Ch 209: I do not care about the rules.

Takina yawned as she rose from her bed. She gently shook her lover awake.

"Mmr… Takina, let me sleep five more minutes…" whined Chisato.

"You can't, Chisato." smiled Takina. "If I let you sleep, you'll stay in the bed a lot more than five minutes. Get up, we have school today."

"We don't even really need to go to school anyway." complained Chisato, sending an aggrieved look at Takina.

"We have appearances to maintain, and if you're late, the Dorm Supervisor might hear of it."

"Hurgh, That's a good point." sighed Chisato. She finally left the bed.

"Let's shower quickly, or we'll be late for breakfast."

The two girls showered together, fixed their appearances, and walked down to the dormitory's common spaces to eat breakfast. Hitomi, Tamamo, Kuroko and Mikoto were already there, and they waved at Takina and Chisato as they came closer.

Misaki was in her own dorm, likely making preparations for the day where she and her clique would leave this world.

Exterior had been destroyed, an easy feat when Misaka knew its location, the self-destruction code, and had the staff in her pocket.

After exchanging greetings, Mikoto reported on her night activities.

"I contacted my mom. She will come to visit soon."

"That's great." smiled Chisato. "Are you going to tell her, about her now having more than one daughter?"

"I have too. Would you mind being present when I tell her? She'll probably want to speak to some of them."

"Sure. And I'll admit I'm curious about how she will react. What about the other thing?"

"I found some traces, assuming they aren't fakes, but not enough to have his location. All I can say is that he's in the city." said Mikoto.

"At worst, we can try to contact that man. Surely he knows where we can find him." suggested Chisato.

"But do you know how to contact Aleister Crowley?" asked Takina.

"Noah told us, a building without any entrance or window. If we search long enough, we'll find it." shrugged Chisato as she bit into a chocolate bar.

"Even if we find him, or rather, he finds us, how do you intend to make him give us that information? We can hardly threaten him."

Chisato looked thoughtful, then suddenly grinned. "…I'll challenge him at Janken! If he wins, I'll answer a question of his. If I win, he answers one of mine!"

Takina burst into a small laugh. Chisato was really adorable when she came up with naive ideas like this.

Mikoto was about to call out Chisato on the feasibility of such a plan when her smartphone beeped, signaling an incoming message. She opened her smartphone to read it, and suddenly, her eyebrow shot up and she held it away from her like she was holding a venomous snake.

"What the hell?"

"Hum?" asked Chisato.

Mikoto showed the girls her phone. On the screen was a single message.

"An interesting challenge. I will accept it. Coordinates X: 1.15648, Y: 6.84318."

"Wow. He really is watching everywhere." nodded Chisato.

"We were warned about it."

"Looks like we have a reason to skip school after all." said Takina. "Mikoto, Kuroko, do you want to come as well?"

"Yes. I want to see the face of the person who controls this city, and let all those things occur. I want to know why."

"I'm fine with it, but don't start a fight, Mikoto."

"I won't."

"I'll be coming as well." nodded Kuroko.

…

It took them half an hour to reach the coordinates, although when they reached their destination, they had to check the coordinates again.

All they saw was an unfinished building, missing its windows, doors or outer layers to hide the gray concrete.

"Is it really here?" dubiously asked Kuroko.

"Let's enter inside. Maybe there's a secret passage or something." smiled Chisato.

The others shrugged and followed her. Not finding anything out of the ordinary, they gathered in a large empty space on the highest floor.

"The good news is, We haven't found any explosive or trap. The bad news is, no secret passage either." said Chisato, disappointed.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have used something so crude as explosives." said a person appearing from a room they already had checked.

He had green eyes and long, straight silver hair reaching down his ankles, and wore a simple green dress. He stopped three meters from them, his face not showing any expression.

"Are you Aleister Crowley?" asked Mikoto, watching him warily.

