Night, School District 15

School District 15. The most prosperous of Academy City's twenty-three districts, it was a district geared towards furthering the decadence of human youths leisure and entertainment, with shopping malls, pools, karaoke parlours and the likes all present within its boundaries. TV stations and other media facilities also called the district home. Whether it was for the sake of shopping or some simple night time fun, students from all across the city would file into the streets, eager to take in the sheer variety of goods and services that District 15 could offer them.

It was a materialist's Mecca.

Yet there was nothing about District 15 that was so unsullied. Though the common students were likely to be ignorant of what laid within the recesses of those towering buildings - the extravagant skyscrapers that seemed to amalgamate the qualities of the grand apartments of the ultrawealthy with an office complex of a multinational corporation - that spoke nothing about the misdeeds that still lurked behind prying eyes. There was much that could be reproached, but with the knowledge beyond the reach of the authorities, there was simply no way to do so.

And besides, those on the streets below needed not to worry.

Their lives were a peaceful, safe one. They could entertain themselves within District 15 for as long as they wanted, and none of the city's darkness would ever be able to touch them.

However, on this night, on some quiet streets far away from the Dianoid, that beautiful prismatic complex that was the core of District 15, a certain part of the city's underside was able to slip out. For a moment in the dim sounds of the moonlit street, there was a sound that should not have been heard. A strange utterance that simply did not fit within the borders of Academy City.

And for those who walked on that street that night;

For those who heard something strange and came with curiosity;

Their discovery was a body.

Twisted and contorted, lying face-down into a street gutter in front of an aging office building that had closed for the evening. It seemed to be a woman, clad in what could once have been a beautiful black dress, now ruined by dirt and rips and rainwater. There was no blood, even though everything beneath her knees had been unnaturally rotated, her feet point up though the front of pale white thighs roughly scratched the concrete. The auburn hair of a foreigner was braided, but any attempts at taming it had failed now that it was all splayed out, obscuring any part of her face from sight. One arm was simply gone, a stump at her right shoulder where it should have been, and the other hand was reaching forward, seemingly for help that would never come.

And there was the stench.

The faint smell of faeces that was emanating from the corpse.

It had only begun to rot in earnest.

Hazama, Harumi

---

There was only the faint whir of her camera working, and the click of the trigger, as she silently took pictures of the corpse from multiple angles. Brief flashes of light illuminated the alley as she continued taking pictures.

"Unknown woman, of undiscernable age, young from the looks of her body and dress."

Her eyes darted back and forth between details, trying to take in everything, even though she felt repulsed by the idea that she was standing right next to a corpse, and examining it in detail to boot. The hand that went up to her recorder clipped onto her collar was shaking slightly. She had been pursuing a different lead when a strange sound caught her attention. Something like this was not was she prepared for.

"Legs from the knees down are twisted badly, rotated? Likely an ESPer, no blood, no bones breaking skin."

Harumi paused for a moment.

"No blood around the dead body." she added.

She brought up her watch. Harumi had been trying to stalk the boy someone mentioned was cheating, following him all the way to this district in fancier than normal getup. She certainly could not tell he was trying to dress up, because she certainly did not stalk him for days before. There was a glimpse of a girl coming up to him, and them leaving together, but she had lost them. That was when she heard the noise and went to investigate, heart beating in anticipation for something really steamy. Instead, she found a dead body, AND now she can't go to either Anti-Skill, or Judgement.Both would raise too many questions about why she was there, what she was doing, and why there was two memory cards for her camera filled with nothing but pictures of that boy.

"Recently died around this time," she murmured into the recorder, jotting down the exact time on a notepad she produced out of a pocket. Harumi was sure she died around the time the strange noise caught Harumi's attention.

"One arm gone, stump remains. No visible cause of death. No blood, no visible wounds." Her face contorted slightly, feeling torn between regret at not being able to examine the corpse closer without tampering with the crime scene, and disgust at the prospect of that.

