Interlude
The days in Academy City have been becoming rather warm lately for the residents of the city. As such, many students have opted to do some of the following: Stay indoors with air conditioning, or go out to the pools. Or in another groups case, going out to eat ice cream.
"Uh, why is it so hot today?" Saten whined as she futility tried cooling herself with her hand. All she got as a reward was nothing but hot air. The girl then looked at the blue sky with no clouds at all, her eyes squinting at the light. "I thought the forecast said it'd be cloudy or something." She said.
"Well, you know the news. They've been wrong for quite a while." Uiharu stated reminding her friend that a few months back the news has been wrong for some reason. Before it used to tell the weather so accurately that it was frightening in some ways. Now instead the news they got was like any other place in the world. With the chances of being either right, or wrong.
"Yeah, yeah. Still, you'd think in a city where science is thirty years ahead we'd get better weather coverage." Apparently science couldn't keep up with the weather now.
"Right." Uiharu said ignoring her friends moaning about the heat. She then spotted something up ahead, a small cart selling ice cream with a small line already forming. The students and kids buying from it to have a refreshing cool treat.
"Hey Saten," She then poked her friend and got her to look up. "Want to have something nice to eat." Saten smiled at the sight.
"Yes!" She stood straight looking a bit more happier. "Come on Uiharu, let's go before they run out." She then grabbed her friends arm and began dragging her at Uiharu's protest that she could walk on her own. The two soon getting in line and looked over the carts options while they waited.
"Let's see, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, peach, are any of those actually fruit flavored?" Saten then turned to Uiharu, questioning some of the flavors on it.
"Of course." Uiharu confirmed. "Thanks to Academy City, all the flavors there are almost 100% real and not artificially flavored."
"Cool." Saten simply said a bit impressed. Though it made her wonder why Academy City spent hours to weeks on time creating things like this. Last week, Saten heard it took some scientists a year and a lot of funding to create a Magical Kami-something app that talks back, despite the fact that only children liked the show.
The producer of that app didn't make a lot of money.
"Oh hey, Uiharu, look." Saten then pointed at one of the options. An ice cream cone with a Gekoto face on it. Many children at the front pointing at it wanting the mascot character to eat. "That one seems to be a popular option."
"Definitely so." Uiharu agreed smiling as they saw many kids picking it with the vender happily giving it to them. Though there smiles soon went away when they heard some noise at the front.
"Over here. Give me double, no! Triple! Please!" Noise that is a very familiar voice when they then saw a small middle school girl with twin tails who had her face in her hands. The nearby teenagers looked weirded out and the vender also gave a funny look at his customer. Even the little kids gave odd stares at a person who while older than them, had more enthusiasm than them about Gekota.
"Please don't tell me that's-" Uiharu stopped her there.
"O-of course not Saten. I'm sure there are other people like...her, who also has a twin tailed friend." Uiharu nervously said, her images of ojos slowly cracking. The two then looked a bit closer leaning toward another angle, as they couldn't see the person buying the Gekoto ice cream properly.
"Oh, oh, add some sprinkles to Mr. A-and can I have that Gekoto badge since I bought the triple scoop." The two then deadpanned as they saw a middle school girl in a Tokiwadai uniform with brown hair buying the Gekoto ice cream with her friend just looking at her with an expression that said, 'Why?'.
"Oh boy." Saten said feeling the exact emotion as Shirai. Uiharu just muttering and pretending that Misaka wasn't acting so ...childish..
"Oh my gosh, you even serve a Gekota ice cream sandwich! I'll take that to!" It was then the three girls looked at each other feeling the exact same thing. All three then deciding to move away to somewhere else for Misaka to finish. Each of them pretending not to know her as Misaka squealed.
"Hehehe, sorry about that. I just got a bit to...excited." Sitting on a table under an umbrella were all four girls. Saten, Misaka, Shirai, and Uiharu, with Misaka herself apologizing bashfully at the scene she had made.
