Chapter 55: The Wind Blows

"……Very well."

When she said that, Shokuhou-san closed her eyes ever so slightly and began to speak.
"Very well"… does that mean she’s decided to trust us? No, no, no—good. I knew that if we talked things out, she’d understand. Did you see that, Reicia-chan? She’s not such a bad girl after all—

"Since you’ve gone and set up such a nicely ordered ‘drama’ for me, it’d only hurt my own ‘reputation’ to just brush you off. So, in light of your daring—and cunning—enough to expose yourself defenselessly to my power, even if only as an act, I’ll be honest and tell you the main topic."

《Shiren! I knew it, this one’s no good! She just called your well-meant consideration a façade!》

《Wait, wait, wait, Reicia-chan!》

Reicia-chan, who can’t stand being talked down to, aside—what she just said caught my attention.
Main topic? I had assumed she approached us because she wanted to see if the recently fast-rising Reicia Blackguard was a trustworthy ally… and yes, that probably was part of it. Otherwise she wouldn’t have so obviously brought up Ability Development and Misaka to gauge our reactions.

……No. That’s already strange.

After all, this is Shokuhou Misaki we’re talking about. The fifth-ranked Level 5, an unmatched mental-type esper who can control anyone without question—would she really try to make direct contact with someone whose identity she “hasn’t yet fully figured out”?

"I know what you girls have been through up until now."

"…!"

That one sentence made me catch my breath.
With that, I began to grasp the direction of Shokuhou-san’s “main topic.”

The major incidents I’ve been involved in so far can be divided into four: the Index retrieval battle, the Level 6 Shift project, Silent Party, and the recent Remnant incident.

The first one with Index is unrelated, but the others all share one thing in common…

"…Is this something you should really be saying here?"

Clones.
The Level 6 Shift project, Silent Party, and the Remnant incident all involved cloning technology—in particular, the Sisters.

Febrie and Janie are already under the care of outside organizations and shouldn’t be related to this, so inevitably, the “main topic” here has to be about the Sisters. I’d rather not think there’s yet another clone experiment on top of that.

For the record, their existence is kept hidden even from the GMDW members. When we fought Accelerator, I explained it away as helping because he was trying to harm Misaka. (Not a lie, technically.)

The topic of the Sisters is squarely in this city’s “dark side.” Of course, I plan to talk about it eventually and ask for help—but like the talk about reaching Level 5, I need to make sure our organization has no loose ends first, and I also need Misaka’s consent.

"Don’t get me wrong, the real topic starts here. To be blunt, there’s something I want to do during the Daihaseisai. But lately, your group’s been growing stronger, and if I leave it alone, we might end up competing. So I thought we’d better clear the air now."

"How very… considerate of you."

After listening to her, that was my first reply.

"…And what do you mean by that?"

"For starters, you didn’t need to go through the trouble of talking to me this politely. Your ability would be enough to brainwash me. In fact, considering my position as head of a major Tokiwadai faction, it wouldn’t be strange if I were already under your control."

"…!"

That one statement changed the look in Shokuhou-san’s eyes.

Well, it’s true, isn’t it? She’s the leader of Tokiwadai’s largest faction. To keep the peace at school, it wouldn’t be strange if she had a “just in case” brainwashing in place. Honestly, it’d be stranger if she didn’t.

Which makes it odd that she’s here, explaining her objective to us instead of simply manipulating us.

I now understand she wants to do something during the Daihaseisai.
That it’s connected to the Sisters—or something related to them.
And that us acting freely could cause her trouble.

But that still doesn’t explain why she’s choosing to talk openly instead of using her ability. If you’re Shokuhou Misaki, the obvious first choice is brainwashing.

The reason she isn’t doing that…

I lowered my voice so only Shokuhou-san could hear.

"…Is it because you…"

—can’t use your ability?

That’s what I suspected. Something is preventing her from using her power, forcing her to choose dialogue over brainwashing. That would explain the situation.

And if that’s the case, then things are pretty dire. For her to be in a position where her ability is sealed and she has to drag not just me but her whole “faction” into this—it means she’s being cornered.

If that’s true…

It’s not about being “schoolmates” or anything pretty like that. If a girl is being cornered to that extent, regardless of the reason, then—

"Uh… since when were you that much of a bleeding heart…?"

—Or so I was thinking.

Instead, Shokuhou-san let out a sigh, looking exasperated.

"…Well, yes, I figured as much. Unlike Misaka-san, Blackguard-san had the nerve to barge into that experiment despite having nothing to do with it at all—your peeping-tom power is impressive."

《Peeping-tom, you say? That whole incident started because Shiren was attacked—》

《Now, now, Reicia-chan.》

Shokuhou-san let out a small sigh.

