Chivalry of a Dark Knight [Batman x Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry]

CH9: Fear (prt 4)

The high speed train arced along the metro rail line towards Hagun Academy and standing readily atop of its roof was Batman, his cape flapped in the rushing wind as his boots kept him magnetically anchored. The HUD viewed through his eye lenses prompted him to change trains and so he raised his grappling gun, took aim and fired.

There was a click from the pulled trigger but nothing else.

Batman looked at the gadget with surprise but his answer came immediately via his cowl lenses which detected a malfunction in the firing mechanism's primer.

"Just perfect." he rasped with irritation, feeling that issues like this wouldn't happen if he still had his resources back in Gotham.

Still, he felt it wasn't that big a deal. The malfunction can easily be fixed and despite this minor setback, he wasn't far from Hagun and could still hoof it. With the change of plans in mind, he leapt off the train and proceeded to glide towards his destination.

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The night air was just as chilly as Ikki expected it to be and it made him glad that he wore something to keep himself warm. He had his elbows rested over the corridor's railing as he took in the view of the campus grounds below him; the building overlooked quite a bit of it up to the compound wall.

With each area he glanced at, certain scenes from last year replayed in his mind. He had an unfortunate reputation that clinged to him since then, as the cursed boy who anyone befriended would get into trouble. This was mostly due to how the teaching staff at the time regarded him and from there the rumors began.

Only one person, the boy who was his roommate before Stella, seemed to the closest thing he would ever have to a friend. At least that's what he thought until he caved to the pressure and began to distance himself from him as well. Last Ikki had heard of him, he had transferred out of Hagun after advancing a grade ahead of him. He wondered what would Stella think of him if she knew about all this.

"Some year that was, huh?" Ikki muttered to himself as he slouched over the railings.

That was when his eyes noticed something and he went full alert. By the compound wall was a shadowy shape that seemed to be skulking around! It looked human but Ikki wasn't sure.

"What in the world?"

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He already had all security cameras and their visual range mentally mapped out and with that awareness along with the cover of darkness, Batman methodically crept from one cover spot to another as he made his way towards the dorm building.

He would've already got there much quicker if his grapple gun was working but fortunately he found out earlier that the dorm's security guard was an elderly man who was also a deep sleeper. Definitely not the kind of security he would rely on but in this case, it works out well for him. Sneaking past him and climbing up to his dorm should be easy.

"Who's there!"

A voice sounded off right next to him.

It was Ikki who called out in an act of haste, the boy had already snuck out of the dorm building and managed to sneak up on the unknown figure. He couldn't help but flinch when the shadowy thing suddenly reared itself towards him in alarm, its white eyes illuminated in the dark, before it quickly took off as the scalloped cloak trailed behind it.