Thanks to Selene's timely intervention and improvised theatrics, the opening ceremony of the Daihasei Festival finally came to a smooth close. From here on, it was all about the sporting events and amusement activities.
Of course, the most crucial part was Selene fulfilling the promises she made during the Daihasei Festival.
Particularly the cancellation of the student curfew during the festival—that hit the students right in the heart.
Although students didn't always strictly follow curfew in the past—this was the age of youthful restlessness, after all—they'd go to great lengths to sneak out and party, employing every trick in the book to outwit Judgment officers, dorm wardens, and supervisors. Late returns, even overnight absences, were commonplace and hard to stamp out.
But a legitimate opportunity to roam freely? No one would ever complain about having more of that!
This was a promise Selene made with her own name on the line. If she screwed it up, it would be like slapping herself in the face. Right now, she was in the middle of a tug-of-war with Academy City's Board of Directors. After all, once she opened her mouth, the workload for Judgment, Anti-Skill, and the operations committee... would probably have them running around until their legs gave out.
This calls for subsidies and double pay, right? Even if it's under the Board's name to earn everyone some goodwill, how could she be expected to shoulder the costs alone?
With that in mind, the moment the opening ceremony ended, Selene contacted Board Chairman Aleister Crowley. She had already thought up the excuse in advance: didn't the magic side want to stir up trouble?
Then give them something big to handle. Using the lifting of the curfew as a pretext to "protect student safety," Selene could deploy a massive number of military-grade armored units across Academy City's main transit routes and key research sites 24/7.
At that moment, in the main venue, as Selene stepped down from the pledge podium surrounded by the host and a cluster of school principals, Misaka Mikoto's eyes lit up. She was about to rush over.
Following the start of the Daihasei Festival, at the request of Meigo Arisa—or rather, Shutaura Sequenzia—Misaka Mikoto needed to pass on their gratitude to Selene for her help during the space elevator "Endymion" incident.
There was also an invitation to Selene from Uiharu, Saten, Kamijou Touma, and the others to join their Daihasei Festival event gathering.
Just stepping down the stairs from the sports stadium's resting corridor where Selene had previously been, rip~, Misaka Mikoto suddenly heard a saccharinely sweet voice coming from the spatial portal behind her.
"Ara Ara, Misaka-san~"
Zzt-zzt—Boom!
Hearing that voice, the corner of Mikoto's mouth twitched instinctively. In the next second, sparks exploded across her forehead. Her eyes lowered in exasperation as she turned around. "Shokuhou Misaki..."
Who else could speak in that tone?
Why did Selene dump this troublesome person onto me?!
"Oh my, isn't this our super famous Tokiwadai ace? Waiting here on purpose—could it be you're waiting for me? My, I feel so flattered."
Putting her remote control back into her bag, the girl spoke in a tone that suggested the intimacy of close friends.
"Hmph!"
Staring at the honey-blonde hair so close to her, Mikoto snorted and shoved the warm, curvy figure away. She backed off several steps like she had touched something filthy and started rubbing her arms furiously.
With a disdainful curl of her lips, she said, "Who's waiting for you? Don't flatter yourself. Honestly, who was it that couldn't hold their own and needed someone to bail them out? What kind of useless Level 5 esper is that?"
"Tch!"
With an audible click of her tongue, Shokuhou Misaki crossed her arms and glared at the flat-chested electro-girl with shimmering star-like eyes. "Like you would've done any better. That was one of the top three monsters, you know..."
Saying that, she seemed to notice how Mikoto's gaze kept drifting a few centimeters downward from her face. Shokuhou let out a giggle behind her hand and confidently puffed out her figure, which left boys speechless and girls in tears.
"Pfft—! So rude, Misaka-san. Pointing out other people's flaws so directly will only make you unpopular, you know? Especially when you yourself have such obvious childish shortcomings. Unlike me, who's universally adored."
Though their outfits were nearly identical, the difference between middle schoolers was... vast.
The girl with long honey-blonde hair let it cascade down her back. White thigh-high stockings with a spiderweb motif, long formal gloves, and the sleek Tokiwadai athletic uniform accentuated her well-proportioned figure perfectly, making her look especially alluring.
Compared to a certain someone with no curves to speak of, it was like night and day.
Crackle crackle!
Misaka Mikoto ground her teeth in frustration, fists clenched. Her eyes fixed on the other's ample chest, and she couldn't suppress the primal urge to bite. A faint spark flickered from her chestnut bangs as she let out a guttural, beast-like sound from deep within her throat.
"Sho. Kuhou. Mi. Saki."
"I'm right here~ No need to call me like that. I might get embarrassed," Shokuhou Misaki replied with a bashful gaze.
Then her eyes flicked toward Selene, who had just finished her call with Aleister Crowley and was now glancing their way with interest.
"Oh? Misaka-san, looks like your noble friend has arrived. Well then, see you later~ Bye-bye~"
"Shokuhou Misaki...."
Catching the tail end of the spat between Mikoto and Shokuhou, Selene raised an eyebrow but had no intention of greeting them.
That was because her relationship with Shokuhou Misaki wasn't exactly close. At best, they were nodding acquaintances—familiar strangers.
From their very first meeting, Selene could sense a faint, underlying hostility from Shokuhou toward her.
What was there to discuss? Whether it was due to Selene's alignment with the higher-ups of Academy City or something else, she had no interest in figuring it out. She wasn't about to throw herself at someone cold and indifferent. No thanks, goodbye!
Shokuhou Misaki simply wasn't worth that effort.
Once she sensed Selene's gaze, Misaka Mikoto immediately cast off her previous annoyance, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She lightly leapt down from the steps. "Selene, that was awesome. The moment you stepped up, all the Anti-Skill officers and staff stood at attention like it was military training. Super intense."
Her tone and demeanor were a world apart from how she had just acted with Shokuhou Misaki.
In truth, Mikoto herself wasn't even sure when her dynamic with Shokuhou had turned into this constant head-butting. It was like they were naturally incompatible.
Of course, to most Tokiwadai students, the way Mikoto and Shokuhou "bickered" so casually was seen as a sign of closeness.
"Quite approachable of you... Ehehe. Say, Misaka, what would you have done if it were you up there saving the day?"
"Me? Ah, no no no..." Mikoto laughed awkwardly, waving her hands while walking forward.
"Aside from Shokuhou Misaki, what about the other Level 5s? Where did you move them to?" She glanced around and asked.
"Over there." Selene pointed.
Following her gaze, Mikoto looked past the 300-meter-wide green field. On the opposite side, in the horizontal axis spectator stands, she could just barely make out what looked like two big and two small figures goofing around.
As for the eighth-ranked Sogiita Gunha? Sorry, Selene had already dumped that hot-blooded fool back at his own school. He was a pig teammate—completely unmanageable!
"Oh, right. Selene, thanks again for what you did with the space elevator. Shutaura, or rather, Meigo... Arisa asked me to pass along her thanks." Slowing her pace, Mikoto walked alongside Selene. When she said Meigo Arisa's name, there was a hint of awkwardness in her voice.
What a coincidence. Back when Shirai Kuroko called to say that Selene's mother Katie, younger brother Ferdinand, and little sister Alyssa were coming to Academy City for a visit, Misaka Mikoto was stunned. She had thought Meigo Arisa was Selene's younger sister Alyssa. After all, they had just met.
Only upon returning did she realize she'd been mistaken. Selene's sister's full name was Alyssa Benares.
"Ah, no worries. I received my compensation too. I think you should focus on figuring out how you're going to repay that spiky-haired classmate of yours. The Stargate Company and the space elevator 'Endymion' are now part of my assets, after all."
Raising her hand, violet-red particles gradually converged into a projection, displaying a battered, nearly collapsed but still-standing 'Endymion' after the disaster. Selene watched Mikoto with amusement.
The 'Endymion' incident—the space elevator that pierced the sky like a bridge was engulfed in flames. Civic-minded Kamijou Touma and Misaka Mikoto stepped up to thwart an evil mega-corporation's nefarious plan to suppress a girl's song and take down the sinister, ancient witch behind it all...
Ahem. Simply put, a certain immortal magician wanted to die, was looking to die, and went about it in the most destructive way possible, causing a series of ridiculous incidents.
She tried to use the elevator's unique magical laws and a suicide spell to end herself. The countless innocent lives that might have been sacrificed in the process? In her eyes, they were nothing more than offerings for her final journey.
Ah, magicians. Their thought processes were truly alien.
Selene only remembered her name as Ladylee Tangleroad—yet another thousand-year-old eternal loli.
In space, Selene had literally beaten her into a pulp. Thanks to the immortality granted by a divine fruit she had consumed in childhood, Ladylee regenerated. Then Selene beat her into pulp again. Regenerated again. Beat again. The cycle continued, grinding her cells to dust repeatedly.
Under such relentless physical and mental trauma, Ladylee finally passed out completely. Selene wrapped her up and handed her over to Aleister.
"Freshly caught magician. Here. You're the expert, you handle it."
Aleister accepted the delivery and, in return, transferred the Stargate Company and its assets to Selene.
"Huh? How did that become your asset too?" Mikoto groaned.
She was utterly defeated. It was the same as always: destroy something, break into some research facility, and then follow the corporate ownership trail only to find it led to Selene or, more precisely, to the Schicksal Research Institute and its affiliated groups.
Standard capitalist maneuver: cross-holdings, equity swaps—classic methods for forming interest groups.
Many of these minor assets were ones Selene barely knew about or cared for. Some were acquired by subordinates with authorization, others gifted, or exchanged as part of business deals.
She grumbled irritably.
"Uiharu, Saten, and the others all want to get together and thank you for everything you've done. It's been a while since we had a proper meal together. And with this week-long Daihasei Festival full of festivities, plus you just announced the lifting of curfew... There aren't many chances to stay out all night without getting busted by the dorm supervisor."
"No problem. We'll see about the timing though. I still have quite a few events to participate in." Selene projected her schedule and pointed at it.
"Events? You're actually taking part in... oh, it's Katie-san, isn't it?" Mikoto said, catching sight of the elegant lady in the VIP seats waving at them.
"But if you're going to compete dressed like that... no matter how much the principal and Watanabe-sensei favor you, they can't be blatantly biased in front of everyone, right?"
At that moment, the ceremonial platform and facilities on the field were being swiftly dismantled by staff. Events were about to begin. Apart from teachers and staff, Selene was the only one still wearing the autumn uniform inside the venue.
Every student from the various schools of Academy City had already changed into fresh athletic T-shirts and shorts.
"Don't you have any events today?"
"Did you forget? I'm Academy City's strongest spatial-type esper. As for the events, I've signed up for all the individual, group, and class competitions from Tokiwadai that had low participation."
"Huh?!" Misaka Mikoto stared in shock as Selene flicked her fingers—snap!
Buzz buzz—
"Don't tell me that was also a spatial ability!"
When the violet light faded, Selene stood before her with her hair tied in a single ponytail. She wore a black athletic crop top, a white vest over it, wrist guards, black hot pants, and a black-and-white short skirt on top.
It looked sharp and refreshing.
Seeing Selene unusually pumped and enthusiastic today, a few beads of cold sweat appeared on Mikoto's forehead.
"Selene, go easy out there. Don't hurt anyone. Your spatial attack powers are basically instant maim or kill... Didn't the Operations Committee give you specific restrictions?"
She herself had been warned strictly by the Daihasei Festival Operations Committee not to injure anyone or use abilities rated higher than Level 4 interference.
"Of course they did. And they've restricted me quite thoroughly." Selene gestured toward the event arena where participants and judges were already in place.
Over there, a group of staff members was jogging toward her. "See? Here they come again to emphasize it."
"Miss Selene, we apologize, but your spatial attack ability is beyond our regulation. Even at Level 1 output, the chance of injury or death upon contact is nearly 100 percent. Therefore, you are strictly forbidden from using your powers."
Before they even finished speaking, the staff surrounded her, explaining with the utmost seriousness.
"Yes, yes." Seeing their continuous bowing and apologizing, Selene chuckled. "For all events, I will refrain from using any superpowers. I'll rely solely on physical strength and skill."
"Much appreciated!"
From the broadcast: "Athletes from Tokiwadai Middle School, A Certain Middle-High School, Ninoude Middle School, Habatobi High School, and Private Shidarezakura Academy, please prepare for the upcoming athletic throwing events..."
"Oh, it's starting. Let's catch up at lunch..."
As Selene headed off toward the event area, Mikoto's eyes widened as she saw the event signposts: "Shot Put, Javelin, Discus..."
No wonder these were labeled as events with low participation from Tokiwadai. Strength-based throwing events weren't exactly the school's forte...
...
"Uiharu~~!"
Outside the main stadium entrance in District 7, a cheerful and energetic voice suddenly rang out.
"Waaah!"
Instinctively, the petite girl with a floral headpiece quickly pressed down her skirt. Her face turned as red as a steaming kettle, and she frantically looked around.
"Sigh, another fail. Still, you've improved, Uiharu." A girl with long black hair and clad in the school-issued athletic uniform stepped out from under the shade of a tree, commenting with amusement.
"Ugh! Saten-san, seriously! You finally got your powers after the Level Upper incident, and this is how you use them? If Selene-senpai finds out, she's definitely going to lecture you!"
Clutching her skirt, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, Uiharu Kazari lightly punched Saten Ruiko's arm with soft, ineffectual fists, grumbling weakly.
Dissipating the residual ripples in the air, Saten scratched her cheek sheepishly. "But Selene-senpai seemed pretty amused by it, though."
Clearly, her meaning was: I know it's wrong, but I'm not stopping!
Ever since the Level Upper incident, with guidance from Selene, Saten Ruiko had worked hard to recall the sensation of controlling a power beyond her own limits.
At last, her persistence paid off. In last month's comprehensive evaluation, Saten officially broke the Level 0 threshold and became a Level 1 esper.
While Level 1 wasn't very strong, Uiharu Kazari certainly felt the impact.
Saten, now exhilarated, had been using her Aerokinesis ability to flip Uiharu's skirt at every opportunity. It used to be once a day or a few times per week. Now...
At her most hyper, Saten did it four times in one day—more than breakfast, lunch, and dinner combined! And she didn't even need her hands anymore. One flick and the updraft did the trick.
Uiharu had become so reactive that her reflexes improved. She even started wearing safety shorts like Misaka-senpai.
Just in case Saten decided to "break the rules."
"Saten-san, why are you at the District 7 main venue? Your school's events... don't tell me you're skipping!"
Calming down, Uiharu tugged at her Judgment armband and gave a sly chuckle, pretending to be 'strict': "Saten-san, better start explaining..."
"Aww, Uiharu~ This is the District 7 main venue, after all..."
Saten Ruiko clung to Uiharu's arm and deployed her ultimate move. "Not only are there tons of noble school girls here, but loads of high-level espers too. That means the 'shadow metal' has to be nearby—"
BOOM—!!
Suddenly, a deafening air burst erupted from the central arena of the stadium. Mixed within were frenzied cheers and a loud, tear-choked scream.
The two girls exchanged glances. What the heck? That sounded way too intense!
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