Chapter 170: The Gears Begin to Turn

At that moment, the fact that all four of them survived was nothing short of sheer luck.

Their survival hinged on two things: the presence of a Level 5 esper—ranked third—capable of manipulating magnetism, and the fact that their location happened to be the aquarium’s maintenance area, filled with metal components.

Had either condition been absent, they would have been crushed flat under the immense pressure of several hundred tons of water.

"Thanks, Misaka! You saved us!"

Beside Misaka—who had hastily assembled an improvised shelter from magnetically gathered metal parts—Kamijou pressed his right hand to the ground and offered his gratitude. Yet the girl who had just saved all their lives showed no sign of relief.

"Don’t relax yet!! Water’s a fluid! We dodged the first surge from above, but the runoff’s rebounding—it’s forming a second wave that’s going to sweep us away!!"

Looking around, they saw that while they had avoided the initial cascade, the water that had hit the ground was now rebounding off the walls, gathering force and creeping toward them like a rising tide.

Unlike a visible “wave,” moving water carries tremendous kinetic force. Even without invoking tsunamis as examples, a flow that massive could easily pulverize a human body.

Just as Misaka urged the others to climb onto the rubble for safety—

"This causality… twists!!"

With a defiant snap of her fingers, Shiren acted.

An alarm blared—BEEP!!—and, inexplicably, one of the maintenance walls opened, allowing the floodwater to drain inside.

"Wha… what just happened?"

"Most likely, the Celestial Aquarium’s safety system kicked in. It’s still a tourist facility—no sane design would let the whole structure flood from a single pipe failure. Looks like the emergency system just barely triggered… if we’re explaining it logically, anyway."

As Shokuhou spoke, she cast a glance at Shiren, who was panting heavily.

"…That right hand of yours is even more incredible than I imagined."

"If that had been an attack instead of an accident, we wouldn’t still be standing."

—Unorthodox Result Twister.

While the safety lock’s activation was real, their escape owed far more to Shiren’s right hand distorting the outcome—bending fate itself.

"I thought it was too convenient. During the battle, that projectile moving at high velocity—Aqua’s attack—‘accidentally’ hit a conduit instead of us? The odds of that are far lower than Aqua deliberately aiming at us."

In other words, this wasn’t a random mishap but a deliberate strike—a calculated attack from Aqua, not a stroke of bad luck.

And that realization brought a more serious concern.

"But doesn’t that mean Aqua has enough leeway to attack us while fighting ITEM? That’s bad news, right? Not just because we might get hit again—but because it could mean they’re losing!"

"……"

‘That part’s not a problem.’

The voice came from Shiren’s communicator. It wasn’t Baba. The tone carried a rough, streetwise edge.

"…Takitsubo-san!?"

—Kakine Teitoku.

It was the voice of the boy who had been struck down by Aleister’s attack and supposedly taken away by ambulance.

"Kakine, how—?"

"Got caught off guard for a sec, but that kind of hit’s nothing. I patched myself up with some Dark Matter first aid."

Sounding almost apologetic, he went on,

"So yeah, I—and ‘School’—are back in the fight. Whether it’s the Right Seat or whoever, we’ll back up that useless Fourth Rank—‘Who’re you calling useless, huh!? Want me to blow you away first!?’—yeah yeah, scary, scary."

Apparently, Mugino was still very much alive.

"So that’s that. We’ll be fine on our end. You just focus on yours."

"…I’m in your debt, Kakine-san!!"

Ending the transmission, Shiren turned back to the three who had been watching the exchange. The situation had improved considerably from moments before.

"Everyone, we need to move! We can’t waste the opportunity Kakine and his team just gave us!"

"…Yeah, but, uh—hate to ruin the mood…"

In contrast to Shiren’s urgency, Shokuhou looked pale as she surveyed their surroundings.

The Celestial Aquarium’s maintenance area was enormous—roughly the size of two gymnasiums stacked together—with a lattice of water pipes running in all directions and maintenance walkways along the sides.

Shiren’s team had been on the lowest level, but most of the walkways were now destroyed, making their original path unusable.

"What do we do now…?"

