With a rumbling sound, the train slid into the subway platform.
Tsuchimikado Motoharu didn't even look at the lump of metal that was slowing down.
His eyes were on his companions, Kamijou and Stiyl.
"I told the big guy up there to slightly change the security status of District 23. Even so, it's too unreasonable to 'remove all security of District 23', and most likely won't be allowed. We can only move in through the 'gap' formed when they move from position A to B…"
According to Tsuchimikado, the higher ups seemed to have ordered the changes to the positioning of the satellites and the image processing. Right now, they were switching it around, so aerial monitoring would be much more lax.
Kamijou remembered the other person that Tsuchimikado had been talking to.
The board chairman of Academy City.
(…Aleister?)
As it was a phone call, Kamijou couldn't hear the other person's voice. But to be of a higher footing than Tsuchimikado, who was well-versed in science and magic, one could imagine that this man was somewhere even more far-reaching. This was something that the ordinary high school student, Kamijou Touma, was unable to see or reach.
"If we use the surface appearance of the constellation in the night sky, the Croce di Pietro probably won't be activated immediately after sunset. Right now, it's 5:25 PM, and it takes only 10 minutes to District 23's terminal station nya. The result is that we still don't know the time limit, though it's likely to be between 6 to 7…there's approximately 25 minutes left once we reached the station."
"Tsuchimikado. You just said that we're going to sneak in through the lapses in security when the guards are shifting around. There's a 10 minute time lag. Do you think that this position change will remain as it is?"
"Kami-yan. The security changes don't just involve one building. It's impossible to finish switching the guards around in 10 minutes. This is like a school's evacuation drill, the more people there are, the slower the movements— this is basic logic nya. At least when we sneak into District 23 at 5:35 PM, we can still pounce on the lapses in security."
Hearing this, Stiyl tossed the cigarette into the ashtray that was in the smoking area.
"Let me confirm this, you're going to appear before Oriana like that?"
"Eh? I do want to rest for a while nya, but even if security is lax, there can't possibly be none at all. District 23 isn't so simple that you two can break through like that."
"I see."
Stiyl casually replied.
This wasn't to ask for any reason, but to check the other person's intent.
"From 6 to 7, this is our limit, and at the same time, Oriana and Lidvia's sickle. Even if they want to head off to other areas, the time would be up once they reach the other place. To them, wouldn't they have to use the Croce di Pietro in District 23?"
Kamijou listened to what they said.
After that, the boy said,
"Whether it's chasing after others or being chased, we'll put an end to it now."
"Oriana and Lidvia should be thinking about the same thing. And we have no disagreements—"
After that, the gradually decelerating train that was running with all its might finally stopped.
As the train arrived, the metal doors slid apart, releasing the people in the train onto the platform, but Kamijou and company didn't mind the crowd. The crowd seemed to be avoiding the trio as they moved out in a human wave.
"—Once we step onto this train, there's no way back. Right now, there's only an all-out bloody battle with Oriana and Lidvia. Are you ready, Kamijou Touma?"
Hearing Stiyl's voice, Kamijou remained silent.
A lot of things had happened today. He had smelled and tasted blood, tasted sand, fought with a magician that was walking on the street, fell into the enemy's trap, saw someone fall in front of himself personally, realized that he was helpless in front of these injured people; grinding his teeth as he pulled through, he came all the way here.
"…Mm."
Swallowing all these, Kamijou nodded his head.
"Remember, I don't want to settle this by killing others."
After that, Tsuchimikado chuckled like a child, while Stiyl lifted his lips slightly. They were expressing their feelings by smiling.
The three of them moved into the train.
The auto-doors closed. The train accelerated slowly as it headed into the subway…
Heading towards the war that was waiting for them.