"Cl... Clone?"
Chinatsu muttered softly in her heart. She vaguely remembered that Kokuchou Mayui was a clone, but she really couldn't recall the specific plot details, as if her mind were skipping like a scratched disc.
She raised her hand and tapped her head in frustration. It had been 14 years since she was reincarnated into this world as an infant, and her prophetic memories were inevitably starting to fade.
This was undoubtedly bad news, but Chinatsu felt that it wasn't entirely bad. If pressed to explain why, she couldn't really say, so in the end, she just opened her mouth and let out a sigh.
Kokuchou Mayui, who was being watched by Chinatsu and Misaka Imouto, seemed to sense their gaze and leisurely turned her head to look in their direction.
And the moment Chinatsu and Kokuchou Mayui locked eyes, it was as if a dewdrop had fallen from above into their lake-like states of mind, sending ripples across the calm surfaces of the lakes.
Chinatsu couldn't help but raise her hand and clutch her chest, while Kokuchou Mayui lowered her head after her initial surprise, revealing a dangerous smile in the shadows where no one could see.
Within just a few seconds, she lifted her head again. Unlike the dangerous smile from before, her face now wore a very kind and gentle smile.
She raised a hand and waved toward Chinatsu. Startled, Chinatsu hurriedly raised her right hand to wave back, though she was still immersed in that feeling from just a moment ago.
In fact, ever since Chinatsu had cultivated her AIM Diffusion Field to Level 5, she had vaguely sensed that the power she usually emitted had undergone some slight changes.
Rather than calling it mutual resonance, it was more like her power had actively pulled at the other person during that moment of eye contact, as if something had been awakened.
Standing next to her, Misaka Imouto, with a deadpan expression, held a cake in one hand and formed a pistol shape with the other, poking Chinatsu in the waist with quick, accurate, and ruthless precision.
"Biu~"
This attack was super effective!
Chinatsu's defenses were breached on the spot, and her body jerked violently. Being ticklish, her reaction was particularly pronounced. After calming down, she cast a resentful little glance at Misaka Imouto, who was sticking out her tongue.
"You little rascal..."
"Hehe! To wake up my dazed sister, Misaka charged up for 10 seconds and unleashed a very powerful attack!"
Misaka Imouto took a deep breath and blew heavily on the fingertip of her pistol-shaped hand. Although the expression on her face didn't change much, one could still see her childlike playfulness.
Looking at her sister like this, any anger Chinatsu might have felt from being tickled vanished. She put her hands on her hips, lowered her head, and revealed a helpless smile.
Just as she was about to open her mouth and say something as an older sister, Misaka Imouto suddenly spoke up, forcibly snatching the microphone of the conversation.
"Ah! It's already this late! I need to get back quickly! Misaka suddenly realizes the time and begins to stomp her feet in a rush, bidding her sister goodbye."
Chinatsu, feeling a mix of amusement and annoyance, covered her cheek with one hand and waved with the other, signaling for her to be careful on the way, even though she felt like she was worrying for nothing.
After briefly saying goodbye to Misaka Imouto, Chinatsu turned back to look in the direction of Kokuchou Mayui, only to find that she had disappeared; she didn't know where she had gone.
She then turned her head back to the cake shop, her original destination. The queue, already like a long dragon, had leveled up and evolved once more, with the end of the line nearly turning onto another street.
Seeing this, Chinatsu leaned back, feeling somewhat daunted. But before she could take a step backward in a gesture of retreat, she took a deep breath and stepped boldly forward.
It's just a few more people, that's all!
As long as my little sister likes to eat it, what does it matter if I have to queue for a little longer? It's all or nothing, but it's definitely worth a shot.
Let's see if I get the cake first, or if it sells out first.
This is a high-stakes gamble, my friend!
Chinatsu walked with heavy steps to the end of the long queue, closed her eyes, and waited quietly for the moment it would be her turn.
Half an hour later.
"I'm sorry, but our store's premium cakes have all sold out. If anyone else in line wanted to buy this cake, please come back tomorrow. We are very sorry for making you wait."
"..."
Meanwhile, at the gate of Tokiwadai.
Mikoto, who was waiting for her older sister to return but still couldn't see her, stomped her feet in anxiety. Pouting, she kept turning on her phone screen, wanting to call but hesitating.
"Honestly, why hasn't she come back yet... Argh! If I had known it would be like this, I should have made her explain everything over the phone!"
Mikoto crossed her arms and stomped her feet, her head occasionally lowering in thought and then lifting with agitation. Her look of frustration wasn't just written on her face; it was visible from head to toe.
Kuroko was not by her side due to her work as a Judgement Member, and Mitsuko was hard at work on her project. Seeing this, one Tokiwadai student after another cast their gaze toward her.
"Lady Kamino!"
The members of the Kamino clique, ranked third in Tokiwadai, excitedly cast their eyes toward their leader. Kamino watched this scene from afar, the corners of her mouth curling slightly upward.
"This is a good opportunity. If we can resolve the matter that is troubling Lady Misaka, even if it's just sharing a little of the burden, we will be able to successfully gain Lady Misaka's favor..."
Kamino waved her hand at her clique members, and the members beside her nodded immediately. Some of the more imaginative ones even quickly began analyzing why Mikoto was looking so distressed.
After listing a whole bunch of possibilities, they sent two cute-looking girls to walk toward Mikoto. Other cliques saw this move and immediately understood their intentions, especially the Yaōin clique.
"Oh no! Kamino and her group are actually making a move on Lady Misaka without authorization. Lady Yaōin, should we also..."
The clique members nervously asked their leader if they should also take action, but Yaōin Tsukasa, leader of the second-ranked Tokiwadai clique, shook her head and decided to wait and see.
If she knew what exactly Mikoto was worrying about, she would naturally choose to act decisively. But the problem was that she didn't know, and acting without knowing might backfire.
The two cute girls chose to walk slowly toward Mikoto from her left, feigning an appearance of having just happened to pass by and being warm-hearted enough to want to share Mikoto's worries.
"Lady Misaka..."
Before they could even finish a complete greeting, Mikoto, looking like a cat with its fur standing on end, turned her head toward the two with a dark expression on her face.
"What is it?"
"N-nothing!"
Just with one encounter, the two girls sent by Kamino waved their white flags and declared their surrender.
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