Chapter 10
Part 1
Day after day, week after week, the time was passing slowly and blissfully in Academy City.
The summer break let students enjoy their everyday lives in peace and freedom. The streets were busy, bustling with huge crowds, there were groups of children playing all over the city, the skies were clear, the temperatures were at their all time high and the summer atmosphere could not be stronger.
It was already August 22nd. A whole month had passed since the last time Ogura and friends had broken the curfew.
Seemingly, everything in Tokiwadai was working in perfect harmony. Minami Himeka, one of the top students, continued to attend her violin practices. Mizushima Sayuri was haunting every boutique in School Garden and Ogura Iori performed her duties as a Flower Arrangement Club Member.
Everything was perfect, no matter what.
Absolutely unaffected by any events outside of the Garden, they continued to live their fancy livestyles. Even the most tragic events from the outside world were merely a spectacle, never a concern.
Their luxurious birdcage was keeping them safe from any dangers and inconveniences. The utopia of School Garden was their everyday life. Existing in a perfect, high-class atmosphere only for those with noble upbringing was their standard. Anything that strayed from that concept was a total novelty.
"Have you girls heard about those explosions in the 17th District?"
The three girls met up as usual for a casual chat.
They were sitting in a decorative gazebo in the Rose Garden of Tokiwadai Middle School.
"I was asleep at the time but I heard from Sakibasu-san that the wind turbines were acting strange as well."
"There were no strong winds in the forecast so it was totally surprising."
"Apparently the wind made the gas tanks fall over and that's what caused the explosions."
"That makes sense."
There were plates filled with sweets on the table, as well as teacups and flowers in pots.
The rich girls of School Garden were apparently obsessed with having afternoon tea, no matter what time of the day it was. Bonus points if they were surrounded by roses and chirping birds.
Minami Himeka elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"Shirai-san even joined Anti-Skill very early this morning to investigate the scene. Personally, I don't think that was an accident."
"True. The espers in this city can get out of control."
"You really think so? I mean, who would willingly cause this much chaos just for the sake of it?"
Minami grinned.
"I guess we'll never know. The details on this whole thing are kept secret."
"My goodness, hope it wasn't Misaka-san again. We know what happened 2 months ago."
The wavy-haired girl shuddered.
"Stop, this still gives me shivers!"
"She's scary."
Mizushima Sayuri clapped her hands.
"By the way, have you girls heard about that one gentleman Misaka-san has been seen with?"
Ogura looked at her puzzled.
"You mean that one rumour about Misaka-san kicking vending machines with some commoner boy? That's old news."
"Eh? A commoner?!"
"Apparently she doesn't do that anymore."
Mizushima was shaking her head violently.
"Noo! Noo! This one is recent!"
Minami leaned on her hand as she gave her friend a stiff look.
"What is it?"
"Well, apparently yesterday evening that same gentleman was seen entering the Tokiwadai dormitory at night! Sakibasu-san's friend saw him from the window."
Ogura and Minami were dumbfounded.
"What in the world?"
"How is that allowed? Has anyone reported that to the Dorm Mistress?" The wavy-haired girl uttered in a harsh tone.
"Not as far as I know..."
Ogura gritted her teeth.
"What would he want from Misaka-san anyway? Why is that strange relationship still going on?"
Mizushima put a finger on her mouth and stared into the distance.
Nothing was coming up in her head.
"Well..."
Minami interrupted her immediately.
"Whatever it is, it's a terrible image for her. I know she likes to let loose more than she should, but having a secret relationship with a male commoner that breaks the rules and enters an all-girls dormitory is just scandalous."
The blond-haired girl smiled bitterly as she was sipping on her tea.
She turned in Minami's direction.
"Do you think we should talk to her?"
The wavy-haired girl responded with a tired scoff.
"If the whole school lecturing her can't do anything, what can we?"
"Hmm, now that I think about it, I really haven't seen Misaka-san anywhere this past week."
...
