(Heartfelt thanks to 'Wu Guan Wei She Mi', 'Kaede no Chōrei', and 'Lei Xiang' for their tips!)
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The next day, at dawn...
As sunlight poured down and dyed the entire forest golden, Kaya and his attendants and guards were already waiting before a cave in a cliff at one corner of the forest, chatting and laughing quietly among themselves.
Hinagiku, Mikoto, Ikaros, Yekusaya, Yuzuru, and the other girls emerged from the cave, and the bustling clearing fell briefly silent.
Almost at the same moment, figures darted out from the nearby woods and landed behind the girls, lining up neatly.
Naturally, they were the Misaka Sisters who had been secretly protecting everyone present.
The appearance of so many identical faces nearly filling their field of vision made Kaya's attendants and guards turn curious looks toward the Misaka Sisters. Yet when those looks fell upon Hinagiku, Mikoto, Ikaros, Yekusaya, Yuzuru, and the others, they immediately became respectful.
Yesterday, Ikaros had forcefully defeated the Peak Eighth Order old man in black. Hinagiku and Mikoto were both famous figures at Sparlier World Academy, while Yekusaya and Yuzuru, since they could stand alongside them, surely possessed something special as well.
With such thoughts in mind, although the girls were absurdly young—so young that not a single attendant or guard present was younger than them—strength was strength. The girls' prestige had already faintly surpassed everyone present, second only to Kaya.
Apart from the Misaka Sisters, the girls walked straight through the crowd and came to the front. They exchanged a glance with Kaya and nodded to one another. Kaya even smiled,