Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading my story, and I'm glad you guys are enjoying it! I originally got the idea for this fanfic when I was reading the light novel about the penalty game, which had some scenes with Mikoto wanting to apologize to Touma. As a result, I wanted to write what would happen if she actually went through with that and also followed her sister's advice to be more honest.

I'd also like to thank everyone who left reviews. Seeing your feedback is really great, and they've also given me some ideas for future chapters. I apologize for not replying to them before, but I'll try to do so from now on. Below, I've responded to the reviews for chapters 10 and 11.

bennr01: Thanks, and you were right, Mikoto's confession is happening in this chapter. I did edit Kuroko's reaction in Chapter 10 to be a bit more realistic, so thanks for the feedback. I am indeed planning a scene where Touma's class finds out about him dating the Railgun, which will hopefully be pretty funny.

Toa Solaric: I'm trying to not have Touma's bad luck interfere too much with his relationship with Mikoto, otherwise the fanfic would proceed at a frustratingly slow pace.

Stryper88: Yeah, I'm trying to not have Kuroko be too over the top in every single scene. There will definitely be more scenes with her coming to terms with her onee-sama dating Touma and also being called out on her behavior. I am planning to write many more chapters, at least until the end of OT, and perhaps even into NT if I continue having enough free time. There will be a few more chapters before the Acqua Arc, but I'm looking forward to writing Mikoto's interactions with Touma and Itsuwa during that arc.

Ricky12440: Thanks, I did want to show Touma thinking about Mikoto in a romantic light at least a little, so that he'd be more open to dating her.

DBZLEGEND154: Yeah, Touma and Mikoto become pretty close friends in the light novels, but in order for them to start dating, I needed Mikoto to be a bit more honest about her feelings and for Touma to be a bit more open to her romantically.

MarauderPrime12: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Sebastin Mrmol: Yes, I'll be continuing the story after they start dating, and Touma will continue having more interactions with the Railgun group.

TimeTravelRules: Don't worry, I do plan to continue writing about them actually being in a relationship, which should make for some interesting scenes when they get involved in the plot of the Raildex world.

The One who saw All: Yes, don't worry, I'm planning to write a lot of scenes of Mikoto and Touma together as a couple. Touma finds it hard to believe that someone like Mikoto could ever like him, but he will soon be pleasantly surprised. Kuroko will probably continue acting as she usually does until she gets called out even more. I'm also looking forward to writing about Mikoto's involvement in the Acqua Arc, though I'm not sure about having her get directly involved in the fight, since she still doesn't know about Magic.

Blankow: You pretty much hit the nail on the head about Kuroko and the other girls losing. Index is definitely not going to take it very well, and Touma's class will probably be pretty disbelieving (except for Tsuchimikado) until they're given concrete proof, at which point hilarious reactions might ensue. I will indeed write about Mikoto and Touma as a couple, which is something I've been looking forward to for a while now. Saten is indeed the best wingwoman. I really wanted to have them discuss Touma's memory loss before her confession, and doing it now frees up some time in the Acqua Arc for other topics of conversation. Mikoto is a bit perturbed about Touma living with Index, but that's something she'll have to deal with in their relationship, since it's not changing anytime soon.

SoulReaver267: Yeah, Touma is pretty dense when it comes to understanding girls' romantic feelings for him. Mikoto has to be really direct if she wants to get through to him.

Guest: This is not a harem story, it's mainly Touma/Mikoto with a few cute Touma/Misaka Sisters moments sprinkled in. The reaction of Touma's classmates will be really fun to write.

GG Vegito: Yes, I'm planning to have Mikoto get a bit more involved in the Acqua Arc, though she may not end up fighting him directly.

SuddenBetrayal: Thanks! Yeah, it'll be really interesting to see how Mikoto and Touma's relationship affects the upcoming arcs. I'm planning to go at least to the end of the WW3 Arc, and possibly into NT arcs if I have enough free time.

Fencer29: Yes, I do plan on having Mikoto learn about Magic from Touma once they start dating, which should have some significant implications for future arcs. Chapter 11 is set right after the Terra Arc and before the Acqua Arc, so it's not time for the soccer ball scene yet. However, that scene will still happen in the future.

