All the girls had decided to enroll in Tokiwadai.
The news of six Level 5s entering Tokiwadai instantly became the hottest headline.
The headmistress of Tokiwadai Academy was smiling so widely in her office that her face almost split apart.
Every time, Tokiwadai Academy had lost to the other top esper academy, Nagatenjouki Academy, in the Daihasei Festival.
But this time, with half of Academy City's Level 5 espers joining Tokiwadai, how could her school possibly lose in the next Daihasei Festival?
In that instant, Tokiwadai became the most prestigious academy in the entirety of Academy City. Moreover, even outside the city, whenever anyone mentioned "Level 5," they would now think of Tokiwadai Academy.
There was still less than a month before the new term began, but the girls had already moved into Tokiwadai's dormitory.
Shokuhou Misaki had just enrolled, yet she had already become the leader of Tokiwadai's largest faction—no contest.
Five Level 5 espers followed her lead, and Tokiwadai Academy had practically turned into her private domain.
Moreover, her abilities far surpassed those of ordinary Level 5s. Upon enrollment, she immediately scanned all the adults' memories and issued a psychological suggestion forbidding anyone from harboring malicious thoughts toward her group.
Of course, Shokuhou Misaki still obeyed the school rules—except for the areas she truly wasn't good at.
Thus, when she broke the rules and was scolded by a teacher, she would listen attentively.
The current Shokuhou Misaki was far more cheerful than the one from the original timeline.
She also knew about Dolly's situation, but she didn't believe Director-sensei would ever do anything evil. After all, it wasn't the Director who created Dolly, and he treated her as an ordinary girl.
Still, because of that incident, she harbored deep resentment toward Misaka Mikoto—this greenhouse flower who knew nothing of Academy City's darkness yet sold her own genes. She found her detestable to the core.
To make matters worse, the school had made Misaka Mikoto the face of Tokiwadai, which only irritated her further.
"Wow! Look! It's the Queen!"
"Amazing! They say she won over so many Level 5s purely with her charisma!"
"As expected of the leader of our Tokiwadai's largest faction!"
Shokuhou Misaki walked into Tokiwadai's library, followed by Hokaze Junko, Kouzaku Mitori, Mitsuari Ayu—three Level 5s—and several other powerful Level 4s.
The sight resembled a royal procession, as if the Queen of England herself had arrived.
The girls in the library turned their admiring gazes toward her.
To them, Shokuhou Misaki leading a group of Level 5s was nothing short of legendary.
Her personal charm also played a huge part.
Though she was a mighty Level 5, she never acted arrogantly. When she saw a classmate in trouble, she would take the initiative to help.
Thus, within less than a month, she had won over the entire school purely through her personality.
Of course, a few girls were jealous or envious, but they were in the minority.
Those who admired her willingly followed Hokaze Junko and the others in calling her "Queen."
Smiling sweetly, Shokuhou Misaki said, "Everyone, don't mind me. I'm just here to read."
The students instantly fell silent, though their admiring gazes never left her.
At one of the study tables in the library hall, however, a girl's mouth twitched. Her expression was filled with discomfort as she pressed her palm against her forehead.
"That girl… Why is she everywhere?!"
Misaka Mikoto felt that her luck had been terrible lately.
Especially ever since that Shokuhou Misaki and her group of fawning followers came to Tokiwadai.
She remembered first meeting a classmate who looked almost identical to her—like a twin.
She had even called her mother to ask if she had a long-lost twin sister somewhere.
After getting a firm "no" as an answer, she finally relaxed.
Then, for some reason, after that classmate met her, Shokuhou Misaki seemed to have taken offense to her existence—and started picking fights for no apparent reason.
Rumors about her kicking vending machines, reports to the faculty about her bullying delinquents—all of it had somehow been spread by Shokuhou, making her the talk of the school.
What was worse was that last time, that girl had even used her psychic ability to drill straight into her head—it hurt so much that Misaka almost rolled on the ground in pain.
If not for her electromagnetic barrier barely managing to block it, she might have been brainwashed on the spot.
It was absolutely outrageous! That detestable, starry-eyed girl was just too much!
Misaka had even thought about sneaking up on her with a club while wearing a mask—but alas, the other girl's ranking was higher than hers.
