So, up until I started this chapter, I did not realize that Episode 4 of the anime adaptation was original content. Nevermind I've read the Baka-Tsuki translations and the manga countless times…ya know, it's probably best not to remind myself of my faulty memory…
Anyway, while I have been following the order of the Light Novels so far, I am going to make a slight detour to include that one episode of the anime into the plotline. If that is not to your liking, feel free to skip this chapter, and move on to the next one when that comes out. The reasoning behind this conclusion is for a certain…well, I think you know from the title. And since she isn't a guy, she needs this chapter to push her in the right direction...I'm just rambling at this point, so make sure you review and subscribe, and enjoy!
- KKid
Chapter 6: Obtaining a Well-Deserved Siesta
Uiharu Kazari did not like waiting for Saten Ruiko. It had nothing to do with being impatient; the flower-headband wearing girl would rather be waiting for her friends than be the person holding up the group. Rather, it was about what Saten does when she arrives…
"U-I-HARU!"
…which involves Saten sneaking up from behind Uiharu and flipping the unsuspecting girl's skirt.
"HIIIII!" screamed Uiharu, and quickly pushed her skirt back down. "S-Saten! Could you please stop with the childish behavior! That is something that Shirai would do to Misaka, not you to me!" The girl in question giggled. Saten was taller than Uiharu, and had long black hair to behind her waist with a white star flower on the right side of her head. Her uniform also was a little short on her, just barely covering up her midsection.
"I'm sorry, Uiharu," Saten apologized cheekily. "It's just that I can't help but be brightened up by your reaction, especially with those pink and blue striped ones you are wearing today!"
"D-D-Don't say that out loud!" Uiharu protested. "What if I did that to you every day, how would you feel?" Saten placed a confused look on her face.
"I thought you said you didn't want to see mine, but okay," she stated. The girl began lifting her skirt up, making the flower-haired girl go very red in the face.
"NOT IN PUBLIC, SATEN!" the rather-embarrassed Uiharu cried. Saten stuck her tongue out, and ceased her teasing.
"Oh, Miss Kazari!" Uiharu turned around quickly, not initially knowing who it was.
"No, I wasn't doing anything indecent in public!" she said quickly. "I'm not like that!"
"Uh, I was just saying hello?" the person asked. Uiharu looked at the person, who turned out to be Hiraga Saito.
"Oh, M-Mr. Saito!" she exclaimed, covering her now-blush red face. "S-Sorry about that, I thought you were one of my teachers or superiors in Judgment!"
"I don't even know what you are talking about," he said honestly with a smile. "I'm guessing it's not something you want others to hear, so I won't pry." Uiharu let out a relieved sigh.
"Uiharu, who's this friend?" asked Saten.
"Oh, he's more of an acquaintance than a friend," the Judgment girl explained. "This is Hiraga Saito. He was in the branch office the other day returning a lost item." She turned towards the boy in question. "What brings you by Sakugawa Middle School, Mr. Saito?"
"I was on my way from a computer repair shop after picking my laptop," Saito explained. "I finally found somewhere cheap enough to get it fixed, but my wallet's all cleaned out. I think I need a job soon…" The boy let out a dejected sigh.
"You could always work for Judgment," Uiharu offered. Saito shook his head.
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm a Level 0," he reminded her. "There's not much that I can do for Judgment, even if I wanted to." Saten took notice of the emblem on his bag, which was an downward-pointing arrow inside of a diamond.
"Oh, so you go to the school of Misaka's love interest, I see!" she observed.
"Wait, love interest?" Saito repeated. "And hold on, you know THE Mikoto Misaka?!" Saten nodded.
"She's been great friends with the two of us since before the Level Upper incident," she explained. "We've been helping to push her into trying to ask out a guy from your school for the longest time, as long as Shirai doesn't try to interrupt." Saito pondered about this.
"A Tokiwadai Middle Schooler falling in love with a guy from my high school," he thought aloud. "And the Level 5 Railgun to boot! Man, that guy must be some lucky man to be sought after by her; I should congratulate him if I ever meet him!" The raven-haired boy began to walk off. "Anyway, I better get going; I have things to do before curfew. Nice running into you again, Uiharu!"
"Goodbye, Mr. Saito!" Uiharu called out, and waved at him for a short while. Once he was lost in the crowds, the girl looked at her friend. She noticed that Saten had an unusually somber look to her face. "Saten?"
"Have you found any clues on what happened to Misaka yet?" she asked. Uiharu sighed.
"I'm sorry, Saten, but I can't tell you anything we know," the Judgment officer explained. "Actually, it's more like we can't tell you anything because Shirai won't tell us anything. When she's not on duty, she's looking for anything that might be a lead, but isn't allowing us to get involved. She really looks worn-down, Saten." Saten placed her hands behind her head, and furrowed her brow.
"She really needs to take it easy," the girl explained. "It's not like Academy City isn't looking for her; the officials of the city would have to take notice of the Third-ranked Level 5 disappearing without a trace. Maybe if she took a break from work and just rested, she would think about this more clearly."
"You are talking about Shirai, aren't you?" Uiharu reminded her friend. "She won't rest until she knows that she hasn't run off with some guy, or that she has run off to make her worthy of Shirai's love, or something of the like."
"She probably ran off to take a much-needed vacation from everything," Saten theorized. "She was in Russia during the War, and in Hawaii during that terrorist attack; she probably is stressed from all of that tension, and wanted to get away from everything. Come to think of it, I wish we could join her on that siesta; my body could use a nice tan." The two girls began walking to their destination for the day, wondering what their friend could possibly be up to.
Sadly for Misaka, she was not on a siesta like Saten thought the girl was on. If the Sakugawa Middle School student had joined the brunette, the only break they would be getting at the moment was a short break between clothing articles; after all, what Misaka was doing was washing all of the clothing that she and Louise wore. Since Louise completely refused to do her laundry, as "That is not what a noble with a servant does," it was up to Misaka to carry the loads for both of them. It did not please her any bit, but any serious argument on the subject would lead to Louise exploding the room…which meant even more work for Misaka.
"Seriously, what I wouldn't give for a washing machine," the brunette grumbled, scrubbing a pair of Louise's panties. She was forced to use a washboard and a bucket to clean the articles of clothing. "The water's cold, and the lace makes it difficult to clean…" Misaka had yet to even wash her own clothing, and was thus in the new garments that they had purchased the other day: the black Gekota T-shirt, a dark blue skirt that was identical to the one the second-year students wore, and a pair of dark blue knee-high tights. She was thankful that her loafers matched the new tights.