Part 2
Contrary to School Garden's perfect idyllic atmosphere, the current climate of Academy City was unsettling to say the least. The amount of robberies, terrorism acts, street brawls and destructive fights between espers had begun to pile up with each day. The consequences of those events could be seen all over the place.
Destroyed storefronts, mauled cars, glass scattered on the streets, demolished buildings, large areas razed to the ground by huge explosions.
Those things naturally came with the existence of espers - children possessing various superpowers, sometimes extremely dangerous, who could use them for wrong reasons. Being a Level 4 Pyrokinetic, for example, was in a way an equivalent to having a machine gun at your disposal at all times. Having the ability to easily kill and destroy anything in your path was scary to some, but for others, it was everything they needed.
Becoming a powerful, almighty being was tempting. For some students, too tempting to continue living their normal lives and instead stray onto the path of crime.
Yes, oftentimes, destructive abilities would fall into the wrong hands.
And Shirai Kuroko had been a witness of that this morning.
Somewhere in the 7th School District of Academy City, there was a modest brick building, sandwiched between two more modern-looking buildings.
Its visual presentation was not at all interesting and it did not seem like a facility of high class.
Despite that, a Tokiwadai student was residing inside. She entered a small office space that looked extremely cluttered and barely organized.
"Ah, Shirai-san, you're back already! How did the inspection go?"
The girl with chestnut-colored hair put on a stoic, calm expression as she closed the door behind her.
"Sigh, it was exactly what I was expecting. The storage area of the switchyard is completely destroyed, presumably by a dust explosion. Konori-senpai is still out there cleaning up the mess with the Anti-Skill and looking for any possible victims. Thankfully we haven't found any so far."
"Ah, thank goodness."
"Are you just by yourself here, Uiharu?"
"Y-Yes, they left a while ago to help the other branches..."
That girl was Shirai's colleague in Judgment. She had short black hair and a sophisticated decoration made of flowers on her head. She was wearing an ordinary public school uniform and a green armband, just like Shirai.
Uiharu Kazari was her name and she was mostly known for her incredible investigative and researching skills. She was an IT expert, capable of hacking surveillance cameras and even the Data Bank. She was a valuable asset to the 177th Branch, where the two girls were at.
The office had a cozy seating area in the corner, with couches and a coffee table.
Shirai did not have any work to do at the moment so she sat down, or rather, her body basically dropped onto the couch like a broken mannequin.
There was tea prepared for her on the table and she helped herself to it.
As she was watching Shirai pour the liquid into her not-so-fancy teacup, Uiharu smiled painfully.
"You've been through a lot recently Shirai-san." She said with slight melancholy. "Recently it's been nothing but work for us, huh? First, the unexpected bank robbery, then the Level Upper case, the Poltergeist incident, recently you've been going on patrols super early every day. And now this."
Shirai gasped for air after chugging the tea like it was a life potion.
"Hah, such is the fate of people like us in this city. But look at the bright side, everything seems to be going back to normal now." She uttered in a monotone voice. "Onee-sama is finally back so I no longer have to worry and the 17th District case is not falling onto us. In fact, I don't think there's going to be any investigation at all."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
Shirai leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. A tiny frown appeared on her forehead as she looked in Uiharu's eyes.
"Anti-Skill have clearly gotten an order from the higher-ups to stay away from this whole incident. Their entire job is to clean the mess and just call the whole situation an accident caused by unexpected weather conditions."
"Ah, right. That's what they've been saying in the news."
The Tokiwadai girl smirked.
"Of course."
Shirai was a Judgment member, but her superb critical thinking skills and individuality would often get in the way of her job. It wasn't easy to keep her away from things that did not seem right. Despite working for an organization, she acted and made decisions out of own conviction.
Oftentimes, she would think the opposite of what she was being told by the higher-ups.
"It's obvious that it was something bigger than a simple accident. Besides, the explosion was reported way before the windstorm. Their story doesn't even add up."
Uiharu had a concerned expression.
"Why do you think they would want to sweep it under the rug?"
