Mikoto Misaka froze the moment she saw the wings spread behind Himejima Akeno.
A pair of sleek, bat-like wings.
"...Gulp."
"D–Devil...?"
Her throat tightened as her worldview began to crack. The elegant, alluring woman before her—radiating both grace and danger—was… a devil?
No way.
There was no way that could be real.
And yet, those unmistakable wings told her otherwise.
Akeno smiled gently, her expression teasing as she tilted her head.
"My, my. Did I frighten you?"
She placed a finger to her cheek, feigning concern.
"Oh dear… that would be troublesome."
Mikoto snapped back to her senses, her brows furrowing in disbelief.
"Don't joke around! Devils don't exist in this world, right?!"
Her eyes darted toward the man beside her.
"Izumi-sensei… this is a prank, isn't it?"
Her voice wavered. For perhaps the first time in a long while, the Level 5 Railgun sounded unsure.
Izumi simply shrugged.
"I'm not joking."
"Akeno really is a devil."
He paused for a moment, then added with a faint smirk:
"And I never said she was from this world."
"…Also, devils do exist here."
"You just don't know about them."
That mischievous glint in his eyes made it clear—he was enjoying this.
Mikoto's expression stiffened completely.
"Not… from this world?"
"You're serious…?"
At this point, whether Akeno was a devil had already become secondary. Izumi's earlier statement hit far harder.
Izumi nodded calmly.
"It's all true."
"Akeno and I both come from another world."
"Asagi too."
"And those so-called 'modern magic' systems? Same thing—technology from another world."
He spread his hands lightly.
"So… yeah."
Mikoto stood there in stunned silence.
Her mind couldn't keep up.
Another world?
Magic?
Devils?
Everything she thought she knew was being overturned in an instant.
Izumi chuckled at her reaction.
"Well then, enough of that."
"Go learn from Akeno for now."
"She's an expert when it comes to lightning."
"Who knows? You might grow stronger under her guidance."
He turned away, as if losing interest.
"Oh—and when you've made up your mind…"
"When you're ready to cast aside that unnecessary kindness—come find me."
"I'll give you the list of everyone involved in the Sisters Project."
He glanced toward the side.
"Dolley, show them around. Find a training room."
With that, Izumi left everything behind and walked off.
Akeno watched him go, then slowly turned her gaze back to Mikoto.
Her smile changed.
It became… dangerous.
"Now then, Misaka-san."
"Shall we begin?"
At that moment, Dolly stepped in gently.
"This way, Onee-sama."
"There's an empty room we can use for training."
She began walking, guiding them toward the facility.
Mikoto hesitated for only a brief moment—
Then followed.
No matter how confused she was, one thing remained clear:
If this could make her stronger…
She wouldn't turn it down.
What she didn't realize—
Was that what awaited her…
Would feel like the beginning of a nightmare.
As for teaching others—
Akeno excelled at it.
Especially in her own way.
And so, Mikoto Misaka's fragile heart was subjected to relentless "education."
A storm of training unlike anything she had ever experienced.
Meanwhile, everything within Talent Workshop proceeded steadily.
But the outside world wasn't staying quiet.
The research into "modern magic" had drawn countless eyes within Academy City.
Many labs were desperate to obtain that data.
And inevitably—
Some began to act.
Half a month later.
One of the Dark Side organizations finally made its move.
Their target:
Talent Workshop.
Their objective:
Seize the research data.
Despite knowing a Level 5 was stationed there—
They still attacked.
Because this time—
The one who came…
Was the #2.
Kakine Teitoku.
Floating high above the facility, Kakine spread three pairs of pure white wings.
Without hesitation, he activated his ability.
The wings fragmented—
Transforming into countless feather-like constructs.
And then—
They rained down.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions shattered the stillness of the night.
Alarms blared across the facility.
Inside—
The members of ITEM were jolted awake.
"Damn it! Which idiot thinks they can just attack us?!"
Mugino Shizuri cursed as she jumped out of bed, hastily throwing on her clothes before heading out.
The others followed immediately.
Izumi, however—
Had already noticed Kakine's arrival.
But he didn't move.
Instead, he simply watched.
Amused.
After half a month, ITEM had grown significantly stronger.
Their abilities had advanced rapidly under development.
Takitsubo Rikou, after spending a week recovering, had joined the program—
And just days ago—
She reached Level 5.
Kakine's attack was perfect.
A test.
And Kinuhata Saiai was also nearing Level 5.
A bit of pressure wouldn't hurt.
Beside Izumi, Akeno—now in her nightwear—smiled faintly as she sensed the battle outside.
"You're not going to intervene?"
"Are you sure they can win?"
Izumi chuckled.
"It'll be fine."
"Just watch."
"They'll surprise us."
He turned slightly.
"Right, Asagi?"
Leaning back while looking at her phone, Aiba Asagi scoffed.
"With Takitsubo as she is now…"
"She can already manipulate other people's Personal Reality."
"If she goes all out, no one in Academy City can beat her."
"Not even the #1."
"She can even rewrite abilities themselves."
"A perfect counter to espers."
She knew that power better than anyone.
After all—
She had been the one developing it.
Right now, her phone screen displayed the battlefield outside.
Kakine's initial bombardment…
Did nothing.
The first wave of attacks—
Was completely blocked by Izumi beforehand.
And in that window—
ITEM had already stepped out.
Seeing the figure in the sky—
A cruel smile spread across Mugino Shizuri's face.
"Well, well…"
"If it isn't the eternal #2."