The Penalty Game Date

by calvinhobbesliker

Sequel to "Dancing by the Fire." Now on friendlier terms due to an uninterrupted folk dance, Mikoto and Touma prepare to embark on their penalty game. But it might just end up being less like a penalty game and more like a date.

Hello, everyone! I'm glad that so many of you enjoyed my fic "Dancing by the Fire." This fic is a sequel, where Mikoto and Touma have their penalty game while being on better terms with each other as a result of the dance. I hope you guys enjoy it!

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Mikoto was currently standing in a plaza in front of a concert hall. She had just been showing Uiharu how to play the violin, but Kuroko had appeared and snatched Uiharu away, since they had needed to return to the Judgement office. Fortunately, Kuroko had also taken the violin and its case off her hands.

Now, she was waiting for Touma to show up for their penalty game. They'd agreed to meet at 1 PM, but it was already 1:30. After they had danced together at the end of the Daihasei Festival, she'd promised to go easy on him for the penalty game, so Mikoto hoped that he wouldn't blow her off. But since he was already really late, she was starting to have doubts. "Where is that idiot? I told him to show up on time!"

Fortunately, Touma soon arrived, running frantically to get there as soon as possible. He stopped behind her and said, "Hey, I know I'm late, sorry!" He'd been delayed because of Index complaining about eating somen noodles again for lunch, but he hoped Mikoto wouldn't be too angry with him. Since she'd promised to go easy on him, Touma had actually been looking forward to hanging out with Mikoto, so he hoped that hadn't already ruined it.

Mikoto turned around and replied in frustration, "Sorry, huh? Do you think I had nothing better to do than wait here for over an hour?" As she said this, some small sparks were emitted from her head.

The boy nervously rubbed his head and replied, "Well, no, I didn't mean to be late, I got caught up making and eating lunch." He then realized something and questioned, "Wait, an hour? I'm pretty sure we agreed to meet at one. Hold on, did you show up 30 minutes early or something? Wow, you have been here a long time."

The girl blushed and shyly replied, "I-I was in the area anyway, so I decided to just wait here until you showed up."

Touma looked at her skeptically and said, "In the area, huh?" He wasn't sure he believed her explanation, especially since she had seemed pretty mad at having to wait for an hour.

Mikoto could tell that he didn't believe her. She nervously looked away from him and said, "I was sh-shopping!"

The boy noticed her flustered expression and lack of shopping bags. He grinned as he realized, "I see, you were so eager to see me that you showed up 30 minutes early! Wow, I'm really flattered, Biri-Biri!" He recalled how she'd told him during the folk dance that she treasured him, so it made perfect sense.

Mikoto's blush intensified as he teased her with his correct deduction. She exclaimed, "Sh-shut up, you idiot! It's time for the penalty game to start, so you better start listening to what I tell you to do!"

Touma noticed that she didn't deny being eager to see him or complain about the nickname, but he figured it'd be better not to tease her any further. Instead, he smiled at her and replied, "All right, Misaka, I'm all yours. What do you want me to do?" He was curious about what her plans for him were, since she'd promised not to make him do anything too bad.

Mikoto's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat as he said that he was all hers, but she reminded herself, "Don't get so worked up, he didn't mean it like that." After a moment to compose herself, she grabbed onto his right hand with her left hand and began dragging him away, saying, "Come with me, we're going to the underground mall!"

The boy was startled at first, but quickly moved to keep pace with her, asking, "What are we going to do there? Do you want me to carry your bags while you go shopping, or maybe make me face you in a hard arcade game?"

Mikoto shook her head, "Neither of those, but I'll tell you when we get there." They soon slowed down to a walking pace, and continued walking hand-in-hand through the city. Mikoto glanced down at their joined hands and wondered if the boy noticed it too, figuring, "Probably not, he didn't even notice those times when we had an indirect kiss." He had a firm but gentle grip on her hand, and she hoped that he'd let her keep holding onto it.

Touma wondered what her plans for him were, if not one of those options. He did actually notice that Mikoto was still holding onto his hand, but he didn't mind it that much. After all, they'd held hands before, during the folk dance. In fact, he kind of liked holding onto her soft hand, and figured that if he brought it up, she'd get flustered and let go of him.

They walked in silence for a bit, and Touma tried thinking of something to talk about. He looked over at the girl beside him and said, "I guess you're wearing your winter uniform now too, huh?" Indeed, both of them, as well as the rest of the students in the city, had switched into their warmer winter uniforms.

Mikoto glanced back at him and saw that he was looking at her up and down. She felt a bit self-conscious about her uniform and asked, "Y-yeah, why, is there something wrong with it?"

Touma shook his head and gave her a smile, "No, not at all. It looks nice on you!"

The girl blushed at his compliment. She shyly stole a glance at him before looking down at the ground, and replied, "Th-thanks, your winter uniform looks nice too!"

The boy replied, "Thanks!" He then looked over at her again and said, "It must suck to have to wear that short skirt even in winter, though."

Mikoto sighed, "Yeah, that's for sure. The shorts I wear underneath help a little, and if it gets really cold, I can use my powers to warm up my legs with infrared waves and microwaves. But I wish I could wear leggings or something. Guys have it so lucky, you actually get to wear pants when it's winter."

Touma chuckled, "Yeah, that's true. But it's cool you can use your powers for something like that." He was really impressed at how many different applications her ability had.

Mikoto then said, "So I heard from your doctor that you were in Italy a few days ago. How were you even able to get out of Academy City right after the Daihasei Festival?"

The boy sighed as he recalled what happened during that trip, "I somehow won a trip to Italy in a lottery I entered. I thought my luck had finally turned around, but I ended up getting involved in an incident during the trip."

The girl looked at him and chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds about right for you. Though I guess I can't judge you too much, since my friends and I got involved in an incident when we visited Liberal Arts City a few weeks ago. And when I visited Russia a few months ago for a demonstration, I got involved in some trouble there too."

Touma was a bit surprised that she'd gotten involved in incidents outside of Academy City, and he wondered if she'd run into magic without realizing it. But he decided not to pry further, since then he may have to explain what happened to him in Italy. Instead, he said, "I see. Well, enough about bad overseas trips, what have you been up to lately, since the end of the Daihasei Festival?"

Mikoto recalled what she'd been doing the past few days and replied, "Well, it's not anything major, but have you heard about Indian Poker?"

The boy nodded, "Yeah, it's those cards that people can upload their own dreams to and give them to other people, right? I heard they've been pretty popular, but I haven't tried it myself."

Mikoto then continued, "Yeah, my friend Saten-san has really gotten into them. She's trying to learn a bunch of random skills using dreams, like pen-spinning, kendama, and building a house of cards."

Touma replied, "Wow, it's great that you can learn things like that just by dreaming! What about you, Misaka, have you tried any Indian Poker cards?"

The girl shuddered as she remembered, "Another girl at my school gave me a card to try out, but that dream was awful! It was the first time I felt worse waking up than when I went to sleep!"

The boy's eyes widened as he took in her reaction, and he questioned, "What kind of nightmare was it? Did that girl give you a bad card on purpose?"

