とある科学の超電磁砲外伝 アストラル・バディ [Toaru Kagaku no Rērugan: Asutoraru Badi] #1

A spin-off set in the world of A Certain Scientific Railgun, this opening volume from Kadokawa drops readers into a cherry-blossom-swept school setting filled with a cast of young women in their academy uniforms. The cover brings together four distinct characters — two lively classmates in the foreground, a quieter figure in the middle distance, and a dark-haired girl drifting dramatically through the air above — all framed against a grand brick clocktower wrapped in falling pink petals. It's a beautifully composed introduction that balances the warmth of school-life camaraderie with the hint of esper-powered adventure lurking just beneath the surface.