"And where did you hear that name, I wonder…"

"You aren't really there, aren't you. I haven't heard your footsteps." frowned Chisato. "You must be using some kind of hologram."

"That's an astute observation." nodded Aleister.

"Well, whatever. I challenge you to Janken!"

Aleister snorted and nodded.

"I was willing to exchange information in a more conventional way, just so you know."

"But it's more fun that way, and I'm sure I'll get you to answer more questions like this! So, three, two, one, Janken!" exclaimed Chisato with a confident grin.

Chisato had formed scissors with her hand, while Aleister had paper.

"Yes! So my first question is, where can we find Kihara Gensei?"

Aleister was frowning at Chisato's hand, as if not understanding how he had lost, then looked up at Chisato.

"I will tell you if you first do something for me."

"Hey, that's against the rules to force conditions after you already lost!" protested Chisato.

"I do not care about the rules." declared Aleister.

"That's something you say before you play!" retorted Chisato.

"…What is it you are asking of us?" carefully asked Takina.

"The way you disabled Accelerator's ability and blocked Mental Out. Can you also use it to incapacitate someone's magic?"

"…Yes."

"Then I want you to protect one young woman, and kill someone who looks like a child, but isn't."

"…Are they evildoers?" asked Chisato.

"No. The first is the very definition of innocence. The second is cursed with immortality. In order to die, she will trigger an immense catastrophe. A magic spell on a scale large enough to kill billions. And in all probability, she will still fail to die."

"I... see." frowned Takina. "Please give us the relevant information to do this task. We will investigate to confirm your claims, and act accordingly... But you better keep your part of the bargain, mister 'does not care about the rules'. We will turn Academy City upside down, if that is what it takes to find him."

"That is acceptable." nodded Aleister. "Kihara-sensei has become too brazen lately, and he was thinking about betraying the board by using Exterior for his own goals. But why are you magicians in my city in the first place? This isn't your turf."

"Aren't you also a magician?" countered Chisato.

"Yes, but this is the city I built from the ground up. Why are you here?"

"…We're here to save the world, from a threat you do not know about. Once that is done, we will leave, and you will never hear from us again."

"What threat?" frowned Aleister.

"Not telling you." said Chisato as she stuck her tongue at him. "You broke the rules, and telling you won't make our mission easier, so it will be for you to find out. Let's leave, everyone."

"Wait!" exclaimed Mikoto. "You, why are you so obsessed with creating a level 6 Esper? Why are you condoning so much evil?"

Aleister looked at her without expression for long seconds, and Mikoto thought she wouldn't get an answer, but he finally nodded to her.

"…When my daughter Lilith was born, her death before she reached the age of two was foretold. I moved mountains to change her fate, but I ultimately failed. In my grief, I decided to denounce Magic and focus on Science."

"The world of Magic didn't take it well and saw it as a great insult. How could I, the strongest Magician, turn my back on Magic? They put bounties on my head, and everyone even remotely connected to that side was after me. Even back then, the Magicians had almost all consolidated under the umbrella of the Catholic Church, and the independents had to join them or be considered Heretics. They made me an enemy of God."

Aleister suddenly disappeared, but his voice was still heard.

"And what better way to make them pay, than to create an artificial God?"

"I…see. So, it's all about revenge." numbly said Mikoto, staring at the space Aleister previously occupied.

Chisato sighed and gave Mikoto a hug.

"Let's leave this place and get some ice cream. We'll feel better. And we have another catastrophe to prevent."

…

The name, picture and location of the person they were supposed to protect was sent to Mikoto's phone minutes after they left the construction site.

"Arisa Meigo?" wondered Mikoto, her eyebrows raised. She turned to Kuroko. "Isn't she the singer Ruiko is a fan of?"

"I think so, too. Maybe we should ask for an autograph to give Ruiko later." nodded Kuroko.

They kept walking as they chatted, and when they got close to their destination, Chisato glanced at Mikoto.

"Is something on your mind? You're being unusually quiet."

