Chapter 30 of 100

Chapter 30

17 min read4,181 words

On the other side, Saten Ruiko, who had not seen Hoshino Tsukiumi return, was bored and went online to download new songs. She discovered a hidden link and, upon clicking it, found a song called "Imaginary Hand."

Tsukiumi had told her about the "Imaginary Hand" incident, so Saten Ruiko was somewhat aware of the search for the "Imaginary Hand" by the Judgment members. She planned to hand over the "Imaginary Hand" to Hoshino Tsukiumi when he returned in the evening, but instead received the message, "I have a mission tonight and won't be back."

At that moment, Hoshino Tsukiumi was at Teacher Tsukuyomi Komoe's house, explaining the reason for Touma's injury. Of course, he couldn't tell the truth, so he made up a few unfortunate events that Touma might have encountered to get by. Both of them knew whether he had really fooled her or not.

"Even though I don't know what happened, you must take care of yourselves!"

"Please don't get involved in this, Teacher Komoe."

In the end, to prevent the two people who had been shocked from doing something irrational, Hoshino Tsukiumi stayed the night after informing Saten Ruiko. The next day, in the afternoon, after Touma woke up, he explained the truth about Index's problem to Touma and then left. Of course, he also warned Touma that he would come to remove the church's restraints on Index.

"Why not now?"

"Give the two people who were also manipulated by the church a chance to atone, and do you think Index doesn't have any defensive measures?"

Touma didn't say anything more and decided to stay with Index.

Meanwhile, Hoshino Kuroko, who had found many transaction locations for the "Imaginary Hand," also took action, holding a possible list: "It must be one of these, so I'll just destroy them one by one."

At this time, Saten Ruiko, bored, went out for a walk. Perhaps influenced by Hoshino Tsukiumi, she also liked to wander around the city when she had nothing to do. As she passed by an abandoned building, she heard a voice: "Didn't you say you would give me the 'Imaginary Hand'?"

Hearing this, Saten Ruiko felt she couldn't just stand by and ran over. What she saw was three delinquents surrounding a small, fat boy. They were beating and abusing him, a sight too terrible to bear. "How much has your ability level increased? Do you want to try it out on this guy?" the leader, a blond, said with ill intent.

"Stop it!" She had wanted to call the Judgment members first, but unfortunately, her phone was dead. Though a bit scared, she was no longer the powerless person she had been six months ago. She was now one of the strongest Level 4s in the city, second only to the top eight Level 5s. "That person is already injured. The security guards will be here soon."

The blond looked at Saten Ruiko and slowly approached her. "What did you say?" He kicked her. "You little brat, talking back without any power!"

Unexpectedly, the blond was sent flying by a gust of wind that surrounded Saten Ruiko. "Even without power, I will stand up. You, who mistake cheating for your own strength, have no right to speak. Now, let him go, or I won't be gentle." *Yes, my power is for protecting, just like Tsukiumi!*

"Just a little brat!" The other two delinquents charged at her. One seemed to have a physical enhancement ability and quickly reached Saten Ruiko but was repelled by the wind. The other, using telekinesis, threw objects that couldn't get close to her.

"Power isn't used like that!" Saten Ruiko felt a deep disgust for these people who abused their power. She remembered the people who had tried to harm her when she first met Hoshino Tsukiumi. Anger rising, she waved her hand, sending two air blasts that knocked the two out.

The blond, seeing his two companions easily defeated, was confident in his own ability, which was a polarization power that could deflect light and make him invisible. He pulled out a knife and charged at Saten Ruiko.

However, since her encounter with Shokuhou Misaki, Saten Ruiko had started using air currents to sense her surroundings. To her, the blond's movements were clearly visible.

The wind picked up, and under Saten Ruiko's control, countless gusts enveloped the construction site, roaring, spreading, gathering, and swirling, like a dance of wind!

Seeing this, the blond was startled. Just as he was about to charge forward, a hidden air current struck him, knocking him out.

At this moment, Hoshino Kuroko, who was investigating the "Imaginary Hand," arrived. Seeing the scene, she was speechless. "Saten, why are you like Onee-sama...?"

"I couldn't help it... everything was over by the time you got here." Saten Ruiko was a bit embarrassed, as she and Misaka Mikoto were different, and she felt uneasy about interfering with the Judgment's work.

"Ah, they're all out cold. What do we do about the 'Imaginary Hand'...?" Hoshino Kuroko wasn't complaining, just a bit frustrated. To get information about the "Imaginary Hand," she would have to wait for the three to wake up.

Saten Ruiko, hearing this, suddenly remembered that, besides her boyfriend, Shokuhou Misaki and Hoshino Kuroko were also Judgment members. "Um, the 'Imaginary Hand'... I have it."

"Eh?"

Hoshino Kuroko really hadn't expected this, but when she learned that the "Imaginary Hand" was just a song, she was a bit confused.

Soon, the song and the recent findings were packaged and sent to Misonoo Harumi by Shokuhou Misaki, and they waited for the results. Hoshino Kuroko continued to search for new clues at possible locations, getting injured in the process.

In the evening, just as Shokuhou Misaki had finished bandaging Hoshino Kuroko's wounds, Misaka Mikoto, who was concerned about the matter, arrived at Branch 177, and Hoshino Tsukiumi, who had just returned from Touma's place, also came back to the branch. He wasn't surprised that his girlfriend had found the "Imaginary Hand," as it was the same in the original story.

They discussed the "Imaginary Hand."

"Can listening to a song really increase your level? I find that hard to believe." Everyone except Hoshino Tsukiumi was puzzled, even Saten Ruiko, who had found the "Imaginary Hand," doubted whether the song was just a prank.

"Doctor Misonoo told me," Shokuhou Misaki said, "there's a device called a 'learning device' that can input a large amount of electronic information into the brain in a short time. However, it requires the simultaneous use of the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch."

"And the 'Imaginary Hand' is just auditory stimulation...?" Misaka Mikoto frowned. *Something feels off, strange.*

"Even though we searched the unconscious patient's room, we found nothing but the data of that song."

"So, we're back to a dead end?"

"Ah," Hoshino Tsukiumi sighed. "Did you pay attention in class? Synesthesia."

Hearing Hoshino Tsukiumi's words, everyone was enlightened.

"I see... Ah~ It's late today. I'll contact Doctor Misonoo tomorrow." Shokuhou Misaki decided to visit Misonoo Harumi the next day.

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