A Scientific Urban Detective

"Hmph, my ability can also..." The only unmentioned Electromaster seemed a bit displeased.

But at this moment, the waitress's eyes sparkled as she asked, "Excuse me, are you two Misaka-san and Shokuhou-san?"

"Huh? Do you know us?" Misaka Mikoto asked in surprise.

"Of course! I've been seeing you two on TV a lot lately!" the waitress said excitedly. "Could I get your autographs? I can secretly give you more chips—although they can't be exchanged for money, they'll definitely let you have a blast! By the way, these chips can be exchanged one-to-one for game coins over there."

"Isn't that still exchanging them for money..." Shokuhou Misaki muttered.

However, she didn't reject the waitress's suggestion.

After all, giving autographs is proof of one's popularity, isn't it?

...

"They've already become celebrities throughout Academy City, those two incoming freshmen."

In a faction-exclusive conference room, the long-haired girl with glasses, Mibuchi Wasaka, said with a serious expression, "They're not officially entering Tokiwadai Middle School until next academic year, but they've already accumulated a huge amount of influence."

"Calm down, Wasaka. They're Level 5s after all. It's normal for them to have this kind of influence and popularity," the girl sitting at the head of the conference table said calmly.

"But, Suetsukura-sama's strength might not be weaker than a Level 5!"

Faction leader, Suetsukura Remi, revealed a thoughtful expression: "That kind of thing... we won't know for sure without actually trying. But since they've been judged as Level 5s, there must be a reason. It's better to respect objective laws in this kind of thing."

"But..." The subordinate wanted to continue.

But Suetsukura Remi stopped her with a raised hand: "Alright, they're still elementary school students. There's no need to panic at this time. Maybe we can convince them to join us after they enroll... uh..."

Hesitating for a moment, Suetsukura Remi looked at a certain girl sitting to the side: "Shokuhou Misaki-san, it's probably impossible for her to join us, right, Kazakiri-san?"

"Yes," Kazakiri Runko stood up and said calmly, "The Queen has already planned to form her own Shokuhou Faction."

"The Queen..."

"The Shokuhou Faction! And she hasn't even enrolled yet!"

The girls in the conference room immediately started discussing. Although Kazakiri Runko had never hidden these things, openly stating it in a formal setting like a faction meeting was still quite shocking.

Kazakiri Runko remained unwavering, her gaze stern: "In other words, next academic year, after the Queen enrolls, I will also leave the Suetsukura Faction. Please forgive me!"

With that, Kazakiri Runko bowed deeply.

This time, the Suetsukura Faction members in the conference room didn't even make a sound.

For a moment, no one knew whether to blame Kazakiri Runko as a traitor or praise her for being so honest.

Suetsukura Remi still maintained her calm smile: "Alright, everyone doesn't need to be surprised. I've known about Kazakiri-san's situation for a long time—or rather, it's because I promised her that she could leave my faction at any time that she joined in the first place."

Kazakiri Runko was very honest; she had been upfront from the beginning that her purpose in joining the Suetsukura Faction was to learn how to manage and operate a faction organization up close, so she could help Shokuhou Misaki next year.

"Ah, and me too, me too~" In the corner, another person raised her hand and said lazily, "Although I'm not as obsessed with Shokuhou Misaki as Kazakiri-san, I'll go to the same place as Kazakiri-san."

Yumiba Iruka, although a bit strange in personality, was also a very important talent—after all, she was a Level 4, and no faction would easily let her go.

Perhaps because of Kazakiri Runko's example, everyone's reaction to Yumiba Iruka's declaration was much more subdued.

"It's because Suetsukura-sama is always like this that our faction's talents keep leaving!" Mibuchi Wasaka complained.

The Suetsukura Faction was undoubtedly the "strongest faction" in Tokiwadai Middle School, but not the "largest faction."

In terms of numbers, they had already been surpassed by the second-year Mizukagami Nagisa Faction; and at the same time, the first-year newcomer Sadazumi Ougi Faction was also rapidly gathering members.

As an established faction, the Suetsukura Faction had fallen into a predicament of being beset by enemies on all sides. Seeing the opportunity to seize the title of "Eitai Himegimi" becoming increasingly slim, the faction members couldn't help but feel anxious.

You should know that it was precisely because of Suetsukura Remi's belief in the "freedom to come and go" that many members of the other two major factions were originally members of the Suetsukura Faction!

This ebb and flow had caused the originally promising Suetsukura Faction to suddenly become precarious. From a state of being the undisputed leader, it had become a three-way standoff.

Thinking of this, Suetsukura Remi, who had always maintained a calm smile, couldn't help but feel a little frustrated, but she didn't show these emotions in front of the other members. She quickly stabilized herself and became the ever-confident faction leader again.

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"There's no need to say more. Forcing members to stay isn't my style, and even if they stayed, they would harbor resentment, right?" Suetsukura Remi said. "So, it's better to let them come and go freely. Those who truly recognize us will naturally stay."

Suetsukura Remi actually had ambitions too. She felt that with her charm, she might be able to make Kazakiri Runko and Yumiba Iruka "change their minds" and be willing to stay in her faction.

Even Shokuhou Misaki could be persuaded to join her faction!

It was because she had such confidence that Suetsukura Remi agreed to Kazakiri Runko's request—this girl who had someone she was devoted to was not only learning how to manage and operate a faction organization, but was also being influenced by the Suetsukura Faction. In the end, it would depend on which side had a greater influence on her.

Compared to Suetsukura Remi's confidence and composure, shining like a polished gem, the other faction leader, Mizukagami Nagisa, was much more low-key.

The Mizukagami Faction was also holding a meeting to discuss the two Level 5s.

"This is bad! This is too bad! It's practically cheating!" A girl in the faction slammed the table. Because she was so emotional, her movements were too large, and the fullness of her chest produced obvious tremors.

It's worth noting that although the number of people attending the faction meeting was about the same as the Suetsukura Faction, the proportion of members with beautiful figures here was significantly higher, to the point that it made people wonder, "Are they really just middle school girls?"

Moreover, apart from the two girls sitting closest to Mizukagami Nagisa, the seating arrangement of the other members basically corresponded to their cup size.

It could be said to be quite peculiar.