Mikoto shook her head, "No, she enjoyed that dream, so she probably thought I would too. The first part of the dream was actually great! I was in a meadow and Gekota, Pyonko, and everyone else was there, and we all played together!"

Touma smirked at her, "That's a pretty childish dream. So there's another Tokiwadai girl who likes that cartoon frog?" Even though he was teasing her, he thought it was cute how happy she had looked when talking about that part of her dream.

Mikoto sharply nudged his shoulder and retorted, "It's not just a cartoon frog, it's Gekota! Anyway, the horrible part of the dream came later. We all went into a castle, and the queen was Shokuhou, that annoying Mental Out girl. The girl who gave me that Indian Poker card is one of her clique members, so then I was forced to act as Shokuhou's maid! I tried refusing, but then Gekota got sad, so I had no choice!"

The boy couldn't help but laugh, "That's really all it takes to get you to do something you don't want to do?"

The girl became really flustered, and exclaimed, "Sh-shut up, you weren't the one who had to see Gekota's sad face!"

Touma continued laughing for a bit longer, but then calmed down and said, "Man, that was one of the most hilarious things I've heard in a while. Thanks, Misaka! Though it's funny how much you hated being someone else's servant, but here you are ordering me around."

Mikoto sharply replied, "Hey, it's not the same thing at all! You agreed to the bet in the first place, and you knew that I was more likely to win! And I even promised to go easy on you, too!"

The boy smiled at her and said, "Yeah, you have a point there. I really do appreciate you being merciful to me."

She nodded, "Good, I'm glad we're on the same page." She then asked him, "You said you haven't tried it yet, but what kind of dream would you like from an Indian Poker card?"

The boy brought his free hand up to his face as he thought about her question. He couldn't really afford to buy one of those cards, but it was interesting to think about what kind of dream he would want. He eventually answered, "I guess if I could choose any dream, I'd like to dream about going on a date with a nice girl, though it'd be a bit weird if it was originally someone else's dream."

As he said this, Mikoto looked over at him with narrowed eyes. "Seriously? I know this isn't really a date, but does he not think I'm a nice girl? Or did he just say that randomly without thinking." She decided not to dwell on it too much, so instead she smirked and said, "Hmm, if you were going to pick a dream about a girl, I would've expected you to pick a perverted dream!"

Touma blushed and scratched his face, "Well, I am a healthy high school boy, so I can't deny that I sometimes have those kinds of dreams. But it would be weird if I sought out a card with someone else's lewd dream."

Mikoto's face reddened, and she was a little surprised that he would admit that so casually, "This guy really has no tact." After taking a moment to compose herself, she replied, "Well, unfortunately, not everyone agrees with that. Just the other day, I came across this perverted blue-haired guy who was giving out cards with lewd dreams of me and a bunch of other girls. Of course, I took care of him, but there are probably still lots of those kinds of cards floating around."

The boy gulped as she mentioned a perverted blue-haired guy. He realized, "It was Aogami Pierce, wasn't it?" He nervously looked at her and replied, "Well, it's good that you stopped him, at least." He felt bad, knowing that being the subject of some of those cards must have been mortifying for her.

The girl sighed, "Yeah, so I think I'm done with Indian Poker for good. It's caused me way too much trouble already."

Touma looked at her with a smile, thinking to himself, "This is actually really nice, maybe I can have a fun, relaxing afternoon with her!" He hoped that they could get through the rest of the day without running into any trouble.

A bit later, the two of them reached the entrance to the underground mall. After going down the stairs, Mikoto looked around for a bit. When she found the store she was looking for, she dragged Touma towards it.

They soon stopped in front of a cell phone store. Mikoto finally let go of Touma's hand and pointed at a certain advertisement on the store window, saying, "Here it is!"

Touma felt a bit strange without the girl's hand in his anymore, but he ignored that feeling. Instead, he looked at the poster she was pointing to and read, "The Handy Antenna Service?" After a pause, he realized, "Ah, I see where this is going, you're looking to replace the antenna base on your phone."

Mikoto closed her eyes and smirked, "Yep, subscribers can use them to create their own networks and everything! Also, if you sign a couple's contract, the rate is substantially cheaper."

Touma tilted his head and skeptically repeated, "A couple's contract?" He wondered why she was so excited about this service, since he'd heard that the benefits weren't actually as great as advertised.

The girl then elaborated, "Yeah, but wait, there's more! Everybody who signs a contract right now will get a Lovely Mitten Gekota strap for free! That's where you come in. We're going to sign up today!"

Everything now made sense to the boy, and he smirked and teased the girl, "I see, so you're really just after the strap! Don't you have enough of those cartoon frogs already?"

Mikoto rolled her eyes and replied, "This is a completely different product! And besides, it isn't that easy to find someone to come to the store with me, fill out the paperwork, and wait for a bit." When Hokaze Junko had mentioned this strap to her, Mikoto had known that Touma was her only option for obtaining it, since he was basically the only boy she was friends with.

Touma sighed, but he realized that she didn't have much of a choice, since it had to be a boy and a girl signing up together. But he felt compelled to ask, "Yeah, okay, but isn't a couple's contract usually something that a boyfriend and girlfriend would sign up for?"

Mikoto immediately began blushing. She crossed her arms and looked away from Touma, exclaiming, "Wh-what? Oh please, you're jumping to conclusions! It has to be a boy and a girl, but I don't think that means you actually have to be going out or anything. For example, I'm sure they'd sign up a married couple!"

The boy chuckled and replied, "Marriage now? I think this relationship is moving too quickly for me."

The girl's face reddened even more as she realized what she had actually said. She stammered, "Sh-shut up, you idiot! Now come on, we've got a contract to sign!" As she said this, she again grabbed onto his hand and dragged him into the store.

The young woman working at the store wasn't sure what to think when she saw a girl dragging a boy in to sign up for a couple's contract. However, once they sat down at the counter, she helped them fill out the paperwork, and then said, "Okay, that's about it, we just need a photograph to complete the purchase."

Mikoto asked, "Oh, you mean like a picture ID?" Perhaps the woman needed to verify their identity before completing the paperwork.

The woman replied, "No, something that proves to us that you really are a couple. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, you can take a picture on your phone if you want."

With a blush on her face, Mikoto stood forward from her seat and exclaimed, "W-wait, we have to take a picture together?"

The woman tilted her head and asked, "Oh, do you not usually do that? Then this will be the perfect opportunity!" She figured that they were just camera-shy, having no idea that they weren't really a couple.

Mikoto and Touma then stepped outside the store, and the boy suggested, "So, you want to use the camera on my phone?"

The girl nodded and shyly replied, "S-sure, that'll work." She felt very nervous about taking this photo with him, and was trying to hold herself together.

Touma pulled up the camera app and held out his phone in front of him so that both of them were in the shot. However, he noticed that Mikoto's face was red and that she was fidgeting and hesitating to move closer to him, and this made him a bit sad for some reason. He then said to her, "Just so we're clear, you're the one who wants this contract so bad."

