Eighty-eight souls were aboard at departure, and eighty-eight were rescued upon landing.
What seemed like a flawless survival record held a single, hidden sacrifice. This captain's existence was buried by news reports, becoming the unknown eighty-ninth person.
Wanting to say something, she swallowed her words.
Then, an idea abruptly popped into Natsume Sonoko's head.
Based on the information they'd gathered, no registered passenger matched Meigo-senpai's profile. So, it was almost certain that Meigo-senpai was the extra person.
It felt like watching a horror movie. Natsume couldn't help but gulp. Thankfully, nothing in this world could surprise her too much anymore.
But reality, after all, isn't the same as the movies. Natsume thought perhaps some unknown incident had occurred back then, and Meigo-senpai was simply an unrecorded passenger.
Since Misaka-senpai had just mentioned Anti-Skill, the group's attention soon shifted to Anti-Skill's internal system.
"I'm accessing Anti-Skill's internal network now."
Uiharu swiveled her chair to find a more comfortable angle facing her computer.
She breezed past several identity verifications, easily breached the firewall—in the digital world, Uiharu was like an undefeatable general.
While searching for reports related to the Orion from three years ago, she also patched a few obvious vulnerabilities for Anti-Skill, all while finding a moment to take a sip of the black tea at her side.
In the storage locker of Judgment Branch 177, Uiharu kept a full tea set, even stocking several well-known brands of black tea available on the market.
As Uiharu pulled all files related to the Orion from the system, a red alarm blared on the screen in real-time, only to be instantly and effortlessly suppressed.
The information obtained from Anti-Skill was clearly much more precise than what was available online. After just a brief comparison, they could almost confirm the accuracy of the previous passenger list.
The captain's body was found at the scene. All passengers were unconscious but completely unharmed. An unidentified girl was discovered aboard the Orion.
The group exchanged glances, saying nothing, and continued reading.
The subsequent investigation was handed off from Anti-Skill to the Aviation Joint Agency in District 23 at the time—now known as the Air Superiority Preservation Control Center.
And, as they all later learned, this agency downplayed the existence of the eighty-ninth person—aligning with the then-popular narrative of a complete survival.
Simultaneously, the unidentified girl, after investigation, was sent to a nursery, given the name Meigo Arisa, and was also recognized as one of the 'Miracle of 88'.
The entire chain of events was now clear, with only the finer details left to debate.
It was obvious Meigo-senpai was the extra person, but she had no memory of the events from back then. This lead had reached a dead end.
"Look, everyone, doesn't this person look a lot like that girl we just saw?"
Saten-san circled around Uiharu a few times, her face thoughtful as she pointed at a photo of one particular passenger.
"That girl? Oh, I remember now. So it's her."
Shirai-san caught on immediately. The others also fell into thought at the same time.
"I see."
Although Natsume-san didn't quite grasp their meaning at first, she figured now was the time to nod along.
"This person is named Shutaura Sequenzia. She's the daughter of the only victim in the incident, the captain."
Recalling quickly, Natsume-san also realized this was the leather-clad girl who had just been talking to Yomikawa-sensei.
While others might call it high-tech combat wear or something, Natsume-san thought it looked pretty much like a leather outfit.
"How sad, her father was the only one who died."
Misaka-senpai couldn't help but voice her sympathy.
"Onee-sama, now isn't the time to dwell on that. We must investigate the reason Meigo-senpai was attacked before tomorrow's opening ceremony."
"Currently, over eight thousand passengers are announced to be riding the space elevator. If something unexpected happens during the opening ceremony, we might just have to hope for a 'Miracle of Eight Thousand'."
The playful expression vanished from Shirai-san's face. Her whole demeanor shifted into intense concentration as she seriously stated her thoughts.
After investigating so much information, perhaps this wasn't mere business competition at all. Maybe that guy had actually guessed right.
Thinking this, Shirai-san glanced at the ditsy bun-girl—spacing out beside her.
The Orion's maiden flight had involved Gothic-sama, the leather-clad girl, and Meigo-senpai.
