I, Kurumi Tokisaki, Am a Wanderer

The first weekend of June had arrived, marking the peak of summer.

Everywhere, the three-bladed turbine fans of wind power generators sparkled brilliantly under the warm white and azure sky.

In the heavens above, massive hot-airship balloons drifted lazily. The side panels of their hulls bore enormous ultra-thin screens, displaying collaborative announcements about ability demonstrations with their partners from the Northern Kingdom.

The sun's scorching rays fell incessantly, casting mottled shadows beneath the trees as the incessant cries of cicadas filled the air.

In this weather, a girl dressed in a tightly fitted winter uniform stood out conspicuously.

Her long-sleeved black school uniform suggested she was a high school student. Though the attire looked stifling in the heat, it was tailored perfectly, emphasizing her slender, curvaceous figure, with a particularly impressive bust.

Most eye-catching of all were the girl's sleek, shapely legs, elegantly encased in fine black stockings, their smooth, delicate sheen practically begging for a second glance.

Despite being covered from head to toe, the girl somehow appeared even more alluring this way.

Yet, when one's gaze shifted to her strikingly beautiful face and almost unnaturally pale complexion, it became clear why she had chosen to wrap herself so thoroughly.

With a graceful posture, her right hand rested on her left as she carried a small bag. She seemed troubled, her expression contemplative.

Passersby walked past her one by one, some hesitating briefly, clearly tempted to approach and ask what had brought such a stunning girl to a standstill. However, when their eyes met her wine-red ones peeking out from beneath her inky black locks, they faltered. Intimidated by her otherworldly air, they ultimately backed away, leaving the matter unresolved.

Kurumi gazed at the vast cityscape before her, a trace of frustration evident in her expression.

Where was Nagatenjouki Academy?

Having departed from the world of No Game No Life, she returned to a world she had traveled through before. After a brief respite, she activated the item that served as her class-change certification.

—[Welcome to A Certain Scientific Railgun.]—

The ethereal voice delivered the message as Kurumi took it in.

The first scene she encountered was a lush, well-preserved mountain area. Wind turbines dotted the landscape, rivers flowed clear and cool, and a refreshing breeze filled the air. Judging by the surroundings, she surmised she was somewhere in District 21.

—[You will be enrolled as a transfer student at Nagatenjouki Academy, entering as a second-year high school student.]—

The accompanying documentation was remarkably thorough, including an ID card, health insurance, a bank card, and even a small stack of 2,000-yen notes.

Brimming with confidence, Kurumi consulted a map and set out to locate her destination.

And promptly realized she was lost.

Her shadows had already spread quietly across the area, mocking her for being such a scatterbrain. Yet, even after an hour of waiting, no information was forthcoming from her clones.

The only response came from a notorious slacker among them, who cheerfully reported discovering a Cat Island Café.

Wonderful... Clearly, her clones, long overdue for a break, had collectively abandoned her.

When they returned, she resolved to string up each and every one of them!

—[The mission item is a scientific marvel. Hint: Tanabata.]—

Steel-barrel-like cleaning robots wobbled down the streets, their mechanical frames weaving deftly through the bustling sidewalks. The girls in ultra-short skirts scattered at the robots' approach, giving the nimble machines a wide berth.

Kurumi watched the scene unfold, a trace of puzzlement on her face. To her, these cleaning robots left little impression beyond their dedicated duties—and, of course, their propensity to alert others when a certain Level 5 delivered a precise flying kick to a vending machine.

And yet, as her gaze followed one such robot, she noticed its camera lens suspiciously tilting... directly under her skirt.

A vein throbbed at Kurumi's temple, an ominous "＃" symbol almost visible.

I am... not happy right now.

With a speed far beyond the robot's capacity to detect, Kurumi crouched directly in front of it, her crimson gaze boring into the offending lens.

"Well, well... it's not polite to peek under a lady's skirt, now is it?" Her gentle smile grew sharper as her face filled the camera's view. Then, with alarming grace, she reached out and twisted the lens.

If only the sound of tearing metal didn't punctuate her "gentle" gesture.

——[Wishing you a pleasant journey.]——

"Oh, I am absolutely, utterly ecstatic," Kurumi chirped, her expression brimming with saccharine menace. "And your wonderfully detailed map... it's just so helpful."

The display on the robot flickered erratically before finally dimming into silence.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP——

The robot in Kurumi's arms emitted an ear-splitting alarm.

"——Cleaning Robot Unit 33333, anomaly detected."

"Suspected property damage——"

"Suspected property damage——"

Similar alarms echoed in the distance as other cleaning robots, approximately four or five of them, converged on her position.

Yet, by the time they arrived, only one robot remained, still beeping shrilly in futile warning.

The room was shrouded in shadow, utterly devoid of light or life.

No doors, no windows—an entirely sealed world.

At its center stood a massive cylindrical structure filled with faintly glowing red liquid. Suspended within, upside-down, was Aleister Crowley, the enigmatic General Director who ruled Academy City.

The chamber's meager illumination came from scattered, softly pulsing light panels. Strange, esoteric machinery cluttered the room, interwoven with intricate pipes and conduits.

