Having been chased out of the school, Index leaned her back on the metal fence near the school as she waited for Kamijou. The calico cat in her arms looked rather tired.
"…Eh…that was really scary. I was shocked."
A soft voice came from behind her. Index turned her head around to see Kazakiri Hyouka, who had vanished because she couldn't stand it, was now standing right in front of her.
"That's common. Why didn't you talk with us just now, Hyouka?"
"Really…? But that teacher looked really angry."
"Komoe wasn't really angry. Why are you so mindful, Hyouka?"
"Because…you looked rather sad…"
After Kazakiri said that, Index remained silent.
After a while, Index said,
"…Touma's angry."
"?"
"I quarreled with him quite a few times, but this time seems to be different. Touma didn't listen to me at all. He was angry, not smiling at me…"
Hearing what she herself said, Index's face crumpled.
Index was very lively when she was quarreling, but she seemed really depressed.
"Does Touma hate me now…?"
Index lowered her head and muttered.
(Or…)
Index didn't want to say the next words.
(Or maybe Touma hated me right from the beginning, and I only just realized that.)
Index bit her lip slightly.
Maybe the arms were exerting extra force as they carry the calico cat, as the calico cat was meowing in protest.
On seeing this, Kazakiri smiled lightly.
"…That's not the case. To quarrel… is a proof of good friendship."
"Why? Quarreling will hurt others. I'll be hurt if I hear someone say something bad about me. Friends with good feelings won't say anything that will hurt others."
"Friends who are able to quarrel…"
Kazakiri said calmly,
"Are friends… who can be together even when they quarrel. A friendship won't end because of a quarrel. That person… because he believes in you, he won't break off with you just because of a quarrel… thus, he could quarrel with you without holding back."
"Really?"
"That's true… if not, do you think that it's better not to quarrel? Because if you don't want to quarrel… you have to hold in your feelings, and you have to laugh even when you don't want to… and it's over once you quarrel… you just have to give up on this friend and go make another one. Do you want this thin ice-like relationship…?"
On hearing that, Index revealed an unwilling look.
On seeing Index's expression, Kazakiri smiled.
"I don't want it to be like this. I want to be with Touma forever."
Index said.
"Mn… since you can think of this… you don't have to worry about your relationship… at least he would be angry about you. It should be alright."
Kazakiri Hyouka said to Index.
However, she added on something else,
"…But he's also the kind of guy who speaks to you with a straight face even when you're naked…"
Kamijou was finally freed from Komoe-sensei's lecture.
The corridors, classrooms—nobody was around. The opening ceremony had ended together with the assembly, and everyone had gone home. There were the voices of people talking, probably of those taking part in extra-curriculum activities. The cafeteria continued to operate even on opening day, most likely for these people.
Until now, he still hadn't met Tsuchimikado. Who knew whether he really came to school today?
(…Ugh…so tired…)
Being sleep-deprived and fatigued, Kamijou was as tired as a piece of cooked vegetable leaf.
The time seemed to be past noon, and he was hungry. Kamijou returned back to the empty classroom to collect his school bag and walked towards the entrance of the school compound. He took off his slips and changed back into his shoes. While walking through the school, he passed by the soccer players who were warming up. At this moment, he could see Index and Kazakiri Hyouka standing near the school gate.
"Oi—"
Kamijou shouted at them as he headed towards the exit.
"Oh, it's Touma…"
"Hm? What's wrong? Why do you look so depressed?"
"What…no…nothing…"
"Oh? Good that everything's alright. Where are we going to eat? Don't choose a place that's too expensive."
On hearing Kamijou's words, Index revealed an intrigued look.
"Touma, aren't we eating at home today?"
"It's a hassle to eat at home, and don't you want to go play after we eat?"
"…"
"What? I told you this morning, right? Did you forget?"
"I…I didn't forget…"
Index blushed as she hugged the calico cat tightly. The calico cat purred twice impatiently as it started to struggle.
Kazakiri chuckled.
"Oh ya, does Hyouka want to come along?"
"Eh…can I?"
"Why not? Touma will agree, right?"
"Yeah."
Kamijou replied quickly, without a second delay. Kazakiri looked surprised.
"Erm…thanks…"
She said softly as she stared at Index's face.
