I am such a coward, Mikoto thought peeking out and then hiding again. Getting herself all worked up, running around like an idiot, feeling so determined – and in the end she still couldn't do it.

Just like with the cookies.

Just like with the rings.

As if caught in an endless loop, she was repeating the same pattern again and again.

Was she cursed?

But her mind quickly electrified such an unscientific thought.

No, of course she wasn't.

She was simply afraid.

How funny. Be it a warzone in the snowy wilderness of Russia, a ridiculous confrontation with a mummy on the streets of Academy City or some weird monster invasion in England, the moment Mikoto learnt that boy was there she would go. No second thoughts, no hesitation.

Because she knew. There really was no stopping that idiot from getting himself all ragged and bloody for someone else's sake.

And so, whenever he played a hero, she would rush to his side. To support him should he stumble, to catch him should he fall, to give him a push should he hesitate. To fight back-to-back with him and make a difference. Then, perhaps, he would have a scratch instead of a cut or a bump instead of a concussion.

And if not… she would do her damnest to get him to a hospital before it was too late.

Somehow she couldn't even think of entrusting that to somebody else.

But right now there was no emergency, no danger. No monster wishing to rip him to shreds. He was just a boy wasting his free time. And she was just a girl afraid of taking her chance.

Afraid of showing or even hinting at her feelings.

Afraid of messing up.

Afraid of rejection.

Ruled by fear, she would confine herself to the comforts of being the girl that keeps bumping into him.

But just when she thought there was no breaking out of it…

"Hey, wait!" a voice called.

A familiar voice.

His voice.

Mikoto froze. Had he noticed her? Oh no… Quickly, run! Or just throw the bag away! If he finds out…

And yet, despite her fears, she didn't move an inch. Some people passing by turned around at the shouts but she couldn't do even that.

"Come back here, you!" the boy cried and the unusual tunes in his voice broke the spell over her.

Distress, anger… he never called after Mikoto like that.

Something happened, she realized. Was he attacked?

Immediately, she turned around – just in time to see a person pop out from around the corner. A boy, she assumed, somewhat taller than her, in loose sweats, with his face completely covered by a hat, sunglasses and a mask. A classic get-up of a suspicious person. Amazing how they hadn't locked him up on the look alone.

Mikoto darted out of the way. As the masked guy dashed by his head turned to her for just a moment, and she could swear she felt him grin. As if taunting her – "catch me if you can".

She frowned unsure what to make of it, but then a familiar item caught her eye. A small green strap in form of a frog mascot. It dangled in the air on a string tied to a phone the masked guy held in his hand. She recognized that phone and the string.

And of course, the strap.

Back in September, a certain boy had lost a bet and had to jump some hoops to help a certain girl get a set of phone straps of her favorite mascot. As a result, each had ended up with one. And since then, whenever the girl saw the strap on the boy's phone, she would smile. Because that was his connection to her. However silly it might have seemed.

Of course, it was absolutely possible that was a different phone with a different strap. And the person was just in a hurry, and that idiot was shouting after someone else.

However, Mikoto only saw the strap and didn't think past that. She just couldn't let that little, thin thread connecting them break. As the masked guy was maneuvering between people, she took aim and…

Boom!

Something hit her back and she fell. Yet the landing wasn't all that hard. Because instead of an asphalt she landed on a person.

"Argh, such misfortune," a familiar voice muttered underneath her.

Mikoto propped herself up and came face to face with the boy she had almost run away from a few moments ago. Had he rammed into her just after turning the corner? But how had he ended up under her? What kind of comedy skit was this?

The boy looked as bewildered as her.

"Misaka? Wha… no, no time! I gotta catch that guy before he disappears with my phone!"

She didn't need to hear anything else.

"On it!" she said springing on her feet.

"Huh? Don't tell me… Owwww!"

Mikoto sprinted off after the thief.

Forgetting her past worries, what day it was and what she had just been holding so tightly a moment ago. Not minding her steps at all.

Like she would let some lowlife take that precious connection away!

The chase was on.

Worst ran through the street. Pushing people, turning over everything there was on her path. Like a trail of breadcrumbs, she was leaving disturbances behind so that her stupid sister wouldn't lose her.

The mask was in the way and the sunglasses kept getting foggy. Worst was practically running blind. But when had such small things stopped her? Especially when she was having fun?

And she was really getting into this.

But if she kept making a ruckus those buzzkills from Judgement or Anti-Skill would arrive. And as much as she'd have liked to kick their asses for good measure too that would ruin the pipsqueak's plan. Not that Worst cared, of course, but she would never hear the end of it if she messes up.

So, it was time for the finale.

Worst made sure Bakaneki was still hot on her trail and then darted into an alley. There she stopped and slouched as if catching her breath. Of course, that was just a ploy. She barely broke sweat.