Mikoto tried to gather her courage, saying, "I am, I know that!" She kept sneaking glances at him, but still found it hard to get closer to the boy. Eventually, she clenched her fist and exclaimed in a determined tone, "I'll do this for you, Gekota!" She suddenly pushed herself against Touma's chest and leaned her head against him a bit.

Touma was surprised that she suddenly got so close, and he blushed a little as he felt her body against him and smelled the scent of her hair, which was brushing up against his cheek. This did made him cheer up a little, and he said, "Okay, so for this to work, we need to get a photo of us that makes us look like we're in love! Proximity should help." He wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and pulled her in even even closer, and he continued, "Smile, Misaka! Remember, this is only a picture for some paperwork, and plus, we've already hugged a few times before, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Mikoto already had her left hand pushed against his chest, and she slowly wrapped her right arm around the boy's back, stammering, "R-right, you're right! We can totally pull this off, it just has to look like we have feelings for each other, it's not like it's r-real or anything!" Indeed, the two of them had hugged each other multiple times at the folk dance, and it had been really nice and comfortable, so Mikoto realized there shouldn't be any problem doing it once again.

The boy exclaimed, "Say cheese!" Mikoto did just that, and the two of them smiled and relaxed against each other. Touma pressed the camera button, and they both heard an electronic tone as the photo was taken.

However, before they could examine the photo, Touma noticed from the corner of his eye a girl rapidly flying towards his head from his right. As he turned towards her, he realized that it was Kuroko. Acting on instinct, he dropped his phone from his right hand and grabbed onto her ankle before she could dropkick him. Kuroko was a bit surprised when he caught her, but she was absolutely shocked when she found herself unable to teleport out of his grip. With her ability sealed, Touma was then able to slam Kuroko onto the ground.

Mikoto was startled by the sudden commotion, but she realized what happened when she saw Kuroko on the ground. Her best friend had gotten jealous of her embracing Touma and had tried to kick him away as a result. Mikoto let out an exasperated sigh, but then noticed that Touma's phone had fallen onto the ground. She bent down and picked it up. Fortunately it wasn't broken at all, so she brought up the picture they'd just taken and showed it to Touma, saying, "Wow, this picture actually looks really nice!"

Touma also ignored the girl groaning on the ground and examined the photo. He and Mikoto looked very happy together in it, almost like a real couple, so he nodded, "Yeah, you're right!"

Kuroko slowly got up off the ground holding her head in pain, "Ugh, onee-sama, I can't believe you're traipsing around town with this troglodyte. And how could you be so cruel as to ignore me when I'm lying on the ground in pain, but instead worry about the dirty photograph you took with him?"

Mikoto crossed her arms and glared at her roommate, saying, "Honestly, Kuroko, you got exactly what you deserved! You were about to kick him in the head!" She then turned away from the other girl and continued, "Anyway, we needed to take a photo together pretending to be a couple so I can get a Gekota phone accessory."

Kuroko grabbed and shook her head, exclaiming, "What? If you needed someone to be part of a couple, you should've asked me instead!" She couldn't believe that Mikoto had decided to take that insufferable boy along instead.

Mikoto rolled her eyes, "Don't be silly, it has to be a boy and a girl!" She turned to Touma with a smile and said, "I'll take this back to the store to get the paperwork done, and you can wait out here until I come back."

Touma smiled back at her and replied, "Uh, sure, but what about Shirai-san here?" He was very worried about being left alone with her.

Mikoto gave Kuroko a menacing look and answered, "If I recall correctly, you still have a lot of Judgement work to do, right Kuroko? Why don't you go back to the Judgement office and help Uiharu-san instead of bothering us here?"

Kuroko let out a resigned sigh, noticing that the two of them were both enjoying each other's company, and replied in a depressed tone, "Fine, onee-sama, if you really want to continue your date with this guy, I guess I won't stand in your way." She then turned around and began teleporting away.

Mikoto blushed and exclaimed, "D-don't get the wrong idea, this isn't a date, it's just a penalty game!" However, by that point, Kuroko was already gone.

Mikoto then sighed in relief, glad that Kuroko hadn't made even more of a fuss. She then headed back into the phone store with Touma's phone to finish up the paperwork, while Touma sat down on a nearby bench.

After waiting for a while, Touma yawned, hoping that Mikoto wouldn't take too much longer to finish up. Just as he thought that, he saw Mikoto walking towards him. He asked, "So, did you finish the paperwork?" However, as he looked more closely at the girl who had stopped in front of him, something seemed off, and he said in a confused tone, "Uh, wait…"

Touma then suddenly heard a loud voice from the phone store, "I can get a Pyonko together with my Geokota?" Clearly, Mikoto was still in the store, and the girl in front of him wasn't her.

Turning back to face the girl, Touma said, "Nope, she's still there. So I'm going to guess that makes you Misaka's sister." Now it made sense why she seemed a bit different than Mikoto.

"Yes, your guess is correct, confirms Misaka. My serial number is 10032, Misaka adds to clarify."

The boy then noted, "I didn't recognize you without your goggles on." Indeed, because she wasn't wearing her usual goggles, Misaka 10032 looked identical to Mikoto, except for having a different hair clip. It seemed that she had also switched to Tokiwadai's winter uniform.

Misaka 10032 then held out her arm horizontally in front of her chest. "Can you tell me if you've seen a shorter Misaka, one roughly height, please, adds Misaka, careful to observe the proper social etiquette."

Touma replied in a dumbfounded tone, "A shorter one? You guys can change sizes now?" As far as he knew, all of the Misaka clones had the same height as Mikoto, so he was pretty confused by the girl's question.

"Judging by your ignorant response, you have not seen her, says Misaka, disappointed by your failure to be of any help. Misaka's goggles were stolen from her not very long ago. It is important that they are recovered as soon as possible." She then bent down to his eye level. "Please, Misaka asks again, this time widening her eyes to look vulnerable."

Touma held up his hands in front of him as Misaka 10032 moved her head even closer to him. Not being able to resist her request for help, the boy suggested, "It'd be easier if I could tell you apart! If I find something, how will I know which sister's which?"

Misaka 10032 turned around and stepped away from him. She then pulled down her skirt, revealing her blue and white striped panties.

The boy blushed and looked away, exclaiming, "Woah, what are you doing that for? You can stop now! That's going a little too far!" He guessed that she was trying to distinguish herself from Mikoto, who wore shorts under her skirt, but it was way over the top, and would probably get him in trouble.

As the girl pulled her skirt back, Touma suggested, "I know, you could wear some kind of accessory to distinguish you from Mikoto."

Misaka 10032 was curious about his suggestion. "What kind of accessory, asks Misaka."

Touma replied, "I don't know, a ring, maybe?" That was just the first example that came to his mind.

"Really, a ring, repeats Misaka." She remembered her earlier discussion with the other three Misakas at the hospital. It had been about getting a ring from a boy one liked and wearing it on the left ring finger, and she began blushing as she pictured Touma giving her a ring.

However, Touma soon rejected that idea, "Nah, a ring wouldn't work. It doesn't stand out enough." Indeed, a ring would be just as hard to notice from far away as her hair clip.

