The atmosphere on stage was electric, but the crowd below was even more boisterous.
Ignoring a few rowdy troublemakers shouting and carrying on, today's press conference seemed to be proceeding unusually smoothly.
As the press conference began winding down, Arisa's singing voice started to echo throughout the venue, marking the final segment of the event.
But then, something shifted abruptly.
Shirai-san set her camera down, furrowing her brow as she looked towards the entrance leading to the underground parking garage.
A series of crisp, synchronized footsteps, nearly drowning out the activity on stage, announced the arrival of a large group of fully armed Anti-Skill officers rushing headlong towards the underground parking lot.
The sudden appearance of Anti-Skill at what had been a perfectly normal press conference struck many as deeply unusual.
"What's happened now?"
Switching off the headlamp on her forehead, Natsume-san instinctively turned to look for Tsuzuri-sensei.
As a member of Anti-Skill, this teacher seemed even more flustered than one might expect, just staring helplessly at her colleagues who had suddenly appeared.
'Begin evacuating the area immediately. We've received a report suggesting high-explosives have been planted in the underground parking garage,' the leader of the squad announced.
The person in charge turned out to be Yomikawa-sensei, who was supposed to have been transferred to a meeting earlier. Though, timing-wise, a meeting would probably be about over by now.
As for the so-called report, it had actually come from a specialized model of robots deployed in crowded areas. It had detected traces of explosives and relayed the situation to Anti-Skill headquarters.
These special models, equipped with high-precision sniffers, had been deployed specifically for the Daihaseisai.
Some Anti-Skill officers began evacuating the crowd, while a larger force entered the underground parking garage to disarm the explosives.
To everyone's surprise, intense sounds of combat erupted from the parking garage not long after.
"Where are Misaka-senpai and Shirai-san?"
Natsume-san kept Hanazono-san close by her side. The scene was chaotic, and this particular classmate's ability wasn't really suited for self-defense.
Tsuzuri-sensei had already rejoined her team, leaving only Komoe-sensei as the adult here—well, in terms of age, anyway.
Uiharu-san and Saten-san were both safe. Meigo-senpai, dressed in a pretty dress, seemed distracted and lost, still confused by the sudden turn of events.
"I just saw Misaka-senpai head into the underground parking garage," Saten-san said with concern.
She wanted to go in after them, but was stopped by the Anti-Skill cordon.
It was typical of Misaka-senpai's usual approach—the undisputed model citizen, a stark contrast to a certain round-haired girl who obediently followed Anti-Skill's directions and evacuated.
While also a concerned citizen, Natsume-san tended to be a bit lazier.
Unless she was personally invested or the situation was critical, if someone else was already handling it, Natsume-san preferred to stay on the sidelines and watch the action.
As for Shirai-san, ever since taking a serious hit a few days ago, she'd become exceptionally careful about her own safety, making her less of a worry now.
"Looks like someone wanted to cause chaos at Meigo-senpai's press conference," Natsume-san mused, resting her chin on her hand.
If that were the case, then this incident probably wasn't as simple as it appeared on the surface.
She recalled the attack yesterday—the real target had probably been Meigo-senpai all along, not what she had initially assumed.
'This is so messy,' Natsume-san couldn't help but pout. Every single day, something always had to happen.
Down in the underground parking garage, although Natsume-san remained outside the cordon, it was still within the range of her ability's perception.
The parking garage was vast, but Natsume-san's awareness covered about a third of it. With just a quick scan, she detected that the area below ground was clearly divided among three distinct groups.
'Where did these guys pop out from now?'
Natsume-san frowned, puzzled, unable to clearly distinguish the relationships between them.
Armored vehicles began converging at the entrance. Anti-Skill reinforcements arrived swiftly, officers holding riot shields joining the fray below.
The 'Spring Heeled' braces equipped on Yomikawa-sensei's legs provided a significant physical boost, allowing her to perform tactical maneuvers far beyond normal human capability.
With a single powerful stride, she covered several meters.
Planting one foot firmly, she swung her other leg in a wide arc, physically separating the two groups engaged in combat.
