bluff punch

“So what will you do? Make up your own mind.”
“I’ll go for that.”
Kamijou Touma did not hesitate to point toward the floor.
Specifically, at the Gatling gun girl who was still dizzy and had a small oxygen mask on.
“I’ll take that mask from her.”
“…”
“You prepared everything in advance. That other esper – from what you said, I guess she’s an esper – hiding here somewhere may be getting that saving drug injected into her from one of your drone’s tranquilizer gun things, but not that kid. You wouldn’t have had a chance. Without the mask, she’ll die as much as me.”
The atmosphere changed, like powerful microwaves were boiling the moisture in the air, but if that was enough to deter you, you could never walk the back alleys.
“If you frantically pulled out your oxygen carrier, I could just take that, but I have no way of knowing how deep the rabbit hole goes on your tricks. I don’t want to swipe it from you and find it was actually poison. So the mask is my priority. I know that’s safe, so I won’t hold back. And you have a countermeasure ready, right? So she doesn’t even need the mask and I can take it for myself.”
“You really do have a screw loose.”
“What else did you expect from a guy so broken he’ll immediately punch someone in the face if the situation demands it?”

- Toaru Majutsu no Index: Biohacker, Chapter 3 Part 6

***

He never even glanced in collapsed Amazora’s direction.
A certain boy immediately rushed toward Rikuri and swung his right first with all his might.

Rikuri must have been absolutely convinced her cornered prey was going to mercilessly rip the mask from the youngest child’s face. She had started running toward Amazora, so the boy’s attack seemed to catch her entirely off guard. She frantically tried to swing the pen-like syringe around, but she was not used to in-person combat. She had positioned the many drones in the best positions to protect collapsed and unmoving Amazora because she had never imagined the attack would be directed toward herself.
Her initial assumption had been wrong.
She could not keep up with his unexpected action.
It was like playing a game of shogi and having a piece on the edge of the board suddenly warp to the opposite side. Even if you had moved your king to the corner and set up the perfect Anaguma defense, there was no defending against that.

A great sound burst out.
He landed a clean cross counter on Rikuri while she still held the pen-like syringe in hand.
The oldest of the sisters was knocked backwards.
“How?” she asked without moving.

“…”
“You were cornered by the invisible carbon monoxide…so how could you ignore my cute little sister there?”
“You really think I would steal that mask from her?” spat out the pointy-haired boy. “I already ran away once.”

- Toaru Majutsu no Index: Biohacker, Chapter 3 Part 7