The plan was to let Bakaneki catch up, then the thief would throw the phone away as a distraction and escape. Which was a big load of bull. Don't hire a villain and put them in kitty gloves. And to think she had been kinda excited about this in the beginning.

Miffed, Worst looked at the phone in her hand. The villain thing to do would be to break it. Yes, just drop it on the ground and stomp, stomp, stomp. To be honest, she was quite tempted. But first she would have to take that cu… stupid strap off. That was the thing Bakaneki really cared about, wasn't it?

Speaking of…

Worst frowned and turned around but there was no sign of the Original. Since when was she such a slowpoke?

And then Worst felt it. Small pulses hit her and shivers ran through her body as if the temperature suddenly dropped. Somebody was using a power very similar to hers… Similar? No, identical.

Worst snarled in a wolfish grin. "Hey, hey, are you for real?"

The Original was about to attack. But from where? Left? Right?

No!

Worst darted to the side. The very next second Misaka Mikoto landed on the spot where she had just stood. Like an eagle preying on a snake. Only the snake was faster.

I see… She must have climbed up the building using magnetism and then tried to get me from above, Worst thought as she retreated deeper into the alley.

But more importantly…

In her hand Mikoto held a black mass. It had an outline of a sword and if one listened closely a buzzing sound could be heard. Mikoto's favorite move for melee – a blade of iron sand that vibrates making it a chainsaw.

A deadly weapon – and a deadly serious pair of eyes glaring daggers at the thief.

Worst got shivers again – a different kind this time.

"I am only going to ask once. Return what you stole," Mikoto said coldly. The sword in her hand was pointing down – for now.

Well, there it was. The moment Worst lets go of the phone her part in this idiotic romcom would end. Before she could even get any real fun.

What a joke, she thought throwing the phone up.

As expected, the Original got distracted. Worst moved using the opportunity…

…and dashed to Mikoto.

Mikoto realized it too late. She tried raising her sword but Worst broke it using magnetism. Then, as the iron sand was crumbling, she punched aiming at the chest. Of course, the Original guarded but the force still pushed her back.

Immediately, the Network blew up with messages. All those goody-two-shoes didn't like the improvisation. Well, to hell with them! Grinning wickedly, Worst caught the phone she had threw and silenced the chat.

Just enjoy the show, she told them before completely focusing on the Original.

Who was looking at the pile of iron sand next to her utterly dumbfounded. What a face! Then she looked at the "thief". You could practically see the puzzle come together in her eyes.

At last, she growled, "What's the meaning of this, Worst?!"

Great! Now there was no more need for this stupid masquerade. The face mask immediately fell on the ground but the hat got shoved in the jersey's pocket.

Lastly, Worst lifted up the sunglasses and winked at Mikoto, "Honestly, Misaka got bored playing nice. She is a villain, after all!"

"Don't mess with me! Why did you steal that guy's phone?"

"Oh, this?" Worst waved the phone around; the green frog strap dangled in the air. "Hm… Just felt like it."

Mikoto bared her teeth as sparks flew from her bangs.

"Careful! You don't want to fry this little thing, do you?"

"Give. It. Back."

"Oh, such a nasty glare. You really are Misaka's sister. So Misaka will be less bad than usual. Instead of just smashing the phone to bits, she would let you take it… if you beat her!"

Mikoto looked at her shocked, "Are you serious?"

But Worst simply grinned and took a stance.

Her sister kept glaring for a few more moments and then finally sighed accepting the inevitable. The iron sand at her feet swirled and returned to her hand. With the same buzzing sound, the chainsaw sword took form once again.

"Remember – you asked for this!"

About ten minutes later, a couple hundred meters away and six storeys higher, Mikoto fanned herself with a hand, "Phew, I am beat!"

She was sitting cross-legged on a roof. The surface must have been cold and dirty but that was of no concern to her. After all, she wasn't sitting directly on it.

Peering closely, she inspected every centimeter of her prize, "Hm… no scratches or cracks… seems fine on the outside. What about the inside? Let's see… no glitching, good response time, and the phonebook seems to be intact. Oh, thank god… we did end up throwing a few lightnings around, so I was worried…"

"Hey, you threw the first one, Misaka had to defend herself!" Worst grumbled. "Don't blame her if that thing starts sending weird messages!"

As if not hearing any of that, Mikoto muttered thoughtful, "Next I should probably check if it still can make calls. But calling some random number and then hanging up would seem like a stupid prank… Oh, I know. I will call myself."

While she was fiddling with the phones, Worst kept on talking glibly, "Seriously, you swing that sword like mad. No technique at all! And your footwork sucks. How many times have you tripped? Like, four? How you didn't fall on your own sword is beyond Misaka."

