"Eeya ya!"
"Onee-sama, I'm really hurt because Onee-sama stood me up today, so I need to get closer to Onee-sama, mwah"
"Ugh, don't come any closer!"
The farce ended with a piercing scream and a burst of crackling electricity.
"Huff, huff, huff..." Misaka Mikoto looked as though she had just survived a battlefield, panting as she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She raised an eyebrow at her junior lying on the ground blissfully twitching from the electric shock, then placed her hands on her hips and muttered in exasperation.
This junior of hers was hopeless from the very beginning.
Although this underclassman who worships her to an unhealthy degree is a constant headache, she is still a reliable roommate and friend. Even though the current was strong, the voltage had been carefully controlled. At most, it caused temporary numbness.
What a disastrous day. Not only was she reprimanded by the dorm supervisor and even criticized by a member of the school board, she also ran into a senior with Level 5 telekinesis who casually knocked her on the head.
Damn it, I'm the Railgun. I will absolutely settle that score next time.
...
"Today was eventful as well, but the requirement to unlock that card was both exciting and frustrating." Arata smiled faintly as he watched the two figures of Misaka Mikoto causing a scene in the distance from the pedestrian overpass.
In truth, this was not the first time he had seen Misaka Mikoto. He simply had not approached her before.
He glanced at the sunset sinking over Academy City and took out his phone to check the time.
Soon it would be time to rescue the Misaka Sisters again. He saw Accelerator every day now. They were practically inseparable.
"Aleister, I know you can hear me. Send me the coordinates of the Misaka experiment sites each time."
The moment he finished speaking, his phone vibrated and a set of map coordinates appeared on the screen.
Within Academy City, Aleister Crowley is the absolute ruler. The city network functions as a fully independent system, transmitting commands to the Board of Directors and the Dark Side directly from the Windowless Building.
And the "Under Line," a surveillance network composed of countless nanomachines dispersed throughout Academy City, monitors electronic signals across the entire city. There is almost nothing within Academy City that escapes Aleister's awareness.
"The Tenth School District…" Arata raised an eyebrow. This district had the worst reputation in Academy City.
It ranked lowest in security and infrastructure management. The area was largely deserted and packed with facilities other districts avoided: nuclear research facilities, bacteriological laboratories, experimental animal incineration plants, Academy City's only cemetery, and a juvenile correctional facility.
It was also where Academy City disposed of bodies from covert experiments. Many dark research projects had been conducted there.
For example, the Level 6 Shift Project analyzed Accelerator's vector control ability and attempted to mass produce calculation formulas through the Misaka Network. Countless clones died as a result.
Those who survived certain Dark Side projects later became members of the underground organizations, such as Kinuhata Saiai, known as "Item's" defensive specialist.
"Scientific advancement may demand sacrifice, but those who treat espers as disposable test subjects…" Arata's expression turned cold as he spoke into his phone. "Aleister, if you truly see Academy City as a colossal laboratory stripped of humanity, then you are beyond redemption."
"Buzz, crackle…" The phone emitted a sharp electronic distortion before stabilizing, and a synthesized mechanical voice responded.
"Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is darkness, there is light. This city is no exception. As long as it does not interfere with the final objective, those researchers who have crossed the boundaries of humanity are yours to deal with. Logistics will not be an issue, my partner."
Aleister conveyed, in the calmest tone possible, that he had already established contact with the second candidate.
Even someone who could observe countless probability branches could not fully perceive the human heart. That was his blind spot. His judgment of people was still influenced by personal inclination.
Aleister's lips, unchanged for so long, curved ever so slightly.
As long as Academy City and this key capable of opening a new era formed an inseparable connection, the future would inevitably belong to science.
"Aleister, you should understand that plans never unfold exactly as intended. The only way to handle him is to choose a more conciliatory method."
"After all, he is the human you favor."
...
Meanwhile, Accelerator finished dinner at a family restaurant and stepped outside with one hand in his pocket. She glanced at the electronic display panel nearby, and a chilling smile slowly spread across her face.
"Tch. So it is time again. But this time it is not about killing that puppet."
She had received notice of changes to the Level 6 Shift Project the previous night.
The researchers had recalculated the data after their original projections were disrupted. They concluded that direct combat against other Level 5 espers would accelerate her evolution more efficiently. The revised estimate suggested that defeating the third-ranked Level 5 slightly over one hundred times would be sufficient to reach Level 6.
Alternatively, fighting that particular opponent seventy six times would allow her to bypass the remaining stages entirely.
"Seventy six times? I do not need that many. One encounter is enough to grind that scoundrel into dust."
Accelerator headed toward the Tenth School District, but events did not proceed smoothly. Only a few steps away from the restaurant, seven delinquent youths blocked her path. Each carried dangerous weapons such as large folding knives, metal batons, and tear gas canisters.
"Accelerator. Today we are getting revenge for what happened last time." Their eyes were bloodshot, and their hands trembled as they gripped their weapons.
"Revenge? You people are irritating." Accelerator's crimson eyes narrowed as a twisted smile formed on her lips, her voice thick with killing intent.
Soon after, the sounds of impact, screams, wails, and shattering objects echoed through the street.
...
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