Chapter 673: Chapter 673: We Misaka Have Power, A Lot of Power
The carnival was exceptionally lively, as the races of All Realms tried to show off their strength or please the Empire with their ingenuity, and let tell you, the acts here could easily dwarf those of an ‘X’s Got Talent’ show.
Of course, this was a good thing, but it had its headaches too: faced with countless programs, both dazzling and seemingly top-notch, most of the ti I found it hard to choose between them.
I had just dragged the kids and their mom, carried the maid nad Crow, and led an utterly curious Qianqian to watch the homade folk version of “Transforrs” Season 2 from Cybertron. I was deeply impressed by the electric tricycle that broke down mid-performance. Now standing at the junction of Section C-5, I was discussing with Bubbles whether to go watch the “King of Fighters 2011.12” staged by Qijia She or the thousand-skeleton dance from Dark City, both feeling sowhat depressing.
“Um…” A weak but magnetic voice interrupted then; Miku, always in a daze and dragged along by us, was cradling her precious leek (honestly, I was really curious why she valued a leek so much, even if it was an important prop, wasn’t this a bit much?), and said timidly, “Wouldn’t the skeleton dance be kinda nice?”
I looked at her in horror.
“It’s just… I like dancing more,” Miku shrunk her neck while her big eyes blinked.
“Are you sure about that? We’re talking over a thousand skeletons dancing here!”
Miku: “…”
Alright, it seed that Miku, who enjoyed singing and dancing, had imdiately misunderstood the intricate relationship between a skeleton dance and skeletons dancing.
While a few of us were debating where to go next, a shout ca from the crowd, interrupting Bubbles’ and my discussion: “Eh? Brother Director?”
I turned around just in ti to see a girl known as ‘Pervert’ streak across the sky, crash-landing right at my feet with a bright arc of electricity.
I reached down and pulled up Bai Jing Heizi, who was still covered in electric sparks, feeling a certain emotion: as the level of perverseness deepened and Misaka Mikoto’s patience rapidly drained, Black’s screen ti and lines were sadly diminishing.
Before stood a girl group from Academy City: Flower Pot, Gutai, Black (pronounced ‘pervert’, and please add a dark outline to her na), and the discount little sister Zuotian Bao Feng.
There seed to be various subtle puns in the nas just ntioned.
Since the carnival’s opening ceremony, I hadn’t seen these four lively girls. Later I learned they went to two other assembly places, claiming they were already familiar with Shadow City and wanted to explore the landscapes of the Otherworld and Mars. It looked like they had had their fill and returned today.
“Um, Mr. Director, this girl is—”
The always polite Chichun Shili imdiately noticed Miku, who stood next to us, quietly humming, her unusual attire, and the curious leek she held, all piqued her curiosity.
“Miku, a big-na celebrity from another world,” I quickly introduced them, “Miku, these are my friends, sort of like little sisters: Misaka Mikoto, Chichun Shili, and this one is Zuotian Tsuruya, the only one of them with a military post in the Imperial Army, so she’s kind of like your half-boss.”
All the girls were very approachable, especially Mikoto’s forthright persona and Miku’s lively warmth, so with introductions out of the way, they quickly hit it off.
“Excuse , Uncle Director, did you forget sothing?”
A certain carbonized entity I had been dragging along like a corpse suddenly twitched, and a muffled and frustrated voice reached up from below.
I lifted my arm, flashing the slight girl hung on it in front of Miku: “This is Pervert, a wild pervert.”
*Snap!* Black’s forehead suddenly bulged with veins, but knowing full well she was no match without my resistance, she wisely abandoned the idea of a full-blown fight and jumped to the ground, making a beeline for Misaka: “Ah, such a heartbreaking misunderstanding, but with Big Sister’s love, even if the whole world spurns , Black’s fervent heart will forever burn brightly for Big Sister…”
Boom!
This ti, Black, you really overdid it. My nose tells , at that mont, we were slling sothing at least seventy percent cooked!
Mikoto’s burst of lightning created a halo that blasted Black halfway through her Flying Pounce and sent her back to where she ca from, twitching twice in the air before collapsing into a period on the ground. It was my first ti witnessing such a brutal thod of communication, and Miku, naturally startled, looked at us with our usual unconcerned faces. Plus, having just seen the girl smashed by the sa electrical arc resurrect herself as if nothing had happened, Miku didn’t yell out but instead squatted down, poking Black with a leek, her face a mix of shock and concern, “She’s not dead, is she?”
I pondered a bit and made a very constructive suggestion, “Miku, why don’t you chop so green onions? I always feel like Black is missing sothing right now.”
Everyone fell silent, and MIKU hugged her leek nervously, “This… this is for cooking dinner for everyone later!”
At that mont, I was stunned: So you were really preparing it for cooking? My leek girl, can you not be so broken down!
“Alright, alright, stop picking on Black. Black, you need to restrain yourself too!” Seeing that the girls’ “daily” communications were nearly over, I waved my hand to get everyone’s attention, “Where are you all planning to go?”
