"In your eyes... all this that's happened, is just a game, a farce?"
Hearing that, Selene turned her head toward Kiyama Harumi, who stood amid the cracks of the elevated highway, her face full of anger. Selene couldn't help but feel puzzled. I didn't provoke you, so why are you getting so worked up?
Selene wasn't known for having a good temper. Her gaze immediately turned cold. "What do you mean by that?"
"You can hear them, can't you?" Kiyama Harumi looked at the fading remnants of the AIM Beast's body, her expression complicated and her voice full of fury. "That monster was made up of the suffering and pain of tens of thousands of people—their whispers, you can hear them, can't you?!"
"So what if I can hear them? And what if I can't?" Selene's tone remained calm as she replied to Kiyama Harumi's question.
That calm tone immediately made Kiyama think of Kihara Gensei—so cold, so heartless. "Their cries and desires—are they just a game to you?!"
...
Watching Kiyama Harumi glaring at Selene with hatred, Uiharu Kazari tugged at Shirai Kuroko's sleeve, asking in confusion, "Why does Kiyama-sensei seem to hate Selene-senpai so much?"
"Maybe it's a difference in beliefs..." A weary but dignified voice suddenly reached their ears.
"Onee-sama!" Hearing that familiar voice, Shirai Kuroko turned around, excitement lighting up her face.
But Misaka Mikoto's expression was still gloomy. She murmured softly, half to herself, "Differences in status, resources, values... in how we judge things."
Just moments ago, when Selene destroyed the AIM Beast, Misaka had clearly heard the voices of those people echoing in her ears—their cries, their despair.
"Selene... why is your heart so strong... so cold... it's terrifying."
If this had been before, she might have confronted Selene, questioned her directly. But after everything, after being influenced by Selene's way of seeing the world, Misaka no longer knew how to face her. To her, she was a Level 5 esper, a Tokiwadai lady, someone who—
But to judge and encourage others from her own privileged position would only hurt them more.
Recalling those countless pleas and wishes that had echoed in the air—their sorrow and their weight—Misaka's heart grew heavy.
"Is it true then? That Level 1s and Level 0s are just defective beings?"
"Some people might see it that way. But we tried so hard already."
"It shouldn't be like this!"
"I just wanted strength, so I wouldn't be bullied anymore. Is that wrong?!"
"You wouldn't understand... that kind of hope is too heavy."
...
"That's right. Isn't this farce of yours exactly what I'm talking about?" Kiyama Harumi's voice trembled with anger, while Selene's tone remained calm and detached. Her posture seemed gentle, even refreshing—but the words she spoke were merciless.
"You...!"
Boom!
With a flick of her finger, a massive crater appeared beside Kiyama Harumi. Selene's expression didn't change in the slightest. "Don't point your finger at me. I don't have a good temper. Next time, I won't miss."
"Cough... a farce? If someone you cared about were caught up in this, would you still think it was just a game? Would you still stand by and watch?!" Kiyama brushed the dust and rubble from her clothes, her eyes locking fiercely onto Selene.
"Of course not. Why else do you think I bothered to get involved in this charade? Kiyama Harumi, as a former researcher in the Advanced Education Department's Children's Competency Development Institute, you of all people should understand the simple truth that 'people's joys and sorrows are not shared.'"
"..."
Selene's words mercilessly tore open Kiyama Harumi's old wounds. Truth be told, ignoring Kiyama's pleas and using her research to test the flaws of the Honkai serum—Selene did feel a faint twinge of guilt.
But regret? No. Never.
This was her choice.
Selene would never make excuses for what she did.
Despicable men have their passes, noble men their epitaphs. Even if what she did was vile, Selene felt no need to justify her actions with long-winded talk about necessity or inevitability.
Because—she was a predator.
Behind the ever-gentle mask she wore, Selene was perfectly aware of her own nature. She was, at her core, a selfish person—driven by self-interest. She merely disguised herself too well, so that others could not see through her heart.
At the same time, ever since becoming a Herrscher, Selene could clearly feel that her indifference toward life was growing day by day. Aside from those she personally knew, everyone else in her eyes was insignificant—mere pieces on a chessboard.
That feeling of a tiger disguised among sheep... it was becoming unbearable.
"Advanced Education Department... Kihara Gensei?... It's all because of you! Do you even understand?!" Kiyama Harumi's face twitched slightly. Though she tried to control her emotions, her bloodshot eyes trembled uncontrollably.
The Advanced Education Department, the Children's Competency Development Institute, Kiyama Harumi—refinement over essence—these were the shadows that haunted her entire life, the reasons behind all she had done.
"That experiment... it wasn't a project to crystallize esper abilities at all!" Kiyama finally lost control of her emotions. Her entire body trembled, all composure gone, replaced by a furious, grief-filled growl.
"That experiment... was a forced ability rampage induction experiment!" Her voice was low and shaking. "They tried to trigger an esper's rampage by stimulating the AIM diffusion field! Those children... have never woken up since!"
"It's all my fault!" Kiyama collapsed to her knees, pounding the ground as her voice cracked with pain. "They were treated like lab rats—used, then discarded when no longer useful!"
"And all of it—was for you people up there! The data those children gave their lives for... it all served you so-called Lv5 'chosen ones'! How ridiculous! And in the end, all it was worth... was being called a farce!"
"No way... such an experiment..." Misaka Mikoto was stunned. She could no longer look away. She couldn't believe something like this existed in Academy City. "If that's true... then why didn't you just report it to Anti-Skill?"
"Ha... hahaha..." As if hearing the world's most absurd joke, Kiyama burst out laughing. A sheltered girl's naïveté. Turning her head, her bloodshot eyes were chilling to behold. "Report it? What's the point?! The Board of Directors would never let this leak! Those upper echelons—they're the ones who allowed this experiment to happen in the first place!"
"I'm right, aren't I?! Habsburg! Miss Director!" she shouted, raising her head to glare at Selene floating in the air, gritting her teeth.
"Mm. You're right." Selene's voice was calm, as if Kiyama's accusations were no more than an interesting story. "I know quite a bit of the truth. I even thought about stopping it once..."
For a brief moment, hope flickered in Kiyama Harumi's eyes. Selene was a Director—if she wanted to, she could save her students. But the words that followed sent her heart crashing into despair.
"But... why should I stop it? Do I know them? I'm not the highest authority. Why should I care about such trivial things? Most importantly, the ones who carried this out weren't my subordinates. It wasn't my doing."
She looked down coldly, her crimson eyes empty of compassion.
"Tell me... what does this have to do with me?"