Chapter Two: Single Grain of Sand
"No! You've got to be kidding me…"
A few days had passed since my entrance into this world. At the moment, I was in the middle of cooking noodles for dinner. To my frustration, trying to boil water using energy manipulation wasn't my greatest of successes.
In my hand was a warped metal pan, steaming water leaking from the bottom. Before any more of the scalding liquid could make a bigger mess, I rushed to the kitchenette's sink. A perfectly good pack of noodles wasted.
Ugh, how did this even happen? The only way the pan could've gotten hot enough to melt is through directly affecting the aluminum atoms. I swear I was just heating up the air beneath it.
Sighing in defeat, I cleaned up the water after cooling it down. Grabbing another pot, I made sure to turn on the stove to boil the water. I reached into the pantry and felt around for another pack of noodles. Low and behold, there was in fact no more noodles.
Disregarding my dinner preparations, I stuck everything in the sink. After about a minute of deliberation, I decided that if I wasn't going to make anything the least I could do was restock.
It's official, Thursdays are the worst day of the week.
Checking the wallet, I saw it had about twenty dollars worth of Yen, the apartment key, and an ID.
It was odd to see another person's face in 'my' wallet. I read the name listed under the picture.
Minamoto Ken.
It's a cool name, but I doubt that alone will help me remember it.
Shoving the wallet into my pocket, I made my way to the nearest convenience store.
The sun was blazing, a bit away till it reached the horizon. I personally enjoyed eating dinner earlier in the day while the sun was still up.
The sliding doors opened with a swoosh and I swiftly entered. After a quick search, I came across what I was looking for. The noodles were cheap and would take little from my current funds.
Granted, they weren't healthy; but it was a small price to pay. Literally.
After browsing a few other items, I made my way to the cashier and purchased the items. My wallet was ever so slightly lighter.
It was strange just how little cash I had. Aside from the contents of my wallet, there was just a few spare yen at the apartment. I had searched for receipts regarding where most of the money went. It was a fruitless endeavor as it simply didn't add up.
I mean, the city pays students once a month and the kid apparently stocked up on most necessities at the beginning of June. However, the amount spent isn't nearly as much as the amount he usually receives. Not that it was much in the first place, being a level 1.
Before I could continue the thought, my stomach grumbled. I decided that if I wasn't going to eat until I got back, the least I could do was keep hydrated.
There happened to be a red vending machine across the street. Each drink was only about ¥100, so I checked out the options.
I was baffled at the sheer strangeness of the flavors and drinks. Examples being 'Viennese Sausage Coffee' or the 'Habanero Pineapple Juice'.
After a bit of searching, I went with 'Mist'. Which was just water.
I stuck in the 100 yen bill and selected the purple canned drink. The machine made a series of whirs and clicks.
Then silence.
Uh, where's the drink?
Without much thought, I hit the 'give me change' button.
The button was jammed.
I should have known. Bright red vending machine with one two many dents on its right side. The area looks exactly like it did from the anime as well. What a waste. Do you know how many noodles I could've purchased with that single bill? A lot, that's how much.
I tried to keep myself from getting too down. It wasn't that much, and the next city payment was in about three weeks.
"Hey, is something wrong?"
I stopped myself from jerking in surprise. Calming down, I slowly turned my head to see who was addressing me.
It was a young girl, light brown hair and about two inches shorter than me. Her most notable feature would probably be the Tokiwadai uniform.
A Tokiwadai student huh. From what I recall in Railgun T, most of them were a bit overconfident, but hardly bad people.
I debated on responding honestly to the girl. Against my compulsion to dismiss her, I decided I had nothing to lose.
Turning around fully, I spoke to the middle schooler. "Yeah, the machine isn't giving me my drink."
The girl wore an inquisitive expression. "Really? That sucks. How much did this piece of junk eat?"
More conversation? I could be doing more important things. Waving away the thought, I answered her question. "Just ¥100. Not a huge amount or anything."
Scrunching up her eyebrows, the girl thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion. Motioning me to back away, she walked up to the machine.
Skipping from one foot to another, she suddenly spun 360 degrees and slammed her leg against the vending machine. Metal rang and was soon followed by the clunk of a can loosening.
Reaching into the dispenser, she grabbed what looked to be a single green can. "Here you go. This particular money eater can be a bit of a hassle, but there are ways around that."
I took the can from her grasp and looked at the type. Watermelon flavored tea. Could be worse.
Gathering my thoughts, I thanked her for the help. The girl laughed and scratched the back of her head in an embarrassed fashion. "It was nothing, really. Just doing what anyone would do."
No, I think this is just you.
Silence filled the area once she stopped talking.
Recalling that we were engaging in social interaction, I realized I hadn't introduced myself.
"Still, I appreciate the help. My name is-" Hold up… What was this kids name again? Quick, fading memories, give me the answer!
…
Fine, I'll do it myself. Oh, wait. I looked at the ID card earlier today.
I coughed into my mouth, trying to cover up the awkward pause. "Sorry about that, I'm Minamoto Ken."
