"Ah."
Misaki sneered.
"Angry? Furious? Vengeful?"
"Shouldn't you be blaming yourself the most? If you hadn't given your DNA, they wouldn't have been born to suffer."
""
Her sarcastic retort didn't enrage Mikotoit felt like cold water dumping on her anger, making her think more clearly.
She inhaled deeply.
"I'm sorry. I got carried away. But if you brought me here, you're not just trying to provoke me, right?"
"Hmph."
Misaki huffed.
"At least you're not too dumb to see that."
She gestured at the tanks.
"You know what these are, right?"
"Misaka Sisters"
Mikoto spoke heavily. She was seeing them in creation tanks for the first time.
"Why are they here?"
Misaki regarded Mikoto coolly.
"This is the 'Talent Workshop'my territory. And these sisters I saved them from the labs you wanted to destroy."
"What?!"
Mikoto was stunned. Something she hadn't been able to do, Misakisomeone Mikoto considered "unrelated"had somehow pulled it off?!
~~~
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Chapter 603: Joining Forces to Save the Sisters!
"You saved them? But why?"
Mikoto Misaka was full of doubts about Shokuhou Misaki's role in all this.
"Why?"
Misaki gazed at the sleeping Misaka Sisters in their containers, her eyes reflecting a deep, reminiscent sorrow.
"Because of Dolly"
"Dolly?"
Mikoto didn't recognize the name.
"Dolly was my friend"
For the first time, Misaki's expression revealed genuine sadness. In a low voice, she began recounting a story from her past.
Misaki's Past
Before entering middle school, during the time she was being "tested" at the research facility known as the Talent Workshop, she was assigned to help a certain girlone who had lost her only friendrecover her emotional stability. That girl's name was Dolly.
Back then, Misaki's ability wasn't yet able to fully rewrite memories, but it could alter Dolly's perception. By shifting Dolly's perception, Dolly would treat her as if she were Kouzaku Mitori (the "police caretaker" Dolly dearly missed). So day after day, Misaki went to see Dolly, taking on the role of that caretaker.
In those repeated exchanges, Misaki gradually came to regard Dolly as a real friend, even though she was deceiving her. It weighed heavily on her conscience. Ironically, Dolly had long since realized through scent that Misaki wasn't Mitori, yet she never exposed her.
Dolly's condition remained stableuntil one day, it abruptly deteriorated. Her life ebbed away. Near the end, Dolly begged Misaki to tell her her real name. Only then did Misaki understand that Dolly truly saw her as a friend. The shock of that realization left a profound impact on Misaki's heart.
But the researchers were far from kind. Whether Dolly or Misaki, to them both were nothing more than test subjectstools to be used. Once the "Exterior" plan (related to "External Brain") was complete, they had planned to get rid of Misaki.
Misaki had suspected all this and took precautions. As her power developed further, she could do more and more with her "Mental Out" ability. Early on, she'd used her power on certain lower-level researchers, instructing them to sabotage the mental defenses of other staff members, thereby furthering her own influence.
Gradually, she expanded the range of her covert domination. In the end, everyone connected to the Talent Workshop and the Exterior project fell under her control. Misaki essentially became the new "owner" of the Talent Workshop.
Through the Workshop, she uncovered many secrets, including Dolly's true identityand two top-secret projects: the "Mass-Produced Esper Project" and the "Level 6 Shift Project." The former was the source of Dolly's existence. Dolly, as it turned out, wasn't an ordinary human but rather a clone.
Enraged by such madnesstreating these Sisters as disposable, subhuman test subjectsMisaki, though she disliked the "brainless" Mikoto, didn't resent the Sisters themselves.
In fact, she cared for them out of respect for Dolly, worrying about all the other clones. So for some time now, Misaki had been covertly interfering with various labs.
The Sisters in her care were a handful of still-dormant clones she managed to rescue. She dared not wake them, because these cloned Sisters had genetic defects and painfully short lifespans. She couldn't bear letting them wake up just to suffer Dolly's fate.
Yet compared to the total of twenty thousand Sisters required for the Level 6 Shift Project, the ones she saved were but a drop in the bucket. Even Misaki didn't know how to save all of them.
"I see"
Mikoto Misaka found this story nearly unbelievable.
"So Dolly was the very first Misaka Sister?"
She'd never suspected Misaki had such a history.
