting up over the past few days will trigger as error reports all at once. If the large number of error reports knocks out the server that provides security for the communications network, Skill-Out will be able to do whatever they want around the city without Anti-Skill coming."
"Also, it seems this 'hole' in the security is not one that can be filled in just a day or two," Unabara added.
"That's quite a story… But how can you be so sure of their aim? Isn't this just your guess?"
"Not at all. I have captured a number of them and separately made them talk, so there's no mistaking it."
Accelerator remained silent for a moment after hearing Unabara's words, but he decided it wasn't his place to criticize him. After all, he had taken out about 10,000 more people than that himself.
"So they can't fight without making preparations? To think about all that little stuff, they must be nothing but cowards." Accelerator spoke as if he was spitting out the words. "So what are they after? Are they going to attack a military research facility and steal some powered suits?"
"No. Facilities like that have independent security departments. Most likely, Skill-Out is simply attempting to rebel against the espers."
"Ha. So they're just cutting off the communications network and overwhelming them? Using pure numbers does seem like the kind of strategy Level 0s like."
Anywhere from dozens to hundreds of them would corner a single esper and crush them. If they went around the city repeating that strategy, even a group of Level 0s could cause quite a disaster.
"…If Skill-Out's plan succeeds, the communication network for at least 2 or 3 districts will go down. Which means we should assume the damage caused would be rather high."
Unabara tilted his head to the side in puzzlement and asked Accelerator a question.
"Skill-Out seems to have quite a showy plan, but will it really work? Even if a few dozen of them surrounded a Level 5 like you armed with handguns and other self-defense equipment, I doubt they could do anything."
"Even a small opening can look attractive, and those idiots will jump at the slightest chance. Their plan will probably end up being a dud. A half-assed plan will give you half-assed results with only a half-assed amount of damage done."
The ones that Skill-Out hated most due to their clear inferiority complex was the Level 5s like Accelerator.
But he didn't think any Level 5s would be defeated with a plan like this. So the members of Skill-Out must have settled for a target they could attack more easily.
The only espers that would be defeated with this were powerless Level 1s and Level 2s.
Level 2s.
Mass produced military espers and the single girl that controlled them from above.
Who was going to pay for this violence that had lost sight of its goal?
"…This is bullshit," Accelerator mumbled.
Then he spoke to Unabara.
"The danger doesn't come from Skill-Out." Accelerator spat on the floor. "The danger comes from the possibility of some religious group attacking at the hole opened up by the Skill-Out attack. Those bastards on the board of directors don't give a fuck about the people in the back alleys."
"I see you have a good understanding of how things work."
"So what are you waiting around for? If you know what they're after, can't you just turn off the automatic alert system? If Code Orange is never triggered, the communications network won't go down, right?"
"If we weren't at war, we would do so. But that would be like turning off your computer's security software when an attack could be coming at any time."
"So we've got enemies on the outside and inside. Academy City really has pissed off a lot of people."
"And it is our job to deal with those people," Unabara said while smiling. "Redoing Academy City's security system won't fix the problem in time. Anti-Skill and Judgment are working to fix the obstructions in the emergency paths and the entrances and exits of VIP facilities, but there is no guarantee that Skill-Out will just wait until they finish. That is why we need to physically stop them."
"Ha ha. So it needs to be done in a way too dirty to ask Anti-Skill to do, huh?"
"The target's name is Komaba Ritoku. He is currently both the leader and brains of Skill-Out."
Unabara pointed to a picture on the screen on his cell phone.
"He is supposed to be quite an influential person in the back alleys of District 7. Have you heard of him?"
"No. I have no reason to remember those people."
"This time the Skill-Out plan can be preemptively stopped by quickly taking care of Komaba Ritoku."
"That isn't going to stop those bastards. Their preliminary arrangements are complete, right? As long as the alert goes to orange, they win. Currently, all of Academy City is at yellow. They're halfway there before starting. Their leader dying isn't going to stop the rest from-..."
"It will," Unabara cut off Accelerator. "They have a specific spot prepared for the explosives. As I said before, they have been setting things up at the entrances and exits of VIP facilities and in emergency paths. Well, it seems there is a characteristic way that they are doing it. An explosion in a specific area will cause that area to go to orange or higher which will cause the automatic security to look for errors there. The system will find a 'problem affecting the safety of a facility' in the area, so it will check the nearby areas that personnel will be moved through. It seems their plan is that this will continue and the error area will grow exponentially."
"And," Unabara continued, "it seems only Komaba Ritoku knows where the spot for the explosion where it all starts is. At the very least, the Skill-Out members I captured didn't know it. It seems there was a need to hold the reins tightly to ensure the success of the plan and to prevent anyone from starting it prematurely."
"Keh. He's just making sure he's important enough to keep around." Accelerator spat these words out and shook his hands lightly. "I'll take out that Komaba guy if you want, but I'd be worried about me trigging a Code Red. Unlike you people, things can get a little crazy when I fight."
"If Code Orange or higher is triggered someplace other than the place Komaba has set up for the explosion, his plan won't work. Because Academy City is divided up into such small security areas, that would likely only trigger an alert for a small area. All the preparation they have gone through is needed for it spread to a large area."
"…Fuck, if you know this much about it, how can you not know where that critical explosion point is? With that, you could just get someone to guard that area."
"Well, the only way to get that information is to ask Komaba Ritoku directly…"
Unabara Mitsuki grinned as he spoke.
"And if we're going to do that, we might as well take him out while we're at it, don't you think?"