Chapter 356: Mercenaries released

Stephanie Gorgeouspalace. A beautiful woman with snow-white skin and long golden hair, tall and slender, she could easily have been a Victoria's Secret Angel. 

She is currently imprisoned in Academy City's jail, branded as a criminal by this city. 

Her crime? The assassination of an Academy City board member. 

Thomas Platinaburg—that was the name of the board member Stephanie killed. By normal logic, killing a leader of a powerful faction should result in a death sentence. Yet, she sits calmly in her cell. 

Before becoming a mercenary, Stephanie had a stint working in Academy City. However, back then, she was active as a security officer. 

Bored and leaning on her bed, Stephanie yawned, losing track of time in this sunless place. She judged the time by the meals delivered—once the third meal of the day arrived, she could start thinking about sleep. 

*Tap, tap, tap…* 

The sound of footsteps echoed in. Was it time for another meal? Stephanie sat up, but then she realized something: Academy City's prison didn't use human staff for meal deliveries—robots handled that. Why were these footsteps so distinct? 

"Stephanie Gorgeouspalace, right? Please come with me." 

Before her stood a blond young man wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian-style shirt, its buttons left undone. 

Stephanie asked, "Who are you?" 

"A colleague of Accelerator's from the dark side." 

"Are you here for revenge?" 

"No, no, not at all." Tsuchimikado Motoharu replied, "We don't care about Thomas Platinaburg hiring you to kill Accelerator. I'm just here on behalf of a board member to take you out." 

"I killed a board member. Aren't you worried?" 

"You're welcome to try if you want." 

"Fine, I'll go with you." 

Stephanie didn't know what this mysterious board member wanted, but if they were bold enough to make such an offer, she might as well follow. It was better than rotting in a cell. 

"What's your name?" 

"Tsuchimikado Motoharu. Don't worry, we won't be colleagues. To be precise, that person doesn't plan to make you part of the dark side." 

The dark side—the shadowy underbelly of Academy City. Where there is light, there are shadows, and the powerful always have dirty work that needs doing. 

Stephanie asked, "Then what do you want me to do?" 

"Security officer." 

"Huh? Security officer?" 

"Miss Stephanie, you've worked as a security officer in Academy City before, right? It'd be a shame to let someone with your abilities die like this." 

"No, what I mean is, you know I used to be a security officer. So you also know why I left Academy City to become a mercenary, right? Do you really think I'd want to go back to being a security officer?" 

Tsuchimikado Motoharu said, "Miss Stephanie, once we visit the hospital, you'll understand." 

"You know how I ended up in prison, don't you?" Stephanie's expression turned grim. She had killed Thomas Platinaburg because he had planted a bomb in Sunazara Chimitsu's body. 

"We don't resort to hostage tactics," Tsuchimikado said. "Anyway, you'll see when we get there." 

"Fine. If Chimitsu is okay, I don't mind working for you." Stephanie's expression softened. Without her weapons, she knew she had lost her greatest asset. 

The blond young man smiled. "It's great that we can cooperate." 

He led Stephanie out of the prison and into a car driven by an external agent, leaving the area behind. 

Tsuchimikado Motoharu let out a sigh of relief. After Accelerator left, following the guidance of "Dragon," the group had sought Li Mo's help. At first, Li Mo had been preparing to become a board member, and everything seemed normal. But the subsequent developments left even Tsuchimikado, a double agent, unsure of how things would unfold. 

—Li Mo had become a board member. 

Despite having no prior preparation, he had become a board member. It felt as though he had simply decided to become one, and so it happened. 

The only one with such authority was Aleister Crowley, the city's ruler, who had never lost his grip on Academy City. 

What was he planning? 

The double agent's mind was heavy with thoughts. 

However, no matter what, given that board member's personality and abilities, he could protect Maika. 

Tsuchimikado deeply understood that his only weakness was Maika. As long as his sister wasn't involved, no difficulty was insurmountable. 

The atmosphere in the car was silent. This continued until they reached the hospital, where Stephanie saw Sunazara Chimitsu lying in a deep sleep. According to the frog-faced doctor, Chimitsu had no major external injuries, but the previous injuries had affected his brain. The doctor could only give a rough estimate for his recovery. 

The margin of error was about a month. 

Stephanie found this acceptable. 

"Can you give me some weapons?" 

"There's no danger on this route," Tsuchimikado said. "So rest assured." 

"Seems like your courage only goes so far." As a mercenary, Stephanie felt slightly uncomfortable without weapons, but it was only a minor discomfort. This was Academy City, not a real battlefield. 

Tsuchimikado said, "There are no weapons in this car. The security is just staff sent by the board member." 

"Ha, don't tell me it's you or the driver up front?" 

"No, there's someone else you just can't see." 

A shikigami, or rather, a spirit. 

Tsuchimikado knew there was a shikigami in the car, present in its spiritual form. It could be seen through certain magical means, but as an esper, doing so would cause internal bleeding. 

—Magic and esper abilities were incompatible. 

"Ha, are you saying it's a ghost or something?" 

"Not exactly, but close enough," Tsuchimikado said. "Looks like no one's coming to check on us today. Let's speed up; they're waiting for us." He glanced out the window and instructed the driver. 

The driver said nothing but increased the car's speed. 

Stephanie asked, "Are you hiding something?" 

"The board member is a new one. His every move is being watched. This operation isn't just for you—it's also a fishing expedition." 

"Ha," Stephanie scoffed. "Fishing without even preparing weapons?" 

Tsuchimikado smiled. With that shikigami around, it was like having a high-level esper with bizarre abilities by their side. Safety was guaranteed. 

The car fell silent again. When Stephanie and Tsuchimikado arrived at their destination, they were met by a familiar figure. 

"Tsuchimikado Motoharu, why aren't you in class? What are you doing here?" 

"Uh, well…" 

Li Mo hadn't mentioned inviting her! Tsuchimikado thought, looking at the tall female teacher before him. 

The woman's attention shifted from Tsuchimikado to the girl beside him. 

"Stephanie?" 

"It's me. Long time no see, Tsuchimikado." 

Stephanie recognized the woman—Aiho Yomikawa, her former colleague from her days as a security officer in Academy City.