1 A new Judgment

Gakuen Toshi, a particular town where more than the eighty per cent of the population is composed of amazing teenagers with powers called Esp abilities who do not bound themselves to develop their strength only, but use them to keep peace and security; The Judgment is a unit of law enforcement and civil assistance exclusively made of students who collaborate side by side with the Anti Skill, current police command, in order to capture criminals and preserve order.

After almost a month after the Daihasei festival, the two disciplinary forces reunited for a periodic analysis of crimes and results due to various interventions in their response.

«As you all know, due to the opening of the gates of the town to welcome visitors of the festival, terrorists and criminals from abroad enjoyed giving as much problems as they could afford…» Yomikawa said, starting her speech. «Despite this, thanks to the help of you Judgment people, unresolved cases are now few and they are gonna be the topic of today.»

The meeting went on for about an hour during which the completed and ongoing operation were illustrated through videos of repentance statements and unexplained situations; after the last Anti Skill member exposition, Yomikawa made her conclusion and invited the listeners to go home.

«Today it was really heavy to follow, wasn't it Shirai-san?» stated Uiharu yawning, but she didn't receive an answer.

«Ehm… Shirai-san? You there?» Uiharu wasn't as fast to realize that Kuroko was already on the exit door and, impatient, was waving to harry up and join her.

«It is over, finally! How is it possible that all this stuff happened in such little time! An hour… AN HOUR! All unnecessary wasted time I could have spent with my Onee-sama! Let's get out of here now, Uiharu!» Kuroko said after roughly grasping her friend's hand in order to drag her out of the hall.

«Shirai-san, please wait! I still had a lot to ask to Anti Skill! Stop pulling!»

«Don't worry, Uiharu! There will be plenty of chances to talk to Yomikawa who, by the way, already left. I, on the other hand, only have this specific day to enjoy the moment our supervisor will leave the dormitory to deal her own private stuff… and you know what this means? I… can be as loud as I want while I cuddle Onee… Onee-sama!» Kuroko claimed holding the volume of her voice, but not being able to do the same with her facial expressions and weird sounds that occur while she thinks of Misaka Mikoto; suddenly though, Uiharu anchored herself to the ground, stopping Kuroko's love rush.

«You were wrong, Shirai-san. Yomikawa is right in front of us, so I'm going now. If really you are in a hurry, you could leave alone anyways…» said Uiharu with such disappointment written on her face that nobody could have believed what she just said.

The girls walked towards the Anti Skill woman, but unluckily she seemed to be busy talking to someone else: he was a fairly tall boy, wearing dark jeans and a grey-to black unbuttoned coat, one of those equipped with hood, that was hiding a black shirt beneath ; He had long unkempt blond hair almost up to the neck and with a few tufts dangling on his head, light blue eyes but with a lost gaze and almost unnoticeable eye bags.

He wasn't wearing the Judgment arm band and he didn't seem to be part of the Anti Skill due to his high school age appearance.

«Guys! Nice to see you here again! Do you have something to ask to my Senpai?» a woman approached the Judgment girls; she was Tsuzuri Tessou, the Yomikawa's weird and bespectacled colleague who they already met more than once.

«Well, my friend here decided that more than one hour of speech wasn't enough for her and she is going to double it, just like she does with ice creams and sweets…» said Kuroko laughing while Uiharu was crying in embarrassment.

«Come on, don't be mean to each other! Instead, you should really wait until she is done with that guy… that boy, he gives me shivers! I'm waiting that too so I can go home with Senpai.» Tessou said while hiding behind Kuroko.

«Why? Who is that?» Uiharu asked with much curiosity.

«To be honest… I don't know him that well. I'm just aware he is new form Judgment and he is from Italy… Francesco? This should be his name. But don't you dare asking me his full name! I don't even know if my pronounce is remotely correct… Indeed, Senpai only calls him Fran-san to be sure.» Tassou replied, realizing she was hiding behind a middle schooler and trying to recover her dignity by standing up again.

