AN:
Hi Everyone! It's me, Guest10032.
I'm a fairly new face to fanfiction, but some people may know me for leaving very lengthy comments on a few Toaru stories.
As a senior in high school, the second semester poses a new challenge usually unseen in the public school system: boredom.
I'm hoping to dedicate some of my excess free time to writing this story. I've been a math/science guy for most of my life and I've never done anything like this before, so the early writing may be a bit lacking, but I hope that my writing will improve as I continue this story.
The pretense for this story is somewhat similar to a few other stories on this platform, but stories where the original plot is retold with a twist are my favorite format, and I'm planning to differentiate this one from the others in a few ways. I will definitely splice lots of original content into the later chapters.
Thank you for reading and I hope everyone enjoys this first chapter!
Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun/Magical Index or the characters from either series.
Chapter 1: An Important Introduction
*SPLASH*
A powerful jet of water collided with a red 'X' painted on the wall of Sakugawa Middle School.
*SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH *SPLASH*
Four more streams collided with the target as bits of cement began to chip off near its center, where a device was placed to measure impact force. The girl controlling these streamers sighed and peeled her eyes off of the wall to look expectantly at the man conducting her system scan, who nodded and pointed to the last box on his clipboard.
That was her cue; she dropped all five of the pools orbiting her body and focused all of her remaining stamina into one concentrated beam of fluid, striking the exact midpoint of the sensor.
*SPLASSSSHHHHH*
At level 4, this girl was the first ranked Hydro Hand ability user in Academy City, a walled enclave dedicated to the study and development of esper powers. She had brown eyes and hair, but always wore green contacts and dyed the tip of her ponytail blue. Eighty percent of the city's 2.3 million was made up of espers, though most students who went through the power curriculum program never passed level 0.
The proctor hummed a bit and turned to face his student. Like he was reading a script, her teacher read her results off of the now-damp evaluation sheet, "Tokuina Mizu—Level 4 Hydro Hand—Range: 42.3 meters—Simultaneous streams: 5—Maximum volume: 1258 liters—Pressure when stream diameter is one inch: 20,330 psi"
Mizu goaned, obviously annoyed at something, "Ugh, I still can't control a sixth stream. Cmon, Daigo-sensei, how am I supposed to stand out if the other level 4 Hydro Hand in the city can also channel five?"
Her dissatisfaction was evident in her voice as she spoke. Despite surpassing every other Hydro Hand user in the city, very little about her ability made her unique. She had always strived to emphasize the differences between her and others, but being cursed with such a common ability felt like more of a burden than a blessing, despite the strength she possessed because of it.
Daigo gave her a sympathetic glance before looking back at her results sheet, "Tokuina-san, you really shouldn't be using your Judgement position to look up your rivals in The Bank, and besides, you can control 71 more liters than you could last time, your range has increased by 3.8 meters, and I've never even heard of another Hydro Hand who can focus their ability create something akin to a pressure washer."
"It's great to hear that my Hydro Hand is just as useful as an average power tool," the girl replied sarcastically before continuing, "I just wish that my ability wasn't so average. There are so many other water-manipulating espers in Academy City, but I don't want to have the same moveset as any of them."
"Like I said, you've already found a completely original way to apply your ability. If that isn't enough for you, I guess you'll just have to keep trying to break your limits and push for level 5." The teacher paused to humor his imagination for a few seconds. "Imagine that, a level 5 in our own school; that really would be something...more funding...fame across the city...students who pay actually pay attention, unlike that Saten-san…" He muttered that last one under his breath as he drifted further from reality.
"Uh, Daigo-sensei."
He kept muttering to himself.
"Daigo-sensei."
Mizu tried again. It was no use.
"DAIGO-SENSEI!"
She was seriously considering testing out her pressure cannon again before he blinked twice and seemed to snap out of his trance.
"Huh, I guess I lost myself for a little bit there. Still, if you can manage to push yourself to level 5 the school would really appreciate it. Just think of all the things we could—"
"NO! Not again!" She coughed "Ahem, what I meant to say was 'If I'm finished with everything, may I please leave.' One of my Judgement colleagues, Shirai Kuroko-san, is going to introduce Uiharu-san and I to someone important today." Mizu thought to herself, "Uiharu-san obviously knows who it is too, but they insisted on keeping it a secret from me. Just who could be so important?"
"Hmmm….Oh yes, we're all done here. Have fun with your friends Tokuina-san."