To ensure Arisa's safety, Yomikawa-sensei had specifically requisitioned the trial weapon 'Hard Taping' allocated to Anti-Skill by Academy City. It enhanced her combat abilities but placed a considerable strain on her body.
However, both fighting factions were clad in high-tech powered suits, visibly far more advanced than the 'Hard Taping' braces Yomikawa-sensei wore.
"Identify yourselves!" Yomikawa Aiho demanded, her brow furrowed, clearly aware that such high-tech combat suits weren't something ordinary people could get their hands on.
"We are the security force for 'Orbit Portal Company', responsible for Arisa's safety. This individual attempted to plant explosives at the venue," a girl with twin black tails reaching her waist and thick bangs almost obscuring her vision declared without hesitation.
She was the leader of the Black Crows, a private military force for Orbit Portal Company but also an intervention troop recognized by Academy City for resolving civil conflicts.
No sooner had she spoken than the girl, Shutaura Sequenzia, drew a tactical dagger from her waist and thrust it toward the enemy directly in front of her.
Her opponent was a tall, adult male clad in a cape, his eyes covered by a black eyepatch, wearing a different model of powered suit.
His body bent backwards at a seemingly impossible 90-degree angle, dodging the incoming blade with boneless flexibility.
Then, pushing off with his legs, he leaped backward in a bizarre posture, putting dozens of meters between them in an instant.
"Captain, we've discovered a large quantity of detonators in the surrounding area!"
Just as the reporting Anti-Skill officer finished speaking, the black-eyepatched man, now pressed against a wall, raised a device resembling a detonator. Yet, he hesitated to press the button.
Unnoticed, Misaka-senpai had already appeared behind him.
Under the influence of a powerful magnetic force, the internal components of the device seemed to malfunction.
In the next instant, a brilliant arc of electricity erupted from Misaka-senpai's body.
Even though the combat suit used insulating materials, all insulation has a voltage tolerance limit. In a split second, the voltage far exceeded the high-tech suit's capacity. The electronic components on the suit were instantly fried, rendering some of its functions useless.
"You bastard! Just what are you trying to do to Arisa?!"
Misaka-senpai held back. The extremely high voltage could instantly incapacitate an enemy, while the finely controlled current minimized serious injury.
Although the powerful voltage had disabled his suit, the man's body didn't collapse. He merely staggered briefly before standing firm again.
"This feeling... this guy's a robot?" Misaka-senpai's expression shifted to one of puzzlement.
As the current coursed through his body, she could clearly sense his unnatural composition.
The structure was similar to a human's, complete with body temperature and a heartbeat, but it was a product constructed from various metals.
If it were just a standard robot, Misaka-senpai's electric shock should have easily destroyed its internal systems. Yet, the opponent remained unaffected and continued to move.
In the brief moment Misaka-senpai hesitated, the robotic man hurled the detonator away with force and bolted for the exit without a backward glance.
But just as he was about to reach the exit, his body began to convulse violently, completely out of his control. An intense wind pressure prevented him from advancing even a single step.
A wheelchair descended from above at that very moment.
With a slight touch of a hand, the robotic man was instantly teleported to the ground, pinned firmly against the concrete.
Dozens of steel spikes shot out, embedding themselves around him in a pattern like planted seedlings, securely fixing him in place.
After struggling for just a moment, the robotic man fell still, his head slumping forward motionlessly, as if he had been remotely deactivated.
Intense flames then erupted from his body, reducing him to a pile of molten slag within mere seconds.
--+--
Meanwhile, at the Orbit Portal Company headquarters building...
"It failed. Shall we arrange another experiment?" The gothic-style beautiful chairman paused slightly, lowering her head in contemplation.
Meigo Arisa possessed a power of miracles. Three years ago, it had protected all 88 passengers of the doomed 'Spaceplane Orion' flight, ensuring their safe return when death was certain.
Therefore, to verify once more whether this miraculous power only manifested when Arisa sang, she had deliberately arranged for bombs to be placed at the press conference venue, conducting a final rehearsal for her plan.
The Black Crows troops present were, in fact, also part of her scheme, tasked with protecting Meigo Arisa, but they had unexpectedly become an obstacle hindering her own plans.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.