«Are you afraid of foreigners, Tessou-san? Ok, he doesn't seem friendly, I'll give you that… he's a little gloomy but he's simply a normal student. What could have he done this obnoxious?» Questioned Kuroko shrugging; the Anti Skill woman turned serious and asked them to get closer.

«You know the last projection about the fifty terrorists cove in which video one of them cried the whole duration of the interrogatory?» she asked quietly and the two friends nodded hesitantly. «Well… He did it! Alone! He defeated them and made this man in that terrible state of pain and terror… that terrorist is still traumatized and he is now under psychotropic drugs cure, just saying!»

«That's dreadful! Uiharu… come on, let's leave. You'll ask your stuff to Yomikawa another tim… OH NO!»

«Good morning, Yomikawa-san! Oh, you… must be Fran-san! I'm really glad to know you! My name is Kazari Uiharu form the Judgment 177 branch office!» the girl claimed excited and bold, reaching out to the stranger while her friend Kuroko was on the background shaking and biting her shirt in embarrassment.

«Oh, you again! Wassup?» intervened Yomikawa trying to avoid the cringe but she wasn't the only one.

«So, my friend here is waiting for an handshake for a while now! Your country is not familiar with introductions or are you simply a rude guy?» Kuroko said, pointing the finger at the boy; few seconds of silence passed, and then they had an answer.

«I see… Kazari Uiharu… yeah… I heard of you, the computer prodigy. That's really impressive for a middle schooler, what a rarity. You, on the other hand…» exclaimed the boy, then he turned in direction of Kuroko while Uiharu, blushing, whispered a thank you. «Sure! Shirai Kuroko. The famous weirdo whose shameless attitude can't be described only by loathsome words.»

«Excuse me? What did you just say?» Asked a furious Kuroko, but Fran kept going ignoring her.

«By the way, the only rude ones here are you who dare interrupt our private speech without waiting your turn. But hey, couldn't expect more by some low pathetic level Judgment members, and I'm not talking powers. Please, go back collecting trash from the ground while I take care of the walking one. We will be done later, Yomikawa-sama.» said the boy mocking away to the exit of the building.

«Come back here, you prick! How dare you talk us that way! Uiharu, stop trying to holding me back and start talking yours too! Get off me!»

«Enough, Shirai-san! He left already and he was not completely wrong, it's all my fault… I rushed because I wanted to meet another valid helper of Judgment to tell him to keep doing our best but apparently it seems he doesn't like us at all for some reason…» Uiharu said, turning sad for a while.

«Cheer up, girls! Don't blame yourselves so much, it's not only about you. Since he joined Judgment he hasn't made any form of friendship with anybody and above all, he refused to join a section or a group. He only goes for solo operation I can assign him thanks to the Anti Skill database.» Yomikawa said.

«Senpai, are you two related or something? You're always together.» asked Tessou joining the conversation, in hope to release a little bit of tension.

«No, not even remotely. I just know him because of various stages I did in Italy, helping different police academies. He was one of the top students and despite his young age, he already completed specific and difficult courses and so he gained my direct recommendation. Let's say he can afford his attitude, ahahahah!» Yomikawa said with pride.

«He will still remain a clown to my eyes. Let's leave, Uiharu. I've had enough. I lost all my enthusiasm…» Kuroko said, bored and pissed.

«Enthusiasm? For what? Whatever It is, it will have to wait… now I have Yomikawa-san all free for me!» and when Uiharu pronounced those words, the poor Kuroko fell on her knees, drowning in despair.

-

«I can't believe it! Their phone is still out of service!? Is this reunion going endless or something?! And for some reason, Misaka-san is unavailable too. I have to keep running for my life then!» Said Saten running in worry and fatigue on a dark alley.

«How can it be? Every time I decide to go for a shortcut alley, I always do such bad encounters with people who is trying to hurt me! If only I had my bat… ahi!» being too busy blaming her bad luck, another drawback worsened her situation: she stumbled on a tin and fell on her knees. Meanwhile, the five threatening boys reached her and surrounded her.

