After Kiyama Harumi was taken away by the Anti-Skill officers, the heavy atmosphere lingered—until Selene finally broke the silence herself.
"If you have any questions, just ask."
Misaka Mikoto froze for a moment. The countless questions she had prepared in her mind suddenly scattered into confusion.
"..." In the end, all her thoughts turned into silence. She and Selene were just friends—what right did she have to judge her actions? Besides, from Misaka's perspective, Kiyama Harumi's case had nothing to do with Selene personally.
After everything that had happened, even Misaka Mikoto—once called naive—could no longer ignore the ugly truths behind Academy City's shining façade. She might be idealistic, but she wasn't stupid.
Those cryptic things Selene had once said, the secrets she had kept from them—"What Academy City shows you isn't necessarily real~," "You'll understand later."
Now, looking back, Misaka finally began to understand.
Gazing at Selene's calm, indifferent expression, Misaka sighed softly. What Kiyama had said earlier—"You and her aren't the same kind of people"—really did make sense now.
If it were her, after learning about such horrific experiments, there was no way she could have stayed indifferent. Misaka Mikoto would never allow such things to exist.
Just then, having finished comforting Uiharu Kazari and realizing that, once again, she'd played only a minor supporting role in the fight, Shirai Kuroko—though a little frustrated—still turned toward Selene with genuine concern. "Senpai, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. In fact, after that fight, I feel even better," Selene replied casually, stretching a little as she glanced at the gloomy Misaka Mikoto.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going. I still have something to take care of. Oh, Kuroko, I'll leave my report to you."
"Honestly, I knew you'd say that! Ugh... fine, fine, leave it to me, Senpai," Kuroko muttered with a sigh, already resigned to her fate.
"Good. Then I'll head out first. Once I'm done, let's meet up at Saten Ruiko's hospital room. The rest is up to you. Bye." Waving her hand, Selene vanished in an instant.
"Bye-bye," Kuroko said, waving back. Then she turned toward her absent-minded superior. "Uiharu? Onee-sama? Onee-sama!"
"Huh?! What?" Misaka snapped back to reality under Kuroko's high-pitched call.
"Selene-senpai already left! Onee-sama, stop spacing out! Shouldn't we go visit Saten-san?!"
"Oh, right." Misaka nodded absently, letting Kuroko tug her along. Her mind, however, was still heavy with thought. "Seriously... I didn't even do much this time, so why does all the aftermath fall on me?"
What should she do now? After learning all this about Academy City, how was she supposed to face Selene? Try to change her outlook? Or just pretend nothing had happened?
As for cutting ties—that thought never even crossed her mind. That just wasn't who Misaka Mikoto was. To her, Selene might have different values and a colder personality, but she was still a friend—someone who had helped her more than once.
And so, as Shirai Kuroko pushed her forward, Misaka kept thinking quietly to herself.
Before long, the three girls reached the nearby street, which had already been reopened. They hailed a taxi, told the driver to hurry, and headed straight toward the hospital where Saten Ruiko was recovering.
...
Meanwhile, inside the nuclear-powered experimental reactor facility—
"Those old bastards really don't know when to quit. Just look at this mission—luring Kiyama Harumi straight to our testing site, and authorizing the use of force against 'anyone obstructing the operation.' Hah. Could they be any more obvious? They're clearly testing us. And they even dragged that crazy fifth-ranked esper into this."
In Kakine Teitoku's eyes, this latest Dark Side mission was, on paper, about apprehending Kiyama Harumi and neutralizing the AIM Burst.
But the location was far too convenient—right next to the nuclear research facility managed by Selene. It was impossible not to suspect ulterior motives.
Although Kakine Teitoku's suspicions sounded reasonable, Selene knew it really was just a coincidence. His conjectures were, in a sense, nothing more than shadowboxing with the air itself.
Listening calmly to his analysis, Selene found herself satisfied—both with his respectful attitude and with the fact that he had successfully completed the task she'd assigned him: ensuring that the experimental base remained intact.
Unlike in the original events, where large sections of the facility were damaged, this time—thanks to Kakine Teitoku's intervention—the battle had been pushed far away from the site. The one attack that had come close enough to threaten the base had been intercepted by Selene personally.
At the moment, however, Selene's attention wasn't on Kakine Teitoku. It was fixed on another presence—a woman whose appearance took her completely by surprise.
The woman had crimson hair and wore a revealing outfit. Seeing her brought a flicker of nostalgia to Selene's eyes. It had been two years since they last met.
"Musujime Awaki. Why are you here? Did Chairman Aleister send you?"
"Yes. I am here under direct orders from the Chairman," Awaki replied respectfully. In front of Selene, she dared not act even slightly out of line. Selene's mastery of spatial abilities—rated among the very highest—was something Awaki remembered vividly.
Selene gave a small nod, her expression neutral. Internally, though, she noted Awaki's shameless outfit with a trace of exasperation. Did she really have to flaunt so much skin? Then again, Selene had to admit she wasn't completely immune to such thinking either. The outfit she'd prepared for her role in the next world wasn't exactly conservative either.
"Alright. I understand. Wait a moment; I still have something to finish with Kakine Teitoku first." With a snap of her fingers, a black barrier spread outward, isolating them from the rest of the room.
Seeing Awaki's slight unease, Selene said naturally, "Relax. I'm not going to harm you. It's just an isolation field—it'll be over soon."
After dealing with the remaining matters, Selene turned back to Kakine Teitoku. "You can collect your reward from Sebas later. I also have a new task for you—find a way to acquire more uranium and plutonium materials."
"Uranium? Plutonium?" Kakine raised an eyebrow. "Those are used for nuclear reactors... Well, it's possible, but the quantity won't be large. And we don't really have a reason. The bureaucracy won't let that slide easily. What excuse should I use?"
"You don't need to worry about that. Just gather as much as you can. Tell them it's to 'expand the testing scale of the nuclear reactor research base.'"
"The more, the better. That's all. You can go now."
As soon as she finished speaking, Selene dispelled the barrier, then walked up to Musujime Awaki with her usual calm. "Alright, let's go."
...
Meanwhile, all the victims of the [Level Upper] incident—including Saten Ruiko—had finally regained consciousness, much to Uiharu Kazari's overwhelming joy.
"Well... looks like you're recovering pretty well," Misaka Mikoto said tiredly as she leaned against the doorframe of the hospital room.
"Ugh... did everyone... save me?" Saten Ruiko murmured weakly, still dazed from her long sleep.