46 Chapter 46 It's my fault
A few moments later, Tatsurou was now close to the door of the staff room, he stood close to a wall facing the door, as he waited for Emiko to get out with Naoki.
"It's been a while...Munesuki-san must be giving her hell in there..." Tatsurou said with a worried tone, as he crossed his arms.
"Let's hope this doesn't cause her, any trouble...?" As Tatsurou said this, the door of the room opened and Emiko came out of it, while she let out a sigh.
"Munesuki-san..." Tatsurou said as he got close to Emiko.
"Tatsurou-chan...I'm so sorry for what Naoki-chan did, just now..." Emiko said as she bowed towards Tatsurou.
"Please, don't worry about it...so, how is Izumi-san feeling?" Tatsurou asked as he tilted his head and looked at the door.
"Pretty bad, she always acts so strong and tough, but right now, she is extremely down...I have never seen her like that..." Emiko said with a sad tone as she placed her hand on her cheek and glanced at the door.
"I don't like to give earfuls to anyone and the way Naoki-chan is feeling, I can't bring myself to say anything to her now..." Emiko said as she looked at Tasturou and sighed again.
"Munesuki-san...do you mind, if I talk to her?" Tatsurou asked as he moved his right hand.
"I don't mind, perhaps you can lift her spirits...so please, talk with her..." Emiko said as she began to walk away.
"So, this "Magician hunter"...he was only wearing a white gakuran and a student cap, right?" Emiko asked as she stooped and glanced at Tatsurou.
"Yes, he was...I'm sorry I can't give you anything else..." Tatsurou said as he lowered his head a bit.
"Don't worry, we will try to work with what we have for now and try to find him..." Emiko said as she smiled a bit.
"But, Tatsurou-chan, if you happen to find him first, please..." Emiko said with a tone that had a faint hint of anger, as she looked forward and Tatsurou didn't need to hear the rest.
"You don't need to ask that, Munesuki-san..." Tatsurou said with a determined tone as he looked at Emiko, that just smiled as she heard Tatsurou's words, and when she finally left, Tatsurou made his way to the door.
"Izumi-san?" Tatsurou said as he opened the door and poked his head inside the room and saw Naoki sitting on a chair and looking at the ground.
"Looks even worse than I thought..." Tatsurou thought as he entered the room and walked in Naoki's direction and as he got close...
"This is all...my fault..." Naoki said in a monotonous tone, as she kept looking down.
"It's not your fault, Izumi-san..." Tatsurou said as he took a seat on the chair next to Naoki.
"It is...everything is my fault..." Naoki said as she lifted her head a bit.
"Miyu never wanted this...she only joined the Soteria, because I joined...she didn't want me, to be alone..." Naoki said as she looked down again and teared up a bit.
"What, do you mean with that?" Tatsurou asked as he glanced at Naoki.
"I...I was always small...when I was in grade school, everyone made fun of me because of it, they called me "angry midget" since I would always lash out, at whoever called me small...but there was one person, that always called me by my name and treated me equally...Miyu was that person, back then she was my only friend at school..." Naoki said as she smiled briefly.
"But everybody started to avoid her, because she was nice to me...but she didn't care, she kept staying by my side...it pained me so much...she could have so many friends, and yet she hanged around someone like me...that's why I wanted to change, I wanted to show everyone that despite being small, I could reach big heights, and make them eat up their words...but I didn't know how to do that until I met Kuroiwa-san..." Naoki said as she looked forward.
"She is cool, beautiful, and so strong...I want to be just like her, that was why I started to work hard to learn magic and studying hard to join the same school she went to and joining the Soteria intern program...and Miyu was always there right next to me, she could have gone to any school, but she went to Misaiko, she could have joined any club in the school...but she joined the Soteria Intern program with me..." Naoki said as she began to tear up again.
