Unlimited Ambition

"Misaka Misaka is the administrator of the Misaka Network, the greatest among the Misaka Sisters, and Last Order. She just spent a week wandering the streets. That's when she met Light. She hopes to get help from you."

Misaka Sisters? She certainly looks like one. And that loli-style Mikoto's face doesn't look artificially enhanced.

"Where did you escape from?" I asked.

The loli-like Misaka Sister, who calls herself Misaka Misaka, nodded: "Because that researcher wanted to do something bad to Misaka Misaka. That's why Misaka Misaka escaped."

Something bad?! My mind immediately went astray. Then, the urge to kill arose within me.

"Is that so? In that case, it was definitely the right thing for you to escape." I smiled and stroked the little girl's head.

"However, the debugging of Misaka Misaka is not yet complete. It was forcibly removed after only being halfway done. Misaka Misaka hopes that Wright can provide assistance and contact the research institutions in Academy City to put Misaka Misaka back into the culture tank to completely complete the manufacturing process."

Are you kidding me? Lolis don't have a long shelf life to begin with. And now you want to artificially shorten it?! I would never commit such a crime.

However, I maintained a smile on my face and continued to stroke Misaka Misaka's head: "Okay, but I want to ask you, how long have you been wandering outside?"

Misaka Misaka seemed quite proud when I asked her that question: "Misaka Misaka's basic mode of operation is to follow the 'evidence annihilation policy during the experiment' in the Misaka Network, so she can avoid being discovered by Academy City without using money transactions."

It can detect the faint electromagnetic waves emitted by researchers and escape before they even appear. It also utilizes blind spots in satellite tracking and evades the patrol routes of guard robots. Under these circumstances, Misaka Misaka survived in Academy City for a week.

I was secretly alarmed by what she said, but pretended to be surprised: "Wandering the streets alone, hiding from pursuers and surviving for a week? That's amazing."

"Misaka Misaka felt very happy after hearing Wright's praise," the ahoge loli said, chuckling to herself.

poor child.

I sighed almost imperceptibly. Then I decided to take the little girl back to Jerusalem. I imagine Messe and Sasha would be overjoyed to have a companion.

...The third one?

I shook my head violently. Let's wait until she's a little older. She looks like she's only ten. Even beasts have their limits.

And so, holding Last Order's little hand, we returned to my little villa. The two girls seemed to have been back for quite some time. Hearing me ring the doorbell, they rushed over to open the door—but after seeing Last Order, they slammed the door shut with a "bang."

"Hey! Medea! Sasha! Open the door! It's me! It's Wright!!"

I shouted outside, but the two women inside pretended not to hear and remained silent.

Of course I know what they're thinking: it was just one day I wasn't watching them. How long has it been?! And you've brought another one home! And it looks like it's not even ten years old?! What a tragedy!!

So I loudly explained at the door, "That little girl is someone I picked up off the street! You should know Miser. She's also a Misaka Sister. Last Order, and supposedly the greatest among your sisters!"

Miser then remembered that the little girl looked quite similar to her. But if I said I was innocent, she would never believe me.

After hesitating for a moment, Miser heard Last Order calling from the doorway again: "Misaka 10032, I've seen you. Hurry up and open the door so I and Light can come in."

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything; the moment she did, Messer rolled her eyes again. She was about to get up, but then sat back down.

"You know that person?!" Sasha asked.

Miser shook her head: "I've never seen this person before." Misaka stated in subtle terms.

...I've never seen her in person. But she definitely wouldn't recognize me through the Misaka Network.

Another ten minutes or so passed, and the two brats still wouldn't open the door. I could see that the last one was giving me a suspicious look, as if to say: "They don't seem to recognize you, have they come to the wrong place?"

I was so angry that I decided to break down the door. I put the last thing I was holding on the ground, and then kicked the door open with a spinning kick.

Afterwards, I punished the two brats by not letting them eat dinner that night, and I also made them give half of Sasha's clothes to Misaka Misaka. Finally, I ordered two takeout meals by phone. One for myself, and one for Misaka Misaka.

Ignoring the resentment of her two companions, the little girl with the ahoge (cowlick) stared at the steaming seafood pizza in front of her, her eyes shining: "Ah, this is the first hot meal Misaka Misaka has ever had. Misaka Misaka... is... so... happy..."

Then, right before my eyes, the little girl with the ahoge (cowlick) collapsed to the ground.

Chapter 40 Virus, The Strongest Little Sister

I watched as the little girl with the ahoge (cowlick) fainted in front of me. I rushed over and helped her up. Then I touched her forehead and, damn it, it was burning hot.