A simple, innocent question.
Yet Shirai did not answer right away.
Frankly, she had no clue either.
She simply shrugged her shoulders and picked up her teacup again.
"Who knows. But if the incident really is related to some powerful esper, maybe it's better not to know."
"Has there been any evidence left on the scene?"
Shirai unexpectedly pursed her lips.
It wasn't caused by the bitterness of her tea but rather by her colleague's question.
She slowly put down her cup onto the saucer and hunched over a bit. She looked at Uiharu and smiled awkwardly.
"No, there was nothing. The whole area was already cleared of any DNA traces once we got there."
Her strange delivery of that sentence did not raise Uiharu's suspicion. The black-haired girl closed her eyes and put a finger near her mouth.
"Hmm... Truly a mysterious case, huh."
Shirai was also lost in thought, but something completely different was on her mind. Evidence that only she was aware of started to point towards a certain person. A person she did not want to correlate to that incident, especially not after that hellish week that she'd had to endure.
"(Onee-sama...)"
The image of the #3 Level 5 had appeared in her head, not without a reason.
Shirai put her hand on her skirt's pocket and gently squeezed it while trying to reject painful thoughts. A certain object was inside the pocket.
Uiharu broke the moment of silence.
"Wah, it's almost lunch time! Need to go get us something to eat!" She squealed while looking at the clock on the wall. "Same thing as usual for you, Shirai-san?"
"I'll be fine with whatever."
The sailor uniform girl quickly stood up and grabbed a small schoolbag with all her belongings. There was a big convenience store a couple blocks from the 177th Branch Office so the trips for lunch or dinner were never that long. Uiharu was usually the one taking care of it, which she was surprisingly excited about all the time.
She grabbed the door handle and waved towards her colleague.
"I'll be back in a minute, Shirai-san! In the meantime, could you look at the schedule we got for the Exhibition Assembly security and confirm everything?"
"Sure thing."
The door closed and Shirai was left alone in the cramped office space.
She let out a quiet sigh and relaxed her shoulders.
She wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but she was exhausted. Dealing with serious cases, fighting criminals and saving people from danger non-stop every day of the week was slowly wearing her down. She still had a couple of bandages wrapped around her body under her uniform from recent injuries. She couldn't even remember when she had gotten them and who was the exact criminal that had inflicted them.
Every wound on her body was proof of the bravery and strength she possessed. She was not afraid to face opponents twice her size or go up against a whole gang of criminals if it meant doing good for this city.
She had accepted the fact that the never ending battle with crime and injustice had become a part of her life now, despite all the hurdles and hardships. She was ready to overcome anything.
However, the thing was, none of it was necessary.
Getting into serious fights, investigating dangerous cases and rushing into danger - none of those things had anything to do with her job as a Judgment member. All the wounds she had now would have been perfectly avoidable had she simply stayed in her lane. Judgment was, in fact, just a student-based disciplinary committee, not law enforcement.
But Shirai Kuroko often acted more like an Anti-Skill than a Judgment member. She had a Level 4 Teleportation ability at her disposal, as well as incredible martial art skills and extensive combat experience, so naturally she was just as capable of fighting other espers as the professionally trained adults. There truly was no one other like her in Judgment.
She saw no issue in making her own decisions based on her own reasons, even if it meant severely crossing the line of what was considered her responsibility.
In other words, she was a Judgment member on paper, but in reality - an aspiring hero of justice.
Between her busy schedule, taking care of delinquents, patrols and paperwork, she was also dealing with issues in her personal life (which is a lot considering we're talking about a middle school-aged girl here).
She clutched her fists near her chest as she looked down.
(It's all over now, right? Onee-sama...)
She thought to herself.
Whether everything went back to normal between her and Mikoto or not, something was still making her feel restless.
She reached inside her skirt's pocket and with her tiny fist, she squeezed a small metal object and put it close to her face. As she opened her hand, a dusty silver arcade coin appeared resting on her palm.