Suddenly, she heard a slight tear. "Huh?" Pulling the pair of panties out of the water, Misaka noticed that this particular pair had a tear in its elastic band. "Must be a really old pair…I'll get rid of it when I bring it all back." Throwing the pair onto the pile of clean clothing, Misaka turned her attention to a pair of silk stockings. "Let's see…I know you have to do something special with silk, but what was it? The stockings of Academy City are always made of nylon, and there was always a Delicates setting on the dryers, so I usually set it to that…" As the brunette was trying to recall the information, the maid Siesta walked up from behind.
"Miss Misaka, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Huh?" Misaka wondered, and turned around. "Oh, hey Siesta. I'm being forced to wash Louise's clothing as well as my own. I just can't seem to remember how to treat the stockings…"
"You need to dry silk in the shade," the maid explained. "If you don't, the silk will damage and fade."
"Well I guess that makes sense…" Misaka surmised. "Thanks, Siesta; you probably saved me a bit of a headache." Siesta smiled, and bowed to the brunette.
"It is not a problem, Miss Misaka," the maid stated politely.
"Ah, please no formalities," the brunette asked. "Misaka will do fine. I get enough of this attention back home." She then returned to washing the stockings.
"My apologies, Misaka," Siesta said. "Speaking of your home, you never really said much about where you come from, aside from your Abilities that you say everyone has." Misaka fell silent. It had now been a few days since all of this had broken out, and she had been pulled into Halkeginia. Looking up into the sky, a little bit of longing entered the Railgun's heart.
"Academy City's…really far away from here," she explained. "I'm not sure I really want to go into detail, but coming here feels like a whole other world compared to what I'm used to. Back there, we have machines that do our laundry for us, so we don't have to spend the day washing them by hand." The brunette was expecting for Siesta to ask her about what these machines were. Instead, the black-haired maid bowed again at her.
"Um, Misaka…thank you so very much," she said. Misaka was confused. She stopped washing the clothing, and turned back to face her.
"What are you thanking me for?" the brunette asked. "You helped me just now, not the other way around."
"Oh, it's not that," Siesta explained. "It's just…back against Sir Guiche, you didn't hesitate for a second because he was nobility, and had magic. You stood up to him after he berated and slandered both you and Miss Vallière. I know it was because you knew that your ability is more powerful than his magic…but it really gave me a lot of courage. I can continue doing my best because you, a commoner yourself, has shown what commoners can do." Misaka became a little abashed, and placed her hand behind her head.
"Well, it's not exactly like I'm a complete commoner," she reminded the maid. "I'm a Familiar in this society, and a superstar in mine. But you're right; there was a time when this Level 5 was a Level 1, and even before that a young girl with no ability whatsoever. It took hard work to get to where I am, without a name to push me onward. Anyone can become anything given the opportunity and the drive to work hard for your dreams."
"That's exactly why I look up to you, Misaka," giggled Siesta.
"Oi, Misaka!" shouted Louise. The two girls looked back at the doorway to the dormitories, where the pinkette was impatiently waiting. "It's time to go to class, and if everyone goes to class with their familiars, so do you!" Misaka rolled her eyes.
"I'll be there in a minute!" she called back. She turned to get the pile of laundry, but Siesta had already bent down to get it for her. "Oh, you didn't need to do that, Siesta."
"No, it's my pleasure," the black-haired girl replied, handing her the pile. "Miss Vallière would probably get impatient with you if you did not hurry." She bowed once again. "Well, goodbye, Misaka."
"Yeah!" the brunette answered. "See you tomorrow!" However, as Siesta turned away, there was a look of sadness in the young girl's eyes. Misaka was unable to comment on it, as the maid had quickly walked towards her next destination. "Siesta…?"
"Hey, Familiar, hurry up!" called Louise.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" Misaka replied. She really wanted to ask Siesta what was wrong, but in her present predicament, she had no choice but to depart for Louise's room.
With all the sidetracks that Misaka encountered, and with Louise's short patience, the damaged pair of panties was forgotten about.
"There was a torn pair," Louise said curtly. As fate always has a cheeky streak, the moment of forgetfulness came back to bite. In this case, as soon as the next day, for Louise had worn the pair of damaged panties, none the wiser to its condition. Of course, the elastic snapped as she was about to walk down a flight of stairs, tangling her legs up and sending her flying down the staircase. Fortunately, nobody else was around, so Louise's dignity was intact. Misaka hastily brought the unconscious Louise back to her dormitory unseen, but that did not mean that Louise was not cross with her Familiar.
"I-It appears so…" Misaka replied. Louise was not satisfied with that answer.
"You should be addressing me as 'Mistress' right now," she ordered. Misaka would have objected if she had not known it would inflame an already angered pinkette further. The last thing that the brunette wanted to have to do was to redo the laundry that she had finished only a day ago.
"I-Indeed, Mistress…" the brunette sighed.
"Explain yourself," Louise demanded, her voice cutting through the air like a butter knife.
"I had meant to remove that pair from the clean laundry, Mistress," Misaka explained. "The cold water must have made the elastic stretch out further than it should. Rubber is able to expand under colder temperatures, after all, so it likely was thinned after it warmed up." Louise raised an eyebrow; she had not known that such an incident could occur this way. However, she misinterpreted the culprit, since Misaka had stated a fact commonly known on Earth, but not known at all in Halkeginia.
"So, you're saying it's the elastic's fault?" she asked.
"I'm saying it's the water's fault," clarified Misaka. "It's too cold; if the water was heated, it could be warmed up to the point where the elastic would not be damaged. Either that, or someone placed a curse on the water. As I do not know about the magic of Halkeginia, I cannot tell if somebody tainted the water." Louise eyed the girl suspiciously.
"Cursed water…" she repeated. "In that case, I should not feed such a loyal Familiar soup that is made from that water." Misaka was shocked; while the thinned-out, watered-down soup that was served to her was nowhere near anything good, food was food, and the scarcity of such that Louise gave Misaka was frightful. To have it cut further would be deadly.
"H-Hold on!" the brunette objected. "That's just inhumane! You expect me to survive on –?" She cut herself off as Lousie brought out her wand. While she had no qualms about getting rough and dirty in Academy City, that was because she took showers and a washing machine as a God-given right. That was not the case in Tristain Academy.
