After a long silence, Tsukasa moved his feet, trying to leave this awkward scene.
A sudden force tugged at the corner of his clothes.
Tsukasa stopped and looked back at Mikoto with a confused look.
That blank look made Mikoto snap.
"Are you really just going to leave me here like this, you jerk?!"
"Sorry, I don't hang out with people who pee themselves in public," Tsukasa said, and kept walking.
Behind him, Mikoto got dragged along and slid across the ground.
"You… you bastard! Whose fault do you think this is?!" Mikoto looked miserable.
She looked like she was about to cry again.
Tsukasa felt a little bad.
He stopped and lifted her up by the back of her neck.
Mikoto's eyes were full of tears, but she still glared at him.
Tsukasa shook his head.
"Nue."
Tsukasa used the Ten Shadows Technique to summon a shikigami.
A large owl-like creature came out of Tsukasa's shadow.
It had orange feathers and a fierce white mask.
It was huge and stood right in front of them.
Tsukasa tossed Mikoto onto Nue's back and told it to fly.
A giant shadow passed over the city.
People on the street looked up without thinking.
Many got so scared they fell to the ground.
"M… Monster!"
And so, another entry was added to the urban legends of Academy City:
"A giant bird monster that appears at night. Several witnesses reported sightings."
Tsukasa dropped Mikoto off at the entrance of her dormitory.
She glared at him.
Tsukasa spoke with complete indifference.
"Are you throwing a tantrum, brat? Honestly, if I had bad intentions, I would have cut you into pieces at the very beginning."
"…" Mikoto trembled at his words.
She felt something starting to come back down there again.
But she still refused to back down.
Mikoto pointed at Tsukasa and shouted.
"Don't get too full of yourself, you bastard! Next time, I'm definitely going to shock you until you're twitching on the ground!"
"You can still talk trash when facing someone stronger than you. You really are a bratty girl," Tsukasa said.
He reached out and pinched the corners of Mikoto's mouth, then pulled lightly.
Her skin felt surprisingly nice to the touch.
He ignored Mikoto's angry, humiliated stare.
Right before he left, he gave her a piece of advice.
"By the way, you should look into the Railgun Cloning Project. I'm sure you'll find it very interesting."
Hearing this, Mikoto's pupils tightened.
She stared at Tsukasa in disbelief.
"What do you mean?!"
But Tsukasa vanished before her eyes.
Mikoto was left standing there, lost and confused.
"Wait, I still don't even know that old man's name."
While Mikoto was still out of it, a hand landed on her shoulder.
The grip slowly tightened.
The pain snapped Mikoto back to reality.
"Ouch… Uh, Dorm Supervisor…"
Mikoto was about to snap at whoever it was.
Then she came face-to-face with a pair of glasses.
White light reflected off the lenses.
It made the person look intimidating.
Mikoto's legs wouldn't stop shaking.
"Ho… so you're coming back after curfew, Mikoto? You're getting bolder and bolder."
The mature woman's voice made Mikoto's face go stiff.
That night, Mikoto decided it was the unluckiest moment of her entire life.
Tsukasa walked alone on the street.
A girl suddenly appeared in front of him.
Tsukasa looked at her and said to himself.
"Looks like it's time."
The girl had long red hair tied behind her head.
It was not twin tails.
She wore the Academy City winter school uniform with a miniskirt and metal buckles.
A sports jacket hung over her shoulders.
White bandages covered her chest under it.
"Sir, the General Superintendent wishes to see you," the girl said calmly.
She sounded like she was doing routine work.
"Working so late at night. That's rough. Please lead the way, Miss Guide," Tsukasa said casually.
He motioned for Awaki Musujime to go first.
Awaki Musujime felt a bit surprised.
Most people were shocked to be summoned by the highest leader of Academy City.
But the man in front of her stayed calm.
'Well, it's none of my business. I just need to do my job.'
Awaki Musujime stepped forward and grabbed Tsukasa's shoulder.
In the next instant, they disappeared into the night.
District 7
Inside the "Windowless Building," a landmark in the center of Academy City, Awaki Musujime led Tsukasa inside.
A life-support device made of reinforced glass stood in the room.
It was four meters in diameter and ten meters long.
It was filled with a red liquid.
A man hung upside down inside.
He had silver hair that reached his ankles.
He wore a green surgical gown.
His presence felt hard to place.
He seemed both male and female.
He seemed both adult and child.
He seemed both saint and prisoner.
"Welcome, visitor from another world."
"It's quite convenient, isn't it? This 'Underline' network. You've seen much more than Hiruzen Sarutobi did," Tsukasa joked.
Aleister Crowley fell silent.
"By the way, aren't you supposed to be bald?" Tsukasa asked.
He looked at the man's long silver hair like he was making a joke.
"I have always had long silver hair," Aleister replied.
He sounded speechless at how casual Tsukasa was.
"But in my world, Aleister Crowley is a bald guy." Tsukasa tapped the life-support tank.
"…" Aleister Crowley went quiet.
He wondered if Tsukasa meant another version of him from a different world.
"By the way, there is something I'd like to trouble the General Superintendent with," Tsukasa said.
"What is it?" Aleister responded.
"Can you let me see a technological angel?"
As soon as he said those words, Aleister fell silent again.
The man in front of him knew quite a lot.
Before Aleister could answer, a figure glowing with golden light appeared in mid-air.
It had long golden hair.
Its tall body shone with light.
Loose white cloth covered its limbs and torso.
Its gender was impossible to tell, but it looked female.
"A visitor from another world. Interesting."
A strange voice mixed with static rang out.
Tsukasa looked at the angel.
A twisted smile appeared on his lips.
Terrifying Cursed Energy poured off his body and pressed down.
He formed the Seal of Yama with his hands.
He spoke in a low voice.
"Domain Expansion!"
A brutal presence flooded the space.
A giant throne made of skeletons spread out around them.
A deep roar echoed.
Just hearing it made the soul tremble.
"Malevolent Shrine!"