The miraculously revived Black replied in her usual unpolite tone, “Isn’t it obvious, to the Academy City festival! Creepy uncle, stop patting my head!”
“Academy City festival?” I imdiately looked at Misaka Mikoto, and she returned a smile while awkwardly scratching her cheek: Ninety percent of the students at the Military Academy were Sister Misakas. Needless to say, the plan must have been Misaka’s idea.
“Perfect, we were at a loss for what to do, mind if we tag along?”
Black, who always worried about her Big Sister interacting with any male creatures, imdiately cast a veto, but unfortunately, the other three cheerfully agreed.
Since the conference venue was a bit far from the city’s Military Academy, we decided to use city teleportation to reach our destination directly. As the teleportation’s white light gradually dissipated, soft gasps inevitably sounded around us.
It was from Misaka and the others: They caught sight of the vicious school clubs all around them at first glance.
I hurried to explain what all the Thunder God cha, Spaceship Platforms, Prototype Land-Based Laser Guns, Ecological Dos, Project Plans, Prism Towers, Shrinking Furnaces, and Red You Three were all about.
After a long silence, Mikoto finally let out a sigh, “It seems… they’re really living very joyful lives.”
They’re obviously having too much fun. Do you realize how much trouble your mass-produced sisters are causing?
But if Qianqian were the honorary principal, such a result is actually quite normal.
“Ahem, you said you’re here for the academy festival, is there a specific event you’re targeting? Aside from the academy festival, there are quite a few interesting activities here.” Observing the girls marveling at the brutal club activities, I coughed softly to remind them not to lose track of ti.
“Of course, there is!” Tsuruya, always outspoken, imdiately raised her hand to answer, “Actually, Mikoto dragged us here after seeing the guide ntion that all Sister Misakas are holding a concert today!”
“I’m so sorry, I just rembered I ran out of soy sauce at ho… hey! Black, what are you doing?”
“Director’s reaction seems very suspicious,” Bai Jing Black clung to my waist and forcefully pulled back, a sly smile on her face. Although she wasn’t strong enough to stop , this action did indeed prevent my escape, “Ah, it looks like those clubs have indeed put up signs to suspend activities!”
“I’m telling you, people are really going to die in there!” I still made a last effort, but to my despair, Miku suddenly added from behind, “Eh? Aren’t the songs on the program mine?”
That was it, their curiosity would surely be stirred up even more now.
Seeing my unwilling face, Mikoto couldn’t help muttering, “Even if you’re the Director, such a reaction is too rude. Even if the Sister Misakas aren’t good singers, as their Brother, you should at least go support them!”
I’ve supported them once already, you foolish girl! Don’t let curiosity turn into a grueso spectacle, alright!
But this reason was useless to say out loud; no one who hasn’t heard a concert hall of people singing “Disappearance” can ever understand what ruptured eardrums are like.
Due to my fierce protest, it seed I was almost misunderstood as a bad brother who ignored his sisters’ efforts. Moreover, it didn’t seem possible to stop the girls, especially Mikoto, from deciding to attend the concert. In the end, I had no choice but to obediently give in and accompany the sisters to their doom.
No matter how you look at it, Mikoto’s sense of guilt towards her Sister Misakas wasn’t so easily redied. She probably wanted to use this concert as a way to support her sisters—silly girl, you’re going to regret it!
“You really are going to regret it!”
After being firmly pinned down in the auditorium seats by the gleefully smiling Tsuruya and Black, I adamantly reiterated to Mikoto.
“Director Brother, do the Misakas really sing that poorly?”
Hearing my persistent resistance, Mikoto imdiately looked sad and leaned in from the front row to ask.
“You’ll know in a mont.”
I looked desperately at the nearly ten thousand Sister Misakas, who had taken their well-trained places on both the first and second floors of the auditorium, a dark mass that made my heart rise and fall.
This was just a plain student auditorium, but who could have imagined the terrifying events that would unfold here shortly?
Glancing over to a leek-holding girl two seats away, the only thing visible on her face was pure anticipation. Miku really had such an innocent mind—just being appreciated for her singing made her so happy. Ah, girl… better not to leave the child with any psychological trauma.
As the ti for the concert drew nearer, more and more audience mbers trickled in, clearly unlucky children unaware of the affair, having been lured here by a flyer distributed by so Misaka during the school festival. Among them, there were even quite a few familiar faces.
“Qijia She?”
I looked on in surprise as a tall man walked past , calling out to him.
The tall white-haired man was taken aback. When he turned and saw , his expression beca one of amazent, “… Emperor? What brings you to a place like this?”
Suppressing the schadenfreude I felt at seeing so many others who would share my fate, I tried to remain calm, “Here to listen to my sisters’ choir.”
“I thought you’d be staying in your palace or attending royal ceremonies,” Qijia She said, taking a seat nearby with Charmy and Chris, “I didn’t expect to see you in such a civilian place.”
