The next morning.
"Hmm?" Selene was jolted awake by the sound of her phone ringing. Her head pounded, and her tone was filled with irritation as she answered, "Who the hell is calling this early?!"
"Sorry to bother you, uh, Miss Selene," came Kamijou Touma's nervous voice from the other end. "Could you maybe... help me out a bit? I'm running a little short on funds... Don't worry, I swear I'll pay you back!" Even through the phone, he could tell Selene wasn't exactly in the best mood. Knowing he was the one asking for a favor, his voice was especially polite.
"Huh? And why me? Why not ask your dear 'old friend,' Miss Misaka?" Selene asked with a teasing lilt, already guessing the situation. It was probably Index's bottomless appetite that had drained Kamijou's wallet dry.
Hearing that, Kamijou's voice instantly rose in panic. "Spare me, please! If Biri-Biri finds out, she'll laugh me out of existence! And besides, I don't even have her number! Even if I did—no way! I'd rather starve! I'd rather jump out the window than go crawling to her!"
"Oh? Aren't you afraid I'll tell her?" Selene's tone carried a mischievous edge. It was almost like one of those "Jingze Law" situations—when someone says something that fate immediately decides to mock.
"Please, Miss Selene, don't do this to me! You're killing me here!" Kamijou's voice practically oozed despair. His helplessness when it came to Misaka Mikoto could be felt even through the phone.
Selene chuckled softly. "Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. Where are you right now? I'll head over."
"Really? Thanks so much! We're, uh... staying at a teacher's place in School District 7 right now—"
...
At Komoe Tsukuyomi's apartment, Kamijou hung up the phone and sighed heavily. Glancing at Index, who was still devouring food like a starving wolf, then at his nearly empty wallet containing only a few sad coins, he couldn't help but groan. "How can someone so small eat so much? Is your stomach connected to another dimension?"
Having recently been exposed to the world of magic, Kamijou was already starting to take things in stride. First came esper powers, now there was magic—what else could possibly surprise him at this point?
Thinking about how his peaceful life had completely gone up in smoke—his home destroyed, his credit fried, his body burned by Stiyl's flames, and constantly chased around by that electrifying middle school girl—Kamijou couldn't hold back the frustration anymore. "Such misfortune!!!"
About thirty minutes later, Index was still eating. Kamijou was terrified. How was he supposed to afford feeding this bottomless pit?
Knock Knock.
The sound of knocking made Kamijou perk up immediately. He rushed to the door—because all of Komoe-sensei's leftover food had already vanished into Index's stomach, and he was starving. He wanted to grab a bite outside, but... he was broke.
Checking the door monitor, he saw Selene standing outside.
"Oh, Selene, you're here! Just a sec—" Kamijou's voice came through the speaker before the locks clicked open a moment later.
"Sorry, the teacher here's a bit paranoid about door-to-door salesmen," Kamijou explained awkwardly, scratching his head as he stepped aside to let her in.
"...Why does this place smell so strongly of smoke and alcohol?" Selene frowned the moment she entered. Even after being cleaned, the lingering scent of cigarettes and liquor was thick in the air.
"Uh... yeah," Kamijou mumbled, embarrassed. He'd been pretty shocked himself when he first arrived last night. Who would've guessed that someone as cute as Komoe-sensei was also a chain-smoking, heavy-drinking veteran?
"Whatever," Selene sighed. "Here, take this. Should be enough... consider it compensation for your troubles." With that, she walked over to the small table and, with a flick of her wrist, produced a thick stack of bills seemingly out of nowhere.
"Wha—?! Stop, that's already too much!" Kamijou's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he watched the pile of cash grow taller than the still-eating Index beside him. His brain couldn't process it.
He knew Tokiwadai students were rich, but this was absurd. As someone who had to hunt for supermarket discounts just to survive, the sight of that much money nearly broke his willpower. "A-are you sure about this? Isn't that too much?"
"It's fine," Selene said casually. "This is just my pocket money. It should cover the cost of your dorm repairs, right? If not..." She reached for her card, clearly ready to hand it over next.