Reining in her desire to vomit, she took out her phone and turned on the small flashlight function on it, searching around for more things she could link to the scene. Screw that cheating boy, this one was going to make her page explode.

It had been a normal day for Bang Constantine.

He started the day off by motivating himself with a cup of heated water with a bit of honey mixed into it. It wasn’t the best, but the spice he eventually added into it cleared his throat almost instantly. He yawned approximately thirteen times before he left to meet his friend.

His friend kept poking at him to buy her lunch, but then he got berated for trying to give her half of his allowance instead.

“It’s a common trope to have money being taken as a potential starting point for character development,” he explained. “I wanted to experience this development too. So please, take this money and refuse to give it back.”

She didn’t understand, so he decided that it was perhaps less common than he thought.

Aside from that particular incident, nothing eventful happened.

After they went their separate ways, he hit the gym. Fitness was important to a healthy mind, and healthy minds were often the best at producing healthy things. Like romance novels, or action novels, for example. He wasn't good with things people often called "dirty." Among all of the things he did to keep himself fit, boxing was pretty good, but he was far from great at it. He still blinked if someone tried to scratch his face with their beard or something. He didn’t like sharp things.

As he left the gym, he decided to go to his house and jog down to the supermarket for some snacks. Chocolate and coffee were at the top of his list, though he made sure to grab some other groceries while he was at it. His parents would be sad if they found out he ended up feasting on snacks endlessly, so he made the effort to at least have a bare minimum level of cooking skills.

---

Night arrived, and he walked with plastic bags hung around his elbows as he slowly pressed the buttons of his flip phone.

“I’m near home. Good night.”

”yeeee ヾ(´￢｀)ﾉ”

Maybe some TV would be fine, he thought as his feet quietly carried him to his home. As the flip phone closed with an audible clap, he put it in his pocket as he slid the bags down to his hands.

As he put his groceries in his house, he took a moment to think over things before deciding to take another jog. No doubt would being in his house would result in him comfortably shutting himself in for the rest of the night. Keeping the tempo of his exercises would help keep his motivation in check.

---

As Bang jogged from District 7 to District 15, he occasionally glanced at the stars. It had been a normal day for Bang Constantine.

He didn't think the night wouldn't be normal, though.

As he yawned and thought about going back to his home, a weird sound that did not fit with the borders of Academy City came to be.

Bang’s heart pounded, though his face remained idle, as he thought,

That doesn't sound good.

As he ran towards the source of the noise, Bang pumped his arms back and forth as he finally stopped jogging and resorted to sprinting. Life was to be taken slowly, but if others’ safety was on the line, then he knew when to stop being slow. He ran and ran, wondering what the sound was-

As he arrived at the source of the sound, he found something lying still on the ground. It kinda looked like a person, now that he took a better look at it.

He wondered why a woman would just lie down in the middle of nowhere with her hand stretched out. Then there was some person taking pictures of said woman.

His hood over his head, he approached the girl taking pictures as he glanced at the other woman, only to notice something felt off. It didn’t seem like they were just fooling around with a camera during the night.

“…stump remains. No visible cause of death. No blood, no visible wounds.”

Camera Girl continued to take pictures of what he now presumed was actually a dead body upon closer inspection.

Glancing around, Bang turned to the body, and then at the girl who kept taking pictures.

Why was she taking pictures of a corpse?

He needed to say something, even if he felt his nervousness skyrocket at the prospect of her being related to what he steadily grew to believe was a murder.

Maybe she was an undercover cop? No, but she didn’t look the part at all. She did seem very well prepared for-

Seriously, who was this person and what did she do for a living? He didn't want to judge her for something she probably wasn't responsible for, but she wasn't making the situation less disturbing.

“…Uh,” he began. For a moment, no other words came out of him as he glanced between the busy girl and the corpse. "Hello."

Taking out his flip phone, he politely asked her the most important question he could think of with the phone closed,

“Would you mind if I call public authorities?”

_@GreenGoat

Shinjiro Karasawa

Summer vacation was in full swing.