Misaka 10032 let out a sad noise, but he continued, "Something that's noticeable at a glance…" He then pointed at a nearby store and said, "Let's look over there, they sell pretty cheap accessories, and I'll even buy it for you!"

"All right, agrees Misaka, feeling a little disappointed." Touma wasn't sure why she felt that way, but she did follow him into the store.

After a bit of browsing, Misaka 10032 eventually chose a necklace with a heart-shaped charm hanging off of it. Touma paid about 1000 yen for it, and the girl placed it around her neck. She grasped the heart-shaped charm with her right hand and also raised her left hand to gaze at her ring finger. "A necklace then, instead of a ring on Misaka's left hand."

Touma wasn't sure why she seemed so sad about getting a necklace instead of a ring, so he said, "Hey, you know, if you don't like that one, we can always exchange it."

"Please do not take anything from Misaka, she has lost enough today, says Misaka in an earnest voice, lowering her eyes for more emphasis."

The boy wondered, "So she does like the necklace after all?" Touma was still confused about why the girl looked so sad. He didn't like seeing her like that, so he looked around, trying to find a way to cheer her up. He soon gestured at a nearby food stall and asked, "Look, they're selling animal donuts over there. How about we get some?" Touma was accustomed to using food to placate Index, which was why this was the first idea that came to his mind.

"Are you trying to tempt Misaka with food, asks Misaka bluntly." After a pause, during which the boy nervously gulped, she gave her answer. "Well, Misaka will respect the fact that you're doing this for her sake, says Misaka, accepting your offer."

Since she agreed, Touma went to buy some of the sweets. The woman at the counter said they were experimenting on which design people liked the most, and that all the animals had the same flavor. Touma chose the chick-shaped ones, and after purchasing them, he and Misaka 10032 sat down together at a table.

Touma excitedly exclaimed, "Wow, these look delicious!" He was about to dig in, but he was interrupted by Misaka 10032, who was staring directly at the chicks.

"Cheep cheep cheep. They must be sweet-tempered not to move around or peck at all, says Misaka, very impressed with the creatures' behavior."

Touma suddenly stabbed his fork into one of the chicks and put the entire thing into his mouth, causing the girl to gasp in shock. While chewing, he said, "They said these are a brand new product, still in the experimental phase, but they're really yummy!"

Misaka 10032 began trembling and sparking. "Why does it matter that they are experimental? They're still real, Misaka thinks their lives should be respected."

The boy was bewildered and a bit worried about her reaction. He knew that Mikoto sparked like that whenever she was feeling strong emotions, but he'd never seen her sister do this before. He asked, "What's wrong, what's with the sparking?"

At this point, Mikoto finally returned from the phone store. It had taken quite a while to finalize the paperwork, but she'd finally gotten that elusive Gekota strap. In fact, she'd gotten two of them, as well as a Pyonko strap. As a result, she was in a good mood, but she was surprised to see Touma sitting with one of her sisters at a table. She approached them and asked, "Hey you guys, what's going on over here?"

Touma nervously replied, "Uhh, nothing?" For some reason, he felt like he was in trouble. However, he was glad that he was able to tell the two Misakas apart, thanks to the necklace.

Misaka 10032 gave a better answer to Mikoto's question. "Oh, Misaka needed help. She asked this boy's assistance in finding the goggles that were stolen from her, says Misaka." Her attention was soon drawn to the green and pink frog straps that were hanging out of Mikoto's school bag, and she proceeded to get up out of her seat and kneel down in front of them. "There may have been more to it than that, but now I cannot take my eyes off these little frogs, gushes Misaka while inspecting the Original's bag."

Mikoto pulled her bag up and away from her sister, exclaiming, "Hands off! What are you doing down here anyway, and why do you care so much about your goggles?" However, her attention was quickly diverted to the cute chick-shaped donuts, and she gushed, "What are those things? They're adorable!"

Misaka 10032 stood between Mikoto and the table, holding out her arms. "If you are going to be protective of your frogs, I'll be the same way about my chicks, says Misaka in a reasonable tone of voice."

Still with an excited expression on her face, Mikoto pleaded, "Oh come on, I can have a look, can't I?" Her sister had already gotten a close look at the Gekota and Pyonko straps, so she didn't see the issue in just taking a look at the cute chucks.

"If Big Sister wants them so much, she can get her own! These chicks belong to Misaka and the boy, says Misaka, forcefully staking her claim."

Mikoto repeated, "Staking your claim?" She was surprised and a bit annoyed that Touma had apparently bought this food for her sister. She gently pushed down her sister's arm and approached Touma with a smirk, saying, "Hey, remember when you promised you'd stay with me throughout the penalty game? Why are you spending time with someone else?"

Touma stood up and held out his hands, trying to placate her, "I was just trying to help her find her goggles when I waited for you to come back from the store!"

Mikoto sighed, knowing that Touma didn't really do anything wrong. She had noticed that her sister didn't have her goggles, so their explanation made sense, but she still wanted to know why he'd bought the chicks for the other girl.

Misaka 10032 walked towards Mikoto from behind. "Out of curiosity, what are you doing here, asks Misaka, looking for relevant background information."

Mikoto turned back to face her sister and replied, "Well, you see, we made a bet during the Daihasei Festival, and obviously I was the winner. I've dragged him down here with me for his punishment." She placed her finger up against her forehead and said, "Um, maybe that's not the right word." After all, it wasn't really that much of a punishment. The word "date" came into her mind, but she tried to resist thinking about it.

"Basically, you find yourself unable to be honest, right, asks Misaka, after analyzing the data."

Mikoto's reddened and she frantically denied it, "Huh? I don't know what data you're analyzing, but you're totally wrong! What could I possibly have to hide from him?" She turned and pointed directly at Touma before continuing, "And anyway, this idiot wouldn't even know what to do with the truth!"

"A strong reaction, interesting. Misaka will try a more direct approach than her sister employs." Misaka 10032 then steadily walked towards the boy. Once she was by his side, she suddenly clung onto his right arm, causing Touma to react in shock. He began blushing as the girl pulled his arm against her chest. She then held up her necklace's charm and looked back at Mikoto. "What do you think about this, asks Misaka, casually showing Big Sister the heart-shaped necklace the boy bought her."

Mikoto didn't know what to say as she began processing the implications of Touma buying her sister that necklace. Before she or anyone else could react, they all heard the sound of small footsteps approaching. A little girl suddenly appeared and jumped onto the boy's left arm. "Misaka runs up to hug him from the other side as well, says Misaka as Misaka doesn't want to be left out of the fun everyone's having!"

Touma looked at her in shock and saw a girl that looked just like a younger version of Mikoto with an ahoge on her head. She was wearing a pair of goggles around her neck, the same kind that Misaka 10032 usually wore. He looked between the two girls around his arms and questioned, "So you're a Misaka too? Another sister?"

Misaka 10032 let go of his arm and turned her attention to the little girl. "Serial number 20001, you have some nerve showing up here, considering your brazen theft earlier today, scolds Misaka attempting the tone of a disapproving sister."

The little girl then released Touma's other arm and began cackling. "That game was fun for a while, but Misaka is tired of it now, says Misaka as Misaka prepares to head off in search of a new way to entertain herself!" She then turned around and began running away.

