Chapter 57

The next day, for the planned shopping trip with a few friends, Saten Rikou and Shirai Kuroko both declined. They still couldn't face Misaka Mikoto, and if they saw her now, she might notice something. However, their intention was to end the Absolute Ability Plan before Misaka Mikoto found out about it.

The others didn't notice anything unusual about the two being absent, assuming they were going on a date with Tsukuyomi Komoe.

On this side, the two were at the Protect base. Saten Rikou was very curious about Kihara Aisa's existence, so Shirai Kuroko decided to stay and talk to her. As for Tsukuyomi Komoe, he had already left to prepare for the battle with Accelerator. The Frost Sorrow must not be used, as Accelerator's death was not part of Aleister's plan. Therefore, he had to find another way to defeat Accelerator.

Moreover, since he had decided to intervene, he wouldn't let the Misaka sisters die anymore. Otherwise, what was the point of his presence?

That night, Tsukuyomi Komoe appeared at the experimental site. It was an abandoned building where the white-haired Accelerator and the Misaka sister in Tokiwadai uniform were already standing.

"21:00, the 9932nd experiment begins."

"9932, huh?"

To gain an advantage in the upcoming battle with Accelerator, Tsukuyomi Komoe decided to reveal as little as possible. The later Accelerator discovered his presence, the better it would be for the future battle.

Misaka 9932 ran around the load-bearing pillars of the abandoned building, firing at Accelerator. However, Accelerator's ability to manipulate vectors deflected all the bullets. Since Misaka 9932 was constantly running, her shooting accuracy was low, so the reflected bullets were few, and she only suffered minor grazes due to her constant movement.

But the good times didn't last long. A bullet pierced Misaka 9932's leg, causing her to fall. Seeing no other option, Tsukuyomi Komoe decided to step in. Even if it meant revealing his power early, he couldn't just let the Misaka sister die.

Before Tsukuyomi Komoe could appear, things took a turn. With a series of explosions, the load-bearing pillars began to collapse. Misaka 9932 had planted explosives in all the pillars beforehand, and her running and shooting were to get closer to the building's exit.

Unfortunately, her leg injury prevented her from escaping. Seeing the building collapse, Accelerator, though not concerned about being hurt, didn't want to be buried. He used his ability to quickly leave the building, considering the Misaka sister's death inevitable and not worth his attention. At that moment, Tsukuyomi Komoe rushed in from behind, picking up the fallen Misaka sister.

"Who are you... beep—Misaka asked her question..."

"Who I am doesn't matter. I'm here to save you." Then he directly took Misaka back to the Protect base. As for the collapsing building? It couldn't hurt Tsukuyomi Komoe.

At the base, Saten Rikou and Shirai Kuroko had been waiting for a long time, and "Medusa" had also been invited by Tsukuyomi Komoe.

"Then I'll continue." Tsukuyomi Komoe walked back into the night.

Tsukuyomi Komoe realized that his cover was meaningless. Ignoring the "Misaka Network," could he really guarantee that he could save the Misaka sisters every time? So, he decided to openly intervene.

From then on, every time the experiment began, Tsukuyomi Komoe would immediately create an ice wall to block Accelerator's view, then endure the electric shocks from the defective power to rescue the Misaka sister.

Eventually, Accelerator couldn't take it anymore and refused to participate in the experiments. What was going on? Every time the experiment started, the subject would disappear, and he didn't know who was doing it, only that it was an ice-based ability user. How could the experiments continue?

Finally, after much persuasion, the researchers decided to halt the experiments and investigate the interference. However, at this moment, the higher-ups issued a notice to add a new experiment—battling the new Level 5, FROZEN·UNIVERSE. The date was set for August 14th.

This was Tsukuyomi Komoe's idea. Instead of rescuing the Misaka sisters one by one, he decided to intervene directly. Since he was temporarily under Aleister's protection, he should make the most of his privileges.

Then, Tsukuyomi Komoe began setting up at the designated location. Saten Rikou and Shirai Kuroko, seeing Tsukuyomi Komoe's serious preparations, started to worry. They remembered that he was going to face the city's No. 1 vector manipulator, Accelerator!

"It's fine, I'll win. I have a secret weapon." Tsukuyomi Komoe reassured them. It wasn't a lie; as a Servant, he had a trump card, though he preferred not to use it lightly.

The dozens of Misaka sisters rescued by Tsukuyomi Komoe were being treated at "Medusa's" hospital, while Misaka 9932 remained at the Protect base, cared for by Kihara Aisa.

"9932..." Shirai Kuroko looked at Misaka 9932, thinking of her childhood friend, who should have been the first clone of Misaka Mikoto. But there was no doubt that she had died at the hands of these so-called scientists. Even if not in the experiments, she would have died due to the limitations of being a clone. Shirai Kuroko didn't believe anyone would have adjusted her body.

"Let's give her a name... We can't keep calling her 9932." Saten Rikou's words reminded Tsukuyomi Komoe that they should give her a name. Calling her by a number was too impersonal, and in their eyes, the Misaka sisters were not mere test subjects.

"Koto?" Tsukuyomi Komoe first thought of reversing Mikoto's name, but it was rejected by both.

"Mirei?" Shirai Kuroko suggested a name to honor the original zero, if it existed. As for the name, she planned to keep it in her heart; some things couldn't be replaced.

However, "I remember in Misaka Mikoto's file, her mother's name was Mirei..." Tsukuyomi Komoe's words poured cold water on Shirai Kuroko.

"Ren, what about just Ren?" Saten Rikou's suggestion made the two consider it.

"Misaka Ren... It feels a bit like a boy's name."

"Natsu." Kihara Aisa, thinking of her own name and the current season, suggested her opinion.

"Misaka Natsu, nice, let's go with that."

"Why... Misaka is just a name worth 180,000 yen..."

Tsukuyomi Komoe waved to stop Misaka 9932's words and smiled warmly. "Because we think you are a person, that's all. Misaka Natsu."

Misaka 9932, hearing herself called Misaka Natsu, was stunned. This was the first time she had something that belonged to her. A tear appeared in Misaka Natsu's eyes, almost invisible, but Tsukuyomi Komoe saw it.

From now on, Misaka Natsu was a girl with her own life. For the sake of the crying girl, he had to win!

Ps: I'm about to fight Accelerator. After the fight, I'll have to take a break for a while to prepare for my exams. I can only promise not to abandon the story.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends