"From the looks of things, the Ghost of Academy City has gotten pretty active. The forums are raging, linking a bunch of events to one source!"

"That seems a bit sketchy, though…All of these things are unrelated. A company CEO going bankrupt, the training of a new level 5, a bunch of men in black infiltrating Academy City's borders…even the death of an Anti-Skill member?! Not to mention one of these is related to Judgment! It looks to me—"

"—like a bunch of unrelated events are being forcibly linked together by the imagination of others? Next you'll tell me Jack the Ripper was just a myth, too! No; this is definitely the real deal!"

"But a ghost in this city of technology is a bit…"

"Wouldn't something capable of evading the eyes of all Academy City's technology be something worth making a rumor about? The reason why things like luck and jinxes haven't been disproven yet is because the chances still allow them to happen! The large possibility of it being a fake rumor means nothing until it has been investigated! That is what makes my job so exciting!"

"Hunting for random rumors…is a job?"

Deep inside a black room was a capsule filled with bronze colored liquid that seemed more gold when you didn't stare at it directly. The room was definitely black, but not because it was dark, but rather because that was the actual color of the room. Golden lines that seemed like the design was inspired by a combination of power lines and runic symbols ran across the floor, creating what may have been a computer grid that glowed with enough light to make it possible to see, though many parts of the room remained too dark to make out nonetheless.

A longhaired figure remained suspended within the capsule of bronze liquid. Though he was upside down, he showed no signs of disorientation or discomfort as he listened to the random conversation picked up by the Underline, which spread out all through Academy City.

This man was androgynous, appearing somewhere between a male and a female in a green robe, holding the evil of a sinner, yet the innocence of a saint. Even his expression, though not necessarily neutral, appeared to be in between any and every emotion a human face could offer.

He was a man who could truly and undoubtedly be considered a part of the 'grey' area.

"Fufufu…the 'Ghost of Academy City', huh? It must take quite an effort to portray oneself as an urban legend by choice. Tell me, Kisaragi Suzaku. How did your latest 'game' go? Rather than simply watching the dominos you set up collapse after a single prod here and there, you had the chance to experience things more personally, did you not?"

"…As expected, Superintendent Crowley. It seems you expected that I'd come. I, however, did not wish to see your face quite so soon."

Alexander Terrarium stood before the capsule with one hand pushing his bangs back in a posture a bishonen from an anime might commonly make. His emerald gaze peered up toward the person who better embodied all that Alexander stood for, and yet was entirely different from what Alexander visualized and strived to be. The expression the self-proclaimed hero had on his face held nothing to offer even to an expert who could glean a human's state of mind with a single glance. Simply put, Alexander currently felt nothing.

This was the man who stood at the very top of the high pedestal Alexander slowly chipped away at bit by bit. But Alexander had never felt the slightest inclination to knock this man to the earth. Fate had just happened to put them at the opposite ends of the spectrum, embodying the same ideal while being the exactly opposite in terms of positioning.

Perhaps that was why Aleister Crowley had never used any counters to prevent the strongest teleporter from entering the windowless building. Alexander was no direct threat to him.

However…

"Listen to my words, Superintendent Crowley. I do not understand what you are planning—I cannot even begin to fathom the depths of which your mental capacity resides in. Nevertheless, I would be ill suited of my name if I did not warn you."

"I just wish to confirm what appears to be unspoken, but are you trying to say you've noticed that I am plotting something?"

"Not even a child would fail to wonder this, Superintendent; 'Why was Academy City created'? We've been given dissatisfying answers that appear to be logically based, but a philosophical sounding question is rarely meditated on unnecessarily. Everyone knows there is a secret we cannot see, but they simply ignore it to retain their peaceful lives. But after today, I cannot ignore it any longer. This day gave me quite some insight on the main pieces who are involved in—"

"You used recent events to observe the Freshman and a Kihara—both of whom are involved with the existence of supernatural powers beyond what we know as 'esper powers'. It is a fairly roundabout and difficult way of doing it, but you seemed to have achieved your goal, at the very least."

Aleister Crowley sped up what might have been a lengthy conversation from Alexander with a light tone. Alexander frowned slightly at the ambiguous figure of a man as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"This is a wide world, Superintendent Crowley. Though I live in a world dominated by technology, I have never doubted for a moment that there are things outside of our logic. But that liquid that is supposed to be a creation of science along with that large cross that could mimic teleportation both left an impression on me and I began to think. 'Aren't there many scientific things that resemble science fiction?' 'Isn't science itself just another way of perceiving reality'? 'Is—'"

"'—there any reason to think that esper powers are really scientific, when we may just be explaining one thing as something else?' Really, Kisaragi. It is obvious that you have quite the imagination, but you're usually much more reasonable. From the very beginning, there has been no way to definitely confirm our perceptions as reality or delusions. So from the very beginning, your line of thinking was nonsense."

Alexander cupped his forehead with one hand as he began to chuckle softly. Aleister's expression did not change as he observed this with a level gaze.

"I see…" Alexander muttered with a small sigh. "From the very beginning, I have had no right to speak of whether what one sees is the truth or a delusion. I, who have been brainwashed and is currently no better than an otaku from the eighth grade, cannot lecture anyone on a subject so commonly disputed in this world."

