Chapter 21: For My Queen

—When I regained consciousness, I found myself in an unfamiliar hospital room.

“…Where… am I…?”

I woke up and first turned just my head to check my surroundings. Umm… I was working on some research with people from my faction, then stepped out for a bit of a breather… and after that, what happened again?

Did I seriously faint from exhaustion? No way… not right after being told not to overwork myself… Ugh, Yumetsuki-san’s definitely going to yell at m—

“――――No… that’s not it…!!”

No, that’s not what happened.

I sat up in a daze.

I didn’t end up here because of overwork. It was the Sisters—no, someone using their bodies—who attacked me! Which means…!

Just as that realization was beginning to settle in, the door to the hospital room opened.

“…!”

Almost by reflex, my right hand shot toward the entrance. —The jagged black-and-white blade Jagged Edge. It’s the shield of Kiyosumi, already once shattered without mercy. Even so, it’s the only thing I can rely on now…

“…You should calm down a little, yeah? It’s me, your attending physician.”

Right at the moment I was about to strike preemptively, a voice slid into the gaps in my mind like oil. I froze, hand still mid-air.

Standing there was the famously frog-faced doctor.

“Doctor…?”

“Good, you’re lucid. Frankly, given how minor your physical injuries seemed, your level of unconsciousness was rather alarming. Not that saying so will help, but… you’ve stepped into something pretty nasty, haven’t you?”

“…Huh?”

Something nasty…? That doesn’t ring any bells. I’ve only been focused on research lately, and nothing I’m working on is especially dangerous. Sure, it’s a groundbreaking technology that’ll definitely shake up the field, but it’s not like it’s going to change the whole world or anything… In fact, in Academy City, they’d probably welcome such innovation.

………Wait. The Sisters…! That’s right! The one who attacked me used a clone of Mikoto…!

Which means—someone involved in the experiment had a reason to make sure I didn’t wake up…?

“…From the look on your face, seems like you’ve got a good guess?”

“Not a clue what you’re talking about.”

“Really now? —Well, then there’s nothing more I can do for you.”

“――――Reicia-san!!”

With that, Heaven Canceller—Meidokaeshi—stepped aside to open the door fully. At the same moment, several girls came rushing into the room in a flurry.

Chapter Two: Not Bothered by Failure
Crazy_Princess.
Episode 17: For My Queen
Queen's_power.

“Ah, you all!?”

“Thank goodness… thank goodness you’re okay! Really!!”

Yumetsuki-san’s adorable face crumpled as she began to cry. …Yeah, this clearly wasn’t just a fainting spell. Come to think of it, the doctor did say something about severe cognitive damage…

…Wait—!? That means, just how long have I been out!? What about the Academic Conference!?

“Everyone, how long exactly have I been unconscious? And the research?”

“Geez…! Right now you should be worrying about your own body! Reicia-san, you were out cold for five whole days, you know!”

“…Fi… five days…?”

F-Five days!? I was asleep for that long…?

Then today would be August 21st… August 21st?

――――――――――!!

August 21st. The Sisters. Misaka clones—Level 6 Shift Project!!

This is bad—today might be the very day Mikoto and Kamijou clash with Accelerator! The Last Order incident was on August 31st, so the timeline checks out… probably.

And more importantly, I’m pretty sure events aren’t following the version I read about in the novels.

Someone is hacking into the Sisters’ bodies. And whoever it is… yeah, there aren’t many people who can pull that off. Only ones who come to mind are the Kiharas. Regardless, with someone like that interfering, there’s no way the story I know will play out the same.

What time is it—!?

“It’s… seven o’clock? Then I have to go, now…!”

“Wha—Reicia-san!? You’re still recovering, please don’t push yourself…!”

Rinka-san tried to steady me as she said that.

It’s true—I still feel a bit weak. …But I can’t afford to stop here. If I don’t move now, things might spiral beyond repair. Knowing that and not acting on it would be wrong.

Especially when I have power… At the very least, enough for them to consider me a threat worth neutralizing. Which means there’s something only I can do.

With that resolve, I tried to brush Rinka-san aside—but surprisingly, she didn’t move. On the contrary, the other faction members stood firmly in my path with more determination than I’d ever seen from them.

“I’ve heard what happened at the scene.”

Yumetsuki-san stepped forward, speaking for them all.

“Reicia-san. You were attacked. You’re fully aware of that, aren’t you? And you’ve got a suspect in mind. That’s why you tried to rush out the second you woke up, right? Then that’s exactly why we can’t let you go to a dangerous place like that alone.”

…So that’s it. Heaven Canceller.

I turned to look at the doctor, finally understanding. He didn’t say anything, just watched silently—but I got the gist.

He must’ve anticipated that I’d act like this upon waking. And once signs of my awakening showed, he called them in. Figuring they’d stop me if I tried to move before I was ready.

…Seriously. You’re a real pro at preparing exactly what your patients need.

But even so, I still can’t stop here.