"Mm"
Misaki's mood sank at the recollection.
"It's clearly your fault, but the Sisters are the ones suffering. Mikoto Misaka, you should feel remorse!"
""
Mikoto pressed her lips together.
"Yes. It is my fault. So I have to make amends. I have to end it all!"
"I must stop this experiment before I atone."
She looked earnestly at Misaki.
"Shokuhou Misaki, could you help me? Even if you're just doing it for the Sisters' sake, please!"
""
After a moment's silence and a deep breath, Misaki smirked dismissively.
"Heh, don't slow me down, then."
Hearing that answer, Mikoto let out a tiny smile.
"We'll see who slows whom."
The Windowless Building
[Crowley, it seems two of your pawns have unexpectedly joined forces. Do you have no thoughts on that?]
The golden angel, Aiwass, spoke. Within his container of fluid, Aleister Crowleysuspended upside downcreated multiple screens. One of them indeed displayed Mikoto Misaka and Shokuhou Misaki meeting. This development was outside his calculations.
"They're merely two manipulable pawns. No need to worry."
[You're as self-assured as ever, Crowley?]
Aleister made no direct reply. Confidence was a tricky concept for the angel to grasp.
[You're truly certain your plan won't fail?]
"I am confident. Nothing to fear."
[Confidencewhat does that even mean?]
Aleister ignored Aiwass's question, switching to a new feed. On that screen, a spiky-haired boy was shouting about his bad luck.
[Moving that particular pawn, are we? Seems you're not entirely passive. That's not "confidence," is it, Crowley?]
"Heh heh If not "confidence," I'd call it "calculated strategy.""
[Another strange phrase. So, what is "confidence"?]
Aleister gave no further answer.
~~~
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Chapter 604: Big Perverted Group Chat Admin...
"Rei Ao, are you leaving now?"
Fubuki lay against his broad chest with a look of reluctance. By the terms of their "trade," it was time for Rei Ao to depart.
"Master, you're leaving this world?"
Psykos, leaning on his other side, looked anxious, afraid he might abandon her.
"Haha, relax. I'm not planning to throw you away,"
Rei Ao said with a laugh. He then suggested:
"Fubuki, why not let her stay with you?"
"Huh?!"
Fubuki objected instantly.
"Why should I take in my loser underling?!"
"Who're you calling a loser?!"
They glared at each other, sparks flying. Neither had settled which of them Rei Ao favored more. Rei Ao simply stated he liked both; each gave him a different kind of enjoyment.
"Stop fighting," he said, giving a casual pat on both sides.
"You're both mine now, so what's there to argue about?"
Hearing that, Psykos beamed with excitementher master had acknowledged her! Meanwhile, Fubuki's cheeks turned pink. Was this what they called "developing feelings after battle"?
"If you really want to decide who's better, wait 'til I come again,"
Rei Ao teased.
"Tch!"
They glowered under his hands, forced to calm down.
"Alright, I'm leaving now. Get along."
He glanced at a spot nearby.
"By the way, keep an eye on your sister."
With that, he took care of one last matter and vanished from this world.
[Ding! You have chosen to grant sub-group membership to: Psykos, Tatsumaki!]
"Sister?!"
Only then did Fubuki rememberher big sister was still around! The fierce three-way battle earlier had made her completely forget. She turned to look for Tatsumaki, who stood motionless in the same spot.
Fubuki's heart lurched.
She rose, wobbled, and approached Tatsumaki from behind.
"Sis?"
She tried calling softly.
"..."
No response. Fubuki frowned in confusion, and walked around to face her.
"Sis, why are you still here?"
At the sound of Fubuki's voice, Tatsumaki snapped out of her daze, face shocked and furious.
"Aaaagh!!!"
She let out a shriek, then took off from the balcony, flying away via telekinesis.
"Huh?"
Fubuki wasn't spooked by her sister's outburst. Her attention turned to the spot where Tatsumaki had been standinga large wet patch on the floor.
"This is"
She knelt, dipped her fingers in the liquid, and recognized the familiar slickness. Her eyes darted toward the balcony, brimming with disbelief.
"Sis"
While Rei Ao had been enjoying himself, the rest of the world was abuzzespecially the Hero Association.
"What?! Monsters have vanished?!"
"Investigate! Look into it thoroughly!"
