Meanwhile, in District 7, the streets were packed with adults—an uncommon sight in Academy City. Many of them frequently glanced down at their tourist guides.
A man and woman strolled through the bustling, futuristic cityscape.
"Oh, honey, look. No matter how many times we visit, Academy City always has something new to amaze us. These fully armed patrol robots, mixed with Judgment officers, are pretty impressive... and they're extremely intelligent too. They even have map-guidance functions."
The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed in plain slacks with his shirt sleeves rolled up to the shoulders. He looked completely unassuming, the kind of person who might receive his tie as a giveaway gift—already loosened—and wore slightly worn leather shoes.
"This is finally starting to resemble the near-future world I imagined. With robots like these deployed for military purposes, that means we could soon see massive space battleships, humanoid mechas, epic faction wars—Empires, Federations..."
"Ahh, just thinking about it gets me excited, darling. Beams of multicolored light streaking across the sky, glowing lightsabers clashing like fluorescent rods..."
As his wife's imagination spiraled out of control, the man couldn't help but sweat nervously.
Next to him was a gentle-looking woman with shoulder-length brown hair.
She appeared to be a good two decades younger than the man, and her elegant attire didn't match his at all.
She wore a white, ankle-length dress made of a thin, silky fabric, with a light pink knitted shawl draped loosely over her shoulders. A woven basket, likely containing a bento, hung from her wrist.
With a lady's hat perched atop her head, she radiated an air of aristocratic grace.
Rather than a married couple, the two looked more like a young lady and her hired chauffeur.
"Honey, that's terrifying. If military tech really advanced to that level, wouldn't any future war lead to mutual destruction of all humanity...?"
Trying to rein in his wife's overactive imagination, heavily influenced by sci-fi and mecha anime, the man sighed.
"Anyway, all that stuff is still far off. By the time it actually becomes reality, we'll be old and toothless... So let's not ruin the mood with scary topics. The atmosphere here is amazing—don't spoil it."
"Hmph, you're such a buzzkill, darling. What if it really does happen?"
The youthful and charming mother finally peeled her gaze away from a silver-gray armored riot suppression robot stationed at the street corner, puffing her cheeks in mild annoyance.
Since the number of Judgment and Anti-Skill officers was limited compared to the influx of tourists, the city's main transit routes were reinforced with many cleaning and patrol robots. These were all equipped with dynamic guide maps and highly intelligent automatic Q&A functions.
It wouldn't be surprising if Academy City was subtly flexing its technological muscle to the outside world.
"Ahaha... True. Who knows what the future holds? Ten years ago, who would've imagined these once-impossible technologies would become household items?"
Scratching the back of his head, the man opened the Daihasei Festival guidebook. "Still, if you ask me, Academy City's technological pace is mind-blowing. In just a few more years... Realistically speaking, we might even see bionic maid robots that are totally caring and considerate... and if, cough cough, hehe..."
Clearly drifting into a fantasy of some 18+ scenario, the man cupped the thick guidebook—similar in size to an overseas travel guide—with both hands, his cheeks slightly flushed.
"Oh dear, Touya-san, are you imagining something inappropriate again?"
Seeing his wife press a hand to her cheek, her smile darkening and gaze chilling as it sliced toward him, the man—Touya—coughed awkwardly and quickly turned his face away.
"Ah, honey, I was just thinking—yeah—why hasn't that brat Touma come pick us up? Oh, look at that space elevator, Endymion. It's clearly the best attraction, but they didn't open it due to safety concerns. Otherwise, we'd definitely be heading up for a look."
It was an awkward attempt to change the subject, but his young wife ate it up immediately. She returned to her elegant demeanor and took his arm. "Touma said the venue is in District 7, right? The opening ceremony for the Daihasei Festival at a certain high school..."
The identity of this couple was clear—they were the parents of a certain spiky-haired boy: Kamijou Touya and Kamijou Shiina.
At that moment, "Look over there, the oath ceremony is starting!"
A sudden wave of excitement swept through the crowd. Tourists and visiting family members turned their attention to the giant screens scattered throughout the city, showing the four Level 5 espers stepping onto the stage.
At this time, most students and teachers were attending the opening ceremony at the venues.
The people leisurely touring the streets now were mostly visitors from outside Academy City. They had come to see exactly this kind of spectacle. The atmosphere instantly turned electric, filled with cheers and laughter that grew louder by the second.
"Looks like we're late."
The Kamijou couple exchanged glances and came to a halt. Since they knew where their son was, they could head there at any time. Missing the once-a-year oath ceremony would be a shame, so they decided to stop and watch.
