"What if I say no?" Selene's face remained expressionless as she met Misaka Mikoto and Uiharu Kazari's hopeful eyes, but inside, her thoughts were tangled in conflict.
"To save her?" "Or not to save her?"
Within her mind, a tiny devil version of herself—complete with bat wings—appeared with a pop. The devil Selene sneered, "Just pretend you didn't see anything! What does this have to do with you? Even if you experimented on her, she should consider it an honor. Helping her now would just be troublesome! Go do your own thing!"
But then, from the other side, an angel Selene appeared, glowing with golden wings. "As her friend, how can you ignore her plea for help? Besides, you used her—what kind of heartless scumbag would walk away after that?"
And so, her mind became a battlefield between the devil and the angel, their voices arguing endlessly, giving Selene a throbbing headache.
...
But then she remembered—her goal had always been to become stronger, to gain power. Why was she hesitating now?
Naïveté had its limits. Before, she only humored them because it didn't interfere with her interests. Did they really think she was their babysitter?
Maybe it was the lingering influence of her past life that made her willing to "play along" with them. Helping these so-called friends deal with their problems had already been her limit. But the friends of her friends? They were not her friends.
In the end, reason triumphed. Selene's tone turned cold. "This has nothing to do with me... If you want to help her, then go ahead. But it has nothing to do with me."
From an emotional standpoint, saving Kiyama seemed like the right thing to do. Her moral compass from her previous life tugged faintly at her heart. Her classmates—people she could consider friends—were pleading earnestly. A faint trace of empathy stirred within her.
But when viewed through the lens of reason, Selene was a creature driven purely by interest.
To her, self-interest was absolute. Not saving Kiyama was the logical choice. The benefits she received from Kihara Gensei were substantial. Going against the Board of Directors' will—of which she herself was a member—would only harm her long-term gains. Saving Kiyama and her students would bring her no profit, only unnecessary loss.
As the Herrscher's consciousness continued to influence her, Selene's indifference toward life grew stronger by the day. Other than the few people she personally knew, everyone else's existence faded further and further from her perception.
"Why should I help her? This was a decision passed by the Board of Directors. As one of its members, how could I possibly take the lead in violating our own ruling?" Selene said coldly.
"..." Hearing this, Uiharu slowly lowered her head. Yes... she had overstepped. Just because she was friends with Selene's classmate, she had no right to ask Selene to act against her own interests. "I... I really was being selfish..." she whispered.
Selene looked at her quietly but said nothing.
Kiyama Harumi, whose emotions had finally settled, looked gently toward Uiharu. "Thank you for thinking of me... Don't worry anymore. In this cold city, just live well. It's all over now."
"Yes... the farce is over," Selene replied indifferently.
Hearing that, Kiyama Harumi gave up completely. It was as if the strength had been drained from her body. She slumped weakly to the ground, Misaka Mikoto crying out in alarm.
"Kiyama-sensei?" Uiharu called softly, reaching out to help her up, wanting to guide her away from the unstable structure.
But before she could touch her, Selene's cold voice stopped her. "Don't touch her. This is probably the aftermath of her overusing the Level Upper network."
Uiharu froze mid-motion. Selene's tone left no room for doubt. She knew exactly what was happening to Kiyama.
Kiyama's condition was far worse than mere aftereffects. The constant battles she'd endured—fighting Misaka Mikoto, being ambushed by Mugino Shizuri, then clashing with Kakine Teitoku—had already pushed her beyond her limits.
The fact that she was still alive was a testament to her sheer willpower. The desire to save her students had become her life's final obsession.
At that moment, several Anti-Skill officers, their wounds freshly bandaged, hurried over—ready to officially arrest Kiyama Harumi.
Noticing the Anti-Skill officers grimacing in pain as they walked, Selene frowned slightly.
Healing Technique.
A sphere of pure white light gradually formed in her palm. The gentle radiance it emitted filled the air with warmth and comfort—enough to ease even the weariness in their bodies.
With a wave of her hand, the glowing orb expanded, enveloping the nearby officers who were still tending to their wounds. The light also spread to cover Kiyama Harumi, who lay collapsed on the ground.
The Anti-Skill officers stared in astonishment as the healing field surrounded them. Moments ago, they had been groaning in pain from their injuries—but within seconds, their strained expressions softened, the pain fading as if washed away.
The wounds they had sustained during the battle were soon covered in a thin layer of white light. Within moments, the cuts and bruises began to close. Save for their tattered, dust-covered uniforms, they looked as though they had never been injured at all.
Even Yomikawa Aiho, gazing down at her healed arm, was stunned. She had never heard of such an ability existing in Academy City. "What... kind of power is this?" she whispered.
Watching Selene's silhouette—radiant and untouchable, both divine and demonic—Yomikawa murmured in awe, "To think she even has this kind of group healing ability... It's beyond imagination. Truly, the first-ranked Level 5..."
Selene glanced indifferently at the sleeping Kiyama Harumi and said coldly, "Kiyama Harumi's fine now. I've repaired the physical damage. The mental strain, however—that's up to her to overcome."
Though her face remained emotionless, deep down, Selene couldn't help but respect Kiyama's sheer willpower. Enduring the pain of her battles with Misaka Mikoto, Mugino Shizuri, and Kakine Teitoku, all while withstanding the agony of the Honkai-enhancement drug—her determination was remarkable.
But that was all. In Selene's eyes, she was simply a good teacher—nothing more.
Her struggles had nothing to do with Selene. If Uiharu Kazari and Misaka Mikoto wished to help her, so be it. Selene had no intention of getting involved further.
"Alright, you can arrest her now." Dispelling the fragments of Herrscher armor still lingering on her body, Selene clapped her hands lightly and turned toward the nearby Anti-Skill officers.
"O-Oh! Understood!" The timid officer, Tessou Tsuzuri, straightened up at once, saluting instinctively at Selene's command.
"But..." Uiharu Kazari began, wanting to protest, but Shirai Kuroko stopped her.
"Enough, Uiharu." Having just finished giving her statement inside the Anti-Skill vehicle, Shirai Kuroko stepped forward and placed a hand on Uiharu's shoulder. Her expression was cold, her voice steady. "I don't know why you care so much about her, but what Kiyama Harumi did can't be ignored. No matter the reason, her actions broke the law. You can't deny that."
Hearing this, Uiharu fell silent. She was a member of Judgment—bound by its regulations. No amount of personal sympathy could change that.
As she and Misaka Mikoto watched the officers lift the unconscious Kiyama Harumi away, both wore conflicted expressions. Shirai Kuroko, having little sympathy for Kiyama to begin with, remained unmoved.
Once everything was settled, Selene looked calmly at the two girls, her tone flat as ever. "It's over. Do either of you have anything to say?"