"Don’t worry, my fifth-ranked Level 5 power is still fully intact. No matter who it is, I can control them with just a flick of my finger. …Well, there are exceptions."

With that, Shokuhou-san suddenly pointed straight at me.
Her expression soured, as if saying she really didn’t want to admit this, before continuing.

"For some reason… I can’t control you anymore. What kind of growth power is that supposed to be?"

Chapter 1 – No Wind to Fill the Cooper’s Sails — Psicopics.
Episode 46 – The Wind Blows — ButterFly_Takes_off.

…Eh?

Wait, wait, wait—can’t control us?

While I stood there dumbfounded, Shokuhou-san kept talking.

"Before July, my ‘optimization’ was still active… but it’s like the skin on hot milk being broken by a spoon—it’s been shredded by some kind of influence. Right now, I can’t even read your mind."

I… see.

I can kind of guess the reason I became immune to her ability. Probably because I possessed this body. A soul from outside this world slipped in, resetting her control—something like that.

So that’s why she approached us through conversation instead of brainwashing. Thinking about it, it also explains her somewhat desperate approach, like contacting us on her day off. In short, her safest and most reliable option suddenly stopped working, so she had no choice but to scramble.

Yes, it all makes sense now. All my doubts are gone.

"And besides, if I were to lay a hand on your ‘faction’ members, you’d definitely fly into a rage, wouldn’t you? You and I are alike—in what we value, and in the kind of ‘justice’ we’re drawn to. In that sense, you’re far more trustworthy than a certain lone wolf who likes to pretend they’re above it all."

Swiftly, Shokuhou-san shifted her gaze to the girls gathered around her.

"So consider this a warning: if you get any funny ideas and end up opposing me, the first to get hurt will be someone from one of our ‘factions.’ If you don’t want that, I’d appreciate a wise decision."

"You intend to use them as shields?"

Ah—Reicia-chan’s stepped in.
Well, I figured she wouldn’t stay quiet after hearing something like that. Honestly, it’s impressive she held back until now.

"There it is—Square Face, the dual-personality girl. …Well, you can take it however you want. All I care about is that you don’t compete with what I ‘want to do’ during the Daihaseisai—"

"Understood. In that case, there’s no problem. So, what exactly should I do to assist you?"

…I’m not all that interested in these political games, but—

"…Huh?"
"…Huh?"

Shokuhou-san and Reicia-chan’s voices overlapped perfectly.

"No, no, no—come on, it’s obvious, isn’t it? I understand now that you want to do ‘something’ at the Daihaseisai. And that you want to keep irregularities to a minimum to make it happen. …In that case, wouldn’t it make more sense to actively cooperate with you? I already know you’re not the kind of person who would commit any wrongdoing."

"…………"

…Hm? Wait, did I say something weird? Why is she staring at me in silence like I just creeped her out?
No, seriously—if I already know Shokuhou-san isn’t up to anything bad, then it’s only natural that instead of coldly keeping out of it, I’d want to cooperate actively, right? Isn’t that just a logical flow of conversation…?

"…Yes, I suppose so. That’s the kind of person this side of you is. …How troublesome."

Shokuhou-san muttered something under her breath, then—

"If you’re willing to cooperate, then… would you be so kind as to serve as a decoy? During the Daihaseisai, I want you to make an unprecedented splash. Draw as much attention from the riffraff as you possibly can, and it’ll make things easier for me."

"If that’s all you need, then…"

We were already planning to form a core team from the GMDW members and aim for Tokiwadai’s overall victory anyway. …But still, how exactly does attracting attention at the Daihaseisai serve as a decoy? I have no idea what she’s actually planning…

"Then it’s settled."

Cutting off my lingering doubts, Shokuhou-san elegantly finished her last cup of tea and stood up.

At the same time, her faction members all rose to their feet in perfect unison. …Wow, that’s some impressive coordination. Our group can’t quite move as an organized unit like that yet…

"…Well then, may fortune favor you at the Daihaseisai."

With those parting words—

My first “meeting” with Shokuhou Misaki ended, leaving behind a distinctly unsatisfied feeling.

Shokuhou:
Looks like that Gensei guy is trying to use the Sisters… If we don’t move fast, this person—driven by pure “do-gooder energy”—will probably stick his nose in, wreck the whole board, and somehow grow by leaps and bounds while deepening his friendship with Misaka-san… This is spiraling out of control! I’ve gotta put my foot down and warn him not to get involved before it’s too late…!

Shiren:
I see. (Complete understanding.) So… is there anything I can do to help?

Shokuhou:
I just told you not to get involved, are you stupid or something?!