Astral Buddy Manga Chapter 012

"Even Though I Had No Talent" (私に才能はなかったけれど) is the twelfth chapter of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Gaiden: Astral Buddy, released on June 27th 2018.

Synopsis
Back with the fight, Iruka fires her laser pointer at Junko who dodges. Junko notes how Iruka takes aim as she mixes in some feints. Seeing her pattern, Junko closes in. However, Iruka reveals a new card in her hand: a whistle. Wave Conductor also includes sound waves, and Iruka just attacked with her whistle. Junko with ears covered notes that the whistle is faster than the sword since she doesn’t need to move. Junko is in trouble as she running out of weapons to attack and she can’t get close due to the whistle. Iruka continues to attack as Junko tries to determine her next move, and later decides to run away. Iruka shouts at Junko that she will be soon be trapped and will soon hunt her down.

However, when Junko was out of sight, Iruka falls to her knees as she’s exhausted. It is revealed that Iruka was bluffing all along and could not keep up fighting with Junko for 48 hours let alone their short scuffle. Resting for a bit, Iruka is worried that she’d be in trouble if the fighting continues as she has been using her full power the whole time. As she is eating some glucose, she compliments how amazing Junko is. She stands up again, not wanting Junko to set up any traps. With that, Iruka is determined to defeat Junko, as she cannot advance unless she surpasses her.

Back with Junko, she notes how Iruka is not following her, though recalls that she did block the entrance. Junko tries to formulate a plan. She notes how the sprinklers don’t work as Iruka has shut the water, but the electricity is still working, wondering if Iruka can use it as a laser. Seeing all the stuff abandoned in the factory, Junko thinks it is a food factory. Then, Junko notes how Iruka is fighting with bangs covering the right side of her face, and wonders if there is something there she doesn’t want Junko to see. Junko thinks it’d be a missing eye, and thinking back, she always went to her left because of the sword in her right hand, and that Iruka may have been guiding her so that Junko may not approach her from her right eye. Junko continues to analyze Iruka’s appearance, all for her to direct away from her right eye. In any case, Junko still needs to disable Iruka’s light attack even for an instant. She enters a room and then sniffs out some floor.

Meanwhile, Iruka tries to catch up with Junko, and finds the room Junko was in prior to smelling the flour. Iruka needs to be careful now as Junko may trap her. She finds flour footprints on the floor and wonders if it was made blatantly by Junko. Iruka doesn’t want to use the whistle to draw Iruka out as it may give away her position. Then Iruka hears something fall down and goes to investigate, and cautiously tries to approach it. He finds that Junko made a whole on sacks of flour so that they may eventually fall to the ground, and Junko’s phone. Thinking that Junko is streaming her movements, Iruka believes that Junko may have be coming from behind. Iruka then turns around. But her thinking was one dimensional. Junko destroys the ceiling above Iruka, shocking her in what just happened. Junko place the flour there to distract Iruka just long enough to unleash her plan, and the phone was there so Junko may know that no one else who get there and get hurt in the crossfire. And the plan? The plan is to use the water tank in the roof to rain water on Iruka and render her laser and flashlight useless, and made her whistle to wet to use.

Iruka praises Junko for these turn of events, as Junko closes in. Iruka blocks Junko’s attack from the right side, wanting to see what Iruka has hidden there. But Iruka expected Junko to reach that conclusion. And with the open palm of her hand, Iruka believes she can beat Junko in one attack, one powerful flash from her hand, the same attack that defeated the Queen. However, with the power of Rampage Dress, Junko overcomes the attack and pushes Iruka away.

Junko says that the flashing light causes an abnormality in the brain’s electrical signals, and that though it may work on most people, it won’t work on her since she has some control on her electrical signals. Junko declares that if it wasn’t for Rampage Dress Iruka may have already won.

Despite this, the flash of light still affected Junko, preventing her focusing her eyes. She pleads to the fallen Iruka where the Queen is. However, Iruka still wouldn’t give up. Iruka says it isn’t over since Junko is still holding herself back. Junko tries to reason to Iruka that she isn’t holding back, but Iruka calls her liar as her body would’ve been broken if that were the case. Iruka demands for Junko to destroy her as she has taken away the person she cares about the most, asking why Junko is showing her kindness still. Iruka says that they will never be rewarded in the slightest if Junko continues like this.

Junko is shocked to hear this as she continues to talk. Iruka mentions that Ideal was never meant to grow their powers. They were deceived that they would become Level 5s, and despite all their hard work all of it was for naught. People becoming a Level 5 was based on innate qualities, and she had no talent.

As Iruka cried, she sweeps away her hair and reveals a scar over an abnormal looking eye, a prism. Before Iruka’s final attack, she says that Junko is different from them. Finally, Iruka says that Junko has render the airborne light to use but if she overloaded the prism until it breaks and then adding her power on top of it, she can fill the room with tiny lasers.

Too late, as Junko tries to escape. Iruka activates her power on her prism eye, demanding Junko to show her that she wasn’t mistaken in looking up to her. From her eye, Junko is attacked by tiny lasers.

Major Events

 * Junko and Iruka's fight continues
 * Iruka reveals that her right eye is a prism.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Hokaze Junko
 * Yumiya Iruka
 * Yumiya Rakko (flashback)
 * Mitsuari Ayu (flashback)

Abilities

 * Rampage Dress - Hokaze Junko, Level 4
 * Wave Conductor - Yumiya Iruka

Locations

 * Academy City

Referbacks

 * Iruka reveals how she defeated Shokuhou Misaki back in 5th chapter.
 * Several panels from chapters 10 and 11 are used during Iruka's rant about the Ideal.

Cultural References
No cultural refernces where made this chapter.

Unanswered Questions

 * How did Iruka get a prism in her right eye?

Quotes

 * Iruka: "Destroy me! Kill me! I abducted the person you care for most! Why show any kindness to someone like that!?"
 * Iruka: "Show it to me, Hokaze-san. I looked up to you. I worked so hard to be like you. Show me I wasn't mistaken!"--to Junko.