I, Kurumi Tokisaki, Am a Wanderer

Hiss—

A crackling female voice laughed.

Aleister felt a headache coming on. Whether it was Aiwass or Kurumi, these "angels" possessed world-destroying power, yet they acted solely on their whims and fleeting interests.

"What will you do next?" Aiwass asked Aleister.

"If one plan doesn't work, I'll simply switch to another," Aleister remained silent for a moment before responding. "No matter what, everything will eventually return to its original course."

"I don't need 'Kakine Teitoku'; I only need 'Dark Matter,'" Aleister stated, uttering the words Kakine Teitoku hated most.

But the building had already fallen silent.

A shadow slipped into Rikuto Mika's room, and from within the black-and-red mass of darkness, a small head poked out.

Loli Kurumi leaned over the bedside, poking Rikuto Mika's cheek before reporting back to the main body that she was indeed unharmed.

Behind her, Yumei Mika quietly observed. After spotting Loli Kurumi, she turned and left the room.

Even Loli Kurumi failed to notice Yumei Mika's presence, as if the girl truly existed as a ghostly phantom, a being absent from existence.

"Eh? The door was open the whole time?" Loli Kurumi scratched her head, then jogged over to close it. Afterward, she mischievously pulled out a pen and turned her gaze toward Rikuto Mika.

Slightly unsettled by Kurumi-senpai's sudden midnight phone call, Uiharu Kazari sat in front of her computer, aimlessly browsing information about the dark side of the city.

Former "NO.2 Dark Matter," former "NO.4 Meltdowner"...

The composition of the dark organizations unnerved her the more she read. Even the names of their operations sounded terrifying:

"Elimination," "Suppression," "Silencing"...

And then there were oddities like "Highest-Level Onmyoji Doctor," which seemed outright bizarre.

Could Academy City really be this dark? It all felt so unreal, like a game of make-believe.

But deep in her heart, a small voice insisted on the brutal truth: it was all real.

Uiharu shivered, beginning to regret her reckless curiosity and hastily worked to erase any traces of her inquiry into the dark side.

Suddenly, she realized something.

Kurumi-senpai's search request was for...

Dark Matter.

Worry for Kurumi started to gnaw at her. She gripped her phone, contemplating sending a message, but in the end, she set it down without acting.

While Uiharu fretted, half the sky over Academy City suddenly lit up.

A dozen seconds later, a continuous rumble echoed like thunder.

But Uiharu knew it wasn't a thunderstorm.

According to the Tree Diagram Simulator's weather forecast, tonight was supposed to be clear and cloudless.

She pinpointed the direction of the light, estimating the distance based on the delay between the flash and the rumble. She deduced that it was precisely the location Kurumi-senpai had mentioned.

Uiharu's anxiety intensified.

The legends of Level 5 espers spoke of their ability to single-handedly confront armies. If her impulsiveness had caused Kurumi-senpai to face the third-ranked esper head-on...

She would regret it for the rest of her life.

Her heart pounded as dread consumed her. So distracted was she that, after clearing all traces of her inquiries, she forgot to check whether the downloaded dark organization directory contained any backdoors.

The dazzling white light continued for about ten seconds before it began to flicker. Shortly after the rumbling subsided, the light disappeared entirely.

Uiharu pressed her lips together tightly.

Beep beep—

Her inbox received a new message, and she quickly opened it.

It was a text from Kurumi.

"Thank you. Goodnight. Go to bed early," it read.

Uiharu Kazari let out a long sigh of relief, closed her computer, and continued chatting with Kurumi-senpai on her phone.

Then, it hit her.

If even the former NO.2, "Dark Matter," couldn't stop Kurumi-senpai, then what kind of existence was Kurumi-senpai?

Recalling how the rankings of espers had shifted shortly after Kurumi-senpai transferred to Nagatenjouki Academy, with a new first place emerging seemingly out of nowhere, Uiharu Kazari arrived at a terrifying conclusion.

...

The ground was stained red and black, carrying the unpleasant metallic scent of blood.

Kakine Teitoku, completely crushed by Tokisaki Kurumi, seemed to have only the faintest of breaths left, his heartbeat barely audible.

Such a ferocious, terrifying Kurumi, effortlessly crushing Academy City's former NO.2—her stature in the minds of the Misaka Sisters grew even larger.

