A Certain Magical Index: The Primal Spirit Descends to My Side

When Shiori Haru heard a piercing noise coming from her earphones, she quickly threw them away and then picked them up again.

"Shirai-kun!? What happened to you?"

"Early Spring...Early Spring..." Shirai Kuroko's voice came through the earpiece, hoarse and urgent, "Jonan Asahi threw a stun grenade, I can't hear anything right now...If you can hear me...she ran towards the used bookstore district, track her signal, don't let her get away..."

"Ah... okay!"

Cheng Nanchao moved swiftly through the narrow alleys, familiar with every passage and exit in the area. After all, she had spent two whole months traversing every alley in the Seventh School District in order to track down those ability users.

The stun grenade buys her about three to four minutes. The disciplinary committee member's recovery speed won't be too slow, especially the one with the teleportation ability. She must reach the pre-prepared evacuation point before the other party regains their mobility.

She walked through the back alley of the used bookstore street, climbed over a low wall, and landed on a vacant lot overgrown with weeds. At the end of the lot was a river, the boundary river between the Seventh and Eleventh School Districts. The river was about twenty meters wide, with a gentle current and concrete embankments on both sides.

Several small motorboats were moored on the riverbank; they were workboats used by the Academy City Environmental Monitoring Department for water quality sampling. The engine hood of one of the boats was open, and two students wearing T-shirts were squatting beside it, seemingly testing some equipment.

Cheng Nan Chaolai slowed his pace, adjusted his breathing, and then strode towards the ship.

"I'm a security guard!" she flashed her security guard badge hanging from her waist. "This ship has been requisitioned! There's an emergency!"

The two students looked up at her, their faces blank. "Huh? But this ship is still undergoing testing..."

"Emergency mission!" Cheng Nan Chaolai emphasized, simultaneously pulling his badge from his pocket and tossing it over. "Instructions from the security guards! You can contact the Environmental Monitoring Section to confirm!"

The two students exchanged a glance, clearly intimidated by her imposing presence. One of them hesitated for a moment, then nodded and jumped off the boat.

"Okay, sure...please go ahead..."

Cheng Nan wasted no time; she jumped onto the boat and quickly checked the dashboard. The fuel was plentiful, and the engine was running smoothly. She untied the mooring rope, pushed the throttle, and the boat gave a slight jolt, slowly beginning to move away from the shore.

The roar of the engine echoed across the water. She glanced back. No one was chasing her from the open space; the disciplinary committee member hadn't recovered yet.

But she knew this was only temporary, and she needed to leave Academy City as quickly as possible.

The boat entered the middle of the river, gradually increasing its speed. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her eyes fixed on the water ahead. If she traveled five kilometers downstream along this river, she would reach the eleventh school district's dock. Once there, she could disappear completely.

Just then, a blue-white light streaked across the sky beside her.

The pupils of the man coming from the south of the city suddenly contracted.

She jerked the steering wheel, trying to change the boat's course. But it was too late. The beam of light swept across the water at three times the speed of sound, striking the surface precisely about five meters in front of the bow.

boom--!

The water exploded, creating a wall of water nearly ten meters high. The shockwave violently propelled the boat to one side, where it tumbled a few times before falling back to the surface. Cheng Nanchao slammed into the steering wheel, a dull pain shooting through his ribs.

The engine let out a piercing screech and then stalled, leaving the boat spinning in circles on the water.

Misaka Mikoto's short, light brown hair fluttered in the wind, and tiny arcs of electricity still lingered on the cuffs of her school uniform shirt. Her face was somewhat pale, but a clear rage burned in her chestnut-colored eyes.

She held a game coin in her right hand, her fingertips sparkling with blue and white electricity.

"I'm telling you..." Mikoto's voice was a little hoarse, but every word was clear and forceful, "I haven't settled accounts with you for all the things you've done..."

Under the bridge nearby, Saten Ruiko, who had been running to provide coordinates for the ship coming from the south of the city, hung up her phone, looked at her legs that were so tired they felt like they were about to break, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Seriously... using a speedboat is against the rules..."

"Thank you for your hard work—everyone, come and try this!"

Misaka Mikoto pushed open the branch office door, carrying a white cake box with a smug smile on her face. The box was tied with a delicate ribbon, and the label was printed with the words "pasticceria manicagni" in cursive gold lettering.

"Onee-sama actually went to buy a cake herself... and from this shop no less..." Shirai Kuroko stood up from the sofa, looking at Mikoto with a flattered expression, her voice filled with barely concealed excitement, "This... this was specially prepared for Kuroko?"

In the branch office of the 177th Disciplinary Committee's activity branch, afternoon sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting neat stripes of light on the floor. Shirai Kuroko sat on the sofa by the window, Misaka Mikoto standing behind her, her hands gently massaging her shoulders. Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko sat side-by-side on folding chairs opposite them, their eyes simultaneously drawn to the cake box.