(Why was... Why was this at the scene of the incident...? Why in the world would Onee-sama be there?)
But everything was way too coincidental.
Mikoto's absence, her secret missions that would leave her injured, a strange gentleman ringing on the Tokiwadai Dormitory's door, mysterious windstorm coupled with a giant explosion in the middle of the night.
An arcade coin found on the ground where it all happened, the next morning.
No one would be naive enough not to notice that all of those things were connected.
Despite it being obvious, Shirai still did not want to believe it. She knew whatever Mikoto had been dealing with prior was serious matter, so this was clearly a bad sign. It couldn't had been a regular esper battle, a showcase of abilities. Lives were definitely at stake that night.
Shirai couldn't help but shudder.
(You didn't say anything because you wanted to keep me safe, huh?)
She thought while still staring at the coin in her hand.
(How bad were you struggling during all of this, Onee-sama?)
Her eyes started watering.
Whatever had happened that night, the Academy City was treating it differently than most esper-related incidents. Nobody knew what had caused the explosion and nobody was supposed to know.
It ignited frustration in Shirai, since her dear Onee-sama was involved.
She could've sunk deeper into her sorrow, but she stopped herself.
(No... it doesn't matter.)
She wiped her tears with her hand and stood up from the couch.
She was trying to act soberly.
(Whatever Onee-sama decides to tackle on her own, is her own business. It was her decision not to involve me after all. I promised I would wait.)
She walked towards a small desk in the middle of the office and put down the coin.
(If anything, this is a lesson for me. If I don't want to see her suffer and struggle anymore, I should protect her too. It's the least I can do as her herald and her partner.)
With focused eyes, she stared at a monitor screen in front of her.
(After all... I have some work to do myself.)
Yes, it was already the second half of August.
After months of preparations and commotion, the Academy City Research Exhibition Assembly was right around the corner. More specifically, next week.
And although such an unpopular event was easily overshadowed by the incidents and news happening in Academy City, at the end of the day, no one could deny its importance when it came to more serious stuff. After all, scientific research was the base of this city, its fundamental core.
Naturally, only the top schools were participating, as those were usually attended by highly ambitious, future-oriented kids. The event was not supposed to excite a large audience, but rather attract a core group of highly educated professors, scientists and students alike, interested in the same topics.
Whether those student-made projects had any impact on a larger scale, did not matter. This was a chance for those special, gifted kids to get recognized and rewarded for their inventions and eventually secure high-position careers. The general public had nothing to do with it.
That's why you could barely hear anyone mention the Exhibition Assembly. There was simply nothing to talk about.
But members of Judgment and Anti-Skill were forced to take interest, as they were tasked with security work.
Shirai sat down in a very comfortable office chair and put on a serious expression.
(Time is slowly running out and I've been putting this off for weeks...)
She was clearly preoccupied with something. She began opening tabs which were saved in the browser. A bunch of windows started to pop up on the monitor screen and Shirai groaned, as if she was just about to do the most tedious work imaginable.
She held her chin while squinting slightly.
She wasn't looking at the documents Uiharu had tasked her with, however. It seemed more like she was doing research on something.
Click, click, click.
Tabs were opening and closing as Shirai was looking for something.
(Hmm... It's been a couple of days so there must be something new.)
The matter she was researching involved the Exhibition Assembly, but it was more specific. Shirai was interested in a certain individual participating in the event.
(New article?)
That caught the girl's interest.
With widened eyes, she began slowly scrolling down a page filled with words. It was an official article on upcoming exhibitions, which were hosted by Tokiwadai students.
Shirai reached the interesting part of the article. A picture was posted below, as well.
(There it is.)
...
("Akiyama clique's brand new invention. A scientific miracle that will revolutionise the energy industry.")
The target of her investigation was right on her screen, with cranberry-colored locks tied into pigtails and a smile so bewitching it could have been a part of her esper power.
Yes. The doll-like Akiyama Izumi was a sight to behold.
Part 3
Bustling noises echoed through the sea of tall skyscrapers.