"Mm, since we're going to play for the entire day, we need money. Sorry, but I need to go to a convenience store to get money. Wait for me here."
After saying that, Kamijou headed towards a convenience store that was near the school and operated the ATM that was near the door.
All the students in Academy City had a scholarship they could claim, and the money would be automatically banked into their accounts like a salary.
On first glance, it was a system that was worth being envious over, but basically, it could be considered a contract for esper development. The more prestigious the school, or the higher the Level of the esper, the greater the reward. In contrast, the esper would have to take part in more research.
As for ordinary Level 0 school students like Kamijou, the reward they could get was rather limited.
(…Though it's a human experiment, it's not really that scary.)
Kamijou randomly thought as he stuffed the money into his wallet and walked out of the convenience store.
At this moment, he heard someone,
"Oi oi, that boy over there! Aren't you too careless?"
Hearing the female voice, Kamijou turned his head around, only to see a rather glamorous looking woman in a green sports jacket standing there. Her long hair was tied behind her head, but this careless feeling added to the intriguing sexy feeling. Looking closely, the woman had an armband on her; it seemed like Anti-Skill.
It was rare to see such female Anti-Skill member, and the reason was simple. Though there were equal job opportunities for both men and women in Japan, the ratio between men and women in a defense force was still unequal. It was the same logic.
She looked at Kamijou, and said in an exasperated tone,
"Don't carry your wallet around near an ATM so openly. Wouldn't people be tempted to rob you?"
"Eh? Ah? Oh… sorry."
Kamijou didn't seem to understand the situation, but he felt he might as well apologize. The woman in the sports jacket seemed satisfied though as she said,
"Mm, nn, be mindful of it next time, boy."
The woman gave Kamijou a smile and then disappeared.
Kamijou inadvertently scratched his head.
Though Anti-Skill members were trained fighters, their real professions were teachers. Though by law, civil servants weren't allowed to have a secondary job, the rule didn't apply well to Anti-Skill. That wasn't because it was an exception, but because Anti-Skill did not earn any extra money. Simply put, Anti-Skill personnel weren't much different from those who helped to patrol the night streets voluntarily, but they were more professional. Anti-Skill had to take part in dangerous activities, and the reward they got was just some Anti-Skill privileges. But even so, Anti-Skill's work was rather popular. That was because Anti-Skill members could use their identities as teachers to gain convenience when lecturing students, and once they were officially Anti-Skill, they would be extremely respected by students.
(Speaking of which, she's been walking around here. Don't tell me she's a teacher from our school…? Damn it, I just spoke to her as if I just met her. But seeing her attitude…seems like she doesn't know me…)
Thinking about this, Kamijou felt that someone was tugging at his shirt. Turning around, he saw Himegami standing in front of him.
"Eh? Himegami? What are you doing here? Aren't you going home?"
"…You're really cold to a transfer student."
"Ah…"
Speaking of which, today was the big day—'Himegami's first day after transferring schools', but because Index had appeared out of nowhere, he had forgotten all about it.
"So I'm really a woman with such a faint existence."
"Ah, no way, don't feel so distressed. It's just that there's not enough sunlight around you…"
With a 'DANG—' sound effect, Himegami collapsed into despair. After a while, she lifted her head up and said,
"Leaving this aside…"
"(Leaving this aside…? She's really as unpredictable as ever…)"
"I overheard some things. Is that bespectacled girl called Kazakiri Hyouka?"
"Hm?"
Kamijou turned his head around.
Index and Kazakiri were standing near the school gate that was far away, and both of them seemed to be chatting happily, but Kamijou couldn't hear them.
Kamijou again looked at Himegami.
"Ah, yes, her name is Kazakiri Hyouka. Is she your friend?"
"…"
On hearing Kamijou's words, Himegami turned to look at Kazakiri, who was far away.
She seemed to be staring, yet observing, however, she was not looking at her with kind eyes.
"Oi, what's with you?"
"Let me confirm this again. Is her name really Kazakiri Hyouka?"
"Hm… she herself said this, and Index also said this. Of course, I didn't see her ID, but there's no reason to suspect her, right?"
"Kazakiri… Hyouka…"
Himegami again muttered this name.
"Do you know the High School I previously attended?"
"Eh…don't know."
"Kirigaoka Girls' Academy. It's a star school that can rival Tokiwadai Middle School in terms of esper development. Tokiwadai specializes in following the orthodox method of developing high-Level espers, while Kirigaoka specializes in developing espers with powers that are strange, unique and hard to replicate."
"Oh…"
Kamijou replied.
It was true that Himegami's Deep Blood ability was an esper power that was of not much use in science. If so, Kamijou's right hand may have been heavily noted in Kirigaoka Girls' Academy. However, Kamijou did not have any intention of studying in a girls' school.
"I once saw the name Kazakiri Hyouka at Kirigaoka."
Himegami seemed to add extra emphasis on Kazakiri's name.
"So she's a transfer student like you?"
For some reason, Himegami didn't reply. Feeling slightly intrigued, Kamijou asked,
"Since Kazakiri was from Kirigaoka, it means that she has some amazing ability like you, right?"
Even so, Kamijou wasn't feeling surprised. He already knew the strongest Electromaster, and his own power was pretty unique.
However…
"I don't know."
"?"
"Nobody knows what Kazakiri Hyouka's power is."
Himegami paused, and then continued,
"When the school unveils the score rankings, her name is always at the top."
"Oh… so she's that smart."
"No, this has nothing to do with being smart. Kirigaoka's rankings are purely based on 'how rare the power is'. In other words, Kazakiri's power is just extremely rare, but it remains to be seen whether it's useful."
Himegami paused again, and then continued,
"Also, nobody even knows which year and which class Kazakiri is. Everyone in Kirigaoka knows of this name Kazakiri Hyouka, but nobody saw her before. However, her name will always appear when the results are out."
"…What's going on?"
"It's all a mystery. I once asked a teacher out of curiosity, and the teacher secretly told me that the teachers call Kazakiri Hyouka the 'Counter Stop'."
Himegami didn't stop.
"But this isn't the point. The teacher told me that the most important thing isn't the Counter Stop name, but something else."
She then continued,
"It's said that Kazakiri Hyouka's the key to the Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution."
Kamijou frowned.
Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution. It was the first research facility in Academy City and no one knew where it was now. It was said that there were many latest 'Imaginary technology' that couldn't be used, and the rumors went that it was secretly controlling Academy City from behind the scenes, the mastermind.
The mysterious organization that should exist, yet no one knew its exact location.
That feeling gave a strange vibe like a certain girl.
"The teacher told me that there's a special lab that's used to analyze Kazakiri Hyouka's ability. It's rare to have a research lab set up just to research on one person's ability, so it's said that the research lab isn't meant to investigate the Counter Stop, but the Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution."
Himegami pondered for a while, and then continued,
"However, that teacher had never seen Kazakiri Hyouka before. There's a research lab, and her name will appear when the results are out, but even among the teachers, only a few know of her true identity."
"But… this seems to be a little too…"
"Nn, I don't know how much of it is true, so I'll just give an advice. However, it's better to be careful."
After saying finish, Himegami seemed like she finished what she had wanted to do and she turned to leave.
"Ah, hold on. We're going out, so do you want to join us?"
Himegami turned her head around, and her expressionless face seemed to show some surprise.
"…Komoe… that idiot."
"Eh?"
"Nothing. Someone asked me to do something, so I can't come along."
Himegami said coldly, then turned her back to Kamijou and walked away. Kamijou looked stunned as he saw the back of the depressed Himegami. Suddenly, Himegami seemed to remember something as she stopped and turned to Kamijou. She asked,
"Oh yeah, why did that Kazakiri Hyouka come to our school?"
"Eh? Index seemed to say… she's a transfer student."
"Oh."
After a while, Himegami said,
"But the records indicate that I'm the only transfer student."
Kamijou was speechless. Himegami left for real this time after saying 'anyway, please be careful', and Kamijou turned his eyes from Himegami to the two girls near the school gate.
Kazakiri Hyouka, who was chatting happily with Index, looked like an ordinary person no matter what.
She didn't seem like someone who would be involved with that mysterious Imaginary Number District.
(Really, I don't know… whether that's purely a rumor, or a fact…)
Kamijou scratched his head as he walked towards them.
Index and Kazakiri smiled as they invited Kamijou back.
The cat meowed.
There didn't seem to be anything strange.
At least not yet.