«Are you done running around like a gazelle? We have not finished talking to you… like I was saying, skirts are too long nowadays. Even if winter is starting, they should let us see more and shorten it! Am I right, ma dudes? Muahahaha!» one of them shouted while savouring the view of an helpless girl.

«No, no… you're actually right, I kinda agree, guys… but really, I'm in a hurry! My friends are waiting me over there, please let me go!» begged Saten but she only received mocking as an answer; then she submitted and closed her eyes in fear, while the boys were shamelessly going to reach out on her.

Unexpectedly, the noise of the breath and walking of the aggressors disappeared and Saten, incredulous, opened her eyes: She still wasn't able to see well, maybe due to the agitation, but she saw some long black creature with plenty little legs reaching and vanishing beneath the coat of a blond guy who was gazing her from the top of the defeated bad guys stacked one on the other; she squeezed her eyes and stood up while the boy proudly showed his right arm, where the judgment armband was in plain sight but is was somewhat different: The colours were black and orange instead of the classic green of the Judgment shield.

«I'm from Judgment. I saw you were in quite a trouble.» Fran stated, jumping down the cliff of the knocked out enemies.

«Oh… I'm safe. Luckily you're a Judgment… esper? I was starting to think you were the worst of them, or something like that. You're… kinda dark for a Judgment, I mean Uiharu has flowers on her head for example but you… whatever, I'm sorry! Forget it, I was thinking it out loud! You know, this alley is so far behind in the dark that I believed no one would ever been able to see or hear me! Thank you a lot!» claimed Saten, bowing in gratitude.

«You should actually thank the shadows and not me if I got here in time… but let's skip the useless details. Apparently those guys were not espers, only frustrated teenagers. I already contacted the Anti Skill and they will take care of the interrogation now but I think it's kind of obvious what they wanted from you… if you prefer to not get involved in boring bureaucratic stuff, I'll give you a tip: begone immediately and I'll say you ran away freighted .» Said gently the boy, they he sat on one of the thugs.

«I think I shall partake of your kindness! Thanks again, really! I'm gone now, bye!» waved off Saten, and she ran away.

«Damn! That guy was really cool! Maybe… that's the monthly Saten-san special where she encounters the new urban legend… Oh, no! I forgot to ask his name! Well… I know it's from Judgment so I could ask Uiharu!» Saten thought, but she suddenly got shivers thinking about her friends faces. «No, that's not it! I won't say what happened today, I can't! if Uiharu or, worst, Misaka-san gets to know that I was in danger and they were not there helping me, they will feel really really bad! So… I think I will ask your name next time, unknown and never seen Judgment guy! Oh, finally you answered the phone! Uiharu, where you at now? Oh, I'm coming!»

-

Night fell on Gakuen Toshi and the students, forced by the curfew, retired to their own sleeping quarters; justice and crime fighting speeches left place to the distorted side of the city in which everything that gets the permission from the topside is allowed, even if immoral and illegal.

A new reunion was about to start but this time in a hall of the second floor of a laboratory whose attendants were scientists and doctors of every age and each one of them had a different twisted expression on their face; the only light going through was the one from the glass wall from which there was a view of the town and a majestic full moon. Having all the illumination turned off would have prevented someone to think there was a meeting going on that late hour.

«We all know why we gathered here» said an old man.

«The possibilities this project gives are really never ending…» added the second one.

«We just used it a couple of times and we made the entire city drowning in chaos. This one really is the most versatile experiment ever made!» said one of the youngest, very excited.

«Doctor Muramasa is coming… please preserve your enthusiasm until that moment.» warned again the old one.

Meanwhile, one of the security guards came back to the reception box where his colleague was waiting him.

«Damn, this is an another rough day because of the overtime. This is such a useless place to be!» the guardian said, taking off his hat and putting it on the table along with his flashlight.

«Do you always have to complain? This work is easy and it's all about patrolling left and right and sometimes checking on the security cameras. We are not even allowed to get near that room if not for serious matters.» claimed the other one.