Wanting to forestall another one of Daigo's delusions of grandeur, Mizu left her testing site promptly to meet up with Uiharu before they were introduced to the aforementioned mystery individual. "If I didn't get out of there soon, he would have kept me for at least another hour talking about the glory a level 5 could bring to Sakugawa Middle School!" She shuddered at the thought.
It wasn't long before Mizu found her way to the bench where she and Uiharu had agreed to meet. When she arrived, her other friend and roommate, Saten Ruiko, was already talking to her coworker about something. Saten's expression was one of exasperation, clashing with the wistful look Uiharu had while describing something excitedly. Mizu walked into earshot just in time to hear Uiharu say "I'm excited about meeting her because I'm sure she's a very nice person and the anticipation hasn't affected me at all—Oh, hi Tokuina-san!"
Mizu deduced that Saten also knew who they would be meeting, so she asked "Hey guys, do you know who we're supposed to be meeting today?" She knew Uiharu was tight-lipped, but hoped that Saten would spill the information. Considering how time her roommate had spent attempting to explain urban legends, she was almost certain Saten would give in.
"Oh, she didn't tell you? Apparently Uiharu is going to meet Mi—MMPH," Mizu's hopes rose as Saten began to answer, but, in a rare moment of confidence, Uiharu shoved her hand over her friend's mouth, preventing the reveal of her top-secret information.
"Fine, fine" Saten conceded, "But don't get your hopes up. High level espers almost always look down on everybody. The only exception I've ever met is you, Mizu."
"Hmm, so he or she is a high level" The Hydro Hand esper sighed and told her, "Being a high level esper isn't as great as you'd think. I'd rather be a level 1 with a cool, one-of-a-kind ability, like 'Confetti Controller' or 'Skirt Flipper'"
Uiharu's cheeks flushed as she said listed the second example while Saten smirked and replied, "The 'Skirt Flipper' ability can even be mastered by level 0s like myself! Just watch this!" She reached down and flipped up Uiharu's skirt to prove her point, "See, Mizu"
"Waaaaaa, Saten-san! You just did that 5 minutes ago!" Uiharu's eyes darted to each person in their immediate vicinity, all of whom were averting their gaze.
Mizu had already witnessed many skirt-flippings in the months she had known Saten and Uiharu, so she laughed and said, "At least your ability is unique. I can't imagine anyone else crazy enough to expose her best friend's undergarments to passerby on a regular basis"
Uiharu looked like she was about to explode, but, just before she reached the temperature necessary for combustion, she grabbed both of her friends and started dragging them away, exclaiming, "We're leaving to see Shirai-san before I die of embarrassment! Saten-san, you're coming along too!"
"I don't really think that's…" The level 0 tried to protest, but she couldn't escape Uiharu's iron grip.
"You're coming. No excuses!"
They were about a block away from Joseph's, the family diner where they were supposed to meet Kuroko, when Uiharu finally gave in to Mizu's incessant attempts to obtain the identity of the mystery high level esper.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you!" Even though she seemed to give in to the nagging, both Mizu and Saten could tell that she was having trouble keeping the secret to herself.
"Just who could be so special anywa—" Mizu started before getting cut off
"IT'S MISAKA MIKOTO"
"The Railgun! Why didn't you tell me earlier!? I could have brought my vintage 'Level 5' lunchbox for her to sign!" She patted down her pockets looking for any piece of Railgun merchandise she could find, sadly coming up empty.
"Really guys? She's probably just a pompous rich girl with no respect for people with lower levels. I expected this from Uiharu, but you too Mizu? I bet she'll look down on you even though you're a level 4," Saten interjected, breaking her two friends out of their trance.
"One, not all high level espers look down on everyone around them; it's wrong to group people together when everyone behaves differently. Two, I don't idolize Misaka Mikoto because of her status (like Uiharu does), I'm impressed by how she can apply her Electromaster ability, which is one of the most common in the city, to accomplish feats that other Electromasters can only dream of" Mizu affirmed. She saw the Railgun as a role model, someone who could take her common power and use it creatively to stand apart from the others with her ability.
After much obsessing over the prospect of meeting a celebrity (to Saten's exasperation), the trio arrived outside of Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant, only to be greeted with quite an eyeful. Shirai Kuroko, the notorious twin-tailed teleporter of Judgement, was seated in a very flustered Misaka Mikoto's lap and was enthusiastically hugging the poor level 5.
Mizu leaned slightly towards the other railgun fangirl, her eyes still glued on the window, and whispered, "Um, is that really the Railgun?"