"…Yes. Mentioning Ruiko had got me thinking about her… do you think you could offer her the same kind of deal you offered me, Kuroko and Misaki?"

"Is she cute?" asked Chisato with a smile.

"Yes."

"Is she strong?"

"No. She's a level 0, and… she doesn't speak about it, but I know it eats at her, to be surrounded by Espers while not being one herself." said Mikoto, and Kuroko nodded in agreement.

"Most importantly, does she have a good personality?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm all for it! Feel free to arrange for us to meet."

"Yes, thank you." smiled Mikoto.

"But will she be willing to part with her family?" asked Hitomi.

"I don't know. That will be her choice." said Mikoto.

They were getting close to the plaza whose coordinates Aleister had given them and could hear a catchy tune.

"Arisa may be a national celebrity, but she is famous for giving street performances every day, according to Ruiko." smiled Mikoto.

They entered the plaza and saw a group of several dozen people gathered together, their backs turned to them.

They walked closer and headed for the right side of the crowd, giving them a side view of the singer.

Arisa Meigo was a cute girl of average height, with brown eyes and pale pink hair reaching her shoulder blades. She wore blue pants, a white top over a brown shirt and a white beret with a dove accessory over her head.

She was singing while also playing on an electronic keyboard.

Mikoto tapped Chisato's shoulder to attract her attention and pointed to a girl, front and center of the crowd. She wore the school uniform of a different school. A girl with green eyes that could appear blue, depending on the angle, and long straight black hair.

"This is Ruiko. She should be in class right now, but… I'm not going to scold her, since we did the same."

Ruiko noticed them and waved at Mikoto, but her attention came back to Arisa.

Before they knew it, the girls found themselves nodding along, charmed by Arisa's voice. There was something about it that felt like a light charming magic.

The performance eventually ended, and Arisa bowed with a smile as everyone clapped cheerfully.

A few people picked up music CDs from the pile in front of the electronic keyboard and paid Arisa. Mikoto and Chisato brought one as well.

"Hi, Mikoto." grinned Ruiko. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Hi, Ruiko." smiled Mikoto. "We have business with miss Meigo. How are you doing?"

"Just fine. What kind of business? Are you going to ask her for an autograph? She gave me one before her performance!"

"Good for you." grinned Kuroko.

"Ruiko, I want to introduce you to some people." smiled Mikoto.

She introduced Chisato, Takina, Hitomi and Tamamo, and they greeted each other.

Ruiko hadn't seen Takina's picture before, but she recognized her name. At least, she didn't seem afraid like Junko Hokaze had been.

On the side, Arisa Meigo was busy packing up her hardware, they walked to her.

"Hi hi, Miss Meigo. That was a great performance." grinned Chisato.

"Thank you. I am very happy that you liked my songs." smiled Arisa.

"Anyone would. Your voice is so beautiful. I am Chisato Nishikigi. It's nice to meet you."

The other girls introduced themselves as well.

"Likewise. I am Arisa Meigo. But please do not call me miss Meigo. It feels stuffy. Just Arisa is fine."

"As you wish. Arisa, the chairman of the board of directors who controls the city asked us to protect you. So, if you do not mind, we'll tag along for a while."

"Protect me?" asked Arisa, her eyes wide in shock. "Protect me from what? I do not have any enemy."

"We do not know. The chairman didn't tell us." shrugged Takina. "Maybe some stalkerish fans? Some of them can really do crazy stuff. Or maybe another musician jealous of your success? Either way, we're pretty strong, so you do not need to worry."

"I… suppose you're right, if the chairman entrusted this task to you." hesitated Arisa.

"We do not intend to interfere with your freedom of movement, Arisa. We'll just accompany you and stay in the background when you are performing." smiled Chisato, guessing one of the reasons Arisa might feel unhappy at the news. It seemed she had been right, as Arisa smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. I would vastly prefer if your presence wasn't necessary in the first place, but… there has been a few incidents already, with some people wanting many autographs so they could resell them, or taking my CDs and leaving without paying for them."

