[Joker-sama, I've missed you so much!] wiping her tears, Junko smiled. The familiar clown figure hadn't changed at all; even after all these years, this clown remained the same.
"It's been a while..." Indeed, time had passed. Seeing this curly-haired girl, Yuki sighed.
He remembered it as if it were yesterday, although in reality, it had been a few years. Yuki couldn't help but feel nostalgic and somewhat helpless since, due to his mistake, Misaki ended up the way she was now.
It all began at the start of the Level 6 project. Yuki and Yami were hunting the sisters for the first time. However, there was a problem – even after going back a whole year, the first Sister had already died.
"Dolly Clone, the first sister..." Dolly, known as the prototype and also as number '0,' was a crucial figure in the project. She was the beginning and the only Sister not connected to the Misaka Network.
Though Dolly wasn't part of the 20,001 Sisters, Mikoto's request was to save them all. Yuki had no choice but to travel back in time and save Dolly.
[Are you sure it's a good idea? The future will change if you intervene.]
[Master...]
At that moment, Est and Eggy had not yet entered their spiritual sleep, so they tried to stop him. Time travel is a terrible idea; Eggy even reminded Yuki of the consequences of changing the past, where things could get worse before getting better, such as his mother's death. It was a disaster.
Dolly, being the origin of the entire Misaka Network project, intervening in the past could create massive butterfly effects, rendering the project nonexistent, and the Sisters might never be born. If that happens, all their efforts will be in vain, and they might end up in a time loop.
Yuki was well aware of the consequences but still hesitated.
"If Mikoto finds out I left a Sister behind, she'll surely be upset."
Knowing Mikoto's unstable mind and strong sense of justice, she wouldn't let a life pass, especially when she knows Yuki's time-traveling ability. She would plead until Yuki agrees to let her travel back in time and save her sister.
"Instead of letting a rookie handle it, I'm the best option for the job."
The chances of Mikoto causing a butterfly effect were higher than Yuki's. Besides, Yuki already had a plan and wasn't repeating the same mistake as last time.
[I suppose if it's that girl, it's possible...]
Eggy agreed as well; that's how Mikoto was, after all. If there's an opportunity, she would do everything to succeed.
"Alright, let's..."
*Tick, Tack.
With Zafkiel appearing behind him, Yuki materialized his spark gun. At the same time, Zafkiel's needles marked number 12.
[Wait! Let me try!]
"Hm?"
And just as Yuki was about to summon Rasiel and search for the coordinates, Eggy emerged from the Spirit Gate.
"This Queen is very curious to know how it works. Let me try this time."
Eggy had seen Est use Rasiel, and the last time they traveled to the past, her curiosity about Zafkiel only grew.
She was keen to know how it works and if it's possible to recreate its effects through her spiritual power. After all, time travel is very tempting.
"Fine, but make sure to mark the coordinates correctly..."
Shrugging, Yuki handed over his spark gun.
"Great!"
With stars in her eyes, Eggy wasted no time. She returned to the spiritual world and called Rasiel, who flew over and opened its pages on its own accord. Yuki could only sigh at all of this; his poor angels became freeloaders, with the Demon King controlling most of their spiritual world. They had no choice but to take refuge in Est's house, paying rent in the form of Est frequently using Rasiel.
His two poor angels couldn't resist; it was either this or challenge the Demon King again. Yuki could only wish them good luck; they were his weapons, but in the end, they were still other tenants in his spiritual world.
And he couldn't say anything to Est; after all, unlike these two lazy angels who did nothing for so many years, Est built her house herself, even constructing furniture and all sorts of basic utensils.
Very different from Zafkiel and Rasiel, who only slept on the cold floor in their spiritual world.
In a way, Est was quite generous in letting these two slackers in and providing them with a room. Only Eggy earned her place, as she expanded the size of the house and built a few cultivation rooms.
[Ready!]
With the coordinates marked, Eggy raised the spark gun ready to fire. Yuki assisted and waited until something flashed in his mind.
"Wait, did you forget to mark the location, right?"
[Zafkiel: Yud Bet!]
*Bang.
Unfortunately, Yuki's warning came too late; Eggy had already pulled the trigger, engulfing Yuki in darkness...
---
**Research Talent Workshop, Dolly Clone, Academy City, Third Laboratory: Ideal**
"Your ability is developing rapidly; soon Exterior will be complete."
"Even though it's something I don't need."
Closing one of her beautiful starry eyes, Misaki, about 11 or 12 years old, appeared physically similar to her future self. Unlike the future, where her figure was well-proportioned, her current body was quite childish, and her chest was as flat as a runway.
"Please don't say that; Exterior is quite beneficial for both you and us."
Responding to Misaki's uncomfortable comment, a woman in a white lab coat with an anti-mind control device on her head smiled bitterly.
Project Exterior is a giant brain, cultivated through Misaki's cerebral cortex. Exterior is not only a large brain that significantly boosts Misaki's Ability but is also built with the purpose of allowing anyone, whether an esper or ordinary person, to use Mental Out.
Of course, this is just the surface of all the uses that can be accomplished with a giant brain.
"Can I go home now?"
As the ability test had ended, Misaki no longer wanted to stay in this laboratory. However, the woman shook her head.
"No, I have to introduce you to someone."
"Hm?"
Tilting her head in confusion, Misaki had no choice but to follow the woman.
"Let me introduce you; she is our prototype, and we call her Dolly."
After a few minutes, they reached an isolated room where a short-haired girl with tea-colored hair was inside. The girl had a physical appearance similar to Misaki, making her age easily confused. She held a large glass jar with an unknown substance inside. Dolly glanced at Misaki for a moment before turning her head away, showing no interest in the girl in front of her.
(Prototype?)
Misaki squinted and looked directly at the girl. This girl in front of her was not normal; she seemed quite weak, and her eyes lacked any spark, as if she were suffering from an illness.
"Come on, what did I tell you about greeting?"
Slightly annoyed by the lack of courtesy, the woman tugged at Misaki's medical gown, revealing deep scars.
"No! Don't look at me!"
Dolly, feeling Misaki's gaze on her scars, quickly tried to cover herself.
"What's the problem? It's not like you have a big chest to show off."
"Don't look!"
Misaki dismissed this action; Dolly was just like her, a flat surface. However, she quickly realized she was wrong.
Dolly wasn't concerned about her chest but about the scars covering her back, chest, and a large part of her body.
Being able to live with these scars...
"Oh, well, this saves me some explanation..."
For the woman, these scars meant nothing. She put both hands on her hips, not seeing Dolly as a human being but as an object. Therefore, she didn't hesitate to explain to Misaki.
---