"Three days should be enough time for The Founder Brimir to purify the water again," Louise stated. "I'll be off to class now; you stay here until I get back."
"M…Most gracious of you, Mistress…" replied a reluctant Misaka. Louise left the room, and headed down the hallway towards the classrooms. After Misaka confirmed that the pinkette was out of sight, she too headed out, but towards the dining hall. "What I wouldn't give for basic amenities; then I'd show her a thing or two about cutting my meals over an accident!" In reality, Misaka was not worried about the meal cut; after all, that was not her only source of food. Ever since the incident with Guiche, the cooks and maids, led by Siesta, had all insisted on the leftover food that the nobles did not eat. Misaka was initially hesitant, but relented when she was told that all the food would be thrown out otherwise, and that it was their way of thanks for standing up to the nobles.
The head chef, a chunky man with a brown beard and bushy eyebrows, was the first to spot Misaka as she walked into the kitchen. "Hey, it's Our Railgun!" He slapped her on the back, his usual greeting whenever the brunette walked in.
"Ah!" the girl yelped. The head chef always slapped her hard, a sign of respect. "Hey, Marteau!"
"Stopping by for a late breakfast?" he asked. "We've got a lot of ham left over along with bread and soup; those students don't want to seem to get strong and mighty past their wands these days." Misaka smiled.
"They must know that they can't get any stronger than me, so they must have given up trying," she replied conceitedly.
"I must have known that the mighty Railgun were behind this," Marteau deduced. The two then shared a hearted laugh, before the chef went and retrieved dishes made from the aforementioned foods. It was Marteau that started the nicknaming, after Siesta invited Misaka to dinner after the battle with Guiche. He originally wanted to call her "Our Sword," since she stood up to nobility, but the name did not sit well with Misaka, leading to the use of her Ability Name. It stuck ever since.
"I can't thank you enough for this, Marteau," Misaka said, biting into a slice of ham. "It's really more than I deserve, especially after only one incident."
"It's better than letting it go to waste," Marteau replied. "It usually gets thrown out, or used as slop for animal feed back in the Capitol."
"You have a very good point," concluded Misaka. At that moment, she remembered her encounter with Siesta the previous day. "Ah, where is Siesta? I've been meaning to speak with her today about something. I know she isn't back here making the meals, but I was wondering if you know where she went today."
"Huh?" Marteau said in surprise. Misaka knew something was wrong, as the head chef's brows went down in surprise, and his mouth turned into a frown. "You mean you haven't heard anything about what has happened?"
"What's wrong?" asked Misaka. She placed her food down, and gave her undivided attention to Marteau. "Don't tell me…that she doesn't work here anymore or something like that." The head chef sighed.
"Well admittedly, the short of it is that's exactly the case," he answered. "Headmaster Osmond received an offer yesterday from a nobleman named Count Mott to transfer Siesta to his private estates. Siesta left in a carriage earlier today." Two and two came together for Misaka, who realized just how important the conversation yesterday was to her.
"And she didn't even tell me about it…" the brunette muttered. "Hang on, why did she have to leave so soon? Isn't it a little hasty to have her pick up and leave without saying goodbye?" Marteau sighed.
"You're lucky, Misaka," he said. "With your Railgun, you're able to stand up to the nobles on a level playing field. We don't have that luxury. In the end, we're still left up to the whims of the nobility, without a say about how we feel about the decision." He said the last part with disgust, before moving on to speak with his cooks. Misaka was left alone, mired in thoughts about the maid that was now gone from the Academy grounds.
Kirche made sure that Misaka was alone when she barged into Louise's room. Unlike Tabitha's room the day before, it was unlocked, meaning the red-haired girl could enter without worry. "There you are, my darling Misaka!" It was Kirche's first look at Louise's room since the furniture for Misaka had arrived. On the door side of the room, where a nightstand had been, was a plain bed with a mattress. It was not much, but it was better than the straw that Misaka had to sleep on before. The small table had been where the bed was had now been moved to between the two beds, and had the straw bedding that now served as Derflinger's place underneath it. A new closet was directly on the wall by the door, and held Misaka's other outfit.
"Oh, hey Kirche," Misaka replied nonchalantly from her bed. As oblivious as Kirche could be at times, she could plainly tell that something was wrong with the brunette. The red-haired girl entered further.
"Dear, what's wrong?" she asked. "Usually, you're always trying to get away from me. Now, you look like you couldn't care less if I was fully naked. You haven't a fever, have you?"
"I-It's not like I wouldn't zap you if you approached me like that," Misaka replied, a little red in the face. "It's just that I have something else on my mind at the moment." The Von Zerbst took a seat on Louise's bed.
"It is about your friends back where you live?" she asked. Misaka shook her head.
"It's the maid Siesta," the brunette explained. "She was sent to work for some stuck-up noble named Count Mott from now on. It's a shame; I had a good feeling we were going to be good friends…" Kirche looked out the window.
"Count Mott...that's a name I'm familiar with," she said. Misaka turned towards the Germanian.
"You know this Count Mott?" she asked.
"Maybe 'know' is a little strong of a word," Kirche admitted. "More like 'associated.' He's a messenger of the Tristain Royal Palace, and comes by the Academy from time to time, as well as to my father's house back in Germania. Personally, I don't really like him; he's far too confident in his magical skills, and always eyes me whenever he gets the chance. I only want to be eyed by a truly beautiful man, not an old fart like him." Misaka sighed.
"Just her luck that she's stuck with a cocky noble…" the brunette lamented. "But why would Siesta be sent to work with someone that high in society, if all she did before was work at a school?"
"I haven't the slightest clue, unfortunately," said Kirche. She had spoken in her usual sultry tone, but even she was confused by the arrangement. "My father never really transferred maids from nobleman to nobleman; he treated most of them as an extension of our family." It was at this moment that Derflinger interjected itself into the conversation.
"When a nobleman specifically asks for a maid to be brought over by name, it's usually because he wants her to be his mistress," the sword explained. The conversation suddenly fell flat into a tense silence.
"His…his mistress?" Kirche repeated.
"D-Derf, you better be joking with me," Misaka told the sword.
"Honestly, don't you two know anything?" it asked them. "I only got to see this Siesta gal once, and even I could see that under the guise of a maid lay the busty beauty of a young maiden. Besides, it's common tale for at least a thousand years that the noblemen frequent some fresh faces from time to time." Misaka was appalled. She looked out of the window, out towards the mountains on the horizon.
