(While Kuchiba Hiro was planning the key step of his revenge within the safety of his shelter, Misaka Mikoto was struggling in a quagmire of chaos and self-reproach. She wandered aimlessly through relatively intact blocks; the wounds on her body throbbed with pain, but the hollow in her heart felt deeper than any physical injury.
Just then, her phone rang. On the screen pulsed the name that always made her incredibly irritable —Shokuhou Misaki.
Taking a deep breath, she pressed the answer button anyway. As expected, that characteristic, drawling, sweet voice —one that always seemed to carry a hint of mockery —immediately came from the other side.
"Ara ara~ Isn't this our famous Miss 'Railgun'? You've really... made quite a scene~" Shokuhou Misaki's voice was filled with undisguised schadenfreude. "A bounty of two hundred thousand gold coins~ Tsk tsk, that's a rare big fish these days. Even I'm a little tempted, you know?"
Misaka Mikoto's face instantly darkened, her fingers tightening around the phone.
Shokuhou Misaki seemed not to notice her anger —or rather, she didn't care —and continued in her unique tone that seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts: "How is it? Now you know the price of impulsiveness, right? Failing to protect someone important, and even losing yourself in the pursuit of revenge... it's quite the reckless style that fits you perfectly. But well, since we are 'old friends,' I happen to be short of a capable 'poster girl' on my end. If you're willing to lower yourself and work for me, I could reluctantly help you 'handle' these little troubles. For instance, I could 'persuade' some annoying flies, or help you 'tidy up' those messy memories so you don't have nightmares at night~"
Shokuhou Misaki's original intention might have been mixed with an indescribable trace of concern, wanting to offer help in the way she could, but her condescending attitude and habitual sarcasm sounded like the most vicious mockery and pity to Misaka Mikoto's ears at this moment!
Mocking her for being unable to protect Kuroko! Mocking her for failing to get revenge and instead getting into a mess! Pitying her current pathetic situation!
"Shut up!" Misaka Mikoto growled through gritted teeth, the fire in her chest ignited once more. "My business is none of your concern! And I certainly don't need your pity!"
Hanging up the phone filled with Shokuhou Misaki's mockery and hypocritical 'goodwill,' Misaka Mikoto's chest heaved violently, so angry she nearly crushed the phone.
"Who needs that bastard's pity!" she cursed under her breath, blacklisting Shokuhou Misaki's name in her mind ten thousand times. Her heart was now entirely filled with hatred for Kuchiba Hiro and the anxiety of getting money as soon as possible.
That two-hundred-thousand bounty? She didn't take it too seriously. Firstly, she had absolute confidence in her own strength; no matter how many ordinary hunters came, they would just be delivering themselves to her. Secondly, she naively thought that as long as she worked hard, resolving this 'mere' 400,000 debt wouldn't be difficult. The priority was to find Kuchiba Hiro and make up for the family's shortfall.
The clues to Kuchiba Hiro had temporarily vanished, as if a stone had sunk into the ocean. The family situation, however, was urgent. Her father had drained almost all of the company's liquid capital to raise that huge sum of gold coins. If it couldn't be replenished soon, the family business might truly collapse. This realization brought a flicker of pressure to her.
She loved her family and cared about their lives, but her family was afraid of her. This made her feel a bit self-reproachful for scaring them, yet also a bit angry that they would actually be terrified of —and even somewhat repulsed by —their own daughter. But in the end, she couldn't just ignore them.
"Making money... how should I make money?" she pondered with a frown. Taking official missions at the mission hall? The money came too slowly, and high-reward missions often came with high risks and uncertainties; the efficiency was too low.
A thought popped up: working for someone.
She had heard that some large Battle Gangs or certain special organizations would recruit powerful Transcendents as guest experts, consultants, or even enforcers, offering quite considerable salaries and commissions. With her reputation as the 'Railgun' and her top-tier esper strength, she would surely be very popular, right? Even if she couldn't earn 400,000 immediately, solving the family's urgent needs first shouldn't be a problem.
