Author's Note:

Well it is inevitable, this is based off of a Shonen series after all, but a chapter with a fight is a staple of the genre. This particular chapter, though, needs some explanation. There would have been at least two other chapters between the concert and this one. The chapter before this would have been a comedy chapter based off of situations where some conspiring groups try to create a confrontation between Miyuki and Mikoto. They fail miserably, but a bit too much of enthusiastic Kuroko skinship causes Mikoto to try and fry her. The unlucky bit is it actually gets Miyuki instead, creating the situation they unwittingly were avoiding all day.

I will probably be doing the epilogue chapter for this story instead of ending it on just the three chapters I had available.

Warning: This and all the other small one off stories are O.C. centric.

Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, nor any of its characters.


Toaru no Kanpeki na Genjitsu

Gāden de no de~yueru

A brief sigh escaped Mikoto's lips as she ran a hand through her short hair and stared at the Shidarezakura Academy girl across from her. The thought currently in the forefront of her mind, how do I get involved with these things?

Thinking back over the day, Mikoto had originally thought everything was just a series of unfortunate events, but a lingering doubt was always there. Things had felt off, and more than once she had felt like she was being watched only to find no one suspicious around. Thinking about it, things felt almost like they were drawing the girl she currently faced and herself together. It was by sheer bad luck that after a day of avoiding mishaps, a stray shock blast of punishment had missed Kuroko and hit Nakamura-san, in full view of students from both of their schools.

Before Mikoto could even apologize, student from both schools were shouting things about smudged Shidarezakura honor and Tokiwadai pride respectively. Things might have turned sour had Nakamura Miyuki not declared a duel against her. Mikoto would have turned it down if not for of all people Kongou Mitsuko informing her that this challenger was the top student of Shidarezakura Academy and effectively a similar academic title level. Refusing would look bad on the whole of Tokiwadai.

Nakamura-san had held a proper upper class girl front and confidence, imitating Kongou-san down to a tee, fan and all, to which Kongou-san was completely oblivious to. Mikoto, being right in the middle of this, noticed a slight undertone of resignation in Nakamura's demeanor because it was the same one she was outwardly displaying.

A slight shift in demeanor was noticed by Mikoto, possibly eagerness, when Kongou-san announced her as the Railgun and Ace of Tokiwadai, Misaka Mikoto.

I don't know what she can do, but Shidarezakura Academy is known for cultivating unusual abilities. No level 5s, so a strong level 4… I'll keep it low, trade attacks for a bit, to make a good show of it before ending it. Kuroko said she was a teleporter I think, or was that the other girl she was with.

Mikoto briefly glanced over at the smaller girl which had accompanied Nakamura-san. As she was doing so, Nakamura tossed her cellphone towards said girl who stopped it half way and floated it over to herself.

Well the other girl has some kind of telekinesis, so I hope Kuroko was right about the other one. Mikoto thought, this is going to be annoying.

Meanwhile, Nakamura Miyuki was busy preparing herself for this troublesome affair. Amid the worry was a bit of eagerness, she was afforded a rare instance to analyze a level 5. It was a power above the more pedestrian electromasters at her school.

She directed her attention to the many AR interfaces, which she could only see. Well, anyone with an iGlass could see her augmented reality interfaces if they were tuned into her specific operating frequency. She viewed the status of analyzing the Railgun's AIM field and personal reality abstract, the progress bar registered sixty percent, so she switched to the recently completed ability analysis of the proper girl with the fan.

Aero hand, air ejection points, huh. Similar to the other air manipulation powers. Upload that to the cache and I'll analyze it later and tweak the aeromancer database entries. Queue these up; telekinesis, hydrokinesis, pyrokinesis –especially the firecracker missiles-, and the special field array.

"Hey, we ready to go now?" Misaka inquired of her opponent.

Quickly glancing at the status screen for Misaka-san's analysis, the display showed sixty-five percent. Even with four CPU lobes and four thousand and ninety-six processor cores, mapping a level five's AIM field layout and rendering their personal reality construct is difficult for the 3C. Oh well, best way is witnessing the power first hand.

"Hai, Mikoto-chan. I hope you take this seriously." She replied in a slightly teasing manner.

The honorific gave Misaka a brief pause, chan? With a sigh, Mikoto waved the comment off, "hai, hai, let's just get this over with."

With a pair of nods, both students tensed in ready stances. Mikoto's was wary, keeping an eye on her peripherals and her footwork loose for quick movement in response to a possible teleportation attack. Miyuki easily slipped into a typical martial arts stance focused on quick movements and interception.

