The steelandglass shaft stabs into the night like a sword, overlooking a galaxy of brilliance below.
Once, this was AleisterCrowley's domain.
Now new rulers convene here to chart Academy City's future.
Inside the DirectorGeneral's office, a fierce debate is underway.
The spacious room.
The highback chair behind the solid oak desk sits emptysymbol of a temporary power vacuum.
That seat should belong to Rei Ao.
A faint blend of blacktea aroma and incense drifts through the airtwo incompatible scents reflecting their owners.
"Your plan is practically coddling those research institutes!"
MisakaMikoto slams her palm on the desk, bluewhite sparks crackling through her chestnut hair. Anger makes her voice tremble.
"We need stricter oversight. The moment those labs get a chance, they'll repeat the same atrocities!"
A holographic map of Academy City's research facilities hovers above the desk; several redmarked sites are still operating in gray areas.
Mikoto's fingertip streaks across the red dots, electricity leaping. She looks ready to erase those dens of sin from existence.
Opposite her, ShokuhMisaki lounges indolently on a leather sofa, golden curls cascading like a waterfall.
She sips her tea with elegance, starry eyes sparkling with teasing amusement.
"My, our little 'champion of justice' is still so nave~"
She sets down her cup, fingertip tapping the rim.
"Overly harsh controls will just backfire. The researchers will scurry deeper like frightened rats, and they'll be even harder to track."
"So you'll just let them keep running those inhumane experiments?"
A flash of lightning dances in Mikoto's eyes.
"Don't forget why we agreed to partner with Academy City in the first place!"
"I haven't forgotten what Rei Ao entrusted to me, of course~"
Shokuh's smile turns dangerous.
"But do you think brute force can solve everything? My approach is slower, yet it changes how this city works at the root~"
Standing aside, ShiraiKuroko's twin tails twitch restlesslyno chance to break in at all.
She steals a glance at UiharuKazari and SatenRuiko; the three share a helpless look.
Uiharu and Saten are still processing the scene.
The senpais they once idolized now sit at the very center of power, and the two Level5s are trading verbal lightning right before their eyes.
In a corner, several autonomous cleaning robots glide about. Their sensors swivel toward the argument from time to timeas if they, too, are following a debate that might decide Academy City's fate.
"Um senpai"
Uiharu ventures timidly, fingers kneading the flower clip atop her head.
She's in her formal uniform today, though the signature accessory remains.
As the new InformationSystems Inspector, the terminal before her shows the latest firewall status for the city network.
"Shut up!"
The two disputants snap in perfect unison, making Uiharu flinch.
"Uu"
Her gaze drifts helplessly to ShiraiKurokostill no chance to speak.
Kuroko sighs.
SatenRuiko, long black hair tied neatly back, slips an arm around Uiharu's shoulders to comfort her.
Today, Saten is unusually dressed in a professional suit, looking crisp and mature.
She leans close and whispers, "Don't worrythey're always like this. Like Konorisenpai said, it's their special way of 'communicating.'"
Kuroko watches the scene, emotions swirling.
"Kuroko"
Uiharu tugs her sleeve, pulling her back to reality.
"Can we really handle jobs like this? I'm only a Level1 esper"
Saten's eyes dim.
She is the only one here without any powers at all.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
Currently You can Read 220+ Chapters Ahead of Others!
Chapter 803: Item Members Meeting with Mikoto and Others...
"You guys"
ShiraiKuroko had just opened her mouth to answer UiharuKazari when a ripple of warped space suddenly blossomed in the centre of the office.
Every pair of eyes snapped toward it.
The air quivered like water, and the room's lighting bent at the distorted boundary, casting strange, rainbowcoloured halos.
Five figures materialised out of nowhere.
At their head stood a redhaired girl with twin tailsMusujimeAwaki.
Behind her were four women and girls, each with a very different air about them.
"I've brought the members of Item."
"Sorry for interrupting your little lover's quarrel~"
Awaki winked impishly, twirling a strand of hair around one finger.
"YupItem is here."
Her tone was light, yet her eyes glittered with vigilance and her body remained poised to trigger her ability at a moment's notice.
Since they were personally escorted in by her, nothing was allowed to go wrong.
At the front stood a tall, mature woman.
Waistlength chestnut hair; eyes sharp as a hunting raptor. Arms folded, she surveyed everyone in the room without the slightest pretense.
MuginoShizuri leader of the darkside team Item.