"Siesta…" she said breathlessly. She thought about her actions for a second, before nodding firmly. "Right!" The brunette swung herself off of the bed, and onto the floor between the two. She picked up her shoes, filled her pockets with game tokens, and slung Derflinger over her shoulders and onto her back.
"M-Misaka?!" Kirche stated in surprise. "Where are you going?"
"Partner, what's on your mind?" Derflinger asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" the brunette replied. "What Count Mott is doing to Siesta is wrong where I come from. Even if the rules are different here, I can't sit idly by and condone what is going to happen by Siesta. I told her than anyone with the right opportunity can be anything, and I'm going to give her that opportunity!" Misaka walked to the door, but was intercepted by Kirche. "Huh?"
"W-Wait!" the Germanian imposed. "Think this over for a second; Count Mott's Tristain nobility, and very much high on the list. This isn't something you can do without thinking!" The brunette shook her head.
"I once let a good friend of mine down because I didn't follow what I was saying," Misaka said firmly. "I'm not going to let the same thing happen again with somebody else." Kirche suddenly pulled out a box from her skirt pocket.
"H-Hold on, i-if you promise me you will think it over for an hour, I'll give you this!" The noble opened the box, pulling out a small ring. Misaka wasn't impressed.
"Were you going to give that to me this whole time?" she asked flatly.
"T-That's not the point!" Kirche responded. "This is a talisman ring; it's very valuable, and worth all that money."
"Not interested," the brunette said flatly. "Step aside, Kirche." The noble refused, and pulled another box from her pocket.
"W-What about a fire-eater blue-blood earing?" she asked. "Or what about a book from my father's private collect –?!"
ZAP!
Kirche slumped to the floor, paralyzed from the sudden use of Misaka's electric powers.
"I said not to get in my way," the brunette stated impatiently.
"Remind me not to stall you when you're this focused," Derflinger commented.
Misaka's first stop was on the first floor of the dormitory. As she had suspected, Guiche was sitting on the fountain's edge, giving a present to Montmorency. "Hey, Guiche!" Both nobles were surprised at the brunette's calling, and Guiche stood up defensively as Misaka approached.
"A-Are you trying to interfere with my romantic life again, Misaka?!" he demanded. His voice carried with it a hint of nervousness.
"Why would I try to stop something that doesn't exist," replied the brunette. The blond became maddened.
"Why, you –!"
"Calm down, it was only a joke," Misaka said. "I need to ask you for something; do you know how to get to Count Mott's manor?" Guiche relaxed his shoulders.
"Count Mott's?" he asked. "Why do you need to go there?"
"Not important, just how do I get there?" Misaka repeated.
"Hey, not to be interrupting, but that babe Kirche found out the hard way not to stall my partner," Derflinger interjected. "Especially when she's as driven as she is now."
"A talking sword?" Montmorency stated in amazement. Guiche did not take the time to be amazed. He knew all too well what the sword had meant.
"Yeah, I know how to get there," the noble explained. "My father took me to his manor a few months ago on a retreat. You take the road out towards the Capitol, but take a right on the first junction you come across. You take that down, bearing left at all forks, and you'll eventually reach his manor." Misaka nodded, and waved a hand at the blonde.
"Thanks!" she replied, and hurried out of the dormitory.
"I wonder what she needs that information for," asked Montmorency.
"Probably for something Zero did," Guiche theorized.
"She went to see Count Mott?!" shouted Louise in disbelief. Kirche nodded grimly. The Germanian, who was a bit worse for wear thanks to the shock she had been given, was in the dining hall with Louise, Guiche, and Montmorency, a few hours after Misaka had left the grounds.
"I was trying to stop her, but she pushed me aside, and took that talking sword with her and left, likely for his mansion," the red-haired girl explained grimly.
"It doesn't look like you were pushed around, more like you were zapped," corrected Guiche. "And if you were trying to bribe her like you do to all your dates, I'm not surprised you're in that condition."
"Now's not the time for quick remarks!" Louise shouted. "We have to stop her before she does something stupid!" Guiche sighed.
"Personally, I'm not worried for Misaka at the slightest," the blonde stated. "She's strong beyond belief, and if she's bent on retrieving that maid and bringing her back here, not even a Square-class mage would have an easy time over that lightning monster."
"That may be true, but what about what it means to attack the manor," Montmorency opined. "Usually, if a commoner draws a sword on a noble, it means death for them. Since this is Louise's Familiar, I doubt she would be killed, but what would it mean for the Academy's reputation to know that they had a commoner that couldn't be controlled? Would the Royal Palace take action against her, and against us?" The four of them did not want to think about the answer to that question.
"Hold on, I just remembered something," Kirche recalled. "Several times, Count Mott came to my father's manor asking for a specific family heirloom, called the 'Summoned Book.' My grandfather accidentally summoned it during an experiment many years ago, and has been studied extensively by my family. My father gave it to me before I left to the Academy, but I personally have no desire for the book. Unlike Tabitha, I have no interest in books, and have never even opened it up." Montmorency raised an eyebrow.
"If you haven't opened it, how do you know it will be enough to appease Count Mott?" she asked.
"My father explained that it's a tool that I need for my wedding," Kirche explained. "It apparently has the effect of stimulating a man's desires, and that I should study the book for my own purposes." Louise, Guiche, and Montmorency all thought the same thing about what that book could contain.
"No, no, that would be perfect for that dog," Louise stated. "He gives me the absolute creeps."
"Quite right," agreed Montmorency. "Though I can understand why Kirche hasn't seen a need for it..."
"In any case, I don't think I need it, so I'm willing to part with it," the red-haired girl said. "Besides, I have yet to talk about Misaka's origins with her; if what she's doing has the chance to get her booted from the Academy grounds before I can find out what her world's like, then I'll do anything to get her back here safely!" The Von Zerbst girl triumphantly raised her fist into the air.
"You sound like you're after her for more than just that," commented Guiche. The noble girl looked back at the blonde.
"No, I'm not," she replied blankly. "What gave you that impression?"
"No, nothing," he sighed. "Must be my imagination."
