Summer vacation passed quickly. Shokuhou Misaki's growth was like a rocket—plains turned into Mount Everest in an instant. One summer was enough to make everyone look at her in awe. Ren could hardly comprehend the speed of her development.
Psychology developed steadily. Thanks to Misaki's abilities, they bypassed the early difficulties with assignments. Officially, it was the Level 5 Shokuhou Misaki in control, but in reality, he was doing most of the work himself.
Being a Level 5 drew a lot of attention. Many people seeking information came to them. After all, mental abilities were the most convenient way to gather intelligence.
This gave Ren and the others access to a wealth of information—far beyond what any other underground group could achieve. After spending a month with Ren, Gokusai Kaibi completely let her guard down. She enjoyed this orderly, well-planned life.
Misaki herself was extremely busy. Since the kidnapping incident, she had been strengthening the defenses of the Artificial Room. If Kihara Gensei ever returned, he would regret it.
"Today I have to go to school, and I have to live in the dorms," Misaki said, clearly annoyed. Since the Kihara Gensei incident, she had been sleeping with Ren almost every day. She was used to his embrace and would also need to go long periods without seeing Dolly or Misaka.
"It's fine, I'm still—" Ren stopped mid-sentence, feeling like a failure as her teacher.
"Get up and make breakfast!" Misaki kicked him off the bed.
Rolled out of bed, Ren prepared brunch. In the bathroom, the two short-haired Misakas and the long-haired Misaka were washing up. Their mental states were stable, and they woke up early every day.
Ren packed Misaki's luggage. Since she would be living in the dorms, he didn't need to. He still had his responsibilities as a researcher.
Dolly wasn't overly upset about Misaki living in the dorms; she only hoped she would return during holidays. She had already become close friends with the two Misakas.
Among the three, Dolly was the most human-like, followed by Misaka #1, and finally #8790.
At school, Ren first took Misaki to the dormitory. Since the female dorms weren't normally open to outsiders, Misaki used her ability to enlist the help of two kind-hearted girls to carry her things. Doing it herself would have been impossible.
Ren returned to his office, planning to rest. The first day of school included an opening ceremony, which had nothing to do with him as a teacher.
In fact, he could leave now if he wanted. The rules here were humane. Ren thought to himself that the story seemed about to begin in earnest.
"Magic, huh? This is going to be interesting." Ren was curious about how the magic here differed from his own. This was part of the reason he willingly let the Board Chairman use him.
Still, he knew it would take some time before the real story started. For now, he planned to strengthen his underground organization, aiming to create a team composed entirely of beautiful girls.
"Good new semester, Teacher Ren." A female teacher entered the office and greeted him.
"Good new semester, Teacher Sae."
The two of them chatted casually, and Ren realized that his holiday had been surprisingly eventful. He had encountered so many things and visited so many places.
On the first day, Ren mostly took it easy, since there were no classes and nothing pressing to do. The following days were calmer.
Ren attended classes on time, conducted regular tests on the Misaka clones to check their condition, and Psychology continued to develop rapidly under the care of Gokusai Kaibi.
One day, Ren was driving home alone when he noticed a man and a woman walking along the roadside. He slowed down—not because he cared about the couple, but because the girl was wearing a nun's clothes that had been mended with paper clips.
"So the original story's plot is starting. The Saint and Stiyl should have appeared too. Interesting." Ren pressed the accelerator. His fascination with magic had even surpassed his interest in supernatural powers.
Back at home.
"Welcome back, Brother Ren." Dolly greeted him at the door as always.
"I'm back, Misaka. I need your help." Ren's gaze fell on Misaka 8790.
"Brother Ren needs Misaka? Misaka is happy to assist." Misaka 8790 assumed a ready stance.
"Help me track someone's location." Ren provided her with the person's school and basic information.
"Understood. Misaka will carry out the request and hopes for a head-pat reward." Misaka 8790's eyes glimmered expectantly.
Ren gently patted her head. Misaka closed her eyes, enjoying it, looking like a content little cat—adorable and comforting.
After the reward, Misaka began releasing information across the Misaka network. First came the envy of the other clones, followed by the detailed location data. Using the school as a reference, they quickly pinpointed the person.
Once he had the exact location, Ren turned to the group. "Anyone interested in coming with me? I'll show you something."
"I-I-I want to go!" Dolly was the first to raise her hand. Thanks to careful guidance from Ren and Shokuhou Misaki, she had long since overcome her past shadows and now wanted to enjoy each day to the fullest.
"Misaka wants to go too!" Excited voices echoed like Dolly's from Misaka 1 and 8790 as they looked toward Ren together.
As for Misaki, she had already gone offline… staying at the dorm. Ren drove toward Kamijou's place with the three Misakas. He wasn't afraid of returning empty-handed; Stiyl would definitely be here.
Sure enough, a barrier set by a magician blocked ordinary people from entering. Even the Misakas sensed that AIM's magnetic field was a little chaotic.
Ren gauged the situation, broke through an opening, and led the three inside. Once within the barrier, the area was deserted, though a distant house was on fire.
"Misaka is curious about this phenomenon. There wasn't any fire just a moment ago," Misaka 1 said, glancing around.
"This is magic. Let me show you," Ren said. After sensing the exact aura, he moved quickly toward the target.
"Magic… Misaka cannot access the Misaka Network," Misaka 8790 muttered.
Soon, Ren saw a spiky-haired figure facing off against a red-haired man. The Hand of God was truly formidable; Ren realized that even the fire the opponent had already unleashed could be neutralized.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" the red-haired man demanded.
"Ah… so many Electromasters. What's going on?" Kamijou Touma looked at the two wearing goggles and the long-haired Misaka with curiosity.
"Misaka isn't an Electromaster; they are my sisters," Misaka 8790 explained to Kamijou.
"Sisters?" Kamijou blinked. He hadn't realized they were quadruplets.
"From Academy City?" The red-haired man frowned.
"You know magic, don't you? I'm very interested in you," Ren said, fixing his gaze on the man.
"Seems like you know something," the red-haired man muttered. Without hesitation, he unleashed magic at Ren and the others.
Kamijou didn't think twice. He jumped in front of Ren, blocking the attack with his right hand, and then looked at the man. "This has nothing to do with them, right?"
"Truly a good man," Ren muttered in awe. Offering help to someone you've just met was rare in this world.