With this optimistic expectation, she reopened that familiar app. This time, she wasn't looking at wanted posters or the mall, but found an inconspicuous 'Recruitment' section.
The information in the section was a dazzling array, refreshing rapidly:
('Blood Crow' Battle Gang urgently seeking strikers. Requirements: Ability rating Level 8 or above, combat experience. Compensation negotiable, casualties at own risk.)
('Shadow Chamber of Commerce' long-term acquisition of specific rare materials. Heavy rewards for those providing clues.)
(Private Commission: Escort mission, escorting a batch of 'special cargo' to District 23. Reward: 5,000 gold coins. Requirements: Abilities must have concealment or defensive characteristics.)
('Broken Heaven' Bar recruiting temporary security. Must deter troublemakers. Hourly rate: 100 gold coins. Must be prepared for potential high-risk conflicts.)
As she read through the messages one by one, Misaka Mikoto's brow furrowed tighter.
Almost none of these so-called 'jobs' were clean. They either involved direct participation in gang wars, transportation in gray areas, or acting as an enforcer. The rewards might be high, but without exception, they all carried extreme risks and clearly violated her internal (though shaken, not yet fully collapsed) code of conduct.
She tried to find something that looked a bit more 'proper,' such as an ability tester for a research institution or rescue assistance for supernatural disasters, but this type of information was pitifully scarce, and the pay couldn't compare at all to those dangerous missions.
Refusing to give up, she tried to proactively contact a few recruitment posts from Battle Gangs that seemed larger and had somewhat decent reputations.
The replies were all more or less the same:
"Miss Misaka Mikoto? We certainly recognize your strength. However... your current 'bounty' is a bit troublesome. It would bring us unnecessary attention and risk. If you are willing to accept some 'special' terms, such as following orders completely and having your mission earnings prioritized to cover 'potential losses' you might bring us, we can consider it."
"Railgun? Heh, you've got quite a name. But we aren't a charity here. With a two-hundred-thousand bounty on your head, you're like a bomb that could go off at any time. If you want to join, go clear your bounty first, or... guarantee absolute loyalty, and we might be able to think of something for you."
"Sorry, we are not currently accepting members who are 'high-profile' and have 'records of significant attention from The Authorities.'"
The cold reality was like a series of slaps to the face, shattering her naive fantasies.
She thought her great strength would be a stepping stone, but she didn't expect that two-hundred-thousand bounty to be a stumbling block. These Battle Gangs were shrewd; they valued profit and were extremely risk-averse. A 'jinx' who had a high price on her head from The Authorities and had just caused large-scale destruction, no matter how good she was at fighting, was a hot potato. They either wanted to exploit the situation by imposing harsh conditions or simply kept their distance.
What chilled her even more was that during her browsing and communication, she vaguely realized that so-called 'working' in the transcendent world often meant doing things that skirted the edges of the veil protocol or even directly violated it —killing, looting, fighting for territory, and handling 'dirty work' that couldn't see the light of day. The official missions she had taken before out of interest and a sense of justice were merely the most superficial and 'mild' part of this dark ecosystem.
She had always thought she could hold her bottom line and only do 'right' things. But now, the immense financial pressure and her obsession with revenge were pushing her step by step toward that dark vortex she once looked down upon.
"As long as I hold my bottom line... making money shouldn't be hard..." she murmured to herself, trying to cheer herself up, but her voice already carried a weakness that couldn't even convince herself.
Looking at those recruitment messages on the app interface, filled with the scent of blood and calculated interests, Misaka Mikoto realized clearly for the first time that in this cruel world, wanting to earn big money 'cleanly' was almost a pipe dream. Her two-hundred-thousand bounty was certainly not something that could be easily wiped away by doing a few 'ordinary missions.')
(What, exactly, should she do?)
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