"Tell me... what does this have to do with me?"
Selene's light, almost casual words struck Kiyama Harumi's heart like a hammer. Yes—what did it have to do with her? Why should Selene care? She was foolish to think otherwise.
Her students... they were all just "refined and discarded." How could someone like Selene—one of the elites at the very top of Academy City—ever bother to care about them?
Having spent years in Japan's rigid workplace, Kiyama Harumi knew all too well how cold and suffocating this society was.
"Don't cause trouble for others." That had almost become the unspoken rule for living in Japan. Perhaps she had been too impatient... someone like Misaka Mikoto, kind-hearted and compassionate, was a rare exception.
And besides, the Board of Directors—the very rulers of Academy City—would never let her go unpunished.
"Yeah... what does this have to do with me..." she murmured, repeating Selene's words. Holding her head, Kiyama swayed slightly and steadied herself against the nearby railing.
Perhaps it was the exhaustion of both her body and mind, or perhaps Selene's words had simply hit too deep, but memories began to resurface—everything she had done over the years flashing before her eyes.
She remembered when she was younger, with short brown hair and bright, unshadowed eyes. Back when she was assigned—by the orders of certain people—to teach at an elementary school.
She was tasked with caring for children without parents, those society called "refined and discarded." Though they lacked family, their innocent laughter remained untouched by sorrow.
She still remembered how, when faced with their new teacher—a beautiful young woman with short brown hair and a perpetually calm face—those children greeted her with the purest, most enthusiastic smiles, calling her "Kiyama-sensei" with such joy.
As time went on, as she spent more days with them, her heart gradually changed. The noisy chatter, the harmless pranks, the endless laughter—all of it filled the emptiness in her chest. Before she knew it, the corners of her lips began to soften into smiles more and more often.
Though she often grumbled about them in her heart, those "rude," "mischievous," "unruly" kids had quietly become the softest part of her soul.
But then, that day came...
"I believe in you, sensei," said a girl named Edasaki Banri, smiling sweetly at her. "Because... this is your experiment, right?"
And so, she personally sent those children onto the experimental platform. Facing their brave smiles, she had told them, "It'll only hurt a little—it'll be over soon."
She believed it too. But the moment that blinding red blood splattered through the air... everything shattered.
That scene still felt like it had happened yesterday.
She had sent those children—the ones who cared for her, respected her—
...Straight into hell with her own hands.
And in the end, she still couldn't save them. She was useless. The thought pierced her heart like a needle, so sharp it made her clench her teeth and dig her nails into her palms.
But soon after, Kiyama exhaled. Maybe it was time to let go. She'd already lost her chance. Going to prison, facing punishment—even death—that would be her atonement.
Sensei will come to join you soon, she thought.
Just as Kiyama Harumi resigned herself to fate—
"Don't give up!"
A strong, confident voice rang out beside her ear. Misaka Mikoto walked up to her, her eyes full of sincerity. "We'll help you. You just used the wrong methods. I believe in you!"
"Heh... haha..." Hearing that, Kiyama let out a soft laugh. Her voice no longer carried the anger from before—only a deep, endless sorrow. "You're still so naive... There's no chance anymore. It's all over... she, and they, will never give me another chance."
"Really, I never expected someone as kind and passionate as you... to be walking alongside someone so cold. You and she... you're not the same kind of people."
"..." Misaka was left speechless. She couldn't deny it—she and Selene were fundamentally different. Their personalities, their principles—they clashed in every possible way.
And it was true. If Selene had been in charge of this incident, with things having escalated to this level, she would've crushed it—ruthlessly, efficiently, and without hesitation.
Was everything Kiyama Harumi said really true? Everything she had described was something far beyond Misaka Mikoto's experience—something she could hardly even imagine.
Wait... In her silence, Misaka suddenly froze, recalling one particular line Kiyama had shouted earlier.
"And all of this was for you people up there! The data those children died for—it was all for you so-called Lv5 'chosen ones'!"
"Selene... everything Kiyama-sensei said just now—was it true?" Misaka asked softly, her voice unsteady, eyes full of confusion as she looked at Kiyama, who was leaning weakly against the railing.
"Mm. Yes. Everything she said was true," Selene replied calmly, landing in front of Misaka and meeting her troubled gaze with an unreadable expression.
The confirmation made Misaka instinctively take a step back. Her eyes trembled, disbelief spreading across her face. "So the Academy City we live in... is actually..."
"...this dark and filthy on the inside," Selene finished for her, her tone cold, her crimson, diamond-shaped pupils as calm as ever. "Though I personally find that disgusting old man Kihara Gensei revolting, I can't deny that his experiments did contribute to the city's advancement in their own way."
Hearing this, Misaka felt a new kind of anger well up in her chest. Though she had stopped Kiyama Harumi's plan, Selene's words struck her harder than any battle could. There was a darkness to Academy City that she had never seen before.
Was this city truly what Kiyama had said—a place that glittered on the surface, but was rotten to its core?
"Don't give up!"
The voice came from Uiharu Kazari, who had been silent until now. She stepped forward, her expression resolute as she looked at Kiyama Harumi. "I heard everything you said just now, Kiyama-sensei. I understand why you did all of this, and I really do sympathize with your students. But..."
She stopped for a moment, her young face taking on a seriousness far beyond her years. "I may understand your reasons, but I can't agree with your actions! If saving people means hurting others, then I would never choose that way!"
"I don't understand all the complicated things about your adult world, or about conflicts of interest," Uiharu continued softly. "All I know is that you're a good person, Kiyama-sensei. And I'll use my own way—my own beliefs—to stop you first, and then to help you."
Her eyes met Kiyama's, filled with sincerity. "I know, coming from a Level 1 like me, that must sound ridiculous. I don't have much power or authority. But please... don't give up. When all of this is over, we'll do everything we can to help you. You wanted to save your students, right? You'll never know unless you try!"
Hearing those words—and that familiar title, Kiyama-sensei—Kiyama Harumi felt her vision blur as tears began to fall. For a moment, she thought she saw the faces of her students smiling at her again.
When Uiharu finished, both she and Misaka turned toward Selene, who was leaning lazily against the railing, gazing out into the distance without a care in the world. Their eyes were filled with hope.
"Selene... what do you think?"