"Do? Oh, right! Misaka-san, could you maybe fix the passages with your magnetism!?"

Clapping her hands lightly—careful not to trigger her Result Twister again—Shiren turned to Misaka, who grimaced.

"Yeah, that’s… not gonna be easy. The whole place is soaked, see?"

Gesturing around, Misaka pointed out the flooded sections. The safety locks had prevented total submersion, but parts of the walkways were still underwater, and more water continued leaking in.

Even though they’d escaped the flood, their clothes were drenched, and the floors were slick with water.

"Manipulating magnetism basically means manipulating electricity. If I try anything here, with this much water around, there’s a serious risk of electrocution…"

In short, Misaka’s power—her magnetism—was effectively neutralized under these conditions.

"I downloaded the facility map before we came in, so I at least know the route to the emergency exit. Not that it’s guaranteed to help in this mess, though…"

The corridors were littered with debris—broken pipes, collapsed structures, and patches of flooding. The original paths were practically unusable, and even cross-referencing with the map might prove meaningless.

"Still, just knowing the general direction helps a lot. Thanks, Misaka."

"Huh!? Wh–what’s that supposed to mean…? Save your thanks for after we actually get out of here!"

"‘…………’"

A single boy surrounded by three girls.
Shiren realized—belatedly—that the situation was awkward in all the worst ways.

"Even so… this destruction is unbelievable."

Using the map for reference, the four advanced cautiously along the remaining walkable sections of the broken corridor. Shiren muttered the words under her breath, her tone cold.

Indeed, had the collapse of these walkways not been caused by Aqua’s “attack,” they could easily have been crushed beneath the falling platforms.

They stepped carefully through the flooded passage, weaving around heaps of debris.

Of course, such detours couldn’t last forever.

"…Looks like the path’s blocked ahead."

A massive pile of rubble—taller than a person—was heaped across the corridor, completely sealing the passage between two water filtration units. Shokuhou sighed in dismay.

"What do we dooo? With this much obstruction, we can’t go forward. Should we go back and find another route?"

"Huh? Why not just climb over it? It’s not that bad."

Without hesitation, Misaka began scaling the rubble with ease. For someone as athletic as her, it was a minor obstacle—but not everyone shared that world.

"Could you not joke about that!? Unlike you and your monkey strength, I can’t just scramble up a mountain of rubble like this!"

"…Says the girl who’s probably just out of shape."

"Excuse me!?! My athletic ability has nothing to do with it!! It’s… it’s my chest!! Unlike you, flat-as-a-board Misaka-san, my ample assets make climbing difficult, okay!?"

"Wh–what did you just say, you useless lump of fat!? If Shiren manages to climb that thing, then you’re officially the only one with dead weight, got it!?"

"Um, Kamijou-san, could you lend me a hand? The surface looks a bit slippery."

"Huh? Ah, sure."

"‘That girl’s sneaking ahead on her own again!!!’"

And so, after the usual chaos—

"…Okay, now what are we supposed to do here?"

What awaited them beyond several obstacles was a waterfall.

Or rather, a three-meter-tall, five-meter-wide basin formed by fallen debris from the upper level, where a broken pipe poured water into the hollow. The overflowing water spilled from the edge, resembling a small waterfall.

"According to the map, the emergency exit should be on the other side of this debris, right?"

As if to mock their progress, their destination lay beyond that same basin—at its waterlogged bottom.

"So, what now? We’ll have to open it, right?"

"A submerged emergency door? Unless someone here’s superhumanly strong, that’s not happening. And even if it did, the outflow would sweep us away instantly."

"On the other hand, trying to break open the basin itself would be… equally disastrous."

The current alone was deadly, and it carried chunks of debris—far too dangerous for any of them to handle.

A heavy silence fell over the group.

With Misaka’s magnetism sealed, their only conceivable plan was to drain the water slowly—hardly practical under the circumstances. Meanwhile, Aqua’s battle raged elsewhere, distant clangs and crashes echoing through the structure. At least none of the attacks seemed to be coming their way anymore, suggesting the tide might be turning slightly.

Still, in this case, it might’ve been better if Aqua had attacked again.