Count Mott's manor was much larger than Misaka had expected. The grounds were the size of Tristain Academy, but most of the property was grass and gardens, giving the manor a much larger feel than it actually was. However, the actual building was about the size of Tokiwadai Academy; it even looked like a Renaissance version of the school's Victorian main building, except larger and minus the clock on the central tower. Around the property was a large marble wall, the open portion of which was capped on both ends with porcelain dragons sitting on round pedestals. Halfway down the courtyard was a large fountain, gently showering water in the night air. A torch lit just on the inside was indicative of the presence of guards behind the wall.
It was also much further than Misaka had expected.
"I wish Guiche had told me this place was four hours away," Misaka panted quietly. Her shirt was rather sweaty from the journey from the Academy, and she took a moment to catch her breath. "I would have taken a horse instead.
"So, partner, what's the plan?" Derflinger asked rather loudly. "We can't just barge in the front; the place is probably swarming with guards."
"SSSSHH!" hissed Misaka. "Keep it down! You're going to alert the –!"
"Who goes there?!"
"–guards…" A guard, clad in red armor and black pants, came over towards Misaka's location. By his feet was a grey dog…with large, bat-like wings.
"Sorry, partner," whispered Derflinger, and the sword fell silent.
"You!" the guard called out, spotting Misaka. "Why do you have a sword strapped on your back?"
"Ah, hello there," Misaka greeted innocently. "It is rather dangerous walking alone; I needed to take this to feel totally safe." The guard raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"Anyway, what business do you have here?" he asked. "This is property of an official of the Royal Palace!"
"Yes, that is actually why I am here," the brunette explained. "I believe I have business with Count Mott." The guard did not back down.
"I do not believe that Count Mott would have an appointment with anyone at this late hour," he replied. "Especially with a small commoner girl like yourself." At the mention of small, Misaka broke her cheerful facade.
"It's called an unscheduled appointment!" the brunette shouted. Catching the guard by surprise, Misaka unleashed a wave of electricity at the guard, instantly incapacitating the man. He slumped to the ground, electricity still arcing on his body. The dog then flew in at the girl, aiming for her neck. "Woah!" Misaka rolled along the ground, managing to miss a bite to the head. The dog, now airborne, quickly circled around and made another attempt towards the girl. Taking out Derflinger, Misaka used the blunt end of the sword as a club, bludgeoning the flying dog from the sky. The dog fell on its side, before quickly getting up again and charging at Misaka. The dog could only get halfway there, however, as Misaka zapped the dog, knocking it out of commission.
"Good shot!" Derflinger commented.
"Don't give me all the credit, since you gave it a good wham as well," reminded Misaka, who began to charge forward, into the property. "Hang on; we aren't done yet!" The noise and commotion of the dog had attracted a few other guards from the inside of the courtyard. One of them charged at her with his sword, while two others went to guard the door.
"We're not going to get into the manor, partner!" the sword stated. "The guards are coming one at a time while guarding the door, and by the time those are exhausted, others will come!"
"Then I'll just make it useless to guard the door!" Misaka stated. With her runes shining whiter than ever before, Misaka parried a blow from the guard, before sending electricity through Derflinger, arcing through the guard's sword, and into the guard's body, knocking him out. As another guard came from the manor towards her, the brunette quickly took out a coin, and flicked it in the air. The guard noticed Misaka's pose, and while not understanding the danger of the blast, moved to the right just as the coin landed back on Misaka's outstretched fist.
The overpowered Railgun careened towards the manor, obliterating the fountain, and singing the cobblestone pathway. The guards by the door had just enough time to leap out of the way, as the Railgun smashed the door through, and even continued through the house, destroying the center of the main staircase and the back wall, before dissipating somewhere behind the house.
"There, no more locked door!" Misaka stated. She ran past the first guard, who was too stunned about what had just happened to care about the culprit passing by. The guards at the door were in equal shock at the display of power, and refused to come anywhere near the Railgun, for fear of their own lives.
Seconds earlier, in the main study room, Siesta had just served tea to Count Mott, who was sitting down in a blue fiber chair. Siesta was wearing a different maid outfit than the one at Tristain Academy. It was red instead of black, with a much shorter skirt and black thigh-length tights. A slight v-neck was formed at the top, revealing a bit of the maid's large cleavage, and had fluffy shoulderpads instead of long sleeves. Count Mott, meanwhile, looked a little peculiar, compared to other nobles. He wore a red cloak over a blue and red shirt with yellow and white trim, baggy black cotton pants, and a frilly white neck ruffle. His brown hair was of medium length with good-sized bangs and a curled mustache.
"I trust you're not having hard times with the workload," Count Mott asked. "Have you gotten used to it?" Siesta bowed solemnly, her eyes closed.
"Yes, for the most part," the maid politely answered. Count Mott got up, and walked behind the maid.
"I see, I see," he stated. "Well, don't overexert yourself too much." The noble placed a hand on Siesta's left shoulder, making the maid open her eyes. He then leaned in towards her right ear. "My dear, I'm sure you must realize by now that I did not hire you merely to perform household chores."
"Y-Yes sir," Siesta answered, blushing.
"My dear, sweet Siesta…" the noble said warmly. He nuzzled his head towards Siesta's.
"Sir…Sir, please…" she quietly begged. It would be futile, since there was nothing she could do. After all, there would not be a Prince Charming to come to her rescue.
BOOM!
A blast rocked the manor, forcing the two off-balance. Count Mott caught an arm on a sofa chair, while Siesta fell onto the floor.
"Good heavens, what in the name of Brimir was that?!" the Count exclaimed. Seconds later, a furious knocking on the study's door started. "What is it?! What's going on?!"
"S-Someone is attacking the manor!" a guard's voice explained from the other side. "T-They destroyed the entrance and the staircase!" Count Mott's mouth went agape.
"A-An army?!" he asked. "I-Is it the Albions?!"
"It's a small girl, sir!" the guard clarified. Count Mott raised an eyebrow, while Siesta's head perked up.
"There's no time for jokes here, guard!" the Count demanded. "How big is the force?!"
"S-Sir, I'm not lying!" stated the guard. "It really is only…n-no, stay back! I won't let you enter Count Mott's private – EYAAAGH!" The sound of electricity and a body slumping to the floor could be heard. Count Mott stared at the door in disbelief, as seconds later, the door was obliterated.
Standing in the now-vacant door frame was Mikoto Misaka, Derflinger in one hand, and electricity crackling down the other. "Count Mott, I presume?"
"M-Misaka!" Siesta exclaimed. She shut her mouth when she saw Count Mott glare at her.