I'm gonna shove the next word problem I see down someone's throat.

Of course, in Academy City, that usually meant it was anything but. Even if he was someone who could appreciate the idea of staying in his air-conditioned domicile and out of the August heat all day, He would have wanted to spend it relaxing. Playing games, sleeping, talking with his friends back home— The other one, of course.

Not with himself mired in the infamous Academy City Summer Homework. While the quality of education was inarguably higher here than anywhere else in the world, Karasawa was adamant in his assertions to the rest of the Student Council that back in America, the long summer break model with no homework was much more forgiving to those who actually wanted to do other things with their free time.

And no matter how much the Veep and her smug grins tried to argue that keeping the material fresh was more conducive to their academic performances, he wasn't budging on the issue.

At all.

Ever.

So she'll keep busting my balls about it every group study session, no matter how lucky she knows she is that I don't set her place on fire.

But, thankfully, Noriaki North High's hothead of a Student Council Secretary was much more in control of his abilities than he usually let on. The Level 3's Burning Blood had itself ensured that, because it had taken the bureaucracy of Academy City a long time to renovate his apartment, floor, and complex with heat-resistant and flame-retardant material. Honestly, it was even long after they were necessary, but the shit was pretty plush all the same.

Still, despite all of his misgivings with his senpai and the rarefied air of elegance that surrounded her and her station as his direct superior, he nonetheless showed up to these sessions without fail.

He knew better, given that he hated doing them on his own so much, and to give credit where it was totally due, she was one helluva teacher.

It was after one such session, well past evening and into night, that the purple man trudged his way home. As was customary, he could still taste the salinity and savory umami of miso broth upon his lips, freshly placed by the courtesy of Woodles Noodles. A favorite pit stop of his, he would often savor the lingering aroma and taste on his tongue as far as he could, robust and comforting, which usually ended up being all the way home.

But tonight was different.

It started with a noise. A noise that, despite the classically urban hustle and bustle of Academy City forming the distinctly "citylike" din that he was so accustomed to, rang out sharp and clear.

It wasn't a noise that belonged. It didn't belong at all.

And if something didn't belong that caught his interest, he was going to investigate— Though the horrible smell that soon hit his nostrils certainly threatened to dissuade him. He once chased a man through Tokiwadai itself; a little raw sewage...

uuurrrk.

A little testing of the gag reflex wouldn't stop him.

"..."

However.

In that low blue light of the moon, orange of the neon, and the white of the flashlight carried by the girl with the camera he had drawn up towards, it was illuminated.

He tasted something he thought might be bile, and could feel that heat he was so often lauded for leaving his skin, along with most of its color.

Shinjiro Karasawa, the infamous "delinquent" of Noriaki North High's student council, had never seen a corpse.

He was tough.

He was hard.

He was more than enough to take on anything that breathed, at least in his own mind.

He was undeniably a rugged and rough character, having grown up with the brashness of New York, New York running through his veins.

"What..."

But none of that mattered. None of that shit mattered at all.

Hey, quit busting his... That girl was...

He fumbled, searching for words as his mind locked up.

"...the Hell?"

It was an empty question in practice. He couldn't have expected either of the people who had found the cadaver before him to know, but a mind in distress wants answers.

The woman, a foreigner, was bloodlessly missing an arm. Her shins were twisted almost opposite of their natural orientation.

Her arm that was still attached was reached out.

For help.

For a savior.

She was running from something.

"Where the fuck is Judgement?"

Breathless fear lead to breathless anger, as it so often did.

"If you don't call 'em, I will. This is..."

He swallowed thickly in the middle of the words he growled to the man in the hoodie. Hoped that wasn't his noodles again.

"This is a murder."

@NarayanK@GreenGoat

GEORGE ELLINGTON

---

“It’s too darn hot~”

George’s voice was average at best. Which was a bummer cos it would’ve been a real neat act to add to his repertoire. Sound always travelled further than image. Would round the folks up a little easier cos really, he could only juggle so high before the Judgement officers dragged him down again. Plus the ladies loved a crooner, dandy or otherwise.

And Mr. Ellington was most definitely dandy.

“It’s too darn hot!”

Indeed, it was ‘darn hot’, as Porter himself had remarked. August had truly taken hold of this technological marvel of a city. Sunshine would beat on the city like a dog waking its owner, pulling vacationing kids from their apartments and into the streets, the adolescents taking in the Summer like only a youngster at the peak of their youth could. Longer days! Shorter nights! Ain’t no better time to take in the sunlight hours than now. There were only so many days of August left to enjoy. So even at this late hour there were still many citizens roaming around. And where the students went, their wallets accompanied.

“I’d like to sup with my baby tonight!”

Not that George would ever admit to doing it for the money. ‘Course it was a decent bonus but, well, it was the art that really mattered. The performance. The smiles, the shock, the wonder…heck, even the heckling. Being a goof wasn’t news to Ellington. It was a decent gig all around. Definitely helped swing his attention from the pile of homework still on his desk.

“Refill the cup with my baby toni--"

George didn’t register the noise at first. It could’ve just been something rattling around in the Hot Box. The holiday season had offered some handfuls of extra yen today. He wouldn’t be surprised if his power was jacking something up inside. But…no. Whether it was intuition or some wacky, mystic force of the universe, the Illinois native knew that something wasn’t right here.

Anxiously readjusting the straps of the Hot Box, George peeked around the corner. A purple-haired teen, a dude that seemed to be more beef than human, a petite photographer and…

“Great shades of Elvis...” George swore out loud.

His gaze didn’t linger on the downed woman for long. Thank god his cup ramen dinner was still waiting back in the apartment. Upchucking in front of all these folks would’ve been a bad time for everyone. The foreigner shuffled awkwardly. The heat would be arriving soon, right? That’s what these two dudes were clamoring about. They seemed to have the right idea. On the other hand, the remaining member of this little gathering…

“Jeez, doll,” George chuckled nervously, “You’re really gettin’ your rocks off, huh?”

Hazama, Harumi
@NarayanK@HereComesTheSnow@banjoanjo

---

Faced with sudden newcomers, who was probably wondering who she was and what she was doing there, Harumi spoke the first thing that came to her mind.

"Shut up, you're all noisy."

She shut off the light on her phone. There didn't seem to be anything else to find, plus these three idiots was ruining her concentration.

"Don't come any closer, you will contaminate the crime scene." She sighed, shaking her head. "Geez, there's always someone barging in on Judgement business."

Adjusting her bag, she walked nonchalantly towards the alley's exit, passing by the three.

"I'm going to record my findings, so call Antiskill first. Oh and go home! Its too dangerous out here, theres no telling if the perpetrator is still here."

Harumi walked confidently forwards, her calm facade betrayed only by the rapid beating of her heart and the slight shaking of her hands. A ruse worked better if it had truth mixed into it, and technically, she did not lie at all when she spoke. She did not need to convince them she was from Judgement after all, all she needed to do was make them hesitate long enough for her to run away. The dim lighting of the alley will make her harder to recognize as well. Harumi did not want to get in trouble with Judgement again, nor did she want to lose this story.

The newcomers coming in also raised new questions. Who was the perpetrator, and how did he escape in such a short amount of time? She wanted to stay longer, but if there were people here, Judgement would come soon. And that did not bode well for her camera.

Shinjiro Karasawa

As if snapped out of his stupor, the camera girl's affectations of authority brought Karasawa's attention back onto her— and she was now trying to leave after snapping a whole truckload of photos. That on it's own didn't sit right with him, but there was other malarkey afoot atop that.

Malarkey that was irkin' him. Even in the low light, his attention to detail wasn't going to fail him that egregiously.

Think I'm born yesterday, do ya? Fuhgeddabout it.

Her efforts were rewarded with a firm hand gripping the back of her collar, intent on arresting her forward motion, and an annoyed snarl.

