A slender girl with slightly wavy, fluffy black hair returned to the dormitory.
Her frame was delicate and slim—or perhaps it could even be described as frail. Her attire was rather peculiar: the fitted Tokiwadai Academy uniform was layered beneath a white lab coat, which only emphasized her thinness.
Her features were remarkably delicate, but the most striking aspect of her appearance was her cold, chilling eyes that sent shivers down one's spine. Her whole presence gave off an impression of poor health.
She was Nunotaba Shinobu—a genius admitted to Tokiwadai for her unparalleled talents in fields like biology and psychiatry.
Due to some odd demands from her superiors, Nunotaba had been working overtime for the past week. Now, all she wanted was to take a nice, long hot bath back in her dorm.
She had heard that the school had assigned her a new roommate, a second-year transfer student. She only hoped the new roommate wasn't some rude troublemaker.
Click.
As she turned the wooden knob and opened the door to the dormitory, the first thing Nunotaba saw was a game console placed in the middle of the living room.
The dorm was fairly clean, with no unpleasant odors and a faint fragrance of roses lingering in the air.
At least they're not messy, Nunotaba thought to herself as she walked toward the bathroom, letting her clothes fall to the floor.
···
After leaving Tokiwadai Academy, Kurumi followed the main road before turning onto a side street, weaving her way through several narrow alleys.
What came into view was a five-story student apartment building.
Surrounded by sleek modern skyscrapers that rose over ten stories tall, the yellowing exterior of this small apartment complex appeared all the more shabby in comparison.
The entire building exuded an atmosphere of dampness, darkness, and cheapness.
It was hard to believe that Academy City's top esper, Accelerator, actually lived in such a place—but it was the truth.
For Kurumi, her shadows and clones were as invaluable as the most precious equipment. At this moment, an unbelievable number of her clones were active across all twenty-three districts of Academy City.
Of these, the majority were concentrated in the Seventh and Eighteenth Districts.
Kurumi's clones had even become something of an urban legend themselves.
Though her clones often slacked off and idled, they were undeniably an essential part of the girl known as Kurumi Tokisaki.
In front of the open space by the apartment entrance, a young dormitory manager—who appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old—was reclining in a rattan chair, leisurely basking in the sunlight.
No matter how youthful a woman might be, it seemed that taking on such a job inevitably pushed her into a state of early retirement-like idleness.
"Hello there," Kurumi greeted politely, standing elegantly in front of the dorm manager.
Normally, Kurumi wasn't in the habit of entering someone else's residence uninvited. Of course, this was only normally.
The young dorm manager squinted slightly, lifting her eyebrows as the sunlight was blocked by Kurumi's figure.
She didn't even bother asking Kurumi for identification or a student permit. With complete indifference, she casually allowed Kurumi inside.
But when Kurumi inquired about "Accelerator," the manager looked momentarily puzzled. After all, who in their right mind would have such a strange name?
"White hair, eyes red like a rabbit's, skin as delicate as a girl's, and a slender build," Kurumi elaborated.
At this description, the dorm manager's eyes lit up with recognition.
"Oh… third floor. Anything else… I'm too lazy to check."
That was all Kurumi needed.
···
The sunlight streamed through the window at the end of the hallway, spilling warm, golden rays onto Kurumi's figure.
She adjusted her bonnet and strode gracefully through the corridor, her Gothic black dress flowing elegantly with her steps.
Even in a dim, rundown building like this, she exuded an aura of refinement that was impossible to overlook.
···
What exactly is esper power?
Constructing a "Personal Reality," and using calculations to manifest abilities in the real world...
In essence, this is magic that places belief in oneself.
Kurumi ascended the unkempt stairs of the apartment building. It was Friday, so most students were busy with their classes or experiments related to esper abilities, leaving the building in near silence.
She walked through the dim hallway, heading deeper inside. At the farthest room, Kurumi could distinctly sense the presence of an esper who made no effort to conceal their power.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and approached the door.
Knock knock knock—
Kurumi knocked firmly on the door.
Inside, lounging on the sofa and watching a bizarre science documentary, Accelerator downed the last gulp of his canned coffee.
He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction—it was starting to bore him.
Next time, I'll try a different brand.
He completely ignored whoever was knocking on the door. This cheap apartment complex had lax management, so it wasn't unusual for random people hawking "superpower training programs" or claiming to enhance esper abilities to show up uninvited.
Still, even with that annoyance, he much preferred living here over staying at Tokiwadai Academy's dormitories.
Besides, the broken-down environment of this apartment carried a faint nostalgia for his harsh days at the Special Ability Research Facility ("Talented Person Workshop").
Knock knock knock—
Knock knock knock—
The person at the door showed no sign of giving up. With an irritated groan, Accelerator reluctantly peeled himself off the sofa and shuffled toward the door.
As he pulled the door open, his crimson, blood-like eyes reflected the figure standing before him.
Her jet-black, silky hair was tied into twin tails, and her left eye was hidden beneath her bangs, leaving only her radiant, rose-like right eye exposed.
A black dress swayed lightly in the sunlight, its hem dancing in the breeze. Her figure was delicate, exuding the graceful charm of a young girl, and her slender legs were elegantly accentuated by black stockings, showcasing her perfect silhouette.