This time, for the space elevator's opening ceremony, the same three individuals were present again.
Add to that the struggle and conflict between the two parties over Meigo-senpai, all clues pointed towards tomorrow's opening ceremony.
If Natsume-san's guess was correct, and a major accident was going to happen at the ceremony, with people from outside Academy City trying to prevent it...
Then their immediate task was to find those who attacked Meigo-senpai and uncover the reason for the assault.
Looking at Shirai-san's serious expression, Natsume Sonoko knew she had connected the dots again.
She quite liked the feeling of everyone working together to solve a problem; it was much more comfortable than racking her brains alone.
'Perhaps I should tell Misaka-senpai about the Sisters being targeted.'
'No, I can't. I already promised Shokuhou-senpai I wouldn't say anything.'
Her mind occupied with these thoughts, Natsume-san sat upright with a solemn expression on the branch office's sofa.
She had barely settled in when the doorbell at the Judgment entrance chimed.
Judgment Branch 177 was located on the second floor of an annex building affiliated with Sakugawa Middle School. Usually, the place saw few visitors, mostly just the occasional passing student or teacher.
The entrance had fingerprint and iris recognition. Uiharu had already registered Natsume-san and the other frequent visitors who came by to mooch food and drinks, so the doorbell was rarely used.
"Who could it be at this time?"
Natsume-san, feeling completely at home rather than like an outsider, instinctively scanned the uninvited guest upon hearing the doorbell.
Tall figure, accompanied by three younger girls.
A very familiar feeling, like she'd seen them somewhere before.
Natsume-san lowered her head in thought, then her face lit up with sudden realization.
"Why are you ringing the doorbell?"
Standing at the entrance, the red-haired magician's face darkened, his cigarette-holding arm trembling slightly.
"But Master, you said we should always ring the doorbell before entering!"
The magical girl Jane looked somewhat wronged, seeming to realize she'd messed up again.
"Whatever. Just remember this time to protect yourself properly. Don't get taken out so easily."
The rune magician named Stiyl looked around; the walls were already plastered with runes to summon 'Innocentius'.
Simultaneously, runes for 'Opila' had been placed throughout the building and the surrounding area for dozens of meters.
The so-called 'Opila' runes prevented unrelated people from approaching the battlefield, making them feel an inexplicable reluctance to come near.
But it had its weakness. For those who had a compelling reason to pass through, the effect was significantly reduced, allowing them to forcibly overcome this psychological suggestion.
"Master, we understand. This time we've come prepared."
The three girls nodded in unison. Each had a half-person-sized water ball placed over their head, with enough oxygen reserved inside for breathing—apparently, this was their preparation.
"But Master, why don't we wait until they separate before acting?" The magical girl named Marie looked troubled.
"Because we must leave this place tonight."
Setting down his cigarette, a hint of coldness flashed in his pupils.
Last time, the objective was to take Arisa away, so all methods were relatively mild—at least, that's what he believed.
But after a certain intelligence agent from the 'Necessarius' church conducted a comprehensive inspection of the entire space elevator, he concluded it was a magical circle potent enough to destroy the Northern Hemisphere.
This time, the mission objective was to eliminate the core of that magical circle—the girl named Meigo Arisa—at any cost.
It was the simplest, most convenient, and most efficient method, the same logic Kanzaki Kaori had previously suggested regarding killing Conan.
"One of the five great elements from which the world is constructed."
As the incantation rose, invisible wind blades shot through the corridor's closed windows, mercilessly attacking the red-haired magician's position.
"Misaka-senpai! Someone's here! It's the people who attacked Meigo-senpai before!"
Natsume Sonoko hurriedly jumped up from the sofa, casting a pained glance around Judgment Branch 177, fearing she might not see it again after today.
"Kuroko, I'm counting on you."
Misaka-senpai reacted instantly, nodding to Shirai-san behind her.
Without hesitation, Shirai-san grabbed the nearest people—Uiharu and Meigo-senpai—with her hands, clamped her wheelchair between her feet, and the three people plus the wheelchair vanished from the spot in an instant.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.