“What’s this about civilian and non-civilian? In Shadow City, how many civilians are there? Let’s not talk about that, just now I saw you greeting Kyo Kusanagi—did you make peace?”
“Impossible! That’s a millennium-long fight!” Qijia She imdiately looked serious, even a bit eager for battle, but the next second he quieted down, scratching his head awkwardly, “It’s just that it’s almost ti to award the most progressive, and a fight now would count as a serious offense. Chris plans to apply to the Military Academy as a student with a special arts talent. I wanted to get his Shadow City residency sorted out by next spring—it’d be totally over for us if we committed any infractions.”
: “…”
“I hope you don’t mind asking, but when are you starting your duties? Weren’t you the Eight Heroes said to obey no one but Orochi?”
This was sothing I had long known. Although the All Realms knew about the strength of the Empire, what these Otherworlds didn’t lack were all kinds of stubborn characters. The Eight Heroes were especially proud and haughty; at the beginning when we gathered the Ti-Space Administration reviewers, these people uniformly declined to apply.
At my question, even Charmy showed a conflicted and subtle expression. After a mont, he let out a deep sigh, “I didn’t expect you weren’t inford. Not long ago, two from the Star Domain Divine Race ca to do a census in our world…”
My expression fell instantly: “What?”
“Then my lord was sentenced to six million years of re-education through labor for working without a license and impersonating Divine Realm officials.”
“…”
“Luckily, Ah She preserved the reviewer crystal you had given us for registration. We explained to the officials from the Star Domain Divine Realm that our world was actually a remote small town of the Empire, and the local Heavenly Divine Race were actually Empire employees. We called ourselves ‘Divine Race’ for easier managent, so we narrowly avoided having my lord sent straight from the sealing to the Divine Realm.”
“…”
“But to take care of the formalities, we still have to get an introduction letter from the Ti-Space Administration for the Star Domain Divine Realm…”
“While writing the letter, Ah She saw the recruitnt announcent from the Military Academy, which stated that children of corporate employees or blood relatives could be prioritized for admission…”
Since just a mont ago, Qijia She had been covering his face, head down and silent, and only now did he mutter sullenly, “After all, my lord has registered for an Imperial household, and it admires your Empire and your people, so we ca to work here too.”
Silently shedding two rows of tears, they say n don’t easily cry unless it’s the epito of nut-cracking pain, and at that extre, I’d like to see how many can hold back their tears!
Having been a hands-off manager for so many years, who would have thought that the Ti-Space Administration had beco such a vicious entity?
“There’s nothing surprising about that,” Bubbles said matter-of-factly, nestling in my arms and munching on chips. Although she claid it was to show marital harmony, it looked more like a little girl brought by an adult to watch a play, “A planet-level consciousness fragnt, no matter how powerful it is in its own world’s setting, is nothing to us: we have several dozen ‘Zero’ type Planet Battleships, what’s one Earth… eh eh eh! Her dad, it looks like the concert is about to begin!”
Upon hearing this, without a second thought, I prepared to cover my ears, but this action was just noticed by Black, who was sitting close by. The quirky girl, as if she had expected to do this, could not understand why I was so afraid of listening to Sister Misaka’s concert, but she still decisively grabbed my arm.
In order to avoid pulling on Black, my movent naturally slowed down by a step, and just during that hesitation, a visibly moving wave of sound, like a blocking wall, was pushing over.
Wait… wait! I haven’t…
“Hummmm”
My feeble protest only managed to start off, and I had planned to activate the sound barrier the instant Sister Misaka started singing, but because of Black’s earlier interruption, I was a step too late. In that second of hesitation, the unprecedented chorus of “Disappearance of Hatsune Miku” stord into my ears, as if twenty pounds of Wang Zhihe bean curd cheese had been poured into my brain, and I knew nothing more.
In the last mont before succumbing to chaos, my peripheral vision finally caught a glimpse of sothing consoling, like the nurous unfortunate souls in the audience, like the ones beside worried about their household registration, and like the one who had just tried to stop from covering my ears and was now suffering the sa fate—there were all sorts of backings and all sorts of amusing misfortunes.
Like a leaf fluttering in the full range of sound waves created by over nine thousand Sister Misakas, and under the resonation effect that made the entire hall tremble gently, the audience was a dismal ss, full of gloomy clouds and widespread desolation.
“Big Sister, grant strength…”
Black had fallen.
“Director brother, so many stars, hehe, so many stars.”
Tsuruya had fallen too.
“I see… my lord’s summons!”
Qijia She had fallen.
“Dad, take care of our kids and my figurines…”
Even Bubbles had slipped away.
After all the breathing creatures around had collapsed with glazed eyes under the full-spectrum resonance of nearly ten thousand voices, I felt it was ti to leave sothing behind.
Hereby:
Lord Father God in Heaven, due to so pathetic and lantable irresistible reasons, I might be visiting you today—Xyrin Emperor Chen Jun’s final words. (
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