Two days later, on 24 August

Kuroko has defied everybody's expectation. Although she has arguably suffered the severest damage, she recovers the fastest among the three who are injured. Touma will still rely on those crutches for another day and Mikoto still needs two to three days to fully grow her right arm and her legs back together, but Kuroko now looks like before her injuries. While one may argue that broken bones take a really long time to recover even with the various stimulant drugs Academy City has to offer, it is surprising enough that Kuroko can walk on her own just two days after her hospitalisation - no drugs can help her with her internal damage so her recovery is purely on her own, yet she has recovered fast through active rehabilitation and sheer determination.

To be fair, she hasn't fully returned to normal as she still can't walk at her normal pace and still does not feel very energetic. If she has the choice, she wouldn't have left the hospital today because staying there for one more day would be much preferred. However, she is out now for a special occasion.

'Let's put our hands together to congratulate Shirai Kuroko from the 177th branch for receiving this very special honour!'

She is standing on a stage with Uiharu and Konori-sempai at her right and the emcee at her left. Seated in the audience seats are many Judgement members of all ranks and posts. She is here because she has been promoted to become the regional head of Judgement for the entire 7th district (a newly created position, it seems), with 20 branches, 50 members soon to come under her command including the 177th, her own branch, and the 185th, where the two Judgement guys who helped in the battle come from.

'Shirai-san has exemplified the core spirits of a Judgement officer of Integrity, Bravery, Responsibility and Self-Discipline in stopping the terrorist-sponsored Clone Experiment and saving thousands of lives. This promotion signifies both an endorsement of her hard work and her heavy personal sacrifices made in the discharge of her duty, and a recognition of her true ability to be a leader and a role model for all of us here.'

Kuroko knows that this promotion is actually more an appeasement attempt. It is done under a lot of pressure on the side of the city, which hasn't been very good at concealing the information about the experiment. Although it has managed to twist the story into a terrorist plot, it has failed to stop words about it from being spread. Not only are some members of the public already discussing the event, but Kuroko's almost heroic involvement, as many people perceive it to be, has also become a common secret throughout Judgement. It seems that the guys from the 185th branch have first spread the words, and now every Judgement member in the 7th district have at least regarded Kuroko as their spiritual model and legendary hero, if not yet their actual leader. Rumours say that some guys have even begun to develop a crush on this 13-year-old girl.

(They will be so disappointed when they learn about Kuroko's 'preferences'. Lol.)

There's no doubt that Kuroko's elevation will be whole-heartedly supported by all of those who will come under her command. A lot of members in the 7th district have signed a petition to the higher-ups to promote Kuroko to a leadership position in the district. It seems that the government really wants to prevent this whole issue from escalating, so it has conceded and given her this promotion. Kuroko is happy but not because of the fame and popularity that it may mean for her. Rather, she's glad about the fact that becoming the leader of so many branches really will make it easier for her to pursue the course of justice. Sure, complete justice may not be achievable, but a leadership position simply means she will become so much more capable to combat the evilness of this city and bring better days to people's lives.

'Now, let's welcome Shirai-san to say a few words to us!'

'Thank you, the honourable emcee. Colleagues, I just want to say thank you to all of your support. I believe that better days are undoubtedly ahead of us. Let us work together to preserve the order of this city!'

'Let us work together to preserve the order of this city!'

That voice comes from a television set. Five metres away from it, a woman in a white coat sits at the side of a table. Her eyes are fixated on the TV screen, and she holds a few pieces of paper in her right hand.

On the top piece of them, the words read 'Shirai Kuroko', with all of Kuroko's data below.

A smirk creeps up to her mouth.

'So there you are, Shirai-kun...'

To be continued

Author's Note: Hey. This story has been my first story on Fanfiction and I'm glad that so many of you have enjoyed it. I will come up with a sequel with my original events, so do make sure you add me to your author alert list so that you won't miss that story.

If you have enjoyed A Certain Kuroko's Involvement, please give me a favourite so that I know if you like it or leave me a comment on how you think I can improve from here.