With Nakamura not making any immediate moves, Misaka choose to act. With the telltale arcs on her fringe and from her body into the ground around her, she launched a bolt of electricity directly at the other student. Misaka retained her peripheral awareness preparing more electricity for where ever she would appear next.

However, contrary to Misaka's tactical expectation, Nakamura did not move. Instead she appeared to take it head on.

Miyuki had moved her hand to the rough target area of the bolt and curved area of interlocked, transparent, red hexagons covered it from the blast. Electricity briefly danced over the shield surface before being absorbed.

Mikoto's eyes widened briefly before narrowing, what? I thought Kuroko said she was a teleporter. She said they were in the same joint DP for the ability.

While Misaka questioned her own information, Nakamura observed one of her AR interfaces that had appeared in her view. It was registering the intensity of the electromaster's spear. Barely an eighth of her publically recorded maximum output.

Miyuki narrowed her eyes at Mikoto, "tsk, Electric Princess, if you aren't going to take me seriously, you are going to… DIE!"

With eyes widening at the intensity and venom poured into the last word, she reacted instinctively and threw another lightning spear.

This blast was also intercepted. "A little better, but if you don't start playing for keeps in these kind of situations, your opponents are going to get the better of you."

Annoyed with the commentary Mikoto bit back, "well, I don't see you doing anything!"

"You are right I should get started. Do you know what this is?" Miyuki called as she rocketed ten meters into the air from a controlled air burst. "It's a carnival!"

Miyuki spread her arms wide as she declared this to the sky above her. Two score of missile-like projectiles, complete with smoke trails, swarmed out from the air around her and zeroed in on Mikoto.

Misaka, who had not changed position since this started, leaped back from her spot as she unleashed a wave of electromagnetic force. The wave, charged with her electricity, impacted with the projectiles causing early detonation, deflecting shrapnel and dispersing the concussive blast enough that a tuck and roll allowed her to escape with only a few scrapes.

Misaka ends her roll on her feet in a crouch, immediately letting loose with lightning spear from her forehead at Miyuki who is coasting parallel to the ground. Miyuki blocks the electrical attack with her field, absorbing it, before directing her hand at a spot near Mikoto and jerking her limb upward.

Multiple jets of water blow off the sewer lid on the street and twirl into a single blast aimed at Mikoto's back. Misaka, using her magnetism, seized the sewer cover as a shield, while securing her feet to its flat surface, both blocking the water torrent and allowing her to safely surf over the top. She then leaps off the water torrent, using her magnetism to hurl the metal cover at her opponent. She again hits the ground with a tuck and roll, coming to her feet.

Miyuki blocks the flying cover physically with telekinetic assistance before disappearing via teleportation. She appears slightly behind Mikoto's right side, within arm's length, and opposite of where the other girl was looking while holding a ball of flame in her left hand.

Misaka twists around just as Miyuki gives the ball of flame a little toss, adding a bit of a deadpan reply, "oh hey, fireball." Nakamura disappears via teleportation and the resulting fireball explosion is fairly bright and loud.

Miyuki appears back near where she started this little duel, smiling at the results displayed on her AR interface of Misaka's ability analysis. One hundred percent. Oh, I so want to try this out, won't she be surprised!

When the smoke and dust clears, a scorched wall of metal pipes, railings, and concrete is between Mikoto and where the explosion was. This is really starting to piss me off.

Mikoto emerges from behind her impromptu shield, crackling with energy and ready to pull down a lightning bolt from the sky.

That train of thought is literally de-railed as her eyes widen at the sight of Nakamura in a very close approximation of her own trademarked stance, with blue wisps of electricity rolling off of her, her arm outstretched and a single coin of some sort ready to be launched from her fingers. How can she be using my powers, just what is she?

"Let's try my railgun!" Miyuki yells as she lets the blast loose complete with the light beam and thunderous boom.

Mikoto recovers from the surprise very quickly, readying a powerful magnetic burst to deflect the metal object, only to blink in confusion as the projectile sputters off to the side wildly and out of control, spectacularly ineffectual, but managing to cause a number of students, who were spectating, to scatter.

Miyuki scratches the back of her head, "gomen, that's not nearly as easy as it looks even when the math is right down to the thirtieth place. Maybe if I had something to stabilize it like some actual rails." She paused looking sheepishly over at where Mikoto was only to find her wreathed in electricity, grabbing an arcade token out of the air with a very unsettling smile on her face.

A sweatdrop rolled down Miyuki's cheek from her forehead as she cringed slightly and simply replied, "Ah."

"If you like railguns so much, let's try the real thing." Misaka coldly declared. Despite the calm appearing voice, an underlying tone of anger was detected by Miyuki.