She had fallen from third place to fifth, while that starry-eyed menace had taken her old spot. The fourth rank was now held by a classmate named Yumiya Iruka.
She couldn't beat them…
To make things worse, a Judgment girl she had once helped had transferred into Tokiwadai recently—and forcibly moved into her dorm room, kicking out her original roommate.
As a result, Misaka was punished by the dorm supervisor and forced to clean the cafeteria floor.
And that junior of hers… well, she wasn't sure if the girl was missing a screw or something, but she often stared at her in the middle of the night, giggling guhehehe~. Every time, Misaka had to shock her unconscious before she could finally sleep in peace.
Watching Shokuhou Misaki walk into the library, Misaka pouted. "I can't fight her, but I can at least avoid her!" she muttered, grabbing her book and preparing to return it before leaving.
"Ah~ So Misaka-san is here too. What a coincidence~"
That lilting, wave-like voice sounded right next to Misaka's ear, and her entire body stiffened.
Shokuhou Misaki, one hand casually behind her back, strolled right up to her. Misaka kept her face rigid, turning it away.
"Misaka-san~"
Misaka's voice was tight and forced. "Talking isn't allowed in the library, Shokuhou-san…"
Shokuhou blinked her starry eyes. "Oh? Is that so?"
Misaka replied, "That's right. Anyway, I'm done reading, so I'm leaving."
Just as she tried to stand up, Shokuhou pressed a hand on her shoulder, smiling playfully.
"So, what's Misaka-san thinking about today? I wonder if I can find out~?"
"After all, I've already read the memories of every teacher and student in this school—except Misaka-san."
"And Misaka-san is also a Level 5. Having another Level 5 around whose thoughts I can't read—well, it really makes me feel unsafe, you know?"
Hearing that, Misaka could barely hold it together.
With a loud slam, she shot to her feet, fury blazing in her eyes as she smacked the table.
"Unsafe? The one who should be worried about their life being in danger is me!"
Misaka Mikoto's face turned red with anger.
"What kind of joke is that?! You're probably safer than the President of the United States!"
As a Level 5 esper herself, she knew perfectly well just how powerful such abilities could be.
When she went all out, she could cause a blackout across an entire district, destroy most electronic devices, summon lightning strikes, and even fire a Railgun blast capable of piercing through Academy City itself.
What a joke! Not only was Shokuhou a Level 5 herself, but she also had five Level 5 followers—five! Even the combined force of Japan's Self-Defense Forces might not be enough to put her life in any real danger!
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
The students in the library froze, covering their mouths in shock.
Every single one of them stared wide-eyed at the scene before them—it was as shocking as watching an R-rated movie.
For the refined young ladies of Tokiwadai, who were raised to avoid worldly disputes, a mere argument between students was already a huge incident.
And this time, it looked like an actual fight might break out.
"Misaka-senpai and the Queen… they're about to fight!"
"I've heard rumors that the Queen and Misaka-senpai don't get along."
"T-this is terrifying! Are they really going to fight?!"
"How should we even stop them?!"
Both Misaka Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki were immensely influential figures to Tokiwadai's students.
If Shokuhou was the elegant, noble type of leader, then Misaka was the chivalrous kind who would draw her sword to help others without hesitation.
Her boyish, straightforward personality made her uniquely charming.
"Level 5s fighting will get them suspended from school!"
"We're just weak espers—if they really fight, there's nothing we can do!"
Shokuhou Misaki, however, paid no mind to the murmurs around her.
"Ah~ Misaka-san's temper is really something—just like a powder keg. One spark and boom, instant explosion."
Clap~
She gently clapped her hands together. Instantly, all the surrounding students fell silent, their eyes glazing over as tiny stars appeared in their pupils.
"Does Misaka-san want to have a Level 5 battle with me right here? I wouldn't mind~"
"But do you really think you can handle not just me—but every single student here as well?"
Misaka looked around. Every pair of glassy, star-filled eyes was now fixed on her. Then she looked back at the smiling Shokuhou Misaki, grinding her teeth.
"You underhanded, starry-eyed witch! What did you do to them? Come at me directly—leave everyone else out of this!"