Misaka 10032 pulled out a submachine gun from her bag and began running after the other girl. "You think you're getting away that easily, scoffs Misaka, arming herself for the upcoming chase."

"If you think that's going to scare me, you're stupider than you look says Misaka as Misaka makes fun of Misaka."

"The real fun is just getting started, threatens Misaka, making the final transition to Misaka Full Boost!" Mikoto and Touma could only look on in disbelief as the two sisters quickly disappeared.

Touma turned to Mikoto and asked, "Do you know who that mini-Misaka was?"

Mikoto shook her head, "No, I've never seen her before. Apparently, her serial number is 20001, so she must have been created after the original 20000 clones. I hope Academy City isn't making a whole new series of clones." She'd thought that the experiment was completely over, so she was a little disturbed that there was a new clone she hadn't known about before.

The boy nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I guess we can ask your other sister about her the next time one of us sees her." After a pause, he then asked, "Anyway, now that you got your Gekota straps, is there anything else you want me to do?"

The girl was startled by the question, and stammered, "W-well, um…"

Touma chuckled and teased, "What, were the phone straps the only thing you planned?" He found it amusing that, despite all the time she'd had to prepare since the end of the Daihasei Festival, she apparently didn't think of anything else for him to do.

Mikoto blushed a bit and softly requested, "C-could you stay with me for a bit longer? We can just sit down somewhere and talk." She still wanted to spend some more time with the boy, since they usually didn't get the chance to hang out for too long at a time.

The boy smiled at her and answered, "Sure." He didn't mind hanging out with her more, and it had been pretty fun and relaxing so far.

Touma grabbed the box of chick donuts from the table, and he and Mikoto sat down next to each other on a bench. Mikoto handed him his phone back, and when he checked the photo again, he noticed that she had sent it to her own phone. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt happy that she wanted to keep the photo even after she'd obtained her precious Gekota strap.

He then held out the box of chicks toward her and asked, "You want some, Misaka?"

She shook her head, "No, that's okay, you bought them for yourself and my sister." She then smiled and added, "Those chicks are really cute, though."

The boy shrugged, "Suit yourself." He then began eating all of the remaining chicks. Mikoto silently watched him eat for a bit, and when Touma was about to eat the last chick, he glanced over and saw that Mikoto was looking at him. On a whim, he held out the fork towards her and said, "Here, you can have the last one!"

Mikoto blushed at the possibility of being fed by him. She knew that he probably didn't have any romantic intention behind it, but she decided to accept his offer, saying, "All right." She was a little too embarrassed to eat it directly from his hand, so she instead gripped onto the fork with her own hand and ate the chick that way. Mikoto's hand was still touching his hand on the fork, but at least this way it was like she was feeding herself. After chewing for a while and gulping it down, she grinned and exclaimed, "That was delicious!"

Touma smiled at her and agreed, "I know, right!" Even though the food hadn't cheered up Misaka 10032, he was glad that Mikoto enjoyed it.

Mikoto then thought about how to bring up something she was really curious about. She eventually decided to ask, "So, why did you ditch me to go on a date with my sister? I don't think I've gotten the full story yet."

Touma's eyes widened at her question. After a pause, he smirked and replied, "Oh Misaka, what kind of framing is that? You're kind of acting like a jealous girlfriend!"

The girl's face completely reddened, and she stammered, "Wh-what? G-girlfriend?" Not quite knowing what to say, she started fidgeting with her fingers in her lap.

The boy looked over at her reaction and said, while continuing to smirk, "Come on, you know that was a joke, right?"

Mikoto nervously laughed and nodded her head really quickly, "Of c-course! I knew that! It just wasn't a good joke." However, she had to admit to herself that she was at least a little jealous of her sister.

Touma chuckled, finding her reactions very endearing. He then tried to clarify, "Anyway, it wasn't a date!"

The girl scoffed, "Come on, you treated her to food, and you even bought her a necklace! How is that not a date?"

Touma wasn't sure why she was so adamant about this topic, but he replied, "Well, I only bought her that necklace to distinguish her from you, since she didn't have her goggles. I wanted to be able to see which sister was which at a glance. Her first idea wasn't really good, so I offered to buy her an accessory, and she chose that necklace."

Mikoto nodded, "Okay, that makes sense." She was a little miffed that he'd bought her sister a heart-shaped necklace, but he'd probably just bought the necklace that Misaka 10032 had chosen without thinking about the implications. She then casually asked, "What was her first idea?"

The boy blushed as he remembered that particular scene, and tried brushing it off, "N-nothing important."

The girl narrowed her eyes at him, sensing that something suspicious had happened, and said, "What was it?"

Touma nervously gulped and replied, "Okay, but please don't get mad at me, it wasn't my fault!" Mikoto only continued glaring at him, and he admitted, "She actually pulled down her skirt."

This revelation both flustered and angered Mikoto, who began sparking. She was mortified that her sister, who looked exactly like her, had revealed her underwear not just to Touma, but also to a bunch of random strangers in the crowded mall. She gritted her teeth and asked, "What stupid thing did you say that made her do that?"

Touma grabbed onto her shoulders, negating her sparks, and firmly replied, "I swear, I didn't say anything that remotely suggested that! I just said I wanted a way to distinguish her from you, and she went and did that on her own! I told her to stop immediately, and she did."

Mikoto calmed down and let out a sigh, admitting, "All right, I guess it wasn't your fault then. My sisters really do lack social awareness sometimes. The first sister I met lifted her skirt to catch a falling cat, so I shouldn't be too surprised." She frowned a little as she remembered Misaka 9982 and her brutal death.

The boy sighed in relief, glad that he was off the hook. He figured it would be best not to tell Mikoto about the time Misaka 10032 had stood above him when he'd fallen down on the ground, allowing him to see up her skirt. However, he was curious about something, and though he thought he might regret it, he asked, "By the way, do you also wear blue and white striped panties?"

Mikoto was startled by that question, and stammered, "Wh-what, no! What kind of question is that, you pervert?" Since he was still holding onto her shoulders, he was safe from her shocks, so she instead lightly punched him in the chest.

Touma released her shoulders and continued teasing her, "Oh, I see, you probably only wear Gekota panties, right?"

The girl sharply protested, "N-no! I wear other kinds too!" Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just blurted out, and buried her hands in her face, muttering in embarrassment, "W-wait, what are you making me say, you idiot?"

The boy laughed for a bit, before saying, "Sorry, I couldn't resist." He patted her shoulder, trying to reassure her.

After a little time to compose herself, Mikoto returned her hands to her lap. Wanting to change the topic, she turned to Touma and asked, "Okay, so if you were helping my sister find her goggles, why did you buy her food and sit down together to eat, instead of searching around the mall or something?"

Touma recalled, "Well, after I bought her the necklace, it seemed like she was feeling sad or disappointed about something, so I thought I could cheer her up by buying her food."

Mikoto tilted her head and asked, "Do you know why she was feeling sad?" She thought that maybe Touma had inadvertently done something to make her sister feel that way.

