Mugino Shizuri's expression wavered a little as she took in the scene before her.

After a brief silence, she drew a deep breath.

"...I'll accept—but on one condition: I want complete operational autonomy."

Her gaze swept across the three people opposite her.

"I refuse to be anyone's hired gun."

"Agreed."

Misaka Mikoto nodded crisply.

"So long as what you do doesn't violate our core principles and rules."

She held out her right hand.

"Welcome to the New Academy City Special Operations Task Force."

Shokuhō Misaki suddenly clapped her hands.

"Wonderful~ From this moment, ITEM will be the first action squad of our Special Affairs Division."

From who‑knows‑where she produced a stack of documents.

"Let's sign the contract, shall we~?"

Shirai Kuroko could finally hold back no longer.

"Wait! Senpai! Are we really deciding something this important just like that? At the very least—"

Shock sharpened her voice.

"At the very least we should run background checks and risk assessments first!"

"Kuroko."

Misaka Mikoto cut her off with a smile, confidence glinting in her eyes.

"Trust me."

Her tone left no room for argument.

Uiharu Kazari timidly raised a hand.

"Um… shouldn't we at least sign a contract or something first…"

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, yet in the still office it carried clearly.

The tension in the room finally eased.

Looking at the group before her, Mugino felt an unfamiliar, long‑lost sense of relief.

Maybe this time, things really would be different.

She took the pen Shokuhō offered and signed her name.

Just then—

Uiharu's terminal blared an alarm.

She checked it swiftly, her face going white.

"Bad news—a bomb has gone off inside the Academy!"

"Mhm, confirmed."

Musujime Awaki had already calculated teleport coordinates.

"Looks like—"

Misaka Mikoto's voice crackled, colder than lightning.

"Someone wants to stick their neck out."

Shokuhō Misaki set down her teacup with perfect poise, a sharp light flashing in her starry eyes.

"Our 'welcome ceremony' has arrived~☆"

Lounging against the sofa arm, she turned to the four members of ITEM who had just signed.

"Perfect timing—Mugino-san, everyone in ITEM, here's your chance to shine."

Mugino arched a brow; her tea‑brown hair fluttered without wind, green light flickering at her fingertips.

"Oh? You want us to handle it? A big job—that's my specialty."

Her voice carried its usual confidence and a hint of testing her new role.

"No."

Misaka Mikoto's reply was diamond‑hard.

She stepped forward, meeting Mugino's eyes head‑on.

"We're administrators, not executioners.

"The objective is to capture the culprit alive, uncover the truth, and then mete out strict justice."

She bit off the last four words, underscoring the principles of the new order.

Mugino clicked her tongue, irritation flickering across her face.

"Tch—take them alive? Trouble."

"Well…"

She glanced at Kinuhata Saiai and Frenda, both anxiously watching her.

"Since it's legitimate work, fine."

Musujime Awaki flexed her wrists; her red twin‑tails swayed.

"All right—let's get to work."

A playful smile curled her lips.

"Do well and your benefits get an upgrade~"

Before her words fully faded she snapped her fingers.

Space twisted.

Mugino, Kinuhata Saiai, Frenda, and Takitsubo Rikō felt everything blur.

Crushing weightlessness and spatial pressure hit them—utterly unlike any short‑range transfer they'd ever known.

In a single heartbeat their surroundings completely changed.

The air reeked of scorching and harsh chemicals.

Broken concrete and twisted metal littered the ground.

Far off, an experimental building belched thick black smoke; flames danced in shattered windows.

Sirens wailed, growing nearer, yet were cut off by an invisible barrier—clearly Awaki's work to keep outsiders out.

"Wh‑what?!"

Frenda stumbled before she steadied herself, blonde hair tousled, sky‑blue eyes round with shock.

"This—this is at least dozens of kilometers from the Board of Directors building!"

"Su‑super outrageous…"

Instinctively, Kinuhata activated OFFENSE ARMOR; a pale‑blue halo coated her body and her short chestnut hair quivered in astonishment.

"In an instant… we came all this way?"

Takitsubo leaned against a relatively intact slab of concrete, paler than usual.

The violent transfer had scrambled her ability sensing, yet she forced herself to focus.

"Mugino, target's up ahead at the intersection—signature's a Level 4 high‑ability esper."

Mugino ignored her teammates' shock.

Hawk‑sharp eyes swept the scene.

At last they paused on Awaki, casually standing on a broken beam as if out for a stroll.

A Level 5 spatial esper…

The power to ignore distance and teleport multiple targets at once—unbelievable.

For the first time she felt a concrete, faintly wary respect for her new boss's strength.

Just then—

Their target noticed the intruders.

In the middle of an empty crossroads in the southern part of District 7…

A blurred humanoid mass of liquid metal let out a soundless scream.

It had no clear features.

Its form shifted constantly between molten fluid and semi‑solid metal—now swelling into a monstrous bulk, now collapsing into twisted strands.

The asphalt beneath its feet was scorched black by intense heat.

Traffic lights and street signs nearby were warped, as if crushed by an invisible giant hand.

Roughly ten metres in front of the liquid‑metal figure stood a woman.

Long purple hair whipped in the hot wind from the blast.

She wore an ill‑fitting, evidently stolen oversized coat.

Her eyes were like polar ice—utterly devoid of warmth.

~~~

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