But this only made that earlier, adorable embarrassing moment even more precious.

Lowering her head, Kurumi typed out a message to Uiharu Kazari.

Disturbing such a shy girl in the middle of the night wasn't ideal, but the circumstances had been urgent.

"Go to bed early. Staying up late will stunt your growth," Kurumi teased lightly.

After a moment, the reply came.

"I'm already 153 cm tall!" Uiharu protested indignantly, emphasizing that she was no longer a grade-schooler.

Click.

Kurumi laughed "gently" as she snapped her phone shut.

Rustling sounds emerged as several Misaka Sisters stepped out from hidden points near the abandoned park.

These Sisters stationed in Academy City worked part-time for various research institutes while undergoing bodily adjustments.

They lined up neatly in front of Kurumi, bowed slightly, and looked at her with their usual expressionless faces, yet their gaze carried a faint sense of expectation.

Kurumi had no choice but to pat each of their heads one by one.

Curiously, the last Misaka Sister wasn't wearing the iconic tactical goggles and seemed more timid in her gaze toward Kurumi.

Were differences starting to appear among the Misaka Sisters?

Kurumi felt happy for them.

The Misaka Sisters pulled Kakine Teitoku out of the ground, cleaned up the bloodstains, and disguised the scene to make it look like the aftermath of an experiment rather than a battle between Level 5 espers.

With Academy City's advanced medical technology and Heaven Canceller's expertise, even someone as critically injured as Kakine Teitoku could still be saved.

However, the Misaka Sisters' orders were different. Escorting the unconscious Yobou Banka and Kakine Teitoku, they began transporting them in another direction.

...

"Someone has infiltrated the 'Library' and stolen a list of dark organizations," a voice said in the darkness.

"Oh? Who has that kind of skill?"

"Let me see." She answered, "A third-rate middle school girl? Just a Judgment member. Impossible! Is this a smokescreen thrown out by the perpetrator?"

"Judgment? Judgment doesn't have that kind of capability. If 'he' hadn't taken the list, we wouldn't even know 'he' had been there."

"Investigate thoroughly. Even if it's just that middle school girl, investigate her properly."

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"The permission level required to access that girl's data... is 'S.'"

...

...

Riding the bus to District 18.

Uiharu Kazari felt a strange unease, like a heavy stone pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

As a gesture of thanks, Kurumi had invited her out to have some fun. Naturally, Saten Ruiko had tagged along.

It should have been a happy occasion. That morning, she had even picked out a soft, elegant dress and matching panties, yet for some reason, her heart felt as though it was being tightly clenched.

Uiharu stared blankly out the window, so distracted that she nearly missed her stop.

"Get off! Get off the bus~~~" Saten Ruiko waved her hand energetically in front of Uiharu's face.

"Huh?! Oh, right..." Startled out of her daze, Uiharu hurriedly disembarked, fumbling as she went.

What's with her? She's been out of it since yesterday.

Saten Ruiko watched Uiharu's retreating figure with concern. It was clear to her that Uiharu was deeply unsettled by something. But not knowing what had happened, she could only silently worry.

She even forgot her bag.

Saten Ruiko sighed and jogged after her.

"Uiharu~~~!"

Carrying Uiharu's bag on her back, Saten Ruiko jogged up behind her.

Uiharu stood there, dazed, completely unaware of her friend's approach, her gaze fixed somewhere in the distance.

Whoosh—

Saten Ruiko lifted the hem of Uiharu's dress from behind, revealing a pair of cute panties.

"Ohhh~ It's an adorably super cute bunny design!" Saten Ruiko drawled teasingly.

But Uiharu didn't react at all.

Even though a sudden gust of cool air brushed against her legs, she found herself utterly indifferent.

Seeing Uiharu's lack of reaction, Saten Ruiko started to panic.

"No... no response at all?" she muttered in disbelief.

Ever since she had known Uiharu, she had pulled her skirt up over 300 times, never failing to elicit Uiharu's adorable, dramatic squeals.

But this time... she had failed?

Saten crouched down and, once more, lifted Uiharu's skirt.

Uiharu's expression remained utterly unchanged.

"There must be something wrong with my method," Saten muttered. She then began an almost mechanical rhythm of lifting and lowering the hem of Uiharu's dress.

Even so, Uiharu didn't even bother to cover herself.