"Misaka…now that's a new name," he remarked. "I take it the reason you're destroying my manor is because you know this maid here, correct?"
"Glad you're not beating around the bush," the brunette commended. "Since you know what I want, I demand that you let her go back to the Academy at once!" Count Mott frowned.
"You are destroying my manor all for the life of this commoner here?" he demanded. "Utterly ridiculous! Even if you came in without damaging my manor, I would never be inclined to honor a request as stupid as that! Besides, what does the life of a commoner mean to you?"
"I take offense to the use of the word commoner, you know," Misaka replied. "All of us worked hard to get to where we are now. Several years ago, I was as powerless as Siesta was, and through hard work I grew into what I am today. The same could be said for you, Count Mott; somewhere along the line, you ancestors worked into a position of power so that you could try and force Siesta into a concubine with you!"
"Siesta is an official maid of the Mott household!" the count said firmly. "What I do to my servants is legally allowed to be anything I want, since all servants in the Mott household are property of the Mott household!" Misaka furrowed her brow.
"And that's why I'm here," the brunette stated. "Where I'm from, nobody's property of anybody; there are basic human rights that we are allowed. It may be legal in your world to own slaves, but I'm not going to stand by and let my morals be trampled on because of a piece of paper!"
"Tough talk, coming from a nameless commoner who has drawn their blade on me!" Count Mott told her. He drew his wand. "You just allowed me to execute you on the spot, without any legal ramifications whatsoever!" Misaka smirked.
"Oh, so you're going to come at me without limit, huh?" she stated. "This will actually be a challenge compared to Guiche." She pointed Derflinger at Count Mott. "The name's Mikoto Misaka. Remember it well."
"I'll remember to mark your grave as the one foolish enough to challenge me, a Triangle-Class mage!" he told her. "My Runic name is 'Mott of the Wave,' so just try and get away from my water magic!" The noble turned towards a vase of water that was situated on a nearby table, and pointed his staff at it. The vase immediately began to quiver, and tipped over, spilling its contents all over the carpet. Instead of the water soaking into the carpet, it pooled, before flying into the air in a stream, looping towards the Railgun at a frightening pace.
"Hah!" she yelled, and reflexively ducked out of the way of the attack. Count Mott waved his wand around, and the spell began to turn around towards the brunette. Misaka, meanwhile, began to charge at the Count, and flung bolts of electricity at the noble. Each bolt, however, was blocked by a shield of water, made out of the original pool on the ground.
"I knew that I was fighting a mercenary, but I wasn't expecting you to be a disgraced noble," Count Mott stated. "I'll guess I'll have to give my regards to your disowned family!" With a wave of the wand, the water shield turned into water bullets. One at a time, the water bullets moved towards Misaka, aiming for the head, heart, or legs. Misaka used Derflinger to parry the shots of water, while still moving towards Count Mott, who took a step back. "Gh!"
"Sorry, but I'm neither a mercenary nor a noble!" Misaka declared. "I'm as commoner as Siesta!" All this time, Count Mott had been holding onto Siesta's hand, standing in front of the maid. When Misaka raised Derflinger into the air, the noble expected a strong killing blow, and thus raised his staff with both hands in front of him; the staff was embedded with magic, and could not be destroyed with the strongest of swords. What he didn't expect was Misaka feigning to her left, lightly striking the staff with her sword, and grabbing Siesta's with the brunette's free hand. Misaka tugged hard on the maid's hand, and the two girls hastily made distance between them and Count Mott.
"How dare you-!" Count Mott could not finish his words. In his focus on Misaka's charging front, the noble had forgotten completely about his initial magic. The jet of water hit Count Mott straight in the gut, and knocked him into a bookshelf. "Ugh!" Several books fell down from the shelf, one of them hitting the Count on the head.
"Are you all right?" Misaka asked Siesta. The maid was stunned, but nodded. "Good; let's go before he can recover!"
"Ah–!" Siesta was dragged by the hand out of the study, and into the main hallway. The corridor was filled with splinters of the disintegrated door, along with guard that Misaka had confronted just prior to her entrance. He was slumped over on a wall, but was still breathing. "M-Miss-Miss Misaka, why?!"
"What is it?" the brunette asked. "We need to hurry; there are still a few guards left around!"
"I-I realize that, but why are you doing this in the first place?" the maid asked. "I'm property of Count Mott now, not of the Academy! You're causing trouble for the Academy for just being here, in addition to the damage you've done!"
"I don't care how much trouble I cause for these nobles!" shouted Misaka, barely slowing down. "Nobody should be treated as property that can be bought just for one's fancy use!"
"There isn't anything you can do about it!" pleaded the maid. "Where you from may be different, but this is the norm in Halkeginia!"
"Then I'll just change it with my hands!" the brunette countered. Siesta went silent. "I've seen people who are bound by those who say they are only property, and that they are to be used for a greater purpose. I've seen those who feel like livestock because they have a number on their head, a number that says what they can and cannot achieve as an Esper. It sickens me, more so when it affected one of my close friends, and even more when it hit me home. I don't want anyone else to suffer like them or you have, Siesta; if that means that I have to go against every single damn person in this world, then I'll take them head-on!"
"Trust me, I've tried explaining it to my partner myself, but her lightning's fried her brain, it seems," commented Derflinger. "She's set on busting you out of this place, for some reason or another." Siesta did not reply; the words Misaka had said seemed to take hold into her brain. They soon reached the main staircase, or rather what was left of it. While the two branching staircases remained intact, the middle staircase was cleanly sliced by the Railgun attack, leaving less than a foot on either side of the remaining segments, some of which having collapsed under the weight of people walking over the sections.
"T-This was all you…?" Siesta asked as the two carefully descended the damaged staircase. "I thought you said you could only launch things over a short distance?"
"That was the case before the duel," Misaka replied. "I'm a bit befuddled myself, but I think it has something to do with the runes on my right hand. When I pick up Derflinger, they light up, and I know how to use a sword, even without any basic training. They light up when I fire the Railgun as well."
"That's because you're the Gandálfr, partner!" piped the sword.
"Gandálfr?" Misaka repeated.
"I wouldn't expect you to know, since you barely know anything about how this world works," Derflinger commented. Before the sword could continue any further, several guards came out from the front, their spears raised and pointed at the two.
"S-Stay back, mercenary!" one of them said. The trembling in his voice and his shaking legs told Misaka otherwise.
