Shokuhou Misaki had a lot she wanted to say to the newly resurrected Dolly, but right now, she felt she should thank Rei Ao even more. Yet no words could properly express it in this moment.

She pursed her lips. Determined not to remain indebted, she made her decision:

[Ding! Shokuhou Misaki has sent you a trade request!]

[Trade Content]: "A token of thanks!"

[Ding! Please choose the trade condition!]

"Huh?"

This new trade request from Shokuhou took Rei Ao by surprise. "What's the meaning of this?"

He gave her a questioning look.

Shokuhou folded her arms and looked away.

"Hmph. I'm not someone who just owes others without paying them back. The literal meaning: my gratitude. Don't overthink it!"

"?"

Dolly, who wasn't in the chat group, had no idea what the two were talking about.

"Fine, if you say so—I won't refuse a gift,"

Rei Ao replied lightly.

[Ding! Your trade request has been accepted!]

[Trade Content]: "Psychic Mastery" & "One-time Body Usage"

[Ding! Confirm this trade?]

"…"

Shokuhou stiffened all over as soon as she saw the notification. She never expected Rei Ao to bluntly choose that trade condition without the slightest reservation.

The image of Mikoto's earlier condition flashed through her mind. Realizing she might end up the same way made her entire body heat up.

"Shokuhou, your body feels so hot, and your face is bright red—are you okay?" asked Dolly, worried.

"I-I'm fine."

Shokuhou tried brushing off her unnatural blush. She shot Rei Ao, who was smiling meaningfully, a furious glare, then gritted her teeth and accepted the trade in her mind. She'd said it—like water thrown out, she couldn't take it back. However bitter the fruit, she'd have to swallow it.

[Ding! The trade begins!]

[Trade Target]: Shokuhou Misaki

[Trade Content]: "A token of thanks!"

[Trade Condition]: "Psychic Mastery," "One-time Body Usage"

Now Shokuhou felt a wave of regret, but it was too late.

Kanzaki Kaori walked up to Rei Ao.

"Casually interfering with life and death like that—are you sure it's okay?"

In Rei Ao's iridescent eyes, a deep light flickered.

"For a Magic God, the so-called 'laws' are little more than malleable clay. Besides…"

He glanced toward the Sisters who were curiously taking in this "new world."

"Some mistakes ought to be corrected."

Suddenly, Index tugged at the sleeve of Rei Ao's clothes.

"With so many people, we'll need a lot of food, right?"

Rei Ao paused, then burst into laughter.

"You're right. Then…"

With a snap of his fingers, a long dining table appeared on the grass, covered in all sorts of delicacies.

"Here's your first feast after resurrection!"

Two thousand or so Misaka Sisters blinked for a second before bursting into cheers that shook the air. Dolly, equally amazed by the spread, pushed Shokuhou toward the table, stars in her eyes at the sight of the food. Seeing Dolly so animated, Shokuhou shelved her embarrassment, her face showing a rare, relaxed smile.

…

Elsewhere, inside a deserted laboratory:

A black-haired woman in a white lab coat sat slumped against the wall, her finger hovering over her phone screen for a full ten seconds.

That brief message about ending the experiment felt like a red-hot brand searing itself into her retinas.

The overhead fluorescent tubes gave off a faint buzzing, shining on her pale face and casting a lonely shadow.

"It's over…?"

She mumbled, voice dry as bones in a desert.

Not long ago, all the key researchers of the Level 6 Shift plan started disappearing one after another. Not a normal resignation or transfer—simply…gone. Their homes were left untouched with all signs of daily life; PCs still running unfinished papers, coffee cups yet to cool. Yet the people had been wiped from existence as if erased by a giant eraser.

Meanwhile, every Misaka Sister in that lab also vanished without a trace.

Yet she, Nunotaba Shinobu, one of those aware of the Level 6 Shift plan, survived.

She reflexively touched her neck, as if to confirm she was still alive. Perhaps she should've been terrified, but after so long participating in dark experiments, her nerves were dull. Maybe she'd be next—and strangely, that brought her a hint of relief.

"You seem calmer than I'd expected."

A stranger's voice suddenly echoed through the empty lab.

Nunotaba snapped her head up, pupils contracting. Two figures appeared about three meters away, with no sign of space warping or doors opening—like they'd always been there.

The black-haired young man radiated a suffocating aura, his iridescent pupils swirling with a light like a galaxy.

Nunotaba had no idea who he was—but she recognized the person behind him: the Queen of Tokiwadai, Shokuhou Misaki! Yet what truly shocked Nunotaba was seeing that normally proud, haughty psychic standing there with her head slightly bowed, almost subdued.

"You…?"

Nunotaba's hand crept toward an emergency button beneath the desk.

"No need for that. You're the only living person left in this facility."

Rei Ao smiled, and that smile sent a chill up her spine.

"I am Rei Ao, Academy City's new Superintendent."

"As for the Level 6 Shift plan—"

He snapped his fingers.

Dozens of holographic images appeared out of thin air, each showing a different researcher's final moment.

"All that trash has been cleared away by me."

Nunotaba watched her former colleagues, faces she knew, silently disintegrate into motes of light in the recordings. She felt her stomach churn, fear gnawing at every corner of her being. She forced herself to meet Rei Ao's gaze.

"Why…why didn't you kill me?"

"Because you're still useful."

Shokuhou Misaki suddenly spoke, her voice lacking its usual sweet tone, replaced by something more solemn.

"Your talents."

After briefly arranging matters for the Misaka Sisters, Rei Ao had explained to her why they'd come.

~~~

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