A vessel popped on Mikoto's forehead but she didn't snap. Instead, she made a call from the boy's phone to hers and vice versa. Everything seemed to be working fine. Satisfied, she moved her phone away from her ear and close to the boy's phone. The strings of two straps intertwined and one frog glomped the other.

Mikoto smiled briefly.

"What are you so smug about? You were just lucky," Worst huffed.

At last, Mikoto sighed, "Didn't know you were such a sore loser."

"Oh? Well, and Misaka sure didn't know you had "that" kind of interests."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"That iron sand whip that divided into tentacles. It's pretty telling, fu fu fu."

"Sh-shup up! Don't start making things up because you're sulking!"

"So, Misaka was mistaken?" Worst singsonged with the fakest naïve voice possible. "Sure, if you say so… Eroneki," she added grinning.

Mikoto growled and lifted herself up.

"Oh, wanna have another go? Fine by Misa… blegh!"

With a thud, Mikoto fell back.

"Oww! You almost broke Misaka's spine! Get off already! Misaka is not a pillow!"

"Quit whining. This is your punishment. Now, tell me why did you steal that idiot's phone? And be honest this time!"

"Ugh… Misaka got roped into the pipsqueak's plan."

"Pipsqueak? Last Order?"

"Yeah, she and all the other goody-two-shoes decided to speed up your romcom plot. Since they have zero faith in you, haha. Oh, some even took bets whether you chicken out or not!"

Mikoto listened with her mouth hanging open.

"Wait, wait, so all this time you were…"

"Broadcasting? Yep!" Worst grinned and peered at Mikoto, eyes sharp like camera lenses. "Smile!"

Mikoto's mouth closed tight and she slowly stood up. Not waiting to be crushed again, Worst rolled away and sprang on her feet.

"Finallly! Now Misaka will… owwww!"

"I might've said it's ok to mess with me… but you girls crossed the line with this!"

With a firm grip on Worst's cheeks, Mikoto pulled mercilessly.

"Stahp, stahp… Misaka is biri-biri, not gomu-gomu!"

"Remember this well, you lot! Big sister's love life is off-limits! Also, no gambling, got it? 15151, was it your idea? Please, keep an eye on her, 10135. Or else she'd have to join 10100 in Antarctica… or maybe we better send her to Siberia… Hm…"

Mikoto pondered on the matter while still stretching Worst's cheeks. Then she shrugged, "Anyway, no more butting into my business like that. Are we clear?"

"Yeesh, all Mishakash shay in aghreeeement!"

"Good girls!"

Freed, Worst instantly stepped back and rubbed her cheeks, "Ugh, Misaka will pay you back for this! Tenfold!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll play with you again. Any day, any time."

"Misaka won't play! Misaka will kick your butt!"

"Sure, sure, call it whatever you like. Just…" Mikoto stared her directly in the eyes, "don't you ever get that idiot involved again. Are we clear?"

She was looking up at Worst, with the nicest, broadest smile possible, and yet sweat beaded on Worst's face. There was a certain sharpness in her eyes. Like that of the edge of a sword. One just couldn't ignore it.

"Y-yeah," Worst muttered before snapping back to her usual self. "Bah, like Misaka is interested in that goody-two-shoes! She would only go directly for the one she wants to fight!"

"Haha, you are a good kid, after all," Mikoto said and patted her sister's head.

Or tried to. Seeing that hand approach, Worst froze like a deer in the headlights. But then she growled and dodged. Mikoto's fingers only brushed her hair.

For a moment both stood still.

With her smile turning a little plastic, Mikoto tried again.

Worst dodged, much quicker this time.

The process repeated itself several more times. As their movements became faster, it was starting to look like some kind of weird martial arts spar.

In the end, Mikoto tossed her arms up in the air. "Oh, fine, you win!"

Worst grinned victorious but then her sister suddenly laughed.

"Don't mind me, just remembered something," Mikoto said smiling. A certain pin flashed before her eyes. It was a happy memory, truly, and yet she couldn't help but burden that smile with the weight of what had come next.

With a sigh, she stepped away – both from the past and from Worst. Her mind switched tracks as she looked at the phone in her hand, "Now, what do I do with you?"

The question wasn't about whether to return it to the owner or not. The question was how to do that. After all, seeing that boy right now was… difficult.

"I guess I could drop it off at the Anti-Skill station," Mikoto muttered. "They would contact him and…"

Worst rolled her eyes. "Misaka is really relieved genes have nothing to do with personality. Otherwise, she would've been wasting time on stupid things, just like Bakaneki."

"S-shut up!"

"Seriously, if you stop wasting all that brainpower on your mental gymnastics you would probably ascend to Level 6 without any external help."