Was it because I caught a cold while wandering outside? I thought to myself, and then I called out to Messe and Sasha, "You two, don't just stand there! Go get some ice packs."

The two girls then hurriedly started moving.

I closed my eyes and then used magic to sense the ahoge-haired loli's body. A few seconds later, I opened my eyes again and sighed softly.

It seems the situation is far more complex than I imagined. This is a very strange virus. It possesses properties that are both biological and data-driven. It seems to be a composite of a biological virus and a computer virus.

Damn it, who is this heartless bastard who dared to inject this stuff into my little girl's body?! If I find out, I'll definitely torture him to death.

Viruses are quite difficult to deal with. Even with my abilities, I can only keep the little girl in her current state for now. If she wants further treatment, she'll need a specific vaccine.

Ugh, do we have to beg that bastard Aleister again? I'm really annoyed.

That's what I said, but I had no choice but to do it. When the other two girls hurriedly brought over ice packs, I said, "No need! I'm taking this little brat to see a doctor. You two stay home and watch the house." Then I picked her up and ran out. The two girls were furious. They collectively sang "The Lament of Changmen."

(The Lament of Changmen Palace, originally written by Sima Xiangru for Empress Chen to see Emperor Wu of Han, is a piece of music later modified by others. Just remember one line: "Only the new bride's smile is seen, not the old bride's sorrow.")

After that, I saw Aleister again. Aleister looked very annoyed. Although his synthesized voice couldn't convey any emotion, and he always wore a poker face, for some reason, I just felt that he was angry.

"Your Highness, what brings you here that you wish to discuss with me?" Aleister asked.

I didn't say much, and simply picked up the unconscious Misaka Misaka: "I want to save this child. Please provide a vaccine, Chairman."

Aleister knew the importance of The Last Order. Seeing me bring her in, he knew exactly what it was about. But a while ago, I almost gave him a heart attack. Then the computer did some calculations and it turned out I'd shortened his lifespan by several decades. That infuriated him. He wanted to get back at me for it.

"Is the girl in Your Highness's hands the Last Order, one of the Misaka clones?" Aleister asked knowingly.

I nodded: "This child has been infected with an unknown virus. This is a problem that only Academy City has the ability to solve."

I've given Aleister a compliment here. Because, realistically speaking, Jerusalem's technological capabilities aren't inferior to Academy City's. With a little time, they could analyze the virus's composition and formulate a suitable antidote. It's just that a distant solution can't address an immediate problem.

Aleister hummed in agreement: "I don't have a vaccine that can cure her. However, I can provide Your Highness with some intelligence support."

Something is better than nothing. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Please speak, Chairman."

Aleister slowly spoke: "The one who injected the virus into Last Order was likely one of the heads of the Misaka Cloning Project, Amai Ayumu. He was heavily in debt due to his failure as an Absolute Level user. He had no choice but to join forces with the hostile forces of Academy City. He injected the virus into Last Order and attempted to incite all the Misaka clones to riot using the Misaka Network as a medium."

"That's quite an impressive plan," I frowned. "Doesn't Academy City care about that guy?"

Aleister's voice was thick with schadenfreude and a sense of self-destruction: "Because someone else is in a more urgent situation than us."

Holy crap, this bastard is really cunning to a certain extent.

I rolled my eyes: "Whatever, where's that bastard? I'll go get the antidote from him and take care of him while I'm at it."

“He’s currently hiding in the ruins of Higuchi Pharmaceutical’s Seventh Pharmaceutical Research Institute. It seems he’s planning to launch a virus,” Aleister told me.

"Damn it, remember this favor, I'll pay you back someday!" I cursed. Then I used spatial magic to leave.

"Is this really a good idea? If he fails, then your plan will be..." Eiffara reappeared and asked.

"Don't worry, with his abilities, if he wants to do it, this kind of small thing is definitely no problem for him," Aleister replied.

"However, it's also because of his appearance that your plan has a significant flaw, isn't it?" Efala continued to press.

“However, it also gave me a better opportunity to develop a more perfect plan,” Aleister said.

Meanwhile, continuing his daily homework, Kamijou, who was being chased and beaten by a group of delinquents, encountered his destined other half. Accelerator, who had reformed his ways, helped him fend off the thugs. Afterwards, Kamijou invited Accelerator to dinner…

※※※

"Tenjou Ayumu, is that it? I swear, I'll make you regret ever being born." I cursed inwardly as I carried Misaka Misaka around, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Damn it, I'd fallen for this third-rate character's trick. If word got out, how would I ever face anyone again?!

