Inside the Light Music Club's mountain lodge
Moonlight slips through the gap in the curtains and pools across the quilt.
Akiyama Mio's eyes flutter open. Every muscle aches as if she has been run over by a truck.
"Ugh… it hurts…"
She struggles upright—
—only to find Hirasawa Yui, Tainaka Ritsu, and Kotobuki Tsumugi sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her in perfect unison.
"Mio! You're awake!"
Yui throws herself forward happily, round eyes brimming with concern.
Mio freezes.
Then the realization strikes her: she is completely naked. She yanks the duvet around herself in a flash, her face blazing crimson.
"W‑When did you three come in?!"
The girls look at one another; an awkward silence thickens the air.
Tsumugi clears her throat softly and adjusts her glasses.
"Um… Mio, actually we all know."
"K‑Know what?"
Mio's voice quivers; her fingers clutch the blanket's edge.
"About you and that Rei Ao…"
Ritsu scratches her cheek, for once looking almost embarrassed.
"And… about Yui, too…"
Yui bows her head, fingers twisting nervously together.
"I'm sorry, Mio… it's all because of me…"
"!!!"
Mio's mind goes utterly blank.
Th‑They know?
Yesterday's scene of her taking the initiative with Rei Ao flashes back—the shameful sounds, the sensations…
And now her best friends know everything!
Social death.
Absolute social death!
She slowly curls up under the covers and mutters, "Could… I be alone for a bit…?"
"But—"
Ritsu starts to speak but Tsumugi stops her with a shake of the head.
This isn't the moment for more words.
The three file out.
When the door clicks shut,
Mio flings the quilt aside again. Her entire face is scarlet, and a whimper of unbearable embarrassment slips between clenched teeth.
"Uuu… I can't face anyone now…"
Outside, a nightingale happens to trill, as if echoing the girl's mortification.
…
Academy City, District 7 – General Board Executive Tower, top floor
Floor‑to‑ceiling windows mirror the city lights.
The steel‑and‑glass shaft stabs into the night like a sword, overlooking a galaxy of brilliance below.
Once, this was Aleister Crowley's domain.
Now new rulers convene here to chart Academy City's future.
Inside the Director‑General's office, a fierce debate is underway.
The spacious room.
The high‑back chair behind the solid oak desk sits empty—symbol of a temporary power vacuum.
That seat should belong to Rei Ao.
A faint blend of black‑tea aroma and incense drifts through the air—two incompatible scents reflecting their owners.
"Your plan is practically coddling those research institutes!"
Misaka Mikoto slams her palm on the desk, blue‑white sparks crackling through her chestnut hair. Anger makes her voice tremble.
"We need stricter oversight. The moment those labs get a chance, they'll repeat the same atrocities!"
A holographic map of Academy City's research facilities hovers above the desk; several red‑marked sites are still operating in gray areas.
Mikoto's fingertip streaks across the red dots, electricity leaping. She looks ready to erase those dens of sin from existence.
Opposite her, Shokuhō Misaki lounges indolently on a leather sofa, golden curls cascading like a waterfall.
She sips her tea with elegance, starry eyes sparkling with teasing amusement.
"My, our little 'champion of justice' is still so naïve ~☆"
She sets down her cup, fingertip tapping the rim.
"Overly harsh controls will just backfire. The researchers will scurry deeper like frightened rats, and they'll be even harder to track."
"So you'll just let them keep running those inhumane experiments?"
A flash of lightning dances in Mikoto's eyes.
"Don't forget why we agreed to partner with Academy City in the first place!"
"I haven't forgotten what Rei Ao entrusted to me, of course ~"
Shokuhō's smile turns dangerous.
"But do you think brute force can solve everything? My approach is slower, yet it changes how this city works at the root ~☆"
Standing aside, Shirai Kuroko's twin tails twitch restlessly—no chance to break in at all.
She steals a glance at Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko; the three share a helpless look.
Uiharu and Saten are still processing the scene.
The senpais they once idolized now sit at the very center of power, and the two Level 5s are trading verbal lightning right before their eyes.
In a corner, several autonomous cleaning robots glide about. Their sensors swivel toward the argument from time to time—as if they, too, are following a debate that might decide Academy City's fate.
"Um… senpai…"
Uiharu ventures timidly, fingers kneading the flower clip atop her head.
She's in her formal uniform today, though the signature accessory remains.
As the new Information‑Systems Inspector, the terminal before her shows the latest firewall status for the city network.
"Shut up!"
The two disputants snap in perfect unison, making Uiharu flinch.
"Uu…"
Her gaze drifts helplessly to Shirai Kuroko—still no chance to speak.
Kuroko sighs.
Saten Ruiko, long black hair tied neatly back, slips an arm around Uiharu's shoulders to comfort her.
Today, Saten is unusually dressed in a professional suit, looking crisp and mature.
She leans close and whispers, "Don't worry—they're always like this. Like Konori‑senpai said, it's their special way of 'communicating.'"
Kuroko watches the scene, emotions swirling.
"Kuroko…"
Uiharu tugs her sleeve, pulling her back to reality.
"Can we really handle jobs like this? I'm only a Level 1 esper…"
Saten's eyes dim.
She is the only one here without any powers at all.
~~~
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