After bidding farewell to Su Yuzu.
The girl sat quietly and obediently on the bench in the square in front of the training hall.
Exquisite as a doll, the girl sat silently under the sunlight. Her skin was so soft and tender it was excessive, even reminding one of pudding.
She gazed quietly in the direction of the training hall.
Su Yuzu and Unohana Chiyo actually labored under a significant misconception.
That was... Keigunen Private Academy's laboratory was actually located inside the central training hall.
After realizing the importance of that pitch-black gear, when the piercing Aberrant invasion alarm rang out from the direction of the academy's center, their first reaction was that the laboratory of Keigunen Private Academy had been invaded.
But... sometimes, things really are just coincidences.
Pitch-black eyes gazed at the entrance of the training hall.
The girl remained motionless, obedient as a doll placed upon the bench.
"According to Keigunen Private Academy's course schedule—"
"The Assault Department first-year freshmen will be having class in the central training hall today," a woman's voice rang in the girl's ear.
"There are still fifteen minutes until their class ends."
"Zero—"
"Get ready."
The girl still gave no response.
She didn't even make a motion to nod.
However, the somewhat chattering female voice in the girl's ear was evidently already used to this.
borrowing the girl's field of vision, the woman in the laboratory looked at that massive, regular white training hall building.
"Zero..."
"I will remind you one more time."
"Are you sure you want to launch the attack here?"
"The terrain of the training hall is completely different from the dormitory buildings."
"The terrain here is too open."
"Once locked onto, the probability of successfully escaping is far too low."
"Moreover..."
"The difficulty of attacking Assault Department students is completely different from attacking Healing-type students. Furthermore... there are bound to be Assault Department teachers of the Second Sequence or higher inside the training hall."
The girl simply rested her hands on her knees, her gaze falling focusedly on the entrance and exit of the training hall from beginning to end.
Ding-ling-ling—
The dismissal bell rang as scheduled.
After waiting for four or five minutes, a large group of students, with strengths ranging from apprentice level to First Sequence, filed out of the training hall.
Among them... was included that young girl from the files with the pretty little face and a pair of light green, timid eyes.
—Mihou Sakai.
A failed product of the first Aberrant experiment.
Yet she had miraculously obtained the Goddess's "Blessing", and after returning from the Aberrant state, she was a girl who had successfully broken through to the First Sequence.
Mihou Sakai hugged her schoolbag with both hands, walking at the very back of the crowd.
Beside her was a black-haired girl with an arrogant posture, her chin slightly raised, maxing out her 'Eldest Young Lady' aura.
The girl, exquisite as a doll, looked at the black-haired girl who had unexpectedly appeared beside Mihou Sakai, and at that pair of beautiful eyes that were nearly crimson but slightly mixed with a tiny bit of orange. Her gaze suddenly froze.
"Oh my, oh my, oh my..."
"Things seem to have become a bit troublesome."
The chattering woman recognized the girl with the arrogant appearance.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi.
The Eldest Young Lady of the Soga clan's Ishikawa family.
A genius who stepped into the First Sequence at the age of fifteen.
Furthermore... as the girl's pitch-black eyes fell upon Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi, a red rectangular frame boxed Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's figure in her field of vision, flickering constantly as Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi moved.
—「Level.21 - Mental-type Esper」.
This was completely different from the genius girl of the First Sequence rumored in the outside world.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi. Since returning from the Aberrant state, she had stagnated at the Second Sequence.
And... although she had the shackles of the Aberrant return, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi had lost the potential to level up before successfully breaking through to the Third Sequence.
But... she had the favor of the Goddess.
Although the magnitude of the Goddess's "Blessing" was small, it couldn't be helped that it came frequently.
Almost once a day.
Overall, it wasn't much slower than if Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi trained by herself.
The key was... it felt really good.
She could level up just by lying down.
It was just that the timing of Lady Goddess sending down the "Blessing" was always controlled very strictly; it would descend every time she was most embarrassed and powerless to parry.
"Thank you so much for the training today, Sister Sakai~" Hands clasped together, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi thanked Mihou Sakai sincerely.
Although the girl was arrogant and used to give Mihou Sakai a feeling that she was scorning her, or rather scorning everyone.
This made the already very insecure Mihou Sakai only want to stay far away from this Eldest Young Lady who was from a different social class than herself.
But... after contacting her many times. Mihou Sakai discovered that this Eldest Young Lady was just a bit too much of a person who said one thing but whose body did another, and she cared too much about her reputation.