After discussing the boy's memory loss, Mikoto and Touma remained silent for a few moments. Touma turned to the girl and asked, "Hey, could you please keep my memory loss a secret?" Although Mikoto finding out hadn't been that bad, the boy still wanted to avoid worrying anyone else with his problems.

Mikoto caressed his hand and softly replied, "Yeah, sure, I promise not to tell anyone. But maybe you should consider telling that nun, at least?" It did feel nice for her to be the only one who knew this secret of his, but the girl wondered whether it was right for him to keep his friends and family in the dark.

Touma sighed, "Well, I've kept it from her for this long, and I still don't want to make her feel bad by telling her. But I'll think about it." He knew that Index would get really mad at him initially if he told her the truth, but afterwards, she would probably be devastated that the boy that saved her was gone. He then continued, "Oh man, I still can't believe you overheard all that. Now that I think about it, it is a little embarrassing."

The girl chuckled and muttered, "That's not even the most embarrassing thing I've overheard from you."

The boy had in fact heard her, so he turned to her and asked, "Wait, what? What else have you overheard?" Touma thought back to the fight against Terra and tried to figure out if there was anything else embarrassing that someone said that could have been overheard by Mikoto.

Mikoto's cheeks reddened as she realized she hadn't been as quiet as she'd thought. She briefly considered brushing it off, but instead she nervously answered, "O-oh, it was the day we went on that fake d-date. I overheard your promise to that guy to protect m-me and my world."

Touma started blushing as well and replied, "Yeah, that's also pretty embarrassing. So I guess you were listening back then after all."

The girl's eyes widened, "You knew I was there?" This was pretty surprising to her, since she had thought he was only talking to that fake Unabara. But if Touma had known she was listening as well, the meaning of his promise might have been different from what she'd thought.

The boy chuckled, "Well, I saw some sparks around those steel beams, so I figured that you were nearly and using your magnetism to control them. But I wasn't sure if you were close enough to hear or not."

Mikoto thought, "Okay, so he didn't think I was listening when he made that promise." She smirked at the boy and said, "I see, well, what you said was potentially very misleading, but don't worry, I knew not to take it the wrong way."

Touma was a bit confused, so he replied, "What do you mean, misleading? I said that I would protect you and the world around you. That's a pretty straightforward promise."

The girl retorted, "Yeah, but you're the kind of guy who would make a promise like that without thinking. If he had asked you to make that promise for any other girl, you probably would've said exactly the same thing." She then turned away and looked down with a sad smile, "It's not like I'm special to you or anything."

The boy felt a pang in his chest as he heard her last statement. "Does she really think that?" After a bit of thought, he decided to take a somewhat drastic step. He let go of her hand and wrapped his right arm around Mikoto's waist, gently pulling her towards him.

Mikoto immediately became flustered and protested, "H-hey, what are you doing?"

Touma gave her a reassuring smile and replied, "Just come a bit closer, okay?" He continued pulling on the girl as he said this.

She still wasn't sure what he was planning, but Mikoto shyly said, "O-okay." The girl allowed herself to be pulled onto the boy's lap, and she rotated her body so that she was sitting sideways, with her legs hanging off from his left side. Mikoto rested her head against his right shoulder, getting into a comfortable position, and waited for Touma to explain what was going on.

The boy kept hugging her waist with his right arm and brought up his left hand to gently stroke the girl's hair. As he did so, he softly told her, "Of course you're special to me, Biri-Biri!"

Mikoto's eyes widened in surprise, and she stammered, "I-I am?" She hadn't expected him to deny her statement so directly.

Touma gave her a warm smile and hugged her a bit tighter, "Yeah, you are. We've been through a lot together, and I'd say you're one of my closest friends. Why would you think otherwise?"

The girl was pretty happy that he considered her a close friend, but she replied, "Well, we are good friends now, but back when you made that promise, we weren't that close, and you didn't even remember most of the time we knew each other." She hesitated for a moment and nervously continued, "W-was I special to you back then? Or was I just another girl you saved?"