Level5, ranked 4th. Ability: "Meltdowner" (atomic collapse).
A purple jacket hung from her shoulders; danger radiated from her entire being.
To her left was a petite girl with short, chestnutbrown hair, dressed in a white tracksuit and watching the surroundings warily.
KinuhataSaiai Level4. Ability: "Nitrogen Armor."
Though she looked relaxed, she could envelop herself in a nitrogen shield in an instant.
On the right stood a small blonde, blueeyed girl. She glanced about curiously, fingers unconsciously playing with the satchel of explosives at her waist.
FrendaSeivelun Item's explosives expert, a nonesper.
Her gaze lingered on the office's expensive dcor, especially the priceylooking artwork.
"These things must be worth a lot, huh?"
Last was a sicklylooking blackhaired girl, nodding off against Mugino's shoulder.
TakitsuboRik Level4. Ability: "AIM Stalker" (ability tracking).
Even here she wore loose pajamastyle outerwear, as if dragged straight from bed.
MisakaMikoto and ShokuhMisaki rose to their feet at the same time.
The atmosphere turned razorsharp. It felt a few degrees colder; invisible pressure thickened the air.
"MusujimeAwaki, these are the 'reliable reinforcements' you mentioned?"
Electricity crackled around Mikoto; her lightbrown hair bristled with static. Her eyes fixed on Muginosomething about the woman rubbed her the wrong way.
Shokuh sized up the quartet, pausing the longest on Mugino.
"My my, if it isn't the famous Meltdowner~
Fancy meeting you here."
Mugino's eyes opened fully, flicking between the three espers.
"Three espers in the same room, and you specially invite me "
She laughed coldly; green points of energy gathered at her fingertips.
"Out with it. I don't have time to play house."
She assumed Musujime Awaki must be a newly minted Level5there was no public Level5 teleporter, and anyone treated as an equal to two renowned Level5s had to be formidable.
"Mugino"
Takitsubo tugged weakly at her sleeve.
"Be careful they feel strange"
As an ability tracker, Takitsubo's sense for AIM fields was razorsharpand she couldn't detect the fields around Misaka or Shokuh at all.
Warning bells blared in her mind.
Shokuh stepped forward, starlit eyes flashing gold.
"Miss Mugino~ Before we get down to business, just a tiny question: What do you really think of me?"
Mugino opened her mouth to retortonly to find, horrified, that it moved on its own:
"You're just the pathetic fifth rank"
Her voice came out stiff, her face twisting as she fought the mental control.
At the same time the other three Item members blurted out their real thoughts:
Takitsubo (hazy): "You're mysterious and very pretty"
Frenda (scowling, then clapping a hand over her mouth): "Tch, your boobs are way too bigannoying"
Kinuhata (instantly armoured in nitrogen, yet still speaking): "Super dangerous person"
All four froze the moment the words left their lips.
Mugino's face darkened; the light of Meltdowner flared violently.
"So this is your trick!"
She whipped up her hand, emerald energy converging on Shokuh's chest.
"Don't move~"
Shokuh sang sweetly; the gold in her eyes blazed brighter.
Mugino's body locked. The Meltdowner light winked out.
She couldn't move a fingercouldn't even access her power.
"Th-this impossible"
Her voice shook. Level5s differed in rank, but total suppression like this shouldn't exist.
Frenda and Kinuhata snapped into fighting stances
Musujime Awaki snapped her fingers, teleporting them to a corner ten metres away behind an invisible spatial barrier.
"Calm down, everyone," Awaki drawled, rolling a coordinate marker between her fingers.
"If we wanted to hurt you, we wouldn't need all this fuss."
Misaka Mikoto sighed and stepped forward.
"Shokuh Misaki, that's enough."
She gestured for Awaki to drop the barrier and turned to Mugino.
"We're here to offer you a much more legitimate line of work."
The tension remained thick. The four members of Item stared at the three Level5s in shock, unable to process what had just happened.
Sweat slid down Mugino's temple
She had never imagined feeling this powerless in a direct confrontation.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
Currently You can Read 220+ Chapters Ahead of Others!
Chapter 804: Level 6 and Thousands of Level 5
"This is impossible"
Mugino Shizuri ground her teeth, forcing the fingers she had only just regained control over to move.
"How could Mental Out suppress me completely?"
The look she gave Shokuhou Misaki was equal parts furyand a trace of barely perceptible fear.
Awaki Musujime couldn't help but laugh.
