District 7, Line 39, Kinokono Passage, Olla Podrida Restaurant.
"Um... Sister, is this really the so-called safest place in the world, Academy City, where 80% of the population is made up of students...?"
Holding the Academy City Daihasei Festival Travel Guide, Alyssa glanced at the bolded, heavily emphasized word "safe" on the cover page. Her sky-blue eyes blinked a few times as she turned to look out the window toward the street across from the restaurant, where a group of delinquents under the overpass had started to "heat things up."
Wearing a Tokiwadai Middle School uniform stuffed on her by Selene, Alyssa looked every bit the obedient, cute, and well-behaved girl—even more like a middle schooler than Selene herself.
After a moment, she lowered her head again to glance at the guidebook in her hands.
Since she was seated by the second-floor window of the restaurant, her physical body—despite not being her true form—still possessed basic functions like telescopic vision (physical, not precognitive), and she could see the scene clearly.
Across the street at the crosswalk under the overpass near the alley staircase, a bunch of delinquent teens in flashy outfits were in a shouting match. Judging by their exaggerated expressions and the spittle flying from their mouths, they were probably passionately insulting each other's family trees.
"Totally normal. You'll get used to it."
Selene followed Alyssa's line of sight with interest, watching the group as they broke into what looked like a chaotic blend of street rap, dance, and MMA. This kind of thing was entertaining at first, but after spending enough time in Academy City, it became just another everyday scene.
Cynically, and perhaps with a hint of "let them eat cake" detachment, Selene couldn't care less about how powerless or low-level espers were treated in Academy City. To her, these delinquents were just plain stupid.
The world was full of oddities, but the antics of Academy City's delinquents remained the same as ever. No change at all.
In the original timeline, their lives had been considerably better. Sure, they were still chased by Judgment, electrocuted by a certain railgun girl, or punched by a spiky-haired boy... But now? Most of them had gained firsthand experience in the prison system.
In this city, if you hadn't spent a few days in a Judgment detention center, you couldn't even call yourself a gang leader.
Getting locked up, beaten by security robots, hospitalized—even killed—wasn't uncommon. Police response was lightning-fast, and the survival environment was brutal. Still, as security robots became more prevalent, the delinquents adapted and discovered new ways to make money.
As long as people, not cold AIs, remained in charge, there would always be loopholes to exploit.
Crimes like street muggings or bank heists became rare, but secret extortion, protection rackets targeting weaker students, and petty theft remained rampant. As long as the upper structure of Academy City remained unchanged—with its hierarchy built on ability and social status, with no end to campus bullying—
Then the soil that breeds delinquency would always exist.
Because of the small ripples Selene had created, many changes were beginning to emerge and ferment.
With Selene's intervention, Stiyl, Kanzaki Kaori, and Kamijou Touma no longer found themselves in conflict. They had exchanged information early, and no one destroyed Index's internal "collar." Her protective system, John's Pen, was never activated. Kamijou Touma didn't lose his memory, and the so-called magic—Dragon's Breath—never blasted the Tree Diagram out of orbit.
As of now, Tree Diagram was still floating peacefully above the earth and had even begun undergoing upgrades. A new generation of processors utilizing Honkai technology was in development and production. Misaka Mikoto, understandably worried that these new processors might lead to the revival of the "Sisters" experiment, had been on edge.
She didn't know Aleister's true intentions. In her eyes, the Level 6 Shift Project had not yet been completed, and the risk of a restart was still very real.
It wasn't until Selene—as a member of Academy City's Board of Directors—personally guaranteed the project's termination that Misaka finally let down her guard completely.
Other nations hadn't scrambled to develop space programs en masse to recover the remains of Tree Diagram or reverse-engineer its tech. Compared to past years, the number of rockets launched this year hadn't significantly increased.
Academy City's own space launches continued as usual. Officially, they maintained their satellites and conducted outer space research. But unofficially? There was far more going on. From the development of Selene's Schicksal Research Institute's orbital weapon Roas from God, to the construction of the Endymion space elevator, to the expanding operations of Starrail Gate Corporation—activity was everywhere.
The underworld was equally turbulent. With the disbanding of the dark faction leader SCHOOL, a power vacuum had formed. ITEM, led by the fifth-ranked Level 5 esper Mugino Shizuri (Meltdowner), remained formidable but lacked the overwhelming power of Kakine Teitoku. Mugino's personality flaws and limitations in her ability were becoming increasingly apparent.
Aleister's plans, indirectly supported by Selene, were also progressing at high speed.
Of course, Selene had no intention of meddling. As long as no one bothered her, she didn't care what others did. She was simply waiting.
Even the organization she built within Academy City—Selene now treated it with a dismissive, take-it-or-leave-it attitude.
Such was her audacity. In the past, Selene might've paid attention to the progress of Aoki Youichi and the others, or concerned herself with the operations of her commercial groups and research institutes. But now? "These kids can keep playing their little games."
Request materials, ask for authorizations, report your R&D progress when it's done. That's it.
Selene's full attention was now fixed on the Daihasei Festival. She had received some intelligence from Sebas: the British Royal Family and the Roman Catholic Church had recently increased contact with her adoptive parents, claiming it was to "strengthen relations". Hah.
The Anglican Church had also dispatched a number of personnel into Academy City.
The Archbishop of Necessarius, Lola Stuart—that woman. Selene wasn't afraid of her, but Lola's veiled hostility toward Aleister meant Selene couldn't afford to drop her guard. Aleister couldn't afford to be sabotaged—not yet.
Until Aleister realized his vision, Selene would keep the magic side in check. She would let them know what it meant to face the Number One of the science side—the strongest esper.