"I guess she sort of has a point there, but does she really think I thought so little of her?" He thought about how to reassure her and soon replied, "Well, you're right that I didn't know you as well back then. But I learned a lot about you in that short time I'd gotten to know you. I really admired how far you were willing to go to save your sisters, and I still do. But when you told me that you were going to throw your life away to try to save them, I hated that you thought that was your only choice. I had felt a connection between us when we met at the vending machine, and even though we were just acquaintances, I really didn't want you to die. Even back then, you weren't just a random girl to me."

Mikoto suddenly started having a warm feeling in her heart, and she smiled at the boy. "Well, that is really nice to hear, and I do sort of get what you mean. You were just an acquaintance to me too, but after you decided to fight for me, I really didn't want you to die either."

Touma smiled back at her and continued, "Yeah, and you actually saved my life! It was thanks to you that Accelerator didn't kill me with that plasma bomb! You risked your life to save mine, and as far as I know, you're the only person who's done that for me. So yes, you were pretty special to me, even back then!"

The girl blushed furiously, deeply touched by his words. She fidgeted with her fingers in her lap and modestly replied, "Th-thanks, but you're exaggerating. It was my sisters who destroyed the plasma bomb, not me. I just came up with the idea. And you were only in danger in the first place because of me."

The boy chuckled, "Maybe, but you came up with that great idea so quickly! I owe my life to both you and your sisters." He gazed into her eyes and softly added, "I really hate seeing you put yourself down so much, Mikoto. You're an amazing girl, and this misfortune boy is really lucky to have you in his life!"

Mikoto became even more embarrassed, "That's so unfair! How can he say such sweet things like that so easily?" She felt so nervous about the thought of confessing to him and wished she could be as confident in letting out her honest feelings. The girl eventually replied, "Th-thanks."

Touma ruffled her hair a final time and said, "Of course!" He then withdrew his hand from her hair and wrapped his left arm around the girl's waist as well, pulling her into a full hug.

Now that there was a moment of silence, Mikoto wondered, "Should I confess now? It seems like a pretty good moment, and he's been really affectionate with me, so I might actually have a good chance!" She played with her fingers as she gathered her courage, trying to think of the right words to say. Soon afterwards, she turned to him and said, "Hey T-Touma, there's something I want to tell you."

The boy looked back at her and softly replied, "Okay, what is it, Biri-Biri?" He had no idea of what she wanted to discuss, but Touma could tell that she was serious, so he resolved to listen carefully.

Mikoto began, "So I guess you don't remember this anymore, but when we first met and I saw that you could negate my powers, I really wanted to fight you, because I'd never seen an ability like yours before and I wanted to face off against a strong opponent. Every time I ran into you, I tried to get you to fight me, but you always just negated all my attacks and ran away. It was really frustrating, but I was also very intrigued by you."

Touma was a bit confused and said, "Okay, I think you've told me all this already, right?" He wasn't sure where she was going, but he could somehow tell that this was very important to her.

The girl chuckled, "Yeah, but I'm not done yet, you idiot! Anyway, things started changing that night when you found out about my sisters. I was so exhausted and depressed that night. I had barely eaten or slept for days, and nothing I tried could save my sisters. I was ready to die and told myself that there wouldn't be a hero who would fix everything. But that's when you showed up! You promised to fight Accelerator and create a happy ending where everyone was able to smile. And you actually did it! You saved my sisters, you saved me, and heck, you even saved Accelerator too!" Mikoto really wanted to convey how she'd been feeling that fateful night, both when she had lost all hope, and when Touma had arrived and given her back some hope.

The boy had been listening with a sympathetic ear, especially when Mikoto described how much she had struggled in those previous days. "I know she didn't tell any of her friends about it, so she must have felt so alone back then." He then became a bit embarrassed when she started praising him, and he replied, "Well, like I said before, I didn't want you to die."

Mikoto smiled at him and replied, "Yeah, you did say that, didn't you?" She then continued, "Anyway, after your fight with Accelerator, I was still blaming myself for the experiment, but you were able to say just the right words to cheer me up. And ever since then, I've been having these weird feelings."

Touma repeated, "Weird feelings?" He still wasn't sure where exactly she was going with her speech, but he wondered what kind of feelings she was talking about. "Maybe she has some conflicting feelings about her sisters or herself?"