"And I'm damn sure your armband-less ass counts as interferin' with Judgement business too, Li'l Miss Paparazzi. What, you planning to sell those pictures off?"

He had run into Judgement and their screwy prioritization many times, and thus had gotten himself intimately familiar with the "uniform"— the ubiquitous striped green armband they all wore upon their sleeves and proudly displayed, flaunted, even openly presented to their quarries.

Judgement desu no!

The girl wore no such band.

No matter what his multifaceted opinion of the organization may have been, he wasn't going to take some stranger at their word as one of 'em if they didn't have the threads to match. If he had to hone his proclivity for particularity in the student council room all semester for something, then it was for times like these.

@HereComesTheSnow @GreenGoat @NarayanK @Plank Sinatra @banjoanjo

”Gotta call bullshit there, Judgement-chan.”

The brunette that stepped in to block the end of the alley seemed to be pulling on a pair of oddly thick gloves. Brown eyes swept the scene, a frown beginning to form on her face. The big, heavy bag that had been held in her left hand sat carefully next to the wall alongside her messenger bag.

Notably she didn’t have a green band on her arm, either.

”Not that I’ve have much sympathy if you were Judgement, not too fussed with bugging them either. Because this is pretty far beyond Judgement.” Umeko pointed as she started to make her way closer, taking stock of everyone present. But Camera Girl especially. ”Last I knew, Anti-Skill handled anything that needed a coroner. And this definitely counts.”
The ‘this’ in question did give her pause, as she got a little closer. To say that the poor woman had been brutalized would be an understatement; whatever went after her was strong, angry, and definitely abnormal. Didn’t take more than one forensics elective to see that this scene just wasn’t normal. She’d taken off running when she heard the noise (whatever the hell it was), something Griese’d probably needle her for later, but she wanted to be in time to help if something was wrong.

She wasn’t.

But it hadn’t been more than a couple of minutes, so as much as the gloves were for intimidation… It wasn’t the little group here that had her on edge. Whatever had done this, it wasn’t far gone. Her steps grew a little tenser, feet planted firmly on the ground as her muscles coiled from one step to the next, all five senses alert to any signs of danger. If something was still around, she damn well wasn’t going to let it get the drop on her.

She was pretty sure she’d seen the purple-haired kid somewhere, and he was definitely in the right here. The kid with the camera looked after as heavy as the box she’d been carrying, and no way in hell was she there on anything approaching Judgement business. The rest looked like they’d probably come for the same reason Umeko had herself. Wanting to help, got there too late. But no way was she letting anyone hit the ground running, not ‘til someone with actua authority got there.

And she didn’t mean Judgement. She preferred her vigilantes to at least be honest about what they were. This sort of thing was for actual police.

All I wanted to do was get home and work on that Perfect Grade....

“Let’s all stay put, don’t really feel like chasing anyone down. And someone call the cops. The actual cops.”

GEORGE ELLINGTON

---

Well, this was all a real kick in the pants.

The girl spouted something about Judgement beeswax and before George could even begin to wonder why something about it bugged him, Purps was about two secs out from knuckling her. He didn’t need the IQ to know that wouldn’t run well in front of the real cops. They needed to be separated ASAP.

Unfortunately for everyone and despite his expertise in many other areas, George was about as useful in a fight as a wounded turkey, flailing with just as much panic and reckless abandon. Haymakers weren’t gonna be thrown on his end anytime soon. Plus, wasn’t it sorta…grody to be fighting when a corpse was right there?

“Woah!” George raised his hands, his gaze flickering rapidly between the two, “Let’s not play too rough ‘ere. Please?”

@HereComesTheSnow @GreenGoat

"Aw, yeah? Dat's why you didn't give no chase?" echoed the cheerful voice behind Kawaguchi Umeko, a gregariously mocking brogue that was joined by an intimate elbow dug into the otaku's shoulder. "Coulda sworn that was 'cause you was just sookin' down sashimi like a fookin' sea monster. You're gonna be da first Kamen Rider to need a fookin' school bus."