"Honestly sissy," Shirai moaned. "I get you have interest in that frog, but why do you always have to make a scene." She was Academy City's number three, the ace, and yet she had shown her rather...immature side to a lot of people. The only saving grace being that the people didn't seem to know who she was. Not that there wouldn't be rumors for a while.
"Yeah, yeah." Misaka waved off not interested in Shirai's lectures again on how she should act and etc. So she might have acted a little immature. But how could she not act that way when she saw all that beautiful ice cream shaped like her favorite mascot. Tch! Made her angry that people always looked at her funny just because of her tastes. So what if she was a bit older than most kids, Gekota was her saving grace.
"Huh." Shirai just sighed and decided to just forget the conversation. Nothin she said would get sissy out of that childish attention she had on those frogs. Instead she decided to just enjoy the strawberry ice cream she got for herself. Saten and Uiharu doing the same with their cones licking it and squealing in delight.
"Ah, this is exactly what the doctor ordered." Saten said with glee as she ate her cone.
"Yep. So nice to have this on a day like this." Uiharu agreed licking her cone slowly to savor the taste. "Ah, this is a nice relaxation."
"Yep, Especially since you've been so stressed out by him," At the mention of that word, Uiharu then frowned with Saten giving a grin. "Man that guy is funny. Haha!"
"No its not!" Uiharu countered upset. This outburst got the attention of the other two girls who didn't know what they were talking about. Him? Was someone bullying Uiharu. The only way to find out was ask.
"Who is this 'him' person?" Misaka asked.
"If he's someone bugging you Uiharu," Shirai said taking out some very sharp needles. "Then all you have to do is tell us."
"N-n-no," Uiharu stuttered out. "I-I mean, he's annoying, but that's about it. Just a guy I've been seeing here and there that's been...getting on my nerves...A lot…" The two Tokiwadai girls looked at each other in confusion, then stared at Saten with their eyes and expression asking what she knew. The girl herself just coyly smiled as she ate her cone.
"Well, how to start." She spoke. "Let's just say recently Uiharu and I met a pretty interesting guy. Normal looks, has a smile, spiky hair with weird powers to boot." She informed them with Misaka looking suspicious but also being a bit flustered.
"S-spiky hair, weird powers." She uttered having a feeling she knew who this guy was. What was that idiot doing to Uiharu? She swore if he's done anything weird, then she'll shock him to oblivion!
"Spiky hair...weird powers.." Even Shirai had a feeling she knew who this 'him' person is. Or should she say a certain damn 'monkey'. Then a wicked smile came upon her, where she then looked up to Saten with eyes that somehow turned red with her hair unexplainably floating. :Continue Saten-san," She eerily spoke freaking Saten out a little. "Come on, tell us all the dastardly deeds this man has done to Uiharu."
After all, if this man did such horrible things to Uiharu, then Shirai will have the necessary excuse to...detain him. Plus the good reasons to also cause some...necessary pain if he refused to comply or admit to his crime. That way Uiharu didn't have to deal with this man, and by extension her beloved sissy.
"It's not the guy Misaka chases after like a love bird." Saten bluntly said.
"Nooo!" Shirai's plan falling to ruin.
"I-I don't chase him l-like a love bird!" Misaka denies.
"Anyway," Saten said ignoring Misaka, the guy Uiharu's having trouble with is a high level esper. Keeps on calling her-hehe-get this, an elementary school girl."
"Saaaten!" Uiharu slammed her small fists onto her so called friend who just laughed. "It's not funny! Every time I meet him, he just constantly asks where my guardians are and even tried giving me a blanket to 'comfort' me."
Ever since she met him, Uiharu had nothing but trouble. Whenever she found herself alone, somehow she would always meet him.
And it was infuriating!
He would try calling for her parents, taking her to a Anti-Skill adult, even hold her hand so she wouldn't get lost. Always talking to her in that soothing way parents used on their children. Bought her kiddie food when she got hungry! One time, her clothes got dirty and he went to the store to buy her clothes only a ten year old would wear. The worst part-they fit.
