"Incredible, as expected of Misaka-senpai."
Eyes wide with effort, Natsume voiced her admiration just like always.
"...It was nothing, tricks like that don't work on me."
As she spoke, a faint blush suddenly appeared on Misaka-senpai's cheeks.
Truth was, she had noticed the mosquito near her quite early, but all her focus had been on the opponent.
After all, mosquitoes were so common she'd instinctively assumed her electromagnetic barrier would repel them.
If her two teammates hadn't swiftly dealt with the Nagatenjouki student across the way, Misaka-senpai might not have freed up a hand to deal with this particular mosquito—the one that was so different, unaffected by her barrier.
The whole situation hinged on the Daihaseisai restrictions preventing Misaka-senpai from simply zapping the mosquito. If it managed to breach her surface-level electromagnetic barrier, it really might have bitten her.
Of course, that was just a possibility. Who could say if Misaka-senpai might not have secretly used a tiny shock to eliminate it anyway?
This mutual, somewhat performative praise was just part of the daily life for espers. Their relationships were all just that good, after all.
They briefly discussed the attacker and the brainwashing. While their thoughts hadn't fully aligned yet, they unexpectedly converged on one particular point under a certain set of circumstances.
The girl suspected of being brainwashed began scanning the area, weeding out and filtering for suspicious individuals. Their plan for now was to find this attacker.
"Is it this person?"
"Shouldn't be a mistake. Aside from the tracksuit, everything else matches."
Two girls, hiding furtively under the shade of a tree, were talking in hushed tones, pointing at a high school student lying motionless on the ground, his condition unknown.
The moment she spotted the target, Natsume Sonoko didn't hesitate to use her proudest method, successfully putting the attacker out of commission.
"No way... you actually ran into one of the city's legends—the diarrhea-inducing burger? Your luck is just terrible. Since the mission to cancel Misaka Mikoto's abilities failed, you should just stick to the original plan and continue surveillance duty."
"Hey, hey, Baba-kun, why aren't you saying anything? Are you in trouble over there?"
The high school student held a convenient communication earpiece. Not only was there a staticky electronic interference sound, but a somewhat cold female voice also came through from it.
"Looks like little Baba's in real trouble. Useless, just as expected."
"Well then, it must be Misaka Mikoto on the other end, right? While I'm delighted to make the acquaintance of the famed #3, something like this alone won't disrupt our operations. I was rather hoping you'd bring a bit more of a surprise. Well then, I'll be hanging up now."
The girl on the other end paused for a few seconds, then continued with a joking tone.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, whoever you are. Shouldn't this high school student be your comrade? You're just abandoning him? And attacking me for no reason, secretly searching for the Sisters... just what is your goal?"
Picking up the call, Misaka-senpai said with clear dissatisfaction.
"You mean little Baba? People in the Dark Side should have been prepared for this sort of outcome long ago."
The voice cut off abruptly. The person on the other end didn't answer further, choosing instead to hang up.
Shokuhou-senpai's blame-shifting had finally become a solid fact. The Railgun was now formally involved in the incident.
Not that Shokuhou-senpai's blame-shifting was of any real use; the mastermind behind the scenes seemed to have known of her existence from the very start.
"The Dark Side again."
Misaka-senpai's fist suddenly clenched, anger flooding her face.
Within Academy City, Misaka-senpai was probably among those who detested the Dark Side the most.
Natsume also disliked the Dark Side, though she didn't dislike a certain someone within it.
"If this attack truly has nothing to do with Shokuhou Misaki, then what Natsume said might be true."
Falling into silence, a wave of violent emotion surged in Misaka-senpai's mind.
She was truly sick of this city. Every time she tried to forget those events, reality reminded her yet again.
An unknown fire burned in her eyes. Silently lowering her gaze to look at the bun-girl beside her, Misaka-senpai took a deep breath, forcing down the darkness within her heart.
If she let that darkness keep expanding, it would surely consume Misaka Mikoto, the student of Tokiwadai.
Deceived into creating such a cruel outcome, dragging her friends into danger again and again—this darkness would only grow larger and larger.
"Misaka-senpai, are you okay? Really, you don't need to worry about the Dark Side. There are three of us, after all."
Sensing the change in Misaka-senpai, Natsume Sonoko cautiously probed.
She had anticipated this kind of reaction from Misaka-senpai; human hearts could understand each other, after all.
"Natsume, I want to see Shokuhou Misaki. I need to confirm some things."
Her tone turning serious, Misaka-senpai made up her mind.
Whether this matter was true or false, she could never have stayed out of it from the beginning.
The only difference lay in that girl Shokuhou Misaki's position—enemy, friend, or merely a relationship of mutual use.
But Misaka-senpai still couldn't figure out why that girl had suddenly started caring about the Sisters. It was just too bizarre.
It was like Natsume suddenly developing a love for exercise, doing a hundred sit-ups and a hundred push-ups every morning right after waking up—completely defying the ingrained impression built up over time.
"Shokuhou-senpai is probably at the student dormitories in the School Garden right now," Natsume Sonoko said after a moment's thought.
That senpai probably needed to freshen up a bit too.
"But judging by the time, Shokuhou-senpai might have gone to the venue for the Reverse Frog Hop race."
Natsume continued. That was Shokuhou-senpai's second event.
Though, much like Natsume herself, she probably had no mind left to participate in the Daihaseisai events anymore.
"Ah, right, there's something I've been meaning to ask, Natsume-san. Aren't you going to participate in your afternoon event?"
Remembering something, Misaka-senpai asked with some concern.
"The Scavenger Hunt has already started. Even if I went now, I wouldn't make it in time."
Natsume shook her head. She'd known the event time had already passed.
"Actually, what I meant was, the Scavenger Hunt was postponed. The schedule change was announced just ten minutes ago," Misaka-senpai said.
"Eh?" Natsume Sonoko looked utterly bewildered.
The Daihaseisai schedule was mostly planned in advance, but changes often occurred once the actual events unfolded. It was something of a tradition for the festival.
"And... regarding the Sisters, Natsume-san, you don't necessarily have to get involved."
Misaka-senpai hesitated for a few seconds before speaking the words on her mind.
"I understand. But what should we do about this person?"
Natsume Sonoko gave a slight nod at Misaka-senpai's words, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"I suppose handing him over to Anti-Skill is best."
Natsume seemed to be talking to herself. But then, her gaze suddenly shifted to the side.
"I'll take care of this, Sonoko-chan."
Eyes narrowed, a gentle smile on her face.
The golden-haired girl named Shokuhou Misaki had quietly approached and now clung to Natsume's arm.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.