The eerie stillness was absolute, broken only by the faint hum of the apparatuses as they carried out their incomprehensible tasks.

Suspended in the viscous solution, Aleister Crowley lowered his emerald eyes, staring at the screen before him. His face, devoid of warmth, exuded a cold, mechanical detachment that obscured any hint of gender or age. It was a visage paradoxical in its inhumanity yet perfectly encapsulating the essence of humanity's traits.

On the screen—

A pair of mesmerizingly alluring, impeccably proportioned legs wrapped in black stockings came into view, their golden ratio perfection commanding attention.

The perspective slowly panned upward... but before it could offer a forbidden glimpse under the hem of the girl's skirt, a stunningly captivating face filled the frame, magnified to an overwhelming degree.

"Well, well... peeking under a lady's skirt is quite improper, don't you think?"

What followed was a sudden burst of static as the screen filled with garbled distortion and the signal abruptly cut off.

"To think you had such tastes, Aleister."

In the dim, oppressive space, a voice rang out, distorted slightly yet dripping with mockery.

"What's next? Will you use the 'Hollow String' to stalk young maidens in their prime?"

Though laden with sarcasm, the voice carried an undertone of unsettling calm.

"Aiwass... Who is she, exactly?" Aleister's synthetic tone betrayed no emotion as his eyes remained fixed on the screen, now cycling through the available data on the girl. From her birth to her admission into the academy, her abilities, and her development—every detail seemed meticulously compiled.

Even as his mechanically augmented thoughts scoured the archives, Aleister found the girl's records already present in the storage systems.

In a city with a population of 328,571 individuals possessing talents, Aleister had ensured every one of them was meticulously documented.

Yet, he was certain these files were not something he had ever processed.

"Do you recall the Etz Hachayim (עץ החיים), the Tree of Life, from Judaic mysticism?" Aiwass' question broke the silence, ignoring Aleister's inquiry entirely.

"As you suspect, she embodies the third sephirah, Binah—Understanding. Her angel is Zaphkiel, and the divine name is Elohim."

"She, like myself... is an angel who was never meant to exist in this world."

Kurumi dashed from the street, her breaths coming quickly as she ducked into a secluded alleyway.

Her hand rested on her chest, rising and falling with each breath—a sight that even a lifetime of wielding swords, like a Saber, could never hope to match. Of course, firearms wielders were a different story altogether.

Her flushed cheeks carried a faint hue of crimson as she carefully adjusted her attire. Dressed in her school uniform, she was the picture of an ordinary young lady, a mere high school student.

Today, Kurumi remained as radiant as ever, eternally 16 years old.

Smoothing out her skirt, she prepared to head toward the Cat Island Café where her loafing clones were undoubtedly gathered. After spending several months in the apocalyptic remnants of the world of No Game No Life, all she could do was pet catgirls—no real cats in sight.

What was the point of registering as a transfer student? Wasn't petting cats infinitely more important?

Yet, just as Kurumi was about to set off, her exquisitely enchanting face curved into a nearly flirtatious smile.

The hallmark of Academy City was here.

"Hey, hey… look at this. Where did this young lady come from?"

With what they thought were intimidating grins, three delinquents blocked Kurumi's path in the narrow alley.

"Oh my, oh my. Isn't she cute? Looks like we hit the jackpot."

"Missy, what's your name? Let's be friends, shall we?"

The delinquents circled Kurumi, their eyes roving over her from head to toe as they cornered her against the wall.

"Sigh… dear big brothers, are you trying to make friends with me?"

Her lips curved upward in a sultry smile, the rosy softness of her lips irresistibly inviting.

"Of course! We'd love to be friends with someone like you." One of them shrugged casually, while a few students outside the alley hesitated, debating whether to call the authorities, only to scurry away under the delinquents' menacing glares.

"Well then… could you kind big brothers tell me where this place is?" Kurumi opened her small bag, pulling out a map for reference.

"Hm… Nagatenjouki Academy. Sounds kind of familiar." One delinquent frowned before carelessly tossing the map onto the ground. "Don't worry, we'll help you figure it out later. But first, how about letting us enjoy something nice?"

A lecherous grin spread across his face.

At that moment, his companion interrupted him in a panicked voice. "B-Boss!"

"Wild Dog, what are you doing? Just wait your turn!"

"N-no, that's not it! It's—it's…" His friend's voice trembled with terror, trailing off into a wail of despair.

Finally noticing something was off, the delinquent turned his gaze downward. The girl's shadow was unnaturally stretching outward, extending slender, delicate arms from within its darkness.

They looked ghostly, like sheets of paper or malevolent specters, reaching upward toward him.

In his final moments of horror, those pale hands covered his face.

"W-what the hell is this?! A monster!"

His scream echoed through the alley as his vision blurred.

The last thing he saw was the girl crouching gracefully to pick up her discarded map.

Her movements were enticing, her slender frame curving delicately from her shoulders to her slim waist, rising in an arc to form a voluptuous silhouette.

A sight that might have made him want to lift her skirt—

If he weren't paralyzed by sheer terror.

It was only then that he finally remembered what Nagatenjouki Academy actually was.

One of Academy City's top five… dominator-level schools.

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