A Scientific Urban Detective.

Chapter 871 Shirai Kuroko's Confession

"Don't be so nervous, Shirai-kun," Misaki Shokuhou said, her eyes bright as she stared intently at the girl opposite her, but she held the remote control to her chin, showing no intention of using it. "She said she just wants to 'talk' to you. As long as you don't run away, she won't use her superpowers."

"Ha, what's the point of doing this kind of thing..."

“Hmm~ It really doesn’t make much sense, Shirai-kun~” Misaki Shokuhou gripped the remote tightly, but her smile grew even brighter. “But don’t worry, this is my promise—I really just want to chat with you. I will absolutely not use my superpowers on you, so please don’t worry.”

"Huh?" Shirai Kuroko was surprised and couldn't help but look up. "Is it true?"

"It's true." A bright smile graced her face, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes. "So~ Shirai-san, you should carefully consider your answer. As long as you can convince (deceive) them, they won't pursue it any further~"

"So now, can you tell me why you ran away, Shirai Kuroko?"

—It's all because of your "psychological control"!
Shirai Kuroko couldn't help but think to herself—if she wasn't worried about you seeing through her thoughts, why would she bother...?

In the silence, Shirai Kuroko's mind raced. Since Shokuhou Misaki had given her a chance to explain, she naturally had to come up with a plausible reason... right?

—Speaking of which, since they've already come knocking on my door and confronted me, they can't be completely unaware, right? Besides, has this Queen really not used her abilities to spy on my inner thoughts?
Even now, still trying to find excuses... it's a perfect example of "self-deception," only adding to the absurdity. It's truly pathetic of me.

—That being said, it's normal for me to want to run away, but why did Misaki Shokuhou have to put on this show? Was she really just toying with me?
Shirai Kuroko closed her eyes, then nodded gently. When she opened them again, she was no longer avoiding them, staring straight at the other person: "What I want to escape from is not you, but the nameless senior... no, to be precise, it's myself."

"..." Misaki Shokuhou remained expressionless, raising the remote control. "That's enough."

“You’re the one who made me explain,” Shirai Kuroko said. “Thank you for not using your superpowers on me, but for giving me the opportunity to speak for myself.”

"That's enough. I'm only giving you a chance to convince me!"

"Is it really okay to deceive yourself like this?" Shirai Kuroko retorted. "You specifically waited here for me just to hear a lie?"

“Shokuhou Misaki, you and I both know I can’t lie to you,” Shirai Kuroko lowered her eyelids and gritted her teeth, “I can’t lie to myself either, and can you lie to yourself?”

"I admit it, I like the nameless senior!"

……

Silence enveloped the corridor, and Misaki Shokuhou felt as if she were experiencing the "bullet time" sensation of her nameless predecessor once again.

Well, this result was not unexpected at all. Before deciding to come to find Shirai Kuroko, Shokuhou Misaki already had a plan in mind.

However, just as Shirai Kuroko said earlier—it's self-deception.

She sincerely hoped that Shirai Kuroko could find a reason to convince herself to avoid this fact.

Because Misaki Shokuhou cannot deceive herself. As the strongest psychological esper, it's not impossible for her to deceive herself if she wanted to, but the price of doing so would be that she would likely lose her stable self-awareness and it might even affect the further development of her esper abilities.

That's why Misaki Shokuhou ultimately chose to open this Schrödinger's box herself, definitively confirming the possibility of "Shirai Kuroko's feelings" as a cat.

It's all set now, it's confirmed.

"...See you later." Shirai Kuroko's voice seemed to come from a very distant place, bringing Shokuhou Misaki's consciousness back to reality.

After the conversation ended, Shirai Kuroko immediately activated "Spatial Teleportation," jumping to the corner at the end of the corridor.

Her heart wasn't as calm as it appeared; she was unsteady on her feet and almost fell over.

"Ah~" Misaki Shokuhou sighed, leaning against the wall and gently bumping her head against it. "Exhausted, can't walk anymore?"

—You really asked for trouble!
"Your Majesty!" Junko appeared at the corner at the end of the corridor. "I saw Shirai-kun leave. Have you finished your conversation?"

"Junko-nee~" Misaki Shokuhou smiled wryly, "I think I might have messed up..."

“How could that be?” Junko Hokkaido said. “Her Majesty’s decision is never wrong.”

Misaki Shokuhou looked at her—Junko-neechan is pretty much the same as in the original story, but why is Shirai Kuroko…

After the conversation just now, Misaki Shokuhou has given up hope—Shirai Kuroko is beyond saving, she has completely fallen for him!

I have absolutely no idea when things turned out this way... It was completely unexpected, and I thought it was the least likely person to do it...

"Misaka Mikoto is so useless!" In the end, all she could do was complain about was the Electrician who wasn't there and should be completely unaware of the situation.

"Huh?" Junko Hokkaido was somewhat taken aback. "By the way, Misaka-san is all ready. When do we leave?"

“Let’s go now!” Misaki Shokuhou said. “Let’s deal with the immediate situation first. And…”

Misaki Shokuhou snorted softly—isn't it too unfair that only she is suffering from this kind of headache in the end?

With their leave permits in hand, the four girls once again traveled together to a high school.

Along the way, Shirai Kuroko, who had just revealed herself, had a stiff expression, but she still followed along despite her reluctance. However, she left alone as soon as they arrived at their destination.

They were supposed to be patrolling the surrounding area and checking for suspicious individuals—according to their plan, their main purpose in coming to a high school this time, besides cheering on Lin Wuming, was to search for the person secretly spreading rumors.

Of course, whether the primary objective is the main one or the cover-up is a matter of opinion...

The arrival of Misaki Shokuhou and her friends caused quite a stir. The girls, dressed in Tokiwadai Middle School uniforms, were the kind of girls who would attract attention anywhere, let alone when they appeared at other schools during regular school hours.

However, since Misaki Shokuhou had already submitted her application in advance, the school was not surprised.

On the other hand, the early arrival of the tiger bees to nectar also served as a preventative measure, allowing the teachers and students of a certain high school to accept this fact more quickly.

Furthermore, the legend of the "Nameless Force" is already an open secret. As Lin Wuming's alma mater, a certain high school had the advantage of being close to the source and had learned a lot of more detailed information, so the arrival of these girls was not too surprising.

Therefore, after a brief period of chaotic excitement, the campus quickly returned to calm.

(End of this chapter)