"Y-yeah, I saw her on that poster by classroom 6. That's definitely her," Uiharu whispered back, "But Shirai-san is usually so serious when we're on patrol. I can barely recognize her like this"
"You don't think…." Mizu trailed off. Neither she nor Uiharu wanted to believe that there was any sort of romantic relationship between the Railgun and their fellow Judgement officer. Their speculations were halted, however, when Mikoto doled out punishment to the ever-perverted Kuroko by swinging her fist in a downwards, hammer-like motion into the top of her roommate's skull. Mizu, Uiharu, and Saten watched in awe as Kuroko pouted before teleporting her fellow Tokiwadai student outside the restaurant.
Kuroko acted like nothing had happened and began introductions, "Now that that's out of the way, it's time to get to the introductions. These two," She gestured to Mizu and Uiharu, "are Tokuina Mizu and Uiharu Kazari. They're both first-years at Sakugawa Middle School who work with me in Judgement. And this is…" She wasn't familiar with Saten, so she just hoped that the last girl would introduce herself.
"Oh! I'm Saten Ruiko. I'm a classmate of Uiharu-san and Mizu. They dragged me here, and, by the way, I'm just a level 0." Saten stated nonchalantly, much to Uiharu's chagrin.
While flower headband girl berated her best friend, Mikoto smiled at the group and introduced herself, "Well hello, Uiharu-san, Tokuina-san, Saten-san, I'm a friend of Kuroko's, Misaka."
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, Misaka-san." Saten was obviously confused "Huh, where's her ego? There's no way a person of her stature would just talk to us normally."
Mizu grinned and thought to herself, "A level 5 who acts like a commoner despite her status and power? That certainly is one way to set herself apart from other high level espers."
With the introductions complete, Kuroko attempted to carry out what everyone present assumed was another phase in her perverted scheme, but she was quickly shut down by Mikoto, using her signature hammer fist technique. For some reason, Mikoto was overcome with a desire to shout out, "If you think you can enact your depraved plot, I'll just have to destroy that messed up perversion of yours!"
She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it after realizing what she was about to say. Trying again, she said, "Well, standing around here isn't much fun, is it? I've got an idea. Lets go to the arcade!"
With that, the group of five set out with the goal of playing video games until curfew. Unbeknown to them, a certain frog mascot would soon put an end to that plan.
Kuroko spent the majority of their walk pestering the Railgun over her choice of hobbies, "I think it's beneath you, Onee-sama. I guess playing games in the arcade and browsing manga is fun enough, but shouldn't you pick up some more dignified pastimes? You could try arrange flowers, or you could learn to play the harp, or even pick up lingerie shopping."
Mikoto was about to defend her life choices when Mizu caught up to them and did the talking for her, "I think that Misaka-san's choice of hobbies is perfectly fine. How many Level 5s do you see reading manga and how often do you see Tokiwadai students at the arcade? It's great that she's got some idiosyncrasies that differentiate her from everyone else." She accepted a flyer from a lady, but was uninterested in its contents and quickly passed it to Mikoto.
Meanwhile, Saten and Uiharu were having their own discussion at the back of the group.
"You know Uiharu, she doesn't really act like a pompous celebrity."
"Yeah and she doesn't look down at us either."
"I guess Mizu was right. She really does set herself apart from the other level 5s and the Tokiwadai stereotype." Saten noticed Uiharu was holding some sort of advertisement, "Hey, Uiharu what's on the flyer?"
"It's an advertisement for a new crepe stand. I think I saw the lady pass one to Tokuina-san too, but it seems too generic for her tastes. Oh, look at this, the first one hundred customers get a Gekota figurine as a free gift."
"What a cheesy-looking character! Who would go for something like that these days—" *bump* "Oh, excuse me" Saten's Gekota slander was cut off abruptly when she walked into Mikoto, who had stopped to examine the flyer Mizu had handed her.
"What is the matter, Onee-sama" Kuroko walked over to where her roommate was now motionless, "Oh, are you interested in the new crepe stand, or perhaps... Did the free giveaway catch your eye?
Mikoto seemed to snap out of her stupor and quickly turned to face everyone, "W-what are you talking about! I-I don't care about any 'Gekota." I mean, he's a frog! An amphibian! In what world would girls be thrilled to get a prize like—" Her rant ended as quickly as it began as she realized that she had failed abysmally to hide the Gekota mascot keychain attached to her bag.
Mizu was the first to break the silence, "Um, Misaka-san? If I may, liking Gekota isn't really anything to be too ashamed of. I mean, sure, many people may think it's childish and silly, but shouldn't you be more honest with yourself?"