"I didn't want this to happen, I wanted to do this alone...whenever Miyu and I did a mission, I always told her to hide and let me handle it...every time someone didn't take me seriously during an investigation, she stood up for me and even apologized whenever I lashed out at someone...but when my turn to protect her came, I couldn't do anything...and when I tried to solve the problem, it ended with me pointing a gun at you..." Naoki said with a sad tone, as tears began to fall down her face.
"I...I don't deserve to have Kuroiwa-san as my supervisor, I don't deserve to be in the Soteria, but most of all, I don't deserve to be Miyu's friend...I'm just an idiot that drags everyone down with my stupid ambitions...I don't deserve anything, but to be a laughing stock..." As Naoki said as she gripped the tip of her skirt tight and began sobbing, something that Tatsurou didn't let go on for too long...
"Are you finished, Izumi-san?" As Tatsurou asked this, Naoki looked at him both surprised and confused.
"None of this was your fault, and I don't blame you for the way you acted earlier, that just showed me and everyone else, how much you love and care for Shimaki-san...and I can't be angry at someone that holds a friend so dearly like you..." Tatsurou said as he got up from the chair.
"I'll say it again, Izumi-san, this wasn't your fault and you had all the right to act the way you did and I won't shame you for it...but right now instead of crying, we should be going after this "Magician hunter" and show him what happens when he messes with us!" Tatsurou said as he turned and pointed to Naoki.
"Your such an idiot...even after everything I did and said...you still want to work with me..." Naoki said as she cleaned the tears that fell from her face with her sleeve.
"For me, it's in the past now...so what do you say, Izumi-san? How about we forget all that has happened between us, and work together to finish this guy so he doesn't hurt anyone else?" Tatsurou said as he extended his hand to Naoki, as he smiled.
"Your such an idiot Kurokami...but one, that I'll gladly work with!" Naoki said as she got up from the chair, while she grabbed Tatsurou's hand and kept cleaning her tears.
"You could stop calling me an idiot all the time, you know that, right?" Tatsurou asked as he sighed a bit.
"Hmpf...then stop to act like one...Kurokami..." Naoki said as she smiled with Tatsurou doing the same.
"So, what's the plan, Kurokami? We don't have much of a lead on this guy..." Naoki said as she stooped holding Tatsurou's hand and placed it on her hip.
"Well, we don't have that lead, but I know someone that does..." Tatsurou said as he placed his hands in his hoodie's pocket, while he looked at Naoki, which gave him a rather confused look...
A bit later, in District 4's old town, Tatsurou and Naoki were walking side by side on a sidewalk, as they were followed by the moon in the now clean night sky.
"Kurokami...why are we in the old town?" Naoki asked with a stoic tone to Tatsurou.
"To get a lead on the "Magician hunter" if remember correctly..." Tatsurou answered also with a stoic tone.
"Don't joke around! I believe in you and this is what you pull? Walking around Old town aimlessly!" Naoki said with an angry tone, as she pointed at Tatsurou.
"I told you didn't I? We're going to see someone that is going to help us find this "Magician hunter"..." Tatsurou said as he sighed a bit.
"This looks shady you know that, right?" Naoki said in a monotonous tone as she looked at Tatsurou.
"Believe me, it's not something shady...wait, we're here..." Tatsurou said as he stooped walking and looked at an old 6 stories tall apartment.
"Let's go...Izumi-san?" As Tatsurou said this, he looked to his side and saw that Naoki had vanished, but then, Tatsurou looked behind him and saw Naoki hiding behind a lamppost, far away from Tatsurou, and looking at him with an angry and scared expression.
"You idiot! Do you think, I'll follow you into that old building, just like that?!" Naoki said as she pointed at Tatsurou, then at the apartment.
"Now, this looks really shady!" Naoki said as she stayed behind the lamppost.
"I'm telling you, it's nothing like that...the person that is going to help us lives here..." Tatsurou said as he scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, right, I'll just stay here and..." As Naoki said this the noise of falling trash cans, barking dogs, and hissing cats was heard, something that made her jolt, and before Tatsurou could react and in the blink of an eye, Naoki was close to him again.