The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment before responding. "Nice to meet you Minamoto-san. My name is Mi-" The ringing of a phone cut her off.
Her gaze shifted as though she were asking for permission to answer the call. I responded to her apologetic look with a simple nod of affirmation.
Taking out a green phone, she flipped it open and pressed it against her ear. A garbled mess erupted from the other side. Wincing, she pulled away the receiver and waited a couple seconds for the noise to die down.
After that, the speaker wasn't particularly loud, so I couldn't make out what was being said. It must have been important, because the girl stiffened at the words.
Apologizing, she bid me farewell and ran off.
Around me, the sidewalks were slowly lit up by the cyan hue of the LED lamps. Contrary to most cities around this time, barely any of the street lights were sodium based. The lack of orange light reminded me of just how different Academy city was to the rest of the world.
Alright, I'll be perfectly honest. I recognized the Railgun the moment I heard her voice. Or well, I was familiar with her 'voice actress'.
We parted on terms of mere acquaintances, so I'm sure that I haven't made any changes to canon. I'll just have to stay vigilant and avoid and cast members.
I mean, out of the point-whatever million students in the city, what are the chances I'll meet any other characters?
X X X
The final bell went off and I made my way to the school's entrance. There was a certain blissful energy among the student body due to this particular day.
Friday. After enduring a long boring week of lectures, hand cramping notes, and PE; the weekend was finally here.
A weekend of sleeping in, lazing around, and playing with ESP. It was only a few steps away. The gates of salvation within reach, begging to be passed.
A hand grasped my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. "Now what do we have here? Buddy, pal, friendo. We really need to catch up!"
Pushing down my irritation, I glanced at the person who dared impede me from my well deserved break. Or rather, the people who were hindering me.
The one who had the gall to touch me stood a couple inches taller with bleached hair. To his right was a fairly well built individual with a crew cut. To the left was a short guy, standing at around 5 feet.
"Do you need something?" My voice came out monotone, uncaring for what business they had with me.
Tightly surrounding me, the group led me away from my freedom. Tall and lanky answered my question. "How could you forget Ken-chan? So cruel…" His voice was full of sarcasm. "It's obviously because you're behind on our little deal."
So this is the reason I'm so low on money. That's just depressing.
We reached the backside of one of the taller school buildings. Its shadow hung over us like an umbrella on a rainy day, leaving us in darkness. The sound of cheerful students was dampened and the atmosphere had a drastic shift.
I would call for Judgement or Anti-Skill, but I don't actually know their numbers. Maybe if I stall for time, I can come up with something.
"Mind reminding me what our 'deal' was? I forgot it." My words unfortunately came out more snarkily than I intended. The shortest of the delinquents wasn't too pleased.
"Who do you think you're talking to! With an attitude like that I oughta-" Tall and lanky put a hand on his shoulder, stopping Shorty's little tirade.
"Now, we have'ta be civil here Hotaru-kun. Our poor friend just forgot our arrangement and it's up to us to remind him of his place." Lanky's expression contorted into an oddly curved smile. It would've been more unnerving if said smile wasn't coming from a middle schooler.
I get that these are the big bad upperclassmen, but man is this cliché. What's next, is he going to go mafia on me and talk about the family business?
Walking into my personal space, ignorant of my internal rant, he arched forward to look me in the eyes. His guttural voice rang in my ears as he explained my predicament.
"Ya see, you pay us weekly for protection. There're a lotta gangs around here. We, being your only friends, decided to keep you safe. But it seems your memory needs a bit-of-a jump start. So why don't we make this memory unforgettable!"
Before I could safely set up my defenses, his knee came up fast. It was a devastating blow with lots of blood and pain.
For him, that is.
"ARHG!" Lanky let out a cry of pain as his knee was put through something akin to an invisible shredder. I grimaced at the sight as Lanky fell over, clutching his leg with tears in his eyes.
That was my bad… If it wasn't so sudden, I would've been able to evenly remove the kinetic energy from his kick. Note to self, find an easier way to inhibit the human body through less potentially damaging methods.
His two lackeys were flabbergasted, staring at the spectacle with little thought. The muscles of the group—being far braver than his smaller compatriot—moved to attack me.
Reeling his fist back, he let it fly albeit clumsily. I capitalized on the confusion and easily dodged the blow. With little wind-up, I threw my hand forward and amplified the amount of energy of the gaseous molecules, creating a jet of air.
Muscles lost his balance and gained some air before falling on his back. With more time to prepare for that attack, it should've resulted in minor bruising this time.
That left only one combatant.
With eyes rapidly moving from his two fallen compatriots, Shorty shook and whimpered at the sight.
"How?! Where did you get this power?! Was it level upper- it has to be!" Clearly not able to take the pressure, the lone delinquent pulled out a knife. Holding the weapon with both hands, he was getting ready to charge before a voice made him falter.
"This is Judgement! Stop all aggression immediately!" The statement cut through the atmosphere like butter.
