Academy City was quiet at night. Since most of its residents were students, teachers, and researchers, the night markets outside had gradually wound down by this hour. Only a few streets in the red-light district remained lively and bustling.
Here, in the dormitory building outside the Garden of Tokiwadai, a private girls' middle school, the lights in every dorm room had already been switched off on schedule. Only the lights in the corridors between floors were still on. Most of the girls had finished washing up before lights-out and returned to their beds, where they had burrowed into their cozy blankets. The whole dormitory was gradually growing quiet...
There was no more noise or commotion anywhere in the building, just the occasional roar of a vehicle passing on the street outside and the familiar rumble of the security robots' wheels rolling over the pavement.
Tap!
Tap! Tap!
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded in the corridor outside Room 208, drawing closer. Perhaps one of the dorm supervisors was making a final round before turning in? In their beds, Mikoto Misaka and Kuroko Shirai curled up under their respective blankets and scarcely dared to breathe, afraid of attracting the attention of that terrifying presence.
Tap...
Tap, tap...
At last, the footsteps grew more distant and soon disappeared at the end of the corridor. It was impossible to tell whether the person had gone upstairs or downstairs.
"..."
Phew...
So much had happened that day. After lying in bed for a long while—how long, she couldn't tell—Mikoto finally relaxed and let out a sigh.
She tossed and turned, trying several different positions, but found she couldn't fall asleep. She wasn't even drowsy... So she turned to face the wall beside her bed, opened her eyes wide, and stared blankly at the wall with