That said, she had to make some calculations. Katie might be coming. She'd also have to find a way to bring Brauchitsch over.
The God's Right Seat... This body... it's going to be tricky. How do I regulate the output threshold?
Selene mused silently. Data flows flickered in her crimson eyes as she rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window. The airships above had already begun unfurling banners—the Daihasei Festival was officially kicking off its pre-event festivities.
On the screens, preparations were underway across numerous schools, including Tokiwadai Middle School. Stages and arenas were being set up with urgency. Students bustled about, decorating the venues with colorful lights and paper flowers.
Flights into Academy City had been announced as open. Shopping districts launched promotional campaigns, and festival merchandise had gone on sale. The whole city was bursting with festive energy.
It looked like this year's Daihasei Festival would be especially spectacular.
Of course, just as Selene didn't need to participate in the operations of the festival committee, the delinquents loitering in the streets—those who skipped class, dropped out due to self-inflicted decline—were also barred from taking part.
"Though yeah, this street really does have a higher-than-average delinquent density."
"You're not allowed to get involved," Selene said with finality as she caught sight of Alyssa's eager expression.
"Oh..."
To Alyssa, who had grown up watching brutal imperial-style duels with blades drawn and lives on the line, this kind of street-brawling thug nonsense looked refreshingly different—a new sort of visual experience.
As for Alyssa's body—it was simple. Just like handcrafting a Honkai soldier, Selene had molded it from Honkai energy: shaping, fine-tuning, sculpting. Then, all she had to do was guide Alyssa's core consciousness to project into the vessel.
"Guests, your Paella," said the waiter as he wheeled in a temperature-controlled cart and placed two plates of lightly pink seafood rice, fragrant with seafood and cream, onto the table.
The moment the covers were lifted, steam poured out with the delicious scent of shrimp, mussels, squid, and other shellfish, blending with creamy undertones.
The steaming bowls continued to reduce their broth, full of tender chicken and rabbit meat. The appearance, aroma, and taste were all top-tier, instantly whetting the appetite.
"Patatas Bravas, Gambas al Ajillo, Lechón, and a fresh fruit and vegetable platter. Please enjoy."
After serving the main dish, the waiter placed several side dishes and small plates on the table. With a bow to Selene and Alyssa, he pushed the cart away and exited their view.
Selene scooped up a spoonful from the edge of the paella and tasted it. The blend of olive oil, garlic, vegetables, and seafood essence soaked into the rice, delivering a savory, slightly crispy texture that made the corners of her lips curl with satisfaction.
As Selene and Alyssa ate, more people began to gather beneath the overpass. Turns out, two local gangs had gotten into a turf dispute over protection money. It started with shoving. Then someone pushed too hard, someone else called backup, and before long, it had turned into a full-blown street brawl.
Selene made no move to intervene. Life had its joys and sorrows, its beasts and burdens. Watching a fight while eating? Perfect entertainment.
Thanks to this live street-thug reality show, Selene's appetite only grew. Their clumsy slugfest was great background noise for her meal. She even felt an urge to yell, "Stop wasting time—hit to kill! You're way too inefficient!"
Not long after, Judgment arrived in force. Their stern warnings were quickly followed by the blare of sirens, and riot-control robots came crashing in.
Crackle pop! Electric stun batons lit up as they came down. Within moments, the fighters were flattened, faces bruised, pinned under gun barrels, hands cuffed behind their backs, groaning in pain.
"They started it! We were just defending ourselves!"
"Ow! I'm a patient! I've got hospital records!"
"I can't breathe!"
...
Selene quickly lost interest. She muted the chaos and returned to her elegant meal, savoring the foreign cuisine.
Then suddenly, an explosion roared from the restaurant's central TV.
The footage showed a parking lot engulfed in flames. The announcer, speaking rapidly, explained that the incident occurred at a hospital in District 7. Vehicles had apparently been damaged, triggering a fuel leak that caused a chain reaction of explosions.
Witnesses reported seeing three suspects enter the hospital before the incident. Their identities remained unknown.
Before the reporter could finish, the hospital building erupted again. Walls collapsed as if slashed apart by a giant blade.
"Sis... is this kind of thing... considered normal in the safest city?" Alyssa turned and whispered.
If earlier had just been petty street fights, this was now an outright terrorist attack. In the Empire, such people—whether intentional or not—would face harsh punishment. Public beheadings wouldn't be out of the question.
"Normal," Selene replied calmly, elegantly wiping her lips and sipping a glass of water. "Small stuff. You'll get used to it."
"Oh..."
Powerless thugs and low-level espers trying to rob Heaven Canceller's hospital? Naive. Who did they think they were—Kamijou Touma?
Did they really think Accelerator had completely lost his edge? Sure, maybe there were doubts. But the lure of profits had driven them to take the gamble.
Unlucky for them, they picked the worst possible time. Selene could sense Kakine Teitoku's location. He was inside that hospital!
"Alyssa, let's go. It's time. Airport pickup."
Tap tap tap~
As Selene and Alyssa descended the stairs, just moments later, the TV showed three pairs of angelic white wings erupting from the hospital building.
Formed from pure white particle matter, they looked like something from a divine descent—immaculate and radiant.
In the rising smoke and debris, the once-chaotic liquid nitrogen high-pressure blades veered upward. A blade over ten meters long shattered, and faintly visible in the haze was a small figure with orange-red hair being blasted away.
...
District 23, International Airport.
A private Airbus bearing the logo of the Austrian Airlines Group and arriving from Vienna touched down gently on the runway.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven