A new day had come. The day when only Kuroko was wounded had finally passed, and Shirai Kuroko had returned to her usual routine—working shifts at Judgment.
Selene found that quite disappointing. Without Kuroko around, her days felt far less entertaining. After all, without her, there was no one to tease.
Today, with nothing pressing to do, Selene had fallen back into her usual monotonous schedule: school → research institute → manor.
It was terribly dull. Having finished all her work for the day, she now wandered aimlessly through School District 7.
Suddenly, an idea struck her—why not visit A Certain High School for a change of pace?
No sooner thought than done. "Activate auto-drive mode. Destination: A Certain High School."
The school was conveniently close to the School Garden, so Selene couldn't be bothered to drive manually. She also didn't feel like using her ability, so she decided to test the autonomous driving feature developed by the Schicksal Research Institute.
Once the vehicle entered the main road, Selene noticed it was practically deserted.
Then again, that made sense—not every school dismissed as early as Tokiwadai. While most focused on ability development, theoretical courses still occupied a significant portion of the curriculum.
Pulling out her phone, Selene absentmindedly browsed the Academy City official website.
"Hmm? Urban legends? I bet half of these are rumors about me."
[Why Do Wind Turbine Rotors Often Malfunction?]
[Shocking! A Girl Undresses in Public—A Collapse of Morality or a Twist of Human Nature?]
[The Story Behind the 'Guide.']
[The Brutal First Ranked.]
[Untold Stories of the Top Three Level 5s.]
...
Tch. Brutal? Me? Compared to the other Level 5s, I've hardly fought anyone at all.
Selene couldn't help wanting to track down whoever had written that post and give them a piece of her mind. And honestly, with her abilities, even reaching through the network to slap someone wasn't impossible.
By the time she finished scrolling, the car was nearing its destination. As it turned a corner past the sidewalk, the system automatically began accelerating.
Selene had just turned off the site and leaned back to rest when—
A figure suddenly darted out from between two parked cars.
Selene's eyes widened instantly, her pupils tightening. "A jaywalker?!"
Without a moment to think, she reflexively activated her ability—Spatial Phasing. In the blink of an eye, both she and the car passed harmlessly through the figure.
"That was close... I almost hit someone." Switching the car back to manual, she slammed the brakes, pulled the handbrake, and jumped out to check on the person.
As her vision focused, she saw a young maid in a deep blue long-sleeved uniform, a white lace frilled cap resting atop her head. Her forehead looked a bit large, making her seem even younger.
The petite maid looked about fourteen or fifteen, clutching a lunchbox tightly in both hands. Though Selene's quick reaction had prevented any harm, the girl still sat on the ground in shock, eyes brimming with tears as she stared up at the tall Tokiwadai student who had just approached.
"Are you alright?" Selene asked gently. Though there was no physical injury, getting passed through by a car moving at high speed had to be traumatizing. She hurried to help the girl to her feet.
Her first time testing the auto-drive feature had nearly turned her into a traffic offender. This Shuji Matsuzaki's system still needs work. I'll have to send it back for reprogramming.
"I-I'm fine..." the maid replied instinctively, glancing curiously at the beautiful girl in a Tokiwadai uniform. Her mind began to wander.
Just moments ago, she had been hurrying to deliver lunch to her brother, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, and completely forgot basic traffic safety. She had nearly lost her life. The car had clearly hit her, yet it passed straight through her body. What kind of esper ability was that?
And this gorgeous girl before her—was she really a middle schooler? If she remembered correctly, Tokiwadai Middle School only had a junior division. If that was true, this ojou-sama's figure was... far too developed.
"Hey, hey, are you alright?" Seeing the maid spacing out, Selene waved a hand in front of her face, slightly panicked. Don't tell me I scared her into a daze... That would be bad.
The maid snapped out of it and quickly checked her lunchbox—it was intact.
"I'm really sorry for scaring you," Selene said apologetically.
