Gokusai Kaibi was silent for a second. Then, she smiled warmly and took Yuuya's arm, leaning against him like a delicate little bird clinging to its protector.
Pedestrians walking past assumed the two were just another teenage couple out for a date and ignored them. Most people near the movie theater were couples, anyway.
"I do have some ulterior motives," Kaibi admitted softly, looking up at him. "But I absolutely have no intention of harming you, Senpai."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
"This is my way of surviving," Kaibi said, her smile fading into something far more pragmatic. "After all, Senpai, you know that you can lose your life at any second in a place like the Dark Side. And in Academy City, when you die in the shadows, all traces of your existence are erased. Everyone forgets that you ever existed. So, it's absolutely necessary to constantly make powerful friends who can help you live a good life."
Kaibi had managed to live a relatively stable life until now specifically by being able to read people and get along with the monsters of Academy City. With her Level 4 psychological ability, Measure Heart, she wouldn't have survived a single month in the Dark Side without finding a powerful shield to hide behind.
"I see. So you're throwing yourself at me for my power, right?" Yuuya said nonchalantly. 'What a clever woman,' he thought. But that ruthless pragmatism was precisely how she managed to survive in Kakine Teitoku's shadow.
"Yes. Is my honest answer satisfactory, Senpai?" Kaibi looked at Yuuya's profile anxiously.
If she lied to him, he would definitely hate her. And if he hated her, he would never protect her from the fallout of the coming Dark Side war.
"Satisfied. But as the psychological operative of SCHOOL, aren't you under Kakine Teitoku's protection?" Yuuya asked, nodding slightly. "You should know that I'm also the Leader of a newly formed Dark Side division. Getting so intimately close to a rival Leader could lead to massive trouble for you."
For a young woman who lived in the ruthless underbelly of Academy City, finding a reliable protector was indeed a valid survival tactic. But switching factions was dangerous.
"My relationship with Kakine Teitoku is purely professional. I provide him with the psychological profiling and intel he needs, and act as a negotiator on the side. There's nothing more to it," Kaibi explained calmly. "Don't let my mature demeanor fool you, Senpai. I'm actually quite reserved~"
She leaned up, whispering directly into Yuuya's ear. "I've never actually had a boyfriend before. I'm only fourteen years old, you know~"
'She's definitely implying something very specific right now,' Yuuya thought to himself. He wanted to laugh at her blatant seduction.
"I didn't mean anything overly scandalous by it~" Kaibi whispered, sensing his amusement. "But... don't get me wrong. If I were willing to become your girlfriend, would you be willing to protect me?"
She had already thoroughly investigated Takahashi Yuuya's background and had even visited his school covertly. She had learned enough about his character to know she could be this direct. Moreover, he had already made it clear that if she didn't speak frankly, there probably wouldn't be a second date.
"Are you serious?" Yuuya asked, genuinely surprised. "You're that decisive? Just how highly do you value my abilities?"
"What does Senpai think?" Kaibi smiled.
"I hope you won't regret it. I'm a very possessive person," Yuuya said, playfully pinching her waist.
"Hehe. The movie's about to start, Senpai," Kaibi giggled, pulling him toward the theater doors.
Yuuya smiled faintly. He was a bit surprised he had actually accepted her offer so easily. She was so close to him that he could smell the faint, pleasant scent of her shampoo.
...
While Yuuya and Kaibi were watching their movie, significant turmoil was erupting within the highest echelons of Academy City.
Although the physical chaos caused by the Level 5s at the stadium was technically insignificant to the General Board of Directors—not even worth them personally getting worked up about—the political fallout was a different story.
The fact that the elite Dark Side faction ITEM had been abruptly disbanded by General Superintendent Aleister, and a new Dark Side unit named "Harmony" had been established in its place, deeply shocked all twelve Directors.
Normally, the emergence of a new Dark Side branch was nothing more than a new "claw" for the Board, specializing in handling the city's shady dealings. However, this "Harmony" faction was directly subordinate only to Aleister Crowley. Its official duty was vaguely listed as "cleaning up factions that severely violate human morality and ethics"—without any precise legal definition.
It was important to understand the balance of power. The main scope of the Dark Side was generally twofold: to eliminate foreign spies infiltrating Academy City, and to suppress internal rebellions orchestrated by the upper echelons of the city themselves.
ITEM's primary duty had always been to act as a deterrent to suppress rebellious Board Directors.
However, ITEM had now been swallowed whole to form the "Harmony" Society. Its Leader was the unpredictable Number Eight, and its vanguard included the apocalyptic firepower of Accelerator and Meltdowner.
Such a massive consolidation of power under Aleister's direct control was completely beyond the expectations of the General Board.
...
District 22. Deep Underground.
District 22 was canonically the smallest school district in Academy City. Above ground, it consisted of rows of massive wind turbines. Underground, however, it was the most sci-fi sector in the city. The district was divided into ten subterranean floors, each spanning a huge block, containing facilities like simulated aerospace universes.
But this district also housed a highly classified, little-known eleventh floor. It contained a massive, nuclear-grade railway system.
An armored, high-speed subterranean train ran on this track, practically never stopping. It only paused at the station for exactly one hour each month to replenish its vital supplies.
The owner of this never-ending train was none other than Nakamoto Rizou, one of the twelve core Board Directors of Academy City.
To ensure his absolute safety and avoid being assassinated by rival factions, Nakamoto never left the armored train. He carried out all his executive orders by transmitting them through highly encrypted analog telephone lines.
"Hmm? The three assassins from Scavenger that we selected were taken away directly by the Number Eight?"
Inside the luxurious, reinforced train carriage, the fifty-year-old Nakamoto Rizou listened to the voice coming from an old-fashioned rotary telephone.
"I see. Oh well, we can just find new disposable pawns," Nakamoto said in a calm, gravelly voice. "Do not clash with the Number Eight. After all, his Dark Side division is managed directly by the General Superintendent."
"Understood, Director."
After hanging up the phone, Nakamoto frowned, his expression turning grave.
"A secret service directly under Aleister's thumb. What does this maneuver signify? Is the General Superintendent giving the Board a warning?" Nakamoto muttered, staring at his teacup.
"However... the actions of certain research institutions recently have been entirely too drastic. A violent cleanup might actually be a good thing for the city's stability. Hehe... this is highly dangerous for the Director in charge of bio-research... Yakumi Hisako."
Normally, if Aleister issued a subtle warning to the Board and no corrective action was taken, the offending Director would simply "disappear" within three days.
Furthermore, Nakamoto's intel indicated that Takahashi Yuuya actually possessed Level 5 data-viewing privileges—clearance so high that even some Board members couldn't fully access it. He was undeniably Aleister's new favorite pet project.
...
District 13. A University-Affiliated Hospital.
Inside a secure laboratory, a "doctor" in her late twenties sat at a desk. She had meticulously painted fingernails, a pristine white lab coat, and long, curly magenta hair.
Therestina Kihara Lifeline. Captain of MAR.
She stared intently at the latest classified Academy City intelligence reports scrolling across her computer screen. Her painted nails tapped rhythmically against the desk.
"Is Aleister warning me?" Therestina murmured, her eyes narrowing as she read the heavily redacted files regarding the newly formed 'Harmony' unit. "This new Dark Side squad... why does it feel like they are targeting me specifically?"
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