"I...thought better...and I think, I'll come with you..." Naoki said with a scared tone as she held the tip of Tatsurou's sleeve.
"Are you scared?" Tatsurou asked Naoki with a joking tone.
"Of course not, you moron...!" Naoki said with an angry tone, that faded as soon as she heard a cat hissing again, something that prompted her to hold Tatsurou's sleeve tighter.
"Let's just go inside..." Tatsurou said as he smiled a bit, while he stepped inside the apartment complex with Naoki following him in silence as she held his sleeve, and after a bit, they got to the entrance...
"Thank god, we're finally inside..." Naoki said as she let go of Tatsurou and entered the apartment's main hall, Tatsurou just smiled a bit, as he too got in and made his way towards the stairs.
"So, which floor is it?" Naoki asked with a curious tone.
"It's the 6th-floor..." Tatsurou said as he began climbing the stairs, with Naoki following behind him...
After climbing, the 6 floors of the apartment and reaching the last one...
"I'm beat..." Naoki said as she followed Tatsurou.
"Just who was the idiot that designed a building like this? The floors are way too apart, from each other!" Naoki said with an angry tone as she looked at Tatsurou.
"Don't ask me that, but we're close..." Tatsurou said as he pointed at the last door of the hallway, and when he got close, Tatsurou rang the bell next to it and shortly after the door was opened.
"Hello, Kuro-chan...!" Michiko, that was wearing a peach-colored hoodie dress and had her messy dark blue hair tied into a folded ponytail, said as she opened the door, but when she saw Tatsurou and Naoki, she tried to close the door, but Michiko wasn't fast enough.
"W-What's wrong, Michiko?" Tatsurou asked as he held the door, to stop Michiko from closing it.
"That's my line! Kuro-chan, you wanna be idiotic delinquent look-a-like! You know too well, that I don't want strangers here!" Michiko said in an angry tone, as she tried to summon all of her strength to close the door.
"I'm sorry, but it's an emergency!" Tatsurou said as he tried his best, to keep the door from closing.
"You're an idiot Kuro-chan! I hate you! Go away! And never come here again!" Michiko said with an angry tone.
"Come on don't say that! I would never bring anyone I didn't trust, here!" Tatsurou said as he kept pulling on the door.
"Listen, we don't have time to waste, so could you two stop acting, like a married old couple already?" Naoki asked this as she sighed, it was at that moment that Michiko started to blush, as she let go of the door and Tatsurou hit his forehead with it.
"A married old couple...she said a married couple..." Michiko said silently as she turned her back to Tatsurou and Naoki and squatted while she placed her hands on her cheeks.
"F-Fine she can come in, but she has to keep her hands to herself!" Michiko said as she got up and turned to Tatsurou, that was still rubbing his forehead, and Naoki that had a puzzled expression on.
"Don't worry she will..." Tatsurou said as he gave a smile to Michiko.
"Now come inside...and sorry for hitting you with the door..." Michiko said as she signaled Tatsurou and Naoki to come inside with her hand.
"Don't worry, I kind of deserve it, after all, I broke one of your rules..." Tatsurou said as he entered Michiko's apartment and took off his shoes with Naoki doing the same, and shortly after they were all in the living room that didn't change a bit, with the computer screens and computer towers, all over the place.
"How does she walk around in here? And why is there a hole in that wall?" Naoki asked with a confused tone, as she looked around the living room and pointed at the hole that leads from Michiko's room to the living room.
"You're asking too many questions..." Michiko said with a faint angry tone as she glanced at Naoki, from over her shoulder.
"Say, Michiko, can you show us, what I asked you about?" Tatsurou asked as he got close to Michiko.
"Sure, just come to my desk and I'll show it to you..." Michiko said as she went to her desk that had her usual 5 computer screens, 1 in the middle and 4 around it, but in the middle one was a game of Tekken 7 paused and an arcade stick controller on top of the desk.