The girl knew that this was the moment of truth. She looked down and shyly explained, "Yeah, since then, I've started f-feeling differently about you. My heart would beat really fast when I saw or thought about you. I-I kept wanting you to pay more attention to me, and I kept feeling a little lonely when you weren't around. When 10032-chan told me that I wasn't being honest with myself, I at first didn't know what she meant. But that night, I realized why I kept feeling this way. I realized that I had fallen for you."

Touma's eyes widened as it slowly dawned on him what she was saying. His cheeks reddened and he asked, "Wait, does that mean… ?" He trailed off, waiting for her answer.

Mikoto blushed and nodded against his shoulder, "Yes, I l-like you, T-Touma." She looked down and continued, "And I know you probably never thought about me in that way and I'm not really your type, but w-will you go out with me?"

The boy's heart started beating faster as she finished her confession. He used his left hand to grab onto one of Mikoto's hands and began caressing it with his thumb. When the girl looked up at him, he gave her a warm smile and said, "You really do like me, huh? For some reason, hearing you say that makes me feel pretty happy."

Mikoto had still worried about being rejected, so she was a bit surprised at his positive response. She looked up and nervously asked, "R-really?"

Touma squeezed her hand and answered, "Yeah, it does. You know, lately I've started thinking about you more often. I had a lot of fun spending time with you last weekend, and I've been looking forward to seeing you again. I never imagined that a great girl like you would ever be interested in me, but I guess I was wrong." He then looked directly into her eyes and declared, "Yes, I'll go out with you, Mikoto!"

The girl's eyes widened as she heard his answer, and she took a bit of time to process it all. But once she did, she broke into a grin and threw her arms around the boy, exclaiming, "Awesome, thanks!" She was ecstatic that Touma had actually agreed to date her, and all the anxiety was now leaving her heart.

Touma brought his hand back up and began playing with her hair again. As he watched the girl close her eyes and enjoy his pampering, the boy chuckled and mused, "So, you've liked me ever since we saved your sisters." He thought back to when she was trying to give him the cookies, to when they went on their fake date, to during that incident involving magic at the Daihasei Festival, and to all their recent encounters, and continued, "Now that I look back, a lot of things suddenly make sense. Is that why you sometimes suddenly became quiet or acted weird around me?"

Mikoto's cheeks reddened, knowing exactly what he was referring to. She replied, "Y-yeah, sometimes I get really nervous around you. It's really frustrating sometimes. I was even too nervous to give you those cookies I made."

The boy noticed her reddening face, which only gave further proof to her statement. He continued stroking her hair and teased, "That's okay, Biri-Biri. Just so you know, I think you're really cute when you get flustered and start stuttering."

The girl stammered, "Y-you think I'm c-cute?" He had said her sisters were cute, but Mikoto had still been a little unsure if he thought the same way about her.

Touma answered, "Yeah, definitely! You're also really cute when you're smiling and happy, like when you were playing with that cat."

Mikoto replied, "Th-thanks. You're pretty attractive too, especially when you have that serious face when you're fighting someone."

The boy blushed a little and said, "Oh thanks, though I wish that didn't happen so often for me." He paused for a moment and continued, "Anyway, I really missed a lot of the signs, didn't I? Now I understand why you got frustrated with me sometimes. I'm really sorry for not noticing, Mikoto." He now realized that she had been pretty obvious about her feelings in retrospect.

The girl shook her head and retorted, "No no, it's not your fault, I can't really expect you to read my mind, right? Besides, I don't think I would've wanted you to know before I was ready to tell you." Mikoto had previously gotten annoyed at him when he unintentionally did or said something insensitive, but she now realized that it was a bit unfair of her to expect him to understand why he was hurting her feelings without actually telling him.

Touma nodded, "Yeah, you have a point there. Well, now that you're my girlfriend, I'll try to be more considerate from now on."

Mikoto's eyes widened in surprise, and she repeated, "Your g-girlfriend?" She still hadn't fully digested him accepting her confession, but her heart felt really warm at him calling her his girlfriend.

The boy smirked at her and said, "Yeah, we're dating now, so we're boyfriend and girlfriend, right? Or did you want to go on a few dates first before we make it official?"