With the ruins of Higuchi Pharmaceutical's Seventh Pharmaceutical Research Institute right before my eyes, I sneered and stepped inside. I immediately spotted a disheveled man in a white lab coat staring blankly at me—or rather, at the Misaka Misaka in my hand.

"Great! Heaven has been kind to me!" the man, who appeared to be Tenjou Ayumi, said excitedly, then pulled out a pistol and pointed it at me: "Hand over that girl to me!"

I rolled my eyes. There are really idiots like this in the world.

He clearly sensed my malice. Amai Ayumu cursed, then pulled the trigger without hesitation—only to be deflected by a debuff and hit in the arm holding the gun—if I hadn't kept him around for now, he would be dead.

How could a pampered researcher have ever suffered like this? He immediately grabbed his arms and screamed, tears streaming down his face.

"I ask, answer me." Seeing that he was definitely not going to speak in this state, I forced myself to endure the nausea and cast a healing spell on him. Then I stepped on his chest.

"I need the antidote for this child's virus—don't say you don't have one, or I'll make sure you die a horrible death."

"You, you are the Prince of Jerusalem?!" To my surprise, this guy wasn't exactly ignorant; he actually recognized me.

"Tch, remember to wear makeup next time you go out." I rolled my eyes.

“I’m telling you! I will give you the antidote! As long as Your Highness promises to provide me with protection!” Tenjo Axiong said.

I'll offer you shelter? You wish! I can't help but roll my eyes again.

At this point, agreeing or not agreeing is a dilemma. If I agree too quickly, this frightened bird will definitely think I've set a trap—in fact, I do intend to trick him into handing over the antidote, and then kill him. If I don't agree… well, nobody would choose that option, right?

"I wouldn't even consider your worthless life. Want my protection? Fine. Only if you have enough value," I said. Then I added, "Let me make it clear beforehand, Misaka Networks has nothing to do with you anymore. Don't try to curry favor with me with that."

Sure enough, this cunning fellow had a trick up his sleeve. Hearing me say that, Tenjo Ayumu nodded hurriedly. He tried to get up, but found that my foot, which was on his chest, showed no sign of moving.

He chuckled awkwardly. "I've made a breakthrough in my research on mass-producing superpowered individuals. If we continue, the next batch won't be defective LV2 products, but LV4, or even LV5! Just imagine, Your Highness, an army of LV5 superpowered individuals, completely at your command. In that case, conquering the world wouldn't be a dream!"

Huh?! Looks like you've heard something interesting. I chuckled softly, feigning hesitation: "How can you prove what you're saying is true?!" I asked.

At this point, Tenjo Ayumu was determined to curry favor with Jerusalem. His wariness of me lessened considerably. He probably believed that what he was saying was important enough that no superior would refuse.

"Your Highness, do you think we should..." He smiled awkwardly and pointed to my feet.

I snorted and withdrew my foot. Then I watched him get up, his servile manner disgusting.

“Now, prove it to me,” I said.

Amakyu Ayumu nodded, then walked to the control panel next to him, entered a password, and clicked "OK." The wall beside him immediately opened, revealing a culture tank. Inside was a completely naked Misaka Mikoto.

"Look at Your Highness, this is my recent achievement!" he said with great pride, his eyes filled with fanaticism as he looked at the Misaka Sister.

Scientists are madmen.

I cursed inwardly. Then I asked, "How is she different from the other Misaka Sisters?"

Amai Ayumu nodded vigorously: "She is a personal research individual that I awakened separately at the same time as the Absolute Level 1 project began: a side individual. She was born from the malice of all the Misaka Sisters and the despair she felt when she was killed by Accelerator, and possesses the powerful strength of Level 4."

“How can you prove it?” I asked.

Amai Ayumu hesitated for a moment: "This guy's debugging work is not yet complete... but he does indeed have the strength of LV4."

I scoffed, "Fine, I'll trust you this once. I'll test her abilities myself when we get back to Jerusalem."

Tenjou Ayumi breathed a sigh of relief, believing that his life had been saved.

"Alright, now give me the final antidote for the virus," I said somewhat impatiently.

After Amano Ayumi presented the antidote with both hands, I gave Last Order an injection, and then felt that she was indeed beginning to improve. With a soft hum, I flicked my finger and shattered Amano Ayumi's heart.

As I watched this guy collapse with an incredulous look in his eyes, I sneered, "I am indeed very interested in your research results. However, I don't trust you as a person. There are plenty of loyal and capable researchers in Jerusalem. Why would I entrust such an important matter to you?"