Misaka 10000 (Toaru fanfiction)

Chapter 20: The Daihaseisai

6 October, 6:23 AM

Amid the hallowed halls of Tokiwadai's prestigious middle school, a palpable sense of confusion lingered like an unsolved riddle. The principal, a woman of sharp intellect and impeccable memory, sat at her ornate desk, her brows furrowed in perplexity. Before her lay meticulously kept files, or at least what should have been.

The room she was in was adorned with artifacts and trophies that bore witness to the institution's rich history. Yet, amidst the grandeur, the principal's countenance was etched with a perplexed furrow. Her fingertips delicately tapped the keyboard before her as she navigated through a digital labyrinth, searching for answers among the school's meticulously maintained files.

The fading glow of twilight filtered through the lace curtains, casting patterns of light and shadow across the room. The principal, resplendent in the distinctive Tokiwadai uniform, 

surveyed the screen with a hint of disbelief in her eyes.

Her fingers danced across the keyboard, summoning the enigmatic digital dossiers of the school's students. Each name, each record, held within its digital confines the stories of young girls who had walked the illustrious path of Tokiwadai.

Yet, as the principal scrolled through the meticulously organized database, a sense of disquiet gnawed at her.

"There nothing meets the description"

She leaned back in her ornate chair, her fingers interlocking beneath her chin. A deep, thoughtful sigh escaped her lips, carrying with it the weight of an enigma she couldn't unravel.

(We routinely conduct esper tests every week to monitor our students' progress. There's no record of anyone coming close to achieving Level 5 status, except for those whose abilities come with significant drawbacks. We do have a few names with similar body types and electromaster esper abilities, but none of them have that kind of hair - long white hair. Furthermore, none of them have the capacity to reach Level 5 yet, except for Misaka Mikoto, who is already beyond suspicion and are already a one.)

After the announcement of the new Level 5 esper, and once everyone had seen the distinctive Tokiwadai uniform worn by the mysterious Number 8, the prestigious all-girls middle school found itself bombarded with questions over the next 24 hours. These inquiries poured in from the city's media outlets as well as rival schools, and most of them carried an air of fury.

The reason for this fury was painfully evident.

The school stood accused of concealing and tampering with the students' esper test results.

It was a common practice for any school to proudly announce the discovery of a potential Level 5 student or one who had already achieved this prestigious status before the official announcement. However, given the events of the previous day and the baffling appearance of an unknown Level 5 esper, the school and its officials found themselves in an unenviable predicament.

That is why the principal of that ancient school was trying her best to make sure there were no such students in their school, and there were any.

As the principal contemplated possible solutions to the mounting crisis, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a gentle knock on her office door. She looked up.

"Come in,"

The door swung open, revealing a tall and slender woman with shoulder-length brown hair, whose glasses hid her eyes - the Tokiwadai Dorm Supervisor.

"Principal, we need to address this situation urgently," the Dorm Supervisor stated, her tone grave. "The accusations are growing stronger, and we can't afford to let this tarnish our school's reputation."