"Are you discouraged by this?"

"Not in the very least. It seems that this is all beyond me, but I will not stand aside and do nothing. No…from the very beginning, I have not been the type to stand in the front lines. I am not the epic hero who wins with pure force of will. Nor am I the dark hero who walks along the path of redemption, using the darkness within the destroy the darkness as it attempts to swallow others. I am not even fit to be a tragic hero who loses everything due to one flaw. From the beginning, I can only blend in with the crowd near the action, performing my job from the shadows to destroy all unnecessary obstacles before the path of the true heroes. I prod them into action when needed. I switch the tracks to change the direction they are headed in. I create coincidences and relieve some of the burden of fate and destiny. But there is no shame in that. I, Alexander Terrarium, proudly claim the title of the revolutionary support hero!"

Alexander's grin returned as he swept his hand in a dramatic gesture, motioning toward Aleister without any shame. Still, Aleister's unfathomable face did not change as he gave his unperturbed reply.

"It is true that you are not an unpredictable factor that surpasses the margin of error. You are not an essential gear that goes beyond reason. Nonetheless, you, like the others, know that there is something going on, even if you are unaware of what it is. So tell me; what do you plan to do?"

"My dear Superintendent. I know that you are already well aware of the answer. Nevertheless, I shall humor you with a reply. This world is unique. Impressively so, in fact. Did you know? No matter what happens, it shall recover with time. Do you know what would happen if all of humanity were to die out?"

"It would slowly, but surely, heal, returning to its original state before humans existed."

"Exactly!"

Alexander swung his arm in another dramatic gesture, as if he were swinging a baton to direct an orchestra. His smile had a slightly excited light to it now, as if he were gaining energy with every passing minute.

"This world is extremely balanced. Life seems so delicate and coincidental, but this world naturally and absolutely recovers, denying any and all changes that upset its balance. It is for this reason that all attempts to change this world have failed! That is why I warn you today, Superintendent! Your plan will most definitely fail! I need no proof to offer you, either! There are billions of people on this earth. Do you believe that your grand plan is above them all? That they will all agree with you? That no one will be able to stop you? Ridiculous. You should very well know that among the many in the world, someone will definitely knock you from your pedestal. That is simply the way of the world. The more grand your scheme, the more people it involves. The more people it involves, the higher the chance that your bane shall arrive and knock you to the earth! That is the law! And so, Superintendent, I shall bid you a short good bye. I shall be waiting for you on the earth, watching with great interest. I truly wish to witness who shall put an end to your grand scheme!"

Alexander waved one hand behind him as he swiftly turned on his heel, turning his back to Aleister. In the next moment, silence returned to the room, with only the faint sound of a life support machine audible in the background. Aleister continued to float where he was, his lips curled slightly into an ironic smile.

That one conversation had been unbelievably ironic. Kisaragi Suzaku was no threat, that was for certain. But he'd accidently referenced many things that no one but Aleister himself could understand.

A person would certainly knock him from his pedestal? Alexander's phrase seemed like a more dramatic and less original version of having one's illusions shattered. Looking at it that way, Aleister already knew the experience. He'd already exercised his control over that unpredictable factor. The same for any bane that would foil his plans. He knew very well what sort of person Kisaragi had been referring to. In fact, a plan was already in motion to see if something could be done about such dangerous factors, though he had already predicted the outcome. And the world continuing the balance itself…well, that was complicated. It just went to show how dry Aleister's humor was, considering someone who was in his position should not have been spending time musing about such things.

"And so he continues on with his plans to defeat Kihara Bunshi." Aleister's voice spoke aloud, though he still did not open his mouth. "I suppose he could be referred to as an interesting individual. I wonder what affect he would have on my unpredictable factor…Though I imagine a somewhat boring and typical outcome for even that melodramatic liar."

...

I've waited so long to make a comparison between these two. It's just so...ironic. They're literally one another's reciprocals-the same, but the opposite. Naturally, Aleister was simply messing with Alexander the entire time, letting the guy rant. The one thing that bothers me is that the windowless building is so impregnable and nearly indestructible, probably with a labyrinth of magic and science within that makes it a veritable 'last boss' tower on lunatic mode (with side bosses on the immortal Fraulene's level), but a teleporter can just go in and out freely. Sure, it made this encounter easy to set up, but...really? That's a pretty big hole in the defense system. The Superintendent should really find room in the budget to do something about that. But honestly, Alexander's opinion is my opinion. Kamachi-dono most certainly has a unique and completely unpredictable ending for us in some years time, but I expect it to end in Aleister's ultimate failure.

But enough pointless speculation. This is the last chapter for a Certain Dangerous Experiment! (Applause) But it's not the end of the story. Nope; there's a whole separate story coming that will continue, this time focusing on more canon main characters. Alexander will be here and there, being the ghost that he is. There will be more interesting encounters! More amusing clashes of personality! More convoluted plot! Magic! More melodramatic rants! Even a cat! That's right, a cat!

Look forward to A Certain Disastrous Investigation!