In Academy City, this shop's desserts are legendary, so expensive that people can only admire them from afar.

"Why are you being so generous today, Onee-sama?" Shirai Kuroko tilted her head back, her eyes sparkling, but she still tried to remain calm as she teased.

"Enough with the nonsense! This is a reward for your hard work lately!" Mikoto placed the box on the coffee table and opened the lid. The aroma of cream and fruit instantly filled the air, revealing six exquisitely designed mini cakes neatly arranged inside.

"Wow—! Long live Misaka-senpai!" Saten Ruiko was the first to rush over.

Haru Shiori's eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands together in gratitude: "Thank you so much..." She carefully picked up a piece of cake, examining the delicate buttercream frosting on it. "This is so high-class... Just looking at it makes me think it must taste delicious."

The moment she took her first bite in early spring, she was almost instantly captivated by the sweetness that filled her mouth, and she squinted her eyes in bliss.

Seeing everyone's happy expressions, Mikoto nodded in satisfaction, her hands continuing to knead the fabric.

"Speaking of which..." Saten Ruiko poked at her cake with her fork, then suddenly looked up, looking somewhat confused, "Why did Jonan Asaki... do something like that? Stalking Misaka-senpai and almost hurting someone. What was he thinking?"

Upon hearing this, Shirai Kuroko gave a soft snort, her tone tinged with disdain: "That's how researchers at the Chosen Machine Academy are. Once they fail to produce results, project funding is cut, their status plummets, and their mentality collapses." She shook her head, "This isn't the first time those people have blamed their failures on the ability users."

"But Kuroko-kun is really amazing!" Saten Ruiko said admiringly. "I heard you identified the suspect in a very short time?"

Shirai Kuroko's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smug look: "Hmph, this is nothing. I just reviewed the records of suspicious individuals who have frequently appeared in the area where my sister is active recently, and then cross-referenced them with the surveillance data. The name Jōnan Asahi immediately came to mind. From reviewing the information to identifying the culprit, it didn't take much time at all."

"Exactly!" Uiharu Kazari swallowed a bite of cake and nodded vigorously in agreement. "Shirai-san is amazing! To prevent Jonan Asahi from getting close to Misaka-senpai, she follows her around from morning till night, protecting her every step of the way..."

Shirai Kuroko's smile froze slightly.

"Wait, early spring..." she said in a low voice, trying to stop the other person with her eyes.

But Haru Kazari seemed completely oblivious to the signal, continuing to push Shirai Kuroko toward hell with that innocent tone.

"Whether it's the bathroom, the swimming pool, the changing room, or the bedroom, Shirai-san is always secretly protecting Misaka-senpai. She's truly dedicated!"

The air in the branch office froze instantly.

Shirai Kuroko's back was as stiff as an iron plate. She felt the hands that were kneading her shoulders stop, and then the fingers began to slowly tighten.

"Uh...Big sister...?" Kuroko's voice trembled slightly, and a cold sweat quietly slid down her forehead.

"I was wondering why..." Misaka Mikoto leaned down and whispered in Shirai Kuroko's ear, her tone eerily calm, "Lately, since I've been back in the dorm, I've felt like there are strange eyes watching me."

Blue and white lightning began to crackle and leap on Mikoto's bangs.

"It's a misunderstanding! Onee-sama, this is definitely a misunderstanding!" Shirai Kuroko tried desperately to turn her head to explain, but Mikoto's hands were firmly pressing down on her shoulders, making it impossible for her to move. The force coming from her shoulder blades was getting stronger and stronger, almost making a sound of unbearable strain.

"Hatsuharu, you..." Shirai Kuroko winced in pain, turning her head with difficulty to stare at the girl opposite her who was still calmly eating her cake with an incredulous look. Her voice was forced out through clenched teeth, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Chu Chun Shiri didn't answer, but instead used her small fork to scoop out another piece of cake and put it in her mouth, her cheeks puffed out and her face full of happiness.

Blue-white lightning suddenly erupted from Mikoto's fingertips, striking Shirai Kuroko's body with pinpoint accuracy. Accompanied by a series of crackling sounds and a shrill scream, Shirai Kuroko began to convulse violently on the sofa, wisps of blue smoke rising from her body, before finally collapsing into a limp heap, resembling a salted fish pulled ashore.

Saten Ruiko's fork hovered in mid-air, her mouth agape. She stared blankly at the still slightly smoky humanoid figure on the sofa, then slowly turned her head to look beside her.

Chu Chun Shiri continued to dig into the cake without a care in the world, eating one bite after another with great enjoyment.

With just a few words, Shirai Kuroko was sent away.

Looking at Haru's carefree appearance, Saten Ruiko broke out in a cold sweat.

"Aww, aww, aww—!"

"So I still can't give up being my older sister's pawn!!!"