"Because they're not Level5 anymore, y'know~"
Her figure vanished and reappeared behind Mugino in the blink of an eye, lips nearly brushing the other girl's ear.
"They've reached a Level6 you can't even imagine~"
Though soft as a whisper, her words carried clearly through the entire office.
"Level6?"
Misaka Mikoto's pupils dilated; the ionizedair barrier around her flickered with shock.
"That's supposed to exist only in theory"
Her voice trailed off, and the way she looked at the three girls changed completely.
Takitsubo Rik's face stiffened.
"So that's whyno wonder I couldn't detect the limits of their AIM fields. Their dispersion is literally beyond observation!"
"Not only that~"
Shokuhou twirled the remote in her hand, the starlight of mischief dancing in her eyes.
"We're now the defacto rulers of Academy City~"
She pressed a button. The office walls turned transparent, a virtual screen revealing the city's night skyline.
"The age of Aleister's rule is over."
Everyone's jaws practically hit the floor.
"Wait the Board of Directors?"
Her gaze swept the room, as if searching for the middleaged men who had once held absolute power.
"Reorganized," Misaka said calmly, striding to the window.
"After that incident, we decided to run Academy City ourselves."
Backlit by the city lights, her silhouette looked unshakably firm.
Expressions vacillated between anger and uncertainty.
Just then Shokuhou's golden eyes blazed.
"Seems you need a bit of proof~"
An invisible psychic ripple spread outward; the four members of ITEM froze.
A torrent of memories flooded straight into their mindsthe truth behind the Level6 Shift Project, the evolution of the Misaka Network, the secret transfer of power inside Academy City
The data deluge left them reeling.
Minutes passed before they stirred again, each face more stunned than the last.
Takitsubo had to brace herself against the wall to stay upright; her abilitysense was a scrambled mess.
"This is beyond surreal" she muttered, looking weaker by the second as her brain struggled to parse the forced download.
Frenda flopped onto the floor, unconcerned with appearances.
"So you really took out the Chairman?"
Her voice shot up an octave.
Kinuhata Saiai stared wideeyed at Misaka.
"Twentythousand clones all evolved into separate individuals, and every single one's a Level5 esper?!"
Her nitrogen armor had vanished without her noticing; both hands clenched into fists.
That's terrifying.
Mugino said nothing, simply digesting the bombshells.
Her gaze flicked between Misaka and Shokuhou, searching for cracks in the storyyet deep inside she already believed.
A power gap that was overwhelming could not be faked.
"Understand now?"
Awaki leaned against the desk, idly tossing a spatial marker between her fingers.
"We don't intend to abuse our strength. We need dependable people to keep the new order runningand to build a better one."
She looked straight at Mugino.
"And your team, ITEM, fits the bill."
Misaka stepped forward. "We'd like you to join us.
"The job's basically the same, but safer, fully backed, and with far better benefits."
Her eyes swept the four girls.
"Everything onehundredpercent legal."
The words better benefits made Kinuhata and Frenda's eyes light up at once.
Frenda forgot her fear and scrambled upright.
"Really? What's the pay? Do we get insurance?"
She blurted out, hands no longer near the explosives at her waist.
"Paid vacation?"
"Full social coverage, base salary triple what you make now plus performance bonuses,"
Shokuhou answered with a sunny smile, already lounging back on the sofa.
"And a luxury apartment, free of charge~"
She knew exactly how tempting that was to girls who had lived in the shadows.
Kinuhata seized Mugino's arm, shaking with excitement.
"Mugino! These terms are ultra good!
We wouldn't have to keep moving hideouts!"
Mugino shot her a sideways look, then turned to Misaka.
"Why us? Academy City has plenty of other darkside groups"
Her tone was still cautious, but the hostility was gone.
"Because you're women."
Misaka met her gaze squarely.
"Women?"
All four of ITEM blinked.
What kind of reason was that?
Misaka could only sigh.
The real chairman was a certain lecherous old man, after all.
"Besides we know your pasts," she added, voice lowering at the memory.
Silence settled over the room.
Uiharu's terminal chimed, shattering the stillness.
She checked it, eyes widening.
"City surveillance just registered an abnormal energy spike!"
Every eye turned her way.
Saten Ruiko leaned over the screen.
"Looks like some kind of spatial distortion wait, this pattern"
She looked up at Awaki.
"matches your ability!"
Awaki's head snapped up. "Impossible."
