With a soft click, the door to Haruto's room opened again.
He stared at the useless lock and almost wanted to complain.
Was this place a public restroom? People came and went as they pleased!
The moment the lock gave way, the door was kicked open violently.
The first thing that filled his vision was the muzzle of a black assault rifle.
A girl stepped inside, wearing military-grade night-vision goggles, sweeping the barrel across the room with practiced caution.
If an ordinary person saw this, they'd probably raise both hands in terror.
Haruto simply tilted his head.
The girl with the goggles turned toward him—and tilted her head in the same way.
Then she slung the rifle onto her back, reached up, and removed the goggles. Her brown, shoulder-length hair fell loosely around her face, making her look unexpectedly young and cute.
"Misaka?"
Haruto wasn't asking who she was.
He already knew.
He was asking why she was here.
There was no doubt this appearance, this equipment—this was one of the Misaka Sisters.
And although the Misakas shared nearly identical bodies, voices, and expressions, Haruto had long since developed the ability to tell them apart.
And the one in front of him—the one his intuition confirmed—was a very familiar Misaka.
Misaka No. 1.
The first Misaka he ever met.
The one he saved from Accelerator.
"Yes, Lord Haruto. I am Misaka," she said. "Misaka is very happy to be recognized."
It was the same monotone speech pattern as always.
But this time—after speaking—she smiled.
A small, stiff, awkward smile… yet undeniably sincere.
Haruto froze.
Even though the Misaka Sisters had undergone treatment by the Foundation and were, biologically speaking, no different from humans anymore… emotionally, things were different.
From birth, their hearts had been sealed.
From birth, they had been taught they were products—disposable tools for a grotesque experiment.
Mass-produced bodies. Artificial hearts.
Eighty thousand yen per life.
That kind of existence carved wounds into the soul that even freedom couldn't fully heal.
But now…
Even though Misaka's expression was a bit stiff, it held unmistakable warmth.
A real smile.
For a moment, Haruto didn't even care why she was here in Kanagawa, far from her assigned Tokyo sector.
"Are you mesmerized by Misaka? Misaka snickers," she teased.
Haruto nodded openly.
He didn't mind being seen through.
Seeing this Misaka smile sincerely—everything else was irrelevant.
Meanwhile, inside the large wardrobe in the corner—
Hayasaka Ai peeked through the gap between the doors, watching Misaka step into the room. She murmured in confusion:
"Misaka? Why is a Misaka assigned to Kanagawa here?"
She had joined the Foundation at its very beginning.
As an investigator, she had contributed far more than any ordinary member.
She wasn't just Investigator C anymore.
She had been promoted recently—to Special Investigator A.
Which meant she had level-4 clearance for the Artificial Heaven Project. And with that knowledge, Misaka's sudden appearance made no sense.
Her instincts immediately went into action.
Quickly send a message to the Kanagawa Site.
Get this Misaka retrieved and escorted out!
That was the plan she thought of instantly—classic Thousand-Faces-Agent efficiency.
She quickly recalled the Misaka number assigned to Kanagawa.
No. 10032.
At the same time, in the other corner of the wardrobe—
Kato Megumi slowly turned her head.
She never expected that one day she'd benefit from being… overlooked.
Hayasaka Ai sometimes used W-class memory stabilizers, but not tonight.
And her attention was completely focused on Misaka.
So she completely failed to notice Kato Megumi, who was less than an arm's length away—close enough that if Hayasaka simply leaned slightly, she would touch Megumi's skin, still warm from earlier.
Under Megumi's nervous gaze, Hayasaka Ai typed a message to the Kanagawa Foundation.
Seeing this, Megumi quietly exhaled in relief.
Good.
Misaka would be taken away soon.
Hayasaka Ai would leave afterward.
Everything would resolve smoothly—
Right?
…Right?
A reply arrived.
Hayasaka Ai read it—and froze.
"Misaka No. 10032 has already returned to Kanagawa. Please continue instructions."
Her breath caught.
She peeked out of the wardrobe again at the Misaka in the room.
That Misaka… could not be 10032.
She knew she wasn't mistaken.
So then… who—
The conversation outside answered the question for her.
"Misaka, you're supposed to be in Tokyo."
Haruto stepped forward and gently rubbed Misaka's head. He smoothed out the strands ruffled by the goggles.
Misaka's eyes narrowed with pleasure.
After the head-patting, she spoke:
"The Misakas learned that Haruto-sama traveled to Kanagawa. By standard protocol, they should carry out a night raid. But the Misakas refuse to accept losing their chance due to mere luck.
Thus, the Misakas held a decisive battle.
Only the victor could skip work under the cover of her sisters. And come to Haruto-sama's room to execute the night-raid mission. Misaka explains proudly."
Her expression barely changed.
But Haruto could feel it—
"Look at me, Haruto. I'm amazing. Praise me."
Even without words, her feelings were crystal clear.
And the truth behind her statement shocked him.
He didn't even know where to begin complaining.
A decisive battle…
Against 19,999 of herself…
And she won?
This wasn't coincidence.
This was willpower—absolute, burning determination.
Just her standing here meant her heart was blazing like a wildfire.
Impossible to ignore.
"How incredible," Haruto said sincerely.
"Misaka also believes she is incredible," she replied, closing her eyes and rising onto her toes.
Her long eyelashes trembled, betraying her nerves.
She leaned forward, standing on tiptoe, doing her best to match Haruto's height.
The meaning was subtle… but unmistakable.
And Haruto decided to respond to that earnest heart.
That bright, burning heart he couldn't turn away from.
Inside the wardrobe—
Hayasaka Ai clicked her tongue and looked away.
She was irritated.
But even she had to admit: Misaka's resolve was something fierce.
Still…
For this guy…
If one girl makes a move, does that mean twenty thousand make a move?
What kind of harem size was this supposed to be!?
Hayasaka Ai grumbled in her mind.
Then, because she had turned her gaze aside, she finally noticed something—
Something she had completely overlooked until now.
Something she should not have ignored.