"Pocket money?!" Kamijou Touma froze at Selene's casual response. Inside, the little devil in his heart screamed: Rich lady, please adopt me! I don't want to work anymore!
Realizing what he'd just heard, Kamijou couldn't help but sigh in awe. "So this... this is what they call a proper young lady..."
Afterward, he poured Selene a cup of hot water and apologized awkwardly. "Sorry... Komoe-sensei's fridge only has alcohol. There's nothing else to drink."
"It's fine," Selene replied simply. After sitting and chatting for a bit, she politely took her leave from Komoe Tsukuyomi's apartment.
As she descended the steps outside, she reflected with mild amusement. "So that's Kamijou's charm, huh? A bit too friendly, overly kindhearted... but honestly, among most anime protagonists, he's not half bad." She smiled to herself, right before a loud scream echoed from inside the apartment.
Hearing Kamijou's shout, Selene could only shake her head. Probably got himself bitten by Index again...
Now that her business here was done, she figured it was time to check in with Shirai Kuroko. The girl was probably impatient by now—and Selene was curious how far her investigation had gotten. With that in mind, she teleported straight to the Judgment 177th Branch.
...
Judgment 177th Branch.
Selene couldn't help but smile the moment she saw Shirai Kuroko. She strolled leisurely through the office, looking utterly relaxed. Konori Mii was out on assignment, leaving only Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari in the branch—meaning no one could stop Selene from idly wandering around.
"Done." Uiharu pulled the connector out of her phone, watching as the data transfer completed. She turned to Kuroko with a skeptical look. "But seriously, are you sure just listening to this can increase someone's level? It sounds so suspicious..."
"Even I don't want to believe it," Kuroko admitted reluctantly. "But according to that delinquent we caught selling the [Level Upper], it really works. Still... the idea that a simple song could raise your power level—it's absurd! If this spreads, who's going to bother training their abilities anymore?"
As she spoke, Kuroko shot a sideways glance at Selene, who was still wandering around with that easygoing air of hers. "Selene-senpai, aren't you worried? What if another Level 5 uses [Level Upper] and surpasses you?"
"Hm? Surpass me? Unlikely," Selene replied lazily, not even looking over. "Level 5s have no use for it. The device has a hard cap—it works faster on low-level espers, sure, but even then, the limit's around Level 4. You should probably worry about yourself instead."
Seeing her words have no effect, Kuroko sighed helplessly. "Honestly... Gemstones like you are so unfair."
"It is hard to believe," Uiharu said, her voice dropping into a mischievous tone as her imagination started running wild. "But... if I used it to become stronger than Kuroko... then I could take revenge for everything she's ever done to me~ Hehehe..."
"Your intentions are showing, Uiharu." Selene couldn't help but laugh, amused by the sudden dark streak from the normally sweet girl. So she's a bit of a hidden sadist, huh?
"If you're thinking of getting revenge," Kuroko said with a devious grin, suddenly appearing beside Uiharu in a teleporting flash, "then you'd better be prepared for the consequences." She picked up the earphones connected to the [Level Upper] audio file and teasingly tried to shove them into Uiharu's ears.
"W-wait, I was just kidding! Just kidding! Selene-senpai, save meee!" Uiharu flailed helplessly, desperately calling out for help.
RING RING RING!
Just as the two girls' scuffle was reaching its peak, the branch's emergency phone rang. Uiharu, practically in tears, latched onto the sound like a drowning person spotting a life raft. "The phone! The phone's ringing!"
"Looks like another student's causing trouble," Kuroko said after answering, her expression turning serious. She turned toward Uiharu. "Hmph. I'll let you off this time. Uiharu, contact Kiyama-sensei. I'll be back soon."
"Need a hand?" Selene asked eagerly, perking up immediately.
"Uh... I appreciate the offer, Selene-senpai, but please stay here with Uiharu. I'd like to avoid writing more reports!" Kuroko stammered, shaking her head furiously. Before Selene could even respond, Kuroko vanished in a blur—making a tactical retreat from the 'helpful civilian.'