"So rude! Some people really have no manners." exclaimed Kuroko. "Has this happened in Academy city? If yes, We'll have video evidence from the street cameras to identify them, and we'll arrest those scoundrels!"

"Well… It's only minor stuff." shrugged Arisa. "Even if they didn't compensate me, I'm still happy that they consider my music worth stealing."

"You are too kind for your own good, Arisa." sighed Chisato. "Here, let us help with carrying your stuff. And it's about time for lunch. Should we eat at a restaurant somewhere?"

"Y-Yes, thank you for your help." smiled Arisa.

…

The day passed with a blur. The girls had fun eating lunch together and became friends. Ruiko and Arisa, Chisato found out, were very easy to get along with. Ruiko had ditched school this morning to watch Arisa's morning performance, and decided to tag along the rest of the day, as the opportunity to spend time with her idol and her friends Mikoto and Kuroko were too good to pass up.

After lunch, they escorted Arisa as she made another street performance, and they didn't notice anything abnormal.

The sun set down below the horizon, and the girls had dinner in another restaurant.

Ruiko parted ways, returning to her dormitory, and Kuroko and Mikoto followed suit, promising that they would speak with the dorm supervisor and inform her of the Chairman's mission, to explain Chisato and the others staying late.

Maybe she wouldn't snap their necks next time they met.

"I haven't had this much fun for a while. Thank you for hanging out with me." smiled Arisa.

"It's been a lot of fun for us too." grinned Chisato.

"…Hey, Chisato, Takina. I may be imagining things, but… you two are… more than friends, right?" asked Arisa with a knowing smile.

"Oh? What makes you think so?" laughed Chisato.

"The holding hands? The way you sit so close together your shoulders touch? The whispers? The way you smile at each other?"

"Yeah. Chisato and I have been lovers for a while now." smiled Takina.

"I'm happy for you two! You go well together. The air seems to turn sweet around you."

"Eheh, thanks, Arisa. You, too, will find someone special soon, I'm sure of it." nodded Chisato.

"I hope so as well." nodded Arisa. She started humming a tune as they walked down the street.

Chisato smiled, but she kept watch of their surroundings and noticed an anomaly. A girl with neck-long, wavy reddish-brown hair, dressed in a black and white outfit that looked like a cross between a fantasy magician's robe and a nun uniform, was leaning against a tree. They could only see part of her from the side as she wasn't facing them, and would in fact be hidden by the thick trunk when they got further down the street.

But Aleister's mention that the magic side had coalesced under the Catholic Church, as well as the quest they had received, immediately raised her suspicion.

She leaned toward Takina and whispered.

"Eleven oh clock, behind that tree."

Takina quickly glanced at the direction and didn't change her expression.

"I see her." whispered Takina.

The two of them walked slightly faster to get closer to Arisa, who was leading them, and Chisato used her bond with Tamamo to warn her as well.

Tamamo leaned toward Hitomi and whispered into her ear.

As they walked down the street and passed her by, the brown-haired girl didn't move, but Chisato spotted from the corner of her eye another girl with long green hair, sitting on a tree branch. That girl wore a very daring outfit that completely dropped the nun aspect to be a mix and fantasy magician and a set underwear leaving most of her front exposed.

That girl only looked at them with a passive expression as Chisato and the others pretended not to notice her.

The street ended in a plaza with an artificial pond, surrounded by tall stone pillars, and Arisa stopped in front of it, gazing at the city lights beyond the pond, and their warped reflection in the water.

"The city is quite beautiful at this time of the day, don't you think?" smiled Arisa as she turned toward them.

"Yes, it is beautiful. I like this place." smiled Hitomi.

"That's one of my favorite places to write the lyrics for my songs. I'd like to complete at least one more before my debut performance, scheduled in a week."

"That's great. Where will it take place?"

Arisa smiled and pointed up.

