The time was approaching evening. As the sun dipped below the horizon, groups of students gradually dispersed, each heading home after their activities.
A Tokiwadai student had just said goodbye to her friend and, wanting to save time, decided to take a shortcut. At this moment, the path was completely empty, looking rather desolate.
From a nearby alley, a girl with a bun hairstyle and side-swept bangs watched the lone Tokiwadai student intently. Activating her ability, she prepared to follow.
Suddenly, a spatial gate glowing with faint violet light appeared beneath her feet. The girl felt her body lose balance as a wave of weightlessness washed over her. With a startled scream, she vanished completely.
The Tokiwadai student ahead heard the noise and turned around, puzzled—but after a brief glance, she simply continued on her way, completely unaware that she had just narrowly escaped a terrible fate. (Her "fate" being, of course, having thick eyebrows drawn on her face.)
...
"Ugh... where am I?"
"I'm a member of Judgment! Surrender peacefully!" Since the suspect had already been confirmed, Shirai Kuroko didn't hesitate. The instant the culprit appeared, she reacted purely on instinct.
A voice came from behind Juufuku Miho, snapping her out of the daze caused by the sudden Spatial Transfer. Looking around, she realized she was surrounded—everyone nearby was wearing Tokiwadai uniforms, and Judgment officers were present as well.
She had been caught.
Run! Though she didn't understand how she had been discovered or how she had been teleported here, Juufuku Miho's first instinct was to escape.
Unfortunately, there was no chance of that happening. Even without mentioning Selene and Misaka Mikoto—both Level 5s—Shirai Kuroko alone was more than capable of apprehending her.
Seeing Kuroko blocking the doorway, Juufuku Miho felt a surge of anger well up inside.
Why could a Tokiwadai student become a member of Judgment?
"Damn Tokiwadai!" She scanned the room. The Judgment officer at the door was strong, Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko were too far away, and the girl sitting on the nearby sofa—Selene—radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure.
That left only one target.
Immediately venting her resentment upon the Tokiwadai students, Juufuku Miho pulled out a stun gun and charged straight toward Misaka Mikoto. To her, Misaka looked like the easiest target.
However, Misaka could only stare in disbelief. Really? She's using a stun gun... against a Level 5 Electromaster?
The result was, of course, self-evident. Though the stun gun made direct contact with Misaka, it had absolutely no effect. Crackle crackle! Misaka gave her a friendly smile before casually releasing a current of her own, instantly knocking Miho unconscious.
"I went easy on her. She's only unconscious—don't worry, she'll wake up soon."
Compared to Selene, Misaka Mikoto was exceptionally restrained in her use of power. She had electrocuted countless delinquents and thugs before; though they often ended up collapsed or smoking, her attacks were always high-voltage but low-current—painful, yes, but never fatal.
Selene, however, was entirely different. Her powers were extreme—either purely supportive or utterly destructive. Most of her techniques were known for their devastating output and destructive force. Anyone hit by them would be left either dead or crippled.
Under normal circumstances, Selene preferred using Spatial Transfer methods. She avoided employing her more destructive techniques unless absolutely necessary.
After placing the unconscious Juufuku Miho in the Judgment Branch 177's break room, Uiharu Kazari immediately contacted the Security officers to come and take the suspect into custody.
While Shirai Kuroko was still pondering why Miho had attacked Tokiwadai students and drawn thick eyebrows on them, Saten Ruiko, curious as ever, brushed aside the suspect's long bangs—and was shocked to discover that Miho's own eyebrows were naturally short and thick.
At that moment, Miho regained consciousness. Realizing her eyebrows had been seen, her expression turned utterly hopeless. "What's the big deal... go ahead, laugh at me!"
Her tone was self-defeated, almost hysterical. She suddenly began shouting, her emotions spiraling out of control. "Laugh! Laugh all you want! I'm used to it already—just like that person!"
"Huh? Who's 'that person'?"
What followed was a full confession—she explained everything, from her motives to the story behind her attacks.