"Michiko, how long have you been playing?" Tatsurou asked in a stoic tone, as he got close to her desk.
"Not that long..." Michiko said in a nervous tone, as she moved her hand towards the F4 key to close the game and moved the controller away.
"Ahem, now let's go right ahead and see what the camera in public park one, caught..." Michiko said as she took a seat on her chair and began typing away on her keyboard.
"What! But that camera is turned off!" Naoki said as she got close to Michiko's desk.
"Not everything, is as it seems at first glance, you know?" Michiko said with a smug tone as she kept typing on her keyboard and soon enough, all of them were watching the video of the attack, that happened a day ago on the public park 1.
"I'll fast forward a bit, to the important part..." Michiko said as she pressed a key that made the footage go by faster.
"I don't believe it, the camera in that park is a CCTV one from when the island was founded and the images are so clean...just how?" Naoki asked with an impressed tone.
"Since the old town here, is more or less abandoned they turned the cameras off as they did to any old part of Takamagahara, but they never turned the CCTV station with the servers that controlled them off, so everything I had to do, was hack into that station, change the servers and modify the cameras to look always turned off, but be in fact recording...like that, I can always have an eye around the old town or any other District..." Michiko said as she smiled a bit and Naoki looked at her, still confused.
"As for the good image quality despite the camera's age...you can thank those video editing programs, that's why it took a bit longer to have the footage ready...Oh! Here it is..." Michiko said as she smiled again, but stooped as she saw the important part of the recording, and in that instant, Tatsurou's and Naoki's eyes were glued to the screen, as they were now witnessing the attack that happened a day ago, they saw a group of three students talking, then a boy in a white gakuran appearing and talking to the three students, before attacking them with electric attacks.
"This guy looks really dangerous..." Michiko said as she also looked at the footage but averted her eyes a bit.
" This is the guy, that I saw earlier in the alley..." Tatsurou said as he looked at the boy in the video.
"So this is the asshole, that hurt Miyu..." Naoki said in an angry tone, as she clenched her fists.
"Wait...did this guy attack, someone you know?" Michiko asked with a worried tone as she looked at Naoki and Tatsurou.
"Don't worry Michiko, he didn't have time to do anything too bad...and she's ok now..." Tatsurou said in a reassuring tone as he patted Michiko's head.
"Now, can you find everything there is, about this guy..." Tatsurou asked as he looked at Michiko, then at the screen.
"Kuro-chan, just who do you think you're talking to? This will be so easy, I don't even need the "God eyes" for this one!" Michiko said in a smug tone as she stooped the video.
"Well then, let's see who you are..." Michiko said as she cracked her fingers and began tapping on her keyboard really fast, perhaps even faster than usual, since someone new was also watching and both Tatsurou and Naoki couldn't stop looking at Michiko with impressed faces on, and shortly after.
"Here is our trouble maker, Amasami Raiko, 18 years old, a dropout of District 4's Private Esper institute, has electric-based Esper powers and has several detentions for having started unauthorized speeches in various places in Takamagahara especially here in District 4, against Magic-users...he also runs a shabby website to recruit members for his anti-magic user's movement...I'll delete it before anyone else comes across it..." Michiko said as she read the info on her main screen and placed pictures of Raiko, on the screen on the top right for Tatsurou and Naoki to see.
"N-No way so much info and so detailed in such short time, when the Soteria has been running around for it, for 3 months..." Naoki said with an impressed tone as she looked at Michiko, then at the computer screen.
"Michiko helps a lot in the most complicated cases that the Soteria has, by getting info like this, and thanks to her talent for hacking and her magic abilities, she makes finding criminals a walk in the park!" Tatsurou said as he patted Michiko's head.
"Come on, I'm not that good...but feel free, to praise me some more, Kuro-chan!" Michiko said as she smiled and fidgeted a bit, and it was true when it came to getting info to solve complicated cases, Michiko was the to go to, information broker.
