In the corner of the abandoned warehouse, parts of an ATM machine lay scattered, while tattered car tires were neatly arranged around like makeshift seats.
Two Judgment girls stood side-by-side, faces expressionless as they stared down the slowly encircling crowd.
Though outnumbered, the two of them had successfully subdued this armed Skill-Out group.
"Please, have some tea."
A girl from the armed group stepped forward, head bowed timidly, and gingerly placed two bottles of drinks before Natsume-san and the others before cautiously retreating back into the ranks, though not without stealing a few extra glances at Natsume-san's face.
A Tokiwadai Judgment member, short and slender, hanging out with that teleporter… Could it be that one?
The girl's eyes widened as if she'd just remembered some long-circulated rumor.
Combined with the teleporter's mentioned terrifying habit of liking to throw people into trash cans, all the evidence seemed to point in one direction.
"Thank you, I'll take the strawberry flavor."
After a slight pause, Natsume Sonoko replied cheerfully, finally feeling a bit of that 'doing a good deed' satisfaction.
'As expected,' she thought, 'after I've gone to all the trouble to do something good, this is how it should be.'
During the moment Natsume-san halted her ability, both sides tacitly exchanged gestures of goodwill. Even if only superficial, it was a decent start.
"Ahem," Shirai-san cleared her throat, not the least bit intimidated despite facing so many.
This was the composure of a Judgment member.
As a girl who routinely fought crime, who considered written apologies and scoldings from Anti-Skill instructors as mere seasoning to her life, she couldn't possibly show weakness to potential criminals.
"Same here."
Natsume Sonoko chimed in, her face looking somewhat distracted, as if pondering whether it was appropriate to drink the strawberry beverage.
'But we're in the middle of discussions… Would drinking it seem unserious?'
"Recently, District 7 has seen a concentrated wave of attacks targeting Level 0s. However, due to the remote locations of the incidents, a lack of evidence and witnesses, Anti-Skill is not only unable to provide timely rescue, but even pursuing the perpetrators afterwards seems beyond their capacity."
"Even if the attackers were brought to the Anti-Skill building, they'd likely be released due to insufficient evidence."
"The clauses meant to restrict Anti-Skill's enforcement power have instead become a shackle binding them. Some people are exploiting this very point."
"Under these circumstances, most victims have lost confidence, preferring to seek your help rather than turn to Anti-Skill. We absolutely cannot ignore such a terrible situation."
Shirai-san spoke gravely, crossing her arms.
This time, she didn't mention Judgment, but in others' eyes, Anti-Skill and Judgment were essentially one and the same.
Though most Judgment members wouldn't actively take on cases occurring outside school grounds, ultimately, those cases still ended up with the Anti-Skill teachers.
"You've sheltered so many attacked Level 0s. Don't tell me you plan to solve this problem yourselves."
"Based on my understanding of your group, it would inevitably lead to yet more violent incidents."
After a pause, Shirai-san continued.
She'd had similar suspicions all along, which was precisely why she didn't want to postpone handling this matter. Since she knew about it, she came straight over to prevent a bigger problem.
Coincidentally, a certain bun-head girl seemed quite interested, so dragging her along as a tool wasn't a bad idea—and it kept her from pestering Onee-sama.
"So that's how it is."
A look of surprise crossed Hamazura Shiage's face, and his gaze toward the two Judgment members shifted.
He didn't think they had any reason to lie. If Anti-Skill and Judgment could solve the problem, it actually aligned pretty well with his own expectations.
"Going on and on about how, based on your understanding of us, leaving it to us will just lead to violence… You two Judgment members think we're the unstable elements, right?"
"Even after we've been driven into the dark corners, even after we've suppressed our tempers and let others walk all over us, we still have to endure the arrogance and injustice in this city. The moment we choose to fight back, we're labeled as villains. Don't you think that sounds utterly ridiculous?"
Komaba Ritoku straightened up, meeting the Judgment girl's gaze fearlessly. Their conflicting positions clashed violently in that moment.
Avoiding meaningless violence, stopping members from harming themselves—that was his principle. But he wouldn't offer kindness to malicious individuals either.
The clash between Judgment and the marginalized… neither side was truly wrong.
Academy City was, in the end, just an isolated pond in the wider world. The sediment at the bottom couldn't become fertilizer for a broader world; it could only sink and remain trapped at the bottom.
Perhaps it would be better if those who failed in ability development could just leave Academy City.
"No, that's not what Shirai-san meant."
"We just feel that this matter should be handled by us."
Shaking her head emphatically, Natsume-san finally spoke up.
The tall boy's words had left Natsume Sonoko somewhat silent, and she felt what he said made a certain sense.
But this time, she agreed with Shirai-san's view—or rather, it was her own view as well. If they were left to run wild, it would only lead to more severe, uncontrollable consequences.
The original intention of resolving the incident was to protect the weak and punish criminals, not to vent emotions and hurt each other.
This was probably just daily life for Judgment members, wasn't it?
Without even realizing it, it seemed Natsume-san had become a pretty decent Judgment member herself.
"Even Anti-Skill can't handle those ability users. Do you really have a better plan?"
"If you're just telling us to stay out of it, that's way too arrogant. But… with a teleporter, you might actually catch a few of them."
Hamazura Shiage scratched the back of his head awkwardly, his other hand pulling back the agitated Komaba Ritoku. He was starting to see that they could be reasoned with, which eased his tension quite a bit.
Don't think armed Skill-Outs don't need diplomacy—they were avoiding all meaningless violence too, you know! He was really trying his best to consider everyone's interests.
"About that, we've already thought it through. We've made ample preparations this time."
"Though I hate to admit it, this one here is actually the #8 Level 5 of Academy City. And this operation was her idea in the first place."
Shirai-san's tone turned serious as she suddenly pointed at the bun-head girl beside her.
Getting armed Skill-Outs to cooperate was tricky, but they could certainly leverage a certain bun-head girl. After all, the deterrent effect of a Level 5 was considerable.
And it seemed to work well. The moment Shirai-san's words fell, the boys and girls around them all stared wide-eyed at the flustered girl on the spot.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.