Then—
"Is the platform tilting? It looks like it's shaking. Is this part of Academy City's new ceremony showcase?"
"Probably just a clash of powers. After all, we're talking about Level 5 espers."
"Mommy, it's an angel! That big brother with the three pairs of wings is so cool!"
The screen displayed the bustling main venue, sparking a flurry of comments from the onlookers.
"Oh my... that poor girl."
Seeing the ordinary-looking golden-haired girl with starry eyes sandwiched between the intense displays of the "pure white six-winged angel," the white-haired boy with four tornados spiraling from his back, and the headbanded youth emitting colorful red, blue, and yellow smoke, Kamijou Shiina sighed with heartfelt sympathy.
On-screen, the wobbling platform meant nothing to Accelerator, Kakine Teitoku, or Sogiita Gunha, but for the sports-inept Shokuhou Misaki, it was a nuisance. She didn't make a fool of herself, but Tokiwadai's representative was clearly overshadowed.
"Exactly. Totally unmanly. Bullying a helpless girl like that," Kamijou Touya nodded indignantly.
"Ah, that girl's uniform crest... Tokiwadai. She must be Mikoto's classmate." At that moment, a woman in a pale gray shirt emerged from the crowd, brushing past Kamijou Touya. A faint, sweet scent lingered in the air, and the soft sweep of her hair made him stiffen momentarily.
"Tokiwadai..." Kamijou Touya murmured.
"Excuse me, sir, do you know where Tokiwadai is?"
"Ahh, it's starting again..." Kamijou Shiina sighed heavily, a clear shadow on her face.
"Honey... what does that mean?"
...
"Oath of the Participants!" ×4
"We, the participants, uphold the spirit of sportsmanship and take part in this Daihasei Festival, turning youthful dreams and passion into our driving force..."
Watching the mismatched delivery of the oath by the four on stage, with the mechanical tone and bizarre gazes of two in particular, Selene couldn't help but stifle a laugh, her shoulders shaking.
Besides Sogiita Gunha growing more and more fired up, she could clearly see that Accelerator and Kakine Teitoku, while silently competing with each other, also showed clear signs of embarrassment and regret.
It seemed they were still somewhat unaccustomed to being in such a "bright" and public setting.
After so long immersed in darkness, it was their first time standing on such a stage. To speak lofty ideals that, in their hearts, sounded like utter nonsense, under the gaze of thousands of hopeful spectators—it was no wonder they were uneasy.
But since they were already on stage, there was no turning back. They had to tough it out. Gotta finish this. After all, Yuzuriha Ringo and Last Order were out there in the audience watching. Chicken out now, and you're a coward!
As for Shokuhou Misaki, Selene silently mourned for her. Sharing the stage with three problem children? Tough break.
"Selene-san."
A voice pulled Selene out of her inner commentary.
"Ah, Watanabe-sensei." With her hands behind her back and a faint smile at her lips, Selene turned toward the speaker. Teacher Watanabe, with graying hair, an old-fashioned rectangular pair of glasses, and a navy blue suit-skirt ensemble, approached with a troubled expression and a folder in her arms.
"There's one more... Little—cough, I mean, Watanabe-sensei, is there something you needed?"
Behind her stood a tiny girl dressed like a cheerleader, with a pink top, mini-skirt, and pom-poms in hand.
"Heehee—! Selene-san, did you just say 'little one'? I heard that!"
"Selene-san, as you can see, Shokuhou-san is having difficulties, and it seems there was a slip-up on Sogiita-san's side too. If possible, Tokiwadai and the organizing committee would like to ask Selene-san to step in when the time is right."
Watanabe sighed.
If Accelerator hadn't been involved, Tokiwadai wouldn't have reacted so strongly. Losing to any other school would be acceptable. Even the faculty would view it as a valuable learning experience for the sheltered elite students.
Anyone but Nagatenjouki Academy!
And yet, Accelerator was participating as a student from Nagatenjouki.
No way! It's either them or us! Watching him perform better than us, overshadowing us—it's worse than losing ourselves.
"Alright," Selene nodded. "But I have one condition. I'll improvise."
"Understood. I'll inform the host immediately."
...
At that moment, on the stage.
The oath ceremony had been going smoothly—up to now. Now it was Sogiita Gunha's turn.
"...With this bond that shall never fade, the bond... what was next again...?"
"Oh well! We will believe in our eternal bonds! Using our everlasting ties and overflowing guts, we'll overcome everything!"