The way it worked was that when there was a complicated case, Yumeko would ask Michiko for info, she would get it and then Yumeko would give the information to the person that needed it to solve the case in the Soteria, and as it stood Yumeko acted basically as a woman that has lot's of "connections" if anyone asked, all to keep Michiko away from strangers and danger.
"Well, we know, who he is now, but where he's hiding, is what we need right now..." Naoki said as she crossed her arms and looked at Michiko, that just smiled.
"Underestimating my power, are we?" Michiko asked with a smug tone as she moved her chair a bit with her legs, to show Naoki a screen with Raiko's location.
"N-No way...how?" Naoki asked with an impressed tone and expression, as she looked at the screen that showed that Raiko was hiding, in the now-abandoned first public Esper school, in District 4's old town.
"By using the cameras and making them trace this guy's face as he walked around the district 4 and old town, I was able to pinpoint his location to this old high-school here...easy stuff!" Michiko said in an informative tone as she raised her index finger.
"I don't know how I should react, this is basically nerd talk to me..." Naoki said as she sighed a bit.
"Hey! Don't call me a nerd!" Michiko said a bit angry.
"She's not lying, Michiko..." Tatsurou said as he patted Michiko's head and laughed a bit.
"Now, that we know all this..." As Tatsurou said this he glanced at Naoki.
"Off we go, to make that clown pay!" Naoki said with a determined tone as she punched the palm of her left hand.
"W-wait! Are you two going after this guy, all by yourselves?!" Michiko asked as she looked at Tatsurou and Naoki.
"That's the plan..." Tatsurou and Naoki said at the same time.
"Are you two crazy?!" Michiko asked both worried and surprised.
"He's not alone in that school, I have seen it in the camera tracing! There are at least other five people with him..." Michiko said with a worried tone, as she looked at Tatsurou and Naoki.
"We'll call Yumeko for reinforcements, so don't worry, ok?" Tatsurou said as he got close to Michiko.
"But...the last time I gave you info like this, you got hospitalized!" Michiko said with a worried tone as she pointed at Tatsurou.
"That wasn't your fault Michiko..." Tatsurou said as he smiled.
"That's not it, Kuro-chan..." As Michiko was saying this Tatsurou interrupted her.
"We have told you, haven't we? Yumeko and I won't go anywhere...so don't worry, ok?" Tatsurou said as he head patted Michiko again.
"You don't need to tell me...I just want you to be careful..." Michiko said as she blushed.
"And I'll be careful, thanks for your help, and don't worry I'll bring you, your eclairs for today's work!" Tatsurou said in a reassuring tone, as he stooped head patting Michiko.
"Let's go then, Izumi-san..." Tatsurou said as he looked at Naoki that just nodded, as she made her way out of Michiko's apartment, but as Tatsurou was leaving.
"Michiko?" Tatsurou said as he turned to Michiko.
"What is it, Kuro-chan?" Michiko asked as she looked at Tatsurou.
"Next time, you better keep your promise of going to bed early or I'll tell Yumeko, to confiscate your computer!" Tatsurou said in a stoic tone, as he looked and pointed at Michiko.
"How did you know?" Michiko asked with a surprised tone.
"I saw the playtime watch, on the game's pause menu..." Tatsurou said as he got close.
"But there was a new update and I wanted to play with the new characters..." Michiko said as if trying to excuse herself, but Tatsurou just looked at her in silence, while he crossed his arms.
"Ok, I promise I'll go to bed early, but don't tell Yume-chan about this, I don't want to hear one of her neverending earfuls again..." Michiko said as she looked at Tatsurou.
"I won't, if you keep your promise this time, alright?" As Tatsurou said this Michiko nodded.
"Well then, I have to go now, thank you again for your help, Michiko!" Tatsurou said as he head patted Michiko one last time before taking his leave.
"No need to thank me...just be careful this time, ok?" Michiko said as she blushed a bit.
"Don't worry, I will!" Tatsurou said as he gave a thumbs-up to Michiko and finally left her apartment...