Not long ago, certain heroes had reported that during battles with monsters, the creatures suddenly disintegrated into ash. If it was just one or two isolated cases, they might dismiss it as coincidence. But similar reports poured in all day long. Clearly, something was going on.
Some proposed a theory called the "End of Monsters." Once announced, it drew massive public attention. Ordinary folklong threatened by monstershoped it was true. But certain heroes and high-ranking Association members refused to acknowledge such a phenomenon.
After all, being a hero gave them money and status. If there were no more monsters, would the Hero Association even be needed? Would these "special" heroes lose their privileges and return to normal lives? They couldn't accept that.
Hence, society hovered on the brink of change. Everyone waited to see if the "no more monsters" theory would be proven.
The Next Morning
Rei Ao was on his way to school when he ran straight into Ai Hayasaka.
Actually, more like she was waiting for him to show up.
"Good morning, you big pervert group admin."
"Huh?"
He blinked, thrown off by her stony-faced greeting.
"Ai Hayasaka, is that any way to address your great group admin?"
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow. She was getting pretty bold.
"My apologies,"
Ai bowed slightly, then explained:
"That's actually how Milady Kaguya refers to you."
"Shinomiya Kaguya?"
Rei Ao repeated, curious.
"Why would she call me that? Did I do something so perverted in her eyes?"
Ai gave him a helpless look.
"It seems our dear group admin doesn't quite recall what he's done in the chat. Did you not host a certain live stream yesterday?"
""
Rei Ao thought back.
"You mean the fight I streamed between Fubuki and Tatsumaki? But I didn't do anything out of line at that time."
Because his stream started at the sisters' battle and ended with it. Before that, he'd had his "fun" with Fubuki; after that, he'd had more fun with Fubuki and Psykosbut none of it was shown. So how had he earned the title of "big pervert"?
He arched his brow.
"I'm curious what explanation you have, Ai Hayasaka. I doubt you came here this early just to crack a joke."
She sighed.
"It's because Lady Kaguya learned about your 'trade terms.' Also, she saw how you flirted with Psykos-san, so she ended up forming her own mental image of you."
Ai had spent the previous night suffering. Partly of her own doing, tooshe'd confessed to Kaguya that "kissing alone doesn't make a baby."
She explained how genuine conception worked and how Rei Ao's "body usage rights" truly functioned. Kaguya, after grasping the concept, spent the night red-faced, mumbling about what a lecherous wolf this group admin was, tossing and turning so much Ai couldn't sleep.
"So now she's calling me a 'big pervert' for some fantasy in her head?"
Rei Ao rubbed his chin. It wasn't exactly unfair, but he'd wonder how explicit a fantasy it was.
Ai looked exhausted.
"Yes. She concluded that from your trade details, plus the bits she saw of you teasing that Psykos woman. Then she let her imagination run wild all night. She insisted on sleeping in my bed, muttering 'big pervert' in her dreams. I didn't get a wink of sleep. And I'm the one who's tired now."
~~~
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Chapter 605: Fujiwara Chika's Maniacal Laughter...
Having heard from Ai Hayasaka about Kaguya Shinomiya's rather active imagination, Rei Ao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"So you came here just to tell me the Lady is calling me a pervert? Though I can't say she's wrong."
"That's good,"
Ai said in a relieved tone.
"I just wanted to make sure you know, so you wouldn't get mad if Lady Kaguya reacts strangely the next time she sees you."
It was about nipping trouble in the bud. Clearly, Rei Ao was the last person in this world anyone wanted to offend.
And for Ai, he was also Kaguya's final trump card if it ever came to that. She didn't want him to dislike them over some silly misunderstanding.
"I see."
Rei Ao understood her reasoning.
"You're quite the maidalways prepared. Not just beautiful but very capable. I'm a bit jealous of Kaguya having you."
His comment could be read in multiple ways.
""
Under his admiring gaze, Ai felt as though he was seeing right through her. Luckily, it didn't last too long.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot to remind you,"
Rei Ao said,
"The chat group logs all chats by default, so there's a good chance Kaguya saw what you said in there before."
""
Ai Hayasaka's eyes went dark, staring at him meaningfully.
Rei Ao instantly caught on.
"I take it my warning comes a bit late. So your Lady already found out you were, well, a little spy?"
""
"But clearly she didn't kick you out. I'm guessing you two had a heartfelt talk?"
""
"So now you probably know Kaguya's secret, right?"