"If only Aqua-san’s attack came this way—I could’ve used my right hand to twist the result and maybe turn things in our favor…"

"But if you did that, we might survive only for the emergency door to be destroyed instead, leaving us trapped anyway, right?"

"……"

Given the nature of Shiren’s Divine Contract—Near-Death Promise—such an ironic twist was entirely possible. Fortunate outcomes often came paired with equally unfortunate consequences.

And then—something clicked in her mind.

"…Wait. I might have a better idea."

Maybe there was a solution—something more reliable than luck.

Final Chapter: I Don’t Know What “Predetermined Harmony” Means  -  Theory “was” Broken.
Chapter 143: The Gears Begin to Turn  -  "Haphazard."

"Come to think of it, the answer was presented to us right from the very beginning."

Reflecting aloud, Shiren spoke.
The very beginning—meaning Acqua’s attack.
What kind of strike had that been, exactly?

It was the destruction of the facility by launching a magically generated object—most likely an ice club—at high velocity. The resulting debris and ruptured pipes unleashed an enormous flood, crushing everything in its path.

Most people would focus on the sheer scale of the damage, on the catastrophic destruction itself. But if one stripped away that bias and looked at the situation objectively…

If they assumed the battle against Acqua had stabilized, then theoretically, Shiren’s group could use the same tactic.

"Meltdowner."

Shiren calmly presented her answer.

"…Wait. Are you seriously suggesting that?"

"Of course. With her ability, she can eliminate every obstacle—water, rubble, all of it. And we can contact her right now. If we provide precise coordinates, that beam of annihilation becomes the finest weapon we could ask for."

Despite the fact that the same ability had recently been aimed at her own life, Shiren now spoke of it with complete confidence.

"Right, that second-ranked Level 5. I forgot she helped you out before, didn’t she…? You really do have a knack for that kind of thing. I kind of respect it."

"There’s nothing to respect about it."

Mikoto, who sounded halfway between impressed and uneasy, earned only a quiet, modest glance from Shiren.

"I simply know that even among them, there are undeniable sparks of brilliance—ones that don’t always show on the surface."

With that, Shiren pressed the switch on her communicator.

"──Miss Mugino. We request bombardment."

"Hah!? Don’t screw with me! We’ve got our own problems over here! Handle it yourselves, dammit—"

"Oh my? Even with the assistance of the Number Two, you mean to tell me you’re that pressed for time? You can’t even fulfill a request from little, frail us…?"

"…Fine. Have it your way. Takitsubo’s memorized your AIM diffusion field. Which skull do you want me to blow off?"

"If you could move it about two meters to the right, that would be most helpful."

With that, Shiren promptly cut the connection.

The one left dumbfounded was Mikoto—who, just seconds ago, had been praising her with a hint of awe.

"………Um, what was that just now?"

"Exactly as I said. I simply know that even in the middle of a desperate fight with God’s Right Seat, Miss Mugino still has enough strength to lend us a hand."

"……………………"

Mikoto didn’t say it aloud, but her expression clearly read, Ugh, I hate this kind of heavy expectation…

"Anyway, everyone—take cover! The Meltdowner blast will vaporize both the water and the rubble, but still—!"

Even as she spoke, Shiren ducked behind a heap of debris. The other three quickly followed, hiding behind a large slab of concrete.

An instant later, a single radiant beam streaked past them—

KABOOOOOM!!!

A deafening shockwave tore through the area, followed by a violent rush of superheated steam that engulfed the space they’d occupied moments earlier.

"Wh-what the hell!?"

"When the Meltdowner heats the water to extreme temperatures in an instant, it probably triggers a steam explosion…"

"You’re telling us that now!? A bit late for that!!! Fatally late!!!"

The furious complaint came from Kamijou, who had been blown off his feet by the blast and now lay sprawled face-down, butt in the air, in a thoroughly undignified pose.

Still, the situation had changed completely.

Stepping out from cover, Shiren pointed toward the faintly visible exit ahead, revealed through the slowly clearing steam.

"Now then—shall we? The real thing starts here."

──At the same time.