"That man-is my enemy!" Uiharu declared. The aura within her turning into one of rage at the treatment that man has given her. Misaka and Shirai just looking at her not sure how to take it.
"Right." Saten went on. "The guy is pretty funny. A bit eccentric and a trouble maker, but a find guy." Looks like the two girls didn't have to worry about Uiharu being bullied after all. The only thing getting hurt was just her ego.
"Okay, ignoring Uiharu's pain, nothing else went wrong with this guy?" Shirai then asked.
"Nope. If anything the guy is fun." Saten smiled with a thumbs up. "Heck, even our first meeting was impressive. Granted he almost killed a guy."
"Killed a guy!" Misaka sounded shocked.
"T-that's not what I meant!" Saten began to correct herself. Shiri having already put on the Judgment band just in case she needed to hunt for a murderer. "See, the guy just grabbed some adult to search for someone. Though he only ended up scaring the guy as he freaked him out by using his esper powers."
"Ouch." Misaka says finishing the rest of her ice cream. Having already taken photos before she ate it. "That sounds rough for the man. Honestly, this guy actually endangered his life by using his powers out in the open. Sheesh, talk about crazy."
As Misaka finished the rest of her cone, she didn't notice the other three just staring at her for the words she just said. The trio then sighing as they didn't have the heart to tell Msaka on what she just said. The Electric Princess not even realizing the hypocrisy of her thoughts.
"Well, was the man alright?" Shirai then asked.
"Yeah, he was." Saten said with Uiharu joining in.
"Despite the fat he was forced to endure high altitudes at the risk of dying, he got over it rather quickly." Uiharu added. "In a few moments, he went back home like nothing happened."
"What she said. Dude went back like it was nothing, kinda like us when we go on adventures." After all the crazy things the four did, they were soon somewhat densitized by such adventures afterwards. Those adventures were the normal for them now. Not sure if that was a good thing or not.
"Ha. Although I feel like I know the man somehow." Saten leaned back recalling that strange man. "Oh well, on the bright side he seemed pretty nice for an adult. A lot nicer compared to some we've faced."
"Oh I can agree with that." Shirai said finishing the last of her sweet ice cream and began eating the cone. Biting a piece off and chewing before she spoke up again. "I also met a fine gentlemen-much better than a certain ape. Listening to my problems and even encouraged me to keep going after my lovely sissy! Hahaha!" Misaka just groaned a bit recalling that day.
Do to a certain meeting she had with that guy, she ended up drunk by accident due to that idiot somehow accidentally buying alcohol. How he bought it, she didn't know. The make it worse, that idiot didn't even realize what he had and offered her a drink of it, which she took because she thought it was apple cider.
By morning she had a killer headache and Kuroko having no clothes on rubbing onto her also naked body.
It was also that day the Tokiwadai dorms lost all power for the entire day.
"Honestly, you really need to learn how to hold back. Especially since you seemed more eager than usual." Misaka grunted with one eye closed and the other glaring at her friend. Shirai just chuckling a bit.
"Hehe. Well, it's not everyday that I get to vent out my frustrations. The man I met was more than kind enough to listen." Granted said frustrations were about the man's son, but like Misaka, Kuroko to didn't realize her own flaws.
"Huh, a good adult huh." Misaka stared at the sky as she went and thought about the many people she's met. There have been many grown ups she knew, the good, and the bad. All somehow involved in either some crazy war or helped them out. Raley did she meet a regular adult, someone like the dorm head didn't count. She just couldn't be human.
"Hm. Wonder if I'll meet such a man?" Misaka simply said as she then got up to order another cone. Like that the day went on.
And another chapter goes by, this time without Touya. As for Misaka, maybe in the future she'll meet Touma's father, it can be soon, or far. Not sure really, so until next time.