"How about you step aside?" she ordered. "You've seen what I can do already; do you want me to do it to you?" The guards all took a step back, clearly intimidated by the brunette.
"Hold your positions, guards!" The girls took a look behind them, to see Count Mott at the top of the staircase. Behind him was a spiraling wave of water, suspended in the air. "You may have destroyed my manor, and caught me blind, but now I know your tricks; I, Count Mott, shall not let you escape!"
"They don't learn, do they?" sighed Misaka. She unsheathed Derflinger, and gave it to Siesta. "Use Derf in case the guards come close to you, Siesta."
"O-Okay…" the maid said. "I'm not sure how to use a sword, though…"
"Relax, lady," Derflinger stated. "I'll tell you if anyone gets close and where to swing." The maid brought a little comfort with the sword's words, even though it was strange to hear any words from a sword in the first place.
"I don't think it's wise to give your blade away," Count Mott stated with authority. "Now you have only your lightning magic to defend you with." Misaka let out a short huff.
"I said that I did hard work, and I'll prove it!" the Railgun told the noble. "Before I was Louise's Familiar, I was the Ace of Tokiwadai!" Misaka took off towards the Count, and shot a lightning spear from her head. The Count blocked the attack with a water barrier.
"I'm not going to fall for the same attack twice, young lady, so you might want to get creative," he suggested. "Like so!" With a wave of his staff, some of the water froze solid into several ice spears. With a wave of his wand, the ice spears aimed at Misaka, going after the girl all at once.
"Hah!" Misaka released a wave of electricity, which shattered some of the ice, but not all of it. The brunette had to roll away from a few spears as they whizzed by her head. "Fortunately, I haven't shown you everything just yet!" She looked at the guards. There were six of them at the foot of the stairs, each holding a long spear twice their size, tipped with a silver dagger that had two points. Misaka reached her arm out towards the guards. The spears in their hands quivered, then quickly flew out of their hands. One unlucky guard tried to hang on, but wound up going face-first into the staircase railing. The six spears floated in the air above Misaka, revolving in the air and pointed at the count. "How's this for some firepower?" Count Mott took a step back. He had not expected that Misaka would have power over anything that was metallic.
"S-Stay back, you wench!" he called out. The remaining water was sent forward in a single stream towards Misaka. The water reached halfway towards the Railgun, before a lightning spear split the water down the middle, and struck the mage. "AAAHHH!" Barely conscious, the noble fell down onto the ground. Suddenly, a spear whizzed by his head, sticking into the ground through his cape. A second did the same thing on the other side, and then two more caught his puffed pants, trapping him where he lay.
"I'll admit that Kuroko could do a better job than I could at this, but I think that this turned out well," hummed Misaka. The two remaining spears were pointed at Count Mott.
"Y-Y-You're not going to get away with this!" he stammered, clearly fearful of his life. "E-Even if you give me mercy, t-the other nobles will surely know what has transpired! Y-You already have a death sentence above your head from the Tristain Royal Family!" Misaka frowned.
"Didn't you hear what I said earlier?" she stated. "I don't care for nobility or all that royals; only for what's right. If you guys decide to come after me, I'll be forced to go all out." She took out a game token. The guards could be heard panicking behind her, knowing full well what the token symbolized.
"W-What are you going to do with that coin?" Count Mott asked.
"Oh, nothing," the brunette replied, smirking. "It's just ammunition for my Railgun attack. You know, the one that left a hole in the wall from 100 meters outside your door." She flicked the coin in the air.
"Hieeee!" the count squealed, covering his face. The coin was halfway through the air. As it began to turn downward towards her outstretched fist, Misaka suddenly turned her head towards the door. She quickly erected a barrier of lightning, just as an explosion of smoke occurred no more than five feet away from her.
"Hack-cough-cough!" the Railgun coughed, chocking on the smoke, which quickly dissipated. Both Count Mott and Misaka had their faces dirtied by the smoke. The remaining two spears were on the ground, broken in two. "Come on, I wasn't really going to blast his face! What do you take me as, Accelerator?"
Standing near the entranceway, flanked by Tabitha, Guiche, and Kirche, was Louise. Her wand was pointed towards the brunette.
"T-That's neither here nor there!" the pinkette shouted, breathing heavily from rushing into the mansion from Sylphid. "Y-You just completely destroyed the mansion of a noble, and one that has a high standing with the Tristain Royal Palace! What do you have to say for yourself?!"
"U-Um, that he deserved it?" Misaka answered, shrugging her shoulders.
"That Count Mott deserved a giant hole in the wall of his manor is a little over the top, even if he is a bit eccentric at times," Guiche commented, as he used his magic to float up past the broken staircase to Count Mott. "Honestly, Misaka, isn't there a point where playing the so-called hero gets out of hand?"
"Says the two-timer that has unlying eyes," retorted the brunette. The blonde merely sighed, and began to take out the spears that held Count Mott to the ground.
"Y-You're Gramont's boy!" the Count exclaimed. "Then, are you all from the Academy?" The other three students reached their location. Louise bent on one knee.
"Yes we are, Count Mott," she confirmed. "This girl here is my Familiar, and it is with my most heartfelt words that I apologize for her actions. After all, misconduct of the Familiar is considered misconduct of the master as well. I accept any form of punishment for her actions."
"You're asking for forgiveness even though he was on the ropes just a second ago?" Misaka said with confusion.
"T-The level of conduct of the students at the Academy seems to have seriously taken a downturn!" the Count declared. "I shall ask that Old Osmond be severely reprimanded and punished!" Finally free of the spears, Count Mott stood up haughtily, dusting himself off. "In addition, pointing a sword at an official of the Royal Familiy is a crime of the highest degree! Your Familiar has also done serious damage to my estate, which will take time and money to repair! I expect you and your family to face the brunt of the consequences of your actions, miss!" Louise looked up, and gasped.
"Oy, leave Louise out of this!" demanded Misaka, stepping forward. "I was the one to take back Siesta, which I still intend to do! Louise had nothing to do with it, so leave her alone!"
"The maid is not going anywhere!" Count Mott declared. "And neither are you; my guards will see to it that you are imprisoned and sent to the capitol to face the highest crimes!" Despite his words, the guards looked apprehensively at themselves. None of them wanted to come anywhere near Misaka.
"It seems that we need a mediator in this," Kirche stated, finally speaking up. She stepped forward, in between Misaka and Count Mott. "May I propose an alternative?"