"Gekota is neither childish nor silly! I've met many Gekoers of all ages!" Even if her new friend was defending her unhealthy Gekota obsession, there was no way Mikoto was going to accept being called childish, "Okay everyone, let's go before they run out!"
Mikoto used her magnetism to slingshot herself towards the crepe stand, leaving everyone speechless. At least 10 seconds had passed before they realized she wasn't going to wait for them and started to chase after her. Kuroko grabbed Uiharu by the wrist and rapidly closed the distance with a series of teleports in quick succession, leaving Mizu and Saten in the dust.
A while later, the misfortunate duo was still attempting to catch up with their friends, but since neither Hydro Hand nor 'Skirt Flipper' were of much use when it came to mobility, their only option was to make the trek on foot.
Seizing the opportunity to feed her addiction, Saten suddenly exclaimed, "Hey Mizu, have you heard the rumor about the water ability user who beats up thugs in Skill-Out territory. Apparently, this person deliberately seeks out criminals and punishes them for their wrongdoings. The online forum says that those who encounter the 'Water Witch' are never seen again! Scary, right?" She wiggled her fingers creepily as she announced the crime-fighter's pseudonym.
"Wait, there's a rumor about that?" She groaned and knew there was no reason to keep the truth from her friend, "Why would they call me the 'Water Witch'? Couldn't they at least think of something cool, like 'The Flash Flood?'"
"Mizu, are you saying that you're this vigilante!? You're a Judgement officer! You can't go under the law to abduct people, and what you're doing is really dangerous!" She thought to herself, "At least I finally got to the bottom of one of these rumors!"
"Ruiko, please calm down. I know how to take care of myself, and everything I've done is condoned by Judgement. The people are 'disappearing' because I arrest them when they attempt to escape or fight me. Besides, I want more hands-on experience with my ability. This way, I get to push the boundaries of Hydro Hand and cross names off of Academy City's wanted list at the same time. It's a win-win!" Mizu didn't exactly want to admit that the reason she started her solo justice crusade was to find new applications of her ability that only she could pull off.
"Really, Mizu, what you're doing can't be good for your health! Even a level 4 esper isn't immune to everything, you know." As Saten spoke, she glanced at her friend, noticing that Mizu had winced and rubbed a spot on her shoulder.
"I'm fine, really! I've only gotten a few minor injuries, and I've avoided that territory called 'Strange' in District 10 where they actively hunt espers. The only reason I've gotten hurt in the first place is because of all the ability users joining Skill-Out. I thought the entire point of those gangs was to make up for their lack of abilities with numbers. Another weird thing is that I've confiscated a lot of music players from the people I arrest. Something like listening to music doesn't seem like it would be so popular among a bunch of unruly hoodlums," Mizu pondered
Saten looked thoughtful for a second and scrunched her brow. Eventually she appeared to give up and conceded, "I guess I can't just force you to stop looking for trouble, though I bet Skill-Out has been listening to the new Hitotsui Hajime album!" Saten glanced at Mizu and noticed her raised eyebrows, "Okay, fine, they probably aren't listening to pop music, but I'll check the rumor mill for anything about that or the ability users in skillout. I suppose you want to hide this from Uiharu and Shirai-san?"
"Yeah, please keep all of that on the down low. I don't even want to think about the lecture I would get from Konori-senpai if she found out what I've been up to."
The girls finally caught up with the rest of their friends, all of whom had already ordered their crepes. Mikoto was frollicing around with immaturity unbefitting of a Tokiwadai maiden and Mizu noticed a second Gekota figurine hanging next to the one she had noticed earlier.
Smiling to herself, Mizu excused herself from the group to order a crepe with Saten, "Hmm, Kuroko already got the natto-stuffed crepe, so I can't get that one. Oh I know, I'll get mine filled with basashi!" She paid for the crepe, thanked the cashier, and walked back to the group.
Mikoto had already finished her crepe and somehow Saten had managed to inhale the one she ordered in the twenty second period it took them to walk back to their friends.
"Tokuina-san, did you really order a crepe filled with raw horse mea—"
*BOOOOM*
Uiharu's critique of her friend's food choices was cut short by a massive explosion at a nearby bank. A rogue piece of shrapnel impaled her own crepe before flying towards a crowd of schoolchildren. Just before it could make contact, it appeared to stop in midair before clattering to the ground.
A few sparks still danced around Mikoto's bangs as she spoke, "Kuroko!"