But the gentle smile on her lovely face—it didn't look kind at all. To Accelerator, it was brimming with malice.
Bang!
Without hesitation, he slammed the door shut, cursing his decision to open it in the first place.
A soft hand stopped the door in its tracks, pressing firmly against it. It looked fragile, yet carried a strength that even Accelerator couldn't overpower.
Even with his Vector Manipulation, he couldn't close the door against the girl's seemingly frail hand. The scene was both awkward and utterly nonsensical.
It was as if Kurumi wasn't exerting any force at all—her hand merely rested lightly against the door, yet it was immovable, as solid as a boulder.
Realizing it was futile, Accelerator gave up resisting. He turned back into the room, collapsing into a "spread-eagle" position on the sofa.
Beyond the ferocious exterior he usually showed to the world, Accelerator revealed a completely different side of himself in front of Kurumi:
A lazy, deadbeat attitude.
Kurumi stepped into the room, carefully avoiding the empty coffee cans strewn across the floor. Skipping any pleasantries, she got straight to the point and began questioning Accelerator about the Misaka Sisters.
But as it turned out, the situation was not what Kurumi had expected at all.
Propping himself up on the sofa, Accelerator stared at Kurumi with a pair of dead fish-like eyes.
"I thought you'd know already," he said flatly.
"Didn't your research lab tell you? The [Level 6 Shift Project] experiments… have been suspended."
···
From the moment one begins undergoing esper development, a unique trait known as [aptitude] within their body is identified.
How far someone can go and what Level they can achieve as an esper are predetermined from the very beginning.
This explains why there are so many electromasters in Academy City—and why Higuchi Pharmaceuticals sought Misaka Mikoto's DNA map in the first place.
As Academy City's strongest, standing unrivaled above 2.3 million people, Accelerator is the only one among the seven Level 5 espers who can reliably become an Absolute Power—Level 6.
This conclusion was reached through the calculations of the [Tree Diagram].
"Just one experimental subject costs 180,000 yen," Accelerator said, propping himself up on the sofa, a twisted grin spreading across his face as he looked at Kurumi. "And that doesn't even include maintenance or memory training."
"To complete this experiment, they'd need 20,000 clones and an enormous amount of time."
"Now… if an esper with a duplication ability like yours appeared in front of those researchers, what do you think would happen?"
There was a distinct implication in his words.
"I'd imagine those guys will be knocking on your door soon enough. After all, they're more desperate to create a Level 6 than I am."
"Hah!?" Kurumi was stunned. The thought that those researchers might turn their attention to her clones hadn't even crossed her mind.
Are those people brainless or what?!
"What about the Sisters?" Kurumi asked, shifting the topic back to her primary concern.
"How would I know?" Accelerator said with a yawn. "They're probably being used for some other experiment now. If you don't have anything else, then just get lost."
"And hey," he added with a casual smirk, "don't disappoint me after making all those bold claims. I'm expecting a lot from you—don't go breaking too easily."
Kurumi was, so far, the only person to have bypassed his reflection. Though she hadn't hurt him, it was still an achievement that the likes of the second-ranked esper couldn't dream of matching.
Kurumi fixed her gaze on him, her tone sharp and serious.
"One last question," she said. "Do you really believe that killing twenty thousand Sisters will make you stronger?"
"Hey… don't mistake my tolerance for indulgence," Accelerator retorted coldly, meeting her gaze with icy crimson eyes.
"But that question?" He let out a scoff.
"I never expected this stupid little game to actually make me a Level 6 Absolute Power," he said, sounding almost dismissive.
"But," he continued, leaning back lazily, "if it can make me stronger, then why not try? After all, they're just experimental animals—180,000 yen apiece, produced in bulk."
As Kurumi studied his expression, she suddenly smiled.
"I'll make sure to teach you a proper lesson."
"Go ahead," he replied nonchalantly. "I'll be waiting."
Bang—
The door slammed shut with the force of the wind.
The room, now devoid of light, grew dark and oppressive.
Accelerator sat on the edge of the sofa, his body hunched forward as he stared at his hands in the shadows.
They seemed to be soaked in blood.
"I'm… just a hopeless villain," he muttered.
Again and again, he had violently killed the Sisters, hoping—just once—that one of them would beg for mercy, would cry out, I want to live.
Say it. Just say it…
Then I could stop this experiment. Then I'd have an excuse to quit.
But none of them ever did.
"Whatever," he whispered bitterly, leaning back into the sofa.
She'll beat me. She'll replace me.
···
Two unusual guests arrived at Tokiwadai Academy that day.
One of them was a girl in a middle school uniform, wearing an oversized flower crown on her head. The other was a slightly more mature girl, dressed in a pure white dress with a modest amount of deep blue trim at the collar.
After presenting their student IDs and explaining who they were visiting, the pair was granted entry into Tokiwadai.
"Hey, Uiharu. You're sure that senior you mentioned is here?"
Saten Ruiko, usually cheerful and outgoing, seemed strangely uneasy as they walked through the prestigious academy.
I'm just a Level 0…
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