This sound was different from an explosion.
In fact, it wasn't so much an explosive blast as it was the sound of something shattering.
"She's here, huh? Figures it'd be Kinuhata."
Makoto heard nothing more than a murmur barely louder than a mosquito.
Then, the girl in front of him seemed to turn into an afterimage—before he could react, she had already darted out through the window.
Three steps became two, and Makoto reached the bedside faster than Frenda had moved earlier.
Looking out the already-shattered window, he spotted Frenda in freefall, a parachute blooming open above her.
"Well… I guess this actually works out. I didn't want the battlefield to be set here anyway."
Given his draw speed and movement speed, there was no way he couldn't have stopped Frenda just now.
But who knew how many bombs this maniac was still carrying?
If she triggered one in close quarters, things could get ugly fast.
Sure, his body was far tougher than a normal person's—but even he didn't know what would happen if he took an explosion head-on.
And, like he'd said before—
Even if he walked away without a scratch, if Frenda's blast damaged the building's load-bearing walls, that would be a serious problem.
"Komaba?"
"Sorry, Boss. A brown-haired girl suddenly rushed in, and Hanzou and I were both taken down instantly. Fremea was taken by her as well."
Komaba Ritoku sounded agitated.
It wasn't his own injury that had him rattled—it was the fact that Fremea had been abducted.
The two of them weren't blood siblings, but after more than three years living side by side, he already regarded her as family.
Now that his little sister had been taken, how could he not be anxious?
"Don't worry—Fremea's in no danger. Keep the others calm. I'll handle this."
…
"Frenda, why leave? If you'd stayed and finished it there, it would've been over."
On a cracked and weathered asphalt street, a bob-haired brunette carried an unconscious blonde girl slung over her shoulder, sprinting at full speed.
Beside her was Frenda, who had just fled Makoto's office.
"That guy's strange. His ability doesn't seem to match the description in the files. Either way, this job doesn't pay—no point taking unnecessary risks. Go back and tell Mugino that if she still insists, she can deal with him herself. The result will be the same."
Frenda no longer had her earlier friendly demeanor.
The truth was, she was a pure egoist.
Aside from her little sister—whom she regarded as part of herself—no one else really mattered to her.
Of course, that wasn't necessarily wrong.
From her standpoint, she'd already been as considerate toward Harumura Makoto as anyone could reasonably expect.
Calling her ungrateful wouldn't be fair.
"The leader of a Skill-Out gang—how strong could he be? Frenda, you're probably overestimating him."
Kinuhata Saiai kept running as she spoke.
They were part of the Dark Side—the ones who dealt directly with the underbelly of this city.
They weren't like the school kids who still dreamed that hard work alone could raise their Level.
The potential of every esper was determined the moment they were first tested—their maximum possible Level in the future had already been marked down.
Anyone who showed the potential to reach a high Level was immediately snapped up by research institutions.
To become the leader of a Skill-Out armed group?
No research facility in Academy City would ever allow that kind of "waste" to happen.
So a Skill-Out armed group would always remain just that—powerless.
Sure, there were cases of espers losing to non-espers—but those were sheltered weaklings, nothing like people who lived in the Dark Side, surrounded by blood and fire every day.
"There's just… something about him. Can't put it into words, but it feels off."
Frenda frowned, her lips parting for a moment before closing again—unable to find the right word for the sensation she'd had earlier.
"Forget it, let's just—"
Mid-sprint, Kinuhata suddenly stopped and grabbed Frenda's arm, yanking her to a halt.
She tossed the unconscious Fremea from her shoulder to the ground behind her.
Shing—
The sound came right after that series of movements.
A bullet hung in the air before her forehead.
Between the bullet and her skin was less than a centimeter, but that tiny gap seemed to hold an invisible wall that completely stopped its momentum.
"Thanks, Kinuhata."
Frenda instantly understood what had just happened, shrinking down behind her ally. Luckily, she was petite enough to actually fit behind her.
"No problem. Looks like he's actually super-skilled after all."
One hand in her hoodie pocket, the other shielding the two girls behind her, Kinuhata Saiai stood with one eye closed—exuding a level of boyfriend energy off the charts.
Whoosh—
A sharp whistling cut through the air.
A silver grappling hook shot out from around the corner, latching precisely onto a nearby streetlamp.
Next came the sound of gears turning and air hissing—and in the next instant, that man was already standing atop the streetlamp.
"From that angle?"
"But how could he have made the shot from there?"
Kinuhata had been a bit careless at first.
It wasn't arrogance—more like confidence born from pride. But seeing this, she could no longer ignore Harumura Makoto.
"So this is the so-called 'Nitrogen Armor'? You're right—it's a type that, in some ways, does counter me."
Standing on the streetlamp, looking down at the two wary girls, Makoto held a phone to his ear, seemingly in conversation with someone.
"So I told you—don't underestimate them. Even after all that research, they're still products of that place. I'm heading your way now. Wait for me and I'll handle this. It's better if I deal with this kind of thing personally."
Even over the phone, the girl on the other end's concern for Makoto was obvious.
"No need. Have your driver take it slow. It's just Nitrogen Armor—I've got a thousand ways to break it."