Her perverted persona forgotten, Kuroko went into law enforcement mode, "No you don't Onee-sama. Maintaining the public safety of Academy City is a job for those of us in Judgement. This time, please be sure to behave yourself." She turned to the other Judgment members, both of whom had finished putting on their armbands, "Uiharu, quick! Contact Anti-Skill and see if anyone is hurt! Mizu, you're coming with me!"
The flower headband girl pulled out a miniature computer and her cell phone, "R-Right!"
Mizu and Kuroko sprinted across the street to confront the group of three bank robbers, all of whom burst out laughing when they realized that the only thing standing between them and riches was a pair of middle school girls.
Apparently, Kuroko didn't perceive the same hilarity. She put on a bored expression and stared down the robbers, pulling on her green armband, "Judgement! You're under arrest for the destruction of private property and bank robbery,"
The robbers only kept digging their own grave.
"What's with this little kid?"
"Is Judgement short on staff?"
"Hey little lady, go find somewhere else to be or you're gonna get hurt!"
The last robber to speak was a heavy man with his hair in rows. He rushed at Kuroko with every intention to punch the preteen.
"Whelp, he's a goner. Shirai-san is about to wipe the floor with this guy," Mizu thought to herself
The man attempted to end the fight in one swift motion with a palm strike, but his feeble efforts were easily sidestepped by Kuroko as she used his own weight against him. By simultaneously pulling down on his outstretched arm and kicking him in the shins, she repurposed his momentum to force him into an uneasy summersault, sending him crashing to the ground in a dazed heap.
Neither of the remaining robbers were laughing now; their amusement was replaced by shock and anger as they watched a miniscule girl topple their comrade. The robber who appeared to be the second-in-command was furious, shouting "Why, you…" before materializing a ball of fire in his hand, "It's too late for second thoughts. Now that you've gotten me upset, I'll reduce you to ashes!"
Kuroko turned to her partner, "Tokuina-san, do you want to take this one. You have the type advantage"
The first ranked Hydro Hand esper grinned, "Looks like Shirai-san isn't going to have all the fun this time!" She reached into her sweatshirt and pulled out a five liter thermos full of water. Any normal middle schooler would have difficulties lugging around five kilograms (eleven pounds) at all hours, but Mizu had no such issues. She used her ability at all times to apply an upwards force of forty-nine newtons on the water to cancel out the gravitational force from its mass. Since such a small volume was only a fraction of her maximum capacity, she barely felt any fatigue from this maneuver, despite using her powers constantly; the phenomena could be compared to Misaka Mikoto's EM field or the first ranked's passive reflection.
As the pyrokinesis user hurled his ball of flames at the two girls, Mizu's water met it in midair. The collision dispersed about 2 liters of her ammo, but it completely extinguished the fireball, "You know, pyrokinesis isn't all that effective against a Hydro Hand esper."
Despite her obvious advantage over the momentarily stunned robbers, she knew that it would be a pain to bring down two thugs with a mere 3 liters of water left, so she called out, "Kuroko, I need more ammo!"
The teleporter got the message. She disappeared for a fraction of a second before reappearing next to one of Academy City's fire hydrants. Placing a hand on it, the entire hydrant was thrown through the eleventh dimension, only to become visible to the naked eye once it had traveled the third dimension equivalent of five meters to the left. As a miniature geyser burst from the pavement, Kuroko sarcastically shouted back, "Is this enough?"
Mizu smiled to herself and levitated about 200 liters above the Pyrokineticist. As the poor man looked up, desperately trying to form a second ball of flames to no avail, the water flooded him completely and knocked him to the asphalt. He tried desperately to get up, but was entirely unable to, thanks to the extra force Mizu was applying to his water-soaked clothing.
"You can let him go now, I've got it from here," Kuroko told her companion while teleporting spikes into the robber's shirt and pants to pin him to the pavement.
"A-A Teleporter?!"
Just as the twosome had dealt with the second robber they heard a cry from the sidewalk opposite them.
Mizu turned just in time to see Saten fall to the ground with a young boy in her arms as the final robber prepared to flee in a getaway car. Turning her gaze farther, she saw Mikoto stepping into the road. Even though Mikoto was a level 5, she thought to herself, "She still shouldn't get involved. Maybe Kuroko can't handle a speeding car on her own, but I certainly would be able to. I guess Misaka-san doesn't know the extent of my ability yet."
