Chapter 788: A Young Girl with a Slight Scheme
"So beautiful!" Saten Ruiko looked up at the night sky, her face illuminated by the colorful light of the fireworks. "The Fireworks Display—we came at the right time."
"What's so special about this? I can also..." Frenda, whose competitive spirit was aroused, took out a few rockets and made to light them.
The girls nearby quickly stepped forward to stop her.
However, before that, Frenda was already unable to move, and the igniter in her hand ultimately failed to activate.
"I'll confiscate this first." Lin Wuming used his telekinesis to take away the rockets and igniter from the girl's hand. "Let's cause less trouble for the Guards Teachers tonight."
"I...I understand," Frenda said. "Please let me go!"
Lin Wuming shook his head helplessly, then released the telekinesis that had been restraining Frenda.
Should it be said that she was indeed a girl from the Dark Side Organization? She was simply too erratic and reckless.
"Don't worry, Our Senior Lin Wuming." Shirai Kuroko stepped forward, patting her chest, and said, "I'll keep an eye on this one!"
From the moment Shirai Kuroko saw Frenda accompanying Saten Ruiko to the Fireworks Display tonight, Shirai Kuroko had been wary of her.
Publicly, Shirai Kuroko, as a Judgment, was naturally at odds with Frenda, who came from the Dark Side Organization; privately, their companions—Misaka Mikoto and Mugino Shizuri, two Level 5s—had deep-seated conflicts. Hating the house for the crow, Shirai Kuroko naturally wouldn't have a good impression of Frenda.
Shirai Kuroko had ample reason to guard against this cute-acting blonde girl.
If it weren't for Saten Ruiko's sake, Shirai Kuroko definitely wouldn't have walked with Frenda.
"Sorry, I'll also help keep an eye on her." Saten Ruiko also quickly apologized.
—It seems inviting Frenda to watch the fireworks together wasn't a good idea.
Saten Ruiko reflected in her heart.
—A friend's friend isn't necessarily a friend. Especially Frenda, in some sense, could even be said to be on the opposing side.
Thankfully, Our Senior Lin Wuming didn't mind this...perhaps because of Kinuhata Saiai?
Saten Ruiko guessed correctly; the reason Frenda so familiarly blended into this group was indeed because of Kinuhata Saiai.
At least from Frenda's perspective, "a friend's friend can also be a friend"—that's how her circle of friends expanded.
Moreover, according to Kinuhata Saiai's description, and a few personal encounters, Frenda also concluded that Lin Wuming wouldn't attack her without reason, and moving with them was safe.
Frenda and Saten Ruiko becoming friends truly didn't involve too many other intentions; it was purely a connection formed over "mackerel cans."
However, this didn't prevent Frenda from planning to take advantage of this to build a good relationship with Lin Wuming's "Unnamed Faction."
Frenda thought it through clearly: there were no irreconcilable conflicts between the "Item" and "Unnamed Faction" forces—apart from the personal grievances between Mugino and Misaka Mikoto.
Furthermore, in the foreseeable future, it was unlikely for the two major forces to clash; instead, it was highly probable that the "Nameless Board Member" would become the employer of "Item."
Therefore, building a good relationship with the employer's side in advance could only be beneficial.
Frenda, who was skilled in interpersonal relationships, knew even more clearly that as long as she didn't touch the core circle of the "Unnamed Faction"—that is, Lin Wuming himself and the network of Hu Feng Toumi, Shokuhou Misaki, and Misaka Mikoto—there would be no problems, and she wouldn't be excluded from this circle.
Facts proved that Frenda's Judgment was correct.
Among such a large group of people, only the highly righteous Shirai Kuroko remained wary of her; as for the others, they at least tacitly accepted her presence.
Because the "Chaotic Open" incident was resolved in advance, tonight's Fireworks Display ended without any incidents, calm and uneventful.
Everyone dispersed and went home.
Saten Ruiko didn't follow Lin Wuming and the others to Family Side but chose to go back with Frenda.
"Oh, it was truly unforgettable." Saten Ruiko was very satisfied with tonight's fireworks.
"If that's the case, I can continue to set them off for you." Frenda was eager to try.
Before parting, Lin Wuming returned the confiscated rockets as promised.
"There's nobody to interfere, come on, come on!" Frenda urged. "Don't worry, there's no danger, we can just go to the river to set them off."
Saten Ruiko was somewhat tempted—she indeed felt that it was unforgettable.
"Although the volume is a bit smaller, in terms of destructive power, my carefully prepared explosives will absolutely not lose!"
"Destructive power? That's not the point, is it?" Saten Ruiko suddenly regretted it. If she remembered correctly, Frenda's rockets should be weapons used for combat!
"Almost, almost, the principle is the same." Frenda had already run to the riverside. "And I've made adjustments; they can explode with a very spectacular effect."
"When did you adjust them, anyway...?" Saten Ruiko muttered.
Moreover, she was very skeptical of the spectacular effect Frenda spoke of—she didn't know if the exploding fireworks would be spectacular, or if the attacked target would be spectacularly blown up...
"There shouldn't be any small boats or anything nearby, right?" Saten Ruiko quickly looked around, afraid that Frenda's bombs might accidentally injure innocent citizens later.
While looking around, Saten Ruiko suddenly noticed something on the bridge nearby...
"That girl..." Saten Ruiko pointed at the bridge and exclaimed, "Is she going to jump?"
No sooner had she spoken than the figure on the bridge surface fell forward—plunging into the river.
"Oh no..."
Without thinking further, Saten Ruiko immediately ran along the riverbank.
"Ruiko!" Frenda didn't bother lighting the rocket and quickly followed.
Saten Ruiko saw that the girl had fallen into the water and made no movement, making her even more anxious.
She didn't care about anything else, kicked off her shoes, and ran into the river.
"Don't go down," Frenda shouted, "Can't you tell? That person jumped down on her own, and she didn't struggle—this is suicide!"
"Even so..." Saten Ruiko completely plunged into the water, "I can't just stand by and watch..."
"There's no helping you..." Frenda looked at the river, reluctantly took off her shoes, and then removed the various flammable and explosive Items she was carrying.
Just as Frenda was preparing to enter the water, she heard a few more splashes. It turned out that other good Samaritans, acting bravely, had entered the water and rescued both girls.
Saten Ruiko's swimming skills were average, and she hadn't been trained in water rescue, which meant she not only failed to rescue the girl who jumped into the river but also almost got herself dragged in.
However, unlike the suicidal girl, Saten Ruiko had no desire to die, so she struggled desperately, which attracted the attention of others on the bridge and ultimately led to her rescue.