The boy sighed and rubbed his head, "I'm not really sure, but she was muttering something about a ring and her left hand."

That was a very suspicious combination, and Mikoto further questioned, "Why was she thinking about rings in the first place?"

Touma answered, "Well, at first I suggested getting her a ring, but I realized a ring couldn't be seen from far away, so I suggested she get a different kind of accessory."

Mikoto facepalmed as she realized what had happened, thinking to herself, "Did this idiot really not think before offering to buy a girl a ring?" She eventually decided to reply, "Maybe she would've preferred a ring, but it seemed like she liked the necklace you bought her."

Touma then said, "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, she was acting weird after I bought the food too. She didn't eat any of the chicks, and when I ate one, she became angry and started sparking for some reason. I've never seen her do that before."

Mikoto was also surprised that her usually calm and collected sister had actually gotten that angry. After thinking for a bit, she guessed, "Maybe she thought the chicks were real?" That would explain why Misaka 10032 would be so angry about him eating them.

Touma's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Of course, that must be it! I even said that the product was experimental, and she got really offended by that." Obviously, Misaka 10032 had found the chicks analogous to her and the other Misaka clones. He nervously scratched his head and said, "Man, I'll have to apologize to her the next time I see her."

For some reason, Mikoto felt a bit uneasy at the thought of him hanging out with her sister again. In a soft tone, she asked, "Did you like spending time with her? It looked like she was pretty cozy with you at the end, clinging onto your arm like that."

The boy could tell that she was feeling a little sad, but he wasn't sure why. He answered, "It wasn't bad, I suppose. But I have no idea why she grabbed my arm like that."

Mikoto frowned and questioned further, "Did that feel nice, having two of my sisters around your arms like that?"

Touma shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Well, it was really sudden, so I didn't have much time to think about it at all, and then they just ran away." He was now sure that something was troubling Mikoto, so he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Mikoto sighed, a bit unsure of how much she should tell him. Eventually, she ended up admitting, "Honestly, I wanted us to spend time together today, but you hung out with my sister for a while instead. I know it's silly, and that you were trying to help her while waiting for me to come back, but it still makes me feel a bit disappointed."

Touma looked sadly at her distraught demeanor, and tried thinking about how to comfort her. He gently grabbed onto her hand and squeezed it, causing the girl to look up at him in confusion. He softly smiled at her and said, "Well, for what it's worth, I've had a lot of fun being with you today, Misaka. It's been one of the most relaxing days I've ever had!" He then gave her a smirk and continued, "You're pretty good company when you're not angry or annoyed with me!"

Mikoto felt soothed by his words and his gentle grip on her hand. She was elated that he really did enjoy being with her. She smiled back and replied, "Thanks. I guess I haven't always been very good company, huh? But in my defense, you're somehow really good at getting on my nerves and making me lose my temper. I've been trying to improve, but it's hard sometimes."

The boy shook his head and reassured her, "It's okay, don't beat yourself up too much over that. Honestly, sometimes I tease you and rile you up on purpose, since I know I can negate your shocks. Plus, ever since our dance, you've been a lot nicer."

Mikoto chuckled, recalling how he had meant to tease her back during their dance, but how it had resulted in her admitting that she treasured having met him. She said, "I see, so you're not as clueless as I thought! I guess you see me as a pretty good friend to mess with me like that!"

Touma smiled at her and replied, "Of course! Like I told you at the dance, you're a treasured friend of mine!" He reached over with his free hand and gently stroked her hair as he said this.

The girl blushed and closed her eyes, enjoying his caressing. After some time, she felt him start to pull his hand away from her head, so she used her free hand to push his hand back down, stuttering, "D-don't stop yet!"

The boy's cheeks reddened a bit, and he questioned, "Misaka?"

Mikoto replied, "K-keep going for a little longer. R-remember, you have to do what I say!" She hoped that this would convince him to pamper her for a bit longer.

Touma chuckled, "All right, if that's what you want." As she released the hand on her head, he continued running his fingers through her soft locks. He gazed at her face as she closed her eyes and smiled in contentment, and she instinctively scooted a little closer to him on the bench, so that their legs were now touching. The boy then asked, "Hey, I was wondering, did you look like that mini-Misaka when you were younger?"

As she slowly opened her eyes, the girl nodded, "Yeah, pretty much exactly like her, even down to that ahoge on her head!"

Touma imagined her as a younger girl, hugging a giant Gekota plushie or making tiny sparks. He grinned and said, "Okay, so I guess you must have been a lot cuter back then!"

Mikoto raised her eyebrows and asked him in a slightly menacing tone, "Oh, are you saying I'm not cute as I am now?"

The boy continued smirking at her and mused out loud, "Hmm, that's not what I meant. But I'd say you're a lot cuter when you're smiling!" Indeed, he thought she'd looked very cute when she'd been smiling due to him rubbing her head.

The girl blushed furiously, having expected him to continue teasing her. She looked down at her lap and stammered, "R-really?"

Touma nodded and continued stroking her hair as he said, "Yeah, a lot of the times I've seen you, you've been sad, or frustrated, or angry. But whenever you're happy and smiling, like when we ended saving your sisters, or during our dance, or just now, you do look pretty cute!"

Mikoto became even more flustered, and could only reply, "Th-thanks." Between him holding her hand, caressing her head, and complimenting her like that, she was barely able to function properly.

Suddenly, the boy realized exactly what he had just said, and he also blushed a little. He finally removed his hand from Mikoto's head and nervously rubbed his own neck, saying, "Sorry." He hoped he hadn't made things too awkward between them.

The girl looked back up at him and shook her head, "N-no, it's fine, really!" She didn't want things to become awkward either. She squeezed his hand and rubbed it with her thumb, trying to reassure him.

Mikoto then decided to ask him, "Hey, I've sort of been wondering about this since the Daihasei Festival, but what were you planning to make me do if you won the bet?"

Touma brought his fingers up to his chin and answered, "Hmm, honestly, I didn't really think that far ahead. I did think of asking you to stop trying to shock me all the time, but you've already been doing that anyway."

The girl frowned and replied, "Is that all? You didn't want me to do anything else for you?" If so, then she could've just as easily stayed away from him entirely. She wondered if that was what he'd really wanted back then, even if he may have changed his mind by now.

The boy thought for a bit and answered, "Well, I guess I could've asked you to help me with my homework again. You helped me out a lot the past two times, and I'm still not doing that great in school. I suppose I also could've asked you to treat me to meals or buy me groceries so I could save some money, but that might be going too far."

Mikoto was glad that he seemed to like spending time with her now. She smirked at him and said, "Well, I wouldn't have minded helping you out, especially after all you've done for me! I was sort of worried that you would make me do some perverted things if you'd won the bet."

This accusation flustered the boy, who sharply retorted, "What, I would never have done that, what kind of guy do you think I am?"

Mikoto laughed, nudged his shoulder, and continued teasing him, "I don't know, you're the one who came up with the bet in the first place, remember? I didn't know what kinds of things a high school boy like you was thinking of forcing a middle school girl like me to do!"