"And who might you be?" the Count asked. He began to blush, however, when he saw the girl reach into her skirt for something.
"Pardon me for not introducing myself earlier, your excellency," the red-haired girl stated. "I am Kirche, the daughter of the Von Zerbst family of Germania." She took out a dark-red binded book from her skirt, to which Count Mott leaned forward.
"You're a Von Zerbst?!" he exclaimed. "Then, i…is that book…!"
"It is our family heirloom, the treasured Summoned Book," she replied. "I'm willing to give it to you, as I have no need for it, but only if you trade me the maid, Siesta, as well as a promise that no punishment will befall the Vallière family for the actions of Louise's Familiar." Siesta looked at Kirche.
"Then, am I going to be part of the Von Zerbst household?" she asked, confused. Kirche shook her head.
"I'll give you back to Osmond as soon as we return to the Academy," the noble explained. "After all, I think that's what Misaka here wants." The brunette nodded.
"Shrewd thinking there, Kirche," the she replied. "I guess I'll have to owe you for this one."
"Don't mention it!" the red-haired girl said cheerily. "As long as you spend a night with me to talk about the world you come from!"
"J-Joy…" sighed Misaka, dreading the moment. Count Mott, meanwhile, was contemplating the offer.
"It's a steep price, especially since I just obtained the maid here," he admitted. "And I am also cross that this Familiar here went berserk in my manor. But I'll never get this opportunity again; after all, this is a book I have been looking to add to my collection for years, yet your father would not so much as budge in my offers to buy it from him." He turned to Siesta. "You may go, Siesta. I will arrange for your belongings to be transported back to Tristain Academy in the morning." Siesta's eyes lit up.
"Y-Yes, Count Mott!" she exclaimed, and quickly headed to the five, staying close to Misaka's side.
"Here you go, Count," Kirche said, giving Count Mott the Summoned Book. "Remember that if you decide to punish the Vallière Family, the Von Zerbst Family will lobby against any proposals benefiting Tristain. We may not be the ruling house, but we have much influence back in our Senate."
"Yes, yes," the Count said offhandedly, caring more about the book than the consequenses. He took out a key that was attached to the book's binding, which was needed to open the cover of the book. Louise looked at her rival.
"Kirche, are you sure that it's okay to just trade a family heirloom for a maid?" Louise asked again. "After all, it is also for the Vallière household, and we do not want to feel indebted to our rivals.
"I actually lied when I said I never looked in it," the red-haired noble explained. "Tabitha and I peeked inside of it once not long after we became friends, and I don't need anything that book has for myself."
"…Unnecessary…" Tabitha stated. Misaka noticed that at the mention of the book, the normally-expressionless girl seemed to blush in the slightest.
"What do you mean, you don't need it?" the brunette asked. "Isn't there value in keeping a family treasure?"
"Ooh, it opened!" Count Mott cheered. Misaka turned back towards the Count, who was flipping the pages of it with the excitement of a small child. "This is, hehe, fantastic! I don't know the language of the words, but to think that such a thing existed in this world…!" In his excitement, the Count let the outside cover fall off the book, which turned out to not be a book at all. Instead, it was a magazine, and the picture on the front made Misaka go red in the face.
"P-P-Porn magazine?!" she stammered.
"A what?" Louise wondered. "What's a porn magazine?" This made Misaka blush even harder.
"A-Ah, let's just say that it's something that's popular in my world, but is frowned upon heavily by the mainstream society," the brunette explained.
"It's popular in your world?" Kirche asked curiously. "Do you have any of this 'porn' in your home there?" Misaka seemed to be ready to faint from embarrassment.
"D-D-Don't say something like that either!" she exclaimed. "I don't have any, b-but it's not something you ask about in public! Anyway, where did you even get that thing?!"
"My grandfather bought it off of a mage who had summoned it by mistake many years ago," the Germanian said. "The mage's wife seemed to not take kindly to him holding onto the book, so he sold it to my grandfather cheaply."
"No duh his wife was mad," Misaka muttered. She took a look again at the cover of the magazine. On the cover of the book was the numbers 75, 4, and 16, the last of which was followed by the symbol for Japanese Yen.
"April 1975…" Misaka stated. "It certainly fits the timeline. And it was summoned like I was…" Louise was confused.
"So she's…the same?" she asked in bewilderment.
"She means that that book was summoned to Halkeginia in the same manner that you summoned her," Kirche explained. "Anyway, we're going to have to explain this all to the headmaster once we head back, so we should get going." The Germanian yawned. "And I'm tired from all this action to boot; I want my bed now."
"That reminds me," the pinkette stated, placing a fist in her hand as if she remembered something. "I think that there's some bad sort of pests inside your bed, Misaka. It might be best if you sleep on the floor for the next few days until I can get them off of it."
"Eh?!" Misaka gasped.
"And I think they got into your clothing too," Louise added. "They're going to have to be cleaned as well, so you have to wear what you have on for now."
"Th-That's a complete bluff, I can tell!" accused the brunette. "You're just punishing me because I caused trouble for you, say it!"
"Of course you caused trouble for me!" Louise responded. "If anything happened to you on this stupid mission of yours, I would be punished as well for not having my Familiar under control! Be lucky that you're only getting off with just this much!"
"You're welcome to sleep in my room, Misaka," offered Kirche. "We could talk about your world, among other things." At the mention of other things, Misaka once again went red in the face.
"N-No, I'll be fine!" she stated. "I'll definitely sleep in my room tonight!"
"I won't allow it!" Louise shouted. "You're my Familiar, and my glorious Familiar must not sleep in an unfit bed!"
"Anyone else notice the bookworm and the lady's man leaving?" Derflinger interrupted. The three stopped their bickering, and looked back to the entrance. Tabitha and Guiche were already most of the way towards Syplhid, who was resting on the front courtyard.
"T-They wouldn't leave us behind, would they?" Louise asked.
"Tabitha wouldn't leave a friend behind," Kirche stated, but not with much confidence.
"L-Let's not find out, because it's a really long walk from here back to the Academy!" Misaka suggested. Without responding, the two nobles made haste out of the noble's mansion in pursuit of Kirche. "Siesta, let's go!"
"Yes, let's!" the maid said, smiling. As she hurried after the brunette, the maid could not help but blush in the slightest 'Father, I know that you told me to find a good man once I went out into the world, but I think my type might be the same as I am.'
To Be Continued…
