Academy City's Weather Report! (Toaru)

Chapter 463: Academy City Weather Report! - 463

Lost in thought over some countermeasure, Shokuhou Misaki's expression was calm, yet filled with inner conflict.

Creating a secondary brain was as simple as breathing for her—just pass the relevant memories through a third party's mind and then check their condition. It cost her nothing.

Yet that was precisely what troubled her. She wasn't selfish enough to make others pay the price for her safety.

She pondered whether she could patch together some early-warning formulas for memory reading instead.

For instance, while reading memories, she could have the subject recall them once more. Combined with psychological suggestions and truth-serum abilities, she could learn about their recent experiences and better assess the extent of memory contamination.

It might take more time, but at least it would be safer.

However, setting up memory screening was secondary. The plump, fair-skinned blonde girl focused her attention more on the Indian Poker cards.

The sunlight outside was intense, scattering delicate, soft reflections across the shattered glass fragments littering the floor. In the air, thick with the sweat and blood of Tokiwadai students, only the victors remained standing and breathing.

Shokuhou-senpai leaned limply against Hokaze Junko, standing weakly, devoid of the vibrant energy typical of a girl her age.

Tilting her head, she surveyed the wrecked clique building, then glanced toward where a certain teleporter had been, as if acknowledging the caliber of someone she'd once taken a liking to—pity they'd sided with Misaka-san instead.

Come to think of it, this was likely her first time confronting the impact of Indian Poker so directly, enough to make her soul tremble.

This tremor wasn't out of fear of the attack or the mastermind behind it, but due to the immense profit hidden behind Indian Poker—profits she could almost grasp.

This incident laid that possibility bare before her, making her breath quicken.

Shokuhou Misaki's gaze shifted restlessly, her expression uncertain as she looked at her classmates who'd been controlled in their abnormal states. A wicked idea sprouted in her mind.

Indian Poker wasn't just a demon unleashed by others, tempting hollow, spineless souls. No, once Shokuhou Misaki realized she could wield this power too, everything changed.

In fact, if she wished, she could easily launch her own version of Indian Poker. She was the perfect "Dream Ranker."

If she wanted, she could disguise her formulas as popular dreams and spread them to every corner of Academy City.

While achieving full brainwashing or personality alteration was impossible—exceeding the card's capacity—implanting basic commands or suggestions would be enough. She could secretly control all card users, weaving her network of informants throughout Academy City.

Her devoted fan, Hokaze Junko, was no match for an expert like her in matters of the mind.

If she were to create that Gekota-themed dreamland, a certain Railgun might inadvertently fall under her influence, easily bypassing her electromagnetic barrier. The thought made the languid blonde's heart race.

'But that... would cross a line.'

'If those cards were purely for brainwashing, I might happily spread them across Academy City. But they're not. They're likely tools from the Clone Dolly project for ability development. So, they must be restricted.'

Shaking her head abruptly, Shokuhou Misaki forced the wicked thought out of her mind, taking a few deep breaths.

Clearly, in the battle between her conscience and desire, she'd chosen the former.

If only that bun-head had her Shokuhou-senpai's awareness, Shirai-san wouldn't need to worry about her future.

In Academy City, haphazard ability development was deadly—no joke. Developing abilities meant tampering with the most intricate and vital part of the human body: the brain.

Countless accidents had occurred during ability development, with many espers suffering brain damage.

Especially since these cards targeted those whose Personal Reality and abilities were already stable, the risks were unacceptable.

Shokuhou Misaki had planted many pawns across Academy City and always had usable proxies on hand. She clearly had no moral hangups, or perhaps her survival instinct compelled her to expand her influence.

But when it came to irreversible mental harm or endangering others' lives, this senpai became exceptionally serious.

In truth, beyond mere dream replay and brainwashing, these cards gradually affected the user's AIM diffusion field and Personal Reality. In the original Clone Dolly Workshop, the former was even considered a byproduct or waste of the technology. It had to be said, Shokuhou Misaki's concerns were spot-on.

Though she didn't know the specifics, the fact that it was technology from Clone Dolly warranted utmost caution.

"Queen, are you alright?"

As members of the Shokuhou clique flooded in, the building felt increasingly cramped.

Kobayashi-senpai, at the front, suddenly halted. Curious gazes fell upon the two girls supporting each other. Noticing Hokaze Junko's clothes—mostly burned from overusing her ability—several girls who approached froze in place.

Who knew Hokaze-sama could be so... wild and bold? Truly, appearances can be deceiving.

"What's the situation? Are there any active attackers left?"

Noticing Kobayashi and the others' arrival, the princess-curl girl immediately inquired.

At that, Hokaze Junko finally relaxed, the tension easing from her mind. Thankfully, the "ghost girl" had been helping soothe her brain's strain, sparing her from headaches severe enough to hinder speech.

Yet, seemingly oblivious to her own sorry state, she immediately began addressing the aftermath of the attack.

That was the resolve of the Shokuhou clique's second-in-command: she would handle clique affairs for her Queen. Meanwhile, the blonde girl stood aside, complaining of soreness and back pain.

After listening for a moment, she wandered off to collapse on a nearby classroom sofa, utterly oblivious to her role as the clique's Queen.

'I'm so tired. I'll rest a bit. Hokaze and the others have it covered.'

"What happened to you?"

The bun-headed girl, having handed over the captives, sat quietly in a corner of the clique building. Beside her, Shirai Kuroko carefully administered eye drops.

She had plenty of experience with emergency treatment for various injuries, including eye burns and temporary blindness.

"This is just first aid. You should really go to the hospital for a proper check-up."

Looking at the other's bloodshot eyes, Shirai Kuroko spoke with concern.

Though she often disliked this rival for her Onee-sama's attention, seeing her injured, Shirai Kuroko couldn't help but care.

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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL