This year marked Kuroko Shirai's first year as a member of Judgment.
Although she had been working for a year already, so far, the tasks she had been assigned were still limited to trivial matters like cleaning and finding lost cats.
As a Level 4 space-type esper, Kuroko's abilities were outstanding.
Moreover, she was still in elementary school and about to enter middle school. Naturally, Kuroko wanted to prove her capabilities, so she could be involved in the real issues within Academy City as early as possible.
And now—
The explosion instantly caused a commotion.
A small bomb had triggered the bank's automatic defense system.
Steel shutters dropped down, covering the bank's glass doors and windows,
Completely sealing the bank off from the outside world.
At the same time, a man stood up, pulled a handgun from his pocket, and fired into the ceiling.
The previously chaotic crowd was immediately subdued by the gunshot.
"Robbery! Nobody move! Get on the ground, all of you!"
To be fair, the execution was pretty solid.
The situation was quickly brought under control.
The armed robber pointed the gun at the teller behind the counter, demanding cash.
Kuroko held her breath as she watched the scene unfold.
Just moments ago, she and her Judgment senior had already noticed the man. After all, from the moment he entered the bank, his eyes had never left the staff.
He clearly wasn't there for business.
Moreover, her Judgment senior had x-ray vision and had seen the gun in the robber's pocket. But in incidents involving armed conflict, the most prudent action was to report it to Anti-Skill.
Unfortunately, before they could report it, the man had already made his move.
As the place fell into silence, Kuroko sprang into action.
Not because she was eager to score merit, but because, as a member of Judgment in Academy City, she felt it was her duty.
She moved swiftly, crouching and circling from behind the seats on one side. And in the next moment, she appeared right beside the gunman.
A sweeping kick struck him squarely behind the knee.
This was something she had trained in since joining Judgment.
The gunman instantly lost his balance.
Seizing the opportunity, Kuroko touched the gun.
In the next instant, the handgun teleported to a corner of the bank. Then she delivered a knee strike to his chin, knocking him out instantly.
Having subdued the gunman, Kuroko leaned on her knees, breathing heavily.
What she had just done was incredibly dangerous.
The burst of speed and strength she had shown was near her physical limit.
As soon as the robber was down, the tension left her body, and the exhaustion hit her all at once.
Her legs and knees throbbed with pain.
But at least the gunman had been neutralized.
"Notify Anti-Skill. We need rope…"
Just as Kuroko was about to proceed to the next step, an unsettling voice cut in.
"It's not over yet."
Kuroko froze and turned toward the voice.
Haruto looked exasperated.
It would've been best if Kuroko could've handled the whole thing on her own. But clearly, she was still a bit too green.
"What do you mean it's not over? Are you his accomplice?"
Kuroko eyed Haruto warily.
Haruto pointed at the steel shutters covering the bank.
"Why did the robber set off an explosion to trigger the bank's security system? If it were just a robbery with a gun, he wouldn't be able to escape now that the shutters are down. And once Anti-Skill arrives, he'd be a sitting duck. But so far, his actions haven't been reckless. If he's not an idiot, it means he has an accomplice—one with the ability to break through or escape the bank."
Hearing this, Kuroko immediately realized the problem.
Her gaze swept through the crowd, trying to spot the accomplice. At that moment, another person within the crowd suddenly sprang into action.
He grabbed a nearby girl and held a knife to her neck.
"Uiharu!"
Kuroko cried out and tried to rush forward but had to stop in her tracks because of the knife.
The hostage was Kuroko's classmate and fellow Judgment member named Uiharu Kazari.
The second robber sneered,
"Well, well. So the Judgment girl knows her. All the better. And you—yeah, you with the smart mouth. You nearly ruined our whole plan. But now, keep filling the bag. Nobody moves, or she dies!"
The situation fell into a standoff again.
Kuroko dared not make any move now.
The situation had changed.
Earlier, she had the advantage of surprise, hidden in the crowd. Now, exposed and being watched, she had no options.
"Should I take him out?"
Awaki nudged Haruto casually.
She could, if she wanted, teleport something into the second robber's skull right now.
Guaranteed kill. No collateral damage.
Haruto shook his head.
"That kid is a space-type esper, like you. Don't give her psychological trauma too."
Awaki pouted.
"Heh. Just a naive little girl living in the sunshine."
Haruto shot her a glance.
"You're not much better. Bullying the weak and afraid of the strong, brat."
Awaki: !
If it weren't for the tense situation, she would've gone off on Haruto right then and there.
Their whispering drew the second robber's attention.
"Hey! What are you two whispering about? I'm robbing a bank here! Show some respect for the profession, will you?! Don't think you're clever just 'cause you're a smartass. Watch this!"
As he spoke, the second robber tossed a steel ball toward the bank's shutters.
The steel ball flew forward steadily, unaffected by gravity or drag, defying physics.
It struck the steel shutters—
And pierced right through them, creating a massive impact hole.
The ball continued at the same speed, flying a great distance before finally hitting the ground.
"My ability is Absolute Constant Speed. Anything I throw maintains its speed and direction forever, unless it's destroyed or I cancel the ability. I can break this place apart if I want to. And if you all keep annoying me, I'll pierce through every one of you."
His words cast a heavy shadow over the atmosphere.
This was a Level 4 power. Hard to imagine someone like this robbing banks. He then turned to Kuroko.
"Hey, you can teleport, right? Wanna team up? With our powers combined, we'd be unstoppable."
Kuroko stared at him coldly.
"I refuse. No matter what, I will never betray the justice I believe in. And I have absolutely no interest in a petty criminal like you."
Her words enraged the second robber.
Still holding Uiharu hostage, he stormed toward Kuroko.
"You've got a real mouth on you!"
He raised his leg and kicked.
Even if Kuroko had excellent abilities, she was still a girl who hadn't entered middle school yet.
The physical strength gap was obvious.
If that kick landed, she'd likely suffer fractures, maybe even be incapacitated. At her current development stage, Kuroko couldn't teleport herself.
And she couldn't fight back—not with Uiharu being held hostage.
Acting rashly, making reckless judgments—not only did I put myself in danger, I also got Uiharu involved.
My first real mission ended in such a miserable state. What a failure.
With those thoughts, Kuroko shut her eyes tightly.
But then—
Thud.
The expected impact and pain never came.
When she opened her eyes again, she was shocked to see the robber lying flat on the ground.
Behind him stood Haruto, looking exasperated, holding Uiharu in his arms.
"Awaki, don't go teleporting people without permission!"
Awaki: ???
She looked completely bewildered.
She hadn't done anything, right!?
It was clearly Haruto who had teleported on his own. And now he was pinning it on her!?
Lame excuse, jerk!
Meanwhile, Haruto clapped his hands.
"All done. Let's wrap it up."
He gently placed the dazed Uiharu on the floor and waved as if to say, "let's get out of here."
Megumi had just finished depositing her money too.
She had completed the process herself.
When the bank's security system went off, the manager had rushed out, and since no one was paying attention to her, she finished her business on her own.
The group began walking out.
"W-wait… Just who are you people?"
Kuroko stared at Haruto in confusion.