“…The one who attacked me… was Misaka-san.”

To break through the situation, I played my card.

“…!?”

“N-No way…”

“I-I did hear that Misaka-san had taken a break recently, but…”

“Still…”

“Couldn’t this be… some kind of mistake…?”

The faction members began to murmur uneasily. Seeing that, I pressed on further.

“…More precisely, I should say it was someone posing as Misaka-san. I’ve fought her once and felt her strength firsthand. I know the difference. That thing doesn’t even come close to the real Misaka-san.”

Adding a detail only someone like Reicia would recognize—

“…In other words, someone is trying to pin the crime on Misaka-san. Trying to drive a wedge between her and me. Which means… the enemy we’re facing is that formidable. And there’s no guarantee the attack ends with just this.”

That is, the threat hasn’t passed yet. I couldn’t deny that myself. In that sense too, just staying holed up here isn’t a smart move.

“Which means, I have no choice but to go on the offensive. …You all shouldn’t be in any danger. If the enemy thought using you as hostages was effective, they’d have made that move before attacking me directly.”

I said that, then gauged their reactions—but no one seemed shaken. If anything, Yumetsuki-san stepped forward on behalf of the group, gripping my shoulder as she spoke.

“And what of it?”

“…! That’s what I’m saying! There’s a risk of further attacks, which is why I need to strike first! You all should put distance between yourselves and me. Even if the enemy doesn’t view you as valuable hostages, being near me means there’s still a chance you’ll get caught up in it. That’s why—”

“That’s why what!? What of it, you clueless idiot!”

Yumetsuki-san burst out, practically grabbing me by the collar.

“GMDW has ten members. Even without Reicia-san, we’ve got three Level 4s—Powerful Espers. And of the remaining Level 3s, three were practically confirmed for level-ups during the second term’s System Scan! Reicia-san, our combined power is way stronger than you alone!”

“………”

“This faction you built—we’re not weak! We’re strong because you made us that way! So why the hell won’t you rely on us when you’re actually in trouble!?”

“W-Wait, Yumetsuki-san… Please calm down… Reicia-san is shaken too, so…”

“Shut it, Rinka! How am I supposed to stay calm!? This idiot, after everything, still wants to carry the whole damn burden alone…”

“Ah—yes! Let’s not make things more complicated, so please step back now!”

“Ow—”

…Ah, she got dragged away by the rest of the group.

With Yumetsuki-san forcibly removed from the room, Rinka-san took over the conversation gently, but firmly.

“…Please don’t take Yumetsuki-san’s outburst the wrong way. We’ve all done some thinking since you collapsed. …Like, when you snuck out overnight near the end of July without telling anyone… or how maybe you’ve been involved in something we didn’t know about… and we were ashamed we didn’t realize. Yumetsuki-san especially…”

“T-That’s…”

“That’s why we’ve decided. If Reicia-san is determined to walk into danger, then we’ll support her—together.”

“…I appreciate that. Truly, I do. But…”

…It’s just too risky.

Especially this time—Accelerator is likely involved.

I can’t allow Reicia’s body to suffer anything fatal. So I plan to be careful when facing him… but that doesn’t change how dangerous it is. Even I—one of the top-ranked Level 4s—am at serious risk here. I can’t afford to drag everyone else into that kind of threat…

“…This might be a bit of a low blow, but—”

Perhaps sensing my feelings, Rinka-san smiled faintly and said,

“Isn’t it a bit harsh to only give help and never accept any in return from others?”

“...!”

“Please, try to have just a little more confidence in yourself. …It’s shameless of me, who once opposed you, to say this… but now… you are truly the queen of our faction.”

Saying that, Rinka-san smiled with a slight blush, looking a bit embarrassed.

Queen… Even if I’m far from being a Shokuhou, I am indeed the leader of one faction, and that fact is recognized. …To completely ignore the relationships I’ve worked so hard to build, and not rely on them at all… that might really be considered ungrateful.

If I want to continue being friends with them, then…

I should trust everyone and sometimes choose to accept help… maybe.

“…I will take full responsibility for managing all your actions. Everything you do will be under my orders, and in principle, you must obey my commands without question. …Is that acceptable?”

“Yes! We want your support for our safety, within safe limits… so please don’t take any unilateral actions beyond that…”

“...No need to read between the lines.”

Opening up like this is good, but honestly, when she’s this straightforward, Rinka-san can be a bit hard to deal with…

“Everyone, did you hear that? To help this awkward queen—we will become excellent soldiers!”

Just then, Yumetsuki-san returned, fired up, and declared with enthusiasm.

I smiled, a bit exasperated at how the refined faction members were so full of spirit. Then I glanced at the doctor.

Could it be that he didn’t call them just to stop me from pushing myself too hard by going alone—but actually to secure their cooperation and ease my burden…?

“...You are...”

“Hm? What is it? I just gathered what the patient needs. The rest is up to you.”

...A sly old fox, despite that frog face.