"It was spring... bathed in warm sunlight, I thought those happy days would last forever. But then—spring ended without warning. I wasn't prepared for it at all."
"For the first time, I liked someone. For the first time, I felt happy. But why did it have to turn out this way?! I liked him first! So why did he abandon me for her?! Just because she's a Tokiwadai lady?!"
"He said... he said my eyebrows looked weird. So I began to hate him—the man who left me—and I hated the Tokiwadai girl who stole him away. I hated Tokiwadai. I hated all of you! And..."
Watching her twist in resentment, Selene couldn't help but think of a certain tragic figure. "Ah, see? This is why teenage love is such a bad idea. Once they fall into darkness, it's always either 'I'll destroy the world' or 'the world has betrayed me.'"
Having completely given up, Miho no longer bothered hiding her eyebrows, her emotions boiling over. "...I hate everyone's eyebrows in this world! That's why I decided—I'll make every Tokiwadai student's eyebrows look just as awful as mine!"
Her intensity grew with every word, her tone so passionate and filled with bitterness that one might almost think Selene and the others were the villains bullying her.
"Uh..." The group exchanged bewildered looks. What kind of ridiculous reason was this?
After hearing her out, Saten Ruiko tilted her head, utterly confused. "Well... that's not really that bad, actually. I mean, your eyebrows look kinda... fitting? Yeah, like, they suit you somehow. I actually think they're kinda cute."
Bullseye. Selene could already tell that Saten had just gained herself a little admirer. If she were still male in this life, she might've turned into a shameless flirt—but now? Hah, impossible. Those days were long gone.
"Um... thank you," Juufuku Miho murmured, her tone suddenly soft and bashful, like a lovestruck girl.
But seriously, why are you blushing just because she thanked you? Selene screamed internally, baffled by the sudden development.
Meanwhile, Shirai Kuroko, who had been little more than background scenery until now, spoke up with a strangely emotional sigh. "Truly... what a sinful woman."
Selene couldn't help mentally applauding her. Now that's a perfectly timed finishing blow. Kuroko really knows how to stab straight at the heart of the absurdity.
"Sigh..." Though Saten Ruiko was still dumbfounded by Juufuku Miho's extreme emotional swings, seeing that her comforting words had some effect, she decided to keep talking to her.
As the atmosphere between Saten and Miho grew increasingly warm, Selene couldn't stand it anymore.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I've been confused this whole time. Miho, I really admire your... let's say, unrealistic determination. But... if you're so unhappy with your eyebrows, why don't you just use an eyebrow razor?!"
She finally voiced the question that had been haunting her since her past life. If you don't like your eyebrows, why not fix them? Don't tell me you don't know how—or that Academy City doesn't have eyebrow salons!
Selene's words instantly shattered the tense mood, plunging the entire room into awkward silence.
It was Misaka Mikoto who finally broke it. "A... an eyebrow razor..."
...
As usual, the Security officers arrived late. After watching Juufuku Miho being escorted into the police van, the group was about to head to the hotpot restaurant Selene had arranged for dinner.
But just before the door closed, Miho turned around and looked at Saten with tearful, passionate eyes. "May I... write you letters?"
"Uh... sure," Saten replied blankly, nodding.
Seeing her answer, Miho blushed, nodded back shyly, and then cheerfully stepped into the police van—happily "clinking" her way to jail.
"Hm, looks like this ship isn't just sailing smoothly—it's full speed ahead!" Selene remarked dryly.
From that day on, the world gained yet another Kuroko.
After the Security team left, the group finally gathered again—and decided to invite Konori Mii, who was still alone at Branch 177, to join them for dinner.
"Alright, enough talking. Let's go eat hotpot."
"Ah! That's right, Selene-senpai—what about my cake?" Uiharu Kazari suddenly exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.
Everyone couldn't help but smile helplessly at her enthusiasm.
"Don't worry, I saved it for you," Selene said with a faint smile.