"Good morning, and welcome to Academy City—the legendary city where the world's most advanced technologies gather. Next, I'll be your guide, showing you all the wonders this city has to offer. So, are you ready? If you are, then let's set off!"
The words sounded very official—But the person saying them was unusually playful. And, of course, there was that strange "so" verbal tic of hers.
"So… why is it you picking me up?"
Haruto looked at the girl in front of him, puzzled.
Today, Frenda—
Was wearing a light pink blouse, and on the bottom, her signature ultra-short skirt. Her long, straight, pale legs were exposed to the air.
Rarely, Frenda wasn't wearing black stockings today.
Instead, she'd chosen short white lace socks.
On her left leg was a red garter strap—Perfectly accentuating the curves of her legs.
An absolute treat for the eyes.
Over her blouse—
She also wore a bright volunteer-style jacket. And in her hand, she held a placard with Haruto's name on it.
This Daihaseisai—
Haruto was the only one coming from outside the city.
Yet she still went through the trouble of staging an airport-like pickup.
It looked ridiculously over-the-top.
When Frenda heard Haruto's question—She immediately clutched her chest with an exaggeratedly hurt expression.
"That's so mean! I waited here for you all morning. So why are you making that disgusted face? Isn't it nice to have a beautiful girl like me as your guide?"
Complaining as she spoke—
Frenda dramatically acted out a scene of heartbreak.
As if she might faint from sadness—
Conveniently falling toward Haruto. Her eyes half-closed, expecting to be caught in his warm embrace.
And then—
Frenda met the ground face-first.
Haruto had simply sidestepped.
The fall wouldn't have been a big deal—Except a few black spheres rolled out from under her ultra-short skirt.
Haruto reacted quickly, snatching them up before they could roll away.
For a moment, he was speechless.
What kind of girl trips and drops her gear like this!?
And judging by the equipment—
Recalling Frenda's usual methods—
It was obvious what they were.
Some kind of custom explosives, no doubt.
Frenda scrambled up from the ground.
And immediately lunged at Haruto.
"Too much!"
Haruto simply placed a hand on her forehead—And the petite girl was instantly kept at arm's length, unable to get any closer.
No matter how she swung her arms, she couldn't reach him.
"I'll treat you to mackerel."
Haruto said casually.
Frenda, who had been flailing moments ago—
Immediately froze.
Her eyes widened, looking at him expectantly.
"Really?"
When Haruto nodded, she gave a cheer, completely forgetting her earlier anger from the fall.
"Mackerel! We can go eat mackerel again!"
Seeing her so happy—
Haruto flicked her forehead lightly.
"Do your job as my guide first."
And so, Frenda earnestly shouldered her duty—Leading Haruto around Academy City during the Daihaseisai.
Along the way, Haruto learned—
Why it was Frenda who came to meet him.
Misaki seemed to have business to take care of—
And was a bit too busy to come herself. So the task was passed along to Frenda. As a well-connected "people person" in Academy City—
Frenda had contacts everywhere.
Her knowledge of Academy City was exceptional.
She was more than capable of handling a guide's role.
During the Daihaseisai—
Academy City changed dramatically.
The whole city seemed filled with the atmosphere of youth. On the streets, everywhere you looked, girls in gym uniforms could be seen. In Academy City, gym uniforms didn't include long pants—every set came with shorts.
So looking around—
The streets were full of pale legs, almost dazzling.
Today was the day before the Daihaseisai officially began.
Starting tomorrow—
Events would take place across the city according to the schedule. All the schools in Academy City would participate.
In past years—
Tokiwadai, with its large number of high-level espers, had dominated the Daihaseisai, winning the championship year after year.
As they toured, they arrived at the 7th District.
The prestigious all-girls school Tokiwadai Academy was located here. And the newly established Hoshino Sea Academy was also in the 7th District.
But just as Haruto was about to head in—
Frenda tugged at his sleeve.
"Uh, it's getting pretty late, right? Time to go eat some delicious mackerel!"
She said seriously.
Haruto gave her a glance, then turned as if to walk in anyway. This time, Frenda clung to his arm with both hands.
"Let's explore that area another time!"
Haruto couldn't help smiling wryly.
Alright, he was certain now.
Misaki wasn't busy with "work" at all—She was probably preparing some kind of surprise.
And Frenda clearly knew about it.
That's why she was blocking him from entering Tokiwadai's area. Since that was the case, he might as well play along.
"Alright. Come to think of it, I am a bit hungry. Let's go eat."
Hearing that, Frenda let out a breath of relief.
They found a restaurant along the 7th District's streets—Coincidentally, the same one they had gone to the last time they parted ways.
Haruto skillfully ordered two servings of mackerel for Frenda—
And for himself, a pork cutlet.
"Eh? You're not having mackerel? This place is famous for it, and you're not eating any!"
Frenda looked at the menu like it was a tragedy.
Haruto shook his head.
He really wasn't that into mackerel.
Besides, Tohru had just bought some mackerel at the market recently.
Once in a while was fine.
But like Frenda—eating it every single day, with mackerel cans never out of reach—
That was unbearable.
Before long, their food arrived.
Pork cutlet, as one of Japan's iconic fried dishes—
Was reliably well-made in most restaurants.
Haruto picked up a piece, enjoying its taste. As expected, fried food was delicious no matter the country.
Meanwhile, Frenda—
Had already activated her "tornado chopsticks." Her cheeks puffed out as she ate, looking blissfully happy.
"By the way, about what I mentioned last time—have you thought about it?"
Haruto casually asked, taking a sip of lemon water.
Frenda—
Paused mid-bite.
After a brief silence—
She poked at the mackerel with her chopsticks, slowly picking out the bones.
After a long pause, she spoke:
"Will it be dangerous? Will I die?"
Last time, Haruto had spoken to Frenda about joining the Foundation—
And had given her a contact card.
But judging by her hesitation—
The girl still hadn't made up her mind.
"Can't say for sure. Honestly, it can be pretty dangerous."
Haruto said.
Hearing that, Frenda slumped over the table—
Looking utterly deflated.
"You could at least lie to me! Tell me it's safe, maybe I'd agree on impulse. But with you saying it like that, how am I supposed to lie to myself?"
She complained.
Frenda was the kind of person who was extremely afraid of death. To survive, she could betray Dark Side intel without hesitation.
She still had a younger sister in elementary school.
And she had countless reasons to keep living. She was terrified of dying and never tasting mackerel again.
For a hardcore mackerel lover, that was absolutely unacceptable.
And she was afraid of dying alone, with no one to talk to. Her greatest skill and pleasure was talking to people.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have built such a massive network of contacts.
"If you don't want to, you can just refuse, you know?"
Haruto asked, puzzled.
Frenda gave a bitter smile.
"But I don't have anything else I can do. No abilities, not good at anything else."
Frenda was one of the rare Level 0s in the Dark Side.
She had survived purely by skill, brains, and her mastery of various weapons.
All her abilities existed for the Dark Side.
And now…
The Dark Side was gone.
Even though she'd been all smiles before—
In truth, Frenda was now feeling lost and helpless.