Sparks of lightning crackled from her forehead as electromagnetic waves burst forth like detonations.
Zzzzt—Zzzzt—
The lights in the library flickered wildly under the interference.
Shokuhou sighed. "Honestly, how brainless can you be? Is your head filled with nothing but muscles?"
"That's exactly why I can't stand you. You act without thinking, never considering the consequences, assuming your power alone can fix everything."
"Only when you lose something will you realize what a fool you've been."
"I really hate people like that."
Only Director Noah could be someone she truly admired.
Back when he was still weak, he had hidden his true strength—constantly growing, gathering information, and strengthening himself until the day he could make Academy City's upper echelons bow their heads.
She wanted to be like Director Noah—to conceal her true power, to make herself an enigma no one could ever fully grasp.
Misaka Mikoto glared fiercely at Shokuhou Misaki, then glanced toward the distance—at the gentle Hokaze Junko, the crossed-arms Kouzaku Mitori, and the calm Mitsuari Ayu.
Gulp—
She swallowed hard, a bead of cold sweat trickling down her temple.
She had never fought a Level 5 before, but she knew herself well.
She couldn't even beat Shokuhou Misaki alone—so how could she possibly fight against all of them?
Shokuhou Misaki looked at the sweat-soaked Misaka Mikoto, her face beaming with amusement as she clapped her hands again.
Clap clap~
"See? Look how scared Misaka-san is."
"Today's daily dose of intimidation ends here."
"If I scare Misaka-san too much, I won't have a toy to play with anymore."
She withdrew her psychic control, and all the students who had been affected blinked and returned to normal—though none of them remembered what had just happened.
That entire memory had been erased by Shokuhou Misaki.
"Eh? Why am I standing up?"
"Wow! Everyone, look! It's Misaka-san and the Queen!"
"It's so rare to see those two standing together…"
Shokuhou glanced at Hokaze Junko and Mitsuari Ayu.
"Let's go. Self-study is over—it's time for afternoon tea."
Misaka Mikoto exhaled in relief, her sharp gaze fixed on Shokuhou. "Psychic-type powers… how despicable."
Shokuhou smiled sweetly. "Don't look so scary. Besides, I have a little warning for you today."
"Don't even think about forming a faction to go against me. The moment I find out you're trying to gather followers, I'll make sure you're completely isolated from everyone."
She was, in her own way, protecting the students' safety. With Misaka's reckless and naive personality, it was only a matter of time before she came into contact with Academy City's darkness.
And when that happened—if other students were dragged in—what could she do to save them? The danger had to be cut off at the root.
Misaka pouted. "You think everyone's like you, Queen? Hah~ So old-fashioned and chuunibyou."
Shokuhou didn't mind in the slightest. She turned and walked toward Hokaze Junko.
Junko leaned closer, whispering guiltily in her ear. "Queen, isn't it kind of mean to keep picking on Misaka-san?"
Shokuhou shook her head. "You don't understand yet, Junko. Just remember—it's all for everyone's safety."
Junko tilted her head in confusion, while Mitsuari Ayu, standing nearby, nodded in agreement.
"The Queen is doing this to protect everyone," she said firmly.
As a fellow psychic-type esper, she understood exactly what Shokuhou's actions meant.
Misaka clenched her small fists tightly, tears threatening to well up in her eyes—only for her to force them back down.
That detestable starry-eyed girl… What did I ever do to deserve this?!
Feeling wronged, she couldn't help but think the world itself bore a cruel grudge against her.
...
Meanwhile, Noah was far from idle.
Ever since the Talent Workshop had become world-famous, it had attracted overwhelming attention—it was now undeniably Academy City's number-one research institute.
Every student in the city dreamed of having their abilities developed by the Talent Workshop.
And that was exactly what Noah was working on.
He simply made a list of all the female students he was familiar with—and began sending out invitation letters.
Sitting leisurely in his executive chair, Noah held a sheet of paper filled with names:
Saten Ruiko, Kazari Uiharu, Fukiyose Seiri, Kongou Mitsuko, Wannai Kinuho, Awatsuki Maaya, Misaka Mikoto, Shirai Kuroko, Frenda Seivelun, Takitsubo Rikou, Kinuhata Saiai, Gokusai Kaibi…
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