"N-no, it's alright. It's partly my own fault too—I wasn't paying attention and ran across in a hurry. I should be the one apologizing for causing you trouble." The little maid waved her hands frantically, bowing in turn to Selene's apology.
"Oh, right. My name is Tsuchimikado Maika," she said, suddenly straightening her posture. She lifted her skirt slightly and performed a flawless curtsey. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Selene," Selene replied with equal politeness, adjusting her uniform before clasping her hands in front of her abdomen and returning the bow.
"Ah! Selene?" Maika exclaimed in surprise.
"Hm? You know me?" Selene asked curiously.
"Of course, Miss Habsburg. I'm a maid trainee from Ryouran Domestic Academy, currently interning at Tokiwadai Middle School. It's an honor to meet you in person!" Maika said, bowing deeply with formal precision.
"Uh... you don't have to be that formal. Relax," Selene said with a wry smile, seeing the girl suddenly become nervous.
"I hope I haven't taken up your time, Miss Selene. You can go ahead, I'm fine now," Maika said sincerely, standing upright.
"It's fine, you're not delaying me. I was heading to A Certain High School anyway. You seem to be in a hurry—want me to give you a lift?" (After all, the school Kamijou attends is literally called A Certain High School.)
"Ah, you're going there too?"
"Yeah. So you're heading there as well? Perfect. I'll drop you off on the way. And really, no need to be so formal—just call me Selene."
"That wouldn't be proper! Calling one's master by name is disrespectful for a maid," Maika protested, shaking her head firmly. After some persuasion from Selene, she relented slightly. "Then... Miss Selene, what business do you have at A Certain High School?"
"Of course, I have something to take care of. Anyway, let's go."
"...Alright."
Once they were in the car, Selene, remembering her last experience, refused to use autopilot again—manual driving only this time.
As they drove, she glanced at Maika. "So, who's that lunch for?"
"It's for my brother. I was going to deliver it to him—and maybe tidy up his dorm a little. He's a student at A Certain High School. His name's Tsuchimikado Motoharu," Maika said with a warm smile. Selene could clearly hear the deep affection she held for her brother.
"With such a caring and capable sister, he must be lucky to have you."
"Hehe, maybe. If possible, I'd love to serve as Miss Selene's personal maid too, at least during my internship at Tokiwadai," Maika said cheerfully, clearly pleased by the thought.
...
Meanwhile, at the gates of A Certain High School, three students stood side by side, laughing and chatting loudly.
"Oi, Kamijou, you look totally out of it today~ nya?" said a blond student in a dark blue school uniform, the collar open to reveal a bizarre green-and-white striped shirt beneath. A gold chain hung around his neck, and a pair of light blue sunglasses rested on his face.
The strangest part, though, was his verbal tic—he ended nearly every sentence with "nya." If he'd been a cute girl, it might've been charming. But coming from a nearly 180-centimeter-tall delinquent-looking guy built like a thug, it was just... disturbing.
"Hey, Tsuchimikado, when are you going to drop that creepy habit?" another student sighed dramatically—a blue-haired boy with an earring dangling from his ear.
"Every time you talk, I close my eyes and try to imagine your voice coming from a sweet, innocent, busty girl... but when I open them again, reality hits twice as hard."
"Oi oi! Talking about cute girls like that right now is totally cheating~ nya!" the blond protested in an exaggerated Kyushu accent. "I was just trying to be nice, and this is how you repay me~ nya!"
"Why'd you even drag me here anyway? I was about to grab lunch! If we wait any longer, the cheap set meals at the cafeteria will sell out. Ugh, it's really bad luck knowing you guys," grumbled a spiky-haired boy in a white shirt, trying unsuccessfully to pull away from his two companions.
"Aw, Kamijou, don't be like that~ I went through the trouble of bringing my cute little sister's lovingly made bento to share with you, and you're being so cold~ nya. It hurts my heart~ nya."
"You've got some nerve! Last time you said that, you tricked me—"
At that moment, a blue sports car pulled up right in front of them, immediately drawing their attention.
"Kamijou, any idea who that might be?"
"How should I know..."