"Up there. My concert will be part of the official opening for the space elevator."

"Wow. That will be memorable. Everyone will have a great view!" grinned Chisato.

She didn't miss the whirlpool that started to form in the middle of the pond, and walked closer to Arisa.

A girl with long wavy blonde hair, wearing a black and white outfit that was very close to the one the reddish-brown girl wore, but exposing a sizable cleavage, as well as a witch's hat, rose from the whirlpool's center, holding a straw broom,

She was talking softly, and the cat ornament tied to her broom started shining, but the girls didn't intend to just find out what she was about to do.

"Takina!" exclaimed Chisato as she took her gun, pointed it at the witch, and fired a paralyzing shot in one smooth notion. The girl was hit and started falling, and Takina, using Shunpo and hard light footholds, appeared close to her and grabbed her before she could sink.

"Marie!" cried a voice coming from their left, and Chisato turned to see the ground explode upward, twenty meters from them. When the debris fell back, the girl with reddish-brown hair was there, glaring at them with a hand on the ground.

Chisato was about to shoot her as well, but the girl erected a wall of stone with a few words, and a wave of something that caused the ground to be upturned as if by an invisible plow came their way.

Chisato took Arisa in a princess carry and jumped out of the way.

Hitomi was already using her shinobi power to slip past the opponent's notice and moved to flank the earth magician.

"W-What is happening!" exclaimed Arisa, shocked.

"Those guys are attacking us." replied Chisato, jumping again to avoid some stone debris that were projected in their direction using what seemed to be air magic.

The caster, the girl with long green hair, was standing on top of one of the stone pillars. Tamamo targeted her with a fireball, and the girl screamed in fear as she contorted herself to avoid it. She managed, but also lost her balance and started falling. Her fall was slowed by a cushion of air, and before she could get on her feet, Chisato shot her with a paralyzing shot as well.

Hitomi reached the girl hunkering behind the stone wall and chopped at her neck, knocking her unconscious.

"I don't see any other opponent." said Takina, looking around as she laid the blonde girl on the ground.

"I don't, either." replied Chisato. "Arisa, do you recognize any of them?"

"Ah? Uh, no. I don't remember ever seeing them before. But they must be Espers. Why would they be after me?"

"I guess we'll have to ask them when they wake up." shrugged Takina. "Good job, everyone."

"Thanks." said Hitomi. "But they really weren't strong opponents."

As if her words were a curse, a series of explosions occurred on a side street, and the girls saw a strange vehicle enter the plaza. Neon blue lines over the hull and legs reminded Chisato of a sci-fi movie about a civilization living inside a computer. It had a vaguely tear-shaped, four meters long black hull on eight legs, and wheels under each of those legs allowing the vehicle to move like an ice skater.

The vehicle launched a half-dozen disks not at them, but at something deeper into the side-street, and cables shot out of the hull. Less than two seconds later, more explosions occurred.

That didn't seem to deter its enemy, however, as a four meters tall fire giant entered the plaza, pursuing the black…mecha? drone? spider? The fire giant held in its right hand a huge cross that seemed made of highly-compressed flames.

Chisato could feel the heat coming from the giant even though they were over fifty meters away.

"Water, air and earth, and now fire?" asked Hitomi, wanting to roll her eyes.

"Chisato, Hitomi, please take Arisa away." said Takina. "I'll help fight that fire giant."

"I'll fight as well!" said Tamamo.

"Okay, don't take unnecessary risks, Takina, Tamamo." nodded Chisato.

Hitomi nodded, and the two girls ran in the opposite direction, holding Arisa.

Takina took the Sanctuary from her spatial ring and brought the three unconscious magicians inside, then put it back into her ring.

"Let's go, Tamamo." said Takina, and the Heroic Spirit nodded.

Tamamo created a volley of basketball sized ice blocks and sent them crashing against the fire giant, destroying its upper body.