The incredibly course, incredibly Irish student's face fell down to stare at the object of the group's attention, and his face darkened imperceptibly. He passed a bag of takeout from the arm that was balanced atop Umeko into his free hand, and his tongue tittered against his teeth in disgust.

"Look a'dat," he opined, cursing through a low whistle. "Dat's just oonprofessional. Look a'dat, see how she only got da one lil' stoomp fer an arm? Dat's still five fingerprints left fer a posi ID. Betcha her teeth ain't smashed. In the IRA days, old man used to tell me how dey'd bang your teeth oop all well 'n' good 'cause dental was sooch a good way of gettin' ya victim nailed down. Take a cudgel to ya, da real pros would, and dey'd leave ya all crooked grinnin' like a deacon at a pool party."

He was catching stares from the rest of the students assembled and shrugged their judgement (yuk yuk fookin' yuk) off without heed, though his nose did wrinkle slightly at the smell of the body and its fluids.

"Have Anti-Skill or whoever the fook check 'er earlobes too, dey're pretty solid identifiers. Best'a luck, sweetheart." Brennan saluted the corpse slightly with the leftover food and elbowed his partner again. "C'mon Umeko. Hobby shops ain't closed for anudda two hours and we still gotta get you summa dem robot dolls and the shit for the probe by morn."

Bang nodded at the vaporwave(?)-haired man. It was murder. And no doubt did neither of them want to witness it. Both of them were horrified to their own right. He may not have tried to show it, but Bang's heart pounded the fastest it had in his whole life. Seeing how angry the guy seemed to be at the presence of murder, he probably felt the same.

He still concealed most of his panic and resorted to being quiet about it. Putting on a calm façade often helped him do things less clumsily. He glanced at the other man who walked across the corpse.

Flipping his phone open, Bang pressed several buttons to call Antiskill. Like he initially thought, the girl claimed that she was a part of Judgement, and all these people were saying she wasn't Judgement-

Wait, where were they all coming from?

...

Glancing at the woman who seemed to be associated with the man with the interesting accent, Bang nodded silently as he pressed the call button. Regardless, the Elvis lookalike did point out something Bang hoped would not happen. He took several steps away from the small group as soon as his call went through, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings as he let the others control the situation.

@NarayanK

Night, School District 15

The seconds dragged on forever. Each ring of Bang's phone felt like they were demarcated by an agonisingly long wait, as if the passing of a kalpa occurred between every quiet, tinny sound. And when it seemed like an entire maha-kalpa had brought the universe itself to an end, the call connected.

A slight voice, through hints of static, spoke.

"Please state the nature of your emergency."

As the voice went through the flip phone, Bang answered quickly,

"Hello. We need Antiskill at School District 15. Several others and I have come across... a body just moments ago."

Bang glanced at the group before looking away.

"A dead body," he quickly added.

@Crimmy

@NarayanK

Night, School District 15

There was a minuscule moment of pause, before the slight voice on the other end of the line spoke once more.

"Where are you in District 15?" asked the operator. "Does it look to be the work of Esper powers?"

@banjoanjo@Krayzikk@GreenGoat

Shinjiro Karasawa

"Relax, Beatnik." he fumed, "I'm just of the same mind as Gloves over there— don't want her running off with that camera. 'Specially since she was here first outta all of us."

“I’m currently far away from the Dianoid. There’s an old office building nearby,” Bang further explained as he eyed the building in particular. “Todoki Dai Building. 1-14-6 Jūgo-shi.

“As for the body, Esper powers were most likely used. There’s no sight of blood anywhere, but the body is… rather mangled.”

@Crimmy

GEORGE ELLINGTON

---

The 'Beatnik' grimaced at Purp's rough tone. Guy was definitely rattled. Using his power and booking it was George's standard whenever it looked to be a rumble starting but that wasn't an option here.

