Chapter 871 Shirai Kuroko's Confession
"Don't be so nervous, Shirai Student," Shokuhou Misaki's eyes were sharp, fixed on the girl opposite her, but the remote control in her hand was pressed against her chin, with no intention of using it. "I said, I just wanted to 'chat' with you. As long as you don't run away, I won't use my esper ability."
"Heh, what's the point of doing this..."
"Hmm~ there really isn't much point, Shirai Student~" Shokuhou Misaki clutched the remote control tightly, her smile growing even brighter. "But please rest assured, this is my promise—I really will only chat with you. I absolutely will not use my esper ability on you, so please be at ease."
"Huh?" Shirai Kuroko was surprised and couldn't help but look over. "Is that true?"
"It's true." Her smile was bright, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes, Shokuhou Misaki said, "So~ Shirai Student, you must carefully consider your answer. As long as you can convince (deceive) me, I won't pursue it further~"
"So now, can you tell me why you ran away, Shirai Kuroko Student?"
—Isn't it because of your Mental Out!
Shirai Kuroko couldn't help but complain in her heart—if she wasn't worried about her thoughts being seen through by you, why would she...
In silence, Shirai Kuroko's brain raced. Since Shokuhou Misaki gave her a chance to explain, then naturally she had to come up with a plausible reason...right?
—Besides, she's already come to block me, so she can't be completely ignorant, can she? Moreover, has this Queen really not used her ability to peek into my inner thoughts?
At this point, still trying to find excuses... it's truly a living embodiment of the phrase "self-deception," only serving as a laughingstock. Such a self is simply too pathetic.
—Speaking of which, it's normal for me to want to run away, but why is Shokuhou Misaki putting on this act? Is she really just trying to toy with me?
Shirai Kuroko closed her eyes, then nodded gently. When she opened them again, she no longer avoided, but looked directly at the other party: "What I want to avoid is not you, but Lin Wuming-senpai... No, to be precise, it's myself."
..." Shokuhou Misaki was expressionless, raising her remote control, "Enough."
"You told me to explain." Shirai Kuroko said, "Thank you for not using your esper ability on me, but giving me the chance to speak for myself."
"Enough, I only gave you a chance to convince me!"
"Is this self-deception really okay?" Shirai Kuroko retorted, "You specifically blocked me here just to hear a lie?"
"Shokuhou Misaki, you and I both know I can't lie to you," Shirai Kuroko lowered her eyelids, gritting her teeth, "I can't lie to myself either, can you lie to yourself?"
"I admit, I like Lin Wuming-senpai!"
...
Silence enveloped the corridor. Shokuhou Misaki felt like she was experiencing Lin Wuming-senpai's Bullet Time again.
How to put it, this outcome was not at all unexpected. Before deciding to come find Shirai Kuroko, Shokuhou Misaki already had a good idea.
However, just as Shirai Kuroko had said just now—self-deception.
She sincerely hoped that Shirai Kuroko could have a reason to convince herself, to avoid this fact.
Because Shokuhou Misaki cannot deceive herself. As the strongest psychic Esper, it's not impossible to deceive herself if she wanted to, but the cost of doing so would be—it's very likely that she would no longer be able to maintain a stable self-cognition, and it might even affect the further improvement of her esper ability.
Precisely because of this, Shokuhou Misaki ultimately chose to personally open this Schrödinger's box, collapsing and determining the possibility of the 'Shirai Kuroko's feelings' cat.
Now it's settled. It's confirmed.
"...Then, see you later."
Shirai Kuroko's voice seemed to come from a very distant place, bringing Shokuhou Misaki's consciousness back to reality.
The conversation ended, and Shirai Kuroko directly activated Space Movement, jumping to the corner at the end of the corridor.
Her inner self was not as calm as she appeared on the surface. She landed unsteadily, stumbling and almost falling.
"Ah~" Shokuhou Misaki sighed, leaning against the wall and gently hitting her head against it, "Exhausted, can't move anymore?"
—She really brought this on herself!
"Queen!" Kazakiri Hyouka appeared at the corner at the end of the corridor. "I saw Shirai Student leave. Have you two finished chatting?"
"Runzi-jie~" Shokuhou Misaki said with a bitter smile, "I think I might have messed up..."
"How could that be?" Kazakiri Hyouka said, "The Queen's decisions are never wrong."
Shokuhou Misaki looked at her—Runzi-jie was no different from the original plot, but why was Shirai Kuroko...
After the recent exchange, Shokuhou Misaki had given up—Kihara Yuiitsu was beyond saving, she had completely fallen!
She couldn't understand at all when this development had occurred... It was impossible to guard against, she thought she was the least likely person...
"Misaka Mikoto is useless!" In the end, she could only complain about the Electromaster who wasn't present and was likely completely unaware of this.
"Huh?" Kazakiri Hyouka was a little surprised, "By the way, Misaka Student is ready. When are we leaving?"
"Let's go now!" Shokuhou Misaki said, "Let's deal with the current matter first. And..."
Shokuhou Misaki snorted lightly—it was too unfair that she was the only one with a headache over this kind of thing!
With their leave permits, the four girls set off together again, heading to A Certain High School.
Along the way, Shirai Kuroko, who had just revealed her feelings, had a stiff expression but still bit the bullet and followed. However, as soon as they reached their destination, she left alone.
She said she was going to patrol the surroundings and check for suspicious individuals—according to the plan, their main purpose in coming to A Certain High School this time, besides cheering on Lin Wuming, was to search for the people secretly spreading rumors.
Of course, which purpose was primary and which was a cover was a matter of opinion...
The arrival of Shokuhou Misaki and the others caused a stir. Girls wearing Tokiwadai Middle School uniforms were quite eye-catching wherever they went, not to mention appearing at another school during official class hours.
However, on one hand, Shokuhou Misaki had already submitted an application in advance, so the school was not surprised.
On the other hand, Hu Feng Toumi, who had arrived earlier, also acted as a preemptive measure, allowing the teachers and students of A Certain High School to accept this fact more quickly.
Furthermore, the legend of the "Unnamed Faction" was already an open secret. As Lin Wuming's alma mater, A Certain High School had the advantage of proximity and had learned much more detailed information, so they weren't too surprised by the arrival of these girls.
Therefore, after a period of bustling like a crowd gathering for fun, the campus quickly returned to calm.
