The work of a Judgment officer is tough, but it definitely shouldn't involve dealing with every hidden danger lurking in the city's depths.
Still, some things are all connected. If you handle one part right, it can set off a chain reaction, easily wiping out foreseeable dangers.
After a moment's thought, Natsume Sonoko, who was standing nearby, gave a silent nod. She didn't reject her teammate's decision.
Shirai-san's idea was a bit forceful, but it wasn't hard to understand.
Considering the need to resolve the case quickly, Natsume Sonoko also felt they couldn't let the members of the armed group keep causing more trouble. Now that Judgment was stepping in, their methods had to change.
Violence born from venting emotions and the proper law enforcement of Judgment were two completely incompatible things.
Even though their approaches were worlds apart, both sides seemed to be fighting for their own idea of justice.
Justice might be an objective thing, but it's like how humans can never draw a perfect circle with any tool—all you can do is run desperately towards that ideal.
And because different people hold different versions of justice, everyone who believes they're fighting for it ends up seeing things from their own self-centered perspective.
"Shirai-san, I think it'd be best to discuss this with Hamazura-senpai and the others," Natsume Sonoko said, her face having returned to its usual expressionless state.
"Of course we'll discuss it. You didn't really think I was going to arrest all of them, did you? Although hauling them off to the Anti-Skill office would probably be the right call nine times out of ten."
"And another thing, for guys like that, just use their first names."
Shirai-san sounded a bit displeased. Showing politeness to problematic boys was such a typical 'ojousama' flaw.
"This armed group actually wants to deal with the ones attacking the Level 0s themselves. Since we're taking over that job, we need to make a few things perfectly clear to them," Shirai Kuroko added under her breath.
--+--
Her negotiation skills were stuck at your average middle schooler's level—only good for chatting about pointless things with a giggle.
A girl whose 'talk-no-jutsu' was firmly at level zero sat quietly on a small stool to the side of the abandoned warehouse.
Her presence here was more symbolic than practical.
The Level 5 esper and resident mascot tried her best to maintain a ladylike posture, pressing down on her skirt to prevent any unfortunate incidents, while staring blankly at her classmate skillfully handling the negotiations.
This time, she'd been a bit bolder, forgoing her usual stealth tactics and simply activating her thermal perception over two hundred meters.
But, seeming to think Shirai-san's negotiations were taking too long, she had just found a spot to take a break.
"Excuse me, thank you for the strawberry drink the other time," Natsume-san said, her eyes suddenly lighting up during the boring wait as she tried to strike up a conversation with a somewhat familiar girl from the armed group.
Unfortunately, Natsume-san's charm stat clearly wasn't maxed out. The other girl seemed very hesitant.
"Ah, that... you're welcome," came a timid reply after a moment.
Natsume-san offered an awkward smile. She understood that nervous feeling, but this time, she was the one making others tense.
Even though she didn't pay much mind to the various auras surrounding her, many others did. It could even be a reason for both sides to sit down and talk properly.
Once again aware of the immense influence this title carried, Natsume-san thought using it like this wasn't so bad. At the very least, it was a force that could bring people together.
"The Eighth... sama," a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz reached her ears. Natsume-san realized it was the same girl from before, still looking uneasy, and this time she'd even used the honorific '-sama'.
"If the group announces it will no longer protect the Level 0s, if Komaba-senpai and the others stop protecting us... would you, Eighth-sama, take Komaba-senpai's place?"
Her voice growing gradually louder, the girl finally mustered her courage and spoke seriously, a wave of anxiety rising within her.
Not far away, Shirai-san was in discussions with several key members of the armed group.
Besides Hamazura Shiage and Komaba Ritoku, whom they'd met last time, there was also a boy named Hattori Hanzo.
Their conversation wasn't exactly private. Natsume-san could intermittently hear talk of disbanding certain sections and coordinating actions.
"Me? Take Komaba-senpai's place?" Natsume-san's brow furrowed slightly as she snapped back to reality, looking somewhat surprised at the girl who wasn't much taller than her.
It wasn't about her becoming the leader of the armed Level 0s, of course.
A Level 5 esper could never become the boss of an armed group. It was just that the pressure from the attackers, which the armed group had been bearing, would now shift onto Natsume-san and the others.
"That won't be necessary. This time, we plan to deal with all the attackers that show up and send them off to the Anti-Skill headquarters. If we do that, then no one will be attacked by them anymore."
"So don't worry, this incident will be resolved smoothly," she said, her expression turning serious as she noticed the other girl's unease.
"It's not the same. Those attackers won't just disappear. After the juvenile court's punishment is over, they'll come out again," the girl, whom others called Yaze, struggled against the heavy pressure emanating from the title 'The Eighth', gritting her teeth before continuing.
She clearly didn't believe that official punishment would make those attackers truly reform.
The targets the attackers picked might be random, but the people who had to pass through the grey zones weren't.
Some of these grey zones were deserted, abandoned corners, but many had formed gradually for various reasons. Streets with broken surveillance cameras, narrow alleys between buildings—they were all part of these so-called grey zones.
Some of these places were even on the only route certain students could take to and from school. Unless they took a long detour, they couldn't avoid them. They didn't have armored school buses for daily pickup and drop-off.
"Eh? They get released?"
"In that case, we'll just catch them again," Natsume Sonoko vaguely grasped the crux of the other's worry.
"Is that so? I understand. May I tell everyone what you just said?" The other girl's expression instantly relaxed, even carrying a hint of anticipation.
'This is great! It's a promise from The Eighth herself!'
'And The Eighth seems much easier to talk to than the rumors said.'
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon!
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