Ever since Selene eliminated Thomas Platinaburg and succeeded him as a Director, all the covert actions targeting her had vanished entirely.
She took advantage of this temporary calm to thoroughly clean up the institute, removing every operative secretly placed by other Directors and organizations.
The Schicksal Research Institute officially entered a new phase of development.
...
Time flew by—one month later.
"Mm, alright, I understand..."
Bathed in warm sunlight, with a gentle breeze brushing past, Selene sat up from the lounge chair by the balcony railing, setting her phone down as she stretched contentedly.
That had been a report from Shuji Matsuzaki on the establishment progress of the institute's security department.
After a month of testing, the "Mental Seal" barrier's drawbacks had become evident—it couldn't affect high-level espers whose AIM fields radiated at strong intensities. Its influence was limited to Level 1 and below, or to ordinary humans.
Although the current upper limit wasn't high, it was sufficient for now.
In the meantime, thanks to Shuji Matsuzaki's efforts, the Schicksal Research Institute had achieved significant breakthroughs in human enhancement serum research. The project had been officially named the Project T-R.
That morning, Selene arrived at the central building of the institute.
Inside a large conference room, nearly a hundred security personnel—each having passed the background review—were already waiting.
"Alright, everyone, please begin by signing a confidentiality agreement."
Selene wasted no time. She gestured for the staff to distribute the documents. "Once signed, you'll all begin closed training. During this period, no one will be permitted to leave until the training concludes."
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
"What if the training takes a long time? We'd be stuck here indefinitely," one of them asked nervously.
"This issue..."
"About two months. Sign if you're willing—if not, we won't force anyone to stay," Selene interjected calmly from her seat.
Upon hearing her words, hesitation evaporated. The lucrative pay and access to advanced technology were more than enough incentive. Two months of confinement was a small price to pay.
After everyone signed, Selene summoned Shuji Matsuzaki and the other managers to her office. She placed a metal case on the desk, revealing several one-centimeter Honkai Crystals inside.
"What are these for?"
The group gathered around. "Are these to be used for the Project T-R?"
"Correct," Selene replied. "Although you've all undergone enhancement with my help and gained some level of self-defense ability, it's still far from enough. Strengthening our security forces is an absolute necessity—I can't be everywhere at once."
Then she turned to another man. "Aoki, you'll handle the equipment procurement. Make do with what's available for now—once the institute stabilizes, we'll begin internal production."
Aoki Youichi was a new talent Selene had recently discovered—standing around 190 cm tall, with tanned skin from years under the sun. His features leaned Western, likely due to mixed heritage. His slicked-back black hair shone under the light, and he wore a fitted black suit. Rumor had it he was a former mercenary in the Middle East who came to Academy City after being injured and discharged.
That was no longer an issue. After receiving Honkai Energy-based bodily reinforcement, his previous injuries had completely healed. His adaptability during the process had been the highest recorded among all participants, making him currently Selene's strongest combat asset. Together with Shuji Matsuzaki, they made the perfect pair—one in intellect, the other in strength.
"Understood," Aoki replied with a curt nod before turning to leave.
Meanwhile, Selene continued issuing other instructions. "Next, regarding..."
Half an hour later, Aoki returned. "Boss, the weapons order has been placed. Delivery will arrive within three days. Any further instructions?"
"That'll be all. The meeting's over anyway." Selene gestured for him to follow as she exited the building.
Outside, in the central building's parking area, her long Lincoln limousine sat quietly in the corner.
"This car's been sitting unused since I bought it. I always teleport wherever I need to go."
Aoki stepped forward and opened the car door with a grin. "So, Boss, are we taking a little tour around the city today?"
"You could say that. I don't have a driver's license yet, so you'll be driving. Let's take a little trip—aside from the School Garden, I barely know anything about the rest of Academy City."
...
School District 7, inside the Lincoln limousine.
With the window half-open, Selene gazed at the constantly changing cityscape. "Aoki, would you be interested in leading the security division?" she suddenly asked.
Aoki Youichi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he spoke calmly about his past. "Boss, you know... back when I was injured and crippled, it felt like my world had collapsed. Those were the darkest days of my life—I honestly don't even remember how I got through them."
"But things are different now. Thanks to you, I got my life back."
"So, Boss—whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it."
Selene wasn't surprised. She knew this was the long-term effect of the Mental Seal—as long as she didn't intentionally mistreat them, her subordinates would slowly, subconsciously develop unwavering loyalty toward her.
For ordinary people and low-level espers, it was an absolute weapon.
"Good. From this moment on, you'll be the head of the secu—"
Ring, ring, ring!
"Hmm?" Before she could finish, a shrill alarm blared from the roadside, catching Selene's attention. Her gaze shifted toward a nearby post office.
In broad daylight... why was the post office closed?