"No! This can't be happening!" Saten Ruiko clutched her head with both hands. "You're not Uiharu! Who are you? Why are you pretending to be her?"

Watching her friend's exaggerated antics, Uiharu's eyes fluttered, and she let out a long sigh.

What had happened to Uiharu? Saten Ruiko had no idea.

Still crouching, Saten peered through the gap between Uiharu's legs, trying to discern what her friend had been staring at so blankly.

But in front of them, there was almost no one. Only a pale, bandaged figure with disheveled white hair rummaged through a vending machine, collecting cans of newly stocked coffee.

Sensing the gaze on his back, the man turned to glance at them briefly before walking off with a large bag full of coffee.

"Could it be... Uiharu's in love?" Saten Ruiko speculated with a mixture of suspicion and astonishment.

"I'm fine," Uiharu reassured her friend. "I was just lost in thought."

"Good, as long as you're okay." Saten Ruiko remained crouched, though the worry on her face didn't fade.

Really... are you okay?

...

Scattered on the floor were an opened bag of chips, soda cans, and a nearly empty large bottle of cola.

The air carried a distinct "Is there Wi-Fi?" vibe.

The television screen remained frozen on a game-over screen, its repetitive sound effect looping endlessly.

A girl lay curled up on the living room sofa, sleeping soundly. Her body rose and fell gently with her light breathing.

In her arms was a small figure, two tiny arms and legs poking out—Loli Kurumi, hugged tightly against her chest. The little one seemed to struggle to breathe under the suffocating embrace of the older girl.

When Kurumi walked out of the bedroom, this was the scene she was greeted with.

Click—

With an expressionless face, Kurumi closed the bedroom door. Then, she reopened it again.

Clearly, this wasn't her imagination.

This slacker version of herself had actually stayed up all night with the younger version of herself?

Kurumi stepped through the clutter of trash on the floor, sitting herself down right by the slacker's head.

With a springlike smile, Kurumi conjured her flintlock musket. Very slowly and very deliberately, she loaded the gun, ensuring the process was as loud as possible, then raised it vertically.

Bang—

The shot startled Moyu, who sprang up clutching Loli Kurumi tightly.

"Quick, quick, load the gun! The monsters are here!" she shouted groggily, before noticing the large "Game Over" on the screen.

"Eh... already lost?"

She was dressed in a lazy, carefree manner, her upper body barely covered by a loosely draped nightgown.

It seemed like she wasn't wearing anything underneath; one strap had slipped down, revealing swaths of fair, bare skin. Her legs, smooth and white, were pressed together, while Loli Kurumi perched on her lap, nestled against her chest.

From Kurumi's angle, she could see a considerable expanse of soft curves.

"Oh... you're awake," Moyu turned her head toward Kurumi, scratching her head awkwardly as she tried to come up with an excuse for staying up all night with Loli Kurumi.

"You were sleeping so soundly last night, I didn't have the heart to disturb you, so..."

"So, you decided to pull an all-nighter with Little Kurumi instead?" Kurumi interrupted.

"Eh... uh... eheh," Moyu laughed sheepishly, adjusting her fallen strap.

"You staying up all night is one thing, but why drag her into it?" Kurumi frowned, lifting Loli Kurumi from Moyu's arms and heading toward the bedroom. "A child staying up all night—do you think that's okay?"

"I mean, 'me'..." Moyu's voice trailed off, dripping with a hint of sarcasm.

"You still think she's going to grow up? Even if she could, it's not like she'd... fifteen... mmph mmph—"

"My, my~ What was that you were saying? I didn't quite catch it." Kurumi turned her head with a gentle smile, holding Loli Kurumi in her arms. "Care to repeat that?"

Slender arms reached out from the shadows around the sofa, some resting lightly on Moyu while others clamped over her mouth.

"Well, well, why aren't you saying anything? Keep going." The curve of Kurumi's smile grew sharper.

"Mmph, mmph..." Moyu struggled, shaking her head to free herself slightly.

"Damn you, Main Body! Just wait—one day, I'll tie you up and shove—mmph mmph..." She was promptly silenced again.

"Oh?" Kurumi's smile curled even further.

"Wait... no, stop... we're supposed to be on the same side..." Moyu's expression turned from alarm to terror, tinged with a trace of exhilaration.

"Eeeek!!!"

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