Touma sighed and drooped his shoulders, lamenting, "I can't believe I'm being framed like this, when I didn't even win the bet in the first place. Just my rotten luck!" Mikoto just continued chuckling at him.

Suddenly, he heard the voice of a little girl behind him, "Why are you sitting with your shoulders slumped, asks Misaka as Misaka gives you a hug to make you feel better!"

Indeed, Touma felt someone cling onto his shoulders and exclaimed, "Hey!" As Mikoto turned to look as well, he grabbed onto the girl on his back and pulled her forward until she was hanging upside-down in front of his face. He then realized, "You're that mini-Misaka from earlier! Wow, you really are tiny!"

Touma carefully lowered the girl until she was able to jump to the ground. She then turned her attention to Mikoto. "Hello, Big Sister, exclaims Misaka as Misaka jumps onto your lap!"

Mikoto momentarily winced at the sudden weight, but she wrapped her arms around the little girl and asked, "Who are you? Are they creating another series of younger clones of me?" She was friendly with this new little sister of hers, but she was also glad to get the opportunity to have her questions answered.

"Misaka's serial number is 20001. She was commissioned as the final Sister and is known as Last Order, says Misaka as Misaka introduces herself. Because the experiment suddenly ended, she was released before fully growing, adds Misaka as Misaka explains her small stature."

Touma was a bit confused, so he asked, "Wait, the experiment was only supposed to use 20000 clones, right?"

"Yes, but Misaka was created to control the other Misakas in case they went on a rampage. Basically, she is the administrator of the Misaka Network, explains Misaka as Misaka tells you her background."

The boy tried to make sense of her explanation, "So what you're saying is, you're essentially like a host computer with all the Misaka Sisters tied into you?"

"Probably more like a console than a host computer, says Misaka as Misaka corrects your statement. The Misaka Network has no central point anywhere, so it doesn't really mean anything for there to be a specific individual acting as the Misakas' core, so to speak, says Misaka as Misaka enjoys the chance to give a lecture."

Touma rubbed his head, amazed that this little girl sounded so smart.

Mikoto chuckled at his reaction and then smiled down at the girl in her lap, saying, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Last Order! But what are you doing down here?"

Last Order turned to face Touma before answering. "The reason I came back was to thank you for all the help you gave Misaka when those awful experiments were going on. Even thinking about them gives me the shivers, says Misaka as Misaka shivers illustratively."

Touma was skeptical about this, "Sure. What are you actually doing here?" He didn't think she traveled all the way down to the underground mall just to thank him.

Last Order jumped out of her sister's lap and angrily stood in front of the boy. "You don't believe me? You're such a jerk, shrieks Misaka as Misaka stomps her feet to show just how angry she is! Then she decides to swing her fists around in front of your face for good measure!"

The boy frantically held up his arms and backpedaled, "I'm sorry, okay?" He then saw a food stand nearby and suggested, "Hey, I know! If you promise to forgive me, I'll buy you some popcorn!" He went with his usual strategy of using food, though it hadn't really worked with Misaka 10032.

"You actually think offering to buy a girl a snack will make her forget that you hurt her feelings? What kind of an idiot are you, asks Misaka as Misaka is unable to look at you anymore."

Mikoto couldn't help but laugh out loud at how Touma was being berated by a 10-year old girl. She nudged his shoulder and teased him, "Yeah, you really are an idiot, aren't you?" Maybe this would finally make him learn to be more sensitive about girls' feelings.

Touma let out an exasperated sigh, saying, "Sorry, I guess food is no good then."

"Misaka never said she wouldn't eat it. Misaka would love some popcorn, says Misaka as Misaka comes up with the idea to accept the food but still remain angry."

The boy just groaned in response to this, and Mikoto laughed at him even more. Nevertheless, it seemed that buying Last Order food could actually work, so he bought some popcorn and water for the little girl. Last Order happily jumped back into Mikoto's lap and started eating and drinking.

By this point, Mikoto had finally finished laughing, and was now smiling, feeling pretty content to be with Touma and Last Order. However, she was a little annoyed that Touma had bought food for both Last Order and Misaka 10032, as well as a necklace for the later, and wished that the boy would get her a gift as well.

Touma then sighed and lamented, "Man, just when Mikoto starts being in a good mood around me, the other Misakas get mad at me instead. Just my rotten luck!"

Mikoto blushed when she heard him say her given name, but she told herself, "Calm down, he just said it to distinguish me from my sisters, it doesn't mean anything." She then rubbed her sister's head and told Touma, "It's not bad luck, you just need to figure out how to treat girls properly! Even if Last Order was only here by coincidence, she still thanked you for your help, and you trampled on her feelings." She recalled how she'd failed to properly thank the boy by giving him the homemade cookies she'd worked so hard on.

"Thank you, Big Sister, says Misaka as Misaka continues eating the delicious popcorn. She's glad that at least you understand how she feels!"

Touma smiled, grateful that Mikoto had explained why Last Order had been angry at him. He said, "I see, well, I'm sorry Last Order."

Fortunately, Last Order wasn't mad anymore. After finishing her popcorn, she jumped up to stand in front of both of them, holding up the goggles hanging from her neck. "You want to know something? Misaka snatched these from somebody tough, says Misaka as Misaka happily brags about her trophy!"

Touma replied, "What, are you some kind of bandit?" As he looked more closely at the goggles, his eyes widened and he continued, "Hold on, I recognize those. The other Misaka Sister was looking for them."

Mikoto nodded and observed, "Yeah, I guess Last Order took them from her." That was probably why Misaka 10032 had chased after Last Order earlier.

"Misaka is the only Misaka without a pair of goggles, says Misaka as Misaka justifies her theft. Unfortunately, these goggles were made to fit a bigger Misaka, so she can't put them on to use them. It's really disappointing, says Misaka as Misaka feels downhearted."

Touma then pointed out, "Hey, you know you can just shorten the length of the band, don't you?" He then examined the goggles and pulled them closer to him, trying to find how to shorten the strap. However, this caused the strap to stretch, and when he accidentally let go of the goggles, they hit Last Order in the face, causing her to fall onto the ground.

The boy stood up and asked, "Are you okay down there?" Last Order lifted her face and cried out a bit in pain.

Mikoto glared at him and exclaimed, "Be more careful, you idiot!" She knelt next to Last Order and gently helped her get up.

Touma nervously gulped and said, "Sorry, here, let me try again." He was a bit worried that Last Order would reject his offer, but instead she held up the goggles once more, allowing him another shot, though Mikoto held onto her from behind so she wouldn't fall this time if Touma failed again.

However, Touma was able to successfully shorten the band this time, allowing the goggles to wrap securely around the little girl's head. He announced, "There, all done!"

"That's great, Misaka can see perfectly, says Misaka as Misaka feels delighted by the change and breaks into a celebratory dance!" Indeed, she gleefully spun around for a bit, before coming to a stop with her arms held out.

Mikoto smiled at the heartwarming scene, realizing that Touma wasn't that bad with kids. She then quickly checked the time on her phone, her eyes widening as she saw that it was already 6 PM. She asked Last Order, "Hey, should you even be out this late? Do you live at the hospital too?"