Streets of Academy City were jam packed, with crowds of students forming practically everywhere and cars filling up the roads.
It was middle of the day.
Somewhere among the hundreds of cars occupying the road, a shiny black limousine emerged. With a luxury car logo at the front, tinted windows and bulletproof steel all around, one would assume a very important person was being transported in the car, like a politician or a famous actor.
In this city, however, people like that were rare. In fact, a high-end limousine like this one would be more likely to transport some sort of genius student. The city had a couple of lucky favourites.
A girl with gold, honey-blonde hair was occupying a seat at the very back of the spacious limousine. To her left and to her right, there were also two girls wearing Tokiwadai uniforms.
Even though it was daytime, the lighting here was dim. The car's ceiling had dozens of tiny lights resembling the night sky. The seats looked more like big leather couches, with enough legroom to put a table in the middle. In fact, the amount of free space felt a bit excessive for only three people. It was obvious the car was designed to transport large groups.
But the girl occupying it right now valued comfort over anything. Whatever she wanted, she had it.
She had the privilege to.
"And that's going to conclude today's report, Queen."
One of the Tokiwadai ladies finished talking. She had long hair, curled into thick ringlets.
She had a whole stack of documents prepared for her report which had only ended now.
This limousine ride had been long.
"Huh... So that's how it is."
A playful, feminine voice escaped the blonde girl's mouth.
She had her hands covered in silk and face painted with annoyance. A designer purse was placed on her lap.
She scoffed proudly as to not appear weak in front of the girls.
"We've done so much funding for this company just for them to pull off such a thing... and right when I come back from my business trip to London!"
"P-Please do not get mad, Queen! You'll get wrinkles on your gorgeous face!"
"We'll settle this in no time!"
She pouted her lips.
"My goodness, what were they thinking?! A chemicals company providing for Kirigaoka being affiliated with sketchy underground groups... and they looked promising too. As one of their biggest investors, this looks really bad on me!"
The mature-looking lady with ringlet curls clenched her fists.
"We'll just completely cut ties with them and try to save face!"
The third girl had been thinking this whole time.
"No. Other cliques will use that opportunity to shed bad light on us and convince people we were involved."
The blonde-haired girl was biting her thumb.
"A mistake like this made by the Shokuhou clique will for sure spark controversy. What in the world is their whole scheme anyway? Money laundering? Some sketchy experiment?"
But there was no point in asking questions.
The young lady exhaled.
"Well, we have all the facility addresses. Might as well pay them a little visit and ask them directly. Maybe with a little reasoning-ability they will rethink their actions."
"Q-Queen! You mean-?!"
In that very moment, the girl reached into her purse and a black TV remote appeared in her hand.
A teasing smile adorned her face.
"Thank you for all the information, girls. Stellar investigation-ability, as always. But unfortunately I can't have you remember any of that, just to be safe ✩ !"
She spoke playfully with her thumb covering one of the buttons.
And...
*Beep!*
With a single press, the two girls shuddered.
Their eyes went blank for a split second, just to come back to reality the next moment. Almost as if they got reset to factory settings.
The previous conversation vanished, just like their memories of it...
The girl with ringlet curls clapped her hands joyfully and smiled as if nothing had happened.
"My, Queen! This new purse looks beautiful on you! How have I not noticed it before?"
It was almost as easy as pressing delete on a computer.
This girl's esper power was no joke.
She closed her eyes slowly and began stretching.
(Hmm~ Looks like I'm gonna be a busy girl this week. Normally I hate getting my hands dirty but this time it doesn't look like I can let that slide, huh... Seriously, I can't catch a break. It's always one thing after another.)
A new organisation to take care of added to the list. This young lady was all too familiar with them.
She was exceptional.
A mastermind with enough reach to collect every information in Academy City.
And with a single press of a button, she could erase all tracks she would leave behind. As long as she had people at her disposal, she could really do anything.
