Both Accelerator and Tsuchimikado had left the underground shopping complex, and finally arrived at the front plaza of the concert hall that was right above them.
They did it not by decent means like stairs or elevators, but by using Musujime's ability Move Point. That ability was very convenient, but there was a weakness where she had difficulty in moving herself with it. And so only Musujime remained at the hideout, continuing the analysis of the paper bills' IC chips.
Since it was a holiday, there were many students in the plaza. Even though the open-air speech of the general board of directors was not interesting, just by looking around there were about two, three hundred students that had gathered.
From Accelerator's position to Oyafune Monaka, the distance was around 100m.
A simple stage used for cultural festivals had been built in the middle of the plaza; a middle-aged woman stood on the stage. About four black-suited bodyguards stood guard around her, but then,
"No way I'm doin' this."
Accelerator cut off with these words.
"Dammit, just shout out loud, 'please shoot through my precious organs'. That damned VIP, she completely doesn't understand that one can see she has no body armor just by looking at her getup."
"Shut it. That's where we come into play."
"Even among the same general board of directors, that bastard Shiokishi is always in his powered suit around the clock. He's not afraid of attack, but he's probably insecure when he's not in one."
"That's one hell of a habit."
On Tsuchimikado's words, Accelerator glanced at the person beside him.
He looked on, agape at the on-stage Oyafune Monaka and asked,
"You have the balls to be that person's shield?"
"What do you mean?"
"For me it's a collusion. This general board of directors. It's one gathering of shitty bastards. As if they're targets worth especially protecting by covering them with yourself."
Accelerator knew a person called Thomas Platinumburg. Just like Oyafune he was one of the general board of directors. Accelerator hadn't talked with him much, but just by looking at his tastes in furniture he knew right away that Platinumburg was a person who would naturally and without malice look down on others.
"There are two kinds in Academy City's top brass."
As Tsuchimikado slipped through the crowd at the concert hall front plaza, he said with a small voice,
"At the top are shitty bastards who must die and good people who were regarded as the same with the former even though they work seriously. In most cases, those ilk are bad in making a living and are made to draw only the short end of the stick."
"..."
Accelerator remained silent, glaring at Tsuchimikado.
Yeah! applause and cheers enveloped them.
"Oyafune Monaka is probably appealing to grant suffrage to Academy City's children. As majority of this town's inhabitants are children, suffrage is non-existent. And adults can't voice complaints on policies that the top has decided. Even if the top says starting tomorrow the consumption tax has increased to 30%, they can't put up a place to voice their objections. And so she's saying she wants that conferred. Hahah, an easy-to-understand [pain in the ass], right?"
Tsuchimikado's tone was light.
"If, for example, the children's suffrage is approved, even the [war] might be stopped."
"You're crazy, I doubt that kind of stuff would go through that easy. It may be for peace but it ain't practical. Even they don't understand the word 'violence' at all."
"That was at the start for even racial and gender barriers. It does not involve only especially influential persons taking them on by themselves. Of course it's a great achievement for one to lead many people, but history is definitely changed properly because above all, the awareness of people convinced on their own that [they themselves are powerless] was changed, and great numbers of people acted."
At Tsuchimikado's words, Accelerator again scanned the plaza.
At the plaza where many of the youth gather whether or not it was a holiday.
Tsuchimikado softly laughed and said,
"I don't know what you believe in, but I think Oyafune Monaka is worth protecting. And so I put my life on the line. She doesn't tell me to come follow her, but I don't recall being stopped by that."
Shit, Accelerator tut-tut'd.
As he leaned on his cane and stepped on ahead,
"What a pain. Let's quickly smash up this shitty bastard of a sniper!"