"You're right, Misaka can't stay much longer, she has to get going, says Misaka as Misaka somberly delivers the bad news. It makes me sad, I wish we could all spend more time together, says Misaka as Misaka sighs. Maybe some other time though. Misaka admits our encounter was coincidental, but the part about wanting to thank you for your help was the truth, says Misaka as Misaka hopes you know how sincerely she means it."

Touma smiled at her, now knowing that she was indeed being sincere. Mikoto also smiled at both of them, knowing that Last Order was yet another of her sisters that he'd saved.

"I really have to get home soon, though, or he'll be worried. If Misaka stays out too late, he'll probably think he needs to go look for her, and Misaka doesn't want to be an inconvenience or anything, says Misaka as Misaka smiles.

Touma was a bit surprised that she lived with someone else instead of at the hospital. He observed from her description, "Sounds like this friend of yours is a nice guy."

"He's had a hard time. He was hurt physically, mentally, and emotionally, it may be too much for one person to heal from. He wants to be strong, but Misaka knows that in many ways, he's still very weak. So if she can help it, she doesn't want to add to his burden. Misaka will protect him like he protected her, declares Misaka as Misaka bares her heart."

Touma smiled back at her and just said, "I see."

Mikoto gave her little sister a questioning look. Apparently, Last Order was living with a guardian now, someone who had saved her and was still taking care of her. She wondered who that person could be, but she decided that, in any case, the other girl was in good hands.

Last Order waved goodbye to them and left, presumably heading home. Immediately afterwards, Index suddenly appeared in front of them, exclaiming, "Touma! Finally, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Touma was surprised to see her here, all the way away from his dorm, but he snidely replied, "I bet I can guess why, you were hungry, weren't you?"

Index angrily replied, "I don't do things just because I'm hungry! You should be more considerate, Touma! When I couldn't find you earlier, the nice boy with the white hair bought me a hamburger, and he didn't even know the first thing about me! You could learn a thing or two from him about manners!"

The boy sighed, "Yeah, whatever. I'm sure this Prince Charming was really impressed by your manners too. I don't suppose you remembered to thank him for buying you food?"

Index sharply exclaimed, "Yes! Unlike you, I care about other people's feelings!" She then finally noticed Mikoto, who had been silently watching their conversation with a displeased look. Index became even angrier and said to Touma, "I see, so while I was running around looking for you, you were on a date with Short-Hair here!"

This accusation made Mikoto blush. Even though her outing with Touma was supposed to be a penalty game, it had sort of ended up being a little like a date. She stammered, "A d-date? W-wait, hold on…"

Meanwhile, Touma replied to Index with an annoyed tone, "Why do you care so much if I hang out with Misaka? I even told you that I was meeting someone today."

Index pouted, annoyed that he didn't understand her feelings, but unable to come up with a good reply. However, she suddenly remembered something, and took out a pack of tissues from her pocket, saying, "Oh, that boy let me borrow these, but I never gave them back! It says here that it's a convenient product for everyday use, so he could need one any moment, couldn't he!" She then stood up and exclaimed, "I have to go, I'm sure he would like these back as soon as possible!"

Touma tried telling her, "That's the kind of thing people don't want back." However, Index ignored him and ran away, leaving him and Mikoto behind.

Mikoto commented, "Wow, she's pretty rude, isn't she?" She didn't know exactly what kind of relationship Touma had with Index, but it seemed they were at least friends. She wondered if Index was part of the reason why he'd said earlier that he wanted to go on a date with a nice girl.

The boy sighed, "Yeah, sometimes she's just like that. And now I'll probably have to go find her again."

The girl frowned, realizing that their time together was almost over. She reached into her school bag and pulled out the extra Gekota strap she'd received. Holding it out to him, she said, "Here, you can have this."

Touma tilted his head and skeptically asked, "Really, you're giving me that as a gift?"

Mikoto's cheeks reddened, and she shyly explained, "W-well, technically it should be yours anyway, since we both signed up together. And I know you're not really into Gekota, but m-maybe you can think of it as a memento of the time we spent together today?"

The boy found her request quite endearing, so he smiled at her and said, "All right, sure. I had a lot of fun today, so I'll use it to remember you by." He took the strap from her hand and tied it onto his phone. It looked a bit silly to him, but if it made Mikoto happy, he didn't mind.

Mikoto was touched that he accepted her gift. Perhaps he didn't buy her anything like he did for her sisters, but she was content in giving him a present instead. Feeling a little bolder now, she walked up to Touma and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his back, and said in a soft tone, "Thank you for everything today."

Touma blushed at her sudden action, but he soon returned the embrace, wrapping one arm around her back and the other around her head. He'd enjoyed hugging her during the folk dance, so he was happy to be able to do it again here. As he gently stroked her hair, he teasingly said, "Thanks Biri-Biri! I had a lot of fun, especially since you didn't try to shock me once this entire time!"

The girl rolled her eyes and sighed, "You're ruining the moment again, you idiot!" Nevertheless, she was pleased with herself for not losing her temper, and glad that he had recognized this. She also enjoyed being in his arms, and was happy that this could become a regular thing between them.

They then pulled apart, and Mikoto was about to say goodbye to him. However, before she could do so, Touma asked her something that he'd been thinking about all day, "Hey, this might be a strange question, but...was this actually a date?" Both of their roommates, Kuroko and Index, had assumed that he and Mikoto were on a date. He wasn't sure how he felt about it himself, so he was curious to hear Mikoto's take on it.

Mikoto's face completely reddened. She looked down and fiddled with her fingers, stammering, "A d-date?" Thinking back to all their interactions, the girl wasn't sure if she could deny it. After all, they'd done quite a lot of romantic things together! And most of them weren't because they were pretending to be a couple, like that other time at the end of summer vacation. Mikoto continued stuttering, "W-well, m-maybe…"

Touma didn't want her to feel bad, so she gave her a warm smile and said, "It's okay, I don't mind if it was!" He was sincere about this. After all, she was cute and fun to hang out with, and she'd even started getting friendlier with him.

Mikoto looked up at him in surprise as she processed his words. Once she realized what he'd said, she blushed even harder, but she managed to smile back at him. After a few seconds to compose herself, she teased, "If this were a date, then shouldn't I be pissed at you for going on a side date with my sister?"

The boy groaned, "Oh come on, I thought we'd already settled that!"

The girl chuckled and replied, "I know, I know, I'm just messing with you!" Now that she'd lightened the mood, she waved at him and said, "Anyway, I guess you have to go find that nun, so I'll see you later!"

Touma waved back, "All right, see you later, Misaka!" He then turned away from her and started running through the mall, trying to find Index. As he did so, he thought back to his day with Mikoto, and all the moments they'd had together, before eventually concluding, "I wouldn't mind doing that again."

Once the boy disappeared from her view, Mikoto brought a hand up to her chest and let out a contented sigh. The penalty game had gone even better than she'd expected. Sure, there had been some interruptions, caused by multiple other girls. But when she and Touma had been alone together, it had been very enjoyable. And if he didn't mind it being a date, then that was great news for her. She looked forward to their next encounter, hoping it wouldn't be too far away.