It didn't seem to be an effective way to deal with it, however, as the fire giant reformed in seconds. Tamamo did succeed in attracting its attention, however, as it decided to ignore the mecha and walked toward them.

"We need to find the caster." said Tamamo. "This is a channeled spell. The fire giant will not dissipate as long as the caster feeds it mana."

"Can you locate the caster?" asked Takina.

"Maybe, but it will take me a minute."

"I'll keep it busy." said Takina, creating a triple layered shield and bashing the giant with it. She succeeded in causing the giant to fall backward, and it seemed to roar in anger.

Takina replaced the layer that had been destroyed on contact with the giant and bashed it again as soon as it got back on its feet. The giant struck the shield with it cross, but Takina simply created another light construct, shaped like a simple cylinder, and stuck the giant from another angle, making it fall again.

Then the giant dissipated.

Takina frowned and turned to Tamamo.

"I haven't found the caster yet. They probably gave up." shrugged Tamamo.

The mecha slowly approached stopping five meters in front of them, and a large panel on its top opened. A girl with black eyes and long black hair wearing a black and gray bodysuit with red highlights, raised herself from the crouching position she had been in, and looked arrogantly at Takina and Tamamo.

"I am from the Civil Affairs Resolution Intervention Unit. We engage in special activities to maintain order in Academy City. I give you a warning. Don't get involved with Arisa Meigo. If you thread carelessly here, you will die."

"That would be a problem." said Takina as she scratched her chin. "We have been hired by the Board of Directors' Chairman to protect her. Maybe he didn't inform you?"

"…I don't know anything about it." frowned the girl. She turned her head to observe the damage done by the battle. The three strangely-dressed Espers weren't there anymore, and she supposed they had escaped during the battle.

"I am Takina Inoue. What is your name?"

"Shutaura. Shutaura Sequenzia. I will report your words to my superiors. Meanwhile, be careful. Those Espers escaped, and they will likely try something again." said Shutaura, leaning forward to lay almost flat on her belly, her cockpit closing. The mecha used some kind of active camouflage to turn almost invisible and moved away.

Takina looked at Tamamo. "Can you return to Chisato and Hitomi? I will find a quiet spot, secure the prisoners properly, then return to the dormitory."

"Yes. I will ask Master to call you if we do not regroup in the dorm."

"Thank you." smiled Takina.

Tamamo left at a light run, unwilling to disclose her Heroic Spirit abilities, and Takina used Shunpo and Light footholds to reach the rooftop of a high building. Once there, she moved to the corner between a ventilation shaft and the stairs leading inside the building and set the Sanctuary in its shadow, then teleported inside.

The three girls were still unconscious, lying in front of the house. The first thing Takina did was engrave a Stop rune on each of their necks. She took the one with reddish-brown hair, scanned her body with greater healing to be sure Hitomi's blow hadn't caused more damage than intended, and carried her into the house and in the basement.

Takina didn't undress the girl as she didn't have much time, but tied her down to the bondage bench, blindfolder her, and filled her mouth with a red ball gag. She also put one of the special collars around her neck.

She repeated the operation with the girl with long blonde hair, only this time strapping her down to the heavy bondage chair.

When she came back with the girl with long green hair, Takina searched for a contraption that would be good for holding an unconscious person. The whipping post, as an example, would be pretty bad, as the person's weight would be fully carried by the wrist cuffs, cutting off blood circulation.

Her eyes found a horizontal vacuum bed, one with internal leather straps for the wrists and ankles, and she decided on it. But since wearing clothes inside a vacuum bed would ruin the experience and aesthetics, she first stripped the girl. It took her a bit of work, but soon enough, the girl was naked, bound inside the vacuum bed, her head sticking though the hole in the upper sheet. Like the others, she was blindfolded, gagged and collared.

Takina smiled as she turned on the engine, and the air was gradually sucked out, pressing the rubber sheets tightly against the girl's body.

Takina decided to leave it at that for now, and left the Sanctuary.