Ignoring her sister's glares and growls, Worst walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down.

"What even is so scary about admitting what you like?" she asked after a short pause. "Misaka likes to fight and mess with other people and she doesn't hide that."

"Oh? Then what about this thing?"

The Gekota strap dangled before Worst. Her eyes followed the little frog as it swung left and right. Just like a cat would watch a mouse trot about the room. Her hand moved as if to catch the strap but she stopped it and shook her head.

"As if Misaka cares about such kiddy stuff, hmph!" she said quickly turning away.

Mikoto chuckled. Even if genes didn't define personality you still might share a trait or two with your relatives.

"You are pretty silly yourself, you know."

"Don't lump Misaka with yourself and the other idiots!"

"Why not? You are an idiot…"

"Grr…"

"Because you are a human."

Frowning, Worst short her a confused look, "Huh?"

As she was looking at the street below, Mikoto went on, "Me, you, our sisters and friends, those we fought with and against, as well as the people bustling about down there – everyone does stupid things. Like spreading rumors, chasing down urban legends, acting on the behalf of the dead, pursuing absolute power. Or denying you like a kids' mascot."

"Again, Misaka doesn't…"

"Our hearts push us to do stupid things. Maybe because we are happy or afraid, or angry. And our minds come up with ridiculous reasons to hold us back. We make no sense to others and even ourselves. But that's alright because this ball of conflicting thoughts and emotions is what humans really are. So, keep at it! The more you deny it the happier I am."

Worst's brows shot upwards, but she quickly composed herself. With arms crossed on her chest, she rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Hmph, Misaka isn't like those boring goody-two-shoes sulking about artificial hearts and borrowed minds. She doesn't need anyone's assurance to know she is human!"

And yet, despite all the huffs and puffs, her cheeks got a little rosy. Tsun and dere. Mikoto couldn't help but chuckle again.

"But if you are so concerned about what the Misakas feel, maybe you shouldn't waste their efforts?"

That wiped the smile right off Mikoto's face. She looked at the boy's phone and touched the strap.

"But…"

"You fought Misaka for this thing. Can you really trust someone else to return it?"

Mikoto gripped the little frog a bit too tightly. Indeed, Anti-Skill had more pressing matters than returning phones to kids. Who knows how long it would stay in the lost-and-found box before someone remembers about it? What if the boy misses an important call because of that?

She sighed heavily.

Worst grinned but then something below caught her eye and that grin grew even wider.

"Oh, perfect timing! Look, look, Bakaneki, there is your chance!"

Mikoto squinted her eyes – only to widen them the very next moment.

A spiky-haired boy stood in the middle of the street. Slouching, panting, as if he had just run a marathon. Had he been looking around the area for Mikoto and the "thief" all this time?

Mikoto's heart skipped a beat. Oh, why had that idiot always appeared when she expected it the least?

"Well, what'cha waiting for? He is right there! Go!" Worst urged slamming her sister on the back.

"Waah!" Mikoto cried as she balanced on the edge of the roof. Then she stumbled back and glared at Worst. "I almost fell! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"No, Bakaneki, just giving you a push! Otherwise you'll be agonizing here till tomorrow morning. Get your shit together and go give that guy your barely eatable chocolate. Then all those goody-two-shoes can pat each other on the back as if they actually accomplished something."

Mikoto froze. For a moment, she even forgot to breath. A sudden realization crept onto her.

"Where is it anyway? Don't tell Misaka you messed up and only made one poxy candy, like that salty girl…" Worst said nonchalantly.

Mikoto didn't reply. Slowly, she raised her arms. One hand was holding the boy's phone, the other one was empty. Then she looked around the place but only saw plain concrete with an odd scorch mark or two.

"Lost… it…"

"Huh?"

"My chocolate… I lost it…"

When had that happened? Where? She had certainly had it before running after Worst. And when the fight had started… her hands had been free. Had she dropped the bag during the pursuit because it was in the way?

With a long, pained sigh she slouched and slouched only to stop a moment before folding down like a deflated air matrass. Now she had done it… Saten-san, the Sisters – they poured a lot of effort into helping her and she wasted this chance without even noticing. Seriously, what even were yesterday and today about?

One step forward, two steps back… same old song.

"Maybe it's a sign," Mikoto said under her breath. Not that she believed in such things but…

Worst scratched her head, "Geez, you really are a no-good sister… Oh well, at least, now nothing stops you from returning the phone."

"Yeah," Mikoto breathed out, no emotion or strength in her voice. As if she had completely given up.

It was prime time for an inspiring speech that would reignite her spirit. Followed by a gentle pat on the back.

Unfortunately, she had the wrong person by her side for that.

"Oh, just do it already!" Worst growled.

And then kicked Mikoto off the roof.