In Academy City, where destruction and chaos had yet to settle, a pair of figures walked slowly.

Behind them, students of every type—delinquents and honor students alike—lay scattered across the ground, completely unharmed.

“…Tch. Making me do things I’m not used to. My active hours aren’t infinite, you know.”

“Now, now. You agreed to this yourself, didn’t you? So don’t start complaining. Emergency Public Order Assistance System, Applied Student Number One?”

The one who looked male but defied simple categorization had bleached white hair, blood-red eyes, and a lean frame dressed in grey-toned clothing. That so-called “monster” scratched his head in boredom and spoke.

“Still, I didn’t exactly agree actively. It just happened to be convenient for me too.”

──The Emergency Public Order Assistance Request System, colloquially called “Borrowing the Cat’s Hand—Haphazard.”

This system did not exist in the “correct” history. It was a framework tied to the Judgment disciplinary committee that temporarily granted students with high-level abilities or unique combat capabilities the authority—arrest powers and the like—to maintain public order in situations Academy City’s security forces couldn’t handle. These powers were deployed on request from Judgment to deal with extraordinary incidents.

The system had been proposed by the Fifth-ranked Level 5 who chose to fight the “Dark” and, after advocacy by a certain Administrative Director and approval from multiple directors, was put into trial operation.

Selection for deployment was carried out by the white-haired “monster” and a blonde, twin-tailed girl with a school backpack—Kihara Nayuta.

She had chosen the first candidate, and the arrow pointed to──

“…Still, a murderer keeping public order. Isn’t that ironic?”

──The white-haired strongest: Accelerator.

“Of course your sins will eventually be judged. When Academy City changes and a proper system exists to try you, these actions won’t erase your guilt.”

The girl, acting as a representative of the law, delivered that harsh truth without wavering. Accelerator accepted it as a matter of course.

“But it can serve as a sample of atonement. Crimes like the mass killing of ten thousand clones—which could only happen in Academy City—should be atoned for in ways only Academy City can enact. For example, in this city of 2.3 million, where eighty percent of the population has some psychological instability and a unique ability, reigning as the entity in charge of public order—something like that.”

“……Hah. Damn nonsense. Thinking someone this wicked could do something like that is pathetic.”

With a bored snort, Accelerator strode ahead, leaving Nayuta to follow quietly without argument.

Suddenly, Accelerator stopped. Nayuta, walking directly behind him, nearly ran into his back and froze instantly. His “Reflex” ability made even a collision painful.

“Hey, big bro! Don’t stop suddenly like that! That’s dangerous!”

“…Oi, golden runt. What am I supposed to do in this case?”

Hearing Accelerator’s oddly dazed tone, Nayuta frowned and glanced over his shoulder to see what had halted him.

A massive scene of destruction spread out before them.

At the center of the devastation—likely the result of a single strike from a Level 5 esper—lay a man. Signs of combat were unmistakable.

He was still conscious but critically injured.

His right arm was particularly damaged; the shoulder bore a gaping slash, bleeding heavily. Even a layperson could see immediate treatment was essential for survival.

Yet that was not what drew Accelerator’s attention.

Extending grotesquely from the man’s right shoulder was a warped, flickering limb—like a broken television signal.

“Some kind of weapon? An ability? No… this guy’s one of those so-called ‘magical’ ability users floating around in the intel.”

“──Listen up, kids.”

Just as they braced for confrontation, the red-haired man in the wreckage spoke, gasping for breath.

“Cooperate with me. Otherwise that bastard’s going to pull something insane.”

“…? What are you saying? You are…?”

“Damn it… that bastard… he made everything—even our attack by God’s Right Seat—go exactly according to plan…!”

Ignoring Nayuta’s confusion, the red-haired man vented the fury building inside him.

“We can’t just let that bastard—Aleister Crowley—run free! He doesn’t care what methods he uses to harvest the Niades Promise contract!!”

This man—responsible for the “Right Side” and defeated by the Chief Administrative Director—continued, fear plain in his voice.

“Take me to the ‘windowless building.’ Otherwise──that bastard will bring down the Four Archangels!! All to accomplish his so-called ‘plan’!!!!”