"Then how 'bout I just snatch the camera?" George tried, "No need to lay mitts on the little lady that way, 'specially with the number of us here to nab her if she does split. Doubt she'd leave without the thing anyway."

@HereComesTheSnow

Junia had been on her phone as she wandered into the street in question. She had been instigating an argument about whether the Esper programme in Academy City counted as a form of Japanese re-militarisation. So far she had managed to force a mudslinging match between nationalists on either side of the Yellow Sea. She loved nationalism and nationalists. It was so easy to provoke a fight over it all. As entertaining as she was finding all the fighting, she tore her eyes away from her phone when she saw the gathering crowd. Wandering over to take a look, she barely reacted when she saw the body, only letting out a light "Huh."

Taking notice of the growing tension in the group, Junia could care less why they were fighting, only that they were. A light smile adorned her lips briefly. "Hey, how do we know that's her only camera?" She called out, speaking to nobody in particular, but definitely speaking in the direction of the concerned parties. "A good journo might carry a secondary one somewhere. Or use their phone. Just saying." She sounded uninterested, but she definitely wanted to see the problem grow.

@HereComesTheSnow @banjoanjo @GreenGoat

Hazama, Harumi

---

"Geh."

Jerked backwards by the rough hand grabbing her collar, Harumi could do nothing but squirm as more and more people came in. To think that her ruse failed. She could, perhaps, try to convince them she was undercover, as Judgement members did hide their armbands when trying not to attract attention, but as of right now, none of them was in any condition to accept more input for her. Even a true Judgement member pulling out their armband would perhaps be viewed as a fake still. She did take offense to the comment about selling her pictures off though. She was in this primarily for the story, though money was hard to come by, so no one could fault her for trying to make some more on the side.

She was so very close to escaping too.

Harumi jumped slightly as one of them started calling Antiskill, but the remarks about snatching her camera and equipment was what set her off. Trying to take away her camera? Her very life? It was as important as, no, more important than her own life to her. With a fluid motion, she put her camera in her bag, and pulled out thin leather gloves, wearing them quickly in a swift practiced motion. With a twisting motion, she escaped the boy's grasp during the brief moment he was occupied with speaking to the 'beatnik'.

She ran not towards where the exit was, but away from it, where there were less of them. One of the things she was confident of was her physical fitness after all; she has done this before, and it was very likely she could simply outrun them all. The road they were in wasn't a dead end, of that she was sure. If it was, they would have met the perpetrator as they came back out.

Tch, I'll remember this.

"We can leave once Anti-Skill gets here, you maniac." The Japanese girl responded, giving her Irish compatriot a mild glare and light elbow to the ribs for his remarks. "And she can keep her camera, Anti-Skill may- Oh for fuck's sake."

I just want to work on my Perfect Grade!

It wasn't hard to see the smaller student twist out of Grape Juice's grip, she'd recognize a movement like that anywhere. She didn't really blame her, either. Everyone took cameras for granted nowadays. Everyone with one built into their phone thought they were a professional, that they could do everything with their little pocket computer that the pros with their expensive equipment could. They couldn't. Not just because of the technological limitations, but because of the know-how. A photographer's camera was their livelihood. Any photographer worth their salt would do anything to protect it, regardless of the circumstances. It'd be like someone tried to take away Umeko's projects. Or Brennan's probe.

So she understood the impulse to flee. Unfortunately, she just couldn't allow it.

So when Hazama hit the ground running, having loosened Grape Juice's grip, Kawaguchi was running too. The shrimp was quick, Umeko'd give her that, but the older girl's legs were longer. And when dealing with two athletic people, that edge mattered. And Umeko was cheating a little; a little extra kinetic energy each time her foot hit the ground wasn't going to make her the Flash, but it definitely wasn't hurting her speed. The photographer didn't have much of a head start, and she wasn't going to get away on speed alone.

Not only was she an important witness, Umeko didn't want her running into whatever made the first body drop.

"Get back here, kid! No one's going to hurt your camera!" A breath, and she sped up a little more. "Put it with my stuff, no one'll touch it!"