Chapter 73

While Yofukushi was preparing the plan for the experiment on Misaka Mikoto, on the other side, Fubuki followed Saten Ruiko and Misaka Mikoto to a family restaurant, while the others were still in the meeting at the Academy City Council.

After the meeting, seeing the exhausted group, Komikiri Mei proposed going to a bathhouse to relax. Shirai Kuroko, for a nefarious purpose, called Misaka Mikoto. Unfortunately, when Shirai Kuroko entered the changing room, she encountered the dorm supervisor and was asked to give a massage, leaving her to listen resentfully to the others' joyful laughter.

In the short time it took for a bath, Yofukushi had already formulated the experimental plan. STUDY used the authority of the dark side to set up roadblocks on the way back for Misaka Mikoto and the others, intending to lead them to a secluded, uninhabited place.

The group, just out of the bath, unaware of the plot against them, walked happily back. Komikiri Mei and a few others, who had different routes, left first.

Fubuki, exhausted from a day of playing and a comfortable bath, was carried on Saten Ruiko's back. Seeing Fubuki's drowsy sleeping face, the others all smiled in understanding.

Just as they were chatting happily, a sign appeared before them.

"Construction ahead, no entry?"

"Well, there's nothing we can do. Let's take a detour."

At this moment, the group did not realize that this was a premeditated trap, leading them to the uninhabited experimental site.

On the way, they encountered more detour signs and, without any suspicion, followed the path arranged by STUDY, arriving in front of a warehouse.

"This time... there's no way to detour..."

"We followed the instructions, right? It should be correct."

After detouring, the group found no road ahead, only a warehouse with a tightly closed door.

Shinobu Hyouka took out her phone to check the situation but found numerous missed calls from Konoe Kiyotaka.

"Huh? We must have missed them because we were in the bath."

"Is there something urgent?" Misaka Mikoto, who also received many calls, called Konoe Kiyotaka back. At that moment, a loud noise caught their attention.

A crack appeared in the warehouse door, and then a pair of mechanical hands pulled the entire door open, revealing a mechanical armor holding a specialized weapon.

After a brief pause, the mechanical armor charged at the target—Misaka Mikoto.

"Be careful!"

Saten Ruiko, carrying Fubuki, found it difficult to act, and Shirai Kuroko had to protect Shinobu Hyouka. Only Misaka Mikoto fought alone, but it didn't matter. For Misaka Mikoto, such mechanical armor could be easily hacked and its system altered.

However, the reality was unexpected. After dodging an attack, Misaka Mikoto's electronic intrusion had no effect, as if there was no electronic system. But if there was no electronic system, how did the mechanical armor move?

The mechanical armor swung its weapon, though it never hit, it was annoying. Misaka Mikoto used nearby iron sand to block an attack, intending to cut through the mechanical armor, but considering it was a manned model, she changed her mind and only planned to push it away.

"Move, Misaka-san!" Hearing Saten Ruiko's words, Misaka Mikoto immediately retreated. In an instant, a strong wind howled.

Saten Ruiko had been gathering strength since the mechanical armor appeared. The moment Misaka Mikoto moved, a strong wind blew from below, lifting the mechanical armor into the air. Then, several compressed air bullets hit the unprepared mechanical armor, disassembling it!

Yofukushi, seeing the experiment end so quickly, was displeased, but the basic test was completed, so he left in his car.

Seeing the disassembled mechanical armor, the group notified the security officers. While waiting, they heard a voice: "Misaka-san!"

The group looked in the direction of the voice: "Konoe-san?"

"Why is Konoe-san here?" For some reason, Shirai Kuroko and Konoe Kiyotaka had always been at odds, perhaps due to their incompatible personalities?

"I've been looking for you. Someone is after Fubuki!"

"What?!"

Konoe Kiyotaka recounted what happened at the Academy City Council. It turned out that when Yofukushi was in contact with STUDY personnel, Konoe Kiyotaka overheard. Although she didn't understand what Yofukushi meant by "unexpected gain," it was clear that the target of the "recovery of Fubuki" was Fubuki. She couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"What does 'recovery of Fubuki' mean?"

Saten Ruiko was very angry. She saw Fubuki as her own child and was dissatisfied with the attitude of treating people as objects. Moreover, the word "recovery" gave her, who had already been involved with the dark side, a bad premonition.

"Fubuki!!" At this moment, Saten Ruiko, sensing something was wrong, turned to look at Fubuki on her back. She found Fubuki breathing rapidly, her face flushed, and sweating profusely, in a very poor state.

"Call an ambulance quickly!"

After the ambulance arrived, Misaka Mikoto and Saten Ruiko went to the hospital, while Shirai Kuroko and Shinobu Hyouka, as disciplinary committee members, stayed to wait for the security officers. Konoe Kiyotaka left first to avoid worrying her two friends.

The security officer on duty today was Aizawa Aiho. Upon receiving the report, she immediately rushed to the scene, but the empty mechanical armor was confusing. Concerned about Fubuki's condition, Shirai Kuroko and Shinobu Hyouka briefly described the situation and then headed to the hospital. Aizawa Aiho, during her investigation, found an unknown component inside the mechanical armor, with a long, strip-like object visible inside.

On their way to the hospital, Shirai Kuroko and Shinobu Hyouka received a notification that Fubuki had been transferred to a larger hospital. Although they didn't know what was happening, Fubuki's condition seemed very serious, so they quickened their pace.