Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies-Chapter 326 - 320: Regained Memory, Cat and Mouse

Faced with Misaki's questioning—Mugino and the other dark side members naturally didn't respond.

Their identities and deeds were nothing to boast about.

But someone did answer.

"Those dark side bastards must've been sent by the Board of Directors. Those idiots really only know one trick. Still remember the Level 6 Shift Project? After we disrupted that, we hit the directors where it hurt."

Haruto spoke casually.

Hearing that, Misaki froze for a second, then her face twisted in anger.

Those people in the shadows treated human lives like weeds and used espers as mere tools. Who knew how many they had hurt. Yet after being stopped, they had the nerve to retaliate by sending assassins.

She didn't fully understand what the "dark side" meant, but it was clear from the context that they were definitely killers.

Hearing Haruto's words, Mugino was briefly stunned.

"Didn't expect you to know all that. Then why did you go along with it back then? You knew about this city's dark side. Did you really think they'd just let you off?"

Haruto didn't answer her. He simply pulled Misaki back with him.

At that moment, the brown-haired girl charged at him.

She didn't pose or act flashy, just threw a punch—light and casual-looking. Yet when she made contact with Haruto—

A thunderous bang echoed out.

The punch, though soft-looking, carried immense force.

Haruto barely blocked it, stabilizing his footing.

That brown-haired girl was Kinuhata Saiai. A Level 4 esper with the ability Nitrogen Armor.

She could manipulate nitrogen—the most abundant element in the air—and compress it to an extreme degree. So when she punched, the compressed nitrogen released in an instant, creating a powerful shockwave.

And the name "Nitrogen Armor" came from her habit of keeping ultra-compressed nitrogen hovering a few centimeters above her body.

That invisible armor could even withstand standard RPGs.

The gust from the shockwave blew Misaki's hair into a mess. But right now, she was more worried about Haruto.

Though she knew he was strong...

She hadn't seen him in containment missions before, so she didn't have a clear understanding of his power.

Even though he had once beaten Accelerator—that felt more like a case of ability suppression.

Now, they were facing a squad of trained killers.

And their abilities were clearly high-level.

Kinuhata closed in for melee, trying to keep Haruto occupied.

"I'm gonna super beat you down!"

Haruto actually had the time to roast that weird verbal tic.

But for now, he acted like he was barely keeping up with the defense. From a distance, Mugino launched precisely controlled attacks using her ability.

With Kinuhata's interference—

It looked like Haruto couldn't dodge her Meltdowner blasts as easily anymore.

The fight escalated, and Haruto appeared to be at a disadvantage.

Misaki hurriedly took out her remote.

She couldn't care about finesse now. She pointed at Kinuhata and slammed the button.

Kinuhata's body froze instantly.

But perhaps due to the intensity of the fight and unfamiliarity with her powers—the mind control effect was a bit off.

A few seconds later, Kinuhata snapped out of it, clutching her head and retreating a couple steps.

"Mind power—super annoying, Mugino!"

Hearing this, Mugino immediately tossed a helmet toward Kinuhata.

It was an anti-psychic helmet specially designed to counter mental abilities. After all, the dark side had to be prepared for all kinds of jobs.

This time, when Misaki activated her remote again—Kinuhata only staggered slightly before quickly recovering.

"You actually broke through the shielding helmet... wait, you're that Level 5 Mental Out?"

Mugino was a bit shocked.

That helmet could block all mind powers below Level 4.

Misaki didn't answer. She just bit her lip.

Still not skilled enough with her ability!

If she had better control, even with the helmet, she could dominate them. And if that were the case, Haruto wouldn't be in such a "hard fight" now.

Perhaps realizing they were both Level 5s—

Mugino started talking more.

"Hmph. I don't know your exact ability, but your close-combat skills are certainly annoying. Too bad your mind controller buddy is just a fancy decoration. If it weren't for her, you might've been tough. But now..."

As she spoke, Mugino pulled out a diamond-shaped shard from who knows where.

Seeing that, Kinuhata quickly retreated out of Haruto's range.

Mugino fired a beam at the shard.

The green beam split into countless tiny rays—raining down on Haruto. The attack range exploded absurdly.

That shard was like a beam scatterer.

Haruto weaved through the maze of beams with Misaki in tow.

It looked pretty "dire."

But truth be told, Haruto was impressed with Mugino's performance.

She was really playing her role well.

Sure enough, with no clue about Haruto's true power, Misaki's expression went from anxious to resolute.

She would never allow another person important to her to die in front of her eyes.

Another?

Misaki didn't have time to dwell on that thought.

Though they hadn't been together long, each moment with Haruto had become precious to her.

Their meeting had been odd, and their first kiss a bit rushed.

But it was all enough to give her courage.

Misaki pointed the remote at her own head and pressed the button without hesitation. The memories she had lost surged into her mind like a tidal wave.

Scenes from the past flashed before her eyes.

So bleak and full of despair.

She finally understood why she had erased those memories in the first place.

It was truly hell.

She was someone who loved sweet things...

But those memories—how could they be so bitter?

Seeing Misaki activate the button on herself, Haruto smiled.

His efforts had paid off.

Sometimes, Misaki wasn't lacking courage—just the chance to prove it.

Or maybe a reason to convince herself.

Now that she had made her choice—

The charade could end.

Haruto stopped dodging and casually waved his hand.

CRACK!

A crisp shattering sound, and the beam storm vanished instantly.

Mugino's eyes widened in disbelief.

And then—something even more shocking happened.

Haruto's figure flickered—

And in the next instant, Kinuhata was struck on the back of the neck and collapsed like a rag doll.

No one knew how he broke through her Level 4 nitrogen armor to knock her out.

At that moment, Mugino understood.

He had just been toying with them. Or rather, using them for a specific goal. Now that the game was over—

She erupted with her full power.

She didn't even know where Haruto was—he was too fast for the naked eye.

Still, she had to try one last attack.

But again, a sharp CRACK! rang out.

The Meltdowner blast shattered in an instant.

Haruto appeared in front of her, flashing a cold smile.

Watching from behind, Frenda's lips twitched.

She had already felt something was off.

The speed Haruto used to capture her was nothing like how he had been fighting.

This had been pure cat-and-mouse.

Sure enough—

She watched Mugino get pinned to the ground with a takedown and all she could do was give a pained, bitter smile.

"Uhh... I'll just faint by myself. Please don't hit me, okay?"

As the wave of memories receded—

Misaki still held the remote, ready to fight.

But what met her eyes stunned her.

All four dark side girls were already tied up on the ground.

Especially Mugino—

She had been bound with a giant fake chicken claw for some reason.

Misaki was confused.

Had that memory recovery taken that long?

But in reality, only three seconds had passed.

Haruto just worked fast, that's all.

When she looked dazedly toward Haruto, he greeted her with a gentle smile. And in that moment, Misaki understood everything.

She ran toward him, balled her fist, and punched his chest.