"And for those guys whose guts are rotten to the core..."
This guy must be an idiot!
His bizarre rant left Shokuhou Misaki, who was supposed to follow up by reading her own script, completely dumbfounded. She stood frozen, at a loss for words.
You forgot your lines... and you're a Level 5!
All those shouts about "guts," "passion," and "training" made even Accelerator turn his head. Meanwhile, Kakine Teitoku's face visibly darkened.
Damn it—what a pig teammate!
They were blowing the performance! This wasn't like in the original timeline, where the two were just spectators. Now, they were in the spotlight!
In the audience, the murmurs began to quiet.
"What a uniquely spirited boy," Katie said with a sudden smile. She didn't mind this type of energetic youth.
"But clearly, because of that boy's rambling, the rhythm of the other participants has been thrown off."
Standing nearby, Sebas shook his head.
"Bastard! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
"You got a death wish?!"
On stage, a burst of wind swirled around Kakine Teitoku and Accelerator as they prepared to throw down.
Just then, the host's voice cut through, interrupting their train of thought and stalling their pending clash.
"Ahahaha, thank you to our four participants for their demonstration. Next, we move on to the second segment: the opening address by the Board of Directors."
Clap!
'No resistance. If you get hurt, don't blame me.'
In the minds of the four on stage, Selene's amused and slightly incredulous voice echoed directly. In the next instant, under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, reality itself tore open into a massive rift. A vibrant black cavity, like the maw of a great abyssal beast, swallowed the four stunned Level 5s whole.
Whoosh—!
The spectators in the stadium erupted into noise and confusion.
Were they still expecting a full brawl? That's been canceled, folks.
Step, step~
With the sound of footsteps ascending the platform, the school principals exchanged confused glances. Was there a second segment? Wasn't it their turn for speeches? As crack crack crack echoed from the warped structure, the purplish-red crystalline material twisted and repaired the broken platform before their eyes.
Under snowy white hair that fell like fresh powder, Selene's exquisitely carved features came into full view. Her blood-diamond pupils dazzled all spectators.
For the general audience, it was a striking image—but for the uninvited guests lurking in the shadows, it was terrifying. In that moment, they all felt as though something dreadful was slithering beneath their skin.
She still wore the simple Tokiwadai autumn uniform. But on her, no one could mistake her for an ordinary student.
Especially not those who had infiltrated Academy City with ulterior motives.
As Selene stepped up to the microphone and tapped it lightly—
Bzzzt—!
Click click click!
All military-grade security robots present stood upright in armed salute. In response, security officers employed by the Schicksal Research Institute and the Board of Directors also straightened up in unison.
Not just at the main venue—across the entire city, tourists began to notice that even the standby robots in various districts, along with the enforcers, had all taken on a serious demeanor.
"It really feels like... the atmosphere just turned dead serious," Kamijou Shiina murmured, glancing at the rows of armored riot units standing at attention.
"Uh... same school crest as Tokiwadai. So she's a classmate of your daughter? But is she really a middle school student?" Kamijou Touya couldn't help but glance toward Misaka Misuzu, who was also frozen in shock.
"Mikoto's classmate... is just... wow."
That student's presence was overwhelming. The moment she appeared, the entire tone of the ceremony changed.
As expected, I really don't enjoy these noisy scenes. When it comes to ceremonies, either don't hold them, or if you do, they must proceed with order and decorum.
But this isn't the military, nor an empire. Using suggestive influence from the Authority of Discipline and Insight was definitely overkill.
A commanding tone wouldn't be suitable here.
Let's go for something more friendly, then.
Watching the crowd fall into solemn silence, Selene's lips curved slightly.
"As you've all seen, our eighth-ranked Level 5, Sogiita Gunha, got a little too fired up and caused quite a bit of unnecessary disruption to the ceremony."
"However, isn't that exactly the kind of youthful spirit the Daihasei Festival is all about? A stage for young dreams and burning passion."
"We must not squander the energy and drive of our youth. With that in mind, the Board of Directors has decided—this year, we'll significantly increase the rewards and subsidies for top-performing individuals and academies."
"Unified shop discounts, curfew lifted during the Festival period..."
"In other words, our grand celebration is just about to begin!"
At that moment, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
You say money? We're all ears now.
Selene's stage would never fall flat.
Even if they stayed silent, she could make them her hype crew.
And once the first voice cheered, crowd psychology would do the rest—with a little help from suggestion and material incentives, it was all too easy.
"And now, I declare—the Daihasei Festival officially open."
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