The atmosphere at Seventh Mist was cheerful, but elsewhere, things were grim and heavy with frustration.
Judgment Branch 177.
Shirai Kuroko leaned against the desk, staring at the remains of several dolls and crushed aluminum cans. Her brow furrowed deeply. It had been quite some time since the [Graviton Bombings] incident had occurred and drawn public attention, yet they still hadn't caught the culprit. Several Judgment members had even been injured in the process.
Sighing, Kuroko muttered, "Ugh... has the [Graviton Bombings] case really been under investigation for this long already?"
Agitated, she ruffled her hair and slumped back into her chair. The teacup on her desk rattled from the impact. "But aside from these useless fragments, we haven't found a single clue! The only esper who matched the power signature has been in the hospital for three months, and dozens of people can vouch for her alibi!"
"Could it be a different criminal using the same method?" Konori Mii, who was sitting in front of a computer, frowned as she spoke, but then smiled wryly. "Though... that's unlikely. No matter how we look at it, there's no clear link between the incidents."
"..."
"Kuroko, what do you think? Should we ask that senpai of yours for help?"
After a brief silence, Konori's suggestion made Shirai Kuroko freeze for a moment. "Uh... there's no need to trouble my senpai..."
"Why not? If I remember right, during that post office robbery, wasn't it Selene who saved us? You even went to Tokiwadai to thank her afterward, didn't you? Why do you seem less close to her now than you are with Misaka Mikoto?" Konori asked curiously. After all, she owed her life to Selene as well.
"Well, that's because... actually..."
"...There's really not much to say. After the incident, when I entered Tokiwadai Middle School, I did go looking for Selene-senpai in person..." Shirai Kuroko rubbed her temples helplessly as she noticed the gossiping look in Konori's eyes but decided to explain anyway.
"But at that time, Selene-senpai didn't seem to be around the school much... and the first Level 5 I met there wasn't Onee-sama."
"Hmm? Then you must've met that Mental Out, the third Level 5 ace of Tokiwadai, right?" Konori's tone turned even more curious. "So, your closest friend isn't the person who saved you, nor the first Level 5 you met? How does that even work?"
"What's going on? You almost sound like you're scared of Selene."
Shirai Kuroko fell silent. In truth, she was somewhat afraid of Selene. As for how she eventually ended up as Misaka Mikoto's roommate and best friend—it was pure coincidence.
"..."
It was a long story. Back when she first entered Tokiwadai, Shirai Kuroko had been eager to find Selene and thank her in person. But she was completely stood up.
At that time, Selene had been incredibly busy—barely ever setting foot on the ground. If she wasn't flying somewhere, she was teleporting. She hardly even stayed in her dorm room, spending most of her time at the Schicksal Research Institute.
As a result, Kuroko's first real encounter in Tokiwadai wasn't with Selene—but with Shokuhou Misaki.
Unlike the carefree and cheerful Misaka Mikoto, Shokuhou Misaki was the true radiant star of Tokiwadai Middle School. While Selene remained an unreachable existence, graceful and perfect to the point of intimidation, Shokuhou dazzled the school with her charisma.
Selene's poise and manners were impeccable—her speech and behavior always calm and courteous, like something straight out of a textbook. But to Tokiwadai's elite students, who were raised in wealth and refinement, it was easy to see the cold detachment hidden beneath her gentle smile.
Naturally, relationships with Selene remained formal and distant—"a gentleman's friendship, as light as water."
Shokuhou Misaki, on the other hand, was far more proactive. At just thirteen years old, as a first-year student, she had already begun forming her own faction and gathered countless admirers.
After Kuroko entered Tokiwadai, it was inevitable that she caught Shokuhou's attention. After all, a space esper was a rarity—and thanks to Selene's butterfly effect, spatial-type espers now held an even higher standing within Academy City.
However, when invited, Shirai Kuroko unexpectedly declined. The Shokuhou faction didn't press the matter any further.
Later, when Kuroko finally managed to see Selene again, it happened to coincide with Selene's battle against Misaka Mikoto.
At that moment, watching Misaka Mikoto struggling but refusing to give up under Selene's overwhelming assault—the determined, fearless look in her eyes, the pride and power radiating from her as an Electromaster—Shirai Kuroko felt something stir inside her. It wasn't admiration or envy. It was the spark of romantic awe.
From that point onward, everything changed.
After witnessing the respectful, almost reverent attitude that figures like Sebas, Shuji Matsuzaki, Aoki Youichi, and Kihara Amata showed toward Selene, Kuroko's heart began to shift.
As a Judgment officer, Shirai Kuroko was perhaps the most mature among the four main girls. She quickly understood the vast gulf in status and influence between herself and Selene. More importantly, she realized that she didn't like Selene's elevated, untouchable demeanor.
To Kuroko, all life was equal. Selene's identity, power, and detached way of dealing with others clashed completely with that principle. She didn't go so far as to hate or resent Selene, but whatever warmth had once kindled in her heart inevitably faded away.
"So that's how it is... Anyway, let's drop this topic for now and focus on business." With a deep sigh, Shirai leaned back against the wall. "If we don't move fast, there might be more victims soon."
"I know." Konori Mii nodded, seeing the exhaustion on Kuroko's face. "Let's get back to work."
...
"Do you think it could be someone who recently leveled up their ability?"
Kuroko rejected the idea immediately. As someone who had personally gone through ability development, she knew all too well. "Impossible. There's no way an esper's power could increase that much in such a short time."
"Since we've ruled that out, maybe we should change our perspective," Konori said thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow. "Let's think about the victims instead."
"The victims are all over the place." Kuroko frowned and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Even Judgment members have been attacked—nine of them! Whoever's behind this clearly isn't afraid of consequences..."
"Nine?!" Konori's eyes widened, her expression turning grave as she spoke slowly, "Kuroko... don't you think the number of injured Judgment members is a bit too high?"
Kuroko's pupils contracted sharply.
"What if these incidents aren't random crimes," Konori continued, "but targeted attacks? In all my years, I've never seen a case where nine Judgment officers were injured in a single series of incidents."
"Mostly Judgment officers..." Kuroko muttered, a thought clicking into place. "Nine, out of only a dozen or so total victims... That's nearly half of them. And there aren't that many Judgment members to begin with. Don't tell me—"
Their eyes met.
"The culprit's real target... is Judgment?!" they both exclaimed at once.
Though the idea seemed unbelievable, their instincts told them it was the truth.
Just as they began piecing together the possible motive behind the attacks, an alarm suddenly blared from Konori's computer.
"Satellite detection—graviton activity spiking!" Konori's eyes widened as she started typing rapidly. "This time, the [Graviton Bombings] location is..."
When the address appeared on the screen, both she and Kuroko froze.
"Seventh Mist?!"