She was actually quite easy to talk to.
"It... it's okay." Mihou Sakai shrank her voice. "It was Miss Kiyomi's own hard work."
The girl's inferiority complex was etched too deep.
She told herself that being able to get so close to Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi was purely because of Yuzu-senpai.
It was completely because of Yuzu-senpai that Miss Kiyomi would look at her directly.
However... speaking of Yuzu-senpai.
Mihou Sakai's heart was currently filled with longing for Yuzu-senpai.
She wanted to see Yuzu-senpai.
She wanted to have her head stroked by Yuzu-senpai.
Only beside Yuzu-senpai could she receive Lady Fate's "Blessing".
Only then could she reach... that joy and reality she could no longer reach by herself.
No—
One should say that Yuzu-senpai was her Lady Fate.
In Mihou Sakai's phone book, the contact name for Yuzu-senpai was... 'Light'.
Yesterday, when she heard Yuzu-senpai wasn't feeling well, Mihou Sakai had almost immediately thump-thump-thumped her way to Yuzu's dormitory.
But... she didn't dare to go up and disturb Yuzu's rest.
It wasn't until Lady Fate's "Blessing" suddenly descended, causing Mihou Sakai, who was supporting herself on the door of Yuzu's bedroom, to almost stumble and plant herself directly face-first.
Only then did Mihou Sakai leave with satisfaction.
'Lady Fate heard my voice.'
Listening to the girl's shrinking, timid voice, even Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi felt somewhat helpless.
The girl was truly just a bit too insecure.
Although, if not for Lady Sister Yuzu, she and Mihou Sakai probably wouldn't have had any interaction in this lifetime.
But... the girl's diligence and hard work had truly moved Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi.
Watching the girl sweat in the training hall—when everyone else was already resting, she was still swaying and continuing to throw punches, looking as if the muscles in her calves were trembling—only that could make the 'lazy' self burn with fighting spirit too.
Following along with someone who works hard, one would become hard-working as well.
"Sister Sakai is being modest~" Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi clasped her hands behind her back, taking light steps. "Hmph, hmph..."
"Next time I compete with that dead rabbit, she definitely won't be this Young Miss's opponent."
Mihou Sakai bit her lip.
Although she really wanted to say... when Miss Kiyomi of the Second Sequence—and Miss Kiyomi of the Assault Department at that—was going to compete with Student Saotome, who hadn't even reached the First Sequence, Miss Kiyomi had already lost quite thoroughly.
But... she looked at Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's appearance, full of fighting spirit.
She felt it was better not to dampen Miss Kiyomi's enthusiasm.
Just at this moment... Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi and Mihou Sakai saw a girl dressed in a black kimono yukata, treading barefoot on wooden clogs, walking clack-clack-clack straight toward their direction.
The girl's appearance was very exquisite, and her clothes and hair were well-groomed.
At a glance, one would feel she was the little young lady of a great family.
Mihou Sakai stepped forward out of kindness.
"Is Little Sister looking for someone?"
She watched as that girl extended a tender, white little hand toward her.
Mihou Sakai's voice hadn't even trailed off before she saw... in the girl's open palm, that pitch-black gear that had once nearly destroyed her entire life.
Mihou Sakai's breathing and heartbeat seemed to stop in an instant.
This included Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi beside Mihou Sakai, who had also once been poisoned by that kind of black gear.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's nearly crimson eyes lit up in an instant.
「Wide-Area Mental Interference」
The young girl's mental power, like a tidal wave, instantly smashed toward that girl in the kimono yukata like an explosion.
But... a dark red erosion domain also unfolded from the girl's body almost simultaneously.
The wave whipped up by the mental bombardment blew the girl's pitch-black hair, also revealing... the "Epiphany Manufacture" equipment on the girl's ear that Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi was familiar with.
"Aberrant!??"
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi looked at the young girl's eyes, which had already turned dark gold within the dark red erosion domain. "How is that possible!?"
Thump-thump—
A dull heartbeat sounded beside her.
"Mihou?"
Amidst the heavy pressure of the instantly unfolded erosion domain, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi could only watch helplessly as that spinning black gear sank into Mihou Sakai's palm.
Dark golden vertical pupils opened beside her.
[Weep—]
[Unceasing soul of a young girl.]
[Manifest here from the gloom of the Abyss.]
[—Aberrant · Return from the Abyss—]
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