And—why were pedestrians beginning to gather outside?
As a thought crossed her mind, a spark of excitement flashed in her eyes. "A robbery?"
After all, other transmigrators usually encountered street thugs right after arriving in a new world and earned their first "kill." But Selene, after all this time, hadn't run into anything of the sort.
"Well, no thugs—but robbers will do! Today, I'll play the role of a good citizen."
As Selene's thoughts ran wild, a sudden flash caught her eye. A figure had appeared in front of the post office's metal shutter door—teleported in an instant. The crowd gasped, and Selene's eyes narrowed slightly.
That was... a space-based ability. She could tell immediately—after all, she herself was an expert in manipulating spatial phenomena.
Looking more closely at the figure, Selene frowned slightly.
The girl was petite, wearing a rose-red dress layered over a white blouse, with thick black tights covering her legs. She looked youthful and innocent. But what stood out most wasn't her clothing—it was the cluster of colorful flower decorations in her short black hair.
"That's... Uiharu Kazari?" Selene immediately recognized the scene—it was the robbery incident involving Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari at the post office.
Uiharu, after being teleported out, froze momentarily. Then, looking around in confusion, she realized what had happened—and her face went pale. She turned back toward the shutter door, pounding on it desperately.
"Shirai-san! Shirai-san!" she cried out, her voice trembling with panic. "Why did you send only me out?! Come on, Shirai-san! Get out here!"
When no response came, Uiharu's anxiety turned to despair. Tears welled up in her eyes as she shouted toward the onlookers.
"Someone, please! Help me!"
"Please, there are robbers inside! A Judgment officer is being attacked!"
"Please, help her!"
Her pleas echoed through the air, but despite the murmuring crowd, no one stepped forward.
Among the bystanders, a chestnut-haired girl with short hair and a scarf began to move—but then she stopped.
Because Selene had already teleported to the shutter door.
Uiharu looked up in surprise as Selene appeared before her.
"Step back a little," Selene said calmly.
"...O-Okay." Uiharu quickly backed away.
Lightning arced across Selene's hand.
For an instant, the air itself seemed to freeze—
BOOM!
With a blinding flash, a column of thunderous energy erupted outward, several meters wide. The metal shutter door that had stood between Selene and the post office was instantly obliterated...
...
Inside the post office, Shirai Kuroko—dressed in a yellow hoodie with twin tea-red ponytails—sat on the floor clutching her injured ankle. "As long as Uiharu got out... that's all that matters."
Across from her, a man in a brown down jacket with messy hair slowly approached. "Let me guess what you're thinking. The alarm's been going off for a while now—Judgment and the security guards should be in position by now."
"As long as you keep the hostages safe and stall me long enough, you'd call that a victory, right?" He smirked. "But how do you know I can't get out of here alive?"
As he spoke, he raised an iron ball, preparing to throw it—
BOOM!!!
The metal shutter door exploded in a surge of lightning. A blinding flash of blue-white light burst into the post office, vaporizing the iron ball in the man's hand before he could react. The next moment, he screamed as the shockwave slammed into him, sending him flying across the room.
He hit the safety glass hard, coughed up blood, and collapsed unconscious.
In Shirai Kuroko's stunned gaze, Selene stepped into the post office, crouching down in front of her. Holding her hand over Kuroko's injured ankle, a soft, healing glow emanated from her palm.
"It's alright now, brave little one," Selene said gently. "I saw your resolve. I believe you'll grow into an excellent Judgment officer."
As the pain faded and her ankle rapidly healed, Kuroko stared in disbelief. Looking up at the elegant woman before her, she opened her mouth to ask, "You are...?"
Before she could finish, Uiharu Kazari ran in, throwing her arms around Kuroko. "Shirai-san! You're okay! I was so worried..." she cried, sobbing uncontrollably.
While the two comforted each other, Selene moved on to treat Konori Mii's injuries. Once finished, she turned to leave.
Only then did Uiharu notice and turn to bow. "Thank you so much, can I—wait, where did she go?"
"She's already gone, Uiharu." Shirai Kuroko patted her on the shoulder softly.
"Judging by her uniform, she must be a Tokiwadai student."
"Eh?!"
"So the person who saved us was... a Tokiwadai lady?" Uiharu's eyes sparkled, her mouth agape in awe. "She was so elegant, strong, beautiful... just like how I imagined a Tokiwadai lady would be!"
Selene's appearance had perfectly embodied Uiharu's ideal image of refinement—graceful, gentle, powerful, and dignified.
Seeing her partner lost in dreamy admiration, Kuroko didn't bother to refute her this time.
...
Back at her dorm, Selene felt rather pleased. She had finally confirmed the exact point in the timeline.
There was one year left before Shirai Kuroko enrolled at Tokiwadai Middle School—when the story would truly begin.