Nakamura face palmed, "yeah I deserve that, okay give me your best shot!" Quickly, she erected her electromagnetically enhanced hexagonal shield array (the hexagons are Kline bottle funnel openings extruded into real dimensional space), backed up with the magnetized sewer cover, and a final telekinetic shield.

Not having to wait long, Miyuki was introduced to the true light and sound of a properly formed and controlled railgun. The projectile impacted her dimensionally extruded Kline bottle array, overloading the capacity in a brilliant release of light and heat.

The millisecond that her array was a fraction from collapsing, Miyuki initiated a teleport, reappearing several meters away and stumbling to a sitting position as her layered shield's remaining metal and telekinetic layers gave out. The railgun projectile dissipated a meter or so after penetrating her defenses at her previous location.

Nakamura would have launched into a physical counterattack if not for the feeling of a hand on her shoulder.

"I think we should probably call it here. If onee-sama is resorting to such things, I doubt the Garden of Education will survive the two of you." Kuroko stated as she shifted her gaze from a blushing Mikoto, who was rubbing the back of her neck, to Miyuki, "a Judgment member should know better Nakamura-san, the School Garden is your branch's jurisdiction. I do not envy the amount of apology letters you will have when you decide to visit your branch office."

Miyuki groaned to herself quietly, "shimatta." With a deep breath, the girl re-assumed her social mask as she rose to her feet. "Domo sumimasen Misaka-san, I think things may have gotten a bit out of hand, perhaps I can treat you and Shirai-san to fine tea and cakes as an apology, and we can speak of matters that seem to have been occurring today." She bowed as the attending students crowded up around them.

Mikoto thought about it briefly and a few things were bothering her, "sure, that would probably be a good idea."

"Indeed, this is just a big misunderstanding after all." Kuroko nodded with crossed arms and mentally tried shooing away the gathered students.

Yuko approached Miyuki's side, "are you okay Miyu-neesama?"

Miyuki nodded, "I'm fine Yuko-chan, just a little frazzled is all, come let's go."

After a short walk, and quite a few cold stares from Kuroko that managed to finally discourage even Kongou Mitsuko from following, the two pairs of girls reach Pasticceria Manicagni.

The group is escorted to a table inside the café and after ordering a couple of pots of fine black teas, and some choice pastries, the two former combatants relax a bit. Silence reigns for quite a while before the tea finally arrives, fine Earl Gray with a hint of lavender and a rich black currant. Everyone at the table partakes in a proper afternoon tea, the fine aromas and elegant tastes distract the soreness and fatigue from Mikoto and Miyuki.

After a cup each and with newly arrived pastries, which Yuko gathered many on her plate, it is Miyuki who breaks the proper feeling atmosphere, much to Mikoto's inner relief, "again, I must apologize for my actions today Misaka-san, Shirai-san. I will make my own report to Judgment and I would ask you to add your own supplementary one as the objective attending Judgment officer. I will also make reparation payments for any damages as needed."

Kuroko said nothing in response, just nodded in acknowledgement.

"The commentary was also a bit much, and I apologize, my medication seemed to have been misplaced and our school nurse was mysteriously out of any spares. It has been a taxing day on my self-discipline. I do not wish to make excuses, but it almost felt like rather odd circumstances kept occurring to align us against one another." Miyuki mused as she continued to sip her Earl Gray.

Kuroko nodded, "yes, I did a bit investigating after the, uh, accident with onee-sama's electricity. I found a number of things that I will detail in my report. Looking back, it seems only pure luck spared us from a much earlier altercation."

Mikoto frowned briefly before taking a bite of her cake, "why would anyone want to have the two of us fight?"

Miyuki sighed, she would probably be doing that often over the next day or so. "I suspect that is also indirectly my fault. It is possible that this was a contrived occurrence for the simple purpose of school rivalry, but I suspect that administrative individuals at my school wanted me to encounter and analyze your power Misaka-san."

That comment caused a more serious frown from Misaka, "yeah, about that. How were you able to use multiple abilities like that, especially nearly performing my signature move?"

Miyuki let her proper ojou-sama mask slip a bit as she frowned deeply, "officially I am listed as a teleporter on most public records, and this is not a lie, I have teleportation as a permanent ability. However, it was not my original ability developed from my participation in the Power Curriculum Program. The research unit that headed the program I was enrolled in was specially designed to focus on unusual abilities and they selected children with different concepts of reality, more interesting imaginations and such."

While Miyuki related her story, Yuko stopped eating her pastries and watched her onee-sama. As if sensing the mounting depression, she placed her hand on top of Miyuki's and gave her a bright, encouraging smile.

