A Certain Misfortunate Spider

Chapter 25 - AIM Burst Part 2

"Shit, this stings!"

"For having been slammed into the ground and struck multiple times by a collective mass of AIM fields and brains you sure are still lively enough to whine about it."

"Just cause I can take it don't mean it hurts less." Kamijou argued to the stripper lady.

"How peculiar. And you've been giving me a lot of trouble earlier. You're strong."

"I'll take that as a compliment, I guess."

"...Back there," Kiyama started, and Kamijou stopped fidgeting in place, "when you were about to attack me, you sounded as if there was something bothering you. I don't mean to pry, but I was thinking..." She turned to him.

"Did the things I say back there bother you that much?"

"..."

Kamijou, frankly, would've had a field day with trying to process the things he heard from her, especially the things about those kids she mentioned.

Perhaps what she had said was so to distract the both of them into lowering their guard so she could strike. However Mikoto's visage of utter shock and pale face had seemed that she saw something she shouldn't have.

And hearing the woman's words had stirred something within him, a memory he didn't want to remember.

"...There was this friend of mine, it was so... long ago. Felt like, it was a long ago." Kamijou said. The seemingly insomniac woman's sunken eyes widened slightly.

"...Something happened to her, and I wasn't strong or fast enough to save her." Kamijou left it up to that. "...If I had the chance to go back in time to save her I would... but time travel still hasn't been invented yet, it seems."

He tried to end the conversation with a joke, but as he turned around he saw the woman's grimace as she listened. "H-Hey, I didn't mean that last part. I-I mean, even if someone tried to travel in time I wouldn't that chance to do so..."

"..." But the woman said nothing, and turned around, minding her business. Though she also looked deep in thought, as if ruminating on something. Kamijou stopped talking and was left alone.

Suddenly his danger sense went off, and he quickly leapt into action.

"Wait, you're in no condition to fight! We need you for that plan to-!"

"That flower girl is in danger, I can't waste time right now! Stay here and don't move a muscle, cause if you do there'll be hell to pay ya hear me?" He quickly said to the woman as he sprinted off to the way where the stairs were.

Kiyama was left alone in that place, pondering her choices.

'So many are willing to risk their lives to correct my mistakes...' she thought to herself.

-

'Just a few more minutes I can just reach them and play this song to save everyone! But I have to hurry! Misaka and that red guy are counting on me!' Uiharu quickly picked up the pace as she raced up the stairs, hoping to reach AntiSkill to have them help her.

She hoped this was enough.

However her trip to the stairs was interrupted by a single blast of energy heading towards her way.

Before the beam could strike her she was pulled back at the last second, before the blast blew up a part of the railing.

"Be careful now," a man said, and she felt the man's arms unwind off her. She turned to see the Red Man standing on top of her. "Where's the Railgun?"

"You! Wawawait, are you healed enough?"

"Yeah, I am. Enough to move around without hurting myself. Now I ask again if you mind but where's the Railgun?" Kamijoi asked. Uiharu only pointed towards the open area, and Kamijou followed her finger to see the Electromaster in front of the creature, looking on them in concern, before it broke into relief, as she turns to the monster once more.