«Don't you find it a little bit suspicious? By the way… have you noticed this one camera? It turned completely black… oh here we go, the video is back. Ehi, Wait a minute! Now another one is having the same problem… that's odd, maybe we should tell'em?» he asked.

«Don't worry, pal. Its already ten minutes they are going like this. It may be some technical issues, nothing serious. Now let's play some cards!» said the other one as he showed his poker deck, but on the same moment someone knocked on the glass.

«Ehi, you lazy asses! What are you doing?!» he was a young man with long blue hair wearing a white coat, the classic one of a scientist.

«Muramasa-sama! Please, forgive us! I'm immediately opening the gate!» the guardian said, while Muramasa, disgusted, crossed the entrance and disappeared in the shadowy corridor.

«That was a huge mistake… that man is someone important. Oh, and this guy? There was a second guest?» the other guardian noticed that another figure was waiting in front of the reception glass, he was hooded and equipped with a colourful armband.

«Those apes of the security… how many useless people live on this world?» thought Muramasa as he went up to the second floor; he headed to the hall entrance and he quickly opened the door but something he could have not imagined was waiting for him.

His colleagues were all on the ground, on the table or fainted on their own seats and the main chair was occupied by the hooded man he luckily hadn't met on the reception entrance.

«And who the hell are you now?!» the scientist shouted surprised, slowly backing away in direction of the exit but when he carefully observed his aggressor's outfit, he noticed an unusual black and orange Judgment logo on his arm.

«Judgment? What is a student doing here at this hour? Is it you who did all of this?» Muramasa yelled at him but the boy won't answer; he was chilling on the swivel chair, slightly swinging.

«This is no place for people like you, begone!» the man reached his coat's pocket and wielded a revolver aiming toward the hooded boy. «Stubborn, are we? Enough! I'm going to shoot!» Muramasa put his forefinger on the trigger but finally the boy answered.

«You join a room and find out all of your colleagues ended up like this. It's so obvious it was me but you still dare pointing a gun on me? You really think it's going to work? You think the others had not your same genius idea?» the boy stood up and started walking towards his interlocutor.

«Stand still! I told you I'm going to shoot for real!» Muramasa backed off till his shoulders were against the exit door. Then he grabbed his phone with the other hand and started typing very fast. «Security! Emergency on the reunion hall! Come here immediately!» he yelled to the phone but no one answered.

«Do you really still need to realize that, besides me, you're the only one with your eyes open in the entire building? I already put them all on sleep, except for you… you should have got it now…»

«Back off me or I'll kill you! I don't care if you are a student! I will tell the topside you Judgment guys surpassed the limits!»

«So I'm part of Judgment just because I have a similar armband on? It really is easy to mislead you guys… And just so you know, you won't be able to speak again if you make me angry.» Fran stretched threateningly his arm towards the scientist who jump scared. «Tell me everything you know about Sisters, the level 5 cloning and what do I need to make them, and give me all your access keys to the database… do this and maybe you'll be spared.»

«Sisters…? Someone we don't know wants to use them?! How can a Judgment doggy know about this… who are you really?!» furiously asked Muramasa while he was aiming the revolver in shock.

«A brave question for a trapped prey. I'll give you two choices: you can collaborate without complaining and giving me all I need to know about the cloning process, or you can refuse and gaze to the ceiling… and then you'll be forced to help me without even being here to know it.» Fran lowered his arm and sat again.

Muramasa slowly raised his head and saw something so frightening he started randomly shooting to the ceiling, but without any result; then, he noticed a fire extinguisher and shot his last. The dust gave him a chance to open the exit door and escape.

«So you chose the second one… running is futile. As long as there will be only a glimmer of light throughout the building… I'll be able to track you down.» the boy stood up, grabbed some documents and ripped them off. «I absolutely need more information… This is the only way, I have no other choice. I need them right away…!» Fran clenched his fists and gazed to the full moon.

«Help me, please! For God's sake, somebody save me! There is a monster!» Muramasa ran as fast as he could bear while reloading his weapon in tremble but lots of tiny and fast steps became louder and nearer. A shot was heard, a second one, then complete silence.