But despite all, those girls working for her weren't her pawns. She also had to ensure their safety and protect them from danger. Keeping them oblivious to all evil of this world was not a simple task. They were a massive help, but their job ended at collecting data. That's where she drew the line.
At the end of the day, she was the one who had to get the actual job done.
Yes. This girl had many faces.
She was a celebrity figure in School Garden. She was a powerful leader in her clique. She was a skilled enterpreneur in business.
This was the #5 Level 5, Mental Out.
...
The limousine finally got out of the traffic and turned right, entering a wide road. Tall skyscrapers, intricately designed sidewalks and luscious greenery surrounded the area.
The street had a noticeably high-end atmosphere to it. A little cold and corporate, but beautiful nonetheless.
A giant building covered in glass was being observed from behind the tinted window. Shokuhou Misaki hummed, staring at the familiar facility.
The limousine began to slow down as it entered a private parking lot.
The other girl was looking around, as if woken up from deep sleep.
"Hn? Have we arrived at our destination?"
The remote went back inside the white purse and with a quiet metallic sound, the bag closed.
Shokuhou clapped her hands as the car stopped.
"Yup! Time for some more work, girls." She uttered in a tired voice. "Hope we aren't too late. Hokaze?"
"No! We actually have plenty of time left."
"Perfect."
Instantly, the intricate limousine doors opened wide like a casket, revealing the outside world and letting in natural light.
A man wearing a black suit was already standing beside the car.
The Queen's gentle, gloved hands touched his palm as she was trying to gracefully exit the vehicle.
"Thank you for your service as always, mr. chauffeur."
"My pleasure, Shokuhou-sama."
The starry-eyed driver bowed his head politely. Once all the girls had gotten out, he went back inside the car.
"Have a safe trip back."
Shokuhou was already making her way towards the big building, with her two clique members following behind.
"Queen, the sun is strong today. Are you wearing your UV light protection? Have you been using that sunscreen I recommended you?"
"Queen, your hair got messed up a little bit during the the car ride! Let me fix you up a bit! Good thing I brought this custom-made brush with me!"
There was always something to worry about when you were the queen of Tokiwadai. Staying on top of everything was a part of her lifestyle.
The honey-blonde girl sighed quietly as she was leading the group.
"Alright. I guess before we go in, we should freshen up." She said with slight fatigue. "Kobayashi, I trust you with the hair. Hokaze, touch up my face."
Those words caused an inhuman elation within these girls, as if being told "serve me" by the Queen of Tokiwadai was their deepest fantasy.
Not only were they taking their job as assistants seriously, they were beyond passionate about it. It was almost their whole life.
Sometimes it was creepy, most of the time, though, quite endearing.
She had to admit one thing.
"What would I be without you girls?"
"Don't even mention it! After all, we have to ensure you look and feel perfect for this meeting!"
"We're meeting with the CEO of ELEVATE after all! This is a big day!"
They were talking while pampering their Queen, each taking care of a different part of her appearance.
Any passerby would turn around and stare, thinking she was some sort of celebrity getting ready for a photoshoot.
Well, they wouldn't be too far off.
Shokuhou looked around.
"Wasn't expecting the streets to be so busy around here."
Despite being a student herself, this was a business district. High-tech companies had their headquarters here, as well as various chemical producers and electronics manufacturers. Safe to say, this area was not a hangout spot for school kids.
But she could see many of them roaming the streets.
"Ah, it must be because of the pop up thing we were talking about earlier."
Shokuhou Misaki tilted her head.
"What pop up?"
"A promotional event for the Research Exhibition Assembly. A couple of girls from our school are participating. It should be happening somewhere in the area. Alright, your hair looks perfect again, Queen!"
"Thanks."
The honey-blonde girl hummed and flipped her hair nonchalantly.
Something about that information felt interesting. She glanced over at the crowded sidewalk on the other side of the road. While slightly squinting her eyes, she thought of something.
"Well, we still have a lot of time before the meeting. Let's find out where this event is happening and pay our girls a little visit, shall we?"