"A Dual Skill user..."
Nunotaba stared at the pile of weapons that had materialized from thin air. Her mind raced, processing the impossibility of what she was seeing.
In Academy City, "Multiple Ability Users" (Dual Skill) were beings of fantasy. They existed only in theory.
Superpowers were the result of Personal Reality—a unique quantum state of the brain. Since a human only has one brain, they can only have one Personal Reality. Therefore, one ability.
To have a second ability, one would need a second brain.
Years ago, the "Special Ability Institute" had conducted dark experiments on abandoned children to test this theory. It ended in disaster. A young Accelerator had gone berserk, destroying the facility and killing the researchers.
Since becoming a researcher herself, Nunotaba knew that the inhumane experiments never truly ended. They just changed names.
From the Level 6 Shift Project to the Level 1 Evolution Project...
"So that's how it is. You're a Dual Skill user. A living miracle."
Nunotaba looked at Yuuya with eyes that held a mix of awe and eerie scientific curiosity.
"Researchers would kill to dissect you. Academic honors, unlimited funding... you're a walking goldmine."
"Hehe."
Snap.
Yuuya snapped his fingers again. The pile of guns vanished instantly back into his System Inventory.
"Spatial Teleportation is useful for logistics," Yuuya said casually. "But for combat? It's messy. If I teleport a grenade into a wall, the cleanup is annoying."
He stepped closer, placing his hands firmly on Nunotaba's shoulders, pinning her against the brick wall again. He locked eyes with her.
"Listen to me, Nunotaba. I'm going to end this crazy experiment. And I need your help."
"Think about it carefully. Are the Misaka Sisters really just emotionless dolls?"
"Is their lack of emotion due to biology? Or is it because you, the researchers, programmed them that way? Is it because you never gave them a chance to learn anything else?"
Nunotaba frowned, discomforted by the intensity of his gaze and the pressure on her shoulders. But his voice... it resonated deep within her.
"The idea that they are 'lab rats' is not their will. It is the arrogance of their creators."
Yuuya watched her eyes. The cold, dead look was cracking.
Talking only worked if the listener already had doubts. And Nunotaba was drowning in them.
"What if I don't help?" she asked after a moment of silence.
Indeed, when she thought about it... the Sisters were born in test tubes, aged rapidly to 14 in just two weeks. They were infants in teenagers' bodies. Their "personality" was just data she had uploaded via the Testament.
She remembered seeing a newborn Sister crying in the culture tank. It was a cry of pure, raw life.
Her mind was in chaos.
She looked up at Yuuya. His clear, deep eyes were filled with an unbelievable confidence.
'Why is this guy so sure he can win against the darkness?'
"Hehe. If you don't agree..." Yuuya's expression shifted from serious to playful. He stroked his chin, his gaze dropping to her lips. "How about I tease you a bit first? Maybe play kissy-face until you talk?"
"..."
Nunotaba stared at the junior who loved to switch between hero and pervert. At this moment, she really wanted to punch him.
She sighed, her shoulders slumping.
"The Level 6 Shift Project has no loopholes," she stated flatly. "Trying to stop it by sabotage is wishful thinking. The Board of Directors will just fix the damage and continue."
"The project exists because the supercomputer Tree Diagram calculated that only Accelerator can evolve into Level 6."
"Therefore, there are only two ways to stop it: Prove the calculation wrong, or get Accelerator to withdraw."
"But getting Accelerator to quit is impossible. He is the strongest. He wants absolute power so no one will ever challenge him again. And defeating him? He can reflect nukes. He is invincible."
Yuuya smiled brightly.
She had just revealed the core of the plan. His mission was accomplished.
"So," Nunotaba continued, analyzing the situation. "Your best bet is to expose the experiment. Create a massive scandal. Public pressure might force the Board to suspend it."
"Of course, the Board controls the media, and they will send the Dark Side to silence you. It's a suicide mission."
She looked at him with pity. He was fighting a leviathan.
"I'll choose option one," Yuuya interrupted with a smirk. "Accelerator isn't invincible."
"My ability is a perfect counter to his. All I need is the time and place."
"Defeat... Accelerator?" Nunotaba blinked. Was he overconfident? Or insane?
"The first outdoor experiment is scheduled for this evening," she revealed quietly. "Experiment 9982."
"I'll find out the exact coordinates for you."
As the administrator of the Testament, she had access to the sisters' schedules. It was risky, but she could do it.
"Just tonight? It hasn't started yet?"
Yuuya's eyes lit up. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Nunotaba-senpai."
"Now I can see you're the guy who threatened me with a gun just now," she muttered, still annoyed.
"Well, sorry about that. Here's some compensation."
Yuuya reached into thin air and pulled out a bento box. It was glowing with a faint, golden light.
"This is a legendary dish. Mao's Golden Fried Rice. It cures depression."
He stuffed the warm box into her arms.
"Open it when you get home."
Nunotaba held the glowing lunchbox, looking utterly bewildered. She had never been apologized to with fried rice before.
"Let's exchange contact IDs. I'll send you the location."
They tapped their phones together.
As Yuuya turned to leave, Nunotaba spun around and tried to kick him in the shin.
He dodged effortlessly without looking back.
"A Dual Skill user..." Nunotaba muttered, watching his retreating figure disappear into the night.
"I wonder... can a miracle really happen?"
...
Elsewhere in District 7.
A thin, pale boy with white hair and red eyes walked out of a family restaurant. He was holding a can of coffee.
He looked up at the digital clock on a nearby skyscraper.
A creepy, distorted smile spread across his face.
"After such a long time... they've finally come up with something new. Heh. Hehehe."
He pressed his thumb to his temple and cracked his neck.
Crack.
"Let's see if these dolls break any differently outside the lab."
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