The girl grinned back and replied, "Oh, I'm fine with making it official right now. Honestly, I'd have thought that you'd be the one to want to take it slow."

Touma shrugged, "I don't mind either way. We already know each other pretty well, so we have a good head start and don't have to use the first few dates to get to know each other. And we technically went on a date already, even if it was fake."

Mikoto nodded, "Yeah, you're right. That fake date was pretty fun while it lasted. Though hopefully we won't get interrupted on our real dates."

The boy grinned, "With my misfortune, I'm not sure we can count on that." Thinking back to that day, the boy asked, "Hey, I'm curious, why were you so freaked out about the hot dogs? Was it because we might have switched?" Touma had never figured out why she was so adamant about getting the right hot dog, since they were the same flavor.

The girl blushed and she remembered that embarrassing moment, "Darn, I didn't know he remembered that!" She looked down to hide her face and answered, "B-because it could have been an indirect k-kiss."

Touma raised an eyebrow, "An indirect kiss, really? I guess that's a still big deal for middle school girls, huh?."

Mikoto replied, "Oh, shut up, I'm only a year younger than you! Besides, you were too much of an idiot to even notice the problem."

The boy chuckled, "Well, you got me there, Biri-Biri." He gave her a teasing grin and asked, "So, when you were checking the hot dogs, were you trying to pick your own, or did you really want to eat mine in order to get an indirect kiss?"

His question quickly flustered the girl, who protested, "W-what sort of question is that? Of course I was going for my own hot dog!" Mikoto knew that she had been way too embarrassed by the situation to purposely go for an indirect kiss.

Touma then recalled a similar situation, "Oh, what about that time you gave me your drink during the Daihasei Festival? You were acting pretty weird, so I bet you knew you were giving me an indirect kiss!"

Mikoto cringed, "Oh man, why does he have such a good memory about things like this?" She still tried to defend herself, "Hey, you were coughing pretty hard, and I f-felt bad since I was the one who dragged you along. It's not like I wanted to force an indirect kiss on you!"

Touma ruffled her hair and grinned at her, "Haha, I know, Biri-Biri, you're just so fun to tease! That was actually really sweet of you. Plus, you saved me from being bitten by Index when you grabbed me for the race, so it wasn't that bad in the end. Anyway, I don't think you need to be so embarrassed, it's not like it's a real kiss."

"A real kiss?" Mikoto perked up upon hearing those words. She wondered if this would be the right moment to take that step. She was very nervous, especially since this would be her first kiss, but she decided to go for it. She removed her arms from the boy's back and placed them on his shoulders.

Touma's eyes widened as he felt the girl suddenly grip onto his shoulder. He noticed a serious expression on her face, as if she had just resolved to do something important. Soon afterwards, he saw her face leaning in towards him, and he said, "Mikoto?"

Mikoto didn't give him a verbal reply. Instead, she just pressed her lips against his and began kissing him. The boy stiffened at first, but then relaxed and started kissing her back, closing his eyes as he did so. He moved his hand to the back of her head and gently supported it against his own. Mikoto closed her eyes too, and the pair continued for a few more seconds before separating.

The boy opened his eyes and gazed at Mikoto, who had an adorable blush on her face. He was a little flustered as well, but he gave her a sweet smile and said, "Wow, I wasn't expecting that! But it was pretty good for a first kiss!"

The girl stammered, "Th-thanks, you're a pretty good k-kisser." She removed her hands from his shoulders and returned them to her lap.

Touma then asked her, "So, now that we got all that out of the way, is there anything else you want to do now?"

Mikoto fiddled with her fingers in her lap and softly requested, "C-can we just stay like this for a little longer?" She really enjoyed being in the boy's arms and wanted to extend that experience for as long as possible.

The boy gently brushed his fingers through her hair and planted a kiss on her forehead, simply answering, "Of course, Biri-Biri, as long as you want!" He then wrapped his left arm around her waist again and hugged her a little tighter, letting Mikoto lean against his shoulder. She responded by wrapping her arms around his back again. Now, both of them sat silently, enjoying each other's warm embrace and looking forward to their future as a couple.