Mikoto stared down at the car and shouted, "Kuroko! I'd hate to do this, but I have to get involved. This fight has gotten personal for me."
"It's personal for me too. I'm not about to let someone get away with kicking my roommate!" Mizu thought to herself before pushing the electromaster back out of the street, surprising everyone present, "Misaka-san, this fight is mine too, and I'm more than capable of taking on that idiot and his car. Please let me do this for my friend as a member of Judgement."
Mikoto had no clue how to react to the situation. Just who would take over for a level 5 in a situation like this? She responded meekly before trailing off, "Um, okay, I guess…"
Everyone stared dumbstruck as the car charged towards Mizu, though the girl in question didn't falter in the slightest. She gathered all of the water that had accumulated on the road since Kuroko broke open the fire hydrant and separated it into two blocks, each large enough to fill a medium pool, and hovered them on either side of the car's path. As the final robber drew closer, laughing like he had gone insane, she converged the water on his car with as much force as she could muster.
*SPLASSHHHH*
An ear splitting noise was heard as over 1200 kilograms (2640 lbs) slammed into the vehicle. The left pool collided with the wheels just as the pool on the right crashed into the car just above the doors with enough force to dent the chassis. With a resounding crash, the car toppled onto its side and, for a moment, everyone in the vicinity was rendered speechless.
After a moment, the robber pinned down beside Kuroko broke the silence, "N-no way, I just remembered! A girl with that ability...They say if you commit a crime in Academy City, a steadfast water user will trample over your body and soul, leaving you wishing she had done worse before Anti-Skill takes you away!"
"Huh, to think my roommate has this much power" Saten thought to herself, "I guess she really is the top esper at Sakugawa Middle School"
Anti-Skill had arrived, late as usual, and took the criminals into custody. While Mizu gave her report to Yomikawa Aiho, an officer who taught P.E. at a school one of her friends went to, she spotted a music player in the Pyrokineticist's jacket pocket and thought to herself, "Another one? I refuse to accept that Saten's Hitotsui Hajime theory holds any value. There has to be another explanation"
After what felt like an eternity of questioning and paperwork, Yomikawa finally released her and she made a beeline to talk to her roommate.
She approached Saten just as a teacher and the boy she saved presumably finished giving their thanks. Saten was sitting on the concrete, so Mizu had to lean over her as she said, "Way to be the hero, Saten! Most level 0s wouldn't have acted at all, and you saved that boy! I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if that became a hostage situation."
Saten had a faint blush as she smiled, "You too, Mizu—Huh?"
At that moment, the rest of their friends, new and old, caught up to them. Uiharu immediately started pestering Saten over her injury while Mikoto, dragging an overly-affectionate Kuroko behind her, grabbed Mizu's hand, "We need to talk."
A million thoughts raced through Mizu's mind at that moment, "Is she mad because I upstaged her? The very last thing I want is for one of the level 5s to have a grudge against me!" She gulped.
However, what Mikoto said after dragging her away from the others took her completely by surprise. She smiled and started, "That was quite some feat, Tokuina-san. I've never had someone take over for me like that before, nor have I ever seen a level 4 accomplish a feat like that one." Her eyes suddenly grew bright with determination, "Sometime soon, you and I are going to have a fight!"
"EHHH?" was all Mizu could muster at that moment. How was she supposed to take on the third ranked?
AN:
Okay everyone, glad you made it all the way to the end!
I don't know any Japanese and I'm not familiar with the naming conventions, so I hope the name I chose for my OC was adequate. Tokuina Mizu is really just a combination of two words in Japanese. Tokuina means 'singular' while Mizu means 'water.' I picked the name based on her ability and her desire to stand out from others.
A lot of stories of this type don't ever show much development in what an esper is capable of with their ability, so that's something I plan to explore in detail with the OC's ability. There is something that sets Mizu's Hydro Hand apart from other water manipulators, but I haven't even teased at it yet, and she doesn't even know it herself. As the following chapters come out, just ponder the question from the story summary: "What makes her ability so special?"
If you'd like, feel free to leave a comment with just about anything; what you liked, what you didn't like, some observations, or even suggestions for things I could implement into the story. I've read all of the LNs, so don't worry about spoiling anything for me if you have a suggestion using NT or GT elements.
I will certainly be reading every comment and responding to all of them in the Author's Note for the following chapter, which will hopefully be sometime soon. High school homework is quite unpredictable, so it could take anywhere from a week to a month to write. I just hope I can keep up a semi-consistent pace.
Next chapter will probably have the fight between Mizu and Mikoto!