Both Shorty and I turned towards the Judgement member. It was a single girl wearing our school uniform, pulling on the armband to validate the authority of her claim. She also happened to have a familiar flowered headband.
Much to my relief, the thought of fighting an unequal battle greatly demoralized Shorty. The knife slipped out of his hands, falling with a thud. He in turn fell onto his knees in despair.
If only he knew the Judgement girl was only a level 1. And no, I cannot remember her name whatsoever.
While the Judgement girl called for an ambulance and reinforcements, it gave me some time to reflect on my current position. You know, I was joking about blaming Murphy's law when I woke up in this world. I'm having second thoughts about that.
Either way, I didn't expect to run into any more canon characters. This looks like an unavoidable confrontation as well. Then again there's always the possibility that the butterfly effect has already wiped out future arcs, so this particular interaction shouldn't matter too much.
Having finished discussing with the other Judgement members who arrived on scene, Flower Band girl walked up to me. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm unharmed." I glanced at the delinquents being carted away, and Shorty in handcuffs.
"I would like to ask you about what happened here. And you're not in trouble for anything; a student reported seeing you being pulled back here against your will." I couldn't tell if she was trying to placate me or simply being forthright.
I proceeded to explain what occurred—from when I was leaving school to the girl's arrival. My throat was feeling a bit dry, considering this was the longest I had talked since arriving in this world.
"So they were extorting you through physical means. In return, you acted in self defense?" The Judgement girl was going over my story to make sure she understood my side of the fight. I nodded to confirm her inquiry.
She held her phone up to her ear before asking another question. "And you're currently a level 1 with the ability Energy manipulation, yes?"
"Mhm." My answers were getting shorter every time she spoke. It was only a matter of time until I'd get to leave, but my patience was waning.
"Okay, I just need to confirm a few more things and then I'll be able to let you go." It was as though she was reading my current state of mind. That or I was being obvious about my eagerness to move on.
"Do you happen to know what 'level upper' is?" Under most circumstances, I wouldn't have noticed the subtle change in tone, but this girl didn't seem like the overly serious type.
Level Upper, isn't that one of the arcs in Railgun? Had something to do with brain waves and something-thesia. Oh yeah, and Shorty mentioned it earlier as well too. Let's go with that.
I shook my head. "I know the short delinquent guy mentioned something about it, but I've never heard of it before then." Never heard of it in this reality, that is.
"Alright, if you hear anything about it, let Judgement or Anti-skill know. We'd appre-" Before the girl could finish, she was abruptly cut off by… What?
"U~i~haru!"
Having spotted the long haired girl moments before the inevitable, I made sure to keep my eyes level with Judgem- no, Uiharu's face. Her complexion rapidly shifted to a bright red; eye's were wide and her face bore an incredulous expression.
The long haired girl had black hair and blue eyes, sporting a huge grin. "Green stripes today! I almost forgot to check today, good thing I found you."
Having just endured the pinnacle of embarrassment, Uiharu began batting the long haired girl with eyes shut tightly. "Saten-san! Why would you do that in the middle of a conversation with a boy! This'll ruin my competent Judgement appearance…"
Saten rested her index finger on her chin. "So you mean you didn't ditch me to meet up with your secret boyfriend?" This clearly caught Uiharu off guard, having realized all the other Judgement members had left already.
Not wanting this to drag on any further, I stepped in. "Yeah, just Judgement stuff. Nothing more, nothing less." Saten's expression seemed to drop a fraction.
"Ah, that's too bad. I was hoping to see something exciting today. I'm Saten Ruiko, by the way." Presented before me was yet another cast member of Railgun. She was in the Index movie too, right? I remember less from the movie than I do the first season of Railgun.
"I completely forgot! I'm Uiharu Kazari." Having recovered from earlier, Uiharu came back into the conversation.
"Minamoto Ken, nice to meet you two." After saying my name, Saten looked as though she just realized something.
"Minamoto, you mean like the first shogun Minamoto?" The first what now?
Uiharu cut in. "Well, it doesn't have to just be derived from the first shogun. Remember that the Minamoto clan was very prominent between the 12th and 13th century."
Having completely lost me, the two girls continued to discuss about Japan's brutal history of assassination and rebellions.
Once Uiharu realized the previous conversation was completely derailed, she turned back to me and apologized. "There are a few more things I'd like to talk about, but I'd hate to keep you any longer." Finally, I want to go home. "Would you mind continuing this after school on Monday, if you're free?"
"Sure, I don't have any plans that day." I said as though I ever actually made plans.
I said farewell to both the girls and made my way back to the apartment. Just as I closed the door behind me, I heard my neighbor open his door.
I lived on the third floor in room 310, so I had a pretty good view of the city. My next door neighbor seemed to always leave his apartment around this time. And on the few nights where I stayed up till one, I noticed he never comes back before the morning.
A bit weird, but who knows. The guy might just be nocturnal. It's Academy city after all.
Anyway, I have a fair share of weekend homework. Well, more like Monday morning homework. It's time to stay in and practice some more Energy manipulation.