With a small hint of a smile, Miyuki continued, "a lot of hard, grueling, mentally exhausting training and excessive amounts of psychotropic drugs resulted in my ability. They call it Absolute Reality, and after I gained teleportation with it they nicknamed it and myself as AIM Eater. I can interpret AIM fields and see another's personal reality, but the main concept is the near complete control over my own personal reality. I need a computer implanted in my head to assist with calculations and it allows me to multitask abilities."

Kuroko and Mikoto shared a glance and it was Kuroko who spoke up, "so you are a dual power user? We've always been told that was impossible, but I guess if you can completely control your own personal reality that isn't a problem."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow at a thought she had, "couldn't you restructure your own personal reality to shift your ability to level 5?"

Miyuki brought her legs up into her chair and hugged her knees to her chest and sighed, "They say that if I achieve level 5, at the very least I'll have control over others' personal realities, I could rewrite them instead of just stripping them and absorbing them into my own. The really ambitious researchers who consider what is beyond level 5 hypothesize that I could possibly alter all personal realities if I somehow perform the theoretical level 6 shift."

That bit of information silences the whole table, "Misaka-san, I don't know what it is like for you at level 5. You are still going to school, having fun times with friends. I'm fourteen, so we are the same age. I sing for Gee-oh, work a bit for Judgment though not as dedicated as Shirai-san. I'm a kid, I want to stay a kid for a while. If I move on with my development, I will lose that. They will take me away, make me into something like a weapon or a research subject. There are a lot of dark places in Academy City, so many things to force us to grow up and I don't want to grow up yet."

Mikoto was silent for a time, "Do you think they suspect?"

"Yes, every time we talk about my ability. I've given them a development timeframe that runs all the way to university, and I've told them I locked my personal reality to it. My father has agreed to it and the principle accepts it, but he is constantly under pressure. I think my actions today are going to have consequences with this, but it is my personal reality and I think I'll be able to cope with it." Despite her words she didn't feel confident in that.

"So why tell us this?" Kuroko asked.

"Well, it is mostly for Misaka-san, I've heard good things about her and I figured a level 5 would understand something like this. Though I don't think I'd want to talk to the other one, Shokuhou-san, she's a bit scary." She sighed, "As for you Shirai, I guess you just seem honorable and your onee-sama trusts you."

Waving over a server and paying the bill for the table, Miyuki stood and the others followed suit, "Yuko-chan and I should be getting back to the dormitories. It felt good to talk about this, so for that I thank you Misaka-san, Shirai-san."

Cupping her hands behind her head, Mikoto looked to the side a bit as she spoke, "I never go for these school rivalry things, but if you ever feel like, you know, being a kid, we could hang out some time."

Miyuki smiled happily, "hai Mikoto-chan!"

"chan ja nai." Responded Misaka with a small smirk.


iGlass - a designer Augmented Reality interface, in the form of cute eye glasses. It allows a user to interface with computers, smartphones, and such with virtual keyboards, screens, icons, etc. The virtual objects can all be interacted with by the wearer as if they were real objects. I've played a lot of the Shadowrun roleplaying game, so this is based largely on concepts found there, but the best example of this in recent anime is Dennō Coil/Den-noh Coil. Miyuki uses it to interface with her 3C.

3C - Cranial Cyber Computer. Based off the Cranial CyberDeck concept from the Shadowrun roleplaying game. This iteration is a micrometer (10e-6) scale computer with 4 distinct processor (CPUs) lobes with 1024 cores each. Each core operates 128 threads with unheard of synchronous and asynchronous capabilities. Storage is expressed in exabytes. The logic base is still binary, but it possesses trinary expansion modules. It is not as powerful as any iteration of Tree Diagram or the Misaka network, but it is specialized for its function. This enables it to be superior in its support of Absolute Reality then either the Misaka Network or Orihime I could likely be if they were used in this sense.

"It's a Carnival!" (Carnival dayo!) - the catch phrase for Miyuki was originally "It's a party!", but then I saw Arpeggio of Blue Steel and I had to steal Heavy Cruiser Maya's line because it fit better.

shimatta - damn

Domo sumimasen - I'm very sorry (tends to be formal).

chan ja nai - Mikoto is using this to essentially say "drop the chan"


Extra! (not story canon, just silliness)

"Miyu-neesama! We finally got past the big shonen fight scene." Yuko announces while skipping into the room.

Miyuki nods, "indeed Yuko-chan. We should celebrate."

Miyuki produces a bottle of sparkling cider (of course it is non-alcoholic, they're just kids, geez :P).

"mou, I can't find the bottle opener!" laments Miyuki.

A literal light bulb ignites over Yuko's head as she reaches up and pops off one of her corkscrew pigtails and then proceeds to use it to remove the cork. "Problem solved! Yay!"